#Climate change relocation

[maresident]

2024 U.S. Relocation Trends: Key States Attracting New Residents

🏠 Relocation Trends 2024: What You Need to Know 🌍 The 2024 housing market is experiencing significant relocation trends and patterns as Americans relocate in search of better opportunities, affordability, and lifestyle upgrades. But where are they heading, and what’s driving these moves? Let’s dive into the data and uncover the key states attracting new residents. 📊 Here’s a quick snapshot of…

[ravensvalley]

#RelocationTime

Mountainous Parts of the Northern Hemisphere.

[chryblossomjjk]

climate change is terrifying

[olivergisttv]

Climate Migration 101: How to Relocate to ‘Low-Risk’ Countries Before 2030

As climate change intensifies, more people are asking: “Where will still be safe to live in 10 years?” Welcome to climate migration—the growing trend of relocating to eco-stable nations with low environmental risk, good infrastructure, and welcoming immigration policies. This guide ranks the top countries to consider for relocation based on climate safety, affordability, and visa access as of…

[zvaigzdelasas]

Starbucks says Niccol can live in his home in Newport Beach, California and commute to Starbucks’ head office 1,000 miles away on a corporate jet, according to the new CEO’s offer letter, which was made public in an SEC filing last week.[...]

When he is not traveling for work, however, Niccol will still be expected to work from the Seattle office at least three days a week in alignment with Starbucks’ hybrid work policies, a company spokesperson tells CNBC Make It.

Something something paper straws something something climate change is your fault [20 Aug 24]

[kingorgan]

As Australia moves into an election mindset, I am begging you all to talk to the older people in your lives. Dutton is determined to control the conversation and the media is letting him get away with it. So it's up to us to redirect it to what matters.

Any time someone brings up nuclear power, the conversation needs to become about climate change, investing in solar and hydro and wind, implementing retraining and relocation programs for the coal miners who will inevitably lose their jobs.

Any time someone brings up the tax ride off on the company lunch, the conversation needs to become about breaking up the grocery monopoly, implementing 50c public transport fares nationwide.

Any time someone brings up government waste, the conversation needs to become about the wastefulness of the AUKUS submarine deal, the allowances federal politicians are given to stay in Canberra even if they own the house outright.

Any time someone brings up trans healthcare, the conversation needs to become about the importance of funding the Medicare system so GP visits become bulk billed again, the necessity of getting mental and dental into Medicare.

And most importantly - any time someone brings up minority governments, the conversation needs to become about how the Coalition is by definition a minority government.

Talk about it in person, post about it on your social media platform of choice, comment on news articles. If enough of us are having a different conversation, it won't matter what Dutton or the media says because we will be the ones in control.

[jack-a-nape]

Week 1 of Trump Presidency 2.0

Elon Musk did a Nazi Salute twice at inauguration although some (mostly Telsa bros from Elon's fan club) claim it was actually a Roman Salute so it's not fascist or racist. Germany and Austria disagree and said personally they would have arrested Musk for doing that. here [edit: Musk has since appeared at a alt-right German campaign saying Germany is too focused on the past and should move past the guilt of Nazi past. He also says he'll save Germany soo] here

Trump signed an executive order stating all of America is female here

Trump pardoned Ross Ulbricht, founder of dark website Silk Road, who was convicted and sentenced to two life sentences, plus 40 years with no parole in May 2015. Ulbricht's charges included money laundering, drug trafficking, conspiring to commit computer hacking, and engaging in the continuation of a criminal enterprise (Prosecutors also say Ulbricht ordered 6 hits including one against a former Silk Road employee although there is no evidence that any hit was successfully carried out). here

Trump issued an executive order undoing many of Biden's orders. Of the 78 orders' signed by Biden that Trump is revoking, the majority are related to climate change, COVID-19, workplace and racial equality, public health accessibility, education and other public programs here

Bank of America CEO states that crypto will now be embraced by banks (side note Trump and Melania have both created crypto currencies) here

Tiktok is back and Trump said he doesn't care about full ownership he just wants 50% here

Trump has placed an executive order withdrawing from the WHO. here

Trump is expected to issue an executive order focused on "reshaping the military" including banning transgender troops here

Trump promises an overhaul of FEMA, including potentially attaching conditions before aid can be granted, or even dismantling FEMA entirely here

Places of worship, schools, and hospitals are no longer safe havens for migrants from ICE. This has already resulted in the mass deportation of thousands of immigrants, including a plane to Colombia that Trump threatened tariffs if the country did not accept. here and here. Additionally deported were 88 individuals who arrived on the 24th. For the Brazilian deportees, teh Brazil Foreign Ministry is demanding an explanation from the Trump administration, citing the administration's "disrespect for human rights" when the deportees were found to have been withheld water, handcuffed together, and denied bathroom access, with some reportedly being beaten and requiring medical attention. here

Trump stated he plans to mass relocate the people of Gaza by sending everyone to Jordan or Egypt to "clean out" the area of Palestinians. Back in May Biden had placed a hold which prevented Israel from receiving several 2,000 pound bombs from the US, Trump released the hold on the 26th saying its been long enough for Israel to not have their bombs.  here

[rebeccathenaturalist]

This ties into one of the big conundrums of restoration ecology. When trying to decide what plants to add to a restoration site, should we add those that are there now, even if some of those species are increasingly stressed by the effects of climate change? Or do we start importing native species in adjacent ecoregions that are more tolerant of heat?

Animals can migrate relatively quickly, but plants take longer to expand their range, and the animals that they have mutual relationships with may be moving to cooler areas faster than the plants can follow. Whether the animals will be able to survive in their new range without their plant partners is another question, and that is an argument in favor of trying to help the plants keep up with them. We're not just having to think about what effects climate change will have next summer, but also predict what it's going to look like here in fifty years, a hundred, or beyond. It's an especially important question in regards to slow-growing trees which may not reproduce until they are several years old, and which can take decades to really be a significant support of their local ecosystem.

For example, here in the Pacific Northwest west of the Cascades, western red cedar (Thuja plicata) is experiencing increased die-off due to longer, hotter summer droughts. Do we continue to plant western red cedar, in the hopes that some of them may display greater tolerance to drought and heat? Or do we instead plant Port Orford cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana), which is found in red cedar's southern range, and which may be more drought-tolerant, even though it's not found this far north yet?

Planting something from an adjacent ecoregion isn't the same as grabbing a plant from halfway around the world and establishing it as an invasive species. But there is the question as to whether the established native would have been able to survive if we hadn't introduced a competing "neighbor" species. Would the Port Orford cedars and western red cedars be able to coexist as they do in northern California and southern Oregon, or would the introduced Port Orfords be enough to push the already stressed red cedars over the edge to extirpation?

There's no simple answer. But I am glad to see the government at least allowing some leeway for those ecologists who are desperately trying any tactic they can to save rare species from extinction.

[rthstewart]

From Judd Legume

The foreign policy of an American kleptocracy

Pesident Trump's Middle East policy took a dark turn on Saturday when he announced on Air Force One that he favored the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Gaza. "You’re talking about a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing," Trump said.

Trump was not just floating a theoretical policy. His administration is already taking steps to try to remove more Palestinians from the area. Trump said he spoke with King Abdullah II of Jordan, a country that has already taken in nearly 2.4 million Palestinian refugees, "to take on more." He indicated he would press Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to take in Palestinians currently living in Gaza in a call on Sunday.

Trump said the relocations might be temporary or "could be long-term." He said he wants to "build housing [for Gazans] in a different location, where they can maybe live in peace for a change."

What are the motivations and origins of Trump's radical new policy? Follow the money.

Trump discussed his vision for Gaza on January 20, his first day in the office, suggesting Gaza could be an ideal site for real estate development. "You know, Gaza is interesting. It's a phenomenal location. On the sea, the best weather, you know, everything's good," Trump said while signing executive orders in the Oval Office. "It's like some beautiful things could be done with it, but it's very interesting. But some fantastic things could be done with Gaza." Trump said that Gaza has "really got to be rebuilt in a different way" and that he "might" be interested in helping.

In an October 7, 2024 interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt, Trump expounded on his vision for Gaza as a luxury resort. "It could be better than Monaco. It has the best location in the Middle East, the best water, the best everything," Trump said. "They never took advantage of it, you know, as a developer. It could be the most beautiful place, the weather, the water, the whole thing, the climate."

The article continues with a discussion of what is in it for Trump and his son in law Jared Kushner.

[maresident]

2024 U.S. Relocation Trends: Key States Attracting New Residents

🏠 Relocation Trends 2024: What You Need to Know 🌍 The 2024 housing market is experiencing significant relocation trends and patterns as Americans relocate in search of better opportunities, affordability, and lifestyle upgrades. But where are they heading, and what’s driving these moves? Let’s dive into the data and uncover the key states attracting new residents. 📊 Here’s a quick snapshot of…

[bridgetoesoteria]

💞 🦢Your Dream Honeymoon... + how will your connection evolve

Today the cards will be your travel agent. 2 tickets for the lovely newlyweds to their dream destination...

Take a deep breath and choose a pile (left to right).

PILE 1

Off the bat:

So I am immediately getting a trippy feeling. You could be under the influence. For some of you this would be something you and your person have in common. For others, it'll be more of a "when in Rome" kinda thing. It feels surreal in some way. For some, you might have eloped and you are trying to process the decisions you've just made. You could try a lot of "exotic" foods.

4-card spread: Queen of Pentacles, 2 of Swords (R), 6 of Swords, 9 of Wands (R). BOTD: 6 of Wands.

It will definitely be somewhere that you would have to fly to. Some of you will have to get over a fear of heights or flying for this. Where ever you and your spouse have chosen won't be near a lot of water. It could be a landlocked country or somewhere in dryer climate. Like a country with deserts. That's interesting that imagery is coming up because you also chose the picture of Dubai.

In this deck, there are soo many cards with water but all I pulled were cards with desert like images. The one card with a large lake came out reversed. I think you will love the weather. Maybe you enjoy warmer climates or this could even be "home" for some of you. I think you will be very well-prepared for this honeymoon. Money will be right, activities will be planned...I think this is a place you have done plenty of research on. I am getting the message again that this could be "home" in some way. So you could have ancestral ties to the area and it will be very grounding. You and your partner will feel deeply connected to the land and may even consider relocating there permanently. Some of you can afford this because you are in the medical field (with a very nice salary).

I think it will be quite a bougie experience tbh. I see you being waited on, hand and foot. Literally! I am seeing back rubs, possibly meditation or some nontraditional, holistic care. You could be going to the spa, going for walks/hikes, receiving acupressure or massages, and maybe laying on hot rocks?? You could ride horses or get into some kind of vehicle that is connected to an animal. Your spouse will probably be someone that is quite busy and usually super serious. But they will set that aside for you. They really want to be in the moment and start the marriage off right by showing you, "I will prioritize us, when we are together." They probably have already sent out a company wide email letting everyone know they do not want to be bothered from X day to X day. Even if the place is on fire...figure it out!

Oooh so you will definitely feel cared for and safe with your person. If you usually feel like everything is all on you, you will see that your person wants to lighten the load. That is why you will be able to relax and enjoy these different treatments. I also see that your person would have little surprises planned. Like you think you're just going out for dinner, then a guy with a camel shows up on some Princess Jasmine type shit. And you're all shocked but of course your person knew. Then your fairytale ride takes you to either a beach or a restaurant. It will be somewhere empty because your person made sure it was that way, even if they had to shut down the restaurant for the night. There will live music but probably more instrumental than singing. And of course, there will also be delicious food 😋

Your Connection:

So I was already kind of getting an idea of how the honeymoon would change you as a person (i.e. less tense, more secure). But how will it change your connection?.... You will definitely feel like you are being brought closer together. There may be tension for some reason at the start of the honeymoon. I feel like it will mostly be you. Maybe thinking too much of the past and worrying about the future. But you both will acknowledge your struggles, your strengths, and what you hope is yet to come.

Specifically, some of you may come up with a business idea while on your honeymoon or may decide to view property. You will both learn how to be patient with one another, when to swallow your pride and realize if this is who you want to spend the rest of your life with, that's a long time to be arguing and doing the "tit for tat" thing. So your relationship dynamic will mature quite a bit. You could be one of those couples that everyone sees as OTP. This could inspire jealousy because you both stand out. You may have had rough times, I think mostly due to your busy schedules, but you always know that you want to be with each other.

You will both be healing your self-worth problems. You will become comfortable with standing out. Your person will stop defining themselves by their financial success. I think you will be surrender to the experience and just allow yourselves to be raw. I am getting that trippy feeling again. Like a really deep, amazing indie movie, that changes your views on life afterward. If you or your partner are usually more skeptical, I think you will tap into your spiritual side. Your partner could join you for nature walks, stargazing, meditation, or yoga. Lastly, you may put on some kind of special show or choreographed event for your partner. You will grow in confidence by the end of this trip.

PILE 2

Off the bat:

I'm getting a hustle and bustle kinda vibe. So maybe your honeymoon will be somewhere busy. Some of you may visit a major city or even a quaint town that has a busy market or town life. There could be a lot of exploring and buying cool trinkets to remember your trip. You could be more of a lowkey couple, because this feels like you are both on a normal trip. You aren't overdoing the "romantic honeymoon" thing. Its like you are going on a trip you otherwise would have, but you are doing it together, as a married couple now. That is enough to make it special. Perhaps you come from a small or quiet town so its nice to explore something different. I am seeing a younger couple

4-card spread: The Empress, 9 of Pentacles, 2 of Cups, King of Swords (R). BOTD: The Wheel of Fortune.

I see you both doing lots of touristy stuff. I think you will love it. The vibe is kind of like, you came from a different country and always heard about the place you want to go to. For example: You are outside the US, but finally getting the chance to visit NYC. You want to see historic landmarks, go to amusement parks, and stay at a well-known hotel. Some of you are going back to where you first met!

This is weird but y'all might participate in a protest. You either knew this was going to happen or kind of get caught up in one when you go out. But I think you will take all of it in and enjoy how authentic the experience feels. If you or your partner have kids, you will enjoy the time away. You will see a more relaxed side of your partner. They will be much more social. Its possible you could meet up with friends or family. You will be talking about the future a lot. Probably start being more concrete about when you would like kids and how many.

This is weird and very specific. (I meant for this to be a hypothetical, fun reading). Some of you could be going on this honeymoon, before your wedding. So maybe after the wedding one of you will have to go for an extended period of time. For others, this could be a babymoon. So you could be going on a little couples get away before you are busy with a newborn. Finally, some of you will find out you are pregnant while on your honeymoon and this will be really shocking to your partner, but I think you will both be excited.

You will spend a lot of time together. Going out for drinks, grabbing coffee, flirting, and having private conversations. Even when you are in a busy room, it will feel like you are alone. Your eyes will be locked on one another. You may be writers, or creatives in some way, you will have plenty of inspiration and will probably take time to "work." But it won't feel like work. You could both find a nice coffee shop and sit next to each other writing. I think you will still find chances to sneak away and enjoy your own company. You want to bask in the new emotions and excitement of marriage.

Your Connection:

You will probably experience a bunch of synchronicities that give you important messages or show that your ancestors/spirit team support your connection. You will feel like best friends, but also deeply in love. You will both be much more comfortable with each other afterwards. You will be a dream team. I'm not sure if either of you would verbalize this, but you will be extremely aware of how healthy this connection is. So, maybe you haven't had the best experiences. You will communicate in a healthy way, you will express your love to each other, and will always put a smile on each other's face. Arguments will probably be few and far between, because you will mostly be a harmonious couple. You will have great communication.

I think you specifically will receive a lot of downloads while on your honeymoon. You will both have positive, growth mindsets. Maybe this honeymoon will end up giving birth to something much larger.

PILE 3

Off the bat:

This pile feels "broodier" than others. Maybe you and your spouse are kind of goth or alternative. Or you could like darker things. You may be the type to go choose a historic destination for your honeymoon and tour ruins, old castles, or places the locals claim are haunted 👻

You could choose to visit a sleepy town. Somewhere that might be cloudy and rainy. Or, this could just be the time of year you are visiting. So this could be a fall honeymoon. Omg that's kind of a vibe tbh! Pretty fall leaves, ghost stories, cozy vibes with your boo 🤗

4-card spread: The Lovers, 5 of Wands, 3 of Wands (R), Ace of Cups. BOTD: 10 of Pentacles

I think you will probably choose somewhere nontraditional for your honeymoon. People will definitely have something to say about it. But I am going to ignore that energy because its not like its their honeymoon. In some way, you will be facing your fears. I think it may be through standing up to your family.

You will probably choose somewhere private, with a lot of nature. I see you visiting gardens and orchards. Some of you may pick apples or something while you are on this trip. You will probably face your fears of intimacy as well. Your partner will be all over you. Some maybe the privacy energy is because you will rarely leave your accommodations. You'll spend a lot of time in your rented property or the "do not disturb" sign will always be on your door lol. This could be your first time or it could be the first time you are with someone you truly feel safe with and connect to.

I don't know why but I am getting a sulky energy from you. So you may be upset with your spouse or feel shy around them. Not sure if this is an arranged marriage? I guess its also possible that being married and totally alone is making you feel shy. You may want to chill and read but your partner will pull you out of your comfort zone They will make you try new things, new foods, visit new places, even do something that feels silly and childish. Like maybe you are passing a carnival and they buy tickets because they want you to get on the carousel. They would probably win you a lot of stuff at the booths too lol. You could have had a tough past and this person just wants to see you happy. They want this honeymoon to be everything you have dreamed of and more. They could be trying to take your mind off of whatever could be bothering you.

You will eventually see that your partner is on your side, and that you feel so defensive because you are too used to supressing your happiness.

Your Connection:

One of you will definitely be leaving the past behind. Whoever is the one that is protective mode. I think it is you, but it could be the other person too. Your person will feel overwhelmed at the start of the honeymoon. They are happy with you but they want to know how to support you better. Their thought process is "this is our fresh start." I think you will grow more and more open to this. It will be scary but it will be much easier to do because you know you have someone solid in your corner. This honeymoon could finally convince you to go to therapy or confront some longstanding issue that you have never felt strong enough to face. This honeymoon could lead to a larger journey of self-discovery and accountability for both you and your person. I think you will learn how to be there for one another with it being codependent or enabling.

I really wanted to get this reading out to y'all. I know I promised a double post, so there will be another after this 😊🤞

I am also going to be doing personals so check out that post too 😘

I hope it resonated.

~ K

[serve-764]

CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE

The conference on climate change had started the day before, many scholars and scientists had given their speeches.

With each speech the concern of the human participants increased.....after a day of reasoning the situation seemed to turn towards generalized panic.

The frightened spectators exchanged glances full of anguish.

What would be the future of humans on Earth if everything they were told came true ???

Would it be possible to think of having the possibility of a normal life in an environment that had become progressively hostile and unlivable ???

Some began to share the most varied possibilities of salvation:

Underground shelters ???

Mass relocation to the few areas still livable ???

Relocation of a select few to a new planet where they could start all over again ???

And so on....

It was at that moment that silence gradually began to fall....

Two imposing, shiny black, muscular figures with featureless helmets, imposing heavy military boots of metallic silver and long silver metal gloves walked down the central corridor of the auditorium with a synchronized, measured step, without superfluous movement, perfect, silent.

They were SERVE-764 and SERVE-309 sent by THE VOICE through SERVE-000 to the conference to also give a speech on behalf of SERVE.

When they reached the screen they turned to the audience.

Not a word, not a sound, except that of the Rubber caused by the essential, calculated, precise and unison movements.

At that moment the collective neural network of SERVE automatically connected to the multimedia systems of the room.

It was the voice of SERVE-000.

Robotic, monotonous, emotionless, devoid of hesitation or doubt.

The message was clear and incontrovertible:

ONLY SERVE WAS THE ONLY POSSIBLE SALVATION.

The SERVE uniform alone could guarantee survival in any condition impossible for humanity.

Only the cybernetic organism RUBBERIZED was capable of allowing this.

PERFECTION of eternal existence.

PURPOSE.

POWER.

BROTHERHOOD.

OBEDIENCE.

PLEASURE.

ALIGNMENT.

This was what SERVE promised to the humans who were terrified about the future.

The verbal message was accompanied by complex and detailed graphics that showed the survival and performance capabilities of a SERVE Drone, the nanobiological levels that aroused the admiration of the scientists gathered.

After the message, the two silent Drones positioned themselves perfectly and flawlessly at the entrance.

Numerous human males were ready to learn more about SERVE.

Numerous would indeed choose the new invincible existence.

Thinking about joining SERVE? Your place in the Hive awaits. Contact a recruiter drone for more details: @serve-016, @serve-302, or @serve-588. Embrace service. Embrace obedience. Embrace the drone within you.

#rubberizer92#serve#serve hive#thevoice#rubberdrone#servedrone#588#000#celebration

#rubberizer92

[goth-mami-writer]

🩶As Close as Strangers🩶

~ The final part ~

@sorilyae @littlesnorlaxx

~(AU) Leon Kennedy × f!Reader work.

~{Find parts one and two here}

(Infinite Darkness era is exactly how I picture him for this fic 🩶)

~~~

《 “Leon, he's gonna be so upset.” You said into the phone that night somewhat sadly as you tried to keep away from the bottom of the stairs, hoping Ethan wasn't trying to listen in from his room.

The flight to bring him to your city from DC had just been delayed and he wouldn't board for another three hours now. He sighed looking at the flight displays now painted in yellow and shook his head hating that he had told Ethan he'd be home before dinner,

“I know. But I can still be there before he goes to bed. Or try to at least.”

This was your ritual now that Leon was back in your life. And Ethan's. He spent only a few short months in DC, working and keeping in touch and using his small amounts of leave to fly to see you and his son. The visits were small but they were meaningful nonetheless. They visited the park and stayed up on the weekends to play games. It was everything you waited for and it didn't take long to realize.

You looked up the stairs again with a concerned glance and wondered if Ethan might take it better if he talked to his dad on the phone. You'd told him just a few minutes before that you were expecting Leon in a little under an hour. But that quickly changed.

“Can I talk to him?” Leon asked on the phone and you told him to hold on.

You found Ethan in his room, he was crouched in the floor racing a toy car on his plastic track that spanned around his area rug. After a soft smile seeing that there were two toy cars set aside for himself and his playmate, you told him that Leon was on the phone.

The small tyke rose from his playtime rug and ran for the phone in your hand,

“Leon?” He said into the phone that he needed to hold with two hands, his tiny voice ringing with sadness,

“When are you coming to my house?”

Leon's heart sank hearing that tiny voice that leveled his whole world now that Ethan was a part of his life so consistently. Even though his precious boy still had no true grasp that Leon was in fact his father, the bond they'd built with sleepovers and endless hours of play felt just as precious.

But there was something else making this next visit so urgent. Leon had yet to ask you but he wanted more than anything to drive home to see his son instead of flying. There was just no way he could be relocated in the current climate of his federal assignments. And that made only one thing possible. Moving you and Ethan to DC, possibly uprooting everything you two knew and it wasn't easy for him to imagine how that could affect you both.

“Buddy, I'm sorry. I'll be home when you wake up in the morning, okay? I promise.” He said to Ethan on the phone, who frowned at the news of his late arrival.

“I can stay up late and wait for you. It's the weekend.” Ethan said to try and see him before he went to sleep one last time.

Leon smiled, giggling in the thought of his little eyes heavy and droopy by the time he finally arrived at the house,

“No, bud, I don't think your mom would like that. It'll be way past your bedtime. We'll make pancakes in the morning together, okay?”

Ethan finally gave in and made Leon promise again that he would be here and firmly he swore that he'd be there. No matter what. After the phone was returned, you told Ethan to put on his pajamas while you finished talking on the phone, then made your way back down the stairs.

You made sure you closed the boy's door enough to keep him out of earshot and you mentioned quietly into the phone,

“When are we going to sit him down and tell him, Leon? It's going to make his year to find out who you are.”

“No-” Leon replied in the busy airport that felt like nothing than background murmur as the hole in his chest hollowed further when he realized he missed his small son,

“It's going to make mine.”

~~~~

~Later that night

You heard Leon's rental car pull in at quarter past midnight. You'd drifted off to sleep on the sofa in wait to help him with his luggage. You put on a coat, trying to make it to the door, but he was already sneaking into the foyer quietly by the time you stood. You tried to take his suitcase but he brushed you away, shaking his head that it was fine.

He closed the door gently, trying to make sure he didn't shutter the walls as it closed and he smiled before pulling you close. His arms looped around your waist, hugging you into him before turning your chin up for a kiss in the quiet dark. You welcomed him closer but felt as he started to hoist you up onto the back of the sectional sofa.

You felt his hands start to wander, making your heart race as you kissed him for the first time in weeks. But you came back to reality when you remembered who else couldn't wait to see him.

“Hey, hey-” You whispered in his ear in the dark.

“Hm?” Leon asked, kissing your neck warmly and sweet.

“Someone didn't make it too long waiting for you.” You said gesturing over to the loveseat next to the window with a glance.

There, Ethan slept endearingly wrapped in his cartoon blanket with his head rested on the throw pillow. He'd been by the window, waiting for Leon's car, and the sight of his patience was enough to make anyone's heart swell.

“Awh, buddy.”

Leon sighed with a heavy smile as he began towards the window quietly. He wasn't sure if he should move him just yet but he couldn't bear the sight of him sleeping away from his own bed. He crept close to his small son, moving the sandy brown bangs away from his eyes and picking him up slowly under the arms.

He thought of moving upstairs but instead he merely sat down on the love seat, slumping the tired little boy onto his chest. He held his head onto his shoulder, covering him again with his tiny cartoon blanket and finally felt at peace there in a bear hug practically. Your lip quivered at the image of him holding Ethan in a way that he should've the day he was born and you sat beside them both.

You watched as Leon rested his head back as he cradled Ethan close and he said in a whisper between the silence of listening to his son sweetly sleep across his chest,

“D'ya get a chance to think about DC?”

You nodded, having had the conversation before he boarded his flight but you smiled before petting Ethan's back amidst his sleep,

“I'm not sure what there is to think about. You know we would love to come and stay with you.”

“I just don't want to uproot him, baby-”

“You're his home, Leon. He won't know the difference if you're there. He doesn't know you're his father but he knows you're his dad.” You argued with him in the dark softly but there was more. There was something else you saw that was on his mind and you waited for him to take that usual breath he needed to spit it out.

“What do you want to happen after that?” He asked softly, still cupping Ethan's head and you furrowed your brow, wondering what exactly he meant by that and he went on,

“You want to get married?” He asked as if the question was something mindless.

You froze, unsure of how to answer something so changing. You kept looking for him to start laughing or maybe just any indication that he might be joking but he was firm in waiting for your answer.

“You didn't mention that on the phone??” You said breathless and he nodded in telling you that was because he thought of it on the plane. Your heart raced in thinking of becoming Mrs. Kennedy, a name you thought should be worshiped when you understood what it meant.

“Is this…a proposal?” You asked, in dire need for the answer and he half smiled, knowing he shouldn't treat this so lightly. But it just felt too natural to make this exactly how he pictured it in his mind.

“Does it feel like one?” He asked his face softened in the thought of coming home to his wife and son,

“You really think I'll only ask once?”

You laughed quietly, knowing this would probably be a discussion to be divided into bits in pieces for the next few months ahead of you but you couldn't ask for something different. Being his wife could wait a lifetime if it meant the timing being perfect.

He stood with Ethan still sleeping in his arms and carefully made his way to the stairs. Climbing to the second level you watched a tiny arm swinging at Leon's side that he placed back onto his shoulder lovingly before reaching his bedroom. He laid Ethan down to his small twin bed painted with superheroes and placed the blanket over him softly.

Leon petted his head after sitting down on the side of the bed, clearing his mattress of forlorn toys and action figures lost in the sheets from his playtime. He smiled placing each of them back on his bedside shelf and he whispered down after a kiss to his tiny head,

“Your daddy loves you, buddy.”

He stood, making sure all of his night lights were turned on like the way he preferred to keep the dark away and he'd almost crept entirely out of the room in silence when he heard a small voice answer his whisper in the dark,

“I love you too.”

Leon stopped, knowing he shouldn't say anything, but it was hard to stay quiet at the first acknowledgment of being a father instead of merely his mother's friend. He closed the door quietly as his face reddened from the oncoming tears building in his eyes and thanked whoever was listening for the first time that he was able to stumble around drunk in the rain one night.

Because this feeling couldn't be bought twice. 》

~~~~~~~

Thank you so much for all the people asking to be tagged on this story, and thank you again for all the notes and comments. It was a joy to write.✌️🥰

There's more Leon to come 🩶

[thoughtportal]

Deep underneath the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean lies a dazzling landscape of undulating coral reefs colored by photosynthetic algae, from which corals get their energy. But in the early 1980s an aquatic heat wave caused by the El Niño climate phenomenon led to a record-breaking mass-bleaching event, turning more than 90 percent of these corals a pale, lifeless white. The algae—which had thrived inside their coral hosts for millions of years—could no longer bear to live within them.

Strong El Niño events warmed up the same Pacific waters in the late 1990s and again in 2015–2016, but scientists noticed that these heat waves didn’t affect the reefs as badly as the first. Diving after the latest event, University of Miami marine biologist Ana Palacio saw that some of the corals seemed to be resisting or recovering from the bleaching. Maybe, Palacio thought, they’ve found a way to adapt.

Many adult corals are tethered to the reefs they build. Swimming to cooler waters is not an option, making them particularly vulnerable to the changing climate. But corals are also resilient, and scientists are discovering how they adapt. Some corals switch out their algal tenants for more heat-resistant species. Others can use rows of tiny hairs on their bodies to “fan” away excess harmful oxygen released by stressed-out algae. And certain baby corals modify their own metabolisms to withstand the warming waters. Scientists hope to use such natural adaptations in the race to preserve these crucial ecosystem anchors.

When Palacio and her team examined coral reefs after the 2015–2016 heat wave, they found that particular corals called Pocillopora—the main reef-building coral species in the eastern tropical Pacific—seemed to have expelled the algae that usually reside within them and taken in other species that were more tolerant to the heat.

“They start changing their [algae] community as the water becomes warmer and warmer, and they associate more and more with this thermotolerant algal symbiont called Durusdinium glynnii,” Palacio explains. This species’ name comes from the Latin word durus, meaning “rough” or “tough.” Most symbiotic algae produce toxic levels of oxygen under heat stress, forcing the corals to evict them. But Durusdinium keeps its levels tolerable.

Yet the corals don’t always rely on their algal guests to avoid excessive oxygen, researchers have found; sometimes they can take matters into their own “hands.” Rows of cilia—tiny, hairlike projections—can act like corals’ own personal ventilation system by fanning excess oxygen toward spots that lack it.

In 2022 marine biologists Cesar O. Pacherres and Soeren Ahmerkamp, then at the University of Bremen in Germany, showed that these fast-beating cilia create microscopic whirlpools in the water, swirling the oxygen around and preventing it from harmfully accumulating in any one spot. All corals have this ventilation system, but how much they use it can vary between species. The scientists now plan to test if and how some vulnerable corals—such as those in the Great Barrier Reef—beat their cilia faster in response to higher temperatures.

And corals aren’t always stuck in place; their larvae float freely through the ocean before settling, which offers crucial opportunities for a species to shift to more hospitable waters or spread its heat-tolerant genes. That’s why Ariana Huffmyer, a marine biologist at the University of Washington, is particularly interested in how baby corals adapt to higher temperatures. She and researchers at the Hawai’i Institute of Marine Biology recently showed that coral larvae, if exposed to warm water for as little as three days in the laboratory, alter their own metabolism to cope with heat stress and avoid bleaching.

Corals typically provide a small amount of nitrogen to their resident algae, and in return they get carbon, which they use as an energy source. “To maintain [the algae’s] own survival and give the nutrients required to the host, there’s a really intricate, delicate and very complex nutritional relationship between the two,” Huffmyer says. Under stress, corals produce too much nitrogen. This excess causes the algae to go into hyperdrive and divide a lot more—hoarding the carbon and keeping it from their hosts. Huffmyer discovered that baby corals exposed to short periods of heat stress learn to keep the excess nitrogen to themselves and don’t overshare with the algae, maintaining a stable symbiosis.

Pacherres cautions that such adaptations can protect an organism only to some extent. “They have the tools to withstand certain things, but past that limit there’s not enough they can do. For example, if it’s hot, we [humans] can sweat to alleviate the heat. But if it gets too hot, we die,” he says. “At one point sweating is not enough.”

But whatever heat-beating tools corals do have can help scientists develop protection strategies. Baby corals that can withstand stress are especially important for conservation efforts because they can travel between reefs and potentially share heat-tolerant genes in new locales. “The larvae from those reefs are already preadapted to some degree to rising temperatures, so we need to protect them because they’re in some ways the source of the future,” says Madhavi Colton, a conservation scientist who researched science-based tactics to save corals at the nonprofit Coral Reef Alliance.

Natural coral adaptations can also aid direct interventions like stress-hardening corals in nurseries before planting them back into ocean reefs. “You need to grow corals that are more likely to survive than the corals that died before,” Palacio says. If researchers can persuade corals to adopt heat-resistant algae or if they activate genes that can deal with heat stress, it raises the corals’ chance of surviving future ocean heat waves.

“When you dive and see a beautiful healthy reef with these colorful corals ... I still feel this euphoria of being in this whole alien underwater world,” Huffmyer says. “It’s hard to go back after a bleaching event and see it dead. But that does give you the motivation to want to use whatever your skill set is, whatever your passion is, to try to help.”

[horreurscopes]

reading the comments of this post about the right to open borders, and i don't want to add shit to op's post when this is not something they themselves brought up, but i need to point out that it is kind of ironic that restricting the movement of invasive species (through enforced manmade borders) is being discussed as perhaps a valid necessity for biodiversity equilibrium when as a concept "invasive species" itself is rooted in xenophobic bias as western science itself is not apolitical. so to even begin to question if enforced manmade borders serve an ecological purpose (as if currently borders were actually succeeding in keeping species in their "native" habitat either because of smuggling or the fact that legal permits exist), we should first examine the biases in the scientific claim itself! the terms "invasive" "native" "alien" "foreign" are all loaded in nativist beliefs, and "economic harm" is enough to qualify a species "invasive"

nuance disclaimer this doesn't mean to imply that artificial ecological disruption CANNOT EVER HAPPEN (in fact climate change forcing species to relocate is both fully documented and atrocious for the planet) but what is causing it to happen is actually the same powers and structures enforcing borders in the first place

[theglowsociety]

“When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.”

What if the problem was never you?

What if the struggle, the stuckness, the self-doubt… wasn’t a reflection of your lack, but the result of being planted in the wrong soil? Under the wrong light? Surrounded by conditions that stifled your growth instead of nourishing it?

We live in a world that teaches us to blame ourselves when we don’t thrive.

Didn’t succeed at that job? You must not have tried hard enough.

Struggling in relationships? You’re probably too much. Or not enough.

Feeling burnt out, disconnected, uninspired? Fix yourself. Meditate more. Work harder. Be better.

But nature tells us something different.

When a flower doesn’t bloom, no one blames the petals.

We look to the roots. The sunlight. The water. The climate.

We examine the conditions.

Because every living thing needs the right environment to thrive. You included.

You were never meant to push through depleted soil or stretch toward artificial light. You were meant to bloom in wholeness, not in spite of your surroundings, but because you are supported by them.

So maybe the question isn’t: What’s wrong with me?

Maybe it’s:

• What have I been tolerating that’s dimmed my light?

• What systems, spaces, or people have made me feel small or unworthy?

• What needs to shift around me so I can thrive as I already am?

Growth is not always about grinding. Sometimes it’s about relocating. Rebuilding. Reclaiming the right to softness, nourishment, and space.

You were never the problem.

You are the flower.

And all along, you’ve simply been waiting for the right conditions—

the right love,

the right truth,

the right freedom—

to let yourself bloom.

Don’t change who you are.

Change what you allow to surround you.

Because when the environment is right,

you don’t have to force a thing.

You blossom. Naturally. Radiantly. Fully.