#but it's still so weird to think there are partisans right here

[solarbird]

Trump’s loser stench is getting stronger and stronger, and it’s not just Republicans distancing themselves anymore, like you’ve been seeing in the federal Senate – Harris just picked up a popular Georgia Republican’s endorsement.

Try not to hold it against her.

It’s for the obvious reasons, of course; they’re starting to think he’s going to go down hard, and he’s going to drag a lot of them down with him. If they’re hedging this hard with three months left in the campaign, they either have some incredibly strong sinking feelings in their stomachs, or some really remarkable numbers from polls they trust.

So this isn’t really about the Presidential race, this time. Everything I’ve said before is still critical; get to your Trumpy family and friends. Use Vance as a lever to open their eyes; he’s just as venial and bizarre as Trump is, but with no charisma and more importantly no celebrity, so lacks the shielding it brings. Talk about climate change (real), talk about the threat to the Republic (very fucking real), talk about just how goddamn weird it is that they want to demand genetic tests to make sure women who were assigned female at birth and grew up as girls and then women are actually women by some racist misogynist standard they just made up. Talk about all of it, chip away at them one day after another, tick tick tick tick.

Do all of that, but also, this is about voting downballot, which is to say, all the way down to not just Senate and not just House, but state and local races.

Lower level Republicans are starting to taste their own fear, and that’s good. This can’t be just about the fascist on top, but all the chibi cheeto mussolinis who bought into this nightmare.

The Republican Party has to fucking hurt for putting us all, and this country, and the entire world, through this hell. And it has to hurt for a while.

Tuesday is the last day of voting here in Washington State. It’s a primary election; we’re picking the final two candidates on the November ballot. Because of our history and reasons, we don’t have guaranteed partisan elections in November; some of our ballots then will be between two Democrats, or two Republicans, or one of each, or one of a major party and a minor party or an independent. It’s not the ranked choice voting system I think we need, but it’s better than the usual way.

Have you voted yet? If not, get it done.

Many of you may have primary elections soon as well. Get that done, because this is where you do vote your absolute conscience, should you so choose.

But then in November, remember – the Republican Party must pay for this, and not just Trump. It has to hurt all the way down. So get familiar with your Federal representatives, get familiar with your state and local elections, figure out what popular initiatives you might have on your ballot, because all of it matters, and all of it will keep mattering for years to come.

Not that it didn’t matter before, of course. But local elections are how you get cops browsing for books to ban, how you get libraries declared “18 and over only”, how you get women charged with murder for taking an abortion pill. The Federal is where this evil shit has been unleashed, but it’s at the state and local where it gets enforced.

(E.g., this year, the rightists are trying to undo our efforts to fight climate change in order to boost and gas companies, via Initiative 2117; they’re trying to wipe out the capital gains tax and give the wealthy a huge tax break, via Initiative 2109; they want to throttle long-term health care, via Initiative 2124; a very predictable “parent’s bill of rights” which is substantially about raising the same sorts of racist and anti-LGBT hell they’ve been raising elsewhere, via Initiative 2081. All these will be on our ballot in November.)

So keep your eye on the big prize, of course. The number one job is driving “day one dictator” Trump into the dumpster fire of history. But the number two job, and only slightly less important, is the repudiation all the way down to school board and – if you have such an elected position – dogcatcher.

Every elected Republican has to take the hit. Every single one of them. Even if it’s just by winning by meaningfully less than they’re used to winning. Whatever you can do, this is the year to do it.

92 days remain.

[corporationsarepeople]

“The public already views the Supreme Court through a partisan lens, with Democrats expressing little confidence in the court and Republicans saying the opposite, and the question of whether Trump should be kept off the ballot has the potential to further polarize those views.”

Let’s take that statement a bit further and look at them individually. The conservatives call themselves textualists, strict constitutionalists, or originalists, meaning that they would read the law and its intent strictly as per its original meaning. So if they want to be consistent, and not look like partisan hacks, then they’ll rule in favor of Colorado and removal. So, will they be partisan or consistent?

Alito & Thomas are bought and paid for partisan shills. No chance either would ever vote to remove him. That’s two for Trump.

Roberts, Kavanaugh & Coney-Barrett were part of the legal team that put Bush in office. That’s why they’re sitting where they are today. They won’t shy from being partisan again if it comes to that, and Roberts is too skittish about controversy to call Trump ineligible. I could see Kavanaugh being thoughtful about it though, so let’s say that makes 2-1/2.

Gorsuch is in a weird spot. He has previously ruled that Colorado has the right (and duty) to remove unqualified candidates from the ballot, because Colorado law requires it. Congress has voted in the 2nd impeachment trial the Trump did organize an insurrection and he’s therefore unqualified. Gorsuch is one of the Justices most concerned about his legacy in the history books, so consistency might matter to him here. Let’s put him down for 50-50 as well, so 1/2 a vote.

We’re up to five. That means Trump is forced back onto the Colorado ballot.

I know less about the liberals, but it’s still possible one of them could vote with the conservatives here.

In sum? I don’t think there’s much chance here for the Justices to follow the strict textual reading of the Constitution that they claim they apply, and they’ll come up with a strange justification to rule in Trump’s favor, either 6-3 or 5-4.

[orossii]

i’ve been thinking a lot lately about how inaccurate it is to frame the US working class as wholly and deeply conservative. i know quite a lot of lower middle class and poor liberals even living in the south. obviously they’re not as concentrated here and the working class does tend to lean conservative where i live, but the non-woke normie liberals, moderates, and disillusioned non-voters also make up a sizable contingent that will have to be won over as well, and even the right leaning people are not necessarily die-hard MAGA types. a huge portion of trumps voter base consisted of people that just wanted something different from the political establishment, which is also why a lot of them also voted for Obama in 2008 before growing rapidly disillusioned with him. that’s why i think marxists must be as non-ideological as possible

like, i’m all for treating conservatives like human beings and investigating their arguments for whatever merit you can find and use to recruit. these people aren’t demons by and large and the base concerns they’re operating on are often still valid even if the institutional right works hard to divert their anger in ways that take attention off of the ruling class and put it on their fellow workers. but the answer to appealing to these people isn’t to use the same divisive techniques as the ruling class and essentially turn yourself into some weird marxist wing of the Republican Party. the same mistake applied to liberals is why so many “communist” parties have become the marxist wing of the Democratic Party. if you’re consistently intellectually honest and motivated by a desire to build bridges within a fractured working class rather than a desire to Own The Libs you’ll avoid these partisan pitfalls that limit our reach

the recent drive to use the promise of a reinvigorated patriarchy may help you recruit from the terminally online andrew tate base. like you’ll have the support of the porn addicted crypto mark/school shooter demographic. but you’ll alienate the majority of women (whose support you will in fact require because we’re deeply imbedded in the political/economic/academic sector of the US whether you like that or not) who will not comfortably accept a reality they know to be untrue wherein women are fit only to stay home and raise children while being left outside of the world of production and management entirely. even most conservative women would balk at these American lunatics praising the taliban or saudi arabia on women’s rights and saying women are unfit for political power lol

it would seem absurd to most people to revert back to 1950s style gender relations at a time of declining (rather than ascending, as was the case in the 50s) economic prosperity, wherein we’ll need as many highly educated and/or skilled people in the work force as possible to quickly rebuild US industry when US imperialism/labor outsourcing abroad collapses. women’s liberation is a beautiful thing that i do have an emotional investment in, but it’s also just fundamentally and materially vital to the future stability of the post-imperial US. i think these people see how liberal identity politics are used to justify invasions and sanctions and election interference in the global south and think the answer is to throw women and homosexuals out with the bath water. you can earn back the trust of the global south by affirming your commitment to sovereignty and rejecting the imperial core’s weaponization of human rights in ways that destroy the ability of grass roots campaigners on those issues to make progress without being seen as agents of US imperialism. your main task as a marxist is to work within the reality of what people in your own country will actually accept and have material use for

[mabith]

Drowned Hopes by Donald E. Westlake - excerpt

When Andy Kelp walked into the OJ Bar & Grill on Amsterdam Avenue at six in the evening, the regulars were discussing the proposition that the new big buildings that had been stuck up over on Broadway, one block to the west, were actually spaceships designed and owned by aliens. “It's for a zoo,” one regular was suggesting.

“No no no,” a second regular said, “that isn't what I mean.” So he was apparently the one who'd raised the suggestion in the first place. “What I meant is for the aliens to come here.”

A third regular frowned at that. “Aliens come here? When?”

“Now,” the second regular told him. “They're here already.”

The third regular looked around the joint and saw Kelp trying to attract the attention of Rollo the bartender, who was methodically rinsing seven hundred million glasses and was off in a world of his own. The regular frowned at Kelp, who frowned back. The regular returned to his friends. “I don't see no aliens,” he said.

“Yuppies,” the second regular told him. “Where'd you think they came from? Earth?”

“Yuppies?” The third regular was a massive frowner. “How do you figure that?”

“I still say,” said the first regular, “it's for a zoo.”

“You need a zoo,” the second regular told him. “Turn yourself in.” To the third regular he said, “It's the yuppies, all right. Here they are all of a sudden all over the place, every one of them the same. Can actual adult human beings live indefinitely on ice cream and cookies? No. And did you ever see what they drink?”

“Foamy stuff,” the third regular said thoughtfully. “and green stuff. And green foamy stuff.”

“Exactly,” the second regular said. “And you notice their shoes?”

The first regular said, dangerously, “Whadaya mean, turn myself in?”

“Not in here,” Rollo said absently. He seemed to look at Kelp, who waved at him, but apparently Rollo's eyes were not at the moment linked up with his brain; he went on with his glass-rinsing.

Meanwhile, the second regular had ignored the first regular's interruption, and was saying, “All yuppies, male and female, they all wear those same weird shoes. You know why?”

“Fashion,” the third regular said.

“To a zoo, you mean?” demanded the first regular. “Turn myself in at a zoo? Is that what you mean?”

“Fashion?” echoed the second regular. “How can it be fashion to wear a suit and at the same time those big clunky weird canvas sneakers? How does it work out to be fashion for a woman to put on all kindsa makeup, and fix her hair, and put on a dress and earrings and stuff around her neck, and then put on those sneakers?”

“So what's your reading on this?” the third regular asked, as the first regular, zoo partisan, stepped slowly and purposefully off his stool and removed his coat.

“Their feet are different,” the second regular explained. “On accounta they're aliens. Human feet won't fit into those shoes.”

The first regular took a nineteenth-century pugilistic stance and said, “Put up your dukes.”

“Not in here,” Rollo said calmly, still washing.

“Rollo?” Kelp said, wagging his fingers, but Rollo still wasn't switched to ordinary reception.

Meantime, the other regulars were gazing upon the pugilist with surprised interest. “And what,” the second regular asked, “is this all about?”

“You said it isn't a zoo,” the pugilist told him, “you got me to answer to. You make cracks about me and zoos, we'll see what happens next.”

“Well, wait a minute,” the third regular said. “You got a zoo theory?”

“I have,” the pugilist told him while maintaining his fists-up, wrists-bent, elbows-crooked stance, one foot in front of the other.

“Well, let it fly,” the third regular invited him. “Everybody gets to say their theory.”

“Naturally,” the second regular said. He'd been gazing at those upraised fists with interest but no particular concern.

The pugilist lowered his fists minimally. “Naturally?”

“Rollo,” said Kelp.

“You got an idea that's better than yuppies,” the second regular told the pugilist, “let's have it.”

The ex-pugilist lowered his arms. “It is yuppies,” he said. “Only it's different.”

The other regulars gave him all their attention.

“Okay,” the zoo man said, looking a little self-conscious at being given the respectful hearing he'd been demanding, “the thing is this: you're right about those new buildings being spaceships.”

“Thank you,” the second regular said with dignity.

“But they're like roach motels,” the ex-pugilist said. “They attract yuppies. Little tiny rooms, loft beds, no moldings; it's what they like. See, the aliens, they got zoos all over the universe, all kindsa creatures, but they never had human beings before, because there weren't any human beings that could live under zoo conditions. But yuppies do it naturally!”

“Rollo!” insisted Kelp.

“So, what,” asked the third regular, “is your reading of the situation?”

“Once all the buildings are completely rented out,” the ex-pugilist told them, “they take off, like ant farms, they deliver yuppies all over the universe to all the different zoos.”

“I don't buy it,” the second regular said. “I still buy mine. The yuppies are the aliens. You can tell by their feet.”

“You know, but wait a minute now,” the third regular said. “Botha these theories end at the same place. And I like the place. At the end, the new buildings and the yuppies are both gone.”

With a surprised look, the second regular said, “That's true, isn't it?”

“Spaceship buildings,” agreed the ex-pugilist, “fulla yuppies, gone.”

This idea was so pleasing to everyone that conversation stopped briefly so they could all contemplate this future world—soon, Lord—when the yuppies and their warrens would all be away in some other corner of the universe.

[anythingstephenking]

Firestarter for a New Generation

The Institute is a big hug of King Classics (tm) in the best way possible. Kids with special psychic abilities? Check. Nefarious government organizations? Check. Battle of good vs. evil? Check.

It’s been 8 years since I last visited Firestarter, but my mind kept drifting to the themes of Charlie McGee’s adventures as I plowed through The Institute. Our hero, Luke Ellis is a 12-year-old boy swept away into some massively secret government organization. Unlike Charlie, he’s forced to navigate without his parents, but that’s ok cause he’s like, really smart.

Let’s back up a bit. On the surface (or summary from the book’s dust jacket) we’re stepping into The Institute - a secluded building in rural Maine (duh) where kids with special powers are experimented on for unknown reasons. An interesting premise for sure, but not one that King hasn’t explored before.

(Side Note: with all the references to rural Maine, I feel like I really understand the TR system for naming unincorporated townships and wonder how many exciting things can happen in the middle of nowhere??)

We don’t start at The Institute tho, we start with Tim Jamieson, a rugged a lost man wandering the southern United States before settling in small town SC. Tim’s not even kinda sorta close to Maine, how dare he?? We spend a hundred or so pages getting on Tim’s side as he settles his nomadic self, and we’re cozy and not really even thinking about kids with telekinesis. 

Boom, we leave Tim without so much as a farewell, and the story jumps us to Minnesota. ALSO NOT MAINE! What is happening? Here we meet Luke, who at 12 is ready to double enroll in Emerson and MIT. These colleges are in Boston. Getting warmer but still not there quite yet.

Luke’s got a big brain, and can also sometimes move things with his mind. It’s pretty inconsequential to Luke, he’s more worried about being like wicked smaht. But The Institute cares that he can push shit around without his hands, so he’s kidnapped in the middle of the night and flown to, finally… Maine.

Like any story with kids being abused (this sure does happen a lot with King) we love the kids of this story. Tiny little peanut people being slapped and tased by adults? Fuck right off adults, y’all suck. The Institute kids are endearing and delightful and unless you’re a total monster, you root for them. 

I was worried The Institute would turn into a “been there, done that”; having read 69 King novels thus far, none of the themes of this book seemed remotely new. But the story manages to remain a fresh page turner, cheering on Luke’s crew of rag-tag kiddos, waiting for Tim to return and whooping with excitement when you realize how the two storylines will merge. 

Spoiler alert: good mostly wins, with some heartbreaking losses. King Classic (tm) through and through.

It’s super weird to be in relative real-time after so many years in the past. Cultural references to Trump and American partisan politics pepper the story and I have to remind myself I am reading a book that was released in the third year of Trumps term. I only have 5 novels left.

8/10

First Line: Half an hour after Time Jamieson’s Delta flight was scheduled to leave Tampa for the bright lights and tall buildings of New York, it was still parked at the gate.

Last Line: Better to save some for later.

Adaptations:

 David E. Kelley and Jack Bender announced mini-series plans in 2019 but it’s still in development. Not sure if that’s Hollywood code for “dead”.

[from-disco-to-disco]

a freight train derailed a few miles away from where we live. people are saying it was hauling ammunition. lmao & lol

[zerochanges]

2021 Favorite Video Games

True to form, I did not play that many games this year either. However the games that I did play all ended up being incredible experiences that left lasting impressions on me, so I like to think I somehow ended up going the quality over quantity route without even realizing it. Because of that I think I ended up with two favorite games this year instead of just a simple one favorite game of the year. I’m getting a bit tongue tied here but what I mean to say is one game I think is game of the year, another game is my favorite game I played this year (but not game of the year since it did not come out in 2021). Hope that clears it up. You’ll see more of what I mean when we get to it. 

If you are wondering why or how I didn’t talk about [your favorite game ever] I probably didn’t play it this year, is all. I have a giant pile of shame I amassed in 2021, and it haunts me. A lot of these I might have played a little but not enough to have anything to talk about, not start at all, came out around the same time as other games I wanted to play and I had to make a choice, or happened around some personal issues I went through this year. I know I talked up how much I love the Super Famicom version of Famicom Detective Club, I’m sure I’ll love the Switch remake too, but dammit all that came out the week my dog died, sorry guys, I still can’t bring myself to play it. 

For now let’s just talk about the video games I did play. 

Critters For Sale

Critters For Sale is an indie made point and click adventure game and most people will probably recognize it as that weird game from YouTube where Michael Jackson is a time traveler and has reached out to you to awaken your past memories as one too. Yes, that really happens, it’s the first of five playable episodes in this game and most likely the most known thing about it since the first episode is completely free. The rest of the game is more or less just as crazy though and features even more real world celebrities, as well as aliens, interdimensional beings, secret societies, demons, and of course the critters. 

I would describe the game as a bad trip but I feel like there is more to it than that, especially since its creator Sonoshee has indicated that this is just the beginning and they have plans for future games to follow. This is one I followed for awhile, I want to say it was somewhere around 2 years ago when I first found out about Critters for Sale when searching for random stuff on itch.io. I was immediately sucked into the wonderful visuals inspired by the Gameboy Camera–and the music was peak A E S T H E T I C. I still listen to quite a few tracks from the game regularly and always find myself going back to the music from this game when I need a pick-me-up.

Above all the creative weirdness though is a solid and unrelenting atmosphere, like this is not a world we naturally belong to and should not be partisan to right now but here we are. Everything is off-kilter but the residents in this world seem to not find anything amiss. One of my absolute favorite jokes in the game is from an NPC that just out of nowhere exposits that he is having a spat with his girlfriend who in retaliation has taken his xbox away–and “I live in South Dakota where there is nothing to do but play Halo 3”. Did I mention this conversation is happening0 in 1997? And you are most likely talking to an alien from outer space. This shit cracks me up so much, it’s so out of left field and stupid and makes no sense in the context presented. I love it.

Deadly Premonition

Deadly Premonition is the favorite game I played this year. It is not “Game of the Year” since it didn’t come out this year, heck, even the latest version, the Switch port didn’t come out this year, but to me this was the best gaming experience I had all year. The impact this game left on me is so much so that I would say Deadly Premonition is in my Top-5 Favorite Video Games of All Time now. Maybe that’s biased; when I played the game I was in a very dark place and I wasn’t sure what to do to get out of it. Out of desperation I picked this up, and somehow I made it through, but even if saying it’s one of the best games of my life is biased because of that, I don’t care. The impact it left is all the same. 

What makes DP so special is its own creator, SWERY, who is a master of utterly bizarre games. You know it’s a SWERY game when it’s way overly ambitious, made on a shoestring budget, is full of bugs, glitches, and crashes–and somehow still moves you to tears. SWERY is an absolute oddity when it comes to mainstream gaming, there is no real clear way to review or talk about a SWERY game which is probably why his games tend to be all over the damn place when it comes to critical reception. Odd characters, bizarre strings of dialogue, a love of cinema, and anti-game play mechanics all make up key components of DP. 

That last bit is an aspect that I would like to personally go into more depth about DP one day since most people really only talk about either its charm or its jank, but at the core of DP is a lot of small things that are designed very strangely. The easiest of which to talk about has to be how the game starts with protagonist York crashing his car, forcing the player to traverse the rest of the map on foot. This is unnecessarily long, and grueling, it probably lasts a solid 2 minutes of just walking down a highway with no car until you get into town finally. 

Any sane person would turn the game off, this is a horrible start! What kind of game play is this?! But it has a point, your power is taken away from you, all your comforts of the city: your car, your computer, your cellphone, all gone. You are unwanted here, an outsider, there is no rest, and no place where you belong. The game, naturally through its game play (or anti game play as it’s not fun) expresses all this to you silently. There’s tons of small, weird moments like this, and I would argue even the less than stellar combat in the game that is often viewed poorly even by fans is another example of anti-game play, this isn’t what SWERY wants you to do, he wants you to be a good detective not rambo.

That tangent aside, Francis York Morgan and of course Zach too, are characters I will never forgettable.

Monster Hunter Stories 2

I never really got around to playing the original MonHun Stories on 3DS despite liking the demo a lot and watching a fair bit of the tie-in anime that aired around the time it was originally released. I was probably gonna pass this game up too despite it looking fun since I was still in a bit of a funk but at the behest of a friend–and also I had some good luck and bought the amiibos for it which I still collect so I may as well buy the game–I got it on release date. And I am glad I did! MonHun Stories 2 is just a plain fun video game, pure and simple. The capture and ride mechanic makes for an addicting game play loop that builds on an already solid tired and true JRPG formula. The graphics are incredible (honestly putting the latest installments of Pokémon to shame), the characters are tons of fun, and I got to make a terrible derp-faced kid that looked like he hasn’t slept in weeks save the world, thanks character creator!!!

Pokémon Shining Pearl 

The Short Version: This is a flawed remake of a good game. It feels cheap and was full of bugs and glitches when it first came out as well. Bad graphics. But Pokémon is Pokémon, the base game is always strong: catching, raising, and battling is just as addicting. I wish it was better but I still liked it a lot as a fan. I never beat the original Pearl so I am looking forward to finally finishing it with this remake. I do however think we deserve better than this though. The Pokémon Company continues to disappoint on Switch.

I have Opinions: Okay, so Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are obviously trying to replicate the style of the original Nintendo DS games hence why the graphic design choice, but it’s not /DOING/ that right. I have no doubt they saw the very beautiful Link’s Awakening remake and thought they could just imitate that in a similar fashion–go for something that can look cute in a top-down perspective; try to capture how older Pokémon games alternated between overworld chibi sprites and more anime-esque battle sprites. And if this was a remake of Ruby and Sapphire that would be fine but they already missed the boat on that! 

They forgot that the games they were remaking are not just 2D but 2.5D (i.e. 2D with some 3D depth for added effect). These games were on the Nintendo DS and while Gamefreak probably could have turned in something more ambitious at the time with 3D they still didn’t ignore that extra axis. Gamefreak’s contributions on the Nintendo DS are brimming with depth. They use tons of 3D mixed with 2D to create illusions of depth, almost like a shadow box or pop up story book. 

These games are gorgeous and the remakes fall incredibly flat not just because “2D good, 3D bad” but because the original games were made to take full effect of the hardware they ran on. They had a wow factor, the 3D objects in the game made the world feel bigger. It was Pokémon in a dimension the likes of which we never seen before. And because of that the entire Shinnoh region is designed with depth in mind. It’s full of skyscrapers, and bridges, and cliffs, and ridges, as well as many objects that are high above and obstruct your view momentarily as you travel underneath them. Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl completely miss this point. Everything is in 3D to begin with, any attempt at recreating this scale, or depth, fails, it’s just another 3D object, there is no wow factor. Ironically the 3D game is flatter than the actual 2D game. These remakes do not pop, I mean that literally and also because they are ugly.

If they truly wanted to actually go about the right away to capture what the Nintendo DS games were they should have looked at Square Enix and Team Asano’s recent works, titles like Octopath Traveler and Triangle Strategy gorgeously incorporated 2D with 3D and create worlds full of depth that pop and feel alive. Instead we got plastic dolls in a flat overworld. The game screams cheap, and I am sure many people worked very hard on it, but it was obviously rushed and despite its best defenders touting the graphical style being “true to the originals” that is a bold face lie. The original games were designed with depth of view in mind, not the flatlands we got with Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. 

Shadows of Adam

Shadows of Adam is a fun little return to classic JRPGs of yester year. I know these old retro inspired RPGs have truly become a dime-a-dozen nowadays but I still quite enjoy them for what they are worth. Shadows of Adam brings with it a fun turn based combat system and some really nice pixel graphics. It’s not much but in a way that is really all you need to make a good retro inspired indie game like this, and the developers absolutely nailed it. This was just a cozy and simple play through I was able to find the time for this year, and at the time having that took a lot of stress off of me. 

Shin Megami Tensei V

SMTV is my Game of the Year for 2021. This was one I was looking forward to for like what, almost as long as the Switch was around, and it paid off in droves. It feels like a natural progression for the series, tackling open world game play and letting you explore an entire netherworld as much as you want. It’s pretty much the best elements of the two main 3DS entries, SMTIV and SMTIV Apocalypse, combined with the best elements of Xenoblade to create a truly immersive experience. This is just a game that is fun to play on its own, story, missions, side quests, it doesn’t matter, just let me Naruto Run in Da’at and chill with the boys, and I’m having a great time. So much so that I joke around with friends that the Tokyo you live in sucks. Screw that place, let me just live in Da’at forever, bro. 

I had a lot of fears and reservations going into this one so it was reassuring that I ended up playing the game for some 10 hours straight the day it came out. I haven’t had a chance to sit down and really enjoy a bereft JRPG in a long time and I think SMTV is my gateway back into that.

[ducavalentinos]

Why do you think that Cesare helped Della Rovere become Pope? It's seems uncharacteristically...stupid? Perhaps illness and grief had made him desperate?

(Also I can't get that scene of Della Rovere hitting on Cesare in Borgia out of my head help lol)

Oh, thank you anon, for giving me the chance to vent my thoughts about the most frustrating event in Borgian history! This is long-ish, and tumblr is being weird(!!!!!!!) with the read-more link, so I'm not sure where/if it will show up below or not. Before answering your question, there is a question to be made first, I think: Why was Della Rovere still breathing in the year of 1503? If we follow the Borgias’ historical literature, the vast majority paints Rodrigo and Cesare, in particular Cesare, as unscrupulous, utterly ruthelss, vindictive men. They were the terror of Italy, and they meticulously eliminated all of their enemies. Yet, most of their enemies and their families, important to add, lived. Including Della Rovere, the most dangerous and bitterest rival of their family. What are we supposed to make of this? It's another one of those common situations in Borgian bios where what it is said is demonstrably at odds with the historical material, and it's something to ponder, I mean, Cesare only found himself in his predicament in 1503 because he and his father failed to strike down Della Rovere during those long eleven years they were in power. Their inability and/or unwillingness to do so was a graver political mistake than Cesare helping Della Rovere win the papacy in the end. And answering your question now, yes, I think the initial impression is that it does seem uncharacteristically stupid for Cesare to support Della Rovere, and help him win. But then again, I don't think Cesare's biographers are very good in showing the complexity of papal Conclaves, and the whole political landscape Cesare was in, and all the possible factors that came into play in his decision. Maybe it's a decision made not to overwhelm or bore the reader, but it usually has only one or two chapters covering both Conclaves, with a lot being left out or ignored, or simplified. The two most popular opinions are that: 1. Cesare had no choice, but to support Della Rovere. Some claim he was no longer in a powerful position, or felt lost without his father's guidance, and/or Della Rovere was the only and strongest candidate for that Conclave from the start, and his election was an impossible thing to avoid. It was already settled, and Cesare had to roll with it the best he could, and try not to make the future Pope even more hostile towards him. 2. He had other choices, namely he had cardinal Rouen, but in the end it didn't worked out, and Della Rovere stood unopposed as a candidate for the papacy, which forced Cesare to support him, and/or he apparently believed Della Rovere's promises, and thought they could reach an understanding. Opinion #1 is the most messy, and it makes zero sense to me today, given there is actual historical info reporting the contrary. The idea that Cesare's power and influence died out or diminished after his father died, or that he was lost without his guidance, are false. Prior to Della Rovere's election as Pope Giulio II, Cesare's power and influence remained strong. He still had large sums of money with his bankers in Genoa and other places of Italy, he continued to be visited daily by cardinals and orators, and indeed it even seems he was thought to be the decisive factor for any papal election. There isn't much criticism to be made either, when looking at his actions right after Rodrigo died, esp. considering at the same time he was dangerously ill himself, and it wasn't something he had prepared for, being it impossible to predict such a thing, he played all of his cards wise and correctly. He was able to secure Piccolomini as Pope, who if not a Borgia partisan, at least was not antagonistic towards him and his family. About the second Conclave, there is a report from Machiavelli in which he says cardinal Pallavicini was the only one being regarded as a possible rival to Della Rovere. And Burchard, whose info seems to have been correct in this instance, writes of a meeting that took place between Della Rovere and Cesare with the Spaniard cardinals at the Vatican, a variant of this info is of Della Rovere meeting Cesare and the Spaniard cardinals at the Castel Sant' Angelo, where they were able to reach an agreement. Opinion #2 makes a little more sense, and it matches a little bit more with the info there is, but it's still messy. Cardinal Pallavicini is almost never mentioned (only Woodward mentions him iirc), and it has to be said that even if Della Rovere succeeded in making himself an unopposed candidate, nevertheless, the Spanish vote could decide an election. So Cesare still had choices, and the reason why he didn't went with those choices, in my view, is not because he believed Della Rovere's promises, it's not the case of Della Rovere winning in the game of deception, I believe both men were aware that agreement was only temporary, and Cesare's decision there was composed by other factors. And between these two opinions, here's what I think is more plausible to have happened: Cesare, knowing his beloved tutor Giovanni Vera was as impossible a choice in that second Conclave as he had been in the first, thought about supporting the French cardinal Rouen. He was far from the ideal choice, but he was a workable choice for him. However, although his influence with the Spaniard cardinals was strong, he must have been aware his influence with them had limitations. The cardinals would never vote for a French candidate, because they were also obliged to King Ferdinand II of Spain, who also had his influence with them, and whose interests they were there in Rome to protect and represent. So much like Vera, Rouen quickly became an impossible choice for him. After this, it's reasonable to think he turned his efforts towards any candidate who stood a chance against Della Rovere, which turned out to be cardinal Pallavicini. Pallavicini is interesting, because like Della Rovere, he was also from the Liguria region (Genoa), but unlike Della Rovere, he maintained a friendly relationship with the Borgia family during Alexander VI's papacy. Rodrigo Borgia was able to secure his support during his own battle to win the papacy in the Conclave of 1492. He also counted on this cardinal's efforts when trying to nominate Cesare for the cardinalate. And he appointed him Bishop of Pamplona, a title previously held by Cesare himself. There is nothing, that I've found anyways, suggesting he and Cesare had direct interactions, but it's possible Cesare cultivated a relationship with him much in the same way he did with cardinal Piccolomini (later Pope Pius III). So by all accounts, Pallavicini was Cesare's best choice then, and it is intriguing there isn't much about this, or why Pallavicini failed to make himself Pope. In theory at least, with Cesare's support, he would have won the papacy. The Italian cardinals were not supporting Della Rovere because they wanted him, many disliked him, some still remembered the papacy of his uncle, but he seemed like a better choice than another Spaniard, or a French, or god forbid a Colonna or an Orsini, but with cardinal Pallavicini, they had a good choice there, and the only reason I can think of as to why they didn't elect him comes down to money and benefices. At some point, Pallavicini, even with Cesare's support, couldn't keep up with the resources Della Rovere made sure of having, and just like Rouen, he fell behind. From this point forward, things get more complicated for Cesare, but Della Rovere's election was still not a concluded reality. A question that follows when reading the info about him meeting with Cesare is: Would he have reached out to Cesare, the son of a man he hated to the core, from a family he despised, if his election was such a sure thing? I think the answer here is no. Della Rovere entering into an agreement with Cesare highly implies, if not proves it, he did not had the necessary votes to win. He needed the Spanish vote, 11 votes to be precise, which were under the influence of Cesare. Without the 11 votes, every single voting would end up nowhere, and a thought I believe was on Della Rovere's mind at the time was that: the longer it took for an election, the more difficult it became for him to stay as strong and unopposed. The support he had could shift in one week or two. New rivals could emerge, unexpected things could happen, because papal Conclaves were mostly unpredictable. It depended a lot on money, influence, the political situation on a daily basis, esp. in Rome, where as it was the norm without a Pope, was a city under total chaos. Della Rovere could only control so much for so long, and I think he knew that very well, hence why he swallowed his hatred, and went to negociate with the son of his archenemy, and get the 11 votes he needed to win as soon as possible.

Another question that follows after reading all this is: Ok, so why didn't Cesare used that for his advantage? better yet, why didn't he use the chaos in Rome, for example, to subtly force the cardinals to stop supporting Della Rovere and find a more favourable candidate for him? Or why didn't he simply stalled the election until a more favourable candidate appeared? These are all things he was in a position of doing, and the reason why he didn't do it, and instead went with helping Della Rovere can be better explained when considering the following factors: 1. You mentioned his grief, and his illness, which might have made him desperate, and while I don't think it was that exactly that made him desperate, I do think it counts as a factor into understanding his state of mind at that moment, and why he made that final decision. Cesare had gone through a rollercoster of events, and dare I say, emotions in less than 3 months. He lost his father, the constant and closest male presence in his life, as far as we know. He didn't had time to grieve him nor make sure he had a decent and respectful burial (it's possible he heard later what was said about his death and burial, and I have no idea how that made him feel) because he was also fighting for his life then. First against illness, then against his enemies in Rome. Not only that, other people and things depended on him. He was the head of the house then, and it fell to him the responsibility, among all that chaos, to keep the women and children of his family safe, as well as to make sure to get all the valuable possessions left in the Vatican and in his palace, before they were sacked completely by servants and others. This was an important step to ensure their survival in the coming months. Gioffre was there to help him, and he did helped, but you know, everyone looked at Cesare for leadership and protection, and he could barely leave his bed, so that surely must have added an extra layer of stress for him. But then, he succeeded in making Piccolomini pope, and it looked like the worst was over, things looked hopeful for him and the Borgia family. And then, suddenly Pius dies, only after 26 days of papacy. Again, if it was truly a natural death, there is no way Cesare could have predicted that, and just like that he was right back where he started. Having to navigate the messy political affairs of a papal conclave and its outcome, of which he and his family’s lives and future depended on. Cesare was resilient. Rodrigo raised his children to be resilient, and to not crumble at the face of adversity, to persist. But I guess we can agree this a lot for a person to process in such a short amount of time. So by the time the second Conclave happened, it would be reasonable to think Cesare might have been feeling overwhelmed, tired, in pain (he had gone through awful treatments), and overall just a bit shaken up mentally and emotionally, although he always tried to look strong and positive —it's interesting to notice it didn't seemed to have been in his nature to be a pessimist, only much later he is recorded as feeling more despondent, and saying Fortuna has left him *gets sad in spanish* — which made him more open to consider options he wouldn't have had under normal circumstances, I think. 2. As said above, Cesare seems to have had this trait in his personality of being resilient, it's one of the reasons why I think he survived for as long as he did (same with Lucrezia, I suppose), he had an instinct to not give up no matter how impossible the situation looked, of not being afraid to face adversities that came his way. He seems to have welcomed challenges, and it was when he felt most encouraged to fight and to thrive. When he was the prisoner of Della Rovere in the Vatican, then pope Giulio II, one of Giulio's men said to him: "signor duca, you have always been spirited." to which he is recorded as having said that: "quando più sono in adversità tanto più mi fortifico di anima. // the more I am in adversity, the more I strengthen my soul." So this is another factor to consider. It's possible he saw the situation with Della Rovere as just another adversity he had to face, and with his tenacity, intelligence, and most importantly, with time, he could overcome it. 3. Another possible factor, but this one is only my personal assessment after reading Alvisi and some of the documents he exposes there, is that both Rodrigo and Cesare display a difficulty in understanding not everyone was as cold-headed and pragmatic as they were. It's evident in their actions, they never had much, if any, trouble putting their personal dislikes aside, and working with their enemies, if it meant they would reach a certain goal they wanted, and/or if it avoided needless conflict or bloodshed. However, not everyone is capable of rising above their feelings, and in this case prejudices, and work like that with people they see as enemies. It was the case of Florence and Venice, for example. Every single conversation the Borgia men had with these two city-States made it painfully clear no agreement would ever happened between them. They would much rather damned themselves and their cities than to genuinely try to work with men they suspected of being marranos and who they saw as being beneath them. It was personal, deeply personal, and to a point just irrational, too. But Rodrigo and Cesare did not seemed to grasp that, like the idea of acting against one's own interest simply out of personal dislike or prejudice didn't register inside their minds, it was just preposterous to them (I agree! dsdjsdjsj). With the right terms, surely an agreement can be reached, no matter how they feel about us, that's what they seem to think, and it's a bit funny, and sad to observe. And if I'm correct here, then Cesare helping Della Rovere might have carried some of this mentality, too. Him thinking: yes, of course, Della Rovere hates me and my family, but not to his own detriment, right? (wrong, just as like in the cases of Venice and Florence, but he later learned that the hard way) and this thinking made him conclude they could work together, despite of any hatred. 4. And finally, the last factor, which I see it as the final nail the coffin, sort-to-speak: His impatience. In the middle of all this papal business, and him fighting for his life, Cesare was also receiving daily news from the Romagna, and after Pope Pius's death, the situation went from bad to worse, his dukedom was being attacked by the men he had ousted from those cities (instead of having had them executed, as it was the norm of his times) with the full support of Venice and Florence in doing so, and only a few cities, like Cesena, were able to withstand these attacks. This is what I think made him desperate. We have to keep in mind Cesare was a man of action. Sitting idle watching his project, one that seems to have been dear to him beyond just mere ambition, wasn't how he did things, and it had to be pure agony for him to be in a position where he couldn't do much. He was still ill, he couldn't organize his men well, he was pretty much trapped at the Castel Sant'Angelo since the one time he tried to leave Rome, the Orsinis almost caught him, and if they caught him, he was a dead man, him and everyone with him. And he didn't had papal authority, only with that would the attack of these cities stop and only with that could he leave Castel Sant'Angelo and finally do something, so he needed a Pope elected as soon as possible, too, even one like Della Rovere. This hurry, this agony, combined with the other factors mentioned above, very likely might have made him overlook some details about his particular situation, misunderstanding Della Rovere’s nature, and underestimating this man’s hatred for him and his family.

Personally, I believe he should have stalled the Conclave for as long as possible, and waited a more favourable papal outcome for him. Sure, it involved other risks. The main one losing all of the Romagna, but here's the thing: the Romagna was basically lost to him anyways. That region belonged to the Church and to papal rule, and Cesare's control over it came from his position as Gonfaloniere of the Church, but imo, that wasn't a position he could have kept. Popes tended to appoint this position to men close to them, family members preferably, because it was an important and influential position, and they needed someone they could trust, and whose interestes would be aligned with them and their papacy. Maybe there is a precedent of a Pope letting the son of the previous Pope in this position, instead of changing it for someone inside their own circle, and nothing bad happened either lol, but no example comes to my mind right now. And in any case, I don't think they were quite in the same situation as Cesare. Cesare's situation was kind of unique, too. He was a beloved and popular ruler, and this little fact, whether he realized it or not, made him even more of a threat to any Pope who wanted to have full control over the Papal States. It created a conflict of power where the Gonfaloniere's influence in the Romagna would have been stronger than that of the Pope himself, which could lead to dangerous situations. With a decent amount of money, the right partisans, and the people's support (who always had anti-papal feelings to being with) Cesare, if he wanted to, could very easily strike up a rebellion against papal authority. No clever Pope, surely not Della Rovere, would have wanted to have that hanging over their heads. That's way too much power for a person to have over them and their papacy. So the Romagna wasn't something possible for him to keep, unless we consider other possbilities, but that's another topic, the point is: at least with a favourable Pope, one like Pius, Cesare could have tried to secure some cities, as well as some fortresses in the lines of the Romagna, Umbria and Tuscany regions. I think that's something he could have achieved with a favourable Pope, creating a new duchy for him and his family, not as Gonfaloniere, but as the Pope's vassal perhaps. But, maybe he didn't considered that, or maybe he had info that didn't came down to us which made this scenario not an option, or info which made him feel confident with his decision with Della Rovere, as usual, this is another theme where there's many things we will never know for sure, but I hope this helped a bit into shedding a light on this confusing, frustrating event in Cesare's life. (And I don't remember that scene, anon??? lol is that the one where Della Rovere is already pope, and he wants to humiliate Cesare further so he brings him naked and in chains to his rooms? and then proceeds to take advantage of the situation, forcing Cesare to kiss him? that one? that's the only scene that comes to my mind, and I have to say I felt pretty disgusted watching it. I guess it's another example of the poor taste of much of Fontana's writing, he really seems to like taking things to an extreme and always enter this sadistic, twisted territory with his characters that really is not my thing. On the other hand, it made me appreciate Mark as an actor even more, because it's not every actor who could have put that scene off, among so many others tbh, without looking utterly ridiculous, and failing to convey any emotions to the viewer. I felt very sad for Cesare there, in Fontana's world, Cesare was a victim of rape in the past, and in that scene with Della Rovere, he was again at a vulnerable position, without any power, and being force to kiss this man who had his life and his future on his hands. It's again, a extreme and sadistic take of the real psychological torture Della Rovere seems to have had enjoyed inflicting on irl!Cesare once he was pope Giulio II.)

[axvoter]

Blatantly Partisan Party Review I (federal 2022): Animal Justice Party

Running where: All six states and the ACT

Prior reviews: federal 2013, VIC 2014, federal 2016, NSW 2019, federal 2019

What I said before: “If you are a vegan and passionate about animal rights, you will feel a strong affinity with this party’s platform. If you enjoy dairy or meat, as I do, you will be somewhat less enamoured with it.”

What I think this year: It’s an easy one to kick off this year’s round of Blatantly Partisan Party Reviews. AJP have not suddenly reinvented themselves into the world’s most enthusiastic steak fans. If you are passionate about animal rights and you are wholeheartedly committed to a vegan or vegetarian diet, then you are likely to view this party’s policies favourably—they even now require their candidates to commit to a vegan diet. Your enthusiasm for AJP might decline as the quantity of meat, dairy, and other animal products in your diet increases.

This is not to say AJP is just the Vegans-4-Lyfe Party. They have a range of policies against cruelty to animals that should appeal to a wide range of voters, such as their hostility to live exports. They place strong emphasis on policies to redress deforestation, habitat loss, environmental pollution, and agricultural monocultures. They would declare a climate emergency, as you might have expected. And never mind a Federal ICAC: they want a Federal Animal Protection Body.

The thing is, AJP twist themselves into knots trying to deal with introduced and invasive species: they do not, for instance, want brumbies to destroy pristine mountain habitats but they won’t support anything that leads to the slightest harm to a single brumby. Similar contradictions emerge with feral foxes and other animals. This is a dilemma at the core of AJP’s philosophy, one they have had over a decade to sort out and simply cannot. Fundamentally, I do not think their ideology can fully reckon with the complexities of wildlife or the modern ecosystem, as much as they wish to treat all species equally.

Perhaps the biggest issues arise with animal testing. I find myself incapable of writing this review without referring to this 2018 Victorian state election review from Catherine of Cate Speaks. It is appropriate that I do so in my first review of the election: we tragically lost Catherine in February. I wish she was still with us for so many reasons. On this specific topic, she would have written both with more empathy for AJP than me and with more authority on the narrow but essential role that animal testing plays in medical research. I see no reason to believe that AJP’s approach has changed sufficiently that Catherine’s critique of it as “How to Lose the Vote of Medical Researchers in One Simple Policy” is no longer valid.

Possibly the weirdest twist to me, a New Zealander who is also a citizen of Australia, is that AJP has imported Ban 1080 ideology. They have a brief policy that “1080 poison especially should be banned immediately”. Perhaps I am oblivious, but I have never actually seen this as a prominent focus in Australia before—rather, Ban 1080 policies are something I associate with the fringes of New Zealand politics, in particular its far-right fringes. Take, for instance, this book against 1080; have a look at the catalogue for the publisher and you will see they specialise in anti-vax, racist, white supremacist trash. In NZ, 1080 is an essential component of the Department of Conservation’s arsenal to protect native wildlife. 1080 has somewhat greater risks in Australia, as it is toxic to mammals—NZ has no native mammals besides a couple of bats—but as a result it is used much more selectively here and drumming up fear about it is unproductive.

AJP are also not wasting a crisis: this video shows how they are tying the covid pandemic to their core policies against meat consumption, animal cruelty, and industrial-scale agriculture. It’s a bit weird: it’s an Australian political party using a video made for a Dutch political party (Nicolaas G. Pierson Foundation of the Dutch Party for the Animals) by a UK visual artist that is clearly set in a nameless North American city. I think it’s just a little too “this crisis is actually because you didn’t do what we said on our pet issue”, and that as much as AJP have developed a broader platform through practical experience in the NSW and Victorian state parliaments, at heart they remain a narrow single-issue party.

…well I can’t say I expected to write that much about a party where my take boils down to “whatever you thought about them in 2019? not much has changed”.

My recommendation: my vegan followers might prefer to give this party a decent preference, but mine will be only middling

Website: https://www.animaljusticeparty.org/

[soundsof71]

So, considering you are a passionate fan of music released in 1971, I feel justifiably obligated to ask you what you think of Buffy Sainte-Marie's 'She Used to Wanna Be a Ballerina' album. 😂 (Also, it would make me beyond happy if you could post more about Buffy, my friend! Thank you! ❣)

Buffy Sainte-Marie + Crazy Horse - what’s not to love? LOL I confess that it was the Crazy Horse connection that caught my attention first. I had a general idea who Buffy was, had seen her on TV a few times, but I was a big Crazy Horse fan. News that they were her backing band for this album was easily enough for me to scoop it up.

They weren’t doing anything much with Neil Young in 1971 (other than this album, on which Neil also appeared!), but they had released a tasty solo album in February 71, produced by Jack Nitzsche (who also produced this, and would later marry Buffy), and featuring Ry Cooder (also featured here, although did not marry Buffy). 

(btw, the first place that Buffy, Ry, and Jack worked together was on the Nic Roeg film Performance, starring Mick Jagger. People obviously remember Mick in that, but musically, Buffy was the best part!) 

She Used To Wanna... also features Jesse Ed Davis, a Native American guitarist and singer who was a frequent “usual suspect” at these sort of “sure, invite everyone!” jam albums of the era, and played a prominent role at 1971′s biggest concert (at least in the US), The Concert for Bangladesh on August 1.

(I know you know  RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked The World, the documentary about indigenous music’s influence on rock and roll, which has chapters on both Buffy and Jesse Ed. I just watched it again recently, and love it! A reminder of Buffy’s pivotal role in classic rock history. Not mentioned in the film: she relentlessly championed the work of her fellow Canadians Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen, helping them get their first record deals.)

I haven’t listened to She Used To Wanna Be A Ballerina for a while, so I definitely need to do that, along with posting more pictures of Buffy.  (I can’t believe I’ve only posted two!) 

But I’ll tell you what still stands out to me about that record years later. “Smack Water Jack” is an underrated track from Carole King’s Tapestry that got a ton of airplay at the time. Quincy Jones did an instrumental cover as the title track for his terrific 1971 album, too, but it has somehow faded to obscurity since then. Buffy takes a playful trifle, and turns it into a powerful fable of men of color who explode into violence in response to the violence visited upon them, and self-satisfaction of whites in authority who answer their demands for better living conditions by killing them on the spot. 

No need for a trial when you can murder them in the streets, right? “You can't talk to a man when he don't wanna understand / And he don't wanna understand” hits different when Buffy sings it, and in 2020 for that matter. 

It’s also just a terrific performance whose combination of soul and rock and roll and driving piano in a sort of Old West-sounding context would have made this sound right at home on a record like Elton John’s Tumbleweed Connection  or something by The Band. I’m limited to five video embeds per post so I can’t embed it here, so I'm linking instead: anyone who hasn’t heard this definitely needs to.

Her cover of Neil’s CSNY track “Helpless” has things I like even better than Neil’s original, including Merry Clayton standing in for CSN. Buffy’s version is more muscular (thanks again to Crazy Horse), and taps even more deeply into the isolation of the song that the star power of CSNY somewhat obscured. 

Buffy’s version also made a brief but memorable appearance in the 2018 film Hotel Artemis, starring Jodie Foster. A weird little movie that I loved maybe more than it deserved LOL but I recommend nonetheless:

I know that this album gets attention because of the unusual number of covers, including one by Leonard Cohen, and a cover of a cover that Leonard had made famous on top of that, called "Song of the French Partisan” (hers is the far superior version imo, a song of French resistance to Nazi occupation from the perspective of a woman hiding a resister), but there are a couple of standout originals too. 

I love the title of this record, and the title track is a delightful little stomper that playfully cautions against equating the intentions of grown women with the childhood fantasies they’ve grown out of. More Merry Clayton goodness here on backing vocals too. 

“Soldier Blue” is a powerful song first written for the 1970 film of the same name, billed at the time as “The most savage film in history” -- and maybe it was. It used the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre as a metaphor for Vietnam, and it's still shockingly brutal. It was the third-highest grossing movie in the UK in 1971, though, and the single became a top-10 hit for Buffy there. 

It didn’t do as well here, either the song or the movie. Perhaps not shockingly in retrospect, Soldier Blue was pulled from American theaters after a few days, the Vietnam metaphor not at all lost on the Nixon administration. 

As horrifying as it was, this is about when I was reading Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee (first published in 1970), and Soldier Blue resonated with me in a whole lot of ways. Here’s the song in the opening credits of the movie.

I was also really struck by “Moratorium”, which is the story of “Universal Soldier” (from her 1963 debut, but a bigger hit for Donovan in 1965), coming from the opposite direction. In the earlier song, she blamed war on the soldiers who think that fighting is honorable, but here, she has empathizes with the young men, boys really in many cases, who’ve been lied to by their countries, their parents, and even their friends. They’re not vainglorious. They’ve been duped by people they trusted. 

(I don't think she takes enough into account how many men sign up to fight because they want to embrace and celebrate their worst, most violent impulses, which was of course an undercurrent of “Universal Soldier”, but I appreciate her empathy here. More than one thing is true at a time.)

Buffy goes even farther, though, calling on soldiers to support and validate demands for peace as explicitly supporting them, summed up in the unforgettable cry, "Fuck the war and bring our brothers home!" 

1971 was the peak of antiwar demonstrations in the US, with the biggest crowds ever seen in this country until the 2017 Women’s March. The May 1971 demonstrations pretty much shut down Washington, culminating with Vietnam Veterans Against The War throwing back their medals on the steps of the US Capitol, incredibly powerful stuff to see on TV in my formative years, and Buffy was right there in it. Anti-war songs were a cottage industry for sure, but nobody was writing with the nuance and empathy that Buffy was.

Here’s a 1972 performance of “Moratorium”, Buffy and a piano, and more emotionally bare than that:

There’s obviously lots more to say about Buffy, far outside the realm of protest music that was actually just a small part of her musical palette -- her pioneering experiments with electronic music, her educational philanthropy starting in her 20s, Sesame Street, you name it. Her commercial peak was still in front of her, and while I can’t say that this is my favorite of her records, it does have some of my favorite songs of hers, and 1971 and She Used to Wanna Be A Ballerina is definitely where I went from knowing who Buffy Sainte-Marie was to being a fan. 

I'll also note as I do now and again that while this blog started as an offshoot of a book on 1971 that I’d started but abandoned, I mostly listen to music released now. That’s always been my policy, including in 1971. When 1972 rolled up, I was mostly listening to music from 1972, music from ���80 in ‘80, ‘91 in ‘91, 2018 in 2018, etc., to name just a few other favorites. (Plus The Beatles, okay? LOL I still listen to The Beatles every day. No apologies.) Honestly? It took me until 2011, in my fifties, when a whole bunch of 40th anniversary editions of 1971 albums got released all at once that made me think, “Wait a minute, this was maybe THE pivotal year in classic rock history!” 

So yeah, the historian in me dug into 1971, but even though I happened to be alive and enthralled by music in that year, what I’m doing here has nothing to do with nostalgia, or any idea that that was the *best* year in music, even if for the narrow slice of music that is classic rock, yeah, it absolutely is. For soul/R&B too, and for the explosion of women artists outside the even narrower confines of pop as well. This is not subject to debate. No year like it, before or since. It's just that classic rock is a such a narrow slice, and I like my slices wide. LOL Which is also why my blog has less and less 1971 content as I go along. 

While my general policy is that my favorite year for music is THIS year, this particular year hasn’t left me as much energy as usual for listening to music. Some of it is These Trying Times™, some of it is my bipolarity and schizophrenia getting the better of me in waves, as is the way with these, uhm, things. (Keep taking those meds, kids!) I listen to music and post about the people making it as a creative act, not a passive or reflexive one, and I just haven’t felt as creative as usual.

(This is also has everything to do with why so many Asks have been piling up unanswered. I apologize if you’re one of the many kind and indulgent souls who’s gotten in touch, but I swear I’m gonna get to ‘em all!)

To get an idea of what I’m ACTUALLY passionate about right now, my “to be edited later” running list of 2020 favorites randomly added to a playlist as I encounter them, to be properly curated later, is at Spotify, cleverly entitled “2020″ -- 94% women, which is about right. LOL 

But since I do in fact listen to old stuff (by which I mean 2019 LOL), I made a list of mostly 2020 bangers from women rockers with some tasty treats from 2019 that I haven’t been able to let go of just yet, inspired by a post I saw at tumblr saying that punk music by women is just plain better (also beyond debate), called “Women Bangers: A Tumblr New Classics Jam”. I’ll be posting an essay with a YouTube playlist soon, because god forbid that I only talk briefly about anything LOL and most of these women need to be heard AND seen.

Like Buffy Sainte-Marie, whom you'll both see and hear more often on my blog soon. Thanks for the reminder! Always a pleasure to hear from you and be challenged by you. :-)

Peace, Tim 

[gisellelx]

Hello! Love your blog and i wanna say

Your analysis and your posts in general are always so well researched historically. How do you do that and how can I do it too?

So I wanted to answer this with care and time and thoughtfully. I hope this answer will be good not just for you but will be worth reblogging for anyone who wants to think about how you develop good researching skills more generally. Because ultimately getting good at making sense of the world isn’t just about writing or just about fic or just about academia; it’s about being a good citizen of the world.  The short answer to this question, up front: I’ve gotten good at research because it’s my actual job! I’m a professor and not even a new one really anymore; I have a book of research coming out later this year which still feels really weird to say. I happen to know how old you are because we’ve chatted so don’t forget to put into perspective that before you started formal schooling I had already written my first 50+ page research work. I’ve been at this seriously for almost two decades now. However, there are some fundamental ways that professional researchers go about thinking about everything, whether it’s something as inconsequential as fic or as monumental as the stuff going on in the U.S. right now that I think are a little different, and they’re replicable in useful ways. So here’s three things that matter.  Get curious. This actually is pretty easy for fanfic writers because we already have something we’re curious about--whatever fandom(s) we’re in. But curiosity isn’t just about the spark; it’s also about getting interested in making connections between different kinds of things. When you encounter any given piece of information, the first thing you should start thinking about is “how does this piece of information fit in with everything else I already know” which will lead you to “how does it contradict what I already know” and “what else do I need to know to understand how this fits?” This leads you down really interesting rabbit holes.  An example from fic/tumblr answers: A witch hunting Anglican really doesn’t map on to what I know of Anglicans/Episcopalians in present-day. So then I start to ask, “Okay. What was actually going on in the church in the 1640s?” I’m going to mesh it with some of my own knowledge: I know the protestant reformation happened a hundred years earlier, but I don’t know a ton about what happened after, except that the Puritans arrived in New England eh, about that time. So I go down the rabbit hole of finding out about the church in the 1640s. At some point there I’m going to run across some of the secular history: that the 1640s was the English Civil War. Okay, what was the Civil War about? Who won? How long were they in control? Questions beget questions and true, at some point, you have to decide when to stop if it’s for writing. But honestly, if you’re curious, you probably won’t stop thinking about it even if you’ve found out enough to answer the thing you want to answer. Because you’ll 

Develop a lens. The thing you’re interested in becomes the way you start to see the world. Start relating everything to the thing you are trying to find out more about. Notice when you’re getting more information about that thing or when something would matter to that thing. I have an assignment I give my students where they have to write four short assignments relating stuff they see about language use to the things they’re learning in class. It’s partially to teach them about the concepts they’re learning, and partially to teach them about writing, but it’s mostly to accustom them to viewing the world through the lens I’m teaching them. It’s to help them get curious about why one barista’s tone sounds friendly and the other’s doesn’t even though the say the exact same thing. It’s mutually reinforcing: the lens begets curiosity and curiosity begets the development of the lens. If I encounter a fact, a piece of history, a moment in time, an old song, there’s a little piece of my brain after 11 years of writing Twific that is always asking “Where were the Cullens?” I have headcanons for days about how each of them, especially Carlisle, would’ve dealt with any individual moment in history. When I sing an old hymn in church I sometimes look down at the date in the hymnal to find out if it’s one Carlisle would’ve sung as a human. I’m always working through this lens, and that means I’m always adding to the knowledge. 

Finally, source well. Especially for something as fanciful as fic, there’s not a lot of reason to dive deep into academic tomes (although I have; I am a fucking nerd. See above re: my work.) But dive deeper than the first page of google. Read the first Wikipedia page you come to, but then read a couple of the pages it links to! If the English Civil War has to do with Cromwell and it established the Protectorate, and those things are linked? Well, read those, too! And then you might need to cross-reference--okay, now I know what the Protectorate was, and I’ve decided from that original go-round that Carlisle’s dad was probably a Puritan, not really an Anglican, so...what was the relationship of Puritans to the Protectorate? I’m going to next throw that into google. And I’m looking for high-quality sources: magazines, university websites, things that end with .edu or .gov. I’m clicking on the “about” to find out who wrote the thing and how much of an expert they are. If they say something that no one else has said and I can’t find anything that tells me they’re an expert in this? I’m going to disregard that info and move on. This is applicable to way more than just fic--this is about figuring out that as much as I go YEAH YEAH YEAH at some hyper-partisan trash website that fits my political view, I need to step back and consider where it’s coming from, who the author is, and how much they know.  The more you’ve sourced, the easier this gets. My knowledge on Carlisle’s history goes deep, I fell in love with him and only him when I read the series. I have read about popular culture when he was growing up, I have read histories of the English Church, I have spent time thinking about and being fascinated by the history of the development of medical knowledge and medical schools. I didn’t go to the Eye or Big Ben when I happened to be in London; I went to the City Museum and wandered around the part of the city where I imagine he lived, looking for things which have survived since the 17th century and taking note of things which are new to think about what Carlisle would think about them (he is very un-fond of the Gherkin.) I literally spent a day and a half looking at London through Carlisle’s eyes. Because I’m curious; because I have a lens; and because I’m going to grab good sources whenever I have them.  That is a SUPER long post. But I hope it’s helpful. When it comes to writing, the richer your knowledge, the more likely you are to drop the right detail which places your reader and makes them buy into everything else in the world. I remember reading a fic which took place in my hometown and the author had one of the Cullens flying in their private jet. In my hometown, a mid-sized city in the midwest, there is a commercial international airport, but there is also a smaller airfield which handles much of the private air traffic. That author had that Cullen plane take off from the smaller airfield. I don’t know if she is also from my hometown, but she got that detail right, and it signaled that I could trust the rest of her storytelling.  So. It’s worth it: to be a good writer, to be a good researcher, and just to be good at understanding the world. I hope that helps and sorry for the word vomit. Professors write a lot, too. 

[zhimaqiu]

I FOUND THIS IN DRAFTS WOA

yooo i has a nice dream that was fuelled with some mystery of my own family, but like... the mystery is not even that fascinating or great, we're just too lazy to open a some kind of a cellar in a place we inherited after my dead granduncle, we had a bunch of theories what might be here, but it's just the entrance can fall in every moment and we're kind scared to open it and my dad laughs he's afraid there might be a skeleton and it will be hard to get me away from it or maybe there will be a huge mountain of potatoes idk we make stupid theories what might be there because hoho ww2 backstory, my family + some partisans blew up a tank a few meters from the place, as i say, imagination go brr. but wHAT THE HECK MY BRAIN DID WITH IT IT'S JUST OKSJDJDJ

ok so idk how it started, but i was mainly following albedo, like i was him, you know. he was currently investigating something in stormterror lair with sucrose, when venti showed up at the same time with childe (but they weren't together) as did also an abyss herald. as you may imagine, childe was going for the herald and venti came to pass a message from diluc who found out about strange "ruins" on the other side of the ocean on an island filled with mountains and pine forests. someone went there to investigate they found out there are a few houses where some people live. for some reason mortals did not know about the land and venti lost memory about it. albedo listened to all the details. the only thing that venti remembered was as he was making a bridge to the land with rex lapis, because the inhabitants chose them for their patrons. only only them, but also vanessa. he didn't know why they chose them or why the bridge no longer exists, but albedo decided that he'll leave sucrose in mondstandt for a bit and go investigate alone with a little help of venti.

the moment they wanted to leave storm terror lair, childe ran up to them and said that he will gladly accompany them. albedo, sucrose and venti noticed a massacred body of the abyss herald. they didn't exactly know why he wanted to go, but albedo only sighed and allowed him to come.

the ruins turned out to be very similar architecturally to the ones in storm terror lair. it was shaped like a four-pointed star. Four very high and somewhere lacking of material, but still standing, towers made of rock, too thin to not fall, were opposing the gravity. bridges from them led to a greater tower with a locked entrance and a space for four swords. it turned out that every tower had a challenge to complete. they had to be completed in the right order though and it was hard to find the spots where the starting points were. it took them hours to finally open the door and while venti and childe were still running around the place, albedo entered through the door that opened. the place was creepy, cold, it felt like a laboratory of an evil genius or a place where human experiments were held. he felt the actual smell of rotting body, saw dirt on the walls that could possibly be blood, but the didn't see any corpses. the looked through the place, sensing an emotion he had forgotten a long time ago that just freezed his veins. But it was just a corridor. He entered the only room that was there and it turned out be a disgusting toilet, I won't go into details though I exactly remember this room. He couldn't understand why the place is so well protected if the only secret was this... unclean toilet. He touched the walls looking for some kind of a secret door, a button anything. Gods, he was so thankful that he was wearing gloves, because the whole place just seemed be a hatchery of diseases. Only when he touched a wall, Venti joined him, panicked as never. He said that the abyss herald somehow regained its strength, followed them and attacked Childe. He tried to fight it off, but there was no use go his abilities against the monster. Albedo rushed from the place and saw the abyss herald playing with covered in definitely his blood 11th of the Harbingers. It looked like he tried to use his delusion, but the herald tore it out of him. Albedo didn't think if it was wise to oppose the monster that could defeat Tartaglia and just ran down to help him. I won't describe you the fighting sequence, but "playing as Albedo" in the first person was lit. He eventually destroyed the herald and made sure its body was covered with earth so it wouldn't be reborn again. In the meanwhile, Venti took care of Childe. Then Albedo saw something on one of the towers. He asked Venti to create a wind current for him and went to investigate it. There was one more challenge left. He made through it, also learnt that the place was owned, by someone from his family and its possible that in the still inhabited houses there's a woman that is his distant relative. He was preparing a speech for her when something told him that what he seeks is not inside the building, but on a hill surrounding it.

A time skip later he found himself in front of something that looked like a place of a burial. It was glowing with a dangerous, purple light. As he walked closer towards it he felt a sudden rush of positive emotions. He started to laugh, simile, he couldn't really control it, but was happy about it. The grave showed something that could be his mother, crying that he finally unlocked his emotions or something like this. He listened about his family, why he's alone and why he may seem a bit emotionless. I don't remember what she said to him though. Venti joined him, he regained his memory about the place and just hugged Albedo as hard as he could.

They were just about to enter the place again when I woke up with a strong compulsion to go to the toilet ._.

You know, I can't say it's actually well structured, but it was very fun to experience as a dream, because there was no weird shit just some kind of a little detailed story

[artist-in-space]

I've been relatively quiet but honestly, I know I shouldn't. The Philippines has some... weird priorities right now. COVID-19 cases are still rising and it seems so much is going on.

But the country of USA has always been close to my heart. And it pains me so, SO much to hear this, to see this happen.

Starting when I saw the injustice dealt towards George Floyd, to the riots, and now this supposedly impeached president utter the most heart-stopping orders with disgusting glee.

I saw those reports go down, and I was continuously horrified because how could they? This man marching to a church for a photo op? So many people hurt when they wanted to express something in a peaceful, LAWFUL manner, as he basically performed fake religious nationalism. That is a sacred material he is holding and it doesn't matter if you're non-religious or non-Christian. Presidents swear by that book but to him, to remove the priest of this church even, just to pose for a minute and post a self-conflating video is the epitome of disrespect to religion, the nation and the gravity your office holds.

I am a fan of LegalEagle. He is a man who believes in the law, and for him to show this much indignation to an official who should be a symbol of the government be so cruel is telling. I know more feel this way.

He implored people to speak up more. I am afraid, yes, because of a bill that my country has passed that may put me in danger due to my thoughts. But I digress. I cannot be afraid to condemn the act of brutality so blatant and undisputable.

I see the comments on this video and I could see so many people have been desensitized to these matters especially in 2020. I see so many here and I know you're all tired but god, don't give up.

Please, please, don't let this president of yours- this pathetic excuse of a human- bring you down. You are a republic, a democracy, a country. As many have said, the fifty states rarely agree but ALL of them had protests, a sentiment so strong ever since the Zadroga Act being passed successfuly without attachments. I've I believe that as the people of the United States, you can do it because you've done it before.

Recognize wrongdoings, record, protest. Voice out your thoughts, let the media hear it. I salute those who are active, who are so strong amidst this crisis. In between a pandemic as well.

I know US media is somewhat partisan but there must be a realization already that this is not a political issue! I'm glad that Anderson Cooper of CNN has spoken out, though the senseless violence that was brought upon the media teams have made me wonder: has the police forgotten that media is protected?

Are they truly ignoring everyone's rights? They must be, since they seem to have forgotten their duty sworn to protect the people rather than inflict harm.

Citizens abiding by the law are being subdued, tear-gassed, maced, hit with batons and shields and blasted with water cannons because the man in the Oval office has been so privileged to be enabled to act that way.

(And I saw the members of Congress who didn't even condemn the heinous handling of the president in the rally of Lafayette Park. They were members of the Grand Old Party. Disgusting. I'm not going to be surprised if I learn more about their excuses for their president.)

I can see that this whole situation- protests and riots- is growing stronger every day. It is a righteous indignation over a systemic injustice that has been dealt towards disefranchised communities, for all the harmful, rights-violating actions that has been turned a blind eye upon. Eric Garner, I remember. Now George Floyd. Anyone who even thinks that this is a one-off, "dramatic" reaction is not even obfuscating their discrimination at this point.

For those who are overseas or cannot do as much, I implore you to donate, or spread information. Sign petitions, of which I have participated in: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/#petitions. I know there are more.

For me, and for so many people, I will stand with the Black Lives Matter movement. It does not matter if they were "suspects" if they weren't given due process. Protest for your rights. Be proud and share your voice. Inform the ignorant. Condemn the malicious. We will stand by you and support you.

I know that peaceful protest is a LAWFUL act and people were exercising their RIGHT as citizens. No one can dispute that and we, the whole world, can see that you were all civil before the orders were brought. Those who are posing to be protesters, those who loot and destroy to put the blame on peaceful protesters? Truth will show up in a second because people support what is right. I know they do.

The order of the president to bring out militia to propagandize a "presidential, moral" image will not be solitary act. It is just an instance of an unjust usage of law enforcement, of which had been preceded and will be followed with more police brutality. These should be condemned-- for it is a product of a system that has been plagued by people who take advantage of it; they are obsessed with power and control over communities who are discriminated. It even disgusts me that he will be used as an example, as a role model of bigots and ignoramus people.

I am only one person but I've seen collective individuals band together to become a voice. Strength, will, vigilance and honesty will come a long way and I believe that change will be brought in a government plagued with systemic injustice if we stand together.

Stay strong.

[weyassinebentalb]

Gaza Conflict Stokes 'Identity Crisis' for Young American Jews

Dan Kleinman does not know quite how to feel.

As a child in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, he was taught to revere Israel as the protector of Jews everywhere, the “Jewish superman who would come out of the sky to save us” when things got bad, he said.

It was a refuge in his mind when white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia, chanted “Jews will not replace us,” or kids in college grabbed his shirt, mimicking a “South Park” episode to steal his “Jew gold.”

But his feelings have grown muddier as he has gotten older, especially now as he watches violence unfold in Israel and Gaza. His moral compass tells him to help the Palestinians, but he cannot shake an ingrained paranoia every time he hears someone make anti-Israel statements.

“It is an identity crisis,” Kleinman, 33, said. “Very small in comparison to what is happening in Gaza and the West Bank, but it is still something very strange and weird.”

As the violence escalates in the Middle East, turmoil of a different kind is growing across the Atlantic. Many young American Jews are confronting the region’s long-standing strife in a very different context, with very different pressures, from their parents’ and grandparents’ generations.

The Israel of their lifetime has been powerful, no longer appearing to some to be under constant existential threat. The violence comes after a year when mass protests across the United States have changed how many Americans see issues of racial and social justice. The pro-Palestinian position has become more common, with prominent progressive members of Congress offering impassioned speeches in defense of the Palestinians on the House floor. At the same time, reports of anti-Semitism are rising across the country.

Divides between some American Jews and Israel’s right-wing government have been growing for more than a decade, but under the Trump administration those fractures that many hoped would heal became a crevasse. Politics in Israel have also remained fraught, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s long-tenured government forged allegiances with Washington. For young people who came of age during the Trump years, political polarization over the issue only deepened.

Many Jews in America remain unreservedly supportive of Israel and its government. Still, the events of recent weeks have left some families struggling to navigate both the crisis abroad and the wide-ranging response from American Jews at home. What is at stake is not just geopolitical, but deeply personal. Fractures are intensifying along lines of age, observance and partisan affiliation.

In suburban Livingston, New Jersey, Meara Ashtivker, 38, has been afraid for her father-in-law in Israel, who has a disability and is not able to rush to the stairwell to shelter when he hears the air-raid sirens. She is also scared as she sees people in her progressive circles suddenly seem anti-Israel and anti-Jewish, she said.

Ashtivker, whose husband is Israeli, said she loved and supported Israel, even when she did not always agree with the government and its actions.

“It’s really hard being an American Jew right now,” she said. “It is exhausting and scary.”

Some young, liberal Jewish activists have found common cause with Black Lives Matter, which explicitly advocates for Palestinian liberation, concerning others who see that allegiance as anti-Semitic.

The recent turmoil is the first major outbreak of violence in Israel and Gaza for which Aviva Davis, who graduated this spring from Brandeis University, has been “socially conscious.”

“I’m on a search for the truth, but what’s the truth when everyone has a different way of looking at things?” Davis said.

Alyssa Rubin, 26, who volunteers in Boston with IfNotNow, a network of Jewish activists who want to end Jewish American support for Israeli occupation, has found protesting for the Palestinian cause to be its own form of religious observance.

She said she and her 89-year-old grandfather ultimately both want the same thing, Jewish safety. But “he is really entrenched in this narrative that the only way we can be safe is by having a country,” she said, while her generation has seen that “the inequality has become more exacerbated.”

In the protest movements last summer, “a whole new wave of people were really primed to see the connection and understand racism more explicitly,” she said, “understanding the ways racism plays out here, and then looking at Israel/Palestine and realizing it is the exact same system.”

But that comparison is exactly what worries many other American Jews, who say the history of white American slaveholders is not the correct frame for viewing the Israeli government or the global Jewish experience of oppression.

At Temple Concord, a Reform synagogue in Syracuse, New York, teenager after teenager started calling Rabbi Daniel Fellman last week, wondering how to process seeing Black Lives Matter activists they marched with last summer attack Israel as “an apartheid state.”

“The reaction today is different because of what has occurred with the past year, year and a half, here,” Fellman said. “As a Jewish community, we are looking at it through slightly different eyes.”

Nearby at Sha’arei Torah Orthodox Congregation of Syracuse, teenagers were reflecting on their visits to Israel and on their family in the region.

“They see it as Hamas being a terrorist organization that is shooting missiles onto civilian areas,” Rabbi Evan Shore said. “They can’t understand why the world seems to be supporting terrorism over Israel.”

In Colorado, a high school senior at Denver Jewish Day School said he was frustrated at the lack of nuance in the public conversation. When his social media apps filled with pro-Palestinian memes last week, slogans like “From the river to the sea” and “Zionism is a call for an apartheid state,” he deactivated his accounts.

“The conversation is so unproductive, and so aggressive, that it really stresses you out,” Jonas Rosenthal, 18, said. “I don’t think that using that message is helpful for convincing the Israelis to stop bombing Gaza.”

Compared with their elders, younger American Jews are overrepresented on the ends of the religious affiliation spectrum: a higher share are secular, and a higher share are Orthodox.

Ari Hart, 39, an Orthodox rabbi in Skokie, Illinois, has accepted the fact that his Zionism makes him unwelcome in some activist spaces where he would otherwise be comfortable. College students in his congregation are awakening to that same tension, he said. “You go to a college campus and want to get involved in anti-racism or social justice work, but if you support the state of Israel, you’re the problem,” he said.

Hart sees increasing skepticism in liberal Jewish circles over Israel’s right to exist. “This is a generation who are very moved and inspired by social justice causes and want to be on the right side of justice,” Hart said. “But they’re falling into overly simplistic narratives, and narratives driven by true enemies of the Jewish people.”

Overall, younger American Jews are less attached to Israel than older generations: About half of Jewish adults under 30 describe themselves as emotionally connected to Israel, compared with about two-thirds of Jews over age 64, according to a major survey published last week by the Pew Research Center.

And though the U.S. Jewish population is 92% white, with all other races combined accounting for 8%, among Jews ages 18 to 29 that rises to 15%.

In Los Angeles, Rachel Sumekh, 29, a first-generation Iranian American Jew, sees complicated layers in the story of her own Persian family. Her mother escaped Iran on the back of a camel, traveling by night until she got to Pakistan, where she was taken in as a refugee. She then found asylum in Israel. She believes Israel has a right to self-determination, but she also found it “horrifying” to hear an Israeli ambassador suggest other Arab countries should take in Palestinians.

“That is what happened to my people and created this intergenerational trauma of losing our homeland because of hatred,” she said.

The entire situation feels too volatile and dangerous for many people to even want to discuss, especially publicly.

Violence against Jews is increasingly close to home. Last year the third-highest number of anti-Semitic incidents in the United States were recorded since the Anti-Defamation League began cataloging them in 1979, according to a report released by the civil rights group last month. The ADL recorded more than 1,200 incidents of anti-Semitic harassment in 2020, a 10% increase from the previous year. In Los Angeles, the police are investigating a sprawling attack on sidewalk diners at a sushi restaurant Tuesday as an anti-Semitic hate crime.

Outside Cleveland, Jennifer Kaplan, 39, who grew up in a modern Orthodox family and who considers herself a centrist Democrat and a Zionist, remembered studying abroad at Hebrew University in 2002, and being in the cafeteria minutes before it was bombed. Now she wondered how the Trump era had affected her inclination to see the humanity in others, and she wished her young children were a bit older so she could talk with them about what is happening.

“I want them to understand that this is a really complicated situation, and they should question things,” she said. “I want them to understand that this isn’t just a, I don’t know, I guess, utopia of Jewish religion.”

Esther Katz, the performing arts director at the Jewish Community Center in Omaha, Nebraska, has spent significant time in Israel. She also attended Black Lives Matter protests in Omaha last summer and has signs supporting the movement in the windows of her home.

She has watched with a sense of betrayal as some of her allies in that movement have posted online about their apparently unequivocal support for the Palestinians, and compared Israel to Nazi Germany. “I’ve had some really tough conversations,” said Katz, a Conservative Jew. “They’re not seeing the facts, they’re just reading the propaganda.”

Her three children, who range in age from 7 to 13, are now wary of a country that is for Katz one of the most important places in the world. “They’re like, ‘I don’t understand why anyone would want to live in Israel, or even visit,’” she said. “That breaks my heart.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

© 2021 The New York Times Company 

source https://www.techno-90.com/2021/05/gaza-conflict-stokes-identity-crisis.html

[capricornus-rex]

Hey it’s me again, your biggest fan🤪 Hope that you’re doing well! Can I request an imagine with Cal Kestis where he takes care of a jedi!reader like being domestic and stuff? I’m sorry this isn’t really precise, tell me if you want more details or if you don’t want to write this, it’s okay! As always, love your writing, thank you🥰💖

Hi there~! Even if I’ve already messaged you about this a few days ago but thank you so much for being patient for the fic! I hope I was able to capture the domestic fluff in this story 🤗🥰 Sending lots of love, I hope you’re staying safe and doing well at your home! 💖

“Day Off” | Cal Kestis x Reader

Tags: Domestic! Cal Kestis

Masterlist

It was nearly 0700 in the morning. Cal had gotten up from bed while you were still sleeping, and he made himself busy at the galley as soon as he put his shirt on.

“Kid, what are you doing up so early?” Greez groaned when he walked in rubbing his eye.

Cal brought a finger to his own lips, “I’m just making breakfast.”

Greez looked around, he saw that you weren’t awake yet, and he immediately got the idea that Cal was going with. He let the boy do whatever he was doing in the kitchen and then walked away.

Cal exactly knew your favorite breakfast: space waffles drizzled with honey with berries filling half of the plate. The decadent smell wafted around the ship—when it reached the bedroom, your nostrils flared and your eyes shot up. You bring yourself out of bed, to the bathroom first to get washed up, and then followed the smell while rubbing your eyes until you arrived at the kitchen.

Eyes still droopy, you leaned your entire body over the broad of Cal’s back, slipping your arms around his waist as he continued to prepare food.

“That smells so good…” you moaned.

“Well, good morning, sunshine!”

He paused from his edible handiwork, twirled around and cupped your face. He squishes and wriggles your cheek and then smothered you with kisses. Cal lifted you up slightly above the ground and settled you down on a chair then quickly resumed his work. Even with his back turned, you continued to stare at the little shifts of his shoulder, his head slightly bobbing left and right, and the occasional pivots of his elbows. They were little things—though they still made you smile.

He carried a pair of dishes to the table—one for each of you.

“You made breakfast?”

“Yeah, I thought of whipping something you’d like,”

He places the plate in front of you.

“Just the way you like it!” he beamed.

The honey and the waffle melted perfectly in your mouth, you pop a berry into your mouth and the juice mixed in with the honey. It was the perfect amount of sugar for you to get through the morning.

The stillness of the forest was disturbed by the rustling of the leaves and grass.

After the liberation of the Wookiees under the effort of Saw Gerrera’s partisans, there is now peace and everyone can rest easy. Meanwhile, you and Cal have made a training course in the forest just past the AT-AT wreckage at the landing pad.

The original fifteen-minute-long trek from the landing pad to the course became eight minutes; thanks to the discreet arrows were carved on the tree trunks, and shards of the bright red pauldrons stripped off of Stormtrooper commanders hung on the branches that served as waypoints.

This portion of the forest was something that both of you discovered in the middle of scouting duty. The two of you mapped it out like some kind of obstacle course; Cal even managed to reprogram a probe droid to behave like a remote training droid—exactly like the ones younglings train with at the Jedi Temple.

“We should think of a name for the probe droid,” Cal suggested while crawling his way uphill on a slope. “It’s kinda inconvenient and a mouthful to keep calling it ‘the probe droid.’ What name do you think we should give it?”

“Normally, we’d make a name out of its serial number,”

Cal concurred with the idea. When you’ve reached your destination, he produced the black droid out of the chest where it’s kept and examined it, searching for its serial number. You walked up to him and dusted off the earth caked on its body, revealing the gradually-chipped white font painted on the black metal.

“There it is,” you tap it with your finger. “RZE-4… We could call it Raze!”

Cal echoed the serial number and then the name you suggested. He openly tells you that he likes it and went with it. BD-1 chirped—his tone sent mixed signals. The pair interpreted it as nervousness mixed with a tinge of jealousy.

“Aw, BD’s worried we might have had him replaced,” you cooed, patting him softly on the head.

“Don’t worry, BD, you’ll always be our only buddy!” Cal added.

A few more affirming words later, BD-1’s confidence in the two of you easily returned. Cal switched on the newly-named probe droid, Raze, and the little red dot shone in its dome-shaped eye. It hovered off of Cal’s hands, beeping and spinning its head to scan its surroundings; when it heard BD’s trill, its abrupt turn of the head startled the little, white droid who immediately hid behind Cal’s shoulder.

“He’s just saying hello to you!” an amused Cal chuckled.

“You won’t hurt little BD here, will you, Raze?”

The black, hovering droid chittered its signature string of sounds in response; BD-1, having understood the other droid, chirped back positively. The two were fast friends.

“Okay, that turned out quicker than I expected!” Cal commented.

Cal configured the droid’s blaster damage to non-lethal and the training commenced: beginning with basic sparring, experimenting all kinds of saber combinations and attack patterns. The scenario immediately shifted and then became a situation facing off a melee enemy accompanied by a ranged assist—Cal tried to overwhelm you, pretending to be an electrostaff Purge Trooper while Raze shoots projectiles at you, careful not to bank it to the droid you sent it flying to a hanging armor plate.

“Raze, standby mode!” Cal commanded then turned to you. “See if you can keep up!”

You and Cal raced through the course, stopping along the way to throw some strikes here and there—the tricky part of the course was walking through a fallen log and fighting at the same time. Cal had already retracted his lightsaber once you got across.

“Cal, hey wait! Where are you going?”

“Just follow me!”

Excitement pumped your heart in every step of the way. You’ve gotten ahead of Cal, you’d look back every once in a while to see if Cal was running close—he was. He glimpsed at the smile and the youthful rush that painted the expression on your face.

He’s up to something. You wagered, but kept going.

Your speed came to a halt, standing in front a curtain of vines; you shot him a quizzical look which he returned with a smug.

“What’s in there?”

“You’ll see,” he said before going through.

You have no other choice but to follow. You found yourselves in a cave, the strings of light hanging from the ceiling mesmerized you, and there were more on the ground. The sound of groaning metal drew your attention away from the luminescence—Cal had hauled out two large metal plates, enough for either of you to sit on.

“What are you planning with those?”

“Just sit down,” he patted the unoccupied metal sheet.

You sat right in front of him, your knees buckled and wrapped around your arms as you held onto the rim of the metal. Your breath was shaky and you struggled to keep a tight grip on your improvised sled.

“Ready?”

You shake your head, “No!”

Cal gave a tiny push on your back and it felt as if you were flying; the damp air blew through your hair as you sped away, shifting your weight ever so slightly to make the turns, you can’t help but burst in laughter and just started whooping.

“We’re almost to the end! Put your heels on the ground to slow down!”

Mud caked on your soles as the heels of your boots scrape against the soil. The end of the slide threw both of you to a puddle riddled with glowing blue lights. You didn’t mind the muck that clung onto your clothes, you just let it all out through laughing and childishly flailing around to shake off the tension.

“WOW THAT WAS FUN!” you suddenly sat up, your hair flung droplets of water all over the place. “Since when have you found out about this place, anyway?”

“When we were on scouting duty, just before we made our course,”

“You’re really full of surprises,” you splashed the bioluminescent water to his direction, in turn, he did the same until you’re both covered in glowing blue muck. You scoop up some in your hand and upon closer inspection, you assumed it to be some kind of algae. “I hope you know the way to a waterfall or a stream because this thing’s sludgy!”

There was a river not far from where you were. The faint sound of a waterfall crashing proved it. The bioluminescent algae in the puddle gradually had a paste-like consistency when it dried as you walked. By the time you found the water hole, without hesitation, you dove into the water then the matter dissolved off of your bodies and into the current.

“For a moment there, I thought my clothes got heavy!” you blurted.

“Yeah, Kashyyyk sure has weird plants,” Cal added.

First, you washed off the residues of the blue algae that stuck in the creases of your clothes. Eventually, both of you have stripped off your jackets and shoes, leaving them lying flat on some rocks by the shore of the river to dry. After rinsing yourselves, the two of you rushed back to the base to get an actual, proper bath.

There was a bunker near the refinery, fortunately, you had the baths all to yourselves. The water temperature was perfect and the tub was more than enough to fit both of you; he took you to his lap, wrapping his arms around your waist underwater while you scooped and then poured water on his head. Droplets lined up in rows along his jaw then plopped down, he studied the contours of your face riddled with beads of water, his eyes trailed on every inch of your face and he’d absentmindedly smile to himself as you wash him.

Your fingers gently scrubbed his scalp until a puff of suds partially covered his red hair; soft, relaxed sighs escaped his lips as you combed his hair in wet, clumped spikes. He closed his eyes for a few minutes that you thought he’d dozed off.

“You still awake?”

“Yep…”

You slightly angled your head to the side but continued on. A few minutes later, he started to shift in his position.

“Your turn,” he purred as he smiled.

He turned you around so you face away from him. He smoothed your hair and smuggled a kiss on the crook of your neck. He mimicked the way you washed his hair: fingers crawling upward starting from the bottom of your scalp until foam started to froth between your locks—he was so gentle that your neck slowly tilted back, your nerves tingled as he rubbed—then he cupped up a handful of water, rinsed the clouds of suds off of your hair.

He continued to stroke your head with the palm of his hand, smoothing out your hair while repeatedly cupping and pouring water on you.

“This feels nice,” you finally hummed.

“Should we get dirty more often then?” he half-joked.

“No need, let’s just do this more often!”

One last rinse before you go and it’s back to the Mantis. The sensation of his fingers still ran fresh through your skin, even if it has been an hour since your bath. You yawned and rubbed your eyes.

“Aww, my little baby’s tired,”

“I guess I am…”

Cal carried you bridal-style and retired to the bedroom inside the ship. When he settled you down in bed, you stretched out your arms to him, demanding that he lies with you. He cuddled you in while pulling the blanket over the both of you; stroking your hair, caressing your cheeks with the back of his hand, and kissed you one last time before he too drifted off to sleep.

[books-and-glitter]

You literally asked for this directly

🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

Should be 69 of those 😚

I hate you so much. You monster. I only expressed that I was surprised and you did this to me. I didn't ask for this.

Nonetheless....

🌻 - there is a bug in the kitchen and I am now too scared to go in there.

🌻 - Harper is trying to protect me but she is frankly useless.

🌻 - it's not like a big bug but it is definitely not small.

🌻 - I saw moth put a flower before each of these and thought it was neat. So I am now doing it.

🌻 - the person who sent me this sends a "Daily dose of disappointment" in a group chat we are in. Except it is not daily. It's whenever she has one.

🌻 - Kool Aid originated in Nebraska.

🌻 - The Omaha zoo has both the largest indoor desert as well as the largest indoor rainforest. The rainforest is my favorite.

🌻 - there is a rope bridge in there though that used to scare me a lot.

🌻 - nebraska also apparently originated the reuben sandwich which is gross.

🌻 - the Ogalala aquifer is the largest underground water supply in the US.

🌻 - the 911 system originated in Lincoln so that's kinda cool.

🌻 - the largest Woolly Mammath fossil is from Nebraska. If I remember correctly it's the one in Morrill Hall. His name is Archie and I will die for him.

🌻 - speaking of Archie, he was found on a farm by chickens. The farmer got confused at why the chickens were pecking at something, went to look, found big bones and called an archeologist.

🌻 - okay the bug is still a problem but I now have you to save me when it shows it's little fucking face again.

🌻 - the word Nebraska comes from the Oto word meaning flat water.

🌻 - hell yeah we going back to nebraska facts. Next is that the goldrod is the state flower. Flower is kinda pretty but the paper color by the same name is stupid.

🌻 - blue agate is the state gem and I vibe with that. Agate is cool as fuck.

🌻 - UNL's weight room is supposedly the largest in the country at 3/4ths of an acre (32.6k sqft)

🌻 - the Nebraska capitol had a 9.8 million budget, came in under budget, was paid for by the time it finished construction.

🌻 - I think the capitol looks weird but I am also desensitized to it but objectively it is really cool.

🌻 - cliff notes was founded in Nebraska.

🌻 - unfortunately when the UNL stadium is seated to capacity it technically becomes the 3rd most populated place in the state..... It's also really loud.... And I hate it.

🌻 - Arbor day comes from Nebraska. Which is cool because trees.

🌻 - the Scotts Bluff National Museum has a section of the oregon trail wagon roadbed that you can hike. The museum itself is also kinda cool so I suggest it if you ever are in the area.

🌻 - I wish to kill you, kathryn.

🌻 - more Nebraska facts I hear you cry! No problem! Nebraska has Car Henge! So if you ever want to get the vibe of Stonehenge except stupid and made of antique cars in a field in the middle of fucking nowhere you're in luck.

🌻 - Runzas are the official state food and I hate it. Runza makes decent chicken strips but Runzas are gross. Yes handover that cabbage meat bread 🤢

🌻 - Nebraska has a navy apparently. I know this but I cant tell you what the fuck they do since we are like the most landlocked state in the country.

🌻 - That one president, Gerald Ford, born in Nebraska. That's kinda neat. (I know nothing else about this man or his presidency except he is the only one not nationally elected.)

🌻 - Fred Astaire, Marlon Brando, and Johnny Carson (I think, or he just went to UNL, the media arts building is named after him) are all from Nebraska.

🌻 - getting sick of nebraska facts? Suffer. Nebraska has more miles of river than any other state, which is weird because we were called the great American desert.

🌻 - apparently the Nebraska state insect is the honeybee!!! 🐝

🌻 - the Niobrara river is apparently really good for canoeing and has like 90 waterfalls.

🌻 - I am running low on nebraska facts.

🌻 - there is a park/reserve just outside Lincoln that has some bison in it. Do not fuck with bison. They will wreck your shit.

🌻 - I don't know if he is still alive but there used to be a bald eagle in the same park that only had one wing. (Actually I think he was missing half of one but still)

🌻 - the cottonwood tree is awful and on a bad year can look like a light snow if too many trees are nearby.

🌻 - the ashfall fossil beds are where you can go to see an active archeology site with the fossils of tons of animals killed by a volcano 12 million years ago.

🌻 - Nebraska has a unicameral. Which is basically instead of a state house and state senate we have one legislative body that is elected on a non-partisan ticket.

🌻 - it is illegal to fish whales in Nebraska. Once again we are completely land locked and there are no whales but.. its still illegal.

🌻 - I am dying here. Kathryn I will punch you.

🌻 - Morrill Hall also has elephant hall which is the main hall right when you pass the entry desk. It has like 15 (?) fossils in it and apparently it's the largest collection of elephant fossils on display.

🌻 - speaking of Morrill Hall, it only displays about 1% of it's collection. The rest is stored at Nebraska Hall nearby.

🌻 - I think the cranes in North Platte are lame.

🌻 - nebraska furniture mart in Omaha is apparently the largest in the country. Which I can believe. I went to the discount part and it was a giant warehouse. I don't know what the actual sale floor is like.

🌻 - cherry county is bigger than Connecticut.

🌻 - O street (highway 6) is the longest straight main street

🌻 - Nebraska has a testicle festival. It's probably exactly what you think it is. Too many fried cow balls is what it is.

🌻 - there is a really cool church between Lincoln and omaha called the Holy Family Shrine. Its got massive arches and is mostly glass. Im not catholic so it's not really a religious thing but a bitch can appreciate some cool architecture.

🌻 - the Hall brothers who made Hallmark (card company) are from Nebraska.

🌻 - UNL's Love library has a Shakespeare Folio. Its in the Special Collections and Archives' vault. I want to see it so bad and one of the archivists told me she would show me it next time they opened the vault but then corona... :(

🌻 - UNL's library also has like 5 million+ physical items in it's collections.

🌻 - the serial killer Charles Starkweather is buried in Wyuka in Lincoln.

🌻 - Kearney, NE is dead center geographically between Boston and San Francisco.

🌻 - 92% of the state is farmland/ranches.

🌻 - if you have made it this far I am sorry.

🌻 - Nearly every fun facts about nebraska page has mentioned that the food stuffs Spam is manufactured in Fremont. So I'll mention out of peer pressure.

🌻 - the bug is still in the kitchen. Kathryn has foresaken me. I may perish in the night.

🌻 - 10 more. There is a roller skating museum in Lincoln. It's at 48th and South streets. Has largest collection of historical roller skates.

🌻 - Larry the Cable Guy I'd from Nebraska and he has recorded narrations for some exhibits in the Lincoln children's zoo. Or he used to it's been awhile.

🌻 - going back to UNL stuffs. Morrill Hall is a pretty cool museum and you should definitely go there. If only to say hi to Archie.

🌻 - the bronze Archie that is outside the museum is currently sporting a fashionable face mask set both over his trunk and his actual mouth.

🌻 - there are a couple dino fossils in that museum and if you step over the barrier and onto the decorative rocks an alarm will go off. And staff will be pissed because now they have to tell at you.

🌻 - said museum also has a lot of cool rocks on the third floor.

🌻 - and the bottom floor has like a hall of nebraska animals where you can hit buttons to listen to animal sounds.

🌻 - aaand a room with a plesiosaur embedded in the floor which is really cool.

🌻 - there is also a cool museum in Nebraska called the SAC. Which is the museum for Strategic Air Command. It has a lot of planes and some stuff from moon missions and air force stuff. When I was little some oil from the big plane in the entrance leaked onto a pillow I had when I was sleeping under it on a trip.

🌻 - nebraska is better than iowa but nebraska kinda sucks too so it's not like it matters truthfully.

🌻 - Nebraska has a lot of weather like giant hailstones and tornadoes but Lincoln doesn't get much because it is in a geographic dent so weather tends to weaken over the city. Which is lame. I want lots of snow.

And there we are folks. 69 fucking facts. 58 of which are about Nebraska purely out of spite. I counted.

I am now off to murder my roommate.

(jk but you should expect to be quizzed)