#First Global Visa

[sandsofdteam-moved]

the dteam’s story sounds like an outlandish fic idea and yet every time more details get added it doesn’t get more normal it gets more absurd

[devsgames]

I'm sorry but for people who cheer on mass game industry layoffs because they think it's some kind of upheaval that is going to "topple the AAA industry" or "teach them a lesson": I hate to break it to you but AAA studios have a metric shitload of money and despite what their press releases say, they really aren't hurting as much as they'd have you think right now. Thousands of jobs lost is a temporary setback to them; if it was actually a last resort move they wouldn't have all simultaneously put themselves in a position where they had to do it in the first place. These studios have been around for decades and will continue to be around, and they will continue to operate just as they have for the last thirty years because they have huge vaults and no morals. They aren't learning a lesson from this because most of them saw it coming but would never admit that.

Know who is being permanently impacted by games layoffs?

It's the indie studio making sick ass games you'll never get to play because they laid everyone off when a publisher tried to save money by pulling all their funding. The hundreds of workers who woke up one morning and found out they suddenly have no job to put food on the table for their children. The international workers who were let go from the job that supplies their visa that helps them stay in the country. The thousands of students who now have to compete over a pool of a dozen job openings, who will work in studios where all the senior staff and leadership who would normally be there to help mentor them into their roles were fired. The disabled workers who now no longer have health or insurance coverage for their survival. The workers who didn't get laid off but survived to see all their friends and coworkers lose their livelihoods for completely arbitrary reasons and whose morale has all but been completely obliterated. The workers in the Global South working for outsourcing companies who were relying on cancelled projects from AAA studios to put food on their tables.

So whenever you're inclined to assume that the suffering of workers is somehow teaching rich people a lesson, remember that no, it doesn't actually and almost never will. All it does is teach thousands of talented workers in the video game industry that games were never - and will never - be worth it.

[orchres]

Hey friends! Sharing a pretty urgent fundraiser for myself. I have been invited to some really cool residency in Europe and have been raising funds all week to cover the costs of the residency and visa fees. So far I'm up to 178 dollars out of 300 yay! which may seem like nothing but I live in a country in East Africa and at present we are under economic assault in the name of IMF "structural adjustments" and my community has still rallied around me to support. It honestly is so heartwarming 😭💗 Anyway I would love any assistance at all to raise the remaining 122. I need to pay the first deposit on or before September 1st this coming Sunday (and they sent my invitation letter w this info on Monday btw!!) or they'll give away my place so time is not on my side. I have many complaints about this whole state of affairs and all the assumptions made but this is also just the reality of being an artist from the global south lol I'll be mad about it when I know for sure I can attend. Thank you so much!

0/122

[batboyblog]

Things Biden and the Democrats did, this week #23

June 14-21 2024.

On the 12th anniversary of President Obama's DACA program President Biden announced a new pathway to legal status and eventual citizenship for Dreamers. DACA was an executive action by President Obama which deferred any deportation of persons brought to the US as children without legal status. While DACA allowed Dreamers to work legally in the US for the first time, it didn't give them permanent legal status. Now the Biden administration is streamlining the process for employers to apply for work Visas for Dreamers. With Visas Dreamers will for the first time have legal status, the ability to leave and reenter the US legally, and a pathway to a Green Card and eventual citizenship.

President Biden also announced protections for the undocumented spouses and children of US citizens. The new rule allows the spouse, or step-child of a US citizen to apply for lawful permanent residency without having to leaving the country. It's estimated this will help 500,000 undocumented people married to Americans, and 50,000 children under the age of 21 whose parent is married to an American citizen. Current law forces spouses to leave the United States if they're here illegally and wait and unclear period of probation before being allowed to return, but being allowed back is not assured.

The IRS announced that it'll close a tax loophole used by the ultra rich and corporations and believes it'll raise $50 billion in revenue. Known as a "pass-through" has allowed the rich to move money around to avoid taxes in a move the Treasury is calling a shell-game. Pass-throughs have grown by 70% between 2010 and 2019 and the IRS believes it helped the rich avoid paying $160 billion dollars in taxes during that time. The IRS estimates its crack down on these will raise $50 billion in tax revenue over the next 10 years.

The EPA and Department of Energy announced $850 million to monitor, measure, quantify and reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector. Methane is the second most common greenhouse gas, responsible for 1/3rd of the global warming. The funding will focus on helping small operators significantly reduce emissions, as well as help more quickly detect and cap methane leaks from low-producing wells. All this comes after the EPA finalized rules to reduce methane emissions by 80% from oil and gas.

The Biden Administration took steps to protect the nations Old Growth Forests. The move will greatly restrict any logging against the 41 million acres of protected land owned by the federal government. The Administration also touted the 20% of America's forests that are in urban settings as parks and the $1.4 billion invested in their protection through the President’s Investing in America agenda.

The Biden Administration released new rules tying government support for clean energy to good paying jobs. If companies want to qualify for massive tax credits they'll have to offer higher wages and better conditions. This move will push union level wages across the green energy sector.

The Department of Education announced large reductions in student loan payments, and even a pause for some, starting in July. For millions of Americans enrolled in the Biden Administration's SAVE plan, starting in July, monthly payments on loans borrowed for undergraduate will be reduced from 10% to 5% of discretionary income. As the department hasn't been able to fully calculate the change for all borrowers at this point it will pause payment for those it hasn't finalized the formula for and they won't have to make a payment till DoE figures it out. The SAVE plan allows many borrowers to make payments as low as $0 a month toward having their loans forgiven. So far the Biden Administration has forgiven $5.5 billion wiping out the debt of 414,000 people enrolled in SAVE.

The Biden Administration celebrated the 1 Millionth pension protected under the American Rescue Plan. Senator Bob Casey joined Biden Administration officials and Union official to announce that thanks to the Butch Lewis Act passed in 2021 the government would be stepping in to secure the pensions of 103,000 Bakery and Confectionery Union workers which were facing a devastating 45% cut. This brings to 1 million the number of workers and retirees whose pensions have been secured by the Biden Administration, which has supported 83 different pension funds protecting them from an average of 37% cut.

The Department of Energy announced $900 million for the next generation of nuclear power. This investment in Gen III+ Small Modular Reactor will help bring about smaller and more flexible nuclear reactors with smaller footprints. Congress also passed a bill meant to streamline nuclear power and help push on to the 4th generation of reactors

Vice President Harris announced a $1.5 billion dollar aid package to Ukraine. $500 million will go toward repairing Ukraine's devastated energy sector which has been disrupted by Russian bombing. $324 million will go toward emergency energy infrastructure repair. $379 million in humanitarian assistance from the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development to help refugees and other people impacted by the war.

America pledged $315 million in new aid for Sudan. Sudan's on-going civil war has lead to nearly apocalyptic conditions in the country. Director of USAID, Samantha Power, warned that Sudan could quickly become the largest famine the world has seen since Ethiopia in the early 1980s when a million people died over 2 years. The US aid includes food and water aid as well as malnutrition screening and treatment for young children.

Bonus: Maryland Governor Wes Moore pardoned more than 175,000 people for marijuana convictions. This mirrors President Biden's pardoning of people convicted of federal marijuana charges in 2022 and December 2023. President Biden is not able to pardon people for state level crimes so called on Governors to copy his action and pardon people in their own state. Wes Moore, a Democrat, was elected in 2022 replacing Republican Larry Hogan.

[busdinessblogger]

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[earthtokhal]

It's 4 a.m., and I woke up still absolutely fuming about yesterday because where was Daniel's team? After everything that happened, where was his management team? Why did THEY allow this to spiral like this?

Daniel's take on all of this was fairly positive until he had a shitty quali and then once again got hounded by the same journalists asking the same questions and then it seems like he just simply accepted it.

I think vcarb, Red Bull, and Daniel's own management team severely mismanaged things.

The cash app guy deleting his video doesn't mean too much to me as I was also very surprised that he posted it in the first place because while he posted it from a "fan/friend" point of view answering in his own capacity, he indirectly answered as his company. He told us, through his own personal ig that the company didn't know.

I do not know what the sponsors have to say about this, visa, cashapp but Hugo, their weekend was greatly overshadowed by mismanagement. If this was to be his last, every single one of those sponsors could have capitalized.

After everything that happened with Mcalren, all I wanted was for him to leave on his own terms. Whether he decided to stay and drive for vcarb again, whether he decided to go to Audi or whether he got the Red Bull seat. I wanted him to be on his terms, but the constant talk surrounding his contract took away any chance of that happening regardless of how and what was decided and so I thought, if this was it, they'd let him announce it properly.

Horner, despite making all that noise about how Mclaren treated him, actually did something worse because Daniel trusted him. Daniel put his career back in Horners hand despite everything and trusted him. I do not think there's anything salvageable of their relationship after Spa and now this mess.

I find the timing of all of this oddly specific. We had so many people cryptic posting just two weeks ago, that photographer saying the general idea is that Daniel would take over the red bull seat and then we went to baku expecting a shit storm and it never came. We were just in the eye of the storm. When the "rumor" dropped this week, I thought what a coincidence that it happened just before media day, and so all the questions shifted from performance or what crash to Daniel and he stood alone in the lions den.

It seems like Red Bull hasn't decided (while it's likely looking like it is what it is) and they chose to remain hot and cold about it like they always have been and it absolutely spiraled.

The media surrounding all of this was absolutely atrocious. They allowed people with less impact on the sport to leave with more dignity. They tore him apart, they questioned every single thing until he stood there, tears in his eyes accepting it. This man is a veteran of the sport. A man whose legacy will have a direct link on the grid next year in Jack Doohan. A man who made an incredible mark on our current world champion. A man who had people looking at red bull last year going "they're always ruthless but this is their son."

And at the end of it all, when they backed him against a wall after a long, frustrating weekend, they're all writing messages for him. They wanted to have their cake and eat it too.

Regardless of what's to come, I hope Daniel is incredibly proud of his perseverance. I hope he knows that despite all the noise, he did what he intended to do, he fell back in love with the sport. He proved to himself he still had it. I hope he knows how many fell in love with the sport because of him and how many people learnt so much about his sport. I hope he truly knows the impact he had on this sport and how despite it refusing to love him back like he deserved, he had shone a light on it so bright that it went global.

Daniel Ricciardo will always be THAT guy, and I hope he knows it.

Whatever happens next, I'm glad I found him, and I'm glad I got to experience him being back on the grid.

[carsthatnevermadeitetc]

What a difference 46 years makes juxtaposition of Citroën Visa Super, 1978 & Citroën ë-C3 Max, 2024. The Visa was Citroën's first "conventional" group B hatchback in that is was based on the Peugeot 104 with a water-cooled, transversally mounted 4 cylinder engine driving the front wheels. The new ë-C3 will become their first all-electric group B hatchback based on the Stellantis global BEV-native ‘Smart Car Platform.’

[demonqueenart]

hi! first of all, i'm so sorry you're feeling the way that you are. you've helped open my eyes to things i admittedly didn't know (dan's comment at wad, for example) or didn't notice. i'm glad you're receiving at least some support from other phans! i don't know if this helps at all (and it's not me trying to excuse dan), but i wanted to add some context to his "third-world country" reference. as an american, i can tell you that we grew up learning "this"third world" as the proper term. most of my colleagues, friends, family members, etc. STILL use it casually to refer to developing nations/the global south - we were literally taught to use it in school. of course it has since become obsolete, as the wording is incredibly offensive. i know about this because of my time in academia, but this awareness hasn't at all spread to the general population (especially in dan's/my generation of millennials and older). as smart as i do think dan is, i wonder if that's also the case in england. he has the responsibility to educate and inform himself and he needs to acknowledge that he's hurt and alienated a large proportion of his fanbase, so i still hope he'll do that soon.

as for the tour, one of my my best friends is mexican (and lives in mexico) and she was really disappointed during ii when they had to cancel the announced mexico dates. they had assumed the dates would work out, but - if i remember correctly - were presented with a lot of visa/permissions issues. they tried to make it work but it didn't, and they waited much too long to tell anyone. my guess is that they wanted to avoid a similar disappointment this time and not give anyone false hope, nor accidentally say anything negative about those countries as they explain their reasoning (which, of course, just comes off worse - ignoring is never the issue).

other artists have had similar issues with asian and middle eastern countries as well, as there is increased censorship and visa requirements. i've spent four years of my life in asian countries (and a few months in south america) and know that there are phans there who'd love to see them, but it might not be feasible.

ultimately, however, dan and phil owe everyone transparency and need to acknowledge if they're having difficulties with bookings in other countries and why. they usually go back and add dates later, so fingers crossed that they're trying to work out some dates in latam and may yet still add them.

It’s the lack of transparency that is the issue here. How am I supposed to trust them when they won’t tell me anything in the first place? And if they expect me to assume for the best, I don’t think I can do that. Not with all the time they tried to bury their mistakes when people have been hurt as if it’s nothing. I’m sorry but if they’re choosing to look good in the public eye before choosing us, then I don’t think I can trust them anymore. And it’s not that they’ll look bad when they’re talking about this stuff, but the fact they have never once talked about it ever really makes it feel like they want to keep this shut. And that hurts a lot.

Thank you for your perspective tho. I think it helps seeing where they can possibly come from.

Auto-message: This ask’s purpose is to acknowledge dnp’s past/present exclusivity, not to cancel them! But to embrace mistakes that they’ve made so that 1. we won’t exclude people in need in this community, and 2. we can normalize bringing up exclusivity so that improvement can happen. Hopefully this will one day help dnp realize that this is a safe space for them to talk about their mistakes, so that this space can become safe for people of all kinds too <3

*If you don’t understand what is happening, scroll through my blog for context. And I’ll be taking time to answer my asks, so don’t think I’m ignoring youuu*

[eretzyisrael]

by James Sinkinson

How do we shut down the “hate revolution”? First, university administrators who fail to punish violence and hate speech—and fail to protect academic freedom—should be removed. Protests expressing Jew-hatred or disrupting students’ movements must be shut down and those who violate school policies must be suspended or expelled.

Second, Congress should increase penalties related to antisemitic and unlawful behavior, as well as violence of any kind. These should include harsh financial sanctions on schools and the revocation of visas for foreign students who participate in unlawful activities.

Third, colleges should face dire legal consequences for failing to stamp out antisemitism. Columbia University, for example, now faces a lawsuit that alleges “round-the-clock” harassment of Jewish students; who have been punched, shoved, spat on and blocked from attending classes. Other schools, including Harvard University, New York University, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of California, Berkeley, face similar lawsuits.

Fourth, donors should withhold gifts from colleges that refuse to act against antisemitism. Many donors have already ceased their giving, including Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots football team, who pulled his support from Columbia University due to unchecked Jew-hatred.

Fifth, restrict financial influence on U.S. campuses by America’s enemies. The authors of a 2022 study conducted by the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) suggested a correlation between schools that receive foreign funding and antisemitic or anti-Israel rhetoric, as well as antisemitic activity. For example, sources from Qatar, which supports Hamas financially, gave more than $2.7 billion in gifts to American post-secondary institutions between 2014 and 2019.

The current behavior of the “pro-Palestinian” protesters at colleges and universities across the U.S. is hateful, harmful and too often unlawful—it’s terrorism on campus. If recent outrages suffered by Jewish college students were directed against any other ethnic or “marginalized” groups on campus, it would not be tolerated for a minute, let alone seven months.

[shit-taster-connoisseur]

fav ship / character and least fav ship / character? 🙏🙏🙏

favorite ship:

who couldve seen this coming?/j

read more as it's just me taking any excuse to yap BDJD

honestly, how talk abt them to friends sometimes arent my actual characterizations of their dynamic/relationship. But really they're spinning in my head like a microwave everyday, so my interpretation of them of them generally change depending on settings, aus, or just my mood.

The thing that draws me to them is the fact that Fanny seems like a loyal solider(quite literally), but to where she'd definitely throw herself off a cliff for her leader/command(for rachel only really.) Meanwhile Rachel is pretty oblivious to the length Fanny would go for her – and visa versa. They're devoted to each other, yet are scared to repair their fractured friendship at the same time(mostly on fanny's side).

Honestly idk how to explain it xjsb

also the fact Fanny was Rachel's runner up for her GOT fuels me everyday, cause besides this moment, we don't really get too many moments where rachel isn't pissed at fanny for reasons.

could just be her being harsh as it comes with a leader, cause welp, fanny does fuck up a lot. But with these interactions you'd think Rachel wouldve considered ANYBODY else – besides nigel – for her second choice. so 1000000000% rachel had to have ALOT of trust in Fanny to place her as a second in command of an entire global organization, despite her trackrecord of botched missions(which, honestly i believe is why Nigel had been Rachel's first choice, because while nigel had seen mostly sucess in his teams' mission, fanny had gotten the short end of the stick and just faces failure after failure from what we've seen.)

uhhh anyways!! Fanny fell first(unknowingly) amd by the time they become teenagers, Rachel ends up falling harder and depressingly misses her GOT while she's suffering in TND orientation.

TLDR: a shitty anaylsis(barely) on how loyal moonbabes are to one another and they have trust!! I'm not normal about them

If ur curious abt my ranking for ships than here ya go:

1. Moonbabes

2. Lizzie/10

3. Wally/Kuki

4. Kuki/Fanny(or alternatively; Fanny/Kuki/Rachel)

Favorite character?

It's technically split down the middle between Rachel and Fanny, but my focus usually flipflops. So this week we got:

1. Rachel

2. Fanny

3. Chad

4. Cree

5. Negative 362 and Negative 86

Rachel: for reasons, honestly, I loved her since i was a kid. There's a lot to disect about her, and i love that, love her position, her personality, the kind of the role she plays, etc etc idk how to explain any of jt, or the specfics so you get this short ass summary instead

-also headcanon: her relationship with Harvey is rather strained, so Rachel tries to make it up to him by favoring him when it comes to mission assignments when he joined the KND, he also struggles to get her approval by completing them

Fanny: ashamed to admit, i cannot sit through a fanny episode withoht needing to pause and pace around – but like rachel, i like pretty much everything about her, she's interesing to disect as so much of her background is left up for interpretation. Like why did ahe join ths decommissioning squad? Why is she the way she is? Because of the decom squad or her time as a nurse, or just life in general bxns?

-headcanon: Her real name is Francine, and Fanny's a nickname because she thought it sounded less mature and didnt put too much thought in it's meaning in Ireland cuz she didnt live there that long (also her mother didnt have the heart to sit her down and explain it to her at her young age)

other global ops dont bat an eye to it, unfortunately Irish operatives cringe everytime they hear her name.

3. Chad is a loser. A failure. And i love him for that/j but actually, his entire character is interesting, and so much is left in the air for me to dig my teeth into and make up shit for him. One major headcanon i've convinced myself of for him is that he's related to rachel/harvey (cousins???)

-another hc: he's on the aromatic spectrum(shout to friend Amber for the idea cmdb)

4. Cree love her. I can forgive a woman of her crimes always xmsn one reason she's high up on the my list this week is she's interesting(duh), but like all the others she has so much character/info on her but little bits not filled to where i can just make up shit- canonically, i love her role, hsr character, she's an amazing villian/antagonist steals the show everytime - i'd pay warburton with my own money to write what she was like as a KND operative, she is quite skilled from the bits we've witnessed in flashbacks and in the present. One thing that runs through my mind is that Warburton in a Q&A, hinted that Cree probably wouldnt have scouted by the TND, that she was already trekking on a dark path while in the KND. BSJDB

-Headcanon: her and chad and steve have nights where they just hangs out and they watch stuff on Adult Swim. She probably likes South park

5. -362 and -86, got nothing to abt thene beyond they're silly(and possibly evil)

Least favorite Character/Ship

To be honest, i got no hate towards any of the characters in KND, they're all really interesting in their own way.

If i had make a tier list tho-

He'd be at the bottom. Only because he'd definitely call me a slur/j

And for ships, i'm not a multi shipper but i'm neutral to most.

tho fanny x a man will kill me, Cuz man, idk how you can look me straight in the eyes and tell me she's not lesbian,

Just LOOK AT HER

-

Thank you for the ask!!

[aromantic-enjolras]

Si tengo un hermano

This is my Drink With Me ( @drinkwithme-exchange) gift for @winter-parrot! You asked for Enjolras and Feuilly, and these two are always union/political buddies to me, so that's the direction I took it.

Enjolras meets Feuilly at a union meeting. Well, technically he meets him weeks before at a demonstration, when Feuilly arrives like an angel from heaven and gets him out of a sticky situation with a cop, but he doesn’t catch his name the: they are both… a little preoccupied.

So, when anyone asks, Enjolras says he met Feuilly at an inter-professional union meeting. Feuilly is there representing Renault workers, while Enjolras is filling in for the spokeswoman from the University Comittee. He is feeling a little out of place, a nineteen year old student in a room full of proper working class people, and he is very spooked when Feuilly comes over to him and asks him to reiterate some of his points.

Feuilly is very nice and understanding, and soon he is feeling at ease. They end up deep in conversation, standing by the shitty coffee machine until their legs hurt, and they end up exchanging numbers.

Enjolras doesn’t really expect things to go further than that, maybe a couple of messages to make good on promises of reading material, but they actually start talking more and more, and holy shit this guy is so cool, and he’s talking to him, and Ferre I think I might have a political crush what do I do??

What he does is frantically read everything Feuilly sends him. Being self-taught, Feuilly has very eclectic taste, but Enjolras appreciates everything anyway (or maybe because of that): they might have bonded over being from the Global South, but Enjolras is painfully aware that being the descendant of Chilean diplomats who exiled to Paris after the Pinochet coup is very different from being a first generation Middle Eastern immigrant fighting to renew his visa in islamophobic France.

On his part, Enjolras is doing a sociology degree, and Feuilly is extremely interested in getting his hands on all his class notes. The anarchist self-learning group he is a part of has a lot of books, but there are still always things he wishes he could get but that are too obscure or too expensive for him to get; and Enjolras is very happy to let him use his university library card to get them.

Even once they’ve gotten closer, their relationship still revolves a lot around politics. They join a POC black bloc together, which is how they learn to trust each other to have their back physically, on top of ideologically. They make a great team: Enjolras has the rightful anger and fire and a good strategizing mind, and Feuilly has the know-how to know exactly what they can and can’t get away with.

Don’t think this means they are always serious. They are very good at finding light in dark places, and they have quick minds, so they end up having a whole army of inside jokes and little references. Whenever Enjolras lends Feuilly a book of his own collection, he knows Feuilly will give it back full of little annotations, some of them serious, but also little "pretentious, much?" and "nicely said!" and "no shit Sherlock" and hearts next to his favourite lines. Enjolras cherishes these books the most.

Here is a small playlist I made for them while I wrote this. A lot of it is Spanish, hope you can get the vibes of it at least!

(Here's the link to Youtube if you prefer to not use Spotify)

[menalez]

This thought might not be super well developed but I feel like in white-majority wealthy western countries there is a distinction between what is considered “civilised” white male crime and “uncivilised” crime by men of color. You can have a white man commit the same crime as a migrant man of color but the migrant man’s crime is blamed on his race, country of origin, whether or not he is there legally/documented, if he’s a refugee, etc. Meanwhile, white male citizens/immigrants/tourists commit the same crime and it’s looked at as Default Male Behavior. Like white men do Civilised Default Misogyny and Crime and men of color do Horrible Racialized Uncivilised Misogyny and Crime. I’m not excusing misogyny or violence by any man, but it’s important to note how alt-right and racist movements portray white men and their crime as “default” while men of color are exceptionally bad.

Radblr has a similar problem where white radical feminists hide their racism behind feminism. They say they “distrust all men” but often times hold extreme opinions about men of color, especially migrants, that they don’t about white men. Or they act like western governments should be able to ban male migrants from the Global South “just because they are men.”

I personally don’t hold these views but it’s how some of your anons are sounding. I’m curious what you think as someone who has immigrated to Germany from another country

i mean you basically put my views into words very well here. my issue is the obvious double-standard.

as for ~banning male immigrants~, frankly i think for a side of tumblr constantly saying not dating men is a “pipe dream”, i find it strange that they think any government would ban all males from entering their countries but would allow female immigrants & refugees. as if. i remember when i was struggling to get my visa to come to germany (primarily bc of racist singling out by the visa officers, they apparently do this all the time to women from certain brown countries), i was told by some that germany doesn’t like unmarried women of colour coming to germany bc they think we’ll just find a german man to marry and stay in the country, or that we’ll turn to prostitution.

these governments barely even punish rape to begin with, and y’all think they’d keep men out but let women in in order to protect local women? be realistic. they already discriminate against us in the process. they already tend to prefer young men bc they view them as definite additional workforce, and feel the opposite about young women bc they view us as potential burdens to the system. and they do this even more frequently to women of certain non-european, non-western nationalities. they’ve discriminated against MENA ppl so much that it had to go to court in the past and their discrimination was eventually ruled unconstitutional in germany.

but even ignoring that.. the idea of ‘ban male migrants! ban male refugees’ assumes that no woman ever would be disadvantaged by this further. many women cannot escape if not with male relatives. it’s pretty dangerous to go on a boat and try to reach another country, countless refugees lost their lives like this. female refugees often arrive with family, or went with their family, for a reason. if not with her husband, then potentially with her son, or her brother, or her father. they would also be impacted if they have to choose between leaving alone or leaving with male loved ones. especially considering how protective eastern families can be of women, like some of us have parents that don’t let us go out after a certain time even if we’re obviously adults and can make that choice for ourselves. many eastern women aren’t even allowed to study abroad bc of how possessive and protective our families can be. often males will escape first and then pay money to help their female relatives & loved ones leave more safely after them, often because of how dangerous it is to go by boat to escape. many female refugees already die on the way and there are no efforts to actually safely evacuate female refugees specifically, nor do western governments WANT to do that. the ones that don’t want immigrants & refugees don’t want ANY, they’re not going to limit it to males.

anyways yes, although men of every race & religion commit vile acts of misogyny against women, it’s sensationalised and racialised when men of certain racial backgrounds do it. and apparent “radical” feminists can’t even see past that and question who it will benefit if we argue that certain men are better than others… because that argument certainly won’t protect women, but it does prop up certain men. i thought that’s part of why we all opposed the whole “men of colour didn’t even partake in misogyny until white colonisers came!” argument but i guess not.

[samwontshare]

Is Bucky a villain in the comics now? It looks like he’s fighting with Steve and Sam.

So there are two parallel Cap runs, Sentinel of Liberty and Symbol of Truth, where both Steve and Sam are Cap at the same time. (You absolutely need to read the two Winter Soldier specials to understand Sentinel of Liberty.)

Bucky is pretending to be a super villain in order to end an evil global conspiracy that’s been controlling world events since the 1920s. They also killed his parents in order to force him into the military as a child and have been using him his entire life to kill people, both before, during, and after he was The Winter Soldier. So he’s like real mad. And he hasn’t slept in weeks so he’s extra unhinged.

The conspiracy, The Outer Circle, was created by a group of people who treat manipulating the world as a game. One player, the Revolution, was intended to stop the game, trying to foil the other players. If one of the players is killed, the killer becomes the new player. The Revolution orchestrated things so that Bucky would kill him and become the New Revolution, hopefully to end the game once and for all.

Steve didn’t want anyone to die and Bucky absolutely wants to kill them all. He shot through Steve to kill the Revolution, which is hilarious because every time Steve is like “Bucky shot me :(“ everyone responds by telling him “well good news is that he didn’t want you dead or you’d be dead so you’re obviously still friends.” And Bucky’s first act as a super villain was literally to get Steve laid by Sharon Carter, like mea culpa bro. Bucky is keeping Steve at arm’s length but is spying on Steve via Peggy Carter. They both had big tears about their fight - they’re like on the outs but not really on the outs.

We don’t know how Sam plays into this yet, but Sam is miffed at Bucky for not telling him Nomad was alive. We don’t know why tho. It’s unclear how Sam gets involved just yet but it’s likely because the White Wolf’s plot will intersect with the Outer Circle.

Essentially, T’Challa’s evil adopted brother, White Wolf, has been trying to ruin Sam’s life for reasons unknown. He’s gotten Sam into several international incidents because Sam infiltrated other nations to stop White Wolf’s terror plots, sometimes with severe consequences. Shuri was so incensed that Sam crossed into Wakanda against her instructions that the council revoked the visas of an entire wave of American immigrants. Meanwhile, White Wolf assassinated a world leader Sam couldn’t save and has injected Joaquín with something that’s making him attack Sam. Like he has a lot of his own problems at the moment and 99 of them are White Wolf, so not sure how it leads to fighting with Bucky yet. Sam’s currently trying to stop White Wolf’s dictatorship of Wakanda’s neighbor, Mohannda.

TL;DR: Bucky’s pretending to be a super villain so he can kill the real super villains, which Steve is upset about because killing is bad. Sam is going toe to toe with White Wolf atm so it’s unclear how he gets involved with Steve and Bucky’s drama.

[thoughtlessarse]

Musicians, authors, producers and festival managers have hit out at “humiliating” and costly visa-rejection rates for African and Asian artists visiting Britain and European Union countries, saying it is having a chilling impact on cultural diversity. Analysis shows the UK last year raised £44m in fees for visa applications that were then rejected, mainly coming from low- and middle-income countries. The EU made €130m (£110m). Total costs are likely to increase in 2024, since the standard short stay visitor visa application fee in the UK rose in October 2023 from £100 to £115, while in the EU the cost of visas rose from €80 to €90 in June this year. Lesley Lokko, a Ghanaian-Scottish author and architect, described the non-refundable fees as “outrageous”, noting that they were mainly paid by those who could least afford them. African visitors were disproportionately affected, with visa-rejection rates as high as 40-70%, according to analysis from arts and migration research group the Lago Collective. Sissay, who curated Ethiopia’s first pavilion at this year’s Venice Biennale, said that while none of his Ethiopian team had visa problems, he came across other Africans who did. “The idea is that you are not welcome,” said Sissay. “It has become a serious problem.” Rejection rates for EU visas from countries such as Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal are as high as 40-47%, the analysis shows. In Britain, Algeria has the highest visa-rejection rate at 71%, followed by Bangladesh at 53%, while Ghana, Pakistan and Nigeria had rejection rates of between 30% and 46%.

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[the-assigner]

Study In the USA|| IELTS

The Rise of International Students in the USA

A Global Hub for Education

The United States remains a premier destination for international students, with over 1 million students from around the world currently studying in the USA. This surge in numbers underscores the country's reputation as a leader in higher education. The top universities in the USA are renowned for their academic excellence, diverse programs, and vibrant campus life, making them a top choice for those studying abroad in the USA.

Why Study in the USA?

Studying in the USA offers international students access to some of the best educational resources in the world. U.S.International students benefit from flexible education that lets them investigate many subjects before deciding on a major. Moreover, the opportunity to engage in cutting-edge research, coupled with the multicultural environment, enhances both academic and personal growth.

Navigating Challenges and Embracing Opportunities

While the benefits of studying in the USA are immense, international students often face challenges such as understanding U.S. college admissions processes, securing international student scholarships in the USA, and adjusting to life in a new country. However, with the right preparation and support, these challenges can be overcome, leading to a fulfilling educational experience.

The Best American Universities for Foreign Students

1. Harvard University Harvard University stands out among the top universities in the USA, offering unparalleled academic programs and a welcoming environment for international students.

2. Stanford University Stanford's emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurship makes it a magnet for international students aiming to study in the USA.

3. University of California, Berkeley UC Berkeley is a top choice for those studying abroad in the USA, particularly in the fields of science and technology.

4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) MIT's strong focus on research and engineering attracts international students from around the world.

5. New York University (NYU) Located in New York City, NYU provides international students with an urban experience and access to diverse academic programs.

Navigating the U.S. Student Visa Process

Step-by-Step Guide to Securing Your U.S. Student Visa

The U.S. student visa process can be daunting, but it’s a crucial step for anyone planning to study in the USA. Here’s how to navigate it:

Acceptance Letter: First, receive an acceptance letter from one of the top universities in the USA that is SEVP-approved.

SEVIS Fee: Pay the SEVIS fee and obtain your I-20 form from your university.

DS-160 Form: Complete the DS-160 form online, an essential part of the U.S. student visa application.

Visa Interview: Be well-prepared for your U.S. visa interview. embassy or consulate, ensuring you understand the U.S. education system and your study plans.

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As you embark on your journey to study in the USA, remember that the key to success is preparation and persistence. The U.S. education system offers endless opportunities for international students, and with the right support, your dreams of studying abroad in the USA can become a reality.

For more information visit our website THE ASSIGNER

[roadtophantom]

Let your S(e)oul take you where you long to be - pt 1

a.k.a. finally writing my phantom korea travelogue

Watching Phantom in Korea has been this big goal of mine since December 2012.

When I saw the vast spread of Phantom merchandise at the Blue Square theatre and how they decked the theatre with a Phantom tree and had all sorts of Phantom-themed food, it became crystal clear that Korea goes hard for Phantom like no other, and I wanted to be part of that action.

I planned to visit Seoul when the World Tour revival was slated to visit in 2020, but that one got axed and squashed as a pandemic would do to hopes and dreams.

Cut to October 2021, news of a new Korean production got out around, but I was pessimistic. The borders were still closed and who knew for how much longer. Even as they started reopening toward 2022, there was a quarantine / covid-19 test requirement upon arrival. Then our local Korean embassy started taking a hardhanded stance on applications that made it difficult for visas to be issued. Add to that, the fact that the embassy have limited slots every month.

The odds were wildly stacked against me, but travel restrictions eased up and nothing serves as a better motivator than watching people you know actually go to the place.

Months of mental prep, doing things for the first time, and many expenditures later, I was deemed worthy of a visa. The next step was a ticket to the show…which was an entirely different main quest on its own.

Buying show tickets in Korea is like a national sport

I witnessed this during the first waves of Phantom Seoul tickets sale. The moment the dates open, you would find most of the tickets are already gone. So you are left to buy what's left but even when you manage to click on one, another person is likely completing their purchase ahead of you.

I did manage to snag a Jeon Dong-seok ticket. But the Cho Seung-woo one, I didn't manage to get until a month later.

I have to pause and thank @fadinglandtragedy for actually answering my questions, providing valuable tips, and encouraging me when I myself have given up lol.

The beauty of tickets in Korea is you can actually cancel and if you are early, you can get your money back with minimal processing fee. That means cancellations peek now and then when the ticket vendors refresh their systems everyday. I was able to move to a better row for my JDS show, and I eventually managed to buy my CSW ticket (that no one fought me for 😭😭😭😭😭).

But it took extreme patience, nightly refreshes, and trying not to nod asleep. It was worth it in the end.

So I only had to find a decent airfare, accommodations, and wake up insanely early to catch the flight, and print out all the things to prove to the immigration officer that I'm not pulling a Valjean on his Javert. 🥲🥲🥲

Tip: Overseas fans can buy through Yes24 and Global Interpark, but I highly recommend Yes24 for the exclusive ticket sleeves and the fact that they have a mobile app that you can use to book, stalk last-minute tickets, and eventually claim them.

Tip 2: For faster purchase using Yes24, look into loading your cc info in Paypal so you'd just be one click away to everything. For some reason I found the native cc method a bit harder to deal with (and it charged me more for some reason).

Korea things and hopefully an actual review to follow!