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southeastasianists · 2 months

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A deadly stampede outside a passport office that took two lives and unending lines outside embassies - these are just some examples of what has been happening in Myanmar since the announcement of mandatory conscription into the military.

Myanmar's military government is facing increasingly effective opposition to its rule and has lost large areas of the country to armed resistance groups.

On 1 February 2021, the military seized power in a coup, jailing elected leaders and plunging much of the country into a bloody civil war that continues today.

Thousands have been killed and the UN estimates that around 2.6 million people been displaced.

Young Burmese, many of whom have played a leading role protesting and resisting the junta, are now told they will have to fight for the regime.

Many believe that this is a result of the setbacks suffered by the military in recent months, with anti-government groups uniting to defeat them in some key areas.

"It is nonsense to have to serve in the military at this time, because we are not fighting foreign invaders. We are fighting each other. If we serve in the military, we will be contributing to their atrocities," Robert, a 24-year-old activist, told the BBC.

Many of them are seeking to leave the country instead.

"I arrived at 03:30 [20:30 GMT] and there were already about 40 people queuing for the tokens to apply for their visa," recalled a teenage girl who was part of a massive crowd outside the Thai embassy in Yangon earlier in February. Within an hour, the crowd in front of the embassy expanded to more than 300 people, she claims.

"I was scared that if I waited any longer, the embassy would suspend the processing of visas amid the chaos," she told the BBC, adding that some people had to wait for three days before even getting a queue number.

In Mandalay, where the two deaths occurred outside the passport office, the BBC was told that there were also serious injuries - one person broke their leg after falling into a drain while another broke their teeth. Six others reported breathing difficulties.

Justine Chambers, a Myanmar researcher at the Danish Institute of International Studies, says mandatory conscription is a way of removing young civilians leading the revolution.

"We can analyse how the conscription law is a sign of the Myanmar military's weakness, but it is ultimately aimed at destroying lives... Some will manage to escape, but many will become human shields against their compatriots," she said.

Myanmar's conscription law was first introduced in 2010 but had not been enforced until on 10 February the junta said it would mandate at least two years of military service for all men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27.

Maj-Gen Zaw Min Tun, the spokesperson for the military government, said in a statement that about a quarter of the country's 56 million population were eligible for military service under the law.

The regime later said it did not plan to include women in the conscript pool "at present" but did not specify what that meant.

The government spokesperson told BBC Burmese that call-ups would start after the Thingyan festival marking the Burmese New Year in mid-April, with an initial batch of 5,000 recruits.

The regime's announcement has dealt yet another blow to Myanmar's young people.

Many had their education disrupted by the coup, which came on top of school closures at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2021, the junta suspended 145,000 teachers and university staff over their support for the opposition, according to the Myanmar Teachers' Federation, and some schools in opposition-held areas have been destroyed by the fighting or by air strikes.

Then there are those who have fled across borders seeking refuge, among them young people looking for jobs to support their families.

In response to the conscription law, some have said on social media that they would enter the monkhood or get married early to dodge military service.

The junta says permanent exemptions will be given to members of religious orders, married women, people with disabilities, those assessed to be unfit for military service and "those who are exempted by the conscription board". For everyone else, evading conscription is punishable by three to five years in prison and a fine.

But Robert doubts the regime will honour these exemptions. "The junta can arrest and abduct anyone they want. There is no rule of law and they do not have to be accountable to anyone," he said.

Wealthier families are considering moving their families abroad - Thailand and Singapore being popular options, but some are even looking as far afield as Iceland - with the hope that their children would get permanent residency or citizenship there by the time they are of conscription age.

Others have instead joined the resistance forces, said Aung Sett, from the All Burma Federation of Student Unions, which has a long history of fighting military rule.

"When I heard the news that I would have to serve in the military, I felt really disappointed and at the same time devastated for the people, especially for those who are young like me. Many young people have now registered themselves to fight against the junta," the 23-year-old told the BBC from exile.

Some observers say the enforcement of the law now reveals the junta's diminishing grip on the country.

Last October, the regime suffered its most serious setback since the coup. An alliance of ethnic insurgents overran dozens of military outposts along the border with India and China. It has also lost large areas of territory to insurgents along the Bangladesh and Indian borders.

According to the National Unity Government, which calls itself Myanmar's government in exile, more than 60% of Myanmar's territory is now under the control of resistance forces.

"By initiating forced conscription following a series of devastating and humiliating defeats to ethnic armed organisations, the military is publicly demonstrating just how desperate it has become," said Jason Tower, country director for the Burma programme at the United States' Institute of Peace.

Mr Tower expects the move to fail because of growing resentment against the junta.

"Many youth dodging conscription will have no choice but to escape into neighbouring countries, intensifying regional humanitarian and refugee crises. This could result in frustration growing in Thailand, India, China and Bangladesh, all of which could tilt away from what remains of their support for the junta," he said.

Even if the military does manage to increase troop numbers by force, this will do little to address collapsing morale in the ranks. It will also take months to train up the new troops, he said.

The junta had a long history of "forced recruitment" even before the law was enacted, said Ye Myo Hein, a global fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

"So the law may merely serve as a facade for forcibly conscripting new recruits into the military. With a severe shortage of manpower, there is no time to wait for the lengthy and gradual process of recruiting new soldiers, prompting [officials] to exploit the law to swiftly coerce people into service," he said.

Even for those who will manage to escape, many will carry injuries and emotional pain for the rest of their lives.

"It has been really difficult for young people in Myanmar, both physically and mentally. We've lost our dreams, our hopes and our youth. It just can't be the same like before," said Aung Sett, the student leader.

"These three years have gone away like nothing. We've lost our friends and colleagues during the fight against the junta and many families have lost their loved ones. It has been a nightmare for this country. We are witnessing the atrocities committed by the junta on a daily basis. I just can't express it in words."

#Southeast Asia #Burma #Myanmar #Military Junta

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theverybestofbea · 2 months

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academia films & shows 🩶 🎬

— the holdovers (2023)

a cranky history teacher at a prep school is forced to remain on campus over the holidays with a grieving cook and a troubled student who has no place to go, set in 1971, during christmas time.

— the umbrella academy (2019 - present)

a family of former child heroes, now grown apart, must reunite to continue to protect the world, science fiction meets preppy academia.

— mona lisa smile (2003)

a free-thinking art professor teaches conservative 1950s Wellesley girls to question their traditional social roles, gives off a similar vibe to the dead poets society.

— the goldfinch (2019)

a boy in New York is taken in by a wealthy family after his mother is killed in a bombing at the met, in a rush of panic, he steals 'the goldfinch', a painting that eventually draws him into a world of crime.

— dead poets society (1989)

john keating returns in 1959 to the prestigious new england boys' boarding school where he was once a star student, using poetry to embolden his pupils to new heights of self-expression.

— a series of unfortunate events (2017 - 2019)

after the loss of their parents in a mysterious fire, the three baudelaire children face trials and tribulations attempting to uncover dark family secrets.

— mary shelley (2017)

life and facts of mary wollstonecraft godwin, who at 16 met 21 year old poet percy shelley, resulting in the writing of frankenstein.

— tik, tik...boom! (2021)

on the brink of turning thirty, a promising theater composer navigates love, friendship and the pressure to create something great before time runs out, about art students during the 90s.

— the ministry of time (2015 - 2020)

a warrior from the sixteenth century, the first female university student from the nineteenth century, and a paramedic from the twenty–first century join a secret agency to prevent people from changing spanish history using time-traveling doors.

— romeo + juliet (1996)

shakespeare's famous play is updated to the hip modern suburb of verona still retaining its original dialogue.

— jane eyre (2011)

amousy governess who softens the heart of her employer soon discovers that he's hiding a terrible secret.

— little women (2019)

jo march reflects back and forth on her life, telling the beloved story of the march sisters - four young women, each determined to live life on her own terms.

— the dreamers (2003)

a young american studying in paris in 1968 strikes up a friendship with a french brother and sister, set against the background of the '68 paris student riots.

— my policeman (2022)

the arrival of patrick into marion and tom's home triggers the exploration of seismic events from 40 years previously.

— deadly class (2018; cancelled)

a coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of late 1980s counterculture, which follows a disillusioned teen recruited into a storied high school for assassins.

— shadow and bone (2021 - 2023; cancelled)

dark forces conspire against orphan mapmaker alina starkov when she unleashes an extraordinary power that could change the fate of her war-torn world, at the same time, a group of thieves gather for a new mission.

— kill your darlings (2013)

a murder in 1944 draws together the great poets of the beat generation: allen ginsberg, jack kerouac, and william burroughs.

#light academia #dark academia #romantic academia #academia aesthetic #academia films

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canonicallyobserving911 · 1 year

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Eddie Diaz is an awesome dad!

Eddie is an awesome dad who will do anything for his son Christopher. He left El Paso, TX after his parents tried to convince him to leave Chris with them but he relocated to Los Angeles, CA. He moved so that he could give himself and his son a fresh start. Eddie bought a house and he had a familial support system in his abuela Isabel and his aunt Pepa because they were already living in L.A. He attended the LAFD academy and after he graduated at the top of his class, several different firehouses wanted to recruit him.

He’s sacrificed so much for Chris including quitting his job in 2021 right before Christmas because Chris was scared Eddie would get hurt again or worse he could die while working as a firefighter. He does his very best to be there for his son and he works hard to provide for him. Eddie is an awesome dad and he’s demonstrated how awesome he is as Chris’ dad for years.

2x2 “7.1” – Eddie took Chris to school before he went to work.

2x4 (2) “Stuck” – Eddie got ready for work while Chris got ready for school.

3x4 “Triggers” – Eddie comforted Chris after he had a nightmare about his mother.

3x13 “Fools” – Eddie had a conversation with Chris about skateboarding after Chris fell off one of his classmate’s skateboards while he was at school. Eddie explained to Chris that everyone has things they can’t do and he used himself as an example. He explained how Chris’s science teacher told him how Chris was good at growing plants but Eddie admitted he wasn’t.

3x18 “What’s Next?” – Eddie and Chris attended May’s graduation party and Chris went away from home for two weeks to attend his first summer camp.

4x2 “Alone Together” – Eddie spent time with Chris while Carla read Chris a bedtime story on FaceTime.

5x6 “Brawl in Cell Block 9-1-1” – After being held at gunpoint by an escaped convict, Eddie went home and spent time talking to his son.

5x10 (2) “Wrapped in Red” – Chris had a nightmare about his mother and Eddie rushed into his room after he heard him scream to check on him. Chris told Eddie he could be dead next year and Eddie quit the 118 so Chris wouldn’t have to worry about him.

5x11 “Outside Looking In” – After Eddie quit the 118, his new job wasn’t what he hoped it would be but he stuck it out so Chris didn’t have to worry about him. Chris asked him if he missed being a firefighter and Eddie said he did. During a conversation with Eddie, Chris told him he should return to firefighting and explained how it is scary sometimes but he could be brave.

5x14 “Dumb Luck” – Chris asked Eddie if he was one of the things that makes him sad and Eddie responded, “NEVER!”

6x4 (2) “Animal Instincts” – Eddie got a call from Chris’ school explaining that Chris had been skipping his science club meetings. Eddie took away his video games but one night Chris waited until Eddie fell asleep and he played the games anyway. Eddie listened to Chris when he said he didn’t want to be treated like a baby anymore and he reminded Chris that he couldn’t be disrespectful after he called Eddie a jerk.

6x7 “Cursed” – Eddie took Chris to his surfing lesson.

6x8 “9-1-1 What’s Your Fantasy?” – Eddie helped Chris get ready for his first school dance and he waited outside of the school with Carla until the dance was over. He was so proud of his son and he had tears in his eyes.

#eddie diaz #christopher diaz #911 fox #911 on fox #911onfox #911 meta #911 s6 #911 season 6 #911 season 6 speculation #911

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andorerso · 1 year

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A YEAR IN FICS - 2022

time for one of my favorite New Year’s tradition: taking stock of all the fics I wrote this past year!

Operation Midnight Kiss: Jyn has a plan for New Year's Eve but an eager new recruit complicates things... (1/1)

i’ll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife: Holy shit. She fucked a hitman. Released from prison after three years, Jyn Erso is just trying to pick up the broken pieces of her life. But the man who catches her eye might not be exactly who he says he is. (1/1) Good Behavior AU. technically written in 2021 but I didn’t post it until later, so now I have to file this under 2022 which annoys me a bit because it skewed my word count for both 2021 and 2022.... but it is what it is

The Replacement Cass: Jyn has a new boyfriend which would be fine... if not for his name. (1/1)

touching the sun: After Jyn and Cassian escape Scarif, they're in limbo. Neither of them really know how to be close to each other. But when Jyn notices a strange bond developing between them that she can't explain, it forces them to acknowledge their true feelings... OR, the AU that's not quite soulmates, not quite not soulmates (2/2) Written for the Rebelcaptain Big Bang project, only second chapter was written in 2022.

Blood Red Rose: 1920, London. An unknown creature dubbed 'the Beast' is terrorizing the streets at night. Vampire hunter Jyn Erso and recently turned vampire Cassian Andor might just be the city's only hope to catch the monster... (22/26) chapters 18-22 written in 2022

home we’ll go: Cassian Andor only comes back to Ferrix for two things: to get Maarva and Bee, and to say goodbye to the people he cares about. Neither goes the way he expects it to. AU for episode 7: what if Jyn had grown up on Ferrix? (1/1)

Amas Veritas: Jyn's a young witch who's just trying to keep her head down. But when Orson Krennic returns to town years after he allegedly killed her father, she can't help feeling like this is her chance to get some payback. What's supposed to be a harmless hex quickly turns deadly, and Jyn must now make sure no one ever finds out what she did or risk going to prison. But the pull she feels towards Cassian Andor, the private investigator the Krennics have hired complicates matters, and it doesn't help that she's sworn off love years ago due to a nasty love curse that sits upon her family. On top of it all, Krennic's ghost might be haunting her... This Halloween is shaping up to be the worst one Jyn's ever had. (5/7) Practical Magic AU

fighting dragons with you: Jyn is injured during a dragon fight, and Cassian is not happy about it. (1/1) Written for the Rebelcaptain Trees exchange

a wolf at heart: She kinda wished she could take him home with her. Jyn, the wolf-tamer. How cool would that be? OR, Jyn's a college student with a crush but Cassian has some secrets (1/2) Written for the Rebelcaptain Secret Santa exchange

always, someday: Sleep… He wants to sleep so badly, but if he does, it means he’s failed. They promised him they’d let him rest if he just gave them the answers they wanted. But that’s not a price he can pay. He can’t betray the rebellion, he can’t give up their secrets, their names, their locations, their weaknesses, he can’t, he can’t, he can’t — He can’t say anything. And he can’t sleep. They won’t let him. (1/1) Written for the Rogue One Crew exchange

Prompts, requests and drabbles:

I’ve made so many mistakes, but you’re not one of them

I need you to help me reach the top shelf

you’re worth any fight

can you give me a ride?

the lights don’t shine as bright when you’re not here

firefighters AU

single parent & teacher AU

Total works: 17 (15 new ones)

Total wordcount: 104 087

And I outdid myself again this year! I don’t think I’ll be able to replicate it again this year with my new job, but my writing goal for 2023 is to finally finish Blood Red Rose. wish me luck!

#my fics #rebelcaptain #a year in fics

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maaarine · 8 months

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this September I've been hearing about teacher shortages in Belgium, France, Netherlands, Germany

and at no point have I heard the media look at the problem through the gender lens

a) teaching is a "feminized" profession (the majority of teachers are women, except at university level)

so the pool for recruitment is already small, since men may not feel like it's a job for them, especially teaching very young kids

b) attention is focused on the fact that the low salary and low respect for the profession are driving people away from teaching

but it's a well-documented phenomenon that a job loses value once it is feminized (salaries are low because it's a woman's job)

anyways it seems to me like gender is a very relevant part of the problem, and yet it's rarely talked about

here are a few excerpts from an OECD report:

Why is the gender ratio of teachers imbalanced?

"However, gender imbalances persist among those entering and staying in the teaching profession: on average in OECD countries, 70% of all teachers are women, with large differences across levels of education.

Female teachers are especially over-represented at lower levels of education.

In 2019, 84% of primary teachers in OECD countries were women on average, compared to 64% at secondary level and 44% at tertiary level."

—

"Historically, teaching has been one of the few skilled professions that has been accessible for women because it closely fitted the traditional stereotype of women as caregivers of children.

While such gender stereotypes are less prevalent today than they were a few decades ago in many OECD countries, they might still be an important reason for the high share of female teachers, particularly at lower levels of education.

However, other factors beyond gender stereotypes also contribute to skewed gender ratios.

Teaching may be an attractive career option for working mothers because it provides the flexibility to combine work and family responsibilities.

Teachers in many countries have considerable flexibility in organising their non-teaching working hours.

For example, in 24 out of 31 OECD countries and economies with available data, teachers at the lower secondary level can spend part or all of their non-teaching working time outside of school premises (OECD, 2021).

Ideally, this would make teaching similarly attractive to working fathers, but in many countries child rearing responsibilities still fall predominantly on women’s shoulders (Craig and Mullan, 2011)."

—

"Because of these standardised wage setting processes, the actual salaries of male and female teachers are nearly identical on average across OECD countries (OECD, 2021).

However, the welcome absence of wage discrimination in teaching implies that careers outside teaching will be financially more attractive for men than for women.

Male teachers earn on average 20% less than other tertiary-educated men.

In contrast, female teachers earn on average 3% more than other tertiary-educated women, who often face wage discrimination in other professions.

Thus, gender wage discrimination in sectors outside of education also has negative implications for the gender balance within the teaching profession.

As it is financially less attractive for men than for women to become teachers, men are discouraged from entering the profession (Allegretto and Mishel, 2016)."

#mytxt #weaker sex

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religion-is-a-mental-illness · 3 months

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https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/at-least-12-u-n-agency-employees-involved-in-oct-7-attacks-intelligence-reports-say-a7de8f36

By: Carrie Keller-Lynn and David Luhnow

Published: Jan. 29, 2024

TEL AVIV—At least 12 employees of the U.N.’s Palestinian refugee agency had connections to Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel and around 10% of all of its Gaza staff have ties to Islamist militant groups, according to intelligence reports reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

Six United Nations Relief and Works Agency workers were part of the wave of Palestinian militants who killed 1,200 people in the deadliest assault on Jews since the Holocaust, according to the intelligence dossier. Two helped kidnap Israelis. Two others were tracked to sites where scores of Israeli civilians were shot and killed. Others coordinated logistics for the assault, including procuring weapons.

Of the 12 Unrwa employees with links to the attacks, seven were primary or secondary school teachers, including two math teachers, two Arabic language teachers and one primary school teacher.

The information in the intelligence reports—based on what an official described as very sensitive signals intelligence as well as cellphone tracking data, interrogations of captured Hamas fighters and documents recovered from dead militants, among other things—were part of a briefing given by Israel to U.S. officials that led Washington and others to suspend aid to Unrwa.

Intelligence estimates shared with the U.S. conclude that around 1,200 of Unrwa’s roughly 12,000 employees in Gaza have links to Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and about half have close relatives who belong to the Islamist militant groups. Both groups have been designated as terrorist organizations by the U.S. and others. Hamas has run Gaza since a 2007 coup.

“Unrwa’s problem is not just ‘a few bad apples’ involved in the October 7 massacre,” said a senior Israeli government official. “The institution as a whole is a haven for Hamas’ radical ideology.”

An Unrwa spokesperson on Monday declined to comment, saying an internal U.N. investigation into the agency was under way.

Two officials familiar with the intelligence said the Unrwa employees considered to have ties with militant groups were deemed to be “operatives,” indicating they took active part in the organization’s military or political framework. The report said 23% of Unrwa’s male employees had ties to Hamas, a higher percentage than the average of 15% for adult males in Gaza, indicating a higher politicization of the agency than the population at large.

Nearly half of all Unrwa employees—an estimated 49%—also had close relatives who also had official ties to the militant groups, especially Hamas, the intelligence reports said.

In the aftermath of Oct. 7, as Israel has waged war against Hamas in Gaza, Unrwa has emerged as one of the loudest voices decrying the impact of the fierce fighting on Palestinians in the enclave, where authorities say more than 26,000 people have been killed. Unrwa says at least 152 of its own staff have been killed in the conflict.

The agency is also the main pillar of operations to move food aid, medicine and other humanitarian supplies into Gaza.

The vast majority of Unrwa’s 30,000 staff across the Middle East are Palestinian, and Israel and some in the U.S. have long accused it of nurturing anti-Israeli sentiment in crowded refugee camps that have been important recruiting grounds for militant groups, including Hamas.

The Trump administration suspended funding for Unrwa in 2018, saying the agency’s mission was fundamentally misguided. The Biden administration renewed funding in 2021.

The Oct. 7 intelligence reports seen by the Journal identified an Unrwa Arabic teacher who the reports said was also a Hamas militant commander and took part in a terrorist attack on Kibbutz Be’eri, where 97 people were killed and about 26 people were kidnapped and taken as hostages to Gaza.

Another Unrwa employee, described in the dossier as an Unrwa social worker, played a role in absconding with the body of a dead Israeli soldier, which was taken to Gaza, the reports said. He also coordinated trucks and munitions distributions for Hamas before being killed.

A person familiar with the dossier said that after U.S. officials were briefed on the intelligence material, they alerted Unrwa, which put out a statement announcing the allegation that some of its employees were linked to the attacks and saying it had fired the employees involved. It provided no details, and didn’t say how many employees were involved.

On Sunday, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said he was personally horrified by the allegations.

Unrwa commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini criticized Western nations for pausing aid at a time when Gaza is facing a humanitarian crisis as the war between Hamas and Israel rages. Guterres also implored nations to not suspend humanitarian aid.

It is “immensely irresponsible to sanction an agency and an entire community it serves because of allegations of criminal acts against some individuals,” Lazzarini said.

Unrwa looks after more than 5 million Palestinians in densely-packed refugee neighborhoods across the Middle East, including the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. But its biggest operations are in Gaza, where it looks after an estimated 80% of the local population and runs hundreds of schools and scores of clinics.

Israel says it has documented deepening ties between Unrwa and Hamas since the militant group cemented its hold on Gaza in 2007. Unrwa has admitted to finding Hamas weapons stored in schools and Israel has repeatedly said Hamas tunnels run under and through Unrwa buildings as well as other civilian facilities. The former head of Unrwa’s union in Gaza was fired in 2017 after Israel found out he had been elected to Hamas’ top political leadership.

The dossier is the most detailed look yet at the widespread links between the Unrwa employees and militants. It offers telling details regarding the events of Oct. 7.

A math teacher belonging to Hamas was close enough to a female hostage in Gaza that he took a picture of her. Another teacher was carrying an antitank missile the night before the invasion.

One Unrwa employee set up an operations room for Palestinian Islamic Jihad on Oct. 8, the day after the attack. Three other employees, including another Arabic teacher at an Unrwa school, received a text from Hamas to arm themselves at a staging area close to the border the night before the attack. It was unclear whether they went.

A different elementary school teacher did cross into Israel and went to Reim, a district where a kibbutz, an army base and a music festival were attacked.

One of the intelligence reports seen by the Journal said a 13th Unrwa employee, who didn’t have a discernible affiliation with a terror group, also entered Israel. Hundreds of Gazan civilians flooded across the border as part of the Hamas-led attack, Israel says.

Teachers make up nearly three-quarters of Unrwa’s Gaza-based local staff. Unrwa schools, which use textbooks approved by the Palestinian Authority, have come under fire for using materials that allegedly glorify terrorists and promote hatred of Israel. Unrwa says it has taken steps to address problematic content, but a 2019 U.S. Government Accountability Office report said that measures haven’t always been implemented.

Since Oct. 7, Hamas has stolen more than $1 million worth of Unrwa supplies, including fuel and trucks, according to the intelligence report. The intelligence assessment alleges that Hamas operatives are so deeply enmeshed within the Unrwa aid-delivery enterprise as to coordinate transfers for the organization.

[ Via: https://archive.md/nscsC ]

#Hillel Neuer #United Nations #UNRWA #hamas #hamas supporters #exterminate hamas #palestine #pro palestine #free palestine #islamic violence #islamic terrorism #islam #this is islam #religion #ideological corruption #UNRWA is Hamas #religion is a mental illness

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ukrfeminism · 1 year

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2 minute read

The Government has issued new guidance warning teachers to be aware of “incel” ideology in schools and colleges, amid fears that the subculture poses a growing threat to national security.

The Department for Education (DfE) has published new advice urging education staff to be aware of the evolving risks of radicalisation among young people, including the first explicit mention of involuntary celibates (incels) as a potential terror threat.

It said that some children, young people and adult learners “may appear engaged with, or have adopted, a mixed, unclear or unstable ideology that supports extreme violence,” including “involuntary celibates who direct their anger mainly at women”.

The guidance also urged teachers to be aware of children and young people who showed signs of Islamist extremism, right-wing and left-wing extremism, and those who appeared “obsessed with massacre, for example, high-school shootings”.

It warned of the growing risk of online radicalisation, telling teachers that “the internet and social media make spreading divisive and hateful narratives to millions of people easy… Education settings need to be aware of the risks and talk to children, young people and adult learners about staying safe online.”

The Government has also recruited a specialist support officer to provide “training sessions on topics such as online radicalisation, gaming and extremism, and incels”, which it said have been accessed by thousands of staff from education providers, i can reveal.

It comes amid growing concerns about the risk of domestic terrorism in the UK posed by incels, after five people were shot and killed in Plymouth last year by 22-year-old Jake Davison, who reportedly shared misogynistic views on incel forums.

The incel movement is a growing online subculture in which a misogynistic worldview is promoted by individuals who blame women for their lack of sexual activity.

Prevent, part of the UK’s counter-terror programme, does not publish statistics related directly to incels, which are categorised as a “mixed, unstable or unclear (MUU)” ideology. However, the latest official statistics show that more than half of referrals to Prevent in the year to March 2021 were related to individuals showing signs of MUU ideologies.

Almost a third of cases that were escalated to the UK’s Channel programme, which provides tailored support to people deemed vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism, were indivuals categorised as MUU.

An independent report by the UK’s Commission for Publishing Extremism last year found that there has been “a rise in extreme misogynistic hate speech in the UK, mainly perpetrated by incels”.

It called on the Government to extend the “stirring up of hatred offences, as part of hate crime legislation, to include sex”, noting that “this would help protect against the rising incel threat”.

Research published on Sunday by the University of Exeter said that the so-called “incelosphere” is a “community of angry, belligerent and unapologetic” men that poses a “clear and present danger” to women and an “emerging threat to children”.

It found that users on the leading incel forum posted about rape every 29 minutes and the forum’s rules were changed six months ago to accommodate paedophilia.

None of the past four education secretaries have commented on the growing threat posed by incels. Gavin Williamson, who stepped down as education secretary in 2021, was understood to have been keen for teachers to be able to tackle the risks from incel culture through the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum within schools.

However, some schools have begun providing specialised lessons on murky ideologies such as inceldom amid fears that they cannot be addressed in RSHE alone.

The Skinners’ School in Kent held a parents’ information evening on “incel culture”, sexism and consent earlier this year alongside two other local schools.

Meanwhile, Salford council has also begun running “incel awareness courses” for school and other professionals, with dozens from across Greater Manchester attending each month.

ialso found safeguarding newsletters sent out to primary school children across the country, warning students to be cautious of the growing incel movement and to steer clear of incel forums on sites such as Reddit, 4chan and Parler.

One primary school in Stoke has even begun teaching staff to be aware of misogynistic language used by incels, including the words “Chad” – which refers toa stereotypical Alpha male – and “femoid” – a derogatory term used to suggest that women are subhuman.

In Scotland, where education is a devolved issue, teachers have also begun undergoing training to recognise signs of young people being radicalised by incel ideas, including video seminars in “incel ideology and how it can present both on and offline”.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Education settings play a crucial role in helping pupils understand the world around them, both through the RSHE curriculum – which allows for a school-led approach on teaching pupils about a range of current issues – but also through their safeguarding duties, supporting staff to identify young people that may be at risk of radicalisation.

“Our recently published non-statutory guidance helps schools identify and address extremist views by providing different examples of extreme ideologies, including involuntary celibate (incel) concerns.

“Guidance around such ideologies has previously been shared to help statutory partners recognise broader radicalisation concerns.”

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rudrjobdesk · 2 years

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Rajasthan Level-1 Teacher Bharti 2022: राजस्थान संस्कृत शिक्षा विभाग में प्रथम लेवल 272 शिक्षक भर्ती के लिए आवेदन शुरू, rajsanskrit.nic.in पर भरें फॉर्म

Rajasthan Level-1 Teacher Bharti 2022: राजस्थान संस्कृत शिक्षा निदेशालय ने राज्य में प्रथम लेवल 272 शिक्षक भर्ती (Level-1 Teacher Bharti) के लिए ऑनलाइन आवेदन प्रक्रिया आज, 1 जुलाई 2022 से शुरू कर दी। रीट 2021 में सफल जिन अभ्यर्थियों को राजस्थान की इस प्राथमिक शिक्षक भर्ती में भाग लेना हो वे संस्कृत शिक्षा निदेशालय, राजस्थान की वेबसाइट (rajsanskrit.nic.in) पर जाकर ऑनलाइन आवेदन कर सकते हैं।…

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#1 July 2022 #Department of Sanskrit Education Rajasthan #Directorate of Sanskrit Education Rajasthan #Government jobs #Hindi News #Hindustan #level 1 teacher #News in Hindi #online jobs #Rajasthan 272 Teacher Recruitment #Rajasthan Level 1 Teacher #Rajasthan Level-1 Teacher Recruitment #rajasthan news #Rajasthan Sanskrit Education Department Teacher Recruitment #Rajasthan Teacher Recruitment #Rajasthan Teacher Vacancy news #Rajasthan Third Grade Teacher Recruitment #rajsanskrit.nic.in #REET 2021 #SSO Portal Rajasthan #sso website #sso.rajasthan.gov.in #Teacher First Level Direct Recruitment 2022 #एसएसओ पोर्टल राजस्थान #निदेशालय संस्कृत शिक्षा राजस्थान #राजस्थान 272 शिक्षक भर्ती #राजस्थान थर्ड ग्रेड शिक्षक भर्ती #राजस्थान न्यूज #राजस्थान लेवल 1 शिक्षक #राजस्थान लेवल-1 शिक्षक भर्ती

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beardedmrbean · 9 months

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It isn’t clear if a $90 million program designed to recruit and retain math and science teachers in middle and high school is working, the Alabama Commission on the Evaluation of Services wrote in a report released last week.

The Teacher Excellence and Accountability for Mathematics and Science, or TEAMS, Program, launched at the start of the 2021-22 school year, “deviates from implementation best practices, lacks defined goals and maintains vague performance metrics,” the report’s authors wrote.

The law establishing the program lacked a specific set of measurable goals, ACES noted, leaving an evaluation of the program without metrics by which to judge the success of the program.

“Without established benchmarks, the overall success of the program cannot be determined in a verifiable way,” ACES stated.

Addressing those findings, a spokesman for the Alabama Department of Education said they appreciate the authors’ findings and that they’ve identified similar issues in internal reviews of the TEAMS program.

The department has a different view about how to judge the program overall, however.

“The TEAMS program is working,” Communications Director Michael Sibley told AL.com. “Alabama now has more high-quality math and science teachers than ever before. We look for continued success and will make any positive changes necessary.”

Initially, the most notable aspect of the TEAMS program was how much more eligible teachers could be paid - up to $20,000 more depending on a teacher’s credentials and whether they teach in a hard-to-staff school. Middle and high school math, science and computer science teachers are eligible for the higher pay.

Lawmakers allocated $90 million to the program for each of the past two school years, though only $38 million was spent in the first year and $59 million has been spent for year two, which is still underway. Outside of direct costs associated with TEAMS, lawmakers allocated $1 million for a marketing campaign to highlight the program.

Teachers have to apply for an allocated TEAMs position; school districts receive one math and one science position for every 105 sixth through 12th grade students enrolled in a school district. Teachers deemed eligible must sign a contract agreeing to complete required training and to have or to be working on a professional credential - either National Board Certification or a STEM credential.

According to information the Alabama Department of Education provided to ACES, one-third of the 7,500 allocated TEAMS positions statewide were filled by a TEAMS-contracted teacher.

But that doesn’t mean the other 5,000 positions weren’t filled, authors noted, just that TEAMS contracts weren’t signed. The state department did not track whether allocated TEAMS positions were filled by highly-qualified teachers who chose not to sign the contract or if those positions were filled by teachers not certified properly.

One early win noted in the report is that districts reported more fully credentialed math and science teachers teaching during the 2022-23 school year. Further, 29 TEAMS teachers came from outside of Alabama to teach, according to reports from the 55 school districts surveyed.

An unintended consequence of paying TEAMS teachers from a higher salary schedule is that the difference in pay caused morale issues among teachers teaching subjects other than math, science and computer science, according to the report. Nearly half of administrators surveyed for the report said the program negatively affected staff morale.

“The leading motivation to sign a TEAMS contract is higher pay, but the incentive negatively affected the morale among other teachers within the system,” the report found.

Improving student achievement in math and science is also a goal, but ACES found no achievement goals have been set. Additionally, the state only requires annual testing in sixth, seventh, eighth and 11th grade.

Even in the tested grades, ACES found, the state currently does not link test scores to individual teachers and therefore can’t measure the impact of a student taught by a TEAMS teacher. Authors recommended the department develop accurate measures and goals for student growth.

The report’s authors noted the short amount of time Alabama Department of Education had to get the program up and running but were critical of implementation, starting with not knowing how many highly-qualified math and science teachers were teaching in Alabama’s classrooms before the TEAMS program began.

“Without determining how many of these teachers existed and where they were located throughout the state,” according to the report, “the growth and progress toward this outcome are difficult to measure.”

Authors said the teacher application and verification process is very slow and paper-heavy, and requires school officials to enter the information manually. That makes it difficult to get teachers into the system. The state department plans to begin automating the credential verification process this summer, but that process won’t be completed until next summer.

ACES noted other problems with the TEAMS program, including the requirement that TEAMS teachers teach only one course not on the list of approved courses. That course, however, still must be designed to improve student achievement in math, science or computer science. Nearly half of the surveyed administrators said that limitation was a “significant issue,” according to the report.

ACES issued nine recommendations for improvement, including streamlining the application process for teachers wanting to become a TEAMS teacher to establishing benchmarks and developing metrics that measure student growth associated with TEAMS teachers.

ACES has completed multiple evaluations of other education-related programs since it was created in 2019.

#nunyas news

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adamwatchesmovies · 8 months

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Sky High (2005)

If you’re making a movie about a high schooler torn between his friends and the popular clique, you’re not going to beat Mean Girls - so what can you do? Add an extra element to make it different. On their own, the high school and superhero elements of Sky High would be forgettable. Together, they make this the kind of movie you’d enjoy as a kid, fondly remember for years, revisit later on and be pleased to see that it holds up.

Will Stronghold (Michael Angarano) is the non-powered son of The Commander (Kurt Russell) and Jetstream (Kelly Preston), the world’s most popular superheroes. He hopes his first day at Sky High - a school for superheroes - will unlock his potential. Although he and his friends are relegated to the “Hero Support” (sidekick) department, he catches the eye of beautiful Gwen Grayson (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). When his powers finally manifest, he begins hanging out with Gwen and the popular crowd, just as Royal Pain - his parents' nemesis presumed dead for 16 years - reemerges.

You can probably see where this story is going. At the end of the day, the “cool kids” are not the people Will can depend upon; it’s his childhood friend Layla (Danielle Panabaker) who is secretly in love with him and can manipulate plants along, with the sidekick misfits: Ethan “Popsicle” Bank (Dee Jay Daniels) who can melt into a puddle of goo, Magenta Lewis (Kelly Vitz) who can turn into a guinea pig, and Zach Braun (Nicholas Braun) who glows in the dark. If Sky High deviated from the formula more, had richer characters, or took a few more chances, it would be a better film. The movie can tell us that sidekicks and heroes should be treated equally all it wants, but Puddle Kid won’t be saving the day anytime soon and the story fails to make him cool by showing him use his ability to crawl beneath doors to spy on people or combining his skills with smarts or martial arts. Similarly, it’s not like Will confronts his father and persuades him to apologize to Royal Pain for the anguish he made them feel while they were in school together; Royal Pain is just evil and needs to be dealt with the old-fashioned way. There’s another layer of depth and intelligence that could’ve been unlocked.

With that said, the movie has a good number of jokes and when the high school and superhero genre are blended, it works well. Bruce Campbell has a small role as Coach Boomer. He provides some big laughs as he puts the new recruits through trials and comments on their potential - or lack thereof. Equally funny are the scenes in “superhero support” class. The teacher, All-American Boy (Dave Foley) is so lame he deserves no respect. The dubiously useful skills he teaches are showcased in a couple of montages that prove this movie knows the superhero genre and has fun both referencing it and poking fun at a few aspects too.

Sky High is at its best when it’s making you laugh but the teenage drama stuff works fairly well too. In the cafeteria, Will has to contest with Warren Peace (Steven Strait) who holds a grudge against the Stronghold family for imprisoning his supervillain father. The story by Paul Hernandez, Bob Schooley & Mark McCorkle makes him more than just a bad guy. Not that the one-dimensional bullies (played by Will Harris and Jake Sandvig) are bad. Actually, they’re fun in a Bulk and Skull kind of way. I just wish the film blended its two genres more consistently in the second and third acts. There is substance in the scenes of Will and his father talking. His heroic abilities are our world's equivalent of being a star football player but the further we go on, the more detached from reality the characters and the story becomes. There are some twists along the way that make the conclusion quite a lot of fun, however.

While Sky High lacks originality, it uses its tried-and-true elements well. It’s good, family-friendly entertainment with a fair number of smartly written bits and some good character moments. (January 8, 2021)

#Sky High #movies #films #movie reviews #film reviews #Mike Mitchell #Andrew Gunn #Kelly Preston #Michael Angarano #Danielle Panabaker #Mary Elizabeth Winstead #Kurt Russell #2005 movies #2005 films

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henryxmonroe-a · 1 year

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have you met henry monroe yet? they’re the thirty-six year old owner of the penalty box that lives around evergreen shores. i think they’ve lived in seattle for eight years. from what i’ve heard, they’re charismatic but they can also be cynical if you get on their bad side. when i think of them, i usually think of stick season by noah kahan.

001.

name: henry monroe.

gender: cis male.

sexual orientation: heterosexual.

age: thirty-six.

birthday: january 01, 1987.

zodiac: capricorn.

birthplace: south burlington, vt.

neighborhood: evergreen shores.

time in seattle: eight years.

career: owner of the penalty box.

family

father: phillip monroe.

mother: charlotte monroe, née watson.

sibling(s): sarah o'connell, née monroe. ( husband: matthew o'connell )

niece: rowan charlotte o'connell.

002.

( triggers: mention of accused infidelity, divorce. )

henry monroe was the second born of franklin and allison monroe. his father was a mechanic and his mother was a school teacher. there was nothing overly exceptional about the family, other than their love and support.

growing up, every child took an interest in something different. his oldest sister had taken a love to little league baseball, while henry found comfort on the ice. his father swears that the first time he stepped onto it, it was like henry was meant to be there, but that’s not what the old camcorder video shows.

what was a hobby turned into something more when he was old enough to hold a stick without tipping over. it didn’t take long for him to realize his talent had come from his father. according to photo of the championship team hung up in the high school, his dad was somewhat of a local legend. it was a lot to live up to, but he did his best.

there was a time where everyone compared him to his father. the expectations were set high and while the pressure weighed down on him, he never caved. that dedication led him to being recruited by the university of minnesota. it was his time there that he fell in love with more than just a sport.

this relationship ( a formal wanted connection will be posted ) lasted well past his college career. in fact, he proposed on draft night after getting picked up by the philadelphia flyers. everything was perfect at first. the move was smooth, their worlds aligned perfectly. he was happy and in love, but things fell apart over time. the fame of the game began getting to him. he was no longer in a rush to get home and there were whispers of infidelity, but it was never true. he was a lot of things, but he wasn’t a cheater. however, his marriage ended when another woman answered his phone on a night out with the team. after that, his wife filed for divorce and he didn’t have the heart or courage to challenge it.

as if his things couldn’t have gotten worse, a couple of weeks later he was alerted that he would be a part of a trade agreement. he would be going to nashville. while here, he didn’t make any waves, but he lived up to the bachelor lifestyle up until he got yet another call. he would be traded once more to the vancouver canucks.

this trade was different. what had once been a fun eighteen hour road trip would have now been an unattainable forty-seven hour drive. in the end, he didn’t have much room to complain. he was a desired defenseman and the money was well worth the transition. however, it was during this time that he purchased a home in seattle. so, during the off season, he spent time in seattle.

at the age of thirty-four, which, in hockey years, felt more like one hundred, he made his final trade of his career. he played for 2021-2022 season before calling it quits.

when he moved to seattle full time for his final season, he put his spare time into the penalty box. with the help of others, it’s been going strong for two years now.

003.

fans. anyone that has watched him play over the years or anyone that is familiar with him. doesn’t have to be a superfan, just someone who would recognize him as a retired hockey player. could also be a hater of his too. i’m down for anything.

fwb. this is something that can be new or something that’s been going on for a bit. he hasn’t really done relationships since his failed marriage, but could be fun to have someone he considers a good friend also be someones he finds comfort in.

patrons. the sports bar serves booze, food, and game nights. there are big screen tvs all around for the big viewings of special sporting events. of course, there are hints of hockey all around, but he’s got a little bit of everything for every sports lovers dream.

neighbors. he lives in evergreen shores, so anyone that lives nearby. we can get creative with this!

ex-wife. i’ll be putting out a wanted connection for this, but super angsty & i would love to plot a lot more on this. she’s mentioned in the bio above as well.

best friend. the biggest brotp of all. would get free booze whenever they come into the bar. basically, someone that knows just about everything there is to know about henry and has been there through his ups and downs.

#sewa.intro #tw infidelity #tw divorce

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shih-coulda-had-it · 1 year

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I posted 2,076 times in 2022

That's 886 more posts than 2021!

496 posts created (24%)

1,580 posts reblogged (76%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@pocketramblr

@blackkatmagic

@redbluenight

@shih-coulda-had-it

@achairwithapandaonit

I tagged 2,075 of my posts in 2022

#bnha - 1,049 posts

#bless you op - 728 posts

#asks - 262 posts

#shih's art - 196 posts

#gran torino - 185 posts

#torino sorahiko - 185 posts

#anon - 173 posts

#shihpost - 150 posts

#tumblr - 110 posts

#shih.txt - 106 posts

Longest Tag: 136 characters

#but he's definitely standing over their bassinet and holding their tiny fists and going 'yesss yess finally. look at your liddle hands.'

My Top Posts in 2022:

repeat after me!

766 notes - Posted October 24, 2022

vice principal all for one au, ft. immortal nedzu, contract-type quirks with legal loopholes afo had not known he could get entangled in, and (of course) afohiko

tl;dr premise: Prior to Nana’s husband’s death, Nedzu manages to trap AfO in a Quirk-binding contract to be U.A.’s vice-principal as a ‘guiding hand to the future of society.’ However, the VP’s responsibilities are subject to Nedzu’s discretion, and Nedzu comes down HARD, effectively rendering AfO as nominally unpaid (he gets free room and board) window dressing.

A few years on, Nedzu hires Gran Torino with the ulterior motive of honey-trapping AfO into revealing the Break Out Scheme (Gran Torino has zero idea this is supposed to happen).

further details:

Nedzu knew Shinomori (4th) when he escaped from the laboratory to the woods; he agreed to watch over Banjo (5th) and after failing the first attempt to subdue AfO with En (6th), managed to ensnare AfO at the cost of En’s life (unbeknownst to Nana).

AfO initially thought this would provide ample opportunity to sabotage the future of one year’s worth of pro heroes. He is swiftly disillusioned - the students, faculty, and general administration of U.A. don’t respect any of his machinations or lessons. Trying to recruit for the League of Villains is a total lost cause, because Nedzu co-opts the name and applies it to some ridiculous after-school drama club.

What are his duties as VP? Meeting with parents and students (most of whom are obtuse and dismissive of him as VP). Planning emergency drills (which, to his chagrin, actually help the students). Doing Nedzu’s paperwork as Nedzu engineers U.A. into being the Most Pro Hero School in the country.

afohiko happens because Nedzu needs a new homeroom teacher for the Hero Course and he suspects AfO of scheming, but he’s too busy with the school’s re-accreditation process to investigate. Knowing from Recovery Girl of Gran Torino’s penchant for dating red flags in the making, Nedzu sets up a meet-cute (job interview) and waits for the dominos to fall.

Toshinori is Nana’s chosen successor, but neither of them know about All for One. He vanished sometime after En passed on OfA, and no amount of digging from either Nana or Sorahiko has unearthed information. What Toshinori does know, however, is that Gran Torino cannot be trusted in one-on-one conversations with Arrogantly Confident (with a Dose of Villainy) People. So he gives it his all - Plus Ultra! - to prevent Gran Torino from flirting with the VP.

872 notes - Posted July 8, 2022

final battle | day seven of ofa legacy week

1,157 notes - Posted May 1, 2022

Frantic shouts rise among the nomads. I snap out of it and direct the syringe toward his wrist. But his armor stops me from finding a vein.

“Open up!” I raise my head.

Half his face is melting.

I shriek, and so does he.

Ch.44: “The Emperor’s Mausoleum”, from @xiranjayzhao‘s Iron Widow

1,341 notes - Posted November 12, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

See the full post

1,781 notes - Posted March 29, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#long post #tumblr #year in review #shihpost #THE EXES OF GRAN TORINO CLUB MAKES IT TO FIRST PLACE #god congratz to me for getting one non bnha thing past 1k notes #and also congratz to me for having two torino tags in the top ten

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zuko-always-lies · 1 year

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I posted 7,113 times in 2022

That's 4,927 more posts than 2021!

1,967 posts created (28%)

5,146 posts reblogged (72%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@zuko-always-lies

@balsa-margarita

@akiizayoi4869

@wingsfreedom

@lightdancer1

I tagged 2,798 of my posts in 2022

#azula - 1,371 posts

#zuko - 899 posts

#mai - 365 posts

#ty lee - 265 posts

#katara - 241 posts

#iroh - 190 posts

#au idea - 187 posts

#aang - 169 posts

#ursa - 169 posts

#ozai - 156 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#at the very least azula went to school with other children at some time in her life and was actually able to form a couple close friendships

My Top Posts in 2022:

The sad thing is that all the really weird discourse around “Zuko Alone” (and particularly the fucking doll) means that people have systematically ignored how the episode is a great depiction of how Zuko and Azula were indoctrinated into imperialist ideology by the adults around them, particularly Ursa and Iroh. We see:

1. Ursa read aloud to Zuko and Azula a letter from the war front, intimately connecting the children to the imperialist war.

2. In it, Iroh jokes about burning Ba Sing Se to the ground, and Ursa smiles at the joke as the children laugh, normalizing to them the violent and destructive conquest of the Earth Kingdom.

3. Iroh literally sends his niece and nephew the spoils of the conquest as gifts, with Zuko’s knife in particular explicitly being taken from a surrender Earth Kingdom general. Ursa of course actively participates in this gift giving, further normalizing it.

4. Ursa repeatedly reinforces to her children that they should show the utmost respect to the Firelord and to the line of succession(i.e. the core of the Fire Nation’s imperialist regime).

5. Ozai expects his children to show detailed knowledge of Firelord Sozin’s conquests to impress him, reinforcing the importance of this knowledge to them.

6. Zuko and Azula see Ozai deride Iroh’s withdrawal, reinforcing the idea that imperialist conquests should be fought through to their conclusion, no matter the cost.

7. At Azulon’s funeral, he’s praised for his conquests and success in battle.

Edit: 8. Ozai has Azula demonstrate her firebending skill in front of Azulon, thus emphasizing the importance of firebending ability to the children.

551 notes - Posted August 6, 2022

Toph was forced into joining Team Avatar more than she chose to do so[Toph meta]

Team Avatar didn’t intend this to happen, but their actions inadvertently led to this situation.

Before I begin, I would like to note that the conventional narrative surrounding Toph’s decision to join with the Gaang usually amounts to something like “Toph joined up because she was unhappy with her life with her parents and wanted a life of adventure.” At least, that’s what I thought until I happened to have a moment of insight recently. I happened to see a post which reminded me of this exchange from “The Chase”:

Katara: Ever since joining us you've been nothing but selfish and unhelpful. Toph: What? (Doing a half turn and pointing at Katara again.) Look here, sugar queen, (Drops arm and continues, Katara makes a gesture like she wants to interject.) I gave up everything I had so that I could teach Aang earthbending, so don't you talk to me about being selfish!

This didn’t exactly correspond to the conventional wisdom on why she joined Team Avatar. As we shall see, it doesn’t exactly correspond with the reality of what happened, either, yet it’s easy to see why Toph feels that way.

In “The Blind Bandit,” Toph’s introductory episode, Team Avatar try to recruit Toph since Aang thinks she’s destined to be his earthbending teacher. Their first real exchange goes like this:

Aang: (airbending himself to his feet) Well, a crazy king told me I had to find an earthbender who listens to the earth. And then I had a vision in a magic swamp and... Katara: (cutting Aang off) What Aang is trying to say is, he's the Avatar, and if he doesn't master earthbending soon he won't be able to defeat the Fire Lord. (The Bandit sticks her open hand in Katara's face, who looks taken aback.) Toph: Not my problem. Now get out of here or I'll call the guards. Sokka: Look, we all have to do our part to win this war. And yours is to teach Aang earthbending. (Cut to a shot of the Bandit's back as Sokka speaks. When he concludes, she turns around, looking distraught.) Toph: Guards! Guards, help!

Toph declines the offer to join, while demonstrating she doesn’t care that much about the war or regard it as her job to help lead the Earth Kingdom to victory.

Later on, Aang and Toph have a more substantial exchange:

Toph: Even though I was born blind, I've never had a problem seeing. (They reach the end of the bridge and she jumps off the guardrail and lands on the ground.) Toph: I see with earthbending. It's kind of like seeing with my feet. I can feel the vibrations in the earth, and I can see where everything is. You, that tree, even those ants. (The screen zooms backward three times as Toph speaks, each time showing a wider overhead shot of the pair. At the mention of the ants, cut to a shot from ground level showing Aang and Toph in the background. In the foreground, some ants are silhouetted waling across over a mound of dirt. Aang looks around, but is unable to see that ants that Toph is talking about. He finally turns to her with a smile.) Aang: That's amazing. Toph: (frustrated) My parents don't understand. They've always treated me like I was helpless. Aang: Is that why you became The Blind Bandit? Toph: Yeah. Aang: Then why stay here where you're not happy? Toph: They're my parents. Where else am I supposed to go? Aang: (pause, then with a smile) You could come with us. Toph: Yeah. You guys get to go wherever you want. No one telling you what to do, that's the life. It's just not my life. (The camera slowly zooms in on Toph as she speaks. When she concludes, her head turns suddenly as she senses something amiss. She drops to her knees and places a hand on the ground.)

Toph emphasizes that she feels the allure of the Gaang’s lifestyle and freedom, but also that she wants to remain home with her parents, even though she has to hide who she is from them and they don’t understand her. Although this isn’t directly stated, a huge issue here is that she deeply loves them and doesn’t want to leave them. Her real wish is that her parents would not only love her but understand her and allow her openly live the kind of active life she loves.

Obviously, Toph and Aang soon get kidnapped, and Toph has to step up to save Aang in front of her parents and show them the other side of her to their disbelieving eyes.

Katara: Toph, there's too many of them. We need an earthbender. We need you! (Toph, Lao and Yu turn to look backwards, then cut to a shot of Lao.) Lao: (angry) My daughter is blind. (camera pans down and to the left to reveal Toph, holding her father's hand) She is blind and tiny and helpless and fragile. (Toph closes her eyes) She cannot help you. (Toph snaps her hand back from her father's.) Toph: Yes, I can.

Note, however, that she never says anything in this scene which amounts to a commitment to join Team Avatar.

Soon Toph has defeated her opponents, and she, her parents, and Team Avatar sit down for a chat.

Toph: Dad, I know it's hard for you to see me this way, but the obedient little helpless blind girl that you think I am just isn't me. I love fighting. I love being an earthbender. And I'm really, really good at it. I know I've kept my life secret from you, but you were keeping me secret from the whole world. You were doing it to protect me. But I'm twelve years old and I've never had a real friend. So now that you see who I really am, I hope it doesn't change the way you feel about me. Lao: Of course it doesn't change the way I feel about you, Toph. It's made me realize something. Toph: (hopeful) It has? Lao: Yes. I've let you have far too much freedom. From now on, you will be cared for and guarded 24 hours a day. Toph: But dad! Mrs. Bei Fong: We are doing this for your own good, Toph.

Note that Toph does not actually ask for her parent’s permission to join Team Avatar. She doesn’t even mention the possibility, nor does she say anything which amounts to her agreeing to do so if her parents give her permission. In fact, from what we’ve seen in this episode, it’s not clear if anyone has ever actually unambiguously articulated the fact that Team Avatar wants Toph to join them as Aang’s earthbending teacher to Toph’s parents.

Instead, what Toph asks her parents to do is accept her as who she is. She wants their acceptance of who she really is more than anything. It seems like what she wants to do is to be able to live an active lifestyle while staying with her parents, wants them to love her for who she is while allowing her to combine her lives. She doesn’t want to leave with Team Avatar, she wants to stay at home and live a free life with loving, understanding parents. It’s not clear if Team Avatar understands that this is what she’s asking for, though.

Of course, Toph’s parents reject this, and instead tell her that they will do everything they can to control her, eliminate her double life, and prevent from being active at all. Hence the following exchange:

Aang: I'm sorry, Toph. Toph: I'm sorry, too. Goodbye, Aang.

This is just about the only lines in the episode you could plausibly read as evidence Toph had already decided she wanted to join Team Avatar.

When Team Avatar first arrived, Toph had a choice: she could either continue to live her double life even though she felt unhappy since her parents didn’t accept the real her, or she could leave them behind for a life of adventure. She choose the former. Due to the unintended consequences of Team Avatar’s actions, she no longer had that choice by the end of the episode. She could only choose between becoming nothing more than her parent’s perfect, controlled, doll, or joining the Gaang. Both what she really wanted(her parents’ acceptance of the real her) and the compromise she could live with were gone. Hence the following scene:

Cut to a shot of the bushes behind them. Toph runs through them, breathing heavily. Aang's turns to see her with a look of wonder.) Aang: Toph! What are you doing here? Toph: My dad changed his mind. He said I was free to travel the world. Sokka: (he and Katara look at each quickly) Well, we'd better get out of here - before your dad changes his mind again. Toph: Good idea. Aang: You're gonna be a great teacher, Toph. Toph: (slyly) Speaking of which, I want to show you something. Aang: Okay. (Aang airbends himself out of Appa's driver's seat. As he lands in front of Toph, she taps the ground with her foot and a rock erupts from the ground, throwing Aang out of the frame. Cut to a shot from the branches of a nearby tree. Aang hangs from one of them by his feet.) Toph: Now we're even.

This makes it understand why Toph was carrying around so much resentment in the next episode she appears in “The Chase,” and why she was so willing to leave the Gaang behind then.

613 notes - Posted July 5, 2022

One thing I’m eternally grateful for is that in ATLA trauma and suffering don’t make you a better person, don’t make you a more compassionate person:

Zuko being burned, banished, abused, etc. didn’t make a better person; arguably it made him a much worse person(but it’s very hard to tell since our perspective on pre-exile Zuko is so limited).

Azula being abused didn’t make her a better person.

Jet being orphaned by the Fire Nation didn’t make a better person; it just embittered him and made him committed to winning the war, no matter the cost.

Mai and Ty Lee having awful family lives didn’t turn them good people, or people who weren’t OK with imperial conquest. It didn’t make them nicer or more compassionate.

Sokka and Katara losing their mother and being left behind by their father didn’t make them better people; being victims of genocide didn’t make them better people.

Hama being brutalized just embittered her and led her down a dark path.

Suffering just hurts people(and often makes them bitter and angry), it doesn’t lead them becoming nicer or more compassionate or more pure or more moral or free of sin.

Why am I making a point of this? Because LoK pretty explicitly claims the opposite, claims that Korra suffering awful trauma after awful trauma served to make her better and more compassionate and more empathetic. Fuck that idea!

637 notes - Posted March 10, 2022

Iroh would be such an awful role model for Azula. And I don’t mean “Dragon of the West Iroh,” I mean “redeemed Iroh.”

687 notes - Posted September 22, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

If you live in the U.S. and you’re 12+, you’re eligible for the updated bivalent anti-omicron booster shot, and it should be available in your local pharmacy.

Please reblog this post, as there’s been very little news coverage and shockingly little propagation of information about the availability of updated boosters.

33,010 notes - Posted September 17, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #Azula

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