Aparna's mind

Higashino was one of my favourite contemporary authors. I've been rationing out his books to delay the frustrating moment when I ran out of English translations to read. He was very prolific and I hope his works keep getting translated ... and that I learn enough Japanese to read the originals.

Of course, Fukuyama Masaharu starred in several films and shows based on Higashino's work - primarily as Professor Yukawa (Detective Galileo), but more recently in the film of The Black Showman (the book's coming soon in English as The Dark Magician). The two men were friends too, and Higashino wrote his later depictions of Yukawa with Masha in mind.

"The America I loved still exists, if not in the White House or the Supreme Court or the Senate or the House of Representatives or the media. The America I love still exists at the front desks of our public libraries."

no, seriously, spread the word. there is so much misinformation out there, partly due to the useless indian media channels who are calling protestors fighting for a chance to be heard "terrorists". they're saying that the protestors are committing brutality (like throwing stones) against the police when it is the opposite.

its a police using teargas and batons against teenagers, women and literal children. they're ripping the clothes of the women. people are badly injured. all because our corrupt coward "education" minister cannot take accountability for paper leak which caused over 20 deaths by suicide.

some are trying to derail the protests, calling the protestors "anti-national" and but you have to do your part in ensuring that this revolution isn't over until dharmendra pradhan resigns and the youth of india are heard and acknowledged. it will save the future of the students who are currently preparing/will prepare for similar exams.

spread the videos of the police brutality (save them if you can), write emails to the pmo, and share as much info as you can about the protest; how and why it is happening. speak up; online and also in real life, translate posts/videos, make your own. correct and educate people who are still against this movement. don't let this die out until our government finally listens to its citizens.

people acting like the rss suddenly became lgbtq allies because of one statement is genuinely funny. they’ve spent decades opposing queer rights and backing a broader social vision that hasn’t changed overnight. if they’re suddenly striking a different tone while tensions with the bjp are out in the open, it’s reasonable to see it as political positioning rather than a genuine ideological shift. one headline doesn’t erase a long record.

along with their foot soldiers from bajrang dal, from VHP. the whole hindu nationalist lot is homophobic

OpenAI scraped the entire web. All of which had been a labor of love from humans. Wikipedia is the backbone of a lot of LLMs, and that was volunteer human labor. They stole it and now they're selling it back to us.

i've been asked where/how to find early-mid 20th century images of black people to reference when drawing/writing/whatever, so i figured i'd link to my own personal resource anyone is welcome to utilize! :)

with over 900 pins and counting, this pinterest board focuses entirely on black style from the 1800s - 1970s. it’s been harder than ever to research historical fashion without running into AI, misinformation, and flat out mislabeling of different eras, so i’ve done my best to represent each period as accurately as i can.

i’ve included sections for non-caricatured art and illustration, print media, music, entertainment, styling tools, and ads. there are also sections for period pieces and more modern takes on vintage style. i did not add the 80s and 90s because there's already a wealth of imagery and information about those decades, but maybe one day :)