#NPR Heavy Rotation

[thejoyofviolentmovement]

New Audio: Lillian Frances Shares a Coquettish Road Trip Anthem

New Audio: Lillian Frances Shares a Coquettish Road Trip Anthem @lillianfrancess @heygroover @romainpalmieri @DorianPerron

https://soundcloud.com/lillianfrances/lillian-frances-direct-sunlight?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing Lillian Frances is a Sacramento-based singer/songwriter, producer and self-professed “sonic collager.” Inspired by the creative and imaginative nature of children, Francis’ work generally isn’t bound to genre or style conventions. Her work frequently meshes and…

[catboyieejeno]

.・゜゜・・゜゜・．.・゜゜・★

cw: soft dom! mingyu x slight pillow princess! reader, fem! reader, pwp, oral (fem and male receiving), slight overstimulation, praise, mentions of cum, npr

18+ minors do not interact !

boyfriend! mingyu who is completely obsessed with burying his face in your sopping cunt until your fingers are weaved between his locks and you’re coming multiple times in a row. he won’t let up, not because he’s being mean or punishing you with overstimulation—although occasionally, that is the case—but because you, his sweet, pretty girl, deserves nothing less than his tongue lapping restlessly at your folds. It’s embarrassingly easy for him to get pussy-drunk, grinding himself into the bed as he goes down on you for well over an hour. By the time you plead out desperately for his cock, he’s already left a thick puddle of his cum on the spot in the bed he was fucking his length into. 

kim mingyu is a simple man of simple pleasures, some of which include your cries and sputters, your trembling thighs and heavy pants, and the infrequent, though appreciated, indiscernible blabbers of praise you manage to let out through drooling lips. when you can actually manage to form words, that is. 

you are his pillow princess, whether you bestowed that title upon yourself or not. The chances of you going down on him? slim. giving him head is a rare occurrence; in fact, you’d have to beg him to let you try, plead with him to stuff his considerably large length down your throat. you’d have to convince him you need him there so bad, that you want him to feel just as good as he makes you feel, but even then, his responses are rehearsed. 

“but baby, i don’t need all that, let me treat you instead,” 

“‘wanna do all the work for you, honey. you deserve it.” 

“you really want me to fill your mouth up baby? first you have to come twice on my tongue,” 

“I’d rather come in you, sweet girl.” 

“s’too big for your pretty little mouth, don’ wanna hurt you,”

at first, you thought he didn’t want you to give him head at all, or that he assumed you would be bad at it. But, when you finally begged enough, your pretty boy caved and it became apparent very quickly why he was holding off for so long. from the moment he lays back, one arm tucked behind his head, the other pressing his thumb onto your swirling tongue, he knows he’s done for. watching you crawl over him, leaving kisses and licking stripes as you make your way down his torso, makes his pre-cum leak freely from his flushed tip. 

mingyu has his lip caught between his teeth, eyes glossed over in a haze. the very moment your velvety lips wrap around his head, he’s groaning out, arms and legs dropping limply onto the mattress. you have absolute power over him in that moment, and both of you are very, very aware of that. all of your insecurities dissipate as you realize he’s falling apart, melting like putty in your hands. his chest that previously rose and fell calmly is now puffing up with air he pushes out through his nostrils and the noises he’s letting out? other-fucking-wordly.

he eventually regains feeling in his hands and they rotate between holding your throat, your cheek, and simply sliding along the ridges of his abdomen. all the meanwhile, it’s him who chokes up on his words, slurring his speech. 

“please, please, please…” 

“your mouth feels s’good on me, fuck,” 

“doin’ so good, so fucking good, all for me…” 

“if you do that again, i’m not gonna last—shit.” 

“just like that, yes, baby… oh, god, you’re gonna make me—“ 

when your tongue swipes deliciously over his tip, he drags out a strangled moan, shooting his hot load into your mouth and down your throat. knees locked, toes curled, and hips bucking up into you, he throws his head back to ride out his orgasm. 

a few seconds later, his hands fly to your hair to lift you off, but in a small act of defiance for all the times you were overstimulated by him, you grab his wrists and pin them at his sides. he lets you do this because it’s so, so fucking hot to watch you have a sliver of control for once—both of you are well aware he could overpower you if he wanted to. instead, though, he laces his fingers with yours and takes what you give him like the good boy he is. it takes less than ten minutes for him to come each and every time you give him head going forward but thankfully, his stamina doesn’t betray him. he recovers while he returns the favor, devouring you and drinking up your juices as his cock that never fully softened, swells up all over again. 

⋆ ★

[eretzyisrael]

by Hugh Fitzgerald

We know that Hamas would not properly treat a single wounded Israel, whether soldier or civilian, who fell into its clutches. We already have heard about a half-dozen Israelis who were wounded and then taken hostage back to Gaza, only to be killed while in the terrorists’ custody. That’s not how the Israelis behave. They treat wounded terrorists, saving their lives, bringing them if need be to the most advanced medical facilities in Israel. There are dozens of these Hamas terrorists now recuperating in Israeli hospitals, where they receive the same care as Israelis. This story doesn’t get any attention in the international media because, of course, it doesn’t fit the narrative of colonial-settler-apartheid Israel, committing genocide on the helpless Palestinians. Here is the latest news about one such Hamas patient, alive today because of Israeli surgeons: “Hamas terrorist wounded in Gaza being treated in Israeli hospital — reports,” Times of Israel, December 13, 2023:

A Hamas terrorist wounded in fighting in the Gaza Strip is being treated in Sharon Hospital in Petah Tikva, Hebrew media reported Wednesday. The move is in apparent contravention of a Health Ministry decision, made in the immediate aftermath of Hamas’s October 7 onslaught, that captured terrorists would only be treated in IDF or prison service medical facilities. According to the reports, the man was seriously injured in fighting on Tuesday and due to the severity of his wounds, it was decided to transfer him to the central Israel medical center…. Sources familiar with the decision told Channel 12 and Kan that captured terrorists needing urgent medical treatment were being rotated through different Israeli hospitals. The official said the rotation agreement was done in coordination with the Health Ministry. Soroka hospital in Beersheba confirmed to Kan that it also has a Gaza terrorist being treated there. The comments appeared to indicate that Israel has shifted its stance from the initial decision not to treat captured terrorists in Israeli hospitals. In early October, then health minister Moshe Arbel sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informing him that he had ordered all public hospitals and health services to redirect injured terrorists to IDF or prison service medical facilities. “Since the beginning of the war, the issue of treating the accursed Hamas terrorists in public hospitals has created great strain on the healthcare system,” Arbel wrote. He wrote that the health system needed to be focused on treating victims of the slaughter committed by the terrorists, injured soldiers, and on preparing for what is to come in the war. “The task of treating and providing security for the accursed terrorists in the public health care system just detracts from this,” Arbel wrote….

The original idea was that it made sense, given the security problem of guarding Hamas patients in treatment, to place them not in ordinary Israeli hospitals, but in IDF or prison service medical facilities, where there is already a heavy security presence. But in the end, because some of these patients needed a level of care that those facilities could not provide, it was decided to let the Hamas patients be treated in the same hospitals as Israelis, where they would of course receive the same high level of care as all the other patients. Dozens of wounded Hamas members have already received such care, in several cases life-saving, in Israeli hospitals. It’s a story that has not appeared on the BBC, CNN, NPR, or in the pages of The Guardian, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. After all, it shows Israel in a good light, and for many in the international media, that would never do.

Israeli doctors saving the lives of Hamas terrorists leads us to ask, yet again: Genocide? What genocide?

[returntosaturn271995]

Favorite Quotes from "Really, Good, Actually" by Monica Heisey

“The idea of Jon writing breakup songs in some dark sublet filled me with equal parts deep despair and incredible relief – despair, to think that I had caused him such pain he’d been driven to experimental songwriting; relief that I wouldn’t have to listen to it.”

“We swore neither of us had Seen It Coming”

“Certainly, you are not supposed to be twenty-eight years old and actively planning a birthday party with the dress code ‘Jimmy Buffett sluts’.”

“Of course, it did not feel better to burn a tobacco and juniper candle and listen to the Backstreet Boys than it had felt to be loved”

“The truth is, if you start your eating disorder even slightly overweight, no one will notice until things are very much at the ‘what if two meals a day were soup’ stage.”

“Out of ten, how ready are you to joke about this?’ he asked. I mulled. ‘Six?’ ‘Right,’ he said. ‘So we’ll get into the eyebrows another time.”

“Clive and I split a bag of jagged low-calorie chips and toasted the beginning of my ‘ho phase’, though my lip started to quiver as our glasses clinked, forcing him to walk it back and remind me that every ho must take things at a pace that works for her. ”

"handwritten on heavy paper, highlighting relevant lyrics … oh, Brian”

“ the depth of their worry revealing itself only in my father’s daily text: alive? y/n.”

“ I needed a few weeks to be disgusting on my own and adjust to my new life as an unlovable husk. Amirah curled her long legs underneath herself, and I could tell she was going to say something annoying.”

“the way life together felt like an adventure. Their favourite adventure was going to restaurants.”

“and a rotating series of doomed hamsters,”

“a feeling of dull invincibility I referred to as ‘haha, so what”

“nodding like a group of NPR hosts. Lauren dipped an endive in yogurt, wiped the side of her mouth, and said politely, curiously, ‘Isn’t that, like, exactly how people describe depression?”

“I spent distracted time with the self-help authors, agreeing furiously with whatever was in front of me and forgetting it moments later.”

“ I think most intelligent people are a little bit mean, and all nice people are a little bit stupid. I wish I didn’t think that. I’m working on not thinking that. I have bad posture and good blood pressure. I’m heartbroken.”

“As I waited for the streetcar, I wondered whether he was right – if I’d had a bad marriage – or if Jiro was just kind of a dick.”

“Lauren nodded knowingly. ‘Can’t help you,’ she said. ‘The apps have destroyed my idea of what’s normal. I had to break it off with that guy I was seeing – remember he said he was agoraphobic, so we always had to meet at his house? Turns out he’s totally fine, he just doesn’t like coming to the west end.’ ‘Holy shit,’ I said. ‘Stealing that,’ said Clive.

“Sometimes it felt like a gesture of support, and sometimes it felt like loading all the corpses on the same cart so the rest of the village didn’t get the plague.”

“Amy said she’d never felt better, on days when she didn’t feel the worst she ever had.”

mortifying sadness selfies

“Amy drained her martini and puffed her cigarette, looking more divorced than anyone in history: ‘Good luck.’

The night carried on. I felt myself cross the threshold between fun drunk and ‘about to quote a song lyric from my past’, but there was nothing to be done except drink through it.”

“Her studio had a mirror that said STRONG AS A WOMAN on it, and she loved the way it made her butt look in selfies.”

“Amy, one false eyelash starting to peel away from the corner of her eye, looked at me like I was the dumbest idiot alive”

“looking for a partner in crime (i plan to commit many crimes)”

“Amy had recently gotten a tattoo of the word BREATHE, and Amirah had joked that it might as well read DIVORCED. Did I want everyone around me to know, on sight, that I was Going Through Something?”

“Merris came in, wearing one of her jazzier sweater shawls. She was holding a small baggie of eggs. ‘You have unsettled Olivia,’ she said, putting them down in front of me. ‘Apparently B12 will help.”

“This turned out to be surprisingly easy; all it required was 100% of my energy, 100% of the time.”

“everyone involved in adult learning was running from something.”

“Clive ducked out after the fitness class I had brought him to turned out to include a jazz dance component. Lauren broke at paint night as we stood side by side, drinking wine with twelve other women all outlining the same image of a city skyline at sunset. She added a few swipes of pink to the corner of a fading sky and said, ‘This is self-harm. This is worse than when my boss made us go axe throwing.”

“His flannel shirt and ripped jeans seemed fused to his body, like someone had vacuum-packed Kurt Cobain to store over winter.”

“Dating has a way of making incompatibility feel like personal failure; there was nothing technically wrong with Nathan, except that I did not like him or want to spend any more time with him, which, in the context of us having paid $45 for an hour of axe throwing and one draught beer each, was a problem.”

“After all, neither Jon nor I had broken the one mandatory condition of contemporary romantic coupling; we had done the noble thing and slowly fallen out of love over time.”

“Don’t worry about it,’ he said, seeming to mean it. ‘Divorce is, well … that’s a spicy meatball.’ I didn’t know how to respond to this, so I suggested we get a drink”

“Used one of those calculators to determine how soon you can retire if you make X amount and save Y amount each month; found I could reasonably begin retirement in 238 years”

[soonsengmotors]

Lorry Crane Trucks

Lorry crane trucks, also known as crane trucks or truck-mounted cranes, are specialized trucks equipped with a hydraulic crane mounted on the truck chassis. These trucks are designed to transport heavy loads and provide lifting capabilities for various construction, logistics, and material handling tasks. Here are some key aspects of lorry crane trucks:

Chassis: Lorry crane trucks are built on a heavy-duty truck chassis that provides the necessary strength and stability to support the crane and carry heavy loads. The chassis may vary depending on the manufacturer and model, and it is designed to handle the weight and stresses associated with crane operations. isuzu kelantan

Crane: The primary feature of a lorry crane truck is the hydraulic crane mounted on the truck. The crane is usually mounted behind the cab or at the rear of the truck. It consists of a telescopic or knuckle boom that can extend and retract to reach various heights and distances. The lifting capacity of the crane can vary depending on the model and size of the truck.

Controls: Lorry crane trucks are equipped with hydraulic controls that allow the operator to control the movement of the crane. These controls may include joysticks, buttons, and levers located within the truck's cabin. The operator can extend, retract, raise, lower, and rotate the crane to perform lifting and maneuvering operations. isuzu npr pro

Load Capacity: Lorry crane trucks have a specified maximum load capacity, which indicates the maximum weight that the crane can lift and handle safely. The load capacity can vary depending on factors such as the length and configuration of the crane, the reach of the boom, and the stability of the truck.

Safety Considerations: Operating a lorry crane truck requires proper training and adherence to safety guidelines. It's important to ensure that the load being lifted is within the crane's capacity and that the truck is positioned on stable ground. Operators must be aware of potential hazards and follow safe lifting practices to prevent accidents and injuries. isuzu dealer

Lorry crane trucks provide a convenient and efficient solution for lifting and transporting heavy loads, combining the capabilities of a truck and a crane into a single vehicle.

[newmusicradionetwork]

Americana Group Lake & Lyndale Spark Their Gypsy Soul with “Long Way Home”

With clever lyricism and instrumentation new to country group Lake & Lyndale, their newest single “Long Way Home” is a fitting representation of the band’s lighthearted spirit and artistic prowess. Out now, this folksy, vibrant song embraces the idea of putting the journey over the destination. The song, the group explains, “was a reflection on the roundabout way it sometimes takes to get from point A to point B.” Adding, “for us personally it was an artist’s lament.” In a positive twist, the group demonstrates the importance of persistence and the beauty of keeping a dream alive. Consisting of Channing Marie (vocals), Jonathan Krentz (guitar), Eric Clifford (bass) and Tyler Kloewer (drums), Lake & Lyndale strike a captivating balance between fun and inherently relatable on “Long Way Home.” In the chorus, Marie sings “Come on wheels, spin me around like vinyl. This gypsy needs revival in her soul. I may go down as a lost prodigal daughter, can’t help my heart’s a wandering rolling stone. I’m just taking the long way home.” With an air of free spiritedness, the track feels approachable and like a candid reflection of the band’s true experience as artists. “In the initial writing session, we discussed the common theme of trying to progress,” they explain. “It often takes a lot longer to reach the destination than originally planned.” Despite the patience and persistence it takes to achieve a dream, Lake & Lyndale are sure to have fun along the way. With a music video as uniquely quirky and charming as the band, “Long Way Home” buckles down on the idea of “enjoying the ride.” In the video, the group is seen enjoying a day in the park, taking a convertible through the mountains, playing cowboy, rocking out as old folk and even include a reference to the classic “That 70s Show.” Seeing the group visually display the winding and ever changing sojourn of life as a “gypsy soul” is a sincere reminder to listeners that everything is a process, and it’s okay to relish in that time of waiting. “I think we all have moments where we question our paths,” says Marie. “Instead, we should be embracing the journey and remembering that good things take time.” ABOUT LAKE & LYNDALE: A decade of friendship, hundreds of live gigs, and thousands of miles on the road are part of what make this Nashville based band special. With Lake & Lyndale you can expect vibrant energy, a unique chemistry and a genuine sincerity at every show. whether it’s a live broadcast at Nashville’s famed 3rd & Lindsley or a casual singalong for their YouTube series Covers in the Kitchen. Vocalist Channing Marie, guitarist Jon Krentz, drummer Tyler Kloewer, and bassist Eric Clifford are known for dynamic live shows that reflect their dedication to songwriting and musicianship. Named after cross streets in Minneapolis where they met, Lake & Lyndale’s sound blends satisfying twang with genuine warmth: part roots-rock, part country-soul. Their sound is a culmination of diverse influences (Brandi Carlile, Kacey Musgraves, Dawes, Chris Stapleton) and musical backgrounds, their goal as songwriters is consistent: “We’re just trying to make an honest connection with people,” says Marie. With singles in heavy rotation on Nashville’s 89.5 Roots Radio and around the country, they’re often compared to female-fronted, genre-defying acts like Fleetwood Mac. Marie’s quick vibrato and emotive presence conjures Stevie Nicks, but with a breadth and power that evokes iconic country artists Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert. In 2018 Lake & Lyndale released their debut EP Habits, produced by Jon Estes. In July 2019 they dropped “There’s a Weight” single along with a video featured in NPR’s Slingshot Emerging Artist Spotlight. In June 2020, they released “Still Here”. You can find their latest release, an acoustic EP called “In the Nude Vol.1” on all streaming platforms. They are currently working on new music to be released in 2022. Read the full article

[music]

Music Spotlight: Gracie and Rachel

In 2017, Gracie and Rachel’s self-titled record quickly won the hearts of NPR fans who voted them to #4 on NPR’s Your Favorite New Artist. Their new album 'Hello Weakness, You Make Me Strong' is dropping September 18th via Righteous Babe Records and explores the depths of their emotional states and the walls we build up inside ourselves, asking us to break them all down in order to face our truths. We had the chance to discuss their new music, artists they’re into and more. Check it out.

Can you tell us about the inspiration behind your new music/forthcoming album ‘Hello Weakness, You Make Me Strong’?

At first, approaching this record, we were unsure of how we wanted to tell our next story and pretty terrified we didn’t know how to tell it. We were consumed and weighed down by our doubts, our fears, our weaknesses surrounding the process of creating, of speaking our truths. As women in this industry, we’ve been met with people telling us how we should sound, but this time around we wanted to tell our story in a way that gave us complete sonic control over the narrative. Pretty quickly we realized that the feelings of doubt we were experiencing weren’t getting us anywhere, so we started dancing with them in hopes of finding the ways they can give us strength. How can vulnerability empower us? Between the two of us we have such varying ways of dealing with and processing situations, with one of us being more extroverted and confronting and the other being more introverted and guarded. In order to break down the walls in our music we had to break down a lot of walls between one another, and that’s where the concept of the album really came to the rescue and helped us write this record, fusing our opposition into unity, our weaknesses into strength.

Are there any women in particular that inspire you in the music industry?

So many! Missy Mazzoli, Caroline Shaw, Jenny Hval, Nina Simone, Laurie Anderson, TLC, Anohni, Cyndi Lauper, Sudan Archives, Christine and the Queens, to name a few…

What song(s) are you currently playing on repeat?

We have a playlist called “Taking Time to Listen” that features some of our favorite BIPOC artists, and that’s been on heavy rotation recently. “People, I’ve been sad” by Christine and the Queens has been a melancholic dance number for us when we’re needing that emotional lift (but when aren’t we?). “A Comma” by serpentwithfeet is another one that’s been moving us with its eerily beautiful world of cosmic sounds and ideas.

What advice would you give to women who are just starting out in the music industry?

Learn how to be as self-sufficient as possible and don’t settle for something if it doesn’t feel right. Stand your ground, even if it feels uncomfortable. Support other women around you. Trust in your convictions and believe in how you want things to be presented – ride these waves without looking back.

Lightning round! Describe each of the following in one word: Who you are, what you value the most, and what you’d be if you were a food item.

Gracie: I’m sassy, I value transparency, I’d be sea salt.

Rachel: I’m a ripple, I value dedication, I’d be a radish.

What can we look forward to from you next?

We’re not telling! No, you can look forward to our next full-length album coming out via Righteous Babe Records on September 18th, 2020. You can also look out for a bunch of new sounds we’ll be sharing over the next couple months as well b-sides we made in the process of making the record to follow. You can look forward to us looking forward to you looking forward to us looking forward to connecting with you.

Check out their video for Underneath below and keep an eye out for their new album on September 18th. 

[victimhood]

I was tagged by the wonderful Maya aka @nicoloalkaysani to list thirteen songs I’ve been listening to nonstop lately. Which is a good chance to show how...obsessive my music listening habits are! Be warned, I am known for listening to the same thing endlessly.

Mahmood - Rapide. This is the song that made me fall in love with Mahmood! Alessandro Mahmoud is an Egyptian-Italian singer who was ROBBED at the 2019 Eurovision, and I think the most analogous comparison is the “Italian Sam Smith” but they’re also different y’know?

Mahmood - Soldi. This is Mahmood’s Eurovision entry I LOVE MAHMOOD

Mahmood - Barrio. You see what I mean when I say I hyperfixate on music.

Charlie Charles, Sfera Ebbasta, Mahmood, Fabri Fibra - Calipso. I was here for Mahmood no surprises.

Dame Joan Sutherland - Rigoletto “Caro nome”. This is the aria from Act 1 of Verdi’s opera Rigoletto. Oh! The incomparable Dame Joan Sutherland. Caro nome is what I wrote my entire TOG fanfic to. The coloratura!! This is Peak Opera for me. There are so few cases where it gets better than this. This song is about the experience of your first love, the infatuation of a first crush, the stirrings of new love and AKSJDJDHHSG it’s just soooooo good, especially when Dame Joan Sutherland gets to the soaring heights of the coloratura (the ah-ah-ah portion)

Maria Callas - Rigoletto “Caro nome”. The incomparable Maria Callas! My life has never been the same since I was introduced to Maria Callas’s O Mio Babbino Caro. I slightly prefer Dame Joan’s version, but in keeping with my style of listening to a whole series of “same same but different” how could I ever leave Maria Callas off?

Giuseppe Verdi - Aida Act III introduction. THE BEST STRINGS OF ANY OPERA. THE MELODIC FLUTE LINE THAT TEASES WITH TRILLS AND LEAPS LIKE A GENIE FROM A LAMP. (Ok I stole the second part from Met Opera notes) This was also on heavy rotation when I wrote my Joe/Nicky fanfic. The strings build in pianissimo layers and THE WHOLE THING SOUNDS LIKE MAGIC.

Vittorio Grigolo - La Boheme “Che gelida manina” THIS SONG IS ALSO ABOUT LOVE I had the privilege of watching Vittorio Grigolo sing this in the Met Opera staging of La Boheme, which I also inexplicably love despite the fact that I kinda hate Rent the musical, and Rent is basically a La Boheme ripoff. Go figure. Maybe one day I’ll even write a Joe/Nicky opera AU (but is it an AU when they could plausibly have been friends with Mozart/Verdi/etc)

Jordi Savall - Kouroukanfouga. Look if I can make my fics have audio, this is the song that plays when ~spoiler~ Nicky and Joe meet again at the end of my fic. This song is actually about the constitution of the Mali Empire created after the Battle of Krina in 1235, and it’s found on an album about Ibn Battuta, the Muslim Berber-Moroccan voyager who traveled extremely widely (analogous figures would be Marco Polo or Zheng He). I love the levity of the opening bars in this song, and how it evokes a sense of travel. Jordi Savall is a major figure in reproducing medieval music and you should definitely include him on any Nicky/Joe playlist imo.

Underworld - And I Will Kiss. This song changed my life. First heard at the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony, accompanying a performance where pristine green pastures are torn up with the advent of the Industrial Revolution. One day if I still have the stamina for it I will write Industrial Revolution Joe/Nicky because I have so many Socialist™️ feels about it.

Underworld - Caliban’s Dream. Ethereal soprano singing and!! Alex Trimble of Two Door Cinema Club whom I love. This was for the lighting of the Olympic torch at the 2012 London Olympics, and the part of the song that invokes “come together” preceded the lighting of the torch, which was one of the most memorable Olympic torch lightings (the only other one I care about being Cathy Freeman in Sydney 2000)

Rahim AlHaj - NPR tiny desk concert. Sublime. I am currently on a major oud kick and Rahim AlHaj is a virtuouso oud musician and composer. The oud is the granddaddy of all stringed instruments and also I am plotting a fic where one of Joe’s ex boyfriends is an oud player now you know why I’m on this massive oud kick heh

Recomposed by Max Richter - Vivaldi Spring I. This piece is for the second most recent fic I wrote, for The Untamed. This is the wedding song for my modern AU Wei Ying and Lan Zhan. I have a lot of things to say about that fic but this song encapsulates all of it.

That’s it haha I guess I’m not gonna tag anyone but!! Please do the meme if this inspires you to say something about your playlist. I could talk a lot more about these pieces bc I basically made a “fic inspiration” playlist and skdjjdhd ok I’ll stop bc I might be the only person reading this anyways.

[beckzorz]

Pizza Night (one-shot)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader Words: 1967 Summary: What makes this pizza night different from all other pizza nights? A/N: Happy holidays ;-) Something of a companion piece to Snowed In (thematically, anyway). Hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think.

The third Sunday of every month is pizza night at the compound. Tony gets pizza delivered straight from the city, usually from a different place every month, for absolutely everyone—janitors, Avengers, programmers, medics, doctors, physical therapists…

And you.

Pizza night is one of your favorite traditions here. It’s less classy than the cocktail party-type get-togethers that Tony likes to throw; no mixed drinks, just water, soda, and beer for those inclined. And yes, you do like getting dressed up once in a while, but there’s effort involved, and your job is enough work, thank you very much.

Unwinding without expectations is nice.

Also, pizza.

—

“Hi Paul!” You slide into the passenger seat of your neighbor’s car and tuck your shopping bag between your feet. “Thanks so much for the ride.”

“No problem,” Paul says. He pulls away from the curb and drives towards the compound. “It’s literally five houses out of my way.”

“Yes, but still.” It’s cloudy but warm, so you open the window and let your hand dangle, catching the wind between your fingers. “How’s it feel to have tax season over?”

Paul groans in relief. “Oh my god, like freedom herself came and blessed me with those lottery days off last week.”

You laugh. Most accountants are dull as the grave, but Paul’s pretty funny, all things considered.

“What’s in the bag?” he asks.

“Oh…” You shift a little in your seat. “Just some stuff for tonight.”

“Fun,” he says.

“Mm.”

Your noncommittal answer doesn’t lead to a reply, and Paul turns on NPR. All Things Considered is good as far as radio shows go, but tonight your mind is wandering.

Pizza night’s going to be a little different this time around, and the thought of standing out makes your heart squeeze painfully. You’ve only been at this job long enough to take part in five, maybe six pizza nights, and you’re just starting to feel comfortable enough to make some waves. A suggestion for implementing a new project, a few more personal effects by your desk… It’s all gone well, but tonight?

You’re not sure.

It’s another fifteen minutes before you and Paul flash your security badges to the gate guard. There’s already a bunch of cars in the front lot—no surprise; the compound runs 24/7. Paul squeezes into a spot between two SUVs, and you suck in your breath to slip out of the car with your bag.

The second you walk into the right building, your mouth starts to water. You can smell it all—the bakery smell of the crust, the gooey cheese, the garlic. Even the tang of pepperoni, which you don’t eat.

It smells like a greasy pizzeria, replete with checkered tables and silvery napkin holders and rotating countertop displays with slices waiting to be shucked onto paper plates. It smells like a hole-in-the-wall with a gruff chef whose mouth would give Gordon Ramsay a run for his money. It smells like the kind of place you don’t wear white to.

It smells like heaven.

“Fuck,” you mutter, and Paul chuckles beside you.

“Eager, huh?”

“Not exactly.” You shift your bag to your other hand and try to keep your breathing steady.

Paul gives you a funny look, but he doesn’t push as you both climb up the lobby stairs to the lounge. He nods at you and makes a beeline straight for the buffet table. You don’t follow quite yet.

You pause by the top of the stairs as you take it all in. Maybe it’s a little cliché, but you still can’t quite believe your luck. How many people can say they work with superheros? Eat pizza with superheros? Sure, some of them are away right now—it’s Easter today, after all—but there are still plenty here tonight. Steve Rogers, of course, and his cute friend Bucky Barnes. Natasha Romanoff, Vision, Wanda Maximoff. Plenty of people.

Someone bumps into you, and you tighten your grip on your bag and make your way to the kitchen. It’s commercial-sized, with an oven the size of a closet full of oozing pizzas waiting to replace the ones on the buffet. You pause in front of it, gazing longingly at the rotating rack of pies, before one of the outside waitstaff ushers you aside.

You snag a plate from a cabinet and a spoon from a drawer. With a heavy heart, you open your shopping bag. Out comes a box, a bag of shredded mozzarella, a glass jar of marinara sauce. You carefully spread the sauce and sprinkle the cheese. Sixty-six seconds in the microwave, and you sigh as you pull the warm plate out.

“What’s that?”

You jump out of your skin. Natasha Romanoff is at your elbow, eyeing your plate curiously.

“Oh, uh, hi, Natasha.” You shift your weight, cheeks hot. “It’s matzah pizza.”

“Oh right,” Natasha says. “It’s Passover, isn’t it?”

“Yep.” You force a smile and squeeze by her to get back to the lounge, but she sticks to you.

“Isn’t all this—” she gestures to the pizza buffet as you pass by— “awfully tempting?”

You snort. “Of course! And it’s only day two.”

“Eight days?”

“Outside of Israel, yup.”

“And no bread?”

“No bread, no cake, no pasta—well, no normal pasta, anyway—no cereal, no oatmeal, no beer, no cookies,” you rattle off. “And I’m sure I’m missing something.”

Natasha puts a hand on your arm and leads to the couch she usually shares with some of the other Avengers. You sit down, head swimming with surprise. You usually hang out with coworkers from your department, not… the department.

Still, you do your best to smile at Steve, who’s next to you.

“How are—oh,” he says. He blinks at your pizza, then looks back at you with a sympathetic wince. “You’re brave.”

“I would go with masochistic before brave,” you reply. You take a deep breath, eyes fluttering shut for the briefest moment before you pull yourself together. A bite of matzah pizza does nothing to resolve the craving for real pizza. “This is hell.”

Steve chuckles. “So why’d you come?”

“Yeah, seriously,” Natasha chimes in. She’s perched on the arm of the couch beside you, a half-eaten slice of pizza folded in her hand.

“Eh, pizza night’s my favorite thing we have here,” you say. “It’s nice to hang out without having to think about work, you know?”

“Fair enough.”

“Bucky,” Natasha says suddenly, amusement dripping from her tone, “you look like a fish.”

You turn to look up at Bucky. His eyes are glued to your plate. To your pizza. He snaps his mouth shut and swallows, glancing down at his own plate. He’s got two big pieces of pepperoni pizza, one piled on top of the other.

“Something wrong, Buck?” Steve asks.

“No,” Bucky says, but you don’t buy it for a second.

Based on their raised eyebrows, neither do Natasha and Steve. Bucky nudges Steve’s leg with his boot, and Steve shifts over as much as he can.

Bucky sits down next to you, his thigh pressed against yours. He discards his pizza on the coffee table and sits back, still looking at your plate. Your mouth suddenly goes dry, pizza smell be damned. So close to Bucky, you’ve caught whiff of something a million times more intoxicating. He smells intoxicating, all heady and exhilarating and distinctively unique.

Greasy pizzeria as heaven?

No, heaven is sitting next to Bucky Barnes, his solid thigh against yours and his hand brushing your arm from where it’s slung on the back of the couch.

“You know,” he says, voice small and almost faraway, “the missions used to come to the front for Passover.”

You blink. Bucky is still looking at the matzah pizza on your plate.

“The front? You mean, during World War II?” you ask.

“Yeah.” His eyes flit to yours, his lips quirking up just enough to set your heart beating a little faster. “Those seders were the best part of the year.”

You gape. It can’t be attractive, but—Bucky Barnes is Jewish? Like you? It’s impossible.

“I don’t remember any,” Steve says. “What about ‘44?”

“Eh, by the time you came along, we had other things to do,” Bucky tells Steve, but he’s still facing you. He lowers his voice, ducks his head a little as his gaze tightens on yours. “Can I—did you bring that?”

You nod, thoroughly speechless.

“Can I have one?”

“Just one?” Natasha teases. You huff a little, half amused, half offended on Bucky’s behalf, but he’s rolling his eyes fondly.

“Of course,” you tell him. You force yourself up from the couch, left thigh cold from the loss of his leg pressed against yours. Is your face as warm as it feels? Can they all see? “Be right back.”

But Bucky jumps to his feet before you can make your escape. “You gotta show me how,” he says. He puts a hand on the small of your back and guides you through the crowd to the kitchen, greeting some of the waitstaff by name.

You’re not just speechless now; you’re breathless. His hand on your back, with just a thin shirt between his metal hand and your skin. His rich baritone, the gentle smile you can see out of the corner of your eye if you turn your head just a little.

Out comes the matzah, the sauce, the cheese. Bucky grabs a fresh plate and watches with careful focus as you assemble a matzah pizza for him.

“Can I do more cheese?” he asks.

“Eh, you could, but if you do too much it gets soggy.”

“Fair.”

You stand side-by-side in front of the microwave as you punch in sixty-six seconds. The microwave comes on with a whoosh.

“So,” Bucky says. “I didn’t know you were Jewish.”

Your lips twitch. “Bucky, I don’t think we’ve exchanged more than half a dozen words before tonight.” You raise an eyebrow at him, and he purses his lips in reluctant agreement. “But I didn’t know you were. And we learned about you all in school!”

“Well, my mom was. We didn’t practice or anything.” He tucks his hair behind his ear. “Not like you.”

“Everyone does it differently,” you say. “It’s all about what works for you.”

The microwave beeps, and Bucky pulls the plate out. “I haven’t really thought about it in ages,” he says. “But…” He smiles at you, eyes crinkling. “Maybe it’s time to see what works for me now that things have changed.”

“Hear hear!” You grin back. Never mind the heat in your cheeks—Bucky is smiling. At you. Who cares if you’re blushing? “No time like the present.”

“Amen,” he says. He lifts the plate close to his face and tries a bite of matzah pizza. His expression is thoughtful by the time he swallows. “I mean, it’s not as good as the stuff out there usually is, but it’s not bad.”

“I’ll be honest, I’m going to eat a whole pizza next month,” you tell him.

“Next month?” Bucky asks through another bite.

“Next pizza night,” you clarify.

He swallows, Adam’s apple bobbing on his pale neck. “How long is Passover? Eight days, right?”

“Yeah…?” You tilt your head, confused.

“Forget next month. We can go for some proper pizza next Sunday. I mean—if you want?”

Bucky’s blue eyes are wide, hopeful as he looks at you. You can’t help smiling. Pizza to end Passover is an old family tradition, one you thought you’d miss out on now that you’re living so far from home. But it’s like Bucky said.

Time to see what works, now that things have changed.

“I want,” you say, and he grins back, smile as bright as the moon.

“To pizza night,” he says, lifting his matzah pizza in a toast.

You bump elbows with him, heart soaring. “To pizza night.”

[partialbirthabortion]

I'm really not feeling anything in the npr heavy rotation this year like I was last year ://

[thejoyofviolentmovement]

New Video: Lillian Frances' Brightly Colored and Summery Visual for Infectious Pop Banger "Raincheck Summer"

New Video: Lillian Frances' Brightly Colored and Summery Visual for Infectious Pop Banger "Raincheck Summer" @lillianfrancess

  Lillian Frances is a Davis, CA-based singer/songwriter, producer and self-described “sonic collager.” Inspired by the creative nature of children, Frances’ work isn’t bound to genre or style conventions: her work frequently meshes and blurs lines between a variety of genres and styles within the same song with shapeshifting…

[alexcolema-blog]

Alex Coleman

Alex Coleman https://alex-coleman.org/ Alex Coleman cuts, edits, and produces audio for a living. When he isn’t seen with his headphones on making cuts to tiny pieces of audio, you can find him on his bike, cycling across Illinois in search of hills and water. Both of which Illinois doesn't have a ton of.Every day Alex Coleman tries to listen to at least an hour of new radio or podcasts, but always makes room for his old NPR favorites like This American Life and Fresh Air. Alex's love of outdoors (and public radio) came to him at an early age.Growing up in Washington State, Alex Coleman was always found outside, usually with headphones and a radio listening to KEXP, or KAOS. Both were in heavy rotation for Alex, and both shaped his musical understanding and preference.

[alexcolemanorg-blog]

Alex Coleman

Alex Coleman cuts, edits, and produces audio for a living. When he isn’t seen with his headphones on making cuts to tiny pieces of audio, you can find him on his bike, cycling across Illinois in search of hills and water. Both of which Illinois doesn't have a ton of.

Every day Alex Coleman tries to listen to at least an hour of new radio or podcasts, but always makes room for his old NPR favorites like This American Life and Fresh Air. Alex's love of outdoors (and public radio) came to him at an early age.

Growing up in Washington State, Alex Coleman was always found outside, usually with headphones and a radio listening to KEXP, or KAOS. Both were in heavy rotation for Alex, and both shaped his musical understanding and preference.

Visit Website: https://alex-coleman.org/

[concerthopperblog]

The First of Many Waltzes at the Orion Amphitheater

My Dad lives in Huntsville, Alabama, so when he heard about the city’s new amphitheater, The Orion’s grand opening event, The First Waltz, he texted me the link to this article. My jaw dropped when I read the lineup! Huntsville, and North Alabama, definitely have the right to brag about their homegrown talent and they’re taking this opportunity to showcase it.

Many have heard me preach about the benefits of listening to the full lineup before attending a music festival.  The Friday and Saturday acts they have booked, which include Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit, Emmylou Harris, Waxahatchee, Brittany Howard, St. Paul & the Broken Bones, Mavis Staples, and Drive-by Truckers are all already on heavy rotation in my household.

As a result, I only needed to familiarize myself with the newer local Huntsville talent performing on Sunday. So far, I am loving what I hear while listening to these artists, and even better, the First Waltz’s final day is free (or $12.21 if you order your ticket ahead of time online). So make sure you don’t skip Sunday!

A little bit of a preview of what awaits for you on that last day:

-The Aeolians of Oakwood University is a world champion acapella choir that will take us all to church that Sunday.

-DeQn Sue and Kelvin Wooten are a dynamic duo. (NPR music fans will definitely enjoy their Tiny Desk Concert performance.) Their songs are powerful messages in a bubbly and colorful package making them danceable and perfect for a Summer music festival set.

-Translee is best known for his many collaborations with major artists, such as the song, Catch This Wave with T.I. Translee can hold his own solo though, with songs such as Lost in the Sauce and Make Me Better. He is also the founder of the lifestyle brand, Inner Peace, Outer Glow. And if you’re looking for some swag to wear to the festival, IPOG has cute hoodies and hats, but I’m eyeing this bookbag.

-Who doesn’t love a good drumline?! I am looking forward to seeing the Huntsville Community Drumline perform. HCDL provides music education, instruments, equipment, and transportation to and from performances for children and seniors who are interested in learning about drumming and percussion all at no cost to the prospective drummer. Anyone who knows me knows that access to free and low-cost music education is a cause near and dear to my heart.

Join me for the first of surely many waltzes at the Orion Amphitheater. Also, while you are in Huntsville check out what special events The Camp and Lowe Mill are hosting. See y’all in May! 

By the way, be sure to give me your Huntsville restaurant suggestions for yummy post-festival eats.

The handy dandy details:

Event: The First Waltz at The Orion Amphitheater

Date: Friday, May 13th - Sunday, May 15, 2022

Tickets: [Link]

Location: The Orion Amphitheater - 701 Amphitheater Dr. NW, Huntsville, AL 35806

Hotels: [Link]

Parking: [Link]

Accessibility: [Link]

Food: [Link]

Website: https://www.theorionhuntsville.com/concerts/firstwaltz 

Additional attractions: 

The Camp - https://www.explorethecamp.com/events

Lowe Mill - https://lowemill.art

Schedule:

Friday - Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit, Emmylou Harris, Waxahatchee, John Paul White

Saturday - Brittany Howard, St. Paul & the Broken Bones, Mavis Staples, Drive-by Truckers

Sunday - The Aeolians of Oakwood University, DeQn Sue & Kelvin Wooten, Translee, Huntsville Community Drumline

[soonsengmotors]

Lorry Crane Trucks

Lorry crane trucks, also known as crane trucks or truck-mounted cranes, are specialized trucks equipped with a hydraulic crane mounted on the truck chassis. These trucks are designed to transport heavy loads and provide lifting capabilities for various construction, logistics, and material handling tasks. Here are some key aspects of lorry crane trucks:

Chassis: Lorry crane trucks are built on a heavy-duty truck chassis that provides the necessary strength and stability to support the crane and carry heavy loads. The chassis may vary depending on the manufacturer and model, and it is designed to handle the weight and stresses associated with crane operations. isuzu kelantan

Crane: The primary feature of a lorry crane truck is the hydraulic crane mounted on the truck. The crane is usually mounted behind the cab or at the rear of the truck. It consists of a telescopic or knuckle boom that can extend and retract to reach various heights and distances. The lifting capacity of the crane can vary depending on the model and size of the truck.

Controls: Lorry crane trucks are equipped with hydraulic controls that allow the operator to control the movement of the crane. These controls may include joysticks, buttons, and levers located within the truck's cabin. The operator can extend, retract, raise, lower, and rotate the crane to perform lifting and maneuvering operations. isuzu npr pro

Load Capacity: Lorry crane trucks have a specified maximum load capacity, which indicates the maximum weight that the crane can lift and handle safely. The load capacity can vary depending on factors such as the length and configuration of the crane, the reach of the boom, and the stability of the truck.

Safety Considerations: Operating a lorry crane truck requires proper training and adherence to safety guidelines. It's important to ensure that the load being lifted is within the crane's capacity and that the truck is positioned on stable ground. Operators must be aware of potential hazards and follow safe lifting practices to prevent accidents and injuries. isuzu dealer

Lorry crane trucks provide a convenient and efficient solution for lifting and transporting heavy loads, combining the capabilities of a truck and a crane into a single vehicle.

[newstfionline]

Sunday, December 12, 2021

Inflation is red hot, soaring to 6.8% in November, the highest in nearly four decades (NPR) For many businesses these days, the question is not whether to raise prices, but how often and how high. Inflation in November was 6.8%—the highest since 1982, when Ronald Reagan was president. Food, fuel, rent and cars were among the major contributors to rising prices. Even the discount chain Dollar Tree decided last month that the time had come to pass the buck. After decades of selling most items for $1, the chain is raising its average price tag to $1.25. A survey by the National Federation of Independent Businesses found 57% of firms are raising prices, while just 6% are cutting prices. That’s the most lopsided ratio since the early 1980s, when inflation was in the double digits.

Record warmth surging through Lower 48 states in two waves (Washington Post) As we close in on the official start of winter Dec. 21, there’s little cold to be found across the Lower 48. The first of two surges of warmth has set records across Texas and parts of the South already. Dozens more records are possible Friday and Saturday, ahead of a powerful storm system triggering severe thunderstorms as it pushes east. After only a brief break to start next week, warmth is set to build in again. By Tuesday, a new round of records is likely across the Southern Plains, expanding into the Midwest and Eastern states during the second half of the week. Some records could be set by large margins. In parts of the Midwest, temperatures could be as much as 40 degrees above normal, approaching their highest temperatures observed during December.

Kentucky governor: Storms may have killed at least 70 people (AP) Kentucky’s governor said at least 70 may have died in the state and the toll was climbing after tornadoes and severe weather ripped through at least five states, leaving widespread devastation. Gov. Andy Beshear said the twister touched down for more than 200 miles in Kentucky and the death toll could exceed 100 across 10 or more counties. “This has been the most devastating tornado event in our state’s history,” Beshear said at a news conference Saturday. The storms hit a candle factory in Kentucky, an Amazon facility in Illinois and a nursing home in Arkansas. Beshear said about 110 people were in the Mayfield factory when the tornado hit.

Brazil: 3 killed during heavy rains and flooding (AP) Brazil’s government declared a state of emergency in almost 50 cities in the states of Bahia and Minas Gerais due to heavy rains that caused floods and killed at least three people. The decision, published in the official gazette on Friday night, affects 17 cities in Bahia, in the northeast of Brazil, and another 31 in Minas Gerais, in the southeast. The strong storms in recent days were caused by the passage of a subtropical cyclone originated over the Atlantic Ocean. Dozens of cities were cut off by water, and houses and bridges collapsed.

‘European Sovereignty’ on the Menu as Macron and Scholz Meet for Lunch (NYT) On the face of it, President Emmanuel Macron, a showman, and Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a study in reserve, would not be natural companions. But the world has changed, and for France and Germany the imperative of building what they call a “sovereign Europe” has become overwhelming. So Mr. Scholz, who took over from Angela Merkel on Wednesday, chose France as his first foreign destination, not only because that tends to be what newly installed German chancellors do, but also because, as he said standing beside Mr. Macron in Paris on Friday, “We want to reinforce Europe, work together for European sovereignty.” Mr. Scholz’s embrace of “European sovereignty” was surely music to Mr. Macron’s ears, as the French president prepares to take over the rotating six-month presidency of the European Union on Jan. 1. Mr. Macron’s vision for a Europe of “power,” backed by real European military and technological capacity, tends toward the grandiose. Mr. Scholz may not like that style—his German government coalition prefers the more prosaic “enhancing European capacity to act”—but the general goal is intensely shared, perhaps more so than in the later Merkel years or at any time since the Cold War.

Vaccine Mandates Rekindle Fierce Debate Over Civil Liberties (NYT) In England, the prime minister now talks about compulsory vaccinations, just six months after proclaiming “Freedom Day” from coronavirus restrictions. In Germany, the new chancellor has endorsed barring unvaccinated people from much of public life. Next door, in Austria, the unvaccinated will remain confined to their homes, even after the government lifts a lockdown on Sunday. Across Europe’s democracies, the latest wave of the pandemic is prompting governments to reimpose sweeping restrictions on free movement and mixing in their societies. Some of the most abrupt reversals are occurring in countries where the laws and culture cherish the sanctity of personal rights. The backlash plays out vividly every weekend on the streets of Vienna, where tens of thousands of protesters march, some brandishing placards that say, “Control our borders, not our people!” Demonstrators have also clashed with the police over restrictions in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.

In Myanmar’s Chin state, a grassroots rebellion grows (Reuters) The former boxer said he and his comrades were perched on a hillside near the town of Mindat, in Myanmar’s northwest, and preparing to ambush a patrol of soldiers when the troops opened fire and a bullet smashed into his forearm. That skirmish in mid-May was part of what seven people involved in the rebellion, including five fighters, said was a growing popular resistance to Myanmar’s military in Chin state. As in other parts of the country, civilians enraged by the military coup in February and subsequent crackdown on protesters are taking up arms. The junta appears to be worried about the threat they pose in Chin. More than a dozen so-called Chinland Defence Force (CDF) opposition groups have sprung up in the state, according to three of the sources, who described an expanding network of fighters whose knowledge of local terrain is a major advantage. They said the groups had established supply chains, food stockpiles and weapon depots and linked up with a long-established ethnic group called the Chin National Front (CNF) to train in combat and better coordinate operations.

China trolls Biden summit (Washington Post) Does U.S.-style democracy “realize dreams or create nightmares?” It appears to have turned evil like Voldemort, the dark wizard of the Harry Potter franchise. Young President Biden must have eaten too much KFC and McDonald’s, leading to a belief that democracy is like a fast-food chain with the United States supplying the ingredients. These are among the odd arguments and analogies deployed in recent days during a Chinese Communist Party propaganda blitz to claim that China is as much a democracy as the United States. After China was excluded—along with Russia and other nations deemed autocratic—from Biden’s “Summit for Democracy” this week, Chinese state media, think tanks and officials have lined up to take potshots at the event. But aside from mudslinging and off-color humor, the campaign also betrays Beijing’s desire to redefine international norms and present its controlling, one-party political system as not just legitimate but ideologically superior to liberal multiparty democracies.

First Fires, Then Floods: Climate Extremes Batter Australia (NYT) Two years ago, the fields outside Christina Southwell’s family home near the cotton capital of Australia looked like a dusty, brown desert as drought-fueled wildfires burned to the north and south. Last week, after record-breaking rains, muddy floodwaters surrounded her, along with the stench of rotting crops. She had been trapped for days with just her cat, and still didn’t know when the sludge would recede. Life on the land has always been hard in Australia, but the past few years have delivered one extreme after another, demanding new levels of resilience and pointing to the rising costs of a warming planet. For many Australians, moderate weather—a pleasant summer, a year without a state of emergency—increasingly feels like a luxury. “It feels constant,” said Brett Dickinson, 58, a wheat farmer who lives not far from Ms. Southwell in northwest New South Wales, about a six-hour drive from Sydney. “We’re constantly battling all the elements—and the animals too.”

Stay French, or not? New Caledonia holds independence vote (AP) Voters in the South Pacific archipelago of New Caledonia are set to decide Sunday whether to break away from France, a referendum that is important for French geopolitical ambitions and is being closely watched amid growing Chinese influence in the region. But pro-independence forces are refusing to take part, accusing the French government of trying to rush through the vote. The COVID-19 crisis complicated the campaign for the referendum, the third and last such vote foreseen as part of decades of decolonization efforts. The process is aimed at settling tensions between native Kanaks seeking independence and those who want the territory to remain part of France.

Software vulnerability (Guardian) A critical vulnerability in a widely used software tool—one quickly exploited in the online game Minecraft—is rapidly emerging as a major threat to organizations around the world. “The internet’s on fire right now,” said Adam Meyers, senior vice-president of intelligence at the cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike. “People are scrambling to patch”, he said, “and all kinds of people scrambling to exploit it.” He said on Friday morning that in the 12 hours since the bug’s existence was disclosed, it had been “fully weaponized”, meaning malefactors had developed and distributed tools to exploit it. The flaw, dubbed “Log4Shell”, may be the worst computer vulnerability discovered in years. It was uncovered in an open-source logging tool that is ubiquitous in cloud servers and enterprise software used across the industry and the government. Unless it is fixed, it grants criminals, spies and programming novices alike, easy access to internal networks where they can loot valuable data, plant malware, erase crucial information and much more.

Buy Nothing groups offer an antidote to waste and isolation (Washington Post) When Charnetta Barnes first heard the concept, she thought it seemed too good to believe. The 32-year-old mother of four was in the midst of moving from one part of the District to another when a friend mentioned a Facebook group where people were giving away everything from plants to pianos. A post might ask to borrow a ladder or offer leftovers from a holiday dinner. She signed up for the Buy Nothing group in her neighborhood, Petworth, and soon found the couch, bedroom furniture and kitchen supplies she couldn’t afford, but really couldn’t do without. And she went back—“basically, every time I needed something”—embracing an ethos that’s both novel and old-world: humans sharing what they have, getting what they need and letting go of what they don’t. At a time when many Americans are scrambling to snap up the perfect toy or gadget on their holiday shopping lists, Barnes is part of a growing movement built on a simple premise: Buy nothing. What started in 2013 as a hyperlocal network of “circular gift economies” in Bainbridge Island, Wash., has ballooned into a constellation of Buy Nothing groups with 4.3 million members in 44 countries. Members can request or offer any item or service as long as it’s legal; however buying, selling and bartering are prohibited. The groups are well-represented on social media, particularly Facebook, Reddit and Nextdoor. The Buy Nothing app, launched on Black Friday, has been downloaded more than 125,000 times.