#march 2018 aged me by 10 years

[dandelionsresilience]

Dandelion News - October 1-7

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1. Arctic ozone reaches record high in positive step for climate

“Above-average ozone levels continued to persist through September 2024. This is significant as, previously, spring has been associated with ozone depletion[….] The March 2024 ozone average peaked at 477 Dobson units (DU), which is 6 DU higher than the previous record in March 1979 and 60 DU higher than the average for the study period (1979 to 2023).”

2. Why Massachusetts loves Nibi the beaver and [won the fight] to keep her out of the wild

“Nibi, now 2 years old, is roughly the age when wild beavers embark on their journey to find a mate and build a home. [… But] if Nibi is released in October, she would be ill-prepared for the winter[…. The governor has] issued a permit for Nibi to remain at a wildlife rescue as an educational beaver and inspire folks to protect our natural world."”

3. In Madagascar, Taniala Regenerative Camp aims to heal deforestation scars

“Residents of the villages around Lambokely manage the nursery and market garden crops. “Local communities receive training in agroecology and agroforestry, benefit from improved soil fertility, and earn additional income from intercropping in the agroforestry plots. In addition, community members are incentivized to participate in tree-planting activities.””

4. Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana Breaks Ground on $6.4 Million Affordable Housing Project

“The project’s first phase will create three-bedroom homes designed for multiple purposes, including elderly housing, emergency shelter, and support for displaced and low-income Tribal citizens. These homes will be built to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards, ensuring accessibility for all.”

5. Scientists say painting roofs this colour could save lives: How does it keep cities cool?

“[Researchers] found that cool, light-coloured roofs installed across all of London’s roofs could have cooled the city by around 0.8C [in 2018]. [… Solar panels] could have cooled the city by around 0.3C, preventing the deaths of 96 people [… while generating] more than half the energy [used by] London during the entire year of 2018.”

6. Travis County [TX] opens center to help keep people experiencing a mental health crisis out of jail

“The walk-in urgent care facility is open 24/7 and provides immediate support for people experiencing mental health crises. From there, some patients may be referred to a residential facility[… where] patients will be able to stay for up to 90 days[….] Jailed individuals may also work with their legal teams to coordinate admission to the facility.”

7. Spain’s first transgender soccer team makes debut in regional men’s league

“A soccer team consisting entirely of transgender men has[…] become the first all-trans squad to achieve federated status in Europe. […] Spain passed a pioneering trans rights bill last year designed to make it easier to change a person’s legal gender identity. […] Players may also choose to use a name that’s different from their legal one[….]”

8. Green Status of Species: Pushing Conservation Ambitions Beyond Preventing Extinction

“[… T]he Green Status of Species [is] a new part of Red List assessments that helps tell “a species’ full conservation story.” […] In addition to quantifying species recovery, the Green Status of Species […] will help to better inform future conservation actions by shedding light on which past actions have contributed most to species recovery.”

9. Hell froze over in Texas – the state will connect to the US grid for the first time via a fed grant

“[The projects will] boost grid reliability, lower energy costs, and support the clean energy transition. […] They’ll also generate nearly 9,000 jobs, supporting local economies[…. In particular, the Texas portion is] designed to prevent outages like the ones during Winter Storm Uri that hit Texas hard in 2021.”

10. Pine martens released to be reintroduced to Devon

“Work to release 15 pine martens into woods across Dartmoor has been completed[….] The eight females and seven males have all been fitted with a radio collars to allow their movements to be tracked. […] They were kept in soft-release pens for three days to get them used to their surroundings before being allowed to run wild, staff said.”

September 22-28 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[theflowergothic]

Kelly Piquet Master Timeline - Amendment 1 (Some things I missed the first time around)

(Masterlist)

Hey y'all! Welcome to the first amendment for the Kelly timeline! In these amendments, I will be adding things that happened during already-published parts of the timeline, but did not add before for a variety of reasons (not knowing about it, not having proof for it before, etc).

Sorry this took a bit to release. I've been dealing with a bit of irl stuff this past week that took my attention away from working on Max/Kelly things aside from updates to the timeline. In fact, you might have seen me crack on Twitter over it! Yay!

By the way, you may notice some repeats from the official timeline. Those are events that I did cover in the original, but with new information/context that I initially missed.

Let's go!

As always, you can find the full timeline here.

A new person has entered the grid!

Christiano “Tuka” Rocha: A former Brazilian race car driver Kelly considers her first love. The two would remain in touch until his tragic death in a plane crash in 2019.

1999

March-October, 1999: The 1999 F1 season. Jos serves as a test driver for the Honda Formula 1 Project.

2000

Unknown dates, 2000:

Kelly and Tuka meet. She is most likely 11 and he is most likely 18.

2002

Unknown dates, 2002:

Tuka visits Kelly and her family while she is visiting France. She is most likely 13 and he is most likely 20. (Archive)

2004

May, 2004: The Jordan racing team considers Jos as a replacement driver for an underperforming Giorgio Pantano. But, a test drive is canceled after he discovers he is too big to fit in the car.

2012

November 10-11, 2012: Max has a series of flirty/amorous exchanges with former world karting champion Laura Tillett on Twitter. She is 21 and he is 15. (Archive) 

December 7-10, 2012: Max has more flirty exchanges with Laura Tillett on Twitter. She is still 21 and he is still 15.

2015

September 30, 2015: Max turns 18. He spends the day obtaining his road driving license. He would move to Monaco shortly afterwards. (Archive 1, 2)

Mikaela also posts on Twitter to celebrate Max’s birthday, calling him her “love”. (Archive)

2016

December, 2016: Kelly leaves her job at Formula E. Officially, she claims she resigned because of burnout, mentioning she “was literally on a plane every week” to a new destination. But, unconfirmed rumors claim she was fired for sleeping with a married man. (Archive)

2018

September 14, 2018:  Kelly likes an Instagram post by Victoria. This would be her first of many likes on Victoria’s Instagram.

September 23, 2018: Victoria likes an Instagram post by Kelly. This would be her first of many likes on Kelly’s Instagram.

September 30, 2018: Max turns 21. Lando makes an Instagram post wishing him a happy birthday. It is not liked by Max, but it is liked by Kelly.

October, 2018: Kelly likes several more of Lando’s Instagram posts.

Late October-Early November, 2018: Kelly and Daniil’s daughter is conceived.

November 13, 2018: Lando makes an Instagram post celebrating his 19th birthday. It would be liked by Kelly.

2019

January 8, 2019: Lando likes an Instagram post by Kelly. This would turn out to be one of several posts he would like on her account throughout 2019 and 2020, including a post about breastfeeding.

March 17, 2019: Lando makes his F1 debut at the 2019 Australian Grand Prix, driving for McLaren. He would finish in 12th place. At this point, he is 19 years old. (Archive)

On the same day, Victoria likes a post by Kelly. She would proceed to like several more posts on Kelly’s account throughout her pregnancy, with Sophie doing the same on some of the same posts.

November 14, 2019: Tuka is seriously injured in an airplane crash near Bahia, Brazil. (Archive)

November 17, 2019: Tuka succumbs to his injuries sustained in the plane crash at the age of 36. He is memorialized as a hero for trying to save the lives of others  in the same crash. (Archive)

November 19, 2019: Kelly makes a memorial post for Tuka on Instagram, calling him her “first love” and mentioning he made her “feel like the most special girl in the world” and “feel very special feelings”. (Archive)

December 4, 2019:  Daniil makes an Instagram post about the end of the F1 season. Kelly likes the post. It would turn out to be her last like on his account.

December 6, 2019 (Most likely): Kelly and Daniil end their relationship. While Kelly makes a since-deleted Instagram post implying she broke up with Daniil, varioussources claim it was Daniil who broke up with Kelly for a variety of reasons.

2020

Unknown dates, 2020:

Max and Dilara break up. Despite that, Victoria, Sophie, and Jos continue to follow her on Instagram. Daniil would also follow her at a later date.

January 31, 2020: Kelly likes another Instagram post by Max. This would turn out to be one of several posts she would like on his account throughout 2020.

2021

July 16-18, 2021: The 2021 British Grand Prix. During the first lap, Lewis attempts to overtake Max, resulting in the latter retiring and going to the hospital after a collision. Max would be released that same day.. Lewis receives a 10-second penalty, but ultimately wins the race. (Archive)

Initial reports would say Max was unharmed in the collision. But, in subsequent interviews, Max would admit he felt the after-effects of it in races, including blurred vision. (Archive 1, 2)

September 3-5, 2021: The 2021 Dutch Grand Prix. Max achieves poll position and finishes first, starting a three-year winning streak at the race. (Archive)

Kelly leaves the race altogether after qualifying, and Max spends a night at his motorhome on the track. According to speculation, Kelly and Jos had a fight over her sharing photos in his residence. Jos unfollows Kelly on Instagram.

2023

Unknown dates, 2023:

An anonymous Tumblr user makes a summary of the rumors and scandals surrounding Kelly to that point. (Archive)

2024

June 21-23, 2024: The 2023 Spanish Grand Prix. Max starts in P2 and finishes first. This would turn out to be his last Grand Prix victory until November. (Archive)

June 28-30, 2024: The 2024 Austrian Grand Prix. Max finishes first in the Saturday sprint race. This would turn out to be his last victory in general until October. (Archive)

During the second half of the main race,  Lando makes multiple attempts to overtake Max. This culminates in a collision when the latter tries to block him. Lando would retire from the damage, and Max would place fifth. (Archive 1, 2) 

Of note is that while Kelly posted about Max’s pole positions and sprint win, she would not say anything about the results of the main race.

[fullscoreshenanigans]

What ages do you think each GP member was shipped out?

I have a headcanon that the older members (Oliver, zack, Paula) are neurodivergent because they were shipped at a young age and probably didn’t do well at standardized testing of grand valley because they have been at goldy pond for years

(rather than months compared to some newer members. I think Pepe was the most recent?)

You're right about Pepe!

(Chapter 69 & 70 Extras | Mystic Code Book Chapter 3 Q&A)

He's the only one whose shipment age is officially confirmed.

My guesses:

1. Adam: 14 at most, but probably younger (shipped in late 2045) 2. Gillian: 7 (2037) 3. Nigel: 8 (2037) 4. Oliver: 7/8 (2036; confirmed to have been at GP the longest) 5. Paula: 8 (2036) 6. Pepe: 16 (2045) 7. Sandy: 12 (2040) 8. Sonya: 8 (Early 2037) 9. Theo: 12 (Late 2045/January 2046) 10. Violet: 10-12 (2042-2044) 11. Zack: 9 (2036)

Without exact dates, the ages and years might be a bit off because I'm mostly focusing on their birth years, but within a year of error hopefully for everyone except Sandy and Violet, for whom I have the least amount of information to go off of so it's just personal vibes.

Reasoning under the cut:

Oliver, Paula, and Zack have been a part of the most recent incarnation of the Goldy Pond Resistance the longest, with Oliver being there the longest out of the three per the chapter 69 extra. We also see flashbacks of them together.

(Chapter 85 | Chapter 95)

From here, all we have to go on is the "Two Wills" story of the third light novel that focuses on Gillian and Nigel.

In this conversation with Emma on January 29, 2046, Nigel says it took him eight years to create one of the guns they use in their plan.

I'm assuming the ages provided in the extras are their ages on the day they met Emma, so a few months later on March 27 of that year Nigel turns seventeen. 2045 (when he's sixteen) minus eight is 2037, when he's eight years old.

Depending on how long it took Oliver and companions to recognize his technical knowledge, which probably wasn't more than a few hunts in.

Similar to how it didn't take long for Gillian's sister to be recruited for the cause.

Gillian and Nigel arrived at Goldy Pond within a few days of each other, if not on the same day, for the two of them, Nigel's younger sister Lala, and Emilia to all experience their first hunt together. Gillian is a year younger than Nigel, so she's shipped to Goldy Pond when she's seven.

"A boy a little older than [Nigel]" is referring to Oliver, who's already shown an aptitude for leadership for him to start taking on the duty of announcements to the new arrivals, couldn't have been there for too much longer than Nigel, so my guess is he arrived at Goldy Pond in 2036 prior to his October 25 birthday when he turned eight.

Sonya is also shown to have arrived before Nigel and Gillian, yet she arrived after Oliver, Paula, and Zack, as she's not featured in any of those early flashbacks with them, so my guess is she also arrived in the first half of 2037 before she turned nine on June 3 of that year.

This only thing that throws me off with all this is this page from chapter 77 because of how small and young Lala looks at the time of her death while Nigel looks like he's the same as he does in the present.

And shortly after she's murdered is when Gillian and Nigel go off on their own to try and kill Luce with an unfinished gun and fail, but the description makes it sound like it's near completion with the damage it's able to do to Luce's mask. It's hard to say, but with the light novel being published in October 2020 and the Goldy Pond arc being published in 2018, it's possible they retconned Lala into being older, or that there was actually a much larger gap between then and Nigel finally perfecting the weapon and ammunition.

But whenever this incident occurs, Sandy has also been around long enough to be integrated into the Resistance.

As this is the only time he's mentioned throughout the entire light novel. Violet's only mentioned during the conversations in the present day when Emma's talking to Gillian and Nigel about their pasts, so it seems safe to say she's the newest member of the Resistance after Pepe and has probably been with them for at least a year, so she was shipped out in 2044 at the latest.

My arbitrary designation for her shipment is sometime between 2042 and 2044 because of my personal headcanon that she only realized she was a trans girl after being shipped out, but she's had enough time to settle into her identity in her new environment surrounded by the new friends who support her. With the farms being symbols of oppression, I like the symbolism of kids coming into themselves once they've been removed from the farm environments they grew up in when they were unaware of the reality of their world.

(Mystic Code Book Chapter 3)

Your headcanon of neurodivergence being a factor in determining which kids are shipped out early before 17 at Grand Valley could also fall into this, which I think is cool. Thrown away due to narrow, arbitrary metrics of success, and becoming the menace that dismantles them thanks to the very reasons they were discarded.

Back to Sandy, he has to arrive sometime before Violet, so 2040 when he's 12. Just because.

Finally, there's Adam, who was at Lambda at least until November 2045 because he sees Norman there.

(Chapter 75)

But he has to have been at Goldy Pond for a bit for him to become the doorman for the resistance, so he was probably sent there in November or December of 2045.

(Chapter 72 | Chapter 73 | Mystic Code Book Chapter 3 Q&A)

Lambda 7214 did not exist fifteen years ago when James left this message, and the timeline in the mystic code book doesn't provide us with a date for when it was completed, though it's probably in the 2030s.

(Mystic Code Book Chapter 5)

With the experiments that take place at Lambda resulting in Hayato and Jin being born two days before Conny's shipment on October 12, 2045, and having them look as old as teenagers in October 2047 when Emma's group meets them, Adam could be anywhere from one to fourteen when he arrives at Goldy Pond. I go with eleven if I'm indulging in the Adam and Norman are twins theory.

[theaddictedwatcher]

Hello everyone!

The series I will introduce to you today is an American science fiction series categorized as cyberpunk. Created by Laeta Kalogridis (Avatar, Shutter Island, Alita: Battle Angel) and based on the novel of the same name written by Richard K. Morgan which was written in 2002, the first season of the series was commissioned by Netflix in 2016 and was released on the streaming platform in 2018. I'm going to tell you about the Altered Carbon series.

As always, let's start with a short synopsis: In a future where humans can transfer their minds from one body to another, Takeshi Kovacs -a rebel- is brought back to life 250 years after his death to solve the vicious murder of the richest man in the world -Laurens Bancroft- in exchange for his freedom. He must find allies, pay attention to every detail, and remember what he was taught as a diplomatic corps to succeed. And a short technical presentation : - Created by Laeta Kalogridis. Based upon Richard K. Morgan's Altered Carbon trilogy. - Music by Jeff Russo. - Main cast: Joel Kinnaman, Renée Elise Goldsberry, James Purefoy, Kristin Lehman, Martha Higareda, Dichen Lachman, Chris Conner, Ato Essandoh, Trieu Tran, Anthony Mackie, Lela Loren, Simone Missick, Dina Shihabi, Torben Liebrecht.

THE PRODUCTION

As I said in the introduction, Netflix ordered the series in January 2016, fifteen years after Laeta Kalogridis - the series's creator- optioned the rights for a film adaptation of Richard K. Morgan's 2002 novel Altered Carbon. According to her, the complex nature of the novel and the fact that the subject matter is rated R made it difficult to sell the project to a production company. But that was before Netflix launched the project as a series! In fact, the series was one of the many dramas commissioned in a short space of time by the streaming platform, which had committed to spending $5 billion on original content and agreed to make it a project for a mature audience over the age of 16.

Laeta Kalogridis co-wrote the script and was executive producer in addition to her role as creator of the project. Richard K. Morgan, the author of the novel, acted as a consultant during the production of the series. The first season - consisting of 10 episodes - was released in 2018 and the second season - consisting of 8 episodes - will be released in 2020.

In 2018, Netflix also announced an animated film derived from the series to ‘expand the universe’ by adding new elements to the story's mythology.

Titled Altered Carbon: Resleeved and released in March 2020, a month after the release of season 2, the feature film uses character designs by manga artist Yasuo Ōtagaki (Moonlight Mile). It is written by Dai Satō (Ghost in the Shell, Cowboy Bebop) and Tsukasa Kondo, directed by Takeru Nakajima (Sword Art Online) and Yoshiyuki Okada, and produced by Anima Studio. It also features an original soundtrack by Keigo Hoashi (Square Enix's Nier franchise) and Kinuyiki Takahashi.

Following the release of the second season and the animated film, Netflix decided in April 2020 not to renew the series. Unlike the cancellation of other series, the decision to cancel Altered Carbon was not linked to the COVID pandemic but stemmed from the lack of return on viewings to the production costs. In fact, the series is the most expensive Netflix production to date and, although production costs have not been disclosed, Joel Kinnaman - who plays Takeshi Kovacs, the series' lead character - said they had “a bigger budget than the first three seasons of Game of Thrones”.

Enough introductions, it's time to get to the heart of the matter! To be perfectly honest, I didn't enjoy watching this series, but I'll come back to that later. I didn't manage to watch it in full and haven't seen the film, although I'll give it a chance one day. In my observations and remarks, there could be questions that remain with me and which may have been answered in the episodes I couldn't bring myself to watch.

THE UNIVERSE

But let's start by giving you more information about the universe into which the series plunges us. The first season takes place in 2384, in a futuristic city called Bay City. In this future, a person's memory and consciousness can be stored on a disc - called a stack - implanted in the back of their neck. The shell can be human or synthetic. In the event of physical death, these storage discs can be transferred to a new envelope. However, if a person's disk is destroyed, then their death is final. While theoretically, this means that anyone can claim immortality, in practice only the richest people - the Meths - have the means to do so through the use of clones and remote back-ups of their consciousness. But these are very expensive and so reserved for a certain financially comfortable elite.

In this reality, Takeshi Kovacs - played by Byron Mann (Skyscraper, The Big Short) in flashbacks - is a political agent with mercenary skills. He is the only surviving soldier of the Envoys, a rebel group defeated during an uprising against the New World Order.

In the first season, which takes place 250 years after the destruction of the Envoys, Kovacs' stack is pulled from the prison where Kovacs was sentenced by Meth Laurens Bancroft. Played by James Purefoy (Solomon Kane, Churchill, Rome), the 300-year-old Bancroft is one of the richest men in the established worlds. Bancroft offers Kovacs a new shell - played by Joel Kinnaman (RoboCop, Suicide Squad) - and the chance to solve a murder and get a new lease on life.

The second season of Altered Carbon begins 30 years after the conclusion of season 1 and finds Takeshi Kovacs - played by Anthony Mackie (Captain America: Civil War, Black Mirror, Notorious) - the sole surviving soldier of an elite group of interstellar warriors, continuing his age-old quest to find his lost love, Quellcrist Falconer - played by Renée Elise Goldsberry (Hamilton, The Good Wife, Masters of Sex). The season picks up some of the characters from Broken Angels - the second book in the series - but has a plot closer to that of the third book in the series, Woken Furies.

THE POST-CYBERPUNK GENRE

The term post-cyberpunk was first used around 1991 to describe Neal Stephenson's science fiction novel Snow Crash.

In 1998, in an article entitled Notes for a post-cyberpunk manifesto, the writer and critic Lawrence Person identified the emergence of a post-cyberpunk current. Cyberpunk was popular in the late 1970s and 1980s (Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, William Gibson's Neuromancer). Lawrence Person defines post-cyberpunk as ‘bringing in characters and settings different from cyberpunk, and, above all, making fundamentally different assumptions about the future. Far from being lonely outsiders, post-cyberpunk characters are often an integral part of society. They evolve in a future that is not necessarily anti-utopian (in fact, they are often bathed in an optimism that ranges from caution to exuberance), but their daily lives remain marked by rapid technological renewal and ubiquitous computerized infrastructure.’ (Notes for a post-cyberpunk manifesto, 1998).

The following are the main differences between post-cyberpunk and cyberpunk:

Like its predecessor, post-cyberpunk describes a realistic near-future rather than distant futures set in space. The focus is on the social effects of technology deployed on Earth rather than on space travel.

Cyberpunk typically deals with addicted loners in a dystopia, whereas post-cyberpunk tends to deal with people who are more involved in society, from the middle classes of the population, and there are very detailed descriptions of the characters' environment.

The post-cyberpunk individual tends to be warm and funny, attempting seduction through optimism after years of seduction through dread with the cyberpunk individual, who is colder and more sinister.

In cyberpunk, the alienating effects of new technology are highlighted, whereas in post-cyberpunk, technology is society. Post-cyberpunk therefore allows more technocratic themes and themes relating to the downside of technology to be included than cyberpunk.

Post-cyberpunk also offers a more realistic description of computers, consisting, for example, of the replacement of traditional virtual reality by a network of voice, image, sound or holography based on the Internet, or the abandonment of metallic implants in favor of body modifications using biotechnologies (particularly nanotechnologies).

Post-cyberpunk undoubtedly emerged in part because science fiction writers and the general population were beginning to use computers, the Internet, and PDAs without suffering the massive digital divide predicted in the 1970s and 1980s. The underlying idea was therefore to humanize the construction of cyberpunk universes and bring them closer to the life that the world's population could envisage in the future with the new technologies that were flourishing. The nightmarish visions engendered by the genre, including and especially in the popular imagination, covered what such a future could contain that was desirable. This is not to say that technological paradise is just around the corner, but that it is possible to be healthy and sane in a hyper-technological universe.

Emblematic works of the genre such as Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell, and the video games Deus Ex and Deus Ex: Invisible War by Ion Storm, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided by Eidos Montreal have all played a large part in democratizing the genre among a wider audience.

DIFFERENCES FROM THE NOVEL

As I haven't read the books, I'm giving you the information as I found it during my research into the series. I think I'll try to read the novels one day because, like the animated film, I'm very interested in the theme. As someone afraid of the direction our society is taking, of its relationship with technology, and in particular of its untimely and irrational use of artificial intelligence, I'm always interested in the warnings that artists try to convey through their work, whatever the medium. And I like to think that just because I didn't like an adaptation - it can happen - doesn't mean that the original material isn't worth discovering.

The first season is based on the novel Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan, published in 2002. This is the first volume of a trilogy recounting the adventures of Takeshi Kovacs, a post-cyberpunk techno-thriller series set on the West Coast of the United States at the end of the twenty-fifth century. Although the adaptation retains most of the main plot points of the first volume, the series introduces several major changes to its characters and organizations:

In the novel, the Envoys are elite soldiers of the Earth-based United Nations Protectorate, the complete opposite of the rebel freedom fighters portrayed in the series, who hail from Harlan's World where Takeshi Kovacs was born.

In the book, Takeshi Kovacs was imprisoned for his independent work after leaving the Envoys, whereas in the series, Kovacs is a captured rebel.

Reileen Kawahara's character in the novel was merely Kovacs' ruthless underworld boss and had no blood relationship with him, unlike their brother/sister relationship in the series where she is played by Dichen Lachman.

The Envoy who trained Kovacs in the book was Virginia Vidaura, whereas in the series she is only a minor character. The role of her trainer and her story are carried over to the character of Quellcrist Falconer, who in the third book is the messiah-like historical figure.

Falconer's rebellion did not take place during Kovacs' training, as in the series, but long before Kovacs was born in the books.

In Richard K. Morgan's novel, the Hendrix Hotel is a crucial character. It's not just a Jimi Hendrix-themed building, but also an artificial intelligence in the guise of Jimi Hendrix that has a strange bond with its only guest, Takeshi Kovacs. With Hendrix's estate refusing to license his image for the TV series due to its violence, series's creator Laeta Kalogridis chose the likeness of Edgar Allan Poe - played by Chris Conner - and a Victorian hotel for the replacement AI in Poe's image and said it would juxtapose well with the futuristic look of Bay City.

In the books, Kristin Ortega - played by Martha Higareda- is a much less important character. The main female character in the series, the dedicated detective doesn't have a devastating fight with the Ghostwalker, nor does she get a new super-powered arm. Her subplot with her family and religion isn't explored in the book and she isn't captured and tortured by Rei - although she is tortured all the same. Also, in the book her partner is called Rodrigo, not Aboud, and he doesn't date her mother.

And these are just some of the changes that were made when the novels were adapted for Netflix.

THEMES

Let's move on to the themes addressed in this dystopian work. Many of the themes addressed by the series - such as the human-machine interface, the alliance between technology and our society, cyberspace and objective reality, hyper-urbanisation and artificial intelligence - are recurring themes in cyberpunk and post-cyberpunk works.

Because of the technological implications, the subject also raises moral questions. Is murder always immoral if it is consensual and the victim can be reimplanted in a new body in the space of a few minutes? The police themselves issue permits for spectacular fights to the death, organized in the homes of the rich, with husbands and wives teaming up to fight to the death for entertainment (the winner receiving a new, improved body).

However, another major implication was raised during the first season of Altered Carbon, which Laeta Kalogridis herself underlines: the separation of soul and body and the question of gender identity. If you could choose your own body, would you choose the one you were born with? This is a critical question for transgender people or those whose gender is fluid, and, for the show's creator, the subject was only touched on in this first season. However, she told TheWrap in 2019 that she would like to explore this dimension in more detail :

“The idea that this kind of technology creates interesting intersections between your idea of your physical self and your idea of your inner or spiritual self, or your idea of being fluid in some way, certainly the idea of reassigning your gender, becomes a whole lot easier if you don’t actually have to do it surgically. At the very least it becomes different. You are still in a body you weren’t born in. And I think exploring the idea of being able to recreate the physical self in another different way, I mean we’ve barely scratched the surface of that. And LGBTQ, and so many issues, and the ways in which we feel comfortable or uncomfortable in our physical bodies, are things that I think the show is very right to explore but has not yet been able to do. Certainly first season. We touched on it a little bit — but not much. I mean if we did get a second season — which we don’t know yet — but if we were to get a second season, I would definitely say that was one thing we frankly didn’t have time to touch on and wasn’t dealt with in the book at all. We went a little further than the book did, but honestly, it was just about time.”

What's interesting to me about these themes is that the creators - Richard K. Morgan and Laeta Kalogridis - are both aware that technological developments of all kinds are changing the structure of the world, just as cars, air travel, the Internet, and cell phones have done, and that they're not trying to wrap a soft pink cloud around the dangers that could await us in a few decades.

COSTUMES

There's one aspect that surprised me, it's the costume work in the series. Having read that the production had created approximately 2,000 costumes for the series, including 500 unique, made-to-measure pieces, I was expecting to get a real kick out of this. And although the work of Ann Foley (Marvel's Agents of SHIELD) for season 1, Cynthia Ann Summers (The Last of Us) for season 2 and their teams is visible, I was expecting more grandiose costumes, especially for the Bancrofts who are one of the wealthiest families on Earth at the time of the story. The artistic direction chosen was to make simple, realistic costumes to illustrate the fashion of the future, while adding a color palette and specific details, notably for the Meths.

However, I really like the idea of subtle costume changes for characters who use the same body envelope to differentiate them, as with Miriam Bancroft and her daughter Naomi - both played by Kristin Lehman. Upon this subject, the actress declared that she was very interested in the challenge this ambivalence would require and that it was quite different from her usual roles.

SHOOTING LOCATIONS

The series was mainly filmed at Skydance Studios in Vancouver, Canada, where they stayed for eight months to shoot the first season. Most of Altered Carbon's scenes were created on green screen and in CGI to accentuate the futuristic effect of the universe.

Lead actor Joel Kinnaman told Canadian publication K5 News about the shoot:

"We had a set three soccer pitches deep. Around 400 or 500 extras were bustling around us, it was a real living city, with noodle stores, construction workers and police officers… You could just breathe in the universe without having to imagine anything."

Some of the sets were filmed in real locations, such as Laurens Bancroft's gardens pictured above which were filmed in the Rose Garden at the University of British Columbia, or the hall of the Marine Building, which served as the Bancroft family home.

The former Canada Post building was used as the setting for the Wei Clinic, where Kovacs was tortured. The scenes with the Envoys were filmed on the Sea to Sky Gondola suspension bridge in Squamish.

Other filming locations in Vancouver included the Convention Centre West Building, the VanDusen Botanical Gardens Visitor Centre, the UBC Museum of Anthropology and the Qube.

MUSIC

Finally, I'd like to mention the work done by Jeff Russo (Umbrella Academy) and his team on the series' soundtrack, which is, to me, the only real positive point of this adaptation. What I particularly liked about their proposal is that they managed to combine very modern tracks like techno or hard rock (e.g. Karate by BABYMETAL) with much older pieces like jazz masterpieces by Django Reinhardt or even classical music (Anton Dvorak or Mozart). Mingling this alliance with the original creations composed by Jeff Russo for the series allows this soundtrack to create the unique atmosphere of each scene, making it easier for viewers to identify the characters and the stakes involved.

To be perfectly honest, when I was writing this article, I was listening to the series' soundtrack which, even outside the series, is very catchy and captivating. Even though I wasn't really hooked on the series, it allowed me to immerse myself in this universe and draw some personal reflections from it. For me, it's one of the greatest proofs of a successful composer's work: managing to draw someone into a specific universe using a few pieces of music alone.

CONCLUSION

And we are done with the Altered Carbon series. If you've made it this far, thank you for reading and staying!

I'm a pretty tenacious person and don't like to give up on series along the way - even when I don't like them - so I have to admit I'm disappointed to have to add this series to the short list of abandoned series where it joins The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad (amongst others). Someday I hope that the animated film Altered Carbon: Resleeved will find favor in my eyes and redeem the adaptation of this universe, which at the moment still looks fun and interesting to explore.

Until that day comes, I'll leave you to it. Despite this setback for me, I can only advise you to follow Laeta Kalogridis' work and read this fine interview with her on the Refinery29 website, in which she talks, among other things, about her approach to nudity as a feminist weapon.

For those of you who have seen the series or read the novels, I'm curious to know your opinion, especially if it differs from mine. So feel free to leave a little comment below the article or send me a message, on the blog or on Instagram at @theaddictedwatcherreviews.

Have a great week, happy viewings, and I'll see you next time!

Eli.

[jgroffdaily]

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/09/theater/jonathan-groff-bobby-darin-broadway.html

Jonathan Groff, Fresh Off Tony Win, Will Return to Broadway as Bobby Darin

“Just in Time,” a new musical about the “Mack the Knife” pop singer, will open next spring at Circle in the Square in Manhattan.

Jonathan Groff performed a concert version of the show, then called “The Bobby Darin Story,” in 2018 at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan. Credit Richard Termine

Jonathan Groff, who won his first Tony Award in June for starring in a hit revival of “Merrily We Roll Along,” will return to Broadway next spring to play Bobby Darin in a biomusical he has been developing for years.

The musical, “Just in Time,” is to begin previews March 28 and to open April 23 at Circle in the Square Theater in Midtown Manhattan. The theater, with its close approximation of an in-the-round experience, will be configured to accommodate an immersive nightclub-like staging, with a 16-person cast, an onstage big band, two stages and some cabaret-style seating.

The show began its life in 2018 at the 92nd Street Y as a five-performance concert called “The Bobby Darin Story,” and has been developed through a number of workshops. In an interview, Groff said he hadn’t been sure what to expect from that initial run, but that “it lit me up.”

“There is some sort of kinetic magic that happens with the live execution of his material,” said Groff, 39, who was also a Tony nominee for “Hamilton” (he played King George III) and “Spring Awakening” (his breakout role). He has worked extensively on television (“Glee,” “Looking” and “Mindhunter”) and reached global audiences with his voice work as Kristoff in Disney’s “Frozen” films.

Darin, a singer-songwriter whose pop career peaked in the 1950s and ’60s, is best known for the songs “Splish Splash,” “Mack the Knife” and “Beyond the Sea.” He suffered from a heart condition, and died at the age of 37.

“Dramatically he’s really interesting, because what do you do when your whole career is on borrowed time?” said the musical’s director, Alex Timbers, who won a Tony Award for directing “Moulin Rouge!” “His life was lived at high-octane speed. A woman he thought was his sister ended up being his mother. He went on a whole voyage into folk and pop and then decided he was a nightclub animal.”

The musical has a book by Warren Leight (a Tony winner for “Side Man”) and Isaac Oliver and will be choreographed by Shannon Lewis. The show was conceived by Ted Chapin, who wrote the initial script and produced it at the Y as part of that institution’s long-running Lyrics & Lyricists series.

“We all got invested and excited about the idea of telling his life story in this environment of a night club,” Groff said. “We’re playing with the genre of the biomusical, trying to find our own unique point of view and way into not only his story but also the genre itself. There’s a bit of experimentation happening here.”

The lead producers of “Just in Time” are Tom Kirdahy, Robert Ahrens and John Frost; the musical is being capitalized for up to $12.5 million, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

[feelingrestored]

Couples Challenge ( Daniel && Ciara )

note from the writer: with the inevitable on horizon (danny's breakup) I thought it'd be a cool concept to show you guys a glimpse of their relationship. Idk, I'm in my feels today. Big shout out to @itsyazmin for posting this cute lil couples challenge. read below if you want.

How’d you meet: As most the wrestling world knows, I was in a traumatic and very intense car accident in 2019 that broke both of my legs. Well, i basically had to learn how to walk again and miss grace, her mom, was my PT. Ciara brought her mom lunch that day.

First Date: It was at this small diner that I’m drawing a blank on the name but I never met someone who I just instantly connected with. Not just on a physical level but an emotional level, intellectual level, someone you can just never run out of things to talk about. Two more dates, and we were together.

How long have you been together: the accident was in January of 2019, I met her in March of 2019, we got together in April of 2019.

Married: Not yet 😅

Age difference: 2 years, 1 month, 10 days.

Who is older: She is

Who was interested first: ME! She was not feeling me at all. Took a lotta work!

Who is taller: I’m right at 6feet and she’s 5’7” so me but I don’t even really pay attention like that.

Who said I love you first: guilty as charged, I’m a romantic. i said it maybe a year into being together.

Most impatient: Her, this girl in med school with no patience … get it? anyone??

Most sensitive: I would say we’re both pretty sensitive but maybe her just a lil bit’ more.

Loudest: Neither. Quiet kid syndrome is in our DNA.

Most stubborn: oooh, me! It’s that buffalo energy.

Falls asleep first: she does, she the sleepiest girl I know.

Cooks better: we’re both absolutely terrible but we’re both very curious people so we look up TikTok recipes and just randomly be in the kitchen.

Better morning person: ain’t no morning people in this house. morning pets though.

Better driver: She is 😅😂

Most Competitive: ME!! WHATS UP? WHAT YOU TRYNA’ CHALLENGE ME IN? I’ll beat yo ass.

Funniest: I really think she’s funnier than me but she thinks I’m funnier so idk how to answer this one. I just say shit and people laugh.

Where do you eat out most as a couple?: Cane’s! 🤤🤤🤤

Who is more social?: Neither of us are overly social but between the two of us, she is more likely to warm up in a conversation quicker.

Who is the neat freak? It’s definitely her cause when I get home from the road?? I’m lazy as shit. I just had a chop fest with Shibata, what do you mean do the dishes??

Where was your first kiss?: It was outside of this club called Bottoms Up in Buffalo. Specifically, in her blue 2018 Nissan Rogue in the front seat.

How long did it take to get serious? - Not long at all!! I was hooked from the start, she was hooked from the 3rd month.

Who's indecisive?: I would say neither because we’re both people who just stand on business and mean what we say.

Who spends more?: Me 🤣 I’m a bad and boujee

Who is the first one to admit when they’re wrong?: 😅😅 uhhhh pass. (me)

Who has more tattoos? - She does. She has a planet writing on her ankle, four leaf clover behind her ear, hibiscus on her wrist, and initially Roman numeral on her other wrist.

Who sings better? - NOBODYYYY but I’m still hitting up your local karaoke bars with Mariah Carey’s greatest hits.

Who hogs the remote? - Me because lately I’ve been on my crime documentary bullshit.

Did you go to the same high school? - No, she would not have liked high school DG.

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together? - Spain

Who drives when you're going somewhere together? - Me cause again, she’s a sleepy girl.

[dahlia-shifts]

Introduction (NCT DR)

I promised I'll be making intros to my DRs, so let's start off with my Main DR ! I have not shifted to this DR yet, but it's the one I try to shift to almost every night and it's one of the two DRs that stay consistent in my scripts !

Time ratio : 1 Hour CR = 5 Months DR (I know it may seem like a lot, but I really want to experience as much as I can on each shift.

First shift : November, 2015. I will be shifting to the day I get picked to debut in NCT. The next couple of months will be filled with practicing and getting to know the members. I want to live through these moments, and not just remember them as memories. The morning of my first shift will be filled with my own training, going to vocal lessons, study sessions, since I don't attend school, and by the end of the day, I get called to a meeting, where I find out I'm set to debut with NCT.

Personal Info

Name : (CR name) ; Jung Soobin (Korean Name)

D.O.B : December 08, 2000

Age As Of First Shift : 14

Zodiac Sign : Sagittarius

Height : 150 cm (As Of First Shift)

Nationality : Korean-Bulgarian

Ethnicity : Slavic/Bulgarian

Idol Info

Stage Name : Dahlia

Training Period : Since early 2010

Positions : Main Dancer, Lead Vocalist, Lead Rapper, Face Of The Group, Maknae (127)

Debut : The 7th Sense (NCT U - April 09, 2016) ; Fire Truck (NCT 127 - July 10, 2016) ; Chewing Gum (NCT Dream - August 27, 2016)

Timeline

DEC.08.00

Born in Bulgaria.

2000-2005

Going to kindergarten in Bulgaria. My parents get promoted at their workplace, which requires us to move to Seoul, SK.

2005-2009

Going to public school, but not being able to make many friends. Getting bullied often, so taking up a hobby, which is dancing. I begin dancing every night to popular K-Pop songs in my room, and deciding that becoming an idol is my dream.

OCT.2009

I begin auditioning for SM, YG, JYP, but am continuously rejected for being too young, not being able to sing and rap. I go to every audition I can, which my family soon finds out about. I get scolded a lot afterwards, but I decide to prove everyone wrong, so I begin training in my room to sing and rap.

DEC.2009

I decide to audition for SM Ent. one last time. The judges already know me by then. They give me one last chance, and after a lot of mumbling from their side, they tell me they will call me soon.

JAN.2010

I begin training under SM Ent. There aren't many trainees my age, so I befriend older trainees, which are Sehun (EXO), Johnny (NCT), Irene (Red Velvet). Soon after I begin training, my family informs me that they will be moving back to Bulgaria, where my older brother can receive better higher education there, so I am left alone in Seoul. They tell me to come with them, but becoming an Idol is my dream, so I refuse, to which they get furious, and tell me never to contact them ever again.

2011-2012

I become great friends with Yeri (Red Velvet) and we train together, aligned for the same group. We are roommates, so we become good friends the moment she becomes a trainee. I've gone no contact with my family, aside from my aunt, uncle and cousin. I also befriend Mark (NCT), but we get close due to me not being able to speak good Korean and communicating in English instead (same situation with Johnny). He helps me improve both my English, and my Korean.

The rest of the years leading up to my debut are honestly kind of boring but some key moments are :

Not debuting with Yeri

Becoming the greatest friends with Donghyuck/Haechan (NCT), which we still are to this day

Dating History

Vernon ( Seventeen ) May 19 2017 - January 11, 2018, 8 months Age Difference : 2 years Reason for break up : Falling off, companies finding out.

Juyeon (The Boyz) October 16 2018 until August 15 2019, almost 10 months Age Difference : 2 years Reason for break up : He was cheating on me

Taeyong (NCT) February 10 2020-January 10 2021; March 11 2021 - ongoing Age Difference : 5 years Reason for a break : Fans speculating our relationship, so we didn't know how they would react if they were proven right, so we decided to take a break

[autistic-sidestep]

witness me trying to cull the regene related asks down to the useful ones by summarizing any new info i found lol. avoided this one so long cos there were so many of them ;___; list ahoy under the cut

Regenes are given codes and codenames (08 may 2018)

regene rights (09 may 2018)

industrial tattoos (03 june 2018)

blugenes colourrange (16 aug 2018)

regenes get older + organic bodies (20 sept 2018)

cyborg definition (10 nov 2018)

ai minds clarification, genitech can't build minds (11 nov 2018)

regenes have genitals (12 nov 2018)

regene making process (12 nov 2018)

emp shielding AI chips (12 nov 2018)

regene enhanced power classes (15 nov 2018)

regenes have unique faces (21 nov 2018)

periods (25 nov 2018)

regene numbers/nicknames (26 nov 2018)

development in other countries? (27 nov 2018)

regene making process (1-3 years) (03 dec 2018)

reconditioning (13 dec 2018)

organic? transplants patents etc (15 dec 2018)

general regene literacy training, handlers (15 dec 2018)

regene culture nicknames (15 dec 2018)

install regene ai chips in humans? (18 dec 2018)

teenager decant (18 dec 2018)

lifespan? kia too early to test (22 dec 2018)

specific decanting teenage range 14-15 (22 dec 2018)

regene bonding (25 dec 2018)

regene vulcan culture (25 dec 2018)

organic brains but need need ai chip (28 dec 2018)

pain (28 dec 2018)

no chip swapping between regenes (28 dec 2018)

higher calorie intake than humans (boost-related) (7 jan 2019)

regenes can get sick (08 jan 2019)

tattoo design styles are the same, patterns and colours differ (10 jan 2019)

tat barcodes (10 jan 2019)

why not make them identical? (17 jan 2019)

programmed life skills (21 jan 2019)

few hundred regenes (01 feb 2019)

nails eyelashes nails grow (04 feb 2019)

lifespan studies? (11 feb 2019)

viability > "minor imperfections" (16 feb 2019)

hacking/captcha pass (28 march 2019)

lowlight vision regene eyeshine (27 apr 2019)

healing others (more a boost q) (03 may 2019)

regenes have fingerprints/sometimes removed (04 may 2019)

step's batchmates (05 may 2019)

bellybuttons (16 may 2019)

overwhelmed etsy store production (01 jun 2019)

regene book 3 topic (21 jun 2019)

regene death, avo'd (21 jun 2019),

androids? (02 jul 2019)

family units/parent regenes? (15 jul 2019)

sib relationships (any relationships outside teams discouraged) (15 jul 2019)

cuckoos and human mission working (unaware) (15 jul 2019)

cuckoo solo operatives (15 jul 2019)

can have extra organs/limbs (presumably via boosting) (21 jul 2019)

seeded with boost drug in tube stage (01 aug 2019)

ai chips counteract the vegetable brain growth speed issue (01 aug 2019)

cancer, boost drug casualties  (01 aug 2019)

ranger interactions (01 aug 2019)

high maintenance (01 aug 2019)

control mechanisms (15 aug 2019)

rebirth regene team age/older ones trusted on us soil (18 aug 2019)

thought-voids feeling (24 aug 2019)

sex and pronouns (16 sept 2019)

boost-related miscarriage/procedures to prevent procreation (30 sept 2019)

fully compatible w/ human germs/disease (29 oct 2019)

power stacking (30 oct 2019)

training templates (25 nov 2019)

handler knowledge of sibling bonds? (25 nov 2019)

codename designated by handlers (25 nov 2019)

handler favourites (25 nov 2019)

mod augmenting powers (25 nov 2019)

regene:handler ratio (avo'd) (25 nov 2019)

selfawareness/autonomy (25 nov 2019)

reggies. (25 nov 2019)

legal classification (03 dec 2019)

finch giving step psych meds? (avo'd) (05 dec 2019)

10% survival -> 10% useful (1%) (08 dec 2019)

regene power scale? (10 dec 2019)

regene v rangers: step's opinion (10 dec 2019)

friendly regenes characters? (11 dec 2019)

tattoo process (14 dec 2019)

brain chip size (18 dec 2019)

tracking chips (19 dec 2019)

on regene vs human boosts (22 dec 2019)

farm makes all kinds of regenes (27 dec 2019)

some premature aging (30 dec 2020)

double dipping (05 jan 2020)

aiming for more reliable process, some progress but still a crapshoot (06 jan 2020)

bellybuttons (placental organ) birthmarks (20 jan 2020)

power maturity/corrections/ai chip surgical insertion at neck #VERY USEFUL(31 jan 2020)

ai chip can't be removed (or....?) (31 jan 2020)

kill switch standard issue(31 jan 2020)

decanting/training/etc process timeline stages (31 jan 2020)

"supposedly sterile" (04 feb 2020) (contradictory?)

rebirth regene (farm not above doing frankenstein arms but mods easier. um.) (15 feb 2020)

powers important for viability >>> minor "defects" (18 feb 2020)

research centres (20 feb 2020)

tattoo meanings? weren't codified at the time (20 feb 2020)

vaccines for abroad deployment!!! + germ susceptibility (23 feb 2020)

morality is for handlers (28 feb 2020)

regenes sweat (11 apr 2020)

chip reboot (16 apr 2020)

[can-of-pringles]

My headcanon AU ages for the Papas and Sister Imperator

(updated July 7 because i noticed some inconsistencies) Now that I've watched the movie, I felt like I should try to put down my personal timeline, mainly for my fanfic I would like to clarify. Math is not my strong suit, but I'm going to try to piece it together.

Warnings for Rite Here Rite Now spoilers!

Papa Nihil: He died in 2020, and in the movie, I think he said that he was "almost 80 years old"? So he probably died at 79 ish in 2020? That means he was probably born in 1941. (Also another headcanon of mine but not necessarily related to this post, is that Nihil grew up estranged from the Ministry, not even knowing about his father apparently being Papa. What if in the Dance Macabre video, Sister Imperator was specifically trying to look for him to bring him back to the Ministry, to continue the Papa role. Because I always imagined she'd been involved with the Ministry just as long if not longer than Nihil.)

Sister Imperator: I think the method I used before didn't work so I'm going to try something else. I'm putting her year as... 1944. So she's closer in age to Nihil. Because it has to line up more in order for her to have brought him back to the ministry. She would've been around 79 when she died.

Papa Primo: He died in March 2018, as the eldest sibling. I think I'm going with Papa Nihil being 16 when he was born. Primo would've been born in 1957. He would've been 13 when Secondo was born. And 13/14 when Terzo was born. 22 when Copia was born. He would've been 61 when he died, which isn't as old as people have been considering but I'm trying to keep the movie in mind. All the stress of being the eldest brother got to him and caused him to prematurely age /hj

Papa Secondo: I think he was born in late 1970, which means Nihil would've been about 29. Secondo was 9 when Copia was born. He would've been 48 when he died.

Papa Terzo: Now the Ghostpedia puts him and Secondo as "three months apart" but I'm not sure if I want to stick with that or not. If I do, then I think I'm putting him born in January 1971. Nihil would've been 29-30. Terzo was 10 when Copia was born. He was about 47 when he died.

Papa Copia/Frater Imperator: In my AU he was born July 7, 1979. (I'm moving up the Go-Goat incident slightly) Which would have put Sister at 35 when she had him (we're not going to address the other part of the movie for now) and Nihil would've been 38?

Sorry for all the updates, like I said math and timelines are tricky for me.

[nodirectionhome-ao3]

I completely agree with everything you have been saying. As a Gen z myself I am sickened by my own generation's actions. I want to find the person who shot him in the ear and throttle him for missing. My only hope is that he does before getting sworn in. If not I'm getting out of this country. How can rights that have existed for more decades be erased? It's been 50 years since women were given the right to have their own credit card. My grandma still remembers life before that. My mom was born a decade prior to it going into effect. I get why some people don't like Kamala but the fact that they are completely fine voting for trump is sickening.

Yeah, I'm Gen Z too (I think? Born in '99 so I'm on the cusp) and it's soul crushing because I thought that growing up the way we have with the constant threat of gun violence in our schools was making us less conservative than our parents. Call me naive but I looked at the rise of March For Our Lives in 2018 and the elections of people like Maxwell Frost in FL (which, btw, isn't talked about enough; massive shoutout to everyone in the FL-10 who voted to elect him the first time and reelect him this week) and I believed what people were saying about Gen Z being the hope for the future and whatever whatever blah blah blah. That hope has substantially decreased over the past year, with seeing the rise of Joe Rogan fans and all that bullshit. But even then, I don't have TikTok and I rarely go on Instagram or Twitter these days so I didn't fully grasp the magnitude of the right wing shift among Gen Z until Tuesday. Again, call me naive. But I missed it.

So yeah, I'm with you. My parents had kids later in life so they're older than most peoples' my age and have absolutely told me throughout my life about the kinds of things they lived through, witnessed, and experienced. My mom very much remembers life before Roe v. Wade. My dad grew up in Texas when it was still segregated. They know and intimately remember and have talked about the America that Trump and his people want to send us back to. (or have already sent us back to, in the case of Roe). My grandparents have sadly all passed away, but my grandfathers both fought in WWII and I'm sure if they were here they could explain what Trump's mass deportation plan is reminiscent of. It's not the distant past. And it really, really shouldn't be our future. I am sickened too.

I don't know what the answers are, but we do have to find a way to reckon with this right-wing shift among people our age and find out what the hell we do about it. And, again, call me naive; but I do want to believe there's still hope for us. Trump won a decisive victory, but it wasn't a Ronald Reagan landslide, which my mom faced around my age. It wasn't a Nixon blowout like my dad faced. I'm not in any way trying to be trite or minimize or diminish how awful this feels. There needs to be a major reckoning. But I know too many young people who do care and did vote and volunteer and work for Kamala to throw in the towel on this generation entirely.

[ingek73]

Guns and lies

US elections 2024

How Tim Walz went from NRA favorite to ‘straight Fs’ on gun rights

In Congress, Walz was endorsed by gun rights advocates. But after the Parkland shooting, he changed his tone

Cecilia Nowell

Fri 9 Aug 2024 14.00 BST

Supported by

Cal Wellness for Guns

At his first rally as Kamala Harris’s running mate Tuesday, Minnesota’s governor, Tim Walz, invoked an issue at the forefront of many Americans’ minds: the right “for our children to be free to go to school without worrying they’ll be shot dead in their classrooms”.

But Walz wasn’t always a fierce advocate against gun violence. The evolution of the vice-presidential candidate, who once boasted an A rating from the NRA, shows the growing relevance of gen Z voters, who’ve grown up amid a surge in mass shootings in the US and are enthusiastically backing Harris.

“Gun violence is the number one killer of our generation, meaning we can’t afford anything less than leaders who will prioritize basic gun safety,” Timberlyn Mazeikis, a gun violence survivor and volunteer leader with Students Demand Action from Minnesota, said in a joint statement issued by Everytown for Gun Safety, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action supporting Walz yesterday.

Kamala Harris And Running Mate Tim Walz Make First Appearance Together In Philadelphia<br>PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - AUGUST 6: Democratic presidential candidate, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz appear on stage together during a campaign event at Girard College on August 6, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Harris ended weeks of speculation about who her running mate would be, selecting the 60-year-old midwestern governor over other candidates. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The Tim Walz cheat sheet: 10 things to know about Harris’s VP pick

Read more

Elected to the US House of Representatives in 2007, Walz was long beloved by gun rights advocates. The National Rifle Association endorsed and donated to his campaigns, giving him an A rating. In 2016 Guns & Ammo magazine included him on its list of top 20 politicians for gun owners.

That wasn’t terribly surprising. Walz was representing a rural red Minnesota district and had grown up at a time and place where guns were popular for hunting – not mass shootings.

“I grew up in a small town, [so] I’d put my shotgun in my car, or at school or in the football locker, to go pheasant hunting afterwards,” he told Pod Save America last month. “But we weren’t getting shot in school.”

That all changed after the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland, Florida, he has said.

In a 2018 video March for Our Lives co-founder and Parkland survivor David Hogg reshared on X last month, Walz recounts his then teenage daughter Hope approaching him in the days after the shooting: “Dad, you’re the only person I know who’s in elected office, you need to stop what’s happening with this.”

“For me, it was both a reckoning and an embarrassment,” he told Pod Save America, recalling that the children killed at Sandy Hook elementary school would have been his son’s age.

Two weeks later, while campaigning for governor, Walz authored an op-ed in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, where he called the NRA “the biggest single obstacle to passing the most basic measures to prevent gun violence in America”. He went on to say that he’d donated the $18,000 the organization had donated to his past campaigns and wouldn’t accept NRA contributions in the future. He noted that he was currently co-sponsoring a “bump stocks” ban and came out in support of an assault weapons ban.

As Minnesota governor, Walz has signed wide-ranging gun safety measures into law, most notably a 2023 law including universal background checks and a “red flag law” (which allows state officials to temporarily seize the firearms of someone a court has ruled may be dangerous to themselves or others).

This year, Walz called for Minnesota lawmakers to go even further, asking them to support measures that would require safe firearm storage, better reporting of lost and stolen guns, and harsher penalties for “straw buyers” (those who purchase firearms for others who cannot legally have them). Since then, he’s signed legislation that prohibits automatic weapon modification devices and collects data on gun crime.

Walz remains an enthusiastic hunter – something he’s emphasized in previous campaigns and makes him something of an everyman.

“There’s a vision to reduce gun violence with absolutely no infringement on those who lawfully own guns, to use them for things that many of us cherish,” he told reporters in Bloomington, Minnesota, last week.

Gun safety advocates have already come out in support of his candidacy, including the gun violence prevention organization founded by former congresswoman and gun violence survivor Gabby Giffords (who joined Walz in Minnesota in 2023 when he signed the state’s universal background checks into law).

“As governor, Tim did what others called impossible, passing background checks and extreme risk protection laws in Minnesota with a slim gun safety majority,” Giffords said. “It wasn’t easy, but he got it done with hard work and effective leadership. His work as governor has saved lives, and I know that will continue when he is vice-president.”

Harris’s campaign, which has already drawn great support from gen Z voters and gun violence prevention advocates, has called for an assault weapons ban, universal background checks and red flag laws. Last month, the NRA called her “an existential threat to the second amendment”.

That doesn’t seem to bother Walz. “I had an A rating from the NRA. Now I get straight F’s,” he tweeted last month. “And I sleep just fine.”

[scotianostra]

Happy Birthday Scottish actress Dawn Steele.

Born as Dawn Anne Nolan in Glasgow on December 11th 1975 in Glasgow, the family moved to Milton of Campsie at the foot of the Campsie Fells, north of the city in 1982, she attended nearby Kilsyth High School before going on to the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

Dawn picked up bit parts in Highlander: The Raven TV series and the film The Debt Collector before getting her big break in the excellent BBC Scotland dram series Tinsel Town, after this she got arguably the part she is best known for as Alexandra “Lexie” MacDonald in Monarch of the Glen. Dawn went on to appear in the paranormal series Sea of Souls before joining the cast of Wild at Heart in series 4 right through to series 7 when it ended.

We next saw Dawn pop up in the brilliant Case Histories, set in Edinburgh before heading back west to join the popular Scottish Soap River City as doctor Annie Jandhu in 2015. Dawn left the show in 2018, citing the travelling was causing her to miss seeing her daughter grow up, she turned 11 this year.

On leaving the show in an interview she said she was open to doing another soap and mentioned Casualty and EastEnders as being attractive possibilities, well Casualty’s “sister” show Holby City came calling and it wasn’t long until she joined the cast of the hospital “soap” as Angel “Ange” Godard, a consultant general surgeon, she has now racked up 128 appearances in the show, which was cancelled and ended in March this year.

Dawn lives with her hubby Paul Blair, in the seaside town of Whitstable on the Kent coast and enjoys swimming regularly in the sea there. She was recently back in Scotland filming the new BBC detective series Granite Harbour, set in Aberdeen, Dawn plays DCI Cora MacMillan. While it was nice to see some shots of Aberdeen I think the show was a bit of a dud, I really can’t see there being a second series, if you are looking for a show like Shetland, this falls way short of that. Unfortunately for Dawn the interior scenes for the show were shot in a Glasgow studio, which left her disappointed that she didn’t get the chance to film in Aberdeen.

“I was quite jealous when everyone else went up, because I love Aberdeen. I rehearsed for a tour of Tutti Frutti at His Majesty’s Theatre and then we opened the show there, so I spent eight weeks in the city. I also filmed a film, Marionette, there, so I got to know it well. It can be so beautiful and it’s nice to see it on the screen again.”

Steele knew from a young age that acting was where her future lay. “I started off with dancing and I was in drama clubs from when I was young. I was part of Kirkintilloch Players from when I was 10 or 11.

However Dawn did say she enjoyed filming in her hometown of Glasgow, taking the opportunity to catch up with friends and family, as well as reconnect with familiar faces within the industry.

“I will always work in Scotland,” she says. “I love it because it is home and I know everyone. It is nice because you walk onto a set and there are so many crew who have been part of your life over the years – our lighting guy Stuart was on Monarch of the Glen with me.”

Of late Dawn was on the TV series Granite Harbour, cop show set in Aberdeen and the latest Shetland series with Ashley Jensen.

[jules-has-notes]

Aca Top 10: 80s Cartoon Themes — VoicePlay music video

The VoicePlay boys might technically be grown-ups, but they'll always be big kids at heart. So for their first "Aca Top 10" countdown of the year, they decided to revisit the joy of Saturday mornings spent in front of the TV with bowls of sugary cereal. Everybody sing along!

Details:

title: Aca Top 10 — 80s Cartoon Themes

original songs / performers: "La La Song" by the cast of The Smurfs (1981); [0:18] Inspector Gadget (1983) theme song; [0:35] Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987) theme by Chuck Lorre; [0:57] Scooby-Doo theme by Larry Marks; [1:16] G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (1983) theme; [1:36] Adventures of the Gummi Bears (1985) theme by Joseph Williams; [2:03] Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (1989) theme by Jeff Pescetto; [2:24] My Little Pony (1986) theme; [2:34] "JEM – Truly, Truly, Truly Outrageous" by the singing cast of Jem and the Holograms (1985); [2:55] The Transformers (1984) theme; [3:14] "DuckTales" by Jeff Pescetto for DuckTales (1987)

written by: "La La Song" by Hoyt Curtin; Inspector Gadget theme by Shuki Levy & Haim Saban; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme by Dennis C. Brown & Chuck Lorre; Scooby-Doo (1969) theme by David Mook & Ben Raleigh; The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries (1984) theme by Hoyt Curtin; G.I. Joe theme by Ford Kinder & Spencer Michlin; Adventures of the Gummi Bears theme by Michael & Patty Silversher; Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers theme by Mark Mueller; My Little Pony theme by Ford Klinder, Anne Bryant, & Barry Harman; "JEM – Truly, Truly, Truly Outrageous" by Barry Harman; The Transformers theme by Ford Kinder & Anne Bryant; "DuckTales" by Mark Mueller

arranged by: VoicePlay

release date: 30 March 2018

My favorite bits:

kicking things off with an extra dramatic fanfare

Layne's incredible ratchet sound and miming for the safe's lock dial in the Inspector Gadget theme

Earl giving an excellent Dr. Claw impression

the couch trio doing enthusiastic karate chops at the air 🥷 🐢

J.None taking over the bass line while Geoff sings lead

Layne making the pew-pew noises of the G.I. Joe lasers

Eli, Earl, and J delighting in how springy the couch cushions are at the start of the Gummi Bears theme

Layne and J crooning ♫ "my little brony" ♫ at Geoff while he scowls until he can't resist smiling anymore 🐎

Earl half-heartedly protesting at Eli and J singing the Misfits' part of the Jem! theme whlie he's wearing their signature colors / print

all the electronic-sounding elements they added to the Transformers theme

♫ "here in… Duckburg" ♫ ::quack:: 🦆

Gotta get in a bell chord somewhere, and that's a very good spot.

finishing on a joyful ♫ "Woo-ooo!" ♫

Eli quietly playing with a Transformer and Earl's enthusiastic "Cowabunga, dude!" in the outro

Trivia:

○ This was the first full-length video released on VoicePlay's YouTube channel in 2018. They started the year with a short video of "Happy Birthday", in between two collaborations they had recorded the previous fall that are on other channels — "Waving Through a Window" with Kurth Hugo Schneider, and "Look What You Made Me Do" with pocket.watch.

○ According to their replies to some YouTube comments, there was quite a debate about which songs to include or not, and "Thunder Cats was about a 2 hour argument. Shoes were thrown." 😆

○ Despite being very recognizable as The Smurfs theme, the version of the "La La Song" with lyrics was only used for the show's opening credits during season 2 in the U.S. However, an instrumental version was used for the closing credits from then on.

○ At least one of the guys came by his martial arts moves honestly. Eli studied karate from age six until he was sixteen.

○ For the Scooby-Doo theme, VoicePlay combined the original 1969 song from Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? (which was still airing in reruns) with some jazzier elements from the 1984 New Scooby Doo Mysteries opening.

○ The silliness in the YouTube description for this one is another misheard lyric — "JIM is truly outrageous / Truly Truly Truly outrageous / Woh oh oh JIM - JIM!!!" // "That's such a weird song. Who the heck is Jim anyway..?"

○ The guys' shirts reflect some of their childhood favorites:

Eli — Scrooge McDuck from DuckTales half-buried in the gold pile in his money vault with the inscription "living the dream"

Earl — Ultimate Warrior (WWF / WWE) facepaint, sort of referencing Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling, though the show was cancelled before that character could appear; bonus charteuse zebra-print leggings for The Misfits from Jem! and the Holograms

J.None — face masks of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (which aired into the mid-90s for the younger guy)

Geoff — Autobot mask symbol from The Transformers

Layne — Rainbow Dash from My Little Pony (a slight cheat with a character from the 2010s series, but probably inspired by one or more of his daughters). I cannot for the life of me figure out where that specific design came from, but I found a couple close-ish approximations.

○ Layne posted some videos of both the final rehearsal and cleanup process on his Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Layne Stein (@laynestein)

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A post shared by Layne Stein (@laynestein)

Those light diffusers can be a handful.

[skz-jieun]

Get To Know Me ✨

🌸⚪🌸⚪🌸⚪🌸⚪🌸⚪🌸⚪🌸⚪🌸⚪

+ about

#stage name - jieun {CHEE-Un} #birth name - elizabeth ki #birth name meaning - 'elizabeth' is of old hebrew origin, meaning 'gods promise' #korean name - ki jieun #birthday - march 6th, 2001 #birthplace - rey, east sussex, england #hometown - rey, england & seoul, south korea #nationality - british-korean #ethnicity - british-korean #languages - english (native), korean (fluent), mandarin (conversational/learning), japanese (learning), spanish (learning), thai (learning) #MBTI - ENFP (the campaigner) #representative emoji - 🐯/🐅 #skzoo character - jiger (jieun & tiger) #zodiac - pisces | #chinese zodiac - horse

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+ appearance

#look alike - isa, member of stayc #natural hair color - blonde #natural hair type - curly #eye color - dark brown #height - 165cm (5'4'') #blood type - AB+ (Ro subtype) #dominant hand - left hand (ambidextrous) #special features - She has broad shoulders & a thin waist, natural blonde hair & double eyelids #birthmarks - not notable #scars - she has a scar on her right foot from a surgery (ganglion cyst); she has a scar on her left ear lobe from ripped out jewelry; both her palms have slight scars from performance props #modifications - coming soon

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+ career

#occupations - dance (100%), vocal (100%), produce (90%), songwriting (90%), rap (60%) #positions - dancer, vocalist, rapper (added 2020), producer (added 2020), songwriter (added 2020) #racha - VocalRacha, unofficial 3Racha & DanceRacha #company - JYP Entertainment (2009-present) #training period - 9 years (2009-2017) #group debut - March 25th, 2018 #debut age - 17 years (internationally) #years active - 6 years (2017-present) #associations - JYP Entertainment, Stray Kids, Sixteen, Twice

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+ statistics

vocals: 9/10 rap: 8/10 dance: 10/10 acting: 6/10 variety: 6/10 modeling: 8/10 songwriting: 10/10 producing: 8/10

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+ health

#mental - she suffers from insomnia; she had symptoms of an eating disorder at the end of 2020 #physical - jieun struggles with epilepsy #phobia - monophobia (fear of being alone) & aquaphobia/thalassophobia (fear of water/deep water) #allergy - Not known.

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+ personal

#strengths - curious, perceptive, enthusiastic, excellent communicator, festive, good-natured #weaknesses - people-pleasing, unfocused, disorganized, overly accommodating, overly optimistic, restless #talents - being an all-rounder, learning fast/easier (especially languages), aerial arts, perfect pitch #hobbies - dancing, learning languages, spending time with friends & members, making music, trying new things #likes - getting lost in music, the smell of fresh grass, spring, cuddling & skinship, mochis, trying new dances with DanceRacha, cherry blossoms, animals, STAY, true crime documentaries, trying new things, dancing in the rain, producing with 3Racha, giving love, Café & vocal lesson dates with VocalRacha #dislikes - animal cruelty, discrimination, feeling left out, being underestimated, extreme mukbangs, the smell of lemon, haters, doing nothing, leaving stuff undecorated, celebrities taking money for pictures & autographs, the taste of coconuts, holding a grudge, arguing

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Hey, thanks for giving this post your time and I hope you will enjoy my stories. I appreciate you 💗

One day you will thank yourself for not giving up.

Disclaimer: All the pictures are from Pinterest and are not mine. Credit to the owners. © skz-jieun - all rights reserved. do not copy, repost, or translate my work on Tumblr or other platforms.

[luke-r-gillespie]

May 23 - Osaka / Kaiyukan Aquarium (Freeday) + Media Reflection

Freewriting

Today was another (and our final) full free day! It was a little unideal to have our two free days in Kyoto on days two and four in Kyoto, but it is what it is. I of course took full advantage of this opportunity to sleep in until 10 (I know, crazy stuff!) After rousing from my slumber, I ate two croissants (purchased from family mart yesterday,) before getting ready to head to Osaka with Zachary, Griffin, and Noah. Leaving the hotel, no one was super eager to navigate to Osaka, so I offered (rookie mistake on all of our parts to be honest.) I lacked the insight to find the aquarium's official name (Kaiyukan Aquarium) and assumed that Osaka Aquarium would be sufficient (it was not.) After about two hours of train rides, while waiting for our bus to "Osaka Aquarium," Noah decided to double check our destination and it turns out that "Osaka Aquarium" is a pet store about an hour away (by train) from the actual aquarium (oops.)

So, after catching ANOTHER train we arrived on the correct island and grabbed food in a shopping mall (which was probably the coolest mall I have ever been in) before heading into the aquarium. The island itself was super cool and had way more to do than just the aquarium, but we kept our eyes on the prize.

We split up in the mall and Zachary and I went to a beef place while Noah and Griffin decided on Wendy's. The restaurant we ate at was called ビフテキ (Beef Teki) and it was delicious (I have attached an image to rub it in!)

After eating, we finally went to the aquarium (roughly three and a half hours after out initial departure from Kyoto.) The aquarium was amazing (best aquarium I have ever been to hands down.) The standouts for me were definitely the penguins and whale sharks, although the seals doing tricks were also pretty cool.

We spent about two full hours exploring the aquarium before catching a few trains back to Kyoto (the journey back took significantly less time, I was not the one navigating.)

After getting back to Stay SAKURA, I chilled out for twenty minutes before grabbing dinner at a little place around the corner with Griffin and Zachary. No picture this time as I was pretty hungry and inhaled my food. It is now 10 and I plan on watching some TV for a little before getting an early night, as our meeting tomorrow is at 8:10 (meaning I will be waking up at 7:10.) Overall another eventful and fun free day in Kyoto!

Independent Excursion: Media Reflection (Jujutsu Kaisen & Kaiyukan Aquarium)

Jujutsu Kaisen is an extremely popular Japanese manga series (with an equally popular anime adaptation) written and illustrated by Gege Akutami. The series has been serialized in the popular weekly manga magazine, Shonen Jump since March of 2018. As of May 26 of this year, the well received manga has 261 chapters and is currently ongoing. Since 2020, Jujutsu Kaisen has been in the top four of Shonen Jump's most popular serializations, only losing out to One Piece for the first place spot for the past two years (2022 & 2023.)

I am a huge fan of Jujutsu Kaisen and after seeing Kaiyukan Aquarium and its iconic whale sharks be beautifully depicted in chapter 70 of the manga (as well as Season 2 episode 3 of the anime,) I knew this was a location that I had to visit while I was in Japan.

The section of the "Hidden Inventory" story arc that depicts Osaka, follows the main cast as they travel to Osaka to rescue a kidnapped character. Despite Jujutsu Kaisen being a Shonen series and centering around a fictious power system called "cursed energy," the series depictions of locations in Japan (such as all of Shibuya and much of Osaka) are extremely accurate. Much of the Japanese culture depicted in the show (by the high school and older aged characters) is also authentic to what I have experienced in my time here. After spending two weeks in Tokyo and two weeks in Kyoto, it is clear to me that Gege Akutami inserts his fictional characters into nonfiction settings. Perhaps this is a part of why his series is so successful in Japan, as well as in other countries.

Within the Osaka and Kaiyukan Aquarium sections of the Jujutsu Kaisen story, Riko Amanai is enjoying her final day of life with her new friends before she is to be absorbed (which is most likely to lead to her death) for the good of Japan and the world (within the world of the series obviously.) While walking in the aquarium and gazing at the whale sharks, she has an epiphany about how large the world is and how little of it she has actually seen up to this point. This ultimately leads to her making the decision that she wants to keep on living and see more of what the world has to offer. Below is the two page spread of Amanai walking past the whale sharks tank.

While in Japan, I have had a similar realization. Japan has totally changed my world view and opened my eyes up to how people live in other parts of the world. Prior to this trip, I had only traveled within Europe and the United States and all of the countries that I had visited had similar ideals to the United States and were set up in a similar way. Japan is the first major departure from this that I have experienced myself and it makes me excited about what else the world has to offer. Having struggled with my own mental health in the past, I relate to Amani's epiphany in seeing the beauty of things that were before, unbeknownst to oneself.

While at Kaiyukan Aquarium, I searched for the exact location of the manga panel that I previously mentioned. While I could not recreate the exact shot, I am still happy with the level of accuracy Gege Akutami provided within his work.

The vibe and feeling of the aquarium were dead on, aside from Amani being the only one there in the manga, as it was quite busy when I went (however, this is not an issue in the anime.) I would certainly say that Jujutsu Kaisen provided a reasonable depiction of the real world location, with almost no slippage between the media and reality.

[the-rainbow-lesbian]

"After her defiant speech at the pro-Israel vigil earlier this month went viral, a man came up to her in the street and told her that, now she was speaking up for Jewish people, killing her would be justified within Islam. “He said my blood was halal which means they believe they have divine permission to take my life,” she tell me. “My sin is Zionism.”"

"Vahid Beheshti, has been protesting outside the Foreign Office for 10 months, in an effort to get the British government to prescribe the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation. Recently, he started flying an Israeli flag alongside his Persian one. One Saturday, as a pro-Palestinian demonstration marched past, someone took his Israeli flag — and as he gave chase he was warned he would be beheaded. The man who is alleged to have made the threat was later arrested by police and found to have a knife on him."

"“They want to kill everyone who is a non-believer,” adds Vahid, who escaped Iran 24 years ago. “They believe they will go to heaven for doing it. That is their mentality.” He is dedicated to raising awareness of the brutality of the IRGC and its proxies, which include Hamas and Hezbollah. Citing how Iran and Hezbollah are accused of the 1994 bombing of a Jewish Centre in Argentina that killed 85 people, he says the brutality of the events of October 7 did not surprise him. “In Iran girls and boys are raped too, people are kidnapped or go ‘missing’ all the time. Torture is one of their tools; they cut off the fingers of people. In the past year alone more than 80 children under the age of 17 have been shot dead.”"

"In 1948, the year that Israel was established, there were 150,000 Jews living in Iran. It was one of the few countries in the Middle East not to throw out all its Jews. But as tensions between Islamicists and the more tolerant Shah loyalists grew throughout the Seventies, Jews started to leave. Then came the 1979 revolution, in which Ayatollah Khomeini took over, triggering a mass exodus of Jews. Today, there are just 10,000 in the country.

The longing Persian Jews retain for their former home is depicted brilliantly in the recent Israeli-American television show Tehran, starring the Iranian-Israeli actress and singer Liraz Charhi. Her family fled Iran in the Seventies, after being forced to read the Koran. But long before October 7, Liraz discovered that she can speak to people in the country she has never been allowed to visit. (Iran, like many other Middle Eastern countries, bans people with Israeli passports.) After falling in love with Persian music, she decided to write her first album in Farsi. “Many people thought I was mad,” she tells me. But after its release in 2018, it became a huge hit in Iran. “An Iranian DJ started to play my music and people would send me videos of them taking their veils off and dancing.” Her most recent album was secretly made in Turkey with Iranian musicians who had to remain nameless for their safety.

When Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, and five members of Liraz’s husband’s family were killed at Kibbutz Be’eri, she was inundated with messages from new Iranian friends. “Last year we suffocated from this madness when Jina Amini and the others were murdered in cold blood in our homeland,” Another says: “99% of Iranians are supporting Israel and all of your people in this difficult moment. We stand with you.”"