#only 80% endorsed

[notknickers]

Your whole being could be replaced bit by bit by machine, and you still could not escape the messiness of the flesh from which you were born.

[wilwheaton]

Mariel Garza, the editorials editor of the Los Angeles Times, resigned on Wednesday after the newspaper’s owner blocked the editorial board’s plans to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for president. “I am resigning because I want to make it clear that I am not okay with us being silent,” Garza told me in a phone conversation. “In dangerous times, honest people need to stand up. This is how I’m standing up.” On October 11, Patrick Soon-Shiong, who bought the newspaper for $500 million in 2018, informed the paper’s editorial board that the Times would not be making an endorsement for president. The message was conveyed to Garza by Terry Tang, the paper’s editor. The board had intended to endorse Harris, Garza told me, and she had drafted the outline of a proposed editorial. She had hoped to get feedback on the outline and was taken aback upon being told that the newspaper would not take a position.

Los Angeles Times editorials editor resigns after owner blocks presidential endorsement - Columbia Journalism Review

I have been a subscriber since the 80s. I believe in supporting local journalism, especially local papers.

If the only way I can express to the Times’ billionaire owner that his interference in the paper’s editorial independence is by canceling my subscription, so be it.

[evidence-based-activism]

Sorry if this is not the kind of ask you want to get but several people in this post argued about the benefit of legalizing prostitution and it sounds very convincing? What do you think? https://www.tumblr.com/prismatic-bell/757101438415601664/i-still-remember-learning-the-following-factoid?source=share

Hi! This is exactly the sort of ask I like to get!

So, I think the reason why this sounds convincing is because they are partially correct. However, the third individual is wrong on a very crucial part, which I will explain.

---

Policies regarding prostitution range from full legalization (all related activities are legal and incorporated into the legitimate economy) to full criminalization (all related activities are illegal and exist only in an underground economy).

The first thing to understand – and what the individuals in that post got right – is that full criminalization does not help the people trapped in either "voluntary" prostitution or sex trafficking victims. This stakeholder report [1] discusses various issues that result for human trafficking victims (including children) as a result of full criminalization. This is focused on trafficking victims, rather than all prostitutes, but in truth, the line between these categories is blurry at best. (There certainly isn't a reliable way for the legal system to differentiate between them.)

So, in this way, the first two individuals are correct. Arresting women and children for "selling sex" does significant harm. It also doesn't appear to be effective at reducing trafficking, child sexual exploitation, or exploitation by pimps.

---

However, each poster appears to be making the leap that because full criminalization is harmful to the vulnerable women and children in prostitution, the best alternative is full legalization or decriminalization. (To clarify between these two, consider the case of marijuana: legalized marijuana often entails taxation and other governmental involvement in the industry whereas decriminalization means it is still illegal remains but the government doesn't actively pursue people involved with marijuana.)

This assumption is erroneous.

There is well documented evidence that full legalization/decriminalization does not significantly reduce (and may increase) harm to prostituted women and children.

The alternative option, is a partial decriminalization. Specifically, decriminalizing the "supply" ("selling sex"), while maintaining criminalization of the demand ("buying sex") and third-party organization (pimps, traffickers, etc.). This option results in the most harm reduction (as endorsed by those posters!). This option is often referred to as the "Nordic Model" (as it originated in a Nordic country).

I'll expand on these points below.

---

Innumerable studies have shown that full legalization results in an increase in sex trafficking. Here is a selection:

These comparisons on several European countries find that full legalization leads to an increase in trafficking, in comparison to both full criminalization and the Nordic model. [2, 3]

This review discusses how "evidence supports the theory that legal prostitution is associated with increased trafficking." When the article was written (2009) an estimated "80% of all women in German and Dutch prostitution are trafficked". In New Zealand's largest city, "A 200-400% increase in street prostitution has been reported since prostitution was decriminalized in 2003." and "25% of those interviewed said that they entered the sex industry because it had been decriminalized". [4]

This paper highlights how "fighting sex trafficking using the criminal justice system may even be harder in the legalized prostitution sector". [5]

This EU commissioned study found that both full legalization and full decriminalization was associated with twice the number of trafficking victims as full criminalization or the Nordic model. [6]

This article discusses how legalization promotes trafficking, expands demand, increases the illegal market, increases child prostitution/trafficking, and doesn't protect the women/children in prostitution [7].

In addition:

This paper provides a thorough debunking of Amnesty International's support for decriminalization. They discuss how "the best available evidence indicates that decriminalization of prostitution would: increase sex trafficking, leave prostituted women or 'sex workers' more vulnerable to violence, and reduce access to healthcare, protection, and services." [8]

This paper's title is particularly apt: "Prostitution, Trafficking, and Cultural Amnesia: What We Must Not Know in Order To Keep the Business of Sexual Exploitation Running Smoothly". In particular, it discusses how prostitution is extremely violent, linked to prejudice, linked to trafficking, and harmful to women and society at large. [9]

This study of 150 countries finds legalization "does not help liberate victims of human trafficking" and doesn't protect victims. [10]

I have searched for any evidence that (as claimed by the third poster) that the "growth rate of trafficking in [Germany, following legalization] went down" and found ... nothing. I can't actually find any sources about the "growth rate" of trafficking in either direction. That being said, the above sources all clearly indicate that traffickers find Germany (and other countries with legalized prostitution) to be profitable (i.e., people are still being trafficked through and into Germany).

Further, while it is likely that victims find it easier to escape under a fully legalized than a fully criminalized model (as discussed above), that doesn't change the fact that more women are being trafficked in the first place. It also doesn't change the fact that there is a better alternative (i.e, the Nordic model, which retains the ability for women to escape trafficking while also reducing trafficking and the overall demand for prostitution).

To expand, many papers have provided empirical support for the Nordic model. These papers [11-15] all discuss the various advantages and disadvantageous of the different systems. Papers [13-15] all explicitly recommend the Nordic model as the best (if still flawed) option.

And here [16] is an additional discussion of both the benefits and issues (primarily implementation problems) with the Nordic model. They describe the reduction in prostitution and trafficking and positive change sin public opinion, but also discuss the additional services and protections needed to realize the full potential of this policy.

---

All in all, I actually agree that "harm reduction is always good". However, the greatest amount of harm reduction is afforded by the Nordic model. This model legalizes/decriminalizes "selling sex" while criminalizing "buying sex" and "organization" (e.g., pimps, brothels). It results in reduced demand, reduced trafficking, and reduced overall harm. Simply legalizing "sex work" is not harm reduction; on the contrary, it causes significant harm.

References under the cut:

International Women’s Human Rights Clinic, et al. Criminalization of Trafficking Victims. 2015, https://www.law.cuny.edu/wp-content/uploads/page-assets/academics/clinics/hrgj/publications/Criminalization-of-Trafficking-Victims.pdf.

Marinova, Nadejda K., and Patrick James. “The Tragedy of Human Trafficking: Competing Theories and European Evidence1: The Tragedy of Human Trafficking.” Foreign Policy Analysis, vol. 8, no. 3, July 2012, pp. 231–53. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1743-8594.2011.00162.x.

Osmanaj, Egzone. “The Impact of Legalized Prostitution on Human Trafficking.” Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, June 2014. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.5901/ajis.2014.v3n2p103.

Farley, Melissa. “Theory versus Reality: Commentary on Four Articles about Trafficking for Prostitution.” Women’s Studies International Forum, vol. 32, no. 4, July 2009, pp. 311–15. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2009.07.001.

Huisman, Wim, and Edward R. Kleemans. “The Challenges of Fighting Sex Trafficking in the Legalized Prostitution Market of the Netherlands.” Crime, Law and Social Change, vol. 61, no. 2, Mar. 2014, pp. 215–28. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1007/s10611-013-9512-4.

Di Nicola, Andrea. The differing EU Member States’ regulations on prostitution and their cross-border implications on women’s rights. European Union, 2021.

Raymond, Janice G. "Ten reasons for not legalizing prostitution and a legal response to the demand for prostitution." Journal of Trauma Practice 2.3-4 (2004): 315-332.

Geist, Darren. (2016). Dignity: A Journal on Sexual Exploitation and Violence. Vol. 1, Issue 1, Article 6. DOI:10.23860/dignity.2016.01.01.06. Available at http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/dignity/Vol1/Iss1/6.

Farley, Melissa. "Prostitution, trafficking, and cultural amnesia: What we must not know in order to keep the business of sexual exploitation running smoothly." Yale JL & Feminism 18 (2006): 109.

Cho, Seo-young (2013) : Liberal coercion? Prostitution, human trafficking and policy, MAGKS Joint Discussion Paper Series in Economics, No. 44-2013, Philipps-University Marburg, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Marburg

Curiel, Angelica. Informing United States Sex Trafficking Policies: A Comparative Analysis of Sweden, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Chile, and South Korea. Diss. California State University San Marcos, 2016.

Tomlinson, Alexia, Mary Haggerty, and Caroline Rini. "A global study of prostitution policy." Wis. JL Gender, & Soc'y 37 (2022): 23.

Rowe, Kathryn, "Regulating Sex Work: United States' Policy and International Comparisons" (2018). Honors Theses. 522. https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/522

Tate Santana, Madison. "Trafficked in Texas: Combatting the sex-trafficking epidemic through prostitution law and sentencing reform in the lone star state." Vand. L. Rev. 71 (2018): 1739.

Joulaei, Hassan, et al. "Legalization, Decriminalization or Criminalization; Could We Introduce a Global Prescription for Prostitution (Sex Work)?." International Journal of High Risk Behaviors and Addiction 10.3 (2021).

Waltman, Max. "Sweden's prohibition of purchase of sex: The law's reasons, impact, and potential." Women's Studies International Forum. Vol. 34. No. 5. Pergamon, 2011.

[etirabys]

#criticized a volunteer policy a year ago and am still regretting it

whoa, just received a strong indication that the main person I thought was mad at me over this is not mad at me, and in fact actively wants me at the next con they're organizing. I was tempted to parlay this into a "haha watch that silly anxiety" post, but then want to be severe & evenhanded and note that the reverse case rarely makes itself apparent because the rewards of hiding irritation/dislike are so much higher than the rewards of hiding liking. stay sharp soldiers

when I was young I would piss off teachers (mostly inadvertently) and think "wow that was clearly an irrational thing for me to do, I will vaguely aim to not do that" and then I'd do it again anyway

I feel like I have the same thing with community organizers now

[tiktaalic]

The hardest thing a person can do is criticize Taylor swift because half of your replies will be like You’re just being misogynistic by saying this. the only truly feminist way to engage with Taylor swift is to wholeheartedly endorse the selling of $80 sweaters on the merch store. And half of. Your replies are don’t forget she’s a VAPID BITCH and a CUNT TOO!!!!!!!!!! Come on man.

[politicalprof]

As some of you may recall, I have participated in a continuing series of "expert" polls/panels on the state of American politics since the early years of the Trump policy. I'll provide a link to the most recent results below, but assuming most of you have no desire to plow into that data, the executive summary follows. It is interesting in its own right...

"Our key findings are the following:

Election expectations

Both parties expect their candidate to win the presidential election (87% for Republicans, 90% for Democrats). In particular, a substantial minority of Republicans (38%) and Democrats (28%) do not even expect the election to be close, creating an opening for claims of fraud or malfeasance if the result differs from their expectations.

Experts believe Trump will try to claim victory before the race is decided (median forecast: 80% likelihood) and encourage violence and intimidation by his supporters (80%). Just 7% of experts and 24% of the public think Trump will concede if he loses the election. By contrast, 75% of experts and 72% of the public think Harris will concede if she loses the election.

Campaigns

Experts rate standard campaign strategies such as promoting voter turnout as more effective than highlighting the threat to democracy posed by the other side for both candidates, including Harris.

Exposure to a message describing the endorsements that Harris received from former Vice President Dick Cheney, former Rep. Liz Cheney, and former Rep. Adam Kinzinger increased support for her among people who intend to vote in the November election by an estimated one percentage point.

Threats to democracy

80% of Republicans endorse the false claim by Trump and his allies that Democrats are trying to win the election by allowing unauthorized immigrants into the country and giving them the right to vote. Public beliefs about the prevalence of voter and election fraud remain wildly exaggerated, especially among Republicans.

Compared to October 2022, Republican acceptance of Biden as the rightful winner in 2020 has increased from 33% to 38% and their confidence in the upcoming national vote count has increased from 49% to 57%.

95% of Democrats, 82% of Republicans, and 77% of partisan independents regard it as important for the losing presidential candidate to publicly concede defeat, but Pew finds that only 59% of Trump supporters think it is important for him to concede if Harris wins.

Experts overwhelmingly rate the Supreme Court’s July ruling establishing broad presidential immunity from criminal prosecution as a threat to American democracy, including 75% who view it as a serious or extraordinary threat.

After the collapse of Biden’s candidacy, the popularity of an age limit for presidential candidates among the public increased from 61% in September 2023 to 78% today. The increase was driven by Democrats and independents, whose support jumped from 60% and 66% last year to 89% and 81%, respectively. However, 57% of experts oppose the proposal.

Assassination attempts

More than a third of Democrats endorsed the claim that the July and September assassination attempts against Trump were staged. Conversely, four in 10 Republicans say that the assassination attempts were not staged but that multiple people were involved in each.

69% of Republicans endorse the claim that Democrats encouraged or incited the assassination attempts against Trump compared to 38% of independents and 9% of Democrats."

[queenlua]

ok, this Kevin Woo guy is the most fantastic chad i've heard of in a while:

The journalist who exposed Lambda School wasn't a journalist by trade. Vincent Woo was a successful entrepreneur best known for CoderPad, a collaborative coding website used extensively in programming job interviews. After he sold CoderPad for millions of dollars, he focused on the public interest, such as housing activism.

Woo's work on CoderPad gave him expert insight into the programming job market, and in 2019, Austen's outrageous hiring numbers set off red flags. Whenever pressed for more details on his outrageous claims, Austen said a full report was coming soon, but six months would pass without any updates.

Woo obtained an investment memo Lambda School sent out to Y Combinator titled, "Human Capital: The Last Unoptimized Asset Class." In it, they disclose, “We’re at roughly 50% placement for cohorts that are 6 months graduated,” contradicting the very front page of their website.

Where did the 86% on their homepage come from? In 2018, Lambda School submitted a single report about 72 graduates to CIRR. CIRR is an organization formed by the boot camp industry following the boot camp crackdown of the 2010s, to cleanup their image. Bootcamps are supposed to submit their hiring stats every six months, in one standard format, to prevent underhanded boot camps from fudging the numbers. In two years, Lambda School had produced nothing beyond that single, small report.

Woo reached out to Sabrina Baez, Lambda School's former Director of Career Readiness. Baez oversaw job placement in those early days, and Austen had reprimanded her for low hiring rates. She told Woo that probably only 50% to 60% of graduates found jobs.

Finally, Woo obtained private communications with investors revealing the quiet deals with hedge funds. This flew in the face of their marketing's, "We don’t get paid until you do," and Austen's now-deleted tweet, “We never, ever get paid upfront for ISAs.”

With all the damning evidence, the story was ready. Most reporters would now email their subjects for comment, but Woo elevated the story to performance art. He asked Austen for a recorded interview, without revealing its nature. Austen, lulled into a false sense of security by tech press puff pieces, agreed. What followed was the most riveting hour of tech journalism I've ever heard.

Austen: "Our goal right now, is that if a student is endorsed, call it graduation, that we place 80% within 120 days."

Woo: "Why did you tell investors 50?"

Austen: "What… I don't know… what communication you're referring to."

The interview went downhill from there, as Austen scrambled to invent excuses.

#rekt

bonus: check out this dude's hilariously understated linkedin:

(also, the whole article's worth a read. i'd been following the Lambda School saga for a while but there's a bunch of new fuckery here that even i didn't know about. smh)

[f1ghtsoftly]

All The Women’s News You Missed Last Week

10/21/24-10/28/24

A female journalist of color breaks the story that the former CEO of Abercrombie was running an international prostitution business alongside his work at the teen retailer. The global spotlight again shines a light on fresh atrocities in Sudan, which led to the deaths of 120 women. With Election Day only a few weeks away, reproductive rights remain a defining issue in the presidential race. 

Have a Happy Halloween everyone, and keep it safe(ish). 

Want this in your inbox instead? Subscribe here

US Presidental Election: 

What’s really behind America’s men v women election

Michelle Obama makes fiery abortion pitch as Trump courts Muslim vote

Abortion is on the ballot in 10 states this year

In a rare political speech, Beyoncé endorses Kamala Harris at a Houston rally

Inflation changed these women’s lives. Now, they will vote.

An elections worker wanted to serve her country. A stew of conspiracy theories and vitriol awaited

Male Violence: 

Taliban minister declares women’s voices among women forbidden

Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO pleads not guilty to sixteen counts of sex trafficking and international prostitution

How my investigation led to sex trafficking charges against ex-Abercrombie boss

Chinese child trafficker with 17 victims sentenced to death

Gisèle Pelicot takes stand in French mass rape trial

More than 120 killed in paramilitary rampage in east-central Sudan, UN and a doctors group say 

Women in the News:

Missing woman found with snake bite after six days in mountains

Florida woman found guilty of murder for leaving her boyfriend to die in a suitcase

A melodic greeting between women in Burundi is at risk of being lost

Ilona Maher's Female Safety PSA Shows the Power Of Women Helping Women

Miscellaneous:

Backlash over photos of Somali men at UN women’s conference

Papal summit ends with call for leadership roles for women

Culture: 

Disease: Why Lady Gaga's comeback hits the spot

GloRilla conquers self-doubt on her path to becoming one of hip-hop’s most promising voices

Movie Review: ‘Memoir of a Snail,’ a stop-motion charmer, examines the shells we build around us

Music Review: In illness, Halsey tells deep truths on ambitious, reflective ‘The Great Impersonator’

Music Review: Muna frontwoman Katie Gavin makes her solo debut with folky, evocative ‘What A Relief’

‘Rivals’ star Nafessa Williams on favorite ‘80s fashion and music 

As always, this is global and domestic news from a US perspective covering feminist issues and women in the news more generally. As of right now, I do not cover Women’s Sports. Published each Monday afternoon.

[razorblade180]

Profits!!!

Paimon:We got a fresh batch of potions ready!

Aether:*writing* Put them front and center!

Jean: *walks up* Ummmm

Aether:Hmm? Oh hi! I was wondering if I’d see you.

Jean:Hello. Hard at work I see. *looks around* By a lot…. I just got a report back from Lisa. I knew things were in good hands but can you explain how this gateway into common alchemy is profiting five times its worth? Every time you come to town our budget increases.

Aether:Yeah I think I finally got a formula for success here! It’s all about where we send them. *shows paper* Sales to Mondstadt get the standard cost that breaks even considering how close clients are and the frequency.

Jean:We are selling them .25% under their actual value in Inazuma?

Aether:Inazuma’s are hesitant about trying things out of traditional practices plus the long trip there may reduce potency. However, we don’t really take a loss because I have them delivered by a reliable courier who gives us discount, as well as have them get shipped by a friend named Itto. He’s actually pretty used to the back and forth.

Jean:If that’s the logic, how are we getting away with selling the potions 1.5 times their price in Liyue? They also care about traditions.

Aether:Because Ningguang agreed to endorse us, and Beidou deliverers the shipments. Those are the only seals of approval we need.

Jean:*looks at Lisa*

Lisa:I didn’t tell him to expand. Our cutie has such an eye for business that even Master Diluc went in on a joint business venture.

Jean:*skims paper* We mark up the Sumeru prices by 2.5 times their actual value!?

Aether:I know that might look evil buuuuut *flips page* 80% of the stock that goes there by a merchant named Dori who’s incredibly rich. I’m positive she’s buying them to sell for at least triple their original worth. In the grand scheme we’re getting a bigger net gain than she is on paper but she’s also winning by knowing who and where to sell to. Also desert shipments are handled by a very trustworthy Mercenary.

Jean:And as for Fontaine being double the market price?

Aether:Mondstadt’s potions are approved by Furina de Fontaine. Not only does that attract the high society over there to buy, but it covers the for transport via Gaming as well as the transfer support from the Spina. Don’t worry, I made sure everything is perfectly legal.

Jean:(This is the market project all over again.) Aether, you didn’t have to start an empire, like…at all.

Aerther:I didn’t mean to do it. I just know people.

Paimon: *holds mora bags* Powerful people!

Jean:Well, I leave it all to you then. To think I’m able to redo our budget so freely is like a fever dream. Perhaps the extra funds can go into better training equipment and armor overhaul?

Kaeya:Or we can buy more horses. Just a thought.

Lisa:Do you miss your work that much?

Kaeya:I miss the title speaking for itself.

[khyann]

Fantasy SMP Mythical Sausage Lore Recap (so far) ((that i know of)) (((updates coming)))

So fantasy!Sausage is a 200 year old high elven prince on a journey of self-discovery endorsed by his father, the King.

According to Sausage, high-elves live to about 800 years so he is pretty young for an elf (he said teen but if we take 800 elven years to be the equivalent of 80 human years then he is about 20 for elven standars). But he is also a bit spoiled and his adventures in Fantasy SMP is meant to be a journey for him to see the world and learn about how things work before he becomes king.

He is fond of wood elves because he was raised by a wood elf nanny named Gwynevere (which he as a kid mispronounced often). The reason why he was raised by a nanny is because his father was always too busy ruling to take care of him.

Sausage's parents marriage was an arranged one between two royal houses, his mother wasn't really happy about it because she wanted to become a warrior, but she eventually came to love Sausage's father and seemingly left her battle desires in the past. Sausage suspects tho that she still kept battling in secret because as a kid his mother would disappear for weeks and upon returning would say she "was away visiting some friends/relatives". Sausage's mother is a skilled ice magic user.

Sausage's father is currently 450 years old, he is really tall (even for elf standars), a master of all the types of magic and a very loved king so chances of an assassination attempt are really small. He is very loved because when Sausage was about 50 a war broke between all the elven classes and he fought to stop said war and bring peace back, the war lasted for 50 years and the past 100 years have been nothing but peaceful. During this war Sausage was kept in hiding and moved from town to town because his father worried he could get kidnapped and used to take him down, Sausage doesn't remember much from this period of his life, just having fun going to all the different towns of the kingdom.

Part of the reason why Sausage's father sent him on this journey is because he was just 200 years old like Sausage when he ascended to the throne. He regrets never getting to see the world before he had to take the crown so he hoped that exploring the world would give Sausage a better outlook of the world. And it seems to have worked because where Sausage's father is traditionalist, Sausage has some changes he plans to make once he becomes king (but there's no hurry since he can only take the throne when his father passes away).

Sausage is also not a natural brown. He was born with blond hair, an average elven slim body and a clean face, but he hated everything about this (specially how smooth his face was). So he took a potion that allowed him to grow a beard, turned his hair from blond to brown and gave him a more build bodytype (for elven standars he is pretty beefy). The potion's effect hasn't ran out yet but he has more ready for when that happens.

(Someone in chat directly asked him if Fantasy Sausage is transmasc and cc!Sausage agreed).

Sausage admires his father greatly and is trying to be like him, which is why he is trying to learn all the kinds of magic.

All this info is from Sausage's second Fantasy SMP VOD. I'll update as I find stuff in the vods😁.

[yyh4ever]

Hi, I've been wanting to ask, could you tell me why Kuwabara and Yuusuke has different color for their uniform? I thought they are in same school but..

They actually attend the same school, Sarayashiki Junior High, and have the same color for their uniforms. While Yusuke wears a tanran, a school uniform in which the blazer is cut extra short around the waist line, Kuwabara wears a chouran, a uniform with long lower hem. Both were popular uniforms among delinquents guys in the 80s. You can read more about Kuwabara and Yusuke Fashion Variation from the official databook.

The thing is, for magazine covers and chapter opening pages, the manga artists usually highlight the characters with different colors. It's called "image color". You can read more about them in the Yu Yu Hakusho Artbook.

Togashi decided Kuwabara was going to be yellow during the Dark Tournament Saga, and changed the colors of the other characters on a whim. Yusuke used to be green, Kurama pink, and Hiei blue. Then, he changed Yusuke to red, Kurama to blue and Hiei to green.

For the Yoshihiro Togashi Exhibition, even if Yusuke became famous for his green anime uniform, Togashi kept him red, since Gon is also green.

When it was decided that Yu Yu Hakusho was going to have an anime adaption, director Noriyuki Abe was against painting Yusuke and Kuwabara in different colors as they were from the same school, so he went to the JUMP editorial team and asked for confirmation. (Source: V-storage, 10.26.2018).

Not only the editorial department endorsed the colors, but also the anime producer Ken Hagino explained that children remember the characters by their colors, so they needed to make the characters stand out, like in tokusatsu such as "Goranger". If they had made everyone wear black uniforms, with emphasis on realism, it would have looked pictorially simple. (Source: Yu Yu Hakusho 2009 Blu-Ray Booklet).

If I'm not mistaken, in the English dub, Yusuke says his favorite color is green or that green looks good on him. Nothing like that is said in Japanese. I don't why they changed the original dialogue with Keiko.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Ramon Antonio Vargas at The Guardian:

Kamala Harris on Saturday released a report on her health and medical history which found that “she possesses the physical and mental resiliency required to successfully execute the duties of the presidency” if voters elect her in November. A senior aide to Harris, 59, said the vice-president’s advisers viewed the publication of the health report and medical history as an opportunity to call attention to questions about the Republican White House nominee Donald Trump’s physical fitness and mental acuity. The 78-year-old Trump would be the oldest president elected if Americans give him a second term in the Oval Office. Saturday’s report – in the form of a two-page letter from the vice-president’s physician, Joshua Simmons – described Harris as being in “excellent health” and asserted that her medical history was notable for seasonal allergies and hives. Harris manages those conditions with over-the-counter medications such as Allegra, Atrovent nasal spray and Pataday eye drops, and she has also been on allergen immunotherapy for three years, the letter said.

Otherwise, Harris is mildly nearsighted and wears corrective contact lenses as a result, had abdominal surgery when she was three years old and has a maternal history of colon cancer. “She has no personal history of diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cardiac disease, pulmonary disease, neurological disorders, cancer or osteoporosis,” said the letter from Simmons, who added that the vice-president’s most recent physical examination in April was “unremarkable”. The statement on Harris’s health came on Saturday as Trump has become increasingly incoherent at campaign rallies, something the Guardian US reported on earlier in October. He has been slurring, stumbling over his words, hurling expletives – and showing signs of cognitive decline consistent with someone approaching his 80s, according to medical experts.

Recent speeches have seen him rant about topics ranging from his purportedly “beautiful” body to “a million Rambos” in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Harris campaign aides pointed to Trump’s backing out of an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes that the vice-president granted and his refusal to debate her again after their 10 September face-off. They argue that the former president is “avoiding public scrutiny” and giving voters “the impression … that he has something to hide and may not be up for the job”. “Contrast her age and vitality with his,” the senior aide to Harris, 59, said early on Saturday. Trump has repeatedly declined to release detailed information about his health during his public life. For instance, before winning the White House in 2016, he only offered a four-paragraph letter from his personal doctor which bragged that Trump would be “the healthiest person ever elected to the presidency”, as the New York Times recently reported.

Trump’s first physical as president resulted in perhaps the most detailed overview of his health to date. According to the Times, the physical flagged “worryingly high” cholesterol and a body mass index that left him 0.1 points below the threshold for medical obesity. Nonetheless, in a statement on Saturday, a Trump campaign spokesperson claimed the former president regularly distributed medical updates and that all “have concluded he is in perfect and excellent health to be commander in chief”. “It is said [Harris] does not have the stamina of … Trump,” the campaign spokesperson’s statement also said. Questions over whether he was too enfeebled forced Joe Biden to halt his bid for re-election to the presidency during the summer. The 81-year-old Democrat dropped out of a rematch with Trump on 21 July and endorsed Harris to succeed him.

Kamala Harris releases her medical report, reveals that she is in an excellent health state.

Dementia DonOld, however, has yet to release his, and he has a massive cognitive and mental decline.

See Also:

HuffPost: Harris Releases Medical Report, Putting Pressure On Trump

[scotianostra]

On November 16th 1700 James Macpherson, the famous fiddling freebooter, was hanged at Banff.

Our second musician to meet his maker at the end of a rope, and like the last one, I posted about yesterday, it was an unjust ent. It is also the second post where a gypsy was judicially murdered by authorities...

He is often called the Robin Hood of Scotland, but there is a huge difference between Jamie MacPherson and the legendary outlaw of Sherwood Forest. James MacPherson existed in reality, many of his amazing adventures were real, and he really was hanged, in Banff on this day in 1700. He was just 25 years old. Robin Hood is a made up story.

The legend of Jamie MacPherson survives and grows to this day, his story has been much embellished over the centuries, so if you have heard the story before, and it’s a wee bit different it’s a bit like Chinese whispers, it’s what happens when stories are passed on by word of mouth over time.

Anyway who better to endorse the story than our national bard, as this tale does,have the testimony and approval of none other than Robert Burns. The involvement of our national Bard comes from the fact that more than 80 years after MacPherson’s execution, Burns rewrote the words of the song MacPherson’s Rant, supposedly written by the outlaw himself, that first appeared in print a year after James was put to death for the crime of being ... a Gypsy. That’s right – in Scotland at that time, you could be hanged just for being of the Roma race. Thankfully, we have moved on.

With rather more delicate lyrics than the original, Burns called the song MacPherson’s Farewell, and it has been sung for more than 200 years, the most famous version coming from the folk duo, The Corries.

The song though only tells a part of the extraordinary story of MacPherson, the Highland Freebooter, a supposed outlaw, swordsman of great repute, a musician of note, and composer of the tune that bears his name.

When delving into the story of MacPherson, it is often very difficult to distinguish between fact and fantasy, and yet again Sir Walter Scott pops up, cited as an authority on the story of MacPherson, except that Scott muddled things up and didn’t even get his place of execution correct, stating it was Inverness rather than Banff, but never let facts get in the way of a great story.

It was most certainly in the latter that MacPherson was hanged, and the final part of the proceedings of his trial is still extant. Sadly for MacPherson, the hereditary Sheriff of Banff, one Nicholas Dunbar, was determined to hang him, and pronounced this sentence for doom.

“Forasmeikle as you James McPherson, pannal (the accused) are found guilty by ane verdict of ane assyse, to be knoun, holden, and repute to be Egiptian (Gypsy) and a wagabond, and oppressor of his Magesties free lieges in ane bangstrie manner, and going up and down the country armed, and keeping mercats in ane hostile manner, and that you are a thief, and that you are of pessimae famae (worst repute).

“Therfor, the Sheriff-depute of Banff, and I in his name, adjudges and discernes you the said James McPherson to be taken to the Cross of Banff, from the tolbooth thereof, where you now lye, and there upon ane gibbet to be erected, to be hanged by the neck to the death by the hand of the common executioner, upon Friday next, being the 16th day of November instant, being a public weekly mercat day, betwixt the hours of two and three in the afternoon.”

As William Chambers wrote about MacPherson 170 years later in his Journal, volume 50: “In these old times, the Scottish local authorities went to work in a very peremptory way when they chanced to catch a band of marauders. The whole were summarily tried, hanged and done with.”

So wat did MacPherson do to earn such a fate? He was born in circa 1675, the illegitimate son of a laird, MacPherson of Invereshie, and a beautiful Gypsy woman. His father acknowledged his bastard son, and Jamie lived at Invereshie in Inverness-shire until his father died, reportedly killed by cattle thieves. James was taken into the care of his mother’s people.

Growing up tall, strong and handsome, somewhere along the way he acquired great skill as a swordsman and a fiddler – his fiddle and a replica of his sword can be seen in the Clan MacPherson Museum in Newtonmore. (as seen in the pics)

As a naturally charismatic figure he soon became leader of his own band of Gypsies. When working as tinkers, they were well liked by the common people of the north and north-east of Scotland, but MacPherson wanted greater wealth and soon turned into a “freebooter”, effectively a land-based pirate. He soon acquired the habit of annoying those in authority in various parts of the north east. He and his men were declared outlaws, not least for their habit of marching behind a piper into towns where markets were being held, there to relieve wealthy types of their cattle and other goods, though one anonymous writer claimed “no act of cruelty, or robbery of the widow, the fatherless, or the distressed was ever perpetrated under his command”. He was very similar to a Border Reiver.

Well most of this is the romanticised stuff that’s been embellished through the years, bu, in all probability, but there is evidence that he did distribute some of his ill-gotten gains among his Gypsy folk and the poor. So that’s where the Robin Hood similarities come from.

MacPherson’s band of "merry men" became notorious in a whole swathe of the country from Inverness to Aberdeen, and it was in the latter city that he was first captured and imprisoned. With the help of his most loyal outlaw, Peter Broune, Jamie made a daring escape, and he would repeat that feat when captured again.

In Keith in the autumn of 1700, MacPherson would not be so lucky. The Laird of Braco, Alexander Duff, and his retainers surprised MacPherson’s small band as they attended St Rufus’ Fair, no doubt with a little larceny in mind. Instead they found themselves in a fierce hand-to-hand fight in which one of MacPherson’s men was killed and he himself was captured after, it is said, a woman threw a blanket on top of him from the upper window of a house.

Firmly imprisoned in Banff, MacPherson was tried on November 8th for the capital crime of being an “Egyptian”. Never mind the fact that his father was a Scottish laird, MacPherson was doomed from the outset, and Sheriff Dunbar gave him the unwanted title of being the last man in Scotland to be condemned to die by a judge who gained his office by Heritable Jurisdiction.

In the week before his execution, MacPherson composed his Rant to a tune that he apparently devised himself though it is similar to an old folk tune that was heard in Moray and Aberdeenshire.

It is unlikely that, as legend has it, MacPherson actually played his song underneath his gallows, though a version which states that he broke his fiddle so that no-one else would ever play it has more truth. There is also no written evidence for the story that he was hanged ahead of the set time because Duff of Braco found out a pardon was being hurried to Banff.

The town clock was allegedly set 15 minutes fast and so MacPherson really was hanged before his time. The song was written down within a year, and became popular with the ordinary people of Scotland who took to the story of the man who danced and played his fiddle in the face of death at the hands of unpopular authority.

After Burns made his improvements to the song, and Walter Scott wrote his version, MacPherson’s fame spread internationally. None other than the famous Russian composer and pianist, Dmitri Shostakovich was inspired by MacPherson’s Farewell, one of the two Burns’ settings in his 1943 work Six Romances for Bass, otherwise known as Six Romances to Verses by English (sic) Poets. The other is ‘O wert thou in the cauld blast.

For those that don’t know, after the Russian Revolution in 1917, Burns became known as the people's poet, as his class-aware poems about less-heroic and labouring class subjects strongly resonated with the Soviet regime. Throughout the Soviet years his poems sold millions of copies his songs were regularly heard on radio, TV and in famous films, hence Shostakovich ���s awareness and admiration of our Ploughman poet.

The most famous version of the Rant is still that written by Burns, and the one below in the version sung by The Corries and most folk singers here in Scotland There were other verses, either from oral tradition or written down, which tell the fuller story.

he most famous version of the Rant is still that written by Burns, and the one below in the version sung by The Corries. There were other verses, either from oral tradition or written down, which tell the fuller story.

“It’s little did me mither know, When first she cradled me, That I would become a rovin’ boy, And die on the gallows tree.

“There’s some come here to see me hang, And some to steal my fiddle, But before that I do part with her, I’ll break her through the middle.

“He’s ta’en his fiddle into both his hands, And breaked her on his knee, Said when I am gane no ither hands, Shall ever play on thee.

“The reprieve was comin’ ower the Brig o Banff tae set MacPherson free, But they pit the clock a quarter afore, and they hanged him frae the tree.”

Fareweel ye dungeons dark and strang

The wretch’s destiny,

MacPherson’s time will no be lang

On yonder gallows tree.

Chorus – Sae rantingly, sae wantonly,

An’ sae dauntingly gaed he.

He played a tune and he danced a-roon,

Below the gallows tree.

It was by a woman’s treacherous hand that I was condemned tae dee

She stood abune a windae ledge and a blanket threw ower me

(chorus)

Oh what is death, but parting breath,

On many’s the bloody plain,

I’ve dur’d his face, and in this place

I scorn him yet again!

(chorus)

I’ve liv’d a life of sturt and strife;

I die by treachery,

It burns my heart I must depart,

An’no’ avenged be.

(chorus)

So tak off these bands fae roon’ my hands,

And gie to me my sword;

And there’s no a man in all Scotland,

But I’ll brave him at a word.

(chorus)

So farewell night, thou parting light,

An’ a’ beneath the sky!

May coward shame, disdain his name,

The wretch that dur’na die!

Sae rantingly, sae wantonly,

An’ sae dauntingly gaed he.

He played a tune and he danced a-roon,

Below the gallows tree.

A final note, based on the fact that in the town of Macduff, where MacPherson was well liked and had the protection of the local laird, there stands Doune parish church which has a clock tower with only has three faces. The side that looks across the Bay to Banff is blank, as seen in the last pic.

Local lore has it that the people of Macduff wouldn’t give the time of day to the folk of Banff, but another version is that the tower was made that way as a gesture of disapproval to Banff for hanging “their” Jamie MacPherson. Even three centuries after his death, MacPherson is still the stuff of legend.

The illustration of MacPherson is by my late friend, Larry Andrews, who passed away in January this year.

[flugmunk]

-[DESCRIPTION: a mountain gazelle, in the horns entangled with olive branches. fruits shake off with the leaping of the gazelle as a number of small fish dart about alongside.]- Gazelle, olives and little fish. Done in the colors of the flag in which the people of Palestine are banned from using from under the powers of the israeli government that have been trying to wipe and clear them out for the past 80 years of life and land. All to now commit crimes and atrocities with unfiltered impunity before the eyes of the rest of the world. That this government not only endorses but also encourages. From one colonial hand of violence to another, to bring nothing but tears and bloodshed. A ceasefire must be done, but that shall not be the end all be all, in order to bring us back into a state of complicity. Palestine must be free. Gnashing greed should never be a ruler of this earth.

[mariacallous]

WASHINGTON (JTA) — In the span of two days, one Jewish lawmaker became the first to call on Israel to join a ceasefire, another called the Palestinian death toll “unacceptable” and a third said Israel’s conduct was a “moral failure.’

The 35 Jews in the U.S. House of Representatives and in the Senate — all but two of them Democrats — have been among the most stalwart in defending Israel since Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacres launched the war. Last month, three Jewish lawmakers, including two progressives, spearheaded a letter from more than half of House Democrats supporting President Joe Biden’s robust backing for Israel. All 24 Jewish Democrats in the House signed it.

Now — as the war enters its sixth week, the Palestinian death toll rises and the humanitarian crisis intensifies — anguished expressions of dissent from Reps. Becca Balint of Vermont and Dean Phillips of Minnesota, and Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia, suggest that wall of support might be crumbling.

Phillips, Ossoff and Balint each said that the massacres Hamas carried out, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 200 captive, recalled the horrors of the Holocaust. “These events call to mind the Einsatzgruppen SS, the Nazi death squads who hunted and massacred our relatives across Eastern Europe 80 years ago,” Ossoff said on the Senate floor.

But they said they have been haunted by the subsequent carnage, in which the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry has said that more than 11,000 Palestinians have died, including thousands of children. It’s not known how many among that number are combatants, and how many among the dead were victims of misfired rockets aimed at Israel.

On Thursday, Balint became the first Jewish member of Congress to endorse a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

“What is needed right now is an immediate break in violence to allow for a true negotiated ceasefire,” she said in an op-ed for VTigger, a Vermont news site. “One in which both sides stop the bloodshed, allow critical access to humanitarian aid and move towards negotiating a sustainable and lasting peace.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat who is a leader of the “Squad,” the most left-wing faction in the House, immediately seized upon Balint’s support, noting her Jewish identity.

“Rep. Becca Balint is now the first Jewish member of Congress to come out in favor of a ceasefire in Gaza,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. “She is incredibly brave, taking a stance rooted in her commitment to human rights and protection of the innocent.”

Balint’s appeal differs in some ways from the ceasefire promotion that Ocasio-Cortez champions, in two substantive ways: Ocasio-Cortez this week spearheaded a letter to Biden urging him to press Israel into a ceasefire. Balint’s appeal was to Israel, and not to Biden to exert pressure on Israel.

Balint also said in her op-ed that a condition of a ceasefire must be the removal of Hamas from power — which is Israel’s objective in the war.

“A lasting bilateral cease-fire can only work if Hamas does not continue to rule in Gaza,” she wrote. “Hamas is a terrorist organization, and its stated goal is to annihilate the state of Israel. It can’t remain in power in Gaza.”

Ocasio-Cortez’s letter, which got 24 signatures, makes no such condition.

Later in the day, Ossoff took to the Senate floor to excoriate Israel’s conduct. He did not call for a ceasefire — he said Israel must pursue Hamas. But he was unstinting in his criticism of Israel’s conduct of the war and its resistance to Biden Administration pleas to allow in humanitarian assistance.

“The extent of civilian death and suffering in Gaza is unnecessary,” he said. “It is a moral failure and it should be unacceptable to the United States.”

Ossoff was especially galled that Israel seemed to be rebuffing Biden administration appeals to allow in relief and to curb violence by a group of Israeli West Bank settlers who have seized the moment to attack Palestinian communities.

“Requests by the United States that the Israeli leadership conduct a more targeted campaign, that they permit and provide a safe passage for aid essential to the sustenance of innocent life, that they clearly define objectives, that they prevent extrajudicial killings by extremists in the West Bank, that they present a credible plan for Gaza’s future governance have mostly been ignored,” Ossoff said.

He raised the specter of conditioning U.S. defense assistance to Israel on its compliance. “I do not accept that the total deprivation of millions of innocent civilians is necessary for Israel to secure its objectives or in the national interest of the United States, and where the United States is committing arms funds and support to those efforts, we must guard our principles and our interests,” he said.

On Friday, Phillips, who is mounting a long-shot primary challenge to Biden and is known for his moderate positions, released a statement outlining his vision for a way out of the war that did not spare Israel or its leadership. He too called on Israel to dismantle Hamas’ fighting capacity.

“Israel has every right and expectation to target Hamas terrorists and dismantle their capability of destroying the state of Israel,” he said. “But that response has taken an unacceptable toll on Palestinians, many of whom are subject to Hamas terror — not supporters of it.”

He took aim in particular at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who he said had “exacerbated” policies of “repression and illegal settlement on Palestinian lands.” He said Israelis should hold elections soon. Netanyahu also has low approval ratings within Israel.

Phillips presented a five-point plan to create a “future of peace.” The document was notable considering Phillips has been a leader in Congress in terms of calling out fellow Democrats for Israel criticism that he believed was antisemitic.

Until now the only Jewish Democrat forcefully criticizing Israel’s response has been Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the unofficial leader of congressional progressives. But he has refused to call for a ceasefire and has distanced himself from fellow progressive who do.

The shifts by Jewish lawmakers comes amid accelerating volleys of sentiment by people in and close to the U.S. government. Hundreds of Biden administration staffers have signed statements criticizing the administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war and calling for Biden to do more to support the Palestinians, the New York Times reported this week.

Also this week, more than 100 former staffers for Barack Obama issued a letter praising Biden’s “moral clarity” for backing Israel and endorsing his request for a $14 billion emergency assistance package to Israel.

[americatransformed]

Can we believe a word he says?

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-project-2025-russell-vought-brendan-carr-b2650943.html

The US is a representative democracy, a Republic and many say Empire simultaneously. Is this the part where the democracy part dies as we turn into full on empire with emperors instead of presidents? Is this going to be the Rome burns moment for America? I sure hope not, but the writing is on the wall! Notice how Elon and Trump are both retweeting videos depicting themselves living in the Roman Empire or showing scenes of soldiers riding into battle during the crusades. 😣 Also Trump has made posts comparing the movement to Nazis. Does Trump not know about the Nero fiddling while Rome burned legend? 🤔 In this first video link on X below, the girl who is singing (Emma Kok) has disavowed whoever made it, making it look like she’s endorsing MAGA and Trump!

https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1850700452805136479?s=61

https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1853948745521439079?s=61

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/20/us/donald-trump-reich-video.html

My MAGA friend is trying to convince me only OAN, Newsmax and Fox should be trusted on Project 2025! And everything below is “false and misleading” 🤔 It sounds like those who believe this are parroting Trump’s fake news line, that the free press is the “enemy of the people,” which started out as 80%, but has since moved up to a whopping 90%!

The free press called out corruption throughout every election I’ve voted for including democrat and republican, and MAGA wants me to believe they’ve all of a sudden turned to spreading lies, because of a “witch hunt” as Trump says. 😣 extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence! Makes more sense these people reporting the news are doing their job, no matter how upset that makes MAGA and Trump!

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/11/21/trump-taps-project-2025-authors-administration-00191047

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-team-turns-project-2025-disavowing-effort-campaign-rcna180689

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-11-22/project-2025-goes-from-pariah-to-pipeline-as-trump-staffs-up

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/22/project-2025-trump-picks

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-project-2025-administration/story?id=116019369

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2024/11/19/these-trump-administration-picks-have-ties-to-project-2025/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-russ-vought-office-of-management-budget/

https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-project-2025-cabinet-picks-1989565

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-project-2025-russell-vought-brendan-carr-b2650943.html

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-to-name-project-2025-mastermind-russ-vought-to-lead-office-of-management-and-budget/

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/project-2025-contributors-trump-administration-picks-1235175351/

https://newrepublic.com/post/188662/trump-russ-vought-omb-project-2025

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2024/11/20/trump-after-distancing-himself-from-project-2025-picks-people-who-worked-on-it/76456148007/

https://www.vox.com/politics/386224/project-2025-trump-cabinet-carr-homan

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/11/20/trump-project-2025-second-administration/

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trumps-transition-team-turns-project-120000787.html

https://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-vetting-project-2025-architect-top-administration-post/story?id=115993180