#then we go to a neighboring community where one of the nations is putting on a day of cultural events for a few hundred kids day after that | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

jewishvitya · 6 months

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I just wanted to thank you so much for all of your insight and generosity with your perspective as an anti-zionist israeli, something you absolutely don't owe us but I feel immense amounts of respect and admiration for. from an American jew, it's been so valuable to know there are people like you out there, it's made everything feel much less hopeless despite all the hopelessness. I've felt very alone recently, surrounded by all the Jewish people in my life who are pro-israel and don't seem to grasp the gravity of the situation and my pro-palestine gentile friends, and I've felt very alone in my grief as I've only really started to unpack and dismantle my own biases very recently. reading your posts and your perspective on everything has just made me feel very seen as a jew in this situation, especially as I try to reconcile my feelings about everything going on with my own feelings about my faith and my identity.

you've probably seen that I've gone through a lot of your posts and that I've followed you. i just want you to know that I'm not necessarily following you just for that, I know you're just a fandom blog, it's just that after looking through your posts I feel like you're just a really nice person and seeing yoi on my dash from you would be endearing coming from you even though im not into it myself.

just. thank you again for sharing your story and continuing to share. you have no idea how much it's helped me.

I'm in tears. I've been crying way more than usual over the past couple of months, but it's nice for a change to have those tears to come from being touched instead of grief. I apologize if I'm going to ramble.

You say I didn't owe you all this, but I do feel responsible. I'm watching so much destruction and seeing how comfortable people around me are with the loss of life. This is why I've been talking about what we do and not as much about the impact of October 7 on me or people I know. I did a bit of that in the beginning, but pretending it was the start of everything to keep going back to that one day, after two months of horror, as if I can't count past 7... I didn't choose to be born where I am, I didn't choose to grow up in the most extremist community this place has to offer. But since I'm here, since I'm comfortable at the expense of Palestinians and violence is being done in my name and I have the tools to highlight issues within my society, I think it's a moral obligation.

I know how I talk about things here, and that's genuinely because I don't want to minimize the severity of the racism and the nationalism in Israel. And someone perceived my words as showing hatred for Israelis. But... I love my people. I don't expect those who see or experience our violence to feel the same or even understand me, but I do. It's my neighbors and my childhood friends and my family. It's children I see playing outside and getting excited when they see I have a cat, and the random people who stop me in the street and give me directions if they think I look lost.

Even growing up in the West Bank settlements, the people were very good to me. I needed years to internalize the fact that this kindness doesn't get extended to you if you're not part of the in-group. It broke my heart. It still does. Seeing people who I know are capable of kindness and compassion, hardening themselves against the pain of other human beings. Closing their eyes and telling themselves it isn't real. It's all an act.

I told a friend I feel like I'm betraying my mom, who was deeply bigoted, but also a wonderful mother. She taught me a lot of the principles that are guiding me now - I just took down the walls she put around who deserves to be considered. She'd be horrified with seeing the things I'm saying if she was still alive. But she taught me to care about people, I just decided it means all people.

Everyone should be prioritizing Palestinian liberation, and at the same time, I care about this too. I care about the morality of my people. I need us to be better than this. I want to dismantle the nationalism that teaches us hate and violence so we can start to heal and come to terms with what we did (and still do) here. I want us to fix what we can and hold ourselves accountable. I want us to reimagine safety in a way that doesn't cause harm, and build good relationships with the rest of humanity. Every marginalized community is experiencing bigotry in interactions with every other community, that's just how these things work. But I believe healing the world, and healing my society, is possible.

And it's hard, because so much of what we learn is rooted in truth. Antisemitism is real. Millennia of persecution are real. The trauma we carry is real. If the idea of an ethnostate makes us feel safe, and the idea of losing it makes us scared, how do we differentiate between fear as a natural reaction to antisemitic violence and fear that was taught to us for the sake of nationalism? Especially those of us living in Israel, immersed in the propaganda. It doesn't matter in practice, our feelings of safety or fear don't justify an ethnostate, especially not one built on top of another nation, but it matters for the conversations I have with people.

And I said that the violence I'm seeing feels like an attack on my identity. Seeing a giant hannukiyah in Gaza, when Hannukah tells the story of occupied people fighting off their oppressors. Seeing images that echo so much of the horrors that were done to us. The Magen David being used with hate and spite. It's all so painful. And I love this land, it's the only home I've known, so seeing us destroying nature and soaking it with blood and calling that connection?

Judaism does guide me here. The concept of tikkun olam. The idea of לא עליך המלאכה לגמור ולא אתה בין חורין לבטל ממנה - doing what I can, even if what I'm able to do isn't some decisive blow that entirely turns the tide. The idea that every human being is a whole entire world, to me it means that every single person alive is worth fighting for. So no matter how much death I see, there's still worlds more to save.

And Jewitches had this post that felt just healing to read. Nationalism hijacked our culture, and it will always leave a mark for centuries into the future. But I'm not letting go, and I'm not letting that create a rift between me and thousands of years full of history I can be proud of.

I feel your grief. And I'm grateful for the anti-zionist Jews I met by talking about this, because honestly, I need you people in my life. The pain and the anger are both easier to hold together.

So, thank you for following. I might follow back, just to see you around on my feed. And thank you for sending this. Feel free to message me anytime for any reason (I promise it won't result in a lecture every time).

Also, your url gave me pjo nostalgia

#riki babbles

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fairuzfan · 5 months

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hi! I know you like getting messages of support from other nations so I hope you will find some worth in this one, however meandering. it's a bit related to your talk about food appropiation,

In the Sierra Madre, seeing a prickly pear is nothing less than a relief. The land is full of life, but it is of a kind that can be thoroughly indifferent to human life, so seeing the bright red of a tuna can feel like gift from the land. It is the friendliest plant around, in its context. A lone dot of color and edible flesh in a sea of thornscrub. There's spines, sure, but those are a non-issue if you know how to handle the plant. It's not hard to peel the fruit one-handed, using just a sharp knife and a flat rock. My grandpa used to do that, and still does when we visit the ranges in San Luis Potosí where he used to shepherd sheep and goats as a child. The flesh is refreshing on a hot day and the sweetness warms you on cold one.

Which makes it all very shocking that Israelis adopted it as a national symbol, calling it "sabra", and also giving that name to the "native"-born Israeli populace. They say it is because they have a sweet interior surrounded by tough spines to pierce their enemies, but that does not sound right. The only way you could possibly see it as unfriendly or standoffish or as a symbol of self-defense, is if you are unfamiliar with land and context and go shoving youself places you shouldn't be. I can't help but think of their "making the desert bloom" mindset, and their misunderstanding of natural characteristics as hostility.

When Madagascans introduced the plant into their lifestyle, they used the fruit to feed cattle, and stave off hunger. And when French colonizers tried to get past the walls of cactus they wove with it, they were stung. It was only the engineered sabotage of the cactus with pests that ended that era of self-sufficience. I think the people of Madagascar were infinitely more worthy of taking it as their symbol!

I guess what I am trying to say is that Israel does not just merely appropiate things that are geographically close to it, and similarly, it is not just its neighbors that take stock of its, wrongness, to put it mildly. As much as Israel would like to believe that support for Palestine is a fad, we simply are not as incapable of drawing parallels as they would like us to be.

I think of Palestine every time I have to try and master my anxiety around U.S. Border Patrol. I tell myself I'm not allowed to back down give up when other people haven't given up, with walls in their own land. I hope that thought helps!

this is such an amazing message filled with so much thought, thank you SO much for sending this in. We also eat sabr in Palestine, I remember my mom and grandma talking about eating it back in the 80's when it was more available.

I did not know that about Madagascar, thank you for telling me. I'm going to write this down in my sketchbook for illustration ideas.

I hope that one day soon, the borders that are so violent to our peoples fall and are replaced with a kindness and community that we dream of. I'm sorry that you have to encounter such division in your life with the border wall, but I hope that we both work together to tear them down :)

#lovely message #thanks again for this

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bilbobagginsomebabez · 1 month

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the arguments about palestine that changed a zionist's mind in real life:

THIS IS RHETORIC. IT WAS DESIGNED TO CHANGE SOMEONE ELSE'S MIND, NOT TO PORTRAY MY FUNDAMENTAL BELIEFS AND UNDERSTANDINGS OF THE CONFLICT.

stressing equal rights as the solution to political violence. i usually start w "the single most influential factor to joining a terrorist group or a gang is hopelessness, the idea that there is no other way for them to create a livable future in which their family can eat." in this, the progression from the peaceful and unarmed 2018 Day of Return (emphasize injuries and casualties; opening fire at protestors attempting to just walk out of an "open air prison," half of whom were under 18. if they had been allowed to leave and seek political rights, october 7 never would have happened. every escalation is a result of lack of human rights. "everyone deserves human rights without qualifier, and everyone deserves equal legal rights under the law. most problems are actually side effects of this initial problem. who lacks legal rights in Israel?"

sidestep Hamas completely. refuse to engage. "there is a geographic region in the middle east whose border touches the mediterranean. Jewish people and Palestinian people live here. the government of this geographic region must then care equally for Jewish lives and Palestinian lives because that's who lives there, and just democracies give equal rights to everyone, right?" americans will be HARD PRESSED to say no. "you're pro-palestinian"

"Ethnostates are bad. We know that ethnostates are oppressive goverments that choose permanently harming a portion of second-class citizens. The whole world already has people in it, and there is nowhere to establish an ethnostate that does not require the violent removal of people who already live there. You Also Don't Need An Ethnostate to Be Safe. You need equal rights." Excerpts from Ch. 3 A Theory of Genocide from Scott Straus' Making and Unmaking Nations explaining the inherent genocidal risk of founding narratives that serve one group to the exclusion of others was very effective coupled with current death tolls.

Israel puts Jews in more danger by associating them with real human rights abuses and telling the world they're doing it in the name of Jewishness. "My neighbors have nothing to do with the violent actions of a nation-state. Additionally, you are my community member and this is already your home. The base requirement of your community members here is to make your home safe for you, not chase you halfway around the globe where we won't have to "deal with you" anymore. Your fight is here by my side making our real current community safe for everyone, not millions of miles away using bombs on civilians."

The story of the Golem, in which something created to protect Jewish communities from antisemitism grew too powerful and too violent and had to be destroyed before it destroyed the community itself in its uncontrollable rage. this actually should have been number 1 because this is used to structure the entire thing. the Golem is the last argument I brought up, but I knew I was going to bring it up the whole time and every single argument was structured to reinforce it. Continuously through the conversation, I stressed trauma responses, fear, and conservatism. they've done studies where they asked people for their political opinions, waited weeks, brought them back, shared recent headlines (divided between positive/hopeful and negative/fearmongering), and found that after being shown fearmongering headlines, the second round of responses were more conservative no matter where the subject started. there's a reason zionism was invented well before the holocaust but didn't gain widespread support in Jewish communities until after. I approached from a fundamental position of empathy. I used rising antisemitism as my lead-in to the topic, I talked extensively about how Jewish people always have Israel in the back of their head as a refuge and escape-- "if it ever gets too bad here, i have somewhere safe to run to"-- and as a result feel an intense sense of existential fear when asked to criticize or challenge it. I talked about how there are no moral dimensions to feeling (you just get to have them) but by the same metric, it means your feelings are not indicative of political truth. Being scared doesn't mean you're really in danger. All of it specifically chosen to reinforce this idea of Israel as a Golem whose violent rage must be addressed by Jewish people for the sake of preserving their own community.

that's what worked. coming at it from a fundamental position of empathy for my Jewish community members and asking them to give Palestinians the same unbending demand for human rights and safety that I am giving to everyone in this moment. showing them that their safety is not mutually exclusive to each other. part of it is capacity creation. massaging their perspective of the conflict and balming some of their most immediate and disruptive fears for themselves so that the space created by relief can turn to empathy. which is easier to do when someone is modeling it right in front of you.

#blur recognized #from the river to the sea palestine will be free #palestine #israel #be careful of how you press the issue obviously but if they follow you all the way to the golem you can turn that to empathy for hamas #israel/palestine #genocide #free palestine #free gaza

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rebel-moons · 7 months

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The worst mass shooting of the year, and it’s barely a blip in the national news coverage. Americans have become so desensitized to this kind of tragedy that the loss of 18 lives - 13 more injured, 8 still fighting for their lives in intensive care - doesn’t even make national noise anymore. This man is still out there - considered armed and dangerous, going on day 3 of this manhunt - and still, just another Friday in America to most people. There are people who aren’t even aware this happened!

This is my community. We are grieving. This has affected us across the state - cities and towns in lockdown, schools are closed, businesses are closed. It’s a beautiful warm fall day, the weekend before Halloween, and my state is a ghost town. Other than tourists, everyone is home. All events, sports and celebrations and parties, have been cancelled.

Maine has never faced a tragedy like this before. And because of that, I think we feel this hurt so much deeper and personally than the rest of the nation. You may have seen Maine described as “a small big state” and it’s so true. We’re spread out geographically but the sense of community and loyalty we have for our neighbors - 3 mins, 30 mins, 3 hours away - is unmatched. This is hitting our community so hard because we haven’t been desensitized to this sort of violence here.

I don’t want the victims to be just another number lost in the conversation. These were my neighbors, people in my direct social circles - friends and family of the people in my life. Right now, we only know a few of the names. But these people deserve to be remembered, their loss is being felt across the state.

Joey Walker was the manager of the bar that was hit. He grabbed a butchers knife to try to stop the shooter. He died trying to save lives. On Wednesday night, his father, city councilor Leroy Walker, told the local news he knew in his heart his son had been murdered that night. He asks that people keep sharing Joey’s story, “to keep him alive”.

Bob Violette led a youth bowling league at Just-in-Time. He died protecting the children he taught, standing between them and the shooter.

Payton Brewer-Roses loved Superman; he had an extensive Man of Steel tattoo. We would’ve been friends. He was a father to a beautiful two-year-old, who now has to grow up without her loving, funny, caring father.

Trisha Asselin loved bowling and golf and worked at both Just-In-Time and the local golf course. She raised thousands for breast cancer research in her lifetime. She died trying to call 911.

Joshua Seal was a comforting face to so many during the worst of the pandemic. He worked as a sign language interpreter, and made it his life’s mission to end the solitude and isolation of many in the Deaf community. He was there for a Deaf cornhole league - where know at least one other Deaf victim, Bryan MacFarlane, was also attending. Reports say they didn’t know what was happening because they couldn’t hear the shoots.

Aaron and Bill Young, a high school freshman and his father. Aaron loved bowling, had recently received recognition in the youth league.

These aren’t even half of the victims who were murdered on Wednesday night. Over and over again, you hear stories of how the victims put themselves in harms way to save others, because that’s the kind of community we have in Maine. We look out for each other, even if we don’t know you.

They should be alive right now.

Please don’t let them get lost in the news cycle. We can’t pretend this is normal or acceptable. Enough is enough. If the FBI can call Maine “the safest state in America” on Monday, and two days later the worst mass shooting of the year happens, it’s not a matter of IF it will happen to you and your loved ones, but WHEN.

We cannot continue to live like this.

Eighteen lives lost, and countless lives shattered by this night.

If you can, please donate to the GoFundMe for the victims and their families in Lewiston.

#lewiston #maine #mass shooting #gun violence

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witchyafterdark · 6 months

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The Statute of Secrecy 📜

Disclaimer: This is just my personal opinion. I'm sorry if this was answered late but... I just wanted to answer this properly. And perhaps a late birthday post! 🎉 I'd love to hear more thoughts in the comments section or give me more asks!

The anon was pertaining to a previous post of mine, which you can find here.

Once again, this is a very, very long post. ✨ Please take your time!

Thank you so much for sending me this ask. This is my first one ever, and I couldn't be happier! You have no idea how long I've been stewing on this topic but didn't know where to start.

Let's talk about it! I originally just wanted to post my vague take about this topic but I got to thinking 🤔 If we're really going to talk about this, let's delve deep into it, and get all the proper information out. Lots of people are divided about this statute; some in agreeance, some in complete opposition.

Also, I know that I'm no expert in the areas of government that I'm going to mention here. But I think I have a decent handle on the topic at hand, and for once, I'd like to put my degree on International Relations and Politics to good use!

What is the Statute of Secrecy?

According to the wiki, the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy (commonly shortened to Statute of Secrecy) was a law in the Wizarding World that was first signed in 1689, then established officially in 1692. The purpose of this law was to safeguard the wizarding community from Muggles, and hide its presence from the world at large. This statute was inveterated by the International Confederation of Wizards — which is the equivalent of the United Nations in the muggle world.

The ultimate reason as to why this law had to be made and laid down in the 17th century was due to the severe Wizard-Muggle relations at that time. Witch trials were at an all-time-high across European nations. It was said that, "...[witches and wizards] that offer to aid their muggle neighbors with the use of magic was tantamount to volunteering to fetch the firewood for one's own funeral pure." This was evident in the many witches and wizards that were imprisoned and sentenced to death on the charge of practicing witchcraft.

On top of that, there had also been a time of widespread persecution of wizarding children by muggles, and both witches and wizards being forced by muggles to perform and teach magic for the latter's benefit; thus, increasing the numbers of persecution that inevitably included those of muggles mistakenly tried and burned as witches. At this point in time, the Wizarding World had to establish interventional measures.

During that period, Great Britain was ruled by King William III alongside his wife, Queen Mary II. There was a time during their reign when the newly-created Ministry of Magic attempted to convene with the muggle British Monarchy via a special Ministry Delegation. The British Wizarding World went as far as begging the muggle monarchy for the protection of wizards under muggle law. Of course, this attempt had failed, which promptly resulted in the collective decision of Wizardkind to voluntarily remove themselves from muggle societies, and went towards the direction of hiding and secrecy.

Now that the historical background of this law has been covered, let's now talk about what would happen if the Statute of Secrecy were to be abolished; which will make the Wizarding World known to all muggles. (Again, these are my personal views and hypotheses, backed by ample amount of research from both sides of the debate).

Of course, in an ideal world, we would all be accepting of each other, holding hands and singing Kumbaya. 😀🤝😀

But given the current status of wars we're facing today, we have to be honest with each other here. The power of love and acceptance is not going to be enough if the muggles themselves cannot even reach an amicable understanding between themselves. And this is without magic to begin with!

So, what will happen if the Wizarding World were to reveal themselves to the muggles?

I. Economic Repercussions

There are so many bases to cover when it comes to the economic impact of what the abolishment of the Statute would entail. If the Wizarding World were to reveal their truth during this time, I can only imagine the economic upheaval both the muggle and wizards will face. Assuming that the Wizarding World would unveil themselves today, year 2023, these are the highly anticipated events that may occur:

1. At least half of the Muggle jobs will be obsolete

The first that comes to mind are people who work blue-collar jobs. I believe they will be hit the hardest in the event that magic will be known.

Why would you need a couple of dozen of construction workers (who work at a slower pace, and costs more) if you have magic to do if for you; which is considerably cheaper, faster, more efficient, and safer for all who are involved? Sure, wizarding engineers do exist as Hogwarts was built both by hand and magic. But for the most part? Utilizing magic to build and construct infrastructure will be far easier and faster than its muggle counterparts. This alone would affect the economy of manual labor of the muggle workforce.

How about housekeepers? Servers? Customer service? Handymans? They are surely the backbone of our society. But with the integration of magic, again, it would be cheaper to hire one witch or wizard to do the job, and it would be faster if magic was involved with stacking grocery goods into shelves, enchanted clothing stores that automatically alter your clothes to your size and shape, and a swish of the Scouring Charm (a charm used for cleaning and washing things) will inevitably cut the muggle labor-force into considerable numbers.

Didn't we see the Leaky Cauldron's tables being cleaned and chairs being put up by one wizard? A restaurant wouldn't need lots of servers if this would be the case. That alone would wreak havoc on muggle economy. (Less workers = less income tax revenue for the muggle government).

We've seen in real life how the recent pandemic messed with our economic recovery simply because the service industry was not wholly available as it used to be during pre-pandemic times. Everything else became impossibly expensive and difficult to obtain.

2. Pharmaceutical Corporations and Insurance Companies

Come on, now. We all know this is a gargantuan beast to tackle.

The first thing that came to mind are the magical creatures and plants that will be harvested to extinction if the muggles knew of their medicinal properties. Poaching will be at an its height (poor Poppy) with both muggles and crooked wizards selling and auctioning these creatures for mass breeding programs. There will be a race to find and get ahold of the rarest magical creatures, such as the Phoenix, Unicorn, and some species of Dragons and Winged Horses.

Wizarding potioneers and apothecaries will be reaping the benefits of this, of course, but they will be swamped with millions (if not, billions) of desperate muggles who are in search of cures for their ailments. Skele-Gro for immediate regrowth of bone-related accidents, Wiggenweld for the immediate treatment of open wounds and post-operative incisions, and the Forgetfulness Potion and Draught of Peace for patients who are suffering PTSD or any other trauma-related symptoms; just to name a few.

But the most dangerous part is that there will be a race for the recreation of the Philosopher's Stone. This is the key to create the Elixir of Life. And this is something both the wizarding world and the muggle world will fight to the death over.

Muggle pharmaceutical corporations will be affected considerably due to the magical competition of potions and healing spells that are far better than some of the muggle medications. However, there are still medicines that are needed and irreplaceable at this time; such as post-operative maintenance medicine, emergency care, anti-psychotic drugs, chemotherapy, anti-seizure aid, and the like.

And as much as we all loathe our respective countries' insurance companies and policies, they are still an important factor in our economic system. These companies will also be affected by the decline of both muggle medicinal and medical procedures.

3. Doctors, Nurses, and Healthcare Professionals

In that same vein, all healthcare professionals and providers will be affected. There will be a demand for more wizarding healers than doctors, and there will be an influx of muggle patients seeking treatment from the Wizarding World. Yes, there will be muggles who will still be wary and untrusting of wizarding procedures. This will be the saving grace of the muggle doctors and nurses — but only for a little while. Once the legitimacy and credibility of wizarding medicine becomes apparent (which it will over time), lots of muggle physicians will be at a loss of employment as more and more wizarding healers will be on demand worldwide.

The bright side to this dilemma is if both wizard and muggle medical professionals learn to cooperate with one another and have an exchange of training information with each other. Wizarding healers can learn how to do first aid; such as CPR, resuscitation, defibrillation, Heimlich maneuver, etc. We also have to give lots and lots of credit to the muggles. We have survived thus far with our own studies and the sheer will to live.

And so, we also have a lot of knowledge to impart to the wizard healers. Surgery would be even more revolutionary with the brainpower of muggle surgeons and wizard healer's magic and potions; perhaps to the point where mortality rates would go even lower than what we currently have. Maybe the muggles would give the wizards an idea of replicating organs instead of relying on donors! These are some of the positives that can happen for sure.

The Wizarding World will finally get to know dentistry! 😂 I honestly can't believe they don't know the existence of dentists all the way to as late as the 1990's.

4. Transportation

Commercial air and sea travel will most definitely be hit by the presence of wizarding means of transport. Imagine: Floo Stations can be built almost entirely anywhere (from major cities to remote islands), Witches and Wizards can be hired to apparate and disapparate (making traveling much faster, given the Wizarding World could figure out a way to bypass splinching), and Portkeys can be made and sold for a price! (There had been an incident where a muggle accidentally touched a Portkey, and was transported in the middle of a Celestina Warbeck concert!)

Surely, the muggle way of transporting goods will still be there simply because there is just too many parcels and packages to deliver. But human transportation will be affected, putting a dent the industry of airlines and seafaring companies. Plus, wizarding travel methods are easier on the planet! They don't use fuel and gas to begin with.

Another thing is broom flight! Yes, it's fun for the most part. But there will need to be an entirely new set of transportation systems and rules to be implemented before it can even be introduced for public consumption. I assume it's cheaper to buy than a car, and so a lot of muggles will be enticed to opt for brooms instead of cars — and they can just hire the aid of wizards to enchant their bags with Extension Charms for their personal belongings.

But ultimately, automobile manufacturers and corporations will, once again, become obsolete. It would push for smaller car companies into bankruptcy, and the larger ones would probably have to sell their now-surplus stock of cars for a drastically cheaper price just to be sold. Can you imagine what this would do to the economy?

5. Muggle-Made Products vs. Magically Modified Products

Funny enough, I added this part last-minute. But I immediately thought about this from seeing a review of Lady Gaga's beauty brand, Haus Labs, and their "Atomic Lip Lacquer." A product review said:

I'm 100% convinced Lady Gaga found some glamour witches and hired them! This product is impossibly good and effective!

This set my idea lightbulbs off because true enough, I had sampled this product before — and it works! It's smudge-proof, transfer-proof, and the color is quite universal on a lot of skin tones. (This is not an advertisement, nor is this post sponsored by Lady Gaga). 😂

But of course, the caveat is that if this truly was enhanced by glamour witches, then there will be a problem. Right now, we know that Haus Labs probably just have really good cosmetic chemists in their lab. But if the world was to know that glamour witches can be hired to amp up certain products, there will be a power and economic impact in the market competition.

Sure, all major companies can hire their own witches and wizards to magically enhance their products. But what about small, family-owned businesses? What about those actually honest companies that pay their workers fair wages? What about small companies who rely on ethically-sourced products from indigenous communities; like woven garments and furniture? What happens to them, then? They will be obliterated by these major corporations who have the money to hire people of magic to modify their products that will ultimately (and unfortunately) overpower smaller businesses.

Even if we are to ethically buy muggle-made products in support of their honest work, it will become much more expensive to procure over time. Much like cultural products made by locals are more expensive than your factory-produced goods, even the masses will have no choice but to buy products that are magically enhanced because they're cheaper and they take less time to manufacture. And most importantly, the magical products are going to be much more effective.

Just like that Atomic Lip Lacquer.

6. Currency, Trade, and Stock Markets

This one's pretty straightforward. With the use of divination, legilimency, seers, and all sorts of other methods of prediction, the odds are in the wizards' favor. Even with muggle technology that aids them in stock market predictions, it wouldn't stand a chance against magical seers and divination. Not only that but it would wreak havoc upon the value of both muggle and Wizarding currency exchange.

Since their community is considerably smaller than the rest of the world's, their economy is pretty stable. The system of currency isn't really expounded in great detail in the books, aside from what we know that there are 29 Knuts for 1 Sickle, and there are 17 Sickles for 1 Galleon.

Interestingly, there have been systems from forums and websites that have shown the actual money exchange rates between the Wizarding and the muggle currency:

(This one, however, is no longer the actual rates because we all know that rates change daily. There used to be a website for daily conversion rates but it's currently inaccessible or have been taken down. Do try to see if this website's working by the time I published this post).

I am not an economist, and I suck at economics, but judging from how a Galleon is worth more than the Euro, the US dollar, and British pound, Wizarding currency is more powerful than muggle currencies. If the Statute would be taken down, the Galleon would now have to enter the International Stock Exchange! But the worst part is that the British Galleon is not the only Wizarding currency there is. In France, they operate with the Bezant (which was established around 1927), and in the US, they have the Dragot and the Sprink (from at least the 18th century).

Yes, Gringotts Bank do accept muggle currency for Galleons in the case that muggleborns needed to have them exchanged. But the goblins do find the way to put muggle money back into circulation. So, in reality, muggle money is worthless in the Wizarding World. Not only that, but assuming that Galleons are made from gold, that in itself will cause a lot of confusion as to how it would be converted, and which method of conversion would yield higher returns. The bottom line is that the Wizarding currency would suffer from the process of joining the muggle market.

—

🔹 Now these are the things that I can think of at the moment, but I'm sure there are tons of other things to consider. We're barely scratching the surface of the economic repercussions. Sure, there are advantages in the long run. But will the muggles and wizards even get to the long run with other factors to consider?

II. Religious Opposition

(Note: I am NOT pertaining to the derogation of any specific religion on this section of the post. Anything mentioned here is alluded to in a generic way or historical context. I am not siding nor criticizing any particular group or religious organization by refering to "real life" events; I am merely making historical references that align with the canonical events in the Harry Potter universe).

—

One of the other factors that I just mentioned is the religious opposition the Wizarding World will inevitably face. The contrasting beliefs and practices of the Wizarding World against the muggle religious organizations is the prime reason why the International Statute of Secrecy had to be made to begin with.

There are extensive historical references, records, and studies about the subject of the European Witch Hunts and Trials that go way back to the 1400's. There was a book — which is famous, even today — that is considered as the "handbook" of identifying, capturing, torturing, and executing a witch in captivity. This is called the Malleus Maleficarum, also known as the 'Hammer of Witches.'

It is because of this book that tens of thousands of people, 80% of them were women, have been put to death. Inevitably, this became the ultimate cause why the Wizarding World have decided to completely go into hiding. The differences in the acceptance of religious beliefs and practices were the driving force why the Statute of Secrecy had been passed and enforced.

Given that today's religious climate is arguably better than how it used to be during those days, there is a bigger and better chance that the youth will have a far greater sense of open-mindedness about the existence of witches and wizards. A lot of Millennials, Generation Z, and the oldest of Generation Alpha are scientifically considered smarter and the most educated generations in all of modern history. We are, as a collective whole, the most progressive and accepting when it comes to considering things that are unknown or are yet to be discovered. Most of us won't react with violence or have the need to gather our pitchforks against the Wizarding World.

However, the same couldn't be said for religious orders. Witchcraft and wizardry are real punishable violations under scriptures, and the history of this practice is one of dark times. If the Wizarding World is to be revealed to the masses, alongside the demonstrations of magic for everyone to witness, religious organizations will most likely take action against the Wizarding population. It would not be a surprise if religious extremists host groups of people willing to revive witch hunts and take matters into their own hands, citing holy scriptures and rights against the perceived enemy. (Keyword: Extremists; not the religious organizations as a whole).

Taking note of the political upheaval in today's warring nations (and to completely acknowledge the severity of what's going on these days without disrespecting real-life situations), muggles alone have taken part in religious crusades after another. Dominant empires of the past have conquered and colonized solitary societies who are living in peace solely in the name of their respective religions. We see this even today. It is not far-fetched to think that some (not all) factions within religious organizations will take up arms against the Wizarding World. It is easier to find a common enemy to attack and fight against. It is easier to wave white flags toward your usual enemy, and join forces to defeat the new threat.

On the other hand, we see a new wave of several revivals of pagan faiths by today's youth. More and more people participate in different forms of divination (such as tarot and astrology; here's my shameless plug: @tarotwitchy), some practice the Goetic rituals and methods of communicating with deities and spirits, others prefer to continue with their ancestors' lost pagan traditions according to their ethnic roots.

So, that is a good thing... right? Unfortunately for the youth, majority of world religious leaders are the elderly; who have grown accustomed to conservative and very traditional practices and systems. And while there's technically nothing wrong with that, I personally do not see them willing to put aside their beliefs in order to allow the Wizarding World to be acquainted and assimilated in the muggle world. Pagan and indigenous spiritual people (and those who have folk religions in their cultural heritage) have a higher chance of tolerance towards the new comers. Again, I could be wrong, and I'm very open for discussion. But the judging from the current situation of the world, muggles cannot even set aside their differences to realize that we're all human with the right to live. What more when it comes to a completely new "species" of humans that will most definitely be perceived as a threat?

III. Cultural Nuances

There are obvious cultural nuances when it comes to the acceptance of the practice of witchcraft around the world; as a matter of fact, it wouldn't be so popular in today's new age of spiritual resurgence if these nuances haven't been a part of ethnic cultures in the first place. Some countries in Asia, Africa, Eastern and Southeastern Europe, the Carribean, and in Central and South America, witchcraft is basically a part of "folk culture," wherein the practice is deeply embedded into the traditional heritage of the people. Some cultures do not necessarily look upon witchcraft and wizardry as evil practices but something to respect (or at the very least, steer clear from out of ambivalence).

I can only speak for my own culture, but here in my country, located in Southeast Asia, we are part of a handful of countries that practice "folk Catholicism." This is when the influence of colonial religions have meshed alongside the natives' pagan traditions and practices. The assimilation of the two groups make for quite an interesting culture! Here, as much as 86% of the population are Catholic. But in spite of the clear-cut religious law that witchcraft and wizardry are not to be tolerated, the indigenous roots of folk practices can never be forgotten nor erased. For example, whenever the Church has done all they could do to help someone under spiritual attack, most people would turn to the ancient pagan practices for cures and solutions.

And I know we aren't the only country that does this. The Haitians and Romanians also have these practices deeply embedded in their culture. (I don't claim to expertly know about these countries, and I understand that not all citizens of those two nations practice witchcraft and wizardry). Mesoamerican culture entails the assimilation of the Catholic faith and its indigenous beliefs as well! (This was a really interesting and enlightening read for me to have researched, and people should read about it, too).

Therefore, I think majority of the muggle population around the world would have a lukewarm reception of the revelation of magic, in general. Of course, there will be fear. There will be wary people who might even spurn the existence entirely. But with how the younger generations have been extremely curious and eager to participate in these practices with an open mind, I wouldn't be surprised if the culture of the Wizarding World will be assimilated into the mainstream in just under a decade. That is, idealistically speaking, if the younger generation would really push for the human rights of the wizards as well. None of this would matter if wizards won't be given the same human rights and freedom as the next muggle. Only then would the wizards be granted the lawful freedom of practicing their own culture (besides other lawful implications and regulations).

Nevertheless, as good as that sounded on paper, greediness and envy does not have an age bracket. Both young and old will be tempted to take advantage of magic simply because it is power, in its natural form. You can see this phenomenon happening in high school students' social experiments; wherein one group of students are being given good school materials, better grades, more attention from teachers than the other group. The less "privileged" group of students began to complain and raise their concerns, and some even gave up entirely. But at the end, since their concerns were left unheard, they plotted against the other group to covet what those students have for themselves.

Of course, these feelings can somehow be justified on the perspective of the muggles. Why should the wizards have all the power? Now that they revealed themselves, they should also share their magic! These muggle concerns, in turn, will alarm and scare the Wizarding World even more. Given their respective histories, they didn't have a good parting to begin with. And this is why, on the grounds of Cultural Nuances, it would really depend on the heritage of the country or region; and how they received and perceived witchcraft and wizardry throughout their histories.

IV. Sociopolitical Upheaval and Power Vacuums

[Note: I have seen and read different takes on this issue, and I must say, there are some who see this issue in an entirely new light that I haven't considered before. Alongside my own personal research and beliefs, I will try to put all of the information together in a cohesive way. Again, all of these are the amalgamation of my own opinions and of others'. This post is for entertainment purposes only, and I am in no way pertaining or pointing fingers to a specific governmental body of any nation in real life. If there are countries mentioned in this segment, it's only because of comparison, and I'm correlating the given information that coincides with the Harry Potter universe]. 🙂

—

A little interesting fact: It was common knowledge that the Malfoys used to be staunch and vocal protesters against the Statute. Why? Well, during the time before the Statute, they enjoyed being part of high-society muggle circles that ensured the steady rise of their wealth from collecting muggle artifacts, currency, and assets. They also used to align themselves with the muggle monarchy, providing discreet (and shady) services to King William the First. The Crown rewarded these services by giving them annexed land from local landowners in Wiltshire — that's why they have a huge manor! But when the new law was passed, the Malfoys became adamant in their denials of interactions with upperclass and royalty muggles.

Now, the discovery of the existence of the Wizarding World can most certainly go in so many different directions. I'm about 99.99% sure that at least half of the world's governments would not take kindly to this shocking revelation. Personally, these are the things I think would happen from the moment witches and wizards made themselves known to the masses, to name a few:

1. Governments would be on high alert

The first thing that I can imagine happening is that the muggle world will be in a state of frenzy. The simple fact that the Wizarding World has managed to hide under the muggles' noses this entire time could make the majority believe that they are not safe at all. If the wizards have lasted this long without the muggles knowing their existence, what else could they be hiding, right? Not only would the public masses become paranoid and fearful of their surroundings, their respective governments will issue a high-alert status all over their nations.

Remember, the wizards are considered the aliens and new outsiders in this scenario. We've seen time and time again in different movies (Transformers, The Fourth Kind, Signs, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Arrival, Edge of Tomorrow, and The 5th Wave) that humans in general will employ all strategies to contain and annihilate the foreign species. And so, this is most likely the first thing muggle governments would do. It wouldn't be far-fetched if these world leaders might also go as far as to call for martial laws to their countries for total control over all citizens. But of course, this would just be a façade for what would actually happen; which is the unlawful and literal witch hunt for the wizarding population that may have been living in muggle communities.

Looking back at when the existence of aliens have been "confirmed" by the US government, most people didn't even bat an eyelash or react with frenzied panic. Given that it's because these disclosed aliens don't pose a perceived threat, most of the youth didn't really react with hostility or fear. If anything, they treated the whole thing with a tired lightheartedness. People knew all along that aliens existed. While some muggles might have an interest for learning magic, the government would treat magic as an ultimate threat against their security, AND they would covet it at the same time. Which brings us to the next point. ⬇️

2. Political upheaval, and the struggles for positions of power in the government

Personally, I don't see fair play happening at all. The first thing that I thought of is assassinations. Dark witches and wizards for hire will do the bidding of high-ranking muggle officials "under the table." That is if the Wizarding World will even allow themselves to be henchmen for long. Can you imagine: the only reason why wizards would "work" for muggles is to truly get to know the entire system from top to bottom, then dismantling everything themselves? National security would be compromised, muggle protective and intelligence agencies will be on red alert, targeting all of the Wizarding World (even the good ones). It will all just be a disaster.

{I wanted to get into the entire Warfare and Security Issues but this post has gotten so long already. So, if anyone is interested in seeing that, I can insert that in another post. Maybe a presentation?}

Solution?

1. Develop a whole 'International Muggle Affairs and Intelligence Agency' for all Ministries of Magic.

As far as I know, the British Ministry of Magic only has TWO offices that cater to handling muggle affairs — not even official departments! One is the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office (the same one where Arthur Weasley is working for), and the other is Muggle Liaisons Office (which is more like catastrophe-handlers office at this point. They're in charge of fixing the collateral damages wizards have caused to the muggle world than anything).

But what they need the most is a wizard equivalent of a CIA or FBI. They need to be on top of all muggle affairs in each region and continent. There is a Japanese Ministry of Magic (since they also have Mahoutokoro School). They should work with other neighboring Asian wizarding bodies to stay on top of political, social, economic, and technological developments of the muggle world. The British Ministry of Magic should also get off their high-horses and collaborate with neighboring European wizarding officials to maintain the latest knowledge of muggle happenings.

The only reason why the Wizarding World was unscathed during the World Wars of the muggles was because they were sequestered and protected with spells around their secret territories. But I don't think that would suffice any longer against muggle technology and nuclear weapons. Drones are everywhere, the countryside are getting more and more urbanized, and the wizards communities are getting smaller and smaller. If I were them, I wouldn't wait until the very last minute to get to understand the importance of muggle powers and knowledge. I'd get on top of it now.

2. Secret Muggle Integration Project

On top of that, I truly believe there needs to be a Ministry project that hire muggleborns to report back the situation of the muggle world to their respective wizarding ministries. They know it best, as they were born and most likely raised in those communities. They need to collect gadgets, latest hand-held weaponry, books, clothing, and other materials for the Muggle Artifacts Office to study very carefully.

The Wizarding World needs to adapt to the changing times. The muggles are already looking to the stars and neighboring solar systems for new life and possible habitation for the next generation of humanity, whilst the wizards are stuck with their narrow-minded ways. Quill and parchment, really? This isn't to scoff at traditional ways. But we all know that they are severely stuck in the middle ages. They have become complacent and comfortable with the tried and tested magical methods.

Muggles have bled and learned the hard ways of life. That's why they soared to new knowledgeable heights. Muggles weren't handed things the easy way. People died from illnesses and catastrophes and accidents; and that's when we learned to advance ourselves as a collective whole. Wizards need to understand this, and assimilate this kind of thinking in their lives if they hope to catch up with the muggle status quo, or they'll be sorry they didn't once the muggles discover them in due time.

I understand the historical bad-blood between the two factions. The primary reason why wizards cloistered themselves away from the muggles were because they were being persecuted in the first place. And it would be very insensitive to force their communities to accept the muggle ways.

That's why in my honest opinion, they shouldn't lift the Statute of Secrecy.

They should only study and be up to date with everything else that's going on in the world while maintaining anonymity and secrecy.

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I hope this truly provided a complete picture and breakdown of what would happen in this scenario, and I apologize that I do not agree with your position. I still hope you enjoyed this, anon! Thank you for being my very first ask.

#witchy speaks #hogwarts legacy #ominis gaunt #sebastian sallow #garreth weasley #ominis gaunt x mc #ominis gaunt x reader #sebastian sallow x mc #sebastian sallow x reader #hogwarts legacy mc #hogwarts legacy headcanon #hogwarts legacy headcanons #harry potter #hphl

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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 9 months

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[Daily Don]

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

AUG 30, 2023

Four days ago, on Saturday, August 26, in the early afternoon, a heavily armed, 21-year-old white supremacist in a tactical vest and mask, who had written a number of racist manifestos and had swastikas painted on his rifle, murdered three Black Americans at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida. He had apparently intended to attack Edward Waters University, a historically Black institution, but students who saw him put on tactical gear warned a security guard, who chased him off and alerted a sheriff’s deputy.

As David Kurtz of Talking Points Memo put it two days later, “America is living through a reign of white supremacist terror,” and in a speech to the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law on Monday, President Joe Biden reminded listeners that “the U.S. intelligence community has determined that domestic terrorism, rooted in white supremacy, is the greatest terrorist threat we face in the homeland—the greatest threat.”

Biden said he has made it a point to make “clear that America is the most multiracial, most dynamic nation in the history of the world.” He noted that he had nominated the first Black woman, Ketanji Brown Jackson, for the Supreme Court and has put more Black women on the federal circuit courts than every other U.S. president combined. Under him, Congress has protected interracial and same-sex marriages, and his administration has more women than men. He warned that “hate never dies. It just hides.”

But in his Editorial Board newsletter, John Stoehr pointed out that the increasing violence of white supremacists isn’t just about an “ideology of hate” rising, but it is “about a minority faction of the country going to war, literal war, with a majority faction.” He pointed to former governor of Alaska Sarah Palin’s recent prediction of civil war because “We’re not going to keep putting up with this…. We do need to rise up and take our country back.” Stoehr calls these white supremacists “Realamericans” who believe they should rule and, if they can’t do so lawfully, believe they are justified in taking the law into their own hands.

Indeed, today’s white supremacist violence has everything to do with the 1965 Voting Rights Act that protected the right to vote guaranteed by the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1870 after white supremacists refused to recognize the right of Black Americans to vote and hold office. Minority voting means a government—and a country—that white men don’t dominate.

In the 1870s, once the federal government began to prosecute those white men attacking their Black neighbors for exercising their right to vote, white supremacists immediately began to say that they had no issues with Black voting on grounds of race. Their issue, they said, was that Black men were poor, and they were voting for lawmakers—some Black but primarily white—who supported the construction of roads, schools, hospitals, and so on. While these investments were crucial in the devastated South and would help white Americans as well as Black ones, white supremacists insisted that such government action redistributed wealth from white people to Black people and thus was a form of socialism.

It was a short step from this argument to insisting that Black men shouldn’t vote because they were “corrupting” the American system. By 1876, former Confederates had regained control of southern state legislatures, where they rewrote voting laws to exclude Black men and people of color on grounds other than that of race, which the Fifteenth Amendment had made unconstitutional.

By the end of the nineteenth century, white southerners greeted any attempt to protect Black voting as an attempt to destroy true America. Finally, in North Carolina in 1898, Democrats recognized they were losing ground to a biracial fusion ticket of Republicans and Populists who promised economic and political reforms. Before that year’s election, white Democratic leaders ran a viciously racist campaign to fire up their white base. “It is time for the oft quoted shotgun to play a part, and an active one,” one woman wrote, ”in the elections.”

Blocking Fusion voters from the polls and threatening them with guns gave the Democrats a victory, but in Wilmington the biracial city government had not been up for reelection and so remained in power. Vigilantes said they would never again be ruled by Black men and their unscrupulous white allies who intended to “dominate the intelligent and thrifty element in the community.” They destroyed Black businesses and property and killed as many as 300 Black Americans, then portrayed themselves as reluctant victims who had been obliged to remove inefficient and stupid officials before they reduced the city to further chaos.

In 2005, white supremacists in North Carolina echoed this version of the Wilmington coup, claiming it was a natural reaction to “oppressive radical social policies” and a “carnival of corruption and criminality” by their opponents, who used the votes of ignorant Black men to stay in power.

That echo is no accident. The 1965 Voting Rights Act ended the power of white supremacists in the Democratic Party once and for all, and they switched to the Republicans. Then-Democratic South Carolina senator Strom Thurmond had launched the longest filibuster in U.S. history to try to stop the 1957 Civil Rights Act; Republican candidate Richard Nixon deliberately courted him and those who thought like him in 1968.

Republicans adopted the same pattern Democrats had used in the late nineteenth century, claiming their concerns were about taxes and government corruption, pushing voter suppression legislation by insisting they cared about “voter fraud,” insisting their opponents were un-American socialists attempting to overthrow a fairly-elected government.

This political side of white supremacy is all around us. As Democracy Docket put it last month, “Republicans have a math problem, and they know it. Regardless of their candidate, it is nearly certain that more people will vote to reelect Joe Biden than his [Republican] opponent.” After all, Democrats have won the popular vote since 2008. Under these circumstances and unwilling to moderate their platform, “Republicans need to make it harder to vote and easier to cheat.”

Republican-dominated state legislatures are working to make it as hard as possible for minorities and younger Americans to vote, while also pushing the election denier movement to undermine the counting and certification of election results. At the same time, eight Republican-dominated states have left the nonpartisan Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), a compact between the states that makes it easier to share voter information to avoid duplicate registration and voting, and three more are considering leaving.

In a special session of the Tennessee legislature this week, Republican lawmakers blocked the public from holding signs (a judge blocked the rule), kicked the public out of a hearing, and passed new rules that could prohibit Democrats from speaking. House speaker Cameron Sexton silenced young Black Democratic representative Justin Jones for a day and today suggested the Republicans might make the rule silencing minority members permanent.

In Wisconsin, where one of the nation’s most extreme gerrymanders gives Republicans dominance in the legislature, Republicans in 2018 stripped Democratic governor-elect Tony Evers of power before they left office, and now right-wing Chief Justice Annette Ziegler has told the liberal majority on the state supreme court that it is staging a “coup” by exercising their new power after voters elected Justice Janet Protasiewicz to the court by a large majority in April. Now the legislature is talking about keeping the majority from getting rid of the gerrymandered maps by impeaching Protasiewicz.

The courts are trying to hold the line against this movement. In Washington, D.C., today, U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell decided in favor of Black election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, who claimed that Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani defamed them when he claimed they had committed voter fraud. Not only did Howell award the two women court costs and damages, she called out Giuliani and his associates for trying to keep their records hidden.

But as the courts are trying to hold the line, its supporters are targeting the courts themselves, with MAGA Republicans threatening to defund state and federal prosecutors they claim are targeting Republicans, and announcing their intention to gather the power of the Department of Justice into their own hands should they win office in 2024.

After pushing a social studies curriculum that erases Black agency and resistance to white supremacy, Florida governor Ron DeSantis on Monday suggested the Jacksonville shooting was an isolated incident.

The Black audience booed.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

#Letters From An American #Heather Cox Richardson #history #racism #voting #US History #white supremisist terrorism #white supremism

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kiri-instinct · 6 months

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I sometimes wonder if the defense of Israel would have been as fierce as it is now if their enemies had been white people.

I was thinking about recent happenings and remembered a news report I saw. I believe it was from an American channel. The reporter was talking about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and how it caused thousands of Ukrainians to flee west, fearing for their lives.

It was the usual stuff for the time. How this was a tragedy, and how Russia should be held accountable. That sort of thing. All very true, of course.

But I remember something that stuck with me from that news report. It hit me like a freight train when I heard it. Maybe the news reporter had a slip of the tongue. Maybe he genuinely thought what he said was not fucking horrific.

"These are prosperous, middle class people. These are not people trying to get away from areas in North Africa."

Not people trying to get away from areas in North Africa. A lot of other, similar things were said at the time. I distinctly remember these:

"This is not a developing, 3rd world nation. This is EUROPE."

"This isn't a place, with all due respect, y'know, like Iran or Afghanistan. This is a relatively CIVILIZED, relatively EUROPEAN, and I have to choose those words carefully, too, city where you wouldn't expect that or hope that it is going to happen."

A lot of words to emphasize one thing: This is happening in a civilized nation, not like the ones in Africa, the '3rd world' or, God forbid, the Middle East. EUROPE is a civilized land, unlike them, the fact this is happening HERE at all is simply unfathomable!

Obviously, a lot of people criticized these wordings for their obvious racism. The idea that Europe and Europe alone was civilized, and that these nations, stuck in conflict thanks to borders we decided for them, are unwashed, barbaric hordes is just...obviously bigoted and, more importantly, wrong.

Then, Israel began its full-scale invasion of Palestine, starting off with declarations that even Russia dared not make. Yes, Russia's accusation that Ukraine was a Nazi state, or that it was somehow 'de-nazifying' it while its soldiers carried reactionary iconography, was obviously bad (and hypocritical). However, compared to Israel's government starting off by announcing clear intentions to level Gaza, that its soldiers were fighting "human animals," and that even the civilians of Gaza were to blame was far worse, and made Russia's blatant hypocrisy, lying and evil seem...tame, almost.

So, that's it. Israel invades Palestine with obvious malevolent intent, the world condemns Israel and we put together whatever we can to defend Palestine.

Except that never happened. Everyone rallied behind Israel. Joe Biden, with the same casual tone as you'd ask for a tenner, asked if he could trade weapons to Israel in complete secrecy. People were arrested en-masse for protesting against Israel bombing civilian holdings, refugee camps and hospitals. The US vetoed a motion against Israel as Israel violated the Geneva Convention over, and over, and over again.

I myself remember my bewilderment. I sent over clothes, hoping to help in any way I can, even relinquishing some clothes which had sentimental value, only to find out that it may be possible that my donations would never make it, as Israel began bombing the Lebanese border, and blockaded the Gaza Strip.

One day, I chose to skip school, not telling my mother, and went to a protest, hoping that my voice would do something, anything, to help. That same day, someone on TV called me and others like me agitators. Said we were stirring up antisemitism within our local communities.

Some time after that, my grandmother pulled me aside, having already guessed that I was on the side of Palestine, and warned me: The place I live in is massively pro-Israel, with many of my neighbors having chanted "Death to Arabs!" despite us having Arabic neighbors, according to her. If someone here were to find out I am pro-Palestine, I could risk social pariah status, and become unable to do anything. Simply because I support the rights of Arabic folk to live in peace.

My mind was clouded for a few days. The effort I could put in to help Palestine within my limits...was antisemitic? I was agitating people? We were evil for even daring to suggest this was a genocide? I could not wrap my head around it, then I remembered the words of those reporters talking about Ukraine.

"Not people escaping North Africa," "civilized, unlike Iran and Afghanistan," and "not a developing 3rd world country, but Europe".

The same message, but delivered in different ways: Those who are not in the West are uncivilized, brutal folk, not to be trusted. Tragedy falling upon them is expected, or, perhaps, welcomed.

Combined with the fact that Israel previously attempted to destroy local fauna in an attempt to appear more European, the realization hit me.

Israel is getting so much support because the West believes them to be "European enough" to get their neo-imperialist excuses. Israel is not the 'only democracy in the Middle East,' not really -- believe me, I have gone and voted in elections before. I have seen political rallies, and I have witnessed the same drama the average US voter witnesses. I live in a democracy, even if I do not live under a government I approve of.

Israel is simply the West's personal guy in the Middle East, hence the claim that it is the only democracy here. Really, it is just the only democracy they all approve of, rather than being the most legitimate one.

When government officials turn a blind eye to Zionists calling for the conquest of not only Palestine, but also Lebanon and Egypt, and when they censure their fellow politicians for saying, maybe, not every single Palestinian should die over a terrorist attack, they are not doing it because they sincerely believe Israel is the victim here, or because "right to defend oneself" is something that applies here -- they do it because Israel is white and Western enough for them to see as a worthwhile ally. To them, Palestine is little more than a shitty bunch of Arabs who can easily be discarded if their personal attack dog in the Levant gets to survive just one day longer and maintain their influence there.

Not even when the US was fighting the Nazis in WW2 did we think that killing German civilians was acceptable. Nor was "All of them" a proper, reasonable and POPULAR response to someone asking "How many must die before we have peace". But...these aren't good, civilized Europeans. These are Palestinians. ARABS! If their ethnic cleansing can result in our civilized Jewish friends in Israel liking us more and becoming more powerful, who cares if the entire Palestinian identity is extinguished?

So, I ask again: If Israel were to go up against a 'civilized' western, European and white nation, like say France, or Britain, or Germany, and genocide their peoples while they could do very little about it...would the response have been the same? Would US come to condemn any of those countries for faking death tolls or lie about seeing the Bundeswehr decapitating Israeli babies? Would people be arrested in France for demanding a ceasefire between Israel and Britain?

Given all that I have said, I do not think so. If any of those nations were to be attacked, Israel would be treated as Russia were -- depicted as barbarians, and told that their war was unjust and cruel. We'd have people on the news saying that this isn't North Africa, or Iran, and that no one'd expect Israel to do something so cruel to a fellow civilized nation.

But that is not happening. Israel's target for genocide, Palestinians, are, by all means, acceptable targets for the Western world. In the name of peace and global unity, they will pile high the bodies of anyone their fellow 'civilized nations' want dead.

But we cannot let them do that. We must scream, from rooftops if need be, that we will not stand for injustice. So, even if you feel hopeless and desolate in the face of great evil, do your best. Even the most minuscule action matters, because when a lot of little things come together, they can topple even the mightiest of giants.

From river to sea, Palestine shall be free. And don't you let them convince you otherwise.

#palestine #free palestine #i do not think it'd be fair for me to tag ukraine here as the primary topic is palestine #sorry if this is overly long and maybe a bit incoherent

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beardedmrbean · 1 year

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People have worked for a century to make California’s Tulare Basin into a food grower’s paradise. That pastoral landscape now looks more like the Pacific Ocean in many areas.

Months of atmospheric river storms have pummeled the area and saturated the basin’s soil, which sits about halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, not far from Fresno. The rains have led to floods that damaged towns and deluged farms and have begun to refill what was once a sprawling lake.

The floods have pitted neighboring property owners against one another and raised tensions over how to manage the flows, which have damaged hundreds of structures. And more water is on the way.

Experts say a monthslong, slow-burning crisis will play out next: A historic snowpack looms in the mountains above the basin — as it melts, it is likely to put downstream communities through months of torment. The flooding, which follows several years of extreme drought, showcases the weather whiplash typical of California, which vacillates between too wet and too dry. The influence of climate change can make the state’s extremes more intense.

“This is a slowly unfolding natural disaster,” said Jeffrey Mount, a senior fellow at the Water Policy Center of the Public Policy Institute of California. “There’s no way to handle it with the existing infrastructure.”

The re-forming Tulare Lake — which was drained for farming a century ago — could remain on the landscape for years, disrupting growers in a region that produces a significant proportion of the nation’s supply of almonds, pistachios, milk and fruit. High-stakes decisions over where that water travels could resonate across the country’s grocery store shelves.

In the farming communities that dot the historic lake bed, accusations of sabotaged levees, frantic efforts to patch breached banks and feuds — common occurrences during flood fights in the area — have started already, said Matt Hurley, a former water manager for several water districts in the Tulare Basin.

n the nearby town of Allensworth last month, a dispute over a culvert caused anxiety and friction with the railroad that sends trains through town. Residents worked into the night to plug a culvert — a drain under Highway 43 — with plywood and sandbags in a desperate effort to keep floodwater out of town.

But later that night, workers with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad unblocked the pipe, which left some Allensworth residents fuming as water flowed closer.

The residents had used BNSF materials without permission, said Lena Kent, a railroad spokesperson. Damming the culvert threatened the highway — the only access point to Allensworth at the time — and the rail tracks that run parallel to it.

Stress levels could remain high for months.

“The problem this year is it’s just begun. We may have water running at or near our flood level — in all of our streams, through August or September,” Hurley said. “This impending monster — a 50-foot-plus deep snowpack that we haven’t seen in 75 years — is sitting up there, and we just don’t know how fast it’s going to turn into water and come out of the mountains.”

The Tulare Basin is at the southern end of California’s San Joaquin Valley — and in essence, it’s a massive bowl. Before irrigators dug canals and rerouted water for farming in the late 1800s, Tulare Lake filled the bowl’s lower reaches. Shallow water stretched across the landscape, and the lake was the largest body of freshwater west of the Mississippi.

Several rivers — Kings, Tule, Kern and Kaweah — historically dead-ended at the lake and replenished its water levels every spring, but farmers have diverted and rerouted so much water that the lake bed is now usually dry. It’s among the most fertile farmland in the country.

Today, the irrigation system is designed to “use every single drop of water” that flows into the basin, Mount said.

In fact, through aggressive groundwater pumping, farmers collectively use more water than what would flow to the lake every year. Pumping has caused the land to sink dramatically — it has subsided in parts of the San Joaquin Valley by as much as 28 feet, according to the U.S. Geological Survey — deepening the bowl.

This season, far more water is flowing than can be used.

For about two weeks, farmers and emergency workers have been scrambling to plug levees and prevent the worst as the ground became saturated and rivers swelled after a seemingly endless series of atmospheric river storms battered California.

The flooding has breached dozens of levees, forced rescues, swamped construction sites at California’s high-speed rail project and seeped into several communities, including Allensworth, a historic community that in 1908 was the first settlement west of the Mississippi to be founded and governed by Black Americans.

“What you’re seeing now more than anything else is traditional flood problems,” Mount said. “All of that water is making its way into the bottom of the bowl and starting to fill the bowl.”

What could come next is more unusual — and worrisome.

The Sierra Nevada mountains, above the Tulare Basin, are storing two to three times as much water as snowpack as is normal. If the snow melts quickly, it will send floodwater churning toward the lake bottom.

Tulare Lake refilled in 1997 and 1983 during very wet seasons. The snowpack is larger this year.

“If we use 1983 as an example: They had more than 80,000 acres of land underwater. If it’s bigger than that, it could be as much as 100,000 acres underwater,” Mount said.

Tulare County ranked second in the country for agricultural market value, according to the 2017 Census of Agriculture. The region produces almonds, oranges, pistachios, wine grapes, milk and cheese.

“This has a ripple effect on the nation’s food supply,” Mount said.

California officials have geared up for a long fight against flooding. Nearly 700 people were assigned to help with the emergency response just in Tulare County, where floodwater has damaged more than 900 structures so far.

But sandbags and helicopter-delivered super sacks — bulk bags filled with rocks and other material — can do only so much.

“At some point, you know, we do realize that there’s too much water, there’s more water in the Sierra than these facilities can handle,” Karla Nemeth, the director of the California Department of Water Resources, said at a recent media briefing. The agency will do the best it could to help mitigate damages, Nemeth said.

Once water makes it to the historic lake bed, there will be few options to remove it, other than to wait for it to evaporate or to try to move it through canals and pump it away.

Pumps are expensive and inefficient over such sprawling terrain. Differing levels of subsidence along the lake bed have changed the geometry of canals, which could complicate efforts to move water away.

In 1983, remnants of Tulare Lake remained on the landscape for about two years, Mount said. Hurley estimated that if it floods again, the expense required to return the landscape to growing crops would be in the billions.

The flooding could also spell disaster for farmworkers and those who live in the rural communities that dot the Tulare Basin.

“This is a low-income community. People are not out here stocking up food. They go paycheck to paycheck in a lot of cases,” said Kayode Kadara, of Allensworth, a community organizer. “All we’ve heard so far is with this unprecedented snowfall, what we’ve seen so far is a baby flood.”

For now, the best everyone can hope for is a cool summer — with a steady, manageable melt — and as much cooperation as they can muster.

#nunyas news #mother nature found a way

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frankanthonyiero · 5 months

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sorry i NEED to know this story. stranded at sea???????? political exile AND street performer???????

i've been having more moments lately where i reflect mid-scenario and realize i'm doing too much and have put myself in serious or life-threatening danger or otherwise like bizarre or discomforting and totally avoidable situations. i maintain composure through damage control because there's obviously no other option but what the fuck man.

my immediate family lives on a tropical island which for the barest pretension of privacy i will not name, and for some reason has only been able to befriend the street performers and vendors that make a living down in the main town square. one of whom i met five years ago at his wedding reception, where i was also a witness at the wedding to his high school dropout bride, even though i met both of these people hours prior. i discover he is attending my family's christmas dinner and we reconnect here. i am hitchhiking down an open highway the following day in the blazing sun and he scoops me up and i ride in the trunk of a soft-top doorless jeep next to a tumor-ridden pitbull and his owner, who is ex-military and has a machine gun tattoo the length of his full calf. we enter random yards and harvest their coconut trees to sell later. i ride in a dinghy out to his boat, which is anchored in a public mooring field and where he also lives, to eat daal. while selling in the town square, i befriend several cuban nationals and one girl who lives in a homeless commune on a nearby island helps me download beat makers on the app store and we make beats. later, the man i earlier harvested coconuts with drives me to the housing authority-operated complex to acquire molly rocks, and i fully intrude on somebody preparing dinner in their home. across town, i walk up onto some guy's porch and engage him in a lengthy conversation about siberian dwarf hamsters. i enter his next-door neighbor's house where there are three total strangers eating spaghetti. they make me a plate and pour me a glass of wine and i rail off their counter. i have to stress that these were perfectly normal people, like a retired guy from new hampshire and two lovely polish women. i am here for three hours essentially hostage, as are our hosts, obliteratingly high while my companion recounts the most traumatic moments of his life in excruciating detail -- to come full circle to the original post, one of these relayed an assassination attempt on his life by a high-ranking communist party member that drove him into exile. on my end, i am just now beginning to perceive red flags. i go back to the boat because i have no idea how to get home at this point, but begrudgingly knowing that this will probably entail sexual favors. anyways, redacted. in the middle of the night a monsoon rolls in and by the time i come to in the morning i am trapped on the boat by foul weather. after a few hours, i become violently and perhaps psychosomatically seasick and am shlepped off on the dinghy, buffeted by four-foot waves the entire ride into the harbor. the monsoon by the way was so violent in the early hours of the morning that the mooring ropes of the surrounding boats had been shorn off by the friction and were wrecking themselves around us

#i'm leaving a lot out

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floating--goblin · 1 year

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Possible hot take, but since it's that time of year again and people are complaining about who won last year, I wanted to give my two cents--

ESC is not, fundamentally, a music contest. It is a show.

Yes, "contest" is literally part of the name - and yes, music is the core of it. But every year you hear everyone bleat about how "it's rigged!" or "they picked a winner based on political interest!"

Yes. That's true. It has always been - if the contest took place during a time of conflict or change, the winners tended to be picked on a political basis - because we're representing countries here, not individual artists - and sometimes, the spotlight needs to be given to a specific person.

But it doesn't matter! No one will 100% agree on who should've won, everyone has a favorite, and the point of the contest should be that Europe's nations come together to show off their best. It's not like a sports game - you can clearly see who ran the fastest in a race, but you can't measure artistic merit the same way.

When Conchita Wurst won, everyone got mad because "they just picked her because she's trans!" (which isn't actually true, Conchita is a stage persona, the guy playing her is a gay man - so most people didn't even bother to get informed about that). But... So fucking what? It was new to have that kind of representation, and ESC is a significant event, broadcast live even to queerphobic countries - the results might have been rigged, but it was a friendly gesture toward the queer community. In 2014 no less!

Did it change anything? Did anyone die from losing the contest? Did winning Eurovision skyrocket anyone's career? Not really - I mean, when was the last time you heard about Conchita Wurst on the international scene? Do you know what Alexander Rybak is up to these days? Most of you dropped Måneskin weeks after their win, and you don't even know what "Epic Sax Guy"'s name is. Hell, Kalush won just last year, and I haven't heard a peep about them from anyone.

Whether or not Ukraine's win was orchestrated, I don't know - and frankly, I don't care to know. They didn't even get to host the event in their country, which was obviously going to be the case, it wasn't a last minute realization - so is it really that fucking important, while they're in the middle of a war, that they won the singing competition?

Kalush's performance last year was beautiful - but almost as importantly, Europe needed to show solidarity with Ukraine at that moment. That includes socially as well, because - shock of all shocks - countries are made up of people, who have a certain degree of control over political and military matters. Whether or not last year's contest was rigged, doesn't matter - because the bottom line is that all of Europe is affected by the war to some extent, and we must make it clear that imperialist warlords and their supporters are not welcome among the rest of us. Sure, it's just an art contest, it's not any kind of tangible, physical action against the Russian forces - but it is a symbolic "fuck you" to Russia and a "we're on your side" to Ukraine, which is something.

There will be other years. You're free to consider your favorite country the winner. Frankly, everyone's winning if they get to be in the contest, because it's a beloved event where every country can put out their own brand of beautiful or bizarre. Let's focus more on the experience, rather than who gets the most points - celebrate all the beautiful performances you're seeing, and stop treating Eurovision like a football league. If a certain contestant wins because of political bias, you're free to just ignore the results and enjoy the performances you loved - because at the end of the day, it doesn't matter. You still got to see some beautiful art, and a piece of your neighboring countries' souls.

#esc #esc 2023

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xtruss · 1 year

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Exclusive: Imran Khan on His Plan to Return to Power

— By Charlie Campbell | April 3, 2023 | Time Magazine

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan sits for a portrait in his Lahore residence on March 28. Next to Khan are tear gas canisters he says were thrown at his house. Umar Nadeem for Time Magazine

Political leaders often boast of inner steel. Imran Khan can point to three bullets dug out of his right leg. It was in November that a lone gunman opened fire on Khan during a rally, wounding the 70-year-old as well as several supporters, one fatally. “One bullet damaged a nerve so my foot is still recovering,” says the former Pakistani Prime Minister and onetime cricket icon. “I have a problem walking for too long.”

If the wound has slowed Khan, he doesn’t show it in a late-March Zoom interview. There is the same bushy mane, the easy laugh, prayer beads wrapped nonchalantly around his left wrist. But in the five years since our last conversation, something has changed. Power—or perhaps its forfeiture—has left its imprint. Following his ouster in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022, Khan has mobilized his diehard support base in a “jihad,” as he puts it, to demand snap elections, claiming he was unfairly toppled by a U.S.-sponsored plot. (The State Department has denied the allegations.)

The actual intrigue is purely Pakistani. Khan lost the backing of the country’s all-powerful military after he refused to endorse its choice to lead Pakistan’s intelligence services, known as ISI, because of his close relationship with the incumbent. When Khan belatedly greenlighted the new chief, the opposition sensed weakness and pounced with the no-confidence vote. Khan then took his outrage to the streets, with rallies crisscrossing the nation for months.

Photograph by Umar Nadeem for Time Magazine

“Imran Khan can communicate with all strata of society on their level,” says Shaheena Bhatti, 63, a professor of literature in Rawalpindi. “The other politicians are … not going to do anything for the country because they’re only in it for themselves.”

The November attack on Khan’s life only intensified the burning sense of injustice in members of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, who have since clashed with police in escalating street battles involving slingshots and tear gas. Although an avowed religious fanatic was arrested for the shooting, Khan continues to accuse an assortment of rival politicians of pulling the strings: incumbent Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif—brother of Khan’s longtime nemesis, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif—as well as Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and Major General Faisal Naseer. (All have denied the accusation.)

In addition to bullets, Khan has also been hit by charges—143 over the past 11 months, by his count, including corruption, sedition, blasphemy, and terrorism—which he claims have been concocted in an attempt to disqualify him from politics. After Sharif’s cabinet declared on March 20 that the PTI was “a gang of militants” whose “enmity against the state” could not be tolerated, police arrested hundreds of Khan supporters in raids.

“Either Imran Khan exists or we do,” Interior Minister Sanaullah said on March 26.

Pakistan sometimes seems to reside on a precipice. Its current political instability comes amid devastating floods, runaway inflation, and resurgent cross-border terrorist attacks from neighboring Afghanistan that together threaten the fabric of the nation of 230 million. It’s a country where rape and corruption are rife, and the economy hinges on unlocking a stalled IMF bailout, Pakistan’s 22nd since independence in 1947. Inflation soared in March to 47% year-over-year; the prices of staples such as onions rose by 228%, wheat by 120%, and cooking gas by 108%. Over the same period, the rupee has plummeted by 54%.

“Ten years ago, I earned 10,000 rupees a month [$100] and I wasn’t distressed,” says Muhammad Ghazanfer, a groundsman and gardener in Rawalpindi. “With this present wave of inflation, even though I now earn 25,000 [$90 today] I can’t make ends meet.” The world’s fifth most populous country has only $4.6 billion in foreign reserves—$20 per citizen. “If they default, and they can��t get oil, companies go bust, and people don’t have jobs, you would say this is a country ripe for a Bolshevik revolution,” says Cameron Munter, a former U.S. ambassador to Pakistan.

Police fired teargas to disperse the supporters of the former Prime Minister as they tried to arrest Khan in Lahore, Pakistan, on March 14. Hundreds of Tehrik-e-Insaf supporters clashed with riot police as they reached Khan's residence. Rahat Dar—EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

“Our economy has gone into a tailspin,” says Khan. “We now have the worst economic indicators in our history.” The situation threatens to send the nuclear-armed country deeper into China’s orbit. Yet sympathy is slim in a West put off by Khan’s years of anti-American bluster and cozying up to autocrats and extremists, including the Taliban. He calls autocratic Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “my brother” and visited Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on the eve of the Ukraine invasion, remarking on “so much excitement.” Khan can both repeatedly declare Osama bin Laden a “martyr” and praise Beijing’s confinement of China’s Uighur Muslim minority. He has obsessed on Joe Biden’s failure to call him after entering the White House. “He’s someone that is imbued with this incredibly strong sense of grievance,” says Michael Kugelman, the deputy director of the Asia Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center.

Yet Khan can legitimately claim to have democracy on his side, with poll numbers suggesting he is a shoo-in to return to power if the elections he demands happen. “His popularity has skyrocketed,” says Samina Yasmeen, director of the Centre for Muslim States and Societies at the University of Western Australia. “No matter what he says, even if it’s irrational, the reality is that people are angry and taken by his message.”

“Imran Khan is the best bet we have right now,” says Osama Rehman, 50, a telecommunications engineer in Islamabad. “If [he] is arrested or disqualified, people will come out onto the street.”

The state appears to flirt with the idea. Police raids on Khan’s home in the Punjab province capital of Lahore in early March left him choking on tear gas, he says, as supporters brandishing sticks battled police in riot gear before makeshift barricades of sandbags and iron rods. “This sort of crackdown has never taken place in Pakistan,” says Khan. “I don’t know even if it was as bad under martial law.”

After Khan left his compound to appear in court on March 18, traveling in an armored SUV strewn with flower petals and flanked by bodyguards, the police swooped in while his wife was home, he says, beating up servants and hauling the family cook off to jail. He claims another assassination attempt awaited inside the Islamabad Judicial Complex, which was “taken over by the intelligence agencies and paramilitary.”

Police arrested 61 supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan during a search operation near Khan’s residence, in Lahore, Pakistan, on March 18, 2023. K.M. Chaudary—AP

The confrontation could remain in the streets indefinitely. Prime Minister Sharif has rejected Khan’s demand for a snap election, saying polls would be held as scheduled in the fall. But “every narrative is being built up [for the government] to justify postponing the elections,” says Yasmeen. On March 22, Pakistan’s Election Commission delayed local balloting in Punjab, the country’s most populous province, from April 30 until Oct. 8.

“Political stability in Pakistan comes through elections,” Khan points out. “That is the starting point for economic recovery.” From the U.S. perspective, he may be far from the ideal choice to helm an impoverished, insurgency-racked Islamic state. But is he the only person that can hold the country together?

“Never has one man scared the establishment … as much as right now,” says Khan. “They worry about how to keep me out; the people how to get me back in.”

It’s indicative of Pakistan’s malaise that its most popular politician in decades sits barricaded at home. But the nation has always been beyond comparison—a wedge of South Asia that begins in the shimmering Arabian Gulf and ascends to its Himalayan heights. It’s the world’s largest Islamic state, though governed for half its history by men in olive-green uniforms, who continue to act as ultimate arbiters of power.

The only boy of five children, Khan was born Oct. 5, 1952 to an affluent Pashtun family in Lahore. He studied politics, philosophy, and economics at Oxford University, and it was in the U.K. that he first played cricket for Pakistan, at age 18. Britain’s sodden terrain also provided the backdrop to his political awakening.

“When I arrived in England our country had been ruled by a military dictator for 10 years; the powerful had one law, the others were basically not free human beings,” he says. “Rule of law actually liberates human beings, liberates potential. This was what I discovered.”

Khan in his Lahore residence on March 28. Umar Nadeem for Time Magazine

On the cricket pitch, Khan was a talisman who knitted together mercurial talents and journeymen into a cohesive whole, a team that overcame extraordinary odds to famously lift the Cricket World Cup in 1992. There were glimpses of these qualities when Khan rose to become Prime Minister: running on an anti-graft ticket, he fused a disparate band of students and workers, Islamic hard-liners, and the nation’s powerful military to derail the Sharif political juggernaut. His crowning achievement remains the Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital in Lahore, which he opened in 1994 in memory of his mother, who succumbed to the disease. It is the largest cancer hospital serving Pakistan’s impoverished, boosting Khan’s administrative credentials.

Khan spent 22 years in the political wilderness before his 2018 election triumph. But once in power, the self-styled bold reformer turned unnervingly divisive. Opposition is easier than government, and Khan found himself bereft of ideas and besieged by unsavory partners, even kowtowing to the now-banned far-right party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan despite its support for the extrajudicial killing of alleged blasphemers. There were some successes: Pakistan received praise for its handling of the pandemic, with deaths per capita just a third that of neighboring India. His “Ten Billion Tree Tsunami” reforestation drive was popular, as was the 2019 return of international test cricket, the most prestigious form of the game, following a terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team and a decade-long hiatus.

Khan’s private life has rarely been out of the headlines. His first wife was British journalist and society heiress Jemima Khan, née Goldsmith, a close friend of Diana, Princess of Wales. She converted to Islam for their wedding, though the pair divorced in 2004 after nine years of marriage, and her family’s Jewish heritage was political dynamite. (The couple’s two sons live in London.) Khan’s second marriage to British-Pakistani journalist Reham Khan lasted nine months. According to a 1997 California court ruling, Khan also has one child, a daughter, born out of wedlock, and he’s struggled to quash gossip of several more. In 2018, six months before he took office, he married his current wife, Bushra Bibi Khan, a religious conservative who is believed to be the only Pakistan First Lady to wear the full-face niqab shawl in public.

Khan, left, lifts elder son Suleman while his ex-wife Jemima carries younger son Qasim during a march towards the U.N. offices in Islamabad in 1999. The Khans led some 100 demonstrators in an anti-Russian rally protesting against attacks in Chechnya. Reuters

It all fed Khan’s legend: the debonair playboy who grew devout; the privileged son who rails against the corrupt; the humanist who stands with the bloodthirsty. His youth was spent carousing with supermodels in London’s trendiest nightspots. But his politics has hardened as his handsome features have lined and leathered. He provoked outrage when in August 2021 he said the Taliban had “broken the shackles of slavery” by taking back power (he insists to TIME he was “taken out of context”) and has made various comments criticized as misogynistic. When asked about the drivers of sexual violence in Pakistan, he said, “If a woman is wearing very few clothes, it will have an impact on the men, unless they’re robots.” Khan has refused to condemn Putin’s invasion, insisting, like China, on remaining “neutral” and deflecting uncomfortable questions onto supposed double standards regarding India’s inroads into disputed Kashmir. “Morality in foreign policy is reserved for powerful countries,” he says with a shrug.

Khan in the 1992 Cricket World Cup. Pakistan won under Khan's captaincy this year. Fairfax Media

At the same time, Khan’s ideological flexibility has not stretched to compromises with opponents. He claims it was the military’s unwillingness to go after Pakistan’s influential “two families”—those of Sharif and the Bhutto clan of former Prime Ministers Zulfikar and Benazir—for alleged corruption that caused his relationship with the generals to fray. “If the ruling elite plunders your country and siphons off money, and you cannot hold them accountable, then that means there is no rule of law,” he says.

Yet analysts say that it was Khan’s relentless taunting of the U.S. that torpedoed his relationship with the military, which remains much more interested in retaining good relations with Washington. To journalists and supporters, he has accused the U.S. of imposing a “master-slave” relationship on Pakistan and of using it like “tissue paper.” To TIME, he insists that “criticizing U.S. foreign policy does not make you anti-American.” Still, by 2022, the generals no longer had his back. The common perception among Pakistan watchers is that Khan’s fleeting political success was owed to a Faustian pact with the nation’s military and extremist groups that shepherded his election victory and he is now reaping the whirlwind.

Cricket captain turned politician Imran Khan shakes hands with supporters during a rally in October 2002 in Shadi Khal, Pakistan. Paula Bronstein—Getty Images

He appears to relish in the perceived injustice, the walls closing in. On March 25, Khan addressed thousands of supporters in central Lahore from a bulletproof box above a green-and-red flag with the initials of his PTI emblazoned on a cricket bat—once Khan’s weapon of choice, though now he wields words with similar potency.

“I know you have decided you wouldn’t allow Imran Khan back in power,” he said. “That’s fine with me. But do you have a plan or know how to get the country out of the current crisis?”

If Pakistan’s economic woes are reaching a new nadir, the trajectory was established during Khan’s term. A revolving door of Finance Ministers was compounded by bowing to hardliners. (After appointing renowned Princeton economist Atif Mian as an adviser, Khan fired him just days later owing to a backlash from Islamists because Mian is an Ahmadi, a sect of Islam they consider heretics.) In 2018, Khan pledged not to follow previous administrations’ “begging bowl” tactics of foreign borrowing, in order to end Pakistan’s cycle of debt. But less than a year later, he struck a deal with the IMF to cut social and development spending while raising taxes in exchange for a $6 billion loan. Mismanagement exacerbated global headwinds from the pandemic and soaring oil prices.

Meanwhile, little was done to address Pakistan’s fundamental structural issues: few people pay tax, least of all the feudal landowners who control traditional low-added-value industries like sugar farms, textile mills, and agricultural interests while wielding huge political-patronage networks stemming from their workers’ votes. In 2021, only 2.5 million Pakistanis filed tax returns—less than 1% of the adult population. “People don’t pay tax, especially the rich elite,” says Khan. “They just siphon out money and launder it abroad.”

Instead, Pakistan has relied on foreign money to balance a budget and provide government services. The U.S. funneled nearly $78.3 billion to Pakistan from 1948 to 2016. But in 2018, President Trump ended the $300 million security assistance that the U.S. provided annually. Now Pakistan must shop around for new benefactors—chiefly Saudi Arabia, Russia, and China. When Khan visited Putin last February, it was to arrange cheap oil and wheat imports and discuss the $2.5 billion Pakistan Stream gas pipeline, which Moscow wants to build between Karachi and Kasur. More recently, China has stepped in. In early March, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China approved a $1.3 billion loan rollover—a fiscal bandaid for a gaping wound.

Khan in his Lahore residence on March 28. Umar Nadeem for Time Magazine

But if Khan recognized the problem, he did little to solve it. After his election in 2018, he was in an uncommonly strong position with the backing of the military and progressives, as well as the tolerance of the Islamists. Now, with all the bad blood and open warfare among these factions, even if he claws his way back, “he’ll be in a weaker position to actually effect any reforms,” says Munter, the former U.S. ambassador, “if he had any reforms to begin with.”

When asked for his step-by-step plan to get Pakistan back on track, Khan is light on details. After elections, he says that a “completely new social contract” is required to enshrine power in political institutions, rather than the military. If the army chief “didn’t think corruption was that big a deal, then nothing happened,” Khan complains. “I was helpless.” But the path to this utopia remains murky. Asked how he plans to turn his much trumpeted Islamic Welfare State ideal into a reality, Khan talks about Medina under the Prophet and the social conscience of Northern Europeans. “Scandinavia is probably far closer to the Islamic ideal than any of the Muslim countries.”

But the military looms large in Pakistan partly because national security is a perennial issue. Many assumed that the newly returned Taliban would stamp out all cross-border attacks from Afghanistan. But Pakistan recorded the second largest increase in terrorism-related deaths worldwide in 2022, up 120% year-over-year. “It was Khan who was pushing for talks with [the Taliban] at all costs,” says Kugelman, of the Woodrow Wilson Center. “That embrace is now experiencing significant levels of blowback.”

That Pakistan is moving away from the U.S. and closer to Russia and China is a moot point; the bigger question is who actually wins from embracing Pakistan. The $65 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor was supposed to be the crown jewel in President Xi Jinping’s signature Belt and Road Initiative, linking China via roads, rail and pipeline to the Arabian Sea. But Gwadar Port is rusting and suicide bombers are taking aim at buses filled with Chinese workers. Loans are more regularly defaulted than paid. Today, even Iran looks like a more stable partner.

Ultimately, competition with Beijing defines American foreign policy today, meaning Washington prioritizes relations with Pakistan’s archnemesis India, which is a key partner in the Biden Administration’s Indo-Pacific Strategy to contain China. Toward that imperative, the White House turns a blind eye even to New Delhi’s continued close relationship with Putin. The U.S. kinship with India may mean Pakistan was always destined to move closer to China. But after the U.S. pulled out of Afghanistan, Pakistan is not the strategic lynchpin it once claimed to be—and memories are hardly fond; Pakistan secretly invested heavily in the Taliban. “Lots of Americans in Washington say we lost the war in Afghanistan because the Pakistanis stabbed us in the back,” says Munter.

What happens next? Many in Khan’s PTI suspect the current government may declare their party a terrorist organization or otherwise ban it from politics. Others believe that Pakistan’s escalating economic, political, and security turmoil may be used as grounds to postpone October’s general election. Ultimately, all sides are using the tools at their disposal to prevent their own demise: Khan wields popular protest and the banner of democracy; the government has the courts and security apparatus. Caught between the two, the people flounder. “There are no heroes here,” says Kugelman. “The entire political class and the military are to blame for the very troubled state the country finds itself in now.”

It’s a crisis that Khan still claims can be solved by elections, despite his broken relationship with the military. “The same people who tried to kill me are still sitting in power,” he says. “And they are petrified that if I got back [in] they would be held accountable. So they’re more dangerous.”

—With reporting by Hasan Ali/Islamabad

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undefineddestination · 2 years

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I watched KinnPorsche and now I feel like a miserable, miserable, horrible shit

No, please don’t get me wrong. This is not at all a hate post because I have nothing but respect and praise toward the series. Everything is amazing, the cinematography, the acting, the setting, the plot and premise, the dialogue, the actors are super lovable, the chemistry, the soundtracks, the pacing, the romance, actions, comedy, even the figurants were all great. It’s fun, dark, super easy to love, and all. My heart, eyes, ears, and brain are all well fed and satisfied but yet after I woke up from watching eps 6 last night I felt like shit, super horrible, miserable, lonely, and I ended up crying my whole heart out for half an hour. My heart hurts, my chest tight, this is my first time crying horribly after quite sometimes (I remember exactly when the last time I cried like this, and it had connection on why I cried this time, I’ll explain this later)

So I’m writing this post in my attempt to detangle this messy feeling and hopefully I won’t feel as horrible after. I’ll write some alternative for things I probably could do.

First, about the series & it’s connection to my own work.

I’m a BL novel writer too. From Indonesia. Now, that’s important. Indonesia and Thailand might be neighboring SEA country, but we have totally different circumstances about sexuality and gender. I couldn’t go into detail on the situation there, but I assume it’s so much freer than here in Indonesia where the majority of people are Muslims, homophobia run rampant, and we might have to face even worse future if an evil and stupid law were going to be passed on July. The situation is not good, for short.

Now, the thing that made me interested in KinnPorsche from its trailer last year was because Kinn & Porsche feels similar to the two main character of my BL novel, Aga and Wara, and when I did watch the series, they are like, 70-80% similar indeed.

Needless to say, I was super salty. I can’t describe my jealousy. This isn’t about me thinking ‘oh my work is better than this and its mine that should be made into series’, oh no. Even though the characters are similar, they are still different, with different premise and plot, and the setting of my novel is uniquely Indonesia. It’s jealousy because I know it’s nigh impossible for my novel to be made series with all of it’s uniqueness. It’s jealousy because where could I find actors, directors, and people in my country working together in a passionate and excited project about a gay series. It’s jealousy because even if it could be happening, there’s no way there would be a big, nationwide tour, promo, and advertising. It’s jealousy because no matter how good my BL novel is, it could never be a national bestseller.

It’s one thing to have another novel be made into a series/movie because they’re relatively better or more popular than yours. If its like that, you could maybe just pour it into writing something else, something better than that, then no matter how small the chance is, there’s still a chance for you to pry into it. But if the whole system, the whole nation, made it impossible, then...I remember once ID had this small LGBT web series, nothing well known, super fucking niche and obscure, and it already incurred wrath from majorities and it was cancelled asap for everyone’s and community’s safety. There’s a huge backlash too toward a culture heavy movie about a feminine male traditional dancer. It was scary. It was sad. It was bad and in the end we have to put everyone’s safety and survival above all.

Please note that I don’t really want literary award or anything like that. Aside from enriching queer literature in my country, I want my work, my characters to be loved by a lot of people, to have their own fandom. I simply want them to be known and loved. Lookie here I’m crying again.

I know Mile had big role for making KinnPorsche happened and be successfull. Apo, Bible, and the others had love for their role. Kinn and Porsche (and of course, Mile and Apo) had me fell in love at first sight because of course, now I think of them as my own child. I cant help but projecting my own love for my own character for them because my own child might never had their own face, but knowing they are, of course, not mine, made me super miserable.

The last time I was ugly crying like this was actually about my parents not wearing double mask at the height of covid but it was unrelated www, ah, but the second last time I was ugly crying. It was few years ago, couldn’t remember what year but it was definitely before the last novel released. Me & my beloved co-author began to write our novel at 2012, the first one came out on 2015, the second one on 2017, and the last one on the last quarter of 2020, long, long before I know about KinnPorsche. I was imagining about one of ending scene, where Aga and Wara danced slowly with one of Vienna Teng’s song, Eric’s Song, how loving and soft and intimate they are after going through so many things, against all odds, finally being a lover. It felt so vivid and tender I couldn’t help but crying, thinking how much I love them, how much I love their love, how much I want other people to know about them and love them, and how much I want to make my novel to be known and well loved.

Dear, KinnPorsche writer, you are so damn lucky. I tipped my hat for you for writing them, but please know that I am super fucking jealous at you.

But even though I’m jealous at KP’s writer, I’m in no way angry toward them. My seething anger is, of course, toward my own homophobic nation, the religious fanatics and money-power hungry politicians and capitalists that made them that way, and of course, colonialism. I hate them to the core of my body. This mix of anger, hatred, and jealousy made me miserable, part 1.

I private messaged Mile and Apo on Instagram yesterday, knowing there’s only small possibilities of them reading my message, but I let them know how thankful I am for making this show happened, and how their role resembles my characters. I felt a bit better afterwards.

Secondly, regarding my own feeling about my body, my sexuality, my inclination, and my situation.

I am currently thinking of myself as a non-binary in aroace spectrum. I used to date men quite a lot, met some I thought I loved and comfortable to be with, but in the end I thought it was all because I was lonely, desperate for companion, and validation. I don’t date anymore since maybe 10 years ago, but I have a very dear bestfriend slash co author, which I could already understand the life pattern, and we have good compatibility. We chat everyday, and my relationship with my family is kind of better than before. I think to myself that I don’t have another friend I could talk to this close, and I don’t feel any problems with that. I’m bad at keeping connections and communications, and this is one of my major problems. I don’t have any network at all.

But daaamn, today I personally feel so fucking lonely and sad????

Of course, I still chat with my bf like usual, but this feeling is unusual, truly. So of course, it was because of the KinnPorsche I watched yesterday lol

So, now. What made me sad and lonely?

Is it because I want a loving romantic partner? Is it because I want a loving romantic and sexual partner? Is it because I specifically want a loving man for myself? Is it because I want to be one and love another man like them? Is it because I want to be able to feel the love like they do but I can’t? Is it because actually I can but is afraid of the feeling itself? Is it because I love them so much already but they are fictional? Is it because their story was so exciting, so equal, so freefall, and it’s impossible to get that kind of love in my own normal, boring life? Is it because I’m not able to love like that? OR IS IT BECAUSE I ALREADY FEEL TOO MUCH LOVE INSTEAD AAAAHHHHHH IM GOING CRAZY SRSLY FUCK THIS FEELING SHIT

OK let’s answer these question one by one.

Do I want a loving romantic partner? If someone love me romantically, and attracted to me sexually, I might accept it, but would my feeling resonate? The most important thing here is my feeling, right? Would I cry because I love them so much, or because I love our love that much? So I do want one. I do want one that’s so compatible to me, the right one for me. It doesn’t matter how unrealistic that is, I still do want one. I don’t have any problem doing sexual stuff with people, as long as I care about and comfortable around them enough. I do love to kiss and hug, though. I love skin to skin contact.

Is it because I specifically want a loving man for myself? A man. A man, huh. Well that’s no problem as long as they’re compatible. I do like men’s body even though I don’t wish to have sex with them.

Is it because I want to be one and love another man like them? Well, I do realize the kind of love I want might be difficult if its not same gender and, uh, maybeee not between men love but, I never consider myself a man or transman, so not this either.

Is it because I want to be able to feel the love like they do but I can’t? Yes.

YES YES IM IN SO MUCH LOVE WITH THE LOVE ITSELF. WITH THE KIND OF LOVE THAT’S UNEXPECTED, EQUAL, FUN, COMPLETE WITH EXCITING CIRCUMSTANCES AND ROMANTICALLY PLUS SEXUALLY LONGING FOR EACH OTHER BUT ITS PRACTICALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME IN THIS HETERONORMATIVE SOCIETY, MY BORING LIFE, WITH MY SEXUALITY???

Am I scared of taking chances, taking free fall to love someone romantically and sexually? Like, please, I literally have someone who matched in a lot of things and I do love her platonically, but there are no romantic and sexual attraction either. The man I thought I love and comfortable with, well, they’re just comfy to begin with? My companion standard is too high now me think, like I wouldn’t want to be with someone I can’t talk about BL about, but how can I find someone, or specifically, a man, a Catholic man, like that, if I want to marry?

I just realized when I see another ppl’s twt on KinnPorsche’s romance scene and they say, “gdi KP dont have to rub it in my face that Im single, I want a gf/bf hhh’ and I never once think like that. What I want is not specifically having someone as gf/bf even though the relationship might be similar to KP.

I do want to spend the rest of my life with someone I love, but more in a sense of companion, peaceful life. But I also want that exciting and thrilling feeling?

And so I could only feeling that love, loving that love too much, too much I couldn’t bear it anymore.

Am I scared of feeling the feel? I think I do. Feelings are scary. This much love, anger, sadness, loneliness is scary. It hurts to feel stuff. It hurts to bottle feel. It hurts to feel the feel.

I realized I didn’t consume a lot of media starting years ago, especially the media that could possibly making me feel feels. I don’t read books, watch movies or series, I only read comics that could pass easily, play games, or even when I watch series, I stopped watching when the problems escalate. I don’t communicate with people again because it could be too overwhelming. Feelings are overwhelming. It’s scary, I don’t know what would, or should I do when it overwhelms, I might do something I shouldn’t. I don’t know where to channel or to cope it. It’s miserable. I can’t operate normally but can’t just lying around either because that would make me even more miserable.

I already, already feel too much love, for my own novel character, for Kinn and Porsche, for their kind of love that I love and I’m fucking miserable because of it because I want it for myself but it’s also impossible to feel the same kind of exciting, thrilling, romantic, sexual love like that. Please help me so I dont feel too much love. Its scary.

So the things I propose to get rid of this horrible feelings, especially when KinnPorsche will end 3 weeks again and I know I would be reduced to a mess when it is, are

1. Write more bl

2. Write more bl in english

3. Move to thailand, learn thai, and write more bl in thai

4. Force self to consume media and get used to feeling feel

5. Cry as much as possible until eyes swelling, face puffy, tears dry, and cant anymore

6. Maybe annihilate this Wakanduh’s country government centers, wish them to perish soon, or uncurable diarrhea

7. Rework my novel and pitch it to Gramedia for major publishing

8. Or pitch it to Joko Anwar

9. Or Mile Phakphum

10. Doing something useful for distraction

11. Make money by whatever

12. Learning something to make money, internet marketing or programming or sumn

13. Make money

14. Save money so I can somehow go to Thailand and hug Mile & Apo bcs I love them who play Kinn & Porsche

15. Meeting new person? Idk? Church route? *blerghhhhh Tinder? Bumble? As much as I dislike mass religion I don’t want to leave my own since they’re cultural legacy from my parents and a couple elements of it is my source of comfort. DEAR JESUS CAN YOU ENLIGHT ME IN THIS MATTER, THOUGH? PLEASE???

#KinnPorsche #kinnporsche the series #personal feeling-detangle

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newstfionline · 5 days

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Sunday, May 19, 2024

In Canada, bodies go unclaimed as costs put funerals out of reach (Reuters) Some Canadian provinces have logged a jump in unclaimed dead bodies in recent years, with next of kin citing funeral costs as a growing reason for not collecting loved ones' remains. The phenomenon has prompted at least one province to build a new storage facility. Demand for memorial fundraisers has surged. The overall cost of a funeral in Canada at the top end has increased to about $8,800 from about $6,000 in 1998, according to industry trade group estimates. In Ontario, Canada's most populous province, the number of unclaimed dead bodies rose to 1,183 in 2023 from 242 in 2013, said Dirk Huyer, the province's chief coroner. In most of those cases, next of kin were identified but unable to claim the body for a variety of reasons, the most common being money.

Mexico’s cartel violence haunts civilians as the June 2 election approaches (AP) Tailed by trucks of heavily armed soldiers, four caskets floated on a sea of hundreds of mourners. Neighbors peered nervously from their homes as the crowd pushed past shuttered businesses, empty streets and political campaign posters plastering the small Mexican town of Huitzilac. Days earlier, armed men in two cars sprayed a nearby shop with bullets, claiming the lives of eight men who locals say were sipping beers after a soccer match. Now, fear paints the day-to-day lives of residents who say the town is trapped unwillingly in the middle of a firefight between warring mafias. As Mexico’s expanding slate of criminal groups see the June 2 election as an opportunity to seize power, they have picked off more than 100 people in politically-motivated killings, including about 20 candidates this year, and warred for turf, terrorizing local communities like Huitzilac. “The violence is always there, but there’s never been so many killings as there are today,” said 42-year-old mother Anahi.

As Haiti Crumbles, Its Neighbor Is Thriving With a Tourism Boom (Bloomberg) The Dominican Republic is having a moment. Ten million tourists a year are flocking to its beaches, helping drive one of the region’s best performing economies. Poverty is near a record low, and investment at an all-time high. Even Fast & Furious star Vin Diesel wants to build a movie studio there. Its success stands in stark contrast to the country on the other side of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, Haiti, where spiraling crime and violence are ruining the nation.

Subway commuters in Buenos Aires see fares spike by 360% as part of austerity campaign in Argentina (AP) Commuters in Buenos Aires on Friday were hit by an abrupt 360% increase in subway fares, one of the most dramatic price hikes in libertarian President Javier Milei ‘s harsh budget austerity campaign in Argentina. Public transportation fares are a sensitive issue across Latin America, where inequality is deeply entrenched and outrage triggered by subway price hikes have sparked social unrest in the past, such as Chile’s 2019 mass protests. Overnight, the price of a single ride in Buenos Aires more than tripled from 125 pesos (14 cents) to 574 pesos (64 cents), exacerbating a painful cost of living crisis in Argentina. Some commuters complained they were suddenly paying triple for a network that was only deteriorating. “It obviously affects me because it means more money disappears from my salary every day, but the worst part about it is that there is zero investment in the service,” said 35-year-old Sofía Acosta. “We commute in terrible conditions, cramped, delayed, and now we are paying more.”

Struggling on Front Lines, Ukraine Strikes Harder at Russian Energy (NYT) Struggling to contain Russian advances on the battlefield, Ukraine is increasingly taking the fight to Russia beyond the front lines in an effort to disrupt its military operations and put pressure on its economy—targeting airfields, logistics hubs and critical energy facilities with missiles and drones. That strategy was on full display early on Friday when a series of explosions struck fuel depots, oil facilities and a power station in southwestern Russia and Crimea, the Russian-occupied Ukrainian peninsula. Just a day before, Ukrainian missiles hit an airfield in Crimea, destroying at least three jets. Although the full extent of the damage was unclear, the Russian authorities reported that an electricity substation was hit in the Crimean city of Sevastopol, leading to rolling blackouts.

Parts of northern India scorched by extreme heat with New Delhi on high alert (AP) Parts of northwest India sweltered under scorching temperatures on Saturday, with the capital New Delhi under a severe weather alert as extreme temperatures strike parts of the country. On Friday, parts of New Delhi reported up to 47.1 degrees Celsius (116 degrees Fahrenheit). The nearby states of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan also saw temperatures soar and are likely to stay high over the next few days, said Soma Sen Roy, a scientist at the India Meteorological Department. Roy cautioned people against going outdoors under the afternoon sun, drink lots of water and wear loose-fitting clothes while who are especially vulnerable like the elderly should stay indoors.

Putin’s China Visit Highlights Military Ties That Worry the West (NYT) President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia attended a trade fair on Friday in a northeastern Chinese city and toured a state-backed university famous for its cutting-edge defense research, highlighting how economic and military ties between the countries have grown despite, or perhaps because of, Western pressure. Mr. Putin’s visit to Harbin, a Chinese city with a Russian past, is part of a trip aimed at demonstrating that he has powerful friends even as his war against Ukraine—a campaign that he is escalating—has isolated him from the West. The visit followed a day of talks between him and President Xi Jinping of China that seemed orchestrated to convey not only the strategic alignment of the two powerful, autocratic leaders against the West, but a personal connection. The show of camaraderie was the final touch in talks that culminated in a joint statement that took aim at the United States, which Mr. Putin and Mr. Xi have accused of seeking to suppress their countries. The statement pledged that Russia and China would work more closely in critical sectors like energy, space and the military.

As Japan’s yakuza weakens, police focus shifts to unorganized crime hired via social media (AP) Police agents who were busy dealing with thousands of yakuza members just a few years ago have noticed something new: unorganized and loosely connected groups they believe are behind a series of crimes once dominated by yakuza. Police call them “tokuryu,” anonymous gangsters and tech-savvy young people hired for specific jobs. They often cooperate with yakuza, obscuring the boundary between them and making police investigations more difficult, experts and authorities say. “It’s a crime carried out like a part-time job,” Taihei Ogawa, a former police investigator and crime analyst, said on an online talk show. “Tasks are divided, making it difficult for police to track down where instructions come from.” Yakuza crackdowns have driven many members to quit and sent others underground. But they also prompted younger generations to join “tokuryu” groups rather than the traditional criminal structures, Noboru Suetomi, a criminologist and expert on yakuza, said. The National Police Agency describes “tokuryu” as “anonymous and fluid” groups that repeatedly form and disband via social media to carry out swindling, illegal betting, prostitution and other crimes often remotely.

Australians stranded in New Caledonia ‘running out of food’ amid civil unrest (Reuters) Australians stranded in New Caledonia are rationing food as they wait for a way out of the Pacific island territory, after unrest that has killed six people, a traveller from Sydney said on Saturday. “The kids are definitely hungry because we don’t really have much option of what we can feed them,” Joanne Elias told Reuters by phone from a resort in the capital Noumea, where her family has been holed up since the unrest in the French-ruled territory broke out this week. The riots have been sparked by anger among indigenous Kanak people over a constitutional amendment approved by lawmakers in Paris that would allow French people who have lived in New Caledonia for at least 10 years to vote in provincial elections, which some local leaders fear will dilute the Kanak vote. Three nights of upheaval have resulted in burnt businesses, torched cars, looted shops and road barricades, cutting off access to medicine and food.

American doctors in Gaza see up-close toll of war weapons on children (Washington Post) Battle wounds and grisly injuries don’t often faze Adam Hamawy. The 53-year-old reconstructive plastic surgeon and U.S. Army veteran who served as a combat trauma surgeon in Iraq has seen the burned skin of children after a firework exploded, and a soldier whose legs were blasted away by a rocket-propelled grenade. Two weeks at the Gaza European Hospital in Khan Younis have brought together a harrowing combination of the two as Hamawy and a skeleton crew of doctors on a volunteer mission with the Virginia-based Palestinian American Medical Association see a steady stream of child patients wounded by weapons of war. “Think of the injuries that you see in war, with blood everywhere, with shrapnel that’s supposed to kill soldiers and military personnel and take out tanks and bunkers,” Hamawy said. “Now think about that going through a child’s body.”

What to do when facing extended summer power outages (AP) Texas officials say power outages could last weeks in parts of Houston after thunderstorms with hurricane-force winds tore through the city and killed at least four people. The storm knocked out electricity to nearly 1 million homes and businesses in the region as temperatures hover around 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32.2 Celsius). What should you do to stay cool and safe at home when summer power outages prevent you from using fans and air conditioners? To avoid overheating, it’s key to stay hydrated. If your home is without water during a power outage, be sure to stock up on bottled water. When it’s hot, the body cools off by sweating. Soaking T-shirts or other clothing with water, or frequently spraying your skin with water, can help boost this effect. If the power goes out, the food that’s in your refrigerator can keep cold for about four hours, and what’s in your freezer can keep cold for up to two days. People should seek out nonperishable foods, such as canned goods, that don’t require refrigeration. If using camp stoves or charcoal barbecues to cook, make sure to use them outside and at least 20 feet away from windows. Officials recommend unplugging electronics in your home so as to avoid damage from electrical surges. And battery-powered flashlights and lanterns should be used for lighting instead of candles, which can be a fire hazard.

#headlines #news

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