#started a book on cobalt mining

[quixoticanarchy]

thought too hard about supply chains and resource extraction again. concluded industrialization was a mistake. once youre done reading this we should all throw our devices in a ditch

[titsthedamnseason]

it just occurred to me that xander will probably inherit halway comics. i never really thought deeply into his future career ever but it makes a lot of sense to me. moffy will take over hale co, luna becomes ceo of fizzle, xander will run halway comics, and kinney….its honestly early days in terms of her characterization so we don’t know that much about her yet besides she likes vlogging and fashion. i never imagined rose giving it up but honestly maybe she would pass on calloway couture to kinney because none of her own kids are /that/ fashion inclined (or really as business minded as the hale kids seem to be so far) and rose has always been a huge role model and inspiration to kinney. if this does end up happening the hales will go from already being the most successful and employed family to being even richer and more successful. they are so slay like that. and also in this perfect world i have dreamed up i think they should all 4 have equal stock in / power over superheroes and scones because that place is just so family 💙

[no-passaran]

A newspaper in my country has interviewed Siddharth Kara, one of the experts on what's going on in the cobalt mines in Congo. I think it's very well explained and a must-read to get an overview of this huge human rights violation that is going on. So here I translate it to English, hoping it will reach more people.

Siddharth Kara: "Every time we buy a new mobile phone, we put our foot around the neck of a child in the Congo"

Interview with the author of Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives

"The poorest people in the world, including tens of thousands of children, dig the earth in toxic and very dangerous conditions to find cobalt," says journalist and writer Siddharth Kara (Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, 1974). The rechargeable batteries of our mobile phones, tablets, laptops or electric vehicles need this mineral that thousands of children, men, women and elderly people extract from the Congolese mines in inhumane conditions. Kara went there because he had specialized in research on slavery, and in Congo he found a modernized form of slavery. "Time has passed, but the colonial mentality has not," he explains. Everything he saw there and what was explained to him is recounted in Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives (a book that does not have a translation into Catalan, but which has now been translated into Spanish, by Capitán Swing). The photographs and videos illustrating this interview were taken by himself.

—Was it difficult to write this book? —Yes. Firstly, because of the specific difficulty of this area of the Congo: very dangerous, very militarized. There are armed militias. And for the local people there it is dangerous to talk to foreigners, because it can bring them consequences. It was difficult to get there, and then it was difficult to build trust with the people who worked there. I only managed it thanks to this trust, which we achieved little by little, until we were sure that we could do the research with guarantees and ethically.

—What drove you to the Congo cobalt mines? —I had been doing research on slavery since 2000. Around 2016, some African colleagues contacted me and said: “Siddharth, something terrible is happening in the cobalt mines of the Congo, maybe you should go there”. I had no idea what cobalt was. I thought it was a color used for painting. I didn't know it was used for rechargeable batteries. It took me a couple of years to grasp its importance. Then I started making contacts to travel there, and in the summer of 2018 I went there.

—And what did you find there? —The suffering and degradation I saw there were so intense that I decided to return there often to write a book. Hundreds of thousands of the world's poorest people, including tens of thousands of children, dig the earth in toxic and very dangerous conditions to find cobalt and put it into circulation, in a distribution chain that goes to the rechargeable devices and cars that people like you and me use every day. It was a human apocalypse, a total invasion of human rights and the dignity of the Congolese people.

—Could you describe what a mine like this is like, physically? How should we imagine it? —Those who are at the top of the economic chain of cobalt exploitation like to distort the truth, and use the term "artisanal mine". This way, they evoke a kind of picturesque activity, but on the ground it is a dangerous and degrading job. A mine of this kind is a mass of tunnels, pits and trenches filled with thousands of people who dig with shovels, pieces of metal or directly with their bare hands. They fill a sack with earth, stone and mud. Some children rinse it in toxic pools to separate the mud from the cobalt stones, which a whole family pours into another sack. It might take twelve hours to fill a forty-kilo sack or two. For each sack they get paid a few euros, very few, and that's how they live every day. They survive.

This video was filmed by Siddharth Kara: [you can watch the video in the interview link, freely available without any paywall, here]

—Is there any rational organization in these mines? Is there someone who decides who does what to optimize work? —Well, there is a whole gear designed so that the poor and the children of the Congo produce hundreds of thousands of tons of cobalt every year. There, work is usually divided by age and gender. Digging tunnels, which requires a lot of strength, is usually done by young men and teenagers. The digging of small pits and trenches that can be less meters deep is done by women and smaller children. Rinsing this toxic cobalt is usually done by the children. The merchant system to exploit these families and sell the cobalt they produce to the formal industrial mines is very well set up.

—What else do these people at the top of the chain invent? —Another fiction they invent is that there is a difference between industrial and artisanal mining, and that they only buy from the industrial one, where there is no child labor. Not true: all cobalt is mined by children. All the cobalt that the children and peasants extract goes straight to industrial mining. In addition, there is no way to separate what comes from a bulldozer and what comes from a child, once it all pours into the same place in the facility that does the industrial processing before this cobalt is sent out of the Congo.

—You explain that the situation is particularly abusive for women. —Yes. It is a lawless land, and violence is the norm. Women and girls always bear the brunt: they are victims of physical and sexual violence, and almost no one talks about it. It is a major tragedy: they are victims of sexual assaults that are committed in the mines themselves, while they collect the cobalt that we have in our mobile phones.

—You refer to all of this as a new episode of slavery. It is not the first time that the Congo has a decisive material for Western economic development. It happened with uranium for nuclear bombs, for example. History repeats itself. —Exactly. It is important for people to understand that we are not witnessing an isolated case, but the latest episode in a long, very long, history of looting of the Congo, a very resource-rich country, dating back to the colonial period. The first automobile revolution required rubber for tires. The Congo had one of the largest rubber tree rainforests in the world. King Leopold [of Belgium] deployed a mercenary army of criminals and terrorists to enslave the population and make them work to get it. This inspired Joseph Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness. The Congo also has abundant reserves of gold, diamonds, nickel, lithium and other metals and minerals that make components for electronic devices…

—These mercenaries deployed by King Leopold, are they still there today, in one way or another? —Yes. On the ground there are militias, or the army, or private security forces that the mining companies hire and that, sometimes, in addition to monitoring, do the work of recruiting children. Under the threat of an occupation, they force an entire town to dig. It's atrocious: we live in an age of supposed moral progress, where everyone shares the same human rights, and yet our global economic order has its knee on the necks of the children and the poor of the Congo, with this huge demand for cobalt that has to fuel the rechargeable economy.

—Has no Western country or international body done anything to stop it? —No. No western country, no government, no big business has lifted a finger to address this tragedy. They talk about maintaining human rights standards in their supply chains, they talk about environmental sustainability, but it's only talk. That is why it is very important that journalists and researchers set foot on the land of the Congo and listen to what the Congolese have to say: that no one protects their rights or their dignity, that they are erasing the environment, that mining it is not done in a sustainable way and the whole countryside is polluted and destroyed by the mining operations. It is enough to walk ten minutes around a mine to see it.

—Does the same happen in all mines? Large Western companies that use cobalt often claim that theirs comes from artisanal mines that meet standards. —Have they gone there? There is no decent mine in the Congo. It does not exist. I'll be happy to take any CEO of any tech company to their mines, where their cobalt comes from. We'll stand there, watching them extract it, and take a selfie with it. Everyone will realize that what is seen behind us is not decent. You will see destruction, millions of trees felled, installations that emit toxic gases that fall on the surrounding towns, on the children, on the animals, on the food. There is no decent mine in the Congo. And they know it. But who will believe the voice of a Congolese if they can drown it out with proclamations of human rights while they continue to make money without measure?

—Can you explain the role China plays in all of this? You say that it controls the supply chain. —Yes. China controls about 70% of mining production in the Congo. Why do we accept China saying its mines are decent, if they don't even protect the human rights of their own people? Why do we accept a technology company or a car manufacturer saying, "My Chinese partners say they protect human rights there, and that's enough for me"? Why do we accept it?

—Why do you say that a certain transition to green energy is absolute hypocrisy? —When the calls in favor of this transition consist of proposing to consumers that they buy electric vehicles instead of gasoline cars, this is hypocrisy. Because the cobalt and other elements that are used for the batteries of these cars are extracted using methods that are catastrophic for the environment. While in one part of the world we say we want to save the environment and leave a greener planet to our children, in another we are destroying both the planet and the future of their children. How can you save only part of the planet, turning the rest into a toxic dump? How can we give a green planet only to our children, while we let other people's children die? This is hypocritical.

—It is a reflection of the domination that the global north maintains over the south. —We have never given Congo the opportunity to benefit from its own resources. It is a colonial mentality: time has passed, but the colonial mentality has not. It is the same type of colonial plunder from a century and a half ago. It is colonial to say: "Look, we need this, they have it, we take it from them in any way and, when we no longer need it, we leave a catastrophe behind us". There are companies that, recently, have started to pretend that they are becoming aware of this and promised that they would try to use batteries that did not have cobalt, but in reality they said: "Well, we've been caught, we'll look for another mechanism". And they do nothing to solve the catastrophe. Even if we no longer needed cobalt tomorrow, we would have to repair the destruction we have caused these past fifteen years.

—It's the big companies who should be required to react, but what do you think a Western consumer who has gotten upset reading you could do? —The first step to progress in the conquest of human rights is always to make injustice known. Contribute to make everyone knows. Most people are good and, in their hearts, want no part of injustice. It is the few who move based on avarice and greed who pollute the rest of humanity. Outreach and awareness is the first step because it will inevitably activate a lot of people. Change always starts like this. In the case of cobalt, the second step is to think about our consumption habits. Every twelve months, the technology company I bought my phone from offers me a new one. Do I really need it? Every time we buy a new mobile phone, we put our foot on the neck of a child in the Congo. Better think twice, then.

[battleangel]

THE PLANET WILL DIE BY 2100!

THE PLANET IS DYING!

THE EARTH WILL DIE IN 100 YEARS!

100+ STUDIES PREDICT EARTH WILL BE UNINHABITABLE BY 2100!

Extreme weather never seen before — droughts, heat waves, back to back fire warnings than freeze warnings, 40+ degree temperature changes in one day, earthquakes & tornadoes in areas that never previously had them — signal the literal destruction of planet earth.

The sky is ACTUALLY falling!

•Do not have any children.

•Do not buy a house — live in a 1 bedroom apartment.

•Stop using air conditioning — use electric ceiling or box fan & open window.

•Keep thermostat for heat between 62 degrees & 68 degrees during winter.

•Work remotely if you can — W-2, contract, temp, part-time, freelance, fractional, start your own business — avoid working on-site & in an office that would require a daily commute.

•Only drive when absolutely necessary — walk, take the bus or stay home — should only be purchasing gas for car a few times a year at most.

•Do NOT buy an electric vehicle or hybrid vehicle & do not use air taxis. •Cobalt is only available in Congo & is causing a genocide as local warlords kill each other & local civilians over the mineral that Apple, Tesla, Google, Samsung, etc. pays outrageous amounts for — men, women & children work in the Congolese mines for 12 to 16+ hours a day with no protective gear & cobalt is an extremely toxic mineral.

•Stop buying new cell phones — buy refurbished or used cell phones every 3 to 5+ years — cobalt is used for the batteries for all cell phones & is currently causing a genocide in Congo.

•Stop buying new electronic devices — laptops, tablets, TVs, smart watches.

•Cobalt is used for the batteries for all cell phones & is currently causing a genocide in Congo.

•Stop taking vacations — do staycations instead.

•Do staycations — local county & state fairs, carnivals, farms, parks, gardens, movie marathons or sleepovers at home, nature trails, hiking, local museums.

•Stop flying in airplanes.

•Do not fly anywhere unless absolutely unavoidable.

•Do not go on cruises.

•Do not stay in hotels.

•Stay in motels, economic lodging, airbnb, vrbo or couch surf with locals.

•Minimize meat intake — stop eating meat Monday through Friday.

•No plastic water bottles.

•Buy water filter + use stainless steel water thermos.

•No showering or bathing.

•Wash at sink with face cloth & soap.

•Do not live in an apartment with a washing machine & dryer.

•Only do laundry at laundromat every 30 to 90+ days.

•Do not live in an apartment with a dishwasher — wash dishes by hands.

•Only do laundry at laundromat every 30 to 90+ days.

•Reduce single use plastic whenever possible.

•Six R’s: Refuse, repair, reduce, reuse, recycle.

•Delete Prime & Amazon account.

•Do not buy from Amazon.

• Borrow books from local library or purchase from local book stores or independent book stores online.

•Stop using fast fashion apps — Shein, Zaful, Romwe, Fashion Nova.

•Stop buying clothes at the mall, department stores & chains.

•Do not buy new clothes.

•Buy used clothes from online & in-person thrift shops — Depop, Mercari, Etsy, Poshmark, Goodwill & consignment stores.

•Reuse current outfits until they are unwearable — 25+ years.

•Only buy new shoes when current pair breaks down — every 10+ years.

•Stop using plastic sanitary pads & plastic tampon applicators — wear period underwear + biodegradable tampons without applicators or period cups or menstrual discs.

•Shave your head yourself with a razor at home every 1 to 3 months — stop going to hair salons & barbershops — do not use any hair products (shampoo, conditioner, oil, gel, spray, etc.) — do not dye hair — do not color gray hairs.

•Wear wigs for 3 to 5+ years before replacing.

•Be frugal & minimize consumerism.

•Do not purchase anything online more than 1 to 3 times a year.

•Do not buy gifts for anyone.

•Advocate for antinatalism — the belief that procreation is immoral & unjust.

•Advocate for the voluntary extinction of the human race both online & in-person.

•Minimize fast food, delivery, takeout & sit down restaurants to a few times a year.

•Do not use KCups & minimize buying coffee at Dunkin Donuts, QuickChek, Wawa, Starbucks or any chain.

•Brew coffee at home with reusable pod.

•Avoid big box retail & chains.

•Shop local grocers, food markets & mom & pop small businesses.

Make these changes because of climate change.

Make the change to save our dying planet!

Make that change!

[safirefire]

Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives By Siddharth Kara

I finished this audiobook weeks ago and have been trying to figure out what to say about it but honestly I think you should just read/listen to it. Kara does an incredibly deep dive into the mining, selling, distributing, and (lack of) regulation of cobalt mining in the Congo. The brutal mining conditions lead to so much death and physical harm that mostly go unreported. Companies that use cobalt release meaningless human rights statements that they do not adhere to. The mining, processing, and selling processes are so separate and siloed that big companies that use cobalt always point fingers and blame someone else down the line and no one gets held accountable. Women face high rates of sexual violence and the pay disparity for women (and girl) miners is abysmal. Boys have to mine to provide for their families especially as their fathers and brothers get injured mining. The mining itself is destroying the environment and damaging the water, food, and health of Congolese people in mining districts. This book was very informative and the irony of typing this out and listening to it on an iPhone is not lost on me. Be very conscious of the technology you use and buy, especially the replacement rates. There’s absolutely no need to trade in phones for a newer model every year. The genocide of Congolese people that Leopold of Belgium started has never really ended. We need to all find where we can get involved with antiracist work because racism is the foundation of imperialism and capitalism.

Link to audiobook and description included in images above

[bluelittlebirdy]

Let me introduce you to my D. Gray-Man OC, Etsu Kunieda. She's another rather old OC of mine and even though she's kind of stereotypical, I like her a lot.

I am also still working on improving her ^^

So... Her name is Etsu Kunieda, also known as The nuisance (by Kanda), The pain in the neck ( by Kanda) and Etsu-chan (by Lavi, Komui).

At the start of the series, Etsu was 19 years old but she currently is 20.

She also grew a little bit, having been 168 cm tall initially and is currently 172 cm tall. The same can be said for her weight (gaining ~ 3 kg during the story).

Though I initially had imagined her with light blue hair and a darker shade of blue for her eyes, I have changed my mind. Her hair color is dodger blue, while her eyes are cobalt blue. She still has a small gray marking under her left eye.

Etsu's Anti Akuma Weapon is a gunblade (Nightmare).

Onto more personal information ^^

Etsu's favorite drinks are matcha tea & coffee and she loves to eat Gyoza (fried dumplings) and Yakitori. She dislikes Natto and Blue Cheese.

She has the physical appearance of a young woman in her late teens/ early twenties. She initially had shoulder long hair which she mostly wore in a high ponytail and with a middle crest.

After the Headquarter of the Black Order was attacked and had to be moved, Etsu's hair grew past her shoulders and she eventually began to let her hair strands fall into her face, framing it.

Though it can only be seen when Etsu wears civil clothes, she has a tattoo on her chest (showing where her core is placed). The tattoo on her chest also grew after its continued usage.

Surprisingly (due to her usual stoic and unemotional appearance), Etsu has a secret stash of romance novels, which only three people know about:

Tao Fa (an OC of a friend on DA), Komui and Marshall Tiedoll.

Due to past trauma, Etsu suffers from Sensory overload by touch. It causes her to freeze and to have an increased heart race. Her breathing will also become rapid.

She will either use physical means to get away or will try to stim herself (rocking back and fort to calm herself).

Allowing someone to touch her is a huge sign of trust from Etsu's side. She also shows her trust and expresses herself through small acts of service (like bringing someone coffee or a book they'd talked about for a while and so on).

She prefers alcohol over sweets.

Quite a lot of information but that's it for now.

Hope you liked the snippet of info about her 👋

[dayswritting]

"There she goes"

Chapter 1. The one with the library meet cute.

Bob Floyd x Teacher! OC

Summary: Lucy's first encounter with the man with beautiful cobalt eyes.

Word count: 2,4 k

Warning: Bad spelling (English is not my first language), fluff, Bob being gentleman, Rooster's menace daughter.

Author's note: Hey everyone! So, this is my first time posting here on Tumblr. I hope you enjoy this story as much as I did while writing it. See you in the next chapter.

Masterlist

With Sienna Bradshaw's eighth birthday right around the corner and Bradley getting a call to Top Gun again. The three musketeers would be together for a while. Since her sister’s death, Lucy knew how much it meant for her niece to have a family so she tried to make everything as smooth as possible. Even if that meant moving to a house closer to the base so father and daughter could be together.

People around the town talked about her and Bradley’s relationship. People talked about how difficult must be for a widowed man and his sister-in-law to decide to raise their long-lost older sister. And how inconvenient their family was. But they weren’t alone, Lucy’s family was always there for them and they were thankful for that. Especially Bradley since he came from having no one to have the biggest family that he ever imagined.

Today Bradley was coming back and his daughter wanted to pick him up. And Lucy couldn’t say no to her niece. So early on a Saturday, they had breakfast and got dressed to pick up her annoying best friend from the airport. The day before she and Sienna prepared a list of things to do when her dad came back. Even Lucy’s mom prepared food for them so they didn’t need to worry about cooking that weekend.

“Sienna, honey” Lucy called her nice “Can you fetch me your bag? I need the books we borrowed from the library. We need to return them today before going for your dad at the airport.” She heard Sienna’s footsteps coming down the stairs with the backpack on her hands and messy hair all over her face.

“Oh Bumblebee” Lucy picked her up and sat her in an aisle chair.”What hairstyle would you like today, my princess”

“Two pigtails, please,” Sienna answered enthusiastically. While Lucy did her hair, the blonde girl played with the plane toys her father bought for her. One of those was a mini version of an F-14 jet. “Tia, can we bring Daddy some of the cookies we made yesterday?” Sienna turned to Lucy with pleading eyes.

“Alright” Lucy accepts surrender “But only a few, because your dad loves to eat everything” Sienna laughs at her aunt's joke while Lucy finishes her nice hairstyle "Okay, your hair is finished. Now I want you to put these books inside your bag while I go for mine. Got it, Bee?” Sienna nods and gives Lucy a thumbs up.

When Lucy comes back from her bedroom she finds Sienna waiting at the door with a cookie bag in her hand. She gets on one knee to take the cookies and put them inside Sienna’s bag.

“That’s better” she smiled before standing up “Now let’s get going, Bee.”

The journey to the Library was one of their favorite things to do. They listen to music and sing along, from Disney to Bluey to some Taylor Swift, especially “Love Story”. And Sienna always reminds her, to Lucy’s dismay, to play her dad’s favorite “Great Balls of Fire”.

They arrive at North Island’s library and get out of the car. This was her’s and Sienna’s tradition for every Saturday. Get breakfast and start the day by going to the library. And Lucy loved this more than anything, even if it had been a real challenge helping her best friend and his child. She enjoyed being able to take part in the life of someone like Sienna. This little girl had saved her life in more ways than she could have imagined, and she would do anything to keep her safe from this big world.

Inside the library, they’re greeted by Nora the librarian. Nora has known Lucy since she and her family moved to Miramar. She knew almost everything about her and was one of the few who knew Sienna’s mom's real story. “Hi, girls. Finish your books already?” Nora asks cheerfully

“Yes! My favorite was the one with the secret Garden” Sienna answered happily. “I've finished it and another book all by myself.” Nora made an amused sound about the news and gave her a high five.

“Yep, so we are going to take it again with us so Bradley can listen to her reading,” Lucia says while putting the books in the return cart and giving Nora the “Secret Garden” book “Can you check it again for us?” Lucy ask Nora, who answered with a nod “We’re going to look for our weekly batch”

Sienna decided to go to the kid’s section while Lucy went to the classic section straight to where Jane Austen’s books can be found. Right on the top of the shelf, she found the one she was looking for. It was an old version of Pride and Prejudice that Lucy has read since she was a teenager. When she went to take it, another hand interrupted her way. Turning to see the person that didn’t let her take the book. She’s greeted by a pair of blue and shy eyes behind some Birth control glasses, a shy smile, and the most handsome man she ever met.

“I believe this is the one you were going for. Right?” The blonde haired man asks quietly before he starts to ramble “I just, I saw you were trying to grab it but you couldn't make it to the top. So I thought it was a good idea to help you. '' he looked at her eyes ``Please don’t think I’m a freak” he finished while handing her the book.

Lucy was so endeared by his shy manner of him that she just started laughing “I never thought that” she takes the book from his hands shyly “And yes, this was the one I was going for”

“ It’s a great book,” He says quickly, hoping to not scare her off. He had never seen such beauty in his life. And the smile she gave him after he said that, he felt like he was going to faint “I read it when I was in college. Jane Austen is an awesome author. She knew how to tell a story and make her characters grow.”

“I know, right? It’s one of my favorites” she said enthusiastically. The man in front of her smiled and opened his mouth to speak before being interrupted by a small “Tia” coming from behind her.

Lucy turned around and Sienna was looking at her with a smile on her face and arms full of books “ Bee, darling. Why do you have so many books?” Lucy asked while kneeling on her level. “You know we only take three or four per week” When she finished the sentence she heard a small whining coming from the child.

“Fine,” Sienna said with a pound “I’m going to take back the ones I don’t want to read right now” She places the books on the floor and takes three of them to hand them to Lucy “I’ll be back in a minute” she used her serious voice like she was on a mission. The one she always uses to hide her deception.

Lucy smiled with fondness at her niece before remembering there was a handsome stranger behind her. She quickly stood up.

“My niece is a little bookworm just like me” she chuckled feeling embarrassed.

“I don’t think there is something wrong with that.” He smiled at her and realized he’s been staring at her too much. “I mean, I’m one too if you haven't figured it out. Pretty sure the glasses give me away" A little laugh escaped from his lips.

"That, and your choice of books." Lucy raises the one in her hands and looks at the other in his hand. One with Miramar's history and another of the Treasure Island "Or maybe, it's your way to get a date." she jokes, gaining a chuckle from the man.

"Oh no, ma’am. I ain't that type of guy." The sudden southern accent from him caught Lucy by surprise. Before she could ask him for what reason he was there, Sienna came back. The little girl had her round cheeks flushed as if she had just run a marathon.

"Tia, I'm ready. Can we go now?" She asked to take her hand to try to move Lucy with her.

“Hold on one minute, little missy” Lucy stopped Sienna and kneel before her “Your father will be here in 2 hours. What's with the rush?” When her niece was about to answer, a little voice spoke, startling them.

“Excuse me,” The adults present look at the child who is just talking. A red-haired boy with glasses twice the size of his head. Lucy recognized the kid, he was in the other first-grade class, with Ms. Peterson and a teammate of Sienna’s soccer team. ”I think you forgot your bag, Sienna.” The mentioned girl hid behind her aunt and stared at her like asking for help.

“Thank you, darling.” Lucy replied to her niece while taking the bag “You’re in Ms. Peterson's class, right?”

“Yes!” He replied quickly before taking a look at Lucy to open his eyes like he just recognized her.“You're Ms. Orozco, right? I’m Marcus O’Malley. My little brother goes to your classroom.” he genuinely smiled, happy to share that information.

“That's right, I´m Georgie’s teacher.” Lucy smiled at the kid and stood up to extend her hand to him “It's a pleasure meeting you, Marcus.” The little kid shook her hand excitedly when an older woman called after him.

The kid got called by his parents, who, when they saw Lucy they greeted her with a wave

“I need to go,” the boy said when he saw his parents. Then he turned towards the girl“ Would you like to play with me tomorrow? ” he asked and Sienna just answered with a nod. “Great! See you tomorrow at school, Siena. You too, Ms, Orozco” Marcus turned and said goodbye quickly and left.

Lucia was in shock, her niece was shy and red as a tomato. Before she could say anything to the girl, the man decided to talk. Remembering Lucy of his presence.

“So, you’re a teacher? That's… That´s a beautiful profession.” the blond man says when she turns to face him. Darcy just smiled at him embarrassed, without knowing what to say.

“She’s one of the best teachers in Miramar’s elementary school” Sienna interrupted cheerfully, gaining the man's attention.

This gave Lucy a wake-up call. She realized that her niece just gave personal information to a total stranger. And that they really shouldn’t be doing this, especially her. She is the grown-up in charge of her niece. A pretty face it’s not worth their security.

Immediately, Lucy turns to her niece and asks her to give her books to Nora so they can go and hand her library card. When she gets her attention back to the man in front of her. Lucy’s heart almost melted when she saw the soft look he was giving her. But she shook it off since he was a stranger and her niece always came first.

“I love to keep chatting. But we need to go,” she said with an apologetic smile “We have to finish some stuff.” Lucy lets out an awkward chuckle, hoping the man in front of her doesn’t realize what she’s trying to do.

“It’s okay, ma’am. I won’t entertain you any longer, sorry” he smiled genuinely at her before making her a sign to wait for a second. He quickly took one of the books in his hand and extended for Lucy to take it “A little recommendation from bookworm to bookworm” Lucy took it carefully like it was made of crystal.

“I’ll give it a try” Lucy replied softly “Thank you, library savior.” She smiled one last time and turned to where her niece had gone. Walking she sent a last glance at where the handsome man was. He was still but just moving backward until he was stopped by the bookshelf making him almost drop his books and turn red ashamed. Lucy let out a little giggle and kept going. With a copy of The Treasure Island in her hands, even if she already had read it.

Walking out of the building to their car, Lucy turned at her niece and smiled mischievously.

"So… Marcus, huh?" Lucy starts the conversation.” He seems nice.”

"So… the man in the library, huh?" Sienna counterattacks, shocking her aunt.”Anything you wanna share?”

"Don’t try to avoid the question with another question” Lucy replied, opening the back door and helping her niece to get in the car seat.

“I’m just stating the facts,” Sienna said while hopping in.

Lucy laughed, definitely Sienna was Miel's daughter. Too smart for her good. She secured Sienna's seat belt, closed the door, walked to the other side of the car, and opened the driver's door.

“You know, for an 8-year-old you have a lot of opinions” Lucy mumbled, sitting and putting on her seat belt.

“I know, my teacher says I’m too advanced for my age” Sienna replied with a smirk.

“Kinda feel sorry for her” Lucy shook her head, turning her Jeep on.

“Don’t be, I hear her talking behind your back” Sienna declared while checking her new books.

“What?” Lucy snapped looking at her niece. Thank God they were still in the parking lot.

“Yep, she wants your parking spot. So she tried to spread some rumors.” Sienna replied uninterestedly, "That woman needs to remember that children understand more than she thinks.”

“Why didn't you tell me?” Lucy asked.

“Because Principal Cho shut her up,” she explained, since the situation had been cleared it wasn't important anymore. Then she added “And I put a bag of spoiled eggs inside her car”

“It was you? How did you do it?" Lucy questioned her, her head started to feel heavy, too much information for one library ride.

“A magician never shares her secrets," Sienna replied witty. "And I don’t like people that talk about my family.” This girl was without a doubt her family. She needed to reduce Sienna’s time with her family.

“Well, thank you," Lucy responded ironically. "That wasn't good, but I appreciated the intention. Just don’t do it again. Next time you tell me, okay?” She gave her niece one warning look making Sienna nod

“Okay,” Sienna replied not truly convinced.

"Great. Let's go for an ice cream before your dad gets here"

Sienna let out a cheerful "Yes!" In response. And just like that Sienna evaded the whole awkward situation for her and her aunt. Meanwhile, Lucy leaves behind her thoughts about the blue-eyed beauty she meets at the library.

[skywardsister]

Gravity Falls Fanfic- Demon Dreamin'

Here's a little something I was inspired to write after reading through The Book of Bill! Bill Cipher and Gravity Falls are property of Alex Hirsch and Disney, the story is mine (please don't use my work without my permission- thanks!)

It has been two fortnights since an unusual creature who calls himself William Lucifer appeared upon the precipice of my wandering mind just before the moon reached its apex. I have decided it best to pen my bizarre circumstances here, as I imagine most would avoid my presence henceforth or spit upon my shoes should I reveal what has befallen me- even I would find such a tale preposterous had I not experienced it myself prior. I have always thought myself a pious and steadfast man, working from sun-up until sun-down, so to dream such a thing confounds me. Father always said a wandering mind was a wicked one.

William was a creature squat in stature and grating in intonation, a combination almost reminiscent of a mischievous child had he not also possessed a single bulbous eye, a yellowing body of cobble and a few accoutrements of formalwear rather befitting a grown man. He came to me as I tilled the soil from my father’s fields, barren and crumbling from an unforgiving drought. From the moment he began to speak, he addressed me in a casual manner as if to suggest we would soon be well-acquainted with one another; the shock of simply viewing his visage left me without the proper words. He chortled at my silence and assured me that he was more real than any other image my mind could conjure on its own. He insisted his presence within my unconscious state was that of divine intervention and that fate had joined us because we were destined for a greatness yet unknown. The suggestion that I was somehow better than my neighbors made me bristle. Aside from William’s unnerving appearance, there was also a bottomless confidence about him that, when left unchecked, would probably sweep up any unsuspecting fool into his scheme. I was no fool. The only way to success is through honest labor.

“Oh come on, nobody actually wants to work,” William quickly dismissed my rhetoric. “Those words were instilled in you from old codgers who want to keep you content on the ground. Cut a deal with me and you’ll float to the top in no time! Your cup will runneth over, or whatever you people say now. How about it?” He extended a hand as black as tar which ignited with a hellish cobalt flame. Surely he couldn’t expect me to fulfill the gesture and sully my flesh within the blaze?

“You have me mistaken,” I answered. “I work for my keep, no shortcuts necessary. There is no sufficient offer you could give me to sway my decision.” The dreamy sky started to churn with furious red clouds when I declined.

“That’s a good one! Everybody wants something, even devout zealots like yourself. I’m sure we can arrange something that would benefit us both,” William pressed further and rolled his large eye. “So come on now, don’t leave me hanging.”

“You would do well to leave me in peace, demon,” I warned, standing firm. This finally shattered his friendly façade. The dream shifted so that the crops about my shins spontaneously began to combust, sparks and cinders nipping at my legs. Searing smoke blasted my face and I raised my hands to shield myself. The demon retracted his hand at last.

“Fine, stay mounted on your high-horse. Don’t come crying to me when I become the king of the universe,” said William, his large eye narrowing on me. His fists trembled and he pointed an accusatory finger in my face. His body glowed as brightly, perhaps brighter than the flames threatening to consume me. “Because when I do, then you’ll really be sorry. Just you wait.”

The demon snapped his fingers and I awoke with a start, perspiring through my bedclothes. I sat upright and dabbed my forehead. Dawn light peeked at me through my bedroom window, illuminating the room with a weak blue hue. William’s threat weighed upon my chest like heavy paving stones. Perhaps there was some validity to his existence beyond my mind; I know nothing so malevolent in my life that may have inspired my invention of the demon. I found myself unable to return to my slumber despite the time.

[theghostofashton]

i finished reading cobalt red by siddharth kara last night, and i feel like it's a good place to start if you want to learn more about what's happening in the DRC right now. kara visited the mines and talked to the people working in them, and his reaccounts are truly devastating. we take for granted the products of their labor that is literally getting them killed day after day, and for that reason alone i feel like this book is a necessary read.

[inkofamethyst]

June 2, 2023

Last summer I think I thrifted this cobalt blue wool, and I’ve been wondering for ages what plans to assign to it, and I’m actually leaning toward a cropped coat, in a similar style to what I’ve planned for the beigey-pink wool.  Like, okay.  I could make a skirt, and a pretty one, but it’s pretty far outside my color palette for pairing things and wouldn’t suit me.  I could make a cape, like another one of the AD wrap ones, but I’ve learned that I’m just not that into capes (yet?).  And while I’m of course in search of a late-Victorian-esque long coat, those are hard to come by and even harder to make, so I might just settle for a shorter vintagey jacket.  Or maybe this Achillea Coat from Mood?  I just know it’s going to need a few mockups before I cut into the good stuff, and that’s a little intimidating.  I’ll likely do some easier projects first.  Alterations, perhaps a skirt or collared shirt.

That med student Masters in House s7 does not act like someone who earned two PhDs lol.  Also who earns two PhDs and then goes on to med school??  

I’m beginning to seriously clean up/clear out my room and honestly just my stuff all over the house, and it’s a little sad, honestly?  I mean there’s no need for me to keep my middle school/high school notes, now.  It’s not like my sibling is following a path anything like mine, what does she need with calc bc notes? or ap lit annotations that I for some reason pulled out from the books I read and meticulously attached them in order to several sheets of paper (I could definitely skim the entire plot of brave new world from those annotations)??  Really, there’s no need for me to keep those old biochem exams, those ones I was so proud of which now feel like incredibly distant memories.  I already have the notes saved in the cloud.  Crazy how time gives the distance needed to put things into perspective.  And I have to start digitizing all my old awards from, well, elementary school all the way up to now probably?  Because ain’t no way imma hang a student of the month award or something from sixth grade or whenever in my professional office, but my mom would probably murder me twice over if I trashed everything without saving it somehow.  So.  That’s another summer project.  Gotta come up with a naming system.  So fun.  :/

While I have no plans to make any graduation posts (my photo-friend may pressure me into it though lol), I am looking forward to switching out my profile pictures in several places with actually cute photos and, finally, changing my ig name to something a tad more adult.  

I genuinely don't like taking photos of myself because I get overly critical and frustrated with the details and mild imperfections of how I look as opposed to focusing on the idea of commemorating some special moment, so today I am excessively thankful for my photo-friend hyping me up during our grad photoshoots and being patient with me while I tried things out even though I felt really really ridiculous.  I’m terribly excited to see how they all turn out!!!  We probably took a few hundred photos this week, and even though I’m super super picky with my photos, at least a couple of them have to be stellar.

[arizonaconservativegal]

Can we stop acting like the only way to learn something is to sit in a classroom and follow a formal curriculum designed for someone else's needs? It reeks of elitism.

I did the whole college thing. It was fine. But it wasn't until I graduated that I really started to learn.

I learned a whole new discipline from watching YouTube. And then I learned another and another after that. I went to school for economics but now I can make you a website from scratch, including photos and graphics and videos that I can create and edit for you because some random people on YouTube taught me for free. I make my living doing these things now.

Then I started to learn for fun. I've read dozens of books on everything from China's national debt, to WWII spies, to nuclear disasters, to cobalt mining, to the fall of the Albanian communist regime, to business marketing, to environmental policy, to the history of space exploration, to submarine warfare.

I did well in school but honestly, I learn better this way. I'm not trying to memorize to pass some test. I'm just learning for the sake of learning. It doesn't matter that I don't have a piece of paper that says I learned these things. The skills I learned can be demonstrated easily to clients as proof of my ability and everything else is just for me.

I'm not anti college or formal education. Like I said, I went that route too. I'd even like to go back some day and pick up a masters degree just for the hell of it. What I'm opposed to is this idea that there is only one valid way to learn.

We live in an age of unprecedented access to knowledge. I can learn about anything I want, most of it for free or very low cost, all of it at my own pace and interest and I can fit it into my existing schedule with ease. Is that knowledge less worthwhile because it didn't come to me in a lecture hall surrounded by hungover 20 year olds?

[cavefilllingcorporation]

Export Log for 7/28/2024-8/3/2024

This week was much like last week, not that much happening, but the lead to great things... except if you look at the Default project, where said greatness is starting to manifest.

The Default Project has major things happening. For one, the warehouses were cleared twice this week, hence the large amount of exports:

17 Crates of Oil

100 Crates of Stone

3 Crates of Marble

2 Crates of Soapstone Tuff

3 Crates of Quartz

9 Crates of Fertilizer

6 Crates of Gunpowder

1 Crate of Quartzite

16 Crates of Onyx

There's also a large amount of significant sales too of course, which all came from amazing things. Some of it was taken from mined out oil deposits, while others came from places that showed actual progress. We will make a few announcements about this over the course of this upcoming week. In fact, we can't wait to make said announcements! In the meantime, here are all of the sales that happened this week:

0.33 Crates of Snow

53 Crates of Stone

7 Crates of Monster Eyes

0.66 Crates of Plant Specimens

14 Crates of Dirt

4 Crates of Feathers

4 Crates of Yarn

3 Crates of Bricks

1 Crate of Cursed Stone

0.33 Crates of Ice

2.33 Crates of Monster Flesh

4 Crates of Leather

15 Crates of Glass

4 Crates of Ink

2 Crates of Plasma

6 Crates of Gravel

4.5 Crates of Sulfur

4 Crates of Chicken

0.5 Crates of Game Meat

0.5 Crates of Pork

3.66 Crates of Steak

20.5 Crates of Magic Crystals

5.5 Crates of Charcoal

3.5 Crates of Coal

1 Crate of Semi-Precious Gemstones

2 Crates of Cobalt

1 Crate of Copper

8 Crates of Steel

3 Crates of Gold

1.5 Crates of Horse Equipment

1.5 Crates of Serpentine

4 Crates of Silica Sand

1 Crate of Magic Ink

1.33 Crates of Vocal Records cataloged

1 Crate of Books digitized

0.5 Crates of Glue

0.33 Crates of Fertilizer

0.5 Crates of Precious Gemstones

0.66 Crates of Diamonds

4 Utilitarian Magic Items

Precious Metals were also traded

Oh yes, we almost forgot: We managed to acquire a dragon thanks to the sales this week! Moreover, we expect the dragon count to increase a lot, due to the treasures that will be looted from the world of the Default Project.

As for the rest of the Corporation, the loot clearing from the Solar Isles is still going strong, but processing oil, especially hundreds of crates' full, takes a long time. We are expecting the processing to last at least one week, and maybe several. Work was also done on MazeRun as well, though due to a breakdown of the new sand sorting technology, it will be a while before we can make any more progress.

As for side Projects, there's not that much to announce, but progress has been made on the Atmosphere clearing project, with us clearing sector 773 this week. This brings that progress percentage to 38.65%. We admit, it has been slow for a while. However, we are expecting production to ramp up in the coming weeks, so hopefully we'll be done with this side project before the next financial quarter report.

Well, there's also the work that has been put into the art commissioning service. Despite the health awareness event, it was cleared fast, allowing for more commissions, and finishing them faster than they can be ordered. Fortunately, a tea company has offered to sponsor a special gallery event, and we agreed to it. This should allow us to get more commissions without overdoing them, and while we are at it, we can upgrade the kitchens of our artists. The commission list is listed below:

21 normal commissions

3 Full-sized commissions

4 Significant commissions finished

That's all for this week. We do have a warning though, as there is a small threat that has been detected recently. We don't think this will hamper production, but if it does, it shouldn't hamper it that much. At most it will delay the Solar Isles a bit and cause a temporary shutdown of the work in the Storytime dimension. However, even if this happens, there is still going to be a lot of announcements this week and such, so we hope you look forward to them as much we are. See you next week!

[titsthedamnseason]

i cannot wait to read the ben winona reconciliation in burn bright 😁

[zachafoster]

Thoughts On Anger, Greed, and Living Below Human Potential

·

Some politicians are starting to blame our daily mass shootings on untreated mental health problems. As if we mentally ill aren’t already demonized. Statistically, a very small percentage of violent crimes are committed by mentally ill people. Mentally ill people are far more likely to be victims of violent crimes than neurotypicals actually. I’m convinced it’s because many mentally ill live in poverty. Granted, some people I know claim that no one who has electricity and indoor plumbing is truly poor. Maybe in the 1920s. Today, over 80 percent of the world now has electricity. Of the eight billion people in the world, over five billion now have regular access to internet. I heard one of my elders saying “internet is a luxury” as recently as 2019. In 1999, that was true. A lot has changed since then. When over half of the world’s population has access to free education and news, a large percentage of whom make less than 5 dollars a day, it’s no longer a luxury. People used to think indoor plumbing and even being able to read and write were frivolous luxuries. Elders in ancient Greece used to complain that reading and writing were killing mental power and making people stupid. Things change and stay the same.

I am convinced that people are, by and large, more angry and stressed than we’ve been in living memory. Sure we have a world where 90 percent of the population isn’t starving. But the anger is still there because most people have only recently become aware of what is truly possible. Even a ten-year-old working in a cobalt mine in central Africa for only two dollars a day probably has heard of the Kardashians, Nicola Tesla, and Elon Mask if he has access to a smartphone or tv. Indigenous tribes in New Guinea knew who Neal Armstrong was back in the late 1970s and were asking visitors who was going to the moon next. People are very angry. Not because they are ungrateful, lazy, or not wanting to work. People are realizing how far below our potential we as a species are living. We no longer need wars. Even young men in Russia with their levels of internet and media censorship, realize that fighting a war in Ukraine is pointless and are voting with their feet. Young people in China are “Lying Falt” and “Letting It Rot” because they are realizing there is more to life than working and buying stuff you don’t need to impress people you don’t respect. Brad Pitt was talking this in the 1999 movie “Fight Club.”

I don’t like using the term waking up as the word “woke” has so much baggage in my country. But people, thanks for free information via the internet and universal literacy being a thing in even the poorest countries, are starting to figure out we can do better than we are. It doesn’t matter your race, creed, sexual orientation, age, political beliefs, or even economic ideals, the vast majority of humanity is not benefiting nearly as much from our science, technology, and education as is possible even now. I’m convinced its unrestrained greed that is the root of many of our problems today. I think unrestrained greed has always been at the root of most problems. Greed has been universally condemned by every major religion and legal code since the start of civilization. Greed’s even more dangerous now.

Banning books in libraries and bookstores is becoming more common in my country than I can ever remember in my life. Sure, a lot of literature isn’t age appropriate for grade school children. Then again, neither are most parts of the Bible. Neither are some tv shows. My parents had no issues with me watching war movies like Rambo, War Games, and Red Dawn back in the 1980s. But The Simpsons and Al Bundy were completely off limits. Some states are starting to revoke tenure for college professors and scholars. Others are repealing some of their child labor laws. Some states are banning foreign social media like TikTok. Who benefits from these changes? As far as censorship goes, Martin Luther was excommunicated by the Catholic Church (meaning he was damned to burn in Hell forever) partially because he thought Christians should be able to read the Bible for themselves. Since the printing press had recently been popularized, it was only a matter of time before the Church of that era to lose their monopoly on literacy and information.

What is the internet other than the 21st century’s printing press? The most popular book to be printed on the 15th century printing press was the Bible. The second most popular were manuals about how to spot and persecute those who practice witchcraft and heresy. Some of the early explorers, like Christopher Columbus, were inspired by reading about the travels of Marco Polo. The printing press did lead to mass literacy, mass education, etc. But, problems came too. Some of the bloodiest holy wars, like the Thirty Years Wars (1618–1648) between Catholic and Protestant kingdoms of Europe and the English Civil War probably would have never happened without the printing press. Then again, neither would the scientific revolution, the industrial revolution, rediscovery of mass democracy, rights for women and minorities, end of slavery, etc. Same can be said for the internet. I’m old enough I didn’t get an email account until I was 18. Personally, I love it that children do real time Google and Wikipedia searches if they think an authority figure is talking nonsense. Google and Wikipedia are what old codgers like me use. For all I know, some of these children are using even better sources of information that I am not aware of. Censorship ultimately failed after the invention of the printing press. Censorship will fail even worse now with easy access to information.

As much as I love the internet, it’s only the first of several breakthroughs that will define the 21st century to future historians. Advances that are only in recent years becoming commonplace include artificial intelligence, robotics, 3D printing, regenerative medicine, renewable energy, etc. are already impacting the world. Just a few days ago, IBM announced they were laying off almost 8,000 employees and replacing them with the AI tech we already have. I’ve been saying this was going to happen since 2013. I am surprised it’s happening sooner than I thought. Naturally, there is no talk about retraining the displaced workers or even providing some kind of safety net while these displaced workers look for other sources of income. IBM laying off a significant chunk of their workforce is only the beginning. I expect headlines like these to become common faster than most people think.

I’m all in favor of allowing machines to take over some work duties as long as the proceeds get passed on to the public at large, whether it’s though reduced prices on robot produced goods and services, taxes on robot labor (which is favored by some tech gurus like Bill Gates), etc. But that’s probably not what’s s currently happening. And it won’t happen in the near term, at least not without serious social unrest. I’m not sure most people realize the parallels between our current Information Revolution and the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century. I think we are still in the phase of unregulated greed and ambition. If we as citizens were smart, we would be electing senators and presidents in the mold of Theodore Rosevelt. I’m convinced he did as much to make industrialization beneficial to everyone as any politician of his times. I’m convinced he even saved capitalism from its own excesses. In our current world, we have hit the point where most of the world’s people see the possibilities of better standards of living for everyone regardless of what country they live in.

What’s truly holding us back is plain old-fashioned greed. There is a fine line between self-interest and greed. Unfettered and unregulated greed will do more to kill capitalism and democracy than kids' reading Karl Marx or Mao Zedong. It will also kill life on this planet just as dead as any nuclear war if we don’t reign it in. And we are all guilty of this, not just the wealthy and powerful. Manufacturing wouldn’t have been outsourced or done with slave labor ever if people weren’t addicted to cheap goods. We could make all of our electronics and household items in our own nations if people were willing to pay higher prices and employers more willing to raise wages. Just today I saw an episode of Shark Tank and a young married couple were pitching a product that cost $15 to make with American labor and selling for $24. And it was making decent sales. But the “sharks” were saying they wouldn’t fund this couple because the profit margins were “too low” and they “should move their manufacturing to China.” This young couple was already profitable. It’s not like they were losing money. It just wasn’t enough for the sharks to provide any seed money. Greed caused this project to be held back.

Recently saw lots of articles that a majority of people under the age of thirty have an unfavorable view of capitalism. Naturally, some pundits blamed the education system being communist. But, the only capitalism these kids experienced is seeing their parents lose their jobs and houses in the 2008 crisis while Wall Street got bailed out. They saw a lot of businesses go under during covid. They saw the shortages in grocery stores and retailers with their own eyes. They see the homeless camps every day. They undergo live shooter drills in their schools. They see people carrying firearms in malls and churches. They see people have to file for bankruptcy for having to go to the hospital. They themselves are working more than one job just to afford food and an apartment. They have never seen a world where a father could own a house, two cars, and support six children on only one income from the factory or the mine. They have never seen a world where 80 percent of the population were either farmers or factory workers. They’ve seen their parents factory and office jobs get sent to China because of lower wages, no benefits, and fewer environmental protections. Now it’s automation that’s coming for their jobs. Jobs that employ millions of people like drivers, warehouse workers, accountants, much of legal, etc. are no longer safe from automation. The only reason those aren’t automated yet is because it isn’t cheap enough. Give it a few years. Even cheap labor countries like China are going heavy into automation. Too Big To Fail, profitable companies not paying taxes, state sponsored capitalism (in China), mass layoffs, etc. are these kids experiences with capitalism. They have never seen a world where most businesses were local and large corportate jobs payed livable wages and provided pensions. The Founding Fathers, Adam Smith, F.A. Hayek, and Ludwig von Mises would have argued against this style of capitalism. Even Adam Smith talked about “enlightened self-interest” back in the 1770s. I take enlightened self-interest to mean don’t be a greedy jerk.

Human nature may not be completely changeable, but it can be regulated and restricted. The freest people in human history were Stone Age hunters. But even they had over half of their children die before they hit puberty. Giving up part of our freedom for the prosperity and stability that comes with civilizing ourselves is part of the deal. People today are angry because they know greed is slowing down our progress as a civilization and as a species. The old appeals of nationalism, racial bigotry, ideology, sexism, etc. were losing their appeals even when Carl Sagan talked about them in his Cosmos series in 1980, the year I was born. These are even less appealing to the mass of humanity now in 2023. Things like Occupy Wall Street and The Tea Party protests of a dozen years ago were only the start.

[grapehyasynth]

Hi Grape! 😊 For the get to know you asks:

🌵- something you’re currently learning (about)?

Ivy - what are your ‘tells’ for your emotions and moods? how can someone tell you’re happy, annoyed, upset or tired? 🌼

thank you friend!! get-to-know-you asks

cactus - i'm trying to learn spanish and swedish on duolingo! and i just started a book about cobalt mining in the DRC. and i'm learning a lot about language and accommodations for people who are blind because i have about five blind clients right now!

ivy - oooh this is a good one. i definitely get more short/curt, less engaged, more distant when i'm anxious, while i talk more when i'm happy. unfortunately i think i use silence as a response to a lot of emotions, so it might not always be easy for people to tell haha. like if i'm sad and anxious i want to isolate myself, while if i'm annoyed at someone i'm likely to put space between us/use silence to try to get through it. friends and therapists are working to get me to communicate my opinions, preferences, feelings, etc.!!!

[bookclub4m]

Episode 174 - Economics

This episode we’re talking about the genre of Economics! We discuss economic philosophy, Excel spreadsheets, micro vs macro, and more!

You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, or your favourite podcast delivery system.

In this episode

Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | Jam Edwards

Things We Read (or tried to…)

Edible Economics: A Hungry Economist Explains the World by Ha-Joon Chang

Poisoned Wells: The Dirty Politics of African Oil by Nicholas Shaxson

Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives by Siddharth Kara

Communism for Kids by Bini Adamczak

Talking to My Daughter About the Economy: or, How Capitalism Works—and How It Fails by Yanis Varoufakis, translated by Jacob Moe

Other Media We Mentioned

Soccernomics by Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski

The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power by Shoshana Zuboff

Utopia for Realists: How We Can Build the Ideal World by Rutger Bregman

King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa 

Adam Hochschild

The Colour of Magic by Terry Prachett

“Perhaps there is something in this reflected-sound-of-underground-spirits? It was a cumbersome phrase. Rincewind tried to get his tongue around the thick syllables that were the word in Twoflower's own language.

What Is to Be Done? Burning Questions of Our Movement by Vladimir Lenin (Wikipedia)

Links, Articles, and Things

If Books Could Kill - Freakonomics

Fear the Boom and Bust: Keynes vs. Hayek (YouTube)

Fight of the Century: Keynes vs. Hayek - Economics Rap Battle Round Two

Peter Singer (Wikipedia)

Unspeakable Conversations: Harriet McBryde Johnson on debating Peter Singer

“He insists he doesn't want to kill me. He simply thinks it would have been better, all things considered, to have given my parents the option of killing the baby I once was.”

If Books Could Kill - Rich Dad Poor Dad

Saltwater and freshwater economics (Wikipedia)

Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (Wikipedia)

Another normal day of mining in Africa (Reddit)

Belt and Road Initiative (Wikipedia)

Report exposes solar panel industry Uyghur forced labour links

Ouija (Wikipedia)

Chinchilla (Wikipedia)

Social media is doomed to die (The Verge)

Reddit: Antiwork

Reddit: Late Stage Capitalism

25 Economics books by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) Authors

Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers’ Advisory Podcasts chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here.

Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World by Liaquat Ahamed

Get Good with Money: Ten Simple Steps to Becoming Financially Whole by Tiffany Aliche

Good Economics for Hard Times: Better Answers to Our Biggest Problems by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo

Consumed: On Colonialism, Climate Change, Consumerism, and the Need for Collective Change by Aja Barber

The Whiteness of Wealth: How the Tax System Impoverishes Black Americans—And How We Can Fix It by Dorothy A. Brown

23 Things They Don’t Tell You About Capitalism by Ha-Joon Chang

Edible Economics: A Hungry Economist Explains the World by Ha-Joon Chang

Extreme Money: Masters of the Universe and the Cult of Risk by Satyajit Das

The Reconciliation Manifesto: Recovering the Land, Rebuilding the Economy by Grand Chief Ronald Derrickson and Arthur Manuel

Wolf Hustle: A Black Woman on Wall Street by Cin Fabré

Build the Damn Thing: How to Start a Successful Business If You're Not a Rich White Guy by Kathryn Finney

Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World by Anand Giridharadas

Indigenomics: Taking a Seat at the Economic Table by Carol Anne Hilton

The Revolution Will Not Be Funded: Beyond the Non-Profit Industrial Complex edited by Incite! Women of Colour Against Violence

Upholding Indigenous Economic Relationships: Nehiyawak Narratives by Shalene Wuttunee Jobin

How We Can Win: Race, History and Changing the Money Game That's Rigged by Kimberly Jones

The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee

Collective Courage: A History of African American Cooperative Economic Thought and Practice by Jessica Gordon Nembhard

Can’t We Just Print More Money? Economics in Ten Simple Questions by Rupal Patel

The Black Tax: The Cost of Being Black in America by Shawn D. Rochester

Karl Marx's Ecosocialism: Capital, Nature, and the Unfinished Critique of Political Economy by Kohei Saito

The Wisdom of Sustainability: Buddist Economics for the 21st Century by Sulak Sivaraksa

Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance by Edgar Villanueva

The Great Economists: How Their Ideas Can Help Us Today by Linda Yueh

Creating a World Without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism by Muhammad Yunus

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Join us again on Tuesday, May 16th we’ll be talking about some old genres we’ve covered and whether we’d read them again.

Then on Tuesday, June 6th we’ll be discussing the genre of Fantasy!