#travel industry 2021

[nasa]

What We Learned from Flying a Helicopter on Mars

The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter made history – not only as the first aircraft to perform powered, controlled flight on another world – but also for exceeding expectations, pushing the limits, and setting the stage for future NASA aerial exploration of other worlds.

Built as a technology demonstration designed to perform up to five experimental test flights over 30 days, Ingenuity performed flight operations from the Martian surface for almost three years. The helicopter ended its mission on Jan. 25, 2024, after sustaining damage to its rotor blades during its 72nd flight.

So, what did we learn from this small but mighty helicopter?

We can fly rotorcraft in the thin atmosphere of other planets.

Ingenuity proved that powered, controlled flight is possible on other worlds when it took to the Martian skies for the first time on April 19, 2021.

Flying on planets like Mars is no easy feat: The Red Planet has a significantly lower gravity – one-third that of Earth’s – and an extremely thin atmosphere, with only 1% the pressure at the surface compared to our planet. This means there are relatively few air molecules with which Ingenuity’s two 4-foot-wide (1.2-meter-wide) rotor blades can interact to achieve flight.

Ingenuity performed several flights dedicated to understanding key aerodynamic effects and how they interact with the structure and control system of the helicopter, providing us with a treasure-trove of data on how aircraft fly in the Martian atmosphere.

Now, we can use this knowledge to directly improve performance and reduce risk on future planetary aerial vehicles.

Creative solutions and “ingenuity” kept the helicopter flying longer than expected.

Over an extended mission that lasted for almost 1,000 Martian days (more than 33 times longer than originally planned), Ingenuity was upgraded with the ability to autonomously choose landing sites in treacherous terrain, dealt with a dead sensor, dusted itself off after dust storms, operated from 48 different airfields, performed three emergency landings, and survived a frigid Martian winter.

Fun fact: To keep costs low, the helicopter contained many off-the-shelf-commercial parts from the smartphone industry - parts that had never been tested in deep space. Those parts also surpassed expectations, proving durable throughout Ingenuity’s extended mission, and can inform future budget-conscious hardware solutions.

There is value in adding an aerial dimension to interplanetary surface missions.

Ingenuity traveled to Mars on the belly of the Perseverance rover, which served as the communications relay for Ingenuity and, therefore, was its constant companion. The helicopter also proved itself a helpful scout to the rover.

After its initial five flights in 2021, Ingenuity transitioned to an “operations demonstration,” serving as Perseverance’s eyes in the sky as it scouted science targets, potential rover routes, and inaccessible features, while also capturing stereo images for digital elevation maps.

Airborne assets like Ingenuity unlock a new dimension of exploration on Mars that we did not yet have – providing more pixels per meter of resolution for imaging than an orbiter and exploring locations a rover cannot reach.

Tech demos can pay off big time.

Ingenuity was flown as a technology demonstration payload on the Mars 2020 mission, and was a high risk, high reward, low-cost endeavor that paid off big. The data collected by the helicopter will be analyzed for years to come and will benefit future Mars and other planetary missions.

Just as the Sojourner rover led to the MER-class (Spirit and Opportunity) rovers, and the MSL-class (Curiosity and Perseverance) rovers, the team believes Ingenuity’s success will lead to future fleets of aircraft at Mars.

In general, NASA’s Technology Demonstration Missions test and advance new technologies, and then transition those capabilities to NASA missions, industry, and other government agencies. Chosen technologies are thoroughly ground- and flight-tested in relevant operating environments — reducing risks to future flight missions, gaining operational heritage and continuing NASA’s long history as a technological leader.

You can fall in love with robots on another planet.

Following in the tracks of beloved Martian rovers, the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter built up a worldwide fanbase. The Ingenuity team and public awaited every single flight with anticipation, awe, humor, and hope.

Check out #ThanksIngenuity on social media to see what’s been said about the helicopter’s accomplishments.

Learn more about Ingenuity’s accomplishments here. And make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

[runawaysiren940]

Here's the full script for the most recent video, minus where I ad libbed:

Dr. Moumita Debnath, a 31 year old doctor trainee, was found dead on August 9th, 2024. After taking a break half-way through a 36 hour shift, her corpse was found on a blood stained mattress. Her body bore the wounds of torture, from the wounds to her eyes, her pelvis, genitals, arms and legs. As noted in The Publica’s report, “The post-mortem report also noted that over 150 mg of semen was recovered from the doctor’s body, indicating that up to 30 men could have been involved in the violation of Debath’s body. The normal volume of semen produced by a male upon ejaculation typically varies from 1.5 to 5.0 mg, according to the online medical encyclopedia MedlinePlus” (Biase). Her family was told that she died via suicide, though her wounds made it obvious that this was not the case; however, this claim allowed the principal of the school to avoid filing a police report. The attempts to hide the crime did not succeed, and have resulted in protests across India and the medical industry, both in response to the lack of protections for medical staff, and because of the attempt to hide the crime. 

In the aftermath, searches for footage of Debnath’s gang rape have trended, as “According to Google Trends, queries such as “Moumita Debnath porn” and “Dr. Moumita Debnath video” have experienced surges across India, with “Moumita Debnath rap[e] video” experiencing a 110% increase in searches. As of the time of this writing, of all the queries associated with her name, “Moumita Debnath photo video” is the 5th most searched in India, while “Moumita Debath last video” is the 12th most searched overall” (Biase).

This isn’t the only horrific case of gang rape, torture, or extreme violence against women. In fact, back in 2023, Vidya Krishnan wrote an opinion piece published in the New York times on the topic titled, “In India’s Gang Rape Culture, All Women Are Victims”, where she writes: 

It is the specific horror of gang rape that weighs most heavily on Indian women that I know. You may have heard of the many gruesome cases of women being gang-raped, disemboweled and left for dead. When an incident rises to national attention, the kettle of outrage boils over, and women sometimes stage protests, but it passes quickly. All Indian women are victims, each one traumatized, angry, betrayed, exhausted. Many of us think about gang rape more than we care to admit.

In 2011 a woman was raped every 20 minutes in India, according to government data. The pace quickened to about every 16 minutes by 2021, when more than 31,000 rapes were reported, a 20 percent increase from the previous year. In 2021, 2,200 gang rapes were reported to authorities.

But those grotesque numbers tell only part of the story: 77 percent of Indian women who have experienced physical or sexual violence never tell anyone, according to one study. Prosecutions are rare.

Indian men may face persecution because they are Muslims, Dalits (untouchables) or ethnic minorities or for daring to challenge the corrupt powers that be. Indian women suffer because they are women. Soldiers need to believe that war won’t kill them, that only bad luck will; Indian women need to believe the same about rape, to trust that we will come back to the barracks safe each night, to be able to function at all. (Krishnan)

Just from recent memory, I can recall several other horrifying cases. 

In a rare case of justice, in May 2024, a pair of brothers were sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a 12 year old girl. To hide the crime, they then burned her alive in a coal furnace. (The Hindu Bureau)

In 2012, 22 year old Jyoti Singh was “beaten, gang-raped, and tortured in a private bus in which she was travelling with her male friend, Avnindra Pratap Pandey. There were six others in the bus, including the driver, all of whom raped the woman and beat her friend.” She later succumbed to her wombs, while her friend supposedly committed suicide. (Khan)

Many rape cases end with the woman dead. It is horrifying to me, from across the globe, to know that women live under constant threat of sexual assault, and while all assaults are horrific, the cases which break into the international news sphere from India are especially cruel and disturbing. It is the culmination of a deeply traditional and patriarchal society, wherein the devaluation of women is compounded with caste and religious issues, along with the rise of pornography. Porn is the instruction, and rape is the practice; though clearly, there was no need for instruction. 

Famous cases include:

The Suryanelli rape case, where in 1996, a sixteen year old was lured with a marriage promise, kidnapped, and was raped by 37 men during her forty day captivity. Although initially 35 of 39 accused were found guilty, in 2005, all 35 convicted were acquitted of charges. 

The Pararia mass rape, where in 1988, at least 14 women were gang raped by the police force, and had their homes looted after they protested against being removed to make way for a damn being built. “India Today reported Sinha's concluding statements were: "It cannot be ruled out that these ladies might speak falsehood to get a sum of Rs 1,000, which was a huge sum for them." (Bonner)

In many caste altercations, women are targeted because to rape a woman is not done just to her, but is meant to be an insult to the community and the community’s honor. In an environment where religious and social conflict occurs, women are especially vulnerable as targets of sexual violence. 

However, what the internet has provided is an avenue to share the debasement and horror of gang rape with other men. It prolongs the suffering and harm to the victim and her family; but also serves as a warning to other women, and as an enticement to other men. Come, they say. Look at what we did. See how we were despicable and got away with it? You can too. 

A 28 year old tourist and her husband were robbed, then man beaten, and the woman, raped by seven men in March of 2024. Since they have taken down the video detailing the event from their social media, I will not show that here, or go deeply into detail. However, in the reactions to the incident, one can note a pattern of behavior, not just from Indian men, but also women. 

The BBC reported: 

“The chief of India's National Commission for Women, Rekha Sharma, also sparked criticism after she responded to a post from a US journalist who wrote that while India was one of his favourite places, "the level of sexual aggression" he witnessed while living in the country was "unlike anywhere else I have ever been". He also gave a couple of examples of sexual assault faced by women he knew.

"Did you ever report the incident to police?" Ms Sharma wrote. "If not then you are totally an irresponsible person. Writing only on social media and defaming whole country is not good choice."” (Sebastian)

Victim blaming is constant, and serves as a deterrent from seeking help, reporting incidents, or enacting change. In the aftermath of the 2019 gang rape and murder of 27 year old Priyanka Reddy, Indian filmmaker Daniel Shravan ranted on social media that  “The government should encourage and legalize rape without violence,” and, “Girls above 18 should be educated on rapes and not deny the sexual desires of men.” He also went on to say that, “Rapists are not finding a way to get their bodily sexual desires [met],” which is compelling them to kill.” (“After a Woman in India was Raped and Murdered, Her Name Trended on Porn Sites”). Because assault and violence against women is so common in India, it makes sense that victim blaming, from both sexes remains so strong, as “according to Inside Southern, the reason for victim blaming is: “People may blame a victim in order to remove themselves from an unpleasant event and therefore confirm their own invulnerability to the risk. Others may perceive the victim as different from themselves if they label or accuse the victim. People console themselves by saying, “Because I’m not like her, and I don’t do that, this would never happen to me.”” (Ram).  In other words, it a pacifier, a way to manage the dread that comes with realizing the ubiquitousness and unpredictability of sexual assault. If there is something you can do to avoid being assaulted, then it must be her fault. And you must be safe, because you don’t make those choices. 

That men make up a large contingent of the judges and lawmakers that in turn pass the laws which allow rapists to walk free iillustrates the universal truth that Anna Maria Mozzoni, a popular Italian feminist theorist, wrote about in 1895, “You will find that the priest who damns you is a man; that the legislator who oppresses you is a man, that the husband who reduces you to an object is a man; that the libertine [anarchist] who harasses you is a man; that the capitalist who enriches himself with your ill- paid work and the speculator who calmly pockets the price of your body, are men.”

It’s easy to forget when the violence is not happening in front of you, when you can excuse it, or look away, or claim that there are forces at play that you don’t understand. It’s easy to say that the problem is with a people or a religion- 

But the truth is that woman hating is universal. A passing interest in anthropology will only show the manifestations of this hatred in creative ways throughout space and time.

Works Cited

“After a Woman in India was Raped and Murdered, Her Name Trended on Porn Sites.” Fight The New Drug, December 2019, https://fightthenewdrug.org/woman-in-india-raped-and-murdered-her-name-trended-on-porn/. Accessed 21 August 2024.

Biase, Natasha. “Name Of Female Doctor Who Was Gang Raped And Murdered In Indian Hospital Appears On Porn Sites As Men Seek Out Footage Of The Assault.” The Publica, 19 August 2024, https://www.thepublica.com/female-doctor-who-was-gang-raped-and-murdered-in-indian-hospital-appears-on-porn-sites-as-indian-men-search-for-footage-of-crime/. Accessed 21 August 2024.

Bonner, Arthur. “Pararia mass rape (1988).” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pararia_mass_rape_(1988). Accessed 21 August 2024.

The Hindu Bureau. “Two get death for raping, burning alive minor girl in Bhilwara.” The Hindu, 20 May 2024, https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/rajasthan/two-sentenced-to-death-by-pocso-court-in-rajasthan-court-for-raping-burning-alive-minor-girl/article68195867.ece. Accessed 21 August 2024.

Khan, Aamir. “2012 Delhi gang rape and murder.” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Delhi_gang_rape_and_murder. Accessed 21 August 2024.

Krishnan, Vidya. “Opinion | In India's Gang Rape Culture, All Women Are Victims (Published 2023).” The New York Times, 2 June 2023, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/02/opinion/india-women-rape.html. Accessed 21 August 2024.

Ram, Anjali. “Never Ending Tales Of Victim Blaming And Shaming.” Feminism in India, 12 December 2022, https://feminisminindia.com/2022/12/12/never-ending-tales-of-victim-blaming-and-shaming/. Accessed 21 August 2024.

Sebastian, Meryl. “Outrage over Brazilian tourist's gang rape in India.” BBC, 3 March 2024, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-68444993. Accessed 21 August 2024.

[waitmyturtles]

(Source)

The Lower House (House of Representatives) will be hearing Thailand’s marriage equality bill at 9:30 am Bangkok time (10:30 pm Eastern for those of us in the States). The bill, if passed, would still have to be approved in Thailand’s Senate.

(Source and source)

Below the fold is Bloomberg.com's report on the happenings (source):

Bill to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage in Thailand Heads to Parliament

Bill is supported by most major parties, needs king approval

Thailand would be first in region to codify marriage equality

By Patpicha Tanakasempipat, March 26, 2024 at 2:00 PM PDT

A bill to legalize same-sex marriage could face a vote in Thailand’s parliament as early as Wednesday. If it passes, the country will be the first in Southeast Asia to establish marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples.

The House of Representatives will take up the legislation, technically an amendment to the Civil and Commercial Code, for second and third readings when it meets at 9 a.m. Lawmakers may vote later in the day.

The bill would legalize marriage for same-sex partners aged 18 and above, along with rights to inheritance, tax allowances and child adoption, among others. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s administration has made it a signature issue, and advocates say it would also burnish Thailand’s reputation as an LGBTQ-friendly tourist destination.

Taiwan and Nepal are the only places in Asia that currently recognize same-sex marriage, and recent efforts elsewhere in the region have had mixed results. Hong Kong has yet to comply with a 2023 court order to establish laws recognizing same-sex partnerships, and India’s Supreme Court refused to legalize same-sex marriage, saying it’s an issue for parliament to consider.

The Thai bill would change the composition of a marriage from “a man and a woman” to “two individuals,” and change the official legal status from “husband and wife” to “married couple.”

Thai laws have protected LGBTQ people from most kinds of discrimination since 2015, but attempts to formalize marriage rights have stalled. In 2021, the Constitutional Court upheld the law recognizing marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman. Last year, a bill to recognize same-sex civil partnerships failed to clear parliament ahead of elections.

Rights advocates have higher hopes for the bill pending now, noting that it has broad support from most of the major parties. If it passes, it will need to be approved by the Senate and endorsed by the King. Then it would be published in the Royal Gazette and take effect 120 days later.

Srettha’s government has also promised to work on a bill to recognize gender identity, and the health ministry has also proposed legalizing commercial surrogacy to allow LGBTQ couples to adopt children. Thailand is seeking to host the WorldPride events in Bangkok in 2028.

Legalizing same-sex marriage could have positive effects on tourism, which contributes about 12% to the nation’s $500 billion economy. In 2019, before the pandemic froze international tourism, LGBTQ travel and tourism to Thailand generated about $6.5 billion, or 1.2% of gross domestic product, according to industry consultant LGBT Capital.

Formal recognition could boost the reputation of a place already considered one of Asia’s best for LGBTQ visitors, said Wittaya Luangsasipong, managing director of Siam Pride, an LGBTQ-friendly travel agency in Bangkok.

“It will become a selling point for Thailand and raise our strength in the global stage,” Wittaya said. “It will create a relaxed and safe atmosphere for tourism and help attract more and more LGBTQ visitors. We could also see more weddings by LGBTQ couples, which could generate income across industries and local communities.”

[sanerontheinside]

On the basis of my own comment, "I fully missed this because I cannot handle the news except in ‘weekly postmortem’ format", I've decided to do a write-up of everything I've been reading about the crash over Washington, D.C.

If this isn't the sort of posting you'd like to see from me in the future, please feel free to block "#the post mortem". I'm not sure how many of these I have in me, but if I ever find myself struck by the fancy to do another, that is the tag I will be using.

I'd also like to thank Canary (canary_lux on Discord) for help gathering, scanning, and organizing sources, and for their insight on flight training.

Throughout this write-up, I will refer to the current president by number of term (45 or 47), mostly to differentiate policies enacted during his first term from the present.

Intro

On the night of Wednesday, 1/29/25, 67 people died in a collision between an American Airlines passenger aircraft and a military Blackhawk helicopter. This tragedy was immediately followed by outcry and the usual hunt for someone to hold accountable. This was also the first fatal air crash involving a US airline since 2009—a 16-year safety record.

While it’s tempting to assign blame to various politicians, parties, and policies for the accident—and in fact many do (FAA blames trump, trump blames DEI, FAA, Biden in particular and democrats in general, etc.)—sole political ownership cannot be assigned. The initial outcry drew attention to a hiring freeze for air traffic controllers, and to curt dismissal of FAA personnel, but the problem has been brewing for far longer.

This post mortem seeks to provide some context for the incident at Reagan National Airport by looking back at policies of the last two presidential terms, as well as the reality of local air traffic in Washington, D.C.

.

The Shortage

Before addressing the current shortage of air traffic controllers, it is important to note that since the accident all reports indicate the air traffic controller on duty that night gave proper instructions.

Both planes and military aircraft are equipped with Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B), but this system is suppressed at low altitudes because of the high likelihood of false alerts. At last reporting, the Blackhawk was at an altitude of 375 ft. For helicopters, the permitted flight ceiling over Washington, D.C. is 200ft.

With that established, however, there is still value in drawing attention to the national shortage of air traffic controllers (henceforward ATC's).

In 2021, the US Bureau of Statistics ranked air traffic control as the 4th most stressful job among all. The position has a high employee turnover rate due to transfers, resignations, removals, deaths, and attrition. An ATC's skills are unique, and costly to replace both in money and time, as candidates go through 2-3 years of training and must pass a rigorous exam.

During the COVID 19 pandemic, lockdowns drove down the volume of daily flights, putting many air traffic controllers out of a job. Agencies worldwide let go of trainees, stopped hiring, and stopped training new hires. In many cases, academies closed outright. Many air traffic controllers were offered early retirement.

Once travel restrictions were lifted, demand bounced back—and the aviation industry suddenly faced a bottleneck. A 2 or 3 year one, in fact. Flights haven't really bounced back perfectly since the pandemic; many airports experience serious delays—not least because they don't have enough ATC's.

In June 2023, the DoT inspector general reported that 77% of air traffic control facilities were understaffed. In December 2023, after a series of high profile near-misses, the FAA named a panel of experts to address air traffic controller fatigue. Reuters reported that air traffic controllers work mandatory overtime and 6-day weeks.

The FAA's response to these findings was to appoint a three-member panel to "examine how the latest science on sleep needs and fatigue considerations could be applied to controller work requirements and scheduling" until more personnel could be hired. Furthermore, the FAA Reauthorisation Act of 2024 expanded air traffic controller training capacity and required the FAA to update the training process.

Unfortunately, the near-misses and flight delays are likely to continue under recent policy changes.

.

The Policy of 45

The main reason for addressing the shortage itself at the top of this write-up is that a lot of early outcry held the 47th President's recent hiring freezes, cuts, and firings responsible for the accident.

Context is critical. Obviously, trump’s hiring freeze in no way helps this issue, and neither does the dismissal of people in leadership positions. Even the panel he dismissed was the Aviation Security Advisory Committee, which is geared towards TSA operations moreso than air traffic control.

But on the ground, it's probably his policies as 45 that did the most lasting damage.

In 2018, the proposed budget cut funds to the DoT by 13%, or $2.4 billion. The proposal eliminated funding for the Essential Air Service, a program that guaranteed continued commercial air service to small communities in the US which would not otherwise be profitable. Air traffic control would also be privatized under the proposal.

This 2018 post by Democracy Forward provides a good summary of 45's policies. (It's also an interesting read if you've been following the recent changes in regulation of airline fees. In brief, the struggle to regulate fees and accessibility has been ongoing since before 2013, and trump's policies are unsurprisingly airline company-friendly.)

By contrast, in 2021 the proposed budget for the FAA included $11.4 billion (increase of $432 million from FY21) to oversee the safety of civil aviation, and to provide for the operation, maintenance, communications, and logistical support of the air traffic control and air navigation systems. There were additional requests totalling over $8 billion to improve airfield infrastructure and grants for Aviation Workforce Development programs.

The final 2021 budget, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, passed with $15 billion for airlines and airline contractors for a third extension of Payroll Support Program which would otherwise have expired at the end of March 2021. The extension prevented the furlough of more than 27,000 aviation employees. There was an additional $8 billion for U.S. airports.

As a result of 45's budget cuts, the FAA was forced to lay off many people. “He slashed our budget and a lot of people, including myself, were laid off. So, we’re just waiting to see what programs will continue,” a longtime FAA contractor, rehired under the Biden administration, told What A Day.

Former House Transportation and Infrastructure Chair Peter DeFazio also notes, "The unnecessary government shutdown [in 2019] shut down the Aviation Academy, and a number of people did not come back after the academy closed down." He cites this as a crucial interruption that was then followed by a yearlong closure due to the lockdown.

.

Congested Airspace

In his interview with Politico, DeFazio puts Congress front and center: "Every senator in particular wants a nonstop flight to and from wherever they live. As you saw, [Kansas Sen.] Jerry Moran said this was a flight which he had encouraged or otherwise supported. The last FAA bill, [Texas Sen.] Ted Cruz said he needed a direct flight to [San Antonio], so he engaged in a lengthy battle."

The bill referenced here is S. 1939, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, which contained many positive items. This was the bill that required air carriers to provide a full refund for a cancelled or significantly delayed flight; it expanded air traffic controller training capacity and required the FAA to update the training process.

This bill also increased the number of daily round-trip flights allowed at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), despite protests from the airport authority. (Though it should be noted that the new flights added to the airport's schedule by this bill have not yet been fully implemented.)

DeFazio has words for the military, as well: "And it’s one thing, when there’s an urgent need or a security issue, to move people by military helicopter to the White House or from one base to another in the D.C. area. It’s another to do it for convenience for generals and “very important people” who don’t want to sit in traffic. […] for training, they should be doing that in the hours when there are way fewer flights coming into National Airport."

The flight rules over Washington, D.C. are very complex, developed to manage civilian, military, and government traffic. It is simultaneously the most restricted and the most congested airspace in the country. Pilots have been complaining about the complexity of flight rules for years.

This stretch of the Potomac in particular is designated a Special Flight Restricted Area. In the words of Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), "You don't get to fly in that without additional flight training." All crew members aboard the Blackhawk were experienced, having logged 500-1000 hours. Transcripts of the air traffic control instructions and responses from the pilots in the minutes before the accident show that the Blackhawk crew twice confirmed visual of the plane with the ATC, including approximately 25 seconds before impact.

But in multiple stories published since the crash, there are quotes from pilots who had similar experiences in that area, and recall near-misses with passenger aircraft coming in to the same runway. One retired Army National Guard helicopter pilot recalls that he lost sight of the jet in the city lights and descended to an altitude of 50 feet to avoid collision with an unseen flight. There are at least two reports of near-misses under very similar conditions from 2013 and 2015.

.

The Post Mortem

The President's flurry of executive orders, hiring and funding freezes, have dominated the news cycle for the last 12 days. There isn't currently evidence to support that various budget and staffing cuts, including those attempted by 47 two days before the accident, directly contributed to the incident on January 29th.

However, cutting personnel, funding, and abolishing positions once vacated will increase the risk of accidents going forward. Many US government services have not recovered from the combination of 45's policies and effects of the pandemic. They are presently in a state where funding and personnel cuts will result in direct consequences to the American people, and likely very quickly.

As for the Washington, D.C. crash itself, it is indeed a tragic loss of life. In all likelihood, it could have been prevented by appropriate response to prior near-misses, addressing concerns voiced by pilots and professionals, or perhaps a less entitled Senate.

.

Sources

https://webcf.waybackmachine.org/web/20250120173159/https://simpleflying.com/us-atc-shortage-analysis/

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/panel-review-us-air-traffic-controller-fatigue-after-near-miss-incidents-2023-12-20/

https://www.tumblr.com/gunsandfireandshit/774138773393063936?source=share

https://www.tumblr.com/huffy-the-bicycle-slayer/774137554059575296?source=share

https://democracyforward.org/work/sidebar-airlines-and-the-trump-administration/ (published 2018, edited 2022)

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/01/31/defazio-plane-crash-blame-00201767

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_United_States_federal_budget

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Rescue_Plan_Act_of_2021

https://phys.org/news/2017-06-pros-cons-privatizing-air-traffic.html

https://www.tsa.gov/sites/default/files/asac-charter-september-2022.pdf

https://www.wdsu.com/article/pilots-worried-dc-airspace-crash/63626297

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/experts-ask-why-black-hawk-helicopter-may-have-been-flying-above-allowed-altitude/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tammy-duckworth-american-airlines-crash/

https://commons.erau.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1910&context=jaaer

[xiaolanhua]

hiii what c-dramas do you recommend for a newbie?

Hello! Sooo this is a tricky question because cdramas have a variety of genres but i'll recommend some per genre so you can see what type you might want to watch it also with the mydramalist page with the synopsis etc.

Modern:

Fake it Till you make it (2023) – Romance / Friends to lovers / Office work

Love is Sweet (2020) – Romance / Rivals to lovers/ Office work

Begin Again (2020) – Romance / Contract relationship / Female CEO

Legally Romance (2022) – Romance / Time travel / Law setting

Unforgattable Love (2021) – Romance / Contract relationship

Meet Yourself (2023) – Slice of life / Healing / Slow burn romance

To the Wonder (2024) – Slice of life / Romance / Drama

Parallel World (2023) – Romance / Fantasy

The Love You Give me (2023) – Second chance romance / Single Parenting

Skate into Love (2020) – Romance / Ice skating / Youth

Flight to You (2022) – Pilot female lead / Aviation industry / Romance

Sweet Teeth (2021) – Romance / Comedy

Period drama/costume:

A Dream of Splendor (2022) – Female centric / Romance

The Story of Ming Lan (2018) – Romance / Family dynamics

Wonderland of Love (2023) – Romance / Rivals to lovers / Royal-Military setting

New Life Begins (2022) – Female centric / Romance / Palace setting

In Blossom (2024) – Romance / Investigation / Body Swap

The Rebel Princess (2021) – Romance / Palace setting / Arranged marriage / Drama

General’s Lady (2020) – Romance / Arranged marriage

Miss S (2020) – Republican era / Investigation / Romance

Xianxia (Costume/fantasy):

Love Between Fairy and Devil (2022) – Romance / Body Swap

The Legend of Shen Li (2024) – Romance / Strong female lead

Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms (2017) – Romance / Drama

Love and Redemption (2020) – Romance / Drama / Reincarnation

Till the End of the Moon (2023) – Enemies to lovers / Love-hate relationship / Romance

Wuxia (martial arts):

My Journey to You (2023) – Female assassin / Mystery / Romance / Drama

A Journey to Love (2023) – Female assassin / Romance / Drama

Who Rules the World (2022) – Rivals to lovers / Romance / Political

[fuckyeaharthuriana]

Do you think The Great Arthurian Movie To Rule Them All will ever be made? I know many think that it's Excalibur but we do really need for this century a movie (or perhaps a 2/3 movie saga, but no more) that covers Arthur and his world from his dark begetting at Tintagel to his last travel to Morgan's realm Avalon.

Ohh how I would love it. Unfortunately, I do not think so. I AM SORRY THIS IS GOING TO BE SO LONG

It looks like the movie industry in general is not doing so good, and I do not see them investing in a movie saga on King Arthur after the past flops. I do maybe have more hopes for smaller movies (smaller in scope/plot) like "The Green Knight", so nothing that comprehensive but maybe themes used here and there.

But yeah, I feel like it could only happens if/when we first have a very big success now. Merlin BBC was very successful I feel and it kind of gave rise to a bunch of movies and attempts, but after Camelot Starz, Cursed, the Winter King, the 2017 Guy Ritchie movie - it looks like it is failure after failure.

It is a pretty harsh space nowadays. People have been "trained out" from going to the movies during the main years of the pandemic, with studios sending their movies to digital very early (and sometimes directly). And old small tv-trashy movies are in such small number, because the competition is so high - you cannot throw it on some tv channel and force people to watch it because now people choose. Movies, shows, videogames - it is harsh out there.

Regarding tv shows, I have a bit more trust, but the streaming model also killed the old build up. Now it is one season or you get the axe, and with the competition it has to be a very good show or a very big name attached to it, or someone who insists on insuring that they will have multiple seasons (thank you "The Dragon Prince: Mystery of Aaravos", I had no doubt it would have been axed on s2 without an agreement).

I do have small hopes for tv series and maybe a new Camelot musical movie still. Maybe my hopes are silly, but if Wicked is a success it would be another in a series of movie musicals that were successful or well received. And regarding tv show, if there is a popular enough novel or series of novel in the future maybe we will have one. They really dropped the ball with the Winter King.

BTW, I just wanted to say, these last few years are a on the side of the less-arthurian-media (movies and shows) years. These are the last arthurian movies, all from 2021-2020:

We have three moves in the Fate series, which is the one successful arthurian franchise, alongside Kaamelott movie (another successful arthurian franchise), then we have two animated movies that are just arthurian-themed, then "Arthur and Merlin" which is from a smaller studio, and finally "The Green Knight" which is the one big studio movie there and it was also a success (it made a few million more than what it spent).

2022-2024 no arthurian movies.

If we look from the 60s till now we usually have at least a movie a year with sometimes a year being skipped. The other longer time was 1985-1987 where we had no movies, so we only have these two gaps.

For series, I have more hopes. I actually also hope for a full arthurian anime too. We had a lot of arthurian popular stuff from Japan: Nanatsu no Taizai, the whole Fate franchise which has multiple movies and series, plus there have been two arthurian musicals in the past few years.

So who knows! Maybe the next big arthurian "full on Arthur story" might end up being an expanded Camelot musical movie, or an anime!

[zahri-melitor]

Batman v Ra's Al Ghul, by Neal Adams: A Bronze Age fever dream of a comic, written in 2019-2021.

Neal Adams caps off his over 50 year career with DC comics by...them letting him write a book for the first time in a decade.

Now, Adams is famous for his Bronze Age artwork, not his writing, and it's deservedly so: this is not the comic you would pick up if you were interested in award winning writing. But I have to say, it's actually something far more fun than 'good writing'.

I think the easiest way to describe the incredibly wild vibes of this title are 'Adams writes a multiverse Bronze Age time travel AU fic', where the cast technically consists of a modern set of characters (Dick is Nightwing and both Tim and Damian are Robin), but all of the characters are drawn, talking and acting like they just walked off a page in 1974 or so.

For assistance, that's: Dick in the yellow with the very 70s black vest; Tim in the blue t-shirt; Damian in the red t-shirt; and Bruce in the suit. You end up keeping track of them in this title by their haircuts.

Bruce and Damian here cannot remember anything about being Batman and Robin; Dick and Tim appear to have shown up with a fantastical story that cannot be proven (as I said, this has INCREDIBLE reality hopping AU vibes).

Some of the characters have been mindwiped. Some of the characters are robot duplicates. A whole list of characters Adams helped create show up largely because he created them (seriously Kirk and Francine Langstrom show up for a couple of pages mostly to give Dick and Tim an airlift into a difficult to reach entrance to the Cave). Nobody sounds particularly in character at any point, but that's not really a problem in this comic, because what it really is is a giant jolt of Bronze Age style writing nostalgia direct to the brainstem.

They don't make comics like this anymore and reading one written in the 2020s like this reinforces why.

Deadman's brother Aaron and sister Zeea show up; his brother is busy pretending to be an alternate Australian version of Batman called Marvin O'Hearn, and his sister is a psychic running around in the most 70s outfit imaginable controlling things and mindwiping Bruce on Ra's orders.

(And yes, if you too just asked 'Boston Brand has siblings???' the answer is 'kinda sorta but definitely not these two', however given Adams was writing Boston in 1968 at one point he's got as much right as anyone else to claim there are additional siblings)

There's a group who PRETEND to be the Court of Owls but secretly are a group of industrialists called The Money who want to control the world via paying for legislators, judges and industry (and yes I realise that sounds exactly like the Court's thing, but Adams was almost 80 when he wrote this, he can have an expy Court if he wants one).

Bruce pretends to be Matches for a good chunk of the back end of this comic and it actually acknowledges that Matches Malone was a real gangster before he died and Bruce stole his identity (something other writers and the fandom often forget), because Adams wants one more spin with the character he designed.

There's also a moment in the sixth issue where one of Ra's pet scientists tries to sell a panel of Gotham execs on a perpetual motion machine based on electrolysis as his replacement for the current Gotham power generators and at this point I lost it giggling at the portrayal of Ra's as a cheap charlatan.

(There is also a sneaky joke that only works if you know what British salad cream is; there's this sequence of the kids talking about Alfred making sandwiches with 'crappy salad dressing' instead of mayonnaise, only this tray has been made with mayo...and it's a hint that Alfred has been replaced by a robot. I laughed; I suspect it might be non-obvious to American audiences)

This is not a comic to read if you are interested in 'main continuity' or 'coherence' or even 'good writing'. However if you want some wild antics that feel like someone's 3am fanfic AU written in pure Bronze Age vibes and to see the last work of one of Ra's Al Ghul's creators? Give it a chance. You'll never be able to predict what's on the next page.

[ear-worthy]

Five Best Science Podcasts Of 2024

Science podcasts are a bright spot within the podcast industry, counteracting the growing number of conspiracy, extremist, and fact-free podcasts.

As I’ve mentioned before, Ear Worthy uses a panel of people from around the U.S., from Texas to California, New Jersey to Oregon, and Alabama to New Hampshire. Also, we do not choose the low-hanging fruit of podcasts with high visibility because of marketing by their podcast network. Just because a podcast has thousands of downloads does not make it a quality, ear-worthy show.

In no particular order, here are Ear Worthy’s Five Science Podcasts of 2024.

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Science Vs

And they do so tongue-in-cheek, but also with no fear of proclaiming “the data isn’t clear” or “we need more data for greater certainty.” Behind the wily wisecracks of Zukerman and the show’s refusal to take itself too seriously, Science Vs is deadly serious about facts, research, facts, and conclusions. But it never seems to get too far ahead of its skis, making claims it cannot substantiate.

The show’s success is evident from its consistent ranking as one of the most downloaded podcasts. This year’s episodes of note include microplastics, ask Wendy anything, and what’s at the edge of space.

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Scientists don’t really know what 95 percent of the universe is made up of. That fact is particularly shocking, considering we live in an age where humans seem to know it all. 

That’s why Vox’s science podcast — Unexplainable — is especially timely because it takes listeners on a journey into the unknown and then explores that feeling when “you think you understand something and there’s just so much more.” 

Produced by Vox — known for quality, thoughtful podcasts — Unexplainable host Hassenfeld explains that the podcast isn’t about the answers. “It’s about the questions,” he says. Alex Trebek would be proud of him.

Unexplainable launched its first episode in March 2021. Dutifully, that initial episode focused on the mystery of dark matter, which is composed of particles that do not absorb, reflect, or emit light. Therefore, dark matter can not be detected by electromagnetic radiation and can’t be seen directly. 

The format of Unexplainable is straightforward and is smartly designed to enhance understanding rather than grovel for listeners. In the show, host Noam Hassenfeld is joined by an array of experts and Vox reporters each week to look at fascinating unanswered questions in science and the mind-bending ways scientists are trying to answer them.

Episodes that are ear-worthy this year includes does your gut have feelings, how did Earth get its water, and what do dinosaurs sound like.

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Big Picture Science

The show’s co-hosts are Seth Shostak and Molly Bentley. Shostak and Bentley have been doing for years, so they are comfortable as hosts, interviewers, and with each other. The co-hosts can geek out on hard science and still laugh at science nerdiness, and they can get tough with junk science theories and claims. In essence, they make an enjoyable combo,

On the April 15, 2024, episode, “For The Birds” we hear about migratory birds that travel thousands of miles in a display of endurance that would make an Olympic athlete gasp. More importantly, we discover what can we do to save disappearing species? 

Plus, we learn how 19th century bird-lovers, appalled by feathered hats, started the modern conservation movement.

On the recent July 11, 2024, show — “Aliens Now” — the co-hosts talk to astrophysicist Adam Frank about the possibility of intelligent life on other planets.

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Taboo Science

Ashley Hamer is a writer, podcaster, and science communicator in Chicago. She is the creator of Taboo Science and the former host and content lead of the science podcast Curiosity Daily.

The podcast began in September 2020, and it didn’t pull any punches in its first several episodes. Topics included pornography, profanity, cannibalism, penises, and vaginas. I can just sense the uptight people who are organizing bans.

If you, as a listener, are into your science being serious stuff with people with PhDs speaking in solemn tones, Taboo Science is not for you.

But if enjoy a beaker full of fun with your science lesson, and don’t mind your poop being referred to you as “butt nuggets,” then Taboo Science is for you. 

The most taboo episodes this year include its miniseries about the weird and colorful world of kinks and fetishes. Be prepared to be shocked. Or not.

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Short Wave

Short Wave is a National Public Radio (NPR) podcast that gives us a sneak peek behind the science headlines — all in about 10 minutes, every weekday. It’s science for everyone, using a lot of creativity and a little humor. 

Emily Kwong is perfectly capable of presenting science from a different wavelength.

Short Wave can do a sub -10-minute deep dive because Sofia is so fluent in science and communicating key concepts. Recent episodes include a tale of swarming locusts in Africa and how scientists in Tempe, AZ are using a low-carb diet to minimize crop damage. 

Or a truly troubling episode about a condition called silicosis, and it’s been known about for decades. So why is it now emerging in new numbers among workers who cut kitchen counter tops? NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce explains in such a way you’ll say a prayer that you kept your old Formica counter tops. 

 New discoveries, everyday mysteries, and the science behind the headlines — all in about 10 minutes, every weekday. It’s science for everyone, using a lot of creativity and a little humor.

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Honorable Mention Why This Universe — The biggest ideas in physics, broken down. Join University of Chicago theoretical physicist Dan Hooper and co-host Shalma Wegsman as they answer your questions about dark matter, black holes, quantum mechanics, and more.

[pascallatte]

Fish and Chips

Pairing: Pedro Pascal x Actress!reader

Summary: some interesting fan interactions and sightings while pubbing around London.

Date: March-April 2021

A/N: aaaa got this out finally!!! sorry for the wait, I'm still sick but finally managed to finish the next two fics, so I tried something different (just added one twot sht, might do it again, let's see). also, I know this isn't much seeing that you've waited but I will post again soon (like very) and like before enjoy and let me know what you think!! To those who wished me a speedy recovery, thank you and I love u guys!!

@/deadrncuzofpedro

The video from this user was rather a mess, to say the least, with the girl having to build up the courage to come up to your table after mumbling to herself for a few seconds. Your voice as well as Pedro’s were heard in the background every step closer she got to your table at the far end of the place.

She takes in a breath as soon as she has stopped at a respectable distance from the two, yet instead of asking for a picture, she seems to have asked for a rather odd one instead.

“Hi! I love the both of you so much and…” she paused for a breath, “- I was wondering what drink you have?”

This earned audible sounds of confusion from the both of you before the girl, herself, gasped and raised her other hand to cover her mouth out of embarrassment and shock at what she had said.

Eyes seen scanning the two of you as she stuttered out multiple apologies, “Im sorr- oh lord I’m really sorry. I just- I wanted to ask another thing but..” She ranted but soon calmed down when you were heard asking if she wanted something to drink.

And even though the video didn’t end up like how she expected it to, she was still able to take a picture with the two of you as soon as she’d calmed down.

@/henryontour

Content creators often post the most unexpected and shocking situations when they’re out to travel. Nothing changed when Henryontour, a famous travel blogger got a chance to bump into Pedro at a pub his fans recommended. And when the video said “I bumped into Pedro Pascal in a pub in London,” it really and quite literally meant he bumped into Pedro.

Entering the establishment, he was in awe of the ambience and the interior design of the place. Having gone to multiple pubs at that point he explained that he really wasn’t expecting anything different than to previous ones, but this place had stunned him. Walking deeper into the place, he situates himself at a table by the window. Placing his bags down he continues to compliment the place.

“Oh look here, they have these vintage records as well as a most probably now customized jukebox. The feel of the table and the front bar is as sleek as it looks. Now let’s take a look at the-“ Henry stopped as soon as he bumped into something and turned around to look and apologize to who or whatever he had bumped into.

Not expecting the person he’s bumped into, he can only stay silent as his expression morphed into something of a shock, which was later identified as starstruck as soon as Pedro was seen in the video.

Composing himself, he clears his throat and lowers his camera, out of respect. “Sir, I’m really sorry. I wasn’t looking.” 

Pedro’s voice was now heard, "It's okay," as well as soft laughing from the side, “No worries dear, it was no one’s fault. You were both doing your own thing no need to fret about anything.” Your voice was heard in the background while Pedro who was now about to sit down just nods and pointed at the camera.

“What’s with the camera?” He asks out of curiosity. Making Henry moves his head to the camera and then back to the two of you.

“It’s- I’m actually a youtuber so I’m currently filming my tour around London. Is it ok if I show you guys on here? I’m sure my fans would love it when they see the two of you on here seeing that you’re both big names in the acting industry.” Respectfully, Henry asks and soon was raising the camera to show the two of you seated side by side on bar stools having drinks of your own.

“What a surprise, I bumped into the one only Pedro Pascal along with his muse Y/n L/n,” he introduced the two of you to the camera. Pedro was seen making a peace sign accompanying his dimpled smile while you were seen waving and smiling sweetly before raising your cup to take a sip of your drink of choice.

The video extended for a few more seconds of Henry expressing his huge admiration for Pedro earning him shy chuckles from the man.

@/vicstaria

“There!!! Turn back there, I swear I saw him!” A female voice later on named Victoria was heard. Her phone was aimed towards the sidewalk as the car turned left.

Zooming in her shrieks were heard when two figures are seen walking from afar. Rolling down her window, she zooms out when they get closer. Now seeing a clearer view, a man wearing a quilt jacket as well as a smaller figure in leather are seen walking hand in hand in the streets seemingly having the time of their lives with all the laugh the could be heard.

Passing by the two, Victoria took the chance to shout, “Pedro!!!! I Love you!!!!” her voice rang out making the pair look at her with funny and shocked expressions. 

You, who first found it amusing, raised your joined hands to wave, jumping as you blow her a kiss. A short shout from Victoria was heard before it was followed by continuous shouting, as soon as Pedro joined in on the fun and shouts back, “Hello to you too!!”

At this point, the pair was long gone as the car has now passed the two. What was left however were the gasps for air that were heard as well as the laughs of whoever was with her.

“Oh my lo-“The video ended with the camera turning to Victoria, revealing her current state. Which appears to be red-faced and out of breath.

@Pedy/nupdates: 

Usually, paps are these overly intrusive people who shove their cameras on your face just to write and tell the world something you’ve probably answered a couple of times. While some are people who still respect the celebrities they encounter as well as their space.

Like this one, this pap was just sitting around the corner after having been notified that you were in the area. As soon as they hear the shutter sounds of a camera pop off he stands and focuses on the mob of people just right outside of a pretty well-known pub.

And as always, the notification was correct. There you were in all of your glory, exiting the pub with Pedro in front of you, trying to get the two of you away as much as possible while still being polite.

This particular pap, instead of charging to the horde that was currently mobbing you, decides to wait and follow them from afar before walking with you. Also, in alternative to shoving their camera to your faces, he keeps it at a low angle to which your face was still seen.

Greeting Pedro with a “Good Evening,” obviously since he was leading the two of you to the car.

Pedro greeted back with a small smile and a nod, “Good evening to you too.”

“What were you two up to this fine evening?” He asks as casually as possible.

Sensing that the pap wasn’t going to stop unless they were satisfied, you answered seeing that this was better than those who’ve chosen to intrude.

“We just went out for drinks. That’s all, nothing really to it,” you answered softly as you nudged Pedro to take a turn.

“I see that now. It really is a fine evening to go out for some drinks. What’s your go-to pair with the drink you have while here in London?” He asks once again, walking a few paces ahead of you.

Intrigued by the question, Pedro lets out a laugh followed by, “Ooo that’s a nice one, but I’ll probably go with the classic steak and fries.” He said taking your hand when he sees your car nearing.

“That’s good. How ‘bout you, y/n? Anything you favour?”

“Me? In London?” You thought for quite a bit. Mostly to stall, but also think of a definite answer.

“Hmm, in London? I might get some good old fish and chips. Is that a common pair here? Or not?” You answer laughing at yourself, making Pedro shake his head at your confusion before wrapping his arm around your shoulder as he opens the door to your side of the car.

“I actually don’t know either, but thank you to the both of you and enjoy the rest of your night.” The paps stopped ways away from your car.

Pedro smiled, “You too and thank you.” The pap confused about what he was thanking him for can only wave and record as the pair drives off.

Taglist: @benonlinear @t-stark35 @heyitsme-2 @elleeeee21 @holmesstrange @tagakalat @flyestvenustrap @oldermenaremyreligion @cherryred444 @hobiismyhopeu @ilovehotdadsandshit @djarinsstuff @guacala @avengersheart @pukka-latte @lilvampirina

[eddiediaaz]

that call center job so far seems okay. the company and colleagues seem really nice, it seems to be a good environment. so far so good. i only have good vibes. but the fucking low salary!!! how am i supposed to get by working part time with that? (because i'll be going to school full time on the 30th, taking yet another school loan) i have no clue. it'll be really difficult. the hourly salary is about 45% of what i used to make working in vfx (after 8 years) so it's like. such a slap in the face and such a rough fall tbh. especially when up till june this year i was expecting to go back to the vfx industry after a couple months being unemployed.

anyway AT LEAST it's a job, it's better than nothing, i know. but still, it's very difficult to come to terms with this and realizing i will never have that salary again, or at least not anytime soon. i won't have the life i think i was gonna have. it'll take like another decade to have an okay salary like i used to have (just for 2 years in 2021-2023 tbh). it's really hard realizing i won't be able to like...put money aside for travel and a car/condo/house or things like that. i'll probably won't be able to get a dog like i've been dreaming of cause i can't afford to move somewhere where dogs are accepted. unless i find a sugar mommy or daddy i guess. i know it's the depression talking but it truly feels like life's not worth it right now and it's hard ro imagine it ever will.

[dragonomatopoeia]

Air's Bizarre Christmas Rom-Com Reclist

I am a fan of Romance Media, but even more importantly, a fan of mediocre art. As such, I have watched a lot of christmas romcoms. I have in fact watched Too Many christmas romcoms. While freelancing between jobs, I would put them on in the background as mindless noise to keep me company while writing copy.

This means that I am uniquely positioned to create a rec list of christmas rom-coms that meet a very specific set of criteria:

Is the movie interesting enough to make me actually Watch it instead of half-listening to it in the background?

Are elements of the plot bizarre enough to make me yell "WHAT" at the screen?

Would I rewatch the movie in the company of friends?

Any movie that fulfills all three of these criteria is eligible to join those privileged few, the elite ranks of My Christmas Rom-Com Rec List

A Chance for Christmas (2021)

Synopsis: "Influencer Christina Chance gets the opportunity of a lifetime: a lucrative sponsorship from the brand of her dreams. However, she soon discovers she's stuck in a time warp where the same Christmas Eve repeats itself over and over again." Commentary: This is a Tubi original, and it lives up to all the mess that status bestows. That established, my favorite parts of this movie are that the main character and love interest have the same kind of obsessive, perfection-driven marketing brain poison that lead them to try to min-max a time loop and learn zero lessons for the vast majority of the movie. There's a kind of frenetic, self-absorbed energy to each of the characters that's fascinating to watch. At one point the main character attacks a man dressed like Santa in an act of misdirected rage, and the love interest holds her concerned family back while yelling "SHE NEEDS THIS LET HER GO SHE NEEDS THIS". Also, the kids are actual characters with inner lives instead of props! There are structural issues with the movie, and in my perfect world, the protagonist would quit her influencer job, but overall, I enjoyed it.

A Christmas Movie Christmas (2019)

Synopsis: "A Christmas movie fanatic and her cynical sister wake up to find they are now the stars of a Christmas movie." Commentary: I have a soft place in my heart for scripts written by actors who have been trapped in this Christmas purgatory for years. There's a certain sensitivity to The Way Words Work that is nonexistent in most of these films. Especially since this industry relies on Never Retaking Any Line Read Ever because these movies are basically made on an assembly line. That is to say, this movie is a love letter and a list of grievances wrapped together in a metatextual bow. All of its jabs at the genre feel like they come from a place of familiarity rather than scorn, and the actors are obviously having fun. Line deliveries and elements of blocking feel like they have actual character work put into them, and one of the love interests feels like a Christmas Homunculi with no understanding that a world other than snowglobes and sugar cookies exists. But on purpose this time! If he encountered a turtle flipped on its back, he'd start feeding it christmas cookies, and the movie is Very Aware of This. It's fun.

Baby It's Cold Inside (2021)

Synopsis: "When a travel agent up for a promotion is directed to forget her tropical vacation and instead visit the world-famous Ice Hotel, she discovers that her sacrifices are more than compensated." Commentary: I'll be honest. This one is mostly here because the editing choices made me feel like I was losing my mind. I ended up dragging my roommate down to the living room at multiple points so that they could witness the same thing I was seeing. The jarring cuts, dropped story beats, and lines that lead nowhere make for an unforgettable viewing experience... except for the part where I have forgotten literally every other element of the movie. Except for the inexplicably evil love rival who becomes niceys at the end. I like her. Girlboss. This isn't even the only Hallmark movie that was set at and filmed at Hôtel de Glace in 2021. Truly the most Hallmark movie on this list.

Christmas Perfection (2018)

Synopsis: "Darcy's been striving for the perfect Christmas since childhood; thanks to a magical figurine her dream finally comes true." Commentary: I have already written up my thoughts on Christmas Perfection in EXTENSIVE detail here. Needless to say, I watch it every year. What a fascinating text. What an odd timeloop. It should have been gay.

Snowmance (2017)

Synopsis: "Each year Sarah builds her "Snow Beau" snowman with her best friend Nick. After another breakup, she begins to wonder if she'll ever find her own true love. A little Christmas magic brings her Snow Beau to life." Commentary: I cannot believe the snowman actually came to life. The snowman came to life and he's not even the primary love interest. Nick sucks in a normal possessive childhood friend love interest way, fuck Nick, everyone hates Nick, sure, but THE SNOWMAN CAME TO LIFE? THE SNOWMAN CAME TO LIFE AND HE TRIES TO SELL THE PROTAGONIST'S HOUSE!!!!! SHE LIVES THERE!!!!! This movie made me scream out loud multiple times. It is not good. Please watch it.

Timeless Love (2019)

Synopsis: "Megan wakes up from a coma in a hospital. The husband and 2 kids she just dreamed about aren't real. At her first job interview, she meets Thomas from her dream - or was it a vision years into the future?" Commentary: Listen to me. Listen. The establishing scenes of this movie are played completely straight. For the first chunk of the movie, it feels like this is going to be a dramatic, serious movie in a way that Hallmark Christmas Romcoms fundamentally are not, which makes it EVEN WEIRDER when it suddenly pivots into your classic nonsense. It entrances me. Who let this happen? Why is the medical professional who is assigned to help Megan with the trauma of losing her coma-construct family and recover from being in a literal coma cartoonishly evil? Why was the information Megan obtained from the coma dream accurate to real life? Why is she suddenly okay with losing her coma children as soon as she found the real-world version of her coma-husband? What a fascinating text. I have no clue what to do with it. But maybe you do. I'm folding it into your hands. Whatever happens next is your decision

[syaolaurant]

Hogwarts Legacy inspired me to draw and have fun joining fandom again 

Warning: Long!!! and this is just my random talk.

I've been using this account for 3 years now (may be 4, I don't remember correctly). I created this blog mostly for posting my The Arcana fanart, and get to know very talented artists/writers and their Apprentices. That time was super fun, joining a fandom helped my drawing/water-coloring skill improve a lots. And another reason why I was so active at that time is because I was in a long-distance relationship, I didn't have much to do after work except playing games and draw, haha, like everyday. 

And then after 8 years of dating we broke up, because I could not leave everything behind and come to Australia to live with him without marriage. I quitted my job at a travel agency after the covid 19 second outbreak in Vietnam. Anyway, that is when I lost my willing to draw. I still logged on Tumblr thou, occasionally, but I just didn't have the feeling to hold my brushes again. At the same time Nyx Hydra was acquired by Dorian, The Arcana is not the same anymore. I still love the original story but I refuse to play the new stories on Dorian app. The fandom friends I know on Tumblr also deactivated. So I stopped drawing & left the fandom for almost 2 years.

Still I was lucky, early 2021 I found a new job in gaming industry, and met my husband there. It didn't take us several years to decided to get marriage. Last year was super busy, and I still play games, like alots. Genshin Impact, Baldur Gate 3, Red Dead 2, Tiny Tina's Wonderland...They're wonderful, but none of those ignited my willing to draw again. I couldn't explain , I tried to make fanart but always left the piece unfinished...

Until last month my husband bought me Hogwarts Legacy.

I've known about the game since its release, but didn't purchase it until this year due to my personal schedule and I wanted to finish other game first. Playing HL is different, like I see my 15 year old self stepping into the world I wish I could be there but couldn't. I was so excited! So many time I ran around the castle (casting revelio repeatedly and) shouting to my husband about how beautiful the environment is. And I met Sebastian, I thought he's cool but still didn't pay much attention on him until he took me to Felcroft. And all the shadow questline, all the lost and tragedies, the unfinished ending (why Avalanche?). So it has been decided, I wanted to be a part in this fandom, there are so many things could have been added in the game but the dev decided to throw them away, I needed to pick up my pencil and brushes.

And I'm glad I did. It's been 2 years since I joined a fandom and I almost forgot how fun it is. I've met so many nice artists who warmly welcomed me, and whose fanarts are too good that push me to improve my own drawing. I've read many beautiful fanfics that made me sobbing and giggling. It's like I've found the feelings I lost, and I want to thank you all for that.

Damn this post is too long already....

What I tried to say is, I don't know how long I will be here until my personal life pull me away again. But right now I'm on fire and I'm happy HL took me back here. After all I appreciate seeing you guy's contents everyday, and your nice comments whenever I posted something on Tumblr. I hope you don't mind if I post everything on this blog not only HL but also abit of my personal life, I just don't see the need to create another side ones. To end this post, here's the view from my company windows :"D

[strawberrywinter4]

Fandom: Loki (TV 2021), Marvel Cinematic Universe

Relationship: Loki/Mobius. M. Mobius

Rating: Explicit

Characters: Loki Laufeyson, Mobius M. Mobius, Sylvie, Casey, Brad Wolfe, Hunter B-15, Ouroboros, Ravonna Lexus Renslayer, Thor

Notable Tags: Rock Star AU, Rock Star! Loki, Agent! Mobius, music industry, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, music festivals, Slow Burn, Romance, Explicit Sexual Content, Bottom Loki, Top Mobius, Traveling

Summary: Rising rock star, Loki Laufeyson, is having difficulty keeping his reputation in check. His manager hires him one of the industry's most wanted agents, Mobius. M. Mobius. Loki is displeased by this arrangement and does everything he can to change this nonchalant man's mind about being his agent. However, Loki is struck with a growing attraction to the agent in this process. To his secret enjoyment, Mobius seems to be experiencing the same feelings.

As this relationship grows, Loki and Mobius must conquer the world of fame by dodging reporters, dealing with toxic past lovers, and paving the way to the life they truly desire.

Playlist here

Read chapter 1 here.

Thank you @starrose17 for the inspiration!!

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

November 29, 2024

Heather Cox Richardson

Nov 30, 2024

In 2008, Congress passed and President George W. Bush signed into law an act making the day after Thanksgiving National Native American Heritage Day.

About a month ago, on Friday, October 25, President Joe Biden became the first president to visit Indian Country in ten years when he traveled to the Gila River Indian Community in Maricopa County, Arizona, near Phoenix. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland traveled with him. The trip was designed to highlight the investments the Biden-Harris administration has made in Tribal Nations.

At a press gaggle on Air Force One on the way to Arizona, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre noted that under Biden, Tribal Nations have seen the largest direct federal investment in history: $32 billion from the American Rescue Plan and $13 billion through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to build roads and bridges, bring clean water and sanitation, and build high-speed Internet in Tribal communities.

Jean-Pierre added that First Lady Jill Biden has also championed Native communities, visiting them ten times to highlight investments in youth mental health, the revitalization of Native languages, and to improve access to cancer screening and cancer care in Native communities.

Secretary Haaland, herself a member of the Pueblo of Laguna, agreed that the Biden-Harris administration has brought “transformational change” to Native communities: “electricity on the Hopi Reservation in Arizona for homes that have never had electricity; protecting cultural resources, like salmon, which Pacific Northwest Tribes have depended on for thousands of years; new transportation infrastructure for the Mescalero Apache Nation in New Mexico that will provide a safer travel route and boost their economic development, their local economy; addressing toxic legacy pollution and abandoned oil and gas infrastructure that pollutes our air and water for the Osage Nation in Oklahoma; providing clean drinking water for Fort Peck in Montana.”

“Tribal leaders are experiencing a new era,” Haaland added. “They’re at the table. They’re being consulted.”

When Biden spoke at the Gila Crossing Community School, he said he was there “to right a wrong, to chart a new path toward a better future for us all.” As president of the United States, Biden formally apologized to the Native peoples—Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, Native Alaskans—for the U.S. government policy that forced Native children into federal Indian boarding schools.

The apology comes after the release of an Interior Department study, The Federal Boarding School Initiative, that Secretary Haaland directed the department to undertake in 2021. According to Assistant Secretary of the Interior Bryan Newland, a citizen and former president of the Bay Mills Indian Community (Ojibwe), the initiative was “a comprehensive effort to recognize the troubled legacy of Federal Indian boarding school policies with the goal of addressing their intergenerational impact and to shed light on the traumas of the past.”

The initiative set out to identify federal Indian boarding schools and sites, to identify the children who attended those schools and to identify their Tribal identities, to find marked and unmarked burial sites of the remains of Indian children near school facilities, and to incorporate the viewpoints of those who attended federal Indian boarding schools and their descendants into the story of those schools.

The report looked at the Indian education system from 1819 to 1969 as a whole, bringing together federal funding for religious schools in the early 1800s with later explicitly federal schools and their public school successors during and after the 1930s. But historians generally focus on the period from 1879 to the 1930s as the boarding school era.

In 1879, the government opened the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, a boarding school for American Indian children in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, explicitly designed to separate children from their families and their culture and to train them for menial jobs.

The boarding school era was the brainchild of Army officer Richard Henry Pratt, a Civil War veteran who, in the years after the war, commanded the 10th United States Cavalry, a Black regiment stationed in the American West whose members Indigenous Americans nicknamed the “Buffalo Soldiers.” Pratt fought in the campaigns on the Plains from 1868 through 1875, when he was assigned to oversee 72 Cheyenne, Kiowa, Comanche, Arapaho, and Caddo prisoners of war at Fort Marion in St. Augustine, Florida (now known as the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument).

Many Indigenous prisoners at Fort Marion, taken from the dry Plains to the hot and humid coast of Florida where they were imprisoned in a cramped stone fort, quickly sickened and died. Pratt worked to upgrade conditions and to assimilate prisoners into U.S. systems by teaching them English, U.S. culture, Christianity, and how the American economy worked. He cut their hair, dressed them in military-type uniforms, and urged them to make art for sale to local tourists—it’s from here we get the world-famous collection of ledger art by the artists of Fort Marion—but focused on turning the former warriors and their families into menial workers.

After the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876 and the subsequent pursuit and surrender of leading Lakota bands throughout that year and the next, leading to the murder of Crazy Horse in 1877, popular opinion ran heavily toward simply corralling Indigenous Americans on reservations and waiting either for their assimilation or extermination. At the same time, with what seemed to be the end of the most serious of the Plains Wars, Army officers like Pratt had reason to worry that the downsizing of the U.S. Army would mean the end of their careers.

Indigenous survivors of Fort Marion returned home to see that the American government had no real plans for a thriving American Indian populace. There was little infrastructure to link them to the rest of the country to sell their art, and Indian agents rejected tribal members for jobs in favor of white cronies.

But Pratt considered his experiment at Fort Marion a great success, and he came to believe he could make his system work even more thoroughly by using a loophole in the treaties between Plains Tribes and the U.S. government to force Indigenous Americans to assimilate as children. He planned, he said, to “Kill the Indian and save the man.”

Treaties between Plains Indian Tribes and the government required the U.S. government to educate American Indian children—something their parents cared deeply about—but the treaties didn’t actually specify where the schools would be. So Pratt convinced the U.S. Army and officials at the Interior Department to give him the use of the Carlisle Barracks to open an industrial school, designed to teach American Indian children the skills necessary to be servants and menial workers.

In summer 1879, Pratt traveled to western reservations of the Lakotas and Dakotas, primarily, to gather up 82 children to begin his experiment in annihilating their culture from their minds. He forbade the practice of any aspect of Indigenous culture—language, religion, custom, clothing—and forced children to change their names, use English, practice Christianity, and wear clothing that mirrored that of Euro-American children.

Crowded together, many children died of disease; bereft of their family and culture, many died of heartache. Some found their newfound language and lessons tolerable, others ran away. For the next fifty years, the Carlisle model was the central model of government education for Indigenous children, with tens of thousands of children educated according to its methods.

In the 1920s the Institute for Government Research, later renamed the Brookings Institution, commissioned a study funded by the Rockefeller Institute—to make sure it would not reflect government bias—to investigate conditions among Indigenous Americans.

In 1928 that study, called the Meriam Report, condemned the conditions under which American Indians lived. It also emphasized the “deplorable health conditions” at the boarding schools, condemned the schools’ inappropriate focus on menial skills, and asserted that “[t]he most fundamental need in Indian education is a change in point of view.” In 1934 the Indian Reorganization Act reversed the policy of trying to eradicate Tribal cultures through boarding children away from their families, and introduced the teaching of Indian history and culture in federal schools.

But the boarding schools remain a central part of the experience of American Indians since the establishment of the U.S. government in North America, and the Federal Boarding School Initiative recommended that “[t]he U.S. Government should issue a formal acknowledgment of its role in adopting a national policy of forced assimilation of Indian children, and carrying out this policy through the removal and confinement of Indian children from their families and Indian Tribes and the Native Hawaiian Community and placement in the Federal Indian boarding school system.”

It continued: "The United States should accompany this acknowledgment with a formal apology to the individuals, families, and Indian Tribes that were harmed by U.S. policy."

On October 25, 2024, President Joe Biden delivered that apology.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[lovistella]

๋࣭ ⭑⚝．𝗠𝗘𝗘𝗧 𝗝𝗨𝗣𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗥!

WARNINGS ... mention of deceased person + suspicious death.

JUPITER  RECORDS  is  a  fictional  idol  company  founded  in  2000  by  the  infamous,  MOON  CHAEBOL  conglomerate.  initiated  by  the  parents  of  the  MOON  SIBLINGS,  they  trusted  first  born,  MOON  HANEUL,  to  take  charge  as  the  CEO  of  the  company  up  until  HIS  DISAPPEARANCE  in  2024.  he  left  the  company  to  his  younger  brother,  MOON  HANBYEOL,  who  at  the  time  had  no  experience  of  working  in  the  business  industry.  as  the  current  only  living  patriarch of  the  MOON  FAMILY,  HANBYEOL  has  faced  immense  pressure  to  continue  the  family  legacy.  IN FACT,  he  only  agreed  to  set  into  the  role  due  to  his  devotion  to  his  youngest  child,  HONEY  OF  BLACKPINK  who  at  the  time  was  looking  for  a  new  company.  while the company got a REHAUL, the  YOUNGEST  SISTER,  HERA MOON  is  working  hard  to  maintain  the  reputation  of  the  company,  whilst  MOON  HANNA  faced  controversy  following  her alleged involvement in the suspicious  circumstances  of  HANEUL'S  DISAPPEANCE.

JUPITER RECORDS are best known for HOUSING THE BIGGEST STARS, whilst EXPLOITATION + CORRUPTION curses the company!

๋࣭ ⭑⚝ ．𝗕𝗔𝗦𝗜𝗖𝗦!

COMPANY  jupiter  records SUBSIDIARY  callisto  co.,  OR&IT  &  stargirl TYPE  public INDUSTRY  music,  entertainment,  beauty FOUNDED  january  1,  2000 FOUNDER  moon  haneul HEADQUARTERS  seoul,  south  korea EMPLOYEES  404 AFFILIATIONS  moon  family  group

๋࣭ ⭑⚝ ．𝗟𝗢𝗥𝗘!

JUPITER  RECORDS  is  the  PLANET  OF  PLENTY,  housing  the  BIGGEST  STARS  known  for  all  the  WRONG  REASONS.  the  company  is  made  up  of  4  RINGS  who  make  up  the  four  companies  of  JUPITER  RECORDS.  MOON  HANEUL  with  JUPITER  RECORDS,  MOON  HANBYEOL  with  STARGIRL,  MOON  HANNA  with  CALLISTO  CO.  and  HERA MOON with  OR&IT.  THE  JOVIANS,  also  known  as  the  creatives,  are  divided  into  12  HOUSES  OF  JUPITER,  with  them  all  representing  an  unique  placement.  JUPITER  is  a  UNIVERSE  OF  ITS  OWN,  encompassing  a  COSMIC  JOURNEY  where  the  idols  are  made  to  RISE & SHINE  or FALL &  BURN  OUT.

๋࣭ ⭑⚝ ．𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗦!

MYLADY 2008  ☄  the dancing princesses TIMEZONE  2009  ☄  time  travellers GALAXIA 2010  ☄  the  moon guardians SUNKISSED  2011  ☄  cursed  by  the  moon 1004  2014  ☄  angels  of  the  universe FINALGIRL  2015  ☄  to  kill  or  be  killed  D'ELITE  2016  ☄  utopia  vs  dystopia  LOVELACE  2017  ☄  star-crossed  lovers QUARTZ  2018  ☄  shooting  stars PLOT-TWIST  2019  ☄  this  story  is  unwritten HONEY.B  2020  ☄  sting  like  a  bee FOLKLORE  2021  ☄  anthology of tales WHOZ THAT GIRL 2021  ☄  innocent til proven guilty RINGS  OF  JUPITER  TBC  ☄  battle  of  the  jovians WRITTEN IN THE STARS 2000-present ☄ pre-debut project group

๋࣭ ⭑⚝ ．𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗢𝗢𝗡𝗦!

MOON ❛❛ HANEUL ❜❜ .... JUPITER RECORDS FOUNDER MOON ❛❛ HANBYEOL ❜❜ .... STARGIRL FOUNDER MOON ❛❛ HANNA ❜❜ .... CALLISTO CO. FOUNDER MOON ❛❛ HERA ❜❜ .... OR&IT FOUNDER

[darkmaga-returns]

In March 2021, newly-released documents reveal that the Trudeau administration was quietly advancing plans for a national vaccine passport system, part of a broader push toward integrating Canadians into an international digital ID framework.

These early discussions, uncovered through an Access to Information request and reported by Rebel News, show that the groundwork for linking vaccination status to digital credentials was being laid months before the program was publicly announced in July of that year.

At a time when Canadians were contending with strict lockdowns and travel restrictions, senior government officials were actively planning a vaccine certification framework. Their aim was to synchronize Canada’s efforts with international vaccine credential standards, aligning with global initiatives. This initiative, however, extended beyond public health concerns, as documents show industries like aerospace and automotive were lobbying for measures to restore business travel.