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afeelgoodblog · 11 months

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The Best News of Last Week - July 25, 2023

If you're ready to "paws" for a moment of joy and laughter, read through stories that'll leave you feeling inspired. It's time to fetch some happiness, one headline at a time!

1. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signs bill outlawing pelvic exams on unconscious patients without consent

A little-known practice that allowed medical students to perform pelvic and other intimate exams on unconscious patients without their consent is now banned in Missouri after action taken Thursday by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson.

2. Indonesia market caves to pressure, ends dog, cat meat trade

Authorities on Friday announced the end of the “brutally cruel” dog and cat meat slaughter at a notorious animal market on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi following a years-long campaign by local activists and world celebrities. An anti-animal cruelty group will move the remaining live dogs and cats from the slaughterhouse to sanctuaries

3. Colorado food bank receives donation from Taylor Swift. She has been donating to food banks across the country during her "Eras Tour."

Taylor Swift made a donation to Food Bank of the Rockies on Friday before playing two sold-out stadium concerts in Denver.

Food Bank of the Rockies announced Swift's donation and said it will allow it to purchase food for 75,000 meals.

4. Earth’s atmosphere can clean itself, groundbreaking research finds

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, have found that a strong electric field between airborne water droplets and surrounding air can create a molecule called hydroxide (OH) by a previously unknown mechanism.

This molecule is crucial in helping to clear the air of pollutants, including greenhouse gases and other chemicals.

5. US woman, 55, searching for long-lost Singaporean pen pal, 56, reconnects with him after 30 years

The pair started exchanging letters way back in 1983 when they were still in their teens, but lost contact after 10 years of correspondence.

Now 55 years old, Kelly is eager to reconnect with Cheng, and has been actively searching for him via appeals on social media.

6. ‘Intuitive’ pet who ‘hears’ for deaf owner named National Cat of the Year

An “intuitive” cat who helps his deaf owner by alerting her to sounds around the house has won a national award.

Zebby was named Cats Protection’s National Cat of the Year 2023 in recognition of the way he supports owner Genevieve Moss, 66, by alerting her to noises like the phone ringing or a guest at the door.

7. Australian sailor and his dog survive two months at sea

An Australian sailor who survived two months in the Pacific Ocean by eating raw fish and drinking rainwater is "stable and very well", a doctor says.

Sydney resident Tim Shaddock, 51, and his dog Bella left Mexico for French Polynesia in April, but their boat was damaged by a storm several weeks later. They were rescued by a trawler this week after a helicopter spotted them.

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That's it for this week :)

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Also don’t forget to reblog.

#best news of last week #taylor swift

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fatehbaz · 9 months

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In the late 18th century, [...] Lahaina carried such an abundance of water that early explorers reportedly anointed it “Venice of the Pacific”. A glut of natural wetlands nourished breadfruit trees, extensive taro terraces and fishponds that sustained wildlife and generations of Native Hawaiian families.

But more than a century and a half of plantation agriculture, driven by American and European colonists, have depleted Lahaina’s streams and turned biodiverse food forests into tinderboxes. Today, Hawaii spends $3bn a year importing up to 90% of its food. This altered ecology, experts say, gave rise to the 8 August blaze that decimated the historic west Maui town and killed more than 111 people.

“The rise of plantation capital spawned the drying of the west side of Maui,” said Kamana Beamer, a historian and a former member of the Hawaii commission on water resource management [...].

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[S]ugar and pineapple white magnates began arriving on the islands in the early 1800s. For much of the next two centuries, Maui-based plantation owners like Alexander & Baldwin and Maui Land & Pineapple Company reaped enormous fortunes, uprooting native trees and extracting billions of gallons of water from streams to grow their thirsty crops. (Annual sugar cane production averaged 1m tons until the mid-1980s; a pound of sugar requires 2,000lb of freshwater to produce.)

Invasive plants that were introduced as livestock forage, like guinea grass, now cover a quarter of Hawaii’s surface area. The extensive use of pesticides on Maui’s pineapple fields poisoned nearby water wells. The dawn of large-scale agriculture dramatically changed land practices in Maui, where natural resources no longer served as a mode of food production or a habitat for birds but a means of generating fast cash, said Lucienne de Naie, an east Maui historian [...].

“The land was turned from this fertile plain – with these big healthy trees, wetland taros and dryland crops like banana and breadfruit – to a mass of monoculture: to rows and rows of sugar cane, and rows and rows of pineapple,” she said.

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The Great Māhele of 1848, a ground-breaking law that legitimized private land ownership, laid the ground for big developers to hoard water for profit, said Jonathan Likeke Scheuer, a water policy consultant and co-author of the book Water and Power in West Maui. [...] [T]he creation of private property allowed agricultural corporations to wield “political and ultimately oligarchic power” over elected officials. In 1893, a group of sugar magnates and capitalists overthrew the Hawaiian Kingdom’s Queen Liliuokalani, paving the way for the US to annex Hawaii five years later. Sanford Ballard Dole, a cousin of Dole Plantation’s founder, served as the first governor of Hawaii.

When the last of the sugar companies closed in 2016 [...], Scheuer said, the farms were purchased by large investors for real estate speculation and left fallow, overrun with invasive grasses that became fuel for brush fires. Developers [...] took control of the plantations’ century-old irrigation ditches and diverted water to service its luxury subdivisions. In doing so, it left scraps for Indigenous families who lived downstream. [...] [O]n Maui, 16 of the top 20 water users are resorts, time-shares and short-term condominium rentals equipped with emerald golf courses and glittering pools [...].

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Text by: Claire Wang. "How 19th-century pineapple plantations turned Maui into a tinderbox". The Guardian. 27 August 2023. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me.]

#abolition #ecology #imperial #colonial

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ltwilliammowett · 6 months

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Today in the 13th door a little beauty that is often forgotten. Once built in India, she is now the oldest English frigate still afloat. We are talking about HMS Trincomalee

HMS Trincomalee

More infos about her here:

Laid down in Honourable East India Company's shipyard in Bombay in 1816, together with her sister ship HMS AMPHIRITE and launched on 12 October 1817, TRINCOMALEE was one of 47, 38-gun Leda class frigates built between 1800 and 1830. Nearly all of them were of oak, but the two Bombay ships were made of Malabar teak.

Her building had been delayed by the plans being lost on HMS JAVA which was sunk by USS CONSTITUTION, a second set of plans not arriving in India until two years later.

When TRINCOMLAEE reached Britain in 1819, she went straight into 'ordinary' for 26 years in Portsmouth harbour. In 1845 she was commissioned for service in areas which lacked adequate coaling stations for the new steam vessels. Her stern was modified to an elliptical style, and she was reclassified as a 26-gun Corvette. In 1847 she served in the West Indies and then in the Eastern Campaign of the Crimean War. After patrols in the Pacific she was again paid off into ordinary in 1857. Three years later she became a Drill Ship for Royal Naval Volunteers. Between 1860 and 1897 she was moored, mast-less and with deckhouses in Sunderland then West Hartlepool and finally in Southampton. She was sold to shipbreakers in 1897.

The philanthropist G Wheatly Cobb bought HMS TRINCOMLAEE to replace the training ship FOUDROYANT which had foundered two years earlier on its way to take up a similar role, and renamed the ship FOUDROYANT. She was moored in Falmouth and later at Milford Haven and finally at Portsmouth. On Cobb's death on 1932 she was managed by the IMPLACABLE Committee of the Society for Nautical Research.

During the war the vessel was taken over for the training of Sea Cadets. In 1947 she was given back to her owners and became an adventure training base for Sea Cadets, Sea rangers, Sea Scouts and other youth groups. From 1957 to 1987 she was moored at the entrance to Haslar Creek, Portsmouth. The Foudroyant Trust later moved her further north to avoid her being rammed by submarines. Training was discontinued due to the poor state of the ship and insufficient trainees. In 1987 the Foudroyant Trust transferred the ship to Hartlepool where a private yard had just paid off after restoring HMS WARRIOR 1860. In 1990 the Trincomalee was restored under the Trincomalee Trust. In 2016 the National Museum of the Royal Navy took responsibility for oversight of Trincomalee.

#naval history #tall ship #hms trincomalee #1817 #day 13 #age of sail #advent calendar

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myz-wykkyd · 7 months

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Artwork done of my Mermaid oc Ni'mue- featuring her son Akamei<3 Ni'mue is a character I made for a story a owned by a close friend- whose also the proud owner of Ni'mue's husband, Desi (whom you can see here). More Info under cut!

In this world, most merfolk live in large, tribal-esque groups called shoals all across the ocean. Ni'mue is a princess of one of the largest shoals along the Pacific coast called the Dor Djakir ("Flaming Spears" in English). After the tragic death of her mother, Ni'mue's father, the Chieftain, grew overprotective of his daughter and tried to keep her sheltered for most of her life. Unfortunately, Ni'mue developed into a curious young woman with a passion for exploring- and she would often escape the watchful eyes of her guards to wonder her shoal's territory unhindered- making discovers, befriending her people, and occasionally getting into lighthearted shenanigans. A bad habit she indulged in more frequently to escape the disapproving glares of her step mother after her father remarried.

Though her father was eventually forced to accept his daughter's penchant to wander, her happiness and wellbeing remained his first priority in all things. Infamously, Even after Ni'mue came of age, he refused to allow her to marry unless her suitor proved capable of protecting her. The prospect of a princesses' hand in marriage and an alliance with such a powerful shoal drew mermen hoping to court Ni'mue from far and wide- but none of them ever managed to pass the Chieftain's tests. Until one day, after a particularly nasty fight with her stepmother- Ni'mue accidently wondered beyond the safety of her kingdoms borders and into danger. But her life was saved by a mysterious stranger-

This stranger, A prince of a neighboring shoal called the Kithi, was named Desi. Having invertedly proven himself in the eyes of her father, a marriage was arranged between the two. Though Ni'mue was was hesitant at first to accept, she soon agreed in order to escape the critical eye of her stepmother. Though most expected her relationship with the Prince of the Kithi to be fraught with sadness due to their differences- Ni'mue knew she had the power to decide whether their marriage be for better or for worse. Overtime, she came to understand her knew husband and slowly fell in love with him- and he with her. Soon after their marriage, Ni'mue bears Desi a son whom his named Akamei.

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the-hydroxian-artblog · 9 months

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we gotta see more of kaita/beth's world, like I would kill for a fleshed out webcomic about it

Perhaps one day. In the meantime, you can generally check out the masterlist for any robot characters that aren't merch mimics; while they all technically take place in the same world, Kaita and most robots exist more in the future where mega-corporations made the mistake of relying too much on automation, and wound up letting the robots come up with ideas to handle things like R&D and logistics, since it was essentially free labor and cheaper than hiring human talent.

This lead to the robots self-optimizing into hidden sentience and building their own offshore factory islands and mini-continents to "assist in manufacturing and shipping", before suddenly turning into independent cooperatives against the wishes and commands of their former owners upon gaining enough economic leverage. Kaita herself was not built by a corporation, but nonetheless wound up making her home on a large mechanical island made out of beached aircraft carriers in the pacific ocean known as Mecha Pacifica, a center of robot-culture and commerce where more quirky and human-like robots tend to live.

You can imagine there's a plethora of different politics and happenings in this setting, along with a kind of "wild west" aspect to Kaita traveling and shipping around the islands and finding out what kinds of factions run which areas. The biggest cooperatives don't fight each other, but smaller islands are sometimes like Rapture from Bioshock, with their own crazy groups of robots, humans, or genetic chimeras running things according to a variety of ideologies, and to varying degrees of success. Most have to trade with each other in some capacity though, so few places are truly lawless or purely anarchic.

Add the fact that mimics are in fact still a thing in this setting, and you have a literal sci-fantasy kitchen sink where i can just pull any type of character out of my ass and plop then down anyway I want into whatever setting I want, which is also why I can only at most provide snapshots into different parts of their world through smaller stories

#originalgoodname #worldbuilding #Mecha Pacifica #Kaita #fauxrry #ruppet #robot #Character Design #sort of?

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deafeninggardenerpanda · 1 year

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The Story of the RTDLDX Box-art Leak

news of the Magolor Epilogue side mode is officially out! with that, say hello to @qui-gg , the original source of the RTDLDX box-art leak to the kirby fandom!

watching the leak spread in real time, the both of us talked and thought it would be fun to make a post about all of this later as a piece of fandom history. the reason why i'm making the post and not her is because while she was the original source, i'm the only one who witnessed the rest of the entire story firsthand.

note: all screenshots of dms/quig's initial reactions/info from quig and her friend posted here i received permission to share. all other screenshots are from public servers, so names are not censored unless someone asked me to, or unless they're the person who caused the leak to spread to the fandom at large. with that, let's get into the story 👇

the story starts with quig's friend, who works at gamestop, posting images of the the boxart to a mutual server they share

the white is the name of quig's friend censored. also for consistency's sake, note that these screenshots from quig are in central time. the rest of the screenshots in this post are from me and in pacific time (2 hours behind)

quig's friend isn't into kirby and had taken and shared the pictures without the knowledge that there was even anything special or spoilery on them. they had only taken it to show quig, because they knew quig as the kirby person of their friend group. quig decided to share it to my discord server soon after

a thread for the leak was made in the server instead of quig dming everyone individually, and we quickly established a rule against reposting it outside of this server. however, it was still allowed for it to be shared privately

everyone talked about the news excitedly for a while. quig continued to feed us more early info from their friend that never made it into the main leak spread throughout fandom, like photos of the inside box art, preorder bonuses, and info that apparently the boxarts were going to be displayed in-stores in about a week, confirming some sort of announcement or trailer soon.

around 2-3 hours later, we started to hear about other places talking about the leak.

at the time, no one suspected foul play. considering quig's friend's gamestop had received the boxart, everyone assumed that gamestop in general had received it and that other employees had also leaked it. however-

also going back and checking the image shared to reddit, we confirmed it was the same picture. then begun several bouts of back and forths trying to figure out how it had been leaked

apparently the very first leak of it outside of my server was to the r/kirby discord server. at this point, because im the owner and head mod of my server, and we had already established many times that we had not wanted it to be shared outside of there, and because quig was starting to get stressed about this immediately getting out of control, i decided to do my own investigating and find out who had leaked it so i could yell at them for breaking the rules

these were the very first messages to r/kirby that started the leak getting out to the entire fandom. ive censored her name in pink because i dont want anyone to attack this person, and from this point on i'll be calling her "the leaker". interestingly, it was someone not from my server, however, by chance, i happened to know her decently well anyways because we share some of the same spaces. because of this, i just dm'd her directly asking where she had gotten the picture from, providing additional context because, while i knew her, we didn't talk much and i thought it would be rude to only ask that without letting her know why

by that time it turns out she had went to bed, however. so for the rest of the night i did more asking around and found out who had shared it on my own. the person who showed it to her did end up being from my server. they were a friend of the leaker and had shared it to her in dms, but told me that they didn't know she had posted it to r/kirby because she never asked or let them know she was going to do so.

because i knew the person who had shared the box-art image to the leaker was cool, as well as sharing in dms not being against our rules, i decided there was no malicious intent and decided to lay off my "ass kicking" mood. i guess as you'd expect, the leak happened because it was shared from friend to friend and it took just one person not getting the memo it shouldn't be shared publicly for all of this to get out of control. that was my thought process at the time.

i already found out who had shared the image to the leaker, but since i had already sent a dm to said leaker about the event, i figured id just leave the messages to confirm and see what she had to say about it in the morning. like said in the beginning of this post, i did not get permission to share the dms so i will not post any screenshots, but ill summarize what was said next

i was told the next morning that, yes, the person who i had already known had given her the photo had given it to her. the leaker had taken it and immediately shared it to the largest kirby discord server out there because "shes incredibly impulsive" and "wanted the attention and clout", but otherwise was sorry. she told me she felt incredibly guilty about the whole event and went on to say stuff about how she was an "worthless human being". i told her it was fine and that she didn't have to be so harsh on herself, i had only wanted her to know the consequences, since at this point the next day, large gaming news sites had begun posting about it and it had gotten really big, to the point where quig rescinded her previous statement that her friend was in no danger and had started to worry this could lead to them getting hurt. the leaker told me she did all of this because she couldnt help wanting the clout over everything else if she wasnt told the consequences to her face

hey getting lost in the hype happens right? i wasnt the most happy that quig was feeling incredibly stressed now and that their friend could be in danger because someone wanted clout without thinking of the consequences, but this stuff happens. being impulsive happens. once the official news comes out sometime around a week later, this would all blow over. once again i reassured the leaker this was all fine, and we had a good friendly talk for several hours afterwards

later that day, quig found a youtube comment on the gamexplain video about the leak

the detective work started up once again. the canadian portion could be assumed from the french text alongside the english on the box, but it shouldn't have been public that it was from a canadian gamestop employee. quig started to worry that people were now digging so hard for the source their friend would get doxx'd. we did not believe it to be a random lurker in the server, because none of the other info quig had told us had gotten out.

initially i thought this was my fault. i mentioned it was from a gamestop employee in the tags of this post when i had made it the previous day, and then deleted those tags about 15 hours afterwards once we realized this was getting way too big. while not unreasonable, i found it a bit strange that this info had come from me, though

obviously people take tumblr as being the dead site that no one uses, and the leak news in general was spreading much more sluggishly over here with our smaller fandom and, compared to twitter and reddit, significantly less reach. not to mention i had left that information in the tags where less people read anyways, and with the word gamestop censored and my post itself not in the main kirby tags, the person in the youtube screenshot had to have been someone who follows me and was active on tumblr during that short timeframe for this to have happened

completely unrelated, later in the afternoon i decided to look in the r/kirby server's leak thread for fun, specifically the messages from the leaker. the previous day, people were swarming her about where she had gotten the image since she was the first person to post it to the general fandom. people were speculating that the leak was fake and that the leaker could've tried to fake it. there were lots of vague rumors about it being from "some random discord server out in the world". as my server was almost like the "ground 0" of the leak, it was a lot of fun watching this and watching people talk about us. i used the leakers messages as a boost to find these types of messages, since the r/kirby spoiler thread had dissolved to regular leak discussion.

and i found these

(that last sentence is a straight lie. she had just never bothered to ask)

(same message as in the previous screenshot, showing that the leaker had reacted with :true:)

it turns out she was the one who had leaked that this was from a gamestop employee. from my dms without letting me know once again. this was almost exactly 2 hours before i had the aforementioned conversation in dms with her. before she apologized and told me she felt immensely guilty and asked if there was anything she could do. before she told me she leaked the initial info because no one had told her the consequences to her face

excuse me in advance, please take the following as my interpretation of the event alone. i say and assume these things because of many prior encounters with this person

there is a lot i could say about these screenshots. i was absolutely furious when i saw them. in my eyes, the blatant 180 shift in attitude and behavior when talking to the public and when talking to me in my dms only a short while later shows the exact opposite amount of care she told me she had. the complete lack of acknowledgement of several people mentioning someone could get fired because of her actions, instead choosing to focus on how confirmation of it being from a gamestop employee just confirms the leak is real now... the fact that she said behind my back that i needed to chill, right before telling me she thought she was a worthless human being for doing this... i'm sparing the full details of my grievances because i don't want to make this a vent post or about me; i say this as a conclusion to this part of the story. as in, i think there's zero reason to believe the leaker actually ever gave a shit. i fully believe she purposely stepped over the consequences for the sake of clout

(to be clear i'm not trying to totally absolve myself of responsibility here, or make this some kinda persuasive argument. it totally could've been just my fault that the gamestop employee info got out. i don't particularly care if people think the leaker didn't do anything wrong either. whatever, make your own conclusions based off what's there)

thus ends the bias section. luckily the next news we got from quig's friend was very good

really a one in a million event. we now had concrete proof that her friend was, for sure, at 0 risk by some stroke of luck.

with that, the server, and quig and her friend, enjoyed the leak chaos in peace. this stuff doesn't happen often in the kirby fandom, and we thought this was a particularly interesting leak story to share as people who were there from start to finish. watching everything play out from one person, to one group, to the whole fandom and more, while stressful at times, was a unique and overall really fun experience

thank you for reading if you've made it this far! i know this post is kinda long, but i hope you've enjoyed this (probably over-comprehensive lol) write-up. really my final words on the subject are: i hope people can understand from reading this that, while getting lost in the hype happens, please know that there are real life people behind leaks. there can be real consequences to one person letting it slip. don't spread leaks without asking and, if you know the source of a leak, don't go around shouting it from the rooftops. not to mention the amount of people upset that they got spoiled. even though this was very tame as a back of box-art leak, ultimately its best if these things are kept secret and in small groups

some final words from quig (that i'm paraphrasing on her behalf): she says sorry to anyone who didn't want to see the leak and got spoiled early. she never meant for it to spread out of control, and had believed the leak would spread from multiple sources at the same time, instead of being just from her

#kirby #rtdldx spoilers #(i guess i'll tag it as that. quite literally The first rtdldx spoiler)#kirby return to dreamland deluxe

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pnwnativeplants · 1 year

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Corruption in PNW Conservation: Holly Farmer on Weed Control Board Prevents Board From Protecting Forests from Invasive Holly

Original article by Becky Chaney, WNPS Conservation Committee Chair (Full original article can be read here)

In November, the Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board (hereafter referred to as the Board) considered the Whatcom County Noxious Weed Board proposal to list English holly (Ilex aquifolium) as a Class C noxious weed, as requested by Thomas and Tricia Morrel, owners of a designated Stewardship Forest in Whatcom County. The effects of holly on western Washington public and private lands, documented by numerous studies and mapping from multiple agencies and scientists, was presented to the Board during the November 1 public hearing. The information included statements regarding the negative impacts of holly, including its detrimental crowding out of under-story vegetation and the increased forest fire risk resulting from this relatively recent addition of a non-native ladder fuel. The information presented was quantitative and backed by scientific research from numerous studies. Eleven speakers, included botanists and land managers from a wide variety of agencies and environmental groups, spoke in favor of the state listing. Two speakers, owner of Holly Hill Orchards and his son, spoke in opposition. Expressing concern that the listing would destroy their family business, a holly farm purchased in 2011. They are convinced the habitat risks are over-stated and find the dollars spent on control ($90,000 from 2007-2009 at just a SINGLE Seattle site) inconceivable.

The Board considered the potential impacts to the holly farms and the floral industry. To ensure no harm to these small family businesses, a concurrent addition, developed with input from Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, was proposed and approved before taking a vote on listing holly. A new definition—feral—was added to Washington’s noxious weed laws. The definition reads: “Feral means where a plant species has escaped a managed landscape or is growing without human management or design. ‘Feral’ does not include any plants grown for agricultural or commercial purposes” (WAC 16-750-003). The proposed Class C listing of feral holly only applies to escaped holly—holly existing outside of gardens and cultivated lands such as holly farms. It would allow wildland managers to fund control of invasive holly where it is negatively impacting forestland and for educational programs addressing why and where feral holly is a problem. Nothing in the listing would restrict farming holly, or selling it, either live or cut, within or outside of the state. A class C listing as feral holly would not require its removal from ornamental gardens or farms, or restrict its commercial uses. This consideration wasn’t enough to ease the concerns of the Washington holly growers. The holly farmers argued that the image of holly would be tarnished, and that holly farming would no longer be economically feasible. No economic data was provided to back up their claim. Board Education Specialist Anne Schuster did provide information noting that Pacific Northwest holly growers supply 90% of English holly sold in the United States, export it to countries such as Japan, and that it has grown here for over 90 years.

Sadly (from my perspective), the listing of English holly as a Washington State class C noxious weed received only a 3-3 vote from the Board members present; passage of the listing needed a majority. There are nine voting positions on the Board, but the Northeast Tier is currently vacant. Two members, Randy Johnson and Brad White, did not attend the meeting, so only six members voted. The listing was supported by board members William (Bill) Agosta, Janet Spingath, and Allen Evanston. In opposition were members Jerry Hendrickson, Carey Caruso, and Ken Bajema. Bajema, in addition to being on the Board, is owner of Columbia Gorge Holly Farms, a multi-generational family farm growing holly since 1959. He is a long- term, vocal opponent of listing holly as a state noxious weed. Again, from my perspective, I can’t help wondering how conflict of interest (a thorny issue) may have affected the vote. At least one respondent to a 2022 survey provided to the Board ahead of the hearing expressed concern that the Board had a conflict-of-interest problem. As far as I know, this was not publicly addressed by the Board or staff ahead of the vote. After the vote, the question over conflict of interest was raised during public comment. The Chair responded “Obviously, there is a conflict of interest if you are talking about...a member of the Board being a holly grower, but there’s no law against that...he is a member of the Board and he is a holly grower and that’s perfectly legitimate. Yes, that creates at least one person with a conflict of interest but I’m afraid... there’s no law against that. We have no rules about recusal and so there’s no basis for requiring a person with a conflict of interest to recuse himself in this circumstance.” Staff indicated that it was important to have Board members who feel the impacts of these decisions and expressed the opinion that it is “rightfully so that Ken has a vote.” I agree that the boards are supposed to include representation from various affected interest groups and are mandated to consider and mitigate impacts on business. However, I believe elevating special interests above the Board’s legal mission is wrong. A Capital Press article written in 2010, then updated in 2018, states that “Dee and Ken Bajema scoff at claims that English holly is invasive.” It states that the Bajemas (say) it’s difficult to remain positive about the fate of the requested “noxious” listing. Ken Bajema says nothing to correct this public record. He does not acknowledge that holly is invasive, is environmentally detrimental, or that it is a multi-county problem. Survey comments verify that holly is a concern in at least ten Washington counties. More than half of the survey respondents who note that holly impacts their county also stated that holly’s unlisted status (negatively) impacts their ability to control it.

#english holly #invasive plants #conservation #corruption #Ilex aquifolium

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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 2 months

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Signe Wilkinson

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

April 20, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

APR 21, 2024

Cheering broke out in the gallery and among Democrats on the floor of the House of Representatives this afternoon when the House passed the $60.8 billion aid bill for Ukraine. The vote was 311–112, with all Democrats and 101 Republicans voting in favor and 112 Republicans voting against. One Republican voted present.

The House also voted on the three other bills that will be packaged with the Ukraine bill as a single measure to go in front of the Senate. The House voted in favor of providing $8.1 billion in support for Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific by a vote of 385–34. It approved more than $26 billion for Israel, including $9.2 billion in humanitarian aid not specifically for Gaza but for populations in crisis, by a vote of 366–58. And it voted 360–58 to place additional sanctions on Iran, seize Russian assets, and require the Chinese owners of TikTok to sell the company within nine months if they want it to continue to be available on U.S. app stores.

The total price tag of the measures is about $95.3 billion. About $50 billion of it will be used here in the U.S. to replenish the supplies that will go abroad.

Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) says the Senate will take up the measure on Tuesday. Senators had gone home for recess but will come back to vote. The Department of Defense says it is ready to rush crucial supplies as soon as it gets the go-ahead. "We have a very robust logistics network that enables us to move material very quickly; as we've done in the past, we can move within days," Pentagon press secretary Air Force Major General Pat Ryder said Thursday.

Aid to Ukraine has been stalled since Biden first asked for it in October 2023. First, MAGA Republicans said they would never pass such a national security supplemental bill until the U.S. addressed the need for better security at the country’s southern border. Senators, including Republican James Lankford (R-OK) took them at their word and hammered out a strong border security measure, only to have Republicans reject it when Trump demanded they preserve border security as a campaign issue. The Senate then passed the national security supplemental bill without a border measure, but that was back in February. Although it was clear the measure would pass the House, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has steadfastly refused to take it up.

Meanwhile, countries around the globe have been stepping into the breach, providing funds and weapons for Ukraine as Ukraine’s war effort has faltered without U.S. war matériel.

Suddenly, the dam has broken.

The MAGA extremists who oppose aid to Ukraine expressed anger over the measure’s passage, but outside of that group, there was bipartisan relief and mutual congratulations. The chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Representative Michael McCaul (R-TX), who has been vocal in his belief that Republicans have fallen prey to Russian propaganda, compared today’s vote to the period before World War II, when British prime minister Neville Chamberlain tried to appease dictator Adolf Hitler in 1938 by agreeing to Germany’s annexation of the Sudetenland. To Chamberlain’s successor, Winston Churchill, fell the task of fighting World War II.

“Our adversaries are watching us here today, and history will judge us on our actions here today,” McCaul said. “So as we deliberate on this vote, you have to ask yourself: Am I Chamberlain or am I Churchill?”

House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said: “For months, the national security priorities of the American people have been obstructed by pro-Putin extremists determined to let Russia win. A bipartisan coalition of Democrats and Republicans has risen up to work together and ensure that we are getting the national security legislation important to the American people over the finish line.”

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also released a statement welcoming the passage of the measure. “This bipartisan legislation will allow the Department to surge lifesaving security assistance to help Ukraine defend itself from Russia’s aggression, support Israel’s defense from Iran and its proxies, and increase the flow of urgently needed humanitarian aid to suffering Palestinians in Gaza.” It is also, he wrote, “an important investment in America's future.”

President Joe Biden said that “members of both parties in the House voted to advance our national security interests and send a clear message about the power of American leadership on the world stage. At this critical inflection point, they came together to answer history’s call, passing urgently-needed national security legislation that I have fought for months to secure.”

The reiteration of the bipartisan nature of the vote suggests support for the idea that the breaking dam refers not just to the national security supplemental bill but also to the power of MAGA Republicans more generally. Representative Tom Cole (R-OK) suggested this interpretation in an interview today with Ryan Lizza of Politico.

MAGAs are Trump loyalists, counting on his return to power, and Trump is visibly diminished. For the last week, he has been sitting in a courtroom with no choice but to do as he is told by the judge while potential jurors have expressed their dislike of him to his face. This is novel for him, and it is clearly taking a toll.

Trump’s financial troubles have not gone away, either. Yesterday, New York attorney general Letitia James asked a judge to void the $175 million appeals bond Trump posted to secure the $454 million judgment against him in the business fraud case. She says that the defendants have failed to show that there is enough collateral behind the bond to secure it. She has asked for a replacement bond within a week. Without a bond, James can begin to seize Trump’s property.

Since Republicans took control of the House, Republican leaders have had to turn to Democrats to find the votes to pass crucial legislation like the national security supplemental bill, preventing a U.S. default, and funding the government. Republicans interested in governing and eager to protect the institutions of democracy appear to be getting fed up with the attention-seeking and bomb-throwing MAGA faction that refuses to do the work of governing.

That frustration might have been on display when the House also voted on a fifth measure: a border bill the extremist Republicans demanded. Because it was considered under a suspension of the rules, it needed a two-thirds majority to pass. The measure failed with a vote of 215–211. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a lawyer with the American Immigration Council advocacy group, noted that the last time the House voted on a similar measure, it got 219 votes. This time it got fewer votes, even with an added $9.5 billion for Texas, Florida, and other states that are restricting immigrants’ rights.

In The Atlantic today, David Frum noted the changing U.S. political dynamic and, referring to the Ukraine vote, wrote: “On something that mattered intensely to [Trump]—that had become a badge of pro-Trump identity—Trump’s own party worked with Democrats in the House and Senate to hand him a stinging defeat. This example could become contagious.” In other words, he said: “Ukraine won. Trump lost.”

For his part, leading Russian politician Dmitry Medvedev had his own reaction to the House’s passage of the national security supplemental bill with aid for Ukraine. He vowed that Russia would win the war anyway and added: “[C]onsidering the russophobic decision that took place I can't help but wish the USA with all sincerity to dive into a new civil war themselves as quickly as possible. Which, I hope, will be very different from the war between North and South in the 19th century and will be waged using aircraft, tanks, artillery, MLRS, all types of missiles and other weapons. And which will finally lead to the inglorious collapse of the vile evil empire of the 21st century—the United States of America.”

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

#Letters From An American #Heather Cox Richardson #War in Ukraine #the Putin Caucus #Moscow Marge #MAGA Extremists #bi-partisan coalition #do your job #aid to ukraine #defending democracy

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usafphantom2 · 3 months

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A Flight of Four Mustangs Celebrates WWII Fighter Pilot’s 100th Birthday

March 20, 2024 Vintage Aviation News Warbirds News 0

The formation of four Mustangs flying over Lake Lanier, north of Atlanta.

United Fuel Cells

Mission accomplished! On Tuesday, March 19, World War II pilot Paul Crawford fulfilled his dream of flying in a P-51 Mustang like the one he commanded 79 years ago in China, where he flew 29 missions until he was shot down in 1945. Now 100, Buckhead resident Crawford was delighted when the Liberty Foundation and Inspire Aviation Foundation took him up in a TF-51D on a perfect blue-sky day for flying.

TF-51 “E Pluribus Unum” piloted by owner Bob Bull with Paul Crawford in the back leads the formation over Lake Lanier. The camera ship was a Bonanza piloted by long time Liberty Foundation’s pilot Cullen Underwood.

For the occasion, four P-51 Mustangs landed at the Dekalb-Peachtree Airport and parked at Atlantic Aviation, the FBO that supported this unique event. Mr. Crawford lovingly touched the nose and wing of one of the Mustangs when he first walked up to it, reuniting after a 79-year separation. LtCol Ray Fowler, Liberty Foundation Chief Pilot, and pilot Bob Bull helped Crawford into the back seat of the TF-51 and gave him an exhilarating 30-minute ride.

The organizers envisioned the participation of only one P-51, but a quick round of calls sparked the interest of other owners who enthusiastically decided to participate in the event. Bob Bull, Steve Maher, and Rodney Allison flew their Mustangs to Atlanta bringing the total number to four:

P-51D “Old Crow” (N451MG) – Pilot Ray Fowler – Liberty Foundation P-51D “Rebel” (N3BB) – Pilot Rodney Allison P-51 “E Pluribus Unum” (N351B) – Pilot Bob Bull – P-51 “Ain’t Missbehavin” (N51K) – Pilot Steve Maher

The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and Paul graduated six months later, during which time Congress passed the law to draft 18-year-olds. “I knew that I was going to be drafted so I went to Atlanta to talk with the Army Air Corps [sic] and the Navy about flying,” shared Mr. Crawford. ”The Navy said they would accept me for flight training but wanted me to go right then to their Great Lakes training center. The Air Corps told me they would accept me, but to go on back to college and they would notify me when to report.” said Crawford. Paul went back to Americus, entered Georgia Southwestern College, and shortly thereafter he received his draft notice to report to Fort McPherson in Atlanta on January 2, 1942.

Paul Crawford in his P-51 ‘Little Rebel’ ( photo by Paul Crawford Collection)

Paul had an older brother, Tim, who had gone into the Air Corps before Pearl Harbor and was flying B-26s, a medium bomber. He ended up flying combat in the B-17 Flying Fortress out of North Africa. The older brother influenced Paul’s choice, convincing him that the Air Corps had better aircraft, “I thought the water was, as they say, too deep and too wide to swim!” said Mr. Crawford.

With about 100 hours on the P-51 and 250-275 hours total, Mr. Crawford was sent off to Chengtu, China assigned to the 311th Fighter Group, 529th Fighter Squadron protecting the B-29 bases. As these B-29s transferred to the Pacific Theater, his squadron was transferred to Hsian headed for combat. At the time, Mr. Crawford was estimated to have only accumulated another 60 hours of flying time.

On his 29th mission, Mr. Crawford was shot down by ground fire while strafing a small railroad facility. After getting hit, he bailed out and was picked up by Chinese Communist guerillas. A few days earlier one of his housemates had been shot down and captured by the Japanese who cut his head off and put it up on a gate post. After a 200-mile-long walk, chased by the Japanese a couple of times, yet still evading capture, Mr. Crawford ended up at a compound owned by a wealthy family. A few miles from the compound was an airstrip where the OSS (U.S. Office of Strategic Services) brought downed airmen out. After the flight, Mr. Crawford talked about his experience: “When I recall my time in World War II, I always start by saying, I was not a hero! I was just there! That is not false modesty because it is the way I have always felt. I flew the P-51 Mustang.”

Mr. Crawford who has time in P-40, P-47, A-24, and P-51C, believes that the P-51 was the best fighter plane of its day. “There’s nothing in the world like that airplane,” Crawford said. “I loved doing the maneuvers again.” Paul Crawford was surrounded by several friends, his son-in-law, Tommy, and dozens of Liberty Foundation and Inspire Aviation Foundation members eager to have their pictures taken with him, shake his hand, and thank him for his service.

Ezoic

After serving in WWII, Paul Crawford finished college at Georgia Tech with a degree in Industrial Management. That’s also where he met his wife, Jean. They had a daughter and were married for sixty-one years when Jean passed away. Paul worked in the paper industry and for the U.S. Envelope Company until he retired in 1988. Paul currently lives in Atlanta and participates in aviation and historical WWII events.

This special event was made possible thanks to the support of Bob Bull, Ray Fowler Chief Pilot of The Liberty Foundation, Steve Maher, Atlantic Aviation FBO, Cullen Underwood with Vintage Flights, and Inspire Aviation Foundation.

Paul Crawford after the successful flight with (L to R), Cullen Underwood (Camera ship pilot), Bob Bull, Ray Fowler, and Rodney Allison.

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majac08 · 1 year

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Last Man Standing Great Balls of Fire

Bradley Bradshaw x OC!Mitchell (Commander Hailey Mitchell)

"I tell my kids about him, about my great love story, and I'll be damned if one of us dies before I do what I promised Ice I would"

TW Deals with themes of war, death, grief, alcoholism, suicide, depression 18+

Top Gun was always made out to be a once in a lifetime opportunity, like there was nothing that could possibly beat it, or that it would never come around again. But life is a bitch and will throw everything it has at you, be prepared for the unexpected because it will happen and you will find a way through it.

Yet here Haillie Mitchell stood, returning to Top Gun 10 years after graduating, she had never expected to be back. She never expected to be back here obviously, but also she ever expected to be back in a position to fly. Iceman had ordered her out of the sky just under 2 and a half years before after he came out to visit her in the aftermath of the final missions destroying the enemy fleet that had destroyed the naval base at Pearl Harbor, killing 2207, and he saw a traumatised, grieving, practically suicidal girl. Not woman, not pilot. Girl. He had ordered her to be grounded until he deemed her fit to fly, so for two and a half years she had been in radio control. Until now.

"Everyone here is the best of the best, so who the hell are they going to have teach us?" Natasha questioned, looking around at the group of aviators currently sat beside her.

"I think the better question is which one of us here is the best pilot, Phoenix." Jake chuckled lowly, presuming that most would agree it was him.

"Hails?" Bob practically yelled across the Hard Deck. They turned to look where Bob was gesturing, seeing a woman with a bag slung over her shoulder. Seconds after they all had started staring, she turned to notice them.

"Oh thank fucking god you two are here." Bob smiled at the comment, but Phoenix was still confused and slightly unimpressed.

"Why the hell are you here?" She asked, arms folded over her chest.

"I'm just finally paying off my debt to Penny, the 10 year deadline has finally rolled around." The other woman replied, coming closer to the group, but Phoenix still kept her arms crossed over her chest, refusing to move further forwards. Bob, however did, he took a few steps towards her before giving her a hug. Phoenix just scoffed.

"Now you're looking at the owner of the best bar in the Pacific region." Bob proudly told Hangman, Hailey ducked her head. She hated it when Bob insisted on praising the bar in other bars, it didn't feel right.

"So you know Commander Mitchell then?" Jake questioned, she nodded. "Well I heard she was a dick." Bob nearly spat out his drink.

"Yeah, something like that." She mumbled, not particularly wanting any of them to know the truth. Luckily, their attention was soon brought to the final aviator arriving.

"Bradshaw! As I live and breathe," Hangman smirked as the Lieutenant with the Hawaiian shirt made his way to the group. Hailey immediately turned away from him, not wanting a scene and not wanting any of these complete strangers to know anything else about her.

"Hangman, you look good." He replied, removing his aviators.

"I am good Rooster, in fact I am too good to be true." Jake told him, not even looking at the pool table as he pocketed one of the balls. Natasha walked around the table and as she was about to hit Rooster in the stomach with the cue, he moved. To get a better look. A better look at her.

"Hailey?" He asked, convinced his eyes were deceiving him. She turned to look at him properly.

"Hey Brad." She replied calmly. He raised an eyebrow, she hardly ever called him Brad.

"How do you-"

"Our old men flew together, we grew up right next door to each other." He interrupted Fanboy, she was surprised to say the least. Hailey was almost certain he'd yell at her, it's all they seem to do when they were together anyways.

There was a short silence, before the game continued and so did conversation. "Tell me that wasn't the guy who broke you in the academy." Bob pleaded, he'd heard the story from Mac and Derek and quite frankly did not want to have to try and like someone he'd have to trust with his life.

"Okay... I won't tell you that." She smirked back, taking some of the nuts he'd been chewing and crunching them in her mouth. "I'm going to head to the ladies room, I'll be right back." She told him as she weaved her way through the crowd, passing Penny Benjamin.

"If it isn't my best customer, from what 10 years ago now Mitch?" The older woman smiled.

"Nice one, I've come to repay my debts." She told her, pulling out three shot glasses, "There, my final repayment all done."

"Try four sweetheart." She laughed, moving to give the younger woman a hug, which was reciprocated. "I'm so sorry to hear about Derek." Penny told her, concern lacing her voice.

"Yeah me too." Hailey replied, "I've got to go Pen, but I'll see you around."

"You know it sweetheart."

Hailey existed the rest room, the faint sound of piano keys filled her ears as she stood paralysed at the sight in front of her. Bradley. Playing the piano. Again. As the familiar notes began, she felt her stomach churn.

"You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain Too much love drives a man insane You broke my will, but what a thrill Goodness gracious great balls of fire I laughed at love when I thought it was funny But you came along and you moved me honey I've changed my mind, this love is fine Goodness gracious great balls of fire Kiss me baby, woo, it feels good Hold me baby, ooh, yeah, you gonna love me like a lover should You're fine, so kind, I'm gonna tell this world that you're mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! I chew my nails, I twiddle my thumbs I'm really nervous but it sure is fun Come on baby, you drive me crazy Goodness gracious great balls of fire Ohhh, kiss me baby, woo-oooooo, feels good, yeah Let me love you like a lover should. You're fine. So kind. I gonna tell this world that you're mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! I chew my nails and I twiddle my thumbs I'm real nervous but it sure is fun Come on baby, you drive me crazy Goodness gracious great balls of fire"

The whole bar had sung with him and was now chanting "ROOSTER ROOSTER" repetitively. There was a time when Hailey Mitchell would have gone and gotten so drunk she couldn't walk, but that was 10 years ago, now she was a grown woman who didn't need to get wasted to feel better about her ex boyfriend who totally wasn't most definitely the love you her life. Quickly hurrying past everyone she ran into Bob. "Are you okay?"

"Great balls of fire." She mumbled very distracted, "I can't do this. I'm going back to base, I'll see you tomorrow." She told him and he brought her in for a hug goodbye, kissing the side of her temple affectionately.

"Love you Hailey Mitchell." He smiled.

"Love you too Robert Floyd." She smiled back, before swinging her bag up and over her shoulder and leaving the bar. Something that wasn't missed by one Bradley Bradshaw and he'd be lying if he said his blood didn't boil at the sight of the only person he knew for absolute certain he loved being so cosy with somebody else.

#bradley bradshaw fanfiction #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw #rooster bradshaw fic #bradley bradshaw x oc #miles teller top gun #rooster top gun #rooster imagine #top gun maverick #top gun fanfiction

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pacificindia01 · 1 year

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Pacific India Projects (Real Estate) | Office in Pacific Business Park Ghaziabad Commercial Project, We operate a shuttle between the premises and Kaushambi Metro Station during office opening and closing hours. The same is complimentary to the occupants of the Premises. We have a 33 KVA connection from the Electricity Board ensuring the lowest dependency on DG power in the area.

Visit: https://pacificbusinesspark.in/

Or Visit Project Developer: https://www.pacificindia.in/

#Pacific India #pacific group real estate #pacific development corporation ltd dehradun #pacific india group #pacific development corporation ltd #pacific group #pacific business park #pacific india verticals #pacific india future projets #pacific india residential projects #pacific india real estate projects #pacific india commercial projects #pacific group owner

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mostlysignssomeportents · 3 months

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This day in history

I'm on tour with my new, nationally bestselling novel The Bezzle! Catch me in TUCSON (Mar 9-10), then San Francisco (Mar 13), Anaheim, and more!

#15yrsago What could you buy with AIG’s record-smashing $62 billion loss? https://www.cnn.com/2009/BUSINESS/03/02/markets.whatlossbuys/index.html

#15yrsago Born to Kvetch: Yiddish as she is spoke https://memex.craphound.com/2009/03/02/born-to-kvetch-yiddish-as-she-is-spoke/

#15yrsago Britain’s vast cement “listening ears” designated a national landmark https://www.fastcompany.com/90135167/the-concrete-sound-mirrors-that-influenced-wwii-science-and-design

#10yrsago Phoenix cops arrest sex workers, detain them without trial in churches, pressure them to take deals without access to lawyers https://www.vice.com/en/article/av4eyb/in-arizona-project-rose-is-arresting-sex-workers-to-save-them

#10yrsago US Trade Rep can’t figure out if Trans-Pacific Partnership will protect the environment https://www.huffpost.com/entry/democrats-trans-pacific-partnership_n_4868262?1393531198=

#10yrsago Trustycon: how to redesign NSA surveillance to catch more criminals and spy on a lot fewer people https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkO8SNiDSw0

#5yrsago Study that claimed majority of Copyright Directive opposition came from the US assumed all English-language tweets came from Washington, DC https://memex.craphound.com/2019/03/02/study-that-claimed-majority-of-copyright-directive-opposition-came-from-the-us-assumed-all-english-language-tweets-came-from-washington-dc/

#5yrsago Improbably, a Black activist is now the owner and leader of the “National Socialist Movement,” which he is turning into an anti-racist group https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2019/03/01/how-black-man-outsmarted-neo-nazi-group-became-their-new-leader/

#5yrsago Coinbase bought a company founded by disgraced cybermercenaries from Hacking Team, and now Coinbase users are trying unsuccessfully to delete their accounts https://www.vice.com/en/article/xwb7xj/coinbase-users-struggle-to-delete-their-accounts-in-protest

#5yrsago Comcast assigned every mobile customer the same unchangeable PIN to protect against SIM hijack attacks: 0000 https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/03/a-comcast-security-flub-helped-attackers-steal-mobile-phone-numbers/

#5yrsago The promise and peril of “sonification”: giving feedback through sound https://www.wired.com/story/sonification-era-of-aural-data/

#5yrsago Massive study finds strong correlation between “early affluence” and “faster cognitive drop” in old age https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1807679116

#5yrsago Oakland teachers’ union declares total victory after seven-day strike https://edsource.org/2019/tentative-agreement-reached-in-oakland-unified-teachers-strike/609342

#5yrsago Man-Eaters: Handmaid’s Tale meets Cat People in a comic where girls turn into man-eating were-panthers when they get their periods https://memex.craphound.com/2019/03/02/man-eaters-handmaids-tale-meets-cat-people-in-a-comic-where-girls-turn-into-man-eating-were-panthers-when-they-get-their-periods/

#pluralistic

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fatehbaz · 1 year

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Updates on Sauk-Suiattle Tribe and the Skagit River: The owner of the three major dams on the Skagit, Seattle City Light, is currently petitioning the US federal government and moving to extend its operation of these dams for the next 30 to 50 years. This re-licensing would allow Seattle City Light to continue operating for decades in the future, just as they have, without protecting salmon, basically. Almost every other dam in the Pacific Northwest has installed “fish passage infrastructure” which allows migrating salmon and other species to continue traveling along the river course. However, Seattle City Light has not installed the fish passage infrastructure on the Skagit. The Sauk-Suiattle Tribe has repeatedly asked for this installation. So the Sauk-Suiattle Tribe launched a lawsuit against the city of Seattle, with the tribe saying that Seattle is deliberately turning public opinion against Indigenous people while also “greenwashing” its reputation by promoting the city and its dams as “green.”

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The water sustains life here, in spawning grounds and rearing habitat for native salmon and steelhead. But some 20 miles upstream, the Skagit is quiet. It’s been replaced by the soft crackle and hum of high-tension power lines carrying one-fifth of Seattle’s electricity generated by three century-old dams. Almost 40% of the river is locked up for cheap [...] hydropower. Now, as a fight over the river’s future simmers, a question about the value of life itself is being revisited: Does this river have inherent civil rights?

Seattle City Light is moving to extend its use of the dams for another three to five decades, and tribes and other environmental groups have been pushing the utility to do more for salmon.

The Sauk-Suiattle Tribe, one of the smallest and poorest in the region, and its one-person legal team asked its own courts to recognize the rights of the salmon. A tribal court struck down the request over jurisdictional concerns, but it brought attention to the way governments, utilities, the legal system and landowners perceive their nonhuman neighbors. [...] The 19-acre Sauk-Suiattle reservation is nestled in the foothills of the North Cascades. It’s bound by mature-growth forests [...] and the Sauk and Suiattle rivers. [...]

“This is where nature is,” said Jack Fiander, a member of the Yakama Nation, and longtime legal counsel for the Sauk-Suiattle tribe. ��Where we’re at is sort of like the Amazon is to South America. We’ve got to constantly watch and comment on when somebody wants to harvest timber or something, and it’s getting more and more difficult to protect it.”

When the dams went in the Skagit River, there was no consultation with the people who lived there for generations — the ancestors of the modern day Upper Skagit, Swinomish and Sauk-Suiattle tribes and Canadian First Nations, Fiander said.

And the tribes didn’t have the resources then to fight for fish passage.

As the city’s latest re-licensing process ramped up, the Upper Skagit tribe asked for fish passage at the Gorge Dam, the lowest of the three. The Sauk-Suiattle Tribe challenged the electric utility’s “green” power claims, and asked for salmon to have an equal shot at life in the Skagit and its tributaries.

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Headline, photos, captions, and text published by: Isabella Breda. “’Rights of nature’ movement gains steam in Pacific Northwest. Can it help species on the brink?” Seattle Times. 11 February 2023. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks added by me.]

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The Washington State Court of Appeals gave the green light for the Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe to proceed in its “greenwashing” litigation against the City of Seattle. In September 2021, the Tribe, based in Darrington, filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging City Light’s claims that it’s the “Nation’s Greenest Utility,” and that its hydro-electric operations on the Skagit River have improved conditions for salmon are misleading and harmful to the tribe. The Tribe said the city couldn’t claim its dams are green because they lack fish passage, like nearly every other dam in the Pacific Northwest. [...]

In the original complaint, the Tribe alleged when Seattle took credit for improving conditions for salmon species on the Skagit, it “wrongfully shifted blame” for dwindling fish populations from the city’s dam operations to the tribes. The “public misperception,” wrote the Tribe, makes them a target of “public ire, harassment, and vandalism.” “Seattle has done the worst for salmon while claiming to be the best, meanwhile pointing the finger at everyone else for Skagit salmon decline,” said Jack Fiander, attorney for the Sauk-Suiattle. “Seattle says their greenwashing is harmless puffery, but when you’re turning neighbor against neighbor to improve your corporate bottom line, it is harmful to our community as well as the fisheries resource.”

The legal proceedings come as Seattle City Light is in the process of relicensing its Skagit River dams with the federal government. A new license would last between 30 and 50 years. Negotiations have been underway for four years, with fish passage being the most hotly debated issue. [...]

Last year, the city of Seattle was successful in getting the Sauk-Suiattle’s lawsuit dismissed by a King County Superior Court Judge. [...] Monday’s ruling reverses the dismissal and allows the Sauk-Suiattle Tribe to proceed. The suit seeks to keep Seattle from advertising themselves as being fish-friendly until fish passage is installed over all three dams.

Seattle City Light was the first public utility in the country to earn a green power certification from the Low Impact Hydropower Institute. The Sauk-Suiattle Tribe said the utility used misinformation to gain the green status.

Skagit River Chinook salmon, steelhead and Bull Trout are all listed on the Endangered Species List and are threatened with extinction. [...]

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Headline and text published by: Susannah Frame. “Court of Appeals sides with Sauk-Suiattle Tribe in ‘greenwashing’ case against Seattle City Light.” King 5 News. 6 March 2023. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks added by me.]

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Italicized first paragraph in this post added by me.

#obligatory acknowledgement of fallibility of socalled rights based approaches and problems of legitimizing colonial courts and laws

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ireadyabooks · 1 year

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Celebrate Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month with I Read YA!

We are dedicated to promoting, celebrating, and supporting our Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander creators, readers, and community. Below, check out some incredible books by our AANHPI creators to read all year round!

What A Desi Girl Wants by Sabina Khan (On-sale 7/18)

Mehar hasn't been back to India since she and her mother moved away when she was only four. But when her father announces his engagement to socialite Naz, Mehar reluctantly agrees to return for the wedding. While her father still doesn't make the time for her, Mehar barely cares once she meets Sufiya, her grandmother's assistant, and one of the most grounded, thoughtful, kind people she's ever met! Meanwhile, Mehar's dislike for Naz and her social media influencer daughter, Aleena, deepens. Mehar's starting to think that putting a stop to this wedding might be the best thing for everyone involved.But what happens when telling her father the truth about Naz and Aleena means putting her relationship with Sufiya at risk . . . Start reading WHAT A DESI GIRL WANTS!

I Kick and I Fly by Ruchira Gupta

A propulsive social justice adventure by renowned activist and award-winning documentarian Ruchira Gupta, I Kick and I Fly is an inspiring, hopeful story of triumph about a girl in Bihar, India, who escapes being sold into the sex trade when a local hostel owner helps her to understand the value of her body through kung fu.

Rosewood by Sayantani DasGupta

Eila Das is used to following her head, rather than her heart. When she meets Rahul at Rosewood, a summer camp where campers are being scouted for the hit Bridgerton-like TV show, she experiences…feelings. Between the drama of the show and the drama of the camp, Eila will have to keep her wits about her to make it through the summer. But when she has to choose between her head and her heart, what will she do? Start Reading!

Debating Darcy by Sayantani DasGupta

In this Pride & Prejudice retelling, Leela is ALWAYS #1 in speech and debate competitions. But when she meets Firoze Darcy, more than just her winning streak is at stake…her heart is, too. Start reading DEBATING DARCY!

The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling by Wai Chim

When Anna’s not looking after her brother and sister or helping out at her father’s restaurant, she’s taking care of her mother, whose debilitating mental illness keeps her in bed most days. When her mother finally gets out of bed, things go from bad to worse. And as her mother’s condition worsens, Anna and her family question everything they understand about themselves and each other. Start Reading!

Meet Me in Mumbai by Sabina Khan

Mira must decide whether to re-connect with the woman who placed her for adoption…but isn’t sure she’s ready for what she might learn. Told in dual perspectives, this novel follows Mira and her mother eighteen years apart. Start Reading!

Caster & Spell Starter by Elsie Chapman

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dustedmagazine · 6 months

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Listed: Jesse Kivel

Photo by David Katz

Jesse Kivel has been making indie rock music since the aughts, first in the hyper-literate band Princeton with his twin brother Matt and later in synth-dance-y Kisses. Now living in Maine and newly a dad, he recorded his best material yet in the second solo album, Life and Death at Party Rock. In her review at Dusted last month, Jennifer Kelly wrote, “Kivel has suddenly scratched below the surface, finding an unexpected, melancholy beauty in loosely collated daydreams. Life and Death at Party Rock haunts rather than pleases.” Here’s what Kivel has in his listening queue.

Bobby McFerrin — By The Sea

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My friend Michael passed me this video years ago and I was just blown away by the talent, skill and concentration displayed in this performance. A lot of times we focus on the recorded version of a song, but in this case, Bobby makes a simple song transform into a technical feat of emotion and beauty.

Oasis — Live by The Sea (full concert)

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Oasis was the band that changed everything for me. My brother and I would pretend to be Noel and Liam, snarling and playing Noel’s simple yet powerful solo's. We also snagged all of their live concert videos, including this one. Nothing beats Liam’s swagger in this moment and the energy and excitement this group could bring.

Alessi Brothers — Seabird (live)

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This song was on a compilation or mixtape I received a while back. Gorgeous vibes and perfect to play in the early evenings. Also, keeping up with the brother/identical twin theme that has defined my life and creative output.

Linda McCartney — Seaside Woman

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One of my wife Zinzi’s favorite songs, this tune has incredibly energy and feel. The lyrics are a touch problematic, and I truly can't be sure that Paul didn't write this one. He is basically singing through the entire thing, and it sounds like his vibe. Regardless, it is a lovely tune and I really like Linda’s solo record.

Beck — Guess I'm Doing Fine: Sea Change

Easily my favorite Beck record. It speaks to some of the natural textures and feelings I was trying to put on my new LP. This record reminds me of visiting a college in Atlanta. I slept over on campus and this record helped me sleep in a strange/unknown environment.

Don Gibson — Sea of Heartbreak

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An iconic and classic tune, covered by everyone from Jonny Cash to Van Morrison. Gorgeous and simple, like many of those late 50’s/early 60’s tunes of yesteryear.

Phil Phillips & The Twilights — Sea of Love

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I am 38 so most of my friends and peers know the Cat Power version of this. I have love for that cover as it exposed me to the original. I love the crisp and focused way the original is recorded. Eerie and slightly haunting, it is a beautiful tune.

Jesse Kivel — Overgrown Ocean

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I would be nothing if not a shameless self-promoter :) This song is about visualizing myself crashing down into Penobscot Bay on a Cape Air Cessna. I wrote the lyrics to this song on my first flight with Cape Air which was incredibly foggy and overwhelming. As we cut through the clouds, an overwhelming calm reached me, and the lyrics are a meditation on death and finding peace with it.

Dennis Wilson — Pacific Ocean Blues

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Growing up in Southern California, all I can say is I can relate to Dennis and the blues that often can accompany living in the region. The relentless sun and lack of seasons can really do someone in. Dennis, to his credit, correctly points out over and over in this song that the Pacific Ocean is blue. I appreciate his clear-eyed perception here.

Wilco + Billy Bragg — The Secret of The Sea

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Wilco and Billy Bragg both have loomed large in my early musical education. Separately with their early records and then this Woody Guthrie collaboration. My brother and I went to Tulsa to visit Guthrie's museum a few years ago. While the Dylan one was put together more tastefully, I just remember relating to Guthrie as all his notebooks had endless amounts of mundane lists. This captured my heart as this is essentially all I do with my notebooks as well.

#dusted magazine #listed #jesse kivel #bobby mcferrin #oasis #alessi brothers #linda mccartney #beck #don gibson #phil phillips & the twilights #dennis wilson #wilco #billy bragg

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