#embryo banking

[repromedca]

Embryo Freezing Toronto - ReproMed Fertility

The freezing also known as vitrification or cryopreservation of eggs, sperm, or embryos freezing for possible future use is known as fertility preservation. For medical reasons, such as when a medicine or illness could impair the reproductive system's health and fertility, it might be recommended. See our website for additional information.

[bishtmeenakshi]

3 Key Insights on US$ 15 Bn Opportunity in the Global Stem Cell Banking Market - Ken Research

Driven By the increasing prevalence of infectious diseases and rising individuals’ awareness regarding the therapeutic potentials of stem cells, the Global Stem Cell Banking Market is forecasted to Cross US$ 15 Bn by 2028 says Ken Research Study.

Stem Cell Banking is the collection and cryogenic storage of stem cells from a newborn infant's umbilical cord blood and tissue which can be further used in cell treatments or clinical trials. It has the potential to treat a wide range of diseases, as well as the ability to mortgage stem cells from multiple family members and use an individual’s own stem cells (autologous transplant). Furthermore, individuals with spinal cord injuries, type 1 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, stroke, burns, cancer, and osteoarthritis may also benefit from stem cell therapies.

“Ken Research shares 3 key insights on this high opportunity market from its latest research study”

Stem Cell Banking Market Continues to Grow Owing to The Growing Newborn Population Worldwide.

The Global Stem Cell Banking Market is expected to witness stable growth during the forecast period, owing to the increasing newborn population, and rising individuals’ awareness regarding the therapeutic potentials of stem cells. The global stem cell banking market was valued at ~US$ 4 billion in 2017, it is estimated to be ~US$ 7 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach a market size of ~US$ 15 billion by 2028 growing with a CAGR of ~12%.

North America is the dominating region in the Global Stem Cell Banking Market due to the increasing incidence rates of diseases, such as cancer, neurological disorders, and diabetes. Furthermore, the growing government initiatives and investments in stem cell therapies are contributing to the region's growth in stem cell banking.

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The Rising Prevalence of fatal Chronic Diseases, Such as Cancer, Cardiovascular Diseases, Neurological Disorders, Immunological Disorders, and Other Rare Metabolic Diseases is Propelling the Market Growth of Stem Cell Banking.

The growing geriatric population worldwide, who are more exposed to chronic and infectious diseases, including immunological disorders is propelling the stem cell banking market. In addition, the increasing prevalence of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes, and nephrological diseases is widening the use of stem cells as a potential treatment option.

For instance, according to Scientific American, an American science magazine that covers science, health, and social justice issues, several autoimmune diseases affected nearly 4.5% of the world's population in 2021.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a United Nations agency responsible for global public health, nearly 18 million people die every year as a result of cardiovascular diseases.

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High Operational Cost Associated with Stem Cell Banking, along with the stringent regulatory Frameworks May Impede the Market Growth of Stem Cell Banking.

Stem cell therapies have grown in popularity in recent years as individuals seek out alternative treatments for a variety of chronic diseases. Every day, new types of therapies are introduced, and individuals from all over the world are turning to them in place of traditional drug treatments and hospital visits. Despite the significant increase in demand for stem cell therapies, they remain prohibitively expensive to pursue. Simple joint injections cost close to US$ 5000, and more advanced treatments cost up to US$ 100,000, depending on the condition.

Furthermore, the stem cell field remains highly specialized and has yet to be adopted by citizens or insurance companies. Additionally, the field is further limited by older laws in some countries, most notably the United States. That means that there are relatively few sources for stem cells, and labs equipped to perform stem cells.

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Key Topics Covered in the Report

Snapshot of the Global Stem Cell Banking Market

Industry Value Chain and Ecosystem Analysis

Market size and Segmentation of the Global Stem Cell Banking Market

Historic Growth of the Overall Global Stem Cell Banking Market and Segments

Competition Scenario of the Market and Key Developments of Competitors

Porter’s 5 Forces Analysis of the Global Stem Cell Banking Industry

Overview, Product Offerings, and Strengths & Weaknesses of Key Competitors

Covid-19 Impact on the Overall Global Stem Cell Banking Market

Future Market Forecast and Growth Rates of the Total Global Stem Cell Banking Market and by Segments

Market Size of Source, Service Type, Application, Cell Type Segments with Historical CAGR and Future Forecasts

Analysis of the Global Stem Cell Banking Market

Major Production/Supply and Consumption/Demand Hubs within Each Region

Major Country-wise Historic and Future Market Growth Rates of the Total Market and Segments

Overview of Notable Emerging Competitor Companies within Each Region

Notable Key Players Mentioned in the Report

CBR Systems, Inc.

Cryo-Cell International, Inc.

ViaCord

Sartorius AG

StemCyte, Inc.

Smart Cells International Limited

Global Cord Blood Corporation

Vita 34

LifeCell International Pvt. Ltd

Cordlife Group Limited

Notable Emerging Companies Mentioned in the Report

CyroHoldco

Generate Life Sciences Inc.

Hope Biosciences

Cell Care

ReeLabs Pvt. Ltd.

BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics, Inc.

CellSave a CSG-BIO Company, Inc.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company

Key Target Audience – Organizations and Entities Who Can Benefit by Subscribing This Report

Stem Cell Banking Companies

Biopharmaceuticals Companies

Cord Blood Banks

Machinery and Equipment Suppliers for Stem Cell Banking

Cryogenic Healthcare Equipment Manufacturers

Biotechnology - Therapeutics and Diagnostics Companies

Pharmaceutical Companies

World Marrow Donor Association

Cord Blood Association

The International Stem Cell Banking Initiative (ISCBI) – PubMed

Healthcare Research Institutes

Healthcare Technology Research Institutes

Healthcare Technology Regulatory Authorities

Government Ministries and Departments of Healthcare

Period Captured in the Report

Historical Period: 2017-2021

Forecast Period: 2022E-2028F

For more insights on the market intelligence, refer to the link below: -

Global Stem Cell Banking Market

Related Reports By Ken Research: -

Global Stem Cell Banking Market Outlook to 2028

[zealfruity]

I realized I’d never really explained my clone generations system? So when I write down ��gen 5” or “gen 9” you guys probably don’t actually know what I’m talking about.

So here’s a quick guide to how I’ve organized clone generations:

Generation 1: Clones sent to fight to First Battle of Geonosis (Rex and Howzer are Gen 1). Completed all 10.5 years of training (20-21 cycles)

Generation 2: Everyone sent out a month after Geonosis 1 had begun. Most of the finalized units we know were freshly Gen 2 (Cody and Fox are Gen 2). Also completed all their training years.

Generation 3: Post Christophsis, near Battle of Ryloth. Corners start getting cut: All cycles are done, but the final year of training is condensed into a few months, and the requirements for the troopers to past are lowered drastically. Clones are sent out right when they “turn 20” by the later half of this generation. (Kix and Jesse are older 3rd gen, Domino Squad are on the younger side.)

Generation 4: Around Geonosis 2, 21BBY. Talks of skipping the final growth cycle and up to 1-1.5 years less of training. (Hardcase and Thorn are 4th gen)

Generation 5: Clones sent out post Battle of Kamino in 21BBY. Dispatched without the final growth cycle or final year of training, aged 18-19(9-9.5). (Appo, Vaughn, Hound)

Generation 6: During/post Felucia 2 until around the Republic victory over Onderon (20BBY). Dispatched without final growth cycle and a year earlier than average, putting them at about 18. (Tup and Dogma are early Gen6, CF99 are at the tail-end)

Generation 7: Sent out by the third year of the clone wars, until around the beginning of the mandalorian civil war/battle of cato neimodia.

Generation 8: Post Scipio (and therefore post Banking Clan’s full allegiance to the Republic, important political event) (mid 19BBY). Physically aged at around 17 (half of the 332nd).

Generation 9: Final clone wars era generation, sent out around the Battle of Coruscant and any main battle afterwards until the official end of the clone wars in 19BBY.

Generation 10: Final generation trained on Kamino before the destruction of Tipoca City and the complete halt to the production of clone troopers. Are sent out at around 16-17.

Generation 11: Remaining clone troopers alive who didn’t start their stack-specific training on Kamino like previous generations. Extremely loyal to the Empire, and were around + younger than 40 by 0BBY. Rare due to treatment by the Empire as well as the destruction of Tipoca leading to the destructions of all embryos and the younger clones still in their growth jars.

There’s no real consistency about how generations start/end or how long they go for. It’s mostly based on how training regulations changed, or major battles that kicked off a larger demand for troopers.

It doesn’t help that we don’t have specific dates for battles other than a vaguely linear timeline and 3 years. I kind of just picked what felt right.

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Abroad with the Broad Shelled Turtle

Chelodina expansa, more commonly known as the broad shelled turtle, is one of the largest freshwater turtles in Australia. The length of their shells can reach up to 50 cm (19.6 in), and their neck accounts for an additional 60-80% of their total length. Because of this length, C. expansa tucks its head in sideways as opposed to pulling it directly into its shell. At maximum, females reach a mass of 6 kg (13.2 lbs), while males only typically weigh about 4 kg (8.8 lbs). The top of the shell, or carapace, is dark brown or green, while the underside is a light cream; the same is true for the broad shelled turtle's head, neck, and legs. The feet are webbed, and have large claws which help adults to dig or fend off predators.

While they spend the winter buried in the mud, the broad shelled turtle is most active during the summer months, from November to March. During this time they are almost entirely aquatic, rarely emerging from the water even to bask. This species lives throughout the river basins of eastern Australia, and can be found in rivers, dams, lakes, and wetlands with plenty of vegetation cover. C. expansa is entirely carnivorous, feeding on crustaceans, aquatic insects, fish, and frogs via ambush, and carrion whenever it can find it. To locate prey, they have a keen sense of smell. Adults are not usually predated upon due to their thick shells and sharp claws, but eggs and juveniles are often prey for foxes, dingos, birds, rakalai, and large fish.

C. expansa nests in the winter, beginning in late February or March. Outside the mating season, individuals are generally solitary, but aggressive territoriality has not been observed. When mating time roles around, males seek out females to mate with; following the encounter, the female climbs out onto the bank and digs a nest for a clutch of anywhere from 5 to 28 eggs. To seal the nest, she then slams her body into the re-piled sand and mud, compacting it into a plug that will remain intact until the following year.

Incubation takes about 360 days, though some nests have been recorded as hatching at 500 days; this process is exceptionally slow due to the two periods of diapause, or developmental delays, that embryos pass through in order to survive the winter. Juveniles hatch in the spring, and emerge from the nest at the first heavy rain. It's unknown how long these turtles can live in the wild, but given their slow growth rate and adult invulnerability it's likely that they can live in excess of 20 years.

Conservation status: The IUCN consideres the broad shelled turtle to be Near Threatened, due primarily to habitat loss and high rates of nest predation by introduced foxes.

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Photos

Claire Treilibs

Catherine Heuzenroeder

Shanna Bignell via iNaturalist

[purplespacecats]

i have so many questions about the trillionaire interstellar arks. like how many people involved knew ftl travel wasn't real? the trillionaires themselves, obviously, but what about the staff? i doubt they'd be able to find enough morally bankrupt people with the necessary expertise. what about their families? take all the immediate family members of the few hundred richest people on earth, and you're gonna have some class traitors in the mix. and obv they must've kept the truth from the 200 lottery winners; no way they'd all be cool with everyone they've ever known and loved being condemned to death.

it couldn't have been hidden for long; once you're living on one of these ships, it must be obvious that it's designed as a generation ship. and there would have to be rules enforced to maintain genetic diversity à la sixth house, and presmably a sperm bank and/or frozen embryos for that purpose, which are obviously only necessary because they're not coming back.

so what happens when the truth is revealed? and what would have happened if it hadn't already been too late, and jod hadn't kicked off nuclear armaggedon as they were launching? when the passengers who had been kept in the dark learned that they were leaving the rest of humanity to die despite everyone knowing about the cryo tech that could've saved everyone else, some of them for sure would have rebelled and tried to turn back. the trillionaires presumably would have planned for this, but they also couldn't afford to kill a lot of staff and wouldn't want to kill their loved ones, so the extent of the violence they could use to quell an uprising would be limited.

what i'm saying is, maybe all jod had to do is wait, and at least one ship would've come back. that if he hadn't cared more about stopping the ships than he did about saving humanity, he might actually have been able to save everyone.

[familyabolisher]

Young’s protocol banked on a naturally available plasticity in the growing body that would induce phenotypic changes during childhood growth. Yet sex was not given by plasticity—it had to be grown. If it was plastic, then there were no guarantees that the originally mixed character of an embryo or infant would inevitably reach a binary form. This instability was precisely what drew researchers to experiments on intersex bodies in the first place, for in displacing the gonadocentric paradigm they cast serious doubt on whether humans were really sexually dimorphic, even as medicine promised to capitalize on their plasticity to produce a binary. To resolve this instability, the plasticity of sex was coded in this clinical research as an abstracted form of whiteness, a latent capacity to be reformed and transformed into something new. That most of Young’s intersex patients were white indexes how the “abnormal” body of a child diagnosed with hermaphroditism could be made valuable through its plasticity, the promise of alteration and normalization through medical intervention. That the few black intersex children and families who spent time at the Institute were regarded by its staff as more “difficult,” combative, irrational, and ultimately disposable points to the racialization of plasticity in this era. Young saw an abstract sense of alterability in white children, while he projected a fungibility onto black children that has a genealogy in American medicine stretching back to slavery. As was the case more broadly at Hopkins, doctors like Young regarded black children as suitable experimental subjects because of presumed access and disposability, whereas white children who were subject to similar procedures were framed as exhibiting the potential for a normative cure or at least improved normality.

Jules Gill-Peterson, Histories of the Transgender Child

[ideas-on-paper]

Chris L’Etoile’s original dialogue about the Reaper embryo & the person who was (probably) behind the decision with Legion’s N7 armor

(EDIT: Okay, so Idk why Tumblr displays the headline twice on my end, but if it does for you, please ignore it.)

[Mass Effect 2 spoilers!]

FRIENDS! MASS EFFECT FANS! PEOPLE!

You wouldn't believe it, but I think I've found the lines Chris L'Etoile originally wrote for EDI about the human Reaper!

Chris L’Etoile’s original concept for the Reapers

For those who don't know (or need a refresher), Chris L'Etoile - who was something like the “loremaster” of the ME series, having written the entire Codex in ME1 by himself - originally had a concept for the Reapers that was slightly different from ME2's canon. In the finished game, when you find the human Reaper in the Collector Base, you'll get the following dialogue by investigating:

Shepard: Reapers are machines -- why do they need humans at all? EDI: Incorrect. Reapers are sapient constructs. A hybrid of organic and inorganic material. The exact construction methods are unclear, but it seems probable that the Reapers absorb the essence of a species; utilizing it in their reproduction process.

Meanwhile, Chris L'Etoile had this to say about EDI's dialogue (sourced from here):

I had written harder science into EDI's dialogue there. The Reapers were using nanotech disassemblers to perform "destructive analysis" on humans, with the intent of learning how to build a Reaper body that could upload their minds intact. Once this was complete, humans throughout the galaxy would be rounded up to have their personalities and memories forcibly uploaded into the Reaper's memory banks. (You can still hear some suggestions of this in the background chatter during Legion's acquisition mission, which I wrote.) There was nothing about Reapers being techno-organic or partly built out of human corpses -- they were pure tech. It seems all that was cut out or rewritten after I left. What can ya do. /shrug

Well, guess what: These deleted lines are actually in the game files!

Credit goes to Emily for uploading them to YouTube; the discussion about the human Reaper starts at 1:02:

Shepard: EDI, did you get that? EDI: Yes, Shepard. This explains why the captive humans were rendered into their base components -- destructive analysis. They were dissected down to the atomic level. That data could be stored on an AIs neural network. The knowledge and essence of billions of individuals, compiled into a single synthetic identity. Shepard: This isn’t gonna stop with the colonies, is it? EDI: The colonists were probably a test sample. The ultimate goal would be to upload all humans into this Reaper mind. The Collectors would harvest every human settlement across the galaxy. The obvious final goal would be Earth.

In all honesty, I think L’Etoile’s original concept is a lot cooler and makes a lot more sense than what ME2 canon went with. The only direct reference to it left in the final game is an insanely obscure comment by Legion, which you can only get if you picked the Renegade option upon the conclusion of their final Normandy conversation and completed the Suicide Mission afterwards (read: you have to get your entire crew killed if you want to see it).

I used to believe the pertaining dialogue he had written for EDI was lost forever, and I was all the more stoked when I discovered it on YouTube (or at least, I strongly believe this is L’Etoile’s original dialogue).

Interestingly, the deleted lines also feature an investigate option on why they’re targeting humans in particular:

Shepard: The galaxy has so many other species… Why are they using humans? EDI: Given the Collectors’ history, it is likely they tested other species, and discarded them as unsuitable. Human genetics are uniquely diverse.

The diversity of human genetics is remarked on quite a few times during the course of ME2 (something which my friend, @dragonflight203, once called “ME2’s patented “humanity is special” moments”), so this most likely what all this build-up was supposed to be for.

Tbh, I’m still not the biggest fan of the concept myself (if simply because I’m adverse to humans being the “supreme species”); while it would make sense for some species that had to go through a genetic bottleneck during their history (Krogan, Quarians, Drell), what exactly is it that makes Asari, Salarians*, and Turians less genetically diverse than humans? Also, how much are genetics even going to factor in if it’s their knowledge/experiences that they want to upload? (Now that I think about it, it would’ve been interesting if the Reapers targeted humanity because they have the most diverse opinions; that would’ve lined up nicely with the Geth desiring to have as many perspectives in their Consensus as possible.)

*EDIT: I just remembered that Salarian males - who compose about 90% of the species - hatch from unfertilized eggs, so they're presumably (half) clones of their mother. That would be a valid explanation why Salarians are less genetically diverse, at least.

Nevertheless, it would’ve been nice if all this “humanity is special” stuff actually led somewhere, since it’s more or less left in empty space as it is.

Anyway, most of the squadmates also have an additional remark about how the Reapers might be targeting humanity because Shepard defeated one of them, wanting to utilize this prowess for themselves. (Compare this to Legion’s comment “Your code is superior.”) I gotta agree with the commentator here who said that it would’ve been interesting if they kept these lines, since it would’ve added a layer of guilt to Shepard’s character.

Regardless of which theory is true, I do think it would’ve done them good to go a little more in-depth with the explanation why the Reapers chose humanity, of all races.

The identity of “Higher Paid” who insisted on Legion’s obsession with Shepard

Coincidentally, I may have solved yet another long-term mystery of ME2: In the same thread I linked above, you can find another comment by Chris L’Etoile, who also was the writer of Legion, on the decision to include a piece of Shepard’s N7 armor in their design:

The truth is that the armor was a decision imposed on me. The concept artists decided to put a hole in the geth. Then, in a moment of whimsy, they spackled a bit Shep's armor over it. Someone who got paid a lot more money than me decided that was really cool and insisted on the hole and the N7 armor. So I said, okay, Legion gets taken down when you meet it, so it can get the hole then, and weld on a piece of Shep's armor when it reactivates to represent its integration with Normandy's crew (when integrating aboard a new geth ship, it would swap memories and runtimes, not physical hardware). But Higher Paid decided that it would be cooler if Legion were obsessed with Shepard, and stalking him. That didn't make any sense to me -- to be obsessed, you have to have emotions. The geth's whole schtick is -- to paraphrase Legion -- "We do not experience (emotions), but we understand how (they) affect you." All I could do was downplay the required "obsession" as much as I could.

That paraphrased quote by Legion is actually a nice cue: I suppose the sentence L’Etoile is paraphrasing here is “We do not experience fear, but we understand how it affects you.”, which I’ve seen quoted by various people. However, the weird thing was that while it sounds like something Legion would say, I couldn’t remember them saying it on any occasion in-game - and I’ve practically seen every single Legion line there is.

So I googled the quote and stumbled upon an old thread from before ME2 came out. In the discussion, a trailer for ME2 - called the “Enemies” trailer - is referenced, and since it has led some users to conclusions that clearly aren’t canon (most notably, that Legion belongs to a rogue faction of Geth that do not share the same beliefs as the “core group”, when it’s actually the other way around with Legion belonging to the core group and the Heretics being the rogue faction), I was naturally curious about the contents of this trailer.

I managed to find said trailer on YouTube, which features commentary by game director Casey Hudson, lead designer Preston Watamaniuk, and lead writer Mac Walters.

The part where they talk about Legion starts at 2:57; it’s interesting that Walters describes Legion as a “natural evolution of the Geth” and says that they have broken beyond the constraints of their group consciousness by themselves, when Legion was actually a specifically designed platform.

The most notable thing, however, is what Hudson says afterwards (at 3:17):

Legion is stalking you, he’s obsessed with you, he’s incorporated a part of your armor into his own. You need to track him down and find out why he’s hunting you.

Given that the wording is almost identical to L’Etoile’s comment and with how much confidence and enthusiasm Hudson talks about it, I’m 99% sure the thing with the armor was his idea.

Also, just what the fuck do you mean by “you need to track Legion down and find out why they’re hunting you”? You never actively go after Legion; Shepard just sort of stumbles upon them during the Derelict Reaper mission (footage from which is actually featured in the trailer) - if anything, the energy of that meeting is more like “oh, why, hello there”.

Legion doesn’t actively hunt Shepard during the course of the game, either; they had abandoned their original mission of locating Shepard after failing to find them at the Normandy wreck site. Furthermore, the significance of Legion’s reason for tracking Shepard is vastly overstated - it only gets mentioned briefly in one single conversation on the Normandy (which, btw, is totally optional).

I seriously have no idea if this is just exaggerated advertising or if they actually wanted to do something completely different with Legion’s character - then again, that trailer is from November 5th 2009, and Mass Effect 2 was released on January 26th 2010, so it’s unlikely they were doing anything other than polishing at this point. (By the looks of it, the story/missions were largely finished.) If you didn't know any better, you'd almost get the impression that neither Walters nor Hudson even read any of the dialogue L’Etoile had written for Legion.

That being said, I don’t think the idea with Legion already having the N7 armor before meeting Shepard is all that bad by itself. If I was the one who suggested it, I probably would’ve asked the counter question: “Yeah, alright, but how would Shepard be convinced that this Geth - of all Geth - is non-hostile towards them? What reason would Shepard have to trust a Geth after ME1?” (Shepard actually points out the piece of N7 armor as an argument to reactivate Legion.)

Granted, I don’t know what the context of Legion’s recruitment mission would’ve been (how they were deactivated, if it was from enemy fire or one of Shepard’s squadmates shooting them in a panic; what Legion did before, if they helped Shepard out in some way, etc.) - the point is, I think it would’ve done the parties good if they listened to each others’ opinions and had an open discussion about how/if they can make this work instead of everyone becoming set on their own vision (though L’Etoile, to his credit, did try to accommodate for the concept).

I know a lot of people like to read Legion taking Shepard’s armor as “oh, Legion is in love with Shepard” or “oh, Legion is developing emotions”, but personally, I feel that’s a very oversimplified interpretation. Humans tend to judge everything based on their own perspective - there is nothing wrong with that by itself, because, well, as a human, you naturally judge everything based on your own perspective. It doesn’t give you a very accurate representation of another species’ life experience though, much less a synthetic one’s.

I’ve mentioned my own interpretation here and there in other posts, but personally, I believe Legion took Shepard’s armor because they wished for Shepard (or at least their skill and knowledge) to become part of their Consensus. (I’m sort of leaning on L’Etoile’s idea of “symbolic exchange” here.) Naturally, that’s impossible, but I like to think when Legion couldn’t find Shepard, they took their armor as a symbol of wanting to emulate their skill.

The Geth’s entire existence is centered around their Consensus, so if the Geth wish for you to join their Consensus, that’s the highest compliment they can possibly give, akin to a sign of very deep respect and admiration. Alternatively, since linking minds is the closest thing to intimacy for the Geth, you can also read it like that, if you are so inclined - that still wouldn’t make it romantic or sexual love, though. (You have to keep in mind that Geth don’t really have different “levels” of relationships; the only categories that they have are “part of Consensus” and “not part of Consensus”.)

Either way, I appreciate that L’Etoile wrote it in a way that leaves it open to interpretation by fans. I think he really did the best with what he had to work with, and personally, the thing with Legion’s N7 armor doesn’t bother me.

What does bother me, on the other hand, is how the trailer - very intentionally - puts Legion’s lines in a context that is quite misleading, to say the least. The way Legion says “We do not experience fear, but we understand how it affects you” right before shooting in Shepard’s direction makes it appear as if they were trying to intimidate and/or threaten Shepard, and the trailer’s title “Enemies” doesn’t really do anything to help that.

However, I suppose that explains why I’ve seen the above line used in the context of Legion trying to psychologically intimidate their adversaries (which, IMO, doesn’t feel like a thing Legion would do). Generally, I get the feeling a considerable part of the BioWare staff was really sold on the idea of the Geth being the “creepy robots” (this comes from reading through some of the design documents on the Geth from ME1).

Also, since “Organics do not choose to fear us. It is a function of our hardware.” was used in a completely different context in-game (in the follow-up convo with Legion if you pick Tali during the loyalty confrontation; check this video at 5:04), we can assume that the same would’ve been true for the “We do not experience fear” line if it actually made it into the game. Many people have remarked on the line being “badass”, but really, it only sounds badass because it was staged that way in the trailer.

Suppose it was used in the final game and suppose Legion actually would’ve gotten their own recruitment mission - perhaps with one of Shepard’s squadmates shooting them in fear - it might also have been used in a context like this:

Shepard: Also… Sorry for one of my crew putting a hole through you earlier. Legion: It was a pre-programmed reaction. We frightened them. We do not experience fear, but we understand how it affects you.

Proof that context really is everything.

[haphazardlyannotated]

How in Hylia's name does Gerudo DNA work?

I've been playing a lot of Tears of the Kingdom lately, and as I am wont to do when I like a piece of media, I started overthinking.

So, we all know Gerudo have to find Hylian(?) (I've never seen a Gerudo with a non Hylian partner) men to have children with, on account of being an almost exclusively female species.

But... how does this work?

If a Gerudo vai has a daughter with a Hylian voe, that child should be half Gerudo, right? And if that daughter has a child with a Hylian partner, that child should be one quarter Gerudo, and so forth.

Even if we assume that the once a century Gerudo male is immediately escorted to a sperm bank, and the Gerudo phenotype is extremely dominant, they should have acquired a massive pool of recessive genes from Hylian fathers that ought to show up sometimes.

So why don't they?

Theory 1:

Gerudo actually reproduce via cloning and their hunt for husbands is purely recreational. If the husband actually has a biological purpose, he's either an extra caretaker or a placebo. Variations like Riju's height are caused by unusual influences during the pregnancy or the child's youth.

Theory 2:

Everything that makes a Gerudo look like a Gerudo is saved in mitochondrial DNA. Mitochondrial DNA is only inherited from the egg cell, so if the unique Gerudo genes are passed on this way, the species continuity would work out.

But how do either of these theories mesh with the centennial Gerudo male?

If Theory 2 is true, that would imply that a paternal Y chromosome can very rarely get through the dominant mitochondrial genes. Unlikely assortment of factors, or something.

But why would that happen every 100 years exactly? That seems very regular for a random combination of factors.

I think Theory 1 holds a better explanation:

Gerudo gender has nothing to do with chromosomes at all.

Here's my theory: I think Gerudo gender is determined by some undiscovered natural or unnatural phenomenon (considering the setting, it's probably magic) that acts like gender swapping royal jelly. Every Gerudo embryo has the potential to be male or female. They're female by default, but exposure to this mystery phenomenon can turn on the male genes instead.

Why that would be advantageous is a complete mystery to me, but considering I've never heard of a non Ganondorf Gerudo male it's entirely possible that his purpose is to give the other Gerudo a chance to practice their fighting skills.

In summation: The Gerudo are a clone army and Ganondorf is essentially a cross of a queen bee and a training dummy. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

[hyperlexichypatia]

do you consider things like in vitro selection of particular gametes as eugenics? on one hand, it is selecting for particular genes, but on the other, it avoids restricting peoples ability to reproduce. to be clear, it could still be bad even if its not eugenics, im just not sure if it is. asking in good faith, this is just something i was thinking abt lately and wanted your input

Yes, because it is based on the premise that some genetic configurations are "better" or more desirable than others.

Usually discussions of "what is eugenics" get bogged down in the method used to accomplish the goal (abortion, sterilization, etc) rather than the goal itself (preventing marginalized people from having children, preventing the births of disabled/minoritized children, reducing undesirable populations, increasing desirable populations).

So yes, embryo selection -- having the goal of decreasing the odds that a child will be born disabled -- is eugenics, because it's based on the premise that the birth of a disabled child is an undesirable outcome, that being disabled is lesser than being abled.

So is genetic screening at sperm banks. So is lack of insurance coverage/affordability for fertility treatment. So is lack of paid family leave and affordable childcare. So is sterilization of disabled people. So is forced pregnancy. Forced abortions are eugenics; abortion bans are also eugenics. So is family structure stigma (single parent stigma, adoption stigma, non-nuclear family stigma, etc.). Pro-natalism is eugenics; so is anti-natalism. Mass incarceration is eugenics; institutionalization is also eugenics. IQ and the concept of "general intelligence" is eugenics.

Anything rooted in, or uncritically accepting the premise of, "It is better for this type of person to have children than for that type of person to have children" or "It is better for this type of child to be born than that type of child" is eugenics.

And this has been true from the very beginning of the eugenics movement. The movement has always grouped together poverty, "criminality," disability, and marginalized ethnic status as inborn traits that should be prevented.

[ninadove]

Nina reads Dracula 🦇

October 30th

Man! but the supersteetion of foreigners is pairfectly rideeculous!

Said the guy who just spent entire paragraphs talking about the Devil

Whilst we were talking one came running and breathlessly gasped out that the body of Skinsky had been found inside the wall of the churchyard of St. Peter, and that the throat had been torn open as if by some wild animal. Those we had been speaking with ran off to see the horror, the women crying out "This is the work of a Slovak!" We hurried away lest we should have been in some way drawn into the affair, and so detained.

Once again narrowly avoiding jail time

When we met together, the first thing was to consult as to taking Mina again into our confidence. Things are getting desperate, and it is at least a chance, though a hazardous one. As a preliminary step, I was released from my promise to her.

OK LET’S DO THIS GANG

They were so tired and worn out and dispirited that there was nothing to be done till they had some rest; so I asked them all to lie down for half an hour whilst I should enter everything up to the moment. I feel so grateful to the man who invented the "Traveller's" typewriter, and to Mr. Morris for getting this one for me. I should have felt quite; astray doing the work if I had to write with a pen....

🥺

I do believe that under God's providence I have made a discovery. I shall get the maps and look over them....

Oh?

I am more than ever sure that I am right. My new conclusion is ready, so I shall get our party together and read it. They can judge it; it is well to be accurate, and every minute is precious.

OH????

We know from the record that he was on the water; so what we have to do is to ascertain what water. […] I have examined the map and find that the river most suitable for the Slovaks to have ascended is either the Pruth or the Sereth. I read in the typescript that in my trance I heard cows low and water swirling level with my ears and the creaking of wood. The Count in his box, then, was on a river in an open boat—propelled probably either by oars or poles, for the banks are near and it is working against stream. There would be no such sound if floating down stream.

She is so great at this whole thinking-like-a-criminal exercise. Go babygirl go ❤️

When I had done reading, Jonathan took me in his arms and kissed me.

Me too Jonathan me too

Of course he wanted to be with me; but then the boat service would, most likely, be the one which would destroy the ... the ... the ... Vampire. (Why did I hesitate to write the word?)

Oh I’m sure this is nothing to worry about!

Be not afraid for Madam Mina; she will be my care, if I may.

Respectfully, Professor, I would be supremely afraid.

I am old.

You sure know how to sell your services.

"Do you mean to say, Professor Van Helsing, that you would bring Mina, in her sad case and tainted as she is with that devil's illness, right into the jaws of his death-trap? Not for the world! Not for Heaven or Hell!" He became almost speechless for a minute, and then went on:—

"Do you know what the place is? Have you seen that awful den of hellish infamy—with the very moonlight alive with grisly shapes, and every speck of dust that whirls in the wind a devouring monster in embryo? Have you felt the Vampire's lips upon your throat?" Here he turned to me, and as his eyes lit on my forehead he threw up his arms with a cry: "Oh, my God, what have we done to have this terror upon us!" and he sank down on the sofa in a collapse of misery.

✨ Trauma ✨

And, too, it made me think of the wonderful power of money! What can it not do when it is properly applied; and what might it do when basely used. I felt so thankful that Lord Godalming is rich, and that both he and Mr. Morris, who also has plenty of money, are willing to spend it so freely. For if they did not, our little expedition could not start, either so promptly or so well equipped, as it will within another hour.

SO REAL. Arthur’s English Lord Powers are vital to the plot.

We have all got arms, even for me a large-bore revolver; Jonathan would not be happy unless I was armed like the rest.

I want what they have 🥺❤️🦇

My only comfort is that we are in the hands of God.

GOD HAS FORSAKEN YOU IT’S MAN ALONE AGAINST EVIL NOW

< Prev 🦇 Next >

[rpmemesbyarat]

RP Meme from “The Howling”

“The newslady's turned into a werewolf!” “We get 'em all: sun-worshippers, moon-worshippers, Satanists.” “Bunch of deadbeats!” “They are neither people nor animals, but something in-between.” “There was howling just a minute ago.” ‘“I've got silver bullets in here.” “Humans are our *prey*. We should feed on them, like we've always done.” “ I got chicken blood, I got dog embryos, I got black candles, I got wolf-bane. Look at this: Silver bullets. Some joker ordered them. Thirty-ought-six. Never picked 'em up. I take Bank AmeriCard, American Express, Visa. You gonna buy that or what?” “Silver bullets or fire, that's the only way to get rid of the damn things. They're worse than cock-a-roaches.” “You can’t tame what’s meant to be wild.” “I don't know, I figure another five years of real hard work, and maybe I'll be a real human being.” “You know me, but I don't know you. Why is that?” “Repression is the father of neurosis, of self-hatred. “ "We can fit in," you said. "We can live with them." You make me sick.” “We have to warn people. We have to make them believe.” “I like a woman with a sexy voice.” “When I was first bitten, I fought against it.” “The struggle between mind and body is not a necessary one.” “Our secret will be safe.” “There's still time if you accept the gift.” “Times have changed, and we haven't. Not enough.” “Sorry to scare you, ma'am, thought you was a cowjacker.” “We should never try to deny the beast, the animal, within us - only to channel these energies in a positive direction.” “They're monstrous mutations with violent natures that must be satisfied.” “From the day we're born, there is a battle we must fight, a struggle between what is kind and peaceful in our natures, and what is cruel and violent. That choice is our birthright as human beings, and the real gift that differentiates us from the animals.” “It sounded like a wolf.” “They regenerate, you know what that is? Cut off an arm, cut off a leg, stick a knife in the heart, nothing. They may look dead, but bam, three days later, they're as good as new.” “That gun won’t do you any good.” “They’re real.” “The things they do with special effects these days!” “She turned into a werewolf, and they shot her.”

[female-malice]

can you explain post-natalism?

Well, some of the ideas that come from anti-natalist feminism are useful. But I find certain anti-natalist feminist discourse unproductive.

It's true that in our current socioeconomic system, reproduction is used as a tool of women's oppression. Right now, reproduction does not benefit women at all. And anti-natalism is the idea that women should stop reproducing because it's not helping us. And I don't disagree with that idea. I just don't think ending reproduction would give us total female liberation. Female liberation would come from a brand new socioeconomic system specifically designed to concentrate power with women. And in human society, power comes from reproduction. We would need a new cultural perspective on reproduction that primarily benefits women. And that new cultural perspective would come with new cultural norms. Maybe those new cultural norms would look something like this:

-Choosing not to have children at all would have no taboo

-Abortion and birth control would have no taboo

-Children would have matrilineal surnames

-Female embryo selection would have no taboo and would be made accessible to all women

-Male embryo selection would be extremely taboo and illegal. If you want a son, you have to leave it to chance

-It would be taboo to have more than two sons. If you actually want a large family, that family should be mostly daughters. And no one should be trying to have more than 5 kids

-No more old sperm. Men should be sterilized at 40. Or if a man is the biological father to 5 kids, he should be sterilized

-Sperm banks should be more regulated, logical, and accessible

-Lesbian families should be celebrated by society in some way

-Straight women should have the option to coparent with other women if they want. Straight women could use the title "aunt" for the friend they're coparenting with. Only lesbian families would actually have two moms

-Women's reproductive health research would be prioritized by society and this research would be led by women

These are just things I imagine would become norms if reproductive culture was specifically designed to benefit women. This wouldn't radically change much for the straight nuclear families who represent our current status quo. The average family with a mom, dad, and two kids would be exactly the same on the surface. But the family name would belong to the mother.

Post-natalism is basically imaging how women would change reproduction if we actually did control it

[xenopoem]

«Following the publication of Kenji Siratori's Blood Electric, the Japanese cyberpunk writer perhaps pioneered a movement among all non-English speaking writers whose languages are radically dissociated from the dominant Latin-Anglo-Franco-German linguistic germ-line on the one hand, and are, on the other, enthusiastically seeking to contribute to the diversification of the English language whose centrality has already been sabotaged in the wake of emerging cyber-societies.» — Reza Negarestani

«Siratori’s hypermodern project articulates the nonarticulation that currently dominates the substratum of much current discourse. Without the intense atomization of the individual, Siratori’s work does not resound. Yet, if we take pause, Siratori’s work resonates at a fever pitch, blaring at the limitless informational realm of our minds as it bursts the parameters of the skull. As a kind of accelerationist aesthetic, Siratori critiques technology by pushing it beyond its sensible potentiality; he cultivates alien cognitions where alternatives thrive, where semantic derangement is revolt, where epistemology uncoils. Ultimately, he uncompromisingly forces us to pause on the chaos of the glitch, to claim the instance where embodying the unquantifiable amounts to insurgency.» — Andrew C. Wenaus

«Kenji is making rather more sense than usual. Perhaps the lad is finally coming into his own as the literary avatar of our times.» — Bruce Sterling

«Kenji is a madman for sure, but if you scan his hallucinatory textual mashups in just the right frame of mind, they begin to make sense. And that's the scary part.» — Douglas Rushkoff

«Blood Electric is the black reverb of soft machine seppuku, a molten unspooling of sheet metal entrails and crucified memory banks into the howling void of violence. It is a cyborg crash nightmare of the new flesh, a final dispatch from mutant Hell where the embryo hunts in secret.» — Jack Hunter 

2024 redux edition of the long out-of-print 2002 cyberpunk cult classic

[liesmyth]

if they didnt have pets on the ship where did all the dogs on new rho come from

I choose to believe dogs evolved independently all through the universe! /only half a joke

but fr, I think it's interesting how Aim talks about "cradle creatures" meaning earth animals but dogs are just dogs - I'm always curious about how much the current population of the non-House planets KNOW about earth vs. how much it's just a flood myth. I wonder if they remember where dogs come from, or if there have just always been dogs wherever there are humans.

I think the easiest explanation is that the FTL fleet had the forethought to bring gene banks / frozen animal embryos, in the same way they definitely took along seed banks. Maybe some live animals were on board, but I can't imagine it was many at all that survived the whole journey + settlement (like, single digits.) From NtN it looks like there are multiple dog breeds around and that + plus the whole arboreal Noddle of it all makes me think that efforts were made to repopulate the settlements with domestic animals.

It wouldn't surprise me if sheeps, cows, donkeys, pigs etc. also exist on the non-House planets, or some genetic variation there of, but I'd be VERY surprised if any live animal that size was on one of those ships.

[envolvenuances]

Unofficial Translation of 'A Força de Uma Mulher [A Woman's Strenght]',

Edinanci wonders to herself: 'Did I really deserve to go through that?'

Edinanci Silva, in testimony to Demétrio Vecchioli. For the Sports News series "Minha História / My History". Please check the original;

I was bored and still getting notes on that addition I made to @f1ghtsoftly's post metioning the case with a brazilian judo athlete. So this is a quick work of translating it with probably too many translators notes.

Published at the Newspaper UOL, in São Paulo.  Publication Date May 24 of 2024.

In order to get on a bus in the city of Campina Grande (Paraíba), which was heading towards São Paulo, more than 30 years ago, I told my mother I would return. But the journey that would allow me to earn a living fighting judo was a one-way trip.

Months later, I told her a harsh truth, about how I was thinking of ending my life. All our lives were already too filled with suffering, filled with pain, to be subjected to all that public scrutinity on top of things.

I alone know the strenght it cost me to remain standing. Do you know these social media haters? I dealed with them on the streets. Every day. Good press? Solidarity? There was none.

After what I experienced between 1995 and 1996, I closed myself off, so I could protect myself and heal the many wounds that were inflicted onto me. I carried on practicing judo, I competed in four Olympics, I won two medals at the World Championships, but my resentment towards journalists remained, my fear of exposure.

Now, I have accepted the offer to tell my story.

I was born in 1976, when the Military Dictatorship (1964-1986) was strong, into a very humble family from a city named Sousa, located in the outback of Paraíba, where everyone suffered with hunger and drought. (TN: the brazilian outback, or Sertão Nordestino, located in th Northeast, is a region heavily associated with its drought, poverty and the violence exercised by both bandits and "colonels" - latifiundium owners with great political influence. Due to this social imagery, when the rural habitants move to the Capitals or the South-Southest region of Brazil, they typically face a lot of prejudice, comparable to stigmatized immigration. To this day, the city of Sousa has around 70.000 citzens).  The memories hurt so badly that from the year I turned 20, I have only returned to that place through the Internet, searching for news or seeing our old house in the André Gadelha neighborhood on Google Maps.

Until I turned 11 years old, I only had the chance to study for a sum of eight months.

Schools, leisure areas/third spaces, somewhere to play sports, all of that were fairytales for us. In my periphery, there was no water, no nourishment, there wasn't even a way out of crime. It's different from big cities. Only the ones who have experienced it know what it's like.

Besides that, I had family matters.  My father was extremely violent. He didn't accept the reality we lived in, and so he would lash out, take it out on us. I'm from a time when any politcal expression would put you at risk. My mother would often panic, because I repeated all the time: 'This Brazil is a shithole'

In Campina Grande, we had better living conditions. (TN: Campina Grande is the second largest city in the state of Paraíba, losing only to the capital, with around 420.000 citzens and an important industrial sector). There were five of us, counting my two sisters, living in an "embryo", a house built by the bank Caixa Econômica, which had a living room and a bathrrom. (TN: the embryo [portuguese: casa embrião] is a 15m² property commonly built as social projects in the periphery). Even so, quite precarious.

I helped as much as I could, but there came a point when I had to follow my own way. I was already training in judo and, when I was on competitons, I had to eat salad and not the usual rice and beans. But salad was a luxury we couldn't afford. I was a burden to my family.

I never had any kind of vanity. Things like doing my nails, cutting my hair, putting on makeup, you know? I grew up in a very rustic environment, where children ran around around barefoot. I had my first birthday cake at the age of 15.

So my arrival in Guarulhos, in 1994, when I was 17 years old, was a cultural shock. (NT: Guarulhos, with over 1.000.000 habitants, is an autonomous prefecture that integrates the metropolitan area known as Greater São Paulo). People were bothered by my accent, the way I behaved, the way I dressed. 'Edi, put on some lipstick', they would say. But I don't like it, that is not a part of me. I felt like a fish out of water, but turning back, returning home, was not an option for me.

With the intensity of the training, the masculine characteristics became more visible, in a physiological sense. I had that crab-like gait of muscular people, you know?

That's when the talk began. Until then, this had only come to light for me through a friend of my trainer back in Paraíba, who had told him to take me to a doctor in order to investigate it. But I, oh the tomboy I was, I never paid it much attention.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Edinanci has been intersex since birth. She had internal testicles and presented an abnormal amount of male hormones. In April 1996, she underwent an orchiectomy, the surgery to remove these testes. Without the operation, Edinanci would not have passed the so-called "femininity test", in which women were made to stand naked in front of a "committee", a requirement for competting in the Olympic Games. The test was banned in 1998.]

The exams, which I was only able to undergo when I moved to São Paulo, showed that I was somewhat benefiting from the production of the male hormone, but that in 15 to 20 years this would turn into a cancer. When they told me this, I said: 'What? Let's do it right now!'

The surgical procedure and hormonal treatment were not for competting in the Games, they were for my health. Sport was giving me an oportunity to discover a matter that, if I had stayed in Paraíba, I would never have discovered. I used this opportunity to take care of myself.

Between 1995 and 1996, my life became hell. I couldn't go out on the streets because I was constantly attacked. Not physically, but with words. In Guarulhos, when people recognized me, they would say: 'That thing is a man!', use slurs to attack me.

Much of this behaviour was the fault of the brazilian press, which had exposed the situation in a very sensionalistic manner. 'Is it a man or a woman, what do you think?' They turned it into almost an episode of 'Você Decide'. (NT: Você Decide/It's Your Call (1992-2000) was an interactive television program broadcasted by Globo, in which every episode presented a 'special case', and the ending was decided by the audience through phone votes. It has been accused of functioning as a 'thermometer' for public view of sensible subjects, from finding a bag full of money to abortion and female homosexuality.)

That got to me. Deeply. There was that thought in my head: 'Do I have a right to be this way? Is there a chance they are right about me? Everbody is saying the same thing, repeating it... maybe it's the truth'. It reached a point when, in a call I had made to my family, I told my mother: 'I'm giving up on everything'.

I seriously thought of suicide. The social media hater hurts this generation. But the real life hater is even more difficult to cope with. It hurts, you have no idea.

We keep on recalling things we've experienced, remembering the moments we lived, and before you know it, you are experiecing once again the same pain that you felt the first time. It hurts, and it's hard to talk about. So you keep it to yourself. There is no one to share the burden with.

I often used it to build results in the tatami. I would turn into the devil, filled with so much hatred, so much anger. But that causes you a lot of harm. You end up becoming someone you're not, some angry person who doesn't trust anyone.

It's not like I don't have scars, you know? I've tried to understand, but it's hard. Is it the grief? But it's not really grief. It's those things you remember and that make you wonder: 'Did I really deserve to go through that?'

My beginning in judo was for survival, after I was diagnosed with labyrinthitis, which was already caused by the hormonal issues. I was 1,70m [5'6 feet] and at some point I weighted 38kg [84 pounds]. It reached a point when I couldn't hold myself on my feet. My musculature was reduced to the bare tendons, and even my fingers had atrophied.

So my family sought treatment and psychological support. My mother, who was a member of SESC, searched for a modality of sport there. (TN: SESC is a private inniative from the trade sector. The project aimed to improve living conditions for their employees and their families, and counts with social services, health profesionals, art projects and sports training). Influed by the movies that were popular at the time, I wanted to do karate, but the only spot availiable was for judo.

In the end, judo was the only sport that embraced me.

I started training at the age of 14, and my recovery was quite fast. Soon, my sensei started to place me in competitions, and that gave me something I never had before: dreams for the future (lit= life perspective).

I would wake up at 5A.M. and jump over the fence of the UFPB (Federal University of Paraíba) to run on a sand track they had. My physical conditioning was lifting bricks with my bare hands. A gym? Not even in my dreams. To perform the judo techniche repetitions, I would tie a rubber band on an avocaddo tree we had in front of my house.

One time, we travelled for a competition in Canoas (Rio Grande do Sul-South). I needed to lose weight, and I didn't have money to buy something to eat. So I combined business with pleasure and spent the three days of the bus trip only drinking water.

That's why weight loss was never a suffering for me. Once, I even lost 10 kg in one week, via two days without food and water. People would ask me how I managed and I would say that, in my head, it was easy, because I already knew how it was like. When I didn't want to lose weight anymore, I could open the fridge and I would have a Coke there, I could buy myself a pizza, buy water.

In my childhood, hunger and thirst offered no other options.

This banning me from fighting tale began in 1995, when the prefecture of São Caetano do Sul, a city that couldn't beat us, tried to prevent me from representing Guarulhos on the Jogos Abertos. (NT: The Jogos Abertos do Interior [lit=Open Games of the Countryside] is a tournament between cities in the São Paulo state held since 1936, now with 192 prefectures and 28 sports, including judo)

My team said: 'Edi, if you want, we won't go in without you. We don't care about being disqualified'. I didn't want to hold them back, so all I asked of the girls was for them to bring the house down.

Guarulhos won. And the team of São Caetano was changed. In the following year, they invited me to join. But I said if they wanted me there, they would have to bring all of us. They accepted the deal so we all went.

Since then, I have defended the team of São Caetano do Sul in the Jogos Abertos for almost 25 years. I retired from the national team in 2008, but in the year 2019 I was still winning a gold medal for the city that tried to ban me. (TN: São Caetano is also located in the Greater São Paulo, with around 160.000 citzens)

I've always been realistic. When I got the support of the [Olympic Brazilian] Confederation, of the COB, to fight in the Olympics, it wasn't because they were pitying me, just because it was the right thing to do. It was because I was a real chance of winning a medal for Brazil.

Throughout my career, I've always had a certain resentment towards the brazilian press.  All the issue regarding my hormonal tests was exposed in a very sensationalist way.

They took a delicate matter just to reach numbers, to hold the attetion of the public not for the judo event, but for the controversy.

That made me walk away. Everything I've done within the sport has always been away from the spotlight. I've lost many sponsorships because of this personality I developed.

When I compare my situation with that of Caster Semeya, the south african runner, I find the whole country was on her side. The entire country cheering for her, and damn the rest of the wolrd. You just go there and bring that medal back to us.

That was something I didn't have here. I had to fight against the brazilian people, against the prejudice, I had to fight in search of answers about myself in order to take them back to the press, and I had to fight inside the tatami as well.

In the end, I won.

[theaskew]

Lyrics Bai​ļ​u maize

Izvijas upe kā rēta ielejai cauri Mēness, izdzēris upi, pazūd līdz rītam

Stundas pārvieto nākamās stundas gadsimtiem tālu Aukstumā sarāvies embrijs tavus sirdspukstus klausās

Pārnakšņot nogulies smagi starp mēmajiem kokiem Melns gruzdēs tavs siluets pērnajā zālē

Sapnī māte tev baros bailes kā maizi Mācīs, kā aizpeldēt tālu, kā akmenim nogrimt

Kā akls taustoties, izskalots smilšainā krastā Dūņu mēles gar kājām glaužas un ievelk

Ziemeļu puslodes ledājos atbalso kliedziens Meklē atspulgu, ēnu, zīmi no kāda

Sapnī māte tev baros bailes kā maizi Mācīs, kā aizpeldēt tālu, kā akmenim nogrimt

English Translation Bread of Fear

The river winds like a scar through the Valley The moon, having drunk the river, disappears until morning

Hours move the next hours centuries away Cold-contracted embryo listens to your heartbeat

Lie heavily among the dumb trees overnight Black in grizzlies your silhouette in last grass

In a dream your mother will feed you fear like bread Teach how to swim far, how to rock down

Washed up on a sandy bank like a blind grope Mud tongues clatter and tuck in at the feet

An outcry echoes in the glaciers of the northern hemisphere Looking for reflection, shade, sign from someone

In a dream your mother will feed you fear like bread Teach how to swim far, how to rock down

Songwriter: Marta Kreituse