ወጋሕታ l فجر

Sound of Rain, Yakushima Island, Japan,

A proposal envisioned by Australian architect Steven Chu,

[Photo ID] From interview with Palestinian lawyer Fadi Bakr, who was detained by the IDF at the Sde Teiman torture camp for forty days:

"They [the IDF] still didn't commit war crimes? They are only committing war crimes. I have a degree in law, I have obtained a specialization in human rights required to work in the international courts of justice. My degrees in law, human rights and humanity, they were of no use to me. During the interrogation I asked for a lawyer, for the presence of the international Red Cross, to talk with my family. They refused and when I asked them to explain, he [the soldier] said 'We are at war.' If international laws and human rights are not safeguarded during war, they are unnecessary in times of peace."

if you live in the united states, canada, australia, the european union, the uk, or israel or the uae, god forbid,

it is your RESPONSIBILITY to do as much as you can, to donate as much as you can, so that the palestinians you see every day on your feed may have a shot at living again.

it is our countries that continue to finance these genocides and it is for the promise of our comfort that they continue to produce mass death. i don't care how this motivates you. whether you donate out of guilt over our blood soaked currencies, or out of a desire to appear moral, or because something about that individual gfm resonated with soemthing personal to you, or because you've seen people like me and my friends get angry, what matters most is that you are donating. because you are in the best position to donate, therefore it is what you must do.

it should motivate you.

here are three palestinian and two sudanese gofundmes. the sudanese gofundmes are both older and less successful.

donate to Wafaa to help her family escape genocide

donate to Siraj to help him fight to keep his home

donate to Shahed to help her save her little sisters

donate to Sajida to help her family get to safety

donate to Hassan to help his friend escape war

July 20, 2024

The closing song on E=MC2, I Wish You Well, is a gospel ballad that takes the title of the album’s most personal and spiritual track. The song’s production is sparse with just piano and vocals, but the track is laden with layers upon layers of background vocals that supplement the spare instrumentation.

I Wish You Well combines lyrics from Carey’s personal journal with excerpts from the Bible. The song begins in a place of resentment rather than forgiveness as Carey describes the song’s antagonist(s) as manipulative and incomplete. For most of the track, she describes the damage that others have caused to her - Same frightened child, hide to protect myself - and tries to determine the reason for their vitriol - Maybe when you curse at me, you don’t feel so incomplete.

I Wish You Well culminates in a religious invocation and a powerful display of vocal acrobatics, both of which are buttressed by her soulful delivery. “No weapon formed against me shall prosper,” wails Carey as she reminds her foes that she is protected by God’s love and is impervious to harm.

Meanwhile, Carey’s voice reaches great heights and she pulls off a convincing vocal performance by staying in her comfort zone; she remains in falsetto and head voice for most of the song, uses her whistle register on occasion, and only turns to chest voice post-bridge. Interestingly, her vocal delivery is reminiscent of the Charmbracelet era; she uses both the whisper register and the same falsetto-like belting that can be heard on songs like Yours, Subtle Invitation, and My Saving Grace.

And while the track would have fit perfectly on an album like Charmbracelet, I Wish You Well is a nice addition to E=MC2. The track offers reprieve from the album’s sugar-coated pop songs and ultimately delivers some much-needed depth. It’s a powerful way to end an album, and it undoubtedly serves to remind listeners that Carey is still one of the best singer-songwriters in the game.

“Sade. How beautiful is she? I’ve always looked up to her. She and I have the same birthday which is January 16th so I feel like she is my soul sister. What I love about Sade is that she stays true to her style no matter what. She can leave us for 8 years and come back and be absolutely mind blowing. And you gotta respect that”- Aaliyah