#Philadelphia Tree Service

[servicespinecresttree]

Reliable Philadelphia Tree Service: Expert Care for Your Trees

In case you want to keep your backyard in your property lush, then you should definitely ask for a service in Philadelphia to help you out. Although trees bring beauty, value and even shade to your home, they also take regular care and attention. From routine maintenance to storm damage cleanup or tree removal, hiring a local tree service company guarantees the results you desire.

Understanding the Importance of Tree Care in Philadelphia

Philly is home to some of the most beautiful urban forests and green spaces. Yet, the lush urban setting and the unique microcosmic climate can present certain challenges for tree maturation. From sudden storms to old trees, people who own property in the area have to keep up on tree solutions. That’s where an expert Philadelphia tree service comes into play. With a plethora of services and personalized attention to the needs of trees in their region, they ensure trees stay healthy and strong all year long.

Reliable Tree Care Services You Can Trust

Tree pruning and trimming is one of the most popular services offered by a Philadelphia tree service. Regularly pruning keeps dead or diseased branches from a tree, allowing it to grow stronger and healthier. It also ensures that your tree is properly shaped so that it does not become an eyesore or present a safety hazard. A well-maintained tree can even spruce up your property’s curb appeal, improving your home’s overall look.

Emergency Tree Removal and Storm Damage

Emergency tree removal is another service offered by Philadelphia tree service companies. In places such as Philadelphia, where thunderstorms and high winds are frequent, trees can be prone to storm damage. Fallen trees, or even large branches, can be dangerous to homes, cars, and power lines. That’s when you need a professional. Hazardous trees and debris can be removed safely and efficiently by experts in tree removal to stop further damage.

Reliable and Affordable Tree Services in Philadelphia

With so many Philly tree service companies to choose from it can be difficult deciding which one to go with. You want to be sure that the work will be done properly and without accident, so it pays to work with a fully licensed and insured company for any work that needs doing. Good tree services will also offer an itemised estimate and schedule for their services provided, with no hidden fees or surprises.

The Bottom Line:

For this reason, hiring a tree service company in Philadelphia can help you with this task, as it is an investment in the long-term health of your trees and your property. Professional arborists can aid in keeping your trees healthy so they can thrive, grow vibrant, and remain safe for years to come. Be it a tree that has been damaged in a storm or a tree that simply needs to look its best, call in the experts.

Going local enables you to support small business owners in Philadelphia and trust that whoever is handling your trees knows what they are doing as far as the local climate and it’s needs. As such, finding a reliable Philadelphia tree service can often be the difference between the lovely haven of beauty or a wonderland that risks potential danger in a city that boasts as much variety and vibrance as Philadelphia.

[bigboyzjunkremoval]

2 Big Boyz Junk Removal LLC | Junk Removal Service | Debris Removal Service in Philadelphia PA

2 Big Boyz Junk Removal LLC provides a reliable and efficient Junk Removal Service in Philadelphia PA. We are equipped to handle all types of junk, from old furniture and appliances to general clutter, ensuring your space is clean and free from unwanted items. Our commitment to environmental responsibility and community wellness has pioneered effective waste solutions for our clients. Additionally, 2 Big Boyz Junk Removal LLC excels in Debris Removal Service in Philadelphia PA. We tackle the tough jobs of clearing out construction debris and other materials from project sites. Our professionals make the removal process smooth and stress-free, allowing you to focus on what's important without worrying about the mess. Get in touch now!

[batboyblog]

Things the Biden-Harris Administration Did This Week #28

July 19-26 2024

The EPA announced the award of $4.3 billion in Climate Pollution Reduction Grants. The grants support community-driven solutions to fight climate change, and accelerate America’s clean energy transition. The grants will go to 25 projects across 30 states, and one tribal community. When combined the projects will reduce greenhouse gas pollution by as much as 971 million metric tons of CO2, roughly the output of 5 million American homes over 25 years. Major projects include $396 million for Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection as it tries to curb greenhouse gas emissions from industrial production, and $500 million for transportation and freight decarbonization at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

The Biden-Harris Administration announced a plan to phase out the federal government's use of single use plastics. The plan calls for the federal government to stop using single use plastics in food service operations, events, and packaging by 2027, and from all federal operations by 2035. The US government is the single largest employer in the country and the world’s largest purchaser of goods and services. Its move away from plastics will redefine the global market.

The White House hosted a summit on super pollutants with the goals of better measuring them and dramatically reducing them. Roughly half of today's climate change is caused by so called super pollutants, methane, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and nitrous oxide (N2O). Public-private partnerships between NOAA and United Airlines, The State Department and NASA, and the non-profit Carbon Mapper Coalition will all help collect important data on these pollutants. While private firms announced with the White House plans that by early next year will reduce overall U.S. industrial emissions of nitrous oxide by over 50% from 2020 numbers. The summit also highlighted the EPA's new rule to reduce methane from oil and gas by 80%.

The EPA announced $325 million in grants for climate justice. The Community Change Grants Program, powered by President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act will ultimately bring $2 billion dollars to disadvantaged communities and help them combat climate change. Some of the projects funded in this first round of grant were: $20 million for Midwest Tribal Energy Resources Association, which will help weatherize and energy efficiency upgrade homes for 35 tribes in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, $14 million to install onsite wastewater treatment systems throughout 17 Black Belt counties in Alabama, and $14 million to urban forestry, expanding tree canopy in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

The Department of Interior approved 3 new solar projects on public land. The 3 projects, two in Nevada and one in Arizona, once finished could generate enough to power 2 million homes. This comes on top of DoI already having beaten its goal of 25 gigawatts of clean energy projects by the end of 2025, in April 2024. This is all part of President Biden’s goal of creating a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035. 

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen pledged $667 million to global Pandemic Fund. The fund set up in 2022 seeks to support Pandemic prevention, and readiness in low income nations who can't do it on their own. At the G20 meeting Yellen pushed other nations of the 20 largest economies to double their pledges to the $2 billion dollar fund. Yellen highlighted the importance of the fund by saying "President Biden and I believe that a fully-resourced Pandemic Fund will enable us to better prevent, prepare for, and respond to pandemics – protecting Americans and people around the world from the devastating human and economic costs of infectious disease threats,"

The Departments of the Interior and Commerce today announced a $240 million investment in tribal fisheries in the Pacific Northwest. This is in line with an Executive Order President Biden signed in 2023 during the White House Tribal Nations Summit to mpower Tribal sovereignty and self-determination. An initial $54 million for hatchery maintenance and modernization will be made available for 27 tribes in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. The rest will be invested in longer term fishery projects in the coming years.

The IRS announced that thanks to funding from President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, it'll be able to digitize much of its operations. This means tax payers will be able to retrieve all their tax related information from one source, including Wage & Income, Account, Record of Account, and Return transcripts, using on-line Individual Online Account.

The IRS also announced that New Jersey will be joining the direct file program in 2025. The direct file program ran as a pilot in 12 states in 2024, allowing tax-payers in those states to file simple tax returns using a free online filing tool directly with the IRS. In 2024 140,000 Americans were able to file this way, they collectively saved $5.6 million in tax preparation fees, claiming $90 million in returns. The average American spends $270 and 13 hours filing their taxes. More than a million people in New Jersey alone will qualify for direct file next year. Oregon opted to join last month. Republicans in Congress lead by Congressmen Adrian Smith of Nebraska and Chuck Edwards of North Carolina have put forward legislation to do away with direct file.

Bonus: American law enforcement arrested co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada. El Mayo co-founded the cartel in the 1980s along side Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán. Since El Chapo's incarceration in the United States in 2019, El Mayo has been sole head of the Sinaloa Cartel. Authorities also arrested El Chapo's son, Joaquin Guzman Lopez. The Sinaloa Cartel has been a major player in the cross border drug trade, and has often used extreme violence to further their aims.

[whereserpentswalk]

They say there's a city, somewhere in the US, nobody is allowed to know exactly where, where nobody lives. It could be in any state, some people say it's between Philadelphia and New York along the roads of New Jersey, some people say it's out in the Californian desert in the shadow of Los Angelos, others say it's out in the fields of Illinois south of Chicago. Maybe it's in all of them, maybe there are many, maybe they move.

People have driven through it. They're not allowed to say that they did but some of them do. It looks like a normal city at first, not particularly interesting, very modern in all the worst ways, with an endless sprawl and built up downtown, no way to walk anywhere and no public transportation, it would be a small unremarkable city if not for the emptiness. If you're there during the day there just aren't any people, there at all. If you look closely, you'll notice there aren't any animals or plants either, the lawns are Astroturf, and the trees are plastic, rats and birds and crawling bugs know well to avoid it. Even the cryptids and vampires and flying saucers know to steer clear of it. Only humans lack the instincts to avoid it.

Most who come by it just drive through it, maybe it'll seem off, but most forget it, cities built like that are rather empty anywhere. But if you have to get out it becomes so much worse. You'll step into a gas station, or a store, or fast-food place. And you'll just be faced with nothing. Oh, everything they need to have in there is there, it's perfect, everything is so very clean, and well stocked, it's the perfect model location. But there's nobody there, there's nobody anywhere. You can go anywhere there, from the Starbucks to the 7-11, and it'll be the perfect model that even a ceo would be proud of, like an ad, like a stock photo, everything in it's perfectly regulated place, it's just empty. The only thing everything is missing is people. It's not abandoned, just empty.

Now, fewer have been there at night, so we cannot be sure of this, but there are of course theories. Some say, that when it gets dark, truly dark, when there's no sun at all, under the starless sky of a country filled with light, the residents come out of their homes. They may look human at first, but the smell, the blank eyes, the pale skin, will make it clear they are not. The living dead, in every house there's at least one, and most houses have more, zombie husbands and wives with their 2.5 zombie children. They're not slobbering monsters though, they may be zombies, but they're civilized zombies, and at night they go about their business, copying the human world perfectly.

Undead businessmen will get in their cars and drive to their offices, typing random nonsense on their computers, and going to meaningless meetings, with their zombie bosses yell at them. Zombie housewives will expressionlessly take their children to school, where they'll sit as their zombie teachers babble word salad, something that almost sounds like human speech but has no meaningful words, at them, pretending to teach them something humans would learn. And zombie service workers will happily go to their jobs as cashiers, exchanging money they could never know the amount of, for good and/or services, and in their restaurants making food for customers to look at, and sit with, and pretend to eat, even though they of course cannot it. It's all unconfirmable, but it's at least been officially denied. And of course, for those foolish enough to stay the night there, the town will find itself with new residents.

And some even say the zombie's necromancer is somewhere in the city. Perhaps she's a lich now, having built up the city from a small town of zombies decades ago, now living somewhere at the center of the city, pickled in a glass tank, or siting on a throne of humming wires and tubes all grey and shriveled. Or perhaps she has passed on the torch, and it's now her granddaughter or great granddaughter, watching over the city, making sure it runs perfectly, sitting there in secret with a little black dress and sunglasses and a black hat over her golden hair, somewhere in the endless sprawl, making sure her children are all well behaved and functioning properly. It's normal to wonder why she does this. They say a witch's or warlock's mind is unknowable but it's safe to speculate. Some people think she's building an army, but there are faster ways to do that, ways that don't require an entire city. Some say she makes money off of it somehow, but I know enough about these things to know she can't. Personally, I think she was just trying to create her idea of the perfect city, a place with no social problems, a little lobotomized utopia in the void.

[whencyclopedia]

Battle of Lake Erie

The Battle of Lake Erie (10 September 1813), also known as the Battle of Put-in-Bay, was a decisive naval engagement in the War of 1812. It saw a squadron of US ships, under Oliver Hazard Perry, defeat a British squadron near Put-in-Bay, Ohio, ultimately leading to the American domination of Lake Erie and allowing for their recapture of Detroit.

The Battle of Lake Erie

Julian Oliver Davidson (Public Domain)

Background

In the spring of 1813, the sounds of constant shipbuilding echoed off the waters of the Great Lakes. For almost a year now, the nations of the United States and the United Kingdom had been at war, with the fate of Canada hanging in the balance. Two US invasions of the British colony had already been repelled before the Americans shifted their focus to the Great Lakes, particularly the mighty Lake Ontario. Both sides knew that naval superiority would give the Americans an advantage in their next invasion attempt, leading both sides to race to put new ships in the water. By June, the Americans and the British each had naval squadrons patrolling Lake Ontario, however, neither squadron moved to attack the other. Since naval actions tended to be unpredictable – reliant as they were on external factors like the wind – neither squadron wanted to take the initiative and risk its own destruction. Instead, the squadrons just danced around one another, waiting for the other to make the first move.

Ships were also being built on Lake Erie, even though it was considered by both sides to be of secondary importance to Lake Ontario. Currently, Lake Erie was under the control of the British, who had seized it early in the war and had used it to help maintain their occupation of the Michigan Territory after the Siege of Detroit (15-16 August 1812). If the Americans wanted to retake Michigan, they would need to first establish dominance on Erie, leading them to begin a shipbuilding program on this lake as well. Command of this burgeoning US squadron was given to Oliver Hazard Perry, a 27-year-old naval officer from Rhode Island, who had already accumulated a great deal of naval experience during his service in the Quasi-War and the First Barbary War. In late March, Perry arrived at Presque Isle, where the new ships were being built at a frantic pace. Crews of axmen had already laid low the surrounding forests to gather enough wood for the vessels, often chopping nonstop from sunrise to sunset; so swift was their work that, in the words of historian Pierre Berton, "a tree on the outskirts of the settlement can be growing one day and part of a ship the next" (508).

Still, there were frustrating delays. Food shortages led the workers to go on strike, while materials ordered from far-off locations – canvas from Philadelphia, for example, or spike rods from Buffalo – took a while to arrive. When the ships finally neared completion in July, Perry faced a new problem: a lack of sailors. Commodore Isaac Chauncey, the commander of the Lake Ontario fleet and Perry's direct superior, had kept all the best sailors for himself, sending Perry only those he considered to be the dregs of his squadron. Eager to attack as soon as possible, Perry spent the following weeks pleading with Chauncey for more men, writing, "For God's sake…send me men and officers" (Berton, 523). In August, Chauncey finally relented and sent Perry 89 experienced men. Among these reinforcements was Lt. Jesse Elliott, whose recent exploits, including the daring capture of two British brigs, had turned him into a war hero. Perry was so happy to have these men that he put Elliott in command of one of the new ships, USS Niagara, and let him choose his own crew. Elliott, an arrogant and ambitious man who felt slighted that he had not been given Perry's job, chose all the best men, leaving the other captains to grumble that the ships were unequally manned now that all the best sailors were on the Niagara.

Oliver Hazard Perry

Gilbert Stuart and Jane Stuart (Public Domain)

On 31 August, Perry received more welcome news: General William Henry Harrison, commander of the US Army of the Northwest, had sent him 100 Kentucky riflemen to act as marines in the coming battle. The Kentuckians, many of whom had never seen a ship before, marveled at each and every detail, climbing the masts and exploring the holds before Perry ordered them on deck to teach them naval etiquette. By early September, Perry's small squadron was ready for battle, or as ready as it was likely to get. Of his nine vessels, three were brigs (Lawrence, Caledonia, Niagara), five were schooners (Ariel, Scorpion, Somers, Porcupine, Tigress), and one was a sloop (Trippe). His flagship, USS Lawrence, was named after his friend, Captain James Lawrence, who had recently been mortally wounded aboard the USS Chesapeake in a single-ship action off Boston. Lawrence's last words – "Don't give up the ship" – were sewn in white letters on a dark blue battle flag that Perry intended to hoist onto his masthead as a signal for action. With his ships in the water and his men on the decks, Perry now had only to wait for the coming fight.

Continue reading...

[probablyasocialecologist]

What if Tucson’s million new trees — and the rest of the country’s — didn’t just keep sidewalks cool? What if they helped feed people, too? That’s what Brandon Merchant hopes will happen on the shadeless south side of Tucson, a city where about one-fifth of the population lives more than a mile from a grocery store. He’s working on a project to plant velvet mesquite trees that thrive in the dry Sonoran Desert and have been used for centuries as a food source. The mesquite trees’ seed pods can be ground into a sweet, protein-rich flour used to make bread, cookies, and pancakes. Merchant, who works at the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, sees cultivating mesquite around the city and surrounding areas as an opportunity to ease both heat and hunger. The outcome could be a network of  “food forests,” community spaces where volunteers tend fruit trees and other edible plants for neighbors to forage. “Thinking about the root causes of hunger and the root causes of health issues, there are all these things that tie together: lack of green spaces, lack of biodiversity,” Merchant said. (The food bank received half a million dollars from the Biden administration through the Inflation Reduction Act.) Merchant’s initiative fits into a national trend of combining forestry — and Forest Service funding — with efforts to feed people. Volunteers, school teachers, and urban farmers in cities across the country are planting fruit and nut trees, berry bushes, and other edible plants in public spaces to create shade, provide access to green space, and supply neighbors with free and healthy food. These food forests, forest gardens, and edible parks have sprouted up at churches, schools, empty lots, and street corners in numerous cities, including Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Seattle, and Miami. “It’s definitely growing in popularity,” said Cara Rockwell, who researches agroforestry and sustainable food systems at Florida International University. ���Food security is one of the huge benefits.” There are also numerous environmental benefits: Trees improve air quality, suck carbon from the atmosphere, and create habitat for wildlife, said Mikaela Schmitt-Harsh, an urban forestry expert at James Madison University in Virginia. “I think food forests are gaining popularity alongside other urban green space efforts, community gardens, green rooftops,” she added. “All of those efforts, I think, are moving us in a positive direction.”

[yoongle--boongle--pie]

Pechsträhne - Teaser

Maybe they didn’t expect her to come and they just felt obligated to send it? Turning the thought over in her head, she shook it away with a shudder. It was too late to have these doubts now-the hum of the train beneath her seat and the “Welcome to Pennsylvania!” sign making that abundantly clear. Punching the number into her phone, she hit the call button before she could give herself time to second-guess it. It rings once. Twice. A third time. Only stopping when the receiver tells her the number can’t be reached and to try again later. 

“Fuck.” Y/N curses under her breath, remembering that she is, in fact, in a metal tube speeding through tunnels and trees that really push the boundaries of her average cell phone line. She types the number in again and waits this time until the train pulls into another small stop right at the southernmost part of Pennsylvania. She had not maybe 30 minutes (if she was lucky) before her train ride would come to its dreaded end. Thumbing the call button, she waited. This time it rang only twice before an overly enthusiastic voice answered on the other line. 

“A warm greeting from The Wörner Hotel and Estate! Front desk and lobby services, this is Seokjin speaking. How may I assist you today?” His voice was smooth and light on the ears, but it hit her as anything but light. The name made her entire form tense up, and a nervous sweat prick at her brow. The reality of what she was doing truly settling into her system as the voice of an old friend forced her to face the consequences of her actions head-on. It's fine, She told herself, he probably doesn't even care. It's been years...

“Hello? May I help you?” He quipped again, a bit less perky than the first time.

Realizing that she hadn’t responded she choked out “Yes! Yes, one moment please!” She mentally face-palmed herself for such a clumsy response. “This is Y/N. Y/N Wörner. Anslem and Mariah’s daughter.” 

A moment of fuzzy silence met her ears causing her to shift anxiously in her seat. She was in the process of checking the phone screen to see if he had hung up when shuffling noises on the other end of the line jolted her phone back to her ear and his silver-tone voice cut through the static. 

“Oh! Yes forgive me-Mrs. Wörner had mentioned you might reach out.” He let out a smooth chuckle before continuing on.  “I assume you are calling for transportation services?” If he was surprised, his tone didn’t show it.

Y/N nodded, before catching that he could not see her with a “Yes, please!”

“Great! What’s the pick up address?” Y/N could hear the smile in his words and she flushed with embarrassment at how not put together she sounded. What a wonderful "first" impression she's giving him of her adult self.

“It’s going to be the Philadelphia Amtrak station.” Her eyes flitted to the trees dotted with new buds outside her window, finding their gentle sway in the wind soothing enough to qualm her racing heart. 

“Awesome... And what time will your train be arriving at the station, Ms. Wörner?” She heard the click of a pen, and the scratch of its ink on the paper. 

“Well, you see about that…” She trailed off as the train began to leave the small station, the pen scratching mimicking her pause. “Maybe 20 minutes or so?” She laughed nervously at her own obvious lack of foresight. If he had managed to scrounge up any good impression of her during their call, she had just metaphorically tossed it out of her train window.

Seokjin guffawed on the other end of the line and openly sputtered out a “20 minutes?! That's an almost 3 hour drive, miss. I will send someone out right away, but will you be alright waiting?” Y/n could tell he was trying his best to cover up his anxious outburst with concern, and the formality in his phrase feeling foreign and uncomfortable to her ears.

“I’ll be fine. I’ll grab something to eat and hunker down on a bench. It’s my fault for not calling sooner…” Y/N’s voice trickled out as she realized how this might make them look to her parents-making a guest wait for longer than they would approve of. She made a mental note to herself that she would just happen to forget to mention it during any conversations with them.

“Alright then Ms. Wörner. Your driver will reach out to you via text to share their information, location services, and a description of their vehicle. " She heard the unmistakable clicking of frantic computer keys as the previous anxiety in his tone faded and his customer service voice took over once again. "Please have your phone on hand with notifications on in case they need to reach you with any questions. Is there anything else I can help you with today?

“No, that is everything. Thank you, Jin.”  The nickname spilled from her lips with a practiced ease that surprised her own self, but he carried on like he didn’t seem to notice. 

“Wonderful! I will see you later in the evening.” She could hear him typing something into his computer before the clacking ceased and a moment of silence enveloped them again. This time the silence felt eerily wrong and awkward. She could almost hear the sharp exhale before his voice drifted through the phone at a volume so quiet she almost missed it.

"I'm sorry- I couldn't catch that." She laughed trying to lighten the sudden shift in atmosphere.

“It’s…” He paused, seemingly weighing the sound of his own words on his tongue. “It’s good to have you back, Y/n.” 

The dial tone signaled that the line had ended, but she still found herself holding the speaker to her ear much longer than she needed to. The way he said her name with so much heaviness had her whole world spinning. It was both nerve-wracking and comforting that he remembered her. It meant she hadn’t been gone long enough for anyone to truly forget as easily as she had wished they could-for she should know better than to expect from them what she could never do within herself-and she couldn’t decide if that was a blessing or a curse.

[dispadaferisce]

PSA FOR BOOK LOVERS

Friendly reminder that Amazon a) sucks and b) is a Trump-supporting American company that deserves to crumble to ash. Good and/or affordable alternatives:

BOOKSHOP.ORG

"I want to support small book stores, but they're more expensive than Amazon and Barnes & Noble" - yes, by design. They sell so much they can lower the prices and take a loss, once they put independent book stores out of business they can and will jack up prices. The more we buy from small stores, the more money THEY make, and the lower THEIR prices get. Those of us with the means need to start feeling a little bit of pain so our peers without the same means can eventually benefit.

"I don't have an independent book store near me" - Fear not! You can go to bookshop.org and order books for delivery, and the small bookstore you choose will make the profit. You can preorder special editions! You can order niche books your small store can't carry! You can support any small bookstore that's enrolled, I am in Philadelphia and support a wonderful, woman-owned bookstore in the middle of Appalachian Kentucky called Coffee Tree Books! We can funnel our money to the minority-owned businesses of our choice!

"I only read ebooks, I don't have room/an interest in/the budget for/etc physical books" - Then what a time to be alive, because bookshop.org has just launched its ebook service! Now you can support an independent bookstore that has no way to sell ebooks on its own, while still buying ebooks!

Bookshop.org is my #1 suggestion for Amazon alternatives because it's a way to help support small, minority-owned businesses. The United States is ruled by money, and the only way to make your voice heard is to change where you spend your money (if you're able to).

Kobo Ratuken

"I just don't have the budget to support small companies right now, I need the steep sales to afford books" - Understandable! Money is tight for a lot of people, and not having it doesn't mean you don't deserve access to books. Fortunately, Kobo Ratuken is a Canadian company owned by a Japanese corporation, big enough to offer some nice sales on ebooks and audiobooks. They also sell their own line of eReaders that, as far as I can tell, rival Kindles.

"I read a lot of independent authors and want to support them, but I can't get a lot of their books on bookshop.org" - Great! Indie authors regularly release a lot of good stuff. You can find a lot of their ebooks on Kobo. More and more indie authors are also releasing audiobooks, you can get them there, too.

"I have a shoestring book budget, I rely on Kindle Unlimited to get a lot of books for a lower price" - Have I got news for you! Kobo Ratuken now has Kobo Plus, with plans for ebooks, audio books, or both ebooks and audiobooks. One monthly fee for unlimited reading of participating books. Like Kindle Unlimited, you won't find brand new releases here, but a good variety nonetheless. Kobo Plus also doesn't have the sheer number of books available that Kindle Unlimited does, but more authors are joining every day, and the more support it gets, the more its catalogue will grow.

"I'm an indie author, and American companies are just my only option for self-publishing" - Kobo Ratuken lets you self-publish ebooks! Scroll to the very bottom of the homepage and check out the sitemap in the footer. From what I've heard, Kobo may also give you more control over your work than KDP.

Happy reading (and writing).

[yoongleboonglepie]

Pechsträhne - Teaser

Maybe they didn’t expect her to come and they just felt obligated to send it? Turning the thought over in her head, she shook it away with a shudder. It was too late to have these doubts now-the hum of the train beneath her seat and the “Welcome to Pennsylvania!” sign making that abundantly clear. Punching the number into her phone, she hit the call button before she could give herself time to second-guess it. It rings once. Twice. A third time. Only stopping when the receiver tells her the number can’t be reached and to try again later. 

“Fuck.” Y/N curses under her breath, remembering that she is, in fact, in a metal tube speeding through tunnels and trees that really push the boundaries of her average cell phone line. She types the number in again and waits this time until the train pulls into another small stop right at the southernmost part of Pennsylvania. She had not maybe 30 minutes (if she was lucky) before her train ride would come to its dreaded end. Thumbing the call button, she waited. This time it rang only twice before an overly enthusiastic voice answered on the other line. 

“A warm greeting from The Wörner Hotel and Estate! Front desk and lobby services, this is Seokjin speaking. How may I assist you today?” His voice was smooth and light on the ears, but it hit her as anything but light. The name made her entire form tense up, and a nervous sweat prick at her brow. The reality of what she was doing truly settling into her system as the voice of an old friend forced her to face the consequences of her actions head-on. It's fine, She told herself, he probably doesn't even care. It's been years...

“Hello? May I help you?” He quipped again, a bit less perky than the first time.

Realizing that she hadn’t responded she choked out “Yes! Yes, one moment please!” She mentally face-palmed herself for such a clumsy response. “This is Y/N. Y/N Wörner. Anslem and Mariah’s daughter.” 

A moment of fuzzy silence met her ears causing her to shift anxiously in her seat. She was in the process of checking the phone screen to see if he had hung up when shuffling noises on the other end of the line jolted her phone back to her ear and his silver-tone voice cut through the static. 

“Oh! Yes forgive me-Mrs. Wörner had mentioned you might reach out.” He let out a smooth chuckle before continuing on.  “I assume you are calling for transportation services?” If he was surprised, his tone didn’t show it.

Y/N nodded, before catching that he could not see her with a “Yes, please!”

“Great! What’s the pick up address?” Y/N could hear the smile in his words and she flushed with embarrassment at how not put together she sounded. What a wonderful "first" impression she's giving him of her adult self.

“It’s going to be the Philadelphia Amtrak station.” Her eyes flitted to the trees dotted with new buds outside her window, finding their gentle sway in the wind soothing enough to qualm her racing heart. 

“Awesome... And what time will your train be arriving at the station, Ms. Wörner?” She heard the click of a pen, and the scratch of its ink on the paper. 

“Well, you see about that…” She trailed off as the train began to leave the small station, the pen scratching mimicking her pause. “Maybe 20 minutes or so?” She laughed nervously at her own obvious lack of foresight. If he had managed to scrounge up any good impression of her during their call, she had just metaphorically tossed it out of her train window.

Seokjin guffawed on the other end of the line and openly sputtered out a “20 minutes?! That's an almost 3 hour drive, miss. I will send someone out right away, but will you be alright waiting?” Y/n could tell he was trying his best to cover up his anxious outburst with concern, and the formality in his phrase feeling foreign and uncomfortable to her ears.

“I’ll be fine. I’ll grab something to eat and hunker down on a bench. It’s my fault for not calling sooner…” Y/N’s voice trickled out as she realized how this might make them look to her parents-making a guest wait for longer than they would approve of. She made a mental note to herself that she would just happen to forget to mention it during any conversations with them.

“Alright then Ms. Wörner. Your driver will reach out to you via text to share their information, location services, and a description of their vehicle. " She heard the unmistakable clicking of frantic computer keys as the previous anxiety in his tone faded and his customer service voice took over once again. "Please have your phone on hand with notifications on in case they need to reach you with any questions. Is there anything else I can help you with today?

“No, that is everything. Thank you, Jin.”  The nickname spilled from her lips with a practiced ease that surprised her own self, but he carried on like he didn’t seem to notice. 

“Wonderful! I will see you later in the evening.” She could hear him typing something into his computer before the clacking ceased and a moment of silence enveloped them again. This time the silence felt eerily wrong and awkward. She could almost hear the sharp exhale before his voice drifted through the phone at a volume so quiet she almost missed it.

"I'm sorry- I couldn't catch that." She laughed trying to lighten the sudden shift in atmosphere.

“It’s…” He paused, seemingly weighing the sound of his own words on his tongue. “It’s good to have you back, Y/n.” 

The dial tone signaled that the line had ended, but she still found herself holding the speaker to her ear much longer than she needed to. The way he said her name with so much heaviness had her whole world spinning. It was both nerve-wracking and comforting that he remembered her. It meant she hadn’t been gone long enough for anyone to truly forget as easily as she had wished they could-for she should know better than to expect from them what she could never do within herself-and she couldn’t decide if that was a blessing or a curse.

[beardedmrbean]

PHILADELPHIA – In the City of Brotherly Love, Gemma Levy sometimes doesn’t feel safe.

Levy decided to attend the University of Pennsylvania partly because of its long history of tolerance toward Jewish students like her. But with recent events – pro-Palestinian protests, antisemitic chants, university President Liz Magill’s perplexing remarks about genocide and her subsequent resignation – the campus hasn’t seemed all that tolerant.

“I’ve felt super unsafe at times,” Levy, a freshman cognitive science major from Brooklyn, said while hurrying to class along the tree-lined Locust Walk in the oldest part of the campus. “It’s a weird experience to feel that way.”

It’s an unsettling experience for the city, too.

Philadelphia, known as the birthplace of the United States, is where the Founding Fathers met and debated the future of the new country. Founded on the principles of religious freedom, it’s home to one of the largest Jewish populations in the country.

The University of Pennsylvania, founded primarily by Benjamin Franklin and now regarded as one of the nation’s premier schools of higher learning, kept its doors open to Jewish students when Harvard and other Ivy League colleges implemented quotas and other measures to limit their enrollment or keep them out altogether.

Today, though, Philadelphia and the university are at the epicenter of the clash over free speech and antisemitism, the Israel-Hamas war and the right to feel safe and secure.

How did that happen? In Philadelphia of all places?

“We’re a microcosm of society,” said Michael Balaban, president and chief executive officer of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia.

Antisemitism is a virus that mutates over time and is easily spread through the prevalence of social media, Balaban said.

“We see it online in vicious ways every single second of the day,” he said.

'Vile, antisemitic messages'

Antisemitism in Philadelphia has turned up online, on campus and in the streets.

In November, the university responded to what it described as “vile, antisemitic messages” threatening violence against the Jewish community. Antisemitic emails were sent to a number of staffers, and antisemitic language was projected onto several campus buildings. The school said it planned to increase security across the campus, including at Penn Hillel, a Jewish student organization.

A month later, an off-campus protest by pro-Palestinian demonstrators was widely condemned for targeting the Jewish-owned falafel restaurant Goldie. Video posted on social media showed a large crowd gathered outside the restaurant, chanting: “Goldie, Goldie, you can’t hide. We charge you with genocide.”

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the restaurant was singled out because its owner, Philadelphia-based Israeli chef Michael Solomonov, had raised over $100,000 for an Israeli nonprofit that provided emergency relief services to Israeli Defense Forces soldiers after Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

Regardless, the White House, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and others condemned the protesters’ actions, calling them antisemitic and reminiscent of a dark time in history.

Then came Magill’s downfall.

Magill and the presidents of two other elite universities – Claudine Gay of Harvard and Sally Kornbluth of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology – already had been under scrutiny over how their institutions had responded to a rise in antisemitism on their campuses when they agreed to testify last week before a GOP-led House congressional panel.

Lawmakers lobbed a series of tough questions at the three college leaders, who hedged when Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., asked whether calls for the genocide of Jews violated their schools’ code of conduct against bullying and harassment.

Appearing to sense a trap, Magill and the other two presidents gave carefully worded responses that sounded scripted and lawyerly but failed to directly answer the question. In one exchange, Magill called those decisions “context-dependent” but conceded that calls for genocide could be considered harassment “if the speech turns into conduct.”

The backlash was fast and brutal. To some, the presidents’ responses raised questions about whether the schools would adequately protect Jewish students. The White House condemned their answers, donors threatened to withhold millions of dollars, and the House committee announced an investigation into the universities' policies and disciplinary procedures.

Magill tried to walk back her comments, but the damage was done. She resigned last Saturday but will remain at the university as a tenured law professor. Scott Bok, chairman of the university’s board of trustees, also stepped down.

Julie Platt, the trustees’ interim chair, declined requests for an interview but said in a statement after Magill’s resignation that a leadership change at the university was “necessary and appropriate.”

While Penn has made strides in addressing the rise of antisemitism on campus, “we have not made all of the progress that we should have and intend to accomplish,” she said.

Magill, who had been president for just a little over a year, was already on shaky ground even before her testimony. She had come under fire in September over a Palestinian Writers’ Festival that was held at the university and drew criticism for including speakers who have been accused of antisemitism. Magill and others had raised concerns about the program but did not stop it, citing support for “the free exchange of ideas” – even those that are controversial and “incompatible with our institutional values.”

Last week, a pair of Jewish students sued the university, claiming it has become a lab for "virulent anti-Jewish hatred, harassment and discrimination."

Author Jerome Karabel, who has written about the history of exclusion at Ivy League schools, said it is ironic that Penn is facing charges that it hasn’t done enough to quell antisemitism on campus. At some point, all of the other Ivy League schools tried to limit Jewish enrollment. Penn never had any such limitations, he said.

“You could argue that Penn, historically, has been the friendliest of the Ivy League schools for Jewish students,” Karabel said.

'An inclusive and welcoming community for all students'

On campus, there were few outward signs of turmoil this week. With final exams under way, students hurried to class on a cold, blustery late-fall morning. Stickers and fliers supporting the Palestinian people and urging a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war were posted on billboards and along walkways and pedestrian bridges.

At Houston Hall, which the university says is the oldest student union in the country, a small group of students has been staging a sit-in since mid-November to show support for the Palestinians. Early one afternoon this week, protesters nestled in big chairs and slept under sheets on cushions. Others painted posters and fliers listing their demands: A cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. The protection of freedom of speech on campus. “Critical thought” on the subject of Palestine. A place for Palestinian studies.

“Nobody here is calling for the genocide of Jews,” insisted Clancy Murray, who is working on a Ph.D. in political science.

Murray said several Jewish students have joined the sit-in but acknowledged that some feel unsafe in the current environment. Some Palestinian students on campus aren’t comfortable being visible either, Murray said, because of threats and the possibility of doxing, harassment and even violence and hate crimes.

As for Magill’s departure, Murray said it’s concerning “that she was driven out” and that “there are a handful of donors who are empowered to dictate what is and what is not acceptable speech on campus.”

David Donovan, who was on his way to his daughter’s graduation from Penn’s nursing school, said emotions surrounding the Israel-Hamas war are charging tensions on campus like never before.

“We are more sensitive to the feelings of other people, and that’s a net positive, I believe,” said Donovan, a history teacher from Morristown, N.J.

When it comes to deciding what constitutes free speech vs. hate speech, Donovan said, “we still have to be very apprehensive and think very carefully that our positions are backed by reason.”

“We need to err on the side of free speech,” Donovan added, acknowledging, “That’s an easy thing for me to believe as a straight, white man.”

The community at large is also grappling with issues of free speech. Some Jewish families are rethinking outward expressions of Judaism, Balaban said.

At his home in the Wynnewood suburb, Balaban flies both the Israeli and American flags in the front of his house and displays a menorah in the window. Before, “that would never have been a question in my mind to do it or not to do it,” he said. But with everything that has happened, “in my household, the question was, ‘Are we OK doing this?’” he said.

“Of course, the answer is, yes, we're going to,” Balaban said. “But did we worry that someone may do something? The answer is yes. I think we will always display an Israeli flag with pride. We will always display symbols of our Judaism. But there was a pause of what does that mean.”

'We will come through this difficult moment'

So what's next? How do the community and the university heal after the trauma of the past few months?

"This is a strong community built on a sturdy foundation.  We will come through this difficult moment," the university promised in an email message to students this week.

The university pledged to redouble its commitment to ensuring that Penn is a place where “intellectual growth is cultivated” and students are “supported as a person.”

“Initiatives recently launched to address bigotry and hatred on our campus will continue, and this will be an inclusive and welcoming community for all students,” the message said.

Levy urged school administrators to be more proactive and less reactive.

“I hope,” she said, “instead of being on the defensive and apologizing after things happen, they’ll take steps to actually stop these incidents in the first place.”

[hypelens]

Winter Storm Blair: A Comprehensive Overview of the Severe Weather Threatening the U.S.

As the nation braces for Winter Storm Blair, millions of Americans are preparing for widespread snowfall, ice accumulation, and dangerously cold temperatures. The storm, which has been intensifying over the past few days, is forecasted to impact large swaths of the Plains, Midwest, and mid-Atlantic regions. The National Weather Service has issued multiple winter storm warnings and advisories, emphasizing the potential for hazardous travel conditions, power outages, and life-threatening cold.

The Path and Impact of Winter Storm Blair

Winter Storm Blair is developing along a strong low-pressure system moving across the central United States. Meteorologists predict significant snowfalls in key regions, with ice and sleet adding to the challenges.

Regions at Greatest Risk

Central Plains: Heavy snowfall is expected, with totals ranging from 6 to 12 inches. Cities such as Kansas City, St. Louis, and Omaha are directly in the storm’s path.

Midwest: Areas including Chicago, Indianapolis, and Detroit are bracing for a mix of snow and freezing rain, creating hazardous driving conditions.

Mid-Atlantic: Residents in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia could see a combination of snow and ice, with accumulations potentially disrupting daily activities.

Snow and Ice Totals

According to The Weather Channel, the heaviest snow will fall along a corridor stretching from eastern Kansas to northern Indiana. Ice accumulation, particularly in the southern Midwest, could result in downed power lines and tree damage.

Key Concerns for Residents

The impact of Winter Storm Blair extends beyond snow and ice, with several other hazards looming.

Travel Disruptions

Travel conditions are expected to deteriorate rapidly as snow and ice accumulate on major highways and local roads. Authorities have urged travelers to reconsider non-essential journeys and to carry emergency kits in their vehicles if travel is unavoidable.

Power Outages

Ice accumulation poses a significant risk to power infrastructure. Utilities in the affected regions are preparing for outages and encouraging customers to report issues promptly.

Extreme Cold

Blair’s aftermath will bring Arctic air, with temperatures plummeting well below freezing in many areas. Wind chill values may drop into dangerously low ranges, prompting warnings about frostbite and hypothermia.

How to Prepare for Winter Storm Blair

Authorities and weather experts recommend several measures to prepare for the storm:

Stay Informed: Monitor updates from reliable sources, such as the National Weather Service and local news outlets.

Stock Up on Supplies: Ensure your home is equipped with essentials, including food, water, flashlights, batteries, and blankets.

Protect Your Home: Insulate pipes, check heating systems, and secure outdoor items that could be damaged by strong winds or heavy snow.

Plan for Power Outages: Have a backup power source or alternative heating solutions ready, particularly if you live in areas prone to outages.

Check on Vulnerable Neighbors: Ensure that elderly or disabled neighbors have the resources they need to stay safe and warm.

What Makes Winter Storm Blair Unique?

Meteorologists have highlighted the storm’s broad geographic reach and the complexity of its impacts. Unlike storms that primarily deliver snow, Blair combines heavy snow with significant ice risks and extreme cold. This trifecta of hazards underscores the importance of preparation and caution.

Weather Alerts and What They Mean

The National Weather Service has issued various alerts to keep the public informed:

Winter Storm Warnings: Indicate severe winter conditions, such as heavy snow or ice, that will likely impact the area.

Winter Weather Advisories: Highlight less severe but still impactful weather conditions that may cause inconveniences.

Ice Storm Warnings: Signal dangerous ice accumulations that could disrupt power and transportation.

Understanding these alerts helps individuals make informed decisions about their safety.

Looking Ahead

As Winter Storm Blair continues to develop, meteorologists are closely monitoring its trajectory and intensity. Additional updates will be issued as the storm progresses, ensuring that residents have the latest information to stay safe.

Conclusion

Winter Storm Blair serves as a stark reminder of the power of nature and the importance of preparation. With its wide-reaching impacts and potential for severe disruptions, Blair is a storm that demands attention and action. Stay safe, stay warm, and stay informed as this winter weather event unfolds.

[servicespinecresttree]

​Pinecrest Tree Services offers expert stump removal services Philadelphia, ensuring your yard is both safe and visually appealing. Their team utilizes advanced techniques to completely eliminate stumps and roots, preventing regrowth and minimizing tripping hazards. For comprehensive Stump Removal Services Philadelphia, trust Pinecrest Tree Services to enhance your outdoor space.

[scotianostra]

Brigadier General Hugh Mercer died on January 12th 1777 after being wounded at the Battle of Princeton.

Historians argue that, had it not been for his untimely and grisly death at the Battle of Princeton in 1777, Hugh Mercer, born in Aberdeenshire, would have been a greater leader than Washington and would rank as one of the greatest American heroes of all time.

Born on January 17h, 1726, at the manse of Pitsligo Kirk in Roseharty, Scotland, Hugh Mercer was the son of Reverend William Mercer and his wife Ann. At the age of 15, he left home to attend Marischal College at the University of Aberdeen to study medicine. Graduating as a doctor, he practiced locally until the arrival of Prince Charles Edward Stuart and the beginning of the 1745 Jacobite Uprising.

Rallying to the Prince’s colours, Mercer became an assistant surgeon in the Jacobite Army. He remained in this service until the Battle of Culloden. Mercer was forced to flee Scotland for America in 1747. Arriving in Philadelphia, he settled on the Pennsylvania frontier and returned to practising medicine. by 1758 he was, like many Scots who fled, serving in the British army, battling Shawnee and Delaware Indians, Mercer and his men took part in Lt. Colonel John Armstrong’s raid on Kittanning on September 8th, 1756. and became separated from his men. Alone following the battle, he made his way 100 miles on foot back to Fort Shirley where he received medical attention and was heralded a hero and promoted to the rank of Captain, it was here that Mercer was to become good friends with a man that would shape the remaining years of his life, also a Colonel at the time, his name was George Washington.

Before you start questioning his loyalty with being in the British army remember Washington was also in their pay at this time. After the 7 year war he settled back into private practice but 15 years later was elected as a Colonel of the Minute Men of Spotsylvania a Militia that would play an important part in the American Revolution, he had initially excluded from the elected leadership and branded a “northern Briton,” later being appointed Colonel in the Virginia Line part of the Continental Army which rose in revolt against British rule after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, once again he was fighting against “the auld enemy”.

One of the officers under Mercer was future president James Monroe. He rode through the ranks to Brigadier General distinguishing himself and involving himself with George Washington battle plans until January 3rd while on their way to The Battle of Princeton leading a vanguard of 350 soldiers, Mercer’s brigade encountered two British regiments and a mounted unit. A fight broke out at an orchard grove and Mercer’s horse was shot from under him. Getting to his feet, he was quickly surrounded by British troops who mistook him for George Washington and ordered him to surrender. Outnumbered, he drew his saber and began an unequal contest. He was finally beaten to the ground, then bayoneted repeatedly—seven times—and left for dead.

When Washington learned of the British attack and saw some of Mercer’s men in retreat, he himself entered the fray. Washington rallied Mercer’s men and pushed back the British regiments, but Mercer had been left on the field to die with multiple wounds to his body and blows to his head. (Legend has it that a beaten Mercer, with a bayonet still impaled in him, did not want to leave his men and the battle and was given a place to rest on a white oak tree’s trunk, while those who remained with him stood their ground. The tree became known as “the Mercer Oak” and is the key element of the seal of Mercer County, New Jersey.

When he was discovered, Mercer was carried to the field hospital in the Thomas Clarke House (now a museum) at the eastern end of the battlefield. In spite of medical efforts by Benjamin Rush, Mercer was mortally wounded and died nine days later on January 12, 1777.

In 1840 he was re-buried at Philadelphia’s Laurel Hill Cemetery. Because of Mercer’s courage and sacrifice, Washington was able to proceed into Princeton and defeat the British forces there. He then moved and quartered his forces to Morristown in victory.

The second picture show a painting entitled George Washington at Battle of Princeton features in the foreground Hugh Mercer lying mortally wounded in the background, supported by Dr. Benjamin Rush and Major George Lewis holding the American flag. This portrait is the prize possession of Princeton University.

[pizzafunhouse]

5 Holiday Specials I enjoy!

You are mostly just at home scrolling through different streaming services looking for that next hit of Holiday Joy, unable to settle on something new you end up staring at your Christmas tree while an old Bing Crosby Christmas record plays side "A" and you look over at your partner and you both come to the conclusion that side "A" sucks ass and you need a better distraction.

So I bring you this, 5 Holiday Specials I enjoy!

"A Very Sunny Christmas"

You could almost call it "The Least Wholesome Christmas Special Ever"

It might be also one of my favorite episodes of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"

Going at a runtime of 43 min we get some of the best moments in the history of the show, Charlie biting Santa Claus in the neck, Frank crawling naked out of a couch during an office Christmas party, Dennis and Dee's mission to give Frank a "Christmas Carol" style treatment in hopes of getting reparations, and Mac's deluded Christmas memories! It is a must watch!

2. Blackadder Christmas Carol

Rowan Atikinson plays Ebenezer Blackadder, the kindest and most giving person in all of London, in fact he is so generous that most every takes advantage of his kindess to the point of basically robbing him.

He is met by a Holiday Ghost played by Robbie Coltrane aka Hagrid, and shows Ebenezer what his ancestors where like, we take a comedic trip to the past, and then to the way wayyyy future!

Available to watch on Hulu

3. The Everything is Terrible Holiday Special

Found footage collective EIT has been pumping out some of the best content for years now, if you get a chance to see a live show when they come to town a recommend doing so, just remember to bring your offering of Jerry Maguire VHS tapes so they can continue to build their pyramid.

It is difficult to go into detail about what this special really is, you just have to watch it. It's more of a holiday video collage than anything, and you can have it going on in the background during a party! The DVD may longer be available for purchase but you can still rent/buy a digital copy from their store

4. The Simpsons Seasons 7 EP 11 "Marge Be Not Proud"

This is my favorite Simpsons Christmas episode, great writing, lots of funny moments! A more touching slice of life episode.

I really don't want to spoil this episode if you have not seen it, just go find it and watch it, it's so damn good!

5. The Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job Chrimbus Special

I'll admit this one might not be for everyone, it's pretty nuts!

Tim, and Eric put on the Holiday special to end all Holiday specials, make sure you eat your fair share of hair or the Winter Man (a fat naked man running through the woods) wont deliver you gifts, and also remember to trim the Chrimbus Bush and keep it wet!

I also cringe any time DeeVee (The DVD Monster) is on the screen!

Well friends that's my list for now, enjoy!

[nickmillermit]

With great branding comes great responsibility

In January, I spent my winter break traveling around Asia for a whole month––visiting Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and South Korea.  As someone who grew up in a lower-middle class suburb of Philadelphia, I never travelled much as a kid and did not get a lot of exposure to many different cultures around the world.  Up until this trip, I'd never been to Asia and had never seen a developing country.

Walking around the streets of Tokyo, I found myself completely enamored with small details that my friends didn’t seem affected by at all.  From hot soup vending machines to bamboo trees, the sidewalks were sprawling with peculiar fascinations that caught my attention and slowed my gait to an annoying pace.

One thing in particular, though, really caught my eye in a way that made me stop and think.  Below is the picture of what I saw.

Lebron James in a Louis Vuitton ad on the streets of Shibuya, Tokyo.  Now, I am a basketball fan (go Sixers!), sure, so maybe it struck me so deeply because it was a familiar face in an unfamiliar place.  But this ad would be quite blasé if you saw it in New York or LA, so why was it so startling?

Well, what you don’t see in this picture is the fact that the vast, vast majority of advertisements I saw during my month-long trip showed people with fair skin.  Whether of Asian or Caucasian descent, it felt to me like I hadn’t seen anyone with black or brown skin in weeks––whether on the street or in print.

This gets me back to this week’s discussion on Fair & Lovely, a Unilever brand that is a market leader in fairness creams that––despite controversies and growing awareness about the harmful societal impacts of such products––continues to hold a significant market share in the South Asian skincare industry.  (Interestingly enough, Dove is another Unilever brand known for its "Real Beauty" campaign, which one could argue is a sharp contrast to the messaging from Fair & Lovely….)

Especially in sensitive areas like health and beauty, consumers often see brands as extensions of their own identity.  Brands that align with a consumer’s identity in terms of values, aesthetics, or community can forge stronger emotional bonds.  This is why a brand that promotes fairness as a universal beauty standard may alienate those who feel misrepresented or stigmatized by such standards.

As future business leaders, many Sloanies will have the unique opportunity to align our company’s operations with ethical practices and positive social impact.  This begins with creating fair, sustainable, principled, high-quality products and services, but it also includes developing responsible marketing strategies that avoid perpetuating harmful stereotypes or unrealistic standards.  Instead, we must focus on inclusive and empowering messaging that respects diversity and promotes self-acceptance.

In this conversation, I also can’t help but to think about our final project: the rebranding of the Washington Commanders, formerly known as the Washington Redskins.  I think that this example offers a key example of how societal pressures and the demand for cultural sensitivity can drive significant changes in brand management.  This transformation was largely influenced by long-standing criticisms over the original name, which was seen as a racial slur against Native Americans.  The decision to adopt a new name and identity reflects a broader movement towards inclusivity and respect for cultural diversity, aligning the brand with contemporary social values.

Much like the case with Dove’s promotion of diversity and self-acceptance, the rebranding process involved engaging various stakeholders, including fans, community leaders, and cultural experts, to ensure the new brand was well-received and free from past controversies.  This stakeholder engagement is crucial for maintaining brand loyalty and trust, illustrating a commitment to ethical considerations and cultural sensitivity.

[whencyclopedia]

Battle of Lake Erie

The Battle of Lake Erie (10 September 1813), also known as the Battle of Put-in-Bay, was a decisive naval engagement in the War of 1812. It saw a squadron of US ships, under Oliver Hazard Perry, defeat a British squadron near Put-in-Bay, Ohio, ultimately leading to the American domination of Lake Erie and allowing for their recapture of Detroit.

Background

In the spring of 1813, the sounds of constant shipbuilding echoed off the waters of the Great Lakes. For almost a year now, the nations of the United States and the United Kingdom had been at war, with the fate of Canada hanging in the balance. Two US invasions of the British colony had already been repelled before the Americans shifted their focus to the Great Lakes, particularly the mighty Lake Ontario. Both sides knew that naval superiority would give the Americans an advantage in their next invasion attempt, leading both sides to race to put new ships in the water. By June, the Americans and the British each had naval squadrons patrolling Lake Ontario, however, neither squadron moved to attack the other. Since naval actions tended to be unpredictable – reliant as they were on external factors like the wind – neither squadron wanted to take the initiative and risk its own destruction. Instead, the squadrons just danced around one another, waiting for the other to make the first move.

Ships were also being built on Lake Erie, even though it was considered by both sides to be of secondary importance to Lake Ontario. Currently, Lake Erie was under the control of the British, who had seized it early in the war and had used it to help maintain their occupation of the Michigan Territory after the Siege of Detroit (15-16 August 1812). If the Americans wanted to retake Michigan, they would need to first establish dominance on Erie, leading them to begin a shipbuilding program on this lake as well. Command of this burgeoning US squadron was given to Oliver Hazard Perry, a 27-year-old naval officer from Rhode Island, who had already accumulated a great deal of naval experience during his service in the Quasi-War and the First Barbary War. In late March, Perry arrived at Presque Isle, where the new ships were being built at a frantic pace. Crews of axmen had already laid low the surrounding forests to gather enough wood for the vessels, often chopping nonstop from sunrise to sunset; so swift was their work that, in the words of historian Pierre Berton, "a tree on the outskirts of the settlement can be growing one day and part of a ship the next" (508).

Still, there were frustrating delays. Food shortages led the workers to go on strike, while materials ordered from far-off locations – canvas from Philadelphia, for example, or spike rods from Buffalo – took a while to arrive. When the ships finally neared completion in July, Perry faced a new problem: a lack of sailors. Commodore Isaac Chauncey, the commander of the Lake Ontario fleet and Perry's direct superior, had kept all the best sailors for himself, sending Perry only those he considered to be the dregs of his squadron. Eager to attack as soon as possible, Perry spent the following weeks pleading with Chauncey for more men, writing, "For God's sake…send me men and officers" (Berton, 523). In August, Chauncey finally relented and sent Perry 89 experienced men. Among these reinforcements was Lt. Jesse Elliott, whose recent exploits, including the daring capture of two British brigs, had turned him into a war hero. Perry was so happy to have these men that he put Elliott in command of one of the new ships, USS Niagara, and let him choose his own crew. Elliott, an arrogant and ambitious man who felt slighted that he had not been given Perry's job, chose all the best men, leaving the other captains to grumble that the ships were unequally manned now that all the best sailors were on the Niagara.

On 31 August, Perry received more welcome news: General William Henry Harrison, commander of the US Army of the Northwest, had sent him 100 Kentucky riflemen to act as marines in the coming battle. The Kentuckians, many of whom had never seen a ship before, marveled at each and every detail, climbing the masts and exploring the holds before Perry ordered them on deck to teach them naval etiquette. By early September, Perry's small squadron was ready for battle, or as ready as it was likely to get. Of his nine vessels, three were brigs (Lawrence, Caledonia, Niagara), five were schooners (Ariel, Scorpion, Somers, Porcupine, Tigress), and one was a sloop (Trippe). His flagship, USS Lawrence, was named after his friend, Captain James Lawrence, who had recently been mortally wounded aboard the USS Chesapeake in a single-ship action off Boston. Lawrence's last words – "Don't give up the ship" – were sewn in white letters on a dark blue battle flag that Perry intended to hoist onto his masthead as a signal for action. With his ships in the water and his men on the decks, Perry now had only to wait for the coming fight.

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