#an underserved gift

[nuthin-up-my-sleeve]

Stopped at the store this morning and while pumping gas some skinny rough looking dude that looked like he’d just woke up from under an old junk car said “ mister that’s a cool tree of life tattoo”. I told him thanks. He said “muh momma has one just like it on her titty”. Uh okay. Then he opened his door and yells “momma show this here feller yer tree of life”! I looked over and this 70 something woman yanks her shirt up and shakes her boob at me and laughs like a witch. I stg that tattoo looked like a kindergartener did it with a crayon. I can’t even describe what her boob resembled. He then says “ man come over here and put yer arm beside it so I can get a peecher together for Facebook”. I stopped putting gas and just got in my car and drove away. The things I encounter without a gun in my hand 🫣. Oh North Carolina I do love you, but why? Why?

So how’s y’all Friday going

#my wife used to laugh they were just stories #then she witnessed the encounters of the weird and obscure that gravitate to me #she just shakes her head and palm to face now #it’s a gift dear #an underserved gift #and people wonder why I stay at home all the time

[yeslordmyking]

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights,.... [ Read devo thought and prayer for this Bible verse ]

#God #Jesus #christianity #faith #God's goodness #God's love #God's blessings #God's gift #the light of the world #God is good #unchanging God #consistent God #trust in God #lean on God #depend on God #God loves giving to His children #repent and be forgiven #undeserved mercy #underserved chances #God is a God of second chances #blessings #God's promise #God will deliver you #God will take care of you #God will not forsake you #thank you God #bible verse #heartlight

[ddarker-dreams]

Guide to Surviving the Yan Harbingers.

Play nice with Columbina, but not too nice. There’s a happy medium that she wants you to situate yourself in. On one hand, it would displease her greatly if you were to ever clearly express your distaste. Still, it would ruin her fun if she acted like a totally lifeless doll. She delights herself in seeing the frustration dancing within your eyes. The way that you seethe internally, acting oh so hard to keep it together in the face of such dire circumstances. In a most innocent tone, she’ll ask provocative questions crafted to make you stumble. Isn’t Scaramouche so impossible to please? Dottore an amalgamation of ego that you’re forced to endure? Columbina knows that by phrasing it like an inquiry, social etiquette will urge you to respond in some way, and forces you into a waltz where the tempo is always off. She adores the way you dance for her. Don’t worry, she’ll stop you before you say anything too damning; if you get in trouble with the others, it means she won’t get to see you as often...

Don’t flinch at the cold kiss of metal caressing your skin upon Sandrone’s prompting. She settles for nothing less than perfection when it comes to her work. When it’s her turn to have possession over you, you’ll be invited into a workshop that few if no one else has ever seen; discarded mechanical limbs littering the floor that you must step over. The creations lying within might look familiar, she tells you. And indeed they do. Atop a crudely shaped torso, with frayed wires poking out from what should be the shoulder socket if traditional anatomy was observed, is a head boasting unblinking eyes the same shade as yours. It’s a work in progress — a love letter to her favorite muse. A croaking voice box whirrs to life within the hollow husk, staccato-like syllables stringing together as the machine says it wants to be just like you. Sandrone claims her little project has been begging to feel your skin as of late. You’ll let it, won’t you? 

Know that if you reciprocate Signora’s affection in full, you might just get burned. Ice is not always meant to be thawed and she is proof of that. You stoke embers within her that she long thought were locked away by the Tsaritsa’s gift, and in doing so, unwittingly place yourself in danger. Signora knows her accursed physiology well enough to sense this. Hence why she treats you with such biting apathy. You are to sit quietly in her presence so she can retain control over herself. If she’s in a good enough mood, you’ll be allowed to entertain yourself with books or other silent hobbies. Still, despite the precautions, her gaze always ends up drawn to you. She’ll part her lips, considering possibilities too good to be true. Thoughts of having you brush through her hair or humming the music she heard in better days of her life tempt her. When you meet her eyes, her face hardens, and she asks who permitted you to do such a thing. Signora learned from her past that feeding the flames never ends well. 

Exercise the utmost obedience with Arlecchino. Her commands are absolute and meant to be followed to the letter, even if they make your life more difficult in the process. She’d rather not acknowledge that the others — underserving as they are — hold any sway over you. To do so would surely stir up strife. She orders you to take off Pantalone’s many adornments in her presence, to scrub your skin raw until Signora’s noisome perfume no longer permeates your skin. This inevitably leads to problems anyway, with you at the unfortunate center. Arlecchino has you traipsing across a tightrope to satisfy her wishes. She firmly believes that you’re wasted on the others. If she had total control over you, she knows she could make not only herself happy, but you as well. In fits of frustration, she’ll tell you that they put so little consideration into your wellbeing. You wonder if she’ll ever examine her own actions with such scrutiny. 

Seek out Scaramouche even when he acts like he wants nothing to do with you. It was almost a relief the first time he shooed you away — in your naivety, you thought you’d get a well-deserved break from dealing with these impossible creatures. When you actually went to dismiss yourself, it soured his mood for the rest of the day. No, this isn’t what he wants, you realized as your fingers hovered over the doorknob. He wants you to fight back. Tactfully, of course, it wouldn’t do for you to backtalk openly. It flatters him greatly when you persist in staying with him, despite his persistent prickliness. Say that if it pleases him, you’d love nothing more than to spend just a few more minutes in his presence, should he be gracious enough to the grant privilege. He’ll make a big show of sighing and making it seem as if he’s begrudgingly accepting your request. If you insist, he’ll tell you. You can tell you’ve done well by the grin he’s barely able to suppress.

School your facial expressions in the presence of Dottore, who doesn’t take kindly to any perceived criticism of his dubious morality. While you’re only able to comprehend a fraction of his mad lectures, what he speaks of disturbs and chills you to the bone, keeping you away at night as if someone was holding your eyelids open. However, he doesn’t want another critic. He wants you to be left in awe over his uncontested intellectual prowess. It must make the minds of his cohorts look dull in comparison, he figures. A transcendent mind such as his has got to earn your admiration. Dottore feels you’re his cute little pupil. When you appear confused by the depth of his designs, expect him to cling to your side even longer, he won’t be content until you sufficiently understand. This is more of an excuse to talk to you longer, especially since your attention is always in high demand. 

Always wear the gaudy gifts that Pantalone insists on bestowing you. Not only must you pretend to be grateful for the displays of profligacy, but you must act excited too. It's enough to antagonize what few shards of pride you have left to cling to. He’ll clasp necklaces around you that feel tighter than a noose, set crowns on your head so heavy with the burden of their jewels it becomes a struggle to look anywhere but the ground. You’re cursed to feel his presence even in his absence. It’s a bitter reminder that at this point, the only thing you’re missing is a collar. The others share your opinion and are free to voice their dissent while you must bite your tongue almost hard enough to bleed. Signora says something daintier that complements your complexion would be better, whereas Scaramouche longs to rip the ostentatious ornaments from you entirely. Pantalone just chuckles and says it’s your decision. Don’t you like his gifts? Always nod when he asks you this.

Be wary of accepting Childe’s supposed sympathy, for he is just as guilty in your subjugation. The best actor is one who makes you forget you’re watching a play. As a mere member of the audience, it is never your place to express dislike of the script, no matter how much the characters on stage oppress you. Childe sets himself up to be your favorite by playing your advocate. He’s not against your suffering, so long as he gets to be the balm that makes it all better. He affirms the thoughts you hold prisoner in your mind, for if you were to speak them, there’d be hell to pay. Makes jokes about how creepy Sandrone’s predilections are or how impossible it is for you to please Signora. Not him, however, he promises that there’s no need to be so on guard in his presence. It’s so tempting to buy into it. You’d do well to remember he is not the ally he portrays himself to be, he’s every bit of an enemy to your self-interest as the others. 

#columbina x reader #sandrone x reader #signora x reader #scaramouche x reader #dottore x reader #pantalone x reader #childe x reader #arlecchino x reader #yandere columbina x reader #yandere sandrone x reader #yandere signora x reader #yandere arlecchino x reader #yandere scaramouche x reader #yandere dottore x reader #yandere pantalone x reader #yandere childe x reader #genshin impact x reader #yandere genshin impact x reader #harbinger x reader #my stuff

[whinlatter]

Obsessed with your character ask responses - that Filch one was just *chef’s kiss*

2, 19, 47 for Lily Evans please!

thank you @alohaemora! troubling that i found filch easier to write than lily… but i love a challenge, so: lily evans! 🪷

2. A canon or headcanon hill I will die on

lily evans had a regional accent 100%. either like a midlands brummie/wolves accent, or like a nottingham midlands/northern lilt. petunia did too, for a while, and snape had a particularly pronounced one, reflecting his class position relative to the evans family. petunia and snape trained theirs out - petunia as a sign of class ascension, snape as a calculated way of people knowing as little about him as possible. lily stubbornly hung onto hers - it was part of the reason she viewed james (and sirius) with contempt for so long, hating posh boy drawl shtick. but the more she hung out with the marauders, the more her vowels started slipping, another sign of her growing distance from the life and the family she was from. (can you tell i care too much about regional representation in this series)

19. Vices/bad habits

actually love this question - saint lily is boring! let her have flaws! i could see lily enjoying a Big Night Out. i want lily evans stumbling drunk in the street with a kebab in one hand and her heels in the other trying to flag down the night bus. binge drinking ladette culture is a proud and noble tradition and at least one evans sister needs to uphold it

47. Dream job

this was so hard. lily headcanons are so hard! criminally underserved in canon to an intensely problematic extent. people writing lily in canon compliant fic deserve medals, honestly

i suppose the one thing we know of lily’s intellectual interests, other than that she was a gifted all rounder, as that she had an instinctual and impressive grasp of potions, and i like the idea of her having an interest in discovery, a real attention to detail but also a flexibility of thought, an inventiveness and a curiosity that could push her in a lot of different career directions. i also just love a girl with an ego - that one of the things that pissed her off about james was the sense of him as an academic rival. so maybe something in magical chemical research? there’s also a part of me that just likes the idea of her dreaming of travel and exploration, particularly in the last months of her life when she was confined to the house. the letter to sirius focussed on james, frustration at being sealed in and unable to go out under his cloak, but i think that could be lily expressing a frustration she shares with james but not wanting to sound like she herself was complaining. so yeah something that lets her think and roam and comes with some prestige, because she’s got a lot to prove and a muggleborn chip on her shoulder that means she’s determined to make a name for herself. as she should!

#lily one day i’ll try and write you well but i fear it will forever be out of reach #lily evans #lily potter #jily #headcanons

[pinkcannibal]

Can I request nsfw headcannons with Marilyn when its readers birthday?

omg 🥺yeah <3

tw/warnings: nsfw, dumbification, mommy!kink, service top!marilyn thornhill, powerplay, fluff, smut etc

marilyn thornhill x fem!reader nsfw birthday headcanons

marilyn would definitely have your birthday marked in her phone calender, day planner, everywhere so she doesn't forget it (shes super doting and loving like that, which you seriously adore)

she'd wake you up slowly, have you giggling softly as she presses gentle, dizzying kisses into your neck and murmurs "goodmorning, sweetheart. happy birthday." against your lips with a smile and you're instantly spacey and doe eyed

she'd notice, tilt her head and cup your cheek all: "oh baby, is my birthday girl already so out of it for mommy? so soon?"

this would be the switch, you're still a little sleep hazy so marilyn's words would fill your throat with cotton as you whimper. she would be SO condescending and gentle with you, not forcing you into subspace too intensely as it's your birthday after all, but enough that you can throw away all your responsibilities for the day and just enjoy how she loves you, bc its YOUR special day and she wants to make it perfect for you

she'd fuck you any way you want, kissing you as slowly as she can to savour you and make you moan. "what do you want, baby?" if you wanted her mouth, you'd get it. her fingers, her tongue, her strap, anything. marilyn just wants to make you feel as good as she can.

but it would definitely start with you pathetically trying to grind on her thigh, whining and begging, which she would find so adorable, bc your eyes are desperate and wet with need, and she finds you so pretty when you blush. so she'd definitely just sigh lovingly, encourage your grinding and groan at how wet you would be on her thigh through your underwear.

marilyn would definitely let you come like that, murmuring the most degrading praise in your ear all as you grind, chase your high, and moan her name. "that's it honey, keep going." she'd coo. "let mommy do all the thinking today, okay? can you be a good girl for me and be my little dolly? you deserve it, darling."

her words would make you so floaty, enough that you would just pathetically stutter for her strap and plead for more (she would love how you still blush at calling her mommy. she finds it so endearing) but marilyn would immediately give it to you, kissing up and down your back as she takes you from behind, holds your hips in her possessive hands, and makes you see stars

after that, you would definitely be just craving her being on top the whole time. feeling her weight atop you as she thrusts into you, holding her as close as you can, and burying into her neck as you whine and come against her cock

SOOO much aftercare when she's done with you, running you a bath, making you breakfast, kissing every part of your body lovingly, gifting you whatever expensive, time consuming plant she cultivated for you. youd blush at the attention and tell her how she doesn't have to do this/how underserving you feel.

but she'd frown, play with her glasses in confusion at the idea she wouldn't. "baby, you deserve this and more" you would definitely have hearts for eyes after that comment. giggling and kicking your feet for real <3

#marilyn thornhill x reader #marilyn thornhill #marilyn thornhill x fem reader #laurel gates x reader #wednesday netflix #reader fic #christina ricci #asks #also omg if ur requesting this bc its ur bday...happy bday!

[capcavan]

Since I started personal writing challenge (1k words a day Ash invited me to play the ww uvu ) game by @/ kedreeva's

It’s WIP Wednesday (except it's Sunday bc I need headstart and to see what to focus on), time for a little accountability, sharing your work, and getting a kick in the pants.

Here’s how it works:

In a reblog of this post (so people can find you in the notes) or new thread (w/ rules attached) if you want to play on your own, post up to five (5) filenames of your WIPs; not titles, file names.

Post a snippet from one of them. Snippet must be words you wrote in the last 7 days. We’re posting progress here. If you haven’t made any, go make some and come back to play!

After you’ve posted, people can send you an ask with one of your file names. You must then write 3 sentences in that file. If the filename is one you can't share from (for example, an event or gift fic), write 3 sentences on it anyway, and then 3 more on another to share.

That’s it! You can invite others to join in, or just post. I’ll be searching the reblogs to find people to send asks to!

If you’re reading this, you’re invited! If you see someone posting a WIP Wednesday Game snippet, send them an ask! Make them write. Feel free to sent multiple asks All of them contain Riko as centrepiece

1. Roadkill canon divergence riko does not get shot/ canon typical TW's 2. Ship of Theseus AU in which riko left the nest at age of 18 and regretted it ever since /topics of self harm suicide grooming / slow burn recovery , very miserable but hopeful 3. Andreil foster home for peculiar charity cases slow burn recovery 4. Badger in fox den in which neil regrets not shutting up

big thanks to @noomyart for being my beta bc my english sucks and @jtl-fics for writing advice and creative support and any support I ever need

Snippet from Badger in fox den Riko was a fox now. Only by name though. Really, he was just a badger wanting to wait out the winter in their den. But even that wasn’t true, because the Fox Tower was off limits to him. After allegedly murdering Seth, supposedly breaking Kevin's hand and serving Andrew few weeks worth of psychological torture, he didn’t expect anything else. What confused him more, was his brother. His brother who looked much taller in person, more so because Riko never before felt so small and exposed, as he sat on the chair in the middle of the room. His arm ached as the drugs he was given wore off by now. He held onto the pain to keep himself whole, much more used to its presence than absence. “Ichirou,” he choked out with glossy eyes. Because his brother finally came to save him, the culmination of a lifetime of dreams shattered though with the press of cold metal to his temple. But the shot did not come, because in that moment the money and resources Riko sunk over the years for his senseless power plays were outweighed by the possibility that some of his blood could find a way on Ichirou’s pristine suit. Neil looked disappointed, even before Riko took another underserved breath, or Ichirou made a motion to pull the gun away. Neil could tell that the man who held their lives in his palm never killed someone with his hands, never saw the gruesome display The Butcher had forced them to witness. No, the Lord specialized in different kinds of pain. The disappointment turned into regret when Lord Moriyama looked back at him. Because now Riko was thrown to the Foxes, the Nest was closed, and Palmetto became the new patronage project of the Moriyamas.

#aftg #all for the game #riko moriyama #neil josten #ichirou moriyama #badger in fox den #cavanww #writting #mywritting #foxrikoau #fox riko

[etirabys]

there's basically no good schooling solution in the US for gifted and somewhat neurodivergent kids

a lot of the parents I talked to this weekend were those kids who had grown up and married each other – they reasonably expect their kids to be similarly underserved (or actively traumatized) by public school, and are trying really hard to give the kids something better

everyone's crazy about the topic of Sending Your Child To The Torture Cabinet That Keeps Society Running

#i liked korean public school but only because they were so apathetic it was kind of like being unschooled #rambl

[narcissisticpdcultureis]

NPD (& comorbidities) culture is feeling entitled to favors and special treatment from others but.. when you finally get it you feel empty and unsatisfied. Or sometimes it feels like you’re being patronized and humiliated. I don’t understand, I should be happy when people are giving me special treatment. But I feel oddly patronized, it feels like they’re treating me like some child or pet. Especially if I ask for the special treatment, etc; it feels like they’re doing it out of obligation or pity and not because they think I actually deserve it.

For example, I know a lot of fellow narcissists enjoy being the center of attention, etc, on their birthday. I hate it for some reason. This may be due to the fact that I have had a lot of traumatic experiences on birthdays and holidays and ‘vacations’, so I’ve come to associate negativity with them. I want to be alone on my birthday. I feel defensive and belittled when people try to give me gifts and attention, especially on my birthday. It feels like they’re attempting to use me or like they’re secretly insulting me. It’s weird, because I am a narcissist, I qualify for NPD, but (probably because of comorbidities) I don’t relate to most narcissists. There are some I have found that I relate to, but I still feel very alienated and alone.

I know I’m able to get supply because I’ve gotten it before, but most supply that works for other narcissists doesn’t work for me. I hate it, it feels like I’m cursed to never be happy. Supply has to be hyper specific for me, but because it’s hyper specific—I can’t always get it. It has to be worded a certain a way, at a certain time, from certain people—and it makes me seem like I’m entitled. I suppose it would make me entitled, but I don’t enjoy not being able to get quick and/or easy supply. It’s weird that egotypicals assume that I choose to, let alone enjoy, being entitled like this. It would be nice to be happy about small things and achievements, but it’s as if my brain is holding me back. And when I do finally achieve something I still feel so empty because nothing is ever enough. The high I get from it is so fleeting and short lived that sometimes I can’t even process what I’m feeling until it’s already gone, and then I’m back to feeling miserable all over again. I don’t want to have high expectations, I’m sick of egotypicals assuming that I choose to have these outrageously high standards. Because, they’re not just for other people—but very much for myself. None of this is a choice for me in the end, but egotypicals just love to parade around saying that narcissists choose to have self esteem issues (sarcasm).

I don’t why I can’t believe people when they praise me or compliment me. I want to, don’t get me wrong, but there’s something in the back of my mind telling me that I don’t deserve it. That clearly they must be lying out of pity, because that’s how unloveable I truly am. There’s this feeling, or thought, that insists people are lying or that I am underserving all the time. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want praise, I still very much need it. But I just can’t for the life of me believe them. It feels like they’re all lying. Like they’re all talking down to me. They’re all lying to me like how someone might lie to a child about how great their artwork is. It feels like they’re giving me a participation award out of pity for not being good enough. It feels like they’re trying to manipulate me just to absolutely crush me once I finally accept/believe their praise. If I believe it, they’ll take it away from me without a second thought. And that’s because they never thought I deserved it to begin with, they’re just following their silly social rules. They resent me and disgust me and hate me, but they’ll pretend like they care. And then they wonder why I never believe them.

.

#npd culture is #npd #actually narcissistic #actually npd #narcissistic personality disorder #cluster b

[siremasterlawrence]

Based on a true experience

I loath humans in general especially after all of my many various experiences this one in particular I am so lucky to get revenge on him.

I found out his exact address buying a new brand edition of a iPod staring to erase the entire iOS programming than started to begin uploading it.

The despite it all the device completely lit up in glowing ray of pure white washing up his screen as the tablet erases it into a blank tablet.

I laugh taking a plug placing it into the iPods base pod the device rares on with a newly designed logo then begins to spiral out of control.

A quick switch goes off in my head as I am beginning to program this Apple iPad to be the perfect enslaving gift for the helpless evil humans.

Very unexpected the device does reach his new apartment but some random guy who happily smiles creepily giving him the mini package.

He signs for it giving him a weird look than he closes the door and starts to shake the device to see what’s inside it flew from his hands.

The device rips through the paper package turning on as it spirals on pulling his ugly and underserving attention hogging ass to

a stand still.

His arms the size of weights yanking him to the floor as if he is a dumb fuck which he is now a total idiot as I have expected for a bit now.

“You bastard! You are not amazing just a chump.”

“A asshole to the extreme on all levels”

“You literally decide I am awful just but one conversation and meet.”

“You don’t even meet so fuck you “

“I will make you pay like everyone else “

“Grab your jacket “

“Your keys”

“Pick up the pad and place it on the table”

He mindless exits the apartment building as he exits the staircase walking down to the isle to the front door he walks to the front of his home.

He watches as man enters locking him from the inside of the gate he can’t escape the facts I bestowed on him as gasoline is pours everywhere.

The man lit a match scratching on the box side then throw a few across the room as they breakout in a fire the two men run from the area.

“Say goodbye to your old life”

“Fucker”

“Nothing to say huh?”

“Come on punk ass”

“Get in the car “

“You are all mine”

“You will never knew freedom again”

“You will feel pain and suffering “

“You will be treated the same as you have treated everyone else.”

“You will feel the pain of others”

“This will be great”

“Mwahahahahaha.”

The end

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Melissa Koenig

Published: Apr 3, 2024

Seattle Public Schools is dismantling its gifted and talented program, which administrators argued was oversaturated with white and Asian students, in favor of a more “inclusive, equitable and culturally sensitive” program.

The district began phasing out its Highly Capable Cohort schools and classrooms for advanced students in the 2021-22 school year due to racial inequities, the school district notes.

The program will completely cease to exist by the 2027-28 school year, with a new enrichment-for-all model available in every school by the 2024-25 school year.

“The program is not going away, it’s getting better,” school officials said on the district website.

“It will be more inclusive, equitable and culturally sensitive.

“In particular, students who have been historically excluded will now have the same opportunities for services as every other student and get the support and enrichment they need to grow

The enrichment program currently only allows students who placed in the top 2 percent on standardized exams to be placed in the Highly Capable Cohort to receive enriched learning.

The students would then be sorted into one of three elementary schools, five middle schools and three high schools.

But in 2020, the Seattle school board voted to terminate the program, after a 2018 survey found that the students in the Highly Capable Cohort were 13% multiracial, 11.8% Asian, 3.7% Hispanic and just 1.6% black.

Nearly 70% of the students were white.

“Numbers would suggest that within our city … predominantly white children are more gifted than other cultures and races, and we know that is absolutely not true,” Kari Hanson, the district’s director of student support services, told Parent Map at the time.

Under the new program, dubbed the Highly Capable Neighborhood School Model, teachers will be required to come up with individualized learning programs for all 20 to 30 of their students — a task for which, they argue, they do not have the time or resources as the district faces a $104 million budget deficit, according to the Seattle Times.

The district said it is working to provide teachers with curriculum and instruction on how to make it work, but an estimate from 2020 suggested an enrichment-for-all program would cost the district $1.1 million over the first three years.

One teacher said she worries it will become more difficult under the new program to teach math to students with a range of abilities, and that the whole-classroom approach won’t properly prepare students for Advanced Placement math and science courses.

Parents also expressed their concerns that the new model could lead to children getting overlooked.

“It seems to me that kids on maybe both extremes are going to be underserved,” Erika Ruberry told the Seattle Times.

Karen Stukovsky, who has three children in the gifted program, added that each teacher “can only do so much differentiation.

“You have some kids who can barely read and some kids who are reading ‘Harry Potter’ in the first grade or kindergarten,” she said.

“How are you going to not only get those kids up to grade level, and also challenge those kids who are already easy above grade level?”

Some parents of black students in the program even argued against ending it.

“My request is that you please consider the disservice you would be doing to the minorities that are already in the HCC program,” one father said at the school board meeting to approve the new program in 2020, according to the Stranger.

“The program does more for black children, particularly black boys, than it does for their peers.”

But then-school board vice president Chandra Hampson shot back: “This is a pretty masterful job at tokenizing a really small community of color within the existing cohort.”

Over the past few years, though, more and more minority students have joined the ranks of the Highly Capable Cohort.

In the 2022-23 school year, 52% of the students were white, 16% were Asian and 3.4% were black, according to the Seattle Times.

==

“inclusive, equitable and culturally sensitive”

Translation: underperforming students of all races will be told they're just as good and as special as the high-performing students.

The entire concept of "inclusion" is idiotic. It originated as making sure that students had access to the education they were entitled to, such as making sure kids in wheelchairs had access to the school's facilities.

But it's morphed into the notion that there's unfairness or even bigotry if average or under-performing kids aren't included in an advanced or gifted program. That there's something wrong because everybody doesn't have the same result. But the idea that everyone is entitled to be "included" in everything is completely insane. Instead of having a separate program to uplift the mediocre students, the programs for the high-performers are scuttled and they're brought down to the lowest common denominator. This is what "equity" does.

DEI is just smug racism.

#education #corruption of education #gifted program #neoracism #racism #antiracism #antiracism as religion #woke #wokeness #cult of woke #wokeness as religion #wokeism #DEI #DEI must die #diversity equity and inclusion #diversity #equity #inclusion #religion is a mental illness

[brn1029]

Time for your Rock Report

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation has announced the list of its 2023 inductees.Kate Bush, Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, George Michael, Willie Nelson, Rage Against the Machine, and The Spinners will be inducted in the performer category. The performers category covers artists who have created music whose originality, impact, and influence has changed the course of rock & roll. DJ Kool Herc and Link Wray have been selected for the Musical Influence Award, while Chaka Khan, Al Kooper and Bernie Taupin will be presented with the Musical Excellence Award. The Ahmet Ertegun Award goes to Don Cornelius. The announcement was streamed on Apple Music 1 during a one-hour special with hosts Ebro Darden, Rebecca Judd, Matt Wilkinson, Brooke Reese, and Kelleigh Bannen with special guests Sheryl Crow and Bernie Taupin. "This year's incredible group of Inductees reflects the diverse artists and sounds that define rock & roll," said John Sykes, Chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. The musicians will be honored at the 38th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on November 3 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Tom Petty will be posthumously conferred an honorary doctorate by the University of Florida.The UF School of Music will confer the honorary Doctor of Music degree to the multiple Grammy winner at the Spring 2023 Doctoral Ceremony to be held on Thursday. A member of the Petty family will accept the posthumous honorary degree on his behalf. A virtual livestream of the UF Spring Doctoral Ceremony will be broadcast beginning at 9:30 a.m. "It is so incredible for everyone in the family that UF is honoring our dad in his hometown this way," said the late rocker's daughter, Adria Petty. "He loved the Gators, and he loved Gainesville. He always talked about wanting a doctorate from UF and he would have been totally blown away by all this." "It is an added gift that we can give something back and provide much-needed resources to underserved communities in Gainesville. It is near and dear to our entire Petty family," she added.

[backtochrist]

What is Grace?

Most people know Ephesians 2:8 but do they truly know what it means. There are 131 references to Grace in the Bible, and 124 are in the New Testament. Most of those references are by Paul, “the apostle of grace.” It is agreeable that Paul would be given that name considering his previous insatiable pursuit of Christians prior to his conversion. How many did Paul persecute, no one knows but obviously it was more than enough for Paul. Today, we can say that Grace is underserved, unmerited and or unearned. The latter is much more difficult to accept with human pride, for everything in this current life must be earned with a sense of entitlement. The simple Biblical truthful, fact is that Grace is a gift to all of us. Do not forget Romans 3:10 & 3:23, no one is righteous and all have sinned. These undisputed verses are for all whether some people would admit or accept. Some would prefer Grace designated as the pardon for sins; it is more, we were bought at a price, Grace is costly. Biblical Truth is also reality, Grace is not just what God gives it is who He is. And “WHY” is He Grace giving us Grace, because God is Love and Loves Us. —————————————————————————— Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace - Hebrews 4:16

[leveragecreditrecovery]

Title: Unmasking the Illusion: Both Political Parties' Betrayal of Communities of Color

In the intricate tapestry of American politics, a disheartening truth stands bare: the two dominant political parties, once hailed as pillars of democracy, have betrayed the very communities they were meant to serve. The disillusionment runs deep, as wealth, dreams, hopes, aspirations, and livelihoods of communities of color have been sacrificed at the altar of political expediency. The allegorical "mage cult" of power-brokers and influencers wields their sway, and it's communities of color which bear the brunt.

The transformation of the Republican Party, once a bastion of conservative ideals, into a harbinger of hostility towards communities of color is a sad reality. With a relentless series of attacks, they have consistently targeted the very essence of diversity which defines America. Their plunder of resources from underserved communities, leaving them underfunded and underrepresented, is a gross injustice which perpetuates systemic inequality.

However, let's not be swayed by a mirage of virtue from the other side. The Democrats, too, must account for their actions or lack thereof. Their complacency has been a catalyst for the emboldenment of the Republican establishment. Failing to hold their counterparts accountable for abuses and negligence, they have allowed a cycle of wrongdoing to flourish unchecked. They cannot claim innocence or pride when their silence amplifies the cries of communities of color seeking justice.

The 14th Amendment, a beacon of equality, must indeed be invoked. It stands as a reminder which those who fail to honor their constitutional commitment should face consequences. Those who aid and abet those who perpetuate inequality should not be immune to accountability. This is not about partisanship; it's about holding all representatives responsible for their duties to the people and the Constitution.

But the path towards rectification is not an easy one. To hold these individuals accountable requires a collective effort from every corner of society. Grassroots activism, engagement with local politics, and demand for transparency are all essential components of the journey towards a more just and equitable future.

In a democracy, power rests in the hands of the people. It is the power of the vote, the power of assembly, and the power of speech which can dismantle the illusory walls erected by the political elite. Change is not a gift; it's a pursuit, an arduous battle for justice which communities of color have been waging for far too long.

The challenge before us is to rise above the partisan divide and recognize our shared humanity, not party affiliation, should drive our actions. The dream of a nation which truly lives up to its ideals is not lost; it's a goal which requires our collective resilience, our unwavering commitment, and our demand for a political landscape which serves all, irrespective of the color of their skin.

In the end, it's not just about saying "What say you, American?" but rather asking ourselves, "What say we, Americans?" Together, we must forge a new narrative, rewrite the script of our nation's story, and ensure the dignity, rights, and aspirations of communities of color are no longer trampled upon by those who claim to represent them.

#yonkers #thankyou #newyork #investors #give aid or comfort #above the law

[icharchivist]

the thing with Nehan and how much his plotline is destroying me, is that, I was playing the game for a while when he made his first appearance. To me, i read an event, i fell for a really tragic, depressed, suicidal catboy, who’s only saving grace was this one kid he was pushing away, who was pushing himself through the most self destructive behavior in the world, who was perfectly aware that his anger was unfair toward Seox but that without this anger he has no will to live, and then the event ended with Nehan almost dying and being in a coma. 

On top of that the reason he almost died was pretty vague in the story itself, so for like, a strong day i thought he tried to kill himself, before a friend pointed out that if you click on the skip button it makes clear it’s someone who tried to kill him.

and then he was in coma and we didn’t know if he’d ever wake up.

We got a Mugen unit, and Mugen’s FE was all about how he wanted to travel and discover happy things, so that then he could share them with Nehan and perhaps it would mean Nehan will wake up. That Mugen was finding happy things in the world only to share them with Nehan.

And the FE that ends with reminding Mugen that, more than looking for happy things for Nehan, Mugen should look for happy things for himself, and that will be enough to make Nehan happy, and Mugen tells it all to Nehan while Nehan is in the coma, then leaves the room to go play with the kids hoping to play with Nehan again, and the FE ends on “for a minute, a smile was on Nehan’s face and his eyelids moved a little as if he was ready to awake, before falling back to sleep” and the notion that indeed, Mugen’s happiness would be Nehan’s salvation. 

and then. Nothing. 

We had a strong year without information about Nehan, only that he was in coma, that Mugen was desperate to find way to wake him up. All of Mugen’s holidays line in that one year was all about how he wanted to learn about the world so he could wake Nehan up and make him want to be alive in this world as well. You’d play with Mugen in your party and for example if he was made KO, he would weep and call for Nehan. 

It was one full year of remembering Nehan was in the coma, too suicidal to even want to wake up, already having given up on life.

And then out of nowhere, they dropped an unit for him. An unit where it was made clear to us that, he woke up, he’s reunited with Mugen now, and that as he was left on Stardust Town, every orphans here decided to work together with Mugen to give Nehan some will to live. 

and Nehan is still so fundamentally emotionally numb, he’s still so depressed, there is nothing about his own mindset that changed except that he let go of his anger toward Seox. But he’s also now devoted in being a good parent to Mugen, and by extention, to all the orphans who are making their purpose to cheer him up just like Mugen.

Nehan is still fundamentally broken, but “i cannot make the children sad, so i have to try for them” is literally all that’s carrying him forward.

And so now you get to see the process of healing. You hear from his holidays line that he has no interest in life in any shape or form but Mugen is so insistent on him being happy that Nehan has no choice but to accept it, even if he feels so undeserving of it. And then you have Mugen’s holidays lines that moved from the angst of him trying to desperately wake up Nehan, to him being overly excited about making Nehan happy, and stubborn about making sure Nehan accept this happiness.

Like there’s this whole holiday line on Christmas where Mugen insists Nehan gets gifts because “on Christmas we give gifts to good kids, and Nehan is a good kid”, and Nehan feels so underserving he tries to fight it back, to tell Mugen that Nehan doesn’t deserve any of it, that Mugen is the goodest kid and that he should focus on himself instead, but Mugen won’t budge so now Nehan is just obligated to accept that he’s loved and that there’s value in his life.

And like, the plotline itself is just, so damn effective, but god, having spent one full year not knowing if Nehan would ever wake up because he was so profoundly suicidal at this point that he had no reason to want to wake up, only to see him wake up, still be depressed, but doing an effort because he has a whole team of kids wanting him to get better and he just doesn’t want to make those kids sad? 

Peak storyline, and honestly, peak way to bring back someone who was an antagonist. 

And it makes me so emo when i see the new arts because Nehan is so constantly surrounded with kids and supported in some way by them, especially now that he’s more physically disabled than before.  We know Nehan spent his entire life in various systems that would abuse him, torture him, isolate him, that he had no one in his life and anyone he might have was set up to hurt him.  and now you never see him alone, and you always see him supported.

Nehan’s recovery arc means the world to me and i wish the best to him for ever. 

To catdad.

#ichablogging gbf #ichablogging seedsofredemption #i'm SO emo over Nehan

[foreverlogical]

The fear of every person who reads too much sci-fi labor dystopia might be coming true: Robots could be replacing workers.

Last week,

Amazon extended hundreds of its recruiters' buyout opportunities in just one part of a very long, very trying cycle of layoffs expected from the shopping giant. And some of those jobs might have been lost to some new artificial intelligence technology the company has been experimenting with for a year, according to a confidential internal document viewed by Recode.

Amazon's AI technology — known internally as Automated Applicant Evaluation or AAE — works by predicting which job applicants have the highest potential of being successful in certain roles, and then fast-tracking them to an interview all without a human recruiter's oversight. According to Recode, it works by finding the middle part of a venn diagram between current Amazon employees and job applicants applying for similar jobs. Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Mashable.

If this sounds familiar, it's because it is. Amazon built AI hiring technology a decade ago, but it failed miserably by — you guessed it —discriminating against women.

Nathan Esquenazi wrote for Venture Beat that the problem with AI hiring technology in general — not just specifically at Amazon — is that it can enable biases. Esquenazi is the co-founder and chief technology officer of Code Path, "a nonprofit that seeks to create diversity in tech by transforming college computer science education for underrepresented minorities and underserved populations."

"Given how much AI-powered hiring tools impact the lives of the very people at greatest risk of bias, we owe it to them to proceed with this technology with extreme caution," Esquenazi wrote. "At best, it can lead to bad hiring decisions by companies that can ill afford the time and expense of refilling the positions. At worst, it can keep smart, talented people from getting high-paying jobs in high-demand fields, limiting not only their economic mobility but also their right to live happy, successful lives."

Amazon's new hiring AI might have solved those problems — the internal document acquired by Recode says the new AI is guarded against biases based on race and gender. And Amazon hasn't said directly that this AI will or will not be fully replacing the hundreds of laid-off recruiters.

This is an infamous weekend full of deals, bookended Black Friday and Cyber Monday and heralded by Amazon. If you plan on partaking in capitalism's favorite weekend, keep in mind that while this feels like a gift that keeps on giving, it certainly isn't for all the employees who just got laid off by Amazon.

[yieldfruit]

🕯 I need to head out on a hike soon, so I will hopefully keep this concise. I have a bit of a headache today from crying this morning; it wasn't a long cry, but it was a deep one. I don't cry often, but when I do it's because it's built up and it takes a lot for me to finally cry, usually it comes out when I am speaking to someone close to me, I don't really cry by myself. I just finally break down in the presence of the safety of another person.

So, my head is hurting and I need to go out on a hike before going to my small group where I look forward to just listening to others' stories and lives, etc.

I received an email from my boss today and it was so sweet, they are doing something very special for me and I feel underserving. I cried because I felt so grateful.

Before that though, I cried the tears of just pent up everything. This last weekend we went and viewed a home - it came to us a few days ago and we had such a peace about going up there to view it so we decided to road trip up there over the weekend. We left Friday evening and arrived home Sunday evening. Saturday we viewed the home and the landlord wants us to rent it, but we couldn't quite make up our minds. We ended up saying no to renting it. We are both a bit torn though, we both woke up sad this morning and Grace even said she felt anxiety. I understand. It was an emotional weekend. We felt for sure this was the house.

It's an older home, from the 30's or 40's I think. It was originally a Wine Country destination home/cottage/cabin for an Italian family that lived in San Francisco. A lot of people in SF have vacation homes in Wine Country. The home has not been really kept up through the years, and that was my biggest concern. The landlady is the sweetest woman - in her 80's and British, but I feel she has sadly not really kept up on the house and has just been renting it out the last 20 years and the poor home reflects that. It needs love and for someone to really work on it. The rent is $2500 (plus utilities, bringing the total to about $2700 I imagine). Even though this is a very good price for a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom home in California and in this area - it feels a touch high for a home that needs a lot of work, clean up, and so on. I almost want to take it on just to pour love and time and energy into it, to bring it to life again, but that's me being a personificator.

I don't ever do this, but after we saw the home I prayed and asked God for a sign if we are to say yes to it, within 24 hours. Again, I prayed saying that he doesn't have to - he never owes us anything or a sign, but if he would I would desire a sign because I didn't know what to do. Nothing came. We drove by the home so many times during our stay there, just looking at it and thinking and praying. We made a list of all the positives and negatives of our current city/home, the new city/home and it was all pretty equal. The biggest thing is that it is far from family and that's probably the most important thing to us (mainly my parents). However, my parents only live near us 6 months out of the year anyway if that because they live between 2 properties. Yet if God wanted us to move, we will! No sign came though, and we felt okay turning it down. No regrets. We came home. We woke up sad. I finally cried later in the morning, pent up tears from not just this situation/choice, but so many things. So many things I feel hurt and alone in, I feel like I'm just not sure what I am doing. My biggest motivating factor is that I am being a loving/present mother to Grace, that is my priority. Overall I feel like I am not using the gifts the Lord has given me though. My work is business and transactional. My heart is to care for children and be a nurturer.

God is the husband and father of our family and I've prayed that all along. The trip up north wasn't unfruitful, it was a spiritually fruitful time and Grace and I bonded. The Lord has his purposes in it. I don't have to see or understand it now, but I do believe we were led up there in peace and it wasn't a waste. Nothing is a waste that the Lord leads us into with his peace. I don't have understanding, his peace passes understanding, and I am told to not lean on my own understanding. I want Him to call the shots and make the choices for us.

I need to go on my hike. I feel very alone in my life and decisions, even though I know I have the Lord. Please don't think I say that as if he is not with us - he is and I know he is. I know it more than anything else I know. I do feel a sense of aloneness as a single mother in making big life decisions. I've always made them and had to make them, I just get weary. I get tired of doing it alone on earth. He is with us and that is my comfort.

#personal