#i have seen my art that i posted long ago getting repurposed without credit

[one-real-imonkey]

Wild anon with far too many ideas is back! Have you seen @thatfunkyopossum's headcanons for the Guard being dumpster divers (post/621942185340846080/coruscant-guard-culture-hcs)? It's so interesting! Does anything similar happen in the Corrie Guard AU? Now I'm just imagining clones organizing furniture / clothing drives for the refugees in the lower levels. Or having a huge system of trade and bartering for supplies / bacta / etc. There's a lot of potential!

Hi anon with so many ideas, I love them all and I'm adding to my answers for all of them, some of which will be fics some will just be notes like this one. Anyway, thank you so much for asking, and here we go...

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Yeah, my Corrie Guard AU has some very similar things.

Overall, they're opportunistic, and they don't waste things or look down on what they're offered. They get very good at repurposing and fixing things. They don't actually have a lot of oversight, the Senators and nat-born Senate Guard don't care about the Guard barracks or what they do in their free time, so their base and their free time is theirs.

A lot of what they get is donated though. Some of its from the lower levels, started up by people who realised what the Corries were going through and decided to act, and it's often not much, but a pad and some colouring pencils or a homemade meal can go a long way emotionally to show you someone cares. Thanks to Palpy and the Senate, just giving them money isn't easy, not to mention many of the people in the lower levels don't have the money to spare. However, even if they can't be given credits, they can be given other things.

One of the most amazing things the Corries managed to get is access to food from the upper levels. Hound managed to wrangle a deal in which all the day old food that none of the rich snobs would buy because it was 'no longer fresh' from some of the high end patisseries near the base would go to the Guard instead of being thrown away. The Guard noticed all that perfectly good food going to waste and decided it was stupid that the food would be wasted when they didn't have enough. They managed to sort out a few deals like that, and while some of it is a little stale or has a little mould, most of the food is perfectly fine and the Corries are more than happy to have it.

A lot of the items that are donated from people rather than businesses are also things they can use to create things to sell, including toys for kids and pieces of art (and a few tattoo designs or just tattoos (Inky goes down to the lower levels twice a week to do tattoos and their costs are reasonable and fair)). A haberdashery sells their hand made dolls and soft toys in exchange for a small cut and a discount on the cost of the materials. That same haberdashery also gives them all the left over offcuts of materials for them to do with as they wish. They get sewn together or hung off of things and just generally used to spruce up the base.

They Corries do a lot of charity work and give a lot away to help others, if there's been a large accident like a fire or public transport crash or an outbreak of some sort of illness, supplies from the Guard may go 'missing'. They often spend their free time creating things they can donate or sell, especially to people who need them.

They also ended up in weird situations where they do favours for people in exchange for small but weird things. It started with Pup breaking off of a patrol to help a little old lady called Mirka carry some bags she was struggling with, and then she made an off hand comment about how very strong he was and how useless she was at doing things nowadays in her old age and he volunteers to help out. (He doesn't quite believe she's as weak as she claims, but he's not rude enough to doubt her aloud).

Pup was happy to help move some furniture for her, especially when she gave him a whole huge box full of home baked cookies ('Because you young boys deserve it') and then he offered to help again if she needed, and she told her friends about it...

Within a month a great deal of the Corries were going down to do all sorts of things these elderly citizens couldn't manage, and being rewarded with all sorts of things. Sometimes it was credits, sometimes it was food, sometimes it was books or fabrics or hand made clothes (theres a knitting group dedicated to making a jumper for every single Corrie) and sometimes it was even more random things, included but not limited to a day at a spa for 20, 4 gallons of homemade jam, a karaoke machine and a slightly broken but still working hydroponics device for growing plants.

And of course the plotting of conspiratorial little old ladies is never containable, so quickly all sorts of other opportunities are set up for the Corries to earn money without stress or danger, including youth clubs, charity drives and anything else they can 'disguise as work'. It's not like the people on 998 can't use the help but similarly they want to help people. Especially other people the Senate treat like dirt.

Mirka, the little old lady who Pup had first helped, gave him her extensive amount of sewing and knitting equipment, claiming her hands just shook too much nowadays and oh, her eyesight, surely some of your lovely siblings will be able to use them better than little old I. She also gave him her old curtains, which she claimed she no longer needed, along with several blankets and old pieces of clothing and any fabric she could find.

Weave and Loom just about cried when Pup handed them over.

A few weeks later all of those pieces of fabric returned to level 998, either in the form of clothes worn by the Corries so they didn't have to be in their blacks or armour, or as soft toys to sell (or donate) for the little kids.

Weave and Loom finally made their way down to level 998 with several head-scarfs for Mirka as a thank you, which she wears frequently. Her children moved away long ago, her siblings and other family members are gone, she saw her grandchildren maybe twice a year before the wars started, but they live on a Separatist planet, and travel is limited. Its why she started looking out for the Corries and why she roped in a tribe of other grandparents to join her.

Oh no, I'm going to have to do something about level 998 aren't I?

As for trading things to like bacta and supplies, they're selfless. If they get ahold of them, they'll make sure those things go to people who need it. They'd never take the food for themselves when there are children without, they'd never take medical supplies for themselves when there were people who needed it more. They had the Guard's limited amount, they had their own medics, they could make do, but not everyone on the lower levels had the same access, and with the war and Senate forcing things like the Jedi-operated Clinics closed in favour of those supplies and staff going 'where they're needed' every little helps.

Anyway, yeah, the Corries do a lot of scavenging, a lot of repurposing old items, fixing broken things to make them work. Curtains don't always get cut up and made into clothes or toys or other fabric items, sometimes they're put in the med bay to work as dividers, or in the bunk rooms to add privacy for the bunks themselves.

Any item they can give a new lease on life, repurpose, or fix and sell, they do. They fix up the hydroponics device so they can grow some herbs and spices for their food, they create clothes for themselves so they don't just have to live in their armour or blacks, and they spend a lot of time helping people who need it.

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Thanks for the ask, this was a little longer than I meant it to be, and I kinda went off on a tangent, whoops, but the 998 are becoming a thing, haha. But yeah, long story short, they're incredibly pragmatic about things, will not waste a thing and are utterly selfless.

Inbox is always open. (-:

[dustedmagazine]

Listed: Nick Jonah Davis

Photo Credit: Andy Joskowski

Nick Jonah Davis lives in Derbyshire, England, which is a place where evidence of older editions of England is always easy to find. Successive eras likewise coincide in his music. Davis plays acoustic and electric guitars, drawing on both American and English folk and instrumental traditions. He has worked with like-minded folk, such as C. Joynes and Sharron Kraus, and is also an established guitar teacher and provider of therapeutic musical interventions. He’s been recording the occasional solo record since 2009, and in 2016, Dusted’s Bill Meyer had this to say about House of Dragons: “the Nottingham-based guitarist isn’t living in bifurcations of the past, and he isn’t asking us to either. Rather, he invites the listener into a world bounded by the resonance of his tunings and the vividness of his evolving melodies.” Thread Recordings is about to release a swell new LP, When the Sun Came, and Davis has compiled a list of sounds made by some of his favorite associates.

Even for solo guitarists, music is a collaborative, social thing. For this list I’ve picked some music by artists that I’ve collaborated, recorded or gigged with over the last decade or so. Members of the NJD home team.

Kogumaza — “Ursids”

WAAT048 Split 7" w/Hookworms by Kogumaza

When I lived in Nottingham, Kogumaza were my favorite band in town. They play deep, droning riff-based cosmic guitar music which draws on their backgrounds playing with local heroes like Lords, Rattle and Bob Tilton. They’ve also done their homework, having sat in with heavy hitters like Glenn Branca, Damo Suzuki and Boredoms. This tune was recorded in Nottingham, with Nathan Bell of Lungfish sitting in on bass. I was the assistant engineer on this session, and remember getting a pleasing headful of Katy Brown’s kick drum as we set up the mics. Mind-manifesting stuff.

Ex-Easter Island Head — “Large Electric Ensemble Third Movement”

Large Electric Ensemble by Ex-Easter Island Head

Liverpool’s Ex-Easter Island Head are a revelation. They repurpose electric guitars through a variety of extended techniques, with unprecedented, nourishing results. I was lucky enough to play a couple of shows as a member of their Large Electric Ensemble, a 12-guitar band powered by 1 drummer and multiple Arts Council pizzas. I learned a lot from them in terms of playing guitar with craftily-deployed allen keys and bolts. Living proof that people can and do make genuinely beautiful, ground-breaking music without being all precious and up themselves about it. Good lads.

C Joynes and the Furlong Bray — “Sang Kancil”

The Borametz Tree by C Joynes & The Furlong Bray

Joynes and I have been fellow travelers in the solo guitar realm for many years now. We’ve probably seen more of each other’s gigs than anyone else alive. I was really pleased to be invited into the making of the Borametz Tree album. Not exactly sure how you’d describe my role on that project, but it involved some bass playing, some refereeing and, in the case of this piece, heading into my cellar with Nathan Mann to process some sounds through my echo units. I really love this bizarre, swirling piece of music. It defies description and I really can’t see how it could have happened under any circumstances. Power to the Furlong Bray.

Jim Ghedi — “Bramley Moor”

A Hymn For Ancient Land by Jim Ghedi

Jim popped up a few years ago, around the same time as Toby Hay, and has been a sure source of decent sounds ever since. Jim’s initial, masterful solo guitar work has bloomed out into an exploration of both traditional folk and his own songwriting. Having sat right next to him when we played together in my village a couple of years ago, I can confirm that he has a huge, resonant chest voice. Luckily, he always commits to his guitar just as fully, as you can hear on this jaunty instrumental on which I played some weissenborn. Nathan Mann pops up again playing percussion on this one, small world…

Cath and Phil Tyler — “King Henry”

The Ox and the Ax by Cath and Phil Tyler

I first met Cath and Phil at the legendary Sin Eater festival, a 3-day weekend of fine underground music and excellent ale at an isolated pub in Shropshire. Almost everyone on this list played there actually. This is folk music as it should be played, plain and flinty with a complete focus on the song. Understatement goes a long way in this music and, I suspect because of this, Phil is one of the most criminally under-rated guitarists around. There’s a little part of me that lives for Cath’s jaw harp break at the end of this one.

Toby Hay — “Now in a Minute”

New Music For The 12 String Guitar by Toby Hay

Toby has a special place in my heart for lining me up an annual show in a cafe at the wonderful Green Man festival for the past several years, meaning my family could go for free. Here’s a near-perfect example of a miniature acoustic study from his album New Music for the 12 String Guitar. The guitar in question was custom-built for Toby by Roger Bucknall of Fylde guitars. Fylde put out the word that a label was looking for a young guitarist to make a record on a custom-built Fylde that they would commission, and I immediately suggested Toby. He rose to the occasion. Reckon he owes me a handmade guitar though; I’ll give him a nudge one of these days.

The Horse Loom — “Silver Ribbon”

The Horse Loom by The Horse Loom

Steve Malley played in post-punk bands back in the day, gigging alongside the likes of Fugazi. He later picked up a Fylde guitar and went down an acoustic rabbit hole where his love of British folk and flamenco come to the fore. The DIY-or-die roots of his playing flash an occasional fin. After we met I persuaded him to come down to Nottingham and let me record his first album in First Love studio. He did the whole thing in a day and it’s awesome. This is my favorite instrumental from that collection.

Sharron Kraus — “Sorrow’s Arrow”

Joy's Reflection is Sorrow by Sharron Kraus

I started playing shows with Sharron as we were both UK artists on the Tompkins Square label at the time, so it kind of made sense. She’s a bit of an institution in psych-folk circles and eventually I began playing on her records and at live shows, which has been a real joy. This tune features some heavy drones and an occasional splish of my lap steel. It’s classic Kraus — mournful, insightful, immersive. If you want to hear someone with a bigger brain than yours talking about the weirder side of life, check out her Preternatural Investigations podcast.

Haress — “Wind the Bobbin”

Haress by HARESS

Haress is centered around the twin electric guitar work of Liz Still and David Hand. Located in downright gorgeous rural Shropshire, they ran the Sin Eater Festival and still put out essential music on Lancashire and Somerset Records. I reckon they’ve helped me out more than anyone over the years, releasing House of Dragons on vinyl and always setting me up a show when I need one. This gorgeous piece features Nathan Bell again, this time on trumpet. Those Nathans do get around.

Burd Ellen — “Chi-Mi-Bhuam”

Chi Mi Bhuam by Burd Ellen

I first saw Debbie Armour singing with Alasdair Roberts, a good start. When I went up to play in Glasgow in 2018, I asked if she’d like to open up my show at the Glad Café, which she did, alone except for a borrowed harmonium. I was mesmerized, I think everyone was. Too good for a support slot. Here’s a Gaelic vocal piece which demonstrates exactly who we’re dealing with here, a profoundly talented and committed artist with a lifelong immersion in traditional music, using it as a springboard into something entirely her own.

[newstfionline]

San Juan residents pitch in with cleanup, lifting their own spirits

Howard LaFranchi, CS Monitor, October 6, 2017

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO--When Paula Paulino saw the destruction that hurricane Maria left in its wake at the once-lush Rio Piedras main campus of the University of Puerto Rico, she felt empty and lost.

But then the art history major picked up a rake. She joined an army of students, parents, alumni, and faculty helping to clear fallen trees and gather the debris of the 100-year storm that walloped the university as it did the entire island.

And suddenly she found herself feeling hopeful, that maybe everything wasn’t lost after all.

“This college is really the only place I can call home, so it’s important to me that it is repaired and starts working again,” says Ms. Paulino, sporting a t-shirt reading “mi casa, mi iupi”--roughly “my house, my university.”

“I think if so many students and others came out to help,” she adds, “it’s because we want to feel like we’re part of putting back together something we love.”

More than two weeks after the unprecedented one-two punch of hurricanes Irma and Maria, almost 90 percent of Puerto Ricans remain without power. Just over half the population now has running water. Thousands of homes were destroyed, while thousands more lost roofs and windows.

Most schools will remain closed until at least Oct. 23, as many schools continue to serve as shelters for those left homeless. And an already anemic economy will likely take a $40 billion gut punch from Maria, economists estimate, as thousands of businesses from mom-and-pops to large enterprises remain closed indefinitely.

Even many of the disaster-hardened recovery professionals operating out the FEMA command post at San Juan’s convention center say they’ve never seen anything quite like Puerto Rico, post-Maria.

“This is a unique situation, one I can tell you I’ve never experienced,” says a member of the Arizona National Guard’s famed Copperheads, who requested anonymity since he was not authorized to speak for his unit.

“You had two hurricanes one right after the other, and almost a third until it veered off, and all that made for very complicated logistics as units got in place but then had to shelter to be able to respond when it was all over,” says the airman, one of the 11,500 personnel the Department of Defense and FEMA have assembled here. “I don’t think people understand that this is an effort that’s been going on for a month.”

Or as Puerto Rico’s governor, Ricardo Rosselló, said Thursday when asked for the millionth time if the island wasn’t indeed “paralyzed” and if the recovery effort hasn’t fallen short, “Do we need to do more? Yes we do. And will we continue to improve our response and do more, yes we will.”

He then added, “Let’s not forget, we had two category 4 and 5 hurricanes within a span of two weeks.”

Surely none of the 3.4 million American citizens of this United States territory is at risk of forgetting any time soon.

But at the same time, Puerto Rican society is starting to mirror in some degree the island’s jarring post-Maria natural landscape, where the ghostly gray-brown of wind-slashed and denuded tropical trees is already being overtaken by the iridescent green of emphatic new growth.

In San Juan, more lights are back on every day, as it is here, in the capital, that the 10.7 percent of island residents with power are clustered. Restaurants still shuttered a week ago are bustling again, serving up platters of roasted chicken, yucca, plantain, and dirty rice.

The 2,500 volunteers who assembled to clean up the University of Puerto Rico were just one example of the community spirit that some here say they’ve seen grow since calamity hit.

“I know there are people like President Trump who say the people here just want everything to be done for them, but I feel like it’s the citizens, and a lot of them young people, who are getting out and getting the recovery done,” says Natalie Sierra, a drama major working alongside Ms. Paulino. “We feel like Puerto Rico has given us a lot, and we want to give back.”

The island’s ports are now running at about 60 percent of capacity, with Mr. Rosselló pledging to reach 80 percent of capacity by the end of the month. More offloaded containers mean that more products like electrical generators can come to the rescue of an island that isn’t likely to see power fully restored until sometime next year.

And to the relief of almost everyone, lines for gasoline have shrunk, and more banks and ATMs are open in what has largely reverted to being a cash economy, as credit card terminals remain down.

Perhaps most of all, people are grateful for the relatively low mortality for such a monstrous calamity.

Still, one doesn’t have to leave the capital to find sign of distress. This week the residents of San Juan’s Playita neighborhood made the news when they hung banners from adjacent expressway overpasses crying, “SOS, Playita needs food and water.”

But clearly conditions worsen the farther one goes from San Juan’s restored lights.

In the town of Naguabo, about 60 miles from the capital on the island’s eastern edge, a steady stream of residents stop to fill jugs and repurposed liter soda bottles at a stand pipe installed by the local water authority.

“We get a different story every day about why we still don’t have water in our neighborhood, but the latest one we heard is that they don’t have the diesel to run the generators to get the pumps going again,” says Vidar Arroyo, who is standing by as his wife and daughter fill one bottle after another at the pipe. “I guess they’re doing what they can,” he adds, “but it seems like it’s taking a long time for things to improve.”

The unemployed used car salesman says that he depends on food stamps, like many in his area, but he worries that none of the nearby markets are able to process the debit cards that the government issues to provide food assistance.

In the absence of government services, from water to schools and food stamps, Mr. Arroyo says people are turning to and depending more on one another.

“There is a spirit of ‘We are in this together’; I know in our neighborhood everyone pitched in to cut down fallen trees and clear the roads,” he says. “And that’s been great, but there are things we can’t do--like put back the electric lines or make the water pumps work.”

Another type of spirit--the entrepreneurial variety--is on display down the road, where Richard Felix and his young son Richardy are busy selling large plastic containers to passers-by.

Mr. Felix has seen his work at a steel and plastics company reduced to 20 hours a week in the wake of Maria, so he decided to try making up for lost income by buying and then selling at a profit the containers sitting unsold at his place of employment.

“When things get rough like they are now, you have to find ways to get by,” he says.

Felix says that so far he’s making enough to hold on and see if what he considers to be a slow recovery pace starts to pick up steam. But Rosselló says he worries that Maria will turn what was already a rising emigration from the island to Florida and other states into a stampede.

“The problem of the exodus could accelerate as a result of this situation, and it could become a serious issue, not just for Puerto Rico but for the United States,” the governor says.

Indeed Puerto Rico’s population fell from almost 3.8 million in 2007 to 3.4 million last year, with some demographers projecting another 100,000 or more leaving this year--perhaps a third of those the result of Maria.