#national book development board

[jeffreybower]

Your Week in Books #19

The Philippine Book Festival, Jeremy Renner, James Baldwin, and OpenAI in this week’s edition Continue reading Your Week in Books #19

[thatboypeeju]

I ATTENDED MY FIRST PHILIPPINE BOOK FESTIVAL! 📚✨

This is probably one of the happiest I've been as of recent. Buhay na buhay ang literaturang Pilipino sa PBF 2024. Kung mayaman lang ako pinakyaw ko na mga paninda nila. Grabe! Ang sarap sarap mabuhay sa panahon na may laya tayong magbasa, matuto, at ipagdiwang ang sining ng pagsusulat, pagguhit at paglikha. Sana mas marami pang kababayan natin ang maabot ng mga pistang tulad nito.

Today, not only did I get to go on a friendly date with a good college friend of mine, but I also got to buy books and artworks from local writers and artists, attend seminars, watch shows, see fellow book club members, eat good food, document life as it happens, and just have some downtime from work to really live life. I needed this, and I'm glad I attended. This is what life should be about.

Maraming salamat po sa lahat ng taong nagtulong-tulong sa pag-organisa ng PBF 2024 at sa lahat ng publishers, manunulat, mangguguhit, at mga maliliit na taong bumubuo nito. You are doing an important work. 🌻

[shainnehost]

The Philippine Book Festival is happening this 2023!

The Philippine Book Festival is the largest traveling book festival in the Philippines! Happening on June 2-4, 2023 at the World Trade Center Metro Manila and on August 18-20, 2023 in SMX Davao. See you there!

[inkskinned]

in the time loop the only way out is to leave her there but you don't ever leave her there, never in the roughly one thousand years you have been in the same day. it is probably like "50 first dates" but you haven't stooped so low as to watch "50 first dates" yet. (but who is to say what another thousand years of the same media will bring to you, maybe you will develop a new taste).

you spent about 200 of these years sulking in a bathtub or on the couch or staring at the seaside. 300 of them have been spent slowly mapping the geographical distance you can actually get before the time loop restarts. you have a list of favorite places: one library in Western Massachusetts called "The Bookmill", which has weird hours and has never raised an eyebrow to you arriving out-of-breath and panting, asking to see a specific book on a specific shelf. There is one beach without a name in North Carolina; it is an accident of geography and ownership title disputes - and it is pristine, untouched, warm and cozy. you've taken her on a lot of picnics there. Acadia National Park. One specific birdhouse in the mountains.

you were stuck in the time loop with the money you entered it with: not enough to rent a private jet. you've robbed a bank a few times, you don't like the way it ends. maybe next century you'll get the hang of it. you don't like the look on her face when you say hang on i have to stop at the bank.

you just have to leave her, and you can go back to being a person again. you took 5 years just catching a flight and sitting in the Grand Canyon. if there's one thing you regret more than anything, it's that you hadn't gotten your passport renewed before this fucking time loop. maybe you should spend some time learning forgery - but also, like, you look like an english teacher. nobody is going to be cool about you asking to see their paper printing machines.

the world is very big. that is one of the things groundhog day gets wrong. there are no consequences, so you have literally all the time (or none of the time?) in the world. in groundhog day, he does a lot of very cool things, but in reality - your muscle memory never gets better. you can't necessarily learn how to play piano or sculpt ice, because your hands never remember the practice. but hey - maybe you'll try violin next. drums. synth.

you can open any door and walk into any conversation. money isn't really an object. you can try every meal off every menu, forever. take her on helicopter tours and into every museum and on every event that is happening right-now at-this-moment. parades and funerals and calligraphy classes.

but you are somewhat trapped by the limitations of your body. if you were reading a book, you still need to get up and go back to the library and find that book again when the day resets. (thank god for the internet). it still takes like 2 hours to board a plane, and then takeoff and landing and traffic. you've gotten off to run around on the freeway. one of the little thankful things: since your brain isn't actually developing (it's a muscle too), the days thankfully don't feel shorter to you. that would be agony.

all you have to do to leave the timeloop is let that man get away with it. that's all. in every version of yourself - forever - you have stopped him.

the problem is that this experience has convinced you of the existence of the human soul. after all, how else are you forming memories? your very cells reset. information has to be transferred somehow. and if timeloops are real, you can convince yourself other magic exists. so you have two choices here: this hell, or the next. there might be a millennia where you have been worn down to the point you can accept fate's decision. this is just not one of them. ironically - she is the one thing you have left.

and besides! if you can't always find something new in your partner, aren't you failing them? there is something new about her, every day with the same morning. every brutal day with the same orange sunset.

after all, you wanted to live with her in heaven, in eternity, and, well - isn't this second-best.

[jessie-lou]

On Friday night, President Trump signed an executive order calling for the elimination of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)—the nation’s only federal agency that provides funds for America’s libraries. Americans have loved and relied on public, school, and academic libraries for generations. By eliminating the only federal agency dedicated to funding library services, the Trump Administration’s executive order is cutting off at the knees the most beloved and trusted of American institutions and the staff and services they offer, including early literacy development, summer reading programs for kids, high-speed internet access, employment assistance for job seekers, braille and talking books for people with visual impairments, and so much more.

What Can You Do?

As library lovers, your voice can make a difference. Here’s how you can help:

Contact your representatives in Congress and tell them to protect our libraries. Our elected officials need to hear why we value our libraries. Share a story of how your library as helped you, and let them know that federal funding is essential for your library to continue providing the essential services that support our communities. Tell them to protect funding for IMLS!

Show up for your library at library and school board meetings and town halls with your elected officials. Now is the time to raise our voices as loud as we can to protect libraries.

Become a supporter of the American Library Association. Your support helps us advocate on behalf of libraries and library workers everywhere and fight for library funding.

[globalnewscollective]

Elon Musk vs. The Institute of Peace – A Real-Life Thriller

DOGE vs. USIP: A Detailed Account of the March 17, 2025 Confrontation

On March 17, 2025, a significant confrontation unfolded in Washington, D.C., as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, sought to assert control over the United States Institute of Peace (USIP). This incident has ignited debates concerning governmental authority and the autonomy of federally funded institutions.

Background on USIP

Established by Congress in 1984, the USIP is an independent, nonpartisan organization dedicated to promoting conflict resolution and peacebuilding worldwide. Although it receives federal funding, the institute operates autonomously, maintaining a distinct separation from executive branch oversight.

Timeline of Events: March 15-18, 2025

Friday, March 15: Initial Attempts to Enter

On Friday afternoon, DOGE officials first attempted to gain access to the USIP headquarters, just off the National Mall, but were turned away by institute representatives. Later that evening, around 7:00 PM, Musk’s team returned, this time accompanied by two F.B.I. agents. They presented a document signed by remaining board members that removed the institute’s acting president. However, after USIP’s lawyer informed them that the institute was an independent agency outside the executive branch, they left without gaining entry.

Weekend: Legal Threats and Escalation

Over the weekend, tensions escalated as the F.B.I. allegedly threatened institute employees over their refusal to grant access. On Sunday night, Jonathan Hornok, the newly appointed chief of the criminal division of the U.S. attorney’s office for the District of Columbia, contacted USIP lawyer George Foote. He reportedly made requests on behalf of DOGE officials to gain access to the institute’s “books and records.” When USIP resisted, Hornok allegedly threatened a criminal investigation.

Monday Morning: Signs of Resistance

By Monday morning, signs were posted on the doors of the USIP headquarters, hastily printed, warning against trespassing and stating that the building was “closed until further notice.” These signs appeared to be an effort by institute officials to prevent DOGE’s forced entry.

Monday Afternoon: Standoff and Police Involvement

On Monday afternoon, Musk representatives arrived in a black S.U.V. with government plates, escorted by private security in separate vehicles dressed in street clothing. Initially, they struggled to find an open entrance, circling the building before stopping. Two USIP lawyers, including George Foote and Ms. Lin, emerged and approached the vehicle, leading to a windowside negotiation.

During the exchange, DOGE representatives, including a man who identified himself as Kenneth Jackson, the newly installed agency president, invited the lawyers to enter the vehicle. Ms. Lin declined, jokingly expressing concerns about where they would be taken. Instead, she suggested taking a walk outside. The discussion ended with an agreement to hold a meeting over a video call.

As rush hour traffic backed up behind the stalled vehicle, drivers honked impatiently. Eventually, DOGE’s team did not gain entry until officers from Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department arrived. However, rather than removing DOGE officials, the police cleared USIP leadership from the building.

Monday Evening: DOGE Takes Control

By 5:00 PM, DOGE officials had fully entered the building, with Kenneth Jackson assuming the role of acting president. Inside, DOGE representatives took control of key offices, while USIP’s previous leadership was escorted out. Police reports remained ambiguous, with spokesperson Tom Lynch confirming only that officers responded to a call about unlawful entry but did not make any arrests.

Among those present were Nate Cavanaugh and Justin Aimonetti, two Musk officials who had previously forced entry into the African Development Foundation, another government entity affected by the February executive order.

Late into Monday night, members of Musk’s team, known for working around the clock, remained inside the institute. Kenneth Jackson was seen in the office of the president, actively working. Dinner was delivered—Sweetgreen and six pizzas—suggesting they intended to stay for the long haul.

Legal and Political Repercussions

In response to these events, USIP and several board members have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging the legality of the board's dismissal and DOGE's intervention. Representative Don Beyer criticized DOGE's actions as an “illegal power grab,” emphasizing concerns over the precedent such a takeover could set for other independent organizations.

Broader Implications

This confrontation underscores the tension between governmental efficiency initiatives and the preservation of independent institutions that contribute to global peace and diplomacy. The outcome of this legal battle may have lasting implications for the balance of power between the executive branch and autonomous organizations established by Congress.

As the situation develops, stakeholders and observers are closely monitoring the potential impacts on USIP's mission and the future autonomy of similar institutions.

[demaparbat-hp]

I am loving your Hunters AU!!!

I really like how Zuko's motivation to hunt Aang is less about going home, but more about wanting to end the war by taking the throne.

And having Zuko not play Pai Sho because he always wins was GREAT! Is not that he is bad at it or impatient (Maybe a bit impatient). He just finds it boring and can guess the next 10 moves just from looking at the board.

I wonder how a match between him and Sokka would go.

I also love seeing Katara in Fire Nation red.

Question: I know that Zukoi is pretending to be evil, so he can dismantle the Fire Nation's plans from within, as he is part of the White Lotus. But does he tell Katara of the plan from the start, or does she just know the "Capture the Avatar to end the War" part of the plan?

I feel that the "Capture the Avatar, Make Zuko Fire Lord, End the War" aspect fits better at the start for her misguided and idiotic decision of joining Zuko on his hunt.

Yes, I know that the decision stems from her trauma and the betrayal she feels from Aang's lying and leaving her. And she sees Zuko as the fastest way of ending the war that took her mother from her.

So I was thinking that maybe by the end of Book 1, after some self-destructive actions taken by Katara, Zuko tells her the WHOLE plan. The parts of sabotaging the Fire Nation, the White Lotus missions, and wanting Aang fully realized to defeat his father.

You know? He can't just tell all his plans to the girl that he just met.

Also, how does Katara learn waterbending if she with with Zuko? Does Zuko buy her the Waterbending Scroll during one of Iroh's shopping sprees?

Also, how would the whole Hama and Bloodbending develop in this universe?

You put everything into words so wonderfully! I'm in love with your thoughts on this AU. Hunters is really special to me, so reading your ask made my day.

Katara only knows about the "Capture the Avatar, Make Zuko Fire Lord, End the War" part of the plan—at least in the beginning. As time goes by she starts suspecting that something else is going on (Zuko's escapades as the Blue Spirit can only happen so often before someone notices), but she doesn't know exactly what it is.

Zuko has no reason to trust her. She's just a waterbender who knows the Avatar and has the right means to track him down and ensure he'll be willing to come along quietly. She can also make sure Zuko's mission goes along smoothly, as her waterbending talents would be greatly appreciated by his seafaring crew.

One thing I'm passionate about in this AU is the idea that no character is perfect. They all make mistakes that they need to learn from and fix if possible. Such is Katara's case! She made the wrong choice and has some awful coping mechanisms, and growing out of them is part of her character arc.

I like to think that Katara wasn't entirely honest with Zuko either.

She was desperate for a way out, for a way to end things, and Zuko held everything she could ever want on the palms of his hands. But what could Katara offer him in return? Knowing Aang and being able to reason with him wasn't enough, so she placed all her bets on something else: her waterbending.

Katara didn't exactly lie—she just forgot to mention her waterbending expertise. Which is near to none. It's not her fault that Zuko assumed, based on her instinctive control over several ice shards when she first threatened him, that she was a master.

Right?

*cough*

Katara keeps up the ruse for as long as she can, but Zuko is always five steps ahead on the game board, so he figures her out before a month goes by.

It's a miracle she lasted that long, honestly.

(She trains with the firebenders after that—it's her punishment. Training and studying and pushing her body to the extreme. It takes her a while to see that Zuko, despite his militaristic asshole-ness, only wants for her to learn and be able to defend herself. It takes her even longer to earn the right to train with him, and admit to herself that she's thankful for not having been tossed overboard the moment her ruse was up.)

It's hard for Zuko to fully trust Katara during Book I, and viceversa. This is something I find awfully compelling because they're not friends immediately. Hell, they don't even like each other at first. But they acknowledge the advantages of being allies, and eventually come to respect each other. Their trust is something tentative and fragile, yet no less pure because of it.

Which is the reason I wonder how Katara would take it when Zuko reveals his entire plan, and in which conditions this would happen. Was that trust broken, or did it finally turn into something much stronger because of the struggle?

(What was her mistake? Did she put the entire operation in danger? Did she follow him on one of his missions because she was tired of waiting in the sidelines and not being trusted? So many possibilities...)

By the time Book I ends, Zuko and Katara have finally, finally smoothed the rough edges between them. Now their connection is deeper, and they move forward together.

As for the bloodbending, your guess is as good as mine! I'd love for Katara to learn bloodbending earlier and have a different connection with it. She understands the dangers involved in bending someone's blood, but is also curious about the advantages it could have in healing or as a last resort in battle.

[misfitwashere]

Trump's attack on the American mind

Behind his closure of the Education Department, his assault on higher education, on science, and on libraries and museums, lie the oligarchs of the techno-state.

ROBERT REICH

MAR 20

Friends,

Today, Trump is dismantling the Department of Education. He’s ordering wrestling executive-turned-Education Secretary Linda McMahon to shut her department. 

His executive order will effectively destroy a $100 billion-a-year executive department created by Congress under President Jimmy Carter 45 years ago. 

But there’s a much larger plan here.

Combine this with Trump’s attacks on higher education — his gutting the funding of the National Institutes of Health (which provides a large portion of biomedical research) and the National Science Foundation (engineering and computer research), and his effective closure of USAID (which underwrites research in global diseases).

Put this together with Trump’s (and RFK Jr.’s) attacks on vaccine science, 

Combine this with Trump’s attacks on the freedom of speech of university students and professors. 

And Trump’s and rightwing governors’ attacks on teaching the truth in our schools about America’s history of slavery and Native American genocide. 

Put this together with Trump’s attack on America’s libraries — last week’s executive order mandating cuts in the funding of libraries around the country — which will jeopardize literacy development and reading programs, reliable internet access for those without it at home, and homework help and other resources for students and educators.

Combine this with his attacks on America’s museums (the same executive order cut their funding, too). And his attack on the arts, as illustrated by Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center (last month, he announced himself its new chair, replaced 13 board members, and inserted a new interim president). 

What’s the larger picture? What’s the overall purpose? 

Not to mount an “attack on the liberal state,” as I keep reading. Not “a culmination of Trump’s culture wars.” Or that Trump seeking “small government” over “big government,” or is advancing traditional conservatism over traditional liberalism. 

What’s really occurring is an attack on the American mind. 

Throughout history, tyrants have understood that their major enemy is an educated citizenry. Slaveholders prohibited slaves from learning to read. Nazi’s burned books. 

Ignorance is the handmaiden of tyranny. 

Those who believe in democracy, on the other hand, have been at the forefront of the movement for free, universal public education; and for public libraries, museums, and the arts. They understand that democracy depends on people knowing what’s occurring around them and having the capacity to deliberate critically about it. 

Trump is only the frontman in this attack on the American mind. 

The attack is really coming from the anti-democracy movement: From JD Vance; and from Vance’s major financial backer, venture capitalist Peter Thiel, who staked $15 million on Vance’s Ohio senatorial election in 2022 and helped convince Trump to make Vance vice president; and from Thiel’s early business partner, Elon Musk. 

Thiel is a self-styled libertarian who once wrote: “I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible.”

Hello? Freedom is incompatible with democracy only if you view democracy as a potential constraint on your wealth and power.

Behind Vance and Musk is a libertarian community of rich crypto bros, tech executives, back-to-the-landers, and disaffected far-right intellectuals.

Curtis Yarvin comes as close as anyone as being their intellectual godfather. He has written that political power in the United States is held by a liberal amalgam of universities and the mainstream media whose commitment to equality and justice is eroding America’s social order.

In Yarvin’s view, democratic governments are inefficient and wasteful. They should be replaced with sovereign joint-stock corporations whose major “shareholders” select an executive with total power, who serves at their pleasure. Yarvin refers to the city-state of Singapore as an example of a successful authoritarian regime.

Make no mistake: Trump’s attack on the American mind — on education, science, libraries, and museums — is an attack on the capacity of Americans for self-government.

It is coming from the oligarchs of the techno-state who believe democracy is inefficient, and want to replace it with an authoritarian regime replete with technologies they control. 

Be warned.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

By David Brooks

Opinion Columnist

You might have seen the various data points suggesting that Americans are losing their ability to reason.

The trend starts with the young. The percentage of fourth graders who score below basic in reading skills on the National Assessment of Educational Progress tests is the highest it has been in 20 years. The percentage of eighth graders below basic was the highest in the exam’s three-decade history. A fourth grader who is below basic cannot grasp the sequence of events in a story. An eighth grader can’t grasp the main idea of an essay or identify the different sides of a debate.

Tests by the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies tell a similar story, only for older folks. Adult numeracy and literacy skills across the globe have been declining since 2017. Tests from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development show that test scores in adult literacy have been declining over the past decade.

Andreas Schleicher, the head of education and skills at the O.E.C.D., told The Financial Times, “Thirty percent of Americans read at a level that you would expect from a 10-year-old child.” He continued, “It is actually hard to imagine — that every third person you meet on the street has difficulties reading even simple things.”

This kind of literacy is the backbone of reasoning ability, the source of the background knowledge you need to make good decisions in a complicated world. As the retired general Jim Mattis and Bing West once wrote, “If you haven’t read hundreds of books, you are functionally illiterate, and you will be incompetent, because your personal experiences alone aren’t broad enough to sustain you.”

Nat Malkus of the American Enterprise Institute emphasizes that among children in the fourth and eighth grades, the declines are not the same across the board. Scores for children at the top of the distribution are not falling. It’s the scores of children toward the bottom that are collapsing. The achievement gap between the top and bottom scorers is bigger in America than in any other nation with similar data.

There are some obvious contributing factors for this general decline. Covid hurt test scores. America abandoned No Child Left Behind, which put a lot of emphasis on testing and reducing the achievement gap. But these declines started earlier, around 2012, so the main cause is probably screen time. And not just any screen time. Actively initiating a search for information on the web may not weaken your reasoning skills. But passively scrolling TikTok or X weakens everything from your ability to process verbal information to your working memory to your ability to focus. You might as well take a sledgehammer to your skull.

My biggest worry is that behavioral change is leading to cultural change. As we spend time on our screens, we’re abandoning a value that used to be pretty central to our culture — the idea that you should work hard to improve your capacity for wisdom and judgment all the days of your life. That education, including lifelong out-of-school learning, is really valuable.

This value is based on the idea that life is filled with hard choices: whom to marry, whom to vote for, whether to borrow money. Your best friend comes up to you and says, “My husband has been cheating on me. Should I divorce him?” To make these calls, you have to be able to discern what is central to the situation, envision possible outcomes, understand other minds, calculate probabilities.

To do this, you have to train your own mind, especially by reading and writing. As Johann Hari wrote in his book “Stolen Focus,” “The world is complex and requires steady focus to be understood; it needs to be thought about and comprehended slowly.” Reading a book puts you inside another person’s mind in a way that a Facebook post just doesn’t. Writing is the discipline that teaches you to take a jumble of thoughts and cohere them into a compelling point of view.

Know someone who would want to read this? Share the column.

Americans had less schooling in decades past, but out of this urge for intellectual self-improvement, they bought encyclopedias for their homes, subscribed to the Book of the Month Club and sat, with much longer attention spans, through long lectures or three-hour Lincoln-Douglas debates. Once you start using your mind, you find that learning isn’t merely calisthenics for your ability to render judgment; it’s intrinsically fun.

But today one gets the sense that a lot of people are disengaging from the whole idea of mental effort and mental training. Absenteeism rates soared during the pandemic and have remained high since. If American parents truly valued education would 26 percent of students have been chronically absent during the 2022-23 school year?

In 1984, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, 35 percent of 13-year-olds read for fun almost every day. By 2023, that number was down to 14 percent. The media is now rife with essays by college professors lamenting the decline in their students’ abilities. The Chronicle of Higher Education told the story of Anya Galli Robertson, who teaches sociology at the University of Dayton. She gives similar lectures, assigns the same books and gives the same tests that she always has. Years ago, students could handle it; now they are floundering.

Last year The Atlantic published an essay by Rose Horowitch titled “The Elite College Students Who Can’t Read Books.” One professor recalled the lively classroom discussions of books like “Crime and Punishment.” Now the students say they can’t handle that kind of reading load.

The philosophy professor Troy Jollimore wrote in The Walrus: “I once believed my students and I were in this together, engaged in a shared intellectual pursuit. That faith has been obliterated over the past few semesters. It’s not just the sheer volume of assignments that appear to be entirely generated by A.I. — papers that show no sign the student has listened to a lecture, done any of the assigned reading or even briefly entertained a single concept from the course.”

Older people have always complained about “kids these days,” but this time we have empirical data to show that the observations are true.

What happens when people lose the ability to reason or render good judgments? Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Donald Trump’s tariff policy. I’ve covered a lot of policies over the decades, some of which I supported and some of which I opposed. But I have never seen a policy as stupid as this one. It is based on false assumptions. It rests on no coherent argument in its favor. It relies on no empirical evidence. It has almost no experts on its side — from left, right or center. It is jumble-headedness exemplified. Trump himself personifies stupidity’s essential feature — self-satisfaction, an inability to recognize the flaws in your thinking. And of course when the approach led to absolutely predictable mayhem, Trump, lacking any coherent plan, backtracked, flip-flopped, responding impulsively to the pressures of the moment as his team struggled to keep up.

Producing something this stupid is not the work of a day; it is the achievement of a lifetime — relying on decades of incuriosity, decades of not cracking a book, decades of being impervious to evidence.

Back in Homer’s day, people lived within an oral culture, then humans slowly developed a literate culture. Now we seem to be moving to a screen culture. Civilization was fun while it lasted.

[luimnigh]

What is your Hogwarts house?

It is typical of the specific brand of British arrogance to assume that the entire nation of Ireland would be perfectly fine with sending all their children to a British boarding school.

Even before the stunning ignorant worldbuilding of there only being eleven schools to cover the entire planet introduced after the books had ended, it betrayed a very British lack of understanding of the world at large.

To put it simply, if I were living in the fantasy world of Queen TERF, and I mean the one with wizards and not the one she's developed to try and justify her bigotry, I would not have attended fuckin' Hogwarts.

[jeffreybower]

Your Week in Books #14

Austin Butler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Sofia Coppola are just some of the names in this edition of Your Week in Books Continue reading Your Week in Books #14

[camcat1320]

Mai & Zuko Breakup Songs

I've been developing my fanfic, Book 4: Air, the Missing Element. I use music to help me brainstorm the plot and characters. I was originally going to go in a different direction but this one is more compelling to me.

This would show tense conflict and the dysfunctionality between these two in my fanfic. Besides, many girls have experienced a bad break up before. There are so many breakup songs for a reason.

Spoilers below 👀

In my fanfic, I'm redacting the Maiko scene at the end of Book 3.

Chapter 1, Mai is going to attempt to get back with Zuko. But Zuko resists her attempts, still hurt that she called him a traitor to his country. Mai consults her father and he has a secret meeting with the Fire Sages. Mai tries to get him jealous at the masquerade party but the plan doesn't work. The Fire Sages interrupt the party to announce the next Fire Lady. It is a long standing tradition that the Fire Sages arrange marriages for the royal family, supposedly consulting the spirits on the matter. Mai experiences internal conflict, wanting Zuko but marriage is a whole other thing. Is she prepared to become the next Fire Lady? Are the responsibilities as Fire Lady more than what she bargained for?

Chapter 3, Zuko assigns Mai to become an assistant teacher at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls. Mai's mother encourages her to do it since she is expected to continue the royal bloodline. This gives Mai pause- Children? She barely likes Tom-Tom as is. Does she even want kids? She saw how her mother's pregnancy impacted her health. She almost didn't make it through the delivery. Would Mai experience the same complications? Does she want to risk it?

While at the school, Mai acts based on her own experiences with her past teachers as well as her parents. Kiyi is in the class that Mai is assisting in and there is interpersonal conflict between the two. Kiyi is BIPOC and has her hair styled in a natural, free curl way. Mai says that her hair is inappropriate for school as it is distracting the other students, blocking their view of the board. Mai moves Kiyi to the back of the room where Kiyi has difficulty hearing the teacher and seeing the board so she resorts to doodling. Mai reprimands Kiyi for not paying attention in class, putting her in the corner.

Kiyi returns home upset, informing Zuko that the teacher Miss Mai is so mean. She hands the note to her parents informing them of the problems. Ikem fixes the hair "issue" by styling her hair in braids which takes several hours to accomplish. Zuko entertains Kiyi by putting on a puppet show. Katara sees the puppet show and offers Zuko help.

When Mai and Zuko talk, Zuko's view of Mai is challenged by how she treated Kiyi, his little sister. After much back and forth, Mai blurts out "I don't even want to have kids!" This puts the two at a crossroads. Zuko comes to the conclusion that even if he didn't have the royal responsibility to continue the bloodline, he would still want to have kids one day.

Instead of accepting this, Mai begins to point fingers at anything else and project her insecurities. She would accuse Zuko of having a thing for that Water Tribe peasant. Rumors have been floating around the Fire Nation of their relationship. Zuko would deny it as it isn't true, Katara is just a friend, nothing more.

After much fighting, Mai and Zuko go their separate ways, secretly ending their arranged engagement. Mai goes back home and burns the painting of her and Zuko in the fireplace

[scotianostra]

On 20th April 1918, Mora Dickson, Scottish author, painter and campaigner, was born in Mofat.

Mora went on to be one of the founders of the Voluntary Service Overseas, or VSO, scheme.

Mora was born in Glasgow, an accountant's only daughter and the second of four children. She spent her early years in Moffat, Dumfriesshire, largely to avoid the polluted air of the city. Her father drove around the United Kingdom in search of the "right" school, and she was eventually educated at St Felix's, Lowestoft - where she became head girl - and Edinburgh School of Art, although her studies were cut short by the outbreak of the second world war.

Dickson met her future husband in London where had she moved to pursue a career as an artist.

Initially, she took an instant dislike to the impeccably dressed, arrogant man, who, in turn, thought she was an upstart.

However, despite the bad start, they fell in love and in 1951 - two years after they first met - they were married.

Then a journalist with a passion for do-gooding in the former colonies, Alec was later appointed an ambassador for the United Nations and Mora accompanied her husband on all of his official trips.

Their vision for VSO grew out of a disastrous trip to Iraq when Alec was the head of a UN delegation to Baghdad. He realised that what was needed was not bureaucrats touring the capital but volunteers able to speak the language and work at grassroots level.

In 1957, Alec resigned from the UN and VSO was born.

The couple drove through thick jungle, hiked over thickly-misted foothills and slept under mosquito nets as they toured different projects.

VSO differed from its predecessors by shrugging off colonial do-gooding for hard graft and youthful energy from volunteers who wanted to help without being patronising.

The first dozen 18-year-olds who were sent to Ghana, Nigeria and Sarawak became an army of volunteers reaching across the developing world and VSO went on to become one of Britain’s greatest exports.

John F Kennedy was so impressed he summoned the Dicksons to Washington in 1961 to advise on the establishment of the Peace Corps.

But despite the achievements, just four years later they were ousted.

The coup was a devastating blow for her husband, who did not leave his room in the couple’s London home for a week. Having recovered, the Dicksons went on to found Community Service Volunteers (CSV) in 1961, a home-based version of the charity.

Both from wealthy families, the couple invested their money in the stock market and property. But although they quietly amassed a small fortune they lived frugally, recalled Robertson.

"They never spent anything," he said. "Mora would buy her clothes from a catalogue; she hated shopping. But if you ever needed money there would be a cheque in the post before you knew it. Her generosity, with both her time and money, was quite extraordinary."

After the death of her husband in 1994 at the age of 80, Dickson returned to her roots in Scotland, moving to Edinburgh where she continued to paint and write.

She was made honorary vice-president of VSO 12 years before her death, in a belated move by the trustees to heal the rift.

Dickson, who has 43 grandnieces and nephews and an extended family across the world, never had children of her own.

A prolific author, she had 21 books published during her lifetime.

She also wrote of her travels and illustrated the stories with black and white scraper-board drawings which brought the couple’s adventures into relief.

When Dickson died, her niece Sue Robertson, was flooded with letters of condolence from all over the world.

She said: "The esteem and regard in which she was held all over the world was really quite overwhelming."

[reading-writing-revolution]

Friends,

Yesterday, Trump dismantled much of the Department of Education. He ordered wrestling executive-turned-Education Secretary Linda McMahon to shut most of her department, although student loans and special education funding will continue.

His executive order will effectively destroy a $100 billion-a-year executive department created by Congress under President Jimmy Carter 45 years ago.

But there’s a much larger story here.

Combine this with Trump’s attacks on higher education — his gutting the funding of the National Institutes of Health (which provides a large portion of biomedical research) and the National Science Foundation (engineering and computer research) and his effective closure of USAID (which underwrites research in global diseases).

Put this together with Trump’s attacks on the freedom of speech of university students and professors.

And with Trump’s (and RFK Jr.’s) attacks on vaccine science.

With Trump’s and right-wing governors’ attacks on teaching the truth in our schools about America’s history of slavery and Native American genocide.

Combine this with Trump’s attack on America’s libraries — last week’s executive order mandating cuts in the funding of libraries around the country — which will jeopardize literacy development and reading programs, reliable internet access for those without it at home, and homework help and other resources for students and educators.

And his attacks on America’s museums (the same executive order cut their funding, too). And his attack on the arts, as illustrated by Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center (last month, he announced himself its new chair, replaced 13 board members, and inserted a new interim president).

What’s the larger picture?

Not an “attack on the liberal state,” as I keep reading. Not “the culmination of Trump’s culture wars.” Certainly not that Trump is seeking “small government” over “big government” or advancing traditional conservatism over traditional liberalism.

What’s really occurring is an attack on the American mind.

Throughout history, tyrants have understood that their major enemy is an educated citizenry. Slaveholders prohibited the enslaved from learning to read. Nazis burned books. Putin and Xi censor the media.

Ignorance is the handmaiden of tyranny.

Those who believe in democracy, on the other hand, have been at the forefront of the movement for free, universal public education and for public libraries, museums, and the arts.

They understand that democracy depends on people knowing what’s occurring around them and having the capacity to deliberate critically about it.

Trump is only the frontman in this attack on the American mind.

The attack is really coming from the anti-democracy movement: from JD Vance and from Vance’s major financial backer, venture capitalist Peter Thiel, who staked $15 million on Vance’s Ohio senatorial election in 2022 and helped convince Trump to make Vance vice president. And from Thiel’s early business partner, Elon Musk.

Thiel is a self-styled libertarian who once wrote: “I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible.”

Hello? Freedom is incompatible with democracy only if you view democracy as a potential constraint on your wealth and power.

Behind Vance and Musk is a libertarian group of rich crypto bros, tech executives, back-to-the-landers, and disaffected far-right intellectuals.

Curtis Yarvin comes as close as anyone to being their intellectual godfather. He has written that political power in the United States is held by a liberal amalgam of universities and the mainstream media whose commitment to equality and justice is eroding America’s social order.

In Yarvin’s view, democratic governments are inefficient and wasteful. They should be replaced with sovereign joint-stock corporations whose major “shareholders” select an executive with total power, who serves at their pleasure. Yarvin refers to the city-state of Singapore as an example of a successful authoritarian regime.

Make no mistake: Trump’s attack on the American mind — on education, science, libraries, and museums — is an attack on the capacity of Americans for self-government.

It is coming from the oligarchs of the techno-state who believe democracy is inefficient and want to replace it with an authoritarian regime replete with technologies they control.

Be warned.

[pilawturkey]

Electronic Maintenance of Commercial Books Starts in Turkey

Electronic maintenance of commercial books unrelated to accounting of the business starts in Turkey. That is a sign of a new era in the field of  Corporate Governance and Commercial in Turkey.

Table of Contents

Introduction

What is Corporate Governance?

Which Companies are Obligatory for Electronic Keeping of Books in Question?

What is meant by System User?

Conclusion

Introduction

The electronic maintenance of commercial books unrelated to accounting of the business has been officially introduced in Turkey. That is declared by the Communiqué in the Official Gazette dated 14 February 2025 and numbered 32813. The present article will analyze long term implications of the regulatory change upon Turkish markets. Turkish business lawyers  should update their corporate governance consulting process because of new developments.

What is Corporate Governance?

Corporate governance encompasses rules, practices, and processes guiding proper management and oversight of a company. Corporate governance encompasses the rules, practices, and processes that guide a company’s management and oversight. Typically, a company’s board of directors holds the responsibility for these activities, which include organizing senior management, overseeing audits, and managing board and general assembly meetings according to both national and international standards.

Regarding more information about how the system operates for corporate governance consulting take a look at our practice area: Corporate Governance

Scope of Electronic Keeping of Commercial Books Companies are now permitted to maintain certain commercial books electronically, provided these books are unrelated to accounting records. Article 2 of the Communiqué designates the following books as eligible for electronic storage:

share ledger [pay defter in Turkish],

board of directors’ resolution book [yönetim kurulu karar defteri in Turkish],

board of managers’ resolution book [müdürler kurulu karar defteri in Turkish],

general assembly meeting book [genel kurul toplantı defteri in Turkish],

negotiation book [müzakere defteri in Turkish].

It means that the aforementioned books will be kept electronically under the new Communiqué by companies for and beyond 2025. 

Which Companies are Obligatory for Electronic Keeping of Books in Question?

Those companies are obligated to electronic keeping of commercial books:

Companies whose incorporation is registered with the Trade Registry as of 1 January 2026

Bankings, financial leasing companies, factoring companies, consumer finance and card services companies, asset management companies, insurance companies, holding companies established as joint stock companies, companies operating foreign exchange kiosks, companies engaged in general retailing, agricultural products licensed warehousing companies, commodity specialization exchange companies, independent auditing companies, surveillance companies, technology development zone management companies, companies subject to the Capital Markets Law numbered 2499 and free zone founder and operator companies.

Companies not included in this mandatory list may voluntarily opt for electronic bookkeeping. However, those choosing to transition to electronic records must obtain a closing certification for their physical books from a local notary. In this case, all books shall be kept in an electronic environment. Companies wishing to voluntarily maintain their commercial books electronically should obtain a closing certification for their physical books before local notaries.

What is meant by System User?

System users play a critical role upon electronic keeping of commercial books. System users are defined by the company management or managing partner managing partners. Therefore a system user can be a member of the management body, one of managing partners or a third party.

Companies are obligated to scrutinize closely and regularly the System user’s transactions and take appropriate steps if necessary for any unintended consequences.

Conclusion

Having regard to the aforementioned considerations, keeping commercial books not related to the accounting of the business electronically is made obligatory for the companies listed above. In summary, the mandatory electronic keeping of specified commercial books marks a significant transformation in corporate governance and regulatory compliance in Turkey. This requirement applies to companies listed in the Communiqué, while others may voluntarily adopt electronic bookkeeping starting July 2, 2025. This regulatory shift is expected to enhance transparency, efficiency, and regulatory oversight, ultimately strengthening corporate governance frameworks in Turkey.

[songoftrillium]

I haven't said much about world building lately, but I've been pretty busy doing history development.

On Hidden Histories and the Pursuit of Questions

I've been world building for a while now, with my first experiments in expansive works starting on long-gone text-based boards, I find that with every world build (and particularly for Dead Mountain where I have to show my notes), I've had to develop new skills in order to do the subject-matter any justice.

I remember history being my least favorite topic in school, but it wouldn't be until much later in life I'd find my main problem is the education system far more than the history itself. By the time I started this project however, I developed a love of research somewhere along the way.

There is a saying that history is written by the victors, but I think that there are histories that exist in between those lines. Wars and conflicts never really end on a street level, and instead they melt from one season and event to the next. Approaching Dead Mountain would be the first time I've tried to learn about Native American history in a format that wasn't offered in a school text book, and I was struck by a number of things. Among which is an ultimate goal to learn what the different nations called and associated with different places.

There's a big push in this state to decolonize by letting go of the colonist names for places, and that doing so helps to shift the perspective of the reader's understanding of a location's grounding by inherently getting a sense of who named it, and why it has that name.

a big starting point for this game; renaming locations to ones that would most closely align with people that predate colonization by using the names given these places by the Nations that came beforehand. This is also unfortunately one of the hardest problems I've faced too.