#2017/01/25

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Ad-tech targeting is an existential threat

I'm on a 20+ city book tour for my new novel PICKS AND SHOVELS. Catch me TORONTO on SUNDAY (Feb 23) at Another Story Books, and in NYC on WEDNESDAY (26 Feb) with JOHN HODGMAN. More tour dates here.

The commercial surveillance industry is almost totally unregulated. Data brokers, ad-tech, and everyone in between – they harvest, store, analyze, sell and rent every intimate, sensitive, potentially compromising fact about your life.

Late last year, I testified at a Consumer Finance Protection Bureau hearing about a proposed new rule to kill off data brokers, who are the lynchpin of the industry:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/16/the-second-best-time-is-now/#the-point-of-a-system-is-what-it-does

The other witnesses were fascinating – and chilling, There was a lawyer from the AARP who explained how data-brokers would let you target ads to categories like "seniors with dementia." Then there was someone from the Pentagon, discussing how anyone could do an ad-buy targeting "people enlisted in the armed forces who have gambling problems." Sure, I thought, and you don't even need these explicit categories: if you served an ad to "people 25-40 with Ivy League/Big Ten law or political science degrees within 5 miles of Congress," you could serve an ad with a malicious payload to every Congressional staffer.

Now, that's just the data brokers. The real action is in ad-tech, a sector dominated by two giant companies, Meta and Google. These companies claim that they are better than the unregulated data-broker cowboys at the bottom of the food-chain. They say they're responsible wielders of unregulated monopoly surveillance power. Reader, they are not.

Meta has been repeatedly caught offering ad-targeting like "depressed teenagers" (great for your next incel recruiting drive):

https://www.technologyreview.com/2017/05/01/105987/is-facebook-targeting-ads-at-sad-teens/

And Google? They just keep on getting caught with both hands in the creepy commercial surveillance cookie-jar. Today, Wired's Dell Cameron and Dhruv Mehrotra report on a way to use Google to target people with chronic illnesses, people in financial distress, and national security "decision makers":

https://www.wired.com/story/google-dv360-banned-audience-segments-national-security/

Google doesn't offer these categories itself, they just allow data-brokers to assemble them and offer them for sale via Google. Just as it's possible to generate a target of "Congressional staffers" by using location and education data, it's possible to target people with chronic illnesses based on things like whether they regularly travel to clinics that treat HIV, asthma, chronic pain, etc.

Google claims that this violates their policies, and that they have best-of-breed technical measures to prevent this from happening, but when Wired asked how this data-broker was able to sell these audiences – including people in menopause, or with "chronic pain, fibromyalgia, psoriasis, arthritis, high cholesterol, and hypertension" – Google did not reply.

The data broker in the report also sold access to people based on which medications they took (including Ambien), people who abuse opioids or are recovering from opioid addiction, people with endocrine disorders, and "contractors with access to restricted US defense-related technologies."

It's easy to see how these categories could enable blackmail, spear-phishing, scams, malvertising, and many other crimes that threaten individuals, groups, and the nation as a whole. The US Office of Naval Intelligence has already published details of how "anonymous" people targeted by ads can be identified:

https://www.odni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/ODNI-Declassified-Report-on-CAI-January2022.pdf

The most amazing part is how the 33,000 targeting segments came to public light: an activist just pretended to be an ad buyer, and the data-broker sent him the whole package, no questions asked. Johnny Ryan is a brilliant Irish privacy activist with the Irish Council for Civil Liberties. He created a fake data analytics website for a company that wasn't registered anywhere, then sent out a sales query to a brokerage (the brokerage isn't identified in the piece, to prevent bad actors from using it to attack targeted categories of people).

Foreign states, including China – a favorite boogeyman of the US national security establishment – can buy Google's data and target users based on Google ad-tech stack. In the past, Chinese spies have used malvertising – serving targeted ads loaded with malware – to attack their adversaries. Chinese firms spend billions every year to target ads to Americans:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/06/business/google-meta-temu-shein.html

Google and Meta have no meaningful checks to prevent anyone from establishing a shell company that buys and targets ads with their services, and the data-brokers that feed into those services are even less well-protected against fraud and other malicious act.

All of this is only possible because Congress has failed to act on privacy since 1988. That's the year that Congress passed the Video Privacy Protection Act, which bans video store clerks from telling the newspapers which VHS cassettes you have at home. That's also the last time Congress passed a federal consumer privacy law:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_Privacy_Protection_Act

The legislative history of the VPPA is telling: it was passed after a newspaper published the leaked video-rental history of a far-right judge named Robert Bork, whom Reagan hoped to elevate to the Supreme Court. Bork failed his Senate confirmation hearings, but not because of his video rentals (he actually had pretty good taste in movies). Rather, it was because he was a Nixonite criminal and virulent loudmouth racist whose record was strewn with the most disgusting nonsense imaginable).

But the leak of Bork's video-rental history gave Congress the cold grue. His video rental history wasn't embarrassing, but it sure seemed like Congress had some stuff in its video-rental records that they didn't want voters finding out about. They beat all land-speed records in making it a crime to tell anyone what kind of movies they (and we) were watching.

And that was it. For 37 years, Congress has completely failed to pass another consumer privacy law. Which is how we got here – to this moment where you can target ads to suicidal teens, gambling addicted soldiers in Minuteman silos, grannies with Alzheimer's, and every Congressional staffer on the Hill.

Some people think the problem with mass surveillance is a kind of machine-driven, automated mind-control ray. They believe the self-aggrandizing claims of tech bros to have finally perfected the elusive mind-control ray, using big data and machine learning.

But you don't need to accept these outlandish claims – which come from Big Tech's sales literature, wherein they boast to potential advertisers that surveillance ads are devastatingly effective – to understand how and why this is harmful. If you're struggling with opioid addiction and I target an ad to you for a fake cure or rehab center, I haven't brainwashed you – I've just tricked you. We don't have to believe in mind-control to believe that targeted lies can cause unlimited harms.

And those harms are indeed grave. Stein's Law predicts that "anything that can't go on forever eventually stops." Congress's failure on privacy has put us all at risk – including Congress. It's only a matter of time until the commercial surveillance industry is responsible for a massive leak, targeted phishing campaign, or a ghastly national security incident involving Congress. Perhaps then we will get action.

In the meantime, the coalition of people whose problems can be blamed on the failure to update privacy law continues to grow. That coalition includes protesters whose identities were served up to cops, teenagers who were tracked to out-of-state abortion clinics, people of color who were discriminated against in hiring and lending, and anyone who's been harassed with deepfake porn:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/12/06/privacy-first/#but-not-just-privacy

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2025/02/20/privacy-first-second-third/#malvertising

Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

[rolandkaros]

the dreams of clytemnestra, dacia maraini [trans. tim vode]

the guardian, 01 28 2015, stephanie myles // quarterfinal, australian open 2015, william west // final, australian open 2025, asanka brendon ratnayake // final, us open 2017, timothy a. clary // final, australian open 2025, graham denholm // final, us open 2017, proshot [uncredited] // semifinal, australian open 2025, yuichi yamazaki // semifinal, us open 2023, zuma/panoramic [uncredited] // quarterfinal, wimbledon 2024, kirsty wigglesworth // semifinal, australian open 2025, manish swarup // final, australian open 2025, andy cheung // semifinal, australian open 2025, tingshu wang // final, australian open 2025, vincent thian // the athletic, 01 25 2025, matthew futterman

[verstappen100]

An ongoing Daniel Ricciardo video collection ❤️🍯🦡☀️

adding links to vimeo and youtube finds (under the cut, so it'll update reblogs as I add more links over time!)

hello!! This is definitely not a comprehensive list, mostly filing under things that are just new to me as a more recent fan! it's cool when I stumble upon a vid I haven't seen or one I recognize from a gif set! so I'm adding them in a list of links here in case anyone else is curious ❤️ some are like 30 second commercial spots & others are longer interviews, most so far from 2014-2020 🎥🎤✨

okay allons-y!!

Sourced from Vimeo

not chronologically organized (yet!) so I've just added the upload date atm for a date approximation; have yet to look into all the uploading accounts, too, so there is definitely way more out there to see!

📍Update 01-01-2025:

Btw if you click a link in the tumblr app and it shows a tumblr page saying "There's nothing here" sadly many of the vimeo links are not redirecting correctly atm 😭

the videos are still up and available (thankfully!! and they can be found by searching the titles on vimeo [which are listed for each vid before the upload date part below]) but!! I will be making like a Google doc with all the links, since tumblr insists on adding this redirect bologna and I'm not tech savvy enough to know why its not working hehe 🙃 I'll be back this weekend with a fix and the new link list!

lastly here's the link for DR's brand vimeo which also has the overall site search option at the top for easy access 🔍 not linked but copy-and-pastable into Google or Safari etc: https://vimeo.com/user50821531

thanks y'all!! ❤️

update 01-05-2025 I'm sorry y'all!! I have been fighting a fever all weekend 😭 so I have yet to compile everything, but the Google doc with all the working links will be here asap!! ❤️ (update 02-02-2025 omg I'm taking 5ever! Sorry y'all, I've not forgotten, life has been hella busy but I'll be adding all the vimeo links to a file soon!! Thanks for being so patient with me! hope everyone is well!! ❤️)

definitely starting with the dozens of videos on DR's official brand Vimeo (which has the delightful Sunday Night Flights series of casual post-race recaps) link

Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen paint Aston Martins in Hosier Lane - Uploaded on Mar 21, 2018 - link

Daniel Ricciardo - T Magazine Aus BTS spot - Uploaded on Jan 14, 2023 - link

Ricciardo, favorito para el GP de Singapur - Uploaded on Oct 25, 2016 - link

Red Bull - Camper Race BEHIND THE SCENES | Max Verstappen und Daniel Ricciardo - Uploaded on May 29, 2017 - link

Red Bull InFrames - Singapore GP with Daniel Ricciardo - Uploaded on Oct 25, 2017 - link

Daniel Ricciardo drives Renault Clio - Uploaded on Jul 24, 2014 - link (ah the image in the collage above is for the other Clio commercial linked below and vice versa!! I got them mixed up when adding screenshots hehe. Pobody's nerfect)

Daniel Ricciardo | Race Service (parallel parking with some slightly haunting editing) - Uploaded on May 22, 2022 - link

Season Break - Daniel Ricciardo - Uploaded on Jan 30, 2020 - link

Daniel Ricciardo x Hilton - Uploaded on Feb 7, 2023 - link

Optus TVC Daniel Ricciardo - Uploaded on Dec 17, 2024 - link

Fox Sports - I Am Daniel Ricciardo (bananas editing /positive) - Uploaded on Apr 9, 2017 - link

ESPN AUSSIES ABROAD: DANIEL RICCIARDO - LIFE IN THE FAST LANE Opener - Uploaded on Apr 21, 2016 (I have yet to watch the full documentary!) - link

ESPN AUSSIES ABROAD- DANIEL RICCIARDO - LIFE IN THE FAST LANE Preview 2 - Uploaded on Apr 21, 2016 - link

Daniel Ricciardo: Uncut (😳🥴 sorry mind in the gutter, this is a longer interview tho!) - Uploaded on Sep 17, 2017 - link

Daniel Ricciardo Feature - Uploaded on Mar 28, 2018 - link

Renault Clio I Ricciardo I Augusto Gimenez Zapiola - Uploaded on Sep 3, 2020 - link

Sky Sports Ident - F1 - Ricciardo - Uploaded on Jan 5, 2018 - link

PIRELLI: DANIEL RICCIARDO P ZERO WORLD - Uploaded on Aug 12, 2016 - link

C4F1 Daniel Ricciardo Interview Australia 2019 - Uploaded on Mar 20, 2019 - link

Daniel Ricciardo_comp_1005 - Uploaded on Dec 11, 2017 - link

Daniel Ricciardo x Artura - Uploaded on Feb 10, 2021 - link

Daniel Ricciardo drives the Triple Eight Project Sandman V8 Supercar - Uploaded on Mar 16, 2016 - link

Red Bull Racing x PUMA USGP Launch at Austin Speed Shop - Uploaded on Mar 7, 2017 - link

TAG Heuer Aston Martin Red Bull Racing 2018 Global Commercial - Uploaded on Jul 12, 2019 - link

Red Bull : One day in the life of Daniel Ricciardo - Uploaded on Apr 15, 2016 - link

Carsales // Celebrity Drive with Daniel Ricciardo - Uploaded on Aug 1, 2023 - link

On_set_with_Daniel_Ricciardo.mov - Uploaded on Nov 22, 2021 - link

Castrol EDGE Daniel Ricciardo Live on The Edge - Uploaded on Jun 4, 2020 - link

Aston Martin Racing - Daniel Ricciardo vs Darren Turner - Uploaded on Dec 17, 2021 - link

Red Bull Racing Daniel Ricciardo Photoshoot - Behind the scenes - Uploaded on Sep 16, 2020 - link

Dan Ricciardo and Alissa Smith - Silverstone 2018 Interview - Uploaded on Apr 14, 2019 - link

YouTube

omg I have yet to properly dive into YouTube! probs this section will just be as I come across things (Vimeo is much more manageable for perusing)

[2017 F1]日本GP ダニエル・リカルド&マックス・フェルスタッペン トークショー Daniel Ricciardo & Max Verstappen's talk show - 10-08-2017 - link

Added 01-01-2025 - Daniel Ricciardo on Malaysian GP - 09-27-2017 - link

Added 01-02-2025 - Q & A with Tonio Liuzzi and Daniel Ricciardo - 08-31-2011 - link

Added 01-05-2025 - Trackwalk with Daniel Ricciardo, Korea - 10-17-2011 - link

Added 02-02-2025 - Daniel Ricciardo's "Ultimate F1 Track Layout" interview - 09-22-2016 - link

more to come soon!! ❤️ thank you for stopping by!

[toskarinarchive]

Toskarin Database

Last updated: 2024-08-25, 23:02+00:00

Current Toskarinlike Count: 44

toskarin-blog - First post (2017-11-14, 08:38)

toskarin - First post (2021-09-08, 21:59)

niraksot - First post (2022-10-25, 23:55)

toskarinfr (original, deleted) - First post (2023-05-26)

toskarinfr - First post (2023-12-08, 14:05)

toskarinpl - First post (2023-12-19, 22:31)

yoskarin - First post (2023-12-21, 04:18)

toskarintetris - First post (2024-02-13, 02:26)

kojmahid - First post (2024-02-14, 21:53)

toskarinalternia - First post (2024-02-15, 00:21)

yamitoskarin - First post (2024-02-16, 21:09)

toskarinus - First post (2024-02-22, 20:41)

shkinamiasuka - First post (2024-02-23, 19:51)

toskarintoast - First post (2024-02-28, 08:14)

toskarinnl - First post (2024-03-01, 16:01)

toskarinjp - First post (2024-03-01, 16:31)

toskarinfrfr - First post (2024-03-01, 21:18)

toskarines - First post (2024-03-01, 21:36)

arturigon - First post (2024-03-01, 23:11)

tossedkarin - First post (2024-03-01, 23:41)

toskarin-gpl - First post (2024-03-02, 01:04)

cambrarin - First post (2024-03-02, 01:47)

toskarinhole - First post (2024-03-02, 01:58)

toskarininthecornerofyourvision - First post (2024-03-02, 04:37)

toskarinkr - First post (2024-03-02, 05:27)

toskarinarchive - First post (2024-03-02, 07:05)

toskarinde - First post (2024-03-02, 18:04)

toskarinternetexplorer (deleted) - First post (2024-03-03, 21:23)

tezkarin - First post (2024-03-04, 19:51)

castgil-cmd - First post (2024-03-05, 01:46)

Oskar In (LinkedIn) - First post (2024-03-05, 20:50)

toskarincoffee - First post (2024-03-06, 01:42)

newtoskarin - First post (2024-03-06, 07:58)

halimedefr - First post (2024-04-13, 00:17)

homumi - First post (2024-05-05, 04:40)

toskalain - First post (2024-05-18, 19:57)

ntriderpt - First post (2024-06-13, 17:00)

ntriderie - First post (2024-06-17, 20:47)

cyberbunes - First post (2024-06-20, 17:18)

bulletliger - First post (2024-06-25, 04:20)

kirikomamurafr - First post (2024-06-25, 07:13)

freyalisefr - First post (2024-06-26, 02:06)

ntriderbr - First post (2024-06-26, 04:03)

toskarinbunny - First post (2024-07-06, 21:09)

ingridgal - First post (2024-08-21, 04:32)

[hellwasthejourney]

I have a superiority complex because I’ve always loved LWYMMD from that first note that played at 12:01 am on august 25, 2017

[thealieninhiding]

The Katie McGrath Archives (WIP)

A repository of my ongoing digital archeology & archival work please contact me if you have anything to contribute and buy me a coffee if you value my content

Updates

(last updated 2025-01-14)

2025-01-14

Scans:

2008-10 InStyle (LQ)

2009 DRAMA Magazine (LQ)

2009-10 The Sunday Times Style (Ireland)

2010-10 Tatler

2010-12 InStyle

2011-02 Instyle (LQ)

2011-07 Tatler (LQ)

2011-10 Sunday Independent

2012-03-14 Sci-FiNow

2012-03-23 The Lady Magazine

2024-07-03

Scans:

2014-02-07 London Times - Dracula sets

Audio:

(Un)likeminded 2x02 How to Survive The Apocalypse

2024-05-24

Video:

2017 Katie McGrath interview [CW|KMcGsource]

2017 Supergirl Season 3 Sweet dreams (are made of this) Music Video

2017 CW SDCC Promo Supergirl and Arrow

2019-01-01 The CW Promo Open To All

2021-04-25 Supergirl Season 6 Katie McGrath Lena Luthor

2021-09-15 Supergirl Season 6 Katie McGrath Reflecting on Supergirl

2024-05-22

Audio:

Interview - 2009-07-17 Katie McGrath Mr Media interview

Interview - 2009-10-15 Geek Syndicate Merlin BTS special

Video:

BTS - 2008-10-08 Blue Peter Merlin BTS

Events - 2009 TV Choice Awards Digital Spy interview

Events - Getty Videos of 2009 TV Choice Awards, 2010 Merlin Series 3 launch, 2011 W.E. premiere, 2017 King Arthur Premiere

2024-05-17

Archived interviews

2008-12-07 Tribune Magazine - What Katie Did

2011-10-14 What's on TV - Merlin's Katie McGrath- 'Bad girls have more fun!'

2012-12-03 Fanhattan Blog - Colin Morgan, Katie McGrath and Bradley James on Season 5 and The Series Finale

2018-08-01 The TV Junkies - Supergirl SDCC 2018 Interviews- Lena’s Impractical Lab Outfits, the Return of Reporter Kara and a More Grounded Season 4

Audio

HHush samples

Interview - 2009-2011 Sci-fi Talk rewind merlin the series specials episode 1

Interview - 2011? Merlin S4 Sci-fi talk byte katie mcgrath on morgana

Interview - 2013 BBC Radio 1xtra part 1 & part 2

(Un)likeminded 1x02 While You Were Dreaming

Trees a crowd- Irish folklore segment

Magazine scans

2008-09-20 Radio Times

2009-06-08 TV Week (Aus)

2010-09-05 Sunday Express

2010-09-30 Totally Merlin Magazine

2011-12 Total Film

2012-03-14 Sci-Fi Now

2012-10-06 Radio Times

2013-04-06 Irish independent

2013-09-02 Marie-Claire (UK)

2013-12 Instyle

2013-12 Total Film

Video:

Fans - 2012-04-16 Merlin4 [carlospyrrhus]

Fans - 2017-08-30 Supergirl cast together on set [Joyce Law]

Interview - 2009-09-?? Merlin S2 audio interview with Katie McGrath [BJsRealm] part 1

Interview - 2010-09-06 Merlin Series 3 - BBC Radio 1xtra Interview with Angel Coulby & Katie McGrath [BJsrealm]

Interview - 2011-10-14 Merlin S4 Colin Morgan, Eoin Macken Katie McGrath on The Late Late Show

Interview - 2012-07-15 Colin Morgan and Katie McGrath at SDCC 2012 - innerSPACE [merlinnetwork2]

Interview - 2012-07-18 Katie McGrath Talks Merlin At Comic Con 2012 [ThinkHeroTV]

Interview - 2012-10-25 BBC Radio 1 Breakfast - Colin & Katie part 1 & part 2 [BJsRealm]

Interview - 2012-12-03 Merlin S5 Katie McGrath interview international press day [BJsRealm]

Interview - 2012-12-03 Colin, Bradley, Katie phone interview [BJsRealm]

Interview - 2013-11-09 Katie McGrath on BBC One Saturday Kitchen [BJsRealm]

Interview - 2019-07-22 ENTREVISTA SUPERGIRL Elenco fala sobre a nova temporada [Warner Channel Brasil]

Interview - 2019-07-23 Melissa Benoist Teases Directing An Episode Of 'Supergirl' [ET Canada]

Interview - 2020-02-21 ‘Supergirl’ Celebrates 100th Episode [ET Canada]

Panels - 2011-07-28 Merlin Comic Con 2011 Panel [ThinkHeroTV]

[schadentekkers]

~ CHRIS & DREW MASTERPOST ~

putting together a list of matches available online featuring chris and drew either teaming together or against each other bc i have no life! and also for my fellow chrisdrew heads bc we gotta stick together.

some of these links will be behind a paywall, but i will try my best to find options that are not!! they'll be in order of year and organized by promotion. i have not been able to find any of their matches pre-2017, but i will continue my search until the day i die.

LUCHA FOREVER - the dawning of forever -> cck + chief deputy dunne vs. drew, bea priestley, + el ligero (2:15:00 timestamp)

ATTACK PRO WRESTLING - damplified -> cck vs. drew and shax

dear maria tag me in -> chris and pete dunne vs. drew and elijah

lifestyles of the weird and the wonderful -> chris vs. drew

nonstop feeling (pressure to succeed) -> chris, chief deputy dunne + wild boar vs. drew, lk mezinger + mike bird

live at the dome 3 -> chris vs. drew

**unfortunately, most attack pro shows are not available anywhere else other than the linked site, as far as i've found. the good thing is, the sub price isn't too steep, however they don't have all of their shows available, so some chris&drew matches are missing :(

PWC - the chaos element -> chris vs. drew (1:22:00 timestamp)

PROGRESS - chapter 82: unboxing day -> chris vs. drew, no dq (1:20:35 timestamp)

IPW - tuesday night graps forever -> cck + (inflatable) pete dunne vs. drew, el phantasmo, + the invisible man (45:30 timestamp) also with aussie open on comms. a good time

DDT - summer vacation 2020 -> chris + drew vs. damnation (57:40 timestamp)

get alive 2020 -> chris vs. drew, no dq for the universal title (1:34:20 timestamp)

who's gonna top? 2020 -> chris + drew vs. yuki ueno + naomi yoshimura (1:02:25 timestamp)

d-oh grand prix 2021 in ota-ku - chris + drew vs. mao + shunma (1:30:20 timestamp)

super encounter #1 - chris + drew vs. mao + shunma streetfight

super encounter #6 - chris + drew vs. mao + shunma vs. saki akai + hagane shinno

judgement 2023 -> chris, drew + hagane shinno vs. damnation t.a (2:40:30 timestamp)

BJW - 12.30.2021 -> chris + drew vs. astronauts (1:31:40 timestamp)

only the young -> chris + drew vs. kota sekifudo + yuya aoki (8:46 timestamp)

2 young 2 die -> chris + drew vs. isami kodaka + yuko miyamoto

front row -> chris + drew vs. kankuro hoshino + akira hyodo

young man standing -> chris + drew vs. kota sekisada & mitsuru takeda

ten minutes -> chris + drew vs. daisuke sekimoto & yuya aoki

**sadly the last half of the bjw shows i'm unable to find anywhere other than the bjw core website which is behind a paywall

GAKE NO FUCHI JOSHI - it's summer isn't it? -> drew + rina yamashita vs. chris + miyako matsumoto

clockwork -> chris vs. suzu suzuki (this is a chris match, but drew is his second and he does get involved in the hijinks)

snow white -> chris vs. miyako matsumoto (drew as chris' second again getting involved in the wonderful nonsense that is this match)

happy death day -> chris, drew + veny vs. miyako matsumoto, rina yamashita, + jun kasai (1:32:40 timestamp)

GANBARE PRO - kocho ranbo -> chris, drew + miyako matsumoto vs. veny, hagane shinno, + shinichiro tominaga (51:50 timestamp)

GATOH MOVE - chocopro # 179 -> chris + drew vs. baliyan akki + yuna mizumori

BAKA GAIJIN - vol. 1 -> chris vs. drew / chris + masa vs. drew + mao (1:01:30 timestamp)

vol. 4 -> chris + masa vs. drew + rina (1:10:40 timestamp)

i am also going to link this podcast that they did so everyone can mourn with me the fact that they only did one episode </3

AND that is the end of the list, for now! yay yippee! please enjoy

[misterlemonzmen]

01-30-25 | Call Me By Your Name, 2017. via superfriky. MisterLemonzMen.tumblr.com/archive

[jiinjiinjarra]

BTS // Media // Weverse // [Behind Cut] Package // RUN BTS! // Ep. 25 // 171101 // 2017

date: 2017-11-01

Cr. Weverse Media

[mostlysignssomeportents]

An open copyright casebook, featuring AI, Warhol and more

I'm coming to DEFCON! On Aug 9, I'm emceeing the EFF POKER TOURNAMENT (noon at the Horseshoe Poker Room), and appearing on the BRICKED AND ABANDONED panel (5PM, LVCC - L1 - HW1–11–01). On Aug 10, I'm giving a keynote called "DISENSHITTIFY OR DIE! How hackers can seize the means of computation and build a new, good internet that is hardened against our asshole bosses' insatiable horniness for enshittification" (noon, LVCC - L1 - HW1–11–01).

Few debates invite more uninformed commentary than "IP" – a loosely defined grab bag that regulates an ever-expaning sphere of our daily activities, despite the fact that almost no one, including senior executives in the entertainment industry, understands how it works.

Take reading a book. If the book arrives between two covers in the form of ink sprayed on compressed vegetable pulp, you don't need to understand the first thing about copyright to read it. But if that book arrives as a stream of bits in an app, those bits are just the thinnest scrim of scum atop a terminally polluted ocean of legalese.

At the bottom layer: the license "agreement" for your device itself – thousands of words of nonsense that bind you not to replace its software with another vendor's code, to use the company's own service depots, etc etc. This garbage novella of legalese implicates trademark law, copyright, patent, and "paracopyrights" like the anticircumvention rule defined by Section 1201 of the DMCA:

https://www.eff.org/press/releases/eff-lawsuit-takes-dmca-section-1201-research-and-technology-restrictions-violate

Then there's the store that sold you the ebook: it has its own soporific, cod-legalese nonsense that you must parse; this can be longer than the book itself, and it has been exquisitely designed by the world's best-paid, best-trained lawyer to liquefy the brains of anyone who attempts to read it. Nothing will save you once your brains start leaking out of the corners of your eyes, your nostrils and your ears – not even converting the text to a brilliant graphic novel:

https://memex.craphound.com/2017/03/03/terms-and-conditions-the-bloviating-cruft-of-the-itunes-eula-combined-with-extraordinary-comic-book-mashups/

Even having Bob Dylan sing these terms will not help you grasp them:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/10/25/musical-chairs/#subterranean-termsick-blues

The copyright nonsense that accompanies an ebook transcends mere Newtonian physics – it exists in a state of quantum superposition. For you, the buyer, the copyright nonsense appears as a license, which allows the seller to add terms and conditions that would be invalidated if the transaction were a conventional sale. But for the author who wrote that book, the copyright nonsense insists that what has taken place is a sale (which pays a 25% royalty) and not a license (a 50% revenue-share). Truly, only a being capable of surviving after being smeared across the multiverse can hope to embody these two states of being simultaneously:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/06/21/early-adopters/#heads-i-win

But the challenge isn't over yet. Once you have grasped the permissions and restrictions placed upon you by your device and the app that sold you the ebook, you still must brave the publisher's license terms for the ebook – the final boss that you must overcome with your last hit point and after you've burned all your magical items.

This is by no means unique to reading a book. This bites us on the job, too, at every level. The McDonald's employee who uses a third-party tool to diagnose the problems with the McFlurry machine is using a gadget whose mere existence constitutes a jailable felony:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/04/20/euthanize-rentier-enablers/#cold-war

Meanwhile, every single biotech researcher is secretly violating the patents that cover the entire suite of basic biotech procedures and techniques. Biotechnicians have a folk-belief in "patent fair use," a thing that doesn't exist, because they can't imagine that patent law would be so obnoxious as to make basic science into a legal minefield.

IP is a perfect storm: it touches everything we do, and no one understands it.

Or rather, almost no one understands it. A small coterie of lawyers have a perfectly fine grasp of IP law, but most of those lawyers are (very well!) paid to figure out how to use IP law to screw you over. But not every skilled IP lawyer is the enemy: a handful of brave freedom fighters, mostly working for nonprofits and universities, constitute a resistance against the creep of IP into every corner of our lives.

Two of my favorite IP freedom fighters are Jennifer Jenkins and James Boyle, who run the Duke Center for the Public Domain. They are a dynamic duo, world leading demystifiers of copyright and other esoterica. They are the creators of a pair of stunningly good, belly-achingly funny, and extremely informative graphic novels on the subject, starting with the 2008 Bound By Law, about fair use and film-making:

https://www.dukeupress.edu/Bound-by-Law/

And then the followup, THEFT! A History of Music:

https://web.law.duke.edu/musiccomic/

Both of which are open access – that is to say, free to download and share (you can also get handsome bound print editions made of real ink sprayed on real vegetable pulp!).

Beyond these books, Jenkins and Boyle publish the annual public domain roundups, cataloging the materials entering the public domain each January 1 (during the long interregnum when nothing entered the public domain, thanks to the Sonny Bono Copyright Extension Act, they published annual roundups of all the material that should be entering the public domain):

https://pluralistic.net/2023/12/20/em-oh-you-ess-ee/#sexytimes

This year saw Mickey Mouse entering the public domain, and Jenkins used that happy occasion as a springboard for a masterclass in copyright and trademark:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/12/15/mouse-liberation-front/#free-mickey

But for all that Jenkins and Boyle are law explainers, they are also law professors and as such, they are deeply engaged with minting of new lawyers. This is a hard job: it takes a lot of work to become a lawyer.

It also takes a lot of money to become a lawyer. Not only do law-schools charge nosebleed tuition, but the standard texts set by law-schools are eye-wateringly expensive. Boyle and Jenkins have no say over tuitions, but they have made a serious dent in the cost of those textbooks. A decade ago, the pair launched the first open IP law casebook: a free, superior alternative to the $160 standard text used to train every IP lawyer:

https://web.archive.org/web/20140923104648/https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/openip/

But IP law is a moving target: it is devouring the world. Accordingly, the pair have produced new editions every couple of years, guaranteeing that their free IP law casebook isn't just the best text on the subject, it's also the most up-to-date. This week, they published the sixth edition:

https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/openip/

The sixth edition of Intellectual Property: Law & the Information Society – Cases & Materials; An Open Casebook adds sections on the current legal controversies about AI, and analyzes blockbuster (and batshit) recent Supreme Court rulings like Vidal v Elster, Warhol v Goldsmith, and Jack Daniels v VIP Products. I'm also delighted that they chose to incorporate some of my essays on enshittification (did you know that my Pluralistic.net newsletter is licensed CC Attribution, meaning that you can reprint and even sell it without asking me?).

(On the subject of Creative Commons: Boyle helped found Creative Commons!)

Ten years ago, the Boyle/Jenkins open casebook kicked off a revolution in legal education, inspiring many legals scholars to create their own open legal resources. Today, many of the best legal texts are free (as in speech) and free (as in beer). Whether you want to learn about trademark, copyright, patents, information law or more, there's an open casebook for you:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/08/14/angels-and-demons/#owning-culture

The open access textbook movement is a stark contrast with the world of traditional textbooks, where a cartel of academic publishers are subjecting students to the scammiest gambits imaginable, like "inclusive access," which has raised the price of textbooks by 1,000%:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/10/07/markets-in-everything/#textbook-abuses

Meanwhile, Jenkins and Boyle keep working on this essential reference. The next time you're tempted to make a definitive statement about what IP permits – or prohibits – do yourself (and the world) a favor, and look it up. It won't cost you a cent, and I promise you you'll learn something.

Support me this summer on the Clarion Write-A-Thon and help raise money for the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop!

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/07/30/open-and-shut-casebook/#stop-confusing-the-issue-with-relevant-facts

Image: Cryteria (modified) Jenkins and Boyle https://web.law.duke.edu/musiccomic/

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

[nicola-fiore]

A selection of the daily letters (sent but undelivered) to Gio Fiore:

26 August 2017

Dear Gio, I'm writing you this letter because even as summer's ended, my father has yet to give me back my phone and laptop. So I hope that, somehow, this gets to you. Papa, Enzo and I are back in Milan. It's only an hour's drive away from Laglio, but it felt like it went on forever. The whole ride over, I couldn't stop thinking about you, and why you didn't show. You promised last night you'd come see me off but there was no sign of you at all. No call, no text, not even a note. Have I said something last night that's offended you? Or maybe done something to push you away? Whatever it is, please tell me, so I can make things right. I miss you so much already, but love you even more. I hope to hear from you soon. Yours always, Nicola xo

01 September 2017

My dearest Gio, It's been a week since I've seen or heard from you, and every day, I miss you more and more. It's another few days until school starts, but my father's announced at dinner tonight that we'll be moving all the way to the other end of the country — far, far away from you, to his hometown in Palermo, Sicily. At first I didn't understand why he would be pulling me out of school my senior year, but eventually, he came clean. It's to protect the baby, he said. But I don't know if I can fully believe him. Something in me feels like it might have more to do with not letting anyone in Milan know that his teenage daughter is with child. I wish you were here. More than anything. Love always, Nicola xo

08 September 2017

Tesoro mio, Palermo is beautiful, not unlike Laglio. It's sunny here most of the time, and I spend my days taking walks. My doctor here said it's good for both me and the baby. But I get tired often. That's to be expected, she said and I just nod along. I don't tell her that I don't really sleep well at night. I'd hate for it to somehow reach my father's ears. Everyone here knows everybody. But it's okay, I don't really mind the walks. I don't know anyone else here so walking passes the time. I've attached our address at the back of this letter, in case you can come and visit. I hope you do. I miss you terribly. Until then, Nicola xo

15 September 2017

My darling Gio, I had an ultrasound appointment this morning. Our baby's heartbeat is getting stronger with each visit. I wish I could somehow send you a snippet of it but I've no way to send it to you. My father has given me back my laptop, for school, but there's no internet in the house. We should appreciate nature more, he said. As if me taking my daily walks isn't enough. Still, I'll keep the audio file for when I can send you things online again. Thinking about you Nicola xo

03 October 2017

Cuore mio, This letter's a little bulkier than usual. I found this cute birthday card the other day and thought you might find it funny. I've also attached a photo of me and baby. As you can see, my bump's more noticeable now. I hope you're celebrating your special day as wonderfully as we had planned it should be. I'm sorry I'm not there to personally wish you a happy birthday. But please know that I'm thinking of you always. Happy birthday, my love. May you have many, many more to come. Love you forever, Nicola xo

16 October 2017

My love! We're having a boy! I just got back from another ultrasound check and was told that we're having a boy! I've included a snapshot of him in the envelope. It's a little hard to see but I promise, it's there! Haha! I know it's late but perhaps this can serve as my late birthday present. :) Wish you were here, Nicola xo

28 November 2017

Dear Gio, Felt our son kick for the very first time just now, and the first thing I thought of was to tell you so you could feel it, too. That is, until I remembered that you're not here. Oh well, at least you'll know when this gets to you. Better late than never, I guess. Goodnight for now, Nicola xo

25 December 2017

Dearest darling, I hope you're keeping warm there in Laglio. When my mother was still alive, she used to tell me of how the winters there can get quite cold. So, please don't forget to wear your jacket. And gloves. And a hat! I'd hate for you to ever get sick, especially during the holidays. I wish we were spending Christmas together but hearing from you would be more than enough for me. Either way, I wish you and your family a very happy holiday season. And I hope you receive everything you've wished for. Merry Christmas, amore mio. I love you. Forever yours, Nicola xo

27 December 2017

Love of my life, I hope that by the time this reaches you, it'd be New Year's Eve, so that in a way, I'm there with you when the new year rolls around. As the year slowly comes to a close, I find myself torn. Saying goodbye to this year feels like bidding you — and our memory together — a final farewell. But as much as it pains me that we won't be starting 2018 like we wanted to, in three months' time, our son will be here. And I can only pray that you will be with us by then, too. Please never forget how much I love you. Until my last breath, I am forever yours. Your Nicola xo

[asphodel-s]

ib. @/bts-seon!

n. i’ve got three more to go lmao. background for all the girls can her found here! this will be edited every so often! if anyone notices any typos / errors don’t hesitate to let me know!!

｡⋆ ꪆৎ ˚  basic information

birth name. judith song

korean name. song yunhui ( 송윤희 )

nicknames. jude, yunnie, juby, president song, grandma, mother/mother jude/mother goose, songsae, yunkki & yuki

date of birth. october 4, 1991 ( libra & goat )

place of birth. sacramento, californa, usa

home town. sillim-dong, gwanak district, seoul, south korea

ethnicity. south korean

languages.

korean ( gyeonggi dialect / seoul dialect ) : advanced 

english ( californian english ) : advanced 

japanese ( standard tokyo dialect ) : upper-intermediate 

sexual orientation. sapphic

height. 5’3” (160cm)

blood type. a-

distinguishing marks. birthmark on her left cheekbone, one birthmark near her left eyebrow

tattoos. heart of bunnies on her inner left forearm, bow on her right tricep & strawberry and stem on her left ankle

｡⋆ ꪆৎ ˚ career information

judith song, known professionally as judy, is a south korean singer-songwriter, actress, and model. she debuted as the main vocalist and lead rapper of the heart rot media girl group persephone on may 1, 2016, and as a soloist with “rabbits on the moon” on april 5, 2023.  outside of her music career, he made her acting debut with a cameo role in the 2017 drama suspicious partner and played lead roles in ballerina (2023) and alien: romulus (2024).

stage name. judy ( 주디 )

agency. heart rot media ( 2016 - present )

occupation. idol, actress, model, songwriter

training period.

cube entertainment ( 2009 - 2011 )

heart rot media ( 2011 - 2016 )

debut date.

may 01, 2016 ( in persephone )

april 5, 2023 ( as a soloist )

years active. 2009 - 2023, 2025 - present

group. persephone

positions. vocalist, main rapper, & face of group

fandom name.

narcissus ( persephone )

luckies / lucky rabbits ( solo )

fandom colors. pink lace ( ffddf4 ) & midnight blue ( 003366 )

representative emojis. 🐇 / 🪽

｡⋆ ꪆৎ ˚ discography.

‘16  |  MY LOVE  :  ost

‘17  |  I’M YOUR GIRL (ft. KAZU)  :  single

 ‘17  | ROSY  :  single

‘17  | HEARTBEAT  :  ost 

‘18  |  FULL MOON (ft. MINSEOL)  :  single

‘18  |  CLOUD  :  ost

‘22  |  AFTER MIDNIGHT  :  single

‘23  |  RABBITS ON THE MOON  :  debut mini album

‘23  |  SIREN (ft. MINSEOL)  :  single

‘24  |  LOVE WINS ALL  :  single

｡⋆ ꪆৎ ˚ filmography.

‘09  |  MARSHMALLOW  :  della music video

‘17  |  SUSPICIOUS PARTNER  :  television, cameo

‘18  |  WHAT'S WRONG WITH SECRETARY KIM  :  television, two-episode appearance

‘18  |  THE WITCH: PART 1 - THE SUBVERSION  :  movie, minor role

‘19  |  HE IS PSYCHOMETRIC  :  television, one-episode appearance

‘20  |  #ALIVE  : movie, lead role 

‘23  |  BALLERINA  :  movie, lead role

‘23  |  DAILY DOSE OF SUNSHINE  :  television, lead role

‘24  |  ALIEN: ROMULUS  :  movie, lead role

‘25  |  HEY MAI  :  web show, guest

‘25  |  THE PITT  :  television, lead role

｡⋆ ꪆৎ ˚ personal information

personality type. infj

positive traits. passionate, cheerful, compassionate & creative

negative traits. sensitive to criticism, reluctant, perfectionist, & self-critical

moral alignment. lawful neutral 

fears. sudden change, losing her loved ones, autophobia, humiliation, the ocean

family.

daniel insuk song ( b.1964 - 1999 ) father

orchestra conductor.

park hyein ( b.1964 ) mother

retired snu professor.

natalia song ( b.1989) older sister

lawyer

theodore song ( b.1991) twin brother

actor

juliette song ( b.1995) younger sister

former member of CUPID's CLUB, actress

lee yujin ( b.2003) younger half brother

collage student

｡⋆ ꪆৎ ˚ trivial information

social media. yun.song (instagram / public), songsae (instagram / private), jude.tv (youtube)

habits. talks to herself quite often (mostly when trying to figure something out), cracks her knuckles, plays with her hair 

hobbies. going to museums, songwriting, painting, listening, and finding new music, watching documentaries

likes. peach lemonade, kiwi & cactus chocolates, documentaries about history or animals, horror, spending time with her loved ones, stardew valley, redecorating her living room, buying her members snacks

dislikes. people who chew with their mouths open, dry skin, excessive noise, being alone, sour foods or treats, plain black coffee

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Mike Luckovich

* * * *

We have every reason to be hopeful, but no reason to be complacent

April 2, 2025

Robert B. Hubbell

From 2017 through 2024, I frequently used the closing tagline, “We have every reason to be hopeful, but no reason to be complacent.” I haven’t used that closing since Kamala Harris’s loss on November 5, 2024—because I feared that readers would react negatively to the optimism in the statement.

As of Tuesday evening, it is appropriate to resurrect the long-standing, optimistic closing. Between the Florida and Wisconsin election results and Senator Cory Booker’s astounding filibuster in the Senate, everyone who values the rule of law should be looking forward to 2026 and 2028 with new confidence and hope.

Indeed, the electoral results in Florida and Wisconsin were so strong that Democrats have reason to hope for relief long before 2026. Dozens of Republicans who won their 2024 races by less than 15 points should reconsider their unquestioning commitment to Trump and Musk. The American people have given Republicans a job review that is tantamount to a “second warning” before termination.

The electoral results in Florida are encouraging despite the losses by Democrats seeking to flip seats in the House. Although votes are still being counted, it appears that both Josh Weil (FL 06) and Gay Valimont (FL 01) cut in half the 2024 winning margins of the Republicans who vacated those seats (NSA Mike Waltz and failed US Attorney nominee Matt Gaetz). Politico, Republicans win — but underperform — in both Florida special elections. The Florida results reflect the surge of voter anti-Trump-Doge-Musk sentiment sweeping the nation.

Susan Crawford’s successful bid for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court is encouraging on many levels.

First, it is a tremendous victory for the people of Wisconsin, who can heave a collective sigh of relief that their civil liberties will be protected by an enlightened state supreme court that will adhere to the rule of law. Second, we have witnessed the outer limits of the corrupting influence of Musk’s obscene and malign fortune. Musk invested $25 million in his attempt to buy a seat on the Wisconsin supreme court—an investment that does not include payments to Wisconsin voters for performing a civic duty. Third, Susan Crawford’s resounding victory serves as a strong rebuke to the lawless policies and mean-spirited, rapacious dismantling of social services and intellectual treasure of the federal government that protects the health and safety of all Americans. Fourth, Susan Crawford’s strong win serves as a personal rebuke of Elon Musk, who lacked the self-awareness to understand that injecting himself into the race hurt the GOP candidate and boosted Susan Crawford’s prospects. As an added bonus, Musk will forever be branded as a loser in Trump's eyes. And the photo of Musk awkwardly leaping into the air wearing a cheese-hat will be his legacy.

For an excellent analysis of why Musk is the “biggest loser” in Wisconsin on Tuesday evening, see Dan Moynihan’s discussion in To the Contrary, The Biggest Loser in Wisconsin.

Moynihan writes,

Musk’s candidate lost by about 10 points. In Wisconsin terms, that is a landslide. By contrast, a GOP-backed referendum to add voter ID to the constitution, intended to boost Schmiel, passed. Dems won a less visible race, for State Superintendent for education, but only by about five percent even with an incumbent candidate. All signs suggest that Musk was a drag, rather than a boost, to the candidate he invested so much personal and financial capital into. [¶¶] The change in the national mood is real. Sometimes political leaders direct followers, and sometimes they are directed by their followers. And right now, voters are angry and want pushback against the Trump-Musk agenda.

All in, it was a very good day for Democrats.

In the Senate, Cory Booker’s 25-hour speech from the floor of the Senate was in equal measure majestic and poignant, plain-spoken and brilliant, fiery and tender. He gave Democrats a reason to hope about the future of the resistance in the Democratic Party. Rather than whining about “being the minority” and “having no legislative power,” he used his only political asset: His voice.

And did he ever use his voice! Senator Booker did what desperate Democrats have been begging their leaders to do: Speak up, make good trouble, raise a ruckus, and rally the faithful! Senator Booker did so in a way that surpassed everyone’s expectations. It was his finest moment.

Senator Booker ended his speech with these words:

This is a moral moment. It is not left or right. It is right or wrong. Let’s get in good trouble. Madame President, I yield the floor.

The above closing was delivered after 25 hours of non-stop “on-his-feet” filibustering. An obviously exhausted Senator Booker nonetheless delivered an emotional and powerful closing. See ABC News / YouTube, Cory Booker ends record-breaking Senate speech with tribute to late John Lewis.

By daring to step into a leadership role in the resistance, Senator Booker is now the Senate Minority Leader in all but name only. Chuck Schumer should do the right thing and step aside.

And Senator Booker has placed himself at the head of the Democratic presidential pack for 2028. Good! Senator Booker’s historic effort should motivate other Democrats to engage in bolder, more aggressive pushback than has been the status quo in Congress to date.

And there is evidence that Democrats understand that more leadership is needed from everyone in the party. They are establishing a “Social Security war room” to help coordinate efforts to stop the GOP’s secret plan to gut Social Security. See Axios, Senate Democrats to launch Social Security war room. (“Senate Democrats will launch a war room Tuesday dedicated to fighting back against the Department of Government Efficiency's cuts to Social Security.”)

As Senator Booker was speaking on the Senate floor, House Democrats were holding a “shadow hearing” on the Republican assault on Social Security. See WNEM Michigan, Democrats hold hearing on Social Security. And Senators Warren and Schumer held a press conference in which they assailed the GOP stealth plan to dismantle Social Security.

In another welcome sign of resistance on Tuesday, Senator Adam Schiff announced that he is placing a hold on the confirmation of acting US Attorney Ed Martin in the District of Columbia. See Statement: Sen. Schiff Announces Hold on D.C. U.S. Attorney Nominee Ed Martin.

Senator Schiff said the following in announcing the hold:

No one embodies Donald Trump’s personal weaponization of the Justice Department more than Ed Martin. He is unfit to serve as a lawyer, let alone one with the resources – and cover from the Senate – to further twist the power of the law and law enforcement to go after Americans who stand up for the rule of law and for our democracy. With all of the power I am afforded as a United States Senator, I intend to place a hold on his nomination and block attempts to jam through his appointment at every stage.”

That’s exactly what we need from Senate Democrats—and more of it!

While Republicans may ultimately be able to overcome Senator Schiff’s hold, it will consume significant time and effort, while giving all Senate Democrats a platform on the floor to attack Ed Martin.

All of the above suggests that Americans are disgusted with Trump's agenda of revenge and destruction. Despite the reasons for hope, we cannot be complacent. Instead, we must redouble our efforts. Trump isn’t letting up despite his losses on Tuesday. We must not let up either. But we should move forward with a new spring in our step and confidence in our hearts!

Trump continues the cuts that fueled the GOP's weak electoral showing on Tuesday

Even as voters punish and warn Trump and Musk to stop their dismantling of government programs, Trump continues his rampage unabated.

On Wednesday, Trump will announce a new round of tariffs, which will likely inject new uncertainty into the stock markets (never a good thing for stock prices). See The Guardian, Trump set to announce new round of tariffs on his so-called ‘liberation day’.

And the tariffs follow massive layoffs and forced retirements across Health and Human Services. The cuts will approximate 25% of HHS’s staff—which account for less than 1% of its budget. See AP, Mass layoffs are underway at the nation's public health agencies.

The cuts will affect the FDA, NIH, and CDC. See AP, Here's where jobs and programs are being cut at the nation's top health agencies.

According to a report from Rachel Maddow on Tuesday evening (which I cannot independently verify), the HHS cuts will close all HHS programs that provide care and support for Alzheimer’s victims and their families. If true, this is a particularly cruel and heartless move, especially given that the savings will be converted into tax cuts for billionaires and millionaires.

These cuts—and more to come—will continue to fuel the resistance to larger scale and greater involvement by Americans. That resistance will eventually stop Trump’s campaign of revenge and destruction.

Law Firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher surrenders to Trump

The law firm of Willkie Farr & Gallagher surrendered in advance to Trump, agreeing to work for Trump for free while dismantling diversity and inclusion programs. Willkie Farr is the law firm where Kamala Harris’s husband works. See Reuters, Doug Emhoff's law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher reaches deal with Trump.

The law firm released a statement saying that it would donate $100 million of pro bono legal services to areas specified by Trump that, inter alia, reflect “conservative ideals.”

Per the firm’s press release,

Willkie’s pro bono Committee will ensure that new pro bono matters are consistent with these objectives, and that pro bono activities represent the full political spectrum, including Conservative ideals.

Trump should have NO role in determining which clients Wilkie Farr represents. Willkie Farr’s surrender to Trump is disgraceful.

And in case Doug Emhoff doesn’t realize what just happened, Willkie Farr has fired him by making it impossible for him to stay. He should have quit before the deal was announced. The sooner he quits the firm, the better for all concerned.

Concluding Thoughts.

It was a good day—and there will be more to come. We arrived at this pivotal moment because you raised your voices in protest and resistance. You should be proud of yourselves! Take a moment to reflect on what we have accomplished.

For the first time in five months, I feel confident in saying, “We have every reason to be hopeful, but no reason to be complacent.”

[Robert B. Hubbell Newletter]

[autumnslance]

LynMars's FFXIV Write 2024 Master Post

We're back again! The list and links for all of my completed prompts for this year's FFXIV Write. Stats and ramblings about writing will go under the Read More cut. Eventually these will be revised in some manner and tossed onto Ao3.

Asterisks again mean there's wolship nonsense happening.

01. Steer - Vignettes of less sociable times over Aeryn's life. 02. Horizon - WoL at the end of Ultima Thule, EW 6.0. 03. Tempest - WoL returns to Amaurot to contemplate, EW 6.4. 04. Reticent - C'oretta & Dark Autumn have a chat. Sort of. 05. Stamp - Aeryn finds a memento while cleaning, post-EW 6.0 06. Halcyon - Tanzel, Emelia, & understanding grief. Backstory. 07. Morsel - Zenos heading to Camp Broken Glass, EW 6.0. 08. Free Day! 09. Lend an Ear - Emperor Varis is very much alone. StB patches. 10. Stable - Hydaelyn as the avatar of Light. Endwalker. 11. Surrogate - Weird West AU. Unexpected new roles for the Strikers. 12. Quarry* - Dominants AU. Thavnair comes to Tural's aid. DT 7.0. 13. Butte - Dark Autumn versus seedkin in Xak Tural. DT 7.0. 14. Telling - WoL reflects on Emet-Selch's expected reaction. EW 6.0. 15. Free Day! 16. Third-Rate - Aeryn's annoyed by the Unbound. DT Role Quests. 17. Sally - Dark pays a final visit to a traitor, post-StB 4.1. 18. Hackneyed* - Aeryn, Thancred, & terrible literature. 19. Taken - A young wood warder tries to save his sibling. Backstory. 20. Duel - Wuk Lamat's challenge does not go as expected. DT 7.0. 21. Shade - WoL ruminates on some of their ghosts. Thru DT 7.0. 22. Free Day! 23. On Cloud Nine - A chocobo & her Warrior of Light. End ShB 5.0. 24. Bar - 2 different adventurers starting out. Legacy & ARR. 25. Perpetuity - Aeryn, Deryk, & questions of faith. EW 24man raid. 26. Zip - C'oretta helping out Hamon at the Coliseum. Technically DT. 27. Memory - In a future, music makes Iyna remember. EW Patches. 28. Deleterious - Aeryn & Shale discuss regulators & history. DT 7.0. 29. (Free) Deleterious 2* - Thancred & self-recrimination. ShB 5.0. 30. Two Heads are Better than One - Gulool Ja Ja muses. DT 7.0.

Previous years: 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023

Ended up a touch Aeryn-heavy this year, though Generic WoL, various NPCs, the other OCs, forays in the FC's AUs, and some supporting family cast members make appearances. There's even a callback to a previous FFXIV Write entry. Lots of Endwalker and Dawntrail due to recency bias, but it manages to span the spectrum from backstories through various expansions.

I only did 1 Free Day, due to having 2 solid ideas I ended up writing for that prompt. It was right at the end of my annual birthday vacation week, so I was pretty rested (may also be why they're among the longer entries!). Unusually, the rest of that week's works are not any longer than the others.

I'm also still working on some original writing, though, so that did cut into fanfiction time.

Below 500 words: #2 Horizon (347), #3 Tempest (415), #7 Morsel (499), #10 Stable (400), #13 Butte (477), #14 Telling (355), #17 Sally (464), #20 Duel (499), #24 Bar (462).

500 - 1,000 words: #1 Steer (944), #4 Reticent (581), #5 Stamp (588), #11 Surrogate (964), #12 Quarry (844), #16 Third-Rate (564), #18 Hackneyed (577), #19 Taken (915), #21 Shade (764), #23 On Cloud Nine (728), #25 Perpetuity (958), #26 Zip (592), #27 Memory (810), #30 Two Heads are Better than One (500).

Over 1,000 words: #6 Halcyon (2,479), #9 Lend an Ear (1,326), #28 Deleterious (1,099), #29 Deleterious 2 (1,231).

Shortest: #2 Horizon Longest: #6 Halcyon

Total: 20,382 words. Not my shortest but far from my longest. Comparing with the previous years, I can see a clear improvement in my grasp of both NPC and OC voices, and more confidence in general.

Even so, "Butte", "Sally", "Bar", and "Zip" were the hardest for me this year, and I may need to warm up to them. I love "Halcyon" for a lot of reasons, and am also fond of the lighter offerings in "Duel" and "On Cloud Nine." I like a lot of the others, particularly when trying to get into NPC heads (even if they're really weird places to be ffs, Zenos).

Not too many shippy entries this year, one of them for one of the AUs, one mostly talking about it rather than seeing it, but I like "Hackneyed" a lot as it's been awhile since I've written about Aeryn & Thancred's literary tastes (and opposite ways of treating their books).

These will eventually be revised and added to Ao3, and then we await next year!

[randomshipperhere]

Ai Mikaze Song Rant

!!🧹CLEANING OUT DRAFTS WRITTEN IN LIKE 2021. Posted as is last written🧹!!

that may or may not be an essay but since its structure is completely off, I opted to call it a rant.

Also Ai looks mighty fine in that outfit. Ver. A has him sticking his tongue out. So cute!!

Note: this is a long overdue post that was made prior to the release of the album, I have not changed anything within this because dammit my past self worked her ass off on this and just left it on the backburner for so long.

Before the next batch of Quartet Night Solo Songs get released this year (oh my god its been 3-4 years since the last ones) I wanted to write down the charm of Ai's songs and I hope the trend somewhat continues.

There are a total of 6 songs released since 2012 and each song also has it's own take on love.

There are a total of 6 songs released since 2012 and each song also has it's own take on love.

Winter Blossom: Parting of a loved one

A.I: Being and feeling loved

Futari no Monogram: Understanding oneself

Innocent Wind: The Warmth of Love

Mune no Kodou: Understanding Love

Synchronism: Playful, and a smidge bit sensual. Looks like the love arc is complete if you catch my drift

And now let's look at the song list:

うたの☆プリンスさまっ♪ アイドルソング嶺二＆藍

Uta no☆Purinsu-sama♪ Aidoru Songu Reiji & Ai

Track 02: Winter Blossom

August 22, 2012

Idol Song: Mikaze Ai

01: A. I

02: Futari no Monogram

June 25, 2014

マジLOVEレボリューションズアイドルソング 美風 藍

Maji LOVE Reboryuushonzu Aidoru Songu Mikaze Ai

01: Innocent Wind

02: Mune no Kodou

April 29, 2015

うたの☆プリンスさまっ♪ アイドルソング蘭丸＆藍

Uta no☆Purinsu-sama♪ Aidoru Songu Ranmaru & Ai

03: Synchronism

May 24, 2017

Now why does the second part matter? Well to me, if you put them together. Arrange by release date and track number, it almost sounds like a story on its own.

A person who has lost a loved one and forgot what the feeling felt like (Winter Blossom) until they discovered someone who could possibly mend their broken heart and understand the concept of "Ai" (A. I).

After finding this someone, they want to better themselves, become more reliable, someone who could be deserving of that love (Futari no Monogram). That love is returned to them and it feels a bit too much, but they're grateful that this person continues to stay by their side, despite being "broken" (Innocent Wind).

Like any relationship though, it was not just meant to be a sunshine filled story, they got into fights and arguements but that never deterred them from loving each other. Even during the moments they felt down or when he was scared of the passage of time, still uncertain about love, they still stuck with each other through thick and thin. And to understand these overflowing emotions, he wrote it into a song, a ballad, that sung the wishes of normal lovers and how with them, he can understand love. That he too, has that "something" on his chest (Mune no Kodou).

This emotional beat is followed by a happy and relaxing, definitely no underlying desires song about love (Synchronism).

being vague about the last one since I'll explain in each solo segment.

I think you guys get what I mean about the songs tying together to form a story by now right? Which is amazing to me, even if they most likely didn't do it on purpose, it gives a new meaning to listening to Ai's songs. Which make it even more fun to listen to.

So now onto each song and it's significance.

Winter Blossom

The first song by Ai is still as sad and beautiful as the first time I read the english translation~ I cried. This is a very straightforward song. They shared their last moments in winter.

To hide our kiss, we draw closer together to share warmth

and he wishes to God that he could feel the same emotions as her. She's about to go and he knows this, and he doesn't want to forget so he tries to stop his tears. He wants to remember this. Timeskip and he's all alone now with these memories. He doesn't think it's bad, no matter how sad it was, and yet he could only think about what else he could've done. He feels like he understands now, and he tells the words "I love you" even if she wasn't there, and his voice is only heard by the wind. He remembers the moment one last time, and makes a promise.

It's a tragedy that he only figured out what love is after she died. The song really moves me to tears. The hopeful message at the end is really nice and gives the listener a sense of encouragement.

A. I

Just lovers out on a vacation by the seaside. It starts off with him asking

“At what percentage does it become ‘love’?”

The night grows nearer, as you two get closer, and yet all he can feel is uncertainty. Unsure whether his feelings would reach or if he could ever truly express what he feels. Insecure about his own name, one he even called poor, you show him that there is a meaning to "AI". This fills him with happiness and he sees you as someone he can turn to, his warmth. He gives you a kiss. For now, in this moment, you will enjoy the time spent together, even if in the future you may fight. For now, even if he can't express to you all his feelings, the one word you taught him is enough. I love you.

I've always loved the play on words for A.I (artificial intelligence), Ai (love), and Ai (name) used for the song. See I don't understand Japanese writing much but I really wish I did. From what little I know it's amazing to see that Ai uses katakana アイ throughout the song. Katakana is used for loan words or when you want to emphasize something. So him using アイ instead of 愛 emphasizes that he REALLY doesn't understand "Ai". If you look through the wiki, there are like, 5 instances of the katakana being used. First is in the line highlighted above. Another is in "I want to confirm it, this thing you call ‘love’/tashikametai yo kimi no iu 'ai'" and the most important one. The last line of the song.

I ‘love’ you… I love you

AI shiteru... aishiteru

アイしてる…[[愛]]してる

He actually learns what it means you guys. I'm proud of him. Another line that really got me in this song is when he keeps peppering you kisses because he was anxious. Baby, no, I won't leave you. I swear! Even if it takes time for you to understand, I won't let go!

Futari no Monogram

Innocent Wind

Mune no Kodou

Synchronism

Actually, while I was writing this down, I realized that most of his songs have an emphasis on warmth and the sun.

Winter Blossom

To hide our kiss, we draw closer together to share warmth

These memories aren’t bad, they transform into warmth

A. I

Your hand held in mine is so warm

Your warmth, this tender sunny spot is my gentle place to return to

Innocent Wind

By the tenderness of your warmth

This warmth is beyond even words…

Also the word embrace

(Winter Blossom, Futari no Monogram, Innocent Wind)

and hand holding

he's cold you guys

.

Rant over!

Waaaaa I'm not sure I even did him justice since half the time I couldn't word out what I want to say but hopefully it made some sort of sense???? I just really love him and his songs that I just kinda word vomitted everything.

Also was it super obvious that I adore Mune no Kodou to bits?! I could talk about how that's my favorite song all day because FUCK it's just THAT good.

[ms-m-astrologer]

Transiting Venus enters retrograde zone

Timeline

Friday, January 10, 09:59 UTC - transiting Venus’ greatest eastern elongation, 7°35’ Pisces

Tuesday, January 28, 20:22 UTC - transiting Venus enters retrograde zone, 24°37’ Pisces

Tuesday, February 4, 07:57 UTC - transiting Venus enters Aries

Sunday, March 2, 00:36 UTC - transiting Venus stations retrograde, 10°50’ Aries

Sunday, March 23, 01:07 UTC - Sun-Venus inferior conjunction, 2°39’ Aries

Thursday, March 27, 08:41 UTC - transiting Venus retrogrades back into Pisces

Sunday, April 13, 01:02 UTC - transiting Venus stations direct, 24°37’ Pisces

Wednesday, April 30, 17:16 UTC - transiting Venus re-enters Aries

Friday, May 16, 06:04 UTC - transiting Venus exits retrograde zone, 10°50’ Aries

Sunday, June 1, 07:34 UTC - transiting Venus’ greatest western elongation, 25°14’ Aries

*+=+*+=+*+=+*

Let me warn everyone right now - this is probably the only stand-alone post I’ll make about Venus Rx in 2025. What I plan to do instead is write more about each step in my weekly forecasts. So if it’s important to you, screenshot that timeline and write the dates down in your planner!

Astrologically, the timing and placement of this particular Rx Zone just boggle my mind. Here is Venus moving back and forth over late Pisces/early Aries - as the Lunar Nodes move from early Aries/Libra to late Pisces/Virgo - as Saturn and Neptune begin their year-long transition from Pisces to Aries - and as transiting Mercury gets in on the action, having its Rx Zone cover exactly the same Zodiacal ground beginning the day before Venus stations retrograde.

JFC.

Anyway, during Venus retrograde times, we are meant to reflect upon our sense of self-worth and our relationships. Can’t have one without the other...? It’s comparable to the stories of the Mesopotamian goddess Inanna descending to the Underworld (most likely woven around Venus’ Rx cycles) - Inanna ends up stripping herself (or being stripped) of all her outer accoutrements, in order to be reborn.

Some general warnings about this time period, based on Venus’ areas:

Arts - without fail, every time Venus has an RZ, I get an idea for some grandiose, complicated project for knitting or crocheting. And without fail, every time this grand project ends up abandoned. It’s okay to continue working on the art projects you already have going, but hold off on starting anything new.

Beauty - how many impulsive, disastrous makeovers have occurred during Venus Rx, I wonder? DO NOT CHOP OFF ALL YOUR HAIR. Instead, consider ways to revamp your wardrobe and image. Consider, but don’t act until Venus is direct again.

Love - traditionally, this is a time when past lovers reenter our lives. Equally traditional is the end result, namely, asking ourselves in horror, “What was I thinking?” Some love karma may not be quite as paid off as we presumed. It’s a good time to search out what it was we were supposed to learn from the experience.

Money - get-rich quick schemes based off our own gullibility. Throwing money away on whatever is our escapist vehicle of choice - booze, drugs, food, TV, gaming, the list goes on and on.

Look to the house(s) in your birth chart, which contain the sliver of Zodiac between 24° Pisces and 10° Aries, to see where the action will be. Natal 2nd House? Pay attention to your budget! Natal 7th House? Beware those returning past partners!

And since Venus Rx is cyclical, think back eight years to February-May 2017 - Feb-May 2009 - even Feb-May 2001 - and review what happened then. (These RZs are in my natal 5th House, and sure enough, I was exclusively concerned with my kids and their drama during those times.)

We have a week of Venus/Pisces before she moves on to Aries - a week of wistful daydreaming. Take note of what seems to pop up; you’ll revisit it during the next few months. Something wonderful you don’t want to let go - something wonderful you don’t dare believe could be meant for you.

There is also a spectacular set up between February 1-3, when Venus, Neptune, and the North Node all are conjunct in very late Pisces - joined on Saturday the 1st by the Moon attaining her Crescent phase, and all of them semi-square the Aquarius Sun. What Pisces-type quality are you lacking, or maybe have too much of, that holds you back?