#How much does Canada recycle

[nonasuch]

The 2022 Miss Universe pageant was last night!

Which means: the National Costumes are here.

Yes, there is video. It’s worth watching if you want to see how some of these look in motion, but I’m warning you in advance that the emcees keep doing these shitty little rhyming couplets, and they will make you want to strangle them with one of the many available voluminous gown trains. So I’m suffering on your behalf, and liveblogging.

First up: Albania.

Sparkly flag-inspired bodysuit with train is the voting “present” of the Miss Universe National Costume Competition.

Angola. She did a fun dance on her way to center stage, which would probably not have been possible in her original costume, which was “tree-inspired” and too big to ship to New Orleans.

Argentina. This is where the video does come in handy, because without it I would not be able to award her First Contestant To Visibly Struggle Under The Weight Of Her Outfit. It’s a waterfall. The rainbow crotch area was certainly a design choice.

Armenia. I would like to see what’s going on with the bodice behind the... shield thing? but she never put it down.

Also, it turns out that when one contestant has a costume dedicated to solemn remembrance of the Armenian genocide, and the contestant immediately after her has a costume that’s about beach parties, there is kind of an uncomfortably abrupt tonal shift that happens onstage.

Aruba. Like I said: weird tonal shift! She did a little shimmy dance at Miss Armenia as they passed each other and it was clearly awkward for both of them. This is made of recycled materials leftover from Carnival, which is cool? I guess?

Australia. This is a prom dress. Boo.

Bahrain. A rare pants look! There’s a lot of detail in the headdress and bodice that’s kind of getting lost, but it looks cool in motion. Also the theme is apparently “Bahrain is rich as fuck,” so congrats I guess?

Belgium. Okay so the theme of this costume, my hand to g-d, is “the window on the International Space Station that Belgium built.” Why does this requires a shit-ton of leftover Christmas tinsel and some very awkward-to-wear angel wings? I do not know.

Belize. This is fun! It’s a good “lesser-known Batman villainess” kind of look. Like if Ivy and Catwoman co-mentored someone. The actual theme is “the world’s only jaguar reserve, which is in Belize,” but I think it’s also kind of implying that she might be a were-jaguar. Which, again, is fun!

Bhutan. This goes in the “just an actual regional/folk costume” category, which is also kind of like voting Present, but it looks like the fabrics are nice.

Bolivia. She has an entire Andean condor on her head so I’m already on board. This photo only shows the cloak, which is covered in silver spangles in honor of Bolivia’s silver mines, and is also why her condor is perched on a miner’s helmet. The dress underneath is entirely made of swags of sparkly gold beads, so the visual effect is actually pretty nice in motion.

Brazil. The construction details on this are actually quite lovely! Lots of intricate beading and rhinestone work. Unfortunately that doesn’t convey well at any distance, and also that white fin peplum thing flaps around really awkwardly when she walks. Oh, wait, she can flip it up to be a clamshell thing behind her head!

That looks much better.

British Virgin Islands. First giant flower of the year!

Bulgaria. Apparently this is made of neoprene? So with that and the rainbow stripes, the effect ends up being kind of “what if Midsommar, but at a rave.”

Cambodia. It feels weird to say “yep, standard Miss Universe warrior goddess costume” but basically that’s what this is. I do like the green-and-gold color palette, though.

Cameroon. “The baskets represent the nation’s agricultural movement.” Okay! I like how it’s giving “Valkyrie, but make it Global South,” though I’m not sure three entire country-shaped cutouts were necessary.

Canada. Another fine Miss Universe tradition: contestant who knows how to dance en pointe so she’s going to goddamn wear a costume that goes with pointe shoes, Or Else. Some nice beadwork! I would let her be the third, secret red swan in Swan Lake if that were a thing.

Cayman Islands. Sexy Blue Iguana is a fun concept! There’s a tail in back of the cape.

Chile. Sexy Atacama Desert is kind of abstract, as these things go, but I respect her choice to wear something she could walk in.

China. Hilariously, the announcer was like “This look... does not match the bio we were given, so I’m gonna wing it!” The fabrics are nice -- the satin drapes and moves well -- but the embellishments are kind of meh compared to some of the Miss China looks I’ve seen.

Colombia. This is a legit great Sexy Phoenix, but I need you all to know that her crown got turned a little sideways while she walked to the stage and she clearly knew it and just as clearly could do nothing about it, and I feel bad for laughing but it was funny.

Costa Rica. Sexy hummingbird! I think I’ve identified a recurring theme for this year. Corset and wings are made of recycled materials, which is nice, and they look well-made -- a lot of wing-based costumes tend to flop around or go crooked in motion, but not these.

Croatia. Oh, honey. This has big “my mom helped me make this the night before it was due” energy, unfortunately.

Curacao. “Meet the Fisherman’s Wife, a woman with a key role in Curacao’s fishing industry.” Okay? Honestly you could have left off the basket and said “this costume represents the beautiful marine life of Curacao” and I would have been like “yep, checks out” but now I have many follow-up questions.

Czech Republic. This is meant to be a Mucha-inspired look but uh. Mostly it’s just. beige. I’m starting to feel like all the other Slavic countries saw advance photos of Miss Ukraine and were like “let’s just phone it in this year, girls, there’s no point.”

Dominican Republic. “This costume recognizes the importance of birds in Dominican culture.” They did make it with silk feathers, which I appreciate, because it would have been very weird to use real ones with that mission statement. Also I like her headdress, and the giant feather fans are a good way to nod in the direction of wings without the hassle of actually wearing wings.

Ecuador. This looks good in motion! She did some dancing onstage that worked well, and there’s a great sculpted Inca head scowling on the back of her headdress. This is still only a few notches above voting Present, though.

El Salvador. “History of Currency,” which is definitely a concept! The Bitcoin wizard staff is sure something.

Equatorial Guinea. A perfectly nice entry in the “actual regional costume” category, but on the video I was like “oh, yikes, her headdress is really wobbly” and then it FELL OFF and I felt so bad for her.

Finland. “Spirit of the Forest”? Fuck off, that’s a prom dress. Boo.

I’m going to pause here so this readmore doesn’t get completely out of control. Shit, there are 50 more of these? Well, I have only myself to blame.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for not wanting people to go through my garbage?

I (18x) am an international student in Canada. Where I am from, recycling is not something that was ever made a big deal of or explained, but here it is expected and I was provided with both a garbage can and a recycling bin in my dorm room.

There is one other thing about me you should know, and it is that I am disabled and often have to wear diapers. This is not something I wanted anyone in my real life to know, and even my parents think I grew out of this a few years ago.

People have tried to explain recycling to me but I am still a little bit confused by it but I truly am trying. It is easy to remember that cardboard and metal go in the recycling, but I have a much harder time telling the difference between recyclable and non recyclable plastic. I know I am the AH for this, but I am much better at recycling than I was when I moved here and I am still learning.

A few days ago, I came back from my class and entered my room only to find my roommate (19f) sitting on the floor going through my garbage can! Before I even said anything she said that if I was too dumb to figure out what went in the garbage and what went in the recycling, I might as well have someone sort it for me and she was so mad! I said that that wasn’t fair, and that I deserved privacy, but she said that normal people didn’t throw out anything they needed to be ashamed of. She didn’t actually say anything about my diapers, but I think that she was implying that she knew about them when she said that. I don’t like the idea of her knowing and I don’t like the idea of her telling anyone else, but I don’t know how to tell if she even does know because she took the garbage bag she was looking through out to the garbage chute.

I tried to ask my friends about this but I don’t want to tell them about the real reason I don’t want people looking through my garbage and without knowing it they all say they don’t see what the big deal is and it sounds nice to have someone else worry about my garbage sorting so I don’t have to and at least I did not accidentally put recyclable water bottles in the garbage because of her!

So tumblr, knowing about my secret, AITA?

What are these acronyms?

[cipher-fresh]

clark kent headcanons/how I’d put my own spin on him

-Clark didn’t get powers until he was three or four years old. Completely unable to tell he was an alien before then.

-Krypto was in the escape pod with him, and Clark’s first word was babbling Krypton because his parents said it so much. He eventually forgets about this entirely and they just have a dog named Krypto. Clark and Krypto were wrapped in a red Kryptonian blanket. Otherwise, Clark has 0 memory of Krypton

-Clark knows he’s ‘weird’ for a while but isn’t told he’s alien until he’s at least 10 years old.

-No way Clark isn’t a sci-fi nerd. He really resonates with half-humans half-aliens in fiction, even if that’s not exactly his situation. He also has a fascination with astronomy and outer space.

-When he’s a teenager, the Kent’s find out he can’t see through lead. They put some lead in a pair of Jonathan’s old glasses so he stops X-raying things when he doesn’t want to. He has to lower his glasses to X-ray or use heat vision (Like in Lois & Clark: TNAOS). Clark tries on Jonathan’s glasses and Martha makes a comment about how his face looks different. Later on, Clark depends on this with showing his face.

-The Superman suit is styled after Kryptonian outfits. (I love the strongman inspiration from Superman Smashes the Klan but in a 21st century interpretation, I don’t think it works). Clark’s first cape is the blanket he was wrapped in as a kid, but when he upgrades his suit he saves the blanket in the Kent barn. And, of course, his mom made his suit.

-Clark not wearing a mask as Superman so people trust him is canon in most places, but on a similar note, he decides red and blue for the suit so people can see him in the sky, and feel confident he will save them from whatever the danger is.

-Clark generally thinks of himself as human and primarily as Clark Kent. Superman is a thing he does in his free time, it’s not his main identity. He can feel insecure in his humanity or about being an imposter, but for the majority of time, he thinks of himself as human and will sometimes forget he isn’t.

-Clark doesn’t immediately fall in love with Lois, it’s not love at first sight. It takes a while but then he realizes he’s crushing, hard.

-Clark can’t afford a car, and he has told every Daily Planet office member a different lie about how he gets to work every day. He combats writer’s block by flying up into the clouds with his laptop and writing. He makes sure to recycle and keeps up-to-date with environmental news.

-He will laugh, grimace, frown and make other faces for no reason- he’s hearing conversations from around the planet. He’ll laugh at a joke being told in Canada and then the next day look down at the floor in second-hand embarrassment hearing people sing off-tune. Clark can also be genuinely clumsy sometimes, it’s 20% of the time an act and 80% not.

-Clark will fly to clear his head when he’s stressed. He’s gotten spotted doing that in Metropolis with so many helicopters and drones, so he’ll go higher into the stratosphere or into less-populated areas if he has a lot of time to be alone.

-Clark doesn’t need to sleep, but he does usually every night. It helps him emotionally. If he’s stayed up for a week or more, he’s stressed about something.

[jellysshitpoems]

Nuclear energy hyperfixation sounds really cool! Any interesting facts/stories you want to share?

I HAVE SO SO SOOOO MANY!!! To the point my family has banned everything nuclear related from being discussed because I don’t shut up about it- here are some off the top of my head!

It’s the second largest source of energy in Canada! We have six different nuclear power plants, one Ive even been able to tour virtually!

If we go by death count, it’s one of the safest forms of energy there is! Having less deaths then even wind! (barely, its like o.o2 more)

A little fuel goes a long way! Fuel pellets are very dense, one singular pellet about the size of your finger tip can produce more energy than one ton of coal!

96% of nuclear ‘waste’ is recyclable!

The way a power plant works is the heat from the fission reactions turns water into steam, turning a turbine, which makes electricity!

Nuclear power plant workers have a limited amount of radiation they’re aloud to be exposed to every year for health and safety concerns. If they exceed that amount, they can’t continue to work

Every significant nuclear disaster was because of easily avoided human error. This does not make nuclear energy unsafe, it just means people are fucking stupid and cant follow protocols. Or that they were in the Soviet Union. The soviets really played fast and loose with their nuclear safety measures at times

My favourite way to introduce other people to more information about nuclear energy/disasters is to recommend Kyle Hill on youtube! Some of his stuff is less serious, but his series half life histories is super informative and accurate!

My personal favourite fact about Canadas nuclear energy industry is that the OPG (Ontario Power Generation) maintains good relationships with Métis communities! I recently went to conference hosted to educate Métis people on the workings of the industry and explain plans to store nuclear waste in my region! Its very important to involve First Nations Communities in these things, especially those in the affected area! (I could go on about this conference forever, it went into how fishing, hunting, and gathering practices would be affected too!)

These are just facts about nuclear energy, I’ve also got way too much knowledge about nuclear disasters and weapons if anyone wants to hear that! And before you ask, yes. Im probably on some sort of government watch list by now 😅

[saintmeghanmarkle]

I really hate to ask this but do others remember when the press cruelly attacked Catherine PoW simply for being slim figured? A friend and I remember her being called "waify Katie" years ago literally just because she's naturally slim; Endgame reminded us of this by u/Zealousidea_Head728

I really hate to ask this, but do others remember when the press cruelly attacked Catherine, PoW, simply for being slim figured? A friend and I remember her being called "waify Katie" years ago literally just because she's naturally slim; Endgame reminded us of this I'm sorry to bring this old nickname up, but does anyone else remember this? With the recent Endgame attacks on Catherine, PoW, a friend and I were discussing how much Catherine's been bullied.We grew up in Canada and remember gossip rags at check outs and the harrassment Catherine faced just for being slim figured. Those attacks were really painful for other natually slim figured women (like my friend, who has also been bullied for it) because they talked like being naturally slim meant somehow it's done purposefully, is unhealthy, or simply conforming to fashion trends...I noticed it doesn't seem to be known here? I didn't see posts or comments when I searched, and I was curious what people thought about it (especially after that comment Meghan made about Catherine, how that waity nickname was basically nothing, but there were no old posts about this one) so I feel like, even tho I feel bad to be bringing up an old awful nickname, that it's important to remember it wasn't just that waity nickname; Catherine was critized a lot simply for her natural body type being slim.William and Catherine did a Canada/US tour in 2011 and this is where that term seems to have started:https://ift.tt/HsY0e18 was even called \"Disappearing Duchess\" (per that 'harsh British Press' link) because she's slim.... my friend also sometimes asks if an outfit makes her look too skinny to minimize unnecessary comments!So we took a look at some photos of Catherine during that tour and she looks like a fit, slim figured woman? She has beautiful toned arms and just look at those calves! It's insane to remember this then look back, over a decade later, at the tour that was used as "evidence" of her being unhealthy, 'striving for thin-ness', when really she's simply a fit, slim figure!2011. Source: (note archive wasn't showing the image so just put unarchived) https://ift.tt/fXub76Q looking back, I love that even back in 2011 she was recycling dresses!:Engagement portait dress reworn for 2011 Canada/US tour!! Source: https://ift.tt/Q2eX037, I didn't know which flair was best for this so used the News/Media/Tabloids since we discussed how Catherine was treated by them. post link: https://ift.tt/nbvxuzi author: Zealousidea_Head728 submitted: November 29, 2023 at 03:13AM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit

[roseserpentpress]

Hey 😊 I'm very interested in getting into fan binding, and I love your work! I wonder, how much does it normally cost you to bind a book? I see you made quite a few in 2022 and I would love to hear about the average amount you normally spend :) best of luck on your future projects!

Aww thank you for the compliment! ❤️ I'm also really terribly sorry for how long it took for me to write out this response--I've been really busy lately, and properly calculating what actually goes into my books is something I haven't really done previously, as I typically engage in fanbinding as a hobby, and I don't usually keep track of how much is going into my books. It's also a bit difficult to exactly calculate materials wise as often things I buy end up going a long way... so breaking down the prices can be difficult as you'll see below.

Anyhow! Fanbinding is a really lovely hobby, and highly encourage you to get into it when you have the time and energy! If you are interested and haven't yet joined the Renegade bindery discord (18+ however!) with all the lovely fanbinding/bookbinding enthusiasts, I'd highly recommend you do as they have a bunch of resources for beginners and are an absolutely lovely community.

To properly answer your question, what one spends on making books can really depend on the materials you use. Hell, there was a document from Renegade on how to make really low cost book out of materials you just have lying around at home, which I unfortunately can't find right now. Personally the cost has also varied depending on where I'm getting my resources, and as you become familiar with whats in you area, you can also minimize cost for certain resources. Below the read more I'll actually give a break down of what generally goes into a 100 page (about 100k) A6 book. Everything will be given in CAD as I live in Canada.

Basic A6 100 pg Book:

Paper: 1.7$ as 100 pages would be 50 sheets of paper. It's 17$ for a ream (500 pages) of cream paper. I'm not sure the exact price for the printer, as that I own my own printer. I know that for just plain bright white and black and white text you are charged .20 per page at Staples, which for a 100 page book would be 20$.

Bookboard: .80-3$ I've had quite a variety of bookboard I've bought; currently am getting 9$ for a pack of 6 chipboard which makes about 12 a6 books; so about .79$, but I've previously bought chip board that is much more expensive (15$ a pack for about 4 books, which would be 3.75$ per book). I've also used the back of old sketch books, stiff and flat shipping envelopes for prints,and I've recently seen that someone recycles old books from library sales where the books are just going to go to the landfill.

Endpaper: I like coloured end and cover papers; per one sheet, it is usually about $5-10. Depending on my use of the paper, usually I can get about two A6 book worths out of the paper, which means about per 1 a6 its 2.5-5$ for the end paper.

Cover paper: For cover paper I often use a mix of paper. I also usually use the same type of fancy papers as the end papers, so thats an extra 5-10$, which can be halved. However, I often mix this with simple single coloured cardstock paper for scrapbooks. Normally, since I'm cheap, I buy the dollar store paper which is about .75$ per sheet. So about cover paper goes from 3.5-6$.

Ribbon: I like to make my books with ribbons so they are not just supported by sewing. Again, I'm not fancy so I use micheals/dollarstore polyester ribbons; a roll costs about 1.5-3$. For spine ribbons, getting a white or neutral colour is best as that in-between the signatures the colour isn't obvious. However, for adding ribbon bookmarks, it's nice to have a colour that matches the colour scheme of the book. The rolls obviously end up being used for more than one book project, so it's somewhere in the cents for the ribbons per book. I like silky polyester for ribbons as for those used as a bookmark, you can easily ensure the end doesn't fray by using a lighter to melt the very edge.

Thread: I just use sewing thread that I double when sewing the signatures together. It's about 3$ for a roll of white, and will last a very long time. I do like to add beeswax to the thread, which is somewhat optional. You could probably also use other soft waxes such as those used in candles if you don't specifically have beeswax. That cost will be under beeswax though.

Backing cloth - I purchase micheals squares of linen fabric, which you can buy for $2-3 for the cloth backing of the spine. Again, you can get quite a few cloth backing out of one square of fabric. You can also choose to use cloth instead of paper for a book cover, which then you would swap the coverpaper to the price of the cloth. Again, purchasing a neutral cream-white for the cloth is the best for the backing for the cracks between the signatures. I also know people will use misprint paper for backing, which would be even cheaper.

Paste: Personally as I'm cheap, so I like to make bookbinders paste at home; this is made by boiling a flour-water mixture. However, bookbinders paste takes long to dry, and for the first time or two might be more damp then you want and can leave your pages a bit wrinkly; as well, I'm not sure how acid free it would be considered in the long run, and its not a strong bond if it's not a large surface area that's paper-paper. Lots of people like to use ph-neutral PVC glue instead, which an art store near me sells around 10$ for 8oz, which is definitely pricier in comparison, but you'll end up using it for many books, so it can pay off. I've also however used simple Elmer's glue a couple of years ago in my first bookbinding forays, which is also cheap.

Head bands

Twine: lots of people use different types of cores for their headbands, but something that can remain an even width is good. I use this type of twine, which costs about 12$ per roll. The one I use is one I already had at home. Obviously you can get a quite a few headbands out of a ball of twine.

Embroidery floss: about 1.5$ for two different colours. Again, you'll only be using part of the whole embroidery floss for the endbands.

Beeswax proofing

Beeswax: 7 oz for 7$. Again, a fraction of one of these bars is used per book.

Mineral Spirits: also a fraction required for the a single book. A bottle however is about 11$ for 4.2 oz.

So if you are going by the bulk items, without anything at home including everything and going middle of the road for prices, that would be about $84... however, most of these costs are negligible in the long run per an individual book, plus often you may have some of these lying around already, which can significantly cut into these costs. As a result a more accurate cost of materials per a single individual book would be about maybe $30.50 on average, and going by middle of the road for some prices, and utilizing the 20$ for the text block via staples. The heaviest cost will always be printing out your textblock, which can be minimized if you have your own printer at home (but then you need to invest in one...).

However, cost again can really quite vary, depending on what materials you are using! Starting off with things you already have at home significantly cuts into material costs, and starting on smaller projects will make the material cost cheaper. Plus, some fancy paper can be bought in packs for cheaper then they type of paper I tend to purchase. I hope this was at least somewhat informative, even if it took forever for me to write this up for you, apologies again about that!

[stereax]

9 People You'd Like to Know Better!

@dougiejack thank you for the tag!!!

Last song: Ave Cesaria, Stromae. Stromae is probably the only French-singing (he's Belgian) artist I listen to on at least a semi-regular basis. I really need to listen to his new album. And also finally check out more than like two songs from AnnenMayKantereit. They're a German rock-type band that I really only know from the national test that my German school had us take every year. They recycled questions a lot; the AMK video was used at least three years in a row with the same questions being asked from it LMAO. It did give me the song Oft Gefragt, though. Absolute banger. I need to listen to that album (Allex Nix Konkretes). And the new ones too.

Currently watching: My long-term attention span is AWFUL. I can't watch through an entire television series anymore. Most of what the family currently watches on YouTube are Good Mythical Morning (my dad found out Rhett and Link exist like a month ago and now it's everyone's problem), some Canada's Worst Driver (though we only got halfway through Season 12, then moved to Season 14 and only got halfway through that too), and my new favorite The Proper People (urbex!!! Really love urbex, may or may not be lightly planning out an urbex AU rn hahaha). Oh, and Food Wars from Insider Eats. Always a classic. (And Dan's Kitchen Gadgets from Epicurious! Awesome series!)

Currently reading: I'm trying to read The Invisible Hook by Peter Leeson as research for the @devils-pirate-crew sideblog/fanfic/askblog thing I've started! Yes, I'm gonna mention it incessantly because I need external motivation to work on it and also if you haven't seen it yet go check it out please!!! But also, on a more serious note, the book combines economics - a longstanding interest of mine - with piracy, so I'm super excited to see how the argument for the economic foundation of piracy is developed. That makes me sound like an old man. I'm not that old, I promise. I just sound old.

Current obsession: I mean, hockey? It's really getting up there right now in terms of how I'm slowly getting sucked further and further into hockey fandom and spending a ton of time on it. Besides that, uh... I'm working on re-sorting my quarter collection? (This does not help me beat the "secretly an old man" rumors, does it?)

+9: @barclaygoodrow @captain-hischier @forsakenpotato @hischieri @kmercer @lemondropbois @nicojackl0v3r @thg02 @zaynsbehen :D (you don't have to do this at all if you already have or don't want to but, y'know, if you want?)

if I didn't tag you it's probably because either a) I know you've been tagged already or b) you intimidate me too much haha 💜

[stevishabitat]

I'm in Missouri, Midwest USA (find the Mississippi River on a map and go about halfway between Canada and the Gulf of Mexico)

This is a pretty typical 2-3x monthly grocery shop for me and my kiddo (age 11):

We don't have a range/oven because the one that was here when we moved in was over 60 years old and nothing functioned reliably/correctly so we sold it to a recycler. But we get by with these:

We usually have a decent pantry supply of flour, rice, dry beans, rolled oats, peanut butter, honey, jam, canned tomatoes/sauce, and canned milk (we're lactose intolerant so it's mostly for baking). And a variety of herbs, spices, seasonings.

Pasta is a challenge without a cooktop, so we often use ramen noodles for pasta dishes.

Our most common snack food is popcorn, and we just buy a massive jar of kernals once a year and pop it in a microwave bowl, or in a pot over an outdoor fire.

We grow collard greens & green onions most of the year, except the worst of winter and summer. If you're not familiar, collard greens are similar to kale, but flatter leaves. You can eat them raw in salad, especially if you pick the leaves young, but you can also cook them like spinach, or even make "crisps" which we do in the toaster oven.

We do get tortilla chips during the MLS (professional soccer) season because before covid, we used to go to a sports bar/pub to watch and we always got nachos there. So now we make them at home 😊

Sometimes I get pretzels and sour cream for kiddo and friends when they're having a game or movie night. But they will also eat carrots like a pack of rabbits and I've taught them all how to peel their own - so I don't have to do it or buy the more expensive peeled ones (which go bad so much faster if they don't consume them at once).

We do eat fast food once a week when kiddo has therapy. The timing of the appointment makes it tough to get fed and for me to get to work in the afternoon, and it helps as an incentive when kiddo doesn't particularly want to leave the house. It's usually a junior burger for each of us and small fries to share. And I get a sweet tea that I can sip on through my work shift. That's about $12, which compared to our other groceries is quite a difference.

Kiddo makes most of their own meals, and is adept at using all of our small appliances. Because of sensory issues, we both make our own meals to our liking. I do a lot of potatoes and rice, kiddo does a lot of noodles and things on bread or tortillas. Kiddo prefers eggs for protein and I prefer beans.

We probably order a pizza once a month and we buy two - one to eat right away and one to freeze for later. Very occasionally we get Chinese takeout (which I can stretch with homemade rice, eggs & veggies to last for a surprisingly long time. Sometimes I freeze that into single servings that we can grab for an easy reheat meal.

There's also a few chicken and fish places nearby, and we get that a few times a year when we're really craving protein.

Idk how typical our experience is, kiddo's friends don't seem to find it weird, but we're all in the same socioeconomic class so even though some are black and some are white I think we generally eat the same types of foods and shop at the same place (Aldi, just a couple blocks away).

Most of us are single parent/grandparent households where it's more of a "fend for yourself" situation where maybe the adult preps meals or parts of meals once a week and things get put together as needed and kids are doing at least some parts of the food prep/cooking.

A lot of American cooking is really quite French and it has been for centuries and I used to not know that and everyone talked up French cooking so much and then I started actually looking into it and I was like. I. Cook like this. Everyone I know cooks like this. This is just butter. It’s butter, Michael. It’s butter. You were hyping up butter. I can already do this.

[emenvs3000f24]

Unit 4 Blog Post

I think that everyone has the right to interpret pretty much anything in their own way. The way I interpret something will differ very significantly compared to someone else, due to our own life experiences and viewpoints on the world. Anything in life can be considered “art”. If someone is very good at making handmade bowls and plates out of clay, they have mastered the art of pottery. If someone is an excellent chef, they have mastered the art of cooking. However, why do many people view nature as beautiful, even when everyone considers and interprets everything differently? It is almost as such that nature is a shared experience that we all have value and view beautiful, in our own way. Banff National Park in Alberta is universally considered beautiful, and I strongly believe that every single person who has been there truly understands how much a “work of art” that park truly is. Art does not have to be a picture on a canvas, although it can be! Art is not limited to a certain category of images. Art is anything and everything in life.

Nature interpretation can be used to express the artistic value of natural areas. The beauty of a National Park may inspire one to start spending more time outdoors, to start recycling properly, or even to just start taking more pictures of everyday things that may seem mundane. Art is subjective which makes it a beautiful way to start a discussion.

On the anecdotal side of things, I recently got back from a 10-day trip to Washington State, a place I did not particularly have any interest in travelling to beforehand. If anyone knows me, they know that I am extremely patriotic and would probably say something along the lines of “Canada has tons of cool areas, why don’t we explore our own country first?”. But this time I didn’t say that. My girlfriend wanted to go to Washington, and I finally said, “ok why not”. I had a preconceived bias that just because it wasn’t Canada, it wouldn’t be as beautiful, but was I ever wrong. Something about the sleepy towns and stormy rainforests of northern Washington got to me in a way no other place has. It made me realize that there is beauty everywhere in the world. Beauty is not confined by political borders, states, provinces, or people with different accents, or even different political views. Yes, the United States is very different from Canada, but in the end, both countries have unimaginable beauty, and I’m very grateful that I was able to get past my preconceived bias to truly take in the art that is located away from my home.

I've attached a picture from my trip. It is of the Olympic Mountains, in Olympic National Park.

[crackspinewornpages]

It Can't Happen Here 31/38 -Sinclair Lewis

26 

The Informer closed at eleven Dan Wilgus stayed behind looking at posters advertising a parade, that Windrip was defying the world. Alone, he switched out the eight point type with an old ten point and ran into Doc Itchitt as he left, telling him about how Doremus should see the regime is here to stay. He stopped to watch a bar, Pete Vutong came out staggering drunk but sobered when he saw Wilgus. Pete was only a secret agent for a week and four times that week Wilgus dropped packages into his Ford that Pete would later dump in a ditch by Titus’s. (the drop off chain worked when Wilgus was searched for print type) Out walking his dogs Titus would pick it up and the next day Wilgus would on eight point type a pamphlet about Corpo crimes written by Doremus. 

The Corpos now lisenced and regulated printing and paper purchases so it was impossible to get supplies for treasanous literature. Wilgus stole the type and the three together stole an old printing press from the Informer basement, and paper was smuggled from Canada by Pollikop. (you know you can make you paper from recycled paper pulp) Wilgus was mostly moved into action by Doremus and his dislike of Itchitt. Titus offered his basement as the headquarters and the cell was composed by mid March. (long list of those that work for it) “But whoever they were, of whatever faith or station, Doremus found in all of them the religious passion he had missed in the churches; and if alters, if windows, of many-colored glass, had never been particularly holy objects to him, he understood them now as he gloated over such sacred trash as scarred type and a creaking hand press.”p.259 

Doremus was as busy as he had never been in his newspaper days, printing pamphlets and weeklies about the crimes of the MMs and Corpos from correspondents. Doremus found no other citizen knew a hundredth of what actually happened in the country. Windrip and Co found the state can be controlled via press and breaking apart associations and keeping artillery within the government, Doremus realized their lives were unimportant accidents.  Windrip was becoming more paranoid, (he shot two bodyguards for laughing) all over rise of crime and degeneracy and murders without arrests or suspects. (Einstein was also exiled from America) Pollikop said things like this happened before, they just didn’t pay attention because it was regular news, (he does have a point I have had this argument several times with my grandmother the crime was always there you just didn’t hear about it as much) he fears if Trowbridge does take Windrip’s place it will be the same. 

Doremus tried to translate a German correspondent, they praised Windrip while also saying he’s too liberal with the Jews. (it’ still the 1930s) The Communists, despite the risk, sent him reports of miners and factory workers imprisoned for their criticism, still they vilified the New Underground. News bulletins came on anything, arrived any way, all at once he heard the Battle of Waterloo, the invention of the telegraph, the Crusades. “and if it took him ten days to get the news, it would take historians ten decades to appraise it. Would they not envy him, and consider that he lived in the very crisis of history!”p.265 (as someone living through one of those interesting times in history no) All through this Doremus had to avoid behavior that would send him to a concentration camp. 

Whit Bibby was a fish monger, to suspect him of sedition was absurd, he left an order of fish wrapped in newspaper and pamphlets, the next morning they were sent to farmers. Olmstead and Julian drove out to Truman Webb’s several times for his ailing aunt under the plan to smuggle out Congressman Ingram to Canada. At Tasbrough’s quarry Titus and Pollikop pretended t have car trouble and when MMs weren’t looking, dumped seditions into the quarry. Most were gathered and destroyed but a hundred were found by quarrymen and passed on. Sissy was charming up Shad and found he Reek and Tasbrough were in a racket and Mrs. Candy had a counsin who stiole the books, Sissy took pictures and they smuggled it back. 

27 

Mary was moved more by homicidal hate, it was her tonic out of grief, just yards away from MMs she’d drop crumpled seditions where they'd catch the eye of passersby. She’d steal Reader’s Digests and magazines and return them with leaflets. Lorinda left behind the Tavern and moved into Titus’s to scandal and Doremus would sometimes stay overnight. (you cheating bastard) Lorinda the feminist was now demanding and Doremus was happy in those errands, loving more to give than receive. (and yet you don’t give to your wife) 

This would be an adventure, printing pamphlets was only the beginning of their activities, they’d infiltrate Washington, explode the Corpo state with secret information then after they’d run away together, if they were arrested they’d die together. Lorinda noticed since they began this diligence Doremus hasn’t been as passionate of the New Underground. He says her attitude is a holdover from her religious training, that she has a duty towards the human race that probably enjoys being under Windrip. (you motherfucker) Of course it is, but still Dimick wants to send her to the Canadian border to take charge of the cell there she has to leave. Doremus knows Lorinda suggested it, does she want to get away from him, yes the world’s in chains they can’t be free to love until they’re off. (or until Doremus no longer has a wife remember) 

28 

The information Sissy was able to get out of Shad was important and built the puzzle with information from Doremus and everyone else. Julian says he wants them to go camping and he’ll still kill Shad for her, but she has to do it. She says the worst that could happen is she’ll be raped, since 1914 people believe it’s no more serious than a broken ankle. (some people still believe that and it’s the woman’s fault for it) She can think of worse fates but she is curious about it, (WTF) but not by Shad, he has BO. She’d be willing to have it happen if it saves someone from him. “I’m not the playgirl of Pleasant Hill any more, I’m a frightened woman from Mount Terror!”p.276  

The whole thing was surreal to Sissy and found Emil’s date harder to tolerate than Shad who served high balls and sandwiches. (how can ice cream have six colors and only two strawberry flavors) Shad waited for the two to leave so he and Sissy can be alone and he can charm her. He nauseated her but she still made herself provocative, the same procedure from all the boys. She shivered when he touched her knee and she shied away from him and he complains she still thinks he isn’t good for anything, (well you aren't) she says she still thinks of him as a playmate. She says her father used to work on a farm for money (a lie) and Shad softens thinking Doremus isn’t so bad just stubborn and Sissy asks if he’ll protect him, he’ll see as long as he behaves and she’s nice. 

Sissy worked her charms to get information on who’s going to be arrested next but he caught on and won’t give in. Sissy says she just wants to see an arrest, it is exciting, it isn’t unwomanly to want to see it right, the real womanly thing is a little love making. (he refers to himself as papa *gags*) he feels her up and Sissy starts crying out of anger saying she needs time, he doesn’t want a hussy in his position does he. She fled into his bedroom to make rubbings of his keys but couldn’t get one or a mold in soap, losing time she hastily left the hotel room. 

She rounded the hotel corner to find Julian, (who looks ready to shoot someone) she told him nothing happened, she’s just an awful spy. Something came of this, her courage resolved Julian to join the MMs to work from within, he and Sissy just have to have a public break up. When she firsts sees him in his MM uniform in the dark she shrieked, “That blue tunic and slanting forage cap which, in the cinema and history books, had meant youth and hope, meant only death now...”p.282 She threw herself on him to protect him from his own uniform, in the uncertain love she started to grow up. 

29 

The New Underground consisted of hundreds of the most professional journalists, the Corpos also had a renowned staff. Almost daily Windrip and his cohorts addressed the General Public, congratulating them and making the new world through American solidarity. “If there ever is a Fascist dictatorship here, American humor and pioneer independence are so marked that it will be absolutely different from anything in Europe.”p.284 The year Windrip had power it seemed true, within that time scientists found whips and handcuffs hurt as bad in free American air as Prussia. (the country was abolished in 1933 but continued to exist under Nazi dictatorship until 1945) Reading hidden books Doremus found the involvement of dictatorships was the same, in this land the homicidal maniacs had the same fun as they did in Europe. 

Windrip promised to make everyone richer and then contrived to only make everyone but a few hundred poorer, (like every other politician promising help to the poor only to turn and make them poorer while finding his rich buddies tax breaks) too show an increase in wages prices rose. Even loyal Corpos wondered why the military was being increased, was Windrip that paranoid, was he planning an invasion, even so with taxation there wasn’t enough to pay them. They forced exports, increased production, stripping farmers with depreciated prices while at home prices increased, so now the farmer starved. (yeah we’re feeling that inflation now) “The hardest phenomenon of dictatorship for a Doremus to understand, even when he saw it daily in his own street was the steady diminutive of gayety among the people.”p.286 America was never a gay nation, (sometimes the jokes writes themselves) but there was false cheerfulness that lessened now day by day as Corpos milked taxes on public pleasures so all the world stayed home anxiously worried about spies. “After the bread had molded, the circuses were closed.”p.287 

Communities so isolated and conspirators so unfamiliar to each other, only by inexplicable faith could they go on. Titus and the rest were armatures against Corpo propaganda. “It seemed worse that futile, it seemed insane, to risk martyrdom in a world where fascists persecuted Communists, Communists persecuted social-Democrats, Social-Democrats persecuted everybody who would stand for it ; where “Aryans” who looked like Jews persecuted Jews who looked like Aryans and Jews persecuted their debtors; where every statesman and clergyman praised Peace and brightly asserted that the only way to get Peace was to get ready for War.”p.288 What reason would a person have to seek righteousness in an unrighteous world why do anything Doremus never found a reason he just went on. 

The New Underground ran for three months, in June Tasbrough called on Doremus, after small talk he told Doremus of upcoming government promotions and he’s being considered to take over Reek’s position. He needs to keep it secret but if he could throw in his influence, Doremus warns he’s the worst person to be favored by. That's just it, the Corpos don't like him, but they do respect him, he was important to the state for a long time, it will give him a leg up if they think he converted Doremus to Corpoism. This job will help his business, and he could get the Informer from Staubmeyer and back to him if he stops criticizing the Chief and state or he could get him a different job if he came to his senses. Doremus turns him down so Tasbrough turned cold to his family and Doremus hinted at the promotions and forgot about Tasbrough happily. (uh maybe keep an eye on Tasbrough) 

30 

Worse than having to be civil to Tasbrough a newspaper man was arrested as an editor of the New Underground paper and author to all Doremus and Lorinda wrote. As he went to a concentration camp Doremus was prevented from confessing, he explained to Emma who thought it was lucky someone else was blamed. She didn't understand fully what they were doing and was glad Lorinda was gone with all her crazy ideas of workmen and women’s rights she was a bad influence on Doremus and wondered why Titus and Sissy snorted at that. Why couldn't he associate with more lovely people like Tasbrough, Staubmeyer and Crowley, why couldn't he be a gentleman and stay out of politics. She thought the marching MMs was a fine show and while she didn't like Windrip he wasn't so bad. (Emma I’m trying so hard to defend you) 

As Tasbrough predicted the omelet makers did climb, and he was promoted to District Commissionership at Hanover and Swan was the new Provincial Commissioner. (Windrip is also worried about the growth of effeminacy in Sarason who was previously caught in a gentleman’s club) Twenty-four hours in his new position he tried an eighty year old mother of a New Underground agent and put her in a concentration camp in a disused quarry that had a foot of water. (so he plans for all the dirty water to make her sick and kill her) The New Underground sent out warnings of precaution, agents were disappearing, Titus scoffed at Doremus’s nervousness but also noticed suspicious characters.  

One evening Doremus was being followed to Titus’s by a man that looked like Shad, out of sight he bolted to Titus’s and warned him they might have to pack up and move and he called Julian to warn him in German. An hour later Wilgus came to say he saw Aras snooping around his house in disguise, they need to leave quick. Following Doremus’s orders they were on the move by three in the morning. The next day Julian invited Shad, Itchitt and Staubmeyer to Titus’s for poker and Titus’s told them they could get beer from the basement and bathrooms were upstairs. Shad and Itchitt were gone longer than normal, after they left the party broke up and Titus laughed about Shad searching the basement and finding nothing. 

On June thirtieth Doremus composed articles on the murders ordered by Sawn, the next day he noticed the suspicious man they kept seeing around. He was followed by someone they saw wearing an MM uniform in a parade, the third day he warned Truman to halt printing. At home Sissy told him she turned down Shad’s invite to an MM Fourth of July picnic. That night Doremus couldn't sleep wanting to flee, but what of the family he could hear fireworks and awoke in the morning angry nothing happened. (really Doremus really be careful what you wish for) 

The MMs got ready for the parade and the American Legion was completely suppressed, a number of the members were shot. After the Jessups went home it heavily stormed later a car skidded into their driveway and out came five Minute Men. One struck Doremus before he was arrested as they tore apart his house as Emma and Sissy watched in horror. They found an article on Swan and Doremus demanded to see Shad and Tasbrough, the lead Ensign ignored him. He was driven to the courthouse and taken to another undescriptive truck, Titus, Truman and Wilgus were already arrested. (Titus calls them something censored but one can assume – – means mother fuckers) 

They were driven three hours to Dartmouth campus, headquarters of the Corpo District Commissioner, hopefully Tasbrough would free them. They didn't see Tasbrough, instead he was locked in a room where the MMs kicked him around before he was led to the bull pen. Titus was led to the trial room after an hour Doremus heard him cry out in pain and choke gasping, Doremus was next. Instead of Tasbrough it was the Ensign that arrested him and sentenced him to twenty-five lashes and castor oil (it’s used as a laxative) but Doremus was too angry to admit anything. The doctor forbids anymore lashes, Doremus calls him out for being a doctor working with murderers. Doremus was lashed and interrogated for three days, he almost broke when told Titus already confessed but he refused to believe them or turn in others to be released. 

He was let out for half an hour’s exercise with fifty other prisoners and made eye contact with Titus, Wilgus couldn't walk and Doremus was told the next day he hung himself. (he definitely didn’t hang himself) Then Doremus was taken to another room where he met the new Provincial Commissioner, Swan. He read the article and asked if Doremus pleads guilty before calling in Tasbrough who throws him under the bus, Shad also admits Doremus tried to get him to join in a plot against him. (both are lying POS but Shad doesn’t even look him in the eyes) If it weren’t for his age and senility he’d be sentenced to a hundred lashes like all Communists that threaten the State, so he’ll have another twenty lashes and be sent to a concentration camp for seventeen years and if he tries to escape death. (Doremus is already in his sixties this is meant to be death) 

31 

The old girl’s school at Trianon was in worse shape than Dartmouth (says something about a dictatorial regime turning everything into a shithole) ran by Superintendent Cowlick (yes that’s his name) a mild man, too mild to hurt the MMs feelings and let Doremus lie for a month to recover. The doctor permitted Olmstead to come and at last Doremus had news, the women were alright, Titus is at another camp, the NU is doing what it can do and Julian was promoted to Squad Leader. “Yes, we carry on...About like an oxygen tent for a patient that’s dying of pnemonia!”p.310 

After Doremus recovered he was made to clean, better than being worked to death or isolation where you’re forced to stay awake for days. He saw the others as comrades, once a successful capitalist, he too found himself as helpless as a janitor let go by the Big Business. “Yet he still told himself stoutly that he did not believe in a dictatorship of the proletariat any more than he believed in a dictatorship of the bankers and utility owners;”p.310 He felt he was a better reporter than Itchitt and better at politics than a factory worker, now the bourgeois pride was gone. 

Scrubbing gave him a chance to hear gossip, prisoners were acquaintances, Pascal, Pridewell and Henry became inmates, having more courage and arrogance than anyone else in the prison. Doremus shared a cell with five other men (the room was 12 by 10 and eight feet high and called too small for one woman) the got used to indignity as one does cancer. “Only it left in them a murderous hatred of their oppressors so that they, men of peace all of them, would gladly have hanged every Corpo mild or vicious. Doremus understood John Brown much better.”p.312 The worst was the waiting, “It became a distinct, tangible thing, as individual and real as Bread and Water.”p.312 Another ghost haunted them the notion of Escaping, they had to be careful talking about it snitches were everywhere. Doremus didn't believe a man could betray his companions until after two months Clarence Little betrayed Henry’s plans and was released, Doremus tried to reason him suffering tuberculosis bled out his soul. 

Every two weeks they allowed one visitor but an MM stood two feet away, Doremus pompous son Philip came, hurt when told his father would rather the dog visit. (they also got useless censored letters) Pascal was now his closet friend, ferreting out scandals of the guards, they were afraid he’d start talking so brought him gifts to be in his good graces. After Aras gave Shad information on Crowley and was transferred to Trianon and saw Pascal he became kind.  

From the window Doremus saw horrors that September he saw Henry executed by firing squad. Worse, he saw Julian and his grandfather brought in as prisoners to the torture room. Two weeks later Julian told him he was caught writing on MM grafts, Sissy wasn't caught but Doremus is worried she’ll be raped by Shad. By the end of September he thought he’d make another ten years when the sadistic Ensign Stoyt dragged him out of his cell to Cowlick’s office. They know he was connected to Julian’s treachery who already confessed, if he corroborates he can have his own cell, he won't confess and he was left to Stoyt. Stoyt was initially gentle with the interrogation but then had Julian’s grandfather brought in who denied confessing, Stoyt beat him and he prayed for god to forgive them before he died.  

In Paris Guilluame Semit wrote on his fourth trip to the US in 1938, he never saw such a abounding health and good spirits. Parades, athletic conferences of Minute Men, the Corpo Youth Movement, had such contented faces and enthusiasm for the leader and hero worship Windrip. Macgoblin showed him the labor camps where the assembled were content. Unlike the false reports of concentration camps they were just reeducation schools for adults misled by prophets of Liberalism. (yeah you know they just had their own people replace the wage slaves for the ruse) France and Britain are still in the throes of Parliamentarianism and Democracy, sinking into debt and industry by men too afraid or power hungry to cast off outdated techniques unlike Germany, America and Italy. “and other really courageous peoples, and places the sane and scientific control of the all-powerful Totalitarian State in the hands of Men of Resolution!”p.320 

In October Pollikop arrived at Trianon, he and Pascal started their old arguments and Doremus felt at home again. (but he thought the dog had more economic wisdom than them all and was smart enough to pretend not to talk) 

Back in his hotel suite Shad thought he got a dirty deal, sending more to the concentration camps than anyone yet not promoted for it. He was back from an honorary dinner and felt disconnected from all the snobs showing off and paid no attention to him about arresting Julian’s grandfather in his own church. “He was lonely. The fellows he had once best known, in pool room and barber shop, seemed frightened of him, and the dirty snobs like Tasbrough still ignored him.”p.321 He was lonely for Sissy, since her dad was sent to Trianon she didn't come around to him even though he was a County Commissioner and she the daughter of a criminal. He was almost willing to marry her if it’d get her but when he hinted at it she laughed at him. “He had thought, when he was a hired man, that there was a lot more fun in being rich and famous. He didn't feel one bit different than he had then! Funny!”p.321  

NEXT

[kennyfischerconsulting]

WAR STORIES - BENNY part 2

  Benny Fixman wrote his autobiography From the Ghetto to the Gold a few years ago if you want more details on him.  I read most of it and found it fairly accurate (as I knew it) and have to say that I am sure all autobiographies (like mine also) are usually slanted in a benevolent manner, with occasional amnesia, in favor of the writer. Whatever anyone says about Benny, who died at age 90 on November 7, 2015, he was the smartest and most forward-thinking scrap man of that era. DMC would go on to become a NYSE, Fortune 1,000 Company, and the largest recycler/trader of non-ferrous metals in the world.  We had 1,441 employees, trading offices in St, Louis, MO., New York, Beverly Hills, CA. Tokyo Japan, Seoul Korea, and Hamburg Germany, plus large recycling plants in Montreal, Canada, Cucamonga, CA. St. Louis, MO., and Tamaqua, PA.

 Benny took DMC public and bought around 33 other companies.  This was a brilliant idea, because we were buying bricks and mortar with stock (or as he called it “inflated toilet paper”) plus the smart Jewish owners who built those companies from the ground up.  That became a two-edged sword, since once these guys had all their stock and the stock was rapidly rising from the IPO price of $9 to an eventual $132, they then laid back and didn’t push too hard.  They all had 100k salaries, a company car, and not much oversight on their expense accounts.  There was really no motivation for them and when their monthly P&L  got hit with corporate overhead, they kind of lost interest. That is not a new phenomenon. What usually happens is the original owners leave or they buy their company back at 10 to 20 cents on the dollar, when the company who bought them realizes that it was the original owner who founded and built the company that made the company work. Diversified also went out of their genre and bought a pen company and thankfully failed to buy a printing company and ice cream chain. But what did Benny do that no one else had done?  Besides perfect a cold method for chopping and separating copper and aluminum from their insulation and taking his company public and buying 30 + other companies, he cornered the copper futures market.  What does that mean?  It means he owned or controlled enough copper futures to hold the “shorts” for ransom.  I am not equipped to give a seminar on futures trading, so Google it or watch a few YouTube videos on commodity trading.  I am not proud to say he did it on Yom Kippur, when he knew the Jewish traders wouldn’t be present, but he did what he did and they were stunned, amazed, confused, flummoxed, and pissed off. Here some uneducated junk dealer just showed them how smart they really weren’t.  Professional New York commodities speculators and traders were done in by a brash Midwest Jewish junk dealer.

Back to going public, which is an incredible wealth creator but also a pain in the ass having to deal with CPAs, stockholders, and the SEC.

[puglebug]

I do understand the point of this post but it does become an incredibly nuanced subject because people who promote individual environmental choices often fall into racist, classist, or ableist arguments, and I think the perceived vitriol can be from an overall exhuastion with the fact that many people DO act as though small individual choices are the solution, instead of actually becoming involved in climate activism and real long term climate solutions. While there is nothing wrong with environmentally conscious individual choices, and they can be positive changes for everyone to make, they aren't possible for everyone, and they often misguided ideas about how sustainbility actually works. Specifically vegans and vegetarians, because the idea of factory farmer doesn't only apply to meat and animal products, and most of the vegetables, grain, fruit, and other food products in the US, UK and Canada and most other capitalist nations are produced by migrant workers who are often far further exploited than any animal involved in factory farming. And while the impact on the environment is less, not as much as you would think when you factor in soil degegration, water usage, and use of toxic fertilizers and pesticides. But it does go even further than that, most plastic recycling in the US? It's dumped directly into the ocean. Plus, many "easy" sustainability changes aren't possible if you're poor or disabled, and while again there is nothing wrong with making these changes personally, and kudos to you, they're not the "bare mininum". TDLR: I get what you mean, but I think you have to understand the perspective that it gets very tiring to see people, especially neo libs, talk about how to impact the environment through personal choice, when even the choices they make are fundamentally flawed, and expressing frustration about that is not people hating recycling and vegetarians, I highly doubt that's what 90% of the posts you have seen about that this topic intended to say.

the way some of y'all speak so condescendingly to & about vegans & vegetarians or just people trying to recycle or do a little better for the world is sick actually. sorry corporations are the real problem & everything is hopeless but I'm a receptionist lmao I won't fix that in my lifetime but I can minimize the animal products I buy & recyle & try not to buy aersol products & be nice to people. sorry the idea of doing the bare minimum infuriates some of u guys to ur cores but like. get fucked

[thebusinessmagnate]

BuildCover: With Alexis and Jemuel Redefining Homes Using Precision Software and Exceptional Designs

Homes are our safe places. It’s where we relax, unwind, and be our complete and genuine selves. Traditionally and conventionally constructed homes use a lot of materials that are sourced from non-renewable natural resources. In many construction and manufacturing industries, the use of natural resources is high. The shift towards a more sustainable and environmentally conscious world is a great initiative, but this shift is surely not a quick and easy task. Given that change does take time, change from everyone together can have a greater impact showing positive results. 

In the construction and manufacturing industry, many companies and organizations are moving towards zero carbon emission initiatives, reducing overall waste production, recycling and reusing materials as much as possible, and providing more affordable, well-built, sustainable homes that showcase exceptional designs and which are made to be durable and strong. With the integration of technology and software with automotive production lines in construction manufacturing, the materials and processes used in redefining homes inspire and deliver professionalism, design, and functionality altogether. 

People love customizing their homes and living spaces to their desired and unique interests, to fit their needs and functionalities. Being able to provide this kind of end-to-end solution by a construction and manufacturing company, a great profitable future in the market and business can be seen. Therefore in this article, we will be covering and sharing interesting insights into the impactful journey of a construction and manufacturing start-up established in Los Angeles, USA, and how its Co-Founders – Alexis Xavier Rivas and Jemuel Joseph began this startup business by designing, permitting, manufacturing, and installing custom backyard homes in LA. 

About Co-Founder and CEO – Alexis Xavier Rivas:

The Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at Cover or BuildCover (buildcover.com) is Alexis Xavier Rivas. Alexis and another co-founder – Jemuel Joseph (also President at Cover) started Cover Technologies Inc. in the year 2014. Having received an education of International Baccalaureate Diploma from Upper Canada College, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, Alexis has a vast career experience in architecture and design. Having worked as an Intern at Stantec, as an Architectural Intern at Diamond and Schmitt Architects, at Hariri Pontarini Architects, and at Tense Architecture Network, the co-founder of Cover Technologies also worked as an Architectural Designer at LivingHomes just before co-founding and running his current company. 

“We believe in a future with thoughtfully designed and well-built homes for everyone.”

Alexis was inspired to follow this career path after his passion for building developed in his preschool years, which led him to be named in the Forbes 2018 “30 Under 30 List for Manufacturing and Industry”. Alexis and Jemuel banded together to forge the idea into stone for the business to integrate construction and manufacturing materials and processes with their very own proprietary precision software engineering and product design. Along with a professional team of engineers, architects, designers, and builders, Cover was brought into play. 

About BuildCOVER:

Cover is a construction and manufacturing technology company that was co-founded by Alexis Xavier Rivas – the CEO and Jemuel Joseph – the President. Founded in the year 2014, the company is established and is headquartered in Los Angeles, in the United States of America. 

Vision Statement – “To build homes and bring a wealth of experience in building world-changing companies to Cover.”

Cover offers end-to-end manufacturing and constructing solutions by providing proprietary design software with precision-manufactured building systems to deliver exceptional design, energy performance, functionality, and affordability. Substituting and replacing the conventional style of building and manufacturing, Cover uses 3D Automation models to customize your desired backyard homes and living spaces at a fixed price contract. 

Mission Statement – “To make a living in a thoroughly designed and well-built home a reality for everyone”.  “Designed with algorithms, and Built on production lines” – Cover builds homes with precision engineering, research, design, permit, manufacturing, and with utmost quality control measures. The building process of Cover takes up to 1-2 months including on-site installations. With automation, work is faster and more efficient. The company thereby reduces the use of energy by over 75% which also means that over 4.5 gigatons of CO2 emissions are saved on an annual basis. Backed and funded by investors such as Founders Fund, Lennar Corporation, Tesla, SpaceX, Airbnb, and Facebook. The people at Cover continue to work towards innovative building solutions by – “transforming an industry that hasn’t changed in a century, which isn’t easy. But it’s important and that’s why we’re doing it.”

Visit More : https://thebusinessmagnate.com/buildcover-with-alexis-and-jemuel-redefining-homes-using-precision-software-and-exceptional-designs/

[nickgerlich]

Boxful Of Praise

There are about 132 million households in the US, from people living alone, to traditional families, single-parent families, and empty-nesters. But there is one thing that all of these disparate groups have in common, and it is a reflection of how we shop today.

I’m talking about empty Amazon boxes littering your garage, laundry room, or wherever things like these congregate.

The familiar Amazon smile is a great brand reinforcer, but it is also giving everyone from social critics to Amazon itself pause to consider how all of these boxes are just not sustainable. Sure, cardboard is recyclable and all that, but how much packaging is necessary? If the item sold already comes in packaging that could withstand being delivered by USPS, UPS, or Amazon itself, then maybe a second box is not all that necessary, even if it means that Amazon loses brand visibility along the route.

Ships In Product Packaging, or SIPP, is now in a large-scale test between Amazon and hundreds of thousands of sellers that rely on Fulfillment by Amazon. There are cost and labor savings, but the best savings come in reduced packaging. Maybe we won’t be piling up boxes like we’ve been doing all along.

The shift to e-commerce has necessarily raised some concerns over the environmental impact of packaging as well as delivery to our front door. In ye olden days, we procured the vast majority of our consumables at stores, but now we have a growing percentage of those sent to us.

In a related debate, you could also suggest that while free trade is good, our outsourcing of manufacturing to factories halfway around the world means that finite fossil fuels will be used to ship them here. But that’s a discussion for another time.

Packaging has always been a necessary evil. It is used to protect the product, but is also used for promotional purposes. Some products by their very design need packaging, such as liquids, although it’s hard to imagine a soda can not also having a corporate logo on it. In some cases, packaging is used to try to avert theft, which helps explain why it is so hard to liberate an SD card from its blister pack. Basically, packaging is important, and it is not going away.

But if Amazon’s test proves worthy, we’ll be seeing a lot less packaging. There are limits, though, at least for the moment, because it is only available in the US and Canada, and specifically for those sellers that contract with Amazon for fulfillment. Small items are also necessarily excluded, which means those vitamins you have on monthly subscription will still arrive in a box or padded bag. Furthermore, the original product package must be large enough for labels to be affixed. Weight and fragility are also considerations.

In other words, don’t expect everything to suddenly wind up on your front porch, laying there as if the vitamin fairy stopped by.

Amazon and third-party labs engage in package testing to verify if an item qualifies for the SIPP initiative. While multiple variations of an item do not need to be tested, no assumptions are made between competing items. Just because one company’s similar item passes muster does not mean yours will.

I don’t know about you, but I could do with a lot less packaging. Nothing against Amazon, because they provide me a lot of value and convenience, but I don’t know what to do with all the boxes I have in a storage shed. You see, a lot of people like me feel badly about just throwing them away, but we also don’t have convenient access to recycling. So we stash them, just like all the cords and plugs we’ve been slowly compiling over the years.

I could repurpose a couple of Amazon boxes for those items, but beyond that, I have such a random variety of sizes that there is no uniformity whatsoever. Forget stacking.

Less is more, Amazon. I’m throwing a boxful of praise in your general direction.

Dr “It’s Always Boxing Day Anymore” Gerlich

Audio Blog

[earaercircular]

Recycling: getting out of the smoke

Does plastic recycling serve as an alibi for companies and a release from guilt for consumers, to continue producing and buying “as usual”?

Is recycling only a wave of smoke? Already two years ago, Flore Berlingen, former director of the Zero Waste France association, stated this unequivocally in a book[1] published by Editions de l'Echiquier. Far from putting into question the need to recycle, this expert denounced its exploitation. According to her, the circular economy programs would mainly aim to serve as an alibi for “disposability” in order to avoid overly restrictive regulations. Worse, the positive image associated with recycling would distract consumers from the necessary efforts at sobriety. While it is far from being a panacea.

At the landfill

Recent news seems to prove her right. This is demonstrated, in particular, by the announcement made three weeks ago by Lego in the “Financial Times” of the abandonment of its program to use recycled plastic[2]. Reason given: softer than native plastic, PET recycled from recycled bottles required the incorporation of other products and therefore modification of the manufacturing line.[3] Ultimately, the process would have resulted in higher carbon emissions than with virgin plastic, which is also much less expensive than its recycled version. But recycling also poses some collection problems. A Bloomberg survey, published a few days ago, revealed that at least 40% of plastic packages for recycling collected by the How2Recycle organization[4] in the United States and Canada on behalf of 500 major brands ended up in … landfills.

Communities against the deposit

The French government, that wanted to set up a similar system associated with a deposit, encountered opposition from communities[5], worried about seeing their sorting centres deprived of raw materials. However, France is far behind on its recycling objectives. The sectors are therefore far from having found optimal functioning. In short, as with carbon offsetting, recycling is good. But reducing the quantities put into circulation is much better.

Source

Stefano Lupieri, Recyclage : sortir de l'enfumage, in : Les Echos, 19-10-2023, https://www.lesechos.fr/weekend/chroniques/recyclage-sortir-de-lenfumage-1988260

[1] Flore Berlingen, Recyclage, le grand enfumage. Comment l'économie circulaire est devenue l'alibi du jetable. Editions de l’Echiquier, 2021. In a context of overconsumption of resources and explosion in the quantity of our waste, recycling appears to be a panacea in the face of the heresy of landfill or incineration. We would like to believe in the virtues of a system that would allow us to continue consuming “as if nothing had happened”, just by making the effort to sort. Communication campaigns from public or private actors maintain this mirage, ignoring the limits of recycling. A privileged observer of waste management, Flore Berlingen deciphers the promises of this falsely circular economy, which is part of the myth of infinitely recyclable products. It demonstrates how its characteristics, in line with productivism and capitalism, contribute to perpetuating the use of disposable items. At a time when the Covid-19 health crisis is favoring a strong return to single-use products, threatening the timid progress of recent years, is it not urgent to think about the industrial-economic model that we wish to see? happen? To rebalance the efforts, means and funding invested in favor of truly sustainable resource management?

[2] Lego abandons its plans for bricks made from recycled bottles. The toy manufacturer is backtracking because it has not found the right solution to replace current plastic without increasing its carbon emissions. Instead, it will gradually incorporate more biosourced or recycled elements into its usual material. https://www.lesechos.fr/industrie-services/conso-distribution/lego-abandonne-ses-projets-de-briques-en-bouteilles-recyclees-1981382

[3] Read also: https://www.tumblr.com/earaercircular/658880330018766848/the-obstacle-course-to-green-lego-blocks?source=share&ref=_tumblr

[4] How2Recycle is a standardized labeling system that clearly communicates recycling instructions to the public. It involves a coalition of forward thinking brands who want their packaging to be recycled and are empowering consumers through smart packaging labels. https://how2recycle.info/

[5] The government is waiving the deposit for plastic bottles. A bonus/malus system, rewarding the most efficient local authorities, will be put in place, announced the Minister of Ecological Transition Christophe Béchu this Wednesday evening. https://www.lesechos.fr/politique-societe/societe/le-gouvernement-renonce-a-la-consigne-des-bouteilles-en-plastique-1982274

[movertoronto]

7 Cost-Effective Ways to Pack for Your Move

Pack it tight, pack it right, and you can save the tears that come with broken china or ballooning moving costs. These seven cost-effective packing tips from our movers and packers in Toronto will help you pack more into every box and help ensure your possessions make the journey in one piece.

7 Cost-Effective Ways to Pack for Your Move

Take it from an eight-time award-winning packing and moving company, packing right is half the battle! However, packing right does not have to be expensive. These seven tips will help you maximize space, minimize the risk of breakage, and keep moving costs in check.

Don’t Empty Out Your Drawers

Why are you taking things like clothing out of drawers and putting them in boxes when they are already in the perfect place? Leave non-fragile items like clothing, stuffed toys, and the like in drawers to save yourself some truck space (and packing materials).

Leave Clothes on Hangers

Following on from drawers, leaving clothes on hangars is a super-easy way to save yourself effort and space. Just put them in a large garbage bag or a specialized hanging box to prevent wrinkling and let your packing and moving company do the rest.

Use Boxes for the Little Things

Oddly, shaped items (you know, the salt and pepper shakers shaped like a London bus on your dining table) have a habit of taking up a lot of room. They also seem to find a way to get lost. Put everything in one box of “Everything Else” to make sure it says together and doesn’t waste space in other boxes.

Use Your Own Luggage

One of the biggest surprises for our movers and packers in Toronto is when people don’t fill up their own luggage for the move. Instead of transporting air in your suitcases, pack them tight and save money on packing boxes.

Get Packing Materials From a Packing and Moving Services Company

Getting packing supplies (boxes, packing tape, label makers, etc.) from the big box store is probably burning a hole in your wallet. Speak to your packing and moving services company; they likely have far more cost-effective packing materials (and probably specialized packaging, too). You may even get some packing materials free of charge from your Toronto movers.

“Nope, that’s not coming…”

Harden your heart and wave goodbye to items that you don’t need. Moves are a great time to evaluate whether you really need to keep that bright red pair of trousers from college (or pretty much anything else). Be objective and recycle, upcycle, or donate anything you can do without. Doing so will save you space in the truck and packing supplies.

Get Packing Services in Toronto for Fast, Cost-Effective Packing

Save yourself the sweat and tears of packing by calling professional packing services in Toronto. Our customers are always surprised at how efficiently our movers and packers in Toronto can pack things.

  Start Saving on Your Move with Our Movers and Packers in Toronto

Find out how we help individuals, businesses, and some of Canada’s biggest names save money while moving. Get a quote for your move in minutes or talk to our Toronto movers about your move by calling Rent-a-Son at 647-931-2154.

Source:https://rentason.ca/7-cost-effective-ways-to-pack-for-your-move/