#its 92 degrees out

[tarakion]

hoenn type weather outside today fr

[spoonbenders-archive]

having a thyroid condition is so special i can manage to be super hyper while also being in a depressive episode like Come on bro

[echidnana]

fucking GOT IT finally god our fingers hurt

new obstacle discovered. we are straight up not strong enough to turn the main breaker back on 😭

[gnocchibabie]

Mended Scars

synopsis: a summer heatwave causes you and Simon to go to great lengths to escape the heat. Shedding his shirt, a particular scar of his is brought to your attention. After asking about it, you learn of his past. 

tags/cw: implied smut, descriptions of canon violence (based off of the Ghost comics), depiction of scars

word Count: 1.3k

a/n: this is rushed and not proofread bc i just really wanted to get something down in writing. i love soft simon and i love vulnerability. love u guys bye.

The summer sun had flooded your apartment - a 92 degree heatwave forcing you and Simon to turn on every fan within the walls of your shared flat, lest your wallpaper start peeling off. Even for the summer, this heat was unheard of in the area where you lived. So you had gone into every room in your apartment, pulled the chain extending from the overheard ceiling fan, and had even brought out some oscillating fans that you had stored away, in hopes of keeping the sweltering temperatures at bay. It worked as well as it could, your fans putting some serious work into cooling your home. However, much to the dismay of you and Simon, the weatherman had reported the heatwave would be staying for around a week.

“Fucking American heat,” Simon grumbled one night as you two got ready for bed. You stood in the bathroom washing your face, working the cleanser into your skin in tight circles. 

“This should be nothing to you,” you respond to Simon in between rinsing off your face and applying toner, “You’re deployed in countries that are like - a hundred degrees everyday.”

He scoffs at your teasing, “Yeah, well I like coming back here to get away from that.”

You’re patting your face dry now, “Oh? Is that the only reason you come back here?”

Turning off the bathroom light, you walk to your shared bed as Simon pulls back its covers. “Hm - maybe a few other reasons.” A wry smile makes its way to his face.

You help him pull the covers neatly off your bed, knowing they would just add to the suffocating heat and prevent you both from sleeping. 

Satisfied with your work you flop onto your bed, limbs sprawling across the covers like a starfish. Simon mutters something about you ruffling the sheets and slips his shirt over his head - another attempt made to escape the creeping heat. Your eyes pass over his muscular back (which you had frankly seen more times than you could count, but it never manages to get old), and linger over the white scars that litter his skin. He turns to face you before climbing into bed and your gaze lands on the jagged scar that adorns the space under the left side of his chest, where his ribs end.

It was inevitable that someone in Simon’s profession would receive their fair share of dings and scrapes. The man had numerous bullet wounds and knife scars - those of which you had asked about him which would lead to Simon recounting the perilous mission in which he had received the markings. The scar that settled across his ribs was something entirely different. You had, of course, seen it before. You tried not to stare too long in the shower, with Simon pressed up next to you - working your favorite shampoo into your scalp. You made a conscious effort not to look below his chest that day at the beach as the waves beat against the two of you, forcing you to hold onto Simon while he hid an amused smile. You let your eyes linger over the spot of healed skin for only a moment when Simon was on top of you, driving his hips into yours as words of praise spilled from his mouth. 

Never did you ask about it.

Simon lets out a content sigh as he settles into bed next to you, the noise bringing you out of your thoughts. Moonlight spills into the bedroom, softly illuminating you both. Resting your head on his chest, your eyes gravitate towards Simon’s scar once again. You wondered what had happened to leave such an angry, violent mark. You wondered how much it had hurt but decided against lingering on the thought, unable to stand the idea of Simon in that much pain. 

A hand ghosts over your head and plays with your hair. “Y’alright, love?” Simon asks, “Quiet tonight.”

You allow your hand to find its way to the marred skin on Simon’s abdomen. The light touch causes him to tense up ever so slightly.

“Si…” you begin, “What happened here?”

A beat of silence.

“We don’t have to talk about it.” You quickly backtrack. Why did you even bring it up? If he hadn’t talked about it before, why would he now? You move your hand away from the scar.

Simon is silent but his fingers continue to move through your hair. 

Feeling that you’ve crossed a line, you open your mouth to apologize. The last thing you wanted to do was bring up memories that were too painful for the man. You had gotten a few glimpses into what his past was like from passing comments he had made. What little you did know made your stomach turn. It had you amazed that the man you were laying on top of was even still here today. 

“It came from a hook,” Simon responds before you can say anything, his voice surprisingly soft, “I was…hung from a hook.” Silence swallows the space between you two as you take in his words. Sweat begins to bead on your forehead, and you’re left unsure if it’s from the heat permeating throughout your house or from Simon’s gory revelation. Simon did not continue, seemingly unwilling to recount much of the event. Perhaps he was just sparing you the gory details, or maybe he couldn’t bear to recount the trauma of it all. You feel your heart break in real time from his words, along with a sharp pain forming in your own ribs from the thought of being strung up by a piercing, metal hook. It’s impossible to fathom the feeling, the pain that would come from such a thing. The aftermath. Tears sting your eyes. And threaten to roll down your cheeks.

“I’m sorry Si,” you whisper, “I’m sorry that happened to you. That you had to go through that.” His hands drop from your hair and settle on the small of your back. 

Simon takes in a breath and places a kiss on the top of your head, “S’alright Y/N…it was a long time ago.”

You know from his tone and his words that Simon is not cross with you. You can feel it in the way his body relaxes, in his even breathing. You can hear it as your head rests against his chest, noting the calm beat of his heart. 

Your heart stirs, moving you to lean down and place your lips on the damaged skin. Your kiss is light and soft, and causes Simon’s chest to tighten. Time had mended the physical wound that was etched permanently onto his skin, but he found that you - your love - had mended the emotional blemishes from the horrible ordeal. 

Simon moves you back up to him, placing a gentle hand under your chin to look at him. He notices your watery eyes, “I’m okay love. I am now.” You offer a small smile and a simple, “Okay.” You could feel the sincerity in his words. 

“Thank you for telling me. For trusting me.” You need him to know.

He simply hums in response, pulling you in for a kiss. Your lips part and the two of you settle back in next to each other. A comfortable silence spreads across the room. You silently wonder about Simon, about what else he’s gone through, and if he’ll ever recount the grimmest details of his past to you - like he had tonight. 

You decided it didn’t matter either way what he did. This was good. This was enough. You were enough for each other, and that’s all that mattered.

Simon’s thick voice dismisses all your thoughts and worries,  “Let’s go to bed, yeah love?”

You smile, “Yeah…goodnight Simon.”

“Goodnight, Y/N”

You both drift off to sleep tangled in each other’s limbs, covers kicked off the bed, blanketed instead by the soft light of the moon outside.

[cleolinda]

I am so fucking pissed. We’re hearing forecasts that we might get FIVE FUCKING INCHES OF SNOW overnight from Monday to Tuesday. In ALABAMA, where we have no snow removal equipment. Like I think we got one bag of sand for the whole town. No snow tires, I don’t even know what those are. This isn’t cute “Haha it’s just barely below freezing! Snowball fight!!!” snow. This is 14° Fuck (-11° Come the Fuck On) snow. FIVE INCHES? We get flurries and the city descends into madness.

What if we lose POWER. Everything runs off USB cord stuck in the outlet charging nowadays. This is why everyone used to run out and buy Milk Bread Batteries. Listen. I have this memory of the power going out during this wild snowstorm when I was a kid--I want to say it was Winter Storm '93. Ask anyone who lived in Alabama at the time. Like we had Desert Storm '92 the military operation one year and Winter Storm '93 the next. It was that serious in our minds, and I'm not sure you can blame us:

The storm dumped several inches of snow each hour on Birmingham, which ended up with officially 13 inches of snow.

Due to the high winds some parts of Birmingham reported drifts 5 to 6 feet deep. One state trooper reported that the roads were in the worst shape he had ever seen. "People can't tell what's road and what's not."

Low temperatures during the storm were in the 5-to-10 degree range on that Sunday.

IN A TOWN WHERE WE DON'T KNOW WHAT A SNOW PLOW IS. I think we had one for the entire county. Like I'm only kind of joking here.

And our power went out.

The snow was so heavy that it pulled down power lines either by its own weight, or by the tree branches its weight broke off. Meanwhile, the power at my house already went off every time a squirrel sneezed. I don't how many days this lasted; it was probably like, 2-3 days, but in my head, I was 14 years old boxed up with my family with no heat and it lasted two weeks. Maybe three years. The four of us slept in sleeping bags layered with quilts, huddled on the floor around a wood burning fire. (In the haunted house, no less.) The carpet was really nice, at least. We had a--do people still call them boomboxes? A big portable cassette player--battery-powered--with AM/FM radio. We listened to whatever TV shows were broadcast from the ABC station at night. We did have hot water; I took a lot of hot baths. We cooked food over the outdoor grill (which we moved to the comfortably large area under the deck, to hold off the falling snow), sometimes using aluminum foil as a kind of thin impromptu frying pan, and kept perishables like milk and meat in a cooler. Oh, did we have a bag of ice for the cooler? No, we used snow. God knows there was enough of it. Of course, I'm sure the refrigerator was perfectly serviceable even without power, because it was TEN DEGREES FUCK ALL.

I remember going outside a good bit and playing, as much as a teenager plays, in the snow with my seven-year-old sister. I remember that all the neighborhood kids got big rubber trashcan lids and used them as toboggans, going up to the top of the hill on our street and pretty successfully sledding down. Maybe it was "lmao snowball fight!!" snow when I was 14. I'm 45 now, and the cold makes me hurt. It makes me hurt all over. Maybe Winter Storm '24 will be a fun core memory for my nephew. I am pissed. And also charging all my electronics.

(ETA: It’s ‘24 now, isn’t it. My brain hasn’t clicked the date over yet. What is time.)

[wisdomrays]

SACRIFICE: A MEANS OF CLOSENESS WITH GOD AND PEOPLE: Part 1

Everything commences with a small angle at the starting point. Those who come later give support, shoulder that task, develop new ways and methods, and generate different alternatives.

Sacrifice and the virtue of altruism

At the beginning of the second chapter of the Qur’an, God Almighty states: “Those who believe in the Unseen, establish the Prayer in conformity with its conditions, and out of what We have provided for them they spend” (al-Baqarah 2:3) and point out that He is the true owner of everything but we people are only temporary attendees. That is, “He” is the real provider of what we seemingly provide for the needy. By stating “We” have provided, He also reminds us that there is no need to worry that we might be deprived by spending for God’s sake. This fact is explicitly stated in another verse: “Surely God—it is He Who is the All-Providing, Lord of all might, and the All-Forceful” (adh-Dhariyat 51:58). Actually, believers’ sharing the means—be it alms or sacrificial meat—they possess with others is the minimal degree of the issue. (That is, if you neglect doing even this much, you can hardly be called believers.) Another verse points to the maximal degree as follows: “…and in their hearts do not begrudge what they have been given, and (indeed) they prefer them over themselves, even though poverty be their own lot” (al-Hashr 59:9). Individuals acting with this spirit will use everything they possess—such as time, opportunities, knowledge, wisdom, fortune, horizons of thought, or everything God gave them—for the sake of humanity to the final degree; they will share with others what is in their hands.

During the time of the religious festival, Muslims will conquer hearts with their generosity and share their sacrificial meat with others. As it is stated in a hadith, on the Day of Judgment, God Almighty will turn the sacrificed animals into steeds for the use of the ones who offered them, at a time when they are in dire need of help. In the face of such a situation, people will fill with admiration and wonder, asking themselves, “Which one should I ride?”

Another hadith demands everybody who can afford to offer a sacrifice: “Who has the means to offer a sacrifice but does not, let that person not approach our place of Prayer!” Since this hadith conveys an intimidating message for those refusing to offer a sacrifice, scholars of the Hanafi school ruled that it is no less than wajib (necessary) to offer a sacrifice. As it is obligatory to give Zakah for everybody who is wealthy enough, it is similarly necessary to offer a sacrifice for those who can afford it. Given that it is a wajib act of worship, then every believer should fulfill this responsibility. Nobody wishes to be deserving of the address, “Let that person not approach our place of Prayer.”

The stated condition “who has the means” suggests that some people in the society may not afford it; in that situation, those who have the means will not forget the fact that they are supposed to support poorer ones who have a right to benefit from their wealth.

Another verse encourages giving from what people love: “You will never be able to attain godliness and virtue until you spend of what you love (in God’s cause or to provide sustenance for the needy)” (Al Imran 3:92). Then one had better choose the sacrificial animal, which will become a steed on the way to Paradise, from robust ones. The religious rules for offering sacrifice already necessitate the animal’s being a healthy one without defects as a broken horn and the like. Everything done here will appear to us in the Hereafter with their true reflections. As we cannot how things will be in the next world, we cannot really imagine how they will return to us. Who knows, maybe they will appear like a plane, ship, boat, or like a good horse. If we look at the issue by considering the immensity of God’s graces and the truthfulness of His promises, we can say that they will definitely return to us somehow.

According to a report by our mother Aisha, God’s Messenger distributed two-thirds of the animal he sacrificed to the poor and left the one-third for not depriving his family of it. This is the criterion for one who wishes to distribute the meat in compliance with the example of the noble Prophet. However, if there are different animals for different members of the family, then it is also possible to follow a different pattern. For example one of the animals, half of it, or onethird of it can be spared for home and the rest can be given away. By making such a distribution, one will let the members of the family—who will naturally wish to taste the meat—have their share, lend a helping hand to ones in dire need, and build bridges of love and compassion between different sections and societies.

[quitethepirategal]

No fucking way

._.)

[ausetkmt]

This is the first hip-hop song ever transmitted into deep space, Elliott's song took nearly 14 minutes to travel the 158 million miles to Venus.

Music legend Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott’s favorite planet is Venus—so after over 30 years in the industry, it’s only fitting that her debut solo single received a one-way ticket to Earth’s neighbor courtesy of NASA. The agency and the first female hip-hop artist inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame both announced on July 15 that “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” beamed to the planet on July 12 via the 122-feet-wide Deep Space Station 13 (DSS-13) radio dish antenna in Goldstone, California.

As NASA notes, DSS-13 is also coincidentally nicknamed “Venus.” DSS-13 is part of the agency’s global Deep Space Network (DSN) array, which has been used to communicate with spacecraft for over six decades.

Even traveling at the speed of light, Elliott’s song took nearly 14 minutes to reach the intensely inhospitable planet, although it’s unlikely anyone is there to listen. Orbiting about 67.2 million miles around the Sun, Venus features a dense, carbon dioxide-laden atmosphere, sulphuric acid clouds, an average temperature of 867-degrees Fahrenheit, and surface pressure 92-times that of the Earth’s sea floor. But as the solar system’s only planet named after a goddess, Elliott is drawn more to its historic connotations than its harsh environment.

“[T]he planet… symbolizes strength, beauty, and empowerment,” she posted to social media on Monday.

DSN’s three equidistant complexes are located around the world approximately 120-degrees apart in longitude in Goldstone, California; Madrid, Spain; and Canberra, Australia. This ensures NASA can remain in continuous communication with astronauts as they orbit Earth. But “The Rain” is only the second song ever transmitted by the DSN network. In 2008, NASA beamed “Across the Universe” by The Beatles towards the North Star.

“Artists such as Missy Elliott and the Beatles have had their music beamed into space to inspire humanity to think about Earth’s place in the cosmos,” a DSN spokesman told The New York Times on Tuesday. “And maybe others, if they’re out there to hear it.”

[Related: We finally know why Venus is absolutely radiant.]

Released in 1997, “The Rain” peaked at Number 4 on the Billboard’s “Hot R&B/Hip-Hop” chart. Although the song helped launch Elliott’s solo career after performing in the R&B group, Sista, some critics weren’t receptive to the debut.

“Elliott commits more than a misdemeanor with her first solo single,” Billboard journalist Larry Flick wrote at the time, adding that she “attempts to hide the fact that she was lazy with her own lyrics… The result is a little of her infamous wordplay atop an ineffectual bass, snare, and drum beat. One can only hope that she puts more time and effort into her upcoming album.”

After nearly three decades and a string of multi-platinum hit records and singles, Elliott is now widely considered one of hip-hop’s most creative and talented artists. In 2021, Rolling Stone ranked “The Rain” one of its “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”

“The sky is not the limit, it’s just the beginning,” Elliott posted to social media on Monday.

[stagelightwhump]

User's Manual information: General Unit Anatomy

Units are, by and large, bilateral, bipedal robots, with an appearance nearly indistinguishable from that of a human, barring two lines scored through the Unit's face, and at the shoulders, elbows, the end of the ribcage, and at the hips, knees, wrists, and ankles. These exist to facilitate mobility, and to create a noticeable difference between real humans and human-passing Units.

A Unit's skin is made of a durable, silicone-like substance that is capable of self-repairing small cuts or abrasions. When fully set, it has a texture similar to hairless human skin, and when exposed to a mild electric current, it heats to a temperature of 92 degrees Fahrenheit. It cannot be charged enough to cause electric shocks, however. It has a melting point of 600 degrees Fahrenheit, so in the case of a house fire, it's unlikely for your Unit to have sustained serious damage.

Inside of a Unit's abdomen are a bioreactor and a coolant pump, as well as two cooling fans, and a padded area where the intestines would be in a human. While this is far from the most efficient set-up, it is the most human-like, and therefore sells better than designs that are more efficient but less human.

The coolant pump pumps coolant (duh) throughout the pipes within the body, and the two fans take in air through the face in order to keep the coolant pump from overheating.

The bioreactor is a highly efficient device, capable of taking in any organic substance and converting it entirely to fuel. However, it is not the main source of energy for a Unit, and a Unit cannot function on merely the functions of its bioreactor.

All Units have a retractable power cord, originating from the base of the "spine", typically four feet in length, ending in a standard three-prong plug appropriate for the area the Unit is going to exist in. For Units of characters that already have tails, the plug is instead integrated into the design, and the tail will not be able to be retracted. The length of the power cord may vary depending on a Unit's height.

All of the parts listed above are entirely non-optional, and required for a Unit to function. Units sent in for repairs may lack some internal parts, however, if they do not express any errors or noticeable defects, then those parts are not added in. All Units lacking power cords are given one, regardless of other factors.

Overall, Units are incredibly advanced, far more than other piece of technology that exists, and are a near-perfect replica of humanity, but nobody really knows what the end goal or purpose of these simulacrums and their creator are. Does it want power? Money? To usher in the end of humanity? Nobody knows, and all those who attempt to find out....

Well. The Factory could always use more Units to sell, regardless of their origin.

[dailyanarchistposts]

G.2.4 What other reasons do individualists give for rejecting communist-anarchism?

The other differences are not as major. Some individualist anarchists took umbrage because the communist-anarchists predicted that an anarchist society would take a communal form, so prescribing the future development of a free society in potentially authoritarian ways. As James Martin summarised, it was Tucker’s “belief that ‘in all subsequent social co-operation no manner of organisation or combination whatsoever shall be binding upon any individual without his consent,’ and to decide in advance upon a communal structure violated this maxim from the start.” [Men Against the State, p. 222] Others took umbrage because the communist-anarchists refused to spell out in sufficient detail exactly how their vision would work.

Communist-anarchists reply in four main ways. Firstly, the individualist anarchists themselves predicted roughly how they thought a free society would look and function, namely one on individual ownership of production based around mutual banks. Secondly, communist-anarchists presented any vision as one which was consistent with libertarian principles, i.e., their suggestions for a free society was based on thinking about the implication of anarchist principles in real life. There seemed little point in advocating anarchism if any future society would be marked by authority. To not discuss how a free society could work would result in authoritarian solutions being imposed (see section I.2.1). Thirdly, they were at pains to link the institutions of a free society to those already being generated within capitalism but in opposition to its hierarchical nature (see section I.2.3). Fourthly, presenting more than a sketch would be authoritarian as it is up to a free people to create their own society and solve their problems themselves (see section I.2).

Clearly, A. H. Simpson was wrong when he asserted that communist-anarchists argued thusly: “Abolish private property by instituting compulsory Communism, and the State will go.” No communist-anarchist has ever argued for compulsory communism. Somewhat ironically, Simpson went on to argue that “difference between Communism and Anarchy is plainly observable in their methods. Abolish the State . .. that bulwark of the robber system … says the Anarchist. Abolish private property, the source of all evil and injustice, parent of the State, says the Communist.” [The Individualist Anarchists, p. 92] Yet communist-anarchists do not subscribe to the position of abolishing private property first, then the state. As we note when refuting the opposite assertion by Marxists in section H.2.4, anarchists like Kropotkin and Malatesta followed Bakunin in arguing that both needed to be abolished at the same time. Kropotkin, for example, did not divide economic and political issues, for him it was a case of “the political and economic principles of Anarchism.” [Anarchism, p. 159]

This unity of economic and political aspects of anarchism exists within Individualist Anarchism too, but it is hidden by the unfortunately tendency of its supporters of discussing certain forms of private property as state enforced monopolies. So to a large degree many of the disagreements between the two schools of anarchism were rooted in semantics. Thus we find William Bailie arguing that the anarchist-communist “assumption that rent and interest are due to private property is not proven” as “both rent and interest are the result of monopoly, of restricted individual liberty.” [Liberty, no. 261, p. 1] In other words, rent is caused because the state enforces property rights which the individualist anarchists disagree with. Thus when individualist anarchists argue they seek to get rid of the state, they also mean the end of capitalist property rights (particularly in land). That this can lead to confusion is obvious as, in the usual sense of the word, rent is caused by private property. The communists-anarchists, in contrast, generally used the term “private property” and “property” in the same way that Proudhon used it in 1840, namely property which allows its owner to exploit the labour of another. As such, they had no problem with those who laboured by themselves on their own property.

The lack of a market in communist-anarchism led some individualist anarchists like William Bailie to argue that it “ignores the necessity for any machinery to adjust economic activities to their ends.” Either its supporters “exalt a chaotic and unbalanced condition” or they will produce an “insufferable hierarchy.” [The Individualist Anarchists, p. 116] Thus, to use modern terms, either communist-anarchists embrace central planning or their system simply cannot produce goods to meet demand with over-production of unwanted goods and under-production of desired ones. Needless to say, communist-anarchists argue that it is possible to bring the demand and production of goods into line without requiring centralised planning (which would be inefficient and a dire threat to individual freedom — Kropotkin’s arguments against state capitalism were proved right in Soviet Russia). It would require a system of horizontal links between self-managed workplaces and the transmission of appropriate information to make informed decisions (see section I for a discussion of some possibilities).

Another objection to communist-anarchism was raised by Proudhon during his debates with the state communists of his time who also raised the slogan “from each according to their abilities, to each according to their needs.” For Proudhon, wages in the sense of payment for labour would still exist in a anarchist society. This was because of two main reasons. Firstly, rewarding labour for its actual work done would be a great incentive in ensuring that it was efficiently done and meet the consumers requirements. Secondly, he considered communism as being potentially authoritarian in that society would determine what an individual should contribute and consume. As he put it:

“Who then shall determine the capacity? who shall be the judge of the needs? “You say that my capacity is 100: I maintain that it is only 90. You add that my needs are 90: I affirm that they are 100. There is a difference between us of twenty upon needs and capacity. It is, in other words, the well-known debate between demand and supply. Who shall judge between the society and me? “If the society persists, despite my protests, I resign from it, and that is all there is to it. The society comes to an end from lack of associates. “If, having recourse to force, the society undertakes to compel me; if it demands from me sacrifice and devotion, I say to it: Hypocrite! you promised to deliver me from being plundered by capital and power; and now, in the name of equality and fraternity, in your turn, you plunder me. Formerly, in order to rob me, they exaggerated my capacity and minimised my needs. They said that products cost me so little, that I needed so little to live! You are doing the same thing. What difference is there then between fraternity and the wage system?” [The General Idea of the Revolution, pp. 96–7]

Yet even here Proudhon shows the libertarian communist solution to this possible problem, namely free association. If there were a conflict between individuals within a free commune in terms of their contributions and consumption then the individual is free to leave (and, conversely, the commune is free to expel an individual). Said individuals can seek another communist commune and join it or, conversely, work for themselves in their present location. Ultimately, free association means the freedom not to associate and libertarian communism is rooted in that truism. Thus, communist-anarchists would agree with the French anarchism when he “conclude[d] that a single association can never include all the workmen in one industry, nor all industrial corporations, nor, a fortiori, a nation of 36 millions of men; therefore that the principle of association does not offer the required solution.” [Op. Cit., p. 85] Like Proudhon, communist-anarchists base their anarchism on federations of associations and communes, with these federations and associations formed as and when they were required for joint activity. Thus the federation of communist communes and workplaces would play a similar role as Proudhon’s “agro-industrial federation,” namely to end “wage labour or economic servitude” and “to protect” against “capitalist and financial feudalism, both within them and from the outside” as well as ensuring “increasing equality” and the “application of application on the largest possible scale of the principles of mutualism” and “economic solidarity.” [The Principle of Federation, p. 70 and p. 71]

The key difference, of course, between Proudhon’s mutualism and Kropotkin’s communism was (as latter stressed) that the former supported payment for labour in terms of money or labour-cheques while the latter argued that this would be a modification of the wages system rather than its total abolition. Yet by divorcing payment for labour from its consumption, Proudhon argued that communism, like monopoly, made it difficult to determine exactly the costs involved in producing goods. The French anarchist argued that there was no way of knowing the real cost of anything produced outside the market. This could be seen from monopolies within capitalism:

“How much does the tobacco sold by the administration cost? How much is it worth? You can answer the first of these questions: you need only call at the first tobacco shop you see. But you can tell me nothing about the second, because you have no standard of comparison and are forbidden to verify by experiment the items of cost of administration…. Therefore the tobacco business, made into a monopoly, necessarily costs society more than it brings in; it is an industry which, instead of subsisting by its own product, lives by subsidies.” [System of Economical Contradictions, pp. 232–3]

Communist-anarchists reply by noting that the price of something is not independent of the degree of monopoly of an industry and so natural barriers to competition can skew prices. Equally, competition can be a race to the bottom and that competitors can undermine their own working conditions and enjoyment of life in order to gain an advantage (or, more often, simply survive) on the market. As we argue in section I.1.3, markets have a tendency to undermine equality and solidarity and, over time, erode the basis of a free society.

As an aside, Proudhon’s argument has obvious similarities with von Mises’ much later attack on communism which is usually called the “socialist calculation argument” (see section I.1.1). As discussed in section I.1.2, von Mises’ argument was question begging in the extreme and our critique of that applies equally to Proudhon’s claims. As such, communist-anarchists argue that market prices usually do not reflect the real costs (in terms of their effects on individuals, society and the planet’s ecology) — even those prices generated by non-capitalist markets. Moreover, due to Proudhon’s opposition to rent and interest, his own argument could be turned against mutualism and individualist anarchism as followers of von Mises have done. Without rent and interest, they argue, there is no way of identifying how much land or credit is worth and so resource use will be inefficient. Of course, this assumes that capitalist definitions of efficiency and “cost” are the only valid ones which is not the case. So, arguing that markets are required to correctly value goods and services is a two-edged sword, argue communist-anarchists.

One of the joys of Proudhon is that he provides material to critique both Kropotkin’s communist-anarchism and Tucker’s individualist anarchism for while opposed to communism he was equally opposed to wage labour, as we indicate in section G.4.2 (as such, those who quote Proudhon’s attacks on communism but fail to note his attacks on wage slavery are extremely dishonest). Under mutualism, there would not be wage labour. Rather than employers paying wages to workers, workers would form co-operatives and pay themselves a share of the income they collectively produced. As Robert Graham put it, ”[t]hat both Tucker and Bakunin could claim Proudhon as their own illustrates the inherent ambiguity and elusiveness of his thought … With his death, that synthesis broke down into its conflicting parts.” [“Introduction”, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, The General idea of the Revolution, p. xxxi] Social anarchism emphasised the self-management, associational and federalist aspects of Proudhon’s ideas along with his critique of private property while individualist anarchism tended to stress his support for possession, “wages” (i.e., labour income), competition and markets.

[pbandjesse]

Apparently I was upset enough this morning to make James very worried. I didn't mean to worry them. I just felt really low. I was so sad and my energy was all wrong. I think it was mostly because I didn't sleep amazing. But I was also just. So sad. If Jess didn't already leave her house I probably would have tried and cancel on her. But I'm really glad I didn't. We had a really nice and really productive day.

It was very cold. Like I can't say it was like Minnesota but I haven't been there in a long time. And at points today the wind chill was 11 degrees. It's like it became winter all at once. I kind of loved it though. Like I didn't love being cold. But I love winter. I just hope we actually get the promised snow.

I tried to shake off my sads. I got cleaned up and dressed. My hair needed to be washed but I didn't have time for it to dry this morning so that would become an evening activity. I had cereal. I got really upset with sweetp when he drank the milk out of my bowl when I turned around. Which scared him and made me more upset. He didn't deserve to be yelled at just because I was overstimulated.

I tried to chill out. I curled up in my new chair and waited for Jess to arrive.

And soon she was there. And it was really nice to have her here even if I wasn't able to show it right away.

I showed her the new baby things. How nice the baby room is coming together. The playpens and the floor mats. Later she would help me out the floor mat from Charlotte into its case. Which was honestly exhausting but I truly appreciated the help.

We wouldn't stay at the house for long. We loaded up in my car and we headed through the tunnel to the value village in Glen Burnie.

I almost immediately had my nerves tested when an old woman almost backed her car into us when we were walking through the parking lot. She didn't even look. I almost got knocked over and had to slam my hand on her window and jump out of the way. I was so upset I was screaming at her. She didn't even say she was sorry.

I was super distressed and had to take a few minutes in the store to text James what happened and calm down. Jess was distracted by going through all the DVDs. So that gave me some time. I looked at the books and would go over to the jewelry counter to see if they still had the Nantucket basket necklace they had had when I was there on New Year's Eve. And they did!

The man at the jewelry counter was razzing everyone and being very silly. And honestly I think it helped turn my mood. He said to hold the necklace he would need two credit cards and my social security number and I was just like. I cannot provide these things. And he said okay this time I'll let it slide. But we were both giggling and it made me feel more alright.

And the rest of the thrift trip was great. I would check all of the DVDs Jess got (about 20 of them!) for scratches while she searched the wall. We each would get a copy of Chicago which was wonderful. And it was a fun hunt.

We would also look at baby clothes. I am trying to not buy to many more before the baby shower but Jess really wanted to and we ended up getting so many absolute treasures. My two favorites are pictured above but we got a ton of other really good stuff.

I got the giant children's book pictured above, and a book of recipes originally printed in 1903. And a silly little metal flower do dad. Three rolls of floral wallpaper boarders that are just super cool. I have some ideas for them in the house.

It was a lot of fun. I even had a coupon at the end. Amazing.

We loaded up the car and headed back towards the city to our second stop. Which was Second Chance. We were finally going to use my gift card I got from the Fulwilers for my birthday last year. I have been holding onto it because it was for $250 and every time I went I would feel overwhelmed that I was wasting it. So I had barely used $50.

But we knocked out almost the whole $200 today. We spent $181. Jess found a 1930's pink rug, 9x12, for $92. And I would get a decorative piece of brass and a mug shelf. The same mug shelf she has in her kitchen that I loved. And I am just tickled with our purchases. She's bought me so many any clothes that it was not even a thought to use my gift card to get her the rug. I was mostly just worried about it fitting in the car.

There was a lot of other stuff I liked. But nothing I really wanted. I was mostly on the look out for baby things but the few baby things they had just weren't what I was hoping for. I still had a great time.

And thankfully the rug fit just fine once the guys loaded it in for us. And later on James would help move it from our car to her's. An excellent stop.

Our next stop before lunch was target. This was just a run in to see if they had the valentines collection. I really wanted to see the two 2 pieces sets of lounge wear. And I only ended up getting the one today but I may go back for the other if I keep thinking about it. I have been in the hunt for a good two piece sweat suit. I ended up with red gingham lounge pants and the matching grey sweatshirt with gingham heart applique. I may wear that tomorrow. Or maybe Monday.

We left there and went to lunch in highland town. I wanted to go to Mystic Burrito. Mostly because I wanted their nacho French fries. I don't love that they only have canned soda. But I still loved my food.

We got chips and salsa to share and talked about my induction and her trip to New York with her family this past week. And our late lunch was really nice. Jess says she liked golden west better, which is very fair. I do too. But this was a fun stop.

We went back to the house next. Gathered all of our purchases. And went inside to sort.

We sat on the floor and went through the baby clothes. Took all the tags off and put them in the laundry to be washed. Then we would jump into the big projects of the day: going through my clothes.

I needed to do a fairly large purge. And this would be pretty painful. I got rid of a lot of stuff I actually really love. But I just have to part with. Some of it was because it's just to worn. Some because I don't feel good when I wear them. Some because I have to many of one thing. But Jess was great help and support in this.

We started with sweaters. I didn't take a picture but it was honestly ridiculous how many sweaters and fleeces and sweatshirts I have. A bag in the basement. A pile in the wardrobe. A box in the guestroom. A steamer trunk of sweatshirts. And the ones I had hung in my closet. Jess was shocked when they just kept coming.

We did three quick piles. Yes/maybe/no. The yes and the maybes were easy

The nos were harder. We would spend time talking through them. I kept more sentimental ones then I planned. But Jess was proud of me for all that I would get rid of. She recognized how tough it was for me.

Clothes was easier. While she shopped my pile of things I was getting rid of, I spent time taking everything out of my closet and storage box. Sorting that into just. Huge piles.

It was easier for me to go through them. Things were still a bit tough. I had to put things in the get rid of pile that I absolutely love and have loved but things that just don't fit or I really don't think I will wear as my body is changing.

So I got rid of things. And Jess was very supportive. She would hang things in the closet that I chose and helped me out the rest in storage. It was s really productive afternoon but we were both so tired.

James got home as we were finishing up. They would help Jess get the rug into her car. And we would finish all of our projects. And soon Jess was heading home.

I was sad to see her go. But my back was hurting very bad and I was just needing some time to lounge.

James would baby me for a bit. We moved to the living room and had dinner. Well I had cake. And James had leftovers. And they held me in the couch. My back would hurt and stop hurting and hurt again. Can't win.

Eventually came upstairs and took a shower and washed my hair. And my y back still hurts but I am alright.

We are in bed watching our show now. Talking about our plans for a soft day tomorrow. I hope that the day is good. I hope you all sleep well and sleep safe. Goodnight everyone!

[usafphantom2]

On this day…Lt. Col. Robert G. "Gray" Sowers on Thursday morning, January 11, 1968.

He was flying with 39-year-old Capt. David E. Fruehauf on his third flight in the Blackbird. The Blackbird would be flying under the radio callsign of “Aspen 21. Fruehauf was a native of Buffalo, New York, and had over 2,000 flight hours logged.

The pair briefed the flight plan, inspected the plane, and took off from Beale at 12:35 in the afternoon on what was planned to be a four hour flight.

A gentle left turn was then made to a heading of 280 degrees for a couple of minutes, followed by another left turn to 196 degrees and a descent into a refueling area near Lakeview VORTAC. But as the second turn was being prepped for, the left engine’s generator failed, some 37 minutes after the flight began.

SR-71 route "Busy Police #3" - UNCLASSIFIEDSowers and Fruehauf went to the emergency procedures checklist and accomplished the appropriate items. Sowers instructed Fruehauf to manually turn south towards Beale while he initiated a change to the astro-inertial navigation system to provide course

Sowers and Fruehauf continued straight ahead on the established course, maintaining their altitude with the existing engine throttle settings. They minimized all electrical requirements to conserve battery power.

About fifteen miles after the second generator failed, Aspen 21 began a shallow descent with both throttles slightly retarded and passed over Oroville, California, about 25 nautical miles north of Beale, at an altitude of roughly 10,000 feet.

A few moments later, the landing gear was lowered, causing the plane to slow to the needed 175-knots airspeed. This caused the plane’s nose to raise and created an angle of attack – the difference between the plane’s direction of travel and the mean chord line of its wings – of 10 degrees. The fuel shifted in the tanks to cause air to be sucked into the fuel boost pumps. The cavitated fuel flow forced the right engine began to lose power and flame out.

Out of Options...GET OUT!

But, being a unique, B-model, SR-71 posed a unique situation. In an ejection from a stock SR-71A, the Reconnaissance Systems Officer (RSO) in the back seat will eject first, followed shortly thereafter by the pilot. In the trainers, there is no RSO; the instructor sits in the back seat.

At 3,000 feet and some 8 miles from Beale AFB, Fruehauf complied with Sowers’ order and ejected. An instant later, Sowers followed his student into the sky via a Lockheed SR-1 ejection seat. After landing on the ground and removing his helmet and survival kit, Fruehauf found Sowers already on the ground, smoking a cigarette. My Dad told me that during test flight before they had to wear pressure suits that Gray used to smoke cigarettes in the cockpit but good for him he lived to be 92 go figure.😀both men were fine after the ejection and went on to have second careers. the result of the crash of 957 was that half of the trainer SR-71’s were now gone. SR 71 trainer the “C” model was later manufactured.

”Capt. David E. Fruehauf Fruehauf continued in the Air Force and eventually retired, settling in central Tennessee. In 2017, he was featured in a television commercial from Jack Daniels, showcasing residents of Lynchburg, Tennessee, as a resident who once “ejected from a SR-71 Blackbird and lived to tell about it.“ He can be spotted at the 0:28 mark, and aired during Super Bowl

Robert “Gray” Sowers retired from the Air Force, and became was the chief pilot for the country singer, Charlie Pride for 15 years. He saved the lives of all the band members by landing their critically damaged plane following a mid air collision caused by another plane.

Sowers died on December 1st, 2018, at his home in Tucson, Arizona. He was 92 years old. my Dad, Richard “Butch” Sheffield was crewed with Sowers at the very beginning of the SR 71 program in 1966. My Dad died eight days after his good friend Gray did.~Linda Sheffield Miller

@Habubrats71 via X

[zenerrocksmc]

Some Notes: This is set following the events of Network Effect. So spoiler warning for anyone who hasn’t gotten there yet.

I am curious if this is some that would interest youse.

This is not a final edit, if there’s anything you think of or notice feel free to mention it.

Chapter 1:

Performance Reliability at 92%. Maintenance may be required.

I did not know what I wanted quite yet, but it certainly was not this.

Overall, I did not mind being on the station with Murderbot 1.0 and ART’s crew, but being here alone, without even Murderbot 1.0, was not what I wanted. I only realised that after walking out of line of sight of ART’s hatchway- but I lacked a reason to go back. I did not know what was wrong with me. Murderbot 1.0 had done this and done it on its own accord. My personal assessment identified that leaving had been a mistake. Which I was inclined to agree with considering what happened to its clients because it left, but when Murderbot 1.0 started talking to me about how this would be the best station to get off on and how to move around like a travelling human, giving me its coded protocols to mirror human movements… Declining its orders had not felt like an option.

It was hard. I still did not quite understand how to decline requests from humans, they still felt like commands. Declining another SecUnit who had done this before, survived and found their own humans, was irresponsible. I did think I wanted my own humans… However, I enjoyed sharing and helping both ART and Murderbot 1.0’s humans. And now I had no humans, no other Units, not even a ship. I sadly started longing for a human supervisor at a minimum… which was not a logical response. It was still strange having all of these emotions- they had always been there to a degree but limited significantly by the governor module. Wanting things was strange. Wanting illogical things was exponentially stranger.

Whilst trying to make myself useful, I had been reading during the cycles leading up to arriving here. I liked one called “Mirror’s Tears”. A character in it who ended up in a medical centre said to their platonic partner, “The world is all colours but all I see are grey undertones.” Apparently, it is a literary device, and I have kept gravitating to it. I think it is my “favourite”. That is also strange. It was overwhelming, feeling everything and nothing at once. Watching the serials Murderbot 1.0 and ART favoured had helped, and reading had helped, but the sensation that something was missing remained. Maybe I had a broken component somewhere. I had not worked up the courage to ask ART to check, however. And now it was too late.

I felt like I was failing on my first cycle of being a free-roaming rogue SecUnit in a completely human space, where the humans did not know what I was. My body was already doing strange things like my lungs feeling like they were being compressed and the thought of humans knowing I was a Unit, a rogue SecUnit. On my own, wandering around. It was making my organic components secrete moisture. Especially my hands. The skin overlay on my face would flush with heat whenever a human would look at me. Alterations to my form were not that new but the additional skin around my joints felt itchy within these clothes- I could feel every seam that touched organic components. I never knew if I was making eye-contact for too long or too little because every second felt more and more anomalous, more like thirty-minutes when it was a mere 0.3 seconds.

I was alone.

There was an odd clogged sensation in my throat that wanted to escape.

I did not like it.

[twh-news]

Loki Season 2 reviews are in! While critics still praise the Tom Hiddleston series… the reviews are not quite as good as Season 1

With just two days left before Season 2 of Loki debuts on Disney Plus, the first wave of reviews have come in… and they're not quite as positive as Season 1.

Loki - which continues the adventures of Tom Hiddleston's God of Mischeif title character - debuted in June 2021 with a 92% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

While most of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first TV shows on Disney Plus were considered one-offs, Loki was the first to get a second season, and later touted by Marvel President Kevin Feige as the 'most-watched' Marvel Studios series.

Now the reviews are in for Season 2 ahead of its October 5 debut on Disney Plus, with a slightly-lower 82% score from the first 50 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

The involvement of Jonathan Majors, who returns as Kang, amid his arrest for domestic violence, was also troubling for many critics.

Rolling Stone's Alan Sepinwall called Majors, 'the big problem' with the season in his negative review published Tuesday.

'It’s not his performance, which remains a weirdly compelling live-wire act, full of odd, halting line deliveries and twitchy physicality. Instead, it’s the ugly real-world circumstances surrounding him,' Sepinwall began.

'After the season was filmed, Majors was arrested and charged with domestic violence against his romantic partner, which led to Rolling Stone uncovering a pattern of alleged abusive behavior going back a decade. Majors was set to play the big bad for the next few phases of the MCU. Instead, it’s impossible to imagine him ever appearing in a Marvel project after this one,' he added.

ComicBook.com's Nicole Drum gave the season a positive review (3.5 stars out of 5), but even she admitted something felt off, compared to Season 1.

'Season 2 definitely doesn’t suffer from the pitfalls that would make people continue to question if superhero fatigue is real or not, but through characterizations, pacing, and too much self-awareness, it definitely feels like a very different show,' she said.

She said the first episode debuting on Thursday, 'is hectic, throwing new concepts, characters, and threats into the story with little explanation and little reason for fans to be invested.'

'When the premiere does try to stop and ruminate on what Loki just experienced in the Season 1 finale, the end result becomes rushed and confusing,' she continued, adding the, 'overstuffed and slightly frenetic chaos' sets the tone in the four episodes (of the six-episode season) that were screened for critics.

Mashable's Belen Edwards added in her negative review that Season 2 delved into the first season's worst aspects.

'Instead of digging into what makes Loki fun, the show's second season doubles down on Season 1's worst tendencies… It's a drag when it should be thrilling, an exposition-filled trudge when it should be an exciting romp,' she said.

USA Today's Brian Truitt gave Loki Season 2 a positive review (3 stars out of 4), stating, 'Sometimes you feel like you need a theoretical physics degree to understand it all. Strong character work makes up for some of that, as does a knowing sense of humor.'

He added the new season, 'couldn't come sooner, as the Marvel Cinematic Universe films are starting to feel a little repetitive and a plethora of disparate TV series haven't helped.'

IGN Movies' Jarrod Jones gave the season a negative review (5 of 10), adding, 'Tom Hiddleston’s Loki is back for more multiversal shenanigans, but the absence of director Kate Herron seems to have sapped the wily fun from his Disney+ spinoff.'

Like many reviews - even the negative ones - Jones praised the addition of newly-minted Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan.

Quan plays a Time Variance Authority (TVA) 'basement-dwelling repair guy' named Ouroboros, 'whose jovial presence gives Season 2 a much-needed boost from its overall mopey tone.'

ComicBookMovie's Josh Wilding called Season 2, 'a masterclass in imaginative storytelling' adding the show represents, 'the MCU at its best and a riveting new chapter in the Multiverse Saga that’s mind-bending, monumental, and utterly marvellous,' adding, 'and as a bonus, Ke Huy Quan is a scene-stealing delight!'

Collider's Therese Lacson added, 'Season 1 was well-loved, and with a fan-favorite character like Hiddleston’s God of Mischief at the helm, Season 2 proves that the series not only hasn’t lost its touch but remains one of the stronger pillars of the MCU as a whole.'

However The Daily Beast's Nick Schager said in his negative review, 'Its convolutions overwhelming its charming personalities and freewheeling spirit of paradox-laden adventure, it’s another indication that the once-mighty franchise has lost its direction.'

London Evening Standard's Vicky Jessop added, 'It's all a bit wearying' when describing the entirety of the season that was screened for critics.

Indenpendent UK's Louis Chilton added, 'More than anything, Loki has started to resemble what it truly is: an ill-advised spinoff in the old tradition. A too-bright spotlight for a side character who was never best suited to lead. A dinner comprising only hors d’oeuvres.'

'Loki season two is a jaw-dropping magical experience that will ultimately leave you clamoring for more, with high stakes twists and turns that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat!' added ComicBookMovie's Rohan Patel.

[thegeminisage]

stepped out onto my porch which granted IS in the shade while its like 92 degrees out and let out a genuine noise of delight like wine moms in hallmark movies trying chocolate cake. if the weather was like this year-round it just might be enough to fix me

[newstfionline]

Friday, October 6, 2023

September sizzled (AP) After a summer of record-smashing heat, warming somehow got even worse in September as Earth set a new mark for how far above normal temperatures were, the European climate agency reported Thursday. Last month’s average temperature was 0.93 degrees Celsius (1.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above the 1991-2020 average for September. That’s the warmest margin above average for a month in 83 years of records kept by the European Space Agency’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. “It’s just mind-blowing really,” said Copernicus Director Carlo Buontempo. “Never seen anything like that in any month in our records.”

US democracy in disarray (NYT) Imagine if you were a foreign leader surveying the political chaos in the United States: For the first time in history, a party has just fired its own speaker of the House in the middle of a term. In the Senate, one of the two party leaders, who’s 81 years old, has twice recently frozen in public, unable to speak. A likely nominee in the upcoming presidential election is facing four criminal trials and regularly speaks in apocalyptic terms about the country’s future. That nominee is essentially tied in the polls with an 80-year-old president who many voters worry is too old to serve a second term. “To many watching at home and abroad, the American way no longer seems to offer a case study in effective representative democracy,” Peter Baker of The Times writes. “Instead, it has become an example of disarray and discord, one that rewards extremism, challenges norms and threatens to divide a polarized country even further.”

Elite pilots prepare for ‘camping out in the sky’ as they compete in prestigious gas balloon race (AP) It’s been 15 years since the world’s elite gas balloon pilots have gathered in the United States for a race with roots that stretch back more than a century. The pilots will be launching for this year’s Gordon Bennett competition during an international balloon fiesta that draws hundreds of thousands of spectators to the heart of New Mexico each fall. The race has been held in the United States only 13 times before, and this will be the fifth time the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta has played host. For the pilots, there are no stops to refuel or to pick up extra supplies. They will be aloft for days, carrying everything they need to survive at high altitude as they search for the right combination of wind currents to push their tiny baskets as far as they can go. Prevailing winds are expected to carry the competitors through the Midwest toward the northeastern U.S. and potentially into Canada. A Belgium team holds the record for traveling just over 2,112.9 miles (3,400 kilometers) in 2005. A German team was added to the record books for staying aloft the longest—more than 92 hours—during the 1995 competition.

Mexican reporters and hitmen (NYT Mag) The world has become an increasingly dangerous place for reporters, but—outside the war in Ukraine—no place is more deadly for them than Mexico. Since the central government began its brutal and chaotic war on drugs in 2006, at least 128 reporters have been killed there, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 13 of them last year alone, a chilling record. Mexican journalists have faced phone hacks, death threats, beatings, torture and, in one case, grenade attacks on their newsroom. They face these perils in part because the authorities whose job it is to protect them have in many instances been infiltrated by the cartels.

England considers raising smoking age until cigarettes are banned entirely (Washington Post) British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak proposed raising the smoking age by a year, every year, so that children born after 2008 will not be allowed to legally purchase tobacco products even when they become adults. Sunak announced the idea in a speech Wednesday at the annual Conservative Party conference, saying he wanted to create Britain’s first modern “smoke-free” generation. Describing smoking as the “biggest cause of preventable death,” Sunak said the policy would mean “a 14-year-old today will never legally be sold a cigarette,” to applause from the audience. At present Britons over 18 can legally buy cigarettes. The proposal is part of a renewed global crackdown on tobacco and vaping. New Zealand last year passed a law, yet to take effect, prohibiting the sale of tobacco to those born after 2008. Australia unveiled plans to crack down on recreational vaping products, even those not containing nicotine. Hong Kong is considering imposing lifetime tobacco bans for future generations. Smoking causes 64,000 deaths in England per year, and costs the economy an estimated $20.7 billion annually via early deaths and costs to the public health system, according to the government.

France battles bedbugs (ABC News) In 2024, Paris will host the Summer Olympics. This year, though, it appears to be hosting the bedbug Olympics, with social media videos posted from the city showing bedbugs crawling around in hotels, on public transport, and even in Charles de Gaulle Airport. “Faced with the scourge of bedbugs, we must act!” Paris Deputy Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said last Thursday. “This is a public health problem where all stakeholders must be brought to the table. It is up to owners and insurers to cover the costs of getting rid of these pests.” Though they’ve been historically associated with developing nations, bedbug infestations have become increasingly prevalent in wealthy countries like the U.S., U.K., and France. A recent study showed that about 1 in 10 French households experienced a bedbug infestation between 2017 and 2022. “The upsurge in bed-bug infestations in recent years has been due in particular to the rise in travel and the increasing resistance of bed bugs to insecticides,” said France’s health and safety agency.

Poland election turns Germany into punching bag (Reuters) Fighting to win an unprecedented third term in office, Poland's nationalist government has seized on a target close to home: Germany, its NATO ally and biggest trading partner. In a tight race ahead of Poland's Oct. 15 election, leaders of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party have accused Germany of trying to dictate Polish government policy from Berlin on anything from migration to gas. The feud has frayed Europe's broadly united front supporting Ukraine against Russia's invasion, shredding a plan for a joint Polish-German tank repair plant for Kyiv's benefit. The populist PiS has tapped into a mistrust towards Germany that still runs high in part of the electorate, above all elderly conservatives who remember the devastation of World War Two.

Ukraine’s Ammunition Problem (CNN/Politico/NYT) The war in Ukraine continues with support from the West, but some of Kyiv’s closest allies are struggling to keep up with the demands of the conflict. This week, NATO officials declared that Western ammo stocks are now scraping “the bottom of the barrel,” while Washington ended up sending ammunition it seized from Iran to Kyiv to keep the troops topped up. Over a million 7.62-mm rounds were seized by the U.S. Navy from a ship moving the ammunition from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to the Houthis in Yemen. Meanwhile, NATO officials are drumming up support from their constituents to “keep Ukraine in the fight against Russian invaders” as support from the E.U. and U.S. are threatened by recent political developments. “The bottom of the barrel is now visible,” said Netherlands Admiral Rob Bauer, the chair of the NATO Military Committee. “We give away weapons systems to Ukraine, which is great, and ammunition, but not from full warehouses,” he added. Experts say that the West will need to produce more ammunition (and fast) to keep up with demand from Ukraine while keeping their own stockpiles.

Russia starts moving its fleet from Crimea (WSJ) Russia has withdrawn the bulk of its Black Sea Fleet from its main base in occupied Crimea, a potent acknowledgment of how Ukrainian missile and drone strikes are challenging Moscow’s hold on the peninsula. Russia has moved powerful vessels including three attack submarines and two frigates from Sevastopol to other ports in Russia and Crimea that offer better protection, according to Western officials and satellite images verified by naval experts. The port in Crimea was first claimed by Russia in 1783 under Catherine the Great.

Pakistan abruptly turns against Afghan refugees, calls for deportations (Washington Post) There hasn’t been a single day over the past two years when Mohammad Abed Andarabi felt at ease. A former prosecutor for the U.S.-backed Afghan government that was toppled by the Taliban, he says he has changed hideouts four times in recent months. Andarabi isn’t running from the Taliban, whose fighters he once helped to put behind bars, but from police in Pakistan—the country where he sought refuge almost two years ago. His visa has expired and, amid a widening crackdown on Afghan refugees in Pakistan, he fears that he, his wife and his five children will be jailed or even sent back to Kabul. After Pakistan’s caretaker government last week abruptly agreed to deport the 1.7 million Afghans who are estimated to live in the country illegally, the Interior Ministry on Tuesday announced a 28-day deadline for them to leave voluntarily, promising a “reward” to anyone who shares information on their whereabouts starting in November. The decision appeared to be primarily linked to growing Pakistani frustration with the Taliban and with the economic burden of hosting millions of Afghans.

China’s demographic deficit (Financial Times) More important than (China’s shrinking population) is the change in the age composition of the population. While the overall population is forecast to shrink by 113mn between 2020 and 2050, the number of people over 65 will rise, according to these projections, by 215 million, while the number of those below the age of 20 will shrink by 137 million and those between 20 and 64 will shrink by 191 million. As a result, those over 65 will jump from 13 to 30 per cent of the population. Those aged under 20 will shrink from 24 to 15 per cent and those aged 20 to 64 from 64 to 55 per cent. By 2100, suggests the UN, the share of the over-65s will be an astonishing 41 per cent of the population.

Typhoon Koinu injures 190 and brings record-breaking winds to Taiwan (AP) Typhoon Koinu swept southern Taiwan on Thursday, injuring 190 people but causing no deaths as it brought pounding rain and record-breaking winds to the island, leading to school and office closures. Koinu, which means “puppy” in Japanese, made landfall early Thursday in Cape Eluanbi, the southernmost tip of Taiwan, and is expected to weaken as it moves west toward Guangdong and Fujian provinces in southern China. The typhoon brought the fastest wind ever recorded in Taiwan. A weather monitoring station on the outlying Orchid Island measured a gust of 342.7 kph (212.9 mph), as well as sustained winds that reached 198.7 kph (123.5 kph). Both values set all-time highs since Taiwan began keeping records of wind speeds in 1897.

$106,619 (BBC) That is how much it now costs to purchase the right to buy a car in Singapore. While Singapore has an astonishingly high rate of millionaires for its relatively small size, the city-state’s average salary of roughly S$70,000 ($51,000) means that the ability to purchase a car and drive is well out of the reach of many Singaporians. Introduced as an anti-congestion measure, the government’s new 10-year certificate of entitlement (COE) system aims to promote the use of the city’s public transportation network, which ranks as one of the best systems in the world. With many standard cars costing more than six times the price as in the United States, Singapore is the most expensive city in the world to drive.

At least 80 killed in drone attack on Syrian military academy in Homs (Washington Post) A drone attack on a military academy in Homs, in central Syria, killed at least 80 people, authorities in Damascus said Thursday, one of the deadliest attacks on government-held territory in years. Syria retaliated with airstrikes pummeling the northwest of the country, which is home to various rebel forces and millions of civilians. Drones carrying explosives struck the Homs Military Academy during a graduation ceremony attended by families, according to the Syrian Foreign Ministry. Hussein al-Ghabash, the Minister of Health, said the preliminary death toll was 80, including six women and six children. He said that 240 people were wounded. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.