#world humanities report

[jstor]

The humanities hold the key to understanding our past, navigating the present, and shaping a more equitable future. In his latest blog post, Eugene Tobin, Senior Advisor at Ithaka S+R, directs readers to the World Humanities Report, a groundbreaking international study commissioned by UNESCO. This report, and the United States focused report, explore the state of the humanities worldwide, including into their contributions to society, their challenges and their role in addressing critical issues like democratic resilience, cultural identity, and global interconnectedness.

Tobin reflects on how the report findings resonate within the U.S., where higher education faces pressures from privatization, affordability concerns, and shifting demographics. For librarians, faculty, and students alike, the reports are an essential resource to not only understand the value of the humanities but to advocate for their future.

If you’re passionate about the power of critical inquiry, the free exchange of ideas, and the role of the humanities in fostering societal growth, these are a must-read.

📚 ✨ Explore the blog and dive into the full reports.

[nelkcats]

Suspicious Toxic Waste

Danny wouldn't say that the ghosts were cheating to visit the human world because technically they weren't, they were just hiding in plain sight, using the portals near or within the sea.

None of them needed to breathe and hardly anyone questioned the glowing things that appeared in the sea anyway. Of course, he didn't think he'd find a whole underwater city down there, with a government and a king, but thanks to invisibility he was sure they hadn't noticed them.

Well, he was almost sure, because a bat-shaped yacht was cruising the docks and the Atlanteans were strangely on guard. Danny wondered what was wrong with them.

Of course, Bruce and Arthur were investigating the sudden increase of toxins in the sea. Many locals (Atlanteans and Gothamites) had claimed to see something constantly glowing green floating near the shore, too far away to confirm what it was, and both feared it was Kryptonite.

[chloecherrysip]

I don't know where I'm from. My earliest memory is arriving. I was so lucky they found me! They took me in, raised me like one of their own, and when I was ready, they made me their princess.

[aspiringtrashpanda]

HOW DARE YOU MAKE ME THINK OF RAPHTAN AFTER SEEING NO CONTENT OF THEM 🤬🤬🤬🤬 GRRRRRRR came from shootingstarr hehe anyways GRRRRRDRRRRR 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬

Raphtan came to @shootingstarrfish and I like some sort of shared fever dream and we woke up like "omg yes."

I cannot for the life of me tell if this is requesting more Raphtan or less, but regardless - HERE ARE SOME 🦔RAPHTAN🐈 THOUGHTS:

(whoops I went to write out some basic thoughts in bullet points and accidentally spit out a drabble, my bad.)

Satan finds Raphael intriguing at first. The moment they meet, Satan experiences a sort of pull towards him, and he isn't sure why. This bothers Satan, of course, because Satan values knowledge. Since making an effort to better understand his feelings with the help of the human exchange student and his brothers, he finds himself frustrated when he can't find the root of an emotion.

Thus, that invisible tether tugs persistently in Satan's mind and he can't for the life of him let it go.

He plays with it for a while, looping it between his fingers as he pretends to read in the library. His eyes fail to absorb any of the text before him, his brain too busy thinking of the newest angel visiting the Devildom. What is it about Raphael? Perhaps it's the strange sensation of knowing Raphael through Lucifer's eyes, but not his own. Perhaps it's the respect that his unruly family shows the young seraph, or the terror that flashes in their eyes at the mention of the punishments they had endured from Raphael in the Celestial Realm. It isn't often that Belphie shudders at the thought of someone out of genuine fear and not disgust or annoyance.

When he approaches Raphael in the RAD cafeteria and startles him as he's debating what snack to purchase from the vending machine, Satan gets it. Raphael nearly jumps a foot in the air - spinning on his heel with sapphire eyes narrowed menacingly, shoulders hunched to his ears and teeth bared in warning - and Satan sees nothing but a cautious stray.

It's amusing at first. Satan starts to notice just how cat-like Raphael has a tendency to act. He observes before reacting, doesn't bother decorating his words with fancy frills. He's guarded when it comes to affection from Simeon and Luke, and prefers to watch with an unreadable expression instead of throwing himself into the constant shenanigans lurking around each Devildom corner. Every step, every gesture, every blink is thought out and intentional. Satan would consider it admirable, if he didn't know just how painstakingly lonely maintaining such a facade can be.

There's one night. It must have been the beginning of November, as it was shortly after Lord Diavolo's birthday party. Satan finds Raphael curled up by a crackling fireplace in the RAD library.

It's late. Classes have been finished for hours, and yet, the fire remains roaring and Raphael sips a mug of tea while poring over thick textbooks. Satan had been planning on studying himself, away from the noise of the House of Lamentation, but it catches him off guard to feel a pleasant surprise blooming in his chest.

Raphael accepts Satan's request to join him, and it's then that Satan notices the types of books that surround the young seraph. Tomes on Devildom history, as well as texts on the Celestial Realm that were written by demons. When asked, Raphael frowns down at the pages. He mutters something about taking his position in the exchange program seriously, about learning all he can to assist Michael.

"I didn't realize Michael held Diavolo's goal of harmony between the three realms in such high regard," Satan smirks as he chooses an encyclopedia on torture from the nearest shelf.

Raphael doesn't know what to say to that. Satan thinks it's okay. He doesn't have to say it. Satan has a hunch that the Devildom isn't quite what Raphael expected, that perhaps the denizens are not as dangerous as previously believed. It's there in the crease between his brows, in the twitch of his lips towards the ground.

Satan understands, to a certain extent, how it feels to be unable to live up to the expectations you yourself believe others have thrust upon you.

He keeps it simple. Keeps it light. "Feeling your own thoughts and emotions does not make you a lesser being."

Raphael watches Satan then, flipping through pages of pain and gore in the flickering light of the hearth. He thinks maybe the demon is right. Maybe there is little harm in thinking for himself, after all.

It amuses Simeon to no end when Satan decides, out of the blue, that he's going to stay in the human world for a while. Conveniently, the same period of time that Raphael has decided to volunteer at the Angel's Halo. Lucifer protests Satan's request, to no one's surprise, but it's Diavolo who approves the paperwork. He claims that Satan, as the physical youngest of the brothers by far, has not had as much exposure to the human world as the rest of his family. They watched over the humans from the Celestial Realm, after all.

Diavolo urges Satan to learn from the humans, to try and think of ways to bring the realms closer together during his stay. Satan - for entirely selfless reasons - rents a storefront with an apartment above, and opens a shop. Located directly beside the Angel's Halo, he names it the Devil's Horns: Curated Collection and Cats.

Shortly after opening, the bell above the door chimes and Satan looks up from a book he reads behind the front desk. Raphael peers into the shop, a completely indifferent expression accompanying a dry, "So, it isn't false advertising."

He points to the cats roaming throughout the aisles of shelves, curled on the cushioned chairs by the large front window. Another glance around the room, and Raphael adds, "You won't get much business without bookstore on your sign."

Satan smirks. That is intentional, actually. He doesn't want to deal with just anyone wandering into his shop and seeking out the latest popular manga release. No, he's looking to peddle Devildom authors to humans. Nothing particularly dangerous, of course. Simply works that could be considered folklore, or spell books that would draw those interested in the occult. The list of books he carries was approved by Barbatos and Solomon, so he knows Lucifer can't throw a fit over it.

Raphael begins taking his breaks from the café in Satan's shop, making himself at home in the cozy sitting area designed for light reading. He always brings Satan a coffee of sorts. It's a little bit different each time. Satan thinks his favorite is the apple pie latte that Raphael creates in September. They went to a local orchard to pick the apples together. Satan can't remember the last time he smiled that much.

Satan, in turn, begins to hoard books - of human and demon authors alike - that he believes Raphael may find interesting. Eventually, their hours of quiet, filled with warm company and the rustle of pages, move upstairs to Satan's apartment. Sometimes, Raphael brings his shadow hedgehog, a strange, prickly pet that is just as slow to trust others as his owner. The cats leave the tiny beast alone, their instincts assuring them that they do not want to feel the sting of those needles. This earns Hella Britney Spears the shadow hedgehog Satan's approval. Smart little thing.

One night, Raphael wakes to silence, concern prickling at his skin. Hella Spears is nocturnal, for the most part, and so he is often heard rummaging through the sawdust and cotton fluff of his cage, his nails tapping on the plastic wheel fixed to the side. Raphael leaps out of bed, just to discover that the cage is completely empty.

He finds Satan in the kitchen, a steaming mug and book in front of him. Hella Spears is burrowing into the hood of the sweater he had pulled on, sniffling it that affectionate snort that means he likes someone. It is then that the final piece of the puzzle falls into place, and Raphael understands what the tightness in his chest has meant all along.

It's 3am, but he doesn't go back to bed. He makes himself a tea and takes the seat across from Satan. Satan does not lift his head, but his lips curl upwards. Even more so when Raphael reaches over the table and rests his hand over Satan's knuckles.

When Satan returns to the Devildom, he says nothing. He holds his memories close to his heart and doesn't wish to stain them with his family's irritating complaints.

Though, he doesn't need to say anything.

He figures that summoning The Rain of Spears to punish Mammon after finding his most rare and prized books pillaged from his room is confirmation enough.

Satan walking past Hella Britney Spears Obey Me's cage in the middle of the night like >:( Hella Spears: *hisses* Satan: ... :D

[rhisardthewizard]

Deaths that result from resistance against settler-colonial violence is ALWAYS the fault of the colonizers. Not the colonized.

Don't want a war? Don't spend 80 years doing an apartheid against the indigenous.

[thebardbullseye]

hot take ame is the interdisciplinary studies major of the coven of elders

[coochiequeens]

A man who got where he is, careerwise and having a family by transitioning later in life, wants to take that way from minors.

Image: WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 21: (L-R) Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, MD, MPH, President of the American Medical Association; Admiral Rachel L. Levine, MD, the 17th Assistant Secretary for Health (ASH) for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; and Charlotte Clymer, writer, transgender activist, and military veteran speak on stage during Learning With Love: The 2023 PFLAG National Convention, four days of educating, lobbying, networking, and leading with love, taking place October 19-22, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for PFLAG National)

A head-on collision between science and politics

By JESSE SINGAL JUN 25, 2024

When the World Professional Association for Transgender Health’s Standards of Care Version 8 was released in September 2022, a very strange thing happened: WPATH removed references to minimum age requirements for various medical interventions, describing the change as a “correction” in a notice that now reads, weirdly: “This correction notice has been removed as it referred to a previous version of the article, which was published in error.” Whatever happened, exactly, it’s clear that until late in the game the document did have age minimums until, suddenly, it did not.

The SoC 8 was supposed to have been created via something called the Delphi process. As the document itself explains: “Consensus on the final recommendations was attained using the Delphi process that included all members of the guidelines committee and required that recommendation statements were approved by at least 75% of members.” Suffice it to say that making a sudden, major change so late in the game calls into question whether that process was fully adhered to.

Thanks to a rather remarkable document just unsealed as part of Boe v. Marshall, one of the many American lawsuits over youth gender medicine, we now have a potential explanation for why the age guidelines were removed: direct pressure from assistant secretary for health of the Department of Health and Human Services Admiral Rachel Levine (who is a trans woman herself) and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The document is titled “Appendix A To Supplemental Expert Report Of James Cantor, Ph.D. In it Cantor, a Canadian sex researcher, critic of youth gender medicine, and frequent expert witness on behalf of those attempting to ban or or restrict it (including in this case), claims that “Assistant Secretary for Health Dr. Rachel Levine strongly pressured WPATH leadership to rush the development and issuance of SOC-8, in order to assist with Administration political strategy.”

He backs this claim up with the following internal communications from WPATH members involved with the creation of the SoC 8 (here and elsewhere in the document, the names of the people who wrote the words in question are redacted):

I have just spoken to Admiral Levine today, who—as always is extremelysupportive of the SOC 8, but also very eager for its release—so to ensureintegration in the US health policies of the Biden government. So, let’s crack onwith the job!!! 

I am meeting with Rachel Levine and her team next week, as the US Department of Health is very keen to bring the trans health agenda forward.

The failure of WPATH to be ready with SOC 8 is proving a barrier to optimal policy progress and she [Dr. Levine] was eager to learn when SOC 8 might be published. 

[T]his should be taken as a charge from the United States government to do what is required to complete the project immediately. 

More worryingly, Cantor charges that “Assistant Secretary Levine also attempted to and did influence the substantive content of SOC-8, based on political goals rather than science. Specifically, Assistant Secretary Levine, though [sic] a staff member, pressured WPATH to remove recommended minimum ages for medical transition treatments from SOC-8.”

Here, too, he has evidence from anonymized emails written by those involved in the SoC 8:

Sarah Boateng, who is Adm. Levine’s chief of staff [said the] biggest concern is the section below in the Adolescent Chapter that lists specific minimum ages for treatment, she is confident, based on the rhetoric she is hearing in DC, and from what we have already seen, that these specific listings of ages, under 18, will result in devastating legislation for trans care. She wonders if the specific ages can be taken out and perhaps an adjunct document could be created that is published or distributed in a way that is less visible than the SOC8, is the way to go. 

The issue of ages and treatment has been quite controversial (mainly for surgery) and it has come up again. We sent the document to Admiral Levine. . . She like [sic] the SOC-8 very much but she was very concerned that having ages (mainly for surgery) will affect access to health care for trans youth and maybe adults too. Apparently the situation in the USA is terrible and she and the Biden administration worried that having ages in the document will make matters worse. She asked us to remove them. We have the WPATH executive committee in this meeting and we explained to her that we could not just remove them at this stage. 

[W]e heard your [Dr. Levine’s] comments regarding the minimal age criteria for transgender healthcare adolescents; the potential negative outcome of these minimal ages as recommendations in the US [. . . ] Consequently, we have changes to the SOC 8 in this respect. Given that the recommendations for minimal ages for the various gender affirming medical and surgical intervention are consensus-based, we could not remove them from the document. Therefore, we have made changes as to how the minimal ages are presented in the documents. [Note: “your” may well refer to an aide of Levine’s rather than the Secretary herself, though it’s unclear.] 

Cantor also includes emails from SoC 8 contributors expressing surprise at the sudden change, including this one making. . . well, the same point everyone else made after news of the late-stage “correction” broke:

I don’t see how we can simply remove something that important from the document—without going through a Delphi—at this final stage of the game [. . . ] I realize that those in favor of the bans are going to go right to the age criteria and ignore the fact that we actually strengthened the strictness of the criteria to help clinicians better discern appropriate surgical candidates from those who are inappropriate [. . . ] It’s all about messaging and marketing. 

I’m actually crashing on a different but related freelance story at the moment. Check out Leor Sapir’s Twitter timeline for more details about this and another just-unsealed document. Next week, when I’ve caught my breath, I’ll write a little bit more about this as well as yet another damning claim Cantor makes, that the American Academy of Pediatrics “issued an ultimatum to WPATH: Should WPATH not delete the age minimums, AAP would not only withhold endorsement of SOC-8, but would publicly oppose the document.” 

But I wanted to at least get this short piece up, because the Levine angle is important and alarming. It demonstrates an indisputable conflict between how WPATH has portrayed the SoC 8 — as a document steeped in evidence and careful deliberation on the part of experts — and how the guidelines were actually formulated.

[gurorori]

haha oh no im definitely not at all disturbed by the prevalence of leftists on all platforms who are loudly 'anti-genocide' when it comes to the palestinian cause (and a couple others at best :3c) yet the only time ukraine [ʊkrɐˈjinɐ] leaves their mouths is in critique, in stark comparison to the former or in complaint about their (american) government sending aid.

at first what i saw often was pointing out the differences in western media framing [ukraine vs palestine], and that's fair (until the words and the agenda of western journalists are used to paint, as a whole, ukrainians who have been actively going through genocide as some kind of white supremacists hogging the blanket of global attention when they kinda just want to live and have the rights to their own land, culture, names and families)

but no one is even caring to do that anymore, today bitches just invent metaphorical scenarios and people to get mad at and to throw an entire ethnos away because wahhhh i decided that you care for X but not for Y!!!.... all while doing the exact thing they are condemning. the exact absolute same and they don't even hide it but do lack the self-awareness to realise

[tuuuron]

they're watching a kid's show

[fullscoreshenanigans]

(Original Post)

@anulithots Ray's lack of infantile amnesia being the result of epigenetics is an interesting and tragic thought.

This is also one of the reasons the farm system seems ill-thought out to me from a purely pragmatic standpoint.

The demons have to have an understanding of this after breeding humans for roughly a thousand years and learning of the differences between demon and human genetic make-ups, on top of Ray making a point to cite how humans are influenced by their environment to back-up his reasoning about why they won't increase security if Norman ran away to avoid being shipped out. (To say nothing of how Isabella probably pettily considered this when thinking about shipping Ray at some point.)

Living in the kind of brutal environment that headquarters is for a decade would fundamentally change a person on some level, and we're shown the toll it takes on Isabella despite the iron woman persona she's built up.

(Chapter 181.3 | Minerva Confidential Report from the S1 Blu-ray | S1 Episode 12 | TPN Light Novel 2: Moms’ Song of Remembrance - “The Starry Sky and Leslie’s List” Chapter 9)

So I question why at least when the candidates are pregnant the demons wouldn't want to offer better treatment and incentives to them, or at least a mention of this by humans or demons directly involved with farm management questioning it before being told by those higher in the chain of command that it's unavoidable; they're working within the confines of the time and resources they've given, or whatever reasoning they provide while the upholding of the status quo so the demon royalty can maintain their authority over the general populace can continue.

[mildmayfoxe]

it's kind of fucked up imo that charity donations are tax write-offs. like on one hand i get it bc it gets rich people and businesses to give up some of their fucking money for once (since they have an incentive) but i don't keep track of how much money i give to charities each year. and why SHOULD i???? why SHOULD i be a little charity accountant keeping little receipts instead of just giving money to causes just because i care about people in the world???? it just seems petty and selfish to me to hand in a little slip of paper to the government that says you were such a good boy and gave money to people who needed it and you should get a reward for sharing. you shouldn't give money to charity because you want a prize at the end

[shattered-pieces]

Why are so few people focusing on reporting the war crimes of russia? Is it because it is more hidden now (since Bucha...)? Do people even realize what is going on... would most people care if they did?

[rxttenfish]

i know i did reblog that post earlier but the specific implication that we should fence in wild areas or that other continents dont have large megafauna in their local areas is just.... bothering me

like 1. restricting the movement of animals is bad for ecology, actually, and its part of why the highway system in the USA is so specifically concerning. not just because larger animals tend to maintain larger swathes of territory, but because animals need to move between areas in order to prevent genetic islands and inbreeding. this is actually part of the issue in why certain animals are endangered, because you can get too many in one area and not enough in other areas and they cannot move between areas

and 2. you?? do get megafauna interacting with and in local areas??? like even here its not an all-the-time sort of deal, and so is it in other areas, but there's still plenty of instances of elephants breaking open houses or blocking roads, and certainly plenty of instances of large cats hanging out around human trash. its not just an ''only in america!'' type deal

[bumblebeebats]

The IRS LOOOVE to ask me questions like

Have you ever:

never not received dividends of a divisionary nature through the operation of a state or federal corporal mutual fund, and paid pecuniary expenses related to Article 805A(b).e, or

been gifted more than $2,000,000 cash or the equivalent in yachts or racing horses from a foreign monarch, and

not been actively involved in assessing fewer than two digital assets prior to 2021, or not more that two non-relational nontaxable assets after Jun 7th, 2022 (see Schedule 8, box 17a)

☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Other

[alildritten]

Ah yes, the scariest story of all:

G A Y

(/j)

[zetsubou-shita]

I can't believe that TikTok blocked my comment that Eren is no different from Hitler, where person was praising genocide.