#Exploratory research is what we call this

[gaunt-and-hungry]

True to my nature as an academic I am here with several tabs open about the man himself as well as snippets of text from the book and the chapters pertaining to him as well as my leather book where I keep my many notes.

[imgae-insertshockedgasps-16]

humans are space orcs

imagine someone with chronic joint pain, whose dream their whole lives has been to go to space and meet the aliens and be a scientist and learn

so they look up the requirements as a kid and go "fuck."

they wouldn't make the cut.

their dreams are dashed. hopes ruined. lifelong dre destroyed.

except....

they've never really said a whole lot about their pain. they don't particularly like doctors, and they think that they've been managing just fine, so they never saw the point.

so maybe... maybe if they just don't say anything, they can make it to space.

they spend all of their time training. doing physical therapy exercises so that their joints aren't so loose, soaking up as much scientific and mathematical knowledge as they can, teaching themselves to push through the worst of it in pursuit of their dream.

and they make it.

they make it to space! it was gruelling, tortuous work, but they made it!

their first mission is an exploratory one, with a diverse crew which only has one other human.

they're thrilled.

they have dozens of alien friends and acquaintances. they spend hours learning and researching alien planets and cultures. it's everything they've ever wanted!

but

it's exhausting.

they're in more pain than they've ever been, more frequently than they ever have.

they keep up their exercises as best they can, but even those are often too much.

they smile when asked if they're alright, tell everyone that "i'm fine! just tired."

but they need a break. they can't imagine going or being sent back to earth, this is their home now, with these people, on this ship. but they don't know how much longer they can take this.

one day, on their day off, a fellow researcher comes and knocks on their door.

"are you here?"

"not today islith."

"but we've been called! there are some exciting new discoveries that need further cataloging and investigation, and carlmoth thought you would enjoy the task!"

"i can't today, islith."

"are you ill?"

"...kind of? but i'll be right as rain tomorrow. it's my day off anyhow."

"nonsense! you should go down to medbay!"

"i'm alright, i promise."

"you get out here right this minute or i'll report you to medbay myself!"

"no!" there's a series of crashes and thumps, and then they open the door.

"oh, you look awful. come on, you really must need medbay, what if you're contagious." islith tries to grab them but they shy away.

"i'm not contagious, i promise."

"how can you possibly know that? what if you picked it up from a sample, or, or, garfon has been sick recently! humans can't survive cerian sicknesses-"

"i didn't catch something from garfon, islith," they sigh and open the door wider. "come in and let me explain."

"alright, but if i think you should go to medbay afterwards then i'm taking you there."

"sure, islith."

islith enters, notices the piles of clothes, rumpled bedsheets, the lights are off and the port window shut.

"what's wrong?"

they sigh again, "my body doesn't work like it's meant to, islith."

islith is wildly alarmed, "and you said there was no need for medbay?!? come with me right now and-"

"no! i can't, islith, you don't understand."

"then explain it to me."

"i've... always been this way, although it's gotten worse as i've gotten older. my body, it just isn't built quite right, there's something wrong with it that makes it not work properly and hurt often."

"you're right, i don't understand. why can't you go to medbay?"

"i'd... be thrown off the ship."

"what?!?"

and so they tell islith a story about a young child whose dream was to touch the stars.

"and now, it's too late. i'd get in huge trouble for lying to the government, especially for so long."

"well- but- but humans are so resilient! you hear all the stories!"

"not every human is the same, islith. some of us are born disabled, and some of us get hurt in accidents, just like any other species."

"well, then, well there must be something we can do?"

they look up in shock, "we?"

"of course we, you ridiculous creature," islith said with a fond sigh. "you didn't think i'd leave you to suffer, would you?"

"but, you could get in so much trouble!"

"that's alright, i don't mind. what else are friends for? and, anyway, we don't have to tell your government, we can tell mine."

"but i'll-"

"we don't have any rules like that. any of us who are disabled can still manage in space just fine with the right support, and i bet you could too."

"i- islith- i don't-"

"don't worry, we'll all back you when it comes down to it. you're out teammate, our family. no one on this ship wants to watch you leave because of something you can't control. now come on, let's talk to glidlep in medical, she'll understand."

and for years, things continued on that way, until eventually it was an open secret that the human with the exosuit was disabled and not technically allowed onboard.

and down the line, when nasa found out and was furious, the entire ship and more stood by their side.

[probablyasocialecologist]

The methodology for the Cass review was established by a team from the University of York including Tilly Langdon, who has previously been involved in promoting Gender Exploratory Therapy – an approach which, despite its neutral-sounding name, discourages children from identifying as trans and has been likened to conversion therapy. Her approach included setting a very high bar for evidence to be considered in the review, ruling out 100 of the existing 103 studies into the use of puberty blockers and hormones to treat trans children. The reason given for excluding all these studies was that they did not incorporate a double blind approach – in other words, they did not involve giving puberty blockers to some patients and placebos to others. This might sound like a reasonable objection on the face of it – until one considers that puberty is a dramatic physical and psychological process, and people can easily tell when it’s happening to them, so a double blind simply wouldn’t work in practice. The Cass review called for more research and, again, few would disagree with this. The suggestion that treatment should be withheld in the process, however, is not neutral. It presupposes that the harm done by puberty blockers (demineralisation of bones, which is usually temporary in the short-term treatment recommended and is similar to what occurs in pregnancy) is more severe than the harm done to a trans child by going through the wrong sort of puberty. The latter is linked to high rates of self-harm and suicidal ideation, together with the need, in many cases, for extensive surgical procedures. Confusingly, the review states that children taking puberty blockers showed “no changes in gender dysphoria or body satisfaction”, which suggests that the author didn’t actually understand what puberty blockers do at all. They don’t make children feel better – they just delay a process that makes them feel worse. This is one of several oddities in a report that lacks internal consistency. It states that there is no established definition of social transition, for instance, and does not offer one, but goes on to talk about it as if there were. It also talks about autistic ‘girls’ identifying as trans in increasing numbers, treating this as mysterious and as cause for concern, despite acknowledging elsewhere that more and more girls are being diagnosed as autistic, so one would expect more diagnoses to be present within any subsection of the young female-assigned population.  Perhaps the most worrying of the review’s conclusions – which should concern people far beyond the trans community – is the suggestion that as far as NHS treatment is concerned, trans people should be treated as children until they are 25. The rational for this is that 25 is the age when (on average) the brain stops developing. As any neurologist will tell you, the brain is in fact never static, and within ten years or so of that age, it begins to shrink. Deciding who has the capacity to make decisions based on brain age could have unintended consequences for the likes of Cass (64).  That aside, what would setting the age of true adulthood at 25 mean for everybody else? If we couldn’t allow people to consent to medical treatment at 24, should we ask them to risk dying for us? If not, then at a stroke we could lose a quarter of our armed forces. Likewise, we would have to give serious thought to what to do about a third of parents who might not be considered competent to look after their newborn children.  And then there are issues like contraception. Right-wingers have long contended, on one pretext or another, that teenage girls shouldn’t have the right to take the pill without their parents’ consent. This is where the review’s suggestion starts to look less like a double standard and more like the thin end of a very nasty wedge.

[symbiotescromp]

Humbly requesting a fillet about how reader and venom first met

New host

Of course anon, Here you go :D Word count:1.5k

Y/n from day dot knew that there were the odd one out, In school, they didn't make a lot of friends and they always thought it would be that way... live alone... die alone... But that was about to change with a snap of a finger all on one very faithful field trip.

You see, Y/n was studying bioengineering at college and the whole class was getting ready for a field trip to the Life Foundation to explore what they were doing and find potential career paths once they graduated.

"Very soon, another life foundation rocket will be sent on an exploratory mission. Hopefully with this research we may be able to find the right planet to call home" The life foundation founder carlton drake was showing the whole class around the lab.

"Mr drake ??" One student tried to ask a question before being shushed by their classmate.

"It's okay, don't silence them. People will always try to silence those of us who ask questions. But in the end, we're the ones who change the world" Drake told the student.

You zoned out the entire time, staying up late last night to study for your exam. Soon Drake called over Dr. Skirth to give you all a proper tour of the lab. She showed you all sorts of things, what they do is incredible.

"Dr, what's in this room ??" One student pointed out.

She looked over at the door. "Oh, this leads to our testing labs. As of today it's off limits for our tour" She hesitantly smiled.

You frowned a little, why was it off limits for the tour, why the hell wouldn't they show you the lab, it's the meat of this whole place right ?? You went up to your teacher and made an excuse that you needed to go to the bathroom, soon wandering away you waited nearby for someone to go out.

When a scientist came out of the lab, that was your mark to soon rush in before the doors shut, swiftly entering the lab. "Phew"

You began to walk around, the inside had dimmer red lighting compared to the rest of the building, it was pretty empty inside save for a couple security guards at the end of the hallways.

"Shit" You whispered as you ducked down and began to sneak your way past, getting a good look at a few rooms, until you came across one room that had slightly brighter lighting than the rest. Whatever it was it would be so cool to show off to the class, so moving in, you got inside and quietly shut the door.

You stood back up and walked over to these 5 strange containers, peeking over, you saw these... strange molding goo. Pulling out your phone you began to take a couple of pictures of them, they were all different colours, red, yellow, grey and black. They morphed around the containers, sticking to the glass.

"This is so cool" You had a twitch of a smile.

As you walked around the containers taking the photos, one of the things of goo crawled up the side of the container when you wandered around, as if it was... following you.

You jolted at the sound of a door opening nearby, and you tried to hide behind the containers. But in doing so, you accidentally pressed a button on one of them, opening the one that contained the black goo. Immediately crawling from the tank and flopping on the floor.

You looked over to find a couple of scientists and bodyguards passing by through the windows, while you were distracted it crawled over to you at lightning speed, you looked behind you and saw the goo on the floor, you were in deep shit !!

"No no no no..." You tried to shoo it back into the container, but it was too late, it's tendrils attached to your leg and began to soak into your body smoothly, no matter how many times you tried to flick it off. Soon it was gone... wtf.

You had to bolt it before someone figured out you were here, so with a pang of heavy guilt, you soon snuck your way back out of the lab and managed to find your class again, managing to blend back in with the others, some wondered why the hell you'd taken so long. Oh god, please don't let them find out.

Once it was over, you headed on home with your dirty little... little is beyond this point. Your big fucking secret !!. But when you sat down, you soon began to feel hungry... like VERY hungry. You got up and soon began to raid your pantry, going to town on any food that you were able to get your hands on, like an animal who hasn't had food for the longest time. But when you ran out you began to look around for anything that could satisfy your hunger, your eyes laying on the trash can, opening it to find a half-eaten chicken. You didn't know why, you just needed it. But soon you found yourself rushing to the bathroom, vomiting your mistake...

"Oh god...." You panted as you laid down, trying to gather yourself.

Once stable enough, you then slowly crawled your way up to the bathroom sink and began to brush your teeth, ahh minty freshness. But you began to feel a rumble of sickness in your chest, but at the same time, you didn't feel like you were going to throw up. You swore you were coming down with something at this point. Looking up, finding your reflection in the mirror. You then noticed your eyes shifting, black cracks forming as solid white alien like eyes pierced through your skin.

"Y/n !!"

You jumped back, falling into the bathtub. You rubbed your eyes and blinked, that wasn't real... right ?? But before you could gather your thoughts, you began to hear loud noises, even louder than normal noises. It made your ears hurt !! Your neighbour was blaring his heavy metal music once again across the hall from your apartment. It was making your head pound as if your skull was being rattled, normally you ignored this but this time you weren't having it. Marching over, you began to bang on the door until he answered.

"Yeah ??"

"Hey, could you just turn it down, I'm having a very weird day right now..."

"No" He scoffed.

You grew angry, but when you looked up at him, the alien-like eyes came back but this time was also met with razor-sharp teeth, growling at him.

He jumped back, fully scared. "Yeah... yeah sure I'll turn it down"

"Thank you"

"I'll turn it right down" He shut the door in your face and the music began to play again, this time the volume low.

Heading back, you shut the door and rubbed your face again, what was happening !! You were super flipping hungry, your brain was playing tricks on you in the mirror !! what next ??

"Y/n..." The voice appeared again.

You flipped around the living room, trying to find the source of the voice. "Who's there... show yourself !!"

There was a deep chuckle and soon, something began to wreathe out of your back. The same eyes and teeth soon moulded into a face, moving around to face you with a grin. You were growing increasingly panicked. You began to swing a punch at the...thing, but it disappeared back inside you. "Oh no... no no no"

Soon it appeared from behind. "Y/n"

You turned around, getting a proper look at it. "Who are you..."

"I... am venom, and you, are mine"

Whatever it was... it wasn't human... or you were just batshit crazy. You flopped down on the couch, thoughts running through your mind as venom just simply grinned at you. He made himself at home with you already, you were strong, stronger than anyone else they'd shoved him into.

"I gotta get you back"

"What!!?? NO !!!"

"And why not !!" You stood up looking at him.

"I'm not going back there !! I'll die !!" He growled at you.

Before you could clap back at him, you heard a loud knock at the door, an all too familiar knock, your landlord.

"Do not open that door..." Venom wreathed back inside you.

You hesitantly walked to the door, ignoring his advice and opened the door, Your landlord was known to be an asshole but this time when you opened the door, he dialled it up to 11. Pushing you inside. "You need to pay your goddamn rent !!"

"I will ok, I'm just a little behind, I'm getting paid..." You were soon punched in the nose.

"News flash !! You need to pay your rent !!" He was gonna throw another one but you... involuntarily grabbed his fits. You frowned and soon tossed him across with unbelievable strength. You weren't even controlling your body at this point. Your new little alien buddy wasn't gonna let him get anything in. Soon a tendril wrapped around his ankle and brought him to you, but soon your face was wrapped around the black goo, revealing venom's face to scare him.

"OK OK !!! Two weeks !! Two weeks !!" He cried out.

Venom dropped him and he soon bolted, You wandered slowly to the door thinking... holy shit.

"Thank you"

"You are welcome" venom said.

Maybe it wouldn't be too bad to keep venom around.

Taglist: @callofdudes

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Lee Yaron

Published: Jun 16, 2024

Antisemitic comments by professors, harassment of Jewish students – Columbia University's antisemitism task force has heard hundreds of testimonies since its formation in November. Its members tell Haaretz about the mandatory orientation they plan and say they have agreed on an 'educational' definition of antisemitism

NEW YORK – One professor encountering a Jewish-sounding surname while reading names before an exam asked the student to explain their views on the Israeli government's actions in Gaza. Another told their class to avoid reading mainstream media, declaring that "it is owned by Jews." A third revealed a student's complaint about an offensive comment regarding Jews by publicly displaying their email to fellow students.

Several times, professors encouraged students to participate in pro-Palestinian protests or the Gaza Solidarity Encampment for extra credit, or conducted classes at protest sites. Other incidents included students wearing Jewish symbols having them torn from their person. Some were pushed out of student clubs they had been part of because they did not want to participate in group actions and statements against Israel's right to exist.

These are just a few of the hundreds of testimonies the Columbia Task Force on Antisemitism has documented that detail harassment, intimidation, discrimination and exclusion against Jewish students by professors and fellow students at the New York university since the October 7 Hamas massacre and subsequent war in Gaza.

The task force conducted over 20 listening sessions across the university, which found itself at the epicenter of the campus protests that have engulfed America this year, hearing from about 500 students and receiving dozens of written appeals.

Some of these testimonies are set to be published in the coming weeks in a new report focusing on Jewish students' experiences at Columbia.

The task force was formed last November by Columbia University President Minouche Shafik, Barnard College President Laura Ann Rosenbury and Teachers College President Thomas R. Bailey. The aim was to address the "harmful impact of rising antisemitism on Columbia's Jewish community and to ensure that protection, respect, and belonging extends to everyone."

From its inception, the task force faced accusations of being illegitimate from some pro-Palestinian faculty and students. Critics claimed its existence was politically motivated, designed to spread fear by exaggerating antisemitism and perceived dangers to Jews, suppress criticism, and distract from the plight of Palestinians in Gaza and the violent arrests of pro-Palestinian protesters.

Jewish students active in the pro-Palestinian protests and Gaza Solidarity Encampment also criticized the move, saying the task force misrepresented Jewish students who did not feel endangered on campus.

Haaretz has interviewed several members of the task force, who say they have documented hundreds of cases of Jewish students feeling discriminated against. This month, the task force has commissioned a large survey of the entire Columbia student population in order to collect data about different aspects of antisemitism on campus.

The members also discussed Columbia's planned response, including a new antisemitism orientation – mandatory for all new students and faculty – to educate on what Jewish students might find offensive. It will also provide for the first time an educational, not legal, definition of antisemitism.

The new definition is expected to determine that statements calling for the destruction and death of Israel and Zionism can be considered antisemitic, while criticism of the Israeli government cannot.

A real problem

"I'm a social scientist, and I believe exploratory research is important. Therefore, in order to make recommendations for changes on campus, we needed to truly understand student experiences first," says task force co-chair Prof. Ester R. Fuchs, who teaches at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs.

"We heard from students who feel their identity, values and very existence on campus have been under attack," adds Fuchs, who has been a public affairs and political science professor at Columbia for 40 years. "My heart was broken listening to these students and what they were being forced to deal with."

Another co-chair, Prof. David M. Schizer, from Columbia Law School, notes: "Only when we talked to the students did we realize how serious the problem is. Unfortunately, there are still many faculty members who do not believe that there is antisemitism on campus, and some claim that antisemitism is being weaponized to protect pro-Israel views. We can put it this way: have there been antisemitic incidents? Yes, absolutely. Are there antisemitic faculty and students? Yes, there are some. Are all of them antisemitic? Absolutely not."

The third co-chair, Prof. Nicholas Lemann, from Columbia Journalism School, highlights the fact that the task force didn't have the authority to investigate specific cases. Instead, it was intended to identify wide patterns and solutions.

"In terms of what we've heard, Jewish and Israeli students are feeling very targeted and ostracized," he says. "The concept of Zionism has become unacceptable in some circles at Columbia. People are asked to promise that they're not Zionist. In the classroom, some feel uncomfortable because of intense criticism of Zionism."

Prof. Gil Zussman, an Israeli electrical engineering professor and member of the task force, is especially concerned by faculty members "who have been creating a discriminatory environment – by, for example, moving their classes and office hours into the encampment where 'Zionists were not welcome.'

"Based on conversations with students, we now know that some faculty members are unfortunately also creating a hostile environment toward Israelis in classrooms and are encouraging rule-breaking by student protesters," Zussman says. "For example, over 10 faculty and staff were standing outside Hamilton Hall when students broke in [on April 29 as part of the pro-Palestinian protest]. If I were a parent of one of these students, I would have major concerns about these faculty."

Schizer, who has worked at Columbia for over 25 years, says he is concerned about the inability of opposing groups on campus to have discussions with each other. "There used to be healthy discussion, including debates about Israeli government policy and the occupation," he says. "However, since October 7 the conversation has changed, with many asserting that Israel itself is illegitimate, and with students who disagree refusing to speak and study with one another.

"Part of what a great university does is introduce us to people with different opinions," he continues. "For a democratic society to flourish, we need shifting coalitions, not warring camps. People can agree about X and disagree on Y. The situation now on campus is not healthy. We're really missing something because we see the world as divided into two opposing camps that have nothing to do with each other."

One of the key points emphasized by task force members is that, unlike past protests at Columbia, which were directed at the establishment and the university itself, this protest has in many ways been aimed at students who lack the tools to cope with the intensity of the anger directed against them.

Student protesters targeting other students "are causing pain and isolation in a way I have never seen before on campus," Schizer says.

Fuchs adds that one of the task force's observations is that "the burden of dealing with these situations of harassment, intimidation, discrimination and exclusion has primarily been on the students. We can't allow it."

Several task force members highlight what they see as the university's double standards in ignoring discrimination against and exclusion of Jewish students.

Zussman elaborates. "If, for example, a student group were to use an abhorrent chant such as 'We don't want BLM supporters here,' there would be immediate consequences. However, chants such as 'We don't want Zionists here' have been normalized and currently have no consequences. These double standards are unacceptable and will eventually fracture the university."

Fuchs concurs, noting that the "standard at the university has always been to listen to those experiencing discrimination or hate. During the Black Lives Matter movement, we recognized the need to understand how certain words and behaviors affected individuals. Now, we need to be consistent and apply the same standard to Jewish students."

Burning questions

Both pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli groups have demanded that the task force provide a legal definition of antisemitism to address the burning questions: Is anti-Zionism a form of antisemitism? Is challenging the right of the State of Israel to exist antisemitic? Is criticizing the Israeli government antisemitic, as some Israelis believe?

However, the task force members told Haaretz that providing a specific definition in the university's rules would contradict federal law – specifically Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which requires that policy definitions of discriminatory harassment be general and not treat separate groups differently. Title VI stipulates that no person in the United States shall, on the grounds of race, color or national origin, be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.

"In theory, we could specify what terms like 'discriminatory harassment' and 'hostile learning environment' mean when applied to Jews. But doing so would violate the law," says Schizer, who adds: "We don't need a dedicated definition for Jews."

A second reason the task force did not define antisemitism straight away was their belief that the university's definition should emerge from the experiences of the people themselves.

"If we were to define antisemitism for the students in advance, then we are narrowing the possibilities and precluding their experiences," says Fuchs. "In fact, other task forces at Columbia – such as those focused on gender and race following the George Floyd [murder in 2020] – did not start with a definition."

But after hearing from hundreds of students, the task force has decided to establish and publish a definition of antisemitism based on the students' experiences – an educational one, that is, not a legal one. This definition is designed to inform faculty and students about what can offend Jewish people and which types of statements can cause pain and discomfort.

An educational definition will not infringe upon freedom of speech on campus or prohibit potentially antisemitic phrases. It will simply inform community members of the harm their words might cause. This approach is not the decisive action some Jewish groups on campus were seeking.

"We are not trying to draw a very thick boundary around what is antisemitic and say everything outside that boundary is fine," Lemann explains. "However, certain kinds of statements can make a lot of Jewish and Israeli students at Columbia feel intensely uncomfortable. This does not necessarily mean that you will be forbidden to say those things – but you should understand how they are received."

The task force members confirmed to Haaretz that their definition of antisemitism will likely include chants calling for the annihilation of the Jewish state as being offensive to many Jews on campus. Chants criticizing the Israeli government will not be considered antisemitism in any way.

Antisemitism knowledge gap

One of the key innovations the team is working on is a new antisemitism orientation and training program, which will be mandatory for all new students and faculty.

"Columbia is a highly international community, and we recognized a significant gap in people's understanding of what can constitute an offensive statement for Jewish and Israeli students," Fuchs relays. "The training and orientation are designed to provide everyone beginning their time at the university with initial knowledge of what is acceptable and unacceptable in our community – similar to programs on sexual harassment and other issues. We aim for consistency: a consistent set of rules that are consistently enforced, ensuring everyone feels they are being treated fairly within the system."

Since the protests began, the university has initiated disciplinary proceedings against numerous students who allegedly broke Columbia's rules. This included suspending students and initiating other disciplinary actions, including putting them on disciplinary probation, restricting attendance at future events, and being required to attend educational meetings about their behavior and conduct.

Until this April, the initiated actions were published transparently on the Columbia website, but these have been deleted in recent weeks. The university also brought outside law enforcement onto campus to empty the pro-Palestinian encampment. More than 100 students were arrested, which resulted in harsh criticism of the university and widespread pro-Palestinian protests on campuses across the United States and Europe.

The first release to emerge from the task force was a report on protests, demonstrations and free speech, published in March. The next report will include a series of recommendations expected to go into effect before the next semester begins in September.

The task force has also highlighted the urgent need for better management of antisemitism complaints. The task force uncovered deficiencies in the complaint-processing systems across the university's various schools, with some complaints lost in bureaucratic procedures without any response. Many students are unaware of the appropriate channels for reporting issues, while many staff members are unsure how to handle such complaints. Additionally, there is a lack of transparency in the complaint-handling process and its outcomes.

"Different complaints go to different offices and you almost need a law degree just to understand the process," according to Schizer. "It's not enough to have good rules on paper: they must be enforced. Jewish and Israeli students currently experience unequal treatment, and I don't want them to get different treatment – and the law entitles them to the same protection as other groups. The key issue for the coming year is whether Columbia will enforce its rules equally."

In response to this story, a Columbia University spokesperson said: "We are committed to combating antisemitism and taking sustained, concrete action to ensure Columbia is a campus where Jewish students and everyone in our community feels safe, valued and able to thrive."

[ Via: https://archive.is/Yypaw ]

==

These are the antics of religious zealots rather than professional academics.

[excessive-vampires]

Danger in Numbers Part 1: Cassie's Secret

Masterlist with CW

Alex took a bite of his sandwich and chewed thoughtfully. “So you’re saying,” he said to Cassie with his mouth full. “If the training wasn’t too much for you to handle you’d want to be on an exploratory team the next time we find a new planet.” 

Cassie looked down at her own identical half-eaten lunch and plucked a strip of bacon from between the slices of bread. “Well, yeah, wouldn’t it be amazing to see a completely alien landscape? To experience that? Didn’t you hear what they said the sunsets on the last planet looked like?”

“I hear the sunsets on Nova are pretty too. Doesn’t make it worth it to turn into a drone.”

Cassie frowned as she chewed on her bacon. 

“Oh come on, that’s nowhere near the worst thing I could have called them. It’s descriptive.”

“It’s rude,” Cassie insisted. “Just because you don’t understand how someone lives–”

“Hives aren’t a someone. They’re someones who turn into one someone and say it’s the best thing ever,” Alex protested. 

“That’s not really accurate.”

“I wasn’t trying to be accurate, I was trying to make a point.” Alex frowned when Cassie just kept eating without a response. “Hey, I’m sorry. I’m being a prejudiced asshole and I know it. I’m not gonna, like, campaign to take away hive rights or anything, it just really freaks me out that something like that could happen to normal humans just from some weird energy in the water.”

Cassie gave a small smile. “Technically the weird energy just gave them cool psychic powers. It was a natural human desire for connection that led to hive bonding.” 

“You spend way too much time reading about other planets and cultures, Cass. It’s gonna rot your brain.”

“It’s literally my job. I don’t tell you to spend less time programming maps.”

“Fair enough. You had better have room in your brain for more cartoons later though.” Years ago, in school, Alex had been assigned an animated film from the first few decades of computer generated imaging to analyze. Alex was enchanted by the way the lack of realism paradoxically seemed to allow clearer expression of emotion and greater creativity with what could be shown on screen. He devoured all the old animation he could get a hold of after that. He had never met anyone else actually willing to watch with him before being assigned to the Wanderer and becoming friends with Cassie. When he’d first mentioned his interest to her she had been enthusiastic about letting him show her whatever piece of ancient media he wanted to rant about next. Over time he realized she was more in it for the stories than the technical and creative choices in the animation, but they still had fun. 

“That joke will be funny on the day you no longer need me to remind you what happened in the last episode every time.”

Alex finished his sandwich and stood up from the bench set into the wall enclosing the hallway just outside the ship’s archive. “Thanks for lunch, I’ll get snacks to go with the show after our shifts. I had better get back to getting everything from last month’s footage cartographized.”

“Not a word!” Cassie yelled out as he walked off. 

“It definitely is!” Alex called back without turning around. 

Cassie sighed as Alex left. She shoved the last bite of sandwich into her mouth and wiped her hands clean with several napkins before heading back into the archive. She was also watching last month’s footage, which was what had made her so wistful. Not because it was a very interesting planet, but the opposite. It was too similar to the other inhabitable rock in this system. Taking notes on the same conditions and extremely similar flora and fauna got pretty boring after a while and it had made her wonder if a boring planet was more exciting in person. Every planet she’d experienced beyond research footage had been really interesting. Except for Earth, of course. Earth was far too tamed and familiar. 

She needed to get back to work soon, the Wanderer was heading back to known space for its annual inspection and she wanted the free time to buy some local honey from wherever they docked. Despite the bees and most of the flowers having originated from Earth, it tasted different on every planet. 

Still, it was hard to focus when Kara had taken over the large kitchen belonging to her latest lover and the food she’d prepared for breakfast smelled amazing. There was a full spread of eggs, sausage, hash browns, waffles, and fruit. Including those sweet little blue plum-things that only grew on Nova. Cassie loved those. Kara smirked as she picked one up and bit into it, chewing slowly. The juice was so rich and refreshing. 

Maybe Cassie could put off focusing on her work for just five minutes. An impulse from Carter moved her arm to turn on her nearest screen and set a timer, which was a good idea if Cassie didn’t want to slack off all day. 

She looked through Kara’s eyes at the plate on the table, deciding what to go for first.

Eggs are the worst cold and the most difficult to reheat. Carter mentioned as he continued to rewatch the newest adaptation of Hamlet as research for the revenge subplot of his next book. And because they all thought the main actor was hot, but that was just a secondary reason. Probably. 

Cassie sent an impulse to reach for the eggs with Kara’s fork. They were perfect, fluffy and cheesy and with just the right amount of salt. As she did this she set up the footage and her notes. If she actually tried to watch the footage right now she’d definitely get distracted seeing as it was so boring. Especially since Kara’s breakfast companion, Speakhive, had just poured maple syrup on their eggs. 

“Is that…” Cassie sent the impulse for Kara to ask. “Actually good?”

“Yeah,” Speakhive said. “You should try it.” They handed over the syrup. 

The thought to just dip a bite of egg directly into the syrup boat came to Silas as he awoke and stretched. Carter chuckled. Kara carefully poured a small puddle of syrup on her plate and dipped a piece of egg in. 

“I didn’t think that would mix well with the cheese,” Carter sent the impulse to say after Kara had eaten the bite of egg. “But it’s actually really good.”

Speakhive grinned. “I figured you’d enjoy that with a name like Sweet.” 

Now it was Silas’s turn to speak up. “We’re already hooking up, you don’t need to be so flirty. Especially if that’s the best you have.”

Speakhive gave a short laugh before returning their gaze to the screen they were using to scroll through news. “Oh, hey, did you hear? The quiets are actually acknowledging a hive doing something good for once. Like officially. They’re getting a medal of valor.”

“What’d they do?” Kara asked before biting into a sausage with just the right amount of grease. 

“They were on an exploratory mission and there was a huge quake. Ground opened up and someone fell. The hive was able to catch her and coordinate rescue for them both.”

Kara whistled appreciatively. “The article give a name for the hive or the ship they were based on? One of us is on an exploratory mission and we’d like to meet them if our ships ever do a dual approach.” 

“Ship is… the Advance. Hive’s name is Exo.”

“Holy shit!” The impulse actually came from both Kara and Silas at the same time. That was fairly common, they had been bonded the longest. “They’re gonna love that,” Silas continued. “This could be their ticket into the history books. Good for them.”

“You know them, then?”

“We used to date. Like five years ago,” Kara said. Thoughts of Exohive flickered through their collective without a definitive singular source. They were all remembering. 

Sweethive met Exohive before Cassie had ever even been to Nova, but she still remembered. The collective experience belonged equally to every member of the hive. The two hives had been friendly rivals for years before they dated. One day Silas and Rose Exohive had ridden the adrenaline rush from a risky snowboarding race (that Rose had won) to the soft warmth of a hotel bed. After that they fell into a pattern of dates that consisted of fierce competition and many dares. Carter and Mel had never actually met any of Exohive in person due to their distance from Silas and Kara’s house, but that wasn’t unusual. Sweethive only ever saw Rose and Carlos, but every member of each hive had made themselves known in the relationship. Cassie longed to see Exohive in person someday, the eventual end of the two hives’ relationship had been mainly a scheduling issue and they had remained amicable, and Cassie hoped that meant Exohive might agree to a friendly bar trivia competition, Cassie’s extensive knowledge of her various fields of study meant that they might actually be able to win one this time. 

“Are they holding the medal ceremony on Earth?” Cassie asked. 

“I hope not, it’d be pretty shitty to make offworlders go through Earth’s immigration system to see something this, y’know, significant to interplanetary relations. Wouldn’t put it past the quiets, though.”

“Well, if it is, we’ll get you a good recording.” Carter commented, trying to calculate how long it would take to send his best video camera to Cassie. 

“You have an Earth visa?” Speakhive exclaimed.

“... One of us used to be quiet,” Cassie admitted. “Don’t need a visa if you were born there.”

“Shit,” Speakhive whispered. 

“Please feel free to keep bashing Earth and quiets as a whole,” Cassie said sincerely. “There’s no disagreement here.” 

“Well, the point is moot. Ceremony’s not on Earth. It’s on Gemar.”

Cassie quickly looked up something on her screen. “When’s the ceremony?”

“Two weeks. Galactic Standard Friday. Mid-Morning local time.”

“We’re gonna be there!”

“Really?”

“Yeah, the ship one of us is on is getting inspected and refueled there that week. Hell, it’s a historic event and we run the archives, they might actually pay for us to go and take notes.”

“Lucky. It’d take our closest member three weeks to arrange vacation time and get to the right solar system.” 

“Our offer to send you a recording still stands. Hell, we could even stream it.” 

“Really? Great!” Speakhive’s face lit up. This member, Mitchell, was a reporter and the ceremony would be just the kind of story that got him to do his best writing. “We owe you one, really.” 

Kara raised an eyebrow seductively. “We have a few ideas about how you can pay us back.”

[rjzimmerman]

Imaginations Fly Over North Carolina’s “Fairy Circles” of Hydrogen. (Sierra Club)

Excerpt from this story from Sierra Club:

Many people are drawn to eastern North Carolina by the aroma of its legendary vinegar-based barbecue. Geoffrey Ellis admits that pulled pork was a big perk of his February trip to the region. But officially, the research geologist with the US Geological Survey had traveled south of Fayetteville in pursuit of a target with no smell at all: hydrogen gas.

While hydrogen is the most common element in the universe, it’s also 14 times lighter than air and easily escapes into space. That makes it extremely rare in Earth’s atmosphere, present at an average of just .5 parts per million. Nearly all the hydrogen used for fuel and industrial processes is made artificially, either by reacting methane gas with steam or breaking down water through electrolysis.

Yet Ellis knew that in 2012, an international research team led by the geochemist Viacheslav Zgonnik had visited North Carolina and found much higher levels of hydrogen, hundreds or thousands of parts per million, around the unusual geological features known locally as Carolina bays. These shallow, oval, often swampy depressions, the largest up to five miles across, have long intrigued geologists and the general public alike. In the US, they stretch in a sporadic band along the East Coast from the Florida-Georgia border up to New Jersey. Similar features are present all over the world, including Russia, Brazil, and Australia.

Scientists aren’t entirely sure how the bays form, Ellis says. Hypotheses include the warming of permafrost after the last ice age, the action of strong winds over many centuries, and the melting of icy fragments from exploded comets. Popular names for the features, like “fairy circles” and “witch rings,” often ascribe more supernatural origins. The elevated hydrogen readings added to the mystery, and Ellis wanted to see if North Carolina’s bays still harbored the gas a decade after Zgonnik’s measurements.

The concentrations Ellis detected were the same or even higher than before—the first evidence of long-term, naturally occurring hydrogen seepage in the United States. “The trends were very consistent,” Ellis says. “I was surprised; I expected that we would see more variability over time. To be honest, I don’t really know what that means.”

Zgonnik is less cautious in his interpretation. He sees the bays as markers of potentially massive resources trapped below the surface, just waiting to transform the world’s energy economy.  

“We’re dealing with a long-lasting flow of hydrogen,” Zgonnik asserts. “If it is long lasting, it means that we can, by installing the right system, capture this flow, harvest this hydrogen, and open the pathway for a new source of energy.”

Even a decade ago, the idea that Earth held commercially meaningful quantities of hydrogen was considered scientifically dubious at best. Those who touted hydrogen as a clean fuel—it produces only water when burned—regarded it as a secondary energy source that would have to be produced using renewable or nuclear power to avoid carbon emissions. 

But proof of concept for harvesting the gas has existed since 2012, when a village in Mali began tapping a hydrogen well to power its electricity generation. Subsequent findings in North Carolina and elsewhere have stirred a new wave of excitement about what’s now called geologic, “white,” or “gold” hydrogen. The Denver-based company Koloma recently raised $245 million in venture capital to search for geologic hydrogen, while the US Department of Energy awarded $20 million in grants toward research on the topic in February.

The technology used to extract hydrogen looks similar to that used for fossil fuels like methane gas and oil, says Zgonnik, whose company Natural Hydrogen Energy LLC drilled America’s first exploratory well in Nebraska. Unlike the limited deposits of those resources, however, he believes that geologic hydrogen represents a continuous flow. “Solar energy is the flux of photons from the sun. Wind energy is the flux of the air,” he says. “In our case, we are dealing with the flux of hydrogen from the depths, which I believe will be a significant contributor to the renewable energy mix.”

[warningsine]

For more than 20 years, researchers have known that areas of birds' brains dedicated to singing show neural patterns during sleep akin to the ones they use while awake and singing.

Since the "code" behind how this information gets processed is unknown, it hasn't been possible to map a pattern of nocturnal activity to song, until now.

Writing in the journal Chaos, a team of researchers from the University of Buenos Aires reports a method to translate the vocal muscle activity of birds during sleep into synthetic songs.

"Dreams are one of the most intimate and elusive parts of our existence," said author Gabriel Mindlin, who specializes in exploring the physical mechanisms of birdsong. "Knowing that we share this with such a distant species is very moving. And the possibility of entering the mind of a dreaming bird—listening to how that dream sounds—is a temptation impossible to resist."

A few years ago, Mindlin and colleagues discovered that these patterns of neuronal activity descend to the syringeal muscles—a bird's vocal apparatus. They can capture sleep birds' muscular activity data via recording electrodes, called electromyography (EMG), and then use a dynamical systems model to translate it into synthetic songs.

"During the past 20 years, I've worked on the physics of birdsong and how to translate muscular information into song," said Mindlin. "In this way, we can use the muscle activity patterns as time-dependent parameters of a model of birdsong production and synthesize the corresponding song."

Many bird species have complex musculature, so translating syringeal activity into song is a bit of a challenge.

"For this initial work, we chose the Great Kiskadee, a member of the flycatcher family and a species for which we'd recently discovered its physical mechanisms of singing, and presented some simplifications," said Mindlin. "In other words, we chose a species for which the first step in this program was viable."

Hearing the sounds emerge from the data of a bird dreaming about a territorial confrontation with a raised crest of feathers—a gesture that during the day is associated with a trill used in confrontations—was incredibly moving for Mindlin.

"I felt great empathy imagining that solitary bird recreating a territorial dispute in its dream," he said. "We have more in common with other species than we usually recognize."

The team's study presents biophysics as a new exploratory tool capable of opening the door for the quantitative study of dreams.

"We're interested in using these syntheses, which can be implemented in real-time, to interact with a bird while it dreams," said Mindlin. "And for species that learn, to address questions about the role of sleep during learning."

[iviarellereads]

Nona the Ninth, Guest List and John 20:8

(Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For detail on The Locked Tomb coverage and the index, read this one! Like what you see? Send me a Ko-Fi.)

No chapter icon for either, but both have lots to talk about.

Dramatis Personae Guest List, as dictated by Nona and transcribed by "C. Hect"(1)

Dogs. Nona LOVES dogs. She wants all the dogs she knows at her party. She also wants all the members of the gang there, with all their unfamiliar names. There's also a teacher she calls The Angel she'd like to invite.

The Blood of Eden members are where this list starts to get interesting. "Crown Him with Many Crowns"(2) is shot down by Cam in notes, and "the Captain"(3) is "Not possible". Cell/Wing Commander We Suffer and We Suffer(4) is another flat no from Cam.

And of course, Nona's three guardians.

This is followed by the Houses poem, once more, in full.(5) Then, a new poem. Without saying anything too specific, I'd just suggest coming back to this every once in a while in the book. Since hopefully you've already read the John prologue-introduction before reading my notes, you might have an idea of why this might continue to be important throughout. Still, in a surface-level interpretation, it's a poem from someone being asked to sleep a while and leave another person to their revenge quest. This may sound familiar. Alecto and John, of course.

You held aloft the sword. I still love y

Then, onward, into John 20:8(6) which I think it's fair to assume is John and... well, if the last line is right, Harrowhark.

In the dream, he told her the words about where he took his degrees, his postdoc, his research fellowship. They were his noise and not really for consumption. More like meditation; like even his mouth knew the pointlessness of it, and just wanted to recite. Dilworth. Otago. Auckland. Overseas to Corpus. (She likes the word corpus; it sounds nice and fat.) Then another year abroad, where he got the grant and met the men who would make things happen. Special pleading with the New Zealand government and Asia-Pacific Environmental, at his suggestion, then back to the facility outside Greytown. They mocked it up to look like a freezing works. We all thought that was funny, he said.

He said: We just wanted to save you. You were so sick.(7)

Early on, the team was just A- and M-.(8) M- as a medical professional, A- "because he was the glycerol-6 genius." He also handles the shareholders for John, who still hates meetings.

C-(9) was brought in by the executives of the funding, as oversight, but she was on their side within a year.

Until the last year, there was every sign that the funders would see the project through. John wanted to be sure no one of the eleven billion was left behind.(10) When the funders started constructing other ships, John was told it was nothing, just some exploratory stuff. He even loaned them G-(11) for his expertise. M- didn't like it, but John said she shouldn't get too paranoid. This is how everyone can get out, and the trillionaires will go where the real exit is.

When the funders call to say the project has been cancelled, M- reminds him of this statement.

The two are sitting on a beach, with a fire he made from driftwood. The ash still falls, and makes them sick for a little while.

Anything that hurt them only ever hurt them for a little while.

She's sitting next to a pile of meat, for when they get hungry, which always happens at the same time.(11)

John continues that the worst part is that M- and A- cried in each other's arms, they were so scared, and John couldn't do anything about it.

He and she sit in the quiet for a while.

She prompted: So what did you do? He said: A damned thing, didn’t I. She said: When is the part where you hurt me?(12) He said: Soon. It’s coming up. She said: I still love you. And in the dream he rubbed his temple with his thumb and said: “You always say that, Harrowhark.”(13)

=====

(1) Camilla, naturally. (2) A hymn from 1851. Expect a lot of this sort of name. (3) Funny that the Captain has no other given name, no song or poem fragment. Even We Suffer gets a partial name. Do we know a captain with no historical document linked name in the BOE? (Sort of… if you squint and think Judith might have gone over after we last saw her in HtN) This also might recontextualize Crown's name if you think about it. (4) "We Suffer and We Suffer", now that we have a little more of the name we first learned in As Yet Unsent to contextualize, is a quote from Agamemnon, a play by Aeschylus from about 458 BCE. In a slightly fuller context, it's a line about how it is impossible to know the future, we must suffer the present and learn what's to come when it's time for it to happen. How very fitting of such an enigmatic character so far. (5) I also feel it's worth noting, this time, how the Lyctors are split into a trinary. His Lyctors, his Saints, his Hands. We saw them use all three in HtN. (6) Positioning this as a Bible verse is pretty clever of Muir. Since she's shown a preference for the DRB translation, here's John 20:8 "Then that other disciple also went in, who came first to the sepulchre: and he saw, and believed." However, it's also important to note that the numbers on this chapter can correspond to letters: TH. I think the duality is important. If this is your first read, I do not recommend looking at the table of contents in the ebook until the end. I'll keep you up on what all these chapter numbers are indicating as we get to them, promise. (7) Save who? Harrowhark? He couldn't have known her back then. And why would a cryogenic facility save anyone? (8) Augustine and Mercymorn? They were the first two to serve, and Mercy does have medical aptitude as we know her later/in the present. Only, why would John be using initials for his friends? (9) From context, Cassiopeia, founder of the Sixth, would have had the book-smarts for this, and was the Fourth Saint which tracks with being brought in earlyish in whatever this project is, though none of this project tracks with what we were told of the origins of the Nine Houses. (10) G1deon? Likely, as again, Third Saint. (11) It's a dream, so you shouldn't need to get hungry, but dream logic can also depend on what you expect to happen. Simultaneous hunger suggests a deeper link between these two people though. (12) How did John hurt whoever he was trying to save? (13) And here, now, why would Harrow be in a dream with John, how could she have been the one he saved? Or is something odd about this dream, too...

[agentnico]

Meg 2: The Trench (2023) Review

Yep, they made a second one.

Plot: Jonas Taylor leads a research team on an exploratory dive into the deepest depths of the ocean. Their voyage spirals into chaos when a malevolent mining operation threatens their mission and forces them into a high-stakes battle for survival. Pitted against colossal, prehistoric sharks and relentless environmental plunderers, they must outrun, outsmart and outswim their merciless predators.

I was not a big fan of the first Meg movie. It did the typical Hollywood monster movie cliche of focusing too much on the human characters that nobody cared about, and too little on the big shark munching on people. Look, no one is expecting an Oscar-worthy motion picture here. We just want a fun silly summer blockbuster that features bonified action star Jason Statham battling a massive shark and somehow having an actual fighting chance due to nonsensical physics and because Statham is a badass who could fight a minotaur if he had to. With The Meg 2, though I didn't have high hopes, I was still interested as this one is directed by Ben Wheatley who has managed to build quite a strong little filmography in the British indie market, from the highly entertaining warehouse shooter Free Fire to the hallucinogenic A Field In England to challenging the status quo of the class system in High-Rise. As a director, Wheatley evidently enjoys sequestering violent, shortsighted characters in cloistered environments and watching how they claw at each other's throats. So even though at first I scratched my head at Wheatley tackling The Meg sequel, I soon realised that it made perfect sense. A bunch of characters that are ready to be chomped and eaten by a massive shark? Wait, may Ben Wheatley be the answer to that simple request we as movie fans are asking - Statham VS Shark?

Having seen The Meg 2: The Trench I am happy to confirm that it is a better film than its predecessor. However, it is not a good movie. More so the first 2/3 of the movie is a generic underwater survival movie that very much exists to fill up the runtime, but it is frustrating as there are hardly any megalodons in this first 2/3 of the movie. I mean they are there, but they mostly just do a lot of swimming and staring. Lots and lots of swimming, and lots and lots of staring. However coming to the last third of The Meg 2 and it becomes this entirely different beast that is this crazy mad load of bonkers featuring prehistoric sea creatures attacking this beach island, and it is silly, ludicrous and ridiculous and is exactly what I wanted. Heck, there's even a Kraken in this movie! A fricking Kraken!! And most importantly, we get Statham VS Sharks (plural)!! That last 40 or so minutes are super entertaining, and even all the cast become more lively and enjoyable to watch as they run about doing various survival shenanigans. If only that final third was actually the entire movie. All the stuff in the beginning is so unnecessary and in fact, the set-up for all the beach stuff could have been summed up in 5 minutes.

Jason Statham very much is here to cash in a paycheck, but dammit does this man have that badass charm and charisma that he easily carries the cast of this movie alongside Wu Jing, who in a way is the other main character that is there to target the Chinese audience market. Both Statham and Jing and fun to watch, and they both have plenty of opportunities to kick butt. There was also this guy called DJ (played by Page Kennedy) and he was actually hilarious. His one-liners were funny and the ongoing gag with his little survival backpack was actually really entertaining. Again though, this DJ character is in the movie from the start, but he doesn't really show off his true colours until later in the movie when all the boring trench stuff is done with.

Overall I enjoyed The Meg 2 more than I expected, but that enjoyment primarily came from the last part of the movie, where the movie finally embraces what it was selling to us in the trailers. Also, this now makes me wonder with all the massive sea monsters at the end of this movie, are we leading up to the inevitable crossovers of Megalodon VS Godzilla VS Kong? Look, all of those are owned by Warner Bros, so it's surely only a matter of time. As for The Meg 2: The Trench, it's a forgettable yet partially enjoyable summer blockbuster, yet the one thing I won't forget is Jason Statham muttering in his grizzly voice "it's a deviated septum".

Overall score: 5/10

[darkisnotevil]

This is going to have long-term negative effects that are both huge and subtle.

Science and medicine are, as fields, generally slow. Which is a good thing! Moving too quickly in medical development means that you discover problems in the form of patients dying. But it also means that current research is a long game- you’ll be lucky to get a payout in 10 years, and it’s more likely to be 15-30, IF you get a payout at all.

This means that academia, and federal funding, is VITAL to maintaining the treatment development pipeline. A lot of research is what we call ‘negative results’ which is where we say “hey, we extensively studied this gene/protein/technique and discovered it’s non-disease causing/it’s undruggable/it doesn’t work”. This, coupled with the long development time, means that exploratory work is is simply not compatible with running a business, which means that academia and federally-funded nonprofits are the best way to produce a large body of work. Businesses later pull from this work- even the negative results- to determine where to focus their efforts, and ultimately get treatments into a clinic.

Scrolling down the infographic, my eye was caught by the RAS initiative. Thanks to that initiative, the RAS/RAF pathway is now VERY well-understood, a new cancer drug was approved in 2022, and there are DOZENS more programs targeting the RAS/RAF pathway in development in multiple pharma companies.

The general public won’t see the results of losing Moonshot funding for a while. The first people to feel it will be academia and nonprofit research orgs. The work will slow down, because those labs won’t have the funding anymore. And 5, 10, 15 years from now, when big pharma is looking for new targets, there’s going to be less information available, which means there will be fewer safe targets, which means fewer therapies will be developed and more patient populations will continue to be undertreated or even totally untreated.

To refuse to fund the health of the nation in order to snub the sitting president is hateful in the extreme and demonstrates a small-mindedness that is, in my opinion, incompatible with responsibly governing a nation.

[aarushinagarr]

Week 12: Compulsory Question 2

In week 10, we were required to come up with an artistic vision statement. We were given guiding questions that helped us form this statement. 

My design strength is making graphics and posters. I like to experiment with visuals and type in accompaniment with each other. I also like exploring different design styles like Art Deco, Art Nouveau, and integrating indian patterns to them. In 5 years, I would have finished my degree - preferably in europe and hopefully be gaining experiences at a company/startup aligned to design and my preferences. Moreover, I would keep doing personal projects and exploring freelance. In order to achieve this, the main step I would like to take is to put myself out there. I’d like to do this by participating in school activities and also researching different future prospects to ensure my dreams. 

Then, we were required to find our design inspirations and relate them to our projects. 

My main inspiration is Ramisha Sattar. She is the creative director for the popstar Chappel Roan and has a very similar style to what I would like to achieve in the future. 

Sattar uses inspiration from culture as well as makes bold statements in favour of the LGBTQ community. Her works focus on the feminization of things and has a very unique style to her work. 

I also draw inspiration from reading fantasy books. Reading and writing has always been close to my heart as it has helped my imagination tremendously grow. I often add aspects from my writings to my design whether it be with the text or the overall feel of the project. 

A project that I am working on is called ‘Epiphanies’ - a booklet that complies my passion for creative writing with clean designs and layouts. I feel like this project is a step towards my artistic vision. Firstly, this is for the print fair which is my first time ever dislplaying or selling my art. They also are aligned with my strengths and personal preferences. 

Through Epiphanies I want to provide a sense of relatability with a mix of surrealism. Essentially - something that feels beautiful on the surface but has layers of depth to its meaning. I have used imagery, and symbolism to create an unreliable narrator that is often haunted by her thoughts.

On our trip to the National Gallery Singapore, I felt drawn to various art pieces around the exhibitions. One that stood out to me however, was ‘Man and Environment’ by Chng Seok Tin 

Born in 1946, Chng Seok Tin graduated from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 1972. ‘Man and His Environment’ is a mixed media piece. The theme of man, society and the environment has been a recurrent one with Chng. This particular work, however, is an exploratory piece for Chng and is the culmination of her experiments of manipulating different materials such as paint, fabric, paper pulp and plaster to produce textures, reliefs and painterly qualities.

WORD COUNT: 492

National Heritage Board. Batik Skirtcloth with Semen Tree Motif (Sarong), Roots.gov.sg, www.roots.gov.sg/Collection-Landing/listing/1034838. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.

[sunaleisocial]

Study: Rocks from Mars’ Jezero Crater, which likely predate life on Earth, contain signs of water

New Post has been published on https://sunalei.org/news/study-rocks-from-mars-jezero-crater-which-likely-predate-life-on-earth-contain-signs-of-water/

Study: Rocks from Mars’ Jezero Crater, which likely predate life on Earth, contain signs of water

In a new study appearing today in the journal AGU Advances, scientists at MIT and NASA report that seven rock samples collected along the “fan front” of Mars’ Jezero Crater contain minerals that are typically formed in water. The findings suggest that the rocks were originally deposited by water, or may have formed in the presence of water.

The seven samples were collected by NASA’s Perseverance rover in 2022 during its exploration of the crater’s western slope, where some rocks were hypothesized to have formed in what is now a dried-up ancient lake. Members of the Perseverance science team, including MIT scientists, have studied the rover’s images and chemical analyses of the samples, and confirmed that the rocks indeed contain signs of water, and that the crater was likely once a watery, habitable environment.

Whether the crater was actually inhabited is yet unknown. The team found that the presence of organic matter — the starting material for life — cannot be confirmed, at least based on the rover’s measurements. But judging from the rocks’ mineral content, scientists believe the samples are their best chance of finding signs of ancient Martian life once the rocks are returned to Earth for more detailed analysis.

“These rocks confirm the presence, at least temporarily, of habitable environments on Mars,” says the study’s lead author, Tanja Bosak, professor of geobiology in MIT’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (EAPS). “What we’ve found is that indeed there was a lot of water activity. For how long, we don’t know, but certainly for long enough to create these big sedimentary deposits.”

What’s more, some of the collected samples may have originally been deposited in the ancient lake more than 3.5 billion years ago — before even the first signs of life on Earth.

“These are the oldest rocks that may have been deposited by water, that we’ve ever laid hands or rover arms on,” says co-author Benjamin Weiss, the Robert R. Shrock Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at MIT. “That’s exciting, because it means these are the most promising rocks that may have preserved fossils, and signatures of life.”

The study’s MIT co-authors include postdoc Eva Scheller, and research scientist Elias Mansbach, along with members of the Perseverance science team.

At the front

NASA’s Perseverance rover collected rock samples from two locations seen in this image of Mars’ Jezero Crater: “Wildcat Ridge” (lower left) and “Skinner Ridge” (upper right).

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

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The new rock samples were collected in 2022 as part of the rover’s Fan Front Campaign — an exploratory phase during which Perseverance traversed Jezero Crater’s western slope, where a fan-like region contains sedimentary, layered rocks. Scientists suspect that this “fan front” is an ancient delta that was created by sediment that flowed with a river and settled into a now bone-dry lakebed. If life existed on Mars, scientists believe that it could be preserved in the layers of sediment along the fan front.

In the end, Perseverance collected seven samples from various locations along the fan front. The rover obtained each sample by drilling into the Martian bedrock and extracting a pencil-sized core, which it then sealed in a tube to one day be retrieved and returned to Earth for detailed analysis.

Composed of multiple images from NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover, this mosaic shows a rocky outcrop called “Wildcat Ridge,” where the rover extracted two rock cores and abraded a circular patch to investigate the rock’s composition.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

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Prior to extracting the cores, the rover took images of the surrounding sediments at each of the seven locations. The science team then processed the imaging data to estimate a sediment’s average grain size and mineral composition. This analysis showed that all seven collected samples likely contain signs of water, suggesting that they were initially deposited by water.

Specifically, Bosak and her colleagues found evidence of certain minerals in the sediments that are known to precipitate out of water.

“We found lots of minerals like carbonates, which are what make reefs on Earth,” Bosak says. “And it’s really an ideal material that can preserve fossils of microbial life.”

Interestingly, the researchers also identified sulfates in some samples that were collected at the base of the fan front. Sulfates are minerals that form in very salty water — another sign that water was present in the crater at one time — though very salty water, Bosak notes, “is not necessarily the best thing for life.” If the entire crater was once filled with very salty water, then it would be difficult for any form of life to thrive. But if only the bottom of the lake were briny, that could be an advantage, at least for preserving any signs of life that may have lived further up, in less salty layers, that eventually died and drifted down to the bottom.

“However salty it was, if there were any organics present, it’s like pickling something in salt,” Bosak says. “If there was life that fell into the salty layer, it would be very well-preserved.”

Fuzzy fingerprints

But the team emphasizes that organic matter has not been confidently detected by the rover’s instruments. Organic matter can be signs of life, but can also be produced by certain geological processes that have nothing to do with living matter. Perseverance’s predecessor, the Curiosity rover, had detected organic matter throughout Mars’ Gale Crater, which scientists suspect may have come from asteroids that made impact with Mars in the past.

And in a previous campaign, Perseverance detected what appeared to be organic molecules at multiple locations along Jezero Crater’s floor. These observations were taken by the rover’s Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals (SHERLOC) instrument, which uses ultraviolet light to scan the Martian surface. If organics are present, they can glow, similar to material under a blacklight. The wavelengths at which the material glows act as a sort of fingerprint for the kind of organic molecules that are present.

In Perseverance’s previous exploration of the crater floor, SHERLOC appeared to pick up signs of organic molecules throughout the region, and later, at some locations along the fan front. But a careful analysis, led by MIT’s Eva Scheller, has found that while the particular wavelengths observed could be signs of organic matter, they could just as well be signatures of substances that have nothing to do with organic matter.

“It turns out that cerium metals incorporated in minerals actually produce very similar signals as the organic matter,” Scheller says. “When investigated, the potential organic signals were strongly correlated with phosphate minerals, which always contain some cerium.”

Scheller’s work shows that the rover’s measurements cannot be interpreted definitively as organic matter.

“This is not bad news,” Bosak says. “It just tells us there is not very abundant organic matter. It’s still possible that it’s there. It’s just below the rover’s detection limit.”

When the collected samples are finally sent back to Earth, Bosak says laboratory instruments will have more than enough sensitivity to detect any organic matter that might lie within.

“On Earth, once we have microscopes with nanometer-scale resolution, and various types of instruments that we cannot staff on one rover, then we can actually attempt to look for life,” she says.

This work was supported, in part, by NASA.

[jcmarchi]

Study: Rocks from Mars’ Jezero Crater, which likely predate life on Earth, contain signs of water

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/study-rocks-from-mars-jezero-crater-which-likely-predate-life-on-earth-contain-signs-of-water/

Study: Rocks from Mars’ Jezero Crater, which likely predate life on Earth, contain signs of water

In a new study appearing today in the journal AGU Advances, scientists at MIT and NASA report that seven rock samples collected along the “fan front” of Mars’ Jezero Crater contain minerals that are typically formed in water. The findings suggest that the rocks were originally deposited by water, or may have formed in the presence of water.

The seven samples were collected by NASA’s Perseverance rover in 2022 during its exploration of the crater’s western slope, where some rocks were hypothesized to have formed in what is now a dried-up ancient lake. Members of the Perseverance science team, including MIT scientists, have studied the rover’s images and chemical analyses of the samples, and confirmed that the rocks indeed contain signs of water, and that the crater was likely once a watery, habitable environment.

Whether the crater was actually inhabited is yet unknown. The team found that the presence of organic matter — the starting material for life — cannot be confirmed, at least based on the rover’s measurements. But judging from the rocks’ mineral content, scientists believe the samples are their best chance of finding signs of ancient Martian life once the rocks are returned to Earth for more detailed analysis.

“These rocks confirm the presence, at least temporarily, of habitable environments on Mars,” says the study’s lead author, Tanja Bosak, professor of geobiology in MIT’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (EAPS). “What we’ve found is that indeed there was a lot of water activity. For how long, we don’t know, but certainly for long enough to create these big sedimentary deposits.”

What’s more, some of the collected samples may have originally been deposited in the ancient lake more than 3.5 billion years ago — before even the first signs of life on Earth.

“These are the oldest rocks that may have been deposited by water, that we’ve ever laid hands or rover arms on,” says co-author Benjamin Weiss, the Robert R. Shrock Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at MIT. “That’s exciting, because it means these are the most promising rocks that may have preserved fossils, and signatures of life.”

The study’s MIT co-authors include postdoc Eva Scheller, and research scientist Elias Mansbach, along with members of the Perseverance science team.

At the front

NASA’s Perseverance rover collected rock samples from two locations seen in this image of Mars’ Jezero Crater: “Wildcat Ridge” (lower left) and “Skinner Ridge” (upper right).

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

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The new rock samples were collected in 2022 as part of the rover’s Fan Front Campaign — an exploratory phase during which Perseverance traversed Jezero Crater’s western slope, where a fan-like region contains sedimentary, layered rocks. Scientists suspect that this “fan front” is an ancient delta that was created by sediment that flowed with a river and settled into a now bone-dry lakebed. If life existed on Mars, scientists believe that it could be preserved in the layers of sediment along the fan front.

In the end, Perseverance collected seven samples from various locations along the fan front. The rover obtained each sample by drilling into the Martian bedrock and extracting a pencil-sized core, which it then sealed in a tube to one day be retrieved and returned to Earth for detailed analysis.

Composed of multiple images from NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover, this mosaic shows a rocky outcrop called “Wildcat Ridge,” where the rover extracted two rock cores and abraded a circular patch to investigate the rock’s composition.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

Previous item Next item

Prior to extracting the cores, the rover took images of the surrounding sediments at each of the seven locations. The science team then processed the imaging data to estimate a sediment’s average grain size and mineral composition. This analysis showed that all seven collected samples likely contain signs of water, suggesting that they were initially deposited by water.

Specifically, Bosak and her colleagues found evidence of certain minerals in the sediments that are known to precipitate out of water.

“We found lots of minerals like carbonates, which are what make reefs on Earth,” Bosak says. “And it’s really an ideal material that can preserve fossils of microbial life.”

Interestingly, the researchers also identified sulfates in some samples that were collected at the base of the fan front. Sulfates are minerals that form in very salty water — another sign that water was present in the crater at one time — though very salty water, Bosak notes, “is not necessarily the best thing for life.” If the entire crater was once filled with very salty water, then it would be difficult for any form of life to thrive. But if only the bottom of the lake were briny, that could be an advantage, at least for preserving any signs of life that may have lived further up, in less salty layers, that eventually died and drifted down to the bottom.

“However salty it was, if there were any organics present, it’s like pickling something in salt,” Bosak says. “If there was life that fell into the salty layer, it would be very well-preserved.”

Fuzzy fingerprints

But the team emphasizes that organic matter has not been confidently detected by the rover’s instruments. Organic matter can be signs of life, but can also be produced by certain geological processes that have nothing to do with living matter. Perseverance’s predecessor, the Curiosity rover, had detected organic matter throughout Mars’ Gale Crater, which scientists suspect may have come from asteroids that made impact with Mars in the past.

And in a previous campaign, Perseverance detected what appeared to be organic molecules at multiple locations along Jezero Crater’s floor. These observations were taken by the rover’s Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals (SHERLOC) instrument, which uses ultraviolet light to scan the Martian surface. If organics are present, they can glow, similar to material under a blacklight. The wavelengths at which the material glows act as a sort of fingerprint for the kind of organic molecules that are present.

In Perseverance’s previous exploration of the crater floor, SHERLOC appeared to pick up signs of organic molecules throughout the region, and later, at some locations along the fan front. But a careful analysis, led by MIT’s Eva Scheller, has found that while the particular wavelengths observed could be signs of organic matter, they could just as well be signatures of substances that have nothing to do with organic matter.

“It turns out that cerium metals incorporated in minerals actually produce very similar signals as the organic matter,” Scheller says. “When investigated, the potential organic signals were strongly correlated with phosphate minerals, which always contain some cerium.”

Scheller’s work shows that the rover’s measurements cannot be interpreted definitively as organic matter.

“This is not bad news,” Bosak says. “It just tells us there is not very abundant organic matter. It’s still possible that it’s there. It’s just below the rover’s detection limit.”

When the collected samples are finally sent back to Earth, Bosak says laboratory instruments will have more than enough sensitivity to detect any organic matter that might lie within.

“On Earth, once we have microscopes with nanometer-scale resolution, and various types of instruments that we cannot staff on one rover, then we can actually attempt to look for life,” she says.

This work was supported, in part, by NASA.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Paul Garcia-Ryan

Published: Apr 18, 2024

Paul Garcia-Ryan is the board president of Therapy First.

A comprehensive review commissioned by England’s National Health Service, released last week, found that gender transition medical treatment for children and young people has been built on “shaky foundations,” with “remarkably weak” evidence. The independent study — led by physician Hilary Cass, the former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health — incorporates multiple systematic reviews “to provide the best available collation of published evidence,” as well as interviews with clinicians, parents and young people, in reaching its conclusions.

Referring to young people who have already been treated under these dubious circumstances, such as those at the Tavistock Centre’s now-closed Gender Identity Development Service, Cass wrote, “They deserve very much better.”

In the wake of the Cass Review’s release — which has rocked the British medical and media establishment, and might soon reverberate in the United States — many are asking how we got here. How did clinicians come to recommend the use of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to thousands of children and adolescents when there was insufficient evidence that these treatments were safe and effective?

Part of the reason is that “the toxicity of the debate is exceptional,” as Cass notes in her foreword: “There are few other areas of healthcare where professionals are so afraid to openly discuss their views, where people are vilified on social media, and where name-calling echoes the worst bullying behaviour. This must stop.”

I know all too well how the absence of good-faith, healthy debate on this subject can affect clinicians and patients. When I was 15, a therapist affirmed my conviction that I was born in the wrong body. After more than a decade of hormonal and surgical interventions, I detransitioned at age 30. I had come to realize that my transition was motivated by my difficulty reconciling with being gay. Today, I am a licensed clinical social worker and board president of Therapy First, formerly the Gender Exploratory Therapy Association, a nonprofit organization that advocates psychotherapy as a first-line treatment for youth gender dysphoria.

Usually in psychotherapy, treatment approaches are refined and improved by vigorous discussion, research and dissemination of new information. When it comes to youth gender treatments, though, professionals who raise concerns have been censored and subjected to reputational damage, threats to their license and doxing. As a result, countless gender nonconforming young people have been badly served.

Therapy First has been the target of silencing and intimidation efforts. Now with a professional membership of more than 300 clinicians based in 36 states and 14 countries, we are joined in our concern regarding the quality of mental health care provided to gender dysphoric youth. Even though the organization is apolitical and non-religious, with many of our members being LGBT, we have been falsely linked to the religious right. Despite being strongly opposed to conversion therapy, or trying to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity, we have been accused of practicing it.

What I’ve learned is that therapists who cite the poor quality of evidence in support of medical interventions for youth gender dysphoria, or who advocate traditional principles of psychotherapy in this area, are likely to be vilified — sometimes by fellow clinicians. Last week alone, eight complaints were filed against one of our members’ licenses by other therapists for simply posting, on a professional Listserv, the link to one of our organization’s webinars, on trauma-informed mind-body practices.

An activist website has labeled our therapists as part of the “global anti-transgender movement” and listed details from their personal lives, including the names of their children and other family members. Last month in London, the Telegraph reported, a medical conference that explored evidence and heard from seasoned therapists and doctors regarding the treatment of gender dysphoria was interrupted by masked protesters who set off a smoke bomb and attempted to force their way into the building.

In addition to worrying about activists outside the consulting room, therapists apparently must now also be concerned about whether their patients are wielding hidden cameras. This month, an undercover video recording of a therapy session was posted online, presenting the clinician as a practitioner of conversion therapy, yet the would-be video sting merely revealed a clinician engaged in normal therapeutic exploration. In the current climate, any therapeutic response other than immediate affirmation is considered transphobic.

It isn’t right that professionals must risk their livelihood and reputation to help young people struggling with gender dysphoria. If the culture of bullying persists, I fear that fewer clinicians with a developmental approach will be inclined to keep working with this population. These young people will be left with clinicians who aren’t following the science, many with good intentions, but others who might behave more like activists than mental health professionals.

The Cass Review made clear that the evidence supporting medical interventions in youth gender dysphoria is utterly insufficient, and that alternative approaches, such as psychotherapy, need to be encouraged. Only then will gender-questioning youth be able to get the help they need to navigate their distress.

[ Via: https://archive.today/83ZJa ]

[chanelartplus]

ART +

ART is intrinsically interdisciplinary; we all do research in other fields that inform our artmaking.

Art, by its nature, draws its subject matter and its compositional elements from a multiplicity determined by the individual artist. This means that you can inhabit anything that you desire that will meet the needs of the art object that you are attempting to manifest.

This can lead us into unusual places, far from the world of what has come before, into the outlands of all kinds of activity.  As Artists, we often engage in what is called Practice-based research: this is research that is exploratory, often open-ended, engaging in creative processes in the studio. By the same token, it could be highly specific and organised towards a particular technique of making.