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if-you-fan-a-fire · 2 years

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“Selective Service Plan Outlined,” Sault Star. April 9, 1942. Page 3. ---- Individual Rights To Protected As Far As Possible Be ---- OTTAWA April 9— (CP) — The government's National Selective Service program will impose a measure of regimentation but will be applied in a democratic, Canadian way, with the rights of the individual protected as far as possible, Elliott M. Little, National Selective Service Director, said last night in an address over the national network of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

In his first public address since his appointment, Mr. Little summarized the manpower program in this sentence:

“The whole purpose of selective service is to give each Canadian the Job he or she can do best in this war."

Public employment offices will become increasingly important in the program he said asking both employers and workers to use these offices which would be increased and enlarged to aid in the selective service program.

Mr. Little’s address included clarification of a number of points on which he said there had been some misunderstanding.

“We are mobilizing our manpower and our womanpower but we are doing it the Canadian way,” Mr. Little said. “The government will protect the rights of the individual as far as possible.

“People are asking what they should do. While we are putting this program on its feet they should stick at their present work. A tremendous amount of time and energy is lost by people hopping from one job to another, all too often just for the sake of a change. The shift-over to complete war production can really be made gradually.

“As additional workers are needed in war plants we’ll let you know.”

Total war meant a life-and-death struggle which must be fought in the factories producing weapons in the fields growing food and on the battlefield wherever the enemy could be met.

Still Below Germany Canada at present devoted 40 per cent of her national energy to prosecution of the war on the production front a big increase from the 10 per cent peak of the first Great War but still far below the 70 per cent in effect in Germany, Mr. Little said.

“As a free people we don’t like the idea of regimentation but we are beginning to wake up to the fact that we must accept a measure of regimentation in Canada temporarily, if we are not to have slavery forced upon us permanently,'” he continued.

“National Selective Service may have phases which will hurt as time goes on but I would point out that these regulations are no more drastic than such economic regulations as the price ceiling and wage control which had no precedents in any democracy.”

The need for 300,000 additional people in the next 12 months— 100,000 in munition production and 200,000 in the armed forces — would be met by encouraging workers to transfer from non-essential jobs to war industry and the fighting forces by increasing the number of women in industry and from boys and girls coming of age, Mr. Little said.

All Will Be Affected “All will be affected by this program in time,” Mr. Little said. “This means a certain measure of regimentation but I assure you this adjustment will be brought about with the least possible compulsion. That is the democratic way and your government is depending on your cooperation rather than on the force of law.

“The law will of course have teeth for the few who have to be persuaded."

The program would provide an answer to the question “What can I do to help?" and would be put into effect as quickly as possible, with every effort made to avoid confusion through careful planning already underway.

Clarifying the regulations on restricted industries and restricted occupations which apply to able-bodied men between the ages of 17 and 45, Mr. Little took bookkeeping as an example.

Bookkeeping was a restricted job whether it was in a munition plant or a confectionery shop. “This does not mean that if you are a male bookkeeper between 17 and 45 and physically fit, you must quit your work. It means that if you are between 17 and 45 and physically fit, you can't take such a job if one is open unless you have a permit."

In issuing work permits for restricted occupation the selective service officers at present local managers of the unemployment insurance commission would use great care before issuing a permit to single men in the age groups subject to draft t call 21 to 30 years but would show 'more leniency to married men with dependents, Mr. Little said.

#public address #director of national selective service #selective service #canadian broadcasting corporation #conscription of wealth #conscription of labour #conscription in canada #conscription #restricted occupations #national mobilization #total mobilization #canada during world war 2

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mostlysignssomeportents · 1 year

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Netflix wants to chop down your family tree

Netflix has unveiled the details of its new anti-password-sharing policy, detailing a suite of complex gymnastics that customers will be expected to undergo if their living arrangements trigger Netflix’s automated enforcement mechanisms:

https://thestreamable.com/news/confirmed-netflix-unveils-first-details-of-new-anti-password-sharing-measures

If you’d like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here’s a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/02/nonbinary-families/#red-envelopes

Netflix says that its new policy allows members of the same “household” to share an account. This policy comes with an assumption: that there is a commonly understood, universal meaning of “household,” and that software can determine who is and is not a member of your household.

This is a very old corporate delusion in the world of technology. In the early 2000s, I spent years trying to bring some balance to an effort at DVB, whose digital television standards are used in most of the world (but not the USA) when they rolled out CPCM, a DRM system that was supposed to limit video-sharing to a single household.

Their term of art for this was the “authorized domain”: a software-defined family unit whose borders were privately negotiated by corporate executives from media companies, broadcasters, tech and consumer electronics companies in closed-door sessions all around the world, with no public minutes or proceedings.

https://onezero.medium.com/the-internet-heist-part-iii-8561f6d5a4dc

These guys (they were nearly all guys) were proud of how much “flexibility” they’d built into their definition of “household.” For example, if you owned a houseboat, or a luxury car with seatback displays, or a summer villa in another country, the Authorized Domain would be able to figure out how to get the video onto all those screens.

But what about other kinds of families? I suggested that one of our test cases should be a family based in Manila: where the dad travels to remote provinces to do agricultural labor; the daughter is a nanny in California; and the son is doing construction work in the UAE. This suggestion was roundly rejected as an “edge case.”

Of course, this isn’t an edge case. There are orders of magnitude more people whose family looks like this than there are people whose family owns a villa in another country. Owning a houseboat or a luxury car makes you an outlier. Having an itinerant agricultural breadwinner in your family does not.

But everyone who is in the room when a cartel draws up a standard definition of what constitutes a household is almost certainly drawn from a pool that is more likely to have a summer villa than a child doing domestic work or construction labor half a world away. These weirdos, so dissimilar from the global majority, get to define the boxes that computers will shove the rest of the world into. If your family doesn’t look like their family, that’s tough: “Computer says no.”

One day at a CPCM meeting, we got to talking about the problem of “content laundering” and how the way to prevent it would be to put limits on how often someone could leave a household and join another one. No one, they argued, would ever have to change households every week.

I put my hand up and said, “What about a child whose divorced parents share custody of her? She’s absolutely going to change households every week.” They thought about it for a moment, then the rep from a giant IT company that had recently been convicted of criminal antitrust violations said, “Oh, we can solve that: we’ll give her a toll-free number to call when she gets locked out of her account.”

That was the solution they went with. If you are a child coping with the dissolution of your parents’ marriage, you will have the obligation to call up a media company every month — or more often — and explain that Mummy and Daddy don’t love each other any more, but can I please have my TV back?

I never forgot that day. I even wrote a science fiction story about it called (what else?) “Authorized Domain”:

https://craphound.com/news/2011/10/31/authorised-domain/

I think everyone understood that this was an absurd “solution,” but they had already decided that they were going to complete the seemingly straightforward business of defining a category like “household” using software, and once that train left the station, nothing was going to stop it.

This is a recurring form of techno-hubris: the idea that baseline concepts like “family” have crisp definitions and that any exceptions are outliers that would never swallow the rule. It’s such a common misstep that there’s a whole enre* called “Falsehoods Programmers Believe About ______”:

https://github.com/kdeldycke/awesome-falsehood

In that list: names, time, currency, birthdays, timezones, email addresses, national borders, nations, biometrics, gender, language, alphabets, phone numbers, addresses, systems of measurement, and, of course, families. These categories are touchstones in our everyday life, and we think we know what they mean — but then we try to define them, and the list of exceptions spirals out into a hairy, fractal infinity.

Historically, these fuzzy categorical edges didn’t matter so much, because they were usually interpreted by humans using common sense. My grandfather was born “Avrom Doctorovitch” (or at least, that’s one way to transliterate his name, which was spelled in a different alphabet, but which was also transliterating his first name from yet another alphabet). When he came to Canada as a refugee, his surname was anglicized to “Doctorow.” Other cousins are “Doctorov,” “Doctoroff,” and “Doktorovitch.”

Naturally, his first name could have been “Abraham” or “Abe,” but his first employer (a fellow Eastern European emigre) decided that was too ethnic and in sincere effort to help him fit in, he called my grandfather “Bill.” When my grandfather attained citizenship, his papers read “Abraham William Doctorow.” He went by “Abe,” “Billy,” “Bill,” “William,” “Abraham” and “Avrom.”

Practically, it didn’t matter that variations on all of these appeared on various forms of ID, contracts, and paperwork. His reparations check from the German government had a different variation from the name on the papers he used to open his bank account, but the bank still let him deposit it.

All of my relatives from his generation have more than one name. Another grandfather of mine was born “Aleksander,” and called “Sasha” by friends, but had his name changed to “Seymour” when he got to Canada. His ID was also a mismatched grab-bag of variations on that theme.

None of this mattered to him, either. Airlines would sell him tickets and border guards would stamp his passport and rental agencies would let him drive away in cars despite the minor variations on all his ID.

But after 9/11, all that changed, for everyone who had blithely trundled along with semi-matching names across their official papers and database entries. Suddenly, it was “computer says no” everywhere you turned, unless everything matched perfectly. There was a global rush for legal name-changes after 9/11 — not because people changed their names, but because people needed to perform the bureaucratic ritual necessary to have the name they’d used all along be recognized in these new, brittle, ambiguity-incinerating machines.

For important categories, ambiguity is a feature, not a bug. The fact that you can write anything on an envelope (including a direction to deliver the letter to the granny flat over the garage, not the front door) means that we don’t have to define “address” — we can leave it usefully hairy around the edges.

Once the database schema is formalized, then “address” gets defined too — the number of lines it can have, the number of characters each line can have, the kinds of characters and even words (woe betide anyone who lives in Scunthorpe).

If you have a “real” address, a “real” name, a “real” date of birth, all of this might seem distant to you. These “edge” cases — seasonal agricultural workers, refugees with randomly assigned “English” names — are very far from your experience.

That’s true — for now (but not forever). The “Shitty Technology Adoption Curve” describes the process by which abusive technologies work their way up the privilege gradient. Every bad technological idea is first rolled out on poor people, refugees, prisoners, kids, mental patients and other people who can’t push back.

Their bodies are used to sand the rough edges and sharp corners off the technology, to normalize it so that it can climb up through the social ranks, imposed on people with more and more power and influence. 20 years ago, if you ate your dinner under an always-on #CCTV, it was because you were in a supermax prison. Today, it’s because you bought a premium home surveillance system from Google, Amazon or Apple.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/07/29/impunity-corrodes/#arise-ye-prisoners

The Netflix anti-sharing tools are designed for rich people. If you travel for business and stay in the kind of hotel where the TV has its own Netflix client that you can plug your username and password into, Netflix will give you a seven-day temporary code to use.

But for the most hardcore road-warriors, Netflix has thin gruel. Unless you connect to your home wifi network every 31 days and stream a show, Netflix will lock out your devices. Once blocked, you have to “contact Netflix” (laughs in Big Tech customer service).

Why is Netflix putting the screws to its customers? It’s part of the enshittification cycle, where platform companies first allocate surpluses to their customers, luring them in and using them as bait for business customers. Once they turn up, the companies reallocate surpluses to businesses, lavishing them with low commissions and lots of revenue opportunities. And once they’re locked in, the company starts to claw back the surpluses for itself.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/21/potemkin-ai/#hey-guys

Remember when Netflix was in the business of mailing red envelopes full of DVDs around the country? That was allocating surpluses to users. The movie companies hated this, viewed it as theft — a proposition that was at least as valid as Netflix’s complaints about password sharing, but every pirate wants to be an admiral, and when Netflix did it to the studios, that was “progress,” but when you do it to Netflix, that’s theft.

Then, once Netflix had users locked in and migrated to the web (and later, apps), it shifted surpluses to studios, paying fat licensing fees to stream their movies and connect them to a huge audience.

Finally, once the studios were locked in, Netflix started to harvest the surplus for its shareholders: raising prices, lowering streaming rates, knocking off other studios’ best performing shows with in-house clones, etc. Users’ surpluses are also on the menu: the password “sharing” that let you define a household according to your family’s own idiosyncratic contours is unilaterally abolished in a quest to punish feckless Gen Z kids for buying avocado toast instead of their own Netflix subscriptions.

Netflix was able to ignore the studios’ outraged howls when it built a business by nonconsenually distributing their products in red envelopes. But now that Netflix has come for your family, don’t even think about giving Netfix some of what it gave to the MPAA.

As a technical matter, it’s not really that hard to modify Netflix’s app so that every stream you pull seems to come from your house, no matter where you are. But doing so would require reverse-engineering Netflix’s app, and that would violate Section 1201 of the DMCA, the CFAA, and eleventy-seven other horrible laws. Netflix’s lawyers would nuke you until the rubble bounced.

When Netflix was getting started, it could freely interoperate with the DVDs that the studios had put on the market. It could repurpose those DVDs in ways that the studios strenuously objected to. In other words, Netfix used adversarial interoperability (AKA Competitive Compatibility or ComCom) to launch its business:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/10/adversarial-interoperability

Today, Netflix is on the vanguard of the war to abolish adversarial interop. They helped lead the charge to pervert W3C web-standards, creating a DRM video standard called EME that made it a crime to build a full-featured browser without getting permission from media companies and restricting its functionality to their specifications:

https://blog.samuelmaddock.com/posts/the-end-of-indie-web-browsers/

When they used adversarial interoperability to build a multi-billion-dollar global company using the movie studios’ products in ways the studios hated, that was progress. When you define “family” in ways that makes Netflix less money, that’s felony contempt of business model.

[Image ID: A Victorian family tree template populated by tintypes of old-timey people. In the foreground stands a menacing, chainsaw-wielding figure, his face obscured by a hoodie. The blade of the chainsaw is poised to chop down the family tree. A Netflix 'N' logo has been superimposed over the man's face.]

#pluralistic #enshittification #shitty technology adoption curve #cpcm #interoperabiltiy #comcom #adversarial interoperability #interop #netflix #family #ambiguity #digitizatio #nym wars #authorized domain #dvb #dvds #password sharing

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mckitterick · 10 months

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The End Is Near: "News" organizations using AI to create content, firing human writers

source: X

an example "story" now comes with this warning:

A new byline showed up Wednesday on io9: “Gizmodo Bot.” The site’s editorial staff had no input or advance notice of the new AI-generator, snuck in by parent company G/O Media.

G/O Media’s AI-generated articles are riddled with errors and outdated information, and block reader comments.

“As you may have seen today, an AI-generated article appeared on io9,” James Whitbrook, deputy editor at io9 and Gizmodo, tweeted. “I was informed approximately 10 minutes beforehand, and no one at io9 played a part in its editing or publication.”

Whitbrook sent a statement to G/O Media along with “a lengthy list of corrections.” In part, his statement said, “The article published on io9 today rejects the very standards this team holds itself to on a daily basis as critics and as reporters. It is shoddily written, it is riddled with basic errors; in closing the comments section off, it denies our readers, the lifeblood of this network, the chance to publicly hold us accountable, and to call this work exactly what it is: embarrassing, unpublishable, disrespectful of both the audience and the people who work here, and a blow to our authority and integrity.”

He continued, “It is shameful that this work has been put to our audience and to our peers in the industry as a window to G/O’s future, and it is shameful that we as a team have had to spend an egregious amount of time away from our actual work to make it clear to you the unacceptable errors made in publishing this piece.”

According to the Gizmodo Media Group Union, affiliated with WGA East, the AI effort has “been pushed by” G/O Media CEO Jim Spanfeller, recently hired editorial director Merrill Brown, and deputy editorial director Lea Goldman.

In 2019, Spanfeller and private-equity firm Great Hill Partners acquired Gizmodo Media Group (previously Gawker Media) and The Onion.

The Writers Guild of America issued a blistering condemnation of G/O Media’s use of artificial intelligence to generate content.

“These AI-generated posts are only the beginning. Such articles represent an existential threat to journalism. Our members are professionally harmed by G/O Media’s supposed ‘test’ of AI-generated articles.”

WGA added, “But this fight is not only about members in online media. This is the same fight happening in broadcast newsrooms throughout our union. This is the same fight our film, television, and streaming colleagues are waging against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) in their strike.”

The union, in its statement, said it “demands an immediate end of AI-generated articles on G/O Media sites,” which include The A.V. Club, Deadspin, Gizmodo, Jalopnik, Jezebel, Kotaku, The Onion, Quartz, The Root, and The Takeout.

but wait, there's more:

Just weeks after news broke that tech site CNET was secretly using artificial intelligence to produce articles, the company is doing extensive layoffs that include several longtime employees, according to multiple people with knowledge of the situation. The layoffs total 10 percent of the public masthead.

Greedy corporate sleazeballs using artificial intelligence are replacing humans with cost-free machines to barf out garbage content.

This is what end-stage capitalism looks like: An ouroborus of machines feeding machines in a downward spiral, with no room for humans between the teeth of their hungry gears.

Anyone who cares about human life, let alone wants to be a writer, should be getting out the EMP tools and burning down capitalist infrastructure right now before it's too late.

#artificial intelligence #journalism #writing #disasters #the end times #late stage capitalism

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decolonize-the-left · 3 months

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Reading more of Project2025 and y'all...cancelling federally funded shows that are "too liberal" is on there. Like NPR & PBS

Yeah. Cancelling Sesame Street is literally part of an evil white supremacist plot to overthrow the government. I hate it as much as you do.

Page 247 of the mandate:

Defunding CPB would by no means cause NPR or PBS—or other public broadcasters that benefit from CPB funding, including the even-further-to-the Left Pacifica Radio and American Public Media—to file for bankruptcy. The membership model that the CPB uses, along with the funding from corporations and foundations that it also receives, would allow these broadcasters to continue to thrive. As George Will wrote, “If ‘Sesame Street’' programming were put up for auction, the danger would be of getting trampled by the stampede of potential bidders.” Indeed, “Sesame Street” is on HBO now, which shows its potential as a money earner"

Screenshot of the full page:

#project 2025 #usa #us politics #the heritage foundation #biden

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seat-safety-switch · 3 months

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A lot of radio stations have gone away in my part of the world. Corporate greedheads decided that they're just too expensive to operate, so they shut 'em down. Nobody was left to leave by then, though. DJs in distant castles were running four, maybe five "morning zoo" programs at once. Harried technicians were on contract. The offices sat empty, unlocked, and available.

The first inkling we received that something had gone wrong was an ill-advised radio broadcast. Across the city, a bunch of auto-tuning FM radio receivers trying to avoid commercials latched onto the old, dead frequency, now very much alive. Alive with what? Alive with the sound of the microphone on a local DJ's vacant desk, left open to the elements while a magpie and a seagull fought over the decades-old remnants of the sandwich he was eating at the precise moment he was fired.

Somehow, through some trick of giga-corporate ultra-consolidation, they had simply forgotten to sell the offices to someone else. Maybe there was no one else who wanted a radio station. Soon, a community of weirds developed around the area. At first, it was just the usual kinds: poets, beatniks, scooter enthusiasts: people used to scuffles with the law and with, at best, a wilfully incomplete understanding of the law. We waited for them to get arrested, but it never came.

The cops didn't care. No corporation was screaming at them that their rights were being violated. The newspaper that would have bullied the Chief was part of the sweep of radio stations that died. More people followed into this great communal experiment, self-organizing themselves into a replica of the ancient radio schedules. Call-in shows. Top-40 pop music. Long discussions into the night about which recreational substances should be legalized. It was glorious, but then it ended.

Turns out that Uncle Ted's Copper Theft Hour got one of its guests a little bit too worked up, and he decided to do a live demonstration right in the studio. The transmitter was down for two weeks, until someone could steal enough metal from Home Depot and an overturned self-driving drycleaning van to bring it back to life. By then, though, the passion had gone out of it. All the weirds, now unable to force their opinions on others without response, had scattered to the four winds, starting lawn care businesses and mimeographing crank newsletters at the public library.

It was the end of an era, but I don't regret anything about it. I got like seven dollars in wire out of that place, which was enough to buy a working stereo from the Pick N Pull so I could listen to the show.

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allthecanadianpolitics · 1 year

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Not only is CBC/Radio-Canada's editorial independence guaranteed under Canada's Broadcasting Act, but our journalism is subject to rigorous standards, to which we're held publicly accountable through an independent Ombudsman office.

That is why the CBC objects to how Twitter has defined and applied the label of "government-funded media" to CBC's main corporate account — and to other public media organizations around the world over the past week. It is why we have paused Twitter activity on our news and information accounts, mirroring a simultaneous halt to Twitter activity across CBC entertainment, sports, communications, corporate and Radio-Canada accounts.

Full article

Tagging: @politicsofcanada

CBC is up in arms about being labelled government-funded media when it is quite literally government-funded media. Frankly, colonist media sources hate having this label applied to them but demand that media sources from other (non-rich and/or non-white) countries that they deem inferior be assigned this label. You can't have it both ways, either apply it to all government funded media or none at all.

CBC acts like they're above being called government funded media and it's honestly just a colonial sense of superiority. The label doesn't even claim or imply that they're corrupt! It's a statement of fact that they recieve government funding!

I have no love for Twitter but this just shouldn't be a big deal.

(commentary by Samira, @politicsofcanada)

#cdnpoli #canadian politics #canadian news #canadian #canada #CBC #radio-canada #twitter #journalism #media #government funded media #state funded media

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yesloulou · 2 months

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Hi friend.

Actually just today, my friend and I was talking about Daniel after the race. He’s been watching F1 for way longer then me. I expressed my concern over the last two weeks even though this is only the beginning of the szn. He said and I summerised, currently DR can only be in midfield teams is cus while he dose have the skills, he’s too unserious for like SF or MER, but his unseriousness brings great publicity for midfield teams.

I think in some aspects this may be true. But It’s just, like, idk, thought of this hits me. I know this jester aura (?) often surrounded him and people saying it’s great for marketing and stuff, but isn’t that a bit unfair tho? Maybe DR is always DR, way before F1 he is DR, and now all of a sudden his a publicity stun.

(feel sad for millionaires)

Idk what will happen after this szn but I really hope he keeps racing.

You know when you look at someone and look at what they do, you just go like, yeah for sure that’s what they do? I look at Daniel and I have this feeling. He’s a racer, always have been and always will, maybe he’ll go to Indy or some other competitions if this doesn’t work out, but in heart he’s a racer, he belongs to the track and the speed.

That’s just how I feel, and don’t really know who I can say this to, so thank you for letting me vent.

Wish him all the best for home race.

this is so sweet (the way you worry for daniel's prospects) and '(feel sad for millionaires)' got me irl lol 😭 your friend sounds like he's watched f1 for a long time but i would disagree with his conclusion. i provide that:

allegedly ferrari decided to not go for daniel after seeing him dance with daniil kvyat in the pit lane to entertain fans during rain delay at usgp 2015. the situation first of all was fortunately and unfortunately more nuanced than daniel being "unserious". the ferrari at the time was also run by arrivabene during bernie ecclestone's f1 reign. the ferrari today, two team principles later and after liberty media's f1 takeover, has changed in many ways. for example, in 2022 they had charles and carlos do this tiktok trend which definitely, definitely flirted with "the boundaries" (whatever that means) way more. so no, even tho daniel doesn't drive for ferrari, i wouldn't say he is "too unserious" for them.

merc is considered a more "corporate" environment in f1, example is valtteri's change in public image after leaving mercedes. however given that at the end of 2022 toto went as far as literally wearing daniel's merch in an attempt to reserve him for mercedes, i'd say obviously they don't consider daniel "too unserious" either.

publicity in f1 just generally cannot be a bad thing. more people interested in watching a driver means more sponsors willing to pay $$$$ to put their names and logos onto their livery. and more $$$$ means better chances at making a faster car, which is a goal of every team's. one can argue that a successful and financially secure team like red bull or ferrari might not be attracted to the benefit of a driver's popularity as much. but again, sports rely on viewership to sell broadcasting rights and ad spots, and publicity just generally can't be a bad thing.

i know the first two races were not great but this season literally just started. nothing is real yet. and daniel at least ended this week on a positive note so even more reasons to look ahead. the thing about f1 is that there is one winner and nineteen others. so as long as you're watching you're basically guaranteed more bad days than good ones. we can't all be watching bc we all believe our blorbos will be wdc, right? we watch and hope that something good might just happen. like if you think about it even though daniel has been out here causing us stress all these years he still manages to pull off minor to major miracles every year or two. this hopefulness is very precious so i say we watch it for that.

anyways. i hope this made you feel better and more excited about the season ❤️❤️❤️

#season that we’re gonna watch together so worry not!!!!!#asks #*#daniel ricciardo #txt

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roguehongsami · 5 months

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Velvet Crowbar | Pt. 4

pairing/s: rockstar!wooyoung x fem!couturier

genre/s: fluff, angst, au

synopsis: y/n's wedding turns into a televised public lynching, which almost costs her her career.

content: 1995/2001. closure, public humiliation, reconciliation, pregnancy.

word count: 3.9k

navigation: part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4

masterlist here

↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺ selena // dreaming of you

"I know you're all very busy people, so I'll keep it brief; I'll be stepping down as the CEO of Archibald Scott. Effective immediately." Y/N spoke sternly.

There were protests coming from all the board members. Taken aback by this announcement.

"The runway show was a massive success, your line just put the organization on the map. Why the sudden departure?" a board member, Mrs. Phelps queried.

"In a few weeks, there are personal matters that are going to come into light. And I'd prefer to handle them as an individual entity, and not as the corporation's figurehead."

[ . . . ]

With Wooyoung's advice, Y/N made her deadline. The launch of her new junior line, inspired by her youth, was a success. Every publication was singing her praises after the runway show. Introducing an alternative-inspired look in haute couture was a career-defining risk, one that shot her to exospheric heights. Archibald Scott was officially in the big leagues, challenging heavyweight houses.

Everything fell into place.

The wedding day had finally arrived, and it could not be any more perfect. The big day was held at a massive cathedral with gothic architecture. As non-religious Y/N was, it was what she had envisioned. The press was already set up in the church, cameras at all angles to capture every moment. The union of a fashion titan and a rugby icon was highly anticipated. It was going to be broadcast live.

Donning a silk-chiffon fit-and-flare dress, with a square neckline and a train in the back, the dress was topped off with a bow in the back. Paired with opera gloves, diamond studs and a tennis necklace. White stilettos and a lace veil that stretched down to her elbows, to tie the ensemble together.

Taking in her own image, she could not believe how far she had come. She stood in front of the mirror, studying herself. It was time to tie the knot and move on to the next chapter of her life. Murphy held her hand, catching her eyes in the mirror, and gave her a proud smile.

"You really deserve this." Murphy embraced her.

"You think so?" Y/N asked.

Murphy nodded. "Definitely. I've waited for this day since we were eight."

She started pacing in the room, her heartbeat picking up speed. She couldn't help the pit in her stomach, something was off. Every muscle in her body felt tight. She took off her gloves, throwing them on the couch. Fanning herself, as she begun to feel heated.

"Is it hot in here?" she fanned harder. "Or am I just nervous?"

Her friends exchanged worried glances.

Rosanne stopped her in her tracks, grabbing her shoulders. "Relax, breathe." she pressed her hand against Y/N's chest. "I have Xanax... if you want it."

"Why do you have Xanax, aren't you breastfeeding?" Caroline gave Rosanne a confused look.

Murphy led Y/N to the couch, sitting her down. She covered her with a thick blanket before giving her a half-glass of red wine. Before making her way out of the room, Murphy spoke.

"There's something I need to do, but I'll be back before you have to walk."

[ . . . ]

As Murphy made her way down the spiraling staircase, dress in hand to keep from tripping, she half-jogged back to Y/N's room. Her heels clinking against the cobblestone. She reached the entrance where Caroline and Rosanne stood. Their eyes wide in disbelief and at a loss for words.

"Is she... Is she still... nervous?" Murphy spoke as she tried to catch her breath between words.

Rosanne and Caroline nodded as they stepped away from the door. Murphy opened the door, head peeking in. Y/N stood by the window, humming a tune. She turned to see Murphy looking at her.

"It's easier to ask for your forgiveness than permission." Murphy spoke in a hushed tone. "I would hate myself if I didn't facilitate a dialogue between you two, before taking the biggest plunge of your life."

Murphy stepped in as she opened the door a bit more. Wooyoung came in, a look of worry painted across his face. Donning a black tuxedo and white button-up shirt, with black oxfords and his hair neatly parted down the middle. He approached Y/N until they stood merely inches away. Murphy left the room. They stood in absolute silence for a few seconds, just staring at each other.

"Murphy said you wanted to talk." he nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

"Tell me that I'm making a big mistake, that I'm making excuses to stay away from you."

Taken aback, he ruminated on his words. He looked back at everything that led them to this very moment. This was the moment he had waited for. 12 years. His second chance. He decided to take that moment to prove that he had truly matured in that time. It was his defining "adult" act.

"A part of me is happy you said that but..." he hung his head, defeated. "I think it's time our chapter came to an end."

Wide-eyed, she looked up at him. These were not the words she wanted to hear. She wanted a reason to walk out that door, to leave Brady. Convinced that it was a promise that had to be fulfilled, more than ever, she was willing to turn her back. Wooyoung's return sparked a light that had dimmed in 1983.

"I know it's not what you wanna hear but Bradford's been there for you for the past nine years. That's longer than our three months." he took her hands and smiled. "I made you the worst version of yourself and–"

She shook her head disapprovingly. "No, you didn't. Had you not signed me up for art classes, I'd be stuck in a dead-end job I hate."

A stray tear came down his cheek, smiling at her words. He'd never admitted how he made her life hell, and he was oblivious to it too. The time between their reunion and her wedding day, reflecting on their past made him ashamed of the darkness he had brought into her life. Hearing her words, it was only then he saw the positive influence he'd enacted on her.

And that's exactly how he wanted their story to conclude.

"You pushed me to be who I am today. A part of why I started Bloodhound was to prove I was right for you." he gently squeezed her hands. "But ultimately, eighteen year old girls should be having the time of their lives. Not getting pregnant, not getting abortions, not running away from home, not dealing with exes who OD. You were way too young for the shit I got you into."

His words weighed heavy on her heart. All he had to do was tell her to call everything off. His constant remarking of their youth was only adding on to her growing regret.

"But you did give me one hell of a time, even if it was three months." she broke into a sob. "I had not been that happy since before my dad..."

"Bradford is the kind of husband you deserve because he's never put you through what I did. You are my first and only love. I'll never love another girl the way I do you, you've set the bar too high. But Bradford? He's surpassed me. I sought you out to try and change your mind, but that would only prove what all the Kialecombe parents said about me." he cocooned her in his arms. "Give Bradford a chance to prove himself. You gave me one when you shouldn't have. It's time I let you go."

He cupped her face. "I want you to have a simple life with simple love, not the destructive all-consuming thing we had, okay?"

She cried even more, shaking her head. She grabbed his wrists and looked at him, glossy-eyed and wet lashes. "Woo, please don't..."

"I love you, Y/N."

"I love you, Woo."

They shared a deep, passionate kiss. One they had not shared in over a decade. That was it for them. That ship had finally sailed, a new page had been turned. A bitter end to something that started off so sweet, and only soured with time. Wooyoung felt a weight had been lifted off his shoulder, owning up to his wrongs how he should have in the past.

Y/N experienced a devastating second heartbreak, by the same man yet again.

Wooyoung left the room and immediately, her friends hurried in. Murphy was the first to get to her. She apologised profusely, explaining that she felt Brady was not the one. Admitting that Wooyoung's association with Seonghwa was the reason she condemned their relationship, she had grown to understand why Y/N gravitated towards him.

Wooyoung truly loved her for who she was and all she could be.

Brady loved what she could do for him.

[ . . . ]

Her arm was looped around Mrs. Scott's, with violet and blue–gradient hydrangeas in hand. They stood behind the doors, awaiting their cue to walk. Silence befell the cathedral. The giant bell outside the church tolled four times, catching the attention of passer-bys. All those in attendance stood and faced the doors. A violin rendition of Dreaming of You began playing.

They waited a while longer before the doors opened. Gathering every breath she could, Y/N was very wound up. A gutless wonder who couldn't call the wedding off. Instead, she chose to persist until the very end. Whether that end came in the form of a dissolution, hopefully initiated by Brady, or death.

The singer was enchanting, the choir harmonizing her lines only added to the ethereal ambience in the church. Everyone's eyes were glued to Y/N as Mrs. Scott accompanied her. Cameramen recording as photographers snapped away. A quick glance to her left, Wooyoung was seated at the very back of the church. He gave her a tight–lipped smile, she responded with nothing.

Y/N and Brady stood before the priest. A great deal of time was spent listening to Father Sykes speak on Bible extracts. Eventually came the time for those who opposed their union, to speak. Y/N prayed, begged, for Wooyoung to protest. He remained true to his word, he set her free. Regret crept into her mind.

"I do." Brady vowed.

"Y/N Lilith Scott, do you take Bradford Keith Halliwell, to be your husband, to live together in matrimony, to love and honor him, comfort and keep him in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?" Father Sykes recited.

Her mouth felt extremely dry. The words caught in her throat. She tried mustering up all her courage to vow. Brady looked to the back of the church. The straw that broke the camel's back. He was hoping this would happen. Not having seen him before the service begun, he spotted Wooyoung making his exit. As Y/N opened her mouth to pledge her loyalty, Brady intercepted.

"Wedding's over." he deadpanned into the microphone, his voice carrying all over the church's architecture.

"What?" she said, eyes wide.

Confused as ever, she watched as Brady descended the stage and trudged to the door. She trailed behind him, trying to match his pace. Murmurs from the guests materialised. The camera crew and photographers followed them outside the cathedral. She grabbed his wrist to slow him down and he pulled it back. They stopped in the middle of the street.

"Talk to me, what's wrong?" she probed. "Are you having cold feet? What is it?"

"You know, I hoped you'd outgrow your childish infatuation with Wooyoung but you haven't." he seethed. "How much more does he have to hurt you before you get it through your thick skull?"

People started circling around them, curious as to what was happening. The cameras still capturing everything. Wooyoung, who was a few feet away from the cathedral, turned to see a whole commotion. He ran back the opposite direction, cutting through the thick crowd. He stood beside Y/N.

"What are you talking about?"

"It's one thing for you to meet him behind my back, I would've turned a blind eye." his tone laced with repulsion. "But to bring him to our wedding? Is that how little respect you have for me?"

Brady pulled out photos from inside his jacket, each one with Y/N and Wooyoung kissing in front of her car, outside the office building. She looked at the photos, horrified. Unaware that her every move was being captured. Her eyes welled up, tears running down her face. She handed the photos to Wooyoung.

"'He doesn't fuck you this good, does he?'" he parroted Wooyoung's words. "I came to your office to keep you company, then I heard you two fucking like rabbits."

She bowed her head and whispered, "Stop."

Wooyoung put the photos in his jacket's inner pocket. Y/N stood there in silence, taking in his every word. This was not the way she hoped their relationship would end. Nothing could ever measure up to the humiliation she felt. She wished the earth would just swallow her. Too frozen to utter a word, there was no excuse good enough to justify her philandering. Her wrongdoings were caught on camera.

People watched from their homes.

Her friends sped to her side. Murphy attempted stop the camera crew from recording, failing dismally. She started getting aggressive with the media personnel, frustrated that they wouldn't stop. Caroline and Rosanne were trying to calm her down as she begun silently weeping.

"Ease up on her, it wasn't her fault!" Wooyoung shoved Brady in the chest.

Hand over her heaving chest. "Please just stop." she whispered again whilst sobbing, chest tightening as a panic attack ensued shortly after.

"Of course you'd defend her! Weren't you fucking other girls after she got her abo–"

Wooyoung landed a clean hit on Brady's jaw. He grabbed his collar and a succession of near-fatal blows followed. Nobody outside of Kialecombe knew about that part of their history. Brady knew and to even mention it was sickening. Wooyoung was determined to make sure that piece of information never saw the light of day.

Brady's groomsmen managed to separate them. His face was bloodied, eyebrow and lip cut. Wooyoung escaped their hold and lunged forward, landing a last hit before getting restrained again. As he looked around for Y/N, he found that she had disappeared during the commotion, along with her friends.

Two weeks had passed since that public lynching called a wedding. Brady stayed at a hotel for the time being, while Y/N was huddled in their penthouse. With the bad press surrounding her, stepping down as the CEO of Archibald Scott beforehand was the best call of action to protect her brand's reputation.

Wooyoung had tried to contact her, visit her, but guards of her residential building would not let him in. Bloodhound's tour resumed, with Blue Coast being the first stop. He had accepted that there was nothing he could do, seeing that he put her in this position.

Y/N sat the dinner table while Brady packed up the rest of his belongings. He entered the living room with the last of his suitcases, and breezed right past. She stood from the chair and 5 feet away from Brady, her hands pocketed in her sweatpants.

"I must say, your little stunt was eye-opening." she said, matter-of-factly.

"Discovered your humiliation kink?" Brady snarled.

"No, no." she shook her head. "I've gotten soft since I left Kialecombe, yeah."

"What are you droning on about?"

"I never used to cared what people thought of me. I just... did whatever." she spoke monotonously. "And then you came along... If we had it your way, we would've never made it to that cathedral. You wanted us to achieve our goals first then get married. What did you say, you wanted to become captain of the national rugby team?"

"What's your point?" he deadpanned.

"You may have led the team to their '91 win but even then, Magnus scored the winning goal. Here's the kicker;" she chuckled maniacally. "the team needed a sponsor for the world cup and on the condition that they grant you captaincy, I'd give them capital. Magnus was first pick for captain."

She pointed to the television, which was turned on to the news. The man stared intently into the camera, delivering the biggest news of the day.

"Cheated on and cheated his way to the top. This just in, White Lotus captain Bradford Halliwell allegedly bought his captaincy in the team. In a press conference held by the Rugby Union, board member Vernon Hemingway revealed that White Lotus received sponsorship from fashion label, Archibald Scott, on the condition that Halliwell was granted captaincy. This was confirmed by the board of Archibald Scott, and its former CEO Y/N Scott." a clip of the conference played and an interview of Y/N. "The Rugby Union is currently discussing Halliwell's future in the league."

Her lips took form of a shit-eating grin, satisfied with herself. She stood there, watching anger materialise on his face. The energy he put into the universe had made a complete 360. She loved getting her hands dirty and watching his life fall apart before his eyes.

"You should be getting a call from the Union soon, and believe me, it's not looking good for you. Your team is gonna shun you, they're gonna blackball you from the league and Magnus?" she pulled her face. "Short man with a short fuse... He's gonna be on a warpath after that broadcast."

Brady grabbed her shoulders and shook her violently as he looked her in the eye. "Why would you do this to me?" he yelled from the top of his voice. "You cheated on me! I was getting my payback!"

The security guards rushed to Y/N's side and separated the two. The dragged him to the elevator, as they waited for it to come. Brady squirmed in their hold but nothing, they would not budge.

"You humiliated me in front of the whole world. Could've asked Pari to bury the story but you wanted more." she bit back.

A look of surprise spread across his face, realising that Pari sold him out to save herself. Pari spoke to Y/N before the wedding, and came clean about everything from the pictures to Brady's plan to publicly out her. With how far Y/N's influence stretched, it was wise not to cross her.

"Yeah, Pari told me everything. When you told her about your stupid plan, she came to me."

She walked over to the dinner table and sat down, leg crossed over the other.

"I didn’t think you'd actually go ahead with it. That's on me but I commend your bravery, albeit, stupid." she crossed her arms over her chest. "I could've been kicked out of my own company had I not stepped down beforehand. You act like you're better than Woo, but you're worse. He actually owns up to being a jackass. Consider this our final act as a couple."

[ . . . ]

Wooyoung practiced his riffs on the couch. The show was minutes away from starting. All he had on his mind was this tour. He tried to fix the mess he made but Y/N wouldn't let him. He took his loss and decided to push forward with life. It was the only way to go.

The stage manager came into the room.

"You've got a visitor." he announced.

Wooyoung absentmindedly waved him off. "No groupies. Tell them to go."

"That's worse than the time you called me a poser."

He turned around and came face-to-face with Y/N, who wore a toothy smile on her face. She didn't look like someone who had her reputation marred. He couldn't help the look on his face when she stood before him, wearing the same outfit she wore on their first date. Only the Judas Priest shirt was replaced by Bloodhound.

"You were right, mall-maggots don't know anything about fun." she nodded with a grin on her face.

"What are you doing here?"

"Brady was never the better man." she held his hands. "We were kids back then doing kids' stuff. And we held ourselves to a ridiculously high standard. Let's ease up a bit and see how far we can go."

He went in for a deep kiss, savoring the feel of his victory. He finally got his girl back. It was all he ever wanted. This was all that mattered to him in the past 12 years.

"I'm gonna give you the life I promised you." he sighed. "But what do you give a woman who already has everything?"

"I've got some ideas..."

E P I L O G U E

Autumn was at its very peak, all the leaves and grass had browned. Skies mildly grey with a slight breeze. It was almost time for Y/N and Wooyoung to leave the cemetery, as they had another social obligation scheduled. As they walked, you could here the dead leaves crinkling and crunching beneath their weight. Y/N deposited a bouquet of white roses in a vase, right beside her father’s gravestone.

She headed over to the other side of the cemetery to meet with Wooyoung. They stood in front of another gravestone in silence, hand-in-hand. Every year on the same month for the past six years, it had become a regular habit for them to take a trip back to Kialecombe to pay a visit to their past. Acknowledging their mistakes was one of the few things that helped solidify their marriage.

"Who's Jung, isn't that our name?" their 6-year old daughter, Willa asked innocently.

"It is, my love." Y/N stroked her daughter's hair. "But it's also their name."

"You used to have an older sibling, would've been 17 now, but..." Wooyoung's head hung low as he recalled that fateful day.

Wooyoung crouched to the floor, careful to not drop Willa in the process. He put down the bouquet of gardenias beside the gravestone and stood back up.

"When you're older we'll tell you all about it." Y/N planted a kiss on Willa's cheek. "We should get going."

The lot made their way out of the cemetery and into the car. It was a fairly short drive from the cemetery to Mrs. Scott's residence. They knocked twice before Mr. Hardwick answered the door. Mrs. Scott eventually remarried upon meeting William during a trip. In this union, Y/N gained a stepsister named Maria.

As they entered the house, the smell of food invaded their noses. Willa disappeared as soon as she saw her cousin, Maria's daughter. The adults exchanged greetings before heading in different directions, with the men barbecuing outside and the women socialising in the kitchen.

"Motherhood really is your second calling to fashion." Maria spoke as she playfully nudged Y/N's shoulder. "Do you ever miss your job though?"

Y/N shook her head. "I stepped down because of that stupid scandal but I stayed off because my priorities changed. Willa's hyperactive but she makes it worthwhile." she shrugged. "Plus, I still hold majority share anyway."

"And what about Wooyoung?"

"He purposely goes on tour during school holidays so Willa can tag along. She even plays guitar on stage with him sometimes." she smiled to herself. "It feels like I birthed a younger him, but with my face."

Mrs. Scott took off her oven mittens, looking at Y/N, she said, "It sounds like Wooyoung is very hands-on." Mrs. Scott gently pressed on her daughter's stomach. "Does he know he's expecting another bandmate?"

#ateez #jung wooyoung #wooyoung fluff #wooyoung angst #roguehongsami

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exeggcute · 3 months

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interesting (and damning) peek behind the curtain. definitely recommend reading the whole thing, but since it's long-ish(?), here's my main takeaways:

[CNN's current guidelines] include tight restrictions on quoting Hamas and reporting other Palestinian perspectives while Israel government statements are taken at face value. In addition, every story on the conflict must be cleared by the Jerusalem bureau before broadcast or publication. CNN journalists say the tone of coverage is set at the top by its new editor-in-chief and CEO, Mark Thompson, who took up his post two days after the 7 October Hamas attack. Some staff are concerned about Thompson’s willingness to withstand external attempts to influence coverage given that in a former role as the BBC’s director general he was accused of bowing to Israeli government pressure on a number of occasions, including a demand to remove one of the corporation’s most prominent correspondents from her post in Jerusalem in 2005. CNN insiders say that has resulted, particularly in the early weeks of the war, in a greater focus on Israeli suffering and the Israeli narrative of the war as a hunt for Hamas and its tunnels, and an insufficient focus on the scale of Palestinian civilian deaths and destruction in Gaza. One journalist described a “schism” within the network over coverage they said was at times reminiscent of the cheerleading that followed 9/11. […] “Many have been pushing for more content from Gaza to be alerted and aired. By the time these reports go through Jerusalem and make it to TV or the homepage, critical changes – from the introduction of imprecise language to an ignorance of crucial stories – ensure that nearly every report, no matter how damning, relieves Israel of wrongdoing.”

and then a telling contrast with CNN's own reporting 20 years ago (under different management) and israel's response at the time:

CNN’s founder, Ted Turner, caused a storm when he told the Guardian in 2002 that Israel was engaging in terrorism against the Palestinians. “The Palestinians are fighting with human suicide bombers, that’s all they have. The Israelis … they’ve got one of the most powerful military machines in the world. The Palestinians have nothing. So who are the terrorists? I would make a case that both sides are involved in terrorism,” said Turner, who was then the vice-chairman of AOL Time Warner, which owned CNN. The resulting storm of protest resulted in threats to the network’s revenue, including moves by Israeli cable television companies to supplant the network with Fox News.

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colinmkl · 4 months

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Kamen Rider NRV Lore Dump!

Manticore

Manticore LLC is a major medical technology company. Publicly, they are most known for their artificial organs and limb prosthesis as well as several other medical devices and equipment used in hospitals worldwide. Less widely publicized are their numerous military contracts, developing cutting edge medical treatment technologies but also advanced weapons, drones, and other offensive hardware.

Nanoderm

The scientific breakthrough that lead Manticore to dominate in the field of med-tech is the invention of micro-sensors that are capable of reading brain signals in the nervous system and translating them into data a computer can interpret with absolute precision. These microscopic sensors can be integrated into programmable nanomachines that interlock in a mesh that forms durable skin-like material called Nanoderm. If an exposed section of human tissue is covered in Nanoderm and then allowed to heal, the Nanoderm will become integrated with the tissue like a layer of natural skin. Any impulses or signals sent by the brain to that part of the body will be received by the Nanoderm and translated into data. That data can then be read as motor commands by a Manticore prosthesis. Basic prosthesis models can receive this data via magnetic nodes embedded in the surface of the Nanoderm but more advanced models, capable of finer dexterity/expanded functionality, require a “bone spike,” a rod-like data plug that interfaces with a port in the Nanoderm area that is connected to more advanced sensors. The socket and sensor hardware is imbedded in the body through a surgical procedure.

The catch with the Nanoderm system is it must be applied to the body before the exposed tissue heals over and the exposed nerve endings have a chance to close off, or in other words, while the wound is “fresh”, otherwise the healed tissue must be cut away and a fresh wound made. This means that in emergency situations a patient or their next of kin must make a snap decision to undergo the expensive Nanoderm compatibility surgery as part of their emergency treatment. Of course some insurance plans will cover some or all of this cost. Additionally Manticore has deals with some insurance providers that the surgery come standard with higher end coverage plans, forgoing the need for patient consent. Manticore has exclusive patent rights to the Nanoderm system, meaning once you are Nanoderm compatible, you are locked into the Manticore ecosystem of prosthesis and devices. Additionally your devises can only be serviced by Manticore certified technicians and only Manticore doctors are trained in Nanoderm patient care.

Remote Command (RC)

Manticore is a sprawling corporation with many secrets. One such secret is the Remote Command program. A project Manticore has been working on behind closed doors, the Remote Command program involves research into sending brain signals over great distances without a physical connection between the sensor and the receiving devise. With RC a person could control a prosthetic arm in another part of the world as though it were part of their body. This is achieved by broadcasting the impulses across a proprietary electromagnetic wave length to the receiving nodes. The signal travels point to point and back again at light speed. The potential RC has for the future of drone warfare is staggering, not to mention the potential for profit.

Sensitive as this information is, there’s another layer. All Nanoderm currently in use by people around the world is capable of receiving Remote Command. With the right inputs it can reshape its self, self-replicate, and even, under certain conditions, send signals back to the user’s brain, causing brain damage or, theoretically, controlling them. Whether this functionality of Nanoderm was an intentional feature or not is unknown to anyone currently employed at Manticore but the company has no pans currently to use the Nanoderm in this way. What is known, however, is that if this function ever becomes public knowledge it would be disastrous for Manticore, not to mention the chaos that would ensue if a bad actor were to exploit this function for malicious purposes.

Manticore Special Security (Spec-Sec)

Manticore LLC has secrets, and it has enemies. To protect its secrets, combat its enemies, address the threats to public safety those things pose, (and protect its corporate interests), Manticore formed the Manticore Special Security Division. More than just your standard private security outfit, Spec-Sec is a fully equipped task force and strike force designed to identify, target, track, confront, and nullify any threat to the company and its assets. Thanks to Manticore’s history of generous donations and good standing with local police forces, the Spec-Sec Division is able to operate with a certain degree of discretion, allowing them to carry out operations without interference from police or the legal system. Lead by Special Security Director Sloane, her hand-picked crack team of Special Officers have carried out dozens of high risk operations with ruthless efficacy and, so-far, minimal casualties. Spec-Sec utilizes the most cutting edge technology and weaponry Manticore has, often before it’s even close to market ready. In some cases necessity dictates that Spec-Sec operations serve as ad hoc field tests for experimental equipment.

Core Drivers, Data Boosters, and the Kamen Rider program

The Core Driver is a piece of technology that was developed as part of research into the use of Nanoderm to enhance a soldier’s physical performance on the battlefield. The concept was to temporarily cover the user’s entire body in a layer of Nanoderm mesh that could respond to the signals from the user’s brain in such a way that would increase their strength, speed, perception, and reflexes. The solution was the Core Driver, a device that would house the billions of Nanoderm nanomachines and serve as the computational core for the whole mesh network. Along with the Core Driver was the Data Booster, a flash drive-like device shaped like a syringe. The data booster contained the information that told the nanomachines to deploy from the Core Driver and cover the user. Additionally the Booster came with its own payload of nanomachines that, when the plunger of the syringe was depressed, would also be deployed through the Core Diver and take the form of armor and weapons. Basically, a user need only insert the Data Booster into the Core Diver, clearly speak a voice authentication phrase, and depress the plunger and they would instantly be wearing a powerful yet flexible armored body suit. The project was called the “Kamen Rider program” after the masked visage of the user’s armored faceplate (“Kamen” being the Japanese word for “mask”).

The Project had its drawbacks, however. For one a user would need to already be Nanoderm compatible for the suit to work at all, meaning, practically speaking, the user would need to be an amputee, and the prospect of convincing soldiers to sacrifice a limb to use the Driver was deemed a “hard sell” and the idea of a approaching a freshly maimed soldier with the offer of further combat, well, that wouldn’t be a good look either. The second and most important drawback was the simple fact that the Kamen Rider program was far, FAR too expensive to be profitable, and the thousands of man hours it took to produce just one Core Driver meant mass producing them to sell by the battalion, as Manticore had planned, was simply out of the question.

The Kamen Rider Program was not completely abandoned, however. The first completed Core Driver, designation SVR (Special Versatility Rider model or “Sever” colloquially) is currently coded to Director Sloane of Spec-Sec, who happens to be a double transfemeral amputee. With the Director’s input, the device and the suit itself have been modified heavily over its years of use. It now features the ability for additional Data Boosters to be employed, loaded with weapons and tools in the form of appendages that attach to highly advanced versions of Bone Spike sockets on the suit at the amputation sites of the Rider’s body. The nerve signal enhancing properties of the suit allows the Rider to manipulate these complex, non-human-like appendages with a natural ease and minimal adjustment period.

A second Core Driver has just recently been put to use in the field at Spec-Sec. The first Kamen Rider designed from the ground up with Spec-Sec modifications. Designation NRV (Neo Rider Variant or “Nerve” colloquially) is encoded to the Division’s newest member, Special Officer Nat Agbayani. A right shoulder disarticulation amputee, he was promoted to the Special Security Division from the internship program in the research wing by the COO of Manticore himself… wait what? That can’t be right…

The existence of any other Core Drivers, in use or otherwise, is classified.

Thanks for reading

#art #my art #my text #sketch #lore #oc lore #kamen rider #kamen rider nrv #kamen rider oc #sci fi #original character #nat krnrv #sloane krnrv #medical tw #surgery tw #tokusastu

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chimaeraonwards · 7 months

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i found this article and now im wondering, how are we supposed to trust any of these western news sites now and in the future?

i live in a country where the news has been crucial in exposing governmental corruption, human rights violations, child exploitation, and even assassinations. i have seen how journalism has shaped movements, uplifted the voiceless, and informed the public on issues that impact them and their lives. i know journalists who put their personal safety on the line to let the world know the stories that should be told. good journalism is beautiful and life-changing.

the way that these western news sites have spread proven falsehoods has put a stain on the profession. they are a disgrace to actual journalists around the world, especially to those on the ground in Palestine - the very same journalists who are being killed by the bombs that the western news tries to justify.

am i saying that news agencies in other parts of the world are free from flaws? heck no! in fact, i highly suggest you research who actually owns the news in your country and other places in your region or have a look at the 2023 World Press Index and see where each country lies. if you're not sure what I mean by "who actually owns the news" i suggest watching John Oliver's video of the Sinclair Broadcast Group where he breaks down how a corporation can impact news coverage.

it is how the western media was so ready to spin the narrative in Israel's favour and openly support lies like "the 40 beheaded babies" without any evidence or fact-checking that is so appalling.

those lies have detrimental effects. it has played a role in the manufacturing of consent for genocide and lets people justify the further atrocities committed against the Palestinian people by the Israeli government.

journalists have a duty to speak the truth and be the voice of the people - not to be mouthpieces of the powerful.

i believe that there are many journalists in western media who are frustrated that they cannot speak the truth and my heart goes out to them. i cannot imagine being in their position. i admire the journalists who stood up for the truth even though they likely got fired or reprimanded for it.

you might say that maybe their hands are tied and they can't report the news in an objective and fair manner because of the people up top. and that comes back to my initial argument, how can i know to trust them in the future? it feels like a betrayal to the people.

these news sites need to be held accountable. in my opinion, there needs to be an overhaul in industry on a global level with proper transparency and checks and balances, we cannot continue to accept and live like this.

#palestine #free palestine #gaza #free gaza #west bank #free west bank #al jazeera #israel #israel propoganda #journalism #news media #the independent #cnn #new york post #fox news #these news sites were mentioned in the aj article #western media

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eretzyisrael · 2 months

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by Hadar Sela

“More than 50 journalists have sent an open letter calling on Israel and Egypt to provide “free and unfettered access to Gaza for all foreign media”.

The letter is signed by correspondents and presenters for broadcasters with UK bases, including the BBC’s Jeremy Bowen, Lyse Doucet and Mishal Husain.

It says the need for comprehensive on-the-ground reporting is “imperative”. […]

The letter calls on Israel’s government to “openly state its permission for international journalists to operate in Gaza”.

It also asks Egyptian authorities to allow foreign press access to the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza.”

In addition to Jeremy Bowen, Lyse Doucet and Mishal Husain, the other thirteen BBC journalists who signed the letter include Orla Guerin, Clive Myrie, Fergal Keane, Quentin Sommerville and Tom Bateman.

The next morning, Jeremy Bowen put out the following Tweet:

That edition of BBC Radio 4’s ‘From Our Own Correspondent’ was aired on February 17th and Bowen’s piece is the lead item (from 00:37 here).

“International media have been campaigning to gain access to Gaza in the months since the Israeli bombardment began – with only occasional access granted, which is closely supervised by the Israeli military. More often, news organisations have relied on Palestinian journalists already living and working in Gaza, who continue to operate under dangerous conditions. Jeremy Bowen reflects on the difficulties of telling the story of the Israel-Gaza war.”

Bowen: “Israel and Egypt – the two countries that control the borders – don’t let international journalists into the Gaza Strip. […]

I can only surmise that Israel is not allowing reporters to work freely inside Gaza because their soldiers are doing things they do not want us to see.”

Later in the item, Bowen refers to the case against Israel brought to the ICJ by South Africa, claiming that “the court has ruled that Israel has a plausible case to answer on allegations of genocide”. After that debatable interpretation of the court’s ruling, Bowen goes on to tell BBC audiences that:

Bowen: “…foreign journalists might uncover evidence that backs up those accusations of war crimes as well as the even more serious one of genocide. Till we get in, we’ll never know.”

In other words, Jeremy Bowen – and presumably his co-signatories too – would have the public believe that only reporting on the ground in the Gaza Strip by him and his colleagues can provide an accurate account of what is happening there.

That assertion, however, is not even remotely supported by the records of Bowen and others among the signatories when they have been given free access to report from the Gaza Strip in the past. Here are just a few examples:

In 2012, Bowen (and others) tried to persuade BBC audiences that an Israeli operation against Hamas was in fact part of an election campaign:

EXAMINING THE BBC’S PORTRAYAL OF OPERATION ‘PILLAR OF CLOUD’ AS ISRAELI ELECTIONEERING

During the same operation, BBC journalists vigorously promoted a story concerning the death of the son of a BBC employee which was later shown to be inaccurate. Jeremy Bowen was the corporation’s Middle East editor at the time.

REVISITING A FIVE YEAR-OLD BBC STORY

During the 2014 conflict, Bowen promoted unverified casualty figures and devoted considerable energy to denial of Hamas’ use of civilians as human shields while providing amplification for accusations of ‘war crimes’ and ignoring the issue of shortfall missiles.

BBC CLAIMS THAT ISRAEL TARGETED A CENTRE FOR THE DISABLED IN GAZA SHOWN TO BE INACCURATE

HAMAS PR DEPARTMENT INVOKES BBC’S BOWEN

BBC’S BOWEN SAW NO HUMAN SHIELDS IN GAZA – BUT REPORTS THEM IN MOSUL

IN WHICH THE BBC’S JEREMY BOWEN REPEATS HIS ‘NO HUMAN SHIELDS IN GAZA’ CLAIMS

During the same 2014 conflict, the BBC’s Lyse Doucet produced remarkably little – and distinctly unhelpful – reporting on the topic of Hamas’ tunnel system as well as reporting from locations in Gaza including the Shuja’iya neighbourhood.

BBC FAILS TO ADEQUATELY INFORM AUDIENCES ON TERRORIST TUNNELS (AND WORSE)

TWENTY-THREE SECONDS OF BBC REPORTING ON GAZA TUNNELS

EXAMINING LYSE DOUCET’S CLAIM THAT SHE REPORTED NEW HAMAS TUNNELS ON BBC

BBC’S DOUCET PROMOTES AND AMPLIFIES HAMAS “MASSACRE” PROPAGANDA ON WS RADIO

BBC NEWS PASSES UP ON THE CHANCE TO CORRECT GAZA MISINFORMATION

Orla Guerin’s contributions to BBC coverage of the 2014 conflict included promotion of unverified Hamas-supplied casualty figures and the notion of Israeli ‘occupation’ of the Gaza Strip nine years after disengagement. Like her colleague Jeremy Bowen, Guerin also saw no evidence of Hamas’ use of human shields during her time reporting from the Gaza Strip.

ORLA GUERIN’S PARTING SHOT BREACHES BBC EDITORIAL GUIDELINES

BBC COMPLAINTS: ‘IT WAS HARD FOR JOURNALISTS IN GAZA TO SEE ROCKETS BEING FIRED’

In 2018 Jeremy Bowen misled BBC audiences on the topic of the background to the ‘Great Return March’.

BBC’S MIDDLE EAST EDITOR ‘EXPLAINS’ GAZA VIOLENCE

In 2021 Bowen produced a particularly egregious report about deaths caused by a shortfall missile.

BBC’S JEREMY BOWEN REWRITES THE BEIT HANOUN SHORTFALL ROCKET INCIDENT

In other words, even at times when BBC journalists have had free access to the Gaza Strip during periods of violence and armed conflict, their physical presence on the ground did not guarantee accurate and impartial coverage.

Indeed, the current conflict demonstrates precisely how years of serial BBC avoidance of topics such as the Hamas tunnel network, weapons smuggling, Hamas’ use of human shields and its abuse of civilian facilities such as hospitals, schools, universities and mosques have been profoundly unhelpful to members of the BBC’s funding public who are now trying to understand the background to the events since October 7th.

#jeremy bowen #liar #bbc #media biasa #hamas #gaza

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