#end aapi hate

[system-of-a-feather]

So this isn't my hill to die on or me saying "you are horrible if you do this" and far more a "just some thought and consideration to how you use these terms" but I think it's kind of off when non-AAPI folk use terms like "koreaboo" or "weeb" as light hearted terms to describe themselves or other non-AAPI folk.

I think its 100% fine to use it to call out others in a genuine and derogatory manner because that is the intended use of it - but I find non-AAPI folk normalizing the terms to be kinda detrimental to the very real and problematic topic they are addressing which is the unique type of fetishization wide spread and normalized about AAPI cultures and bodies.

Terms like those (koreaboo, weebo, gwailo, gweilo, etc) are terms used to describe problematic non-AAPI that fetishize and disrespectfully / shallowly approach AAPI cultures and they are terms used as a moderate and short hand vent to how prevalent it is.

For a non-AAPI to use it in a playful light hearted way, its like going "uwu I'm a cultural appropriator" like its something cute or going "uwu you are such a cultural appropriator" - like... its not for you to reclaim or make cute and its always a bit weird and unnerving.

Like I used to not find any issue with it back when I was in denial about being AAPI cause me and my asian circles used it at eachother regularly in a light hearted and I assumed that its just a "normal white thing" until I sat and realized we used it at other asians almost exclusively and like... its kinda honestly I think a way of coping by desensitization to the acknowledgement of how fucking weird people get about AAPI cultures

Like I don't genuinely care enough to start looking at people and say "Horrible racist!" or anything for those that do, but I will say as an AAPI who is realizing that I genuinely grew up primarily in AAPI cliques and reflecting on how dynamics in those cliques worked that like.... I do side eye it when I see non-AAPI people thinking its cute to claim the term weeb / koreaboo / gwailo / gweilo / other "ugh foreigners being disrespectful to our culture" terms.

(Feel free to reblog but non-AAPI don't try arguing with me.)

[humanrightsconnected]

Last Thursday marked two years since the Atlanta spa shootings that killed eight people, including six women of Asian descent. As we observe today the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, discover 5 ways to counter racism against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. 

[fokikowest]

Some critics see Trump's behavior as un-Christian. His conservative Christian backers see a hero | AP News

This is an article from last year; continues to be relevant today. Vote 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙

[redgoldsparks]

My very last comic for The Nib! End of an era! Transcription below the cut. instagram / patreon / portfolio / etsy / my book / redbubble

The first event I went to with GENDER QUEER was in NYC in 2019 at the Javits Center.

So many of the people who came to my signing were librarians, and so many of them said the same thing: "I know exactly who I want to give this to!" Maia: "Thank you for helping readers find my book!" While working on the book, I was genuinely unsure if anyone outside of my family and close friends would read it. But the early support of librarians and two American Library Association awards helped sell two print runs in first year.

Since then, GENDER QUEER been published in 8 languages, with more on the way: Spanish, Czech, Polish, French, Italian, Norwegian, Portugese and Dutch.

It has also been the most banned book in the United States for the past two years. The American Library Association has tracked an astronomical increase in book challenges over the past few years. Most of these challenges are to books with diverse characters and LGBTQ themes. These challenges are coming unevenly across the US, in a pattern that mirrors the legislative attacks on LGBTQ people. The Brooklyn Public Library offered free eCards to anyone in the US aged 13-21, in an effort to make banned books more available to young readers. A teacher in Norman, Oklahoma gave her students the QR code for the free eCard and lost her job. Summer Boismeir is now working for the Brooklyn Public Library. Hoopla and Libby/Overdrive, apps used to access digital library books, are now banned in Mississippi to anyone under 18. Some libraries won’t allow anyone under 18 to get any kind of library card without parental permission. When librarians in Jamestown, Michigan refused to remove GENDER QUEER and several other books, the citizens of the town voted down the library’s funding in the fall 2022 election. Without funding, the library is due to close in mid-2024. My first event since covid hit was the American Library Association conference in June 2022 in Washington, DC. Once again, the librarians in my signing line all had similar stories for me: “Your book was challenged in our district" "It was returned to the shelf!" "It was removed from the shelf..." "It was moved to the adult section."

Over and over I said: "Thank you. Thank you for working so hard to keep my book in your library. I’m sorry you had to defend it, but thank you for trying, even if it didn't work." We are at a crossroads of freedom of speech and censorship. The future of libraries, both publicly funded and in schools, are at stake. This is massively impacting the daily lives of librarians, teachers, students, booksellers, and authors around the country. In May 2023, I read an article from the Washington Post analyzing nearly 1000 of the book challenges from the 2021-2022 school year. I was literally on route to a festival to talk about book bans when I read a startling statistic. 60% of the 1000 book challenges were submitted by just 11 people. One man alone was responsible for 92 challenges. These 11 people seem to have made submitting copy-cat book challenges their full-time hobby and their opinions are having an outsized ripple effect across the nation. WE NEED TO MAKE THE VOICES SUPPORTING DIVERSE BOOKS AND OPPOSING BOOK BANS EVEN LOUDER. If you are able too, show up for your library and school board meetings when book challenges are debated. Send supportive comments and emails about the Pride book display and Drag Queen story hours. If you see a display you like– for Banned Book Week, AAPI Month, Black History Month, Disability Awareness Month, Jewish holidays, Trans Day of Remembrance– compliment a librarian! Make sure they feel the love stronger than the hate <3

Maia Kobabe, 2023

The Nib

[heartrender6]

most of the kuwei hate in this fandom is absolutely racially motivated and most of it is probably subconscious but i NEED to talk about this.

and not because i think people r thinking "i hate kuwei!! he's asian and i hate asians!!" tbh most anti asian racism on the internet goes way deeper than that.

basically, what i believe to be the most prominent type of racism against asians, especially on the internet, is stereotyping. specifically "uwu-ification." the east asian entertainment industry likes to paint asian people as cute, submissive and sweet because it markets disturbingly well to american audiences, and whether people mean to or not, they internalize it and it affects the way they think of asian people as a whole. This mostly happens to east and southeast asian women, but definitely a lot with men too, especially in more recent years with the whole yaoi culture thing (i fucking hated typing that) becoming more popular. simply put, it's fetishization.

so how does this relate to kuwei? well, when kuwei is introduced to us, and im not gonna dance around it— he is pretty stereotypically asian. he's shy, innocent, small, good at math/science and— you guessed it— no speaka engrish. leigh bardugo lays the perfect trap for fandom white girl weeaboos to gush over this guy. once i came across a modern au where kuwei's whole northern chinese-mongolian ass is a "shy japanese transfer student." i really wish i was making this up.

but then we find out that kuwei is actually a conniving little shit who is really quite terrible at science and spends all day making shitty drawings of his crush instead of doing math or wtv. The turning point where we are told this is the jesper kiss. This is the point where we find out kuwei is not the yaoi uwu baby we thought he was. and how does fuckin 2/3 of the fandom react?? hate. instant hate. If you search "i hate kuwei" on twitter there are tweets both defending and attacking him, but there is significantly more of the latter.

most of them claim to hate him for kissing jesper but like... jesper kissed him. He doesn't say anything because, in his own words, "we're all probably going to die anyway." does no one see how tragic that is?? he let his first (probably) kiss be taken by someone who he knew didn't even like him because he thought it would be the only one he'd ever get.

and yet the only thing people see is that he "got in the way" of wesper and he's evil. throughout the series kuwei is given no agency, and that's the point of his character. everyone on the planet treats him as a weapon or a bargaining chip. he gets tossed around like a rag doll and to white (or otherwise not asian) audiences, that makes him the perfect picture of a little asian cutie i almost vomited typing that holy shit. but the moments where he takes something for himself— insisting on going to ravka, kissing jesper back— that's what makes people hate him. and don't even get me started on the way people project their hatred onto the other crows, especially wylan. yall will act like wylan loathes kuwei with all his being. he doesn't!! wylan is not a hateful person and he always defends kuwei!! but nooo, kuwei sucks and he deserves it for daring to be a person instead of an idea.

and hey?? guess what?? kuwei was NEVER in the way of wesper. there was no love triangle. narratively speaking, there was never any threat that kuwei would end up with jesper instead of wylan. never ever. the kiss was literally only put there to create drama for wylan and jesper. we never even hear how kuwei feels about it. stop using that as an excuse to hate on kuwei when we can all see it's because you're subconsciously mad at an asian person not being nice.

also disliking kuwei does not automatically make you racist, im just saying a lot of hatred towards kuwei is rooted in racism.

tagging my fellow aapi moots (that i know of) because i wanna hear yalls thoughts on this! @hauntedacousticversiontv @dramaqueentruther

[juxtaposed-nerd]

aapi heritage month headcanons pt. 3 !!!

just in time for s3 of dndads, let’s get into it! this one will probs be a lot but so much has happened in the past year 😭

- taylor LOVES chinese new year, he looks forward to it every year as the favorite (only) child and he eats all the dumplings he could ever eat and gets tons of red envelopes

- cassandra and morgan become best friends/mother-daughter relationship vibes post-doodler, like they are the most badass and cool women in the world and i do think taylor grows to love morgan so much and even though his relationships with nick/glenn are strained, at least he has the best mom and grandma

- as a voice actor for anime/cartoons i think cassandra really did fall in love w the art of anime and i’d love for her to guest at a con (make her the j michael tatum of her world PLEASE) and taylor gets a free ticket to weeb out as much as he wants <3

- in my heart glenn is trying his best, like he really wants that closeness (haha) and i think now post-doodler it's like literally what started as a father/son duo of him and nick now is genuinely a huge (kinda fucked up) family that is trying to mend itself and i do think it starts with chinese takeout !!!

- sidenote i think the close/foster/swifts etc are a great example of how freddie has subverted asian stereotypes fr and also how a family stuck in an absent/neglectful cycle has the ability to come together again

- the mending includes hermie too, hermie definitely deserves something more in his life and the chance get to be a kid w a home in the form of a big family w his bio dads (his normal parents are invited too) (and i also love the idea of normal being like 'grandpa henry! this is the guy!' and hermie being an honorary oak would be so cute 😭)

- hermie went and saw joy ride (2023) bc it was marketed as a comedy and came out bawling his eyes out from that one scene y’all adoptees know what im talking about

- tbh thinking about taylor's closeness w his mom and francis's w kimon wan literally asian moms are holding this show together

- the farnsworth’s are thai and german and they came to peachyville at a young age to give their newborn son a better life very starting nuclear family vibes, ed definitely learned thai for her, and now their son is a bowling champ!

- francis farnsworth and taylor swift are lowkey the spectrum of asian upbringing where it's like midwest asians vs socal asians 😳🤭 they live in different worlds

- kimon wan is an immigrant mom just trying to raise her family and her damn son wont stop being a loser 🤦‍♀️ literally milf w a shotgun (ed is a lucky man FR) (sorry anthony burch)

- when francis is having a really tough day then kimon wan will leave a plate of cut up fruit at his door so he knows he's still supported

- luo's golden wok is the first and only chinese restaurant in peachyville and they have to have the best pepper steak ever im calling it now

- tony collette would love and hate both jodie and glenn i think for different reasons but instead of calling them formosans he’d call them orientals 💀

- also tony collette is 0.0001% asian (chinese) and tyrus luo either DEFINITELY knows which is why he puts up w all the bullshit tony does or tony is determined to make sure that tyrus NEVER finds out ever

- they have a 'throwback' silent movie night at the drive-in and they show a meryl streep film and literally everyone falls in love w him 🥰

- billion millions was a crazy rich asian and he was an icon

- once again they mean the world to me! might end up posting more at some point who knows lol

-

checkout past headcanons: 2022! 2023!

[miawashere]

stop asian hate

long before the chinese exclusion act in 1882, there has always been hate towards asians in the U.S. since covid, the amount of hatred asians have had to face had surged and asian hate crimes have risen in the past years. According to NBC News, the hate crimes have risen 339% compared to 2020. i hope those who feel superior and racist towards asians wake up and realize that they have no right to hate someone and harass, commit crimes against, and bully people purely based off their race. the world is an ugly place, but it doesn’t have to be. i hope they realize that no good will come from hating on asians, and the racism in the U.S. needs to end. i pray for those who have been victims of the hate crimes and that there will be a time in the future when we can all be accepting and loving of one another while not ignoring the fact that we are different, but embracing it and living in peace.

[bfpnola]

about the ongoing hunger strike to ensure that the historic anti-casteism bill passes in california ^^ wanna support?

if you’re on mobile, go to: https://tinyurl.com/Signsb403

other devices, like laptops: https://www.gov.ca.gov/contact/

—

sample email below from the mobile link, not my own writing:

Subject: Please Sign SB403 (Wahab) to End Caste Discrimination

I am writing to request the governor to sign the historic bill SB403 introduced by State Senator Aisha Wahab, which would end discrimination on the basis of caste. This bill aims to clarify existing California state law and make explicit that discrimination based on caste is illegal by adding caste to ancestry and defining caste in the Civil Rights Act, Fair Employment and Housing Act, and Education Code.

Caste systems are social stratification where each position is characterized by hereditary status, endogamy, and social exclusion. Caste discrimination manifests as workplace discrimination, housing discrimination, gender-based violence, and other physical and psychological forms of violence.

Caste discrimination occurs across industries, including technology, construction, restaurants, and domestic work. In these sectors, caste discrimination has included harassment, bias, wage theft, and even trafficking. Caste is today inextricably intertwined with existing legal protections in state and federal civil rights laws such that discrimination based on one’s caste is effectively discrimination based on the intersection of other protected identities. However, because of the grave discrimination caste-oppressed Californians face, these existing protections must be made explicit.

Caste is a workers rights issues, a women's rights issues, and racial justice issue. It is also a bill that has bipartisan support. That is why we are joined by Asian Law Caucus, Stop AAPI Hate, AAPI Equity Alliance, Tech Equity, Equality Labs, Alphabet Workers Union, Ambedkar Association of North America, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO, Californians for Caste Equity, Hindus for Caste Equity, Jakara Movement, South Asian Network, Sikh Coalition, and Sikh American Legal Defense Fund. Every major legal association is in support of caste equity and the lawfulness to make caste equity explicit. This includes the American Bar Association, South Asian Bar Association, National Asian American Pacific Bar Association, and Asian Law Caucus.

That is why we urge you to make history and sign his bill without hesitation. Justice delayed is justice denied. Let's ensure California opportunity for all by ensuring that ancestry and caste discrimination is explicitly prohibited and make history across the country.

Thank You,

[Name]

—

and if you don’t know what caste is? send in an ask @bfpnola or join our Discord server, link in bio, so we can answer you in real-time!

[hersheysmcboom]

@tearsofrefugees @socialjusticeinamerica

[urlocalnonbinarybastardwrites]

oh my goodness :D hi hi hi!!!! i lit just found your blog and saw you do ships which is like soooo cute omgggg!!! soooo… i was wondering if i could get a match up too? 🤭

anywayyyysss, my name is Lalia! i’m 15 and turning 16 in september. I go by she/her and i’m pansexual. I am of south east asian and white descent (happy aapi month wooo!!!) here are some other physical attributes: 5’3ft tall and slim; i have short black hair (but i’m gonna dye it red over the summer); i have big eyes that are dark brown; and i never go outside so im pretty pale😭

my personality on the other hand is not as easy to describe as my appearance… ive taken a lot of personality tests that often describe me as: introverted, listening, creative, logical, thoughtful, determined, daydreaming, and melancholic. i don’t think that my personality is good or bad; in fact, i think that i am a true neutral. I also feel things very deeply, which has led me to be in situations where my feelings get out of control causing something bad to happen (like me ending up in the hospital and psych ward💀). BUT IM OKAY!!! i have anxiety medication and go to therapy lollll. But even though i keep to myself, i still like to talk to people and do things like acting, singing, dancing, and just performing in general!!! i actually love love LOVE to sing and play my guitars sm<33 but some of my other hobbies include writing books or poetry by myself or reading and drawing :3 i do believe that i am confident/ bold but i also tend to be pretty shy around people i don’t know. maybe cuz in middle school i was bullied a lot??? 😭 but i feel like that experience helped me to gain a lot of empathy for people who don’t fit in either,, so i always try my best to always be kind and stick up for people!! But yeah, im really excited for summer cuz i hate school and i never try but i still get all A’s :D

ERM ANYWAYS… idk why im yapping sm SORRYYYYY and TYSM FOR DOING THIS i hope you have a good day/night!! <3

Happy aapi month! Also about being in the psych ward or the hospital, I just wanna let you know that it has a lot of really nasty stereotypes and people who go to psych wards are honestly just cool because they care about their mental health and the fact that you found help and made yourself go or you know, even just didn’t refuse to go I’m really proud of you because it means that you’re taking care of the beautiful person that you are so Never be ashamed or let anyone call you crazy for any up in a psych ward or hospital because it just means that you were prioritizing you and for that it just means that you are very self-aware and I love you Pookie. I love you for prioritizing your mental health. 

Your Outsiders Ship: Ponyboy Curtis!

Explanation: I think he loves your short black hair and your eyes and think that it’s adorable that you’re so pale from never going outside. I personally think that he’s more on the tan side because I think he spends a lot of time outside but I think the contrast between you guys would be pretty hilarious. you seem like the type of girl that he would be very interested in in the fact that you are very thoughtful. Kind of more quiet. I think that you remind him of kind of a more academically based or you know deep thinking Johnny like that’s kind of the vibes I’m getting from you and I think that he would absolutely be in love with that. He usually take things from a logical standpoint and less emotionally so he would absolutely get that and I feel like you guys would have really deep meaningful productive conversations with each other that are interesting. Like I feel like you guys could be putting in room and you would never get bored of talking to each other because you would just be so invested in your conversation and you guys would have pretty good banter too. He also feels things incredibly deeply so I feel like you know he’s the most “” sensitive greaser so I think he would really get that and kind of you guys would get each other away that really no one else in the time period Can understand. He loves it when you sing and dance and thinks it’s pretty amusing he would definitely go to all of your shows and you really loudly or at least really loudly and I feel like he would be so proud afterwards and walk you home with the biggest grin on his face and he would also help you with acting. I don’t know why but I think he’s a surprisingly good actor. Maybe it’s the fact that he’s pretty good at character and analysis but I think that he’s a great actor and could help you out with your performances. He’s also into reading drawing and writing so I feel like that’s something that you guys could do together something kind of cute like you guys can make a little comic together or something like that and reading and music dates. You would absolutely have a lot of. he’s kind of similar in the fact where he doesn’t really love school, but he does get all A’s because he doesn’t want to disappoint his brother anyway you guys are cute and honestly, I didn’t have to think very hard about this because you guys are so similar, and I think you guys would be great for each other, you guys also have a habit of both always always standing up for the underdog and things like that so I think you guys could relate in that aspect of having similar kind of morals and values. 💚💚

[heavenboy09]

And So April is come and gone.

Now on Begins the 1st day of May. With that being said this this new month brings the 8 brings the Asian culture and Pacific islander culture To become more aware than ever before with recent events of having a lot of Asian Hate.

Now is the time to be able to put a stop to all this. More than ever to learn more about Asian and Pacific islander culture and to continue that for many generations to come to learn of their beautiful and wonderful diversity of their way of life.

May is the month all of the Asian communities and Pacific islander communities and their stories to be told from now till the end of May and even then. Tell them all year long like every other Culture and Race, and Religion.

One Month does not hold us to tell Everyone's Stories. But It means alot to Represent Every Culture For the Month They are Given.

Representation Matters.

Divisterity Matters

And more Importantly.

STOP ASIAN HATE.

We are all part of one World 🌎

But we all can't be Happy if we can't learn to Love one another.

That goes for everyone and anyone.

Tell your family, your friends, and etc.

Half of my Good friends are Asian. They have been part of my life for a long time and I don't plan on having that being torn apart because of Ignorance.

Support Their People and Learn all you can about The Way Of Asia 🌏 and The Way Of Pacific Islands 🏝

THIS IS AAPI MONTH

THIS IS ASIAN AMERICAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE MONTH 🌏👲🇨🇳🎎🏝🌺🇭🇰🇯🇵🏣💴⛩🈷️🍡🏯🇮🇳🍛🌊🐚🗿🌴 #AAPI #AsianAmericanPacificIslander #AAPIHertiageMonth #stopasianshate

[ataraxiaspainting]

aya's long list of charities/fundraisers she supports

SUPPORT PALESTINE, SUDAN, CONGO, AND MORE.

palestine and how to help (free-palestine.carrd.co)

Tell Congress: Support the Ceasefire Now Resolution — email now - JVP (jewishvoiceforpeace.org)

Help the Palestinian People with a Click | arab.org

more links.

go to @90-ghost and @soon-palestine for vetted campaigns!

vetted campaigns.

SUPPORT MAUI.

Maui Disaster Response and Recovery Support (google.com)

Help Maui Rise: Directly Aid ʻOhana Displaced by Fires - Google Drive

Donate Now - Online Donations | American Red Cross

Maui Food Bank — Helping the Hungry in Maui County

SUPPORT TRANS AND QUEER PEOPLE.

Supreme Court sides with Colorado web designer in blow to LGBTQ protections : NPR

2024 Anti-Trans Bills: Trans Legislation Tracker

Mapping Attacks on LGBTQ Rights in U.S. State Legislatures in 2024 | American Civil Liberties Union (aclu.org)

National Black Trans Advocacy Coalition

Marsha P. Johnson Institute – Marsha P. Johnson Institute

NQAPIA

The Trevor Project - Suicide Prevention for LGBTQ+ Young People

SUPPORT POC.

Jordan Neely chokehold death: Homeless advocates call for action : NPR

Activists in Kansas City protest the shooting of Ralph Yarl, call for strict sentence : NPR

Home - Black Lives Matter

- (blackvisionsmn.org)

NAACP | Leading the Fight to End Racial Inequality

The Bail Project - Freedom should be free.

Ways to Give - Legal Defense Fund (naacpldf.org)

Homepage - Stop AAPI Hate

AAPI Victory Alliance

Asian Americans Advancing Justice - AAJC: Home

API Women | AAPI Women Lead | United States (imreadymovement.org)

Petition · Protect, Respect, and Restore Snoqualmie Tribe Ancestral Lands - United States · Change.org

SUPPORT MENTAL HEALTH. SUPPORT YOURSELF.

Suicide Hotlines and Prevention Resources Around the World | Psychology Today

7 Suicide Prevention Nonprofits & Organizations To Support On World Suicide Prevention Day (romper.com)

SUPPORT REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS.

Women's March - Our Feminist Future - Women's March (womensmarch.com)

Homepage - National Network of Abortion Funds

SUPPORT THE END OF GUN VIOLENCE.

Home - March For Our Lives

Sandy Hook Promise — Preventing Gun Violence Before it Happens

SUPPORT CONSERVATION/ANIMALS IN NEED.

20 Best Animal Charities to Donate to (Complete 2024 List) | Impactful Ninja

You can help save animals today. | ASPCA

Ways to Stop Puppy Mills | Best Friends Animal Society

donate to your local animal shelters.

adopt, don't shop!

[valpoupdates]

MAY CALENDAR POSTING...

So much to see, so much to do, so little time ! Lucky for you, here in the Valparaíso Region, we keep track of it just for you ! Unless stated otherwise, these activities are optional. Residents do not have to take part in these if they don't wish to ! These can be used for threads throughout the month but new threads can't be started for these activities once the month is up. Please track the valpocalendar tag to stay updated month to month ( ©️ )

Casablanca Activities

May 4: To celebrate the 4th, Aire Libre will be showing the original Star Wars trilogy—no, the original original Star Wars trilogy, the one that premiered in Chile in 2003! As the broadcasting company didn’t want to cut to commercial breaks, they instead stitched the commercials into the scenes and started something absolutely legendary.  Spanish subtitles will be provided, and guests are encouraged to come dressed!  Merchandise will be sold of the edited scenes, from magnets to t-shirts to blankets.

6 PM: Episode IV: A New Hope 8:30 PM: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back 11 PM: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

May 10: Inherited Escapes will be hosting their own AAPI event!  They’ve invited Asian Chilean authors as well as authors of AAPI descent to be part of an author panel and book signing.  Come meet some amazing local authors, come give a big greeting to our international authors, and come spend an afternoon surrounded by people who love to write and love to read. The event will be from 6 PM - 8:30 PM.  Snacks and beverages will be provided; the last thirty minutes will be for book signings (only books bought from Inherited Escapes will be signed).

May 11-12: As fall is ending, Isidora will be selling last season’s products at a discounted price this entire weekend to prepare their inventory for the upcoming season and for the winter time storage.  If you buy any of their products, they’ll also be offering free tours of their winery!

May 17: As the days and nights get cooler, Quintay is seeing an uptick in visitors for fly fishing.  Veteran fisherman and very important scientists have predicted that this particular Friday will be a great time to fish, so Quintay invites families to come and learn how to fly fish from 4PM - 8 PM!  For a small price, kids can borrow fishing gear and life jackets, and get hands-on experience on how to use an artificial lure to catch some dinner.  Post-8 PM, adults can stay and fly fish further.

Quilpué Activities

May 2: To celebrate International Sibling Day, Plantas Altas will be offering a BOGO 50% off from 11 AM - 2 PM! If you ever need an excuse to buy more plants, or if you need a reason to buy a gift for a sibling you love to hate and hate to love, Plantas Altas has you covered with pots, leafy greens, dangling beauties, and all the cute accessories you could want.

May 3: International Supernatural Day is upon us, and no one loves the Supernatural more than the people at Los Fantasmas.  For an out of season night, the team at Los Fantasmas has come up with a spooktacular night.  From 8 PM - 2 AM, they will be hosting a small Macabre Market where the vendors will be selling eerie, unsettling, and just plain scary merchandise.  Two new drinks have been added to the menu for this night: the Cóctel Zombi and El Beso de la Muerte. There’s even rumors of the appearance of a famous but reclusive ghost hunter—but you’ll have to come and find out for yourself!

May 5: Are you the best at Smashbros?  Maybe you’re just the big fish in your little pond.  Casa Dragones is offering you the chance to truly find out!  Test your mettle against other Smashbros players in a Smashbros Tournament!  There is a small entry fee and a portion of it goes to the cash prize pool; winner takes it all, and something maybe even more important: Bragging Rights!  The tournament will be from 2 PM - 6 PM.  Snacks and beverages will be provided, but you are encouraged to purchase snacks from the counter and support your local nerd space.  Please register online at www.lacasadedragones.cl.

May 18: It’s time to shine for one of Caos Tattoos very own: Abril Valdivia!  The Tattoo Apprentice will be having a flash sale of her own designs for a discounted price.  Come support a local up-and-coming artist!  You can still make appointments and receive flash from the resident tattoo artists there. May 25: Quilpué Zoo invites friends and family to meet their new friend, Otto the Octopus!  Otto is a smart, clever, playful, and silly boy.  He loves squirting water at the Quilpué Zoo workers; he loves solving puzzles; and he loves being handled by the zoo employees!  From 10 AM - 2 PM, the event (¡Bienvenido A Casa, Otto¡) will allow kids to see Otto solve puzzles and do tricks; they’ll see a feeding session; and they’ll also learn about octopuses and their habitats!

Valparaíso Activities

May 16: Valparaíso Centro Médico is celebrating the backbone of the hospital: the nurses!  During this time, participating restaurants and stores will be offering nurses discounts in their stores and restaurants.  Check your email for an emailed list of participating locations; all that’s required is to show your hospital badge.  At the hospital itself, expect decorations throughout, a gift basket, a catered meal, as well as a bonus effective this paycheck.  Thank you for your hard work!

May 19: Art thee int'rest'd in loveth?  In hurt?  in what it means to beest a human on this Earth?  Doth thee loveth plays and the arts?  Well, the Shakespeare in the Parketh team shall beest p'rf'rming various scenes f'r free in the Parque Cultural de Valparaíso from 12 PM - 3 PM.  Bringeth a blanket, a snack, and a cousin and enjoyeth the showeth!  T’is family friendly and BYOB, but thee shall beest hath asked to leaveth if 't be true thou art being disruptive.

May 21: The Writer’s Org will be hosting a writing workshop at Biblioteca Santiago Severín from 5 PM - 7 PM.  There are no entry fees and no club fees.  Non/fiction writers can bring 1-2 pieces up to 1500 words total; poets and flash fiction writers will be allowed 3 pieces. 

May 28: Valparaíso Centro Médico is having a Blood Donation Day from 7 AM - 9 PM.  Come save a life and get a t-shirt and hydroflask as thanks!  No registration, signups, or appointments needed.  Walk in whenever you’re free and do your part to help your neighbors in need!

Viña del Mar Activities

May 4: To celebrate International Bird Day, the Bird Watching Org will spend time in the Parque Nacional La Campana from 6 AM - 10 AM to play Bird Bingo.  First person to identify all the birds or get Bingo will get a pack of bird stickers!  You are welcome to bring food and drinks, but try not to bring anything too noisy, and keep in mind that you’ll be carrying all your trash until we make it to a trashcan.

May 12: The Casino de Viña Del Mar would love to celebrate Mother’s Day with you!  From 11 AM - 11 PM, there will be a special Mother’s Day buffet for guests to enjoy.  A raffle will also be done, and 3 winners will be picked to enjoy an all expense-paid trip to Havana, Cuba!

May 24-27: Member Point Event—more details to come!

[dailycass-cain]

Cassandra Cain Merchandise

Have a craving for official Cass merch? 

Action figures? Statues? Mini figs? T-Shirts? Beach Blanket? 

Yes that latter was a thing.

Here’s all the known Cass merch! 

Action Figures

 DC Direct (remember them?) made two Cass figures. One in their “First Appearance” line which is based on the Damion Scott design of Cass:

The other was in the “JLA Classified” line (sadly this was the last known action figure of Cass made back in 2011):

This one feels like it was inspired from Ed McGuinness design of her in Batman/Superman #5.

Mattel made one Cass Batgirl figure that was released prior to their DC Universe line (but they would use the action figure buck when they would release a Babs Batgirl figure for this line). 

Cass was in one of the “final” waves of their DC Super Heroes line (because of this she’s a rare figure):

Unfortunately, as of 2023 both the Mattel and JLA Classified figures run just over $100. You might be able to find the First Appearance figure at a good price, but I’ve seen it usually go for around $80. 

Statues

Once again DC Direct made two Cass statues. The first was based on Damion Scott’s design of the character:

This particular statue usually runs for just over $100. Thankfully it hasn’t broken the bank unlike other Cass merch released by DC Direct. This one was  “Ame Con” line and Cass got a statue near the tail end of it:

So originally, this was meant to come with an additional unmasked head that you could switch. But the higher ups said no to the additional tooling cost.

You can view the designer of the statue’s unmasked head here. Sadly, this is probably one of the most expensive items of Cass merch out there. Currently this statue goes for over $200. 

If you’re looking for something smaller Eaglemoss released TWO mini statues of Cass for their DC line and a Batman chess set. 

These should only cost up to $30 at most (there’s a $24 listing for Black Bat and $22 with Batgirl). Just a word of warning the Black Bat one is notorious to have  a fragile head and is likely to come loose. 

Finally there is this from statue from Kotobukiya: 

This one is $35 last I checked. Sadly I don’t own this particular statue but I’ve been told the plastic has warped a little compared to the others (it is an old statue) and the pieces don’t fit very reliably anymore.

It’s why I hesitated to go nab one myself due to a friend’s problems with this particular one.

 Miniatures 

If statues and huge figures of Cassandra are too big, well. Cass has also gotten a few little figures as well released of her. Six miniatures for games, one MINIMATES figure, and two figures for Imaginext. 

There's also a custom Lego Cass out there on eBay as well but-- it isn't really official.

The Minimates Batgirl figure currently goes for $30 alone (it had a mini Bat-plane with it). But you have two looks you can give this Batgirl unmasked and masked:

Imagninext released two Cass figures. The first is as Black Bat:

Two years ago they then released a Burnside Batgirl with Cass color scheme giving us the other figure:

This figure is a little more “rare” and can run you up to $15 as of 2023.

 The miniature game HeroClix has released FOUR Cass minis. Two based on Batgirl:

Then one each on her identities as Black Bat and Orphan:

Monolith has Cass (as Orphan) in the Gotham City: Chronicles Batman Board Game (season 1 base game). 

Season 3 of the game gave us her as Batgirl:

This version was available last year during the Season 3 Kickstarter. Currently, Orphan goes for $10 on eBay. 

Love it or hate it. Funko made a Harley Quinn & the Birds of Prey Funko Pop of Cass (based from the movie):

She’s currently $30 as of 2023. 

Knight Games has a Cass miniature in their Batman: Heirs of the Cowl expansion for their Escape from Arkham Asylum Board game.

This hasn’t been released yet but there was a Kickstarter for it late last year.

T-Shirts

Cass has three official t-shirts at the DC Shop (thanks to AAPI). One based on Audrey Mok’s AAPI variant cover for Batgirls:

Jen Bartel’s Nightwing AAPI variant also has Cass on it:

Of course, there’s also DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration #1 Jim Lee cover that has Cass front and center:

Sadly, I cannot find this shirt anywhere but it was made two years ago. It might be still on the DC Shop but I can’t find it currently. 

Beach Towel

Yes, Cass had a beach towel based on James Jean Batgirl Vol. 1 #45 cover:

Sadly I cannot find this beach towel as listing for it stopped around mid 2010s. Speaking of James Jean though...

Prints

Officially, James Jean has all of his Batgirl covers as prints avaiable if you purchase the DC Poster Portfolio: James Jean:

As of 2023 this is going as cheaply for $19.

[beardedmrbean]

A local artist organized a silent social justice walk in Sacramento, California, on Saturday to raise awareness about anti-Asian hate and the history of systemic discrimination against the Asian and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities.

Nearly 200 people, from community members to representatives from 40 local AAPI organizations, such as the Adult Buddhist Association, Asian American Liberation Network and the Chinese American Council of Sacramento, attended the "Right On!" social justice art walk, a civil rights project inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement and further pressed by the surge of anti-Asian hate crimes amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

California saw the most reported cases of anti-Asian hate crimes between March 2020 and March 2022. From a total of 11,000 cases reported nationwide, the state has the highest number of incidents at over 4,300, followed by New York with 1,840 cases, according to the latest data from the non-profit group Stop AAPI Hate.

Developed by local artist Angie Eng in partnership with Jason Jong, a Sacramento percussionist and recent recipient of the Sacramento Bee AAPI Change Makers award, the procession started in front of the Robert T. Matsui United States Courthouse at the corner of Fifth Street and I Street, according to a press release.

Participants wore black shirts with dates highlighting significant Supreme Court case rulings that targeted community members based on their class, race, ethnicity, gender or abilities.

QR codes taped on the back of participants’ shirts would bring scanners to a website describing each court decision.

From the courthouse, "Right On!" participants walked through downtown to Capitol Mall, stopping at every block to showcase their shirts. They then returned to the Robert T. Matsui United States Courthouse, where they ended the silent civil rights exhibition.

The recent gathering was similar to an art project that Eng organized in Boulder, Colorado, in October 2022, commissioned by the Stop Asian Hate initiative of the Center of Humanities at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Speaking to ABC10, Eng said her affinity for art began when she was 8, attributing her passion to her family.

"In the family, in our genes, we are not doctors, we are artists," Eng explained. "When I was 8, people labeled me an artist before I even created or designed. It was almost like fate that I became an artist and chose that path."

More than 20 years later, Eng has continued to use art to raise awareness of social causes and injustices.

"In a crisis moment, I think that's when art is most powerful," she said. "What we can do is look back on our history, and trace how in our history, we do have discrimination and racism. And, then we can educate ourselves and the community on the source of hate and violence."

[mariacallous]

United States lawmakers are receiving a flood of warnings from across civil society not to be bend to the efforts by some members of Congress to derail a highly sought debate over the future of a powerful but polarizing US surveillance program.

House and Senate party leaders are preparing to unveil legislation on Wednesday directing the spending priorities of the US military and its $831 billion budget next year. Rumors, meanwhile, have been circulating on Capitol Hill about plans reportedly hatched by House speaker Mike Johnson to amend the bill in an effort to extend Section 702, a sweeping surveillance program drawing fire from a large contingent of Democratic and Republican lawmakers favoring privacy reforms.

WIRED first reported on the rumors on Monday, citing senior congressional aides familiar with ongoing negotiations over the bill, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), separate versions of which were passed by the House and Senate this summer.

More than 80 civil rights and grassroots organizations—including Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, Color of Change, Muslims for Just Futures, Stop AAPI Hate, and United We Dream—signed a statement this morning opposing “any efforts” to extend the 702 program using the NDAA. The statement, expected to hit the inboxes of all 535 members of Congress this afternoon, says that failure to reform contentious aspects of the program, such as federal agents’ ability to access Americans’ communications without a warrant, poses an “alarming threat to civil rights,” and that any attempt to use must-pass legislation to extend the program would “sell out the communities that have been most often wrongfully targeted by these agencies and warrantless spying powers generally.”

“As you’re aware, this extremely controversial warrantless surveillance authority is set to expire at the end of the year, but will continue to operate as it does currently until April, as government officials have recognized for many years,” the groups say.

Johnson and Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer did not respond to WIRED’s request for comment. Leadership of the House and Senate armed services committees likewise did not respond.

Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act authorizes the US government, namely, the US National Security Agency, to surveil the communications of foreign citizens believed to be overseas. Oftentimes, these communications—texts, calls, emails, and other web traffic—“incidentally” involve Americans, whom the government is forbidden from directly targeting. But certain methods of interception, those that tap directly into the internet’s backbone, may make it impossible to fully disentangle foreign communications from domestic ones.

Though a probable-cause warrant is usually required before US law enforcement can obtain the content of an American’s calls, the courts view Section 702 surveillance—accomplished with the compelled assistance of US telecoms—as a two-step process, applying constitutional safeguards to each step individually. The collection, or seizure, only “targets” foreigners and is thus legal. Once communications are in the government's possession, however, federal agents are free to query, or search, them under procedures approved by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, an 11-judge panel whose proceedings are classified and deliberated ex parte. These procedures are ostensibly designed to “minimize” the program’s impact on Americans' rights.

The “incidental,” or collateral, collection of Americans' communications is intensely controversial, due in part to procedures—namely those of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)—that allow federal agents to conduct warrantless, after-the-fact queries of Section 702 data for investigations of a purely domestic nature.

The conservative and libertarian nonprofit FreedomWorks, which has supported privacy reforms in an array of surveillance debates at the federal, state, and local levels, said Tuesday that it intends to issue a “key vote” against the NDAA in the event a Section 702 amendment is included in the bill. Key votes are a FreedomWorks scoring tool that track controversial votes by conservative lawmakers—effectively, a bad mark that may be used against them in future elections. The American Civil Liberties Union says likewise that it intends to score the vote using its own similar process, which tags progressives with votes the group deems at odds with the Bill of Rights.

“To use the NDAA to reauthorize a mass spying program that has been so flagrantly abused without going through the full legislative process and robust debate betrays the public’s trust,” says Kia Hamadanchy, senior policy counsel at the ACLU. Added FreedomWorks president Adam Brandon: “This is the time for robust debate over these issues, not maneuvers by congressional leadership to undermine Americans’ privacy. FISA reauthorization should not be in the NDAA—period.”

A single, uniform bill approved by both chambers is needed before the NDAA can be sent to the president for his signature. A conference of dozens of lawmakers, drawn in large part from the armed services committees, is expected to receive a copy of the bill on Wednesday—their first opportunity to review the consolidated text—and will have until the close of business to approve the language.

From there, the NDAA is subjected to different sets of rules for each chamber. In the Senate, it will either be ushered directly to the floor for a vote or may require three-fifths of the body to formally end debate on the NDAA. In the House, the bill may be subjected to a “rule” issued by the House Rules Committee, which is typically designed to promote the goals of party leaders, waiving points of order or limiting floor debate. The bill may also be considered “under suspension,” however, which is an expedited process that prohibits floor amendments and requires a two-thirds majority.

Senior Democratic and Republican sources say the House is expected to bypass the Rules Committee, meaning there will be no opportunity to strike down any amendments that could extend the 702 program—which is itself not typically included as part of the NDAA.

A senior Republican aide tells WIRED the odds of Johnson proceeding with a plan to extend the 702 program using the NDAA have grown slim over the past few days, as it’s become increasingly clear the speaker would face significant backlash from rank-and-file members of his own party, as well as more powerful figures such as Jim Jordan, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and Matt Gaetz, one of a handful of lawmakers to whom Johnson effectively owes his new position.

A senior aide to Jordan tells WIRED that the chairman would not support extending the Section 702 program without significant reforms—in particular, a ban against the FBI accessing 702 data on Americans without a warrant.

The House and Senate intelligence committees on Tuesday introduced their own legislation to reauthorize the 702 program through 2035, banning FBI queries in criminal cases that fall outside the broadly defined “foreign intelligence” umbrella. A high-ranking source familiar with the White House’s views on the 702 program told WIRED on Monday that the White House was open to supporting this reform. Civil liberties groups, however, say requiring the FBI to obtain warrants for purely criminal matters does not go far enough, and would not impact a majority of cases in which 702 data is accessed.

What’s more, the argument goes, in matters of national security, the FBI should already be well prepared to show probable cause in court.