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NYMPHIA WIND ☆ Japanese Butoh

Photography by Eric Magnussen

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TOP 10 JANE AUSTEN ADAPTATIONS (according to my followers) 3. Pride and Prejudice (1995) with 15.25% of votes

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NAM GOONG MIN & AHN EUN JIN for DAZED Korea, October 2023

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Kdrama misc.

Wedding Impossible: eps 1 & 2 are great, especially Jun Jung-seo as A-jeong, who gives her all into her craft even if the returns are so paltry. The first 2 eps build up the situation between her and Do-han into a fascinating hotbed of conflict, and I was onboard. Then ep 4 pissed away all that goodwill, in record speed. Why would A-jeong, who takes pride in acting, let Ji-han publicly woo her in Busan when she’s supposed to be his brother’s fiancé? And why was Do-han sectioned away in the story, prevented from knowing this? Ji-Han jerking around A-jeong, A-jeong letting him do it, it all felt old-school, and I don’t mean that as a compliment. And Moon Sang-min still needs another year playing supporting roles so he can build up a deck of facial expressions. Will watch a couple more eps, just in case it gets better.

Queen of Tears: I’ve already talked a lot about this one. Technically, everything is well done, but man, I don’t care for that romance. The drama is at its best and most sincere when it’s being funny, and despite being oddly underused, the supporting cast are really holding everything together. I don’t get why you would create a world where Kwak Dong-yeon and Lee Joo-bin are a couple and not talk more about that. I want to see more of everyone that isn’t Hyun-woo. But I’m obsessed with how good Kim Ji-won is.

The red sleeve: So brilliant, even when it’s bad lol. I’m a Junho stan til I die, and Lee Se-young is a very dear addition to my ever growing list of favourite actresses. The script is delicious. Eps 8 & 9 are like, really bad though. Awful. What a waste of Court Lady Jo’s character, and a gorgeous Park Ji-young performance. It’s a choice to make a group of women who, verbatim, “want to choose their own king”, look like deviants. But between spoilers & reading about Consort Ui, it looks like the story is still going to come to the same conclusion as those women - that the monarchy are parasitic (even those that are good faith actors), extorting mental & physical labour from an underclass of powerless women. Makes no sense to suddenly go, “but these ladies took it too far!!” Lol, be serious. But taking them seriously might’ve complicated how we see Deok-im’s unwavering certainty in Yi-san’s ability to rule. Each time she throws herself into the line of fire for him, I get a little sad. Love her and Yi-san tho. Now, that’s romance.

#Wedding impossible #queen of tears #the red sleeve #jun jong seo #kim ji won #lee junho #lee se young #kdrama #quick thoughts

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her dedication to him so strong she'll reject hyun bin and gong yoo

#💀💀💀 #gong yoo and hyun bin AND jo in sung is crazy #love you girl

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blood free v secret forest, a quick and dirty comparison:-

As someone who fell for Kdrama through Stranger, i loved it because it appeared seamless, grounded and weaved several systems and levels of privilege very elegantly. Most of all it seemed morally urgent, even if it was at its core a detective mystery. (Which, to be fair, Blood Free is as well.)

Secret Forest’s first success was that it held nuance for everyone in the middle of the road; LSY afforded so much thoughtful shading to those men. I often think they will never look as beautiful as they do on SF, and that’s only partly because of whoever did the lighting etc, but they’re not Kdrama glossy perfect; they’re real people trying to reckon with themselves and the moral calculus they have agreed to, and their dignity comes from the reckoning. Lee Chang-joon, Kang Won-chul, Lee Yeon-jae, even Seo Dong-jae for that matter, all have that advantage. LSY managed this for Jung Sung-il in the scant few minutes of screen time he had.

The second success was Cho Seung-woo and Bae Doona. If Secret Forest was a universe they were its gravitational field; it was their fierce sense of honour and morality that drives both seasons. And their moral decency is hard-won; it is tested constantly, and it’s burnished at each opportunity, which is why they are respected. It is a dream that people like that can influence or impact those around them, but you don’t question that they do, by the end of each season, and that’s the victory of writing, casting and the charisma of both leads.

That’s why that funeral scene in season 1 is so important (to me); it shows the gravity shifting. The prosecutors rely on their forest of secrets to keep the centre together, but Hwang Si-mok demonstrates how untenable this has become, how the roots must be pulled out so the weeds die; so new healthy things can grow. The chaebols are at the periphery, and they continue to be there because, most audaciously of all, they don’t matter if enough people shift their moral calculus. I think this gravitational pull happens to Lee Chang-joon in season 1 thanks to Hwang Si-mok and it happens to Choi Bit in season 2 thanks to Han Yeo-jin. They are easily some of the most powerful parts of the show.

On the other hand, we have Blood Free. I’m not sure who the moral gravitational field of this show is meant to be. Maybe it’s Yun Ja-yu and/or Woo Chae-woon. Maybe it’s Lee Mu-saeng. Maybe it’s about the ethical dilemma of experimentation and whether that’s a worthwhile price to pay for the scientific advancements in cultured meat and seafood. Perhaps we need more time to really see the middle of the road characters, but four episodes in there’s not much to go on: there’s Lee Mu-saeng, there’s Queen Dowager as a VP, here’s Jeon Seok-ho. There are three chaebols, all of whom seem like one-note characters to me. (Why ask a talented sketch artist to produce cartoons like these? Unless they’re not, but nothing seems to suggest otherwise.)

The most interesting insight from episode 4 was about Yun Jayu - when offered 72 trillion won for her company, she actually considers it because it means she doesn’t have to face investors and can focus on research. She has influence and money but these are means to an end, for her. I wish we could see more of that, and not necessarily through exposition alone.

When she gives deft, cool answers to reporters, did that come naturally to her or did she work at it? Is she the face of the company because she hated it a little less than Lee Mu-saeng did? If so, why? What comparative advantage did they determine she had? When she wears Chanel tweed skirts and smiles her way through presentations, is that a natural extension of her work or is that a mask she wears? Give me process, guys! Give us the backstory, the way the markets work, the environment for cutting-edge bio research in Korea, the reaction of Big Meat, the interplay of new rich and old rich, some indication of her actual influence (which must be considerably more than what we see on the show, although what little we see, while uncomfortable, is frankly not that inconceivable in a world where you’re constantly connected.) I am so interested in her, and yet I feel I am made to watch the story of her reacting to chaebols and to the mystery of corporate sabotage rather than her being the fulcrum of her own universe. And at no point does the mystery seem morally urgent to me, and it’s because 1) why does it matter if all this is is a giant M&A negotiation 2) why should we care if it doesn’t feel real to us? So what if there’s sabotage? Why on earth isn’t this company guarded like fucking Fort Knox? Why is this company ostensibly so influential, so powerful and yet capable of unusually amateurish errors that are the centre of the show so far and not on the periphery of it? Where is the moral quandary that is meant to grab us by the throat?

Is it a question of the writing? Have her interests shifted and did she want to do a show without having to do too much character work? If anyone has earned a vibes-only moment it’s Lee Soo-yeon, and I respect that for her. I hope the direction isn’t stifling the writing, because that means there is an arresting, politically trenchant drama underneath this dry procedural, and that’s upsetting to consider. We still have a ways to go and I think there is potential, but I have to remind myself not to expect something like SF, that maybe you can’t bottle that formula. That it’s the gold standard for a reason. But honestly, Disney, in the words of TikTok star imo_unusual, you’ve made this show like God was dozing off when the angels were working, now RELEASE US (and LSY writernim)

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incredibly amazing transition

#The rain one nearly made me weep #this show is so infuriating #but moments like these keep me coming

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Deaths in Sudan could reach 10,000 per day in the coming months if the mass displacement of people caused by a year-long civil war sparks famine. The dire projection, which represents a worst case scenario and would put the conflict on a par with the worst days of the Battle of the Somme, was being urgently debated by Western envoys and diplomats this week. Other actors, including the World Food Programme, say the estimates are exaggerated but accept that a major humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding.

It is already the world’s biggest single displacement crisis, with up to 11 million people, including four million children, forced from their homes and farms. Millions of refugees have fled into neighbouring Chad and South Sudan. And, across the region, some 25 million people are now unable to feed themselves properly, with at least five million on the cusp of famine, according to the United Nations.

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Fundraiser masterpost

This is a masterpost for the evacuation fundraisers I've vetted so far, a few other fundraisers I find trustworthy but have not been able to vet (inability to communicate with the organizer), and a few semi-completed fundraisers or fundraisers for a different purpose (like house rebuilding, or aid distribution). The numbers next to the names have no significance beyond ease of navigation for me for when I check their progress in the future. You should look at the disclaimers instead and focus on those. Occasionally I will update these with new info, including new fundraisers, and the amount of cash that's been raised. Check in regularly on the original post when you see it being reblogged. In all likelihood once its reached you it's already outdated. Also please don't overlook the Sustainable Aid options near the bottom! The brain drain is already creating problems but having another way of keeping or creating new knowledge and key members of a functioning society is important. Latest update: 16/04/2024.

VETTED FAMILY ESCAPE FUNDRAISERS

Walaa Abusamra (1). 10 family members. 24.2k out of 80k €.

Ezzideen Shehab (2). 6 family members. 7k out of 32.5k €. LOW ON FUNDS.

Madleen Abu Jayyab (3). 4 family members. 18.7k out of 70k USD.

Jehad Shehada (4). 1 individual. 3.5k out of 15k CAD. LOW ON FUNDS.

Aser Alassar (5). 5 family members. 405k out of 550k SEK. Or 37k out of 51k USD.

My friend Mona Abu Hamda (6). 9 family members. 59.5k out of 75k USD.

Mohammed Shamia (7). 7 family members. 8.9k out of 35k USD.

Abdullah Al-Saghir (8). 9 family members. 67.3k out of 100k €.

Randa Abubakr (9). 6 family members. 14.6k out of 17k €. (NEARLY COMPLETE)

Fadi Alshrafi (10). 9 family members. 54.5k out of 85k USD. (1 evacuated)

Osama Abdelrahman. (11). 9 family members. 35.2k out of 45k €. (1 CHRONICALLY ILL CHILD, NEEDS TREATMENT)

Alhaw family and the Albittar family (12). Between 18 and 12 family members. 8.8k out of 90k €. (EXTREMELY LOW, NEEDS FUNDS)

Verified Fundraiser by Palestine Asdiqa to help a malnourished baby with cerebral palsy. (13) 7.7k out of 31k USD. (URGENT + CHRONICALLY ILL CHILD, NEEDS TREATMENT)

Rana Abu Ahmed (14). 6 family members. COMPLETED ✅

Mohammed Abu Matar (15). 6 family members. 9.9k out of 34k CAD.

Moataz Abu Sakran (16). 3 family members. 12.4k out of 20k $ ORIGINAL CAMPAIGN COMPLETE, NEEDS TRANSFER FEES COVERED. 629$ out of 5k needed.

Ayah Abu Sidu (17). 10 family members. 15.8k out of 50.4k USD.

Said Fadel (18). 7 family members. 19.7k out of 50k USD.

Tasneem Nabil Musa (19). 7 family members (ALL INJURED, NEED MEDICAL CARE.) 10.5k out of 50k USD

Belal Azmi Msallam (20). 14 family members. 7.1k out of 160k AUD. EXTREMELY LOW ON FUNDS.

Mortaja Family (21). 11 family members. 28k out of 70k €.

Abu Ramadan family (22). 14 family members. 10k out of 148k €.

Mai Rajab (23). COMPLETED ✅

Amal Abu Shammala (24). 4 family members. 33.7k out of 42k €.

Maryam & family (25). 30.3k out of 50k USD.

Haneem Abdelhalim (26). 8 family members. 31.8k out of 40k USD raised.

Ahmed Masoud (27). 12 family members. 10k out of 60k €.

Mohammed Fareed (28). 30.2k out of 60k CAD.

Lena Nofal (29). 40.6k out of 44k € (NEARLY COMPLETE, original family registered to evacuate, extended family are being helped now)

Rasheda Alfaiomy (30). 6+ family members. 27.5k out of 65k USD.

Ula El Hindi (31). 1+ individuals. 8.6k out of 15k €.

Muhammad Safi (32). 5+ family members. 4.5k out of 30k BP. LOW ON FUNDS.

Yazan Khalaf (33). 18 family members. 16.9k out of 40k USD.

Afaf Masoud (34). 5+ family members (2 evacuated). 83.8k out of 110k €.

Motasem Khayal (35). 5 family members. 1k out of 43k € (26.5k needed for escape.) EXTREMELY LOW, NEEDS FUNDS.

Youseff Abu Saeed (36). 3 family members (1 is already out for treatment). 155k out of 200k USD.

Abdulaziz & Abdullah, escape & surgery (37). 2+ family members (1 has already been treated, 1 NEEDS TREATMENT). 96.3k out of 150k BP.

Nadine Abdullatif (38). 8 family members. 113k out of 130k AUD (NEARLY COMPLETE).

Sami Salhab (39). 6 family members (5 already evacuated). 16.9k out of 26k €. (NEARLY COMPLETE)

Jehad Al Ghandour (40). 5 family members (1 already evacuated). 31k out of 100k USD

MORE VETTED FAMILY ESCAPE FUNDRAISERS (tumblr has a character-per-block limit, there's no difference between the following fundraisers and the previous ones).

Mahmoud Algharabli (41) COMPLETED ✅ (check last section for more info)

Dr. Marah & family (42). 2+ family members. 7.2k out of 40k USD. LOW ON FUNDS.

Khaled Alshabrawi (43). 5 family members. 1.5k out of 35k € (25k needed for escape, but will begin with 10k for stable housing). LOW ON FUNDS.

Muhammad Osama Alzaq (44). 5 family members. 3.1k out of 60k BP. LOW ON FUNDS.

Mohammed Wishah (45). 7 family members + 1 pet. 7.9k out of 71.5k €. LOW ON FUNDS.

Muhe Ayman (46). 5+ family members. 6k out of 60k €. (CAUTION: If you scroll down in the GFM there are photos of mutilated and dead babies.) LOW ON FUNDS.

Abdallah Animal Rescue (47). 1 individual + lots of pets. 34.5k out of 40k USD. (NEARLY COMPLETE)

Haya Orouq (48). 5 family members (1 injured, NEEDS TREATMENT). 35.9k out of 50k.

Retaj Abu Abdo (49). 8 family members. 9.1k out of 60k USD.

Mohammed Zyad (50). 9 family members (1 MISCARRIAGE). 5.6k out of 40k BP. LOW ON FUNDS.

Souad Al-Kurdi (51). 5 family members (1 DIABETIC W/O INSULIN, CRITICAL, 1 INJURY). 3.7k out of 50k €. LOW ON FUNDS.

Mahdy Zourob (52). 1 individual. 622 out of 20k €. LOW ON FUNDS.

Ahmed Alboji (53). 5 family members. 78.4k out of 100k USD. (TIME SENSITIVE)

Sama Lulu (54). 7 family members. 5.4k out of 80k USD. LOW ON FUNDS. (CAUTION: PHOTO OF INJURED CHILD IN GFM)

Fadel Moghrabi (55). 4 family members. 33.3k out of 40k USD. (NEARLY COMPLETE)

Qosai Hani (56). 2(+?) family members. 28.2k out of 40k USD.

Khaled Khraizim (57). 14 family members. 32.6k out of 100k €.

Ahmed Raida (58). 3 family members (1 INJURED, NEEDS TREATMENT). COMPLETED ✅

Rozan family (59). 6 family members. 3.6k out of 38k €. LOW ON FUNDS.

Samah Oudh (60). 5 family members. 30k out of 35k USD. (NEARLY COMPLETE)

Qasim Al-Kafarneh (alternatively: gfm) (61). 33 family members. 1st one, 5.7k out of 80k AUD. 2nd one 86k out of 94k USD. (NEARLY COMPLETE)

Mahmoud Qassas (62). 42 family members. 6.9k out of 200k CAD. (ONE CHRONICALLY ILL, NEEDS TREATMENT)

Hussam Ramadan (63). 14 family members. 14.8k out of 148k USD. LOW ON FUNDS.

Ottawa4Palestine’s vetted fundraiser spreadsheet (76 different families with listed fundraisers)

UNVETTED, BUT HIGHLY LIKELY LEGITIMATE ESCAPE FUNDRAISERS:

Rasha family (1). 5 family members. 1.3 out of 15k € (EXTREMELY LOW, NEED FUNDS)

Natasha Matar (2). 14 family members. 20.8k out of 200k CAD (140k needed for escape). LOW ON FUNDS.

Islam Daher (3). 6 family members. 2.6k out of 50k CAD. LOW ON FUNDS.

Ahmed M. Saleh (4). 4 family members. 8.3k out of 35k €. LOW ON FUNDS.

Salwa Zarifa (5). 4 family members. 2.1k out of 50k €. LOW ON FUNDS.

Moutasem Quffa (6). 6+ family members. 7k out of 65k €. LOW ON FUNDS.

Alaa Nidal (7). 4 family members. 12.6k out of 22k BP (original goal met, family evacuated ✅. Extended family being helped now, 2 INJURED, 1 OF THEM ELDERLY)

Zeina and her family (8). 3 family members (1 evacuated, 2 NEED TREATMENT). 6.4k out of 90k $. LOW ON FUNDS.

Jamila Begum (9). 7 family members. 35k needed. UNKNOWN STARTING AMOUNT. Zelle 347-738-0257, and Venmo @/merilm

OTHER FUNDRAISERS:

Mohammad Qadas. NEEDS TREATMENT + FOOD. EXTREMELY URGENT! HAS CHILDREN TO FEED!!

Help Yousef Replant Family Farm & Greenhouse. 2k out of 50k BP. SUSTAINABLE AID.

Rebuilding Developers Plus and Gaza’s community. 2.4k out of 47k €. SUSTAINABLE AID.

Samar Elrayih Hydoub. It seems that most family members have been evacuated, but they need an emergency 1.5k for medical expenses.

Eman Abdel Rahman. Need help rebuilding home and access to food. 7.1k out of 42.6k USD.

Ibrahim Adil Osman. All intended beneficiaries have escaped, they just need some financial support to start being stable enough to make money to get more family members to escape.

Anonymous Palestinian-Canadian woman. She was doxxed and harassed by zionists until she got fired. She's in a very precarious situation and needs funds to survive daily life. NEEDS FUNDS.

Abd Al Karim Adnan Alakklouk. Most intended beneficiaries have escaped, they just need some financial support to start a new life and send more family members money to survive.

Bana AZ. All intended beneficiaries have escaped, they just need a bit of support in establishing a new life. (only 866 € left to meet goal)

Kareem Abu Samra. All intended beneficiaries have been able to escape. They just need support to establish a new life.

Mahmoud Algharabli (previously no. 41). All intended beneficiaries have been evacuated. They just need support to establish a new life.

Al Hitana Omdurman soup kitchen.

Helping the People of Gaza – Mutual Aid Fund (run by my friend Mona)

Supporting Displaced Families in Gaza (CareForGaza)

Emergency Medical Relief for Gaza Refugees.

Help Sudan Tarada Initiative.

Amer Qudaih’s Relief efforts in Gaza.

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Fundraiser masterpost

This is a masterpost for the evacuation fundraisers I've vetted so far, a few other fundraisers I find trustworthy but have not been able to vet (inability to communicate with the organizer), and a few semi-completed fundraisers or fundraisers for a different purpose (like house rebuilding, or aid distribution). The numbers next to the names have no significance beyond ease of navigation for me for when I check their progress in the future. You should look at the disclaimers instead and focus on those. Occasionally I will update these with new info, including new fundraisers, and the amount of cash that's been raised. Check in regularly on the original post when you see it being reblogged. In all likelihood once its reached you it's already outdated. Also please don't overlook the Sustainable Aid options near the bottom! The brain drain is already creating problems but having another way of keeping or creating new knowledge and key members of a functioning society is important. Latest update: 16/04/2024.

VETTED FAMILY ESCAPE FUNDRAISERS

Walaa Abusamra (1). 10 family members. 24.2k out of 80k €.

Ezzideen Shehab (2). 6 family members. 7k out of 32.5k €. LOW ON FUNDS.

Madleen Abu Jayyab (3). 4 family members. 18.7k out of 70k USD.

Jehad Shehada (4). 1 individual. 3.5k out of 15k CAD. LOW ON FUNDS.

Aser Alassar (5). 5 family members. 405k out of 550k SEK. Or 37k out of 51k USD.

My friend Mona Abu Hamda (6). 9 family members. 59.5k out of 75k USD.

Mohammed Shamia (7). 7 family members. 8.9k out of 35k USD.

Abdullah Al-Saghir (8). 9 family members. 67.3k out of 100k €.

Randa Abubakr (9). 6 family members. 14.6k out of 17k €. (NEARLY COMPLETE)

Fadi Alshrafi (10). 9 family members. 54.5k out of 85k USD. (1 evacuated)

Osama Abdelrahman. (11). 9 family members. 35.2k out of 45k €. (1 CHRONICALLY ILL CHILD, NEEDS TREATMENT)

Alhaw family and the Albittar family (12). Between 18 and 12 family members. 8.8k out of 90k €. (EXTREMELY LOW, NEEDS FUNDS)

Verified Fundraiser by Palestine Asdiqa to help a malnourished baby with cerebral palsy. (13) 7.7k out of 31k USD. (URGENT + CHRONICALLY ILL CHILD, NEEDS TREATMENT)

Rana Abu Ahmed (14). 6 family members. COMPLETED ✅

Mohammed Abu Matar (15). 6 family members. 9.9k out of 34k CAD.

Moataz Abu Sakran (16). 3 family members. 12.4k out of 20k $ ORIGINAL CAMPAIGN COMPLETE, NEEDS TRANSFER FEES COVERED. 629$ out of 5k needed.

Ayah Abu Sidu (17). 10 family members. 15.8k out of 50.4k USD.

Said Fadel (18). 7 family members. 19.7k out of 50k USD.

Tasneem Nabil Musa (19). 7 family members (ALL INJURED, NEED MEDICAL CARE.) 10.5k out of 50k USD

Belal Azmi Msallam (20). 14 family members. 7.1k out of 160k AUD. EXTREMELY LOW ON FUNDS.

Mortaja Family (21). 11 family members. 28k out of 70k €.

Abu Ramadan family (22). 14 family members. 10k out of 148k €.

Mai Rajab (23). COMPLETED ✅

Amal Abu Shammala (24). 4 family members. 33.7k out of 42k €.

Maryam & family (25). 30.3k out of 50k USD.

Haneem Abdelhalim (26). 8 family members. 31.8k out of 40k USD raised.

Ahmed Masoud (27). 12 family members. 10k out of 60k €.

Mohammed Fareed (28). 30.2k out of 60k CAD.

Lena Nofal (29). 40.6k out of 44k € (NEARLY COMPLETE, original family registered to evacuate, extended family are being helped now)

Rasheda Alfaiomy (30). 6+ family members. 27.5k out of 65k USD.

Ula El Hindi (31). 1+ individuals. 8.6k out of 15k €.

Muhammad Safi (32). 5+ family members. 4.5k out of 30k BP. LOW ON FUNDS.

Yazan Khalaf (33). 18 family members. 16.9k out of 40k USD.

Afaf Masoud (34). 5+ family members (2 evacuated). 83.8k out of 110k €.

Motasem Khayal (35). 5 family members. 1k out of 43k € (26.5k needed for escape.) EXTREMELY LOW, NEEDS FUNDS.

Youseff Abu Saeed (36). 3 family members (1 is already out for treatment). 155k out of 200k USD.

Abdulaziz & Abdullah, escape & surgery (37). 2+ family members (1 has already been treated, 1 NEEDS TREATMENT). 96.3k out of 150k BP.

Nadine Abdullatif (38). 8 family members. 113k out of 130k AUD (NEARLY COMPLETE).

Sami Salhab (39). 6 family members (5 already evacuated). 16.9k out of 26k €. (NEARLY COMPLETE)

Jehad Al Ghandour (40). 5 family members (1 already evacuated). 31k out of 100k USD

MORE VETTED FAMILY ESCAPE FUNDRAISERS (tumblr has a character-per-block limit, there's no difference between the following fundraisers and the previous ones).

Mahmoud Algharabli (41) COMPLETED ✅ (check last section for more info)

Dr. Marah & family (42). 2+ family members. 7.2k out of 40k USD. LOW ON FUNDS.

Khaled Alshabrawi (43). 5 family members. 1.5k out of 35k € (25k needed for escape, but will begin with 10k for stable housing). LOW ON FUNDS.

Muhammad Osama Alzaq (44). 5 family members. 3.1k out of 60k BP. LOW ON FUNDS.

Mohammed Wishah (45). 7 family members + 1 pet. 7.9k out of 71.5k €. LOW ON FUNDS.

Muhe Ayman (46). 5+ family members. 6k out of 60k €. (CAUTION: If you scroll down in the GFM there are photos of mutilated and dead babies.) LOW ON FUNDS.

Abdallah Animal Rescue (47). 1 individual + lots of pets. 34.5k out of 40k USD. (NEARLY COMPLETE)

Haya Orouq (48). 5 family members (1 injured, NEEDS TREATMENT). 35.9k out of 50k.

Retaj Abu Abdo (49). 8 family members. 9.1k out of 60k USD.

Mohammed Zyad (50). 9 family members (1 MISCARRIAGE). 5.6k out of 40k BP. LOW ON FUNDS.

Souad Al-Kurdi (51). 5 family members (1 DIABETIC W/O INSULIN, CRITICAL, 1 INJURY). 3.7k out of 50k €. LOW ON FUNDS.

Mahdy Zourob (52). 1 individual. 622 out of 20k €. LOW ON FUNDS.

Ahmed Alboji (53). 5 family members. 78.4k out of 100k USD. (TIME SENSITIVE)

Sama Lulu (54). 7 family members. 5.4k out of 80k USD. LOW ON FUNDS. (CAUTION: PHOTO OF INJURED CHILD IN GFM)

Fadel Moghrabi (55). 4 family members. 33.3k out of 40k USD. (NEARLY COMPLETE)

Qosai Hani (56). 2(+?) family members. 28.2k out of 40k USD.

Khaled Khraizim (57). 14 family members. 32.6k out of 100k €.

Ahmed Raida (58). 3 family members (1 INJURED, NEEDS TREATMENT). COMPLETED ✅

Rozan family (59). 6 family members. 3.6k out of 38k €. LOW ON FUNDS.

Samah Oudh (60). 5 family members. 30k out of 35k USD. (NEARLY COMPLETE)

Qasim Al-Kafarneh (alternatively: gfm) (61). 33 family members. 1st one, 5.7k out of 80k AUD. 2nd one 86k out of 94k USD. (NEARLY COMPLETE)

Mahmoud Qassas (62). 42 family members. 6.9k out of 200k CAD. (ONE CHRONICALLY ILL, NEEDS TREATMENT)

Hussam Ramadan (63). 14 family members. 14.8k out of 148k USD. LOW ON FUNDS.

Ottawa4Palestine’s vetted fundraiser spreadsheet (76 different families with listed fundraisers)

UNVETTED, BUT HIGHLY LIKELY LEGITIMATE ESCAPE FUNDRAISERS:

Rasha family (1). 5 family members. 1.3 out of 15k € (EXTREMELY LOW, NEED FUNDS)

Natasha Matar (2). 14 family members. 20.8k out of 200k CAD (140k needed for escape). LOW ON FUNDS.

Islam Daher (3). 6 family members. 2.6k out of 50k CAD. LOW ON FUNDS.

Ahmed M. Saleh (4). 4 family members. 8.3k out of 35k €. LOW ON FUNDS.

Salwa Zarifa (5). 4 family members. 2.1k out of 50k €. LOW ON FUNDS.

Moutasem Quffa (6). 6+ family members. 7k out of 65k €. LOW ON FUNDS.

Alaa Nidal (7). 4 family members. 12.6k out of 22k BP (original goal met, family evacuated ✅. Extended family being helped now, 2 INJURED, 1 OF THEM ELDERLY)

Zeina and her family (8). 3 family members (1 evacuated, 2 NEED TREATMENT). 6.4k out of 90k $. LOW ON FUNDS.

Jamila Begum (9). 7 family members. 35k needed. UNKNOWN STARTING AMOUNT. Zelle 347-738-0257, and Venmo @/merilm

OTHER FUNDRAISERS:

Mohammad Qadas. NEEDS TREATMENT + FOOD. EXTREMELY URGENT! HAS CHILDREN TO FEED!!

Help Yousef Replant Family Farm & Greenhouse. 2k out of 50k BP. SUSTAINABLE AID.

Rebuilding Developers Plus and Gaza’s community. 2.4k out of 47k €. SUSTAINABLE AID.

Samar Elrayih Hydoub. It seems that most family members have been evacuated, but they need an emergency 1.5k for medical expenses.

Eman Abdel Rahman. Need help rebuilding home and access to food. 7.1k out of 42.6k USD.

Ibrahim Adil Osman. All intended beneficiaries have escaped, they just need some financial support to start being stable enough to make money to get more family members to escape.

Anonymous Palestinian-Canadian woman. She was doxxed and harassed by zionists until she got fired. She's in a very precarious situation and needs funds to survive daily life. NEEDS FUNDS.

Abd Al Karim Adnan Alakklouk. Most intended beneficiaries have escaped, they just need some financial support to start a new life and send more family members money to survive.

Bana AZ. All intended beneficiaries have escaped, they just need a bit of support in establishing a new life. (only 866 € left to meet goal)

Kareem Abu Samra. All intended beneficiaries have been able to escape. They just need support to establish a new life.

Mahmoud Algharabli (previously no. 41). All intended beneficiaries have been evacuated. They just need support to establish a new life.

Al Hitana Omdurman soup kitchen.

Helping the People of Gaza – Mutual Aid Fund (run by my friend Mona)

Supporting Displaced Families in Gaza (CareForGaza)

Emergency Medical Relief for Gaza Refugees.

Help Sudan Tarada Initiative.

Amer Qudaih’s Relief efforts in Gaza.

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Drop whatever you are doing and watch Oriented (2015) on Netflix. Possibly the most un-pinkwashed piece about queer Palestinian youth I have ever seen. 

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Varda redraw

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AMAZING interview with famed Palestinian scholar Salman Abu Sitta about how academia participates in the colonization of Palestine and how Israeli academics especially erase all ties of Palestinians to the land (renaming towns in Hebrew, locking Palestinian archives, and soooo much more).

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I feel so strongly about the relationship between Tyrion and his father, I think it’s my favorite relationship GRRM shows on the page. 

And like, with Jon - the thing about Jon is that Ned is His Father but he’s going to have to come to terms with the fact that Rhaegar is his biological father, that Jon wasn’t Ned’s love child, that Jon wasn’t the result of some tragically short-lived romantic tryst on Ned’s part, that instead it was Rhaegar trying to fulfill a prophecy, that even tho Rhaegar was a Hero to most in the Seven Kingdoms, Rhaegar did some Horrible Shit to make this prophecy happen because he felt like he had no good choices while trying to save Westeros (something I think Jon will eventually be able to relate to, like, think of Jon switching the babies)

And with Dany - Dany is the same in her own way, in that she too needs to come to terms with her father. Right now she just has Viserys’s romanticized version of Aerys, and she knows that’s not really the Real Aerys but she’s not ready to face that yet, because it’s all tied up in her own right to the Iron Throne, because if the Lords Paramount were justified in throwing off a tyrant who betrayed the feudal contract, where does that leave her? It leaves her as the Princess that was Promised, but she doesn’t know that yet. So she too has to come to terms with her father’s actions, to realize that her destiny lies in something much greater than the iron throne, to realize that “a true king queen protects his her people” from the Others.

So with Tyrion and Tywin - the idea that Tyrion has some secret father in Aerys Targaryen falls flat. Aerys doesn’t mean anything to Tyrion. Sure, Aerys is That King That Refused To Betrothe His Son To My Sister, and That King My Father Served, and That King My Brother Murdered and That King That Joffrey Is Beginning To Resemble, but what is Aerys to Tyrion beyond an account in a history book? What would it mean to Tyrion, and to readers, to have Aerys be his True Father? That Aerys was a rapist? We already knew that. That Tyrion had a father that was arguably even more horrible than Tywin? What …? What does that…? What does that even do for Tyrion’s character, if he had a biological father even worse than Tywin? “Well, gee, I guess Dad Foster-Dad was right in denying me Casterly Rock back in book 3, cuz it looks like I’m the bastard son of a rapist tyrant and literally all of Tytos’s great-grandchildren are ahead of me in the line of succession, so I guess I’ll jump on this dragon and go save the world now”? How is that narratively satisfying?????

Honestly I don’t think A+J=T is how ASOIAF works. He’s going to tempt each of these heroes with their hearts’ desires, he’s going to put each of them through their own trials by fire, to temper them, to forge them into the heroes Westeros needs them to be. 

With Dany, I think she’ll be tempted with the iron throne, with children, with a Targaryen dynasty reborn, even more powerful than before. With Jon, I think it’s the choice to walk away, something he’s been trying to do since book 1, to seek out the scraps of his family. 

And with Tyrion, the thing that GRRM is holding out to Tyrion is Tywin’s legacy. It’s the chance to be Tywin’s True Son, to finally prove to his dead father that he learned all of Tywin’s sharp lessons. “See there, Father? he wanted to shout. See how fast I learn my lessons?” I think GRRM is proffering Casterly Rock and the chance to annihilate everyone in it. But Tywin’s legacy is poisoned, and if Tyrion grasps it, the world dies, I suspect. 

There’s a war inside Tyrion, a war between light and dark that makes him “the grayest of the grays”, a war that GRRM points at over and over and over again, from Tyrion’s black and white hair, to his black and white shadowskin cloak, to his post-Blackwater fever dreams of “black columns of smoke and white-hot ashes” And it’s this war that Tyrion has to win before he can even try to fight the Others. He has to forsake Tywin’s legacy, and grrm won’t do that with ~~~secret paternity~~~!!!! Tyrion has to make the choice, he has to realize that he doesn’t have to pick up the mantle of Tywin’s brutality and wrap it around himself like that old shadowskin cloak in order to be recognized as a human being.  Tyrion has to come to terms with Tywin as his father, but recognize that he doesn’t he doesn’t have to become his father.

One day I will write this word vomit more coherently, but today is not that day

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Brief Encounter 1945 | dir. David Lean

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You make good points! And tbh, I'm 2 episodes behind so there's probably been some developments that might change how I see Hyun-woo. Coming to your 2nd point, I think you're right about Hyun-woo having a role in this kind of story, as a sort of greyness, and I think he actually works as a sort of meeting point between Eun-sung's greed and Hae-in's capacity for love. He does have a role in this story, and I now think that, somewhere between the three of them, is a solid story about how money shapes relationships.

I do disagree about the idea not coming from him - but I was also wrong there lol. He is materialistic because going back to ep 2, the show actually makes a joke about it. His friend suggests the idea, he goes, "what, do you think I'm that materialistic!?" and then it cuts right to him presenting the most extravagant bouquet to a bemused Hae-in. Here's where I was wrong: the show doesn't really set up the friend as an "out" - in fact, the speed with which he folds suggests that this idea is a part of that materialism, which we both agree is a part of him. And it also suggests that this idea, though it was given to him, is something that he didn't even really struggle with accepting - which is where I disagree with you about it being a "mistake" rather than part of his personality. Correct him if I'm wrong, but we don't see him really reflect on this decision, have any kind of doubts about what he's doing. There's no inner conflict, so there's no space to see this decision as anything other than a part of him. And that's really because in those moments of fake niceness, the writing enters Hae-in's perspective. We see how she receives these gestures (with hesitancy, confusion, pleasure, mistrust), but we never enter into his head to see the logic behind what he does, or how he feels about what he does. In those moments, we are firmly in Hae-in's head as seeing it how she sees it, with all the possibility for opening her back up to love. That's also why Hae-in works so much for me as a character. She's not necessarily more moral than him, but she does have a stronger sense of an inner world.

Then again, you're very very right about him liking Hae-in initially as she was, not for her money. I think it's interesting how that conviction in the past now contrasts with the present, and I think maybe in that there's something about how men interact with women's wealth. After all when he think's she's poor, he can be her dependable man (when he tells her he likes her, he starts by listing his assets, his status, his uni, his degree, his money). I don't mean that he never genuinely liked Hae-in, but it's interesting that the show so far hasn't really focused on how finding out her wealth affected their dynamic. So much of his first confession was about how he could provide for her and fighting to marry this "lower-class" girl, and then surprise! She's been disgustingly rich this whole time. The coldness between them 3 years later is so stark, that I can't help but cynically want to interpret his discovery of her money as having something to do with it, and changing the way he related to her.

So in my mind, Hyun-woo is a materialistic man who relates to the "poor" Hae-in through how he can provide for her, and when she's rich, this materialism then expresses itself in a new way related to her wealth (he jumps on the idea to flatter his way back into her will). But ofc, I'm still 2 eps behind so anything can change here lol. Would love to hear what you think! 😊

uneasiness is the word for Queen of Tears. This show makes me uneasy. I felt it in the first episodes where a group of men lament having to cook for the Hong's family memorial service (cooking! horror!), I felt it when Soo-cheol opened his big mouth to call Africa barbaric, and I'm still feeling it 6 eps in while Hae-in cavorts around Germany with her lousy husband.

I haven't dropped the show yet because I find it entertaining, and I have no self-discipline. What I like: Kim Ji-won as Hong Hae-in. The ensemble cast is big and probably expensive, but the money is paying off. They're all individually strong performers, and they work off each other expertly. I like the Hong family, and I like their soon-to-be usurpers. I like how the camera moves - I like how funny the writing can be. I love the soundtrack. Hae-in's fake illness is one of the more compelling fake illnesses in k-dramas. I think everything around her character is sharply drawn, and most of that lies in Kim Ji-won's performance, who knows exactly how to ride that fine line of irony and earnestness. She knows Hae-in is out of touch and vain, and plays those moment with subtle self-riducule, but she also acknowledges that Hae-in is trying, if not necessarily successfully, to be a better person.

Her husband though - lol. Baek Hyun-woo starts out as someone with a degree of responsibility and morality that his in-laws severely lack. Much of the first episodes is playing up his alienation as a decent, modest middle-class lawyer who marries Hae-in, a woman from a vastly rich family, and learns quickly that the companionship and support he thought he'd receive from her isn't there. He decides to get a divorce after he finds out that his wife didn't put him in her will - the last straw, and ultimate proof that she no longer loves him. Fair enough, thought I. Then he finds out his wife is dying. His reaction: stash away the divorce papers and lover her up so bad she'll fall for him again and put him in her will. Okay...interesting! thought I. It was a refreshing turn in his character, having our nice lead be as self-interested and petty as the in-laws he looked down on. And at that point, the writing was vaguely, vaguely aware that he was a prick for it. But it also gave him an out - see, it wasn't really Hyun-woo's idea, but his friend's, whispering in his ear like Lady Macbeth to topple the faithful King Duncan, so y'know, this conniving isn't really Soo-hyun's nature. He's definitely not that kind of guy.

The funny thing is that Hyun-woo's selfishness is the only believable thing about him. Early on, it's hammered in that working for this family is eating up at his sense of justice, but there's no underlying reason or conviction as to why or where he has this sense of justic from. I can believe more that he is a deeply materialistic man, who says the "moral" thing, but ultimatley still cares about status and money and reputation. After all, the moral compromises he regretted making for his in-laws no longer mattered when he was busy chasing Hae-in's bag lol. And like his ethics, his love for Hae-in feels similarly hollow - when he starts to see her through sun-lit filters and flares with ballads in the back, it all reads like artifice attempting to simulate a sincere falling-back-in-love, and I don't buy it. I don't believe that he's a good man, and I don't believe that he loves Hae-in. I cannot believe that people were harassing Kim Sae-ron, a real woman with a real connection to Kim Soo-hyun, over this pairing. Stand up.

In fact, this show is a lot like Hyun-woo - hollow, saying the "right" things re: wealth, but meaning nothing. The villains are grasping class upstarts. The chaebol family are so dysfunctional and bumbling that they become like children, pitiable and endearing. There's a show in here that's brilliant, and I keep seeing flashes of it because I've seen it in other brilliant shows. An upwardly mobile lawyer marries into a conglomerate, and their corruption chews him up and spits him out - Stranger. A chaebol family whose stupidity and pettiness is genuinely disturbing and suffocating - Secret Love Affair. And if you want to ogle and jeer at rich people, then Mine is as indulgent, as excessive, as voyeuristic (bordering on exploitative) as QOT while still having a moral spine. Of course, those shows had very different writers, different aims and tonal registers to Queen of Tears, which is first and foremost a brassy, sweeping crowdpleaser. But QOT wants us to take it seriously - it wants us to at least believe in the romance that it's selling. And well...I don't know if I can manage that. Personally, I'd have cut Hyun-woo out all together, make Eun-sung/Hae-in and Soo-cheol/Da-hye the main pairings (while keeping Eun-sung and Da-hye as two-faced as they already are), and have the messiness of the plot spill out from that.

I think this is all a sign to watch My Liberation Notes again.

#honestly i'm really glad that my ramblings were taken in good faith 🥹 #kdrama #queen of tears #baek hyun woo #hong hae in