Be Happy !

tldr: I’m happy for a diverse cast, sad about body diversity, curious about how this changes the story (skeptical that it will be done well but pro-trusting-the-process), and I don’t want anyone to be mean to the actors. And don’t be fucking racist.

empathy is the ability to feel somebody's emotions as though they are affecting you personally. for example, somebody tells you "my dog died last night!" -> you now feel as though you've lost a pet personally -> you feel grief and sadness just like the other person. not everyone has empathy. it's a trait some people develop and others don't. some have high empathy, some have low empathy, some (like me) have none.

sympathy is the ability to understand and care about somebody else's struggles, even if you don't feel them yourself. so, somebody tells you their dog died -> you realize how this affects them emotionally -> you care about this person, and are upset that they are suffering. not everyone has sympathy either! it's a scale, just like empathy.

compassion is doing something to relieve another person's suffering or make them feel better. somebody tells you their dog died -> you don't want them to remain upset -> you come up with ways to help them feel better, like offering comfort and distractions, or other forms of support. compassion is a learned trait, not something you can be born with like empathy or sympathy. anyone can learn to be compassionate, although some may struggle more with it than others; it's a skill, just like anything else.

But for Gollum biting it off with his finger, it wouldn't have been destroyed.

So Frodo's journey saved the world nonetheless.

And it broke him.

It was too much for him to bear. He could no longer live in the Shire or live in Middle-Earth. He wasn't of the world anymore. He had to go to the Undying Lands.

He took on the task that no one else would. He saved the world. Everyone got a happy ending. Aragorn became King, Sam rebuilt the Shire, Merry and Pippin became heroes. They all lived in renown.

But Frodo had the hardest task of all. No one else would do it. A simple hobbit who came by the Ring by chance. Not a King, not an immortal. Not a wizard. No power save his will and his friends. And he did it and saved everyone.

And he never got to rest. He never got to remain in peace. The task destroyed him. It was too much.

But there was no other way. Nobody but a simple hobbit could bear the ring all the way to Mount Doom and resist its power so long. Not a man, not an elf, not a wizard; they would have succumbed. Gandalf knew this, which was why he chose the hobbits in all his designs.

It's amazing that one of the precedent setting works in the fantasy genre holds up so well because it subverts what ultimately became the genre's core tropes. The hero was not the King, or a chosen one. In fact, the hero not being the King was a key point that allowed Aragorn to distract Sauron and allow the task in the first place. The hero was someone unassuming but courageous, who did the thing because no one else would, even though it was just by chance he came upon it.

But Frodo couldn't resist the Ring completely. He wasn't superior to anyone else in that way. And in the end it left him broken. The burden crushed him. No one else could do it, and in the end, he couldn't either. He wasn't so special that he was invulnerable.

Something that I've been thinking about, as I struggle with depression and anxiety and *another vague gesture at everything* is that LOTR does not criticize Frodo for being broken. It does not shame him or deny him what he needs.

The task was too much and it broke him and that's okay. His friends nonetheless take care of him and let him go with understanding. The book doesn't treat it as a bad thing.

This seems to be a theme throughout the books. The characters rest and heal. They spend time recovering in Rivendell, Fangorn, Lorien, Ithilien. It's treated as good and necessary. They don't heroically endure endless torment from the second they set out until they're done.

And in Gondor's march from Minas Tirith to Mordor, Aragorn recognizes that some of the very few men he's taking with him don't have the heart to go to battle against the Enemy. And he says that's okay. He gives them other tasks the they can do. They hold other strategic points. They aren't shamed for not going all the way, or kicked out, or told that they aren't manly or whatever. Their limitations are recognized and respected. The task was too big and it was okay that they couldn't do it.

I don't know man. I've held on through some absolutely crazy shit. White knuckled through mental health crises when my doctors were begging me to take a break, to go to the hospital before I hurt myself. My therapist has tried to slow me down and tell me that I've been going through it and it's understandable that I am feeling some kind of way. Even one of my colleagues remarked that I've had an absolutely fucking wild career and that I've seen more as a lawyer of seven years than she has as a lawyer of forty. But I've gotten it into my head that I have to be strong, I have to be independent.

Fuck me, man, I'm currently white knuckling through life and hanging on by a fucking thread. A few weeks ago I was about an hour away from checking myself in to a mental health facility until my best friends swooped in to help me. And then I went right back to work.

And then I read this book. This fucking brilliant and beautiful book written by a man who had seen the horrors of war and spilled it all over the page. And I read it for the first time as an adult with full understanding and experience of what it all means. And it hits me like a fucking truck.

And it says that you can't endure everything. That at some point you need to rest and heal. That if you take on too much you will break. And that all of that is okay.

The ancient Greeks and Romans viewed circumcized penises as less masculine and undesirable.

The medieval Europeans believed Jewish men were so emasculated that they menstruated.

Post-Industrialization Europeans and the Nazis believed Jewish men were pseudowoman homosexual predators.

In modern times, we see this in the way people talk about Jewish male celebrities, commenting on their heights (which tends to be shorter), saying they're "not like other male celebrities", and commenting on their voices, especially if it's a little heigher than others. I mean, just look at the way people talk about Jewish men they don't like? The way people comment about Ben Shapiro's height, his masculinity, his voice.....You don't get to be antisemitic just because you're talking about a Jew you don't like. When you're antisemitic to one Jew, you're antisemitic to all Jews.

Like take the prototypical American red-blooded man: he’s physically strong and large, aggressive, overprotective (esp over women in his life), and is certainly not in touch with his emotions, lest he be labeled as wimpy, over sensitive, or perhaps gay

On the other hand, in Jewish culture, esp ashkenazi Jewish culture, ideal masculinity is a bit different. Our culture celebrates men who are gentle and kind (the nice Jewish boy archetype), intelligent/intellectual/well-educated, and able to provide for their families.

The best example of this is the dichotomy between Yaakov and Esav in Tanakh. Yaakov is gentle, quiet, he sits in tents and studies Torah, he helps women at the well. Esav is tough, he's hairy, he hunts, he's muscular. Yaakov is the one seen as attractive and desirable.

That is, we track number of sessions/devices using it over time.

A library is like a park, you're allowed to just. Exist in it.

I check out books every 4 weeks, when the learning period from my current books is up, but I go much more frequently with my kid to just sit there and read to them, and that's okay. In my school days, we'd go and do our research for presentations there, just reading, never checking out.

The first few weeks of having the new furniture were absolutely filled with excited librarians whispering to each other, "Look! Someone's using the desklet in the back corner!" and "casually" walking by to enjoy the sight like wildlife researchers who had successfully baited a particularly elusive rare bird. Nobody cared if those people checked anything out or not. There was a need! We saw the need! We filled the need! Hooray!

He definitely did, but since the whole book is supposed to be a translation of something he found and not something he personally wrote, they’re switched for the audience’s convenience. There’s a lot more to it, but here’s a chart of Shire months from the appendices at the end of RoTK. Elves and men are different, but there was no handy chart.

after yule is æfterra geola (January), which is second yule

solmath is solmonaþ (February), which means mud month.

rethe is from hreþmonaþ (March). hreþ means glory.

astron is from eastremonaþ (April), which is easter month (which has its own complicated etymology)

thrimidge is þrimilce (May), which means three milking, because apparently animals could be milked three times a day in may

forelithe is presumably from ærra liþe (June), going with afterlithe or æfterra liþe (July). from what i can tell Tolkien isn’t quite using these correctly. both months could be called liþe, and the ærraþ/æfterra distinction is probably more like first/second or former/latter. wikipedia also mentions that there could be a leap month called liþe inserted between the two, but i can’t find a source i trust more confirming that. midsummer would just be called midsumer.

wedmath is weodmonaþ (August), which means weed month

halimath is haligmonaþ (September), which means holy month

winterfilth is winterfylleþ (October) which is more like winter-full-moon

blotmath is blotmonaþ (November) which means sacrifice month

and finally foreyule is ærra geola (December), which is first yule. This goes with æfterra geola like ærra liþe and æfterra liþe

As you may have heard, four thieves broke into the Apollo Gallery in the Louvre Museum this morning and stole several pieces of historical jewelry. The museum has released the list of eight items that were stolen. Empress Eugenie's Crown was also taken but was found on the ground outside of the museum damaged. Though a heist is always exciting, I am sad that these beautiful works of art that have survived for 200 years are now gone.

Empress Marie Louise's Emerald Necklace - made by François-Régnault Nitot in 1810 - donated to the Louvre in 2004

Empress Marie Louise's Emerald Earrings - made by François-Régnault Nitot in 1810 - donated to the Louvre in 2004

Queen Hortense of Holland's Sapphire Tiara - made in the early 1800s with several alterations throughout the century - bought by the Louvre in 1985

Queen Hortense of Holland's Sapphire Necklace - made in the early 1800s - bought by the Louvre in 1985

Queen Hortense of Holland's Sapphire Earring - made in the early 1800s - bought by the Louvre in 1985

Empress Eugenie's Pearl Diadem - made by Alexandre-Gabriel Lemonnier in 1853 - donated to the Louvre in 1992

Empress Eugenie's Bow Brooch - made by François Kramer in 1855 - donated to the Louvre in 2008

Empress Eugenie's Reliquary Brooch - made by Alfred Bapst in 1855 - one of the few pieces to escape the sale of the French Crown Jewels and was instead placed in the Louvre by the French government in 1887

Empress Eugenie's Crown - made by Alexandre-Gabriel Lemonnier in 1855 - donated to the Louvre in 1988

hamas have attempted to fatten the hostages over the last few days, despite israel's request not to do so as to prevent refeeding syndrome (which can be deadly)

none of the hostages require emergency care, but physical recovery might be very long for some of them

avinatan or was held completely alone (without any other hostages) the whole 2 years in captivity. due to his isolation, he knows very little of what happened since 7/10. he was kept in terrible conditions and was starved by his captors. he's very weak and thin, and lost 30-40% of his body weight.

elkana bohbot saw his family fight for him in protests and on the media when he was allowed to watch tv. he was held exclusively in tunnels for the whole two years, and lost his sense of time. most of the time he was in chains. one time, when he realized it's his wedding day, he begged his captors to let him wash himself as celebration, which they eventually relented to. he's suffering from stomach pains due to recent overfeeding, as well as pains in his arms, legs, and lower back

matan angrest underwent horrible torture in the first months of captivity, and was kept alone for a long time, and wasn't allowed to even relieve himself for days on end. he made up his mind to never surrender to his captors and the thought of his family kept him going. he's suffering from damaged sight, partial memory loss, flashbacks, and sometimes consciousness loss. his hand and fingers were injured and severely burnt, and were treated without anesthetics, which only worsened his situation.

evyatar david is very thin and weak. he was starved even after his famous "grave digging" video and underwent physical and psychological abuse, which was harder for him than the lack of food and water. he was overfed near his release, but realized what was happening and tried to ration his portions.

alon ohel suffers from shrapnel wounds in his torso, and headaches. his wounded eye is undergoing tests to see if his sight can be saved. there's a piano in his hospital room, and he's already played it. when it was announced that idf intended to recapture gaza city, hamas deliberately transferred alon into the city.

gali and ziv berman were disconnected from the outer world for long stretches of time. they were held separately, but in the same general area. they were often starved, but there were times when more food was given to them. some of their captors spoke hebrew with them (unlike the other hostages, who learned arabic in captivity).

ariel cunio was kept alone for two years, which resulted in much uncertainty for his wellbeing. david cunio was kept with eitan horn and nimrod cohen, in several tunnels (except for the short time he was allowed to stay with yarden bibas, per yarden's request, after the murders of his wife and kids). for a long time, david didn't know if his twin brother, eitan, survived 7/10 - the last text he got from eitan was "i'm burning" (his house was set aflame).

omri miran counted the days in captivity and the number of places he was held in (23), so he always knew what date it was. he was held both in tunnels and above ground. he would play cards with his captors and cooked for them - they loved his cooking. once when a deal fell through, his captors were pissed at hamas for not taking israel's offer.

maxim herkin lost 30kg off his weight and suffers from injuries and issues with his jaw.

𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐲, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐭 (22 February 1933 - 4 September 2025)

❝ I don't like being a public figure and I say that very humbly. It's my nature, the way I was born. I like to do things quietly behind the scenes. ❞

British Royal Family - Buckingham Palace has announced the passing of HRH Duchess of Kent who died at Kensington Palace last night aged 92-years-old.

"It is with deep sorrow that Buckingham Palace announces the death of Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Kent.

Her Royal Highness passed away peacefully last night at Kensington Palace, surrounded by her family.

The King and Queen and all Members of The Royal Family join The Duke of Kent, his children and grandchildren in mourning their loss and remembering fondly The Duchess’s life-long devotion to all the organisations with which she was associated, her passion for music and her empathy for young people." - The Royal Family

Photo by: Tim Graham

They only care about the holocaust because whilst jews were the main group affected, other groups were too. They only care about the antisemitism JK Rowling pushes because she is also a terf.

But when a person or something only targets jews in their bigotry, suddenly it's either explicitly okay or they turn a blind eye.

As I got older, I started needing online resources because I wasn't being told the information elsewhere. I remember in year 9 we had sex education that focused on condoms. At the end of the class I awkwardly went up to the teacher and asked about lesbian sex and protection. I was told that wasn't something we talk about in class and that id have to learn when I was older. So I turned to the internet, and looked it up there.

And look. I'm not saying that there's not a problem with increasingly younger kids being given free reign online without parents even thinking to care what they're looking at. I also don't think that 7 year olds should accidently stumble upon BDSM scenes. But how often is that actually happening?

And teen-agers who are figuring out who they are, what their sexuality is, and just you know. Reading stories. Writing stories even. Deserve avenues to think about and explore that and just generally work things out for themselves.

Also, the much much much more dangerous part of online behaviour for children and teens is grooming and predators online and these laws are going to do a dogshit job at stopping that from happening. Especially as the laws are explicitly teaching that online safety is about giving your personal details out to websites and companies rather than. You know. Keeping yourself safe online through pen-names.

What I'm referring to is a there is a shift, typically from leftist, to remove antisemitism from nazism, by reframing Nazis as having been mainly bigoted towards other minorities besides jews. People are trying to minimize the fact that antisemitism was the main driving factor of Nazism.

And it's wild because leftists will erase the antisemitism from nazism whilst nazis are still out there being antisemitic.

And this coupled with the minimization of antisemitism, just feel like watching a car crash I can't stop.

Like ever since I was a kid, accusing someone of antisemitism was seen as some big thing. Even when I had someone follow me around saying they were personally going to gas me and kill me for being jewish, the reaction to me calling that person antisemitic was one of "yeah it's fucked up and wrong but antisemitism is a strong word". It's almost treated as if by calling someone out for their antisemitism, you're basically accusing them of being a nazi.

And I think this is in part due to Nazi becoming just a generic insult used by non jews instead of referring to actual nazis.

So when you get people shifting the goalpost on what is considered nazism, specifically to remove antisemitism, plus people acting as if by calling them out on their antisemitism you're accusing them of being a nazi, you get what is happening currently where it's acceptable to literally spew nazi rhetoric as long as you're a leftist "because leftists can't be nazis" 🫤