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pocketnewsforyou · 26 days ago

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Monday

Trump cabinet members accidentally added Atlantic editor to confidential meeting, risking nation security

According to the Guardian “vice-president, JD Vance, the defence secretary Pete Hegseth, the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and the director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard – used the commercial chat app Signal to convene and discuss plans” to discuss plans for action against the Houthis. It also states “Signal is not approved by the US government for sharing sensitive information.” The editor of Atlantic Magazine, Jeffery Goldberg, that “had been included in a Signal chat called “Houthi PC Small Group,”” posted an article about the chat. Goldberg censored the current operation movement and the identification of certain members of the chat group. The Guardian states “The discussions seen by Goldberg include comments from Vance, who appeared unconvinced of the urgency of attacking Yemen, as well as conversations over what price should be expected of Europeans and other countries for the US removing the threat to a key global shipping route.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/24/journalist-trump-yemen-war-chat

Trump pledges to put tariffs on the automobile and pharmaceutical industries

During a cabinet meeting Trump said “We’ll be announcing cars very shortly. We already announced steel, as you know, and aluminum. “We’ll be announcing pharmaceuticals at some point, because we have to have pharmaceuticals.” So we’ll be announcing some of these things in the very near future, not the long future, the very near future.” This has left many to question if these tariffs will be enacted along with his reciprocal tariffs. Trump explains his plan saying “I have decided for purposes of fairness, that I will charge a reciprocal tariff, meaning whatever countries charge the United States of America, we will charge them. No more, no less." This has caused economists to worry about consumer prices due to possible inflation. Trump has also claimed that he “may give a lot of countries breaks.”

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/24/trump-tariffs-autos-pharmaceuticals-sectoral-reciprocal.html

https://www.dw.com/en/what-are-reciprocal-tariffs-trumps-trade-agenda-explained/a-71596247

Tuesday 3/25/2025

The Social Security Administration (SSA) is facing web crashes, long waits, and mass amounts of phone calls due to DOGE operations and new rules

The SSA has announced new rules: you will not be able to file Social Security claims over the phone and any overpaid charges must be reimbursed. US Today explained “an overpayment can happen when a beneficiary fails to update a change in income, for instance. Or the SSA can incorrectly calculate benefits.” Any overpayment received after March 27, 2025 needs to be reimbursed in order to keep receiving benefits from the SSA. According to The Washington Post, these changes were made after Leland Dudek was made the acting commissioner “after he fed data to Musk’s team behind his bosses’ backs.” Dudek, just last week, threatened to halt all SSA operations in retaliation to a judicial ruling “against DOGE that he claimed would leave no one in the agency with access to beneficiaries’ personal information.” These changes have caused people to be concerned about their ability to claim their benefits. The SSA website has crashed 4 times in the last 10 days, which blocked people from accessing their online accounts. The Washington Post also highlights “in the field, office managers have resorted to answering phones in place of receptionists because so many employees have been pushed out. Amid all this, the agency no longer has a system to monitor customer experience because that office was eliminated as part of the cost-cutting efforts led by Elon Musk.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/03/25/social-security-phones-doge-cuts/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/03/26/social-security-overpayments-change-march-2025/82651483007/

Elon Musk has spent millions of dollars on Wisconsin Supreme Court election

The Wisconsin Supreme Court election will be the first major election since the 2024 presidential election. AP News highlights that “April 1’s election will determine majority control of a court facing critical issues: abortion rights, collective bargaining and voter access. They include decisions that could have major implications for the 2026 midterms and 2028 presidential election, particularly if they end up hearing challenges to the state’s congressional maps, which could theoretically swing the balance of power in Washington if they are considerably redrawn.” This comes after last year's controversy, as Rolling Stone states, when “the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down the state’s legislative maps, which were so heavily gerrymandered that it was virtually impossible for Democrats to ever gain control of the state legislature.” Gerrymandering is the process of creating or redrawing congressional district lines in favor of one party. AP news highlights the concern over Musk’s spending claiming “a win would cement his status as a conservative kingmaker,” referencing his recent monetary support of Republican politicians.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-musk-wisconsin-supreme-court-brad-schimel-susan-crawford-cf42ce39bd5508bd6cfe83ef24c8ada0

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/elon-musk-buy-wisconsin-supreme-court-trump-congress-1235302929/

Wednesday 3/26/2025

Judge James Boasberg, responsible for the ban of Venezuelan immigrants, has been assigned a lawsuit following “Signalgate”

Signalgate, named after Nixon’s Watergate scandal, consists of the release of Atlantic editor’s article on the confidential meeting held by Trump cabinet members consulting national defense and possible retaliation plans against Yemen for Houthi attacks. Judge Boasberg was assigned a lawsuit that claims “alleging that Trump cabinet secretaries and national security aides violated federal recordkeeping laws when they used a Signal chat group to discuss a planned military strike in Yemen.” Politico states “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth previewed, with specific references to timing and weapons, an attack on Houthi militants.” Judge Boasgberg is still presiding over the Venezuelan immigration case, with the Trump administration “invok[ing] the “state secrets” privilege to refuse to share details with the Obama-appointed judge about the timing of deportation flights to El Salvador.” Marco Rubio is being sued on the grounds of “his involvement in the text exchange but also for his dual position as acting head of the National Archives, which is responsible for preserving records used by government officials in the course of their work.”

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/26/signal-lawsuit-trump-judge-boasberg-00250606

US appeals court upholds Judge Boasberg’s block on deporting undocumented immigrants to El Salvador

Trump used the Alien Enemies Act Proclamation to deport Venezuelan immigrants without due process. Judge Boasberg ruled in a minor court hearing that there would be a 14 day block on the administration’s actions. The administration then filed with the appeal courts that have now agreed with the original ruling. The court that heard the case was made up of 3 judges, one Trump appointed. Reuters states "an ensuing legal battle over the move has highlighted Trump's attempts to strong-arm the federal judiciary.” In explaining her decision to uphold Boasberg's ruling, U.S. Circuit Judge Patricia Millett said “the government was not affording the migrants the chance to contest the government's assertion that they were members of Tren de Aragua [transnational criminal organization from Venezuela] before deporting them.”

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-homeland-secretary-visit-el-salvador-prison-holding-deported-venezuelans-2025-03-26/

Thursday 3/27/2025

Trump administration cuts funding and programs that combat Domestic Terrorism

The Washington Post claims that they have recorded “the cancellation of nearly $20 million for 24 projects dating as far back as July 2021.” The Domestic terrorism database tracks “hate crimes and school shootings,” as well as other domestic threats. The database is run out of the University of Maryland (U- Md) and supported by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). According to U-Md “In the past two years, data showed there were nearly three violent events daily, killing nearly 400 people and injuring more than 700.” Michael Jensen, the project’s principal investigator and the research director at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism at U-Md., wrote “this cancellation comes at a time when their data revealed the first two months of 2025 saw a 25 percent increase in terrorism and targeted violence incidents compared to the first two months of last year.” Records show projects such as “avert[ing] school shootings, an evaluation of a method used to redirect online searches away from extremist content and a study focused on early detection and intervention of people planning terrorist attacks,” have all lost funding.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/03/25/domestic-extremism-database-trump-cuts/

Trump administration wants to halt funding for GAVI, affecting global vaccine initiative

GAVI is “a public–private global health partnership with the goal of increasing access to immunization in poor countries.” Its funding allows for the purchase and distribution of vaccines. GAVI distributed 20 different vaccines including “COVID-19, HPV, Ebola, malaria and rabies.” A whistleblower brought the 400 page list “of canceled international aid programs previously funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).” The U.S. is the third largest contributor to Gavi and second largest government contributor, providing 12 percent of its budget. “With U.S. support, we can save over 8 million lives over the next 5 years and give millions of children a better chance at a healthy, prosperous future,” the organization said in a statement on social platform X. Gavi says it negotiates vaccines at prices that are affordable for the poorest countries and shares the costs on a sliding scale. As a country’s income level rises, it pays more. A U.S. watchdog group Public Citizen said the administration’s decision to cut funding for Gavi could be illegal; “congress has authority over foreign assistance funding. The administration’s attempt to unilaterally walk away from its Gavi commitment raises serious legal questions and should be challenged,”

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5216013-trump-administration-gavi-vaccine-fund-elon-musk-doge/

Friday 3/28/2025

Trump signed executive order ending collective bargaining for federal employees

Trump signed the executive order as part of his “broader campaign to reshape the U.S. government's workforce.” The White House claims “the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 (CSRA) gives him the authority to halt collective bargaining at agencies with national security missions, which are usually used for CIA, FBI, and National Security Agency.

Trump’s order will cover “jobs [that] touch on national defense, border security, foreign relations, energy security, pandemic preparedness, the economy, public safety and cybersecurity.” The chair of Veterans Affairs for National Nurses United stated “This administration's latest executive order is union busting, pure and simple." NPR highlights Trump’s past actions against Federal Unions claiming “one directive sought to invalidate collectively bargained telework provisions, declaring that they were in conflict with management rights. He's also taken aim at the amount of time employees serving in union leadership positions could spend on collective bargaining and other union-related business." The White House made clear it thought unions were standing in its way stating “Certain Federal unions have declared war on President Trump's agenda. The CSRA enables hostile Federal unions to obstruct agency management."

https://www.npr.org/2025/03/28/nx-s1-5343474/trump-collective-bargaining-unions-federal-employees

Trump signs executive order targeting the Smithsonian for “woke ideology”

The executive order targets 2 recipients of federal funding; The Smithsonian Institution, a vast collection of research centers, museums and galleries, including the Air & Space Museum and the American Art Museum; and the monuments and memorials overseen by the Department of the Interior. The order is called "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History," with the White House claiming it is “revitalizing key cultural institutions and reversing the spread of divisive ideology.” It says that the Smithsonian promotes "narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive." The order directs Vice President JD Vance — who is on the Smithsonian's board — to eliminate "improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology" from the museums, and to work with Congress to keep from funding exhibits or programs that "divide Americans by race." The executive order also directs the Department of the Interior, which oversees the National Parks and other public lands, to restore markers, statues and other memorials that have been "improperly removed or changed in the last five years to perpetuate a false revision of history or improperly minimize or disparage certain historical figures or events."

https://www.npr.org/2025/03/28/nx-s1-5343524/smithsonian-trump-executive-order

Saturday 3/29/2025

Top Food and Drug Administration (FDA) vaccine official, Dr. Peter Marks, resigns citing Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s spread of ‘misinformation’

According to AP News “The top vaccine official, Dr. Peter Marks sent a letter to Acting FDA Commissioner Sara Brenner on Friday saying that he would resign and retire by April 5 as director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.” RFK Jr. has expressed concern over vaccines, Marks claims that compromising “wasn’t possible.” Marks states “It has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the Secretary, but rather [RFK Jr.] wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies.” AP News also highlights, “[RFK Jr.] promised the chair of the Senate health committee that he would not change existing vaccine recommendations. Since becoming secretary, Kennedy has vowed to scrutinize the safety of childhood vaccinations, despite decades of evidence they are safe and have saved millions of lives.”

https://apnews.com/article/fda-vaccine-chief-peter-marks-resign-rfk-kennedy-7743be11cec4e4e22c50c2ddbcb6bcd8

Utah bans LGBTQ+, maga, and other unapproved flags from schools and government buildings

The bill went through despite Gov. Spencer Cox not signing because he “continues to have serious concerns about the policy.” According to Fox News “the ban will go into effect on May 7, when state or local government buildings will be fined $500 a day for displaying any flag other than the American flag, the Utah state flag, military flags or a handful of others approved by lawmakers.” The bill’s sponsors, Rep. Trevor Lee and Sen. Dan McCay, said the bill aims to encourage "political neutrality" from teachers and other government employees. Cox states his worries in a letter to legislative leaders that the bill “went too far in restricting local governments…. [and] narrowly focuses on flags, does not ban other political displays such as posters or lighting.”

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/utah-bans-lgbtq-pride-flags-maga-flags-other-unapproved-flags-government-buildings-schools

#donald trump #news #poltical #tariffs #doge #elon musk

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btmc-official · 8 days ago

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< L3 Hachiko: Hiya! We've been looking on through Ma'ii's subaltern. Hope you don't mind. Anyway, since might be working together, we wanted to send a little something special over!

This is a print template for one of the systems we use pretty regularly: the humble interception laser turret, or LINTER! It's a COMP/CON-controlled defensive weapon which taps into a platform's active sensors to search for incoming munitions and intercept them. In cavalry terms, think of it like an auxiliary weapon.

The output isn't that impressive, about the same as an infantry laser rifle, but it's optimized for long range and can adapt to a variety of atmospheric conditions. In vacuum, it can ping a target from a light-second away. The lasers do generate a fair bit of waste heat, but trust me, there's nothing like watching it shoot down a missile for you.

Hope you can find a use for it, ya'll! Can't wait to see you guys in person one day...and tell Ma'ii to lighten up a little. >

( @luna-wing-cns274 )

---------------------------------------- >> Terminal Connected << >> [THUNDERHEAD.exe] Running.. >> User Registered >> Identification Accepted … >>Welcome, [Flashflood] ----------------------------------------

<Flashflood> “Greetings, Hachiko. It is good to hear from you; my conversations with your.. sister?.. were quite enjoyable, despite the tension caused by callsign Ambrosia."

<Flashflood> "Thank you for the print template; while we are not lacking on point defense, more is always appreciated. There is no such thing as being 'safe enough' as a mercenary company, in our experience."

<Flashflood> "Let us offer something in return; a custom design of multi-environment engines, for in atmosphere and deep space use. I am unsure as to the specific details of it--callsign Spire would know more--but I am sure it will be useful. The print files will be included with this message."

<Flashflood> "We too look forward to meeting you in person, Hachiko, alongside the rest of your kin. It will be a fruitful day, I am sure. Fly safe, Luna Wing."

“Black Torrent Mercenary Company, signing off.”

---------------------------------------- >>Omninet Connection Terminated<< >> May the Rain Fall Again ----------------------------------------

#lancer rpg #oc rp #lancer rp #black torrent mercenary company #oc rp blog #lancer oc #lancer nhp

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sheydmade · 2 months ago

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Spring Magic: Herbs, Spells, & Charms for Cleansing & Prosperity

by Keziah

Spring creeps into the Northern Hemisphere, awakening much of the land's greenery from its slumber. The spring birds are returning, the flowers and trees will soon be blossoming, and the time for spring magic has arrived.

For some spring has already come, as the 01st of February marks the folkloric return of spring and the changing of the seasons for many cultures; and others find themselves at spring's threshold, mere weeks away from the turn of the seasons. Either way, now is the perfect time to take advantage of the magic that spring has to offer. I've created and curated a collection of spells, charms, and magical workings for cleansing (of a space, item, or of the self), prosperity, and plenty more money matters that are perfect to include in your work this spring. Enjoy!

WHEN IS SPRING?

There are three main systems used for determining when spring arrives - the astronomical system, the meteorological system, and the solar or folkloric system. The astronomical system is determined by the sun and moon's locations in relation to the earth, marking the seasonal start dates at the time of the equinoxes and solstices, though in many practices and throughout history, these were seen as the height of the season, not the beginning. The meteorological system is determined by when the weather shifts to best fit meteorological circumstances associated with that season. The solar and folkloric system is that which is determined by the local lore and customs of a people.

So, when does spring begin in the Northern Hemisphere?

-Per the astronomical system: 20th of March. -Per the meteorological system: 01st of March. -Per the solar and folkloric system: Varies, but typically about halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Imbolc and Saint Brigid's Day (festivals which hail from Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man) are celebrated on the 01st of February, marking the first day of spring; the traditional Chinese calendar sees spring's start within the 03rd - 05th of February; and some follow the opinion of Marcus Terentius Varro (a Roman scholar, polymath, and author) who pinpointed the start of spring as the 07th of February.

HERBS & INGREDIENTS TO INCLUDE IN SPRING MAGIC:

As always, please research any and all herbs, plants, and magical ingredients you use if you have children or pets.

*Seasonal spring flowers and plants to make use of in your magic this spring.

Allspice: for aiding in protection and prosperity magic, in workings for new business ventures, and for drawing in money, success, and luck.

Anise: can be used in purification and cleansing work, as well some protection magic.

Buttercup*: for love, friendship, and harmony.

Cinnamon: for cleansing, healing, psychic enhancement, prosperity, abundance, good fortune, luck, protection.

Coffee: for prosperity, love, fidelity, warding, malevolent works; to attract money, good luck, success in business, new jobs and career changes,

Daffodil*: for prosperity, renewal, luck, love, fertility, happiness, and rebirth.

Dogwood*: can be used in protective charms and spells; dogwood sap can be used in wishing magic.

Garlic: for cleansing, purification, protection; used to attract money and ward off theft.

Ginger: for love, money, success.

Lemon: for cleansing, purification, luck, friendship, and love

Magnolia*: for fidelity, loyalty, transformation, psychic development, rebirth, fertility, and abundance.

Periwinkle*: for money, prosperity, protection, and love [poisonous, toxic for some pets, use with caution, do not keep around pets or children, best not to consume - more info here (symptoms and identification) and here (list of animals for which periwinkle is toxic and further information)].

Rosemary: for protection, love, cleansing, purification, and healing.

Rue: for cleansing, healing, and love; can also be used to remove curses and hexes.

Sea Salt, Salt: for cleansing, purification, protection.

Tulip*: for love, prosperity, and protection.

Witch Hazel*: for protection, cleansing, purification, aid in divination, in work for healing a broken heart.

SPELLS & CHARMS

Cleansing:

As many practitioners use spring as a time to cleanse their spaces and welcome in change, positivity, prosperity, and good fortune, cleansing work, such as sweeps and washes, is essential magic for the season.

HAND WASH CLEANSING

To purify, sanctify, and get rid of old energy and negativity, and to attract protection, new opportunities, good fortune, happiness, and harmony.

What you'll need:

water

lemon juice or lemon essential oil

rosemary or rosemary essential oil

chamomile essential oil or chamomile flowers

lavender flowers or lavender essential oil

bowl or basin

What to do:

-Designate the area where you’ll perform this cleansing spell. Ideally, it should take place in a space that you feel comfortable and at peace – outdoors, in your bedroom, at an altar, anywhere you feel secure and in tune with yourself.

-Fill your bowl with water (whichever kind of water you prefer to use) and add lemon juice or lemon essential oil, rosemary leaves or rosemary essential oil, and chamomile flowers or chamomile essential oil. Why these ingredients? Lemon purifies, cleanses, and sanctifies while also attracting luck, friendship, and love; rosemary is often used in cleansing work and also boosts protection and healing; chamomile has long been used in ritual washes to bring purification and cleansing; and lavender is another cleansing ally that removes negative energy.

Other options for cleansing & purifying essential oils to use instead of these are:

-Bergamot – grounding & attracting good fortune -Cedar & Cedarwood – cleansing, removing negative energy -Frankincense – purification -Patchouli – spiritual awakening, peace-bringing -Ylang-Ylang – healing (especially emotional healing), cleansing

-Take a moment to close your eyes and set your intentions. You will use this water to symbolically wash away the old. Think about why you’re doing this. Are you washing away negative energy? Are you cleansing yourself in preparation for the new season and the new opportunities it may bring? Are you washing away bad luck in hopes to attract a turn of fortune? Set your intentions and sit with them for a moment, affirming them within yourself.

-Dip one hand into the bowl of water. Cupping water in that hand, hold the other hand over the bowl and pour the cupped water over the dry hand. While you do this, think on washing away whatever it is you wish to leave behind and welcoming in newness, positivity, and whatever goodness you seek.

-Now dip the opposite hand into the water and perform this same act on the other side, cupping water in your hand and pouring it over the other hand, letting the water wash down from your hand back into the bowl. Perform this step as many times as you like, alternating slowly between each hand. The action should be slow and meaningful, not hurried, and you should be thinking on all that you’re leaving behind with this symbolic washing of your hands.

-When you're finished, dry your hands (preferably using a white cloth). You can use the water left over to brush over doorways, windows, and sacred spaces, if you like.

CLEANSING WASH FOR AMULETS, DOORWAYS, MAGICAL TOOLS, & SACRED SPACES

To cleans one's home and space of negativity and old energy, and to attract prosperity, protection, blessings, and positivity.

What you'll need:

water (you can use any kind of water you prefer)

lemon juice

mugwort / st. john's plant (whole frond with leaves)*

bowl or basin

*you can use a mugwort infusion added to your water instead of using a frond of mugwort

What to do:

For washing doors, windows, etc.: -Mix water and lemon juice (it can be freshly squeezed or pre-bottled) in your bowl or basin. You can take a moment before, during, or after mixing the water and lemon juice to sit and think on the purpose of your wash - to cleans old energy, purify and sanctify the space or object, and to welcome in new opportunities, good energy, and good luck.

-Take your frond of mugwort and submerge or dip the leaves in the water.

[Artemisa Vulgaris illustration from Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen, 1897]

-Use the mugwort frond to brush the doorframe, the door, the woodwork around windows, the windows themselves, and even the beams and/or rails on your porch if you have them.

-If you're using a mugwort infusion added to your water and lemon juice instead of using a brush of mugwort frond, you can use a cloth to wash with, preferably a white cloth to symbolize purity, cleansing, and newness.

For washing amulets & sacred spaces: -Small amulets, such as those worn or carried on one's person, can be gently washed with a small amount of the water, lemon, and mugwort wash, or, if you're using the mugwort frond method, you can flick the frond over the amulets to sprinkle them with the water and lemon juice mixture. -Amulets that hang on walls can be sprinkled or splashed with the mixture to cleans and purify them. -Altars and magical workspaces can be gently washed with this cleansing wash as well.

For washing magical tools: -This wash can be used on magical tools, especially divination tools, as mugwort is a valuable ally in the art of divination. Wash crystal balls, scrying mirrors, scrying bowls, tabletops on which you perform divinatory readings, any sortilege utensils, pendulums, etc. with this water, lemon juice, and mugwort blend to cleans old energy whilst enhancing psychic practice.

CLEANSING WASH FOR ITEMS & SURFACES

This cleansing wash is intended for things and places where lingering energy may have settled, such as items inherited from or having belonged to a now deceased person, items given you by an ex-lover or former friend, or items purchased second hand or from antique stores, yard sales, or estate sales. It can also be used on surfaces in rooms where a spirit, ex-lover, former friend, negative person, or enemy may have passed through or lingered.

What you'll need:

1 cup of warm water

1-2 tablespoons of vinegar or apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon of salt

bowl, basin, or cup

cloth or rag

What to do:

-Add 1-2 tablespoons of vinegar/apple cider vinegar to 1 cup of warm water. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and stir.

-Using a rag or cloth, gently wash surfaces, areas, or items that you wish to clean. Be mindful of your items. Only wash items that wouldn't be damaged by water, vinegar, or salt. For a milder cleans use more water and less vinegar.

CLEANSING SWEEP

What you'll need:

salt (any kind of salt you like);

a broom (birch brooms add extra cleansing oomf, but you can use any broom)

a dustpan

Optional additives: Herbs and flowers are commonly used in floor sweeps to not only add to cleansing work but to also attract things like good luck, money, love, and blessings. Always be mindful if you have pets or children to never perform a sweep in an area they have access to, as many ingredients are not safe for them to ingest.

flowers and petals - burdock for cleansing and banishing negative energy; chamomile for cleansing and purification; daisy for cleansing and attracting good luck and positivity; lavender for cleansing, purification, and peace; roses for love, manifesting wishes, and luck.

herbs and plant allies - dried lemon peel/rind for cleansing, renewal, and purification; pine needles for cleansing, banishing and protection, and to attract money; rosemary for protection, cleansing, purification, and healing.

What to do:

-In an area where you wish to clear out negative energy, sprinkle salt (or your mixture of salt and any additives) on the floor. Make sure you sprinkle extra at thresholds and beneath windows or in front of fireplaces - boosting the banishing of negative energy at all entrance points of the space. To banish energies, sprinkle your salt/mixture from the back of the home/space toward the front; for houses with multiple levels you work back-to-front, top-to-bottom. To attract energies, sprinkle your salt/mixture from the front of the home/space to the back.

-While sprinkling and laying out your salt/mixture, you should think on or speak on your intension to rid that space. Be as specific as you need to be, let not one hint of negativity or malevolent energy or spirit linger in ta shadowy corner or a crack between floorboards.

-Some leave their salt to sit and work for a few hours, a whole day, some overnight. You can do that if you like. Others sweep it up immediately, while still thinking on or stating their intentions to banish energy and clean the space. Whatever way you put your salt out, sweep it in the same manner (back to front of the home or front to back).

-Dispose of the salt/mixture after sweeping it up. You can toss it off your property or put it in the trash bin, but make sure you don't keep it in the house.

SMOKE CLEANSING

These dried herbs can all be burned and smoke either in the form of a bundle or loose in a firesafe pot, cauldron, bowl, or vessel. Cast iron is always good. Line the bottom of the vessel with sand (to absorb heat) and place a disc of charcoal on the sand. Burn the herbs on top of the charcoal disc.

Eucalyptus - Eucalyptus bundles are burned to purify spaces, especially those in which healing work is to be performed. It's also said to be ideal for cleansing homes of those who are struggling with their mental health. Pine Needles - Burn pine needles and let the smoke banish negative energy and banish evil eye and any curse or hex work that's been sent your way, as well as clean and sanctify sacred spaces. Rosemary - Burn a bundle of dried rosemary. The smoke will rid the space of negativity and ward off negative or harmful energy. It also grants protection to that space and those within it. Thyme - Thyme can be burned as a dried bundle or in incense form to provide cleansing, purification, psychic enhancement, and healing.

Prosperity, Money, & Business:

Incense to Attract Money Your Way

Burning these incenses is said to draw money to you.

Allspice

Bergamot

Jasmine

Wallet Charms to Attract Money

BERGAMOT: Leaves of orange bergamot should be kept in wallets and purses to attract money and financial luck.

CHAMOMILE: Keeping a chamomile flower in your wallet or purse is said to bring in more money.

FLAX SEEDS: Place a few flax seeds in your pocket, wallet, or purse along with a few coins. This should be repeated daily to bring the money your way. You can also keep flax seed in your shoes to ward off poverty.

JASMINE: Carrying Jasmine in your wallet or purse to draw in money.

'the White Jasmine Branch' by Zhao Chang, early 12th century

PERIWINKLE: Keeping a periwinkle flower in your wallet or purse will attract money your way. *WARNING: Varieties of periwinkle can be poisonous and periwinkle is toxic to some animals. Do not keep periwinkle flowers around pets or children and always handle with caution. [ More information on animal safety and periwinkle. ] [ More information on periwinkle varieties, child safety, and animal safety. ] [ More information on potential toxicity. ]

SASSAFRAS: Kept in the purse or wallet to draw money your way.

Pomegranate Branch Charm for the Home

It's said that keeping a pomegranate branch will help one attract money their way and can also aid in uncovering "hidden" or "lost" money. You can mount a pomegranate branch in your house to keep the money close to home.

Wheat Charm for the Home

Keeping sheaves of wheat in the home (either dried and hanging, in a vase, or braided) is believed to attract money, aid in business ventures, and bring prosperity and fruitfulness.

Arrowroot Powder for Business Success & Money Luck

Where I'm from, people powder their feet with arrowroot powder or poot arrowroot powder in their shoes when they're going to business meetings, pitching a new business idea, or going gambling. It's believed to bring luck with money and success in business ventures.

the 10 of Diamonds for Attracting Money

There are various methods of using the 10 of Diamonds playing card to attract money your way.

The simplest way is to carry the 10 of Diamonds card in your wallet, purse, or pocket.

Another method common in the Southeastern US and Southern Appalachia is to write your name horizontally across the 10 of Diamonds three times. Where I'm from, we then turn it clockwise and write your name again, three times. The lines of names from the first three and the lines of names from the second three should crisscross over each other, as demonstrated below. Another variation includes you writing your date of birth within the squares formed between the written names (where the 'x' marks are on the rightmost image below).

You then keep this as a charm to attract money. Put it in your wallet or add it to a satchet spell for money or in a money jar spell.

Money Jar

There are lots of ways of doing jar spells and lots of ways of doing money jar spells. Where I'm from in the Southeastern US, we tend to use herbs, flowers, and sweet things like honey, molasses, or syrup because the sweetness is believed to attract good things and the stickiness is believed to make the money and goodness stick to you. So, I'm going to write an easily customizable version of the variation I'm most familiar with. You can do this in three versions - the dry version, the wet, and the sticky version. It's up to you.

What you'll need:

Herbs and flowers that attract money, such as: alfalfa, allspice, arrowroot, bay leaves, basil, cinnamon, clover, garlic (cloves or dried for the dry version, cloves or minced for the wet version), ginger (for dry version, root or powdered), ginseng (for dry version, root or powdered), honeysuckle, nutmeg, thyme.

(dry version) sugar

(wet version) whiskey or bourbon

(sticky version) honey, molasses, or syrup

coins

a jar with a lid

a pen or marker (optional)

a 10 of hearts playing card with or without your name written on it (optional)

candle wax (to seal the jar)

What to do:

-Put a layer of coins in the bottom of the jar, preferably pennies, but you can use any coin.

-Next, place your selection of herbs and flowers in the jar. If you're using bay leaves, you can use a pen or marker to write your money wishes on the bay leaf before putting it in the jar.

-You can include your playing card now if you're using the playing card.

-For the dry version, fill the jar with sugar.

-For the wet version, fill the jar with whiskey.

-For the sticky version, fill the jar with your honey, molasses, or syrup.

-Seal your jar with the candle wax. You do this by lighting a candle and dripping the wax all around the jar lid. You can use white wax, or you can use a particular color of candle if you associate a certain color with money, such as green for wealth or gold/yellow for prosperity. After you've sealed the lid, you can burn the rest of the candle down if there's any left, either on top of the jar or beside the jar.

-Keep your money jar in a place you'll see it every day or in a place where you work, like in your office. If you do ever need or wish to dispose of your money jar, you can do so by burying the jar whole or throwing it away whole.

Apple Spell for Good Luck, Attracting Fortune, & Prosperity

This is a spring variation of the same spell featured in my Apple Magic piece.

What you’ll need:

an apple, preferably green or golden

red clover

allspice

cinnamon

What to do:

-Take your apple and cut it in half, but instead of cutting it from top to bottom, turn the apple on its side and cut it down the middle that way.

-You should now see holes in the middle with the apple seeds inside. This usually forms the shape of a five-pointed star. As apples and stars are both a symbol of good luck, this is the perfect base to build our spell on.

-Next, press the red clover, allspice, and cinnamon into the apple around the star. You should do this with both halves of the apple.

-Leave the apple to sit on a windowsill or porch rail to soak up the sun’s light for the rest of the day. If you like, you can bury the apple at sundown or the next morning as a means of “discarding” your spell. You can also simply throw the apple away. Remember, you’ve already done the work, these are just what’s left of the tools you used in doing so.

TAROT ALLIES FOR MONEY & BUSINESS WORK

Many practitioners of witchcraft like to utilize tarot cards in their spells or as visual manifestation tools. These tarot cards are ideal for incorporating in either spellwork for money or success in business, or as those visual manifestation tools to keep on your person or around you.

the Magician: For those starting a new business venture or trying to start their own business, the Magician is a powerful tarot ally. He has all the tools he needs before him, just as you do. Emulate the Magician's ability to summon new ideas and bring his vision to life.

the Sun: Perfect for those hoping to find a new job or get a promotion. The Sun is all about growth, prosperity, and expanding one's horizons.

Ace of Pentacles: This card is all about raking in the money. Let the money come your way and put the Ace of Pentacles to use in your spellwork to help ensure so. It can also be used when looking for a raise, a change of career, or to start a new business.

Nine of Pentacles: If business and success are your main focus right now, the Nine of Pentacles is the helper you need. Success, monetary gain, growth, and recognition are the central themes with this card.

I hope you'll find some use for these spells, charms, and techniques. May your spring be filled with renewal, fresh starts, abundance, and prosperity!

Sources & Further Reading:

-'Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs' - Cunningham, Scott -'Doctoring the Devil' -Richards, Jake -'Herbal Magic: A Handbook of Natural Spells, Charms, and Potions' -Kane, Aurora -'Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen' -Köhler, Hermann Adolf -'Magical Folkhealing' -Conway, DJ -'the Master Book of Herbalism' -Beyerl, Paul -'Tarot Spells' -Renée, Janina

#witchcraft #seasonal witchcraft #spring magic #spells #spellwork #money spells #prosperity spell #folk magic #cleansing spells #witchblr #witchcraft blog #witchcraft lessons #sheydmade #spring spells

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ultraviolet-divergence · 28 days ago

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Trump administration directs spy satellite agencies to surveil US-Mexico border (Reuters)

Reuters could not determine whether the effort, which has not been previously reported, would gather imagery of U.S. territory. While laws generally restrict U.S. spy agencies from surveilling citizens and other legal residents, they allow immigration authorities to conduct physical searches "within a reasonable distance from any external boundary of the United States." Regulations have defined this as 100 air miles from the border, opens new tab– an area including cities such as San Diego and El Paso. "If they follow the law, these agencies should only collect on the other side of the border in foreign territory," said Paul Rosenzweig, a lawyer who specializes in national security and privacy law. "But how they implement that, and if they do, are legitimate oversight questions."

There's no world where the "digital wall" they are trying to build (see below) doesn't hasten the conjoining of the NROs spy satellite outputs and the booming market of domestically-operating private surveillance technology firms, many of which are building out border surveillance networks.

Multiple defense contractors - new and legacy ones alike - are in talks with various government agencies to aid the border-security work, building on existing deals they have, said the two sources aware of the initiative. A “digital wall” to augment the border’s physical one would be the goal, said one of the sources. For instance, data analytics provider Palantir (PLTR.O), opens new tab powers the so-called Maven Smart System for the Pentagon, via contracts it won last year valued at about $580 million. Maven pulls together data and uses AI to speed up target identification for intelligence analysts. Palantir has long worked with the Department of Homeland Security as well. Anduril, a defense tech startup, designs sensor towers and related software. Last fall, the company announced it had deployed 300 autonomous versions of these towers for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, detecting and tracking objects of interest through radar and other technology. In recent months, Palantir, Anduril, Elon Musk's SpaceX and other newer contractors have discussed a consortium to jointly bid for U.S. defense deals and outcompete the Beltway's legacy players, according to a source familiar with the matter.

#surveillance #borderworlds #tech hell

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mariacallous · 5 days ago

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Immigration and Customs Enforcement is paying software company Palantir $30 million to provide the agency with “near real-time visibility” on people self-deporting from the United States, according to a contract justification published in a federal register on Thursday. The tool would also help ICE choose who to deport, giving special priority to “visa overstays,” the document shows.

Palantir has been an ICE contractor since 2011, but the document published Thursday indicates that Palantir wants to provide brand-new capabilities to ICE. The agency currently does not have any publicly known tools for tracking self-deportation in near real-time. The agency does have a tool for tracking self-reported deportations, but Thursday’s document, which was first reported by Business Insider, does not say to what degree this new tool may rely on self-reported data. ICE also has “insufficient technology” to detect people overstaying their visas, according to the Department of Homeland Security. This is particularly due to challenges in collecting "biographic and biometric" data from departing travelers, especially if they leave over land, according to Customs and Border Protection.

The agency says in the document that these new capabilities will be under a wholly new platform called the Immigration Lifecycle Operating System, or ImmigrationOS. Palantir is expected to provide a prototype of ImmigrationOS by September 25, 2025, and the contract is scheduled to last at least through September 2027. ICE’s update to the contract comes as the Trump administration is demanding that thousands of immigrants “self-deport,” or leave the US voluntarily.

ICE and Palantir did not respond for comment.

According to the document, ImmigrationOS is intended to have three core functions. Its “Targeting and Enforcement Prioritization” capability would streamline the “selection and apprehension operations of illegal aliens.” People prioritized for removal, ICE says, should be “violent criminals,” gang members, and “visa overstays.”

Its “Self-Deportation Tracking” function would have “near real-time visibility into instances of self-deporation,” the document says. The document does not say what data Palantir would use for such a system, but ICE says it aims to “accurately report metrics of alien departures from the United States.” The agency stipulates that this tool should also integrate with “enforcement prioritization systems to inform policy” but does not elaborate on these systems or policies.

Meanwhile, the “Immigration Lifecycle Process” function would streamline the “identification” of aliens and their “removal” from the United States, with the goal of making "deportation logistics” more efficient.

In a “rationale” section, ICE claims that it has an “urgent and compelling” need for ImmigrationOS’s capabilities. Without them, ICE claims, it would be “severely” limited in its ability to target the gangs MS-13 and Tren de Aragua, and abide by President Donald Trump’s executive order to expedite deportations.

Palantir, ICE claims, is “the only source that can provide the required capabilities and prototype of ImmogrationOS [sic] without causing unacceptable delays.” ICE says the company has developed “deep institutional knowledge of the agency’s operations over more than a decade of support.”

“No other vendor could meet these timeframes of having the infrastructure in place to meet this urgent requirement and deliver a prototype in less than six months,” ICE says in the document.

ICE’s document does not specify the data sources Palantir would pull from to power ImmigrationOS. However, it says that Palantir could “configure” the case management system that it has provided to ICE since 2014.

Palantir has done work at various other government agencies as early as 2007. Aside from ICE, it has worked with the US Army, Air Force, Navy, Internal Revenue Service, and Federal Bureau of Investigation. As reported by WIRED, Palantir is currently helping Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) build a brand-new “mega API” at the IRS that could search for records across all the different databases that the agency maintains.

Last week, 404 Media reported that a recent version of Palantir’s case-management system for ICE allows agents to search for people based on “hundreds of different, highly specific categories,” including how a person entered the country, their current legal status, and their country of origin. It also includes a person’s hair and eye color, whether they have scars or tattoos, and their license-plate reader data, which would provide detailed location data about where that person travels by car.

These functionalities have been mentioned in a government privacy assessment published in 2016, and it’s not clear what new information may have been integrated into the case management system over the past four years.

This week’s $30 million award is an addition to an existing Palantir contract penned in 2022, originally worth about $17 million, for work on ICE’s case management system. The agency has increased the value of the contract five times prior to this month; the largest was a $19 million increase in September 2023.

The contract’s ImmigrationOS update was first documented on April 11 in a government-run database tracking federal spending. The entry had a 248-character description of the change. The five-page document ICE published Thursday, meanwhile, has a more detailed description of Palantir’s expected services for the agency.

The contract update comes as the Trump administration deputizes ICE and other government agencies to drastically escalate the tactics and scale of deportations from the US. In recent weeks, immigration authorities have arrested and detained people with student visas and green cards, and deported at least 238 people to a brutal megaprison in El Salvador, some of whom have not been able to speak with a lawyer or have due process.

As part of its efforts to push people to self-deport, DHS in late March revoked the temporary parole of more than half a million people and demanded that they self-deport in about a month, despite having been granted authorization to live in the US after fleeing dangerous or unstable situations in Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela under the so-called “CHNV parole programs.”

Last week, the Social Security Administration listed more than 6,000 of these people as dead, a tactic meant to end their financial lives. DHS, meanwhile, sent emails to an unknown number of people declaring that their parole had been revoked and demanding that they self-deport. Several US citizens, including immigration attorneys, received the email.

On Monday, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s move to revoke people’s authorization to live in the US under the CHNV programs. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt called the judge’s ruling “rogue.”

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darkeagleruins · 10 months ago

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EXTREMELY SERIOUS The Biden Administration proposed a new national identification card system for undocumented immigrants, “ICE Secure Docket Card program” first reported in 2022

FOX confirms this program is beginning THIS SUMMER JUST IN TIME FOR THE ELECTION

“Taxpayer-funded ID program for illegal immigrants expected to begin this summer” - Fox News “

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is eyeing a summer rollout for a controversial ID card pilot program for illegal immigrants being released into the U.S. And the agency hopes it will modernize the documentation process for removal proceedings.”

“The ICE Secure Docket Card program was first reported on in 2022, and Fox Digital obtained images of the card last year. Now, ICE is planning a limited rollout of the program. ICE confirmed to Fox News Digital this week the pilot program is expected to commence this summer with the distribution of approximately 10,000 cards. While the agency stressed that plans are "pre-decisional" and still subject to change, it is expected the cards will be issued in three or four locations in the U.S.”

“Did you know that the Biden Administration proposed National ID Cards for undocumented immigrants? The Biden Administration has proposed a new national identification card system for undocumented immigrants, which is called the I Secure docket card program. This would give migrants who cross the US Mexico border and other immigrants without legal status temporary ID cards.

This can help them navigate their immigration cases or removal court proceedings. Remember this is just a proposal and the details of the pilot program have not been finalized, but the ID cards are likely to include a photo, biographical information, and a QR code that would allow the holder to access their court information and immigration documents online.

This would also help them with their court hearings where they have to physically check-in at government offices. It would likely streamline the current immigration system and increase efficiency and communication. What do you think? Let me know in the comments and follow me for more immigration news.”

Wonder what else these ID cards could be used for??

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otherkinnews · 5 days ago

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Otherkin News - Rules version 1.1

This was originally posted to our main blog on DreamWidth by Orion Scribner (FrameACloud) on April 19, 2025. To read discussion about or updates to this piece, please read it in its original location with its correct formatting, here. The formatting in this copy is not identical due to the limitations of this platform.

This post tells about the Otherkin News project, the code of conduct for participating in it, and the style guide for submitting news articles to it.

I. About this blog

1. Otherkin News is a collaborative, volunteer-run blog for sharing news for otherkin, therianthropes, fictionfolk, plural systems, and all sorts of alterhumans. We’ll talk about current events in our communities, and discuss newspaper articles that are about us. You can post links to news articles you've found that talk about otherkin, or new fictionkin essays that you or others have publicly posted. You can advertise here about your surveys of therianthropes, and your calls for submissions to alterhuman essay anthologies. You can share news that you've found that aren't about alterhumans but that you think are relevant to the interests and experiences of many of us. Everyone is welcome to subscribe and to submit articles to this blog.

2. Otherkin News is a community blog hosted on Dreamwidth, a social blogging platform. That means this blog isn’t a place where only one user posts, it’s a place where many users can post, similar to a web forum. Certain members of the community have a moderator role. Here is the official FAQ about Dreamwidth communities.

3. You don’t need to have an account on Dreamwidth to be notified of updates to this community. If you have an RSS feed reader, such as Feedly, you can paste this link into it to subscribe to our RSS feed: https://otherkinnews.dreamwidth.org/data/rss Or, if you use Mastodon, you can subscribe to this automated feed of it. A community moderator also manually links to the posts on Tumblr and on their personal Bluesky, if you use either of those social media platforms. Although we make these options available, we recommend that you read the posts on Dreamwidth itself, so that you don’t miss out on updates to individual posts and the discussions in the comments.

4. If you choose to use a Dreamwidth account to comment or post to this community, and you’re new to using this platform, then here are some resources that you can explore about it to make your experience better:

Carmentalis’s guide to Dreamwidth for Tumblr users is a brief overview of what this platform can do

SASO Referees’s guide on how to use Dreamwidth, which focuses on how to join a community and post to it

You can install Solarbird’s custom theme that makes DreamWidth work well on mobile devices.

Dreamwidth’s official FAQ is very thorough about all of its features.

II. Definitions

1. Alterhuman. As defined by the person who coined it in 2014, Lio of the Crossroads System, alterhuman is “a category of personal identity which encompasses identification that is alternative to the common societal idea of humanity” (Lio 2014). This for people who identify as nonhuman as well as people who identify as human in some ways, or wholly human in an unusual way (Lio 2023 May; Alt+H 2017; Sivaan 2025). For brevity, this blog uses this as a very broad umbrella term for types such as otherkin, therianthropes, fictionfolk, plural systems, and more. Some of these are defined below. This is the purpose of the word and its intention to help us unite in celebration of what we have in common as well as what makes us different (Lio 2023 February). The reason why this blog doesn’t use this word in its title is because this project was started on Livejournal in 2009, years before the word had been coined, and before there was any umbrella term for all of these.

2. Fictionfolk is an umbrella term for real people who feel strong connections to fiction or a personal origin in fiction (Poppy 2023). We use it to include types such as fictionkin, fictives, fictional introjects, soulbonds, and more. Fictionkin identify as characters or species from fiction, and their community started in the early 2000s (House of Chimeras 2021 June). Fictional introjects are documented in dissociative systems as far back as 1985 (Kluft 1985 p. 185).

3. Otherkin and therianthropes are people who say that they are animals or other nonhuman beings. Both of these communities started separately from one another: otherkin began in a mailing list in 1990 (Arethinn 2021), and therianthropes began in Usenet in 1993 (House of Chimeras 2021 November). Individuals vary in whether they explain this in terms that are spiritual or psychological, but these are not religions (Proctor 2019, pp. 94-95). They also aren’t mental illnesses and don’t correlate with mental illnesses (Clegg 2019). Readers new to this topic can start with this short essay, A Simple Introduction to Otherkin and Therianthropes (Scribner 2024).

4. Plurality, also called multiplicity, is an umbrella term for any people who experience themselves as more than one self in one body all the time. It includes Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD). Plurality isn’t a synonym for DID, it includes experiences that are disordered and non-disordered, with origins that can be psychological, spiritual, cultural, natural, or mixed (Yarbrough 2018; Manchester 2021). It includes daemians, tulpamancers, walk-ins, fugue states, certain cultural traditions of spirit possession, and more.

II. Code of conduct

This section applies to posts as well as comments.

1. Abide by the Terms of Service of the host for this blog, Dreamwidth. Here are a few relevant points from that. Users of this site must be at least thirteen years old; TOS preamble. Don’t post material here that is illegal in the USA; TOS XI(8), XVII. Don’t post content that is invasive to the privacy of others; TOS XI(1).

2. We tolerate harmless differences, and we cannot tolerate intolerance. We don’t allow hatred toward people for their ethnicity, race, ancestry, nationality, religion, spirituality, weight, disability, mental illness, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, type of plurality, type of alterhumanity, or non-alterhumanity.

3. Disagreements.

We don't have to agree with one another about everything. We each have our own views about politics, spirituality, queerness, alterhumanity, and more. We can talk together about them and we can agree to disagree. Do not expect others to think the same as you or to change for you. Getting along with one another while holding different opinions is essential for keeping our communities healthy places to be.

Thoughtful debates and disagreements are all right in the comment threads, but quarrels and flamewars are not. Don’t insult one another here. Act with civility.

Posts to this community do not necessarily reflect the views of its moderators.

The moderators prefer to allow people here regardless of whether they personally agree with them to keep this a welcoming space for our diverse communities.

Keeping this a welcoming space is also why the moderators reserve the right to ban accounts from posting and/or commenting at their discretion.

4. News reporting is a quest for truth and accuracy. Don’t uncritically spread urban legends, misinformation, conspiracy theories, alternative histories, or extraordinary claims that contradict consensus reality.

5. The alterhuman communities have no shared cosmology, spirituality, or religion. Each of us are free to have our own or lack thereof. Others in this community are not obliged to share yours. If you personally hold beliefs that differ from consensus reality, others in this community are not obliged to do so as well. Treat one another with respect even if you do not share or disagree with their beliefs.

6. The alterhuman communities have no leaders. We are all equals in the community. Even if your alterhumanity involves a noble title in your system’s inner world, an alpha role in your pack, a spiritually divine status from your past life, villainous exomemories from your source in canon, or years of experience as what some internet forums would deem a greymuzzle, others in this community are not obliged to treat you as anything more or less than an equal.

7. Do not plagiarize. One violation could result in your account being banned from posting and commenting. Familiarize yourself with Purdue OWL’s guide to avoiding plagiarism.

8. Do not knowingly post images or texts that were created with the use of generative artificial intelligence (genAI). One violation could result in your account being banned from posting and commenting. You can write articles that report on something created with genAI, if that’s relevant, in which case, please start your article with a content warning about genAI.

9. Do not advocate for what a court of law would consider to be sexual contact in real life with animals, children, or non-consenting adults. We will ban people who openly profess to advocate for or involve themselves in such abuses, even if they did not discuss it in this group.

10. Members may have their posting access removed if they promote what the moderators consider to be scams or abusive groups, that is to say, cults. We recommend that our readers learn how to avoid these by reading a useful document by The Dragonheart Collective, “Safety in Alterhuman Spaces,” not only to keep themselves safe, but to familiarize themselves with what our moderators see as red flags of abusive groups.

11. To make this blog accessible for people with disabilities who use screen readers, please give image descriptions and use conventional spelling for your messages.

III. Style guide for writing news posts to this blog

This section is long because writing about current events needs to be handled with responsibility. Even this small and obscure blog about small and obscure communities is nonetheless public on the internet, and therefore has the potential to be seen by anyone in the world. How you write in public about real people and events can have effects on the reputation and privacy of individuals, readers’ life decisions, how outsiders see our communities, and how we later see our own history.

1. In Dreamwidth’s official FAQ, here are instructions for how to post to a community blog. If you prefer visual instructions with screenshots, user SportsAnime has those.

2. If you found some news that you want to post about here, you can write your own news article about it here. You don’t have to write a whole essay, though. Another option is to make simply a notification of news, a minimal post with just the links to the news, with their titles, authors, and dates.

3. When you submit your article to be posted to this blog, at first it will be shown only to the community moderators for them to approve or reject it. We usually approve posts, and reject them only if they’re totally inappropriate for this project, the guidelines for which are described below. If you’re still waiting for that decision after three days, that means the moderators haven’t checked Dreamwidth and seen the notification for it yet. In that case, you can nudge a moderator to let them know that it’s waiting by sending them an email.

4. Common courtesy. Everyone deserves this, even people who you personally dislike, and even people who have been convicted of crimes.

Be compassionate about your writing and be careful of how it might have a harmful effect on its readers and the people that it’s about.

Don’t use this blog as a place to make allegations against someone based on weak “evidence” such as screenshots, word of mouth, or rumors.

Respect the privacy of private individuals.

Don’t dox people.

Don’t write offensive and intentionally untrue things about specific people (defamation).

If you write about someone who has changed their name, refer to them by their current name, and don’t mention any of their old names. When writing about people who use a certain name within the alterhuman communities, use only that name without revealing their wallet name. Use their current preferred pronouns and refer to their gender in the way that they currently describe it without indicating that this is in question.

5. Be especially careful with news about minors. Respect their safety and their right to be forgotten.

Don’t write anything about minors that could contribute to them being doxxed, harassed, or abused, or which is likely to continue to cause them trouble years later in their adulthood.

If minors have been in the news, then you can record that those newspapers have reported on them.

If you must write about a minor who is only known through social media or privately, because that is unavoidably a part of otherwise notable current events, please do so with taste and without giving their full name, location, or other information that would identify them too much.

6. Current events. Even if something happened a year ago, that's current enough. We'd rather see them written than not at all. That's realistic for this project done in spare time by volunteers. We're not staffed by journalists on the clock to turn a scoop into a published article on the same day.

7. Content warnings. As much as possible, please try to keep your writing tasteful to a degree that a media censor would consider to be, at most, rated PG-13 or rated T for Teen. If an article needs to be about topics that should only be seen by adults, or which would be very disturbing to the average person, or inappropriate for the average person to view at work or school, then please preface it with a specific content warning, and hide it behind a cut tag. We encourage the use of content warnings here because it’s respectful netiquette for welcoming a wide range of readers on the internet. In particular, it’s because a significant part of the intended audience of this blog are plural systems, who are often survivors of trauma.

8. Emotional tone.

A neutral tone is good, but you don’t need to adhere to it strictly. This isn’t Wikipedia. We consider some concepts to be neutral which some places see as leftist political stances, because these are simply necessary for everyone to live. For example, we say Nazis are bad, transgender women are real women, and disabled people have lives worth living.

If you want to talk more about your personal feelings about current events, clearly mark your writings as an opinion article.

Sensationalism is irresponsible journalism. No sensationalism about current events, especially with the explicit or implicit effect of driving readers to give up hope, passively accept media misinformation, turn to in-fighting, or physically injure themselves or others.

The original post itself should basically perform the role of a news article, or a notification of news, not the opening of a debate (those belong on a web forum) or a vent post (those belong on a personal blog). If you want to discuss your emotions about a piece of news, you can do that in the comments to the blog post rather than in the blog post itself. You can disagree and debate in the comments.

9. Check your facts. If you’re writing about something that was in the mainstream news or that was circulating on social media, look it up on… fact checking sites such as Snopes.com and Reuters Fact Check, which will tell you if the story is a half-truth or an urban legend; MediaBiasFactCheck.com, which will tell you the reputation of the media source in general, and whether it tends to be factually accurate. (Although MBFC is itself reliable most of the time, be forewarned that it occasionally has its own bias in regard to certain topics, particularly LGBT rights and certain religious groups.)

10. If in your journalism you discover a crime or other problems of similar gravity, please handle that information responsibly. Document the evidence thoroughly in your own private files. Consider your options to consult a lawyer and take it to the authorities, and whether making your findings public on the internet may be inappropriate to do with your information. A blog isn’t a courtroom and doesn’t have the power to act as judge and jury to determine the guilt of the accused.

11. Title your article in a way that summarizes it without misrepresenting it.

12. Cite your sources. Acceptable: at least link to each web page that your information came from. Good: at the end of your article, give all your sources as a bibliography or reference list in APA or another style of your choice. Best: for each source citation, add a link to its archive in the Wayback Machine, because we must assume that all links will die someday. Annotate your bibliography by writing a couple of sentences about each source. Note which piece of your information came from that source. Remark on how reliable that source appears to be or whether you noticed any errors in it. Mention that source’s reputation according to MediaBiasFactCheck.com.

IV. Subject matter

Otherkin News is about all sorts of alterhumans and topics of interest to them. Here are some examples of topics that you are welcome to write blog posts about for Otherkin News. This section gives a lot of examples because we hope to inspire more people to write for this project and for you to understand what a wide variety of topics we welcome.

News which came from outside of the alterhuman communities but is relevant to them

Most importantly, record any coverage in news, magazines, radio, documentaries, books, podcasts, academic articles, or other media about any sorts of alterhumans (publicity)

News about animals and mythological beings, such as performance art pieces, research about mythology, legalities, scientific discoveries, and newly published history

News about prosthetic limbs, virtual reality, and body modifications of sorts that would be relevant for alterhumans

News about phantom limbs, dissociation, reincarnation, and other experiences that are often relevant to those of alterhumans

News about changes to social media sites and web hosts that could have an impact on alterhumans who use these to share their creations and socialize with one another

Current events within the alterhuman communities.

Results of surveys of the alterhuman communities

Round-ups of links to the newest essays, web-sites, forums, mailing lists, and other creations in alterhuman communities

Obituaries for members of the alterhuman community who recently died

Closures or migrations of alterhuman forums, mailing lists, or websites

Describe what happened at a recent convention, gather, meet-up, or other community event, with a focus on the details that will be useful to historians later, without doxxing anyone. For example, date, location, staff, the subject matter of presentations, and who presented them

The history of how a new controversial discourse topic or flamewar recently emerged and expanded beyond one forum or site for alterhumans

Fact checks for urban legends and other misinformation about alterhumans, whether this is circulating inside or outside of our communities

If something happened in the communities a few years ago, but its story hasn’t been told yet, then that’s recent enough to write about in here. We would rather see someone write about an otherkin gather that happened two years ago than have no story about it at all. Ideally, make sure that it’s not being misremembered by collecting sources to cite, interviewing some people who were there for those events, or asking them to proofread your post to see if it’s how they remember it

Advertisements of certain kinds are acceptable here, if they are posted only once, if they are clearly marked as advertisements rather than news, and if they are for something that was created entirely without the use of generative AI.

Upcoming events, such as conventions, gathers, and meet-ups for alterhumans. However, don’t ask people to use the comments to publicly reveal where they live

Casting calls for documentary videos

Surveys for alterhumans to take

Make a call for submissions to an anthology, game jam, or other collaborative project about alterhumanity

Fundraisers to support a project about alterhumans or a cause relevant to alterhumans

Your own finished projects about alterhumans

V. Subject matter that isn’t suitable for posting to this blog.

Most news that is strictly about the furry fandom would usually be better placed elsewhere, because there are several blogs with a better specialty in that, such as Dogpatch Press.

Advertisements that are repetitive, scammy, or not particularly on topic may be handled as spam. This may result in your account no longer being allowed to post here.

Fundraisers for individual alterhumans– such as medical GoFundMes– could overwhelm this blog if we allowed them, if our timelines on Mastodon are any indication. We encourage you to create another Dreamwidth community to share those instead. However, at the end of any news post that you write here, it’s all right to give a link for readers to tip you, for example, at your Ko-fi.

Posts that resemble a personal vent or a diary entry belong on one’s personal blog instead.

Posts that themselves look as though they came from a flamewar belong on a discussion or debate forum instead.

Please don’t make posts here to introduce yourselves or make casual conversation. These also belong in a discussion forum instead.

VI. Change log.

Version 1. 2025 April 19. Posted these rules for the first time.

Version 1.1. Some cleanup later that day.

References

Alt+H (September 21, 2017). What does ‘alterhuman’ mean? Alt+H (blog). https://web.archive.org/web/20230908220250/https://blog.alt-h.net/post/165592493965/what-does-alterhuman-mean

Arethinn (September 6, 2021). “A brief(ish) history of the word ‘otherkind’.” Mythsong. https://www.mythsong.net/history/wordhist.html

Carmenta (2015 November 1). Dreamwidth. Carmentalis (blog). https://carmentalis.tumblr.com/post/132342130218/dreamwidth

Clegg, H., Collings, R., & Roxburgh, E. C. (2019). “Therianthropy: Wellbeing, Schizotypy, and Autism in Individuals Who Self-Identify as Non-Human.” Society & Animals, 27(4), pp. 403-426. doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/15685306-12341540

The Dragonheart Collective (2023 October 18). Safety in Alterhuman Spaces. https://dragonsroost.neocities.org/essay/edu/SafetyInAlterhumanSpaces.pdf

Dreamwidth (n.d.). Frequently Asked Questions. Dreamwidth. https://www.dreamwidth.org/support/faq

House of Chimeras (June 21, 2021 a). A Timeline of the Fictionkin Community, Version 1.0. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1w4vGsWkiGPjYtXvTe4PyCcZsPba1kb_p/view?usp=sharing

House of Chimeras (19 November 2021 b). A Timeline of the Therianthrope Community, Version 1.1. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jDmjl78hQ2BiQtzQMTV3yRQkrIgB9eUZ/view?usp=sharing

Kluft, Richard P. (1985). Childhood Antecedents of Multiple Personality. Washington, D.C: American Psychiatric Press, page 185.

Lio (2014 September 26). This will probably be my last post on semantics… Phasmovore (blog). https://phasmovore.tumblr.com/post/98482696958/this-will-probably-be-my-last-post-on-semantics

Lio (2023 February 19) Just for the record… XRDS (blog). https://x-rds.tumblr.com/post/709694807213211648/problemaddtic-thelunastusco-problemaddtic

Lio (2023 May 27). Anonymous asked… XRDS (blog). https://x-rds.tumblr.com/post/712949341799727104/i-dont-wanna-bother-you-and-i-guess-this-is-a

Manchester Metropolitan University (2021 February 9). Understanding Multiplicity. https://www.mmu.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2021-02/Understanding%20multiplicity.pdf

Poppy (January 24, 2023). “Quick guide to fictionfolk terminology.” Aestherians. https://aestherians.tumblr.com/post/707370073217695744/

Proctor, Devin (2019 May). On Being Non-Human: Otherkin Identification and Virtual Space. The George Washington University. https://search.proquest.com/openview/e156c24bf65c4efb0918a8db37433cce/

Purdue Online Writing Lab (n.d.). Avoiding Plagiarism. Purdue University. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/avoiding_plagiarism/index.html

SASO Referees (2015 May 23). Guide: How to use Dreamwidth. Sports Anime Shipping Olympics 2017 (community blog). https://sportsanime.dreamwidth.org/3573.html

Scribner, Orion (May 25, 2024). A simple introduction to otherkin and therianthropes: Version 2.4.8. https://frameacloud.itch.io/simple-intro-otherkin-therian

Sivaan of Candlekeep (2025 February 18) Alterhuman is an umbrella term, not a synonym! LionDrakes (blog). https://liondrakes.tumblr.com/post/775848023623385088/alterhuman-is-an-umbrella-term-not-a-synonym

Solarbird (2018 April 28). Coexistence Alpha: a responsive mobile and desktop overlay for Dreamwidth. Life in the Convergence Zone (blog). https://solarbird.dreamwidth.org/1533020.html

Yarbrough, E., & American Psychiatric Association Publishing. (2018). Transgender mental health. American Psychiatric Association Publishing.

#alterhuman #otherkin #fictionfolk #fictionkin #therianthrope #therian #therianthropy #long post #DreamWidth

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darkmaga-returns · 11 days ago

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Canada Commits to U.S. Trade Talks. Trump Accuses Mexico of Violating Treaty. China Expands Military Recruitment. mRNA BIOWEAPONS PROHIBITION ACT. Technocracy Is The Beast System

Lioness of Judah Ministry

Apr 12, 2025

Yellen: ‘Trump Tariff Plans Are Doing Immense Damage to Our Economy’

Former Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen claimed Friday on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” that President Donald Trump’s tariffs are doing “immense damage to our economy.”

Yellen said, “This is the worst self-inflicted policy wound I’ve ever seen in my career inflicted on our economy. The Trump tariff plans are doing immense damage to our economy. You can see that in the stock market, in the impact of these tariffs are expected to have on American households. And we’re even beginning to see what looks like a flight away from dollar-based assets in the financial markets, which is a really scary development.”

Why Trump quickly rolled back the global trade war

Did the President of the United States get what he wanted?

“Now I’ve seen it all.” I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve said that to myself over the past few months. Every time Donald Trump sets fire to another piece of the global order, I find myself staring at the same spot, wondering how we got here – and what I’ve missed in the script of modern politics. During his presidential campaign, Trump vowed to “teach a lesson” to all of America’s trading partners. True to form, he didn’t waste time testing that theory. In February, he launched a trial balloon by slapping tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico. The pretext? They weren’t doing enough to curb migration and drug trafficking. Ottawa and Mexico City quickly came to the table, validating Trump’s belief that the tariff stick could beat other nations into talks. That success emboldened him to try the same strategy globally.

iPanic: Apple Airlifts 600 Tons of iPhones to U.S. to Avoid Impending Tariff Hikes

Apple has reportedly airshipped a staggering 600 tons of iPhones from its production facility in India to the United States to avoid Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs. The tech giant, at grave risk due to tariffs on China, has expedited the shipment of 1.5 million iPhones since March.

The Verge reports that Apple, along with other tech giants such as Dell, Microsoft, and Lenovo, has been racing against time to ship as many expensive tech devices as possible before the implementation of new U.S. tariffs. The tariff hikes have been testing the resilience and adaptability of global tech supply chains. According to sources familiar with the matter, Apple lobbied officials to expedite customs clearance and even kept its plant in India operational on a Sunday to boost production by 20 percent.

Canada Commits to U.S. Trade Talks, Leaving China as Last Major Holdout

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Friday that his country would enter into trade talks with the United States in May, joining over 75 other nations entering into bilateral negotiations after U.S. President Donald J. Trump moved to impose reciprocal tariffs on a number of countries on April 2.

Earlier this week, Trump announced he would reduce the reciprocal tariff on nations that have not retaliated against the United States to 10 percent to allow time for negotiations. Speaking on Friday, Carney stated that he wishes to ensure that the next Canadian government “will be in the best possible position for negotiations with the United States, which, as the president and I have agreed, will begin from the start of May.” Canada, unlike most other countries, joined China in enacting retaliatory measures against the U.S.

Judge Sides With Trump Admin On Identification Rules For Illegal Immigrants

The federal government requires illegal immigrants to abide by identification rules including registration and fingerprinting.

A federal judge has allowed the Trump administration to enforce identification requirements for immigrants present in the United States illegally. In a ruling on Thursday, Judge Trevor Neil McFadden said that a rule by the Department of Homeland Security to require illegal immigrants to comply with statutory registration and fingerprinting may move forward as plaintiffs arguing against it failed to “demonstrate that they have standing to bring this suit.”

Obama-Appointed Judge Blocks Deportations of Over 500k Migrants

In the latest act of immigration-related lawfare against the Trump administration, a federal judge blocked the deportation of hundreds of thousands of Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan migrants with temporary protected status (TPS) after it was revoked.

As Breitbart News reported in March, the Trump administration removed the legal status of more than 500,000 migrants who entered the U.S. through a Biden administration parole program, with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warning impacted migrants that they will have 30 days to self-deport before law enforcement authorities go searching for them. “DHS has determined that a 30-day wind-down period provides affected parties sufficient notice while also preserving DHS’s ability to enforce the law promptly against those CHNV parolees lacking a lawful basis to remain in the United States,” the notice reads. “Accordingly, DHS is opting not to increase the wind-down period to more than 30 days.”

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scotianostra · 10 months ago

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On June 27th 1967 the first cash dispenser was opened by Barclay’s Bank in Enfield by actor Reg Varney.

The idea of an automatic money dispensing machine had been mooted and tried without success in the early 60's but it wasn't until Scotsmen John Shepherd-Barron and James Goodfellow successfully designed the "cash machine" and Personal Identification Number (PIN) technology which is still used over 50 years later.

Goodfellow lodged his patent in May 1966, more than a year before the first cash machine was ceremonially opened in a blaze of publicity. A machine was developed by John Shepherd-Barron, who was born in India, to Scottish parents, and lived much of his later life in Portmahomack in Ross-shire.

Shepherd-Barron's ATM beat Goodfellow's machines, which were installed at branches of Westminster Bank (later to become NatWest), by just a month.

So Shepherd-Barron became known as the "man who invented the cash machine" and not Goodfellow, the man who patented the system we use today.

Shepherd-Barron says he was inspired by chocolate vending machines, he stated "It struck me there must be a way I could get my own money, anywhere in the world or the UK. I hit upon the idea of a chocolate bar dispenser, but replacing chocolate with cash.

The two devices were very different.

Shepherd-Barron's did not use plastic cards, instead it used cheques that were impregnated with carbon 14, a mildly radioactive substance.

The machine detected it, then matched the cheque against a Pin number.

Shepherd-Barron worked for banknote manufacturer De La Rue, which never patented its machine.

Before he died in 2010, he told a documentary that he didn't patent the idea because he did not want fraudsters knowing how the system worked.

He also said that the chief executive of Barclays had been quick to say yes to the idea when they had discussed it after a couple of Martinis.

Shepherd-Barron then had to go back to his team and get them to develop his idea.

In recent years, his claim to have been the real inventor of the cash machine has been recognised more widely.

Mr Goodfellow now does not like to talk about the years in which Mr Shepherd-Barron got all the credit but in a 2009 BBC documentary he said it "really does raise my blood pressure".

The engineer, from Paisley, told BBC Scotland: "My patent was licensed by all the manufacturers. They thought that was the way to go.

"The race to get it on to the street was not as important.

"Getting it right was the answer, not getting it first."

Mr Goodfellow was working as development engineer for Glasgow firm Kelvin Hughes in the mid-1960s when he got involved in a project to design a machine that could dispense money to customers when banks were closed.

He said in an interview that the driving force for the move was unions putting pressure on banks to close on Saturday mornings.

He said most people worked during the week and could not get to the bank, which closed at 3pm on weekdays.

Many people went to the bank on Saturday mornings but the unions were pressing for staff to work a five-day week.

The banks wanted a way to give working people access to their money when they were closed. Goodfellow said "The problem with cash machines was access.

"How would a genuine customer, and only a genuine customer, get money out of it?"

They considered biometrics - fingerprints, voice prints or retinal scans.

"But in the 60s the technology to do this was not there, it was impossible,"

So the next approach was an "exotic token", a piece of paper or plastic with "uncommon characteristics" that a machine would recognise.

His "eureka moment" came when he hit upon the idea of the Personal Identification Number (PIN).

This was the vital security measure that would make the system work, the number would be known to the customer and the bank and could be related to the card but not read by anyone else.

Goodfellow's invention was patented in May 1966, more than a year before his rival unveiled the first ATM in London.

But he still had a battle to make his concept reality.

"We had to meet some of the banks demands which were pretty severe," he said.

"They had a million customers and they wanted 2,000 machines across the UK.

"They wanted any one of the one million customers to be able to access any one of the 2,000 machines.

"You've got to remember there was no IT network in those days. The banks had no IT equipment. The bank's branches had nothing.

"We spent a lot of time developing the code. We had to submit something like 1,000 of these cards to a consultant, who would try to decipher it."

The cards he used were one quarter of a "Hollerith" punch-card, which just happens to be the same size as today's credit card. It contains just 30 bytes of data.

His patent for the card and Pin ATM was licensed for millions but Mr Goodfellow, as a humble technician, did not own the rights and did not get rich from his invention.

He said he signed patents for 15 countries around the world and got a dollar for each - worth about £10.

Mr Goodfellow left the firm in 1967 when it moved its operations to England and he went to work for IBM.

There have been arguments for years over who should officially go down in history as "the inventor of the ATM".

In 2005, Mr Shepherd-Barron received an OBE in the New Year honours list for services to banking as the "inventor of the automatic cash dispenser".

However, since then Mr Goodfellow, the man who patented the invention, has regained his place.

In 2006 Mr Goodfellow received an OBE for services to banking as "patentor of the personal identification number".

He has also been placed in the Scottish engineering hall of fame alongside John Logie Baird, the inventor of the television.

According to the ATM Industry Association (ATMIA), as of 2015, there were close to 3.5 million ATMs installed worldwide. However, the use of ATMs is gradually declining with the increase in cashless payment systems.

#scotland #scottish #history #banking #automatic teller #cash machine

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jsprnt · 2 years ago

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Healing Hearts PT.2 | Virgil van Dijk

Would a fresh start bring you more than just a new job?

WC: 2.892

Summary: Y/N L/N is a very skilled and praised physiotherapist. A certain event pushing her for a fresh start, as a physiotherapist for Liverpool FC. One question always being in the back of her mind: Will she be able to let go of her past and allow herself to experience new things?

I am awoken by the blaring sound of my alarm. Why do I always have to wake up when my bed gets so comfy? I groan, fighting the urge to snooze my alarm, checking the time while at it. It's six now, two hours to make this face look like it has seen more than four hours of sleep.

I check my messages before washing up. Walking out to the bathroom to put on my outfit. Some 90's style jeans and a body hugging cropped shirt. Nothing too much, I'll have to wear my scrubs anyway. I make my bed and do some breathing exercises to calm my nerves, meeting new people was still a big challenge for me. I finish eating breakfast and turn on the coffee machine for a nice frothy cup of coffee. Admiring the view behind my window as I sip the last bit of my coffee. The city is not entirely up yet, people still enjoying their last minutes of sleep before going to work or school.

Walking back to my room for the best part of my morning, doing my make up! I apply my base carefully. First day means first impressions, I can't go overboard, not yet. I curl my long lashes, coating them with mascara. Lining my lips with brown liner, some lip balm on top for a subtle look. I take out my jewelry box, grabbing my usual gold necklace. It was custom made, adorning my name, a graduation gift from my mom. I look into the mirror, humming a song in satisfaction as I do my hair. I grab my bag, stuffing it with things I might need throughout the day. Finally, putting on my Nike dunks and leaving my house.

I walk downstairs to my car. Thankfully my dad had arranged for it to be imported from Spain a couple weeks ago, when I accepted this job. My dad had a thing for paying for my things, maybe it was to make up for our strained relationship or something. Either way, I wasn't going to refuse his help, it benefited us both anyways. He'd feel like a present father, and I'd feel like he cared.

I jump into my car, the dashboard lighting up. I run my hands around the steering wheel for some comfort before I hit the road. The leather soft as I trace the Mercedes logo, I loved this baby. My G-class never failed to make me feel like the bad bitch I am. I told you working hard and spending hard had its perks. I turn on the navigation system, hoping it would take me straight to the training grounds without any issues.

I turn on some music, trying to drown out my nerves and thoughts. It was never too early for some Drake. I try to pay special attention to my surroundings, since the more I memorize, the faster I can get used to this route. My navigation system pings as it tells me I've arrived. I scan my surroundings, being greeted by a security post. I drive up to it, turning my music off and rolling my window down.

"Good morning, I'm here for the new physiotherapist job." I flash the security guard a smile, he is an older man, his hair graying slightly. I might as well get friendly since I'll be here almost everyday from today onwards. "Morning to you as well. Could you some show me some sort of identification, please?." I can't help but stare at the man, his scoucer accent making it hard for me to understand right away, I should get used to it quickly. I nod quickly pulling my ID from my wallet. He looks at it, scanning through a list, probably a list of staff? His eyes light up as he, I presume sees my name on the list. "Welcome, Dr. l/n, I'll call up the head coach so he can greet you at the door." He gives me a kind smile, handing me my ID back. "Thank you, I appreciate it." I shove my ID back into my wallet, driving into the training center parking lot as the gates open for me. I park, collecting my bag as I jump out of my car. Though, not before fixing my hair and make up.

I take in my surroundings, so this is what I'll be partially calling home now. I notice some other, what I presume to be staff walk into the training center. I walk in as well, immediately being greeted by the huge Liverpool FC emblem. I hold onto my bag tightly, trying to contain my nerves.

I look to my right, the reception. The woman behind the desk looks up, flashing me a smile as I go up to her, sitting down on the chair in front of her desk.

"Hi, I'm y/n l/n. I'm here for the physiotherapist job." She stares at me for a moment, before typing something on the computer. "Nice to meet you! I'm Clara, welcome to our family. I'll call down our head physio, just a second honey.”

Her response warms my heart as I nod. So far, I think I'll feel quite comfortable here. She picks up the phone, though her expression changes into one of surprise as she looks behind me, over my shoulder. "Oh, he is here already."

My eyes follow hers, being greeted by a man, around his 50's. He walks up to me, extending his hand to me. "Welcome Dr. l/n. I've heard a lot about you, nice to finally see the woman being so highly spoken of by my colleagues." I smile and grab his hand in a firm handshake. "It's an honor to finally meet you, Dr. Woods."

He chuckles, before letting go of my hand. "Let's talk more inside, the boss wants to meet you as well." I turn back towards Clara, mumbling a quick thank you to her, before following Dr. Woods inside the training center. I glance around, it��s is even bigger in real life. I had watched some YouTube video's of the club just to prepare and calm my anxiety, but seeing it in real life was very different. We stop in front of an office, the label reading 'Manager'. I raise my eyebrows in surprise. I'd already be meeting THE Klopp. I rub my hands together trying to get rid of that anxious feeling.

Dr. Woods knocks on the door loudly, the door is opened a couple of seconds later, revealing Klopp.

"Hey, I'm here to introduce our new physiotherapist." The doctor informs. Klopp looks at me, giving me one of his famous smiles. "Right of course, come in." He opens the door wider, we both walk in. He ushers us to sit down on his red sofa's. He sticks out his hand, we shake hands as he introduces himself, with that all too well known German accent. "It's always nice to greet new members of our big family. Welcome, I'm Jürgen Klopp." I introduce myself as well, his eyes light up in recognition as I tell him my name. "I've heard very great things about you Dr. l/n. I'm very happy to see you here."

"No it's an honor for me, this club is amazing and I'm happy to contribute to the team." I reply, my worries and nerves had been washed away just like- that. I just know that this was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

We start chatting about how I've adjusted to living here, my education and my experience before they start asking different questions.

"So that means you speak how many languages?"

Dr. Woods asks curiously.

"Well my native tongues would be Dutch since I was born and raised in The Netherlands and Turkish, since I'm half Turkish. I'm also fluent in English as you can hear." We chuckle. "Though I do speak some Spanish and Catalan since I worked at FC Barcelona for two years, as you know."

"Great so you'll have no problem with speaking to the players huh? Especially our very loved Dutch players." We laugh at Klopps comment. I secretly hope that too.

Our conversation comes to an end as Klopp suggests I meet the players. He checks his watch, before looking at me. "Players will come in any moment now. They'll start with warming up." Dr. Woods chimes in. "It will be a recovery day since the team played a match yesterday as you may have followed."

Oh yeah I did. I watched it just so I could take notes on the players, the draw at the end was kind of disappointing. Though, it was better than losing.

"Right, I did watch it. Just to study a little before I do see the team play in real life."

"You're impressive Doctor, doing homework before even starting to work." Klopp says. "Oh it's nothing really, just prepares me for what I might encounter as I start working here." I dismiss.

We stand up after a short while, Dr. Woods taking me to put on my scrubs. I mentally pray they have pink ones, both of my former clubs did have them. He walks up to a machine, telling me exactly how the scrub dispenser worked. I nod, pressing some buttons before choosing my size. The scrubs are a- dark red? Well, at least they are part of the club colors. Dr. Woods leads me to the woman's staff changing room. I walk and change quickly putting my hair up in a claw clip.

I walk out of the room after putting my stuff in my locker, and installing a code on it. "I'm ready."

I tell him, he looks at my scrubs for a second. "Red looks great on you Dr. l/n, part of the family already." We chuckle before he leads me to the gym.

A sudden wave of nervousness hits me. I had known that the players were very friendly, still I couldn't help but feel like an unsure inexperienced intern again. We walk into the gym, it's big with plenty of space for calisthenic training like, push-ups and burpees. I look around seeing some the worlds best star players. I've worked some of the best football players like Lewandowski and Frenkie de Jong, but this still felt super insane.

I notice Klopp walking in as he calls for the players to gather around to introduce me. I glance around, they all give me a kind smile as Klopp tells them I'll be their new physiotherapist starting this new season, and of course he couldn't help but mention I'm Dutch. "Nice to meet everyone, I look forward to working with you all." I give them a smile, my dimples on full display. Suddenly, one of the players walks up to me, I immediately recognize him, who wouldn't? It's the caption of the team, well of his national team too. Virgil towers over me, sticking out his hand, his tall frame couldn't be compared to what you see on TV or the pitch. "Welcome to our team y/n, or should I call you doctor." He flashes me a beautiful smile, making me shake his hand and smile in respons. "Hi, y/n is fine, it's good to be here." Other players come to greet me as well, not to forget Robertson, who has to crack a joke about another Dutch person joining the club. "You'd think it was planned huh." We laugh and chat for a bit before Klopp redirects the attention back to him.

"Alright everyone, it's recovery day so take it easy and tell our doctors if something's up as they assist you."

Dr. Woods turns to me, telling me to follow his lead as I slowly start getting the gist of how everything works here. I nod at him, watching as he talks to the players about any soreness they're experiencing.

The day progress quickly as lunch time hits, we walk into the canteen. Seems like players and staff eat at the same time just like in Barcelona.

I walk through the the buffet as I'm greeted by Gakpo.

"Dus je bent echt Nederlands?" (So you're actually Dutch?) he asks in Dutch, full of curiosity. "Natuurlijk, geboren en getogen. Net als jij." (Of course born and raised. Just like you.)

He gives me a cute smile before we continue speaking in Dutch as we fill up our plates with healthy and delicious food.

He invites me to sit with the team. I glance at him wondering if it is a good idea. Well I did sit with the players at Barca too. "Are you sure?" I ask. "Yeah, look around players sit with staff at every table." I take a glance around, he was right staff and players were sitting together at every table. Chatting and laughing together. "Okay then, I'll sit with you guys."

He leads me to a table, already occupied by Trent, Virgil, Joel, Andrew and new star transfer Dominik Szoboszlai. "Doctor, very nice of you to sit with us." Virgil chimes in. "Well I couldn't refuse when Cody offered, we're practically already family based on the fact that we're Dutch hm." The table erupts in laughter, as we glance at Cody. "Of course the Dutch lad steals the doctor before we get to know her." Trent teases, his Scouse accent thick. "Where did you work before joining us?" Robbo asks, shoving a spoonful food into his mouth. Everyone at the table turns to me for my answer.

I clear my throat before answering. "I first interned at Ajax, I got a three year contact there after graduating. Then I got offered a position at Barcelona, worked there for two years." They nod in acknowledgement. Before Cody mentions something. "Oh you're the famous pretty doctor?!" I stare at him confused. "What do you mean?" "Well the national team players used to always talk about a pretty doctor working at Ajax." I raise a brow at his words, glancing at Virgil to confirm, since he also is apart of the national team. "Can't lie Doctor, they did talk about a pretty Doctor." I give them an impressed look. "I guess that would be me?" I chuckle.

We chat some more as everyone chimes in, though some of their faces turning confused. "Wait how old are you then?" One of them asks. "Oh I'm twenty-five." I reply. "Wow, you're pretty impressive for someone so young." Joel says. I thank him as we all continue eating and chatting in between bites.

Recovery training had gone by fast. I had gotten much more familiar with team and how they operate. Klopp dismisses everyone, as we all walk back into our designated changing rooms. Though, I'm quickly stopped by Dr. Woods. He tells me he'll make sure someone adds me to the staff group chat, as well as the group chat the entire club is in. We then bid each other goodbye as I enter the female staff changing room. I take a minute to sit down and to take it all in, that really just happend huh.

I change quickly putting my outfit back on and discarding my scrubs into the laundry basket. I do a quick make up refresh and hair fix before I grab my bag and take out my car keys. I walk through the hallways slowly, looking around for things I might have not seen yet. I’m totally in my own world before I hear my name being called. I turn around, I'm greeted by both Trent and Dominik, seems like they had been getting along nicely since Dominik had transferred here.

"Are you going out?" The new star asks. "Yeah, you guys aren't?" I lift a brow at them. I can see small smirks on their faces, they look like schoolboys hiding something. "Oh yes, we're leaving just now." We chat a little before we walk outside, saying goodbye to Clara at the reception. I notice other cars had parked right next to mine. "Bye doctor, we'll see ya tomorrow, right?" The Scoucer says. I nod "See you guys!" They wave before they both get into their respective cars.

I unlock my car, climbing in before closing the door. I place my bag onto the passengers seat, leaning back for a second. First day: survived.

Sadly, my peace is interrupted by a loud car horn. I raise my head and lower my window, it's the car next to me? I squint, it's an English car so I can see who it is from my seat. The person lowers down his windows as well. It's Virgil?

"What's wrong?" I half shout, so he can hear me through the loud engine of his car. "Nothing just wanted your attention." I chuckle, man these football players never got tired of teasing people. I roll my eyes playfully, before starting my car. I wave at him, before driving my car out of the parking slot.

I get home rather quickly, my speakers playing my favorite songs loudly. I enter my house, feeling fulfilled. I throw myself on my couch after washing up. I reflect on the day, the players and staff were amazingly kind. Though, that small interaction with Trent and Dominik was weird, why were they so smirky?

#virgil van dijk fanfiction #Virgil van Dijk #Virgilvandijk #Liverpoolfc #Van dijk #Virgilvandijkimagines #Football #Football fanfic #Football imagines #Liverpool fanfic #Liverpoolimagines #Virgil x reader #Virgil van dijk x reader

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cynicalrosebud · 7 months ago

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K9 Hybrid Gear and Civvies Guide:

Tac Gear:

A military K9 hybrid’s gear is specifically designed to enhance both their human and canine traits, optimizing them for tactical operations while providing protection and communication tools. Here’s a breakdown of what their gear might include:

1. Tactical Vest/Body Armor:

• Material: Made from lightweight yet durable materials like Kevlar or ballistic nylon, offering flexibility and protection.

• Design: The vest is form-fitted to the hybrid’s body, allowing freedom of movement for their human torso and canine-enhanced limbs (if applicable).

• MOLLE System: Like their human counterparts, the vest has a MOLLE (Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment) system for attaching pouches, gear, or identification patches.

• Armor Plates: Some models may include armor plates over vital areas like the chest and back for protection in combat scenarios.

• Velcro Patches: Custom patches for identification (e.g., name, unit, or flag) can be attached, as well as handler-specific patches to show their bond.

2. Collar:

• Military Hybrid Collar: Resembling a communication collar, it holds an integrated microphone and speaker for direct communication between the hybrid and handler. The collar is sturdy, made with metal reinforcements to withstand rough environments.

• Customization: Some collars are personalized, such as Y/n’s, which might have a metal plate engraved with her handler’s name (Alex Keller), symbolizing their connection.

• Attachment Points: There are rings for attaching a leash or other equipment, though leashes are rarely used for hybrids, except in specific scenarios.

3. Headgear/Comms:

• Earpieces: Built-in communication systems in their collars or headsets allow the hybrid to receive commands from their handler directly.

• Headset Attachments: Some hybrids may wear lightweight helmets or headgear that accommodate their ears and protect their heads, with areas to mount night-vision goggles or cameras.

• Night Vision/Camera Gear: Headsets may include advanced technology such as cameras or night-vision gear to help hybrids navigate in low-light situations.

4. Gloves and Footwear:

• Gloves: Designed for hybrids with more animal-like claws or enhanced dexterity, gloves are reinforced to protect their hands without hindering their ability to climb, grab, or fight.

• Footwear: High-performance boots or paw protectors for hybrids ensure they can move across rough terrain while maintaining their balance and agility. Some may have specially designed soles for stealth and grip.

5. Harness:

• Load-Bearing Harness: A harness often attached to the vest, this is used when hybrids need to carry extra equipment such as first aid kits, tactical gear, or ammunition. It may also include an extraction handle, allowing their handler to pull them out of danger if necessary.

• Attachment Points: The harness has reinforced points to attach ropes, useful for rappelling or being airlifted in certain operations.

6. Goggles:

• Protective Eyewear: Tactical goggles shield the hybrid’s eyes from debris, sand, and other environmental hazards. Some might even have built-in HUDs (heads-up displays) for enhanced battlefield awareness.

7. Camo Integration:

• Fur/Armor Coloration: Depending on the environment, the hybrid’s gear will match the standard military camo. Whether it’s desert, woodland, or urban camouflage, the materials and design aim to provide additional stealth.

8. Weapon Mounts (if applicable):

• Some hybrids, particularly those with canine or feline features, may have mounts for lightweight firearms or tactical tools attached to their harness for ease of access by the handler.

9. Hydration System:

• A built-in hydration system similar to a CamelBak, allowing the hybrid to stay hydrated during extended missions without needing to stop for water breaks.

10. Tracking/Monitoring Systems:

• GPS: Built into their collar or vest, providing real-time tracking of the hybrid’s location on the battlefield.

• Vital Monitoring: Sensors that monitor the hybrid’s heart rate, body temperature, and stress levels can alert handlers to any issues in the field.

This hybrid gear is a seamless blend of practicality, protection, and comfort, ensuring that K9 hybrids can perform in dangerous environments while staying closely connected to their handlers.

Civvies:

A hybrid’s “civvies” are designed for both comfort and practicality, blending the functionality required for their unique physiology with a casual style suitable for off-duty life. The clothing is made from durable, flexible materials that allow freedom of movement and accommodate their hybrid traits like tails, ears, and claws.

Top: Hybrids typically wear a simple, fitted shirt, often sleeveless or short-sleeved, allowing their shoulders and upper bodies to move freely. The material is breathable and slightly reinforced around the shoulders and upper back to prevent wear from repeated stretching and movement. The shirts often have slits or custom tailoring to accommodate tails comfortably.

Bottoms: Cargo pants or loose-fitting tactical trousers are a staple in a hybrid’s off-duty wardrobe. These pants have adjustable waistbands and are designed with reinforced stitching around the thighs and knees for extra durability when in their preferred position of kneeling and sitting. The legs taper slightly to avoid restricting movement, allowing their legs to move unhindered, especially when they need to leap, crouch, or sit. Some hybrids may opt for shorts in warmer climates, but they are always practical and rugged.

Footwear: One of the most distinctive features of a hybrid’s civilian outfit is their unique footwear. Hybrids wear foot coverings similar to trapeze boots, which are designed to protect the soles of their feet while leaving their claws free. These boots are lightweight and open at the toes, with a sturdy base that provides grip and protection from rough terrain or base flooring. The design allows hybrids to extend and retract their claws naturally, giving them agility while keeping their feet safe. The boots often feature adjustable straps or fastenings to ensure a secure fit without restricting their natural foot shape or flexibility.

Outerwear: For cooler weather, hybrids may wear jackets or hoodies that are custom-fitted to allow for their tails. These pieces often have slits or adjustable flaps at the lower back to provide space for tail movement. The jackets are usually made from tough, weather-resistant fabric, ensuring that hybrids can comfortably wear them on or off base.

Accessories: Hybrids may also wear fingerless gloves that allow their claws to remain free for precise movements while still protecting their hands. They might also carry belts with small pouches for personal items, maintaining a functional look even while off duty.

#call of duty #x reader #fanfic #k9 hybrid au #hybrid

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girlactionfigure · 11 months ago

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🔘 Mon morning - ISRAEL REALTIME - Connecting to Israel in Realtime

⭕ HEZBOLLAH ROCKETS and SUICIDE DRONES x4 rounds since our last report.

❗️including ROCKETS at Acre (northern city - north of Haifa).

❗️including ROCKETS at Kiryat Biyalik (just north of Haifa - the Krayot).

▪️RESCUED HOSTAGES CONDITION.. nutritional deficiency, emotional and psychological struggles, Stockholm syndrome, harsh treatment - evaluation of medical teams.

▪️ANTI-AIRCRAFT FROM HEZBOLLAH.. yesterday Hezbollah fired Iranian made and provided anti-aircraft missiles (multiple) at an Israel F-15. The IDF responded by eliminating the anti-air launcher and squad.

▪️FRANCE WARNS LEBANON.. France has informed the government in Lebanon that Israel is preparing to launch a large-scale military operation against Hezbollah, which includes aerial bombing of vital targets throughout Lebanon, and ground entry into the area south of the Litani River.

▪️HAMAS WATCHES ISRAELI POLITICS AND SMILES.. The head of the political department of Hamas abroad, Sami Abu Zahari: The military and political resignations are endless and prove the collapse of the Israeli political system.

▪️INFILTRATION - SDE EPHRAIM.. two armed terrorists wearing IDF vests infiltrated the Sde Ephraim farm, one lit the mobile home on fire, in which a couple who got married less than a week ago lives. Fortunately the couple was a Sheva Brachot (7 blessings meals with community). IDF searching.

🔸DEAL NEWS - US SEC STATE BLINKED ARRIVES IN ISRAEL.. will meet with Netanyahu to try to advance the negotiations on the exchange deal before visiting Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

▪️BODIES.. news rumors state 34 bodies were brought from Gaza for identification, checking if they are hostage bodies. This has happened many times previously with only a few found.

▪️CONSCRIPTION LAW.. The vote on the Law of Continuity for the Recruitment Law (the transfer of the law from the previous Knesset to this Knesset) is expected to take place tonight. For now, the majority seems to be assured.

▪️PROTESTORS ARRESTED - JERUSALEM.. a small group of “Change Direction” protestors attempted to block the entrance to government buildings. Police quickly arrested them.

▪️ECONOMY - THE MINUS.. (in Israel people have a “line of credit” on their bank accounts, allowing overdraft but at high interest) Bank Discount exempted interest on the first NIS 2,000 of “minus” starting 2022, to draw new customers. It didn’t draw customers, Discount canceled the exemption - and now is increasing the rates on ‘minus’ - 12.5% for the first NIS 800. Bank Leumi similarly increased their ‘minus’ interest rates. (Calcalist)

⭕ ANTI-TANK missiles from Hezbollah at Manor.

⭕ HOUTHIS hit a Swiss container ship in the Red Sea.

#Israel #October 7 #HamasMassacre #Lebanon #Hezbollah #Real Time Updates #IDF

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raincode-archives · 1 year ago

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Chapter 4 Loading Screen Trivia

Note: Currently, I do not know which of these trivia may be general game trivia or Chapter 4 exclusives (if there is any). And there may be trivia I'm currently missing that I will add later on, if I find any more.

World Detective Organization (WDO) An extra-legal, extra-privileged organization devoted to eradicating the world's unsolved mysteries.

Detective Deed An identification card. These are granted by the World Detective Organization.

Master Detective Among the detectives belonging to the World Detective Organization, this is a detective with a specialized power called Forensic Forte that aids in their investigative activities.

Forensic Forte Those exhibiting innate talent for special powers like clairvoyance or mind-reading are trained by the WDO to develop a supernatural investigative ability called Forensic Forte or simply, Forte.

Amaterasu Corporation Many products are in development, some of which cannot be made public.

Amaterasu Peacekeepers A department of Amaterasu Corporation. They serve as a sort of police force within Kanai Ward.

Kamasaki District Crime generally isn't bad here, unless you venture deeper inside, that is.

Riverbank Due to polluted waters, fish are rarely caught.

Kanai Station The only train station in Kanai Ward. It's a magnificent building, but seldom has customers because of the city's isolation.

Kanai Ward Living Condition Perhaps because of the daily rainfall, some people in Kanai Ward don't mind getting wet.

TV Programs Nearly all the TV programs broadcasted in Kanai Ward are sponsored by Amaterasu Corporation.

Popular Sports Parkour is popular among the young men of Kamasaki District. New problems have arisen however, what will all the trespassing and running across the top of food stalls.

Means of Communication Most communications to people outside of Kanai Ward are tapped and monitored by Amaterasu. The phone at the Nocturnal Detective Agency uses a different type of line to prevent eavesdropping.

Pets Because of Kanai Ward's unending rain, indoor pets are popular. At the same time, there is increasing concern of many dogs and cats become feral after being abandoned by irresponsible owners.

Kanai Ward's Electrical Power Because of the perpetual rain, electrical power is derived predominantly from rainwater.

Flavor of Halara's Candy Depends on the mood. The worse the mood, the sweeter the taste; the better the mood, the lighter the taste.

Fubuki's Accessories Fubuki's necklace has a clock motif. The choker is decorated with video playback control symbols.

Vivia's Book Catalog Novels, columns, essays, all sorts of things. There's no particular preference for genre; he reads just to pass time.

Vivia's Garments There are just bandage-like wrappings beneath his coat, so it wouldn't be accurate to call it clothing.

Amaterasu Corporation The megacorporation controlling Kanai Ward. It deals in a wide variety of goods such as industrial products, electronic appliances, as well as pharmaceuticals.

Kanai Ward Currently, Kanai ward is isolated from the rest of the world. Few people enter and leave and very little information goes beyond its walls.

Kanai Tower Lease agreements are available, but the monthly rent costs as much as a luxury car.

Ama-Pal Different versions of Ama-Pal exist, but among the scarce limited edition releases, there is evidently a bear variant with differently colored left and right sides.

Ama-Pay An electronic payment system courtesy of Amaterasu Corporation. It can be used at almost any shop in Kanai Ward, but rumor has it the company collects personal data from each transaction.

Popular Appliances Indoor dryers are very popular in Kanai Ward. Amaterasu Corporation's new "Kagutsuchi" model is quite excellent, capable of drying any type of laundry in just two hours.

Amaterasu's Latest Products A drone car that will autonomously deliver you from departure...to tomorrow. "Amenotorifune." Coming soon from Amaterasu Corporation.

Amaterasu's Latest Products Fall asleep in an instant.... And slumber for eight hours without waking up...no matter what... "Snoozewell," coming soon from Amaterasu Corporation.

Amaterasu Lab Research facilities located in the underground section of the Amaterasu Corporation. Access to the lab is highly restricted, even among Amaterasu personnel.

Amaterasu Security Entry to the premises requires employee IDs, as well as biometric authentication via retinal scans, making it practically impossible for outsiders to infiltrate Amaterasu Corporation.

Blank Week Mystery A phrase considered taboo in Kanai Ward. The meaning of the phrase is unclear

Makoto's Masks The mask is different ever morning, depending on his mood. Sometimes it takes him more than 30 minutes to choose, to the chagrin of the people around him.

About Dr. Huesca He walks around barefoot in the lab. This isn't for anything health-related, he simply feel the time spent putting on shoes and socks is better used on research.

Robot Researcher Akira is his name. He's poured his whole being into Ama-Pal, his life dedicated to its development. His catchphrase: "When my time comes, I want it to be by Ama-Pal's hand."

Fink the Slaughter Artist A hitman predominantly active in Kanai Ward. It's rumored that he'll kill any target, regardless of difficulty, as long as the client can afford it.

Yomi's Cane Yomi's cane transforms into a whip and can be used to strangle people he isn't fond of.

Shinigami's Secret Depending on Shinigami's emotional state, not only can horns and a tail sprout out, but her entire body can take on a fiery form.

Amazing Physique Number One of the WDO may look wizened, but beneath his robe is a muscle-bound body, compared to that of a youth's. It's littered in scars following encounters with a variety of criminals.

Invention Detective A Master Detective whose Forte allows for on-the-spot assembly of inventions useful for an investigation. This detective was not summoned to Kanai Ward.

#mdarc #master detective archives rain code #rain code #raincode #rain code archives #makoto kagutsuchi #dr huesca #yomi hellsmile #shinigami #number one

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identifying-cars-in-posts · 2 years ago

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update on asks, submissions, rules, state of the blog, etc

first of all, thank you everyone for the interest in the blog! it’s become significantly more than i expected, and since i’m just one person who works full time and is the process of moving i haven’t had the time to keep up with the influx of attention. i’ve spent the last few days figuring out how to run the blog moving forward to best manage a good balance between it and my actual life

submissions: submissions will re-open wednesday july 26th at 8pm EST. this is where you can send me images or videos you take irl or see outside of tumblr to identify. this includes submitting your own car for me to guess. i won’t give my thoughts or anything in submissions, it’ll be just like the other identification posts. please keep any sort of identification request like this to submissions. asks exclusively requesting identifications, dms, and original posts made for the purpose of tagging me will be ignored and/or deleted after submissions are re-opened. submissions will remain open indefinitely just to see how it goes, but will close if/when they become overwhelming, just to keep up with them all

asks: asks will also re-open wednesday july 26th at 8pm EST, and stay open until thursday july 27th 5pm EST. going forward it’ll essentially open on the evenings before my days off and close the evening of the day off so i have time to give my actual attention to asks instead of rushing responses in between customers at work. i work retail so this won’t be consistent from week to week, but i will announce when asks are opening at least a day or two before they do. asks will be for asking me for opinions, recommendations, questions or suggestions for the blog, etc. identification requests without also adding something should go into submissions

tags: i have been going back through old asks to retroactively tag requests for recommendations as #car recs. going forward any recommendations given will go under that tag as well. i’m working on a permanent pinned post that will have more information on the tagging system going forward

pinned: i’m working on a kind of landing page post. this will have an FAQ, information about the tagging system and links for navigating it, rules for asks and submissions, and most of the information in this update. i may also put the date and time for when asks will be re-opened in that post and keep it updated. if you have any requests for things to put in the FAQ, or any other questions, feel free to reply to this post. it will stay pinned until the big boy pinned post goes up

tagging me in posts: i will continue to try to get to every pre-existing post i’m tagged in, but make no promises about getting to all of them, especially if they have a bunch of cars in them. this goes for submissions and asks as well - as fun as it is to play i spy and try to get them all, i only have so much time. if i can i’ll give it a shot, but the multiple posts and asks i’ve gotten of full yards or highways full of cars will definitely take longer to get to, if i get to them at all. as much as i’d like to do them for the sake of the bit lol

thanks for bearing with me over the last few days!

#not a car id #update

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friendofthew0rld · 3 months ago

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Blog Post #2 - due 2/6/25

1. How do digital security measures reinforce existing power structures, particularly in terms of class, race, and access to resources? Although we are typically unphased by the prevalence of security cameras and data-collection systems that we come in contact with on a day-to-day basis, we don’t realize how much more prevalent they are in low-income neighborhoods, as crime is much more likely to be reported there. One fact that stuck out to me was how digital security guards are “so deeply woven into the fabric of social life that, most of the time, we don’t even notice we are being watched and analyzed” (V. Eubanks, 2018, p.16). In my own experience, I have worked a few sales jobs where we have only about 1 or 2 cameras that surveillance the exterior of the shop, where customers frequent. However, when I need to drop cash in the safe located in the office, I am usually overwhelmed by the number of cameras on the monitor, which monitors every corner of the employees' workspace. There are about 5 separate cameras that locate various angles of one single space. For one, this heightened surveillance serves as a tool to monitor productivity and compliance with policies, but also to reinforce power imbalances between employers and their employees. These cameras may also be used to target and monitor specific racial groups, as an employer may monitor a Black or Latino worker far more than a White or Asian worker holding the same job position/status.

2. Nicole Brown poses a significant question: “Do we really understand the far-reaching implications of algorithms, specifically related to anti-Black racism, social justice, and institutionalized surveillance and policing?” (Brown, 0:14). The answer is, in many ways, complex. However, Brown brings up a very important point. Many algorithms are trained with the potential to improve many areas of our lives, however, they can prove damaging in terms of predictive policing as well as perpetuating biases and inequalities. According to Christina Swarns in an article titled “When Artificial Intelligence Gets it Wrong,” “facial recognition software is significantly less reliable for Black and Asian people, who, according to a study by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, were 10 to 100 times more likely to be misidentified than white people,” further emphasizing how algorithms may lead to false identifications, caused by a lack in diversity–highlighting the need for improvements in algorithmic technology to mitigate the harm caused for marginalized communities. In regards to predictive policing, algorithms that are trained to predict crimes utilize historical crime data, which may result in higher policing rates for those areas, when the historical data may just reflect biased policing as opposed to true criminal activity.

3. How do surveillance and algorithms affect healthcare outcomes for minorities? In a video titled “Race and Technology,” Nicole Brown explains that since White people are recorded to make up a majority of healthcare consumers, the healthcare system’s algorithm deems White individuals more likely to require healthcare than their non-White counterparts (Brown, 2:12). Although we are typically used to having our information and activity utilized by certain social media platforms to generate user-centered content, I think the connection between algorithms and healthcare outcomes is an interesting topic to unpack, as I never have thought about this connection. “Doctors and other health care providers are increasingly using healthcare algorithms (a computation, often based on statistical or mathematical models, that helps medical practitioners make diagnoses and decisions for treatments” (Colón-Rodríguez, 2023). Colón-Rodríguez uses a case study of a woman who gave birth via c-section in 2017, and how the database was later updated to reflect a false prediction that Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino women were more likely to need c-sections, and were less likely to naturally give birth successfully as opposed to White women. For one, this prediction was false, and it further caused doctors to perform more c-sections on Latino and Black women than White women. C-sections are known to be generally safe but are known to cause infections, blood clots, emotional difficulties, and more. This case study reflects how healthcare databases will often profile individuals based on race and may make generally false predictions which oftentimes result in unnecessary–and sometimes–life-threatening outcomes for minorities (in this case, minorities with vaginas).

4. In what ways does the normalization of surveillance threaten democratic values like free speech, freedom of assembly, and the right to privacy? Similar to feelings of surveillance that I expressed to question 1, the normalization of such surveillance in many aspects of our society may cause instances of self-censorship, suppression of dissent or negative feelings towards individuals of higher status, and the exploitation and misuse of personal data. Workers in a workplace may censor the topics they speak about for fear of customers or employers hearing such issues. People may also censor themselves when in a crowd, where phones may be utilized to monitor activity. Fear of reprisal may cause individuals to refrain from speaking out about injustices and dissent for people, policies, or events. The misuse of personal data threatens our right to privacy because we as consumers are unaware of what exactly is being utilized–and even if we do, we are not made aware of how long such data is being held and utilized.

References

Brown, N. (2020, September 18). Race and Technology. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8uiAjigKy8

Colón-Rodríguez, C. (2023, July 12). Shedding Light on Healthcare Algorithmic and Artificial Intelligence Bias | Office of Minority Health. Minorityhealth.hhs.gov. https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/news/shedding-light-healthcare-algorithmic-and-artificial-intelligence-bias

Eubanks, V. (2018). Automating Inequality: how high-tech tools profile, police, and punish the poor. St. Martin’s Press.

‌ Swarns, C. (2023, September 19). When Artificial Intelligence Gets It Wrong. Innocence Project. https://innocenceproject.org/when-artificial-intelligence-gets-it-wrong/

#tcl25

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