#ad campaigning service provider in us

[reasonsforhope]

"The Hague made international headlines for being the first city in the world to approve legislation prohibiting marketing of fossil fuel-related products and services. This major ruling, issued earlier this month, seeks to limit the promotion of items with a high carbon footprint, such as gasoline, diesel, aviation, and cruise ships. The ban, which goes into effect at the start of next year, will affect both government and privately funded advertisements, including those on billboards and bus shelters throughout the Dutch metropolis.

This groundbreaking legislation establishes an important precedent in the global fight against climate change. Other cities have attempted to limit the reach of high-carbon items through council ordinances or voluntary agreements with advertising operators, but The Hague’s prohibition is the first that is legally binding. It is a major step forward for cities around the world that want to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change head-on.

A response to global calls for action

The prohibition comes after UN Secretary-General António Guterres called earlier this year for countries and media outlets to take tougher action to combat fossil fuel advertising, citing parallels with existing tobacco advertising bans. Guterres stressed that, as with the tobacco industry in the past, fossil fuel businesses are contributing to a worldwide public health crisis—in this case, climate change. Governments can help change public behavior and prevent the normalization of high-carbon lifestyles by limiting their capacity to market.

Several cities have already made tiny moves in this direction. Edinburgh, for example, approved a council vote in May prohibiting fossil fuel-related ads in city-owned venues. The Scottish capital also prohibits enterprises that sell these products from sponsoring events or developing partnerships. However, unlike The Hague’s legislation, Edinburgh’s ban is voluntary and only applies to council spaces.

A legally binding first

The Hague’s new law is significant since it is legally binding. The restriction affects not only specific items, such as gasoline, diesel, and fossil fuel-powered vehicles but also businesses such as aviation and cruise ships. However, the rule exempts fossil fuel firms’ political advertising or efforts supporting a generic brand, allowing these businesses to keep prominence...

The impact of advertising on behavior

Advertising’s impact on consumer behavior is well-documented, and many experts say that fossil fuel marketing undercut climate legislation by encouraging unsustainable behavior. Thijs Bouman, an associate professor of environmental psychology at Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, stated that “fossil fuel advertising normalizes the use of high-carbon products and services, making it more difficult to change consumer habits.” ...

Catalyzing change worldwide

The Hague’s move may have repercussions beyond its borders, spurring similar actions in other cities around the globe. Cities such as Toronto, Canada, and Graz, Austria, are already launching campaigns to outlaw advertising for fossil fuels. In the Netherlands, both Amsterdam and Haarlem have outlawed marketing for climate-damaging products like beef, but these measures have yet to become legislation.

Sleegers believes that The Hague’s move will act as a spur for other towns to follow suit. “More cities have a wish to implement the fossil ad ban through ordinance, but they were all waiting for some other city to go first. The Hague is this city,” she said, predicting that more local governments will now feel empowered to act...

As the world grapples with the rising costs of climate change, The Hague’s pioneering move provides a potential model for other cities looking to minimize their carbon footprints. With cities like Toronto and Amsterdam keeping a careful eye on things, this legislation has the potential to start a global campaign to prohibit fossil fuel advertising. 

More cities may follow suit in the coming years, hastening the transition to a more environmentally friendly and sustainable future."

-via The Optimist Daily, September 26, 2024

[payblogs]

DARK SMS - DRAGON+ (2)

In today's fast-paced digital landscape, privacy and security have become paramount for individuals and businesses alike. Enter DarkSMS, your ultimate solution for secure, reliable communication. With a focus on providing virtual phone numbers for SMS, DarkSMS empowers users to maintain their anonymity while effortlessly receiving verification messages and engaging in private text exchanges. Our state-of-the-art text message service ensures that you can communicate confidently without compromising your personal information. Whether you're looking to streamline your business communications or protect your privacy during online transactions, DarkSMS offers a virtual SMS number tailored to meet your needs. 

Virtual Phone Number For SMS

A virtual phone number for sms is an innovative solution that allows users to send and receive text messages without the need for a traditional phone line. This service is especially beneficial for individuals and businesses aiming to enhance their communication strategies while maintaining privacy and flexibility. With the advent of digital communication, virtual phone numbers have become increasingly popular for various applications, including verification SMS and marketing campaigns.

One of the primary advantages of utilizing a virtual phone number for SMS is the anonymity it offers. Users can keep their personal numbers private while still engaging with customers or verifying accounts through text message services. This is particularly important for maintaining security in today’s digital landscape.

Furthermore, a virtual phone number can cater to global communication, allowing businesses to reach customers in different countries without incurring hefty international charges. Users can receive SMS from any carrier as long as they have an active internet connection, making it a cost-effective option for startups and established enterprises alike.

Additionally, many providers offer a range of features with their virtual SMS numbers, including message scheduling, automatic replies, and integration with third-party applications. These features enhance user experience and streamline communication efforts, making it easier than ever to engage with your audience.

In conclusion, investing in a virtual phone number for SMS can significantly improve your communication strategy. Whether you require it for sending verification SMS or for managing your text message service, the benefits of increased privacy, cost-efficiency, and advanced features make it a wise choice for both personal and professional use.

Verification SMS

Verification SMS is a crucial aspect of today's digital landscape. These messages are typically sent to users to confirm their identity, ensuring security and privacy during online transactions or account creations. Utilizing a virtual phone number for SMS can enhance this process by providing added layers of anonymity and security.

When a user registers for a service or needs to verify their identity, they often receive a verification SMS containing a unique code. This code must be entered into the application or website to complete the verification process. Employing a text message service that utilizes virtual numbers simplifies this procedure, allowing users to complete verifications without exposing their personal phone numbers.

One of the significant advantages of using a virtual SMS number for verification messages is that it prevents unwanted spam on personal devices and keeps personal communications confidential. Additionally, businesses can manage multiple virtual numbers, ensuring efficient handling of verification messages for various purposes—from customer registrations to secure transactions.

In conclusion, utilizing a virtual phone number for verification sms is not only beneficial for user privacy but also essential for maintaining the integrity of online interactions. Ensuring a seamless verification process with reliable text message services can significantly enhance user experience.

Text Message Service

A text message service is an essential tool in today's fast-paced digital world. It provides users with the ability to send and receive SMS messages efficiently, ensuring seamless communication at all times. Whether for personal uses, such as keeping in touch with friends and family, or business applications, where sending alerts, reminders, or promotional content becomes crucial, a reliable text message service can enhance connectivity.

Among the various options available, using a virtual phone number for SMS has gained popularity. These virtual numbers allow users to send and receive messages without the need for a physical SIM card, offering flexibility and privacy. Moreover, they are particularly beneficial for verification SMS when creating accounts on online platforms, as they help protect personal phone numbers from potential spam and unwanted contacts.

Another significant advantage of a text message service is its scalability. Businesses can easily manage bulk messaging campaigns, automating responses and engaging customers effectively. Such services often come with features like message tracking and analytics, which provide insights into the performance of SMS campaigns and help to refine messaging strategies.

In summary, a good text message service can bridge communication gaps, ensure authenticity through verification SMS, and enhance user experience with virtual SMS numbers. Investing in a robust text messaging solution is vital for anyone looking to improve their communication channels.

Virtual SMS Number

A virtual SMS number serves as an essential tool for individuals and businesses that require a reliable means of sending and receiving text messages without the need for a physical SIM card. These numbers are increasingly popular due to their numerous advantages, especially in a world where communication happens rapidly and often through digital mediums.

One of the primary benefits of utilizing a virtual SMS number is the privacy it offers. Users can keep their personal phone numbers confidential while still being reachable for verification SMS or text message services. This is particularly useful for online transactions and registration processes where sensitive information needs protection.

Furthermore, virtual sms number can be easily managed through various platforms, enabling users to organize and track message exchanges more efficiently. They come with scalable options, allowing companies to manage multiple virtual numbers for different purposes, such as customer service, marketing campaigns, or even personal use.

In today’s fast-paced environment, having a virtual SMS number can enhance communication strategies. It provides flexibility to engage with clients and stakeholders across the globe without racking up excessive costs associated with international messaging.

In summary, adopting a virtual SMS number can streamline communication, boost privacy, and increase operational efficiency. It is a vital asset, especially for those utilizing a virtual phone number for SMS-related services, creating a seamless experience in today's interconnected landscape.

[inthisuproar]

Was going to write this as a reply to something but realized it needed its own post.

The tl;dr is that, from the looks of it, Automattic absolutely has every intention of turning Tumblr into a marketing media platform.

I work for a marketing company. I build websites.

Specifically, I build websites on Wordpress.org, which is operated by the Wordpress Foundation.

The Wordpress Foundation is the non-profit counterpart to the for-profit company Automattic.

Automattic, as we know, is the company that currently owns Tumblr.

Now, the thing about Wordpress.org (not to be confused with Wordpress.com) is that it's very, VERY popular amongst small businesses. Not only can you build a fully-customizable website with relative ease, you can also add an online shop using another Automattic product: Woocommerce.

Not too long ago, I noticed a new feature was added to Woocommerce: A button next to each Woocommerce product which allows you to Blaze them to Tumblr right from the comfort of your dashboard:

This is what I get when I click that little "Blaze" button...

As someone who understands these tools, I understand the potential implications of these features:

The Blaze feature is basically an up-and-coming ad campaign system that's directly integrated with Woocommerce websites, which I think is the first ad marketing system of its kind. You don't have to log into a social media account to advertise your products, use a second-party integration, or even pay another service to manage your social media ads. It's all baked right into your business's website.

THIS is their planned money-maker, folks, not the rainbow checkmarks or crab armies. And the reason why Automattic would do this kind of thing is simple: Businesses are wealthier than individuals. By implementing a B2B service, Automattic can make more money off of Tumblr than user subscriptions and shoelaces will ever provide.

It's all the same song and dance. Businesses can now shove more ads into your face in a new, convenient fashion. It'll be ads that don't look like ads disguised amongst ads that do look like ads, just like it is with Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and literally every other marketing media service that calls itself a "social" media.

(Tumblr's new video feature? My guess is that it's there to prepare for video-format Blaze campaigns. Influencer-style videos are the only kind of ad format Gen-Z is receptive to, which is why you're suddenly seeing videos on every platform.)

All they really gotta do now is make Tumblr look appealing to the normies so they can draw in a userbase that isn't trying to escape the onslaught of commercialism that plagues other sites.

Tumblr is one of the last true social medias we have; a place where content is made purely for the sake of talking about it. But given the writing on the wall...I doubt it'll stay that way.

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

01/20/2024 Crew Recap

TLDR; David Jenkins Message on IG; How you can help; Contacting Netflix, Prime, AppleTV; General Guidelines for Wooing Networks; New Hashtags; UK Crew Updates; Petition/Fundraiser Status; Articles; Extras; Rhys' Stiddy

=== Chaos Dad's Message ===

David Jenkins messaged us FRIENDS and gave us a new heading to steer the ship for the crew. Truly an amazing and sweet message, and helping give @renewasacrew a good place to start on new networks.

== How you can help ==

So based on Chaos Dad's tweet, what the folks over at @renewasacrew have recommended is we focus our efforts on Netflix, AmazonStudios, and Apple TV. We'll be polite menacing but also doing some more specific wooing this time so please see below for more information.

= Reach out to Netflix =

You can reach out to Netflix Here.

= Reach out to Apple TV =

You can reach out to apple tv by going here.

= Amazon Prime: Thank you @mermaid-stede for this write up: =

1) if you have an Amazon account, go to My Stuff > Settings > Help & Feedback > Provide Feedback

2) If you don't, write here

3) might as well try their customer service 888 280-4331, using the same strategy from above (though you might need an Amazon account)

4) and here's an email! complaints@amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com: AIV Website Feedback Form

DIGPRJSURVEY.AMAZON.COM

You can see more of their write ups here

=New Hashtags=

#AdoptOurCrew #RenewAsACrew #SaveOFMD

Things to remember:

Only Message 1 of the 3 networks at once. We are wooing them, they want to be enticed, not included in a crowd. If you are reaching out to one, make sure to reach out to all three (just separately)

Be Polite, this is a bit of a different strategy from max, we WANT these people to pick us up, we're not grumpy at them.

Yes you can use season 3 and beyond, use the same terminology David Jenkins did.

More specific info from folks regarding the things to remember:

=== UK Crew ===

Great job everyone! Your efforts made a difference! Thanks for the update @lamentus1!

Something else to mention for our UK and International Friends that are reaching out via social networks or email/phone:

=Daily Engagement Reminder!=

Our Flag Means Death Wikipedia Page

Google Search for Our Flag Means Death

Google UK Search for Our Flag Means Death

Our Flag Means Death IMDB

=== Petition / Fundraiser Status ===

Petition: ALMOST at 75K!

Renew as a Crew - Benefiting Rainbow Youth is fully funded at $17K!

OFFP Care for Gaza - HITS $10K!!!! Great job all!

=== New Articles ===

Fans Declare War Against Warner Bros., Light Up Times Square for Beloved Show

Our Flag Means Death’s Renewal Campaign Lands Times Square Billboard

=== Other Stuff ===

Some BTS from Vico's IG reels

=Wanna help out our fellow cancelees?=

Sign the Petition for Rap Sh!t!

-------------------------------------------------------------

So Dad's message kind of blew everything else out of the water today, there were some sightings of various crew on the web but most of them were reactions to David's reel so I figured it probably wasn't worth adding today. Thank you as usual to the @renewasacrew team, and @TheCozyPirate for all their steering and insight and helping make these pivots possible each day!

-------------------------------------------------------------

Side note: I saw a lot of really great stuff today-- people focused more on action with the renewal and starting to discuss fun things more and more, less dealing with trolls. I hope that means you all are getting some rest and avoiding some of the crazy shit going on.

Seriously, you're doing amazing. David sees it, the cast sees it, the crew sees it, we all see it. You should all feel super proud of yourself for all the hard work you're doing, whether it's just enjoying the show, being active in the renewal efforts, or just being you.

Please continue to make art, and fics, and goofy memes, and silly videos, and everything. Your creativity is so inspiring and fun and it keeps us all sane! (Also please share them with me I love them.)

On that note, here's Rhys grabbing one of those Stiddies.

Gif courtesy of ofmd-ann's post here

[mariacallous]

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has condemned the “horrifying murder” of transgender woman Kesaria Abramidze, who died from multiple stab wounds in her home on Wednesday.

Abramidze, a well-known 37-year-old model, was found dead by her neighbors, who were alerted by screams coming from her apartment. A 26-year-old man, allegedly her ex-partner, was arrested after CCTV footage showed him fleeing the building 15 minutes after his arrival.

“Horrifying murder! Rejection of humanity! This should be a sobering call … Hatred drenched in hatred, which weakens and divides us and gives a hand to an enemy to manipulate us,” Zourabichvili wrote on her personal Facebook page. “I hope the death of this beautiful young woman will make us more humane, more Christian. I hope this tragedy will not be in vain.”

Abramidze’s killing comes just a day after the Georgian parliament passed its anti-LGBTQ+ law, despite strong warnings from the European Union that it would harm Georgia’s EU accession. Zourabichvili had opposed the legislation, dubbing it a “Russian law” designed to “divide society.”

Adopted under the guise of protecting family values and minors, the legislation, among other things, bans medical treatments for changing gender, “LGBT propaganda” and same-sex marriages.

The EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, had warned that the law “undermines the fundamental rights of the Georgian people.”

“I call on Georgia to withdraw this legislation, which further derails the country from its EU path,” he wrote on X on Wednesday.

However, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze defended the bill, describing it as a tool to improve the perception of Europe among Georgians as a place of “traditional and Christian values,” rather than one of “LGBT propaganda.”

“This law ensures that a man should be called a man and a woman should be called a woman,” Kobakhidze said on Wednesday.

Double pressure

Gender and gender identity intolerance remain the leading motives of hate crimes in Georgia, according to the Georgian Prosecutor’s 2023 report. Out of 1,218 persons charged with hate crimes last year, 1,164 were charged on the ground of gender-based hate crimes.

“The majority of defendants charged with hate crimes are adult men and the majority of the victims of hate crimes are adult women,” says the report.

After Abramidze’s death made headlines, Temida, an organization that helps Georgia’s LGBTQ+ community with shelter, psychological and other health services, launched a hotline to offer psychological aid.

“We have received up to 16 calls since yesterday,” said Beka Gabadadze, the chairperson of Temida, adding that callers had asked: “If she was killed, someone so successful and well-off, what will happen to us?”

There have been three other high-profile murders of transgender women in Georgia in the past decade.

Temida, along with other service providers for the LGBTQ+ community, is facing a two-fold threat to its work in Georgia.

The Russian-leaning Georgian Dream government recently adopted its “foreign agent bill,” requiring organizations receiving more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as “serving the interests of a foreign power.”

Civil society groups have argued that the law allows the government to disclose an unjustified amount of information about their staff and beneficiaries.

Gabadadze fears Temida won’t be able to operate under this double pressure and the organization will be forced to close down if the government demands it share its beneficiaries’ personal information.

“This would mean I’d need to out people. It’s better for us to close down than disclose this information,” he said.

He elaborated that the adoption of the anti-LGBTQ+ law may contribute to the prevalence of HIV in the country, as their awareness-raising campaigns could be interpreted as “LGBT propaganda” under the new law.

“Our services aimed at HIV prevention require outreach. We won’t be able to do this efficiently, which could lead to a rise of HIV cases,” he said.

Last year Georgia’s annual LGBTQ+ Pride event was evacuated by the police after hundreds of counterprotesters stormed the site.

[linkablewritingadvice]

How much should it cost to be a writer?

It depends what route you’re taking. If you are planning to go for traditional publishing, which looks like you finishing a manuscript and then querying agents who will then take your book to publishers, you should be paying for basically nothing. One exception would be if you decide to hire an editor to get a pass over your manuscript and/or query package before sending it off, but this is not required.

If you are in the process of trying to get your manuscript traditionally published, you may be approached by a “publisher” offering to publish your manuscript for a fee. THIS IS A SCAM! An author should never be paying for “publishing services.” Anyone asking you to pay for your own printing, marketing, etc. costs is taking advantage of you. These are called vanity publishers and they will not turn you a profit, help you attract readers, or provide you the prestige of being published. 

Always check on Writer Beware - search for the name of the person or company. You can also just google that name along with the word “scam” or “reviews.” In general, don’t let yourself be blinded by dreams, or let yourself be convinced that something is a good idea because you really want it to be true. Never, ever, ever pay a publisher.

If you are going the self-publishing route, you will be paying for certain things, but none of those should be payment to be published. You are the publisher. Uploading your manuscript to Amazon or other marketplaces is free. However, you will be paying for things that a publisher typically pays for. This could include:

-Cover art - you could do this yourself, though this isn't recommended. A good cover is key to a book's success, so budget to purchase a pre-made book cover, or hire a professional cover artist.

To find pre-made book covers, you can just Google "premade book covers," or check one of these sites: BookCoverZone RockingBookCovers Beetiful

And here's a list of places to buy both custom and pre-made cover designs that's a good start. You can also check Reedsy and Etsy for people listing cover design services. If there is a self-pubbed author whose covers you love, try asking them what artist they use.

-Formatting - you could do this yourself using a formatting program like Atticus, or you could hire someone who does professional e-book formatting.

Here's an article on the turbo-DIY route. Here's a list of formatting programs you can use. To hire someone, you can simply search for book formatting services or look at places where people list such services for hire, like Reedsy, Fiverr, or certain Reddit boards.

-Ad campaigns - you may want to pay for ad campaigns on platforms like Meta or Amazon. More niche, author-specific platforms like BookBub, Book Funnel, or Book Sirens also come with certain costs. 

-Author services - you may wish to hire an expert in things like marketing, blurb copy, social media metrics, newsletter management, etc. You can find information on that here.

Be aware that scam publishers might try to pitch themselves as "author services" - you should be paying someone to help you with specific aspects of your self publishing work, NOT paying to be published.

-Software and platforms - whether it's a subscription to Duotrope, a paid Scribophile account, access to pro Canva features, etc. you may decide to pay for tools that you will use to do your work well.

-Expert advice - some people offer courses, books, or other resources on how to do specific things like write a compelling blurb or run an effective ad campaign. You may notice that a lot of the links I shared here will include upsells from people doing exactly this!

Be very cautious about this, as most of these people claim that they make tons of money on their self published books, but really, they make their money selling this stuff to people like you. Always check out a person’s free resources first, and wait to invest in this sort of thing until you have a specific question you need answered or are trying to do a very particular thing that you need granular guidance on. 

One thing you should NOT pay for is a review, feature, or interview. Self-published authors will be approached by a lot of scammers who claim that, for a nominal fee, they will share information about your book to their huge audiences. These are completely useless and a waste of money. Never spend money on this.

Always keep track of what you are spending on all of this. You may be able to deduct it from taxes you pay on your income from writing, and you will want to really understand what your profit margins look like.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Alyssa Tirrell at MMFA:

Dr. Eithan Haim, a former medical resident at Texas Children's Hospital, was indicted in May for allegedly illegally accessing trans patients’ records, which he subsequently shared with Manhattan Institute senior fellow Chris Rufo.  Right-wing media figures have since defended Haim and brought him in for interviews, often equating the care allegedly provided at Texas Children's Hospital — such as the prescription of "puberty blockers" — with harm or mutilation and alleging that Haim is the target of political persecution.  The campaign has successfully raised both Haim's profile and at least $888,865, which he claims will be used for both his legal defense and “offensive legal action against those who have abused their professional responsibility in service of radical transgender ideology.” 

Haim allegedly illegally accessed trans patients’ records

On February 18, 2022, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued an opinion that qualified youth gender-affirming care as "child abuse", prompting Texas Children's Hospital to announce that it would stop proving such care. Although the opinion was not legally binding, the hospital released a statement announcing that it would stop prescribing gender-affirming hormone therapies. The statement, which also alluded to recent measures that Gov. Greg Abbott had taken against families of children receiving gender-affirming care, added that “this step was taken to safeguard our healthcare professionals and impacted families from potential legal ramifications.” [Office of the Attorney General of Texas, 2/18/22; American Civil Liberties Union, 2/23/22; The Washington Post, 3/8/22]

In late spring 2023, Dr. Eithan Haim allegedly accessed the records of trans patients at Texas Children's Hospital and shared them with Manhattan Institute senior fellow Chris Rufo. Haim, a resident at Baylor College of Medicine who had previously conducted rotations at Texas Children's Hospital, shared redacted files with Rufo that allegedly demonstrated that the hospital was continuing to provide gender-affirming services to minors. [Houston Public Media, 6/10/24; U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Texas, 6/17/24; United States District Court of the Southern District of Texas, 5/29/24]

On June 2, 2023, a Texas bill restricting gender-affirming care for children was signed into law. S.B. 14 prohibited “the provision to certain children of procedures and treatments for gender transitioning, gender reassignment, or gender dysphoria” as well as “the use of public money or public assistance to provide those procedures and treatments.” The law went into effect on September 1 of that year. [Texas legislature, 6/2/23]

[...]

Right-wing media figures platformed Haim in solo interviews, where he defended himself 

Since January 2024, with the revelation of his identity, Eithan Haim has appeared as a guest alongside many prominent right-wing media figures. In these interviews Haim neither claimed to have worked directly with trans patients nor disputed sharing the documents with Chris Rufo. Instead, Haim often alleged that he was being unfairly targeted and defended his case on the grounds that the care allegedly provided at Texas Children's Hospital was harmful to pediatric patients. 

Right-wing media defend Dr. Eithan Haim’s HIPAA-violating ways of illegally accessing trans patients’ records while at Texas Children’s Hospital in which he shared those records with far-right anti-LGBTQ+ agitator Christopher Rufo.

[good-old-gossip]

Where is the outrage?

“It’s been just over 20 years since CBS News published the sobering photographs that proved the US army was carrying out unspeakable crimes against Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison.

Rape.

Degradation.

Homicide.

Torture, both psychological and physical.

Sexual humiliation.

The revelations of US barbarity were greeted with horror around the world and played a major role in turning opinion against the Iraq War.

In recent days, it has become all too clear that something comparable to Abu Ghraib - and very possibly worse - has been taking place in Israeli prisons since 7 October when the war on Gaza broke out.

This week, appalling leaked video footage captured Israeli soldiers sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee, just as a report from the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem highlighted the state’s policy of systematic prisoner abuse and torture since the start of the war.

The report, based on interviews with 55 Palestinians detained since the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October, is distressing to read.

It provides evidence of degrading treatment, arbitrary beatings and sleep deprivation, as well as the ‘repeated use of sexual violence, in varying degrees of severity’. B’Tselem headlined its report: ‘Welcome to hell.’

While Israeli authorities have denied such accounts, the analysis comes just days after nine soldiers were arrested in relation to the rape of a Palestinian prisoner at the notorious Sde Teiman detention facility.

The victim reportedly suffered a severe injury to his anus, a ruptured bowel, lung damage, and broken ribs.

In addition, last month the Un Human Rights office published a report that found shocking abuses in Israeli military facilities and prisons, where at least 53 Palestinians have died since 7 October.

How have western politicians remained silent on these horrors?

Where is the mass public outrage?

It seems Israeli leaders have been successful in their campaign to normalise rape and other abuses against Palestinian prisoners.

After the arrest of the nine soldiers at Sde Teiman, far-right protesters who stormed the facility were joined by several Knesset members. Justice Minister Yariv Levin said he was 'shocked to see harsh pictures of soldiers being arrested', adding that it was 'impossible to accept'.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir went even further: 'I recommend the defence minister, the [Israeli army] chief and the military authorities to … learn from the prison service - light treatment of terrorists is over. Soldiers need to have our full support.'

Energy Minister Eli Cohen also came out in strong support of the 'reservists who do holy work and guard the despicable Hamas terrorists, adding: 'We should all embrace them and salute them, certainly not interrogate them and humiliate them.'

The real goal of the arrests might simply have been to present the illusion that Israel is taking action internally against such horrors, in a bid to avoid international war crimes trials at The Hague.

According to a recent report from Ynet, senior Israeli legal officials said: “It’s better that we investigate. Internal investigations save international external investigations.”

In a Haaretz article late last month, law professor Orit Kamir referenced legislation that was passed a year ago to allow for increased punishment in cases of Palestinians who sexually assault Jewish women.

One year on, portions of the Israeli establishment 'are no longer satisfied with doubling punishment …

The state law amendment a year ago was only the trailer, when they were still hesitant and restrained,' she wrote.

'Now the sting is out of the bag, and they renounce the rule of law of the country altogether, and demand to apply the ancient law of revenge: an eye for an eye and rape for rape.

Those who were arrested by the [Israeli army] as a suspect in connection with the 7 October atrocities were, according to their opinion, to be raped in custody by Jewish Israeli soldiers.'

Such abuses are becoming mainstream. There is ample evidence.

Where is the broad global condemnation?

✍️: MEE/Lubna Masarwa, Peter Oborne

[theoutcastrogue]

WHY DIGITIZE CULTURAL HERITAGE, AND FOR WHOM?

Many museums around the world make high-quality 3D scans of important artwork and ancient artifacts in their collections. Several forward-thinking organizations freely share their 3D scans, allowing the public to view, copy, adapt, and experiment with the underlying works in ways that have never before been possible.

Anyone in the world with an internet connection can view, interact with, and download the British Museum’s 3D scan of the Rosetta Stone, for example. The public can freely access hundreds of scans of classical sculpture from the National Gallery of Denmark, and visitors to the Smithsonian’s website can view, navigate, and freely download thousands of high-quality scans of artifacts ranging from dinosaur fossils to the Apollo 11 space capsule.

With access to digitizations like these, artists can rework and incorporate our common cultural heritage into new works, such as films, video games, virtual reality, clothing, architecture, sculpture, and more. Researchers and educators can use 3D scans to further our understanding of the arts, and the art-loving public can use them to appreciate, study, and even replicate beloved works in new ways that are not possible within the confines of a museum or with the original works. [...]

Unfortunately, some ostensibly public-spirited organizations do keep their 3D scans hidden. I’ve been trying to help them see the light. Beginning in 2017 I spent three years using German freedom of information law to successfully pressure the Egyptian Museum of Berlin to release its 3D scan of its most prized possession and national treasure, the 3,000 year-old Bust of Nefertiti. Since then I’ve turned my attention to the digital treasures being hoarded by taxpayer funded institutions in France.

The Louvre, for example, will not allow the public to access its ultra-high quality 3D scan of Winged Victory, the Nike of Samothrace, despite its aggressive public and corporate fundraising campaign to digitize the iconic Greek sculpture. Nor its scan of Venus de Milo.

The French Ministry of Culture’s Réunion des musées nationaux (RMN) receives tens of millions of dollars anually in public subsidies to provide services to French national museums. [...] RMN advertises its scans’ availability to the public, which makes for great PR, but its ads are false. In fact, RMN has a strict look-but-don’t-touch policy for its 3D scans and absolutely refuses to allow the public to access them directly. My own investigation has revealed that, in private, RMN admits it won’t release its scans because it wants to protect its gift shops’ sales revenue from competition from the public making their own replicas. For practical applications and creative potential, and direct value to the public, it is as though these scans simply do not exist.

And then there is the Rodin Museum. Founded in 1917 shortly after the death of famed sculptor Auguste Rodin, le musée Rodin is a state-run administrative agency and an arm of the Ministry of Culture. It has a legally mandated mission to preserve, study, enhance and disseminate Rodin’s works, all of which have been in the public domain since their copyrights expired decades ago. Even though musée Rodin never passes up an opportunity to remind the public that it is France’s sole “self-funded” national museum, it sought and obtained direct public funding from the Ministry of Culture’s national digitization program, and in 2010 as part of its public service mission began 3D scanning its collection with the stated purpose of publishing the results.

Fourteen years later, musée Rodin’s scans have not been shared with the public. [keep reading]

- Cosmo Venman

The Baltimore Museum of Art’s unpublished 3D scan of The Thinker.

[apoemaday]

What Women Deserve

by Sonya Renee Taylor

Culturally-diversified biracial girl with a small diamond nose ring and a pretty smile poses besides the words “Women Deserve Better”. and I almost let her non-threatening grin begin to infiltrate my psyche until I read the unlikely small print at the bottom of the ad: Sponsored by the US Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities and the Knights of Columbus On a bus in a city with a population of 553,000, 4 teenage mothers on the bus with me, 1 Latina woman with 3 children under 3 and no signs of a daddy. One sixteen-year-old black girl standing in 22-degree weather with only a sweater a book bag and a bassinet, with an infant that ain’t even four weeks yet tell me that Yes… Women do deserve better. Women deserve better than public transportation rhetoric from the same people who won’t give that teenage mother a ride to the next transit. Won’t let you talk to their kids about safer sex Have never had to listen as the door SLAMS behind the man who adamantly says, “That shit” ain’t his leaving her to wonder how she’ll raise this kid. Women deserve better than the 300 dollars TANF and AFC will provide that family of three or the 6 dollar an hour job at KFC with no benefits for her new baby or the college degree she may never see because you can’t have infants at the university Women deserve better than lip service paid for by politicians who have no alternatives to abortion though I am sure right this moment one of their seventeen-year-old daughters is sitting in a clinic lobby sobbing quietly and anonymously praying parents don’t find out or will be waiting for mom to pick her up because research shows that out-of-wedlock childbirth doesn’t look good on political polls and Daddy ain’t having that. Women deserve better than backwards governmental policies that don’t want to pay for welfare for kids or healthcare for kids or childcare for kids Don’t want to pay living wages to working mothers, Don’t want to make men who only want to be last night’s lovers responsible for the semen they lay. Flat out don’t want to pay for SHIT but want to control the woman who’s having it. Acting outraged at abortion. Well I’m outraged that they want us to believe that they believe that women deserve better. The Vatican won’t prosecute pedophile priests But I decide I’m not ready for motherhood and it’s condemnation for me These are the same people who won’t support national condom distribution to prevent teenage pregnancy. But women deserve better. Women deserve better than back-alley surgeries that leave our wombs barren and empty. Deserve better than organizations bearing the name of land-stealing racist rapists funding million dollar campaigns on subway trains with no money to give these women while balding middle-aged white men tell us what to do with our bodies while they wage wars and kill other people’s babies So maybe women deserve better than propaganda and lies to get into office Propaganda and lies to get into panties to get out of court to get out of paying child support Get the hell out of our decisions and give us back our voice Women do deserve better Women deserve choice

[wanderingaldecaldo]

I've been posting Ros and Val without any context or backstory because my brain has been going brrrrrrrr too much to write anything proper besides drabbles, and a couple of unrelated oneshots. I'm still figuring out their story but I've discovered some of the major beats and wanted to get it down for my future self, as well as anyone who's following along at home.

Their story follows PL fairly closely with a few places where I took some creative license. Val and Ros hook up at the safe house, and it takes Reed a little longer to get everything organized, giving them a few days together in Dogtown before Ros is spirited back to D.C.

Lemme just wipe off your cheek real quick...

Val needs family. She doesn't know it, but that's why she gravitated to Jackie and Lupe. It's why she calls Panam for help in her canon. Rosalind represents family in a different way. She's the mother who knows what's best, who cares about "her" people, and Val doesn't realize how much she needs that attachment. Several times during the rescue, Ros displays affection and concern for her—when the building collapses before the Chimera fight, during the Relic malfunction—and combined with the mission to keep her safe, it triggers something deep inside V, a loyalty that she doesn't understand.

Rosalind, on the other hand, just lost a lot of crucial advisors. While we don't know who was on board aside from So Mi, we can guess that there were high ranking staffers, such as communications, security, and campaign, plus her own personal assistant and Secret Service agent. She has no one. She is vulnerable with V, admitting that she doesn't know what to do, that she has no one; and V's response is to remind her that she's there, and she's determined to get her out of the situation. Loyalty is something Ros values highly, and here is this merc tasked with saving her, but who sees the situation as more than just another gig; who has become personally invested in protecting her. It's intoxicating to have someone who's unflinchingly loyal to you, and who has seen the real you.

Once they reach the safe house, things escalate because of the mix of all those emotions, plus all the adrenaline and endorphins from the escape. It becomes more than just a hookup, but because of their situations (Ros's, let's be real), they both know it's an untenable relationship. Their time is bittersweet because of that knowledge.

Just squint a little and the Dogtown apartment isn't that bad!

Continued after the cut...

Later after the events of PL, they stay in touch, and there is affection between them still. Ros reaches out by text for fashion advice on the magazine shoot. They both agree that V isn't the right person for the job, but Ros knows she'll at least be honest. Later the acting campaign manager thinks having Ros take photos with the merc who saved her life in Dogtown would be good ad material, so Ros recruits V to the photo shoot.

Note: add at least one eagle for the "real" patriots

V uses the photo shoot to her advantage and successfully lobbies for the dinner date Rosalind promised. They have it that evening at Embers, as it's easy to secure for VIPs. Ros wants to know what V expects, because surely she can't think there is hope for a real relationship; but V wants whatever she can have. At this point, she knows she's crazy about Rosalind, while Ros is in denial herself over how much she cares about V.

“Where do you think this will go, V?” Rosalind's voice is soft and melodic. She doesn’t know, doesn’t care. She needs something, will take anything. “Hopin’ the first stop is my bedroom,” V says and gives her cockiest grin, but it quickly fades. “After that? Kinda up to you, yeah?”

They spend the night together and Ros decides to give it a try. They officially start seeing each other, but in secret and only when Ros has reason to visit NC. The new mayor provides a good excuse, so Ros visits under cover of extending diplomatic ties, and providing an opportunity for date night with her merc.

It's good to have powerful friends, like the new mayor of Night City.

After a few months of this, they slip up and the media catch wind that the President is spending time with the merc who saved her life in Dogtown. The campaign manager wants to use the media frenzy by spinning it as Rosalind recruiting V as her personal bodyguard, while still encouraging theories about their secret romantic relationship so the screamsheets will go crazy over it.

Eventually people are gonna notice when AF1 keeps showing up in NC airspace.

At that point V is ready to upend her life for Ros. She agrees to the plan and moves to D.C. The media eats it all up, and suddenly the only thing the NUS cares about is whether the President and her merc are fucking (they are). Eventually they transition to openly dating, and the President's approval rating shoots up by having a partner who humanizes her and makes her more likeable.

[bushdivingbushranger]

“Governments, companies, charities and media outlets now talk of ‘people who menstruate’, ‘pregnant people’, ‘abortion seekers’ and ‘birthing parents’, where they would once simply have said ‘women’. Here are a few indicative examples. The UK’s National Health Service explains that ‘the concept of virginity for people with vaginas has a complicated history’. Teen Vogue offers a ‘no-nonsense, 101 guide to masturbation for vagina owners’. Information campaigns from cancer charities tell ‘anyone with a cervix’ to get regular Pap smear tests. An ad for Tampax enjoins the world to ‘celebrate the diversity of all people who bleed’. La Leche League USA says it ‘supports all breastfeeding, chestfeeding, and human milk feeding families’. An American charity bemoans the frequency with which ‘black birthing bodies’ die in the delivery room. This language carves women up into pieces to be used for sexual and reproductive services. It is reminiscent of porn sites, where visitors are invited to search according to body part and activity of interest, or the surrogacy industry, where children are bought in bits – eggs from an ovary-haver, gestational services from a uterus owner and nutrition from a human milk feeder. Women become orifices, providers of genetic material, vessels for growing offspring and milch cows. This is not just dehumanising: it also obscures the fact that these body parts and functions come as a package. The same type of person ovulates, menstruates, gestates, gives birth and requires abortions, and possesses the physical features that heterosexual men desire to look at, touch and penetrate. It is the type of person who has been oppressed throughout history, precisely because men want to dominate and control the possessors of this type of body. Dividing women up like this attenuates their power as a constituency – at any one time, it is different women who are menstruating, pregnant, breast-feeding and post-menopausal, for example. How much harder it would have been to argue for the vote for women, or for paid maternity leave, or to end the exemption that allowed men to rape their wives at will, if the only way to refer to the beneficiaries of such policies had been to list bodily secretions and sexual organs.”

Excerpt from Trans by Helen Joyce

[milkboydotnet]

MANILA — A month after his abduction, surfaced environment defender Francisco “Eco” Dangla III detailed his harrowing experience at the Commission on Human Rights, on April 26.

Dangla and fellow activist Axielle “Jak” Tiong were mauled into a van by armed men on March 24 in barangay Polo, San Carlos, Pangasinan. Later on, the two activists would be found on March 28, after more than 600 individuals and international and local organizations campaigned for their immediate release.

Their abductors are still at large, prompting the activists to seek sanctuary.

Dangla believes that their abductors are state agents, due to the build up of harassment incidents prior to the abduction.

In fact, Dangla had been tagged as a “terrorist” and “threat” by State forces. This is according to the 2019 presentation of the Regional Peace and Order Council of Region 1.

“Since 2014, I have been a victim of several forms of harassment, intimidation, vilification, and threat in different chapters of my service to the people and the environment,” he said in Filipino.

The harrowing ordeal

Dangla said that on the day of the abduction, the unidentified men pointed their guns at them, pushing them to submission.

“When we arrived at a place, which looked like a safe house, they said that our lives were at their hands. We cannot do anything. They threatened to kill us,” Eco recalled.

He also added that the abductors threatened to burn and bulldoze them. “They released a cobra. We also heard a sound similar to the bulldozer. They said that they would burn us, that they would put us under the wheels of the bulldozer. Later on, I would smell burning plastic and wheels,” Eco said in Filipino.

There were moments when both Dangla and Tiong felt hopeless in the three days of distress. Dangla said, “I told myself, maybe it’s time. Maybe they would kill us now. But until the end, I still tried to explain our environmental initiatives, until they got angry at us.”

“They tried to give us an ultimatum. They do not want to hear our explanation about the environment. Instead, they asked us about people, about names we do not know, because they wanted to connect us to CPP-NPA,” he said.

It also came to the point that the abductors also threatened their families. “We experienced an unimaginable intimidation and threat to my life through physical and psychological torture. Worse, they threatened the lives of our loved ones, and my family,” he said.

Dangla said that prior to their abduction, he and Tiong suffered from multiple cases of red-tagging and harassment, stemming from their advocacy work. They are both convenors of the Pangasinan People’s Strike for Environment (PPSE), a local grassroots network of environmental advocates.

Overwhelming support and solidarity

The environment activists were released before the sunrise of March 28. They were blindfolded prior to their release so they were not able to identify the trail of place. Dangla even thought that the abductors would dispose of them during that time.

“When we were surfaced, I saw the overwhelming support of environment groups, churches, and individuals. From there, I felt that despite the strength of our enemy, if we fight in unison, we can achieve victories,” Dangla said.

He expressed his deepest gratitude to all the organizations and individuals who campaigned for their release. Barangay Polo residents also provided support to their parents.

“Without the quick response and campaign of various groups and sectors, including the church in the national and international scope, maybe our abductors would not release us,” he said.

Speaking at the same press conference, Jonila Castro, another surfaced environmental activist who has been fighting against the reclamation projects in Manila Bay, expressed support.to Dangla.

Castro and her fellow activist Jhed Tamano, were abducted on September 4, 2023. Weeks later, they were presented as fake surrenderees by the NTF-ELCAC, only for the two activists to expose the violence they suffered.

She also highlighted that instead of committing or being oblivious to the rampant human rights violations, the government should address the problems caused by climate change such as El Niño.

Castro is now the advocacy officer for water and reclamation of the Kalikasan People’s Network for Environment (PNE). She echoed Dangla’s sentiments that the abductions are used to silence environmental defenders and activists opposing destructive projects.

“These abductions are part of a larger pattern of natural resource plunder by foreign corporations, often with government and military support. Activists opposing these projects and defending local community rights are viewed as obstacles to profit-making and are therefore the target for intimidation, harassment, and violence,” she said.

Continuing the fight against destructive environmental projects

As convenors of the PPSE, Dangla said that they are at the forefront of opposing destructive mining projects.

Among these projects is the 10,000 hectares of black sand off-shore mining in the Lingayen Gulf. This will cover the towns of Sual, Labrador, Lingayen, Binmaley, and Dagupan, which seek to extract 25 million of magnetite sand yearly for 25 years.

According the government data from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), around 28,000 fisherfolk are dependent on the gulf for their livelihood. The project could also affect the biodiversity and ecosystems in the area, according to a BFAR aquaculturist.

In addition to this, Executive Order 130 (EO 130) by former President Rodrigo Duterte, which sought to lift the moratorium on mineral agreements, prompt the surge of applications.

“Around 84,000 hectares of lands are at stake due to the Executive Order,” Dangla said.

They are also opposing the plan of the local government to build six nuclear power plants. In 2023, PPSE reported that the LGU is encouraging community members to sign a statement of community acceptance for the projects.

Despite the harrowing violence that they experienced, Dangla vows to continue the fight. “My plan is to continue and maybe we will still plan how we move seamlessly, but my will is firm to continue the fight.”

According to the human rights group Karapatan Central Luzon, the number of surfaced activists is five (5), but there 14 defenders still missing. Three of them are from Central Luzon: Steve Abua, Diodicto Minzo, and Joey Torres.

full article: https://www.bulatlat.com/2024/04/26/despite-suffering-torture-environmental-defenders-continue-fight-against-destructive-projects/

[mariacallous]

President Joe Biden reminded Pennsylvanians on Friday that he, Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democrats safeguarded more than 1 million people’s pensions without any help from the GOP.

Visiting a union hall in Philadelphia, Biden and local union leaders highlighted the American Rescue Plan of 2021 and how it funded union pension plans that were facing insolvency. The pensions of an estimated 1.2 million workers and retirees have been protected from cuts due to the legislation.

It was no accident that the event took place in Pennsylvania, perhaps the most critical of battleground states for Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, and for her opponent, former President Donald Trump. Democrats have worried about Harris’ strength with the kind of blue-collar union voters whose pensions were backstopped by the bill.

Biden made sure anyone listening knew that the pension rescue got no Republican backing when Democrats muscled it through Congress over three years ago as part of a larger, pandemic-era stimulus package. It passed on a party-line vote in the Senate, with Harris casting a tie-breaker at a critical juncture for the bill.

The president said the vote underscored the hyperpartisan nature of Congress these days.

“We used to have real differences in the Senate. But at least when the critical things, we ended up getting together. But not anymore,” Biden said. “This is a different deal we’re working with. Not a single, solitary Republican in the House or the Senate, not one, voted to help with the pensions. Not one single one.”

“It’s the way things have gotten,” he added. “It’s wrong.”

He said that he and Harris “worked like hell” to include the pension rescue, known as the Butch Lewis Act, as part of the American Rescue Plan, and theorized that some Republicans would have voted for it but were afraid to cross party leaders.

“I believe a lot of those Republicans who voted no thought it was wrong. But they’re afraid to vote the right way,” Biden said.

The legislation provided an estimated $74 billion to $91 billion to shore up troubled multiemployer pension plans, which are funds that employers pay into under collective bargaining agreements. The funds can run into trouble when union membership declines over time, with more retirees drawing down benefits and fewer contributions going in on behalf of active workers.

The White House said Pennsylvania is home to an estimated 65,000 of the workers and retirees helped by the legislation. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp., a government-run entity that insures multiemployer pension plans, said Friday it had approved an application to pump $684 million into a plan covering 29,000 workers and retirees in the service sector.

The pension rescue became something of a campaign story after the International Brotherhood of Teamsters’ executive board declined to make an endorsement in the presidential race. The Teamsters had the largest pension plan saved from cuts, and so the decision not to back Harris angered many members and labor allies

John Pishko, a retired Teamster from western Pennsylvania, spoke at the Philadelphia event about how the legislation helped save his retirement. He said he was set to lose 30% of his pension benefit, or about $1,000 a month, before Democrats stepped in with the bailout.

“That’s a pretty substantial cut to any working man,” Pishko said. “It was devastating.”

He had assumed he would “never” be able to stave off those cuts.

“It matters when you have a president and vice president who has your back,” he said.