#community Participation South East

[lifestylecommunitycare]

How To Maximise Your Funding For The NDIS Community Participation Program? 

Your NDIS community participation funding can be a pivotal segment in your plan as it can enhance your life by enabling active involvement within your community. In this case, this support category can recognise the overall importance of your community involvement, social interaction and recreation. The highly dedicated team of care providers offering assistance with community participation in South East can help you participate in social activities and build confidence. 

In this blog, we will discuss how you can maximise your funding for the NDIS community participation program. So keep reading. 

Clearly Communicate Your Goals 

To make the most out of your NDIS community participation funding firstly you need to communicate your goals to your NDIS planner. This can help you to get an appropriate allocation which can align with your goals. The highly reliable team of support providers providing disability support services in Frankston can help you stay connected within your community and live a thriving life. 

Explore Available Options

Apart from communicating your goals and preferences you also need to educate yourself on different ways you can use your community participation funds. For this, you can explore the available options for social activities and services within your community. In this case, you can collaborate with your NDIS planner so that you can ensure that it reflects your goals and preferences. 

Stay Updated On NDIS Plans And Policies

With the help of your support professionals, you can pick activities that can be beneficial for your situation. Apart from this, they can also help you to stay updated on the NDIS plans and policies as with this you can effectively utilise your funding. 

Overall Thoughts 

By following the above tips you can maximise your NDIS community participation funding and live a healthy and fulfilling life. 

[metamorphesque]

Monte Melqonyan/Մոնթե Մելքոնյան (1957-1993)

Honestly, I don't even know where to begin. He's one of those extraordinary individuals about whom countless books could be written and numerous movies could be made, yet still, so much would remain untold. You might wonder, "He's a National Armenian Hero—cool, but why should I know about him?" My answer is simple: if the world had more people like him, especially in today's times, it would be a much better place. He fought for justice, embodied culture and education, and radiated a deep love for his people and humanity as a whole. I believe everyone should aspire to have a little bit of Monte's spirit within them, regardless of their nationality.

Now, it's important to note that some things written about him in the Western press can be questionable and inaccurate. So, I would advise taking most of the information from those sources with a grain of salt.

Monte was born on November 25, 1957, into an Armenian family in Visalia, California, that had survived the Armenian Genocide. From 1969 to 1970, his family traveled through Western Armenia, the birthplace of his ancestors. During this journey, Monte, at the age of twelve, began to realize his Armenian identity. While taking Spanish language courses in Spain, his teacher had posed him the question of where he was from. Dissatisfied with Melkonian's answer of "California", the teacher rephrased the question by asking "where did your ancestors come from?" His brother Markar Melqonyan remarked that "her image of us was not at all like our image of ourselves. She did not view us as the Americans we had always assumed we were." From this moment on, for days and months to come, Markar continues, "Monte pondered [their teacher Señorita] Blanca's question Where are you from?"

In high school, he excelled academically and struggled to find new challenges. Instead of graduating early, as suggested by his principal, Monte found an alternative - a study abroad program in East Asia. The decision to go to Japan was not random. He had been attending karate clubs and was the champion of the under-14 category in California. He also studied Japanese culture, including taking Japanese language courses. After completing his studies at a school in Osaka, Japan, he went to South Korea, where he studied under a Buddhist monk. He later traveled to Vietnam, witnessing the war and taking numerous photographs of the conflict. Upon returning to America, he had become proficient in Japanese and karate.

Having graduated from high school, Monte entered the University of California, Berkeley, with a Regents Scholarship, majoring in ancient Asian history and archaeology. In 1978, he helped organize an exhibition of Armenian cultural artifacts at one of the university's libraries. A section of the exhibit dealing with the Armenian Genocide was removed by university authorities at the request of the Turkish consul general in San Francisco, but it was eventually reinstalled following a campus protest movement. Monte completed his undergraduate work in under three years. During his time at the university, he founded the "Armenian Students' Union" and organized an exhibition dedicated to the Armenian Genocide in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkey.

Upon graduating, he was accepted into the archaeology graduate program at the University of Oxford. However, Monte chose to forgo this opportunity and instead began his lifelong struggle for the Armenian Cause.

In the fall of 1978, Monte went to Iran and participated in demonstrations against the Shah. Later that year, he traveled to Lebanon, where the civil war was at its peak. In Beirut, he participated in the defense of the Armenian community. Here, he learned Arabic and, by the age of 22, was fluent in Armenian, English, French, Spanish, Italian, Turkish, Persian, Japanese, and Kurdish.

From 1980, Monte joined the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA – I promise to tell you more about them later) and quickly became one of its leaders. In 1981, he participated in the planning of the famous Van operation. In 1981, he was arrested at Orly Airport in France for carrying a false passport and a pistol. During his trial, Monte declared, "All Armenians carry false passports—French, American—they will remain false as long as they are not Armenian." Over the following years, he perfected his military skills at an ASALA training camp, eventually becoming one of the group's principal instructors.

Monte with his wife Seda

After being released from a French prison (once again) in 1989, Monte arrived in Armenia in 1991, where armed clashes between Armenians and azerbaijanis had already begun. He founded the "Patriots" unit and spent seven months in Yerevan working at the Academy of Sciences, writing and publishing the book "Armenia and its Neighbors." In September of the same year, he went to the Republic of Artsakh to fight for his fatherland and its people. Due to his military expertise, he was appointed Chief of Staff of the Martuni defense district in 1992. His sincerity and purity quickly won the love and respect of the local population and the Armenian community as a whole.

Throughout his conscious life, Monte fought for the rights of Armenians, recognition of the Armenian Genocide, and the reclamation of Armenian homeland.

There are various versions of Monte Melqonyan's death circulating in both Armenian and azerbaijani media. According to official Armenian information, Monte was killed on June 12, 1993, by fire from an azerbaijani armored vehicle.

Monte remains a lasting testament to the incredible potential unleashed when the Armenian patriotic heart unites with sharp intellect.

In case you'd like to put a voice to the face and hear about the Artsakh struggle directly from Monte, here he is speaking about it in English.

[meadow-of-daisies-and-lavender]

Deity! 141 AU HCs

A/N: Just some ramblings about the 141 as deities in my poly AU

(18+ only)

Please comment and reblog!

Captain John Price

God of the East Woods, who is represented by winter. He is known for his leadership skills, analytical abilities, and good faith in his men.

As he is known for leadership skills, he is known as the god most worshiped by leaders who seek guidance in their ability to command others. He is also known for being the one sought out by outcasts who are looking for community. He’ll help you find your way, don’t you worry. You belong somewhere; we just have to find where.

Contrary to popular belief, John does not participate in assisting those who force their command over others. He believes in leading by example and earning the privilege of leadership.

 He is most closely associated with cold metal, with his altar decorated in winter wreaths, warm spices, and delicate metalwork.

Kyle Garrick

God of the North Woods, represented by Spring and water. He is courageous, knowledgeable in the social and environmental climate, and can foresee the cause and effects of many actions on the battlefield.

He is worshiped by those beginning new endeavors. As the youngest and newest god (which, how new can ancient beings really be?), myths range from his grand displays of courage to self-doubt. His stories paint imagery of humbleness and of an eager learner. To those seeking new starts, he is the perfect divine being to guide you to ask questions and be courageous in the midst of change.

Kyle, while known best for being the god of changes, is also the patron of mystics for his foreseeing abilities (and beauticians. He likes his skincare and pretty things). As the foreseeing one, he knows all the outcomes and can assist divination practitioners in seeking knowledge of the future.

Just because Kyle can help doesn’t mean he will. Many fortune-tellers have reported trickery and confusion trying to get answers from him. He likes his jokes and finds seeing humans guessing about the future amusing. Won’t they find out eventually?

 His altar is decorated with bowls of water representing spring rain and winds. As spring flowers bloom, they are also decorated upon his altar. The seed of each planted crop is represented on the altar as a blessing for a productive sowing season.

Johnny McTavish

The god of summer and of the southlands. McTavish is known for quick, fiery actions mirrored by a thunderstorm's quick turn or a wildfire's spark.

While he might have fiery emotions, the god is methodological in his delivery of quick actions. For this reason, if you need help finding passion, McTavish is the god for you. He is the patron of athletes and artisans who harness passion into practice and dedication to their craft.

The god of summer is precise! If you seek his help, be specific and think about what you need versus what you want. His help will come on his timing, but it’ll be exactly what you asked for. He finds it funny when mortals get upset by this. Usually, if he is going to be helpful to the mortals, it is on his terms and conditions, and you’ll know by a sudden splash of warmth on your skin or by the way events just so happen to align that it could only be the work of a god.

His altar is decorated with an always-lit candle. There are summer fruits in bowls and an icon of a thunderbolt descending from the sky to represent his passions.

The one they call “Ghost”

The god of the south and autumn season, mortals know the least about him. His mythology is sparse, usually featuring him as a supporting character in someone else’s myth (usually Johnny’s) with a dry sense of humor.

He is the god of the ground that is transitioning into hibernation, the god of intelligence, knowing when to take ground and when to give ground. He is the wisdom gained from remembering the bones and dust from whence you came. He is the patron of the elderly and wise, of those who understand the power of listening before speaking to the aged ideals that came before you.

Hidden by shadows of the unknown, protected by the bones of the dying, Ghost is not a death god, but he represents the bridge between mortals and the spiritual, helping those who are dying.

Ghost is not a god you call upon lightly. He will make you search your shadows, forcing you to gaze upon those fearsome things that hide in all mortal souls. If you ask to see the divine, he will show you it when you are ready. But it will not look pretty or neat or holy. It will be sacred in its raw, awesome terror, a power unleashed that mortals cannot grasp.

Ghost’s alter typically has a buck skull on it- the first buck killed of the season. Black and grey altar cloths are laid beneath the walnut bowls holding the nuts and acorns offered to the god.

Once upon a time, there were four gods. Together, they took turns helping the mortals. But what spirit connects them all, centering their efforts? Of what clear mission banner do they unite under? To whom is the focal point of life’s great mysteries? It had always been assumed human mortals as a collective to be that focal point. But the myths do not end with the death of the old. They continue and will grow with the next generations and generations next.

[slut-and-falcon]

More Wicked Headcannons (bookiscal canon)

- Elphaba isn’t a women but doesn’t have the language to identify her gender.

-the tribes of the Vinkus (Winkie country) have their own magic, as do the Quadlings. While Elphaba is out and about helping the resistance and animal refugees, she is also learning this magic with those whom are willing to share (some magic is closed to outsiders). She learns the different approaches and theories about magic, and it helps make her a more powerful witch.

-there was already a resistance against the Wizard when Elphaba becomes the face of it. While on the run, she is quickly intercepted by members of the resistance forces, brought to their leadership and everyone starts working collaboratively.

-Elphaba’s family tree is as such:

Oscar Diggs + Melena Thropp= Elphaba

Turtle Heart + Melena Thropp=Nessarose

Frexpar Thropp +Melena Thropp = Shell

A Quadling + Gilkeneese Munchkin=Melena Thropp

So Elphaba has kin ties to all parts of Oz- the north, east, south, and west!

-Shell grows up and becomes part of the resistance, he’s gay and has a great partner who is Vinkin. They live on the western boarder of Oz in an Animal town, and help Animals cross the impassable desert. Elphaba also passes on any orphaned Animals she has in to them if another Animal is not available to raise the orphan(s), so they run a pseudo Animal foster home. They also take in human children if there is a need.

-Elphaba loves politics, and when she is introduced to Fiyero’s father (the King of the Vinkus), they butt heads at first. However, Fiyero’s father eventually sees Elphaba as an equal, and as a strong ally. He also loves to get into political discussions with her, and playing chess with her.

-the Vinkus royal family are Animal sympathizers, but also recognized the Wizard’s plan for total control over Oz. They couldn’t afford a full out civil war, so they contributed heavily to the resistance in secret.

- the resistance in the Emerald City is majority made up of displaced women from Quadling territory, whom are forced to participate in sex work to survive. They end up using sex work as a cover for communicating, blackmailing the Wizard’s supporters, and for getting Animals safely out of the City. Elphaba, for a short time, was one of these sex workers, posing as both the sex worker, and as clientele to pass along information, share supplies and resources, and to extort Wizard supporters.

- Elphaba also poses as a maunt (a nun) to hide from the Wizard’s Gale Force, and to pass along resistance information and resources.

-Fiyero will and does sit on Elphaba’s lap

- once they are forced to leave Oz, Elphaba and Fiyero don’t truely leave Oz, they go live with Shell snd his partner, taking care of the Animals and children. The Vinkus royal family know their location, so that they can send warnings ahead if needed.

- Elphaba, with the help of various other magical folk around Oz, change Fiyero back to human, but can’t reverse the damage done by the Gale Force. They nurse him back to a relativity non-dying state, but he was hurt really badly by the Gale Force. They are able to stabilize his spine enough with magic and physical therapy that he is mobile, though he deals with severe chronic pain. He refuses all pain medication, citing a need to be of clear head in case the worse should happen. He’s also afraid of getting addicted.

-Elphaba doesn’t like getting her hair cut…the longest it ever was, it was down to the backs of her knees.

World building Headcannons:

-the Vinkus has many different climates. In the colder, more norther climates, mammoths roam. There are no Mammoths, and no one knows why. In same region, Dogs work together in teams to transport materials, people, other Animals, etc to places on sleds. Each year they have a Dog only race from Ugabu to the Lesser Kells.

- in Quadling country, there were rubies in the rivers-causing the water to look reddish. Now there are so many Quadling bodies mass dumped in the rivers due to the Wizard’s genocide of them, that the river flows red due to the blood. The surviving Quadlings were those whom were mixed raced, forced to assimilate into other parts of Oz. The rubies were dipped into green dye, and were used to build the Emerald City.

- there are parts of Munchkinland where the people dress extremely modestly- including face and hair coverings. This is where Elphaba gets the idea/fashion inspiration to hide her face (and skin)

- guns are strictly limited in Oz, per the Wizard’s orders. He saw what the American second amendment argued for and didn’t want the public to have such power to form militias.

- Princess Ozma is still alive, but kept prisoner by the Wizard. She is kept in a guarded, but empty Quadling government building in Qhoyre. The building is overgrown with jungle foliage, and is made from clay and clam shells and rubies from the rivers; it’s a beautiful prison.

- pirates sail the Restwater and Kellswater Great Lakes

Hmmm that’s all for now!

[kaitsawamura]

FICS FOR GAZA

I am proud to announce I will be joining the initiative created over at @ficsforgaza! They, along with all the other incredibly talented participants, are doing some really great work. Thank you to FFG for creating a tangible way for us to help those suffering in Palestine, even if some of us can't afford to offer monetary assistance <3

THIS POST WAS LAST UPDATED 6/25/24

I might open requests in the future but for now, I am accepting proof of donation to sponsor current WIPs only.

Select a vetted donation link. You can find a good list -> HERE <-

Send me a screenshot of your donation through my inbox or in a DM. Due to these factors, donations cannot be anonymous at this time. I will also be sharing screenshots/proof of donation with @ficsforgaza for their records and verification. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU COVER/BLUR ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION ON YOUR PROOF OF DONATION.

I would hope this wouldn't need to be stated but please do not reuse donation screenshots. Make a new donation for each request.

Once you have sent proof of donation and chosen your WIP, you can opt in or out to be listed as a tagged sponsor on the WIP's masterlist. Some of the available WIPs have masterlists already live (I would tag you and repost) and some are oneshots that have yet to be posted (you would be tagged as a sponsor at the time that it is finished and live).

I will label each work individually, but please assume that everything I write will be 18+ MDNI/N*FW at one point or another.

WORD COUNT PER DOLLAR (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

For every $1 donated, I will write 100 words towards your chosen WIP. I.E: If you donate $5, I will write 500 words.

Current Word Count Cap Per One Request: 1000 Words (You can show proof of a larger donation, but this is currently the most words that can be requested per person ☺︎ )

Current Total Word Cap: 500/5000 words (This is currently the point at which I will pause proof of donations until I catch up ☺︎ )

MONEY RAISED: $15.75

Thank you for reading and respecting my rules!

THIS IS CURRENTLY A PLACEHOLDER

SERIES

East of My Heart (West of My Soul) | Estimated WC: 50K | Current WC: 25.5K | Chapter WC: 5.1K/12K | BNHA Folk Tale AU | Prince!Izuku Midoriya x Reader | 18+ MDNI

Donations Made to Sponsor This WIP: 1

SUMMARY: Your life is one that is abundant with family and the magic in small things.  But when a great white bear comes rumbling at your family’s cottage door one winter’s night, you are obviously taken aback.  Even more so when he speaks to you in a language you can understand and asks for your help.  Come away with him, live with him in the ice castle he calls home for a year and day and release him from the curse that blights him.  You agree to go with him even if as time goes along, it is very apparent that there is more to this polar bear than meets the eye.  There is more to a lot of different things as you learn to love the polar bear as friend and companion during the day but are visited by a mysterious man who insists on sleeping in your bed every night.  Can you last a year and a day to save the bear from this strange enchantment?  Will you learn the true identity of the man you’ve come to care so deeply for?  Will you find yourself (and maybe love) along the way?

The Farmer and The Wizard | Estimated WC: 50K | Current WC: 3.2K | Chapter WC: 1.2K/3K | JJK Stardew Valley AU | Wizard!Gojo x Farmer!Reader | 18+ MDNI

Donations Made to Sponsor This WIP: 1

SUMMARY: You need a change, a big one. When your estranged grandfather passes away and bequeaths you his farm in a little town just south of the middle of nowhere, you take it as the sign you needed to make a change instead of waiting for one. The farm, while having fallen into a state of disrepair, is just the thing to cure your modern-world ailments. The people are kind and always ready to offer help, if a bit unusual. They have old superstitions, a haunted community center, and a resident wizard. Spoiler alert: those last two on the list take some getting used to. Yes, things are different here but you have a sneaking suspicion that the slow pace and a certain alchemical practitioner are going to remind you that sometimes, all you need is time and a little bit of magic.

that's just wasteland, baby | Estimated WC: 15K | Current WC: 2.2K | BotW/TotK!Link and Zelda x Reader | 18+ MDNI

SUMMARY: Calamity Ganon has finally been vanquished for good, Link and Zelda have finally managed to break the wheel. But things are not as either of them had hoped they would be. Zelda is soon to be Queen with all the duties of such a position. Link would remain her knight and yet, he is restless. When he hears of the restoration efforts in Lurelin Village, he decides that he must go. He can’t stay cooped up within the castle walls, not after so long in the wild. Zelda and Link are unsure of the new direction their lives are taking but maybe they’ll find that their true north is you.

ONESHOTS

a shrike and a thorn | Estimated WC: 3K | Current WC: 1.2K | Priest!Kento Nanami x Congregant!Reader | 18+ MDNI

SUMMARY: You save everyone but who saves you? You don’t know what makes you step foot in that church.  But you do and you spend the next year a dutiful congregant to Father Nanami.  Devoted and kind, he’s exactly the kind of man you would expect to be a priest.  And none of this would be a problem if it weren’t for the fact that you can’t stop thinking about what it would be like to see him lose his religion between your legs.  Unbeknownst to you, the good Father is having the same kind of thoughts.  Will the two of you build a new altar at which you might worship?

They Say It's Your Birthday | Estimated WC: 3K | Current WC: 1.6K | Pro Hero!Eijiro Kirishima x Reader | 18+ MDNI

SUMMARY: Strangers to lovers (they meet in the club), birthday smut for the Birthday Boy, I've had this in my drafts for literally three years to post on Eiji's birthday.

The Indomitable Human Spirit | Estimated WC: 2-3K | Current WC: 366 | Modern!Sukuna x Reader | 18+ MDNI

Donations Made to Sponsor This WIP: 1

SUMMARY: No description for this yet either, just wanted to explore the idea of Sukuna putting his claim on you but not in the way you'd think he would, more in like the thing about how a warring alien race comes to earth and is baffled and fascinated by the enduring human spirit.

MORE VETTED DONATION LINKS

Masterlist

Archive of Our Own (I don't update this a lot!)

Spotify

Moodboard Pinterest

All works marked as such belong to Kait of kaitsawamura © 2020-PRESENT. Please do not alter, repost, or copy my content.

[ncts-baes]

‎ˑ ִֶ 𓂃𐙚˙ . . . liv’s profile .ᐟ

୨୧ basics . . .

꒱ birth name: olivia jiah lim

꒱ korean name: im jiah | 림지아

꒱ nicknames: livie, liv, jiji, oli, bae, dance prodigy, selfie queen, miss americana, olive, giggly fox, everyone’s chingu, dream’s girlie.

꒱ birth: 24/11/2001 | sagittarius

꒱ birthplace: boston, usa

꒱ residence: seoul, south korea

꒱ nationality: north american

꒱ mbti: esfj

꒱ blood type: O-

꒱ languages: english (mother language), korean (mother language), japanese (semi-fluent), chinese (basics)

꒱ family: dad, mom, two older brothers

୨୧ career . . .

꒱ stage name: liv | 리브

꒱ positions: main dancer, lead vocalist, sub rapper, center, face of the group (in dream) / main dancer, lead vocalist, face of the group (in 127)

꒱ representative emoji: 🐈‍⬛

꒱ debut date: 2016/08/25

꒱ debut song: chewing gum (nct dream)

୨୧ appearance . . .

꒱ faceclaim: lee chaeryeong (itzy)

꒱ weight: 46kg (101 lbs)

꒱ height: 166cm (5’5”)

꒱ body modifications: two piercings in each ear, three tattoos – left rib, behind the right ear, nape of her neck.

୨୧ social media . . .

꒱ instagram: imolivetree

꒱ weverse: liv-ely 🤍

୨୧ facts . . .

— she’s the little sister of the monsta x’s member im. liv is really proud of her brother but also loves to tease him, so it’s always in between teasing and adoration whenever she talks about him. she’s also often teased about this fact by the other members.

— liv was born in boston right after her family left the middle east to live in the us because of her dad’s work. she lived there up to her three years of life and then went back and forth traveling.

— her favorite nickname is liv. it was given to her by her brothers when their parents announced they were having a girl. from then on, it became her favorite nickname and the reasoning of her english name - olivia.

— she’s a huge sone and was so thrilled when her parents told her she passed her audition for sm in 2013. her personality for about three years was bragging to everyone that she was in the same company as snsd.

— her brothers had a big role in her life as they would always help and encourage her with everything she wanted to try. changkyun was the one who took her to the auditions she wanted and her oldest brother would always prepare her stuff and take her anywhere she desired. she loves them deeply and shows it whenever she’s able to.

— olivia sees jiwon as her real big sister since she grew up around boys. haneul is her feminine influence and biggest fan, the oldest would do anything to see jiah happy. she was the one who helped her with her wardrobe changes and makeup tips, also, her number one on the advice givers list.

— jiah debuted with chewing gum, debuting with 127 only during their second comeback. after the debut with 127 she suffered a massive hate because of her appearance, which led to her trying to change her appearance even as a kid. the members - and even other idols - would always reassure her that she was beautiful that way, but jiah ended up having to take a break mid-2017 and came back only in 2018 (she didn’t participate in the ‘we young’ comeback).

— in dream she’s the closest to mark and jaemin as they would always be there listening to her and keeping her close to them. while in 127 she’s really close to both jiwon and taeyong as she loves being taken care of and having people doting on her.

— in 2021 she had a studio choom performance that went viral and, because of that, she became really famous in the dance community. she was invited to many dance programs and events as people became invested in her talents.

— she’s really known for her body proportions and flexibility.

— jiah is really interested in learning new things. so, she can play about six instruments (and still wants to learn more), which are; guitar, piano, drums, flute, electric guitar and the trumpet. she was a part of her school’s band when she was younger, she would play whatever they put her in.

— she is nicknamed by the kpop community as “queen of selfies” and people often comment that she could actually teach a few idols on how to take pictures of themselves.

— she is really close to aespa, she became friends with ningning during their trainee days and eventually got close to the other girls as they joined the company.

— she’s a brand ambassador for acne studios and a makeup ambassador for maybelline new york.

— she debuted solo in 2023 with the single ‘DUMB DUMB’, which became viral in and out of korea. it quickly became one of the most successful solo songs, with everyone doing the challenge and singing it everywhere.

— she did jazz, hiphop, ballet and some whacking classes as a kid. jiah received some awards when she was younger due to some competitions she participated. she’s more interested in hiphop and kpop dances nowadays though.

— during a trip to japan liv became really interested in the culture and culinary, so, she started to teach herself japanese and learned about the country on her own. when she met yuta they instantly clicked because of that and it’s one of her favorite things to talk to him about. during a live, doyoung revealed that they once stayed up until almost four am just talking and showing each other stuff of the japanese culture.

all rights reserved © ncts-baes, 2024

[luxudus]

Merfolk in the Trail of Cryptids (for @jennywolfgal)

woah hey i wasnt expecting to have participated in mermay bet here i am now. This is for @jennywolfgal and her project the Trail of Cryptids which i talked about awhile ago with her dragons. enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another group of species endemic to this alternate earth are the legendary Merfolk. Trident wielding Half-man half-fish people of the sea of the myths in our world. The merfolk here aren’t humans or hominids, nor are they even great apes. But instead they are a sister-clade of the family Cebidae. They are related to the Capuchin monkeys of central and south America.

They split off 10 million years ago with a similar evolutionary history to the cetaceans. Allowing an evolution of similar extremeness akin to the time between Pakicetus and Dorudon.

Icthypithicids contain a variety of aquatic monkey species. True merfolk belong in the genus Meralosapiens. With some species inhabiting the mediteranean, coast of east Europe, and their ancestral ground the Caribbean with a leaner build adorned in less fat.

To start off physically, They are like Cetaceans, kind of. their tail extended to an extreme degree to swim. Unlike cetaceans and like some ancient artwork of mermaids of our earth. Their legs still remain useful to swim and hold onto partners. Their arms freed up, remain as manipulators. They remain folded to reduce drag. Which lets them hold onto large objects and young merfolk when breastfeeding.

Uniquely they have a full head of hair like humans in spite of the drag created. This hair is maintained and kept healthy through grooming with the aid of two serrated claws on the lower half of their hand. Their teeth are tipped with canines and slowly become more trident shaped further back. Which they use to flush water out of their mouth. And Lastly their nostrils can completely close like a seal, and are at the very front of the face to ensure they breach the water first.

Ecologically, they are mostly carnivorous. They eat a wide array of fish, squid, and other small marine life. They take a particular liking to seaweeds and copepods, which they use their trident teeth to filter them out of the water. They take so much of a liking to copepods they will even follow their vertical migration.

They are quite social and live in family pods. Like mentioned earlier they will groom each other to strengthen social bonds. While most Icthypithicids are comparable in intelligence to their capuchin cousins. Meralaosapiens are fully sophont organisms that have the capacity for understanding and creating art and complex language. Technologically they are comparable to neolithic humans. Most populations use stone tools or other organisms slightly bred for more cooperation, living tools if you will. While other populations scavenge for more advanced tools left behind by humans.

Overall they are neutral to humans. Often keeping their distance or outright hiding from humans. Some more aggressive merfolk will attack or even hunt humans as a source of preyluring them in with their locks of hair. Which is believed to have arisen from a few merfolk cultures going through famine and growing desperate for food, eventually looking to their cousins beyond the water.

And of course there are others naturally curious of their terrestrial relatives and will frequently come up to human divers, even attempting to communicate with them. The future is uncertain, but hopefully the humanity of this earth will treat these people with respect and maybe even lend them a hand.

[ambisun]

I've been working on this project with Sha for almost a year now and it seems unbelievable that we're about to launch so soon!!

I realized that I tend not to share a lot about my inner workings, as I'm so used to communicating via art, but there's so much I want to talk about in regard to the conception and process of TO11.

When I was a child, I had always been into mythology, fairytales and folklore from all places, especially Greek and Norse mythology as those were always popularized and easily accessible. Growing up in SEA, I was always told tales from Malaysia and the countries surrounding us, but as I grew older, I started to wonder why South East Asian folklore wasn't as popular as Greek or Norse myths even though we also had stories that were equally as interesting and captivating. 

This led me down a rabbit hole of learning about the history of S.E.A and how due to war and colonization, so much of our cultural history has started to disappear since most of our stories are passed down orally. This motivated me to start working on the development of Tales and Oracle of Eleven with my friend Sha Roose, who I asked to be a writer for the anthology. 

Collecting stories from different countries was quite a challenging task, especially since many of these stories were passed down through oral tradition and have been scarred by the painful effects of colonization. In some countries, we see local stories, once woven into the fabric of their communities, systematically erased and slowly forgotten. Despite facing resource limitations, Sha approached the research and writing with great care, making sure to select stories that were not widely known and focused on ones featuring diverse protagonists, intriguing outcomes, and meaningful analogies. 

I'm so happy to be able to invite 11 artists from these 11 countries as well to participate in this project. Besides making art for us, the artists also graciously allowed us to interview them and to get their lived experience of being SEA be it if they are still living there or living overseas as Diasporas. I've learnt so much from them, like did you know Timor Lorosa'e ( commonly known as Timor-Leste ) just gained their independence in 2002?

Anyways, this project has taken about 2+ years to make, and even now I'm still working on the art. ( 64% completed ) Sha and I have truly poured our hearts into this project and If you're still here, thank you for reading this all the way, I really appreciate it.

We're about 11 days away from the launch on Kickstarter, and if you can, please follow us there and share the project! Also, a quick reminder that we will be doing extremely limited quantities of early bird bundles so hit the notify me button on Kickstarter to be the first to know when we launch on the 11th of July, 11:11am EST!

Follow us here

[riza-jes]

where East Blue is a sea of dancing and silent communication.

Where the whole bloody East Blue has dance as a cultural and linguistic meaning.

Through dance you start a courtship, through dance you can tell that someone is in mourning.

Through dance and movement a person can reveal themselves, through arm movement and a path of steps a person can reveal their soul or reveal their intentions.

Dance is something that is held in common secret and honoured by all the inhabitants of the East.

It just so happens that on the Grand Line, many popular drinking places and bars are run by East Blues people.

Even any travelling musician or dancer can be an East Blue who is looking for friends and friends of his own from his native sea.

It may be that Ace, though born in the South, grew up as one of the East, and this is of great importance.

(That's why nobles and bandits use dance movements in a close circle, and that's how Dragon will also try to understand the past hidden from Sabo himself, but left in his body and in his movements).

And it turns out that through body language and dance he can say and learn a lot of things.

For example, once with one of the whitebreads (who was obviously a spouse of one of the East, not a native) they danced almost a waltz, without touching each other, but their steps were coordinated and smooth.

Ace knows how to tell someone ‘interested in a nice evening’ and someone ‘fuck you’ with gestures and body language.

So suddenly Tatch, who had watched the movement, tries to repeat it at another attempt to feed Portgas in front of Ace, only he didn't know that Ace would choke on the air in shock and stare at him for a couple of seconds until he turns away and tries to hold back his laughter.

The food was taken then, but they threw clearly some wildly amused looks and went round in a wide arc.

Then his brother Shali explained to Thatch that Thatch had somehow managed to repeat an obviously bad gesture that meant, ‘Let's go have a snog in my warehouse’.

Thatch embarrassingly apologised the next day.

And it's worth noting that Ace's presence also sometimes meant more welcome in many drinking places and participation in bigger dances.

There's a dance in every man that can tell you something about his sensual side.

As another Easterner pointed out Ace was clearly a man who was often called to courtship, and it is a pity that such a man is already in mourning(for Sabo).

— The worst punishment for an Eastie is to have his legs broken.

[spiderfreedom]

I read a book a while back about the erotic appeal of 'women with penises' (don't close the page yet I promise it's useful). the book was called Ambisexuality. it's basically two things, a history of the sexual fantasy of a 'woman with a penis' and a study of transgender women sex workers in australia. content warning for sex work and children forced into sex work.

in the history portion, one of the things it talks about is how it seems that prepubescent boys who enter the sex industry in some cultures are basically taught to perform femininity. dressed like women, taught to dance like women, perfume themselves like women, basically appear cosmetically like a woman. since prepubescent boys don't look too different from girls, many adult heterosexual johns found this attractive. the presence of the penis was considered a positive, because male customers knew how a penis worked and could understand it. from the book:

References to the training of older boys and young men, in the twin arts of seductive dancing and sex work, can be found in many historical religious texts, not just of Afghanistan but as an aspect of cultures in many cities in South Asia and the Middle East until modern times. [...] The historical record also provides clues that the link between feminised males and sex work even existed in some hunter-gatherer societies. In North America, the journalist and critic, Peter Ackroyd suggests that some native Indian societies accommodated feminised male sex work. The Pueblo Indians for example, maintained a mujerado, a 'trained male prostitute' in each village, who identified as a 'man-woman, not as a male [source mine]. Similarly, records suggest that the berdache were males who took on the roles of wife, communal concubine, prostitute and participant in certain sexual rites of native Indian tribes. The berdache wore women's clothing, did women's work and in sexual relations with their male partners, behaved like women as far as possible. Many Roman brothels offered boys of different races, skin colours and professional abilities. Boys from the Middle East, for example, were prized for their dancing abilities and exotic appearance, while boys from Northern Europe were valued for their bawdiness and sensuality. Some brothel owners refined the process of procuring, raising and training very young boys to an art form. Boys considered to possess the appropriate attributes were purchased as young as two or three years of age and were raised and trained by their owners. Their sole purpose in life was to entertain men and pander to the sexual tastes of wealthy clients. Many of these boys were feminised during their training. They were beautifully groomed and perfumed, had unwanted body hair removed and wore their hair long and curly. Some were trained to perform for their clients - as dancers, mimes, singers and storytellers. All were trained in fellatio, sodomy and analingus.

it's disturbing to think about how femininity is conflated with being attractive to men, so much that you can take a prepubescent boy, dress him up like a woman, and apparently plenty of people go "yeah, this is the perfect sex object, like a woman but better."

it also had a section on how trans women and gender non conforming men who dressed femininely across the world were basically often forced into prostitution. since they could not find employment due to their gender nonconformity, the only place they could get money was as prostitutes. being feminine dressed also meant they could make more money than gay male prostitutes who dressed in masculine style. from the book:

According to some cultural historians, the reason why the xanith presented as women was to enable them to make a living from sex work. As will be seen later, the suggestion that this lifestyle is driven by 'economic necessity' probably belies a considerable degree of individual choice in the matter. For many, the rewards of sex work led to a comfortable lifestyle, which was infinitely preferable to other occupations which paid less, demanded longer working hours and offered fewer other intrinsic benefits such as personal gifts.

there's a myth that there exists a certain type of person who enjoys being prostituted, because of some social category they belong to. it has variably applied to women of the lower classes, black people, gay men, and in this topic, trans women. it exists to excuse the dehumanization of these groups who are excluded from normal labor markets, experience higher rates of poverty, and enter sex work to make money.

i've noticed some radfems have suggested that trans women prostitutes 'enjoy' being prostitutes, on the basis of quotes from bailey's book 'the man who would be queen' and taking twitter quotes from unverifiable 'trans sex workers' at face value. but i would be very hesitant to believe that. just in the same way you would not believe a woman who told you she 'loves sex work' without doing further research on her background to see if this statement is honest or produced by trauma, you should also consider the same for transgender women and gender non conforming men. especially since they are often forced out of legitimate labor industry for gender nonconformity.

the idea that trans women inherently love prostitution reinforces the idea that there are feminine people who it is okay to degrade and treat as sex objects, because they love it. the femininity is taken to be a lure to men and proof that they love being 'used'. there may be some portion who are 'erotic professionals' who love it, just like there are women who say they same, but there's a high rate of traumatic background from trans women who become prostitutes. and that's before whatever traumatization happens during prostitution.

in short, there's a dirty history of treating gender non conforming male people as the sort of perfect sex object, the ideal combination of feminine presentation and "comprehensible" male anatomy. radfems should not help this myth by repeating it mindlessly. all this does is spread the idea that a. being dressed feminine means you exist to lure men, b. there exists a 'perfect sex object' who wants nothing more than endless sex with strangers for money, whose trauma, poverty, mental illness play no role in their life, and c. therefore there is no need to include these people in efforts to exit the prostitution industry, because they "love" it after all. no human is a perfect sex object. accepting that it can happen to one group of people means you naturalize it and allow the possibility it can happen to you.

[beardedmrbean]

North Korea has started sending troops to fight with Russia in Ukraine, South Korea's spy agency has said as Seoul warned of a "grave security threat".

The allegation comes a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he believed 10,000 North Korean soldiers could join the war, based on intelligence information.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol called for a security meeting on Friday and said the international community must respond with "all available means".

According to the spy agency, 1,500 troops have already arrived in Russia - with anonymous sources telling South Korean media the final figure could be closer to 12,000.

This comes as evidence mounts that North Korea is supplying Russia with ammunition, as recently demonstrated by the recovery of a missile in Ukraine’s Poltava region.

Moscow and Pyongyang have also been deepening their cooperation in recent months. Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un greeted Russian President Vladimir Putin on his birthday, calling him his "closest comrade".

Friday's security meeting was attended by key officials from South Korea's National Security Office, the Ministry of National Defence, and the National Intelligence Service, Yoon's office said.

"[The participants] decided not to ignore the situation and to jointly respond to it with the international community using all available means," it said.

The allegation from the National Intelligence Service (NIS) comes days after Ukrainian military intelligence sources said that Russia's army is forming a unit of North Koreans.

The BBC has asked the NIS for comment.

On Thursday, Ukraine's spy chief Kyrylo Budanov claimed that there were nearly 11,000 North Korean infantry troops training in eastern Russia to fight in Ukraine.

"They will be ready [to fight in Ukraine] on 1 November," Lt Gen Budanov, who heads the Ukrainian Defence Intelligence Directorate, told The Warzone website.

He added that the North Koreans would be using Russian equipment and ammunition, and the first group of 2,600 soldiers would be sent to Russia's western Kursk region, where Ukraine holds a number of settlements after launching its incursion in August.

Earlier this week, Putin introduced a bill to ratify a military pact he made with Kim, which pledges that Russia and North Korea will help each other in the event of "aggression" against either country.

South Korea's spy agency, the NIS, said North Korean troops are training in Russian bases in Vladivostok, Ussuriysk, Khabarovsk, and Vlagoveshensk.

This appears to confirm information from a military source in Russia’s Far East, who told BBC Russian this week that “a number of North Koreans have arrived” and were stationed in one of the military bases near Ussuriysk.

Seoul's spy agency also released aerial photographs of Ussuriysk and Khabarovsk, where they say hundreds of North Korean troops have gathered, and another photo of North Korea's Chongjin port, where a Russian ship was reportedly shown carrying North Korean soldiers.

The NIS said it found that since August, North Korea has sent 13,000 shipping containers carrying shells, missiles, and anti-armour rockets to Russia.

As many as eight million 122-mm and 152-mm shells have been supplied to Russia, it said.

However, some military experts believe the Russian military units will have difficulties incorporating North Korean troops into their frontlines.

Apart from the language barrier, the North Korean army has no recent experience of combat operations, they said.

“They could guard some sections of the Russian-Ukrainian border, which would free Russian units for fighting elsewhere,” said Valeriy Ryabykh, editor of the Ukrainian publication Defence Express.

“I would rule out the possibility that these units will immediately appear on the front line.”

[1966jpg]

Critical Theory Recommended Reading List:

Principles of Communism (Friedrich Engels)

Wage-Labour and Capital Value, Price and Profit (Karl Marx)

Das Kapital (Karl Marx)

The Communist Manifesto (Karl Marx)

On Practice & On Contradiction (Mao Zedong)

The Motorcycle Diaries (Che Guevara)

Latin America Diaries (Che Guevara)

Reminiscences of the Cuban Revolutionary War (Che Guevara)

Guerilla Warfare (Che Guevara)

Che (Jon Lee Anderson)

Socialism: Utopian and Scientific (Friedrich Engels)

The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State (Friedrich Engels)

Orientalism (Edward W. Said)

The Unwomanly Face of War (Svetlana Alexievich)

The Wretched of The Earth (Frantz Fanon)

A Dying Colonialism (Frantz Fanon)

Black Skin White Masks (Frantz Fanon)

Inglorious Empire (Shashi Tharoor)

Remembering Che (Aleida March)

Against Empire (Michael Parenti)

Blackshirts & Reds (Michael Parenti)

Revolutionary Suicide (Huey P. Newton)

Confessions of an Economic Hitman (John Perkins)

The Mismeasure of Man (Stephen Jay Gould)

The State and the Revolution (V.I. Lenin)

Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism (V.I. Lenin)

Imperialism in The 21st Century (V.I. Lenin)

Liberalism A Counter History (Domenico Losurdo)

23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism (Ha-Joon Chang)

October (China Miéville)

Kill Anything That Moves (Nick Turse)

Blitzed: Drugs in Nazi Germany (Norman Ohler)

Late Victorian Holocausts (Mike Davis)

Ten Myths About Israel (Ilan Pappe)

How Europe Underdeveloped Africa (Walter Rooney)

Reform or Revolution (Rosa Luxemburg)

Settlers: The Mythology of the White Proletariat (J. Sakai)

Killing Hope (William Blum)

Unequal Exchange and the Prospects of Socialism (Arghiri Emmanuel)

Unequal Exchange: A Study of Imperialism and Trade (Arghiri Emmanuel)

The Wealth of Some Nations (Zak Cope)

Divided World Divided Class (Zak Cope)

The Law of Worldwide Value (Samir Amin)

Unequal Development (Samir Amin)

An Economic History of the U.S.S.R (Alec Nove)

Human Rights in the Soviet Union (Albert Szymanski)

Is the Red Flag Flying? (Albert Szymanski)

Soviet Democracy (Pat Sloan)

The Industrialisation of Soviet Russia: The Socialist Offensive (R.W. Davies)

Soviet Communism: A New Civilisation (Sidney and Beatrice Webb)

Socialism in the Soviet Union (Jonathan Aurthur)

The Soviet Form of Popular Government (The U.S.S.R Academy of Sciences)

Workers Participation in the Soviet Union (Mick Costello)

The Great Conspiracy (Michael Sayers and Albert E. Kahn)

The Soviets and Ourselves: Two Commonwealths (K.E. Holme)

The Old Social Classes and the Revolutionary Movements of Iraq (Hanna Baratu)

South Yemen A Marxist Republic in Arabia (Robert W. Stookey)

The Arab Left (Tareq Y. Ismael)

Post-Marxism and The Middle East (Feleh A. Jabar)

The Unmaking of Arab Socialism (Ali Kodri)

The Hundred Years' War on Palestine (Rashid Khalidi)

The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine (Ilan Pape)

A Strategy for the Liberation of Palestine (The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine)

Roadside Picnic (Arkady and Boris Strugatsky)

Blood in My Eye (George Jackson)

Why You Should Be a Trade Unionist (Len McCluskey)

The Pitfalls of Liberalism (Kwame Ture)

[winnipegwinterpeg]

Access For All. Period.

Free pads and tampons are now available throughout Manitoba as part of the Access for All Period program, led by the Manitoba government. This program is focused on ending period poverty by providing equal access to menstrual products for all.

What is period poverty?

Period poverty is the inability to access or afford menstrual products, preventing youth and adults who menstruate from participating in their everyday lives.

Why is this important?

Removing barriers to access menstrual products is crucial to the physical and mental health of all who menstruate. A lack of proper access can result in dangerous situations, leading to both short and long term physical harm, as well as mental health issues including anxiety, depression and self-isolation. For students, it can negatively impact attendance and participation, affecting long-term achievement and resulting in missed educational and employment opportunities.

How does the program work?

The Manitoba government, in partnership with Shoppers Drug Mart, is providing readily available pads and tampons free to those in need. Products are available to all Manitobans in schools and community organizations as listed below. Free menstrual products are also available at participating shelters throughout the province through the Access for All Period program.

Where can I go?

You can access free menstrual products at the following locations (38 total, 26 in Winnipeg) under the cut:

* Andrews Street Family Centre, 220 Andrews Street, Winnipeg

* Blue Thunderbird Family Care, 998 Sargent Avenue, Winnipeg

* Acorn Family Place, 222 Furby Street #202, Winnipeg

* Canadian Muslim Women's Institute, 61 Juno Street #201, Winnipeg

* Community Ambition, 266A Linwood Street, Winnipeg

* Elmwood Community Resource Centre, 545 Watt Street, Winnipeg

* Family Dynamics, 393 Portage Avenue #401, Winnipeg

* First Nations Family Advocate, 286 Smith Street #200, Winnipeg

* The Food Vault and Community Resource Centre, 24 Hampton East, P.O. Box 881, MacGregor

* Fort Garry Women's Resource Centre, 1150A Waverly Street, Winnipeg

* Holy Names House of Peace, 211 Edmonton Street, Winnipeg

* Interlake Women's Resource Centre, 87 - 5th Avenue, Gimli

* Lakeshore Family Resource Centre, 9 Main Street, Ashern

* Madeline's Closet, 40 Main Street, Inwood

* Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre, 445 King Street, Winnipeg

* Marlene Street Resource Centre, 27 Marlene Street #6, Winnipeg

* Men are Part of the Solution (MAPS), 117B Commercial Place, Thompson

* N'Dinawemak, 190 Disraeli Freeway, Winnipeg

* Ndinawe, 472 Selkirk Avenue, Winnipeg

* North End Women's Centre, 394 Selkirk Avenue, Winnipeg

* North Point Douglas Women's Centre, 221 Austin Street North, Winnipeg

* NorWest - A Woman's Place, 945 Notre Dame Avenue, Winnipeg

* NorWest - Community Health, 785 Keewatin Street, Winnipeg

* Pluri-elles, 114-l420 Des Meurons Street, Winnipeg

* Samaritan House, 1610 Pacific Avenue, Brandon

* South Winnipeg Family Information Centre, 800 Point Road, Winnipeg

* Steinbach Family Resource Centre, 101 North Front Drive, Steinbach

* Swan Valley Crisis Centre, 119 9th Avenue North, Swan River

* The Counselling Centre, 335 9th Street, Brandon

* The Pas Family Resource Centre, 103 Edwards Avenue, The Pas

* Thrive Community Support Circle, 3-406 Edmonton Street, Winnipeg

* Wahbung Abinoonjiiag, 225 Dufferin Street, Winnipeg

* Winnipeg Central Park Women's Resource Centre, 400 Edmonton Avenue, Winnipeg

* Women's Safe Haven, 228-35 Main Street, Flin Flon

* West Central Women's Resource Centre, 640 Ellice Avenue, Winnipeg

* Western MB Women's Regional Resource Centre, 729 Princess Avenue, Brandon

* YMCA Winnipeg (Downtown Branch) 301 Vaughan Street, Winnipeg, (West Portage Branch) 3550 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg

[mariacallous]

Every child has a superpower. Yet, those with disabilities often do not have full access to quality education and other services that would enable them to use their superpower to positively and fully contribute to society. A recent workshop on inclusion in early childhood, held as part of the Center for Universal Education’s symposium on education systems transformation for and through inclusive education, asked whether focusing on the early years of a child’s life might offer a window of opportunity to catch, remedy, and maybe even reverse a child’s development trajectory so all countries can reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It brought together early childhood development (ECD) and inclusion experts and those who wanted to learn more about the topic. Two key messages emerged from participants: every child matters, and early means early. Participants also suggested that the global community needs to develop a global disability-focused ECD strategy and that governments should allocate at least 3% of education budgets for children with disabilities.

Children with disabilities are not a monolith and vary greatly in the challenges they experience and their abilities to fully and positively contribute to society. Some have physical, mental, social, or sensory impairments while others have a combination of multiple challenges. Globally, it is estimated that 15% of the world population, about 1 billion people, live with some type of disability. UNICEF estimates that about 1 in every 10 children has at least one disability, with children from South Asia, East Asia, and West and Central Africa having higher incidences. Moreover, globally, almost 53 million children under the age of 5 have developmental disabilities, and many others live with hidden disabilities that may go unnoticed and, therefore, unrecorded.

The global Convention on the Rights of the Child and the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) articulate the rights and equal treatment of children with disabilities. The CRPD provides a comprehensive international legal framework for the education rights of children with disabilities that has been ratified by 181 countries. These legal frameworks and the SDGs are resolute in leaving no one behind. Despite these legal frameworks, agreements, and aspirations, there are numerous challenges and insufficient investment for disabled children to enjoy full rights to education, health, and well-being. In most countries, children with disabilities face stigma and discrimination from their own governments, communities, and families. Their complex needs are often not included in policy and investment discussions. Investment in this cohort of children is usually not high on the policy or financing agenda, yet we know that increased investment and support for children with disabilities can accelerate countries’ paths to achieving the SDGs, particularly SDG 4.2. From 2007 to 2016, disability funding declined by 11.4% worldwide, and only 2% of the estimated $79.1 million invested in early childhood development was spent on young children with disabilities. Tim Shriver, Special Olympics’ Board Chair, maintains that if governments could commit even 3% of their overall education budgets to the inclusion of children with disabilities in existing classrooms, it could impact their abilities to thrive and contribute to our societies. 

2 key messages

Every child matters

All of society benefits when all children are uplifted. For the early childhood sector, that means developing inclusive classrooms that use a twin-track approach and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Instruction. Using this method, rather than having separate classrooms for children, disability-focused support is provided in classrooms that focus on equity for all, but also provide specific support for those with disabilities. Research indicates that this approach benefits all children; children with disabilities have better developmental outcomes (for example, language, social and academic skills, better behaviors), and typically developing children have increased empathy, tolerance, skills in sign language, and more. Establishing inclusive classrooms also requires investment in upskilling classroom teachers so they can support children of all abilities while working with special education teachers. These interventions cost money, yet exclusion has greater negative costs to society in reduced national GDP and higher spending for remedial programs, to name a few. It is estimated that the annual economic cost to society when a disabled child is not able to attend school or get a job can be high—more than 1% of GDP in some cases.

Early means early

The first five years of life are crucial periods of brain growth and development where about 90% of new neural connections (about 1 million neural connections per second) are made. After around 30 months of life, the brain’s ability to change in response to experiences requires greater effort than before this period. Since the brain is very malleable during this phase, evidence suggests that early screening, referrals, and intervention can halt, improve, and completely change the course of a child’s developmental trajectory. As children are mostly with parents and caregivers during the earliest months of life, investing in their ability to support their children can be important. Often support for parents and caregivers to aid their children is unavailable in communities or unaffordable. Research comparing urban and rural children’s access to early childhood education found that those with access to support before age 5 (mostly in urban areas) had higher academic achievement. For children with autism, research indicates that early intervention can greatly ameliorate symptoms, putting children closer to the development trajectory of those without autism.  

The way forward

Supporting children with disabilities is complex as their needs span multiple government and sectoral departments, there are finite resources in all government budgets, and underlying societal discrimination, even subtle, remains strong throughout the world. Yet, workshop participants suggested that supporting every child and doing so early provides the best chance for countries to meet the SDGs. Two suggested actions for supporting every child early that emerged from the workshop and recent literature include:

Establish a global, disability-focused ECD strategy: Global goals and road maps such as the SDGs, Nurturing Care Framework (NCF), and others include young children with disabilities yet provide inadequate strategy and concrete actions for how to ensure full rights and support for young children with disabilities. Thus, a strategy resulting from action by multiple sectors that complements the NCF is one agenda for progress.

Allocate at least 3% of education budgets for children with disabilities: Increasing investment will allow more to be done to support children with disabilities. These could focus on:

Supporting inclusive preschool classrooms that implement a twin-track approach and universal design for learning

Upskilling teachers that lead inclusive classrooms

Parental support so they have increased knowledge and skills to support their children

Strengthening early screening and referral systems

Research focused on young children with disabilities

Workshop participants were ready to join hands and tackle this complex challenge and suggested that commitment from stakeholders, including governments, donors, and families will be critical to light a path towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and ensuring a thriving society. 

[germiyahu]

It's the global south who brought Israel to court. You can go on and on about the anti semitic white west. But refusing to see that it is the white west who is funding the genocide of Palestinians. The white west who is funding Israel...every single word of yours fall flat. I don't know what you have against the strike. I have seen someone go as far as to say it is a cult like behavior. The strike has been called by a Palestinian in Gaza. Every time they come online, they plead with people to not stop marching or protesting. How is it that you are miffed at this? You said such stupid things in your post. Wanting Daddy's approval and hence Jews are seen as enemy and Muslims as noble savage. It is absurd that you cooked up all this and left out the simple fact that people want the genocide of Palestinians to end. They want the occupation of Palestinian land to end. I am not from the west. My country had no part in holocaust because while the colonial white west was participating in this ethnic cleansing, my country was busy fighting for its freedom. So to see you not even deign to look at how the east, the global south, the various indegenous groups all over the world, the various oppressed communities all over the world are screaming their lungs out in horror of this west funding genocide, all I can think of is that you have been made blind. How can you on day 111 + 75 years be blind to Palestine. How can you be blind to Israel committing genocide.

It's South Africa specifically, who's had some interesting wire transfers from Hamas lately. It's South Africa, who was also seen graciously hosting the the actual Butcher of Darfur. Not a very principled stance against genocide if you ask me.

I'm not sure what specific strike you're referring to, unless you mean the absurd to the point of comedy strikes against McDonalds and Starbucks. Oh you'll definitely bring down the Zionist Entity by not ordering Big Macs. I also do not understand at all what point you're trying to make by saying the White West funds Israel therefore Palestinian genocide, so my words about the WW's antisemitism fall flat. Yes a large sector of White Western society supports Israel. White Western society is also antisemitic. If this is too hard to grasp just let me know...

And with all due respect, when I'm talking about Westerners and what I suspect is the girding psychological framework for why they're primed to care about this "screaming ones lungs out" from the Global South... I know what I'm talking about. I am Western, I live among these people. You do not.

And I'm not, frankly, very impressed. Firstly that you think the Holocaust is some silly little thing that happened in Europe and not relevant to the rest of the world, and that you think the Global South has had any conniptions about purging their own Jews historically. Granted most of those countries were Arab, but that's part of the Global South.

There is no genocide of Palestinians. There is not. There never has been and hopefully there never will be. If you can't agree that reality is reality you have no business talking to me. So when people deal in blatant falsehoods like that I'm going to dive a little deeper into why people are saying things like that. Because that's what I do. I know "wanting the genocide and occupation to end" is not the full story. I know there's something underneath the surface. When it comes to the White Westerners, who I have experience with, I thereby present my theory. What the Global South or the East or whoever else thinks, is not in the purview of my post. Go make your own.

Also Zionism is older than 75 years so I'm going to give you that one for free. It's actually been almost 150 years of Palestinian genocide 🤓

[thatswhywelovegermany]

October 29, 1923: The first radio broadcast in Germany goes on air

Radio had a rough start in Germany. At the end of World War I, where the German army was among the pioneers in radio communication, during the November Revolution, revolutionary workers occupied the headquarters of the German press and news service, falsely claiming the victory of the communist and socialist revolutionary forces. This made the social democratic government to impose harsh restrictions on radio broadcast, which severely hampered the development of the new medium in Germany:

Only the state had the sovereign right of to set up and operate transmitting and receiving systems

Private individuals were prohibited to receive any radio broadcast

Receivers were limited in their technical characteristics, supported by a requirement for state approval for any new model

This led to the state-controlled postal service becoming a monopolist serving a small number of (mostly public) institutions. Nonetheless, the first entertainment broadcast was distributed at Christmas 1920, when postal employees brought instruments to the broadcast center in Königs Wusterhausen (south of Berlin), played music and recited poems.

After heavy lobbying by radio pioneers such as Hans Bredow, complaints and public discontent and increasing numbers of illegal self-made private receivers, which frequently caused interferences, the harsh restrictions were finally lifted in 1923. Each owner of a state-approved receiver had to register as a "radio participant" and pay a license fee. In autumn of 1923, at the height of the inflation, a license cost 780 billion Mark per year, a sum that only very few were able and willing to afford. Thst's why the first broadcast by Funk-Stunde Berlin from a studio in the Vox House on October 29, 1923 has no (paying) listeners. The first registered participant was Berlin tobacco retailer Wilhelm Kollhoff, who received his license and his radio on October 31.

Rapidly, a number of radio stations opened throughout Germany, which were consolidated under the umbrella organization "Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft".

Infamously, radio became the main propaganda instrument of the Nazis, who quickly forced all radio stations into line, sending the liberal radio pioneers to the first concentration camps. The development and widespread distribution of a cheap radio receiver, the "Volksempfänger" ("people's receiver"), made radio a medium for the masses. Nonetheless, only 46.9 % of the German households had a radio in 1937, compared with the USA or the UK, which had already a density of 78.3 % and 66.1 %, respectively.

After World War II, radio developed differently in East and West Germany. Radio in East Germany remained state-controlled, sending communist propaganda now. In the West, organizations under public law were founded in the federal states, funded by fees of radio users and controlled by bodies in which the relevant societal groups are equally represented. In the 1980s, private radio stations were allowed.

Because Germany received only very few AM frequencies as part of the sactions after World War II, development of FM radio was accelerated, leading to new standards in the quality of transmission and HiFi stereo radio. Radio established itself as a promoter of culture in the area of literature and music. The stations set up symphonic and dance orchestras, big bands, choirs, and elaborate audioplay studios. They were also pioneering promoters of electronic music. In the recent years, however, the importance of radio as promoters of high culture has diminished more and more. With the exceptions of a few stations, radio is regarded as background entertainment for people who cannot stand silence.

In the future, it is expected that the split between music and entertainment, high culture, and information will will deepen. Radio as a promotor of culture will probably not play a role any more. Taking over podcast productions may revive the role of radio as an opinion-forming medium. Radio is still unrivalled as the fastest medium, being able to provide the latest news virtually in real-time.