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29625 · 6 months ago

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Forensic artist! Slider x FBI investigator! Mav AU WIP I’ve been hatching for a while.

Inspired by the UID community and its talented volunteers and professionals who contribute to the beautiful, humanizing facial reconstruction of some of the decedents! The case isn’t particularly based on the real event but rather a creation of a mish-mash of many different cases as well as fictional details.

Paring: Slider x Maverick, with forensic sculptor! Ice and FBI investigator! Goose.

Rating: Teen and up for now. Might throw some sexy stuff later.

Warning: graphic description of violence, dead body & suicide (no major character death). Very inaccurate description of how law enforcement works in the US (I’ll fix it later! Sry! Please let me know if there are something you’re familiar with because that’d help a lot!)

In 1991, a case reopens in San Diego, California. The case where a White woman aged between 30-45 was found deceased in a wooded area with a gunshot wound in her head in 1978.

She was not facially recognizable with decomposition and animal activities, as well as the wound inflicted by the impact of close proximity gunshot. A medical examination concluded she had large amount of alcohol and some sleep medicine in her system at the time of her death, possibly making her disoriented, and the purse containing her personal belongings left at the scene had a empty bottle of pills whose label had been scratched off.

She cut all tags off from her clothes which consist of a polka dot summer dress, a pair of white heeled sandals (size 5), blue bra and a white underpants with laces, all found on the decedent’s body except for one of her sandals, possibly due to animal activities as observed in her post-mortem scars on her right leg. She was approximately 5’ to 5’3 inches tall and weighed about 140 lbs. She had fair complexion with chin-length red hair, naturally straight and styled curly, but the advanced state of her decomposition hindered the examiners to determine her eye color.

The location she was found is close to the region where prostitutes and hitchhikers frequent and she is theorized to be particularly familiar with the area, suggesting she had been working in sex trade in San Diego area.

Even though she carried no ID or tax stamps, receipts, or credit cards with her at the time of her death, a possible clue to her identity was found in her purse, which is a piece of paper (approx. 4 inches wide and 1.6 inches long) with the message following:

I love you so much Jannie/Jennie/Jamie (the exact words differ depending on the sources) .

I can’t be there anymore but I’ll always love you & wish you the best.

To people this may concern Im [sic] sorry for every-thing [sic]. xxxx

The message was scribbled with a blue-ink pen, but it lacked her signature and nobody with the name in the letter has come forward after the initial information was released in California region.

It is theorized that the person in the letter is either her friend, family (possibly a sibling or a husband) or her child, who she might have been estranged with at the time of her death.

No foul play is suspected in her case and her death has been concluded as a suicide by gunshot.

“….And we’re renewing her facial approximation, which hasn’t been updated since the initial discovery.” Pete scans the case file containing the composite—a basic photomontage. Her silent face is devoid of any emotions he can tell right away, frozen in time, something he’s so used to seeing. “Right. Well, we gotta contact Tom about this.”

Tom Kazansky from Los Angeles Police Department. He’s a forensic anthropologist who specializes in sculpture. A great contributor of his and Nick’s cases with an ice-cold precision, he’s also been a close friend of them—with his great dedication for his job and his deadbeat sense of humor.

“About that.” Nick interjects. “I don’t think we can, Pete. Or we should, for that matter.”

“Why not?” Pete asks, slightly frustrated but mostly surprised at the statement. “We’re lacking a good reconstruction and he’s the best candidate we’ve ever got.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Nick says with a small shrug. “But he’s on a family leave, remember?”

Oh.

Oh, right. Now he remembers.

“Good for him, yeah?” Nick smiles. “A kid is such a bundle of joy. I still think of the day Brad came home with my sweetest wife whenever I’m feeling low.”

“Shit, Nicky.” Pete groans as he rubs his face with his hand. Maybe two months without a break really does something to his memory. “I can’t believe I forgot that, man. I even sent some gifts for him back in October.”

“Workaholic.”

“Yo, shut up.”

He playfully smacks Nick’s head as they leave. The perk of having a witty partner is he never gets bored at work—with a side effect of never getting a break.

Finding another forensic artist was, to his surprise, a smooth process. Tom has assigned a substitute while he was away, taking care of his wife and his newborn baby girl.

Ron Kerner.

A forensic artist at LAPD, working in Tom’s lab. His portfolio shows a series of drawings of people. He seems to have worked on both the composites of criminals and victims, with him predominantly working on the identification of latter.

Flipping through the thick file, he reaches to the section titled ‘John & Jane Does’. And—damn, how lively and colorful those portraits are.

They are all smiling, some of their grins are wider than others with a more sly-looking expression. There are four comparisons between a then-unidentified person and their living photos, and Ron seems to have captured their unique facial features on point while…humanizing them, however tragic their last moments may have been.

Talented, indeed. Pretty empathetic, he might add. No wonder Tom has assigned his role to him.

“Bradshaw!”

A voice echoes in the hall as they finish talking to the receptionist. Nick turns around and waves back with a big grin on his face.

The man stands in front of them. He’s muscular, slightly shorter than Nick yet still way taller than Pete himself. Towering, but his relaxed stance makes him seem friendly, combined with the toothy grin on his angular face. His curly brown hair complements his tanned skin. Judging from the way he presents himself, Pete assumes he’s not a visitor here.

“Hey bud!” Nick says and shakes hands with the man. “Still dwelling in the lab, huh?”

“Oh you shut your pretty mouth, dickhead.” He chuckles almost affectionately.

“Pete, this is Ron. Ron Kerner from LAPD. Ron, this is Pete. Pete Mitchell.”

Ron Kerner.

The man looks at Pete and reaches out his hand, which he’s quick to shake.

“I really liked your portfolio.”

Pete mutters almost instinctively as he shakes his hand, realizing how awkward he sounds a moment later. Ron looks at him with slightly widened eyes, curiosity flickering in his beautiful hazel irises.

“Uh, I mean…I’m Pete Mitchell. Call me Pete.”

“Thanks.” Ron says with a smile with a tinge of shyness on the corners of his droopy eyes, although well-concealed by his bold voice. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Pete. Tommy always talks about you guys.”

“Yeah.” Pete answers as their hands part, leaving a pleasant warmth on his cold skin. “Pleasure to meet you, too, Mr. Kerner.”

“Hey, Ron’s just fine.” He says. “We’re about the same age, right? Don’t make me feel old.”

“You can call him Ronnie if you want, Pete.” Nick says. “Bet you’ll get along just fine. He’s just as immature as you.”

“What did you say, jackass?”

Their eyes shot at each other as their voices almost synchronize, much to Nick’s amusement.

“Damn it, Nick!”

“Shit, Bradshaw.” Ron mutters at Nick’s smirking face that Pete’s so familiar with at this point of his career. “Let me be cool and act like an adult in front of this guy, alright?”

“Ha! Jokes on you, Kerner. You’ve already said dickhead like you always do.” Nick teases. “C’mon, Pete. You think he’s mature? With his taste in jokes like that? Betcha get along well, darling. Already in synch.”

Ron pouts at Nick with a small pfft sound, a gesture he didn’t think a guy this big could pull off.

“Get along well, huh?” Pete chuckles, lightly patting Ron on the shoulder.

“Great start, I guess.” He grins. “Though I can’t wrap my head around how you tolerate this bastard.”

“Me neither, man.”

Ron barks out a laugh as Nick pokes Pete on the arm, grumbling at how the table has turned.

Ron Kerner.

Today was the first time they’ve met. He’d been faceless to Pete for almost a month, ever since they first called in the most basic business-like manner, talking about grown-up stuff, in contrast to the almost overwhelming amount of portraits he sent him.

“Hey, Nick?”

“What?”

“Can you see an artist in his own work?”

Nick blinks a little, his eyes briefly shot up from the road. They are on their way to go back to their office in his car, idly listening to the local radio as the town passes.

“Don’t look at me like that.” Pete stretches his arms and loops them around the headrest. “It’s weird, I know.”

“I thought you lost your mind and decided to be a philosopher instead.” Nick says. “But I guess you can.”

“How?”

A few seconds of silence filled the car before Nick speaks, absentmindedly stroking his mustache.

“A part of your soul leaves your body to live in the world of your art, forever.” Nick mutters. “I don’t know, Pete. That’s just how I feel. A part of me becomes something not mine, and he dances with the music as I play it.”

Pete can only nod in response. Nick has always been enthusiastic about music. Tom has been artistic, too. He’s a professional artist as well as being a full-time officer, for God’s sake.

“I guess that’s true for Ron, y’know.” Nick says. “Considering the subjects he deals with daily.”

His fingers skim through the pictures. A Black teenager with shoulder-length braids, grinning widely in her denim overalls. A middle-aged Hispanic man with a box of tobaccos in his hand, smiling softly. One of the portraits depicts a woman and a child, possibly her son, chin-up and looking serene together in the wind.

“Ron’s a good guy, Pete.” Nick smiles and shoots a knowing gaze at his partner in the passenger seat. “I wasn’t joking when I said you’d get along.”

“Yeah.” He answers, lowering his eyes in approval. “I suppose so.”

He closes the file and traces the black lettering on the back of it.

Ron Kerner, it says.

Lined in ink, detailed with colored pencils and some markers. Pete can still feel the strokes of his pencils under his fingertips.

#slimav #ron slider kerner #top gun fanfiction #slider x maverick #top gun 1986 #pete maverick mitchell #ao3 writer #Forensic artist! AU #Sorry for any inaccuracies #my parents used to binge watch Criminal Minds and ER and that’s pretty much the only exposure to police/medicine things #also I think Mac Taylor from CSI NY is an absolute sexy king don’t judge me #tom iceman kazansky #nick goose bradshaw #a deep dive into my thoughts on how resentful I am for Rick never getting enough screen time he deserved #29625’s top gun fics

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religion-is-a-mental-illness · 10 months ago

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By: Francesca Block

Published: Jan 15, 2024

In the 1960s, when Clarence Jones was writing speeches for Martin Luther King Jr., he used to joke with the civil rights leader: “You don’t deserve me, man.”

“Why?” King would ask.

“I hear your voice in my head. I hear your voice in perfect pitch,” Jones would respond. “So when I write, I can write words that accurately reflect the way you actually speak.”

King would agree. “Man, you are scary. It’s like you’re right in my head.”

And Jones is still, in his mind, having conversations with his friend, who was assassinated at the age of 39 on a Memphis hotel balcony in 1968. Especially now, as America’s racial climate seems to have worsened, despite the fact that King successfully fought to ensure all Americans are given equal protection under the law, regardless of their skin color. A poll from 2021 shows that 57 percent of U.S. adults view the relations between black and white Americans to be “somewhat” or “very” bad—compared to just 35 percent who felt that way a decade ago.

Jones knows exactly what King would have felt about that. He says it out loud, and directs it to his late mentor: “Martin, I’m pissed off at you. I’m angry at you. We should have been more protective of you. We need you. You wouldn’t permit what’s going on if you were here.

“We are trying to save the soul of America.”

[ Jones, behind Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963, wrote: “I saw history unfold in a way no one else could have. Behind the scenes.” ]

I spoke to Jones, 93, two weeks ago as he sat on a beige couch in the humble second-floor apartment in Palo Alto, California, that he shares with his wife. A black-and-white close-up of King sits directly above his head, almost like a north star.

“Regrettably, some very important parts of his message are not being remembered,” Jones said, referring to King’s belief in “radical nonviolence” and his eagerness to build allies across ethnic lines.

“Put in a more negative way,” he added, King’s messages “have been forgotten.”

Jones was a young, up-and-coming entertainment lawyer when he first met King in February 1960. The preacher had turned up on the doorstep of his California home and tried to convince him to move to Alabama to defend him from a tax evasion case. But Jones wasn’t interested.

“Just because some preacher got his hand caught in the cookie jar stealing, that ain’t my problem,” he said in a talk, years later.

But King wasn’t one to give up easily. He invited Jones to attend his sermon at a nearby Baptist church in a well-to-do black neighborhood of Los Angeles. Standing at the pulpit, King spoke to a congregation of over a thousand people, delivering a message that seemed almost tailor-made for Jones.

Jones remembers King talking about how black professionals needed to help their less fortunate “brothers and sisters” in the struggle for equality. He realized, then and there, what an incredible speaker King was, and felt compelled to join his cause.

“Martin Luther King Jr. was the baddest dude I knew in my lifetime,” Jones says.

Jones moved down to Alabama to join King’s legal team. He helped free King of any charges in Alabama, and quickly became one of the leader’s closest confidants, and ultimately, his key speechwriter.

Jones refers to himself and King as “the odd couple,” because, he says, “we were so different.” King was the son of a preacher from a middle-class family in the South. Jones grew up the son of servants, raised by Catholic nuns in foster care in Philadelphia, who he credits with instilling in him “a foundation of self-confidence that was like a piece of steel in my spine.”

He said this confidence propelled him to graduate as the valedictorian from his mixed-race high school just across the border in New Jersey, and then on to Columbia University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1953. After a brief stint in the army, where he was discharged for refusing to sign a pledge stating that he was not a member of the Communist Party, Jones enrolled at the Boston University School of Law, graduating in 1959.

Though Jones was mainly a background figure in the 1960s civil rights movement, it might not have been possible without him. He fundraised for King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference so successfully that Vanity Fair later called him “the moneyman of the movement.” In 1963, when King was in prison, Jones helped smuggle out his notes, stuffing the words King scrawled on old newspapers and toilet paper into his pants and walking out.

Later, he helped string those notes together into King’s famous address, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” which argued the case for civil disobedience, and was eventually published in every major newspaper in the country.

Jones then wooed enough deep-pocketed donors, including New York’s then-governor Nelson Rockefeller, to raise the bail needed to release King and many other young protesters from jail.

Jones also helped write many of King’s most iconic speeches—“not because Dr. King wasn’t capable of doing it,” Jones emphasized—“but he didn’t have the time.” Jones crafted the opening lines of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech from his D.C. hotel room on the eve of the 1963 March on Washington. In his book, Behind the Dream, he recounts how he penned their shared vision for a better nation onto sheets of yellow, lined, legal notepaper, many of which ended up crumpled on the floor.

But he didn’t write the most famous words: “I Have a Dream”—that was all King, his book notes. “I would deliver four strong walls and he would use his God-given abilities to furnish the place so it felt like home,” Jones writes about their speech-writing dynamic.

The day after he wrote that speech, Jones stood just fifty feet behind King as he delivered it to the hundreds of thousands gathered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. “I saw history unfold in a way no one else could have,” Jones writes. “Behind the scenes.”

The movement King led with Jones by his side helped achieve school integration, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

So, when asked if America has made any progress on race, Jones is dumbstruck. “Are you kidding?” he said, with shock in his voice. “Any person who says that to the contrary, any black person who alleges themselves to be a scholar, or any white person who says otherwise, they’re just not telling you the truth.

“Bring back some black person who was alive in 1863, and bring them back today,” he adds. “Have them be a witness.”

But after the death of George Floyd in 2020, 44 percent of black Americans polled said “equality for black people in the U.S. is a little or not at all likely.” And “color blindness”—the once aspirational idea of judging people by their character rather than their skin color, which King famously espoused—has fallen out of fashion. The dominant voices of today’s black rights movement argue that people should be treated differently because of their skin color, to make up for the harms of the past. One of America’s most prominent black thinkers, Ibram X. Kendi, argues that past discrimination can only be remedied by present discrimination.

Jones makes it clear he doesn’t want to live in a society that doesn’t see race. “You don’t want to be blind to color. You want to see color. I want to be very aware of color.”

But, he emphasizes: “I just don’t want to attach any conditions to equality to color.”

He adds that it’s possible to read Kendi’s prize-winning book, Stamped from the Beginning, and “come away believing that America is irredeemably racist, beyond redemption.”

It’s a theory he vehemently disagrees with. “That would violate everything that Martin King and I worked for,” he said. It would mean “it’s not possible for white racist people to change.”

“Well, I am telling you something,” Jones adds. “We have empirical evidence that we changed the country.”

Jones is the first to admit King and his circle didn’t change the country on their own.

“As powerful as he was at moving the country, I tell everybody, there’s no way in hell that he or we would have achieved what we achieved without the coalition support of the American Jewish community.”

Jones especially gives credit to Stanley Levinson, who also advised King and helped write his speeches, and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, who marched alongside King in Selma, Alabama. He remembers being on the picket lines and talking to Jewish protesters who told him about their own families’ experiences in the Holocaust.

“There would have been no Civil Rights Act of 1964, no Voting Rights Act of 1965, had it not been for the coalition of blacks and Jews that made it happen,” Jones says.

Now, in the wake of Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attack against Israel, Jones said he fears that relations between the Jewish and the black communities in America are beginning to unravel.

He said he has seen how, days after the attack, college students—many of them black—marched on campus, chanting for the death of Israel.

“It pains me today when I hear so-called radical blacks criticizing Israel for getting rid of Hamas. So I say to them, what do you expect them to do?”

He continues: “A black person being antisemitic is literally shooting themselves in the foot.”

Long before October 7, Jones has proudly shown his allegiance to the Jewish people: a gold mezuzah—the small decorative case, which Jews fix to their door frames to bless their homes—is nailed outside his Palo Alto apartment.

“I’m like an old dog who’s just not amenable to new tricks right now,” Jones says. “I have to go on the tricks that I’ve been taught, that got me where I am at 93 years of age. And those old tricks are: you stay with an alliance with the American Jewish community because it’s that alliance that got us this far.

“I am damn sure, at this time in my life, I’m not going to turn my back. This time is more urgent than ever.”

Meanwhile, Jones worries that some of today’s social justice measures have strayed too far from King’s original message. He points to an ethnic studies curriculum for public schools in California, proposed in 2020, which sought to teach K–12 students about the marginalization of black, Hispanic, Native American, and Asian American peoples.

Jones fiercely opposed the new curriculum recommendations, calling them, in a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom, a “perversion of history” that “will inflict great harm on millions of students in our state.” He wrote that the proposed curriculum excluded “the intellectual and moral basis for radical nonviolence advocated by Dr. King” and his colleagues.

“They were promoting black nationalism,” he told me. “They were promoting blackness over excellence.”

California later passed a watered-down version of the curriculum.

At the same time, Jones feels more conflicted about affirmative action, a policy he believes was grounded in “the most genuine, the most beautiful, the most thoughtful” intentions, and that it helped to “accelerate the timetable. . . to truly give black people equal access.”

Even so, he is pragmatic about the Supreme Court’s decision to strike it down last year. “You had to stop the escalator somewhere.”

[ Jones is still working. He released his autobiography, The Last of the Lions, in August, and is now recording the audiobook. ]

In the immediate years after King’s death in 1968, Jones struggled to find a path forward. He was angry and even considered “taking up arms against the government,” which he blamed for allowing King’s death to happen.

For a while, Jones dabbled in politics—serving as a New York State delegate at the 1968 Democratic Convention—and then in media, purchasing a part of the influential black paper New York Amsterdam News. In 1971, he acted as a negotiator on behalf of some of the inmates behind the Attica prison uprising, unsuccessfully trying to seek a peaceful resolution.

But King’s voice—always in his head—eventually steered him back toward his original purpose.

A father of five, Jones lives with his wife, Lin, just a five-minute walk from the Stanford campus where he maintains an affiliation with the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute. In 2018, Jones co-founded the University of San Francisco’s Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice to teach the lessons of King and Mahatma Gandhi “in response to the moral emergencies of the twenty-first century.”

He is also the chairman of Spill the Honey, a nonprofit founded in 2012 to honor the legacies of King and Holocaust survivor and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel. And in August 2023, he released his autobiography, The Last of the Lions, so named because he is possibly the only member of King’s civil rights circle still alive. “There’s an African saying that I often reflect upon when I think about his legacy and my own part in his movement,” Jones writes in his book. “If the surviving lions don’t tell their stories, the hunters will take all the credit.”

Although the eight years he spent with King happened more than half a century ago, Jones told me he now sees his mission as clearly as ever. Asked if he has a message for young black Americans on this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, he doesn’t hesitate.

“Commit yourself irredeemably to the pursuit of personal excellence,” he says emphatically. “Be the very best that you can be. If you do that. . . our color becomes more relevant, because we demonstrate ‘black is beautiful’ not as some slogan, but black is beautiful because of its commitment to personal excellence, which has no color.”

What's going on now is what happens when activists and fanatics, such as frauds like Kendi and Nikole Hannah-Jones, construct history curriculum, not actual historians. If they teach the Jewish allyship with the Civil Rights Movements at all, it will be wrapped in conspiracy theory such as "interest convergence."

https://newdiscourses.com/tftw-conspiracy-theory/

This doctrine insists that white people (as the racially privileged group) only take action to expand opportunities for people of color, especially blacks (see also, BIPOC), when it is in their own self-interest to do so, and in which case the result is usually the further entrenchment of racism that is harder to detect and fight. Under interest convergence, every action taken that might ameliorate or lessen racism (see also, antiracism) not only maintains racism, but does so because it was organized in the interests of white people who sought to maintain their power, privilege, and advantage through the intervention.

One of the truly gross and despicable things about frauds like Kendi is that while he pulls every bogus fallacy to assert that nothing has changed - it's a tenet of Critical Race Theory that nothing has changed, racism has only gotten better at hiding itself and becoming more entrenched - his own success blows this conspiracy theory completely out of the water, given how fawning his acolytes are about his wildly overstated wisdom, and the number of white fans he's accumulated who masochistically want to be told how racist they are and how much they hurt black folk every single day.

That's not possible unless racism is both aberrant and socially and culturally unacceptable.

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thegoddamnwordsmith · 1 year ago

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Vote the EcoVivarium Reptile Rescue in the 2024 All-in 4 Change grant program!

Hello, everyone!

Harrah’s Resort Southern California has opened voting for their annual “All-in 4 Change” grant program, where fifteen non-profits in the San Diego, Riverside, and Orange County areas are awarded a portion of a $150,000 cash grant to fund their efforts in helping people and animals through the various programs they run. This year, the non-profit reptile rescue and living museum, the EcoVivarium Reptile Sanctuary, is one of the nominees. EcoVivarium is a cause very close to home for me – members of my family either work there or volunteer there, and we have adopted a number of animals through them, which is why I would like to ask that anyone interested please cast a vote for them. Each person can vote once per day, so if you’re so inclined, please help get EcoVivarium to the top slot! Voting is open until August 28th.

What is the EcoVivarium Reptile Sanctuary?

Located in Escondido, EcoVivarium is one of the largest reptile, amphibian, and arthropod rescues in the United States. Since 2009, they have been devoted to the health and well-being of the animals that come through their doors, and educating children and adults alike about these unique, often misunderstood and misrepresented creatures. EcoVivarium handles many educational programs, both on-site and abroad, as well as birthday parties and events, where people can learn about lizards, snakes, turtles, tortoises, frogs, and arthropods first-hand, even gaining hands-on experiences with some of them. The staff is incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about these animals, and has the patience to help even the most misgiving of people the chance to understand these wonderful creatures. In addition to their extensive special programs, EcoVivarium hosts regular on-site tours, both for walk-in customers and advanced reservations. Visitors will get the chance to pet and even hold a variety of animals, as well as meet some of the Animal Ambassadors, such as Ed the Galapagos Tortoise or Mac the Giant Water Monitor Lizard.

On top of this, EcoVivarium also has limited adoption options you can explore if you would like to add a new member to your family and provide a forever home to one of these wonderful animals. As a reptile rescue, they receive many animals regularly, either due to owner neglect or inability to provide for them, or due to injuries and special needs. Many animals will end up calling EcoVivarium their home, due to factors requiring special care (injuries, trauma-related temperament issues, and/or permit-related legal issues regarding private ownership), but still many more are ready to find a permanent family beyond the facility, one who is ready to love and care for a unique, but incredible friend. As of this writing, there are over 400 animals in EcoVivarium’s care, and with so many of them needing special attention, finding homes for those who are capable of being adopted out is a high priority.

EcoVivarium is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, with all funds going directly back into animal care and facility maintenance. The organization is handled by a small staff of animal care professionals and educators, supplemented with a number of volunteers of all ages. For more information, please feel free to contact me, or you can contact them directly at Home - EcoVivarium.

Aside from this grant program, they can be donated to directly as well. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowable by law.

#reptiles #animal rescue #nonprofit #ecovivarium #ed the tortoise #lizards #snakes #turtles #tortoises #reptiblr #reptumblr

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autonom-us-project · 8 months ago

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Debunking Common Anti-Abortion Talking Points: Answers for All the Tricky Questions You Might Get this Holiday Weekend

Straight to the point, empirically supported answers for the questions your crazy Aunt throws at you this holiday weekend!

All jokes aside though, conversations around reproductive justice are often difficult to have, but knowledge is power, so here are some common misconceptions you might hear about abortion, and some answers debunking them:

“Women always regret the decision to get an abortion,”

In a survey done at the University of California San Francisco, 95% of women surveyed five years after having an abortion reported that it was the right decision for them, including those who struggled with the decision at the time. The decisions you make about your life and your health are between you and your trusted healthcare provider– no one else!

“Women shouldn’t be allowed to decide whether or not to carry a pregnancy– these babies are entitled to life!”

Sometimes it helps to reframe a question like this. Think of the classic movie Alien, where a foreign creature forcibly takes up residence inside of someone, does painful, irreparable damage to their body, and then horrifically bursts out of them against their will. Why is the same lack of autonomy that makes this film so terrifying suddenly acceptable when applied to women in the real world?

“Abortion is just an easy, painless way to avoid responsibility!”

Abortion is far more often than not a painful, costly, and incredibly physically and mentally taxing process at any stage in a pregnancy. However, suffering should never be a requirement to have autonomy over one’s body.

“Emergency contraceptive pills should be restricted too, because they’re just another way to have an abortion!”

This is untrue. Emergency contraceptive pills, such as Plan B, simply prevent a pregnancy from occurring, usually by preventing or delaying ovulation, blocking fertilization, or keeping a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus. This is why they must be taken within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse, and are at their most effective if taken within 24 hours. Medication abortion pills, such as Misoprostol, are prescribed to end a pregnancy, and cannot be accessed without consulting a healthcare professional.

“Having an abortion makes it much harder to have a baby in the future.”

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, evidence has shown that there is no association between abortion and heightened risk of infertility. In fact, the majority of people can get pregnant immediately after having an abortion if they please.

“But I hate women, and don’t want them to have bodily autonomy!!!”

Seek help.

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stuffforthestash · 7 months ago

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15 Questions for 15 Friends

15 questions for 15 friends

Tagged by @pikapeppa <3

ARE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Two people, actually! My middle name is my maternal grandmother's, and I got my first name from my childhood best friend. She was born a few months before me, and my mom loved her name so much she gave it to me too. We were inseparable, but sadly she died in an accident when we were 8, so now I carry the name for both of us.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Last week when I was having a bad fibromyalgia flare and hit critical mass for being able to cope. Chronic pain is a bitch, yo. 0/10, do not recommend.

DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Very happily childless. I have a TON of niblings though and love being an auntie.

WHAT SPORTS DO YOU PLAY/HAVE YOU PLAYED? I was hardcore into softball as a kid, spent 8 years playing. Not that wimpy slow pitch stuff either, which is why I've never been able to get back into it since casual adult leagues are just... different. I was a pitcher and 1st base, and even now I can catch pretty much anything thrown in my general direction purely by instinct 😂

DO YOU USE SARCASM? Nooooooo, I would never!

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Oooh this is a hard one to explain. I studied costume design in college, and one of the things they trained us on is how to look at a person's whole appearance in order to "read" them as a character. It's a habit I never really got over, so I'm always looking for people's "character cues" and they're always going to be different from one person to another.

WHAT'S YOUR EYE COLOUR? Mostly brown, but other colors come out depending on the light

SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? HAPPY ENDINGS HAPPY ENDINGS I refuse to engage with depressing or genuinely unsettling media. My life is already full of too much bullshit, I'm full up.

ANY TALENTS? I can catch very nearly anything thrown in my general direction 😜 I'm also kinda... idiot-savant-ish when it comes to learning new artistic and craft mediums? I pick up the basic concepts really quickly, and I've yet to encounter something I genuinely suck at or can't figure out. Oh yeah and I can sing!

WHERE WERE YOU BORN? In a hospital in California, which is where I grew up.

WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES? Crafts! Painting, wire wrapping, drawing, a bit of leather working, and anything else that strikes my fancy. I also love jigsaw puzzles, smutty romance novels, very specific RPG videogames, and taking care of my plants

DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS? No 😭The husbear and I are both allergic to anything we'd actually want to have around.

HOW TALL ARE YOU? 5'5".

FAVOURITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL? High school: choir and theater. College: studio drawing classes, especially the one in my final year that was taught by a guy in my D&D group, who also happened to be a professional illustrator for MtG!

DREAM JOB? I used to dream about designing the costumes for Cirque du Soliel. That was THE dream, until I gave up theater and switched to illustration. Nowadays I just want to make a success of my little craft business, and be able to earn enough to actually need to file taxes for it 🫠 Okay, now to figure out who to tag.... @ariseis @mumms-the-word @charmedcleric @drizztdohurtin @halsins-herbal-underpants @carmsgarms @galebrainrot2024 @alexxxaloy @lemonsrosesandlavender @luinen-bluewater @autistichalsin @nerd-artist ... it's not 15, but eh. Close enough!

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meandmybigmouth · 8 months ago

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Las Vegas just hosted Nevada’s first Super Bowl at Allegiant Stadium, which was supported by a $750 million public subsidy in 2016 to lure the Raiders from Oakland, California. Now, Oakland’s baseball team, commonly called the A’s, is seeking its own stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.

But Nevada teachers are challenging a 2023 law authorizing up to $380 million of public funds to relocate the A’s to Las Vegas.

WAKE THE F**K UP PEOPLE!. THE UNCHECKED PISSING AWAY OF YOUR TAX DOLLARS HAS TO END!

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argentumcor · 10 months ago

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My husband's poor financial choices have landed us in a spot where I'm going to have to take a second job freelancing again.

I'm a professional adult, in a good paying stable job, and I am going to have be working in the content mill just to keep us from losing money. I was getting ready to redo the backyard. We bought a new car last year. Things were difficult with his old job's hours but we were making money. His new job is in California and the expenses and taxes are just...we're losing money every month now.

I hope my math is bad. I hope there is some kind of delay in his new paycheck.

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ileadtaxllc123 · 1 year ago

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The Role of Accounting and Bookkeeping in Tax Industry

Accounting and bookkeeping are tedious and arduous but are necessary for the company to gain an advantage over competitors and to make decisions. Bookkeeping is the recording of financial details of the company in an orderly manner over some time. Bookkeepers are people who maintain the accounts. Ileadtax LLC is one of the best tax preparation and planning companies based in New York, India, and California. It offers accounting and bookkeeping services and are adviser for many companies. This article discloses the importance of accounting and bookkeeping in the tax industry and how it is useful to a company.

Accounting and bookkeeping are dependent on each other. Bookkeeping is a sub-branch of accounting that organizes and summarizes financial data and it has accurate financial data. Bookkeepers have access to all financial data of the company and can track their transactions. They ensure the data is up to date and is complete. Bookkeeping helps the company with decisions related to investing and operations. IleadTax LLC is a global company that consists of tax accounting experts in India, New York, and California. They provide their tax experts for all companies which are in need. The accounting and bookkeeping services provided contain detailed records of past transactions.

The first step in achieving flawless tax preparation is keeping accurate financial records. The foundation of this process is accounting and bookkeeping. These tasks entail the meticulous documentation of financial transactions, which results in an accurate depiction of earnings, outlays, assets, and liabilities. Having structured financial records is essential for tax season. Identification of deductible expenses is made possible for people and organizations through accounting and bookkeeping. Taxpayers can properly minimize their taxable income by accurately categorizing their costs and keeping track of the necessary supporting records. This may lead to significant cost savings and a better tax situation.

Beyond tax time, accounting and bookkeeping are important. They serve as the cornerstone for budgeting, investments, and future tax planning, enabling both individuals and corporations to make well-informed choices. It's advantageous to obtain professional advice when dealing with the complicated realm of tax preparation. CPAs (Certified Public Accountants) and seasoned bookkeepers may provide priceless insights, ensuring that you successfully navigate tax season.

A thorough and accurate bookkeeping procedure gives businesses a reliable way to assess their success. It also serves as a benchmark for its income and revenue targets and information for general strategic decision-making. A trustworthy source for businesses to gauge their financial performance is bookkeeping. Accounting and bookkeeping are more than simply administrative duties; they are also effective instruments that can lessen the strain of tax season and enhance your financial security. A sound accounting and bookkeeping system can result in significant savings, compliance, and financial peace of mind whether you're a business owner or an individual taxpayer. So, as tax season draws near, keep in mind that having a solid financial foundation is the key to success. ILeadTax LLC attempts to deliver results that meet the expectations of the client.

#Accounting and bookkeeping #tax preparation #tax accounting experts in India #accounting and bookkeeping services

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fredandrewus · 10 months ago

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The Time-Money Trade-Off: When a Quicker Sale Means More Cash in Your Pocket

Selling a home in California, the land of golden sunsets and sky-high housing prices, can be a rollercoaster. You dream of that top dollar offer, but reality may present a stark choice: speed versus a bigger payout. Let's delve into the time-money trade-off when selling your California home and assess which path might make you say "cha-ching!"

The Allure of the Quick Sale:

Cash in hand, fast: Need to relocate for a new job or escape rising California rents? A quick sale might be your lifeline. Negotiate a lower price with a cash buyer and say goodbye to your mortgage in weeks, not months.

Minimize stress: Open houses, endless negotiations, and inspection jitters can wear you down. A fast sale means escaping the emotional rollercoaster and focusing on your next chapter.

Avoid carrying costs: Every month adds mortgage payments, property taxes, and maintenance to your plate. A quick sale cuts those losses and lets you invest your proceeds sooner.

But Hold Onto Your California Cool:

Before diving headfirst into a quick sale, consider the potential downsides:

Leaving money on the table: California's competitive market favors patient sellers. Traditional listings with ample marketing attract multiple offers, potentially driving up the final price.

Limited buyer pool: Quick sales often rely on cash buyers or investors who might offer below market value for the convenience of a fast closing.

Conditional chaos: Quick sale contracts often involve contingencies, like the buyer's own home sale. Delays and complications can arise, negating the initial speed advantage.

Finding the California Golden Mean:

So, how do you navigate this trade-off in the California sun? Here are some tips:

Consult a seasoned California real estate agent: Their expertise can help you weigh the pros and cons of quick sale options like iBuyers or traditional listings.

Price your home strategically: A slightly lower price can attract multiple buyers and entice faster offers without sacrificing too much on your bottom line.

Stage your home for maximum appeal: Invest in decluttering, minor repairs, and professional photography to showcase your property's potential and attract more buyers, potentially leading to higher offers.

Be flexible on closing dates: While a quick sale is tempting, allowing some wiggle room can attract more buyers without significantly impacting your timeline.

Ultimately, the decision boils down to your individual needs and priorities. If financial agility is paramount, a quick sale might be your golden ticket. But if maximizing your California home's potential value is your priority, a traditional listing with strategic marketing could unlock that extra sunshine in your final offer.

Remember, selling a home in California is a journey, not a race. Choose the path that aligns with your goals, leverage expert guidance, and bask in the satisfaction of securing a deal that makes you shout "California dreamin'!"

#selling a home in california #realtor in california

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a-god-in-ruins-rises · 2 years ago

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What's your ideal solution to our obesity issue?

as with most issues, i want it attacked from all kinds of directions.

first and foremost, one angle of attack is an angle i think would help with a lot of our social ills: build denser, more walkable cities. upzone, subsidize public transport, build bike lanes, build more "green space", build more grocery stores, etc. build an environment that encourages people to get out and walk around (or ride bikes). this will also help build a greater sense of community which should, ideally, help people's mental wellbeing and we know that poor mental health can affect obesity.

which leads me to my next point: better, more accessible mental health treatment.

honestly, just more healthcare in general. the more accessible healthcare is the more preventative measures can be taken. make health/nutrition classes a more standard part of healthcare.

and that requires more (and higher quality) research into health and nutrition.

unironically, subsidize gyms. gyms memberships can be expensive. have the government subsidize the cost for low-income individuals. or give tax breaks for gym memberships. or just government subsidies weight management classes or fat camps.

reduce work week. overworked people are stressed and sleep less and have less time to be physically active or cook healthy homemade meals, all of which contribute to obesity.

not sure how this would be done but there should be an effort to create adult sports leagues. sports are huge in high school and college but after that, unless you're one of the lucky ones that play professionally, most americans will probably never play a sport again for the rest of their life. i think we should create adult sports leagues. not only would this make people healthier but i think it would foster a greater sense of community as well. maybe have government sponsored athletic tournaments with a bunch of cash prizes? let's get greco-roman in this bitch.

also there's my dream about mandatory militia service. one weekend every month or something everyone will have to muster at their local militia armory and do some intensive physical training.

education. make health and fitness and home economics more serious parts of the education system. i know some places still do home ec but my school didn't. it should be mandatory. you'd be surprised how many adults i know who don't know how to cook and who primarily subsist on fast food. teach people how to cook, yo. and teach them how to eat healthy. i'm not sure how to get people to take physical education more seriously. maybe make it a bigger part of their overall grade? make sports mandatory? bring back corporal punishment? lmao. also, part of education includes educating parents. i've discussed elsewhere how i want to create a new "reimagined" family planning organization and one thing that it would emphasize is educating parents about nutrition and keeping their children healthy and active.

fat taxes and healthy food subsidies. part of the reason why people opt for fast food and junk food so much is because it's simply really fucking cheap. tax foods with sugar and high fructose corn syrup in them and subsidies whole foods. also wouldn't be opposed to literally taxing obesity itself, sorta like they do in japan. also, here in california we have this program where people's food stamps are worth like twice as much if spent at local farmers markets. i don't know if the data is out but i can say from personal experience that it seems to be pretty effective. farmer friends of mine have told me about how much more business they've had lately and how a lot of it is due to food stamps. would love to see a program like this applied at an even larger scale.

stricter regulations on junk food advertisement combined with an intensive "anti-junk food, pro-healthy food" propaganda campaign.

i think this would be a start.

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