';A father should aspire for his children to live in peace‚ not die for jihad';

Our Top 10 Howard Melvin &;amp; the Blue Notes songs list looks at one of the great Philadelphia soul bands of the 1970s. Harold Melvin &;amp; the Blue Notes represented the sound of Philadelphia Soul along with bands such as the OJays and The Spinners. It was a sound that was much loved in the 1970s by a mass audience. Harold Melvin &;amp; the Blue Notes had many big-time hits‚ especially in the early part of the decade. Songs like The Love I Lost‚ Bad Luck‚ and If You Dont Know Me By Now were massive hits on the Billboard The post Top 10 Harold Melvin &;amp; The Blue Notes Songs appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

The post Is Best Western Pet Friendly? (2024 Guide) by Codee Chessher appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it‚ but all of these articles were assigned‚ contracted and paid for‚ so they aren';t considered public domain. However‚ we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article‚ then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com. Click to Skip Ahead Best Western Pet Policy‚ Fees‚ &;amp; RulesOther Hotel Chains That Are Pet FriendlyTravel Tips When youre traveling but have pets‚ a whole new set of problems comes up. Perhaps the biggest and most important is what hotels to stay at because not all will accept pets. Even those that do typically charge an eye watering deposit or fee‚ making matters even worse. What about Best Western‚ you may ask? Do they allow pets?Yes‚ most Best Western hotels are pet-friendly and gladly welcome your four-legged friends‚ feline or canine. Some even permit birds‚ snakes‚ and other pets‚ but the policy is subject to change. Managers of individual locations‚ for instance‚ may decide to not allow birds‚ cats‚ or dogs if they wish‚ even if the company policy is that pets are welcome at Best Western hotels.If that seems a little confusing‚ its because it is. Most Best Westerns are cool with your beloved pets‚ but a few might not be. Your best bet is to get on the phone or your email and directly contact the Best Western you want to stay at before you book your stay and to specifically ask for pet-friendly accommodations.Best Western Pet Policy‚ Fees‚ &;amp; RulesImage Credit: Best Western Hotel MadisonBest Western has over 1‚200 pet-friendly locations in North America‚ and youll have no problem finding one nearly anywhere you go in the US. Once youve confirmed that the hotel youre staying at allows your pet‚ it would be a good time to get familiar with Best Westerns pet-related rules so you dont accidentally step on any toes during your trip.Best Western Pet Policy Rules: $150 refundable pet deposit may be required upon check-in at managements discretion $30 per day flat pet fee per room to a weekly maximum of $150 Two domestic pets up to 80 pounds each allowed per room Exotic animals like monkeys‚ snakes‚ birds‚ and more require approval from management and may not be allowed at all locations Your pet may not be allowed free in your hotel room when youre not present for the safety of housekeeping staffWhat Other Hotel Chains Are Pet Friendly?Best Western is pretty pet-friendly‚ but theyre far from the only hotel chain out there. Hotel chains typically enforce the same pet-related fees and policies at all locations‚ so it helps to know which are pet-friendly if you travel with your pet often or just ahead of a special trip. Lets delve into which hotel chains are generally pet-friendly below.Other Popular Pet-Friendly Hotel Chains: IHG Hotels &;amp; Resorts: Including Marriott‚ Holiday Inn‚ Staybridge Suites‚ and more‚ most IHG-owned hotels are glad to welcome our furry friends. Hilton: This upscale luxury hotel chain welcomes pets at nearly all locations with very few exceptions. Red Roof Inn: All locations of this underrated hotel chain allow one pet per room for no charge or deposit. Motel 6: This ubiquitous budget hotel franchise is proud to welcome pets at all their locations throughout the US with no pet fees. Hampton Inn: Most Hampton Inns allow pets‚ but fees and policies may vary based on location‚ so make sure to call ahead and confirm!Top 3 Travel Tips for Keeping Your Pet SafeA lot of scary things can happen when you travel‚ from ordinary nerves to serious emergencies. No matter what happens on the road‚ it pays to keep a few key things in mind: packing smart‚ strategizing potty breaks‚ and locating pet-friendly recreation.1. Pack SmartImage Credit: Frau aus UA‚ ShutterstockWhen traveling with a loved one‚ furry or not‚ you want to be prepared with all the essentials they need on a daily basis and emergency supplies just in case the unthinkable strikes when youre traveling. Make sure you pack all the travel supplies below to stay ahead of the travel game.Recommended Pet Travel Supplies: ID tag with the pets name and your contact info Photocopies of your pets documents‚ including vaccinations and other medications Food and treats for the duration of your tripyou may not always be able to grab more on the go Collapsible travel bowls for food and water A favorite toy or twoanything that brings your pet comfort in stressful situations Travel-approved pet carrier Waste disposal bags2. Strategize Potty BreaksTraveling with a pet is a lot like traveling with a child in that potty breaks will suddenly become a much bigger issue than they normally are. Get into the habit of taking your cat potty before going anywhere‚ and we highly recommend trying to stay on your normal feeding and potty times so your pet stays on a comfortable routine.3. Pet-Friendly RecreationImage Credit: Bussakorn Ewesakul‚ ShutterstockEntertaining a bored cat can be nearly impossible in a cramped hotel room‚ but through trial and error‚ pet owners have figured out some life-saving tips for keeping pets busy when traveling in unfamiliar territory.Pet Travel Recreation Tips: Look up and write down pet parks and pet-friendly hiking trails near the places youre going. Make sure your pet knows essential commands before taking them on a trip. Keep your cat confined to their travel carrier until you reach a pet-safe room where they can freak out a little bit without hurting themselves or destroying property. Carve out dedicated chunks of time where you spend quality time with your cat‚ whether thats performing tricks‚ puzzle toys‚ walks‚ or outdoor games.ConclusionTraveling with a pet doesnt have to be a harrowing experience‚ and many hotel chains across the country‚ like Best Western‚ are more than happy to welcome your weary pet on your next trip. Whether youre going across town or cross-country‚ take care to note the pet-friendly hotels and critical travel tips mentioned above. Sourceshttps://www.bestwestern.com/en_US/hotels/discover-best-western/pet-friendly-hotels.html#:~:text=Best%20Western%20is%20pleased%20to‚maximum%20size%20of%2080%20lbs.https://www.purina.co.uk/articles/dogs/behaviour/travel/staying-in-a-dog-friendly-hotelhttps://www.akc.org/expert-advice/travel/a-guide-to-pet-friendly-hotel-chains-in-the-united-states/ Featured Image Credit: Prystai‚ ShutterstockThe post Is Best Western Pet Friendly? (2024 Guide) by Codee Chessher appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it‚ but all of these articles were assigned‚ contracted and paid for‚ so they aren';t considered public domain. However‚ we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article‚ then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com.

The post Is Holiday Inn Pet Friendly? (2024 Guide) by Rachael Gerkensmeyer appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it‚ but all of these articles were assigned‚ contracted and paid for‚ so they aren';t considered public domain. However‚ we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article‚ then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com. Click to Skip Ahead Pet-Friendly Holiday Inn LocationsHoliday Inns Pet PoliciesStipulations to ConsiderHow to Be a Great Pet-Owning Guest Holiday Inns are located all around the United States and are designed to accommodate families of all shapes and sizes‚ including those who like to bring pets along on their travels. Not all Holiday Inns allow pets on their properties‚ but hundreds of them do‚ so it shouldnt be a problem finding a pet-friendly Holiday Inn that will accommodate you and your pet‚ wherever your destination happens to be.If youre interested in Holiday Inns pet policies‚ how to find a pet-friendly location‚ and what to expect while visiting a hotel with your pet‚ keep reading!Holiday Inn Locations That Are Pet FriendlyHoliday Inns are located around the world‚ and many accept pets to accommodate the growing number of families that like to travel with their beloved cats‚ dogs‚ and other small animals. There is no official list of Holiday Inns that are pet friendly‚ but you can find locations by searching Holiday Inns parent company website. Just input your destination‚ and a list of pet-friendly locations should be generated along with links to the specific hotels so you can learn more about their pet policies and guidelines.Holiday Inns Pet PoliciesHoliday Inn strives to maintain a harmonious balance between accommodating people with pets and those who arent interested in having anything to do with animals. Therefore‚ each location has specific pet policies that must be followed by guests during their stay. These policies vary from location to location‚ so youll need to verify them with the specific Holiday Inn that you plan to stay at with your pet before you get there.Most Holiday Inns that accept pets require an additional deposit that can range from anywhere between about $5 and $50 (or more) a night‚ which is to help pay for any damage thats done to the room and/or additional cleaning services that are needed after check-out. Some locations refund all or part of the deposit if no damage is done or additional cleaning needed.Pet-friendly Holiday Inn locations provide special signs to hang on the door if you leave your pet in your room alone so staff know not to enter the room. This helps keep your pet and humans safe during your stay for optimal peace of mind.Image Credit: Pixel-Shot‚ ShutterstockPet Policy ExamplesResearching the specific pet policies at a few Holiday Inn locations will help you understand how varied they can be. Here are the pet policies of three different Holiday Inn locations that you can use for reference when planning for your next vacation or business trip:Pet Policies for Holiday Inn Express in San Diego‚ California La Mesa Service animals and pets are allowed. The animal weight limit is 90 pounds. A $250 deposit is required per stay. Unattended pets must be crated in their rooms.Pet Policies for Holiday Inn Tampa North‚ Florida A maximum of two pets is allowed in each room. Theres a $50 fee per pet‚ per night. Pets may stay no longer than four consecutive nights. There is no fee for service animals.Pet Policies for Holiday Inn Express &;amp; Suites‚ Austin Texas All pets are welcome. Theres a $50 fee per pet‚ per night. No deposit is required. Designated walking area located onsite.Stipulations to ConsiderYou may encounter location-specific stipulations at the Holiday Inn that you decide to visit.Its a good idea to ask the location where youll be staying to email you a detailed description of said stipulations. The ones that you might encounter include: Outdoor Access for Pets: Most pet-friendly Holiday Inn locations designate specific sidewalks‚ paths‚ and locations on their properties where pets are and arent allowed‚ and its the responsibility of owners to follow those designations or otherwise risk losing their rooms. Leash Rules: Any Holiday Inn that you decide to visit with your dog will require you to keep the animal leashed at all times while outdoors on their property. This is for the safety of everyone and all animals that are sharing the public spaces. Room Supervision: Some Holiday Inns allow guests to leave their pets in their rooms while offsite‚ while others may require that guests stay onsite or take their pets with them while away. It depends on whether the possibility of excessive noise is a concern.Image Credit: Prystai‚ ShutterstockHow to Be a Great Pet-Owning Guest During Your Holiday Inn StayThere are a few things that you can do to make sure you dont disturb other guests or become troublesome to management during your stay at a Holiday Inn with your pet. First‚ make sure your pet is housetrained. Dogs should know how to hold it until they can get outside for a potty break‚ and cats should be able and willing to use a litter box even in strange environments. Dogs should also be well-socialized to ensure that they behave in strange public settings.Here are other tips to consider: Dont Leave Your Pet Alone for Long: Even if you dont think that your pet will make much noise while youre out of the room‚ you never know what will happen if you arent there to keep things under control. Therefore‚ its a good idea to stay with your pet as much as you can. Try to keep outings under about 15 minutes to minimize the risk of your pet disturbing neighboring guests. Treat Your Pet for Fleas Beforehand: If the hotel discovers that your pet has left fleas behind‚ there is a chance that youll pay an extra fee for the treatment services that will be necessary before new guests can occupy the space. Be Honest: Its not worth risking your stay at any Holiday Inn by lying about things like your pets size or breed. If your pet is larger than the hotels policy allows for‚ dont try to sneak them in‚ anyway. Youll have to take them out for potty breaks‚ so chances are that youll get caught and kicked out of the hotel‚ scrambling to find other accommodations.ConclusionMany Holiday Inns are pet-friendly‚ but policies vary between locations. Some allow all pets‚ while others only allow dogs. Some have weight restrictions and some have none. A few properties maintain designated dog parks and walking trails. Many require a deposit‚ a daily fee‚ or both for a pets stay. No matter the case‚ it is important to verify the pet policies before showing up to stay at any location with a pet of any kind.Featured Image Credit: AboutLife‚ ShutterstockThe post Is Holiday Inn Pet Friendly? (2024 Guide) by Rachael Gerkensmeyer appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it‚ but all of these articles were assigned‚ contracted and paid for‚ so they aren';t considered public domain. However‚ we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article‚ then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com.

Book Recommendations Reading the Weird Poetry Month 2024: Christina Rossettis Goblin Market Is it a fable?or a mere fairy storyor an allegory against the pleasures of sinful loveor what is it? By Ruthanna Emrys‚ Anne M. Pillsworth | Published on April 10‚ 2024 Comment 0 Share New Share Welcome back to Reading the Weird‚ in which we get girl cooties all over weird fiction‚ cosmic horror‚ and Lovecraftianafrom its historical roots through its most recent branches. This week‚ we cover Christina Rossettis Goblin Market‚ first published in 1862 in Rossettis own Goblin Market and Other Poems. Spoilers ahead!SummaryCom buy‚ come buy: apples and quinces‚ lemons and oranges‚ plump unpeckd cherries‚ melons and raspberriesLizzie and Laura are sisters on the brink of womanhood‚ who often frequent the rushy brookside near their home. Often‚ too‚ they see goblin men tramping down the glen with baskets and dishes overloaded with every succulent fruit that field and forest can provide. Both sisters know better than to deal with or even look at such folk. One evening‚ when prudent Lizzie has run home‚ curious Laura stays behind. The goblins offer her their fruit‚ and accept one of her golden curls as payment. Laura sucks down the irresistible juices of the globes fair or red until her lips are sore‚ then wanders dazedly home.Lizzie upbraids Laura for staying behind in the twilight‚ a dangerous hour for maidens. She recounts the story of Jeanie‚ who had commerce with the goblins only to waste away and die when she could no longer find them and their wares. Laura rejects her sisters warnings. Shell seek the goblins again and bring Lizzie back some of their fruit. The two go to their shared bed and sleep peacefully‚ cheek to cheek and breast to breast.The next day the sisters go about their usual chores and innocent amusements‚ but Laura drifts in an absent dreamsick in part. By the brook in the evening‚ Lizzie hears the goblins customary cry of Come buy while Laura hears nothing. That night she lies awake in a passionate longing‚ filled with baulked desire. Nor do her daily and nightly watches bring the goblin men back to her. Her one memento of that delirious evening is a kernel-stone from a goblin peach. She tries planting it‚ but it never sprouts.Laura sinks into decline‚ neglecting her chores‚ eating little. Lizzie‚ who still hears the goblins‚ longs to buy their fruit for Laura but fears the exchange will cost her too dear. At last‚ however‚ with Laura dwindling toward death‚ Lizzie waits by the brook in the twilight. When the goblins come‚ she offers them a silver penny for an apronful of fruit. The goblins insist she must feast on her purchase alongside them. When Lizzie refuses to stay‚ they attack her and try to force fruit into her mouth. Heroically virginal‚ she resists their efforts. At last the goblins angrily depart‚ leaving Lizzie to run home with her face and neck dripping with crushed fruit‚ goblin pulp and goblin dew. Hug me‚ kiss me‚ suck my juices‚ she beseeches Laurafor Lauras sake‚ she has had to do with goblin merchant men.Lauras appalled that Lizzie will now share her fate‚ but she cant resist kissing and kissing her with a hungry mouth. Once so luscious‚ the goblin fruit now scorches her lips and tastes like wormwood. In a burning frenzy‚ she gorges on bitterness until she swoons. Will she die or live? Lizzie watches over her sister until morning‚ when Laura wakes with her vitality restored.Years later‚ when both sisters are wives and mothers‚ Laura tells her children about her encounter with the goblins and how Lizzie won for her the fiery antidote to their poisonous fruit. There is no friend like a sister‚ is the lesson‚ and so she bids them to cling together as she and Lizzie have done.Whats Cyclopean: There are pellucid grapes with sugar-sweet sap. The goblins themselves have all manner of animal features‚ but the most fascinating and out-landish may the wombat-goblin‚ obtuse and furry.Weirdbuilding: Fairy markets are a common tropeplaces where all manner of fascinating and dangerous goods may be found for fascinating and dangerous prices. A couple such markets show up in Seanan McGuires Wayward Children series: In An Absent Dream draws its title from this weeks poem.Annes CommentaryWelcome to April and Poetry Month! My own first encounter with Goblin Market was in an undergraduate course on Victorian literature. I dont think anyone in the class failed to pick up on the poems sexual overtones‚ but only a couple of students ventured to bring it up. Our instructor was quintessentially a PROFESSOR‚ tweed-clad and gray-haired and given to bow ties‚ no less. We didnt want to come off like a bunch of horny sophomores or to offend someone of his staid demeanor. Midway through the session‚ we learned a lesson with ramifications far beyond nineteenth-century poetry: Dont judge a person by their sartorial choices and typically dry address.This professor had a subscription to Playboy. Or at least he had a copy of the 1973 issue that featured Goblin Market in its Ribald Classics column. Playboy credits Jonathan Cott‚ editor of the 1973 anthology Beyond the Looking Glass‚ for at last recognizing the lurid sexual fantasies that raged in Miss Rossettis unconscious. Cott described Goblin Market as the most extreme depiction of repressed eroticism in childrens literature. Apparently thinking its readership needed less high-flown language‚ Playboy translated Cotts statement to [Goblin Market is] the all-time hard-core pornographic classic for tiny tots. The poem has had many illustrators over the years‚ including Christinas brother Dante Gabriel Rossetti‚ Arthur Rackham‚ and Lawrence Housman. None of their illustrations were up to Playboy standards‚ so the magazine printed several by Kinuko Y. Craft. Our professor kindly let us have a look at Crafts gorgeous but very much not-safe-for-work interpretations of Goblin Market. All kinds of trigger warnings could apply‚ including attempted rape‚ consensual but weird sex with semi-anthropomorphic beasties‚ and sibling incest. Oh‚ and fruits that look like human genitalia; in addition to their traveling market‚ the goblins could set up a Grow-Your-Own sex toys business.Christina Rossetti would write many childrens poems‚ and it seems that she did publicly claim that Goblin Market was one of them. However‚ she also wrote to her publisher Alexander Macmillan that the poem was not intended for children; this suggests she was aware of the many adult interpretations her early masterpiece invited. That paragon of Victorian critics John Ruskin received a (prepublication) copy of Goblin Market from Dante Gabriel Rossetti‚ who hoped hed recommend it to William Makepeace Thackeray for publication in Cornhill magazine. Instead Ruskin wrote back that while his sisters work had beauty and power‚ it was also too riddled with quaintnesses and offenses for the marketplace. Maybe Ruskin was only referring to Christinas atrocious disregard for classical meter and rhyming schemes‚ but maybe he also had other quaintnesses and offenses in mind.Ruskin (gasp) was wrong: Macmillan published Rossettis first commercial volume‚ Goblin Market and Other Poems‚ in 1862‚ to considerable acclaim from other critics. Not that the other critics were blind to certain quaint readings the title piece invited. I think Caroline Norton‚ who reviewed the book for Macmillans Magazine in 1863‚ nicely sums up the conundrum Goblin Market posed then‚ and may pose still:Is it a fable?or a mere fairy storyor an allegory against the pleasures of sinful loveor what is it? Let us not too rigorously inquire‚ but accept it in all its quaint and pleasant mystery.Norton does add that‚ in addition to working as a childrens ballad‚ Goblin Market is a piece that riper minds may ponder over. Lots of riper minds have‚ pondering up many allegorical interpretations: sexual/earthly love versus spiritual love‚ the homoerotic versus the heteronormative‚ a paean to female solidarity‚ humanity versus Faery as a parallel to upright Victorian society against foreign/otherly corruption. All thats fine‚ but as a lover of the weird‚ I like Nortons suggestion that we revel in the poems quaint and pleasant mystery.Imagine the scope of the food forest these goblins have cultivated somewhere-elsewhere! Is there a lusher catalog of fruit anywhere else in poetry‚ or in prose for that matter? Or a quainter enumeration of the anthropo-zoological guises that goblins can assume? Whats in it for the goblins‚ this vending of fruit to maidens and maidens alone? Do they have a complicated fetish involving virgins and proxy oral sex via the virgins enthusiastic sucking of their ripealmost burstingjuicyfruitBecause only virgin fructivores can satisfy the goblins quirk‚ they miss out on repeat customers. This is where their likeness to human dealers of addictive drugs falters. But maybe these roaming vendors are on the more malicious end of the goblin spectrum and derive wicked sustenance from the vitality that drains bit by bit from their victims. That the poison in the fruit is also its antidote is an interesting twist. I expect that since a victim cant find the goblin market a second time‚ its always another maiden who must brave the little monsters in order to obtain fruit‚ with the second magical requirement being that this other maiden must truly love the first‚ perhaps in more than the common sisterly way.The totally conventional ending strikes me as belonging to another and much less interesting poem. Was it meant to appease those of Rossettis readers who might have found the preceding stanzas unsettling ? Was it there because Rossetti herself was unsettled? She also dedicated Goblin Market to her sister‚ Maria Francesca. I guess it could have been embarrassing for Maria if the ultimate depiction of sisterhood wasnt soothingly Victorian normal.Nothing kinky to see here‚ folks. Get your nasty minds out of that gutter. And put down that Playboy‚ I dont care if it was a professor who brought it to your attention. Oh‚ the moral perils of modern higher education!Ruthannas CommentaryMy longstanding association with Goblin Fruit isnt particularly weird or even ominous. Instead‚ its a quote sent by the first woman I connected with through an online dating site in college. This was the late 90s‚ so you should be imagining less modern app or even OKcupid‚ and more the Personals section of the Valley Advocate translated into green-on-black text. And you should imagine my baby-bi self finally admitting that I was less interested in the gender of my dates and more interested in whether they adored mountain thunderstorms‚ exchanging missives with a marginally-more-experienced potential date‚ drinking in the promise of bloom-down-cheekd peaches‚ swart-headed mulberries‚ wild free-born cranberriesI definitely got the metaphor‚ but the pull-quote had no intimations of goblin men‚ nor of their tendency to disappear after ones first taste of ruinous fruit.The date itself was not so exciting as the quote‚ but I retained the positiveand sapphicassociations. Long-time readers will recall that I was generally inclined to find this kind of appeal where I could get it. For me the goblin market is in downtown Northampton‚ around the corner from the little store where I exchanged my freshman-year straight but not narrow button for Im bisexual and Im not attracted to you‚ perhaps in some shadowed corner of Thornes Marketplace.Past the list of luscious produce‚ however‚ Goblin Market is pretty het in its centralization of female relationships. The core sisterly bond between Lizzie and Laura heralds Frozens to come. Lovers appear only metaphorically in the form of the wickedly tempting goblin men‚ and chastely off-screen in the form of the husbands presumably necessary for sisters to become wives with children of their own. The unnamed husbands are no source of fresh fruit. And a sister might be kissd and kissd and kissd as the best of possible friends‚ but that familial passion serves to cheer one on the tedious way. Husband and children‚ by implication‚ being the correct but tediously un-zaftig choice.One doesnt come away from this poem without yearning for fig season. Or at least this one doesnt.Where is the boundary between fairy story and the weird? Im not one for sharp sub-genre divisions‚ but I also feel like the distinction is real. The Hide falls on the weird side of the blurry line‚ and Goblin Market falls on the side of making lines less blurry. These fae exist to mark the dangers of straying from the well-lit path. Victorian anxieties havent quite the nuance of Lovecraftian attraction-repulsion; they offer instead attraction whose repulsiveness is only revealed through Lizzies carefully taste-less rescue.Compare Whisperer in Darkness‚ where alien fae draw travelers underhill and into the cosmos. Both glory and horror are a long way from sweet-talking boys who bed and then abandon. The Mi-Go may offer the ultimate in non-physical chastity‚ but they also offer alternatively unimaginable pleasures. And theyre faithful if cosmopolitan companions!Perhaps Im being unfair to the poem‚ simply because the opening has lived so long in my head without the rest of the story. If only goblin men hawk remarkable fruits‚ and only human men offer a safe-but-tedious alternative‚ that reflects something of Rosettis realities that I shouldnt blame her for depicting. Yet even in fairy stories‚ I want the lands beyond safe firelight to offer something complicated. Lauras life ought to be richer for tasting the goblins hazards and hazarding their tastes. Quoth Tolkien: In that realm a man may‚ perhaps‚ count himself fortunate to have wandered‚ but its very richness and strangeness tie the tongue of a traveler who would report them.Ive been fortunate enough to spend the past couple of days with my not-at-all-tedious wife and sister‚ chasing down a wild cosmic experience by way of a certain amount of extremely practical logistics (i.e.‚ eclipse road trip). The best real relationships‚ I think‚ include a measure of both elevating the mundane and grounding the transcendent. A sharp line between those two aspects seems false‚ as does any claim that only one belongs in a good life.Id have Laura take more than fables from her ill-advised fruit purchase. Id have her relationship with Lizzie gain something beyond gratitude for her rescue. Id have her children inherit something beyond warnings. But all of these require another tale. Perhaps we could tell it over a plate of greengages.Next week‚ we wrap up the last two chapters of Max Gladstones Last Exit! What lies beyond the Crossroads‚ and how many alt-riders‚ not to mention semi-innocent bystanders in the rest of the universe‚ are going to survive it?[end-mark]The post Poetry Month 2024: Christina Rossettis Goblin Market appeared first on Reactor.

On Oct. 7‚ thousands of members of the terrorist group Hamas and its civilian friends broke through the barrier between the Gaza Strip and Israel and proceeded to torture‚ rape‚ and slaughter at least 1‚200 Israeli people. They burned their homes‚ killed their children in front of them‚ and then kidnapped some 250 Israelis back to Gaza‚ where they planted themselves in terror tunnels built with foreign humanitarian funding over the course of two decades‚ just beneath civilian areas‚ including hospitals and schools.Israel responded by utilizing every measure at its disposal to kill Hamas members while maintaining civilian life. They warned civilians to leave war zones. They put soldiers on the ground to go door-to-door despite total air superiority. They facilitated the entry of hundreds of trucks filled with humanitarian aid every single day in order to try to stave off hunger and thirst.Almost 300 Israeli soldiers have been killed in the Gaza Strip during the course of its six-month war. Over 100 hostages‚ including five Americans‚ remain in Hamas hold. Tens of thousands of Israelis have been removed from their homes in the south of Israel‚ as well as along the northern Lebanese border‚ where the Iranian proxy terror group Hezbollah prepares for a large-scale war involving hundreds of thousands of rockets. Terrorism in the West Bank‚ Judea and Samaria‚ has skyrocketed‚ with nearly daily murderous attacks by Hamas sympathizers‚ including members of the Palestinian Authority.Despite all of this‚ Israel has achieved historic military wins: killing the top Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps commander in Lebanon and Syria; quieting the West Bank through targeted raids; extirpating Hamas control from most of the Gaza Strip‚ leaving only the city of Rafah with its four divisions of Hamas.And the Biden administration has responded by calling on Israel to stop.Not only that: The Biden administration has become the propaganda arm of Hamas. It has suggested that Israel has been indiscriminate in its war aims‚ too willing to kill civilians‚ willing even to stymie humanitarian assistance without reason. This week‚ Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the astonishing statement that Israel was risking losing its reverence for human lifeeven as Israelis sacrifice their own lives in an attempt to rescue hostages and preserve civilians who largely support genocidal Jew-hatred. Blinken stated‚ If we lose that reverence for human life‚ we risk becoming indistinguishable from those we confront. He then added‚ Right now‚ there is no higher priority in Gaza than protecting civilians‚ surging humanitarian assistance‚ and ensuring the security of those who provide it.Of course‚ there is a higher priority for Israel: victory.But America is no longer interested in victory.The pattern of every American war since the end of World War II has been simple: we jump to involve ourselves in military conflicts when we feel a surge of moral outrage at the evils of our enemies; we then begin to question ourselves when we see hideous pictures on our televisions; we then surrender or cut an ugly deal. That is the pattern in Korea‚ Vietnam‚ Afghanistan‚ Iraq. Sometimes‚ we simply abandon our allies without any sort of serious opposition‚ as with the Kurds or the people of Hong Kong.Obviously‚ America ought not involve itself in foreign conflicts in which we are unwilling to stay the course. American interests dictate pragmatism. But weve gone far beyond that. Now were telling our allies that they cant win victories in conflicts in which they are willing to stay the course and in which they can win.We will actively step in to prevent victory.And so our enemies grow stronger. They have no such Hamlet-like moral qualms. They push where there is mush. Should Israel accede to Americas request to leave Hamas in place in Rafah‚ Hezbollah will challenge Israel in the north; Iranian proxies will challenge Israel in the West Bank; Iran will up the ante in Yemen and the Red Sea. Israel and Saudi Arabia will be forced to search for new allies and new weapons. The world will significantly become more dangerous.It turns out that the alternative to an America confident in its own moral roleand an America willing to stand with its alliesis a world of chaos. We are now living in that world. And things will get much‚ much worse before the end of this era of moral vacillation and cowardice in the face of evil.COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COMThe Daily Signal publishes avarietyofperspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the viewsofThe Heritage Foundation.The post America Is Now in the Business of Losing Wars appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Do you think that the following statements violate LinkedIns policy forbidding speech that is based on prejudice‚ discrimination‚ or stereotypes about inherent traits or religious affiliation?[Africans] have never been civilized![Muslims] control the media.There are too many [black] women in this industry.Most [black] people have an uncontrollable urge to control [white] bodies.All [black] children have been indoctrinated since birth.You [black people] are all far worse than your ancestors.Youre fed up with [black] men being crap? Join the club then‚ I guess.[Islam] is corrupted by white supremacy.Theyre all awful things to say. Theyre all based on stereotypes. And they come from ignorance‚ at best; hatred‚ at worst. They seem to be forbidden by LinkedIns hateful-conduct policy‚ and we have no doubt that if these statements were made as written‚ LinkedIn would have removed them.But‚ as you can tell from the brackets‚ they werent made as written. Each of these statements put words like white‚ Jews‚ Europeans‚ or Christianity where the brackets are. LinkedIn ruled that none of the statements written that way violates its hateful-conduct policy.It only takes a few moments to find hundreds of statements like these on LinkedIn. There is an enormous community of diversity‚ equity‚ and inclusion (DEI) consultants who post similar things regularly. They decry whiteness‚ which they often write as ?-ness to avoid spelling out the word white. They say that all white people (again‚ often written ?people) are uncivilized‚ racist‚ bigoted oppressors. They lament Jews purported control of the American media. They disparage Christianity and Christians.Despite its hateful-conduct policy‚ LinkedIn seems to have no problem with any of this. Within minutes of receiving reports about each of these statements‚ LinkedIn announced that its Trust &;amp; Safety Team reviewed the post and found that it does not go against our Professional Community Policies. LinkedIn approved all of them.We asked LinkedIns Corporate Communications Manager Brionna Ruff whether the statements would be removed if they appeared as they do above‚ with black substituted for white‚ Islam for Christianity‚ etc. She avoided the question and instead just referred us back to the policy with her hope that we may find [it] helpful.Its likely that LinkedIn would take the posts down if they appeared as they appear above. Theres no way LinkedIns left-leaning employees would tolerate statements against groups that rank highly in liberals oppression matrix. But‚ if thats the case‚ then LinkedIns policy is not a policy at all. Its a cover for hypocrisy.Next‚ the trainers provided a handout for teachers to locate themselves on an oppression matrix‚ which defines white heterosexual Protestant males as the privileged social groupor ";oppressors";and women‚ minorities‚ transgender‚ and LGBT people as the oppressed. pic.twitter.com/K3uy0gDAtv Christopher F. Rufo ?? (@realchrisrufo) January 20‚ 2021Terms like hate or bigotry are inherently subjective and prone to misuse. They have no fixed definitions and‚ as the 2023 Viewpoint Diversity Score Business Index observed‚ can and will be interpreted according to the enforcers biases.LinkedIns bias is evident in the policy itself (even assuming equal and neutral enforcement): LinkedIn cares only about certain types of hateful speech. The policy forbids hateful speech about race and gender identity‚ for example‚ but does not apply to class or place of origin. It is not a violation to say‚ for example‚ that all poor people from Appalachia are backward and stupid.More evidence of LinkedIns bias: it reserves the sole and unreviewable discretion to preserve hateful speech if the speaker has personal experiences with racism‚ sexism‚ ableism‚ and other forms of prejudice or discrimination. That suggests that if youre a member of one of the groups that LinkedIn favors‚ you dont have to follow the same rules as everyone else.All of this raises the question: Could it really be that the Professional Community is as woke and hypocritical as those of other social media companies? LinkedIn is supposed to be the grown-up at the internet table.Sadly‚ that isnt true. LinkedIn is not only as woke as other social media companies‚ but probably even more so. And it doesnt hide it. On the contrary‚ LinkedIn devotes a great deal of its resources to publicizing its ideological bias. In fact‚ LinkedIn does more to publicize it than Facebook does and more than Twitter ever did.LinkedIn has pages and pages dedicated to showcasing its dedication to DEI: We realize diversity‚ inclusion‚ and belonging for our employees‚ members‚ and customers. It regularly publishes blogs touting its commitment to DEI. It produces hundreds of videos and classes to teach other people how important DEI is. It celebrates the DEI awards it wins from left-wing groups. And every year‚ LinkedIn celebrates the gains it made in visual diversity (diversity of thought‚ not mentioned).Each year‚ LinkedIn says‚ we take time to reflect on the pace of our progress toward building a more inclusive and equitable workplace. Does that apply to Jews‚ white people‚ and Christians? Does it apply to people who believe that character matters and color doesnt? No answer is apparent in LinkedIns diversity materials.LinkedIn does‚ however‚ provide an answer to the question What sort of diversity do you care about? Only race‚ gender‚ and disability. Those are the only categories of diversity that LinkedIns diversity report tracks.Meanwhile‚ LinkedIn celebrates dividing its employees into race- and sexuality-based employee resource groups. And it celebrates the leadership and talent development programs that it created only for members of systemically marginalized groups. Yes‚ discriminatory employment programs violate the nations civil rights laws‚ but LinkedIn seems to care as much about the law as it does about antisemitism and anti-white racism on its platform.The truth is that LinkedIn and its parent company Microsoft (which also devotes a great deal of its resources to its Diversity and Inclusion Journey) are just as woke as the apparently less serious social media companies. Perhaps even more so. And theyre just as unprincipled and hypocritical in their content moderation policies.For Microsoft and LinkedIn‚ a solution is at hand: Adopt commonsense recommendations‚ like those offered by the Viewpoint Diversity Score Business Index to clean up their policies by eliminating unclear and imprecise terms and ensuring legitimate harms like bullying and harassment are objectively defined‚ equally enforced‚ and extended to everyone‚ regardless of their beliefs or personal traits. Microsoft has been given this opportunity for years‚ but thus far has refused to make even the most basic changes or disclosures.Lawmakers take note: Dont fall into the trap of thinking that LinkedIn is the grown-up social media company. If your sights rightly fall on Facebook‚ Instagram‚ X‚ and TikTok‚ they ought to fall on LinkedIn and Microsoft‚ too.The post DOUBLE STANDARD: LinkedIns Woke Content Moderation Hypocrisy appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Presidents used to appoint diplomats to defend the interests of the United States and the public against foreign adversaries. That looks now like a gauzy past. Today‚ you have President Joe Bidens appointees‚ who want to demolish the society they purport to represent.Sadly‚ this is no exaggeration. On April 2‚ Secretary of State Antony BlinkenappointedZakiya Carr Johnson as the State Departments new chief diversity and inclusion officer to advance our deep commitment to diversity‚ equity‚ inclusion‚ and accessibility (DEIA) in the department.The fact that the Biden administration stubbornly clings to DEIthe way President Barack Obama said Americans clung to their guns and Biblesis puzzling. The private sector seems to berunning awayfrom DEI with as much speed as it initially rushed into the embrace of these dubious training sessions and practices.The adoption of diversity‚ equity‚ and inclusion peaked in the tumultuous summer of 2020‚ when U.S. cities were rocked by hundreds of riots led by Black Lives Matter‚ an organization founded by Marxistsintent on upendingAmerican society. The violence intimidated the gatekeepers of our cultural institutions into accepting deep cultural transformation‚ and thus‚ the surge of DEI.The reason often given by companies for now stiff-arming DEI is that it has proved to be divisive. It turns out that forcing the public into anti-racism training that reminded many of the struggle sessions of the Cultural Revolution in China was not popular.There is also the fact thatevidenceis piling up that DEI doesnt worki.e.‚ it doesnt translate into higher profits or other better outcomes.Yet‚ undeterred by popular antagonism‚ the Biden administration marches on to the DEI beat.From the desk of Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Zakiya Carr Johnson: Im honored that today is my first day leading @StateDeptDEIA. Our commitment is to a future that does not exclude and contemplates us all. #DEIA #Diversity #Equity #Inclusion #Accessibility pic.twitter.com/xBMiplgtGT The Secretary';s Office of Diversity and Inclusion (@StateDeptDEIA) April 8‚ 2024Which brings us back to Johnsons appointment at the State Department. Who is she exactly? The public has a right to sift through what she thinks and says.Johnson has bounced between DEI jobs at the State Department‚ where she was director of the so-called Race‚ Ethnicity‚ and Social Inclusion Unit for six years. Shes also worked for Congress and lefty nongovernmental organizations‚ including six years at Brazils very lefty Geledes instituto da mulher Negra. Prior to that employment‚ Johnsonwas a defenderof Brazils Marxist president‚ Inacio Lula Da Silva.Johnsons views of the United States‚ the country she now represents‚ come straight out of the playbook of critical race theory: The U.S. is systemically rotten and thus requires systemic overhaul.Because we live and work within systems‚ and those systems‚ as I mentioned before‚ are so deeply rooted in patriarchy‚ in colonialism‚ in racism‚ in otherism‚ we tend to be very resistant to shifts and changes‚ Johnson said ina 10-minute videoon intersectional feminism she made in 2020 for a consulting firm she founded. In order to make any change‚ weve literally got to be about dismantling that traditional structure at every juncture.Johnsons talk was replete with the terms of critical race theory that have forged the new woke dialect learned in todays universities and then carried forth into the workplace. Words such as representation‚ intersectionality‚ patriarchy‚ interrogate‚ etc. As with all CRT experts‚ everything often boils down to power dynamics‚ a term Johnson uses over and over.Society is laden with traditions that already carry power dynamics‚ be they from histories of colonialism‚ or patriarchy‚ or misogyny‚ she claimed. There are hierarchies and values‚ and those values really make it difficult to navigate and think about a future that is different than the way things have always been.How do you change so much iniquity saturating American society‚ and the West in general? Analyzing those power dynamics on a day-to-day basis is how we move ahead‚ Johnson said in the video.In apapershe co-authored for Germanys Heinrich Boll Foundation in 2020 with five other women who had formed the intersectionality group Action Circle‚ Johnson further elucidates what ails us. Everything is interconnected‚ whether we are combatting racism‚ confronting patriarchy‚ or dismantling white supremacy‚ she wrote.As a founder of Action Circle‚ she wrote that she would challenge this group not to fall victim to a Eurocentric mindset‚ adding: I do not believe that the way we construct solutions to the most pressing issues we are facing in this world should model a colonizers map of how to do things.Bidens secretary of state has appointed this ideologue as witch-hunt supremo at the State Department‚ no doubt to ferret out malcontents who have lived abroad and whose experiences dont quite square with the notion that we Americans live under systems of oppression.We once confronted enemies. Now the enemy is us.Originally published by the Washington ExaminerThe post Biden Admins Relentless DEI Push Continues Apace appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona repeatedly refused to answer questions on whether physical differences exist between men and women at a Wednesday hearing.The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)announcedMonday that only biological females can play in womens sports at the roughly 240 universities it represents‚ whichlawmakers referenced at the House Appropriations Committee budget hearing. Cardona has rejected discussing the NAIApolicyas he says his department is currently engaged in a related rulemaking process on Title IX‚ but Maryland Republican Rep. Andy Harris pressed him on the issue.Would you agree that Title IX was necessary to help establish womens sports‚ because women cant fairly be expected to compete on biological male teams? Harris asked.Cardona began to speak about another topic but Harris cut him off‚ saying‚ Please. No filibustering. The representative then repeated his question‚ to which Cardona agreed that Title IX was necessary for this reason.Female athletes havesuedthe National Collegiate Athletics Association over its policy allowing biologically male athletes to compete against women.Would you agree that women are physically different from men? Harris followed up.I see where youre going with this‚ Cardona responded before the congressman cut him off. Harris then repeated the question‚ to which Cardona gave the same answer‚ adding I would love to talk about how we can work together to support the students‚ before Harris cut him off again.The Education Department sent Title IX regulation to the White House for its evaluation in February‚ which is anticipated to increase protections for transgender people in sports‚accordingto Politico.Mr. Secretary‚ do you agree that biological women are different from biological men physically? he asked. This is a simple question for an educator. Youre not going to answer. OK.Originally published by The Daily Caller News Foundation.The post Biden Education Secretary Refuses To Answer Whether Women Are Physically Different Than Men appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If you';re tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net.Advocating for transparency in the interactions between Big Tech and the government‚ House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan has taken further action. On Tuesday‚ he issued letters to the FBI‚ Department of Justice‚ and CEOs of key Big Tech firms‚ including Amazon‚ Alphabet‚ Apple‚ Meta‚ and Microsoft. These letters were not just mere inquiries; they were demands for documents that could shed light on the Biden administrations communication with social media companies.We obtained a copy of the letter for you here.Jordans initiative isnt isolated but comes in the context of an ongoing legal battle concerning the governments alleged collaboration with social media platforms. He pointed out in a recent press release that the FBIs Foreign Influence Task Force (FITF) had‚ as of March‚ re-engaged with major social media companies. This development‚ especially considering the FITFs prior interactions with these companies during the 2020 presidential election‚ raises significant concerns for Jordan. With the 2024 presidential election on the horizon‚ he finds the renewal of this relationship between the FITF and Big Tech worrisome.The documents are related to the renewed efforts of the DOJ to work with tech companies after the Supreme Court appeared skeptical of censorship claims.He expressed these apprehensions‚ stating‚ Given the FITFs improper role in communicating with social media and technology companies during the 2020 presidential election‚ the resumption of meetings between the FITF and Big Tech before the 2024 presidential election is deeply troubling.But Jordans requests went beyond mere expressions of concern. He specifically asked Alphabet‚ and similarly‚ the other companies and government agencies‚ to produce detailed documentation of their communications with the FITF or the San Francisco Field Office of the FBI. He underscored the urgency and legitimacy of his request by referencing a continuing subpoena issued last year.The post Jim Jordan Demands Big Tech CEOs and Feds Hand Over Censorship Collusion Documents appeared first on Reclaim The Net.