#americans incoming in 3... 2...

[therealvinelle]

How does Norway view it’s royal family I’m from Canada and lets just say that we are not big monarchy fans. But I wonder about other countries because commonwealth countries are kind of in a unique situation where their royalty is actually royalty of another country (Britain) and we just pay for it. (no seriously, we pay more for the monarchy in canada than the uk does)

I can't speak for everyone, but I personally am in favor of having a royal family and would find it disappointing and a change for the worse if we became a republic.

The monarchy in Norway came about the right way, when the country became independent in 1905 the people voted with an overwhelming majority in favor of getting the Danish prince Carl to become our king. It was in order words not something imposed upon us by a thousand years of feudalism, but a newly independent people's choice to have a king of our own.

King Haakon proceeded to, when Norway was occupied by the Germans, refuse to accept our government's formal request to disband (as they had been driven into exile and could no longer govern), as well as refuse to surrender. Did this lead to war, yes, but it also meant that through the war we remained an occupied country with a legitimate government overseas broadcasting to every citizen by radio that we could look towards in place of the occupying government imposed upon us.

After King Haakon there was King Olav, who took the bus during the 1973 energy crisis so as to lead by example, and went skiing in the woods like everybody else, he was an immensely popular king. Now there is King Harald, who married a commoner in Queen Sonja and whose children have made even more scandalous marriages (Princess Märtha married an artist and author, Ari Behn, while the crown prince Haakon married a single mother of a child out of wedlock who was and in certain circles remains viewed as very low class), but both Harald and Sonja are very loved. Harald famously is very witty, and more importantly he is a very inclusive and kind-hearted person who made it explicitly clear he is as much the king of immigrants and LGBT people as he is everybody else. He has also competed in the Olympics seveal times, we love an athlete.

The big eyesore is Princess Märtha, whose sins and scandals are money but in a nutshell, she made the choice to be financially independent (good!) only to then do so in the worst ways she could manage. There was the angel school, where you would go learn how to speak with angels (I once went to a party where we read her book and followed her instructions on finding your aura, great fun and I recommend this for a party game), which had everyone laughing at her, to the much less funny adventure she is now on, where she has... gone full Gwyneth Paltrow. As in, she is engaged to a shaman who says children with cancer must have wished the cancer upon themselves and he will also cleanse women's vaginas of evil if they've had too much sex, and she has toured the country with this man using her princess title (The tour was called "The princess and the shaman") which... yes. When they are criticized, they say it's racism because he is black, this has not endeared them to many either.

She can live her life how she wishes, the fact that what she wishes is to give a platform to a man who talks about being a lizard who contains ancient spirits and also the 5G net is bad is what makes people upset and lose respect for the monarchy as a whole.

Personally, I remain in favor of the monarchy because she'll never be on the throne, she is already irrelevant in every way that matters. The relevant royals we do have do their jobs well and responsibly, which is where my wanting to have a monarchy in the first place comes in: I believe in the constitutional monarchy as we practice it in Norway.

The people who make the decisions will be elected by the people, but the person representing the country, whose job is only to represent and better the country through charities and strengthened diplomatic ties, has an advantage if he isn't political and gains a continuity from not being replaced every time he loses the election cycle. In these times of rising populism I think the advantage to having an apolitical head of state and military is even greater. We could in theory vote a populist party into power but we wouldn't have a populist president, the way certain countries experienced not too long ago and stand to do now. As for how one should go about finding such a non-political, continuous leader of the country, I think inheriting the position is as good a way as any to keep the transferrance of power from one sovereign to the next from getting political. In other words, monarchy but keep it constitutional.

(I'm also colored by how King Haakon handled the occupation, as well as how the King of Spain as recently as in 1981 prevented a military coup in Spain by denouncing the military's actions. How relevant these events are to the present day can be debated, but I think the past couple of years have proven that we should not take the status quo for granted and our democracies can come under threat. When they do, I prefer to have every safeguard imaginable in place for them. If that safeguard spend their time promoting art and charity that's just a big bonus.)

[kakushusband]

Hcs Lucci as brasilian just to fuck with people

[batboyblog]

Things the Biden-Harris Administration Did This Week #37

Oct 4-11 2024

President Biden announced a new EPA rule that will require all lead pipes in America's drinking water systems to be replace with-in 10 years. This builds on the $15 billion the Biden-Harris Administration has already invested in replacing lead pipes nation wide. The administration's focus on this issue has allowed local governments to greatly execrate their lead pipe replacement plans, before Biden took office the city of Milwaukee's timeline for replacing its lead pipes was 60 years, they're now on track to do it in 10. The EPA says there's no safe level of lead in the human body.

Vice President Harris announced she plans to expand Medicare to cover home health care. Currently those who need long term care, are covered by Medicaid, the health program for the poor so have to spend all their savings before they can qualify. This change would allow more seniors to stay in their homes and offer support to caregiving family members. Medicare also covers the disabled thus proving a game changer for the disabled Americans and their families. The Vice President also endorsed expanding Medicare to cover the costs of hearing and vision care.

Medicare released a preliminary list of 101 generic drugs which it would cover that would cost no more than $2 for a month for enrollees. People have long lobbied to allow Medicare to pay for generic drugs which has been resisted by drug companies. Thanks to President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, and in line with a Biden Executive Order Medicare is now working on bring low cost generic drugs to seniors. The list targets some of the most common prescriptions thus will bring savings to the most people.

Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden announced that the Biden-Harris Administration had blown past its goal of hiring 250,000 student support staff for 2024. The joint effort by the Department of Education, AmeriCorps and Everyone Graduates Center managed to hire 320,000 tutors, mentors, student success coaches, postsecondary transition coaches, and student support coordinators nationwide, its goal for the end of 2025.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced $420 million to help get rid of lead paint and other lead hazards from homes. HUD estimates that over 3 million households that have children under the age of 6 live with lead hazards. HUDs grants will go to all 50 states, DC, and Puerto Rico with particular focus on low income housing.

[reasonsforhope]

"People across the world, and the political spectrum, underestimate levels of support for climate action.

This “perception gap” matters. Governments will change policy if they think they have strong public backing. Companies need to know that consumers want to see low-carbon products and changes in business practices. We’re all more likely to make changes if we think others will do the same.

If governments, companies, innovators, and our neighbors know that most people are worried about the climate and want to see change, they’ll be more willing to drive it.

On the flip side, if we systematically underestimate widespread support, we’ll keep quiet for fear of “rocking the boat”.

This matters not only within each country but also in how we cooperate internationally. No country can solve climate change on its own. If we think that people in other countries don’t care and won’t act, we’re more likely to sit back as we consider our efforts hopeless.

Support for climate action is high across the world

The majority of people in every country in the world worry about climate change and support policies to tackle it. We can see this in the survey data shown on the map.

Surveys can produce unreliable — even conflicting — results depending on the population sample, what questions are asked, and the framing, so I’ve looked at several reputable sources to see how they compare. While the figures vary a bit depending on the specific question asked, the results are pretty consistent.

In a recent paper published in Science Advances, Madalina Vlasceanu and colleagues surveyed 59,000 people across 63 countries.1 ���Belief” in climate change was 86%. Here, “belief” was measured based on answers to questions about whether action was necessary to avoid a global catastrophe, whether humans were causing climate change, whether it was a serious threat to humanity, and whether it was a global emergency.

People think climate change is a serious threat, and humans are the cause. Concern was high across countries: even in the country with the lowest agreement, 73% agreed...

The majority also supported climate policies, with an average global score of 72%. “Policy support” was measured as the average across nine interventions, including carbon taxes on fossil fuels, expanding public transport, more renewable energy, more electric car chargers, taxes on airlines, and protecting forests. In the country with the lowest support, there was still a majority (59%) who supported these policies.

These scores are high considering the wide range of policies suggested.

Another recent paper published in Nature Climate Change found similarly high support for political change. Peter Andre et al. (2024) surveyed almost 130,000 individuals across 125 countries.2

89% wanted to see more political action. 86% think people in their country “should try to fight global warming” (explore the data). And 69% said they would be willing to contribute at least 1% of their income to tackle climate change...

Support for political action was strong across the world, as shown on the map below.

To ensure these results weren’t outliers, I looked at several other studies in the United States and the United Kingdom.

70% to 83% of Americans answered “yes” to a range of surveys focused on whether humans were causing climate change, whether it was a concern, and a threat to humanity. In the UK, the share who agreed was between 73% and 90%. I’ve left details of these surveys in the footnote.3

The fact is that the majority of people “believe” in climate change and think it’s a problem is consistent across studies."

-via Our World in Data, March 25, 2024

[dandelionsresilience]

Dandelion News - February 15-21

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my Dandelion Doodles!

1. Solar farms managed for nature boost bird abundance and diversity, new study finds

“There were more than twice as many farmland birds in the well-managed solar farms compared with the intensively farmed land, and nearly 16 times as many woodland birds. […] Overall, diversity was 2.5 times higher, while woodland birds were nine times more diverse.”

2. Washington judge blocks Trump’s gender-affirming care ban, says it's unconstitutional in multiple ways

“This marks the second time in a week that a judge has stood in the way of Trump’s attacks on trans kids. [… The ruling grants] a temporary restraining order that halts enforcement of provisions in Trump’s directive that would cut off federal funding to medical institutions that provide gender-affirming care to minors.”

3. Fog harvesting could provide water for arid cities

“17,000 sq m of mesh could produce enough water to meet the weekly water demand of [… the] urban slums. 110 sq m could meet the annual demand for the irrigation of the city's green spaces. Fog water could be used for soil-free (hydroponic) agriculture, with yields of 33 to 44lb (15 to 20kg) of green vegetables in a month.”

4. Audubon Applauds Bipartisan Federal Effort to Protect Delaware River Basin with Critical Reauthorization Bill

“The bill would […] ensure long-term conservation and restoration efforts, expand the official definition of the basin to include Maryland, and prioritize projects that serve small, rural, and disadvantaged communities. […] The watershed provides important year-round habitats and critical migratory stopovers for approximately 400 bird species[….]”

5. mRNA vaccines show promise in pancreatic cancer in early trial

“Half of the people in the study — eight of the participants — responded to the vaccine, producing T cells that targeted their tumors. […] Just two of the patients who had a response to the vaccine had their cancer return during the three-year follow- up, compared to seven of the eight who did not respond to the vaccine treatments.”

6. Minn. Lt. Gov. Flanagan Makes It Official; She's running for U.S. Senate

“[Flanagan has] “championed kitchen-table issues like raising the minimum wage, paid family and medical leave, and free school meals.” If elected, Flanagan, a tribal citizen of the White Earth Nation, would become the first Native American female U.S. senator in history.”

7. Federal Funding Restored for Low-Income Alabama Utility Assistance After Outcry

“A program meant to help low-income Alabamians pay their utility bills has resumed two weeks after it was canceled due to an executive order from President Donald Trump. […] “We can confirm the funds are reaching those affected by the previous pause[….]””

8. Modeling study suggests Amazon rainforest is more resilient than assumed

“[Previous] studies were either conducted with global climate models that used a simplified representation of convection [or were on a regional scale….] According to the computations, mean annual precipitation in the Amazon does not change significantly even after complete deforestation.“

9. States are moving forward with Buy Clean policies despite Trump reversal

““Buy Clean is a great example of how states and other nonfederal actors can continue to press forward on climate action, regardless of what the federal government does,” said Casey Katims, executive director of the U.S. Climate Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of two dozen governors.”

10. The rewilded golf courses teeming with life

“A wildflower meadow, ponds, scrub habitat, coastline and even an area of peat bog can be found on this little 60-acre (24-hectare) plot, which boasts roe deer, otters, lizards, eels and a huge array of insects and birds.”

February 8-14 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[afeelgoodblog]

Best News of Last Week - December 11

1. Biden administration to forgive $4.8 billion in student loan debt for 80,300 borrowers

The Biden administration announced on Wednesday that it would forgive an additional $4.8 billion in student loan debt, for 80,300 borrowers.

The relief is a result of the U.S. Department of Education’s fixes to its income-driven repayment plans and Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

2. Detroit on pace to have lowest homicide rate in 60 years this year

A partnership to reduce Detroit crime is being praised with the City on pace for the fewest homicides in 60 years.

"This is the day we’ve been waiting for, for a long time," said Mayor Mike Duggan. The coalition which includes city and county leaders that Detroit Police Chief James White formed in late 2021 to return the criminal justice system in Detroit and Wayne County to pre-Covid operations.

3. Dog that killed 8 coyotes to protect sheep running for Farm Dog of the Year

Over a year ago, Casper was stacked up against a pack of 11 coyotes, and he overcame them all to protect the livestock at his Decatur home. Now he needs your help.

Casper, the Great Pyrenees livestock guardian dog, needs the public to vote for him to become the American Farm Bureau's "Farm Dog of the Year: People's Choice Pup" contest.

4. Shimmering golden mole thought extinct photographed and filmed over 80 years after last sighting

De Winton's golden mole, last sighted in 1937, has been found alive swimming through sand dunes in South Africa after an extensive search for the elusive species.

5. About 40% of the world's power generation is now renewable

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and World Meteorological Organization (WMO) have released their first joint report to strengthen understanding of renewable energy resources and their intricate relationship with climate variability and change.

In 2022 alone, 83% of new capacity was renewable, with solar and wind accounting for most additions. Today, some 40% of power generation globally is renewable, due to rapid deployment in the past decade, according to the report.

6. Jonathan the Tortoise: World’s oldest living land animal celebrates 191st birthday

The world’s oldest living land animal - a Seychelles giant tortoise named Jonathan - has just celebrated his 191st birthday. Jonathan’s estimated 1832 birth year predates the invention of the postal stamp, the telephone, and the photograph.

The iconic creature lived through the US civil war, most of the reign of Queen Victoria, the rise and fall of the Soviet Union, and two world wars.

7. New enzyme allows CRISPR technologies to accurately target almost all human genes

A team of engineers at Duke University have developed a method to broaden the reach of CRISPR technologies. While the original CRISPR system could only target 12.5% of the human genome, the new method expands access to nearly every gene to potentially target and treat a broader range of diseases through genome engineering.

---

That's it for this week :)

This newsletter will always be free. If you liked this post you can support me with a small kofi donation here:

Buy me a coffee ❤️

Also don’t forget to reblog this post with your friends.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

No, “convenience” isn’t the problem

I'm touring my new, nationally bestselling novel The Bezzle! Catch me in CHICAGO (Apr 17), Torino (Apr 21) Marin County (Apr 27), Winnipeg (May 2), Calgary (May 3), Vancouver (May 4), and beyond!

Using Amazon, or Twitter, or Facebook, or Google, or Doordash, or Uber doesn't make you lazy. Platform capitalism isn't enshittifying because you made the wrong shopping choices.

Remember, the reason these corporations were able to capture such substantial market-share is that the capital markets saw them as a bet that they could lose money for years, drive out competition, capture their markets, and then raise prices and abuse their workers and suppliers without fear of reprisal. Investors were chasing monopoly power, that is, companies that are too big to fail, too big to jail, and too big to care:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/04/teach-me-how-to-shruggie/#kagi

The tactics that let a few startups into Big Tech are illegal under existing antitrust laws. It's illegal for large corporations to buy up smaller ones before they can grow to challenge their dominance. It's illegal for dominant companies to merge with each other. "Predatory pricing" (selling goods or services below cost to prevent competitors from entering the market, or to drive out existing competitors) is also illegal. It's illegal for a big business to use its power to bargain for preferential discounts from its suppliers. Large companies aren't allowed to collude to fix prices or payments.

But under successive administrations, from Jimmy Carter through to Donald Trump, corporations routinely broke these laws. They explicitly and implicitly colluded to keep those laws from being enforced, driving smaller businesses into the ground. Now, sociopaths are just as capable of starting small companies as they are of running monopolies, but that one store that's run by a colossal asshole isn't the threat to your wellbeing that, say, Walmart or Amazon is.

All of this took place against a backdrop of stagnating wages and skyrocketing housing, health, and education costs. In other words, even as the cost of operating a small business was going up (when Amazon gets a preferential discount from a key supplier, that supplier needs to make up the difference by gouging smaller, weaker retailers), Americans' disposable income was falling.

So long as the capital markets were willing to continue funding loss-making future monopolists, your neighbors were going to make the choice to shop "the wrong way." As small, local businesses lost those customers, the costs they had to charge to make up the difference would go up, making it harder and harder for you to afford to shop "the right way."

In other words: by allowing corporations to flout antimonopoly laws, we set the stage for monopolies. The fault lay with regulators and the corporate leaders and finance barons who captured them – not with "consumers" who made the wrong choices. What's more, as the biggest businesses' monopoly power grew, your ability to choose grew ever narrower: once every mom-and-pop restaurant in your area fires their delivery drivers and switches to Doordash, your choice to order delivery from a place that payrolls its drivers goes away.

Monopolists don't just have the advantage of nearly unlimited access to the capital markets – they also enjoy the easy coordination that comes from participating in a cartel. It's easy for five giant corporations to form conspiracies because five CEOs can fit around a single table, which means that some day, they will:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/18/cursed-are-the-sausagemakers/#how-the-parties-get-to-yes

By contrast, "consumers" are atomized – there are millions of us, we don't know each other, and we struggle to agree on a course of action and stick to it. For "consumers" to make a difference, we have to form institutions, like co-ops or buying clubs, or embark on coordinated campaigns, like boycotts. Both of these tactics have their place, but they are weak when compared to monopoly power.

Luckily, we're not just "consumers." We're also citizens who can exercise political power. That's hard work – but so is organizing a co-op or a boycott. The difference is, when we dog enforcers who wield the power of the state, and line up behind them when they start to do their jobs, we can make deep structural differences that go far beyond anything we can make happen as consumers:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/18/administrative-competence/#i-know-stuff

We're not just "consumers" or "citizens" – we're also workers, and when workers come together in unions, they, too, can concentrate the diffuse, atomized power of the individual into a single, powerful entity that can hold the forces of capital in check:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/10/an-injury-to-one/#is-an-injury-to-all

And all of these things work together; when regulators do their jobs, they protect workers who are unionizing:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/06/goons-ginks-and-company-finks/#if-blood-be-the-price-of-your-cursed-wealth

And strong labor power can force cartels to abandon their plans to rig the market so that every consumer choice makes them more powerful:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/01/how-the-writers-guild-sunk-ais-ship/

And when consumers can choose better, local, more ethical businesses at competitive rates, those choices can make a difference:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/07/10/view-a-sku/

Antimonopoly policy is the foundation for all forms of people-power. The very instant corporations become too big to fail, jail or care is the instant that "voting with your wallet" becomes a waste of time.

Sure, choose that small local grocery, but everything on their shelves is going to come from the consumer packaged-goods duopoly of Procter and Gamble and Unilever. Sure, hunt down that local brand of potato chips that you love instead of P&G or Unilever's brand, but if they become successful, either P&G or Unilever will buy them out, and issue a press release trumpeting the purchase, saying "We bought out this beloved independent brand and added it to our portfolio because we know that consumers value choice."

If you're going to devote yourself to solving the collective action problem to make people-power work against corporations, spend your precious time wisely. As Zephyr Teachout writes in Break 'Em Up, don't miss the protest march outside the Amazon warehouse because you spent two hours driving around looking for an independent stationery so you could buy the markers and cardboard to make your anti-Amazon sign without shopping on Amazon:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/29/break-em-up/#break-em-up

When blame corporate power on "laziness," we buy into the corporations' own story about how they came to dominate our lives: we just prefer them. This is how Google explains away its 90% market-share in search: we just chose Google. But we didn't, not really – Google spends tens of billions of dollars every single year buying up the search-box on every website, phone, and operating system:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/21/im-feeling-unlucky/#not-up-to-the-task

Blaming "laziness" for corporate dominance also buys into the monopolists' claim that the only way to have convenient, easy-to-use services is to cede power to them. Facebook claims it's literally impossible for you to carry on social relations with the people that matter to you without also letting them spy on you. When we criticize people for wanting to hang out online with the people they love, we send the message that they need to choose loneliness and isolation, or they will be complicit in monopoly.

The problem with Google isn't that it lets you find things. The problem with Facebook isn't that it lets you talk to your friends. The problem with Uber isn't that it gets you from one place to another without having to stand on a corner waving your arm in the air. The problem with Amazon isn't that it makes it easy to locate a wide variety of products. We should stop telling people that they're wrong to want these things, because a) these things are good; and b) these things can be separated from the monopoly power of these corporate bullies:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/08/divisibility/#technognosticism

Remember the Napster Wars? The music labels had screwed over musicians and fans. 80 percent of all recorded music wasn't offered for sale, and the labels cooked the books to make it effectively impossible for musicians to earn out their advances. Napster didn't solve all of that (though they did offer $15/user/month to the labels for a license to their catalogs), but there were many ways in which it was vastly superior to the system it replaced.

The record labels responded by suing tens of thousands of people, mostly kids, but also dead people and babies and lots of other people. They demanded an end to online anonymity and a system of universal surveillance. They wanted every online space to algorithmically monitor everything a user posted and delete anything that might be a copyright infringement.

These were the problems with the music cartel: they suppressed the availability of music, screwed over musicians, carried on a campaign of indiscriminate legal terror, and lobbied effectively for a system of ubiquitous, far-reaching digital surveillance and control:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/02/nonbinary-families/#red-envelopes

You know what wasn't a problem with the record labels? The music. The music was fine. Great, even.

But some of the people who were outraged with the labels' outrageous actions decided the problem was the music. Their answer wasn't to merely demand better copyright laws or fairer treatment for musicians, but to demand that music fans stop listening to music from the labels. Somehow, they thought they could build a popular movement that you could only join by swearing off popular music.

That didn't work. It can't work. A popular movement that you can only join by boycotting popular music will always be unpopular. It's bad tactics.

When we blame "laziness" for tech monopolies, we send the message that our friends have to choose between life's joys and comforts, and a fair economic system that doesn't corrupt our politics, screw over workers, and destroy small, local businesses. This isn't true. It's a lie that monopolists tell to justify their abuse. When we repeat it, we do monopolists' work for them – and we chase away the people we need to recruit for the meaningful struggles to build worker power and political power.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/12/give-me-convenience/#or-give-me-death

Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

[murkymud]

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ 𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒕 𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒎𝒔 𝑳𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒄𝒚*ੈ✩‧₊˚

                     ₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵₊˚

This is a story based challenge which I pulled this theme straight out my ass but it’s a standard Legacy challenge, but I think you’ll be able to see our thought process through this. We didn’t assign colors to the generations but i’m a SUCKER for a good berry challenge so in our play through we did color coordinate  >ᴗ< 

As always, lilsimsie’s Not-So-Berry challenge was a huge inspiration as well as 

𝐃 𝐑 𝐀 𝐄 𝐘 𝐀 𝐃’S Crybaby Whims legacy, A super fun challenge by the way <3 

A base game version will be released eventually. If there are any flaws in the gameplay please dm or comment them!

At the bottom we’ve included some things from our personal legacy if inspiration is ever needed. We did not include them in the requirements because we did not feel it was needed for that specific generation, just that it fit our character specifically.

ੈ♡˳Rules:ੈ♡˳

—✧ Starting out, you may freerealestate/ cheat your plot. After plots placed, start Apple Pie with 25K (Money cheats are not allowed after this point)

—✧Normal lifespan is what we play tested on, and we were able to finish everything. But if you want, you may play long lifespan but you may get bored easily

—✧If your heir dies before a child is born, you may cheat heir back. Once the first kid is born, that child must take over the previous challenge (Ie. Apple Pie dies but Jell-o is an infant. You may not revive Apple Pie. Jell-o now does Apple Pie Legacy IF Apple Pie is not completed.)

Thank you for trying this out! Please use #DessertWhims on any platform of sharing. We’ll be checking all for screenshots and let us know if you play it!

 ⊹ ~  ݁. 🍓 ݁.⊹୨🍰୧ ⊹ . ݁🍓  ~ ⊹⊹  ~  🍓 ݁.⊹୨🍰୧ ⊹ ⊹ ~  ݁. 🍓 ݁.⊹୨🍰୧ ⊹ . ݁🍓  ~ ⊹⊹  ~  🍓⊹

  *˚ *༘ *𝓐𝓹𝓹𝓵𝓮 𝓟𝓲𝓮⋆·˚ ༘ *

   generation 1

(This sim must be a male) 

₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ All American Treat. ₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧

         This all-american was born and raised in the south, this gentleman worked his tooshie off on his parents farm. During his young adult years, he flirted and dated, but who can blame him with his chiseled jaw and perfect white teeth. He eventually found his delectable southern belle, married her and helped her rear up his many, many, many kids. 

Aspiration: Angling Ace

Traits: Good, Family Oriented, Loves outdoors

  Requirements:

 —✧Live on farm

 —✧Master fishing skill

 —✧Have pristine reputation

 —✧Have at least 5 kids

 —✧Complete the Angling ace aspiration

 —✧Master Handiness

 —✧Have 3 partners before settling down

 —✧Marry a southern belle as a young adult 

 —✧Purchase Mentor trait

 —✧Sole income must be from the farm

**All generations strengthen connection to physical world after death

 ⊹ ~  ݁. 🍓 ݁.⊹୨🍰୧ ⊹ . ݁🍓  ~ ⊹⊹  ~  🍓 ݁.⊹୨🍰୧ ⊹ ⊹ ~  ݁. 🍓 ݁.⊹୨🍰୧ ⊹ . ݁🍓  ~ ⊹⊹  ~  🍓⊹

  *˚ *༘ *𝓙𝓮𝓵𝓵-𝓸⋆·˚ ༘ *

     generation 2

   ₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ﾟ Extremely sticky, slippery… and unfortunately malleable₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚

           A young animal lover who’s used to a free life with their toes in the grass and a sweet animal to keep them company. Because of your big family you tend to be a bit clingy or you could say, sticky to other people. Just like Jell-o, you’re a bit slippery, and things just seem to glide right out your hands. But when your lifelong partner cheats on you can’t seem to find the courage to break free. 

Aspiration: Soulmate

Traits: Clumsy, Loyal, Catlover

  Requirements:

 —✧Find one partner in highschool and stay with them forever

 —✧Become a conservationist

 —✧Finish the soulmate aspiration

 —✧Move away from the ranch

 —✧Have your partner cheat and your sim stay

 —✧Find a stray cat and adopt it

 —✧Rarely discipline your children

 ⊹ ~  ݁. 🍓 ݁.⊹୨🍰୧ ⊹ . ݁🍓  ~ ⊹⊹  ~  🍓 ݁.⊹୨🍰୧ ⊹ ⊹ ~  ݁. 🍓 ݁.⊹୨🍰୧ ⊹ . ݁🍓  ~ ⊹⊹  ~  🍓⊹

    *˚ *༘ *𝓒𝓸𝓽𝓽𝓸𝓷 𝓒𝓪𝓷𝓭𝔂⋆·˚ ༘ *

                         generation 3

   ₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ﾟ Pure sugar. Pure rush. Pure chaos. ₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚

       Your go-with-the-flow mother may have raised you as her friend more than her child and this might have set off your crazy, free spirited attitude. You just seemed to never know how to sit still, and your racing thoughts sometimes made you have to talk to yourself. One thing that calmed you down was baking, and you could do it all day.

Aspiration: Party Animal

Traits: Outgoing, Erratic, Party Animal

Requirements: 

 —✧Complete 3 child aspirations

 —✧Have irresponsible Trait

 —✧Join business career, advance to level 4 and leave

 —✧Join Culinary career after Business, advance to level 2 and leave (Do this before owning restaurant)

 —✧Finish Party Animal Aspiration 

 —✧Own a 5 star Cafe/Restaurant 

 —✧Have at least 3 different hair colors and styles (Short, bob, long, braids, ect.)

 —✧Accept any invite to go out (Exception is when at the restaurant. May stop this once sim is adult)

 —✧Master baking skill

 —✧Have only 1 child

 —✧Have a mediocre relationship with child 

 —✧Live in at least three different worlds

  —✧Never Marry

  —✧May not cheat restaurant. Must build it up from scratch

 ⊹ ~  ݁. 🍓 ݁.⊹୨🍰୧ ⊹ . ݁🍓  ~ ⊹⊹  ~  🍓 ݁.⊹୨🍰୧ ⊹ ⊹ ~  ݁. 🍓 ݁.⊹୨🍰୧ ⊹ . ݁🍓  ~ ⊹⊹  ~  🍓⊹

    *˚ *༘ 𝓑𝓾𝓷𝓭𝓽 𝓒𝓪𝓴𝓮⋆·˚ ༘ *

                              generation 4

₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ﾟ Most boring cake . ₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚

         As a child, you were incredibly friendly but you’d soon realize that next to your high energy parent, you’d never be noticed…. so you stopped trying. Your first love made you seem more interesting than you were. Beside them, you were also the life of the party. So when they dump you it finalizes your stoic state. Why try? Your mediocre life would eventually catch up to you when you realize that your children are a clean slate to mold into who you want. 

Aspiration: Successful Lineage

Traits: Proper, Lazy, Loner

Requirements:

—✧As a child, have outgoing as a trait and social butterfly but cheat later and change their trait

—✧Never advance past a B in school

—✧Date person similar to parent (High spirited and fun) In highschool and get dumped before prom night

—✧Join Salary person career (May not advance over level 6)

—✧Must live wherever your parents live (may move out obvi) 

—✧Have identical twins (May cheat) 

—✧Must discipline children as often as possible

—✧ Have children get Happy Infant and Happy Toddler

—✧Toddlers must have 3 in all skills

—✧Have ‘ok’ or ‘poor’ relationship with children

—✧When children are toddlers, divorce spouse for “different parenting styles”

 ⊹ ~  ݁. 🍓 ݁.⊹୨🍰୧ ⊹ . ݁🍓  ~ ⊹⊹  ~  🍓 ݁.⊹୨🍰୧ ⊹ ⊹ ~  ݁. 🍓 ݁.⊹୨🍰୧ ⊹ . ݁🍓  ~ ⊹⊹  ~  🍓⊹

   *˚ *༘ 𝓜𝓪𝓬𝓪𝓻𝓸𝓷⋆·˚ ༘ *

                          generation 5

      ₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ﾟ Pristine on the outside, But crumbles under the pressure . ₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚

        You and your twin have always been compared, like you didn’t have your own identity. But this didn’t matter at first because they're your best friend , so you couldn’t resent each other… right? You’re a star with a promising future and as it fastly approaches; the math on your sheet suddenly seems more gruesome. After becoming valedictorian the burn-out rises to your attention and you realize you can’t go to university. Your twin, however, proceeds their education and you put your creativity to use. 

All Requirements are for both, unless specified not

Aspiration: Fabulously Wealthy

Traits: Perfectionist, Overachiever, Creative

 Requirements:

—✧Get A in school as a child (For Both)

—✧Have one twin (The heir) Graduate Valedictorian 

—✧Become 10 on an instrument by the end of teen hood (For both) —✧Get all good character Values traits (For both)

—✧Apply for University but never go (For Heir)

—✧Have other twin (Non Heir) aspiration be renaissance sim

—✧After Graduation, have the twins relationship dwindle

—✧Get level 10 in Style Influencer Career (For Heir)

—✧Become level 5 on any skill sim loves (May stop once Red Hots is Toddler- For Heir)

—✧Have other twin go to university 

—✧Have only one child and shower them with love 

—✧ Have child move out with at least 30K

 ⊹ ~  ݁. 🍓 ݁.⊹୨🍰୧ ⊹ . ݁🍓  ~ ⊹⊹  ~  🍓 ݁.⊹୨🍰୧ ⊹ ⊹ ~  ݁. 🍓 ݁.⊹୨🍰୧ ⊹ . ݁🍓  ~ ⊹⊹  ~  🍓⊹

   *˚ *༘ 𝓡𝓮𝓭 𝓗𝓸𝓽𝓼⋆·˚ ༘ *

                     generation 6

      ₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ﾟ Your favorite spicy treat. With a burning surprise . ₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚

    Growing up with a fashion designer as a parent, you knew you always looked the best. Eventually you noticed everyone seemed to like you, and soon you’d realize this would let you get your way. When your fiancé cheats on you, you finally realize what it’s like to date yourself and you were not happy, but, this would be your demise. 

Aspiration: Serial Romantic

Traits: Self assured, Hot-head, Self absorbed

Requirements:

—✧Finish Social Butterfly Aspiration

—✧Finish the Serial Romantic aspiration 

—✧Purchase ‘Beguiling’ reward trait

—✧Earn ‘Bad Emotional Control’ trait 

—✧Max Charisma skill

—✧Cheat on fiancé repeatedly (May get caught but if you do must not break-up)

—✧Elope immediately after telling partner of accidental pregnancy 

—✧Have a good relationship with child (if you get that far (; ) 

—✧Catch Fiancé cheating (Die immediately after of anger)

—✧Have fiancé raise child after death and they may not join a career, only a part time job

 ⊹ ~  ݁. 🍓 ݁.⊹୨🍰୧ ⊹ . ݁🍓  ~ ⊹⊹  ~  🍓 ݁.⊹୨🍰୧ ⊹ ⊹ ~  ݁. 🍓 ݁.⊹୨🍰୧ ⊹ . ݁🍓  ~ ⊹⊹  ~  🍓⊹

   *˚ *༘𝓢𝓸𝓻𝓫𝓮𝓽·˚ ༘ *

                      generation 7

 ₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ﾟ Gorgeous icy shards. Be sure not to burn your tongue. ₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚

       Growing up you always heard about your enchanting and stunning parent, and you knew you wanted to be them too. In your field you noticed no luck with people your age… so you took your talents to bigger fields. 

Aspiration: Fabulously Wealthy

Traits: Romantic, Materialistic, Hates Children

Requirements:

—✧Earn the socially gifted trait 

—✧Have a childhood enemy that you later become friends with in YA

—✧As a teen dress “Not-cute”/ socially acceptable

—✧Have failed relationship with “Popular” kid their age 

—✧Never see your first partner in public. May only have “dates” at your house or at night in private places

—✧Have highschool partner dump them privately

—✧Throw a gold House & Dinner party

—✧Marry at least 2 elder, rich sims (And wait for them to die)

—✧At least once marry someone with bad compatibility or worse

—✧Meet 3rd Elder sims and Elope that night, after (Conveniently) get rid of them ;)

—✧Must have a wedding each marriage (No eloping)

—✧After last marriage, rekindle flame between first love

⊹ ~  ݁. 🍓 ݁.⊹୨🍰୧ ⊹ . ݁🍓  ~ ⊹⊹  ~  🍓 ݁.⊹୨🍰୧ ⊹ ⊹ ~  ݁. 🍓 ݁.⊹୨🍰୧ ⊹ . ݁🍓  ~ ⊹⊹  ~  🍓⊹

  *˚ *༘ 𝓢'𝓶𝓸𝓻𝓮⋆·˚ ༘ *

                   generation 8

              ₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ﾟ Quite sticky, be sure to keep away from the plates. ₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚

             You had everything you ever wanted, and more, except the acceptance of your parent. Your parent always seemed to hate you, calling you a, “Sticky little thing.” This aroused a burning inside your stomach you couldn’t get rid of. Something about your hands, they couldn’t keep from other people's things, but this would be to your advantage. 

Aspiration: Public Enemy, Reinassance Sim

Traits: Kleptomaniac, Genius, Unflirty

Requirements:

—✧Have an amazing relationship with the help (Butler or nanny) 

—✧Have a bad relationship with parent

—✧Complete Whiz Kid aspiration

—✧Have one sworn enemy since childhood

—✧Complete public enemy aspiration

—✧Complete Reinassance Sim Aspiration

—✧Start a break-in at least once

—✧Kick someone out of wedding

—✧Become level 5 in Criminal career (Boss branch) 

—✧Divorce spouse once pregnant or once you’ve discovered pregnancy

—✧Have triplets (May cheat) 

—✧Master mischief skill

—✧Master Logic Skill

—✧Earn workaholic lifestyle

⊹ ~  ݁. 🍓 ݁.⊹୨🍰୧ ⊹ . ݁🍓  ~ ⊹⊹  ~  🍓 ݁.⊹୨🍰୧ ⊹ ⊹ ~  ݁. 🍓 ݁.⊹୨🍰୧ ⊹ . ݁🍓  ~ ⊹⊹  ~  🍓⊹

 *˚ *༘ 𝓝𝓮𝓪𝓹𝓸𝓵𝓲𝓽𝓪𝓷⋆·˚ ༘ *

                        generation 9

 ₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ Closely knit, they come as a packaged deal. ₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧

The three of you have always had each other, and even when the world compared you, you didn’t mind. The biggest compliment was that you looked, talked, and acted like each other. Love wasn’t a word thrown around in your house, and when your first partner says it. It’s too much. 

Strawberry:

Aspiration:Musical Genius

Traits: Creative ,Music lover, Unflirty

Vanilla:

Aspiration: Best selling Author 

Traits: Bookworm, Creative, Unflirty

Chocolate:

Aspiration: Painter Extraordinaire 

Traits:Creative, Art lover ,Unflirty

Requirements:

—✧Have full relationship with siblings your whole life 

—✧Have all 3 join drama club as kids

—✧Have each triplet have one partner in highschool but break things off after the first date

—✧No one ever marries or gets engaged

—✧Complete all 3 aspirations

—✧Adopt a baby together 

—✧Have Strawberry chose Musician path in Entertainer career

—✧All follow dreams (One an author, One a performer, One an artist)

—✧All must get to 10 in respective hobbies

—✧Vanilla must have at least 10 books circulating in royalties 

⊹ ~  ݁. 🍓 ݁.⊹୨🍰୧ ⊹ . ݁🍓  ~ ⊹⊹  ~  🍓 ݁.⊹୨🍰୧ ⊹ ⊹ ~  ݁. 🍓 ݁.⊹୨🍰୧ ⊹ . ݁🍓  ~ ⊹⊹  ~  🍓⊹

 *˚ *༘ 𝓟𝓮𝓪𝓬𝓱 𝓒𝓸𝓫𝓫𝓵𝓮𝓻⋆·˚ ༘ *

                        generation  10

 ₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ A treat from settlers in a foreign land. One they see as home ₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧

  Being adopted, your family never lets you feel anything other than love. This piqued your curiosity on what the rest of your family is like. In your research you find out about your ancestors Farm, and this, this was your calling. 

Aspiration: Freelance Botanist

Traits: Good, Cheerful, Childish

Requirements:

—✧Have full relationship with all your parents your whole life

—✧Meet all alive relatives (On neapolitans side) 

—✧Earn Empathetic trait

—✧Master Garden skill

—✧Unlock the Chestnut Ridge secret lot

—✧Master Gourmet Cooking

—✧Move on the lot Generation 1 lived on (May renovate) 

—✧Revive Generation one from the dead (Must keep their spirit alive through all the other generations)

[pansy-picnics]

Americans who are worried about bird flu and/or are struggling to afford eggs the next few months- find someone in your local community who has chickens.

It is winter right now, so most backyard hens won’t be laying, but come spring, they’ll be laying so many eggs a lot of chicken owners don’t even know what to do with them all. They’ll often sell you a whole carton for like, 2-3 dollars. a backyard flock owner might even give them away for free if they’re desperate.

frankly, if you start buying fresh eggs, you probably won’t want to ever go back. farm fresh eggs taste better, last longer (sometimes without even being refrigerated), and have tougher, denser shells. not to mention they’re beautiful considering they come in all different shapes, sizes and colors!

in general though, farmers markets are HUGE. the cororate meat and dairy industries are breeding grounds for disease right now, and grocery prices are skyrocketing. local farmers markets and community owned grocery stores can get you better prices on better food, from things like eggs to produce, meat, and dairy.

i see a lot of people talking about community but i think a lot of people still don’t know where to start….since food is a big one, i want to share some resources. its important to remember that we don’t need these corporations to survive. they need us. even if you don’t make a lot of income, there are ways you can support your community and get better deals than at corporate owned grocery stores.

Most states have a farmers market network/association, or you can find local markets through your state’s department of agriculture website. heres a list of resources by state on the farmers market coalition. some of these links might be broken or outdated, but just looking up the name should bring you to the right page.

here’s also a list of food pantries and grocery co-ops per state. keep in mind these might not encapsulate every resource available, they’re just jumping off points in case you aren’t sure where to start, since i know things are really overwhelming right now. but even just looking up “farmers market/food pantry” and your county or city will come up with plenty of results.

I know that not everyone can afford farmers markets, there are cases where they’re more expensive than regular grocery stores. it 100% depends on the situation. but most areas usually have at least one local food bank or community group where you can get some assistance if you’re struggling. start to get to know your neighbors, too. you know how older folks will say that back in the day, you could go ask the neighbors for a cup of sugar and they’d give it to you? That kind of basic community is exactly what we have to go back to in these next few years. That is what is gonna keep us alive.

[novy2sirius]

Wealth Numbers in Numerology

💸 certain numbers are better for wealth in certain countries. 4 and 24 can be great for wealth in the united states for example. however, this post is strictly about wealth numbers as a whole

💸 if you were born in a pig, cat, and especially a goat year you’re more likely to gain wealth as well. these animals are in the wealth trine (referring to vietnamese astrology)

8 energy - this is the main number of money. 8’s often are poor before they’re rich, but their literal purpose in life is to gain wealth and still be a good person even when successful. if they don’t become wealthy or experience multiple financial classes (middle, upper, etc) they haven’t fulfilled their purpose

9 energy - this is a number you’ll see commonly in wealthy people. especially famous wealthy people. notice how the word “investment” starts with “i”, the ninth letter of the english alphabet

19 energy - this is the most powerful wealth number in numerology. 1 is associated with the root chakra and physical world such as materialism which includes money and 9 is associated with extremes in numerology. you’ll also notice in the american dollar sign there’s an s and s is the 19th letter in the english alphabet which is one of the most powerful languages in this matrix

26 energy - this is the wealthiest variation of 8 and is known as a number associated with prosperity and abundance of income by the kabbalists as well as by many other belief systems

28 energy - attracts money with minimal effort. if not wealthy it’s likely because of unresolved karma. money comes to them when they need it most. anything that 2 is placed next to will double its energy and 8 is the number of money which is why this is a wealth number. notice how some of the richest people in the world were born with 28 energy

38 energy - these people have lots of luck with money since 3 is the number of luck and 8 is the number of money

[batboyblog]

Things Biden and the Democrats did, this week #20

May 24-31 2024

The EPA awards $900 million to school districts across the country to replace diesel fueled school buses with cleaner alternatives. The money will go to 530 school districts across nearly every state, DC, tribal community, and US territory. The funds will help replace 3,400 buses with cleaner alternatives, 92% of the new buses will be 100% green electric. This adds to the $3 billion the Biden administration has already spent to replace 8,500 school buses across 1,000 school districts in the last 2 years.

For the first time the federal government released guidelines for Voluntary Carbon Markets. Voluntary Carbon Markets are a system by which companies off set their carbon emissions by funding project to fight climate change like investing in wind or solar power. Critics have changed that companies are using them just for PR and their funding often goes to projects that would happen any ways thus not offsetting emissions. The new guidelines seek to insure integrity in the Carbon Markets and make sure they make a meaningful impact. It also pushes companies to address emissions first and use offsets only as a last resort.

The IRS announced it'll take its direct file program nationwide in 2025. In 2024 140,000 tax payers in 12 states used the direct file pilot program and the IRS now plans to bring it to all Americans next tax season. Right now the program is only for simple W-2 returns with no side income but the IRS has plans to expand it to more complex filings in the future. This is one of the many projects at the IRS being funded through President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act.

The White House announced steps to boost nuclear energy in America. Nuclear power in the single largest green energy source in the country accounting for 19% of America's total energy. Boosting Nuclear energy is a key part of the Biden administration's strategy to reach a carbon free electricity sector by 2035. The administration has invested in bring the Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan back on-line, and extending the life of Diablo Canyon in California. In addition the Military will be deploying new small modular nuclear reactors and microreactors to power its installations. The Administration is setting up a task force to help combat the delays and cost overruns that have often derailed new nuclear projects and the Administration is supporting two Gen III+ SMR demonstration projects to highlight the safety and efficiency of the next generation of nuclear power.

The Department of Agriculture announced $824 million in new funding to protect livestock health and combat H5N1. The funding will go toward early detection, vaccine research, and supporting farmers impacted. The USDA is also launching a nation wide Dairy Herd Status Pilot Program, hopefully this program will give us a live look at the health of America's dairy herd and help with early detection. The Biden Administration has reacted quickly and proactively to the early cases of H5N1 to make sure it doesn't spread to the human population and become another pandemic situation.

The White House announced a partnership with 21 states to help supercharge America's aging energy grid. Years of little to no investment in America's Infrastructure has left our energy grid lagging behind the 21st century tech. This partnership aims to squeeze all the energy we can out of our current system while we rush to update and modernize. Last month the administration announced a plan to lay 100,000 miles of new transmission lines over the next five years. The 21 states all with Democratic governors are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin.

The Department of Transportation announced $343 million to update 8 of America's oldest and busiest transportation stations for disability accessibility. These include the MBTA's the Green Line's light-rail B and C branches in Boston,  Cleveland's Blue Line, New Orleans'  St. Charles Streetcar route, and projects in San Francisco and New York City and other locations

The Department of interior announced two projects for water in Western states. $179 million for drought resilience projects in California and Utah and $242 million for expanding water access in California, Colorado and Washington. The projects should help support drinking water for 6.4 million people every year.

HUD announced $150 million for affordable housing for tribal communities. This adds to the over $1 billion dollars for tribal housing announced earlier in the month. Neil Whitegull of the Ho-Chunk Nation said at the announcement "I know a lot of times as Native Americans we've been here and we've seen people that have said, ‘Oh yeah, we'd like to help Indians.’ And they take a picture and they go away. We never see it, But there's been a commitment here, with the increase in funding, grants, and this administration that is bringing their folks out. And there's a real commitment, I think, to Native American tribes that we've never seen before."

Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged $135 million to help Moldavia. Since the outbreak of Russia's war against neighboring Ukraine the US has given $774 million in aid to tiny Moldavia. Moldavia has long been dependent on Russian energy but thanks to US investment in the countries energy security Moldavia is breaking away from Russia and moving forward with EU membership.

The US and Guatemala launched the "Youth With Purpose” initiative. The initiative will be run through the Central America Service Corps, launched in 2022 by Vice President Harris the CASC is part of the Biden Administration's efforts to improve life in Central America. The Youth With Purpose program will train 25,000 young Guatemalans and connect with with service projects throughout the country.

Bonus: Today, May 31st 2024, is the last day of the Affordable Connectivity Program. The program helped 23 million Americans connect to the internet while saving them $30 to $75 dollars every month. Despite repeated calls from President Biden Republicans in Congress have refused to act to renew the program. The White House has worked with private companies to get them to agree to extend the savings to the end of 2024. The Biden Administration has invested $90 Billion high-speed internet investments. Such as $42.45 billion for Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment, $1 billion for the The Middle Mile program laying 12,000 miles of regional fiber networks, and distributed nearly 30,000 connected devices to students and communities, including more than 3,600 through the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program

[capsfriendly]

with the caps at home vs the panthers tonight, i wanted to come on here and say a couple things about the panthers’ visit to the white house.

i’ve seen some people on here and on twitter pointing out the hypocrisy of certain players who have vocally supported diversity initiatives in hockey turning around and doing a photo op with a man who is nakedly trying to strip marginalized people of their rights. the sense of betrayal those fans are feeling is completely justified. despite appearances, conservative politics are incredibly popular among nhl players. i’m not writing to defend any of these men (my views lean pretty far left), but to share my understanding of the ways north american hockey as an institution perpetuates conservatism.

1) barrier of entry

ice hockey requires a lot of equipment to play. to be able to put a child through the decade or more of club dues and equipment fees required to begin seeing returns on investment—in men’s hockey, this begins with stipend pay at the major junior level in north america—requires an amount of money that many families simply cannot pay (though there are a bevy of charities trying to combat this). sports like soccer and basketball, which require comparably little equipment, are far more popular among both players of color and players from low-income families, especially in countries where hockey isn’t a national pastime.

because of this economic disparity between those who can play hockey and those who can’t, locker rooms can turn into echo chambers of privilege.

2) lack of higher education

i’m not sure of the data for other countries, but in the united states, there is a high positive correlation between holding a college degree and voting for democratic candidates. north american players are drafted to the nhl from major junior and collegiate teams, and entrance to professional leagues cuts their education short.

nhl players drafted from collegiate teams often enter the league without completing a bachelor’s degree, getting a year or two of higher education. during those years, many pick classes that they already have a strong knowledge base in, aware they’ll need to keep their grades up to maintain their university’s gpa requirement for athletes. because of this, many miss out on subjects that would teach them about systems of inequality like statistics, sociology, and studies of groups of historically marginalized people.

major juniors players, who move away from home in their mid teens, are even worse off. they leave school, usually completing the bare minimum requirements of a high school diploma to focus on their development as players and travel for games. and up until a recent vote, athletes from the canadian major junior hockey leagues were ineligible from playing ncaa hockey.

3) body economics

like all athletes, hockey players’ bodies are their jobs. the natural decline of their bodies over time limits their playing careers to the years of their lives when they can physically compete with both opposing players (to win games) and their own teammates (for roster spots).

the mean nhl career is 7 years. many hockey players don’t learn another trade and have no guarantee of making a successful career transition after retirement from playing (though some go on to coaching and media positions).

this creates a pressure to make as much money as possible while they still can, knowing that every time the take to the ice to do their jobs, they risk the very things they use to earn money: their bodies.

the physical nature of hockey means that a career-ending injury could come at any point. holding onto their earnings, knowing they’ll likely make up the bulk of income over their entire life, is essential to ensuring the comfort and health of themselves and their families.

earning high paychecks for an inherently limited number of years, it becomes attractive to these players to support candidates who promise to cut taxes for the rich, something popular among conservative politicians. while players may bear no ill will to members of historically marginalized groups and may even support their rights and freedoms, their personal economic situations lead them to vote for politicians who perpetuate that marginalization.

there are plenty of straight-up bigots playing major league sports. the panthers shouldn’t be singled out for visiting 1600 pennsylvania avenue. not because supporting the current administration isn’t reprehensible, but because it isn’t unique among hockey players—or even among athletes.

[dandelionsresilience]

Good News - July 22-28

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1. Four new cheetah cubs born in Saudi Arabia after 40 years of extinction

“[T]he discovery of mummified cheetahs in caves […] which ranged in age from 4,000 to as recent as 120 years, proved that the animals […] once called [Saudi Arabia] home. The realisation kick-started the country’s Cheetah Conservation Program to bring back the cats to their historic Arabian range. […] Dr Mohammed Qurban, CEO of the NCW, said: […] “This motivates us to continue our efforts to restore and reintroduce cheetahs, guided by an integrated strategy designed in accordance with best international practices.””

2. In sub-Saharan Africa, ‘forgotten’ foods could boost climate resilience, nutrition

“[A study published in PNAS] examined “forgotten” crops that may help make sub-Saharan food systems more resilient, and more nutritious, as climate change makes it harder to grow [current staple crops.] [… The study identified 138 indigenous] food crops that were “relatively underresearched, underutilized, or underpromoted in an African context,” but which have the nutrient content and growing stability to support healthy diets and local economies in the region. […] In Eswatini, van Zonneveld and the World Vegetable Center are working with schools to introduce hardy, underutilized vegetables to their gardens, which have typically only grown beans and maize.”

3. Here's how $4 billion in government money is being spent to reduce climate pollution

“[New Orleans was awarded] nearly $50 million to help pay for installing solar on low to middle income homes [… and] plans to green up underserved areas with trees and build out its lackluster bike lane system to provide an alternative to cars. […] In Utah, $75 million will fund several measures from expanding electric vehicles to reducing methane emissions from oil and gas production. [… A] coalition of states led by North Carolina will look to store carbon in lands used for agriculture as well as natural places like wetlands, with more than $400 million. [… This funding is] “providing investments in communities, new jobs, cost savings for everyday Americans, improved air quality, … better health outcomes.””

4. From doom scrolling to hope scrolling: this week’s big Democratic vibe shift

“[Democrats] have been on an emotional rollercoaster for the past few weeks: from grim determination as Biden fought to hang on to his push for a second term, to outright exuberance after he stepped aside and Harris launched her campaign. […] In less than a week, the Harris campaign raised record-breaking sums and signed up more than 100,000 new volunteers[….] This honeymoon phase will end, said Democratic strategist Guy Cecil, warning the election will be a close race, despite this newfound exuberance in his party. [… But v]oters are saying they are excited to vote for Harris and not just against Trump. That’s new.”

5. Biodegradable luminescent polymers show promise for reducing electronic waste

“[A team of scientists discovered that a certain] chemical enables the recycling of [luminescent polymers] while maintaining high light-emitting functions. […] At the end of life, this new polymer can be degraded under either mild acidic conditions (near the pH of stomach acid) or relatively low heat treatment (> 410 F). The resulting materials can be isolated and remade into new materials for future applications. […] The researchers predict this new polymer can be applied to existing technologies, such as displays and medical imaging, and enable new applications […] such as cell phones and computer screens with continued testing.”

6. World’s Biggest Dam Removal Project to Open 420 Miles of Salmon Habitat this Fall

“Reconnecting the river will help salmon and steelhead populations survive a warming climate and [natural disasters….] In the long term, dam removal will significantly improve water quality in the Klamath. “Algae problems in the reservoirs behind the dams were so bad that the water was dangerous for contact […] and not drinkable,” says Fluvial Geomorphologist Brian Cluer. [… The project] will begin to reverse decades of habitat degradation, allow threatened salmon species to be resilient in the face of climate change, and restore tribal connections to their traditional food source.”

7. Biden-Harris Administration Awards $45.1 Million to Expand Mental Health and Substance Use Services Across the Lifespan

““Be it fostering wellness in young people, caring for the unhoused, facilitating treatment and more, this funding directly supports the needs of our neighbors,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. [The funding also supports] recovery and reentry services to adults in the criminal justice system who have a substance use disorder[… and clinics which] serve anyone who asks for help for mental health or substance use, regardless of their ability to pay.”

8. The World’s Rarest Crow Will Soon Fly Free on Maui

“[… In] the latest attempt to establish a wild crow population, biologists will investigate if this species can thrive on Maui, an island where it may have never lived before. Translocations outside of a species’ known historical range are rare in conservation work, but for a bird on the brink of extinction, it’s a necessary experiment: Scientists believe the crows will be safer from predators in a new locale—a main reason that past reintroduction attempts failed. […] As the release date approaches, the crows have already undergone extensive preparation for life in the wild. […] “We try to give them the respect that you would give if you were caring for someone’s elder.””

9. An optimist’s guide to the EV battery mining challenge

““Battery minerals have a tremendous benefit over oil, and that’s that you can reuse them.” [… T]he report’s authors found there’s evidence to suggest that [improvements in technology] and recycling have already helped limit demand for battery minerals in spite of this rapid growth — and that further improvements can reduce it even more. [… They] envision a scenario in which new mining for battery materials can basically stop by 2050, as battery recycling meets demand. In this fully realized circular battery economy, the world must extract a total of 125 million tons of battery minerals — a sum that, while hefty, is actually 17 times smaller than the oil currently harvested every year to fuel road transport.”

10. Peekaboo! A baby tree kangaroo debuts at the Bronx Zoo

“The tiny Matschie’s tree kangaroo […] was the third of its kind born at the Bronx Zoo since 2008. [… A] Bronx Zoo spokesperson said that the kangaroo's birth was significant for the network of zoos that aims to preserve genetic diversity among endangered animals. "It's a small population and because of that births are not very common," said Jessica Moody, curator of primates and small mammals at the Bronx Zoo[, …] adding that baby tree kangaroos are “possibly one of the cutest animals to have ever lived. They look like stuffed animals, it's amazing.””

July 15-21 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[robertreich]

5 Crises Republicans Made up to Distract You

Here are five totally made-up “crises” Republicans have invented to distract from the real crises facing Americans today: the growing concentration of wealth, the worsening climate crisis, and the undermining of our democracy.

Fake crisis #1:  Anything they claim is “woke.”

Although Republicans struggle to define what “woke” even means, they’re constantly using it as a weapon to combat anything that seeks to foster tolerance and acceptance.

Pride flags? Woke!

Books about Rosa Parks? Woke!

Green M&M’s? The wokest!

Fortunately, most Americans think being informed and aware of social injustice…which is what being “woke” really means... is a good thing.

Fake crisis #2: The panic over trans people.

Trans people just want the right to exist safely as their true selves, like everyone else. And despite the lies spewed by some Republicans, there’s not a shred of evidence that they are a threat to anyone. But they’ve become easy scapegoats for the GOP, who vilify them and threaten to criminalize their very existence.

Fake crisis #3: Critical race theory

In reality, critical race theory is mostly taught in universities — like quantum physics or philosophy. It's really not taught in K-12, nor is it dangerous.

It’s merely a framework to understand the role that race and racism have played in shaping America’s laws and institutions. But Republicans have deliberately turned this obscure academic phrase into a weapon to silence any discussion of race they don't like.

Unfortunately, this includes teaching many basic historical facts.

Fake crisis #4: “Couch potatoes.”

Republicans are whipping up anger over welfare recipients supposedly abusing the system.

The reality is most people who collect benefits already hold jobs and work exceedingly hard.

Like Ronald Reagan’s claim about so-called “welfare queens”, the “couch potato” myth is a cruel racial dog whistle. In fact, the vast majority of Americans who receive government benefits are white.

We should be asking why so many jobs pay such low wages that workers need government help to get by?

Fake crisis #5: “Out of control government spending.”

Another lie. Apart from mandatory spending like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, government spending has actually fallen more than 30% in the past 50 years as a percentage of our total economy.

[9.6% in 1973  vs. 6.6% in 2022, a decrease of  31.25%]

Yes, the national debt is a problem, but in recent years, among its biggest drivers have been the Bush and Trump tax cuts, which have added nearly $10 trillion to the debt since their enactment.

All five of these so-called crises have been manufactured by the GOP. They’re entirely made up.

Why? To deflect attention from the near record share of the nation’s income and wealth now going to the richest Americans.

As the wealthy pour money into politics — largely into the GOP — they don’t want the rest of America to notice they’re rigging the economy for their own benefit, that their greed is worsening the climate crisis, and they’re undermining our democracy.

So the game of the Republican Party and their major donors is to deflect attention — to use fake crises to disguise what’s really going on.

Don’t let them get away with it.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Qasim Rashid at Let's Address This:

On May 20, 1962, JFK delivered an impassioned speech at Madison Square Garden in favor of universal healthcare. Then, decades later in 2006 nearly 7 in 10 Americans believed the government should fund healthcare. And now, a new Gallop Poll reports that 62% of Americans believe in guaranteed universal healthcare. And despite this decades of support, not a single Presidential candidate this cycle had the courage to run on this wildly popular platform. Over the last week I’ve written in detail about America’s Violent Health System, and likewise, shared a deeply personal story about When Insurance Rejects Life Saving Care about our daughter Hannah Noor.

In response, I’ve received overwhelming empathy and compassion from conservatives and liberals alike, Republicans and Democrats, from those who self-identify as “Ultra MAGA” to those who label themselves as “Bernie Social Democrats.” Americans get it. Healthcare needs to be a human right. Sadly, politicians, Republicans and too many Democrats alike, don’t get it. They worship at the altar of corporate donations. The health insurance industry annually spends a harrowing $700,000,000 on lobbying politicians to do their bidding. And that doesn’t even include what they spend on SuperPACs to block out candidates who dare run on a platform of guaranteed universal healthcare. Those same healthcare corporations then engage in a mass media blitz of misinformation and disinformation to convince people to vote against their own self-interests. In reality, guaranteed universal healthcare is a proven model adopted by every single developed nation on Earth (and many lower income developing nations). And while I do not have $700,000,000 to counter the lobbying propaganda health insurance corporations infuse into our politics, I do have access to the facts that health insurance corporations hope the American people don’t realize.

Myth 1: We Can’t Afford Universal Healthcare

Fact: The opposite is true. Dozens of studies prove that universal healthcare will save Americans billions of dollars annually. In fact, 22 studies reviewed all concluded that universal healthcare would save approximately $450 billion a year. And this is a universal conclusion. For example, “Even the Mercatus Center, a right-wing think tank, recently found about $2 trillion in net savings over 10 years from a single-payer Medicare for All system. Most importantly, everyone in America would have high-quality health care coverage.” Moreover, we cannot forget that right now approximately 73 million Americans are on Medicaid, 68 million Americans are on Medicare, and 10 million Americans are on Tricare. That means that of our nation’s 335 million people, approximately 151 million are already on a universal (or near universal) healthcare model. And guess what? These programs each cost significantly less than the exploitative for-profit healthcare model. The overhead on these programs is 2-3%, while the overhead on for profit healthcare is 20%, plus a near unlimited mark up on prescription drugs. In this we have a side by side comparison of access to the exact same doctors and medications, except one has a nominal mark up and the other has a 10X markup. It doesn’t take an MBA in finance to understand that the same product or service without the massive markup is the smarter path to take. The only thing we cannot afford is for the current exploitative for profit model to continue.

Myth 2: If Costs Go Down, So Does Quality of Care

Fact: This is simply not true. It is important to understand why costs decrease, because contrary to the myth, every single one of the above studies found that quality of care would not decrease with universal healthcare. 

[...]

Myth 3: Universal Healthcare Puts Millions Out of Work

Fact: What would happen to the roughly 1.8 million Americans who work in medical billing? This is a great question and has a robust answer that I break down in three parts. First, remember that about 40% of these jobs are already in the Medicaid and Medicare and Tricare industries—which is essentially universal healthcare for a portion of society. Therefore, we’re talk about roughly 1 million jobs, which admittedly is still a large number. What to do with those? Well, hence the second point. Expanding Medicare to accommodate another 175 million people will necessarily require medical billing professionals and administrators to do those jobs. Therefore, the question is not about eliminating jobs, but about transitioning workers from the for profit exploitative system, to a non for profit system that prioritizes access to healthcare. Likewise, remember that ending the for profit system saves us at least $450 billion annually. These resources give us options. For example, these are excellent resources that could be spent on a lengthy 2-year salary severance to those in medical billing who do lose their jobs, plus adequate funding and training to allow them to become proficient in a new job. Indeed, at $70 billion annually, four-year-public college costs a fraction of what would be saved by shifting from an exploitative for profit model, to a universal healthcare model. We cannot afford not to make the shift.

[...]

Myth 5: Universal Healthcare Causes Long Wait Lines

Fact: For primary physician appointments, Americans already wait longer under our exploitative for profit model than do people in nations with universal healthcare. Frankly, I marvel at this allegation as I reflect over the fact that it took us more than two years to get our daughter the critical life saving medication she needed, only because our exploitative for profit health insurance company refused to accept our doctor’s medical instruction. In reality, wait times in the United States are shorter only for elective surgery, but for primary care or for critical care, the United States is the worst out of any nation with universal healthcare.

Qasim Rashid wrote a solid piece debunking anti-universal healthcare lies propped up by for-profit health shills.

[disacurveball]

The Terror characters as an American college fraternity

Sir John: Obviously the president. He’s an upperclassman, but is a junior. He wasn’t anyone’s first pick, but the former President and VP (Barrow and Ross) had to step down after the house gets a hazing investigation opened on it by the college. John isn’t doing a great job of stopping future hazing incidents from occurring. His house name is Puss in Boots (ate his boot while drunk).

Crozier: Very tired senior Vice-President. He has never run for an executive position before, but his situationship Sophia Cracroft asked him to make sure her cousin John doesn’t get arrested. He doesn’t go to house parties after brawling with Fitzjames over the last drops of beer in their keg, and is on mandated sobriety by the college for this incident. His house name is Gallon (nobody ask how much he drinks).

Fitzjames: The greatest Social chair that the brotherhood of Epsilon Tau has ever seen. Every year he hosts the infamous ET Toga party, which gets the cops called on it every year. He secretly is obsessed with Rupaul’s drag race which is why he’s always able to curate the most fire playlists. His house name is Madonna (it’s not a secret).

Dundy: Jock chair, obviously. Makes sure the boys are in good shape. I needn’t say any more. House name is Dundy, because that already is one.

Little: Stressed out House Man. He’s in charge of the physical upkeep of the house. That shit is literally falling apart. There are crushed beer cans everywhere, the floors are sticky, their windows are broken and there is a foul smell coming from all the couches. He’s constantly calling repair men on the weekends and crying when he has to clean up a toilet flood in the basement. His house name is Little because let’s be real, the dick jokes there are immense.

Hodgson: Recruitment chair! He makes fun Canva posters to promote Fitzjames’s parties and makes the house seem like a really fun and welcoming place to incoming freshmen PNMs (potential new members). Will he haze them when they become pledges? Sure. But he’d rather be playing Piano Man drunkenly at 2 am and yapping about linguistic facts at a party. His house name is Hodge Podge, after his assortment of fun facts.

Irving: Treasurer (treasuring the house <3) He was the only one who has experience handling funding before because he did so fundraising for his church. Giving back to the house and being in a supportive all-male environment is a Christian pleasure after all. He engages in hazing of biblical proportions. Part of the college hazing investigation was freshman pledge Magnus Manson being forced to stay in the cemetery all night. His house name is Cherub, obviously.

Jopson: The Secretary! He sends out all campus emails and takes really comprehensive meeting notes. If you need to know anything about house lore or precedent, you go to him, he knows the house constitution inside and out. This was especially helpful during the Hickey judiciary council case. His house name is just Jop because people respect him.

Hickey: Used to be a member of Epsilon Tau, but he got kicked out for being found out as the one who tipped the college off about their insane hazing. He did so because he ran for both President and VP and didn’t get elected to either. He didn’t even get elected when Barrow and Ross had to step down either. That sent him over the edge to the point where he started planting hard alcohol bottles around the house and calling the campus police to find them. They finally caught him when he recruited his friends Billy and Tozer to steal the house’s pong table. This table still resides in his off-campus rental house which he has started spreading the rumor is an unofficial new frat called “Sigma Mu”

Billy: He has never been affiliated with Greek life but joins Hickey’s new frat Sigma Mu as its Vice President. He may have been a vital part in Hickey’s decision to do this. He also unofficially acts as its treasurer and Secretary because he was already Hickey’s roommate in the rental house, so really he has no choice but to keep it afloat.

Tozer: Also used to be a part of Epsilon Tau, but gets kicked out too for helping Hickey steal the pong table, and also getting into one too many bar fights. He’s now the new Social chair/Recruitment chair at “Sigma Mu” and gets Pilkington and Armitage to join.

Des Voeux: Freshman who somehow becomes best friends with Fitzjames and Hodgson and so immediately gets into Epsilon Tau without much hazing involved. Nobody knows he’s the one who gave Hickey’s crew the new door code and info to go steal the pong table. He’s still part of ET but frequents the parties at Sigma Nu because he’s not about to say no to any rager. His house name is Des Hoeux.

Goodsir: Not part of Greek Life but he’s treated like an honorary brother of Epsilon Tau because he’s the student EMT who always gets sent to their house every party and he takes care of their drunk brothers. Somebody asks him for drugs every time he enters the building.

Blanky: Fuckmaster Blanky needs no description. He is a legend that gets past down amongst the brotherhood. Legend has it that Fuckmaster Blanky was a brother who lost his leg while doing what he loved……Recruitment chair will tell this story during initiation every year to encourage pledges to honor the house and be like Blanky.