#but there is not a single group in america that has not contributed to the oppression of another

[shirkers2018dirsanditan]

The pressing issue was land. In the post-Civil War years, Black-freedom advocates such as Edward P. McCabe proposed flooding Indian Territory with Black towns, establishing the demographic foothold for a future Black-majority state. As the chronicler A. G. Stacey wrote at the time, “There is a secret political society in existence . . . which is based upon the principles of Negro advancement, mentally and morally, and the future control of Oklahoma whenever it shall become a state.” The creators of such plans were blind to the concerns of Indians and did not hesitate to align Black and white settlers against them. Frederick Douglass assured a crowd in 1869, “The negro is more like the white man than the Indian, in his tastes and tendencies, and disposition to accept civilization.” Where the Indian “rejects our civilization,” he went on, “it is not so with the negro. He loves you and remains with you, under all circumstances, in slavery and in freedom.”

Gayle is not wrong to name Claude Cox and Alexander Posey as anti-Black racists. The more interesting question, however, is how their racism was shaped by concerns for their people, their polities, and their dwindling land. At the Sequoyah Constitutional Convention of 1905, several tribes sought to establish an Indian state from Indian Territory, bringing a petition to Congress that was swiftly rejected. The secretary to that convention was Posey, a complicated, sometimes contradictory thinker who was devoted to the politics and the aspirations of his tribe. To see his racism clearly is to see a desperate collision between the ambitions of Black and Native peoples.

....

When it comes to belonging, two cultural problems intertwine. Black Creek claims to Creek identity—at least in Gayle’s account—tend to be genealogical, full of blood essentialisms, and sometimes disengaged from the ongoing vitality of Muscogee culture. Figures such as Jake Simmons, Jr., for instance, seem to care most about leveraging Black success out of Native citizenship, leasing and selling Creek land to corporations. At the same time, the historically rooted culture of Muscogee anti-Black racism is not merely abhorrent but unsustainable, offering no path to the future for anyone involved. When it comes to citizenship, two political problems intertwine. Native sovereignty, in the American context, rests upon the legal authority of treaties. So, too, do Black rights to Native membership. The various arguments about Native identity bounce between cultural ties and political claims, all exuding moral authority but none fully authoritative. In this sense, one of Gayle’s maxims proves compelling: Black Creek stories, rich with both the subtleties and the crudenesses of America’s racial history, force us all to contemplate new forms of reckoning.

[vague-humanoid]

A far-right activist group that is doxxing college students who engage in pro-Palestinian protests revealed that it is funded by top Republican political donors and nonprofits backed by wealthy business leaders, a tax return reviewed by CNBC shows.

The group, Accuracy in Media, publicly disclosed on its federal tax return a list of donors who combined to contribute nearly $1.9 million to the tax-exempt nonprofit between May 2022 and April of last year.

The contributors listed on the tax return include billionaire Republican megadonor Jeff Yass, who Accuracy in Media said gave it $1 million.

The family foundation of shipping supply magnate Richard Uihlein is also identified on the tax return, which says the Ed Uihlein Family Foundation gave $10,000. The Milstein Family Foundation, which is run by real estate executive and Republican donor Adam Milstein, gave another $10,000, the group reported to the IRS.

According to its tax return, Accuracy in Media said it received $15,000 from the Coors brewing family’s charitable foundation. The Adolph Coors Foundation is chaired by former Molson Coors executive Peter H. Coors, according to the foundation’s latest tax records.

Yass, Uihlein, Milstein and Coors have all donated regularly to Republican campaigns over the past decade.

But Yass stands apart from the others. The co-founder of options trading powerhouse Susquehanna International Group and his wife Janine are the biggest political donors of the 2024 election. So far, Yass and his wife have contributed $70 million to dozens of Republican candidates and committees, according to the nonpartisan campaign finance database OpenSecrets.

Much of the cardboard and paper goods strewn about our homes — the mail-order boxes and grocery store bags — are sold by a single private company, with its name, Uline, stamped on the bottom. Few Americans know that a multibillion-dollar fortune made on those ubiquitous products is now fueling election deniers and other far-right candidates across the country.

Dick and Liz Uihlein of Illinois are the largest contributors to Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano, who attended the Jan. 6 rally and was linked to a prominent antisemite, and have given to Jim Marchant, the Nevada Secretary of State nominee who says he opposed the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory in 2020. They are major funders to groups spreading election falsehoods, including Restoration of America, which, according to an internal document obtained by ProPublica, aims to “get on God’s side of the issues and stay there” and “punish leftists.”

[mariacallous]

It’s almost that magical time of year that the Humane Society of America likens to a “natural disaster.” Kitten season.

“The level of emotions for months on end is so draining,” said Ann Dunn, director of Oakland Animal Services, a city-run shelter in the San Francisco Bay Area. “And every year we just know it’s going to get harder.”

Across the United States, summer is the height of “kitten season,” typically defined as the warm-weather months between spring and fall during which a cat becomes most fertile. For over a decade, animal shelters across the country have noted kitten season starting earlier and lasting longer. Some experts say the effects of climate change, such as milder winters and an earlier start to spring, may be to blame for the uptick in feline birth rates.

This past February, Dunn’s shelter held a clinic for spaying and neutering outdoor cats. Although kitten season in Northern California doesn’t typically kick off until May, organizers found that over half of the female cats were already pregnant. “It’s terrifying,” Dunn said. “It just keeps getting earlier and going later.”

Cats reproduce when females begin estrus, more commonly known as “going into heat,” during which hormones and behavior changes signal she’s ready to mate. Cats can go into heat several times a year, with each cycle lasting up to two weeks. But births typically go up between the months of April and October. While it’s well established that lengthening daylight triggers a cat’s estrus, the effect of rising temperatures on kitten season isn’t yet understood.

One theory is that milder winters may mean cats have the resources to begin mating sooner. “No animal is going to breed unless they can survive,” said Christopher Lepczyk, an ecologist at Auburn University and prominent researcher of free-ranging cats. Outdoor cats’ food supply may also be increasing, as some prey, such as small rodents, may have population booms in warmer weather themselves. Kittens may also be more likely to survive as winters become less harsh. “I would argue that temperature really matters,” he said.

Others, like Peter J. Wolf, a senior strategist at the Best Friends Animal Society, think the increase comes down to visibility rather than anything biological. As the weather warms, Wolf says, people may be getting out more and noticing kittens earlier in the year than before. Then they bring them into shelters, resulting in rescue groups feeling like kitten season is starting earlier.

Regardless of the exact mechanism, having a large number of feral cats around means trouble for more than just animal shelters. Cats are apex predators that can wreak havoc on local biodiversity. Research shows that outdoor cats on islands have already caused or contributed to the extinction of an estimated 33 species. Wild cats pose an outsized threat to birds, which make up half their diet. In Hawaii, known as a bird extinction capital of the world, cats are the most devastating predators of wildlife. “We know that cats are an invasive, environmental threat,” said Lepczyk, who has published papers proposing management policies for outdoor cats.

Scientists, conservationists, and cat advocates all agree that unchecked outdoor cat populations are a problem, but they remain deeply divided on solutions. While some conservationists propose the targeted killing of cats, known as culling, cat populations have been observed to bounce back quickly, and a single female cat and her offspring can produce at least 100 descendants, if not thousands, in just seven years.

Although sterilization protocols such as “trap, neuter, and release” are favored by many cat rescue organizations, Lepczyk said it’s almost impossible to do it effectively, in part because of how freely the animals roam and how quickly they procreate. Without homes or sanctuaries after sterilization, returning cats outside means they may have a low quality of life, spread disease, and continue to harm wildlife. “No matter what technique you use, if you don’t stop the flow of new cats into the landscape, it’s not gonna matter,” said Lepczyk.

Rescue shelters, already under strain from resource and veterinary shortages, are scrambling to confront their new reality. While some release materials to help the community identify when outdoor kittens need intervention, others focus on recruiting for foster volunteer programs, which become essential caring for kittens who need around-the-clock care.

“As the population continues to explode, how do we address all these little lives that need our help?” Dunn said. “We’re giving this everything we have.”

[demilypyro]

The whole American influence thing doesn't even get into the flipside which is people within those countries, pointing at America and going "at least we're not like them." While completely ignoring the rapidly growing presence of alt-right, fascist ideals and groups within their own population because of that inescapable American influence.

Here in Canada it's a constant problem and every time I'm just thinking to myself, "Our country is just as bad if not worse in many ways"

It's absolutely fucked and you're right to point it out.

The notion that we're doing better than America has definitely contributed to stagnation of social progress in this country. America's cultural presence is so grand that it sets the bar for what's "enough" in the western world which means there's basically no public pressure to improve things as long as things don't get as bad as over there.

But sometimes that comparison doesn't even fit, for instance the only reason people think there are fewer race issues in this country is because this country is... less diverse. Nonwhite people still face ridiculous amounts of prejudice here, it's just less visible to most people because they barely know any nonwhite people. Fighting xenophobia has become a fringe issue because Dutch people are so overwhelmingly white that most are not aware that it even is an issue. The only times they hear about nonwhite people in their country it's fascists on TV yelling about immigrants, and guess where they got that playbook.

I've been voting for a party for a few years now that has the explicit goal of fighting racism and discrimination and they were only barely able to get a single seat in the house of representatives. It's ridiculous.

[ausetkmt]

The Gullah and Geechee culture on the Sea Islands of Georgia has retained ethnic traditions from West Africa since the mid-1700s. Although the islands along the southeastern U.S. coast harbor the same collective of West Africans, the name Gullah has come to be the accepted name of the islanders in South Carolina, while Geechee refers to the islanders of Georgia. Modern-day researchers designate the region stretching from Sandy Island, South Carolina, to Amelia Island, Florida, as the Gullah Coast—the locale of the culture that built some of the richest plantations in the South.

Many traditions of the Gullah and Geechee culture were passed from one generation to the next through language, agriculture, and spirituality. The culture has been linked to specific West African ethnic groups who were enslaved on island plantations to grow rice, indigo, and cotton starting in 1750, when antislavery laws ended in the Georgia colony.

Enslavement

Courtesy of Georgia Archives.

Rice plantations fostered Georgia’s successful economic competition with other slave-based rice economies along the Eastern Seaboard. Coastal plantations invested primarily in rice, and plantation owners sought out Africans from the Windward Coast of West Africa (Senegambia [later Senegal and the Gambia], Sierra Leone, and Liberia), where rice, indigo, and cotton were indigenous to the region. Over the ensuing centuries, the isolation of the rice-growing ethnic groups, who re-created their native cultures and traditions on the coastal Sea Islands, led to the formation of an identity recognized as Geechee/Gullah.

There is no single West African contribution to Geechee/Gullah culture, although dominant cultural patterns often correspond to various agricultural investments. For example, Africa’s Windward Coast was later commonly referred to as the Rice Coast in recognition of the large numbers of Africans enslaved from that area who worked on rice plantations in America.

Language

Photograph by WIDTTF 

Gullah is thought to be a shortened form of Angola, the name of the group first imported to the Carolinas during the early colonial period. Geechee, historically considered a negative word identifying Sea Islanders, became an acceptable term in light of contemporary evidence linking it to West Africa. Although the origins of the two words are not definitive, some enslaved Africans along the coast had names that were linked to the Kissi group, leading to speculation that the terms may also derive from that particular culture.

Linguist Lorenzo Dow Turner researched and documented spoken words on the coast during the 1930s, traced similarities to ethnic groups in West Africa, then published the Gullah dialect lexicon, Africanisms in the Gullah Dialect (1949). His research confirms the evolution of a new language based on West African influences and English. Many words in the coastal culture could be matched to ethnic groups in West Africa, thereby linking the Geechee/Gullah people to their origins. Margaret Washington Creel in A Peculiar People: Slave Religion and Community-Culture among the Gullahs (1988) identifies cultural and spiritual habits that relate to similar ethnic groups of West Africans who are linked by language. Her research on the coastal culture complements Turner’s findings that Africans on the Sea Islands created a new identity despite the tragic conditions of slavery.

Cultural Heritage

Documentation of the developing culture on the Georgia islands dates to the nineteenth century. By the late twentieth century, researchers and scholars had confirmed a distinctive group and identified specific commonalities with locations in West Africa. The rice growers’ cultural retention has been studied through language, cultural habits, and spirituality. The research of Mary A. Twining and Keith E. Baird in Sea Island Roots: African Presence in the Carolinas and Georgia (1991) investigates the common links of islanders to specific West African ethnicities.

The enslaved rice growers from West Africa brought with them knowledge of how to make tools needed for rice harvesting, including fanner baskets for winnowing rice. The sweetgrass baskets found on the coastal islands were made in the same styles as baskets found in the rice culture of West Africa. Sweetgrass baskets also were used for carrying laundry and storing food or firewood. Few present-day members of the Geechee/Gullah culture remember how to select palmetto, sweetgrass, and pine straw to create baskets, and the remaining weavers now make baskets as decorative art, primarily for tourists.

Image from Richard N Horne

Photograph by Sharon Maybarduk

In 1997 the two women met in the African village to share and reenact what was understood as a Mende funeral song, sung only by the women of Jabati’s family lineage, who conducted the funerals of the village. Evidence suggests that a female member of Moran’s family had been forced into captivity from the village nearly 200 years before. The return of the song and the visit from the Moran family led to a countrywide celebration that can be viewed in the documentary The Language You Cry In (1998). The discovery of the song and subsequent linguistic research confirmed yet another link between the cultures of West Africa and the Georgia coast.

Such corresponding practices as similar names, language structures, folktales, kinship patterns, and spiritual transference are but a few areas that suggest a particular link between the southeastern coastal culture of the United States and Sierra Leone in West Africa.

Migration

Thousands of enslaved laborers from Georgia and South Carolina who remained loyal to the British at the end of the American Revolution (1775-83) found safe haven in Nova Scotia in Canada and thus gained their freedom. Many returned to Sierra Leone in 1791 and the following year established Freetown, the capital city. Members of that group are identified today as Krio.

Fugitives from slavery were also harbored under Spanish protection in Florida prior to the Second Seminole War (1835-42). Native American refugees from around the South formed an alliance with self-emancipated Africans to create the Seminole Nation. The name Seminole is from the Spanish word cimarrón, meaning runaway. The 1842 agreement between the United States and Spain, which ended the Seminole hold on Florida, caused a migration to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma). Some Seminoles followed Spanish protectors to Cuba and to Andros Island in the Bahamas.

Photograph by Jennifer Cruse Sanders

During the 1900s, land on some of the islands—Cumberland, Jekyll, Ossabaw, Sapelo, and St. Simons —became resort locations and reserves for natural resources. The modern-day conflict over resort development on the islands presents yet another survival test for the Geechee/Gullah culture, the most intact West African culture in the United States. Efforts to educate the public by surviving members of the Geechee/Gullah community, including Cornelia Bailey of Sapelo Island and the Georgia Sea Island Singers, help to maintain and protect the culture’s unique heritage in the face of such challenges.

[popculturelib]

The Vivian Stephens Collection

Vivian Stephens entered the world of romance fiction in 1978 as an editor at Dell. She was given charge of the Candlelight line of romances, despite having no experience with romance fiction previously. A Black editor in a predominantly white industry, Stephens sought to incorporate the voices of women of color into the burgeoning romance industry. In 1980, Dell published the first category romance by a Black author with Black protagonists- Entwined Destinies by Rosalind Welles (the pseudonym of journalist Elsie Washington). Stephens also made sure that Dell’s Candlelight lines included romances by Indigenous, Latina, and Asian authors, creating almost single-handedly the category that trade publications called “Ethnic Romance”.

Stephens also played a key part in making romance novels steamier. Her Candlelight Ecstasy series for Dell pushed the boundaries being set by the two biggest romance publishers, Harlequin and Silhouette, by “going behind the bedroom door,” a taboo at the time.

One of the most important roles played by Vivian Stephens during her career in publishing was as the founder of the Romance Writers of America. A Houston-based group of authors looking to get their romance novels published approached Stephens for advice after the Southwest Writers Conference in 1979. She advised them to band together as the Romance Writers of America, convinced Dell to provide some financial backing, and convinced a group of other editors to attend the group’s first conference in the summer of 1981. Today the group has members from around the globe, and annually presents an award in Vivian Stephens’ name to a person from the publishing industry who has contributed significantly to the genre.

In the summer of 2018, the Romance Writers of America donated to the Browne Popular Culture Library a collection of books formerly used by Vivian Stephens during her days at both Dell and Harlequin. The collection includes books on women’s sexuality, editing and writing romance fiction, the publishing industry, as well as academic works on romance writing. A list of the books can be found in our catalog as The Vivian Stephens Collection.

We are thrilled to preserve this collection of books from a person as important to the history of romance fiction as Vivian Stephens. The books will serve as an important resource for scholars of the genre. We are grateful to both the Romance Writers of America and Vivian Stephens for this donation.

The Vivian Stephens acquisition was discussed on Fated Mates, a romance novel podcast with Sarah Maclean and Jen Prokop, in 2020 if you would like to learn more about this collection: https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2020/7/6/s0245-vivian-stephens-acquisitions-with-librarian-steve-ammidown.

The Browne Popular Culture Library (BPCL), founded in 1969, is the most comprehensive archive of its kind in the United States.  Our focus and mission is to acquire and preserve research materials on American Popular Culture (post 1876) for curricular and research use. Visit our website at https://www.bgsu.edu/library/pcl.html.

[hero-israel]

You've talked before about environmentalists who say "Palestine is a climate issue" and how that holds Palestine hostage to a global response to climate change and basically dooms them to waiting for the rapture...

But I always interpreted their talk about Palestine as saying that a global response to climate change is incomplete without Palestinian liberation. Put another way, Israel (Jews) must be excluded from the fight against climate change. Which is ironic, considering Israel, despite having a conservative government for more than a decade, is pretty committed to environmentalist policies. And you've talked about all the greenwashing nonsense on your blog before, we're all very familiar with how Jewish contributions to environmentalism will be ignored or problematized. It's just a childish worldview to say that Israeli reforestation or water conservation technology is not only distracting the world from the plight of Palestinians, but is a poisonous lie that eco activists should avoid falling for... like Israel trying to affect its local climate for the better is really going to effect white college kids in Europe and America but whatever. I've seen activists noticeably become uncomfortable when they learn that any good news re: climate comes from Israel. The smiles drop from their faces. Like come on people. Israel exists, it will continue to exist for as long as all of us alive today will be alive. Jews (and non Jews don't forget) in Israel have brains, and are aware of climate change, and want to combat it. Many of them do this. Organizations and governmental bodies also do this, it's not just individuals. When it comes to combatting climate change, the conversation begins and ends there. Israel is doing its part. Cry about it.

Also, holding global efforts to save the fucking planet hostage to the nationalist delusions of a single relatively small country seems way more insane and harmful than the other way around?

Climate change is probably the most serious crisis facing our society. It directly influences all the other crises too (war, refugees, disease, rising authoritarianism). When I see an organized group roll out a totally unserious and counterproductive response to it - like, blocking commuter streets full of paycheck-to-paycheck workers, or deferring coalitions until after I/P has been hashed out - it makes me assume those responsible are either agents provocateurs paid off by oil companies, or a lost generation of late teens so pathetically brainwormed by COVID lockdowns that they can't stop themselves from "gamifying" everything they do.

[fite-club]

"aces aren't LGBT because LGBT is an acronym" please, i'd love for you to go around various queer groups around america, and hell, especially those outside of it, and ask them to agree on one singular acronym. please do it. it will not happen. we say 'LGBT' for conciseness and simplicity, it's not a completed list of all sexual minority identities.

"talking about asexuality and the ace spectrum and how one can consensually have sex while being ace leads to abuse" exactly how? with well informed discussions/education on consent, safe sex, asexuality, etc, how exactly does this lead to abuse? have you thought about this point in any meaningful capacity or are you just repeating the same bullshit people said about asexuals back in 2016? the only scenario i can think of involves a sexually active partner pressuring their asexual partner into sex, which is abusive in ANY case and NOT unique to asexuals by any measure of the imagination.

"aces think sex workers are not oppressed" where has this been said recently? i'm going to need screenshotted evidence of this. because i've seen a number of asexual sex workers and porn artists, using either their own bodies for sexual material, or by writing or drawing pornography. i'm struggling to imagine that there is such a staggering lack of solidarity between people who have sex for work and people who lack a sexual attraction - two extreme ends of a spectrum of human sexual activity that society abhors - that anyone over the age of 17 would actually believe this. have you seen an adult with a job and a life saying and believing this? or has it been a 16 year old twitter user whose only queer life experience comes from their high school gay club?

asexuals are sexually assaulted and pressured into having sex by society's expectations of sex. those experiences and talking about this fact is not saying that sex workers are not oppressed. that is not what any of that means.

and finally...

"you already have non-aces defining asexuality" then why are you continuing to contribute to that problem? why do you believe, over asexuals, that your opinion on a sexuality that you do not identify with is what's correct? why do you feel that you are so entitled to an opinion on a sexuality that you agree is *already* being spoken over by people who are not a part of it? genuinely, why?

brother, every single thing you just said came out of 2016 era bullshit about asexuals. i genuinely want you to question if this discourse is productive for you or anyone else, and i want you to question where your opinions on this subject actually come from. are they based on real-life, first-hand experience? or have you been stuck in the same echo chamber for years?

i don't agree with all of your opinions, but i respected you quite a bit because it seems like your opinions are based in not just theory that you've read/dwelled on, but also real life experience being a transgender man. none of what you said about asexuals is actually based on your real life experience or any theory, and is based entirely on easily debunked bullshit arguments about asexuals, all of which are entirely 'whataboutisms' and making up a guy to get mad at. i can't respect you after your tirades about asexual people. please do some soul searching and reading on this subject.

“LGBT” is the exact acronym anon used. “you can enjoy sex without attraction/you can enjoy sex you don’t want” is rape culture rhetoric. you can ask around, but i’m pretty sure most asexuals don’t consider hypersexual people to be marginalized unless they also identify as ace. sexual assault is abusive in every case and not unique to asexuals. i believe “aces can want and enjoy sex” is aphobic, and “aces don’t want sex” isn’t; i think actual asexuals are being spoken over by allosexuals who want to identify as asexual. yes, my opinions come from real life, i’ve had asexual and “asexual” people in my life tell me about how they do or don’t experience sexual attraction. i’m not making up a guy to get mad at, i’ve had an asexual be homophobic to my face, and i’m sure i’m not the only one with that kind of experience. “do some soul searching and reading” shut up. wanting to have sex with someone = sexual attraction. someone who experiences sexual attraction =/= asexual, period.

[ebookporn]

Here is the letter:

Dear Textbook Publishers:

We are deeply troubled by the news of some textbook publishers yielding to the unreasonable demands of certain government representatives calling for the censorship of school educational materials, specifically textbooks. We write to you out of concern that those who are charged with supporting the education of this country’s students, such as yourselves, may be tempted to water down critical information to appeal to the lowest common denominator.

We urge any company who has not yet given in to this pressure to hold the line for our democracy. Our country’s future is at stake. You hold enormous influence in shaping how our great nation’s history is told, and the consequences of your actions will reverberate for generations to come. Honestly grappling with our legacy has long been a cornerstone of American patriotism.

If we are to continue striving for a more perfect union, then we must carry out our duty of ensuring future generations understand our full history as well as the contributions of all its people. That includes learning from our mistakes. These lessons are vital to preparing our youth to fully engage in a free and fair democracy.

Sanitizing our educational texts for the mercurial comfort of a few today ultimately limits the next generation’s ability to make informed decisions for themselves. Moreover, the negative impact that censorship and book-banning has on this nation’s students – many already marginalized and underrepresented in society – cannot be overstated during a time when we are facing an unprecedented youth mental health crisis. Each and every single student in the United States of America has the right to exist, to be seen, and to be represented. It is an important priority of our administrations to ensure that any educational materials censored to appeal to political pressure do not negatively impact our educational goals and values in our states.

As such, please know that we will be working closely with all of our school districts to ensure they are fully informed of which texts include comprehensive and accurate educational information – and which have been inappropriately censored – when they consider procurement of instructional materials for the nearly nine million students our states serve.

The letter was sent to the following publishers: Cengage Learning, Goodheart-Willcox, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, McGraw Hill Education, Pearson, Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, Savvas Learning Co., Scholastic and Teachers Curriculum Institute.

[dertaglichedan]

Child of Famed Jewish Family Funded Pro-Palestinian Protests

Tens of thousands of dollars pumped into organizations involved in recent anti-Israel demonstrations on college campuses originated in the fortune of one of America’s most venerable and politically active Jewish families—one that includes a sitting U.S. congressman and a former contender for ambassador to Jerusalem, and which owes its wealth to the Levi Strauss denim dynasty.

A much-publicized recent report by the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, an Israeli-backed think tank, ranked the Bafrayung Fund as the single largest sponsor of pro-Palestinian activist groups involved in campus demonstrations and adjacent actions.

The Institute’s tabulations appear to include donations to any organization that has ever supported or promoted pro-Palestinian events. Nonetheless, The Daily Beast’s own research confirms that the Bafrayung Fund, based in Covina, California, ranks among the most consistent supporters of the Palestinian Youth Movement, which played a major role in the rash of encampments that spread through U.S. colleges this year. The Fund has also contributed substantially to two of the Palestinian Youth Movement’s allies: the Arab Resource and Organizing Center and Critical Resistance.

Notably, each of these organizations has employed the controversial slogan “from the river to the sea,” which critics interpret as calling not for two coexisting states between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean, but for Israel’s extinction as a polity. Some, including Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), dispute this characterization.

Behind the Bafrayung Fund is a 33-year-old Bay Area resident, Rachel Gelman, scion of the family behind the Levi Strauss company and cousin to Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY). The money for the Bafrayung Fund comes from just two sources: Gelman herself, and the Morningstar Philanthropic Foundation—the personal charity of her parents, a pair of major Democratic Party donors who own a chain of publications catering to East Coast Jewish communities, have been long active in organizations promoting American-Israeli relations, and even got engaged on a kibbutz.

...

Notably, each of these organizations has employed the controversial slogan “from the river to the sea,” which critics interpret as calling not for two coexisting states between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean, but for Israel’s extinction as a polity. Some, including Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), dispute this characterization.

Behind the Bafrayung Fund is a 33-year-old Bay Area resident, Rachel Gelman, scion of the family behind the Levi Strauss company and cousin to Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY). The money for the Bafrayung Fund comes from just two sources: Gelman herself, and the Morningstar Philanthropic Foundation—the personal charity of her parents, a pair of major Democratic Party donors who own a chain of publications catering to East Coast Jewish communities, have been long active in organizations promoting American-Israeli relations, and even got engaged on a kibbutz.

[sirjuggles]

Worm Reading - Arc 8 Extermination

I finally gave in and simplified my naming convention.

So pretty much this whole Arc is the Leviathan fight, which is absolutely riveting, but in theory I’ll have less commentary here. (Hah we’ll see) I wrote up some of my thoughts in response to an ask about Leviathan a day or two ago, so some of that will get repeated here.

My first time ever hearing about Worm was years ago through an entry on the TVTropes "Godzilla Threshold" page, which talks about a threat of sufficient magnitude to justify putting aside all other priorities and disputes in order to address. I am a sucker for this trope/concept, there is something captivating in the way it allows for otherwise unredeemable characters to show a level of humanity and virtue that forces you to consider them as deep, complex characters. There’s a bit in the novel Good Omens where the angelic character thinks about what humans are capable of, and he has the thought “...And just when you'd think they were more malignant than ever Hell could be, they could occasionally show more grace than Heaven ever dreamed of. Often the same individual was involved.” And the older I get the more I see that.

From what I recall, through this entire confrontation with Leviathan, Coil never shows up. He has a ton of resources in manpower and supplies, and while we don’t get a close look at the evacuation/shelter effort we see no indication that he is contributing any of the things he could to support. I’m very curious if this will ever be addressed in-text, because I think it’s very telling of this man who claims he wants to take over and run this city yet who won’t lift a finger to help others in a crisis. From what we later learn about how his power works, I would be very curious to hear what two timelines he had running during the Leviathan attack.

As the capes group up and try to rally before facing the endbringer, we get a dump of a TON of new names and faces. Some very cool characters here, can’t wait to get caught up on this so I can dive into all the fanart of these capes that I’m sure is out there.

Shoutout to Narwhal for clearly being Unicorn-coded and choosing to not make that her name/identity. You know there’s gotta be a story behind that and I love it.

I find it interesting how Taylor kinda fixates on Eidolon for a minute here. She thinks of him as being among the “big 5″, the capes who you have to rule out when discussing power levels because no one else compares. Except the of the five she lists, I have my doubts about the humanity of four! The endbringers make up three, and even before we get Lisa’s interlude to learn that Leviathan was never human they are all basically treated as forces of nature; these monstrous beings who exist in this perpetual cycle of destruction and hibernation. The other one is Scion, who appeared decades ago as this sort of beatific figure, almost messianic, who appears to neither speak nor rest. Scion strikes me as very inhuman, the way he just appeared fully-formed and interacts with the world with a single purpose. He also chose the name “Scion” for himself, which does imply that he is the descendant of offspring of something else even if the world doesn’t have any idea of what that refers to (huge question mark there). So we have these four basically supernatural entities... and then we have Eidolon, who is implied to be just another cape who was a regular dude and then got powers. Legend is the big #1 superhero in America supposedly, but this guy Eidolon is ranked above him on the hero ranking equivalent of the “banned from tournament play” list. What is his deal???

The armbands are a super cool idea and absolutely necessary. In such a chaotic, fast-moving battle as this is about to be, with so many participants involved, battlefield communication is absolutely essential. Without some form of coordination this would be a completely hopeless fight.

As the capes split up by group, we see a point I made before come up: Skitter is not a heavy-hitter, and she has no particular mobility or defensive abilities. In combat against a single powerful foe, she has basically no ability to help or defend herself. Later on as she is running around the battlefield basically trying to give basic first-aid to downed heroes, I can’t help but think that it would be more effective to have a few teams of EMTs out here. I understand why the paradigm is “capes fight endbringers,” but in this situation Skitter is basically no different from a civilian. She does end up managing to do some basic location tracking of Leviathan through getting some bugs on him, which is helpful, but I’d argue her presence on the battlefield is of equivalent usefulness to any trained first-responder. Which raises the question of either why is she there, and why are they not?

Interlude 8a: Lisa - This is something I’ve been hoping to get for a while, a better glimpse into how Lisa’s power works! Interesting to see the limitations involved, as well as how she truly was just living on the street and basically running fancy pickpocket scams before Coil picked her up. Absolutely love the moment when she’s casing her target and figuring out where he keeps his wallet, and then her power continues just a little bit farther: “Wallet in left jacket pocket; intended to help mask presence of gun holstered at left hip.” And she immediately just NOPES right out of there. Or tries to.

During this interlude we get to see Lisa use her power on Leviathan, which gives us a tiny piece of info that I think may end up being crucial. I actually have a theory based on this, and the entire time I was reading this arc I was waiting for my theory to come true. It never did here, but I still hold some hope. When using her power on Leviathan, Lisa gets the following pieces of info: “Nonstandard nervous system... No brain... Irregular biology... Not human, never was human.” Back when Brian saw Taylor controlling a crab on the beach, she explained that her understanding of what she could or couldn’t control was “I think all it takes is that they have to have very simple brains.” With enough focus and growth and effort, could Taylor control an endbringer? I know that is a very huge leap, and frankly probably too convenient to be true, but there’s a chance that the pieces could line up.

This whole fight is fully of crazy intense moments. A personal standout for me is seeing Bastion trap Leviathan in the collapsing building with himself and yelling at the other heroes to bring the building down on both of them. I’m a massive sucker for a heroic sacrifice and that’s a great one.

Also cool to see Ms. Militia using the leftover explosives from Bakuda against Leviathan. Shame Bakuda was like she was, just think of how helpful her inventions could have been in this situation.

The freeze by Clockblocker is so critical in this fight. If he hadn’t given the capes a chance to pause and regroup that battle would have continued to wear all of them down. It feels like with the huge amount of power and utility all these capes have they should be able to do more damage to the endbringer, but he’s just so fast and slippery that they can’t seem to hold him down in one place long enough to bring those powers to bear.

The fight between Leviathan and Armsmaster is cool, but becomes more important in hindsight as we learn about how Armsmaster arranged it. We definitely get a clear picture of how arrogant and driven Armsmaster is here, he really does a supervillain-style monologue about how he’s beating Leviathan while he does it, only to have it backfire in his face.

I do feel like there’s something here that’s not quite clicking for me. After Armsmaster loses the fight and his arm, Taylor runs in to try and help him, and he repeatedly tells her “you’re dead, he killed you.” We later find out that he set up the whole group to be wiped out, but I’m not clear on why he thinks specifically Taylor was killed? We learn that the armband reported her dead because the armband broke, but Armsmaster was the one who caused it to break so he knew that wasn’t the truth. Maybe he saw one of her swarms get swiped out and thought it was her, or he just assumed everyone had been killed and he’s currently in shock from his injuries? Either way, I don’t see a direct reason why he he would have been convinced enough of her being dead to remark on the subject while he’s badly wounded.

I do find it a little bit amusing how much joy Wildbow clearly takes in describing superheroes and their costumes. It makes sense, given they decided to tell a story that features so many of them, but you can just feel a little bit of the enjoyment of the author every time they pause for a moment to describe new capes, their costume designs and colors and identities. And I’m very much not saying this is a bad thing! It really fleshes out all this huge cast of characters and makes it clear that everyone has their individual identities, such as the ways that a family of flying blasters like Lady Photon and Laserdream set themselves apart. It’s endearing.

The scene with Rachel and her dogs coming to the rescue is heartbreaking. I knew they were gonna take losses eventually, and I knew it was gonna punch me in the gut. Honestly this is a lot better than it could have been, they dive in at a crucial moment against an impossible opponent and buy enough time for Scion to show up, so it feels like a worthwhile sacrifice, but it still sucks. The fact that Rachel jumped in here  and sacrificed her dogs to save Taylor says to me that they really had formed a connection, even if Rachel wouldn’t admit it, and also explains why Rachel is so vicious with the perceived betrayal to come.

Seeing Scion fight Leviathan just reinforces my idea that neither of these figures are standard parahumans/capes. I think the both of them are roughly on an equal level, some sort of outside entities which happen to be wrapped up in a struggle on earth.

Honestly, for me the scariest and most tense part of this entire arc is the time Taylor spends handcuffed to the hospital bed. Fighting Leviathan is dangerous and exciting, but this whole idea of lying there in pain, partially paralyzed, restrained, unsure of whether her friends survived, and fearing that the nominal “good guys” are going to use this opportunity to eliminate her and there’s nothing she can do about it? Horrifying. Total grounds for a panic attack.

Ok, a few big things happen in quick succession here, so some of these notes are a little out-of-order.

I’m a little unclear about how the whole hospital scene went so bad. I understand from an administrative perspective why the nursing staff aren’t allowed to talk to patients here, and that they’re swamped and trying to do triage. And when I think about it, it does make sense to restrain capes to avoid anyone from walking around and causing exactly the situation Skitter causes with Sophia. But none of that is communicated to anyone! This is not the first time this has happened, you’d think they’d have some sort of protocol for communicating “we’re going to give you what care we can, we can’t have you walking around, please be patient.” Instead they take all these capes with various levels of power and ingenuity and paranoia and handcuff them and keep them in the dark. Of course you’re going to have someone freak out and try to escape! And yeah Panacea made things worse by trying to spook Skitter, but once again this could have been avoided if they had just made clear what the protocol was up front.

On that same note, I don’t totally understand why the Protectorate wanted Panacea to come heal Skitter before they come talk to her in-person. Later they say they were going to offer her a place on the Wards. Are they giving that same offer to every single young villain? Legend and the heroes he has with him are huge names, presumably there is a lot of work for them to do in the wake of this disaster, this feels like a weird thing for them to all be doing personally. I just don’t understand what was supposed to happen here before Skitter tried to run and caused the standoff.

Honestly props to Tattletale for handling that, if she hadn’t been there Skitter would have been absolutely screwed. I very much understand why she refused to join the Wards or give an identity trade to Sophia, but that basically left her only option as going to the Birdcage, so...

Oh man the Sophia reveal got me. Honestly in hindsight it makes sense, everything we’ve heard about Sophia and Shadow Stalker totally lines up. Super messed up, but it adds an extra layer of explanation to all of the resistance from the school to applying any serious punishment to the bullies. I kinda avoided making any predictions about people Taylor knew in civilian life secretly being capes, I figured it would be too much of a coincidence, but this one works. It also gives some context for why Emma flipped on her so hard, which is something I’ve been wondering about for a long time. Not that it justifies it, but it’s some sort of explanation which we’ve been missing.

The ending of the hospital scene felt a little weird to me. The heroes are so freaked out by the potential for a villain to have uncovered the secret identity of one of their Wards, fair enough. But then they find out that Armsmaster secretly did some sketchy stuff and they all get distracted by him, ok that makes sense. But they’re so distracted that they let the villain just... run out the front door? There’s no Protectorate member there who feels like they should maybe grab her and get this resolved? I know Tattletale was trying to convince them to let Skitter go, but I didn’t get the sense that they were ok with that yet. Also Taylor is crushed by having her secret come out, so she just... runs out into the night? Felt like a weird note for everyone to leave off on.

On the other hand, the scene at the memorial is nice. It’s good to see the doggos on there, they deserve to be there too dammit.

I gotta say, I am very glad that I’m reading this after it’s all written. I can imagine hitting some of these cliffhangers and having to wait for the next installment would be torture. I am curious as to how significant the difference in reading experience is by being able to read it all back-to-back. I know for a fact that the extra time to think and process installments between releases does change the way the reader processes the story. I especially noticed this with the upcoming Wards interlude Arc, that felt like a very nice way to space out the “books”.

Gonna end this here. The Coil interlude had some interesting moments I might touch on, but I am really excited to talk about the Wards Interlude Arc, I have strong feelings about basically every installment of that arc so that might need to break up into multiple posts.

[ladycharles]

There has been a lot of discussion lately about Scorcese's Goncharov, and yet I haven't seen anyone post about this oddity of popular music it inspired.

Lord Charles, for those who don't know, was a British rock artist who rose to acclaim in the 1960s, releasing a string of psychedelic rock records with his backing band The Ladies. While a lot can be written about their importance in that scene, this particular track hails from 1974, after the original Ladies had disbanded (Lord Charles would continue to use the name, but after 1971's Legendary Gears his records were recorded with session players).

Charles had first crossed paths with Matteo JWHJ 0715 sometime in 1972, but it was while wintering in Italy in December of 1973 that Charles attended one of Matteo's infamous Cine-Bacchanal parties at his Naples villa. It was here that Matteo showed a work print of Goncharov to his guests. Martin Scorcese was in attendance, fresh off the success of Mean Streets, and he offered to bring it to America.

Apparently witnessing this conversation, Lord Charles offered to contribute an original song, and while it is unclear whether Matteo and Scorcese took him up on this, he soon set out for Philadelphia where he was set to begin the infamously coke-fuelled sessions for It's Alright (I Love You Both).

Like many British rockers of the era, Lord Charles had become highly influenced by American popular music, particularly funk and soul. He often cited Curtis Mayfield's Superfly as a major influence, and it is clear that his Goncharov borrows liberally from that soundtrack's bass heavy narrative funk (unfortunately he did not borrow Mayfield's political conscience, making his Goncharov quite a shallow exercise in comparison to Mayfield's portrait of inner-city struggle). The track also features an exagerrated "Russian" motif, typical of the often problematic cultural signifiers in 1970s music (see "Kung Fu Fighting").

The track was cut with an unknown group of session musicians, but it is presumed to be the same band with which he recorded It's Alright. It is likely that the existing version is not final, and that some of the guitars at least were intended to be rerecorded, with speculation that the 'da svidenia Goncharov' line was only part of a planned chorus. Matteo was apparently in attendance at the sessions, having convinced Charles to include what he claimed was a bit of Russian dialogue cut from the film (in typical Matteo style, this was apparently a bizarre prank, as any Russian speaker will note that it has nothing to do with the story).

Unfortunately, when Goncharov had failed to receive wide release before Charles' new record, the song was shelved until 1977 when RCA released it as the b-side to a reissue of It's Alright without Charles' consent. This lack of communication hurt the song's commercial prospects - Lord Charles had apparently completely forgotten about the due to his contemporaneous cocaine use and gave an interview describing the single as a "hoax concocted by a record company desperate to attach any sewer rat to my name, lest it grow wings". The record was pulled due to the controversy and only 200 pressings are said to have been sold. It was only in 1989 that Charles would acknowledge it's authenticity in his autobiography "The Lord's Prayer - how I survived sex, drugs, thinking I could write funk, and drugs".

Sorry for the long description but I was really hoping to hit all the important points. I quite like this one and do wonder if it had ever been intended as an original song in the film (as is perhaps suggested by Matteo's participation). It isn't the best tune of his, and particularly pales in comparison to its influences but it's certainly worth the novelty to hear a British psychedelic singer performing American funk influenced music about a Russian character in an Italian film produced by an American. If you liked this post definitely check out my blog where I feature similar music from time to time.

"Tick tock tick/the clock runs down/cock shoot click/my luck runs out"

-Lord Charles, Goncharov (I'm a bad, bad man)

[justinssportscorner]

Cyd Zeigler at Outsports:

The NHL’s decree that players and teams are no longer allowed to wear rainbow-colored Pride jerseys to celebrate the LGBTQ community was bad enough. Now comes word that the league front office has sent all 32 teams a series of memos that include alleged “clarification” on this policy. On top of this — and most egregious of all — Outsports has learned that the NHL has issued a league-wide ban of Pride Tape on the ice with the players during warm-ups, games and even practices. A league spokesperson has confirmed this change in policy with Outsports. This is, as far as Outsports is aware, the most stifling, anti-LGBTQ policy any pro sports league in North America has ever issued. The message the NHL is sending: Hockey is not for everyone.

In just 10 months, years of important, positive advancements in the NHL and men’s hockey at large have been eclipsed by disastrous choices marginalizing or outright erasing the LGBTQ community. The only North American league to never have a current or former player or coach come out publicly — the NHL — has, in 2023, decided to change policy to bar what has become an important element of LGBTQ support individual athletes in the league can demonstrate. To recap, earlier this year seven NHL players reportedly refused to wear a rainbow jersey for game warm-ups, mostly saying it went against their religion. Others — particularly Russian players — reportedly expressed concern about retaliation from Russian President Vladimir Putin for wearing a Pride jersey. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, and then the league front office, responded by banning said Pride rainbow jerseys from the NHL ice.

Central to the issues with the league’s recent memos extending these bans is this broad paragraph, below. While reports say the league may have walked this back a bit — “clarified” as they say — that they would send this to all NHL teams in the first place is destructive: “Players shall not be put in the position of having to demonstrate (or where they may be appearing to demonstrate) personal support for any Special Initiatives. A factor that may be considered in this regard includes, for example, whether a Player (or Players) is required to be in close proximity to any groups or individuals visibly or otherwise clearly associated with such Special Initiative(s).” Let me clarify: “Players shall not be... required to be in close proximity to any individuals clearly associated with such Special Initiative(s)” like Pride and the LGBTQ community.

[...] Yet the most egregious — even petty — rejection of the LGBTQ community by the NHL this offseason is a new league-wide ban of Pride Tape on the ice. The league has told the organization behind Pride Tape — the rainbow tape that has been used by several NHL players on their sticks during warm-ups to signify their support for the LGBTQ community — that no player this season will be allowed to use the tape on their stick during warm-ups, games or even practices. While the jersey issue is a team-wide concern affecting every player, the use of the Pride Tape has always been an individual choice. Now the NHL has banned even that. Disgraceful. Despicable. Outrageous. Petty. Contributing to that, the NHL was one of only two major pro sports leagues in North America to never change their X avatar to a rainbow during 2023’s Pride Month (the other was the NFL). In addition, Outsports cannot find a single LGBTQ-supportive original tweet from the NHL’s league X account during Pride Month.

The NHL banning Pride tape on sticks is going overboard to appease anti-LGBTQ+ zealots and Russian players.

[superhumanfoods]

once again quietly muttering to myself about how the rural poor in america are a systemically underprivileged and undereducated group, and contributing to redneck stereotypes as somebody who is not a part of that community and has no firsthand experience with it is absolutely punching down in every single way

[reasoningdaily]

Listen to this article here

A video captures an incident of Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton, a member of the Republican party from Crossville, appearing to engage in a physical altercation with State Representative Justin Pearson, a Democrat from Memphis. The incident occurred on Tuesday, shortly after the conclusion of a special legislative session.

State Rep. Justin Pearson and his esteemed colleague Rep. Justin Jones can be seen at the bottom of the House Speaker’s dais with signs advocating for their constituents against gun violence.

In the video you can clearly see Speaker Sexton shoving his right shoulder into Rep. Person’s chest.

The incident escalated when Sexton turned toward Pearson, pointing at Pearson and his security detail surrounding the speaker.

Before the incident unfolded Representative Justin Jones (D-Nashville) rallied for a vote of no confidence, targeting the speaker’s position.

However, as the speaker promptly adjourned proceedings, precluding the intended vote, tumult unfurled both on the assembly floor and in the gallery, punctuated by discernible voices clamoring to “vote him out”, which can be heard in the video.

State Rep. Justin Jone’s Vote of No Confidence Filing

In the video, the House Speaker can visibly be seen aggressively shoving his right shoulder into Rep. Pearson, with plenty of room to walk past the Black Representative.

“White supremacist speaker Cameron Sexton violently shoved me today while I held my ‘Protect Kids, Not Guns!’ I’m infuriated by his actions but more infuriated by the inaction of the Tennessee House GOP to pass a single bill to prevent gun violence,” the State Rep. said. He then adds, “This is how democracy dies. We must rise.”

White Political Violence Weakens the Democratic Process

White political violence in America holds significance due to its historical context, societal implications, and impact on democracy and social cohesion. Several key factors contribute to the significance of this issue:

Historical Context: White political violence in America has roots in a long history of racial discrimination, systemic racism, and white supremacy. From the Ku Klux Klan’s terrorizing activities during the Reconstruction era to more recent instances of racially motivated violence, such as the Charleston church shooting, these acts are part of a historical continuum that reflects deep-seated racial tensions.

Symbol of Inequality: White political violence often targets marginalized communities, perpetuating a sense of fear and inequality. Such violence reinforces the notion that certain groups hold power and control over others, exacerbating existing divisions and disparities. This can lead to a lack of trust in institutions and a feeling of disenfranchisement among minority populations.

Threat to Democracy: Political violence, regardless of its source, poses a threat to the democratic principles that underpin American society. When violence becomes a means of political expression, it undermines the foundations of civil discourse, compromise, and peaceful resolution of differences. It can deter individuals from engaging in the political process due to safety concerns.

Media and Perception: Acts of White political violence often garner extensive media coverage, which can influence public perception and reinforce stereotypes. Media coverage shapes how people perceive these incidents and can contribute to the stigmatization of specific groups or communities, further deepening societal divisions.

National Security Concerns: Acts of political violence can have broader national security implications. When violence is politically motivated and driven by extremist ideologies, it can raise concerns about domestic terrorism and the potential for broader radicalization. Law enforcement agencies and policymakers must address these concerns to maintain public safety.

Impact on Social Cohesion: A society fractured by political violence struggles to maintain social cohesion. Trust in institutions, fellow citizens, and the government can erode, making it challenging to foster a sense of national unity. Social fragmentation can hinder progress on important issues and impede effective governance.

International Perspective: White political violence can influence how the United States is perceived on the global stage. It raises questions about the country’s commitment to human rights, equality, and democratic values. Such incidents can be exploited by geopolitical rivals to criticize American governance and sow discord.

Calls for Change: Incidents of white political violence often trigger discussions about the need for policy changes, law enforcement reforms, and improved social cohesion. These events can serve as catalysts for broader conversations about systemic racism, gun control, and hate crime legislation.

In conclusion, White political violence, such as a simple but aggressive shove from Tennessee State House Speaker Cameron Sexton against State Representative Justice Pearson, the recent bomb threats to Tulsa, Oklahoma schools for making available books that Conservatives are banning, and the January 6th Insurrection in America is significant because it reflects historical injustices, threatens democracy, exacerbates social divisions, and raises broader societal and security concerns.

[the4sylum]

The Story Section of her old website:

"Combine the violin mastery of Nigel Kennedy, the voice of an alien Siouxsie/Bowie hybrid, and the looks of a post-apocalyptic Marie Antoinette, and what do you get? Emilie Autumn. The pink-haired princess of "victoriandustrial" has already morphed her way from classically trained violin prodigy to extreme rock performer with the ability to shred on a fiddle à la Yngwie, and with a cult following to match.

After spending a summer in France recording with Courtney Love at Ms. Love's express command, Emilie was invited to join Love's touring band,"The Chelsea," and was appropriately dubbed the "anarchy violinist" by Love. Next thing you knew, she was performing live on The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and on national television with Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins fame, while appearing on the solo debut albums of both Corgan and Love. Emilie quickly gained attention as a solo performer in her own right, and was chosen as one of Interview Magazine's "14 To Be," a pictorial featuring 14 up-and-coming young female stars. Shot by famed fashion photographer Kelly Klein, and wearing a Helmut Lang gown while sprawled on a large wooden tea crate, Emilie was chosen as the magazine's centerfold posing with her signature electric violin. Now, EA is setting her sights on the rest of the world with the release of her new album, "Opheliac" on the Trisol Music Group label, released in Europe on the 1st of September 2006, and worldwide on the 22nd.

BACKGROUND:

Brought up as a concert violinist since age four, and trained in conservatoires around the world as a performer, composer, conductor, and music historian, EA's bizarre background is the element that makes her music so exceptional. The blending of authentic baroque strings, harpsichord, and factory-derived industrial beats with vocal techniques from soul-searing belts to snarling screams creates an positively dangerous feel, only compounded by EA's dark and uber-literate lyrics.

After walking away from her first major label contract at age 17, EA returned to her classical roots and released her solo violin debut album, "On a Day...," with the label she created and still controls, the aptly titled Traitor Records. Since the creation of her own production company, EA has branched out to create a number of side projects (The Jane Brooks Project, Ravensong, Convent), and is delighted to be collaborating with other artists including Detroit techno legend DJT1000, UK industrial giant, Attrition, fellow Chicagoans, Die Warzau, and many more creative entities ranging from industrial legends to television shows (EA frequently contributes her violin playing to the hit American TV series "Metalocalypse," a cartoon about a ficitional metal band airing weekly on Adult Swim).

With Enchant a proven success in the indie world, Emilie returned from two years of touring and recording with Love to begin production on her second full-length non-classical offering entitled, "Opheliac." Written in the style EA calls "victoriandustrial," her new heavily industrial sound takes "gothic" to a whole new level - sinister, witty, and combining her trademark violin pyrotechnics with growling vocals, virtuosic harpsichord, and electro-industrial beats. A concept album about "women, water, and madness," song titles include, "Gothic Lolita," "Dead Is The New Alive," "The Art Of Suicide," "I Want My Innocence Back", and "Misery Loves Company."

EA's previous releases include the solo violin debut album, "On a Day...," recorded at age 17 and showcasing her mastery of the baroque violin, "By The Sword," her charity single in response to the 9/11 attacks, "Chambermaid," her first goth-rock EP, and of course, "Enchant." Emilie also appears on Courtney Love's 2004 release, "America's Sweetheart" on Virgin Records, and is a featured guest on Billy Corgan's 2005 solo release, "The Future Embrace" on Warner Records.

OTHER ACTIVITIES:

When EA is not recording or touring, she designs for "Mistress," her own fashion and fragrance line for her own indie-couture company, WillowTech House. Notorious for her own visionary "punktorian" stage costumes, EA's design skills were put to use when she was asked to design and create all of the costumes for the music video for "Walking Shade," Corgan's first single off his 2005 album, directed by P.R. Brown.

EA is also a prolific writer and illustator, releasing and quickly selling out of her first volume of poetry in 2001. 2005 saw the release of her second poetry edition complete with audio version entitled, "Your Sugar Sits Untouched," offered by WillowTech House Publishing. EA is currently putting the finishing touches on the illustrations for her gothic children's book for adults only, "The Alphabet Book of X-Boyfriends."

Originally from Malibu, California, EA is now a proud Chicagoan, and can most often be found at nightspots such as the Metro, Neo, and DoubleDoor as well as cavorting around the city's downtown in her Victorian bustle skirt, corset, and combat boots, attracting a ridiculous amount of attention.

The End.

For now..."

♥ Archived from Emilie Autumn's Website (via the wayback machine) ♥