Indoor plant care guide by apairandaspare on Flickr.

[Image Description: Ink drawings of houseplants on a white background with text in the center that reads: "a pair & a spare: Indoor Plant Care Guide"]

Organized by increasing light needs:

Low-light tolerant

Indirect bright light

(Your plants see the sun; the sun doesn't see your plants)

Bright light

WE'RE BACK.

Our scheduled post didn't work last week for some reason, and y'all were sans FRIDAY BEAR last week. WHAT A TRAVESTY!!! WE'RE SORRY! You were probably wondering why the week felt so long. GAH! Well, to make it up to you, we're sharing not one... not two... but THREE beautiful black bears. It's FRIDAY. You made it. Make that weekend amazing.

(And please accept our apology.) - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1st Image: "Black Bear" by Dave Williss is licensed under CC BY 2.0. 2nd Image: "Wild Black Bear at Anan Bear Observatory" by AER Wilmington DE is licensed under CC BY 2.0. 3rd Image: "Black Bear - Head On" by Eric Kilby is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Happy Earth Day!

We share this beautiful planet with over two million other species, from wasps the size of a grain of dust to whales larger than an office building. Yet, many of these species now face extinction due to the ways in which we humans have modified the planet to suit our needs. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 13% of birds, 21% of reptiles, 27% of mammals, 37% of sharks, and 41% of amphibians are currently endangered, and some estimates suggest that 28% of all species on Earth are at risk of extinction in the near future. Imagine you woke up tomorrow and more than a quarter of every plant, animal, and fungus, from the elephants at the zoo to the earthworms beneath the soil, simply vanished, never to be seen ever again. If we choose to continue treating our planet so poorly, this will become a reality.

Here at Consider Nature, we believe the best way to protect our planet is to arm ourselves with knowledge! Over the years, we have written many articles on some of Earth’s coolest, weirdest, and most-endangered species, in the hope of inspiring readers to step up to the plate and protect biodiversity. I hope you will spend a few minutes of your Earth Day today reading about some of the species we believe are worth saving.

Zacaton grasslands in central Mexico, home to the Zacatuche, or volcano rabbit. Image credit: Jurgen Hoth

The Succulent Karoo, one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth and home to the Karoo Padloper. Image credit: Tjeerd Wiersma under CC BY-SA 2.0.

The Gulf of California, home of the critically endangered Vaquita. Image credit: Natural World Heritage Sites.

Ecofinisher's crediting list for the "Ecofinisher 2.0 Sims 4 Game File"

About two months ago I think, I was thinking about wanting to do another save file again on Sims 4, but I didn’t know when exactly. During a procrastination moment I got into with fanfic writing, I took a small break and did other things, got from a work friend a couple of notebooks since she knows I love to write and I wrote down something I dreamt once wondering if it could be turned into a plot…..then as it was actually something for Sims, I thought about writing it down as a family summary. Around that week, I gathered more ideas and noticed down, what I had in mind to do. From an instruction video, I read the many variations people used in their save files and I decided to use the content only from the gallery. Content made by other Simmers. There are a few families out there, that I still created or downloaded from my starter-times in the game, because it wasn’t enough or I didn’t have any family in mind to fit the plot.

Notes:

- This save file contains objects and clothings from the following pack: Get To Work, Cats and Dogs, Werewolves, My first pet (Free/UTB free) and Holiday Celebration (Free/UTB free).

-The following worlds were used in the save file: Willow Creek, Oasis Springs, Newcrest, Magnolia Promenade, Brindelton Bay (1 new lot, the rest remains the same), Moonwood Hill. (1 new family is located there)

-The game should be free from any CC. There’s a possibility, that it could have something I have missed.

- I recently installed MasterController and some things I have fixed with it, rather than manually. *coughs* career.promote-cheats….you know, that way.

Moving on, here is the link, and it's packed inside a ZIP-file with a PDF file of all the buildings I screenshotted straight from the gallery with the original creator's name. The screenshots were too many for this single post only and it would be annoying to make more posts solely for that. The PDF file consists of 30 pages, but most of the sheets are just screenshots and the family that lives in it.

On the rest of this post, I have the crediting list for the households I downloaded from the Gallery. Go under the cut to check the screenshots out.

Link via Sims File Share

Click down here:

Households

The Alto family. The red-marked is the original one from the gallery from user gemz123. The one you'll find in my game has base-game content only. I only have the mentioned packs above and tried to stay closer to the original.

The Alvi-McIrish household. (McIrish are based on the mother-daughter duo from Ts3's Single Moms household and the Alvi are the ones with the single divorcee Dad from Sunset Valley) I had the Alvi's saved a long time ago in my gallery and I couldn't track back the right creator. I assume it was hestiah23. I only remember redesigning their clothes back then. McIrish as seen in the red square was made by gemz123.

From gemz123 I have gotten her parents. As far as I know, the user hasn't made its own version of Blair as far as I know. So my current favorite version of Blair is from this user mentioned in the image. (Oh I also took screenshots to facilitate for everyone, when looking for those versions on the gallery.

Taken from my other save file I shared back in 2023. Here you see hestiah23, the original creator and the clothing were put into owned games to prevent them from being "naked" (Oh and Judy's a scientist, lol I forgot about that)

The Goode and Bad household from Twinbrook. Ah from the last sales I bought Ambitions and played with them. (It was the only family I was familiar with 😂Wish I had got the game earlier)

Where are my former PSP gamers at? Do you all remember Annie Howell, the bar girl? I remembered her existence and had to add her in the game as well, knowing that she was a werewolf in the game and I had the pack as well! TengGong had made a great Sims 4-version of them. If you own said packs, you're definitely going to enjoy having them in your game. I had to go with what I had and follow somehow the PSP design.

I had a different plot for them, but changed at a later point. I was meant to focus on either Kaylynn or Parker, but ended up getting the idea to make Iliana "the main character" Iliana being the workaholic we know suddenly finding herself lost and needing to find her way back to reality. The Langeraks and Zelda are shared separatly, but were made by the same user. Also gemz123. The dog is from the user rnr1975 and is the house dog of Iliana and served as her therapy dog during her low days. I picked a Leonberger, which only exist in the gallery by other users as the game didn't own one in the breeds list.

The Jones-Brown family. Also from Twinbrook. They're not part of the plan, they are homeless. I thought about adding Jenni, because of the summary of the Goode and Bad household.

Yeah, I gave Mortimer parents in the game. They're also from the gallery, just one of the two happens to be dead now. - They also are dressed differently in the game. Very hideous, sadly :/ If you got the packs above, you'll get this look as DolphinSimmer13 made 😍

The Ritchi household. (In other names "The Megamind household)

They were both variations of them alone or together already. I preferred these two versions from two different users and set them together in the game. Roxanne doesn't need a lot of packs and Megamind is base game, so you wouldn't have a problem, when downloading them from the gallery.

The Sekemotos - OK, in the game they live separately. Yumi lives in a smaller house in Newcrest and Leighton is located in Oasis Springs with his toddler Sam. Everyone's favorite "legacy daddy" lives just like in the OG Sims 3 as a single Dad, just he might be interested in someone in this new town. If something is going to happen between them in the future.....it's up to you.

The Ursine household - Like girl, screw Jared Frio and everything, that happened in Sunset Valley. Take your daughter to a new place and raise her on you own. You have seen in life more men and women were doing the same with their kids and it's possible. Also from gemz123 - Simmers, seriously all his Sims 3-inspired Sims look so close to the original. This user so far has impressed me with how detailed the results were.

The Wainwrights - Owning the Get to Work park, they deserved to make an appearance somewhere in the game as well. "Eco, what idea did you even have for them? People barely know them?"

I stuck with the same plot as in Sims 3, just it progressed here 😂 I had read recently, that Oasis Springs is basically Strangetown, so....military, science freaks, weird shit.....why not?

Ok Ignore the name there, I had to remove their original kids from the save file and that was just my "emergency save name" - Just in case I save households during CAS, because you know.....freezes, crashes and mostly at the wrong moment. Luckily nothing has ever happened to me in the past weeks, but you never know. (As an avid fanfic writer I learned to press CTRL-S every 10 seconds to avoid trouble 😭)

They live separately in the game. Thornton had an affair with Jamie, while being married to Morgana. Both women figured it out and broke his heart and became friends. What happened next? Guess, who fulfilled Morgana's deepest desires? 😏

The Mysterious guys! People might look at the bio and wonder.....hmm they seem familiar, others would be.....some weird-ass looking Sims.....then you enter the game and notice one or two other Sims and realize......THOSE ARE FAMOUS SOCCER PLAYERS! I picked the ones, that went into my head first. (Of course, Messi and Ronaldo would be part of it xD Kinda obvious) They're also from different users, so I'm sharing all Sims separately and adding the RL picture of the players.

Yassine Bounou, created by Simmer Ruit43

Based on: Yassine Bounou a.k.a Bono - Morocco's goalkeeper

Erling Haaland, created by ENTjungferer

Based on: Erling Braut Håland - Norwegian Soccer Player

Kylian Mbappé, created by maudhuy

Based on: Kylian Mbappé - French Soccer player

Cristiano Ronaldo, created by maudhuy

Based on: Cristiano Ronaldo - Portuguese Soccer player

Lionel Messi, created by maudhuy

Based on Lionel Messi - An Argentinian Soccer player

Kasper Schmeichel, created by SafiyaStinker

Based on: Kasper Schmeichel - A Danish goalkeeper

The Peculiar Vanishing of Dame Agatha Christie, Mystery Author

If you at all enjoy the genres of mystery and detective fiction, you not only have heard tell of Dame Agatha Christie—you very likely worship her. Particularly fascinating for us, as disciples of all things dark and dastardly, are strange happenings befitting of mystery's foremost authors located within the annals of their own lives.

If you share this proclivity, then do travel back with us to the year 1926, when Agatha Christie, Mistress of Mystery and Queen of Crime, vanished into what is known colloquially as "thin air."

Christie and her first husband, Archibald (or "Archie"), shared a famously troubled union. By 1926, they had been wed for twelve years, and Archie, then thirty-seven, had requested a divorce from Christie while engaging in an affair with his secretary, a twenty-five-year-old woman named Nancy Neele. On the night of December 3, Archie departed the couple's Sunningdale home, intent on spending the evening with friends—and, very likely, his mistress—while leaving his wife behind. Following a quarrel and Archie's subsequent departure, Christie, too, left the home, placing the couple's young daughter in the care of their maid.

No hint of Christie's whereabouts was established until the following morning, when her car was discovered in some brush along a Surrey road, abandoned. The contents were thus: A suitcase placed in the back seat; with it, a fur coat; and elsewhere in the vehicle, Christie's driving license. The headlights were still illuminated.

According to a contemporaneous police report from deputy chief constable William Kenward, "The car was found in such a position as to indicate that some unusual proceeding had taken place, the Car being found half-way down a grassy slope well off the main road with its bonnet buried in some bushes, as if it had got out of control."

This peculiar set of circumstances led many to suspect foul play had befallen the mystery author, and the media soon took particular interest in the story. As is common in cases of missing women, many members of the public began to suspect her husband, Archie, of wrongdoing, while others surmised the whole matter was a publicity stunt. Even Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, sought the aid of a spiritual medium to ascertain Christie's whereabouts.

Why might Christie have left her house the night of December 3, only to seemingly abandon her car approximately fifteen miles away? Where had she gone, and did she plan to return? Under what circumstances, an anxious public wondered, might she be found?

To read a comprehensive account of this strange and mysterious incident, please visit The Raven Post.

If you have an original short story or poem of a mysterious nature that you would like to share, please visit our Submissions page.

Photo credit: James Emmans, Geograph, CC BY-SA 2.0; image has been cropped and tinted

Explore the Hidden Secrets in Red (Taylor's Version): From the Upbeat Beats to the Touching Melodies that Travel the World

Image by Jana Beamer (via Flickr - under the CC BY 2.0 license

Review of Red (Taylor's Version) is nothing short of living the music, and it's like finding yourself in her beautiful voice. The sweet sounds of Taylor Swift touch our souls in unexpected ways.

Which tracks do you associate most with the Red Music album? Let's share and celebrate the artistry that Taylor Swift puts into every note.

You’re Stuck in the Bathroom

( "Blue Bathroom" by mrbill is licensed under CC BY 2.0. ) You're sitting on the toilet. Not much going on except the usual. But then, outside the door, you hear something. Footsteps, you think. But not like a human's. It's something else. Some sort of animal, maybe? You run through every animal you know of and try to imagine what they might sound like walking through your house, but nothing matches. Perhaps, then, some sort of machine? But then you hear a set of deep breaths that rumble with a rich base tone. Whatever it is, it's alive, and it's just feet away, nothing separating you but a flimsy wooden door. The breaths turn into a... Well, kind of a growl? Or a roar? Or a howl? Some combination of the three? You can't really place it, but whatever you'd call the sound, it makes the floor rumble and your teeth chatter. The water splashes beneath you.

Your eyes shoot to the door. The knob starts to wiggle and shake. You're glad you clicked the lock. The knob shakes harder, and the door shudders in its frame. Then, you see something poke through the narrow gap at the bottom. It's a single very long, very thin finger that probes around then withdraws. It makes that same thundering cry that shakes the room, and you realize within it are what sounds like a dozen different screams mashed together. Then, you hear it walk away. Its footsteps get further and further. It's going down the hall. That's toward the door. Is it getting ready to leave? Maybe it will just go away. You wait a while, but don't hear the door open. What's it doing? Just hanging out? You don't know, but you hear its scream in the other room and know it's still there. From where the noise came from, it sounds like it's in your bedroom now, which shares a wall with the bathroom. You put your ear against it.

You hear it moving around, picking things up and putting them down. It's breaking a few things when it does this, from the sound of it, whether by accident or on purpose. You hear springs creak. It's on your bed? Is it lying down or standing up? The creaking continues, and intensifies. Its it... Jumping? You're not sure at first but, no, that's what's actually happening. It does this for a few minutes, then there is a loud crash. The thing screams again and starts thrashing about and smashing furniture. Suddenly, something long and rubbery punches through the wall, barely avoiding the side of your head, then quickly pulls back. You look through the hole it left behind and see your room utterly wrecked, everything covered in some kind of thick clear gel. It made a trail out your door. You hear it back in the hallway, and then outside the bathroom again.

(lost places from Deutschland, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons) This time you hear deep sniffs at the bottom of the door. One, two, three. Then it screams and splinters it with its mass. You see something pink and glistening and covered in veins, a huge fleshy stump bristling with fingers, feet and fangs. You scream and back away. There's a window behind you. You're on the second floor, but still you break the glass with your fists, cutting yourself terribly as you do so. The thing, whatever it is, looks like it's preparing the charge. You dive out and land roughly at the side of your house. You see the thing looking down at you, making that same awful sound. You run with no direction or plan save 'away.' Terror propels you for a while, but eventually your lungs become fiery and your legs become wobbly and you stop. Right in front of a local police station. You run inside and sprint to the front desk.

The conversation, however, goes much differently than you'd planned. Maybe raving at the top of your lungs that a terrible flesh beast was loose in your house while you stood in front of them pantsless and quite filthy was not the best approach, but it was the only one you could take. You end up in jail, as your appearance scandalized several passers by. To make you feel better, though, people do investigate your house. They see no sign of any creature. What of the gel? That was all gone too. The damage was real, sure, but they say you could have done that. So, of course, no one believes you. You're eventually released. You return home. Eventually you fix your things. And you never, ever close the bathroom door--which causes you a great deal of social problems in the long term.  But you grimly press on despite them. You will never be trapped again.

Would You Want a Narwhal Boss?

Narwhals have never been seen hurting each other with their tusks. Yet those tusks may still be intimidating enough to deter marine life lovers from studying them up-close.

📷: © Aimee Ray, shared under the permission of CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Hello all. How's the insurgency against the crowned microbe going? How has life been for the carpenter, you ask? Let's just say that, going by common experience, some things will only come to a fiery end. You can only slap on cooling balm here and there, now and then. Right now, the autistic lawyering series Extraordinary Attorney Woo (native title: Eccentric Attorney Woo Young Woo), currently ranked third place worldwide across all English and non-English language Netflix TV titles, is that balm for many subjects to that crown, with the soothing metaphors, dreamy people and atmosphere, and of course brilliantly rendered whales. But will this series remain just balm, while neurodivergent people continue to face the horrific violence detailed in studies, reports and real-life Asian(-American) autistic attorney Lydia X. Z. Brown's accounts? Do we believe the show, regardless of questions about the autistic acting? Can we afford to? Are we willing to give real-life Woos a chance at an upwardly mobile, complete life in this hectic and anxiety-ridden age? No amount of debate can settle these questions better than a democratic poll.

Everyone is warmly welcome to take part in this very short one-month survey which commenced yesterday. So far, thanks to some very kind friends, six people have submitted their answers, taking only an average of 1.5 minutes each. If you are unfamiliar with the show, you can still check it out before the deadline. Results will be published on this site only if there are at least 50 sets of answers. Spread the news around to see how many people share your sentiments!

Good luck to you and the Woos in your own lives! Let's all not forget what's it's like to be truly human.

On this day in Wikipedia: Friday, 5th April

Welcome, velkommen, selamat datang, bienvenue 🤗 What does @Wikipedia say about 5th April through the years 🏛️📜🗓️?

5th April 2022 🗓️ : Death - Jimmy Wang Yu Jimmy Wang Yu, Taiwanese actor (b. 1943) "Jimmy Wang Yu (28 March 1943 – 5 April 2022) was a Hong Kong-Taiwanese martial artist, actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. Initially a contract player for Shaw Brothers, he rose to fame for his starring role in One-Armed Swordsman (1967) and its sequels, and was one of the first major..."

Image by Unknown

5th April 2019 🗓️ : Death - Sydney Brenner Sydney Brenner, South African biologist (b. 1927) "Sydney Brenner (13 January 1927 – 5 April 2019) was a South African biologist. In 2002, he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with H. Robert Horvitz and Sir John E. Sulston. Brenner made significant contributions to work on the genetic code, and other areas of molecular biology while..."

Image licensed under CC BY 2.0? by OIST from Onna Village, Japan

5th April 2014 🗓️ : Death - Mariano Díaz (cyclist) Mariano Díaz, Spanish cyclist (b. 1939) "Mariano Díaz Díaz (17 September 1939 – 5 April 2014) was a Spanish professional road bicycle racer. In 1967, he won a stage of the 1967 Vuelta a España, and also won the mountains classification. He also competed in the individual road race and team time trial events at the 1964 Summer Olympics...."

5th April 1974 🗓️ : Birth - Vyacheslav Voronin Vyacheslav Voronin, Russian high jumper "Vyacheslav Nikolayevich Voronin (Russian: Вячеспав Никопаевич Воронин; born 5 April 1974 in Vladikavkaz) is a Russian track and field athlete who specialised in the high jump. Voronin was a World Champion (1999) and European Indoor Champion (2000). His personal best is 2.40 metres, set in London in..."

5th April 1924 🗓️ : Death - Victor Hensen Victor Hensen, German zoologist (b. 1835) "Christian Andreas Victor Hensen (10 February 1835 – 5 April 1924) was a German zoologist and marine biologist (planktology). He coined the term plankton and laid the foundation for biological oceanography and quantitative studies...."

Image by Unknown authorUnknown author

5th April 1822 🗓️ : Birth - Émile de Laveleye Émile Louis Victor de Laveleye, Belgian economist (d. 1892) "Émile Louis Victor de Laveleye (5 April 1822 – 3 January 1892) was a Belgian economist. He was one of the co-founders of the Institut de Droit International in 1873...."

Image by Louis Bertrand (1869-1937)

5th April 🗓️ : Holiday - International Day of Conscience "The International Day of Conscience is a global day of awareness celebrated on April 5, commemorating the importance of human conscience. It was established by the United Nations General Assembly on July 25, 2019, with the adoption of UN resolution 73/329. The first International Day of Conscience..."

What types of regional and local transport does Cincinnati need more in the future?

Cincinnati is currently lacking in public transportation and needs to expand its service. As it stands, the city only utilizes 2 modes of transportation, buses and the streetcar. While the bus network reaches into most neighborhoods and provides good baseline service, many routes cannot sustain current capacity and are ripe for expansion. This is why we believe a comprehensive Regional Rail, High Speed Rail, and bike service network should be prioritized for Cincinnati and the surrounding metro area. The Cincinnati combined metro area has a population of 2.2 million, and currently has no other methods of transportation outside of personal vehicles. Cincinnati also suffers from large amounts of traffic congestion, however no other options for travel exist. Providing useful public transportation would not only decrease traffic, but lower carbon emissions in the area.  

High Speed Rail  

The biggest form of public transportation that Cincinnati is not currently utilizing is a high-speed railway. By building a railway that connects even to just the major cities in Ohio, it would allow many people access to statewide travel. Railways have also proven to be generally safer than car travel as well as producing less carbon emissions. Currently, there only exists one intercity line between Cincinnati, Chicago and New York City that runs 3 times a week. The current Amtrak route is slow, plagued by delays, and is not efficient in connecting Cincinnati to other cities. With a high-speed rail network, Cincinnati could become connected with other large cities in the Midwest, with extremely useful corridors such as the Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati alignment. Railways are also a great source of revenue for the state. By using tax-payers money to build the railways, they would be more affordable for Cincinnati to build. 

"CONNOLLY TRAIN STATION-1008" by infomatique is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. 

High Speed Rail 

Reliant on there being a national high speed rail network, but would be super cool 

Bike network  

The smallest and most versatile form of transport would be bikes. This is something that Cincinnati has already been exploring with Cincy RedBike, a bike-share network that just reported its highest ridership yet in 2023, with 140,000 rides. On top of this, Cincinnati already has existing bike routes, such as the popular Wasson Way, a 6-mile-long greenway through eastern Cincy. The approval of these programs shows the value of having such a system in place. We propose a combination of expanding Cincinnati Redbike, expanding greenways, and building separated bike paths through the city. This will make biking both more accessible and safer to use and decrease the carbon emissions generated by smaller trips. 

"Wasson Way" by 5chw4r7z is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Streetcar Network 

Trams are less expensive than busses 

can carry more people 

easily electrified 

If the regional train system is the large transportation network, trams can be the smaller, more local transport system 

Regional Rail 

Often overlooked in the conversation of public transportation, regional rail networks often provide some of the most key services in urban metro areas. Regional rail services allow easy access from outer cities and suburbs to the inner city. While these trains do not run as frequently as a metro service, they offer higher capacity and can substitute many singular car commutes downtown. Downtown Cincinnati is still very oriented towards suburban commuters, as many of the streets act as one-way arterials and many lots are comprised of parking garages. A regional rail system would greatly benefit Downtown Cincinnati as suburban commuters will be able to take the train downtown and replace car trips on the interstate. In turn, Downtown would see less congestion and improvements in pedestrian infrastructure.  

Expanded Streetcar Network 

Finally, an expanded streetcar network would be beneficial to the city of Cincinnati. While it is a good move for the city to chase BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) routes in context of the current day city, using the ROW (Right of Way) for streetcars instead would provide higher capacity transportation. Streetcars are street-running trams that act similarly to a metro, with dedicated stops along the route. Streetcars, while often operating in mixed traffic, need their own dedicated ROW in order to properly function. A streetcar system would not act on their own, as bus connections are important for them to work. This mode of transportation would replace many low distance trips along busy corridors that would normally be taken by car.  

"Rotterdam Tram" by Michel Curi is licensed under CC BY 2.0. 

Regional Train System  

Services the tri-state area, connecting the outer neighborhoods to the main city 

Fast, efficient 

Conclusion: Overall, Cincinnati has done a pretty good job at providing local public transportation, but there are areas that they can expand upon in terms of longer distance public transportation. By adding more railways, people in Cincinnati would be able to go more places from this one city while simultaneously cutting down on their carbon emissions.  

Discussion Question: Out of all of the public transportation options given, which one would you work towards implementing first? 

Pals, we are happy to inform you it is Friday. Make your weekend incredible. Be kind. Be courageous. Share love. - - - - - - - - - "Baby Sun Bear" by San Diego Shooter is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Why Wealthy White People Won’t Share?

Following the failure of the Voice to Parliament referendum for Indigenous Australians some folks are wondering why. Why wealthy white people won’t share? I mean, after all these many years why keep the boot on the throat? Why deny constitutional recognition to First Nations people? Well, it is always about money and power. It is not mere racism alone but that in combination with their pragmatic interests. Certain wealthy people, many of them involved in the mining industry did not want any more power vested in Aboriginal voices in this nation. Treaties and things like this invariably cost money for those doing business in Australia. No respect for Captain Cook by Pauline E is licensed under CC-BY-SA 2.0 Wealthy White Miners Didn’t Want A Voice For Aboriginals Spending a few million dollars on a campaign to deny Indigenous Australians a voice to parliament is well worth it. Anything that galvanises an anti-Aboriginal movement or popular trend is money well spent. Especially if you are digging things up out of their land for profit. Mining Czars and the like don’t want any more power vested in First Nations people or groups. People like Tony Abbott get paid to do their level best to promote the interests of white Australia at the expense of things like reconciliation and treaty. The Liberal Party of Australia and the Nationals are firmly in the big business camp. Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com Wealthy White Rupert & Lachlan Spreading Lies Sowing false fears and anxiety via negative campaigning is a Tony Abbott speciality. The Murdoch News Corp bandwagon is always close at hand to spread the false flags. Exploiting the stupidity of the Australian people is a never ending source of revenue for the Murdoch empire. Sky News Australia, like Fox News, is committed to making money from the right wing audience and big business. Truth telling is something so alien to this organisation it would lie to itself if there was a buck in it. Murdoch’s Fox News was fined a billion dollars in a libel suit for lying about the 2020 US election. It is outrageously biased and unrepentant. There are calls for a Royal Commission into Murdoch’s media empire in Australia. “In place of quality journalism, Mr Murdoch and his inner circle of executives use the News Corp beast to distort the news to push their political agenda. Tabloid columnists and SKY television shock jocks stoke fear and division in our communities to get clicks and sales. The Murdochs trade media coverage for political favours, distorting our democracy and weakening our voices.” - (https://murdochroyalcommission.org.au/) Photo by Josh Withers on Pexels.com Turn News Into Entertainment & Nobody Then Cares Murdoch turned news into entertainment some decades back. Opinion pieces in newspapers replaced investigative journalism. PR took the space once reserved for actual reporting. This continued in current affairs programming on TV. Populist fodder kept the punters’ attention. Tabloid news spread everywhere and balanced coverage became a distant memory. Shock jocks on radio kept up the diatribes. Polarising news became the order of the day. Everything was turned into a competition like a reality TV show. Political coverage was turned on its head and remains a click bait, sound bite affair. Once news became entertainment truth went out of the picture. This is where we find ourselves now. Deflecting Via Disinformation & Lies Photo by Zakaria HANIF on Pexels.com Why wealthy white people won’t share? Australia is the only colonised country which doesn’t recognise its First Nations inhabitants constitutionally. Mining companies in Australia pay very little tax in comparison with many other resource rich places like Norway. Power and wealth have delivered undue influence within our political sphere. Rich people don’t want to share. Not even with their own kids in some instances. Dumb Aussies keep backing fat rich people in hope they will get a few crumbs. Downward envy is a thing in Australia, as it is easier to beat up on the weak and dispossessed than take on the big end of town. Racism gets a look in too but it is more about material greed. 32% of corporations doing business in Australia paid no tax at all in the last financial year. The only people paying their fair share of tax are ordinary workers. Rich folk have accountants to set up trusts to ensure they minimise their tax. Mining companies donate large sums of money to both major political parties. They have bought their seat at the big table. The media in Australia does not speak truth to power – it is largely corporatised and is susceptible to threats by big advertisers to pull their ads from the mastheads, networks and programmes. Indigenous Australians were shafted by the establishment and a No campaign financed by miners and investors. Simon Fenwick is a name to look our for. Robert Sudha Hamilton is the author of Money Matters: Navigating Credit, Debt, and Financial Freedom.  ©MidasWord Read the full article

DI Wins USAID-funded Protection, Inclusion, and Empowerment Activity in Armenia

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded Democracy International (DI) the multiyear Protection, Inclusion, and Empowerment Activity in Armenia. The Activity will support disadvantaged and marginalized populations in Armenia through needed legal-regulatory framework changes, improved services, and intensified cooperation between the government, civil society organizations, and the private sector to address the needs of vulnerable populations.  

DI will provide technical assistance, analytical services, grants, and evidence-based approaches to support inclusion, protection, and empowerment policy and legislative reform; improve inclusion, protection, and empowerment services for vulnerable and marginalized populations; enhance protection and inclusion of those affected by instability and violent hostilities or conflict; enhance the government of Armenia and key stakeholder’s capacity to implement effective outreach, communications, and research regarding social sector policy and services; and provide support for adaptive social protection to address the impacts of global and domestic crises such as COVID-19, war, conflict, and food insecurity.

Implementation of the Activity is currently underway and will continue through February of 2028. DI appreciates the opportunity to work with and support local partners, citizens of Armenia, and the government of Armenia and shares USAID’s commitment to supporting positive, sustainable change in Armenia.

“Armenia” by Gill ML is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Subway Steak and Cheese Review

Subway offers subs to fit every taste and satisfy every craving. From simple meat and cheese subs to the B.M.T. (short for “Biggest, Meatiest, Tastiest,” the ingredient combinations are endless. One sub that caught a lot of attention when it was first released was the Steak & Cheese Sub, a variation of the famous regional “Cheesesteak Sandwich” popular in Philidelphia. It was tough to find a Cheesesteak Sandwich outside of the city just a few years ago, but thanks to some creativity, Subway is one of the major chains that now offers their version. How does it stack up to the original? Find out in our Subway Steak & Cheese review. 

History and Inspiration

The Steak & Cheese Sub is inspired by the Philly Cheesesteak sandwich, which is made from thinly sliced pieces of beefsteak and melted cheese in a long hoagie roll. It was developed in the early 20th century by combining frizzled beef, onions, and cheese in a small bread loaf. Of course, it has roots in the U.S. city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Cheesesteaks have grown in popularity among restaurants and food carts throughout the city. Now, variations of cheesesteak sandwiches can be found in many fast-food chains and even high-end restaurants all over the country. Subway’s Steak and Cheese Sandwich made its debut in 2006 as one of two premium steak sandwich offerings. It’s made of diced pieces of seared seasoned steak, cheese, fire-roasted sweet bell peppers, and onions on your choice of Subway’s aromatic, fresh-baked bread.

Types of Subway Steak and Cheese

The Steak & Cheese sandwich features slices of beef steak, and you can choose either American cheese, cheddar cheese, or provolone cheese. You can also choose a 6-inch sub or a 12-inch sub. Some locations even offer Steak & Cheese Sliders. 

Subway Steak and Cheese Review

The Subway Steak and Cheese Sub tastes even better toasted – you want the cheese to be extra melted. To make it taste more like an authentic Philly Cheesesteak, add ketchup and mayo. 

Photo by Taylor Herring under License CC 2.0 1.      Taste and Texture Each 6-inch sub comes with two scoops of steak. Subway’s pre-cooked steak is slightly moist, well-seasoned, and tender enough to chew without too much work. You can choose any cheese you like (some locations offer more choices than others), but I enjoy Provolone cheese, which is mild and nicely melted. I also ask for extra cheese because two slices just aren’t enough. The veggies were tasty, crisp, and fresh. There were plentiful too, so I got a good taste of bell peppers and onions in every bite. I like the parmesan garlic bread or the jalapeño cheddar bread. Both are fresh and delicious toasted. You can add any condiment you like, but mayo and ketchup will give you the more authentic Cheesesteak taste. For variation, I’ve also enjoyed it with chipotle sauce. 

2. Are they healthy? The 6-inch sub has about 26 grams of protein, thanks to the steak and cheese, making it a decent source of this nutrient. The Steak & Cheese sub also contains 10 grams of fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, and no trans fat. You’ll get plenty of carbs, as there are 39 grams in a 6-inch sub, as well as 2 grams of fiber and 5 grams of sugars. While meats and cheeses may provide some nutrients, veggies are the healthiest part. Onions are a good source of quercetin, which helps your body absorb other nutrients it needs, so the more, the better. Green bell peppers are excellent sources of vitamins A and C, potassium, folic acid, and fiber. 3. Are they Worth it? If you don’t live in Philadelphia, but you have a cheesesteak craving, the Subway Steak & Cheese might be your next best choice. You can find a Subway location just about anywhere, even internationally – and with so many flavor combinations, you can customize your sub exactly the way you like it. The price is a bit high, but it’s better to buy a 12-inch sub and share it. Filling, fairly nutritious, savory, and satisfying, it’s worth a try for sure. 

Photo by Brian Child under License CC 2.0 Final Verdict It’s not an authentic Philly Cheesesteak, but it’s comparable. It comes with a good amount of sliced steak, melted cheese, and veggies, and the price is fair. Plus, it’s easy to find a version you really enjoy with all the condiment, bread, and cheese combinations.

Subway Steak and Cheese Nutrition Facts 

Serving size: One six-inch sub Calories – 340 Total fat – 10 g  Saturated Fat – 4.5 g Sodium – 1040 mg Carbs – 39 g Dietary Fiber – 2 g Sugars – 5 g Protein – 23 g

Subway Steak and Cheese Pricing

Subway’s 6-inch Steak & Cheese, with 4 ounces of sliced steak, is $4.99, but the 12-inch sub is around $8.49. The best choice value-wise would be to buy the bigger sub and either share it with someone or save it for later. If you want to add more veggies, sauces, or seasonings, it’s completely free. But if you want more meat, it’ll cost extra. This sub is fast, convenient, tasty, and overall a solid fast-food choice.  What do you think about our Subway Steak & Cheese Review? How would you compare the Subway Steak & Cheese with a Philly Cheesesteak? What would make it taste more authentic, in your opinion? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.  The post Subway Steak and Cheese Review appeared first on Fast Food Menu Prices. Read the full article

Mulled Wine Recipe #NationalMulledWineDay

“Mulled wine” by Charlie Beldon is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0 Since today is National Mulled Wine Day, I’ll share my mulled wine recipe. Kaye Spencer’s Mulled Wine Ingredients & Directions: Into a large stock pot, pour: 2 bottles red wine (750 ml each or 1 larger bottle) Add: ¾ cup red-hots candies 1 cup sugar 12 whole cloves 2 cinnamon sticks Simmer—DO NOT BOIL—until red-hots dissolve – stir…

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Hello I love lemurs how about you?

Current banner is a detail of a photograph by Lenora (Ellie) Enking shared under CC BY-SA 2.0 license

When I was a kid I did a report on Sifaka lemurs in fifth grade and never really stopped loving lemurs. These adorable folks tend to move on the ground by leaping from side to side like they are flying between tree branches and you gotta love the commitment to the bit.

Lemurs are a little different from most primates, a branch of evolution cut off from the rest of us. Opposable thumbs and tails? Cute? Silly? They ticked all the checkboxes. They were like little cute not-quite-people.

Sifaka lemurs, like so many animals, have a low sexual dimorphism. You can’t easily tell the males from the females. I liked that a lot. And they looked quite elegant, much more so than I ever could manage. Well, in the trees and in the air as they jumped between them. On the ground they were very awkward and silly, even compared to other lemurs. I liked that too. They were like me, I supposed, awkward in the environment most humans preferred, but fine on their own in the places they belonged. Elegant. Cute. Furry. Ahem.