#suzanne does not follow trends

[sophiemariepl]

The world, especially the modern book market and internet culture, does not deserve Suzanne Collins and her writing.

Amen.

[thesweetnessofspring]

The long version of why this rumor is so stupid it's actually pretty much an impossible scenario:

Suzanne got her contract to publish The Hunger Games on proposal. This means that, as an established author, she submitted an outline of THG and Scholastic bought it on this proposal alone. So then she wrote it and submitted it. The thing is, once a publishing house has a contract with an author, they cannot force the author to change anything (I learned this from one of the author youtubers I follow, my best guess is Michelle Schusterman but that might be wrong). As long as Suzanne gave them a book that matched the proposal, they couldn't make her change anything in it. Now, that doesn't mean that it went from her word doc to line edits to print. But what it does mean is that whatever changes David Levithan suggested, Suzanne chose to implement them. And as David himself admits in the quote in the original post there wasn't anything big to change. Anyone who's ever gotten feedback on writing knows it's important to get that feedback and edit accordingly anyway. So yes, David did encourage Suzanne to add in more Gale, she still decided to take his advice and as much as I'm an Everlark shipper, it was the right move for the story. And ultimately Suzanne chose what to put in and agreed it was the right move.

This rumor is just fueled by the people that either hate the romance in the series existing at all and/or hate the love triangle, especially due to Twilight and the way the movies handled it. But they fail to understand that it's such a cornerstone of the themes, Suzanne literally alludes to it in Katniss's last name, which is taken from Thomas Hardy's Bathsheba Everdene from Far from the Madding Crowd. To quote Suzanne, "The two are very different, but both struggle with knowing their hearts." Like you're telling me that Suzanne came up with that last name because Katniss figuring out which life partner she was picking wasn't going to be a key part of the series from draft 1?

Also I hate this because it paints everyone in such a negative light, except of course for those so enlightened they wanted Katniss to be single, or at least to just develop her romance with Peeta. It makes Scholastic and David Levithan especially to look like a huge bully who just wanted THG to sell based on a trend. Which is hilarious because David is on record of wanting Katniss to be single. It makes Suzanne look like a pushover, it diminishes her storytelling, her writing, her themes, and her autonomy as an author. And of course it's an attempt at a "gotcha!" toward the fans who do appreciate this aspect of the story.

Some person lying on the internet with thousands of retweets/reblogs and no source: Gale was going to be Katniss's cousin!! The publisher FORCED our brilliant Suzanne Collins to add in the stupid love triangle!!! It was against her will!!! 😩

David Levithan, editor of The Hunger Games series, in an interview with EW: "But really she [Suzanne Collins] stuck to her vision pretty, pretty well....A lot of the process was more filling in blanks, it wasn't really changing the arc of the story at all. I can't think of a single instance where the arc of the story was changed as we were working on it."

[plotbnuy]

KarpReviews - The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Back when The Hunger Games became a huge phenomenon, I have to admit that it didn’t quite grab me like it did for many. The original film came out on March 23rd, 2012, followed by Catching Fire late next year. These films started a trend of dystopian novel movie adaptations, with Divergent coming out on March 21st 2014, and Maze Runner coming out on September 19th that same year. By the time Mockingjay: Part One released on November 21′s, right after Maze Runner, I’d become a little burnt out on these tales of children fighting for survival against an oppressive system meant to keep society under control. Despite reading the first two books in the series, I didn’t return for Mockingjay. 

That is, until a few months ago.  I decided to give the books another try, and to my delight I grew to really love and appreciate them. Katniss is a wonderful protagonist, surrounded by a surprisingly colorful and interesting cast of characters (even though it still features the classic love triangle trope.) While the first two books were rereads, going in blind into Mockingjay was a treat, and I felt the series had a wonderfully satisfying ending. 

Imagine my delight, however, when I realized that there was a prequel to the series! The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes features a much different entry in the story, taking place long before the events of the main series to highlight the tenth Hunger Games. In order to spice up what is comparatively an archaic and unpolished annual event, The Capitol has enlisted a large selection of students from an elite secondary school - simply referred to as “The Academy” - to mentor the children forced to fight in the arena! Who else should be chosen to be a mentor but a young Coriolanus Snow, hoping to become recognized and attain a university scholarship on his path to becoming President of Panem.

Yes, this entry puts us in the perspective of the infamous Coriolanus Snow, allowing us to see a little bit into what led to the events of the original Hunger Games novel. Not only does it flesh out Snow himself, but also how the titular event became the lavish, intricate, and audacious spectacle depicted during Katniss’s run in the arena. This allows this entry to differentiate itself immensely from the others, allowing it to feel fresh and new while it gives us a better look into the universe we’ve become a part of after three other novels and four films. With that being said, I want to dive deeper into what makes this particular entry so engaging. 

While other entries in the series have a bit of a fluid structure, our story this time is split into very neat thirds: The events leading up to the games, the games themselves, and the aftermath. This time, we get to see the perspective of the games from the capitol’s eyes, as opposed to the districts. However, while the event is massively celebrated, with banquets, parties, tours, and intricate broadcasts during the 74th and 75th Hunger Games, the 10th is much different. It’s much bleaker and more depressing, as tributes are treated like livestock, with no access to good food or proper shelter. Many citizens, District or Capitol, would rather ignore the barbaric event, only bothering to attend The Reaping before returning to daily life. There’s no reward for victory, beyond the singular tribute avoiding death, only to return to the poverty-stricken districts. Tributes die before even entering the arena, leading the games themselves to be swift and merciless. 

Ultimately, this raw and bleak depiction of the games, combined with Capitol citizens not yet disillusioned by the grandeur of future games, still recovering from the war, is a perfect choice for this Capitol-centric prequel. It keeps the citizens of The Capitol that we spend most of our time with from being completely unsympathetic, and it allows for a much more engaging story. Even before the games themselves, many things happen that impact the story, allowing for a lot of tension as things lead up to the main event. 

Speaking of the Hunger Games, this is the first time we get to enjoy them from outside of the arena itself. As the story follows our mentors, we get to watch from their perspective as spectators as the games commence in the arena. This event also happens to be the first where sponsors are allowed to affect the games, sending gifts for the tributes to possibly keep them alive. Since the mentors themselves have agency over the games, they never feel boring as you hope for the survival of our main character’s tribute. The aftermath of the games left me absolutely shocked, leading into a finale that felt unlike anything the series has had to offer before.

Even though Coriolanus Snow is designated as our main character, this story is truly given life by the people who surround him. Closest to him is Sejanus Plinth, a childhood friend who joins Snow in the tribute mentorship program as his classmate. At first, Sejanus is telegraphed as an old rival and a clear foil to Snow, and you suspect he’ll be something of an antagonist given the disdain Coriolanus seems to have for him. However, I was pleasantly surprised as the story paints a much more intricate picture of our main character’s best friend. Their relationship is one of the many highlights of this story, as even when Snow tries to distance himself, or otherwise shows dislike for Sejanus, their paths become forcibly intertwined, and it becomes unclear whether they will become bitter rivals or loyal comrades.

The real star of the show for me is Coriolanus’s tribute, a District 12 girl named Lucy Grey Baird. A member of the Covey, she’s a performer and singer who prides herself in her skill for entertainment. With both Panem and the reader as her audience, her personality and charm is utterly captivating, with an even sharper wit than Katniss. Despite the circumstances, she becomes fond of Coriolanus early on, a fact attributed to Snow being one of the few mentors that goes out of his way to forge a bond with his tribute. She leaves an impression from her very first scene, and every moment with her going forward is captivating and wonderful. Truly, if I had to give a single reason to read this book, it would be for Lucy Grey specifically. Even though her situation seems completely impossible, you can’t help but hope for her victory in the games. 

Of course, there’s always room for a good antagonist, even in a story starring Coriolanus Snow. Casca Highbottom, dean of The Academy, is one of the main obstacles making Snow’s future so uneasy. The story says little about him at first, only that he isn’t Coriolanus’s biggest fan, and that he created the Hunger Games themselves. He’s hard to read as a threat, given his addiction to painkillers and somewhat contradictory dialogue. Truthfully, he’s not much of a villain. 

Enter Doctor Volumnia Gaul.  Serving as the head Gamemaker, as well as an instructor at the Capitol University, she spends a large amount of time with both Coriolanus and the other mentors. Specializing in the “muttations” that her labs create for the Capitol, she serves as something of a mentor herself for Snow, challenging his morals and shaping his ideals. She starts off as seeming like an ally, only for her to show just how dangerous she is. She has a blatant disregard for life itself, only just barely being grounded enough to not be entirely absurd. Her presence gives the story a lot of much-needed tension, and I found her to be absolutely riveting. 

What impresses me the most about Songbirds and Snakes is how it expertly avoids delivering what could have easily come off as a tragic backstory intended to garner sympathy for Panem’s ruthless dictator. Instead, it cleverly highlights Coriolanus’s personality, nature, aspirations, and faults, adding to his character without ever trying to suggest that he’s misunderstood or redeemable. His downfall, while accelerated by his environment, can be attributed entirely to the choices he makes himself. Even when surrounded by good people who genuinely love and care for him, miles away from the capitol, he makes the choice to become who he is: a vile, treacherous, untrusting snake. Yet, despite knowing his fate, there was a part of me that hoped he would make the right choice anyway, making the end of his arc even more effective. 

Suzanne Collins is a truly talented writer. Not only is the original trilogy a fantastic read, but she managed to craft a prequel that both builds the lore of the series and has a major impact on the story as a whole. The connecting tissue between this prequel and the rest of the series is solid, not only fleshing out the world explicitly, but leaving breadcrumbs for attentive fans to enjoy. Upon reading the final chapters, there was a particular scene I couldn’t get out of my head. It wasn’t one within the book itself, but one that harkened forward to Mockingjay. I can picture Coriolanus Snow, eyes focused on the television as the rebels broadcast another one of Katniss’s propaganda videos. He can tell she’s in District 12, walking amongst the rubble of the decimated mining town. He thinks to turn away from the image of the collapsed Justice building and broken town square... until he hears Katniss begin to sing. His blood runs ice cold, every hair on his body stands on end, and in a hoarse, mangled voice, he begins to wail. Every one of his past sins comes rushing back as Katniss Everdeen unwittingly deals the most devastating blow she could ever give to Coriolanus Snow. It’s a scene that remains completely theoretical, and yet it’s perhaps one of the most powerful images in the entire Hunger Games saga. If you’ve enjoyed the rest of the series, then I urge you to read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

[nadiawrites14]

voice of gen z

word count: 2784

for english class. tw for school shooting and police brutality mention

AN INTRODUCTION.

“GEN Z is too afraid to ask a waiter for extra ketchup but will bodyslam a cop.”

Dated June 5th, on Twitter. Many of us sit holed up in our rooms, laptops resting in our crossed legs as we scroll through social media, or the blue light of a phone screen on our face as the world around us is sleeping. Many of us are also the ones organizing, the ones leading, the ones fighting. News spreads that in Dallas, Providence, and in many more cities, teenagers were the ones organizing, the ones fighting. Teenagers were the ones turning viral memes into protest signs, organizing protests and sharing methods of resistance through apps like TikTok and Instagram. It echoes the methods of the Hong Kong protestors, using technology to battle their government head-on. 

Teenagers who dance along to songs such as Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage”, as well as teens who live in the world of ‘deep-fried’ memes, whose bizarre absurdity reach ungodly levels of abstractism, are the ones leading in this young revolution. Teenagers are the ones who chant ‘no justice, no peace’ in filled city streets; teenagers are the ones working to create graphics and share information, a new form of armchair activism. K-pop fans fill conservative hashtags with videos of their favorite performers, burying rhetoric and dismissal of the protests with dances and songs. In hours, #BlackLivesMatter trends. It’s hard to believe that these new pioneers and leaders in activism and technology are children who are scared to give class presentations, share Juuls in bathrooms, and find humor in the most strange and ironic of places. While the old term goes that ‘the revolution will not be televised’ in many ways, this growing movement will be televised, publicized, expanded, through its own means and methods.

I.

We are the generation of school shootings. 

December 14th, 2012. My mom tells me, as I hobble out from the red doors of my elementary school in Stamford, Connecticut, that something very bad has happened. I don’t understand. Nobody does. I see the faces of startled adults. I don’t remember the rest of that evening, or the day that followed it. Every time I think about Sandy Hook, the senseless school shooting that left 28 dead, I think about the multicolored walls of my school’s hallway, my sneakers on the white linoleum, the fear in my mother’s voice and in her eyes. That day was the first day I began to accept that I was a child in the United States of America in the 21st century. That day, and the brutal and confusing months that followed it, solidified something in my peers and I. Not just in Stamford, or even Connecticut, but within all young American students. The people in power didn’t care that a gunman marched into a wealthy and predominantly white Connecticut neighborhood and slaughtered kindergarteners. Because as I grew older, I saw the patterns, the televisation of suffering and permitted slaughter among my peers, our youngest, our posterity. This was normalized to us, just another school shooting, another period of brief outrage followed by inaction. The slaughter of children, the preventable slaughter of children shouldn’t be normalized. But it was.

February 14th, 2018. A gunman kills 17 students in Florida. As I’m waiting in a doctor’s waiting room with my mother, I lean over and tell her, “On Monday, all my teachers will talk about is school shootings.” I was wrong. School was another silent funeral march, my teachers quiet and solemn as they assigned us our work and progressed with their work. At dinner with my dad, I tell him, “It’ll never change.”

That isn’t entirely true. Leaders are found in teenagers who now walk through haunted hallways with clear backpacks. They are the face of a new movement, a march for our lives. Many are summoned to Washington and elsewhere a month later to organize, to fight. On March 27th, a day meant for students to walkout and protest the preventable slaughter of students, my school barricades the doors.

No legislation is passed. Nothing changes. The resistance lulls and fades, despite a number of school shootings following the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Gen Z is a symbolic Sisyphus, haplessly pushing a boulder of pleas up a mountain of indifference.

II.

Suzanne Collins published the Hunger Games on September 14th, 2008. It finds its way into the hands of teenagers of all shapes and sizes years later, and it has its cult following. Maybe the televised murder of children strikes a chord within the audience of young adults, as does the story of a growing revolution and a coup against a selfish government.

Gen Z gets its hands on theory at a young age, through Wikipedia and the uncensored vastness of the internet that we are handed. We are denoted as the generation born with the phones in our hands, but all I can remember is having a technology class from a young age, where we were measured on our abilities to type and memorize a keyboard. Our ability to cite and surf and stay safe in the face of danger. This wealth of information at our fingertips molds us.

Dystopian fiction is popular among young teens and young adults. Titles like Divergent the Giver, Harry Potter, the Maze Runner, all influence the devouring young readers. We are raised to see atrocity, in a place where atrocity is accessible to us in every way, shape and form. We are exposed and we are no longer innocent as we rise to 6th, 7th, 8th grade. Girls wear makeup for the first time and scream at the sight of bloodstained underwear. Boys become privy to the joy of video games and self-exploration. In this time, the internet truly consumes. There is no more script taught in classrooms, whiteboards have been replaced with Prometheans, and chromebooks are becoming normalcy.  

In 7th grade I receive my phone. The niches and underground media I discover shape me. I find acceptance, friends, in places where I had lacked them before. As my classmates begin to enter into weeklong flings that end in Instagrammed tragedy, I take a quiz online to find out if I’m gay. I begin to think for myself, and I find independence and a voice on internet circles.

By the time we are promoted to high school, something has shifted. Something is different. Something’s coming, something good. Gen Z keeps calm and carries on.

III.

Donald Trump is inaugurated on January 20th, 2017, to much outrage, but also to much support. In my town, there is a protest around his building that overlooks much of our city center. It’s peaceful, energetic, and beautiful. A Planned Parenthood sticker is on my bedroom door, and I have accepted that maybe, just maybe, I’m into girls.

In 2018, we are in high school. Little fish in a big pond. I don’t have friends in my grade, but stick closer to my premade friends in the Class of 2021. My teachers are lovely, kind, and supportive, and I shine in this new environment. Politics is a force in my life as I begin to write, and as I begin to form opinions and do research. 

It’s easy to say that all of Gen Z is progressive, but this isn’t true. It’s actually very incorrect. The internet is a miraculous tool, one that can provide and produce and create new forms of communication and spread new ideas. But it is still an ocean that is widely uncharted, and young teenagers will fall into holes constructed by right-wing superstars. The racism and homophobia circulated by 4chan is on the internet for anybody to see. New popular figures and icons pledge their vote to Trump. Right-wing rhetoric overtakes in the forms of Ben Shapiro, Pewdiepie, 4chan, Reddit. There’s a neutrality to all things, but the dogwhistles and the normalization of prejudice are dangerously overbearing. As the 2016 election divided our country, it divides the new generation. A divided house cannot stand, and that is for certain. 

It is around this time, in my Freshman summer, where the politics makes a crescendo. I have broken 1K followers on my Instagram art account, where I draw fanart for a variety of musicals and plays. I discover Shakespeare, and lose myself in Hamlet. I am happy with my identity and with myself, and as the 2020 election nears, I stay informed on current events, common issues, the things that need changing.

Sophomore winter. My dad and I take two-hour drives spanning Connecticut, and we talk. He says, “You know, your generation’s fucked. You’re the ones who are going to have to cope with our mistakes.” I tell him I know. I tell him about my feelings towards racial injustice in America, the battle for a higher minimum wage against growing costs, issues in healthcare, housing, poverty, climate change, all thrown aside and discarded. Our generation, of course, when most of our white and male politicians are dead and buried, will have to deal with the repercussions of rising sea levels and global temperatures, volatile weather and crippling natural disasters, all overlooked due to blatant ignorance. “You guys are going to have to fix all of this.”

“I know.”

I’m sick of the battle being placed on the backs of teenagers. I’m sick of our faces being the fight for climate change, the faces of Greta Thunberg and Emma Gonzalez and young revolutionary congresswomen being mocked and heckled by throngs of keyboard warriors. I’m sick of the battle our leaders and representatives should be fighting being placed on our backs, when we are already our own Atlas. Ignorance is dangerous, biting, and overwhelming. We look back to the images and words we were raised upon, the story of the Hunger Games and the broadcasting of school shootings for us all to see. 

It is 2020. Happy new year! I watch from my living room as the ball drops. A brief Twitter moment about a newly discovered disease pops up in my recommended, I brush over it. Photographs of Australian fires are surfaced, and we joke about what a fantastic start it is to the year. 

Sisyphus reaches a fork in the road.

MMXX.

At around 11PM on Wednesday, March 11th, I send a strongly worded letter to the principal and local superintendent. The coronavirus has picked up worldwide, and has made its way into the states. Johns Hopkins has an interactive map that shows bubbles above cities where cases have been reported. Stamford, Connecticut Dead: 0

Recovered: 0 Active: 3.

New York’s cases are on the rise. On that same day, I began to realize the severity that would soon overtake us. I spent the afternoon first at what would be our last rehearsal for our school musical, James and the Giant Peach, and then I went to the library. I did my homework, read The Cripple of Inishmaan by Martin McDonagh, then bought a Subway cookie from the mall. I always keep a copy of King Lear in my backpack, and as my dad pulls up to the sidewalk I gloss over Edmund’s first monologue.

It’s the last normal day for a while.

March 12th comes in like a lion. In my first period class, civics, a classmate yells out, “Trump 2020!” A period later, my friend pulls me aside in the hallways, and asks if I heard that school was closing. 

“It can’t be true,” I said.

“Schadlich just showed us.”

I take my route to my next class, and find the hallway a chaotic mess of energy and camaraderie. What was meant to be kept under wraps has been instantly transferred across the student body over Snapchat stories and texts. People dance, sing, hug. It’s branded as a “Coronacation.” Broadway announces its closure, and I walk out of the front doors for the final time in my sophomore year.

Once again, ignorance overtakes. Within months, the death toll skyrockets, spikes, as we stay holed up in our online classes. My focus wavers, but I press on. Many other students resort to simply neglecting their work, choosing to take this time to focus on their own health or fill up their new time with their own hobbies. Teenagers find solace in each other, through social media and through the connections we’ve built online. As ignorance mounts among our leaders, teenagers jokingly refer to Covid-19 as the famous “Boomer Remover”. It trends on Twitter. Graduation, prom, is cancelled. The generation whose childhood began with 9/11 is once again cut short by a tragedy of preventable errors. Gen Z is subject to adapting once again to an unfamiliar environment, and we undertake.

Protests take over the streets, screaming against government tyranny. The deaths crescendo to nearly 100,000. A video surfaces of a young black man, Ahmaud Aubery, being publicly killed on a road while jogging. Ignorance continues as cases spike, and the political climate is ripe for change. On May 25th, a black man from Minneapolis named George Floyd is killed in a brutal act of suffocation by a policeman. More names resurface -- Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Joao Pedro. Names neglected to injustice are once again in the limelight -- Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Philando Castile, Eric Garner, Mike Brown, Terence Crutcher, Atatiana Jefferson, and more. 

Sisyphus has had enough of pushing the boulder, and Sisyphus takes to the streets. It is the perfect storm. A storm fueled by ignorance and the preventable death of thousands, by decades of injustice, by the mere political climate in the United States of America. Gen Z, our generation, my generation, has lived the darkest hour. We were born at the cusp of a millenia, in an awkward position where society has begun to find its footing in an unfamiliar time. A time of domestic and overseas terrorism, shaped by 9/11 and a countless number of school shootings and slaughtered people of color. Where the new generation has accessibility to the injustice and wrongs committed by those before and those above, right at our fingertips. We have new ways to organize, new ways to televise, new ways to fight. In our armchairs and in our streets, wearing masks as we hold up our hands in surrender.

Generation Z marches. They lead. They throw tear gas back at officers with no hesitation. They create chants, organize through grassroots, and find a chorus of support online. 

Generation Z leads. As politicians and leaders sit in ivory towers, like President Snow in Panem, our generation cries for change. We witness and feel the repercussions of their ignorance in our daily lives, from cuts to education to the publication of school shootings to the absence of American atrocity in our history textbooks to a pipeline that directs BIPOC and low-income students to prison or the military as they step off the graduation stage. Each year, our winters get warmer as our summers turn boiling. The preventable pile of corpses rises in front of us, and we have been taught to sit by and let it occur while the world burns. 

No longer.

Sisyphus steps aside and allows the boulder to descend down the mountain. They are bruised, bloodied, their palms calloused and scuffed and their feet lacerated and sore. Up ahead, shrouded by clouds, is the mountaintop. Sisyphus wipes their mouth, finds their footing, and begins the march.

A CONCLUSION.

We have a future.

It’s awfully dim right now. Barely a light at the end of the tunnel. We began a dead march towards it from the moment we were born into this decaying way of life, held together with glue and string by leaders with fumbling hands and staunch indifference. Our backs are tired, and we are barely adults. Generation Z is tired of fighting a fight that shouldn’t be theirs. How desperately we still crave childhood joy and humor and innocence. 

Change is necessary. It is something that is especially necessary in our time. We can no longer let people die because they can’t afford food or medicine or housing. Students cannot go into school wondering if it will be their last day. Black people should not fear for their lives while wearing a hoodie, driving, jogging in their neighborhood, shopping, or sleeping in their own homes. Elderly white men which encompass most of our political elite can no longer sit on their hands as their population suffers.

The voice of Generation Z screams louder than anything else. It screams in its silence, its activism, its useless martyrdom and battle. Change belies itself within our voice, and it has gone unheard for too long.

Change is the voice of Generation Z.

[primasveraas]

The Hunger Games has genuine literary merit beyond the fandom reactions to it

Arguably, it was one of the most influential franchises of the 2010s. However, it suffers from being both extraordinarily overrated and criminally underrated when closely examined. It was a conversation in my Literature class that led me to wonder: does this series truly have literary merit? The question became inescapable as I was swept up in thought and nostalgia, and the deeper messages of the series are indeed clear to me upon revisiting the beloved childhood saga. 

The response to the films and even the books themselves reveal that Suzanne Collins’s critique of current society was right all along. The real merit of The Hunger Games series is painfully overshadowed by the elements that “sell well” within mainstream media. Because The Hunger Games is a story that features popular cinematic elements such as violence and romance, including a classic love triangle (see the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Twilight, Star Wars, Mission Impossible, Divergent, etc, etc), the series is devalued from its real message. The fans of the series place little value with any deeper meaning, and it is therefore lost to the menial focuses of the general public.

To begin, the focus of the book begins with the concept of the Hunger Games, wherein children are pitted against one another in a fight to the death. While this is portrayed in the books, the cinematic approach further visualizes the violence that is apparently so entertaining to audiences. Where scenes that give greater meaning to the series are not included or inaccurately shown, the theme of violence and gore is left to rise. Unfortunately, this undermines Collins's commentary on the prevalence and glorification of violence within our society, including in popular media and the news, especially when it comes to the normalization of such horrific acts such as the deaths of children, murder, and war itself. When these events become political fodder or are reduced to headlines, they lose their significance and real meaning: people are suffering and something must be done about the matter.

long post below the cut. I wrote this as a full essay rip

Furthermore, the series also satirizes the upper class and those with enough privilege to turn a blind eye to the suffering of those with not enough luck or initial privilege in their life to absolve themselves from danger, violence, and poverty. The Capitol is a society of wealthy people and the main audience for the games, yet they do not have to send children them to themselves. This isolated, secure part of an impoverished, divided nation, represents how, in our society, the wealthy and powerful take advantage of the lower classes through the exploitation of workers, unfair tax cuts and overall societal imbalances that systematically keep minorities at a disadvantage. While the 1% profits off of suffering, the rest of the world is left to suffer.

  It must also be addressed that most of the symbolism in the series, at least the books, is subtle and only hinted at by Katniss. Why these messages were not revealed even after the movies were released can be attributed to Suzanne Collins’s silence on her own series. With each cinematic release comes press tours and interviews about the meaning of the books and movies, but Collins notably has largely remained silent on the matter. In today's society, it is not uncommon to see authors such as JK Rowling, EK Johnston, Rick Riordan, and more take to Twitter, Instagram, or other websites to elaborate on the messages within their books and clarify what they meant, even retroactively adding to the meanings and characters featured within the books. But this neglects the death of the author, wherein readers are allowed to form their own opinion, regardless of the author’s intentions. The post-publishing contributions to a finished work can be done for profit or maintaining fan interest beyond the completion of their series. Yet, not letting their work exist as its own product, up for reader interpretation, devalues their work. Collins’s refusal to participate in this culture is admirable. Her words are placed in the hands of readers, continuing the legacy that existed for thousands of years before Twitter was invented. 

Even so, the pitfalls of this are her target audience of young adults, who often fail to understand the real messages embedded within the work. The literary analysis above is, unfortunately, necessary to prove the symbolism within the series because society instead chooses to focus on the elements of romance and violence present within the series. As a result, Collins's genius is truly underappreciated. Her writing and the literary merit therein flies over the heads of her readers. Again, the true value of the series has been lost in the glorification of violence and romance. Collins herself is arguably not advocating for these values; it was only by accident that her books became so popular for the wrong reason. Her other series are relatively unheard of but just as profound. The Underland Chronicles possess the same poignancy and significance as The Hunger Games, but its subject content is considered too outlandish by society to be thrust rapidly to the same heights as the latter.

Even so, the generalized reaction to The Hunger Games movies and books prove this point. The first of the series is the most popular and by general consensus, the most interesting. The following two books, especially the conclusion of the series, are considered to be boring. Yet this is the point. Mockingjay, the final book in the trilogy, depicts the dangers of war and the society that has been allowed to evolve from the ashes of a long-past conflict. The country erupts into civil war, but audiences consider this to be boring because of the emphasis on battle strategy, power struggle, and Katniss’s mental health, rather than outright violence and romance. And still, it is these ideas that contain the most literary value. These points, which I will elaborate on later, are superficially less interesting than the elements of a love triangle and kid-on-kid murder but must be acknowledged to find the true value of the series.

Even Collins’s portrayal of romance within the series subverts the expectation of modern love. The stereotypical gender roles between Katniss and Peeta are flipped. Where Katniss is tough, coarse and even unfriendly, Peeta is likable, charming, and charismatic. Katniss, especially in the first book, is seen taking care of Peeta who repeatedly gets injured; she is his protector while he is frequently criticized for his softness as a character. Yet in the end, Katniss chooses Peeta for his gentle nature and care; these are the qualities that she needs to balance out her own anger and roughness. She loves him for “feminine qualities” because she seeks a true balance of her own personality. Peeta is one of the few characters who remain uncorrupted and pure even with the horrors of their society. Few acknowledge this; the debate over Katniss’s romantic life is reduced to a love triangle between the baker boy and childhood friend. But in Collins’s own words, “Katniss isn’t just deciding on a partner; she’s figuring out her worldview.” The books do not portray a simplistic love triangle. It is the choice between optimism and a surrender to violence.

Katniss herself is unwilling to participate in violence and the idealization of murder unless it comes down to the survival of her family. Katniss’s defining qualities are her loyalty and love, rather than blatant heroism and the want to make change in the world. Unfriendly and hardened, she is static in remaining a fierce defender of her family. Again, this is purely realistic considering the hardships of her childhood. As a result, she is forced to act differently as a popular idol for both the Capitol and the rebels. Whenever she appears as a figurehead, she softens her personality to be likable and charismatic. The Capitol wants to see that she is still feminine, lovely, and unharmed by her upbringing in the districts. The threats against her family still motivate her; if she does not perform well, everyone she cares about will be killed. It is only when she has nothing else to lose that she acts out in rebellion. At the climax of The Hunger Games, she suggests to Peeta that they both kill themselves instead of killing each other. As one of two tributes left, she cannot bring herself to kill him, as her humanity defines her in that moment. Over the course of the games, she comes to care for Peeta, and she refuses to sacrifice that humanity, even if it means that she can go home to her family. Her next move beings a continuing trend; when she does not have the option to protect her family, she acts out in rebellion against the Capitol. She or Peeta will die in an act of defiance. By trying to kill herself and Peeta, she shows her true genius. If all tributes die or if more than one live, the Capitol loses, and she forces their hand on this matter. This moment displays her true, underrated intellect. 

Thus also begins the battle for control against the Capitol. As the series progresses, Katniss combats the urge to do the right thing for the greater good of Panem. In District 11, she tries to make up for the losses of their tributes by donating money and speaking from her heart about those who saved her life. But in the end, she is forced again into silence by the threat against her family. She will not compromise their safety even for a rebellion that could potentially liberate the country. Although she has inherent goodness, Katniss is the ultimate reluctant hero. In her own words, “all I want to do is protect my sister.” Unlike most heroes, she does not fight for the greater good, but for the protection of those who she cares about. Also unlike the archetypal hero, she is constantly restricted by her own inhibitions about what she personally has to lose. While this subverts expectations, it also emphasizes her humanity. Despite her cultural reputation as the girl with the bow and arrow, Katniss is a tangible character with real fears and doubts. 

Also, the symbolism of the loss of innocence is degraded because the series so popular for its violence and romance culminates in a book that emphasizes other points and uses action and love sparingly. They no longer have great narrative significance, meaning that the mass commercialization of the book became harder and its subject less interesting to consumers.

Other themes in Mockingjay display the corruptive nature of violence and power. Alma Coin, the president of the rebellion, rises to power as a direct result of extreme violence and brutal tactics. Even without her final act of bombing children, her true leadership is the result of violence, bloodshed, and long-standing war. Her presence suggests that violence breeds violence, even with good intentions. Because Coin is forced to wage war, as there is no other way to overcome the current circumstances of the country, war and violence become her expertise. The longevity of war implies that once the mindset of violence is adopted, it can never fully be washed away. While Coin has good intentions, she eventually becomes violent and even senselessly cruel.

This is further demonstrated in the scene, when after the war is won, she suggests that they hold a symbolic Hunger Games using the children of the capitol. This is an act of revenge to emphasize that the Capitol no longer has power. However, Coin continues the same vile methods of control, propagating the cycle of violence and bloodshed within the country. Katniss is one of the few people who recognize this; she is consequently the only one left to act on this knowledge. When asked to vote whether or not to hold the games, Katniss decides two things. The first is to vote yes, and in doing so, she recognizes that she has been used as a pawn by both Coin and President Snow, who need a figurehead to maintain power. She is intelligent enough to comprehend her powerlessness, and at that moment, resolves to do something about it. During the scene, she is depicted as having an almost silent conversation with Haymitch, in which they both agree to comply with Coin because they cannot currently do anything about their circumstances. Haymitch says “I’m with the Mockingjay,” signaling to Katniss that he understands the reality of the moment and will support her temporary compliance and future resistance. Katniss's intelligence is truly revealed with this scene, although most interpret her decision as her want for revenge. In reality, she has decided to kill Coin and effectively break the cycle of violence within the country.

When Katniss finally has the opportunity to kill Snow, she instead aims for and kills Coin. It’s never explicitly explained why, but it still reveals Katniss’s true perception of society. This gives her true power, with the responsibility to take action. It can also be noted that at this point, she has lost her sister and feels as if she has little else to lose in her life. She is no longer motivated by love for her family; now, she has nothing left to lose and this makes her all the more powerful. She knows that killing the new president and leader of the rebellion that brought them to victory and “liberation” is a fatal action, but when she does so, she damns only herself. She is free in the sense that no one can be used against her anymore.

Even so, when she is arrested for the murder of the new president, Katniss’s struggle with mental health is further emphasized as she rejects her medication and treatment, starves herself, and saves up her medicine in the hopes of overdosing and killing herself. She has nothing left to live for. She is described as inhuman and miserable, yet, almost abruptly, a change occurs. Katniss chooses hope. She begins to sing, experiencing untempered joy. It is random and it is beautiful. Those who struggle with mental health know that hope is not simply achieved; it can become a choice. Those with good resources can find hope more readily, but at the lowest point in one's life, there remains a decision to fight for change and the betterment of one's life. Katniss is forced to reconcile if she wants to remain living and succeed, despite any struggle that lies ahead in trying to get better. For no particular reason, she chooses to continue fighting and this is what makes her a true hero. She has lost her sister and her family and any chance at a normal, peaceful life. By killing Coin, she has ruined her reputation and prospects, yet she continues to live, and as a result, she ultimately achieves the life she had been seeking from the beginning. She is free, she can choose peace. From the beginning of the series, Katniss emphasizes that she never wanted a life in the public eye, and now with most of society failing to understand her action and rationale, she can escape. She never sought glory nor fame, and she pursues peace. This is the ultimate loss of the Capitol: the one who stood against them, who fell prey to them, who fought in their games not once but twice, choose hope and calm demonstrates the true beauty of Katniss as a protagonist. It is her simplistic wish to hang up her bow and arrow and go home that sets her apart.

At the beginning of the novels, Katniss says that she will never have a family because she does not wish to bring children into such a corrupt world. Modern circumstances including climate change, the current state of global politics, and general abject hopelessness parallel this feeling in our own world. But after overcoming this in her own universe, Katniss achieves true happiness. At the end of the novel, she has two children. At first, this may seem out of character or included merely because it is the stereotypical happy ending in media, but this is what truly emphasizes how far Katniss has come and the security that she has made for herself. With her intelligence and bravery, she has remade society into someplace where she is comfortable enough to have children, to raise them and settle down with the man she loves. Again, her choosing Peeta represents how she no longer has to give in to the roughness of her personality to defend those she cares about. She can be gentle and kind as she never was before. She can be a mother and pursue her own definition of happiness. Suzanne Collins's decisions as an author mean that there will be no sequels or spin-offs, no midnight Tweets to corrupt this joy. Most of all, Katniss’s solitude in this journey depicts the uniqueness of such intelligence and clear perception. Because she was the one with enough clarity to see the corruption and violence of the country, she has the power to remake it in her own image. This elevates her beyond a typical protagonist, and beyond the simplistic interpretations of teenage fans.

It is impossible to realize these things and not wonder what Suzanne Collins thinks of what has become of her series. With its influence severely devalued, such a great critique on humanity and all its complexity is lost. Ironically, the society that Collins was criticizing failed to understand her true message. The importance of these ideas cannot be stressed enough: we live in a society where there are daily power struggles between classes, and consumerism is controlled by monopolies of major companies. Not only that, but Katniss is reduced to a girl in love who is good at archery. And in the movies, she is played by Jennifer Lawrence, who dropped out of middle school and has repeatedly come under fire for offensive comments. Collins’s intelligence and that of her main character are criminally underrated. The public reception to The Hunger Games severely devalues the complexity of the series. Elements of violence and romance take place of deep symbolism and criticism of our world; movies are made to be entertaining and sell well rather than represent a good story. One can only hope that is the love of a beloved childhood series that will lead to them being revisited to reveal these truths with more meaningful clarity. 

[mudpuddling-moved]

one-word song title asks

swallow: when was the last time you slept in someone else’s bed?

salem: what color is your favorite sweater?

comets: write a haiku about last summer

flume: how close are you to your mother?

sunshine: what was your favorite song as a small child?

bleeder: what brings you hope when you’re lost?

serenade: what time of day makes you the most serene?

distance: describe the worst night of your life

firelight: what happens after death?

certainty: what’s something true that seems impossible to you?

handcuffs: what’s something you would do if you knew you could get away with it?

forgiveness: who has always been there for you?

headphones: what’s the best song to fall asleep to?

better: where is your favorite place to be kissed?

porno: are you emotionally mature?

rockets: if you could choose any planet but earth, where would you go?

bluebird: what do you dream of most often?

madonna: what’s something you wish you’d never seen?

they: are you a paranoid person?

chapel: do you want to get married at any point in your life?

cosmogony: what’s your favorite creation myth?

seashell: if you had to write a message in a bottle for someone to find on a distant shore, what would it say?

vesuvius: do you follow your heart, head, or gut?

chicago: if you could pack up all your stuff and leave on a surprise vacation, which one person would you take?

tigerlily: is anyone obsessed with you?

bachelorette: what’s a metaphor that describes you well?

pluto: what do you hope to be reincarnated as?

paradise: what are you looking for in life?

savages: are humans ultimately good or bad?

blindness: what will you never be able to leave?

firewood: do you miss being a child?

sifters: do you believe in soulmates?

promise: what’s your favorite flower? what does it mean to you?

crystals: is it easier for you to forgive or forget?

nightclothes: what’s something you believed as a child that’s ridiculous now?

teeth: describe the most fucked up you’ve ever been

edit: what drugs have you done?

birds: what are your pets’ names?

rococo: do you follow trends?

sixteen: how old were you when you lost your virginity?

avalanche: what’s your favorite poem?

afterlife: how much time can you normally spend with someone before you fight?

suzanne: what’s your sexual orientation?

miracle: how old were you when you had your first kiss?

reminders: do you prefer hard truths or easy lies?

step: are there any songs you feel possessive towards?

intro: is there life after death?

landfill: who do you love to hate?

echoes: if you had the chance to carve initials in a tree, what would they be?

holocene: what makes you feel at peace with the universe?

bella: if you could pick anyone to dance with, who would be your partner?

utopia: what’s your favorite kind of bird?

sisters: do you come from a religious background?

raphael: tell the story of your most recent heartbreak

monument: what’s worth fighting for?

education: do you believe in borders?

liability: do you have any party tricks?

pouring: do you like the rain?

gallows: have you ever tried to practice magic?

salt: what’s your favorite greek myth?

spiders: describe a dream you thought was real

hurt: do you think you’d ever do a hard drug?

despondency: what’s the latest you’ve ever slept in?

farewell: can you speak any foreign languages?

grace: have you ever cheated? been cheated on?

houses: what’s your favorite home cooked meal?

ruin: did you have imaginary friends as a child?

snow: how many exes do you have?

fool: where do you want to live?

lakehouse: do you feel at home in nature?

werewolf: what are you trying to heal from?

hollow: what’s your ancestry?

fooling: do you have any kinks?

lua: do you take any medication?

heirloom: what’s your most reoccurring dream?

gold: what jewelry do you wear most often?

fake: what’s your last sent text message?

tenuousness: what’s your favorite ancient civilization?

jezebel: tell us the most romantic thing anyone’s ever said to you

lady: your top three saddest songs

solitaire: what’s your favorite precious stone?

aurora: what’s your opinion on snow?

west: think of the longest trip you’ve ever been on. where did it start & where did it end?

puma: what’s the worst rumor you’ve heard about yourself?

amore: what’s your favorite part of your favorite movie?

michigan: do you like where you grew up?

tangerine: what’s your favorite smell?

hunter: how organized are you?

devotion: what do you want your funeral to be like?

homesick: where’s the most uncomfortable place you’ve slept?

thursday: what’s your favorite season? why?

gardener: do you get headaches often?

hope: are there any words you pronounce funny?

bundles: can you sew?

[allthethingswecoulddo]

The Guardian needs to pick a side, and so do the women that transphobes are trying to rally.

You can silently allow these purported ‘feminists’ to speak for you, as they vilify trans people, or stand with your trans siblings to do the real work of bringing down the patriarchy and all the gendered violence that comes with it.

Content warning: transphobia, sexual and domestic violence, TERFs, homophobia & biphobia, racism, far right & mention of Nazis

On 2nd March the Guardian published an article called ‘Women must have the right to organise. We will not be silenced’, by self-identifying Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminist (TERF), Suzanne Moore. The article, however badly written and absurd, has a platform. And with a distinct lack of meaningful trans representation or awareness in the media at large, it’s likely that some people will be lured into believing that Moore has credible points to make. The Guardian has rubber stamped this hateful rhetoric and rallying cry for transphobia, and it’s not the first time.

So it’s time for the Guardian, as well as the cisgender, white middle class women amongst it’s readership, who are clearly being summoned to fight in an imaginary war, to pick a side. And those ‘sides’ are not trans rights vs. cisgender women’s rights. Because trans rights do not infringe cisgender women’s rights. You have to pick two sides of history: you can silently allow these purported ‘feminists’ to speak for you, as they vilify trans people and claim that misogyny and sexism is only experienced by those with the ‘ability to reproduce’ (which, by the way, doesn’t cover all cisgender women) or stand with your trans siblings to do the real work of bringing down the patriarchy and all the gendered violence that comes with it.

What follows is an attempt to unpick the slew of shit arguments that Moore strung together in her Guardian article for the purposes of exposing her thinly veiled hate speech, and equipping allies with the arguments to shut down transphobia in their day to day lives.

1. Moore uses the tactics of the far right, by suggesting that trans people and those fighting for trans rights are a threat to free speech.

Far right poster boys in the UK, like Tommy Robinson AKA Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon (LOL), have been rallying supporters by claiming that free speech is under threat. He likes to weaponise this argument against Muslim communities and people of colour for the most part, but won’t say no to a touch of sexism, misogyny and transphobia. It’s become a familiar trope, the idea of a snowflake generation, so sensitive to harm that they won’t even expose themselves to a touch of hate speech.

TERFs are not above allying with the likes of the far right to stoke fear and anger in those who’ve felt the burn of sexism, misogyny, homophobia biphobia and who feel a bit baffled by University discourse around safe spaces and no platforming. They conveniently point the finger at trans people, mostly trans women, and say ‘they are the problem, you can’t say anything anymore, they are silencing us!’

In fact, in the States, TERFs have been proven to have organised links with far right Christian groups, and many of the UK groups who (according to Moore, are definitely not hate groups) are funded by the same organisations. So when Moore says ‘Now, I feel a huge sadness when I look at the fragmentation of the landscape, where endless fighting, cancellations and no platformings have obscured our understanding of who the real enemies are,’ I can’t stifle my maniacal laughter.

How brainwashed do you have to be to think that trans people and their allies are the enemy, when you will cooperate with far right racists? Sure, there might be a debate to be had about the effectiveness of tactics like no platforming, but when trans rights are conflated with the concept of free speech denial, the TERFs are knowingly playing into the hands of the far right.

2. She harks back to Section 28 protests as the good ol’ days, when LGBT people knew what to fight for and our collective oppression trumped our differences. The irony is lost on her.

In 2019 we saw a momentous win in the 30 year battle for LGBT inclusion in schools, with the introduction of inclusive relationships and sex education. That wouldn’t have been possible without solidarity across the LGBT movement.

But TERFs have taken this victory as an opportunity to make the exact same arguments about teaching on gender identity as were made by Section 28. The idea that any mention of LGBT people was ‘the promotion of homosexuality’ (a line taken directly from the clause) is echoed in their claims that children and young people are being brainwashed and tricked into being trans. They even organised to try and prevent funds reaching Mermaids, a charity for trans children and young people last year, by mobilising misinformed and hateful women on Mumsnet via the lightning rod of Graham Linehan - who, by the way, compares people fighting for trans rights to those active in Nazi Germany.

We know that almost half of young trans people have attempted suicide. And scumbags like Moore have the audacity to claim they are being silenced? All whilst being published in the likes of the Guardian.

3. TERFs want you to believe that they are voiceless and marginalized. But the fact is, they get a seat at the table, to make decisions about other people’s lives. How feminist of them.

TERFs want you to believe that they are at the vanguard of feminism, being punished for speaking out like the great feminists before us. But as we’ve established, they are supported by well-resourced dark forces, given public platforms, and unfortunately our government is bending to their will in the name of ‘balance.’

During a consultation on gender recognition in the UK last year, Government Equalities Office officials had meetings with activists from Transgender Trend, Fair Play for Women and A Woman’s Place UK. All these groups are transphobic hate groups; one has wished cancer on trans people on their public social media accounts, and that’s not the worst of it. Now the Guardian has shown its true colors, platforming the voices of established TERFS. Does that seem like silencing to you?

In the meantime, trans people get next to no meaningful representation, we see vitriolic trash in the media every day and transphobic hate crime has rocketed.

4. Concepts of sex and gender as binary are weaponised to invalidate trans people. And it harms cisgender women too.

Moore believes that the most radical insight of feminism is that gender is binary but you are allowed to play with femininity and masculinity. Wow, she has missed the point. You don’t have to be a feminist scholar to know that feminism has helped us understand, unpick and fight back against, a patriarchal system of oppression, of which ideas around femininity and masculinity are symptoms. If the goal of your feminism stops at the destruction of stereotypes, you’re probably pretty privileged - because whilst it’s no doubt, essential to women’s liberation, it will not end gendered violence and oppression. 

Gender and sex are both a spectrum - trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming people have always existed. This is not, as TERFs would have you believe, a recent fad or phase. The conflation of gender and sex, and the aggressive enforcement of the binary from the very moment of conception is a fundamental pillar of patriarchy. And you are punished, socially and politically if you are considered to deviate from these norms. Moore tokenistically mentions intersex people but fails to acknowledge that right now in the UK, intersex babies are having non-consensual operations at birth so that they will conform more neatly to binary concepts of sex.  

It’s in TERF’s interest to protect the binary because they want, more than anything, for cisgender women to believe their rights are threatened by trans people and that trans rights and cis women’s rights are incompatible. TERFs will have you believe that you should be more concerned with someone’s genitals than their humanity. They seem less concerned by internal sex organs, hormones and all the other facets that make up the narrow binaries of sex; but that would complicate their nice, neat excuse for transmisogyny.

5. TERF’s priority is not the prevention of rape or domestic abuse. It is the vilification of trans people, who are disproportionately affected by sexual and domestic violence.

TERFs seem to get endless inspiration from the oppressors of LGBT people; Moore’s article is littered with a transphobic trope, that paints trans people as predatory. It’s nothing new, that’s exactly what they said about lesbians, gay and bi people during the Section 28 era that Moore seems so nostalgic for. And if there’s one stand out reason you should visibly and proudly reject the rhetoric of TERFs and stand side by side with your trans siblings, it’s this: TERFs promote violence against trans people when they paint trans people as predatory. They are a hate group, they promote violence against trans people.

Tarana Burke, the founder of the #MeToo movement (pictured above) said ‘I founded the 'me too' movement in 2006 because I wanted to find a way to connect with the black and brown girls in the program I ran.’ Burke is still fighting to center the voices of marginalised survivors as the movement has blown up and focused on cis, white celebrities. In a 2017 article she said, ‘there’s no conversation in this whole thing [#MeToo] about transgender folks and sexual violence. There’s no conversation in this about people with disabilities and sexual violence. We need to talk about Native Americans, who have the highest rate of sexual violence in this country. So no, I can’t take my focus on marginalized people.’

It shouldn’t need spelling out, but we know that:

Two in five trans people (41 per cent) and three in ten non-binary people (31 per cent) have experienced a hate crime or incident because of their gender identity in the last 12 months. (Stonewall, LGBT in Britain -Trans Report)

The 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey found that 47% of transgender people are sexually assaulted at some point in their lifetime.

 More than a quarter of trans people (28 per cent) in a relationship in the last year have faced domestic abuse from a partner. (Stonewall, LGBT in Britain -Trans Report)

Seven per cent of trans people said they have been refused care because they are LGBT, while trying to access healthcare services in the last year. (Stonewall, LGBT in Britain -Trans Report)

Cisgender women must be visible and active trans allies and stand side by side with their trans siblings if we’re going to win. So that instead of wasting our energy having to defend ourselves and fight for the very fact of trans people’s existence, we can get on with protecting and winning rights.

So, cisgender women of Guardian readership and beyond, pick a side. These vile transphobes will exploit their exposure to feed hatred and violence against trans women the whole trans community. Your voice is important, and necessary, to reject their rhetoric, and build a feminist movement of meaningful solidarity. We have so much more to fight for.

[bodytorque-blog1]

The Bike Stalled in the World

According to a study, the abandonment of the bicycle in several developing countries threatens the environment. Urbanization and the massive motorization have cut by half in two decades the number of bikes in the countries home to 75% of the population, thus weighing down their carbon footprint on the planet. According to the first global study on the rate of ownership of bicycles per household, access to this form of clean transportation and beneficial to health fluctuated significantly between 1989 and 2012.

The survey, conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins University and published in the Journal of Transportation Health, concluded that the share of households owning a bicycle in various countries of the world decreased globally over the years. The researchers analyzed data from more than 1.15 billion households in 148 countries. ” By bringing together various sources of information, we have produced a database that, hopefully, will give decision makers the information they need to take action “Say the researchers from the University of polluting transport

Excluding China and India, the global picture, the number of households holding a bike fell by half in just two decades, from 60% in 1989 to 32% in 2012. This is particularly the case in several countries in Asia where urban development occurs at a rate disheveled, sounding the death knell of the bike to other more polluting modes of transport.

Between 1989 and 2012, an average of 42% of the 1.5 billion households covered by this global study had a bicycle, bringing to 580 million the estimated number of bicycles owned by individuals worldwide.

This is in Northern Europe and Central Asia the proportion of households with bicycles is highest. The largest number of owners, however, found in India and China, these countries sheltering alone a third of the world population. But this general picture hides deeper changes occurring over recent decades.

In the land of Mao, where the bicycle had become a symbol of the communist ideal, thousands of cyclists funded invested public streets and squares in the 60s and 70. But over the decades, number of families owning a bike tumbled 97% in 1992 to 48% in 2007. The collective enrichment and highway construction have pushed millions of Chinese to abandon the bike in favor of the car or motorcycle, with disastrous consequences on the quality of outdoor air, the number of deaths and of road accidents, as well as physical inactivity, the study reveals.

However, serious problems associated with air pollution have recently sounded the return of the bike – especially electrical -, the latest figures (2009) reporting that 63% of Chinese households have returned the motorbike, a 30% jump in some years.

The European champion On the country to another, the presence of bicycles in households varies considerably. In 2010, the small African state of Burkina Faso, where 84% of families had access to a bicycle, was part of the select club of “bikers” countries, while Armenia brought up the rear with only 4% of owners .

The champions of the bike remain rich countries such as the Scandinavian countries, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, where, in 2012, an average of 81% of households owned a bicycle, with only on the continent, Burkina Faso, with three times more followers reel that its African neighbors.

Followed by Canada, the United States, China, Argentina, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand and several European countries, with 60% of owner households. The UK, however, one of the richest countries in the world, stands apart with only four in ten households followers of the handlebar.

The third platoon Russia, Eastern Europe and the countries of West Africa are in the third platoon, while in 62 countries in North Africa, Central Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, the bicycle is absent from the daily 80% of families for all sorts of cultural, political and geographical.

Although the study does not provide an accurate portrait of Direct the use of bicycles on the planet, she throws a conclusive light on the percentage of the world population with access to a means of transportation ecological and beneficial to health, researchers say. ” Everyone focuses on what happens now, but looking at past data, we can also help policymakers make more sensible choices. This may indicate them what worked or not “Said Olufolajimi Oke, lead author of the study.

Suzanne Lareau, President and CEO of Vélo Québec, is not surprised at the trend in China, where the car has become over the years a synonym for wealth. ” In China, the car has become a dream but a fleeting dream which is biting the fingers today, as the country bore the brunt of the worst pollution peaks. It’s a rude awakening “She says, arguing against that by the use of bicycles is growing steadily in North America and Europe.

According to Mr. Oke, monitoring these global trends should be a tool pampered by cities and states to develop effective policies to improve the health status of their populations and reduce their carbon footprint.

According to the researchers, it is urgent to refine the research to understand the determinants abandoned bicycle in favor of the automobile in several countries, including the fight against global warming.

[aion-rsa]

Squid Game: Best Deadly Competition TV Shows & Movies to Watch Next

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Chances are, if you’ve started watching Squid Game, then you’ve finished watching Squid Game. Netflix’s Korean social thriller is highly suspenseful, driving viewers through its nine episodes to its chilling conclusion with an anxiety-inducing urgency. The story of 456 desperate people who play a deadly game for the chance to win a ₩45.6billion ($39 million) prize, Squid Game is a familiar premise executed masterfully, which means that if you’re looking for more stories like Squid Game, then you’re in luck; the “deadly competition” trope is a very popular one. Like other standouts in the subgenre, there is nothing quite like Squid Game, but there’s still many, many TV shows and movies worth watching if you’re looking for something that delves into some of the same themes and scenarios as the addictive Netflix drama. Here are our recommendations…

Death Race 2000 (1975)

Not technically a live-action adaptation of Hanna Barbera cartoon Wacky Races with a deadly twist – though that’s very much the vibe – this Roger Corman camp-fest is a cult favourite. The film stars Kung Fu’s David Carradine as the mysterious champion driver of the Transcontinental Road Race, an ultra-violent race across America designed as an outlet for the population’s simmering violence under a totalitarian regime – much like sports day at school, but with muscle cars instead of eggs and spoons. Health and safety guidelines are very much unobserved on the road, and the bodies soon pile up, as does a conspiracy that goes – you guessed it – all the way to the top! Brrm brrm. – LM

Das Millionenspiel (1970) & Le Prix du Danger (1983)

Two films, in two languages, from two different countries in two different decades, but both based on the same 1958 American short story. Robert Sheckley’s ‘The Prize of Peril’ is a prescient vision based on a television show where citizens volunteer to be hunted by trained assassins for the chance to win a life-changing sum of money. (Yes, there’s a chance that Stephen King, or at least his alter-ego Richard Bachman, read it before coming up with The Running Man). German film Das Millionenspiel was a TV movie that reportedly had viewers call in post-broadcast to volunteer to take part in the deadly televised contest, but perhaps that’s best taken with a pinch of salz. – LM

The Running Man (1987)

What’s more fun than a dystopian action movie based on a novel by Stephen King and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger in his 1980s prime? Nothing, that’s what. Arnie stars as a former police helicopter pilot named Ben Richards who is framed for a massacre he didn’t commit and forced to compete in a televised game show where prisoners are mercilessly hunted down by mercenaries. On top of that, the obstacle course is basically an even more fucked up version of Sasuke/Ninja Warrior. Fortunately, Arnie isn’t alone in his hatred of the totalitarian government that has doomed him to death just to entertain The People, and that’s how the revolution starts. Yes, it’s a campy movie with some very cheesy lines, but good for a few Friday night laughs. – JS

Battle Royale (2000)

Battle Royale is one of the most beloved examples of the “deadly competition” genre, especially for nerds like Den of Geek staff and readers. Based on a 1999 novel by Kōshun Takami, Battle Royale made an impression for its brutality and stark social analysis when it burst onto the international nerd cinephile scene back in 2000. The story follows a busload of school children who are knocked out and wake up on an island. Each is given a random weapon—from guns to household items, like a paper fan or pot lid—and they must fight to the death until only one remains. – KB

Series 7: The Contenders (2001)

The early 2000s were… what’s the term for a golden age of something terrible? A high-low point? The eye of the shitstorm? Either way, for the reality television genre, the early 2000s were it. The world dug its mucky snout into the honey pot of dehumanised abs, boobs and therapy bills waiting to happen, and decided it liked the taste. Some good though, did come out of it – satires like Danial Minahan’s 2001 feature debut Series 7: The Contenders. The film shows six American strangers picked by national lottery, armed with guns and forced to hunt each other down while the world watches in nightly instalments. It’s pacey, well-acted, darkly funny and carries your basic screaming ‘what have we become?’ message of many others on this list. – LM

Doctor Who, “Bad Wolf” (2005)

OK, I’m cheating a bit with this one, which isn’t a series or movie, but rather a single TV show episode, but it’s Doctor Who, so I’ll allow it. It’s hard to remember more than 15 years later, but, when Who relaunched in 2005, head writer Russell T. Davies was reinventing the wheel, resulting in some conceptually ambitious installments. This definitely includes “Bad Wolf,” which has a pretty strange premise for the first half of the season-ending two-parter. 

In the Davies-penned “Bad Wolf,” Rose, the Doctor, and Jack wake up to find themselves not only separated from one another, but in incarnations of various British TV competition shows like The Weakest Link, Big Brother, and What Not to Wear. Though these shows may seem similar to their 21st century counterparts, the stakes are not: the losers are killed. Honestly, this premise was a bit ahead of its time. Sure, this was five years after cult classic Battle Royale hit the scene, but three years before the first Hunger Games novel would hit shelves. The scenario is not only compelling and fresh, but Davies doesn’t linger too long before explaining how it is relevant to the season-ending mystery. – KB

The Hunger Games (2012)

A list of this kind would not be complete without The Hunger Games, one of the most popular and successful modern incarnations of the “deadly competition” trope. Like Battle Royale before it and Squid Game after it, The Hunger Games succeeds because it uses its violent premise to explore contemporary social anxieties. Suzanne Collins famously came up with the initial idea for The Hunger Games while flipping through the channels between competition reality shows and footage of the Iraq War. Given the massive success of both the novels and movie adaptations, it’s obvious that this story is tapping into some serious and unaddressed collective social trauma. The Hunger Games gave young people especially a chance for temporary catharsis through the guilt, fear, and pain that came with growing up post-9/11. – KB

3% (2016)

The thing about deadly competition stories is that most, if not all, of them are particularly class conscious. When one thinks of the type of person who would choose to participate in, or be forced into, a life and death game, it’s not usually rich people. Deadly competition stories are often about the exploitation of the poor. Perhaps no other entry into the genre understands that as deeply as Brazilian series 3%. This tale takes place in a dystopian near future in which the impoverished residents of the “Inland” can compete in a mysterious event known as “The Process” and potentially be granted access to the upper ranks of society. The Process is rigorous, with many of its participants eliminated and some even killed. How many actually make it? Well, check the title of the show again. – AB

Alice in the Borderland (2020)

There’s a reason why Alice in Borderland started trending as soon as Squid Game binges began: the 2020 Japanese science fiction show based on a manga of the same name, has a lot in common with its Netflix cousin—at least on the surface. Directed by Shinsuke Sato (who also helmed Gantz, another great “deadly competition” story example), Alice in the Borderland begins when three friends are abruptly and unexpectedly pulled into a parallel Tokyo where they must compete in a series of deadly games. The difficulty of each game corresponds to a playing card and, if they lose or refuse to play one of the competitions, they will be killed by lasers from the sky, naturally. 

While Alice in the Borderland’s initial premise has some things in common with Squid Game—notably, the shock of its characters upon realizing the deadly stakes of the artificial competition—the respective shows are not only grounded in different cultures (Japanese va. Korean), they also hail from different genres. While Squid Game is very much set in our own world, Alice in the Borderland is much more science fiction in tone and execution. (I mentioned the sky lasers, right?) Both are good shows, but their comparisons quickly fade once you look past the surface. – KB

High-Rise Invasion (2021)

The concept for High-Rise Invasion is as enigmatic and compelling as any anime can be. The anime (or original net animation as this is sometimes dubbed) picks up with our hero Yuri Honjō suddenly on top of a skyscraper with no memory of how she got there. Yuri soon discovers that she’s stuck in a world made up of entirely high-rise buildings and the bridges that connect them. What’s worse is that these high-rises are patrolled armed individuals wearing masks who seem hellbent on killing everyone who isn’t masked. High-Rise Invasion is slightly atypical from your usual “death competition” genre in that it’s not clear if this is even a competition. At the end of the day, however, the goals remain the same: survive at all costs. Until things get a little more complicated of course… – AB

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

What are your favorite examples of the deadly competition trope? Let us know in the comments below…

The post Squid Game: Best Deadly Competition TV Shows & Movies to Watch Next appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/2XUifin

[lizabethstucker]

Asimov's Science Fiction (March/April 2017)

Digging into my backlot of science fiction magazines. A mixture of verse and stories. I've only reviewed and rated the stories. This particular issue is the 40th Anniversary one! 3.8 out of 5 "Soulmates.com" by Will McIntosh Daniel wants someone to share his life with, to love and be loved by. When he meets Winnie through a dating app, he thinks she could be the one almost immediately. Emily, his former girlfriend and current best friend, is more suspicious, doing a deep dive on who Winnie could be. Which, considering they never meet in person despite Winnie being in Atlanta and Daniel in Athens, not that long a drive, is valid. Starts extremely slowly, assumingly to establish the characters. Not my favorite way as most writers don't do a good job at it. I'm not entirely certain that this is actually science fiction, despite the use of Artificial Intelligence. As to Daniel, I found him to be incredibly childish, blind, immature, and boring. He learned absolutely nothing from his experience. I struggled to complete this novella. 2.5 out of 5 "Number Thirty-Nine Skink" by Suzanne Palmer It started simply enough, an expedition designed to bring life in balance to an empty planet. Then the humans left suddenly, leaving Mike willingly behind with Kadey whose programming makes the creatures populating the area. When Mike dies of cancer, Kadey continues her work. Until the night something changes. Poor Kadey, struggling with loneliness, possibly incomplete programming, and the knowledge hidden from her regarding why the humans left. Sad, yes, but with a more hopeful ending that is also a beginning. Lovely story, so well written. 4.5 out of 5 "Three Can Keep a Secret..." by Bill Johnson & Gregory Frost A convoluted tale of assassins, misdirection, love, greed, and con-artistry with an almost noir feel to it. It's almost impossible to give a synopsis that isn't chockful of spoilers. The first person narrator isn't totally reliable, but still intriguing in what he shares. I loved this more than I expected with this strange little story. FYI, in case you don't know, the title is from an old saying. Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead. 4.5 out of 5 "The Ones Who Know Where They Are Going" by Sarah Pinsker A child must suffer so the city can be happy, or so they say. One particular child is taken from her mother, locked away in the dark with no social interaction beyond the delivery of food. As time passes, language is lost and memories of a happier time begin to fade. Then one day the door isn't shut tightly and the child gets out of the tiny dark room. She crawls up the stairs, each step bringing back a particular memory, heading for freedom. But at what cost? Rip my heart out, why don't you? Two and a half pages of the most gut-wrenching narrative. The tightly woven writing is painfully descriptive. And the ending! Oh, the ending. I just cannot deal with it. 5 out of 5 "Invasion of the Saucer-Men" by Dale Bailey Teenagers have been foiling alien invasions for some time. After all, the adults are either locked in their homes consuming television or would dismiss the very idea of aliens. The newest landing of a flying saucer bonds together teens out at the local make-out point. Per the author, his idea was to take the cheesy sci-fi and horror movie titles of the 1950s and treat the core idea with some emotional and thematic nuance. Here we have a group of teen archetypes, from the football star to the nerds to the beauty. There are also the followers that are always found in high school. This brings back memories of too many cheesy nights at the drive-ins in my county. I've always found my sympathies fell with the aliens most of the time, faced with humans whose first response to the unknown was always violence. Horrible ending to this story. Horrible. CW: extremely graphic attack. 3 out of 5 "Kitty Hawk" by Alan Smale After receiving word of her brother's death, Katharine Wriht travels from Ohio to North Carolina to help her other brother. Instead of Orville preparing to pack up for the trip home with his beloved

brother's body, he is trying to continue with the flight experiments that killed Wilbur. Katharine finds herself engaged in helping, even learning to fly herself. This is a complete AU of the Wright Brothers and the birth of flight, through World War I and the suffrage movement. The writing is evocative of the time period and the dangers of experimental flight. I don't know why it didn't click with me, but I struggled quite a bit in reading this imaginative tale. I can see others enjoying this greatly, just not me. 3 out of 5 "Cupido" by Rich Larson Marcel is a genius at chemistry. He came up with a way to make pheromones specific to the pair he's paid to bring together, either by one of the potential couple or by a third party. The majority of the money he charges goes to pay for his grandmother's colon cancer treatment. As word gets around, he finds himself moving to smaller cities to avoid identification. As yet, what he does isn't illegal. He didn't expect to find himself attracted to his potential mark. Frankly, I don't consider this to be science fiction at all. The science is already viable. Add the consent issues which would be called dubcon (dubious consent) and I'm too busy cringing to enjoy. In my mind, Marcel is anything but a hero. 3 out of 5 "A Singular Event in the Fourth Dimension" by Andrea M. Pawley Olive was removed from the reducer pile, adopted by a childless couple to help stave off loneliness. Now that the second grandmother is living with them and Mama was pregnant, Olive is worried that she will be sent back to the pile, no longer needed. A loving, imaginative little android who believes in fairy dust, even if the fairies never seem to do anything magical like in the stories. Love doesn't have to be limited to just humans or blood relations. Sweet and touching. 4.5 out of 5 "The Wisdom of the Group" by Ian R. MacLeod There are theories and studies about group-think, how certain groups can intuit a trend or coming situation without any real knowledge. With the right group, the members could get wealthy or probably save the world, depending on their inclination. Samuel has been part of such a group since brought in by his professor while still in university. Now, years later, Samuel is wealthy, has a liv-in lover, three dogs with unfortunate names, and a gorgeous house in Washington state. But something is wrong, something that seems to be originating from Samuel. The response is usually to cut the wrong out of the group. A complicated basis for a disturbing story. I had to sit on this one for a while in order to determine what I felt about it. Definitely strong writing, could almost be considered psychological horror. I don't know if I would ever say that I liked it, but I recognize the work done and the uniqueness of the story. 3.5 out of 5 "After the Atrocity" by Ian Creasey Abu Hameed, the terrorist behind the attack that left ten thousand people dead, has also died during interrogation. The solution? A machine that can make exact copies, complete with memories, of an individual. Violet Ruiz, operator and creator of the machine, even made a duplicate of herself in order to work 24/7. As Hameed's copies die during the enhanced interrogation, more copies are needed. Soon Violet II wonders about the ethical implications. Well thought out consideration of just how far a nation is willing to go in search of revenge wrapped in the disguise of intel. Patriot Act, enhanced interrogation the Greater Good, dismantling both Habeas Corpus and the Geneva Convention, anyone? 4 out of 5 "Goner" by Gregory Norman Bossert In order to explore space, humans had to be converted from flesh into nanotechnology based creatures. The pilots call themselves Goners. Char's best friend's father is a Goner. Already fascinated with the idea of flying, Char uses a sliver of Pilot Clark to begin changing. While this is complete in itself, the story also begs for more. What is happening to Char? Will he be allowed to live his dreams despite his age? S fascinating a concept. 3.5 out of 5 "We Regret the Error" by Terry

Bisson A series of news corrections from the future. So many corrections, even some corrections of corrections. Taken individually, these are amusing. Pieced together, there is a much deeper story playing out. Oh, and a nice dig at Disney's well-known history of not paying some of their artists for their work. 3 out of 5 "Tao Zero" by Damien Broderick Teenagers, incredibly smart ones, have unprotected sex after winning $370 million in the Mega Millions lottery. The celebration leads to a child, the narrator, and the money to try to trap the Tao, the Way that cannot be named, inside a machine. I tried, I really tried to read this without success. After rereading the first two pages over and over in an attempt to struggle through, I put the story aside, hoping to pick it back up when refreshed. Didn't work. DNF

[battybat-boss]

IQ Rates in Children Plummeting – Environmental Toxins to Blame?

In the U.S., plummeting SAT scores are one proxy indicator of cognitive fallout; the scores have been falling for over a decade and are at historically low levels, reflecting an across-the-board worsening in critical reading, math and writing performance. A report in 2013 suggested that almost three-fifths (57%) of graduating high school seniors were not ready for college. And a new study that reports “large changes in average cohort intelligence” in recent years has the answer-the turnaround in IQ is due to environmental factors.

Declining IQ: A Race to the Bottom?

by the World Mercury Project Team

Over the past several decades, American children's physical and mental well-being has steadily deteriorated.

Over half (54%) of all U.S. children (as of 2007) had a chronic health condition-with developmental and behavioral problems, obesity, allergies, asthma and mental health conditions leading the pack-and the prevalence of many of these conditions doubled from 1988 to the mid-2000s.

Federal reporting on pediatric health indicators in 2017 showed that one in five children (kindergarteners through adolescents) were obese, one in ten had activity limitations resulting from chronic health problems, and one in seventeen (more males than females) had, according to a parent, “serious difficulties with emotions, concentration, behavior or getting along with other people.”

In addition, 12% of adolescents suffered a major depressive episode in the previous year, with the prevalence of teenage depression rising continuously since 2004 and suicide representing the second leading cause of death for both teens and young adults.

Mild and serious developmental disabilities are one of the most prominent faces of the health crisis affecting American children (and, increasingly, children in other countries as well). These disabilities have obvious and sobering implications for individual children's learning trajectories and future cognitive achievements-but also for society as a whole.

In the U.S., plummeting SAT scores are one proxy indicator of the cognitive fallout; the scores have been falling for over a decade and are at historically low levels, reflecting an across-the-board worsening in critical reading, math and writing performance. A news report in 2013 suggested that almost three-fifths (57%) of graduating high school seniors were not ready for college.

In Europe, researchers have been systematically assembling other types of cognitive data to examine intelligence quotient (IQ) trends over time. A converging body of evidence calls attention to a consistent decline in basic cognitive abilities and “mental speed,” particularly in young males, beginning in the mid-to-late 1990s.

An article in the British popular press noted the falling IQ scores in 2014 and pointedly asked, “Are we becoming more STUPID?” Ignoring the belligerent tone of the journalist's question, it seems logical to follow up with another question: what is causing the decline in measured intelligence? A new study that reports “large changes in average cohort intelligence” in recent years has the answer-the turnaround in IQ is due to environmental factors.

The European IQ studies

In the mid-1980s, a New Zealand professor named James Flynn reported that Americans' IQs rose by approximately three points per decade from the 1930s through the 1970s.

This rise in standardized intelligence test scores-documented year after year and decade after decade in numerous countries-has come to be known as the Flynn effect.

Since the early 2000s, however,  researchers in Scandinavia and Western Europe have been publishing accounts of a “negative” Flynn effect-or a Flynn effect “gone into reverse.”

Five of the studies are worth summarizing due to their striking timeline similarities. (Note: Because short-term military service is compulsory for young able-bodied men in many of these countries, some researchers have taken advantage of data from cognitive tests administered to prospective conscripts.)

Norway: A 2004 study reviewed “general ability” (which included measures of language and math) in male conscripts tested from the mid-1950s to 2002. Following substantial gains over the first three decades, the gain rate began decreasing and then came to “a complete stop from the mid-1990s.”

Denmark: A Danish assessment in 2008 of 18-year-old males appearing before the draft board described falling cognitive test scores from 1998 to 2004, with the abrupt decline representing a loss of about 1.5 IQ points. This pattern held true in young men planning to pursue higher education and in those not continuing their education.

United Kingdom: In a British study published in 2009, the investigators compared test results for 13- and 14-year-olds in 2006-2007 with data collected from the same age group in 1976. The researchers discovered a “narrowing” in the young people's range of performance, with “far fewer go[ing] on to develop the interpretative and evaluative level of thinking characteristic of formal operations” [emphasis in original]. (The researchers are referring to Piaget's theory that describes a formal operational stage of cognitive development from about age 12 that allows adolescents “do mathematical calculations, think creatively, use abstract reasoning, and imagine the outcome of particular actions.”)

Finland: In 2013, researchers with access to data from three tests administered to 18- to 20-year-old male conscripts (N=25,000) reported that whereas IQ increased from 1988 to 1997, there were “declines in all three tests averaging 2.0 IQ points a decade” from 1997 to 2009.

Austria and Germany: A 2015 meta-analysis of dozens of studies involving over 13,000 subjects from schools, universities and the general population (with an average age of 22 years) pulled together data collected from the late 1970s until 2014. Examining one domain of IQ (spatial perception), the researchers documented a “robust” pattern of “initial increases, followed by stagnation (with performance peaking around the mid-1990s), and subsequent decreases of task performance.”

It goes without saying that these general population studies of intelligence trends do not begin to capture the tragic circumstances of children with specific intellectual disabilities such as, in some cases, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or fragile X syndrome (FXS).

A recent study by neuroscientists at the University of California-Davis rhetorically posed the parental question, “What will my child's future hold?” After assessing the IQs of children with ASD at ages two and eight, the Davis researchers found that IQ declined in about 25% of the children over the six years. Studies of children with FXS also have shown that IQ may decline over a relatively short period of time.

And the possible causes of falling IQ are…

Although researchers have speculated on possible contributors to the disquieting IQ trends, few have come up with any meaningful answers. The puzzled investigators of the 2008 Danish study stated, “the declines…seem to be real,” but “it is not easy to account for them.” Another group of authors vaguely discussed four causes ranging from the “cultural-environmental,” to statistical, biological or “hybrid” explanations.

There is another far more concrete possibility, which is the impact of environmental toxins on IQ. In addition to prevalent toxins such as PBDEs (flame-retardant chemicals), heavy metalssuch as mercury and aluminum represent a category with documented detrimental effects on intelligence.

Vaccines are one of the most widespread and ongoing sources of prenatal and childhood exposure to these metals. Prenatal exposure-as occurs with the mercury-containing flu shots and aluminum-containing pertussis vaccines now routinely administered to pregnant women-is particularly dangerous as early exposure can impair subsequent growth and development of neurons.

The U.S. requires the largest number of vaccines for school entry of any developed nation, although compulsory vaccination has been trending upward in Europe as well.

Future challenges

Childhood brain disorders can have subclinical effects at the individual level that translate into large population-level effects.

Harvard researcher David Bellinger believes (as quoted previously by World Mercury Project) that

“Even a modest impact that does not push a child's neurodevelopment into the range of clinical concern cannot be dismissed as benign because, if the exposure is prevalent, the total number of IQ points lost in the population as a whole might be large, and the reduction in the intellectual resources available to a society substantial.”

Researchers already are openly expressing concern about the potential for a mismatch between available cognitive abilities and “the expected larger demand for non-routine analytical-cognitive jobs,” noting that “cognitive tasks at the workplace as well as in daily life and in organization, maintenance and especially innovation are rising.”

Predictions that the U.S. is “on the decline” may come true unless decisive action is taken to ensure safe vaccines and eliminate children's cradle-to-adulthood exposure to the intelligence-harming toxins contained in vaccines.

Read the full article at the World Mercury Project.

Comment on this article at VaccineImpact.com.

Leaving a lucrative career as a nephrologist (kidney doctor), Dr. Suzanne Humphries is now free to actually help cure people. In this autobiography she explains why good doctors are constrained within the current corrupt medical system from practicing real, ethical medicine. FREE Shipping Available! Order here.

<!--//<![CDATA[ var m3_u = (location.protocol=='https:'?'https://network.sophiamedia.com/openx/www/delivery/ajs.php':'http://network.sophiamedia.com/openx/www/delivery/ajs.php'); var m3_r = Math.floor(Math.random()*99999999999); if (!document.MAX_used) document.MAX_used = ','; document.write ("<scr"+"ipt type='text/javascript' src='"+m3_u); document.write ("?zoneid=3&target=_blank"); document.write ('&cb=' + m3_r); if (document.MAX_used != ',') document.write ("&exclude=" + document.MAX_used); document.write (document.charset ? '&charset='+document.charset : (document.characterSet ? '&charset='+document.characterSet : '')); document.write ("&loc=" + escape(window.location)); if (document.referrer) document.write ("&referer=" + escape(document.referrer)); if (document.context) document.write ("&context=" + escape(document.context)); if (document.mmm_fo) document.write ("&mmm_fo=1"); document.write ("'><\/scr"+"ipt>"); //]]>-->

Medical Doctors Opposed to Forced Vaccinations – Should Their Views be Silenced?

eBook – Available for immediate download.

One of the biggest myths being propagated in the compliant mainstream media today is that doctors are either pro-vaccine or anti-vaccine, and that the anti-vaccine doctors are all “quacks.”

However, nothing could be further from the truth in the vaccine debate. Doctors are not unified at all on their positions regarding “the science” of vaccines, nor are they unified in the position of removing informed consent to a medical procedure like vaccines.

The two most extreme positions are those doctors who are 100% against vaccines and do not administer them at all, and those doctors that believe that ALL vaccines are safe and effective for ALL people, ALL the time, by force if necessary.

Very few doctors fall into either of these two extremist positions, and yet it is the extreme pro-vaccine position that is presented by the U.S. Government and mainstream media as being the dominant position of the medical field.

In between these two extreme views, however, is where the vast majority of doctors practicing today would probably categorize their position. Many doctors who consider themselves “pro-vaccine,” for example, do not believe that every single vaccine is appropriate for every single individual.

Many doctors recommend a “delayed” vaccine schedule for some patients, and not always the recommended one-size-fits-all CDC childhood schedule. Other doctors choose to recommend vaccines based on the actual science and merit of each vaccine, recommending some, while determining that others are not worth the risk for children, such as the suspect seasonal flu shot.

These doctors who do not hold extreme positions would be opposed to government-mandated vaccinations and the removal of all parental exemptions.

In this eBook, I am going to summarize the many doctors today who do not take the most extremist pro-vaccine position, which is probably not held by very many doctors at all, in spite of what the pharmaceutical industry, the federal government, and the mainstream media would like the public to believe.

Read:

Medical Doctors Opposed to Forced Vaccinations – Should Their Views be Silenced?

on your mobile device!

$0.99

        <!--//<![CDATA[ var m3_u = (location.protocol=='https:'?'https://network.sophiamedia.com/openx/www/delivery/ajs.php':'http://network.sophiamedia.com/openx/www/delivery/ajs.php'); var m3_r = Math.floor(Math.random()*99999999999); if (!document.MAX_used) document.MAX_used = ','; document.write ("<scr"+"ipt type='text/javascript' src='"+m3_u); document.write ("?zoneid=3&target=_blank"); document.write ('&cb=' + m3_r); if (document.MAX_used != ',') document.write ("&exclude=" + document.MAX_used); document.write (document.charset ? '&charset='+document.charset : (document.characterSet ? '&charset='+document.characterSet : '')); document.write ("&loc=" + escape(window.location)); if (document.referrer) document.write ("&referer=" + escape(document.referrer)); if (document.context) document.write ("&context=" + escape(document.context)); if (document.mmm_fo) document.write ("&mmm_fo=1"); document.write ("'><\/scr"+"ipt>"); //]]>-->

Dr. Andrew Moulden: Every Vaccine Produces Harm

eBook – Available for immediate download.

Canadian physician Dr. Andrew Moulden provided clear scientific evidence to prove that every dose of vaccine given to a child or an adult produces harm. The truth that he uncovered was rejected by the conventional medical system and the pharmaceutical industry. Nevertheless, his warning and his message to America remains as a solid legacy of the man who stood up against big pharma and their program to vaccinate every person on the Earth.

Dr. Moulden died unexpectedly in November of 2013 at age 49.

Because of the strong opposition from big pharma concerning Dr. Moulden's research, we became concerned that the name of this brilliant researcher and his life's work had nearly been deleted from the internet. His reputation was being disparaged, and his message of warning and hope was being distorted and buried without a tombstone. This book summarizes his teaching and is a must-read for everyone who wants to learn the “other-side” of the vaccine debate that the mainstream media routinely censors.

Read:

Read Dr. Andrew Moulden: Every Vaccine Produces Harm on your mobile device!

on your mobile device!

$3.99

  <!--//<![CDATA[ var m3_u = (location.protocol=='https:'?'https://network.sophiamedia.com/openx/www/delivery/ajs.php':'http://network.sophiamedia.com/openx/www/delivery/ajs.php'); var m3_r = Math.floor(Math.random()*99999999999); if (!document.MAX_used) document.MAX_used = ','; document.write ("<scr"+"ipt type='text/javascript' src='"+m3_u); document.write ("?zoneid=3&target=_blank"); document.write ('&cb=' + m3_r); if (document.MAX_used != ',') document.write ("&exclude=" + document.MAX_used); document.write (document.charset ? '&charset='+document.charset : (document.characterSet ? '&charset='+document.characterSet : '')); document.write ("&loc=" + escape(window.location)); if (document.referrer) document.write ("&referer=" + escape(document.referrer)); if (document.context) document.write ("&context=" + escape(document.context)); if (document.mmm_fo) document.write ("&mmm_fo=1"); document.write ("'><\/scr"+"ipt>"); //]]>-->

Say NO to Mandatory Vaccines T-Shirt

100% Pre-shrunk Cotton Order here!

Make a Statement for Health Freedom!

Big Pharma and government health authorities are trying to pass laws mandating vaccines for all children, and even adults.

Show your opposition to forced vaccinations and support the cause of Vaccine Impact, part of the Health Impact News network.

Order here!

<!--//<![CDATA[ var m3_u = (location.protocol=='https:'?'https://network.sophiamedia.com/openx/www/delivery/ajs.php':'http://network.sophiamedia.com/openx/www/delivery/ajs.php'); var m3_r = Math.floor(Math.random()*99999999999); if (!document.MAX_used) document.MAX_used = ','; document.write ("<scr"+"ipt type='text/javascript' src='"+m3_u); document.write ("?zoneid=3&target=_blank"); document.write ('&cb=' + m3_r); if (document.MAX_used != ',') document.write ("&exclude=" + document.MAX_used); document.write (document.charset ? '&charset='+document.charset : (document.characterSet ? '&charset='+document.characterSet : '')); document.write ("&loc=" + escape(window.location)); if (document.referrer) document.write ("&referer=" + escape(document.referrer)); if (document.context) document.write ("&context=" + escape(document.context)); if (document.mmm_fo) document.write ("&mmm_fo=1"); document.write ("'><\/scr"+"ipt>"); //]]>-->

[bookcomicnovelclub]

$READ$ EBOOK Soap Making Business Startup How to Start  Run & Grow a Million Dollar Success From Home! [Ebook]^^

$READ$ EBOOK Soap Making Business Startup: How to Start, Run & Grow a Million Dollar Success From Home! [Ebook]^^

Soap Making Business Startup: How to Start, Run & Grow a Million Dollar Success From Home!

[PDF] Download Soap Making Business Startup: How to Start, Run & Grow a Million Dollar Success From Home! Ebook | READ ONLINE

Author : Suzanne Carpenter Publisher : Createspace Independent Publishing Platform ISBN : 1541386523 Publication Date : 2016-12-31 Language : Pages : 186

To Download or Read this book, click link below:

http://happyreadingebook.club/?book=1541386523

(Epub Download)

Synopsis : $READ$ EBOOK Soap Making Business Startup: How to Start, Run & Grow a Million Dollar Success From Home! [Ebook]^^

Soap Making Business StartupHow to Start, Run & Grow a Million Dollar Success From Home!In this book, I don't tell you how to make soap in few steps and then give you a few recipes to try, so you can start your own soap making business. You can find that information anywhere, don't have to buy my book to learn that. Wait! Oh! I did that in this book. I did explain how to make soap, I also did give you a few simple recipes too. But I hope that is not why you bought this book.In this book my goal is to explain to you in simple terms how to CREATE great natural and organic soaps and not just MAKE soaps, there is a difference. You will get to see and understand that difference when you understand each ingredients and how they interact and react with each other.You will not have a great business if you are just making carbon copy of few soaps of other people which your customers can go buy from any local stores. What will make you unique is when you create a blend or two of your own and people start liking your creation. That is when you can hit the home run in business.Imagine growing your soap company into a local, regional and ultimately a national brand, where your soaps will be sold at every Whole food, Body, Bath and Beyond, Home Goods and many other great retailers.This is a Two Part Book. In the first part I show you how to get started with soap making, I show you every steps you need to take to make your first batch of soap. Then I show you how to test your creation and how to figure out what works and what does not.On the second part of the book, I teach you everything you need to know about turning your new found passion into a successful business. I share my own story and how I turned my passion into a 6 figure business. Though this book is not about my success but yours, but I think you may find it inspiring that an average housewife like myself was able to build the business and then was able to sell it for a good profit.In the First Part I will Show You:Why you should your own Soap Making BusinessWhat Soap Making Equipment you will needHow to get Started in Under a 1KHow & Where to Buy Soap Making Supplies for CheapWhat makes a soap Natural and Organic?What is the Difference between Fragrance and Essential oilHow to use Various Natural Botanicals in your Soap and Make them UniqueHow to be Creative with various Soap MoldsWhat and how to Use 32 Various Oils in your SoapHow to Scent Your SoapHow to Color your Soap with 11 Natural ColorantsAll the Soap Making methods Step by StepSoap Making Safety Rules to FollowBest & Easiest Recipes to Start withIn the Second Part of the Book I Will Show You:Startup Costs for your New Homemade Soap BusinessHow to get started, Step by StepExpected Average Monthly RevenueAverage Monthly ExpensesHow to Start from Home and Save MoneyHow to Find and Develop a Niche for your Soap BusinessThe New Market Trends in the Soap IndustryHow to Price your Soap for SaleHow to Calculate Profit Margin of your BusinessHow to Create Unique Packaging for your SoapHow to Create Proper Labeling for Natural and Organic SoapHow and Where to Market and Sell your Handmade SoapHow to Grow your Homemade Soap BusinessTop 4 Marketing Strategy to follow to Grow your businessWelcome to a beautiful and colorful world of soap making and selling. Where else can you have fun and make money at the same time? Enjoy this wonderful journey, I know I have.

[doritihanyi]

Suzanne Collins

I was contemplating who should be the last author on my list, and I decided it will be Suzanne Collins, the creator of one of my favourite series, the Hunger Games trilogy. Now, it has four books, since a prequel was published earlier this year. That reading experince is fresh and very new, so I will highlight The ​Ballad of Songbirds And Snakes.

This book got a lot of bad critism; just like every additional book to a beloved series. It is a trend now among authors to go back to their popular and successful series and write another book in that universe. These books are destined to get bad reviews: it’s hard to create something in the quality and atmosphere of the original series. Fans will be dissappointed if they don’t see their favourite characters, or the story isn’t what is expected. These stories often don’t add anything to the original one, and it’s clear that they exist merly for the purpose of making money. But this one, The ​Ballad of Songbirds And Snakes is more than that, and it actually makes sense why this book was written.

In this book, the main character is Coriolanus Snow, the evil president from the trilogy. This choice made me worry; why should I read about the most hated character? Fortunately, the aim of the story was showing Snow’s past, not making him likeable (that would be pretty impossible). We follow the teenager Snow, before he became powerful and famous. His actions are selfish, and we see that he was always ambitious and never cared about others. This sets the tone of his character. In this story, he is a mentor of a tribute in the 10th Hunger Games. We discover that lower-class people (people from the disctrict) aren’t seen as humans, they are treated like actual animals. The interesting thing is that Snow falls in love with his tribute, a poor girl from district 12. Although he believes he loves this girl, his actions show that it’s not love and he doesn’t really care about her. 

The story gets interesting when Snow is caught on cheating in the game, so he is kicked out, and transported to Disrtict 12. He acts nothing like a man in love; he does everything for himself. At the end of the book it’s clear that this Snow is evil and rotten on the inside. 

This book shows a part of Snow’s past, and the readers are more likely to understand the motives behind his actions. If we read the trilogy with this knowledge, with this lense, it adds another layer to it, making the this character and the overall meaning more complex. That is the purpose of this story, and that’s why it’s has a right to exist. But I may be bias, because this series is one of my all-time favourites, and I love everything about it. 

[khalilhumam]

The complex and dynamic legal landscape of LGBTQ student rights

New Post has been published on http://khalilhumam.com/the-complex-and-dynamic-legal-landscape-of-lgbtq-student-rights/

The complex and dynamic legal landscape of LGBTQ student rights

By Suzanne Eckes, Maria Lewis In recent years, the rights and experiences of LGBTQ people have been a growing subject of national news media coverage, scholarly research, case law, and policymaking. Within the educational context, the attention has been significant. Thus, it is an important time to examine the legal landscape of this topic, which demonstrates a trend in litigation that recognizes the rights of transgender and gender-expansive students. During the Obama administration, the U.S. departments of Education and Justice released guidance in 2016 clarifying that transgender students are protected under Title IX. The Trump administration rescinded that guidance in February 2017. In that same year, a federal court of appeals judge wrote a moving concurring opinion in a case involving a transgender student (Gavin Grimm or G.G.). At the time, this case was impacted by the Trump administration’s decision to rescind the 2016 guidance. The judge who examined this case stated:

“[S]ome entities will not protect the rights of others unless compelled to do so. Today, hatred, intolerance, and discrimination persist—and are sometimes even promoted—but by challenging unjust policies rooted in invidious discrimination, G.G. takes his place among other modern-day human rights leaders who strive to ensure that, one day, equality will prevail, and that the core dignity of every one of our brothers and sisters is respected by lawmakers and others who wield power over their lives.”

Three years later, equality indeed prevailed in G.G.’s case. Specifically, according to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals:

“The proudest moments of the federal judiciary are when we affirm the burgeoning values of our bright youth, rather than preserve the prejudices of the past. … How shallow a promise of equal protection that would not protect Grimm from the fantastical fears and unfounded prejudices of his adult community. It is time to move forward.”

Grimm’s case, which is currently being appealed, illustrates one of the many facets of the national LGBTQ legal landscape, a landscape that is both complex and evolving. There have been several other recent legal challenges addressing transgender students’ rights in public schools. The lawsuits span a variety of issues, from restrooms to pronoun preference to athletics. This recent litigation is not entirely surprising as studies suggest that transgender and gender-expansive students often experience discrimination in schools. Before presenting the case law, it is worth noting that throughout this article, we use the word transgender because this is the language often used by the courts. However, the issues before the court may apply to students who identify as gender fluid, gender nonbinary, genderqueer, or gender expansive.

The Legal landscape

Restrooms

In August 2020, the 11th Circuit (Alabama, Florida, Georgia) affirmed a federal district court’s opinion, finding the school’s policy prohibiting a transgender male student from using the boys’ restroom as a violation of the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause and Title IX. The court held that the policy was administered in an arbitrary way and that it lacked any factual support. Also, in August 2020, after five years of litigation, the Fourth Circuit (Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia) issued its decision in Gavin Grimm’s case, finding both a violation of the Equal Protection Clause and Title IX when Gavin was prohibited from using the boys’ restroom. These recent cases are consistent with our earlier research, which reported that every court across the nation that has examined these K-12 restroom access cases (n=10) has ended in a favorable result for transgender students. As the Seventh Circuit observed, “A policy that required an individual to use a bathroom that does not conform with his or her gender identity punishes that individual for his or her gender non-conformance, which in turn violates Title IX.” In addition to these 10 access-related cases, our earlier work reported that there have also been at least three challenges initiated by cisgender plaintiffs who claimed that their constitutional right to privacy was violated when they shared a restroom with a transgender student at school. This litigation did not end in a favorable result for the cisgender students. In all four cases, the courts declined to recognize such an expansive constitutional right to privacy.

Preferred pronouns

Although courts have only begun to address this issue, one 2020 federal court decision provides some helpful guidance on the matter. This lawsuit involved a public schoolteacher who refused to address transgender students by their preferred names and pronouns in class because of his religious beliefs. The school district adopted a policy allowing transgender and gender-expansive students to use the restroom of their choice and to change their names in the school database. Teachers were asked to use the names listed in the student database, but one teacher refused to do so. This teacher worked out a plan with school officials to refer to all students by their last names in order to avoid using students’ preferred names. This plan was eventually dropped because it created tension in the school. The teacher refused to comply and was asked to resign. He sued the school district. In dismissing the teacher’s free exercise claim (one of 13 claims), the federal district court found that the school district’s policy was neutral and generally applicable to every teacher, regardless of religious belief. Furthermore, there was no evidence that this policy was developed to target any specific religious belief. There is at least one other lawsuit that has been filed with similar claims that is still ongoing.

Athletic participation

Similar to pronoun preference, transgender student participation in athletics is starting to attract more attention, but there has not yet been a lot of litigation in this area. In one recent lawsuit, plaintiffs challenged an Idaho law that barred the participation of transgender women and girls in female student athletics. The law would have prohibited participation on female teams without verifying the “reproductive anatomy” if it was called into question. In their lawsuit, the plaintiffs sought a preliminary injunction to enjoin enforcement of the law. The court granted the plaintiffs’ preliminary injunction. South Dakota, Tennessee, and Connecticut have been involved in other controversies involving transgender students and athletics. These matters remain ongoing. The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights recently released a “revised letter of impending action” related to the topic.

Looking ahead

In the preceding section, we have described some narrow legal matters impacting LGBTQ students, but there are other emerging concerns that relate to this topic. Below, we have included an illustrative but non-exhaustive list of ongoing issues to follow:

Title IX. In July 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court determined in Bostock v. Clayton County that Title VII’s prohibition on sex-based discrimination provides protection against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity within the employment context. Courts, like the federal appeals court that decided Gavin Grimm’s case, will have to determine how this decision impacts analysis of Title IX’s similar protections from sex-based discrimination. Although Title VII covers employment, courts examining Title IX issues often look to Title VII for guidance. For example, the Fourth Circuit observed, “After the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, … we have little difficulty holding that a bathroom policy precluding Grimm from using the boys’ restrooms discriminated against him ‘on the basis of sex.’”

U.S. Supreme Court. With the recent passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, President Trump has already nominated Amy Coney Barrett to fill her seat on the court. Mark Walsh’s recent Education Week article observed that, four years ago, Barrett said that she was skeptical about Title IX providing protections for transgender students. Of course, these comments were made before the Bostock decision and before all lower courts had ruled in favor of transgender K-12 students. Regardless of whether the Supreme Court appointment occurs before or after the election, it is likely that the new justice will have an impact on future LGBTQ litigation.

Private schools. Although private schools were beyond the scope of this post, media sources and researchers report that many private, religious schools openly discriminate against LGBTQ students. Several of these schools receive public money through voucher programs. The Supreme Court ruled in 1983 that private schools could lose their tax-exempt status if they discriminate against students based on race. Similarly, courts will also likely determine if private schools that accept public money can discriminate against LGBTQ students. There has been a recent legal challenge to North Carolina’s voucher program that addresses this issue.

Charter schools. An LGBTQ-affirming charter school, Magic City Acceptance Academy, was recently denied a charter in Alabama. This was not the first time that this school was denied a charter. Meeting minutes from the Alabama Public Charter School Commission provide some explanation of why the charter was denied – and show applicants’ concern about potential bias. If private schools that accept public money are allowed to exclude LGBTQ students, it will be interesting to observe whether charter schools might be able to seek to provide a safe haven for them.

As highlighted above, the outcomes of the court cases have ended in a favorable result for K-12 transgender students. Even though the U.S. Supreme Court has not addressed the matter, these issues present emerging legal concerns that will be important to watch. In addition to litigation, research will continue to increase our comprehension of this important policy topic. For example, current research demonstrates that policies excluding transgender and gender-expansive youth in schools have a detrimental impact on their overall well-being, whereas inclusive school policies increase student engagement and improve academic, emotional, and psychological well-being. These studies will assist school leaders in understanding the need to create a school climate that is accepting of all students.

[oneeyedscarecrow]

apropos of nothing (except remembering that I need to write this up at some point) lemme tell you about earth 451 Jack. under a cut ‘cause this boy has a lotta backstory

his dad either died or left too early to remember; he was raised by a single mom, a nurse named Suzanne, who grew up in France and still fondly remembered it (feeding Jack’s own love for France, especially Paris, later in life). Suzanne never knew she had a son, not a daughter, but she supported Jack being a ‘tomboy’ and sympathized with him over being bullied at school. They were extremely poor; that, combined with school being a generally miserable experience for him (being an obviously queer kid with a mood disorder and probably some other comorbid disorders doesn’t make for a GREAT school experience) encouraged Jack to drop out as a young teenager and start looking for any kind of work he could do, hiding it from his mom. 

Gotham being what it was, that work was always usually illegal; acting as the ‘tiny person who climbs in through vents and stuff’ in crimes, stuff like that. Jack tried to stay away from the more violent work, but being a tiny perceived-as-female teen meant he wound up fighting often to be taken seriously, and learning he had to be vicious to earn respect. Still, he tried - and the first person he killed, he wasn’t even supposed to kill. It was an accident; the man wasn’t supposed to be home, Jack had terrible trigger discipline and the gun just went off... Terrified, Jack did his best to lay low after that, but some people have the worst luck. The guy he’d killed was connected to the Court of Owls - a minor member, but they had to show that nobody connected to them could be touched without consequences. In a few days a Talon showed up; killed Suzanne, shot Jack and dropped him into a convenient vat of chemicals, and went home satisfied with a job well done. 

As you may have guessed, Jack wasn’t dead. He crawled out of the Gotham River (which the chemicals were dumped straight into. Yay pollution!) a while later, discovering that the chemicals had apparently increased his ability to heal - not significantly, but enough to save his life. And he was bleached, which was weird. He was also having a massive nervous breakdown, but that’s more from watching his mother die and almost dying himself. 

One bad day doesn’t make someone a Rogue. More than that, he was fifteen at the time. He dragged himself to the home of one of his few friends (Teresa, more on her someday) and she gave him a place to stay temporarily while he went through his breakdown. Then... he had to find a way to stay alive. He didn’t feel like he could leave Gotham, even if he wanted to; it was all he knew. After a year or two of recovery and beginning to present as a guy (he was already learning to use makeup to disguise his new bleached state, he could fiddle with his appearance a little; and needing a new identity gave him an excuse to do what he’d always secretly wanted, use the name he preferred) he started working at a chemical lab. No concrete end goal, but he wanted to understand what had happened to him. (He never would, but in the process of searching he’d create a poison that left a rictus sardonicus on the victim’s face. He’d file the formula away, horrified yet fascinated by it.) 

He had always had difficulty with his moods but it was around then he started to have long, serious periods of suicidal depression. The main thing that kept him from killing himself was the feeling that there must be something, some reason he had survived when the odds were so thin. 

Jeannie was a librarian, and a friend of Teresa’s. They met when they were still both young (barely over twenty) and got married young, which surprised everyone; most of all Jack, who was attracted to dudes 80% of the time and didn’t expect to find anyone who was interested in him period. But Jeannie genuinely liked him; they shared senses of humor, he sang to her and she gave him books to read until he finally caved in and read them and things seemed like they might be going good. 

Aaand then Jeannie mentioned that she was researching some odd events in Gotham over the years, and Jack realized that she was building up a big ol’ file of evidence that the Court of Owls existed. And she was good - Jeannie was a tenacious researcher and made connections few would; she’d practically compiled half a list of members by following the hints and putting together facts from centuries ago. After about fifteen panic attacks, Jack tried to explain to her that these people were not to be messed with. They seemed practically omnipotent. She needed to stop or bad stuff was going to happen. But Jeannie refused - she needed to keep pursuing the truth. 

And one day Jack clocks out of work to hear that she’s dead.

It takes a while for the news to sink in. But the more it does, the more confused he gets. Because if it was the Court, he knows he’d be dead too. If it was the Court, it would have been something worse than a bullet, if it was the Court - and he realizes, it wasn’t the Court of Owls. It was practically an accident. A stray bullet from a drive-by shooting, directed at someone else on the block. Jeannie just happened to step out the door at the wrong time. 

And if it had been the Court, Jack might have just finally committed suicide, or he might have lived in fear the rest of his short life. But it was accidental, it was random - or no, not exactly, because the people in charge - the rich and famous that made up the Court and their favored, the judges and the crooked cops and the businessmen - they never had that kind of luck, did they? They were rigging the system, hoarding all the good ‘luck’ for themselves. People told him that people just died sometimes in Gotham, that there was nothing that could have been done, but that wasn’t true. It wasn’t random. It was a rigged carnival game. Jack hung around their apartment for a while longer, thinking about that kind of thing for a while, then he dug up Jeannie’s partial list of Owls and got to work.

He didn’t intend to live. He was sure he’d kill one, maybe two people and the Court would take him out. But he wanted to make sure he took out at least a couple people and terrified the shit out of the others, so he took his time coming up with a persona; digging up that poison and perfecting it; coming up with ways to get into and out of the places Owls lived. And finally, one warm summer night, the normal radio broadcast cut out and a slow, mournful voice cut in.

“Tonight, at precisely twelve o’ clock, I will kill Henry Claridge. The Joker has spoken!”

His debut’s very much modeled off the very first appearance of the Joker in 1940; at the time, Jack was far from what his persona would eventually become. He was considered terrifying because he looked like a dead man walking, painted into some semblance of life; barely ever raising his voice over a hoarse mutter, with a humorless laugh and a grin that resembled the rictus grins he left his victims with. He wasn’t described as the Harlequin of Hate for nothing. Everyone could tell he was pissed off about something, but nobody knew what. Put that together with his occasional erratic behavior and black humor, and the easy explanation of ‘well, guess he’s Mad’ began to emerge. He was more successful than he’d anticipated, but he still would have wound up dead - whether at his own hand or the Court’s, through a corrupt cop or paid-off prison inmate - if it hadn’t been for the other new kid on the block. 

Batman deeply confused Jack, because... well, what the fuck, I thought I was the only dude out in a costume, is this going to be a trend? They wound up becoming active at almost the same time, so both of them had expected to be alone in this ‘let’s create a persona and head out for Justice’ mindset. Regardless, Batman captured Jack and he was sent to Arkham - an old, little-used asylum for the criminally insane - and so he survived. And after he broke out and made another pass through the Court, they were too shaken to retaliate immediately. So he survived. And then new people started showing up, in their own costumes, and Jack realizes that he’s apparently not a dead man walking; he’s part of the new wave of the future. 

Against all odds, Jack started to cheer up. 

At this point, he’s part opportunistic criminal (although those crimes are generally geared towards money and jewels), part extremely violent vigilante, part bizarre philanthropist. He sees himself as not quite a force of chaos, but as helping chaos be more fair, and he deeply hates anyone trying to recreate the Court of Owls or anything similar. He still has periods of deep depression and struggles with suicidal feelings, but he (and by extent, the Joker persona) got significantly happier once he started finding reasons to stay alive. His sense of humor became more apparent, and pretty soon people forgot it wasn’t always part of his persona. 

and he’s still deeply confused by Batman.

[bitsevenenglish-blog]

What Cboe’s Looming Crypto Futures Exit Means for the Bitcoin Price/ bitseven,bitcoin exchange,Cryptocurrency exchange,FX Margin bitflyer,CoinMarketCap,poloniex,bitfinex

After nearly 18 months of operation, the Cboe bitcoin futures market is closing for good, or at least for the foreseeable future, with the expiration of its last bitcoin futures contract on June 16. Speaking to Bloomberg, Cboe spokeswoman Suzanne Cosgrove revealed that the company does not have plans to release a new product for cryptocurrency trading at this time, reaffirming the closure of its bitcoin futures market that was announced in March. “[Cboe] is assessing its approach with respect to how it plans to continue to offer digital asset derivatives for trading, but we have nothing new to announce at this time,” Cosgrove said. But, the closure of the Cboe bitcoin futures market is unlikely to have a major impact on the price trend of the dominant cryptocurrency because of the wild success of crosstown rival CME Group. CME POSTS RECORD-HIGH BITCOIN TRADING VOLUMES On May 13, CME Group reached a record high volume of 33,700 contracts for bitcoin, processing more than a billion dollars in a single day. As reported by global markets analyst Alex Krüger, bitcoin has been the second most heavily traded asset at CME based on volume/open interest earlier this month, indicating that the demand for the asset by accredited investors and institutions remains high. Krüger said: “Bitcoin is the second most heavily traded asset at the CME when measured by the volume / open interest ratio. In other words, bitcoin is an asset very actively traded throughout the day.” “Volume is the number of contracts traded in a day, while open interest is the number of outstanding contracts held (unsettled) at the end of the day. A high ratio points towards market participants actively trading intraday for whatever reason (hft, arbitrage, etc).” Based on the research of Bitwise Asset Management, when fake volume in the bitcoin exchange market is removed, the futures market including both CME and Cboe accounted for a relatively large portion of the global BTC volume. Following the decline in the demand for the Cboe bitcoin futures contract and the rise of CME, most of the futures volume in the U.S. market shifted to CME. In late March, when the price of bitcoin was hovering at around $4,000 supplemented with low volume, Bitwise disclosed that the CME bitcoin market, which is regulated and transparent, accounts for 35 percent of the real spot volume of the asset. “And, when you remove fake volume, CME and CBOE futures volume is significant ($91M), especially compared to the real spot volume (35% for Feb 2019). This is good news because it means CME— a regulated, surveilled market— is of material size, which important for an ETF,” the investment firm said. CME took over the U.S. market, driving significant interest from accredited investors. When Cboe announced the closure of its bitcoin futures market, it traded around $8 million in contracts. In contrast, CME settled $90 million, more than 11-fold of Cboe’s daily volume. CBOE’S FUTURES EXIT IS NOT AN INDICTMENT OF THE CRYPTO MARKET The decision of Cboe to move out of the bitcoin market likely has less to do with its prospect of the trend of the crypto market than the strong growth of its rival CME and the rapidly changing blockchain landscape. Hence, with CME in place and new institutional platforms like Fidelity and Bakkt coming online, the bitcoin market is still in an ideal position to maintain its momentum throughout the medium term.

Bitcoin leveraged trade at 100x leverage maximum, 100% profit at 1% price raise

Make a profit whether the bitcoin price rises or falls

BITSEVEN BITCOIN LEVERAGE TRADING YOU CAN TRUST

https://www.bitseven.com/en