#standardized testing in Texas

[indembminsk]

An In-depth Look at the STAAR™ Student Testing Program Guide

Understanding the educational trajectory of your child can be a daunting task, especially when it comes to standardized testing. In Texas, one significant milestone in this journey is the STAAR™ testing program. But what exactly is STAAR, and why is it important for your child? Here’s what you need to know about the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness. What is STAAR™? STAAR™ stands…

[invincible-selfxmade-punk]

We had our Benchmark today for the reading state standardized test.

This is pretty much just a trial run to get the kids used to being forced to test for 8 hours. The test used to be only about 4 hours long but now it is mandated that they can take as much time as they need and test all day. So we tested from 8:30 in the morning until 3:00 in the afternoon with only a very short break for lunch.

This meant the kids had to sit quietly without talking and sit still for 8 hours while I had to walk around continuously for 8 hours making sure they weren't cheatng on their test. It was utter hell for both of us.

The kids got no other break and neither did i. The kids got no recess. We all stayed in one room all day long.

In this class I have the kid that I dreamed of filing sexual harassment charges on after he asked me if I wanted a piece of his big banana & daily made porn noises in my class. Believe me when I tell you that this kid is the definition of the most obnoxious person you would ever meet. Even at 10 years old. He is a type of person that would go sucker punch somebody and immediately blame the other person and say HE was the victim.

And he did not want to test at all. He just wanted to run around the room and ask questions about everything under God's green earth and nothing having to do with anything I could actually answer for him such as test directions.

During these types of tests you are not allowed to ask questions, you are just allowed to work the damn test and that's it. As teachers we are literally not even allowed to say anything to the kids that is not on a pre-written script.

And of course the kid with the 96 average finishes first and the kid with the 50 average immediately wants to turn his test in also even though he's only done about 10% of it. And you have to figure out a way to explain to him he cannot do this in a way that does not make him feel stupid.

Then there is a kid that's in the fifth grade & has absolutely no idea how to read. How he has gotten from grade to grade I do not know except the fact that our school district seems to push people through. He was not offered any kind of special education services and I'm guessing he is not dyslexic or else he would already be served in that category and not testing in my room with the general education population. I actually feel very bad for him because it was clear he had no idea how to work the test. Other kids would look at the screen for 10 or 15 minutes to read the story and then go on to answer the questions. He barely glanced at the screen at all in 8 hours and spent most of his time staring off into space or playing with his hands. I have no idea what kind of future that kid is going to have.

We get to do it all again next week for both math and again for science.

It was bad enough when we only tested from 8:30 to 12:30 and then took a long lunch and then let the kids have about 45 minutes of recess. Today none of that happened. And if that is what the next two benchmarks and then the actual State standardized test is going to be like....*shudder*

[bbigmood]

pee ree id!

[afeelgoodblog]

The Best News of Last Week - March 20, 2023

🌱 - Okra to the Rescue and Other News You Can't 'Lettuce' Miss This Week

1. 4 day work week being pushed in Congress

Progressive Democrats, led by Rep. Mark Takano of California, are pushing for a four-day workweek to give Americans more time for leisure outside of work. The proposed Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to require overtime pay for any employee working more than 32 hours in a week at a rate of time and a half.

More than 70 British companies have started to test a four-day workweek, and halfway through the six-month trial, most respondents reported there has been no loss in productivity.

2. Governor Walz signs universal school meals bill into Minnesota law

Minnesota just became the fourth state in the US to provide breakfasts and lunches at no charge to students at participating schools! The bill was signed into law by Governor Tim Walz on Friday, and it's set to ease the burden on parents who struggle to provide meals for their children.

The new legislation will cover the cost of meals for all students, regardless of household income. This means that families who don't qualify for free and reduced meals but who struggle to pay for food will also be covered. The bill is also meant to prevent "lunch shaming" practices, where children are denied food or given substitutes that indicate their family is struggling financially.

3. Texas Researchers Use Okra to Remove Microplastics from Wastewater

Researchers from Tarleton State University in Fort Worth, Texas discovered that food-grade plant extracts from okra have the power to remove microplastics from wastewater. Polysaccharide extracts from plants like fenugreek, cactus, aloe vera, tamarind, and okra were found to be effective non-toxic flocculant alternatives to remove microplastics from water.

Polysaccharides from okra and fenugreek were best for removing microplastics from ocean water, while a combination of okra and tamarind worked best for freshwater. Furthermore, plant-based flocculants can be easily implemented in existing water treatment facilities.

4. In the northern California snow, stranded cows are getting emergency hay drops

The recent wave of unprecedented snowfall in California has left cattle stranded and starving. When rancher Robert Puga ran out of hay, neighboring Humboldt County officials put together an emergency rescue operation called "Operation Hay Drop." State, federal, and local officials airdropped stranded cattle bales of hay to feed them.

Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal went to the Coast Guard with the idea of a helicopter rescue, and by midday Sunday, March 5, Operation Hay Drop was underway. So far, Operation Hay Drop has been a success, said rancher Puga. The mission covers about 2,500 head of cattle over several miles.

5. Make-A-Wish Foundation no longer considers Cystic Fibrosis to be automatically qualifying due to improvements in life outcomes for patients

Given the ongoing life-changing advances in cystic fibrosis, beginning in January 2024, cystic fibrosis will no longer automatically qualify for a wish.

6. 1st woman given stem cell transplant to cure HIV is still virus-free 5 years later

In 2017, a woman known as the "New York patient" underwent a stem cell transplant to treat both her cancer and HIV. Now, about 30 months later, she has been virus-free and off her HIV medication, leading some researchers to suggest that she may have been cured of HIV.

The New York patient, received stem cells taken from umbilical cord blood that also had the HIV-resistance genes. However, it's important to note that there is no official distinction between being cured and being in long-term remission, and the medical team is waiting for longer-term follow-up before making any definitive statements.

7. Cheetahs Back in Wild in India After Seven Decades

Namibian cheetahs have been successfully reintroduced to India after the world's fastest land animal was declared extinct in the South Asian country more than 70 years ago. Two cheetahs, Obaan and Asha, were released into the wild of Kuno National Park after being brought to India last September.

The species is being reintroduced on an experimental basis as part of a major prestige project for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India aims to bring in about 100 of the big cats over the next decade. The African cheetah is a different subspecies from the extinct Asiatic cheetah, which once roamed the sub-continent in great numbers.

Lastly, I recently opened a Youtube channel. Subscribe for a weekly compilation of feel good videos.

- - -

That's it for this week :) If you liked this post you can support me with a small kofi donation:

Buy me a coffee ❤️

Let's carry the positivity into next week and keep spreading the good news!

[republicansaredomesticterrorists]

Betsy DeVos has been trying to break public education for decades so her “for profit charter schools” can rake in the dough from school districts across the nation.

Most charter schools are non-union, pay slave wages, don’t require qualified teachers, are exempt from the standards public schools are held to. They are failing miserably, offer little to no special needs or bilingual education, and produce poorly educated MAGAs that can not survive in today’s complex job market. It’s a scam that was pushed into the mainstream by Bush/Cheney with their No Child Left Behind. Another tricky Republikkkan misnomer.

NCLB brought us standardized testing to punish public schools, particularly those in inner cities that catered mainly to children of marginalized people. A school superintendent in Texas, that was a crony of Bush, expelled all the failing children (mostly minorities and poor whites) issued standardized tests and proclaimed his district proficient based on the scores. State legislatures across the country started punishing inner city districts by pulling funding from underperforming schools and giving it to charter schools. The charter schools were owned by DeVos and other billionaire Republikkkan donors.

Even blue states were pressured into adopting the standardized tests and the curriculums and texts that came with them. These materials that costs millions per district mostly came out of Texas and other red states. Ironic that Texas supplies the majority of our textbooks and has since before this scam. The Red States control our history and education in general, or at least have a profound impact on it. Many local level Dems on school committees and state boards of education also invested in this get rich scam.

Betsy DeVos runs a propaganda policy agency, the Mackinaw Center, that purports to be a grass roots movement for better education. It sends out emails, to everyone in education, that praise charter schools while denouncing public schools. Mackinaw created an artificial crisis of faith in public schools and largely blamed teachers’ unions-because organized labor is always the enemy of billionaires. DeVos’s agenda has seeped into the consciousness of Americaand even some public school employees have unwittingly bought into her propaganda. Southern Red States was where, and still mostly is, where the underperforming schools are-and that’s by Republikkkan design. Late stage capitalism, when the people have been bled dry the oligarchs begin plundering the government.

Oligarchs have been attacking our society on every level for decades. They have so many policy institutions, propaganda outlets, and political operatives working 24/7/365 that is almost inconceivable. While the main attack ramped up in the 1960’s it’s actually been going on here since the start of the Industrial Revolution.

Hilary Clinton was mocked viciously by Fox, talk radio, and Republikkkan politicos for comments about the “vast right-wing conspiracy” in the 90’s. Today there are college courses about it, books, articles, and documentaries. High ranking Dem party leaders are given briefings about it. RI Dem Senator Sheldon Whitehouse exposes it on the floor of the Senate daily. We’ve all seen charts of the Koch-topus with its tentacles stretching from right-wing billionaires to think tanks that openly write legislation for Republikkkan politicos to introduce. From the John Birch Society to ALEC and the Federalist Society they shape and control our laws and destiny.

[theculturedmarxist]

Conor here: The following post goes into the ins and outs of the case ahead of the April 23 beginning of the case, the outcome of which seems to be a foregone conclusion and will be a major blow to labor.>New York Times labor reporter Noam Scheiber noted back in January when the Supremes agreed to hear the case that the very fact that they did so meant they would likely rule so that it’s harder to unionize. The reasoning behind that belief isn’t just the conservative majority on the court but also that the courtdeclined to hear a similar case in 2014 (back before the current conservative majority).

By Michael Z. Green, professor of law and the director of the Workplace Law Program at Texas A&M University. Originally published at The Conversation.

What factors must a court consider when the National Labor Relations Board requests an order requiring an employer to rehire terminated workers before the completion of unfair labor practice proceedings?

That’s the central question that the Supreme Court will consider on April 23, 2024, during oral arguments in the Starbucks Corp. v. McKinney case. The global coffee shop chain is challenging the NLRB, the federal agency responsible for enforcing U.S. workers’ rights to organize, saying that the agency used the more labor-friendly of two available standards when it asked a federal court to order the company to reinstate workers at a Memphis, Tennessee, store who lost their jobs in 2022 amid a nationwide unionizing campaign.

The Conversation U.S. asked Texas A&M law professor Michael Z. Green to explain what’s behind this case and how the court’s eventual decision, expected by the end of June, could affect the right to organize unions in the United States.

What Is This Case About?

Seven baristas who were attempting to organize a union at a Starbucks shop in Memphis, Tennessee, were fired in February 2022. Starbucks justified their dismissal by asserting that the employees, sometimes called the “Memphis 7,” had broken company rules by reopening their store after closing time and inviting people who weren’t employees, including a television crew, to go inside.

In June of that year, the shop became one of more than 400 Starbucks locations since 2021 that have voted in favor of joining Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union.

While a complaint over the mass dismissal was pending with the NLRB, Kathleen McKinney, the NLRB director for the region that includes Memphis, sought an injunction in a federal district court to force Starbucks to give the Memphis 7 their jobs back while the case proceeded. The company must “cease its unlawful conduct immediately so that all Starbucks workers can fully and freely exercise their labor rights,” she said.

By August 2022, a judge had ordered Starbucks to do that, and in September the baristas were back on staff.

Although the seven baristas got their jobs back and the union vote prevailed, the company has appealed the case all the way to the Supreme Court because it believes the court should not have ordered the company to reinstate the workers while NLRB proceedings were still pending.

But the NLRB argues, and the lower courts agreed, that the terminations chilled further union activities at the store even after the election.

Nevertheless, Starbucks argues that firing the seven workers had no effect because employees at that coffeehouse still voted in favor of unionization.

What’s Being Challenged?

The justices will have to decide which approach federal courts should use when they consider requests for injunctions like this one.

Currently, five appeals courts, including the one where this case arose, base their decision on a two-part test.

First, the courts determine whether there is “reasonable cause” to believe an unfair labor practice has occurred. Second, they determine whether granting an injunction would be “just and proper.”

Four other appeals courts use a four-part test.

First, the courts ask whether the unfair labor practice case is likely to succeed on the merits in establishing that labor violations occurred. Second, they look to see if the workers the NLRB is attempting to protect will face irreparable harm without an injunction. Third, after showing likelihood of success and irreparable harm, they ask whether those factors outweigh any hardships the employer is likely to face due to compliance with the court’s order. Fourth, they ask whether issuing the injunction serves the public interest.

Two other appeals courts use a hybrid test that appears to have components of both of the tests. They ask whether issuing an injunction would be “just and proper” by considering the elements of the four-part test.

In its Supreme Court brief, Starbucks argues that having to give workers their jobs back in these circumstances can cause “irreparable injury” and that it’s an “extraordinary remedy.”

The NLRB, in its Supreme Court brief, says that the injunction was proper in this case because Starbucks terminated 80% of the union organizing committee at the Memphis store and the evidence showed the chilling effect this action had on the “lone remaining union activist.” According to the NLRB, this chilling effect “harmed the union campaign in ways that a subsequent Board ruling could not repair.”

A labor reporter discussing Starbucks’ unfair labor practice cases, including the one involving the Memphis 7, determined that NLRB administrative law judges had found labor violations in 48 out of 49 cases.

What’s the Potential Impact of the Court’s Eventual Ruling on This Case?

While the case may sound like it’s only about seven people employed at a single coffee shop, the scope is wider than that.

Although the NLRB issues hundreds of unfair labor practice complaints against employers every year, it usually doesn’t turn to the courts to force the rehiring of employees. It only sought these types of injunctions 17 times in 2023, for example.

And seven of those efforts involved Starbucks. Despite the small number of overall injunctions, the large number of unfair labor practice complaints – and the eventual 48 out of 49 findings of violations – might support the rare use of injunctions in this case.

If the Supreme Court rules in favor of Starbucks, the overall impact seems unclear.

For one thing, the court will have picked one test over another without any proof that one is more likely to result in an injunction or not. In addition, the underlying unfair labor practice case has been resolved, since the workers have gotten their jobs back and their workplace has joined a union.

What’s more, Starbucks has agreed to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement with the union – which has continued to make inroads at the company’s coffee shops.

Because the NLRB rarely seeks injunctions, the fact that this issue has obtained enough importance for consideration by the Supreme Court seems odd considering its valuable time and the limited number of cases it can consider each year. But let’s see what the court’s majority decides.

[bingusmode]

Trial by Fire

Pyro x Female Reader

AN: your class is called “Assist” in this

“Have you guys every noticed how creepy Pyro is?”

Scout drew another card as Spy took a drag from his cigarette, barely casting Scout a glance.

“The unstable psychopath that we’ve been colleagues with for years? Yes Scout, we’ve noticed. How observant you are”

Demoman barked out a laugh, throwing his head back. Nearly tipping out of his chair, Engineer being the one to stabilize him.

It was a calm night at base, a rarity in their profession. While Scout, Spy, Solider, Demo, and Engineer played cards. Medic and Heavy were lingering behind them, discussing the differences between Russian and German literature. Sniper was settled in a cracked, leather chair, hat over his eyes to catch the sleep he often didn’t get.

“Go Fish!” Solider slammed an Ace on the table.

“Solider, we’re playing Texas hold ‘em, not Go Fish,”

Engineer handed Solider back his card, him being the only one at the table to had enough patience for the merc at the moment.

“Go to hell Spy, that’s not what I meant,” Scout snapped out, trying to lean over and see what hand Demo had.

“Then pray tell, what do you mean?” Spy glanced at Scout, smoke billowing from his mouth.

“I mean, every time Assist is around, so is Pyro. He followers her like a lost puppy”

Spy paused, shifting his eyes to the far corner of the room.

Assist wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary. Just playing on her game boy, while Pyro loomed behind her, watching her play.

Spy narrowed his gaze before looking back at the hand he had, Shifting his card around.

Engineer drew another card, clearing his throat to speak.

“Now that you mention it, it’s pretty rare that I’ve seen Assist alone…”

“That’s what I’m talkin’ about! He hasn’t left her alone since she got to base”

“What? You suggesting he’s got feelings or something?” Engineer quickly slapped a hand over Demos mouth, glancing up to make sure Pyro didn’t hear.

“Keep your voice down, the last thing I wanna do is piss him off…”

Thankfully Pyros attention was still focused on game Assist was playing.

Spy sets down his cards, a royal flush.

“So what if he does or doesn’t have feelings? Frankly I would like to know less about our firebug colleague”

Engineer, Demo, and Scout reluctantly fold. Solider slams down another card.

“Go Fish! Final offer!”

Engineer pulls Solider back again, getting him out of Spy’s face.

“I agree with Spy, no need getting in his business”

“I disagree”

Engineer jumps at Medics sudden appearance behind him

“I apologize my friend, but I think it’s rather interesting…why don’t we test Scouts theory”

Demo stands up abruptly, grabbing his bottle of hooch

“I’m out, enjoy killing yourselves”

While Spy counts his winnings, he turns his attention towards Medic.

“And how would you go about such an experiment?”

Medic grins, pushing up his glasses

“Well…”

Trial 1:

“A check up?”

Assist looked confused, she had just gotten hers at the beginning of the year. Behind her, Pyro tilted his head

“Yes yes, just the standard checkup. Blood work, psychical, making sure your bones are in the right place”

“Why wouldn’t my bones be in the right place-“

“That’s why you need a check up,”

Assist looked wary, but knew it’s probably best to trust the good doctor

“Okay, I guess if it’s necessary…”

“Excellent! It will be quick, no worry”

Medic rushed her into the medical bay, Pyro tailing behind her.

“Ah ah, I’m sorry Pyro, you must stay out here. Doctor - Patient privacy, you understand.”

Pyro stared blankly at him before taking a seat in the waiting room.

Hands clasped and eyes ahead.

“She’ll be back out in a bit”

Medic smiled before going into the medical bay himself.

3 hours, Assist had been here for 3 hours while Medic checked to see If any of her bones were missing.

“Doc, I’m not trying to doubt your expertise but-“

“Almost done! These X Rays can be hard to read”

In reality, he was keeping an eye on the timer. Hours had passed and it was time to see if his theory had been right.

“Done! All good, no bones are missing”

Assist hops off the patient table, making her way to the doors with Medic behind her.

“Didn’t know it would take so long”

“Bone medicine isn’t an exact science, it takes time and effort”

Medic opens the door for her and just as he thought, there sat Pyro. Sitting in the exact position he started in.

Pyro jumped up once he saw Assist, having a complete change in demeanor.

“Mmmp! Mhmm Mphm Mhm”

“Doc says I’m all good, but I’m starving”

Medic watched as the two walked off, Pyro talking animatedly with his hands.

Very interesting indeed.

Trial 2:

Assist sprinted through Two Fort, hands filled with metal to give to Engineer. She glanced behind her to the Blue Scout that was tailing behind her.

She gritted her teeth and pushed herself harder. While she was sneakier than Scout, she definitely wasn’t faster. His footsteps got louder behind her and she felt him grab her scalp and yank her down to the floor.

“Fuck!”

Assist hit the floor hard, the metal she was carrying clanging down around her.

“Sorry doll, if it’s any consolation, I won’t bash in your pretty face”

“It’s not you dick!”

Assist hissed between her teeth, preparing herself for the uncomfortable feeling that came with respawning.

Cloaked with a butterfly knife raised was the Red Spy, ready to attack.

He stopped once he saw a flash of red and felt the warmth of flame thrower.

The Blue Scout screamed and crumpled to the floor, twitching as the flames consumed him.

Pyro stood unmoving and unwavering until the Scouts body was nothing but ash.

“Mmm Hhpmm?”

“My head hurts…”

Spy watched as Pyro helped Assist to her feet, gathering up some of the metal she dropped while he did so.

“Hmmm Hphmm”

“But I need to get these to Engineer-“

“Mphm!”

“Medic is probably busy-“

Pyro put his hand on the small of Assists back and gently pushes her forward, holding the metal she collected for her.

Before they leave the room, Pyro turns and looks right at the spot where Spy stood.

It felt as if Pyro was looking right at him.

Spy ignored the shiver that went down his spine as the pair left, making a mental note to avoid the arsonist for the day.

Trial 3:

Another successful job meant another long ride back in the van. Night had fallen and Engineer was plucking at his guitar strings as everyone unloaded. He tried not to look at Pyro and Assist, the former sleeping on her friends shoulder.

Everyone but them two knew about this “experiment” and Engineer wanted nothing part of it. He preferred to stay out of trouble and not charred.

The van came to a gentle stop once they were back at base, Heavy making sure to make the least amount of noise possible to not wake up Assist.

Engineer watched as everyone left the van in a drowsy state, all expect for Pyro and Assist. Pyro looked motionless, Engineer couldn’t gauge if he was asleep or awake.

Either way, he couldn’t just leave them in the van.

Cautiously, Engineer approached, moving to gently touch Assists shoulder to wake her up.

A gloved hand caught his wrist before he could do so.

Engineer looked into the black void that was Pyros mask.

He swallowed before gathering his nerve to speak.

“She can’t sleep here tonight Pyro, you know that,”

Pyro just stared back at him

“She’ll be sore tomorrow when she wakes up…”

After a few silent moments, Pyro let go of his wrist and gently shook Assist awake.

“Mmm? Back already?”

She stood on two shaky legs, stretching out, Pyro following suit. Assist bid Engineer Goodnight as Pyro helped her out of the van, guiding her in her half asleep state.

Engineer was left in the van, alone with his suspicions and the night critters

Interlude:

“In conclusion, he is not a sociopath like I thought, but something else entirely. His feelings towards Assist prove it”

Medic cheerily declared, hands clasped behind his back,”

Spy twirled around a cigarette, leaning back in his chair

“And what do we do with this information?”

“I’ll tell you what we’ll do,”

Scout piped up, putting both hands on the table. His face sporting a smile that went ear to ear

“We’re gonna tease the hell of him”

“Lad, do you really think that’s a good idea?”

Demo took a swig of his drink

“He’ll make s’mores over your corpse”

“The bastard has a crush, and I’m not supposed to tease him? What is this? Summer camp?”

Spy flicks ash in Scouts direction

“Whatever you do boy, leave us out of it. I have a feeling Pyro is onto us”

Scout laughs

“No way, I’m not missing this golden opportunity”

Spy flicks his lighter closed

“I look forward to speaking at your funeral”

Trial 4:

A hand slammed itself on the table, almost spilling Assists drink. Pyro being the one to steady it.

Assist let out a sign before glancing up, not please to have their dinner interrupted

“Can I help you Scout?”

“You. Me. Dinner tomorrow”

All action in the cafeteria stopped as all the attention turned on them.

Engineer covered both of Solider and Demo man’s mouths. Medic leaned forward on his elbows, curious to see how this would turn out. Heavy said a quick prayer for Scout while Spy huffed, rolling his eyes.

“I’m sorry?”

“You know we’ve got something between us, so let’s make it official,”

Scout leaned in closer while Assist leaned back to maintain distance.

Everyone wasn’t watching Scout, but Pyro to see his reaction.

Nothing, so far it was nothing, Pyro sat still and stared at Scout, his expression unreadable.

“…no, I’m good Scout, but thanks? I guess?”

A collective sigh of relief swept through the Cafeteria, no murder would be committed today.

Scout shrugged and backed away

“Hey babe, it’s your loss”

Never once did Pyros gaze leave Scout, like he was hunting him.

Medic looked disappointed if anything

“I’m surprised Pyro didn’t do anything, I was hoping for more conclusive results”

Spy passed a cigarette to Medic, then his lighter

“Be grateful we don’t have to mop blood off the floors”

End of Experiment:

Thwip Click

Thwip Click

Scout turned in his sleep, the unknown sound starting to drag him away from his unconscious state

Thwip Click

He sat up and rubbed his eyes, glancing at the clock reading 3:00 am.

Scout grumbled and went to go back to sleep but the light in the corner of his room made his blood run cold.

Thwip Click

Pyro was flicking his lighter on and off, staring right ahead at Scout. Repeatedly making the flame spark and extinguish.

“Heyyy Pyro, watcha, watcha doin buddy?”

Thwip

This time, the lighter stayed on as Pyro stood to his full height

“I didn’t mean anything by it, I was just teasing you know?” Scout started to sweat, realizing now that his actions do have consequences.

Pyro took one step closer

“I won’t do it again okay? I promise I’ll leave her alone, just please don’t hurt me”

Scout begged, and Pyro stopped in his tracks.

Click

The lighter went out, leaving Scout in the dark. He searched blindly for something to defend himself with, but before he could. The door opened and Pyro left, leaving Scout unharmed physically but not mentally.

At least now he knew better than to mess with what belonged to Pyro.

[mariacallous]

When access to reproductive health care is threatened in the United States, a growing number of women stock up on abortion medications to keep on hand in case they need the pills in the future, new research shows.

A study analyzed 48,404 requests for “advance provision” abortion medications made to Aid Access, an Austria-based nonprofit offering telehealth abortion services in the US, between the beginning of September 2021 and the end of April 2023.

Most doctors in the US do not let patients order abortion pills before they’re pregnant. “It’s definitely something that’s never been standard practice here,” says Abigail Aiken, the principal investigator of the Self-Managed Abortion Needs Project (Project SANA) at the University of Texas at Austin, who led the study. In recent years, though, interest in “advance provision” has been on the rise, with a limited number of telehealth services giving patients the option to prepare in case abortion access is curtailed in their area.

Aiken’s study shows that demand for abortion pills made by women who weren’t yet pregnant spiked during events when reproductive health care access appeared under threat. This matters, because in 2024, the US will face its next big test for reproductive freedoms, when the US Supreme Court hears a case challenging access to mifepristone, one of the two drugs typically used in a medication abortion. If the court sides with the anti-abortion activists who brought the case against the US Food and Drug Administration, medication abortion access may be in jeopardy nationwide. With this potentially hazardous change on the horizon, it’s likely that even more people will start stocking up.

According to Aiken’s findings, requests were at their highest immediately following the Dobbs decision leak in May 2022, which signaled that Roe v. Wade would be overturned. From a baseline of around 24.8 requests a day, Aid Access saw an influx of 247.3 requests per day following the Dobbs leak. After this rush, requests jumped again after the Dobbs decision was finalized, averaging 89.1 per day. Most recently, requests rose once again, following conflicting court decisions in April 2023 regarding access to mifepristone, one of the two drugs commonly offered in the abortion pill protocol. Aid Access received an average of 172.1 per day.

“This is a way of taking back some control,” Aiken says. “Of being in control of your own reproductive destiny.”

One striking finding from this new research breaks down the type of people who are able to take advantage of advance provision. Compared with patients who request abortion pills for immediate use, patients who purchase abortion pills in case they become pregnant in the future tend to be significantly older, to live in low-poverty regions, and to not have any other children. They also tend, overwhelmingly, to be Caucasian. White women make up 70 percent of Aid Access' advance provision requests, compared to 39 percent of requests for abortion pills for immediate use.

This access gap demonstrates that there’s a need for more outreach, to ensure everyone who might need this medication can get ahold of it. “The potential of advance provision is amazing,” says Dana Northcraft, the founding director of the Reproductive Health Initiative for Telehealth Equity and Solutions. But she sees it as a limited tool right now. “It’s not going to be a panacea. I don’t think it will reach those who most need care, especially people of color and people struggling to make ends meet.”

“We can’t say for sure what these demographic differences are telling us, but one possibility is that there are barriers to advance provision for certain groups, including financial barriers,” Aiken says. One issue that will need to be addressed is cost. While services like Aid Access offer sliding scale options for people who are financially struggling, paying for medication that isn’t an immediate necessity can be harder to justify for people with limited resources. “If it’s between getting pills and paying rent—which we know it is for a lot of people—you might say yes if you need the pills right away, but it’s a different calculus for advance provision.”

These findings suggest that people who might greatly benefit from access to advance provision aren’t able to access the services, but this does not mean they don’t want the services. “We find that the people most interested and supportive of advance provision of medication abortion are those who face barriers accessing reproductive health care,” says Antonia Biggs, a social psychologist at Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH), a research program based at the University of California, San Francisco. “Thus, as barriers to care increase, as they are in the current policy context, we anticipate demand for advance provision to grow.”

[morlock-holmes]

Richard Hanania is still bugging me.

He is a right-wing intellectual who recently wrote a book called "The Origins of Woke: Civil Rights Law, Corporate America, and the Triumph of Identity Politics".

The Amazon blurb says,

"For those angry about wokeness and what it has done to American institutions, this book offers concrete suggestions regarding policies that can move us back to being a country that emphasizes merit, individual liberty, and color-blind governance."

Anyway, in August of 2023, the Huffington Post broke the story that in the teens, he wrote online under the pen name "Richard Host"

Richard Hanania, a visiting scholar at the University of Texas, used the pen name “Richard Hoste” in the early 2010s to write articles where he identified himself as a “race realist.” He expressed support for eugenics and the forced sterilization of “low IQ” people, who he argued were most often Black. He opposed “miscegenation” and “race-mixing.” And once, while arguing that Black people cannot govern themselves, he cited the neo-Nazi author of “The Turner Diaries,” the infamous novel that celebrates a future race war.

Hanania has admitted that the Huffpost story is correct.

Even five years ago, the media could set the narrative, tell people what was important, and how they should react to any particular story. We appear to be moving past the worst of the cancellation trend. Most outside of a certain echo chamber realize this kind of reporting is contemptible. The goal is not to engage with ideas, but to simply silence a person and remove them from polite company. To not have to discuss their ideas on account of other ideas they put forward at a different time of their life and which they may no longer even believe in.

Man, good thing cancel culture has been rejected, so that saying,

“We’ve known for a while through neuroscience and cross-adoption studies... that individuals differ in their inherent capabilities. The races do, too, with whites and Asians on the top and blacks at the bottom,” Hoste wrote in the 2010 essay, titled “Why An Alternative Right Is Necessary.” “If the races are equal,” Hoste wrote, “why do whites always end up near the top and blacks at the bottom, everywhere and always?”

Is absolutely no obstacle to becoming a respected scholar of civil rights.

Wait a second... I'm not sure we've landed at the correct equilibrium.

Hanania is not a guy who makes TikTok videos about fancy cakes but said some unrelated objectionable things 15 years ago.

He is an author and the founder of a right-wing think tank who hopes to, and probably does, have significant influence on the direction of conservative ideas about civil rights law. His views on civil rights are directly related to his job.

Especially if, like, he was just actively lying to people about how he came to his conclusions as recently as may of this year

Here's an excerpt from a speech Hanania gave to the Yale Federalist Society on April 3 of 2023:

I’m glad to be here talking about woke institutions and civil rights law. I have to say, I was ahead of the curve on this issue. It’s something I’ve been thinking about since I was in law school. I graduated from the University of Chicago in 2013, and my 1L summer I worked for an organization called the Center for Individual Rights, which argued the Gratz and Grutter cases. And I learned a lot while working there about how government forces institutions to be conscious of race and sex. So, for the last decade, from 2011 on, as I was doing other things in life, I would talk to people about all these things government did to discriminate against whites and men, remove standards, get rid of standardized tests, etc. And one reason I was so passionate about this is that a lot of the fixes did not require legislation. Executive orders and judicial decisions are enough. But the Trump administration came and went, the Supreme Court got more conservative, and still nobody was listening to me. So finally I started writing on this topic myself, and now that I’m writing for the public instead of just trying to convince people one-on-one, I’m getting a better return on my efforts. Another reason what I’ve been arguing has caught on is that we saw the transformation in how institutions talk about race- and sex-related issues over the last decade. A lot of people are looking for answers. Who are these diversity bureaucrats saying all these crazy things? How did we end up with so many of them and where did they come from? And all this stuff that was more latent, of interest to legal nerds only in 2011, became much more part of the culture.

In 2010 Hanania wrote:

“The biggest enemies of the Black Man are not Klansmen or multinational corporations, but the liberals who have prevented an honest appraisal of his abilities and filled his head with myths about equality and national autarky,”

I'm not just trying to gratuitously point out how awful the things Hanania said were: I am pointing out that he just lied, blatantly, about the very field he is supposed to be an expert in.

And that's not something that happened years ago when he was just a law student, that's something he did this year.

Hanania knows that this stuff was not "latent, of interest only to legal nerds" back in 2011, because by then he had already spent years embedded in a subculture that was deeply concerned about this kind of thing. Nor, for that matter, was he simply, "trying to convince people one-on-one". He was writing under a pseudonym for numerous far-right websites.

And honestly, at this point the question is just "How much of this speech is a lie" but if less of it is a lie, than it looks way worse for Hanania.

When he joined the Center for Individual Rights he wasn't 15 years out from writing all that racist stuff, he was 3 years out. How much of it did he still believe? When he was an active racist back in law school, was he still planning on joining the Center for Individual Rights?

If the answer is yes, and the actions of a blatant racist and the "classical liberal" he has now become are essentially identical, then, uh, I'm sorry, but that seems like the kind of thing that might be a pretty important part of the story of wokeness.

If the answer is "No" then, well, we're still left with the fact that he just blatantly lied about how and why he reached his current conclusions. This story of someone who had a vague, wonkish interest in something obscure but just had to speak up when he realized it was getting out of control in the teens is an utter lie.

This is a man who has told very self-serving lies about how and why he has reached the conclusions that he has, lies that are designed to leave out crucial parts of any honest appraisal of wokeness, and who kept telling those lies until he was unable to get away with it, up to this year.

I think his willingness to lie about his own supposed field of expertise in order to sell books is pretty damning in itself, and that didn't happen 15 years ago, that happened this year.

[khaleesiofalicante]

Hi! Absolutely loved the last chapter of LDV!

I just wanted to ask for a few recommendations, mostly about trans people in sports competitions and events like the Olympics

You see, where I'm from, it's still a pretty "controversial" debate. People think trans people shouldn't be in sports because "they got an unfair place" let it be an advantage or disadvantage.

I know most of the people that say that, don't really care about trans people, they only care about excluding them.

But others are ignorant. Myself included. And I'd like to educate myself more about it, about the rights of trans people and how they are constantly discriminated (it can also be in other places, not only sports. God knows people like to turn a blind eye on that too) because I'll like to point out the discrimination and unfairness of all this, but I don't have enough knowledge to give a solid argument

Even with my friends, they agree with those people sometimes. And I know they don't do it out of cruelty rather than ignorance, but I would like to call them out and make them see the reality, not just what transphobic and misogynistic people tell them

Sooo, do you perhaps have some research or books about it? Anything is welcome! I've been wanting to ask this for so long, but I don't know why I just never got around to do it.

Thanks <3

Oh, I’m so glad you asked about this. The reason why I include these topics and information in my fics is to make people think and to encourage more conversations like this! Good on you for wanting to know more! 

The first thing is that each country (and its governing sports body) has its own regulations about including trans people in sports. But two common things across most countries are - a) it primarily affects trans women. They are the ones who are scrutinized and subjected to examinations and then banned from the sport. b) the main ‘test’ used to eliminate trans woman from sports (mainly athletics) is their testosterone level. Each country (and even the Olympics committee responsible for this) has a bar/standard for the acceptable testesterone level for female athletes for various sports and if you have more than this, you can’t compete in it. 

Now while the above might sound fair to many, the things to consider here are that 1) the limit they’ve set is concerningly low. This means that some cis women (like those who have PCOS or any other hormonal condition) might even be cut off because of this strategy to eliminate trans women from various sports. 

Some countries/states on the other hand, like certain states in America (As we’ll see in LDV) outright ban trans people from participating in certain sports. This includes Idaho, Texas, Tennessee, Alabama etc. At least 20 of them, if I’m not wrong. It’s the same in my country. In many countries too. 

You are so right to point out that a lot of people would actually prefer trans women out of sports because they think trans women take up spaces that are meant for (cis) women. But if you really think about this, this whole “trans women are trying to take your place” argument was created to distract us from the real barrier to women’s sports - which is the patriarchy (this is a whole other topic and I can rant all day). But pitting cis women against trans women for the sake of ‘fairness’ is truly awful, but we do see it happen a lot - mostly out of ignorance, not malice. 

I did however bring intersex into the conversation - because the experience of intersex athletes are so different from that of trans athletes. Some intersex people don’t even know they are intersex, and then they suddenly find out about it when they are put in situations like this where their participation in a sport is banned/eliminated because of their testosterone level. The people who are usually targeted are masculine-looking and extremely well-performing athletes in women’s sports. If you fall into this category, then you might be asked to do a testosterone test (just because!) and then you might be eliminated from the sport. 

But wait. It gets worse. We’ve had actual cases where intersex athletes have had forced surgeries performed on them under the guise of allowing them to perform in the sporting event. Can you believe this is an actual thing that is happening and people aren’t talking about it? Some famous case studies you can read/watch about is Caster Semanya (which is very recent and literally ongoing). 

I didn’t know much about this either (I learned about it in my sexuality class) and decided to include it in LDV because it seemed so fitting. But I’m glad you want to know more. 

Here are some quick resources. I’m sharing both reading and watchable materials depending on your learning preference. 

VIDEOS:

A great!!! video about understanding trans people in sports - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Fb48tivB-0

Intersex people and their olympic experiences - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rAHqh9OghY AND https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWP6OuifFOw

READING MATERIALS: 

A good introductory article that has some research too

A case study about intersex people and the olympics

https://www.katrinakarkazis.com/testosterone-an-unauthorized-biography (Definitely read Katrina’s work!)

I hope this is helpful. Keep looking for answers and ask good questions! 

[burningknucklecraftworks]

Griffin and Sword Targe for Fergus O'Dae

This is a build log for a late period Scottish targe for Fergus O'Dae, a border reaver and rising star of the Northshield Army. The Griffin and Sword is our Award of Arms-level award for excellency in armored combat.

Before starting the design, I layed out my idea using Heraldicon, a free website built to be even more powerful than Drawshield for assembling coats of arms. I thought it would be very fetching to have the Northshield populace badge outlined in the brass studs characteristic to targes, with the griffin and sword represented with different colored metals.

Laying out the carving and the tacks. A missed step in this album is cutting the wooden core. I actually already had a 20" round of plywood lying around. It wasn't actually a shield blank; it was the center cutout of a wooden ring I made to hold the 3.5' long bolts on our giant electrical wire spool in a specific pattern so I could reassemble the whole thing.

The griffin layout. Many thanks go to Heraldic Traceable Art and Heraldicon as well as the /r/heraldry community for maintaining so many Creative Commons vector assets. I've used this griffin asset by Gunnvôr (Viking Answer Lady) so many times.

With the leather dried it's much easier to see the layout lines. Here's a spot I can make some big improvements on next time: I attached the leather before trimming it to a proper round, and then I didn't fully tack down the back before beginning the layout process. The wood I used was pretty trashy plywood so my drawing and carving surface is also extremely bumpy underneath the leather.

At this stage I began to carve the central award badge with my swivel knife. I need to see if there's swivel knives for children with arthritis because my bog standard Tandy knife gives me hella hand cramps and extreme inflammation on my thumb-palm muscles.

Your eyes do not deceive you: I did in fact have a crisis of attention span and pivoted from carving the badge to outlining the compass rose in brass tacks. The majority of the tacks used for this project are 7/16" low dome brass tacks from Crazy Crow Trading Post down in Texas. I also used 1/2" high dome and 1/4" dome tacks from the same shop.

Lining up the 1/4" tacks. I actually hadn't planned to do these lines initially, but I had to emergency order more tacks and tossed these in for greater variety. I love the end result of this decision. If you tuckered out your arm hammering in 2/3 of the outline tacks with a ball peen, a drill press can take over in a pinch. I really need to get a stool for the drill press.

Tacks complete! We can carve again now.

Added some obligatory trinity knots. It's not Scottish if it doesn't have a triskelion or a trinity knot, dontcha know?

(Sarcasm aside, check out the targe used by Donald Cameron of Lochiel, the Cameron Clan Chief who was a prominent Jacobite commander throughout the 1745 campaign. Post period for the SCA but who's counting? Photo from Paul Macdonald of Macdonald Armories in Scotland.)

All trinity knots cut, one carved, and I began to add a braid motif too.

...Aaaaand here's improvement opportunity number 2. I was low on time and hand strength so I decided to dye the leather before I carved the braids, but after I cut them. I also picked Fibbings Medium Brown for my dye without doing test patches, and used the standard daubers to apply it. That is three Big Mistakes in a row, and only one is actually justifiable in any way. The result is an extremely uneven dye job that completely washes out the uncarved braids. If I'd given myself one more week to do this scroll, I would've had more rest time for my hands and I think I wouldn't have made these mistakes, but in a way I'm grateful I did because now I know to schedule more time for working on scrolls for the next assignment. Plus, I try to remember what Samii of SunCat Designs says about art: "the mistakes are what make it human".

Because this is an SCA award, I chose to swap the traditional deerhide backing for glued muslin and paint. I then taped off my handle locations and handed it off to my spouse @dustycymbre for the award scroll text. They used their default uncial hand, which is my favorite of their script hands.

Traditional targes have a small brass center boss. When I originally conceived of this award, I had imagined the griffin in brass with a tinned sword, but I haven't actually tried chase and repousse yet and struck upon a different method of making the center griffin allude visually to the center bosses: carve it directly into the leather and then gild it. This particular stage is sealing the carving with Ecoflow Cova Color leather paint, to provide a smooth surface for the glue (also know as gild size).

Cova Color white shouldn't be directly applied to damp dyed leather like this because it soaks up the brown like a sponge. My brightest white application is my H-shield, which dried for about a week before I painted it.

Another ADHD swing of focus: needed to have a long phone conversation with my spouse and bro in law and stitching is a far less active hand activity for me than The Thing I've Never Done Before, so I stitched up the strap and handle. Here the handle is inside out in a jar of water to get nice and soft for turning. 

I stitched a rabbit hide into the interior of the arm strap. It's soft and a little padded, and I think it looks quite fetching. To figure out the right strap length for the recipient's ridiculously beefy arm that helped him earn this award, I asked my former football player bro in law for his arm circumference and then rooted around the house for a pickel jar of the same diameter. Stitch width awls are your friend. One of the top ten tools I own for sure. 

Turning out the handle. This took a lot of hand strength and chopstick finagling. I'm genuinely looking forward to making Kat the Herald's purple shoes because they'll be easier to turn than this fucker. 

Fit check. Look at that beautiful wet shaping on the handle! At this point I felt a level of actual mastery of my craft. I think I can really call myself a leatherworker now. I still have so much to learn and improve, but I feel comfortable. It feels good. 

With the handles done, it's back to gilding. According to the Pinterest mommy blogs, you can skip the professional artist size and use watered down mod podge for the gilding process. I gambled on them being right, whipped out my pack of silver, copper and gold foils, and got down to business. I used a tiny but cheap paint brush to apply the thinned glue to the sword, let it dry a little, and then applied the silver foil. I tapped at it with a napkin through a flour sack towel, let it dry a little and brushed off the excess with a second and much fluffier brush. 

The Pinterest pinnsters aren't entirely wrong about mod podge, but they aren't entirely right either. I had to add more glue and gilding foil like eight times. This is after one of the last additions, but before I brushed away the excess. Mod podge doesn't want to work on the irregular curves of carved leather. The dry time to tackiness was also imprecise and very very short, which made applying the delicate foil correctly very difficult. 

I finally had to give up. There were just too many spots that would not take foil at all. I grabbed my Stewart Semple Heavy Metals box set, pulled out the Goldest Gold, and painted over the bare spots. At this angle, the difference in reflection angles and quality is obvious. The paint is so much more yellow. But deadlines are deadlines, and imperfections make it human. 

This angle is much more favorable. I find myself in love with the effect of the gilding over the carving on the feathers. I need to get good at gilding. 

And here she is signed by Their Majesties Northshield, in the warm lights of the Sioux Falls Coliseum stage. Fergus loves it and it got a lot of ooos and ahs from the populace. I had a lot of fun in spite of some of the frustrations of this build, and I'm excited to try another targe with even more accuracy at some point.

[highwaytothedangerzone502]

Foxtrot Alpha Alpha - Chapter 1

Pairing: Hangman x Female OC

Word Count: 1868

Warnings: Bad home life

Summary: Hangman learned his lesson a long time ago to never show his true feelings when someone's words or actions hurt him. To do so showed weakness that could be exploited, and Seresin men couldn't show weakness. Of course, there was an exception to every rule, and Jake's always came in the form of women, three in particular: his mom, Juliette Kazansky, and the girl whose name he could no longer bring himself to speak. She was the girl that got away; she was his biggest 'what if' and his biggest regret; she would forever be the ghost that haunted his dreams. Jake believed that's where she'd stay, for he would surely never see her again after what he did.

Or so he thought.

Notes: Thie is the sequel to India Lima Yankee; I'm using the same callsign for the Female OC as in Ghost Story because I just really like it, but they are different characters; chapters in italics are flashbacks.

Chapter Songs: Run Here

****

Hangman

From the outside looking in, the Seresin family had it all: a big house, a successful business that continued to grow, and the perfect family. Jake wished people saw the truth- the screaming matches behind closed doors, the tears that rolled down his mom's face afterward, the coldness of his dad, the impossible standards of perfection the Seresin patriarch expected of his kids.

No.

That he expected of Jake.

For some reason, one Jake had never been able to figure out, Michael Seresin always held his youngest son to the highest of standards, which Jake could never meet no matter how hard he tried. Getting an 'A' on a test wasn't enough. He needed that 'A-plus.' He didn't make varsity football his freshman year, which he had tried to explain that no freshman ever made varsity because of specific rules at the high school, but Michael Seresin wouldn't hear of it. Even when Jake became the first sophomore in his high school's history to join the varsity football team with a starting position as quarterback, it failed to satisfy his father. Natalie Seresin tried to atone for her husband's mistreatment, and Jake loved her for it, but he found himself avoiding his house as much as possible and hiding in his room whenever he did finally return, only coming down for meals.

His two older brothers- Nick and Matt- couldn't understand, nor did they try. They knew their father favored them and lorded it over Jake, rubbing it in viciously. They certainly took after their father. Jake ignored them, learning early on that if they failed to get a reaction out of him, they'd give up sooner on their taunting. It got better when they went off to college, but they always tried to start it up again when they returned home.

They were home now for the summer, working internships at the family business they would one day inherit. Michael Seresin expected Jake to follow in his footsteps as well, but Jake wanted nothing to do with it. He wanted out of that house, out of that town, and as much as he loved Texas, out of the state. Jake wanted to be as far away from his father as possible. He told his father he had no interest in joining the family business, which created a heated, nasty argument, ending with Michael calling Jake, and not for the first time, the greatest disappointment to ever pollute the Seresin family tree.

Jake left after that, going for a walk to clear his head and hide the tears that threatened to break free. Crying was a weakness, and 'true' Seresin men never showed weakness. He hated his life, and the second he could leave, he would. Where he'd go, he had no idea, but he'd figure it out.

As he walked through the woods, the shade of the trees providing some relief from the unrelenting heat and sun, the sound of a guitar caught Jake's attention. A melodic voice soon accompanied it, and unable to resist his rising curiosity, he followed the music. Carefully and silently approaching the location where it emanated from, Jake saw a familiar girl sitting on a blanket next to a small pond. She strummed on the guitar with skilled precision and sang the lyrics to what Jake now recognized as 'Run' by George Strait. He leaned against a tree, watching and listening, enjoying the show and impressed by her talent. The girl, wholly unaware of his presence, continued playing until the song ended. Then, deciding to announce himself rather than continue to stand there like a creep, Jake pushed himself off the tree and walked up to her, saying, "That was really good."

In the blink of an eye, she jumped up and swung her guitar at his head. Had Jake's reflexes kicked in a second later, he undoubtedly would be unconscious on the hard ground. He scrambled backward and out of strike range while she demanded, "What the hell?"

"Sorry! Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" Jake apologized, holding up his hands placatingly. "I heard you playing and came to check it out. You're the new girl at school. Annalise Blackwood, right?"

Recognition flickered in her eyes, and while she lowered her guitar, he still kept his distance. "Yeah. You're Jake Seresin."

"So you know me and still tried to knock me on my ass with a guitar?"

"The sun is directly behind you, so all I saw was a strange man approaching me," Annalise said indignantly. "What were you doing in the woods?"

"Wanted to go for a walk," Jake replied, twisting the truth. While he knew of Annalise, he didn't know her. He had no reason to trust her with the knowledge of his situation. "Why are you out here?"

"My sister has her new boyfriend over, I hate him, and I don't exactly have any friends here, so I came out here to practice my guitar."

"George Strait, right? 'Run'?"

"Yeah, it's my favorite song of his."

"You're really good," he praised sincerely. "How long have you known how to play guitar?"

Annalise sat on the blanket, gently resting the guitar next to her. "Since I was eight. My dad taught me, and I started teaching myself songs by ear."

"That's cool. I always wanted to learn how to play but never had the opportunity."

"How come?"

Jake shrugged, feigning nonchalance as he lied, "Sports and homework got in the way."

The truth was his dad wouldn't let him. Michael Seresin failed to see the value that learning a musical instrument provided. Jake couldn't come up with a plausible answer outside of the fact that he simply really wanted to learn, so his dad forbade him from learning.

"If you want to learn-" Annalise nodded at the guitar- "I can teach you."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, but you'd have to come sit down with me."

Jake raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you going to try and whack me again?"

"No plans at the moment."

Biting back a smile, he strolled over and sat next to her. Annalise placed the guitar in his lap. For the next couple of hours, she taught him the basics of how to play. Being the perfectionist he was, it frustrated Jake that he didn't pick it up immediately, but Annalise assured him he was picking it up quickly. Her calmness managed to lower his frustration, and Jake forced himself to focus on everything she said rather than on his failings.

When the four-hour mark hit, Annalise said, "I think that's enough for today."

Although he wanted to continue, Jake agreed, realizing she probably wanted to get home. "Thanks for teaching me today."

"You're welcome. If you want to learn more, just let me know. It's fun to teach someone how to play."

"Would you like me to walk you home?"

His question appeared to take Annalise aback, judging by the surprised eyebrow raise. "Only if you want to. It's not far. Just like five minutes."

"That's fine. I don't mind." Jake had been taught by his mother that a gentleman always made sure that a girl got back to her place safely. He might've only met Annalise a few hours ago, but she would be no exception. Plus, it extended his time away from his own home, an extra bonus. He waited for her to pack her things and picked up the guitar to carry home for her. When she told him he didn't need to, Jake insisted he help. "It's the least I can do."

"Well, thank you," Annalise replied, smiling gratefully at him. The pair began strolling through the woods back to her house. "May I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What were you really doing in the woods? No offense-" Annalise hesitated slightly before deciding to continue- "but I have a hard time believing someone like you simply wanted to go for a walk."

Jake bristled. "Why's that?"

"I don't know. It's just… you're the varsity quarterback. You're Mr. Popular. Surely you had friends to hang out with or football to practice?"

"I didn't. My friends are either out of town or working, and football practice doesn't start for a couple of weeks, so I have time to kill."

"I see. Sorry, you just didn't strike me as the time to take a nature walk in his spare time. That's all."

"I don't like being cooped up in the house. I like to be outside." What went unsaid was the fact he didn't want to be around his family. Desperate to move away from the subject, he asked, "I saw you had a book with you. What were you reading?"

"Oh, that. It's-" Annalise pulled out the massive book from her bag and handed it to him- "'The Complete Book of Fighters: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Every Fighter Aircraft Built and Flown.' I want to become a naval aviator, so I'm learning everything I can about all things jets. Of course, some in here weren't used by the US or the Navy, but it's still so interesting! I've read it a couple of times already."

"Damn, you could get some reps with this thing!" Jake joked, reveling at the weight of the book. "Why the Navy? Why not the Air Force?"

"My mom works with the Navy a lot, and I always felt a calling toward it. The idea of being up in a fighter jet in the open sky is my dream."

Jake flipped through the book, fascinated by the drawings and pictures. "I'll have to check this out one day."

"You interested in jets?"

"I am now," he admitted, handing it back to her. They stopped at the gate to her backyard. "Well, thanks for the lesson today."

"Any time. If you want more, just let me know."

"I'd need your number for that." Jake pulled out his phone. A smile tugged on Annalise's lips as she rattled it off for him to enter. 

"Nice meeting you, Jake," she said, taking her guitar from him. "I'll see you around."

"Yeah, see you around."

Jake waited to ensure the gate shut securely behind Annalise before turning around and heading to his own home. He smiled to himself, happy to have had a bright spot on the day that had started so miserably. Annalise probably expected him to forget her because she saw him as 'Mr. Popular,' and they ran in very different social circles, but Jake had no intentions of today's meeting being a one-off. Annalise may have only taught him how to play guitar, but he'd felt a connection with her, one he couldn't place. Jake would wait until at least tomorrow to text her. He had to keep appearances up by not acting too desperate to see her again. At least, that's what Jake told himself. Ultimately, he texted her that night, asking to meet soon.

To his surprise, Annalise responded almost immediately, saying: Same spot tomorrow? 10 am?

Jake grinned and shot off an answer: See you then.

He turned on his alarm and set his phone down on the nightstand, and, for the first time in years, he fell asleep with a smile on his face.

****

Tags: @lgg5989 @shanimallina87 @polikszena @summ3rlotus @icemansgirl1999 @supernaturaldawning @thedarkinmansfield @lyannaforpresident @lapilark @getmyprettynameoutofyourmouth @simpofthecentury @shadeops21 @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @double-j @bradshawsandbridgetons @majdoline @catsandgeekyandnerd @peachiicherries @multifandomcnova @fandomsstolemylife00 @bookloverhorses @mak-32

If you're on the tag list, it's because I copied from the India Lima Yankee tag list. If you don't wish to be tagged for this story, just let me know! If you're not on the tag list and want to be, comment below :)

[kandoros]

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/texas-can-ban-emergency-abortions-despite-federal-guidance-court-rules-2024-01-02/

Texas is taking the old idea of tossing a woman into a pond to test if she is a witch, and updating it to use with abortion. The new standard they're going with is this:

If a pregnant woman needs to have an abortion, gets one, and dies - then her life really was in danger and she was justified in trying to save herself.

But if she gets one and lives, then clearly her doctor was wrong about the prognosis and they should both be arrested for murder.

I used to (halfway) joke that the more accurate description for pro-lifers was forced-birthers, since they only cared that the baby was born no matter the effect on the mother's life or health.

But it's obvious now that they aren't even that. They don't care who lives or who dies, but only about being the ones who get to make that decision.

In their minds, women aren't really human beings. They're not even livestock, since they'd treat a cow they own with more compassion and understanding. They see women as nothing more than a tool for reproduction, and if the tool can't get the job done then they're happy to just throw it away.

[prettycottonmouthlamia]

NGL the genre of post that boils down to "there is no problem with the American education system, you're just an idiot" is funny when you apply it to someone who is genuinely just ignorant on purpose but like, is super fucking reductive and ignores that, yes actually there are major problems in an education system where the textbooks are all decided by some white guys in Texas and where excessive standardization and testing have done incredible harm!

I have very distinct memories of being in middle school and wondering why my history classes were going in-depth into only the cultures and histories of the Western world. Why weren't we going over the histories of nations like China, who were around just as long? I only really learned about them through intellectual curiosity and like, the fact that I owned books that told me they existed.

I didn't know the Kingdom of Mali existed until shortly after high school. It wasn't taught to me in either middle school or high school that Africa was even a continent that had a history I should care about. Learning more about it was something I had to do myself.

Yes, there's absolutely a personal responsibility aspect to it, and there are people who use this as an excuse, but to pretend there aren't deliberate blind spots, that there aren't engineered holes of knowledge in our curriculum, is to quite frankly ignore a legacy and history of racist pedagogy

[i-spaced-sorry]

Optimal Road Trip

Characters: Jay Halstead x Hailey Upton x Halstead!Sister Summary: Halstead!Sister gets math homework and decides it needs to become a reality. 

Square Filled: Road Trip for @resanoona  3K Fiesta Bingo (I hope this counts since it’s talking about planning a road trip)

Working overtime was standard when it came to tough cases, but the idea of getting to go home and have a rare day off for 3 days was always the best reward. However for Jay and Hailey, when they walked through their front door of their shared apartment, expecting to be able to fall into bed and pass out, instead they were greeted with a very hyper 17yr old Y/N. 

“Oh good! Your home! Guess what I got assigned to do for math homework!” exclaimed Y/N as she came barreling into the front hallway. 

“Well hello to you too Y/N” chuckled Jay while kicking off his shoes. 

You stopped bouncing and looked very serious, “Jayyyyy, guess.”

Sighing, Jay replied, “I don't know, you got assigned to go to bed?” He wasn’t in the mood for your hyperness at 6:30pm on a Friday, when he had been up and at the station or other crime scenes at 4am most days this week. 

Rolling your eyes, you replied, “In math this week we have been learning about graph theory! So our teacher Ms. Hunnicutt assigned us a project where we pick 5 cities, not including Chicago, and we have to find the most optimal route for a road trip! Isn’t that fun!”

Smiling to himself, Jay replied, “so much fun kiddo”

The couple and the youngest Halstead at this point had migrated to the couch in the living room. 

Once everyone was sat down comfortably, Y/N swiped her notebook from the coffee table and started opening it to a page, “My teacher was talking about how when she was in high school, she was assigned this project and her parents had actually taken her on the road trip she created, ya know to test out the theory.” she began. “So I was thinking maybe if you guys could get the time off, we could do that?” she added while finally flipping to the page she was looking for. 

Glancing at Hailey and glancing back at his sister, Jay sighed and spoke, “It depends on where you want to go. I’m not making any promises but I will hear you out on your city choices.”

And with that, Y/N smiled and began listing off her cities, “Okay, so we have Chicago - which doesn’t count - then we have New York City, any city in Puerto Rico - I need help in that realm of things - Portland Oregon, Appleton Wisconsin, and Houston Texas!” Once she listed off the cities, she looked up at her brother and sister in law and waited for them to say something…anything… but she was not prepared for what her brother did. 

Jay just started laughing. 

Furrowing her brows, Y/N asked, “What’s wrong with the cities I chose? New York would be so we could go see Aunt Erin. Puerto Rico would be so we can visit Uncle Antonio and Aunt Gabby, Portland was so we could see Uncle Casey, Houston was so we could see Uncle Rixton, and Appleton was so we could see Aunt Vanessa! I chose places I knew you guys would enjoy going to!” 

With Jay continuously laughing, Hailey spoke up, “Y/N, those are good options if you didn’t want to go on a real road trip, but we can’t go to most of those places in a real road trip”

“Why not?” whispered Y/N, clearly not as hyped as she was at the beginning of the conversation. 

Jay finally composed himself enough to side hug his sister and calmly respond, “Hailey is right kiddo. We a. Can’t possibly make it to Puerto Rico anytime soon. And both Uncle Rixton and Aunt Vanessa are deep undercover, so technically we can’t really even get in contact with them or even know where they are located at the moment.”

Your lip started to quiver as you began to tear the page out of your notebook, but before you got very far Jay stopped you. 

“But let’s all sit here together and come up with some cities we can visit. I liked your idea of visiting Aunt Erin and Uncle Casey.”

So for the next 45 minutes you, Jay, and Hailey all spitball cities and people you could visit in this fictional but real road trip.  

“So our final round of cities are as follows, 1. Chicago - which we said doesn’t count in the 5. 2. New York City - to see Aunt Erin, 3. Portland - to see  Uncle Casey, 4. Milwaukee - to visit the Halstead family cabin, 5. Wilmington - to visit the locations of my favorite show Dawson’s Creek, and 6. Malibu - to visit the location of Jay’s favorite show MASH” recited Y/N. 

Smiling, Hailey spoke, “I think those are some very nice cities and very feasible places we can visit. Jay and I will request PTO on Monday when we go in.”

Stretching his back and yawning, Jay adds, “Agreed, now if you don’t need us anymore. I think Hailey and I have a date with our pillows. Please don’t need us until at least 11 am tomorrow” and with that Hailey and Jay hugged Y/N and headed for their bedroom.

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

A Texas Republican who has led the charge to ban all-ages drag shows because of his deep concern over “the sexualization of our children” is facing allegations of inviting an intern to his home late on a weekend night and serving her alcohol even though she isn’t old enough to legally drink.

Texas state Rep. Bryan Slaton has reportedly had a complaint filed against him with the Texas state legislature that claims he had an “inappropriate relationship” with an intern.

A complaint filed with the House General Investigating Committee by a legislative staffer and obtained by The Texas Tribune, as well as a Tribune source with direct knowledge of the incident, said that Stanton called the intern, who is under age 21, after 10 p.m. on Friday, March 31, and invited her to his apartment, where he served her alcohol.

According to allegations in the complaint obtained by the Tribune, Slaton later showed that intern fake emails that claimed to have information about the incident in an apparent loyalty test, and told her not to tell anyone about the incident.

Slaton’s attorney denied the claims.

“We are aware of outrageous claims circulating online by second-tier media that make false claims against Representative Slaton,” Slaton's attorney Patrick Short said in a statement to The Texas Tribune. “As a result, he has been advised to forward all inquiries in this matter—including any that may relate to a possible complaint—to his legal counsel.”

Slaton, who is 45 years old, has spent more than a year denouncing all-ages drag performances, and last month he introduced a bill to ban drag shows from having kids in attendance.

“In the wake of these erotic drag performances sweeping our state, I committed last year to filing legislation that would stop this disgusting practice in the presence of children,” he said in a statement announcing the bill.

“The State has a duty to protect kids from being sexually exploited, and HB 4129 is the most comprehensive bill to stop the sexualization of kids by these performances,” he continued.

Slaton has previously blasted an all-ages drag show as a “grooming event.”

“This is just going to the grooming, the sexualization of our children,” he said last summer. “This comes down to decency, morality and ethics, and children should not be the object of your sexualization, your desires.”

Just days ago, after the incident with the intern allegedly occurred, Slaton posted a Bible passage warning against those who would lead children astray:

Slaton was absent from the Texas legislature last Thursday, a major legislative day.

The lawmaker has pushed for some other extreme laws as well. He proposed giving property tax cuts to straight, married couples—but not to married LGBTQ couples or those who have previously been divorced. He also filed a bill to allow Texans to vote on secession from the United States.

Texas Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan said that his office would look into the accusations.

“The Texas House does not tolerate misconduct or other inappropriate behaviors and takes all allegations related to these issues seriously,” he said in a statement. “I expect this matter to be addressed in a swift and thorough manner under the rules governing our chamber for the 88th Legislature and all applicable standards of conduct.”