#the final report is still online and in english

[evidence-based-activism]

Is it true more trans teens attempted suicide after ‘anti trans’ laws passed?

Hello! I am guessing this is in reference to this recent study [1], which made this exact claim. In short, this study has substantial issues that weaken its conclusion severely. These flaws, paired with stronger contradictory evidence, suggests that no, these laws are not connected to increased suicide among transgender teens.

First, the contradicting evidence:

While not in reference to these specific laws, other studies have attempted to determine if there is an increase in suicide following laws aimed at restricting transgender healthcare.

This independent report for the UK NHS [2] found "the data do not support the claim that there has been a large rise in suicide in young gender dysphoria patients" and "the claims that have been placed in the public domain do not meet basic standards for statistical evidence". (They – correctly – also criticize the way "this issue has been discussed on social media", which we will get into later.)

The Cass review [2] was an extensive literature review that found evidence did not support the belief that "hormone treatment reduces the elevated risk of death by suicide in [the transgender youth] population".

This Finnish study on adolescents and young adults [4] took a slightly different approach, attempting to determine if access to "gender reassignment" reduced suicide rates. First, they found "clinical gender dysphoria does not appear to be predictive of all-cause nor suicide mortality when psychiatric treatment history is accounted for." They also found "medical gender reassignment does not have an impact on suicide risk".

This similar Swedish study on adults [5] found that "sex reassignment, although alleviating gender dysphoria, may not suffice as treatment for transsexualism" as higher "mortality, suicidal behaviour, and psychiatric morbidity" persists after "sex reassignment".

This Dutch study on adults [6] also found that "the suicide risk in transgender people ... seems to occur during every stage of transitioning".

Importantly, these studies are all reasonably strong and well-designed. The centralized nature of these country's health data allowed for large-scale, representative studies to be performed. The English study [2] reviewed data directly from the NHS, the Cass review [3] was an extensive and through literature review (common myths about the report are debunked here [7]), and the final three studies [4-6] were all long-term (multiple decade), nation-wide cohort studies.

This evidence provides a strong indication that medical gender transition treatment do not reduce suicide risk in transgender populations.

---

So, what are the issues with the US study?

First, this study [1] was not representative. The participants were recruited from "non-probability cross-sectional online survey" via "targeted advertisements on social media" between "2018 and 2022".

Already there are substantial issues:

This study is explicitly noted to be non-representative, drawing conclusions about transgender youth based solely on this study is irresponsible.

The participants were recruited via social media, which past research [8] has shown to be correlated with suicide attempts. Notably, the causality of this relationship is irrelevant in this case, because it is still evidence of a significant confounding variable. (Confounding variables are the primary reason why you cannot determine causality from correlational relationships like the one presented in [1].)

This study overlaps with the COVID-19 pandemic. They claim to have "considered the potential impact of the ... pandemic" and found "minimal evidence" of any impact. This conclusion contradicts substantial amounts of past research including a systematic review and meta-analysis of youth suicide during the pandemic [9], a systematic review and meta-analysis of youth depression and anxiety [10], and an analysis of national suicide data for US youth [11].

Their analysis of the impact of the pandemic used "population-adjusted ... death counts by year as a proxy for the overall impact ... in a given state for a given time period". It's likely this was on of the only data sources they had to evaluate the impact of the pandemic, but that doesn't change the fact that this proxy neglects to consider the isolation, financial stress, and social media use among youth and their families that likely drove their decline in mental health. (See studies [12-15] for some introductory evidence of this.)

Other issues:

They considered only self-report of suicide attempts and serious suicidal thoughts, not actual measurements of suicides or suicide attempts. This adds an additional possibility of response bias. (Notably, this was not a concern for the studies I discussed above, which show no relationship between similar laws and suicide, as they evaluate actual medical report data.)

They found a statistically significant effect for suicide attempts but not for "seriously considering suicide". This is a strange finding, as, if we assume the results are accurate, it suggests that suicide attempts increased following the laws without any corresponding increase in suicidal thoughts. (This will be relevant later, so keep it in mind.)

The don't appear to report an actual incidence rate, which is a significant oversight considering the topic.

The substantial reduction in effect size when considering the total number of reported suicide attempts versus the number of people who reported at least one suicide attempt suggests that the attempts are clustered within a small group of participants.

They found no evidence of the introduction or enactment of additional "anti-transgender laws" had any impact of transgender youth suicide. Again, this is inconsistent with their overall conclusions; if it is the legal restrictions that cause an increase in suicide attempts then you would expect an increase in restrictions to also increase attempts. (Although not necessarily in a linear fashion.)

All in all, this study makes claims that are much stronger than the evidence they provide to support them. Other, stronger studies, contradict the assertion that these sorts of laws increase suicide among transgender youth. (Which is, I should stress, a good thing for the transgender community.)

(And I should also note here that my personal opinion on the morality of these laws is specific to each law/law category. I'm purely presenting the empirical research concerning the relationship between these laws and suicide in this post.)

---

The major confounding factor: social contagion of suicide.

It is, at this point, all but settled evidence that "suicidal behavior is 'contagious' in that it can be transmitted, directly or indirectly, from one person to another" [16]. This is extraordinarily important because it impacts the way we (i.e., society) should talk about and depict suicide. For an unrelated example, this review [17] concludes "portrayals of suicide in entertainment media may increase suicides and attempted suicide in the population". A specific example of this was the increase in suicide rates and admissions among youth, following the release of the "13 Reasons Why" television show [18-19].

And this is well-known by LGBT organizations. In 2017, the Movement Advancement Project (a pro-LGBT think tank), the Johnson Family Foundation (a pro-LGBT organization), and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention co-authored the second edition of the report "Talking About Suicide & LGBT Populations" [20], which was also endorsed by GLSEN, GLAAD, The Trevor Project, the Transgender Law Center, and the Human Rights Campaign (among others).

Recommendations in this report include [emphasis mine]:

DO encourage discussion about suicide prevention strategies.

DO emphasize the vital importance of resilience

DON’T attribute a suicide death to a single factor (such as bullying or discrimination) or say that a specific anti-LGBT law or policy will “cause” suicide.

DON’T risk spreading false information by repeating unsubstantiated rumors or speculation about suicide deaths or why they occurred.

DON’T talk about suicide “epidemics” or suicide rates for LGBT people. (Remember that sexual orientation and gender identity are not recorded at the time of death, so we do not have data on suicide rates or deaths among LGBT people. In addition, presenting suicide as a trend or a widespread occurrence (for example, tallying suicide deaths that occur in proximity to an external event) can encourage vulnerable individuals to see themselves as part of a larger story, which may elevate their suicide risk.)

DON’T use social media or e-blasts to announce news of suicide deaths, speculate about reasons fora suicide death, focus on personal details about the person who died, or describe the means of death.

DON’T idealize those who have died by suicide or create an aura of celebrity around them.

(They also note that suicide rates cannot be determined by looking at suicide attempts, which is relevant to the above study.)

Please take a moment to consider the extent to which public officials, organizations, and figures are completely disregarding these recommendations in reference to the transgender community. Beyond the anecdotal evidence people involved with or aware of the community are exposed to, this English study [21], this Indian study [22], and this American study [23] all find "poor adherence to responsible reporting guidelines" for the transgender (or "LGBTQ+") community.

Further, as I indicated earlier, the English study [2] directly addresses this sort of irresponsible rhetoric. Failure to comply with responsible reporting guidelines is causing direct harm to the transgender community.

And how does this apply to the first study [1]? It adds in an additional confounding factor: the rhetoric surrounding these laws and their impact on suicide in the transgender community. It suggests that at least some of the observed suicide attempts were precipitated by the social contagion of suicide.

This theory would also explain some of the inconsistencies in the study. That is, it is possible that there was already a subsection of suicidal transgender youth, who, once exposed to increasingly this irresponsible social-contagion-inducing rhetoric, reported (more frequent) suicide attempts. This would account for:

The lack of increase in suicidal thoughts (i.e., those effected were already suicidal).

Why the effect size for the "at least one attempt" is so much lower than the "total attempts" effect size (i.e., the reported increase is concentrated within a small group of people)

Why there is no dose-response relationship between the number of laws and suicide attempts (i.e., it is not the laws so much as the rhetoric surrounding them that is having such a negative impact)

---

Conclusion

Ultimately, there is strong evidence from other countries indicating that similar "anti-trans" laws are not associated with suicide rates. The new American study suggesting otherwise is remarkably weak, and may actually be providing evidence for the social contagion theory of suicide.

Most importantly, the current rhetoric surrounding suicide in the trans community is incredibly dangerous and does a great disservice to all transgender people.

(And again, my personal opinion on the morality of these laws is specific to each law/law category. I'm purely presenting the empirical research concerning the relationship between these laws and suicide in this post.)

I hope this helps, Anon!

References under the cut:

Lee, W. Y., Hobbs, J. N., Hobaica, S., DeChants, J. P., Price, M. N., & Nath, R. (2024). State-level anti-transgender laws increase past-year suicide attempts among transgender and non-binary young people in the USA. Nature Human Behaviour, 1-11.

Appleby, Louis. “Review of Suicides and Gender Dysphoria at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust: Independent Report.” Department of Health & Social Care, 19 July 2024, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-suicides-and-gender-dysphoria-at-the-tavistock-and-portman-nhs-foundation-trust/review-of-suicides-and-gender-dysphoria-at-the-tavistock-and-portman-nhs-foundation-trust-independent-report.

Cass, H. (2024). Independent review of gender identity services for children and young people.

Ruuska, S. M., Tuisku, K., Holttinen, T., & Kaltiala, R. (2024). All-cause and suicide mortalities among adolescents and young adults who contacted specialised gender identity services in Finland in 1996–2019: a register study. BMJ Ment Health, 27(1).

Dhejne, C., Lichtenstein, P., Boman, M., Johansson, A. L., Långström, N., & Landén, M. (2011). Long-term follow-up of transsexual persons undergoing sex reassignment surgery: cohort study in Sweden. PloS one, 6(2), e16885.

Wiepjes, C. M., den Heijer, M., Bremmer, M. A., Nota, N. M., de Blok, C. J., Coumou, B. J., & Steensma, T. D. (2020). Trends in suicide death risk in transgender people: results from the Amsterdam Cohort of Gender Dysphoria study (1972–2017). Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 141(6), 486-491.

Final report – FAQs. (n.d.). The Cass Review. https://cass.independent-review.uk/home/publications/final-report/final-report-faqs/

Sedgwick, R., Epstein, S., Dutta, R., & Ougrin, D. (2019). Social media, internet use and suicide attempts in adolescents. Current opinion in psychiatry, 32(6), 534-541.

Madigan, S., Korczak, D. J., Vaillancourt, T., Racine, N., Hopkins, W. G., Pador, P., ... & Neville, R. D. (2023). Comparison of paediatric emergency department visits for attempted suicide, self-harm, and suicidal ideation before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Psychiatry, 10(5), 342-351.

Madigan, S., Racine, N., Vaillancourt, T., Korczak, D. J., Hewitt, J. M., Pador, P., ... & Neville, R. D. (2023). Changes in depression and anxiety among children and adolescents from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA pediatrics.

Bridge, J. A., Ruch, D. A., Sheftall, A. H., Hahm, H. C., O’Keefe, V. M., Fontanella, C. A., ... & Horowitz, L. M. (2023). Youth suicide during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Pediatrics, 151(3).

Felfe, C., Saurer, J., Schneider, P., Vornberger, J., Erhart, M., Kaman, A., & Ravens-Sieberer, U. (2023). The youth mental health crisis: Quasi-experimental evidence on the role of school closures. Science Advances, 9(33), eadh4030.

Jones SE, Ethier KA, Hertz M, et al. Mental Health, Suicidality, and Connectedness Among High School Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic — Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey, United States, January–June 2021. MMWR Suppl 2022;71(Suppl-3):16–21. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.su7103a3.

Kalenkoski, C. M., & Pabilonia, S. W. (2024). Teen social interactions and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Review of Economics of the Household, 1-48.

Adegboye, D., Williams, F., Collishaw, S., Shelton, K., Langley, K., Hobson, C., ... & van Goozen, S. (2021). Understanding why the COVID‐19 pandemic‐related lockdown increases mental health difficulties in vulnerable young children. JCPP advances, 1(1), e12005.

Forum on Global Violence Prevention; Board on Global Health; Institute of Medicine; National Research Council. Contagion of Violence: Workshop Summary. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2013 Feb 6. II.4, THE CONTAGION OF SUICIDAL BEHAVIOR. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK207262/

Niederkrotenthaler, T., Kirchner, S., Till, B., Sinyor, M., Tran, U. S., Pirkis, J., & Spittal, M. J. (2021). Systematic review and meta-analyses of suicidal outcomes following fictional portrayals of suicide and suicide attempt in entertainment media. EClinicalMedicine, 36.

Cooper Jr, M. T., Bard, D., Wallace, R., Gillaspy, S., & Deleon, S. (2018). Suicide attempt admissions from a single children's hospital before and after the introduction of Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. Journal of Adolescent Health, 63(6), 688-693.

Bridge, J. A., Greenhouse, J. B., Ruch, D., Stevens, J., Ackerman, J., Sheftall, A. H., ... & Campo, J. V. (2020). Association between the release of Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why and suicide rates in the United States: An interrupted time series analysis. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 59(2), 236-243.

Movement Advancement Project, Johnson Family Foundation, and American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. August 2017. "Talking About Suicide & LGBT Populations." 2nd edition. MAP's Talking About LGBT Issues Series. https://www.lgbtmap.org/talking-about-suicide-and-lgbt-populations

Bolzern, J. E., Mnyama, N. L., & McMillan, D. (2019). Responsible journalism, imitative suicide, and transgender populations: A systematic review of UK newspapers. Journal of gay & lesbian mental health, 23(3), 276-288.

Kar, S. K., Menon, V., Mukherjee, S., Bascarane, S., Sharma, G., Pattnaik, J. I., ... & Agarwal, V. (2023). Suicide reporting of LGBTQI+ population in India: An analysis of online media reports of the past decade. Journal of Public Health, 45(1), e95-e103.

Kirchner, S., Till, B., Laido, Z., & Niederkrotenthaler, T. (2024). Suicide-related media reporting with a focus on sexual and gender minority identities: A content analysis of the quality of reporting. Crisis: The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention, 45(5), 339–347. https://doi.org/10.1027/0227-5910/a000956

[ragana62]

This is a reminder: (edited to add links to resources)

Votes are still being counted. Check your ballot, make sure yours was. Call your local election authorities/follow appropriate means as indicated in your vote tracking to cure your ballot if need be. The website you’re looking for here is vote.org, where state specific resources are listed out and linked. If you need better internet access to do this, public libraries are your best friend.

Democratic votes are disproportionately represented in early/mail in ballots. Those are typically counted last.

Democratic votes are disproportionately represented in major cities. Higher population density means it takes longer to reach, submit, and verify final vote counts. These also report later than other areas.

Unreported vote margins in several key states including Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and many others are high enough that it can still flip the state.

He did this in 2020 too. He called the vote for himself before all votes were in, then threw a fit when people wouldn’t “stop the count”. The reasons above are why they want to stop the count prematurely.

Things look bad right now. I’m fucking stressed. We’re all fucking stressed. I’m fucking angry. A lot of people are justifiably fucking angry.

I’m not going to say “oh, we survived last Trump presidency” because a lot of people didn’t. I’m not going to say “oh, if we flip those states and the final counts put Harris in, everything will be fine” because that still means WAY TOO MANY people were ok voting for a convicted traitor, rapist, and bigot and last time he tried to overthrow the government because he was mad he couldn’t have it.

We probably won’t know anything for sure until Thursday. Plan for the worst, hope for the best, don’t burn yourself out before the fight begins.

Renew your passport or get one (not just as a ‘I’m leaving if my person doesn’t win’, as a ‘they have pitched voting reforms that will for all intents and purposes require one to vote and it’s a good thing to have if you can’). You can now renew your passport online if you meet certain requirements. Travel.state.gov is your friend for that.

If you have a uterus, now is a great time to get in with a gyno to talk about long term birth control options like IUDs/Implants or even surgical sterilization if you aren’t interested in having more kids than you already have. This is the list affectionately dubbed the TikTok Tubal List, in case you do not have a reliable provider or the one you have will not perform the procedures you need (and odds are, if a doc is willing to surgically sterilize you, they will prescribe you birth control if you’d prefer). The Brigid Alliance is great for helping support people who need to travel out of state for abortions. This is the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

Check the phone numbers of organizations focused on immigration law and refugee/immigrant resources like orgs that help process asylum requests, refugee/immigrant settlement orgs, and obviously legal aid, not just for yourself, but because you never know who might need it, and make sure you know them, not just save them in your phone. This will vary state to state as well as the specific variety of aid needed and the person needing it. There are religious based groups (shout out to LIRS/Global Refuge for helping my family flea WWII and its aftermath.) You can find ones for other denominations and religions by googling “*religious group* Refugee Aid”. You can use the same process for nationality specific ones as well. Community specific ones might be your best chance at finding someone who speaks your language if you aren’t a native English speaker, at finding community support as well. General practice, IMMLAW is well regarded for a reason.

Do the same for those focused on queer advocacy and support. Get specific. Knowing your local chapter of the ACLU is good, knowing trans specific resources, youth specific resources, intersectional resources for queer folx of color and disabled queer folx, knowing how to reach your local community outreach groups, etc. is better. Most of these resources are local specific. Check in with your local community organizers (if you don’t know who that is, find a local queer centric space and ask people), to find out where people need help most and what organizations and resources they trust locally. Trevor Project is also a good nationwide resource for personal support and information if you need that now, but note that they are usually very busy after elections.

Do the same for women’s health and safety groups (using this term because it is what usually gets used by the groups/resources themselves, but these resources are also good for anyone in possession of a uterus). Abortion access groups that are dedicated to helping people who cannot financially leave a state trying to stop them, domestic violence shelters, resources for accessing birth control. Even better, get to know your neighbors and community, and help each other. Plan B has a shelf life, as does Plan C, as do condoms and spermicide. Stock what you can, share what you can, help each other out. (Links are above for TikTok Tubal List, Brigid Aliance, and National Domestic Violence Hotline) AidAccess will mail abortion pills to every state, both for emergency use (within 1-5 days) and to have on hand (there is a separate form and it may take longer to fulfill).

Talk to your neighbors where it is safe to do so. Make plans for what happens if the worst happens. Who needs to leave, who can’t leave, who has what support needs, who has what resources, etc. The only way through this is together.

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, and know that nothing is official until the last county reports and confirms the last ballot. That could be Thursday, that could be this weekend, but until it happens, we aren’t completely fucked just yet.

I know I’ve been freaking the fuck out about this, despite normally being a mostly fandom blog. It’s worth freaking out about. But freak out in a way that does not do more harm than good if at all possible. Feel your feelings, but channel them towards protecting yourself, protecting others, and most importantly, not burning yourself out. There’s a lot of fear-mongering out there. There’s a lot to be afraid about. It isn’t official yet.

Plan like it is, hope like it isn’t.

[stormoflina]

https://rtl.hu/reggeli/2024/02/09/szoboszlai-dominik-tetovalas-torocsik-dani

Thank you so much.

So I finished it earlier than I thought, here it is!

TLDR: Dominik's tattoo artist talking about meeting Dominik, their friendship and most especially, his brand new chest tattoo and the ideas behind it to two hosts of a Hungarian morning show.

Long intro from the journalists, the only important info is that they mention how due to the request of Dominik’s family they can only ask about certain topics, because it’s a rather intimate matter. Then the male journalist asks about how the artist got there, was it difficult bringing his own stuff to Dominik’s house. 

Tattoo Artist: “ It would have been difficult to gather everything that is needed for making a tattoo and bringing them all with me [to Dominik’s house], so we basically made a ‘studio’ at Dominik’s and that’s how it was done. We ordered what was needed online to his house, and when he had free time on certain days, we worked on the tattoo on his chest.”

Female Journalist: “We know that you can’t say much and neither do we want you to speak in Dominik’s name, so please only tell us what you are allowed to…”

TA: “Just ask me!”

FJ: “Yeah, okay (...) So, what was Dominik’s wish, what did he want?”

TA: “Well, I guess this is a question that can be labeled as private, but perhaps Dominik won’t get mad at me if I tell you guys broadly. What he had in mind is to have a tattoo that can represent and show his journey, his very difficult, but so far successful journey he has been on from the moment he was born, from the moment he started playing football. And also his mentality, what was needed for his journey, that’s what he wanted to have on his skin, inked on, in the form of pictures. Basically, it’s a tool to tell a story, his story. Reading from left to right, starting from the moment he was born to, well, who knows, nobody knows until when, that’s what the stars and planets are meant to symbolize.”

MJ: “It looks very cool, and of course, it looks beautiful on Dominik. (...) How much did it take to complete it, how many hours are needed to make a tattoo [like this one]?”

TA: “Finally, a good question! Good that you asked in hours, because it's easier to answer. We only had certain parts of a day, and he wasn’t always available. so we had to work with that. All in all, it took like 3 days… We had once a 10 hour long session, and I think two 6(ish) hours long ones. All in all, it was like 26 hours.”

FJ: “We know that this story went viral (...) that you have been contacted by many journalists (...), so we are thankful that this is your first interview, and that you chose us. Still, it’s a huge deal that you had the chance to work together with such a big star like Dominik, we know how famous he got (...). Did you know each other from before, or was this your first time meeting him?”

TA: “ Yeah, we do. I will confess, I didn’t think that this would blow up the way it did. I mean, like, I have a good relationship with Dominik, so in my head he is (...) I mean, obviously, I respect him and admire him for what he has achieved, but still, we have a private relationship. So, I didn’t even consider that if I post his tattoo, even the English media will find out about it and report about it, because that’s what happened… Yeah, I have known him ever since he signed for Leipzig. At first, he contacted me, because he wanted a correction for one of his tattoos. I met him for the first time when he was still playing for RB Leipzig.

MJ: “You mentioned how many hours it took to get it done (...), during those hours do you ask him about stuff, trying to have a conversation, or rather sit in silence, listen to music (...) how does it work? Have you found out any behind the scenes secrets?”

TA: “ No. No, because for him, you know, it’s about relaxation. I mean, even if he doesn’t want it, we were together for 3 days constantly. Even if you are forced to be with your best friend in the world that amount of time, being as close to each other as like 5-10 centimeters, face-to-face, it can get a lot. We had a friendly conversation, I’m not trying to ask him for information (...), of course we talked about stuff, a lot of stuff, I will not say we didn’t, but I didn’t spend my 3 days with him trying to get information out from him.” 

The rest of the video was about his personal and work life, where he is currently, career, etc, nothing else about Dominik. 

[edwin-stanley-pines]

Dad told me I could do whatever I wanted on my phone as long as I'm not interacting interdimensionally. So I'm gonna do just that. Hello, Internet!!!

[BIG IMPORTANT MOD NOTE DO NOT SKIP THIS UNLESS YOU WANT TO POTENTIALLY GET BLOCKED]

[hey folks. due to some recent discourse in some fellow gf rp blogs, id like to make one thing clear: i. am. human. i have a life outside of tumblr. i have a life outside of rp. i cannot always rp when you want me to. if you try to make me, you will be blocked and reported. i will not hesitate. i will not hesitate to block anyone who is rude and demanding. im still in high school. i am a minor. i do not have the time to be online all the time. thank you for understanding. now on to the rest of the pinned post :3]

[mod note: i finally figured out where in the timeline this blog falls!! this blog takes place a year after weirdmageddon]

Interdimensional Family AU is an AU where, during his travels in the portal, ten years before it's reopened, Ford somehow ends up adopting a child.

Edwin is a shapeshifter, but not the same species of shapeshifter as the one in the show. His species, roughly translated into English, is called the Inkaguri, so named for their ink-like true forms. The Inkaguri, when born, can only shapeshift into one species of their choice. Once they pick, they can only shift between that species and their true form. This species is endangered, only because they tend to pick large, dangerous species to shapeshift into and make themselves bigger targets.

One day, Ford is wandering through a random dimension when he's attacked by a huge beast. He kills it fairly quickly, and it changes from the huge monstrosity that it was to a puddle of colorful goop that's beginning to lose its color. Curious, he wanders into the cave it came out of. In the back of the cave, he finds a shallow, egg-shaped puddle. Beside the puddle, looking as though it just crawled out, was a tiny version of the same ink-like creature outside. It looks up at him, they stare at each other, and then this tiny, newly hatched Inkaguri shifts into a human baby.

Thus Ford became Edwin's father because he killed Edwin's mother. He was... not very excited at first.

[edit: heres the story behind edwins bill!!]

[bills reference! (i used pawborough.com for the reference, art does not belong to me)]

[edwin keeps bill in his coat. dont ask where. thats just where bill is. i promise he has room in there. dont ask how.]

[inkaguri code! edwin will now occasionally speak in inkaguri!!!]

[child bill liam reference! he baby]

Edwin talks like this in his human form.

He talks like this in his true form.

(BILL TALKS LIKE THIS WHEN TALKING TO EDWIN. NO ONE ELSE CAN UNDERSTAND THIS. PLEASE, ANONS, PRETEND YOU CAN'T FOR THE SAKE OF THE ROLEPLAY.)

Ford speaks like this when he occasionally makes his appearance. He will not make one often.

"Ford speaks like this over the phone. He will appear like this more often than he will in person."

Liam talks like this. He's gonna be around more than Ford. He's also soft-spoken, so he rarely yells.

[mod talks like this]

[y2klostandfound]

Space Channel 5 Part 2 on Dorimaga Magazine Vol.1 (2002-01) (Video game Magazine) (11-25/01/2002)

Translation in English:

(Page 66)

Dorimaga Special Report - DC PS2:

Video Game Consoles : Dreamcast / Playstation 2

Scheduled to be released: February 14th

Completely: 100%

Price:

Dreamcast: 6,120 Yen Dreamcast(Special Edition Pack): 9,900 Yen Playstation 2: 6,800 Yen

Genre - ETC (Musical Action Adventure) Manufacturer:Sega/United Game Artists Players: 1-2 Number of discs: 1 URL: http://www.u-ga.com/ Controllers/Memory Cards PS2: DualShock 2, trance vibrator compatible, memory card 161KB. DC: 5 blocks of memory used (VMU), Purupuru pack support

Online Shop:The DC version is exclusive to D-DIRECT.

Is there something wrong in the galactic universe!?

After seeing this screen, "Mexican Flyer" came to my head! Are you ready to dance? "Space Channel 5 Part 2" scheduled to air on two platforms has finally started! Let's all enjoy the full polygon SHOW together!

Greetings to the 30 million "Channel 5" viewers nationwide, it's finally here! "Space Channel 5 Part 2" from UGA, which has been silent since the Tokyo Game Show in autumn, is finally on air!The memorable day is February 14, 2002, Valentine's Day.and it will be broadcast simultaneously on DC and PS2 as planned! I can't wait to see how Ulala, who has crossed the century, will come back!

Popular characters from the previous show, as well as new characters, will appear one after another! They will make the program even more exciting!

The basic rules seem to be the same, but new elements have been added, such as singing and playing! I have a hunch that it will be fun!

The next enemy is the "Dancing Troupe(Rhythm Rouges)"! ?

The next enemy is the "Dancing Troupe(Rhythm Rouges)" who appeared out of nowhere. Innocent people are made to dance one after another, just like the Morolians last time! Their purpose is completely unknown. Ulala will report on their true identity!

The mysterious dance group "Dancing Troupe (Rhythm Rouges)" has arrived! A person who looks like a captain and robots attack people one after another!

(Page 67)

What happened to the Jaguar! ?

An evil hand approaches Jaguar who has discovered something somewhere in the universe...! ! Meanwhile, the "Space Symphony," a ship cruising around Neo-Pluto, is attacked by a mysterious group! "Space Channel 5" quickly caught the information and sent Ulala to the scene to report the incident. The spirit of Director Fuse enters. "Come on, let's start!!"

I'll charm you, Ulala Seven Changes

This time Ulala will be reporting in even cuter and cooler outfit! There will be a "Ulala's Costume Room," so stay tuned!

ULALA

A reporter for Space Channel 5, she was born on May 30 and her blood type is B. The other day, she tried to save the galaxy  with great energy, but she's still a newcomer and spends her days being yelled at by her boss Fuse. Her goal is to become a galactic reporter.She is the only person who can fight back against the "mysterious dancing group" that has appeared.

Prologue

The time is the 25th century.

The "Morolian" suddenly invaded, causing people to dance one after another with their "Dancing Beam"! The space broadcasting station "Space Channel 5", which caught this catastrophe, dispatched a new reporter "Ulala" who is good at dancing, selected by the director "Fuse", and report the incident. She fully opens her mysterious dancing puff, sometimes fights and cooperates with Channel 42's "Pudding" and the Space Pirate Broadcasting Station's "Jaguar" to uncover the true nature of the evil that hides behind the Morolians' intentions. Thus, this ascension case was resolved.........

In this galaxy where the memory is fresh in our minds, a new evil is rising.......

Although "Ulala" had solved the "Morolians Attack Case" by dancing with her miraculous performance, there was no change in her role as a reporter, and she is cheered on by a director "Fuse" every day.

Such a daily life suddenly changes with a report from "Chief Space Michael ". A "mysterious dancing group" has appeared, making people dance and taking them away one after another!

Now, Ulala's dancing report begins again.

Come on, Let's start!

SPACE CHANNEL 5 Part 2 - First Implession!

A little impression of the sample unveiled at the recent PS Party! The game is very busy with more things to do such as singing and playing, not to mention the increased power of the graphics and presentation. Compared to the previous game, which was a bit monotonous, this one is even more fun. The storyline is also very exciting!

[oliviax727]

I finally gotten to it, I am finally going to start learning a language (Spanish)

Wait, why should I care?

You don't need to care at all. I just want to keep a public record of my progress and see if I can pull off the effort for long enough to achieve my goals.

If you're not interested, there's no shame in scrolling past this post once a month. And dw, these posts will be at most monthly. So if you're here for something else, this won't clog things up.

If you're concerned about the physics, reminder this is my personal account, and there's another one exclusively for those who just want the science without the shitposting/personal/political stuff.

Though if you're like a linguist or something - or are interested in language stuff in general, I'm sure you can find some value in this post perhaps.

What language will it be?

tl;dr Spanish

Also I love putting all this colour in my post. It satisfies my autism so much.

Now, I've come from a very multilingual background. I learned mandarin between age 5 - 13, and latin in grades 7 thru 8.

Mandarin was a language I could never get the hang of.

It probably had to do with some child-like racism combined with a lack of motivation.

Buuuuut it most likely was a consequence of when I moved from Hong Kong to Australia, my new school did not accomodate the fact I was already experienced.

Nevertheless, I feel as if my Mandarin skills have been overshot, and I don't think I'd be motivated to re-learn it unless I overwhelmingly succeed in this.

Latin was just a dud - I decided to do it because I thought it would be interesting, but dropped it after I realised I had too much on my plate heading into 9th grade.

But Spanish on the other hand, well, there are three better reasons why I choose to learn it:

I never really got an opportunity. I stopped wanting to learn from my abuela when I was 3-5 yo, and my Australian high school also didn't offer it either (my high school's curriculum was dogshit)

A big portion of my relatives are tied to Argentina, with my mum being born from Argentine immigrants. She spent her high school years doing ESL as Spanish was her second language

Aspiring to do Astrophysics is likely going to land me in Chile, as the Andes is home to telescopes-a-plenty

I could've also gone with other languages I'm interested in, like:

German (because my abuela was born from German immigrants - no they were not Nazis, they actually fled in 1936 to avoid conscription)

Croatian (my abuelo was born in Yugoslavia and fled in the 1950s)

Greek (I don't know why it was my "latin is cool" phase, so I guess I wanted to do ancient greek but I don't know how much drift there has been over the last 2000 years thanks to the romans)

And thus I go with Spanish.

But what about regional dialects?

I am very aware that there are various dialects of Spanish within Latin America, and generally, most online methods of learning will teach you Spanish Spanish.

But I think it's more important to first learn a bit of basic vocab, and the grammar, before worrying about my regional dialect. I'm still pretty sure that the most common and important grammar conventions are still shared between languages.

And I already know that people will tell I'm a foreigner, because I'll have an "English"-like accent to it. Learning a specific dialect will only make it harder to tell, not eliminate being "language clocked" entirely.

So what's this going to look like?

Every month or two I'm going to personally report, to myself, via tumblr, my progress in learning. I'll list what I learned, what I still need to work on, and what I wish I could do next.

Effectively this is going to be a public journal of sorts, to make sure I feel like I'm doing this productively.

What's the weather like now?

Given that I've already attempted to learn Spanish twice previously, and being exposed to cultural influences, I already know a bit of Spanish.

Most of it is just random bits of vocabulary, that sound a lot less impressive if you were to try and make me say a sentence:

Custom greetings "Hola", "Buenos Noches"

Expletives "¡Ay caramba!"

The basic conjunction "y"

"Niño, niña, hombre"

Agua (with the "con gas" or "sin gas" tacked on too)

Counting from "uno" to "treinta-nueve"

Some month names like "Mayo" or "Diciembre"

Some colours like "Rojo"

Some utensils and tools like "Boligrafo"

Other stuff that I won't be able to recaly suddenly

And I mostly only understand the pronunciation, most of the spellings I had to look up on google translate. Extra I's like in December or thirty, or that there's no "ph" in pen.

There are other simple grammatical rules that I know of:

Gender i.e. words that end with a you tack on a "La" and for o's you tack on "El". More generally you have to pay attention to grammatical gender

As an educated guess from knowing a bit of Latin, I'm sure there are noun and verb declensions that interact with gender as well

Word order, much like English, is SVO

Clearly, I have my work cut out for me. But I also have a head start over a lot of people primarily because I have experience in other languages related to Spanish, which can help inform me on grammar and common vocabulary. I also have some (minor) knowledge in linguistics.

Another one is that I don't just assume that Spanish is a 1:1 translation of English, where you can just swap words for others. This seems like a trivial fact. But you'd be surprised at how much "English-speaking privilege" can blind people who don't require learning second languages.

It can be much more effective to learn a language when you know your expectations.

What are my Goals?

Well, in the spirit of a SMART goal, I don't really know. Because I don't actually know how long it will take me to get to a desired level of fluency.

Sometimes a language can take years to learn, sometimes it can be picked up in just one. And there are so many different "levels" of acheivement.

Which is why my goals in the long term will be more vapid:

At some point, I want to have a semi-fluent conversation with my abuela in Spanish

I want to be able to speak and understand a proper, unbroken sentence within a few months or a year

Now, what I mean by "Sentence" is really finicky. I don't mean "Las mujers leen; ¡Soy una de las mujers!" (see I'm already learning ha ha). I mean a sentence you'd normally say like:

"Hey X, I'm gonna go to the store, what do you need me to buy? Ok see you in half an hour."

That will be a bit difficult. It requires a lot more vocab to get to that level. But of course, I know it's do-able because millions of people have done it already!

What are my short-term goals? And how will I learn?

For the short term, my goals are a little more simpler. Primarily because there will always be a course or an app that will help me learn.

And for the first few months, my goals are most likely going to align with whatever the app has designed for me to do.

The problem is that I feel like most apps will act as if they can take you from no-knowledge to fluent speaker in like 5 months tops, which for an adult sounds a little fishy if you ask me.

When reading through the recommended applications, I came across two that were appealing:

Duolingo, which is more fast-paced and short-form. It gamifies language but may not be great for formal education

Rosetta Stone, which is advertised as better for natural language learning. And requires more effort.

I decided to use both, mainly because I'm lucky enough to afford it ... for now. I don't have much other means to spend my money regardless.

The reason I choose to use both is simply because I want the best of both worlds, and that I can't tell which one is better until I try it. Duolingo makes it entertaining, Rosetta Stone makes it serious. Sort of the balance I'm looking for.

At some point I hope to stop using at least one or the other. But for now I have nothing better to do.

Anyways, that's all I gotta say on the matter for now. Wish me luck!

[fancoloredglasses]

Enterprise (A prequel that looks FAR more advanced than its future)

[All images are owned by Paramount. Please don’t sue me]

With the release of First Contact, it was established that mankind would achieve faster than light travel in 2063, 67 years from when the film premiered (or 39 years from now. Come on Cochrane, get a move on!) However, it would be almost 90 years from then that Earth would truly begin exploring space.

(Thanks to Rui Cruz)

Enterprise (produced by Rick Berman and (sigh...) Brannon Braga) is the final Star Trek series until Paramount+ went online. It follows the early space exploration done by Earth ten years before the founding of the United Federation of Planets (so the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) is the first Federation starship to bear the name, while this Enterprise is an Earth vessel)

Speaking of…

Enterprise (NX-01) is the first Earth vessel capable of achieving Warp 5 (125 times the speed of light), and the first capable of deep space exploration (though it will take a few weeks between systems) Despite being about 100 years technologically inferior to the USS Enterprise, it looks much more advanced (great continuity there, Braga!), but surely the interior looks more clunky, right?

OK, it does look a lot more cramped, but still looks like it was designed later than the 1960s.

Now, onto the uniforms

(Thanks to The Hollywood Reporter)

The standard Starfleet (what NASA would become after the invention of the warp drive) uniform is much like that of NASA flight suits: a blue jumpsuit. However, the color coding is still there (and following the colors for TOS) on the shoulder pads.

You will no doubt notice the two non-humans among the main cast. I’ll get to those later. Now, onto the legendary crew of this historic vessel that would help usher in the formation of the United Federation of Planets…

The Commanding Officer is Captain Jonathan Archer (played by Scott Bakula, formerly the star of the original Quantum Leap) Archer pretty much has the weight of Earth on his shoulders, as the success or failure of humanity’s journey to the stars depends on him. Too bad he doesn’t trust any of Earth’s allies. He also brought his beagle (Porthos) along for the journey (hope he’s starship-broken)

Speaking of allies, his First Officer and Science Officer is Sub-Commander T’Pol of the Vulcan High Command (played by Jolene Blalock), who was assigned to Enterprise in exchange for the Vulcans’ star charts after Enterprise blundered into Klingon space.

The Vulcans felt humans were not ready for interstellar travel and held back technology until they felt Earth was ready for it. Many on Enterprise initially feel that T’Pol was sent to spy on them for the Vulcans. She eventually leaves the Vulcan High Command to become an official member of Enterprise’s crew.

The Chief Engineer is Commander Charles “Trip” Tucker (played by Connor Trinneer) and is an old friend of Archer’s. He is responsible for upgrading and debugging the new technology Enterprise has equipped. Later in the series, he has a relationship with T’Pol.

The Head of Security and Tactical/Armory Officer is Lt. Malcolm Reed (played by Dominic Keating) Reed’s family was all Royal Navy, but Malcolm is aquaphobic, so he joined Starfleet. As a member of a military family, he understands the need for discipline and attempts to instill it on Enterprise (with mixed results)

(Thanks to Sipping Kanar with Dukat)

The Communications Officer is Ensign Hoshi Sato (played by Linda Park), who is an expert linguist that learns languages quickly, which is important as the Universal Translator (the device that makes everyone speak perfect English) hasn’t been developed at the start of the series.

The Helmsman is Ensign Travis Mayweather (played by Anthony Montgomery), who was born in space and knows many of the races along Earth’s trade routes.

The ship’s doctor (not Chief Medical Officer as he’s not officially part of Starfleet, but is just along for the ride) is Dr. Phlox (a Denoubulan played by John Billingsly), an expert in xeno-medicine, able to treat the crew when they encounter something that Earth medicine hasn’t yet encountered.

Of course, it wouldn’t be Star Trek without other races to butt heads with.

It also wouldn’t be Star Trek if the Klingons weren’t somehow involved (yes, in this prequel the forehead ridges are around, then somehow disappear in tome for TOS, then reappear in time for The Motion Picture. Can someone explain this please?

(Thanks to Vladimir)

Thanks, Braga Worf!

Also, there should be Romulans.

Fortunately, someone informed Braga that no one knows what the Romulans look like until TOS.

We also see the first contact with the Andorians, who are more than a bit wary of Enterprise since they are allied with the Vulcans (who they are at war with)

We also see a brand new enemy starting in season 3: the Xindi (When I first heard the name advertised, I was hoping I heard the Kzinti, but no luck) The Xindi are an alliance of several species (primate, insectoid, reptilian, and amphibian)

However, Brannon Braga’s lackadaisical approach to continuity reared its head in two major continuity errors with two factions that should not have been seen for another 200 years or so:

The Ferengi

...and the Borg, both of which had (thankfully) only one appearance.

The series ran for four seasons before being cancelled due to low ratings (the first since TOS to end prematurely) However, they got a proper final sendoff…

(Thanks to April 5, 2063)

If you would like to watch the series, it’s available on Paramount+ or behind your favorite paywall. If there is an episode you would like me to review, please let me know!

[pollen-blogs]

Master Post

Hi, my name is Sol and you can refer to me with either They/Them or She/Her pronouns. You can talk to me in both French and English (I'm Mauritian so I speak both + Mauritian Creole)

I created this blog about 2 or 3 years ago to post art, but it eventually became a place where I could write about the things I love. I still draw, so in case you want to see more of my art, here is my other account: @pollen-sketches and I'm also on TikTok and Instagram.

Here are some of my most important projects I'm working on, or easier ways to find some of my posts:

A lot of my old followers are here because of my She-Ra rewrite, and while I orphaned this fic, if you still want to take a look at my amateur writing, here it is.

I will try to make better use of my AO3 account but in the meantime, you can enjoy an old fic of mine that I actually finished; my Amanene Eros and Psyche AU, Left In The Dark:

I also started a series, "Rants from a tired writer" that is more focused on tropes and writing as a whole, where I go over some pet peeves and how they can be improved.

Here are all my posts about Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun

Here is a more detailed DNI list than the one in my bio:

Basic DNI criteria includes but isn't limited to -> Homophobes, Transphobes, Racists, Ableists, and any other term that can be traced back to proshipping (I sincerely do not gaf what you guys call yourselves, I will report and block you faster than the speed of light -> This also applies to people who are neutral/tolerant towards them)

People who promote eating disorders and self harm

This is highly specific and I might get called chronically online for it but uh, here: People who think Lesbians can be men or attracted to men or that Gays (nwlnw) can be women or attracted to women, or anything of the sort. I do however welcome nonbinary lesbians (nmlnm) and nonbinary gays (nwlnw) with open arms, as well as anyone who understands that the split attraction model only explains how nonbinary people can identify with any label, or how people on the Aroace spectrum can also identify with romantic labels.

People who use the word "blackwashing" unironically and negatively

People who sexualise the TBHK cast and who age them up in AUs for the sole purpose of sexualising them (this applies to any minor characters in any fandom)

And finally, people who ship Aoikane, Akanene, or Tsunene

I have a pretty no-nonsense attitude when it comes to interacting with people online because I simply do not have the time or energy for meaningless arguments. While I'm not the most confident person ever, I still try my best to be approachable if people are nice/neutral when they try to talk to me; I promise I don't bite lol

[superbfurbz]

Michal David’s “Furby A Shelby” (2001): A potential English translation? 😮

Hey Furby fans! If you know of someone who has in fact done this before, please let me know so I can properly credit and reblog/report on it! I did try looking around online for a few days but was unable to turn up anything else on my own.

Some of you may be familiar with the several unofficial-to-official Furby-centric and Furby-inclusive music albums that have been released over the years; some from the USA, some from Europe, and some from Latin America. With a little digging around, you can find much of this music available online, mostly on YouTube and Spotify... but did you know that two of these albums were released exclusively in Czechia? Furby wiki frequenters may already be acquainted with the titles: Cesta Kolem Světa - Music Party (Around the World - Music Party) 2001  and 22 Dětských Hitů (22 Children’s Hits) 2002

Fortunately for us, 22 Children’s Hits can be listened to in its entirely on YouTube here. For Music Party, well... it gets a bit tougher.

On the Furby fandom wiki page for Music Party, there is a single comment from 2018 where a Furby fan bemoans their inability to listen to this album in full. Even when browsing Czech merchant sites in attempts to outright purchase the CD or cassette, it can be difficult to come across. Neither English translated lyrics nor the original Czech lyrics for any of the songs don’t seem to be listed anywhere. The album features several odes to various toys/family entertainment properties. Only a single song from the album is available to listen to online, and I believe it is thanks to the fervor and tenacity of the Furby fandom that it is so. That song is “Furby A Shelby”! You can listen to it in the embedded video below.

So, what about that translation? Hand over the goods, old man. Recently, I have made a friend in Czechia. I was sharing Furby related things with him when he remarked how excited he was to see someone from outside the country who had heard of a Czech musician in any capacity. A bit later, I found myself unable to resist... I asked my friend what it would take to listen to the song and translate the lyrics into English for me, so I could finally know what Furby and Shelby were up to after all these years! Below the readmore is the translation from my friend. He did mention he found himself unable to keep the rhyme scheme intact, but it still paints a clear picture of what the song is about. Please be kind, he did this without being a professional translator, from the generosity of his heart. I hope you enjoy! Thanks for reading!

Furby: Hello I am Furby! Shelby: And I'm Shelby! Both: And well, since we are here, we will sing and have a nice trip around the world Furby: I lived and sailed on a cloud in the skies I ate, I drank, nicely growing fat Then I became the victim of a miracle I fell to the ground like a bug Shelby: I also soared the skies Like Furby, I met the same fate Before I came to, I was on my feet I walked the land on my feet Chorus: Pals Furby and Shelby, each one wants to go somewhere else But they still walk with each other around the world Pals Furby and Shelby, each one wants something Just not to wander alone Furby: Mistakenly I read I was in Mexico I wanted to wear a sombrero right away However there was no escape from the sun So I got a heatstroke really fast Shelby: I landed on the biggest cactus It stabbed me in the butt! Lucky I didn't fall on my mouth My smile was gone for good Chorus: Pals Furby and Shelby, each one wants to go somewhere else But they still walk with each other around the world Pals Furby and Shelby, each one wants something Just not to wander alone Furby, Shelby! (2x) Chorus: Pals Furby and Shelby, each one wants to go somewhere else But they still walk with each other around the world Pals Furby and Shelby, each one wants something Just not to wander alone (3x)

[worrywrite]

I wanted to share about this, because this specifically hit home for me.

I graduated with a bachelor's in English, specializing in professional writing (ad copy, documentation/design, editing, and draft writing--I was aiming to be widely employable doing something I loved) in first quarter 2019. Now, my university wasn't particularly prestigious, but I had a good record and prior employment at university (doing course editing and documentation) and certificates from professional training programs and recommendations from professors and past employers.

Between my date of graduation (and throughout my last semester) and mid-2023, I submitted an average of 10 job applications every weekday as though it were my job. I also worked on and off retail and contract work (slowly building up my professional CV). I worked on it on my own and I had connected with multiple placement and temp agencies too. Even during COVID, I kept it up. I applied local across the three states I lived in during this time, as well as remote, and hybrid, and even out of state if the salary for the position would have allowed me to move. I even applied to neighboring states with lower salary positions because a short move would still be doable.

For all my work I achieved less than 50 interviews total (probably closer to 20). All of which panned out how you'd expect. And not for a lack of trying. I tested my resume (by comparing success rates on test applications with individual modifications and used review services), my employment analytics, keyword frequency and position on my CV. I did the dirty work in between applications. It wasn't perfect, because different sorts of jobs I was aiming for wanted different things so I had to alter things frequently.

By the point in 2023 where I stopped I was having an extended depressive episode. I had received, on average, 2-5 rejection emails every day in that four year span. Sometimes I would get emails rejecting me from positions I had applied for months earlier, sometimes from positions I had not applied for at all. My partner took up full time employment, which is why I stopped. They had made a connection with someone who got them the job they have now. I, in turn, became a stay at home parent.

And in the year since, and with new reporting on the issue, I've come to realize what I went through was worse than I'd thought.

See, by the time I was entering that final depressive episode I had a strong suspicion that these online job listings were not what they seemed. I knew some people got jobs that way, I had seen it happen. But I could still tell something was wrong. Initially I had thought it was a matter of internal hiring versus hiring practices (the company had to list the positions publicly even though they knew they would be rearranging internally to fill the position), which did happen. But, in reality, what was happening was worse.

Reporting has confirmed that the vast majority of employers using sites like indeed, LinkedIn, Glassdoor, monster, etc. aren't actually hiring. They're laundering their employment numbers to invent growth. If they have an application open, and then it closes because they say the position was "filled" they get to say that they are employing more people. This is good for them, because these sites can aggregate that data for them to put in various reports to show larger scale growth for investors. And when they aren't laundering numbers, they're farming data from various listings to sell back to the sites that host those same listings; but since those listings exist to harvest data and aren't real, the data they're selling is useless and makes the platforms worse.

I spent four years applying to jobs that weren't even real. Or that weren't what they said they were. Or for jobs that had already been filled. And a year after I've stopped, I sometimes still get rejections. That did something to me that I can't afford to get therapy for. It broke me in such a fundamental way that I can't discern the pieces of my professional self to put them back together. If someone offered me my dream job right now, for real, no strings attached, I'd tell them no--because there's no way in hell I'd trust them. Not after what I've experienced.

And what I went through isn't even a matter of employment vs unemployment. I worked essentially full time hours for four years, and every day (even days I wasn't working) 2-5 of my "employers" told me I had done a shit job; often so bad that they didn't even address the message to me, just sent a general statement. By all accounts I was employed. And by all accounts I never got fired, I quit. I quit because the workplace was too toxic to exist in.

So, if anyone wants to learn anything from me, learn this. Don't apply online. Ever. If you absolutely have to, do it and then immediately call the hiring manager for the position to let them know you have applied and would like to hear back as soon as it processes. If you need a job, talk to a person. If you don't, you may well never find a job.

do genuinely find it fascinating how indeed.com is like the biggest job-hunting website out there and yet manages to be profoundly useless in every possible way

[plagirismchecker]

Top 5 Advantages of Using a Plagiarism Checker for Your Academic Work

Plagiarism can be a serious issue for students working on academic assignments. It can be intentional or accidental, either because of lack of proper citation or incorrect paraphrasing, and it might result in reduced grades or even academic penalties. The plagiarism checker is an important tool in allowing students to maintain the originality of their work, uphold ethics in writing, and maintain academic honesty.

Here are five major advantages of plagiarism testers for students:

1. Fosters Academic Integrity

Originality is at the core of scholarly work. Many institutions of higher learning pay great importance to submitting assignments, essays, and research papers that are purely one's independent idea and creativity. A plagiarism checker helps the student ensure originality within their work, identifying content plagiarized or weakly paraphrased. Plagiarism checkers go through different sources, academic papers, and online content for areas that require citation or revision. This makes students more ethically correct in their writing practices, increasing their confidence in submitting original work.

2. Enhanced Writing and Citation Skills

Plagiarism detection tools play a role in improving the writing and referencing of students. The highlighting portions show the student how and where to paraphrase, a very important writing skill, and how to correctly cite sources.

For instance, if a sentence has been highlighted for similarity, students can paraphrase it while maintaining the original meaning. Many plagiarism detectors suggest the correct format for citations, thus helping students in improving the accuracy of their references. This will help them not only in presenting better work but also increase their knowledge regarding academic writing standards.

3. Saves Time and Reduces Stress

Managing different assignments, exams, and extracurricular activities leaves little time for a student to go through their work and check for plagiarism. What the plagiarism checker does is make that task easier by giving immediate, detailed feedback on any potential issues. Instead of having to compare their work manually to every online source, students can rely on plagiarism checkers for an in-depth check in just a few seconds. This quick solution eliminates the stress of last-minute revisions to ensure that their assignments are polished and free from plagiarism. With Desklib, students can find fast, easy-to-use tools, especially when deadlines are looming.

4. Avoids Accidental Plagiarism

Accidental plagiarism includes instances when students pass off the ideas or text of others as their own, most often because of poor note-taking, misunderstanding of citation, or overlooking a source. A good plagiarism checker will help avoid such mistakes by underlining portions that require citations or rewording. This feature is extremely useful for students who are inexperienced in academic writing or for those who are non-native English speakers. It gives them a chance to learn from their mistakes, and their work will still be of high quality and without any accidental plagiarism.

5. More Confidence in Submissions

Submitting original content can be quite stressful, especially when originality is a key part of the grading process. The plagiarism checker gives peace of mind that the work is indeed unique.

A fact that it has passed through a checker ensures that whenever students are aware their work has been adequately checked, they are more confident to submit such work. A confidence where one knows this work was not stolen propels a student to invest all concentration in ensuring his ideas were clearly brought out. Most plagiarism checkers go the extra step to create detailed reports about which part of the text has been plagiarized and where those sources can be found for students to make the corrections before submitting the final product.

Why Choose Desklib's Plagiarism Checker?

Desklib's plagiarism checker is the best option for students in need of a reliable and efficient tool. The user-friendly interface, combined with its vast database, ensures the detection of similarities in academic work—from essays to research papers—with high accuracy. With Desklib, students can be sure that their work will meet the standards of originality, thus giving them peace of mind.

Conclusion

A plagiarism checker is, in today's academic ecosystem, more than just a useful tool; it's essential. It helps students maintain originality, improves writing and citation skills, and reduces a lot of stress associated with academic submissions. With Desklib's plagiarism checker, students are able to locate problems, refine their work with elaborate reports, and hence make full use of such valuable insights while performing well in studies. Such tools inspire originality and help instill good ethics of writing in students, serving them for a lifetime through academia and professional life.

for more info: click here

[englishwiseae]

Why Are Online IELTS Classes in Dubai Better than PTE?

IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is an English proficiency test which many of you often weigh against the new PTE exam in Dubai. As popular as the globally recognised IELTS test still is, the modern computer-based PTE test is also an entrance to study or work abroad.

However, comparing online IELTS classes in Dubai to the online PTE classes in Dubai can be challenging. While both have established a reputation, online IELTS coaching is far better than the PTE classes in many ways.

Whether you notice the difference in terms of flexibility, interactive learning, personalised feedback, test-taking strategies, and other factors, this blog will explore the differences to make your decision to take one test stronger.

5 Factors that Determine Why IELTS Coaching is Better Choice Over PTE

Here are all the determinants that make the global IELTS test a much better option than preparing for the Pearson Test.

1.    Flexible Classes:

Online learning in both these tests is convenient for every aspirant who is managing their studies, working full-time, and adapting to family responsibilities. However, online IELTS classes in Dubai are more focused towards live sessions with expert mentors.

You get the chance to meet knowledgeable and experienced educators who teach you every concept of the IELTS structure and preparation strategies.

On the other hand, online PTE coaching is more self-guided. You are learning through computer-based modules, apps, and other digital resources which can be challenging to understand for beginners.

2.    Personalised Feedback:

Another benefit behind considering online IELTS learning is the expert feedback for your practice test, modules, or other live sessions. That is because IELTS speaking and writing sections involve human interaction. During the speaking part, you are interacting with the examiner. Also, the examiner evaluates your writing skills based on subjective scoring as well.

That is why online coaching centres also conduct the same approach where tutors review your essays, correct mistakes, and provide strategies for improving scores. This is not the case when you are preparing for the PTE exam in Dubai as the automated AI feedback can raise questions about the genuineness of the opinions.

3.    Interactive and Engaging Learning Experience:

When you are enrolling for the online IELTS class, you likely expect the educator to prepare you to speak confidently, fluently, and in the right accent. Your mentors also guide you through the strategies to write essays, reports, and answer tricky questions.

This one-on-one interaction in the coaching directs you to go beyond learning and express your ideas, clarify doubts, and request individual feedback.

In the PTE preparation, computer-based practice tests are equally beneficial although the real-time interaction is always missing.

4.    Makes Your English Speaking Skills More Fluent:

In the IELTS test, you are practicing speaking in front of the tutor. This helps you receive clear feedback on your sentence structure, logic, and areas where you need more practice to excel in the real exam. This is both comfortable and helps you adjust to the pressure of speaking on the spot during the real test environment.

While preparing for the PTE exam in Dubai, you are guided to become confident speaking into a microphone which can be impersonal for some test takers. The less engagement during the preparation itself can make it hard for beginners to trust their English speaking skills.

5.    IELTS Test-Taking Strategies Are More Impactful:

Finally, one of the strongest pros of online IELTS classes is that you will learn test-taking strategies to excel. In addition to covering the exam's content, you will get a complete guidance on managing time during the test, the right approach to understand and answer different types of questions, and how to achieve best scores in the mock test.

On the other hand, preparing for the PTE exam in Dubai includes practice tests, but you are less likely to experience real experiences and learn strategies for time management in the strategy for the Speaking and Writing sections.

Final Words

We hope you found this blog useful and informative. Coming to an end, it is clear that both the online courses like IELTS and PTE are effective for individual test takers. We have walked you through the benefits of considering online IELTS classes over PTE preparation in Dubai.

Nevertheless, you might need to consider the PTE test if you require quick results, automated test and scoring, or if your institution or employer only accepts PTE scores.

In that case, considering coaching centres providing both PTE or online IELTS classes in Dubai is more convenient to consult or take free trial classes.

[ireceived-p8250000]

September 28-October 5, 2013

Sunday:

I spent the day working on some edits, studying, and doing chores. Laundry piled up, and I tackled it while reading my new Komiksmachine. The blend of mundane tasks and leisure created a peaceful rhythm to the day.

Monday:

Lecture and discussion filled the morning. We started conducting experiments based on the methods we just learned, and our group’s plan got approved. Meg, the older and more experienced one, took the lead.

Later, I attended my first Aikido class. It was challenging, each movement requiring focus and coordination, but I felt a sense of accomplishment by the end.

Tuesday:

We delved into neurological disorders in class, a topic both fascinating and sobering. During Economics, we had a mini-reporting session, and then came History class. As I walked in, my heart raced. I had to muster a lot of energy to act nonchalant. Sir Apollo and I exchanged glances that carried a weight of unspoken words. The memory of our kiss lingered, and I found myself rubbing my lips together.

After Ecology, I met with Mansoor. We went to Starbucks and talked, then I led him to a secluded spot near General Luna. The absence of people gave us a sense of privacy. I hugged him and kissed his cheeks, then his lips. He froze, and panic gripped me.

"Sorry!" I blurted, horrified by my impulsiveness. "I should have asked you, I'm sorry!"

He laughed and kissed me back, deeper this time.

"It's okay," he said, laughing and brushing my hair. "That was my first kiss. I've really wanted to do that."

I kissed him again, just a light peck.

"I liked that," he said, making me feel all fluttery inside. For a moment, I felt like I had erased the memory of Apollo’s kiss.

Wednesday:

We started gathering respondents for our experiment, mostly boys or people we knew. The process was fun, full of laughter and camaraderie. We did computations and broke down our roles, the teamwork making the tasks enjoyable.

Thursday:

Abnormal Psychology included a small role-playing session. English 7 had readings that were engaging and thought-provoking.

In History class, we began lectures on Rizal. I met Myla, a cheerful and talkative friend. During a downtime, I was reading Nick Joaquin, and Sir Apollo suddenly grabbed the book. We discussed it briefly, but I acted disinterested.

A storm was brewing, and it rained heavily as I headed home, soaked to the bone. Mansoor was with his family, so I spent the evening alone.

Friday:

We had an organizational meeting about the upcoming sportsfest. Our first experiment report was due, and Ma’am Jean paired Mansoor and me together again as an example. The class squealed, making it clear they suspected something. I appreciated Mansoor's efforts to keep our relationship discreet.

After class, I attended Aikido. Mansoor and Hollmae hung out nearby. Once Hollmae left, I kissed Mansoor again, just a brief peck. We remembered it was our second-month anniversary.

Saturday:

We submitted our case study journals. I fabricated my case study, describing someone with depression and PTSD, sourced from online research. It seemed the easiest way to complete the assignment.

In History class, I learned to joke around with Sir Apollo, easing the tension. He asked about my well-being, specifically if my harasser was still bothering me. I assured him he wasn’t. He inquired why I no longer worked at the bookstore, and I explained I quit to ease my parents' worries.

He nodded, and I caught him glancing at my legs.

"That's great," he said with a smile.

Later, we had another meeting to finalize plans. We decided to rent the Green Valley Sports Center for the sportsfest.

It was my mom’s birthday, which I nearly forgot. I bought a cake and cooked a special meal. That day, I also received 10,000 pesos for my job, bringing my total savings to 33,000.

[footytea]

not gossip-related, but i came across some posts on black english players racial abuse & wanted to share smthg that shows european racism.

this is in no means me trying to compare ENG & GER, i´m just going to summarize what happened. warning: it´s long.

there is a WDR (west german radio station) "survey" that shows, how every fifth german wants more white players to play for the DFB. 21% want more national players with a white skin tone and 17% are disappointed about the fact that ilkay gündogan has turkish roots. >lmao, shouldn´t be suprising after the mistreatment of özil, no matter if his political ties align with you personally or not, german fans are wrong & ungrateful for booing whenever he possessed the ball and straight up were racist to him. he was one of the key players that helped germany win the world cup in 2014. kimmich says that it is absolute bonkers. football is a way of uniting different nations, ppl of different skin tones and religions. it is racist and has no business in their team. the actual reason for this poll resulted in reporter Phillip Awounou´s documentary named (literal transl.) "Unity and Right and Diversity". in the interviews, he was confronted with statements on how little "actual" light-skin germans are playing. they wanted to share this reaction w actual data instead of "simplifying" it.

in the end, despite the disappointing results, this has just shown the social state of today´s germany. 20ish% is enough to see the online abuse under the most random sports posts. i could write pages on özil, gündogan and mixed players like gnarby and co. who contribute(d) to the dfb and still seem to have to prove their loyalty to germany.

it sucks that you have to perform well to "earn" not only the respect - but also human decency from "fans". like özil said, you are german when you win but an outsider if you lose. this can be applied on the english players. the brits reaction to the final was disgusting but not surprising.

(anon is this the ask you meant?)

yeah i also read about that survery and the results are crazy

unfortunately this trend of being accepted as their own when you win and being racially abused when you lose is a reality in a lot of european countries.

i remember this quote from romelu lukaku, similar to özil's quote:

"When I played well, I was Romelu Lukaku, the Belgian striker. When things were going less, it became Romelu Lukaku, the Belgian striker of Congolese origin. I am a Belgian. Full stop."

[sirspazingtonthefourth]

A Well-Tempered Blade

Chapter 4: With Hard Work

Summary: Katherine has a lousy quirk. At least, that's what everyone says. After all, who would want to be able to mimic any sound they hear? That's no quirk for a hero. But Katherine's quirk is not mimicry, but something worse; something that would get her labelled a villain the second she revealed it. So to keep her family she hides her quirk, not even telling her closest friends her secret. But secrets must eventually come into the lights, and Katherine's are no exception. 2k/16k, no romance, angst? oc

A/N: These were some of the first solid scenes I had for Katherine when I was conceptualizing her. This was my starting point for her in the creative process, and I built all of her backstory to lead here, while making sure it could carry her further in the story. I'll stop talking and let you read. Hope you enjoy!

Content Warnings (will be announced by the chapter): Police, interrogation, knives. Let me know if I missed any.

10 years later

Katherine sighed at her desk. It seemed she had an endless supply of reports to sort through, approve, and send off. She considered getting up to eat something, but the footsteps of one of the heroes made her quickly reconsider.

Katherine had been working at a hero agency since she graduated high school. She couldn’t cut it as a hero, she knew, but this way she was still doing some good. Helping the good guys. She believed herself when she said it didn’t cut at her that she was so low in the company hierarchy, even among the non-hero employees. She was proving something with every correctly filed arrest and damage report: she could still do good in the world without being a hero.

“Hey, Katherine! What does ‘FUA’ mean on someone’s identity?” The newest hire asked. Lily was an American, born and raised, and she had been delegated to Katherine because her American mother had taught her English. Katherine turned her chair to face the cubicle behind her.

“It means ‘file under arrests.’ You have to watch out for arrests, collaborations, rescues, et cetera. If you don’t file them properly, the agency can get fined and then we’re all in trouble,” she explained to the blonde.

“Ahhh, gotcha. I’ll make a note of that,” Lily said, scribbling something on a sticky note. It joined the multitude of sticky notes around her monitor. Katherine chuckled slightly, wondering exactly how the girl managed to pay attention to her computer with all the bright colors. She turned back to her own monitor, sorting through the files.

She stretched when five o’clock came around. She snatched up her keys, wallet, and phone, and headed out the door. She had to get home and change. She had an order to fill.

Katherine had begun researching different knives after her best friend’s death. Both because she needed to know different kinds for her quirk and because she had started taking knife fighting courses. One of her best guides had been an introduction to smithing.

Katherine had wanted to make one of the knives the book detailed. She had begged her father to help her get her hands on the iron, wood, and leather needed for the knife, as well as take her to the rentable blacksmith space she had found online. It had been worth it when she finished her first blade.

Katherine’s knack for blades and her love for making them inspired her to start her own business. Sunēkuai Blades. She donated 75% of her earnings from the company to suicide prevention hotlines, suicide education, and the like. The other 25% went towards getting more materials.

She made knives, swords, and other blades for self defense, kitchen use, or simply as collectibles. The ones she really liked she made doubles of and kept for herself, intending to display them. As much as the business helped other people, it helped Katherine as well. She hadn’t used her quirk since she opened, six years ago, and it had built her from light and wiry to strong and thick-set.

When she finally reached the blacksmithing area, she was excited. Smithing was the highlight of her day, when she got to do it. It was a few hours that she could be with the things she loved.

She had an order for a collectible today. They were a set of throwing stars shaped like peach blossoms. The customer had included a sketch of what they wanted, which was a welcome relief. It gave Katherine a template to work towards, and a fun bit of art to look at.

The room sweltered in the dry heat of the furnace, and there were a couple of people making their own things already. Some were hammering away at metals, others were polishing nearly finished creations. Katherine went over to her reserved furnace and began melting down the iron she was going to use.

It was three hours before Katherine walked back into her apartment. She was sweaty, tired, and in desperate need of a shower and food. Not necessarily in that order. She snagged a container of leftover udon, heated it, and went to watch the news. She could have done so in the kitchen, which looked into the living room and out onto the balcony, but the couch was more comfy than leaning on the kitchen counter.

She fell onto the couch, flipping the tv on to the news channel. It was just some news about what arrests were made today, any big collaborations between agencies, and the works. Stain’s name was tossed around here and there. Katherine slurped her udon only half listening as she debated checking for more orders before bed.

“In other news, there is a new villain on the loose. They are being charged with the murder of pro Hero Burst.” Katherine stopped eating, looking at the screen. It wasn’t every day that someone killed a hero. It caught her interest.

“While the culprit is unknown, they did leave a knife at the scene.” An image of a simple knife with a wooden handle popped into the top right of the screen. “Police are trying to find any information they can from the evidence left at the scene, and if anyone knows about what happened they are encouraged to step forward and-”

Katherine shut the tv off and reached for her phone. She dialed the police, standing and walking towards her computer. She had to find something buried in those files.

“Hello, what’s your emergency?” a woman’s voice asked from the other side of the line.

“I need to speak to whoever is in charge of the investigation into Burst’s murder.” The line was quiet for a moment, a few tapping keys the only sound.

“You’re looking for the tip hotline. Do you have a paper and pen handy? I have the number right here.” Katherine jotted down the number and quickly called it.

“Hello, what can I do for you today?” a man asked. Katherine cleared her throat and began.

“Hello. I have some information about the Burst murder.” There was some typing. The man spoke again, terse and suspicious.

“Name?”

“Katherine Soroyan.”

“Age?”

“26.” The questioning went on for several minutes before the man finally gave Katherine what she needed.

“Alright. Please come in tomorrow at 10 a.m.”

“Thank you sir. Have a good night,” Katherine said. She heard the receiver click without response. She set the phone down, sending a quick email to her boss that she had to be late to work tomorrow. She was rarely tardy, so she hoped he didn’t get upset at her. With that taken care of, she began to dig through her files.

Katherine walked into the police station, holding a folder and wearing a suit. She still had work after this. She couldn’t afford going home to change.

She took a seat, waiting to be called to her interview. It was 9:30 a.m. when she sat down. By the time she was called in for her interview, it was 10:30. She didn’t know if she was going to be able to make it to work when she said she would, and frantically texted Lily to explain that her appointment had been pushed back unexpectedly. She had no sooner sent the text than someone came to the lobby for her.

She was guided down a few halls, passing water dispensers and vending machines as they sat against beige walls. After several turns, Katherine was instructed to sit down in a well lit room containing only a metal table and three chairs. The walls were black and covered in jagged foam, save for one wall with a pane of one-way glass.

Katherine waited another ten minutes before the police and a hero showed up in the room. Katherine almost felt her blood run cold as she saw who the hero was. It was her boss: the pro Hero Rapids.

Kai.

When she had chosen to work for the Rapids agency, she had known it was Kai she was working under. He was a fairly small hero, someone who knew the names of the people in the neighborhoods he patrolled. It had been something Katherine appreciated, at first. But the few times they interacted at work he had been unnecessarily harsh to her. She wondered if he recognized her, even now.

“Ah, Miss Soroyan. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” the officer said as Kai stared at her. There was recognition in his eyes. And anger. She desperately hoped it wasn’t directed at her.

“My name is Detective Ito. This here is pro Hero Rapids. We’re working with his agency to track down this hero killer copycat. You contacted us yesterday, saying you had information?” Katherine nodded, training her eyes on the officer as he spoke.

“I do. That was my knife.” The bluntness stunned the chief for a moment, and Katherine realized it sounded a lot like she had just confessed to the murder.

“Rather… It was a knife I made. I have my own company on the side, I hand make custom blades. Anything from a whittling knife to display katanas, I make them.” Katherine set her file on the table, pulling the papers out.

“This knife, as well as two others, were commissioned about five months ago. This first one,” Katherine gestured to a paper with an address, a description, and a picture of the hunting knife that had killed a hero, “was the first commissioned. The next two were ornamental. You’ll find the mailing address on all of these orders.”

Rapids picked up the papers, looking at them carefully. He snorted a minute later, tossing the papers on the table.

“There’s no name. What good is this if there isn’t a name to go with them?” Katherine opened her mouth to answer the hero, when he cut her off, beginning to stand. “Come to think of it, how did you even know it was your knife? Were you collaborating with the killer? Did you see your knife and panic that it might get traced back to you? Are you throwing your partner under the bus so you can live to kill another day? Are you-”

“Rapids, that’s enough!” Detective Ito cut in. Rapids glanced back at the man before sitting down with a ‘harumph.’ Detective Ito sighed and turned to Katherine.

“Rapids does raise some good points. Why did you know it was your knife? Why did you contact us so quickly?” Katherine waited a beat to see if she was allowed to answer.

“I’ve been making blades for ten years. I make them by hand. I spend hours on every one, making sure they’re properly made. There isn’t a one I wouldn’t recognise,” Katherine explained. If Rapids recognized why that would be important, he made no sign. He just kept glaring at her.

“As for why I contacted you… I guess the best reason is I was angry. I make my blades to help people. The functional ones are used near daily in kitchens and wood shops all over the city. The decorative ones are displayed in some of the finest collections. I take everything I earn from my blades and put it back into making more, and everything left over goes to suicide prevention.

“So to see someone using my knife, a knife I poured hours into, that I made to make someone’s life a little easier and to help someone considering taking their life, to see that knife used to kill anyone feels like a perversion of everything I meant for that knife to be.” Katherine almost felt insulted at the question. Why wouldn’t she want this murderer off the streets? Why wouldn’t she tell police right away if she had information, especially regarding her blades?

Rapids cleared his throat after Katherine was done. He looked her in the eyes, and she though there was a spark of guilt in them. But he blinked, and it was gone.

“Thank you for your information. We will have to keep the files, you understand, but you are free to go.” Katherine nodded, rose, and bowed to the detective and hero in a polite ‘farewell.’ Then she turned and walked out the door.

[beardedmrbean]

Ilta-Sanomat describes Sauli Niinistö's last week in the presidency as "a whirlwind of travel from country to country and city to city."

Niinistö has not been taking it easy, even though his term ends Friday when Alexander Stubb takes over as President of the Republic.

A week ago, on Thursday, Niinistö was still touring Finland. He visited his home town of Salo for the last time before the end of his second and final term in office.

From Salo, he headed for Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, where the funeral of President Hage Geingob took place over the weekend.

From Namibia, Niinistö flew back to Europe to Paris, the where he attended a meeting to reaffirm Western support for Ukraine, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Following that, Niinistö returned to Helsinki. On Wednesday he had his final formal meeting with the cabinet. On Thursday, Niinistö will hold his last press conference as president.

The week, and Niinistö's final term, will culminate on Friday in Parliament. At 11:50 am, Niinistö will inspect an honour guard in front of the Parliament for the last time. He and Stubb will then proceed to a plenary session of Parliament, where Niinistö will present an address to the house.

During that session, power will change hands and Stubb will become president.

Niinistö's legacy

The Uutissuomalainen news group asked three researchers what Niinistö's legacy will be and what issues from his time in office will go down in history.

Professor of Political Science Tapio Raunio from the University of Tampere, political scientist Johanna Vuorelma from the University of Helsinki and Associate Professor of Political History Johanna Rainio-Niemi from the University of Helsinki all believe that the last two years of Niinistö's presidency will define his legacy.

Rainio-Niemi said she believes that Niinistö will be remembered as a president who served during a time of upheaval, most remembered for Finland's quick ascension into Nato. Vuorelma also believes that Niinistö's legacy will be defined by Nato membership.

Vuorelma pointed out that Niinistö was not publicly in favour of Nato membership before Russia's attack on Ukraine. For example, in his New Year's speech before the Russian invasion, Niinistö said that Finland had a crisis-resistant foreign and security policy that did not need to be changed.

"Niinistö himself was not the one who dictated or persuaded the public to back this change," Vuorelma told USU.

According to Raunio, it would be wrong to say that Niinistö is the one who brought Finland into Nato. Raunio points out that during Niinistö's first ten years in office, practically nothing happened with regard to the western alliance.

"It was only when Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022 and public opinion changed that Niinistö and the rest of our political elite turned the corner and started moving towards Nato," Raunio noted.

Finnish arms in Russia

According to a report in Helsingin Sanomat weapons and ammunition produced by the Finnish arms industry companies Sako and Nammo Lapua have ended up in Russia despite the arms export ban.

In February, a report by the Russian online magazine IStories and the Italian newspaper Irpi Media claimed that Finnish arms and ammunition had ended up in Russia. HS says it has verified this information and obtained new information, for example on the routes of the weapons took from Finland to Russia.

According to some Russian war bloggers, these weapons and ammunition have also been used by Russian soldiers in Ukraine.

In total, reports HS, several million rounds of Finnish ammunition have ended up in Russia. Between 2022 and 2023, nearly 700 rifles made at the Sako factory in Riihimäki and about 67,000 boxes of Sako cartridges were registered in Russia. During the same period, about 174,000 boxes of Nammo Lapua cartridges were registered there.

Sako and Nammo Lapua denied to HS that they exported these products to Russia. According to the companies, the weapons and cartridges were exported to Russia without their permission and without their knowledge.

According to HS's investigation, the Sako rifles and parts entered Russia via Italy.

Lapua Sako is owned by the Beretta group, which is originally Italian. Nammo Lapua is part of the Nammo group, which is owned by Finland's Patria and the Norwegian state. The Finnish state owns 50.1 percent of Patria.

Household spending down

Karjalainen reports on a fresh survey showing that more than half of Finnish households have cut back on spending in order to balance their finances.

The survey, carried out by the pollster Taloustutkimus for the loan comparison service Sortter, asked households what measures they have used to offset rising interest rates and living costs over the past year. A majority, 54 percent of respondents said they had trimmed back on everyday spending on items such as food and medicine.

One in three said they had also spent less on energy. One in four has drawn on their savings.

Just over 40 percent of households reported having less money available to spend each month compared to a year ago.

English-only ban?

On Wednesday, MPs debated issues related to the use and status of Finnish, and what some members see as threats to the majority national language.

Ilta-Sanomat is among the papers reporting that Pekka Aittakumpu (Cen) issued a call for a tightening of language legislation along the lines of the French model. He believes that the Finnish language should be protected in particular from the dominance of English.

"The law could also require private sector operators to provide services in Finnish. In Estonia and France, for example, language law also applies to private service providers. In those countries, a café that provides service only in English is illegal," Aittakumpu was quoted as saying.

Aittakumpu also demanded that it should be possible to obtain degrees in Finnish at all educational levels.

"In many fields, it is no longer possible to continue studies in the national language after obtaining a bachelor's degree, as master's degree courses switch to teaching in English. This is not right. University funding must be more strictly linked to the opportunity of studying in Finnish," he argued.

Minister of Justice Leena Meri (Finns) told MPs that there are several government-initiated projects underway examining the status of the use of Finnish.

Minister of Education Anna-Maja Henriksson (SPP) pointed out that the national language strategy aims to ensure that the Finnish language does not become less widely used. She added, that on the other hand, speakers of Swedish, Finland's second official language, do not always receive even legally-mandated services in their mother tongue.