#ANN service provider

[alphadatadubai]

ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS AND ITS IMPORTANT ATTRIBUTES

What Are Artificial Neural Networks? A branch of machine learning, neural networks (NN), also known as artificial neural networks (ANN), are computational models — essentially algorithms. ANN has a unique ability to extract meaning from imprecise or complex data to find patterns and detect trends that are too convoluted for the human brain or for other computer techniques. Neural networks have provided us with greater convenience in numerous ways, including through ridesharing apps, Gmail smart sorting, and suggestions on Amazon.

Why Do We Use Neural Networks? Neural networks’ human-like attributes and ability to complete tasks in infinite permutations and combinations make them uniquely suited to today’s big data-based applications. Because neural networks also have the unique capacity (known as fuzzy logic) to make sense of ambiguous, contradictory, or incomplete data, they are able to use controlled processes when no exact models are available.

Attributes of Neural Networks With the human-like ability to problem-solve — and apply that skill to huge datasets — neural networks possess the following powerful attributes:

Adaptive Learning: Like humans, neural networks model non-linear and complex relationships and build on previous knowledge. For example, the software uses adaptive learning to teach math and language arts.

Self-Organization: The ability to cluster and classify vast amounts of data makes neural networks uniquely suited for organizing the complicated visual problems posed by medical image analysis.

Real-Time Operation: ANN service providers provide real-time answers, as is the case with self-driving cars and drone navigation.

Prognosis: ANN’s ability to predict based on models has a wide range of applications, including for weather and traffic.

Fault Tolerance: When significant parts of a network are lost or missing, neural networks can fill in the blanks. This ability is especially useful in space exploration, where the failure of electronic devices is always a possibility.

Tasks Neural Networks Perform Neural networks are highly valuable because they can carry out tasks to make sense of data while retaining all their other attributes. Here are the critical tasks that neural networks perform:

Classification: ANNs organize patterns or datasets into predefined classes.

Prediction: They produce the expected output from a given input.

Clustering: They identify a unique feature of the data and classify it without any knowledge of prior data.

Associating: You can train neural networks to "remember" patterns. When you show an unfamiliar version of a pattern, the network associates it with the most comparable version in its memory and reverts to the latter

The Challenges of Neural Networks

As useful as neural networks can be, challenges in the field abound:

Training: A common criticism of neural networks, particularly in robotics applications, is that excessive training for real-world operations is mandatory. One way to overcome that hurdle is by randomly shuffling training examples. Using a numerical optimization algorithm, small steps — rather than large steps — are taken to follow an example. Another way is by grouping examples in so-called mini-batches. Improving training efficiencies and convergence capabilities is an ongoing research area for computer scientists.

Theoretical Issues: Unsolved problems remain, even for the most sophisticated neural networks. For example, despite its best efforts, Facebook still finds it impossible to identify all hate speech and misinformation by using algorithms. The company employs thousands of human reviewers to resolve the problem. In general, because computers aren’t human, their ability to be genuinely creative — prove math theorems, make moral choices, compose original music, or deeply innovate — is beyond the scope of neural networks and AI.

Inauthenticity: The theoretical challenges we address above arise because neural networks don’t function exactly as human brains do — they operate merely as a simulacrum of the human brain. The specifics of how mammalian neurons code information is still unknown. Artificial neural networks don’t strictly replicate neural function, but rather use biological neural networks as their inspiration. This process allows statistical association, which is the basis of artificial neural networks. The ANN’s services earning process isn’t identical to that of a human, thus, its inherent (at least for now) limitations.

Hybrids: A proposal to overcome some of the challenges of artificial neural networks combines ANN with symbolic AI, or human-readable representations of search, logic, and problems. To successfully duplicate human intelligence, it’s vital to translate the procedural knowledge or implicit knowledge ( the skills and knowledge not readily accessible by conscious awareness) humans possess into an unequivocal form that uses symbols and rules. So far, the difficulties of developing symbolic AI have been unresolvable — but that status may soon change.

ANN service providers in UAE such as Alpha Data, an ANN service provider in Dubai are working to eliminate these challenges. Leaders in the field of neural networks and AI are writing smarter, faster, more human algorithms every day. The service providers are driving improvements by using better hardware and cross-pollinating different hardware and software

[thechurn]

i hateeeee corporate identity design so much. most evil kind of design there is

[3rdeyeblaque]

On September 10th we venerate Elevated Ancestor, Voodoo Queen of Louisiana, & Saint, Marie Catherine Laveau on her 222nd birthday 🎉

[for our Hoodoos of the Vodou Pantheon]

Marie Catherine Laveau was a dedicated Hoodoo, healer, herbalist, & midwife who, "traveled the streets [of New Orleans] like she owned them", as the most infamous Voodoo Queen of New Orleans.

Marie C. Laveau I was born a "Free Mulatto" in today's French Quarter in what was then, New France); to a mother & grandmother who were both born into slavery & later freed via freedom papers. It is believed that she grew up in the St. Ann Street cottage of her maternal grandmother.

She married Jacques Santiago-Paris, a "Quadroon" "Free Man of Color", who fled as a refugee from Saint-Domingue, Haiti from the Haitian Revolution in the former French colony . After his passing, she became known as "The Widow Paris". She then worked as a hairdresser catering to White families & later entered a domestic partnership with a French nobleman his death. She excelled at obtaining inside information on her wealthy patrons by instilling fear in their servants whom she either paid or cured of mysterious ailments. Although she never abandoned her Catholic roots, she became increasingly interested in her mother’s African traditional beliefs. The Widow Paris learned her craft from a ‘Voodoo doctor’ known variously as Doctor John or John Bayou.

Marie C. Laveau I is said to have intiated into Voodoo career sometime in the 1820s. She's believed to be descended from a long line of Voodoo Priestesses, all bearing her same name. She was also a lifelong devout Catholic. It didn’t take long before Marie C. Laveau I dominated New Orleans Voodoo culture & society before claiming title of Queen. She was the 3rd Voodoo Queen of NOLA - after Queen Sanité Dédé & Queen Marie Salopé. During her decades tenure, she was the premier beacon of hope and service to customers seeking private consultations - to aid in matters such as family disputes, health, finances, etc, created/sold gris gris, perforemed exorcisms. While her daughter Marie II was known for her more theatrical displays of public events, Marie C. Laveau I was less flamboyant in her persona. She conducted her work in 3 primary locations throughout the city: her home on St. Ann Street, Congo Square, & at Lake Pontchartrain. Despite one account of a challenge to her authority in 1850, Marie C. Laveau I maintained her leadership & influence.

The Queen died peacefully in her sleep in her ole cottage home on St. Ann Street. Her funeral was conducted according to the rite of the Catholic Church & in the absence of any Voodoo rites. To her Voodoo followers, she's venerated as a Folk Saint. In² addition to her Priesthood in Voodoo and title of Queen, she is also remembered for her community activism; visiting prisoners, providing lessons to women of the community, & doing ritual work for those in need.

She is generally believed to have been buried in plot 347, the Glapion family crypt in Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1, New Orleans. As of March 1st, 2015, there is no longer public access to St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. Entry with a tour guide is required due to continued vandalism & tomb raiding.

We pour libations & give her💐 today as we celebrate her for her love for & service to the people, through poverty, misfortune, bondage, & beyond.

Offering suggestions: flowers + libations at her grave, catholic hymns, holy water, gold rings/bracelets, money

‼️Note: offering suggestions are just that & strictly for veneration purposes only. Never attempt to conjure up any spirit or entity without proper divination/Mediumship counsel.‼️

[tomorrowusa]

« All of us have in our minds a cartoon image of an autocratic state. There is a bad man at the top. He controls the army and the police. The army and the police threaten the people with violence. There are evil collaborators, and maybe some brave dissidents. But in the twenty-first century, that cartoon bears little resemblance to reality.

Nowadays, autocracies are run not by one bad guy but by sophisticated networks relying on kleptocratic financial structures, a complex of security services— military, paramilitary, police—and technological experts who provide surveillance, propaganda, and disinformation. The members of these networks are connected not only to one another within a given autocracy but also to networks in other autocratic countries, and sometimes in democracies too. Corrupt, state-controlled companies in one dictatorship do business with corrupt, state-controlled companies in another. The police in one country may arm, equip, and train the police in many others. The propagandists share resources—the troll farms and media networks that promote one dictator’s propaganda can also be used to promote another’s—as well as themes: the degeneracy of democracy, the stability of autocracy, the evil of America. »

– Journalist and historian Anne Applebaum at Substack quoting from her soon to be released book Autocracy, Inc..

You can read several more paragraphs from Autocracy, Inc. at the Substack link above. Her book will be published on the 23rd; if you're within distance of Washington, DC she will be doing a free book reading and Q&A on Friday July 26th at Politics and Prose. She's a good writer and speaker. I've read two of her previous books and can vouch for their quality.

The war in Ukraine is not some remote conflict that idiots like J.D. Vance or Neville Chamberlain might dismiss out of stupidity. Ukraine is just one arena in a worldwide clash between liberal democracy and kleptocratic tyranny.

[the-guilty-writer]

Headcanons for Hotchner!daughter Service Dog

No one asked for it but here we are.

Inspired by the headcanons done by @ssa-thotchnerr on hotchner!reader emotional support dog

As someone who is a service dog handler, this topic is near and dear to my heart, especially service dogs who do psychiatric work. It's also important to me to address the differences between an ESA (emotional support animal) and PSD (psychiatric service dog) as they are two seprate things.

If you have questions about ESAs or Service Dogs send me an ask or a message! It's something I love to talk about and educate on!

Here we go:

CW: Foyet, Haley's death, counseling, medication, PTSD, PTSD symptoms, meanings to names

The whole thing with Foyet was traumatic. Being pulled away from your dad, being in witness protection, being told your dad was dead only to find out that he wasn't, your mom being killed- it was all too much.

Hotch was very proactive about getting you and Jack into counseling. Jack recovered from the events far faster and easier than you did.

After evaluation from a psychologist, they concluded you had severe PTSD.

You were talking to a therapist multiple times a week, taking medication, being open with your dad, even peer support groups, but after a year you still struggled immensely.

Panic attacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, depressive episodes, and avoidance still ruled your life.

Your medical team brought forward the idea of a service dog as an addition to the rest of your treatment.

You and your dad looked into it and decided it would be a good idea.

Until you looked at the price of training or getting a program dog and it was going to be upwards of $15,000 (really closer to $25,000) or at least two years on a non-profit waitlist. Some options were both.

Thank god for the "anonymous donation" from Uncle Dave.

You and your dad met with the program. They had you meet a few different dogs that were ready for task training, but ultimately you were matched with a solid black female german shepherd.

"She's from our outer space themed litter. Her name is Comet, after Halley's Comet."

That had you and your dad in tears.

It would still be months before she would complete her task training, but you got to see her when you went to do handler training.

She finally finished her training with the program and got to come home to complete it with you!

At first, having Comet almost made things worse.

People would point and stare, little kids would scream, rude people saying things like "you don't look disabled", "I thought only veterans could have PTSD", access issues, even some of your friends who didn't want to bring you along on activities anymore since you'd have Comet with you.

But it forced you to be a bit brave and learn to stand up for yourself and her.

And her tasks made your life so much better and gave you so much more independence.

Comet would "search" the apartment for strangers before you entered, so you could come home alone without Hotch or Jessica having to be there.

If you were home alone, she would bark when someone came into the apartment and go check to see who it was. If it was someone she knew, she would stop barking and come back to you, but if it was a stranger she would continue barking so you could call your dad and ask who was supposed to be coming to the apartment.

When you had nightmares, she would wake you up before they got really bad. This improved the sleep quality of everyone in your family.

Comet would alert you before you had a panic attack so she could perform deep pressure therapy and you could use your coping skills to try to make it less intense.

If your panic attack did get intense, she would do a "take down" to put as much pressure on your body as possible and gently lick you until you calmed down.

In the after-fatuige of an attack she would take you to a quiet place to recover and continue to provide pressure therapy.

If it happened when your dad was home she would get him to help you through it.

She would annoy you at certain times of the day to remind you to take your medications, sometimes even fetching the bottles for you.

When you would cry alone she would just starting bringing you anything she could find - water bottles, papers, pillows, dirty laundry (usually bras because it made you laugh) - so you didn't have to be alone with your feelings.

She would stand behind you and alert to people approaching so you didn't get startled.

Sometimes would provide "checks" around corners if you were having a really bad day with hypervigilance.

Having Comet opened up an entire new world for you, making you feel safe without having to have your dad or your aunt with you.

She wasn't a replacement for your therapy or medication, and the public could still be extremely rude. Sometimes you did leave her at home if you were going somewhere that it would be hard to accommodate her and you had your dad to help you incase anything happened.

But she gave you independence that you didn't have before and made your life so much better.

[aimeedaisies]

Princess Anne and Sir Tim Laurence’s itinerary for their visit to Vancouver and Victoria, Canada on 3rd-5th May 2024

Below is everything they will be doing while on this official royal visit:

✨ Attend the commissioning ceremony for His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Max Bernays and sail overnight in the ship to Esquimalt

✨ When HMCS Max Bernays enters Esquimalt Harbour, they will receive a 21-Gun Salute from the Black Rock naval battery

✨ Visit the Military Family Resource Centre and meet with staff, board members and service members and their families

✨ Pay respects and lay a wreath at the God’s Acre Veteran’s Cemetery

✨ Visit the archives and collections space of the Maritime Museum of British Columbia, which was founded with an initial donation by Her Royal Highness’s late father, Prince Philip

✨ Visit the FED Urban Agriculture project to learn about local sustainable food practices

✨ Attend the Battle of the Atlantic Commemorative Service at the British Columbia Legislature and lay a wreath

✨ Visit the Royal Victoria Yacht Club and present prizes at the Spring Dinghies Regatta

✨ Visit the Victoria Therapeutic Riding Association and meet with staff, board members, clients, and their families. They will be given a tour of the stables and present prizes.

✨ Meet with Lieutenant Governor Janet Austin and various British Columbia community leaders

The visit by Princess Anne and Sir Tim is being hosted by the Royal Canadian Navy.

Specific dates and times have not been provided by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor for safety reasons and so the Princess Royal can attend all her commitments while in town.

[invisibleicewands]

‘Theatre changed my life,’ says Michael Sheen. ‘Now my passion is for helping others’

Theatre can change lives. And I should know. It’s changed my life more than I’d ever have imagined. Back in 2011, a play called The Passion took over the streets of my hometown of Port Talbot. And I haven’t been the same since.

Perhaps the perception of actors before a play is that we’ll learn a few lines, try on a few costumes... break a leg. But with The Passion, I went all in like never before.

I also met the people doing vital work in the community I grew up in, helping vulnerable people who need it the most, often at make-or-break moments. Being at this coalface of community opened my eyes.

This patchwork of people holding society together with the thinnest of threads, going over and above each and every day to help people in almost every aspect of their lives.

I saw then – and I continue to see – kind-hearted, warm, tolerant people helping out their fellow humans to bring communities together. These are the people who make our nation what it is.

The good deeds that these people did – from giving young carers a night off to go bowling, to setting up the only grief counselling service in the area – generally worked under fragile funding and often were under-appreciated by the wider community.

I knew then that I had to devote as much time and energy as I could to helping, however I could.

In the decade and a half since The Passion, I’ve started projects around homelessness, high-cost credit, care, and local journalism. And for the past 18 months, these have come under the banner of a movement known as Mab Gwalia.

Mab Gwalia believes that opportunity should not only be available to those who can afford it. The ambition is to build a movement that makes change.

We support people and projects which work in three ways: projects creating opportunity and fighting for fairness; projects rooted in communities, helping people directly; and projects that work in new and ambitious ways to deliver change.

My work on The Passion made me realise there’s so many people out there doing this. And Mab Gwalia has supported as many of them as we can.

This has included: Army veterans in Merthyr Tydfil. Autism support for children in Rhondda Cynon Taf. Food growing in Pembrokeshire. Opportunities for women in Swansea who’ve suffered knock-back after knock-back. Community skills hubs in Rhyl.

Theatre changed my life. Now I want the spark it set off in me to do the same for others.

My ancestor, Nanny Blower, the lion tamer

My great-great grandmother was called Mary Ann-North. Or Nanny Blower, as we know her.

She left Wales for New York in 1896 where she became, wait for it, an elephant and lion tamer for the Bostock and Wombwell Circus. Fast forward to today and young people in the Upper Neath Valleys don’t have to run away to join the circus. Organised Kaos comes to them.

Kaos stands for “keeping adolescents off the streets” and that’s what they do. I first met them on The Passion (riding BMXs through fire – them, not me) and now Mab Gwalia has helped fund their work.

Manics band drum up £15,000 for drama study

“Libraries gave us power” – the opening lyrics to Wales’ second national anthem, A Design For Life.

The Manic Street Preachers wrote a version of the song for The Passion, performing it at The Last Supper in the Seaside Social & Labour Club… before being arrested and hauled off stage for the show’s added drama.

The band is working with Mab Gwalia to fund a drama scholarship, providing financial support to students who need it. Since 2021, 11 students have received up to £15,000 each academic year.

We’ve just committed to another three years. The students tell us it gives them a chance to believe. The arts should be for everyone.

Mothers Matter, like my mum and partner Anna

My mum’s going through a tough time as my dad is living with Alzheimer’s. It’s a lot to take. I’m thankful every day for how my partner Anna is with our daughters.

It’s an understatement, but mothers matter. That’s the name of an organisation Mab Gwalia has supported. Mothers Matter helps mums suffering from loneliness and isolation through support, counselling, wellbeing hubs and workshops. Mothers in South Wales don’t have to do it alone.

We give a voice to working class writers

A summer reading recommendation: Only Here, Only Now by Tom Newlands. It’s Cora’s story – a teenage girl with ADHD finding her way through life in the early 90s in post-industrial Scotland. She’ll change the way you think about neurodivergence. It’s an unforgettable debut novel.

Tom was part of A Writing Chance, a project I developed alongside the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, New Writing North and Northumbria University. The Office for National Statistics says nearly half all authors are from the most privileged backgrounds.

So we’re trying to redress that balance. To turn up voices not always heard. Tom was one of the first group – 11 writers who received bursaries and mentoring with industry leaders including regular writer of this column, Ros Wynne-Jones.

You can hear their stories in the BBC Sounds podcast Margins to Mainstream with Michael Sheen. Now, 16 more writers are on board. Think of the stories to come.

My debut at the ‘brilliant Welsh party’

With origins dating from 1176, the National Eisteddfod is Europe’s largest cultural festival. A celebration of Welsh language culture with performances and competitions in everything from composition to cynghanedd (a type of Welsh poetry). And, last weekend, in Pontypridd, I made my debut on the maes (site or field).

My four-year-old daughter now refers to it as “that brilliant Welsh party” which neatly describes the atmosphere. On stage, the actress Sian Phillips said the sounds of words in Welsh “echoed with the language”.

I felt those echoes all day. Spoken in the park by families. Performed by young actors. Sung with emotion by choirs. It was a beautiful thing.

Homeless World Cup a beautiful game

Next month, the Homeless World Cup takes place in Seoul, South Korea. Bringing the tournament to Cardiff in 2019, seeing 500 players with experience of homelessness represent their nation on the football field, was something I’ll never forget.

If you can’t wait until then, watch The Beautiful Game on Netflix. Keep an eye on Callum Scott Howells, a brilliant young Welsh actor who I directed in BBC drama The Way (available on iPlayer).

Nye NHS vision seen on world stage

I’ve spent much of this year playing the man who had the vision and valour to create the National Health Service. Nye was theatre at its most far-reaching.

There were sold-out runs in the National Theatre in London, the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff. And cinema screenings were viewed by people all over the world.

On the night we filmed the NT Live screening, NHS workers from around the country were invited to be in the audience. They knew that at that moment, a global audience was learning about our welfare state and the man who was behind it.

My dad came along one night. He was just a little kid when Bevan’s idea became reality. Soon there’ll be very few left who can remember what life was like before the NHS.

Let’s hope it stays that way. Can the new government come up with a progressive policy that inspires a story which packs them in 75 years on? We can but dream.

[mrepstein]

The Flat That Epstein Bought - Liverpool Echo - July 11, 1964

HOME - with the man behind the Beatles, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Cilla Black, Billy J. Kramer, etc, etc.

Reported by Barbara Anne Taylor

---

I don’t want to brag or cause any jealousy, but I used to queue for the Saturday matinee at a cinema that was next to a furniture shop that was called Epstein and Son and that Epstein’s other son manages the Beatles.

And that is as exciting as dancing with a man who danced with a girl who danced with the Prince of Wales.

The other son is Brian, who has in his time pursued many careers until he found his present crock of gold. He did originally embark, with no lack of enthusiasm, on a career in his family’s furniture business.

CRAFTY CHERUB

“I was 21 at the time,” said Mr. Epstein, who looks like a sharp-clothed, crafty cherub, “and extremely interested in design and interior decorating - still am. I served,” he added stoically, “my apprenticeship with the Times Furnishing Company in Liverpool.

“I was fanatically keen on what I regarded as contemporary at the time. I felt quite a missionary zeal about it, so I wasn’t fired with enthusiasm about the furniture in my father’s shop. It all looked to me like greasy great walnut bedroom suites.

“I was full of notions about the customers really wanting the sort of furniture I wanted them to have. I overlooked the fact that my father is a successful business man because he knows what his customers want. However, I persuaded him to stock some of the furniture of my choice.”

When I asked Mr. Epstein if his chosen furniture sold, he received the question a trifle incredulously: “I saw to it,” he said stonily, “that it did” - and having subsequently witnessed something of his adroitness as a salesman, who can fail to believe him?

Mr. Epstein is clever at picking people; he picked his parents very wisely, for his indulgent father then set him up in his own furniture shop in Hoylake.

He was able to revel in the furniture of his choice and provide an interior decorating service to boot. “It was the interior decorating side I enjoyed most, I had lots of ideas and I love experimenting with colour.”

When I asked Mr. Epstein if he was able to submit his clients to his ideas he replied: “The customer is always right.”

Mr. Epstein inhabits the top floor and the roof, where he has potted plants and wrought iron furniture, and swinging chintz hammocks and a splendid view.

He has two bedrooms and a study and one large, long combined living and dining room, which is decorated in white, grapish green and amber and is inspiringly tidy.

“I can’t bear clutter, I’m obsessive about plainness and simplicity, in fact, this room looks cluttered to me,” he said, eyeing with some distaste this positive precedent for orderliness.

The Buyer of Antiques

“I like buying antiques, although I have no knowledge of them. I don’t care about their period or their history. I just care about their shape. I couldn’t live with only modern furniture now, you grow out of such utter devotion. It’s rather sad really.”

“I find it completely absorbing searching for exactly what I want but there’s really not much choice, is there? I mean, there appears to be a lot but when you get down to it there is really very little.

“And isn’t it sad when finally you’ve found exactly what you want, then you discover that it’s exactly what hundreds of other people want too. It sort of spoils the specialness of it.

“I found it an exciting experience furnishing my first home, it takes a lot of time and thought, because you are imprinting something of yourself there. I think there is something of me in this flat, though it’s not exactly right. I long to have a separate dining room... well, what I really long for is a house.

Knows What He Wants

“I know exactly what I want. I can’t describe it to you, I could perhaps draw it. It is certainly nothing like the castles and follies I keep being offered. It’s a house I’ve had in my head for ages, I’ll know it the moment I see it.

“Till then I’m happy here. I look forward to coming home, that’s the big test, and my friends seem to like it and that’s also important because I love entertaining.

“Yes the Beatles approve - at least they approve of most of the furniture: they were a bit scornful about the antiques. Paul is very fond of the rocking chair, but what they all approved of most was the way I had their photographs framed. Cilla thinks it is all fab.”

[thedeafprophet]

The Housestaff at the Townhouse Of The Boisterous Author

Some new Fallen London background character designs of mine!

As many who are familiar with basic facts of the victorian era know, a signficiant portion of the population in the 19th century worked in domestic service. Within households servants had their own titles and roles, especially in wealthier families who had great many working within a house -

And, going along with that, many people, even those just lower-middle class, had servants doing the housework, which was an incredibly time consuming task in the victorian era. This was before stainless steal, when basic household items had to be made by hands, with ironing to be done, and so, so much soot around - it was a lot of work.

I'll spare you all a further ramble of all i know about servants in the victorian era - but suffice to say, and as many already know, I have been thinking about giving more detail into those who work within my Fallen London PCs households!

Further detail on these characters under the cut

Viola

Age: Seventeen!

Role: Housemaid

Personality:

Anxious and shy, but very sweet and well meaning, poor Viola is not exactly the best at her job.She's extremely determined to figure it out, even if she has a habit of dropping things! Just give her the chance!

Previous Employment:

Viola previously, but briefly, worked at The Palace. Her elder sister who had worked their much longer had recently developed an illness, and the role had to be filled.

Things did not go well for Viola.

An inccident one day while Mst. Awnings was at the Palace led to a sort of confrontation, which ended in them offering her a job at their own home in the end instead.

Mary-Anne

Age: My, don't you know its terribly rude to inquire about a woman's age?

Role: Housekeeper

Personality:

It is Mary-Anne's job to run the house, and she is going to do it properly. Even if everything seems so set against her doing so....

Mary-Anne oversees all of the other staff at the house, and does not let them forget it. She is caring, but strict, and has certain expectations on the way things are meant to be done. She will never stand by and let things just happen - no matter who the one is comitting the offence.

Previous Employment:

Mary-Anne has been working for service for many, many years. It was her job on the surface, though her role and age was very different back then, and it is her role now. She had been the head of the staff at a large residence in London for many years now.

However after witnessing certan records and an incident by the former homeowner, Mary-Anne had refused to stay silent - which kept her morals clear, but left her without a job and without a recommendation.

She initially worked for Mst. Awnings alone, minimal job oppurtunities presented to her, and while she certainly complains about the... less typical attitudes of this household, she is not inclined to leave.

Edith

Age: Forty something or other. What's it to ya?

Role: Cook

Personality:

Edith has been round the block, and has been in and out of many kitchens in her life time. Her experience in resturants has built her, and though there's been a few flames here or there, she's not much inclined for worries.

Edith is rather gruff and improper, and isn't inclined to follow so called social norms. She'll do her job how she wants, and smokes wherever she damn well pleases. Ain't like she's hurting anyone, anyways.

You aint gonna find someone else who can work as well as she can.

Previous Employment:

Edith had been working at a particular resturant near Spite for a couple years now, and hadnt been much planning to move. However, during the GCO, Edith got caught among the chaos, and ended up sustaining a significant leg injury.

Her previous employer was not inclined to provide supports such as sitting in a busy kitchen job, and Edith found herself looking elsewhere. Which is how she found herself working in a house kitchen rather then a resturant one - with certainly an interesting state of requests.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

david rowe :: @roweafr :: would you like nukes with that :: @FinancialReview

* * * * *

"The Bizarro Presidency"

November 20, 2024

Robert B. Hubbell

If Trump's nominations were not so deadly serious, they would qualify as parody bordering on slapstick. On Tuesday, Trump nominated as the head of Medicare a T.V. doctor who promoted hydroxychloroquine as a cure for Covid and who supports privatizing Medicare. The world is upside down.

Trump then topped his nomination of Dr. Oz by nominating Linda McMahon to lead—or dismantle--the Department of Education. Linda McMahon is the former CEO of the scandal-plagued World Wrestling Entertainment, which was sued last month for knowingly tolerating the abuse of teenage “ring boys” by the ringside announcer. See Rolling Stone, (10/23/24), Vince and Linda McMahon Named in New ‘Ring Boy’ Sex Abuse Lawsuit Against WWE. (“WWE founders “knew or should have known” about an employee who allegedly assaulted teenage employees in the 1980s, according to five new John Does who have come forward.”)

As with other nominations, those of Dr. Oz and Linda McMahon are insults to the tens of millions of Americans who rely on Medicare and the Department of Education to provide essential health insurance during retirement and educational support for students with special needs. I

have already received emails from readers who are living on a fixed income who are fearful that their Medicare will be privatized by Dr. Oz. For parents with students with special needs, the dismantling of the Department of Education would be a seismic shock and a blow to the health and education of their children.

During Ronald Reagan’s first term, Saturday Night Live produced a skit called the “Bizarro Presidency.” The premise was that Ronald Reagan appointed cabinet members who were the sworn enemies of the federal agencies they headed. The two examples I recall from the skit are Secretary of Interior James Watt who famously said that “killer trees” were the cause of urban pollution. And EPA head Ann Gorsuch (Justice Neil Gorsuch’s mother) did her best to dismantle the EPA by firing 30% of the agency’s employees and replacing them with executives from the oil and logging companies that the EPA was supposed to regulate. (I cannot locate a video of the skit and would appreciate anyone who can post a link in the Comments or forward a link by email. I need some comedic relief.)

The Reagan appointments were a scandal. Trump's appointments are an assault on the federal government designed to advance Trump's dictatorial aspirations. And he is advancing those aspirations by imperiling the health and safety of the American people.

Dr. Oz is a physician who holds an MBA. That hardly qualifies him to run the Department of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). But he should be disqualified from running CMS because he continuously promoted unproven supplements and fraudulent cures on his television show. A study in the British Medical Journal found that 54% of the supplements and cures promoted by Dr. Oz were “contraindicated” or lacked support. See British Medical Journal, (12/17/14), Televised medical talk shows—what they recommend and the evidence to support their recommendations: a prospective observational study | The BMJ

During the height of the Covid pandemic, Dr. Oz promoted the off-label use of hydroxychloroquine in 25 appearances on Fox News. He also promoted Medicare Advantage plans that Trump hopes will allow the privatization of Medicare. See Newsweek, Mehmet Oz Backed Massive Change to Medicare That Would Impact Millions. During his 2022 Senate campaign, Dr. Oz called for a 20% payroll tax to pay for the privatization of Medicare.

Linda McMahon is a nonsense choice for the Department of Education. Her career has been devoted to taking a regional professional wrestling company and converting it into a publicly traded wrestling company. McMahon’s experience in education consists of planning to become a teacher (but never doing so) and serving for one year (in 2009) on the Connecticut Board of Education. Those credentials do not qualify McMahon to lead the Department of Education—but they may qualify her to dismantle it. See ABC News, Dismantling the Department of Education? Trump's plan for schools in his second term.

As Trump added two wildly unqualified candidates to his proposed cabinet, he told a reporter that he stands by his nomination of Matt Gaetz as Attorney General. See Reuters, Trump says he is not reconsidering Gaetz nomination for attorney general.

Trump's failure to reconsider the nomination is reprehensible. Details continue to emerge about Gaetz’s drug use, payment for sex with (at least) two high school girls (over 18), and his sexual relationship with one 17-year-old high school girl.

Lawrence O’Donnell interviewed the lawyer for two of the high-school girls that Gaetz paid for sex. The attorney said that the girls saw their (then) 17-year-old friend having sex with Matt Gaetz at the home of a retired Florida congressman. See MSNBC, Lawrence: Matt Gaetz cannot possibly survive a Senate confirmation hearing

Although Speaker Mike Johnson does not want the House Ethics Committee to release the report on Matt Gaetz, the committee will vote on the release of the report later this week. But the committee’s vote may be overtaken by the fact that a hacker reportedly obtained the investigative file from a private law firm. See Forbes, Matt Gaetz Controversy Explained: Hacker Reportedly Gets Depositions As Lawmakers Debate Report.

The problem with atrocious nominations like Dr. Oz and Linda McMahon is that they distract attention from dangerous nominations like Matt Gaetz, Robert Kennedy, and Tulsi Gabbard. Gaetz is a threat to democracy; Kennedy is a menace to public health; and Gabbard is a threat to national security.

The problem is also that it is exhausting to force ourselves to care deeply about every dangerous or wildly unqualified nomination proposed by Trump. But we have no choice. We are in this mess (in large part) because Merrick Garland cared more about the reputation of the Department of Justice than he did about bringing Trump to justice—which was the harder path, by far.

Garland chose the path of least resistance—virtuously honoring the internal policies of the DOJ to the detriment of the Constitution and the American people. We must not be like Merrick Garland. We must fight every battle—even when we are exhausted or accused of being “over the top” in constantly raising the alarm about Trump.

And yet, we must also maintain our sanity and self-respect. We must be centered in our lives so that we can help others who are suffering from an incoming administration whose goal is to psychologically torture the majority of Americans who did not vote for Trump.

The nominations to date and those to come are intended to be part of a “Bizarro Presidency” in which the chief law enforcement officer is a criminal, the chief national security officer may be a Russian asset, and the chief health officer does not believe in medical science.

But we recognize the long con that Trump is playing. We must be serious in our opposition without allowing Trump to engage or enrage our emotions. This is strictly business. Deadly serious, strictly business. We must maintain professional distance even as we invest our hearts and minds to the fullest extent in preserving democracy by resisting Trump's anti-democratic moves.

We can do that. The Bizarro Presidency is a gambit. Recognize it. Resist it. Call it by its name—fascism. But do not let it gaslight or dispirit us. Every day that we can maintain resistance is one day closer to the end of Trump's last term in office.

Morning Joe and Mika Brzezinski show us how not to act

CNN is reporting that Morning Joe and Mika Brzesinski met with Trump to “restart communications” because they are afraid of Trump. See CNN, ‘Morning Joe’ meeting with Trump was driven by fears of retribution from incoming administration, sources say.

Professor Timothy Snyder reminds us constantly that the first step to surrendering to tyranny is to “obey in advance”—i.e., to give up resistance before the battle has been joined.

Morning Joe and Mika Brzesinski have “obeyed in advance.” They have shown us what surrender looks like. We must not be them.

Reuters is reporting the “contours of a peace deal” in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine

Reuters is reporting on an exclusive basis that Russia is open to a Trump-brokered “peace deal” that maintains Russia’s control over Ukrainian territory that it has unlawfully seized from Ukraine. See Exclusive: Putin, ascendant in Ukraine, eyes contours of a Trump peace deal | Reuters.

The problem with the Reuters’ story is that it is written from the perspective of Russia—in which “peace” means victory for Russia and surrender for Ukraine.

Imagine, for example, if Canada engaged in an unprovoked attack against the US and seized the states of Washington, Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota.

Canada then leaks to the press that it would agree to a “peace deal” that awards Canada the four US states that it seized in the war of aggression.

How likely is it that the US—or Ukraine—would agree to surrender substantial portions of its territory to the aggressor?

As noted in the Reuters article, Ukraine entertained a proposal for a ceasefire in the early days of the war (2022)—when Russia had nearly encircled Kyiv. The conditions on the ground have since improved considerably for Ukraine, although Russia controls about 20% of Ukraine’s sovereign territory. It is also true that public opinion in Ukraine is shifting toward a “negotiated peace”—a phrase that contains oceans of ambiguity. Everyone is in favor of peace. The question is, “At what cost?”

The poll was conducted by Gallup. In a particularly callous aside, Gallup noted that its results did not include responses from Ukrainians living in areas seized by Russia—a cohort that might have strong feelings about a negotiated surrender.

Concluding Thoughts

The urge to declare the “answers” explaining the 2024 electoral outcome is strong. Whatever those answers are, most of them will improve with the benefit of more time and additional data.

For example, we don’t yet know how the House will be decided. At the moment, it is looking like 214 to 221—a four vote margin for Republicans. But temporarily eliminating three seats for Trump cabinet nominees reduces the margin of control to two votes—214 to 218. (E.g., if Republicans suffered two defections, the House would be tied 216 to 216 and any motion or legislation would fail because they would not have a majority.)

But Adam Gray (CA-13) is within 227 votes of taking the lead as ballot curing and counting continue. If Gray were to win, then the margins of control for Republicans (discussed above) would reduce to three votes (before vacancies for cabinet nominations) and one vote (if three vacancies are caused by cabinet confirmations).

Those margins are extraordinarily thin and could be affected by illness, accident, or family emergencies. A one-vote margin of control will require the cooperation of Democrats on important bills—and provide Democrats with leverage not apparent in the “binary” election descriptions of who “won” and “lost.”

Another area of Democratic influence that has emerged is the progress made on state supreme courts. See Mark Joseph Stern, Slate, 2024 Election: The surprising bright spot for progressives.

As explained by Stern, Democrats won important victories in Michigan, Kentucky, Montana, Arkansas, Mississippi, and (likely) North Carolina. I recommend Stern’s article, which describes the significance of those victories.

My point is this: In the deluge of articles scolding Democrats, no one is highlighting the fact that Democrats scored important victories on the supreme court in red states. Since that fact isn’t included in the “Lazy Journalist’s Guide for Reporting on the 2024 Election,” it is not something you will read about in the op-ed pages of legacy media.

So let’s spread the word about Democrats’ hidden successes that run counter to the “landslide” narrative that legacy and right-wing media are spreading. It was a close election and a tough fight. We held our own—and we have every right to be proud of those efforts! Stay strong and keep the faith!

[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

[dopescissorscashwagon]

Princess Anne accompanied by Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence speak to guests as they attend the Not Forgotten Association Annual Garden Party at Buckingham Palace on May 17, 2024 in London, England.

The Not Forgotten Association is a tri-service charity which provides entertainment, leisure and recreation for the serving wounded, injured or sick and for ex-service men and women with disabilities.

The annual event has been hosted in the Buckingham Palace Garden since 1921.

[frostfires-blog]

My Top 6 Favourite Shōjo & Josei Anime Series Released in 2023

It's fair to argue that we're in a shojo renaissance given the recent victories for the shoujosei community. To commemorate this I wanted to make a post highlighting my favourite shojosei series from this year's line-up—in the hopes of persuading others to watch them and cast their votes for them in the upcoming anime awards.

Keep in mind that some entries will date as far back as October 2022 because they officially qualify alongside this year's anime as a part of the roster for next year's anime awards.

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Honourable Mentions:

-> Koori Zokusei Danshi to Cool na Douryou Joshi

English Title: The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague

Genres: Comedy, Fantasy, Romance, Workplace, Mythology

This anime follows Himuro, who involuntarily produces snow and ice phenomena—due to being a descendant of a Yuki-onna— when overwhelmed by his emotions, at his new office job. On his first day, he is saved from being late due to his affliction by the cool-headed Fuyutsuki—who turns out to be his new coworker. As they continue to work closely together, Fuyutsuki continues to provide pragmatic solutions to Himuro’s myriad of wintry quandaries—causing him to constantly want to repay her kindness. As Himuro’s feelings for her continue to grow, so does the frequency of his snowstorms—making them nearly impossible to hide. The fun, relaxing atmosphere of this anime gives a wholesome and homely feel—making it worth the watch if you don’t mind the somewhat slow, romantic development.

-> Romantic Killer

Genres: Comedy, Romance, Supernatural, Parody, Reverse Harem

This series is about Anzu Hoshino, a high school girl with no interest in romance and lives solely for video games, chocolates, and her cat. Anzu’s daily life is turned upside down when a wizard forcibly turns her life into a harem, dating game in order to force her to find love. Out of anger and sheer stubbornness, she vows to resist no matter what. While this is technically a shōnen anime, not a shōjo or josei—I wanted to include it anyway since it has a shōjo vibe to it especially because of the lack of fan service and unrealistic beauty standards. It has a similar vibe to other shoujo series like Watashi ga Motete Dousunda (Kiss Him Not Me) and Kaichou wa Maid-sama! While the storyline is seemingly basic, the show’s refreshing take on classic character archetypes and relatable humour make it worth a watch.

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Top 6:

6) Yamada-kun to Lv999 no Koi wo Suru

English Title: My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999

Genres: Romance, Comedy

Despite being dumped by her boyfriend, college student Akane Kinoshita continues to play the MMO they once played together and attends an offline game event in hopes of winning him back. There she meets Akito Yamada, an emotionless yet handsome high schooler, who belongs to the same guild as her. After running into her ex—who is accompanied by his new girlfriend—Akane is desperate for support causing her to rope Yamada into helping her and lending her a shoulder to cry on. As they spend more and more time together their feelings for one another continue to grow despite their innumerable differences. This anime gives off a similar atmosphere to Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashi (Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku) with its humour, casual slice-of-life atmosphere, common themes, and equally catchy opening theme song. The character dynamics, voice acting, and music make this show worth the watch.

5) Sugar Apple Fairy Tale

Genres: Fantasy, Drama, Adventure, Romance

Despite living in a kingdom where fairies are enslaved by humans, through the possession of one of their wings, Anne Halford longs to see the day when humans and fairies are treated equally. Despite this, she is forced to purchase a warrior fairy to protect her on the perilous journey to the Royal Candy Fair in order to follow in her mother’s footsteps and become a Silver Sugar Master. Anne hires the sharp-tongued obsidian fairy, Challe Fen Challe for this job. Despite Anne promising to return his wing after the journey, Challe remains distrustful and wants nothing to do with humans. However, as the pair travel together, they learn more about each other as well as more about the different dynamics between fairies and humans across the kingdom. While seemingly a typical fantasy-romance shōjo, this anime deals with some heavy themes such as sexism, misogyny, slavery, and historical politics. While these themes could certainly be interpreted as problematic, they aren’t just swept under the rug and are commented on but certainly could’ve been more developed upon. The show ultimately balances its light-hearted, slice-of-life scenes and heart-warming relationship-building moments well with its more dramatic subplots. The art and animation are beautifully done when compared to other releases in the genre, especially its use of colours, lighting, and fluidity. The female lead’s dedication to her craft as a silver sugar artisan is commendable and somewhat reminiscent of Shirayuki’s passion for herbalism in Akagami no Shirayuki-hime (Snow White with the Red Hair). Another selling point of the show is the subtle tension and slowly fostered development between its two leads. Both characters have their own decently developed mentalities and motivations independent of each other which is always delightful to see given how rare it can be. Another selling point of this anime is that both season 1 and season 2 were released this year thus making the overall episode count 24 giving viewers ample time to grow attached to its lovable cast and charming atmosphere without feeling pressured for instant development.

4) Kanojo ga Koushaku-tei ni Itta Riyuu

English Title: Why Raeliana Ended up at the Duke's Mansion

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Otome Isekai

After Rinko Hanasaki (originally Eunha Park in the original manhwa) is pushed off a building, she is reborn as Raeliana McMillan—the daughter of a nouveau-rich baron in a historical romance novel she once read who is fated to die tragically young. To prevent the fruition of this plotline Raeliana is determined to end her engagement with the man who orchestrated her untimely demise, Lord Francis Brooks. To do this, she is forced to use her knowledge of the plot to blackmail the novel’s male protagonist, Duke Noah Wynknight, into a contract engagement thus rendering her previous one null and void. Little does she know that she has captured Noah’s interest, in place of the female protagonist, with this move buying her a lot trouble than she originally bargained for… While only decently animated, the character dynamics, voice acting, pacing, and soundtrack make this anime stand out from other similar shows. The compelling chemistry between the two leads really elevates this anime from others with a similar premise. Overall while a decent adaptation from the manhwa, there is some room for improvement especially with the animation. Personally, I felt that this anime could’ve greatly benefitted from having 24 episodes (instead of the chosen 12 episodes) since parts covered by anime are mostly set up with the drama, action, and relationship development only taking place in later story arcs. Unfortunately, most of what makes this series praise-worthy and sets it apart from others with a similar premise wasn’t covered yet in the anime. Although reading the source material in advance had given me relatively high expectations that weren't quite met, I would like to clarify that I thoroughly enjoyed this anime.

3) Sasaki to Miyano Movie: Sotsugyou-hen

English title: Sasaki and Miyano Movie: Graduation Arc

Genres: Shounen Ai, BL, Slice of life, High School

Continuing from season 1, this film follows Shūmei Sasaki and Yoshikazu Miyano as they embark on the next important stage of their romantic relationship as it is tested by Sasaki’s impending graduation from high school. The movie is accompanied by an animated short featuring the side character Taiga Hirano and his growing relationship with his roommate Akira Kagiura. Despite being brief, the movie was filled with tons of important character-defining and relationship-building moments for both Miyano and Sasaki as well as their relationships with other characters and each other. The familiar soundtrack and art style were both nostalgic and comforting while the voice acting was top-notch, carefully conveying the immense depth of the characters’ multi-layered emotions throughout the various scenes. Throughout the movie, we saw just how much the main couple had grown since season 1… We see Sasaki becoming more confident in showing affection towards Miyano, as he holds himself back less and less. While Miyano became much more assured of himself and his feelings towards Sasaki. We see Sasaki’s backstory which provides much-needed context behind his insecurities in season 1. During this adaptation, fairly significant cuts were made from the original source material to accommodate the time constraints—which was naturally disappointing. The animated short that accompanied the movie was heart-warming and leaves watchers curious enough that there is room for a full adaptation of Hirano and Kagiura’s story…

2) Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon

English Title: My Happy Marriage

Genres: Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Historical

My happy marriage is set in an alternative version of the Meiji Restoration era where spirits and supernatural magic exist but in regression. Our protagonist, Miyo Saimori is born giftless despite belonging to a supernaturally talented family because of this she suffers immense abuse and mistreatment at the hands of her stepmother and half-sister while her father gazes on with indifference. Her hopes of building a happy life for herself seem distant after she is ordered by her family to marry Kiyoka Kudo, a man who is rumoured to be so cold-hearted all his previous marriage candidates ran off. Upon arriving at the Kudo estate, Miyo fully resigns herself to either a life of mistreatment or abandonment but is pleasantly surprised when her husband-to-be is anything but the monster she expected. Both of them begin realizing that the other may be their greatest opportunity to find true happiness and love as they slowly begin to each other. open their hearts to each other. While many may write this anime off at face value thinking of it as just another Cinderella remake—they are sorely mistaken. While seemingly simple in its premise and title, the execution of the many technical elements and core themes that make this anime was nearly flawless. The beautifully detailed animation was a pleasant surprise. Historically speaking shōjo adaptations haven’t gotten the best budgets and heavily rely on having great storytelling and characterization to draw in its viewers. My Happy Marriage however not only has impeccably detailed character designs but also seamlessly fluid and well-paced animation sequences. Special attention was given to animating the opening and ending theme song sequences unlike with many other shows where the theme song animation is somewhat of an afterthought.  The soundtrack and voice acting are both exemplary and encapsulate the moods of each respective scene well. The side characters are all well-crafted to suit their roles in the story and aren’t at all redundant with no single archetype being overused. The two leading characters are well-developed and show slow consistent and most importantly realistic growth. The series delves into lasting trauma caused by abuse and the long journey to healing that trauma. Despite only being 12 episodes, the plot and character-building does not get lost amongst the world-building or fantastical elements. This anime delves into the intricacies of human emotions and relationships as well as the main couple’s personal struggles and motivations making us as the audience want to root for them. Ultimately all these elements blend seamlessly to produce a charming and heart-warming show capable of stirring up the emotions of its audience. 

1) Kōkyū no Karasu

English title: Raven of the Inner Palace

Genres: Fantasy, Mystery, Historical, Mythology, Supernatural

The Raven Consort, Ryuu Jusetsu (originally Liu Shouxue in the original source material) is both venerated and feared amongst those in the royal court. Despite being titled as a consort, she does not have any contact with the emperor, Ka Kōshun (originally Xia Gaojun), and lives isolated from everyone else. Her fabled mystical abilities make her the subject of many rumours as she is said to take on any request from recovering lost belongings to casting curses. One day her quiet solitude is disturbed when the newly crowned emperor barges into her palace with a request. Despite finding his subsequent frequent visits annoying, she cannot bring herself to turn him away. She soon finds herself forging several meaningful connections with others, despite the warnings of her predecessor, ultimately forcing her to confront a past that was best left concealed.  This show’s unique character designs and uncommon setting make it stand out visually despite its humble budget. While seemingly episode in nature, this show has an intricate overarching plot with fantastic character development. The show does a great job at depicting the main protagonist’s motivations, internal struggles, and development while still maintaining the mystery surrounding her—thus leaving plenty of room for further growth and development. Another thing I greatly appreciated in this anime was its subtly. Rather than just blatantly exposing complex motivations, moral stances, internal conflicts, and relationship dynamics of and between its characters through quotidian dialogue—the show instead chooses to shrewdly unveil this through the actions and expressions of its characters alongside the use of meaningful dialogue.  Despite not being presently romantically involved the budding relationship between its two leads is carefully developed and slowly built upon in such a way that doesn’t make the show feel like just another forced or contrived romance elevating the show beyond layperson’s expectations for shōjo and josei anime. Despite somewhat, complex historical injustices being brought up in the anime, it is more focused on its protagonist helping others find peace through self-forgiveness and remembrance than seeking retribution. This has led to criticisms that the pacing of the series is too slow and that the plot lacks satisfying action sequences. However, in my opinion, the show succeeds in its goal of telling tales about the complexity of human emotions and relationships that transcend life and death. Another aspect of this show that really stood out was the soundtrack, especially its ending theme song, which exhibits a uniquely haunting melancholic ambiance that makes me want to listen to it repeatedly. This series is undoubtedly deserving of the title of an underrated gem—given its unique artistic expression, intriguing emotional storytelling, and character development—and has an immense amount of the potential for a follow-up season.

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[P.S. I'm really going to miss watching My Happy Marriage and Sugar Apple Fairy Tale every week—but at least season 2 of the former has been confirmed😭]

[poooooooooao3]

By Stephanie Saul and Vimal Patel

Dec. 12, 2024

The University of Michigan has fired an administrator who worked on diversity initiatives over accusations that she made antisemitic comments, according to her lawyer. The lawyer said she planned to sue the school.

The administrator, Rachel Dawson, was director of the university’s office of academic multicultural initiatives. She was accused of saying in a conversation at a conference in March that the university was “controlled by wealthy Jews,” according to documents obtained by The New York Times through a freedom of information request.

She was also accused of saying that Jewish students were “wealthy and privileged” and not in need of her office’s diversity services, and that “Jewish people have no genetic DNA that would connect them to the land of Israel,” according to the documents, which were part of a complaint from the Anti-Defamation League of Michigan.

Ms. Dawson’s lawyer, Amanda Ghannam, denied that she said anything antisemitic. Ms. Ghannam said that Ms. Dawson was fired this week after the university initially told her that she would have to undergo training.

“The university has clearly, blatantly violated Ms. Dawson’s First Amendment rights, and we will take appropriate legal action,” Ms. Ghannam said on Thursday.

A spokeswoman for the University of Michigan, Colleen Mastony, declined to confirm on Thursday whether Ms. Dawson had been fired, saying that the university would not comment on personnel matters.

Fallout over the episode had been playing out behind the scenes at a moment when the campus was also on edge following vandalism, including pro-Palestinian graffiti, at the home of a Board of Regents member who is Jewish. The school’s campus in Ann Arbor has also faced student protests over plans to roll back some diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

According to emails obtained The Times, university leaders had planned on a lesser punishment for Ms. Dawson, but a regent argued that she should be fired.

Ms. Dawson had been in charge of an office that oversees efforts to mentor and retain racially, culturally and economically diverse students. She had taken over that position just over a year ago, but had been employed by the university since 2017.

After the Anti-Defamation League of Michigan sent a letter to the university in August with the allegations, the school brought in an outside law firm, Covington & Burling, to investigate. The firm reported its findings in a memorandum that was obtained by The Times through an open records request.

The law firm’s memo said it was “not possible to determine with certainty whether Ms. Dawson made the exact remarks” because “there is no recording of the conversation and no witness other than the reporting parties and the subject of the investigation.”

But the memo, dated Sept. 25, went on to conclude that the “weight of the available evidence supports A.D.L. Michigan’s report.”

Covington & Burling has worked with the A.D.L. before, including on a help line to provide pro bono legal assistance to parents whose children experience antisemitism.

The allegations arose in March at a diversity conference in Philadelphia, sponsored by the American Association of Colleges and Universities. Two professors who attended the event, Naomi Yavneh Klos, who teaches at Loyola University New Orleans, and another Jewish professor said they had heard about the “negative experience” of a University of Michigan Jewish student, Dr. Yavneh Klos said in an interview.

When they learned that a Michigan D.E.I. administrator was at the conference, they decided to approach her, Dr. Yavneh Klos said.

“I think my colleague wanted to know, ‘Does the D.E.I. office work with these students?’” Dr. Yavneh Klos said. “‘Should the student go to the D.E.I. office?’ She said no. Jewish students are all rich. They don’t need us. That was the gist of what she said. It was really horrifying.”

She said she was so upset after the conversation that she called a friend who works for the Anti-Defamation League, who encouraged her to file a report, which Dr. Yavneh Klos did that same day.

According to the Covington & Burling memo, Ms. Dawson confirmed that she spoke to the two professors, but she gave a different version of the conversation. Rather than claiming Jews had no ancestral claim to Israel, for example, she said she had pointed out that Jews and Palestinians shared an ancestral connection to the region.

The university’s response to the allegations had been unusual in several ways, according to Ms. Ghannam, who suggested that it was rare to bring in an outside law firm to investigate a lower level official. She also said the university’s move to terminate Ms. Dawson, against the recommendations of her superior, was unusual.

“It’s deeply troubling that they would escalate the situation to termination based on one conversation in somebody’s private capacity,” Ms. Ghannam said.

Emails obtained by The Times suggested that the move to oust Ms. Dawson might have been influenced by a member of the Michigan Board of Regents, the university’s governing board.

Jon Kinsey, a university vice president, wrote to the regents in October on behalf of the president’s office to inform them that Ms. Dawson had been issued a written warning that additional incidents could result in termination, and that she would have to undergo training in antisemitism and leadership, according to the emails.

The next day, Mark Bernstein, a regent, wrote to campus officials, including the president, Santa Ono, saying that he was “disgusted” with the university’s response, according to the emails.

“It does not appear that Ms. Dawson has been held accountable in any meaningful way,” Mr. Bernstein wrote. “Of course, this makes a mockery of your/our commitment to address antisemitism and broaden our D.E.I. efforts to include antisemitism and/or Jewish students.”

Mr. Bernstein wrote that the only acceptable outcome would be for Ms. Dawson to be “terminated immediately.”

Ms. Dawson was notified on Oct. 28 that the earlier lesser disciplinary action was being revised, according to her lawyer, and was told this week that she was fired.

Disciplining Ms. Dawson for her speech could be legally complicated at Michigan, which, as a public university, is subject to the First Amendment. Geoffrey Stone, a constitutional law scholar at the University of Chicago, said that speech by government employees enjoyed broad protections when not made in an official capacity. The institution would have to prove that the speech “substantially undermines the ability of the individual to perform her responsibilities as an employee,” he said

Even if she had made the comments, “her speech would be protected by the First Amendment,” Professor Stone said in an email.

Dr. Yavneh Klos said she was a “tremendous advocate for D.E.I.” But one of her frustrations with colleges, she added, was that “the current D.E.I. narrative very often excludes Jews” even as “antisemitism is still very much present.”

“D.E.I. offices very frequently fail to serve the needs of Jewish students, and don’t really recognize Jewish students as under their purview,” she said.

The campus is currently reckoning with a series of episodes in which Jewish people have complained that they are being targeted. On Monday, a regent, Jordan Acker, and his family awoke to the sound of two Mason jars filled with what appeared to be urine being thrown through a front window of their home. A family car was painted with an inverted red triangle — which symbolizes Palestinian resistance, and which some Jews see as an antisemitic symbol — and the words “divest” and “free Palestine.”

It was the third time Mr. Acker, who is Jewish, had been targeted by protesters.

The campus is also facing upheaval over its diversity programs. Last week, about 100 students and faculty members protested before the Michigan Board of Regents meeting amid concerns that the board would roll back its diversity initiatives.

direct link to article

[wellimacraftyoldcoot]

Elder Rape Is a Strength!

Yet another example of how importing the Third World wrecks everything

ANN COULTER

DEC 4

 

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As part of the Biden administration's  push to make everything worse and more expensive, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) -- not to be confused with Congress, which writes the laws because we live in a democracy ha ha ha -- issued a prospective rule requiring nursing homes to hire more staff.

Because who better to determine the staffing needs of the country's 15,000 nursing homes than Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, Biden's CMS administrator? Also supporting the new rule are "patient advocates," i.e. the Service Employees International Union, looking to increase its membership rolls.

Fortunately, The New York Times reports, President-elect Donald Trump is expected to repeal the Biden staffing mandates.

Also fortunately, I have a much better idea! Like Brooks-LaSure, my expertise does not come from running nursing homes. It comes from reading the news.

Such as ...

In 2018, hardworking Kenyan immigrant Billy Chemirmir enriched elderly nursing home patients in Texas by allegedly murdering at least 22 of them and stealing their jewelry. (Who will care for the elderly without mass third world immigration?) He was convicted in the first two trials and then killed in prison.

The year prior, Ethiopian immigrant Adeladilew A. Mekonen got 25 years after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting two patients at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland, Oregon, women aged 89 and 94. (By the way, why is an Ethiopian living in Portland?)

Third world immigrants are hard workers, though. Liberian George Kpingbah was a ripe old 77, but still managed to rape an elderly Alzheimer's patient at the Walker Methodist Health Center in Minneapolis. This guy is a walking TV commercial for Cialis.

At the 2015 sentencing hearing, Kpingbah's lawyer sought leniency on the grounds that the perp had "devoted much of his life to ensuring that his three daughters migrated to America," as The Minnesota Star Tribune put it.

How can we ever thank you, Mr. Kpingbah?

In 2017, Parkpoom Seesangrit -- you'll never believe it, but yup, another immigrant -- was convicted of raping a 69-year-old dementia patient at the East Longmeadow Skilled Nursing Center in Massachusetts. When the Thai national was caught by a nurse, he said, "I know I'm in trouble. This looks bad."



Like so many immigrants, Seesangrit created another job right here in America: He needed a Thai interpreter at his trial. (Turns out our country is fairly bristling with Thais.)

In 2013, nursing assistant Antonio Nieto was convicted of sexually assaulting three female patients, aged 59, 73 and 93, in a Broomfield, Colorado, nursing home. In accordance with the Times Style Guide, the media refused to reveal where Nieto was from, but his lawyer said English was his second language and he needed a Spanish-language interpreter in court, so: Latin America.

In 2018, Ghanaian immigrant Fode Doukoure pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 74-year-old woman after placing an anesthesia-soake d rag over her mouth.

May I speak with the people who hired these guys? The ones who thought cheap labor was worth placing men from raging rape cultures in charge of weak, elderly Alzheimer's patients?

Why are you crying, Grandma? Hey! Where's your diamond-encruste d brooch?

The media would sooner praise MAGA than admit that most of the world outside of the West is a cesspool of child rape, gang rape, elder rape, torture rape, goat rape, AIDS, multidrug-resist ant gonorrhea and so on. But it's not an impenetrable mystery, and when you’re hiring employees to work with helpless dementia patients, it's kind of important to understand this aspect of non-Western culture.



I will briefly mention some suggestive facts about only the countries mentioned here, a subject I cover in detail in "Adios, America!"

Mass rape was a regular feature of Liberia's 14-year civil war, as it is in most wars on the Dark Continent -- also in response to minor skirmishes, celebrations, election seasons and filming a music video.

Kenya's three-month election season, for example, features mass rapescommitted by police, ordinary Kenyans and militia groups. (And you thought our elections were bad.)

During the two-year conflict in Tigray, Ethiopia, government forces rapedhundreds of women, in front of friends and family, holding some as sex slaves for repeated gang rapes, sometimes inserting large nails, gravel, metal and plastic shrapnel into their victims' vaginas, among other things. (On the plus side, none of them were fat-shamed or made to feel unheard.)

Thailand is ranked among the top 10 countries for violence against women and girls. Last year, 11 Thai police officers were charged with gang-raping a 14-year-old girl.

The Inter-American Children’s Institute reports that Latin America is second only to Asia in the sexual exploitation of women and children, who are “seen as objects instead of human beings with rights and freedoms.”

In 2018, naive British teenagers paid 1,200 pounds apiece to go on a class trip to "volunteer" in ... Ghana. Whereupon armed Ghanaian and Nigerian men broke into their compound, beat and robbed the males and raped the girls and their female teacher for three hours, finally leaving at around 4 a.m.

Contra Brooks-LaSure, the last thing nursing homes need is more Kenyans, Ethiopians, Liberians, Thais and Latin Americans. What’s really needed is fewer rapes.

Here's something useful Dr. Mehmet Oz could do at CMS that would create no additional paperwork or regulatory burden for nursing homes: Investigate every one of these monstrous crimes and widely publish the names and incomes of the facility owners and operators who thought the abuse of elderly Americans was a small price to pay for all that cheap foreign labor.



[beardedmrbean]

Penny McCarthy froze in her front yard as a van full of armed US marshals in bullet-proof vests pulled up in her front yard, screaming and swearing at her. She had no idea what was going on.

“Police! Don’t move, hands up,” one of the officers shouted, pointing his assault weapon at her. At one point they told the 66-year-old that if she turned around again she would be Tasered.

“Do you want to confirm who I am?” McCarthy asked the officers, per bodyworn footage later released by the US Marshal Service (USMS) and obtained by ABC15. “Put your hands behind your back, we’ll discuss this later,” came the reply.

The shocking incident, which took place in Arizona in March 2023 was, ultimately, a case of mistaken identity.

Police had been seeking a totally different woman – 70-year-old Carole Anne Rozak – who was wanted on an outstanding parole violation warrant from 1999 out of Oklahoma.

Rozak served prison time for all non-violent crimes. But according to federal court records also obtained by ABC15, she failed to report to any federal probation officer after she was released from federal custody in Harris County, Texas.

In the police footage McCarthy is heard asking the marshals multiple times if they know who she is but is consistently ignored. It was not until she was in handcuffs that officers finally told.

“Carole Rozak,” she is told, with McCarthy replying: “That’s not who I am.”

Despite McCarthy offering to provide proof that she was not Rozak, she was arrested and put in the back of the police van.

It later emerged in court hearings that federal agents had based the false identification on Facebook postings and “some aliases” that they had obtained. An Arizona federal judge dismissed the case against McCarthy, but not before she had spent time in prison over the mix-up.

According to the Deputy US Marshal Service in Oklahoma, a “glitch” caused them to believe that McCarthy’s digital fingerprints matched Rozak’s. This was later debunked.

A statement put out by the service read: “USMS continues to conduct a thorough review of actions taken by deputy US marshals regarding the fugitive investigation of Caroline Anne Rozak and subsequent mistaken arrest of Penny McCarthy.”

The grandmother is still affected by the incident.

“I am so fricking disappointed in my government, it’s not funny,” Ms McCarthy told ABC15, following the release of the bodycam footage.

“They did nothing but treat me like crap and lie to me,” she added. “Ths US marshals are above the law, that’s what this says to me.”

[darkmaga-returns]

Michael O’Shea

Nov 26, 2024

In Ashes and Diamonds, Jerzy Andrzejewski’s 1948 novel of postwar power-jockeying in Poland, the aristocratic, anti-communist Col. Staniewicz asserts, “In today’s set-up we Poles are divided into two categories: those who have betrayed the freedom of Poland and those who do not wish to do so. The first…want Communism, we do not.” 

Eight decades later, these sentiments are uncannily relevant, and they found expression in this month’s rendition of the annual Independence March in Warsaw. Earlier this year in this publication, I advised readers to keep an eye on the march, a potential litmus test of Polish sentiments toward the government less than a week after the U.S. presidential election. 

The American outcome was a decided boon for the Polish right. Conservative parliamentarians conducted a standing ovation and cheered “Donald Trump, Donald Trump” in the Sejm (Parliament) the day after America’s vote. The liberal Prime Minister Donald Tusk dutifully congratulated the president-elect, prompting opponents to highlight the prime minister’s past comments alleging Trump to be in the service of Russia. Some speculated that events in Washington would sideline Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, husband of the neoconservative luminary Anne Applebaum, who had previously called Trump a “proto-fascist” and invited pro-Trump American populists to “[expletive] off.” The Polish right’s most optimistic voices anticipated the collapse of the unwieldy Tusk government, which is united only by disdain for the ousted conservative Law & Justice (PiS) party.