#public complaint resolution

[townpostin]

Saryu Roy Slams Electricity Dept, Raises School Admission Issues

MLA criticizes unsafe power practices, questions RTE implementation in Jamshedpur Jamshedpur East MLA Saryu Roy voiced concerns over electricity safety and school admissions for BPL children at a Disha meeting. JAMSHEDPUR – At a Disha committee meeting, MLA Saryu Roy criticized unsafe electrical practices and raised issues about BPL children’s school admissions. During a District Development…

[officialmahmoudsaad]

Online Outrage? 5 Steps to Resurrect Your Brand's Reputation

In the digital age, your brand’s online reputation is its lifeblood. But one misstep, scandal, or even just a string of bad reviews can send your carefully cultivated image crashing down. So, what do you do when your brand is facing online outrage? Don’t panic! Here are 5 key steps to navigate the choppy waters and steer your reputation back to shore: 1. Face the Facts: First things first,…

[oatmealwrites]

JJK Mens' New Year Sex Resolutions!

(fem. reader )

The 2025 resolutions of your favorite JJK men! How they want to start the new year with a bang!

Characters: Nanami Kento, Choso Kamo, Geto Suguru, Gojo Satoru, Higuruma Hiromi, Ryomen Sukuna

Tags: p in v, orgasm, unprotected sex, creampie, oral (m & f receiving), public sex, car sex, lazy sex, anal, rimjobs, fingering, blindfolded, nudes, cuck, 18+, MDNI, NSFW

A/N: not proofread, just threw this together hehe

masterlist

HAPPY NEW YEAR

~~~~~~~~~

Nanami Kento - Public Sex

You and Nanami have a routine and regular sex life that fits perfectly into both of your schedules. It’s final exam week at your uni and you’re stressed? He’s already checked your exam schedule and makes sure to fuck you senseless as soon as you’re home from the last final. He has a big project due at work soon? You already know he can spare 15 minutes to have you suck him off in the home office! The resolution to make it even better? More public sex!

This is because you and Nanami have already banged against every orifice in your apartment. He’s already filled you up with his cum in a mating press on the living room floor next to the coffee table.

Public Sex is his resolution because while yes, he loooves to take his time with you, taking the initiative is something he wants to get better at. In the car on the way to a big presentation: he’d love to empty his balls into your cute little mouth. At the mall and trying on a new dress: let’s see how it looks from below when you ride his face in the large dressing room stall.

The thought of being caught and ruining the ‘put together’ facade is enough to make his cock twitch painfully in his slacks. When he sees you hop in his car wearing the sluttiest little skirt, that you swear you didn't know showed off your panties when you bend over, would be hiked up to your waist while you ride him in the back seat. (of course the car is parked… in the parking lot of your uni ;) ) 

Overall, Nanami will still take his time with you and be the perfect gentleman he is…. He just wants to show you how much you mean to him in the moment as well. Fogged car windows and dressing room noise complaints are in your sex future for 2025!

Choso Kamo - Nudes

You and Choso have a very passionate and playful sex life that’s incredibly fulfilling. He’s a gamer (headcanon) and loves when you tease him while he’s on the mic with his friends (Inumaki and Yuji always make fun of him). Choso gets so hard he has to mute his mic and listen to his friends make fun of his shitty KDA while he’s balls deep in your pussy while you ride him. You also loveee the way he’s always trying to learn about you and your body better; he literally begs you to let him finger and eat you out because he wants to be the best boyfriend ever! So what could make your sex life better than extending it to photos and videos!

He of course would never make you send something you didn’t want to do (fucking you irl is best the thing ever anyways) … he’d be fine sending you nudes even if you didn’t reciprocate.

BUT, if you did want to partake and send Nudes …

He would get so hard seeing a ‘ping’ on discord and opening it to a photo of your hard nipples through your baby t-shirt. Or imagine you’re at work/cramming for exams and you get an audio message of him moaning your name while he’s jerking himself off. Choso would go ahead and buy the 2TB storage of Google Photos to make room for everything. Every photo he sends of his painful erection in gray sweatpants would be favorited, and every lingerie mirror selfie you send goes straight to ‘my eyes only’. (let him take your photo after he cums on your tits and he’ll even consider buying a ring for your pretty little finger)

Even if you two travel or spend the night with friends, there will always be a steamy video/photo/audio waiting in your messages to keep you company. Messages with the subject ‘don’t open in public’ are in your sex future for 2025!

Geto Suguru - Anal

Ok so to start, you and Suguru are very content with your current sex life as is. There is no better feeling than the delicious sting of his cock splitting you open while fucks you drunk, and no better sight than seeing his hot cum spilling out your weeping cunt. Suguru never oversteps a boundary, grateful to have you in his life through every dark and depressing moment he has; and you’re so lucky to have a boyfriend that would literally destroy the entire world if it made you happy.

That being said, whenever he has you in doggy, he can’t help but look at the other puckering hole. He swears it winks at him. In 2025, it would start naturally: by him just dragging a finger on your rim, and him casually licking lower to graze your asshole every time he eats you out. If you notice and call him out, he would act casually that he was curious and would stop right away if you were uncomfortable. 

BUT, if you’re into it and want to explore that side? He’s more than enthusiastic to try Anal. Suguru would purchase more than enough lube to coat one finger and work its way into your ass while the other hand rubs circles on your clit to keep you stimulated. Words of praise leave his lips with every act; he’s only quiet when you let him eat out both holes. (he would also consider letting you eat his ass… it happens when you’re sucking his cock and your finger grazes his balls and asshole… it makes his mind open a bit)

If you get to the point you want him to fuck you that way, he’s so slow and patient with you. Enough lube to turn the bed into a slip and slide, and vibrator on your clit to keep you on edge, Suguru would start out slow before fucking you into the mattress. His new favorite sight is seeing his hot cum seep out of your cunt and ass while you’re wearily panting from such intense orgasms. 

Water-based lube and small butt plugs are in your sex future for 2025!

Gojo Satoru - Lazy Sex

Ok, hear me out, because Satoru is so damn busy all the time, and despite his carefree attitude, he would want some slow sex in 2025. He’s constantly traveling for jobs, ‘educating the youth’, and running the household of his own family, so a lot of times this leads to passionate and intense sex whenever the moment arises. Fucking in the backseat of a car (with the divider up, so there’s some privacy), while Ichiji is trying not to crash at the sounds of moans filling the air, sucking him off with only 10 minutes to spare before his next meeting, and riding his face while Megumi, Yuji, and Nobara blow up his phone asking what the next lesson is. It’s amazing, but exhausting.

Neither of you are unsatisfied, but this year he wants to take his time.

Lazy Sex applies to the soft side Satoru has (which most people in his life forget about considering he's constantly viewed as only a weapon).

2025 will bring slow sex in bed on Sunday mornings before either of you get up. Soft kisses on the back of your neck while his erection grinds into your ass, Satoru would hike your leg up and slide in. Lazy thrusts, open mouth kisses, and light praises make up the scene; the gentle sunlight on your face when you cum is enough to make Satoru’s heart do backflips. 

Lazy sex would also be riding him in your shared apartment, movie on the television, and dinner ready on the table but long forgotten. He’d hold your gaze and whimper everytime you praised him and acknowledged how good he was making you feel. Though his schedule rarely allows it, Satoru would love slow sex with tooth-rottingly sweet aftercare. Cuddles and slow kisses with limbs intertwined, a quiet moment with you could satiate him for a lifetime.

With Satoru, fuzzy throw blankets and warm baths together post-fuck are in your sex future for 2025!

Higuruma Hiromi - Blindfold

Higuruma and you have a great sex life currently, making time for each other in between work and daily activities; you’re both super satisfied. He loves when you ride his face and rut against his slutty nose, creating moans from your lips so angelic he’s sure this is heaven. And despite his attentive nature to you, the way he bullies his cock into your cunt has you wondering if he secretly hates you. 

This year, he wants to try something new..well, new in the bedroom. Everyone knows justice is blind… so why not bring that into the bedroom with a Blindfold in 2025?

He approaches you with his satin black tie one evening, awkwardly wondering if he could cover your pretty eyes while you two had sex. What you weren’t expecting was the way every sensation was heightened. Each thrust of his cock into your snug cunt had his cock kissing your cervix so much better than it ever felt before. Seeing his cum drip out of your pussy from the mating press you were currently in, your eyes still covered as pants escaped your lips, have Higuruma ready for round 2 or 3/4/5/6..

After using his tie on you, it doesn’t take much convincing to use it on him. At first he’s a cheater, lifting up the fabric to watch the way your tits bounce as you ride him into oblivion; he only stops when you pry his hands away from his face. The pleasure of the sensation has him wondering why you both hadn’t tried this sooner! Though of course he still likes to watch your eyes roll back in your skull when his cock splits you open… so maybe he can use his tie to tie you up? Maybe in 2026…

With Higuruma, get ready for satin ties and blindfolds in your sex future for 2025. 

Ryomen Sukuna - Live Studio Audience!

Now, Sukuna is a man with a big ego (and big cocks), so he’s always trying to find new ways to make your mind drunk in pleasure. Any position is ok with him, and he’s not threatened by sex toys… though if you cum, it HAS to be on his fingers, tongue, or cock. So when you’re already fucking in public areas and in the privacy of your home… what else is there than to bring someone else to the scene with a Live Studio Audience.

This isn’t a three-some, there’s no one else you need to satisfy your desires anyways, it’s a cuck. The idea of having someone else walk in while he’s balls deep in your cunt turns him on more than he would like to admit. A third party watching the way you come undone from his touch feeds Sukuna’s ego even more.

But if you were genuinely mortified, he wouldn’t keep leaving the door unlocked (on purpose). Sukuna also genuinely enjoys having his alone time with you; it’s nice to get away from the stupidity of everyone else and just ravish you for an evening. BUT, when he’s jealous or especially needy, having someone watch the way he’s ruining your cunt turns him on more than he’d ever admit. (never Yuji or Jin though… he’d rather die than his family watch the way he’s about to continue the bloodline)

With Sukuna, unlocked doors and a chair conveniently facing the bed are in your sex future for 2025.

this is my first post like this! lmk if you like this style in addition to longer fics and one-shots! (also idk where this idea even came from, i had 5 hours till ball drop and decided why not)

likes/reblogs/comments all appreciated

happy new years everyone! ╰(´︶`)╯♡

-oatmeal

[bethanydelleman]

New Year's Resolutions for Jane Austen Characters (mid-novel) Part 2

George Wickham: Marry a heiress. Stop gambling lol, as if, that's what marrying the heiress is for.

Lady Catherine: Convince Darcy to follow through with his duty and honour of marrying my daughter Anne. Learn pianoforte

William Collins: Continue in the esteem of my patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh in order to secure additional livings. My wonderful partner in life joins me in this goal.

Charlotte Collins: Convince husband to spend as much time in the garden as possible. Secure extra livings in order to gain more Mr. Collins-free time.

Georgiana Darcy: Practice harp at 10am sharp every day until fingering improves

Mrs. Jennings: Marry off every eligible girl within sight, beginning with the Miss Dashwoods.

Fanny Dashwood: 1. Suck up to mom to secure inheritance 2. Keep Edward & Elinor apart at all costs, 3. Hang out with this Steele girl to make Elinor jealous

John Willoughby: 1. Marry an heiress before my entire life explodes 2. Worm my way back into Mrs. Smith's good graces. 3. Marianne???

Sir John Middleton: 1. Go hunting 2. Host parties and balls 3. Make sure my tenants in Barton cottage are happy (Not actually goals, just what he does anyway)

Lady Middleton: Maintain the propriety of my great house and title while spoiling my children

John Thorpe: 1. Marry that rich heiress I so cleverly secured 2. Buy and sell horses for extravagant prices 3. Attend Belle & James's wedding (If I have time)

Isabella Thorpe: ❤️❤️❤️ Marry Captain Frederick Tilney ❤️❤️❤️

Jane Fairfax: *hands back the paper blank and blushes*

Frank Churchill: MARRY THE LOVE OF MY LIFE JANE FAIRFAX um, some girl I know. Don't tell my aunt, please

Mr. Elton & Mrs. Elton: keep being the hottest couple in Highbury *high five*

Dr. Grant: Eat a lot of yummy dinners (same goal since he was born)

Julia Bertram: Catch a better husband than Maria Keep partying with Maria

Mrs. Price: hire better servants, have Rebecca fix that carpet... I really have the worst servants in Portsmouth, it's a tragedy... (we cut off her complaints here)

William Price: MAKE LIEUTENANT

Sir Thomas: Finally figure out how to make Tom stay at home and do his duty as the eldest son. All the other kids are doing very well so I have nothing to improve there.

Sir Walter: There is nothing I would ever change about the amazing person that is myself.

Elizabeth Elliot: Marry Mr. Elliot and reestablish myself as the mistress of Kellynch

Lady Russell: encourage Anne to marry Mr. Elliot, read all new poetry publications

Mr. Elliot: Keep Sir Walter from marrying that vile seductress so I stay in the line of succession

Mrs. Clay: Marry Sir Walter, at all costs

Part 1

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Shannon Watts at Playing With Fire:

So, it’s been dismaying, to say the least, to watch too many Democratic leaders mostly fail to meet the moment after Donald Trump was reelected. Instead of speaking from a place of outrage, they’re going on Sunday cable shows and spewing consultant speak. Instead of pushing back on Trump’s reckless and dangerous orders, some are voting to pass his legislation and approve his cabinet picks. Instead of giving the 75 million voters who supported them their marching orders, they’re either ignoring us or sending emails asking for money.

Despite all of the warnings and the polling and the three-month planning period between the election and the inauguration, Democratic leaders decided to show up for a knife fight with a cheese stick. My anger about this finally came to a head after I read that seven Democrats had voted to confirm Kristi Noem as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Noem, a Trump acolyte, has vowed to carry out Trump’s shameless and despicable mass migration operation. As I am wont to do when angry, I posted a rant online, which included this complaint: “…to watch Democrats make millions off of stock trades, cozy up to people they admitted were fascists, trade obligation for access, and play internal politics while democracy is destroyed is a disappointment I don't have words for.”

To be clear, my disappointment doesn’t mean I’m not a Democrat anymore. I continue to believe in the party’s platform, promise and potential. However, my experience as an activist has taught me that if voters demand a course correction, loudly and publicly, it can force change. For example, back in 2012, about a quarter of all Democrats in Congress had an A-rating from the NRA—until our volunteers started calling them out online and in real life. In Virginia, Sen. Mark Warner was voting for the gun lobby’s priority legislation. Our volunteers started showing up wherever he went, including fundraisers. At one such event, a group of women in our red shirts cornered the Senator inside someone’s home and told him they would not tolerate his allegiance to the NRA and would hold him accountable if he didn’t publicly separate himself from their agenda. Lo and behold, weeks later, Warner did exactly that, and an entire army of women in red shirts helped get him reelected in November. And he’s been on the right side of history ever since.

[...]

There’s nothing Democrats can do; we don’t any have power

You don’t have to have legislative power to oppose and protest; to educate and resist; to organize and galvanize supporters. In fact, it’s often easier to oppose than it is to lead. For example, Trump has essentially declared war on cancer patients by delaying the study-section meetings where grant money gets doled out to cancer studies. As a result, crucial research is likely to be delayed or abandoned due to a lack of funding. This arbitrary freeze is outrageous and Democrats shouldn’t wait for focus groups or polling or consultant input to create a campaign that calls out this betrayal of Americans, regardless of their political party. What would Trump do if he was the one in the opposition party? He’d concoct some kind of stunt to harness public attention and anger. He might draft resolutions, show up at lawmakers’ offices accompanied by cameras, or bring cancer patients and doctors to a press conference. In that same vein, Democrats should stop faxing wonky statements into the ether and start showing up where Americans are paying attention. As former White House communications staffer Aaron Huertes posted online, “Every Trump outrage is an opportunity to communicate core messages to different constituencies.”

Party leaders need to be less concerned about controlling the message and more invested in communicating authenticity to the broadest audience possible.

We’re letting Republicans hang themselves; Trump’s behavior is a distraction

Elder Democrats seem to think doing nothing will win them the midterm elections (just like they thought letting Roe v Wade get overturned would give them a blue wave). Obviously, we can cut our time in hell in half if we win the midterms, but that’s only IF THERE ARE EVEN MIDTERM ELECTIONS. Nothing is a given, and it isn’t safe to assume anything in this volatile political environment. As columnist Jamelle Bouie recently wrote, “It is not a distraction to vocally oppose Trump’s would-be nominees or highlight his extreme intentions. Democrats should look at every aspect of the next Trump administration as an opportunity to do, well, politics—to demonstrate their values and show the extent to which this president has no plan to pursue the public good. The quiet and supposedly responsible approach of the past four years is a dead end.

[...]

Call first, email second: Call your Senators and Representatives every single day to thank or shame them.

If the lawmaker you call is a Democrat who’s aiding and abetting the Republican agenda, say this: “As a rank-and-file voter and an American, I feel exposed, unprotected, and unsupported by Democratic leaders. It feels like [NAME OF LAWMAKER] is in hiding. I want to be given a plan for resisting and assurances that [NAME OF LAWMAKER] will stand up and fight.” If the lawmaker you call is a Republican, say: “I am being harmed by the Trump agenda and I demand [NAME OF LAWMAKER] stops kowtowing to the President and starts caring about his constituents.” I promise you, these calls matter! The whole reason 15 Republican Senators voted for the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act is because they received so many calls from constituents that they became concerned about the consequences of ignoring them. So, this week, call your lawmakers every day—regardless of political party—and in addition to telling them to act, demand they VOTE NO on cabinet nominees Kash Patel, Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F Kennedy.

[...]

Post online: Too many progressive people and groups are leaving social media spaces where they could be challenging Republican policy. After leaving Twitter/X in the post-Elon Musk era, groups like the ACLU, the Human Rights Campaign, and Planned Parenthood have ceded important ground to their opponents. My posts this week on Twitter and Bluesky went viral and led to calls from lawmakers, fellow activists, and reporters from major publications. People are paying attention and looking for someone to say what they’re thinking. Did I get blowback? Sure—some people told me not to criticize Democrats, others told me I’d conveniently ignored party issues for a decade, others suggested I’ve gone MAGA. I’ll live.

Love this post from Shannon Watts on Substack: Democrats need to show a spine and fight against Fascist Trump.

[eretzyisrael]

by Richard Goldberg

Anti-Semitism is spreading in K–12 school districts. Even in primary and secondary education, Jews are often viewed as privileged whites and oppressors, with Israel branded as an egregious example of “settler colonialism” and oppression of “indigenous people.” “Liberated ethnic studies” curricula, like the one mandated by California, have created a distinct variant of critical theory aimed at Jews for being Zionist colonial oppressors.

Teachers’ unions are the leading purveyors of this approach. Two years ago, the United Educators of San Francisco adopted a resolution calling for a boycott of Israel. The Chicago Teachers Union instigated pro-Hamas demonstrations in the Windy City after October 7. The union persuaded Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson (a former CTU lobbyist) to condemn Israel in the city council, and it organized a student and faculty “walkout” to show solidarity with Hamas—a city-authorized event that left Jewish students and teachers feeling intimidated. In suburban Seattle, kids as young as seven were recently encouraged to condemn Israel and join in anti-Semitic chants. Oakland Unified School District faces a federal investigation after 30 Jewish families removed their kids from school due to rampant anti-Semitism. And at a high school in New York City, hundreds of students hunted down a female teacher they saw on social media holding a sign supporting Israel.

Marxist ideology is the primary culprit influencing this mind-set, but not the only one. Qatar, a tiny Persian Gulf country that supports Hamas, is funding anti-Semitic “scholarship” not only in American universities but also in K–12 schools. Qatar Foundation International gave $1 million to the New York City Department of Education between 2019 and 2022 for a program featuring a map of the Middle East that erases the Jewish state. The same story played out at a public charter school in Irving, Texas. What other districts in the country might be taking money directly or indirectly from a chief Hamas sponsor? Brown University’s Choices Program, used by more than 1 million high school students nationwide, exhibits a clear anti-Israel bias. According to Brown, the Qataris “purchased and distributed a selection of existing Choices curriculum units to 75 teachers whose districts didn’t have funding to buy them.”

Tools to fight back, however, are available. Governors and state legislatures can begin by blocking “ethnic studies” from the K–12 curriculum and by imposing new teacher-certification requirements. To curb foreign meddling, states should ban school funding or in-kind donations from entities connected with countries that harbor U.S.-designated terrorist organizations. School districts and state boards of education should use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of anti-Semitism to root out conduct meeting its standard. Several groups sued the Santa Ana, California, school district in state court for failing to notify parents before approving ethnic studies courses that contain anti-Jewish bias and for harassing Jewish parents at school board meetings.

At the federal level, parents could file formal complaints with the Department of Education for discrimination under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Such complaints are increasingly common against colleges and universities, but any school that receives federal funding must comply with Title VI. The House Committee on Education and the Workforce should consider holding a hearing on anti-Semitism in K–12 schools, putting the national spotlight on anti-Jewish administrators and school board leaders.

Local, state, and federal officials have played meaningful roles in fighting back against critical race theory in the classroom. They need to fight equally hard to stop anti-Semitism masquerading as Middle East or ethnic studies.

[ilminnestrone]

I'm asking you lewd shit: Genesis' specialty?

If you were to ask Genesis himself, he would wink mischievously and say that he was never breastfed as a baby, and spout some abstruse Freudian theory about it. Or he would pucker up, offering a playful demonstration. But there would be some truth in it.

The man and his oral fixation are well known, even in the most innocent of contexts: licking his index finger to turn pages, nibbling on any pencil within reach, sucking his lower lip when a particularly stupid statement irritates him. A fondness for any food that can be eaten with your hands, from a simple fruit to a juicy burger with chips (and licking the grease off his fingers is an integral part of the meal): not that he doesn't know how to behave, on the contrary, his mother taught him a strict etiquette from an early age. But even as a child, the small exceptions to the rule were an incomparable pleasure: a petit four. An olive. An oyster. A handful of blueberries. They made him feel rebellious and electrified.

Of course, he would deny sucking his thumb well into his teens and sometimes finding it in his mouth as an adult when deep in thought. Or the fact he wears gloves in public and spends shameful amounts of money on manicures to avoid torturing his cuticles with his teeth. What he will not deny is what those plump lips can do behind closed doors.

For starters, he’s the best kisser on Gaia and he knows it. An absolute tease who won’t give in even when you’re practically breathing into his mouth, lips already brushing against lips and eyes heavy-lidded. But once it's started, it's not easy to stop. He would make out for hours and it’s not even inherently sexual for him, it's a sensory stimulation to which he easily becomes addicted. He would kiss out of affection or boredom, to get attention, to win a spar, in the heat of the moment after a victory: he probably pecked half of his comrades out of joy or relief (and no one ever filed a complaint).

When his kisses have other aims, his intentions are more than clear. The fact is, those lips are so sensitive. He whines into kisses because of how good it feels.

But that is not the signal. The signal is when his mouth begins to wander elsewhere, from chin to throat to ears. When he brings the lucky person's fingers to his lips and begins to kiss and suck them one by one. When his teeth begin to sink into the folds of their clothes. His tongue becomes a sense organ like a snake, tasting his lover's scent as he slowly makes his way towards the most coveted prize.

It is there that his full potential is unleashed. He doesn't care what he finds in your pants. He devours it. Consumes it. He explores every crevice with slow kisses just to find out what's the perfect combination to make you go insane before he gets to the real action. The room fills with the most obscene, wet, smacking sounds, and he would moan against his lover's skin as he was  the one getting eaten. He can take you to the edge in minutes, just a single lick away from release and stop just to see you whine in frustration. Or keep on going, relentlessly, even after after the pleasure has subsided into overstimulation, pinning legs or wrists in place as they shake uncontrollably, chuckling even with his mouth full as you start crying that it’s too much, that you just can't come again, to just give you a minute.

He won’t. He’s still hungry. Even with his face completely wet and his lips swollen, if he’s still breathing he can go another round. People always tell him he talks too much, so he’ll shut up, for once, and do what he does best, for as long as he pleases. Making a grown man, or a resolute woman, or a cocky non-binary person sob with his mouth alone makes him feel like the most powerful human being on the Planet, their ultimate Master.

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

by Dion J. Pierre

The settlement of a federal discrimination suit filed by Jewish students of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has severed their obligation to pay dues to the school’s Graduate Student Union (GSU), a major victory precipitated by the union’s endorsement of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.

Represented by the National Right to Work Foundation (NRTW), a nonprofit founded in 1968 which aims to abolish mandatory union membership, the students filed their complaint against GSU in March, arguing that its embrace of anti-Zionism discriminated against them as Jews as well as their religious belief that the Jewish people were always destined to return to their homeland.

The students had attempted to resist financially supporting GSU’s anti-Zionism, refusing to pay dues, but union bosses attempted to coerce their compliance, telling them that “no principles, teachings, or tenets of Judaism prohibit membership in or the payment of dues or fees to a labor union.”

With the settlement, they are released from an obligation which they said violated their core beliefs and freedom of association.

“The foundation-backed MIT graduate students who fought these legal battles have earned well deserved victories,” the organization’s president, Mark Mix, said on Wednesday. “Forcing GSU union officials to abandon their blatantly discriminatory dues practices is only the tip of the iceberg: because Massachusetts lacks Right to Work protections, GSU still has the power to force the vast majority of MIT graduate students to subsidize some portion of their activities.”

Mix added that NRTW intends to challenge compulsory union membership in unions pursuing controversial political aims at other universities, including the University of Chicago and John Hopkins University.

“Foundation attorneys are continuing to provide legal aid for all those who challenge the imposition of radical union agendas at the University of Chicago, Dartmouth, and John Hopkins, and they are doing so for adherents of both Judaism and Christianity,” he continued. “But this ordeal at MIT should remind lawmakers that all Americans should have a right to protect their money from going to union bosses they don’t support, whether those objections are based on religion, politics, or any other reason.”

NRTW is currently litigating another similar case brought by six City University of New York (CUNY) professors who sued to dissolve their membership in the Professional Staff Congress (PSC) public sector union after it passed an anti-Israel resolution during the country’s May 2021 war with Hamas. The measure declared solidarity with Palestinians and accused the Jewish state of ethnic cleansing, apartheid, and crimes against humanity.

[breathe-2am]

Im excited for the demasking of the gerrard/ortiz collusion of cruelty bc it will DEFINITELY be the culmination/resolution of the mara adoption drama and the henchim friend divorce

Bc look at it from the outside

Youre councilwoman ortiz. Ur son was driving under the influence and caused a nasty car accident that hurt multiple people. He loudly refused treatment in front of multiple witnesses, including telling a paramedic that if he even touched him hed get him fired and ruin his career. The acting captain on the scene then gets his confirmation that he is refusing treatment, and then moves on to focus on the other people in the accident that your son caused. Your son then dies later that night, which could have been prevented if he got checked out and not refused to be looked at. Your kneejerk reaction is to suspend the acting captain, but when the toxicology report comes back its confirmed that your sons alcohol level was several times the legal limit to be driving at the time of the accident. She is reinstated, but in the time between that she orchestrated and executed a high profile dangerous rescue of multiple people, including her stations captain, a police sergeant, and a child- an act of bravery for which she and her team received medals of valor, and the fire chief is using as major publicity to promote his department and political career.

And then you suspend the paramedic and her wifes fostering license, and directly prevent them from adopting a child, who has been in the foster system for years, and who would now be with a permanent family if you didnt interfere. The paramedics longtime friend and coworker (the one your son threatened to get fired) gets the child an emergency placement with him instead so that this poor nine year old girl doesnt go straight back into a group home.

And then when that paramedics captain has a family and medical emergency that takes him out of his job, you reinstate the captain who was at the station twenty years ago, who was removed for how poorly he treated the people he had power over, and specifically targeted the paramedic you hate on the basis of her race and sexuality. There is a mountain of complaints from that firehouse against him, and a matching mountain of commendations for the paramedic, all submitted without her knowledge or direction, and in the years following that captains removal, her firehouse becomes one of the most high profile and celebrated teams in the city, and is in the public eye for their part in helping many many people as well as being major players in triaging the natural disasters that have happened. One of the newer firemen dated a reporter who kept them on the news, and she even published a tell all book detailing the trials and tribulations this team (and specifically the two paramedics) went through.

And now imagine youre a random person in los angeles and you read all of that in the news. You read how this public official used her political connections to enact a personal vendetta against a paramedic because she did not treat your son when he refused (as is her job, it would be illegal for her to do so without his consent) after he was driving drunk and caused a multi car accident.

Would you vote for her?

Tldr councilwoman ortiz is COOKED

[discar]

HZD Terraforming Base-001 Text Communications Network

Chapter 3 | Prev chapter | Next chapter Chapter Index

Zo: GAIA, I had a question about the data we've been studying.

ADMIN [GAIA]: Of course. How may I help?

Zo: Where did it all come from? You told me that you don't have access to APOLLO or any other Old World archives. This seems like far more data than what Aloy could have found on a few scattered devices.

Zo: I scanned some devices around the base and only found a few lines in each.

ADMIN [GAIA]: Before the Faro Plague, even the most commonly available devices could store libraries worth of text and hundreds of hours of high-resolution video. While most people rarely filled their devices to capacity, they would often be filled with many incidental articles and video clips related to their favorite topics. Time and inevitable data corruption rendered many of those files difficult or impossible to read; however, the last file the device accessed has minimal corruption and is most intact. With time, your Focus can restore many corrupted files, and I can accelerate this process. The restored files are then placed in an archive.

Erend: I WAS WONDERING HOW ALOY FOUND SO MUCH OF THIS CONCRETE BEACH PARTY STUFF.

ADMIN [GAIA]: Yes, she found several devices with many hours of their music. The redundancy is also why I was able to ensure the final archive versions were of such high quality.

Erend: NO COMPLAINTS HERE!

Varl: Many complaints here.

Zo: I suppose that explains why so much of the data is entertainment and history, rather than more directly useful information, such as farming.

Erend: I FOUND STUFF ON HOW THOSE FARO MACHINES WERE BUILT. I MEAN, I KNOW IT'S IMPORTANT, THESE WERE THE THINGS THAT WERE ENDING THE WORLD, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF TECHNICAL SPECS IN THERE. HARDER TO READ THAN THE CRAZIEST TINKER'S BLUEPRINT. AND I'VE SEEN SOME CRAZY TINKERS.

Erend: WHAT, DID ALOY JUST FIND SOME TINKER'S JOURNAL SOMEWHERE AND DOWNLOAD ALL HIS DATA?

ADMIN [GAIA]: That is not impossible. However, I do not believe I have properly impressed upon you how easy it was to access information. Once the threat of the Faro Plague became clear, all information on their design, weaknesses, and specifications was available for public perusal, and anyone could choose to download such information from the global data net at a moment's thought. Many of the devices Aloy scanned had gigabytes of data on the Faro Plague.

Erend: GIGA WHAT?

Zo: It's a measure of information. It should have been in one of the first files GAIA gave you, the terminology file.

Erend: UH, I SKIMMED THAT.

Zo: Sigh.

Varl: Did you just typed sigh?

Zo: It's difficult to convey tone and expression in a text.

Varl: I think the Old Ones must have had some way, considering how much they texted. I'll loom into it.

Erend: SO WHAT'S A GIGABYTE? LIKE, HOW MUCH DATA IS IT?

Aloy: A byte is eight bits, or the amount of data required to encode a single character of text. It's basically the smallest measurable amount of data.

Varl: Aloy? You were listening? Or reading?

Aloy: I have a minute. I can text while I ride.

Zo: That doesn't seem safe.

Erend: OKAY, OKAY, BYTE IS ONE LETTER, GOT IT. SO WHAT'S A GIGABYTE?

Aloy: Ten to the ninth power bytes.

Varl: What?

Zo: I don't understand either.

Erend: OH, MATH. I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN IT WOULD BE MATH.

Erend: SO IT'S A STUPIDLY BIG NUMBER. BUT, I MEAN... HOW MANY BOOKS IS THAT?

Aloy: One gigabyte of pure text is probably more books than you could read in a lifetime.

Erend: SO, WHAT, THREE?

Aloy: I'm glad I took time out of my busy day to explain this to you.

Erend: I AIM TO PLEASE!

Chapter 3 | Prev chapter | Next chapter Chapter Index

[townpostin]

Jamshedpur Residents Get Digital Access to Civic Grievance System

Public Grievance Management System streamlines municipal complaint process Jharkhand’s urban areas benefit from multi-channel platform for registering and resolving civic issues, enhancing citizen engagement in local governance. JAMSHEDPUR – Residents of Jamshedpur and surrounding urban areas can now register civic complaints and suggestions from home through the Public Grievance Management…

[exoluxionlove]

[INFO] EXO-CBX lawyer files a complaint against SM with the FTC.

230605 Rough Papago translation of EXO-CBX's third legal statement

"This is Lee Jae-hak, a lawyer for Lin, a law firm that acted as legal representatives for Baekhyun, Xiumin, and Chen (Byun Baek-hyun, Kim Min-seok, Kim Jong-dae, hereinafter referred to as "artists").

On behalf of the client, the legal representative filed a complaint with the Fair Trade Commission (hereinafter referred to as the "Fair Trade Commission") against SM Entertainment (hereinafter referred to as "SM")'s "abuse of trading status" yesterday (June 4, 2023).

Through this complaint, we reported that unfair contractual activities that ignored the correction order have been carried out in SM, even though the FTC has already issued correction orders twice against SM in October 2007 and January 2011.

In addition, we asked the Fair Trade Commission for a strict investigation into SM's violations and prompt corrective measures to correct them, and further requested a full investigation into the exclusive contracts of SM entertainers.

In fact, three of our client artists signed an unfair contract that did not reflect any corrective measures ordered by the FTC to SM in the past, and were continuously damaged by SM's abuse of trading status.

Failure to correct it even after receiving a correction order from the Fair Trade Commission is also a criminal punishment subject to up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 150 million won as a "person who fails to comply with correction measures under Article 49 (1)" of the Monopoly Regulation and Fair Trade Act.

Below, the legal representative of the party will deliver the detailed position on the FTC's complaint against SM.

1. Despite the FTC's decision to ban SM twice in 2007 and 2011, SM did not correct it.

Until the FTC complaint, the artists made a really difficult decision after careful consideration.

This is not what happened yesterday or today.

Already in 2007 and 2011, SM, not any other company, has repeated the abuse of each trading position that the Fair Trade Commission has decided to ban the act to this day until 2023.

SM has already been judged to be unfair in terms of the FTC Resolution No. 2007-488 (2007 Seogyeong 0209) on October 8, 2007 (1) the starting point of the contract period of the exclusive contract as the debut date, and (2) the contract period provisions of other entertainment agencies in the same industry. (Refer to the decision sheet on pages 3 to 5 below

In addition, SM was also judged that the FTC's Resolution No. 2011-002 (2009 Seogyeong2741) on January 13, 2011 should not again apply the extended contract period to trainees for reasons such as overseas expansion. (See the decision sheet on pages 6-7 below.)

However, SM completely ignored the FTC's public judgment and repeated unfair tyranny again by signing exclusive contracts for Baekhyun, Xiumin, and Chen. This is an act that directly contradicts the Fair Trade Commission's judgment made to SM itself, not anyone else, and is a mockery of national public power.

The practices and behaviors that SM has repeated so far will not only be a matter for the artists of Baekhyun, Xiumin, and Chen. Considering many other trainees and artists, the damage can be enormous. And considering the unfair behavior that will be repeated not only now but also in the future, we couldn't help but step up for junior trainees and artists. In response, Baekhyun, Xiumin, and Chen artists decided to file a complaint with the FTC against SM's abuse of trading status with the help of their legal representatives.

I hope our efforts and courage will be a small addition and hope for the protection of the rights and interests of juniors and the fair and sound development of the pop culture industry.

2. Although it has already been confirmed that calculating the end date of the exclusive contract from the time of the 'entertainment activity debut' (not from the date of the exclusive contract) is unfair to set a long-term exclusive contract at the agency's will, SM still does not follow the FTC's corrective measures.

As of October 8, 2007, FTC Resolution No. 2007-488 (2007 Seogyeong 0209) was ordered to prohibit SM from "excessively prolonging the contract period by setting the exclusive contract period to "end on the 5th year after the release of the first album" or "end on the 5th year from the date of cast of the supporting grade or higher."

However, after receiving the FTC's correction order in 2007, SM repeatedly presented and concluded exactly the same unfair provisions in exclusive contracts with Baekhyun, Xiumin, and Chen signed in 2010 and 2011. (Excerpt from exclusive contract of client Byun Baek-hyun below)

In this way, the expiration date of the exclusive contract can be set to "five years after the release date of the first album" or "five years after the debut date of the first work" if the artist debuts as an actor.

The Fair Trade Commission Resolution No. 2007-488 (2007 Seogyeong 0209) on October 8, 2007 also judged exactly that.

In this way, SM repeatedly presented and concluded the same unfair provisions even after receiving the FTC's corrective order in 2007, which is a criminal punishment case that must be sentenced to up to two years in prison or fined up to 150 million won.

3. Even though the FTC's decision in 2007 judged that the contract period of "five years from the debut date (not from the contract date) was excessively long, SM made a more unfair contract with a period of "7 years" in the main body of the exclusive contract and "3 years" in the annex agreement.

In the 2007 FTC resolution above, SM's exclusive contract and other entertainment agencies' exclusive contract terms were compared, and the FTC judged that SM had set an overly unfavorable contract period clause.

As shown below, according to the FTC investigation at the time, (1) other agencies in the same industry did not set the starting date of the contract as "debut date" like SM, but as from "the date of signing the contract," and (2) the exclusive contract period was three to five years below the contract period set by SM.

As a result of this investigation, the Fair Trade Commission issued an order prohibiting excessive prolongation of the contract period by setting the exclusive contract period as "5th year after the release of the first album" or "5th year from the date of cast of the supporting grade or higher."

Nevertheless, SM did not correct this and signed the contract under unfair contract conditions, which is an act that did not comply with the Fair Trade Commission's corrective measures and is a criminal punishment issue as mentioned earlier.

4. SM is violating the Fair Trade Commission's corrective order by using the expedient to apply the extended contract period uniformly for reasons such as overseas expansion that has not been confirmed at the time of signing the contract.

According to FTC Resolution No. 2011-002 (2009 Seogyeong2741), SM is not ordered to correct the other party by applying the extended contract period to all trainees without considering their individual circumstances using their trading status.

In addition, the FTC pointed out the annex agreement of Table 3 as below in the above resolution in 2011, and SM uniformly concluded the annex agreement in this form, which was judged to be an unfair contract condition.

Upon receipt of such a corrective action order, SM should no longer enter into a contract that violates the corrective action order, and even if the contract is already signed, it should be revised to suit the purpose of the corrective action order. However, SM repeatedly presented and signed exactly the same unfair subsidiary agreement provisions in exclusive contracts with Baekhyun, Xiumin, and Chen in 2010 and 2011, before and after receiving the FTC's correction order in 2011. (Excerpt from exclusive contract of client Byun Baek-hyun below)

And as far as the client artists know, SM has been signing an annex agreement to extend the three-year contract period for other artists due to preparations for overseas expansion.

In this way, SM repeatedly presented and concluded the same unfair provisions even after receiving the FTC's correction order in 2011, which is a criminal punishment of up to two years in prison or a fine of up to KRW 150 million as defined in Article 125 (1) of the Monopoly Regulation and Fair Trade Act.

5. The follow-up exclusive contract, which is automatically extended until the album release volume is filled, is extremely unfair as it has not even set a minimum limit on the period.

As you can see, the artist decided to calculate the contract period from the debut date, and the trainee period was added to the exclusive contract period, extended by 3 years, and the military service period was added to the exclusive contract for more than 12 to 13 years.

This is too different from the standard exclusive contract for pop culture artists (singer-centered) announced by the Fair Trade Commission based on 7 years of contract period, and SM claims at least 17 or 18 years of contract period by signing 12 to 13 years of exclusive contract.

It is pointed out again that such subsequent signing of an exclusive contract constitutes "an act of unfairly using the status of the transaction" in Article 45 (1) 6 of the Monopoly Regulation and Fair Trade Act. In other words, the long-term compulsion using a subsequent exclusive contract is considered to correspond separately to the "compulsory provision of profits" or "unprofitable provision of transaction conditions" in attached Table 2 of the Enforcement Decree of the same Act.

And Article 5, Paragraph 1 of the subsequent exclusive contract says, 'This contract is... for five years from. However, if the minimum number of albums specified in Article 4 (4) is not released within the same period, the contract period shall be automatically extended until the time of implementation.' There is no upper limit to the period of automatic extension.

In this way, the clause that the contract period is automatically extended without a cap is clearly a slave contract, and the legal representative pointed out that it is an act of "unfairly exploiting the trading position to deal with the other party," and the artists agree.

And with more than a year left of the existing exclusive contract, it is not justifiable to "tie" the artists by signing a follow-up exclusive contract without a limit on the period. SM has never paid artists a down payment for subsequent exclusive contracts.

ccording to Article 3, Paragraph 2 of the "Popular Culture Artist (Singer-centered) Standard Exclusive Contract" announced by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the singer can notify the planner of the termination of the contract at any time after seven years. However, SM has signed a very long-term contract and is tying up the artists again a year or so before the contract ends.

6. We have filed a complaint with the Fair Trade Commission with the hope that our small courage will be helpful for the establishment of fair pop culture and junior artists.

Despite corrective action by the Fair Trade Commission in 2007 and 2011, SM has repeatedly engaged in unfair contract practices.

Such an act ignores the legitimate act of state government power, and the damage caused by it has occurred repeatedly to trainees and artists.

In response, Baekhyun, Xiumin, and Chen artists decided to file a complaint with the FTC against SM's abuse of trading status with the help of their legal representatives.

I hope our efforts and courage will be a small addition and hope for the protection of the rights and interests of juniors and the fair and sound development of the pop culture industry."

Source

[highly-important]

Thoughts on the Venture Bros Movie

I absolutely love this series and periodically get obsessed with it. The last two seasons were especially some of my favorites. I enjoyed the movie, it really felt like an episode. Any complaints I have are really in the "I loved it but the portions are too small" category.

I love that Shoreleave and Dr. Girlfriend are friends. I think this was kind of established earlier. It just makes sense.

I like how Brock - who knows Rusty better than anybody for better or worse- went to the bat defending Rusty to the OSI. And that Brock's shining moment isn't him being super kill guy.

Along those lines, I like how Rusty's entire arc this show is realizing to some degree or another that he isn't a failure. His father was able to present an idealized image of himself to the public, and it meant Rusty growing up under a shadow he could never live up to. But the reality is Rusty isn't as incapable as he or others believe he is.

We’ve kind of gotten this growth with Rusty during the show so we don’t need it as much in the movie. But it’s very interesting that he can use his brother’s robot to save not only the building but “restore” the destroyed Venture compound. I think it’s Rusty really earning his own legacy.

Plus his attempt to build something Jonas Jr-ish just made something super Science-y. Maybe he’s returning to his true calling

I like how the movie represents Dr. Girlfriend's powers. Yes, she is good at fighting, and is intelligent enough to build super science tech, but her strength is also in her diplomacy and the loyal connections she builds. Part of that is that when she is in trouble, others come to her aid. And her challenge in the movie is a test of her negotiation and diplomacy. I like that the movie takes time to give her this moment.

You can really see how Hank got a lot of his personality from Debra.

Debra’s tech was really cool and I love the scene on the train platform. Its a little frustrating that we don’t get more, but I think Venture Bros is very good at building expectations and then letting your imagination fill in the gaps.

I think this is partially because Venture Bros often ends at the climax and skips over the resolution. The building tension makes you want answers. And often the end-credit sequence gives us the pieces to put the puzzle together without handing it to us. It creates a sandbox and asks you to play in it.

Gary is just living his best life. He got a grappling gun and got to co-pilot a giant robot.

Hank's multiple personalities was never something I'd imagine getting conclusion on, but I'm glad they did. It kind of reminds me of Return to Oz, where at the beginning Ozma is free to wander around the real word, but is trapped in a mirror in Oz. And at the end that reverses. Hank doesn’t destroy these pieces of himself, he just puts them in a place where they can’t control him.

Dean's plot was kind of interesting, there was rumor that one of the brothers would be a protag and one would become an arch. Dean is so worried that his negative life experiences are going to ruin him and prevent him from having the type of life he wants to have. But sometimes things aren't as bad as we think they are. And I think it suggests he can stay with his brother and not be damaged by the experience

Hank and Dean are both controlled by vivid imaginations in different ways. Hank imagines how good things could be, and Dean imagines how bad things could be. Meeting his mother is never going to be as good or cathartic or as healing as Hank imagines it, just as reality isn’t as horrible as Dean imagines it.

I really like the story structure of this show where an emphasis is put on something - like who is the mother - and then the mystery is eventually dropped. But the reality is that who is their mother isn't as important. Hank didn't need to find his mom, and finding her wont give him what he wants. He needed to reconnect with his brother. But it’s also fun that we can solve this puzzle on our own, it’s just not the point.

Of course, I think it does mean Dean is heir to the guild.

I wasn't expecting the twist with the Monarch at all, and in retrospect I think I should have ? Its really interesting how well it fits with Rusty's arc the entire show. Rusty turns his hatred inwards and blames himself for not being his dad. Now that Malcolm understands his unconscious thoughts, it shifts his relationship to arching from an impulse to a choice.

[tittytania]

🚨PLEASE HELP SAVE LUCKY THE CAT FROM HEARTBREAKING ABUSE AND NEGLECT, AND STOP A MAJOR PUBLICATION FROM PROFITING OFF OF ANIMAL ABUSE🚨

Back in August, The Cut (@thecut), an online division of New York Mag (@nymag), published a story by an anonymous woman who, after giving birth to her baby, started to despise her cat Lucky and chose to abuse her, including starving her and leaving her to live in filth.

Some selections about Lucky from the article:

Obviously, openly admitting to chilling animal abuse did not go over well with The Cut's readers. People were rightfully outraged at both the anonymous writer and the magazine for publishing the article and profiting off of animal abuse. After the predictable backlash, The Cut put the article behind a paywall and added an editor's note to the beginning, claiming that they confirmed the welfare of the cat prior to publication. (Here is an archived version without the paywall. Look at a more recent capture to see the note that was added.) The magazine also made a post to their Instagram about the situation, reiterating their claim of confirming Lucky's safety and health. They are limiting comments on their socials to remove comments that relate to the backlash about Lucky's abuse, and they are blocking accounts that comment on it. A screenshot of the Instagram post is below.

(note: I cannot confirm or deny the claims of racism and misogyny. I have not seen anything like that myself, but someone on reddit claimed they saw a person call the anonymous woman's behavior "white woman bullshit." That is the extent of what I have heard on that. I also cannot comment on the claims of abuse and threats towards the staff).

Clearly, The Cut's claims about Lucky's welfare are bullshit. The resolution of the article ends with the author saying simply "I haven't fallen back in love with Lucky, but it could still happen. I'll shut the windows til then." According to the article itself, Lucky is still in the home with an owner who is abusing her, an owner who has, and I quote, "an unwillingness... to change anything about (the abuse)." By definition, this means Lucky's welfare is not being probably cared for. You cannot claim that Lucky is ok when her owner already said that she is abusing her and is unwilling to stop the abuse. New York Mag is hiding behind activism buzzwords to protect an animal abuser and shelter themselves from the justified backlash to their publication's choices so they can continue to profit off of animal abuse.

Please please please help to get a real update about Lucky's condition.

What can I do?

There is a change.org petition requesting a real update about her, which as of writing has over 17,000 signatures. You can also reach out to the magazines' staff and demand a real update from them. Their emails are listed below:

swati.sharma@voxmedia.com | bill.carey@voxmedia.com | lauren.starke@voxmedia.com | priyanka.mantha@voxmedia.com | amani.orr@voxmedia.com | lindsay.peoples@nymag.com | rachel.bashein@nymag.com | jen.ortiz@nymag.com | marisa.carroll@nymag.com | evan.murray@voxmedia.com

The email of Jim Bankoff, the Chairman and CEO of vox media (which owns New York Mag) is bankoff@gmail.com

Here is an email template that you can follow.

You can also report online animal abuse to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) here.

If you are in New York, you can contact the 311 website or call 1-800-577-TIPS (1-800-577-8477) to report ongoing online animal abuse or neglect.

The Instagram account @lucilletherescuecat has a story highlight where she has posted several resources in addition to the ones mentioned here.

My heart deeply aches for poor Lucky, who cannot understand why the human she loves has changed so drastically. Why her life changed from daily brushies and pillow snuggles to being ignored and starved. She used to have her own space heater, and now she doesn't even have water. I'm devastated at the thought of how heartbroken and miserable she must be. Her owner even admitted that she would be in jail if she did this to a person. While I doubt this will result in a jail sentence, we can at least make sure that Lucky is rehomed to place where she is properly cared for.

Please share and encourage others to do the same, using the #SAVELUCKYTHECAT hashtag. Thank you so much for reading.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

School Library Journal:

With a press release titled “U.S. Department of Education Ends Biden’s Book Ban Hoax,” the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (DOE OCR) dismissed all complaints of book banning that it had been investigating. Complaints through DOE OCR had proven to be an effective way to fight bans. But that ability to seek the DOE OCR's assistance and ruling is gone. "OCR has no role in these matters," the DOE statement said. PEN America released a statement from Freedom to Read director Kasey Meehan. “For over three years we have countered rhetoric that book bans occurring in public schools are a ‘hoax.’ They are absolutely not,” Meehan said. "This kind of language from the U.S. Department of Education is alarming and dismissive of the students, educators, librarians, and authors who have firsthand experiences of censorship happening within school libraries and classrooms. “Since 2021, we have meticulously recorded nearly 16,000 instances of book bans nationwide – where access to books is revoked from their intended readers – often without following commonsense processes and increasingly due to censorial legislation from states. “We will continue to raise awareness and resistance to ongoing book bans in defense of students’ freedom to read. All students deserve to see themselves and the world around them reflected in the books shelved within their public schools.” In the same action, the DOE OCR also terminated the resolution agreement with Forsyth County Schools after a complaint was filed that removal of books in the district violated students’ Title IX and Title VI civil rights.

The US Department of Education issued a press release dismissing valid book ban complaints by calling book bans a “hoax”, signifying Trumpist control of the institution.

See Also:

The Hill: Trump/McMahon-era Department of Education dismisses book ban complaints

PEN America: It’s Not a Hoax: Trump Administration Dismisses Book Ban Complaints

[mariacallous]

Bosnia and Herzegovina witnesses an increase in incidents of genocide denial over the past year, according to a new report by the Srebrenica Memorial Centre that was published on Friday.

The report said that incidents of genocide denial increased more than threefold compared to the previous year.

There were 305 registered instances of genocide denial in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a specific increase in April and May, showing how genocide deniers responded negatively to the announcement and adoption of a UN General Assembly resolution to establish an annual Srebrenica genocide commemoration.

Edin Ikanovic, co-author of the Memorial Centre’s 2024 report on genocide denial, said that Bosnia and Herzegovina is returning to the numbers of incidents seen before then High Representative Valentin Inzko imposed amendments to the criminal code of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2021, which prohibited the denial of genocide and the glorification of war criminals.

“The reason for this is the lack of prosecution of those who denied the genocide in the past. When the amendments to the criminal code came into effect, we saw that a very small number of actors dared to deny the genocide, whereas they had done so regularly before,” Ikanovic told BIRN.

“Now that they see there are no sanctions, they have reverted to their old ways. And that’s why we are facing what we are now,” he added.

Denis Dzidic, co-author of the report and executive director of the BIRN Bosnia and Herzegovina, said that genocide denial had been weaponised in political discourse, particularly during local elections.

He noted that state-controlled media in Serbia and Bosnia’s Serb-dominated Republika Srpska entity amplified these narratives, using media like SRNA, Informer, RTRS and Politika to promote revisionism.

“If the international community and judicial institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina do not react to this phenomenon, in the future we will return to 700 cases of denial of genocide on an annual level, as it was before the changes to the criminal code,” Dzidic said.

The report also identified prominent public figures involved in denial, including Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, among others.

Despite 23 documented instances of Dodik denying the Srebrenica genocide, the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina has dismissed multiple criminal complaints against him.

To date, courts in Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia and the Hague Tribunal have sentenced 54 individuals to a total of 781 years in prison and five life sentences for crimes committed during the Srebrenica genocide in July 1995.