#Subject: PBS Research

[liatkolink]

For people still in denial whether Israel has committed war crimes, here is a comprehensive list of war crimes Israel has committed both before and after Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, the list being taken from the Wikipedia article of war crimes with some notable missing examples being the usage of chemical weapons, famine, disease and apartheid. The 7th of October attack did not occur in a vacuum, but is the product of decades of Israel not being held accountable for its war crimes.

Killing civilians:

Israel/Palestine: Unlawful Israeli Airstrikes Kill Civilians by Human Rights Watch on 15/Jul/2014

‘Not a normal war’: doctors say children have been targeted by Israeli snipers in Gaza – The Guardian on 2/Apr/2024

Israeli attack on Rafah tent camp kills 45, prompts international outcry by Reuters on 27/May/2024

Intentionally killing PoWs:

Israel’s Hush-Up Machine in Action: Denying Story Israel Executed Egyptian Prisoners by Washington Report on Middle East Affairs on 8/Apr/2010

Torture:

Israeli government report admits systematic torture of Palestinians by The Guardian on 10/Feb/2000

Israel/OPT: Horrifying cases of torture and degrading treatment of Palestinian detainees amid spike in arbitrary arrests by Amnesty International on 8/Nov/2023

Israel: Palestinian Healthcare Workers Tortured by Human Rights Watch on 26/Aug/2024

Taking hostages:

Infographic: How many Palestinians are imprisoned by Israel? by AlJazeera on 17/Apr/2022

The thousands of Palestinians Israel arrests, tortures, holds even in death by AlJazeera on 17/Apr/2024

UN report: Palestinian detainees held arbitrarily and secretly, subjected to torture and mistreatment by the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner on 31/Jul/2024

Unnecessarily destroying civilian property:

Israel destroys Gaza tower housing AP and Al Jazeera offices by Reuters on 15/May/2021

Israel targets infrastructure in Gaza to ramp up civilian pressure on Hamas, report claims by PBS News on 11/Dec/2023

Widespread destruction by Israeli Defence Forces of civilian infrastructure in Gaza by the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner on 8/Feb/2024

Deception by perfidy:

Israeli soldier gives 74-year-old Palestinian woman water then shoots her in the head by Middle East Monitor on 20/Jan/2015

Israeli special forces disguised as doctors kill three militants at West Bank hospital by The Guardian on 30/Jan/2024

NBC News investigation reveals Israel strikes on Gaza areas it said were safe by NBC News on 26/Apr/2024

Wartime sexual violence:

Stripped, beaten and blindfolded: new research reveals ongoing violence and abuse of Palestinian children detained by Israeli military by Save the Children on 10/Jul/2023

Israel/oPt: UN experts appalled by reported human rights violations against Palestinian women and girls by the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner on 19/Feb/2024

‘Everything is legitimate’: Israeli leaders defend soldiers accused of rape by AlJazeera on 9/Aug/2024

Pillaging:

The Biblical Pseudo-Archeologists Pillaging the West Bank by The Atlantic on 28/Feb/2013

Jewish Soldiers and Civilians Looted Arab Neighbors' Property en Masse in '48. The Authorities Turned a Blind Eye by Haaretz on 3/Oct/2020

Israeli soldiers boast about looting from Gaza by AlJazeera on 14/Feb/2024

Any individual that is part of the command structure who orders any attempt to committing mass killings:

Netanyahu incites violence by casting protesters as clear and present danger by Middle East Eye on 30/Jul/2020

Israeli minister's call to 'erase' Palestinian village an incitement to violence, US says by Reuters on 1/Mar/2023

Netanyahu cites 'Amalek' Theory to justify Gaza Killings by Times of India on 29/Oct/2023

Database exposes 500 instances of Israeli incitement to genocide in Gaza by TRT World 4/Jan/2024

Genocide:

The Genocide of the Palestinian People: An International Law and Human Rights Perspective by Center for Constitutional Rights on 25/Aug/2016

Genocide Warning: Israel & Palestine by Genocide Watch on 21/May/2021

A top U.N. court says Gaza genocide is 'plausible' but does not order cease-fire by npr on 26/Jan/2024

‘Reasonable grounds’ to believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, UN rights expert says by CNN on 27/Mar/2024

Is Israel Committing Genocide in Gaza? New Report from BU School of Law’s International Human Rights Clinic Lays Out Case from Boston University Today on 5/Jun/2024

Ethnic cleansing:

UN Human Rights Council: ‘Israel engaging in ethnic cleansing’ by the European Union Parliament on 23/Mar/2011

Israel's ethnic cleansing in Palestine is not history - it's still happening by Middle East Eye on 22/May/2019

UN expert warns of new instance of mass ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, calls for immediate ceasefire by the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner on 14/Oct/2023

‘Plan for ethnic cleansing’: Israel’s north Gaza siege sets off alarms by AlJazeera on 22/Oct/2024

Granting of no quarter despite surrender:

White Flag Deaths Killings of Palestinian Civilians during Operation Cast Lead by Human Rights Watch on 13/Aug/2009

Investigators: Israel fired on Gaza civilians carrying white flags by The Electronic Intifada on 28/Jan/2015

3 hostages killed by Israeli soldier in Gaza were waving a white flag, Israel says by npr on 16/Dec/2023

A group of Palestinian men waving a white flag is shot at, killing 1 by NBC News on 24/Jan/2024

She was fleeing with her grandson, who was holding a white flag. Then she was shot by CNN on 26/Jan/2024

Two brothers shot by Israeli forces in Khan Younis, white flag ignored by AlJazeera on 29/Jan/2024

Conscription of children in the military: First one where I couldn't find anything. Way to go, Israel!

Flouting the legal distinctions of proportionality and military necessity:

Israel violates the principles of necessity, proportionality in its attacks on Gaza by Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor on 13/May/2023

Enough: Self-Defense and Proportionality in the Israel-Hamas Conflict by Just Security on 6/Nov/2023

War Crimes and Accountability: The Case Against Israel’s Military Operations in Gaza by JURIST News on 5/Jul/2024

[yanderes-galore]

An Adventure Time request for a romantic concept of Princess Bubblegum please and thank you so much if you write this <3

❗️Possible Adventure Time Spoilers Below❗️

Yandere! Princess Bubblegum Concept

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Manipulation, Possessive behavior, Jealousy, Abuse of power, Controlling behavior, Stalking, Tracking, Delusional behavior, Overprotective behavior, Imprisonment/Isolation, Forced relationship.

Honestly, based on my research on her character, PB is a mess as a yandere.

There's times PB comes off as kind, caring, often trying to care for her subjects.

However... PB is nowhere close to being a good person.

In fact, I feel making her a yandere just makes her worse...

If you can even make PB worse....

I would like to just say, canonically, PB has committed genocide, war crimes, and just... crime in general.

There's times she seems like a sadist... and is confirmed to be a tyrant and control freak.

Safe to say, as her obsession, she's going to be a bit... creepy.

I imagine PB is very invasive.

Considering what she does around others, including cameras and trackers....

It's safe to say that PB would like to keep tabs on the one she's involved with.

Or... would like to be involved with.

For now, let me just discuss general yandere behavior when it comes to her.

Just to keep things simple.

First of all, I can see PB being manipulative.

She's good at keeping up an act.

So I can see her primarily wanting to appear as kind and good towards her obsession.

I also feel PB doesn't view her love for you as simply love at first.

She views her interest in you as something to be studied.

After all, she wants to know why you make her feel so... strange.

In a way she wants to emotionally dissect you to try and figure out why she wants your attention.

She can tell she cares about you... but this is way different than any other bond she's had.

Part of her wants to control her obsessive feelings...

She wants control over you....

After all, she's a character who has expressed a desire for constant control in her kingdom.

It isn't too OOC to think she'd want the same with you.

Actually, now that I think about it... most of her yandere behavior doesn't feel OOC in the slightest.

For example, I feel PB would eventually slip a tracker into your skin and watch you wherever you go.

That behavior alone also happens in canon.

She may excuse it as protecting and looking after you.

In reality she just watches you for her own desires.

She has cameras everywhere anyways.

It would not surprise me if she keeps a special drive full of recordings that are just... you.

Her form of love is obsession... she's always obsessing over every little thing about you.

Every gift you give her, or object you leave behind...

PB takes them and hides them away for her eyes only.

When it comes to PB, it's hard to tell if she's jealous or just trying to control you.

PB doesn't enjoy others around you for very long.

She often plans days to see you, finding ways you two can bond.

Although it's often just her talking about equations at you or reading... sometimes even dances.

PB is known for putting together large events.

I can see her always sending an invite to you, only to keep you right by her side the entire time.

If she didn't like someone around you, I can see her searching for excuses on why you can't speak with them.

I'm basing this on how she was with Finn and FP.

Sure, there may have been a genuine reason there...

There isn't one with you.

She just... feels uneasy about others getting too close to you.

While others may think she doesn't deserve you (or more likely, the other way around...), PB wouldn't like letting go of her obsession.

She has an unhealthy attachment with you and control.

When she sees you with others, she tries to disturb that connection.

She claims she needs you for something, pulling you away from a conversation.

That or she inserts herself in the conversation, intending to drive the other person off.

She's possessive in a way, feeling she's the only one for you.

Yet despite this isolation... She doesn't try to start a relationship until later.

She may hint at it to keep you hooked, though.

For the most part, PB is fine with the control she has over you.

She doesn't mind tracking or watching your every move.

She also doesn't mind restricting who you talk to... even using her influence to threaten those around you.

PB knows she's a horrible person.

That isn't lost on her.

But she's selfish... possibly even willing to imprison you to keep you to herself.

Would PB kill? I feel that's obvious.

If she was pushed to it... like someone was getting in her way of obtaining you...

It would not surprise me if she made some sort of poison to kill them... or straight up took them to the dungeons to experiment on them.

I feel PB would imprison her obsession if she felt they were 'acting out'.

What does that mean? Well...

If someone alerted you of PB's behavior, she may just guarantee she has you by Imprisonment.

At first she may try to be sweet with you... offering kisses or affection to show she cares....

If you aren't swayed, however?

She clasps handcuffs over your wrists and sends you to the dungeons where only she can visit you.

Good luck getting Finn and Jake to release you, PB isn't going to be swayed and she'll take their attempts as betrayal.

I feel PB would imprison you regardless of what you are... but here's another idea that comes to mind with her.

What if you were one of her creations?

What if PB tried to make herself a partner, to make you perfect and tuned to her after realizing she's feeling alone after Marceline.

She tries to make you obedient yet intelligent, making you into the perfect companion for her.

She adores you... always watching you on her cameras and tracking the chip she implanted into you.

She teaches you affection and love, whispering that you can only do it with her.

After all, you were created to please her.

Yet later on, what if you begin to develop independence?

What if you make other friends? What if you love someone else using the affection she taught you?

To counter that, she imprisons you, just to reteach you.

She teaches you that you can only love her... that you were created to love her...

If she needs to alter your creation or start anew... She will.

She needs to have control over you... She needs you to love her...

PB doesn't care what she sacrifices to make you love her.

Be that Stockholm Syndrome or literally altering your memories... PB cares about results.

One way or another, she'll have you love her...

To her, the ends justify the means.

[spaghetti-academia]

advice that would have helped me in college:

Go for the decaf option. You're already drinking energy drinks. Don't give your body too much caffeine, as it might cause issues.

On the weekend, get out of bed early and go grocery shopping. Once you're done grocery shopping, go straight back home and meal prep. Wash the produce and put them in serving-sized containers. Make your lunches and dinners for the week. Get it done within the next couple of hours after you shop. Once you're done meal prepping, go back to bed and take a nap.

Unpack all of your things. Get everything out of the boxes. Go through everything that's in your dorm. Donate the things you don't need anymore. The sooner you get your dorm organized in the beginning of the year, the sooner you can get a cleaning schedule/organization system going and the less stress your environment is going to cause.

Learn which places are good to study in before 8am and after 5pm. On a college campus, usually there are plenty of buildings that you can access after 5pm, because colleges need to provide study space. However, learning which places are open before 8am is important too, because you might need to get some early morning studying in without disturbing your roommates.

Learn how to budget. You deserve to have fun and use your academic breaks the way you want. Save up your money, so that you can have spring break to yourself and you can have a solo vacation. Even if budgeting isn't a "big deal" in college, it makes for good practice.

Don't be afraid to talk to professors. They're there to help you. You're there to get an education, and their job is to provide that for you. Get your money's worth.

Be creative with the dining hall options. You can sneak in your own food and combine it with the food you have in your meal. For example, I brought in a rice cake and I used their peanut butter and bananas to make a PB Banana rice cake.

Similarly, bring containers with you to the dining hall. If you like the way they make apple sauce, then put their apple sauce in a container. Bring multiple plates and do a little meal prep. Get food to go.

This is more of a wish than a "habit," but try to establish a good boundary between school and everything else. Set rules for yourself. "If I can't complete at least two of these readings, then I won't go to the club meeting tonight."

This is advice from my own school: Every hour in class means two hours of studying/prep for the class beforehand. For example, if the class is 1 hour 35 minutes long, then that's around 3 hours of studying before the class. It doesn't have to be done all at once, but schedule accordingly.

Go to the school counselor. They may not be the best at dealing with specific mental health problems, but they can be a good place to vent without judgment.

If your professor requires you to submit written reflections of your readings, don't antogonize over it too much. "Eh, it probably sounds stupid but it meets the minimum requirements" is better than no reflection submitted.

Learn as much as you can about the resources your college provides and use as much of them as you can. Whether its health/medical, career, academic, disability accomodations, etc. get your money's worth.

If you want to read more, spending at least 15 minutes or reading at least 10 pages per day is a small amount that adds up over time. One of my regrets is not reading more of the books from the school library, since many of them were on niche subjects and were extremely interesting.

If you suspect that you have a learning disability (e.g. ADHD), research the symptoms and management techniques for them, even if you don't have the resources to get diagnosed and treated. I strongly suspect that I have Inattentive ADHD, but I couldn't seek a diagnosis while in college (or now). Learning study techniques and management strategies for people who have similar struggles would have been very helpful for me, rather than going with generic advice for people who had a more neurotypical brain.

Honor your bedtime. I know that college students like to stay up late and pull all-nighters, but my mental and physical health would have been a lot better if I made my nights as peaceful as possible and went to bed on time. Turn your night routine into a ritual. The hour or two before you go to bed should be to help you get a full night's rest. It's time for you, so be selfish and treat it like it's sacred. You deserve it.

disclaimer: this advice may or may not help you. take what works, and leave what doesn't work. it's okay if the advice given doesn't 100% apply to you.

[sweetonsugden]

Emily WAS the director of Lydia Place for 11 years. She left in 2023 due to burnout. Last I heard she was working for another community organization in Bellingham. I do not know if she is currently still there.

When Misha and Vicki did a fundraiser project benefitting Lydia Place in 2017, Emily was the executive director then. There is at least one photograph of them all together from that summer (2017) with a local (Bellingham) housing guy who was also involved in the project. Misha and Vicki used to attend the annual fundraiser event for Lydia Place when Emily was director. So that’s definitely where Misha knew Emily from. It’s possible Misha has known Emily for upwards of ten years.

I believe Misha and Emily got divorced around the same time, but there is nothing to suggest that they were each others reason for their divorces. (Emily’s ex husband re-married quite soon after their divorce so that may have been a factor in Emily’s divorce, but who knows.)

The last I saw/heard of Vicki was her involvement in a PBS documentary earlier this year (? or last year? I lose track of time these days. Blame COVID.) about the history of American airline stewardesses. (Vicki wrote her PhD thesis on the subject and published a non-fiction book (‘The Jet Sex’) based on her research in 2013. The documentary is called ‘Fly With Me’ and is available to watch on the PBS app in the US. Vicki is one of the talking heads (experts) featured. Aside from that, I don’t know what she’s been up to. She’s an alum of UCLA so she may’ve been working out of there. All I know is she’s been living with her kids somewhere around the Ventura/Santa Barbara area of Southern California and dealing with her lengthy divorce. I believe she moved down there (from Bellingham) when she and Misha separated in 2020/2021. (She has family in So.Cal. Her sister Monica is an attorney in Santa Cruz, I think? So I assume Vicki moved back there to be closer to family, since there was no longer any reason for her to stay in Washington state (she only moved up there for Misha’s job on Supernatural anyway. Once that, and her marriage, was over she understandably moved back down to California. Prior to Misha’s gig on SPN, they had lived in the Los Feliz area of LA. They still owned two houses there which have both (since the divorce) been sold. Including the one Misha built. The bigger LA house was pretty fancy and sold for around $7 million. The smaller one (Misha’s building project) sold for about $2 million. Their former home in Bellingham (where Misha and Vicki and the kids were based for most of his time on SPN) was sold in 2021 for nearly $2 million also.

Thanks for the backstory, nonnie! As I mentioned earlier, I know nothing about that side of Misha’s life. So I appreciate the info share.

[edwhiteandblue]

January 11, 1996 — STS-72 Endeavour launches

STS-72 captured and returned to Earth the Japanese Space Flyer Unit, a microgravity research spacecraft, and flew the Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology Flyer spacecraft. The mission, its crew, and their families were the subject of the PBS documentary Astronauts narrated by Bill Nye.

[simslegacy5083]

Today's (4/1/2025) Episode: Stressful Surprises

While Candor was getting his groove back the other members of the old house by The Bay continued to struggle.

Elyse stared down at the lonely, single pink line on yet another negative pregnancy test. Maybe if she kept watching long enough a second line would magically appear? When she was finally convinced the little stick wasn’t going go give her any good news, she threw the latest proof of her failure in the trash can and headed downstairs to find her spouse.

“Good morning beautiful!” xe greeted her cheerily. “I packed you my special PB&J for lunch. I threw in an apple too – an apple a day keeps the doctor away, and I know how much you want to avoid THEM”.

Elyse cracked a small smile at that “Thanks. I don’t know how you make your peanut butter so extra sweet and creamy, but I can’t get enough.”

“You think that’s good” xe continued as they grabbed breakfast “just wait until tonight. I booked us a table at this new restaurant in Tartosa Sigrid asked me to review. I’ve heard great things so I’m excited.”

“A date night sounds wonderful” she agreed “thanks for letting me tag along. Well, I better go get ready for work. I love you; I can’t wait!”

Skye had tactfully avoided asking if Elyse had taken a pregnancy test after the previous nights attempt but couldn’t help noticing her decidedly flat stomach as she made her way upstairs. She must have taken a test, but if she did that means she’s still not pregnant and if there was nothing wrong with us, she should be pregnant by now! Still, I don’t want to make her feel bad by pestering her before work…

Xir thoughts continued in a family planning related stress spiral as xe spun into xir career uniform and headed out the door to the office. I’ll broach the subject this evening, very carefully, if she doesn’t say anything about it first.

“Oh, this is delicious” Skye said, sipping xir nectar before happily shoveling another forkful of meatball into xir mouth. I always order the Chef’s Special when I’m out on a review… I figure its only fair to try what they think is their best offering… but they were really testing their luck with an Italian meatball.” Xe grinned and winked at xir wife. “I can taste the marjoram, no one ever thinks to add that and its so important to the final flavor profile.”

After ordering dessert, xir smile faded away as xe prepared to broach the subject xe’d been stewing over all day. “I see you got a glass of nectar with dinner…” xe began “I assume that means…”

“Do I LOOK pregnant!?” Elyse yelled “Yes, Skye, we failed, AGAIN. Thanks SO MUCH for reminding me!” before xe could respond her eyes filled with tears. “I’m sorry, I’m just so frustrated. I thought it was going to be easy, but it's been ages and no luck. What’s wrong with us!?”

“I don’t know” Skye said “I’m frustrated too. Maybe its time to go see a fertility specialist, let them run some tests? Or I could…”

“Please don’t start with that again” she cut xem off “I’M going to be the one getting pregnant this time. I’m not interested in being poked and prodded by some idiot in a white coat either. There are tons of natural fertility treatments we can try first. I’ll do some research online. Neither one of us is sick, we don’t need doctors. We just need to try a little harder.”

Skye sighed. Xe’d expected this outcome, but xe still wished xe’d been able to convince her to trust medical science instead of whatever internet fad she unearthed this time.

Just then Skye did a double take when xe noticed the unexpectedly familiar couple that had been seated next to them while they’d been discussing their baby woes. Hey that’s what’s his name, Gretchen’s other dad… but that’s definitely not Theo… in fact I think its…

“Boss!?” xe sputtered “What a … pleasant surprise meeting you here?”

As Sigrid turned to them with a friendly wave, Skye frantically tried to figure out how to navigate this suddenly very awkward social situation.

View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

[parakeetlover3]

Ello, Scarlet Hollow fans! :D

Advice wanted!

I’m planning on getting the game next month, and I might need some help/advice for which traits to pick. I want my first playthrough to feel personal, so my character’s gonna be mostly me but if I was a bit Cooler and and had Free Time (tm) (and with various other changes to fit the setting). I wanna make sure the traits I pick like up with that

The traits I’m choosing between are Powerful Build, Keen Eye and Book Smart! The poll and reasons for/against each trait will be below!

Powerful Build

Pros:

Working out’s fun!

It’s one of my dreams to get strong, mostly so I can help with hard tasks (gardening or picking up heavy stuff), pick people up (in emergencies or just for fun), and be able to get up and down the stairs at school without being out of breath XD

Relating to Con #1, irl a lot of people who are good at fighting actively avoid starting fights and try to de-escalate, so maybe it can still fit? Also, it’d be kinda funny to be the character that’s always first to run to also be the strongest when needed lol

Also! The ‘intimidation’ thing can fit with how I’m not rlly good at social stuff XD Coming off as intimidating even if I don’t mean to fits, and might make situations where I successfully de-escalate/socialize more meaningful

Cons:

I’m not rlly a very confrontational person? At all? And easily scared, so I’d probs run away or try to talk things through lol. So like, if this trait mostly just gives confrontation+fight options then I don’t rlly want it to go to waste, unless being able to fight but choosing not to is a choice in itself for the trait story-wise? Also, like, my character looks like this:

(Design subject to change as I learn more abt the game)

That is the opposite of intimidating XD Plus my clothes would be baggy anyway so my muscles can’t rlly show

Keen Eye

Pros:

I love going on walks, and I always stop every few minutes cus a cool rock or plant or bug or smth caught my eye haha, so if I had more time to go on walks I can see myself honing that skill even more

Relating to Con #1, I try to be empathetic, so having that trait could be me developing that/getting better at social stuff?

Cons:

Socially speaking, even if I might notice things, interpreting what they mean is a different story, so if that trait means being rlly aware and observant socially then it wouldn’t really fit

Book Smart

Pros:

I would love to write more fics and/or original stories, plus role play more. These can lead to quite a few times I’ve gone through Wikipedia rabbit holes to figure stuff out XD

Cons

I am also extremely forgetful, so I probs would forget a lot of the stuff I learned

Also, a lot of my research would be pretty specific, like about character design or food storage or animals, rather than more general mystery-solving stuff like history or architecture, so the trait might not fit if it’s referencing history stuff

Spoilers I’m aware of, but am trying to play as if I don’t know any them/avoiding other spoilers

Powerful Build can let you save both Gretchen and Duke if you go in the woods?

Keen Eye can help with a mine rescue

Book Smart talks down a ghost peacefully to help Tabitha, if we have a high enough friendship with her?

There’s an option to sacrifice yourself at some point, but Tabitha does it instead if you bonded enough?

There’s a family curse of some sort that Protag and Tabitha have?

The person following Protag is named Wayne

There’s someone that has a Creature form?

Tabitha and Stella like eachother? Or that might just be cus of the fanart I saw

Tabitha has a shotgun

I’ve been considering PB/KE the most? But I still don’t know if how those traits play out would fit the Protag I’m trying to make, and Book Smart is also tempting, so I am very indecisive

Thanks for reading this far! Have a nice day :>

[therecordchanger62279]

MAILER’S MARILYN

     I was just 17 when I walked into Readmore bookstore in the American Mall in Lima, Ohio, and bought my first adult book. Oh, I don’t mean adult as in pornographic. It wasn’t that kind of a bookstore. No, by adult I mean the first book written by an established author on a subject of mainstream interest with adult themes, and prose that was far beyond what I’d read in books to that point for people my age, or in music or sports magazines.

     On the cover of this trade paperback was the face of Marilyn Monroe. There were no words on that front cover. But the title on the spine read Marilyn a biography by Norman Mailer. At 17 I had never read Mailer, but I knew him from William Buckley’s Firing Line show on PBS, and guest appearances on talk shows when they actually used to have authors on to talk about their new books because in that America, people still read books.

     The books were all shrink-wrapped except for a display copy that had a price sticker slapped across Marilyn’s forehead. At that age – 12 years after her passing – Marilyn Monroe was still turning heads, and putting ideas in young minds. So, I picked it up, and casually browsed through it hoping the adult at the counter wouldn’t stop me from looking at the pictures within.

     Those pictures were extraordinary. I’d never seen a woman looking quite so beautiful. I was still a year away from being legally permitted to buy a Playboy or a Penthouse, but I thought because this was a proper book written by a well-known author that I might be able to buy a copy. I nervously approached the counter, and, without incident, bought the book. After all, none of the pictures were pornographic, though there were some nudes that revealed almost nothing. But I was buying the book for the pictures, make no mistake.

     When I got home, I spent quite a bit of time gazing at those pictures of this dead sex symbol because I found her mesmerizing. I gave little thought to the text, although I fully intended to read it at some point.

     As the years went by, I began building a very impressive collection of quality books by some of the world’s finest authors. And in my mind, Mailer’s Marilyn was the first book in that collection.

     Well, this past week, at the age of 68, I finally read Mailer’s biography of Marilyn. In the 51 years that had passed I’d read 13 of Mailer’s other books, as well as a biography of him. Maybe that should’ve prepared me to read Marilyn, and maybe it did. I certainly don’t think I was sophisticated enough to have appreciated Mailer’s words at 17 (although Marilyn’s charms were certainly not lost on me). So, I’m glad I waited to read Marilyn because I think it’s the best of the Mailer books I’ve read. It’s unlike any biography I’ve ever read. The project began as a book of photographs of Marilyn with accompanying text to provide some depth. But Mailer, like me, and most of the men in the world (and not a few women) became mesmerized by Marilyn, and he began researching her life in greater depth. By the time he turned the manuscript over to the publisher, they had both a book of photographs, and a biography of some weight.

     That Mailer’s words are the equal of Marilyn’s beauty is the highest praise I can offer. He provided a great deal of insight and history that only enhanced my admiration, and understanding of this tragic figure who left us far too soon.

     When I closed the book, I went into the room to put the book back on the shelf. This would not be one I’d sell to a used bookshop for 50 cents or a buck. But before I restored it to its rightful place on my bookshelf, I thought it wise to retrieve a plastic record sleeve. I put the book in the sleeve, and folded it to fit, and scotch taped it to protect it. Sometimes you buy something because you think it’s cool, and years later you realize that it means a great deal more.

[infiniteglitterfall]

How are you holding up? I ask because I'm only, like, addressing antisemitism that leaks to my dash with every term related to Palestine I can think of blacklisted. And i'm like. Barely crlinging to fragile sanity. I hope you are better equipped to handle the stresses of this ongoing disinformation campaign. You're doing good and important work, which you must know, but I want to re-emphasize it.

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3

i swear to god I thought there was a way to reply privately to asks, but apparently either there isn't or I don't have the patience to find it again.

I think that you're describing how most Jews with any connection to social media feel.

The good thing, in a way, is that researching and fact-checking is my major coping mechanism. Researching and rebutting and arguing with people until I understand everything well enough to be pithy about it. Creating ways for other people to defend themselves and to push back. Doing the research to know when I'm right helps me a lot.

I'm probably as well-equipped for this as I can imagine being (that's not really true, I should be talking to people more about it and using 12-step tools to deal with it and gosh some therapy would be nice), and like... there have still literally been times when I've been triggered for an entire week by this shit.

Most notably: the time when I saw a clip on my TikTok fyp from some podcast where some journalist fully got all dressed up and prepared to go on camera, to say that she could imagine there were a few individual rapes on Oct 7 -- although she wasn't aware of any -- but that certainly there was no evidence of systematic rape, and that saying there had been systematic rape was dehumanizing propaganda.

Like. If you can't even take one minute to google whether there had been individual rapes before you go on camera. And you haven't heard of them two months after the fact. Then you don't know enough to talk about this, period. That makes you the very opposite of an expert on the subject. And yet, that is who gets platformed. Ignorant randos who have no personal connection to any of this.

I literally knew there had been gang rapes by Hamas within the first week of the massacre. Because I cared enough to do a search for eyewitness testimony of the massacre, and I found an interview on PBS immediately.

Or, more accurately: it was because it slowly sank in that the attack had been MASSIVE. 22 kibbutzim leveled in one day, hands-on, without an airplane or mortar shell involved. All those people killed the way you would kill a horde of zombies: burned alive, or shot and then mutilated, or cut up and then shot. Like they needed to double-tap, to make sure no one was coming back around.

Two years of planning. Almost half a billion dollars in funding from Iran. Detailed guides even to the dentist's offices and kindergartens and grocery stores they were invading.

And it was very plain to, I think, nearly every Jew on earth that this was an attack aimed at Jews. Even before any recordings of attackers saying "I'm inside with the Jews" or "I killed 10 Jews with my own hands" even came out. Even though everyone else was denying it from the moment it happened.

And I felt compelled to learn more about what happened.

To KNOW.

To bear witness.

Even before it became apparent started to seem like the rest of the world would rather die themselves than bear witness to us. Even before it became apparent that Hamas had been telling people Israel would commit genocide in response before its fighters even left that country.

A reasonable person, imho, would ask why the fuck Hamas would commit such atrocities if if thought Israel would respond by killing every Palestinian in Gaza.

The Palestinians in Gaza are certainly fucking demanding to know why the hell Hamas thinks it gets to start a war on them, why its leaders get to hide out and evacuate their families while demanding civilians bleed and die for it, and why it doesn't goddamn turn itself in and give back the hostages.

But anyway.

But that's the thing. I looked it up because I was compelled to. I identified with the people attacked. I needed to know what had happened to us.

That's something outsiders would only do if they were allies.

We know, now, that we don't have allies on the left.

I've seen post after post after post, hundreds and hundreds of comments, on Jewish Reddit, asking if other progressives are okay. Asking, "how are you dealing with rejection by the left??" Asking if others are also shocked and confused and betrayed. Talking about how many friends they've lost who went masks-off antisemitic. So many people who've had to end long-term relationships when their partners went masks-off.

There's usually at least one politically conservative Jew in the comments laughing wryly and going, "wow, you really thought you were safe?"

Sometimes they ask why we're on the left if everyone there wants to kill us. Then we defiantly point out that it's not any different on the right. Or that we're not going to abandon our political beliefs for anyone.

Anyway.

I didn't even watch the podcast clip past that moment.

I ragequit. I went to the file of eyewitness testimonies I'd already put together, after weeks and weeks of denial. (And by "file," I mean "draft in gmail, because it saves automatically, and it's easy to find, and i don't know why it's better than google docs or dropbox paper, but it just is.")

I took the clearest, most authoritative ones and put them into their own document -- which i did make in dropbox lol.

I duetted the video, or whatever the fuck the one is in tiktok where you just take 5 seconds from one video and the rest is your own. It's not duetting. Idk.

It was the middle of Hanukkah. I recorded a video where I read each of however many testimonies I had, and lit a candle before each one. It was almost 10 minutes long, even though I made them as short as I could.

I didn't post it.

I was triggered all to hell for a whole week. I was staying up till 3 or 4 in the morning, researching horrifying rape testimonies, arguing with people on the internet, then sleeping too little and too late, then doing it again.

Watching myself lose a whole week to this. Knowing I couldn't do anything about it. Half-angrily, half-numbly thinking about how I couldn't afford to lose this much job search time, this much unfucking-my-life time. How I couldn't afford to have people I didn't even know fuck up my life even more.

And the bitch of it all is that the tone of the discourse makes me strongly suspect that if we said, "hey everyone needs to walk it back, you guys are deeply fucking up the mental health of pretty nearly the entire Jewish community," people would just respond by angrily telling us anti-Zionism is not antisemitism, mockingly saying that's what Zionists deserve.

Thanks for asking <3

[thestalkerbunny]

How do you research stuff when you write stuff?

Okay so first thing you need to understand about me is that I LOVE learning about stuff. I love learning new things that I can bring up in conversation. I love being that person who can hold the most inane conversation at the bar and it's compelling.

Step One: What do you want to know?

Important question of course, but you gotta know the WHY WHEN WERE AND HOW if you're going to add something to your writing. Cause some weirdo CAN and WILL nit pick the fuck out of it for inaccuracies. And it's better to be correct the first time than spend the next 5 years being roasted for it. (that or admit up front to inaccuracies.)

Step 2: Make sure your facts are VALID.

I like to write about a lot of subjects. and I wanna do 'em RIGHT and accurate and do them justice-from intense trauma, religion, or Culture-you wanna do it justice. Number one thing people hate other people getting wrong it's shit to do with their trauma, religion or culture. Get it right the first time. When doing research, always seek out reliable sources and check multiple sources and see what lines up, what the pattern of sameness is.

Step 3: Wikipedia is your bestie

Nuff said. You wanna know the mating habits of caterpillars? WIKIPEDIA. You wanna know the year pizza was invented? WIKIPEDIA. You wanna know all the ingredients found in the common American latex condom? WIKIPEDIA. Of course, you will want to fact check with other sites but your boots to the ground starting point is always Wikipedia.

Step 4: Listen to other people

I will admit. There has been sometimes when I made a character and a person will interperate in such a way that I didn't think of. (Example being both a Character who was interpreted as autistic which I made canon because it had such a compelling argument and another who apparently was a very good presentation for DID and how it felt to struggle with it. Both unintentional, a real Olympic backflip I didn't mean to do but somehow I landed on my feet.) But your best source of research is always going to be well...a SOURCE. There's dozens of websites where people love to talk and answer questions on subject matter that may pertain to them-especially here on tumblr. Again you will always want to fact check-but sometimes it's good to get research material from the horses mouth.

tldr; Google, just google, click those links, find out what your favorite things were inspired by, follow that thread, learn. expand. grow. Brought to you by PBS.

[187days]

Day Forty-Eight

Whew, today was fast.

It's an early release day, so all of our classes were short. In Global Studies, we went over the work they'd done on Friday, and went over the results of the NH PBS mock election. Then, as a preview for the remainder of the week, I refocused the class on major belief systems and showed a video of a day in the life of a Hindu priest. I had just enough time to field their questions and hear their observations. That was that.

APGOV, being a course for upperclassmen, was about twenty minutes longer, so we did a bit more. First, they had research papers on the candidates in either the presidential or one of the two congressional races due. We also looked at the mock election results, and discussed how they might compare to the actual results for NH. Then I showed a report from This Week with George Stephanopolous about the swing states, and we discussed that and the election in general. The feelings of anticipation and suspense were so palpable. I had them read an article about the federal bureaucracy, too, since that's what I'll be covering after the election and that's a way to bring the stress level down. It's just a basic overview to give them some background knowledge and acquaint them with some requisite terminology.

After students left, I ate lunch with my Cacophonous friends, then led a quick department meeting (mine was quick, anyways; I can't say the same for everyone else's). We're reviewing our program of studies, so I went over what's expected of us, and we each took a section (read: a course or two that we teach) to review and revise before our next PLC meeting. After that, folks broke off to work in subject-area groups or individually. A lot of us, including me, also went to talk to the trauma specialists who'd been brought in because of the Very Serious Incident. Once I was done with that, I headed back to my classroom, finalized my first quarter grades, washed my tables, and called it a day.

We have tomorrow off, but the high school is my polling place, so I'll be there for a little bit anyways.

Wish me luck teaching on Wednesday!

[literaticat]

I've been working on an MG written in vignettes (think "House on Mango Street") with sort of a slice of life feel. And...I feel like I'm wasting my time. Who would I even query? Agents asking for MG in verse and/or slice of life? Do agents even want this??

What's potentially tough about a book "written in vignettes" is that sometimes that means that there is not a cohesive/well-developed PLOT. Indeed, that's often a thing I have heard (and no doubt said myself) in critiques: "This reads less like a novel, and more like a series of vignettes." Which -- maybe that's not a problem at all in YOUR book, IDK, I haven't read it! It's just something I'd probably want to be aware of as you proceed, making sure that this actually does have some kind of throughline, a beginning/middle/end, things happen, the character grows, etc.

I'd also point out that House on Mango Street is not a great comp for two big reasons: 1) Though kids and teens do read it in school, it's not a children's book, it was originally and still is published as adult literary fiction. and 2) It was published 40-some years ago.

So something that might help you on this journey is to seek out some comps that have actually been published for your intended audience in this century. (Again, I haven't read YOUR book, so I can't help you there, you're gonna have to put on your research cap!)

If the comps you find are all Novels in Verse -- maybe your book should also be a novel in verse (if it isn't!). IF the comps you find are realistic fiction but not in verse, how do THEY handle the plot of it all? Maybe in your next revision pass, you put your shoulder into making sure that what you have is a cohesive and propulsive narrative, even if it is structured a little differently.

If you truly can't find any apt comps in MG -- well, it's probably going to be something of a hard sell as is. OR, maybe, like House on Mango Street... it's not a MG novel!

As for who to query:

I have never seen an agent asking for a "slice of life" MG book. Maybe they are out there! I'm just saying, that's just not terminology I have ever seen from an agent. In MY world, the only time I have heard or used "slice of life" is when talking about PB Biographies, which I usually categorize as either "cradle to grave" (about a subject's entire life) or "slice of life" (about a major incident or era in a subject's life).

So I wouldn't bother really trying to do research around that term.

Plenty of agents DO rep realistic MG, and MG novels in verse (and, indeed, realistic MG novels in verse!) -- I don't know if any of those describe what you've written, but if yes, then great, query those agents.

[christiangittingsblog]

Turin shroud analysis:

(Turin shroud pictures from Wikipedia

When they tested Turin shroud results results came from the medieval period, but these dates are probably wrong.

(I would like to leave a comment here: Please note for many Christians the fact that the Turin shroud is fake or real does not prove Jesus to be fake or real. Jesus and Turin shroud, are two different issues, i.e., one does not disprove or prove the other, as there are lots of documents that have proven Jesus existed)

If these dates are correct, nobody is giving a plausible way the Turin shroud was made in the medieval period which is the interesting thing in this whole subject as the technology and knowledge that could have helped make it was not available until the 1800s at the advent of photography. I.e. not available in the medieval period.

Below is an interesting video on the subject. Please note that the person in the video does not discuss his personal views on the subject only from an academic view on the subject 

Also please note other tests have also been done on the cloth and the results have found there is no dye or paint on the cloth only the image, which some say was done with an unknown process, but probably not available in the medieval period.

Another interesting fact is that the image is negative,  if you take a photograph of the image on the cloth, the negative of the photo comes out the camera the right way around.

Also a Forensic expert has looked at the image and the wounds are the same as, that of someone,  being crucified in the Roman period, again people in the medieval period would not have known this as graves of people crucified by the Romans have only been found recently in history and not in the medieval period.

Apart from the issue that they tested a medieval repair or medieval contamination below is an article by PBS explaining another problem that may have incurred when testing the turin shroud.

in the medieval period, church clergy / monks would hold up the shroud so people could see the shroud, hence the medieval contamination.

The problem highlighted in the research is if you test with Cabon dating something that was wrapped around someone dead, i.e., a dead body, it will sometimes give a false reading as it is testing the bacteria, not the cloth.

The research has highlighted that previous tests of mummy wraps may have given false readings and therefore wrong, the article also highlights the problem with testing the Turin shroud this way.

Also, the cloth is consistent with cloth made in 1st century Israel and not the medieval period.

As to the claims, there is no blood on the shroud. These claims were rejected by most of the other people on the team. It was only McCrone who said there was no blood on the shroud. but later, tests found these results were false.

"McCrone also found that the "bloodstains" in the image had been highlighted with vermilion (a bright red pigment made from mercury sulfide), also in a collagen tempera medium. McCrone reported that no actual blood was present in the samples taken from the Shroud.[5]

Other members of STURP rejected McCrone's conclusions and concluded, based on their own examination of the Shroud and the tape samples, that the image on the Shroud could not be explained by the presence of pigments.[17] Mark Anderson, who was working for McCrone, analyzed the Shroud samples.[79] In his book, Ray Rogers states that Anderson, who was McCrone's Raman microscopy expert, concluded that the samples acted as organic material when he subjected them to the laser.[80]: 61  McCrone resigned from STURP in June 1980, after giving back all of the tape samples in his possession to Ray Rogers.[81]: 124 "

Other links on the subjects of Jesus and the Shroud:

[glitterslag]

About the blogger meme

Thanks @moodyeucalyptus and @doubleappled for the tag and thanks apple for the fic shoutout! 🤠 Nice to read your answers 🤗

Star Sign(s): cancer sun (boooo 👎), libra moon, leo rising

Favourite Holidays: gotta say christmas for the food and festive cheer

Last Meal: i just made a chicken sausage and white bean stew thing for my dad

Current Favourite Musician: Right now probably Little Simz

Last Music Listened To: my last listened song on spotify was Modern Love by David Bowie

Last Movie Watched: The Wicker Man 1973 lol! Feels kinda wrong at this time of year but I'm dreaming of summer ig

Last TV Show Watched: Taskmaster UK, new season!! Recommend to all, highly silly and light-hearted

Last Book/Fic Finished: I recently reread American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis (PB was my halloween costume this year and I wanted to get into a yuppie mood heheh)

Last Book/Fic Abandoned: The last book I DNF'ed was I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, which I had to read for a book club. The subject matter is obviously pretty heavy and it was sadly a little much for me at the time, although I could still see it being a good read if I'd been in a more robust mental state lol

Currently Reading: Just started reading Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.

And my current festive reading is this! Such a good magazine if you're into your folk horror (which I am, if that wasn't glaringly obvious)

Last Thing Researched for Art/Writing/Hyperfixation: I've been watching quite a few vids about homesteading and of people building their own log homes for my Appalachian Sydcarmy fic! It's super interesting and such a cool lifestyle, it would be cool if more people lived that way!

Favourite Online Fandom Memory: My first fandom on here was Queen/Borhap. I miss those days! That was such a lovely community and it made Covid lockdown days a lot brighter :')

Favourite Old Fandom You Wish Would Drag You Back In/Have A Resurgence: Borhap fandom for sure!

Favourite Thing You Enjoy That Never Had an Active or Big "Fandom" but You Wish It Did: Ben Howard is my longest running favourite musician and there isn't really an online community around him which makes me sad. I'm in his subreddit but it's kinda boring there lmao, it's not really like fandom vibes. I wish more people would make art and stuff

Tempting Project You're Trying to Rein In/Don't Have Time For: you know what, I'm being rly good lately and not starting too many things!!!

I do intend to return to my sydcarmy fic Sagittarius Season in the new year, but first I need to finish my baby BOJ and put it to rest 🤗

I do have A TON more supernatural sydcarmy au ideas up my sleeve but i think i'm just gonna enjoy them in my head :))

This was rly fun thank you!!! Tagging some The Bear babes: @angelica4equity @lunasink @sennenrose and some hellcheer babes who have tagged me in other things recently I believe : @hangon-silvergirl @erythromanc3r (pls accept this as a response I am forgetful and I lose track)

[captain-daryn]

(This is not snark towards anyone in this thread, this is aimed towards people who think we should remove keystone predators from the environment)

Wow, it’s almost like each animal has a unique purpose to the ecosystem, with a natural checks and balances system.

I am in no way an expert in biology or zoology. But was I one of the few who actually paid attention in science classes when it came to subjects like the natural order of things? From my understanding, it seems like people wanted to remove wolves from Yellowstone because they said they were over hunting the elk… but did they not watch the graphs, for example, about coyote populations vs hare populations, and how when there were a lot of coyotes, the hares started to die more than they were repopulating, but then a few months later the coyote population followed the hare population, and then the hare population would bound back and the cycle would repeat itself?

Like I learned about that in my public middle school biology course. (And I know not every public school is equal, but if you are interested in something enough to have a conversation about it, you would at least come across information that is relatively well known in that conversation eventually while researching? Maybe that’s putting too much faith into people actually researching things.)

It’s kinda like how forest fires burn down overgrowth and actually prevent catastrophic forest fires that burn down entire states worth of forests, or how indigenous people used to create controlled forest fires to help prevent larger forest fires as well. (I can’t remember the source for that, but I know it was video format. It might have been a PBS doc or something similar to that)

Idk, personally I think we should let nature just do it’s thing. Things evolved the way they are today for a reason, the system works works. And if it’s not working, it fixes itself eventually and niches can be replaced by new evolution.

[poddarbschoolsblog]

Specialization in Media Management

If you are interested in specializing in Media Management and pursuing a PGDM (Post Graduate Diploma in Management) program, it is important to choose a reputable college that offers quality education and industry exposure. In India, there are several top business schools that provide excellent PGDM programs with a specialization in Media Management.

When it comes to selecting the best PGDM college in India, factors such as faculty expertise, industry connections, curriculum, placements, and overall reputation play a crucial role. Here are some top business schools in India that are renowned for their PGDM programs:

Indian Institute of Management (IIM),

Poddar Business School (PBS), 

Xavier School of Management (XLRI), 

Indian School of Business (ISB), 

S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR),

Management Development Institute (MDI),

Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), 

Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT),

While Rajasthan is known for its rich cultural heritage, Jaipur is emerging as a hub for higher education, including business schools. Poddar Business School, located in Jaipur, offers a PGDM program with a specialization in Media Management. The college focuses on imparting practical knowledge and skills necessary for a successful career in media and related industries. The curriculum at Poddar Business School is designed to provide students with a strong foundation in management principles while incorporating media-specific subjects.

To determine the top business school in Rajasthan, it is essential to consider your personal preferences, budget, and specific requirements for specialization. Researching the faculty profiles, industry tie-ups, alumni network, infrastructure, and placement records of different colleges will help you make an informed decision.

In conclusion, several top business schools in India offer PGDM programs with a specialization in Media Management. Poddar Business School in Jaipur is one such institution that provides this specialization. However, it is advisable to thoroughly research and evaluate various colleges to choose the one that aligns with your aspirations and goals.