#Massy Group

[galleryyuhself]

Galleryyuhself - Why not end the year with yet another bizaare nugget?

[tmntstorycomp]

Excitement is not something that Massy had expected when he told these families they were going to be put up against one another in a competition.

And yet it thrummed.

Energy bounced around the groups, and the worst part was, they mingled.

Massy sat up in his throne, his eyebrow ridge scrunched up in confusion. His feet itched, the urge to run down there and start yelling and asking why?

Why did they get to be excited?

But he didn’t, instead he pulled his legs up into the throne. He watched. Passing of cookies (where did they get those?) and offerings to babysit… it was.. a community.

That’s what he had made wasn’t it? He could bring more families together! He could make everyone be friendly! He could glue the pieces!

Except for his own.

Massy fiddles with the fabric of his leg warmer, and before he knew it, his throne sank a couple feet.

And then a couple more.

Further and further down until he was still above the rest, but a more respectable distance.

Why was his throat dry? Why was he afraid when he held the magic pen that brought them all together?

Once again, he considers reaching out to one of them, to ask them why they were happy to meet new people. Why they could be so different and yet so the same.

It would be easy to demand attention. After all, this is his dimension prison.And what could they do to deny him? Walk away? Walk where?

Massy smirked, he had an idea.

He grabbed his notepad and started to scribble furiously, he had a lot to do before the first round began.

[the-wales-5]

"Crazy for this girl" (Chapter 8)

Rupert was considering two options: attend the party where his girlfriend was or show up to the one organised by his friends without Catherine. He felt that the former would make him look stupid and possessive, and he did not want that, while not attending the other altogether would humiliate him.

Middleton deliberately ignored text messages he sent. Her thoughts, for the first time in weeks, were not occupied with what things she could do to make others happy, and consequently, she was enjoying herself more than ever. At one point, she almost tripped while dancing with one of her friends, but it didn’t make her feel angry or embarrassed as it would if she were around Rupert’s companions instead.

*

William still not felt eniterly alright after his breakup with Carley Massy-Birch but decided to enjoy the evening he organised himself. Though, almost all of the girls outside of his ‘group’ were trying to get his attention. There was one who was way too annoying, and the prince had no idea how to get rid of her anymore, feeling more and more annoyed by each passing minute with that girl in his presence. Catherine saw this situation across the room. She blinked a few times and then slowly approached him, putting her hand around him and then sipping on a drink.

The prince looked at that young woman standing in front of him, saying “Sorry, I have a girlfriend”

“I thought you had just broken up with someone” she scoffed and walked away.

“Thank you” William mouthed and smiled at his friend. Kate chuckled lightly and took a step away from him, feeling shy all of a sudden “Do not thank me” she said and wanted to rejoin Olivia on the dancefloor when William said “If I may, I’d like to thank you for this rescue. Do you want a drink?”

“Oh, no. I mean.. I am already after one and a half, and it’s not going to end well if I get another one” she giggled

“Well, I get it totally. Then, would you like to dance?”

“Aren’t you sick of all women right now?” she asked and laughed, signs of shyness fading.

William slowly extended his hand toward her “You can say ‘no’ of course”.

“I am here after abandoning a strict plan to attend a gathering of future lawyers, and by doing so, I am probably risking my reputation in the eyes of Rupert's circle of friends. Why would I say no?” she laughed and put her hand on top of William's. He hid his smile after noticing blush on her face.

Shortly afterwards, they began to dance. Middleton felt even more relaxed than before. All of her problems basically faded as she was laughing with Oliver and the rest of friends. However, it was Prince William who made her laugh the most with his silly jokes.

*

Unlike his girlfriend, Finch came back to his room very early, feeling embarrassed by her escape at the last moment and irritated to hear constant questions from his friends such as “Where is your girlfriend”. He was thanking his self-consciousness for not deciding to tell them about the real reason, but to lie about her abrupt illness she caught in the morning.

*

“I am impressed a little, you know” William told Kate in the middle of a conversation about something entirely different as they were sitting by the bar, taking a break from dancing

“By what?” she inquired with confusion

“You basically ran away from your plans”

“Not mine” she rolled her eyes “If it were up to me, I’d never attend such a meeting”

“Why not? Don’t you like to talk about murder cases while sipping on a mojito?”

Catherine burst out laughing, for about the hundredth time that night.

“Do you think he is angry now?” William asked

“Well, he did send me some text messages so you can consider that as attitude of someone angry” she replied “I wish I could see his facial expression after he returned to that room and did not see me there”

“It is good that you decided to do it. That girl would never leave me alone if not for your comment”

“That was stupid, though. I should have never said something like that, specifically in the aftermath of your breakup with Carley”

“It is not true” William replied “It was our mutual decision to end things, and it was that girl who should consider not approaching me and flirting if she knew about my split. It seems like she was well-informed after all, and you were just kind enough to save me from that embarrassing moment of flirt”

“I think you are overreacting” Yet another genuine laugh escaped Middeton’s lips.

William chuckled a little, but instead of saying something, he had been looking at Kate for a few seconds.

“What’s the matter?’ she asked after noticing that stare of his

“Nothing” he smiled and then ordered another glass of whiskey for himself, while Catherine had been taken away back to the dancefloor by Fergus.

*

As she was leaving the castle to get some fresh air outside in the middle of the night, she could not believe that she was almost ready to miss such a nice occasion for her boyfriend and his “snobby gathering”.

Laura followed her, saying “It’s so good that you decided to join. It wouldn't have been the same without you, and I am sure I'm not the only one thinking that”

“Rupert definitely is not amongst that group”

“Oh stop, please” Laura said and rolled her eyes “He is not here, and I see you are happy anyway. This is a sign”

“Everything is a sign. Unfortunately for you, Finch is that kind of a person who does not believe in heavenly signs. He only believes in law!” Catherine said louder and then took another sip from a wine glass in her hand

It was proven now that after one more drink that Middleton swore to avoid earlier, she herself was making fun of everything, including clothes she was about to wear a few hours earlier and even Rupert.

Chapter 9

Despite the alcohol amount in her blood, she was fully aware that there would be comments from some people or that someone would share it with Finch, but she did not care. All she wanted was to have fun that evening, and that ‘mission’ had been achieved successfully.

**

[jayswing101]

For everyone living in so-called canada - if you didn't know already, the ceo of indigo - heather reisman - and her husband founded a "charity" called heseg that sends lone soldiers (aka canadian citizens who don't have family in i*rael) to join the iof. There is a boycott happening against indigo bc of this, and multiple advocacy groups based out of canada support a boycott for obvious reasons.

You can also use this link to send a pre-drafted letter to the cra asking to revoke heseg's charitable status.

Sources showing that heather reisman is a founder here:

Heseg foundation website (use your browser's translation tool, the website is only in hebrew)

Charitydata.ca's information page about heseg (i looked up the charity i work at to confirm the accuracy of this site, and it seems up to date to the end of the 2023/2024 fiscal year)

Find alternative bookstores:

Use this link or this link to find local indie bookstores near you

Good Minds is a first nations owned bookstore based out of six nations/ohsweken, they have a flat shipping rate across canada (so a great option if you're living remote/don't have an in-person indie bookstore!)

Massy Books is an indigenous owned bookstore based out of vancouver, and a portion of the profits from the bookstore go back into funding local community projects and initiatives

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Akbar Shahid Ahmed at HuffPost:

WASHINGTON — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a largely triumphant address to Congress on Wednesday, a historic moment that highlighted how deeply implicated the U.S. is in Netanyahu’s widely condemned handling of Israel’s offensive in Gaza. Netanyahu, who repeatedly received standing ovations from hundreds of lawmakers, declared: “Our fight is your fight! Our victory will be your victory!” He cast the U.S. and Israel as jointly aligned against multiple opponents: Iran and its allies, favorite punching bags for both nations; but also institutions working on international justice, like the International Criminal Court, which is considering issuing an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in Gaza. He even won huge applause for condemning Americans who have protested the war, casting them as agents of Iran and “useful idiots” — a line that Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), who is reportedly being considered as a potential running mate for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, clapped for. Netanyahu thanked President Joe Biden for extensive U.S. support for Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 attack by the Gaza-based Palestinian militant group Hamas.

But he made clear that he expects even more: “Give us the tools faster and we’ll finish the job faster,” the Israeli leader said of American weaponry. Netanyahu’s speech appeared to vindicate attempts by the Israeli leader and House Republicans to undercut criticism of him. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) suggested the address after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called for Netanyahu’s ouster earlier this year; Schumer eventually signed on to the idea. Many legislators — at least one Republican and roughly half the Democrats in each chamber of Congress, including Harris (the ceremonial president of the Senate) — skipped the address, citing frustration with Netanyahu’s focus on his own political standing and his resistance to U.S. calls to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza. But the presence of an overwhelming majority of Congress will let Netanyahu accurately say he secured broad, bipartisan U.S. support for his ongoing war effort. That could help him quell intense opposition at home, over matters like his slow-rolling of a cease-fire agreement that could help free Israeli hostages captured during the Oct. 7 attack.

This afternoon, Israel Apartheid State PM and War Criminal Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Congress that was vile and overtly antagonistic towards Palestinians and pro-Palestine supporters (especially those who took part in the protests across the nation’s campuses) who oppose Israel’s genocide campaign in Gaza and the West Bank.

Nearly half of the Democrats in each chamber, plus Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, rightly skipped out on the speech.

See Also:

The Guardian: Netanyahu tells Congress Israel’s ‘fight is your fight’ amid boycotts and protests

Mother Jones: Bibi Goes MAGA

[healerqueen]

I responded to the booklist question! I'm sure I forgot some but whew it still took forever to write.

What about you? What are some of the books youve read the most?

Good question! I finally started keeping a list, so I have something to work from. That way I won't draw a blank.

My top five or six favorite authors and series are: J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, C. S. Lewis's Narnia books, Rosemary Sutcliff's Dolphin Ring series (beginning with Eagle of the Ninth), Enemy Brothers and The Reb and the Redcoats by Constance Savery the Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner, and The Mysterious Benedict Society (original trilogy and prequel) by Trenton Lee Stewart.

There are many other books and authors I love. I listed several of my childhood influences in this post featuring my 50 favorite children's books (focusing on ones I grew up with as a young person).

Here's my list of favorite books I've read the most or ones I think are worth rereading: The Ordinary Princess by M. M. Kaye (a delightful original fairytale about a princess who refuses to stay in her tower)

The Reluctant Godfather by Allison Tebo (romantic comedy fairytale retelling, with an emphasis on the comedy) Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien (adventure about a mother mouse seeking to save her family) The Gammage Cup by Carol Kendall (middle grade fantasy adventure)

Dragon Slippers and Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George (original fantasy in the style of fairytales) Princess Academy by Shannon Hale (fantasy adventure and coming-of-age story about a group of girls who attend school for the first time)

The Secret Keepers by Trenton Lee Stewart (urban light fantasy with dystopian elements) The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau (middle-grade, post-apocalyptic dystopian) The Arrival by Shaun Tan (a wordless graphic novel that conveys human experiences through surrealism)

The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright (vintage contemporary about a lively family) Derwood, Inc. by Jeri Massi (modern contemporary mystery about another boisterous family) The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (quirky vintage mystery with an interesting cast of characters) Historical Fiction: Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham Caddie Woodlawn, Family Grandstand, and other books by Carol Ryrie Brink Rebecca's War by Ann Finlayson Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher Knight's Fee by Rosemary Sutcliff

The Lost Baron by Allen French The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong By the Great Horn Spoon by Sid Fleischman A Single Shard and Seesaw Girl by Linda Sue Park The Bronze Bow and The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare The Secret Garden and A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell A few books I discovered more recently that are now all-time favorites: Seventh City by Emily Hayse, The Letter for the King by Tonke Dragt, Valiant by Sarah McGuire, Out of the Tomb by Ashley Stangl, the Mistmantle Chronicles by M. I. McAllister, Escape to Vindor by Emily Golus, Chase the Legend by Hannah Kaye, The Key to the Chains by Allison Tebo (sci-fi), Rebel Wave by Tor Thibeaux (undersea dystopian) Historical fiction: Listening for Lions and Angel on the Square by Gloria Whelan, Courage in Her Hands by Iris Noble, Victory at Valmy and Word to Caesar by Geoffrey Trease, historical fiction Westerns and mysteries by author Elisabeth Grace Foley

Mystery/suspense: The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman, The Moonspinners by Mary Stewart

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

by Alexander Joffe

Christmas and festive celebrations and shopping were disrupted in parks, malls, stores and public venues ,such as midtown Manhattan and London, by protestors declaring “Christmas is canceled.” Assaults and arrests were reported. Protests were also held on Christmas morning outside the homes of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and national Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. Efforts to shut down New Year’s celebrations were made in major cities.

The situation in Gaza was the ostensible motive but the actions were undertaken by pro-Palestinian groups as well as a wide array of communist and social groups including The People’s Forum and the Party for Socialism and Liberation. The support for “Palestine” given by climate change personality Greta Thunberg demonstrated the unity of these and other far left causes.

Another direct reflection of “Globalize the Intifada” protests were hundreds of bomb threats and swatting threats called in to Jewish institutions, apparently from outside the US. Violent protests were held outside of Jewish owned business in cities including Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City. Property crimes directed against Jewish owned businesses and other sites in New York City also rose 85% in December. S

Shabbat services at Temple Beth Am in Los Angeles were relocated for the first time in history after a pro-Hamas demonstration was scheduled in a park across the street.

The House of Representatives also passed a resolution condemning the October 7 attack and stating that anti-Zionism is a form of antisemitism. The measure passed 311-14 but 92 Democrats voted “present.” The pro-BDS “Squad” comprised the no votes along with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY).

The increasingly wide distribution of Muslim communities in the US and their growing political action around the single issue of opposing Israel is a growing factor in future electoral calculations, particularly in states such as Michigan, Virginia, and New Jersey.

At the same time pro-Hamas activists have continued to target Democrats. In one incident a Michigan Democratic Party holiday event was disrupted when members of the Palestinian Youth Movement and Party for Socialism and Liberation entered the venue to harass Congresswoman Shri Thanedar (D-MI). The resulting fight sent several individuals to the hospital. Congressman Ritchie Torres (D-NY) was harassed by pro-Hamas protestors at the 92nd Street Y who shouted “Ritchie Torres, you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide.” Pro-Hamas protestors also vandalized the offices of several Democratic Congressmen. as well as the home of Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA). The willingness to attack politicians is a grave escalation in the war against Israel in the US.

[snowe-zolynn-rogers]

Who Let Us Have A Group Chat

Pairings: Blood Moon/DJ Music Man, Harvest Moon/Glamrock Bonnie, Eclipse/OC

Word Count: 1,453

Summary: A not so fun morning.

Warnings: Innuendo (mentioned only), Sex (mentioned only), Violence (mentioned only), Fire (mentioned only), Abuse, Abusive Relationship, Harassment (mentioned), Sexual Harassment (mentioned), let me know if I should add anything else.

Notes: Sirius is good Eclipse, Charon is good Eclipse’s Moon.

Chapter 8: Dangerous Times

6:02am Who Took My Hat?

Lunar: Role call, we have a dangerous thing going around, I need everyone to do a head count.

Moon: Here.

Kill Code: Also here, obviously.

Supermassive: Here! Bolide is sleeping in the kitchen again, I'm waking him up.

Kill Code: Again in the kitchen? Doesn't he remember he has an entire bedroom?

Supermassive: Look, I tried to explain that to him. All I got was 'I know what I'm doing, Massy, I'll be sleeping soon enough.' Then he ate an entire four course meal of ice cream and went to sleep in the kitchen.

Heliosphere: Here too.

Blood Moon: Why wake me uuuuuuuuup?

Harvest Moon: (Automated Message) Busy with Bonnie, text you back later.

Kill Code: I could have lived my live without knowing you set up automated messages for when you're fooling around with Bonnie.

Lunar: Come on, they're married, it's fine.

Kill Code: Lunar, I know he's an adult AI, but I really don't want to know my child is doing unsavory things with Bonnie.

Blood Moon: More like Bonnie's doing unsavory things to him? Have you even seen the hickies he comes home with?

Kill Code: I haven't and I wish to strangle a rabbit now.

Blood Moon: You think I don't? That's my baby twin! I don't because he'd be sad then.

Lunar: Anyway, Sun and Eclipse? Gonna respond to the head count?

Sun: Oh, I'm fine, sorry. Tired. Couldn't get to sleep til almost 3 last night.

Moon: Go back to sleep or I'm knocking you out into sleep mode.

Sun: Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Moon: And he's asleep now.

Lunar: Eclipse?

Supermassive: He never came home last night after his date with Matthew.

Kill Code: He could be sleeping, he's awful with his sleep schedule lately.

Moon: Still doesn't make sense that he wouldn't respond if he's got notifications on again and we've been texting back and forth for almost a half hour now. Our texting even woke Sun up and Sun would barely wake up for a war.

Eclipse: I'm fine, I'm getting food on my way home. Thank you for being concerned.

Kill Code: You're fine? Did you spend the night with Matthew?

Eclipse: Yes, I'm fine. I stayed at Matthew's last night.

Kill Code: I regrettably ask, where did you even go that you ended up spending the night at his place?

Eclipse: We went to dinner and a museum. The museum closed at midnight and, by then, we were distracted and Matthew liked my dress so...

Kill Code: I don't want the details! I get it!

Eclipse: Okay.

Lunar: So, ignoring Harvest and Eclipse's late-night boyfriend escapades, everyone is accounted for, thank youuuu.

Kill Code: What was even the dangerous thing?

Lunar: Oh, Puppet's ex-boyfriend, BB, thinks I'm dating Puppet and is jealous that I 'stole Puppet from him'. Said he'd hurt someone I love and all that and I already checked on Monty and Puppet so you were my next turn. I think he was bluffing.

Moon: Probably bluffing but I'll put safeties on us to make sure we're all okay for today.

Eclipse: Ya know, eating breakfast in an evening dress makes people stare at you.

Blood Moon: Yep, that'll do it.

Eclipse: Like they haven't seen someone walk home in a fancy dress before.

Supermassive: How fancy? I didn't get to see you before you left.

Eclipse: newdress.jpg

Supermassive: Yeah, okay, that's reasonable to stare at. It looks like you're going somewhere important.

Eclipse: Listen, we were going to a new exhibit and both the restaurant and exhibit opening were black tie events and I didn't think I'd ever spend the night at Matthew's so he doesn't have any clothes I could go home in.

Blood Moon: It is an evening gown, Eclipse, it is kinda stare-worthy when you're not at the event it's for.

Eclipse: I'll be hiding in my room ignoring everything.

Kill Code: It's still a very pretty dress, Eclipse, if that's any consolation.

Eclipse: I'm burning this dress.

Kill Code: Because people stared at you?

Eclipse: No, I hate this dress.

Kill Code: Okay then.

Moon: I'll help you burn it!

Eclipse: Already burning it.

Moon: aww

Kill Code: Reign in the pyromania urges, Moon.

Moon: Take all the fun out of it.

10:31am Who Took My Hat?

Blood Moon: Eclipse, are you okay?

Eclipse: I'm fine, just tired still.

Blood Moon: Can I come in?

Eclipse: No, I want to be alone.

Blood Moon: Okay, well, tell us if you want one of us to come cuddle. I know it's hard to sleep without someone else.

Eclipse: I will if I need someone, thank you.

10:41am Private Chat

Eclipse: I need you.

Sirius: Now? I still haven't fixed Charon's travel machine again, it broke after last time travelling and now I have to fix it again.

Eclipse: Just talk to me then. Please.

Sirius: What happened?

Eclipse: Matthew hurt me again.

Sirius: How bad this time?

Eclipse: We went to a fancy restaurant and to a new museum exhibit and it was really nice at first. But he was staring at me the entire museum exhibit opening and he brought me back to his apartment.

Eclipse: He was trying and trying to get me to bed to sleep with him and he just wouldn't take a no as an answer. When he finally seemed to take no for an answer, he beat me until I passed out.

Sirius: Eclipse, are you okay?

Eclipse: I'm mostly okay, just my head hurts and my left knee but I'm scared.

Sirius: I think it's time to tell your family, Eclipse, he's hurt you eight times now. I know it's scary, but you aren't safe with him. This is eight strikes, most people wouldn't stay after the first time it happened.

Eclipse: But then who can possibly love me? At least Matthew loves me, he's just...not the best person.

Sirius: There's plenty of people. You also don't need someone to love you to define yourself with. You have a whole family, you have a dad and what now? four brothers?

Eclipse: Five so far.

Sirius: More activated?

Eclipse: Nine activated. One of them was found by Sun, who named him Supermassive. He seems like one of the nice ones. He has my personality but no memories.

Sirius: Just tell them, Eclipse. I promise, they can help you.

11:01am Who Took My Hat?

Eclipse: So what? I'm just going to go up to my father and brothers and tell them 'hey, you know that boyfriend I have? Yeah, he's been abusing me and constantly trying to get me to bed for the last month. Oh yeah, that dress I burned? That's because he ripped it trying to get me to sleep with him.'

Sun: Eclipse?

11:04am Private Message

Eclipse: I'm so screwed.

Eclipse: ijusttextedthewrongchat.jpg

Sirius: I just got my dimensional travel machine up, I'm coming. Just hold on.

Eclipse: Please, Bloody is trying to get into my room.

Sirius: Message them, tell them to give you a minute, you need your support before they try to ask you questions. Deep breaths, you're alright.

11:09am Who Took My Hat?

Eclipse: Give me a minute, please. I need my friend before you start interrogating me.

Lunar: Who's the friend?

Eclipse: Sirius, another version of me, a lot nicer.

Lunar: I know him! Okay, we're all going to wait until Siri is here to talk with Eclipse. He deserves to have his support system. So anyone trying to get to him, leave him alone until Siri is here and we'll let Eclipse have some time with Siri before we bug him about it.

Moon: I'm adding Sirius to the chat.

Moon has added Sirius to Who Took My Hat?

Sirius: Shaddup, I'm getting to my comfort tiny.

Lunar: Oh good, you're already in our dimension, I can bring you to where he is and I'll keep everyone away until Clipsey is ready to talk.

Sirius: Good.

Sirius: Oh yeah, I beat a guy named BB with a wrench this morning and apparently he was coming after me because of Lunar. What did you do?

Lunar: Well, ya see, BB is Puppet's ex-boyfriend and he thought I was dating Puppet, who's my best friend. But he thought I was dating Puppet and he got jealous saying I'd 'stole Puppet from him'. He said he'd hurt someone I love, we even did role call this morning for everyone.

Sirius: Well, I hit him in the face with a wrench and busted his faceplate because screw him.

Lunar: Why thank you, Sirius. We love you and your trusty wrench for using violence upon my bestie's ex.

Sirius: Anytime.

[kp777]

By Brett Wilkins

Common Dreams

Nov. 6, 2023

Progressive U.S. Congressman Mark Pocan pulled no punches in an interview published Monday by Slate, addressing his ongoing feud with the influential lobby group American Israel Public Affairs Committee—a fervent booster of Israel's bloody bombardment of Gaza and a top contributor to the campaign coffers of Democrats and Republicans alike.

"I don't give a fuck about AIPAC—period," Pocan (D-Wis.) told Slate politics writer Alexander Sammon. "I think they're a cancerous presence on our democracy and politics in general, and if I can be a surgeon, that's great."

"The reason I'm poking the bear is because they've become a Trojan bear," Pocan explained. "AIPAC at least pretended to be bipartisan when I first got [to Congress]. Now they're basically a wholly owned subsidiary of the GOP."

"It's time to call them out for what they are—a front group for conservative policy here in the U.S.—instead of being afraid of them," he added.

Pocan was drawn into the fracas between progressive lawmakers and AIPAC last month after the group falsely accused him and other representatives of "trying to keep Hamas in power." The attack came after 10 members of Congress—nine Democrats and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.)—voted against an October 25 resolution pledging unconditional support for Israel's war on Gaza.

Massie joined progressive Democrats in pushing back against AIPAC, posting on social media that "this baseless smear is meant to intimidate me into voting to send $14+ billion of your money to a foreign country."

Pocan—who did not vote against the resolution—wrote: "AIPAC is not good at telling the truth. We don't support Hamas. We just don't support killing kids, which it seems you do."

Palestinian officials said Monday that Israeli forces have killed at least 10,022 people in Gaza, including 2,550 women and more than 4,100 children, while wounding over 25,000 others. At least 155 people have also been killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers in the illegally occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem since October 7, when Hamas-led militants launched surprise attacks in southern Israel that left more than 1,400 people dead.

On Sunday, Pocan responded to an AIPAC social media post that observers said was meant to drive a wedge between progressives who support a cease-fire and others, like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who don't.

"I should be glad to get tagged regularly by the GOP/Netanyahu front group AIPAC," he wrote, referring to far-right Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "Without me, their tags would be all people of color, showing their generally more racial approach to their conservative politics."

"Bluntly, a lot of what they've been doing is just going after women of color," Pocan told Slate. "I believe the reason I'm even thrown into the loop is because I'm a white guy, which gives them a bit of cover."

Indeed, AIPAC has reserved its most vitriolic attacks for lawmakers like Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.)—the only two Muslim women and, in the case of Tlaib, the only Palestinian American, in Congress—and Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), who last month introduced a resolution calling on President Joe Biden to push Israel for a cease-fire.

Sanders also entered the fray after AIPAC thanked him for not demanding a cease-fire.

"AIPAC has supported dozens of GOP extremists who are undermining our democracy," the progressive senator said Sunday on social media. "They're now working hard to defeat progressive members of Congress. We won't let that happen. Let us stand together in the fight for a world of peace, economic and social justice, and climate sanity."

AIPAC has spent lavishly on both Republicans and non-progressive Democrats and was the number one donor to both House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) during the last election cycle.

The group has also been a top contributor to lawmakers like Reps. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) and Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), who not only vocally support Israel, but also attack colleagues like Tlaib and Omar for their pro-Palestinian views. AIPAC was by far Gottheimer's largest contributor in the 2022 electoral cycle, donating more than $216,000 to his campaign. The same goes for Torres, who received over $141,000 from the group during the same period.

Critics also say it is no coincidence that Rep. Jack Bergman (R-Mich.)—whose third-biggest campaign contributor during the last election cycle was AIPAC—introduced a censure motion against Tlaib last month, baselessly alleging she sympathizes with terrorism.

On Monday, far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.)—who once suggested that a "Jewish space laser" started a California wildfire—reintroduced a resolution to censure Tlaib for alleged offenses including "antisemitism, spreading pro-Hamas propaganda, and inciting an illegal occupation in the Capitol complex."

Pocan responded by calling Greene "dumb and unconscionable."

[vomitdodger]

Before you get too excited for this read the details. It’s not “all house republicans“. It’s the usual group of patriots:

The House Resolution by Rep. Greene obtained by the Daily Caller is co-sponsored by GOP Reps. Matt Gaetz, Paul Gosar, Thomas Massie, Andy Biggs, Barry Moore, Matt Rosendale, Andrew Clyde, Dan Bishop, Greg Steube and Clay Higgins. Republican Lawmakers are requesting that all documents and communications pertaining to Ukraine funding be sent no later than 14 days after the adoption of the resolution. The request covers all military, civilian and financial aid given to Ukraine under President Biden.

Given the paucity of “sponsorship” expect this to die under house leadership.

[tmntstorycomp]

“Well, now that you all are here.” Masaccio grinned at his army of brightly colored competitors.

He pulled out his pen and snagged his handy dandy notebook. He turns his back to the newly formed families. For a moment, he hesitates.

A moment of panic? No, no..

A moment of fear? No, that wasn’t right either.

Whatever it was, the feeling that burrowed itself deep into Massy’s chest, the small turtle brushed aside in order to write on the paper. He smiled to himself, watching as the ink stained the paper and made itself permanent.

He threw the pen up in the air when finished, freeing his hand enough to rip the page from the journal and throw it to the floor. 

The page landed like nothing, it was almost anticlimactic. But then the paper was pushed down by an impressive force and the words pulled up into the air. 

The dark words spun for a moment as Massy caught the pen and tucked it into his belt. They spun and spun and spun until the words suddenly turned into a giant throne. Masaccio quietly counted the steps. Thirty-One steps up to the very top and he wasted no time hopping up them. 

Sure, he skipped a few steps but when you had the energy he had, it was a no brainer.

He spun once he reached the top, collapsing in the black cushion that was so soft it reminded him of.. 

Briefly, Massy thought about the yellow cloak that he used to curl up in when he was home.

But he shook it off, his expression shifting to a devious smirk as he peered down at the groups below him. 

“Let the games begin!” Massy called as he clapped his hands together. He scribbled some words down on his notepad then chucked it off to the side. Much like his chair presentation, the words swirled before forming into a large white board. 

“We will be competing in rounds, my scaly and not scaly friends! Head to head competitions where the winner moves on to the next round and so on, so forth. If you don’t know how a competition works, that’s not my problem.”

The young turtle shifted to sit up proper, looking down at them all. “The rounds will have themes. I mean, come on. This is entertainment after all! It would be boring if we didn’t have themes. And the top winner? Gets a great surprise! Isn’t that fun?” Massy grinned, then he scribbled on his notepad once more before tossing the page to the floor before him. The words this time formed a bowl of popcorn that he happily tossed a handful into his mouth. 

“I look forward to seeing you all on the battlefield.”

~~~~~~~~

This is the last day to submit your stories. We're currently in the process of properly vetting submissions and setting up brackets but it may take awhile in order to do so! Either way, we are getting there :3

[pwlanier]

BELLE CRAMER

American, 1883-1978

Belle Klauber Cramer was born on August 11, 1883 in New York City. In 1906, at the age of 22, she married German native William Cramer and they established residence in Edinburgh, Scotland where he was a physician.

Early in life, Belle Cramer trained as a pianist and began her formal art education at the Edinburgh College of Art, where she studied from 1909 to 1915. She continued her studies both privately and at the Massy Art School in London. Beginning in 1918, Cramer began exhibiting at the London galleries and as part of The London Group, a progressive artist-led society founded in1913.

After 24 years in London, in 1939 the Cramers moved to St. Louis for Dr. Cramer’s new position in research at the Barnard Free Skin and Cancer Hospital. Belle first began exhibiting in St. Louis just after her arrival when she was accepted into a juried exhibition at the St. Louis Art Museum in November, 1940. Her first solo exhibition took place at the Eleanor Smith Galleries in 1941. She exhibited for nearly 40 years at various galleries and at the St. Louis Artists Guild. By 1971 she had become “the Grande Dame of St. Louis painters” as described in the Bulletin of the St. Louis Art Museum upon acceptance of one of her paintings into the permanent collection.

Baker Schorr

[mariacallous]

United States lawmakers are moving with uncommon speed to close a loophole in federal law that police and intelligence agencies use to collect sensitive information on US citizens—up to and including their physical whereabouts—all without the need for a warrant.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Defense Intelligence Agency are among several government entities known to have solicited private data brokers to access information for which a court order is generally required. A growing number of lawmakers have come to view the practice as an end run around the US Constitution’s Fourth Amendment guarantees against unreasonable government searches and seizures. 

“This unconstitutional mass government surveillance must end,” Warren Davidson, Republican congressman from Ohio, says. 

Members of the House Judiciary Committee, led by Ohio’s Jim Jordan, a Republican, will hold a markup hearing tomorrow to consider a Davidson bill aimed at restricting purchases of Americans’ data without a subpoena, court order, or warrant. If passed into law, the legislation's restrictions would apply to federal agencies as well as state and local police departments. Known as the Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act, the bill is cosponsored by four Republicans and four Democrats, including the committee’s ranking member, Jerry Nadler,  a Democrat, who first introduced it alongside California Democrat Zoe Lofgren in 2021. 

Notably, the bill's protections extend to data obtained from a person's account or device even if hacked by a third party, or when disclosure is referenced by a company's terms of service. The bill's sponsors note this would effectively prohibit the government from doing business with companies such as Clearview AI, which has admitted to scraping billions of photos from social media to fuel a facial recognition tool that's been widely tested by local police departments.

“The principle here is simple,” Nadler said when the legislation was first introduced two years ago. “The government should not be allowed to purchase its way around the rules Congress has enacted to protect the privacy of American citizens.”

In addition to Davidson, Nadler, and Lofgren, the bill is cosponsored by Republicans Andy Biggs, Ken Buck, and Thomas Massie, joining two other Democrats, Pramila Jayapal and Sara Jacobs. An aide to Jim Jordan, the Judiciary Committee's Republican chairman, signaled that he would likewise support the bill, highlighting the degree to which domestic surveillance fears have risen to supersede fractious politics. The bill had been previously introduced by a bipartisan group of senators in 2021 and had acquired more than 20 cosponsors, including Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader. However, the legislation ultimately failed to make much headway in Congress.

A report declassified last month by the nation’s top intelligence official, Avril Haines, stated that a “large amount” of “sensitive and intimate information” has been purchased by the intelligence community, including information that the US Supreme Court has previously ruled is protected by the Fourth Amendment. Senior congressional sources say many lawmakers were taken aback by the apparent breadth of the collection and of the warnings in the report about its potential to “facilitate blackmail, stalking, harassment, and public shaming.” 

Other lawmakers are alarmed by the FBI’s disclosure of having purchased location information derived from people’s cell phones. During a hearing in March, the FBI director, Christopher Wray, told senators that the bureau had “previously—as in the past—purchased some such information for a specific national security pilot project.”

Americans have a reasonable expectation of privacy, the US Supreme Court says, when it comes to certain digital information, including that which could reveal “the whole of their physical movements.” Such data—which the court describes as “detailed, encyclopedic, and effortlessly compiled”—need not be GPS-precise merely to justify a warrant. Nevertheless, the government has widely adopted the view that the Fourth Amendment does not apply when that same data is available to it commercially. 

When provided, the government's reasoning typically hinges on analysis of the landmark 2018 Carpenter v. United States decision, in which the Supreme Court ruled that the government’s warrantless acquisition of cellular records, which can be used to track a person’s movements, had violated the rights of a 32-year-old man who'd been convicted of carrying out a string of robberies.

In its 5–4 opinion, the court refers to police demanding or “compelling” access to data, something that literal interpreters of the law say places commercial arrangements with data brokers squarely outside the scope of the court opinion. What's more, government lawyers have pointed to acknowledgment from the court that the debate over Carpenter did not consider “collection techniques involving foreign affairs or national security.”

The Supreme Court has erstwhile framed the Fourth Amendment as a means to “plac[ing] obstacles in the way of a too permeating police surveillance,” something that the Constitution’s authors deemed a “greater danger to a free people than the escape of some criminals from punishment.” Oft-cited by the court is a passage by a 19th-century American jurist: “Of all the rights of the citizen, few are of greater importance or more essential to his peace and happiness than the right of personal security, and that involves not merely protection of his person from assault, but exemption of his private affairs, books, and papers, from the inspection and scrutiny of others. Without the enjoyment of this right, all others would lose half their value.”

What rules or guidelines do exist within the intelligence community for purchasing commercial data often justify the activity by deeming the information “publicly available,” pointing to the fact that it may be open for purchase by not only private companies but foreign governments as well. While true and worrying, that is also irrelevant, says Bob Goodlatte, the former chairman of the House Judiciary Committee who now works as a senior policy adviser for the Project for Privacy & Surveillance Accountability, a pro-privacy group.

“None of those other entities can arrest you, can charge you with a crime, try you, sentence you, imprison you, restrain you, enjoin you, fine you, tax you,” Goodlatte says. “All of those are powers of government, and any American should be concerned about the ease with which the federal government can gather information about people.”

Sean Vitka, a senior attorney at the nonprofit Demand Progress, whose slate of issues encompasses privacy and national security reforms, says domestic surveillance was proving to be one of the most bipartisan issues today in Congress, pointing not only to tomorrow’s markup hearing but a concurrent battle being fought over similar purchases by the US military. The House of Representatives last week voted to support an amendment to a defense spending bill requiring a warrant for all data typically protected by the Fourth Amendment, regardless of whether it's for sale. (The amendment was narrowed earlier in the week to exclude non-military agencies, including state and local police departments, which do not fall under the committee of jurisdiction's purview.)

The defense measure, and even the Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act, is a mere prelude to a much bigger fight coming this fall over what's considered the “crown jewel” of the US intelligence community: Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. 

“We are now seeing momentous alignment of powerful political actors in favor of enacting major privacy protections for people in the United States,” says Vitka, “on the eve of the biggest fight over warrantless surveillance in generations.”

[my-chaos-radio]

Release: August 6, 2021

Lyrics:

I, I never thought I'd be your type

Ah, ah, I, on my mind

The kind of love I can't describe

Ah, ah, I

You got me running, oh no

Away from our history, oh no

And through the darkness, oh no

Oh, I can see you with me

When you find a love that's right

You can drive all night, drive all night, yeah

Ah, do what makes you feel alive

You can drive all night, drive all night

'Cause the road's calling

Over again, ride 'til the morning

Ride 'til the end, oh

When you find a love that's right

You can drive all night, drive all night

Faith, remember how we were back then

Ah, ah, I, I get

Fake, emotions that can't comprehend

Ah, ah, I

You got me running, oh no

Away from our history, oh no

And through the darkness, oh no

Oh, I can see you with me (oh no)

when you find a love that's right

You can drive all night, drive all night, yeah

Ah, do what makes you feel alive

You can drive all night, drive all night

'Cause the road's calling

Over again, ride 'til the morning

Ride 'til the end, oh

When you find a love that's right

You can drive all night, drive all night

You and me, history

I'm running from the rest of my life

Through the darkness, I see your eyes and realize that I

That I

when you find a love that's right

You can drive all night, drive all night (drive all night)

Ah, do what makes you feel alive

You can drive all night, drive all night (drive all night)

Songwriter:

'Cause the road's calling

Over again, ride 'til the morning

Ride 'til the end, oh

When you find a love that's right

You can drive all night, drive all night

Drive all night

Alex Oriet / Alexander Michael Tidebrink Stomberg / David Anthony Phelan / Henry Tucker / Jack Robert Patterson / Tobias Topic

SongFacts:

"Drive" is a song by British electronic music group Clean Bandit and German DJ Topic featuring English artist Wes Nelson. It was released on July 30, 2021 via Atlantic Records.

Edm-Lab's Simone Ciaravolo opined that the track is "full of positive vibes" and "takes us on a metaphorical nocturnal journey: the backdrop of a newborn love story".

The music video was released on August 6, 2021 and was directed by Dan Massie. It depicts Nelson as "a happy truck driver, driving through country, city and space from the cab of his big truck." Celebmix's Katrina Rees praised the visuals, which "perfectly capture the upbeat nature of the track, which is characterized by pulsating beats and shiny strings.”

[snakepyre]

tagged by @devilsflowermantis thank youuu

last song: if it's true by anaïs mitchell

currently watching: nothing, the most recent thing was 1899, it was good for the first couple episodes and goes downhill after that. which is a shame because the concept of 'groups of people stuck in a confined space who have to work together despite speaking different languages' is so strong imo

currently reading: catherine the great: portrait of a woman by robert k. massie

sweet/spicy/savory: savoury!!

relationship status: single

current obsession: i get to participate in surgeries at my internship and am loving it every day i go in hoping that a surgery is planned lmao

last thing i googled: new york subway dogs in bags (vet at my internship has the criteria that any dog of hers needs to be handbag-sized so i showed her those pics. she thought it was hilarious)

currently working on: i bought oil paints and am doing a study of john singer sargent's self portrait :)

im tagging no one if you want to do this you can say that i tagged you

[thephoenixandthecrocodile]

Hello!

I'm Sam also known as Pepper (the phoenix ) and I write fantasy noir with elements of horror, conspiracy thrillers, and historical fiction. Right now I'm working on the Queer Croc WIP and the Demon WIP.

The Queer Croc WIP is Les Miserables meets Peaky Blinders. Only defeated rebels get tried for war crimes. That’s why Kingsley, an anthro crocodile, is facing the empire’s noose. To save his life, he’ll have to lie through his teeth and manipulate Alex, a traumatized journalist whose wife Kingsley tortured. What? He’s done worse

The Demon WIP is the X-men meets Penny Dreadful Meets Hannibal meets Babylon Berlin meets V for Vendetta. A group of Demons, warlords, "mad" scientists, and intrepid scholars must work together to overthrow a corrupt theocracy while avoiding the Church's (un)holy assassins.

When I'm not writing about queer anthro crocodiles and Demons, I study asymmetrical warfare and colonialism with help from my buddy: Professor Boris Valerian “L’Train” Massie.

He has the Ph.D. I do not (not yet at least). Right now I host the Art of Asymmetrical Warfare podcast but hope to produce a series of videos with Boris in 2023

Where to Find Me

If you're interested in my writing, you can find me:

On Twitter: pepperdaphoenix

My Writing blog: www.pepper-writes.com

On Instagram: pepperdaphoenix

If you're interested in my history stuff, you can find me:

On Twitter: aoawarfare

My History Blog: www.samswarroom.com

On Instagram: aoawarfare

My Podcast, Art of Asymmetrical Warfare on:

Spotify

Itunes

Amazon