#pritchard will be included in that one

[rangers-and-the-nutcracker]

if for some reason your pick (outside of halt & co) wasn’t listed, also let me know. not adding pritchard either because everyone would pick pritchard. i would pick pritchard...

[madscientistshowdown]

PROPAGANDA

Getwin Mittlemind:

A rare Mad social scientist. has also made himself heavily cybernetic, including a memory backup so he can be revived if killed, which he has done many times.

Dr Carmilla:

K so I dnt remember if she has an actual doctorate but if she did it would be revoked very fast She’s an immortal space vampire lesbian who after some toxic yuri created her children to also be immortal after they died (no they’re not actually related but I doubt that matters much) and then made them a part of her band She was thrown out of an airlock by one of her children and iirc she just fucked off never to be seen again until she is alluded to in The Ignominious Demise Of Dr. Pritchard but e never outright saying she’s there so there’s a bit of fan interpretation when it comes to it She also after leaving the mechs starts a different band but alas no one really talks about that one Timelines when it comes to the mechs are messy and so are they and so is Carmilla and she deserves to w

[plant-clovergrass]

Nine to Midnight IV (<- link!) just released!! It’s an annual anthology of spooky audio fiction short stories by horror podcasters. I’m not affiliated in any way, but I wanted to compile a list of everyone involved to celebrate the wealth of talent that came together this year and make it even easier to check out all their other projects.

Full credits under the cut but just to whet anyone’s curiosity, some exciting callouts that I personally recognized include stories from the creators of @malevolentcast, @hellofromthehallowoods, @thestoragepapers, @hinaypod, @re-dracula, @ethicstownpod , @woebegonepod , @wakeofcorrosion , @thenightpost , @hellgatecity , @ostiumpodcast , @souloperatorpod , and more and more!

HEAVY FLOW

Motzie Dapul (Hi Nay)

Nathan Lunsford (The Storage Papers)

PODDINGTON

Kevin Berrey (Hell Gate City)

David Ault (SO many shows, including NoSleep, The White Vault, RE: Dracula, Woe.BeGone, and more.)

Rýne Scrin

Shaun Pellington (Wake of Corrosion)

David Ault (davidault.co.uk)

The Earth Will Determine

Emily Kellogg, Alex Nursall, and Ian Boddy from Woodbine and Parkdale Haunt

Day 153

From the The Grotto Pod

Specifically: Athan, Derek Moreland, Joshua, ARI, Bryce, Ava, and Violet

Out of Hot Water

Dylan Griggs (Woe.Begone)

Sibling Rivalry

Rae Lundberg (The Night Post)

Cleanup on Aisle Two

Shelby Novak (Scare You To Sleep)

Pacific S. Obadiah (SCP Archives, RE: Dracula, and more)

CONTENT

Tal Minear (many things, such as RE: Dracula, Sidequesting, and more)

The Birdcatcher

Michael Alan Herman & Josie Eli Herman of Acorn Arts and Entertainment (Silvertongues, The Call of the Void, and more)

I was born James Theodore Parkin

David Ault (davidault.co.uk)

Making Friends

Tatiana Gefter (Soul Operator)

J Strautman (Planet Arcana, Soul Operator strautmaskreplica.carrd.co)

Shaun Oldfield (Planet Arcana, instagram.com/sj.oldfield)

Tatiana Gefter (The Department of Variance of Somewhere Ohio, Woe.Begone, Nowhere On Air, Soul Operator, Wake of Corrosions, and more: tatianagefter-va.carrd.co)

111

From the creatives behind Ethics Town

Specifically: Ollie Bannerman, CL Hendry, Cai Gwilym Pritchard, Ollie Bannerman, Evan Gwen Davies, Cai Gwilym Pritchard and Eli Labat-Angstadt.

Home

From the 400 Words A Horror Team

Specifically: Lyssa Jay, Gem Aydin, Just Jenah, Prax Kilowatt, Shaun Pellington, Taylor Michaels, and more

Hungrier

William A. Wellman (Hello From the Hallowoods)

Going Down

Jesse Syratt (Nowhere, On Air)

Tatiana Gefter (Soul Operator)

Taylor Micheals (The Grotto)

Motzie Dapul (Hi Nay)

Tal Minear (RE: Dracula)

The Witch of November

Three Fates (You are the Ghost in This House, Points of Articulation)

Specifically: Fiona Clare, Paige Elizabeth Allen, and Hannah Semmelhack, additional materials by C. Luke Soucy; recording, mixing, sound design by Rhea Patil; performances from Fiona Clare, Paige Allen, Nora Aguiar, C. Lucy Soucy

A Thousand Cuts

Alex C. Telander (The Ostium Network: Ostium, Circe, Manifestations)

Puppy Play

Jamie (The Cellar Letters)

Specifically: Grinner Media, Nathan Lunsford, Jeremy Enfinger, Nathan Lunsford, and Tatiana Gefter

The Sound

Harlan Guthrie (Malevolent, Deviser, Dice Shame)

The Feed

Ryan Joseph Murphy (Your Horror Show)

Brady Flanagan (Rogue Life)

Hopefully this is a helpful reference for fans looking for an easy reference to see which stories their favorite artists have worked on and help discover new ones! (Happy to make edits upon request!)

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Golden Poison Frogs: The Gold Standard

Golden poison frogs (Phyllobates terribilis) are a species of frog found only along the Pacific coast in the Amazon Rainforest of Columbia; their total range encompasses less than 5,000 square km;. Their prime habitat is near rivers, streams, and ponds, but the are able to survive in a variety of microhabitats along the forest floor thanks to the forest's extremely warm, humid climate.

The golden poison frog is perhaps noted for its crowning as the most poisonous species on the planet. A single adult contains enough poison in its skin to kill 2-3 grown humans, although the frog would have to be ingested for its toxins to be fatal. However, there is at least one species of snake, the fire-bellied snake (Erythrolamprus epinephalus) which is immune to the frog's toxins and often predates on juveniles. P. terribilis consumes a variety of insects, but gets its poison from the beetles in its diet, and without them individuals lose their toxicity.

Although tiny, the golden poison frog is hard to miss. They are the largest species of poison frog at a weight of 30 g (1 oz) and a length of 6 cm (2.4 in). Females are usually larger than males. The species is named for the most common color moroph, bright yellow, but populations may also come in green, orange, and white. The coloration is a warning to predators to stay away.

Golden poison frogs are typically active during the day. Members of the same sex are highly territorial, but populations within a small area can be quite large. Individuals defend their territory by calling loudly and performing a push-up motion, which can also serve to attract potential mates. The species can reproduce year-round, and both males and females have multiple partners.

After the female has laid a clutch of about 20 eggs, the male carries them on his back up a tree to a bromeliad or small tree hole filled with water. There the eggs hatch as tadpoles after 11-12 days. The tadpoles feed on algae and insect larvae until they metamorphose into froglets, which takes about 2 months. The froglets take a further year to fully mature, and adults may live for up to 5 years.

Conservation status: P. terribilis is classified as Endangered by the IUCN. The species has a relatively small home range, and is seriously threatened by habitat loss. However, there are many private, government, and NGO captive-bread populations across the globe.

Want to request some art or uncharismatic facts? Just send me proof of donation of any amount to any of the fundraisers on this list, or a Palestinian organization of your choice! Proof does not have to include any personal info– only the date, the amount, and the recipient. Even one dollar can go a long way!

Photos

Victor Fabio Luna-Mora

Micha L. Rieser

Leighton Pritchard

[myth-blossom]

Thoughts on Max Valliant (The Splitter)

To avoid spoiling anything for those who haven’t played the new elusive target, read on below the cut:

First, I want to hug our bestest murder clone boi so badly. You can really tell how rough of an assignment this is for 47 as he deals with Valliant and his clones. His response to one of the guards calling the clones “freaks” (“Think you’re the freak”) and describing his numbness about what he does just really hits that point home.

As @dianaburnwood has pointed out, Valliant’s clones are essentially children, and just as we’ve seen with Ort-Meyer, their creators find them very expendable. They’re so innocent, even to the point where if anything chaotic happens (like the death of one of the clones in an accident), that one of them seems to wander off and has some sort of breakdown about it.

Definitely not a happy pay day for 47.

Second, I did my best to explore the level and hear all of the extra dialgoue between various characters, including sticking behind to hear a call from Valliant about the sale of his secret project to other buyers. As the target video pointed out prior to the mission, Valliant has been known to play multiple sides, so it was not at all surprising to hear him conducting business with another party despite claiming exclusivity if the ICA accepted. But that leaves me wondering: what if he’s already sent someone clones or the setup to do so prior to Pritchard’s arrival? I WISH they had Pritchard call the ICA while he waits in the room after the tour. Even if it would have stalled out at some point, I’d like to know the boards’ stand on it (gimme names, dammit), and who may choose to go rogue with that program just like Travis did with creating Victoria.

Third, what the hell was going on with Dr. Hei? The fact that 47 isn’t tasked to take her out as well is very interesting, but also her behavior with Pritchard was odd, too. She very much seems up her own ass about her clone work—something that was a bit fun to fuck with if you do the tour and choose to challenge the “perfect” clone in an example of combat training (to which the clone can die and she scowls “Motherfucker” at 47)—but despite her air of superiority, she also seemed to be a cautious player. Whether you choose to challenge the clone on the tour or just let him destroy a brick, she still pulls Pritchard aside and warns him to be careful with Valliant because he’s dangerous if he doesn’t get his own way. It seemed out of place at first, but I think it’s more that she knows the ICA would be a good source of financial backing for her to continue her work, and so she warns him not out of concern for his safety, but for the security of her future progress. I definitely don’t think this is the last we’ll be seeing of her.

Speaking of which, Diana tells 47 they have a team on standby to come in and take care of everything else after he takes care of Valliant and the clones. I trust Diana on this, but I think even she would admit that the team wouldn’t just come in and lethally clear out both the armed guards AND the scientists. At the very least they would be interrogated for information, if not paid to trade allegiances and work for them.

In terms of where this takes place in the timeline, it definitely seems to be when the ICA is still around (i.e. before the end of the Agency in Hitman III). However, with 47’s emotional responses during the mission, I have to wonder if this takes place after Hitman II’s antidote scene??? I’ve wondered about Diana and 47 working for the ICA still for a while after meeting Grey and Olivia, a good way to keep their Providence hunting under wraps for a bit longer until the shit hit the proverbial fan. But considering the Chongqing facility is meant to be quickly assembled/disassembled as needed, it’s not farfetched to imagine they removed all traces of the hostile takeover and cloning work and reset it back to what we see in the original H3 Chongqing level. It would explain the extra security measures later on (Pritchard needing the P41 form and scan to tour the facility, the heavier security presence, the entry code changing constantly, etc).

To stir the pot a bit about future plot theories: there is material here to make a new game. One thing to think about is Pritchard’s visit to the facility in H3 in the first place—why was he there? In theory, the damage and remodeling happened immediately after the Splitter mission was over. Was he there to make sure all traces of Dr. Hei’s work had been removed from the facility? Was Imogen Royce in on it and he wanted to investigate? Hell, even Hush could have been in on it—can you imagine if that sick bastard had an endless supply of clones to test his invention on in addition to the poor unhoused souls he was preying on?

In any case, 47 and Olivia (and technically Diana) were being hunted by the ICA at that point. If any board members wanted to pursue the cloning information the Agency should have obtained after the Splitter, they could’ve done that then….

HOLY HELL—WHAT IF ANY OF THAT INFORMATION CAME OUT BECAUSE OF 47????? WHAT IF HE AND OLIVIA ACCIDENTALLY REKINDLED THE CLONE INTRIGUE BECAUSE THAT WAS AMONG THE ICA FILES SOMEWHERE??? AHHHHH *scribbles furiously*

Okay, shouties over. For now. Probably.

There’s also the bit that @lucas-grey brought up recently about Lucas Grey possibly returning. At this point, I fear that if we did get Grey back, it’d be as a clone of our Grey, and as @bourbonthesecond pointed out, it would be quite the heartstring puller if 47 has to then help that Grey break free of his control and learn about his creation and past. But the way that would just fuck with 47??? My boi has been through enough.

I would really hope the next game would take a strong direction like this, and I’d love to see them have (and use, not kill or fridge) Diana, Victoria, and Olivia as well. I want to see them in the field and help 47 with things! I’d like that for Grey as well if we can get him back in some way.

I’m sure more thoughts will tumble out through plot bunnies and chats with friends. Hope you enjoyed this long read!

[sag-dab-sar]

📚Websites & Books for ANE Study📚

For the Ancinet Near East with a focus on religion. Plus some translated ancient texts and random articles.

This post has gone through like 12 revisions so reblogs will look different opps.

Please leave a comment if a link breaks I'll do my best to find a new one

Getting Started On Research

JSTOR Guide LINK

Lumenlearning Guide LINK

Center for Online Education Guide LINK

Layman's Guide to Online Research by @/sisterofiris LINK

How to Vet Sources by me LINK

Websites for ANE Study

ETCSL | The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature — http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/catalogue.htm

ePSD | The Electronic Pennsylvania Sumerian Dictionary — http://psd.museum.upenn.edu/epsd-frame.html

ORACC | Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus — http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/

ORACC's Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses Project — http://oracc.iaas.upenn.edu/amgg/abouttheproject/index.html

ETANA | Electronic Tools & Ancient Near East Archive — http://etana.org/

CDLI | Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative — https://cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/about

CAD | The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago — http://www.aina.org/cad.html

Livius' Babylonian Section — https://www.livius.org/category/babylonia/

Avaliable Online Books

When using older books be aware that there may be inaccuracies and out of date information. If at all possible cross-reference and synthesize with newer materials. I have added years for this reason.

How to Use Internet Archive Library — Link

Books Specifically on Religion

Leick & Black's dictionaries are good starting off points but I always use additional source's because some of Black's info and Leick's info in particular tends to be more out of date than other authors. Frayne's Dictionary is very new and updated. I use these 3 in combo often.

Gods Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia by Jeremy Black and Anthony Greene (1992) Internet Archive

Ancient Near Eastern Mythology by Gwendolyn Leick (1991) Internet Archive

A Handbook to Gods and Goddesses of the Ancient Near East by Frayne and Stuckey (2021) Internet Archive

From Goddesses in Context: On Divine Powers, Roles, Relationships and Gender in Mesopotamian Textual and Visual Sources by Asher-Greve and Westenholz (2013) PDF

The Cultic Calendars of the Ancient Near East by Mark Cohen (1993) PDF

Preforming Death Social Analysis of Funerary Traditions in the Ancient Near East and Medditarian edited by Nicola Laneri (2007) PDF

Mesopotamian Ritual-prayers of “Hand-lifting”(Akkadian Šuillas) by Christopher G Frechette (2012) Internet Archive

When Gods Were Men: The Embodied God in Biblical and Near Eastern Literature by Esther Hamon (2008) Internet Archive

Books on ANE History in General

Handbook to Life in Ancient Mesopotamia by Stephen Bertman (2005) Google Books | Not avaliable online BUT highly recommended, easy read.

A History of the Ancient Near East ca. 3000- 323BC by Marc Van de Mieroop (2016) Internet Archive

Everyday Life in Ancient Mesopotamia by Jean Bottero (1992) Internet Archive

Women in the Ancient Near East by Marten Stol (2016) Open Access

Chapter 3 Elamite from The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Ancient World Languages edited by Roger Wooard (2004) PDF

Sumerian Art by Andre Parrot (1970) Digital Library

The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation, Including the Demotic Spells edited by Hans Dieter Betz (1986) PDF (If that link breaks Google Books)

Translations

The Harps That Once by Thorkild Jacobsen Google Books

The Project Gutenberg Sumerian Liturgies and Psalms by Stephen Langdon PDF

Project Gutenberg's Sumerian Hymns, by Frederick Augustus Vanderburgh LINK

Ancient Near East Anthology of Texts and Pictures edited by Pritchard 1st Edition Internet Archive

A Hymn to Tammuz (Cuneiform Texts from the British Museum, Tablet 15821, Plate 18) J. Dyneley Prince (1909) JSTOR

Ludlul Bel Nemegi by Alan Lenzi the Akkadian "Poem of the Righteous Sufferer" LINK

The Flood Myths LINK

Enūma Eliš Translations: L W King Translation 1902 LINK | ETANA Translation LINK | Composite Translation LINK

Code of Ur-Nammu LINK

Code of Liptin Ishtar LINK

Articles

Random Assortment Because Mobile Link Limit

The Mesopotamian Pandemonium by Frans Wiggerman LINK

Phenomenon of God-nap in Ancient Mesopotamia A Short Introduction Erika D. Johnson LINK

Preforming Death Social Analysis of Funerary Traditions in the Ancient Near East and Medditarian edited by Nicola Laneri LINK

New Year Ceremonies in Ancient Babylon: 'Taking Bel by the Hand' and a Cultic Picnic Religion Jeremy A Black LINK

Tablet of Destinies and the Transmission of Power in Enūma eliš by Karen Sonik LINK

Theology and Worship in Elam and Achaemenid Iran by Koch LINK

The Four Winds and the Origins of Pazuzu by Frans Wiggermann LINK

Evil against evil. The Demon Pazuzu by Nils P Heeßel LINK

New Readings in the Amarna Versions of Adapa and Nergal and Ereshkigal by Shlomo Izre'el LINK

Sumerian Texts Involving The Netherworld and Funerary Offerings by Jeremiah Peterson LINK

The Origin of the Mystical Number Seven in Mesopotamian Culture: Division by Seven in the Sexagesimal Number System by Kazuo Muroi LINK

Athirat: As Found at Ras Shamra Justin Watkins LINK

[panelshowsource]

who do you think is an underrated panel show guest? like someone who doesn’t appear on them very often but should

ohh fun question... y'know the thing about panel shows these days is they're sooo so so comedian-centric and really a lot of the same people again and again — which i'm not complaining about! i think they're the funniest people in the room and understand the dynamic of a panel show better than anyone else 99% of the time! but when it comes to people i find underrated in the most exciting way it's usually the semi-rare non-comedian who just...gets it. like, back in the day it was people like john barrowman, martin freeman, josh groban, mark ronson, chris o'dowd, christopher biggins, professor green, a couple of the spice girls (they actually run in comedian circles, interestingly)... they just fit into these shows and dynamics so well!

most of the people who have really surprised me in this regard in the last 5 or so years (bc i don't wanna reach back to, like, 2012 for this hahaha) have been on celeb juice or something like graham norton, the last leg, etc. for example, i had no idea will mellor could really hang, take jokes, dish out jokes, and do physical comedy until i saw him on juice. i think that kind of discovery is so fun!

100000% the uk drag girls (the viv being the one we see the most, love her to death and GET HER ON TM!!) NEED to be on more panel shows, jordan north (and get william hanson on SOMETHING this MINUTE), shirley ballas, ronan keating is actually a laugh, a lot of the reality show people (MIC, TOWIE, etc) who do what they do because they don't take themselves too seriously really do Get The Vibe (this is how we got rylan hellooooo), maggie aderin-pocock is an angel, ore oduba, jordan stephens, judge rinder hmm

comedians-wise (ik the drag girls often are comedians, but otherwise), people we've seen a little bit who we should be seeing more of in the name of comedy — alasdair beckett-king, kiri pritchard-mclean, paul foot, larry dean (whoever has the ‘X days since panelshowsource has mention larry dean’ sorry but you gotta reset), glenn moore, amy gledhill, morgana robinson

+ they're not underrated per say but just people i'd like to see again/continue seeing more often include ivo graham, guz khan, chris addison, holly walsh, robert webb, elis james, catherine tate, jess hynes, josie long, peter serafinowicz, humphrey kerr (we haven't seen him in a minute but i always thought he could have developed more of a place in panel show culture), and ffs can we bring back angus? should we? but could we? can we? just for one episode idk? also graham norton get your ass on tm this INSTANT new years

these types of asks always drive me crazy for the rest of the week bc i'm like "ahh i forgot ____!!!" hahahah but lmk what you think too!

[hellkitepriest]

Music Ask: 5, 22, 28

name an album you feel is perfect man alive. it just IS. they talk a lot in interviews about how unfocused and chaotic they find it now (jeremy pritchard voice: we set out our stall quite broadly,) but it's PERFECT sorry

name a song that reminds you of one of your best memories many many possible options here but i will say green garden by laura mvula because it reminds me of hearing it at a bagel shop with @shallowtboy when we first met in 2018 and every time i hear it (not a lot these days) i go :') and have to message them

name a song (or a few songs) that would need to be included in a movie about your life it's my life by talk talk. what else could it be. it's my life! don't you forget!!!! caught in the crowd!! it never ends!!!!

[hardcore-gaming-101]

Shredded Secrets

Many kids dream of making a video game for consoles one day.  But few can say they actually achieved that at the age of 12. However, there is an organization named Girls Make Games, which tries to encourage more women to join the video game industry by introducing them to game development at a young age. The idea came about after the married couple founders of a game studio named LearnDistrict discovered that the vast majority of job applicants were male. After a tweet about the idea of creating a summer camp for girls to learn game design received a great deal of support, including from industry veterans such as Tim Schafer (creator of Psychonauts), Girls Make Games was established. The organization also holds game jams, in which kids throw out their ideas for video games and then the ideas are judged by a panel which decides the best one. The idea that wins moves on to Kickstarter to receive funding to hire professionals to improve the game’s production values, and ultimately moves on to Steam. The first of these games to make its way to a console, the Nintendo Switch, was Shredded Secrets, designed by a team of 12-year-olds who called themselves Team Sarcastic Shark Clouds. It was judged by a panel which included Phil Spencer from Microsoft’s Xbox division, Shawn Laydon from Sony’s Playstation division, and Devon Pritchard from Nintendo. They were shown a very early beta of the game with simple graphics and unfinished gameplay mechanics, and onscreen unspoken dialog. The game’s concept in its early form was enough to impress the industry executives and win first place.

Read more...

[madscientistshowdown]

PROPAGANDA

Dr Carmilla:

K so I dnt remember if she has an actual doctorate but if she did it would be revoked very fast She’s an immortal space vampire lesbian who after some toxic yuri created her children to also be immortal after they died (no they’re not actually related but I doubt that matters much) and then made them a part of her band She was thrown out of an airlock by one of her children and iirc she just fucked off never to be seen again until she is alluded to in The Ignominious Demise Of Dr. Pritchard but e never outright saying she’s there so there’s a bit of fan interpretation when it comes to it She also after leaving the mechs starts a different band but alas no one really talks about that one Timelines when it comes to the mechs are messy and so are they and so is Carmilla and she deserves to w

Otto Octavius:

Classic comic book mad scientist, it'd be a travesty if he wasn't included in the tournament.

[ukrfeminism]

The boss of the NHS has made a dramatic intervention in The Independent highlighting the shocking amount of sexual abuse against staff in the health service, arguing that a #MeToo moment is needed to safeguard staff.

Amanda Pritchard hit out at the “unacceptable” levels of abuse faced by doctors and nurses, demanding that health trusts be judged on their progress in tackling sexual harassment. 

She has called for sexual harassment against NHS staff to be “stamped out” after it emerged that one in eight workers – 58,000 – had reported experiencing unwanted sexual behaviour last year. 

Writing exclusively for The Independent, Ms Pritchard said the abuse now levelled at doctors and nurses is unacceptable – with some staff being raped at work, groped, and shown pornography.

Her bombshell warning follows a series of exposés by The Independent, which she credits for helping to highlight this issue, including uncovering widespread sexual harassment of trainee paramedics and the shocking number of sexual assaults on patients and staff within NHS-run mental health services.

“The #MeToo movement has powerfully called out this unacceptable behaviour and fuelled important discussions right across society, and the NHS must not be exempt,” Ms Pritchard wrote.

“But we can’t just call out unacceptable behaviour and move on: we need to stamp it out across all parts of the NHS.”

Praising this publication’s coverage of the issue, she added: “It can be incredibly difficult to speak up, and so I applaud those who have come forward to report unacceptable behaviour – and the powerful reporting in The Independent that has helped further to highlight this issue.”

Ms Pritchard’s strong comments were made in light of a recent survey that found that tens of thousands of staff had reported “unacceptable” levels of sexual harassment and assault while at work. 

The figures, published as part of the NHS staff survey, showed that one in eight workers – around 58,000 – had reported experiencing unwanted sexual behaviour last year, while one in 26 reported experiencing similar harassment from a work colleague – statistics Ms Pritchard described as “truly sobering”. 

She also highlighted a report published in September, which found that 29 per cent of women working in surgery had experienced “unwanted physical advances” from a colleague amid complaints of an “old-fashioned culture”.

Urging health leaders to “take ownership” of the issue and intervene, she said: “Such levels of abuse are difficult to comprehend when NHS staff come to work every day primarily to care for others. No one should experience sexism, sexual abuse, or assault in the NHS.”

In one of the worst examples of the abuse faced by staff, a mental health nurse said she was raped by a patient. Last year The Independent revealed the story of a paramedic who said she had been groped by one colleague and dry-humped by another before being locked in an ambulance and sexually assaulted.

Other horrific cases include that of a doctor who reported a sexual assault by a colleague. When the allegations were investigated, her employer asked the alleged victim questions about her sex life. It took 10 months for the hospital to investigate the incident, she told The Independent.

In stories shared by campaign group Surviving in Scrubs, a trainee GP who reported being raped by a colleague during a night out claims she was excused from the teaching programme rather than her alleged attacker being asked to leave.

And earlier this year, The Independent spoke to senior NHS nurse Michelle Russell, who revealed her eight-year hell at the hands of her NHS employer after she made allegations of sexual harassment against a male colleague.

NHS England has now sent out a letter to all health chiefs, warning that trusts and other organisations within the service will be measured and benchmarked in respect of their progress in tackling sexual harassment.

Ms Pritchard, who was appointed chief executive in 2021, has also said NHS England will work with trusts to ensure that concerns can be raised anonymously without fear of repercussions.

She wrote: “We must have a robust support system in place, where staff feel empowered to speak up and report incidents every time, and while this is a hugely complex piece of work, we are making this a priority.

“We won’t solve this issue overnight, but these actions are the beginning of an important journey to end unwanted, inappropriate and harmful sexual behaviour in the NHS, and I am personally committed to helping to make that happen.”

Last year, NHS England published a “sexual safety” charter, which sets out guidelines for organisations within the health service. This includes having 300 domestic abuse and sexual violence leads working across all services.

Ms Pritchard said the work being done to tackle the issue matters to her and should matter to all those who work in the service.

She wrote: “The NHS is nothing without our staff, and so it is right that we use their experiences, which are formally recorded as part of the staff survey, as a measure of progress.

“The work we are doing in this space matters to me and should matter to everyone working in the NHS.”

[eaglesnick]

“The Nation that destroys its soil destroys itself” – Franklin D Rooevelt

Last week I heard an inheritance tax bemoaning farmer claiming he was a “custodian" of the countryside as if that claim alone should exempt him from tax. But he is not the only one making this claim:

Sue Pritchard, Chief Executive of the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission said she sees:

“... farmers both as custodians of the countryside as well as food producers, putting nature-based farming at the heart of our future agricultural policy..."  (ffcc.co.uk: ‘Farmers are custodians of the countryside' 30/11/20)

The Farmers Union also claims British farmers are “custodians of the iconic British landscape." (NFU General Election Manifesto 2024) and accused the Labour government of “betrayal" with regard to the changes in inheritance tax.

The dictionary definition of “custodian" is:

 "A person who has responsibility for protecting or taking care of something or keeping something in good condition".

Lets examine how well British farmers have protected and taken care of Britain’s iconic landscape and the wildlife that lives within it.

Since the 1970’s 41% of all UK wildlife species have declined – mammals, amphibians, birds, reptiles, and insects. One of the main reasons for this is the intensification of agricultural methods.

“More than 50 conservation groups say the "policy-driven" intensification of farming is a significant driver of nature loss in the UK. The State of Nature report assessed 8,000 UK species and found that one in 10 are threatened with extinction."  (BBC News: 14/09/2016)

Needless to say farm leaders disputed the findings. Yet a team of ornithologists, zoologists, biologists and ecologists reported that the chief cause of declining bird populations in the UK was due to the use of pesticides and herbicides by farmers. Runoff from farms, including fertilizers and animal waste pollute waterways and soil, affecting the health  of ecosystems and the wildlife that depend upon them. Grubbing up hedgerows and cutting down woodland has led y to a loss of habitat for many of our native mammals and other species.

Not content with killing off Britain’s wildlife, many farmers are also threatening the health of British consumers, in particular the long-term wellbeing of our children.

The use of pesticides which contain “forever chemicals” are a direst threat to public health. PFA chemicals, which take centuries to break down in the environment, were found in 3300 samples tested by the UK government in 2022.

Farmers do not have to use these chemicals. They choose to do so because it increases output and therefore their profits.

“Common UK fruits, vegetables and spices have been found to be contaminated with long-lasting toxins known as "forever chemicals", prompting alarm over potential impacts on public health ...”  (itvX: 09/04/24)

“Profit before people” would seem to be the farmers' motto!

Rather than being “custodians” of the iconic British landscape farmers have traditionally been one of its worst enemies, bent on its destruction if it affords them a few more pennies in the bank.

In 1950, a Forestry Commission assessment concluded that we had 1 million km of hedgerow. By 2007, this reduced to 477,000km, a loss of approximately 52%. This loss of habitat for wildlife was the direct result of farmers deliberately removing hedgerows because by so doing they made more money.

Kemi Badenoch, objecting to rich farmers now having to pay inheritance tax (albeit only 50% of what everyone else has to pay) said:

 “This policy is  cruel, it is unfair and it is going to destroy farming as we know it”

I would suggest that “farming as we know it” isn’t fit for purpose.

“A study found that that UK is one of the world's most nature-depleted countries, with on average about half its biodiversity left - far below the global average of 75%. It means the UK is in the bottom 10% globally for biodiversity.”  (CBBC: 11/10/21)

This isn’t custodianship, this is environmental vandalism on an industrial scale. The destruction of habitat, the use of pesticides and herbicides, the culling of foxes, rabbits and badgers, the eradication of meadows. wetlands and grassland, have all contributed to the  catastrophic loss of biodiversity In Britain, and all in the pursuit of farmers making greater profits.

[alsunday]

band au ... clover d. iselda.

iselda's mom was a musician before her and would often take her on the road on all her vacations from school, cultivating within her a love for music. when it was time for school, she would stay with her dad. her parents never married and while they loved each other, never really committed in the sense of a traditional relationship, but successfully co-parented.

her mom wasn't a major celebrity but has what would be considered a cult following.

while iselda wanted to drop out at sixteen to pursue music, her parents urged her to stay in school. she eventually graduated early and actually took college courses, majoring in a degree in music. (specific field tbd).

during her time in college, she would often go to underground music clubs of all sorts. while she frequented the punk scene, iselda had a wide variety of interests and would clubs that hosted other music like jazz, funk, new wave, etc.

sometimes, she would be recognized by some of the scouts or older musicians that know her mom, and would be offered opportunities. while she was proud of her mom's career, she also wanted to branch out on her own and find a sound that was hers.

eventually, she would join a few bands/projects, subbing in for bass or drums. she played a variety of genres and had even gone on the road with bigger names for experience.

she also creates a lot of her bands' merch and merch for other bands. she loves sketching and has made shirts, totes, pins, posters, album covers, etc.

her first serious commitment was with the band, WOUND; an all girl's rock/funk band. they had an eclectic sound but often infused elements of funk in their music.

after some time (tbd), she leaves the band on good terms.

she takes this time apart to enjoy the freedom of travel on her own.

one night, at a show she attends, she watches drucilla (@/foolisheart) perform, captivated by her stage presence and her music. they later strike up a friendship and eventually become a band together.

official line-up include: drucilla pritchard [lead singer], iselda clover [bass], and griffin baez [lead guitar].

[normallyxstranger]

NANCY PRITCHARD

BASIC INFORMATION

Full Name: Nancy Joanne Pritchard

Nicknames: Nance, Blondie, Queen of Hearts, Nancy Jo

Gender | Species: Female | Vampire

Date of Birth | Age: June 16th | 44 (appears to be in her late teens/early 20’s)

Year of Death/Sired: 1997, at the age of 16

Zodiac: Gemini

Sexuality & Romance: Pansexual & Greyromantic

Languages: English, some Latin, a few demon languages, a bit of Italian, French, and Spanish but not much

Education: High school drop-out; street smarts; privately tutored in magical studies

Occupation: head of her own camarilla (group of vampires); crime boss in the Underground and Otherside.

Drink | Smoke | Drugs: Yes | Yes | Yes

PERSONALITY

Likes: Blood, torture, scaring/intimdating people, poker, drinking, smoking, sex, music, onion rings, Disney movies, kittens, cinnamon, poetry, Doritos, jewelry/shoes/fashion

Dislikes: hunters/slayers, holy water, sunlight, losing at anything, being treated like a child, losing her mind, demon pests

MBTI: ENTP - the Debater

Alignment: Neutral Evil

Five Tropes: Vampire Monarch; Good Girl Gone Bad; Proud Beauty; Card Carrying Villain; Being Tortured Makes You Evil

Theme Song: Going to Hell - The Pretty Reckless

Habits: lying . interrupting . smoking . swearing . knuckle cracking .muttering under their breath . talking to themselves . binge drinking . oversleeping . snacking between meals . impulse buying . talking with their mouth full . humming/singing to themselves . foot tapping . hair twirling . eye rolling . licking lips . sniffing . squinting . jaw clenching . gesturing while talking . putting feet up on tables . tucking hair behind ears . chewing lips . crossing arms over chest . putting hands on hips . being late . procrastinating . doodling . peeling off bottle labels . running hands through hair . overreacting . teeth grinding . pacing . drumming fingers . fist clenching . pinching the bridge of nose . rubbing temples . rolling shoulders .

Strengths: brave . ambitious . intelligent . confident . focused . observant . clever . charming. decisive . adaptive

Flaws: moody . short-tempered . emotionally unstable . whiny. controlling . conceited. possessive . paranoid . liar. impatient . bitter . selfish . power-hungry. greedy . lazy . judgmental .. impulsive. spiteful . stubborn . sadistic . petty . wrathful . obsessive . cold . vindictive .

APPEARANCE

Faceclaim: Taylor Momsen

Hair: blonde, bleached near-white, worn long

Eyes: Blue (golden when in vamp face)

Height: 5'8"

Tattoos: Q with a red heart (Queen of Hearts) below it on her right wrist

Piercings: multiple in earlobes & cartilage 

Scars: none

Scents: cigarettes, leather, whiskey, blood, winter chill, cinnamon (sometimes), burnt amber (sometimes)

ABILITIES

Powers: immortality; super strength; agility; speed; heightened senses (including hearing and smell); regenerative healing; adeptness and knowledge in magic (particularly illusions, glamours that mask appearances, and teleportation); proficient in hand to hand combat

Weaknesses: Fire, sunlight, holy water/blessed objects, decapitation (instant kill), stakes (instant kill)

Nancy needs an invitation to enter the home or dwelling of a human (this excludes half-humans, demons, werewolves or others who appear human but are not). This extends to motels, hotels, and rented rooms because they are dwellings, albeit temporary ones.

BACKSTORY

Nancy Pritchard was the daughter of a wealthy businessman and his socialite wife. An only child, Nancy was naturally spoiled by her parents–when they weren’t neglecting her. Her childhood was spent in the lap of luxury. She could have anything she wanted, except her parents undivided attention.

When she became a teenager, she started rebelling against her parents, doing typical stuff to tick them off–dating bad boys, drinking, smoking, skipping school, doing drugs, and anything else she could think of that was fun and would piss them off. Her rebellious behavior caught the attention of a cruel vampire. He kidnapped her one night and she became his new plaything.

Over the next several weeks, she was kept locked up, tortured, beaten, sexually assaulted, and abused in so many ways. The girl begged for death, but the vampire didn’t grant her request. Instead, he prolonged her torture by siring her and turning her into a vampire. After doing so, he locked her up in her room again and abandoned her.

She was trapped there for another week before she managed to break free. Starving for blood, angry, and hurt, the newly sired vampire learned to adjust to what she was now. As she soon learned, it wasn’t such a terrible thing having power, being young and beautiful forever, killing whoever pissed you off.

The realization came to her: even though her sire had fucked her over, he’d actually done her a favor. He’d given her the power to never be a victim again, to do what she wanted, to rebel in the biggest way possible..

Over the years, Nancy made a name for herself as a formidable force, and even gained a following of other vampires, a camarilla, to help her out with black market dealings and whatever other nefarious purpose she wanted. They took over an old, run-down hotel called the Courtyard. The demon-owned bar Ludlow’s, also became a new hub for her vampires to hang-out. It paid to be a VIP. It paid to be queen.

Nancy liked being a vampire. She liked her new position, her new power. She could live with it.

CANONS

Before being sired, Nancy was a typical spoiled rich girl. She rebelled against her parents by smoking, drinking, partying, and indulging in all sorts of terrible behavior.

She attended high school before her siring. She was a junior. She was part of the popular crowd. 

When her sire/maker kidnapped her, she spent weeks locked up. He beat her, tortured her, sexually assaulted her, and she endured all sorts of physical, verbal, and psychological abuse. When he finally did sire her, he left her to her torment, effectively dismissing her as no longer worth his time.

She harbors a hell of a lot of anger and resentment toward him. She hasn’t encountered him in a long while, and its probably a good thing.

Though she was sired when she was sixteen in 1997 and therefore considered a young vampire by most others, she’s very formidable and business savvy. This led to her eventually gaining her own following of vampires (her camarilla), and being both respected and feared. She is a natural leader and uses it to her advantage when handling the underground demonic black market dealings.

Some tend to call her the Queen of Hearts. She has a tattoo of the symbol on her wrist--a Q with a red heart beneath it.

Nancy, even as a vampire, still has a habit of eating junk food though she has no need to eat human foods. She enjoys onion rings with spicy ranch dip and Doritos.

Sometimes, when drinking blood from a mug or glass, she likes to add cinnamon to flavor it a bit.

Nancy likes to go ‘shopping’, which is essentially her killing clerks and stealing whatever she wants. She also steals things from her victims.

She likes jewelry, but mostly bracelets, earrings, and necklaces. But she’ll steal anything of value, or that she likes.

She is a very competent fighter and will take whatever advantage she can to inflict maximum pain to her target. She fights dirty. 

She likes to go to underground cage fights, mostly to watch, but every now and again she will participate.

Nancy hates people telling her what to do and might resort to an angry tantrum if she doesn’t get her way–that, or she gives the silent treatment.

She likes to hang out in demon bars and clubs, sometimes playing poker in the back room, but she very much would rather spend time in human-occupied establishments.

She’s a sore loser too, so most people know to let her win.

Nancy’s hair is naturally more of a dark blonde color, but she uses bleach to dye it almost white blonde.

Nancy and Aaron have a friends-with-benefits type of relationship in addition to their professional relationship. Sex with them is generally rough, violent. It scratches an itch for her, certainly, but there’s nothing else to it. Or so she thinks. 

She actually likes animals and will sometimes take in stray kittens. It eventually goes off on its own when Nancy inevitably begins to neglect it.

As much as Nancy claims to hate demon pests, she sometimes keeps them around in the underground, or the sewers, and commands them like an army.

She can be mean-spirited and vindictive and sarcastic. Sometimes, though rarely, she can be kind and compassionate–most usually when it suits her purposes in some way.

She is very sexual, but is picky about who she will actually have sex with. She will flirt and seduce to get her way if necessary, but that doesn’t mean she will sleep with her victim or target.

Nancy knows a little bit of magic, but not enough to cast more than basic glamouring spells, illusions, and what most consider parlor tricks.

One of the vampires in the camarilla, Alexandra, was an accomplished witch before her siring and has been teaching Nancy. Nancy’s very adept and a quick learner.

She can sing and play guitar very well. She took lessons as a child.

Though she doesn’t do it often–and only when alone–she likes reading and writing poetry. Sometimes her poetry transforms into song lyrics.

She knows bits of Italian, French, Spanish, from traveling in her youth before her siring, and a little of Latin from spells. She also knows some demon languages. 

She likes blood, whiskey, and cigarettes–in that order.

[jules-has-notes]

Panic! in Four Minutes — VoicePlay music videos

All singers are performers, but VoicePlay have definitely earned their moniker as the theater kids of the a cappella world. When they decided to create a medley of PatD songs, they wanted their own accompanying videos to have a bit of the same short-film aesthetic as the band's original videos. What ensued was a mid-summer location shoot, a kidnapping scenario straight out of a heist film, and even a dramatic cliffhanger.

Details:

title: Panic! in Four Minutes, part 1

original songs / performers: all songs by Panic! At the Disco — "Victorious"; "I Write Sins Not Tragedies"; "Emperor's New Clothes"; "Miss Jackson", feat. Lolo; "The Ballad of Mona Lisa"

written by: all songs by Brendon Urie in collaboration — "Victorious" with Mike Viola, Morgan "White Sea" Kibby, Jake Sinclair, Alexander DeLeon, Rivers Cuomo, & CJ Baran; "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" with Ryan Ross & Spencer Smith; "Emperor's New Clothes" with Jake Sinclair, Lauren "Lolo" Pritchard, Sam Hollander, & Dan Wilson; "Miss Jackson" with Dallon Weekes, Lauren "Lolo" Pritchard, Jake Sinclair, Amir Jerome Salem, & Alex Goose; "The Ballad of Mona Lisa" with Spencer Smith, Butch Walker, & John Feldmann

arranged by: Layne Stein & Earl Elkins, Jr.

release date: 13 July 2018

My favorite bits:

the rhythm section's crisp beginning

that incredible chord from the end of the "Victorious" intro section doubling as a frightened scream

Earl's focused tone on that falling chromatic line

everyone slumping in their seats during the first transition

Eli's defiant rock grit on "Emperor's New Clothes"

slipping that key change into ♫ "anywa-ay-ay" ♫

adding chair and chain sounds to Layne's already impressive percussion (and using the latter as a radio edit)

J.None's lovely falling run on ♫ "rationality" ♫

such beautiful harmonies on "Ballad of Mona Lisa"

Geoff's subharmonic drop on ♫ "believe" ♫

.

Details:

title: Panic! in Four Minutes, part 2

original songs / performers: all songs by Panic! At the Disco — "This Is Gospel"; "High Hopes"; "Say Amen (Saturday Night)"

written by: all songs by Brendon Urie in collaboration — "This Is Gospel" with Dallon Weekes & Jake Sinclair; "High Hopes" with Jake Sinclair, Jenny Owen Youngs, Lauren "Lolo" Pritchard, Sam Hollander, William Lobban-Bean, Jonas Jeberg, Taylor Parks, & Ilsey Juber; "Say Amen (Saturday Night)" with Jake Sinclair, Sam Hollander, Lauren "Lolo" Pritchard, Imad Royal, Nathan Abshire, Suzy Shinn, Tom Peyton, Tobias Wincorn, & The Budos Band

arranged by: Layne Stein & Earl Elkins, Jr.

release date: 20 July 2018

My favorite bits:

the panicked (ha!) heartbeat sounds

Layne's gentle timbre on the opening of "This Is Gospel"

everyone jerking against their chains as Earl belts out ♫ "let me GOOO" ♫

the soft bell chords under Eli's lead section

Geoff rounding out the low end as Eli sings ♫ "all tied up" ♫

Layne putting his increasing frustration into the percussion through rhythmic breathing

Earl mouthing "What the fu–?!" when Geoff haphazardly tosses the key so far out of his reach

that blazingly high ♫ "SaturDAAAAY" ♫ from J.None

all the others cringing away from the bomb as much as they can when the timer nears the end and Geoff takes a wild guess at which wire to cut

finishing on pure octaves for that last ♫ "vic-tor-i-ous" ♫

Trivia:

These videos were filmed at an abandoned sawmill previously owned by the Wilson Cypress Co. in Palatka, FL. According to the guys' various anecdotes, the place didn't smell great, and there were some wasps flying around. The things they endure for their art.

The original PaTD videos for three of the songs included in this medley — "Say Amen", "This Is Gospel", and "Emperor's New Clothes" — contain a continuous story known as the Devil's Key trilogy. It stands to reason that the key around Geoff's neck is a reference to that.

One eagle-eyed viewer spotted another bit of PatD inspiration in the visuals for these videos.

J.None has said that the B5 wail in "Say Amen (Saturday Night)" is the highest note he's ever hit. Considering that he's a natural baritone, and now sings bass with the SeaChanters, that's darn impressive.

Similarly, Geoff's E1 at the end of "Ballad of Mona Lisa" was his lowest recorded note at the time. (He has, of course, surpassed that by half an octave in the years since then.)

Makeup artist Dana Bracewell from Makeup and Creative Arts provided the fake dirt and injuries. (No singers were actually harmed in the making of this video.)

The cover art was designed by VP's longtime friend and collaborator Rek Dunn.

The guys demonstrated the opening tape pull for production assistants Rek and Hayley in the trailer where they got gussied up. Hayley ended up doing it in the video.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by VoicePlay (@thevoiceplay)

The Facebook upload of "Part 1" racked up two million views in a day and a half, six million in less than a week, 10 million before the end of the month, and 15 million in just over three weeks. After six years, it's sitting just under 30 million.

It also nudged them over 600,000 followers on Facebook.

A fan brought the first video to Brendon Urie's attention on Twitter, and he passed it along to his fans, which certainly didn't hurt.

A few fan artists were inspired to capture the guys' predicament, and speculate about the aftermath.

art by amedamatoame (師旋)

art by Clara Meath & Leon King

VoicePlay's video for "Billie Eilish in 3 Minutes", released a little over a year later, is a prequel to this story, showing how they ended up in so much danger.

Some fans have embraced a headcanon that the video for "Queen in 5 Minutes" is the next episode in this story, and that Earl ends up in the hospital because Geoff cut the wrong wire and failed to stop the explosion.

The unified video was originally only available to Patreon patrons, but it was uploaded to VoicePlay's TikTok account after five years.

During a break in filming, Eli's shared a story about a mishap that occured while he was playing Fortnite.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by VoicePlay (@thevoiceplay)

They also used their break time to practice a little stunt work.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by VoicePlay (@thevoiceplay)

They even created a suitably dramatic trailer for this two-parter.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by VoicePlay (@thevoiceplay)

A single-track audio version was later included on VoicePlay's "Citrus" album, which compiled most of the songs they recorded from 2017-19. Because the individual songs had already been made available digitally, that album is exclusively a physical item that can only be purchased at live shows or through their website.

[dailyanarchistposts]

Anthropology and anarchism — ethical issues

Objectivity

All knowledge reflects a particular socio-cultural context, and this is as true of anthropological knowledge as anything else. In recent years therefore we have become increasingly critical of the idea of a pure value free objectivity, in social or any other form of science. As the physicist Heisenberg wisely noted we do not have a science of nature but a science of human knowledge about nature. In anthropology therefore we recognise that, like the other social sciences, we interpret observed data and recognise the difficulties of being objective. An important question arising out of the above topic is the extent to which anthropologists have knowingly or unknowingly been manipulators or exploiters of the innocent. There are three main areas:

The role of government and the ethics of anthropologists

1) the original motivation for anthropological data collection was presumably to find out how 'the natives' think and act. Although some funding came from museums and universities much came, and continues to come from governments and corporations, either directly or indirectly, and they are hardly likely to do this through pure love of knowledge but to facilitate the direction and regulation of peoples concerned. In the United States and Canada much of the impetus for investigation of the Indigenous people and Inuit{3} arose from the government's desire to manage them with the minimum of fuss. Later anthropologists invaded the Pacific Islands as American interests expanded, particularly Micronesia, Polynesia, and the Philippines. At the same time, they entered Latin America, part of America's neo-colonial empire since the Monroe Doctrine was promulgated.

The same pattern applies to the French in Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco, and to British colonial policy. Government encouraged ethnographic research as an aid to policy making for their own interests. Evans-Pritchard's now famous study of the Nuer would never have been carried out had that splendidly recalcitrant people did not pose a vexing problem to British administrators. Portugal alone of the colonial powers surviving to the twentieth century never developed any significant anthropological study. And much of what is today known as applied anthropology entails studies explicitly directed toward finding ways in which people can best be adjusted to and assimilated into the contemporary world.

Many anthropologists of course dissociate themselves from these conservative motivations. They are among the most outspoken defenders of disadvantaged peoples. One near universal result of fieldwork is that the investigator returns home a defender, if not an advocate of the people he has studied. However, regardless of his motivations, attitudes or sources of finance, anything published may be used by anyone else including governments and corporations. And it remains true that in the past anthropology has been too closely wed to imperialism and other great power sources.

2) It can be argued, and has been, that the anthropologist is simply making a personal career at the expense, one way or another, of a local population. There is an element of truth in this which is probably why so many become advocates of the people they have studied and whom they are aware they can never fully repay. But relationships are by definition reciprocal. Field workers often see learning how they might serve the community to be part of the job. And it is not unknown for members of such communities to exploit the anthropologist. It is also quite common to find a community themselves acquiring an interest in the project, learning from it and gaining considerable satisfaction and prestige by their participation. In sum the anthropologist is always engaged in an asymmetrical form of reciprocity. One can hardly have a balanced exchange and equal gain for both sides when the relationship is unequal to begin with and the dominant party is transient as well.

3) Another ethical issue affecting the anthropologist's rapport is the extent to which deceit is employed to facilitate acceptance and obtain information. Almost every anthropologist faces problems in trying to explain to informants why he or she is among them. In the majority of cultural contexts, the whole idea of anthropology and anything related to it is utterly foreign. So, some anthropologists might say they wish to learn the language (true but only partly so) or that they wish to study the history of the people. Deceit may find its way into other research activities as well. A suspicious shaman or medicine man might be told that information is desired from him which can be used in curing illnesses in other parts of the world. For public relations purposes certain anthropologists have joined in the performance of religious rituals when they have totally different religious beliefs but wish to make it appear they were believers. In recent years anthropological organisations have become very sensitive to the problem of deceit and of protecting the anonymity of informants. Therefore, there has been a much greater effort to discourage misleading behaviour and statements by anthropological researchers.