#settlements and compromises

[usaitbari]

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West reach divorce settlement | CNN

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West reach divorce settlement | CNN

CNN  —  Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have come to a divorce agreement, a source with knowledge of the negotiations tells CNN. Per the agreement, a draft of which was obtained by CNN, Kardashian will receive $200,000 per month in child support from West, who last year legally changed his name to Ye, and share joint custody of their four children. CNN has reached out to representatives for…

[suchananewsblog]

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West reach divorce settlement | CNN

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West reach divorce settlement | CNN

CNN  —  Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have come to a divorce agreement, a source with knowledge of the negotiations tells CNN. Per the agreement, a draft of which was obtained by CNN, Kardashian will receive $200,000 per month in child support from West, who last year legally changed his name to Ye, and share joint custody of their four children. CNN has reached out to representatives for…

[reportwire]

Google agrees to $392 million settlement with 40 states over location tracking practices | CNN Business

Google agrees to $392 million settlement with 40 states over location tracking practices | CNN Business

New York CNN Business  —  Google has agreed to a record $391.5 million settlement with 40 states for allegedly misleading consumers over its location tracking practices, a coalition of attorneys general announced Monday. The attorneys general described it as the largest multi-state privacy settlement in US history. The coalition, which included attorneys general from New York, Kentucky and…

[lexingtontaxgroup]

🌟 Navigating Tax Debt: Insights from CEO Adam Hastie 🌟

Hey Tumblr community,

I hope this message finds you well. Today, I want to address a topic that affects many of us: tax debt. As the CEO of Lexington Tax Group, I've seen firsthand the impact that IRS tax debt can have on individuals and families. That's why I'm here to share some valuable insights and resources with you.

If you're feeling overwhelmed by tax debt, it's essential to know that you're not alone. Many people find themselves in similar situations, facing uncertainty and stress. However, there are options available to help ease the burden and provide relief.

At Lexington Tax Group, we specialize in guiding individuals through the process of qualifying for hardship programs. These programs, such as Offer in Compromise (OIC), Installment Agreements, and Currently Not Collectible (CNC) status, are designed to offer financial assistance and create manageable pathways towards tax debt resolution. Our dedicated team is here to provide personalized support and expert guidance every step of the way.

Whether you're considering an Offer in Compromise, an Installment Agreement, or another hardship program, we're here to help you navigate the complexities of the IRS system and find the best solution for your unique situation.

Our services extend beyond just IRS tax debt relief. We also provide assistance with Innocent Spouse Relief, IRS Fresh Start Initiative programs, penalty abatement, tax debt negotiation, and more. Our goal is to empower you with the knowledge and resources needed to achieve financial freedom.

To learn more about how Lexington Tax Group can assist you, visit our website at www.LexingtonTaxGroup.com or give us a call at 800-328-8289. Our team is ready to provide the support and expertise you need to move forward with confidence.

Remember, there's always hope, even in the face of tax debt. Together, we can overcome this challenge and build a brighter financial future.

Wishing you peace of mind and prosperity,

Adam Hastie CEO, Lexington Tax Group

[ezzybrownmedia]

NLC and TUC Call Off Nationwide Strike; Workers to Return to Work

On Wednesday night, the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) jointly decided to suspend the ongoing nationwide industrial action. This decision came after a meeting that commenced a few minutes past 7 p.m. and lasted about an hour, with the intervention of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.ALSO READ: Interesting storiesReports from Punch indicate that the meeting involved a thorough review by various affiliates and state chapters of the outcomes of discussions held between labor leaders and Ribadu. Subsequently, the decision was reached to halt the nationwide strike, which had been initiated in response to the recent assault on the President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, in Imo State. LEARN MORE… Read the full article

[mdsullivanllc]

Website : https://sullivan4irsmatters.com/

Address : 2929 E Commercial Blvd, Penthouse A/B, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308

Phone : +1 954 328 3501

Michael D. Sullivan is the founder of Michael D. Sullivan LLC. He had a distinguished career with the Internal Revenue Service for 10 years. As a veteran IRS Revenue Officer / Agent, he served as an Offer in Compromise Tax Specialist and Large Dollar Case Specialist. He also collaborated with the U.S. Attorney’s office on undercover operations. Michael received several awards for his work and dedication as an IRS Agent. Michael D. Sullivan LLC, is a team of tax professionals all across the nation. After your initial interview, your case will be matched up with the best affordable expert to quickly get your problem solved while eliminating the stress and worry out of your life! We have 170 years of direct IRS work experience and use our insider knowledge to help resolve your case.

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[felassan]

[source (Senior Reporter at Kotaku), linked Kotaku article, two, 'FC 24's performance link', three, four, @/N7SeveranceDay (source of the last two images, "Account supporting BioWare employees laid off in 2023."), five, six, Polygon tweet, Polygon article]

"BioWare Continues to Refuse to Pay Severance" statement transcript:

“BioWare Continues to Refuse to Pay Severance On August 23 of this year, BioWare eliminated “approximately 50 roles at BioWare”. Following the layoffs, seven ex-BioWare employees engaged the services of R. Alex Kennedy to represent their interests, stating that the amount of severance offered was insufficient under Alberta common law. Counsel for the employees has attempted to reach a compromise that would avoid requiring lengthy court proceedings, but BioWare’s lawyers refused any offers to negotiate and settle out of court. The basis of Kennedy’s claim is that according to Alberta precedents and under Canadian law, these employees should be receiving approximately 1.7 months of severance per year of service they gave to BioWare. BioWare has now filed a Statement of Defence, which argues that the seven terminated employees are only entitled to two weeks of severance per year spent in service to BioWare, because of a contract provision that Kennedy says is not enforceable. The filing means BioWare will be taking these former employees to court rather than working towards finding an out of court resolution. The developers involved in the suit have expressed their disappointment: - “We are disappointed that BioWare prefers stalling and intimidation tactics to fair dealing with people who have given years, and in some cases decades, of dedication and hard work to the company.” - “We believe they are using intimidation and stalling tactics to try and get us to drop out. A lot of the more junior employees and those with families, who had more monetary pressure on them, could not risk waiting on a court case that may take many months more to resolve, and have already had to drop out.” - “At the time of the layoffs, BioWare offered us professional assistance in finding new employment, and an additional payment, but ONLY on the condition that we signed an agreement saying we cannot talk about any details of the settlement, and that we would completely waive any right to legal action or even to complain in any way about anyone associated with BioWare now or ever in the future. Tactics like that sure make me think that BioWare knows it is in the wrong.” - “Despite what they publicly announced when they laid us off, this process has been anything but empathetic, respectful, and communicative.” The latest BioWare layoffs were the third round so far this year, and many of the developers affected even in earlier rounds are still searching for work, though some have started to find new positions. Regardless of employment status, the members of the current lawsuit state they remain determined to pursue BioWare in court, regardless of their employment status: - “We strongly believe that if Dragon Age: Dreadwolf does not do as well as BioWare or EA wants at launch, there will be more, even larger layoffs. Therefore, regardless of our own well-being, we believe it is important to hold BioWare responsible and get a clear decision on what settlement amount is legal. We’re no longer part of the development team, so the best way we can help our former teammates now is to hold BioWare accountable and ensure that the next group who is laid off are not treated as poorly as we were.” November 7th marks “N7 Day”, which is a fan celebration of BioWare’s Mass Effect games featuring Commander Shepard and the crew of the Normandy. The developers involved in the lawsuit are hoping N7 Day this year will be a reminder to BioWare of the importance of loyalty to your crew, and hope fans can have a little fun and help express their support with memes and images using an #N7SeveranceDay hashtag. The ex-employees involved in the suit are all based in Canada and have an average of 14 years at BioWare.”

[source]

You can express your support using the hashtag #N7SeveranceDay.

Edit: [Part 2/update] [more on the Keywords topic]

[lilacxquartz]

TO SAVE A BROKEN SOUL • suguru geto x cursed spirit fem!reader

ao3 link • masterlist • next chapter >>

summary: roaming around the forest as a neutral cursed spirit spirit, you stumble upon a temple, not quite knowing what sort of nightmare awaited you from the inside.

tags/warnings: dead dove, (upcoming) non-con, violence, yandere, reader insert, weekly updates, dark, multi chapter, horror

Chapter 1: Found

Wandering around the forest in the dead of night was essentially second nature to you. It was survival, plain and simple.

It was how you got by.

Moving from one point to another without a single destination in mind, never knowing where you’d end up next—that’s just what being a cursed spirit was; to be stuck in a perpetual state of endless, aimless drift.

Your journey was lacking direction and your benign existence had swallowed away any purpose you could have had. Regular humans would call this being a ghost, but it felt much worse than that.

To have no purpose, nor an escape.

And despite calling yourself a neutral entity, you stayed far away from human settlements, never daring to get too close. You knew better than to risk it. Accidents were inevitable if you lingered a little too close to people (or a little too long), so you simply didn’t gamble the chance to begin with.

It was easier that way.

It was safer.

The fine line of what separated you from being a neutral spirit and a malevolent one was very thin though, but could have been defined by how you fed. Rather than tempting fate with the potential of human flesh, you chose restraint, resigning you to either not feed at all or to keep your feasts confined to what you found within the forest.

(But the desire was always present; gnawing away at your gradually lapsing self control, clawing at your core—so desperate to let slip… waiting for that perfect moment.)

Sustainability wasn’t that much of a necessity for you otherwise. After all, you weren’t truly alive; at least not in the same way that humans (and living things overall) were.

But sometimes you couldn’t help but crave it. The scent and taste of human flesh—so sickeningly sweet and almost intoxicating—seasoned with the essence of their negativity. A delicacy so potent yet so forbidden.

In that aspect, you were always starving, but you also didn’t mind. The hunger kept your senses sharp which in turn, kept you focused. It was a bitter reminder of who (or what) you could become should you ever let it consume you.

So instead, you roamed. You wandered. You cruised through the trees not bothering a single soul, as a neutral, almost dormant being.

However, this neck of the woods that you found yourself within different somehow. Despite passing through it countless times before, you somehow never stumbled across this particular temple.

The realisation that you were treading on human property hit you all too late, noticing the structure only when you were halfway up a path of rooted stairs. Extinguished lanterns hung above, charred ashes escaping from the blackened wicks, swinging off of overgrown wooden beams that framed along the path.

At first, you thought that it was abandoned.

But just as you were about to take a step inside, intending to take refuge for the night…

…A sound froze you in place.

Footsteps.

Quickly snapping out of your daze, your innate response was to retreat in fear of being spotted. Not everyone could see cursed spirits, but you couldn’t afford to take that chance, knowing that in doing so, you risked compromising your very existence.

But you were all too slow.

A young girl had already caught a glimpse of you; her eyes locking onto your position. A wave of panic swept over you and without thinking—you bolted—desperate to fade back into the inviting darkness of the woods. Back into the shadows where you belonged. Away from the prying eyes of people, or worse, by the unforgiving gaze of sorcerers.

To be seen, to be even be acknowledged for a split second, was to invite danger and that was a price that you simply could not afford to pay.

In your rushed escape, your arm caught on a loose branch that tore into your marbled flesh. The wood cut deep, chipping away at your body like brittle stone. You seethed in pain, emitting a high-pitched whine as inky black blood spilled from your wound, trailing behind you and painting a dark path that led to your position.

You attempted to tune into the forest, to isolate whether or not someone was behind you; hearing the twigs that snapped underfoot like spreading wildfire closing in behind you in a stalking cresendo—they were right behind you—ready to close in at any second.

Your own nerves betrayed you, catching you off guard as your clarity soon became clouded with a surge of panic. Every instinct screamed at you to run in all directions at once, daring you to abandon all sense of logic and to give into your instincts, maybe even…!

But it was all too late.

They caught up to you.

(And whoever it was, they weren’t the least bit kind.)

A sharp gasp escaped your lips as strong hands clamped around your shoulders, wrapping fingers that dug into your flesh to keep you solidified in place. Such horrid pressure that radiated off of the assiliant that felt almost suffocating in how they grounded you. Not only did they manage to capture you, but they also have managed to have rootyou to the spot, sealing off your final window of escape.

Unable to say a word, you instead choked as your breath tore harsh against the air, feeling yourself be thrown backwards. More blood continued to pour as you tanked the landing impact, watching with unease as a tall figure caged you in. You remained statued as they pushed your body right up against the bark of the tree, demonstrating such strength that it began to crack and splinter.

Their touch felt unforgiving, despite the unmistakable scent of being human.

(So who was the real monster here?)

Your mind continued to scream danger, urging you to move, to do anything that didn’t result in remaining still. Every remaining instinct urged for you to fight back before your demise was met, before your existence was erased entirely, before—

“Trying to slip away so soon?” a chilling male voice asked, catching you in the midst of your spiralling thoughts. Their tone was cold, yet somehow deceptively gentle, only seeming to unsettle you further.

You couldn’t trust them.

Not with an introduction like this.

You faltered, your sights submitting to the looming figure before you. Your instincts continued to run wild as your mind warred with itself, begging—pleading—for you to get away, to please, please escape. In a last ditch effort, you tried to push past the man, clawing at his skin in a bid to push him away from you.

But in doing so, you only managed to piss him off further.

Before you even knew it—before you could even react—you were dislocated, struck down and dislocated.

Did he get a hit on you…?

Without a moment’s pause, you involuntarily slumped against the tree, your legs giving way. Your vision blurred as you desperately attempted to focus on the man before you, the moonlight just barely illuminating his face.

From what little you could make out, he could have been a shaman or perhaps even a monk. His attire was traditional, something you recognised as a religious garment.

A peculiar thought crossed your mind: since when were buddhist monks so violent?

He flicked his eyes to the wound you inflicted on him before meeting with your gaze again. “That hurt.”

Once again, you tried to back away, your words barely coming out to defend your cause.

“I-I haven’t even, I haven’t touched the temple,” you blurted out, your delivery barely coherent. “Please, just… let me go.”

You stared him down with an intense glare, hoping to challenge him into finding reason but instead all he did was mirror your gaze; leaving you pooling with confusion (and maybe even dread).

Maybe he wasn’t a regular human, but rather a sorcerer instead.

You really hoped not though, because then you would be in some serious trouble.

His eyes narrowed, his tone remained serious and cold as he spoke up once again, “So you’re admitting that was you lurking around the temple?”

Nodding, you scanned around the vicinity seeking an opportunity to exit, but there was none.

“I won’t come back if you let me go,” you promised.

However, the man didn’t waver. Instead, he seemed to be almost entertained(?) at your attempt to negotiate, as if your behaviour was oddly human to some extent given your status. “Bit of an odd one, aren’t you?”

He crouched down, extending a couple of pinched fingers to tweeze your chin and point your jaw towards the moonlight. You writhed under his grip, feeling unsettled by his invasive and unyielding stare.

“Quite pretty too,” he murmured with backhanded praise, “…for a cursed spirit.”

“Let go of me, I’ll leave and—“

“—hm?” he caught you mid plea. “Who said anything about you leaving?”

“Aren’t you going to kill me?” you asked, your voice carrying a hint of reluctance the longer you remained in his company. You weren’t naïve; you understood fully well what sorcerers were capable of.

What their jobs were.

“Kill you?” he mused, his expression remaining unreadable. “I could. I might. But for now, I’m simply curious about you,” he paused, taking a moment to admire your appearance once again, “so, why don’t you come with me?”

You shook your head violently, attempting to back away as far as you possibly could but he didn’t let you get very far, if anywhere at all.

Instead, he pulled you to your feet as he stood up, his voice adopting a threatening edge, “Let me rephrase that for you,” he leaned in just a bit closer, “come with me or I will exorcise you. Your choice.”

Feeling torn, you finally resigned your fate to the hands of the strange monk. Your stomach gnawed with furious hunger, begging for you to sink your teeth deep into his flesh as both a punishment as well as a chance to buy time to escape. Yet, there was something about him that at the same time that overrode such an urge, something that made you drop your guard around him at long last—and—against your better judgement, to even trust him.

So in the end, you gave in after all, choosing to follow him back to the temple.

Unaware of all the dark plans that he had in store for you.

~~~

this is part 2 of lilac’s bite sized yandere nightmares

[justacynicalromantic]

In early 2014, Ukraine was a neutral country, with a pro-Russian president, and with 70% of Ukraine's population against NATO membership. Yet Russia bluntly violated Ukraine's neutrality and annexed Crimea, then launched a covert invasion of Ukraine in the east.

Petro Poroshenko won the presidential election later in 2014 having promised a settlement with Russia, keeping a special status of the Russian language in Ukraine. He was initially sceptical regarding NATO accession, underlined Ukraine must rely on its own strength to provide security.

Did Putin meet Poroshenko halfway? Not at all. The regular Russian army entered the Ukrainian territory in mid-2014 to fight the Ukrainian troops, which led to the Minsk-1 agreement signed in September 2014.

Further text - down under the cut, or you can follow the Twitter link to the original post:

Few weeks later, Ukraine's parliament adopted a law that would guarantee the then Russia-controlled part of Donetsk and Luhansk regions additional economic, financial and cultural powers.

How did Putin react? Russia staged sham local elections in the occupied Donbas, and then sent the regular army again to Ukraine in early 2015, which led to the Minsk-2 agreement signed in February 2015.

Zelensky was even more sceptical regarding NATO accession. Asked about NATO, he once famously said he never pays anyone a visit if he has not been invited. He won the presidential election promising to compromise with Russia - to stop shooting, sit down with Putin and talk.

Did Putin meet Zelensky halfway? Not at all. He actually raised the stakes by issuing the Russian passports on the occupied territories of Ukraine even before Zelensky assumed the office, putting him in a difficult political position since the start.

Zelensky was ready to drop Ukraine's NATO bid in an exchange for the Russian troops withdrawing from Ukraine. The talks were held already before 2022. What did Putin do? He launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

In the first weeks of the invasion, Zelensky was yet again ready to drop Ukraine's NATO bid. But he wanted to obtain international security guarantees. What did Putin do? He demanded that Russia must be consulted before any aid would be given to Ukraine in the event of aggression.

To sum up, Ukraine has consistently tried to reach a deal with Russia over the last decade, and was open to giving up on its NATO bid in exchange for the withdrawal of the Russian troops from Ukraine. Russia never reciprocated, never showed a good will, kept raising the stakes.

Both Poroshenko and Zelensky were initially sceptical regarding Ukraine's accession to NATO. Both wanted to get a deal with Putin. And Putin himself pushed both of them to seek NATO membership out of no other viable alternatives.

Up till now, Putin has shown absolutely no willingness to compromise with Ukraine. His war aims remain maximalist - subjugating Ukraine and changing its regime. He seeks Ukraine's partition, and will turn what is left of Ukraine into Russian protectorate.

Russia's imperial self-conception is that of Russian elites at large, and not just Vladimir Putin. The Russian leadership simply cannot reconcile with the existence of a sovereign Ukrainian statehood.

Therefore any sustainable Ukrainian-Russian compromise is currently not possible unless the Russian cost-benefit calculus changes. Only credible risk to the stability of the Russian regime would impact this calculus. The easiest way goes through defeating Russia in Ukraine.

[apas-95]

I think a lot of the basis for anarchism's common 'How would we deal with that? Well, it simply wouldn't happen,' problem is the notion of human behaviour 'in a vacuum'.

In reality, we're not building society in a vacuum. We're building it in the real world, out of our real society. We're not imagining some scenario where a bunch of generic people appear in a forest clearing and build a town, we're planning how to improve the society we actually exist in, a society populated by our real neighbours, with all their social dependencies and baggage. Maybe, indeed, a human being in the abstract would have no reason to steal from common stockpiles, or behave antisocially, or refuse to work when able - it is vacuously true. We can't care about supposed innate human nature, all human behaviour is dependent on context and environment. You need to think through the question of 'what happens when someone does anyway?' - because the answer might not be a comfortable one. Refusing to acknowledge the hard questions and their implications doesn't make you better than those that have openly stated what difficult measures and compromises they will navigate. Most of the time, when pressed, the answer to 'what happens' from those who have attempted to ignore the question, is 'death squad', or 'nobody owes you anything'.

Necessarily, whenever we look ahead to a planned future, we also need to look at what it requires to go from here to there. Instead of just appearing, history-free in a settlement, we must make our own way there, fighting against every force that would intend to keep us where we are. We can definitively say this about our future: the organisations and institutions that will build it will have to be ones that have not only survived but also won a revolutionary civil war, against the forces of police and military technology and equipment. That immediately precludes what directions we can organise towards. We have a fixed basis: our present society; and we have now, too, a fixed direction: a fighting organisation that can survive, grow, and organise an entire society around itself. Critically, we also have a wealth of historical experience as to how such things are done - how to fight, how to win. Those are the key things - how do we, tomorrow, today if we're free, start working towards the total military defeat of our enemy, and the preservation of ourselves, in the real world? 'How will we deal with that?' is an incredibly important question to answer now, when we're not yet in a muddy hole shooting fascists and bleeding.

Fundamentally, this is not a thought experiment, this is not a ponderance on the nature of man, it is a matter of practical planning, for when our strikes are dispersed by armed force, and when our breakfast programs are assaulted by fascist thugs. Anything less can only reveal a lack of actual revolutionary aims.

[mariacallous]

If there was a pro-Palestinian movement that wanted to capitalise on the disgust at the destruction of Gaza, it would be moving now to demand a compromise peace.

Western and Arab governments should use every sanction to enforce the removal of Jewish settlements in the occupied territories, it would say. They are designed to so change the demography of the West Bank that a Palestinian state becomes an impossibility.

 Since Netanyahu came back to power in a coalition with the far right,  mobs have wrecked Huwara and other Palestinian villages.  It is not too fanciful to imagine a future when ethnic cleansers will run riot.

Western governments have already made tentative and, from the point of view of any robust and principled supporter of Palestine, wholly inadequate gestures. They have issued sanctions on groups that fund extremism, and left it there.

But instead of the global left demanding that the world begins to lay the groundwork for compromise, it insists on war, and a war to the death at that.

I could moralise about left ignorance. I could say its position that Israel is a settler colonial state is at best a half-truth which fails to acknowledge that its population is made up of the descendants of refugees from Arab nationalism and European fascism.

Let me for once avoid preachiness, however, and say that from the practical point of view, the global left has adopted a disastrous position.

It’s worse than a crime, it’s a blunder.

In any war to the death, Israel will win. It has nuclear weapons and a population under arms

Those who urge the abolition of Israel by chanting “from the river to the sea/ Palestine will be free” or by demanding that the descendants of Palestinians refugees have a right to return to swamp the Jewish state may think they are being principled. But they are playing into the hands of the Israeli right.

Netanyahu tells the West that he has no partners for peace. By supporting the programme of Hamas and Iran, the global left is proving him right.

When Iran attacks, the Israeli right can say completely accurately that its enemies want to wipe Israel from the map. And look what happens then. Not just Western countries but Arab states like Jordan defend Israel.

Two can play at the game of demanding total victory, and one side has all the advantages.

As the charter of the hard-line rightist Likud party put it, in  language which sounds familiar: “Between the Sea and the River Jordan there will only be Israeli sovereignty.”

If I were Palestinian, I could imagine myself wanting Israel gone. But the hope of total victory has been a disaster. In 1948, 1967 and 1973 the Arab states tried to wipe Israel off the map and succeeded only in strengthening it.

There is still a great deal of argument about what Hamas thought would happen when its terrorists attacked Israel in October. One theory holds that Hamas was possessed with the same delusion that misled the Bolsheviks in 1917, and hoped to ignite a general uprising.

The Arab masses failed to rise up on Hamas’s behalf and Iran made it clear it was not prepared to engage in more than token warfare with Israel.

Once again, an attempt to wipe out Israel has brought harm to Palestinian civilians.

If you doubt me on the dangers of going for a purist, maximal strategy and demanding total victory, listen to a true leftist, Norman Finkelstein.

There was a time when I admired his attacks on the “Holocaust Industry” and Jews who exploited Nazism to help Israel.

But after my own experiences of left antisemitism, I became suspicious of an argument which, when taken to extreme, was used to maintain the pretence that anti-Jewish racism did not exist, or barely existed, and that accusations of antisemitism were log rolling by cunning Jews seeking to exploit the compassion of naïve gentiles.

The parallels with anti-black racists who claim their opponents are merely “playing the race card” were too obvious to labour.

No such qualms held Finkelstein back. He helped build the anti-Israel movement in the US, and you might have thought his comrades would have listened to him.

He gave a speech at the student sit-in at Columbia university saying they should not chant for the abolition of Israel and for a Palestine “from the river to the sea”.

If you leave “wriggle room for misinterpretation,” he said, your enemies will exploit it.

The speech was a faintly embarrassing performance. Finkelstein is an old man now, and he rambled down many rhetorical cul-de-sac​s. At the end the students just laughed at him and began chanting “from the river to the sea/ Palestine will be free”.

A part of the explanation for their disastrous flight to the extremes lies in the appeal of ​Manichaeism.

People want to feel wholly virtuous and by necessity want to believe their enemies are wholly evil. In these circumstances, only the co​mplete destruction of evil from the river to the sea will suffice. It’s simply not enough to say that Israel must merely withdraw from the occupied territories. Satan and all his works must be renounced.

You might object that some protestors say they want to replace Israel with a sweet, multicultural liberal democracy. But this is progressive thinking at its woozy wishful-thinking worst: an argument made in clear bad faith.

If they were serious, they would damn Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad and Iran who want to create an Islamic state. But it is not just that they do not criticise radical Islam, they barely acknowledge its existence. If you listen to the speeches at the rallies and sit-ins, Hamas and its ultra-reactionary blood-stained ideology are simply not mentioned.

The effort is self-defeating. By going to the extremes, a protest movement has a Manichean appeal but it plays into the hands of its enemies.

The “evaporation theory of protest” explains the phenomenon. When the Gaza war ends, and let us hope that it ends soon, most of the protestors will drift away and get on with their lives.

As they evaporate, all that is left will be a residue composed of the most committed and the most extreme.

They will carry on campaigning when the cause is all but forgotten. When Palestine and Israel are no longer in the news, they will still be there.

And when the next war begins in Israel/Palestine – and I am afraid that there will be a next one – they will organise the protests, write the extreme slogans and set the maximalist demands.

This is why the far left dictates the terms of left-wing protests, and why those protests fail.

Or to put it another way, this is why Jeremy Corbyn became leader of the Labour party and then lost every election he fought

I could be wrong. Perhaps the global wave of protest will bring change for the better. I hope it does. But I fear that, as so often, Palestinian people will be worse off than they were before.​

[iww-gnv]

Via the IWW Freelance Journalists Union:

Since April 2023, Ben Camacho has been entangled in a legal battle over the release of photographs of officers with the Los Angeles Police Department. The photographs were obtained through a Public Records Request, after Camacho filed a lawsuit and a court settlement ordered the photos be handed over. Following the release of the photos by Stop LAPD Spying Coalition, the City of Los Angeles filed suit against Camacho and SLSC, alleging that the public release of the personnel photos could compromise “sensitive” operations. The ongoing attempt to claw back these now public records is being made in violation of the defendants’ First Amendment rights. Now, another lawsuit has been filed, apparently to shift blame in the case. The Industrial Workers of the World Freelance Journalists Union stands in solidarity with Camacho, whose commitment to transparency in policing and government represents the core ethics of journalism: to inform the people and hold power to account. We call on Mayor Bass, City Attorney Soto and the City of Los Angeles to abide by the First Amendment by dropping these lawsuits immediately. Until then, we stand by the motto of the IWW: An injury to one is an injury to all!

[carlsangel]

THE NEW NEGAN

carl grimes x male!reader

(you’re negan’s son.)

tags: angst

masterlist here!

Being a Savior isn’t quite for the weak. Thankfully you had the privilege of being of the highest status in the Sanctuary, the leaders son. Negan was an…interesting dad, maybe he wasn’t the best example for you as you grew up, although he would talk about the Sanctuary like you’d be the one to rule it one day. You knew everything your dad was doing was to better your future, or that’s what Negan thought at least.

The Savior war was everything you ever wanted, even if that sounds horrible. You knew the Saviors would lose, if anything you quite admired Alexandria and their people. You could never tell your dad however. You weren’t exactly innocent, however. Even if the war had ended Negan’s reign, it wouldn’t take back everything you’d done as a Savior. You were tricked at the start, you sometimes abused your power but later, upon the first couple of murders Negan had committed with Lucille at the other settlements, it never had to be that way.

The first he killed was a boy named Rory. Just a sixteen year old teenage boy, just like you. It freaked you out.

There were many occasions where you’d try to tell Negan what he was doing was wrong, you’d tell him people were dying and it isn’t what you wanted, not for the Sanctuary at least. You expected him to understand because the Sanctuary would be left in your hands, it’d be your responsibility.

Negan would just say “My mistakes, were made for you. Everything I do is for you.” He made it seem like you were being selfish and unappreciative. One of his many flaws as a father. Sometimes you wondered how Rick differed, you wondered if his son, Carl was like you or if maybe he was completely different.

Your dad ended up being captured, at the end of everything. The Sanctuary was in your hands, the moment you’d been hearing about since it’d started. Everything was in your control, the people, the Saviors— it was all yours. Every decision, every mistake is on you. You took advice from others while you could. Everything was rolling pretty well. You’d gotten fairly close with Daryl, he was assigned to help you lead the Sanctuary since you were so young.

Daryl out of all people knew what it was like to be compared to your father. Someone you’d never be like, someone you didn’t really like at all, except everyone expected you to be. He was raised the same way, with those same expectations.

After a while, you made the decision to run the Sanctuary from Alexandria, since your dad was held there and all. Making the trip back n forth from community to community was a waste when you could just be a little walk away from him. You had to make some deals and compromises but you managed to convince Rick, thanks to Carl. He was the one who truly made the decision.

He always took interest in you, as well. He felt bad for you, the fact you were being raised in such a violent environment. Sometimes he felt like he wanted to save you. But he felt some slight resentment when Abraham and Glenn died, you were there at the lineup just sitting in the back of a truck saying nothing. But, Olivia died too…and Spencer. Then Sasha. He still felt bad, but he couldn’t help being angry at you.

Not everyone was on board with you staying there, they believed you’d want to release him and they thought you were just like him. The Alexandrians believed that because you were his son, you were the new Negan. Upon arriving you were put in a house across the entire Grimes family. Carl mostly mattered to you, since he convinced his dad and all. You see him sometimes when leaving your house to visit your dad or do your work around the community, you could tell he didn’t like you.

It made you wonder why he’d even help you stay at Alexandria in the first place.

─── ⋆⋅ 𐚁 ⋅⋆ ───

Anyway, there was a gathering at some random Alexandrian’s house and the only person you really knew was Daryl. He encouraged you to go even though he would never go to one himself, but he wanted you to put yourself out there. He wanted others to see who you really are.

It didn’t quite go as planned.

You entered the home and you immediately got stares, people moved away from the entrance and you already knew you needed a drink. So you made your way over to the kitchen, avoiding all the deep glares from others, wishing you didn’t listen to Daryl and just head back home. You were fed up with everything, you were sick of people comparing you to Negan.

You were fine secluded in the corner of the room, you finally decided you’d leave. You were stopped before hand. “You’re not gonna get him outta there y’know.” A random woman stops you. “I- what?” You’re confused at first then taken aback. “Your dad…Negan, you’re his son right? You’re not gonna get him out.” She repeats. “I wasn’t planning on it.” You reply, trying to walk past her but she grabs your arm. “You’re a Savior. Raised by him.” Her voice somehow projected through the small house, catching others attention.

You felt that to some degree she was right. He had raised you and you made many decisions based on his teachings but you were different now. “Look lady-” Someone else interjects to share their opinion as well. Like you needed it. “No, she’s right.” It was an older man. “You’re just like him aren’t you? I heard about what you’ve done.”

What you’ve done. He knows about what you’ve done.

You’d look around and see everyone avert their gazes towards you. Most importantly you can see Carl listening in. Great, another reason for him to hate you.

“How you lured those innocent people into the hands of death. Right into your dad’s trap.” The man scolded. You put your drink down on the counter, unsure of what to do. Your demeanor changes to one of nervousness and it’s quite prevalent. It didn’t take much more reprimanding before you pushed your way through the house to leave. But the man was right, when you were younger you would act vulnerable, like your dad needed help when instead you’d lead them to a group of Saviors. They’d be captured.

You didn’t realize how warm the house was till you exited it, the cold air wafted into your face sort of bringing you back down to earth. Everything somehow felt like a blur; you were angry, sad and sweaty. You needed to be outside. You lean against the railing, doing your best to calm down. You decide to go see Daryl, but before that you’re interrupted by a voice behind you.

“You don’t get to be upset.” It was Carl. “You got people killed, your dad killed my friends. You’re not the victim.” His tone is sharp, but… you’re tired. You turn around to face him and at first you want to just walk away, but no. You believe you deserve to explain yourself. “You’ve never killed anyone?” Carl tilts his head at you. “That’s not the same.” He replies. “Maybe not but you feel bad don’t you? I do. I feel fucking terrible but no one likes to believe that. I’ll never forget it.” You utter, turning back to face the street in front of the house.

“I’m not him. I never was. I don’t know what I’m doing. I didn’t want this, I didn’t want any of it.” You say before realizing you’re opening up to someone who you presumed would hold the grudge against you for forever. “I’m sure you don’t give a shit. You probably don’t understand.” But he was silent for a little, before walking over to you, resting himself against the railing as well.

“I don’t understand. It’ll probably take me a while to.” He explains quietly. He looks over at you, even though you don’t quite notice. He just looks at you, takes you all in. You’re just another teenage boy. You’re just like him. “But I’ll try. I know Daryl trusts you…I guess I can learn how, too.”

You look over to him. “Do you want to though? Like really?”

He nods, holding eye contact with you. “Yeah…really.”

a/n: hiiii i hope this was what u wanted and i hope it wasn’t garbo >-< thank u sm for this req i lovedddddd it! UMMMMM IDK WHAT TO SAYYY i might start working on ghost in the woods soon mayhaps i have a ton of reqs im excited to do tho

tag list: @zomb-1-egutzz @lunarnightt @ilikestrawberriesandwomen @hiro--aoki @h00d-tr4sh @callsignwidow

[workersolidarity]

[ 📹 A Palestinian family returns to their shattered home in the northern Gaza Strip despite the widespread destruction and continued bombardment by the Israeli occupation army on all axis of the enclave.]

🇮🇱⚔️🇵🇸 🚀🏘️💥🚑 🚨

DAY 212 OF "ISRAEL'S" GENOCIDE: NETANYAHU REFUSES TO NEGOTIATE END TO WAR AS MASS SLAUGHTER OF CIVILIANS CONTINUES UNABATED

On the 212th day of "Israel's" ongoing special genocide operation in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) committed a total of three new massacres of Palestinian families, resulting in the deaths of no less than 29 Palestinian civilians, mostly women and children, while another 110 others were wounded over the previous 24-hours.

It should be noted that as a result of the constant Israeli bombardment of Gaza's healthcare system, infrastructure, residential and commercial buildings, local paramedic and civil defense crews are unable to reach countless hundreds, even thousands of victims who remain trapped under the rubble, or who's bodies remain strewn across the streets of Gaza.

This leaves the official death toll vastly undercounted, as Gaza's healthcare officials are unable to accurately tally those killed and maimed in this genocide, which must be kept in mind when considering the scale of the mass murder.

In today's news, Israeli occupation Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, refuses to negotiate an end to the war, despite the Palestinian Resistance's flexibility in negotiations.

The occupation leader said on Sunday that he will not agree to an end to the war and the withdrawal of all occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, a top demand of the Hamas Resistance movement, with the occupation's Prime Minister describing a withdrawal as "surrender".

"Hamas is fortified in its extreme positions," Netanyahu said to the Hebrew media, thereby "obstructing the release of our hostages."

Netanyahu claimed that the release of the hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza is "at the forefront of our minds," however, the Israeli occupation is unwilling to pay the price for a deal with Hamas to "leave Hamas intact, end the war and to withdraw the IDF forces from the Strip."

In response to the Israeli occupation's unwillingness to compromise, the Hamas Resistance movement's military arm, the Al-Qassam Brigades launched a rocket mortar attack on the Kherem Shalom settlement, adjacent to the southernmost tip of Gaza, launched from somewhere in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.

The rocket attack wounded at least 7 Israelis, with the Palestinian media describing the wounded as "occupation soldiers" while the Hebrew media described the wounded as "people," making it unclear who exactly was wounded in the strike.

According to the Hebrew media, an air raid alarm sounded after the firing of several rockets from Rafah at around 1:30pm local time, after which, paramedic crews arrived on the scene, treating 7 wounded, 3 in critical condition, who were taken to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba.

The Hebrew media added that the Israeli occupation army responded to the rocket strike with a barrage of tank fire and airstrikes on the Rafah area, and also responded by closing the border crossing to humanitarian aid trucks.

According to the Al-Qassam Brigades, they launched a mortar rocket attack on the Kerem Shalom settlement using a number of 114mm short-range "Rajoum" missiles, wounding 7 Israeli occupation soldiers.

At the same time as the strike occured in the south, around 20 rockets were fired from southern Lebanon into settlements in the north of the occupied Palestinian territories, wounding an older man in Kiryat Shmona with shrapnel.

In other news, despite the ongoing massacres in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian Orthodox Christians in Gaza celebrated Easter today despite the subdued atmosphere, as is described in the local Palestinian media.

At the Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza City, at least 100 Palestinian Christian families gathered for prayers and religious rituals without festivities, according to Imad al-Sayegh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Gaza Churches Union.

Al-Sayegh, alongside dozens of other families, sought shelter in the Church, telling the media that "sadness pervades the atmosphere inside the church, as it does outside, leaving no room for joy and celebration amidst the immense destruction, continuous shelling and casualties."

Traditionally, the Holy Fire is transported from the Holy Sepulchre in occupied Al-Quds (Jersusalem) to churches across the region and around the world amid festive celebrations.

However, this year the Israeli occupation did not permit the entry of the Holy Fire to Gaza's Christian Orthodox Churches, instead choosing to pretend to American media that Christian churches do not exist in Gaza because, they claim, "Hamas" doesn't permit it, which is patently and provably untrue.

Meanwhile, mass slaughter of Palestinian civilians continued unabated in the Gaza Strip, where the Israeli occupation army hammered several residential areas in various sectors of the Gaza Strip, using a combination of American-made dumb bombs, artillery shelling and missile strikes to target residential homes and apartment buildings.

The slaughter started on Saturday with a number of bombings targeting the southern Gazan city of Rafah.

According to local sources, the occupation military conducted an airstrike on a residential home in the village of al-Shoka, southeast of the city of Rafah, killing three Palestinians civilians, including two children, while several others were wounded in the strike.

Another occupation airstrike targeted a gathering of civilians in the Abasan Al-Kabira neighborhood, south of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, wounding several people who were transported to the European Gaza Hospital for treatment.

The occupation's atrocities continued elsewhere, with the Israeli occupation's artillery shelling targeting the Wadi Al-Arayes quarter, east of the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City, resulting in the deaths a mother and her two children, and also wounding the family's father.

At the same time, Zionist occupation warplanes bombed a residential building in the Al-Mufti area, north of the Al-Nuseirat Refugee Camp, in the central Gaza Strip, obliterating the building and wounding a number of civilians.

The slaughter of innocent civilians continued into Sunday morning, as Orthodox Christians gathered for prayers and rituals at Gaza's few remaining churches, many of which were bombed early in the war.

IOF warplanes bombed two residential homes in Rafah, in southern Gaza, including a home belonging to the Bahloul family, in the Al-Salam neighborhood, east of Rafah, killing and wounding several people.

A previous airstrike in the same neighborhood targeted the Al-Sha'er family home, destroying the house and killing three Palestinian civilians.

Occupation fighter jets then targeted the town of Al-Zawaida, in the central Gaza Strip, followed by hammering agricultural lands with bombings in the neighboring Al-Maghazi Refugee Camp.

At the same time, Zionist forces conducted airstrikes targeting a site in the Al-Geneina neighborhood, east of Rafah City, in the south of Gaza, while occupation aircraft also fired missiles towards the eastern neighborhoods of the Al-Bureij and Maghazi Refugee Camps, along with the city of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.

The bombardment went on with yet another series of airstrikes targeting the Al-Zaytoun, Tal al-Hawa, and Sheikh Ajlin neighborhoods of Gaza City, resulting in the death of a civilian and also wounding several others.

Israeli occupation warships also fired heavy machine gun fire towards the fisherman's port and the Al-Shati Refugee Camp, west of Gaza City, and also targeted beaches west of Rafah City.

Yet another attack by occupation fighter jets targeted a gathering of civilians in the Nuseirat Camp, in the central Gaza Strip, killing at least one Palestinian.

Simultaneously, Israeli occupation forces demolished Palestinian homes in the Al-Mughraqa, Al-Zahra'a, and Wadi Gaza Bridge areas of central Gaza.

The Israeli occupation also announced the assassination of Ayman Zorob, a commander with the Al-Quds Brigades, belonging to Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

Occupation warplanes also bombed a residential home belonging to photographer Hassan Aslih, south of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.

Yet another bombing of Khan Yunis targeted the Al-Farouq Mosque in the Khan Yunis Camp, and another targeted the Nouh Mosque east of Khan Yunis, resulting in several casualties.

As a result of "Israel's" ongoing special genocide operation in the Gaza Strip, the death toll among the local population has risen to exceed 34'683 Palestinians killed, including over 14'500 children and 9'500 women, while another 78'018 others have been wounded since the start of the current round of Zionist aggression, beginning with the events of October 7th, 2023.

May 5th, 2024

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@WorkerSolidarityNews

[that-vexaholic-cryptid]

I find the Section 31 stuff within Deep Space Nine fascinating. When you remember they exist, and that this is a serialized Trek, it makes you look at things differently

At the end of Bashir's evaluation, Sloan argues that sometimes the end does justify the means, that patients Doctor Bashir saved wouldn't care about him lying to get into Starfleet, that Section 31 "bends the rules" in order to protect them.

When Bashir returns after refusing Sloan, Sisko acts frustrated by being unable to confirm S31 existing, and tells Bashir to accept the next offer.

This puts Bashir in the position of being a double agent, of compromising his values, immediately. Whether he likes it or not.

...

And then what is the very next episode? "In the Pale Moonlight." Where Sisko wrestles with doing EXACTLY the same thing, lying and being an accessory to assassination to get the Romulans into the war, to save untold amounts of lives. Garak says "I call that a bargain," and Sisko concludes the episode by convincing himself that "I can live with it. I can live with it." before destroying his confession.

And this isn't even the first time Sisko bent the rules, by his own accord he bent the rules and destroyed a Maquis settlement just to get Eddington, and did so without Starfleet approval.

The next time Sloan appears, Bashir goes along with him. He eventually figures out this scheme too, and confronts Admiral Ross with the same upstanding morality he did Sloan, to which he responds with "in times of war the law falls silent." Again, bending or breaking the rules to protect lives... lives that Bashir correctly states died in order to protect those rules.

Who is Sisko's superior and confidant in many episodes? Admiral Ross.

I honestly believe Ross and Sisko were fully aware of Section 31 the entire time and were key to trying to get Bashir involved.

And then, after all this, at the very end of the series, Bashir is the one to manipulate Sloan, expose Section 31's attempt at genocide, and SAVE lives by adhering to the rules he swore to protect.

You can see within the show how desperation and the need to preserve power can corrupt anyone, that those tasked with protecting values can so easily become the greatest threat to them. This is brilliant writing, and it bothers me to no end how an idea was pitched to have Bashir join S31 after all. And even more it bothers me how S31 is treated in Into Darkness and Discovery as unambiguous, tropey, necessary evil, and how so much of Trek fans have embraced S31 as that necessary evil because it's "realistic." When was first introduced, fans were very much on Bashir's side, sending in angry letters decrying Section 31 as heresy.

It is realistic. And that's the problem. That's the commentary. First you lie, then you kill, then you're plotting genocide. Every time you bend the rules you become more likely to break them until your efforts eventually become self defeating.

Section 31 exists in DS9 as a criticism, NOT as an endorsement.