#diamond supply co

[annarexcouture]

[chandanvaish]

Unlocking SME Potential: VECTRA's Cost Management Services

[modaonlinemagazalari]

https://www.modaonlinemagazalari.com/moda-markas/diamond-supply-co/

Diamond Supply Co

[zvaigzdelasas]

China’s Ministry of Commerce announced Thursday that export controls on antimony would take effect Sept. 15. Antimony is used in bullets, nuclear weapons production and lead-acid batteries. It can also strengthen other metals.

“Three months ago, there’s no way [any] one would have thought they would have done this. It’s quite confrontational in that regard,” Lewis Black, CEO of Canada-based Almonty Industries, said in a phone interview. The company has said it’s spending at least $125 million to reopen a tungsten mine in South Korea later this year.

Tungsten is nearly as hard as a diamond, and used in weapons, semiconductors and industrial cutting machines. Both tungsten and antimony are on the U.S. critical minerals list, and less than 10 elements away from each other on the periodic table.[...]

China accounted for 48% of global antimony mine production in 2023, while the U.S. did not mine any marketable antimony, according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s latest annual report. The U.S. has not commercially mined tungsten since 2015, and China dominates global tungsten supply, the report said.[...]

The U.S. has sought to restrict China’s access to high-end semiconductors, following which Beijing announced export controls on germanium and gallium, two metals used in chipmaking.

While tungsten is also used to make semiconductors, the metal, like antimony, is used in defense production.

“China has a declining tungsten production, but tungsten is absolutely vital, far more than antimony, in military applications,” said Christopher Ecclestone, principal and mining strategist at Hallgarten & Company.

He expects China will put export controls on tungsten by the end of the year, if not in the next month or two.[...]

Starting in 2026, the U.S. REEShore Act prohibits the use of Chinese tungsten in military equipment. That refers to the Restoring Essential Energy and Security Holdings Onshore for Rare Earths Act of 2022.[...]

China is acting more in retaliation “against what it views as an intrusion into its national interests,” Markus Herrmann Chen, co-founder and managing director of China Macro Group, said in an email.

He pointed out that China’s Third Plenum meeting of policymakers in July “put forward a completely new policy goal of better coordinating the entire minerals value chain, likely reflecting the further heightened supply importance of ‘strategic mineral resources’ for both business and geoeconomic interests.”

Stupid games:[X] Prizes [20 Aug 24]

[hananoami]

KIRABASE | Limited-time theme store

2024/2/21 (Wed) will launch a limited-term theme store for 《Love & Deep Space 》 at Sancheng Base, a 2-month cooperative event!

This collaboration is based on the three characters of Li Shen, Shen Xinghui, and Yao, combined with their hobbies and backgrounds, to launch their own main meal, desserts and drinks! The scene in the store is designed with the background of the story, the scene wall not only can see the three characters of various looks and posture, but also their standing cards, so that everyone can enjoy the special meal while also entering the game, and enjoy a visual and taste feast with the favorite characters!

◐------ ┇ Special with meal ┇------ ◑

DINNER SPECIALS: ◈Consumer cooperative meal (no matter sweet): Giveaway character matching card (all 6 models, can be cumulative)

◈Consumer cooperation main meal: get 1 diamond card (3+3 models, can be added)

【2/21-3/18 】Q version: Li Shen, Shen Xinghui, 祁煜 【3/19-4/15 】Personal ratio: Li Shen, Shen Xinghui, 祁煜

◈Consumer co-op drinks: get 1 cup matching (3+3 models, add up)

【2/21-3/18 】A:Li Shen, Shen Xinghui, 祁煜 【3/19-4/15 】B model: Li Shen, Shen Xinghui, 祁煜

◈Permanent Event (1): Every shop to spend cooperative catering, spend 300 yuan (excluding service fee), and like the official fan group of "Love and Deep Space", KIRABASE, send a random postcard (3+3)

【2/21-3/18 】A:Li Shen, Shen Xinghui, 祁煜 【3/19-4/15 】B model: Li Shen, Shen Xinghui, 祁煜 (Not tired, limited to one per person per visit)

◈Permanent Event (II): Anyone who comes to the store to spend cooperative dining, spend a single sum of 800 yuan (excluding service fee), you can randomly get a beautiful pass card of "Love and Deep Space" (all 3 models).

(Can be cumulative, e.g. get 2 pass cards randomly after spending 1,600)

◐------ ┇ Booking instructions ┇------ ◑

Online booking: 36 reservation seats available per session per day (reservations are limited to 2 seats).

Each person enters the store, activity cooperative dining, only one per main meal, dessert, drink (maximum 9 kinds, not packed and takeaway).

Dine time for each entry is 90 minutes.

The same person can't make repeat reservation on the same day, do not accept phone reservation.

Online booking system open 7 days ago.

Online booking, when checking in on-site, will check the booker has the original photo ID. If it does not match the booking information, the reservation will be cancelled. If the same person leaves different phone numbers, repeat reservation, only reserve the first time reservation, cancel the rest of the reservation (cancelled seats, open on-site waiting).

Reservation for 10 minutes, timeout will be considered as giving up reservation.

Each table is maximum for two people, take one table and one checkout, can't be combined.

On-site registration for waiting seats (no guaranteed location), but no waiting outside the store. In case of cancellation, you can only fill in according to the order of registration. Phone notice will only be given if there is a location (reserve 10 minutes after notice).

KB VIP reserved seats: 11 regular guest seats are reserved for each session of the day (cannot order event meals).

◐------ ┇ Note ┇------ ◑ ◈All specials, please make sure to check them out before leaving the store. No replacement after leaving the store.

Infiltration card can't avoid minor scratches. It can't be replaced if it's not a major flaw.

◈All specials will be supplied in sufficient quantities during the event. If there is insufficient on-site spare parts, the on-site will be registered for you. When the goods arrive, they will be unified in the KIRABASE fan group announcement. You can return to the store with the invoice details, check that the registered reporter has the original photo ID and collect it (please pay close attention to the announcement of the fan group, no separate notice).

◈KIRABASE reserves the right to final modification, modification, explanation of the event and cancellation of the event.

◐------ ┇ Store information ┇------ ◑ ◈ Event period: February 21, 2024 - April 15, 2024 ◈Event Store: ▎ KIRABASE Sanchuang Base | 8F, No. 2, Sec. 3, Civic Avenue, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City

Booking way ➮ https://reurl.cc/8jzgKb

[hypebeast1ife]

SHOP: Diamond SUPPLY CO. x NIKE SB Dunk Low 'Canary Diamond'

[centrally-unplanned]

could you explain more about the incentives for universities not to hire candidates unless they got academic jobs immediately upon graduation? I don’t know much about academia and this is fascinating

Sure! It definitely doesn't have 'one' answer or anything, but most of it stems from the fact that universities, pretty-much uniquely, are hiring people for lifetime appointments. The idea of a tenure-track position is that you will work at the university for your entire career. This pretty radically changes what you are looking for in hiring - you care way less about what they are going to do for you now, and instead care about their 'potential' along that 30+ year trajectory. A few things flow from that, and different people think different things matter:

Some would argue that one's talent is both locked-in by the time you are a ~30 year old graduating academic, and that said talent is visible to hiring committees. Essentially, if someone is going to be a rockstar academic, you can tell right out the gate, they would have shown the signs already. There are no "diamonds in the rough" out there who don't get hired, so you shouldn't really bother with them. As such hiring committees spend their time going through the pool of unclaimed talent to find the next crop of high performers. Since I, as a uni, can capture the *entirety* of your career output, I only care about that full potential - if someone is a bit better at this-or-that today by being 3+ year more experienced, I don't care.

The above is probably a factor, but imo its not the full story by any means. Another factor is institutional fit - think of who is doing the hiring. Budget committees and managers? No, they only have advisory say - faculty are hired by other faculty. Which means you are hiring a coworker, co-author, co-teacher for the next several decades. You want someone who is essentially fresh and impressionable, who is going to mold into your organization, adopt research interests that align to your dept strategy, and make all that easier for you. This is a bit of a principle-agent problem moment, but also for something as personality-based and locked-in as academia having a department that gets along is valuable.

For my own perspective, I personally think for a lot of places in academia success is a bit arbitrary. Talent matters ofc but at the margins everyone is talented, and people get their prestige from the institutions they work at as much as their ideas themselves, and those higher-ranked institutions give them greater resources to make their ideas work. As far as this is true, then who they hire kind of doesn't matter, right? They just have to be good enough. As such if the committees have weird opinions about this-or-that thing, they never suffer for it, it never gets 'punished' by reality. They could choose any of their candidates and be fine. Like the first belief, about how 'talent outs quickly' - is that true? Probably to some extent, but also it doesn't matter as long as uni committees believe it's true - they don't have to be right.

Finally, academia in most places is an employer's market; the supply of candidates always massively exceeds demand. This works similar to the last point - they never need to challenge their own ideas about what is optimal hiring because they have their pick. In particular, why was someone not hired for 3 years? Luck? Probably, honestly. But what are the odds it's because they have some defect that is hard for me to see? Its possible, right? So why take that chance, I don't have to. I have total control. In unbalanced markets marginal issues can be elevated to dominant concerns because there is no price to paid for that.

I'm sure there are more issues, it's a diverse world after all and each academic discipline has its own norms. Just some of the factors at play!

[motherofplatypus]

Bisan Owda is a journalist in Gaza that keeps updating about the barbaric genocide actions that israel committed with weapons supplied mainly by US, all the while living through that genocide itself.

Over 30k+ has been killed, and over 15k+ of those are children and babies.

The celebs and artists who wanted to rescind Bisan's nomination are as follow:

Ari Ingel, Executive Director, Creative Community for Peace

David Renzer, Former Chairman/CEO Universal Music Publishing Group, CCFP Chairman & Co-Founder

Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive & Music President, Electronic Arts, CCFP Co-Founder

Rakefet Abergel, Actor/Director, Cyclamen Films

Orly Adelson, Former President of ITV Studios, America

Marty Adelstein, CEO, Tomorrow Studios

Anne-Marie Asner, Co-Founder, Animation Israel

Jeff Astrof, TV Producer/Showrunner, Other Shoe Productions

Michael Auerbach, Partner, Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner Auerbach Hynick Jaime LeVine Sample & Klein

Dean Bahat, Attorney, Ziffren Brittenham

Andrea Ballas, VP Comms, CBS

Jackie Barrie, A&R Manager, Nvak Collective

Richard Baskind, Partner & Head of Music, Simons Muirhead & Burton

Aton Ben-Horin, Executive VP of Global A&R, Atlantic Records Group

Steven Bensusan, President, Blue Note Entertainment Group

Adam Berkowitz, Founder and President, Lenore Entertainment Group

Sharon Bialy, Casting Director, Bialy/Thomas & Associates

Josh Binder, Co-Founder and Partner, Rothenberg Mohr & Binder, LLP

Neil Blair, Founding Partner, The Blair Partnership

Selma Blair, Actress, Author, Advocate, Sainted Productions

Rebecca Blumberg, SVP Ad Sales, Paramount

Evan Bogart, Songwriter & CEO, Seeker Music

Benjamin Budde, CEO, Budde Group GmbH

Bruce Burger, Producer, RebbeSoul

David Byrnes, Attorney, Ziffren Brittenham

Civia Caroline, Social Impact Consultant, CLiC Impact

Pamela Charbit, Director of A&R, Warner Music Group

Emmanuelle Chriqui, Actor, Yellow Ray Entertainment

Leanne Coronel, Talent Manager, The Coronel Group

Raye Cosbert, Managing Director, Metropolis Musi

Paul Craig, Ceo, Nostromo Management

Doug Davis, NATAS Member, 2x Emmy winner, The Davis Firm

Rebecca De Mornay, Actor

Jamie Denbo, Co-Executive Producer, Grey’s Anatomy, ABC/Disney

Josh Deutsch, Chairman/CEO, Premier Music Group

Avi Diamond, Director, Film/TV Sync, Warner Music Canada

Craig Dorfman, President and Owner, Frontline MGMT

Rachel Douglas, Manager, Range Media Partners

David Draiman, Frontman, Disturbed

Jeremy Drysdale, Screenwriter, bigbamboo

Craig Emanuel, Ryan Murphy Productions

Hannah Epstein, Agent, CAA

Rami “Kosha dillz” Even-Esh, Rapper/Comic/Actor

Lindsay Fabes, Actor

Ron Fair, Record Producer & CEO, Faircraft Inc.

Sharon Farber, Composer, Score by Score Music

Danny Federman, Owner, Maccabi Tel Aviv Basketball Club

Eric Feig, Attorney and TV Academy Member, Feig/Finkel

Patti Felker, Attorney, Felker Toczek Suddleson McGinnis Ryan LLP

Ken Fermaglich, Partner, United Talent Agency

Ross “Remedy” Filler, Artist

Shalom Fisch, President, MediaKidz Research & Consulting

David Fishof, CEO, RRFC Films, LLC

Siri Garber, Publicist, Platform

David Gardner, President, Artists First

Barbara Garshman, CEO, Garshman Productions LLC

Gary Gersh

Gary Ginsberg, Senior VP, SoftBank Group Corp.

Brian Ralston, Composer/Producer, Studio 74 Music, LLC

David Glick, Founder & CEO, Edge Group

Zusha Goldin, Celebrity Photographer, Zusha Goldin

Michael Goldwasser, President, Easy Star Records

Andrew Gould, President, Music Publishing

Scott Greenberg, Partner, LBI

Steven Greenberg, Founder and President, S-Curve Records

Daniel Grindlinger, Writer

Ronnie Harris, Partner, Harris & Trotter

Michael Hirschhorn, Manager, Streaming and Sales, Atlantic Records

Linda Edell Howard, Attorney, Novick Law

Rich Ingram, Artist/Creator

Neil Jacobson, Former President, Geffen Records, Founder & CEO of Hallwood Media

Michael Kaplan, Writer/Producer

Sam Katz, Music Manager, Homebase MGMT, LLC

Zach Katz, CEO & Co-Founder, Fixated

Ketura Kestin, Film Producer, Serendipity Productions

Amanda Kogan, Manager, Aaron Kogan Management

Keetgi Kogan Steinberg, Writer/Producer/Showrunner

Jason Kozel, Creative Executive, Range Media Partners

Rick Krim, CEO, Krim Music + Media

Evan Lamberg, President, North America, Universal Music Publishing Group

Sherry Lansing, Former CEO, Paramount Pictures

Colin Lester OBE, Founder/Chairman, JEM Music Group

Sean Liebowitz, Agent

Koura Linda, Founder & CEO, Space Dream Productions

Marci Liroff, Intimacy Coordinator/Casting Director

Cory Litwin, Managing Partner, Range Media Partners

David Lonner, CEO, The David Lonner Company

Ben Maddahi, President, Unrestricted Publishing & Mgmt

Gabriel Mann, Composer

Deborah Marcus, Executive, CAA Foundation

Susan Markheim, Full Stop Mgt., The Azoff Company

Amanda Markowitz, Actor/Producer, SAG/AFTRA & PGA

Orly Marley, President, Tuff Gong Worldwide

Devra Maza, Screenwriter

Debra Messing, Actor/Producer

Hilary Michael, Agent and Partner, WME

Beth Milstein, Writer

Jennifer Morrow, Actor, CAA

Patrick Moss, Writer, Moroccan Boychik

Robert Munic, Writer/Showrunner, Pull The Pin Productions, Inc.

Lisa Nupoff, Manager, iminmusic management

Scott Packman, Founder and Managing Member, SSP Partners LLC

Mark Pinkus, President, Rhino Records

Jonah Platt, Actor/Producer

Wendy Plaut, SVP Music & Celebrity Talent, Paramount Global

Jessica Poter, Writer, Gustavo Anibal Productions

Golan Ramraz, Writer/Producer, EGX Film Factory

Bruce Resnikof

Frederic Richter, Producer, Writer & Researcher

Wendy Robbins, Executive Producer, Creators Inc

Dan Rosen, President, Warner Music Australasia

Rick Rosen, Co-Founder, Endeavor, WME

Aaron Rosenberg, Partner, Myman Greenspan Fox Rosenberg Mobasser Younger & Light

Gregg Rossen, Screenwriter

Michael Rotenberg, CEO, 3 Arts Entertainment

Joshua Rothstein, CEO/Founder, Ice Cream For Dinner

Haim Saban, Chairman and CEO, Saban Capital Group

Glenn Sanders, Writer/Director/Creative Director, Masonry Creative

Ayelet Schiffman, SVP Head of Promotions, Island Records

Paul Schindler, Senior Partner, Greenberg Traurig LLC

Jordan Schur, CEO and Chairman, Mimran Schur Pictures and Suretone Entertainment

Adam Schwartz, Writer

Sam Schwartz, Partner, Gorfaine/Schwartz Agency

Jay Schweid, Founder/CEO, ephelants/Village

Adam Segal, President, The 2050 Group

Ben Silverman, Chairman and Co-CEO, Propagate Content

Ralph Simon, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Mobilium Global Limited

Tamar Simon, Owner/CEO, Mean Streets Management

Martin Singer, Attorney, Lavely and Singer

Halle Stanford, President of Television, The Jim Henson Company

Mimi Steinberg, Writer/Producer

Jonathan Steinsapir, Partner, Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir

Gary Stiffelman, Founder, GSS Law

Traci Symanski, CEO, Co-Star Entertainment

Aaron Symonds, Film Composer

Fernando Szew, President, Fox Entertainment

Tal Tavin, Actor

Adam Taylor, President, APM Music

Michael Testa, Casting Director, Michael Testa Casting

Fred Toczek, Partner, Felker Toczek Suddleson Abramson McGinnis Ryan LLP

Eric Tuchman, Writer/Producer, MGM-TV

Noa Vinshtok, Streaming, Range Media Partners

Joshua Washington, International Recording Artist, JoDavi Music LLC

Avi Weider, Filmmaker, Loop Filmworks

Jon Weinbach, President, Skydance Sports

Nola Weinstein, Tech Executive

Ilana Wernick, Writer/Producer, Fox

Modi Wiczyk, Co-Founder, MRC

Evan Winiker, Managing Partner, Range Music

Seth Yanklewitz, Casting Director, Yanklewitz Pollack Casting

Sharon Tal Yguado, Founder & CEO, Astrid Entertainment

Ky Zaretsky, Manager, Range Media Partners

David Zedeck, Global Co-Head of Music

[Sources: here, here, and here]

[gabbiez]

The Dog-Riders

The Dog-Riders, with various sub-groups and "tribes" such as the Meechees, Marmans, and the Forkorners[1], are nomadic peoples of the American Plains. They comprise the majority of the population of the Plains regions, and maintain some major settlements such as Bolder, Soositee, and Kasper[2]. As their name implies, they utilize a few breeds of supremely large and strong canines for travel and labour. It is said that, before the Fall[3], America was home to a large kind of cow called a "hoarse," which was used in a similar manner. These animals became extinct due to hunting and environmental destruction, but the extreme distances between locations in the Plains necessitated some kind of transport. Mobiles[4] were used while petrol was still available, but as supplies dwindled, Remainders turned to the tried-and-true practice of selective breeding to produce a suitable steed.

The variety of groups which fall under the general label of Dog-Rider makes it difficult to generalize cultural practices among their population. However, some things are generally consistent:

• Most Dog-Rider communities practice some form of Christianity, with some groups syncretising the religion with Antheist beliefs and/or Native Spiritualism

• Sizeable population centers are usually centered around faith centers, trade posts, lakes and streams, with some popping up along major thoroughfares

• Communities generally spend most of their time hunting game animals or gathering fruiting plants, especially once temporary settlements have been established

• Such temporary settlements, usually called "campsites," are usually around for about a week / week-and-a-half, and consist of vibrantly coloured TPs

• Most tribes speak American languages, with the notable exceptions of the Sue, Showshownee, Yoot, Apachee, and Meechees[5], who speak both Amerind and Yooropean languages

Some of the most notable and famous practices of the Dog-Riders are their traditional forms of music and dance, their fanciful textiles, and their competitions. Musical traditions consist of Cantry and Jigging, both of which mainly focus on stringed instruments (the guitar and the fittle, respectively). Textiles are often comprised of small diamond- or square-shaped tiles, forming a larger whole called a Kwilt. Kwilts are renowned for the warmth and beauty across the continent. Competitions often consist of dog beauty pageants, archery, riflery, and ball-sports, the most popular being Gridirn[6].

[1] Métis, Mormons, Four Corners

[2] Boulder CO, Sioux City SD, Casper WY

[3] A general name for the apocalypse and collapse of society

[4] Any kind of wheeled vehicle, in this context automobiles

[5] Sioux, Shoshone, Ute, Apache, and Métis

[6] Gridiron, or more commonly, (American) Football

[randomvarious]

Today's compilation:

Roc-A-Fella Presents...This Thing of Ours 1998 Hip Hop / Hardcore Hip Hop / Gangsta Rap

Whoo boy, do I have some straight-up vintage late 90s ephemeral New York rap FIRE for you all today. Here's Roc-A-Fella Presents...This Thing of Ours, a short promo sampler EP from the label that Jay-Z helped co-found and grow, and that you could only find as a bonus disc in limited edition copies of Jay's own instant classic third album, 1998's Vol. 2...Hard Knock Life. This here is the type of shit that used to lace the 🔥hottest🔥 of mixtapes back in the day; stuff you might find on either a DJ Clue? or Funkmaster Flex CD; gratuitously non-commercial gritty street raps laid over monster beats that had been strictly made to induce the hardest of constant head-nods. Basically a hip hop head's paradise 😤.

But before we get into this little CD itself, I need to provide some background for one of its best tracks. And in order to do that, we need to go all the way back to 1993, because that's the year that a New York rap group called Original Flavor dropped their most well-known single, "Can I Get Open," which featured none other than a young and unsigned Jay-Z on it. And within that group was a guy by the name of Tone Hooker too.

Now, Original Flavor ended up parting ways following the release of their second album in 1994, but a few years later, Tone Hooker would resurface with the only solo release of his career, a 12-inch on Profile Records called "Crew Love," which would feature both NY underground great O.C. on it, as well as Jay-Z, with Jay supplying its chorus. And I don't know who ended up producing that track, but its beat was a bit sparse and darkly crystalline.

However, the following year, another song with Jay-Z on it called "Cru Love" would come out too. And Jay would also rap the *same exact* lyrics on its choruses also! But instead of Tone Hooker and O.C. providing the verses, this one would feature Roc-A-Fella labelmates Memphis Bleek and Beanie Sigel both rapping about drugs, guns, money, and the rap game, with Beanie's verse containing a bars-long extended metaphor that very cleverly equated a drug enterprise with Monopoly. And what's more is that this song's extraordinarily knocking, big-string beat that sounded like a boxer's walk-in music, and was provided by a little-known guy named Derrick Trotman, had clearly drawn inspiration from the far more understated production of the other version of "Crew Love" too 😯.

Then there's another banger on here that comes courtesy of a pretty unknown group who were briefly on Roc-A-Fella and Tommy Boy called Diamonds In Da Ruff. These guys never put out an actual album, but they had a couple 12-inches. And their song, "Respect," which came with a terrific blues-piano-and-guitar driven beat, first appeared on this very CD, before also being included on a DIDR album sampler cassette in '99. But, like I said, even though an album sampler was able to materialize, no actual album for them came afterwards 😕.

So, some really fantastic rap goodies on this little Roc-A-Fella EP here. It's not a very uncommon practice for a label to throw in a bonus sampler along with an album, but for that sampler to be as quality as this one is, is definitely a treat. Some real hardcore New York magic on this thing that ends up making for a wonderful late 90s time capsule 🤩.

Highlights:

DJ Clue? - "DJ Clue Snippets" Jay-Z feat. Memphis Bleek & Beanie Sigel - "Cru Love" Diamonds in da Ruff - "Respect" Memphis Bleek feat. Jay-Z - "Can I Live" Beanie Sigel - "Beanie Sigel Freestyle"

[the-teapot-hatter]

Off Script | Character Roles

So, when I first thought of this Au, I was thinking of a Fantasy Au. Of course, if anyone likes the concept of the Au and wants to use it for a Modern Day Au, by all means. All I ask is that you tag me, because I want to read your work! ^^

Aside from that, before actually writing anything for the characters, I figured I would assign them roles in the fantasy setting.

I wrote this in a way that it can be read off as if it was a description for a route in an otome; Or at least attempted to do such.

| Heartslabyul |

Riddle Rosehearts -- The young heir to the Dukedom. He's always working to make sure the territory is thriving. He's said to be extraordinarily strict, and will fire anyone of his works that doesn't match his perfect standards. Wonder why that is?

Trey Clover -- He works at the popular bakery in the Dukedom that is revered by nobility. It is even said that he personally caters to the young heir's social parties. He seems relatively easygoing, but perhaps he has something to hide?

Cater Diamond -- He works at a local newspaper company, and as such, typically has all of the latest information available to the public! He has such a friendly personality, that most everyone knows him and is friends with him. Though, there are some rumors that he works for an information guide. So, maybe it isn't the best idea to trust him?

Deuce Spade -- A new guardsmen working at the Dukedom. He isn't the smartest, but he's got the spirit! And he's strength and abilities are no laughing matter. Some say that it's because he used to be a criminal back in his youth. But there's no way that can be the case with such an upstanding guardsman, right?

Ace Trappola -- He's the Baron's boyish second son. Seeing as he isn't the heir, he's known for goofing around and never taking anything seriously! More often than not, he can be found at the casino, gambling away. Though, it is said that he often disappears some nights to somewhere unknown. Even the maids working for him have no clue where he could be disappearing off to. Surely, it isn't anything illegal.

| Savanaclaw |

Leona Kingscholar -- He's a brutal pirate known for his cut throat declarations. He won't hesitate to sail over anything and anybody that get's in his way. Selfishly claiming everything as his own. It's rumored he's the second prince to some far off country, but surely that's just a rumor.

Ruggie Bucchi -- A well-known thief that has been seen interacting with the ruthless pirate Leona Kingscholar. He plunders from town to town, and for some reason that guards have never been able to catch him. It has never been found out why he steals so much, but it's assumed it's because of his greed.

Jack Howl -- An up and rising star on the Military's Navy. It's even said that he's gotten close to catching Leona Kingscholar! It's believed that the pirate got away due to Jack's gruff nature and unwillingness to work with others. That has to be the reason, right?

| Octavinelle |

Azul Ashengrotto -- An up and rising merchant that was rewarded the title of Viscount due to his contributions. He's been one of the only people that has managed to get supplies across the sea without interference from pirates. He seems to be an honest businessman. Aren't the people so blessed to have him on their side?

Jade Leech -- One of the Marquis's Leech twin sons. The one that is said to be the most likely heir. They deal with information. It is said that there isn't a thing that the Marquis Leech's do not know and will not find out. It is said that they prioritize honesty above all else. Surely, they aren't hiding anything themselves.

Floyd Leech -- One of the Marquis's Leech twin sons. He's known as being violent and getting into fights at taverns. However, the guards never seem to be able to find anything on him to arrest him. It's even said that he's taken up a job as a mercenary and goes off to fight feral monsters that have lost their humanity. Perhaps someone like that isn't completely bad.

| Scarabia |

Kalim Al-Asim -- He's the Duke Asim's oldest son. A family that is known for their trade all over the world and has even endorsed Viscount Ashengrotto's work. They're a friendly family that is known for helping those in need and throwing frequent parties. They seem a bit careless, but at least they're completely harmless.

Jamil Viper -- He's the loyal servant of Kalim. The Viper's have been serving the Asim's for generations. He's a butler that does anything and everything perfectly, but somehow still seems perfectly average. He's presence isn't typically noticed behind Kalim's.

| Pomefiore |

Vil Schoenheit -- Marquis Schoenheit is known for endorsing talent in the social industry. He's son and heir is just the same, and is frequently seen and places such as opera houses. He even has a booming business for perfumes and skin care products said to be made with magic. Such a business couldn't hide anything heinous, could it?

Rook Hunt -- One of the Count Hunt's many children. He was known for visiting opera houses and hunting animals, until he suddenly became the heir apparent Vil Schonheit's guard. Considering many merchants have said that Rook is an appreciater of beauty it is believed that is the reason why he took up the position of Vil's guard. Though, strange enough, for as open as the man is, there is a period of time where his actions aren't recorded.

Epel Felmier -- He's one of the people endorsed by the Schoenheit name, said to have a talent for singing. So much so, that he has become a rising stare at the opera that people have started calling a "beautiful canary". For some reason, he always looks a bit sad.

| Ignihyde |

Idia Shroud -- He comes from the Earl Shroud family that is known for producing magicians. Idia is even the owner of the Magic Tower! Though, he never seems to leave. He's said to always be obsessively working on something. Wonder why that is?

| Diasomnia |

Malleus Draconia -- The Crown Prince Malleus Draconia. Not much is known about him except for the fact that he's extremely powerful.

Lilia Vanrouge -- The Archduke, one of the closest aids the Majesty Empress Dowager has. He has an extremely youthful appearance and a playful personality. One of the nobilities that commoner's feel comfortable approaching. But it always feels as though he is hiding something.

Silver -- A commoner that doesn't even have a last name that somehow raised in the ranks to become one of the Crown Prince's personal guards. The Archduke Vanrouge seems to be especially fond of him.

Sebek Zigvolt -- The Baron Zigvolts have served as guards for the royal family for generations. And Sebek is no different, being the other personal guard of the Crown Prince. He's known to be loud and actively look down on others. But, he's also strangely earnest and helpful?

| RSA |

Neige Blanche -- A commoner that was granted the title of Baron because of his skills as an opera signer.

Che'nya -- A merchant that is frequently in and out of the Rosehearts Dukedom.

| NBC |

Rollo Flamm -- The young pope of the church. Known for being fair, righteous, and exceptionally hard working.

[wikiweird]

Forty Elephants - Seductive shoplifters: girl gang with diamond ring knuckle dusters.

The Forty Elephants or Forty Thieves were a 19th to 20th century all-female London crime syndicate who specialized in shoplifting. This gang was notable for its longevity and skill in avoiding police detection.

The Forty Thieves operated from the Elephant and Castle area of London. They were allied with the Elephant and Castle Mob led by the McDonald brothers. They raided quality stores in the West End of London and ranged all over the country. The gang was also known to masquerade as housemaids for wealthy families before ransacking their homes, often using false references. They were in existence from at least 1873 to the 1950s with some indications that they may have existed since the late 18th century. During the early 20th century the gang was led by Alice Diamond, known variously as the Queen of the Forty Thieves and as Diamond Annie and as a friend of Maggie Hill, sister to gangster Billy Hill.

Their heyday was in the interwar period when the gang raided on a large scale not only in the West End of London, but also other major shopping centers across the country. They also forced smaller gangs to pay tribute on what they had stolen and would punish criminals who did not obey their rules. The gang had its own set of rules and demanded loyalty from its members and others in their supply and distribution network. Alice Diamond ruled with absolute authority with the co-operation of Maggie Hill, Gertrude Scully, the Partridge sisters, and many others. Over seventy direct members of the gang operating in the 1920s and 1930s have been identified. Reports that the gang collapsed when their leaders were jailed for the 1925 Battle of Lambeth are incorrect. The gang was still in existence after World War II as new family members replaced old hands.

They were often said to be able to meet equal numbers of men in battle and were admired by their male counterparts in the Elephant Gang for their organization and expertise. One member of the gang, Lilian Goldstein (née Kendall), was known to police as the Bobbed-Haired Bandit, the lover of Elephant Gang associate Ruby Sparks, and a driver on his smash and grab raids.

Read more

[jackjolene]

BioShock/Sinking City/Vampyr: The Plan

While Andrew Ryan looks out onto the remains of his city and contemplates what his dream has become, Jack, Liz, Porter, Eleanor, Tenenbaum, Artemis, Reid, and Ashbury have a meeting to discuss their next move.

There are four factions now in play in Rapture, including their group in Minerva's Den. The most concerning of these is Orrin Lutwidge, and his hired killers, the Diamond Partners. The rumor mill says that Lutwidge is working on some big project. They are currently holed up in Arcadia, despite the fact that it's crawling with Mutants.

The dissolution of the Rapture Family saw most of its members return to their previous existence as roaming splicers, each on their own and hungry for ADAM. Most of these either became Mutants, or victims of the Mutants.

However, a good number of former Rapture Family members have created a new cult: The Church of the Son of Ryan. Based off a series of audio diaries by the late Simon Wales (Before the Lamb I-V), the Children believe that a piece of God left Him to become the Demiurge and jumpstart life on Earth and the bloody, painful process of Evolution.

After God learned of the Demiurge's actions, He banished it to the ocean. After thousands of years, Andrew Ryan came along and built Rapture right by the Demiurge's resting place. The ADAM slugs came from the Demiurge, allowing the citizens of Rapture to splice themselves and gain power, hastening the fall of Rapture. Now, with Eleanor Lamb having abandoned the Rapture Family, the members of the Church of the Son of Ryan have put their faith in Jack, that he will return to Rapture to save them.

The last and most mysterious group in Rapture is the remaining Big Sisters. They keep completely to themselves in the Little Sister Orphanages, and anyone who ventures inside is never seen again.

The end goal of Jack and Co. is to cure the remaining splicers and the Mutants, if possible, then evacuate everyone to the surface, and finally activate Rapture's self-destruct, ending the nightmare once and for all.

With the first version of SERPENT killing Mutants, Tenenbaum needs to make a new version of it that will cure them as well as the Splicers. Thankfully, she has Dr. Reid, who has been studying the new ADAM responsible for the Mutants, and also the original Thinker to aid her.

Also, rather than going through Rapture building by building and curing each Splicer and Mutant with a dart, it would be much simpler to create an aerosol version of SERPENT and distribute it throughout all of Rapture using the ventilation systems in Arcadia. Just as producing a drinkable plasmid takes ten times as much ADAM as making an injectable plasmid, so making an aerosol ADAM product uses ten times as much ADAM again!

Thankfully, through the efforts of Subject Artemis and the robotic Little Sisters, they have an absolutely disgusting amount of ADAM to work with. In fact, they have enough to not only make enough SERPENT 2.0 to cure all of Rapture, but they've got enough for Jack, Eleanor, and Porter to splice with the stronger plasmids and become every bit as powerful as Artemis is.

Their main goal is to cure Rapture's surviving Splicers and Mutants. To accomplish that goal, they will need all the help they can get to overcome Lutwidge, the Diamond Partners, and the Mutants in Arcadia to put the new SERPENT into the air supply. The plan is four-fold.

Tenenbaum and Dr. Reid will stay in Minerva's Den to work on the new SERPENT and to be the "chair guys" of the rest of Jack and Co.

While there are eight of them, Jack and Co. will need more on their side if they want to take Arcadia from Lutwidge and his people. To that effect, Jack intends on recruiting the Church of the Son of Ryan to their side. After all, he is actually there to save them. Though if things go wrong, Artemis will be there to help him.

The Big Sisters would be a great asset to their side, and as Eleanor is one herself, she may be able to convince them to aid Jack and Co. If that falls through, however, Porter will be her back-up.

And finally, they need to learn just what Lutwidge is up to. In the months prior to Jack and Co.'s return to Rapture, Lutwidge has been moving around a lot and sending his Diamond Partners out on missions all over Rapture. And yet, the Mutants in each new base haven't wiped them out. Somehow, Lutwidge is keeping them from going after him and the Diamond Partners.

To find out why, Liz and Lady Ashbury, will be going out and using their talents in stealth and infiltration to uncover Lutwidge's secrets and learn what he is planning. Neither Jack or Dr. Reid are fans of the idea, but they need answers, and the "Elizabeths" are the best they've got for the job.

After resupplying and Jack, Eleanor, and Porter splicing up to reach Artemis' level, the four groups say their goodbyes and go out into Rapture, Tenenbaum and Dr. Reid watching along with the other denizens of Minerva's Den. Andrew Ryan himself watches silently as his son goes back out into the nightmare he has created.

[female-malice]

I mean no disrespect to you, here, but I disagree with your views about homesteading. First off, not everyone necessarily needs to own their own homestead like you assumed in order to produce enough food for everyone via homesteading (and, let's be honest; because interests tend to vary from person to person, not everyone will even necessarily want to). Even regular farming tends to overproduce more than they need to just to grow enough to earn a profit, which is necessary, because there is no way to really regulate how much food each plant or livestock animal will produce. In order to produce just enough, you have to plant or raise more than you actually need. A large amount of food gets thrown out before it ever hits store shelves because it can't be sold, either due to minor cosmetic flaws or because there is just so. Damn. Much of it that the supply overpowers the demand. This is known as farm surplus, and it produces a LOT of the methane gas in our landfills that contribute to global warming (I mean, not as much as oil and gas, of course, but still a lot) whilst millions go hungry. Sustainable, biomimicry-focused methods of farming, such as those employed in permaculture and by the Savory Institute, actually produces significantly more food per square mile of farmland than even conventional agriculture farming methods do, so it is more than possible to feed everyone off of far fewer small homesteads using sustainable, biomimicry-focused methods. So, no, not everyone needs to homestead for homesteading to still be the answer to our hunger problem, without wreaking the environment. The problem, however, is Capitalism, which is a profit-driven system that artificially limits amounts of common things that we actually have a nearly never-ending supply of (diamonds, food, you get the idea) in order to increase their market value. If we have too much of them, only the amount that can be sold at an actual profit will be sold, and the rest thrown out, resulting in the aforementioned farm surplus rotting in landfills that I already told you about, and the fact that the global food system is run by corporations instead of regular people who produce and farm the food is a main cause of this. What we need to do is get rid of the global Capitalist food system, and instead, write the concept of food sovereignty into law. After we have done so, there won't be such an issue with farm surplus, and everyone will be able to eat all of the food that sustainable homesteads provide, rather than throwing so much of it out over profit motive, people and planet be damned.

All you've done here is taken my argument against homesteading and twist it into a strawman.

Homesteading. It means working the land on your own private property. Private food on private property. That is the definition of homesteading. You can romanticize it all you want. Most of us in western society were raised to romanticize settler culture. But homesteading is inefficient, disorganized, and vulnerable to natural disaster. And anyone could show up and present themselves as a benevolent homesteader only to have terrible intentions for the community. We can't just leave the power of food in the hands of some random private individuals. No way.

Now reread my post. What did I recommend in my post? Public farming co-operatives. Collaboration between farm co-operatives, local universities, local food banks, local public schools, and local supply chains. Public food on public property. That's the definition of co-operative farming.

If you want to keep your land private, then rewild your private land. You can start a native plant nursery while you're at it. There's enough food on healthy wild land for one or two people. Enjoy.

If you want to grow large quantities of food on your land, then your land must become public land. And you must give up control of your land to the community. Food belongs to everyone. So the land food grows on must belong to everyone.

Private food needs to end now. And homesteading does not end private food. It only winds back the clock to feudal politics. I know this is raining on everyone's post-apocalypse cottage core fantasies. But we can't run a society on individual fantasies. We need an organized collective vision and we need to build public local institutions around that vision. No more fantasy.

[mommy-mystic]

📚 July Reading Wrap-Up 📚

Gods of Jade and Shadow - Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Midnight at the Tuscany Hotel - James Markert

Balanced and Barefoot: How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children - Angela J. Hanscom

Nora Goes Off Script - Annabel Monaghan

Mexican Gothic - Silvia Moreno-Garcia

A Novel Proposal - Denise Hunter

The Diamond Eye - Kate Quinn

After I Do - Taylor Jenkins Reid

📚 TBR: The Weaver & The Witch Queen by Genevieve Gornichec that I purchased @ The Bookworm in Edwards, CO today.

🫧 A Bookish Journal Entry 📖

🫧 July 2023 has been a wild month! Truly, I don't think I've ever read this much in my life. But, it's a lovely hobby that's been helping me get through all the stress of traveling, work, toddler parenting/potty training, my husbands deployment, my pregnancy, etc! Prioritizing a little bit of escapism/quiet time in my life outside of my responsibilities helps me feel refreshed. Actually, it helps me feel alive. Sinking into a story for a few days feels so much better than mindlessly scrolling through social media during restful moments. I can actually hear myself think. I can sort out my emotions with a little more clarity. These are my beneficial side effects of my experiment in becoming a summer reader.

🫧 Also! I'd say 4 of these books were borrowed from my local library and/or the Libby App, one was a copy I had around the house, another a copy I borrowed from my mom. So, truthfully, reading has been a rather inexpensive hobby for me this month. It's nice to know I haven't been splurging on the things I usually would (furniture, craft supplies, and sundresses seem to be my kryptonite). I love that though. I love that when I do go to the bookstore to purchase a new release, it feels like a treat. I love that when I return a library book I really enjoyed, I feel like I'm sharing the experience with my community ~ like somebody has loved this too, & someone else will come across it for the first time, like I did, and we will have that little memory in common, though we may never cross paths. That feels really beautiful to me!

🫧 This month, I read my first 2 Silvia Moreno-Garcia books and I fell in LOVE with them. Her stories are insane and magical and perfect and all-consuming. Those and Midnight at the Tuscany Hotel were positively masterpieces. As was The Diamond Eye I listened to as an audiobook. A thrilling, captivating work of historical fiction. I also added in a few romance books. One was a silly audiobook written by Annabel Monaghan that got me through a complicated week of chores and working and travel preparations, and the other was a precious Christian romance beach read by Denise Hunter that actually warmed my heart. Romance books without the 🌶 are definitely more my speed, I bashfully admit.

🫧 July was a lot. It was wonderful and heart wrenching. It was easy and very, very hard. I'm so excited for the rest of the year ahead. For the stories I've yet to crack open and for the ones I'm about to create for myself. I'm excited to find magic in everything, I'm excited to give my children a world of adventure, stories, magic, learning, acceptance, coziness, hope, faith, & goodness.

🫧 I wasn't expecting so much passion for life/books to come over me after a short visit to Barnes & Nobel with my mom and daughter in May of this year - but visiting a gorgeous bookshop cafe in a little mountain town today with them, it all came full circle.