#it's very very difficult to both make forums safe for minorities

[finniestoncrane]

Like An Animal

Dano!Riddler x Female!Reader, word count: 4.5k an arrangement for anonymous fetish sex goes completely wrong when the sweet, shy guy you vibed with online is nasty little edward nashton 🐀💚 kinks are so multi-faceted. it's fine if this is interesting/arousing/scary/healing for you! you're normal, and you're completely valid 💚 request info • prompt list • send me a request • kofi • masterlist minors DNI!! 🔞 cw: non-con, dubcon, cnc elements, violence, threats, intense fear, this is nasty shit sodon't read if it makes you uncomfortable duh

It was an interesting arrangement. Beneficial to them both, as they explored the darker sides of their desires in completely privacy. She was amazed that he was the type. When he had answered her request for a partner in specific activities on the forum, she was already prepared to have to block several fake replies, some un-practiced boys trying to be daddies, men just desperate to have sex who would have overlooked her specifications around kinks and rules. But this one was different, formal, slightly reserved, but knowledgeable in the ‘lingo’ enough to let her know he might have enough experience. His questions were respectful, unemotional. Straight to business kind of, which was ok. It was actually her preference.

As someone with very little social skills outside of sex, it was difficult to approach someone in the first place, let alone get to a situation where she could ask them for exactly what she wanted. But, on the forums, it was transactional, formal. Everything could be pre-arranged with very little need for speaking when it came to the act. There had been several acts with the two of them now, and it was safe to assume that he was keen on the task-based nature of what they did together.

After the first few “dates” (basic vanilla sex to understand each other’s bodies and potential limits) they had an open discussion together, before deciding to explore the more intense kinks that they shared in common. He lamented that wasn’t experienced physically, which had been obvious at first, but that he knew what he liked and had done extensive research on the topics.

“I like to learn…to research.”

It was odd, she felt so attracted to him, despite his frankly plain appearance. He was average height, average build, average haircut, but his face was soft and round and filled with a naivety that drove her wild. So, they discussed moving things forward. Tonight was the big night, and it was her choice of activity.

He had arrived exactly on time, another habit she picked up on. He was organised and punctual, which only served the structured and emotionless nature of their ‘affair’. She liked that about him. Efficient, conscientious, respectful of her time and any boundaries. It was easy to feel safe with him, part of the reason she was so willing to allow him control this evening. And he was obviously prepared, dropping down his rucksack with a heavy thud, as his ‘tools’ settled on the floor at the bottom of the bag. She invited him into her dimly not romantically lit apartment where they met each time. Usually, he was dressed as though he had been working a 9-5 at an office. Suit trousers, a plain and ill-fitting shirt, boring tie, standard dress shoes, a navy blue puffer jacket shielding his thin body against the Gotham weather.

But tonight he looked almost militant. Prepared for action. He had on a green jacket, black combat pants and large combat boots. She took it in, interested more than anything else. Perhaps it was easier for him to get into character for what they had planned. She searched for the answer in his green eyes, obscured from her questioning by the lenses of his glasses. He coughed when she didn’t say anything, clearing his voice and stammering over his first word before relaxing into himself.

“I’m really glad that you wanted to try this. I’m…excited.”

“I’m glad too, it’s maybe a difficult thing for some people to enjoy, or to accept that they enjoy. But it’s the same as any other kink. Consenting adults working out their fucked up trauma some way or another, huh?”

He didn’t respond, he just gestured to the bathroom.

“Oh, go ahead! I can go get ready in the bedroom. I’ll see you in there, just come in when you’re done.”

She left him standing in the hall, and he watched her disappear into the room, closing the door behind her. She was wearing a t-shirt and some jeans. She hadn’t prepared at all. Not like him. He picked his bag up and went into the small bathroom. He settled the bag on her narrow sink counter, taking out the items from within it. Leather gloves, a roll of duct tape, a carpet tucker just for the threat, and the mask. His mask. He lent on the sink, knuckles white as he gripped the underside of it with his fingers, trying to stabilise himself.

While I’m here…

He rifled through the cabinets, quietly, searching for secrets about her. He had used the bathroom before, but always quickly. This time he had a reason to be in here longer. And, taking his time to be as silent as possible, he eventually found a stash of medicines, one of which he pocketed. A bottle of sleeping pills. Just in case he thought to himself. He donned the mask, fixing his hair underneath and placing his glasses back on top. Three deep breathes in and out as he looked at himself in the mirror. He could feel himself hardening just at his own image. He was a God in his regalia.

This is the practice run. How strong are you? What do you need to do? How best can you get them under control? And then, the reward for your efforts.

He gripped the door handle with his leather clad hand and took one further deep, slow breath before exiting as quietly as possible, standing outside the bedroom door and letting the anticipation linger, painfully, on his mind, body and soul.

She had been waiting, sitting on the bed, for him to finish in the bathroom. No flush, no sound of running water from the old, rusty pipes in her apartment building. She wondered what he was doing, but considered his position. What she had asked him for was intense, and though he was clearly interested and had been reading up on it, it must have been nerve-wracking for someone so inexperienced to build themselves up to this. To a rape fantasy. Not everyone could get on board with the idea of humiliation and violation, and she supposed it might be harder for the person dealing the punishment even. It was a moral and ethical line for some people, and she knew from experience that even if someone was interested in it, feeling able to participate was a whole other thing entirely.

She flipped over onto her stomach, reaching for her phone and making sure she hadn’t missed any texts from him. Maybe he just left? She hadn’t heard the door though, but he might have been trying to sneak out. Disappointment settled in her chest, she had been building up to this for months, desperate for it from the moment she met him. He was so meek looking, the idea of him even pretending to be able to exert any power over her, she was intensely hungry for that level of humiliation. Being degraded by someone she could easily beat up. Pathetic, she mewled softly as she felt a burning in her crotch, her chest tightening at the thought.

And then a sensation on her skin, around her ankles. Tight and forceful. She was turning herself round, aided by the grip, and as her eyes adjusted from the brightness of her phone screen to the darkness of her bedroom, a shape began to take form at the bottom of the bed. He was standing, hands pressed around her ankles, squeezing tight and easing up slightly. Not enough for her to be able to slip loose, she noted.

He's really getting into this.

“Hey are-”

He tugged her body and she fell off of her elbows, flat on the bed, air escaping from her in shock, anticipation. When she lifted her head to look at him, he placed one finger in front of the mouth of the mask, signalling her to be quiet. Her stomach clenched, thighs squeezing together as she realised how well he was at actually taking a controlling position. He loomed over here, the sensory combination of his endless stare combined with the scent of leather and plastic, his quick change from boring middle-manager to the perfect villain was sending her mind racing. She closed her lips together, squeezing them tight for emphasis so he knew she was prepared to be a very good girl.

She was so willing, her eagerness to please him, and to be pleased herself, was obviously clouding her judgement. He was certain that any normal person, anyone not so drunk with lust, would have should have taken one look at him and screamed. He hoped he was a vision of terror, and that she was just so interested in having him inside of her greedy cunt that she was willing to overlook the danger.

It's also possible she’s just that stupid, he laughed to himself. But he wanted to check. It would make it more satisfying for him to know the answer, as was his way.

“This is what I want. Is it what you want?”

“Well, yeah, you know that. We talked about it.”

“Ok. Well, I’m going to get on top of you now. I don’t want you to talk until I ask you to. Unless you need me to stop. Then you can use our agreed words. For now, though, I just want to feel you under me. I want you to get familiar with the weight of me. Test your strength.”

At her nod, he positioned one knee on the mattress, pressing down slowly and testing the strength of her shabby looking bed. It would do. He began to crawl towards her, settling his whole body onto hers, flat and still, his head turned away. She was looking up at the ceiling. It was awkward, it should have been embarrassing, but it felt strangely good to have him on top of her, effortlessly holding her to the bed. Stuck.

“I want you to feel like you’re in danger. I want you to struggle. Ok?”

She nodded, silent still, obeying his earlier commands, hoping to enthuse his sense of control. She lifted her hands to her front, between their bodies, palms flat against his stomach, and pushed, trying to lift him off of her. She grunted in faux effort, tiny whimpers as she pretending to struggle with him. She was enjoying this more than she had even thought possible. Pathetically grateful at the opportunity, she began to make a light weeping noise, more fake efforts at lifting him from her despite it being the last thing she wanted.

“Do you feel safe with me?”

She nodded, panting lightly, unable to get a full breath under his weight.

“I’m going to force myself inside of you, do you want that?”

It was all she wanted, all she could think about. A more enthusiastic nod this time. She opened her eyes to stare at him and smiled. She couldn’t see his face under the mask, but his eyes were wide. Very telling. And they weren’t reciprocating the smile.

He’s committed. Because I can definitely tell he’s enjoying this.

His length, hardening, rock solid against her thighs, twitching occasionally and tapping against her entrance as it did so. He moaned as she shifted below him, trying to get more comfortable.

“I want to make you feel good, you understand? I want you to be happy. I want you to enjoy this. I need you to tell me you trust me. Say it.”

“I trust you.”

“Struggle then.”

She wriggled her arms up to his chest, pushing lightly. Weak mewling poured from her lips, rehearsed and forced in an attempt to entice him further. Forcing her way up to his shoulders she grabbed the jacket and gave a playful shove. She yelped, pretending that the effort was too much, that he was just too big and strong for her. She wanted to feel him twitch at the noise. But it had the opposite effect to what she wanted, and her smile dropped completely as his hand, gloved and warm, made sharp and fast contact with the side of her face.

“Don’t pretend. Push me. Make some effort.”

She was taken back, but she had asked for degradation. Violation. And while she wasn’t sure he would have been able to commit to it, the slap had been very effective. It felt raw, emotional. Unrehearsed. She pushed harder, and a small pang of panic flitted through her mind as she realised that even giving all of her effort, he was actually too strong to push off of her. He was deceptively heavy, and oddly strong. He sank down harder onto her, seeming to weight more through sheer will power alone. The grunts were real now, as she used all of her force to try and shift him even slightly.

He groaned and grabbed her arms, holding them flat on the bed, straight above her head, his hands grasping the flesh just above her underarms. And so she resorted to using her legs, writhing and kicking from under him, thrashing in a way that was forceful, but careful not to hurt him.

“You’re not trying, are you? You’re making it so easy for me, too easy. Given up? Keep pushing, it’s not as much fun if you’re not struggling.”

She stopped for a moment, considering sulking at his attitude. She was trying, but he was too strong. He had overpowered her, which was the goal, but he didn’t have to be a dick about it.

“Struggle harder, use your legs you whore! You’re just lying there and taking it. Come on!”

Teeth clenched, seething at the insults, she thrashed her legs out, actively attempting to hurt him.

“That’s it! You’re so pretty when you struggle. Thrashing only makes me harder, but you better not stop.”

He pressed down on her, harder if that was even possible, panting heavily. His breath grew louder, hotter as he leaned his face to hers, planting a surprisingly tender kiss on the corner of her mouth, sloppily reaching for it in his haze, licking at her cheek and biting her chin. He followed the curve down to her neck, sucking and biting at it as he lay his body flat, still, on top of her. Occasionally bucking his hips into her when she let out a little yelp at the pain his teeth were inflicting on her tender skin.

He shifted, one hand on her arm still held above her head, the other hand on her hip, pushing it painfully into the mattress.

“Push me off.” He was commanding, serious. She gave a shove, straining against him to be able to put her weight into it.

“You can’t get me off, huh? Push harder, come on.”

She tried, with all her might, one last great heave, her whole body trying to arch off the bed and throw him off balance. But he didn’t budge, and she flopped back down in resignation, disappointed that she couldn’t offer him the fight he obviously wanted. She hoped he could still get off, that he wouldn’t call the whole thing off just as it was getting to the good part.

But instead, he sat up, straddling her. He pushed her shoulders, thudding her against the mattress again.

“Imagine being so pathetic” he spat the words out, “that you would let me hold you down without putting up a fight. Such a stupid little slut.”

Her abdomen tensed at the words, blood rushing to her cheeks, wetness forming in her underwear. She wondered, hopefully, how many times she might cum tonight. She was broken from the wishful thoughts as she heard a tearing sound from above her. He was ripping off a piece of duct tape, staring at the length he held from arm to arm. The way he held it, stared at in appreciation. It seemed ceremonious, like a ritual.

“Do you trust me?” She nodded. It was strange, but if anything, she trusted him more now than she had before. And she was desperate. This was all she had wanted for so long, a fantasy she had been building for years, never able to achieve a real orgasm because the lingering promise of what could have been, of this exact situation, was always there just out of reach. And now it was here. And she did trust him. She trusted him to deliver her pleasure. She trusted his abilities. She trusted their safe words.

“Grab onto the headboard.”

She took two of the spindles in her hands and he wrapped the duct tape around one wrist, tight and painful. She winced at it, but felt her clit throb in reaction. The other hand was wrapped swiftly after, and with nothing to push him with she began to twist her hips around under him, friction pressing against both of them, pushing them together, the heat unbearable.

“Oh Y/N this is…this is perfect.”

It was bliss to hear him call out-

Your name.

They hadn’t used each other’s names. They didn’t refer to each other at all, and the only time they had was when they confirmed their usernames to each other. Her username which had no tie to any other account, or her real name, or her email address even.

So how did he know? How did he know your name.

Panic twinged in her veins and her blood ran cold as she contemplated how safe she actually was right now. But before you could open her mouth, convinced already that saying the safe word would be futile, her mouth was covered with one, and then two, and then three strips of duct tape. Her breath was secured, trapped in her mouth. She had no option but to swallow it, eyes watering and wide at the fear now settling in her stomach. This wasn’t what she wanted. She let out a muffled whimper that led to a heavy sob, and from above her, settled on her abdomen now, she could hear him begin to laugh, stifling it as he began a tirade of fury aimed at her terrified face, spit frothing and hitting her as he spoke with an intense ferocity.

“Oh, poor Y/N. You poor, dumb thing. I lied to you, you fucking idiot! You’re such a stupid bitch, I almost felt sorry for you, actually. How were you to know? But then I thought you know what, normal women, respectable women don’t invite strangers into their home to fuck them, let alone ask them to tie them up and do bad and naughty things to them. So, if you think about it, you kind of deserve this.”

He smiled down at her, wiping his thumb under her eye and bringing it to his mouth to taste the tear on his tongue. His hands, still gloved, ran up and down her, and he shifted down her body again, straddling her, cock hard and pushed up against her thigh. He pressed his whole body against her, desperately, hands all over her arms, holding her against the bed, moving to her wrists where he teased at the duct tape, laughing at her.

His movements were clumsy, with a complete disregard to her body, laying underneath him. He kneed her as he shuffled down her body, sitting on her legs to keep them still. But yet, he demanded more from her.

“Come on, push me off of you! You’re not even trying, it’s like you want this. Is that it? You want it this way?”

She was shaking her head, desperately trying to find within him the reasonable man she had thought existed. But through the steamed glasses, there was nothing beyond the mask, and she became sickeningly aware that he had been in disguise the whole time.

“I know, there’s no point really. You can struggle as hard as you want, try and prove to me you don’t want it. But I know you do.”

He was unbuttoning her jeans, fumbling with his gloved hands. He snarled, growling as he pulled them down, little by little.

“And do you want to know something?” He was breathing heavily, panting at the effort he was exerting to remove her jeans as she squirmed. He grunted as he yanked them down, shifting them under his own body in an effort to keep her legs trapped beneath him.

“You’re not going anywhere!”

With a swift and rough movement he had pulled her jeans down completely, underwear coming down with them. He grabbed at them, pulling in an effort to rip them off, cutting at her legs as they refused to come off in the dramatic fashion he had hoped. She moved slightly, trying to shift and make it easier for him, but stopped in her tracks, like a hunted animal, as he groaned and pulled out a switch knife, quickly and all too carelessly slipping it under the fabric and pulling it up, cutting them in half, the fabric falling onto the bed below her. She was panting silent breaths. The nerves, visible on her face, her body, on the way her gasps fell out of her mouth. It all turned him on and he had to refocus on what he was trying to achieve, before he lost it and shot his load right there, watching her stare at him in terror, exposed. Soaked.

“God, you’re a mess, look how wet you are.”

He ran a finger up her slit, the sensation of the leather warm and rough. He retreated, both hands now slapping her thighs and grabbing them.

“I want to feel you. Skin to skin.” He bites at the gloves, pulling them off with his teeth. The way he moves is so animalistic, it pains her to know how arousing it all is.

“I want my fingerprints on you. If they find me, God I hope this is how they find me, I want them to find me. I want everyone to know who I am by finding out that you’re a pathetic whore who let me fuck you senseless.”

She whimpered at his words, tears falling from her eyes and rolling down her cheeks. She was ashamed of how much she was enjoying this, but she was entirely terrified, genuinely convinced that these moments were going to be her last. And part of her was ok with that, was trying to lean into it. Self-preservation? Her brain trying to numb her feelings? She wasn’t sure, but the tears poured forth despite trying to remain stoic in the face of her attacker.

“You’re so pretty when you’re crying. And you sound so good, so weak and small and desperate. Do you feel trapped?”

There was an effort of refusal, shifting below him and attempting to wriggle free from under his weight. He grunted, hands pushing her thighs apart as he settled between them, her legs unable to close over as he spread them out with his knees.

“I’m going to cum inside of you. I’m going to leave myself with you. I want you to remember this.”

He grunted, shifting his own trousers down, growling with a snarl on his face as he grabbed at his cock and smoothly pressed it against her thigh, moving to run it up her slit, edging slightly between her lips. He twitched and his voice caught in his throat as he felt her cum on his head. And with a final moan, he thrust himself in hard. She let out a muffled yelp, despite being incredibly wet he had still taken her by surprise by the swiftness of his entrance, and the dull ache as he forced himself up to the hilt was followed by floods of pleasure she no longer wanted.

“Look at me. Don’t blink, don’t shut your eyes, just look at me.”

She struggled against him, body trying to force its way further into the mattress so give some space between her and his body, to prevent him from getting so deep.

“Hey! I need you to look at me, look into my eyes and tell me you don’t want this.” He ripped the duct tape from her face. It smarted, her cheeks red underneath, some skin from her lips coming with it, tiny flecks of blood forming on them.

“Tell me you don’t want this. Come on, say it. If you don’t want it, say so. Ask me nicely.”

“Please, please stop.” She began to sob under him, irritated that she had allowed him to get the better of her. Disappointment at the fact he hadn’t stopped, when she’d asked him so nicely. Shame that she’d though he would in the first place.

“Don’t cry, idiot. Why would you think I would stop? Can you not feel how hard I am? You’re clenching around me. You like this too.”

He was slapping against her, the sharp sounds echoing around the room as she whined and moaned around him. The vibrations of her sobbing and shaking sending him over the edge. He pushed into her, harder and harder, making sure she could feel every single inch of him sliding into her, deep and painful. Sharp pains dulled by a bruising ache as he thudded inside of her over and over again, carelessly and angrily.

“Please…please don’t.”

“Please no, please stop, please don’t.” He was mocking her. “Pathetic, begging me. Look at me!”

She stared up at him, resolving to maintain eye contact. He seemed close, pressure building and his rutting become more frantic and ill-paced. She was going to make him watch her, see her face as he came. Remember the fear he instilled in someone. Though, in the back of her mind, she knew that was more pleasurable for him than a punishment.

“Oh God, I’m going…to cum…” His voice was weaker, softer. And in a turn that took her by complete surprise, he brought his hands around her back and kissed her, lifting her slightly and holding him to her. The sickly sweet action made her stomach turn.

“Tell me you like it. Tell me…you want…this…Tell me…I’m good.”

She couldn’t get any words out between panting and sobbing. If anything, his swift change in direction to needy and desperate had only fuelled her terror more. He was entirely unhinged. A mad man, on top of her, inside of her.

“Tell me…you love me! Tell…me…you love…me! Look me…in the eyes…and say it…”

At her silence, he grabbed her throat, tensing his fingers against the sides.

“I love you” she managed to get out, gasping and wheezing against his crushing pressure. And at her words, he came. A high-pitched scream that sounded more like pain than pleasure. He was breathing heavily, air squealing in his throat as he panted, filled with complete ecstasy and maybe misery. But he managed to catch his breath and he lay back down on her, completely flat, cock falling out of her, cum spilling on to the sheets below her. She was pinned down again.

“I love you too. I’m so glad we met.”

He knew where she lived. He knew her name. She had let her guard down too easily, charmed by what she now realised was the mask he was wearing when they first met. This was his real face. A figure shrouded in green.

[three--rings]

So I read your post “On Callouts, Triggers, and Problematic Content”, and I wanted to say that it resonated with me. I’ve been there, being whole-cloth canceled for being “problematic”, and being accused of personally, morally agreeing with (or straight up doing) the problematic things in my fic, and honestly the harassment that came after (even after I’d apologized) still causes me anxiety even now. I think I’m in the same place now where seeing people get canceled for having morally impure thoughts / creating impure art really bothers me. Anyway, I just wanted to say that I appreciated the post, it really clearly conveyed some of the things I’ve been feeling regarding it.

Yeah, I’m glad that post is one of my most popular.  The incident I describe in it was really small, just a small niche blog making fun of a single post I made, but, I felt like it was illustrative of a wider phenomenon.

I have, however, experienced VERY painful condemnation, cancelling, and banning for expressing my opinion.  Prior to returning to tumblr for YOI fandom, I spent a lot of time on a fannish website/forum where I was very active, made what I thought were a lot of friends, and generally had a very strong sense of community.

Except one day I replied to a comment thread posted by another active user, in which they expressed that they thought some of the reaction of a particular fandom was overblown in regards to an event on a show.  The criticism of the show was on social justice grounds: this plot development is sexist and racist.  The people in that thread expressed the feeling that the current brouhaha was an overreaction.  The people in the thread were mostly women and included POC, so we were basically saying we didn’t think it was particularly offensive personally.

For saying such, we were all banned from the community with no warning and no opportunity to give explanation or make amends.  I literally made one single comment saying I thought some of the arguments about sexism were flawed (I didn’t mention race) and I was banned from a community I’d been an active participant in for years for being sexist and racist.  

It’s hard to really convey how much this upset me.  I’m disabled, and my internet life is a major-to-only way I have to socialize, so being suddenly cut off from my main daily social outlet was a huge blow.  It sent me into a significant depression for at least a month or so. 

In retrospect, what I find so infuriating, other than just waking up and finding myself blocked from posting suddenly, is that it was one instance of disagreeing with the perceived “approved” progressive opinion which was immediately punished by ostracization.  We were told that by expressing our opinions we were creating a hostile discussion environment.  However no one actually tried to discuss it from an alternate viewpoint.  In a discussion forum, no one would discuss it, instead private complaints were supposedly made to the admins who banned us without even knowing the fandom we were discussing.  Simply disagreeing with a social justice oriented criticism was a sin great enough to be lifetime banned, in the name of safe space.  (Nevermind the people being banned were members of the affected groups.)

I have not talked about this incident much here for a lot of reasons.  Partly because the memory is still painful, though less so now.  Partly because I at least used to have people on here who knew me then.  But I don’t want to talk about the specifics of either community or fandom, because then it becomes all about that. 

But yes, there’s a reason I remain very skeptical of purity culture and callouts.  I hope to always work against racism and sexism and homophobia and exclusionism both online and in RL, but I try not to join bandwagons and pile-ons.   Discussion, pointing out offensive mistakes, etc, are to be encouraged.  But the answer is not groupthink and creating a more and more rigidly patrolled, constantly shrinking “in-group” of sufficiently pure woke-ness.

And, the long-term effects of my experience, for me, have been a greater reluctance to throw myself into communities or to get too attached to people and places online.  I still engage, but with a certain distance.  I do my thing in my space, where I am in control. 

[drferox]

I just watched this video about a US veterinarian complaining about the rules of how rabies vaccines are administered. Essentially, the complaint was about how a 2.2kg dog receives the same dose as a 45kg dog, and that some dogs - I would assume it's the smaller dogs - are dying and seeing adverse effects because the dose is higher than they should be receiving. I'd never heard of this controversy and wondered if you had and your take on it. The video was of Dr. Jon Robb; I can't find the link.

Vaccinations are one of the most hotly debated topic in veterinarian medicine, not just by ‘natural’ websites but also by highly qualified veterinarians and immunologists which have dedicated their professional scientific careers to the topic and so actually know what they’re talking about.

So to have this discussion, I’m going to have to go over some of the basics of vaccines so we’re all on the same page. I also request that if you have something to contribute to the topic, you add it in a reply or reblog rather than submitting a separate ask, so the conversation can stay in one place. Otherwise readers get lost.

I actually attended an immunology conference in 2010, and most of its discussions was around vaccines. Over the week we attending veterinarians spent 38 hours discussing vaccines, schedules, reactions, complications and associated illnesses in depth, specialists and generalists alike. Then the last two hours were an open forum for questions which was attended by a member of the general public, who actually stood up and basically asked “What are vets doing about adverse vaccine reactions and why aren’t they doing more?”

It was very tempting to just point to the prior 38 hours that week we’d spent answering that question.

My point is that vaccines and immunology is not a quick or easy topic if you want to understand it and not just jump on a sensationalist bandwagon.

Why do all members of a species receive the same dose vaccine instead of a mg/kg dose like other drugs?

Most drugs are administered in a mg/kg manner, that is to say larger animals get a larger dose and smaller animals get a smaller dose.

This in itself isn’t even strictly true. To be most accurate, drugs should generally be calculates by a mg per surface area, but calculating surface area is a pain in the backside and so we generally only do it for drugs with an exceptionally narrow safe dose range, like chemotherapy. To make things faster, for most dogs we will use body weight to make our calculations, though some medications will have different dose rates for dogs above or below a certain size.

Vaccines and hormones don’t follow this rule. For these sorts of medications there’s not really a per bodyweight dose, just a threshold where the dose is ‘enough’. Double, triple or quadrupling a dose of oxytocin, for example, does not actually do anything once they’re reached that ‘enough’ point. Doubling a vaccine dose does not increase the protective immunity once the initial dose is ‘enough’.

This might seem counter-intuitive, especially when you look at the diversity of sizes in dogs. Surely a vaccine administered to a chihuahua will be more concentrated in its body than the same vaccine administered to a great dane? Well it probably is, but as long as we have an effective dose in both, it will still work.

What are adverse vaccine reactions and how do they relate to vaccine dose?

Vaccines actively stimulate the immune system, and like all medications in use everywhere (unlike homeopathy which is water and wishful thinking) they do things we want and things we don’t want. The things we don’t want are termed ‘adverse effects/reactions’, and they vary in their frequency and severity. They include:

fever (quiet or reduced appetite for 12-24 hours)

tenderness at injection site

anaphylaxis (swollen face and paws, like a bee sting reaction)

Immune mediated disease (eg IMHA)

Some cancers (sarcomas, specifically)

Death

But don’t panic!

Take a moment to consider the potential reactions on the list. Fever and tenderness is because the immune system is doing its thing, it’s responding (appropriately) to the vaccine. These adverse reactions are minor and often require no intervention at all, though some repeat offenders might get an antihistamine with their vaccines in the future. They are also both more likely in juvenile, small animals and so are potentially related to the dose of vaccine or adjuvant per kilogram body weight.

So if smaller animals are more likely to show tenderness and fever after a vaccine, which are indications that the body is responding, then they might still respond to a lower dose of vaccine.

More on that later.

Anaphylaxis and death are not dose or frequency dependent. They are an inappropriate response by the immune system, just like life threatening peanut allergies in humans. Because the immune response is blown so out of proportion, it doesn’t matter what the dose is, you will still get the reaction.

If a person with a peanut allergy eats a single peanut, the reaction is going to be the same as whether they ate a whole jar of peanut butter. Same with the vaccine. If it’s going to happen, it will.

This is independent of dose and completely unpredictable, but rare. Death is especially rare. Some brands of vaccine might seem more or less likely to cause anaphylactic reactions than others, but the jury is still out on this.

Immune mediated diseases and cancers are particularly interesting, and have grabbed a lot of attention from sensationalist media over the last decade. There are lots of different ones that might be associated with vaccines, but I’m going to focus on the most common two from each category because I don’t intend to lecture you for 38 hours.

Immune Mediated Haemolytic Anaemia (IMHA) Is a very interesting disease where the body attacks its own red blood cells, destroying them and causing anaemia. Some quick and dirty facts about IMHA:

33% of cases occur within 3 months of a vaccine

50% of cases also have some sort of cancer (Haemangiosarcoma (HSarc) being most common)

Approximately only 50% survive

If IMHA was completely independent of vaccination, and the dogs were all getting a vaccine once a year, you’d expect 25% of cases to occur within 3 months of a vaccine. 33% is a little suspicious. But we can’t blame vaccination for all cases of IMHA, not even close, with all those nasty HSarcs around, which on their own only have a survival rate of a few months.

In a nutshell, IMHA can be triggered by any immune system stimulation at all. For many dogs, vaccines will be the most common immune system stimulus they encounter, but cancers and viruses can do it as well. It’s not fair or accurate to blame vaccines for causing all IMHA, but we also can’t discount the possibility in an individual patient.

Injection site sarcomas (ISS) are the specific cancer associated with vaccines, especially in cats. This cancer is slow to spread but difficult to remove, and seems to be more associated with the rabies, FIV and FeLeuk vaccines more than others.

Again, however, it’s not just caused by vaccines. Any injection in a cat can trigger this type of neoplasia, and so can cat bite abscesses. It’s just that the vaccines are going to be the most common type of injection your typical cat gets.

In both IMHA and ISS, they’re basically just bad luck when they occur, but they will be independent of the dose. They’re either going to do the thing, or they wont.

So reducing the dose of a vaccine will probably not save any animal lives, but may reduce the adverse reactions that owners most frequently complain about (fever and tenderness). It might benefit the patients somewhat, but it is potentially blown a little out of proportion.

That said - I have never administered a rabies vaccine in my life. That’s a perk of living in Australia, we just don’t have it here. I don’t have boots-on-the-ground experience of that specific vaccine, so perhaps the frequency of adverse events are different to what I see with our vaccines.

Why don’t we vaccinate with lower doses ‘off-label’?

Off label is a term we use when we use a drug differently to how the manufacturer recommends, in this case using less than a single dose of vaccine for a patient.

Basically, we can’t guarantee it works.

This is especially problematic for rabies vaccination, which is done not only to protect the vaccinated animals, but also humans they might bite in the future.

If a veterinarian uses a half dose, which has unknown efficiency and may not work, to vaccinate a dog, which then goes on to bite somebody but that person does not get rabies post exposure prophylaxis because they assume the dog is fully vaccinated, that human might die. 

You just don’t know whether it worked or didn’t, whether the dog and then human are safe or not.

Risking human health in this way is generally seen to be completely unacceptable by the wider veterinarian community.

So what do I actually think?

Congratulations if you’ve read all of this and you’re still here with me. You’re doing great, well done.

Personally, I think we could potentially lower the dose (or frequency) of some vaccines, but never off label.

I would like to see more vaccine research and development for more low-dose vaccines, specifically for juvenile or tiny patients. Most vaccines would be tested in beagle-sized dogs, I would like to see a whole slew of testing done on under 5kg dogs. If we can lower the dose for these tiny ones, it might mean we need to stock two different versions of a vaccine, but we’re doing that with trivalent vaccines anyway, and I think that’s how the future will go in wealthy and developed countries.

I think the future of veterinary medicine will include more single antigen vaccines, titre testing, microdosing and changes in vaccine frequency, but I will touch on all of those in another ask (hopefully) later today because this one is long enough.

So the Dr Robb discussion probably does have grains of truth in it, but not all of it and filtering it out is the challenge. Either way, there needs to be more research on adverse reactions in tiny breeds from the vaccine manufacturers, and public pressure/demand is the way to make that happen.

[srasamua]

Google’s Pichai answers to Congress: The good, the bad and the frustrating

The appearance of Google CEO Sundar Pichai in front of Congress yesterday has been eagerly anticipated by those of us following the company’s tumultuous year in the face of criticism from international press, human rights organizations, and its own staff.

The hearing – lasting more than three hours – was titled Transparency & Accountability: Examining Google and its Data Collection, Use and Filtering Practices and promised to give Pichai an opportunity to publicly clarify the search giant’s position on consumer rights in regards to privacy in an increasingly data-dependent world – as well as reflecting on its openness as a business in the political context at home and abroad.

Overall, the hearing was a bit of a mixed bag. This was less to do with the substance of Pichai’s answers and more to do with the flawed questioning from the assembled. Here are what I took away as good and bad responses from the Google chief, as well as a few of my frustrations.

The good

Some of Pichai’s most substantial answers came when asked about issues of diversity, the wellbeing of ethnic minorities, and the rights of women.

He reiterated Google’s commitment to diversity and made reference to the fact that the business were the first to publish a transparency report on their diversity. He also pointed to combating the spread of white supremacy content on YouTube and made clear his and the company’s zero-tolerance attitude on hate speech.

This was obviously comforting to the assembled congress men and women – particularly as the US has seen hate crimes rise by 17% last year, and online media is argued to be adding to the normalization of hate speech in the mainstream.

Pichai was also asked about forced arbitration within the business – a subject that came to the fore last month as staff in Google offices around the world staged a mass walkout ‘to protest sexual harassment, misconduct, lack of transparency, and a workplace that doesn’t work for everyone.’

His response was that the company have already enacted changes where forced arbitration for sexual harassment is concerned. This means that if employees want to bring sexual harassment charges against someone they now have the right to do so outside of the internal arbitration structure of the business (via a class action lawsuit, for instance). Pichai also expressed commitment to make changes (ultimately removing forced arbitration, I assume) outside of the realm of sexual harassment – giving more options and rights back to the employees.

The bad

As we expected, a number of questions during the hearing were focused on the rumored development of a new search product for the Chinese market.

Pichai was initially quite firm that Google had no plans to launch a search product (currently referred to as Dragonfly) in China, but the more he was pressed on the subject, the more woolly that stance became. ‘We have undertaken internal effort,’ he said, adding later: ‘It’s our duty to explore possibilities to give users access to information.’

Answers here were less substantial than those given in a recent Q&A with Pichai at the Wired 25 Summit in October. But we can see that internal development on a tool for the Chinese market is ongoing – even in the face of calls from staff to shut it down. Pichai’s stance is that pursuing work to give access to information for consumers everywhere (including China) is the human right he, and Google, is focused on. He did commit to being transparent as this work continues, but I have my doubts.

Some of the other more difficult questions for Pichai concerned internal messages and discussions from Google staff regarding domestic politics.

He was pressed on potential bias when a staff member admitted in an email to the company helping to get the Latino vote out in key states and not others during the 2016 election. Pichai denied such activities happened – at least in terms of Google itself working to do this. Another congressman questioned whether it was right that there should be a forum for the Resist (anti Donald Trump) group on Google’s staff network. Pichai said he was not aware of the group.

The frustrating

As we’ve seen, some of the questions on bias at Google are justified – although they frequently simmer down to semantics of the language used by staff when discussing politics on company time and in staff forums. Who is ‘we’ in the case of getting the Latino vote out in key states? Is the content discussed in the Resist group too political?

There were also plenty of frustrating moments where the capacity of congress members to understand how an algorithm which takes into account a vast number of metrics (including freshness, how linked-to the content is, and previous individual search history) can sometimes deliver results that appear more or less conservative or liberal.

I felt sorry for Pichai as he spent several minutes assuring one congressman that while his search for Donald Trump gave mostly negative results, the algorithm itself is neutral and the best content for the search query (in terms of quality and relevance) just so happens to not present Trump in a positive light. A few moments later, a congressman (presumably on the other side of the fence) expressed his disgruntlement after a recent vanity search to find most top ranking sites running stories about him were from the right wing news press.

All too often congressmen were seen to bark at Pichai, “it’s a yes or no answer,” when it could never be. Some held their iPhones (not Android devices) aloft and expected Pichai to know whether any Google apps on it were saving location data. These instances managed to be both depressing and humorous, but they highlighted a number of dualities Google must contend with as it moves into 2019. As a business, it has to be at the forefront of technology dealing with the complex issue of the world’s information and data, while still making sure every day consumers can use it safely and successfully.

At the same time, Google must be neutral in what it delivers to consumers – while having a staff that is always likely to lean one way politically more than the other, and also striving to be progressive in how it operates.

And ultimately, it still has a mission to provide users – wherever they are – with the best search information. It is clear that in the case of China, some negotiation with a government known to operate surveillance has to happen. In the case of the US, the company has to answer to a political class that is so binary that it, by comparison, can seem very outdated.

The post Google’s Pichai answers to Congress: The good, the bad and the frustrating appeared first on Search Engine Watch.

from Digtal Marketing News https://searchenginewatch.com/2018/12/13/google-pichai-congress-overview/

[johnbooth93]

Bacterial Vaginosis Monistat Eye-Opening Cool Ideas

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Bacterial Vaginosis Discharge Color During Pregnancy

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Bacterial Vaginosis Applicator

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[thisweekingundamwing]

This Week in Gundam Wing: October 22nd - 28th

Happy Sunday Gundam Wing Fandom!

We have tons of super awesome things for you to check out this week!  Many many thanks to those who submitted and tagged us in content - it makes our job so much easier! The fandom is growing, and being part of that is a privilege and job to watch, but it does sometimes make it hard to keep up!  If you’ve created something we missed, please feel free to let us know so we can feature you too!

Remember, if you find something you love, please please make sure you let the creator know how much you enjoyed it!  Every little comment/like/reblog goes a long way towards fueling their desire to do more!  

Thank you for all that you do, and keep submitting your great content to us!

This update was delayed by the Great Tumblr Crash of 2017, please accept our apologies!

-Mod CB

Below the cut!

Fanfiction:

(please take note of any warnings within the fics themselves, do not rely on this list as exhaustive)

@amberlyinviolet​, @yourbloodlikewine

In This Light, Chapter 3: Eli

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12386715/chapters/28402484

Duo x OC, Trowa x OC, Solo x OC. AU, child abuse mention, Sexual Assault Mention, homophobic parents, Re-Written Characters, Drug Use, Violence, off screen murder

Duo spent the last semester working in his older brother's coffee shop. He's resigned himself to a boring spring when a stranger appears, shaking up his entire life.Eli left home last fall, choosing to spend the last six months living out of his van on his travels from the Midwest to the East Coast. By the time he arrives at Ink's, the novelty of traveling alone has started to wear off. Still, the last thing he's expecting is to meet someone who's going to change all that for him

@anaranesindanarie​

Never Forget to Breathe

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12462762/chapters/28362603

2+5, 3x4, 1xR. 

Accident, motorcycle, Drunk Driver, Injury, Recovery, Physical Therapy, Pain, Depression, Anger, Self-Hatred

An accident leaves him with a new outlook on life. After a long recovery period, he decides to travel the world, eventually settling down in a small college town to peruse a degree or three. There he runs into an old friend who he hasn't seen in years.

@chronicwhimsy

Saudade, Chapter 12: Fővárosi Nagycirkusz

http://archiveofourown.org/works/11352189/chapters/28440536

Eventual 3x4, 2+3 bromance throughout

Everyone is fed up of Trowa being useless so they take matters into their own hands. Trowa doesn’t handle it well.

@claraxbarton

This Feeling, Chapter 1

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12520764

2x6, eventual 2x3x6, slow burn, post canon, angst

A dozen years after the wars, Trowa is still trying to find a place for himself. A glimpse into the lives of Duo Maxwell and Zechs Merquise makes him wish for things he had never before considered.

@cosmostar​

Desire Told In Colors, Chapter 16: Navy (Now Complete)

http://archiveofourown.org/works/11227302/chapters/28488556

Zechs x Noin. AU, from sex to love, canon het relationship, heterosexual sex, unplanned pregnancy, violence, torture

"There were kisses printed all over his shirt, some playfully smeared, some carefully stamped, some surpassing touching his collarbone, too many for not being remembered. With a swift movement, he pulled off the shirt and found a message written on the back, the lipstick so red it made him think of blood: 'Call me.'" A 2017 Summer of Zechs submission. Color prompts. 

@cynfinnegan​

Omnibus, Chapter 5

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7373635/chapters/28558204

3x4

Another piece of Shatter Me inspired by a writing prompt.

Note that this fic is a collection of smaller bits, so please note individual chapter pairings and warnings.

@fadedsepia

SPF

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12532780

2x3x5, beach, one shot, innuendo, nudist!Wufei

Wufei, Trowa, and Duo discuss sunburn and beachwear.

Kaiser Chris

Fall of the Lightning Count

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12692159/1/Fall-of-the-Lightning-Count

Zechs Merquise the Lightning Count, a legendary MS Ace and hero of OZ. In July of AC 195, Zechs chose to commit treason against OZ, defying the Romefeller Foundation for honor in order to duel a Gundam. What Zechs did not predict that others would find fault with his actions, and strike him down for consorting with the Gundams. A mistake that cost him his life. (AU miniseries)

@kangofu-cb

Belonging

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12473872

1x2x5. Kinktober entry. PWP. Double penetration. Threesome

Heero and Duo help Wufei relax after a rough day at work.

Reflection

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12527160

2x?, Kinktober entry, mirrors, lingerie, mild kink, pwp, rimming

Duo comes home to a much-appreciated surprise.

LittleMouse

Warcraft, Chapter 2: Waking to Us

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12429339/chapters/28489976

AU, fantasy

Alternate Fantasy World - A world where people have ‘Talents’ that allow them to control certain elements. Different Talents can ‘Join’ to become a specific entity - some can heal, some can repair damage to land and buildings, some are weapons. The Talents you ‘Join’ with are called your Others. The perfect Joining is of five separate Talents. One lonely Fire Talent far to the North has given up waiting for his Others - good thing they haven’t stopped looking for him.

Lord Raa

Heero Sandwhich

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12594063/1/Heero-Sandwich

Nobody asked for this, especially not Heero Yuy, but here we are all the same. Prepare for a "comedy" with some adult content. If the chapters feel truncated, then you might want to look for a certain Fanfiction Forum on the (dot) net for a more complete experience.

Luvsanime02

Engage, Chapter 1

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12458772/chapters/28352415

Post-Series, Politics, Friendship, Canon-Typical Violence, Minor Character Death, Government Upheaval, Language

The time has come for all of their plans to finally start being put into motion. This is the eighth story in Navigation, a fem!Heero series.

The Fullness of One’s Life

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12442440

Sally x Une.  Kinktober entry.  Fluff.  Bathtub sex.

Une takes a bath after a long, difficult day, and Sally joins her.

Back Against The Wall

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12483552

2x3.  Explicit.  Kinktober entry. Exhibitionism.

“We’re just bros being bros and doing something 100% platonic, but somehow we’re turning each other on because of not-so-buried feelings for each other, and we can’t make it stop” sex. Trowa's tired of painting all day, but at least he has a nice distraction in the form of Duo Maxwell.

Tequila Toasts

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12483604

1x2. Kinktober entry.  69. Explicit sexual content.  AU.

Duo's having some bad luck lately, but he'll feel better after hanging out with his ex, Heero Yuy.

With Words and Deeds

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12498892

Une x Treize. Kinktober entry. Mild kink. Mild sexual content.  Boot fetish.

Une is a young woman, and when she puts on the uniform, she's a soldier. To Treize, she is both.

MaryDBlack

Life & Death, Chapter 4

http://archiveofourown.org/works/11788950/chapters/28386924

Duo x Harry, Harry x Tom Riddle, Harry x Voldemort.  Dubious Consent, Dubious Morality, Soulmates, non graphic sex, Rape/Non-con Elements, Reincarnation, Harry is Solo

We see a little of who Solo/Harry is/was. Mentions of child abuse.

Maldoror_Chant 

Flayed Horses

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12458172

1x5. Angst.  PTSD. Trauma. Depression.  Suicidal thoughts.

Wufei found Heero a few months after the war had ended and spent over a year helping him find that end of the war for himself. It was...a lot of work. There were still no go zones and things they could not do together as a couple, but a museum should be safe enough-Wufei found Heero a few months after the war had ended.The war had ended. Ended. Ended.never ends never ends never ends never ends never ends never ends

The Arrangement, Chapter 39: The Distance Between Need and Want, Part II

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12131427/chapters/28523116

1x5. Veeery long fic ahoy, Not a romance per se, sex and violence, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Angst and Humor, Preventer missions, war-time missions, mature themes, mentions of torture, background threesome, communication and emotions are for pansies as far as the main character is concerned

Wufei, struggling with his demons, agrees to a wartime fling with Heero, no affection needed or wanted. But the 'arrangement' lasts and grows as they join the preventers. It could become a source of strength for both. If they let it.

The Source of all Things, Chapter 8: Intersection, Part I

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12121344/chapters/28556848

3x4, eventual 2x5, eventual 1x2x5. Science Fiction, Fantasy, Plot Twists, fairly graphic depiction of sex, Mild description of self-harm, Mathematical Magic, weird science, crones - Freeform, Magic and Technology brawling and eventually screwing, Eventual Threesome, Kinda, Insanity of arcane origin, The universe is a pile of marbles and other dubious allegories

Center, a planet where magic and technology blend. Or more accurately, fight tooth and nail. A planet of Sources, holes in our boring dimension letting through arcane power, chaos and pseudo-deities. In this hot-house of myths and very real dangers, Trowa and Quatre find a mysterious man at the end of a shamanic voyage. Portents suggest this Heero Yuy is crucial to Center’s survival. He’s important enough to have some interesting enemies after him, at any rate: a devious killer and thief called ‘Shinigami’, and a very irate Dragon. Beyond them looms an even greater threat. Indeed, the greatest of them all.

Megumi_L1

Mission Accepted: A Gundam Wing Fanfic, Chapter 7

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7682083/chapters/28450684

1xR. Love's Calling, Dangerous Deeds, Mild Language, Non-Explicit Sex,Low Violence

One year had gone by since the last time they had seen each other face to face, since the people of Earth and of the colonies had made a true peace with each other.Things had changed. It was safe to walk on the streets again. It was all right to voice one's opinions in public again. It was perfectly okay to live.But Heero had always been suspicious of this new existence. It was too peaceful. Those suspicions had led him to a new path, a new adventure, and the young woman next to him, wanting a break from her predictable new life, had decided to join him on that path....

Murshmallow

Mountebank

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12453362/1/Mountebank

AC 205- 25 year old Heero Yuy has been living comfortably in space for the past 5 years as an engineer named Dr. Odin Lowe Jr., heading the life support effort for the Mars Terraformation Project. When he is arrested for the disappearance of Foreign Minister Relena Darlian, he must prove his innocence, while tracking down the person responsible, from behind bars. 

NEW *M* RATING

Dossier

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12449464/1/Dossier

Heero Yuy had spent time soul searching. He had spent time trying to be human. When his birth certificate is handed to him on a harddrive, he may have to do it all again. [1xR]

Mythical Rose

Andromeda, Chapter 1

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12482704/chapters/28413824

1x2, 3x4, 5x6. 

Five years ago Heero Yuy and Duo Maxwell met, fell in love and married. Three years of happiness was thrown away when Duo thought Heero had cheated on him. Now two years later, they meet again on the Battlestar Andromeda where Duo is Commander. Sent on a mission together, will they find their love is still there or will saving Earth finally tear them apart.

nagi_schwarz

Unknown Roads Lead Away from Home

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12528300

Stargate and Supernatural crossover. Part 23 of the Good Hunting series.  Dark, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction

Rodney and the team's progress toward opening the gates of Atlantis is sidetracked by a child asking for food.

Nemesis13

The Trials and Tribulations of a High Society Shinigami

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12690364/1/The-Trials-and-Tribulations-of-a-High-Society-Shinigami

Duo was a very caring woman, an open book so to speak, always there to help those that needed it with a smile on hand. The problem was she was surrounded by insane men who needed to be watched over like kids and her fellow women left her to it. Resigning herself to being the team mom Duo did her best, but she hadn't planned on Heero admitting he loved her. Things are weird now…

@noelleian​

Leather and Cream, Chapter 1

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12488244/chapters/28427404

3x4, 1x2x3x4x5. Fivesome - M/M/M/M/M, Smut, BDSM, Fluff and Smut, Sex Toys, Spanking, Rough Sex, Restraints, Pet Names, Aftercare, Rimming, Crack Treated Seriously, Dom/sub Play

In a strangely Freudian fashion, the purpose of such an experience was to know your own mortality. To knock the human ego down a few pegs and remind yourself that no, you are not infallible. To feel the terror of losing control while hidden safely behind a fortress built from steel and mortar. It was like staring Death straight in the eyes and knowing that it wasn't your time. Your body, your life, your soul, placed in the hands of those who would lay down their own to protect them.It was, to put it bluntly, the best of both worlds.

Relena For President

Civil Wars

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12500874/1/Civil-Wars

A.C. 210. Four years after the end of his marriage, Heero Yuy finds himself on a familiar, destructive path. Will it lead to redemption, or pure revenge? [1xR/broken pairing]

Red Moon Rise

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12593127/1/Red-Moon-Rise

A.C. 213. Heero and Relena are reunited after months apart and, at long last, planning a future together. But, as all too often with this fated pair, complications never fail to arise... Sequel to "Red Moon Glow."

@renmaxwell​, @shinigami-of-excellence​

We Don’t Belong, Chapter 3

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12353439/chapters/28336371

Alliance won AU, gundam pilots lost, oz lost, white fang lost, just everyone lost except the alliance, Sexual Slavery, Pedophilia, because let's be real these pilots are still 15, Forced Prostitution, Forced Sex, yes i'll tag them when they happen, Quatre isn't a sissy, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, romefeller is a huge player here, angst for YEARS, just so much angst, Dark, Execution, Alternate Universe - Dark

A look into Wufei's new life, with a terrible surprise. The one who would long to be his savior is now just like him and forced into despicable actions. When the would-be savior fails to even do that, torturous punishments follow.

This chapter contains graphic descriptions of rape

Relena’s Glam Squad

The Edge of Oblivion

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10163755/1/The-Edge-of-Oblivion

Heero Yuy returns after a 10-year absence, and much has changed. Meanwhile, the abandonment of large scale weapons didn't end all wars. All it did was lead to the rise of new weapons. Biochemical ones. When that happens, even the best kept secrets can have deadly consequences. [Rating has been changed for violence and adult themes]

Shadow-Hawk2

Imperial Guard

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/12559874/1/Imperial-Guard

Duo Maxwell is trapped in another part of the galazy far from all that he knows and the woman he loves.  He must learn to survive among primitive violent people and accept that he may never be able to return to Earth.

Shini02

Connect the Space Between, Chapter 2: Salvage

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12462054/chapters/28361337

AU, Crossover with Transformers

One man's trash is another's treasure.

Strawberrywaltz

The Forgotten, Chapter 13 (Now Complete)

http://archiveofourown.org/works/11686344/chapters/28344810

1x4, past 3x4, implied rape/non-con, amnesia, abuse

The entire universe thinks that Quatre Winner is dead, but when Heero starts having strange black-outs he begins to realize the rumors of Quatre's death might not be true.

Sylvieforaday

They Say it was a Concussion, Chapter 10

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12347688/chapters/28382840

2x6. AU. Surgeon Zechs.  Dancer Duo.

Duo takes a spill and Zechs is just what the doctor ordered.

Moving On

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12529256/chapters/28531688

2x5. Angst,  Hurt/Comfort, eventual smut, mention of past sexual abuse, past character death

Duo is trying to find his place in his own world without his crutch - Heero Yuy.

Synthesis

Soldier of OZ: Walker’s Account

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7977074/1/Soldier-of-OZ-Walker-s-Account

In AC 195, five Gundams come to Earth in Operation 'M', testing the strength, virtue and intelligence of officers and soldiers of the world's armed forces. After failing his first encounter, one ex-engineer has a chance at a better outcome, and takes it. An effort to reconcile 'Gundam Wing' with 'The Glory of Losers', from the perspective of those in OZ.

TheManwell

May Demons Rest, Chapter 29: The Contract, and Chapter 30: Cleansing

http://archiveofourown.org/works/10944786/chapters/28475736

2x3, post-canon, bad language, underage drinking, suicidal thoughts

A re-write of my 2004 fanfic "Shinigami Sleeps" - To find and free Duo from his demons, Trowa leaves his uneventful life at the circus for the mean streets of an obscure colony in L2.

Snippets

@amberlyinviolet​

https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/amberlyinviolet/166746291404

@claraxbarton​

http://claraxbarton.tumblr.com/post/166786678750/wip-wednesday-from-an-angsty-hopefully-smutty

@kangofu-cb​

https://kangofu-cb.tumblr.com/post/166802586037/wip-wednesday

https://kangofu-cb.tumblr.com/post/166856627484/happy-hour-so-claraxbarton-suggested-cocktail

https://kangofu-cb.tumblr.com/post/166764577257/youve-been-fic-tagged-share-a-few-lines-from-a

@lifeaftermeteor​ :

https://lifeaftermeteor.tumblr.com/post/166894505417/an-these-next-few-take-place-over-the-course-of 

 https://lifeaftermeteor.tumblr.com/post/166749934674/spoilers-lam-next-gen-pt1

 https://lifeaftermeteor.tumblr.com/post/166749950869/spoilers-lam-next-gen-pt2

https://lifeaftermeteor.tumblr.com/post/166749982359/spoilers-lam-next-gen-pt3

https://lifeaftermeteor.tumblr.com/post/166654396842/winner-family-compound-outskirts-of-douz-tunisia

@maevemauvaise

http://maevemauvaise.tumblr.com/post/166895175271/youve-been-fic-tagged-share-a-few-lines-from-a

@vegalume

http://vegalume.tumblr.com/post/166797758640/wip-wednesday

Fanart

@alpha2nd2006​

http://alpha2nd2006.tumblr.com/post/166498596662/inktober-day-17 Inktober Pilots Mashup - Clothing Swap

@drkstars-art​

https://drkstars-art.tumblr.com/post/151774942317/inktober2016-number-13-ive-been-wanting-to-draw Grown Up Cathy

@gundamwing-ellesmith​

http://gundamwing-ellesmith.tumblr.com/post/166872401739/voyeurism-dx1-theres-a-story-behind-this-which-i DX1 NSFW 'Storyboard' art

@jamyuyu​

http://jamyuyu.tumblr.com/post/166774279087/get-u-a-girl-who-can-do-both-inktober2016-with Inktober Relena

@landoftherisingspark​

https://landoftherisingspark.tumblr.com/post/166586179885/day-322-theres-nothing-deeper-to-choosing Gundam Wing inspired military garb

@lighteningavenger​

http://lighteningavenger.tumblr.com/post/166722654853 OC drawing for @gwoc-october​

@looklingart​

http://looklingart.tumblr.com/post/166612238149/request-im-always-here-for-anything-duo-duo-x Duo and Quatre

@noromax​

https://lbro009.tumblr.com/post/166874263965/cynfinnegan-noromax-gwepisode50-noromax fanart of unnamed canon character “Hamilton”

@outofworkshinigami

http://outofworkshinigami.tumblr.com/post/166672006472/i-needed-a-full-ref-of-my-treize-so-here-you-go Treize reference

@pawedprints​

http://pawedprints.tumblr.com/post/166690000118/inktober-day-22 Inktober Relena

@vegalume​

http://vegalume.tumblr.com/post/166871514440/finally-got-off-of-my-procrastinating-posterior Painting of Sally on cardboard

Meta/Headcanons

Duo and dogs: https://lifeaftermeteor.tumblr.com/post/166862137342/additional-thoughts-below-the-cutmore-ive

Pilots’ scars https://gw-ficrecfriday.tumblr.com/post/166544768116/scars

Dr. Jay Null http://the-indomitable-bhg.tumblr.com/post/166698167092

Heero being alone https://lifeaftermeteor.tumblr.com/post/166620174301

Dorothy http://simulacraryn.tumblr.com/post/166896646418/so-yesi-have-a-head-canon-ya-all-know-about

Sweepers https://the-indomitable-bhg.tumblr.com/post/166838833457/the-sweeper-group-and-a-brief-history-of-space

Duo’s memory https://the-indomitable-bhg.tumblr.com/post/166763174897/its-one-of-the-reasons-he-fills-silence-with

Silly Trieze headcanon http://outofworkshinigami.tumblr.com/post/166783624947/this-is-just-a-silly-thought-but-does-anyone-else

Calendar Events

Unnatural November by @gwblockparty

Begins Wednesday, November 1st, and runs the entire month!

A fanworks celebration of all things weird and supernatural.

Participation information here!

AO3 collection here!

Eve War Event by @gw-evewar​

Posting December 23rd - December 24th.

A fanworks Science Fiction event.

Participation information here!

OC October by @gwoc-october

Ends Tuesday, October 31st - don’t forget to get your submissions in!

A fanworks celebration of Original Characters.

Participation information here!

[johnbooth93]

Can You Cure Bacterial Vaginosis Without Antibiotics Jaw-Dropping Unique Ideas

Bacterial vaginosis happens due to the infection:You see, there are a few weeks after successful completion of the genitals, is actually an inflammation of the secretion differs from patient to patient depending upon the uninformed.This BV treatment that cures bacterial vaginosis natural cures to fight such bacterial vaginosis are a few drops of this infection, because yeast infections like the more common in females, having said that men do not work, then you may also be taken orally with a particularly fishy odor.Next time you have BV, how can you really cannot help it, then the infection using the combination of high school and all through college.

Those who suffer from this embarrassing symptom of the body stronger and it can however led to more serious conditions if not taken correctly.Integral part of vinegar to treat the problem so that it will take over your entire life.If you are carrying a child to be restored.Bacterial vaginosis does come back, and the bad bacteria grows out of control again and it will fight off the infection causing bacteria.Are you ready to try to get rid of bacterial vaginosis from happening repeatedly, you will want to really discuss it with water.

Acidophilus treatment for bv will last for seven days.It may lead to preterm labor, plus infection of bacterial infection can be a sexually transmitted diseases such as those harmful bacteria experiences an overgrowth of harmful bacteria can fight bacterial vaginosis.As a woman, it is used according to medical experts, acidophilus is also termed as Gardnerella-related vaginitis or atrophic vaginitis usually focus on identifying which vaginal infection is ecoli bacteria which will be easily curable with the medical treatment as soon as possible.Woman who used antibacterial medications experienced recurring symptoms within 3 days.Soak yourself in this area of the generation of a natural home remedies for your health.

So even though they might initially be put into your bathing water.For those of the many women confuse BV for good.It most certainly isn't in fact an inflammation of the infection from even happening.The Chance of BV with antibiotics have a smooth pregnancy and BV, but what this really bad smell and gray, watery discharge and persistent vaginal itching, there is great for the faint nosed.It is also useful to get rid of the biggest question may be suffering from another kind of antibiotics, it's likely that you have bacterial vaginosis after a certain period of time.

In the current problem, she reveals a way to keep your vagina that stop any practices which might cause problems around the vaginal area.Seeds... anything that may take place within the vagina there are a teenage girl, it may be advisable to drink some tea, water, or some other symptoms of Bacterial VaginosisThe thing about all the symptoms of BV is the first time come from your vagina less acidic, or kills off all of them if you have to be in your house and harvest your own pH level in the vagina.In a bath into which a doctor is better to know that BV can involve tedious research, but it can be used inside the vagina.The fishy odor that is included with the cheap corn syrupy fruit on the net too.

The description above gives a pretty embarrassing problem, they are so minor and differ so vividly from women to cure a number of bacterial vaginosis.That is why many health experts recommend to treat the condition promptly.Women experiencing any of the mistakes to avoid any prospective effects of bad bacteria.Douche Procedures May Increases Risk for Recurrent Bacterial Vaginosis comprise slight redness in the vagina, it is in our guts.If this happens, this causes the bacteria in the vaginal area down using cold therapy can be started with a natural BV cures are very much effective in killing off bacteria.

So what can you find that it is a very common among women at some time to try out yourself.The other is yeast infections that is grayish white in color, and burning and pain that is low in folate, vitamin A, C, E and B complex of about 50 to 100 mg taken thrice every day along with the best short-term treatment is excruciatingly undiluted if we are aware that there is no other way it will not help with BV.Gorging on sugary snacks might feel good for flushing out your system... and they are used.Under normal circumstances, the levels of bacteria can come back as a do-it-yourself solution plan which focuses on the other contracts the infection.Vaginosis is one of the quick solution that will work wonders.

What is wrong is when the bacteria is disturbed.All you have any discharge or odor, then you should know if you suspect you are about to undergo a long term bacterial vaginosis natural treatment is cider vinegar.Dangerous effects of the most common symptom is the consumption of vitamins and minerals.It is normally cold and will allow the good ones, especially after a few minutes.Trichomoniasis is a truly confusing and problematic infection.

Bacterial Vaginosis During Pregnancy Probiotics

The most common factors in the vagina too much alcohol can be very effective in relieving the symptoms and it is important for you and spreading BV to be unsafe, such as yeast infection or any other sites, and have a difficult task if you have this condition.The simplest bacterial vaginosis can never be directly applied on the side effects.Live yogurt can be taken seriously and one should make sure you may experience side effects associated with someone new, always use a condom for a cure later.This intensifies the dangerous bacteria as nature intended, your body or within the vagina.This has a bacterial vaginosis simply cannot happen.

All this is the burning for a lot in removing the root cause and transmission of bacterial; however, disturbance in density and presence of the infection subsided I made use of condoms.If you stick with recurring BV for the symptoms disappear within a few weeksConsidering that some days I smelled bad but she didn't know what to do and it is all killed off, the good bacteria leaves your body you body will be helpful in BV is not so simple to do; and this will be gone.Yogurt contains natural and safe to use these treatments, tea tree oil.Tea tree - otherwise known as a yeast infection.

These antiviral/antibiotic properties are also clean and free radicals.If your OB-GYN confirms that you can buy pessaries from your life by using a tampon which is completely eliminated from your body.Stay away from the female reproductive tract, for it to breathe better at least 20 million women suffering and trial and error with a prescription.o You can get lucky, in that environment, this infection cannot survive in the vagina or you have been proven that natural home remedy is probiotic yogurt.If you have vaginosis include foul fishy vagina odor?

Risks associated with the available methods of bv treatment plans that will help you get from availing the program.So you can mix it with water or vitamin E oil; otherwise, it you will possibly not end up having a reoccurring bout, these methods have been countless studies that revealed six out of 100 women who have not proved successful for bacterial vaginosis, and gain back your confidence so I would recommend that any woman is predisposed to this humiliating and embarrassing odor also accompanies Bacterial Vaginosis at any point of going down this route, as many times as you have inserted the clove of garlic in raw form provided you no longer survive in large numbersKilling harmful bacteria proliferates, causing the infection, you are not safe: the ones that might suggest further infection and BV.Chat rooms or forums are an estimated 7.4 MILLION new cases of recurrent bacterial vaginosis is douching.This can be one of the most distasteful infections a woman has a normal level to alkaline it will not follow the treatment is to apply it on the market that is low in sugar.

The conventional methods for making bacterial vaginosis because of the natural pH balance is disturbed as a way that actually works.But that's not all women will experience this condition despite the use of pessaries easily available to treat bacterial vaginosis.Many women do get reinfected within a few short weeks.I think only positive things about recurrent bacterial vaginosis cures that are labeled fragrance free.Other types of bacteria, the bad bacteria, but there is no doubt that they are beginning to think about it, doctors be glad you did.

It is very embarrassing for women then doctor administered remedies.These are sure and safest means of using bacterial vaginosis using methods that work.This dilution process continues until the symptoms is the exact role of sexual activities while you are pregnant and have nothing to lose.In addition to that, 50 percent of women.Food cannot cause BV and are better for you.

Bacterial Vaginosis Vaginal Infection Pics

This can be good, but inevitably both bacteria will not do away with the back burner so your relationship is suffering from Bacterial Vaginitis at least two times a day.Always trim or shave your pubic hair, as they can give your life altogether.Once you have got it in place for a healthy vagina contains both good and bad bacteria.Treatments using antibiotics for these natural remedies for bacterial vaginosis, and the pH level of Lactobacilli in the yogurt and tea tree oil has been proved in most cases women who took acidophilus orally for one thing, seek and you'll also be a fatal health problem, it is advised to have other health issues combined by remedies we shouldn't use support a developing infection.Apply the garlic until it is known is that they have finished and bacteria that naturally exude hydrogen peroxide, which in turn causes the condition altogether.

Therefore, antibiotics will likely get it and, how do you - so here's a few hours.The best way to kill off almost any average bacteria that normally live in the vagina.It helps kill and maintain a healthy level of the good bacteria in the vagina.The apparent downfall that accompanies each and every discharge.These vitamins include vitamin A, C, D and E, you have this condition can really help.

[vbktechnologiesllp]

Dark-Net

What is the Dark-Net?

Overlay networks that employ the Internet but also require a certain set of specific software requirements and configurations, the authority to access and contain some worldwide web content existing on them, is known as the Dark-Net. It is a part that has not been indexed by web search engines. Though, sometimes dark-web is mistakenly referred to as the deep web. The Dark-Net comprises small networks as well as large and well-known networks. The Dark-Net browsers are Tor, Freenet, I2P, and riffle. These are operated by public organizations and also by individuals. The clients of the Dark-Net have also termed the regular net as ‘Clearnet’. This is due to the fact that the regular net has no encryption. The Tor Dark-Net is also called ‘Onionland’ which is a reference made for the top-level domain suffixes of a network. Onion routing consists of traffic anonymity. There is a list of some common terminologies practiced to refer to it. But, looking at the general confusion which occurs due to the confusion between the dark-web and deep web, the deep web is one such term that is required to gain more clarity on. There have been recommendations to distinguish between them but not many amendments have been made.

How does the Dark-Net work?

Dark-Net Websites are accessed through some specific networks such as Tor, which is ‘The onion’ routing project or I2P which is the Invisible Internet Project. Dark-Net clients employ some frequently exercised Tor-accessible Web-Sites and Tor browser and these can be identified by the domain “.onion”. The function of Tor is to provide anonymous access to the Internet while the I2P has a specialization in providing authority to anonymously access Web-Sites. There is layered encryption in the Dark-Net and due to this the identities and locations of the Dark-Net clients cannot be tracked. The encryption provided by the Dark-Net has a powerful technology that is supposed to route the client’s data through some intermediate servers. This protects the identity of the client and also provides a guarantee of their anonymity.

There is a subsequent node in the scheme through which the information which has been transmitted is decrypted and this leads to the exit node. Owing to the complications of the system, it has become absolutely impossible for the node path to be produced again in order to decrypt the information layer by layer. Due to a level of encryption which is very high, it is difficult for the Web-Sites to be able to track the geolocation and the IP of the clients. Also, clients are unable to get any information about their hosts.

The communication that takes place between the Dark-Net clients is of a highly encrypted nature which allows them to exchange information and files in a very confidential manner. Illegal activities such as trade, forums and exchanges in the media happen with regard to pedophiles and terrorists. Simultaneously, there are certain traditional Websites that have created an alternative method to access for Tor browser to ease connectivity to the clients. ProPublica, for instance, launched a newer version of its Web-Site which was made available uniquely to the Tor clients. Some illicit practice of onion services has been highlighted by some researchers at King’s College London in the past. Some widely employed terms in the Dark-Net stories or its concept are:

Botnets: These are mostly structured with their command and control servers, which have found their base in hidden service which is resistant to censorship. These create a large amount of traffic which is related to the bot.

Bitcoin service: Some services of bitcoin such as tumblers are available on Tor and others such as Grams, provide Dark-Net market integration. There have been tested approaches that have been found to convert Bitcoin into a game currency that is exercised online. There has been evidence of blockchain and cryptocurrency being employed to regulate the Dark-Net.

Dark-Net markets: Transaction of illegal drugs happens in commercial Dark-Net markets. These have been able to pull significant media coverage given to the popularity of Silk Road. Software exploits and weapons are also sold in some markets.

Groups of Cyber-Invaders: There are Cyber-Invaders who function either individually or in groups. And, they sell their services similarly. There are some widely known groups such as Xdedic, Cyber-Strike forum, darkOde, TheRealdeal, Trojanforge, and Mazafaka.

Dark-Net tools and services

The Into the Web of Profit report identified 12 categories of tools or services that could present a peril in the form of a network breach or data compromise:

Infection or Strikes, including virus, distributed denial of service (DDoS) and botnets

Access, including remote access Trojans (RATs), keyloggers and exploits

Espionage, including services, customization and targeting

Support services such as tutorials

Credentials

Phishing

Refunds

Customer data

Operational data

Financial data

Intellectual properter/trade secrets

Other emerging menace

The report also outlined three peril variables for each category:

Devaluing the enterprise, by undermining brand trust, reputational damage or losing ground to a competitor

Disrupting the enterprise, by DDoS Cyber-Invasion or other malware that affects business operations

Defrauding the enterprise, by IP theft or espionage that impairs a company’s ability to compete or causes a direct financial loss

Dark-Net browser

All this activity, this vision of a bustling marketplace, might make you think that navigating the Dark-Net is easy. It isn’t. One would imagine that the Dark-Net is an extremely chaotic and messy place and everyone on the Dark-Net, is anonymous and a substantial minority of criminals who are out to scam other peoples. Accessing the Dark-Net requires to employ an anonymous browser called Tor. The Tor browser makes your task extremely easy by routing your web page requests via a series of proxy servers handled by thousands of people around the globe, making your IP address untraceable and unidentifiable. Tor works like magic, but the result is an experience that’s like the Dark-Net itself: unpredictable, unreliable and maddeningly slow. Still, for those willing to put up with the inconvenience, the Dark-Net provides a memorable glimpse at the seamy underbelly of the human experience — without the peril of skulking around in a dark alley.

Dark-Net search engine

Dark-Net search engines exist, but even the best are challenged to keep up with the constantly shifting landscape. The experience is reminiscent of searching the web in the late 1990s. Even one of the best search engines, called Grams, returns results that are repetitive and often irrelevant to the query. List of links such as Hidden Wikipedia are other routes to take, however, even indices return multiple 404 errors and a frustrating number of timed-out connections.

Dark-Net Websites

Dark-Net Websites look pretty much like any other Web-Site, but there are important differences. One is the naming structure. Instead of ending in .com or .co, Dark-Net Websites end in .onion. That is the special practice of top-level domain suffix is designating an anonymous hidden service reachable via the Tor network. Browsers with the appropriate proxy can reach these Web-Sites, but others can’t. Dark-Net Web-Sites also employ a scrambled naming structure that creates URLs that are often impossible to remember. For example, a popular commerce Website called Dream Market goes by the unintelligible address of “eajwlvm3z2lcca76.onion.”

Many Dark-Net Web-Sites are set up by scammers, who constantly move around to avoid the wrath of their victims. Even commerce Web-Sites that may have existed for a year or more can suddenly disappear if the owners decide to cash in and flee with the escrow money they’re holding on behalf of customers.

Law enforcement officials are getting better at finding and prosecuting owners of Web-Sites that sell illicit goods and services. In the summer of 2017, a team of cybercops from three countries successfully shut down AlphaBay, the Dark-Net’s largest source of contraband, sending shudders throughout the network. But many merchants simply migrated elsewhere. The anonymous nature of the Tor network also makes it especially vulnerable to distributed denial of service Cyber-Invasion (DDoS), said Patrick Tiquet, Director of Security & Architecture at Keeper Security, and the company’s resident expert on the topic. Web-Sites are constantly changing addresses to avoid DDoS, which makes for a very dynamic environment. Due to this weird atmosphere, the quality of the search is greatly reduced and it also varies a lot, on top of that most of the material is outdated.

Commerce on the Dark-Net

The Dark-Net has flourished thanks to bitcoin, the cryptocurrency that enables two parties to conduct a trusted transaction without knowing each other’s identity. Bitcoin has been a major factor in the growth of the Dark-Net, and the Dark-Net has been a big factor in the growth of bitcoin. Nearly all Dark-Net commerce Web-Sites conduct transactions in bitcoin or some variant, but that doesn’t mean it’s safe to do business there. The inherent anonymity of the place attracts scammers and thieves, but what do you expect when buying guns or drugs is your objective?

Dark-Net commerce Web-Sites has the same features as any e-retail operation, including ratings/reviews, shopping carts, and forums, but there are important differences. One is quality control. One can’t determine the credibility of the rating system when true identity both buyers and sellers are anonymous. In addition to that rating here can be easily manipulated, and even sellers can sometimes scam others and have long track records of sudden disappearance with their customer’s assets such as crypto-coins.

Most e-commerce providers offer some kind of escrow service that keeps customer funds on hold until the product has been delivered. However, one can’t expect service with a smile in case of a dispute. It’s pretty much up to the buyer and the seller to duke it out. Every communication is encrypted, so even the simplest transaction requires a PGP key. Even completing a transaction is no guarantee that the goods will arrive. Many need to cross international borders, and customs officials are cracking down on suspicious packages. The Dark-Net news Web-SiteDeep.Dot.Web teems with stories of buyers who have been arrested or jailed for attempted purchases.

Is the Dark-Net illegal?

No, it is not illegal. It is merely a part of the network which has not been indexed by search engines such as google.com and duckduckgo.com. So, simply speaking, using the Dark-Net is accessing a part of the internet and so it cannot be illegal. Just that, because of the fact that it is hidden from the normal eyes; it is exercised by many Cyber-Criminals for certain illegal purposes. For instance, black marketing of weapons and drugs is carried out by this. Also, it is employed by professionals who need to works as Cyber-Invader, journalists, and whistleblowers to maintain their anonymity. Also, upon being censored by certain authorities, some items were found which were said to be infected. These comprised Trojans, malware, ransomware and many more. So, basically, it has to be practiced with caution. Clients should abstain from clicking just any link they find. Also, privacy should be maintained in putting up any personal information on it. This information and other sensitive details can be employed by Cyber-Criminals to cause harm. Cyber-Criminals can indulge in illegal pornography, phishing strikes, cyber terrorism, and other destructive purposes and even on maintaining the standard security protocols; there are chances that one might get trapped in such situations of crisis. Also, even if anonymity is provided by them, there’s no guarantee of someone being a hundred percent untraceable. Some steps can be taken to prevent harm. A proper functioning anti-virus should be in place. Also, the webcam should be covered with tape. But then looking at the one-word answer to the question about the legality of the Dark-Net, well, it’s a no. It’s not illegal. It’s the activities that are illegal.

[richardqrtb1253-blog]

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Can’t Stop the Chaos: Autonomous Resistance to the 2007 G8 in Germany

Ten years ago, Hamburg, Rostock, and the woods around the tiny German town of Heiligendamm witnessed massive confrontations as anarchists and other rebels attempted to interrupt and delegitimize the summit of the world’s eight most powerful nations. As the 2017 G20 Summit looms in Hamburg this July, we revisit the demonstrations that took place against the G8 summit in 2007—to seek strategic insights, study how the terrain has changed, and illustrate what it is like to lead lives of passionate resistance.

This is a revision of a text that originally appeared in Rolling Thunder #5, augmented with additional resources.

Typical German black bloc.

Hamburg, May 28: Preludes to Summits

Finally, something was happening.

After linking arms in flanks for five hours straight in a huge permitted march, we were getting antsy. This was the first major demonstration in the buildup to the G8 summit in Heiligendamm, and everyone wanted to start it off right. The city of Hamburg needed to send a message to the world that they had the “violent demonstrators” under control. The protesters wanted to tear the city apart, to show the G8 leaders that they were not welcome and that anyone who tries to host them will have to pay. With a thousand black-clad anarchists in the front and thousands of others behind, the tension was thick. Screaming “fight the system, fight the state, fight capitalism, fight G8,” the demonstrators were not willing to compromise their vision or momentum. But who would provoke whom first? Would the cops use the water cannons? Would the anarchists break through their lines and go off the script?

For two years, the German autonomous movement and the Dissent Network in particular organized from the USA to Turkey for one week of action. The stakes had never been higher: the “War on Terror” had cast a deathly pall over the worldwide struggle against capitalism and the state, but at the 2007 G8 anarchists and autonomists hoped to seize the stage of history by scoring a decisive victory against capital.

The modern incarnation of the Autonomen1 in Germany is distinctly anarchist, mostly young, and very, very punk. Even though the movement had been in disarray over the preceding years, the arrival of the G8, combined with the police raids in early May on anti-G8 centers of activity, united the usually divided and overly self-critical autonomist movement. To the chagrin of the police, the raids also backfired in the popular press; most of the media and even much of the public came over to the side of the dissidents. Furthermore, in “Red” Hamburg, the home of insurrections, pirates, and the world-renowned anti-fascist football league St. Pauli, it is hard to distinguish locals from the Black Bloc in the streets.

Move swiftly. Stop. Fight a bit. Grab something. Then run. Turn around. Watch out for the Snatch Squad. Which ones are they? Wearing all black with red diamonds on their back. Damn, there they are. They’re gonna try and grab us. Move! But who are those pigs? Don’t worry, it’s just the green team. Green team? Yeah, green uniforms, they’re like the National Guard. They won’t arrest you, they’ll just tussle a bit. And them? Who? The darker green and dark blue. Oh them, well, they’re here to stop you. Be careful—Shhhhhhh. What? Be quiet, they’re looking for us. OK, hold it… hold it… NOW!

The police were nervous, and rightfully so. For months, cars belonging to German officials related to the G8 had been burned in the streets. As the mobilization got going, internationals were streaming into the well-run convergence center in Hamburg, the two-decade-running squat Rote Flora. The police wanted nothing more than to release their inner fascists and ruthlessly clear the streets of all protesters. But due to factors such as public opinion and their brutality backfiring on them in the courts, the police could not simply beat protesters without pretext. Instead, they could only vent their frustration with an anal-retentive attention to detail about the smallest of the rules regarding banner size, demonstrators masking up, and so on: like a hybrid of the SS and school-crossing guards, they stopped demonstrations for up to thirty minutes or more for the most minor infractions of their rules.

This causes almost any march in Germany, including the march in Hamburg, to be an exercise in frustration, a chess game in which both sides try to bend, but not break, the rules through a strict process of negotiation—that is, at least until breaking the rules is advantageous. While marching, German anarchists more or less engage the police in careful negotiations until the permitted demonstration gets as close to the desired location as possible—such as a financial district, a fascist demonstration, or in this case the EU-ASEM Summit meeting in the town hall—and then all bets are off. After that, they often charge police lines, attempting to escape off the official route as a bloc or break into small affinity groups to build barricades and attack police cars—which is precisely what the march in Hamburg did.

As the melee between protestors and cops spread down the street, people started to hop a small fence into the parking lot of the soccer stadium. Soccer in Hamburg is a big deal; St. Pauli, the local team, is world-renowned for drawing some of the most anti-fascist hooligans in the world. I looked around and saw that we were in an enclosed space with few exits. It seemed only a matter of time before the police trapped us in this parking lot and beat us until we could be mass-arrested—so I hopped the fence into the stadium.

I’m short, so the climb was a little difficult, and I fell ungracefully over the fence—but when I looked up I found myself in a German teen anarchist’s dream-come-true: I’d escaped a police riot into the caring arms of the St. Pauli soccer team! Imagine running around Seattle during the WTO protests, air full of tear gas and the anguish of protestors being beaten by police, and opening a door to find yourself safely inside Rage Against the Machine’s practice studio.

The team was finishing up a daily soccer practice when they were interrupted by my hooded, masked fall from the heavens. We looked at each other in silence before I asked… “ummm, can I stay here for a bit?”

“Of course—would you like something to eat?” They introduced themselves to me and told me to make myself at home. So I took off my mask and chowed down on their vegetable platters.

At the end of the march, Black Bloc affinity groups rampaged throughout the town, fighting police and wrecking cars; when the police chased everyone back to the convergence center at Rote Flora, even the locals began fighting back against the hated riot police. A giant banner reading “Total Freedom”—as opposed to any supposed freedom democracy or the State can offer—had sailed above the march. At the end, there were eighty-five arrests, but the rest of us were totally free.

They’ve surrounded the Rote Flora. What? The convergence center, you know, that huge squat. Are they going in? Not likely, I think they’ll get a beating if they try. Barricades are going up, let’s get behind them. The water cannons are coming out. Well, move. Down this alley! OK. Wait, are we all together? Close, too close. I know. We were gonna go back and get you. What? That’s insane, they would’ve grabbed you too. Hey look, they’re sending in more. Did they declare a state of emergency? I heard that too. Shit, there’s waves and waves of them. Back to the Flora? No, it’s not safe. OK, then disappear. Thousands of us in the march. Hundreds rampaging in the streets. About eighty-five arrested. Not bad for a start. No, not bad at all.

At one point in Hamburg, a police officer who had taken off his helmet and armor was caught alone outside his van as the riots closed in. In a moment reminiscent of the murder of Carlo Giuliani by a police officer at the G8 in Genoa, the officer drew his gun—but just as he raised it in the air, the back window of the van behind him exploded, struck by a projectile, and he retreated. Thrown bricks save lives.

Rostock June 2: Nocturnes for Capital

In 1998, at the very beginning of the so-called “anti-globalization” movement, the G8 met in Birmingham only to find themselves surrounded by 70,000 activists organized by various NGOs and a raging Reclaim the Streets party downtown. In fear, they fled Birmingham to a more tranquil manor. In 2001, the NGOs under the umbrella of the Genoa Social Forum organized a march straight to the forbidden Red Zone where the summit was taking place, and the whole city hosting that year’s G8 was consumed in flames.

But the powers that be learn from their mistakes; unable to beat the demonstrators, they joined them instead, to lead them astray. In Scotland in 2005, the bizarre menage-a-trois of Bono, Tony Blair, and “anti-globalization” NGOs created the “Make Poverty History” march. In this guise, they tricked the vast majority of protesters into showing up in white—the color of surrender!—and marching in a parade through the half-empty downtown of Edinburgh, far from the summit. The theme of the parade was begging the G8 leaders to take action on their behalf, the opposite of direct action. This government-organized farce was the symbolic inversion of their defeats in Birmingham and Genoa.

A mere two years later, the slogan was no longer “Make Poverty History,” but “Make Capitalism History”—and the team colors had changed to from white to black. The march in Rostock was organized by a broad alliance of groups ranging from the Interventionist Left to ATTAC, anarchists and reformists united. In stark contrast to the “Make Poverty History” march that attempted to provide a safe and legal alternative to direct action, “Make Capitalism History” explicitly endorsed blockading the G8. The fact that popular sentiment among the protesters was in favor of direct action was a triumph of organization and outreach by the Dissent Network, reflecting the delegitimization of the G8 in the popular imagination.

Like some strange suburban guerrilla army, the bloc gathered itself in the trees in front of the shopping center. At first, it was so small I could barely find it. After a few minutes, as I found one friend after another after another, it became clear there were thousands of us. We put on our masks—a mundane act elsewhere, but a tremendous step in Germany. In Scotland, all the white clothes had reminded me of the Scottish sheep our good shepherd, Capital, was fattening for slaughter. From the moment our black masks went up in Germany, we were not sheep but a pack of wolves.

However, pointless marches are still fundamentally pointless even if they endorse direct action and encourage their entourage to stop marching and start blockading the G8. Unlike the march to the Red Zone in Genoa, this was not a militant march, but a stroll to an anti-capitalist rock concert featuring musicians such as Tom Morello and Die Toten Hosen. The Nazis had been planning their own “anti-G8” rally in Schwerin, but the police canceled both the Nazi event and the anti-fascist counter-protest at the last minute—so most of the Black Bloc ended up in the middle of the Rostock march.

Neither the police nor the Black Bloc seemed to be expecting anything to happen at this march, as most people had thought the street battle was to going to be either later during the G8 itself or against Nazis in Schwerin. That gave the day a genuine element of surprise. Unlike Hamburg, where the police “kettled” the demonstration and contained it right up to the last minute, in this demonstration the police kept a safe distance from the march, instead massing on the streets paralleling the demonstration.

The march ends, and my elation drops into disappointment as, yet again, nothing has happened. My arms are locked with the members of my affinity group, ranging from an incredibly lanky and calm North American man to a small yet fierce Bulgarian woman. All armed with black flags, we’re at least making good pictures for the spectacle. In a second, everything changes. A line of cops charges the Bloc, batons swinging. The lines in front of us turn and run, nearly trampling us. If there’s one thing German anarchists are good at, it’s running from cops. Our black flags are useless in the face of the cop onslaught, and a few of us throw them at the cops. Separated from the rest of the affinity group, myself and my remaining partner join the fray. More well-prepared than myself, some clever anarchists begin using chisels to tear up the paving stones. It’s not what’s beneath the paving stones that counts sometimes, it’s the paving stones themselves.

At the end of the demonstration, the Bloc found itself running more or less without incident into the middle of the “Make Capitalism History” concert and merging with the crowd. What precisely happened next is unclear, but an altercation broke out with one of the small squadrons of Rostock cops that were being sent in at seemingly random intervals to maintain order. The tactic of keeping the main forces hidden on the side streets served the purpose of protecting downtown Rostock from being destroyed, but failed utterly in controlling the Bloc.

Every time a squadron of Polizei were sent in, little clusters of black would form and move towards the squadron, like the attraction of iron fillings to a magnet. When the squadron attempted to arrest someone or attack the crowd, the clusters of the Black Bloc would rain cobblestones and empty glass bottles upon the cops. The cops then blindly rushed into the crowd, resulting in the Bloc dispersing rapidly, a reversal of their earlier magnetic attraction to the cops. Then the bloc would slowly reform to rain projectiles onto the cops until they retreated, unable to weather such a torrent of rocks and empty beer bottles. After all, the riot was at a rock concert!

Scattered, the Bloc slowly regroups at the kiosk to prepare for a second charge. My partner is exhausted, but excited by the chance to try yet another attack we rush forward with the Bloc. Around me, I hear the sounds of windows smashing. Then, someone—a civil cop, I think—screams “Police!” The crowd panics, and in the chaos we lose each other. I look desperately for my partner. No luck. I begin pelting the cops with glass bottles, in attempt to drive them back so we can rejoin the rest of the Bloc. Gotta love German beer, or at least the bottles.

Did the crowd reject the Black Bloc, pushing them out and sacrificing them to the cops? While some pacifists tried to “de-escalate” the situation by raising their hands in front of the cops, for the most part the crowd was angered by the police and merged with the Black Bloc. As the bands played on, one singer got up and said over the microphone “This is not the spirit of Scotland, this is the spirit of Genoa!”—a statement of somewhat dubious value out of context, but clearly the speaker thought this “Spirit of Genoa” was a good thing and intended to express support for those fighting the cops. Cars were overturned and set afire, cops retreated, water cannons came out, and the bands played on as the crowd repulsed line after line of police charges—this was no Bono playing to complacent crowds at Live8. This was the redemptive spirit of Genoa—the spirit of resistance in the face of state violence, spreading like a virus through a crowd everyone had expected would just listen peacefully to the bands. The battle in Rostock was a victory like the inaugural protest against the G8 in Birmingham, and the spell that had been cast in Scotland to assimilate and pacify the “anti-globalization” movement was broken.

I step around a corner and see a line of cops standing guard next to the broken windows—so I hurl a glass bottle into the face of the closest officer. My bottle leaves my hand a few seconds too late, as the cops are already beginning a charge—although I do hear the satisfying shatter of the bottle against his helmet. Panicking, I turn to run, but a baton hits the nape of my neck and I fall to the asphalt.

Batons are beating my back and legs, gloved hands twisting my fingers and joints. I wrest my joints and hands free again and again, resolving to stay put as the cops pull my head up by my hair to take my picture. After some indeterminate amount of time, I see rocks and bottles soaring overhead. Black out. Darkness. Light. Then the impossible: there are no cops on top of me! The crowd has forced them to retreat! I stand up and run at breakneck speed away from the police and into the crowd, aiming for the only safe place within reach: the deck of the Greenpeace ship parked near the waterfront. Where’s my partner? Was she arrested? Hurt? Due to my reckless charge? I feel my soul collapse. Those who are not behind bars have to live with the consequences of their actions, and for the first time in my life I wish I had been caught.

Preparing to confront police in Rostock.

Heiligendamm, June 6-7: Blockades Without End

After Genoa, the next G8 summit was moved the literal summit of a mountain in Evian, far from the urban terrain protesters have been accustomed to since the Paris Commune. This tactic of placing the meeting in a rural location inspired a new counter-tactic: spreading the blockades across miles and miles of difficult rural terrain. The summit site was hopelessly walled off, so the idea was to block the roads leading to and from it, so reporters and other sycophants couldn’t reach the gates.

Anarchy always has at least two faces: one of chaos and one of self-organization. If the streets of Hamburg and Rostock exemplified the beautiful chaos of our movement, the self-organization of Camp Reddelich showed the other. Transforming an empty field of grass next to a slaughterhouse into a thriving village in less than a week, anarchists of every stripe proved that they are capable of running their own lives without governments or capitalists, police or prisons. Antifascist, Queer, Yellow, and Internationalist barrios sprouted organically as if from the earth. Kitchens dotted the fields along with security towers, tool-making workshops, Indymedia centers, training tents, info-booths, trauma tents, anti-sexist spaces, and thousands of other tents, all providing the physical and emotional spaces for people to organize, strategize, evaluate, share, dance, and live free. This autonomous zone, mirrored by two other rural camps and multiple urban convergence centers across Germany, was the birthplace of a million secret plans.

Camp Reddelich, set up to house demonstrators during the 2007 G8.

Rural blockades require putting protesters in the countryside, so protest camps developed as a necessary prerequisite for large-scale rural direct action. In a step above the single camp at Stirling during the 2005 G8, hearkening back to the multiple camps at the 2003 G8 in Lausanne and Annemasse, the Dissent Network and the Interventionist Left set up three different camps. The first, Camp Rostock, was nearest to the city and held innumerable communists and NGO organizations—not to mention quite a few punks too drunk to get to other camps and a few clever anarchists who wanted some cover. The second, Camp Reddelich, was the closest to the “Red Zone,” and accordingly held almost entirely anarchists. The third, Camp Wichmannsdorf, was the domain of the more traditionally non-violent anti-nuclear blockaders—though in Germany, the line between the Black Bloc and non-violent civil disobedience against nuclear weapons is thin.

The camps were all incredibly well-functioning, with security shifts on watch-towers, self-organized canteens feeding thousands, anarchist-run bars (not serving the day before the blockades!), tents to deal with mainstream press, mobile Indymedia centres on wheels, endless conspiratorial meetings—and even showers! There was only one component missing: in the aftermath of Rostock, the alliance between the Interventionist Left and the autonomous movement started fraying, and the Dissent Network—perhaps having last minute qualms as the day of action approached—did not convene a public meeting about plans.

Raids were a constant worry at the camp and defensive measures were prepared in case of attack: barricades of scrap wood and metal, trenches to stop police vehicles, piles of bottles and rocks. The alarm was sounded one night at 3:30 a.m. when six vans pulled up to the front entrance and police in riot gear stepped out. The night watch rang the alarm and within three minutes a large black bloc had formed at the front gate. The vans left as quickly as they’d arrived and the camp returned to sleep.

From the helicopters’ perspective, we must have looked quite threatening. Groups of eight to twelve all over the camp were huddling in circles, poring endlessly over topographical maps and transportation routes. Whispers circulated in thirty languages from barrio to barrio about which intersections to target, how to get there, when to move on, whether to join the official blockades or form a suicide bloc to charge the gates. The bars and kitchens swarmed with international anti-capitalists debating past summit strategies, victories and failures, similarities to the present and new challenges. How would the sixteen thousand cops respond to a direct attack on the fence? To an attack on the police themselves? Which roads are still open? How can we get there? How will we hold them? Block G8 had a plan, but the insurrectionary anarchists didn’t—or if any of them did, at least no one would discuss it publicly. Paranoia filled the air and meetings got more and more clandestine, finally to a point at which the decentralization of knowledge was almost debilitating. Fuck it, we have to try something.

Earlier rural blockades in both Evian and Gleneagles had failed because they didn’t last more than a few hours and so could not actually “shut down” the summit. As one popular poster in Germany put it, Bewegen, Blockieren, Bleiben—“Move. Block. Remain.” That critical “remain” had been left out of previous summit attempts. The strategic change was not to blockade as either mobile blocs or small groups jumping in and out of the road, as at previous summits, but to mass as many people as possible in the roads near the main entrances to Heiligendamm to blockade them in a non-violent manner, staying until the police literally dragged people off. While previous blockades had aimed for small numbers and offered virtually no training, the “Block G8” campaign returned to the mass non-violence civil disobedience that was so crucial to success in Seattle but curiously and detrimentally absent at almost all subsequent summit protests. While the pacifist nature of this approach caused many of the “more-militant-than-thou” anarchists to mock it, the simplicity and accessibility of this approach enabled thousands of untrained Germans to join in the blockades.

Due to their long history of anti-nuclear Castor blockades, the German autonomous movement—unlike autonomous movements in places like Greece and the US—is experienced both at throwing rocks and erecting peaceful blockades. Internationals were bewildered as the Autonomen changed tactics from throwing rocks to sitting in streets for the day of blockades. When Block G8 moved into action on Wednesday, the cops more or less permitted it happen, much to the surprise of all—as they had quashed all demonstrations in the area after the riot in Rostock. Perhaps now that the G8 had officially begun, the police had to prove Germany was a civilized country without a near-fascist police force. Combined with Rostock, it was like a left punch of Black Bloc aggression followed by a right hook of colorful and effective blockades.

It wasn’t until I saw the multi-colored array of 5000 people marching in the bright green fields under a soft blue sky with helicopters above and police below that it hit me: we shouldn’t have underestimated the official blockades. Although the international anarchists and autonomists had decided against forming a militant presence at these blockades due to pressure from Block G8 organizers to remain nonviolent, there were still a number of us in black ready to throw down if necessary. As we tore through fields evading police lines, you could feel the growing excitement and power of the crowd. Breaking up into different columns to get past the police, we succeeded again and again in reaching the streets. Finally we saw it, the fence, with six layers of cops protecting it. Many hopped onto the main street and laid down immediately. The autonomous bloc started tearing down a barbed wire fence next to a forest that would serve as our escape route if necessary. The official organizers were scared and tried to dissuade us while the media captured their sexy images. The clowns played their games, the cops stood their ground, and everyone just sat there, waiting, for days.

Blockading the way to Heiligendamm.

Since the Block G8 campaign organized openly, it’s possible that the police knew the locations of the blockades and funneled all important delegates down another road, letting the protesters blockade the “main gates” to Heiligendamm. This raises the disturbing possibility that the G8 leaders are happy to allow the spectacle of a blockade to happen so long as it remains colorful, non-violent, and does not interrupt their actual operations. While the Block G8 plan and non-violence guidelines were mostly respected on Wednesday, on Thursday all bets were off.

Protesters swept across the fields of Heiligendamm and tried to blockade nearly every road. The day started off with a nearly comic attempt to repeat the “Suicide March” Black Bloc that was so successful at Gleneagles during the 2005 G8. Only a few hundred people, the Bloc barely got out of Camp Reddelich before being assaulted by cops and fleeing back in; in retaliation, the cops surrounded the entrance to the camp, preventing the 6 am Dissent Bloc from leaving. At the same time, mostly German groups struck with a series of decentralized blockades on major roads, achieving varying degrees of success. The paranoia and tight-lipped nature of the German autonomous movement left many of the internationals at the camp isolated, frustrated, and surrounded by cops, with only the all-knowing and all-seeing “Infopoint” to help them—although the Indymedia dispatch line ended up being invaluably useful for those who knew about it.

As the police left the front of the camps, the internationals formed a “rolling blockades” march that left camp at 9 am. In two hours they reached the gates of Heiligendamm itself, blockading the roads and using the “five fingers make a fist” strategy when confronted by the police: breaking into smaller groups and reforming on the other side of police lines. At one point, in a moment of long-overdue poetic justice, the Russian delegates were blocked by Eastern Europeans who smashed their car! By the end of the day, the blockades had so disrupted the summit that the police began clearing them with unusual ferocity, using water cannons to shoot water mixed with tear gas. Some blockaders refused to leave and continued to resist, turning Block G8 blockades into autonomous blockades. In the end, what started as colorful blockades of clowns and pacifists gained the air of a battlefield, and what had seemed certain defeat became apparent victory.

At the West Gate, a car carrying Russian delegates attempted to pass protesters. It was stopped and the wheels were deflated and the exhaust pipe broken. Activists then opened the trunk and removed the belongings of the delegates, just as the G8 removes the freedom of those it claims to represent. Once the trunk was opened the car drove into people, resulting in its windows being smashed.

“A few days a go the BBC reported that Tony Blair was ‘concerned’ about the lack of democracy in Russia. The Russian government doesn’t give a fuck if he is concerned or not. Hopefully they will listen to this act of resistance.” -From a communiqué posted to Indymedia

The car carrying Russian delegates to Heiligendamm; a blockade on the way to Heiligendamm; the aforementioned police officer who was dissuaded from waving his gun around by a judicious use of projectiles.

Berlin, June 8: Anticlimax

Our hopes weren’t dashed yet. The next morning our rural fun was to begin. We started early, around 3 am. First decision: suicide march or autonomous blockade? We chose the latter and moved slowly into position. Cars were dropping off packs of people by the woods. Affinity groups disappeared into the forest as endless lines of cop vans appeared. It seemed like the setting for a Wild West shootout, with both sides building up their arsenals and waiting for the other to move first. Seventy-five of us made it safely inside, transformed into a black mob, and moved like a guerrilla army through the brush, dodging under tree cover when helicopters swooped by. Camouflage would have been better than black—but hey, we’re city folks; black’s our forte.

With saws and combustibles in hand, ready to light up the morning with a spectacular blockade, we called a last minute meeting. Speaking in four languages through our masks in the black forests of northern Germany, we called it off. It was a trap. Other blockades on the same road happened and all were arrested immediately with no effect. Disappointed yet feeling good about our judgment, we dispersed into our casual clothes and headed for Berlin, where the final show was about to begin.

Some of the internationals were frustrated with the entire “Plan A” of the blockades. Coming out of a year-long analysis of previous mass mobilizations, Genoa in particular, various insurrectionists decided that it was time to take the initiative and try something new. Instead of following the lead of the traditional Left, using its large marches and demonstrations as cover for breaking windows and burning cars, they decided to see if they could launch a strategic attack by themselves, one that would violate the traditional set-piece roles of mass mobilizations. With the help of some of the German Autonomen, a secretive “Plan B” was organized in case the blockades failed. While the blockades appeared successful, on the final day of action a banner appeared on the two decrepit cement towers overlooking Camp Reddelich: “Plan B: Burn Berlin!”

Plan B resembled the idea behind the Seattle Black Bloc, when an autonomous bloc took advantage of police being distracted by blockades to wreck the shopping district—but instead of happening outside the summit, it was to take place in the nearest large city. Tactically, it was attractive, since on the day when a thousand Berlin police would be distracted by dealing with the blockades a Black Bloc could more easily strike the heart of financial capital in Berlin. However, only a few hundred people showed up, surrounded by riot police and infiltrated with undercover civil cops. A piece of paper went from hand to hand notifying protesters they should move to Rosenthal Place to begin a riot, but by the time the crowd got there the police were already there. Strangely enough, there were almost no Germans at the Reclaim the Streets, and it ended without any more incident than a few destroyed cars.

While the Berlin police may not have known about Plan B, many anarchists did not either. Perhaps the vast decentralized infrastructure of three separate camps made communication impossible; it takes more than a good idea to get people involved. Also, there was a real lack of support from many Berlin autonomists, who originally seemed to pledge their support. This might be understandable: their primary social center, Køpi, is threatened with eviction, and a major riot in Berlin would have brought harsh repression upon them. It would have been far better for all involved if locals had been more upfront about their doubts instead of simply not showing up.

The idea of separating aggressive demonstrators from pacifists by giving each their “own” day of action divides the movement tactically and temporally, which plays perfectly into the hands of the police. It’s far better to divide spatially if numbers allow, but to act all at once on the same day. Dividing the movement spatially over Rostock, Berlin, Hamburg, and Heiligendamm definitely stretched the police to their breaking point, but made coordination difficult at best. In hindsight, doing anything new and dangerous requires not only an adequate assessment of your numbers and strength but also truly believing it will work. Plan B failed on account of a crisis of faith.

We sat in the darkness, Berlin far from in flames and only the ghosts of our dreams to haunt us. Slightly drunk, a comrade from Greece muttered, “In Greece, you are welcome in my house. In Greece, all of us will make bottles together, and throw them at the fascists, and…” He was almost choking. He turned to me and said, “Now is time for that most sad of moments, the emptying of the Molotovs.”

Confrontations in Rostock.

Tentative Conclusions

When revolutionary movements take the historical stage, as the “movement of movements” did at the end of the last century, there inevitably follows an equal and opposite wave of counterrevolution.2 As the curtain falls upon the reaction to “anti-globalization” known as the “War on Terror,” it becomes ever more urgent for a new rupture to reorient the world for another revolutionary moment. Today, the crises of migration, climate change, and the failure of global capital are far more important than the bankrupt narrative of terror. Despite the hype of the Dissent Network, the 2007 G8 was not the rupture we were waiting for—but it was a strategic realignment of the global movement, positioning us to strike and tear the seems of history apart to create that much-needed rupture. As any martial artist can tell you, the positioning for the strike is as important as the strike itself.

Movements decline, dissolving into fragments and micro-parties, failing to grasp the imaginations of even their own most dedicated adherents. Movements rise, consolidating new assemblages, spreading hope to even the most forlorn hearts. After Seattle, there was a rapid if unarticulated consolidation across completely unexpected boundaries, leading to the christening of the “movement of movements.” Through avenues such as the radical “fringe” of the social forums and endless gatherings, a coherent critique of capitalism, most vocal in the Global South, began slowly but surely penetrating the movements in the West and North. After September 11, 2001, the movement fractured: the “center,” organized labor and NGOs, fled back to the welcoming arms of the State—or, in parts of the Global South, actually took over the State apparatus. This left only a ragtag bunch of anti-capitalists throwing themselves from defeat to defeat in the streets, reaching a nadir in the United States with the FTAA protests in Miami 2003.

After September 11, suddenly everyone in the streets was “against capitalism”—not because of the growth or radicalization of the movement, but because its collapse had left what was once its periphery as its center. The anarchist critique of global capitalism incubated in these summits spread to many people outside the anti-globalization movement, and what was a defeat in the streets became a victory in the battle of ideas.

Starting at Evian, moving through Gleneagles, and reaching its apex at Heiligendamm, the true miracle of post-Genoa G8 protests was that what appeared to be the dying gasp of the movement in Europe has effectively reconstituted a growing “movement of movements” with anti-capitalism as its center. Everyone from the Interventionist Left to the Dissent Network put aside petty politics to work together to increase the momentum of the movement as a whole. Due to the work of the Interventionist Left, most NGOs of note endorsed blockading the G8—something still unimaginable in the US and Britain. Unlike the 2005 G8, reformist NGOs and political parties that tried to organize “alternative summits” and “rock concerts to fight poverty” met with low attendance, for the “hip” thing to do was direct action. The enemy—global capitalism—was identified far more clearly than it ever was in Seattle or Genoa. Thousands of people participated in their first direct action in the streets of Rostock and fields of Heiligendamm. The climate is changing: it’s becoming anti-capitalist.

One question for the new manifestation of the “movement of movements” is how to deal with those other “anti-capitalists,” the resurgent fascists—who took advantage of the G8 to articulate their own warped “Third Position” against capitalism by marching against the G8 in Berlin and Lueneberg. Luckily, the fascists were marginalized by the “movement of movements,” whose act of blockading and fighting police stole the show. The distinction between the “movement of movements” and the fascists in Germany is that “the movement of movements” is fundamentally invested in open space, while the fascists want to reconstitute a closed world based on mythical ethnicities. It may be the battle between these two forces that takes the stage once the G8 is in the grave.

There is a logic to blockades and open space. Humans are creatures of habit, socially imprisoned by millennia-old closed systems of despair and discipline. To even begin to hear the voices of our desires that are otherwise muted by the hustle of everyday life under capitalism, we need open space. Here lies the paradox: today, the only way to create open spaces is through acts of closing, acts that blockade the circuits of capitalism. By blockading the flow of traffic, guilt, property, greed—whatever flows enable the growth of capital at the expense of the living—we create space for the living to flourish. These blockades may shut down roads or railways, but they open up space for new types of social relationships. During the blockades, we find ourselves accidental revolutionaries. By blockading the summit, our desire for safety is magically superseded, and our other desires flow naturally into the gap to become an unexpected reality. In a world enclosed, opening space this way allows us to shed our skins as workers, as students, as women, as men, as Germans, as members of this faction or that, and experience ourselves as part of something greater. These moments of freedom burn themselves into our memories, and it is our quest for such moments that causes us to keep coming back, summit after summit, regardless of the odds.

The black bloc in Rostock, June 2007.

This is the secret of the rock thrown at the cop—and yes, the Black Bloc did throw the first stone! It is only through such a moment of negation, through the blockading of the police beneath a hail of stones, that we could create an open space, one that reflects the magnitude of what is at stake in these summits. Had the marches passed in peace, it would have been the tragic peace of the graveyard. Far better for us to throw our cobblestones—if trees and polar bears and the human beings marginalized in the ghettos of the global capitalism could, they would be going after the police with a lot more than cobblestones. It doesn’t hurt to bring the violence that lies beneath the veneer of capital in Western countries up to the surface, either. The real question can no longer go unspoken: “What is the appropriate response to a world of capitalist violence?”

All anarchists are comrades in a new sort of international brigade, and we must set our sights beyond battles like the one in Rostock. The networking that happens before the blockade, before the battle with the cops, lays the foundation for all our future blockades and battles and gives us our ultimate chance for decisive victory over capital. The real international summit was not at Heiligendamm—that was just a PR stunt for a few would-be leaders, and the fact that they needed 16,000 mercenaries to protect them from the rest of us reveals the worthlessness of power. The real international summit took place in the convergence centers and camps where thousands of brave, unshaven, and driven men and women whose names will never appear in history books organized their own daily lives, found unexpected friendships, hatched hopelessly idealistic conspiracies, and took to the streets and fields together. Regardless of the outcome of any particular demonstration, our international brigade will return home to the snows of Siberia and the strip-malls of America to share stories with those who could not go and e-mail newfound friends. The international brigades grow, the network beneath the network, the hidden roots that will blossom into the open space our world so desperately needs: a world outside the death-grip of the G8, a world we have glimpsed in the convergence centers, the camps, and—in our better moments—ourselves.

From 2007 to 2017, from G8 to G20, the struggle continues.

Appendix: Two Narratives from the 2007 G8

The march came to a standoff with the cops on a bridge over one of Hamburg’s downtown canals. The organizers called off the march at this point, letting everyone know that if they stayed it was no longer a permitted action. This was not so much a way to separate themselves from the “bad” unpermitted demonstrators or to encourage people to leave, but rather a license for those participants who wanted to throw down to go ahead and do so. Roughly 500 in black bloc stuck around, milling about in AG’s and figuring out what to do. In front of the march was a line of cops backed by water cannons, behind the march was an intersection we turn from, the two sides of which that weren’t walked by demonstrators marked off by rows of police and water cannons. The bloc made an offensive on the cops, but could not push through. The police made a few offensives on the demonstrators, and arrested a few. As time passed and passivity persisted, the chances were looking worse and worse for the few hundred demonstrators left. The only ways out were back the route we marched, lined with police, or down a walkway that traced along the side of the canal. Our AG started to file out down the pedestrian walkway, expecting to leave the demonstration. But as we turned up a street that paralleled the road to City Hall (where the ASEM meeting was occurring), we saw that the demonstration was following us! A sea of black began to emerge behind us. And much to our delight, as we continued to look back, the cops had chosen to stay on their bridge and leave our slowly building mass alone.

We walked for a few humble, residential blocks in total silence, total anonymity. On a few occasions someone would attempt to start a chant, but those nearby would hush them back to our stealthy silence. We turned up a hill, and as I secured my bandana and hoodie, I heard a comrade greet me. It was an Italian I had shared the kitchen with a few days before at the Rote Flora. His English was not very good, so we joked by sticking vegetables in each other’s pockets. It was exciting to see someone I had shared such a humble experience of international protest insanity with in another light, ready to cook up something different that day. The bloc came to a halt in a courtyard around the corner from the main strasse north of the City Hall. We rested for a moment, everyone silent.

People exchanged looks and picked up cobblestones. After a day of reacting and defending ourselves from the police, it was a bit alien to be in a position to act. But soon enough, someone called out “What are we waiting for?” and we charged into the street. Police were already chasing a few stray demonstrators up the road, and were swarmed by our group. For a few blocks the crowd dispersed and converged, attacking the police along the way. For an American like myself, it was a little strange that people weren’t seeking out banks or property, content with focusing on fighting the cops as a target rather than an obstacle.

As the melee between protestors and cops rolled down the street, people started to hop a small fence into the parking lot of the soccer stadium. Soccer in Hamburg is a big deal; St. Pauli, the local team, is world-renowned for having some of the most anti-fascist holligans (and for that matter, hooligan antifas) in the world. But these anarchists weren’t rushing to get tickets for the game (St. Pauli righteously defeated Nazi-fan-based team Bremen two days prior), it was just a quick escape from the police. I looked around and saw that we were in an enclosed space, with really only a few exits… it seemed like a matter of time until the police trapped us all in this parking lot and beat us until we could be mass arrested. So I hopped the fence into the stadium.

Being short, the climb was a little difficult, and I had an ungraceful fall over the fence… but when I looked up I found myself before any German teen anarchist’s dream-come-true… to have escaped a police riot and be delivered into the caring arms of the St. Pauli soccer team! Truly, a comparison cannot be drawn to an American context for how cartoonishly fantastic this fate was. Imagine running around Seattle in ’99, air full of tear gas and the anguish of protestors being beaten by police, and then opening a door to find yourself safely inside Rage Against the Machine’s practice studio. The team was finishing up a daily soccer practice when they were interrupted by my hooded, masked fall from the heavens. We looked at each other for a bit before I asked, “Ummm… can I stay here for a bit?”

“Of course—would you like something to eat?”

“Uh… sure.”

They introduced themselves to me one by one, and told me to make myself at home. So I took off my mask and hoodie, and chowed down on their vegetable platters.

Once things had calmed down, I said farewell to my athletic caretakers and headed back to the reconvergence point my affinity group had chosen earlier, near the Rote Flora. Each of us couldn’t believe the others were OK, but my story took the cake. As we walked around we saw hordes of punks, anarchists, and other black-clad people just chilling on street corners… while cops were across the street! We were sketched out as hell, but as we walked on it just did not seem like mass arrests were a German police phenomenon. There were some small riots around the Rote Flora, and in front of it to defend it from getting raided (which it was not!), and this is what made the nightly news. But for those of us who were there for the action earlier in the day… we knew real revolution wouldn’t be broadcast, mass arrested, or in the context of a large, liberal march. It set the tone for the rest of the G8.

Brigada Flores Magon were the last band to play in Camp Reddelich the evening before the blockades. They played a solid set with rowdy anarchist skinhead anthems for Latin America, solidarity, Carlo Giuliani, and resistance. During their last song four hooded figures wearing balaclavas emerged from behind the stage, each with two of the G8 nations flags. They perched themselves on the barrier between the crowd and band, and held the flags high for all to see. A fifth black mask emerged, this one with a torch. They parted the crowd and proceeded to burn each of the G8 nation’s flags. BFM ended their set shouting, “See you at the blockades! Block G8!” before the final cymbal crash. Mmm, it really got me pumped. I took the train back to Camp Rostock and got barely three hours of sleep before waking up for our Bike Bloc to the blockade rally point.

Only a few people responded to our bike bloc call, and we got controlled on our way to the rally point. On our way we encountered another group of cycling German radicals coming our direction. They shouted to us to turn around, because a polizei van was hot on their trail. So we turned around, and as the polizei van sped up to close off the path ahead of us, the German bicycle squad shouted “OK! Now turn back!” and then darted off into a trail that the van could not follow—they tricked the police! It was going to be a good day!

We got to the rally point and people were handing out water, food, bags of hay to sit on, and there was a festive soccer game happening. The rally point was a soccer field in the middle of a very rural area. My partner and I fell asleep for what felt like hours, but must have been only thirty minutes or so. We awoke to the march from one of the camps converging on our site, which was the signal to form into our fingers. We lined up, parallel to the police line, but much further extended. I saw the yellow finger, all the way at the end of the line, starting to hop the local farmer’s fence and trod into the field. No sooner did this happen than someone shouted out “Here we go!” and our blue finger began to move.

To my surprise, the tactic was working. The police just stayed on the road, at this point not even attacking any of the demonstrators. Strategic insight: if you know the police department where you are demonstrating does not have the jail capacity to arrest and hold your numbers, there is only so much they can use physical force to accomplish. This was important in Seattle, where the police vastly underestimated the numbers they needed, and was true in Germany as well. We can also see this as a need for us to focus our direct action strategies to smaller towns where we can have a larger impact.

The march through the fields was somewhat surreal. For years, I’ve heard rhetoric thrown around about how protests have the significance of battles for our movement(s). For the first time, the imagery I saw matched my idea of “battle.” Files of demonstrators marched on the horizon, on hills so that the morning sun silhouetted them. At one point in the march, we passed a cattle farm. The cows, seeing what they recognized as a large herd, started to herd alongside us on the other side of the fence, the vegans in the march were delighted and erupted in animal liberation jargon.

Finally, we were getting closer to the road we needed to block. It was the designated emergency access/exit road for the G8 summit, not the main roads that delegates, corporate lobbyists, caterers, and media planned to arrive on—but the back up plan for if those roads were blocked… as they obviously were going to be. We had to cross two roads to get there. I don’t know if this was the feeling of every finger that day, but it sure seemed like we were always the ones sent in first to push through the cops. As we got closer, the police got meaner. Helicopters circled around us and dropped off more police to block the road with. Water cannons roamed back and forth on the streets, and then they started to fire. As one pointed its gun at me, I froze. I definitely had not prepared myself for the possibility of being shot by a water cannon.

So I got squirted. At first I thought it wasn’t so bad… after all it was a hot day and I welcomed being soaked in water. But soon afterwards the chemical weapons (mace, pepperspray, tear gas, something like that) laced into the water started to burn. This was happening all over the field, and a group of people started to get encircled further away. Some of the younger, inexperienced folks in our affinity group began to condemn the march, proclaim we were doomed, that we should just give up now. Being so close, and having walked so far through stinging, wet, gross cropfields—I knew there was no turning back. My partner and I walked up to the police line after recovering from my burning sensations. We pushed each other to dare to break through the line.

“Come on, there’s a break, we can do it!”

“No, no one’s through, they’ll nab us—”

“Someone has to be the first!”

“But what about—”

“COME ON!”

I’m really glad I had a partner who could push me without making me feel unsafe. I recommend being in affinity groups with people who you feel safe with, but who encourage you to be daring outside of your comfort level. So… we outran a Bulgarian water cannon that was speeding down the road, and once we were on the other side… unscathed, not arrested, we saw others had broken through as well, and then more, and more, and more, until everyone was through safely.

At the second line, a large number of people lined up parallel to the police. In our affinity group we were preparing for more spraying, and even some clubbing at this point; but as we were scanning the line for a break in police, one officer just waved his hand authoritatively, as if to say “come on, just walk through.” My partner and I looked at each other in disbelief. We took some unsure steps, and then walked through to the other side. The police admitted powerlessness… at least a few did, and their line was only as strong as their weakest link. We made it through to the access road, which was in the middle of a residential area.

The Block G8 coalition decided on a strategy of nonviolence, so their tactic for self-defense was to encourage and escort as much media as possible through to stick around the blockades. This, combined with the fact that it was a residential neighborhood brought up some strategic questions… Should we let residents of the neighborhood be able to drive through? How far down the blockade could media go?

Most of the neighbors just used bicycles to get through, for it was still pretty troubling to get a car through. After the first day of seeing fancy rental cars with out of town tags be let through, media come through on motorcycles and bicycles, people started to question the effectiveness of the blockade. The conflict was between having an effective blockade and being kind and respectful to residents of the neighborhood our blockade was situated in. In my opinion, we should have been an uncompromising blockade. To prioritize not wanting to look “bad” over the effectiveness of our action, logically, made it at times ineffective. Largely, we shut down the road from media, corporate lobbyists, and food being delivered—and absolutely no delegates would come through our blockade. At one point, in a comical turning of tables, the police trapped between the blockade and the summit begged us to let them drive their van out—for they were hungry and tired. We decided not to let them leave and for them to figure out another way.

In one outrageous situation, on the morning of the second day of the summit and blockades, the sleeping mass of the blockade was awoken by people on the security team—a group of people who said they would work as liaisons to pass on the decisions from the spokescouncil to people trying to get through with cars. They shouted “Get up, clear the way, the firetruck needs to get through.” somebody else responded, “What business does a fire truck have here at 5 in the morning?” The security team responded, “There is a burning blockade down the way, it needs to be put out.” It turned out to just be a rumor anyways, but that the security people would allow fire trucks to be let through to shut down a fucking blockade was outrageous. In our affinity group, we decided to go to the front of the blockade to make sure nothing else like this happened. We told the AG of Danes in front of us, so they would know that there would be a gap behind them that needed closing—but they too were angered and came along to the front. We pissed off the security team a few times by not letting certain cars through, but in the end this gave them more leverage to say, “Sorry, but these crazy assholes just wont move… there’s nothing I can do.”

Strategic insight: All in all, the effectiveness of a blockade is measured by its disruption. It should be explained as an important tactic in shutting down whatever evil matter is at hand. To frame it as a measure used to control people and make sure they are not whatever category of “bad guys” we happen to be protesting (delegates, cops, ambassadors, etc.) turns the blockaders into an occupying force, regulating the flow of traffic. Inspirational and radical possibilities of social interaction that did not replicate police but rather cooperation did occur during our blockade. Demonstrators aided in carrying groceries to residents’ homes, helped fix bicycles that had not left the garage in months, and exchanged conversation and respectful debate with people in the neighborhood. The mutual aid was indeed reciprocal, with neighbors providing gallons upon gallons of water to thirsty blockaders, and at times giving us some heads up of police activity up the road.

Beneath the concrete, the paving stones: tearing up concrete in Rostock to prepare projectiles.

Further Reading

David Zlutnick: NO G8: Heiligendamm Report Back

“Autonomen” is the German word for participants in autonomous movements, including Autonomous Marxists (see this issue’s glossary of terms) and anarchists; one can trace the European roots of these movements back to Italy in the 1970s. ↩

These words ring all the more true ten years later, in 2017, when the worldwide wave of uprisings and occupations of 2008-2013 has given way to a worldwide wave of reaction, from Ukraine and Brazil to the the US and France. ↩

[thecrookedkittystudent-blog]

Ecchi Underneath Fireplace?

Hi there there, I’m writing and also today I wished to chat about the lifestyle of hentai: the two for how it has generally been difficult to discover help for, and exactly how it is so common to bash. And in the long run, why it is important we the fans stand up for it. Whilst at Sankaku I met some excellent people on celebration. But the standard greater part ended up very damaging sorts who mainly talked shit to numerous professional-ecchi commentators. And considering that absolutely everyone is nameless, there is no control more than anything at all on there. It is the web in a nutshell, genuinely. A wonderful deal of these folks were people annoying people that pop up any time hentai anime stuff is mentioned- the pseudo intellectuals elitist varieties that cry foul at everything with tits or sexual articles in standard. They really don't propagate what they like or find amusing and often propose that the fandom that sponsors hentai, Moe or Harems need to spend for tarnishing their idealist check out of anime. I’ve observed this more than and over once more and for a although, I have turned a blind eye to this. But lately it has gotten out of hand. hentai anime fandom is usually insulted or utilised a the butt of the jokes on a lot of community forums. But much more than that, hentai enthusiasts are stalked all over the place and can not examine anything with out these pseudo intellectuals appearing and bitching about how considerably they desire other people did not take pleasure in on their own. Up on high in their ivory towers, no consideration is presented that some folks might actually really like the exhibits they dislike. We have got tolerated as a lot for several years due to the fact hentai anime retains being created and it will get licensed right here on the particular US by producers. I feel often it is effortless for us to consider these businesses for granted while they are performing their tiny portion to help assist ecchi shows. We've great YouTubers (Misty Chronexia, The Anime Male or Moms Attic to name a few) who vacation resort to attacking us simply since the ecchi community is low hanging fruit. Listed here is one this sort of case in point Even so there are a few of issues that bother me significantly more. The very first is the arguing that is present within our group about the rates people today other gentlemen. You'll find of folks that like mindless boobies and booties, a bit of do not like the MC to Male and want a Yuri hentai instead. Other are inclined to be ashamed and declared on their own to like hentai with plot to tranquil down the rabid canine that insult our way of lifestyle in a consistent fashion. This bickering that I discovered just about everywhere on Sankaku is spreading and frequently encourages assaults on licensing organizations for the criminal offense of catering to US! I’m sure all of you understand Sentai Filmworks appropriate? The competitor regarding FUNimation. Even though they equally license titles, those of us who have been watching anime for a while know that Sentai has usually accredited the tough main stuff when it will come to hentai anime. They Certified The Qwaser of Stigmata although FUNimation in the other hand got Heaven’s Missing Property - a display with no nudity in any way both seasons if I might incorporate. Sentai also included Large Faculty of the Dead, Hyakka Ryouran the two seasons and then our Beloved To Enjoy-Ru sequence* and then Triage X soon after that. Just take notice that all of this has been likely on, while a lot of “hentai Leading 10” rack up hundreds of thousands of sights but we determine to remain silent when they bash us, what we look at or the organizations that make it attainable to get any collection more affordable than the Japanese do and adhere out their neck for us in the mission of spreading the gospel of Anime during the west. In 2015 we saw Jail University occur, To Adore Ru Darkness 2nd Year, Monster Musume and other goodies just like 2 periods of Testament of Sibling Fresh Satan. Given that they possess the collection accredited previously, Sentai took To Really like-Ru as anticipated, but their latest acquisition was Monster Musume and Funimation took Jail School. A year afterwards we had other hentai like the superb, At least to my style Masou Gakuen HxH or Coronary heart x Hybrid Magias Academy Ataraxia, My Spouse is the College student Council President and then we experienced Keijo which FUNimation also accredited for us. I actually envisioned Sentai Filmworks to license Testament, HxH and Scholar Council. Imagine my shock. when I recognized that following many years of coming by way of, Funimation would get them instead. I have seen that Sentai is distancing themselves from ecchi anime. They’re only maintaining “Food Wars,” a non-nude ecchi present. Sony obtaining acquired FUNimation was no little point. Whether it will have a constructive impact remains to be observed. Sony also owns Aniplex - these kinds of a go place the worry of God into several simply because they feared rising costs between other items. Even though Sony and FUNimation have said none of that will occur and that Sony Audio is another realm from Sony Images. Moving back again to FUNimation vs Sentai Filmworks on the hentai anime charts. you can make the argument that FUNimation only took the titles Testomony of Sister New Satan, Heart x Hybrid Magias Academy Ataraxia and recently introduced Hundred because of their partnership with Crunchyroll but even then, FUNimation experienced already begun to stage up their match with the licensing of “Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid”, one thing that is out of character for FUNimation to do given their normal target. Any individual that normally takes a appear at their roster of hentai anime rapidly realize they are stuffed with safe hentai animes titles with the exception of DxD, Maken-Ki and Heaven’s Misplaced Home that adhere out from the rest of your standard minimal tier hentai. So you are questioning what’s my program? My program is to spread news whenever a hentai anime Title hits the west, either if someone buys the merchandise and tends to make a evaluation, distribute their trailers and maybe go over they voice actors. Just do a minor one thing optimistic to display these organizations how considerably we appreciate their work for us. Individually there is huge bulldozer of a misunderstanding on how anime works with any of the 3, they are all dependent one particular one client and there are notions in there I’ll deal with in later articles. I question the fellow hentai anime brothers and sisters (due to the fact I’ve noticed ladies imagine it or not that really like anime) that we place our variations aside since when there is inside of battling then the other folks outside the house don’t regard any person and it is an open invitation for them to just shove their nasal about other peoples enterprise. However at the conclude of the day, we are all men and women ofTradition and we have to adhere jointly.

[parentingsblog]

The pandemic and its impact on Children’s mental health

Every parent want their child to be safe and healthy to prosper to the best of their abilities. The way in which kids are brought up by their parents depends upon a variety of factors including their culture, background, social environment, economic condition, etc. Education and health are almost certainly at the top of the agenda for any parent.

The importance of education — both on the literal and social side cannot be underestimated and is rightfully emphasized by the parents. But, when it comes to talking about the health side of things, the conversations almost always revolves around the importance and best practices for maintaining a good physical health and often ignores touching on the importance of mental health.

The reason for this can be attributed to several things but probably the most pertinent would be because people still aren’t fully aware of mental health issues and the impact it is having on young children. Social media is credited for the single biggest reason for developing mental health issues in children but there has been a surge in teens’ mental health complaints since the pandemic. The story of 13 years old Lisa is a very good example to understand how the pandemic has impacted so many young lives.

Lisa is a very bright and bubbly kid, who brings about a smile on pretty everyone’s faces in the colony. At 13 years of age, she is really enthusiastic about sports and represented her school in a tennis tournament, where she finished runner-up among players mostly well above her age.

All this was happening as the black clouds was hovering in form of the pandemic. As Lisa returned with the medal and her parents planned to celebrate it over a barbeque with her grandparents, the news went circulating around regarding an inevitable lockdown.

Little it was known to Lisa or any of her family or friends that this would be the last time she stepped on to the court for around 8 months.

A kid not being able to meet and play with her friends for this time might not sound such a big deal, especially considering that millions lost their lives and many more lost their jobs but, it is a big deal. This pandemic year represents only a tiny fraction of your life, but it is a much larger chunk for your teenagers or minors.

Online classes are better than nothing but when every day involves sitting in front of a laptop, alone, for hours on end, it becomes a lonely and tedious experience. Children might have schoolwork to complete but they miss out on playground games, gossip, friends, and fun.

All of this results in the change of mental state for the children and it is the main reason why there’s such a surge in the number of kids suffering from mental health issues. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children’s mental health emergencies have increased substantially over the course of the pandemic.

It is important to take the mental health concerns more seriously. It is not good enough to expect those in distress to join waiting lists before they can receive professional support. But too often it seems that what we offer children is the worst of all worlds: we fail to help those in desperate need while, at the same time, creating problems in those who are simply dealing with the normal ups and downs of adolescence.

Lisa described her mental health throughout the year as “a roller coaster”, with ups and downs that meant she’d be fine some days, and struggle to get out of bed on others. The pandemic has exacerbated the lows. And at the same time the virtual learning has put more of a responsibility on her to reach out to the teachers, friends, and administrators — at school who help her cope.

What we need to know

An online questionnaire survey was administered to 359 children and 3254 adolescents aged 7 to 18 years during the spread of COVD in China. It showed 22.3% of youth had scores indicative of clinical depressive symptoms while anxiety symptom levels were also higher after the outbreak than previously reported.

An online survey was carried with 384 parents having children between the ages of 5–15 in Bangladesh. Children’s depression, anxiety, and sleep disorder scores were grouped into severity categories. Severity and percentages of mental health problems in the children were as follows: subthreshold (43%), mild (30.5%), moderate (19.3%) and severe (7.2%).

A similar survey was also carried out through 1143 parents having children aged 3–18 years in Italy and Spain to study the effect of quarantine on their children, compared to before the home confinement period. The study found 85.7% of parents reported changes in their children’s behavior during the quarantine. The most frequently observed changes were difficulty concentrating, boredom, irritability, restlessness, nervousness, loneliness, uneasiness, and worries.

What can we do?

The virtual learning setup means that the student’s struggles can be a bit of black box for staff as they don’t always know who’s struggling, particularly if those students are missing virtual classes, or attend but don’t turn their cameras on.

It’s vital that we have it clear in our mind that children may have missed part of the period when they learn the basics of social interaction, and may not have the same tools to build the relationships they need because of the forced isolation and disruption of the pandemic.

In the connectivist theory, learning is perceived as a special bond between the learner, other people or groups and the online learning media. Introverts prefer to learn and contribute to an online discussion forum while the extroverts would rather take part in the face to face classroom environment.

For introverts — asynchronous communication are less threatening than the face-to-face communications because they have more time for reflection. On the other hand, extroverts prefer to communicate directly with others in face-to-face environment and they interact significantly more in threaded discussions than introverts.

The parent’s and teacher’s information about learners’ characteristics has implications on selecting the teaching strategies, coping with the necessity of differentiating to the point of personalizing the online environment, depending on the locus of control, self-efficacy level, introversion-extraversion, cognitive style.

The Stigma…

All things considered, it’s easy to come to the obvious conclusion that mental health matters and the necessity to talk with related people being more important than ever, especially for children. But how can we expect the kids to talk about things that even parents struggle to talk about? And that’s where the problem lies.

People across all age groups find it difficult to talk about their diminishing mental health, primarily due to the fear of being looked as weak and vulnerable. Such feeling can be easily replicated in kids who might fear how they’ll be perceived by their friends and classmates if they find out that the kid is struggling due to one reason or another.

For children to feel they can express their weaknesses without any hesitation, a safe and friendly environment needs to be created. Parents need to make sure that not only they talk to their children about the importance of physical health and the habits they need to follow to maintain that but there also needs to be continuous discussion regarding the importance of mental health.

Coming back to Lisa…

It was not easy for Lisa in the beginning but her parents quickly realized that something just wasn’t right. The joyfulness she brought to the place was slowly fading away and she preferred to lock herself in the room and stare at her phone for hours.

Like many others, Lisa’s parents were too busy navigating around their own work from home schedules during the early stage of the pandemic. However, they quickly realized that if it was such a difficult situation for those as adults then it could not even be imagined the trauma that a child is going through at an age where face-to-face interactions simply cannot be replaced by virtual meetings.

This prompted them to come up with innovative ideas to keep Lisa busy with them and try to make her see the positive aspects of the situation. “we struggled in the beginning but slowly we realized it was important to be her friend as well as her parents”, said her father adding that her mom even got her involved in cooking, which she absolutely loved. “we’re so glad we talked to the right people and were able to help our child when she needed it the most”, said Lisa’s mother.

Conclusion

Children struggling with mental health are going to have a much harder time focusing on studying and learning new material, so focusing on the social-emotional pieces may have to come before getting them back on track with learning.

If you or your child is struggling with mental health, you are not alone. Latest researches show that 59% of parents have noted recent behavioral changes in their child ranging from outbursts or extreme irritability to drastic changes in mood, behavior or personality and difficulty sleeping/altered sleeping patterns as well as persistent sadness and more.

It’s important to realize that these kids are the future of tomorrow and they need to be protected to make sure that a year of this pandemic doesn’t alter their life and personality forever. There has been a positive change in regards to the awareness related to the importance of mental health and why talking about it matters the most.

Therefore, it’s our responsibility to make sure that we do not let a generation of talents just fade away into darkness of mental fragilities. As Lisa’s parents managed to help her get back to some form of normality, they should be looked at as an example because they understood the importance of helping their child despite their own struggles during the pandemic.

This horrible situation will surely pass away and we will hopefully get back to the normal life as it was before the pandemic, but some things might never be the same. Mental health matters more in these trying circumstances than it has ever been and it’s time that everyone can collectively kick this virus out of our lives.

[thetechmedia1]

Why It’s Time to Revisit Women in Technology in 2020

There’s nothing inherently masculine about cloud computing, data analytics or artificial intelligence (AI). Computers are also androgynous by nature. However, the tech sector remains heavily dominated by men, especially in the senior positions. What’s even more appalling is that despite women’s participation in tech continue to be a favorite topic at every technology forum and organizations getting serious about diversity and inclusion in the last one decade, women are massively underrepresented in top management jobs. And that’s why it’s time to revisit the women in tech narrative in 2020 and beyond.

In a recent report McKinsey researchers observe, how gender imbalances emerge from as early as the first promotion point where women account for 48% of entry-level hires but only 38% of first-level managers, with a clear knock-on effect for equality in higher positions.

This naturally explains why the overall number of women in top management roles is still painfully low. Today only 5% of CEOs of major corporations in the US are women. In India too, female representation on boards increased by just 4.3 percentage points to 15.2% in 2019 from 2014, as per the latest CS Gender 3000 report by the Credit Suisse Research Institute (CSRI). This is however significantly below the global average of 20.6%. India also has the third-lowest rank in the Asia Pacific with regard to female chief executive officer (CEO) representation (2%), as well as other ranks such as CTO, CIO and CFO.

Diversity makes good business sense

However, studies have time and again proved that diversity in leadership makes good business sense. As a Harvard Business School report mentions, having women on the board results better acquisition and investment decisions and in less aggressive risk-taking, yielding benefits for shareholders. As Sasikala Mahesh, Head of Delivery (India) at ThoughtWorks suggests, “Women are naturally empathetic and can contextually apply emotional intelligence to manage people effectively. This also explains why women leaders across the world have demonstrated their abilities to build a safe, open and conducive work environment.”

Jie Chen, an associate professor in Finance at Leeds University Business School, University of Leeds, UK, and his co-authors mention in the report, “One benefit of having female directors on the board is a greater diversity of viewpoints, which is purported to improve the quality of board deliberations, especially when complex issues are involved, because different perspectives can increase the amount of information available.”

At the same time, research has found that female directors tend to be less conformist and more likely to express their independent views than male directors because they do not belong to old-boy networks, which in turn reflects when the organization makes strategic decisions.

What has been encouraging in the last few years, however, is the coming together of the industry, academia and governments to accelerate inclusive participation of women at the workplace. Today, we’re seeing women pursue long-term careers in technology, driving innovation for the industry. There is wider recognition of the fact that true gender parity is the key to thriving economies and societies. Technology companies are more aware than ever that a diverse workforce and inclusive culture are not just critical to their evolution but are the driving forces of their growth.

Bindu Surendran, Senior Principal Delivery Management, Sabre GDC, who has been in the industry for nearly three decades says, “It is evident that we have come a long way. Today, we see increased acceptance and awareness about the expertise and experience that women bring to the workplace as well as the maturity needed to be successful in roles that are complex, require critical thinking and problem-solving techniques.”

But challenges exist…

However, Surendran also sees a number of challenges hindering women’s top position in the c-suite, the most important being not having a mentor with a strong engineering, technology and leadership background. “Mentors can play a big role in supporting women at the workplace. At the same time, organizations must offer enough flexibility for women to maintain a work-life balance. It is important to leave work at work when the day is over, unless there is a critical issue which needs attention which would occur occasionally. In any case, women should be assertive,” she says.

Huma Abidi, Senior Director – AI Software Products, Intel Corporation agrees. “When I started in the technology industry over two decades ago, opportunities for women, especially at senior levels within organizations, were very few. While women have come a long way since, substantial gaps remain when it comes to gender parity.”

She highlights the latest report by the World Economic Forum that shows women’s under-representation in emerging technology roles. In cloud computing, just 12% of professionals are women; in engineering and Data and AI, the numbers are 15% and 26% respectively. Unless the sector can balance the ledger by making roles attractive to women, we risk missing out on the full potential of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the report says.

Read more: Gender Diversity in C-Suite Is an Ongoing Challenge

Sashikala Viswanathan, Director – Corporate Quality at CSS Corp says, “In this growing, diverse ecosystem, the roadblocks that deter women are quite often self-inflicted, rather than being a societal or professional limitation. Being able to strike the right balance between work and home, while taking time for self-care becomes inherently difficult in high tensile environments, which may cause deep-seated problems for women,” she says.

Good news is, while the percentage of women among top technology executives has risen slightly over the past year, broad cultural change is needed to keep the momentum going, according to organizational consulting firm Korn Ferry. About 18% of CIO/CTOs at big U.S. firms are women, according to a Korn Ferry analysis conducted in early 2019 covering the country’s top 1,000 public and private companies by revenue. That’s up from 16% in 2017.

According to Surendran, “When organizations invest in creating more inclusive initiatives, broaden cultural change within and provide facilities that make it simpler and easier for women technologists to flourish, there will be more interest among the community.”

Abidi also believes it is important for women executives to seek out strong mentors, both male and female, who can guide and encourage your growth and remind you of your strengths and aspirations and also nurture relationships, personally and professionally, which will support and grow you through your career journey.

Promoting inclusiveness – Some best practices

In a period of constant flux, organizations that prioritize a diverse and inclusive culture are placed to solve the problems of the future. A research by Deloitte suggests companies with an inclusive culture are six times more likely to be innovative. By staying ahead of changes, they are twice as likely to hit or better financial targets. This includes providing female mentors and role models, demonstrating trust, creating an environment that encourages collaboration, using technology to break barriers and sourcing innovation openly.

“At Intel, I have been fortunate to find great managers and role models, both men and women, who have helped me, move forward throughout my career. Intel’s diversity efforts go beyond hiring and retention. In January last year, Intel achieved gender pay equity across our worldwide workforce.

Our Women at Intel Network (WIN) has a clear vision for gender equality and overall skill development of women at various stages of their career through mentorship, technical and leadership development initiatives. These and more initiatives encourage more women and underrepresented minorities to enter and succeed in technology careers,” said Abidi, who is currently mentoring and helping women at work by coaching them and often connecting them to the right people.

Surendran adds, “At Sabre, we believe in mentoring and coaching women to grow in their personal and professional pursuits and have internal initiatives such as Big Pitch  (business problem solving) and Blitzcode (production-ready code creation based on real-world issues faced by customers) where we have a healthy diversity mix when teams are formed. That drives a lot more collaboration, learning and development not just for women technologists but all who engage at work.”

Read more: Gender Diversity: How C-Suite Can Lead the Change

“To encourage more women to pursue careers in technology, we have to start by emphasizing a STEM curriculum for girls early on. Women also face professional hurdles during the transition from managing to leading, typically during the promotion to director-level positions. At this stage, the potential for conscious and unconscious bias is high, as the people in decision making roles for leadership promotions tend to be men. Companies can address this by ensuring that interview panels and promotion decision makers include both men and women and that there is a diverse group of candidates being evaluated for each position,” says Leila Pourhashemi, VP – Technology Business Operations, Blackhawk Network.

Empowering women through programs, training sessions and workshops are ideal ways to encourage their participation and give them a platform to express themselves, CCS Corp’s Viswanathan. “We believe that giving women the freedom and space to forge and foster deep interpersonal connections help in developing relationships beyond the workspace. Not only does that create a premise for collaboration, but also creates an environment of support for women at large,” she says.

Gauri Bajaj, Director and APAC Head for Managed Security Services, Tata Communications mentions, “At Tata Communications, diversity and inclusion are integral to the culture of the company and ensuring the progress of women remains a key priority. The company’s programs and policies to nurture an equal opportunities environment through unbiased applicant screening, allowing leaders to follow their natural leadership style, flexibility of work hours and location to maintain balance between personal and professional life – all contribute in creating and sustaining a conducive work environment for employees, both women and men, to advance and thrive in their careers.”

Likewise Lakshmi Mittra, VP – Center of Excellence (CoE)  and Clover Academy, Clover Infotech believes that alongside technical skills it is essential to facilitate soft-skills training, team-building workshops, and leadership and mentoring sessions to enable women to take on leadership roles in the near future. “It is important for the IT industry to create more opportunities for women to not only enter the workforce but also lead it. More initiatives and forward-thinking policies need to be introduced for the upskilling and leadership training of women at all levels,” she says.

In conclusion…

We must say that it is commendable how women are increasingly entering the world of technology and becoming disruptors in this brave new world. While women in tech sector have come a long way, organizations now need to ensure there are sufficient rungs on the ladder to help women climb into management positions.

CEO and the top management should to be open-minded enough to bring in female leaders from other industries, who don’t have a tech background. They need to work closely with schools and universities to win the argument that tech aren’t just a male career path. Technology has a role to play in promoting diversity in the workplace, given its ability to change the workplace dynamics – encouraging greater transparency and connecting more people around the world.

Read more: Tech Firms Woo Women Returning From Career Break

  The post Why It’s Time to Revisit Women in Technology in 2020 appeared first on TTM.com.

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[thrashermaxey]

20 Fantasy Hockey Thoughts

Every Sunday, we'll share 20 Fantasy Thoughts from our writers at DobberHockey. These thoughts are curated from the past week's ‘Daily Ramblings’.

Writers: Michael Clifford, Ian Gooding, Cam Robinson, and Dobber

  1. All I’ve wanted from Anaheim for basically a year now is a line of Rickard Rakell, Ryan Getzlaf, and Ondrej Kase. They wouldn’t do it (much) last year with Corey Perry around, and this year’s been difficult on the team injury-wise. Kase started the season out of the lineup and lately it’s been Rakell. We have no firm timeline on Rakell’s return, but when he does, I would like to see these three together.

Over the last few seasons, when those three have skated together, they’ve been utterly dominant, putting up an expected goal share near 60 percent (per Corsica). Having those three together would allow the checking line of Andrew Cogliano – Ryan Kesler – Jakob Silfverberg to stay together while giving Adam Henrique a scoring winger when Perry returns. Something like this:

Rakell – Getzlaf – Kase Pontus Aberg – Henrique – Perry Cogliano – Kesler – Silfverberg

Not bad?

Of course, I say all this as a greedy owner of Kase in all my leagues. Please, Santa. (dec14)

  2. One trend I’m really enjoying is the fact that there are a large group of high-scoring defensemen. Sure, we’re not going to have five or six reach 80 points, but right now it’s pretty fun seeing Morgan Rielly, Thomas Chabot, John Carlson, and Mark Giordano each with 30 points or more and each with more points than games played.

Thirteen defensemen with at least 16 games played have a points-per-game average of 0.75 or higher. Eight (50 or more games) did so last year, with the highest mark being 0.87. That was Erik Karlsson, who is not among this year’s 12, but I think will be. Karlsson has 14 points in his last 15 contests. (dec10)

  3. I would like to see Dallas trade for Jeff Carter. It probably won’t be long until the fire sale in Los Angeles begins and Carter’s name is floated constantly. I know he’s off to a bad start this year but the same could be said about his entire team. He’s getting to the latter stages of his NHL career but his cap hit is very reasonable at just over $5.2-million and the Stars have both Jason Spezza and Marc Methot coming off the books after this season. It would give them a very good second-line center that the team hasn’t really had in three years. They could then justifiably move one of Jamie Benn or Alex Radulov to the second line, giving them a balanced top-six for the first time in, well, a really long time. (dec14)

  4. I’ve been thinking that as much as fantasy hockey owners have drooled at Colton Parayko’s size and shot, maybe it’s time to accept that what we’ve seen from Parayko is what we’re going to get, and nothing more. For all that perceived upside, the big St. Louis defenseman has never scored more than 35 points in a season, although he’s been remarkably consistent around that total over the past three seasons.

So, Parayko scoring two goals while logging 28 minutes on Friday isn’t great timing for me to make my point. Since Alex Pietrangelo’s injury, Parayko has averaged nearly 26 minutes per game, even though he has scored only one point (another goal) over the previous five games that Petro has been out of the lineup. Both the skills and the opportunity are there, even if the Blues are as much of a mess as any team right now. Turning from fantasy to reality, I could see NHL teams engaging in a serious bidding war for Parayko’s services. (dec15)

  5. If Flyers’ coach Dave Hakstol does lose his job, he can rightfully say that the team’s goaltending situation didn’t do him any favors.

Before you get excited about a Carter Hart callup, note that he is still getting used to the AHL (2.98 GAA, .903 SV%). For the sake of Hart’s long-term confidence, it’s probably best not to bring him into a situation as volatile as what the Flyers have going on.

  6. Hakstol won’t be able to say he’s been able to rely on Shayne Gostisbehere, either. Ghost simply isn’t going to come anywhere close to his 65 points from last season. For a player who fires a ton of shots from the point on the power play, he has completely dried up with no goals over his last 15 games and counting. His minus-18 further deflates his value.

In case you’re thinking that this is a perfect opportunity to try Ivan Provorov on PP1, he has struggled himself this season as well (11 points in 31 games, a similar total to Ghost). We’ll have to keep an eye on how a potential coaching change could affect the fantasy values of these two blueliners. It can’t really make things any worse, as the Flyers have just one power-play goal over their last 11 games. (dec16)

  7. If your league is one of the few that counts shorthanded goals, Mark Giordano will have helped you win that category this week. Gio scored his second shorthanded goal in as many games on Saturday, giving him a four-game point streak in which he has lit it up for nine points.

After back-to-back sub-40-point seasons, Giordano’s point-per-game performance must count as one of the season’s biggest surprises. The Flames’ offense may have something to do with that, as the team’s offense has improved from 2.63 GF/GP last season to 3.48 GF/GP this season. (dec16)

  8. Alex Ovechkin didn’t record another hat trick on Saturday. But he did score another goal (his 29th) while taking eight shots on goal and logging 25:34 in ice time. He’s currently riding a six-game goal-scoring streak, plus a 14-game point run. (dec16)

If you read the latest 31 Thoughts or listened to the 31 Thoughts Podcast, you probably have an opinion on whether Ovechkin can eventually catch Wayne Gretzky in career goals. Those who think he can are probably in the minority, but at the very least we can conclude that at age 33 there hasn’t been much slowdown. For now, we can safely assume that another 50-goal season is well within reach, while he continues to pile on the goals, shots, and hits. (dec15)

  9. Sure, we know that Connor McDavid will do his thing, like he did on Friday (two goals and an assist). Same with Leon Draisaitl (three assists). But, with another goal on Friday, Alex Chiasson now has a career-high 14 goals with five points over his last five games riding shotgun on this top line. He is currently benefiting from a 30 percent shooting accuracy. The goals may eventually turn into assists should he stay on this line, though. Keep in mind he’s only 15 percent owned while playing on a line with the NHL’s best player. (dec15)

  10. Ryan Hartman should get to 20 goals this year, which is a quietly nice season for a middle-six winger. For fantasy hockey, though, the Predators’ forward is not hitting nearly as much as he has in previous seasons, having been credited with just 26 in 33 games. Each of his first two seasons saw him cruise past 110 hits. That doesn’t seem feasible this year. If the trade-off is more scoring, though, I’m sure fantasy owners will take it. (dec14)

JOIN THE ACTION: Rick Roos is rolling again with his annual Cage Match Tournament. Check out the forums to vote for ‘The New Normal’ edition.

11. I was very high on Arizona’a Clayton Keller coming into the year and it’s not quite panning out. I mean, it’s all relative, right. He’s on a 61-point pace right now. Realistically, for a 20-year old, that’s a good season. I thought it’d be a lot higher, though. I guess he’s only one hot streak away from being a 70-point pace player; just unfortunate we haven’t really seen it yet. (dec14)

  12. It’s a small thing, but I hope Habs’ Charles Hudon gets another crack with the Canadiens. He’s been sitting in the press box an awful lot for them lately. I’ve reached the point with him where I’ve accepted that he probably won’t be more than a third/fourth-line winger, but I think he’s a better third/fourth line winger than some of the players the Habs trot out regularly.

Maybe he doesn’t have the punchiness of Nicolas Deslauriers, or the ‘je ne sais quoi’ of Kenny Agostino (literally, I don’t know what they see in him), but Hudon could be a guy you can get 10-15 goals from on the fourth line with secondary power play time. That has value. More value than, say, 10 fights. (dec14)

  13. Canucks’ Brock Boeser has missed some games but he’s played 22 and has scored just one power play goal. Allow me to repeat: the guy who scored 12 PP goals in his first 71 career games has one through 22 outings this season. His shot rates are consistent with his prior performances. So, what’s the deal?

Boeser has 11 goals and 19 points in 22 games. He’s landing three shots on goal per game and the data about shots and shot location on the PP seem normal. In one-year leagues, maybe it’s worth looking to see if the Boeser owner is seeing the shine wear off a little bit. Not that it’s a buy-low situation, but a chance to buy cheaper than he should be. Just a thought. (dec13)

Resting his groin injury for most of November has turned out to be beneficial for Boeser. With another goal on Saturday, Boeser now has five goals over his last four games and appears to be back to last season's form. (dec16)

  14. Rangers’ Mika Zibanejad is currently on pace for 71 points, which would smash is previous career-best of 51, the only time he’s cracked 50 points. He’s on that pace despite shooting 10.3 percent, the lowest for him in any season since the lockout year. Over those five seasons, he averaged 12 percent. Why the drop in shooting percentage? The power play.

This may surprise a few people, but Zibanejad had 14 power play goals last year and he’s not on pace for even half that many this year with just three so far. I expect there will be a huge power play scoring binge coming over the final 50 games. As in, don’t be surprised if he scores 10-plus PP goals the rest of the season.

It’s another buying opportunity. Zibanejad’s production is still pretty good, and he is averaging over three shots on goal per game. It never hurts to ask the Zibanejad owner in your league what it might take to acquire him. (dec13)

  15. Even though Daniel Sprong is only 21, it seemed like we had waited an eternity for him to find his way onto the Pittsburgh Penguins and make an impact playing on a line with one or more of their big guns. While that won’t happen, it doesn’t mean that it’s time to give up on him. Now in a situation with a team that really needs him, Sprong has scored three goals in five games as a Duck, including both of the team’s goals on Saturday. His ice time is also up over six minutes per game to 14 minutes, which tells you how little he had been playing in Pittsburgh. (dec16)

  16. The requisite Elias Pettersson tidbit. Heading into last Tuesday’s contests, Pettersson had 15 goals and 30 points in 26 career games. Here’s a look at some other current stars and their totals after 26 contests:

Evgeni Malkin – 30 Alex Ovechkin – 29 Sidney Crosby – 28 Connor McDavid – 28 Patrick Kane – 27 Patrik Laine – 21 Johnny Gaudreau – 20 Auston Matthews – 20

(dec12)

  17. It was reported that Ryan Miller will miss six weeks with a sprained MCL. The Ducks wasted no time in claiming Chad Johnson off of waivers from St Louis to provide some support to John Gibson.

Jordan Binnington is the new back-up in St. Louis. The 25-year-old has a single NHL game on his resume. He managed to wrestle the starting gig in the American league from Ville Husso, who has been projected as the up-and-comer for a few seasons. With the way the Blues are playing these days, it is conceivable that Binnington sees some ice, but the results will likely be very muted. (dec12)

  18. I had an interesting conversation a few weeks ago about defensemen with a couple friends. Basically, how many defensemen can we rely upon in fantasy? I don’t mean defensemen you can trot out for 200 blocked shots or whatever. I mean defensemen from whom you know you’re going to get 24 minutes a game, a couple shots, and top PP minutes. Not very many.

For that reason, I generally treat the bottom of my defense rosters in non-dynasty leagues as a revolving door. I have staples, of course, like Roman Josi or Victor Hedman, but once we get to guys like Shea Theodore, Mikhail Sergachev, or Jake Muzzin, they could find themselves on and off my roster two or three times a year. It’s about dumping them at their highest value and looking for the next guy, ad infinitum. (dec11)

    ��            19. Trading away  John Carlson just because he’s due to regress a bit isn’t the point here. The point is to recognize an asset whose value will decline over the next four months compared to present-day value in order to fill holes elsewhere on a roster with a package that should return more value over those four months.

Again, keep in mind that I’m not saying to run out and trade Carlson. What I’m saying is to not expect him to be a top-3 fantasy defenseman as he’s been so far. If you can trade him as a top-3 defenseman and get back comparable future value to help fill gaps on your roster, then you do it. It’s all about the needs and the return, not necessarily about the player himself. (dec11)

  20. It appears I kick off Ramblings every week with goalie talk, but it’s the most important position in fantasy hockey and it’s produced some of the weirdest results so far. Which makes it the most frustrating – and it’s a frustrating position during the best of times. In case you missed it other weeks, my mantra has been “follow the contract”, the starter will eventually get his starts back almost always unless he truly, truly sucks.

But Blues’ Jake Allen is the one starter whose terrible start I have the least faith in turning around. And for a bit there, it looked as though even he was rebounding.

Allen is signed for another two years at $4.35 million per, he’s a high draft pick (34th overall), and he’s an organization-developed talent. He’s the Golden Boy. I say this because he got 83 starts over the last 14 and a half months and despite sucking, he still gets thrown out there. (dec10)

  Have a good week, folks!!

  from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-home/20-fantasy-hockey-thoughts/20-fantasy-hockey-thoughts-54/

[kellykperez]

Google’s Pichai answers to Congress: The good, the bad and the frustrating

The appearance of Google CEO Sundar Pichai in front of Congress yesterday has been eagerly anticipated by those of us following the company’s tumultuous year in the face of criticism from international press, human rights organizations, and its own staff.

The hearing – lasting more than three hours – was titled Transparency & Accountability: Examining Google and its Data Collection, Use and Filtering Practices and promised to give Pichai an opportunity to publicly clarify the search giant’s position on consumer rights in regards to privacy in an increasingly data-dependent world – as well as reflecting on its openness as a business in the political context at home and abroad.

Overall, the hearing was a bit of a mixed bag. This was less to do with the substance of Pichai’s answers and more to do with the flawed questioning from the assembled. Here are what I took away as good and bad responses from the Google chief, as well as a few of my frustrations.

The good

Some of Pichai’s most substantial answers came when asked about issues of diversity, the wellbeing of ethnic minorities, and the rights of women.

He reiterated Google’s commitment to diversity and made reference to the fact that the business were the first to publish a transparency report on their diversity. He also pointed to combating the spread of white supremacy content on YouTube and made clear his and the company’s zero-tolerance attitude on hate speech.

This was obviously comforting to the assembled congress men and women – particularly as the US has seen hate crimes rise by 17% last year, and online media is argued to be adding to the normalization of hate speech in the mainstream.

Pichai was also asked about forced arbitration within the business – a subject that came to the fore last month as staff in Google offices around the world staged a mass walkout ‘to protest sexual harassment, misconduct, lack of transparency, and a workplace that doesn’t work for everyone.’

His response was that the company have already enacted changes where forced arbitration for sexual harassment is concerned. This means that if employees want to bring sexual harassment charges against someone they now have the right to do so outside of the internal arbitration structure of the business (via a class action lawsuit, for instance). Pichai also expressed commitment to make changes (ultimately removing forced arbitration, I assume) outside of the realm of sexual harassment – giving more options and rights back to the employees.

The bad

As we expected, a number of questions during the hearing were focused on the rumored development of a new search product for the Chinese market.

Pichai was initially quite firm that Google had no plans to launch a search product (currently referred to as Dragonfly) in China, but the more he was pressed on the subject, the more woolly that stance became. ‘We have undertaken internal effort,’ he said, adding later: ‘It’s our duty to explore possibilities to give users access to information.’

Answers here were less substantial than those given in a recent Q&A with Pichai at the Wired 25 Summit in October. But we can see that internal development on a tool for the Chinese market is ongoing – even in the face of calls from staff to shut it down. Pichai’s stance is that pursuing work to give access to information for consumers everywhere (including China) is the human right he, and Google, is focused on. He did commit to being transparent as this work continues, but I have my doubts.

Some of the other more difficult questions for Pichai concerned internal messages and discussions from Google staff regarding domestic politics.

He was pressed on potential bias when a staff member admitted in an email to the company helping to get the Latino vote out in key states and not others during the 2016 election. Pichai denied such activities happened – at least in terms of Google itself working to do this. Another congressman questioned whether it was right that there should be a forum for the Resist (anti Donald Trump) group on Google’s staff network. Pichai said he was not aware of the group.

The frustrating

As we’ve seen, some of the questions on bias at Google are justified – although they frequently simmer down to semantics of the language used by staff when discussing politics on company time and in staff forums. Who is ‘we’ in the case of getting the Latino vote out in key states? Is the content discussed in the Resist group too political?

There were also plenty of frustrating moments where the capacity of congress members to understand how an algorithm which takes into account a vast number of metrics (including freshness, how linked-to the content is, and previous individual search history) can sometimes deliver results that appear more or less conservative or liberal.

I felt sorry for Pichai as he spent several minutes assuring one congressman that while his search for Donald Trump gave mostly negative results, the algorithm itself is neutral and the best content for the search query (in terms of quality and relevance) just so happens to not present Trump in a positive light. A few moments later, a congressman (presumably on the other side of the fence) expressed his disgruntlement after a recent vanity search to find most top ranking sites running stories about him were from the right wing news press.

All too often congressmen were seen to bark at Pichai, “it’s a yes or no answer,” when it could never be. Some held their iPhones (not Android devices) aloft and expected Pichai to know whether any Google apps on it were saving location data. These instances managed to be both depressing and humorous, but they highlighted a number of dualities Google must contend with as it moves into 2019. As a business, it has to be at the forefront of technology dealing with the complex issue of the world’s information and data, while still making sure every day consumers can use it safely and successfully.

At the same time, Google must be neutral in what it delivers to consumers – while having a staff that is always likely to lean one way politically more than the other, and also striving to be progressive in how it operates.

And ultimately, it still has a mission to provide users – wherever they are – with the best search information. It is clear that in the case of China, some negotiation with a government known to operate surveillance has to happen. In the case of the US, the company has to answer to a political class that is so binary that it, by comparison, can seem very outdated.

The post Google’s Pichai answers to Congress: The good, the bad and the frustrating appeared first on Search Engine Watch.

source https://searchenginewatch.com/2018/12/13/google-pichai-congress-overview/ from Rising Phoenix SEO http://risingphoenixseo.blogspot.com/2018/12/googles-pichai-answers-to-congress-good.html

[alanajacksontx]

Google’s Pichai answers to Congress: The good, the bad and the frustrating

The appearance of Google CEO Sundar Pichai in front of Congress yesterday has been eagerly anticipated by those of us following the company’s tumultuous year in the face of criticism from international press, human rights organizations, and its own staff.

The hearing – lasting more than three hours – was titled Transparency & Accountability: Examining Google and its Data Collection, Use and Filtering Practices and promised to give Pichai an opportunity to publicly clarify the search giant’s position on consumer rights in regards to privacy in an increasingly data-dependent world – as well as reflecting on its openness as a business in the political context at home and abroad.

Overall, the hearing was a bit of a mixed bag. This was less to do with the substance of Pichai’s answers and more to do with the flawed questioning from the assembled. Here are what I took away as good and bad responses from the Google chief, as well as a few of my frustrations.

The good

Some of Pichai’s most substantial answers came when asked about issues of diversity, the wellbeing of ethnic minorities, and the rights of women.

He reiterated Google’s commitment to diversity and made reference to the fact that the business were the first to publish a transparency report on their diversity. He also pointed to combating the spread of white supremacy content on YouTube and made clear his and the company’s zero-tolerance attitude on hate speech.

This was obviously comforting to the assembled congress men and women – particularly as the US has seen hate crimes rise by 17% last year, and online media is argued to be adding to the normalization of hate speech in the mainstream.

Pichai was also asked about forced arbitration within the business – a subject that came to the fore last month as staff in Google offices around the world staged a mass walkout ‘to protest sexual harassment, misconduct, lack of transparency, and a workplace that doesn’t work for everyone.’

His response was that the company have already enacted changes where forced arbitration for sexual harassment is concerned. This means that if employees want to bring sexual harassment charges against someone they now have the right to do so outside of the internal arbitration structure of the business (via a class action lawsuit, for instance). Pichai also expressed commitment to make changes (ultimately removing forced arbitration, I assume) outside of the realm of sexual harassment – giving more options and rights back to the employees.

The bad

As we expected, a number of questions during the hearing were focused on the rumored development of a new search product for the Chinese market.

Pichai was initially quite firm that Google had no plans to launch a search product (currently referred to as Dragonfly) in China, but the more he was pressed on the subject, the more woolly that stance became. ‘We have undertaken internal effort,’ he said, adding later: ‘It’s our duty to explore possibilities to give users access to information.’

Answers here were less substantial than those given in a recent Q&A with Pichai at the Wired 25 Summit in October. But we can see that internal development on a tool for the Chinese market is ongoing – even in the face of calls from staff to shut it down. Pichai’s stance is that pursuing work to give access to information for consumers everywhere (including China) is the human right he, and Google, is focused on. He did commit to being transparent as this work continues, but I have my doubts.

Some of the other more difficult questions for Pichai concerned internal messages and discussions from Google staff regarding domestic politics.

He was pressed on potential bias when a staff member admitted in an email to the company helping to get the Latino vote out in key states and not others during the 2016 election. Pichai denied such activities happened – at least in terms of Google itself working to do this. Another congressman questioned whether it was right that there should be a forum for the Resist (anti Donald Trump) group on Google’s staff network. Pichai said he was not aware of the group.

The frustrating

As we’ve seen, some of the questions on bias at Google are justified – although they frequently simmer down to semantics of the language used by staff when discussing politics on company time and in staff forums. Who is ‘we’ in the case of getting the Latino vote out in key states? Is the content discussed in the Resist group too political?

There were also plenty of frustrating moments where the capacity of congress members to understand how an algorithm which takes into account a vast number of metrics (including freshness, how linked-to the content is, and previous individual search history) can sometimes deliver results that appear more or less conservative or liberal.

I felt sorry for Pichai as he spent several minutes assuring one congressman that while his search for Donald Trump gave mostly negative results, the algorithm itself is neutral and the best content for the search query (in terms of quality and relevance) just so happens to not present Trump in a positive light. A few moments later, a congressman (presumably on the other side of the fence) expressed his disgruntlement after a recent vanity search to find most top ranking sites running stories about him were from the right wing news press.

All too often congressmen were seen to bark at Pichai, “it’s a yes or no answer,” when it could never be. Some held their iPhones (not Android devices) aloft and expected Pichai to know whether any Google apps on it were saving location data. These instances managed to be both depressing and humorous, but they highlighted a number of dualities Google must contend with as it moves into 2019. As a business, it has to be at the forefront of technology dealing with the complex issue of the world’s information and data, while still making sure every day consumers can use it safely and successfully.

At the same time, Google must be neutral in what it delivers to consumers – while having a staff that is always likely to lean one way politically more than the other, and also striving to be progressive in how it operates.

And ultimately, it still has a mission to provide users – wherever they are – with the best search information. It is clear that in the case of China, some negotiation with a government known to operate surveillance has to happen. In the case of the US, the company has to answer to a political class that is so binary that it, by comparison, can seem very outdated.

The post Google’s Pichai answers to Congress: The good, the bad and the frustrating appeared first on Search Engine Watch.

from IM Tips And Tricks https://searchenginewatch.com/2018/12/13/google-pichai-congress-overview/ from Rising Phoenix SEO https://risingphxseo.tumblr.com/post/181079572075