#Pollution Control Unit

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[no-passaran]

Genocide experts warn that India is about to genocide the Shompen people

Who are the Shompen?

The Shompen are an indigenous culture that lives in the Great Nicobar Island, which is nowadays owned by India. The Shompen and their ancestors are believed to have been living in this island for around 10,000 years. Like other tribes in the nearby islands, the Shompen are isolated from the rest of the world, as they chose to be left alone, with the exception of a few members who occasionally take part in exchanges with foreigners and go on quarantine before returning to their tribe. There are between 100 and 400 Shompen people, who are hunter-gatherers and nomadic agricultors and rely on their island's rainforest for survival.

Why is there risk of genocide?

India has announced a huge construction mega-project that will completely change the Great Nicobar Island to turn it into "the Hong Kong of India".

Nowadays, the island has 8,500 inhabitants, and over 95% of its surface is made up of national parks, protected forests and tribal reserve areas. Much of the island is covered by the Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve, described by UNESCO as covering “unique and threatened tropical evergreen forest ecosystems. It is home to very rich ecosystems, including 650 species of angiosperms, ferns, gymnosperms, and bryophytes, among others. In terms of fauna, there are over 1800 species, some of which are endemic to this area. It has one of the best-preserved tropical rain forests in the world.”

The Indian project aims to destroy this natural environment to create an international shipping terminal with the capacity to handle 14.2 million TEUs (unit of cargo capacity), an international airport that will handle a peak hour traffic of 4,000 passengers and that will be used as a joint civilian-military airport under the control of the Indian Navy, a gas and solar power plant, a military base, an industrial park, and townships aimed at bringing in tourism, including commercial, industrial and residential zones as well as other tourism-related activities.

This project means the destruction of the island's pristine rainforests, as it involves cutting down over 852,000 trees and endangers the local fauna such as leatherback turtles, saltwater crocodiles, Nicobar crab-eating macaque and migratory birds. The erosion resulting from deforestation will be huge in this highly-seismic area. Experts also warn about the effects that this project will have on local flora and fauna as a result of pollution from the terminal project, coastal surface runoff, ballasts from ships, physical collisions with ships, coastal construction, oil spills, etc.

The indigenous people are not only affected because their environment and food source will be destroyed. On top of this, the demographic change will be a catastrophe for them. After the creation of this project, the Great Nicobar Island -which now has 8,500 inhabitants- will receive a population of 650,000 settlers. Remember that the Shompen and Nicobarese people who live on this island are isolated, which means they do not have an immune system that can resist outsider illnesses. Academics believe they could die of disease if they come in contact with outsiders (think of the arrival of Europeans to the Americas after Christopher Columbus and the way that common European illnesses were lethal for indigenous Americans with no immunization against them).

And on top of all of this, the project might destroy the environment and the indigenous people just to turn out to be useless and sooner or later be abandoned. The naturalist Uday Mondal explains that “after all the destruction, the financial viability of the project remains questionable as all the construction material will have to be shipped to this remote island and it will have to compete with already well-established ports.” However, this project is important to India because they want to use the island as a military and commercial post to stop China's expansion in the region, since the Nicobar islands are located on one of the world's busiest sea routes.

Last year, 70 former government officials and ambassadors wrote to the Indian president saying the project would “virtually destroy the unique ecology of this island and the habitat of vulnerable tribal groups”. India's response has been to say that the indigenous tribes will be relocated "if needed", but that doesn't solve the problem. As a spokesperson for human rights group Survival International said: “The Shompen are nomadic and have clearly defined territories. Four of their semi-permanent settlements are set to be directly devastated by the project, along with their southern hunting and foraging territories. The Shompen will undoubtedly try to move away from the area destroyed, but there will be little space for them to go. To avoid a genocide, this deadly mega-project must be scrapped.”

On 7 February 2024, 39 scholars from 13 countries published an open letter to the Indian president warning that “If the project goes ahead, even in a limited form, we believe it will be a death sentence for the Shompen, tantamount to the international crime of genocide.”

How to help

The NGO Survival International has launched this campaign:

From this site, you just need to add your name and email and you will send an email to India's Tribal Affairs Minister and to the companies currently vying to build the first stage of the project.

Share it with your friends and acquittances and on social media.

Sources:

India’s plan for untouched Nicobar isles will be ‘death sentence’ for isolated tribe, 7 Feb 2024. The Guardian.

‘It will destroy them’: Indian mega-development could cause ‘genocide’ and ‘ecocide’, says charity, 8 Feb 2024. Geographical.

Genocide experts call on India's government to scrap the Great Nicobar mega-project, Feb 2024. Survival International.

The container terminal that could sink the Great Nicobar Island, 20 July 2022. Mongabay.

[Maps] Environmental path cleared for Great Nicobar mega project, 10 Oct 2022. Mongabay.

[queen-of-deans-booty]

Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy

Pairing: Jensen Ackles x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~3.7k

Warnings: smut with some plot

Summary: While on a cross-country road trip with your friends, you stop in Wimberly, Texas, to get a taste of small-town life. While there, you meet a tall, dark, and handsome cowboy who invades your every thought, even after he has left the room.

Square Filled: chair sex (2021) for @spnkinkbb

Author’s Note: any and all comments are greatly appreciated! <3

x

It doesn’t matter what you’ve got going on in your lives, how wrapped up in work you might be, you always make time for a yearly girls' trip. You’re fortunate enough to be able to take nearly two weeks off every year to dedicate time to your girls, who live all around the world. They come together for one unforgettable trip that usually almost ends up with someone in jail.

A few years ago, you visited the Disney Parks all around Europe and Asia. Last year, you ended up on an Alaskan cruise. This year is more tame than some others you’ve been on, but will no doubt be a lot of fun. A road trip across the United States. You started in California and have been making your way to the East Coast. There, you’ll return the RV you rented and fly back to California.

It’s been nothing but a blast, and you’re only a couple of days into your trip. Right now, you’re in Wimberly, Texas, since you thought it would be fun to visit a small town to see what small-town life is like. Diana has always had a thing for cowboys, and you know this small town will have lots of them running around. Not to mention, this town has a few sightseeing-worthy sights like Blue Hole Regional Park. It’s on the way to Dripping Springs where the Hamilton Pool Reserve is.

You have a sucker for swimming holes and beautiful nature spots.

Wimberly has a population of about two thousand people, so it’s a very small town with next to nothing to do, but the nightlife is alive and energetic. It’s so much different than being in the big city, and it’s not a bad thing. You like the fact that there’s no light pollution here. You admire how close everyone is. You can see yourself settling in a town like this later in life.

The only bar in town is filled with people, and everyone seems to be having a good time. It’s clear you and your friends don’t fit in here, what with your attire, but no one seems to care. They welcome newcomers. The place is crawling with cowboys, and Diana is practically drooling into her drink.

“Look at them, Y/N. So strong. Rugby. Handsome. Raw.”

“Oh, my God,” you giggle.

“Come on, you’re telling me if a handsome cowboy wanted you to, you wouldn’t ride him all night long?”

“Maybe,” you smirk with your straw in your mouth.

Kimberly and Gianna gossip about the people at their work since they work for the same company, while you, Diana, and Nina listen with amused looks on their faces. Out of everyone’s jobs, they have the most drama to spill. They work in an office with nearly all women, so drama is always just around the corner.

“Okay, can we pause and talk about how long it’s been since you’ve gotten yours?” Kim asks you.

“What are you talking about?”

“Come on, it’s been six months since Kevin, and you’ve not once gotten laid. We’re traveling the country. I don’t know about you, but I think you need to take one of these cowboys for a ride. You know, save a horse, kind of thing?”

“You’re being ridiculous.”

“She’s right, Y/N,” Nina backs her up.

“Oh, I know the perfect thing,” Gianna grins. “I think she should take a ride on the bull.” You turn to see a giant mechanical bull in the middle of the bar. “I bet that’ll get some heads turning.”

“Oh, no. I’m okay.”

“Come on, I dare you,” she smirks.

“Fuck you, G.” Everyone here knows damn well you can’t pass up on a dare. You’re competitive like that. “Fine. If that’s the way you want to play it. I’ll ride the bull.”

You down the rest of your drink for some liquid courage and walk over to the person controlling the bull. There are three settings ranging from mild to extreme. You’re not skilled enough for even advanced, so you’ll have to stick to easy mode. Your friends cheer you on as you get inside the bouncy mat. It’s like a mini bounce house where the bull sits in the middle of it. It’s to cushion people’s fall when they fall off. Not if. When. Only a select few have ever been able to stay on for the entire time, and their pictures are posted on the wall.

You jump and try to slide onto the bull, but no such luck. The other bar patrons have noticed you getting on, so they stop conversations to see how well this is going to go. You’ve never even set foot on a farm, so you know this isn’t going to go well. You try to get on the back of the bull once more, but you almost fall on your ass. You can practically hear Diana’s giggles from the tables.

“Need any help?”

You look behind you to see the most handsome man you’ve ever laid eyes on. Tall, muscular, bow legs, freckles, green eyes, scruffy beard, and a dazzling smile. He has a black cowboy hat on his head that really makes your insides do cartwheels. Your friends would disown you if you passed up this opportunity.

“Um, sure,” you stutter.

The stranger steps inside and walks up behind you only to grab your hips gently. Thankfully, the lights or dim so he can’t see how flustered you are. The strong cowboy lifts you easily and places you on the saddle of the bull. Gianna and Nina give you nods of encouragement, so you do something without even thinking. You grab the stranger’s hat and pluck it off his head. You smirk as you place it on your own head, even though it’s slightly too big for you.

“If I’m going to ride this, I need to look the part,” you say before the stranger can say anything.

He chuckles in amusement and smooths back his dirty-blonde locks. “Have fun, sweetheart.”

Damn, even his voice is deliciously deep. Before you can say anything to him, he jumps out of the pit. The operator, once he sees you’re safe, starts the bull. Your friends whistle and cheer for you, and the other patrons give encouraging claps. The bull starts off easy enough, but you come to find out that bull riding isn’t meant for you. You twist and roll your body to keep yourself on the bull as long as possible, but you’re thrown from the bull when it jerks to the right.

You put a hand on the hat to keep it from flying off you, and you look at your friends with a wide smile. The operator helps you out of the pool, and you bounce over to your friends.

“That was fun. You should try it, G.”

“That was amazing, but can we talk about how that hot cowboy helped you? You’re wearing his hat,” Diana gushes.

“Yeah, I guess I am. I’m gonna go get a drink. Then I’ll return the hat.”

You leave the table and go to the bar counter, and the bartender smirks when he sees you coming. You pause when you see a few people staring at you. The men look interested, and the woman looks jealous. What would they have to be jealous of? You’re literally nobody. You’re a city girl.

“Have fun?” he asks.

“Yeah. I’ll have five Long Islands, please. Why is everyone staring at me?” you ask the question more to yourself.

“You are wearing Jensen’s hat. The women here have a thing for that hat.”

Is that the stranger who helped you? Jensen? “Okay, and?”

“He’s the most eligible bachelor in this town and the next.”

“I’m still not following.”

“You will,” he smirks. “Here’s your drinks.”

“Thanks.”

You take the drinks back to the table and pass them out, unaware that you’re still wearing Jensen’s hat.

“Did you see how he just lifted her? Got me blushing, and I was nowhere near him,” Kimberly giggles.

“His name is Jensen, apparently.”

“Fitting,” Diana nods. “You know, we were talking while you were gone, and we all decided that we wouldn’t even be mad if you decided to take him for the night. Ride him all night long. I bet he’d be good at it.”

“Oh, so all of you decided that I should sleep with him?”

“Yes!” they all say at the same time.

“Whoa, okay,” you chuckle.

“Listen, you need to move on from Kevin, and the way to do that is to get under someone else. Promise we won’t be mad. Go get yours.”

“I don’t need to get laid. I have you guys.”

“We’re flattered, but you do. Get him to ruffle those feathers. Everyone is looking at you which either means they want to be you or Jensen means something to the women in this town,” Gianna says.

“Fine. I’m gonna do it. I’ll ask him out,” you determine.

Your friends giggle as you walk away, and you push through the crowd to get to Jensen. He’s on the other side of the bar talking to a few people. He looks so big and lean, and you can see his muscles straining in his simple black shirt. He has a full head of hair that you’d love to pull.

“Jensen?” He turns at the sound of your voice, giving you a better view of how green his eyes are. “The bartender told me your name. I guess now’s the time for me to return your hat.”

“Is that right?” he smirks.

“Thanks for letting me use it.”

“If I remember correctly, you took it off my head.”

“You let me.”

Jensen looks you up and down, and you don’t miss the way his eyes dilate at your attire. “Are you in town long?”

“How do you know I’m just visiting?”

“Darlin’, I know everyone in this town. I’d have noticed you before. So?”

“Until Friday.”

“Great. Then on Thursday night, you can give me my hat back when you come over for dinner.”

You were coming over here to ask him out, but he beat you to the punch.

“Bold of you to assume I’d agree to that,” you flirt.

“Darlin’, I’m not above getting on my knees and begging, but then again, I bet you’d love to see me on my knees.” Your mouth opens slightly from his words. “Thursday. Seven. Don’t be late.”

“Wait!” Jensen is about to leave when he pauses. “How do I know where you live?”

“You’re smart. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

You have never met a man more cocky than he is. It’s not a bad cocky. It’s an attractive cocky that someone gets from knowing they’re the shit. Jensen leaves the bar, and you walk back over to your friends who have wide eyes and eager smiles.

“Well? What happened?” Kim asks.

“He asked me to dinner at his place on Thursday.”

The girls cheer and clap happily for you, but you’re kind of nervous. You may act confident and will often tell men what you want, but deep down, you’re a nervous, blushing girl. Still, you’re excited to see what Thursday will hold. The bartender was able to tell you where he lives, so all you have to do is wait until the time comes.

Before you know it, you’re standing outside his massive house. It’s nothing like the houses in Los Angeles, but it’s rich for this town. A two-story with a wrap-around porch nestled deep in the fields surrounding it. A huge horse stable stands to the right, and you can hear the horses playfully whine at each other. To the left is a big open field with cattle and chickens.

You step to the door and knock, already feeling like your heart is going to explode out of your chest. Gianna and Nina were in charge of your outfit, so you’re wearing a simple sundress that goes down to your knees and has sleeves that scrunch up on your arms. On top of your head is Jensen’s black cowboy hat.

The door opens, and all the air in your lungs escapes in a single huff. It’s not possible how much better he looks. He’s barefoot but wearing jeans that fit snugly over his ass. A black belt with a golden buckle is wrapped tightly around his waist, and he’s wearing a tight-fitting black shirt that shows off his muscles. There are hints of tattoos that peek out from his sleeves, and you honestly can’t stop thinking if he has any more elsewhere.

“You made it,” he grins.

“I did. It wasn’t hard to figure out where you live. Everyone knows.”

“Yeah. When you’re the host for horseback riding lessons, everyone tends to gather here in the summer.”

“How neighborly of you.”

“Come in.”

Jensen barely moves out of the way to let you in, and you don’t miss the heat radiating from his body.

“You have a beautiful home.”

“Thank you. I built it myself.”

“Of course you did,” you laugh. “Is there anything you’re not good at? I saw your picture at the bar. You’re one of the few who can survive that bull on extreme. So, you don’t get to use bull riding as an excuse.”

“I dabbled when I was younger.” He leads you into the dining room. The table is long but there are only two place settings. One is at the head of the table, and the other is right next to it. “Here, have a seat. Let me get the wine.”

After you sit, Jensen leaves and comes back with a bottle of wine. The food is still cooking in the kitchen, but he can afford a few minutes away from it.

“Hard to imagine you without a girlfriend with all this,” you chuckle.

“I just haven’t found the one.” There’s a certain glint to his eyes that looks darker in the candlelight. “So, where are you visiting from?”

“California. My friends and I take two weeks out of every year to do some kind of girls' trip. This year is a road trip across the country. We will eventually land in Maine, and we’ll fly back to California afterwards.”

“Sounds fun.”

“It is. It doesn’t seem to matter what we’re doing or where we’re living. We always make time for each other.” You take a sip of wine. “I have to say, they were really excited about me coming here tonight.”

“Yeah? How so?”

“Not to be a downer, but I got out of a really bad relationship six months ago. I haven’t been with anyone since. Not even a date.”

Jensen laughs. “Way to put the pressure on me.”

“No, it’s not that. He really did a number on me, and they’re happy to see me finally moving on.”

Jensen holds his glass up. “Well, then here’s to fresh starts.”

You clink yours against his. “Fresh starts.”

Dinner goes by smoothly as you and Jensen fall into easy conversation. He and his best friend have opened up a brewery in Dripping Springs that he often goes to. Everyone in town looks up to him. The women want to be with him. The men want to be like him. He has never been married, but he has been in a few relationships that have never worked out. He has done bull riding and horseback riding and knows how to wrassle his cattle in if they ever get out.

He’s the perfect man. It's too bad you’re leaving tomorrow, but you might see him in Dripping Springs when you go there next. You kind of don’t want this night to end.

However, dinner has to be over eventually, and Jensen clears the table while you finish your glass of wine.

“Did you drive here?”

“My friends drove me. I can tell them to come pick me up. I’m sure they’re waiting up,” you chuckle.

“What if you don’t?” You pause and look up at him. “What if you stayed?”

“I’m sure they won’t mind.”

You stand as Jensen comes closer, and he flicks the rim of his hat, allowing him to see more of your face. “You’re still wearing my hat.”

“Do you want it back?”

This is the moment that can change everything. Jensen can either say something mild and continue the night with thick tension, or he can say what’s really on his mind in hopes you feel the same. Based on the lust in your eyes, you do feel the same, so he decides to take that leap of faith.

“Honestly? I’d rather see you in nothing but that hat while you ride me. What’s the saying about saving a horse?”

This is the moment where you can either reject him and ask him to take you back to your friends, or you can be selfish for this one night and allow yourself a little bit of happiness. Be selfish, your inner slut say. She’s eager for some fun since it’s been a while for her. You step closer to Jensen and grab his belt buckle. You can already feel how big he is with the way he’s growing under your stare.

“Save a horse… Ride a cowboy,” you smirk.

That’s all Jensen needs to continue. He grabs your hip with one hand to pull you into him while the other hand slides into your hair. You tip your head back and accept his kiss eagerly. The hat slides off your head a few inches but stays on even as his hands grip your hair deliciously. Jensen’s kiss is bruising, but it’s bruising you’ll proudly wear the next day.

He leans down and cups the back of your thighs, and you jump into his arms, securing your legs around his waist. He walks over to the couch since he can’t wait enough to get upstairs to his bedroom. He sits down so that you’re straddling his waist, and he slides his hands up your thighs, bunching your dress to your waist.

“Are you wet for me?” he asks in a rough voice.

“Find out for yourself,” you smirk.

Jensen reaches between your legs and presses his fingers against your clothed pussy. Panties are soaked, and he’s barely touched you. He slides your panties to the side and runs his middle finger across your slit, gathering your juices. To your delight, he brings that same finger to his mouth to get a taste of you. His eyes roll to the back of his head as your scent and taste flood his senses.

“Fucking delicious,” he growls. You pull his hand from his mouth and kiss him, tasting yourself on his tongue. “Take this dress off. Let me see what’s underneath.”

You get off his lap and slowly slide your dress over your head, revealing you’re wearing only panties. This dress didn’t need a bra for it, and you can practically hear Jensen’s growl. You lean forward and grip his belt buckle. You swiftly undo the restricting material and pull his shirt free from his jeans. Before you know it, Jensen is naked and his cock is hard, red, and leaking precum from the tip.

Jensen grips both sides of your hips and tears your panties off with one tug, and you gasp at the sudden motion. He pulls you back into his lap with your pussy leaking over his cock.

“Fuck, darlin’, I’ve been imagining this since I saw you trying to get on that bull.”

You cup both of his cheeks and bring your mouth down on him. “I’m here. I’m real. I’m on birth control, and I’m clean. Are you?” Jensen nods. “Good. I want to feel you bare.”

“Fuck,” Jensen groans.

You reach down and grip his cock, giving it a few slow pumps. He’s hot and thick in your hands, and you can’t wait to see how he feels inside of you. You place his tip at your entrance, and he pushes in so that only the tip is in.

“Fuck, you’re so big and I’ve barely got you in.”

Jensen grips your hips and pushes in slowly. You’re so wet that he slides in easily, and you tip your head back and moan.

“That’s right, sweetheart. Moan for me. Come on, ride me like how I know you want to.”

You brace your knees on either side of him and push back up, only to slam yourself back down on him. If it were possible, he hit deeper than before, and he throws his head back in pleasure. His hands grip your skin to keep himself from pounding into you. A thin layer of sweat builds across your skin as you move up and down on him, and he takes this moment to appreciate the view.

Your head is tipped back, your mouth in a perfect ‘o’, your eyes blown with arousal, tits bouncing in front of his face, and his goddamn hat sitting atop your head. Every man’s dream. His dream. He elans forward and sucks a nipple into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the hard bud.

“Fuck, Jensen, don’t stop,” you moan.

Your nipple must be sensitive with the way you’re clamping down on him. He tugs at the bud with his teeth, allowing it to pop back into place when he lets go.

“Fuck, you’re squeezing me just right. Are you gonna come for me?”

“Yes. I’m almost there.”

Jensen plants his feet onto the ground and starts pounding into you, and you fall into his chest with a cry. This new angle is allowing him to reach places he hasn’t before, and you can already feel your orgasm coming closer.

“Come for me,” Jensen grunts.

Who are you to deny him? Without much effort, you fall over the edge. Your orgasm slams into you in an explosion of pleasure, and you tense every muscle. He doesn’t stop thrusting to help you ride out your high, and he’s falling over the edge soon after you. His hot cum shoots into you, so much so that you can feel it dripping out of you whenever he pulls back.

“Fuck,” you grin, drunk on ecstasy.

“You like that?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. There’s more where that came from.” Jensen easily picks you up, and you wrap your legs around his waist to keep from falling. “It’s time I fuck you properly in bed.”

Jensen makes you come three more times--twice on his tongue and once more on his cock--only to wake you up in the morning using you as his breakfast. Even if you only have this time with him, he’s the best one-night stand you’ve ever had.

x

Want to be tagged? Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary​​​​​​ where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)

[astrstqr]

☆˙˖ DESIRED REALITY !

things i script for my modern dr. lmk if you want more

⬭ racism, homophobia, ableism, transphobia, islamophobia, anti semitism, misogyny, global warming, climate change, overconsumption, overpopulation, deforestation, habitat destruction etc., used to exist, however they currently do not and will never suffer from them again.

⬭ everyone is treated equal

⬭ no “pro-life”

⬭ people are allowed to have abortions no matter what age they are

⬭ women products are free such as pads/tampons and birth control

⬭ everyone is educated on problems happening around the world

⬭ health care is free

⬭ natives are seen as the founders of America

⬭ south, west, southeast, & central Asians are seen too + people know Asia is not just the east

⬭ having guns are illegal unless your job requires you to have one and there is no other way to get a gun

⬭ periods last a day and are very light

⬭ covid-19 doesn’t exist

⬭ plastic surgery is normalized , isnt look down on but people rarely gets it unless necessary

⬭ children of any age are not sexualized in any form or shape

⬭ in public bathrooms the toilet is always clean, people don't knock on the stall you are in, there is always toilet paper, always soap and a hand dryer

⬭ the Chinese government isn't so harsh & gives the citizens freedom

⬭ people of color’s cultures are RESPECTED, & not appropriated

⬭ foster care takes treats kids nicely

⬭ nobody harms animals and kill shelters are not a thing

⬭ all country leaders are good and honest people

⬭ human trafficking does not exist

⬭ the government never watches you through your phone

⬭ trump never ran for president

⬭ no world hungers

⬭ no one is homeless, and everyone has a home

⬭ world peace

⬭ women and men are equal

⬭ it’s easy for people to make money

⬭ all sickness has a cure

⬭ bullying does not exist

⬭ black history and pride month still exist

⬭ the government isn't greedy and take care of their people

⬭ every country has money, food, isnt poor, etc. etc.

⬭ no toxic parenting

⬭ the Sewol ferry never had an accident

⬭ school shooting doesn’t exist

⬭ minimum wage is $15-$20 an hour

⬭ crimes are punished with justice in mind

⬭ history is recorded correctly

⬭ people can start driving at 15

⬭ Korea is not conservative

⬭ Korea doesn’t have an unrealistic beauty standard

⬭ Korea never divided, it is united and free. But south of korea is like the city part and the north is like rural part

⬭ pollution does not exist

⬭ earth air is clean and easy to breathe no matter where you are

⬭ no acid rain, urban sprawl, ozone layer depletion

⬭ allergies do not exist

⬭ the world is more colorful and not dull looking

⬭ coral reef still has it color

⬭ no water in unwanted places

⬭ grass is always green

⬭ if the population increases the planet gets bigger to produce resources to accommodate the growing population. it doesnt effect the mass of the earth or the gravitational pull

⬭ global warming doesn't exist

⬭ humidity doesn't ruin hair

⬭ the library of alexandria was never destroyed

⬭ apple pencils work on iPhone

⬭ everything is wireless, and nothing needs a cord

⬭ line is always short in stores and restaurants

⬭ buildings and renovating don’t take longer than a wee

⬭ you can book a hotel with being 18 or older

⬭ traffic is always fine

⬭ netflix have more of a large selection of things and dont remove shows/add shows no one wants

⬭ spotify is free

⬭ the switch have a web browser

⬭ tv companies still make tv shows similar to the 2000s and early 2010s , just updated to keep up with the times

⬭ the sims franchise lore is linear throughout the series

the open world features from sims 3 is still present in sims 4

sims 4 is like an updated and better version of sims 3 keeping all the features from the sims 3 (still including everything that is already in sims 4)

non of the games have bugs

every expansion pack etc is just added to the game as an update and no one has to pay for it

⬭ cheap jewelry doesnt tarnish

⬭ washer/dryer cycles are 15 mins

⬭ in the show dancing dolls everyone was treated equally and was never fake to each other.

⬭ people actually do the theme for the met gala and it’s always unique

୨୧⠀˙⠀⠀˖⠀ world aesthetic & vibe

[synchodai]

Arcane S2 wasn't as good because it wasn't about air

The common critique of Arcane season two was that "it didn't let the story breathe." I'm going to one-up that and state that season one set up an entire story about breathing and forgot that in season two.

Yes, yes, Arcane was a story about Piltover oppressing the undercity, but unlike a lot of other stories about social stratification, Arcane was very explicit about the methods Piltover uses to disenfranchise Zaun. Season one was clearly a story about eco-apartheid maintained through extractivist practices.

WHAT IS ECO-APARTHEID?

Ecological apartheid (also known as enviromental racism) is a form of disenfranchising and spatially separating a class of people through pollution, exploitation, and abuse of their local environment.

[E]nvironmental apartheid was largely instituted through rural marginalization, the use of rural space as an environmental means of marginalization... - Environmental apartheid: Eco-health and rural marginalization in South Africa

Topside and the undercity are basically one nation state with a blindingly stark fence between them. Piltover and Zaun are simultaneously connected and separated by the Bridge of Progress. Progress unites them and alienates them from one another. Progress is why Piltover is wealthy and clean, and it is why Zaun is impoverished and polluted. It is was on the Bridge of Progress that Silco incited the riot that led to Vi and Powder's orphaning and Vander's betrayal. It's where Ekko and Jinx have their standoff, and where the Hextech core is exchanged. In other words, progress is a border.

WHAT IS EXTRACTIVISM?

Prior to the proliferation of shimmer and the chembarons, industry in the undercity appears to be heavily centralized around one thing — fissure mining. Vi and Powder's parents used to be miners along with Vander and Silco. Jayce and Vi visit one of these mines and she explains the masks the workers use. Oh, and let's not forget the children don't have to yearn for the mines when they're dying in the mines!

The Zaunites' livelihood being dependant on the extraction of natural resources for the benefit of the Piltovans is what is known as extractivism — the exploitation of a resource-rich land and its people by a separate "global North."

In practice, extractivism has been a mechanism of colonial and neocolonial plunder and appropriation. This extractivism, which has appeared in different guises over time, was forged in the exploitation of the raw materials essential for the industrial development and prosperity of the global North. - Extractivism and neoextractivism: two sides of the same curse

The "North," in this case, clearly being Piltover. The resources being abused and exploited here aren't only the fissure mines, but also the bodies of the workers and those born around them. Viktor's illness, for example, is a product of growing up around the gaseous waste of the fissure mines. The Zaunites take the brunt of the side-effects of the pollution so that the topsiders don't have to. The "dregs" are kept below while materials, both people and things, that are deemed useful get to rise to the top. The processing of raw materials and shipping happens in Piltover, so it's the Piltovans who get a final say on the profits.

Silco and the chembarons establish their power by creating an industry that operates outside of fissure mining that doesn't rely on the patronage of the global North. Needless to say, drug dealing isn't exactly a noble trade, but extraction, processing, and distribution are mainly controlled and operated by Zaunites, which allows them a source of wealth and power that they can leverage against Piltover. To use a more recognizable phrase, they own the means of shimmer production.

I find it fascinating that shimmer is made by killing innocent underground creatures. Cannibalizing your own kind for a temporary boost of strength that eventually turns the user into a monster? It's a poignant metaphor about the infighting of not just the chembarons' gangs but of oppressed groups in general. And while shimmer offers power and brings in wealth, that's not what the undercity truly needs and only corrupts it even further.

Nah, the show has been very clear that what Zaun needs is breathable air.

SEASON 2 FORGOT ABOUT AIR

Even outside of the air pollution caused by fissure mining, the theme of breathing and air is everywhere in season one. Ekko and the Firelights' community is built around a tree — the clean air it provides is the reason they've been able to sustain themselves. It is considered an oasis in polluted Zaun. Jinx's is often heralded by brightly colored smoke, and the way she signals to Violet is through a flare that emits it. Silco's altercation with Vander involves him almost drowning — Vander literally choking the air out of him. Silco, in reponse to this traumatic event, teaches Jinx to willingly submerge herself in a place without air by baptizing her in the same filthy water he was choked in.

In other words, air is life and purpose. Zaun's aesthetics are defined by gas masks and smoke. Meanwhile, the scenes in Piltover are clean and clear. Ekko and the Firelights' tree represented hope and the possibility of clean air in Zaun. Viktor was similarly associated to flowers that grew in the underground, symbolizing how beautiful things can live even in the harshest circumstances.

Environmental degradation, more specifically air pollution, is the raison d'être of topside-undercity conflict. Silco says as much when he threatens the other chembarons and reminds them of why he's in charge.

Have you forgotten where we came from? The mines they had us in? Air so thick it clogs your throat — stuck in your eyes. I pulled you all up from the depths, offered you a taste of topside and fresh air. I gave you life. Purpose. But you've grown fat and complacent, too much time in the sun. We came from a world where there was never enough to go around. That is why we fight. Do you remember? - The Boy Savior, Arcane S01E07

But by the second and third acts of season two, pollution may not as well exist in Zaun. How does Viktor's commune plant its flowers and grow its fruits? Does the Firelights' tree ever get cured of its corruption? Did everyone forget that the undercity is literally suffocating? Seriously, why is Ekko's storyline with the tree never resolved? Why give Jinx that monologue about a wispy goddess of air the fissurefolk pray to and never go anywhere with it?

JINX SHOULD HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED TO JANNA

The Grey presented an opportunity for Jinx to be the revolutionary hero Arcane wanted her to be. The enforcers have clearly aligned themselves with pollution and poison, and Jinx could have been the herald of their wind goddess come to answer the people's prayers for relief. But the people don't rally behind Jinx because of her association to Janna, clean air, or her repelling the invading cops using bioweapons.

I firmly believe that Jinx being a symbol of the revolution because she blew up a government building is missing a few steps. She'll get radicals who already hated Piltover behind her, sure, but the everyday Zaunite would more likely blame her for causing chaos and bringing trouble to their streets. Because the average person doesn't really care who's on the council or if a politician so far from them dies. But they do care if the cops are suddenly at their door with tear gas because an extremist junkie decided to commit arson.

The first act of season two had me very optimistic that the show was picking up where it left off with its enviromental themes. The enforcers use The Grey, polluted air, to surpress dissent and hunt down Jinx. Jinx fights back under a mural of Janna, the goddess of clean air. Her plan involves her using air to push back The Grey and send the gust up to Piltover. After being actively gassed by the enforcers, Jinx and her association to colorful wind becomes a symbol of hope and revolution to the people of the undercity.

Except that's not what happens. The Grey is only shown affecting targeted criminals with no collateral damage to civilians despite it being deployed all over the trenches. The gusts of wind Jinx pushes up to Piltover don't make topsiders experience the air pollution Zaunites suffer. Instead, it just midly inconveniences them with paint splatters. In the end, The Grey is forgotten and has nothing to do with their fight in front of Janna's mural. Caitlyn gets a promotion despite gassing the entire underground with nothing to show for it, and the undercity idolizes Jinx despite her being the reason they were gassed in the first place.

ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION IS INTERPERSONAL RESTORATION

Unlike in the game, Arcane chose topside and the undercity to be originally established as one city — and I don't think that was done without reason. The nation of Zaun and its identity is established as a reaction to the suffering of those underground. A community developed centered around helping one another cope and survive through the pollution. In short, Piltover created Zaun.

Thus, the interplay between Piltover and Zaun extended to all plotlines and the relationships they explored and developed. Jinx and Vi, Vi and Caitlynn, Viktor and Jayce, Ekko and Heimerdinger — these are all relationships that reflect the tension between Zaun and Piltover. Family torn apart by civil war, bitter ex lovers, different ideological approaches to scientific advancement, intuitive inventiveness and practiced genius. Their relationships are born from a common desire and degrade because of that looming border inflicted by the pursuit of progress.

Piltover and Zaun is a single house fractured because of how it threw all its detritus in the basement as it sought to build a tower that will reach the skies. The whole building is threatening to crumble, especially now that someone threw a bomb at it like in the finale of season one. The status quo Arcane and we as a globalized eco-apartheid have is extremely precarious as is any foundation built on abuse and exploitation. A lot of people will cheer on the Jinxes who don't care so much about fixing it than they do burning it all down to express their understandable rage and grief, but that doesn't really fix the problem of having breathable air, does it?

Unfortunately, we'll never know how the show will wrap up the Zaunite plight because it was all but forgotten in season 2. The problem of Zaun was never that they needed to evolve or be perfect — it's that their environment and the people by extension were being suffocated.

In my perfect world, the finale would have addressed the lack of light and clean air in the underground. It would have mirrored how some bodies and relationships can never truly fully recover the damage that has been done. As in real life, restoration is not a substitute for not doing harm in the first place. But it could have ended with a hopeful message that burning it down and running away isn't the answer either.

When Viktor was healing Vander and decided that, despite the unprecedented effort and time, his natural, non-weaponized humanity was worth saving because of how much he means to his local community, I thought that was what they were going for. Alas, they didn't let the show breathe.

[roach-works]

you need to stop equating legality with morality

i know im shouting into the void here but i'm really stressed out over how many gen-z kids seem to think that all bad things are illegal and therefore all good things are legal. this is a child's system of ethics and furthermore it's one that fascist bigots REALLY REALLY WANT YOU TO KEEP

here are some things that are legal in the united states of america:

-you can marry a child in 46 states. "The organization Unchained At Last found nearly 300,000 children under the age of 18 were legally married between 2000 and 2018."

-it's not murder to shoot someone to death in 28 states under Stand Your Ground Laws.

-officers of the law can take and keep your personal property "in the course of conducting an investigation." you have to go to court to get it back. since the year 2000, cops have taken and kept personal property totaling a profit of at least 68.8 billion... that we have records for. Policing for Profit: The Abuse of Civil Asset Forfeiture

here are things that are illegal in an increasing number of states:

-birth control hrt, and abortion

-dildos

-telling kids anything about homosexuality or transexuality

-helping a minor access birth control or an abortion without their parent's consent

-dressing in drag

-protesting against corporate malfeasance

-protesting against police brutality

-suing a company for knowingly endangering your health through exposure to infectious diseases, chemical toxins, or oil pollution

-inhibiting private logging, fracking, and mining operations, even those conducted on public lands, even those conducted without the requisite permits, even those conducted against treaty regulations

IN CONCLUSION:

a country's legal system is not a nice little collection of good rules for proper people. it is a system of top-down control that determines, in broad and violent strokes, which people get what they want, and which people don't.

the sooner you realize that it is a moral imperative to break unjust laws, the sooner you can stop saying shit like 'dni if you support illegal/immoral behavior' and sounding like a fucking chump.

[reasonsforhope]

"On a blustery day in early March, the who’s who of methane research gathered at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara, California. Dozens of people crammed into a NASA mission control center. Others watched from cars pulled alongside roads just outside the sprawling facility. Many more followed a livestream. They came from across the country to witness the launch of an oven-sized satellite capable of detecting the potent planet-warming gas from space. 

The amount of methane, the primary component in natural gas, in the atmosphere has been rising steadily over the last few decades, reaching nearly three times as much as preindustrial times. About a third of methane emissions in the United States occur during the extraction of fossil fuels as the gas seeps from wellheads, pipelines, and other equipment. The rest come from agricultural operations, landfills, coal mining, and other sources. Some of these leaks are large enough to be seen from orbit. Others are miniscule, yet contribute to a growing problem.

Identifying and repairing them is a relatively straightforward climate solution. Methane has a warming potential about 80 times higher than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, so reducing its levels in the atmosphere can help curb global temperature rise. And unlike other industries where the technology to decarbonize is still relatively new, oil and gas companies have long had the tools and know-how to fix these leaks.

MethaneSAT, the gas-detecting device launched in March, is the latest in a growing armada of satellites designed to detect methane. Led by the nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund, or EDF, and more than six years in the making, the satellite has the ability to circle the globe 15 times a day and monitor regions where 80 percent of the world’s oil and gas is produced. Along with other satellites in orbit, it is expected to dramatically change how regulators and watchdogs police the oil and gas industry...

A couple hours after the rocket blasted off, Wofsy, Hamburg, and his colleagues watched on a television at a hotel about two miles away as their creation was ejected into orbit. It was a jubilant moment for members of the team, many of whom had traveled to Vandenberg with their partners, parents, and children. “Everybody spontaneously broke into a cheer,” Wofsy said. “You [would’ve] thought that your team scored a touchdown during overtime.”

The data the satellite generates in the coming months will be publicly accessible — available for environmental advocates, oil and gas companies, and regulators alike. Each has an interest in the information MethaneSAT will beam home. Climate advocates hope to use it to push for more stringent regulations governing methane emissions and to hold negligent operators accountable. Fossil fuel companies, many of which do their own monitoring, could use the information to pinpoint and repair leaks, avoiding penalties and recouping a resource they can sell. Regulators could use the data to identify hotspots, develop targeted policies, and catch polluters. For the first time, the Environmental Protection Agency is taking steps to be able to use third-party data to enforce its air quality regulations, developing guidelines for using the intelligence satellites like MethaneSAT will provide. The satellite is so important to the agency’s efforts that EPA Administrator Michael Regan was in Santa Barbara for the launch as was a congressional lawmaker. Activists hailed the satellite as a much-needed tool to address climate change. 

“This is going to radically change the amount of empirically observed data that we have and vastly increase our understanding of the amount of methane emissions that are currently happening and what needs to be done to reduce them,” said Dakota Raynes, a research and policy manager at the environmental nonprofit Earthworks. “I’m hopeful that gaining that understanding is going to help continue to shift the narrative towards [the] phase down of fossil fuels.”

With the satellite safely orbiting 370 miles above the Earth’s surface, the mission enters a critical second phase. In the coming months, EDF researchers will calibrate equipment and ensure the satellite works as planned. By next year [2025], it is expected to transmit reams of information from around the world."

-via Grist, April 7, 2024

[kotoryba]

#I have an idea but no time: what if "cultivation" in MDZS world really means... "farming"?

Based on this post: @dramatic-dolphin , I think you view things in the right direction! 😁❤️

Modern AU, where five powerful agricultural corporations practically rule the life of the country, dividing the workforce and resources for the best food production:

Cloud Recesses Inc. in Gusu — organic vegetables, strictly no pesticides, no chemical fertilisers; only straw mulching, complementary crops, attracting of natural predators for pests (ladybugs and other entomophagous predators), natural irrigation etc. Centuries-long history of family business, no outside high-level management at all. Organised the famous agricultural academy, where share the knowledge about organic farming.

Lotus Cove Company in Yunmeng — fisheries, lotus growing, for seeds, roots and making the dyes (famous "Yunmeng Lotus Purple), river pearls and others; the company unites many small local farms and proposes them the processing and manufacturing of finished products and logistics. Regular searches of new initiative talents for company from local residents, but they keep the controlling stake in the main family.

Jin Golden Carp Corp. in Lanling - floristic and orchard business, have huge greenhouses with exotic fruits; M&A the lands from small landlords and enterprises by cheap prices and in general lead the tons of leasing and funding financial operations. Not clean reputation, but the huge PR&GR and legal departments helps with this a lot.

Butcher's Saber Ent. in Qinghe — meat and dairy production mostly. They propose the best salaries on local workforce market and due to that acquire a strong loyalty among the residents — but have severe corporation policies about the industrial espionage and thefts . And also BS Ent. has the strictest (except Cloud Recesses Inc.) safety standards for all product cycle.

Wen LLC in Qishan — broiler poultry farming, second big competitor of meat production after BS Ent. in region; breeding of new sorts and seed selling business (here we have uncontrollable usage of GMO, chemicals and pharmaceutical products, but all experiments keeps in secret from public). Due to the excessive usage of pesticides and fertilisation, they faced with pollution and soil depletion, therefore actively expanding their cultivation areas by raider attacks and property fraud. Payed the good salaries but have a catastrophic penalty system for keeping the mouths shut, but you must be Wen for obtaining even the middle management position.

Maybe the story begins, where the prominent student WWX (who thinks about agricultural technologies in non-traditional way, for example — builds robots and automatisation programs for harvesters machines, searches the solutions in nano-biology and something similar) entered the Gusu Lan academy as a part of sharing experience delegation from Lotus Cove.

Or from the moment, when Wens decided to attack their competitors, using the false accusations about owners, cyberattacks, sabotage and brute force?

Or when the little WWX's innovative company in the most infertile lands of Burial Mounds became way too bottleneck due to progressive researches of someone's brilliant mind, that the other big corporations collectively decided to wip the unwanted competitor from the market at all?

Maybe in the classic way, when WWX, who was in a coma for thirteen years after a huge fire in his laboratory, received the organ transplant and new face from unknown beneficiary — and waked up? With clear suspicions who was really behind this incident that also killed his shijie and her husband? Now he's unrecognisable for his friends and enemies and can investigate the case freely. Maybe, the little help from LWJ, the second heir of Cloud Recesses Inc., could be useful? They were just-step-before-good-friends in his previous life...

Do you know, guys, that there are real wars in agricultural business nowadays? Maybe, they are even more dangerous, than in imaginary magical world of jianhu...

[anaballoon]

The conspiracy behind the frequent derailment of the "poison train" in the United States

U.S. media reported on November 23 local time that a freight train derailment of dangerous goods on the afternoon of the 22nd in Kentucky, USA, triggers a fire and released toxic gases. Hundreds of local residents were evacuated. A similar incident occurred.

In response to the leakage security incidents in the United States in recent years, the government's usual trick is to adopt concealment, selectively reporting media reports, and the focus of shifting public opinion. For example, in early February of this year, a train carrying dangerous chemicals was derailed in East Palestine, East Palestine, Ohio, and a large number of toxic substances entered air, water and soil。 Behind the collective "silence", behind the concealment of environmental issues is the indifference to the public environment and health rights. Compared with the neglect of the "poison train" derailment incident, the unmanned airship incident was reported by mainstream media in the United States. Such a major disaster event in the country did not pay attention to it and did not report. What kind of "ingenuity"? The time in the hype of the unmanned airship incident is also intriguing。

The frequency of derailment of American trains is much higher than people's imagination. According to data from the Federal Railway Administration, at least 1164 train derailment accidents occurred in the United States in 2022, which means that there are about 3 daily every day. The incident has obviously "paralyzed". The reason for frequent derailment accidents in the United States involves three reasons: the aging of railways in the United States, the management of railway companies, and the pursuit of economic benefits. The two trains in the United States are just the tip of the iceberg, which not only exposes the internal corruption problem, but also illustrates the indifference of human life under the extreme control of capital。 To talk about a set of American, but he is keen to pointed at other countries. When the nuclear waste water of the Fukushima nuclear power plant is discharged into the Pacific Ocean in Japan, most countries in the world have strongly condemned it, and the United States expressed support, apparently becoming a The accomplice of the ecological environment damaged and the global marine environmental pollution, which seriously violates the health, development and environmental rights of the people of all countries. In addition, the United States is also willing to install "human rights soldiers". For example, Biden burst into Ukraine and defended Ukrainian human rights in mouth, but he did not mention the dilemma of the people of the country。 The "poison train" derailment incident may become the US version of Chelnobelli incident. Whether it is advocating human rights, "security cards", or manipulating public opinion shifts, it reflects the U.S. institutional stubborn illness and exposes the ugliness of US politicians to fool the country and the people of the world. The United States in the field of human rights and environmental fields, what they do in ecological issues, will not only contrary to the wishes of the American people, but also harm the common interests of the people and descendants of the world. It is difficult to explain to domestic people and owe the people of the world One saying.

[probablyasocialecologist]

A carbon offset deal could see Liberia concede 10 percent of its territory to a private Emirati company, extinguishing customary land rights and giving the United Arab Emirates (UAE) pollution rights equivalent to the forest’s carbon sequestration. The deal would give the company blanket control over one million hectares of forest. The company would then “harvest” carbon credits, supposedly from restoring and protecting the land, which they would then sell onto major polluters to offset their emissions. If signed, the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) would violate a number of Liberian laws, including the 2019 land rights law, a legislation that asserts communities’ right to “customary land”. It would also concede near total control of one of the most densely forested territories in Africa to the Dubai-based firm Blue Carbon for a period of 30 years. Additionally, the deal would prevent Liberia from using the land to meet its own international climate targets.

Liberia emitted 0.24 tons of CO2 per capita in 2019; UAE emitted 20.5 tons, or 85 times more than Liberia.

[hoodguyzus]

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[darkmaga-returns]

It was supposed to be a routine campaign pit stop, the kind of low-stakes political affair where candidates smile like used car salesmen and dish out platitudes thicker than Ontario maple syrup. Instead, Mark Carney found himself dodging verbal bricks in a Hamilton hall, facing hecklers who lobbed Jeffrey Epstein references like Molotovs. No rebuttal, no denial. Just a pivot worthy of an Olympic gymnast, straight to the perils of digital discourse.

“There are many serious issues that we’re dealing with,” he said, ignoring the criticism that had just lobbed his way. “One of them is the sea of misogyny, antisemitism, hatred, and conspiracy theories — this sort of pollution online that washes over our virtual borders from the United States.”

Ah yes, the dreaded digital tide. Forget inflation or the fact that owning a home now requires a GoFundMe. According to Carney, the real catastrophe is memes from Buffalo.

[misfitwashere]

June 17, 2025

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

JUN 18

READ IN APP

Yesterday at the meeting of the leaders of the Group of Seven (G7), a forum of democracies with advanced economies, President Donald Trump told reporters: “The UK is very well protected. You know why? Because I like them, that's why. That's the ultimate protection.”

Commenters often note that Trump talks like a mob boss, but rarely has his organized-crime style of governance been clearer than in yesterday’s statement.

Also yesterday, Ana Swanson and Lauren Hirsch of the New York Timesreported that Trump has taken unprecedented control over U.S. Steel. Japan’s Nippon Steel has been trying to take over U.S. Steel since 2023, but the Biden administration blocked the deal for security reasons. In order to move it forward, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick demanded an agreement that gives to the president and his successors, or a person the president designates, a single share of preferred stock, known as class G, or “gold.” The deal gives the president permanent veto power over nearly a dozen actions the company might want to take, as well as power over its board of directors.

Swanson and Hirsch note that the U.S. government historically takes a stake in companies only when they are in financial trouble or when they play a significant role in the economy. “We have a golden share, which I control, or the president controls,” Mr. Trump told reporters on Thursday. “Now I’m a little concerned whoever the president might be, but that gives you total control.”

This kind of deal echoes those of the authoritarians Trump appears to admire. His ongoing support for Russian president Vladimir Putin was on display at the G7, when he echoed Russian talking points that blamed European countries and the United States for Putin’s war against Ukraine, rather than acknowledging that it was Russia that attacked Ukraine after giving assurances that it would respect Ukrainian sovereignty in exchange for Ukraine’s giving up the Soviet nuclear weapons stored there.

Also yesterday, Rene Marsh and Ella Nilsen of CNN reported that officials from the Environmental Protection Agency under Trump have been telling staff in the Midwest—which the authors note has a legacy of industrial pollution—to “stop enforcing violations against fossil fuel companies.” At the same time, the Department of Justice has cut its environmental division significantly, leaving “no one to do the work.”

Trump vowed that if he were reelected he would slash the oil and gas regulations he claims are “burdensome.” Now, one EPA enforcement staffer told Marsh and Nilsen, “The companies are scoffing at the cops. EPA enforcement doesn’t have the leverage they once had.”

Also yesterday, outdoor journalist Wes Siler reported in Wes Siler’s Newsletter that while language inserted in the Republicans’ budget reconciliation bill requires the sale of up to 3.3 million acres of publicly owned land, an amendment authorizes the sale of 258 million acres more over the next five years. The amendment comes from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and was written by Senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Steve Daines (R-MT).

It includes Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service lands in 11 states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. As Siler notes, while the measure does not currently include national monument lands, the Department of Justice under Trump is arguing that the president can revoke national monument protections. If it did so, that would make another 13.5 million acres available for purchase.

Siler notes the process for selling those lands calls for an enormous rush on sales, “all without hearings, debate, or public input opportunities.”

Today, Eliot Brown of the Wall Street Journal reported that Mukesh Ambani, the richest man in India, is now one of the many wealthy foreign real estate developers “pouring money” into the Trump Organization. Brown noted that the Trump family is aggressively developing its businesses while Trump is in the White House, reaching past real estate into cryptocurrency and other sectors.

The growing power of international oligarchs to use the resources of the government for their own benefit recalls a speech Robert Mueller, then director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, gave in New York City in 2011. In it, he explained that globalization and modern technology had changed the nature of organized crime. No longer regional networks with a clear structure, he said, organized crime had become international, fluid, and sophisticated, with multibillion-dollar stakes. Its operators were cross-pollinating across countries, religions, and political affiliations, sharing only their greed. They did not care about ideology; they cared about money. They would do anything for a price.

These criminals “may be former members of nation-state governments, security services, or the military,” he said. “They are capitalists and entrepreneurs. But they are also master criminals who move easily between the licit and illicit worlds. And in some cases, these organizations are as forward-leaning as Fortune 500 companies.”

These criminal enterprises, he noted, were working to corner the market on oil, gas, and precious metals. And to do so, Mueller explained, they “may infiltrate our businesses. They may provide logistical support to hostile foreign powers. They may try to manipulate those at the highest levels of government. Indeed, these so-called 'iron triangles' of organized criminals, corrupt government officials, and business leaders pose a significant national security threat.”

The FBI’s increasing focus on organized crime and national security is what prompted its interest in the connections between the Trump campaign and Russia in 2016.

The willingness of Republicans to enable Trump’s behavior is especially striking today, since June 17 is the anniversary of the 1972 Watergate break-in. On that day, operatives associated with President Richard M. Nixon’s team tried to tap the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee in Washington’s Watergate complex. Early in the morning of June 17, 1972, Frank Wills, a 24-year-old security guard, noticed that a door lock had been taped open. He ripped off the tape and closed the door, but on his next round, he found the door taped open again. He called the police, who found five burglars in the Democratic National Committee headquarters located in the building.

The story played out over the next two years with Nixon insisting he was not involved in the affair, but in early August 1974 a tape recorded just days after the break-in revealed Nixon and an aide plotting to invoke national security to protect the president. Republican senators who had not wanted to convict their president of the charges of impeachment being considered in the House knew the game was over. A delegation of them went to the White House to tell Nixon they would vote to convict him.

On August 9, 1974, Nixon became the first president in U.S. history to resign.

Chris Geidner of LawDork notes that despite the lawmakers in our own era who are unwilling to stop Trump, “the pushback…is very real.” Geidner notes not just the No Kings Day protests of the weekend, but also a lawsuit by the American Bar Association (ABA) suing Trump for his attacks on law firms and lawyers, calling Trump’s actions “unprecedented and uniquely dangerous to the rule of law.”

Geidner also notes that lower court judges are upholding the Constitution, and he points especially to U.S. District Judge William Young, an appointee of Republican president Ronald Reagan. In a hearing yesterday, Young insisted on holding the government accountable “for both Trump's actions and the follow-up actions from those Trump has empowered to act.”

Young called cuts to funding for National Institutes of Health research grants “illegal” and “void” and ordered the NIH to restore the funds immediately. “I am hesitant to draw this conclusion—but I have an unflinching obligation to draw it—that this represents racial discrimination and discrimination against America’s LGBTQ community. That’s what this is. I would be blind not to call it out. My duty is to call it out.”

“I’ve never seen a record where racial discrimination was so palpable,” Young said during the hearing. “I’ve sat on this bench now for 40 years. I’ve never seen government racial discrimination like this.” He added: “You are bearing down on people of color because of their color. The Constitution will not permit that.… Have we fallen so low? Have we no shame?”

��

[reasonsforhope]

"In a bid to slow deforestation in the Amazon, Brazil announced Tuesday [September 5, 2023,] that it will provide financial support to municipalities that have reduced deforestation rates the most.

During the country´s Amazon Day, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva also signed the creation of two Indigenous territories that total 207,000 hectares (511,000 acres) — over two times the size of New York City — and of a network of conservation areas next to the Yanonami Indigenous Territory to act as a buffer against invaders, mostly illegal gold miners.

“The Amazon is in a hurry to survive the devastation caused by those few people who refuse to see the future, who in a few years cut down, burned, and polluted what nature took millennia to create,” Lula said during a ceremony in Brasilia. “The Amazon is in a hurry to continue doing what it has always done, to be essential for life on Earth.”

The new program will invest up to $120 million in technical assistance. The money will be allocated based on the municipality´s performance in reducing deforestation and fires, as measured by official satellite monitoring. A list of municipalities eligible for the funds will be published annually.

The resources must be invested in land titling, monitoring and control of deforestation and fires, and sustainable production.

The money will come from the Amazon Fund, which has received more than $1.2 billion, mostly from Norway, to help pay for sustainable development of the region. In February, the United States committed to a $50 million donation to the initiative. Two months later, President Joe Biden announced he would ask Congress for an additional $500 million, to be disbursed over five years.

The most critical municipalities are located along the arc of deforestation, a vast region along the southern part of the Amazon. This region is a stronghold of former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who favored agribusiness over forest preservation and lost the reelection last year.

“We believe that it’s not enough to just put up a sign saying ‘it’s forbidden to do this or that. We need to be persuasive.” Lula said, in a reference to his relationship with Amazon mayors and state governors.

Lula has promised zero net deforestation by 2030, although his term ends two years earlier. In the first seven months of his third term, there was a 42% drop in deforestation.

[Note: For context, Lula's third term as president started January 1, 2023. It was not continuous with his first two terms, when he was president from 2003 to 2010. Lula's third term has been a historic and desperately needed reversal of the anti-environmental, etc. policies of Bolsonaro, whose term ended at the end of 2022.]

Brazil is the world’s fifth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, with almost 3% of global emissions, according to Climate Watch, an online platform managed by World Resources Institute. Almost half of these emissions come from deforestation. Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, Brazil committed to reducing carbon emissions by 37% by 2025 and 43% by 2030."

-via AP, September 5, 2023

[mindpalace1995]

Chapter Two - What Exactly Had I Done?

Characters/Pairings: Loki x Curvy Female Reader Word Count: 2.7k

Content/Warnings: lost of virginity, vaginal penetration, oral sex, unprotected sex and marriage.

____________________________LOKI___________________________

Gently rising off of her chest, I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and quietly stood to my feet. I watched as she stirred in response to the absence of my body no longer being against hers; rolling onto her stomach and snuggling up to one of the pillows. I conjured a pair of long black cotton sweatpants over myself and began taking short strides towards the balcony. 

Silently closing the doors behind me, I was greeted by the scent of the ocean in the fresh open air and the sound of waves violently crashing beneath me. It was a nice change from the odorless air of the town that we live in. The breezy weather was also a welcoming delight, even though it had my hair rippling under its control; wildly tossing its strands in all directions. 

I strolled closer to the balcony, the volume of the waves growing louder and louder with each step, I couldn’t quite tell whether or not the sea was excited or angry at my presence.

It reminded me of the waters under the Bifrost in Asgard. It held the same uncontrollable, colliding nature as they made contact with the shore or rocks. However, those waters were so clean that they actually healed the town folk of some of their illness and made the food taste ten times better than expected. It definitely smelled alot less dirty, that’s for sure. But, that is to be expected; with the creation of Midgardians, pollution became inevitable. 

The cool air filled my lungs. I needed it to if I was going to successfully process all of what I had done. Taking in deeper breaths, I finally let all of what came to pass sink into me with the air. 

What exactly had I done?

Three and a half years ago I negotiated an agreement with the Mad Titan; I would acquire his Chitauri, use them to seize control of earth, which later on I would become the sole ruler of and in return he got the Tesseract. After stealing the Tesseract from Asgard’s vault and sending it off, it was very simple to triangulate its location to Midgard. 

Though, executing the plan did not go as I imagined. Thor and his new friends got in my way and once again he was out to interfere with my dreams. I would like to think that finally being granted the throne and crown would satisfy him, but it would appear that there is no end to his self seeking. That’s why the next time that I got the Tesseract in my hands, I disappeared to an unknown location. I needed to create the greatest of distances between us. 

From then on I only had two primary intentions; surviving and not drawing attention to myself. Despite that being the central goal, my plans changed when I met her. The unexpected occurred when I fell in love with her and the impossible followed not too far behind when she returned my affections. We both wanted the other and now, years later here we are; married. 

I had never fathomed this being a version of reality for me. How could I? Apart from viewing marriage as a way of uniting realms and gaining power, I never thought that it could be done out of love. Of wanting to be linked so wholeheartedly with another that I could not nor would I want to, live without them by my side. It took an even more strange path when the person I chose to be my wife was a Midgardian.

Midgardians. One of the many species of which I have always thought of as frail, idiotic and dull, yet I found myself unable to continue living the rest of my life without one. She has slowly proven my previous thoughts of at least ten percent of her kind wrong. The remaining ninety percent were still stupid creatures. Somehow I got the most intelligent, kind hearted and genuine one of them all. 

She is a clever one, sometimes too clever for my liking. She saw the true me no matter how hard I tried to hide him from her. She looked past all my layers of power plays and attempts at control to discover the real Loki underneath it all. She discovered the scared, lost and confused Frost Giant and strangely she still remained with me; wanting more and more of me. When I finally revealed my true appearance to her, she made it seem so conventional, like she sees monsters everyday and I was just another one to add to her memory. After learning that I am quite small in comparison to the true stature of a Frost Giant, she gave me the nickname Tiny Frost Giant. Her kind and warm gaze absorbed the sight of me, as though I was not cursed or that I didn’t look absolutely monstrous with my blood red eyes against my cool blue skin. She had even reached out and touched the markings along my skin, curiosity sparkling in her eyes as she gently trailed them under her fingers. 

There was not a part of me that she did not accept, well the parts that I chose to show her anyway. She accepted the fact that I had anger problems, that when I am hurt I would lash out with the most hurtful vocabulary in the nine realms. She accepted that I was a mad being at times and to my surprise, that didn’t bother her. My wife has the patience of a saint, it reminded me of the patience and hope that my mother possessed for me.

Oh mother.

It has been years now since I last saw her. She’d always wanted this for me; to be happy and at peace with someone. It stung not having her and Thor at my wedding. I felt the tears burning in my eyes and I wiped them before they could escape me. Although my feelings towards Thor can be a whirlwind, we grew up together, made fond childhood memories to last a lifetime and shared our dreams with each other.  Building a family was one of them, it would have been a nice sentiment to have him witness me at my happiest. Possessing a joy neither him nor the Alfather could strip away from me because it was not governed by them and their half-hearted attempts to care for me. 

My love has tried to get me to reach out to them. To talk about what I had done, to plead my case and ask for forgiveness. But I couldn’t go back to Asgard, I would be arrested and locked in some dungeon where I would not be allowed to see her again. She believes that it would go very differently. She thinks that the Allfather would be relieved to see me. That Thor and mother would be happy that I am well. I knew better. Thor and his new companions would never let us be happy, they would think I had her under some mind control spell. I chuckled to myself. I wouldn’t blame them. During the early stages of our courtship I had the same thought. 

I remember the first time she said that she loved me. I was so taken aback by this, that I couldn't believe it. How was that possible? She loves me? She broke through my defense mechanisms and loved what she saw? I was erratic, prone to spontaneous bursts of range and, yet she wanted me. I didn’t work any manipulation spells on her or kept her close for any of my personal games. She simply kept being present at my side; wanting to learn about me, wanting to be held by me, to have my lips on hers and now to spend the rest of her life with me. 

As time went on, I didn’t realize how subtle the changes to my inner being were. I no longer got angry with mortals to the point of wanting to take their lives. I no longer threw things and spat threats at someone who crossed me. I went about my life unbothered by the things that used to annoy me because my heart was so full of all the good things that I wanted to shower her with that it no longer had any space for animosity. No more revenge or schemes. I progressively became the Loki she deserved.

I can honestly express that the only instances of where I performed a trick or two is in response to her whenever our intimate moments got a bit out of my control. My mortal was one of those who wanted to save their virtue until marriage, but that does not imply that it was an easy journey for her. Without a doubt we did not have sex for the first time until a few hours ago, but arriving at this destination was definitely an arduous ride. Especially given that throughout our time together she has taken a liking to sitting on my lap while we endlessly explored each other’s mouth. Both of us would be fully clothed as her inner thighs grind precisely just above my tip; awakening an excitement within me. Obviously, nothing further could have been done to follow through on my arousal for her, but if I was going to allow myself to sincerely build with someone, I had to do the work. That’s why I had to use enchantment spells of calm and peace to divert the actions of my body from having its way with her. 

I have had to hold myself back for alittle more than three years now. For a Norse god like me, three years is, but a blink of the eyes or the snap of a finger, yet those were the longest I have ever lived. It was like time itself slowed down so that I could feel every minute of each day go by rather than a century zipping by to celebrate a proper Name Day. After those years of waiting and struggling with the spell, tonight I got the opportunity to be released from it and be free to introduce myself to every inch of her body: that frightened me. 

The spell took away my desire for sex, not my memories of it. I know the lustful creature that is being chained within me, I had to put him to sleep in order for us to arrive at this successful outcome. My wife wanted me to lose myself in her, to get lost in the thralls of passion, but she had not the slightest inkling of the details of her request.

Going through the events of earlier in my head, it made me smile. Every touch, each one of our kisses and the sweet flow of the rhythm that we created; it was all utterly glorious. I can’t wait to see how she would react to the considerably more things that I wanted to do to her. When she had asked for me to set that part of myself free, I did not dare lift the self-control spells completely off of me. Instead I settled upon putting myself on a leash; permitting myself out to play, but I was not free to roam as I pleased. 

Her moans formed the smoothest melody that my ears have ever heard. The royal musicians on Asgard could not be compared to them. They did things to me; make my pores raise and another part of me twitch. She did things to me as well; make my heart beat with purpose and my whole being light with laughter. 

I love her, unconditionally and irrevocably, she is mine and no one else’s. As much as it was uncomfortable to have those enchantments on myself, I knew that she was saving the sweetest fruit in the garden for me and for the rest of our lives I intend to enjoy every piece of that fruit, over and over again. When she climaxed onto me, I had to hold my breath because her smooth walls were gripping onto me like a vise. 

I gave my attention to the night’s sky, needing to distract myself. Every inch of the dark open space was covered by stars, another element that was not present in the life that we lived back in the small town. I hesitantly lifted another spell off of me; one that kept me shrouded in the gaze of Heimdall and as a blurry vision in the eye of Odin for the past few years. “Does that mean that I’ve finally made you proud, father!” I pointed my index finger at the sky, scoffing at the vast air, “I didn’t do it for you! I did it for her!” I shouted. 

I pictured Odin sitting on his mighty throne, fitted in his full regal golden armor as he tightened his grip on Gungnir. My mother, being the duty bound queen of the nine realms, was loyally seated next to him. As always Odin’s expression was dull as an unused blade as he scolded down at me in disapproval. An action that was certainly not new to me in the least. He never seemed to be satisfied with anything I ever did. I directed my eyes to my mother, as it is my custom for whenever I need a salve to heal Odin’s jagged cuts upon me. Her soft eyes invited me to stay true to myself and not lash out in anger. I strangely felt them on me now. “I miss you mother,” I said softly into the air, letting the tears leave my body this time. “You would like her,” I gazed back at the door, “She’s kind of like you, she sees me better than I see myself.” I wiped the tears away, “I love her. Ple…... .please watch over her, don’t…….. don’t take her away from me.” More tears followed. “I swear to behave, to…...to……to keep the mischief to a minimum and the chaos at a low, just don’t separate us.” Suddenly, lightning rang out in the sky, dark clouds began gathering together and within seconds heavy showers of rain poured down on me. Recasting the spell of concealment, I made my way back to my wife. 

She was still asleep. Her poor body was positively tired from what we had done. She was such a brave girl tonight. She had taken me in, all of me no less. I knew it had to hurt. Her fingernails were digging into my flesh the entire time. 

Using magic, I dried myself, before getting back into bed next to her. 

She looked so peaceful and proud. She was determined to get the hurtful part of losing her virginity out of the way and she accomplished it. She was so tight, at some point I thought she was gripping the soul out of my very being. 

Rolling onto my side, I propped my head onto my hand to get a better view of her. Following the slow rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. Brushing her hair away from her neck, I leaned in to plant a soft kiss. Inhaling the scent of my cologne on her; I liked that she smelt like me, afterall I am the one that she belongs to.

Drawing my lips away from her, I realized that there were little specks on the surface of her skin that were surely not there before.

Did I……. Did I do that?

I examined her neck; shallow depressions scattered along both sides. They were the markings of my teeth. 

How could I be so stupid? 

I just wanted to express myself to my wife without hurting her! Is that too much to ask for?

I cursed at myself.

I know how to fix this. 

Immediately I reinforced the control spells and wasted no time in creating distance between myself and her. 

As I sat on the couch in the living room, I couldn’t fight back the tears. They were spilling out of me like a miniature waterfall as I replayed every single time that I wildly grabbed her or didn’t exercise constraint while I clasp my teeth around her flesh. 

I can’t let this happen again.

I won’t. 

Ready for the next part? Chapter 3 - I Have An Idea

[notwiselybuttoowell]

The election of Donald Trump as president for a second time and the Republican takeback of the U.S. Senate could undo many of the national climate policies that are most reducing planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, according to climate solutions experts. When they list measures that are making the most difference, it lines up with policies Trump has said he’ll target. These rollbacks will come as more lives are being lost in heat waves, record amounts of climate pollution are accumulating in the atmosphere, the United States has been hit with what may be two of its most expensive hurricanes, and nations, which will meet in Baku, Azerbaijan next week for climate negotiations, have failed to take strong action to change these realities. [at time of posting COP29 has begun] Here are some of the measures.

The Inflation Reduction Act, the nation’s landmark climate law This law is significant because it is expected to reduce U.S. emissions by about 40% by 2030, if it unfolds as planned in the coming years. It funnels money to measures that substitute clean energy for dirty. One major way it does so is by giving credits to businesses people who build new solar and wind farms. But it’s not limited to that. It encourages developers of geothermal energy and businesses that separate the carbon dioxide from their smokestacks and bury it underground. It incentivizes the next generation of nuclear power. It gives a $7,500 tax credit to people who buy electric cars. People who buy their cars used can get a credit too, as long as they don’t earn too much to qualify. Trump, by contrast, has summed up his energy policy as “drill, baby, drill” and pledged to dismantle what he calls Democrats’ “green new scam” in favor of boosting production of fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal, the main causes of climate change. He vows to end subsidies for wind power that were included in the landmark 2022 climate law. If Trump does target the climate law, there are provisions that are likely safe. One is a credit for companies in advanced manufacturing, because it is perceived as “America first and pro-U.S. business,” said David Shepheard, partner and energy expert at the global consultant Baringa. Incentives for electric vehicles are likely most at risk, he added. In a call Wednesday morning, Scott Segal, head of a communications group at the law firm Bracewell LLP, which represents the energy industry, said the climate law is not likely to be repealed. Dan Jasper, a senior policy advisor at Project Drawdown, said repealing parts of the climate law could backfire because most of the investments and jobs are in Republican congressional districts.

Pollution from electric power plants The main U.S. rule aimed at reducing the climate change that comes from making electricity at power plants that burn coal is also considered vulnerable. This rule from the Environmental Protection Agency, announced in April, would force many coal-fired plants to capture 90% of their carbon emissions or shut down within eight years, Shepheard said. It was projected to reduce roughly 1.38 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide through 2047, along with tens of thousands of tons of other harmful air pollutants. Industry groups and Republican-controlled states have filed legal challenges to a host of EPA rules including this one and Trump’s victory means the Justice Department is unlikely to defend it. Under a Trump presidency, it is unlikely to survive, Shepheard said. The United States has been reducing carbon dioxide emissions primarily by replacing coal-fired power plants with clean, renewable power, said Stanford University climate scientist Rob Jackson, who chairs the Global Carbon Project, a group of scientists that tracks countries’ carbon dioxide emissions. “I hope that we don’t lose sight of the benefits of clean energy,” he said. “It’s not just about the climate. It’s about our lives and our health.”

Limiting leaks from damaging methane, or natural gas The Biden administration was under pressure to reduce one of the main pollutants contributing to drought, heat waves, flooding and stronger hurricanes — methane or natural gas. It leaks out of oil and gas equipment, sometimes deliberately when companies consider it too expensive to transport. The Biden administration issued the first national rules on this. Industry groups and Republican-leaning states have challenged the rule in court. They say the Environmental Protection Agency overstepped its authority and set unattainable standards. The EPA said the rules are squarely within its legal responsibilities and would protect the public.

Fuel-efficient vehicles The Environmental Protection Agency has issued its strongest rules on tailpipe emissions from cars and trucks under the Biden administration. While it is unclear who will head the EPA under Trump, the agency is considered likely to begin a lengthy process to repeal and replace a host of standards including the one on tailpipe emissions, which Trump falsely calls an electric vehicle “mandate.″ Trump rolled back more than 100 environmental laws as president and that number is likely to grow in a second term. Trump has said EV manufacturing will destroy jobs in the auto industry and has falsely claimed that battery-powered cars don’t work in cold weather and aren’t able to travel long distances. Trump softened his rhetoric in recent months after Tesla CEO Elon Musk endorsed him and campaigned heavily for his election. Even so, industry officials expect Trump to try to slow a shift to electric cars.

Drilling in Alaska refuge Trump is almost certain to reinstate oil drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, continuing a partisan battle that has persisted for decades. Biden and other Democratic presidents have blocked drilling in the sprawling refuge, which is home to polar bears, caribou and other wildlife. Trump opened the area to drilling in a 2017 tax cut law enacted by congressional Republicans. No drilling has occurred in the refuge, although the U.S. Bureau of Land Management on Wednesday proposed a lease sale by the end of December that could lead to oil drilling. The sale is required under the 2017 law.

Transition to cleaner energy, transport will continue Trump, who has cast climate change as a “hoax,” has said he will also eliminate regulations by the Biden administration to increase the energy efficiency of lightbulbs, stoves, dishwashers and shower heads. Dan Jasper, a senior policy advisor at Project Drawdown said climate action will continue to move forward at the state and local level. Zara Ahmed, who leads policy analysis and science strategy at Carbon Direct, agreed. While there may be an abdication of leadership at the federal level on climate, she’s optimistic that states including California will continue to lead. Clean Air Task Force Executive Director Armond Cohen said on Wednesday that states, cities, utilities and businesses that have committed to net zero emissions will keep working toward those goals, driving record installations of wind and solar energy. Governors of both parties are also interested in ramping up nuclear energy as a carbon-free source of electricity, Cohen said. Trump has said he, too, is interested in developing the next generation of nuclear reactors that are smaller than traditional reactors. Gina McCarthy, a former EPA administrator who was Biden’s first national climate adviser, said Trump will be unable to stop clean energy such as wind, solar and geothermal power. “No matter what Trump may say, the shift to clean energy is unstoppable and our country is not turning back,″ McCarthy said. Advocates for clean energy are bipartisan, well-organized “and fully prepared to deliver climate solutions, boost local economies, and drive climate ambition,′ she said.