#r*ape survivor

[rxdscarf]

.

#okay but can we as a society finally bury this disgusting 'shocker' in a storyline #where a teenage girl accuses someone of (attempted) r/ape because she got rejected? #or because she was just feeling like destroying someone's life? #🖕🏼🖕🏼🖕🏼🖕🏼 #do you know how often i and other survivors get accused of shit like that? #simply because 'oh you were a teenage girl you're probably trying to get attention #go fuck yourself 💙🖕🏼🖕🏼🖕🏼

[canmom]

Animation Night 179: Unicorn Wars

Hey everyone! Real brief blurb tonight because I talked about Alberto Vázquez last week - tonight I'm going to be re-running Unicorn Wars since last week it was way too late for people to attend!

Unicorn Wars could be roughly described as Apocalypse Now with teddy bears. We encounter a world in which a militaristic country of teddies is locked in a revanchist forever-war against the unicorns who now occupy the Magic Forest. It is a conflict in part religious in nature: the bears are convinced that whoever drinks the blood of the last unicorn will enter into a transcendant state of being.

Our story concerns a fresh batch of recruits, sent on a mission that none of them know is sacrificial. Led by a sergeant who has no idea what he's in for and a reserved priest, they set out with grenades and bows and arrows to find out what became of a lost unit.

Our main characters are a pair of brothers, Azulín and Gordi, or Bluey and Tubby as the English sub renders it. Both of them are deeply screwed up by their parents separation and their mothers' death; Azulín in particular, who took more after their father, has a determination to prove himself at whatever cost, and a contemptuous, bullying relationship to his brother.

But we also encountere the rest of the doomed bears and there are some real characters. The bear culture is a fascinating blend of cute fluffy signifiers and militaristic ones, joined into one nihilistically eugenic competition for status. There's a real fascination in the animation with the physicality of the bears' bodies, the way they squish around, messy scenes of eating, and of course a great deal of gore. You see quite a bit of teddybear pp.

Naturally the mission goes south fast. A lurid trip on colourful bugs brings the first casualties - a fantastic blast of psychedelia - but the teddies are also completely unprepared for fighting the unicorns. Or their willingness to murder each other. In the end, Azulín and Gordi are the only survivors, surviving off the land - and then things really take a turn.

Of the unicorns, we learn much less. One unicorn, María, is something of a deuteragonist - desperately searching for her missing sibling, she finds an old church, where the apes of the forest worship a strange, morphing fleshy entity. We do not immediately see what becomes of this - but María ends up falling afoul of the two surviving bears. Azulín attacks Maria while Gordi can only watch; Azulín hits María multiple times but is ultimately pierced by a young unicorn and cast into the river, leaving María alone with Gordi. (In contrast, in the original short, the Gordi analogue kills the Azulín analogue after they kill a unicorn.)

Azulín, horribly injured, washes up back at the main teddybear base, where the military higherups attempt to make a figurehead of him - completely failing to anticipate his capacity to turn their own forces against them and stage a coup. Where the previous command was simply using the war as a way to stay in power, vengeful Azulín is a true zealot and mobilises the full teddybear army against the unicorns. Meanwhile, Gordi has managed to forge an unlikely friendship with the unicorn María who he has nursed back to health after Bluey's attack.

Vázquez is no stranger to blending cute imagery and extremely dark themes. In contrast to Psiconautas, which felt like a story of the forlorn hope of escape against the bleakness of the world, Unicorn Wars seems more bleak and nihilistic. You know none of this is going to end well; the ending pushes it into a direction of alchemical synthesis, and we'll talk about it when we get there in the film.

Unicorn Wars generally looks amazing, vividly coloured and elegantly blending 2D and 3D animation. And well, there's a reason for that: like I Lost My Body, which shared many of the same animators, this is an all-Blender production, using Grease Pencil for 2D animation, and a very inventive process for the unicorns where the 3D render is converted to a 2D grease pencil drawing which can be further edited by the anmiators. The result is that the unicorns get the sense of life that comes from the slightly imperfections 2D animation, and yet the precise perspective of 3D animation. It's a fantastic showcase of what Blender's 2D-in-3D can enable, and it honestly just makes me really happy to see from a tech-art perspective.

In short, Unicorn Wars is an intense, bleak and also very funny film, I loved it. If you have a reasonable threshold for gore, I hope you'll come to see it with me!

Also check out this cool pixel art of Azulín I found in the gif picker, by @none-dc. (He's such a little shit and this captures it so well.)

Animation Night 179 will be going live now at twitch.tv/canmom, going live now with the film to start in about half an hour (21:50 UK time) - hope to see you there!

#animation night #alberto vazquez #unicorn wars #film #animation

[someonewhocollectswildherbs]

Ive always hated Llyra for killing dorma and I was not the littlest surprised that she r@aped namor (but in all seriousness I feel like namor being a survivor and to a woman further proves my point that the whole creepy Namor-Sue thing was mysongonistic/kinky thing that the writers put in to add "spice" or whatever the fuck they thought they where doing by mischaracterising Namor like that)

#namor #the invaders #marvel comics #namor the sub mariner #marvel invaders #bucky barnes #jim hammond #mcu namor #steve rogers #captain america #me and @imperiuswrecked are Llyra haters #didint even check if i spelt the bitches name right #llyra can go drown in the Feilds of punishment #rant post #fantastic four

[stonebutchwritings]

anon because your replies are off but yeah I'm with you on rocky horror. I had no idea what it was about and I had friends ask me to come see a musical production of it at the local theater with them and I was not warned for the r*ape scenes, the theater did not make a TW announcement as they sometimes do, I am doubtful if any one of them even considered it one. it was awkward at best to hear the whole theater laughing as those scenes played out. I wonder if any other survivors in the audience were quiet at that moment. it's a little nauseating that this film is touted as a pinnacle and cornerstone of gay and trans media of its time. we can do better than that, can't we?

yeah like. it's framed as liberating them from straitlaced sex norms but even metaphorically the world is not going to free people by forcing them into sex. like that's not going to make anyone feel better about who they are or feel pleasured. there's a cw at our local show but honestly it's still triggering because like. people are laughing. it's still framed positively. for god's sake, it's being REENACTED? idk. it's just a lot. thank you for your validation

#we can do better. thank u anon <3 #cw rape mention #also not that poc want any part of this mess but the complete lack of people of color..... interesting! why is this their ideal media.... #mine #ask #anon

[eveyez-exe]

So I've seen some reactions to the changes made in episode 8 and to the character of David in the HBO show and I have some thoughts..

TW: GROOMING, ABUSE AND R*PE.

As an afab survivor of grooming, abuse and r*ape I actually appreciate the change of Davids intentions being this explicit in the show.

Because I've talked to so many people who have played the game that outright deny that David was a pedophile. I've straight up experienced gaslighting and that people invalidate my trauma, telling me that I'm delusional for even suggesting it.

And it made his death that much more cathartic to watch. Because I had a "David" in my life that abused me for two years between the ages of 12 and 14. I've always related to this section of the game.

Did both the game and the show trigger my PTSD? Yes. But for me, the show felt in many ways more respectful as well as cathartic to my own experiences of childhood abuse. And I also loved that Ellie saved herself and that her reunion with Joel was centered around her emotional turmoil after the fact. I like that better than how it is in the game.

#tlou spoilers #tlou david #tw grooming #tw abuse #tw rape #am i posting this in the middle of the night?! #yes #but i can't help it #this episode was insane and triggering #and i need to talk about it

[oc-culture]

what is a non - con apologist?

I'm trying to avoid a triggering word here, for I know many who can't even read the word without experiencing unpleasant flashbacks.

Though I think it's preferred to use that expression in fiction?

But I don't mean it that way.

(Maybe I find another expression soon, or just go for r*ape? But that seems to close to the original word)

What I mean by that are people who defend real life r*ape or any non consensual actions (kissing, molestation ....).

There are unfortunately many people who do that.

I have met some of those.

The classics are certainly known:

They brought that upon themselves with x behaviour or y clothes.

They didn't fight back enough, so they wanted this.

I didn't mean anything bad by it, it was just harmless fun.

Aka I just want the feelings of survivors to be respected and not trampled upon. That is a terrible thing to do.

If the word non con is playing down the topic too much, I will change it of course. I just am trying to avoid already mentioned situation.

#Mun speaking #Non con TW

[pashterlengkap]

Protestors demand end to law that allows Mormon Church to not report child abuse

Mormon leaders and sex abuse survivors are protesting Utah state legislators to change a law that allows church officials not to report any admissions of child sexual abuse that occur during a religious confession. The protests have occurred amidst an investigative report by the AP which accused the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the Mormon Church) of misusing an internal reporting helpline “to divert abuse accusations against church members away from law enforcement and instead to church attorneys, who may bury the problem, leaving victims in harm’s way.” The AP’s report examined child sex abuse lawsuits against the church. One such lawsuit, brought by the molested children of convicted sex abuser Paul Douglas Adams, accused the church of allowing their molestation to continue even after Adams’ admitted the abuse to church Bishop John Herrod. The bishop followed church policy and contacted the Mormon Abuse Helpline. The helpline is staffed by social workers who refer reports of abuse to church attorneys in Salt Lake City. The church says all helpline calls are protected by attorney-client privilege. The line’s workers also destroy all call records on a daily basis, leaving them unavailable to prosecutors or victims’ attorneys. The church attorneys said that because Adams’ admission to the crime occurred during a confession, Bishop Herrod and his fellow Bishop Robert Mauzy were legally bound to keep the abuse secret under clergy-penitent privilege. Adams continued molesting his kids for seven more years until he was arrested in 2017 with no help from the church. Judge Wallace Hoggatt called the children’s abuse “one of the most horrendous cases of child molestation” he’s ever presided over. In their lawsuit, Adams’ children allege, “The Mormon Church implements the Helpline not for the protection and spiritual counseling of sexual abuse victims… but for (church) attorneys to snuff out complaints and protect the Mormon Church from potentially costly lawsuits.” Over 20 U.S. states have laws requiring clergy and medical professionals who work with children to report any reasonable belief of child abuse or neglect to police or the state Department of Child Safety. However, the laws contain loopholes allowing clergy to withhold the info if the church determines it’s “reasonable and necessary” to do so under church doctrine, the AP reported. The church has said that its helpline “has everything to do with protecting children and has nothing to do with cover-up.” “These bishops did nothing wrong. They didn’t violate the law, and therefore they can’t be held liable,” Mormon church attorney William Maledon said. Among the victims, protesters, and legislators fighting to change the law are Miranda and Matthew Whitworth, a couple who adopted Adams’s youngest daughter at age two. “We just don’t understand why [the church is] paying all these lawyers to fight this,” Matthew Whitworth said. “Just change the policy.” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) and lawmakers from various religions and political affiliations have supported changing the law. Utah state Rep. Angela Romero (D) told Religious News Service, “I’m tired of making excuses for perpetrators.” Her proposal to reform the law has Mormon support, she added. Stuart Smith, a former Mormon bishop, also supports changing the church’s abuse reporting guidelines. “Such a requirement, codified in state law, may have the additional benefit of allowing the helpline for bishops now operated by the LDS church to better perform its stated purpose — which is to provide expertise and resources to help the victims of abuse,” Smith said. http://dlvr.it/SXLNKR

[sleepysera]

6.8.22 Headlines

WORLD NEWS

Somalia: Hundreds die in famine (AP)

“Deaths have begun in the region’s most parched drought in four decades. Previously unreported data shared with The Associated Press show at least 448 deaths this year at malnutrition treatment centers in Somalia alone. Authorities in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya are now shifting to the grim task of trying to prevent famine.”

Iran: Train derailment kills at least 21, injures 87 (AP)

“A passenger train traveling through eastern Iran struck an excavator and nearly half its cars derailed before dawn on Wednesday, killing at least 21 people and injuring 87, officials said. The derailment near the desert city of Tabas was the latest disaster to strike the Islamic Republic in recent weeks as Tehran struggles under U.S. sanctions and any return to its nuclear deal with world powers remains in doubt.”

Germany: 1 dead, others hurt as car drives into pedestrians in Berlin (BBC)

“A woman has been killed and other people badly injured after a car drove into a crowd on a busy Berlin street. Police say the driver, a 29-year-old man, was detained by passers-by and arrested at the scene. Emergency officials said it was unclear whether the incident, which happened shortly before 10:30 local time (08:30 GMT), was intentional or an accident. The incident took place in the heart of western Berlin, on one of its busiest shopping streets.”

US NEWS

Uvalde Mass Shooting: Survivor, 11, testifies before US lawmakers (BBC)

“A fourth grade student who survived the Uvalde shooting by covering herself in a classmate's blood said she doesn't feel safe at school after the massacre. Speaking in a pre-recorded message to US lawmakers, Miah Cerrillo, 11, said that she fears that a similar shooting may happen again. The Texas shooting has led to renewed US national debate about gun regulations. But efforts to advance national gun-control regulations have often stalled. The school shooting claimed the lives of 21 people, including 19 young children.”

Nassar: Simone Biles, other women seek $1B+ from FBI (AP)

“Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and dozens of other women who say they were sexually assaulted by Larry Nassar are seeking more than $1 billion from the FBI for failing to stop the sports doctor when the agency first received allegations against him, lawyers said Wednesday. There’s no dispute that FBI agents in 2015 knew that Nassar was accused of assaulting gymnasts, but they failed to act, leaving him free to continue to target young women and girls for more than a year. He pleaded guilty in 2017 and is serving decades in prison.”

Qatar: FBI seizes retired general’s data related to Qatar lobbying (AP)

“The FBI has seized the electronic data of a retired four-star general who authorities say made false statements and withheld “incriminating” documents about his role in an illegal foreign lobbying campaign on behalf of the wealthy Persian Gulf nation of Qatar. New federal court filings obtained Tuesday outlined a potential criminal case against former Marine Gen. John R. Allen, who led U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan before being tapped in 2017 to lead the influential Brookings Institution think tank.”

#current events #news #somalia #famine #iran #germany #united states #uvalde mass shooting #mass shooting #gun violence #school shooting #larry nassar #simone biles #fbi #qatar

[therapythoughtstogether]

How you escape bro? How you not leave before man

Sincerely

Hetty

Hi, Hetty!

Thanks for the question. I'm trying to think how to word my answer the best way, as I know you mean no offence 💜.

Asking an abuse victim how or why they haven't left before is never a good idea. I know from the outside it can be hard to understand, but there are many layers of complexity: psychological (I understood very fast that I was getting what could be referred to as "Stockholm syndrome and I decided to fight it will all my strength, thinking that I was a "bad person" so I deserved bad things), financial (I found myself absolutely penniless after I had trusted my finances to the wrong person, that was my mistake), I couldn't find a job (extra layer of complication for me being an immigrant), other physical issues (like not having the actual key to the place), other psychological factors like fear, thinking people wouldn't believe me, fearing that people would think I was lazy, or an opportunist, or a sl*t because of the r*ape, etc).

My friend from abroad managed to physically come over, talked to the neighbour who was the landlady and had the key, and my friend helped me to physically get out when the man wasn't there, and helped me relocate to another place where I can safely stay and work. I owe her a lot and she's not planning to take any payment back.

I have no problem sharing my story here (even though I've kept some painful details out because I have PTSD now) because it's fully anonymous and it feels like a safe space.

I would advice you not ask these questions to other abuse survivors as it may trigger many things and I know you don't mean it, I really know you just want to have a better understanding of the situation.

I also know you wish me well, so thank you for that!

Sending hugs 💜.

#therapy thoughts #asks #answered #tw dm #tw abuse #tw sa #tw rape #what not to ask abuse survivors while trying to understand and offer support #I know you care and you want to understand

[t-jfh]

Sarah Saaroni lived through the Holocaust.

(Photo credit: Joe Armao)

One of Israel’s first citizens has a message for Netanyahu and Hamas

Holocaust survivor Sarah Saaroni calls for peace, co-existence in Middle East.

By Melissa Cunningham

The Age & Sydney Morning Herald - October 16, 2023

•

The Age/SMH - Please Explain Podcast >> Jordan Baker on what an Israeli ground offensive will mean for the people of Gaza.

The Age & Sydney Morning Herald Please Explain podcast hosted by Samantha Selinger-Morris - October 17, 2023 / 14mins.+25secs:

•

•

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv last Thursday. (Credit: AP)

Israel’s allies have been reluctant to use the ‘R’ word. Now’s the time.

Israel-Hamas war: International calls for IDF restraint as Palestinian death toll soars.

By Peter Hartcher

Political and international editor

The Age & Sydney Morning Herald - October 16, 2023

•

The Age/SMH - Please Explain Podcast >> Peter Hartcher on why Israel needs to show restraint, and what happens if it doesn't.

The Age & Sydney Morning Herald Please Explain podcast hosted by Samantha Selinger-Morris - October 18, 2023 / 17mins.+19secs:

•

#Israeli-Palestinian conflict #Israel-Hamas war #International calls for IDF to show restraint as Palestinian death toll soars #Humanitarian crisis in Gaza #Holocaust survivor Sarah Saaroni #Journalist Jordan Baker #Journalist ​Peter Hartcher

[pescabianca]

CW for s*xual assault/r*ape and transphobic BS

So a couple of times a week a group of pals and I form an autonomous collective and lives in the forest. We are still having blips. Especially in regard to an openly transphobic group member who I believe should not be made welcome unless his behaviour towards trans and enby group people changes.

However, some positive things that have happened include:

● A friend of mine requested that a guy who r*aped her then victim blamed her for it not be permitted to attend. Everyone supported her, quietly removed him from group chats, and when she expressed worry that he might attend anyway there was some excellent positive masculinity from the northerner lads who said that if he did they would keep him physically separate and if he wouldn't leave peacefully they would straight up carry him off site and others offered to stand in between her and him in a barricade so she wouldn't even have to lay eyes on him. Unfortunately I've got a similar situation with an ex who assaulted me then victim blamed the hell out of me, and so does my wife. The perpetrators are not permitted to be here because when the survivors of their violations of consent approached them to discuss said violations they didn't use this as a learning opportunity but an opportunity to cause more harm. They aren't safe to have in our community on this basis

● We each contribute food and labour according to our ability and eat and rest according to our need and it works really well. Especially because we are currently in a group of 19 people and 2 dogs, I don't have to cook 3 meals a day and tidy up my living space and exercise and be exhausted just by looking after myself. Someone might hand me breakfast when I wake up, I might help with Lunch by tidying the table and boiling some water and chopping potatoes, then I might play the mandolin, draw, tattoo, chat and snuggle, play with the dog. And it means I have so much more energy. My sort of wife was distressed yesterday because something triggered some homeless trauma and I had time and energy to hold her, talk it through and then go and help her chisel rust off her van to make a home for her because she's family and I love her.

● Pretty sure we are all some form of neurospicy so when I leave the cuddle puddle on the floor of the cabin to take my meds about seven people will check with me that I've taken them when I get back because they know I might've gotten distracted and checked my phone or go for a piss instead

● I had low spoons yesterday but noticed I was late in the day and a mate wasn't up yet so someone else went and checked on him and said he's fine but could do with a cuppa. Someone else put on the water, I made him a tea and then the 4th person delivered it. When he got up and asked who made the tea cause he needed to thank them we looked at eachother and went "we sort of made it by committee"

● I fucking LOVE it here and even though it's sometimes hard to negotiate interpersonal conflict when you're all living in such close proximity. Though actually that's maybe why conflicts are faced, unpicked and resolved, because you can't just go away and avoid it very easily

Anyway I like our cult, it's still growing and learning but it's a good cult

[babyawacs]

#magic #cocacola #ai #idiocy #believe #my #kids #sgerman #sgermany #gitmo #guantanamo #mom #vs #president @law #fisa .@law .@judge @judge s .@harvard_law .@sun @ap @reuters @bbc_whys @france24 @snowden @haar etzcom @deutschland @dw @phoenix_de @bild @sz smashwords_com/books/vie w/552210 they are cockroaches that lever out barricades torape civi llians and reisntallthem. they had no right tobe even near letalone in daytime and they didnot have anyright anylater evenifthey fake this with reframing their rapecrimes thanks to german govt and german control system.ai idiocy doesnot match criminal governance criminal security policy criminal interestpolicy targettedindividual but matches how aeh germans do eachother ifthe wordsaeh are simmillar thenand then tells titanic survivor how probable itis what happened knowing betterbecause the words are simillar how germans do each other when aeh suing eac hother then had thereonly been a magic cocacola from aldistore theeeeee eeeeeeeen h o w e v e r the rubbertitts undercarpet and overtapes and aeh n o t criminal german govt intels raping civillians smearing stigmas

#magic #cocacola #ai #idiocy #believe #my #kids #sgerman #sgermany #gitmo #guantanamo #mom #vs #president @law #fisa .@law .@judge @judges .@harvard_law .@sun @ap @reuters @bbc_whys @france24 @snowden @haaretzcom @deutschland @dw @phoenix_de @bild @sz smashwords_com/books/view/552210 they are cockroaches that lever out barricades torape civillians and reisntallthem. they had no right tobe even…

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[patrick-windley]

Among the Top 5 Charities Working Well in the United States

All around the nation, there are several charity doing wonderful work. Each focuses on a particular issue, such as human rights, animal welfare, or environmental conservation.

The secret to picking a charity is to pick one that is upfront about its mission and finances and has a clear aim. Fortunately, there are several of watchdog groups that can assist you in researching charities before you spend your hard-earned money on them.

The American Red Cross responds to more than 60,000 disasters in the US annually. In order to aid individuals in getting well following calamities, the charity offers them resources, food, housing, and emotional support.

In order to save lives, the American Red Cross also collects blood and platelets. Donations are necessary to supply patients enduring chemotherapy, surgery, or healing from serious injuries with life-saving blood and platelets.

Additionally, as a global humanitarian organization that seeks to avert calamities, the Red Cross. It encourages world peace and does not discriminate based on race, religion, or political beliefs.

The American Cancer Society supports cancer patients in so many ways. Patients and their family may get answers to inquiries regarding care, insurance, resources, and emotional support by calling their 24-hour helpline.

Cancer research is also supported by ACS. In fact, they have contributed to practically every significant advance in cancer research since 1946.

By supporting healthy lifestyles, stopping tobacco use, and increasing tests for early illness, they also strive to lessen inequities.

They even provide all forms of cancer patients and survivors access to a free online community. The Cancer Survivors Network is what it is named.

The Humane League is an organization that advocates for improved treatment of animals in the food sector on a global scale. Through business engagement, media outreach, and grassroots efforts, they aim to raise standards.

The origins of THL may be traced back to tiny activist organizations that opposed the selling of foie gras and eventually developed into an international organization. They have campaigned against the confinement of animals for human consumption, such as pigs in tiny metal gestation crates and chickens in crowded cages.

Additionally, they have an effective campaign division that persuaded Target, Denny's, and a number of other food businesses to alter their business operations. The veg*n pledge program has also been used to get individuals to eat less meat.

A team of scientists, businesspeople, and policy professionals work together at the worldwide charity The Good Food Institute to create a food system that is healthier and more sustainable. In order to convert the global food system to alternative proteins like plant-based meat, eggs, and dairy, it leverages the power of food innovation and markets.

It carries out and develops open-access scientific research in the fields of food technology and plant-based dairy and meat substitutes. Additionally, GFI works on public policy issues, such as promoting higher R&D investment for businesses that produce alternative proteins (APs) and battling for just regulation and labeling. In order to get big agro-food firms to buy AP products, it works with them and encourages AP startups.

The Wild Animal Initiative promotes research into the welfare of wild animals with the goal of improving their quality of life. As a group, WAI promotes networking opportunities, offers career guidance, and supports researchers and authorities on high-impact wild animal research.

Animal groups are becoming increasingly concerned about the situation of wandering animals. However, since the number of wild animals on Earth outweighs that of domestic and agricultural animals, it frequently receives little attention from humans. Graham's center intends to focus more on identifying particular strategies to assist wild animals live healthier lives, such as birth control and illness management.

[newstfionline]

Friday, February 24, 2023

Heavy Snow Hits the Midwest, and Los Angeles County Prepares for a Rare Blizzard (NYT) Blizzard warnings were issued for more than two million people across the United States this week, some in places you’d expect, like Minnesota, and some in places you probably would not, like the mountains around Los Angeles. Almost all of the country is experiencing some form of notable weather this week, meteorologists said. While much of the eastern half of North America is basking in springlike weather, a major winter storm was taking hold from Southern California to Toronto. As the winter weather strengthened its grip in the Midwest on Wednesday, it was promising a mixed bag of wintry weather—strong winds, heavy snow, frigid temperatures and freezing rain. It was likely to disrupt travel on the roads and had already heavily affected air travel. More than 1,700 flights within, into or out of the United States were canceled as of late Wednesday night, Eastern time, according to FlightAware, a flight-tracking website. Some schools were closed as states prepared for over a foot of snow into Wednesday night, the second round of snowfall in this storm system.

Brazil floods leave cutoff survivors scrambling for supplies (AP) Hundreds of residents of a rain-battered region in Brazil’s Sao Paulo state were scrambling to find water and daily supplies Wednesday after floods and mudslides cut off their communities and left at least 48 people dead. Government and private aid groups were trying to provide necessities, but the logistics of reaching the isolated towns was creating difficulties. Authorities said they have reopened some damaged roadways into the region, but that recovery will take time. Rescue operations continue and firefighters, police and volunteers still hope to find people alive in the rubble of houses slammed by the landslides. Some 1,730 people have been displaced and 1,810 left homeless, according to the Sao Paulo state government.

The practice of revoking citizenship was tainted. Not anymore. (NYT) Centuries ago, European kingdoms would banish disloyal citizens from their walls. More recently, in a trend that critics say marks a return to the practices later discredited by Nazi Germany, countries around the world are increasingly moving to strip unwanted people of their citizenship—sometimes, even if it renders them stateless. Britain is reported to have stripped the citizenship of at least 464 people in the last 15 years, leaving some without clear citizenship languishing in legal limbo. And it is clearly part of a global trend. Nicaragua’s authoritarian government stripped the citizenship of at least 300 domestic critics in the past week. Authoritarian states like Russia and Belarus have also made recent moves to strip citizenships, but so has Ukraine, which last month stripped the citizenship of several former politicians. Australia and Israel are among other states that have moved forward with new laws in recent years. And it’s hardly unimaginable in the United States, where citizenship has been revoked for a variety of reasons over the decades. Rights groups argue this is an unwelcome resurgence of a trend best left in the past. Though once relatively common, many countries moved away from the practice of revoking citizenship following World War II. During that period, the practice became linked to Nazi German persecution of minorities and political opponents. The Nazi acts cast a pall over the practice of revoking citizenship. But slowly, since the turn of the century and the subsequent war on terrorism, it has resurged.

In Russia-Ukraine war, more disastrous path could lie ahead (AP) For Russia, it’s been a year of bold charges and bombardments, humiliating retreats and grinding sieges. Ukraine has countered with fierce resistance, surprising counteroffensives and unexpected hit-and-run strikes. Now, on the anniversary of Russia’s invasion that has killed tens of thousands and reduced cities to ruins, both sides are preparing for a potentially even more disastrous phase that lies ahead. Russia recently intensified its push to capture all of Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland of the Donbas. Kyiv and its Western allies also say Moscow could try to launch a wider, more ambitious attack elsewhere along the more than 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line. Ukraine is waiting for battle tanks and other new weapons pledged by the West for it to reclaim occupied areas. What’s nowhere in sight is a settlement. Experts warn that Europe’s largest conflict since World War II could drag on for years, and some fear it could lead to a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO.

After Earthquake, Some Syrian War Refugees Look Beyond Turkey (VOA) As Turkey reels under the immediate humanitarian and the long-term economic burdens of the deadly February 6 earthquake, one group of people feels pressured to consider leaving the country. For about 12 years, Turkey has hosted the largest refugee population in the world—over 4 million people. Most are from neighboring Syria, and some from other war-torn countries such as Afghanistan. The earthquake killed more than 47,000 people in Turkey and Syria, among them at least 1,500 Syrian refugees. Millions of people are homeless inside the two countries. Amid widespread needs for shelter, food and basic services in the quake-stricken regions in Turkey, anti-refugee sentiments have intensified and there are growing calls for refugees to leave. “Anti-refugee sentiment in Turkey has spiked. Syrians have become the target of a misinformation campaign accusing them of looting destroyed homes and stealing aid or blaming them as the reason for the cataclysm hitting Turkey,” Raphael Marcus, senior vice president of programs at the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, told VOA. “I don’t think there will be a 2015-like exodus of refugees to Europe,” Kemal Kirişci, an expert at the Brookings Institution, told VOA, “but there will be an increase in the number of people attempting to enter Europe from Turkey.”

Lentil soup comes to the rescue in quake-ravaged Turkey (NPR) In the midst of the humanitarian crisis that’s followed the Feb. 6 earthquake in Turkey and Syria, one relief supply has been ubiquitous: lentil soup. “It’s cold here,” says 28-year-old Aylin Kilinçli at a tent encampment in the hard-hit city of Nurdagi. “When we eat the soup, it warms us,” she says. Kilinçli and her mother have just picked up two steaming cups of lentil soup from volunteer chefs. They cook the soup in 70-gallon metal cauldrons. Because gas and electrical service has been knocked out throughout the area, the lentil soup is bubbling over in pots that sit on cinder blocks over open wood fires. Other food is also being distributed to the hundreds of thousands of people left homeless by the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake. But throughout the quake-affected zone, lentil soup is a staple. “It is very quick to cook the lentil soup even in an emergency state. Also it is easy to serve,” says Gülay Bozkurt, a nutritionist and food engineer in a municipal kitchen. “It’s very nutritious,” she adds, rattling off statistics about the calories, grams of protein, carbohydrates and vitamins per serving.

China’s more economical Tesla (Rest of World) The Wuling electric vehicle out of China is a small, boxy electric vehicle that sells for $5,500 and is produced by a joint partnership of General Motors and SAIC. It’s a hit not just in China, where it outsells Tesla, but overseas as well. In Indonesia the Wuling Air sells for $16,000 at around half the price of rivals, and since its introduction last August has sold 8,053 vehicles, which is 78 percent of electric vehicle sales in the country. In Indonesia, the compact size is not exactly an issue; sales of scooters outnumbered sales of cars 5-to-1 last year, so the vehicle is still nevertheless an upgrade.

A year later, China blames U.S. ‘hegemony’—not Russia—for war in Ukraine (Washington Post) Ahead of the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China has launched a public diplomacy offensive to wrest control of the narrative about its role in the conflict, trying to clear itself of accusations that it has sided with Russia while accusing the United States of turning the conflict into a “proxy” war. Few of the positions staked out by Chinese officials in a flurry of speeches and documents this week are new, but they have underscored why Beijing continues to stand by Moscow even as it professes “deep concern” about the conflict: It considers the United States—not Russia—the progenitor of global insecurity, including in Ukraine. Beijing has rejected U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s warning that China might be considering providing “lethal” support to Russia as a “wild accusation” and accused the United States of wanting Ukraine to “fight till the last Ukrainian.” “It’s plain for the world to see who is calling for dialogue and striving for peace and who is adding fuel to the fire, handing out knives and instigating hostility,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday. Seeing the United States as a source of instability—while giving aggression from Russia and other authoritarian states a pass—is a longtime stance of the Chinese Communist Party. But under Xi, it is a worldview that has become more deeply embedded into China’s foreign policy and echoed by its national security establishment.

Why Japan has so many ‘never travelers’ (CNN) A surprisingly large number of Japanese say that travel is no longer a priority for them. A survey done last year by global intelligence company Morning Consult showed that 35% of Japanese respondents said they were unwilling to travel again, the highest number of any country. Tetsu Nakamura, a professor at Tamagawa University and a tourism behavior and psychology specialist, says the results are not at all surprising. “In 2019, even before the pandemic, (Japanese) people who traveled abroad at least once a year made up about 10% of the population,” says Nakamura. Despite Japan having the world’s most powerful passport, fewer than 20% of Japanese people actually have passports in the first place, according to Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For some of these “never travelers,” domestic trips within Japan are enough. “Many Japanese feel like overseas travel is time-consuming even before they step foot on foreign land, that it takes a lot of time, skill and planning,” says Nakamura. The cost of travel is also a consideration. The yen is at its weakest in decades, and many Japanese workers haven’t had a raise in 30 years.

South Korea’s world lowest fertility rate drops again (Reuters) South Korea’s fertility rate dropped last year to a record low, data showed on Wednesday, in yet another grim milestone for the country with the world’s lowest number of expected children for each woman. The average number of expected babies per South Korean woman over her reproductive life fell to 0.78 in 2022 down from 0.81 a year earlier, the official annual reading from the Statistics Korea showed. That is the lowest among countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), which had an average rate of 1.59 in 2020, and far below 1.64 in the United States and 1.33 in Japan the same year. The government has failed to reverse the falling birth rate despite spending billions of dollars each year on childcare subsidies. Being married is seen as a prerequisite to having children in South Korea, but marriages are also plunging in the country amid sky-high costs of housing and education.

Nigeria’s election (CNN) On Saturday, Nigeria will hold the largest democratic exercise in Africa as the nation votes to elect a new president. This election marks the first time since Nigeria’s democracy was re-established in 1999 that none of its presidential candidates are incumbents or former military leaders. Currently, 18 candidates are still in the running, though only three are at the front of the race. Over 93 million Nigerians have registered to vote in this election, despite concerns (based on past precedent) that the election could be suspended at any moment. Even if the election goes smoothly, the happy winner won’t be able to bask in the glow for too long—Nigeria is facing inflation, cash and fuel shortages, and a rise in terror attacks.

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