#USSC

[merriamwebstersdick]

I'm waiting for the day I can reply "my honest reaction:" with this, I'm feeeenninggg 😭🥵🤮

[taksez]

How to sound like you and the organization you work for are corrupt

[perrysoup]

Hold on this is an interesting question, maybe.

A chuck of prominent individuals love to claim America is a Christian nation. If it is, could you not argue in the justice system that you shouldn’t owe your creditors money and force them to make the decision on the matter? Denying the absolvement of debt proves it’s not Christian, where as doing it makes the claim “official” but it would mean debt in the us would be illegal.

Now, I am very high so this may be a severe misunderstanding of what can and can’t be realistic, but I’d love a serious answer if anyone has one cause I’m super interested! (Paranoia what it is, that’s not sarcastic, I genuinely want to learn)

[stuckasmain]

Discovery v. Leonov is like

Driving to work v. Party bus

Discovery crew is very regimented and serious while Leonov have their daily gossip sessions and fun times. This isn’t to say that they don’t bond and have down time on the discovery and that they don’t take work seriously on the Leonov it’s just the contrast in general tone is amusing.

[minjaefreedom]

had a ridiculous very on brand conversation with my mom abt devil judge bc she's watching it and i was like yeah it's terrible bc it hates women 😔 and she was like i don't think it hates women it just [rambles on abt all the ways the show didn't give a fuck abt it's female characters, without seeming to put it together that all of that was BECAUSE IT DIDN'T CARE ABT IT'S WOMEN] like even my conservative ass dad picked up on it:

[sidecast-text]

hey your tags abt project hail mary on that one post were fascinating can you pleeaseeee elaborate :3. the white saviorism & consent ones…. that book took my brain over for a month and im still in its clutches every now and then

HI HELLO YES OF COURSE

(disclaimer: i just love sci fi and literature and took a sociology module this year i am Not a media scholar this is just my personal analysis of this book)

Project Hail Mary was a really intriguing read for me because I went into it somewhat cynically, you know? I really like Andy Weir's writing, but from the moment it became apparent that this is another book in first person about a guy stuck alone in space I was fully expecting for the style and tone to match the Martian. After finishing it, I think he clearly managed to separate Mark Watney from Ryland Grace, mostly by their general attitudes but also with the situations they are getting put in. Watney is an astronaut, he knows what he is doing, and he has (sort of) been trained for the crisis he is in. Grace has no idea who is or why he is in the Tau Ceti system and this memory loss trope is exploited audience for loop after loop.

Spoilers under the readmore because honestly going in blindly is the best way to read Project Hail Mary in my opinion GO READ IT GO NOW

So. We figure out who Grace is, why he is 12 light years away from Earth, what he has to do: he has to save Earth from a major extinction event by sacrificing his own life. The rest of his crew died while they were in comas for the voyage, so the entire fate of humanity is resting exclusively on his shoulders. This is where I kind of heaved a sigh. At least it's not a twelve year old saving the world, but it is a white American man. This plays into the white saviour trope stemming from colonialism in the 15th-16th century, wherein concepts such as humanity and civilisation are values inherently tied to whiteness, exclusively possessed by white societies and must be spread to "uncivilised" areas through colonialism. Overall its an ethno- and eurocentric way of thinking that views the image of the white man as cleaner, better, more educated, et ceatera. This bias remains present in Western society and therefore in our media as well, in the form of the aforementioned white saviour trope, which I had expected Project Hail Mary to unintentionally cater to.

In the case of Project Hail Mary, Grace must be the saviour of humanity by journeying through space. The book makes references to Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey, and you can see the general similarity in the premise of both stories: men are sent on a voyage further into space than ever before with varying certainties of return. While the men abroad the USSC Discovery know they will be placed into cyro-freeze and retrieved by another mission in the vague future, the crew of the Hail Mary have no such hopes. They are sent out into space at nearly light-speed with no fuel for a return trip. Hail Mary plays with the trope of the traveler changed by his journey by making return both figuratively and physically impossible for Grace. As readers, we assume he was aware of this when setting out.

The audience also assumes that Grace is on the Hail Mary mission because he volunteered. He is set up as feeling great responsibility for his students and the children of the world, so although we are not shown for a long time why he decided to volunteer for the Hail Mary, we assume that at some point he must have, since we are tied to his first person perspective and he assumes the same. We keep on waiting for some sort of eureka moment in his flashbacks when he realises what he must do and with newfound conviction pledges his life to save humanity. We find out that he was not the first choice for the mission's science specialist; he wasn't even the second. The book introduces Shapiro and Du Bois, and as the audience we know that they will either die before the launch or be incapacitated in such a way that Grace is forced to step up. Again, I was rolling my eyes here. Somehow, Grace had to be switched into Du Bois's place, changing the intended protagonist from a black man to a white one, and I thought somewhat begrudgingly that if the author acknowledges that it could have been Du Bois who saves Earth, then why not just write it as so? After all, all the accidents and consequences through the story are conscious choices by the author. Why does it need to be the white man who bravely steps up and declares that he will sacrifice his life? I felt that there were biases in the writing and in the choice to portray the white man as the brave, lonely hero who will die for the greater good in the far depths of space, alone, afraid, and without complaint.

The actual reveal of the circumstances that landed Grace on the Hail Mary is expertly teased and foreshadowed. We see from the start that Ryland Grace isn't a particularly courageous man. He leaves his academic field after his paper is badly received, he surrounds himself with students who are easy to impress and who idolise him, he doesn't seek out relationships or even friendships because he fears rejection. He throws up in zero g, is not used to space travel, he's queasy around the idea of self administered death and generally lacks the brave enthusiasm and commitment that other astronauts in his flashbacks are shown to have.

So when we find out that Grace is actually a sort of coward, it all falls into place. Stratt gives him the option of joining the Hail Mary mission after Shapiro and Du Bois die, and Grace presents an obviously weak excuse and it's painful to read because the eureka moment we were waiting for never comes. I was personally thinking "wait a second, this isn't how it's supposed to go". But it also makes sense, after all, Stratt is asking him to go die in space and he's a high school teacher.

Stratt is also set up as someone who always gets what she wants. She is legally exempt from any consequences; she could kill a man and she would be pardoned since pulling together the project that will save Earth is her responsibility. She is ruthless, but as a readers we think that Grace is safe from her decree; he's her right hand, and furthermore Captain Yao is adamant that no one be forced to join the mission. If Grace decides to go, it must be on his own. Up until the last moment, we expect Grace to experience sudden onset character growth, to stop when he reaches for the door-handle and to overcome his cowardice and to say "yes, I will go, I will die for Earth".

And it doesn't happen. At this point I was texting all my friends "i am gouing to throw up". It is revealed that Grace was only given the illusion of a choice. In hindsight, it makes sense; he was given no choice about joining the project to begin with or at any step in the process. Stratt was hoping that he would choose to join, but when he refuses it the carpet is immediately pulled from under his feet and it becomes apparent that he has had no agency at all since meeting her. He has been set up and manipulated to be the second backup for the role of the science specialist on board of the Hail Mary by being placed with Shapiro and Du Bois and learning to use space equipment under the guise of testing it. He was kept close to Stratt, so he would always be at hand. Even more terrifying, Stratt has a way to work around Yao's demands. She has Grace drugged so he forgets that he is on board involuntarily and he is heavily sedated until launch.

This is what I meant by saying that Grace's autonomy is entirely taken away. Thorough the entire book, he is dragged and ordered around by Stratt's men, and now he is drugged and forced into a coma. His violation goes to the extreme; not only is he not allowed to say no, he is also not allowed to Remember wanting to say no.

Overall, Grace is a really interesting character to me. He is faced with a situation where only he can do what must be done and instead of rising up to the challenge he pleads and begs for someone else to be chosen. The book completely and satisfyingly flips the white saviour trope on its head. The protagonist is so against the idea of self-sacrifice that he threatens to doom Earth by self-sabotage if he is sent into space. Grace is not a bad person, but he has accepted that other people will take care of the crisis, that other people must die and that is the way things must be. It reminds me of Omelas; it is impossible to walk away, so how do we each accept the world that we live in? Grace accepts that three people must be sent to die in space in order for the rest of the Earth to have a chance of survival, but he thinks of that sacrifice as something that unquestionably happens to others. This echoes the contemporary state of affairs more closely; Western society is upkept by Eastern and Southern labour. We are aware of this, but still benefit from it.

Ultimately, Grace rises to his task and manages to save humanity. He could even return to Earth, but he doesn't. That's the part I think about the most. The journey changes and improves Grace, to the point where he does choose to sacrifice himself in order to save Rocky and Erid. We can ask what happened to make him more willing to save an alien world than he was to save his own. He does have a real choice, he could return to Earth and experience no consequences for leaving Rocky behind. I think the reason is that Grace has changed, yes, but Earth has changes as well in his eyes. Earth violated him, and in way exiled him, ruling through the figure of Stratt that his life was expendable.

First I thought the ending was cheap, but I've been thinking about it for days and I am coming around. It's just!!! I haven't formed concrete thoughts about it but God. God Fuck UGH. It's been 26 years on Earth. His students are grown and up his knowledge is probably archaic by now. His use for humanity has been expended. I am in pain. Would you crawl back home if the value of your life had been dismissed. Would Odysseus go home if he knew no one was waiting for him. I'm going to be sick.

[perrysoup]

If they decide he can be a dictator, we should deal with him like a dictator

[maddie-duckfan]

INTRIGUED BY WHAT YOU’VE GOT ESTABLISHED SO FAR! HOW’S SALLY TIE INTO THE PORTAL INCIDENT?

Poor, poor Sally.

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S dcjg odzadw, o kkywgm hcuyh.

Hzvs zussdyz lb tcoasfaeno, vhsim, wqr dzhav,

Hof badflj yjwofxfag wf uyoluf.

Sop zcfuyn’v rgfl ozwfxm kq fwxlaw,

Ofu mkps lycjjg kvyj, zs urh'p icjxyp.

Wvw ccckh orm sucfx. Ndh guiywpg ovla ussc.

Ndh ase mdh yfvq xhuse nk sswc.

Ba ocgbyz dh zvl, xxh ffn pks krga--

D uzfmp eszzhz d pgilkzsv euih.

Vaj bwqrk jneoz kyikn, vaj pklqw jneoz czhz,

Eil jiihhzzhc vvsknausv zh dlg ezhz.

Vvw jnewqzvx pks oflhg kakb ldwfkyz kiw,

Iuevsv tbeorjvh eq hzv xqvy kyy gqso.

Pyp hjwis jluzk, mdh’r hcywg hzv ueu,

Tgi dqvh gey coofty ki vad mplzd kbaus.

[probablyasocialecologist]

Israel has been surveilling information provided to the United States by the Palestinian Authority regarding settler violence in the occupied West Bank in recent months, +972 Magazine and Local Call have learned. Sources in Israeli intelligence told both sites that they have been tracking materials passed through private channels by the PA to the Office of U.S. Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority (USSC) in Jerusalem in order to “understand what the U.S. knows about settler violence.” The intention, they explained, is not to act against the perpetrators but to prevent the collected information from “developing into sanctions.” U.S. officials, who confirmed that PA officials have been sending a great deal of information to the USSC on incidents of settler violence, told +972 and Local Call that this information contributed in part to President Joe Biden’s decision earlier this month to impose sanctions against four settlers known to have attacked Palestinians and left-wing Israeli activists. The officials added that the information led in recent months to the inclusion of dozens of other settlers on a “blacklist” prohibiting their entry into the United States.

[lets-talk-gundam]

Ship and Mecha spotting in Space Runaway Ideon Episode 34: "After the Meteor's Fall"

Part of what makes the Buff Clan such a compelling threat to the crew of the Solo Ship is their advanced weaponry and technology. Apparently, this includes ships from different universes altogether!

A brief sequence from 02:20 to 02:37 showcases the mobilization of a massive Buff Clan fleet. Among Guramu Zan, Sadesu Zan, and other Buff Clan ships, there are a few other familiar faces!

On the first pan, from left to right, we have the Great Degwin (Mobile Suit Gundam), three Zanzibar-class ships (Mobile Suit Gundam), The USSC Discovery (2001: A Space Odyssey), and White Base (Mobile Suit Gundam) in her originally intended color scheme.

As the panning shot continues, we're met with several Musai-class light cruisers (Mobile Suit Gundam), what I suspect to be a Magellan-class (Mobile Suit Gundam), and the USS Enterprise NCC-1701 (Star Trek).

In the final panning shot, we see another Pegasus-class ship (Mobile Suit Gundam), a number of Ideon-original designs, and right at the apex of the pan before cutting to the next scene, the RX-78 Gundam itself! (Mobile Suit Gundam).

This scene was a lot of fun to pick through! If you notice anything I missed, let me know!

[emeraldcity1900]

@godfrey-the-chaos-duck

@violetganache42

GUUUUUUUUUUYYYYYS

:)

[essenyare]

Kreon fic prompt

Modern AU: - 40yo Krauser and 27yo Leon - Stable relationship and living together - Post Operation Javier with a better outcome - Krauser received proper treatment and support - Leon's capability helped prevent Krauser's descent into darkness

MUIA (Multiverse Interface Access): - Military-developed technology created by USSC - Allows viewing of alternate timelines  - Functions like watching cutscenes from games lmaoooo

Story: - Watching canonical events through MUIA - Reactions to their alternate selves - Light-hearted commentary and banters - Occasional serious moments of reflection - Smut - Processing "what could have been"

[guerrerense]

Bay Biscayne por David Blazejewski Por Flickr: These days the South Central Florida Express railroad's shop alongside Aztec Avenue is basically reserved for steam locomotive 148 and the growing fleet of owned and leased passenger cars for their Sugar Express excursions. While numerous freight locomotives tie up here it seems all heavy repairs and all freight car work now takes place at USSC's rail shops down inside the Clewiston Mill complex. A peak inside the spotless two track building finds another historically significant piece of rolling stock that is right at home here in Florida. This is the Bay Biscayne, a classic stainless steel boat tailed observation car built by the Budd Company in 1939 for the Florida East Coast Railway. The car ran between Miami and New York City over the rails of the FEC, the ACL, the RF&P and the PRR. After the FEC exited the passenger business when their brutal dozen year strike began in 1963 the car was purchased by the Atlantic Coast Line to remain in the Florida service. To learn more about this car and it's long history here's a link for you: www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/floridas-sugar-... Clewiston, Florida Friday March 14, 2025

[thebaffledcaptain]

Age of Sail fans—did you know the USS Constitution offers free panoramic virtual tours on their website? It's a great resource for modelers, writers, artists, or simply those who regularly feel the urge to wander an early 19th century frigate—there's almost nothing off limits, so if you want to snoop around in the Captain's quarters, need a solid visual reference of a wardroom, or see what it's like to climb down into the magazine, they've got you covered. All they ask is that you fill out a 10 second Google form to gauge the educational demographic of the users, and the rest of it is free to explore.

They also have comprehensive deck plans and visual resources for modelers, also for free, which are equally valuable for the writer or artist and do not deserve to go unmentioned.

[perrysoup]

“You’re becoming a one issue voter”

Bitch how is “stop supporting and funding genocide” a single issue?

- funding terrorism

- arresting protestors (Biden isn’t stopping states and silence is agreement)

- silencing free speech

I think those are 3 super fucking important things

And regarding specific policies that politicians make “oh but they don’t have control of X” those promises weren’t made with that exemption. “Elect me and I’ll do X” is not “if I have complete control”. Presidential orders can be done outside of congress. “Oh but they can be removed by the next guy” and that’s a problem with the next guy.

Why the fuck is the solution “it could be reversed so we can’t do it” and not “I’ll do it and my opponent can’t deal with explaining how to justify reversing it”

Also, that’s EVERY FUCKING LAW AND JUDGEMENT!

The USSC they don’t give a fuck about precedent, so just fucking do the stuff and let the people force politicians to try rip it from our fucking hands

Your complacency is disgusting, and your feeling that somehow you don’t deserve more is saddening.

[humanrightsupdates]

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: EXECUTION SET DESPITE UNRELIABLE TESTIMONY

Brent Brewer is scheduled to be executed in Texas on 9 November 2023. His 1991 death sentence was overturned in 2007, but he was resentenced to death in 2009. In 1991 and again in 2009, the prosecution relied on unscientific and unreliable, but influential, testimony of a psychiatrist who asserted that Brent Brewer would likely commit future acts of violence, a prerequisite for a death sentence in Texas. Nineteen years old at the time of the crime, Brent Brewer is now 53. He has been an exemplary prisoner, with no record of violence during his three decades on death row.

Brent Brewer was sentenced to death after being convicted of the 1990 capital murder during a botched robbery of a 66-year-old man. He was fatally stabbed in his truck as he was driving 19-year-old Brent Brewer and his girlfriend (“KN”), 21, who had asked him for a lift. Weeks before the crime, Brent Brewer had been committed to a state hospital with depression and suicidal ideation. There he had met KN, who was in the hospital for drug rehabilitation treatment. In 1992, KN pled guilty to capital murder in the stabbing and was sentenced to life imprisonment.

In 2007, Brent Brewer’s death sentence was overturned because of inadequate jury instructions at the 1991 sentencing. At the 2009 resentencing, the defence put two mitigation witnesses, the defendant’s sister and mother, on the witness stand for a combined 28 minutes. A psychologist, who had been involved in the case on appeal in 1996, provided a report to the post-2009 appeal lawyers on mitigating evidence that could have had been presented in 2009. At the time of the crime, he wrote, Brent Brewer “suffered from major depression, severe anxiety,” and “substance abuse, tied to his history of neglect, abuse, and family dysfunction”. He “suffered from brain dysfunction,” which the jury did not learn about, that represented a critically important mitigating factor concerning Mr Brewer’s judgment and decision-making capability. Abandonment fears were of particular importance in understanding Mr Brewer’s behavior at the time of the offense, as was his dependent relationship with his co-defendant, [K.N.]”. Their relationship “helped to undermine his judgment and increase his impulsivity”.

In Texas, a prerequisite for a death sentence is a jury finding that the defendant will likely commit future acts of criminal violence. At Brent Brewer’s resentencing, the prosecution presented a psychiatrist (Dr C.) who testified he would likely commit future violence, the same as he had said at the 1991 sentencing. In 2009, he added that despite Brent Brewer’s lack of violent conduct during nearly two decades on death row, he still believed he would commit such acts in the future. As was the case in 1991, Dr C. had not met or evaluated the defendant. He testified by responding to hypothetical scenarios set by the prosecution, and opined that the defendant had no conscience, violence “doesn’t seem to bother him”, he would join a gang in prison, and had a “preference for a knife”.

As long ago as 1983, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) informed the US Supreme Court (USSC) in a Texas capital case that “the unreliability of psychiatric predictions of long-term future dangerousness is by now an established fact within the profession”.

TAKE ACTION: WRITE AN APPEAL IN YOUR OWN WORDS OR USE THIS MODEL LETTER

PREFERRED LANGUAGE TO ADDRESS TARGET: English. You may also write in your own language.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: 9 November 2023