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dontmeantobepoliticalbut · 11 months

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Outside the California State Capitol last month, a fitness trainer turned school board president fired up the crowd at a parental rights rally, telling them they were all fighters in “a spiritual battle” for their kids and must answer the call from God.

Sonja Shaw, who was elected to the Chino Valley Unified School District board of education last November with an assist from a local megachurch and its Christian nationalist pastor, didn’t equivocate in naming the enemy: state Democratic officials who are challenging her right-leaning policies—and drafting laws that hinder book bans and protect teachers from harassment.

“Today we stand here and declare in his almighty name that it’s only a matter of time before we take your seats and we be a God-fearing example to the nation, how God is using California to lead the way,” Shaw crowed, adding, “We already know who has won this battle. You will be removed in Jesus’s name! You, Satan, are losing.”

Now Shaw is in the national spotlight in wake of her Chino school board passing codes that ban pride flags in classrooms and force educators to inform parents if their children identify as transgender—the first such policy to be passed in the state.

This summer, Shaw’s school board meetings, about 35 miles east of Los Angeles, became chaotic spectacles, ones that attracted the Proud Boys and other right-wing extremists and pitted them against students and parents protesting what they’re calling anti-LGBTQ practices that endanger children. When California superintendent of schools Tony Thurmond appeared at the July meeting in opposition, Shaw unceremoniously silenced him.

Weeks after state Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a civil rights probe into Shaw’s “gender disclosure” policy, his office sued the school board. Bonta said the policy violates the California constitution and state law, and would cause LGBTQ+ students, “mental, emotional, psychological and potential physical harm,” according to a press release.

Other right-leaning school boards across the state have followed Chino Valley Unified’s lead. Shortly before filing suit against the Chino board, Bonta issued statements denouncing the Anderson Union High School District, Temecula Valley Unified and Murrieta Valley Unified school boards’ decisions to pursue “copycat” anti-trans policies.

“These students are currently under threat of being outed to their parents against their will, and many fear that the District’s policy will force them to make a choice: either ‘walk back’ their constitutionally and statutorily protected rights to gender identity and gender expression, or face the risk of emotional, physical, and psychological harm,” Bonta said.

To concerned observers in Chino, Shaw’s tack is not unlike what’s happening at school boards across the country, with brawls over curriculum, social emotional learning, and the banning of books that focus on race and LGBTQ issues. Extremist groups like Moms for Liberty have spawned a mainstream narrative that public schools are “indoctrinating” children with “woke” ideology and into believing they’re a different gender.

But in Chino Valley, the school board’s new direction appears to be spurred on by a man behind the curtain: Shaw’s megachurch pastor Jack Hibbs.

Indeed, three of the board’s five members belong to his church, Calvary Chapel Chino Hills.

At the Sacramento rally, Hibbs boasted of his congregation’s work in electing Shaw. Calling her a “true modern-day Deborah,” Hibbs said the soccer mom “heeded the call to run for the school board” and that “when churches get involved and get informed, people vote.”

God, Hibbs said, installed Shaw into her position.

“Get on your knees every night,” Shaw told the crowd. “All day I talk to him. People probably think I’m crazy, but I’m really just talking to God all day.” After reciting a Bible verse, she added, “I have looked demons straight in the eye and with God’s authority rebuked them back to hell where they belong.”

“You can do that too, trust me.”

Residents have long raised alarms about the school board’s religious bent. And Pastor Hibbs and members of his megachurch congregation appear to be more involved than ever in Chino’s public schools.

Last week, in an interview with right-wing provocateur Charlie Kirk, Hibbs said that he brought the policy language to the school board after Republican state Assemblyman Bill Essayli’s “parental notification” legislation died without a hearing.

“He came back thinking he was defeated,” Hibbs said. “What we did is that we read his bill and we took the verbiage from that bill and then introduced it to our unified school district school board and they voted and adopted the verbiage.”

“Guess what happened?” Hibbs continued. “We found out something, Charlie, that the most powerful politics is local…”

Hibbs then turned to Bonta’s lawsuit against the board, saying, “We’re going to take that on, we’re going to make sure that this goes to the U.S. Supreme Court.”

The pastor, who hasn’t returned messages left by The Daily Beast, wasn’t shy about his fight on the school board’s behalf.

Before he signed off, Hibbs told Kirk that children are “groomed” into trans ideology in the classroom and that schools want to “castrate your children” and “mutilate them.”

Ahead of the parental notification vote in July, Hibbs also urged people to flock to the fiery board meeting. “We’re asking people to show up by the thousands,” he said in a video announcement on the church’s Facebook page. “Please make it a priority.”

Meanwhile, Calvary Chapel has boasted on social media of collecting tens of thousands of ballots for state and local candidates endorsed by Hibbs. The church’s ballot collection, a practice it’s engaged in for years, is conducted with help from Hibbs’ political organization Real Impact.

A teacher in another district—who alleges she was fired for refusing to follow her school’s gender identity protocols—heeded Hibbs’ call. “I could no longer be both a Christian and a public school teacher,” she said at the board meeting. “Then I remembered what Pastor Jack Hibbs taught me, that the word of God says… that being a coward is a sin.”

Still, Shaw claims that neither she nor the school board follow Hibbs’ orders. “Absolutely not. No one has a direct line to Pastor Jack Hibbs. Pastor Jack has never said, ‘Hey, guys, I want you to bring this policy forward.’ Never ever did he do any of that,” she told The Daily Beast. She added, however, that she couldn’t speak on Hibbs’ involvement with the board of education prior to her election.

The mother of two daughters—a freshman and junior in high school—Shaw was a Bible study leader at another church before joining Hibbs’ Calvary Chapel Chino Hills about two years ago.

Last September, Shaw told the San Bernardino Sun that she wasn’t running for election on the behalf of the 10,000-member Calvary Chapel. “They keep calling me ‘the church’s choice.’ I’ve never met Pastor Jack (Hibbs). I’ve never been brought up on stage,” she said.

One month later, however, Hibbs introduced her at the pulpit, telling his Sunday service that “she’s truly going up against the machine” before leading a prayer for her victory. Shaw bowed her head as Hibbs lifted a hand in the air and declared, “She has decided, Lord, to take on the woke-ism that is attacking our children.”

Hibbs has emboldened supporters to fight progressive education bills and prop up Christian candidates. In his sermons, he has tearfully prayed on stage for Donald Trump to win the 2020 election, said COVID-19 vaccines would lead people into accepting “the mark of the beast,” and called “transgenderism” a “sexually perverted cult” and “an anti-God, anti-Christ plan of none other than Satan himself.”

On education, he’s claimed that he and his acolytes are “trying to rescue kids from a system that is sexualizing them,” that kids “come out of school questioning their gender but they don’t even know how to do simple math” and “are being raped by the public school system.”

Hibbs has also taken aim at California’s abortion protections, describing them as “Infanticidal Death Policies,” in a document circulated to his congregation in October 2022, just before Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s re-election.

“If God does not intervene in this upcoming election through His people, which has always been his MO, and, if Newsom has his way, then this will certainly be proof that judgment has begun in California if not the United States,” the document reads. It ends by encouraging followers to return their ballots to the church.

“We should be able to stand against the school board,” Hibbs said in May. “We should be able to stand against some teacher that is molesting your child—if not physically, in their minds.”

In July, Hibbs delivered a skewed history lesson claiming that some founding fathers “inherited” slaves but actually cared for them. “Before you call them rich white guys who were slave owners,” Hibbs preached, “you need to finish the sentence: They were rich white guys who were slave owners who clothed, fed, and in many cases took very good care of their slaves while at the same time juggling two worlds…”

The megachurch has also tried to meddle in Chino Valley public school classes and teachings. Calvary Chapel members once funded textbooks for an elective course in two public high schools on the Bible as history and literature and tried to alter rules for sex education curriculum.

The church also runs a Christian “Released Time” program, where public school students can duck out of class for weekly one-hour Bible lessons held in buses outfitted with tables and chairs. This program had a table at the district’s back-to-school night, and a volunteer in a Calvary Chapel Chino Hills T-shirt handed out candy and Bible coloring books.

“This is a national movement and it’s intentional,” former school board president Christina Gagnier told The Daily Beast. “I think Chino Valley is a cautionary tale.”

District parent Glory Ciccarelli condemned Hibbs’ words on slavery at the August board meeting, urging Black parents to leave his church and “wake up and realize that what our ancestors went through is slowly getting phased out of the curriculum to the point where our kids will eventually be taught that literal slaveholders were nice guys…”

Ciccarelli told The Daily Beast that her biggest issue with Chino Valley leadership is “the apathy they have for the Black kids in the district,” and that the board needs professional development training relating to race and culture and diversity in hiring.

But she believes that Hibbs’ influence over certain board members could derail any progress in the district. In addition to Shaw, two other school board members—James Na and Andrew Cruz—are also members of Calvary Chapel.

“Cruz and Na are quite literally acolytes of Jack Hibbs at this point,” Ciccarelli said. “In my opinion, everything they say and believe as it relates to the school board is basically something they have heard from him.”

Hibbs, she added, “reminds me of Jim Jones with the way he is so easily able to control so many people at the same time.”

At the July board meeting that attracted far-right extremists like the Proud Boys, some local parents pushed back against the church’s connections to the school board.

“Madam President, board, cabinet, and staff,” quipped one father of a queer child, “I didn’t know I came to church tonight. I thought it was a board meeting.”

So many citizens had signed up to speak, waiting in a line outside in 100-degree weather, that the board cut the public comment period from three minutes to one minute per person.

Lisa Greathouse, a local mom and former school board candidate, defended teachers against claims they were “indoctrinating” and “grooming” kids. “Make no mistake,” Greathouse told the auditorium, “what this board is pushing through now is just the tip of the iceberg. They are taking their cue from their megachurch…”

Outbursts from hecklers interrupted the proceeding, which had a heavy police and security presence. Speakers from out of town and from Calvary Chapel preached about God and the Devil, facing off with parents and students who warned Shaw and her board they would have blood on their hands should the “outing” policy pass.

One moment in particular was so explosive it made headlines: Shaw excoriated Tony Thurmond, California’s state superintendent of schools, who’d asked her to reconsider the policy about notifying parents if their children identified as trans. He said it might run afoul of student privacy laws and jeopardize kids who “may not be in homes where they can be safe.”

Thurmond wasn’t finished with his remarks, but Shaw cut him off for time like she did anyone else. “Tony Thurmond,” she seethed, “I appreciate you being here, tremendously. But here’s the problem: We’re here because of people like you. You’re in Sacramento proposing things that pervert children!”

After Thurmond tried to continue, Shaw yelled into her mic that she wouldn’t let him “blackmail” or “bully” her district. Video of the scene showed Thurmond exchanging words with a group of cops before walking away.

In a statement, Thurmond told The Daily Beast that a group of concerned students contacted him about Shaw’s proposal, and he rearranged his schedule to be there. “Let’s be clear about these policies—a small group of anti-LGBTQ+ politicians like Ms. Shaw believe they have the right to dictate when and how students and their families talk about their sexual orientation or gender identity,” Thurmond said. “They are trying to turn our public school educators—who are already overworked and underpaid—into the gender police.”

“Choosing when to come out and to whom is a deeply personal decision that LGBTQ+ young people have the right to make for themselves.”

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Ashlee Peters, the parent of a child in the district, watched the scene unfold. “As an educator and as a mom, you just sit there and go, ‘I can’t believe this is happening in my community,’” said Peters, who has been a public school teacher for 22 years.

Peters was also in line when far-right activist Bryce Henson, who also goes by Ben Richards, walked around trying to bait people into reacting on camera. “He would come up to you and be like, ‘I just want to talk to you, why can’t we just have a conversation about this?’” It was a sneak preview of the testimony to come.

Inside, people proselytized and spewed hatred, calling LGBTQ people “terrorists” and warning “demons are after our children.” Richards called transgender, Black Lives Matter and Juneteenth flags flying outside his San Diego school district a symbol of “systemic radical leftist indoctrination." One mother ended her speech with, “As Jason Aldean would say, ‘Well, try that in a small town.’”

When it was her turn, Peters warned that the “outing” policy would “create a hostile environment” for LGBTQIA+ students and that the board’s “reckless pursuit of personal agendas” could bring about “expensive lawsuits.”

The atmosphere was so tense that security escorted a person out who put hands on someone else, Peters said. “It seriously feels like I’m in some sort of weird dystopia,” Peters told The Daily Beast. “I don’t know how this happened because it does not feel real.”

Peters believes that what’s unfolding in Chino Valley Unified is a wake-up call to monitor school board elections. “I just didn’t think it was going to happen in my community because I live in California,” she said. “I feel relatively safe living in a blue state—that religion wasn’t going to suddenly take over my public school system, and it has.”

Even though the involvement of Hibbs and his megachuch in local public schools has been center stage in Chino Valley this year, it’s a battle that’s been brewing for at least a decade. Back in 2014, the Freedom from Religion Foundation filed a lawsuit on behalf of parents in Chino Valley over prayers and Bible readings at school board meetings, arguing these practices “constituted an establishment of religion in violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments.”

The prayers and Bible verses were being led by Calvary Chapel members James Na and Andrew Cruz, who were elected to the school board in 2008 and 2012 respectively.

According to the prayer lawsuit, Na once told spectators of a school board meeting that their “lives begin in the hospital and end in the church, and urged everyone who does not know Jesus Christ to go and find Him.” In 2013, Na sent out a letter to school district “family member[s]” that referred to Hibbs with an excerpt from “Pastor Jack’s Christmas story.”

“The community is going to rise and create a war chest to help you,” Hibbs told the board in 2016 in the midst of the legal battle, though a crowdfunding drive affiliated with the church apparently never delivered. A school board spokesperson previously said that funding was intended to bring the case to the Supreme Court.

A federal judge ultimately ruled in the parents’ favor, and the board lost its Ninth Circuit appeal, leaving the district with $282,000 in legal bills.

This apparently hasn’t stopped Cruz’s Christian commentary. In April, he went on a rant wherein he said that if he were governor, he’d mandate citizens be trained in firearms and that, “I do love one man, I really love this man, and that is Jesus Christ. It’s in my head.”

Since his election, Cruz has especially ignited parents’ ire and weathered calls to resign as a result of his offensive remarks and chemtrail conspiracy theories. In 2015, Cruz said mothers who don’t vaccinate their kids are wrongfully vilified while “illegal aliens” bring infectious disease to America. In 2018, Cruz infamously said that “it wasn’t Hitler that was bad, it was the people that follow the laws and the agenda” while discussing “parents rights.”

That year, Na and Cruz (and Hibbs) proposed that parents have the ability to opt kids out of sex-ed discussions on gender identity, sexual orientation, and discrimination—and for schools to notify parents when a transgender student uses a locker room or shower. Those measures failed.

Na is also not without controversy. Aside from his religious musings at the board, he’s also been accused of trying to recruit at least one student to Calvary Chapel.

At a June board meeting, a statement was read on behalf of Esther Kim, who was the panel’s student representative in the 2021-2022 school year. “In sophomore year, I met Mr. Na through a personal phone call where his school board role and my school were acknowledged,” Kim said. “During an unrelated conversation, he attempted to persuade me to go to his church.”

[...]

Federal law explicitly prohibits churches from engaging in political campaign activity.

Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, where Jack Hibbs is pastor and school board member Sonja Shaw is a parishioner, should immediately have its tax exempt status revoked under 501 (3)(c).

File a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service HERE. Email the completed form to [email protected].

Specific info for the IRS form:

• This church's EIN (Tax ID #) is 33-0419808.

• Address: 4201 Eucalyptus Ave, Chino, CA 91710

• Complaint Against: Jack Hibbs, Pastor

• Date Of Violation: April 19, 2023

• Description: Pastor Hibbs held a political rally outside the California State Capitol in opposition to a specific bill pending in the legislature. Also published a notice in the church newsletter soliciting attendees for this political lobbying rally under the headline, "California Lobby Day: Stop AB 2223."

• Evidence #1: Political Lobbying Violation on the church's newsletter (include link)

• Evidence #2: Archive.org snapshot of the newsletter article (include link)

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theladyghost · 8 months

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13 songs I’ve been listening to recently - Thanks for tagging me @woodswit

As you can tell I really loved Olivia Rodrigo’s album Guts. I could just put the whole thing here, but I just chose my favorites instead.

1. Sangue Latino - Secos & Molhados

2. Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl - Olivia Rodrigo

3. Vampire - Olivia Rodrigo

4. Bad Idea Right? - Olivia Rodrigo

5. Tous les Jours - Luísa e os Alquimistas

6. Lost on You - LP

7. The Next Right Thing - Frozen II Soundtrack

8. Próprias Mentiras - Deborah Blando

9. If It Makes You Happy - Sheryl Crow

10. Make Me Wanna Die - The Pretty Reckless

11. Call Me When You’re Sober - Evanescence

12. Dias de Luta, Dias de Glória - Charlie Brown Jr.

13. “Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps (Quizás, Quizás, Quizás)”, Lisa Bassenge feat The J-Chestra

Tagging: @danally20, @fangfaceandrea, @polarmarie, @bellatrixobsessed1, @akiizayoi4869, @prodogg, @esther-dot and anyone who would like to answer. No pressure, though.

#i can’t describe my musical taste to save my life

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haveyoureadthismgyabook · 5 months

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Series info:

Book 1 of Bunnicula

Book 2: Howliday Inn

Book 3: The Celery Stalks at Midnight

Book 4: Nighty-Nightmare

Book 5: Return to Howliday Inn

Book 6: Bunnicula Strikes Again!

Book 7: Bunnicula Meets Edgar Allen Crow

#books #middle grade #fantasy #bunnicula #james howe #deborah howe #poll

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callmebrycelee · 6 months

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9-1-1 REACTION

We finally get the conclusion for our harrowing season 7 opener! This reaction is for the season 7, third episode “Capsized” which originally aired March 28, 2024. The episode was written by Juan Carlos Coto and Lyndsey Beaulieu and directed by executive producer and Glee and American Horror Story director Bradley Buecker. Spoilers ahead!

“It’s the pungent aroma of orange people having sex.” – Kianna Harris

We begin the episode by going back to the very beginning. We are introduced to the Harris family in a scene very much reminiscent of the 1990 comedy film Home Alone starring Macauley Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern and Catherine O’Hara. We see the youngest Harris sibling, Corey (played by Leo Abelo Perry) sitting on the curb playing his Nintendo Switch while his parents Lonnie and Eliza Harris (played by Eddie Blackwell Williams and Amy Argyle) argue over who is supposed to order the car for their drive to the airport. The rest of the Harris family is rounded out by older siblings Kianna Harris (played by Kiara Muhammad) and Keshawn Harris (Samuel Dunn III) and their grandmother Darlene Harris (played by Deborah Marcano). In true Home Alone fashion, they almost leave Corey behind.

We switch over the cruise ship where Kianna and Keshawn are complaining about the smell of the ocean air. Meanwhile, Corey is still glued to his video game. We then see the Harris family walk by Norman and Lola Peterson (played by Daniel Roebuck and Romy Rosemont). Lola compliments Darlene on her hat. We also see quite a few moments of Corey nearly getting left behind including the moment when all passengers are told to evacuate the ship. When Eliza realizes Corey is not in the lifeboat with the rest of the family, she gets off in search of him. Poor Corey is blissfully unaware of the all the chaos erupting all around him until he feels the explosion several floors below. He sits up and climbs out of the top bunk. We see Corey looking out the window at the giant wave coming towards the ship.

Cue title card.

“What are you all doing on the ceiling?!” – Norman Peterson

We see the aftermath of the ship capsizing. Everyone is accounted for except for First Mate Kenneth (played by Anthony Carvello) who we last saw in the crow’s nest trying to send a distress call right before the wave hit. Since nothing was ever mentioned about the poor guy in this episode, I’m gonna assume he’s sleeping with the fishes at the bottom of the ocean. OMG, they killed Kenny! Sorry, had to do it. Speaking of people not long for this world, our belligerent and greedy passenger Jarod (played by Christopher Livingston) is lying crumpled on what used to be the ceiling. The rest of our crew is huddled around the walls of the room while Norman Peterson is still strapped to the craps table which is currently on the ceiling.

These first three episodes of the season are supposed to be an homage to the 1972 disaster film The Poseidon Adventure starring Gene Hackman and Shelley Winters, but this scene reminded me of the upside-down puzzle in the 2019 film Escape Room starring Taylor Russell, Logan Miller, and Tyler Labine. Bobby is concerned about the table Norman’s attached falling from what used to be the floor and goes to work using some red straps to fashion a rope which he uses to repel down on top of the bottom of the table. He ties the same red rope to each of the table’s legs and then uses a wrench to unscrew the bolts holding the table in place. The others down below slowly lower Bobby and Norman down. My heart was pounding so hard during this sequence. We usually don’t get to see Bobby in Tom Cruise Mission Impossible mode. He usually leaves the heroics up to Buck. Athena tells Bobby she wishes Buck could’ve seen him do what he just did. He tells her that he would’ve rather seen Buck do that.

“Bobby and Athena’s cruise ship might be missing.” – Maddie Buckley, to Howard “Chimney” Han

Back on dry land, Maddie talks with Chimney about recent events. She tells Chimney that Hen has been cleared by Chief Simpson to come back to the 118. Chimney wonders that if that’s the case, why hasn’t she come back to work. He asks Maddie how she knows all of this, and Maddie tells him about Hen’s visit to the call center. She tells him that Bobby and Athena’s cruise ship might be missing and that the Coast Guard has attempted tried to reach out but hasn’t heard anything. Chimney asks if Hen reported any of this information to the chief. Maddie says that she did, and that Chief Simpson told her to report back to work. The 118 gets a call which means Chimney and Maddie have to end their conversation. Buck asks who is missing: Bobby and Athena or Hen. Chimney says both. As the ladder truck leaves, Hen sneaks into the station before the doors close.

“I won’t be an idiot if you won’t be a selfish harlot. Too late!” – Norman Peterson, to Lola Peterson

Back on the ship, now that Norman has been lowered from the ceiling, Bobby suggests they all head to the bottom of the ship, which is now the top of the ship, remembering there’s an open hole there after the explosion. Julian (played by Rick Cosnett) thinks this is a bad idea because even if they somehow manage to make it to the top, there will be no one to save them. Lola tells him to lay down and die. Ouch! Bobby says that while they don’t know what will be waiting for them at the hull, they do know that if they continue to stay where they are, the ship will sink. The funniest part of this scene is when Bobby asks Julian to assist with moving Norman. Norman doesn’t want the man who has been having an affair with his wife to lay a finger on him. Lola tells him to not be an idiot. Norman tells all of them that if he’s going to die, he’s going to do it with dignity. With the help of the ship’s doctor, he is able to get up on his feet. The group make it out of the casino right as a grand piano falls down on the glass center causing water to rush inside.

“Nobody wants to look for a ship that hasn’t asked for help.” – Hen Wilson

Hen sneaks into the office and fills out a Los Angeles Fire Department Property Resource Requisition form. She gets a call from Maddie who tells her she’s trying to get people to take their situation seriously. Maddie asks where she is and tells her she knows she didn’t go back to the 118. Hen asks if she’s checking up on her. Maddie tells her whatever it is she’s doing she doesn’t have to do it alone. Hen tells her that she tried using official channels but that didn’t work. Now she is going another direction. Maddie asks her what that means and Hen ends the call by telling her the less she knows the better.

“I know a little about you. That little squeak you make.” – Julian Enes, to Lola Peterson

The ship is taking on water and Athena questions the path they are taking. Security Officer Wes (played Denzel Johnson) suggests using a door behind one of the cafes to access the maintenance shaft to get to higher ground. When he attempts to open the door, there’s another explosion. Security Officer Wes takes the brunt of the damage and quickly succumbs to his injuries. Bobby, Athena, and the rest of their gang are shocked by his death but press on without him. It was super sad watching the security officer’s body floating in the water. Now, just in case you’re keeping tabs on our remaining survivors, we have Bobby, Athena, the Petersons, Captain Ochoa (played by Mercedes Colon), Dr. Gibson (played by Eddie Jemison), and Julian left. At this point, the body count is rising faster than the water.

“That could be why I haven’t been getting your Christmas cards.” – Tommy Kinard, to Hen Wilson

Hen takes her requisition form over to the Los Angeles Fire Department Air Operations unit. She introduces herself as acting captain from the 118 and tells the pilot named Melton (played by Thomas Hobson) she has an emergency requisition for a chopper and pilot. Melton looks over her form and tells her he hasn’t heard anything about a missing cruise ship. Hen says the situation is fast-moving due to the hurricane. Melton continues to question Hen’s motives but thankfully an old friend comes to the rescue. Former Los Angeles firefighter Tommy Kinard (played by Lou Ferrigno Jr.) tells Melton he and Hen used to work together at the 118 back when she was just a probie. I was so happy to see Tommy. I’m a big Lou Ferrigno Jr fan and the last time we saw him was way back in season 2 in the episode “Bobby Begins Again”.

Tommy tells Hen he has a chopper fueled and ready to go. Hen is confused by all of this and asks him what going on. Tommy tells her he’s just helping out an old friend. She asks him who called him. Tommy opens the door to the chopper and Hen sees Chimney, Eddie, and Buck inside. Eddie hands her a jacket and tells her to get inside.

“C’mon, guys. Stop agreeing with each other like you’re fighting. It’s weird.” – Eddie Diaz, to Howard “Chimney” Han and Hen Wilson

Tommy flies them right into path of the hurricane. Things are really intense inside the chopper. Eddie and Buck attempt to break the tension by getting Hen and Chimney to talk to each other. Chimney is miffed because he thinks Hen doesn’t believe they all have her back. He says that they all faked having food poisoning to get them out of their shift at the 118. Hen admits that Chimney didn’t do anything wrong and that he doesn’t have to prove anything to her. Chimney tells her she didn’t do anything wrong either. Buck asks the two of them if they’re good. Hen says they’ve always been good. Chimney asks her why she didn’t reach out to them for help. Hen tells him she knew that if she told him, he’d want to tag along, and she didn’t want him to risk anything over some wild hunch she had. Buck says he will back her hunches any day of the week. No questions asked. Eddie voices his agreement. Buck says that if there’s any chance Bobby and Athena are in trouble, he doesn’t mind getting fired. Tommy says he doesn’t think anyone should be worried about getting fired because they’re probably not going to survive this mission. Yikes!

“Bobby! Bring him back to his mother and bring yourself back to me.” – Athena Grant, to Bobby Nash

Back on the ship, our crew has stumbles across Eliza Harris, mother of Corey Harris, trapped under fallen debris. While Athena attends to her, Norman and Lola have a conversation about the state of their marriage. Lola admits that she let Julian use her. When Norman asks her why, she tells him it’s because he stopped touching her. She then points out that they’ve been together since they were 17 years old and that she’s never been with another man. I actually laughed out loud when Norman responded with, “Neither have I”. He asks her if she’s fallen out of love with him. Lola says she thought she had but she was wrong. Norman says he thought they’d be together until they both died, and Lola says she still wants that. Norman says that she might still get it.

Meanwhile, Bobby is trying to pry open the door that currently has Eliza’s arm penned. He breaks open a nearby case and takes out an axe. I got really nervous watching this scene because the last time I saw an axe brought out on this show, someone lost their arm. Thankfully, Bobby uses the axes to break the handle on the door. He’s now able to slide open the door; however, he quickly realizes the door was acting as a tourniquet for Eliza’s arm. With the door moved, Eliza is bleeding profusely. Bobby sends Julian to grab some blankets out of one of the nearby cabins to use as a tourniquet. Dr. Gibson finally does the thing he purports to do and manages to stop the bleeding. Bobby tells Julian the two of them are going to have to carry Eliza but the mother of three refuses to go without her son. Captain Ochoa says that the son’s room is on deck twelve. Athena offers to go look for him, but Bobby tells her to stay put. He will be the one to go search for Corey but not before he and Athena share one of those passionate kisses you only see in the movies.

“Who cares!?” – Tommy Kinard and the 118

Tommy flies Hen, Chimney, Buck, and Eddie to the vicinity of where the ship last showed up on radar. He tells them they have about twelve minutes to search before he has to turn them around and head back. A message from Chief Simpson comes in over the radio but Tommy pretends there’s static and shuts off the radio.

“You were right. That is one big hole.” – Norman Peterson

Athena leads the others minus Bobby to the giant hole made by the explosion. Athena hears a helicopter and tells the others that whoever is searching for them is expecting to see a cruise ship, not the bottom of one. Julian climbs up to the top and attempts to fire the flare gun. He slips, falls, and dies. I hate that he died. Yes, it’s because of him that things are as dire as they are and he’s definitely to blame for the deaths of First Mate Kenneth, passenger Jarod, and Security Officer Wes. I do wish he would’ve stayed alive, so he could’ve been taken into custody. Bobby manages to locate Corey and this kid has the nerve to say, he doesn’t talk to strangers. Lola, meanwhile, goes underwater and grabs the flare gun that Julian dropped as his body plummeted into the water. Athena sends off a flare and Tommy and the others are finally able to see the capsized ship. Just as a Bobby and Corey are about to drown, Buck and Eddie open a hatch and rescue them.

“Let’s talk about it in 10 or 20.” – Norman Peterson, to Lola Peterson

Much like the episode of 9-1-1: Lone Star where Judd and Grace’s truck crashes into a lake, a lot of details of the actual rescue are glossed over in favor of a scene where we see everyone safe and reunited with their loved ones. Chief Simpson delivers a press conference and makes it seem like the rescue mission was his idea. Hen is relieved none of them are getting fired for going rogue to save Bobby and Athena. Hen thanks Maddie for tattling and Maddie says she will always have her back. I really like this scene because as I’ve said in a previous reaction, we rarely get scenes between these two characters which is funny to me considering how close Hen and Chimney are. Bobby gets off the helicopter and sees Athena. The two of them rush over to each other and share a kiss straight out of a golden age Hollywood film. Lola goes to see Norman before he is rushed off to the hospital. She asks if he’ll ever be able to forgive her. He implies they’ll talk about it after she gets out of jail. Lola is then escorted away by an officer. Bobby tells Hen he is proud of her and calls her captain.

“Alone at last.” – Bobby Nash, to Athena Grant

In the final scene of the episode, a weary Bobby and Athena return to their home with takeout food. They sit on the sofa and sit in silence. This silence is much different from the kind Athena was worried about. Bobby jokingly says he needs a vacation and Athena says she needs a toothbrush. They talk about how all of their luggage is sitting at the bottom of the ocean and share a laugh. I love how they’re both wearing very touristy T-shirts they probably got from a gift shop once they made it back to land. The two of them kiss and run off to the bedroom.

Wow! What a satisfying ending to an amazing season opener. 9-1-1 is back and better than ever and they have the ratings to prove it. Words cannot express how happy I am to have this show back on TV. The move to ABC was a brilliant idea. Not only did it save the show, but the viewership has also gone up considerably. According to the 9-1-1 page on Wikipedia, since the switch from FOX to ABC, ratings have gone up from an average of 4 million viewers to over 5 million viewers. If the show continues in this direction, there’s no doubt in my mind about getting another season.

I’m glad we got the happy ending I was wanting for this story. Yes, we lost some people along the way, but I’m especially glad Athena, Bobby, and Norman Peterson survived. I honestly feel bad for Norman and how things unfolded. He seems like a decent guy and yes, maybe he did neglect his wife, but the response to that should never have been to cheat on him and turn to a life of crime. I hope we get to see him again at some point and see that he’s moved on with his life, hopefully not with Lola. I cannot see a reality where Lola doesn’t go away for a long, long time. I wonder what her son thinks about all of this. I imagine it must’ve been really embarrassing for him to see his mother naked on a billboard pointing a gun at the LAPD and LAFD.

I’m also happy we got a happy ending for Hen and Chimney. These two are #friendgoals and I’ve never seen them fight like this before. I’m glad Hen was able to admit there were things she could’ve done better regarding the drunk driving incident, and I like that Chimney acknowledged he could have done things better as well. I’m glad that in the end, Chimney, Buck, and Eddie proved they had Hen’s back no matter what. They all risked their lives and their livelihoods to save their captain and Athena. That’s real friendship right there. I’m also glad that Tommy helped them out because he’s a big part of Hen and Chimney’s origin story at the 118.

Lastly, things seem to be back on track for Athena and Bobby. I like that their relationship issues weren’t magically remedied. They still have a lot of work to do but at least each of them understands where the other is coming from. Athena realizes that she’s not alone in the relationship and Bobby knows now that he is deserving of his second chance at love and life. I hope the next time we see them in therapy they’re together. Bobby and Athena are endgame as far as I’m concerned so I wasn’t too afraid for their relationship; however, it’s good to see that all relationships need maintenance.

This was an incredible episode, and I cannot wait to see what happens next. According to Wikipedia, we’re only getting ten episodes this season which I don’t mind. After the strikes last summer, I think most of us are just happy to have any new television right now. As far as disaster episodes go, this one has been moved to the top of my list. The tsunami episodes from season 3 and the earthquake episodes from season 2 have been shifted down to the second and third spots on my list, respectively. I look forward to more action-packed episodes on 9-1-1. Until next time …

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bookclub4m · 4 months

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45 New & Forthcoming Indie Press Books by BIPOC Authors

Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers’ Advisory Podcasts chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here.

Fiction

Weird Black Girls: Stories by Elwin Cotman (AK Press)

False Idols: A Reluctant King Novel by K’Wan (Akashic Books)

Sister Deborah by Scholastique Mukasonga, translated by Mark Polizzotti (Archipelago Books)

Bad Land by Corinna Chong (Arsenal Pulp Press)

These Letters End in Tears by Musih Tedji Xaviere (Catapult)

The Coin by Yasmin Zaher (Catapult)

Cecilia by K-Ming Chang (Coffee House Press)

Fog & Car by Eugene Lim (Coffee House Press)

We’re Safe When We’re Alone by Nghiem Tran (Coffee House Press)

A Woman of Pleasure by Kiyoko Murata, translated by Juliet Winters Carpenter (Counterpoint Press)

Bad Seed by Gabriel Carle, translated by Heather Houde (Feminist Press)

The Default World by Naomi Kanakia (Feminist Press)

The Singularity by Balsam Karam, translated by Saskia Vogel (Feminist Press)

I'll Give You a Reason by Annell López (Feminist Press)

Tongueless by Lau Yee-Wa, translated by Jennifer Feeley (Feminist Press)

Outcaste by Sheila James (Goose Lane Editions)

Silken Gazelles by Jokha Alharthi, translated by Marilyn Booth (House of Anansi Press)

Dad, I Miss You by Nadia Sammurtok, illustrated by Simji Park (Inhabit Media)

Secrets of the Snakestone by Pia DasGupta (Nosy Crow)

The Burrow by Melanie Cheng (Tin House)

Masquerade by Mike Fu (Tin House)

The World With Its Mouth Open: Stories by Zahid Rafiq (Tin House)

I Love You So Much It's Killing Us Both by Mariah Stovall (Soft Skull Press)

Non-Fiction

RAPilates: Body and Mind Conditioning in the Digital Age by Chuck D and Kathy Lopez (Akashic Books)

All Our Ordinary Stories: A Multigenerational Family Odyssey by Teresa Wong (Arsenal Pulp Press)

Dispersals: On Plants, Borders, and Belonging by Jessica J. Lee (Catapult)

My Pisces Heart: A Black Immigrant's Search for Home Across Four Continents by Jennifer Neal (Catapult)

Beyond the Mountains: An Immigrant's Inspiring Journey of Healing and Learning to Dance with the Universe by Deja Vu Prem (Catapult)

Out of the Sierra: A Story of Rarámuri Resistance by Victoria Blanco (Coffee House Press)

Thunder Song: Essays by Sasha LaPointe (Counterpoint Press)

Born to Walk: My Journey of Trials and Resilience by Alpha Nkuranga (Goose Lane Editions)

Jinny Yu (At Once/À La Fois) by Jinny Yu (Goose Lane Editions)

Log Off: Why Posting and Politics (Almost) Never Mix by Katherine Cross (LittlePuss Press)

Becoming Little Shell: A Landless Indian’s Journey Home by Chris La Tray (Milkweed Editions)

World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatathil (Milkweed Editions)

Opacities: On Writing and the Writing Life by Sofia Samatar (Soft Skull Press)

The Story Game by Shze-Hui Tjoa (Tin House)

Black Meme: The History of the Images That Make Us by Legacy Russell (Verso Books)

Poetry

i heard a crow before i was born by Jules Delorme (Goose Lane Editions)

We the Gathered Heat: Asian American and Pacific Islander Poetry, Performance, and Spoken Word edited by Franny Choi, Bao Phi, Noʻu Revilla, and Terisa Siagatonu (Haymarket Books)

A Map of My Want by Faylita Hicks (Haymarket Books)

[...] by Fady Joudah (Milkweed Editions)

Comics

A Witch’s Guide to Burning by Aminder Dhaliwal (Drawn & Quarterly)

Oba Electroplating Factory by Yoshiharu Tsuge (Drawn & Quarterly)

Lost at Windy River by Jillian Dolan, Trina Rathgeber and Alina Pete (Orca Books)

#booklists #indie

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thehonoredonesrpg · 5 months

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¡Os traemos una pequeña novedad!

Como ya no queda mucho para completar la información relativa a la ambientación del foro, queremos avisar a todos los que nos siguen que la apertura de las reservas está muy próxima. Antes de ir a la fecha, queremos hacer un adelanto de lo que se subirá entre hoy y mañana:

Pactos, vínculos y técnicas malditas

Pliegues y sellos

Glosario

Posteriormente, como nos han pedido, también subiremos ejemplos de técnicas malditas que se han empleado en el manga de Jujutsu Kaisen y buscaremos también algún ejemplo de los demonios que aparecen en Chainsaw Man, por si os sirve de guía e inspiración.

FECHA DE RESERVAS

Las reservas podrán hacerse mañana día 16 de abril hasta el día de la apertura, aún por anunciar. Dejaremos hasta las últimas dos horas, en caso de que alguien necesite realizar algún cambio o por si hay algún rezagado. El horario de apertura será el siguiente:

20:00 en España (hora peninsular)

13:00 en México, Perú y Colombia

15:00 en Chile, Argentina y Venezuela

NORMATIVA DE RESERVAS

Antes de reservar, pedimos que por favor tengáis en cuenta la siguiente normativa, porque si algo se sale de ella la reserva no tendrá validez.

Pondremos un anuncio previo a la apertura de reservas. Hasta que ese anuncio no esté colgado, no podrán mandarse ningún tipo de reserva.

Se atenderán por orden de llegada. No sabemos si vamos a estar saturados o si el flujo de gente será más llevadero, pero intentaremos dar notificación del listado lo más pronto posible.

Únicamente puede reservarse PB, porque no hay cupos de ningún tipo para oficios, técnicas y derivados.

Pueden reservarse hasta 2 PBs para uso propio. No se permiten reservas para búsquedas.

El PB deberá de ser real y el personaje no podrá contar con más o menos de 5 años de los que el PB tenga en la realidad.

Las reservas se mantendrán durante 7 días desde la apertura del foro, tiempo que creemos suficiente para haber creado los personajes. En caso de que alguien necesite algo de tiempo extra, se puede poner en contacto con nosotros.

Tendréis que poner el nombre del PB, un nick de registro y una contraseña para que, el día de la apertura, nadie intente colarse. Quedaría de la siguiente forma:

PB — Nick — Contraseña

NPCS & RESERVAS

Aaron Taylor-Johnson — Crow

Alina Olesheva — Dragon

Álvaro Morte [NPC]

Alycia Debnam-Carey — Day

Ana de Armas — Xandro

Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey — Bonny

Aubrey Plaza — whats

Bethany Joy Lenz [NPC]

Brian Tee [NPC]

Casey Deidrick — bukowski

Charleen Weiss — G.

Choi Soo Bin— Panic

Choi Yeon Jun — Badblood

Deborah Ann Woll [NPC]

D.J. Cotrona [NPC]

Ed Skrein [NPC]

Eiza González — Poppy

Ella Purnel — Mercy

Eva Mendes [NPC]

Havana Rose Liu — Snoopy

Hero Fiennes Tiffin — Serra

Hiroyuki Sanada [NPC]

Jeffrey Wright [NPC]

Jensen Ackles — Hombre Lavadora

Jeon Won Woo — Melinoe

John David Washington — bulldog

Kang Seul Gi — akugetsu

Ken Watanabe [NPC]

Kim Min Gyu — yoshida

Lily James — JED

Lizeth Selene — Boo

Maggie Q [NPC]

Mahershala Ali [NPC]

Manny Jacinto — Snoopy

Matthew Noszka — muricano

Michael B. Jordan — Air

Minatozaki Sana — shintani

Ming na Wen [NPC]

Nana Komatsu — Fool

Natasha Liu Bordizzo — Grimmjow

Oscar Isaac — Atom

Rebecca Ferguson — whats

Rosemund Pike [NPC]

Ryan Porter — bukowski

Sarah Rafferty — Dory

Shen Quan Rui (Ricky) — Ian

Steve Milatos — Crow

Suki Waterhouse — Mercy

Theo James — Drama

Tony Thornburg — Grimmjow

Vachirawit Chiva-aree (Bright) — Astro

Will Higginson — Leucocito

Yulef Bopp — Ploff

Zoey Deutch — Xandro

#anuncio #reservas

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livingasaghost · 1 month

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okay @permanentreverie did this in honor of book lovers day (aug 9) so here i am being obnoxious and sorting my favorite books based on genres bc i'm procrastinating editing

put it under read more because i'm annoying and this is longer than i thought it'd be ahjflksd

classics:

les miserables by victor hugo

1984 by george orwell

a midsummer night's dream by william shakespeare

hamlet by william shakespeare

the crucible by arthur miller

the great gatsby by f scott fitzgerald

contemporary romances:

red white and royal blue by casey mcquiston

with you forever by chloe liese

everything for you by chloe liese

beach read by emily henry

happy place by emily henry

a very merry bromance by lyssa kay adams

crazy stupid bromance by lyssa kay adams

love, theoretically by ali hazelwood

the love hypothesis by ali hazelwood

not in love by ali hazelwood

let's talk about love by claire kann

roomies by christina lauren

the hating game by sally thorne

fantasy:

tower of dawn by sarah j maas

kingdom of ash by sarah j maas

a court of mist and fury by sarah j maas

a court of silver flames by sarah j maas

the starless sea by erin morgenstern

a storm of swords by george r.r. martin

a feast for crows by george r.r. martin

wizard's first rule by terry goodkind

temple of the winds by terry goodkind

prince's gambit by c.s. pacat

kings rising by c.s. pacat

a discovery of witches by deborah harkness

jade legacy by fonda lee

the dragon republic by r.f. kuang

babel by r.f. kuang

every heart a doorway by seanan mcguire

the magician's nephew by c.s. lewis

priory of the orange tree by samantha shannon

strange the dreamer by laini taylor

sci-fi:

the host by stephenie meyer

nona the ninth by tamsyn muir

graphic novels / comics:

monstress by marjorie liu & sana takeda

check please by ngozi ukazu

the boy the mole the fox and the horse by charlie mackesy

heartstopper by alice oseman

lore olympus by rachel smythe

fence by c.s. pacat & johanna the mad

heart of gold by eliot baum & viv tanner

the prince & the dressmaker by jen wang

historical fiction:

cloud cuckoo land by anthony doerr

the book thief by markus zusak

literary fiction:

evenings & weekends by oisín mckenna

henry henry by allen bratton

a little life by hanya yanagihara

piranesi by suzanna clarke

malibu rising by taylor jenkins reid

if we were villains by m.l. rio

the invisible life of addie larue by v.e. schwab

real life by brandon taylor

s by doug dorst

horror:

house of leaves by mark z danielewski

imaginary friend by stephen chbosky

night film by marisha pessl

don't let the forest in by c.g. drews

middle grade:

magyk by angie sage

a kind of spark by elle mcnicoll

sir callie and the champions of helston by esme symes-smith

holes by louis sachar

the mighty heart of sunny st james by ashley herring blake

new adult:

loveless by alice oseman

obsidian by jennifer l armentrout

masters of death by olivie blake

alone with you in the ether by olivie blake

angelfall by susan ee

the sunshine court by nora sakavic

the king's men by nora sakavic

vicious by v.e. schwab

queenie by candice carty-williams

hell bent by leigh bardugo

nonfiction:

into the wild by john krakauer

it was vulgar and it was beautiful by jack lowery

the last lecture by randy pausch

what i want to talk about by pete wharmby

furiously happy by jenny lawson

ace by angela chen

blood sweat and chrome by kyle buchanan

refusing compulsory sexuality by sherronda j brown

the great divorce by c.s. lewis

the cancer journals by audre lorde

the dark interval by rilke

inverse cowgirl by alicia roth weigel

translated works:

the memory police by yōko ogawa

vita nostra by marina dyachenko

the strange library by haruki murakami

young adult:

the mask falling by samantha shannon

check & mate by ali hazelwood

i was born for this by alice oseman

the hunger games by suzanne collins

just listen by sarah dessen

ignite me by tahereh mafi

the unexpected everything by morgan matson

save the date by morgan matson

tash hearts tolstoy by kathryn ormsbee

neverworld wake by marisha pessl

the spirit bares its teeth by andrew joseph white

compound fracture by andrew joseph white

the wicked king by holly black

short story collections:

the tangleroot palace by marjorie liu

what is not your is not yours by helen oyeyemi

the late americans by brandon taylor

filthy animals by brandon taylor

seven empty houses by samanta schweblin

#if we are mutuals considered yourself tagged i wanna see peoples favorite books fr #neeeed to read more historical fic and translated works it seems #and scifi??? but i hate scifi so nvm #anyway i like doing this every once in a while bc when i look back on this in five years i'll be like girl???????#at least my taste is slightly more refined than ten years ago ahkjgfsd #personal #mine #favorite books

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powm · 2 months

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it didnt have me quite by the throat like six of crows did, but a discovery of witches was good! the relationship between them is actually believable and the way deborah mixed magic and science was really interesting

oh this one seems so popular and loved and i haven’t even heard of it? thank you i’ll keep this on my radar!!!’

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smua70 · 8 months

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http://ulbrichalmazan.blogspot.com/2024/01/solarpunk-creatures-and-equity-assurance.html

Today is the book birthday of the Solarpunk Creatures anthology by World Weaver Press. You can learn more about it here. The eBook is currently $4.99 and will be at that price until the end of January. Special credit should go out to the editors:

Christoph Rupprecht Mastodon: @[email protected] Twitter: @focx

Deborah Cleland Bluesky: @[email protected] Mastodon: @[email protected]

Melissa Ingaruca Moreno Instagram: mel_ingaruca

Norie Tamura Twitter: @tamura_norie

Rajat Chaudhuri Bluesky: @[email protected] Instagram: @rajatchaudhuri Twitter: @rajatchaudhuri

I have a short story in this anthology called "The Colorful Crow of Web-of-Life Park." The story is about the relationship between an escaped parrot and the crow that freed him, as the parrot is accepted as part of the crow's family. The parrot's former owner is a biologist who helps create and administer a bird flu vaccine. One of the people she speaks to during the story is an equity assurer, which is a new job I created for the solarpunk genre. Hopefully this is a concept that can be applied in real life.

My day job is in quality assurance. Specifically, I work for an enzyme company that produces food-grade enzymes, and I help implement our food safety system. Although enzymes are used in small amounts during food production, it's important that they not contain any pathogens, undeclared allergens, or foreign material that may harm the consumer. We follow a food safety code that is the basis of our policies and procedures. We keep many records to prove that that we are following our procedures, and we also have corrective and preventative actions we take when there is a problem. Every year, an outside auditor comes to our facility to review our system and make sure we meet the requirements of the code we follow. (This year, it will be an unannounced audit, meaning it can happen any time in a two-month period.) By passing this audit, my company obtains a certificate demonstrating to our customers that our product is safe. It's a lot of work, but it's worth it to prevent food-related illnesses.

I think we need a similar system to insure everyone has the resources they need to not just survive, but thrive. Income equality in the United States has grown dramatically in the past few decades while our social safety nets have been removed or made less helpful. This isn't good for the long-term survival of our society or our environment. We need to transition away from exploitative capitalism and toward doughnut economics. (Basically, we have to work within the boundaries of our resources to eliminate poverty while not exceeding the capacity of our environment.)

Equity assurance would have two major components: a collection of codes or guidelines communities (ranging from an apartment complex to towns or even nations) would follow for equitable resource distribution, and local equity assurers who are responsible for making sure that people get the resources they need. (I use "equity" instead of "equality" because everyone has different needs. Sometimes distributing resources equally doesn't help everyone equally. See here for a more complete discussion of this issue.) This could mean obtaining gluten-free food for someone with celiac disease; education, assistance, and baby supplies for a family with a newborn; or the right medicine or equipment to help sick, elderly, or disabled individuals. It can mean helping children get a good education and opportunities to develop their talents as well as people getting the right amount of social interaction.

These two branches of equity assurance aren't new. We have examples of people throughout history who have sought to help others meet their needs, and we have systems like Medicare and Social Security to give resources to those who need it. What I want to emphasize with a term like "equity assurance" is the need to make this care for others a core value of our society. When you adopt a food safety system at a company, it becomes the basis for everything you do. We need this for our society. We also need to maintain this system. Without people to monitor the day-to-day aspects of this system, things can go wrong. We need to make sure this system works and figure out ways to fix it when it doesn't.

Anyway, I plan to make equity assurance a theme in any more solarpunk stories I write. I did write another short story last year that featured equity assurance, but I haven't found a home for it yet. Establishing equity assurance for the world is certainly a long-term project, but one we need to pursue.

#solarpunk #anthology #short story #equity and inclusion #equity assurance #solarpunk creatures

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