#starting a conversation

[beardedmrbean]

Gil Ofarim, a Jewish-German singer on trial for defamation, admitted Tuesday during testimony at the Leipzig State Courthouse that he had indeed fabricated a story that made headlines across Germany in October 2021.

In an October 5, 2021, social media video, Ofarim claimed a hotel employee had told him to remove his Star of David necklace while he checked into the Westin Leipzig.

Ofarim was subsequently sued for defamation and spreading false accusations of antisemitic behavior as the accused hotel employee vehemently defended himself.

"The accusations [against me] are true," Ofarim told the court. "I would like to apologize to you," he added, addressing the manager of the hotel, who was present in the courtroom.

Ofarim said he had since deleted the video.

The hotel manager accepted the singer's apology.

Central Council of Jews in Germany: Ofarim must bear 'full responsibility' for lies

The Central Council of Jews in Germany released a statement on X (formerly Twitter) saying it is "important to believe those bringing accusations of antisemitism" but that "such accusations can never be baselessly leveled."

The organization said, "we condemn Gil Ofraim's behavior. He must bear full responsibility for his lies."

As part of an agreement beyond his apology, charges against Ofarim will be dropped if he transfers the funds for a €10,000 ($10,955) fine to the Jewish Community of Leipzig and the House of the Wannsee Conference memorial and education center within the next six months.

The court justified ending the trial by saying it had above all intended to determine what had actually transpired. After witness testimony and ultimately Ofarim's own admission, the facts of the case, said the court, had finally been established beyond all doubt.

Further, the court added that the hotel manager's reputation had been more clearly rehabilitated as the result of Ofarim's admission of guilt and his apology than would have been the case if the issue had been solely ruled upon by the court.

[runawaymarbles]

The midjourney stuff just reminds of when we were trying to find a new platform to host the ao3 donation form, and companies kept trying to tell me about all their "ai" features that would track donor engagement, and figure out the optimal pattern to email individual donors asking for follow up donations, and all the ways they suggest we manipulate people into staying on our websites. It was a great way to filter out who either wasn't listening to us when we described our ethics and donor base, or just didn't believe us.

Now granted ao3 is a unique case based on a) the amount of page views we get in any given time period and b) the fact that most donors absolutely do Not want to be identified as such anywhere, (the default "list of recent donors" module got nuked Immediately) but it surprised me some that the concept of "donors who value their privacy and would be furious at even the whiff of AI" is unique. Some of us really are just existing in different worlds.

[twinliches]

while i was trying to wade through the large amounts of people trying to leave the central subway station, everyone abruptly came to a halt in front of the subway turnstiles. two french girls had misunderstood the tap-out process, and one of them was now stuck behind the gate. as i was wracking my brain on how to explain the tap-in tap-out process of the milan metro to both of them with my rudimentary french while they both got increasingly upset at the closed gate between them, a young teenager suddenly pushed me to the side.

i was just about to give him my most scathing disgruntled glare when he took out his ticket and, after realizing they had no common language, started gesticulating wildly in front of the french girl left behind. he pointed at the ticket, then at her, and very seriously said: “on three, we go.” she nodded, and after he counted to three, holding up his fingers so there could be no confusion, they sprinted through the gate together, giggling profusely afterwards as if they had just pulled off the heist of the century,

it was just a small moment during the morning commute. but i realized then and there that the time i had spent trying to intellectualize the problem and wondering if my lack of language skills would be awkward the situation could have already been resolved. and that while i had been mad about being pushed aside, the teenager got it exactly right: no questions, no fear or shyness, just direct action to help where you can and rushing there to do so. i think about him every time now when i run to lift someone’s pram or ask a lost looking person if they need my help despite the fear of being rude. on three, we go.

[adriles]

they are Cancelling me for dealing with my grief as best i can . also for the vicious war Crimes

[antvnger]

((Do you have any tips for approaching someone off anon to talk to the mun OOC? Usually when I say something like "Hello, how are you?" kinda thing, I always get a confused "Hello?" back as if I'm a nuisance 😭 I don't really know any other way to try to talk to a new person though))

((Hi, Anon! Thanks for reaching out!

I’m sorry you’re having a hard time going about this. It can be a struggle sometimes; I totally understand. I think I’ve got some tips that might help though.

Sometimes the best approach is the straightforward approach. In addition to saying “hi how are you” be honest and say you’re interested in talking to them and getting to know them because you think they’re cool or fill in the blank. Letting the other person know why you’re reaching out might do the trick.

A little flattery never hurt either. Think of something you like that the mun portrays about their character(s) and tell them so! Honestly getting some positive feedback does wonders for muns, lemme tell ya! Pay them a compliment and try to get a conversation going.

Ask a question. Conversations are two way streets, so invite the conversation with a question. Make it whatever but make it relevant to the mun to get them talking.

Persistence isn’t a bad thing. I know a lot of us, myself included, are worried that reaching out once is like overstepping somehow, but when I’m on the flipside and someone reaches out to me, I’m like yay! So it’s okay to reach out periodically to try to keep open lines of communication and building that connection. Sometimes it takes more than one attempt, and that’s okay.

Hope this helps, Anon! And good luck!))

[sparkdoesart]

Having even slightly popular mutuals is so cool. The king has bestowed upon me a like. Perhaps even a reblog

[tendermiasma]

The bigger they are the harder they fall 🥹🐟

[thebreadmantm]

I was talking with a friend. I tried to say mort from Madagascar but I said mort from the Magnus archives. And then this happened

If I had to make it you have to see it

[elodieunderglass]

hi. what do you mean

[nothorses]

my dad's girlfriend- who is generally a conservative and who "doesn't really get into politics"- told me tonight that she learned about project 2025 & is going to vote in this election to try to help prevent Trump from getting into office. and that she's gonna try to convince my dad to vote (also for the first time ever) to do the same.

what I'm saying is I think we should keep talking about this.

[r3nblade]

[thimblings]

get with the Crow-gram, Davrin

[emmavakarian-theirin]

Friendly reminder from Gale

HOW TO TRIGGER:

(Thank you to @chordialy for confirming!)

Condition: Must have already had his weave lesson, teiflings saved.

Dialogue options in order:

> Sounds, er, fun?

> She must be very smart, to have done all that.

> What if she doesn't like me?

> She sounds great. But I was hoping I meant more to you than an animal companion.

- I'm flattered. Is your good opinion so hard to come by?

[bixels]

In the past, people in the Animal Crossing community would make fun of Tom Nook as a sleazy landlord. Since then, he's really rehabilitated his image as this 'heart of gold' businessman (he's the one who puts bells and furniture in trees for you to find! he adopted orphans! he donates to charity!), but New Horizons genuinely paints the most devious version of him.

He's successfully privatized settler colonialism: you pay HIM to move to a "deserted island" (which apparently the oceans in the AC world are just full of) and start a colony that he is directly invested in. At best he's running a weird vacation package scam (you arrive on the island with no money and in debt for "using his services"). At worst, he's using you to set up company towns. For god's sake, he literally has his own fake currency that he forces you to use to pay off your debt. But don't worry, he's repackaged it in a way that definitely doesn't sound like an MLM scam: the Nook Mileage Program!

You're no longer just his tenant or his temporary part-timer, you're his business lackey. The entire tutorial section of the game has you spending actual weeks running around completing tasks and doing hard labor to set up his colony. You're even tasked with preparing his properties and finding buyers for them. No, you aren't a tenant anymore. You work for the landlord. You are directly responsible for finding tenants for him. And he doesn't even fucking pay you. Not for setting up town hall and museum, or his nephew's shop –– which is the ONLY store on the entire island that sells necessities –– or bringing KK Slider to town, or helping populate his town. Not a single cent. No, actually, you have to pay HIM to BUY infrastructure like bridges and stairs and park benches. And all the while, he's telling you're the "resident representative"; you get to call the shots! That the reward is the community's progress. That what you're doing is in everyone's best interest (but most importantly, his).

Since NH's release, people have done a lot of legwork to say that Tom Nook isn't a capitalist while the game shows him at his very worst. He owns the only general store in town. You're forced to use a phone that he modified and branded as his own. Buy Nook-branded furniture and merchandise at the self-serve kiosk in the town hall, a governmental building! There's no conflict of interest here!

But hey, if you're tired of being the landlord/business mogul's goon, you can also find work as a deluxe resort home designer for a company that also pays you in their special company currency that can only be used to buy their products instead of a real salary! Because that's what the Animal Crossing franchise needs! More vacation homes!!!

[mizzarh]

Added some colour and dialogue to my previous comic :)

[regonold]

Danny has recently joined the young justice team after they discovered amity and how they were under media black out and a group of people were pretending to be government agents were attacking using a law that was never actually passed as an excuse for it

Anyway whilst meeting the justice league he notices how one of the members has a ring on and trying to make small talk starts talk about it and how he has his own ring trinkets just like it

He doesn't get why everyone got so silent after he mentioned how he collects the different colours as a hobby they're practically a dime a donzen in the realms

Not to mention all rhe times clockwork has sent him to some different planet in the past and rings have quite literally floated to him before dropping after getting too close

Or

Sometimes when rings are off looking for someone to weild them they will sense a great emotion and accidentally fly through a natural portal and then being suddenly just absolutely covered in emotions they end up shorting out and just floating through the realms

And danny has found so many of they he just considers them trinkets or clockwork has sent danny to a different time period on difficult planets and a ring has sensed the great emotion and tried to choose him but then it's covered in emotions and blacks out and Danny's just swiped it not think much

-------------

Ama be honest i just love the idea of dannys core going it smells of space and i want it

To be clear due to the fact of the infinite realms being infinite sometimes a portal will open near enough to a lantern ring for it to head to wards it thinking it's just someone with great levels of insert required emotion

Like if a portal opened near fright knight and a yellow lantern ring happened to he close by it would go on that guy just radiates fear i want him

But after entering the portal it's no longer in any dimension and it's swamped in emotions of all kinds simply due to the nature of the realms