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multifariousqueer · 3 months

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Sex in the bathtub with Felix Catton.

Ofc, lovie 🩷🩰

Warnings: SMUT SMUT SMUT, fingering, oral???, PIV, unprotected s3x, br33ding, implied consent(also explicit consent), pet names, I think that’s it

It had been a long, treacherous and tedious day and you were exhausted. You had stumbled into Felix’s dorm and threw your head back in fatigue as he peered at you through questioning eyes.

“Hey, you alright?” He asked softly

“Mmmmm I’m tired” You replied

“Yeah you look it. Do you need something?” He asked

“A massage and adderall” you chuckled

“I could give you both if you want” Felix said with a smirk

You smiled and said:

“Maybe just the massage”

He smirked and you took off your clothes. He picked you up and took you to the bed where you lay flat. He sauntered into the bathroom where he pulled out a bottle of baby oil. Your eyes looked to him and the bottle before you let out a giggle.

His cold, soft hands roamed your body as you sighed at the relief. The oil only relaxing your muscles more and removing the friction between him and your back. Moans escaped your lips as his hands continued to travel and a trail of pleasure was left in their wake. Felix’s lips were parted as he was entranced by your warm body, mesmerized by his reality of touching your being. He felt a soul connection to you in that vunerable moment and decided that he wanted you to experience the pleasure that he knew you needed and deserved.

Felix’s hands traveled down to your ass as you let out a small gasp, only for you to look back and see your boyfriend with a dopey smile on his face. He was always so cute and attentive when he wanted to be. His hands slipped lower as his hand came to your already wet folds as he wet them even more through the oil. He let out a groan at how warm and soaked you were for his fingers alone and Felix felt his pants grow tighter. Your head came up and Felix’s face was hovered over yours:

“Can I make you feel good?” He breathed

“Always” you replied

Felix’s lips connected to yours as his hands continued to pleasure you and slip in and out. He was exceptionally skilled with his hands and it never took long for you to reach an orgasm with him and this time was no different. Butterflies made their way into your stomach as you whimpered for your boyfriend to let you finish and give you the relief you so desperately craved. Your juices leaked out and your moans were increasing in volume as you felt yourself creep on the edge of a glorious orgasm, only to be brought back down by Felix.

“What happened?” You whimpered

“This isn’t how I want my princess to finish” Felix smirked

He got off of you and went into the bathroom where you heard the tub run. A mixture of negative emotions cascaded throughout your body but the one that was the most prevalent was lust and sadness. It wasn’t anything personal and Felix always wanted you to have good orgasms but you still felt empty and like you missed out on something.

The echo of the tub running and the smell of eucalyptus and a lush bath bomb permeated the room as Felix came back without clothes. He ushered you into the bathroom where he sat you in the edge of the tub:

“I’ll make you feel good, princess. You’ll get your orgasm, I promise” he whispered into your needy pussy before he placed a kiss upon your clit.

You spun around into the water which was the perfect temperature and smelled magnificent. Felix got in after you, his dark brown eyes peering at you with desire and lust as he pulled you into his lap. His cock practically begging you to touch it and poking you in the back as he groaned at the sudden exposure.

“Tell me about your day” he said, his hands roaming on your body

“Uhh well I- ugh” you stopped. Felix had reached his hands down to your pussy as he began to finish the job.

“Don’t stop” he smirked. His tortuous game now coming to light. He wanted you to talk your way into an orgasm.

“Tell me how good this feels. tell me how bad you need my cock, baby” he whispered into your ear, a soft whimper escaping your lips.

“It feels so good, Felix. Oh my God I’m so close” you breathed

Felix chuckled at this as your body started caving around his fingers. Your walls tightened around his fingers and his lips found your neck as he nipped and kissed at the delicate skin. Pleasure waves overtook your being and you came around his fingers, with a moan and your body going limp:

“Good girl” he said into your hair

Felix pulled you around him and inserted himself inside of your plush walls, savoring every part of you inside and out. A groan escaped his lips as a moan escaped yours; you were incapacitated so he lifted your hips and ass as your hands found his hair. A coil started forming inside of your stomach again as he whispered more sweet nothings to you:

“Mmm fuck baby, you’re so tight”

“You were made for me”

“This perfect pussy”

“I can’t wait to own this pussy forever”

The coil in your stomach was tight as ever and your eyes were filled with pure desire as Felix’s movements became sloppier and sloppier. Your mind was fogged over as his mouth found your nipples and your head went back. Another huge wave of pleasure washed over you as butterflies had emerged again in millions in your stomach and a loud moan escaped your plump lips. Felix’s body stiffened and his hands planted your hips flush against his pelvis, as his hips bucked every now and again. His eyes were sealed shut as his groans escaped from his pink lips. He trapped his seed inside of you as you felt the hot ropes escape inside of you. A gentle smile appeared on his face as his glossed over expression registered in your mind:

“I’m his forever”

#felix catton smut #for you #felix catton x reader #felix catton blurb #felix catton #jacob elordi #jacob elordi x reader #saltburn #saltburn x reader #felix catton imagine #foryou #jacob elordi imagine #jacob elordi smut

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karinasbaby · 6 months

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𝐒𝐈𝐌 𝐉𝐀𝐄𝐘𝐔𝐍 — FORESHADOW (teaser)

"we can still meet, we will connect no matter what"

PAIRING. soulmate!jake x fem!reader

WARNINGS.(will contain) some supernatural stuff, my second miserable attempt at angst & fluff, suggestive content, mentions of family problems/trauma, drinking, fights, cursing, and a lot of one-night stands (for now),

WORD COUNT. 585 (looks away)

in a world where every person is born with numbers of a birthdate engraved in the back of their necks, where every person dreams of their future memories with their other half that the universe had created for them, where on every person's eighteenth birthday they get certain and special initials marked somewhere on their body— all belonging to their soulmate.

sim jaeyun was lost in a daydream,

reminiscing his previous night's memories, heat flooding back to his face as he remembered every second of his dream, he had finally seen his soulmate again,

heart drumming once he recalled how smooth his soulmate's locks felt beneath his fingertips when he carefully raked them through her hair, how soft his soulmate's voice sounded when she called so sweetly for him, just how much her presence affected him even when he never got the chance to see her face properly,

to say that jaeyun was "excited" would be an absolute understatement, the boy was over the moon any and every time he thought about his soulmate, his eyes twinkled whenever the topic of 'soulmates' was brought up around him, loving and longing gaze following every couple he spotted outside, his heart thundering in his chest every night before he went to sleep, will he see his soulmate again tonight?

truth was, jaeyun yearned and craved for a love as pure and tender as his parents' soulmate bond, growing up in a house bursting with affection and joy along with his parents' overflowing love for each other that only seemed to be getting stronger and increasing with each passing decade, only made jaeyun look forward to his own soulmate and how his life would be with her,

how he was so prepared to give all the love in his body to her, spending each and every passing second with his soulmate was something he daydreamed about often, he was so ready to devote himself entirely, body, mind and soul for his soulmate, question was when will he finally meet her?

growing up and hearing myths that got passed around for centuries, the most prevalent one stating that "every person's birth country has a high chance of seventy-five percent of being the same birth country as their soulmate", which resulted in jaeyun refusing to budge away from his birth country, only travelling with his parents for short vacations before he begs them to buy earlier tickets so he can go back,

jaeyun woke up everyday with the phrase "this might be the day that i meet her." ringing in his head continuously till night, finding a different kind of energy that motivates him throughout his day at the mere possibility of his soulmate passing by him any second,

whenever thoughts of his soulmate occupied him completely, with wonder about her whereabouts, what she could possibly be doing at the moment, led jaeyun to turn towards a piece of paper and a pen to empty his system of all of his thoughts and overflowing emotions,

which resulted in this routine becoming some sort of coping mechanism for him when he felt like he was being drowned by his overthinking of his soulmate avoiding him, not wanting to meet him, or worse deciding to end their connection,

and this led to jaeyun having two boxes filled with his 'love letters' stuffed away at the corner of his room, thinking that maybe in the future his soulmate will read them and find his words and worry somewhat amusing,

but what if his soulmate truly didn't want to meet him?

A, NOTE. if this isn't out till the end of november like the 20-25 then i wish we would all collectively forget about it <3

(feb 2024 update): i’m still working on it !!

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gothhabiba · 6 months

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As the waves of Jewish immigration intensified and the desire (overt or covert) to become a replacement to the Arab-Palestinian people increased, the Zionist leadership advocated a policy of separation on all social, political and economic fronts. One of the most visible manifestations of this separation was the Zionist campaign for the purchasing of Jewish only goods, known in Hebrew as Totzeret Ha’aretz—literally “the produce of the land.” This resulted in a clear differentiation between the permeation of Arab-Palestinian culture into Jewish life and the barriers placed on social, economic and political integration and interaction. In the words of Zerubavel, “politically, the Zionists ignored the Arabs, but culturally, they romanticized and tried to imitate them.”

For example, Dafna Hirsch, in her biographic study of hummus, describes how it was initially considered part of the local Arab-Palestinian food culture and repertoire in the 1930s, worthy of adoption due to its nutritious value. However, in the 1950s, through the process of industrialisation, mass production and marketing, it was appropriated and nationalised, and its Arab origins were supressed. The Arab-Palestinian origins of the product were omitted and marginalized and its connection to Jewish and Jewish-Israeli traditions, especially to the Mizrahi-Jewish Diaspora, emphasized. For Jewish-Israelis, hummus became a national dish, the eating of which was part-and-parcel of daily life, either purchased from Jewish-Israeli food companies, such as Telma, or consumed at home or at Mizrahi-Jewish restaurants.

The hummus example in this regard is not unique; I will demonstrate these processes by deconstructing one of Israel’s most well known dishes, the Israeli salad. There might not be a more popular dish in Israel than the Israeli salad, sometimes also referred to as Salad Katsuts (chopped salad). The salad is based on chopped vegetables (normally tomatoes, cucumbers and onions) and fresh herbs (mostly parsley but sometimes also mint) and dressed with olive oil and lemon juice. A recent book, Fresh Flavours from Israel, by Jewish-Israelii food writer Janna Gur, states that “Israelis must have their salad at least once a day.” It is an accompaniment to every meal, whether eaten at home or outside. In fact, you would be hard pressed to have a meal anywhere in Israel without it. No Israeli cookbook from the 1960s onwards is truly complete without providing a recipe for it. This is true with regards to those written for Jewish-Israeli and foreign audiences. To the unsuspecting viewer, the Israeli salad is the epitome of Israeli food culture: it is fresh, simple, healthy and [symbolizes] the strong relationship the nation has with its agricultural produce. The salad, therefore, serves as both an internal and an external banal symbol of Jewish-Israeli identity.

What are the origins of the Israeli salad? Reading through literary accounts of growing up in Israel, the salad became a staple food product in the Kibbutzim canteens, from there it moved to the Israeli army’s mess halls and to Israeli homes. The fact that the salad is mentioned mostly as a chopped vegetable salad by Israeli authors describing living in Israel in the 1930s and 1940s demonstrates that it did not arrive with the wave of Jewish immigrants from North Africa and the Arab world after the state was established in 1948. It was also not prevalent in the diet of Central and Eastern European Jewish communities, from where most immigrants came. On the other hand, there are a number of accounts, mostly by travel writers, such as Masterman and Grant in the early-1900s and that of the Mary Eliza Rogers as far back as 1865, that describe the preparation and consumption of a chopped vegetable salad in Palestine. Rogers describes the salad as accompanying most meals served by the upper and governing classes in Palestine, at the time part of the Ottoman Empire. In other words, it is either that early Zionist immigrants to Palestine independently invented the salad, or, as I argue hereafter, they imitated, adopted and later appropriated and nationalised an existing local custom.

– Ronald Ranta, “Re-Arabizing Israeli Food Culture.” Food, Culture & Society 18(4):611-627 (December 2015). DOI: 10.1080/15528014.2015.1088192

#food #Palestine #Israel #quote #long post /

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talkethtothehandeth · 6 months

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Here is a video that talks about the reality of living with Long COVID. This is another reminder that this virus is still prevalent and just as deadly, if not more. COVID has killed nearly seven million (documented cases) people worldwide. You are not immune, you are not invincible, and this is something you should still be taking seriously. It’s not in the past, it is still spreading and mutating and harming and disabling and killing.

Wear your masks, get the vaccines if you can.

Video Length: 1m 16s

Transcription:

"Hi, my name is Hannah, and COVID took my life from me. I was 23 when I got sick in August of 2020, and I'm turning 27 this month. I was an athlete for 10 years, and I had straight A's all through high school. I graduated with honors, multiple scholarships, and I was years in the school for my PsyD. I loved going on adventures, traveling, reading, painting, drawing, I even loved having a job. I even had a healthy immune system, and that was all until I got COVID." - "I've been diagnosed with epilepsy, and the back to back seizures have caused brain damage; it has caused dementia type symptoms, spelling problems, mood changes, POTS, which haused caused me to be hospitalized multiple times with concussions and injuries. I'm on IV infusions and medications for that." - "I have to use a wheelchair, I can no longer legally drive; diabetes, an autoimmune disease, chronic and debilitating fatigue, vision deterioration, had to have my thyroid removed, lost half my hair. I still have a hard time breathing and have low oxygen at points-- chronic pain, muscle aches, tooth decay, increased mental health issues and ideations. I had to quit my job, withdraw from school, and I never see anyone but my family and doctors I can longer draw, travel, and I really struggle with reading, which is my favorite thing." - "My loved ones are terrified to leave me home alone, and I'm scared to even sleep at night because I'm afraid that I won't wake up. I spend my days alone in bed because life has to go on without me. This is the reality of it [long covid]. And 1 in 5 infections cause long COVID. I promise you, you are not invincible."

#you are not invincible #long covid #covid #covid 19 #autoimmune #immunocompromised #get vaccinated #chronic illness #chronically ill #disabled #physically disabled #hypothyroidism

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transgenderer · 1 month

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Kleine–Levin syndrome (KLS) is a rare neurological disorder characterized by persistent episodic hypersomnia accompanied by cognitive and behavioral changes. These changes may include disinhibition, sometimes manifested through hypersexuality, hyperphagia or emotional lability, and other symptoms, such as derealization. Patients generally experience recurrent episodes of the condition for more than a decade, which may return at a later age. Individual episodes generally last more than a week, sometimes lasting for months. Patients commonly have about 20 episodes over about a decade. Several months may elapse between episodes.

The onset of the condition usually follows a viral infection (72% of patients); several different viruses have been observed to trigger KLS.[2] It is generally only diagnosed after similar conditions have been excluded; MRI, CT scans, lumbar puncture, and toxicology tests are used to rule out other possibilities. The syndrome's mechanism is not known, but the thalamus is thought to possibly play a role. SPECT has shown thalamic hypoperfusion in patients during episodes.

KLS is very rare, occurring at a rate of 1 in 500,000, which limits research into genetic factors.[2] The condition primarily affects teenagers (81% of reported patients), with a bias towards males (68-72% of cases), though females can also be affected, and the age of onset varies.[2] There is no known cure, and there is little evidence supporting drug treatment. Lithium has been reported to have limited effects in case reports, decreasing the length of episodes and duration between them in some patients.[3] Stimulants have been shown to promote wakefulness during episodes, but they do not counteract cognitive symptoms or decrease the duration of episodes.

Patients with Kleine–Levin syndrome (KLS) experience recurring episodes of prolonged sleep (hypersomnia).[5] In most cases, patients sleep 15 to 21 hours a day during episodes.[6] Excessive appetite (hyperphagia) and unusual cravings are present in half to two thirds of cases.[6][7][8] About half of patients, mainly male patients, experience dramatically increased sexual urges (hypersexuality).[9][7] Several other symptoms usually accompany the syndrome, including marked changes in mood and cognitive ability.[5]Derealization and severe apathy are present in at least 80 percent of cases.[10] About one third of patients experience hallucinations or delusions.[7] Depression and anxiety occur less commonly; one study found them in about 25 percent of patients.[10] Individuals usually cannot remember what happened during episodes.[6] Repetitive behaviors and headaches are commonly reported.[7] Some patients act very childlike during episodes,[11] and communication skills and coordination sometimes worsen.[6]

The first time a patient experiences KLS, it usually occurs along with symptoms that are similar to those of the flu or encephalitis. In at least 75 percent of cases, symptoms occur after an airway infection or a fever. Viruses observed before the development of the condition include Epstein–Barr virus, varicella zoster virus, herpes zoster virus, influenza A virus subtypes, and adenovirus. Several days after symptoms first occur, patients become very tired.[9] In cases that occur after an infection, KLS usually starts within three to five days for teenagers and fewer for children.[16] In other cases, alcohol consumption, head injury, or international travel precede symptoms.[9][14] Lifestyle habits, such as stress, alcohol abuse and lack of sleep and stress, have also been proposed as possible triggers.[5] First episodes of KLS are preceded by a clear event in about 90 percent of cases.[8] Recurrences generally do not have clear triggers; only about 15 percent have a precipitating event.[17]

Population-based studies of KLS have not been performed. Its prevalence is about 1 to 2 cases per million people,[8] although recent studies conducted by a French research team point to a higher number of 3 per million people.[25] It occurs most frequently among Jews in the US and Israel. First-degree relatives of people who have the syndrome are much more likely than the general population to have it, although only in about one percent of cases do family members contract it. About 68 to 72 percents of patients are male. Patients with the syndrome are more likely than the general population to have genetic disorders, and about a third of people with the syndrome encountered some form of birth difficulty.[26] In a study of 186 older patients, about ten percent had preexisting psychiatric issues.[6] One study found that about ten percent of patients had a neurological condition before KLS developed.[8] The condition does not appear to occur most frequently in one season.[11]

??? extremely strange disorder.

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melmac78 · 5 days

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@katblu42 wrote: “I know practically nothing about Texas, other than it is big, and in the South of the USA. It seems to be portrayed as having fairly warm weather . . . but as large as it is, does it have regions of varying weather patterns? And in a similar vein, are there various areas of diverse vegetation/fauna?”

••••••

In short, yes. I live in West Texas and mom in Southeast (about 500 or so miles apart), and we can have essentially two seasons. It can rain there and be bone dry here, and sometimes in the winter she asks me the temp so she can prepare the next day.

And it’s no exaggeration some parts of the state you can experience at least 3 seasons in the same day. I’m personally lucky in that I seem to have adapted to this particularly go here, which it’s frequent 2 seasons a day right now, but I get funny looks being in short sleeves in cooler weather because of it.

•••••••

Vegetation/fauna is definitely diverse. If I travel from home to Mom’s, in that 8 hour drive I go from:

• a flat area where most trees that aren’t mesquite were planted by settlers (you can tell where a house is/was based on clusters of trees), that grows cotton and feed if they aren’t an oil town

• area with mesas and wind turbines after leaving the Caprock, another ironically heavier oil area. The turbines are increasing to the point I joke they’re “Don Quixote’s nightmare.

• areas with thicker areas of trees that are shorter, oddly at times more prickly pear cactus, and bigger cities,

(This varies if I take the longer route - uncommon but I will in December to run a different St. Jude race - through Boerne/San Antonio where you go through the mesas and rolling plains again in the middle of the state, and unfortunately experience 40 mins. of cell phone dead zone. It’s bad to the point it’s LEGAL to go 80 mph to get through it)

• heavily wooded area and gentle hills.

And then if we go to Galveston or Corpus Christi there’s some marshy areas and then the coast.

The marshiest area is around La Porte I think, which is where the battle of San Jacinto was and the Texas fighters used this to an advantage.

••••••

Wildlife varies. I see more wild turkey and pheasant here than east coast. I’ve seen a few roadrunners but they seem more prevalent in the Palo Duro Canyon.

Prairie dogs are far more common in west Texas. Amarillo’s minor league team’s mascot is Sodpoodles (a nickname) and Lubbock has one park dedicated to the black tail prairie dogs.

Anyone watching them I’d say don’t walk close: their town system underground makes it dangerous to walk lest you fall through a hole.

I definitely see more deer near moms along with raccoons. Skunks more often here: in the summer I must walk the cemetery in full daylight, not dusk as they seem to like living there more. (Just clarifying for folks: where I am the cemetery is the safest place to walk due to bad traffic and has a very high visibility).

Snakes are definitely a big issue all around. For the poisonous ones, West Texas more rattlers and coral while East copperheads and water moccasins (though up here we’ll see some copperheads).

Coast we see a lot of sea turtles nest there, particularly Kemp Ridley. There’s a lot of hatching ceremonies in the year where the state protects the turtles until they waddle into the Gulf to give them a fighting chance to survive.

I’m sure there’s even more than this, but it’s more of I’ve experienced here

Thanks for the ask.

#melmac78 observation #ask me but person specific #melmac78

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dutch-and-flemish-painters · 2 months

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Adriaen van Overbeke - The Adoration of the Magi -

Adriaen van Overbeke, Adrian van Overbeck and Adriaen van Overbeke (fl 1508 – 1529) was a Flemish Renaissance painter in the style of Antwerp Mannerism. He operated a large workshop with an important output of altarpieces, which were mainly exported to Northern France, the Rhineland and Westphalia. His known works were predominantly polychromed wooden altarpieces with painted shutters, which were created through a collaboration between painters and sculptors.

Van Overbeke was the head of a large workshop, which employed many assistants. He further developed collaborations with other Antwerp workshops including of painters and sculptors. He appeared therefore in contemporary contracts both as a principal as well as a subcontractor. With the increasing success of his business, he gradually participated less in the execution of works and he became an entrepreneur who relied on workshop assistants and other workshops to create the altarpieces.

Models in his workshop were used to create a workshop style. The workshop style also included compliance with certain conventions regarding the palette which remained very similar over a period of about 15 years. Blue and red dominate in strong tones. Continuity of the workshop style was also achieved through a rational image design. The figures were brought to the foreground and often recurring groups of figures must have been based on workshop templates. The design of various compositions relied on prints of Albrecht Dürer. The adoption of a workshop style explains why it is difficult to attribute works to him on style-critical grounds. Van Overbeke himself is believed to have spent a lot of his time traveling abroad to meet with his patrons. Unlike other workshops in Antwerp, the van Overbeke workshop is not known for serially produced altarpieces of the passion of Christ or the life of the Virgin Mary. Typical traits of van Overbeke's style are the tall figures with somewhat elongated faces and small eyes, broad faces with the hanging angle of the mouth and sunken eyes, and thin hands with long fingers. The landscapes typically contain rock formations.

Van Overbeke is considered a representative of Antwerp Mannerism. The term Antwerp Mannerism was coined by Friedländer in the early 20th century to refer to a transitory phase in Netherlandish art from the late Gothic to works inspired by the Italian Renaissance. The terms "Manier" and "Manierist" were used by Friedländer to refer to the original even unusual motifs in the body of work categorized under this style. The terms carried a pejorative connotation as these works were regarded as inferior to work produced by Pieter Coecke van Aelst, Quentin Matsys and other contemporaries. The style of these works was often extravagant. This was reflected in how the folds of the flamboyant and exotic clothes worn by the figures defied gravity. These figures were usually depicted in agitated poses amidst architectural ruins. The earlier works included Gothic architecture but in later works Renaissance structures became prevalent. The paintings appear to combine Early Netherlandish and Northern Renaissance styles, and incorporate both Flemish and Italian traditions into the same compositions. Most of the artists of Antwerp Mannerism have remained anonymous and only some of the artists have been identified. They include Jan de Beer and the Master of 1518 (possibly Jan Mertens or Jan van Dornicke). Adriaen van Overbeke himself was only recently identified with the anonymous master who was given the notname 'Master of the Crucifixion of Antwerp' by Friedländer.

#Adriaen van Overbeke #16th #renaissance #antwerpen #biblical

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flyonthewallmedstudent · 4 months

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Entamoeba Histolytica

Moving on from Disseminated infections.

and back to parasites, we have this amoeba.

Courtesy of wikipaedia.

One complication is liver abscess.

Image from NEJM

Ring enhancing cysts were seen on CT (requested after the authors noted deranged liver function tests) and on percutaneous drainage (which radiology can do), they had brown cloudy fluid. Under the microscope they noted the pseudopods (leg like extensions).

Classically though, entamoeba causes amoebic dysentery or bloody diarrhoea that develops over 1-4 weeks. However, 90% are asymptomatic. Given the complications/extra-GI manifestations, it can be fatal in a very small minority.

Severe disease/Complications - toxic megacolon (always makes me think of heavy metal bands, in sad actuality it's inflammation that affects more layers and causes the colon to wide. resembling balloon animals) - fulminant colitis + perforation (from inflammation, ulceration etc. that the trophozoites induce, high mortality) - liver abscess (more common, fevers/RUQ/hepatomegaly, transamnitis and jaundice, maybe months before this develops) - rarely: pericarditis + tamponade (from liver rupture, rare but high mortality), pleural effusion & brain abscess (exceedingly rare - but acute confusion + fevers, rapid deterioration) risk factors for severe diseases/complications: malignancy, pregnancy, immunosuppression in general.

Toxic megacolon: Can actually rupture eventually. Courtesy of wiki

Transmission: faecal oral routes (contaminated food/water sources) and it's widely distributed across the world. As with many infectious diseases, it has a higher prevalence in lower socioeconomic groups and regions of the world. Africa & South/Central AMerica have higher rates than other countries (poor sanitation areas, water sources like rivers have multiple purposes for households etc.). Generally, in western countries, it develops in returned travellers who went to endemic areas or immigrants.

Detection: EIA assay for entamoeba antigen in stool, serology (relies on antibodies, so undetectable the first week and last a life time, does not differentiate acute vs past infection), stool MCS for cysts and ova, PCR and colonoscopy (ulcer/erosions, biopsy will reveal cysts and trophozoites)

Treatment: metronidazole in active/acute disease, increased doses in severe/complicated disease or invasive. depending on where you are, also paromycin if asymptomatic or following active treatment to remove cysts.

Consider this in returned travellers with high fevers, abdo pain and bloody diarrhoea lasting > 2 weeks.

Avoids while travelling to endemic areas - uncooked foods, unbottled water/ice cubes, street vendors (what a shame), just anything raw. Practice good hand hygiene.

Sources: StatPearls ON PubMed Amoebiasis on CDC

#entamoeba histolytica #medblrs #medblr #infectious diseases #parasites #parasitology #infectious disease #microbiology

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freehawaii · 2 months

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KE AUPUNI UPDATE - FEBRUARY 2024

How Many Hawaiians Are There? In September (2023) several news outlets reported a story that said, according to the United States 2020 Census, for the first time ever, more native Hawaiians live in the continental U.S. than here in the Hawaiian Islands. The stories said, of the, 680,442 Native Hawaiians counted in the census, 47 percent live in Hawaiʻi, while 53 percent resided on the US continent. It was not a surprise, we saw it coming. Years of increasing cost of living driven by displacement, commercial development, land speculation, low paying jobs and social tensions has driven away many Hawaiians, especially “native Hawaiians” from their homeland. The exodus has been prevalent among young adults starting out in life, with grim prospects of a future in Hawaii, for a decent job or affording a home to start a family. This is a tragic situation. But the diaspora is worse than we thought. Hawaii has become so American-minded that we blindly think the number, 680,442 refers to all the native Hawaiians on the planet, when it only represents those who reside in Hawaii and the U.S. What about all those native Hawaiians who live elsewhere in the world? How many are in Europe, Asia, Africa, North, Central and South America? Australia and Oceania? I can’t find any stats on them, and perhaps, none exists. Has anyone counted them? Has anyone reached out to them? And thatʻs not all. What about those who are not ethnically Hawaiians (not “native Hawaiians”) but Hawaiians by birth, by hānai (adoption), by family ties generations long, and by their Aloha ʻĀina, love of the land? When we talk about Lāhui, we are talking about all those who identify as Hawaiians, regardless of their ethnic, cultural or political background. Surely there are many thousands of Hawaiians spread out in the rest of the world — but no one seems to have counted them! ... not the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Kamehameha Schools, the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, the State of Hawaii, and not the United States Census Bureau. This means the Hawaiians who live in places other than Hawaii and the U.S. statistically don’t exist! But we know they are there, and that Hawaii is their homeland. That means not only are there way more native Hawaiians in the world than the population stats tell us, it also means, when we include all the other Hawaiians — those who carry Hawaiʻi in their hearts — our Lāhui (our nation of Aloha) and our future is way bigger and deeper than we had imagined.

“Love of country is deep-seated in the breast of every Hawaiian, whatever his station.” — Queen Liliʻuokalani ---------- Ua mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono. The sovereignty of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.

------ For the latest news and developments about our progress at the United Nations in both New York and Geneva, tune in to Free Hawaii News at 6 PM the first Friday of each month on ʻŌlelo Television, Channel 53.

------ "And remember, for the latest updates and information about the Hawaiian Kingdom check out the twice-a-month Ke Aupuni Updates published online on Facebook and other social media." PLEASE KŌKUA… Your kōkua, large or small, is vital to this effort... To contribute, go to:

• GoFundMe – CAMPAIGN TO FREE HAWAII • PayPal – use account email: [email protected] • Other – To contribute in other ways (airline miles, travel vouchers, volunteer services, etc...) email us at: [email protected] All proceeds are used to help the cause. MAHALO! Malama Pono,

Leon Siu

Hawaiian National

#Ke Aupuni #Leon Siu #Free Hawaii #Kingdom of Hawaii #Koani Foundation #Hawaiian Kingdom

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edensliterarydiaries · 8 months

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Wuthering Heights- A piece on human emotion by Emily Brontë

The preconception of this literary classic was of dread. Picking this up, I was already thinking about the long, drawn out revelations of a word that launched a thousand creatives to make for the next 200 years; suffering.

I’m glad to say that I was wrong in conceiving these thoughts. Wuthering Heights is a beautiful tale of love that pushes our three leading men into situations they are greatly unprepared for. To an extent, it is wrong to think that this is typical of the gothic genre. The dreams and visions these characters see are plausibly the result of mixed emotions in response to where Brontë uses them in the story.

This is no more evident than in the experiences of the novel’s most infamous character; Heathcliff. Described as dark and enigmatic, Heathcliff finds love in a girl (Catherine) who is promised to someone else (Edgar). To say rather quickly ‘be with me always-take any form-drive me mad!’ is one of many ways Bontë engraves her own passionate nature into the words of her characters. This quote particularly uses multiple dashes to speed up its pace. The lack of opportunities to breath, possibly was needed to create tension in Heathcliff’s voice. Moreover, lengthening a sentence filled with only one and two syllable words, emphasises the sheer urgency of his words to his Catherine.

The connotations of Brontë’s passionate nature are further solidified when Heathcliff finishes his love-filled plea with the command ‘do not leave me in the abyss where I cannot find you.’ To an extent, the chilling imagery can suggest that Heathcliff needs Catherine to fill a void in his heart in replacement of the cold darkness often associated with ‘the abyss’. Yet, due to the lack of experience we, as readers, have with such an image, it is also plausible that Brontë can be referring to the Yorkshire’s moors fog riddled scenery. However, the imagery of the ‘abyss’ can also connote ideas of religion. Even in the mid 1800s, religion was still a prevalent practice in the English countryside. Heathcliff can be foretelling a future where, without Catherine’s light, darkness is his only acquaintance. The imperfect and sharp changes in narrative speed is what makes Brontë’s writing imperfect; making it a plausibly unique gem in Victorian literature. The lack of any stable roads for the reader to follow, makes the novel reminiscent of a diary. The passion charged speeches and the constant wafting between Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange, can be seen as a reflection of Brontë’s own life. After the death of her mother and siblings, Emily and Charlotte spend time in Brussels before spending the rest of their days in their bleak Yorkshire homeland. Over this period of time, both sisters grew apart in their extreme personality; Emily was far ‘more appreciated for her passionate nature than Charlotte’ s decorous temper’. But, at the end of the day, ‘whatever the souls are made of (both) are the same’. It can also be suggested that Brontë wrote this novel in the midst of her travels. As the intense human emotions felt by the characters, contrasts the peaceful greyness of their surroundings. With nothing happening in the Yorkshire setting, neither from humans or environment, Brontë plausibly makes the stage for her characters smaller; therefore limiting distractions and increasing the tension.

Overall, Wuthering Heights is a testament to what it is to be human. We never have one true emotion we feel in any situation we experience. It is always a mixture of happiness and doubt or fear and sheer embarrassment (wait that’s what I feel!) In modern world, Wuthering Heights can be seen as a story of the typical non-committal. How many times have we committed to a relationship, with a person or place, and second guessed our intentions to pursue it. Brontë is certainly a quintessential writer for the human over a creator of fantasies.

This is certainly a novel I will be reading again and (maybe) I’ll have a go at some of Charlotte’s work. Who knows. Thank you Emily. Thank you. Xxx

-If you but struggle with the language of 1800s England but want to read a narrative similar to Wuthering Heights. Why not pursue Philippa Gregory’s Wideacre series and Betrayal at the Tudor Court by Darcey Bonnette-

#wuthering heights #nature #emily bronte #bronte sisters #writing #writers on tumblr #blog #english #english literature #classic literature #september #september 2023 #autumn #literature review #quote #yorkshire #yorkshiremoors

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autoacafiles · 1 year

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To many outsiders, Earth is a backwater, but it has a surprisingly long history of interactions with Alien visitors for nearly its entire history. Despite being classified as a Level 3 planet, and as such, was under the protection of anti-intervention laws, it has had numerous encounters, and as such multiple organisations were set up.

The first of these organisations was the Plumbers, a small organisation founded during the 18th century, named for “plugging the leaks” of alien life to the regular population. After using ingenuity to face off threats, they would eventually encounter and become a division of the Galvan Alliance’s security divisions during the 19th century, who were looking to stem alien breaches to the planet. Humorously, over time the Earth name spread, and would ultimately led the security forces to colloquially become known as “The Plumbers”, a name even commonplace amongst members.

The next organisation to crop up was The Forge, an initially royalist organisation founded in the early 19th century that were more focused on collecting and learning how to utilise alien technology, only fending off incursions when it benefited them. Founded by Sir William Abberton, they operated with the mantra “For King and Country” and proved to have a lack of care when it came to sacrificing others for their goals. Thanks to a vampiric serum developed through Project: Lazarus, Abberton continued leading the Forge under the codename Nimrod. By the 21st century, however, the Forge was forced to become public due to social media being prevalent, and was ultimately disbanded in the aftermath of dealing with an alien contamination resulting in the destruction of their London base and the supposed death of Abberton. Ironically, The Forge would end up being use most of their existence by alien factions, first when their own mantra was used as the disguise of the CORDIS belonging to the Word Lord Nobody-Noone, and later pawns in the game of the Elder God Weyland against his foe Fenric.

The next organisation to be founded was the Torchwood Institute, in the late 19th century at the behest of the then monarch of an island nation that nonetheless had a significant effect on global affairs. Like The Forge, they had a focus on gathering Alien technology, though in their case for the sake of developing defences against more advanced species. The Torchwood Institute invoked a no prisoners policy for alien invaders, intending to make a statement that Earth would not be taken so easily. However, after an incident in the early 21st century lead to a massive battle between Daleks and Cyberman over Canary Wharf resulted in a downward spiral for the institute, leading to the institute being disbanded several years later after The Committee incident, though several of its agents are said to be still operating on their own.

In the mid 20th century, after a major attack by The Great Intelligence, it was decided that a global organisation needed to be established to more efficiently be founded in order to deal with the ever increasing number of alien invasions and contain knowledge of them. This would be named the innocuous name of the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce, with the acronym of “UNIT.” With help from a certain alien traveller, they would serve to repel invasion after invasion, slowly evolving to take a more scientific focus rather than military. Though briefly waylaid by an infiltration stemming back to their founding, UNIT, to this day, still contain and deal with alien threats and have established a working relationship with the Earth-based branch of the Plumbers.

In the later 20th century, following an incident in Washington involving believed Cybertronian arrivals, the arrival of a species capable of disguising as their technologies necessitated the formation of a branch capable of detecting and dealing with these aliens. Thus, Non-biological Extraterrestrial Species Treaty, or NEST for short, was founded. Considered more gung-ho by the Plumbers and even UNIT, they at least proved effective at their job on the occasions this does happen.

During the cultural period referred to as the 50’s, the Mythic Intelligence Bureau was one among a number of organisations on a distant continent a third of the world away from Torchwood’s territory made to investigate the unusual, inspired by rumours of the Plumbers’ actions. Although considered merely a minor occupation for less than stellar government employees alongside the similarly mocked MONARCH initiative, the Mythic Intelligence Bureau was in fact one of the first groups of humans to make contact with nonnative entities in a non-aggressive manner, and it was this unlikely group of ten disgraced agents, one crackpot scientist, and one civilian who got lost on the wrong road, that led to the creation of peace treaties that would lighten the workload of Torchwood and the Plumbers and establish Earth as a hub for alien travellers who were travelling from their worlds or, in some cases, not be in possession of their original homeworld for one reason or another. Since then it had been redesignated the Mission Intelligence Bureau, and tasked with easing immigration and preventing diplomatic incidents from spiralling out of control.

So somehow despite two major territories, being The Galvan Alliance and the Shadow Proclamation, came into complete agreement over the Earth's status as a Level 3 planet, they have really dropped the ball here. Seems nowadays, planets have to stop outside interference by superiorly advanced species themselves.

#Extra Information #Plumber #The Forge #Torchwood #UNIT #NEST #MIB #Ben 10 #Doctor Who #Transformers #Men in Black #Earth

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kroashent · 11 months

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Val-Cula Daily - May 29

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Deep Dive: Stoker and Orientalism. This is gonna be a long one...

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The "Szgany" peoples are heavily featured in today's story, starting on an iconic, but often problematic association between the Romani ethnic group, the supernatural world, and Western European prejudices. The word Szgany appears to be Stoker's attempt to trasliterate a Romanian word, rather than one that existed in widespread use. There's a more in-depth deep-dive into this than I can provide here: https://screamscenepodcast.tumblr.com/post/699604864253214720/a-point-of-clarification-more-linguistics-cw

Its often said that the past is a foreign country and the context of Stoker's time, while it does not excuse the problems, might help inform them.

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Let's open this can of worms...

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Stoker lived and wrote in the 19th century, the height of an art-historical trend called Orientalism, a renewed Western interest in the Middle East and Islamic culture, brought about by changes to travel and communications technology. African colonization, increased trade and travel with North Africa, South Asia and the Ottoman empire, opened up Western European cultures to an entirely new set of cultures and aesthetics, and interest exploded.

From a cynical view, Orientalism is a problematic movement, a patronizing Colonial and Imperialist coinciding with racist depictions, exploitation and the forced homogenization of cultures resulting from the spread of European Colonialism in Africa and Southeast Asia. But it is also one of fascination and awe at new concepts of expression and thought, a genuine attempt to understand and adapt these expressions and cultures, but through a very removed and warped view brought on by Europe's own ethno-religious struggles, state/religious propaganda of earlier times, geographic distance and linguistic ignorance.

Orientalism was especially prevalent in France, where the Société des Peintres Orientalistes Français (Society of French Orientalist Painters) was founded a mere 4 years prior to Dracula's publication, inspired by French Colonial ties to Algeria and Morocco. French Orientalist painters could be split into two groups: Those who traveled, lived and worked in the areas they painted, and those who never left their own studios. The SPOF often held promotions and dinners, not just of French Orientalist painters, but also showcases of Islamic art, cuisine, language and culture. Similar trends existed in England, although to a lesser extent, and it is evident from Stoker's work that he was often exposed to these movements. The first unabridged and unexpurgated English Language editions of the seminal Orientalist collection, Tales of 1,001 Nights were published in 1882 and 1885, after earlier, heavily censored and altered versions had been in circulation up to that point.

While it is easy to dismiss the movement as another example of Western colonialism, it was also one driven by a genuine desire to understand and share the cultural beauty they encountered, albeit through the often blunt and blundering lens of Belle Epoque/Victorian society. Stoker is making a real attempt to showcase the peoples of Eastern Europe, commonly drawing on food, clothing and architecture in his drawings, but sometimes, as is the case with the Szgany, he falls flat to the standards of contemporary review.

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So, now that I've gotten everyone worked up over a 19th century artistic movement, how does the initial appearance of Dracula's "Gipsie" henchmen work out? I actually thought pretty well.

The Szgany have arrived to do some work for Drac, at which point I direct you to my earlier "Dracula is a crime lord of a technothriller. The Szgany are not following Dracula alone as a superstitious group, but one of a large network, including, but not limited to: A Romanian stagecoach line, a hotel, several British lawyers, several British realtors, a Russian shipping company, a British Zoo, a Bulgarian businessman, a pair of Hungarian Bankers, several British teamsters and a spider-eating man in a padded room. Its sort of weird how the Szgany get singled out, when its actually harder to find a group the ISN'T working for Dracula, however inadvertently. Drac's got connections, is my point.

Anyway, Jonathan writes some postcards to Mina and Hawkins, and drops them out a barred window with some gold. The Szgany turn them over to Dracula! A nefarious betrayal! Or is it?

Neither Jonathan, nor the Szgany share any language, as Jonathan points out when he drops some stuff without context or instruction on top of a caravaner's head. Seeing the crazy man throw things out a window shouting in a strange language, they turn them over to the homeowner, Dracula, for further instruction... which is probably what would have happened with a Romani trapped in an English Lord's remote castle as well, TBH. It doesn't go well.

The Count has come. He sat down beside me, and said in his smoothest voice as he opened two letters:—

"The Szgany has given me these, of which, though I know not whence they come, I shall, of course, take care. See!"—he must have looked at it—"one is from you, and to my friend Peter Hawkins; the other"—here he caught sight of the strange symbols as he opened the envelope, and the dark look came into his face, and his eyes blazed wickedly—"the other is a vile thing, an outrage upon friendship and hospitality! It is not signed. Well! so it cannot matter to us." And he calmly held letter and envelope in the flame of the lamp till they were consumed. Then he went on:—

"The letter to Hawkins—that I shall, of course, send on, since it is yours. Your letters are sacred to me. Your pardon, my friend, that unknowingly I did break the seal. Will you not cover it again?" He held out the letter to me, and with a courteous bow handed me a clean envelope. I could only redirect it and hand it to him in silence. When he went out of the room I could hear the key turn softly. A minute later I went over and tried it, and the door was locked.

Dracula is at his creepiest when he does something threatening but poses it as a "friendly" conversation.

#dracula daily #Dracula #Orientalism #Long Post

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amnottrak-official · 1 month

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Train surfing

Illegal act of riding on the outside of a moving train

Train surfing (also known as train hopping or train hitching) is typically a reckless, dangerous and illegal act of riding on the outside of a moving train, tram or other forms of rail transport. In a number of countries, the term 'train hopping' is used synonymously with freight hopping, which means riding on the outside of a freight train, while train surfing can be practiced on any type of train. This type of travelling can be extremely dangerous and even life-threatening, because there is a risk of death or serious injury due to falling off a moving train, electrocution by the power supply (overhead catenary wire, third rail, current collectors, resistors, etc.), colliding with railway infrastructure such as bridges, tunnels, station platforms, trackside buildings, railway signals or other trains, while riding outside off structure gauge on the side or on the roof of a train, or unsuccessful attempts to jump onto a moving train or off it. Today, the practice is illegal by statutes on many railroads in the world. Despite this, it is still practiced, especially on those railroads where the trains are overcrowded.

An overcrowded train with passengers riding on the outside in Bangladesh

History

Further information: Running board

An early horse-hauled rail car with passengers on its roof and foot boards

The phenomenon of riding on the outside of trains came with the appearance of the first railway lines. On a series of first railroads, riding on rooftops and footboards of trains was common, but over time, starting from the second half of the 19th century, with an increase in the sizes and speed of trains, passenger coaches began to be produced fully covered and insulated from streets with a placement of all passenger seats inside carriages in order to improve the safety of passengers and prevent people falling from a moving train. However, some individuals continued riding on the outside of trains to travel without having a ticket.

In the United States, this became a common means of transportation following the American Civil War as the railroads began pushing westward, especially among migrant workers who became known as "hobos". It continued to be widely used by those unable to afford other transportation, especially during times of widespread economic dislocation such as the Great Depression.

In the first half of the 20th century during the era of trams rising in Europe and USA, trams in some cities became overcrowded, so some passengers began a practice of riding on footboards, doors, couplers and sometimes on the roofs of trams. Also, train surfing often occurred in European countries during the war conflicts, especially during the First World War, Russian Civil War and World War II. Soldiers and refugees often traveled on the roofs of carriages due to lack of seats inside.

In the mid-20th century, European and American railroad companies in many countries took measures to reduce overcrowding in cars and prevent riding outside of them, so the prevalence of train surfing in those countries decreased. However, in some countries of Southeast Asia and Africa with a high population density, the problem of overcrowding of different vehicles, including trains, grew rapidly, so train surfing in those countries became a widespread phenomenon.

As an extreme hobby, train surfing firstly appeared in South Africa during the 1980s among teenagers from poor families, and then began to appear in other countries around the world. Teenagers as young as 13 were reported as train surfing in Rio de Janeiro in 1988. During the 1990s, train surfing on a commuter electric multiple unit train became popular in Europe among young people who live near railway lines.

In Germany, the practice of S-Bahn surfing was made popular during the 1990s. The phenomenon was forgotten until the millennium, but in 2005 it was rediscovered by a group of train surfers from Frankfurt, Germany. The leader of the crew who calls himself "the Trainrider" surfed the InterCityExpress, the fastest train in Germany. An Internet video claimed that he died a year later from an incurable form of leukemia, but later the Trainrider revealed in an interview that this video was made by a fan and the story of his death was a hoax.

In the Soviet Union during the 1980s teens and youths sometimes surfed trams. The practice of surfing on electric trains appeared during the 1990s in Russia and some other post-Soviet countries due to the economic crisis and growing interest among teens and youths who lived near the railroads. In around the year 2000 they also began to surf subway trains in tunnels in the Moscow Metro and organized train surfing crews and web-communities.

German demobilisation, Western Front, 1918. Soldiers cling on to the roofs and doors of a train already full of other troops

Beginning in the mid-2000s there were frequent cancellation of commuter trains and crowding inside rail cars in the Moscow region. In the summer of 2010 dozens of commuter trains were cancelled due to track repairs on the Moscow railway and the crowding of trains and the number of train surfers in the Moscow region rose dramatically. This was when train surfing for the first time became a wide phenomenon on Russian railways and it caused a big scandal. Train surfing was mostly a teenager hobby before this. After the railroad track repairs were completed overcrowding on trains began to reduce and the number of ordinary passengers who were roof riding disappeared. Roof riding among teenagers became more popular and they began to create a community of train surfers and post videos on YouTube. Train surfers began to organize meetings and big-way surfing events on the outside of commuter, subway and local freight trains via the Internet. Russian train surfing fans began to call themselves "Zatseper" and also name their hobby "Zatseping" (from the Russian word "Зацепиться-Zatsepitsya" translated as "to catch on"). Train surfing became something like an extreme sport discipline for them. From the beginning of 2011, Russian train surfers made several rides on the outside of the high-speed Siemens Velaro train "Sapsan", the fastest train in Russia.

In Indonesia, especially Greater Jakarta, large numbers of people train surf, especially since the late 1990s, as gridlock grips this metropolis of 30 million without a single metro system, and the city comes up with alternative transport such as car jockeys. Jakarta traffic is the most gridlocked in Southeast Asia,[citation needed] perhaps among the worst worldwide. It has built a bus rapid transit system, but with little success, as there is no separation from the heavy traffic. The tropical heat and urban heat island effect also makes the top the only place on the train with plenty of air circulation. Since 2013 the practice has been eliminated after the state railway company Kereta Api Indonesia modernized the ticketing system, allowing tickets to be sold up to 90 days in advance, and including check in requirements along with increasing number of rolling stocks. On KRL commuter services, stations are modernized by installing turnstiles, implementing contactless payment and locking down the station. All non-commuter train now have passenger limit of 100 to 110% while previously a service could run at 200% or more capacity.[citation needed]

Current state

Train surfers climb onto a high-speed Velaro RUS "Sapsan" electric multiple unit train.

Train surfing is a common and usual way to ride trains in countries such as Bangladesh and South Africa, where this type of riding by trains is compelled due to the high population density and severe overcrowding of trains. This practice is a serious issue in these countries where people have been killed or injured in numerous accidents. However, train surfing can occur in any area with trains and trams. Individuals may train-surf to avoid the cost of a ticket or as a recreational activity.

With the creation of the internet, the practice of filming the act and posting online videos of it is on the increase worldwide. Train surfers can use social networks to find and communicate with each other and organize trips by trains in small groups. In countries where a big community of train surfers exists, they sometimes organize major events of riding on the outside of local trains, where dozens of riders participate.

Some railroad workers, such as shunters or conductors, are often allowed to ride on exterior parts of trains during shunting operations, but with many limitations.

Motivation

Passengers who practice train surfing consider it as an extreme hobby, or to get a free ride by train, which has a number of advantages in comparison with riding inside a railcar:

enjoyment of riding and feeling of speed;

extended view of surrounding area in comparison with the view from a window inside a railcar;

opportunity to avoid the cost of a ticket;

opportunity to ride in comfort when a train is extremely crowded or when it is extremely hot inside railcars;

opportunity to ride a train which simply has no space for more people, need to go to work;

Tram surfing in Sarajevo 2010

opportunity to catch a departing train or jump from an arriving train at low speed before a complete stop;

opportunity to ride on a train which does not provide transportation of passengers (for example on a freight train, service train, single locomotive, etc.).

opportunity to improve one’s internet prestige (also known as clout) for a relatively small number of micromorts.

Hazards

Hazards that occur whilst train surfing include falling off a moving train, falling underneath the train, colliding with buildings, structures and objects that are close to the train's path as it moves along the railway track and electrocution from power supply.

A person can receive an electric shock from an overhead power line or conductor rail when their body comes into contact with it.

A person can receive an electric shock from an electric arc without their body actually touching an overhead power line. An electric arc can go from an overhead power line and pass through the air and then make contact with a person's body. When this electric arc reaches a person's body they can then receive an electric shock from it.

Injuries and deaths

Main article: List of train surfing injuries and deaths

In the decade before August 2000, in Brazil, there were 100 people who died in more than 200 accidents.

In South Africa in 2006, 19 people died whilst train surfing with a further 100 train surfing accidents occurring.

In Indonesia, in two years before 2008, 53 people died whilst train surfing.

In the Russian Central Federal District in 2015 there were 24 people injured whilst train surfing and in 2016 in the Central Federal District there were 9 people who died whilst train surfing.

In New York, from 1989 to 2011, there were 13 people who died and 56 people injured train surfing.

In Ukraine, in 2017, there were 12 people who died whilst train surfing.

Prevention and punishments

Police arrest a train surfer on the Moscow Metro

Train surfing is illegal on most railways in the world, with some exceptions. Many railroad companies usually take a zero tolerance policy to practice of riding on exterior parts of trains, and employ railway police and guards in an attempt to prevent the practice. Police officers and guards usually patrol the territory of large passenger stations and freight yards, and can arrest train surfers if they are spotted. In some countries, railway police can patrol the territory of railways in utility trucks, SUVs ("bullmobiles"), or even standard police cars. In countries where the practice of trains surfing occurs regularly, the police frequently organize raids in order to detect and remove surfers off the trains and arrest them. The most common form of penalty for train surfers is a fine. However, in some countries, such as the United States or Canada, train surfers can be not only fined, but imprisoned too.

In the United Kingdom, train surfing is prohibited under railway byelaw No. 10, which prohibits travelling in or on any train except in areas of the train intended for use by that person.

At least 87 people were arrested in the last four months of 2010 in Melbourne for offences relating to train surfing. In Russia, over 1000 train surfers were arrested at the Moscow Railway during ten months of 2011. In India, 153 people were prosecuted in a single day in June 2012 for train surfing on the Central Railway.

Deterrents

Fencing between the cars of an 81-717/714 train which prevents passengers from falling into the gap and also impedes climbing between them

To reduce the practice of riding on the outside of trains, railway companies often place signs that warn about the dangers of train surfing. While there are no official numbers, the London Underground ran a public awareness campaign against "tube surfing".

The Indonesian railway company, PT Kereta Api, has tried several methods to deter train surfers. Early methods included spraying those caught with red paint and placing barbed wire on train roofs. In 2012, the company began suspending heavy concrete balls above the railway, a short distance from the stations. This method was criticised as being potentially lethal -Anastasia the train girl

(Everything is going go for now (apart from the fact I’m really sick))

This was a fun read! I watched a documentary a while ago about hobos and people who traveled on rails across america in the 1920s, and it was really interesting to me. Before reading this, I didnt know much about train surfing outside of the US, and I always love learning new things!

Sorry again for responding to this ask so late, I hope you feel better soon!

#trains #train surfing

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fcc2024 · 2 months

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Introduction to nascent AI usage

From 2024 to 2035, the world of technology and AI has progressed quickly, at rates like never seen before. In recent years, China has emerged as a powerhouse in the AI field, investing heavily in quantum computing and network research. These technologies have enhanced machine learning capabilities, driving breakthroughs in complex problem-solving and pattern recognition. By 2028, they had implemented AI-driven governance systems to optimise public services, decision-making and urban planning.

The United States has also made significant progress in AI ethics and regulations, establishing a comprehensive framework to govern the responsible use of AI in various sectors. Its comprehensive usage of AI has then allowed the United States to remain as one of the AI powerhouse. elaborate more on US like you did for China, what specific fields of AI have they helped in

The European Union led the way with integration of AI in financial markets, utilising advanced learning algorithms for real-time risk assessment and market predictions, allowing their market share to grow more quickly than ever before. By leveraging on AI technologies, the EU has experienced exponential economic growth, while remaining aware of the potential threats of AI usages.

Other countries have also quickly made transitions, integrating the usage of AI in their daily lives. Utilisation of AI in militarisation has been prevalent in this day and age, with Israel at the forefront of this technology. Due to the steadfast advancement in technology for AI, It is now more powerful, efficient and deadlier than ever before. There has also been a heavy integration of AI in daily lives to solve socio-economic problems by Japan, implementing AI-driven healthcare systems that revolutionised patient care and diagnostics.

Globally, countries have been encouraged to embrace AI in environmental conservation, through employing machine learning algorithms to monitor and combat deforestation in their country. As part of environmental efforts, there is now an availability of sustainable food sources with a reduction of unsustainable agriculture. This is achieved through clever farming that reduces diseases in livestocks which in turn increases the food supply. Countries have also been exploring more alternatives to renewable energy and methods of reducing carbon emissions. In these years, some of the most noticeable shifts in the way of life due to technological developments include the prevalence of self driving cars and electric vehicles with AI incorporated to prevent any accidents (up to 75% of the world uses it), and crime rates being drastically reduced due to surveillance systems throughout the whole city, reaching a all time low. People are now also able to engage in services such as anti-ageing technology and space travelling.

The world today has truly made remarkable advancements in the field of AI. Welcome to the future, where the rise of artificial intelligence is nothing short of an unstoppable force, destined to shape the destiny of humanity. Long live the technological revolution!

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cardcaptorsakura96 · 2 months

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Unwitting Rescue-Chapter 7

Fandom: Supergirl

Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor

Characters: Kara Danvers, Lena Luthor, Rose Zen (Original Character), Marigold Zen (Original Character), Violet Zen (Original Character), J'onn J'onzz, Winn Schott, John Stewart, Rosemary Zen (Original Character)

Summary: Kara Danvers finds a box of kittens on her way to work. Things don't go according to plan.

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6

Kara stared at the screen startled.

How does Rosemary know me? Was my mind wiped out of all memories of her and if so, why?

Kara shook her head and continued to listen to the message.

Rosemary continued, “The World Collector is an ancient creature who shrinks planets for his collection and consumes all their knowledge. I thought I could stop him. I have the power to use my nine lives to go back in time for goodness sake, but it always ended up the same. He worms his way into society by saying he is a distant traveler wanting to learn about other cultures. He would make himself appear small and docile. He would sweeten the look by offering the leaders of the world valuable information that could be used to improve their planet. What they didn’t realize was that the information was a double-edged sword. It helped to increase productivity in the country’s government and workforce, but the information was also a backdoor virus that he could use to corrupt the tech in that society so it would be easy to take over. I tried to warn people. Everyone thought I was delusional and didn’t know what I was talking about. I thought that if I worked my way up to be Queen I would gain some respect…”

Rosemary looked down and shook her head. Rosemary continued, “Despite the power I amassed, you were the only one who didn’t call me crazy, Sunshine. You believed in me despite having lost so much.” Rosemary choked back a sob and said, “I know you don’t know who I am now, but in my last eight attempts to relive the past, we fought side by side to destroy the World Collector, but he was always one step ahead. Even though we failed during my eighth trek back, I think I have a plan that may work this time around. I needed to figure out a way to get word to you sooner. I was hoping to get word to you when the Green Lantern came to visit recently…”

John winced at that statement.

Rosemary sighed and continued, “However, my plans were thwarted. If my calculations are correct, this message and the girls should get to you before the World Collector comes and attacks your world. I unfortunately don’t know when exactly he arrives on your planet. The last eight times, I met you years after he attacked your planet. Whenever you talk about the events of that day… Rosemary looked down and sighed. She continued, “You had survivor’s guilt for being on a mission off-world when the incident occurred. The only helpful tidbit that I learned from you is that he came to Earth a couple of years after a group of heroes from your world had something called the Watch Tower built in space. To mitigate the events of that day, it would help to have someone who can time travel. The girls technically have the same type of magic that I do to go back in time, but that type of skill takes time to develop. I know that you spoke of magic users being prevalent on your planet. I don’t know if they could help them learn their skills in time. In this USB drive, I included not only the history of Nar, but also valuable information about our advances in time and inter-dimensional travel. However, I believe Earth is far way from being able to develop such a feat. The fastest option would probably be getting in touch with your speedster friend from another universe. You often talked highly of him and theorized that he could have made a difference in what happened to your Earth. I hope that the event is far off to give you time to prepare.”

Tears started to flow down Rosemary’s face. She continued, “It pains me that I won’t get to see you one last time, Sunshine. I know you will have no memory of this, but we became very close during our times together. You always joked about us trauma bonding over our dearly departed ones…” Rosemary sighed and then looked into the camera tenderly and said, “But, I am glad that I found you when I did. If not, I would have been floating around in space in a ball of fury and sadness. The one comfort that I gain through all of this is knowing that you are taking care of my girls. When I married the king of Nar, it was just for political clout. I had no desire to be a mother. However, once Rose, Marigold, and Violet came into my life. I can’t imagine my world without them. Tears started to stream harder down her face. “Tell the girls I am sorry about not saying goodbye. If I had, I don’t know if I would have gone through with sending them away. Please take care of each other and know that I love you all and hope to one day see you all on the other side.”

The video went to black. John, Winn, and Kara stared at the screen stunned.

Winn rubbed the back of his neck and let out a low whistle.

“So we have a being that is powerful enough to take universes for himself and he is headed straight this way to do the same to us. What do we have to fight up against that?”

John scratched his head and said, “Well, the only positive thing we have going for us is that we don’t have a Watch Tower in space.”

Winn looked quizzically at him and asked, “The Watch Tower could have been something that came from another alien race though. It is also something that could be cloaked.”

Kara shook her head and said, “She specifically said that it was something that is built though. Besides….”

Kara looked down while rubbing the back of her head.

John frowned and asked, “What is it, Kara?”

Kara looked at both men hesitantly and said, “This isn’t the first time I have heard of the Watch Tower.”

Winn looked at her baffled and asked, “Wait? So this is really a thing?”

Kara sighed and said, “Technically, it is just a thought. Batwoman was talking about how Batman believes the Earth needs something like a Watch Tower above the Earth so we can be the first to defend the Earth against alien threats. He theoretically has the funds to do this, but is trying to figure out move money around without the stakeholders in his company to figure out what he is doing.”

“Hasn’t he been doing that for years through with his nightly activities?” mused John.

Kara chuckled a little and said, “Well, that was millions that he funneled around. The Watch Tower would require moving billions of dollars.”

Winn let out a low whistle and said, “That is going to be hard to do without someone noticing.”

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