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This week's New York Times Bestsellers (October 13th)

In hardcover:

Rebecca Yarros' Iron Flame is up three positions, ending the week at number 6. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

TJ Klune's Somewhere Beyond the Sea is down three positions, ending the week at number 8. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Abigail Owen's The Games Gods Play is down five spots, finishing the week at number 11. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

In paperback:

Rebecca Yarros' Fourth Wing mtaintains its position at number 1. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses maintains its position at number 3. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Mist and Fury is down four positions, ending the week at number 11. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Raven Kennedy's Goldfinch debuts at number 14. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Stephen King's Holly maintains its position at number 15. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.






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22:04 25th October 2024

B3ta newsletter 927, out now "ASCII NEWSLETTER FLASHES SIDE-BOOB AND REVEALS PERKY URLS" This Week: * QUEEN RESPECTS - how your fave brands paid them * JUST OUT OF SHOT - image challenge * SHANNON MATTHEWS THE MUSICAL - on your telly




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10:10 28th October 2024

Goodbye Legless Sorry to share this news - from the email: "Hi B3ta. Bit of sad news, Joe Thompson aka Legless passed away last week. Thought you might want to post something, better coming from you instead of some random lurker. The funeral will be webcast. Whack it in /links for a suitably tasteless send off :)" If you want to leave a comment - stick it on the thread.




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Fifteen scholars named Presidential Postdoctoral Research Fellows

The program, now in its fifth year, recognizes and supports outstanding scholars primed to make important contributions in their fields. The 2024 cohort includes disciplines spanning the humanities, engineering, the sciences and the social sciences.




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2024 October Membership Drive: Preserving fan history

Do you remember that one fanfic that kept you reading until dawn for the very first time? Or the fan art or video that led you to dig out all the works its creator shared? Have you ever tried to look into the stories of the authors who wrote fics before you were even born? You can find all this and more on Fanlore - the wiki for fanworks, fan creators, and fannish history!

Fanlore is a project run by the Organization for Transformative Works (OTW) with the goal of providing fans a place to record and share their histories, experiences and traditions. Fanlore records both the history and current state of our fan communities – fan works, fan activities, fan terminology, individual fans and fannish-related events. You can read about what fandoms were like in the olden days and document memorable events in your own fandoms, all on Fanlore! Check out the wiki’s New User Portal or join the Fanlore Discord server to connect with other editors and users.

We would not be able to preserve these cherished pieces of fandom history without the generous donations of our fellow fans and volunteers who work tirelessly behind the scenes to keep all our projects running. As always, we have some shiny new donation gifts!

You can choose to display your love for fandom with some of our new thank-you gifts. For a US$40 donation, we have a new sticker set featuring popular AO3 tags. You can show off a bumper sticker saying "my other car is a ship" for a donation of US$50. For a donation of US$75 or more, you could carry home your groceries with a white and red shopping bag or you can announce your love for AO3 with our rainbow kudos pin.

You can also set up a recurring donation and save towards the gift of your choice. Select the gift you want, and if the total for that donation doesn't reach the amount needed for the gift you selected, future donations will be applied to the gift you’re saving for. Those of you in the U.S. might also be able to double your contribution via employer matching: contact your HR department to find out if this is an option for you.

A donation of US$10 or more will also allow you to become a member of the OTW. OTW members can vote for the Board of Directors – the OTW’s governing board. Donating now and checking the “I wish to be a member” box will make you eligible to vote in the 2025 OTW Board Election.

We hope that many of you will take this opportunity to donate and become a member to support projects like Fanlore, Open Doors, Legal Advocacy, Transformative Works and Cultures, and the Archive of Our Own. Your contributions help keep our projects successful for new and long-time fans alike!




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October 2024 Membership Drive: Thanks for your Support

The Organization for Transformative Works's October membership drive is over and we are delighted to say that we are finishing with a total of $214,698.86 raised. We are particularly pleased that 6020 donors chose to either take up or renew OTW membership with their donation, far exceeding our goal of 4,500 members.

These donations came from 6,955 people in 86 countries: thank you to every single one of you, as well as to all of you who posted and shared the news about the drive! The OTW would not exist without its users all around the world, and your continued support for us is our absolute pride and joy! We are so glad to know that our ongoing mission to support, protect, and provide access to the history of fanworks and fan culture continues to resonate with the people that matter most of all: the fans themselves.

If you were intending to donate or join and haven't yet done so, don't worry! The OTW accepts donations year-round, and you can always choose to become a member with a donation of US$10 or more. Memberships run for one calendar year from the date of your donation. If you donate now, you'll be able to vote in next year's OTW Board election, which will take place in August 2025. Our exclusive thank-you gifts are also available whenever you donate!


The Organization for Transformative Works is the non-profit parent organization of multiple projects including Archive of Our Own, Fanlore, Open Doors, Transformative Works and Cultures, and OTW Legal Advocacy. We are a fan-run, entirely donor-supported organization staffed by volunteers. Find out more about us on our website.




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October 2024 Newsletter, Volume 194

I. AO3 TERMS OF SERVICE UPDATE

Policy & Abuse, Legal, and Accessibility, Design & Technology have been hard at work regarding an update to the AO3 Terms of Service. Among other things, this update involves clarifying wording in both the Content Policy and the "Underage" Archive Warning. This update will not affect what fanworks are allowed or not on AO3, nor will it affect how this Archive Warning is enforced.

In conjunction with Communications, a public call for feedback was posted and comments will be accepted until November 18. Please refer to the news post and Policy & Abuse's proposed changes for more detail.

II. OCTOBER MEMBERSHIP DRIVE

Development & Membership worked with Communications to announce the October membership drive! With the help of Translation, the news posts were translated into 28 languages. Finance also posted the 2024 Budget Update in anticipation of the membership drive.

The October membership drive raised almost $215,000 USD from 6,995 donors, 6,020 of whom chose to be members! Development & Membership is now verifying addresses, packaging premiums, and heading to local post offices with the help of their new regional shipping specialists.

III. ELSEWHERE AT THE AO3

In September, Support and Systems were handling issues related to downtime and site slowness. Systems has posted a post-mortem of events and analysis on their official AO3 account, which details the causes and effects of some of the issues.

Due to downtime and other factors, Support received 4,151 tickets in September, around double their usual monthly count. They ask for your patience as they work through the high volume of tickets.

Policy & Abuse received 2,264 tickets in September. They also have an incoming class of new volunteers and look forward to training them.

Also in September, Tag Wrangling volunteers wrangled over 430,000 tags, which amounts to over 1,000 tags per tag wrangler. They also finished their last recruitment round of the year and began inducting their latest batch of volunteers.

Open Doors announced the import of older works from due South Seekrit Santa, an exchange devoted to the Canadian television series due South. They also finished the last details from the West of the Moon archive import, an archive for hobbit-centric gen fanworks. They continue to work on other import projects and documentation for the AO3 Fanzine Scan Hosting Project.

IV. VARIOUS OTW ACTIVITY

Communications is happy to see their email delivery service has been steadily gaining followers since its launch. The service recently passed 1,000 subscribers and now has about 1,100 subscribers!

Fanlore ran a Video Game-themed month in October! You can check out featured articles on their Tumblr.

Development & Membership's convention outreach division organized a table for Confabulation Fan Convention at Chicago, USA. OTW volunteers had a blast talking about their experience volunteering, fan vidding, and exploring world landmarks!

Legal has responded to a number of user queries this month, including queries about YouTube counter-notices, shadowcasting, UK legislation, and academic research on fandom. They also dealt with some apps that are confusing users into believing they’re associated with the AO3.

TWC has been preparing two special issues: Centering Blackness in Fan Studies and Sports Fandoms to be released in the coming months.

V. GOVERNANCE

Board and the Board Assistants Team (BAT) organized Board's fourth quarter public meeting on September 29. They had 55 attendees and answered 9 questions. The official minutes for this meeting were voted on and published on the OTW website.

Official Board turnover happened on October 1, and incoming Board members are getting settled in.

Board and BAT have been participating in several projects and policies related to the OTW Organizational Culture Roadmap. BAT has also been working on procurement documentation, OTW website updates, and various cross-committee tasks. They’ve been assisting the Board on several ongoing projects, including Whistleblower Policy FAQ documentation and responding to external questions directed at the Board.

Strategic Planning is working on compiling internal sustainability plans from all committees as part of the plan’s internal sustainability goal. They're also reaching out to the committees responsible for the Paid Staff goal as those implementation goal dates approach.

VI. IT'S ALL ABOUT THE PEEPS

Volunteers & Recruiting has been hard at work training their new recruits and getting them settled in, saying farewell to one of their chairs, Cyn, and welcoming Eevee as the new co-chair. They also conducted recruitment for 3 committees in October: AO3 Documentation, Elections, and Fanlore.

From September 22 to October 22, Volunteers & Recruiting received 149 new requests and completed 135, leaving them with 62 open requests. As of October 22, 2024, the OTW has 924 volunteers. o/ Recent personnel movements are listed below.

New Committee Chairs: Eevee (Volunteers & Recruiting)
New Communications Volunteers: 1 TikTok Team Lead
New Development & Membership Volunteers: 1 Shipping Specialist
New Fanlore Volunteers: 3 Discord Moderators
New Open Doors Volunteers: Brianna Dardin (Senior Technical Volunteer) and 1 Administrative Support Volunteer
New Policy & Abuse Volunteers: Emka, iwasnttrainedforthis, megidola, Trinity, and 3 other Volunteers
New Translation Volunteers: AnneHelena, Aquiles T. M., hans, Helpi K, Jaya, Luki, tritongue, and 2 other Translators
New Volunteers & Recruiting Volunteers: Alisande and 1 other Volunteer

Departing Directors: Kari Dayton and Michelle Schroeder
Departing Committee Chairs: Cyn (Volunteers & Recruiting)
Departing Board Assistant Team Volunteers: 1 Volunteer
Departing Fanlore Volunteers: 1 Policy & Admin Volunteer and 1 Graphics Designer
Departing Open Doors Volunteers: SonoSvegliato (Import Assistant), Brianna Dardin and 2 other Technical Volunteers; 1 Administrative Volunteer
Departing Strategic Planning Volunteers: Arly Guevara
Departing Tag Wrangler Volunteers: Eevee (Supervisor role only), Lysippe, and 7 other Tag Wranglers
Departing Translation Volunteers: Elintiriel (Volunteer Manager role only) and 1 other Volunteer Manager; Nachali, Parul Hunnargikar, Summerfanreader, and 4 other Translators

For more information about the purview of our committees, please access the committee listing on our website.


The Organization for Transformative Works is the non-profit parent organization of multiple projects including Archive of Our Own, Fanlore, Open Doors, Transformative Works and Cultures, and OTW Legal Advocacy. We are a fan-run, entirely donor-supported organization staffed by volunteers. Find out more about us on our website.




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Tennyson is Princeton’s new director of Transportation and Parking Services

Charles (Charlie) Tennyson has been appointed Princeton’s new director of Transportation and Parking Services following a national search to fill the position. He previously served for five years as deputy director of the department.




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W. Jason Morgan, pioneer of plate tectonics, dies at 87

Morgan's paper on plate tectonics revolutionized the field of geology in the late 1960s. He taught at Princeton from 1966 to 2004.




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Chemist Victor Laurie, who contributed to the field of microwave spectroscopy, dies at 88

Laurie joined the Princeton faculty in 1966 and transferred to emeritus status in 2000.




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2025 Oscar Contenders: ‘Quota’ Directors Job Roggeveen, Joris Oprins, and Marieke Blaauw

The Oscar-nominated trio behind 'A Single Life' is back with a new dark comedy about climate change and individual responsibility.




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2025 Oscars Short Film Contenders: ‘Summer 96’ Director Mathilde Bédouet

Mathilde Bédouet's 'Summer 96' qualified for the Oscars by winning the prestigious César Award, France's equivalent of the Academy Award.





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2025 Oscars Short Film Contenders: ‘Boat People’ Directors Thao Lam And Kjell Boersma

The NFB film earned its Oscars qualification by winning the Helen Hill Award for animated short at the New Orleans Film Festival.




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2025 Oscars Short Film Contenders: ‘The Car That Came Back From The Sea’ Director Jadwiga Kowalska

In this Oscar-qualified short, a group of friends go on a roadtrip as their car – and their country – falls apart.




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2025 Oscars Short Film Contenders: ‘Maybe Elephants’ Director Torill Kove

Three-time Oscar nominee Torill Kove, who won the Academy Award for her short 'The Danish Poet,' is back in the Oscars race this year with a new film about her memories of growing up in Kenya.




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“Sometimes We Can’t See Ourselves As What We Are”: Director Naoko Yamada On Why She Made ‘The Colors Within’

"It’s wonderful to find somebody who can show us this positive side of ourselves," Yamada says of the idea behind her new film.




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RSS Ground Change Log October 2018

Hi! Right now we are busy with our primary project – major design update for posting campaigns editor. It will be ready really soon. But we also take time to respond to your requests and suggestions. Here is our change log for October 2018: Google+ Poster Shutting Down Since Google stops its support of Google+ […]

The post RSS Ground Change Log October 2018 appeared first on RSSground.com.





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RSS Ground Changelog October 2023

Below is the list of updates and fixes made in RSS Ground recently. X (Twitter) Poster After major changes on the X (Twitter) platform, we have introduced an update to our Twitter Poster. Most options and features remain the same. However, you now need to create own Twitter apps to continue posting to your Twitter […]

The post RSS Ground Changelog October 2023 appeared first on RSSground.com.




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Saoirse Ronan says her experience as a child actor continues to shape her work

Ronan credits her parents and the filmmakers she worked with as a child for keeping acting fun. She stars as a woman struggling with addiction in The Outrun and as a World War II mother in Blitz.




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President-elect Trump names John Ratcliffe as his pick for CIA director

Ratcliffe previously served as the director of national intelligence during Trump's first term, where he oversaw all 18 of the nation's intelligence agencies.




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With "Wicked," director Jon M. Chu writes his own story

Wicked – the 20-year-old – smash hit on Broadway turns the story of the "Wizard of Oz" on its head.

Now, the story of Elfaba the Wicked Witch of the West, Glinda the Good Witch, and the Wizard himself is making the shift from stage to screen.

The director bringing the Broadway hit to screens across the country is Jon M. Chu, the director of the blockbuster Crazy Rich Asians.

The movie version of Wicked is in many ways the culmination of Chu's own story as a person of color. Chu always wanted to be a filmmaker. Chu says his life experience and career lead him to tell the story of a person of color in a new way.

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.




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'On October 8, American Jews woke up': New documentary 'October H8TE' explains what's at stake


Director Wendy Sachs attributes the steep rise in antisemitism to social media, from where so many young people get news that has no validation.




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The junior doctors' strikes may be over. But is trouble ahead?

The end of the pay dispute sounded too good to be true. And now some are wondering if it might be.




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Covid was like a daily terror attack, doctor tells inquiry

Covid inquiry hears harrowing testimony from ex-adviser in emergency preparedness at NHS England.




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Covid inquiry told top NHS doctor was terrified

Sir Stephen Powis says points-based tool was drawn up should need to prioritise patients have arisen.




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Trump victory is a major setback for climate action, experts say

Trump's election will hit immediate efforts to tackle climate change, experts say - but the longer-term effect is less certain.




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Gaza’s top Islamic scholar issues fatwa criticising 7 October attack

It is an embarrassing critique for Hamas, which has used religious arguments to justify its actions.




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Salt century fires England to victory in first T20

Phil Salt powers a superb century to take England to a commanding eight-wicket victory over West Indies in the first T20 in Barbados.




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F1 Q&A: Will Ferrari snatch constructors' crown from McLaren?

BBC F1 correspondent Andrew Benson answers your questions as we approach the final three races of the 2024 season.




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Fallows leaves Aston Martin technical director role

Aston Martin technical director Dan Fallows leaves his role with the Formula 1 team.




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Mauritius government suffers electoral wipeout

Navin Ramgoolam, 77, is appointed prime minister and begins his third stint in the job.




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5-11 October 2024

A selection of striking news photographs taken around the world this week.




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12-18 October 2024

A selection of striking news photographs taken around the world this week.




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19-25 October 2024

A selection of striking news photographs taken around the world this week.




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26 October - 1 November 2024

A selection of striking news photographs taken around the world this week.




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Russian doctor jailed for five years over alleged Ukraine war remarks

Nadezhda Buyanova denied making the remarks and called the case absurd.




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Transfers - October 2024

Check out the significant signings and departures in the Premier League, Scottish Premiership, EFL and Women's Super League.




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Nuclear-powered aircraft carriers would give China's growing navy new reach, and researchers say it's working on the reactor to power one

A nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, like American carriers, would be a major jump for China, giving its navy a global reach.




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The biggest risk to stocks after Trump's victory is China's reaction to a trade war, research firm says

If Trump's proposed 60% tariff against China is enacted and the country responds aggressively, it could pressure some of America's largest companies.




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Ford is slashing hours for some German factory employees amid lower EV demand

The carmaker has more than 4,000 employees at its Cologne plant. It also has another plant in Saarlouis, in southwestern Germany.




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Russia's lucrative oil and oil industry is an easy target for Europe after Trump's election victory

The European Commission's president said the European Union could boost US liquified natural gas purchases in a deal with Trump.




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Enabling Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for a PayPal Account

2FA, the common abbreviation for two-factor authentication is a word often spoken about when one is setting up a website or account where security is vital. With more and more confidential information being uploaded on the net, it makes sense to add additional measures to prevent hackers from gaining access to an account. In terms […]

The post Enabling Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for a PayPal Account appeared first on Tips and Tricks HQ.




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Factoring In PayPal Fees When Sending Money Using the Goods and Services Option

With more and more online marketplaces popping up, many individuals prefer to pay for items, whether they be new or second hand using the PayPal Goods and Services option. The PayPal ‘Goods and Services’ option gives buyers further peace of mind with the PayPal guarantee. If the seller does not provide what they have described, […]

The post Factoring In PayPal Fees When Sending Money Using the Goods and Services Option appeared first on Tips and Tricks HQ.




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News24 Business | Google to use small nuclear reactors for AI-intensive data centres

Google is investing in the development of the next generation of nuclear power, backing a company that’s building small modular reactors and agreeing to purchase energy once the sites start supplying US grids.




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News24 | Public Protector still evaluating 'sexting' complaint against George deputy mayor cleared by DA

While the DA may have found that George Deputy Mayor Raybin Figland had no criminal liability for allegedly sexting a teenage pupil – the Public Protector's office could still probe him for misconduct.




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News24 | SRD R370 grant beneficiaries approved in October still waiting for payment

Nearly three weeks after they were supposed to be paid, a number of SRD grant beneficiaries who had their applications approved in October are still waiting for their payments.