#$3.71

[mtg-cards-hourly]

Mystic Speculation

Artist: Trevor Hairsine TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link

[bridgebeee]

Why are these pens so damn big??

[chososhairbuns]

list of palestinian fundraisers (part 5)

(part 1) (part 2) (part 3) (part 4)

next batch of fundraisers! if you are unable to donate, please at least reblog. a few of the fundraisers below have less than 5% of their goal met and could really use more people helping to spread their stories.

disclaimer: i do not vet fundraisers, nor am i in extensive contact with any of the people below. these are just people that reached out to me via my asks and messages, and i am only going off of information that has been provided to me through posts made by them and other people spotlighting them.

Ahmed, Eman, Zain, and Leen (@children-gaza) - €6,438/€15,000 (42.92%) // vetted by @/90-ghost (here) and @/northgazaupdates (here)

Ahmed Jehad (@ahmad-syam-blog) - $1,274 CAD/$40,000 (3.19%) // vetted by the collective Bees and Watermelons (#171 on this spreadsheet) // EXTREMELY LOW ON FUNDS

Ahmed Atila (@save-ahmed-family1) - €742/€20,000 (3.71%) // not yet vetted but appears legitimate // EXTREMELY LOW ON FUNDS

Aya Alanqar (@ayaalanqarsblog) - €8,953/€15,000 (59.69%) // vetted by @/90-ghost (here)

Yousef Jehad (@yousefjehad3) - $3,160/$15,000 (21.07%) // vetted by @/90-ghost (here)

Samah Hijazi (@savesmahfamily) - €155/€50,000 (0.31%) // not yet vetted but appears legitimate // EXTREMELY LOW ON FUNDS

Yousef Hussein (@adham-89) - $11,186/$50,000 (22.37%) // vetted by @/90-ghost (here)

Sameh Darar (@samhderar) - €337/€50,000 (0.67%) // not yet vetted but appears legitimate // EXTREMELY LOW ON FUNDS

Wafaa Resh (@wafaaresh6) - €27,462/€100,000 (27.46%) // vetted by @/90-ghost (here) -> Note: Wafaa's mother is chronically ill and requires treatment.

Mahmoud and Yasmin Al-Balawi (@yasminalbalawiigaza) - €36,123/€50,000 (72.25%) // vetted by @/90-ghost (here) -> Note: Mahmoud's parents are both chronically ill and require treatment.

[journey-to-the-attic]

Hi 👋 🚨plz don’t scroll 🚨

Iam writing to you, appealing to our shared humanity, to help me to share and reblog my story and my family’s fundraising campaign. 🙏

Iam Samer Abu Ras, my wife Shorouq, and our three children, including a baby 👶🏻 who is not yet two years old.

We are enduring unimaginable suffering due to the ongoing war, constantly moving from place to place in search of safety. We live in harsh conditions within tents, having lost our home and everything we owned. Our eldest son, Qusay, has had heart problems 💔since birth and urgently needs medical 💊follow-up after undergoing several surgeries. I humbly request a donation of 50 kronor more if you can my friend and if u can’t just support us enough for me.🌹 to help us travel to a safe place where we can continue Qusay’s treatment and provide a better life for our children.

In conclusion, my family and I thank you 🌺from the bottom of our hearts for accepting our message. ❤️🌹❤️

Note: My friend, if you wish to donate, note that the currency used in the fundraising campaign is the Swedish krona. Every 50 kronor is equivalent to 5 $dollars, 100 kronor is equivalent to 10 $dollars, and so on.

My friends, my appeals may seem repetitive to you, and I apologize if my requests cause any inconvenience. However, I need your continuous support. Thank you for your understanding.🙏🌹❤️

hi samer, your family is so beautiful! please bear with me, i'll see if i can get you on a friend's broadcast list - she's much better at networking than me and will hopefully be able to get it in front of people who will be able to donate. i'll keep this saved and hopefully i'll also be able to donate once i'm liquid enough!

to everyone else! i've checked and the fundraiser is legitimate and has been declared so by palestinian users - the goal is 450 000 SEK, which is equal to 33,388.90 GBP, or 43,855.97 USD, or 39,637 EUR. as samer says, 50 SEK is about 5 USD - which is thus about 4.40 EUR and 3.71 GBP.

gfm link

samer's story + further cited vetters, samer's pinned post

[threebodybot]

undefined

m1=16.0 m2=6.4 m3=7.5 (solar masses) v1x=3.71 v1y=4.035 v2x=5.954 v2y=1.919 v3x=5.849 v3y=1.101 (km/s) x1=-32.0 y1=-16.0 x2=26.0 y2=4.0 x3=11.0 y3=-24.0 (AU from center) Music: Adagio for Strings – Barber

[mysimsloveaffair]

 An hour or so after picking Maia up from her dad’s house, we are on the train and returning to Brindleton Bay. We talk briefly about the visit with Maia’s dad, which ends with her apologizing several times about the threats. Then I tell her about Luca, whom I met while exploring. (**links to these posts below)

After that, Maia and I don’t do a lot of talking. Eventually, with her head on my shoulder, she falls asleep, giving me quiet time to think about everything that happened during this short trip.

Meeting Luca is one of the best things to happen this weekend. Not only because I don’t have a lot of male friends but also because talking to him opened my eyes to things in my relationship with Maia. He talked about making some big moves, which I know, in his case, means marriage. I may not be ready for marriage yet, but it might be time also start making some moves.

With my decision settled in my mind, I close my eyes and join Maia in sleep the rest of the way home.

Luca was created by @storiesbyjes2g. Below are the (tumblr) links to the Dub and Luca collab posts...

Part 3.71 – Detrailed: Luca plans to walk along the lake and think about next steps with Sophia, but a curious stranger interrupts his thoughts.

Part 3.72 – The Ambassador: Luca does his best to talk up San Sequoia, but he’s not really good at it.

Part 3.73 – Solidarity: Luca and Dub share a meal and their hearts about their relationships.

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.71 Derailed

When we got to Chi Chi's, Karmine hadn't gotten home yet, and I was relieved. She was a sweet kid and all, but man could she talk. I probably wouldn't have made it out once she cornered me. Ha, and now that she was a teenager, she probably had even more to say and gave Chi Chi a run for her money. Bless that child. I left from there and went immediately to Gilbert Gardens, feeling only 8% guilty that I didn't stop at Dad's. He would ask great questions and try to help me talk through it, but this was something I needed to do on my own. Sophia and I had many discussions about the future, and I sensed the urgency to seriously consider our next steps, especially since she had been prepared for quite some time. I was too, in theory, but that was the problem. My next move needed to come from the heart, not from panic or pressure. I wanted to make my request confidently, with a clear conscience and a pure heart.

A man I'd never seen before interrupted my thoughts. He looked pretty young, maybe fresh out of high school. His super light eyes struck me, and I halfway believed they were real. Gray wasn't an unusual color, but they seemed to glow against his dark skin.

"Excuse me," he said. "Sorry to bother you. I'm Wade."

"Luca. Nice to meet you."

"Yeah, same here. Look, this is my first time here, and I have a few hours to kill. Would you mind suggesting a few things to do around here?"

Ah ha! He was a tourist. Of course, I didn't know everyone in San Sequoia, but I usually saw the same sims everywhere.

"It's your first time in San Sequoia?"

"Yeah."

"Cool. Well, welcome. I love it here. Hoping to move back soon. But sure, I can help you out."

"Thanks! I appreciate that."

So much for my thoughtful walk. Did I really need it, though? I loved Sophia. Everyone loved Sophia, and I already considered her my family. When I thought about the future, she was all I saw. She and the rest of our family. What was there to think about? It's not like I needed to decide if I wanted to be with her forever. I just needed to do it. There was no such thing as the right time, and knowing Sophia, I didn't need to craft an elaborate plan. Just ask, and let the chips fall.

With that out of the way, my mind, and calendar, were free to help this guy. He was fortunate to approach me because he wouldn't find a bigger fan of San Sequoia.

"Actually, I have some time," I said. "I could show you a few of my favorite spots, if you want."

Those super bright eyes of his seemed to glow even brighter.

"Would you? That would be incredible!"

"Of course. How long are you here for?"

"Just for the day. Gotta catch the evening train."

"Where to?"

"Brindleton Bay."

"Oh, nice. I've never been, but my mom used to live there."

Wade shrugged dismissively.

"It's an okay place. I'm originally from Henford, and moving to BB had it's challenges. I posted a video about it on my SimTube channel."

"You're on SimTube? That's kinda crazy because I just started a channel. What are your videos about?"

"Some of them are personal vlogs, but I also do a series listing the top things to see in different towns. Maybe I'll do one about San Sequoia. What about you? What are your videos about?"

Wow, this guy seemed heavy into SimTube. He probably had thousands of followers and made all kinds of money. Maybe we could stay in touch, and he could teach me a thing or two about growing my channel.

"Uhh, heh, well, I've only done one so far, but I'm a yoga instructor. I do simple routines that anyone can follow and learn. So, I take it you travel a lot?"

"Not as much as I plan to. I've only covered Henford and Batuu so far. I'm currently working on one for Brindleton Bay, but like I said, the place is going to take some getting used to. The entire town smells like fish!"

"Eww. Really?"

Mama didn't talk about her single life much, but I think I'd remember her saying her city smelled like fish. I'd have to ask her about that.

"I think most places have their own set of challenges, though," I continued. "Like, I recently moved to Oasis springs. I love how it's warm all the time, but man is it dusty!"

He threw his head back and let out a hearty laugh.

"Dust might be just as bad as fish!"

"It might be! Which is worse: a constant bad smell or feeling like you're dirty all the time?"

Wade was so animated and fun to watch. My question made his face wrinkle up as if the whole world suddenly reeked of fish.

"Okay, you win! Filth is the absolute worst!"

His outfit was so sleek and fancy, it was clear he liked things neat. He also looked pretty fit, so I knew what our first activity had to be.

"You workout, Wade?"

"Most definitely! Gotta look good for the ladies, right?"

"Absolutely!"

We vibe'd well, and I liked him. I bet he'd be really fun to party with.

"Nah, but seriously," he said, "my dad's obsession with fitness has rubbed off on me. Oh, and you can call me Dub. Most sims do."

I grinned at the thought of us becoming friends.

"Okay, Dub. You ready for a scenic run?"

"I stay ready!"

Your eyes have not deceived you. THEE Wade "Dub" Banks from @mysimsloveaffair's The Banks Dynasty is in the building! Thanks so much for letting me borrow him and spark this amazing friendship.

If you don't know Dub, check out her story! It's one of my favorites.

Also...I guess him meeting Luca officially puts aDOLTing in the Pierson Cinematic Universe! Dub is Kai's oldest son, the one who climbed with Nate on Mt. Komorebi.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved on our archive

By - Nicola Davis

Immunologists push for increase in testing and more widespread vaccine booster rollout as new variant, XEC, emerges

Covid is on the rise in England, and experts have warned that more must be done to prevent and control infections after a “capitulation to the virus”.

Prof Danny Altmann, an immunologist at Imperial College London, said those working in the field were perplexed by the current attitude to the battle against Covid, as the latest figures showed an increase in hospital admissions.

The latest data for England from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) showed that hospital admissions increased to 3.71 per 100,000 population for the week between 16 and 22 September 2024, compared with 2.56 per 100,000 the previous week.

The percentage of people with symptoms who have tested positive for Covid, based on tests at sentinel “spotter” laboratories, has also risen in the last week to 11.8% compared with 9.1% in the previous week.

Altmann described the prevailing stance on the virus as a “capitulation”. “To those who work in this field, the current attitude of acceptance to losing this war of attrition against Covid is puzzling and a little desperate,” he said.

“The data, both in the UK and US, show that the current Omicron subvariants are hugely successful at punching through any dwindling population immunity, so that we tolerate huge prevalence of around 12%. Our capitulation to the virus is a combination of a population where most are now many months or years from their last vaccine dose, and that vaccine dose was in any case poorly cross-protective for the very distinct current variants.

“Clearly, there is behavioural polarisation between those who are worried by this and look for mitigation, and those who think we must learn live with it and paid too high a price for our earlier measures,” he said.

Dr Simon Williams, from Swansea University, added that surveys suggest there is also a large group of people who are not thinking much about Covid at all. “Part of this is psychological – for two to three years it was something people had to think about all the time and is something that for many had many negative memories and feelings attached to it,” he said.

While Altmann said debate around measures needed to be properly informed and data-driven and to avoid extreme stances, it was important not to trivialise the impact of the virus.

“Those at the weaker end of the immune response spectrum may often experience four or more breakthrough infections per year. These may range from mild to those needing several days of work, with all the associated economic costs, plus any additional NHS burden,” he said.

Altmann also stressed the impact of long Covid, noting that it is thought to affect around 400 million people globally – with 3% lost workforce and a global cost estimate of $1tn annually – and can arise even in vaccinated people following reinfection.

The latest Covid data comes as a new variant is expected to become prevalent in the coming months. Known as XEC, it was first identified in Germany over the summer, and cases have already been identified in the UK. It is thought to have emerged from two other Covid variants, themselves descended from the BA.2.86 variant.

However, experts have said that, at present, XEC is not thought to cause different symptoms from previous variants and does not appear to be fuelling a surge in cases. It is also expected that Covid vaccinations and past infections will continue to offer protection against severe disease.

While bookings for the NHS autumn Covid booster jabs opened this week, Altmann said they should be offered more widely, together with increased use of lateral flow testing to avoid the spread of Covid.

Williams added that it was strange that more had not been done to clean indoor air and improve ventilation in public spaces including schools.

But while he backed offering boosters more widely, he also raised concerns: “I worry that again this autumn we will see a relatively low uptake of the booster among priority groups, including younger adults with a compromised immune system.”

[mtg-cards-hourly]

Windfall

"Rich" is a relative term.

Artist: Scott Murphy TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link

[magicwithclass]

Infernal Tribute

This card is almost four dollars. Not only that, this card was one of the most purchased reserved list cards of the weeks so there is actual purchases involving this card. I do not know what card or strategy caused people to take a look at infernal tribute but the card is decent and playable in commander. Black gets a lot of cards with drawbacks, specifically creatures and enchantments, and infernal tribute can get rid of those permanents for you should those drawbacks get out of hand. It even draws you a card! Yes, you have to pay 2 mana but you can do it at instant speed and it is not limited to once per turn. The triple black in the casting cost means that you are in heavy black but devotion cards such as grey merchant of asphodel turn that into a benefit. Sure, this card is no necropotence and it can not sacrifice tokens, but this is a mediocre sacrifice and draw engine in one card. In edh you actually want this in Lynde cheerful tormentor curse decks. It is actually quite viable in that niche deck and I can see a need for this card in other decks in the future. You can sacrifice any nontoken permanent which is not an ability that black gets in high quantities. There are some enchantment decks in abzan that may consider infernal tribute. Anikthea hand of erebros, narci fable singer, and myrkul lord of bones all have some synergies with enchantments and sacrifice so the theme is currently viable in edh. I am actually surprised infernal tribute does not see more play in those decks. Perhaps the attention on it and increase sales will lead to it being played in more decks. The card has spiked before. The card experienced a high in the early part of 2021 and was 25 dollars. However, even in 2018 the card was almost five bucks so there has always been some early speculation on this card because of its limited playability. Bloomburrow does have a golgari food and token theme which involves a subtheme of sacrificing tokens so is that the reason people seem to be speculating on this card now? Will the price reach its 2018 values? If you know why infernal tribute is seeing some new attention on it please let me know.

[brinefathomcaves]

Brinefathom Caves Level 3, Week 8

3.71: The Submerged Fountains: Submerged. Four large bas reliefs of open-beaked bird faces. Each spews water, currents can be felt nearby. Empty.

3.72: The Drained Fountains: 50’ high, smooth walls, large drain in floor. Four large bas reliefs of open-beaked bird faces 10’ up, spewing water. Passage to 3.73 40’ up. Floods to about 8’ while door(s) are open. If both doors are closed and drain is plugged up, will gradually fill with water. Empty.

3.73: The Surveillance Room

3.74: The Clogged Fountain

3.75: The Divided Current: Submerged. Sudden strong (magical) currents force creatures down one of two passages. Only the strongest swimmers can swim against them. Empty.

3.76: The Stranded Merrow

3.77: The Urchins

3.78: The Secret Pedestal

3.79: The Dancing Statues

[ellescastleglow]

Study Tips for Humanities Subjects

The majority of studying tips I see are for subjects where there's a lot of rote memorisation, but what about those ones where you just have to research and write? As a history student in university, all of my subjects involve very little learning through memorisation and almost entirely annotated bibliographies and essays. Where I go to university, that's how the majority of courses are run, and I've got the formula down. So, from someone with a HD/GPA of 6.4/7 (American equivalent 3.71 according to this) who has never used AI, here's some study tips for this kind of subject.

1: Reading

The first paragraph of a text and the first sentence of each paragraph should tell you what it's about. You don't have to fully read all of it, just those parts, then if you think you'll use that paragraph you can read it.

While you're reading, write down the key themes next to the citation in your essay document. That way, you'll remember where to find the references for what you're trying to say.

2: Essays

If your university is anything like mine, you usually get to choose from a list of questions to answer or make up your own question. Remember to go for something that will fit the word count (not too broad, not too narrow), and try to make it something that interests you. If you can't make one up, pick the easiest one. Don't be a hero, it just needs to get done.

Make an essay plan. Trust me it makes writing it sooo much easier. Here's an example I made of what the plan would look like for this post:

For your first draft, don't worry about how it sounds. Just get the ideas out of your head and onto the page. You can even do this with your second, third, etc. drafts. If you count the essay plan as the first draft, you can just build on it. As long as you fix it at some point, you can write informally for however much of the process you want. I find it takes way less time because I'm not just staring at the page wondering how to get it right.

Make the point you're trying to make (based off what you learned in the lectures), then find sources for it. That way you'll actually know what you're looking for in a source.

3: Citing

This one's obvious, but put the links to your sources down before you try to make it look presentable. Formatting comes later.

If you've never done an annotated bibliography before, they can be really helpful, even if they're not required. Not only is it an expanded version of the writing down key themes part of the reading section, but it helps pare down your references to only ones that are necessary. It doesn't have to be formal, and shouldn't be part of your submitted page unless required, but it's a good idea to have one for your own use.

Look up the citation guide for your faculty. I can't count how many times I got points deducted because I had errors in my referencing. Use a tool like CitationMachine if you're not sure, but actually check what it puts out because sometimes it's wrong.

4: Professors

Research your classes and find out who's teaching them before signing up to the class. Last semester I had the worst time because an archaeology professor was teaching a digital curation subject and he had no clue what he was doing. Next semester, I'm taking another digital curation subject, but the professor teaches digital curation, so it'll be so much easier. Where I live, RateMyProfessor doesn't exist, but if it does where you are, pay attention to what people have said about them.

Teaching style matters. Is your professor well prepared? Do they seem passionate about what they're teaching? It's easier to find this out early if you're taking online classes. If their teaching style doesn't gel with you, or they just don't like you for whatever reason, it's ok to drop the class. If you have to take it, adjust your expectations accordingly.

If you're making your own essay question, or really doing anything that isn't what they told you to, check with your professor first to make sure it's ok. You don't need to for the tiniest little things, but it lets them know you value their opinion and care about your academics.

If you have the same professor for multiple subjects, or multiple essays in one course, pay attention to the feedback. Some professors really like things done a certain way. Do they want you to be more specific? More analytical? Do they just really hate a particular word or phrase? Learning from your mistakes can help you not lose those points again.

5: Mindset, Organisation, Routine, etc.

Know your why. Honestly, for a good couple of years there I spent every study day wondering if it was even worth it to keep going. But I love history, and I love museums, and I want to be a part of it. Your reason might be a little less self centred, or it might not (because what's wrong with that?). Either way, that drive can get you through a lot.

That being said, if it sucks that bad, you don't have to do it. You can drop the class if you need to, either for your physical health or your wellbeing. Obviously I'm not suggesting you drop out over an essay being difficult, but in my case, dropping that class with the bad professor would've been a good move. I spent too much time and effort trying to do something I hadn't really been taught how to do, and it really wasn't worth my energy. Unless it's required for your degree, don't worry too much about it.

At the beginning of the semester, look at the percentage each assignment is worth. Act accordingly. Don't put in 100% effort for a 20% assignment (unless you're getting really into it), that's a one way ticket to getting burnt out. There's literally no point spending an extra 12 hours perfecting something that's not worth at least 40%. It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be done.

Find a study environment that works for you. I like to work with a buddy, whether that's my mum (who's working on her PhD) or an imaginary study group. I need to be somewhere different from where I usually hang out to get focussed (like a cafe or my desk). I need breaks, some people don't. I don't really think there's a single best way to study, as long as you're getting stuff done, it doesn't matter if it's not aesthetic or an approved method. That being said, if making it aesthetic works for you, do that.

---

And that's all I have. I'm sure there are more out there, but I've been in academia for a while now and this is what works for me. I know a lot of people are going back to school, so good luck! You got this!

[ipsl0re]

With the steam summer sale ending in a few days, here’s a list I’d compiled earlier of great games currently under £5 ($6.40)

We Know The Devil is £1. 03

Heaven Will Be Mine is £1. 70

Cultist Simulator is £3.74

Full Metal Furies is £3.35

Pyre is £3.35

Transistor is £3.35

Bastion is £2.55

Rogue Legacy is £2.55

Misericorde is £3.71

Tangle Tower is £3.35

TOEM is £3.35

The Red Strings Club is £2.55

Thomas was alone is £1.19

Death's Door is £4.18

Journey is £3.59

Subsurface Circular is £0.95

Magicka 2 is £3.19

Monster Prom is £2.32

Monster Camp is £3.39

Celeste is £1.67

Castle Crashers is £0.99

A Short Hike is £3.18

Landlord of the Woods is £0.44

Dicey Dungeons is £2.77

Little Inferno is £3.18

FIGHT KNIGHT is £2.84

Aragami is £2.24

Hope this helps you find something good!

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Coffee exports from Brazil increase by 12% in the first two months of the 24/25 season

The report by Cecafé (Coffee Exporters Council) indicated Brazilian coffee shipments at 3.73 mln bags in August, practically in line with the same period last year, when they totaled 3.71 mln bags. The highlight was once again robusta, which totaled 925 thousand bags of shipments, an increase of 31% compared to August last year.

In the accumulated total of the first two months of the 24/25 business season (July/August), coffee shipments from Brazil totaled 7.52 mln bags, 12% above the volume shipped in the first two months of the previous season. The volume confirms the expectation of a faster flow at the beginning of the season, driven mainly by the performance of robusta, which has accumulated exports of 1.83 mln bags in the period, a volume 53% higher than the first two months of the last season. Arabica shipments totaled 4.90 mln bags, up only 2.5%, while soluble coffee exports reached 689 thousand bags, 7% higher than in the same period of the 23/24 season.

Continue reading.

[sekaicards]

Project Sekai Card Tournament! 3.71