#remove-replace-restore

[divinegastronomer]

Remove-Replace-Restore

Promoting good gut health through the principles of replace, replace, and restore is essential for overall well-being.

Here are 20 ways you can incorporate these principles into your daily routine:

1. Replace processed foods with whole, nutrient-dense foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes.

2. Replace sugary beverages with water, herbal teas, or homemade smoothies.

3. Replace unhealthy fats with healthier options like avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil.

4. Replace refined grains with whole grains like quinoa, brown rice, and oats.

5. Replace conventional dairy with probiotic-rich options like kefir, yogurt, or plant-based alternatives.

6. Replace artificial sweeteners with natural sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, or stevia.

7. Replace all alcohol consumption.

8. Replace high-sodium foods with herbs, spices, and sea salt for flavor.

9. Replace fast food with homemade meals prepared with fresh ingredients.

10. Restore gut bacteria by consuming fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, and kombucha.

11. Restore gut lining by consuming collagen-rich foods like bone broth or incorporating a collagen supplement.

12. Restore gut health with prebiotic-rich foods like garlic, onions, leeks, bananas, and asparagus.

13. Restore gut motility by staying hydrated and consuming fiber-rich foods like chia seeds, flaxseeds, and vegetables.

14. Restore gut balance by incorporating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables to ensure a diverse intake of nutrients.

15. Restore gut flora by including probiotic supplements or foods like yogurt, kefir, and tempeh in your diet.

16. Restore gut function by managing stress through mindfulness practices like meditation, yoga, or deep breathing exercises.

17. Restore gut health by getting regular physical activity to support digestion and overall well-being.

18. Restore gut diversity by rotating your food choices and including a wide range of foods in your diet.

19. Restore gut integrity by avoiding antibiotics unless necessary and discussing alternative options with your healthcare provider.

20. Restore gut health by getting quality sleep, as inadequate rest can disrupt gut microbiota and overall health.

By incorporating these strategies into your lifestyle, you can support your gut health and overall well-being.

[no0dlru]

[tilecleaningtoday]

Amazing Restoration of an Original Victorian Tiled Floor in Penarth South Wales

Following a recommendation, this client from Penarth contacted Tile Doctor to carry out a survey on their Victorian tiled kitchen floor and come up with a plan for its restoration. Always happy to provide advice and guidance I arranged a date to pop over and take a look.

As you can see from the photographs on this page the floor was in very poor condition with many tiles needing replacing and a section missing adjacent to the wooden floor. Many stains were visible due to years of neglect as previous builders used it to mix cement and plaster.

Undeterred I advised that the floor could be restored using replacement tiles to match the existing and then with deep cleaning and sealing it should be transformed. I worked out a quote for the restoration which they were happy with.

Cleaning and Repairing a Victorian Tiled Kitchen

After sourcing suitable replacement tiles the first job was to remove the broken and damaged areas of tiling and clean up the base ready for tiling. This is slow and careful work as the replacements had to be cut to match the existing pattern. Once the tiles were ready, they were dry fitted into place to ensure the pattern was correct before being fixed in place with a flexible adhesive and fresh grouting.

The floor was left to set overnight, and I came back the next day to start the cleaning. As this floor was heavily soiled with a variety of different substances, I mixed a variety of Tile Doctor products to achieve the most effective way to lift the stains. The mixture contained a litre of Tile Doctor Pro-Clean, Tile Doctor Remove and Go together with Tile Doctor HBU Nanotech, all of which provide different capabilities and were combined in a container which was then shaken to mix the contents.

The cleaning progressed at 1m2 at a time scrubbing the surface with a handheld pad cut from a 17″ Tile Doctor Burnishing Pad, scrubbing the pitted areas with a scrubbing brush, rinsing with clean water and vacuuming up as I worked.

Once the floor was clean it was then given an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up to help neutralise efflorescent salts and remove cement smears. Being acidic it also neutralises the floor after cleaning with the alkaline products used earlier.

Sealing a Victorian Tiled Kitchen

The floor was left to dry for 2 days as it had a considerable amount of liquids applied during the cleaning process.

The chosen sealer was Tile Doctor Colour Grow which is a durable tile impregnator. It also acts as a base coat for the next sealer applied which was Tile Doctor Seal & Go which provides a satin shine finish and enhances the rich colours. Both sealers allow for vapour transmission (aka breathable) which is important feature for floors laid without a damp proof membrane.

The floor looked stunning once complete and my clients was delighted with the service and finish of the floor. They have also passed on Tile Doctors contact details to family and friends.

For aftercare I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a mild yet effective tile cleaning product that safe to use on sealed surfaces.

Source: Victorian Floor Renovation and Restoration Services near Penarth South Wales

[mygentledentistaranahills]

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[pfdentistry]

Caring For The Teeth Of Seniors | Paris Family Dental |

[sayruq]

I keep posting this because it's important people see the tricks the US Empire will pull in order to ensure the occupation of Palestine doesn't end.

When Netanyahu is removed and scapegoated for the crimes Israel has committed, his more moderate replacement will go on a media tour in order to repair Israel's image in the West and a diplomatic tour in order to restore diplomatic relations with the countries that have recalled their ambassadors or cut diplomatic ties entirely. The genocide we're witnessing will be treated like a mild mistake that will never happen again (that Palestinians have brought on themselves). More money will be allocated to Zionist groups in the West to ensure that the public doesn't turn on Israel again.

Meanwhile, Palestinians will continue to get imprisoned, tortured and killed, only now without the world paying attention (just like what happened after the 2021 war). It's our duty as people who are pro Palestine to ensure that this fails. We need to make sure they don't sweep the genocide under a rug. We need to make that Western politicians and journalists don't clean the blood off their hands in the same way we've spent 45 days countering Israeli propaganda

[doctorbeth]

Just a spa (or two or three!) for Monkey

Monkey's first person loved him for years, and then his first person had a little boy, and after a generation plus five more years of love, Monkey was feeling a bit worn. Here is his diagnosis photo:

Monkey is a local creature, so once we agreed on a treatment (spa, bald spot treatment, wound repair, new eyes, seam tightening), he was hand delivered by his family.

He started with a spa:

As you can see, the black turned white fairly quickly, but it was almost paint like in texture. I actually wrote to his family, to ask if he had ever had a paint job! The answer was no, it was just oils and dirt from years of an adventurous life. So he had another bath, and another, and a LOT of hand scrubbing, and gentle, one hair at a time, oil removal. Oils aren't uncommon, but this paint like density is. I actually followed the treatment used to remove oil from birds and mammals who get caught in oil spills, and that was eventually the ticket to restore Monkey's fur.

Here's his heart being made and installed with a bit of his original stuffing:

You can see he got modern, hypoallergenic polyfiber stuffing as part of his spa to replace the foam (which disintegrates with time).

Here he is all better! He even got a new nose based on one of his baby photos (his face had been so thickly coated originally, we didn't know it was missing till he was clean!).

You can also see a small fur transplant he needed on the side of his neck for a larger bald spot in the last photo.

In any case, Monkey was ready to go home, but he had to hang out at the hospital a few more days, till his original person was off work. Then both generations came to pick him up. Their reaction:

Absolutely incredible!!!!!!!!!!! I’m still in shock ! Thank you so much !

[vcareclinic]

[reasonsforhope]

"To mark the birth of their first child, Sienna, in 2018, Kevin and Kelly Williams planted a tangerine tree in their Lahaina yard. When their second child Malia arrived in 2020, they added a lime tree.

But the trees never had a chance to bear fruit before the Aug. 8, 2023 wildfire destroyed them, along with the Williams family’s home, their property management business and most of the town.

Now, on their new property in Ukumehame about 15 minutes south of Lahaina, the family is growing a much bigger bounty — about 220 trees, all native species, that one day will return to the backyards of families like theirs.

“Absolutely amazing to be able to think one day we can drive through Lahaina and see the trees that we helped raise,” Kevin Williams said. 

Over the past year and a half, a sprawling network of volunteers, local farmers, nurseries and hotels have stepped up to host thousands of young trees growing in pots that will be replanted in Lahaina through the Treecovery Hawai‘i project. 

Since launching in November 2023, the initiative has bloomed into 6,200 trees being cared for at 25 grow hubs, with about 160 already replanted at the handful of homes that have been rebuilt in Lahaina and Kula. While displaced families focus on returning to their homes, the volunteers are making sure the trees and the soil are nurtured and ready to shade and feed the community for years to come. 

“It really does a lot to people’s minds and hearts when they see growth and they see that rebirth of the land,” said Duane Sparkman, founder and president of Treecovery and chair of the Maui County Arborist Committee. “Restoring the ‘āina from the soil up is what we have to do.” 

THE ROOTS

When 59-year-old Ekolu Lindsey talks to relatives from his dad’s generation about Lahaina, the smell of mangos comes to mind. Everyone had their favorite fruit trees in Lahaina, and oftentimes they were the ones in their own yards, said Lindsey, who lost his Front Street home in the fire. 

“All those stories, it’s the memories of home. It’s all part of who we are as people,” said Lindsey, a Treecovery board member and head of Maui Cultural Lands, a nonprofit that works to protect and restore Hawaiian resources across the island.

Lahaina was historically home to a canopy of fruit trees, including breadfruit, which gave rise to the name Malu ‘Ulu o Lele, “the shaded breadfruit grove of Lele.” They helped create a cooler climate, capture rainwater and mitigate soil erosion, independent researcher Adam Keawe Manalo-Camp wrote in the Office of Hawaiian Affairs’ “Ka Wai Ola” publication. The removal of breadfruit trees and diversion of streams to pave the way for sugar cane production in the mid-1800s dried up the once productive landscape and opened the door for invasive species. 

The 2023 fire again razed the trees of Lahaina — about 21,000, according to Treecovery’s estimates — and burned so hot that it likely killed microbes in the soil as deep as 18 inches underground, Sparkman said. In Kula and Lahaina, federal workers scraped 6 inches of soil off the top of each property and tested it for contaminants before people were allowed to rebuild. 

Struck by how barren the land was, Sparkman and his team launched Treecovery with the goal of growing 30,000 trees to replace what Lahaina lost. Lindsey sits on the board along with Matthew Murasko, Rodger May and cultural adviser Archie Kalepa. 

The idea was to establish grow hubs where trees could be nurtured until residents were ready to plant. The Royal Lahaina Resort, where Sparkman is the chief engineer, served as a staging site before the very first grow hub opened with 125 fruit tree saplings at the Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club in April 2024. 

The network grew to nearly every corner of the island, from the Kā‘anapali Beach Resort to the Fairmont Kea Lani to the Kahului Airport and independent growers in East Maui. It’s a labor of love where the on-site workers or volunteers water, weed and transfer the plants to larger pots as they grow.

Treecovery takes requests for trees on their website, buys them from local nurseries and transports them to the grow hubs where they are cared for and labeled with the names of the families they will be donated to, according to Murasko, an entrepreneur, product designer and brand builder who met Sparkman while volunteering in Honokōwai Valley 17 years ago. Murasko said they’ve raised about $600,000 and that they pay full price for the trees and pots to help support local businesses. The trees cost about $100 each but can get as expensive as $2,000 for a 65-gallon mango tree or $3,000 to move and install a large palm tree, Sparkman said.

There are a variety of trees, including native species like koai‘a and ‘a‘ali‘i; fruit trees like Mapulehu mango, dwarf avocado, peach and citrus; and flowering trees such as plumeria and puakenikeni...

Sparkman, a longtime landscaper and former scientific biological technician at Haleakalā National Park who has been honored for his organic landscaping practices, said Treecovery wants to return the natural system of healthy microbes into the soil. 

The steady recovery of the iconic 150-year-old banyan tree is proof that it can work. Sparkman said it’s grown “leaps and bounds” more than they expected with the help of 500 gallons of microbial life, rich with fungi and bacteria that trees need and pests can’t survive in. 

“It takes years for nature to put it back, but man can help it by pulling these indigenous microbes and moving it for nature,” he said.""

-via Maui Now, April 28, 2025

[batboyblog]

Senate Elections 2024!

At the Start of the year I made a post about the US Senate elections this year. However a lot has changed since then (not just that) So I thought I'd make a new version.

How successful a President Kamala Harris is able to be will come down to who controls congress. A Republican House or Senate could frustrate many of the important agenda items Harris wants to get done. Also the Senate is key to appointing Judges, right now many America's rights are being decided in the courts where Trump and Republican appointed Judges are consistently ruling against trans rights, voting rights, abortion rights etc. Any hope of a smooth pipe line of Harris judges depends on the Senate. Senate Control hangs by a knife's edge, there are 6 soft blue seats we have to hold onto, two swing seats Dems are defending, and two soft red seats we can pick up, you can make all the difference!

If you don't live in one of the states below but want to help, you can Donate to the DSCC or sign up to phone bank with the Democrats

Arizona

Ruben Gallego (Hold)

Winning Arizona will be key to the outcome of the 2024 Presidential election. Congressman Ruben Gallego was a leader in the effort to replace Democrat turned Independent Senator Sinema with a real Democrat. Gallego was raised by a single mother, went to Harvard, and is a Marine combat vet. First elected to the Arizona State House in 2010 he advocated for immigrant rights. He was elected to Congress in 2014. Since coming to Congress Gallego has been a progressive voice, gaining attention for blunt attacks on the Trump administration. Republicans nominated around former TV host and conspiracy theorist Kari Lake. Lake rose to become a Republican star by supporting conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and Covid. Lake ran for Arizona Governor in 2022 and after losing to Democrat Katie Hobbs she refused to concede and still maintains she won and is the rightful Governor of Arizona. Lake has called Democrats "Demonic", totally opposes abortion in all cases, and is the self proclaimed "Trump candidate". If Gallego is elected not only will he be a reliable Democratic vote and Progressive vote in the Senate, he'd be the first Hispanic to represent Arizona in the Senate, ever. If you live in Arizona please make sure you vote, but more if you have any time between now and November, volunteer to help Gallego! and if you don't live there you can still give.

VOTE VOLUNTEER DONATE SHOP

Florida

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (Flip)

Florida's current Republican senator, Rick Scott, has spent his first term in Congress being one of the most extreme Republicans. Scott has pushed to defund education, roll back Social Security and Medicare, attacked trans rights, and wants to ban Abortion in all cases. Rick Scott is the wealthiest member of Congress and also was in involved in the largest case of Medicare fraud in US history. Scott challenged Mitch McConnell for the leadership of the Senate GOP getting support from extremists like Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, and JD Vance, and now is running to replace McConnell. Scott won in 2018 with less than 10,000 votes. The Democrat is former Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. When she was elected to Congress in 2018 she became the first South American born immigrant and first person of Ecuadorian heritage to be elected to Congress. In Congress Mucarsel-Powell was a member of the Progressive caucus, she fought to expand medicare, and secured $200 million for Everglades restoration. After a narrow defeat in 2020 Mucarsel-Powell joined the gun control advocacy group Giffords to fight for gun control a personal issue for her. If you're in Florida please make sure you vote, and volunteer to help remove one of the most extreme Senators. Everyone else give what you can.

VOTE VOLUNTEER DONATE

Maryland

Angela Alsobrooks (Hold)

Maryland is normally an easy Democratic win but two-term Republican former Governor Larry Hogan announced he was running, turning what should be an easy race for Democrats into a real fight. Hogan is trying to sell himself as a Trump septic moderate, but he's endorsed by Trump, JD Vance, and Mitch McConnell. Hogan spent his final year as Governor frustrating Democratic efforts to protect abortion, legalize marijuana, and take serious action on climate change. In the Senate he'll be a vote in the pocket of Republican leadership. The Democrat is Angela Alsobrooks, the executive of Prince George's County. As County Executive Alsobrooks got high marks for her response to Covid. She's worked to expand pre-K to all students in the county, as well expanding health care access including mental health access. As a candidate for Senate Alsobrooks has been a strong supporter of Abortion rights, pushing for more action on gun violence, and has been a strong supporter of LGBT rights her whole political life. After Vice-President Harris left the Senate there were no black women represented in the upper house. Together with Delaware's Lisa Blunt Rochester Alsobrooks could make history, if both are elected this year it'll be the first time ever that two black women have served at the same time in the US Senate. If you're in Maryland make sure to get out to vote, to volunteer as much as you're able, and everyone give whatever you can to protect abortion rights and support progressive black women!

VOTE VOLUNTEER DONATE SHOP

Michigan

Elissa Slotkin (Hold)

Michigan is a critical 2024 swing state. Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin is running to replace retiring Senator Debbie Stabenow. Slotkin worked for the CIA, the State Department, and the Department of Defense rising to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense under President Obama. She is fluent in Arabic and Swahili. First elected to Congress in 2018 Slotkin won and has been re-elected repeatedly to represent a swing district, becoming the first Democrat elected there since 1998. In Congress Slotkin has supported gun control, and ending money in politics. Her national security experience made her an important voice pushing for the first impeachment of Trump in 2019. She gained national attention for holding open town halls on her choice to vote to impeach Trump facing down Republican protesters. In her run for Senate Slotkin has continued to stress her support for gun legislation, ending money in politics and stresses protecting the right to choose. Republicans have consolidated around former Congressman Mike Rogers. Rogers retired to Florida after his time in the House only moving back last year to run for Senate. During his time in Congress Rogers tried twice to ban the abortion pill mifepristone. Rogers is endorsed by Trump and controversial former Detroit Police Chief James Craig. If you're in Michigan vote to protect the right to choose and stop a Trump Republican, and make sure to volunteer as much as you can, and every give what you can to help win this key swing state.

VOTE VOLUNTEER DONATE SHOP

Montana

Jon Tester (Re-elect)

Normally deep red Montana represents one of the hardest Senate seats for Democrats to hang onto. Jon Tester is the only Democrat to hold statewide office or represent Montana in Congress. Elected narrowly in 2006 Tester has beaten the odds time and time again and is trying again. In his time in the Senate Tester has been a consistent voice for small farmers and local businesses against big corporations and mega companies. Tester has fought against corruption and for openness, and is one of the most effective members of Congress consistently having the most bills past into law of any member of Congress. Republicans have embraced an ultra wealthy former CEO, Tim Sheehy as their nominee to unseat Tester. Sheehy was caught lying about being shot in Afghanistan as a Navy SEAL, when he in fact accidentally shot himself at Glacier National Park in Montana. Past his embarrassing war wound story, Sheehy is an ultra rich CEO who has spent 2 million of his own money on the race so far. Sheehy has been endorsed by Trump, and Marjorie Taylor Greene. Sheehy wants to ban all abortion, repeal Obamacare, and remove any limits on gun ownership, despite having shot himself. If you can only donate to two races, this and Ohio are the most important, if you can only donate to one? flip a coin. Everyone in Montana make sure you get out to vote and just as important volunteer, there will be no Presidential or Governor or any other campaign to help Tester along its all on him, and everyone give what you can.

VOTE VOLUNTEER DONATE SHOP

Nevada

Jacky Rosen (Re-elect)

Nevada is a critical swing state in the 2024 election. Jacky Rosen first came to Congress flipping a Red House seat in 2016 and then unseating a Republican Senator in 2018. Since coming to Congress Rosen has been a champion for turning Nevada into a clean energy leader. She's also has helped pass gun control legislation and is a fierce advocate the right to choose. Republicans have nominated Army veteran and conservative influencer Sam Brown to run against Rosen. Brown unsuccessfully ran in a Republican primary for the Texas State House in 2014, and for the Republican nomination for US Senate in Nevada in 2022. Now with the endorsement of Donald Trump Brown finally managed to win a primary. Sam Brown is the only Republican candidate Trump mentioned in his 92 minute convention speech at the RNC. Brown wants to roll back Nevada's Green energy progress and boost fossil fuels, he also wants to roll back any and all restrictions on guns. If you're in Nevada make sure to get out and vote, and volunteer to keep this key Senate seat out of the hands of a Trump Republican. Everyone else give what you can.

VOTE VOLUNTEER DONATE SHOP

Ohio

Sherrod Brown (Re-elect)

Ohio is one of the hardest senate seats for Democrats to defend this year. Senator Sherrod Brown has been the only statewide elected Democrat in Ohio since 2011. First elected to Congress in 1992 and to the Senate in 2006 Brown has defied the odds by being a popular Progressive in an ever more Red state. Brown consistently ranks along side Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren as one of the most left wing Senators. From his first days in Congress Brown refused the Congressional health plan, repeatedly introducing single payer health care bills going back to the 1990s. Brown has been a proud and consistent ally of Unions, particularly the UAW, and tough on banks and big business. Republicans have nominated used car salesman and crypto enthusiast Bernie Moreno. Moreno is a weirdo, he accused LGBT activists of a "radical agenda of indoctrination" and then got caught looking for "men for 1-on-1 sex" on AdultFriendFinder. Moreno supports a federal abortion ban, has been sued by former employees for wage thief and discrimination, and wants to end birth right citizenship. Moreno has been endorsed by Turning Point USA, Donald Trump Jr., Vivek Ramaswamy, Kari Lake, Ted Cruz, JD Vance, and of course Donald Trump. If you're in Ohio make sure you get out to vote, and volunteer to support a great Senator. Everyone outside of Ohio give what you can, if you can only donate to two campaigns this and Montana need it the most, if you can only give to one, flip a coin.

VOTE VOLUNTEER DONATE SHOP

Pennsylvania

Bob Casey (Re-elect)

Pennsylvania is a key swing state in the 2024 Presidential election. Bob Casey was first elected to the Senate in 2006 defeating right wing extremist Rick Santorum by the largest margin in state history. Starting his career as a moderate to conservative Democrat Casey has become a strong advocate for gun control since 2012 voting for every gun control measure to reach the Senate. Casey also made strong opposition to the Trump administration a cornerstone of time in office. While personally pro-life, Casey has endorsed the right to choose and voted codify abortion rights. Casey has been a leading critic of corporate greed during the inflation and authored a bill to ban shrinkflation. Republicans have nominated multi-millionaire former CEO and Bush administration official David McCormick. McCormick served in the Treasury under George W. Bush, his wife worked at the NSC under Trump. He lived in Westport, Connecticut as the CEO of an investment management firm, till he decided he wanted to be a US Senator in 2022 and he moved to Pennsylvania. He lost the 2022 GOP primary to Dr. Oz and is giving another go in 2024. McCormick is endorsed by George W. Bush, Mitch McConnell, Rick Santorum, Karl Rove, Doug Mastriano, Jim Jordan, and of course Donald Trump. If you're in Pennsylvania make sure you get out to vote, and to volunteer to keep Pennsylvania blue. Everyone else give what you can.

VOTE VOLUNTEER DONATE SHOP

Texas

Colin Allred (Flip)

Texas Senator Ted Cruz might be the most hated man in politics. Since his election in 2012 Cruz has been on a single minded mission to be totally unlikeable. Shutting down the government under President Obama, endorsing Trump after Trump insulted his wife, supporting Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, fleeing his state to go on vacation in Mexico after an ice storm and power outage (and abandoning his dog), blaming the Uvalde school shooting on video games, yes Ted Cruz really has done it all. Cruz is one of the most right wing members of the Senate and a loud Trump supporter. Last election in 2018 Cruz barely hung onto his seat and Democrats are hoping with 6 more years of radicalism Texans are ready for change. Democrats have nominated Congressman Colin Allred. Allred is a former professional footballer, played Linebacker for the Tennessee Titans. After football Allred went to law school, and got a job with the Obama Administration. In 2018 he won an upset victory unseating an 11 term Republican in a district that had been Republican since 1968. In Congress Allred fought for gun reform, to keep down the price of proscription drugs, and invest in American infrastructure. In his run for Senate he's standing up for the right to choose against one of the most radically anti-abortion Republicans in the country. If you're in Texas make sure you vote and volunteer to give Ted Cruz the boot, and everyone give what you can to get Blue Texas.

VOTE VOLUNTEER DONATE SHOP

Wisconsin

Tammy Baldwin (Re-elect)

Wisconsin is a critical swing state in the 2024 Presidential election. Senator Tammy Baldwin is a historic trailblazer, when she was first elected to Congress in 1998 she was the first woman to ever represent Wisconsin in Congress, the first open Lesbian elected to Congress, and the first openly gay non-incumbent to be elected to Congress. She co-founded the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus. When she was elected to the US Senate in 2012 she was the first and is still the only openly gay person ever elected to the Senate. Past her advocacy for LGBT rights Baldwin has been a progressive her whole time in Congress endorsing single-payer health care, and being a strong voice for abortion rights. Republicans are supporting a California bank owner and weirdo named Eric Hovde. Strange mustache owner Hovde has attacked trans kids, flip flopped on abortion (totally against, now open to some abortion), and insulted farmers as "not hardworking" and thats why the retirement age should be 72. If you're in Wisconsin make sure to vote and volunteer to protect a progressive trailblazer and stop a California weirdo banker. Everyone else give what you can.

VOTE VOLUNTEER DONATE SHOP

Where ever you live in the US there is a critical race happening, so please check out ways to Volunteer and where ever you live there are options to phone bank text bank write letters or postcards to voters (postcards 2) but like I said wherever you are there are local candidates who need your help, and if you live in any of these critical states please give your time and energy.

[vegan-kaktus]

Various Pet Defaults - Part 1

Pet Bed Basket Expensive

Replaced with chrissy6930's mesh edit of said pet bed (scroll down) and re-mapped by me to use 512x512 textures. Existing recolors will break unfortunately, but I couldn't even find many to begin with. I did include 8 recolors (some of them are remakes of windkeeper's (T$R) recolors). They all have a dirty state, it's not as dirty (/turquoise) as Maxis' but it's something at least. I will include my .psd for this in part 2.

Maxis: polycount: 2784, texture size: 1024x512

My default: polycount: 1294, texture size: 512x512

Pet Food

I dislike the original pet food texture, but I liked the one from this upload by @beautifulnerdkitty. I edited it slightly and turned it into a default replacement.

Note: custom pet bowls might not use my default, since I think they often have their own?

Bon Voyage Bone

The bone sims can dig up from bon voyage is identical to the chew bone from pets ep (but a separate object completely), so I replaced it with the bone from castaway. I re-mapped it to use 140x100px texture (yes!) and I also made it buyable (you can find it under misc - pets) but this edit is in a separate file. If you install the buyable file in your downloads folder, it will have a custom star and can be deleted in-game, and doing so will corrupt your game. If you decide to install the buyable file as well, be careful not to delete the bone in-game!

Maxis made a custom description for this bone, but only in English. I fixed this and now the description is available in all languages, courtesy of Google translate (the Swedish translation I'm confident in but please let me know if any translation needs fixing). They also broke the shadow, which I've successfully restored and edited to fit the new mesh.

Maxis: polycount: 672, texture size: 64x32

My default: polycount: 452, texture size: 140x100 (original was 512x512)

Edited CC

All of the edited custom downloads I mention below, I've re-used their files so you have to choose between my versions or their original!

I re-mapped @deedee-sims' pet pillows to match my new 512x512 textures.

I swapped mesh on hmiller61615's dog chew treat, repo'd it to Maxis' treat texture and also made a version using BV's animations to get rid of the squeaky sound. The file ending with _pets is using the animations from pets with the squeaky sound. The file with _bv at the end is using the animations from bon voyage, with a "boney" sound (and therefore requires bon voyage). Choose one of the files!

hmiller61615's original: polycount: 672, texture size: 64x32

My edit: polycount: 160, texture size: repo'd to Maixs' texture (64x32).

I edited one of the bones by @vampirekiss6661 from here (scroll down). I made it smaller and a tad thicker and gave it a shadow. I made a bv version of this as well, choose one file; either pets or bv!

Polycount: 402, texture size: 128x256

I also re-mapped, resized + edited the textures of ats2's pet bowl & recolor, converted by @beautifulnerdkitty's here. I removed the sheen, repo'd it to Maxis' resources when possible, and gave it a dirty state. My .psd is included if you'd like to make more recolors.

Polycount: 482, texture size: 256x256 (original was 1024x1024)

Recommend Mods

@episims' no rotating pet bowl fix (thank god for that) and Aaron's finicky pet fix (ad-free direct link, SFS mirror).

My pet bed default is required for my recolors to work, and the bv bone default requires bon voyage, otherwise nothing in this dowload is dependent on anything so you can pick and choose what you want. As usual, no mip-maps and everything has been compressed to reduce file size. You can choose between merged or separate recolors (which are clearly named).

Do let me know if anything is wonky or you stumble upon any problems. I am so sorry for the long post, this download wasn't supposed to be more than just two defaults (well, technically it is only 2 defaults included here but I kept getting sidetracked as you can see).. and I have so many more I'll have to make a part 2 (cats are not forgotten)!

DOWNLOAD: SFS | MEGA

Edit 2025-03-25: So sorry!! The pet bowl from ats was incomplete, I apparently never finished that one? Hahah so sorry, the links above have been updated with the fixed mesh. It's only the mesh you need to replace (stroda3t2petbowl1MESH_vk.package) all other files are the same. Because MEGA doesn't allow one to update an uploaded file, I had to delete it and upload it again. Thank you so much @sweetbeagaming for letting me know about the broken shadow<3

No MTS you might ask, and yeah sadly. I'm done uploading to MTS, the upload-wizard completely hates me haha. I've lost all my text more times than I want to admit and keep in mind I have to write [b] and [url=] manually over there. From now on I'll only upload to my tumblr. No offense to MTS, it's a great site and I love it dearly.

Credits: chrissy6930 for the edited mesh, @deedee-sims for the pillows, SpaceDoll for their dirty overlay, hmiller61615 for the chew treat, @vampirekiss6661 for the bone, @cluedosims for the cluedo metal resource, architechture_th for the wood texture, chirokung for the paw texture, aroundthesims2/sandra and @beautifulnerdkitty for the pet bowl, someone(?) for the hyena bone converted from castaway, and lasty, Maxis.

[cowplant-snacks]

BEWARE of Residential Rentals!

I went to place a lot yesterday and my entire savefile suddenly corrupted. I realized it was corrupted because after I placed any lot, all of the other lots in my game reset to the original version of them. They all looked fine from world mode, but once loaded into any lot the issue persisted. Read more about these issue here.

I rolled back the save and it was fine so I decided to try and remove the entire pack and see what would happen. After removing the pack, I could place new lots and the game was fine. Which meant for me the issue is FOR RENT.

I was nowhere near the limit of residential rental lots nor did I use any cheats to have more than six units per lot. I was not placing a residential lot when it corrupted. So far it seems fine to add the pack back and just avoid the lot type.

TLDR: Removing FOR RENT prevented my savefile from corrupting when placing new lots. The steps I used to stabilize my savefile are below.

Hope this helps!

Steps to remove For Rent:

1. Remove savefiles and mods. Repair the Game. 2. Rollback to a stable version of your savefile. And repair the game again. 3. Evict families and convert Residential Rentals to Residentals. *Tag all units as one BEFORE changing the lot type. Simmers report that lots can corrupt otherwise.* 4. Use this to load the game without For Rent. 5. Follow this if you end up with two different Tomarang Worlds when you load the pack back into the game. I did. 6. Replace all of your household outfits that got messed up. otherwise some sims will be nakie.

Tips:

Backups: Helps if you have backups of your households and lots in your trayfiles. Fixing outfits: If you don't care about relationships you can delete and replace or use MCCC to copy and paste the outfits back on the sim. Or if you have a dresser file, run that for new outfits.

This has happened to me a few times, but this was the first time I decided to see if I could role back the game, avoid the corruption, and restore my savefile.

UPDATE: 3/18/2025 | 2:00pm

I noticed today that I can no longer load into units that used to be residential rentals. I’m going to roll back again and evict households, and then convert the units to residential BEFORE removing For Rent.

Additionally, I am seeing that people recommend converting all the units back to one, before switching a lot from a residential rental to a rental.

I’ll report back. Stay tuned!

UPDATE: 3/18/2025 | 3:05 pm

See updated steps above. Changing how and when I remove the residential rentals seems to have prevented the individual lots from corrupting. While testing I placed new builds, and loaded into various lots, opened and closed the game. So far things seem fine.

Things I will be doing moving forward.

Only play and place households in a few worlds.

Having less townies.

And following other guidelines that @rebouks shared here regarding lag because they help keep the savefile smaller.

Will update this post if I notice any other issues or anyone reports things to me.

UPDATE: 3/19/2025 - The new method above worked for most lots BUT there were a few former residentials that begun to have issues with infinite loading screens. I’m starting a new savefile file.

Good luck to anyone dealing with this!

[mygentledentistaranahills]

[radiantrookie]

SEGA Mandates explained with their exceptions (Old)

Edit: (Plan on remaking this with a better format and sources, along with ones I missed)

Edit 2: Here's the New One

Game characters cannot have family members unless they were established in the game canon (Because Archie went overboard).

Game characters cannot be killed off.

Sonic cannot cry or get too emotional.

Exception: Sonic Prime didn't follow this rule despite being canon.

The terms Mobius and Mobians are banned, during the early 2010s, Earth was called "Sonic's World" because they wanted to appeal to 90s Boomers who hate Sonic living on Earth without calling it Mobius, it died down later though.

Exception: Ian Flynn has stated SEGA recanonized Sonic Spinball, which takes place in Mobius, so it exists somewhere in game canon, Veg-O-Fortress even has a cameo in Sonic Origins, Ian also stated Spinball takes place in between Sonic 3 and Knuckles and Sonic 3D Blast.

The heroes must always win at the end.

Characters and elements from Non Canon media cannot be used, Cosmo and the Metarex were potentially allowed to appear but according Ian Flynn, they're off the table now, the Metal Virus serves as a replacement for Robotization, Eggperial City serves as a replacement for Robotropolis, Restoration serves as a replacment for the Freedom Fighters.

Exceptions:

Sonic liking Chili Dogs (90s Cartoons)

Eggman's "I hate that Hedgehog!" and "Snooping as usual" lines (Aosth)

Scratch and Grounder appear in Eggman's livestream in one of the covers for IDW 40

Sonic's "Let's do it, to it" line (Satam)

Sonic being referred to as the "Fastest thing alive" (Satam)

Sonic Spinball being canon again, somwhat canonizes Sally, Bunnie, Rotor, Muttski and Scratch, Ian Flynn has clarified they're just cameos for now but could be a backdoor to make them canon if SEGA chooses to (Aosth, Satam, Archie)

In one of the covers for IDW 31, Storm's mugshot mentions he was arrested by the Knothole Village Police (Satam, Archie)

Tails being afraid of lightning (OVA)

Knuckles's cowboy hat (OVA)

Vector's crush on Vanilla (Sonic X)

Cream's favorite show, the NEXT Show (Sonic X)

The Chaotix Office building appears in the Sonic Channel Comics (Sonic X)

Sticks the Badger appears in the Sonic Channel Comics and is mentioned in English Sonic Frontiers (Sonic Boom)

The Eggnet has been canonized in both IDW and the Games (Archie)

The GUN Commander's name, Abraham Tower (Archie)

Bark being mute (Archie)

Bean and Bark working with Fang as a trio, Sonic even calls them the Hooligans (Archie)

Sally and Bunnie cameo in one of the Sonic Forces prequel comics with their Archie designs (Archie)

Shadow's Chaos Spear being shaped like an actual spear that he can throw or use as a melee weapon (Archie)

Badniks from Sonic Mega Drive appear in Classic IDW (Archie)

The term, Super Badnik (Archie)

Male characters that aren't humans, can't wear pants.

Exception: Tails Nine is allowed to wear pants.

Classic Era characters aren't allowed to appear in Modern Era and vice versa, during the 2010s there was the Two Dimensions retcon because of it, however they later removed it, Team Chaotix are also not allowed to appear in Classic because they considered Sonic Heroes to be their first appearance, however Knuckles Chaotix was recanonized in Tailstube, in the same episode, they acknowledge Mighty, Ray and Fang's Gang and teased a Modern Trip, recently, SEGA is considering retiring Classic Sonic after the disappointment of Sonic Superstars.

Exception: a Classic Froggy appears in various Sonic PICT artwork

Only one Metal Sonic is allowed, not multiple (They must really dislike Shard and Metallix)

Exceptions:

Metal Sonic 3.0 from Sonic Rivals 2

Chaos Sonic and Grim Sonic from Sonic Prime were allowed

Shadow: He has the most guidelines out of any character, most of them come from SEGA wanting Shadow to remain an Anti-Hero and not be too heroic, however SEGA has easied up on these with Shadow Generations

Knuckles: Knuckles is the only Echidna and only resident of Angel Island besides Chao and Baby Animals, (Ken Penders lol), Knuckles is also not allowed leave Angel Island without a reason now, prolly due to critiques with games like Heroes

Silver: Silver's Future is off limits, only SEGA can explore that, if they ever choose to

Super Forms: Male hedgehogs are the only ones allowed to go Super, this has been changed with Sonic Superstars and Otherworld Comedy.

Humans: Due to complaints from 90s Boomers, Humans besides Eggman weren't allowed until Shadow Generations

Romance: Characters can have crushes but they can't date or get married.

Money: Only Team Chaotix can talk about money

Rings: Ian Flynn was told Rings were no longer canon, however Rings appear in Sonic Prime and cutscenes in The Final Horizon, which Ian didn't know about

Special Stages: No longer canon and Fang's bio of living in the Special Stages is retconned

Off Limits Characters: These characters can only be used by SEGA/Sonic Team only:

Eggman Nega

Black Doom

Solaris (Mephiles and Iblis)

Infinite

[carsthatnevermadeitetc]

Shelby Lonestar Prototype, 1968. Created in secret as a replacement for the Shelby Cobra based on Ford's GT40. The prototype was built in England and referred to as the Shelby III in documentation. It was powered by a mid-placed Ford 289ci V8 and had targa style removable roof panels. However safety legislation meant the car would have been impossible to sell in the US and the project was abandoned. The one-off prototype was restored and presented at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance in 2018.