#Major Cities of New Zealand

[foramworldwide]

Exploring Four Major Cities of New Zealand: A Culinary and Cultural Odyssey

Join us as we traverse four iconic cities in New Zealand, sampling exquisite flavors and uncovering the soul of each destination through its culinary and cultural heritage.

[reasonsforhope]

Where can I find Free Palestine protests and Ceasefire protests?

A super international and continually updated list of actions can be found at Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network's:

Calendar of Resistance for Palestine 2024

They list events by date, then alphabetically by country, then by city - and it's common for them to have dozens of actions listed for a single date, especially on the weekends.

The United States especially often has 40+ events on a single day, especially on the weekends.

Events are posted with links to the event info posted by whoever's hosting the vast majority of the time.

Look blow the read-more for a list of many of the countries that have been on this protest calendar, in alphabetical order, since I know so many websites/lists of actions are country-specific

*Obviously this isn't the only good source of listings for protest events - there are many others. This is by far the biggest/most international roundup I've found, though, so I started with this. If you know another good place for finding ceasefire protests/events, please feel free to add it in the notes, bc I'm planning to put a bigger roundup together once I find enough other sites

Countries that Samidoun has listed/does list protests for include (in alphabetical order):

North America:

United States

Canada

Mexico

Puerto Rico (listed separately in anti-colonial solidarity)

Hawai'i (listed separately in anti-colonial solidarity)

Europe:

Austria

Belgium

Bulgaria

Denmark

England

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Hungary

Iceland

Ireland

Italy

Netherlands

Norway

Portugal

Romania

Scotland

Serbia

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

Wales

SWANA Region (Southwest Asia/North Africa)*:

Bahrain

Iraq

Jordan

Kuwait

Lebanon

Palestine

Tunisia

Turkiye (Turkey)

*Samidoun notes that "We know that these events are mainly international and that the Arab people are marching everywhere for Palestine – we will be honored to add more Arab events whenever we are informed!"

Asia:

Bangladesh

India

Indonesia

Japan

Malaysia

Maldives

Pakistan

South Korea

Africa:

Kenya

Mauritius

Nigeria

South Africa

Tanzania

Tunisia

*Duplicating North African countries (well, Tunisia) here from the SWANA list btw

South America:

Brazil

Colombia

Chile

Peru

Venezuela

Australia and Oceania:

Aotearoa (New Zealand)

Australia

[xclowniex]

I genuinely find it disgusting that people go "people don't care about Palestine because they're brown, if it was happening to Ukraine people would care"

And this is vile for many reasons

1) Ukraine is still being invaded, Russia has not left yet. Why the fuck are you dragging the people of a country trying to survive into your little PR war.

2) Whilst Ukraine is considered a white country as the majority population is white, Russia doesn't view Ukrainians as white! To the Russian government it is literally a partly racially motivated war. I say partly as there are multiple motivations surrounding their invasion. But, surprise surprise race doesn't work in Russia like it does in the west. Who would've thunk. And what classification Ukrainians truly are doesn't really matter in this specific conversation because Russia doesn't view them as white!

3) Ukrainians are going through the same shit! Whilst I generally am opposed to comparing wars if we are going to play that game, more Ukrainians died than Palestinians in the first 100 days of war. Did yall know that? And with that data, it was more Ukrainian civilians killed vs. total Palestinian deaths, which include hamas militants. Literally 21k civilians from one singular city in Ukraine were killed, one city! Not all of Ukraine, one city. I will include a source for the Ukrainian death toll figure at the end to back this up.

4) At least in New Zealand, there has been more protests for Palestine than protests for Ukraine. There was one protest movement where on the same day there was a protest in every major city, and one or two smaller protests in the capital here outside of parliment. For palestine, there has been more protests than I can count. There has even been people who tried to have encampments at universities to follow the US's footsteps, but they all were stopped by the universities. There was even a protest with fake blood in the lobby of the New Zealand Defence Force building! Ukraine got none of that energy!

And I just want to say, that whilst it sucks that Ukraine didn't get the same level of support, I do understand that difference issues matter to different people at different levels. The issue I have is when people lie about support for an issue for woke points.

You do not need to put down Ukrainian struggles and suffering for Palestinian struggles and suffering to matter.

(Source)

[eretzyisrael]

BY NOMI KALTMANN

Josh Moshe, the 33-year-old grandson of Holocaust survivors, was born in South Africa, grew up in New Zealand, and moved to Australia in 2010. He is currently an acclaimed Jewish saxophonist living in Melbourne. Alongside his wife, Maggie, he operated a well-known gift shop in Thornbury, a trendy enclave in the city’s northern suburbs.

“For most of the time I’ve lived here, I’ve felt like [Australia] is peaceful, quiet, and relaxed,” he said. “As for being a Jew, its fine. No one cares if you’re Jewish or not.”

However, all of this rapidly changed for Moshe after Oct. 7, after he was added to the WhatsApp group that was doxed. The backlash against him and his family was swift. “We were sworn at, the shop was graffitied with ‘Glory to Hamas,’ and we were told to ‘F off—we don’t want Zionists in Thornbury,’” he said.

Thornbury doesn’t have a large population of observant Jews, so Moshe, bewildered by the hostility directed at him and his family, believes that his family was unwittingly thrust onto the front lines of the conflict. “We were the only more or less observant Jews in the northern suburbs with a public profile,” he said. “Those factors meant we were heavily exposed and vulnerable to this sort of attack. It’s a very anti-Zionist area. I always knew that, and I always felt that. I was more or less happy living there for a while. But I also think that’s why we were the most exposed.”

As the doxing campaign against him gained traction, Moshe found out that the worst was yet to come.

“People were attacking my [online] music profile. Then attacking my business and then Maggie’s personal profile, even though she wasn’t in the [WhatsApp] group,” he said. As part of this harassment, their 5-year-old son received death threats. “Then people started tagging the band I was in [on social media]. Instead of coming to speak to me, [the band] publicly fired me via an Instagram post.” Moshe is now suing his former bandmates for defamation related to that post.

After months of sustained abuse, Moshe and his wife decided to close their shop and move it to a suburb close to Melbourne’s Jewish heartland.

“A few of our suppliers have been supportive, but, yeah, the vast majority of our customers, and other shops in the strip [in Thornbury] were very quiet and some of them even joined in on the pile-on,” Moshe said. “It was shocking to see how quickly; … seven years of being neighbors and being business associates counts for nothing.”

The antisemitism faced by the family has garnered significant attention in Australia, featuring prominently in the media. It was even highlighted in a documentary aired on Australian television, hosted by former Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who is one of the country’s highest-profile Jewish figures. The documentary explored the growing issue of antisemitism in Australia.

“I know [participating in the documentary] it has every chance of further damaging my music career, but on the other side, I have to speak about what’s going on,” said Moshe. “We wouldn’t tolerate this with any other ethnicity. In honoring the memory of my grandparents and their families, I am compelled to speak about this rising hatred despite the further backlash I will receive.”

[allthecanadianpolitics]

The report analyzed middle-income affordability across 94 major markets in eight countries, including Canada, China, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, the United States and the United Kingdom. Each city is ranked based on its median multiple score which is determined by dividing the average house price in a city by its gross median household income. A score under three is considered “affordable”, a score between 3.1 to four is considered “moderately unaffordable”, a score between 4.1 to five is considered “seriously unaffordable,” a score between 5.1 to 8.9 is considered “severely unaffordable” and this year, a new category of “impossibly unaffordable” was added for cities scoring nine or higher. Toronto scored 9.3 and ranks 11th on the housing unaffordability list and Vancouver scored 12.3 and ranks third on the list.

Continue Reading

Tagging: @newsfromstolenland

[the-official-goose-god]

Very Important

The official petition to make both @the-official-goose-god and @definitely-waste-management the official vigilantes of Denver. Reblog today!

( @100percent-shell-oil this is for you)

(we're also dumb teens so you should reblog cause who doesn't want teens protecting their city?)

@aro-sp-ace-force @big-fucking-sagittarius-astar @bisexual-navy @canadian-hellbird @france-unofficial

@gimmickverse-weekly @god-of-death-official @gimmick-swag @genderfluid-marine-corp @i-say-bean

@i-am-the-milky-way-galaxy @its-target-official @libra-the-scales-offical @literally-leo @literally-luxembourg

@might-be-capricorn @moongate-keepers-official @non-tyrannical-usa @official-god-of-order @officially-new-zealand

@official-draco-constellation @officially-capricorn @the-missiles-guy @totally-neptune-official @totally-oregon

@totally-ikea @ursa-minor-probably @ursa-major-actually @walmart-the-official @youraveragemagicalthief

@yahooo-official @duothelingo

[posttexasstressdisorder]

How Trump's billionaires are hijacking affordable housing

Thom Hartmann

October 24, 2024 8:52AM ET

Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump attends the 79th annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner in New York City, U.S., October 17, 2024. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

America’s morbidly rich billionaires are at it again, this time screwing the average family’s ability to have decent, affordable housing in their never-ending quest for more, more, more. Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, and Denmark have had enough and done something about it: we should, too.

There are a few things that are essential to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” that should never be purely left to the marketplace; these are the most important sectors where government intervention, regulation, and even subsidy are not just appropriate but essential. Housing is at the top of that list.

A few days ago I noted how, since the Reagan Revolution, the cost of housing has exploded in America, relative to working class income.

When my dad bought his home in the 1950s, for example, the median price of a single-family house was around 2.2 times the median American family income. Today the St. Louis Fed says the median house sells for $417,700 while the median American income is $40,480—a ratio of more than 10 to 1 between housing costs and annual income.

ALSO READ: He’s mentally ill:' NY laughs ahead of Trump's Madison Square Garden rally

In other words, housing is about five times more expensive (relative to income) than it was in the 1950s.

And now we’ve surged past a new tipping point, causing the homelessness that’s plagued America’s cities since George W. Bush’s deregulation-driven housing- and stock-market crash in 2008, exacerbated by Trump’s bungling America’s pandemic response.

And the principal cause of both that crash and today’s crisis of homelessness and housing affordability has one, single, primary cause: billionaires treating housing as an investment commodity.

A new report from Popular Democracy and the Institute for Policy Studies reveals how billionaire investors have become a major driver of the nationwide housing crisis. They summarize in their own words:

— Billionaire-backed private equity firms worm their way into different segments of the housing market to extract ever-increasing rents and value from multi-family rental, single-family homes, and mobile home park communities. — Global billionaires purchase billions in U.S. real estate to diversify their asset holdings, driving the creation of luxury housing that functions as “safety deposit boxes in the sky.” Estimates of hidden wealth are as high as $36 trillion globally, with billions parked in U.S. land and housing markets. — Wealthy investors are acquiring property and holding units vacant, so that in many communities the number of vacant units greatly exceeds the number of unhoused people. Nationwide there are 16 million vacant homes: that is, 28 vacant homes for every unhoused person. — Billionaire investors are buying up a large segment of the short-term rental market, preventing local residents from living in these homes, in order to cash in on tourism. These are not small owners with one unit, but corporate owners with multiple properties. — Billionaire investors and corporate landlords are targeting communities of color and low-income residents, in particular, with rent increases, high rates of eviction, and unhealthy living conditions. What’s more, billionaire-owned private equity firms are investing in subsidized housing, enjoying tax breaks and public benefits, while raising rents and evicting low-income tenants from housing they are only required to keep affordable, temporarily. (Emphasis theirs.)

It seems that everywhere you look in America you see the tragedy of the homelessness these billionaires are causing. Rarely, though, do you hear about the role of Wall Street and its billionaires in causing it.

The math, however, is irrefutable.

Thirty-two percent is the magic threshold, according to research funded by the real estate listing company Zillow. When neighborhoods hit rent rates in excess of 32 percent of neighborhood income, homelessness explodes. And we’re seeing it play out right in front of us in cities across America because a handful of Wall Street billionaires are making a killing.

As the Zillow study notes:

“Across the country, the rent burden already exceeds the 32 percent [of median income] threshold in 100 of the 386 markets included in this analysis….”

And wherever housing prices become more than three times annual income, homelessness stalks like the grim reaper. That Zillow-funded study laid it out:

“This research demonstrates that the homeless population climbs faster when rent affordability — the share of income people spend on rent — crosses certain thresholds. In many areas beyond those thresholds, even modest rent increases can push thousands more Americans into homelessness.”

This trend is massive.

As noted in a Wall Street Journal article titled “Meet Your New Landlord: Wall Street,” in just one suburb (Spring Hill) of Nashville:

“In all of Spring Hill, four firms … own nearly 700 houses … [which] amounts to about 5% of all the houses in town.”

This is the tiniest tip of the iceberg.

“On the first Tuesday of each month,” notes the Journal article about a similar phenomenon in Atlanta, investors “toted duffels stuffed with millions of dollars in cashier’s checks made out in various denominations so they wouldn’t have to interrupt their buying spree with trips to the bank…”

The same thing is happening in cities and suburbs all across America; agents for the billionaire investor goliaths use fine-tuned computer algorithms to sniff out houses they can turn into rental properties, making over-market and unbeatable cash bids often within minutes of a house hitting the market.

After stripping neighborhoods of homes young families can afford to buy, billionaires then begin raising rents to extract as much cash as they can from local working class communities.

In the Nashville suburb of Spring Hill, the vice-mayor, Bruce Hull, told the Journal you used to be able to rent “a three bedroom, two bath house for $1,000 a month.” Today, the Journal notes:

“The average rent for 148 single-family homes in Spring Hill owned by the big four [Wall Street billionaire investor] landlords was about $1,773 a month…”

As the Bank of International Settlements summarized in a 2014 retrospective study of the years since the Reagan/Gingrich changes in banking and finance:

“We describe a Pareto frontier along which different levels of risk-taking map into different levels of welfare for the two parties, pitting Main Street against Wall Street. … We also show that financial innovation, asymmetric compensation schemes, concentration in the banking system, and bailout expectations enable or encourage greater risk-taking and allocate greater surplus to Wall Street at the expense of Main Street.”

It’s a fancy way of saying that billionaire-owned big banks and hedge funds have made trillions on housing while you and your community are becoming destitute.

Ryan Dezember, in his book Underwater: How Our American Dream of Homeownership Became a Nightmare, describes the story of a family trying to buy a home in Phoenix. Every time they entered a bid, they were outbid instantly, the price rising over and over, until finally the family’s father threw in the towel.

“Jacobs was bewildered,” writes Dezember. “Who was this aggressive bidder?”

Turns out it was Blackstone Group, now the world’s largest real estate investor run by a major Trump supporter. At the time they were buying $150 million worth of American houses every week, trying to spend over $10 billion. And that’s just a drop in the overall bucket.

As that new study from Popular Democracy and the Institute for Policy Studies found:

“[Billionaire Stephen Schwarzman’s] Blackstone is the largest corporate landlord in the world, with a vast and diversified real estate portfolio. It owns more than 300,000 residential units across the U.S., has $1 trillion in global assets, and nearly doubled its profits in 2021. “Blackstone owns 149,000 multi-family apartment units; 63,000 single-family homes; 70 mobile home parks with 13,000 lots through their subsidiary Treehouse Communities; and student housing, through American Campus Communities (144,300 beds in 205 properties as of 2022). Blackstone recently acquired 95,000 units of subsidized housing.”

In 2018, corporations and the billionaires that own or run them bought 1 out of every 10 homes sold in America, according to Dezember, noting that:

“Between 2006 and 2016, when the homeownership rate fell to its lowest level in fifty years, the number of renters grew by about a quarter.”

And it’s gotten worse every year since then.

This all really took off around a decade ago following the Bush Crash, when Morgan Stanley published a 2011 report titled “The Rentership Society,” arguing that snapping up houses and renting them back to people who otherwise would have wanted to buy them could be the newest and hottest investment opportunity for Wall Street’s billionaires and their funds.

Turns out, Morgan Stanley was right. Warren Buffett, KKR, and The Carlyle Group have all jumped into residential real estate, along with hundreds of smaller investment groups, and the National Home Rental Council has emerged as the industry’s premiere lobbying group, working to block rent control legislation and other efforts to control the industry.

As John Husing, the owner of Economics and Politics Inc., told The Tennessean newspaper:

“What you have are neighborhoods that are essentially unregulated apartment houses. It could be disastrous for the city.”

As Zillow found:

“The areas that are most vulnerable to rising rents, unaffordability, and poverty hold 15 percent of the U.S. population — and 47 percent of people experiencing homelessness.”

The loss of affordable homes also locks otherwise middle class families out of the traditional way wealth is accumulated — through home ownership: over 61% of all American middle-income family wealth is their home’s equity.

And as families are priced out of ownership and forced to rent, they become more vulnerable to homelessness.

Housing is one of the primary essentials of life. Nobody in America should be without it, and for society to work, housing costs must track incomes in a way that makes housing both available and affordable.

Singapore, Denmark, New Zealand, and parts of Canada have all put limits on billionaire, corporate, and foreign investment in housing, recognizing families’ residences as essential to life rather than purely a commodity. Multiple other countries are having that debate or moving to take similar actions as you read these words.

America should, too.

ALSO READ: Not even ‘Fox and Friends’ can hide Trump’s dementia

[scotianostra]

21st March 1901 saw the launch in Dundee of the Royal Research Ship Discovery, the ship that would help Captain Scott make his name as an Antarctic explorer.

Designed for Antarctic research, she was launched as a Royal Research Ship (RRS) in 1901. Discovery was the first ship of its kind to be constructed specifically for scientific research. She was also the last wooden, three masted ship to be built in this country and is the only one that survives.

The basics of the ship were built on the same principles as the whaling ships - hundreds of them worked out of Dundee in the 19th and early 20th century.

The Discovery's first captain was the famous explorer 'Scott of the Antarctic'. Captain Robert Falcon Scott, was appointed in 1901. He was Born in Devon, England, basically a shy man who also had great courage and strength. It was said that Captain Scott was responsible for the errors that turned his expedition into a disaster. However, research in the past few years has discovered that it was some of the men under Captain Scott's command, who disobeyed his orders that led to tragedy.

Another famous explorer joined Captain Scott on RRS Discovery's first voyage and that was Sir Ernest Shackleton. He would later sail in another famous ship the 'Endurance' in 1914-16.

Since 1996 Discovery has been berthed at Dundee, and is a major tourist attraction to the city, the ship however is said to be one of the most haunted in the world and paranormal teams regularly set up all sorts of equipment on the ship, I wonder if our resident expert on the paranormal, Leonard Low has anything to say on the subject?

Anyway, one of the main spirits said to roam the ship is that of Charles Bonner. While Discovery was leaving New Zealand, the young seaman fell from the crows nest, on the mainmast, landing head first onto the deck, crushing his skull. Quite a few independent psychics have picked up on the seaman and feel that he is still a strong presence on the ship. His spirit is said to be most powerful on the deck at the place where he fell to his death. It's also been reported that people have sensed and seen the spirit of Shackleton roaming around the ship and it may be his spirit that has been observed in one of the cabins. Psychic mediums have also picked up this presence on numerous occasions. Other apparitions include the spirit of a little boy and shadow figures are seen roaming the ship in various areas.

Electricity seems to attract the spirits on the Discovery. In the cabin that belonged to Ernest Shackleton, light bulbs constantly blow despite the area being checked by electricians. In addition when the 'Ghost Club' investigated the ship, light bulbs in Captain Scott's cabin were found to be dislodged from their fittings.

The Ghost Club investigators experienced strange movements of a rope. This was a very heavy ship's rope that couldn't be moved simply by walking past, so why it began swaying remains a mystery. In addition investigators felt the chairs or benches that they were sitting on being moved by an unseen force.

There are also frequently the sound of footsteps roaming around the ship. These have been heard by people and also caught on recording equipment. Investigators have yet to find out who is making the footsteps - could it be Charles Bonner or Ernest Shackleton?

There is also one interesting account of a visitor to the ship who had spent some time talking with a sailor, but no one else could see the person she was speaking to. Similar events have happened with other visitors to the ship, where they have seen a spirit that looked solid and stopped to talk to him only to realise later that the person was not anyone alive connected to the ship.

[kudzucataclysm]

SE Timeline Rough Draft

Early 1800s - Martians arrive on Earth after a century of observation. They either land in central Siberia or the Alps. Over the course of a couple years, the Martians split up to infiltrate human society. They are extremely successful.

1868 - Computers are invented.

1889 - Lupe Altena is born.

1897 - Personal computers invented. Sold to the general public.

1904 - Hammond is created.

1909 - There are over 500 webpages on the world wide web. This is the start of the internet.

1914 - WW1.

1917 - Carmine Keller is born.

1922 - WW1 ends in a “stalemate” with the establishment of multiple European DMZs. 

1925 - The first man in space. A political party, “The Machine”, takes the majority of power in congress.

1930s - Britain goes to war with Japan. Superscience race begins, leading to the invention of the atomic bomb. Lupe splits from The Machine (The New Machine) and funds the creation of the Martian hunting team known as ATLAS. First mutant powers begin to emerge.

1940s - Economic stagnation as conflicts at the European DMZs begin to escalate. America looks to profit as it appears another outbreak of total war may occur in Europe. Hammond and Azelfafage meet; Lupe catches ADP. Friday joins ATLAS.

1951 - Yellowstone Incident. Global atomic war begins 7 hours later. The winter of that year lasts for almost a decade.

1951-1969 - Famine. Plague. Civil war. Nuclear, broken weather. Superpowered chaos. Tall tales emerging from the wastes of red creatures with a hundred eyes… 

1955? - Lupe Altena establishes the Promethean Society and headquarters The New Machine in the outskirts of the former city of Chicago.

1958 - The construction of what will eventually be known as “The NEC” begins.

1960s - Countries not as devastated by the atomic war (such as Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, Switzerland, Argentina, etc) attempt peacekeeping operations in the United States with little to no success. The Disincorporated United States of America is established, and a corporate committee of “superheroes” acts as its sword.

1970? - Martians reveal themselves to the world, promising aid and support in exchange for Earth’s resources. They soon begin terraforming Earth’s atmosphere in order to ensure a major ice age.

1971 - Intersolar Protocol is signed. A new species, known as “Chimera”, explodes across the world.

1973 - Maya Fontaine is born.

1974 - Carson Keller is born.

1980s - Necropolis turns into a tower of Babel, a megacity of stacked/layered cities, out in the middle of Lake Michigan due to the Martian King Azelfafage. The city’s population grows to the size of a country, and is unofficially regarded as such (to the ire of DUSA). It becomes a free economic zone, influenced largely by foreign capital.

1990 - Lupe Altena disappears. The authority of the NEC falls into feudalism between cities and layers. Francis Mueller is born.

1991 - Outbreak of firestorms across the southern states. Desmond Arkady is born.

1995 - Hammond disappears.

1999 - Francis experiences a “medical incident”. She develops a form of amnesia.

2000 - Francis and Vincent meet.

2003 - Sloane Arkady abandons the family. Francis is handed over to alleged crime lord Carmine Keller.

2004 - The remnants of the Arkady family move to the NEC.

2005 - Desmond is inducted into the Promethean School of Science.

[planet-gay-comic]

Historical and Modern Perspectives on Same-Sex Unions

Same-Sex Unions in Antiquity Even in antiquity, there were cultures that recognized same-sex relationships in various forms. Although formal marriages between same-sex partners are rarely documented, numerous examples of love unions and symbolic partnerships exist.

Ancient Greece: In Greek culture, same-sex relationships, particularly between men, were widespread and often socially accepted. These relationships, known as pederasty, had an educational character, where an older man (the Erastes) took a younger man (the Eromenos) under his wing. These connections were often marked by love and affection and played an important role in the education and social life of Greek cities.

Rome: Hadrian, who ruled from 117 to 138 AD, is an example of a same-sex relationship in Rome. Hadrian had a famous relationship with Antinous, a young Greek man. This relationship was so significant that Hadrian honored Antinous's memory in an extraordinary way after his death in 130 AD.

Mesopotamia: In ancient Mesopotamian cultures, such as the Sumerians and Assyrians, there is evidence of the acceptance of same-sex relationships. Texts and inscriptions suggest that such relationships were part of the social fabric, although formal marriages are not documented.

India: In ancient India, there are also indications of the acceptance of same-sex relationships. In Hindu mythology, there are stories of gods and heroes in same-sex relationships. This spiritual and cultural acceptance shows that such unions were recognized in certain contexts.

Indigenous Cultures of North America: Many indigenous cultures in North America had the concept of "Two-Spirit" individuals, who possessed both male and female qualities. Such individuals could assume ceremonial roles and enter into same-sex partnerships that were considered spiritually and socially acceptable.

Modern Developments: Marriage for All In modern times, the social and legal recognition of same-sex partnerships has significantly improved. Many countries have enacted laws granting same-sex couples the right to marry and the associated rights and obligations.

Switzerland: On July 1, 2022, Switzerland's "Marriage for All" law came into effect, granting same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexual couples. This was the result of a referendum in September 2021, where the Swiss population overwhelmingly voted in favor of legalization.

Worldwide: In addition to Switzerland, many other countries have previously legalized marriage for same-sex couples, including:

Netherlands (2001): The Netherlands was the first country in the world to introduce same-sex marriage. Belgium (2003): Belgium followed shortly after the Netherlands and legalized same-sex marriage. Spain (2005): Spain was one of the first major European countries to allow same-sex marriage. Canada (2005): Canada legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. South Africa (2006): South Africa became the first country in Africa to permit same-sex marriage. Norway (2009), Sweden (2009), Portugal (2010), Iceland (2010), Argentina (2010), Denmark (2012), Uruguay (2013), New Zealand (2013), France (2013), Brazil (2013), England and Wales (2014), Luxembourg (2015), Ireland (2015), USA (2015), Colombia (2016), Finland (2017), Germany (2017), Australia (2017), Austria (2019), Taiwan (2019), Costa Rica (2020). The legalization of same-sex marriage in these countries was often the result of decades of activism and social change, leading to greater acceptance and legal equality.

From antiquity to the present, same-sex unions and partnerships have a long and often complex history. While symbolic marriages and stable partnerships existed in antiquity, the legal and social recognition of same-sex marriages is an achievement of modern times. Today, many countries, including Switzerland, have introduced "Marriage for All," taking a significant step toward equality and acceptance.

Text supported by GBT-4o Image generated with SD1.5, overworked with manual inpainting and composing

[reality-detective]

SHADOW GAMES_

_It should be clear to you now that Vivek Romaswamy is running a shadow campaign for Donald Trump and military operations.

_ ( kash Patel intensionally placed VIVEK)

_it should be clear now that Elon Musk intentionally collapsed Ron Desantis election campaign. Desantis was forced to run by both white hats and blacks hats ( he's playing both sides) .... The idea behind the blackhats plan is for Desantis to endorse Nikki Haley for President..... But white hats have a plan to EXPOSE a massive corruption scandle against desantis connected to money laundering ( Epstein affiliated associates ) and more. After the EXPOSURE of Desantis his voters WILL endorse TRUMP_

_-

-

_The DEEP STATE SHADOW CAMPAIGN>

BLACKROCK CIA IS BEHIND THE FUNDING OF NIKKI HALEY . > THE DEEP STATE IS PUTTING THEIR HOPES BEHIND HALEY and want to have Republican president in place.

.. But the [ ds] also want a Hollywood celebrity> The Rock to run ( he is a back up incase the Epstein EXPOSURE leads to cia. Military industrial complex system money laundering operations connected to Nikki Haley could bring her down)

The deep state are also pushing for Michelle Obama to come into the mix..

[ they] want to make sure they have several candidates in place.

____

WIRES>]; The CIA are trying to rally the youth and black communities to endorse a celebrity for president ( this will be The Rock) ....

_ Now you understand why KEVIN HART has been constantly co-starring with Dewayne Johnson the rock in movies together.

>>> The CIA. Caa intensionally planted Kevin Hart into Hollywood and comedy scene.

_

_ NOW_ White Hats have activated certain celebrities to go after exposing Kevin Hart as PLANT.

From Kat Williams to Power House Dave Chappelle are going after Oprah the cia occult operations several black celebrities and musicians are going to expose the Satanic industry. From Los Angeles to Middle America to New York City, the pedophilia corruption, sex extortion music industry to Satanic rituals is all going to collide with the EPSTEIN SAGA.

I have been telling you all these EVENTS were going to happen.. Now it's happening

.....

SHADOW GAMES _

_

BEHIND THE SCENES>]; THE USSF HAS THE MCAFEE [ KILLSWITCH], THE JULIAN ASSANGE [ KILLSWITCH] >

THE [ EPSTEIN KILLSWITCH]

_This means they have all the hidden keys that placed inside Internet Killswitch operations that holds all the evidence of the world satanic corruption of the CIA. Pentagon. Ex presidents. Celebrities and full world corruption connected to Israeli/ cia/ mi6 ELITES [ EPSTEIN] OPERATIONS.

PANIC INSIDE THE PENTAGON 🔥 AS THE USSF AQUIRE ALL THE KEYS!!!

(Cheyenne mountain. USSF space x/ RUSSIA INTEL/ ITALIAN INTEL/ WHITE HATS IN CHINA INTELLIGENCE

>>>> ALL HAVE COPIES OF THE BIDEN LAPTOP!!!!

and CIA Epstein corruption data in their own countries already since 2018.

SHADOW GAMES

_Countries across the world are getting ready for THE STORM _EVENTS

and arrest wars and know their own intelligence agencies are going to initiate the cyberwar blackouts.

__

No matter what happens.. Everything is heading to military intervention in all major countries. ( 11.3)

Mil.WIRES>]; U.S. CANADA. UK. AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND GERMANY FRANCE ITALY POLAND>>>ALL IN TALKS BEHIND THE SCENES TO INITIATE MARSHAL LAW PROTOCOLS AND MILITARY PROCEDURES AND COMMUNICATIONS <

_

Everyone is preparing for the incoming summer EXPOSURE of the planned PANDEMIC of 2021 and the full EXPOSURE of the death vaccines and full corruption linking military intelligence agencies and banks and leaders to the world pedophile extortion sex ring and money laundering ring.

- JULIAN ASSANGE 🤔

[megamindfandombookclub]

Megamind Rules! Is now streaming through Apple TV for Australia, the US AND New Zealand! (unsure what service in NZ.)

Thanks for finding these links, @buginateacup !!

Great news for our friends on the other side of the globe! They can now watch our Blue Bad Boy on their own!! Please give it a watch! It's a fun show that left off on a MAJOR cliffhanger!!

Feel free to join our Evil Lair server and yell about it with us!!!

[maxs-guesswork]

Unfinished Timeline for an Untitled Setting

Critique and advice is more than welcome, though please be nice about it. Goes up to about 2081 rn, though I plan to get at least another 50 years further in before I get to the time I want the bulk of the setting to be set in.

Timeline:

2022: First controlled break-even fusion reaction, followed by first controlled net-gain fusion reaction.

2025-2026: Increasing unrest in USA leads to mass riots outside the white-house. Sweeping reforms after growing revolts threaten to become a major armed rebellion. NASA miraculously left untouched, general increase in standard of living. Economic crisis narrowly averted.

2027: First nuclear thermal rocket (NTR) tested in orbit by NASA and DARPA. GPT-style language modeling declared “dead end” for self-aware AI.

2030: First Lunar base established under NASA Artemis program. Suez Canal temporarily blocked by a poorly driven cargo ship again. Evergreen Shipping goes bankrupt.

2034: Lunar Gateway established under joint NASA, ESA, JAXA, DLR, ASI, and CNSA. Lunar helium-3 mining declared officially nonviable. Radial detonation engines become standard for lower ascent stages, SpaceX Starship, NASA SLS, and Roscosmos Soyuz phased out. Drop in launch prices.

2034-2036: Additional modules added to the Lunar Gateway from SpaceX, KARI, ISRO, and Roscosmos. Lunar Gateway Collaborative Group (LGCG) established consisting of all current contributors to the station.

2036: First commercial fusion energy plant reaches full operation in France under ITER. Mass production of Tritium begins. First fully private space station under SpaceX. Asteroid mining corporations begin formation. Establishment of Nigerian Organization for the Development of Space (NODS). Ecuador experiences communist revolution.

2036-2037: First manned martian mission under LGCG, first human footsteps on another planetary body.

2037: Elon Musk assassinated. New SpaceX leadership declares plans for space elevator. North Korea collapses, Korean peninsula unified under South Korean leadership, becoming simply Korea. Indian nuclear stockpile secretly surpasses 50000 Gt. First baby born on the moon.

2040: Artemis base becomes semi-self sufficient, producing it’s own food and air from hydroponics, and water from mined lunar ice. Lunar LH2 and hydrolox production begins. Lunar population passes 100.

2040-2042: First commercial fusion power plants established in the US, UK, Australia, Korea, and Japan.

2042: A joint US Government and SpaceX black operation destabilizes Ecuador, leading to a corporate takeover of the territory.

2044: Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Australia, and New Zealand form West Pacific Trade Organization (WPTO). Construction of the base of SpaceX’s planned space elevator begins off the coast of Ecuador.

2047: LCC completed at CERN. Mission for permanent martian base declared. Major economic crisis in China, intervention from several megacorps results in a decrease in Chinese government power and increase in corporate control in the region. SpaceX space elevator counterweight construction begins in geostationary orbit.

2048: Major revolution in quantum mechanics brought on by new data from the LCC. Lunar population passes 250.

2050: China splits into 4 corporate states, Amazon Corporate Territory (ACT) with its capitol in Chongqing, Samsung Independent State (SIS) with its capitol in Shanghai, Territory for Electronic Developments (TED) made up of Apple and Microsoft with its capitol in Yinchuan, and the Chinese Corporate Union (CCU) made up of several formerly state-owned corporations with their capitol in Wuhan and possession of the Three Gorges Dam. Beijing becomes an independent city-state controlled by the former Chinese government, retaining control over the CNSA. Massive revolution in battery energy density. Permanent martian base established by LGCG.

2051: Breakthrough in photon manipulation, beamed energy and solar collection becomes increasingly viable. Many asteroid mining corps branch into solar power, notably Binghamton Vacuum Mining Solutions (BVMS). Lunar population passes 500.

2052: Martian population surpasses 100.

2053: Martian base reaches semi-self sustainability.

2055: All 4 Chinese corporate states and the Beijing city state form the Chinese Federation for Space Exploration (CFSE), supplanting the old CNSA. Lunar Gateway module renamed and LGCG roster amended accordingly. SpaceX space elevator cable completed, first test cart sent to GEO. WPTO begins construction of a space elevator in the Banda Sea.

2056: SpaceX space elevator declared complete, commercial operation begins.

2057: BVMS surpasses $1T in net worth, becomes primary supplier of energy for the Artemis Lunar Base. Lunar Population surpasses 1k, massive migratory population surge begins following influx of energy from BVMS. Martian population surpasses 250. First fusion reactor in Ecuador.

2058: WPTO space elevator counterweight begins construction in GEO.

2060: First fusion reactors in Nigeria and India. First large-scale solar collector on Earth constructed in New York operated by BVMS. Large population surge in Binghamton NY. Lunar population surpasses 5k. Martian space station established. Regulations for GEO development established.

2061: First lunar-built spacecraft flown. Secondary lunar settlement founded by CFSE. Massive influx of funds for the WPTO space elevator from the CFSE, GEO counterweight construction begun. Lunar Gateway population surpasses 100. First fusion reactor in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Congo space agency (DRCSA) founded.

2064: WPTO space elevator cable completed, declared complete and opened to commercial operation.

2065: BVME establishes unmanned Mercurian base. CFSE settlement population surpasses 100. Martian population surpasses 500. Lunar Gateway population surpasses 200.

2066: Mass expansion of Artemis Base life support systems using BVMS produced automated construction equipment. Aerostat scientific outpost established by LGCG.

2067: Microbial life discovered on Venus. Venus outpost (and LGCG) acquires substantial funding boost. Artemis base population surpasses 2.5k and begins to plateau.

2069: Unmanned mission to Europa announced by LGCG, plans to use BVMS automated platforms to drill into subsurface ocean established. Martian base purchases automated construction equipment from BVMS, massive population boon ensues. CFSE settlement population surpasses 750. Lunar gateway population surpasses 500. Martian base population surpasses 500. BVME becomes the largest corporate entity in the system.

2070: BVMS performs feasibility study on gas giant aerostat mining platforms.

2071: Study of Venusian lifeforms disproves Earth-Venus panspermia.

2073: BVMS tests laser-sail propulsion on small unmanned craft.

2075: LGCG Europa mission discovers multicellular aquatic life in Europa’s subsurface ocean. Plans for a dedicated research base drafted.

2076: Multi-corporate base established on Ceres to facilitate further asteroid belt mining. BVMS intentionally excluded from this project.

(System effectively split into quarters: Past Venus under BVMS, Between Venus and Mars under LGCG, belt under Multi-corporate mining control, outer system unclaimed.)

2077: GEO-Lunar cycler niche mostly filled by Intraplanetary Transport Services corp (ITS).

2080: Permanent scientific base established at the Europa Breach Point (EBP) with mostly automated systems and a small (5 human) management and maintenance crew.

2081: Panspermia further disproved by study of Europan life. Massive object detected in Jupiter’s lower atmosphere. BVMS begins mission to establish a mining aerostat on Saturn, utilizing laser sail propulsion to transport equipment.

(Saturn Aerostat site intended for use in the further colonization of the outer solar system and the Uranus planetary system itself. Atomic Rockets page)

[xclowniex]

you says your a leftist yet I doubt you are. Your just cosplaying being a leftist

I'm just cosplaying a leftist?

I support walkable cities, public transportation, action for climate change, abortion and reproductive rights, queer rights, fair pay, better rights for renters, indigenous rights, etc.

I also voted for the Green Party and Te Pati Māori aka the most left wing parties in New Zealand.

This was either spurred by one of my posts about antisemitism or misinformation.

Being anti antisem or misinfor doesnt contradict or lessen any other political view.

Also by the way, New Zealand is considerably more left wing overall than other countries. Like to use the US as an example, the democrats equal our National Party which is our major right wing party. So my support for left wing parties is more left wing than supporting the democrats.

But I guess none of that matters cause I'm a jew who speaks out about antisemitism and misinformation

[hypnotisedfireflies]

ooh, I'll ask - what's your headcanon for Australia, New Zealand, and Polynesia??

Thank you for asking! This was a fun exercise to get down in a doc and out of my head.

I think everyone knows that I’m Australian by now.  So yeah, it’s particularly entertaining for me to imagine how things might be in the TLOUinverse on my side of the pond for a change.

Many Polynesian nations escaped Cordyceps completely – Tonga, Tokelau, Kiribati and the Cook Islands amongst these.  They closed their borders and were essentially remote enough to be able to protect themselves from the first wave.  However, that didn’t mean they had an easy time of it.  Many of these nations rely on imports and with those grinding to a complete halt, they struggled in other ways to survive.  Some of these nations also had unwelcome visitors in the form of refugees from other countries trying to fly or boat in.  Most of these brought in sick people.   Some of the nations formed methods of screening refugees who made it to their shores, others rejected them completely, and some nations fell apart over the ensuing years, unable to support so many people. 

The North Island of New Zealand was completely overrun.  The South Island had a bad few years, but pockets of it were able to resist, and within a few years they were able to rally and take the island back.  They were mostly in control by 2005 – they were not fucking around – and Cordyceps-free by 2008.  The nation officially reverted back to its name in the Maori language,  Aotearoa me Te Waipounamu (but most just called it Aotearoa).

It was many years before they conquered the North Island, and then there were several years of warfare to fully secure it.  The haka performed before the Battle of Auckland (which was one of their final victories over Cordyceps in 2015) was renowned the world over – the Kiwis documented much of their war on film, and these were distributed to survivors across the globe.  These were often credited as inspiring a new generation of survivors not to endure and survive, but to fight.

Aotearoa me Te Waipounamu maintained contact with Australia throughout the war, but the situations in the two nations were very different.  The densely populated centres of Australia were decimated.  This is essentially all down the east coast from Brisbane, to Sydney, right down to Melbourne in the south.  Darwin, right in the top end, was also destroyed, but this was mainly from refugees fleeing other nations.  But Australia is a big, varied place, and not all was lost.

Many of the islands and remote towns around the country were able to find ways to survive.  And the largest island, Tasmania, proved to be a haven.  While its population centres were initially overrun like the rest of the continent, the army concentrated its efforts on eradicating Cordyceps in Tasmania first.  There were three major offensives before they got the tactics right and were able to declare the state Cordyceps-free.  The Government relocated here, but it was not the only success story.

Perth did okay.  This is probably because the Infected, much like everyone else in Australia, thought it was too expensive and far away to bother with.  Perth was the site of the first Quarantine Zone in Australia.  Australia had a number of these over time but they were very different to the North American QZs.  Australia’s tended to be constructed in remote areas, not large cities (with the exception of Perth).  They each supported some kind of industry to try and keep civilisation humming along.  These were not perfect, but most were successful. 

The one in Port Hedlund said “fuck you cunts,” to the rest of the country and declared itself independent.  The army didn’t much like that and it was dealt with pretty quickly.  Wagga Wagga, with its RAAF and army training bases, was established not long after Perth and continued recruit training at Kapooka and Forest Hill.  But some of the most successful survival stories came not from those within Australian Quarantine Zones.

Many Indigenous Australians, especially those in remote areas towards the centre, returned to country.  Some of their camps and communities were overrun like everywhere else, but a lot survived.  Some communities adapted so well that their lives were almost uninterrupted.

(It's difficult to explain the scale of Australia, and just how remote some Indigenous communities are, and how far they are from anything else. Suffice to say, there are people who know how to live on country in Australia in a way most of us cannot comprehend, and there are families and tribes that really could weather Cordyceps out - especially those towards the centre of Australia, where the conditions are dry and wholly unsuitable for a mushroom-based infection).

But the QZs kept in contact with one another and most importantly, with Aotearoa me Te Waipounamu.  Trade recommenced between Tasmania and the South Island once both these zones were fully secure, and over time, links were reforged with other smaller nations in the region.  The South Pacific Alliance was formed. By 2023, there was a good deal of cooperation – except for Perth, who also decided the rest of us could get fucked, and declared themselves as the Independent Nation of Perth or some crap.  Nobody was really listening, they’re pretty far away and no one wanted to go there anyway so it was like okay good luck bye.

… I don’t really have beef with Perth.  I’m sure it’s lovely. Anyway, thanks for the question! I'm not sure how plausible all of my theories are, but it's fun to consider.

[pom12art]

Wellington

Since people seem to really like the fanmade map and the mage poster, I decided to draw another map but featuring Wellington, the ex-capital city of this version of New Zealand!! :DD

So here's some information on the region :DD

Wellington:

Since the Rash, Wellington is no longer the capital city of New Zealand as it has become a military settlement. After the collapse of Auckland as well as the majority of the North Island, the NZ army began to build a barrier around the increasingly shrinking region to protect its remaining inhabitants.

Even 100 years after the Rash, people still call it ��Windy Wellington’ due to the city’s location between the two islands. And it is still used as the gateway to the South Island.

Karori & Makara:

Karori is a suburb located at the western edge of the urban area of Wellington, New Zealand, 4 km from the city center and was once one of New Zealand's most populous suburbs.

After people were forced to leave their homes, some were too stubborn to leave and decided to stay in Karori and Makara instead. The army tried to kick them out at first but eventually gave up. 

Karori has become a small town where members of the army like to hang out, while Makara has been used as farmland for growing vegetables . It is also the home of one of the three mage academies with the other two located in Christchurch and Invercargill.