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palestinian-fundraising · 2 days

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PLEASE READ AND REBLOG🇵🇸

Help me in evacuating my family from Gaza

Message from the creator:

My name is musab . I'm 31 years old from Gaza. raghda , 27 year old, is my wife, and we have been married for 8 years. We have a beautiful childrens jory and mohammed, who just turned 7 and 5 yeras old We have been suffering for nearly 7 months, and we need your help to raise money to evacuate our family from Gaza and rebuild our life.

People with conscience of the world, please help us meet our first goal of 35000$. We need this to pay for evacuation fee, money transferring fee to Egypt. The $20000 extra will be to help set up temporarily our lives there. Ya Hala, the only legitimate company is where we'll go through, which charges 5,000 for an adult and 2,500 for a kid. that could go to Egypt to register us on the list. We need your donation now!

Our story:

Just two days before the war, we moved into the our own apartment with all new furniture, a spacious refrigerator, and a neat kitchen. It had cost us $50,000-an incredible amount of money in Gaza. We live in an impoverished territory under siege for the last 17 years. My wife and I, a primary school teacher, have worked days and nights to afford this apartment so that our childrens has a home to grow up in. We lived there for only TWO days when the building was bombed to pieces. We had to flee with just the clothes on their backs. My wife and I lost our apartment, our jobs, all our money, and the life we worked hard to earn. our childrens is so small, yet also lost everything she has all they have toys, they clothes, they bikes. Why must they know loss so early in they life?

The first month, we stayed at a refugee camp mid- Gaza where we eventually had to run away from. We suffered a manmade hunger there. Our family ate only once this whole time, even our baby. Then the displaced were told to leave further South. Our larger family of 24 including us joined the approximately 1.4 million people sheltering in tents in Rafah last year when it was still the last city standing under the razing of Gaza's infrastructure. Now, may 2024, Rafah might no longer be safe, and we fear for our lives.

We fear for our childrens , our sweets childrens who only knew few years of life without war. they loved sweets and chocolate, loves playing games and singing. When raghda used to work, jory and mohammed loved to bring toys and games to her office and play. After work, would take our children to the sea, to feel that breeze of freedom, the wind knows no border and our childrens too shouldn't have to grow up in a world where war and destruction befall on her peers and her people. Also, mohammed needs to register in mental intelligence programs. He has talent and mental intelligence, so please help me to register him in the best mental intelligence centers.

Please help jory and mohammed experience freedom and peace. Please help her grow up and heal from all this trauma.

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anastasiamaru · 2 years

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Severodonetsk

#severodonetsk #ukraine #war in ukraine #genocide of ukrainians #stop the bloodshed #stop war #infrastructure of the city in time of war #ukraine under attack #pray for ukraine #pray for ukrainians #pray for ukrainian soldiers #people in severodonetsk #russian world #russia terrorist state #stop russia

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silicacid · 5 months

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Israel blows up Gaza's "Palace of Justice" compound which housed the Palestinian Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, the Court of First Instance & the Magistrate. 100,000s of vital case documents are gone. Deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure is a War Crime!

Israel's soldiers took victory images inside the Palestinian Supreme Court before blowing it up into pieces. This proves the facility constituted ZERO danger to the Israeli military & no militants were hiding inside it at the time it was destroyed. Again, a war crime!

#free palestine #palestine #gaza

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inquisitorismone · 3 months

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ok so the point i was going to make re: the circle tower and ferelden geopolitics was that the fact that all of ferelden only having one single circle, is CRAZY. orlais, a country of similar size, has FOUR; each(!!) marcher city has their own. antiva and the anderfels also have 1 circle each and they are respectively #1 a nation the quarter of the size of ferelden and #2 a barren wasteland of a place. and this is pre-blight! and i can believe that ferelden has a lower population than orlais, but i struggle to accept that ferelden has a quarter the population that orlais does. even nevarra, by all accounts an old and dying state, has 2.

there are clearly templars stationed at many chantries throughout ferelden, but the idea that they could possibly find every single mage in the country and send them to the tower is preposterous. ferelden simply does not have the infrastructure for that, neither to spread out over the whole country to hunt apostates nor to contain them all in one place. (how many people can that tower handle???)

this suggests that ferelden is generally more lax about apostates than elsewhere, which is reinforced both in da2 and inquisition when we get word that alistair (in da2) offered refuge to escaped kirkwall mages in ferelden and that alistair and/or anora (in inquisition) allowed the mage rebellion quarter in redcliffe. you could argue that alistair's decision might have been influenced by the events of dao but anora is (i say this lovingly) a bit of a hardass! rather than being moved by mage assistance in dao i would suggest instead that she is reflecting a larger ferelden attitude towards mages, which is less harsh than orlesian or marcher attitudes

we know that mages in the circle can be called upon in times of war to assist their country's army (i think that was mentioned in dao but it's stated several times in the novels). something to consider, then, is that circles are not only for containing mages and protecting people from them; but they are also for the consolidation of magic as a military power. orlais and the marcher states are creating armies. ferelden, with its sort of implicit acknowledgement that the tower doesn't hold all the mages in the country, lacks that military resource. even in the stolen throne there's only one single mage working on the ferelden side in contrast to quite a few on the orlesian side

which is why it's #1 crazy that the fereldens successfully liberated themselves from orlais #2 crazy that they defeated the blight and, most importantly, it's why you should NEVER UNDERESTIMATE A DOG LORD!!!!!

#THEY DONT NEED MAGIC TO KICK YOUR ASS!#ferelden #idk what to tag this #dao #da2 #dai #kinloch hold

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anyab · 5 months

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Via NasAlSudan

December 17 2023. #KeepEyesOnSudan #SudanActionWeek

Swipe through to build a foundational understanding of the war, its origins, and the key players involved. For actionable ways to support those in Sudan, check the link in our bio. Stay tuned for more posts this week.

Transcript:

National:

On April 15, a war broke out in Sudan's capital city of Khartoum between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Since then, eight months of conflict has led to major destruction of Khartoum's infrastructure, the most developed region of Sudan, with fighting also spreading to the regions of Darfur in the west and Kordofan in the south.

Civilians in conflict zones have been forcibly displaced, under threat of physical and sexual violence, particularly by the RSF, which has looted, destroyed, and settled in people's homes.

Regional:

In the western region of Darfur, a campaign of ethnic cleansing is being carried out by the RSF targeting the Masalit tribe. Allegations of genocide have been levied against the RSF.

Reports have just emerged that fighting has now spread to Wad Madani in Al Gezira state, which houses nearly 500,000 IDPs from Khartoum.

Key figures:

Abdel Fattah al Burhan Head of SAF

Omar El-Bashir Deposed Dictator of Sudan

Mohamed Dagalo (Hemidti) Head of RSF

Transcript:

Sudan: the war in numbers

A humanitarian "catastrophe"

24.7 million in need of critical humanitarian assistance

70-80% of hospitals out of service in conflict areas

19 million children are out of school

20.3 million people acutely food insecure. 4.9 million facing emergency hunger levels

6.7 million displaced [5.4 million IDPS, 1.3 million refugees]

7,000+ cholera cases an increase of +136% over the past month

Transcript:

FAQ - THE SAF

QUESTION 01: What is the SAF?

Stands for the Sudanese Armed Forces

Is the de-facto government of Sudan

Is headed by Lt. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan

QUESTION 02 What is their capacity?

Estimated to have ~200,000 personnel and tactical advantage of airforce

Currently control the relative northern and eastern regions of Sudan with functioning capital in Port Sudan (East)

QUESTION 03 Do they have backing and support?

On the international stage, primarily backed by Egypt

Limited weapons supply from allies

Internally, the SAF is ultimately considered the lesser of two evils

Transcript:

FAQ - THE RSF

QUESTION 01 What is the RSF?

Stands for the Rapid Support Forces

Paramilitary group originating from the Janjaweed, Arab tribal militias armed by al-Bashir in 2003 to fight against ethnically African rebel groups in Darfur + carried out 2003 genocide

Is headed by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemidti)

QUESTION 02 What is their capacity?

Estimated to have 100,000 to 150,000 troops

Winning the ground fight in Khartoum and control 4/5 states in Darfur

QUESTION 03 Do they have backing and support?

On the international stage, primarily backed by the UAE

Have steady weapons supply chain and diversified financial profile with critical assets in UAE and Russia

Transcript:

THE WAR IN SUDAN: CONTEXTUALIZING APRIL 15

(6/1989 - 4/2019) THE BASHIR REGIME

Sudan was under the rule of military dictator Omar Al-Bashir for 30 years, who came to power through an military coup backed by Islamist factions in June of 1989

His time in power was marked by extreme repression, conflict, and economic decline

(12/2018 CURRENT) THE REVOLUTION

In December of 2018, a popular democratic revolution began that eventually unseated al-Bashir on April 11 through the revolt of security sector

Al-Bashir was ultimately replaced by al-Burhan, with Hemidti as his deputy of a Transitional Military Council

Protestors rejected military rule and continued to hold a sit-in outside the military headquarters until its violent dispersal on June 3 of 2019 by the SAF + RSF

Today, the Sudanese people still hope and advocate for freedom from military rule and the transition to democracy

(8/2019-10/2021) TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT

Agreement on transitional government signed between civilian forces and Transitional Military Council on August 17, 2019

Led to formation of joint sovereign council with Abdalla Hamdok as Prime Minister

Transcript:

(10/2021 CURRENT)THE OCT 25, 2021 COUP

Burhan and Hemidti carry out military coup overthrowing civilian counterparts

They draw power from international legitimization despite prolonged mass protests in Sudan

(12/2022) THE FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT

In December of 2022, civilians put out a framework agreement signed onto by SAF and RSF + civil society groups and political parties meant to return to a transitional government

Key part of agreement: question of integration of the RSF into the SAF

Parties were to finalize the agreement and sign on April 1; RSF and SAF ultimately disagreed on integration timeline with RSF wanting 10 years and the SAF wanting 2

(12/2022-4/2023) THE LEAD UP TO APRIL 15

As framework agreement negotiations failed, both parties began mobilizing troops in capital of Khartoum in days leading up to April 15

Residents of Khartoum awoke to the sounds of gunfire on April 15 and by noon, the RSF had seized Meroe airport in the Northern state

Conflict today considered a battle for power between the two generals they are too far in to walk back

Transcript:

FRAMING ALLIANCES

Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF):

Egypt

Israel (Foreign Ministry)

Islamists

Iran

Saudi Arabia

Ukraine (SOF)

Armed Groups

Rebel groups that had taken up arms against the central government in the Bashir Era are forced to ally with the SAF due to the RSF's ethnic cleansing campaign. They include:

Justice and Equality Movement (Gibril Ibrahim)

Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (Minni Minawi)

Gathering of Sudan Liberation Forces (Abdallah Yahya)

Rapid Support Forces (RSF):

Israel (Mossad)

Libya (Khalifa Haftar)

United Arab Emirates

Central African Republic

Russia (Wagner Group)

Chad

Arab Tribal Leaders

Arab tribal leaders across the Western region of Darfur have pledged their allegiance and support to the RSF, with members of the tribes across the Sahel crossing into Sudan to join the RSF's assault as well.

Key tribes include: Beni Halba, Tarjam, Habaniya, Fallata, Misseriya, Taaysha, Rizeigat

Transcript:

IS THERE AN END IN SIGHT?

THE STATE OF NEGOTIATIONS

Effort: JEDDAH TALKS [MAY]

Parties involved: Externally: United States, Saudi Arabia Internally: SAF, RSF

Outcome: Discussed humanitarian ceasefire; signed Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan - Failed

Effort: INTERGOVERNMENTAL AUTHORITY ON DEVELOPMENT (IGAD) [JULY]

Parties Involved: Externally: Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, South Sudan Internally: RSF

Outcome: Proposed peacekeeping troops to ensure humanitarian corridor - Rejected

Effort: CAIRO TALKS (NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES) [JULY]

Parties Involved: Externally: Egypt, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Chad, Eritrea, CAR, Libya Internally: SAF, RSF

Outcome: Discussed lasting ceasefire, safe humanitarian passage, political dialogue framework - Failed

Effort: JEDDAH TALKS [OCTOBER]

Parties Involved: Externally: United States, Saudi Arabia Internally: SAF, RSF

Outcome: Discussed lasting ceasefire, safe humanitarian passage, political dialogue framework - Failed

Effort: IGAD + AFRICAN UNION (AU) [DECEMBER]

Parties Involved: Externally: IGAD, EU, UAE, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, United States Internally: SAF (Burhan in person), RSF

Outcome: Agreed to a face-to-face meeting in late December and ceasefire; SAF later issued a retraction - Ongoing

Transcript:

The conflict in Sudan calls for the collective support of all to raise awareness about the war and aid the Sudanese people on the ground, especially when we live in nations that have been complicit in the oppression of the Sudanese people. Explore the options below and share with others. For more information, check the link in our bio.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

EDUCATE YOURSELF

Deepen your knowledge about Sudan, empowering yourself with insights into the complexities of the situation.

DONATE

Extend a helping hand to Sudan by generously donating to individuals or grassroots organizations on the ground.

CONTACT YOUR REPS.

Amplify your impact by contacting your representatives, advocating for positive change.

#sudan #keep eyes on sudan #KeepEyesOnSudan #Sudan Action Week #SudanActionWeek #i hope the way i formatted it is good #i saw a few hours ago that rsf retreated from wad madani outskirts

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zvaigzdelasas · 5 months

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A new agreement between Germany and Lithuania will lead to German troops' first permanent foreign deployment since World War II. The announcement was made Monday in Lithuania, where Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas met with his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius, to outline a multiyear "Roadmap Action Plan" involving approximately 4,800 permanently stationed German soldiers. Both officials called the move a historical moment not just for their nations but for NATO as well. German troops, including those with families, will be stationed in the Lithuanian cities of Kaunas and Vilnius beginning in 2024, with most troops deployed in 2025 and 2026 and full-operation capability expected by 2027. In turn, Lithuania has committed to providing all necessary civilian and military infrastructure. The agreement was originally announced in June, but no timeline was presented at that time.[...]

Lithuanian lawmaker Laurynas Kasciunas, head of the parliamentary National Security and Defense Committee, said the country will allocate 0.3 percent of its gross domestic product over the next several years to help fund the deployment and to build housing, training grounds and other infrastructure for the German troops. Taxes will likely have to be raised to accommodate this plan, he said.

18 Dec 23

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clockwayswrites · 1 year

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Like Betta Fish Do, Part 2

Masterpost of ao3 link and all parts.

-----

Jason jolted up suddenly from his practiced slouch at the dinning room table. Absently, he was aware of the conversation falling silent around him, but he barely took notice past the hum of static that filled his ears. It was like a hundred radio stations playing at once. Each one was trying to say the same message— to tell Jason the same information— but it was like it was all in different languages and pacing. And it was getting louder and louder and—

The glass in his hand shattered.

And suddenly it was quiet.

Shards of glass dug into his palm. A blissfully quite part of him was aware of blood and wine dripping down his palm and onto the table. He sucked in a shuddering breath.

“Jaybird?” Dick asked. He was leaned in close next to Jason, but even though Dick had reached out, he didn’t touch. They were all so careful about touching him these days.

Thing were better; the best they had ever been since his return from the dead. There were monthly dinners at the manor and sharing information and the occasional patrol together— but they still were so cautious about touching him. Even Dick, who always put on a smile and an easy air, had an almost minuscule hesitation before he reached out and touched Jason on the good days. On the bad days, Dick didn’t even try. Only Cass would touch him without checking the colors of his eyes first, but she still held back when the signs were obvious. He couldn’t even blame any of them, not any more.

Not even as the Pit whispered to him that it was because they didn’t care enough to try.

“Jay?” Dick tried again.

And Jason didn’t have an answer. He didn’t know why. Usually there was some comment, some action, some instigation that made the Pit rear its ugly head and scream. This time there was nothing like that. His vision didn’t even fill with green. It was more like someone had walked over his grave. He didn’t even feel the urge to lay a hand on anyone in the room. There was no violence to any of his family bubbling under his skin like the Pit normally pulled up. He just wanted to get out of there.

“Something’s in Crime Alley,” he said, or he thought he said. He moved to stand, but Dick finally touched him. A heavy hand on his shoulder kept him sitting. He could hear them talking around him, Bruce giving Tim some sort of an order, maybe calling for Alfred. It didn’t matter. He had to get out of there. He had to get back home.

Something was in Crime Alley.

----- The longer that Danny was in the other halfa’s haunt the more sure Danny was that he did not want to meet the halfa. This haunt did not feel good. Danny was sure that the state of this part of the city didn’t help the feeling, not with the rows of condemned buildings, dirty alleys, and overflowing gutters.

He was also pretty sure he’d just passed a drug deal, but Danny was careful not to look too closely. Sure, he couldn’t really be killed if he attracted too much attention, not by something as basic as a gun or knife, but he’d just gotten this hoodie. He didn’t really want to get blood on it.

He also didn’t really want to risk getting caught in his apartments laundry room trying to get that much blood out of something. His was pretty sure neighbors already thought he was was a little shady.

That happened when someone woke up screaming a lot, he guessed.

But the drug deals and run down infrastructure didn’t explain how off Danny felt. The longer that Danny was in the haunt, the more that it felt like his core was roiling. Like something inside it was bubbling up and if he didn’t force it back down it would consume him. It scared him.

Worse, it made him angry.

Danny was more than half worried that if he ran into the other halfa now, he would just punch the other ghost. He may have zoned out on a lot of the princess’ lesson, but he was pretty that was not the right etiquette for anything other than starting a turf war.

Hoping to avoid another battle, Danny made his way as quickly as he could out of the haunt. He could do his shopping somewhere else. The edges of the haunt were surprisingly defined. From one side of the street to the next it was like Danny had jumped into a pool of ice cold water.

All of the fear—

All of anger—

All of the oppressing, consuming hate that he had been feeling were just… gone. Just like that.

Yep. Danny really need to get that ‘please don’t disembowel me’ gift and get the fuck out of here before he ran into the other halfa.

Maybe he could even gift some things to help the other unwind, because boy did the other halfa need to. It’s not like scented candles or chocolate would actually save a soul, but who didn’t like a nice relaxing bathbomb and something nice to eat? Right?

It took longer than Danny expected to find the right sort of store, but it turned out to have almost everything he needed. Bathbombs? Check. One had a nice, warm scent to it: amber and sandlewood and smoke and the other was a nice simple citrus. He figured that range covered the bases. There was even a little basket he could buy and, when he mentioned it was a gift, the staff gave him a small, simple card to write his message on. He filled it out there in the store and tuck into the basket the clerk had done up with a little crinkle cut and a craft paper bow.

On the way back he stopped at the sweet shop he had passed and added a little box of truffles to the basket. For a quick gift he thought it actually looked really nice. If he hadn’t been in a rush he might have done one up for Jazz too. Ancients knew she needed to relax a little more.

As it was, he found another alley to tuck into and transformed back to his ghost form. As soon as he dropped off the gift, he planed to get the hell out of there as quickly as possible. He didn’t want to risk a delay of transforming and running into the other halfa in his mortal form.

Flying back, he went against everything is gut told him and flew deeper and deeper into haunt. The fear and the anger came back quickly, churning in his core, but the more that Danny followed the feeling to the center of the haunt there was something added to it.

There was sadness.

A deep, soul consuming sadness. It made Danny want to flee for a whole different reason; it was a feeling that he knew too well. Pushing his trepidation aside, Danny pressed on and slipped through the wall to stand in front of the door to what he was sure was the other halfa’s apartment. This was the most concentrated part of the haunt at least.

Danny chewed on his lip as he stared at the door. For some reason, now that he was standing in front of the apartment, he was nervous about leaving the gift. He shook himself out of it, quickly set the basket down at the door, and fled. At least it was done.

-----

“Sorry for intruding on your haunt! Total accident. Please don’t disembowel me. Sorry again,” Dick read off the card that had been tucked into the gift basket.

This brings us to the end of Ch. 1 and the very first line of Ch. 2. My apologies for any mistakes, I've had a migraine for about a month now.

Tag list: @fisticuffsatapplebees | @thegatorsgoose | @wolfeyedwitch | @lazy-bouqet

#dp x dc #danny phantom #danny fenton #red hood #jason todd #dead on main #like betta fish do

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reality-detective · 2 months

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Was the Baltimore Bridge attacked? 👇

The Baltimore bridge collapse was an “absolutely brilliant strategic attack” on US critical infrastructure - most likely cyber - & our intel agencies know it. In information warfare terms, they just divided the US along the Mason Dixon line exactly like the Civil War.

Second busiest strategic roadway in the nation for hazardous material now down for 4-5 years - which is how long they say it will take to recover. The bridge was built specifically to move hazardous material - fuel, diesel, propane gas, nitrogen, highly flammable materials, chemicals and oversized cargo that cannot fit in the tunnels - that supply chain now crippled.

Make no mistake: this was an extraordinary attack in terms of planning, timing & execution.

The two critical components on that bridge are the two load-bearing pylons on each end, closest to the shore. They are bigger, thicker and deeper than anything else. These are the anchor points and they knew that hitting either one one of them would be a fatal wound to the integrity of the bridge.

Half a mile of bridge went in the river - likely you will have to build a new one. Also caused so much damage to the structural integrity of the bottom concrete part that you cannot see & won’t know until they take the wreckage apart. Structural destruction is likely absolutely.

Attack perfectly targeted.

“They have figured out how to bring us down. As long as you stay away from the teeth of the US military, you can pick the US apart. We are an arrogant and ignorantly - lethal combination. Obama said they would fundamentally change America and they did. We are in a free-fall ride on a roller coaster right now - no brakes - just picking up speed.”

The footage shows the cargo ship never got in the approach lane in the channel. You have to be in the channel before you get into that turn. Location was precise/deliberate: They chose a bend in the river where you have to slow down and commit yourself - once you are committed in that area there is not enough room to maneuver.

Should have had a harbor pilot to pilot the boat. You are not supposed to traverse any obstacles without the harbor pilot.

They chose a full moon so they would have maximum tidal shift - rise and fall. Brisk flow in that river on a normal day & have had a lot of rain recently so water was already moving along at a good pace.

Hit it with enough kinetic energy to knock the load-bearing pylon out from under the highway - which fatally weakens the span and then 50 percent of the bridge fell into the water.

All these factors when you look at it - this is how you teach people how to do this type of attack and there are so few people left in the system who know this. We have a Junior varsity team on the field.

Tremendous navigational obstruction. Huge logistical nightmare to clean this up. The number of dead is tragic but not the whole measure of the attack.

That kind of bridge is constantly under repair - always at night because there is so much traffic and they cannot obstruct that during the day. So concern is for repair guys who were on foot (out of their vehicles) working who may now be in the water - 48 degrees at most at this time of year.

When you choke off Baltimore you have cut the main north-south hazardous corridor (I-95) in half. Now everyone has to go around the city - or go somewhere else.

To move some of that cargo through the tunnel you may be able to get a permit but those are slow to get and require an escort system that is expensive and has to be done at night.

For every $100 dollars that goes into the city, $12 comes from shipping. Believe this will cripple the city of Baltimore at a time when they do not have the resources to recover.

- Lara Logan

The traffic issue was mentioned in this 👇 post

Maybe we have to dig deeper into this Bridge collapse further. Could it be a deeper issue? What's in those shipping containers? Who owns the ship?

Is it for this 👆

It has been 3 years and 3 days since the Evergreen blocked the Suez Canal. Does the number 33 mean anything?

Was this a "Black Swan Event?"

I'm just asking questions? 🤔

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hussyknee · 5 months

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Libs are like, "YOU CAN'T LET TRUMP WIN JUST BECAUSE BIDEN IS COMMITTING A GENOCIDE! THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR SINGLE-ISSUE VOTERS", when the fact is that people are already really fucking angry at him for funding two wars during a severe cost of living crisis. Biden's pet dog has already gotten Israel and the US embroiled in a steadily escalating conflict with Houthis and Hezbollah in Syria and Lebanon, and now Netanyahu is trying to ethnically cleanse two million Gazans by pushing them out of the country into Egypt, one of the countries the US gives billions of aid money to make nice with Israel and help them trap the Palestinians. Egypt is already mad about this (although Idk what they expected lol) and if Israel creates a border conflict with them, Iran might press their advantage and then the whole region descend into an all-out war in which the US is embroiled. At which point oil prices will jump, the US economy get even worse, more tax money funnelled into TWO wars, one of which is due to the genocide.

People might not care about Muslims living thousands of miles away, but they have some very strong opinions about putting food on the table. At this point there's a pretty significant shift in the Black community towards Trump because Biden has INCREASED funding for police, is supporting Cop City that someone DIED protesting, and hasn't made a dent in mass incarceration (the marijuana pardon was fucking hilarious in a depraved way). The right has also been weaponizing Black people's resentment against Latino "illegal aliens" and Biden's "concessions" towards them, when actually his immigration policies have barely been less draconian than Trump's all this time. The reason he's making those concessions is that he has to look more progressive than him, except he's also been slowly escalating ICE crackdowns, keeping kids in cages and building a border wall. So the Latin voters are entirely fed up with him too.

So far, he's lost the Muslim vote, the Latin vote, the Black vote, the youth vote (people of ages 18 to 35 are the most outraged at the genocide in Gaza), and they're hemorrhaging the working class votes. These are the extremely angry and betrayed people the liberals are currently working overtime screaming at about Trump "bringing the death of democracy", like democracy means anything to them compared to losing jobs, money, visas, family members, health (Biden's first and ongoing genocide is disabled people due to his COVID policies), social infrastructure and money.

Y'all said Blue Not Matter Who and elected a career racist and known incompetent who supported segregation, was an architect of mass incarceration, got Clarence Thomas elected to the Supreme Court and spewed rhetoric against Arabs so genocidal that motherfucking Menachem Begin was like "....bro." And you got exactly what you paid for. If Trump gets on the ticket next year he's going to win, and no amount of screaming at people online is going to change that. So I suggest you start organising now. The age of trying to create a revolution at the ballot box is over.

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mayrine · 3 months

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Let's talk about Sudan-

TRANSCRIPT UNDER CUT

Transcript: What is happening in Sudan? The war, its origins, and the key players involved.

The war in Sudan

On April 15, a war broke out in Sudan's capital city of Khartoum between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Since then, eight months of conflict has led to major destruction of Khartoum's infrastructure, the most developed region of Sudan, with fighting also spreading to the regions of Darfur in the west and Kordofan in the south.

Civilians in conflict zones have been forcibly displaced, under threat of physical and sexual violence, particulary by the RSF, which has looted, destroyed, and settled in people's homes.

In the western region of Darfur, a campaign of ethnic cleansing is being carried out by the RSF targeting the Masalit tribe. Allegations of genocide have been levied against the RSF.

Reports have just emerged that fighting has now spread to Wad Madani in AI Gazira state, which houses nearly 500,00 IDPs from Khartoum.

Key Figures: Abdel Fattah al Burhan (head of SAF), Omar El-Bashir (deposed dictator of Sudan), Mohamed Dagalo (Hemidti) (head of RSF)

Sudan: the war in numbers

24.7 million in need of critical humanitarian assistance 6.7 million displaced [5.4 million IDPS, 1.3 million refugees] 7,000+ cholera cases an increase of +136% over the past month 20.3 million people acutely food insecure- 4.9 million facing emergency hunger levels 19 million children are out of school 70-80% of hospitals out of service in conflict areas

FAQ - THE SAF

What is the SAF?

stands fro the Sudanese Armed Forces

is the de-facto government of Sudan

is headed by Lt. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan

What is their capacity?

estimated to have aprox. 200,000 personnel and tactical advantage of airforce

currently control of relative northern and eastern regions of Sudan with functioning capital in Port Sudan (East)

Do they have backing and support?

on the international stage, primarily backed by Egypt

limited weapons supply from allies

internally, the SAF is ultimately considered the lesser of two evils

FAQ - THE RSF

What is the RSF?

stands fro Rapid Support Forces

paramilitary group originating from the Janjaweed, Arab tribal militias armed by al-Bashir in 2003 to fight against ethnically African rebel groups in Darfur + carried out 2003 genocide

is headed by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemidti)

What is their capacity?

estimated to have 100,000 to 150,000 troops

winning the ground fight in Khartoum and control 4/5 states in Darfur

Do they have backing and support?

on the international stage, primarily backed by the UAE

have steady weapons supply chain and diversified financial profile with critical assets in UAE and Russia

The war in Sudan: contextualizing April 15

6/1989 - 4/2019 - The Bashir Regime Sudan was under the rule of military dictator Omar Al-Bashir for 30 years, who came to power through an military coup backed by Islamist factions in June of 1989 His time in power was marked by extreme repression, conflict, and economic decline

12/2018 - current - The revolution In December of 2018, a popular democratic revolution began taht eventually unseated al-Bashir on April 11 through the revolt of security sector Al-Bashir was ultimately replaced by al-Burhan, with Hemidti as his deputy of a Transitional Military Council Protestors rejected military rule and continued to hold a sit-in outside the military headquarters until its violent dispersal on June 3 of 2019 by the SAF + RSF Today, the Sudanese people still hope and advocate for freedom from the military rule and the transition to democracy

8/2019 - 10/2021 - Transitional Government Agreement on transitional government signed between civilian forces and Transitional Military Council on August 17, 2019 Led to formation to joint sovereign council with Abdalla Hamdok as Prime Minister

10/2021 - Current - The Oct 25, 2021 Coup Burhan and Hemidti carry out military coup overthrowing civilian counterparts They draw power from international legitimization despite prolonged mass protests in Sudan

12/2022- The Framework Agreement In December of 2022, civilians put out a framework agreement signed onto by SAF and RSF + civil society groups and political parties meant to return to a transitional government - key part of agreement: question of integration of the RSF into the SAF Parties were to finalize the agreement and sign on April 1; RSF and SAF ultimately disagreed on the integration timeline with RSF wanting 10 years and the SAF wanting 2

12/2022-4/2023 - The Lead up to April 15 As framework agreement negotiations failed, both parties began mobilizing troops in capital of Khartoum in days leading up to April 15 Residents of Khartoum awoke to the sounds of gunfire on April 15 and by noon, the RSF had seized Meroe airport in the Northern state Conflict today considered a battle of power between the two generals they are too far in to walk back

Framing alliances

Sudnese Armed Forces (SAF):

Saudi Arabia

armed groups- rebel groups that had taken up arms against the central government in the Bashir Era are forced to ally with the SAF due to the RSF's ethnic cleansing campaign. They include: Justice and Equality Movement (Gibril Ibrahim), Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (Minni Minawi), Gathering of Sudan Liberation Forces (Abdallah Yahya)

Ukraine (SOF)

Iran

Islamists

Israel (Foreign Ministry)

Egypt

Rapid Support Forces (RSF):

United Arab Emirates

Central African Republic

Russia (Wagner Group)

Chad

Arab Tribal Leaders- Arab tribal leaders across the Western region of Darfur have pledged their allegiance and support to the RSF, with members of the tribes across the Sahel crossing into Sudan to join the RSF's assault as well. Key tribes include: Beni Halba, Tarjam, Habaniya, Fallata, Misseriya, Taaysha, Rizeigat

Libya (Khalifa Haftar)

Israel (Mossad)

Is there an end in sight? The state of negotiations

Effort- Jeddah Talks [May] Parties Involved- Externally: United States, Saudi Arabia. Internally: SAF, RSF Outcome: discussed humanitarian ceasefire; signed Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan- FAILED

Effort- Intergovernmental authority on development (IGAD) [July] Parties Involved- Externally: Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, South Sudan . Internally: RSF Outcome: proposed peacekeeping troops to ensure humanitarian corridor-REJECTED

Effort- Cairo talks (neighboring countries) [July] Parties Involved- Externally: Egypt, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Chad, Eritrea, CAR, Libya. Internally: SAF, RSF Outcome: discussed lasting ceasefire, safe humanitarian passage, political dialogue framework-FAILED

Effort- Jeddah talks [October] Parties Involved- Externally: United States, Saudi Arabia . Internally: SAF, RSF Outcome: discussed lasting ceasefire, safe humanitarian passage, political dialogue framework-FAILED

Effort- IGAD + African Union (AU) [December] Parties Involved- Externally: IGAD, EU, UAE, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, United States. Internally: SAF (Burhan in person), RSF Outcome: agreed to face-to-face meeting in late December and ceasefire; SAF later issued a retraction-ONGOING

What can you do?

The conflict in Sudan calls for the collective support of all to raise awareness about war and aid the Sudanese people on the ground, especially when we live in nations that have been complicit in the oppression of the Sudanese people. Explore the potions below and share with others. Educate yourself- deepen your knowledge about Sudan, empowering yourself with insights into the complexities of the situation. Donate- extend a helping hand to Sudan by generously donation to individuals or grassroots organizations on the ground.

Contact your reps- amplify your impact by contacting your representatives, avocating for positive change

#sudan #free sudan #keep eyes on sudan #sudan genocide #sudan crisis #eyes on sudan #eyes on darfur

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workersolidarity · 11 days

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[ 📹 A Palestinian family returns to their shattered home in the northern Gaza Strip despite the widespread destruction and continued bombardment by the Israeli occupation army on all axis of the enclave.]

🇮🇱⚔️🇵🇸 🚀🏘️💥🚑 🚨

DAY 212 OF "ISRAEL'S" GENOCIDE: NETANYAHU REFUSES TO NEGOTIATE END TO WAR AS MASS SLAUGHTER OF CIVILIANS CONTINUES UNABATED

On the 212th day of "Israel's" ongoing special genocide operation in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) committed a total of three new massacres of Palestinian families, resulting in the deaths of no less than 29 Palestinian civilians, mostly women and children, while another 110 others were wounded over the previous 24-hours.

It should be noted that as a result of the constant Israeli bombardment of Gaza's healthcare system, infrastructure, residential and commercial buildings, local paramedic and civil defense crews are unable to reach countless hundreds, even thousands of victims who remain trapped under the rubble, or who's bodies remain strewn across the streets of Gaza.

This leaves the official death toll vastly undercounted, as Gaza's healthcare officials are unable to accurately tally those killed and maimed in this genocide, which must be kept in mind when considering the scale of the mass murder.

In today's news, Israeli occupation Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, refuses to negotiate an end to the war, despite the Palestinian Resistance's flexibility in negotiations.

The occupation leader said on Sunday that he will not agree to an end to the war and the withdrawal of all occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, a top demand of the Hamas Resistance movement, with the occupation's Prime Minister describing a withdrawal as "surrender".

"Hamas is fortified in its extreme positions," Netanyahu said to the Hebrew media, thereby "obstructing the release of our hostages."

Netanyahu claimed that the release of the hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza is "at the forefront of our minds," however, the Israeli occupation is unwilling to pay the price for a deal with Hamas to "leave Hamas intact, end the war and to withdraw the IDF forces from the Strip."

In response to the Israeli occupation's unwillingness to compromise, the Hamas Resistance movement's military arm, the Al-Qassam Brigades launched a rocket mortar attack on the Kherem Shalom settlement, adjacent to the southernmost tip of Gaza, launched from somewhere in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.

The rocket attack wounded at least 7 Israelis, with the Palestinian media describing the wounded as "occupation soldiers" while the Hebrew media described the wounded as "people," making it unclear who exactly was wounded in the strike.

According to the Hebrew media, an air raid alarm sounded after the firing of several rockets from Rafah at around 1:30pm local time, after which, paramedic crews arrived on the scene, treating 7 wounded, 3 in critical condition, who were taken to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba.

The Hebrew media added that the Israeli occupation army responded to the rocket strike with a barrage of tank fire and airstrikes on the Rafah area, and also responded by closing the border crossing to humanitarian aid trucks.

According to the Al-Qassam Brigades, they launched a mortar rocket attack on the Kerem Shalom settlement using a number of 114mm short-range "Rajoum" missiles, wounding 7 Israeli occupation soldiers.

At the same time as the strike occured in the south, around 20 rockets were fired from southern Lebanon into settlements in the north of the occupied Palestinian territories, wounding an older man in Kiryat Shmona with shrapnel.

In other news, despite the ongoing massacres in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian Orthodox Christians in Gaza celebrated Easter today despite the subdued atmosphere, as is described in the local Palestinian media.

At the Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza City, at least 100 Palestinian Christian families gathered for prayers and religious rituals without festivities, according to Imad al-Sayegh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Gaza Churches Union.

Al-Sayegh, alongside dozens of other families, sought shelter in the Church, telling the media that "sadness pervades the atmosphere inside the church, as it does outside, leaving no room for joy and celebration amidst the immense destruction, continuous shelling and casualties."

Traditionally, the Holy Fire is transported from the Holy Sepulchre in occupied Al-Quds (Jersusalem) to churches across the region and around the world amid festive celebrations.

However, this year the Israeli occupation did not permit the entry of the Holy Fire to Gaza's Christian Orthodox Churches, instead choosing to pretend to American media that Christian churches do not exist in Gaza because, they claim, "Hamas" doesn't permit it, which is patently and provably untrue.

Meanwhile, mass slaughter of Palestinian civilians continued unabated in the Gaza Strip, where the Israeli occupation army hammered several residential areas in various sectors of the Gaza Strip, using a combination of American-made dumb bombs, artillery shelling and missile strikes to target residential homes and apartment buildings.

The slaughter started on Saturday with a number of bombings targeting the southern Gazan city of Rafah.

According to local sources, the occupation military conducted an airstrike on a residential home in the village of al-Shoka, southeast of the city of Rafah, killing three Palestinians civilians, including two children, while several others were wounded in the strike.

Another occupation airstrike targeted a gathering of civilians in the Abasan Al-Kabira neighborhood, south of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, wounding several people who were transported to the European Gaza Hospital for treatment.

The occupation's atrocities continued elsewhere, with the Israeli occupation's artillery shelling targeting the Wadi Al-Arayes quarter, east of the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City, resulting in the deaths a mother and her two children, and also wounding the family's father.

At the same time, Zionist occupation warplanes bombed a residential building in the Al-Mufti area, north of the Al-Nuseirat Refugee Camp, in the central Gaza Strip, obliterating the building and wounding a number of civilians.

The slaughter of innocent civilians continued into Sunday morning, as Orthodox Christians gathered for prayers and rituals at Gaza's few remaining churches, many of which were bombed early in the war.

IOF warplanes bombed two residential homes in Rafah, in southern Gaza, including a home belonging to the Bahloul family, in the Al-Salam neighborhood, east of Rafah, killing and wounding several people.

A previous airstrike in the same neighborhood targeted the Al-Sha'er family home, destroying the house and killing three Palestinian civilians.

Occupation fighter jets then targeted the town of Al-Zawaida, in the central Gaza Strip, followed by hammering agricultural lands with bombings in the neighboring Al-Maghazi Refugee Camp.

At the same time, Zionist forces conducted airstrikes targeting a site in the Al-Geneina neighborhood, east of Rafah City, in the south of Gaza, while occupation aircraft also fired missiles towards the eastern neighborhoods of the Al-Bureij and Maghazi Refugee Camps, along with the city of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.

The bombardment went on with yet another series of airstrikes targeting the Al-Zaytoun, Tal al-Hawa, and Sheikh Ajlin neighborhoods of Gaza City, resulting in the death of a civilian and also wounding several others.

Israeli occupation warships also fired heavy machine gun fire towards the fisherman's port and the Al-Shati Refugee Camp, west of Gaza City, and also targeted beaches west of Rafah City.

Yet another attack by occupation fighter jets targeted a gathering of civilians in the Nuseirat Camp, in the central Gaza Strip, killing at least one Palestinian.

Simultaneously, Israeli occupation forces demolished Palestinian homes in the Al-Mughraqa, Al-Zahra'a, and Wadi Gaza Bridge areas of central Gaza.

The Israeli occupation also announced the assassination of Ayman Zorob, a commander with the Al-Quds Brigades, belonging to Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

Occupation warplanes also bombed a residential home belonging to photographer Hassan Aslih, south of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.

Yet another bombing of Khan Yunis targeted the Al-Farouq Mosque in the Khan Yunis Camp, and another targeted the Nouh Mosque east of Khan Yunis, resulting in several casualties.

As a result of "Israel's" ongoing special genocide operation in the Gaza Strip, the death toll among the local population has risen to exceed 34'683 Palestinians killed, including over 14'500 children and 9'500 women, while another 78'018 others have been wounded since the start of the current round of Zionist aggression, beginning with the events of October 7th, 2023.

May 5th, 2024

#source1

#source2

#source3

#source4

#source5

#source6

#source7

#source8

#videosource

@WorkerSolidarityNews

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niqhtlord01 · 3 months

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Humans are weird: The Pettiness of Man

( Please come see me on my new patreon and support me for early access to stories and personal story requests :D https://www.patreon.com/NiqhtLord Every bit helps)

Human pocket kingdoms were the result of the fragmented nature of humanity’s space exploration and settlement programs. Central authority still resided with the Terran Protectorate the closer one got to the Terran homeworld, but the further one went the less and less power the Protectorate had leaving opportunistic parties to establish their own domains.

The Federalist Union and Kingdom of the Fallen Sun were two such domains. Each situated in their own star system neighboring the other, the two realms had at one point been part of what was known as the Caspen Initiative. Funded by the Caspen Corporation, both systems were colonized and put under direct corporate rule rather than the laws of the Protectorate.

The Truna System held the most infrastructure and had turned its settlements into thriving cities. The comforts of the core worlds could be found here in abundance leading to a higher quality of life. It was here Caspen situated their corporate headquarters for the initiative which further led to the system becoming a major trade hub.

In contrast, the Kefer System was still largely untamed and wild yet rich with natural resources. Caspen did not wish to risk losing more experienced personnel on these planets nor take the time to invest in an expensive robotic work force. The wildlife across all the planets within the Kefer System was extremely hostile and dangerous; resulting in the failures of two colonization attempts already. In the end Caspen instead was able to obtain several transports of convicted criminals and turn them into penal laborers. Fortified factories were established with a heavily armed guard force watching over the laborers and delivering them expected quotas. In exchange for their labor they were provided with basic necessities for living and comfort; though the prisoners soon realized that the corporate ideal of “comfort” was often the least expensive option they could find.

Initially the management of both systems under the Caspen Corporation went well the company saw ever increasing share values. Unsurprisingly though, corporations are not equipped to act as a governing body and rifts soon began brewing in both systems. In Truna, the citizens began moving for more reasonable work hours and a louder voice in who is selected for high level positions. Around the same time the penal laborers in Kefer began planning mass revolts to overthrow an increasingly oppressive guard force that repeatedly put them in danger for the sake of profit margins. Caspen naturally tried to clamp down on the unrest, but their often heavy handed retaliations only further inflamed dissident movements to the point open revolt occurred almost simultaneously.

The resulting struggle would eventually see the complete removal of the Caspen Corporation from both systems, but also lay the groundwork for future conflicts between the newly established Federalist Union of the Truna system and the Kingdom of the Fallen Sun in the Kefer System.

The Unionists of Truna saw the penal laborers as nothing more than convicts and refused to recognize their newly founded kingdom as legitimate. Likewise the newly freed prisoners of Kefer, under their chosen king Sigvold the Mad, saw the citizens of Truna as part of the corporate machine that had made their lives a living hell and wanted nothing to do with them.

Each side regards the other as being the natural aggressor, but to finding the truth of who fired the first shot will never be known. What is certain is that not long after their corporate overlords were driven away did both systems set their sights on each other.

For nearly two centuries both systems have been at war with each other with the Federalist Union developing into a thriving independent system and the Kingdom of the Fallen Sun becoming a haven for every backwater, illegal, and nefarious scoundrel the galaxy has to offer. The Federalist council has attempted to isolate the Kefer system via naval blockades, while the new king Haren Hammer launches periodic raids against the Union to steal technology and supplies.

It looked like the stalemate would continue until the end of time until a third party intervened.

The alien species Gresh’n had been eyeing the prosperous worlds in the Truna System and had waited for the right moment to strike and claim them for their own. This moment came when the Federalist Union deployed the majority of their fleet to make yet another attempt to destroy the Kingdom of the Fallen Sun and remove the corruption so close to their doorstep.

Once the Gresh’n confirmed both human fleets were locked in deadly battle did they commit their own forces to invading the Federalist Union.

Caught completely unaware, the forces left to protect the borders of the Federalist Union were easily swept aside in a series of lightning strikes. Even the capital world came under siege with Gresh’n forces poised to conquer the world in little more than a month.

Just when the system was at its darkest something beyond comprehension happened.

At the outskirts of the Truna System the Gresh’n detected a massive fleet. The picket lines established to screen the main invasion force were decimated and when the mystery fleet finally held orbit and squared off with the primary fleet of the Gresh’n military they were surprised to see that it was comprised of both Unionist and Kingdom forces. Before the final battle commenced a system wide broadcast went out originating from the Kingdom’s flagship and personal ship of king Harren Hammer.

“YOU FUCKING INGRATES!!!” the pocket king shouted into the camera, “YOU’VE RUINED EVERYTHING!!!!”

“FOR YEARS I PLANNED THE PERFECT WAR TO END THESE UNION BASTARDS ONCE AND FOR ALL AND YOU COME ALONG AND FUCK IT UP! I WILL NOT HAVE MY VICTORY STOLEN FROM ME!”

With that the massed armada descended on both the Gresh’n fleet and their forces on the capital world. The civilized citizens of the Union watched as they were rescued by pirates, thieves, criminals, and every variety of psychopaths the galaxy had a name for while overhead Kingdom junkers and corsair ships boarded Gresh’n ships and took them as trophies.

After thirteen hours of intense fighting the Gresh’n finally flung up the proverbial white flag and surrendered. King Harren replied that he would give them a three hour head start and that after that every Gresh’n in system would be hunted down and killed. In its weakened state the Federalist Union could not oppose this decision and so remained quiet.

Three hours passed and true to his word King Harren began a massive hunt the likes of which are still spoken of. Fleeing Gresh’n ships were magnetically harpooned as they fled and dragged back to be boarded by cutthroats while Gresh’n ground forces pleaded to deaf eared Union citizens for shelter as the Kingdom vagabonds scoured the planet for new trophies.

When the hunt was finally finished there was no exchange of thanks, nor celebration held in honor of their saviors. The forces of the kingdom withdrew one by one, hulls full of new bounty, until only King Harren’s flagship remained.

“You get five years to rebuild.” He said over another system wide broadcast. “After that I’m coming back and taking this all proper.”

With that final ominous warning the pocket king left.

The effects of the Gresh’n failed invasion would have limited impact on the wider galaxy save for the fact it would teach future alien leaders that when considering invasions of human territory, one could not always count on the enemy of your enemy being your friend.

#humans are weird #humans are insane #humans are space oddities #humans are space orcs #scifi #story #writing #original writing #niqhtlord01

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envysparkler · 23 days

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early bird

Jason might’ve had a homefield advantage when it came to Crime Alley, but he was under no impression that the streets he remembered as a child were the same as they were today. Hell, even the streets he’d patrolled as Robin wouldn’t be the same. If he wanted to take over, he needed to get the lay of the land—where the gangs were, who was calling the shots, who was unhappy about it.

And where the Bats were.

The Red Hood was going to make his big debut after he knew who all the players were. Right now, Jason was skulking around in all-black gear, armor on, armed with blades instead of guns. He didn’t plan on killing anyone. Not yet.

But Jason felt uneasy almost instantly.

The whole city seemed to be holding its breath, the way it did after a major Rogue attack. Jason had kept up with news of Gotham’s freakshow gallery, and there had been nothing for months. Plenty of crime, but the big name players were lying low. There should be no reason for people to act like they’d just gone through a fear toxin outbreak.

Jason was feeling very uneasy indeed.

The first inkling he had that something was off was the goons on the street. While the gangs in Crime Alley changed territory like a penny changed hands, Jason had gotten used to seeing a few familiar faces. Now, there were no familiar faces, only full-face masks and a lingering sense of malaise.

The second clue that something was wrong was the aftermath of destruction. Gotham was a shit place for infrastructure at the best of times, but usually there wasn’t rubble lying on the streets, cordoned off by tattered tape, or gutted-out hollows of burnt buildings. It looked like a full-scale war had erupted on the island.

And the last thing Jason needed to finish the creeping sense of something’s not right was the glimpse he’d gotten of Batman on patrol. The Dark Knight swung through the air like a wraith and where Jason looked immediately for red-green-yellow—Replacement, target, how dare he take what’s mine—he found nothing.

No brightly colored shadow.

No joyful laugh.

Nothing but darkness.

Something was very, very wrong.

~#~

It took Jason a couple of days to figure out what had happened. No one wanted to talk to him, not the semi-stranger nor the cloaked figure all in black. Jason finally had to bare his face and find one of the working girls he’d known as a kid. She’d been happy to fill him in, though she’d used a hushed voice the entire time.

A gang war in Gotham. Boundary lines drawn all over the place. Some loser calling himself the Black Mask and the False Face Society taking control in an awful five-day wave of violence and brutality. And then…well, then the story got a little confusing.

No one had seen Robin since the incident. Batman had apparently gone feral. Black Mask was in prison with several broken bones. Nightwing had showed up, permanently if the outrage from Bludhaven was anything to go by. Word on the street was that Robin was dead.

Jason didn’t know whether to be pleased or not—the pretender was gone, but Jason was supposed to be the one to do it—when his train of thought was abruptly derailed.

“It’s just like last time,” rasped a girl with a too-old-for-her-face stare. “Robin croaks it, Batman goes cuckoo.”

“What,” Jason said.

“The Bat was scary last time,” another girl shivered, hands rubbing her arms. “You know he put Johnny in the hospital for trying to take some bread?”

“Hope he picks up another Robin soon,” muttered a girl with a resigned expression.

“No, Stella, you know they’re children, right? How could you even say that—”

“Look, either we give the guy in a bat suit his emotional support child endangerment, or Batman’s going to become just as bad as his villains. Who’s going to watch this city if everyone’s a freak?”

Jason slipped away from the group as the girls all began bickering, arguing over whether or not Batman needed a Robin, if Robin was even human in the first place, if they should just pack up and leave. He didn’t want to listen to a fiercely indignant woman call Batman a child abuser while a darkly resigned one just shrugged her shoulders.

For some reason, when he’d made his own arguments, he’d felt…unique. Special. Like he was the only one who could see the truth. Now—now he was remembering Gordon’s pinched face every time he saw Jason with an injury, all the news reporters that called Batman the worst thing that had happened to Gotham, the comments from Leaguers uncomfortable with child heroes.

Jason wasn’t entirely sure when he’d switched sides in the debate.

~#~

It took another week before Jason spotted Batman again. His patrols were all over the place, no discernable pattern to them, but when he heard rumors of a planned bank robbery in the Diamond District, Jason knew where to go.

He arrived and found a nook on the rooftop across the street to watch the action. Sure enough, Batman and Nightwing showed up moments after the alarm was tripped, and Jason watched them take down the would-be robbers.

Batman didn’t look crazy, his movements were as swift and economical as ever as he dismantled the operation, engaged the leader, and began punching him in the face again and again and again. Jason stared, frozen to the spot with more than shock as he watched Batman pulverize a group of robbers for the crime of breaking into an empty store.

Nightwing secured his opponents and moved to intercede, trying to get between Batman and his victim. Batman ignored him, and when Nightwing laid a hand on his arm to get him to stop, he flung the other vigilante back so hard Nightwing nearly stumbled into the street.

Nightwing didn’t move to intercept again.

Batman stopped when the man was no longer twitching, and dropped the body where it was, turning on his heel sharply to exit the scene. Nightwing watched him go, and Jason could see the way the younger man crumpled in on himself as Batman walked away. Hand over his face, Nightwing slowly went after him, every line of his body screaming of exhaustion.

Robin croaks it.

Jason’s breathing had gone tight and shallow.

Batman goes cuckoo.

In the back of his head, something was laughing. Isn’t it a great joke, it said between giggles. Isn’t it the greatest joke of all?

#my snippets #Jason’s plan to take over Crime Alley hunt down Robin and break Batman #runs into a few complications #mainly that someone’s beaten him to it.#(basically Robin!Tim is the one that Black Mask tortures/nearly kills and Jason arrives in the aftermath)

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ahsoka-in-a-hood · 1 year

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Ah, here we are again. After sitting through all that jedi fell to the empire because they did things wrong rhetoric, I am now sitting through the mandalore fell to the empire because Satine weakened it with her weak weak pacifism or Bo weakened it with her mistakes-

I’m not playing this blame game. I get that this is somewhat invoked by Bo Katan herself with her multiple speeches about the self-defeating nature of mandalorian infighting, and it’s deeply resonant because of her own history of being part of the problem, and it’s deeply resonant because they are fighting amongst themselves now, however-

It’s noticeable that despite that, her brief description of what happened when they lost the war is curiously devoid of mandalorian infighting. The opposite even- when they fought the empire, they may have been the most united they’d been in a long time. They appear to have just... lost. They weren’t betrayed by a mandalorian in the end, they were betrayed by Moff not honoring their agreement. So there.

And as for Satine? I’m guessing a certain subset of fans have a vision of what Mandalore would have been like without her dastardly ways, that it would have been a shining military power capable of holding it’s own against anyone- that’s a pie in the sky, obviously. The reality is that Satine didn’t inherit a gloriously strong world she dismantled bit by bit, the mandalore she was chosen to lead was a severely depopulated and fractured fractured society that killed more than half it’s own in bloody civil war, a world moreover that lacked crucial resources like, for example, food, it’s ecosystem being long since ruined, reliant on imports and/or raiding. Her administration rebuilt those cities, that infrastructure, those schools, that trade, after war had left rubble and corpses in it’s wake. Mandalore without her most likely would have looked much like it did after she was murdered in a coup: infighting, not any less vulnerable to outside attack. We know ‘traditional’ warrior mandalorians could lose to the empire; that’s exactly what happened.

But it’s not like her Mandalore would have survived by virtue of being virtuous either! I mean, the jedi didn’t, the Lasat didn’t, the nightsisters didn’t, Alderaan didn’t, lots of people got wiped out. And anyway, that would rather defeat the purpose she was arguably introduced into the narrative for, back when mandalorians didn’t have quite such a whole mythos of their own, and her and mandalore’s role was mostly to do with being a foil to Obi Wan (and anidala. many hats.) and the jedi. After all, the question of should the jedi have been neutral in the war, should they have been pacifists whose solutions were diplomatic only, etc, was a common one both in and out of universe, and the story, imo, answers it with: different story, same ending. Hence, Satine is murdered by the Sith, and there are clone troops in the streets of Mandalore when the republic graduates into empirehood. If Palpatine had fallen then, the empire not solidified, had things worked out, Mandalore might well have been able to rebuild from there, again.

Whose fatal flaws caused what in that tragedy were the same as for the rest of the galaxy. By a quirk of destiny, it all ended up resting on the shoulders of one Anakin Skywalker and his critically endangered decision making capabilities.

#bo katan kryze #satine kryze #the mandalorian spoilers

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graceofagodswrath · 7 months

Note

Ok ok ok your "Humans of Transformers franchise are space orcs" rant is out of this world.

I detest with passion when humans are reduced to pets and plot devices when instead the story could be about two alien species finding one another equally amazing/terrifying for their own respective reasons.

Here is my question: do humans and Cybertronians see how eerily similar they are? They have love of music, familial relationships, similar urban infrastructure, societal structure, financial systems, competitive entertainment, organized societies and war, colonialism, recreational intercourse, marriage...

Not to mention, why was it never addressed how similar both species look: bipedal, waists, noses, cheekbones, 5 fingers, chins, facial expressions and sense of aesthetics and beauty? Sure, humans have hair but in rather strategic places.

Veins and wires, blood and energon, metal and flesh, nanobytes and blood cells, Sparks and brain impulses, sexual organs...

Imagine Autobots arrive on Earth for the first time expecting some primitive cave-dwellers, only to encounter a less advanced mini-version of Cybertronian cities (New York, Singapore, London, Rome, Tokyo, Rio, Dubai...) and societies running on scientific, artistic and philosophical development which has no right existing on the ruthless, all-organic planet such as Earth is. Societes run by creatures who 4.000.000 (the duration of their war) years ago were hanging from the trees btw.

Autobots would be terrified.

Lemme make sure this response saves this time, cause it took me a minute to answer cause my first deleted and I had so much written I got unbelievably angry and refused to even look at the tumblr app.

But here we are.

So, this is EXACTLY what I have been thinking about for who k owe how long. It’s also the intro to this wack as fuck universe idea I’ve had in my head a while, and have kinda hinted at in my other works, but I’ve never gone into detail about.

And I still won’t.

Anyways, yes. It’s crazy that we backlit humans so much when any other sentient species is about. Transformers, TMNT, etc (I’m on a one track mind, feel free to jot down any other fandoms I can’t think of). The main theme of these stories? HUMANS SUCK. And that is severely unfair. People want to cry about how much our generation doesn’t give a shit anymore. Have you SEEN the media we feed kids???

That’s why I live Humans are Space Orcs so much. It really puts into perspective how unique and batshit our species is.

So, onto the Transformers vs humans concepts. The ONLY reason (forgoing technoism and general hate towards organics) cybertronians don’t see humanity as an imminent threat, or one in general, is because of size. WE BE SMALL AF. Can’t blame them, I get it. We do the same. Insects? Fuck them mfs.

But have you seen a botfly or tick burrow into your skin? The infection that comes form that? Have you seen ants jump a small animal as a colony and absolutely shred it? Or a spider only biting you, and the horror the venom causes (recluses and huntsman’s specifically). We have a good fucking reason for disliking these mfs.

But transformers? These are organic experiences. Worst they go through are rust infections, spark death, the works. They are not at risk the same way we are. That is why they view organics as small and inconsequential. They have no idea how hard we fight to simply stay alive.

And now the similarities. It’s understandable that they wouldn’t immediately recognize the physical, cultural, and psychological similarities between our species. Transformers are an incredibly diverse race, like any other. But specifically in physical form. Your average cybertronian holds a similar appearance to your average human. We tend to have the same features, just with different names. Eyes, noses, faceplates, ears, two arms, two legs. Sure that’s average for them too. But they are unique because of the fact that they have two forms. Vehicle mode. Their mode decides what they’re second mode looks like, which can create extreme diversity is appearance. Small, large, many limbed or not.

So the immediate similarities probably wouldn’t jump out to them in an odd way. There’s also the idea that because they’re so spread out in the universe, they’ve seen other organic races that are also similar. Pairs of every body part could be the common denominator among species.

That goes culturally too. War, love, music, government, politics, it’s all a natural form of sentient evolution. Another common denominator. It’s how it’s done that makes it unique. And the similarities between human and cybertronian culture is uncomfortably familiar.

I think that’s why cybertronians are seen being closest with humans rather than other species in the shows and comics (obviously because the audience is human and they need relation to characters but shhhh forget that for a sec). This is where the theories start.

Let’s say cybertronians begin to recognize the weird similarities between our species. The really, really weird stuff. The itty bitty details. Like:

- how we also mainstream kissing on the lips as the top tier romantic gesture.

- use verbal tone and cues for our language.

- have intensely complicated interpersonal relationships in the exact same manner.

- suffer from extreme mental health issues like depression, anxiety, PTSD (I totally headcannon that forms of adhd, autism, and ocd exist in cybertronian society, have y’all not seen my boy rodimus prime??)

- will also destroy each other in the name of our gods, until we have a common enemy.

That’s just the basics I could come up with. The only time I actually saw a moment where a transformer genuinely take a moment to realize that humans can be a threat, was in transformers prime. Episode 6 of beast wars (I think, correct me if wrong), where Miko beats the ever loving fuck out of an insecticon (I think) and upon Megatron hearing this, just goes blank Kubrick stare for a hot second. Man had an ugly realization that did not fit in with anything he had experienced his whole life.

AND THEY NEVER FUCKING ADDRESSED IT EVER AGAIN. Sick of this shit. Could’ve had the most badass character development, where the humans actually proved useful and did something (it would have fit Milo’s character so perfectly too) and scared the utter shit out of the transformers. BUT NO. They continue to be annoying as fuck.

One thing I loved about TF Prime was that it canonically turned Unicron into Earth. And humans came from the earth. Which relates humans beings and cybertronians so hard. Cousins Fr. We are the cybertronian equivalent of organics, and transformers the inorganic equivalent of humans. The individuality, the chaos, the culture, it clicks. There is so much material to really go into it.

But they never do. Don’t get me wrong, I love Transformers lord and just discovering more without humans being involved. We’re just annoying af at this point. But there is so much u tapped potential in transformers actually taking the chance to LEARN about us. But we’re just friends (pets) to these mfs.

That’s why I love TF Earthspark so far. Transformers ingrained into human culture because they’re not from Cybertron, and cybertronians having to adapt to human culture because they have no where else to go. Granted, it’s a kids show. There’s only so much they can do. But I’m excited for where it’ll lead. It really shows how much of threat and ally humans are, and how we are just as diverse as cybertronians.

I need to write another fic about cybertronians meeting humans their size from our world tho. Need to continue my old piece. Would give me so much life. Y’all help motivate me, college draining my ass.

#shower thoughts #humans are crazy #humans are space orcs #humans are space australians #humans are deathworlders #humans are weird #Transformers #transformers prime #transformers earthspark #rant

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zvaigzdelasas · 3 months

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Officials from the UK Foreign Office and the business department held an online meeting with British business leaders in November to encourage companies to take advantage of the “great opportunity” to support Azerbaijan president Ilham Aliyev’s rebuilding agenda.[...]

In the days after Baku’s military operations the UK government publicly condemned the Aliyev regime’s “unacceptable use of force” in Nagorno-Karabakh and warned that it had “put at risk efforts to find a lasting peaceful settlement” in the region.

But a recording of the online meeting, shared with the Guardian by campaigners at Global Witness, includes one senior UK government official encouraging business leaders to take advantage of the financial opportunities in the “huge western chunk of the country that needs to be rebuilt from the ground up”.

“The Azerbaijan government is supporting what it calls ‘the great return’, which is essentially providing the opportunity for the 700,000 [internally displaced people], these refugees, to basically return to Karabakh. So you have this great opportunity here actually,” the official said.

It is not clear whether the official was referring to Nagorno-Karabakh specifically, part of the far larger Karabakh region. Aliyev set out plans in 2020 to rebuild the “liberated districts” of the Karabakh region in western Azerbaijan, which includes Nagorno-Karabakh. The president said it was important that all displaced Azerbaijan citizens return to Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent districts where they used to live.

A second government official told business leaders: “[There’s] a great opportunity here actually. [It was] just an empty land that was ready to be built over from scratch.”

Jonathan Noronha-Gant, a senior campaigner at Global Witness, said: “Behind closed doors, the UK government is calling Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh a ‘great opportunity’. What century are these officials living in? It’s not a great opportunity for the UK, nor for the people who were displaced.”

In the recording the first official said UK companies were “well-placed” to collaborate with the Azerbaijan government to provide infrastructure advice to “a government which has financial means given that it has very large energy resources”. Azerbaijan owns one of the world’s largest gasfields, Shah Deniz in the Caspian Sea, and is a growing exporter of gas to Europe.[...]

A UK government spokesperson said: “These comments from UK officials have been misrepresented. Discussions of reconstruction referred to the UK government’s public work to assist with possible future development in the new towns being built for those displaced by decades of conflict.

“The UK is not involved in commercial activity or reconstruction efforts in the area of Nagorno-Karabakh region recovered by Azerbaijan through its September 2023 military operation.[...]

The Guardian revealed last year that Azerbaijan’s share of two large oil and gas projects operated by British oil company BP had earned its government almost $35bn (£28.6bn), or more than four times its military spending since 2020 when war broke out in the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.[...]

BP also plans to build a 240MW solar farm in Azerbaijan’s “liberated lands”, according to Azerbaijan’s deputy energy minister. The Azerbaijani prime minister, Ali Asadov, met with the BP head of production, Gordon Birrell, recently to discuss the Sunrise solar project, which is planned for an area near the ghost city of Jabrayil, which was left in ruin after the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.

22 Feb 24

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