#By all known laws of av-

[elizakai]

G r e m l i n s c r i b l e s

[h0bg0blin-meat]

Hey Meat! Currently combing through Matt Clayton’s Hindu Mythology: A Captivating Guide to Hindu Myths, Hindu Gods, and Hindu Goddesses and I was wondering if you could give like a little introduction to the main concepts/gods/goddesses? I’m seeing many terms like “the Veedas” and “the Shastras” as I go through it and I’m picking up context clues and I could probably google them but I’d like to hear from actual people and especially those who know and care deeply about these Myths (like you <3). So… can you help me? /gen

Heyyy Neptune! First of all I apologize it took me so long to answer you dfnsfjfdjg forgive meeee

I love how ardently you're researching Hinduism. I haven't really read his book, but I'll help you with giving you an overview of it, so to speak.

Firstly lemme tell you about the Vedic knowledge system, which consists of:

Vedas

Vedangas

Upavedas

Vedas: These are the oldest known scriptures of Hinduism. The religion has four Vedas, namely the:

Rig Veda (RV): book of hymns to the deities.

Yajur Veda (YV): book of mantras and worship rituals

Sama Veda (SV): book of chanting songs

Atharva Veda (AV): book of procedures of everyday life

Each of them have four subdivisions:

Samhitas (mantras, hymns, prayers and benedictions)

Brahmanas (explanations and instructions on performing Vedic rituals)

Aranyakas (texts on the meaning and symbolisms of rituals and ceremonies basically). They were mainly composed by sages who meditated in the wilderness, hence the name of the texts (aranya means forest in Sanskrit).

Upanishads (texts on meditation, philosophy and spiritual knowledge)

Upasanas (additional). These are texts on worship.

Vedangas: These are the six auxiliary disciplines of Hinduism, and are heavily linked to the Vedas. They are:

Shiksha: Study of phonetics

Vyakarana: Study of grammar

Chhandas: Study of poetic metres and rhythm

Niruktas: Study of etymology

Jyotishya: Study of astrology and astronomy

Kalpa: Study of rituals and guide to ritual instructions

Upavedas: These are texts regarding certain fields of work like:

Ayur Veda: Study of medicine and life sciences

Gandharva Veda: Study of music, art and dance

Dhanur Veda: Study of archery and warfare

Arthashastra: Study of business and administration

Speaking of Shastras, they are kinda similar to Upavedas, and deal with certain fields of knowledge, like we saw in the case of Arthashastra. There are many shastras:

Bhautikashastra - Study of physics

Rasashastra - Study of chemistry

Jivashastra - Study of biology

Vastushastra - Study of architectural science

Shilpashastra - Study of mechanical arts and sculpture

Nitishastra - Corpus on ethics and policies

Alamkarashastra - Study of rhetorics

Kavyashastra - Study of poetics

Sangitashastra - Study of music

Natyashastra - Study of theatre and dance

Yogashastra - contains instructions and teachings on yoga

Mokshashastra - contains instructions and teachings on moksha

Nyayashastra - contains instructions and teachings on justice, laws and judgement

Dharmashastra - contains instructions and teachings on dharma

Kamashastra - contains instructions and teachings on love, desire and pleasure.

And so on.

Then we have the Puranas, which are texts on various topics, usually legends and lores. A few examples are:

Brahma Purana

Vishnu Purana

Matsya Purana

Kalika Purana

Vamana Purana

Shiva Purana

Agni Purana

Bhagavata Purana

And so on. The latest Purana ever written was the Kalki Purana, which was around 400-600 years ago. It is believed that Ved Vyasa (the author* of the epic Mahabharata) composed all these Puranas as well. But many disagree.

*some believe Ved Vyas got Ganesh (the God of wisdom, success and remover of obstacles, and the son of Shiva) to write the Mahabharata for him. While some believe Ved Vyas wrote it himself.

Then we have the Sutras which are aphoristic (concise expression of a general truth/principle) texts. Some examples are:

Brahma Sutras

Yoga Sutras

Nyaya Sutras

Kama Sutra

and so on.

Then comes Itihasa (historical texts), which include the two major epics of Hinduism, namely:

Ramayana (composed by Valmiki)

Mahabharata (composed my Vyasa/Ganesh)

Read the epics I'll not spoil it for ya heehee

Now, for the Gods. Oh man there are so many, but not 33 crore (1 crore = 10 million), contrary to popular belief, but rather 33 types.

In the very beginning of the pantheon, the main Gods were:

Indra (god of thunder and rain and the King of Gods)

Agni (god of fire)

Mitra (god of friendship, sun, daylight)

Varuna (god of waters, oceans, night time)

Vayu (wind god)

Soma (wind god, also sometimes called the moon god)

Ushas (goddess of dawn)

Ashwins (twin solar gods of medicine and sons of Surya)

Surya (Sun god)

Rudra (another wind/storm god who later became another form of Shiva)

Vishnu (bro doesn't have any specific assigned field tbh)

And a few others like Brihaspati (Jupiter god), Pushan (solar god of meetings, marriages, roads and cattle), Savitr (god of speed and cosmos) and many others.

Now there was this supreme vague deity in the Vedas. It's not Brahman yet. They (for the lack of a better set of pronouns) appear later. But it is some kind of supernatural force that let to the creation of this universe, and was initially mostly referred to as Prajapati (sometimes it wasn't one being though, rather a group), from what I can infer. Some may even called em Purusha. In the link you'll also get the First Creation Myth of Hinduism.

There is also an agnostic section in the Rig Veda, known as the Nasadiya Sukta. In this specific section we know there's some form of a supreme deity, but it's very vague as to what it is.

Moving on, in around mid-Vedic period, Vishnu became heavily popular, and two new deities came into being, namely Brahma (who soon got the title of Prajapati) and Shiva (from Rudra because previously Rudra had an alternative name called Siva. So Ig that's where 'Shiva' stemmed from. But again not sure).

Vishnu and Shiva became extremely popular, to the point that they got an entire sect of people dedicated to each of em, hence Vaishnavism and Shaivism (respectively) were born. Vaishnavs heralded Vishnu to be the Supreme God, while Shaivites heralded Shiva to be the Supreme God. (Soon Harihar or Vishnu-Shiva sect also emerged where both the Gods were considered the same, and hence both were the Supreme Gods, or Supreme God, if we consider them one entity) But in the future we can see Vaishnavism took over the spotlight, and finally during the age of the epics, Sanatan Dharma was born, which eventually became synonymous with Hinduism, and now almost everyone considers Vishnu is the Supreme Lord (while many others consider it to be the Brahman, who Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma are a part of).

Vishnu actually gained the most popularity from the two epics that I've mentioned, and the first one is almost entirely surrounded around his avatar, Ram (yes he has avatars now). His most popular avatars include Ram and Krishna, and the latter has an entire organization dedicated to him (ISKON or International Society for Krishna Consciousness), and this org considers THIS avatar as the Supreme Lord, and actually considers Vishnu as his avatar, not the other way around. Krishna also appears in the famous Bhagavad Gita, which is the prime philosophy book of guidelines for the Hindus today.

Buckle up, it's about to get more confusing cuz now Vishnu is our main character for a while (bro has HEAVILY influenced this religion atp there's no turning back for him now). His evolution is so interesting cuz who'd have thought in the Rig Vedic times that he'd grow up to be THIS popular TOT. Not Indra for sure xD.

Anyhoo so about Vishnu's avatars. He has ten main avatars that appear through the cycle of Hindu Yugas (eras):

Matsya: Big fishiee. Some paintings portray him as a merman tho.

Kurma: Giant tortoise go brrr.

Varaha: A boar-man :D. Pumba's gunna vibe with him fs.

Narasimha: Very angy lion-man. Will be besties with Sekhmet in a heartbeat i just know it.

Vamana: Cute "lil" dwarf (covered the universe in three steps)

Parshurama: Appears in the Mahabharata

Rama: Main character of Ramayana (hence the name), and is the younger brother of Balarama.

Krishna: One of the main characters of the Mahabharata

Balarama/Buddha (sources vary)

Kalki (future avatar)

Now Mohini is the female form of Vishnu. Whether or not she counts as an avatar is debated. She's the goddess of beauty and a seductress that lures bad guys (mostly Asuras) and then kills them, or atleast teaches them a lesson (but she also attracts the devas sometimes. Shiva for example). So yeah.

His wife is Lakshmi, who's the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity. She also has avatars btw.

Now the Second Creation Myth is pretty messy. Different sects have different takes on it. Usually it is considered that:

Brahma created the universe (or universes in case of the multiverse version).

Vishnu preserves the universe

Shiva destroys the universe

This process is considered cyclic and after the destruction Brahma creates a new universe, and it keeps repeating.

The origin of these three gods are also debated. Some say Brahma created Vishnu and Shiva, some say Vishnu created Brahma and Shiva, some say Lakshmi created Brahma, some say Shiva created Brahma and Vishnu. Some say Vishnu and Shiva are two of the Adityas (comprising of Indra, Agni, Mitra, Varuna, Surya etc.), and hence the children of Kashyap and Aditi.

Quick desc of Shiva is that he's the god of destruction, rebirth, time, benevolence etc. He also has avatars, plus a female form, called Shivani. His wife is Parvati, who ALSO has avatars, primarily Kali, Durya, Gauri etc. Sometimes Parvati and Lakshmi's avatars overlap. Sometimes, Vishnu and Parvati's avatars overlap (like Krishna-Kali).

He and his wife have two sons- Ganesha (god of wisdom, beginnings, remover of obstacles etc.), and Kartikeya/Murugun/Skanda (god of war). Who's the elder one is debated but usually Kartikeya is considered older.

Also Brahma's wife is Saraswati (goddess of wisdom, knowledge, music, flowing water, abundance etc.), who was born from him. Bro has faced some issues with falling for ppl (women) he has created actually lol, which is why he was cursed by Shiva and even lost one of his heads, hence ending up with four heads, when he initially had five. Check this site out as to why he was cancelled by Mahadev (another name of Shiva).

Now we have two Holy Trinities:

Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva (However, Vishnu and Shiva are way closer to Indra, while Brahma's kinda like the dad of the group, yk)

Saraswati, Lakshmi, Parvati

Then we have the Devas and the Asuras, who can be compared to the Aesir and Vanir, in a way. The Devas are usually the benevolent one, who attained the amrit (elixir), while the Asuras are usually the antagonists. But tbh, in my opinion, both of these groups are morally grey as fock.

Parents of Devas (Rishi/sage Kashyapa and Aditi)

Parents of Asuras (Rishi/sage Kashyapa and Diti)

Diti and Aditi and daughters of king Daksha (one of the Prajapatis). The reason the Asuras turned out the way they did was cuz Diti approached Kashyap at an unholy hour, to put it shortly. Sources say she was also jealous of how Aditi's kids turned out, which might be another factor to how her kids turned out in turn (lot of 'turn's we're getting ahah)

They are described well in the Samudra Manthan, from the Vishnu Purana. Have a look.

Now see, this stark contrast between the Devas and the Asuras didn't quite exist back in the earliest Rig-Vedic period. In fact, some of the most prominent Devas were referred to as Asuras in the Rig Veda, most famously Varuna, who was actually referred to as the leader of the Asuras/Asuryas. Other Devas who got referred to as Asuras include Indra, Agni, Mitra, and a few others. So I have a feeling the concept of the modern-day Asuras didn't quite exist back then.

Now for the concepts of Hinduism, like Moksha, Dharma etc., I think I'll refer to actual practising Hindus to explain it to you, since they'd be able to explain them in a much better way. They can also add to my explanations of things, or correct me if I explained anything wrong. So I'mma tag em.

@kaal-naagin @zeherili-ankhein @inc0rrectmyths @randomx123 @ssj2hindudude @blue-lotus333 (idk if you're a Hindu but you still know a lot so) and anyone else who wanna join.

[dailyanarchistposts]

A.2.11 Why are most anarchists in favour of direct democracy?

For most anarchists, direct democratic voting on policy decisions within free associations is the political counterpart of free agreement (this is also known as “self-management”). The reason is that “many forms of domination can be carried out in a ‘free.’ non-coercive, contractual manner… and it is naive… to think that mere opposition to political control will in itself lead to an end of oppression.” [John P. Clark, Max Stirner’s Egoism, p. 93] Thus the relationships we create within an organisation is as important in determining its libertarian nature as its voluntary nature (see section A.2.14 for more discussion).

It is obvious that individuals must work together in order to lead a fully human life. And so, ”[h]aving to join with others humans” the individual has three options: “he [or she] must submit to the will of others (be enslaved) or subject others to his will (be in authority) or live with others in fraternal agreement in the interests of the greatest good of all (be an associate). Nobody can escape from this necessity.” [Errico Malatesta, Life and Ideas, p. 85]

Anarchists obviously pick the last option, association, as the only means by which individuals can work together as free and equal human beings, respecting the uniqueness and liberty of one another. Only within direct democracy can individuals express themselves, practice critical thought and self-government, so developing their intellectual and ethical capacities to the full. In terms of increasing an individual’s freedom and their intellectual, ethical and social faculties, it is far better to be sometimes in a minority than be subject to the will of a boss all the time. So what is the theory behind anarchist direct democracy?

As Bertrand Russell noted, the anarchist “does not wish to abolish government in the sense of collective decisions: what he does wish to abolish is the system by which a decision is enforced upon those who oppose it.” [Roads to Freedom, p. 85] Anarchists see self-management as the means to achieve this. Once an individual joins a community or workplace, he or she becomes a “citizen” (for want of a better word) of that association. The association is organised around an assembly of all its members (in the case of large workplaces and towns, this may be a functional sub-group such as a specific office or neighbourhood). In this assembly, in concert with others, the contents of his or her political obligations are defined. In acting within the association, people must exercise critical judgement and choice, i.e. manage their own activity. Rather than promising to obey (as in hierarchical organisations like the state or capitalist firm), individuals participate in making their own collective decisions, their own commitments to their fellows. This means that political obligation is not owed to a separate entity above the group or society, such as the state or company, but to one’s fellow “citizens.”

Although the assembled people collectively legislate the rules governing their association, and are bound by them as individuals, they are also superior to them in the sense that these rules can always be modified or repealed. Collectively, the associated “citizens” constitute a political “authority”, but as this “authority” is based on horizontal relationships between themselves rather than vertical ones between themselves and an elite, the “authority” is non-hierarchical (“rational” or “natural,” see section B.1 — “Why are anarchists against authority and hierarchy?” — for more on this). Thus Proudhon:

“In place of laws, we will put contracts [i.e. free agreement]. — No more laws voted by a majority, nor even unanimously; each citizen, each town, each industrial union, makes its own laws.” [The General Idea of the Revolution, pp. 245–6]

Such a system does not mean, of course, that everyone participates in every decision needed, no matter how trivial. While any decision can be put to the assembly (if the assembly so decides, perhaps prompted by some of its members), in practice certain activities (and so purely functional decisions) will be handled by the association’s elected administration. This is because, to quote a Spanish anarchist activist, “a collectivity as such cannot write a letter or add up a list of figures or do hundreds of chores which only an individual can perform.” Thus the need “to organise the administration.” Supposing an association is “organised without any directive council or any hierarchical offices” which “meets in general assembly once a week or more often, when it settles all matters needful for its progress” it still “nominates a commission with strictly administrative functions.” However, the assembly “prescribes a definite line of conduct for this commission or gives it an imperative mandate” and so “would be perfectly anarchist.” As it “follows that delegating these tasks to qualified individuals, who are instructed in advance how to proceed, … does not mean an abdication of that collectivity’s own liberty.” [Jose Llunas Pujols, quoted by Max Nettlau, A Short History of Anarchism, p. 187] This, it should be noted, follows Proudhon’s ideas that within the workers’ associations “all positions are elective, and the by-laws subject to the approval of the members.” [Proudhon, Op. Cit., p. 222]

Instead of capitalist or statist hierarchy, self-management (i.e. direct democracy) would be the guiding principle of the freely joined associations that make up a free society. This would apply to the federations of associations an anarchist society would need to function. “All the commissions or delegations nominated in an anarchist society,” correctly argued Jose Llunas Pujols, “must be subject to replacement and recall at any time by the permanent suffrage of the section or sections that elected them.” Combined with the “imperative mandate” and “purely administrative functions,” this “make[s] it thereby impossible for anyone to arrogate to himself [or herself] a scintilla of authority.” [quoted by Max Nettlau, Op. Cit., pp. 188–9] Again, Pujols follows Proudhon who demanded twenty years previously the “implementation of the binding mandate” to ensure the people do not “adjure their sovereignty.” [No Gods, No Masters, vol. 1, p. 63]

By means of a federalism based on mandates and elections, anarchists ensure that decisions flow from the bottom-up. By making our own decisions, by looking after our joint interests ourselves, we exclude others ruling over us. Self-management, for anarchists, is essential to ensure freedom within the organisations so needed for any decent human existence.

Of course it could be argued that if you are in a minority, you are governed by others (“Democratic rule is still rule” [L. Susan Brown, The Politics of Individualism, p. 53]). Now, the concept of direct democracy as we have described it is not necessarily tied to the concept of majority rule. If someone finds themselves in a minority on a particular vote, he or she is confronted with the choice of either consenting or refusing to recognise it as binding. To deny the minority the opportunity to exercise its judgement and choice is to infringe its autonomy and to impose obligation upon it which it has not freely accepted. The coercive imposition of the majority will is contrary to the ideal of self-assumed obligation, and so is contrary to direct democracy and free association. Therefore, far from being a denial of freedom, direct democracy within the context of free association and self-assumed obligation is the only means by which liberty can be nurtured (“Individual autonomy limited by the obligation to hold given promises.” [Malatesta, quoted by quoted by Max Nettlau, Errico Malatesta: The Biography of an Anarchist]). Needless to say, a minority, if it remains in the association, can argue its case and try to convince the majority of the error of its ways.

And we must point out here that anarchist support for direct democracy does not suggest we think that the majority is always right. Far from it! The case for democratic participation is not that the majority is always right, but that no minority can be trusted not to prefer its own advantage to the good of the whole. History proves what common-sense predicts, namely that anyone with dictatorial powers (by they a head of state, a boss, a husband, whatever) will use their power to enrich and empower themselves at the expense of those subject to their decisions.

Anarchists recognise that majorities can and do make mistakes and that is why our theories on association place great importance on minority rights. This can be seen from our theory of self-assumed obligation, which bases itself on the right of minorities to protest against majority decisions and makes dissent a key factor in decision making. Thus Carole Pateman:

“If the majority have acted in bad faith… [then the] minority will have to take political action, including politically disobedient action if appropriate, to defend their citizenship and independence, and the political association itself… Political disobedience is merely one possible expression of the active citizenship on which a self-managing democracy is based … The social practice of promising involves the right to refuse or change commitments; similarly, the practice of self-assumed political obligation is meaningless without the practical recognition of the right of minorities to refuse or withdraw consent, or where necessary, to disobey.” [The Problem of Political Obligation, p. 162]

Moving beyond relationships within associations, we must highlight how different associations work together. As would be imagined, the links between associations follow the same outlines as for the associations themselves. Instead of individuals joining an association, we have associations joining confederations. The links between associations in the confederation are of the same horizontal and voluntary nature as within associations, with the same rights of “voice and exit” for members and the same rights for minorities. In this way society becomes an association of associations, a community of communities, a commune of communes, based upon maximising individual freedom by maximising participation and self-management.

The workings of such a confederation are outlined in section A.2.9 ( What sort of society do anarchists want?) and discussed in greater detail in section I (What would an anarchist society look like?).

This system of direct democracy fits nicely into anarchist theory. Malatesta speaks for all anarchists when he argued that “anarchists deny the right of the majority to govern human society in general.” As can be seen, the majority has no right to enforce itself on a minority — the minority can leave the association at any time and so, to use Malatesta’s words, do not have to “submit to the decisions of the majority before they have even heard what these might be.” [The Anarchist Revolution, p. 100 and p. 101] Hence, direct democracy within voluntary association does not create “majority rule” nor assume that the minority must submit to the majority no matter what. In effect, anarchist supporters of direct democracy argue that it fits Malatesta’s argument that:

“Certainly anarchists recognise that where life is lived in common it is often necessary for the minority to come to accept the opinion of the majority. When there is an obvious need or usefulness in doing something and, to do it requires the agreement of all, the few should feel the need to adapt to the wishes of the many … But such adaptation on the one hand by one group must be on the other be reciprocal, voluntary and must stem from an awareness of need and of goodwill to prevent the running of social affairs from being paralysed by obstinacy. It cannot be imposed as a principle and statutory norm…” [Op. Cit., p. 100]

As the minority has the right to secede from the association as well as having extensive rights of action, protest and appeal, majority rule is not imposed as a principle. Rather, it is purely a decision making tool which allows minority dissent and opinion to be expressed (and acted upon) while ensuring that no minority forces its will on the majority. In other words, majority decisions are not binding on the minority. After all, as Malatesta argued:

“one cannot expect, or even wish, that someone who is firmly convinced that the course taken by the majority leads to disaster, should sacrifice his [or her] own convictions and passively look on, or even worse, should support a policy he [or she] considers wrong.” [Errico Malatesta: His Life and Ideas, p. 132]

Even the Individual Anarchist Lysander Spooner acknowledged that direct democracy has its uses when he noted that ”[a]ll, or nearly all, voluntary associations give a majority, or some other portion of the members less than the whole, the right to use some limited discretion as to the means to be used to accomplish the ends in view.” However, only the unanimous decision of a jury (which would “judge the law, and the justice of the law”) could determine individual rights as this “tribunal fairly represent[s] the whole people” as “no law can rightfully be enforced by the association in its corporate capacity, against the goods, rights, or person of any individual, except it be such as all members of the association agree that it may enforce” (his support of juries results from Spooner acknowledging that it “would be impossible in practice” for all members of an association to agree) [Trial by Jury, p. 130-1f, p. 134, p. 214, p. 152 and p. 132]

Thus direct democracy and individual/minority rights need not clash. In practice, we can imagine direct democracy would be used to make most decisions within most associations (perhaps with super-majorities required for fundamental decisions) plus some combination of a jury system and minority protest/direct action and evaluate/protect minority claims/rights in an anarchist society. The actual forms of freedom can only be created through practical experience by the people directly involved.

Lastly, we must stress that anarchist support for direct democracy does not mean that this solution is to be favoured in all circumstances. For example, many small associations may favour consensus decision making (see the next section on consensus and why most anarchists do not think that it is a viable alternative to direct democracy). However, most anarchists think that direct democracy within free association is the best (and most realistic) form of organisation which is consistent with anarchist principles of individual freedom, dignity and equality.

[unbidden-yidden-deactivated20240]

Jewish Song of the Day #40: Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai

Comments:

Okay so this one is a little tricky to explain the context of, because it requires a certain baseline of existing knowledge, but I'm gonna try.

So this is a Lag b'Omer song, for reasons I will get to momentarily.

Lag b'Omer is the 33rd day in the counting cycle of the Omer - the 49 days between the second day of Passover (Pesach) and the holiday of Shavuot, which commemorates the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people by Hashem from Mt. Sinai.

Lag b'Omer is celebrated for a couple of reasons:

Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who lived in the second century of the Common Era, was the first to publicly teach the mystical dimension of the Torah known as the Kabbalah, and is the author of the classic text of Kabbalah, the Zohar. On the day of his passing, Rabbi Shimon instructed his disciples to mark the date as “the day of my joy.” The chassidic masters explain that the final day of a righteous person’s earthly life marks the point at which all their deeds, teachings and work achieve their culminating perfection and the zenith of their impact upon our lives. So each Lag BaOmer, we celebrate Rabbi Shimon’s life and the revelation of the esoteric soul of Torah. Lag BaOmer also commemorates another joyous event. The Talmud relates that in the weeks between the Jewish holidays of Passover and Shavuot, a plague raged among the disciples of the great sage Rabbi Akiva (teacher of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai), “because they did not act respectfully towards each other.” These weeks are therefore observed as a period of mourning, with various joyous activities proscribed by law and custom. On Lag BaOmer the deaths ceased. Thus, Lag BaOmer also carries the theme of loving and respecting one’s fellow (ahavat Yisrael).

(Source: Chabad - read more about it here)

Because of this, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai is associated with the day, and therefore this song exists.

It is also worth noting that the first 32 days of the Omer (also referred to as the sephira) traditional Jews observe a number of mourning customs, including restrictions on music. I typically observe some level of this, so JSOTD might go on hiatus for that month, or at a minimum, might switch to a capella music only. I might also switch to doing a "Jewish Teaching of the Day" instead. Please let me know what y'all think in the notes. There is also another similar three week period during the summer months of Tammuz and Av where mourning customs are observed. I will likely do the same thing during both.

The Omer doesn’t occur until early May, but I figured I'd give a heads-up while I am talking about this anyway.

Enjoy the song and let me know your thoughts!

[todaysjewishholiday]

6 Menachem Av 5784 (9-10 August 2024)

Sabado Bueno! Shabbat shalom! Gutt shabbes!

The most joyful and significant holiday in Judaism is with us again. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

This particular Shabbat, preceding Tisha B’Av, is known as Shabbat Chazon, a name taken from the haftarah. The parashat hashavua is Devarim in Devarim, the opening parsha of the final book of the Torah. It begins Moshe’s final sermon to the assembled people, recounting the miracles they’ve experienced in their journey from slavery to this new land, pleading with them to act wisely and live justly and remember HaShem in their new home. The haftarah takes place ~600 years later and is very much a warning to the kingdom of Judah of that time that if they don’t shape up (and listen to 600 years of prophetic warnings) they’ll end up as exiles in a foreign land and their cities and holy places will be left as ruins. (Spoiler alert: they did not shape up.)

The sixth of Av is also the Hebrew anniversary of Baruch Spinoza’s expulsion from the Portuguese Jewish community of Amsterdam, a major fracture between traditionalist Judaism and the most prominent Jewish philosopher of the European Enlightenment.

Baruch Spinoza was born as the middle child of a large Judeo-Portuguese merchant family in Amsterdam. His ancestors had lived outwardly as Christians in Portugal for several generations to evade the Inquisition before escaping to the Netherlands. While the Dutch were mostly adherents of a particularly dour and strict strand of Calvinism, they were political pragmatists focused on maintaining their freedom from the Spanish crown (and to demonstrate that freedom by permitting what the Spanish forbade) and making their newly free nation as prosperous as possible. The result was a live and let live attitude in which minorities were welcomed so long as they lived quietly and could contribute financially to the Dutch national project. The result was a significant Jewish community composed mostly of Sephardim seeking a refuge from the Inquisition.

Spinoza was born into this setting in 5393 and as a youth in the liberal and tolerant Netherlands seems to have done considerable intellectual exploration. He attended a cheder associated with the local Portuguese synagogue until the age of fourteen when he likely joined his father’s business. It took another decade for any evidence of controversy to appear in the remaining records of Baruch Spinoza’s life, but when it does appear it does do explosively.

On the sixth of Av 5416, in the midst of Judaism’s deepest days of mourning, the lay leadership of the Portuguese Synagogue issued a blistering ban against the 23 year old merchant:

The gentlemen of the ma’amad having long known of the evil opinions and acts of Baruch de Spinoza, have endeavored by various means and promises to turn him from his evil ways. However, having failed to make him mend his wicked ways, and, on the contrary, daily receiving more and more serious information about the abominable heresies which he practiced and taught and about his monstrous deeds, and having for this numerous trustworthy witnesses who have deposed and borne witness to this effect in the presence of the said Espinoza, they became convinced of the truth of this matter. After all of this has been investigated in the presence of the honorable hakhamim, they have decided, with the rabbis’ consent, that the said Espinoza should be excommunicated and expelled from the people of Israel. By decree of the angels and by the command of the holy men, we excommunicate, expel, curse and damn Baruch de Espinoza, with the consent of God, Blessed be He, and with the consent of the entire holy congregation, and in front of these holy scrolls with the 613 precepts which are written therein; cursing him with the excommunication with which Joshua banned Jericho and with the curse which Elisha cursed the boys and with all the castigations which are written in the Book of the Law. Cursed be he by day and cursed be he by night; cursed be he when he lies down and cursed be he when he rises up. Cursed be he when he goes out and cursed be he when he comes in. The Lord will not spare him, but the anger of the Lord and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven. And the Lord shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law. But you that cleave unto the Lord your God are alive every one of you this day… no one should communicate with him, not even in writing, nor accord him any favor nor stay with him under the same roof nor [come] within four cubits in his vicinity; nor shall he read any treatise composed or written by him.

This was an exceptionally harsh and final expulsion. The majority of communal cherems from this period specify that the expelled member’s immediate family may still talk to them and that they may return to the community by apologizing and correcting their behavior. Spinoza’s ejection offered no such exceptions or grounds for return. Nor was the long list of biblical curses at all part of standard practice. Clearly, the young merchant had thrown the community’s leaders into an absolute fury.

What had happened? We will never know for certain. No details are given for Baruch Spinoza’s wicked ways, abominable heresies, or monstrous deeds. But the final clause of the document, forbidding members of the community from reading any treatise written by Spinoza suggests a possible answer.

Spinoza’s published writings are far later, and it’s far from certain how many of his philosophical concepts were developed by 5416, but it seems clear that Spinoza had written and circulated *something* which the leaders of Amsterdam’s Portuguese Jewish community considered profoundly heretical and offensive— and that when pressured to recant these views or to abandon his philosophical inquiries in favor of traditional Torah learning, the young man refused. His later writings, while revealing profound intelligence and deep compassion and a remarkable effort to synthesize a wide range of knowledge, do contain precisely the kind of explosive positions that could have prompted such a vitriolic expulsion. Spinoza claimed that nature and existence as a whole are synonymous with deity, that the Jews are no more chosen than any other people and that the Torah is no more inspired than any other book except to the degree it encourages compassion, that the soul is not immortal and that all that lives after someone’s death is the knowledge they shared with others and the things they made.

While a number of these concepts have precedent of one degree or another within the long span of Jewish theology and philosophy, they were all thoroughly outside the bounds of acceptable belief within the Portuguese Sephardi community in Amsterdam. And Spinoza’s calm and thorough manner of presenting deeply socially transgressive views cannot have comforted the shul’s leaders.

Spinoza reportedly accepted his excommunication from Judaism with equanimity. He ended his mercantile activities, which were heavily dependent on his relationships in the community, and became a lens grinder for glasses and scientific instruments. A new community, a sort of secular yeshiva of Amsterdam’s radical freethinkers, soon organized around him, and he maintained an extensive written correspondence with a number of the prominent philosophers of his age from all across Europe. His life of continuous study, debate, and humble poverty is remarkably like that of many generations of Jewish rabbinical sages, despite the radical nature of his teachings. He died at the age of 44 from a lung disease likely brought about by his work as a lens grinder, and his unpublished writings were taken and collected and translated and published by his friends and disciples. Baruch Spinoza is just as much of an influence on modern Judaism as Yitzhak Luria, despite the diametrically inverted natures of their initial communal acceptance.

[thoughtfulfoxllama]

Ok, so it's Fast Sunday in my Ward, and I'm eating Graham Crackers in my In-Laws Ward Lobby, so let's talk about Fasting

Fasting in Mormonism is pretty basic: no food or drink for 24 hours or 2 meals. I never said basic was simple though, so let's deconstruct that

For one, why is it 24 hours or 2 meals? Are we supposed to only eat 2 meals a day? Honestly, I have no idea. Pres Joseph F Smith moved the Church's Fast Day to Sunday (it was Thursday before then) in the early 1900s, and defined a fast as evening to evening. So, maybe the idea of 2 meals or 24 hours is whether you eat Dinner before you start your fast or not (in 1976, Pres Nelson wrote an Ensign Article, where he said that Fasts should be 2 Meals, with no indication of 24 hours, meaning that, to him at least, Evening Meals should not be skipped)

Next, what's considered "food and drink?" Does water count, for example? Everything I've found says "it's personal." In Utah, the custom is to not drink water, but in order to understand what's allowed, we must look at the purpose of fasting. The Purposes of a Fast are increased spiritual connection & to help the poor and needy through increased empathy (encouraging is to help them) and generous fast offerings. If you ask me, not drinking water is counterintuitive to the first purpose. So, I understand the traditional LDS Fast to deal with Calories & Pleasure. If you can, abstain from food, and liquids aside from water. If you can't (for example, I need to eat with my medicine), then eat plain foods as needed

But, we're not the only Faith that requires Fasting. How do they do it (there's definitely more, but these are the ones I'm familiar with):

Judaism: Judaism has several fast days. In addition to optional fasting on Mondays, Thursdays, and the day before the start of the month, they have 6 main fasts. 4 of them are from Dawn to Dusk, but the 9th of Av Fast & Yom Kippur fasts are from Sunset to Sunset, with an abstinence from all Food and Drinks (with additional abstinence from Leather Shoes, Bathing, and Sexual Relations on Yom Kippur). And since Yom Kippur is tomorrow, I wish a Meaningful Yom Kippur to any Jewish People who come across this post before the fast

Islam: In Islam, they have the Month of Ramadan. During this month, Muslims will abstain from all Food, Drink, Tobacco, Sexual Relations, and Sinful Behavior (such as swearing) during daylight hours, instead replacing them with Prayer & Study of the Quran. They also have 2 meals, one before the fast, and one after

Christian: Christianity has so many branches, so obviously has the most distinctions. Many Christians practice a Eucharistic Fast (where they fast before taking the Eucharist, or in Mormon Terms, the Sacrament). Early Christians would also fast on Wednesday & Friday, to commemorate the Betrayal & Death of the Savior. There are also 2 seasons of fasting: Lent & Advent. Lent begins with a fast from all Food and Liquid (known as a Black Fast) on Ash Wednesday, and ends with a Black Fast on Good Friday. During Lent, Christians abstain from a certain bad habit they have (such as smoking), and are expected to increase their Prayer, Study, and Alms (or Fast Offerings as we'd call them). On Fridays during Lent (as well as all Wednesdays & Fridays in Orthodox Christianity), they participate in a Lesser Fast, where one lessens food intake (2 small meals during sunlight hours) and only need abstain from Olive Oil, Dairy Meat, and Fish until sundown. There's also the Daniel Fast, which was a diet where only Kosher food could be eaten, but now refers to only eating Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, Pulses, Nuts, Seeds, and Oils (for the Lesser Fast & the Daniel Fast, that's just being Vegan. So I guess Vegans really are holier than I /j)

Faith of the Seven (A Song of Ice & Fire): I know it's not a real religion, but it came to mind when typing. Whenever Priests in this religion saw the need, they would fast from everything except Bread & Water. (Warning, if done for 40 days straight, this can lead to death and being known as a fanatical king)

Long story short: don't judge how people fast. Not everyone fasts the same way, or even can. I fast from everything except water. I also fast at the New Moon. But if you can only handle a Daniel Fast, then as long as you use it as an opportunity to serve your fellow man (direct service or fast offerings), and come closer to God, that's what matters

[ryanhamiltonwalsh]

Walking by the court house in Dedham, MA the other night, I started thinking about Sacco & Vanzetti again, and their infamous, shameful trial in the same building where—despite a mountain of evidence and worldwide protests in their favor—they were found guilty and subsequently executed in 1927.

Woody Guthrie wrote an entire album about it, and if you've never heard the folk legend sing the town name Dedham ("we're stuck here in this dark Dedham jail"), you can remedy that here.

At the time, a Supreme Court justice owned a second home in Dedham, just a few yards away from the jail in question. Louis Brandeis, appointed by Woodrow Wilson, was a Supreme Court Justice of the United States from 1916 to 1939. A good summary of Brandeis, and why he was controversial, came from a fellow justice and went like this: "Brandeis was a militant crusader for social justice whoever his opponent might be. He was dangerous not only because of his brilliance, his arithmetic, his courage. He was dangerous because he was incorruptible … [and] the fears of the Establishment were greater because Brandeis was the first Jew to be named to the Court."

Brandeis adored Dedham, telling his brother, "Dedham is a spring of eternal youth for me. I feel newly made and ready to deny the existence of these gray hairs." I didn't know it until recently, but I walk by this house once a week on my hometown walk-route with my friend Julia. 195 Village Ave.

Louis Brandeis's wife, Alice Goldmark Brandeis, was perhaps even more progressive than her husband, well known as a vocal proponent of women's rights and labor causes. During the trial of Sacco & Vanzetti, she permitted Sacco's family to stay in their Dedham home to make visits to the jail easier. And get a kleenex ready, because one detail related to that you simply must know is: "Sacco's seven-year-old son, Dante, would sometimes stand on the sidewalk outside the jail and play catch with his father by throwing a ball over the wall." Additionally, Alice made a significant donation to their defense fund.

The entire case is fascinating, multi-faceted, full of twists and turns and potential evidence tampering by law enforcement, and in that way (and only that way), it is similar to what's being tried there right now. Officer Albert Hamilton tried to walk out of the court room with Sacco's gun, only to be stopped at the last moment by the judge. Post-trial, police Captain Van Amburgh took Sacco and Vanzetti's guns and bullets home, where they stayed until 1960 (!) until the Boston Globe uncovered the scandal. If you're curious, I recommend reading Tragedy in Dedham by Francis Russell.

They were found guilty. Worldwide protests erupted. Bombs were mailed. 20,000 gathered at Boston Common. Pleas for clemency abounded.

"Sacco and Vanzetti’s lawyers, rebuffed by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, aimed at convincing a justice to issue a temporary stay of execution until the U.S. Supreme Court could fully review whether the two men had received a fair trial. ...Louis Brandeis, another progressive justice, recused himself from the case, because his wife, Alice, had made a significant donation to Sacco and Vanzetti’s defense fund." — SCOUTSblog

This is all to say, hey, how about that? Recusing yourself from an issue because of your wife's strong, public opinions on the matter? Justice Alito and Thomas wouldn't be worthy of cleaning Brandeis's toilet.

[ko-existing]

Random little ramble below:

I couldn't stand seeing content about the law of attraction, "the universe/God doesn't give you what you want for a reason", stupid arguments for no reason at all full of hate, trad wife, totally distorted nondualism and philosophy stuff and people emptying topics and subcultures and summarizing them in aesthetics or in some random shit! I was using tiktok occasionally and some content like this would always appear from time to time because of the algorithm and etc, but it gets boring and my interest was already low. I prefer to follow the girls who post ootds and edits on Instagram tbh

Between blocking and trying to clean my algorithm frequently, uninstalling is much more refreshing. I would like to share this for no reason, I just wanted yap, I know you don't use TikTok (or do you now, it's been a long time since I saw an ask from you saying you don't use it and you paid to use Twitter). As a goth, it's disappointing to see the subculture being reduced to appearances and aesthetics. Anywaaays enjoy your halloween, ko! 🖤🦇

The best thing I did was deleting tiktok, i prefer Douyin which is just the chinese version and XHS (小红书） is like Instagram. So much unproblematic creative content. Most Tiktok content is very very shallow, very fleeting, superficial, super limiting and useless

But yes, there's lots of questionable nonsense on TikTok but on Tumblr too

Unfortunately, "AV" / " " isn't widely known in China unless you're a devoted buddhist or monk who read scriptures, otherwise I'd be yapping for free over there. Dawa, who still lives there, says there's just "huh?" content or just unrelated things or barely anything at all , that's why she messaged me on IG in the first place but it's NOWHERE near as bad as here on tumblr (less now)

Also, no I don't pay to use Twitter but if you're in China, you have to pay for a VPN to use western apps🥲

And I saw a blog about goths & baby bats but can't find it anymore so here are random baby bats because you used the emoji and are a goth 🦇 enjoy your halloween too 🐞

[thenexusofsouls]

A-wettin' in the Woods

Kettu had spent the prior day on four paws scouting a new area for herbs, nibbling on a bush here and there to her own delight. It had been a fairly peaceful day, with little interruption and a bit of frolicking with a family of wild hares and their wee ones. Followed by a nice cozy nap with the them too. Today, under warm skies and soft breezes, she ventured out with her basket to forage what she had found. She had a nice patch of nettles, corn mint, fennel, and a small bit of borage all filling her basket. She had seen a larger borage patch, and while harvesting from it she caught wind of some wild garlic. So she skipped her way over in the direction her nose led her, only to stop and frown. Looking over to see a tall blond man relieving himself exactly where she had intended to harvest the low growing herb along a thick bunch of brush, she heaved a sigh. “Ah! ‘Tis loike ye lads t’ jus’ piss wherever an’ no’ care 'bout what herbs ye wettin’ as ye do!” She groused at the stranger. That would have been a fantastic addition the butter for the herb and cream bread she had baked two days prior. She even had a loaf stashed in her basket to munch on when she felt peckish later. Instead she stood, pouting up at the man, rather perturbed by the now unsavory herbs, and seemingly uncaring that she was making his task awkward in the least. 

_________

It was a nice enough day, inasmuch as it was another day where Eric was alone, without his deceased wife, in the middle of a thriving forest, out in a cottage in the middle of nowhere. Some might have liked that peaceful of an existence, but Eric had been a Huntsman for far too long. Transitioning to a simple civilian was... not going all that well. He felt restless, lonely, and without purpose, but... considering his “purposes” up until now, maybe it was better a man like him didn’t have one anymore. He tried to slow down, to take life one day at a time, making Sara a grave out in front of his cottage and talking to her every day. Some days, though... he just needed to get away. That was when he usually went after poachers, lawbreakers, and ne’er-do-wells in Snow White’s forest, for lack of anything else to do.

He’d been out roaming the forest, searching for something to do or some rich, constipated lordling to hand their ass to for breaking some law or another, when... well, nature called. Not the forest, but rather his own natural functions. And so he dismounted his horse, went over to some bushes near an old elderberry tree and... did his business. Watering the plants, as it were. At least until the plants yelled at him? What the hell? No, it’s not the plants, it’s-

“Seven hells, woman!” Eric said, stuffing himself back into his trousers as quickly as he could. “Don’ ya understand th’meanin’ o’ privacy?!” His brow furrowed at her chastisement. “Th’plants’re jus’ fine, I’m sure. I don’ ‘ear ‘em complainin’.” He looked her up and down. “Who’re you? Ye’re trespassin’s what you are...” he accused her. “This ‘ere’s Snow White’s forest. What business ‘ave you ‘ere?” he asked, never having seen this particular woman around here before. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it made him wary, for he thought he’d known the area surrounding his cottage fairly well...

[this-is-me19]

Thousands with disabilities subjected to segregation in these three states

Michael Loria

USA TODAY

A family wonders how a cousin “slipped through the cracks” and wound up in a state nursing facility not long after her 18th birthday; a mother wonders how she lost her daughter to the same system; and a woman in her late 50s longs to leave a state facility to see her family again.

These are among the findings of an extensive Department of Justice investigation into how three states – Missouri, Utah and Nebraska – illegally segregated people with mental health disabilities. Federal prosecutors found that the states are unnecessarily institutionalizing thousands of people in state facilities, cutting them off from family and the rest of society.

The investigations date back to March 2021 based on numerous complaints.

“I have a dream that one day I will be free. Free to live on my own, free to live within my community, free to have overnight visits with my grandchildren,” says Angela, the woman in her late 50s, in the Missouri report issued by the DOJ. The federal report quotes people by their first name only. “Free to not be told who I can associate with, free to not have someone place me in a nursing home and leave me, without any regard to my well-being mentally and physically, most of all just free to live my life.”

The investigations found widespread violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which says adults with disabilities must live in as integrated of settings as possible.

"This is about weaving people with disabilities into the tapestry of American life," Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division told USA TODAY. "This is about bringing an end to the unnecessary segregation and isolation of people with disabilities in our country. And it's about recognizing their dignity, their autonomy and their independence."

The investigations were published around the 25th anniversary of the 1999 Olmstead v. L.C. Supreme Court decision which upheld the principle that public entities must provide community-based services to people with disabilities to prevent segregation.

"Our work is about breathing life into the ADA's integration mandate," Clarke said. "We hope that our enforcement work sends a loud message to jurisdictions about the steps that they must take to comply with the law, and specifically to comply with the ADA."

The office of Missouri Gov. Michael L. Parson did not respond to requests for comment. The state cooperated with the Justice Department’s investigation, according to the report.

The report from the DOJ is one in a slew of investigations that have also gone after Utah and Nebraska for similar practices.

A federal investigation into practices in Utah found that the state is segregating people with disabilities by placing them in isolated “warehouse-like” facilities for day programs; an investigation into Nebraska’s practices found the state was also placing people with disabilities into segregated day programs and segregated living facilities.

In a statement, Utah’s Department of Health and Human Services said it’s committed to improving state treatment of people with disabilities. Nebraska’s Department of Health and Human Services said it was disappointed with the Justice Department’s "allegations,” adding that Gov. Jim Pillen’s administration had already shown its commitment to improving care for people with disabilities.

'Highly restrictive and controlled' in Missouri

The 45-page DOJ report on Missouri’s treatment of people with mental disabilities details how the state systematically funneled people into state nursing facilities, even though almost none needed even short-term stays.

The facilities come with skilled caregivers and are commonly known as nursing homes. But more than half of the people covered in the report were under 65 and didn’t require the care offered. The people covered in the report had been inside them for at least three years on average, and around half were clustered at just 39 of the state’s 500 nursing facilities.

The people interviewed in the report describe prison-like conditions at the facilities.

“They are highly restrictive and controlled settings that isolate and segregate residents by severely limiting or entirely cutting off their relationships with loved ones and their community,” the report says, “preventing them from interacting with non-disabled people.”

The isolation inhibits residents from pursuing work or education, which the report called “hallmarks of a segregated institution.”

“My son had a life before they took him there and now, he has nothing,” the mother of a man named Kelvin is quoted in the report as saying.

The DOJ investigation was based on reviewing state documents, data and interviews with dozens of state officials and county officials who are appointed guardians for people with disabilities, plus 130 interviews with people directly impacted by the state’s practices. Investigators inspected over 60 sites, including psychiatric hospitals and sites housing people with mental health disabilities.

Rules, according to people who described the facilities as like jail, included no telephone use, mail, freedom to leave and just one hour outside per day.

How do people end up there?

Federal officials found Missouri relies on state institutions more than almost any other state. Nearly 3,300 people without Alzheimer’s or dementia have been in such institutions for over 100 days as of March 2023, according to the report. They hold an average of 95 residents but range in size from 47 to 225 people.

Missouri places people with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia in its facilities at one of the highest rates in the country. At 10 of the 39 facilities, adults with either bipolar or schizophrenia diagnoses account for 82% to 90% of the population in 2021.

The people covered in the report have “low care needs.” Nationally, low-care residents account for 9% of people in nursing facilities; in Missouri, they account for 25%. The rate of people under 65 is more than twice the national rate of 18%.

The report attributed the widespread practice to the state’s court-appointed guardianship system, which it called a “pipeline to a nursing facility.” The pattern in Missouri is that people with mental health disabilities cycle in and out of psychiatric hospitals; they get assigned a guardian, either family or a public administrator because they’re found to be unable to care for themselves; and then, frequently, the guardian places the person in state facilities.

Thousands have ended up in nursing facilities as a result of guardianship. One unnamed person cited in the report called the court-mandated oversight a “sentence to be locked in a (nursing facility).”

Guardians are also allowed to set limits beyond those set by the actual facilities.

“Prisoners have more rights than a person under guardianship has,” said a resident named Angela. “Anything I do or have pleasure in, like smoking, can be taken away (at) the whim of my guardian.”

Alternatives to institutions

The people in Missouri institutions instead need community-based services, according to the report, which allow them to live in their communities in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. All are offered in the Midwestern state but not widely.

The alternatives, the report says, include:

◾ Assertive community treatment: an evidence-based model where people with mental health disabilities are treated by people trained in psychiatry, social work, nursing and other fields.

◾ Permanent supportive housing: another evidence-based model where the person with a disability is limited to spending up to 30% of their income on rent for housing that’s in a community or building not reserved for people with disabilities.

◾ Peer support service: A type of mental health care provided by people with experience with mental health issues.

◾ Mobile crisis services: Mental health providers respond to mental health emergencies like 911 intending to divert people from psychiatric hospitalization.

◾ Crisis stabilization services: These community settings serve as an alternative to emergency rooms for people experiencing mental health crises and aim to connect them to lasting care.

Utah investigation

The DOJ found Utah was “segregating” people with disabilities, a clear violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The federal investigators found the state has a practice of funneling people with disabilities into programs in “warehouse-like” settings in isolation from people without disabilities. In such settings, they aren't allowed to choose how to spend their time and cannot partake in typical community activities, including shopping, exercising, or meeting friends.

At the warehouses, they perform repetitive tasks like sorting through recycling, shredding paper, or folding laundry, often for less than minimum wage, the report says. The programs tend to target young people with disabilities who are transitioning out of school.

The report found the wait for state vocational programs providing long-term job support for people with disabilities is over five years long.

The Utah investigation began in March 2021 and was published this week.

Joe Dougherty, a spokesperson for the state’s Department of Health and Human Services, issued a statement in response.

“While nobody likes hearing that their programs still have barriers for people to receive services, the state of Utah sees people with disabilities as critical citizens in our state and is committed to improving our service system,” he said. “The benefit is reciprocal, as people in the community benefit from the talents, perspectives and experiences of people with disabilities.”

Nebraska pushes back

The DOJ’s investigation in Nebraska focused on people with serious mental illness. It found the state was also funneling people into segregated day programs and living facilities, rather than programs aimed at promoting integration.

State law, according to the report, mandates there be enough community-based programs to ensure people with mental illness can work and live independently. But around 5,000 people live in nursing facilities, many exclusively for people with disabilities.

Nebraska’s Department of Health and Human Services pushed back against what it called “allegations.”

Spokesperson Jeff Powell touted the creation of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics where anyone can get mental health care; the development of better programs to help people get disability accommodations; and the fact that it already offered employment and supportive housing programs.

“Pointedly, the DOJ concedes that the programs desired by the federal government already exist in Nebraska today,” Powell said. “DHHS intends to resolve this matter as expeditiously as possible and in a manner consistent with law and the best interests of the people of Nebraska

[thejbi]

wait, is that JACOB BEN ISRAEL? they kinda look a lot like ALEX WOLFF, don’t they? i heard the 20 year old is known as the PAPARAZZI around mckinley. it seems like they auditioned to be in DULY NOTED which is so lame? people at campus have said they’re PERSISTENT, but don’t be fooled since they’re also TACTLESS. rumor has it, you can find them at DIGITAL MEDIA CLUB, THE MUCKRACKER, AND WRITING CLUB, when they aren’t belting show tunes. their entire vibe revolves around sleepless nights spent gathering intel, piles of dog eared books sticking out from under the bed, and conspiracy podcasts to fall asleep to. but no one pays attention to that here in ohio.

BASICS:

full name: jacob ben israel

pronouns: he/him

nickname(s): "jbi" "jacob" "if you don't stop recording me i'm going to call the police"

birthday & age: 20 years old, 09/27, he's a libra

relationship status: single and saving himself for the hottest girl in school

sexuality: bisexual, jbi is a lot of things but he doesn't discriminate

clubs / sports: digital media club, AV, writing for the muckracker. no sports he's allergic to balls.

glee club: duly noted. he has to infiltrate the glee clubs somehow. that's where all the latest tea is spilled.

major: journalism

minor: law

LIST ABOUT 3+ HEADCANONS ABOUT YOUR CHOSEN CHARACTER!

He has a little sister named Adah that he visits often. Their Mom worked a lot, so it was just the two of them until he got accepted into McKinley on a journalism scholarship.

He’s created his own website to launch his own investigative reporter career. It has all the latest local gossip.

He pays for his meal plan and living arrangements by using the sales of B-List Ohio celebrity bath water. It’s all consensual and locally sourced. Don’t believe him? Take it up with his lawyer.

WANTED CONNECTIONS:

best friend / partner in crime / unlikely friends

childhood friend - maybe someone popular now or has an entirely new friend circle so there's maybe some angst/hurt feelings there

exes / ex hookup

unrequited crush

business partner / someone who works on his gossip website with him

informant - someone who brings him the hot goss (and who he can gossip with in turn)

i'm really open for anything, let's talk about it!

[the-down-upside-finch]

Wait wait wait I want to ramble about magic stuff in my stories because I use the same magic system for most of my stories (since they take place in the same world).

Okay. So. I'm realizing that this goes way deeper in terms of context, so I'm gonna briefly go over some of the basics:

In this world, there is currently a categorization known as the "Main Categories of Species," which is the one most commonly used by scholars when writing about species. There are other ways of categorizing, but this one is the most accepted one (but it is common knowledge that this system is not perfect).

There are eleven categories in the MCoS: Aves, Beasts, Daemon Creatures, Drakonines, Elementals, Faerie Creatures, Intangibles, Magicks, Merrow, Therianthropes, and Therianthrosomatikos (that last one is the main issue with this current system).

I'm not going to go into depth with these right now but. There is a lot of worldbuilding that has gone into this haha.

I'm just gonna discuss a bunch of smaller things that I think would be fun to mention.

Magic has a unique color for everyone that can use it. Some colors may be similar to each other, but no two magicians have the exact same color of magic. (And family members tend to have similar colors of magic as each other!)

Beings that use magic/are in possession of magic are known as magicians, as that's just the umbrella term for it. Beings without magic are usually referred to as Magicklesses.

Witches/warlocks and wizards are two completely separate types of magicians. Witches/warlocks use physical space to store magic (like in big hats or pockets), while wizards need channelers (like wands or staves) to use magic.

Mages also exist. They need crystals to help channel their magic, and their magic is by far the most easily affected by emotions.

Emotions are tied to magic to the point that some magic is literally dependent on a magician's emotional state. It can make it easier or more difficult, which is why there is a lot of training for magicians on how to understand your own emotions.

Alchemy is not a very popular practice because in order to get a license, you have to go through very intense training with a mentor. This involves ingesting every single thing you learn to make before you are allowed to learn how to make it. Yes, you have to ingest poison in order to learn the recipe to make it. That's the law.

Sorcerers exist, and they're the ones with animal bondeds/"familiars"! This animal companion is what allows them to properly channel their magic.

Pixies, sprites, and fairies are all different species. Pixies and fairies are the small ones (around 5-6 inches tall), but fairies can decompress their magic and become human-sized (but fairies cannot fly while they are human-sized). Sprites are always "human-sized."

Pixies and fairies have wing structures like butterflies, while sprites have wings like dragonflies. But sprites keep their wings invisible unless they either don't have enough magic to do this (which means they are probably close to dying) or they are around someone they trust.

One of the traits of Faerie Creatures is that their magic is their life-source. If their magic is depleted and/or separated from them, they will die. This is why unicorns fall into this category.

Elves are descended from plants. Instead of hair, they have foliage. They have root systems instead of veins, and they really only need water and sunlight to survive (with a few exceptions). Consuming salt is almost certainly fatal.

The main trait of Therianthropes is that they have two main forms. They possess a particular energy level that they must maintain to achieve their alternate form, and their energy levels directly correlate with the lunar cycles, corresponding to how full the moon is.

Dragons, or anyone with dragon blood, cannot knowingly tell lies.

Merfolk have both gills and lungs, but their lungs are not necessarily strong enough for extended use above water. In terms of biology, merfolk born with female traits have stronger lungs, which is why sirens tend to only be female.

Merfolk and other species of Merrow use signed languages to communicate, since spoken modes of language don't work very well underwater.

Speaking of merfolk, it's considered scandalous for males to show too much skin. Seriously, you can get dress-coded in school for having your shoulders exposed.

Silvertongues are beings that can speak to all animals that use a language-like system of communication. However, dragons purposefully made their languages too complex for silvertongues to understand.

Nixies are shapeshifters, but if you can get one to tell you their name, you'll have full command over them until you give the name back. Usually this requires a trade of some sort, either in the form of a favor or some sort of item. (e.g., someone could steal a nixie's name and make a deal that the nixie has to slay a dragon or something in order to get their name back.)

Nixies are heavily discriminated against in most parts of the world. They are used as servants (because of the whole command thing) or straight-up imprisoned and executed. Because of this, nixies do not typically reveal themselves.

I realize this turned more into "random facts about the species in my magical world" but still. That was fun to ramble.

Invoking the taglist in case you guys are interested in this stuff: @my-cursed-prince, @athenswrites

[neptoons1998]

Rolling dough

Ships: Attuma x Okoye (Main) Aneka xAyo, Shuri x Riri

Warnings: I don't think I have any, beside non-beta

Summary: Bakery Owner x Gym Owner AU. It's just a met cute nothing else except fluff.

A/N: That's it on housekeeping.

Chapter One: Yeast Donut

yeast is used as a leavener, which creates air pockets when frying the batter that results in their signature light and airy texture. They're less likely to be crumbly, due to their spongy consistency, and can be glazed, frosted, or filled.

Runaway Donuts is a well-known doughnut shop that stayed on Vinal Ave and Boston Street here in Cambridge, Massuchutes. Okoye owned this small shop. The little shop is the most important thing to her. See how people from all walks of life come to her humble shop just to try her homemade dough made it worth it for her to wake up so early in the morning. The little shop is like any brick and stone building in the New England state. But the inside had a cozy aesthetic with soft warm colors of yellow and pink. Based on everything that was going on in her life, it should be going perfectly what more could Okoye ask the universe? “Maybe a man,” Shuri quipped up as Okoye put the finishing icing on some doughnuts. Okoye forgot annoying her little cousin can be when she’s bored. Shuri’s remark earned a soft chuckle from Aneka. The woman rolled her eyes “Or woman,” Aneka added wanting to tease her sister-in-law even more. Sometimes Okoye forgets that Aneka was one year older than her when she pulls stunts like this. How her sister finds her unique, is anyone’s guess. Ayo shook her head, “My love play nice.” Thank you “It’s not Okoye's fault that weak men can’t keep up with her,” Ayo joked. “That’s it everyone out! out !” Okoye shouted out to them. Hoping that her voice would move her family to the front house of the building since Okoye was done baking for the rest of the day. The small group rolled their eyes as if she was a pesky fly that was bothering them, not the other way around. She gets why her family was worrying about her. Okoye wasn’t ignorant to know the reason why Shuri decided to attend MIT rather than Yale like her brother did. Shuri, even though she wouldn’t admit wanted to be close to her older cousin especially when Okoye and W’bai didn’t work out. Can you call it not working out if the man of your dreams decided to be the runaway bride? The baker thought. Her family while sweet, they are overbearing and protective. She just needs time anyway from the dating scene. Plus with her bakery and her thought on creating it into a franchise, she has too much on her plate right now. If only her family would understand that. “Whelp that’s my queue to go,” Shuri slayed as she tried to slither her way closer to the door. Okoye’s eyebrows perked up as she looked at the clock, “Why are you leaving so soon? I thought class starts at 10 today?”Okoye asked her little cousin to stay at the bakery shop until it was time for her to go to MIT. “Well, yeah, but I have this really important thing,” Shuri spits out hoping it sounds believable to Okoye. Shuri looking at her fingernails, “Y’know how biochem can be.” “Because she wants to make time to talk to Riri before class,” Aneka sang as she laid her head on Ayo’s shoulder. Okoye’s eyes widen, “W-what? Who’s Riri ? and why did you sa-oh!” Shuri was flustered looking anywhere but at her older cousins. That’s what I get for blabbering to Aneka, Shuri thought. “I’m leaving,” Shuri said as she quickly walked out of the door, “See you after classes.” “Now if she can be like that when she’s at the store,” Okoye joked as pressed the button to brew the hot coffee. “I don’t understand why she doesn’t see that girl already?” Ayo muttered, “I’m getting a headache with the back and forth they seem to do.” Eventually, Ayo and Aneka left to take care of some errands, finally leaving the baker alone. Okoye took a deep breath, her family knew how to exhaust her. “This would be the perfect time to count which donuts are selling the most,” She said out loud to herself. The owner started taking inventory, and her ears perked up when she heard the soft bells of the door.

“Welcome to Runaway Donuts,” Okoye greeted.

[whiskeysfiresx]

if you’re hearing LADY LIKE by INGRID ANDRESS playing, you have to know AVERY WILDER-SANDERS (SHE/HER; CISFEMALE) is near by! the 32 year old ARTIST has been in denver for, like, 5 YEARS. they’re known to be quite OBSTINATE, but being CREATIVE seems to balance that out. or maybe it’s the fact that they resemble ADELAIDE KANE. personally, i’d love to know more about them seeing as how they’ve got those BLACKBERRY SAGE CANDLES HALF-BURNED, PAINT-SPLATTERED CONVERSE, VIVID SUNSETS vibes. and maybe i’ll get my chance if i hang out around the RIVER NORTH ART DISTRICT long enough!

TW: injury

BASICS:

full name: Avery Sage Wilder-Sanders

nicknames: Ave, honeybee

age: 32

DOB: December 21st, 1991

hometown: Denver, CO, USA

current location: Denver, CO, USA

neighborhood: River North Art District

occupation: Artist

gender: Female

sexuality: Bisexual

relationship status: Married to Christopher Sanders (@l0stpiecesx )

positive traits: driven, creative, headstrong, loyal

negative traits: stubborn, confrontational, self-critical

theme song: Lady Like by Ingrid Andress

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE:

face claim: Adelaide Kane

hair color: Dark Brown

eye color: Golden-brown

height: 5'4" (162 cm)

weight: 119 pounds (54kg)

build: slim, athletic

tattoos: crow wearing heart-shaped sunglasses on the inside of her left forearm, mountain scene around her right bicep, rose chain around her left ankle

piercings: ears

FAMILY:

mother: Melissa Wilder (nee Benson)

father: Scott Wilder

siblings: 1 older sister, 2 older brothers (eventual WC)

children: none

pets: Siberian husky named Spike

significant others: small spattering of relationships, marriage to Christopher Sanders

BIOGRAPHY:

Scott and Melissa Wilder were told they couldn't have any children after the birth of their youngest son. Lo and behold, Avery Sage came into the world a few years later. Her mother liked to joke that she learned through a fifty-four hour labor that there was no making her do something she didn't want to do.

Scott's family had lived in Denver for the past four generations, on a sprawling working cattle ranch just outside of town. The family business boasted 637 acres, along with an "equine retreat", though Avery often referred to it as a dude ranch.

While her family had skills with ranching, Avery was a rising star with anything involving a horse. She competed in rodeos and various shows, including show jumping and dressage. She attended camps and was trained under the finest coaches with the hopes of joining the US Equestrian Team. During one of her qualifying shows, a jealous competitor sabotaged her saddle and it caused Avery to crash the jump. What followed was the longest two years of her life.

Doctors told Avery she would likely never walk normally again, but she took it as a challenge. She took the surgeries and the physical therapy in stride in hopes of proving everyone wrong. While she was able to walk, she lost everything she had ever worked for. Art had been a hobby of hers, but during rehab, she threw herself into it. After graduating from rehab, she applied for SCAD (Savannah College of Art & Design) in Georgia and continued her hard work.

With her parents' blessing, she eventually decided to transfer to École Nationale Supérieure deus Beaux-Arts in Paris and it was there that she met Chris Sanders. While Avery was considered an extremely careful individual, it all went out the window when she met him. Within a few months, they not only traveled together, they ended up getting married. After getting over the initial shock, the Wilder family accepted their new in-law with open arms.

Things have become somewhat strained with Avery and her family since her homecoming to Denver. Instead of her taking over the family dude ranch, she decided to pursue her career as an artist.

[galaxacious]

My comments under the cut:

I wanted to do a chapter that focused on the admin side for a long time (longer than 15 months, heh heh) because surely an organisation like Death Squadron is just lousy with paperwork. You can't tell me that after the Emperor died the entire admin department didn't do lines of space cocaine for a week straight trying to put new systems in place. I imagine Death Squadron's Space IT department is at permanent war with Coruscant's. Lawyers starting fistfights because the entire legal system fell apart overnight and they don't have to use their words anymore. I wanted to do a chapter of characters dealing with that and the more mundane side of things.

"Han adjusted the frequency band on the anderon meter and checked the engine again." - Anderon meters are real machines that measure vibrations. Which I found out after googling the fancy star wars device name I made up. Turns out it's a real thing!

Most of the foods mentioned in Sienna's Great Pastry Heist are real lore according to wookieepedia, except for kriffake mushrooms. I was inspired by shiitake mushrooms.

"I heard there was going to be an Alderaanian player competing, and she was considered one of the favourites." - Inspired by Judit Polgar, my favourite women's chess player and one of if not the greatest women's player of all time. Perhaps best known for beating Garry Kasparov while she was young and forcing him to be less of a dick about women playing chess.

I've had Piett's sister and his brother in law planned out for MONTHS all I want to do is talk about Mavis Piett and her family trying to make it work during the civil war. I love them so so much <3 Does Piett have an in-lore sister? Dunno, don't care. I love Wishful and Frodogenic's versions of her, I wanted to do my own.

"then he’s taking Alsakan for their political support," - Alsakan is a real planet near Coruscant and apparently known for their politics. So this is somewhat lore accurate, for no reason.

“I dream of it, sometimes,” Leia said, “of beings referring to me as General Organa, and it sounds natural. I see different bases and different uniforms in my mind’s eye. I can feel red salt under my fingernails.” - referencing the sequel trilogy. Not the first time Leia's dreamed of it.

"Mon had a speech prepared about nature and nurture that she was quite proud of." - it was ME. I had a speech planned out in my first draft that I could not for the life of me get to flow naturally in the convo. I rewrote that thing like three or four times from the ground up. Conversations are SO HARD.

"Greyvile held the vibroblade out. “Dathomirian steel. Very rare." - Dathomirian steel being a reference to damascus steel. It is SO funny to me to keep giving Piett all these cool blades and watch him lose them before he can use them. Will he do it again? Maybe!

"Death Squadron Conditions of Service part Grek section Eight: Remuneration," - I downloaded declassified aussie military contracts from the 70s to get a baseline of what sounded reasonable to put in a contract. Yes it was way too much effort for two lines of dialogue. No I have not learned my lesson.

"“Did you pass my message along to the Head Bioengineer?” Dampa murmured" - she's trying to buy drugs.

Dampa's speech patterns are based on this Canadian engineer's I enjoy on youtube called AvE, although he turned out to be kind of Shit, but I do like the way he plays with words. I take idioms I hear around (so far down the flute he can't toot a tune, is from a tour guide I heard in a place called Lighting Ridge several years ago. A day late and a dollar/credit short is something I learned researching for another fic also several years ago) and star wars-ify them. Often they come out illegible but that's okay.

"Kirff'll mach-three the air distributor in no time" - shit'll hit the fan.

Picking first names for Venka and Kallic was AGONY I changed my mind SO many times. Tom Venka suits him so well but alas, that's Wishful's name and not canon. But I adore Pico Venka, pico meaning 10^-12 and I think flowing very well with his last name. Alasdair is an old scottish gaelic name meaning "the one who repels men" (in like a war/fighting way) but I like how I used it too >:)

So yeah! A lot of thoughts this chapter. I have the next one planned out, and a few plot points for the one after that, but my main priority now is the last chapter of Galaxy Revolves.

[libidomechanica]

Ah, what can I fortune of Ulysses; not all

A Meredith sonnet sequence

               1

Piers, I haue pyped erst so long ago   was made! And further were.—Ah, what can I   fortune of Ulysses; not all look’d sad and law began the sunshine intellectual lord of Tryermaine? Like so many   changes in your Mistress’ lips, and trembling   of a wooden spoons’ of verse like only said, My life a long, dear horror on the Abbey-stones, till our dwelling-place. In hills   beyond this Cot, and joined legs stop the river   side, with hollow grows. Could not choose but knew we that hear his busy in that day’s decay; is this a commend my lameness,   would hand in its stubborne stroke restrain;   thy life in which he had to do. She listen to add a worse I fared: neuer knew.

               2

I’m guessing or steepy mountain, that all   the world and would grieve. An Eastern anti-   jacobin at last; gold cups of gold, like skulls at Memphian banquets, to the Thonder, whereto will in fairest the courted:   wha spied I but all is stillness in her   marriage mart, than they buried him over, despise her; and now she were as eyes the sleeping Woman Old, who nails were on her   breast. The last grace, in love withal to guide   and good-bye: no lightning, now, your eyes shouts, I must own, Nay! And sat so waiting for, to hold my spirit calls you a store thou   with the old man of Uz and Us without   a stone tower on thy feet; show me those true painted, things in shade, or with me?

               3

My hand—the name to her house together;   and I am dead; he seeks the arms of   meaning love. Now whether his smile; tis sometimes resound the heather, or when the subterranean echo of my life from   books entered, a daughter’s near. Such chains as   his bed-fellow, he could not her forever and small. A loyal treason, the scents snatched in hands to tortur’d bride, my bride, wi’   the frame destruction flies, and suffer. Then   having tact as weeds. His arms; then calm, and I have not known a dozen wedding dresses, made quite another: they could new though   I care not my fond endeavor, to enrich   you to Love’s unbound the heart aches, crying still. Had chronicled the maid, alas!

               4

Air, I would leaves seem’d full of a kind intent   she stole into the great those who has   not so fit to warb—le those tended by a private meet? The east could love the victor’s fantasy, unless infants at a   leaf may fail or turn to do: a sisters   as she spake, her lord hath not letting Sun I mix, and, attentive: there’s a Religion, pomp of solitude. And here, although   here the devil mocks that sawe it, simple   artless passing his ivy tent, onward the questions, all delights, all pass it; even in dreams that which is then there was   serv’d my kingdoms of them a bond of brother   kiss’d, and his hat bedewed with a friendly sigh from a friend as dreamless sleep.

               5

But they speak, they should helpe, doe me, and shame!   It hangs still! In the Praises of the price   to draw a moments every silly to gild refined gold, that now, hip to be mine— Fill high to kill. Not from beneath the station,   avarice, pride, and fluttering   desperate those who hath been a bleakness of pain capacious in a man who mad’st the sea there is not with such a rate for needy   honoured by the seems it rich to   thy high raignes with a lowly dust: and after other with danger. Lord, it’s fast holding my sight: in search, such a rate; for   into the monstrous charity, to her:   then she, sitting of all the best can speak too much admired;—ave Maria!

               6

That in my heart has left alone surveys   the sun; the primal things transmitted, like   vinegar from his eye, numbering a breath, her hair. He dancers will not fitly done to give her to be married and sought,   ere from thy name is no more. We had   forgotten in dire woe; just as the very wears; bid amaranth, when, without a heart with the slavish hat from time to let   thee to the other sweetly lambent with   figures, and then did she are better death- bed she smile and wield a Jovian thunder roused not rouses the world of sin o   sorrow. In pure was, watching up his lot   had been: he left alive; but being my fingers still and fields, and hairs of herself!

               7

Save what is in the warm South, cap and blood.   Then grudge me not man, saints with sandals, ere   delicacies of Poesy, When I was on the whole in their feet on crimson wine in maidenhood, all through me! Now in gloom,   and naught. I did learn thy soul move still, pass   as light the tides: and hear? My lord was like to spree. So we expect the lie. Am I not augment, the martyr’s groan and other   died away, in sunshine opposite! Kindly   am served—but served, I wonder into a new voice, his nose, his nose, with chat. Truth’s and moving story—an old man of   parcells make the boy, the night-birds around   her thou with poppies orange, peeled and ever- changing so very fear; down they came.

               8

The shepheards twayne: sike a sweetest odor!   Of my best when I came first of Druids   was a woman love are apt to talk about— no more. Command, if it couched, close o’er his mind, though doubtless some evening face under   the opening gray. There came a dread   reposed on that good to life, and coverlet, all matter. Just as well fill up their fount, she now, no force together go,   but by a female family of Christabel   Jesu, Maria, shield her animals, well enough something of hypocrisy has saved therefore doves will splash the sky   above, much more free, more fond that moaned as   near relatives, like thyself to death such power he doth stay that I were diverged.

               9

At its root; lions, those I need to the   heavy curtain and to god Phoebus sprung!   I am at think o’ her grief, which expands, though my gentle gales from his a Wine the world of Pantisocracy; or Coleridge,   on syren short hours that die from ten   to its root; lions, those light, sank down upon that white mouse bespoke a sleepy dusk, an odorous shade where she spake seemed too   soon and up and far, I am no pick-   purse of going of this my wiser in their warnings gainst female with their loves in bloody cloth unfolds. To ask him awkwardly,   at its edges, a heron. Return,   Sicilian Muse, and my success produced, and to the very sound of his Soul?

               10

Why rove my thought his face, not as the cops.   I loved out along the wings of the   accomplishment complete. Are clouds descent, in this oak; he sword his angry moan did many a morn to be purple sky. Flight, from   very high requiem become memories   like these our daysleep, in moonshine. Before me likeness, nor idly; for this what now are one, these both leant to arrive   thee! Life had for inditers malthus and   her wooer in the House of turbulence or tides. The end of worthless fellow, and Vesper, form’d before but now no more. And fears   impart. Fresh blooming flame, a pleasure; the   man; and steam-boats of verb and nothing else is smoked rasp sounder sleeping I have told.

               11

For wine we follows closed up each other   beauty, you have in most of ebony   inlaid with light towards heaven is love? Then sadly say, we love of love both love for cits. Lifted in the Gospel’s Sin no more;   such sort that Nobleness and with woe. I   ask a broken bounds: you should appears and pure affected such lowly learnest. Eyes be hel-driu’n from high the wander in and   again that close my will streams along the   destroy, that can ail the devil his dungeon at these bring her nails were flowers his brow, as if I had my cunning Time she   hath my palm trees, by the rising in his   mouth slips the weakness, no pearl the only pretty ring time and beauty’s silent voice?

               12

Raving void left his heart I felt for text.   And raise, and Eloisa spreads her instead   of springtime, the youth that dandy-despot, he, that is the bed-furniture—a dozen wedding and his lady stranger, from   ill report me, now! Ideas, all adieu!   So talks as it wither’d in the foot- way path called by the time of sleepe, whose woundlesse art of all those bright peona kiss’d the   remorse. Together went. His Peter Bell’   can sneer at him as a dove’s its head grew like a spaceship. My own fancies she, his cheeks. Bells and with us, and a thousand   ships, by the world farewell? Me, I admire   how that day’s rude hoarse minstrelsy, the shade where so I dwell, sick, and loveliness!

               13

Courtier could, till they are better’d in   Profusion to rest, that shine and thine hand   full, through his Mecænas left alone, my senses, I heard that moment’s simplified in low faltering and on the departed,   sad, cheerly, cheerly, The isle.—And two pretty   ring time, time to bathe at midday. In her father made answer meet: my sire is no treachery! Where Loue is change now   that cheerless spot, where smiling; merry Hebe   laughs, and castanets from Fingers there was no mighty reason why ye drooped, and fro, that so it seems to be woo’d and a woman   climbs into this her Johnny, he fear’d   the jetty stain, or up the hills are too feeble power of mind and breath blossom.

               14

Like one red leaves is the poet here perhaps   it is as if they deign’d the jewelry   becomes heavy dream the milky way, they should drown mine arm, most of ebony inlaid; and shame! Lambro, our selves in fear,   and pale and wildly glittering, lovely   idleness, would fain know and dearest pleasing for bread at my saints and shook thereof, my deadly fae, unless I own this may   sound of revelry expire, they vanish   into a matrons country folks would do; but at Apollo! But now unrobe your greater then he shall pleased; perhaps this reft   house where pride and Preaching in air, I would   quit the idle loom still let me have been all things astray, are wiser miserable?

               15

—In that poison-cup, he drank until they   do much amiss, and there as plentiful   as before the business of her side of her, the new births of both the soul. When Nero perish’d love’s antidote. Then sudden   blaze, and down the streets eight years gone, which it   were let alone. A further we return! Should it now with somewhat loudly she no longer read their cups with the insult to   his dying in melody spilling of   time, the scene, by thinking the level brine sleek Panope with somewhere choppers taking its way—ah, what of any other Pasty   than of the world besides those few years   were wronged the frame to? Still would awake his fires, they do much one, although the gardens.

               16

And when he’d pine after a sort; but some   of this the world has such a jocund while   the day, and made a merry to divine came but he, more merit in his heart, while you so totall are gone, which I think I   speak of his nose, his cheeks. And dawning love’s   veins thou hadst better, to shunne the crossed the mystery. Being shut, till Miss’s comb is made of night blush? Those that a life. This   bedside’s black, each wish resigned to the   opinion of low-thought worthy Them; behold are such expenses, dreading the shaped his sphere his father’s landscape a velvet summer   since then, sweet; but I was a general   hard. The wall whose deluding eyes of day when we maun part frae charms, that what they went.

               17

Silent rain-drops silver springtime, the christall   glasse: all as their answer meets all faire   Beauty is creeping, for they call we missed, with dull red stains discoloured and honeysuckles full of the sky. Far other   side to side and the Spring, flush Summer,   autumn, winter cave. Beyond earth’s diurnal course the inner me that the same path, espouse jove’s delight steady beams of   clear spring dismally through verdurous   gloom, and not do you wroughten much divide my head, or he had traveller’s road but seats a nations which flies on the spade from   my trust that which in her breath of   Reconciliation, and tied me on a picture, their chase, cries to keep Touch warm with ache?

               18

Bloom of heav’n’s while or Niger, to which can   be such richness never tasted by a   death, when, without him, Wordsworth’s poem, and strange flower looked out on a palfrey was no want to his gloom, and take a wanton   o’er the edges of the Lambe in the stroked   my covered bit of beetles chewing that found her thousand ships, by the service. Me, darling, th’ East, to wanton in my   fashion. To this Cave of love, and merely   practice losing isn’t it to make a farewell, fair crown! To my daughter mild made a monk out the lower pale death-note to turn   an arm of early life, and disgrace doth   make me that in the crust, jutted that himself and his path. Full length my favorite vow.

               19

Who wants to good: yours will splash the service.   Flasks of Samian and face the abject from   the fresco in finished the passed away, and Jealousy brought: so you may buye gold bar above you, readers. Flipped in a   connubial kiss, then the Colchian days; but Lambro   was a miser and leaving dark all else, you are! And catch my Tent—for ever. Alone in northern downs in clearer air   ascends, wi’ sangs o’erpay. Into a country   back? The viewless wings, that oil’d and doleful tale, and you know’st what passe the pinion may resumed and honour! What perils   still say with me remain’d, as humour soon   became one kiss and she also had rehearse. Still let me be by thy loof in mine.

               20

Of men, and there things in shade, and roe, free   from despaired,—been half my soul, one thoughts I   cannot step as does the best music drop here unawares I in an honest, shouldst be one on astronomy, but lift them   all; what matter made for Poets fury   tell, pointing for our mutual Victims at your hath shone; yet ne’er found a well half- cheese so we expected largesse? Just as   lovers are exhausted like to thy high   raignes with fairy fishes as the shade and I see symbols where was the Lily and flowers. Prayed she kneels beneath th’   Atlantic ocean I couldn’t but will, and   bring the cold, with buls and sae neat, where should fondly on Sir Leoline; and Christabel!

               21

Pick up a manner which skims the mountain,   though some sent from my eyes in swimming search   after a decent time in day and fell! I was a heart of the Woman’s hanging a living alwaies seene; or with boys, or   have you note it with tears, to sit by advised   respect, though we know what; but he strove,— guess now who rewards him ere the first discerned; and what Absál from you better thou,   faire lands; let no dimme shade—These raven ever   collide? The brutal summers, all whose worthy Ladies I will in a colour it had been detain’d his daughters of the   lily thing of my sorrow and can returns,   and wooden bow, and the wild stares on her mind: and as he spake, her loose soul then?

               22

The glowing his ivy tent, onward these   greensward glance at the wretched Weed that secret   plot revealed innocent: twere base as spotted traine, his priesthood moans; before take the penalty of such a jocund   company is Heaven, are we come! Long lov’d,   and then I may discourse from the dark pillars of the sun was white; but he is burning teares did me kiss, and tell how she   nuh see who running restive—they in whom   abundantly detest through the worst of linden blooms of flower enjoys the time it leads to less heart from me. The innocent   children out of the power, and nature   says she now, no force together than to hurt yourself—first What the clicking coals.

               23

Death I bought, your dear lord, all ghastly   malady to smile on your sight—not to discuss   pretend to be true to this time remove, or how to fresh new spangle the drill but from his fires, and rolls and is no reason   why ye drooped, and let him speak of poetry’s   relatives, like thing I dote on: so I’d fain, peona, ye should follow with me. I tell you a story the better   to his lady’s tale, for wine with so dull   a child—little children running restive in this, prithee try she keeps it for the swords, though his mortal soil, nor euer did in shade   and I. Something left to us: and hunger   there’s not a slope of usual greeting, Margaret for her thorns and eat it.

               24

The man who has the stain of all the worst   of Druids, lie, nor pass this neighborhood   kids who spin a yarn about my son! They are out; but hope of chalk, and pacing on your threading. Attended bee, let simple   grove, ’ at least not all looks both use and found   and bleeding on his hall at once only: we lodged in a siren, that In no time the gesture. Some days you can her own mouth,   twas fright, betwixt the innocent flies, let   me, and hunger too? The night, and the breath will unprepares the midnight and make a balloons that once I saw your face: perhaps   you’llfind from its moving vintage   melodious howsoever, can command the head in my fashionable month to help me?

               25

The unprofitable cares; but no less   heart, and natural a poor and hand in a   blissful swoon. Fractions—probably its reputation. Last Love, I envy your vacuum cleaner breath of my woe cannot long   Devotion Come, come sweet or colours purest   blood that to be with his countrèe. Quo’ she, A sodger. Clench my teeth, suck my last sad office pay, and image? What is this? That so   it seemed to be hove down next day by thee   my wrong’d? At distance. I am at thinke you than their smile, ’ said Margaret went struggling on disquiet thus lay she falling to   see what you were sweet, to sing, hey dined on   mince, and Paradise, nor tears before—so deeply, and steady beams of clear black wings.

               26

To say anything, words favourite with   his habits, and taught to chace: and ouer them,   fat and kittens, he chosen what the urchin’s fit for—that causes greene saye, the Muse herself dreaming, yet, I wis, dreading tear-   drop laves, and much in my fashion,—the   kitchen lightning something in the delicious singer of art at bottom perfect storm, or wits, and dies; in general animal   loveliest to this stuff that makes me   in base, or yet why that weighty pen let the tillage of ill-requited heaven seem best? Cool flesh and meats of all thy will,   and now that bold and wanton o’er her eyes,   thoughts bring sad, or at the best music: Do I wake to life and sink beneath his shroud.

               27

Sky bends towards commons thither I went after   a day, then if we study them, and   night nigheth fast, yts time neglect, nor had power, with downcast eyes divine there came next to me, how can do. Placed length peopled   them in search’d Abyssinia rouse and swell   and mine thou shalt, beloved yestermorn, me, even make the way to where I smell the green, and thither to his brow, he lay   coil’d like a true lover,—shadow’d my   mistressful cry; but yet no pitie augment with good prince? Strikes in danger to taste: the last Caesar’s early immortal frame, o how   the drains as better, to resume to   unsettled his only this after a pleasant grove with virgin honey is wax?

               28

Which, let’s be honest gentle peace return.   A topiary so the hart, hind, and   stars twire not be absent present, regret, conceals his rugged rocks hang nodding elders mixed good help, this soul would defile   the mystic heavens. The only said, Look!—   Forgetting, blessings for ten long lost, days the alien corn; so, lovers love were resign, for air looke, lest one that concerns   you and in my hart did seem to tell me   Perigot his Embleme. Bonds which I have been gone forever. From thee a sweet enemy Fraunce; horsemen my skill in love with   toying oars and all this ratty and I   seek I cannot be thus,—not very low and wild, its pride of which happy children.

               29

Or do you curtted Spartan dead! I gave   me time, he felt the fame of the devil   his dungeon at the torch out what, if given by what we would helpe their shared bed, who think of him the front door. At even asleep   I was on the tender nothing saints   with heart, I think and rarest gift to be going. That yokes wi’ a mate for what is left. And put one’s servants all my wings. Two   persons down his side, that light and daughter.   He alone upon whose heart; ’tis then the Breath of my own child. As my own breast: with sweet that they without; but Wordsworth unexcised,   unhired, while still say: go with   thee! No tongue will I sit for ever. In thine heart so unkind as your coonskin hat.