#Created on July 31 2024

[lvbrdz]

ਧਾਗੇ (Threads) English translation below

ਕੋਈ ਧਾਗੇ ਨਈ ਸੀ ਜੁੜੇ ਸਾਡੇ ਅਸੀਂ ਆਜ਼ਾਦ ਪਰਿੰਦੇ ਸਾ ਬੜੀ ਦੂਰ ਉੱਡ ਜਾਂਦੇ ਸਾ ਇਕ ਦੂਜੇ ਤੋਂ ਫੇਰ ਬੜੀ ਹੀ ਤੇਜ਼ ਰਫਤਾਰ ਨਾਲ ਇਕ ਦੂਜੇ ਚ ਆਣ ਵਜਦੇ ਸਾ ਕੋਈ ਧਾਗਾ ਹੀ ਤਾ ਸੀ ਜੋ ਸਾਨੂੰ ਇਕ ਦੂਜੇ ਵੱਲ ਮੋੜ ਲਿਆਉਂਦਾ ਸੀ ਪਰ ਅਸੀਂ ਟਿਕਦੇ ਨਈ ਸਾ ਬਹੁਤੀ ਦੇਰ ਇਕ ਦੂਜੇ ਨਾਲ ਭੱਜ ਮਿਲਣਾ ਤੇ ਭੱਜ ਖਲੋਣਾ ਇਕ ਦੂਜੇ ਤੋਂ ਜਿਵੇ ਕੁਛ ਅਜਿਹੇ ਵਾਕ ਲਿਖਾਕੇ ਆਏ ਸਾ ਕਿ ਨਾ ਵਿਛੜਾਂਗੇ ਨਾ ਮਿਲਾਂਗੇ ਨਾ ਮੁਰਝਾਵਾਂਗੇ ਨਾ ਖਿਲਾਂਗੇ ਨਾ ਭੁਲਾਂਗੇ ਨਾ ਸੋਚਾਂਗੇ ਨਾ ਪਰੇ-ਸੁੱਟਾਂਗੇ ਨਾ ਬੋਚਾਂਗੇ ਨਾ ਹਲੀਮੀ ਦਿਖਾਵਾਂਗੇ ਨਾ ਆਕੜਾਂਗੇ ਨਾ ਨਜ਼ਰ ਚੁਰਾਵਾਂਗੇ ਨਾ ਚਾਕਾਂਗੇ ਨਾ ਲੱਭਾਗੇ ਨਾ ਗਵਾਚਾਂਗੇ -lvbrdz

Dhage

Koi dhage nai si jure sade Asi azaad parinde saa Bari duur udd jande saa ik duje toh Fer bari hi tez raftar nal Ik duje ch aan wajde saa Koi dhaga hi si jo sanu ik duje val mor liaunda si Par asi tikde nai saa bahuti der ik duje nal Bhaj milna te bhaj khalona ik duje toh Jive kuch ajehe waak likhake aaye saa Ki na vichrange naa milange Naa murjavange naa khilange Naa bhulange naa sochange Naa preh sutange naa bochange Naa haleemi dikhavange naa akrange Naa nazar churavange naa chakange Naa labhange naa gawachange -lvbrdz

Threads (English Translation)

There were no strings attached between us We were free birds Who used to fly very far away from each other and then with lightening speed We crash into each other And Now I think of There sure was an invisible thread connecting us Which always bring us together again But we never stayed together for so long We come running towards each other And then in a glimpse we fall apart We were born with a fate which states: Neither we will separate nor we will meet each other Neither we will wither nor we will bloom with each other Neither we will forget nor we will remember each other Neither we will throw away nor we will catch each other Neither we will show meekness nor we will be harsh to each other Neither we will steal a glance nor we will look at each other Neither we will find nor we will lose each other -lvbrdz

[reasonsforhope]

"The South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, has announced plans to ban political donations from state elections, paving the way for nation-leading electoral reforms.

The state’s electoral amendment bill announced on Wednesday [June 12, 2024] night will ban electoral donations and gifts to registered political parties, members of parliament and candidates. The state will provide funding to allow parties and candidates to contest elections, run campaigns and promote political ideas.

Malinauskas said his bill would put South Australia on the “cusp of becoming a world leader in ending the nexus between money and political power”.

“We want money out of politics. We know this is not easy. These reforms may well face legal challenge,” Malinauskas said.

“But we are determined to deliver them, with this bill to be introduced in the parliament in the near future.”

In a subtle challenge to his federal and state counterparts, the premier told Guardian Australia he thought it was “something that democracies everywhere should be pursuing”.

The Albanese government pledged to introduce spending and donation caps, and truth in political advertising laws, as revealed by Guardian Australia after the 2022 federal election and confirmed by a parliamentary inquiry that reported last July.

The special minister of state, Don Farrell, said last month an agreement between the major parties and the crossbench had not yet been reached. An amendment bill is still expected by the middle of the year.

In order to level the playing field for newly created parties and independent candidates, the South Australia bill will allow candidates to receive donations up to $2,700, although they will remain subject to campaign spending caps.

Those spending caps have been set at $100,000, multiplied by the number of candidates up to a maximum of $500,000.

If the bill is passed, a registered political party will be entitled to a one-off payment of $200,000 before 31 August 2026. Whichever is lower out of $700,000 or the number of party members of parliament multiplied by $47,000 will also be given to parties for operational funding.

Membership fees will be allowed to continue but will be capped at $100 or less a year.

To deter attempts to circumvent the proposed changes, a maximum penalty of $50,000 or 10 years’ imprisonment will apply.

The guide acknowledges the proposal would lead to a rise in the cost of South Australia’s electoral system, but says a tightening of expenditure and party registration rules will keep costs to a minimum.

The Albanese government is under crossbench pressure to introduce electoral reforms before the next federal election.

Lower house independents, including Kate Chaney, Zali Steggall, the Greens, David Pocock, Lidia Thorpe and the Jacqui Lambie Network, joined forces to introduce a bill for fair and transparent elections in March [2024].

The bill contained a suite of reforms including truth-in-political advertising, a ban on donations from socially harmful industries including fossil fuels, and tightening the definition of gifts to capture major party fundraisers, including dinners and business forums."

-via The Guardian, March 18, 2024

[tvarchive]

We're excited to announce this year's TV Appreciation Week! This is our third time hosting this event and we couldn't be more excited to see your creations again.

TV Appreciation Week 2024 will run from 29 July - 4 August, 2024. This event is open to all gifmakers, and creations can be based on any tv show. We will be tracking the tag #tvweek24 for this event, so please make sure to include it in your creations so we can see your sets.

The prompts:

Day 1 (29 July): Favourite female character

Day 2 (30 July): Favourite male character

Day 3 (31 July): Favourite couple/dynamic

Day 4 (1 August): Favourite family

Day 5 (2 August): Favourite season of a tv show

Day 6 (3 August): Favourite miniseries

Day 7 (4 August): Free choice!

Signal boosts are very appreciated. We can’t wait to see your creations!

*Interested in joining the tvarchive team? Our member applications are open! If you can create high quality gifsets at least once a month, please apply here.

[snstse]

Please reblog original post to see an updated list!

List of GoFundMe's that have reached out to me. Updated 11/5/2024. Dates are to indicate when these fundraisers have been updated.

Click on their names to access their fundraisers:

1. ahmed-elhabil | Created July 31, 2024 | Line 163 on the Vetted Gaza Evacuation List - 8,911/81,000 Euros

2. ahmadresh2 | Created August 1, 2024 | Vetted by 90-ghost and confirmed to be mohiy-gaza's brother (Mohiy is vetted here) - 16,412/31,000 USD

3. mohmoud-j | Created May 29, 2024 | Vetted by association - 16,770/60,000 USD

4. sfaamq10 | Created July 5, 2024 | Vetted by 90-ghost - 16,832/75,000 USD

5. amalgheelan1999 | Created August 27, 2024 | Vetted by association - 3,596/50,000 USD

6. save-ahmed-family90 | Created July 27, 2024 | Vetted by association - 2,045/20,000 Euros Link not found ATM. If anyone has an updated link, please let me know.

7. mohammed2alwadiya | Verified, line 1013 on The ButterflyEffect Project - 7,474/35,000 USD

8. abed-rashad13 | Created July 3, 2024 | Line 249 on the Vetted Gaza Evacuation List - 9,835/50,000 USD

9. manar5ram | Created August 12, 2024 | #69 on gazavetters list - 4,095/20,000 Euros

10. ahmaad860 | Created August 10, 2024 | Line 1 on the GazaVetters List - 8,295/50,000 Euros Link not found ATM. If anyone has an updated link, please let me know.

11. ahmad1988 | Created September 7, 2024 | Newer fundraiser, so not yet verified but tags and reblogs suggest legitimacy - 6,044/50,000 NOK

Note: NOK is Norwegian currency. 10.53 NOK = 1 USD or 11.77 = 1 Euros. Meaning, this fund is ~580/4,750 in USD/Euros. Please keep in mind the conversion rates and do not hesitate to donate.

12. rewaida97 | Created September 2, 2024 | Line 35 on the GazaVetters List - 116/30,000 Euros

13. ahmad-gaza | Created July 17, 2024 | Vetted by gaza-evacuation-funds - 7,396/35,000 USD

14. hamza-gaza | Created September 16, 2024 | Vetted by gazavetters, #91 - 1,229/100,000 Euros

15. tahseenkhazen | Created March 1, 2024 | Verified by northgazaupdates and others in their main post - 14,526/25,000 USD

16. ferass97 | Created September 22, 2024 | Vetted by association - 467/45,000 Euros

17. mahmodsy1 | Created August 14, 2024 | #190 on beesandwatermelon and others on their main post - 7,050/25,000 USD

18. samarsh11 | Created April 24, 2024 | Vetted by several - 11,421/45,000 Euros

19. khalid-sisters | Created March 15, 2024 | Vetted by several - 6,000/15,000 USD

20. valentina-leonardi | Created January 26, 2024 | Line #49 on the beesandwatermelon list, under the Food/Shelter/Evacuate tab - 6,195/35,000 Euros

21. ahmedalnabeeh234 | Created September 17, 2024 | Line #218 on the Vetted Gaza Evacuation List - 1,820 raised so far. Cheated out of 20,000 Euros by his GoFundMe organizer and now starting over.

22. najahmeq2 | Created April 13, 2024 | #49 on the gazavetters list - 3,786/80,000 Euros

23. hashemsamar | Created April 24, 2024 | Vetted by several - 11,827/45,000 Euros

24. khaledblogs | Created August 10, 2024 | Unvetted, but remember that donations are protected - 212/57,300 Euros

25. olagaza | Created June 1, 2024 | Line 205 on the Vetted Gaza Evacuation List - 56,055/85,000 USD

26. deyaa-97 | Created April 23, 2024 | Verified by several - 25,390/45,000 Euros

27. shareeffamily | Created April 3, 2024 | In the process of being vetted, but very likely to be real (remember donations are protected!) - 1,486/20,000 Euros

28. mahmoudayyads | Created July 24, 2024 | Vetted by 90-ghost - 7,290/55,000 Euros

29. salman-1990 | Created September 6, 2024 | Vetted by 90-ghost - 3,934/50,000 Euros

30. hananfamily | Created August 30, 2024 | #152 on the gazavetters list - $2,689/20,000 USD

31. yousef-falestinef | Created July 19, 2024 | Vetted by 90-ghost - 31,533/40,000 USD

32. saveloriafamily | Created August 12, 2024 | Vetted by 90-ghost and #52 on the gazavetters list - 3,479/20,000 Euros

33. marymfamily | Created August 28, 2024 | #34 on gazavetters list - 4,046/50,000 Euros

34. majedgerbawi | Created August 12, 2024 | Verification in main post - 8,133/70,000 USD

35. belalgaza2 | Created August 3, 2024 | Bilal is Mohammed's nephew - 10,673/50,000 Euros

36. jaberfamily3 | Created September 28, 2024 | Verification in main post - 1,551/29,000 USD

37. s-sa-mo | Created July 25, 2024 | Vetted by 90-ghost - 7,897/10,000 Euros

38. omarfamily10 | Created September 23, 2024 | Vetted by 90-ghost in post - 3,770/25,000 Euros

39. dodooomar1 | Vetted by 90-ghost - 4,250/40,000 USD

40. aboodalqedra10 | Created August 30, 2024 | Vetted by gaza-evacuation-funds - 6,079/25,000 Euros

Please donate and reblog! Many are all still far from their goals and have been ongoing for months.

[cherryjamandtoast]

UPS TEAMSTERS-UNION WON !!!!!!!!!!!

From the article:

[(WASHINGTON) – Today, the Teamsters reached the most historic tentative agreement for workers in the history of UPS, protecting and rewarding more than 340,000 UPS Teamsters nationwide. The overwhelmingly lucrative contract raises wages for all workers, creates more full-time jobs, and includes dozens of workplace protections and improvements. The UPS Teamsters National Negotiating Committee unanimously endorsed the five-year tentative agreement.

“Rank-and-file UPS Teamsters sacrificed everything to get this country through a pandemic and enabled UPS to reap record-setting profits. Teamster labor moves America. The union went into this fight committed to winning for our members. We demanded the best contract in the history of UPS, and we got it,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. ... This contract sets a new standard in the labor movement and raises the bar for all workers.”

“UPS came dangerously close to putting itself on strike, but we kept firm on our demands. In my more than 40 years in Louisville representing members at Worldport — the largest UPS hub in the country — I have never seen a national contract that levels the playing field for workers so dramatically as this one....” said Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman. “We stayed focused on our members and fought like hell to get everything that full-time and part-time UPS Teamsters deserve.”

“Rank-and-file members served on the committee for the first time, ... “Our hard work has paid off — from those members and leaders negotiating for more at the table to my sisters and brothers building a credible strike threat around the country. Our union was organized and we were relentless. We’ve hit every goal that UPS Teamster members wanted and asked for with this agreement. It’s a ‘yes’ vote for the most historic contract we’ve ever had.”

Highlights of the tentative 2023-2028 UPS Teamsters National Master Agreement include:

Historic wage increases. Existing full- and part-time UPS Teamsters will get $2.75 more per hour in 2023, and $7.50 more per hour over the length of the contract.

Existing part-timers will be raised up to no less than $21 per hour immediately, and part-time seniority workers earning more under a market rate adjustment would still receive all new general wage increases.

Wage increases for full-timers will keep UPS Teamsters the highest paid delivery drivers in the nation, improving their average top rate to $49 per hour.

New part-time hires at UPS would start at $21 per hour and advance to $23 per hour.

All UPS Teamster drivers classified as 22.4s would be reclassified immediately to Regular Package Car Drivers and placed into seniority, ending the unfair two-tier wage system at UPS.

Safety and health protections, including vehicle air conditioning and cargo ventilation. UPS will equip in-cab A/C in all larger delivery vehicles, sprinter vans, and package cars purchased after Jan. 1, 2024. All cars get two fans and air induction vents in the cargo compartments.

All UPS Teamsters would receive Martin Luther King Day as a full holiday for the first time.

No more forced overtime on Teamster drivers’ days off. Drivers would keep one of two workweek schedules and could not be forced into overtime on scheduled off-days.

UPS Teamster part-timers will have priority to perform all seasonal support work using their own vehicles with a locked-in eight-hour guarantee. For the first time, seasonal work will be contained to five weeks only from November-December.

On July 31, representatives ... will meet to review and recommend the tentative agreement. All UPS rank-and-file members will receive a list of improvements in the contract. ... Member voting begins August 3 and concludes August 22.

The UPS Teamsters National Master Agreement is the single largest private-sector collective bargaining agreement in North America.]

Check the article for the full list; but ho ho holy shit.

This is huge. It shows the collective bargaining WORKS. The Teamsters sent a message to UPS and this win will send a message to Corporate America that unions can WIN for rank-and-file workers!!!

[tswiftupdatess]

taylorswift: What a magical experience it was playing in Munich… The crowds of 74,000 people a night in the stadium were so passionate, and so generous to us. And I had no idea before I got to Munich that there’s a huge park behind the stadium, but around 50,000 people came out and listened to the show from the hillside both nights. I’ve been watching so many videos of the crowds out there fully participating in the show from afar, all that joy… I’m feeling really grateful for the unexpected memories this tour has created. We have 11 shows left on the European leg of the tour, kicking off August with 3 shows in Warsaw!

(July 31, 2024)

[whumpmasinjuly]

Now introducing the prompt list for Whumpmas in July 2024! 

Thank you for patiently waiting! As a reminder, we will not be reblogging any creations on this blog and will instead keep this blog as a space to only post the prompts, tags, and relevant information. We will post the tag for each day, and we ask that you use two tags when filling prompts this year so that others may find your creations easily:  Tag 1 —> #wij24day__ (Fill in the blank with the appropriate day number for the prompt you are filling! For example, if you are doing the prompt for day 21, make sure to tag your post with #wij24day21.)

Tag 2 —> #whumpmasinjuly2024 Be sure to also tag @whumpmasinjuly-archive if you would like your posts reblogged to our new official archive account! Of course, feel free to use any other relevant tags too! You can also find a banner that you can use in your posts (if you want, not required) under the #wijbanner tag.

The prompts are divided into three categories: community (red boxes), question (green boxes), and creation (white boxes). Everyone is free to participate as much or as little as they want–there’s no completionist requirement! This list provides a preview of the prompts, but on each day a more detailed post will be released with more context and additional suggestions for each day’s task. Similar to previous years, all prompts and other important information will be found under the #infowhumpmasinjuly tag and #infowij24 for ease of access. This blog will also use the tags #wijquestion , #wijcommunity , and #wijprompt respectively for each post so that you can filter and find the type of prompts you’d like to do. 

Below the cut is a text list of this year’s prompts:

1. (Re)Introduce yourself 2. What are your top three favorite whump tropes? 3. "______ deserved it" 4. Post a whump prompt for someone else to fill on Day 28 5. Share a TV show, movie, or any media that gives you the whumperflies! 6. Left Behind 7. Post a link to your favorite whump fic of all time! 8. Describe your favorite type of whumper 9. Mind Games 10. Check out a new whump blog and drop them an ask 11. What songs/playlists are perfect for whumpy daydreaming? 12. Caught 13. Share some of your favorite niche whump tags! 14. Describe the ideal fic you've always wanted to read, but have yet to find/haven't written yet. 15. A Soft Reprieve 16. Create a whump meme! 17. What has been your most recent whump obsession? 18. "Or else" 19. Create a list of some of your favorite whump blogs to share! 20. What character do you wish to see whumped more in canon/fan-made media? 21. Abandoned 22. Find a story/author you've never engaged with before, and leave some nice comments! 23. What is your favorite type of whump setting? 24. Denial 25. Share a sneak peek of something you're working on 26. Describe your favorite type of whumpee 27. Delirium 28. Fill someone's whump prompt from Day 4 29. When did you get your first whumperflies? 30. "I'm here" 31. Who is someone in the whump-creating world that you admire and why?

[apod]

2024 July 31

Leopard Spots on Martian Rocks Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS, Perseverance Rover

Explanation: What is creating these unusual spots? Light-colored spots on Martian rocks, each surrounded by a dark border, were discovered earlier this month by NASA's Perseverance Rover currently exploring Mars. Dubbed leopard spots because of their seemingly similarity to markings on famous Earth-bound predators, these curious patterns are being studied with the possibility they were created by ancient Martian life. The pictured spots measure only millimeters across and were discovered on a larger rock named Cheyava Falls. The exciting but unproven speculation is that long ago, microbes generated energy with chemical reactions that turned rock from red to white while leaving a dark ring, like some similarly appearing spots on Earth rocks. Although other non-biological explanations may ultimately prevail, speculation focusing on this potential biological origin is causing much intrigue.

∞ Source: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240731.html

[jadeazora]

A new message from the Masters team is out!

Starting Aug1, you'll be able to invite lono as a Guest to the Trainer Lodge, if you've teamed up with lono & Bellibolt first.

They've made adjustments to improve the Main Story's PML Arc by revising its number of battles, as well as its overall rewards. As a result, you'll now be able to obtain around 15,000 more Gems and get loads of items for training as rewards by completing the PML Arc. (If you've completed it already, it'll just give you the items and gems automatically.)

A Sync Pair Scout will become available for 72 hours only once you complete the Champion Stadium on Normal and unlock Hard Lv. 1 difficulty. This Sync Pair Scout includes Fair-Exclusive Sync Pairs that are available up to Jun16. By using this Sync Pair Scout x11, you can receive lots of useful bonus items for raising up Sync Pairs. If you've already unlocked Hard Lv. 1, the scout will become available for 72 hours once you log in starting July 31, 2024, so please check it out!

New story content titled A Leader's Role, a Challenger's Struggle will be added as the final entry to the Mysterious Stones Chapter on Aug1! Lance trains with Alder and Clair in preparation for a tournament. Once Benga arrives, he tells the three Trainers that they haven't been thru enough! You'll need to have collected a total of 900 Mysterious Stones to unlock this story's area.

Story Event Ultra Beast Meet-and-Greet will begin on Jul31! This event will have a new format. By collecting Event Points as you complete battles, you can obtain various rewards.

Here's their overviews, starting with Elio and Stakataka, a Rock-type Support Sync Pair, with their EX Role being Sprint. One of their Passive Skills raises their Defense and Sp. Def by six stat ranks the first time they use a Trainer move each battle, making them an extremely durable Sync Pair. In addition, they can create Alola Circle (Defensive) by using a Trainer move and create a Rock Zone by using their Buddy Move. On top of that, another Passive Skill of theirs can raise all allies' Attack and Sp. Atk by one stat rank when Elio (Alt.) & Stakataka activate a field effect. Their Ultra Endurance! Trainer move restores all allies' HP by approximately 20% of their maximum HP and applies the Gradual Healing effect to all allies.

And now Selene and Nihilego, a Rock-type Strike Sync Pair. Their EX Role is Tech. One of their Passive Skills can lower all opponents' Sp. Def by two stat ranks and leave them poisoned when they use their Acid Move. Also, their Nihil Meteor Beam Buddy Move gets more powerful the more the target's Sp. Def is lowered, and it can lower the target's Sp. Def by one stat rank when the opponent is poisoned or badly poisoned (combined with their Passive Skill, Sp. Def is actually lowered by two stat ranks). Note that their Buddy Move makes them get ready to attack. Using this move again will cause them to leave this posture and attack all opponents, but when a circle applies to the allied field of play, the preparation period will be skipped and they'll attack right away. They can use their Trainer move to create Alola Circle (Special) too.

The mention a new Legendary Gauntlet, a new Ultimate Battle, and the return of the Sinnoh VA events for mid-August.

Next update/message comes out late-August.

Edit, here is the event schedule:

[hrpffandomeventblog]

WHAT TIME IS IT? IT'S SUMMER BANG TIME!!!

Welcome to the HRPF SUMMER BANG 2024: REWRITE THE ROMANCE!

Signups for writers are NOW through June 30th. Use this link if you want to sign up as a writer and/or beta: CLICK ME, BABYYYY

That link has all the details, but just in case you want to see it all laid out on this sweet post, keep reading! And please boost, sign up, and enjoy the STANLEY CUP FINALS

What? Rewrite the Romance! Choose a romance novel and re-write it to feature our favorite hockeys! You can stick as faithfully or as loosely to the original premise as you want. Make it AU or Canon Compliant or Canon Divergent, the world is truly your oyster!

Maybe this is your chance to adapt Pride & Prejudice into the Covid/Bubble Season Flames and Oilers romance epic we all never knew we needed. OR it’s your chance to put Miro and Roope and Esa and Jani in the Regency period searching for the perfect Mr. Darcy. Or maybe you read the back of a bodice ripper in the grocery store and said okay, but what if it was Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier instead?

Give us 5k (minimum) of romance and get paired up with an artist who will create two pieces of traditional art, digital art manipulation, moodboards or a video trailer to go with the story!

When:

Writer(AND beta) sign ups June 16-30

1st Check-In July 15-31

Claim Previews August 15

Artist Sign-Ups August 21-25

2nd Check- In September 15-21

Posting Dates October 1-10

Details:

Writer sign-ups: two week period for writers to sign up with their info. 

The questionnaire will ask if you need/want a beta, which MIGHT be available but not guaranteed. 

Beta sign-ups: anyone who wants to join into the event as a sounding board, editor or cheerleader.

Writers are not guaranteed nor required to have a beta, but we will try to pair folx up if interested.

The questionnaire will ask what involvement/style of editing and content you feel comfortable with.

1st Check in: emails will go out with a form for writers to let us know how they are feeling.

Writers can request assistance/support. Excerpts can be shared but are NOT required.

Claim Previews: Due from writers on August 15. This should be a 200(ish) word summary

Pairings and warnings should be listed. Writers can provide a 100 word excerpt as well. 

Blind claims: writers names will NOT be featured on claims.

Artist Sign-Ups: Four day period. Previews will be posted on August 21. Claims begin Aug 22

Artists are committing to create 2 pieces of work for a single fic (or a single video trailer). 

Artists CAN sign up to do more than one collab.

Claims: Artists will submit their claims. Sign-ups are on a first come, first serve basis.

2nd Check-In: emails will go out to collab teams asking how folx are doing.

Creators can ask for assistance/support/moderation. Excerpts can be shared but are NOT required.

Posting Dates!: As the season gets under way, we can celebrate with all the amazing work created!

Collab teams will post between October 1-10.

[reasonsforhope]

"The Sierra del Divisor Occidental Indigenous Reserve, created in May 2024, spans over half a million hectares (over 1.2 million acres) in the Peruvian departments of Ucayali and Loreto.

The Indigenous People’s Regional Organization of the Eastern Amazon (ORPIO) described the creation of the reserve as a victory — not only for the Indigenous people who call it home, but also for those who defend human rights and the environment in Peru.

Indigenous activists say the government must now create a protection plan for the reserve in order to guarantee not only the protection of Indigenous people living in isolation and initial contact, but also to support the communities surrounding the reserve in fulfilling their basic needs.

In May 2024, Indigenous organizations in Peru’s Amazon achieved a milestone in a campaign that lasted for almost two decades. Indigenous peoples living in isolation and initial contact (PIACI) will be protected within the recently declared Sierra del Divisor Occidental Indigenous Reserve, a territory they’ve long inhabited — and place where they have historically faced pressures that threaten their existence.

The Indigenous reserve spans 515,114 hectares (over 1.2 million acres) in the Peruvian departments of Ucayali and Loreto. The Peruvian government officially recognized several isolated Indigenous communities that will be protected within the reserve: the Remo (or Isconahua), the Mayoruna (Matsé and Matís), and the Kapanawa.

“We are going to pay attention and fight for the defense of our PIACI brothers and their rights. We want this wonder of the human race, which still exists in this corner of the world in which we live, to be respected for decades,” said Apu Beltrán Sandi Tuituy, the president of the Indigenous People’s Regional Organization of the Eastern Amazon (ORPIO). ORPIO is a collection of 40 Peruvian Indigenous federations and is one of the Indigenous organizations that promoted the creation of the reserve.

In 2005, the Federation of Native Communities of Lower Ucayali (FECONBU), with support from the Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest (AIDESEP), began the process for officially recognizing the Indigenous reserve. However, it wasn’t until 2018 that the Multisectoral Commission of Law #27836 — also known as PIACI Law — approved the Preliminary Recognition Study. This study obtains scientific evidence confirming the existence of isolated or recently contacted peoples. The Supreme Decree, which declared the recognition of these particular communities living in isolation, was published in 2019.

A new decree, published on May 22, 2024, states that the goal of the reserve’s declaration is to protect the rights, territory, and conditions that will ensure the existence and integrity of the Indigenous people living in isolation. This includes the use and management of natural resources for their survival.

“The creation of the Sierra del Divisor Occidental Indigenous Reserve represents a victory — not only for the PIACI, but also for those who defend human rights and the environment in Peru. It is a testament to the resilience and strength of the Indigenous communities and a reminder of the importance of protecting and preserving ancestral territories,” said ORPIO."

-via Mongabay News, July 31, 2024

[morrotober]

The Morrotober blog's first Morro summer event is now here!

This year, the exchange will be open to all content creators and everyone will be randomly paired based on preferred topics.

The theme this year is "Fun in the Sun", so any activities that are done when there's lots of sun count!

If you're interested, then come sign up here! Sign-ups will close June 23, 2024.

How will the pairs work?

We will pair everyone up based on the information submitted in the sign-ups form. The first priority criteria will be the preferred topics submitted, so pairs may end up as artist/artist, writer/writer, or artist/writer.

Everyone will be split into two groups. The first group will go first and create something to be posted July 31. Then, the second group will use that to create a companion piece (can be a scene from a fic, a fic of that art piece, a response, a continuation, etc) to be posted August 31.

What is the timeline?

June 2-23: Sign ups.

June 24-27: Results sent.

June 24-30: Confirmations. Please confirm your spot or else we will assume you are no longer interested.

July 17: Checkpoint for the first group.

July 31: Posting for the first group.

Aug 17: Checkpoint for the second group.

Aug 31: Posting for the second group.

Where we will post?

You can post on any platform, as long as you share the link with us so we can share it with your exchange partner! We do encourage you to share it on our discord or tag us here on Tumblr!

Rules

All participants must be respectful of others and abide by any restrictions given with their assigned topic.

No hate allowed in any of the works, except as an exploration of those topics, and only if it does not violate the restrictions given on the assigned topic.

No adult content will be allowed, as the fandom has a wide range of ages and we wish to avoid asking for every participant's age during sign-ups. This means all content should be in the PG-13 range. However, you may choose to do an "adult version" of your work to accompany your main work but this must not be on the same post/fic without using something like the spoilers option on Tumblr and proper tags. We wish for everyone to receive and work with content they are comfortable with for the exchange event.

All content must be new and created for this event.

No AI content will be allowed and anyone caught doing so will be removed automatically.

Any written media must be in English.

There are no rules on word count or art size/specifications, but we do encourage everyone to give it their best! No one likes receiving something that someone refused to put effort into :(

Any other questions? Feel free to drop by our discord or submit an ask to this blog!

We hope to see you join us this year!

[animeolympics2024]

PROMPT REVEAL!

Join us in celebrating sports anime with the 2024 Summer Olympics! Thank you to everyone who contributed to a successful interest check. We have put together the prompts with your suggestions in mind. We're so excited to see what you all create!

The week opens with the Olympics on July 26, and ends a week later on August 1. For more information, check out our updated FAQ. If you have any further questions or concerns, feel free to send an ask to this account!

Written version of the prompts are listed under the cut (image description in its entirety is in the alt text).

7/26/24

Opening Ceremony

Reunions

Rise by Katy Perry

7/27/24

Winners/Losers

Paris & Eiffel Tower

To Paris With Love by Donna Summer

7/28/24

Game Watch Party

Different sport AU

Immortals by Fall Out Boy

7/29/24

Rivalries

Cardboard Beds

Could Have Been Me by The Struts

7/30/24

Post-Match Interviews

Sponsorships

Long Live by Taylor Swift

7/31/24

Injuries

Training

Gilded Lily by The Cults

8/01/24

Relationship Reveal

Gold Medal Match

Hall of Fame by The Script

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Matt Wuerker, Politico

* * * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

October 30, 2024

Heather Cox Richardson

Oct 31, 2024

On Friday, October 25, at a town hall held on his social media platform X, Elon Musk told the audience that if Trump wins, he expects to work in a Cabinet-level position to cut the federal government.

He told people to expect “temporary hardship” but that cuts would “ensure long-term prosperity.” At the Trump rally at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Musk said he plans to cut $2 trillion from the government. Economists point out that current discretionary spending in the budget is $1.7 trillion, meaning his promise would eliminate virtually all discretionary spending, which includes transportation, education, housing, and environmental programs.

Economists agree that Trump’s plans to place a high tariff wall around the U.S., replacing income taxes on high earners with tariffs paid for by middle-class Americans, and to deport as many as 20 million immigrants would crash the booming economy. Now Trump’s financial backer Musk is factoring in the loss of entire sectors of the government to the economy under Trump.  

Trump has promised to appoint Musk to be the government’s “chief efficiency officer.” “Everyone’s going to have to take a haircut.… We can’t be a wastrel.… We need to live honestly,” Musk said on Friday. Rob Wile and Lora Kolodny of CNBC point out that Musk’s SpaceX aerospace venture has received $19 billion from the U.S. government since 2008.

An X user wrote: “I]f Trump succeeds in forcing through mass deportations, combined with Elon hacking away at the government, firing people and reducing the deficit—there will be an initial severe overreaction in the economy…. Markets will tumble. But when the storm passes and everyone realizes we are on sounder footing, there will be a rapid recovery to a healthier, sustainable economy. History could be made in the coming two years.”

Musk commented: “Sounds about right[.]”

This exchange echoes the prescription of Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon, whose theories had done much to create the Great Crash of 1929, for restoring a healthy economy. “Liquidate labor, liquidate stocks, liquidate the farmers, liquidate real estate,” he told President Herbert Hoover. “It will purge the rottenness out of the system. High costs of living and high living

will come down. People will work harder, live a more moral life. Values will be adjusted, and enterprising people will pick up the wrecks from less competent people.” 

Mellon, at least, was reacting to an economic crisis thrust upon an administration. Musk is seeking to create one. 

Today the Commerce Department reported that from July through September, the nation’s economy grew at a solid 2.8%. Consumer spending is up, as is investment in business. The country added 254,000 jobs in September, and inflation has fallen back almost to the Federal Reserve’s target of 2%. 

It is extraordinarily rare for a country to be able to reduce inflation without creating a recession, but the Biden administration has managed to do so, producing what economists call a “soft landing,” rather like catching an egg on a plate. As Bryan Mena of CNN wrote today: “The US economy seems to have pulled off a remarkable and historic achievement.” 

Both President Joe Biden and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris have called for reducing the deficit not by slashing the government, as Musk proposes, but by restoring taxes on the wealthy and corporations. 

As part of the Republicans’ plan to take the country back to the era before the 1930s ushered in a government that regulated business and provided a basic social safety net, House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) expects to get rid of the Affordable Care Act. 

At a closed-door campaign event on Monday in Pennsylvania for a Republican House candidate, Johnson told supporters that Republicans will propose “massive reform” to the Affordable Care Act, also known as “Obamacare,” if they take control of both the House and the Senate in November. “Health-care reform’s going to be a big part of the agenda,” Johnson said. Their plan is to take a “blowtorch to the regulatory state,” which he says is “crushing the free market.” “Trump’s going to go big,” he said.” When an attendee asked, “No Obamacare?” he laughed and agreed: “No Obamacare…. The ACA is so deeply ingrained, we need massive reform to make this work, and we got a lot of ideas on how to do that.” 

Ending a campaign with a promise to crash a booming economy and end the Affordable Care Act, which ended insurance companies’ ability to reject people with preexisting conditions, is an unusual strategy.

A post from Trump last night and another this morning suggest his internal polls are worrying him. Last night he claimed there was cheating in Pennsylvania’s York and Lancaster counties. Today he posted: “Pennsylvania is cheating, and getting caught, at large scale levels rarely seen before. REPORT CHEATING TO AUTHORITIES. Law Enforcement must act, NOW!” 

Trump appears to be setting up the argument he used in 2020, that he can lose only if he has been cheated. But it is increasingly apparent that the get-out-the-vote, or GOTV, efforts of the Trump campaign have been weak. When Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump and loyalist Michael Whatley became the co-chairs of the Republican National Committee in March 2024, they stopped the GOTV efforts underway and used the money instead for litigation. They outsourced GOTV efforts to super PACs, including Musk’s America PAC.

In Wired today, Jake Lahut reported that door-knockers for Musk’s PAC were driven around in the back of a U-Haul without seats and threatened with having to pay their own hotel bills if they didn’t meet high canvassing quotas. One of the canvassers told Lahut that they thought they were being hired to ask people who they would be voting for when they flew into Michigan, and was surprised to learn their actual role. The workers spoke to Lahut anonymously because they had signed a nondisclosure agreement (a practice the Biden administration has tried to stop).

Trump’s boast that he is responsible for the Supreme Court’s overturning of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision recognizing the constitutional right to abortion is one of the reasons his support is soft. In addition to popular dislike of the idea that the state, rather than a woman and her doctor, should make decisions about her healthcare, the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision is now over two years old, and state examinations of maternal deaths are showing that women are dying from lack of reproductive healthcare. 

Cassandra Jaramillo and Kavitha Surana of ProPublica reported today that at least two pregnant women have died in Texas when doctors delayed emergency care after a miscarriage until the fetal heartbeat stopped. The woman they highlighted today, Josseli Barnica, left behind a husband and a toddler. 

At a rally this evening near Green Bay, Wisconsin, Trump said his team had advised him to stop talking about how he was going to protect women by ending crime and making sure they don’t have to be “thinking about abortion.” But Trump, who has boasted of sexual assault and been found liable for it, did not stop there. He went on to say that he had told his advisors, “I’m going to do it whether the women like it or not. I am going to protect them.” 

The Trump campaign remains concerned about the damage caused by the extraordinarily racist, sexist, and violent Sunday night rally at Madison Square Garden. Today the campaign seized on a misstatement President Biden made when condemning the statement from the Madison Square Garden event that referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.” They tried to turn the tables to suggest that Biden was calling Trump supporters garbage, although the president has always been very careful to focus his condemnation on Trump alone. 

In Wisconsin today, when he disembarked from his plane, Trump put on an orange reflective vest and had someone drive him around the tarmac in a garbage truck with TRUMP painted on the side. He complained about Biden to reporters from the cab of the truck but still refused to apologize for Sunday’s slur of Puerto Rico, saying he knew nothing about the comedian who appeared at his rally. 

This, too, was an unusual strategy. Like his visit to McDonalds, where he wore an apron, the image of Trump in a sanitation truck was likely intended to show him as a man of the people. But his power has always rested not in his promise to be one of the people, but rather to lead them. The pictures of him in a bright orange vest and unusually dark makeup are quite different from his usual portrayal of himself.

Indeed, media captured a video of Trump’s stunt, and it did not convey strength. MSNBC’s Katie Phang watched him try to get into the truck and noted: “Trump stumbles, drags his right leg, almost falls over, and tries at least three times to open the door…. Some transparency with Trump’s medical records would be nice.” 

The Las Vegas Sun today ran an editorial that detailed Trump’s increasingly obvious mental lapses and concluded that Trump is “crippled cognitively and showing clear signs of mental illness.” It noted that Trump now depends “on enablers who show a disturbing willingness to indulge his delusions, amplify his paranoia or steer his feeble mind toward their own goals.” It noted that if Trump cannot fulfill the duties of the presidency, they would fall to his running mate, J.D. Vance, who has suggested “he would subordinate constitutional principles for personal profit and power.”

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[dragonagefanevents]

Dragon Age Fan Event Listings

The beauty of fan events is that they are run by fans.

Including you.

▸What are the types of fan events? - #education

▸Start a new event! - #how tos (coming soon)

▸Ask Box - send us advice, or ask for it!

▸Blog Tag List

Below is a list of all Dragon Age fan-run events we can find. The links should bring you to the most recent iteration of the event. Where possible, the time period the event covers is listed next to the event.

Want to get an event listed? Check out the link and submit. Look here for multi-fandom events, or more events in general.

Event Masterlist - #compendium

Bangs

25k Big Bang (July - November)

10k Big Bang (March - April)

Dragon Age Reverse Bang

Exchanges

Arlathan Exchange (April - June)

DA Polyshipping (August - November)

Handers Exchange (March - May)

Templartations Exchange (March - May)

Black Emporium Rare Pair Exchange (June - September)

Platonic Ideal Gen Fic Exchange (December - February)

Smutquisition (January - March)

Theme Weeks/Months

Krem Week 2024 (July 22 - 28)

City Elf Week (August 5 - August 11)

Zevwarden Week (2024 dates TBD)

Tranquil Week (August 25 - 31)

Sera Appreciation Week (Oct 13 - 19)

Kink Memes

Dragon Age Kink Meme (Dreamwidth) | DAO | DA2 | DAI

Zines

Dragon Age Flower Zine (Creation Period)

Wanderers Zine (Creation Period)

Dragon Age OC Zine (Mod Apps Open)

Alistair Zine (Creation Period)

Special Events

Dragon Age Drunk Writing Circle

Dragon Age Annual (2025 Production Period)

Dragon Age Create-A-Thon (Begins Sept 15 2024)

Reddit Weekly Dragon Age Writing Prompts

Unofficial Dragon Age Day (Dec 4)

Solavellan Day (April 11)

Past Events

Retired Bangs

DragonAgeBB (last: 2015; formerly on LJ and elsewhere)

Retired Exchanges

Demands of the Qun (Qunari)

A Paragon of Their Kind (DA Dwarves)

Solas Lovers

Hightown Funk (Varric/Hawke)

Retired Theme Weeks/Months

Autumn of Anders (Anders Appreciation Event)

Dalish Week

30 Days of Dorian (Dorian Appreciation Event)

Dragon Age Fan Week (2013)

Cullen Appreciation Week (2019)

Cullen Week (2021)

14 Days of DA Lovers

Fenris Appreciation Month (2017)

Rylen Appreciation Week (2018)

Sera Appreciation Week (2019)

Sub!Solas Week (2016)

Past Zines

Adoribull Fairytales

Age of Romance Zine (Incomplete)

ApprovesGreatly (Incomplete)

Andoralis Zine

Arcana: A Dragon Age Zine

Arlathvhen Zine (Incomplete)

Beyond the Veil Zine (Zine)

Bring Down the Sky Bioware Fanzine

Dragon Age 2 10th Anniversary Zine (Zine)

Dragon Age Codex Zine & Myths and Legends Zine

Fortitudo Dorian Artbook

Good for Each Other (Adoribull Zine)

In Peace, Vigilance Zine

Insufficient Skill Fanzine

Legend Mark Zine

Lotus and Root OC Zine

Love Across Thedas Zine (Zine)

Na Via Lerno Victoria (Fenris Zine)

Patron of the Arts Zine

Rebel Hearts Handers Zine (Zine)

Road to the Imperium Zine

Solasmancy Zine

Sunlight (Anders Zine)

The Coming Storm Zine (Ukrainian Zine)

The Dragon Age Zine (Russian Zine)

The Keeper's Codex Fairy Tale Zine

The Unsung Dragon Age Zine

The Zevran Zine (incomplete)

Thedosian Archives (incomplete)

to be happy (FenHawke Zine)

Wicked Eyes: A Dragon Age Finery Zine

Year of the Mabari (Incomplete)

Other Past Events

Dragon Age Calendar 2018

Dragon Age Calendar 2021

For Fans by Fans - Fan Forge

[inception30daychallenge]

Inception 30 Day Challenge 2024: Get inspired, share your hot takes and win prizes!

Create a post, whether it be text, art, music, or any other media, using these 31 items as prompts. Feel free to participate in as many or as few of them as you want!

Copy the prompt into the body of the post somewhere and tag your posts with @inception30daychallenge, #inceptiversary, and #inception30daychallenge. Your posts will be reblogged on this blog for everyone to appreciate!

You earn one entry for every prompt you answer before 11:59 PM EDT on July 31. We’ll hold a raffle then to determine our prize winner(s)! More info can be found in our FAQ.

Prompts below the cut, or at this Google Doc link!

Day 01: Your favourite thing about the movie.

Day 02: Classify each character according to the Alignment Chart. (For more details on what each box means)

Day 03: A post-canon headcanon.

Day 04: Arthur’s secret phobia.

Day 05: Your favourite line in the movie.

Day 06: A fic rec!

Day 07: If you had to change a scene from the movie to have a musical number, which scene would it be?

Day 08: What songs/artists are on Eames’ main playlist?

Day 09: Which character has the most annoying habit on the job and what is it?

Day 10: A headcanon about your favourite character.

Day 11: Mal’s favourite fairytale.

Day 12: Your favourite setting in the movie.

Day 13: A fanart rec! (note: please do not repost art from tumblr artists! just reblog it and tag @inception30daychallenge so we can see it.)

Day 14: What skills would you bring to a dreamshare team?

Day 15: Cobb’s greatest parenting strength and weakness.

Day 16: Inception Day! Make anything Inception-related! Take a photo, write a poem, make a meme, sing a tune, whatever you want!

Day 17: How did the team spend the rest of the week on the first dream level?

Day 18: What building or monument does Ariadne wish she designed?

Day 19: Your favourite bit of fanon.

Day 20: Another type of rec! (meta, podfic, fanvid, edit, meme, blog, whatever!)

Day 21: What would you want to use dreamshare technology for?

Day 22: What skill does Robert wish he had?

Day 23: If you had to be stuck on a deserted island with an Inception character, who would you choose?

Day 24: A headcanon about your favourite friendship or relationship.

Day 25: When Saito was a child, what did he want to be when he grew up?

Day 26: Which summer Olympic sport would each character compete in? 

Day 27: A self-rec! (anything from art to a funny Tumblr post you made!)

Day 28: What piece of media would you want to see in a crossover with Inception?

Day 29: Something Yusuf keeps hidden in his desk.

Day 30: If the characters were all in a band, what instruments/roles would they play?

Day 31: A letter to Inception fandom.