#what i get for living in a place with no infrastructure

[guroseinsei]

i'm gonna go on a whole tangent on this.

i've seen this post going around and i've always avoided liking it or commenting cause honestly, this post is bits of INNACURACY and doesn't even begin to show the beauty of African culture.

i live in Africa [looking at you comments about Africans having 'spotty wifi' and 'not a lot of Africans have tumblr' (this was in 2017 and i've been on tumblr since 2015 :D!)] - not going to mention where specifically. [ik these comments are from 2017 but trust me, sometimes you can still get comments like these today. lmfao]

but i firstly want to start of with: there is NO SUCH PLACE CALLED MAKO. there is however, an informal settlement called Makoko (found in Lagos, Nigeria.) and it looks nothing like pictured above.

secondly, i'm seeing a whole lot of idiotic comments like "what's the wood for?" and honestly, a minute of thinking would answer your questions - this is me saying stop being such assholes about another country's infrastructure regardless of the damn materials they use.

bamboo and/or timber -The wooden poles in the structures form Burkina Faso and Mali are essentially permanent scaffolding

thatch, woven grass, reed walls - allows easy ventilation

mud - ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY, inexpensive.

the third image in the post is terribly lackluster of you cause that shot sucks and doesn't even capture how amazing it is. that mosque in Burkina Faso is called: The Grand Mosque of Bobo-Dioulasso

lastly, there are 54 COUNTRIES in Africa.

this only touches like, two. and i know because this post is from 2017 possibly the photos available then aren't like today thus i'm gonna just yeet them below :D.

Painted Gurunsi houses of Tiébélé — Burkina Faso

Beehive huts — Eswatini

African Heritage House — Kenya

Mua Mission — Malawi

Great Mosque of Djenné — Mali

Stone Tower of Chinguetti — Mauritania

Bab Mansour Laleuj — Morocco

King’s Palace — Rwanda

Meroë pyramids — Sudan

*YEAH THEY'RE PYRAMIDS IN SUDAN TOO.

Clay Palace of Ghardaïa — Algeria

there's obviously wayy more but these are the ones i remember at the top of my head. i didn't see anyone adding anything else so i feel obligated to lol.

some really beautiful african architecture because honestly this site is so western-centric

mako

unknown

cameroon

burkina faso

mali

Ndebele

burkina faso

please add more if you can!

[possiblyunhinged]

The men who just discovered the word "whataboutery" are going to be real upset about this one...

Hi, just wanted to swing by and drop some actual facts into the conversation about child sexual exploitation (CSE). Let’s talk about the 2020 Home Office report, commissioned by the Tories themselves.

And guess what it found?

Most offenders were WHITE, BRITISH MEN.

Yes, I’m looking at the disingenuous nonsense spreading across the internet from people who claim to “care about violence against women and children” but can’t be bothered to understand the actual stats.

1 in 4 women in the UK will experience sexual assault. 1 in 10 children in the UK will experience sexual violence.

No political party has done enough to tackle the scale of abuse in this country. And as a society, we fail every single day to give a shit about what children experience in the UK—whether that’s abuse or poverty. It’s not just the government’s ineptitude showing indifference to their suffering. It’s us as a society.

I want a full, national report on the issue. But I also want the government to actually do something to protect children—all children. Children at risk of abuse. Children in poverty. Children whose futures are bleak because both the government and society have abandoned them.

Labour’s plans to make it a criminal offence to fail to report child sexual abuse? Important. Classifying grooming as an aggravating factor in sentencing? Also important. But how are these actions preventing children from getting hurt in the first place? Our infrastructure fails to protect them, miserably and cruelly.

And while we’re here, let me ask the men shouting about “Labour cover-ups” and claiming this is a “migrant issue”: where is your concern for sexual violence as a whole? If protecting women and children is so virtuous, surely you’re also fighting for radical reform of the UK’s rape laws? Surely, you’re outraged by the shockingly low conviction rates? Surely, you care that the MET said violence against women should be treated with the same severity as terrorism? Surely, you listen to women and children—even when you don’t like them or the man they’re accusing?

No? Didn’t think so. The complete lack of knowledge about the scope of the issue, combined with regurgitating whatever Musk and Co spat into your mouth without a second thought, is just embarrassing.

My anger isn’t at people who are upset about child abuse. Although I’m sure some genius will frame this as a “leftie attempt” to excuse Labour. Whatever Musk tells you, baby. Don’t let facts get in the way of your fragile sense of belonging.

My anger is at the disingenuous, racist nonsense that turns this into a “migrant problem” when it’s not. And that rhetoric won’t solve anything. The issue of child abuse in the UK is so much bigger than that, with so many more systemic failures that I don’t even know how a country reckons with its indifference to the suffering of children.

Was race a factor in the failures to act in some cases? Yes. The Jay Report showed that officials feared being called racist, and that fear caused harm. But let’s not forget that his is a home-grown crisis, fuelled by decades of cultural and political neglect.

So, let me remind you... 1 in 10 children. 1 in 10 children. 1 in 10 children.

This isn’t a new problem. This isn’t rare. And the amount of disingenuous BOLLOCKS in the media and online about this is maddening.

Britain doesn’t care about its children. Whether they’re being abused, living in poverty, or going hungry, this country turns a blind eye. And the fact that so many people care more about framing this as a migrant issue, than about actually facing some harsh realities, tells you everything you need to know.

[electricpurrs]

im lonelyy and sad and longing for human connection i have no means to get and never did. its also 3 am but the power went out at my house and i cant sleep without my nightlight and my fan

[ratatatastic]

"we come back to my house, sun comes up, people in my canal—theres like 3 guys driving at 6am to go you know do the sunrise fishing excursion"

"—and it just like driving out of my like canal, i was like this is incredible! it was the most sereal feeling ill ever feel in my life"

"i could use a canal to drive out of like what is going on? you said that twice now! most people drive out of their street, out of their driveways—" "just a subtle flex" "he lives on a canal!" "hes like, lives in a canal this guy!" "im tryna paint the picture for you guys!

alternatively the canal cut or maffhew lives in ft lauderdale and it is absolutely impossible to not mention the canal infrastructure of the area during storytime and he gets chirped for it

[hotrod-and-ride]

Okay fuck it we ball

I'll be sharing some ideas and tidbits of what I have in my mind, I hope y'all are fine with it being a bit of a jumbled mess of bits and pieces lol

Imagine this:

For Post-war, the Autobots and Decepticons form a peace treatise and are now at an era of rebuilding Cybertron. So that means merged leadership for the meanwhile, creating proper legistlation, prioritizing infrastructure and resources, etc etc. It's busy! It's been 5 vorns since the treaty, and certain cities have been booming since (Iacon, Kaon, Protihex). While most Cybertronians have been living on Cybertron, Earth is a popular planet among certain mechs. Some either stayed or visit there more often than others.

As for leadership, I was imagining shared faction leadership where Optimus and Megatron are Prime and Lord High Protector, and the reat of High Command are still under their leadership etc etc.

However, even in peacetime, problems still arise. One of these being the mysterious disappearances of the most random mechs. Some of them even dead. Soon, certain buildings or areas start to feel... Wrong. A mech can step a pede into the place and the need to run, turn around, and never look back fills them. It's eerie and unsettling. And so these areas become deserted.

Barricade and Prowl are put in charge of the whole thing and it frustrates them because every time, the case ends up with... Nothing. Except for one thing. The most random human objects are always found nearby and weird glyphs are etched into the plating of the dead frames.

Until one day a demon appears right as they discover another mech upon arrival, and so enter me! Or you or us, whatever- we're the supernatural exorcist/warrior/sorcerer sent to from Earth to investigate the anomaly of supernatural entities being pulled towards a certain point far into space!

And so the reveal of Earth's supernatural comes to! Why weren't the Cybertronians informed of this? Well... That's cause that specific community couldn't care less about a war by aliens, apparently, until one of them managed to kill a well-loved figure and a few had been found to steal things from the community.

So insert us being some sort of liaison and guardian for all things supernatural and having to work closely with the main leaders :DD

Somewhere around the timeline I'm pretty sure the reason why we get close to Optimus is cause Primus wanted to Talk and uh. We can't exactly just do that willy nilly and Prime acts as the medium. And we get close with Megatron because apparently Earth pantheons are At A Conflict as to what they want to do with his special Predicament. So he's also got a big target behind him.

If anyone asks how delusional I am, I'd answer them with how my constantly daydreaming ass has me living in a polycule with MEGOP as the post-war human third in their relationship, in a setting where Earth myth/folklore/supernatural exists and I'm part of that world as a dragon/human hybrid

[pepprs]

i know i need to shut up abt it esp bc i don’t know for sure if i actually got exposed to covid but like. it’s just so fucking frustrating and terrifying. not just in the case of covid but with other things too like driving. you can take every precaution to keep yourself and the people around you safe but all it takes is one selfish careless asshole who can negate that in a heartbeat and ruin your life or maybe even end it in some circumstances. lol

[monster-noises]

Auguh not to get too Hopless Shell of a Man on you but i'm trying to find a daydream to get lost in to lull myself to sleep but i'm finding I can't.

Cause the kind of daydream that puts me to sleep have always been more aspirational, if grandiose and slightly unrealistic, explorations of like.. what my dream house would look like, hanging my art up in a new-bigger better- apartment, what my table would look like at a con, or my work in a small gallery or art show..

but it's at the point where i can't suspend my disbelief enough anymore to indulge in the Premise of most of these things because Every Ounce of possibility has been squeezed out of these things.

And maybe i'm just really too depressed and there's something i'm not seeing but god it's Really Fucking Bad Out here if My can-imagine-anything-like-it-could-happen-tomorrow-regardless-of-probability Ass can't even daydream myself to sleep because it's... Just not realistic!!!! Like i know we already know that but damn!!!! My mental health is in shambles and almost all of the causes are external and i can't control them!

[schoolhater]

answering a couple questions i got on this post since i realized ppl genuinely wanna know:

tl;dr:

israel lets very, very little aid get into gaza. even the UN can't get in as much as they want to. funding individual families, gazan led initiatives, and mutual aid collectives operating out of gaza ensures gazans can provide for themselves and pay for the extremely expensive aid that is available.

with all the civil infrastructure destroyed by israel, the situation on the ground has devolved into unrestricted capitalism, driving up the price of aid (that should be free!). this makes it more urgent for people to have funding for daily survival.

the post linked above has examples of how donating to individual families can help a lot. if you want to help more than one family at a time, there are many gazan-led initiatives focusing on rebuilding their infrastructure and distributing aid fairly that are worth donating to instead of large charities that already get the majority of donations.

as i mentioned in the last post: @/careforgaza on twitter is a nonprofit started by gazans, it's been endorsed by multiple palestinian journalists.

the sameer project is a collective organized by diaspora palestinians offering emergency shelter to gazans.

ele elna elak is a project aiming to bring water, food, shelter, etc. to gazans and has been promoted by bisan owda.

and the municipality of gaza itself is fundraising to rebuild water infrastructure.

all of these organizations are active inside gaza right now and are being run by gazans. if anyone knows of other gazan-led mutual aid projects, nonprofits or charities feel free to link them in the notes! hope this helped!

long answers under the cut!

if you wanna donate to a charity that's absolutely fine, but the thing is most charities (and even the UN!) are unable to make it into gaza in the first place, leaving aid rotting at the egyptian side of the border or subject to israeli settler attacks

not to mention, charities and nonprofits also maintain a paternalistic colonial relationship with the indigenous people they are trying to help, determining what aid they need for them instead of returning power to them and letting them make their own choices

i'm not here to say that one option is better than the other, just that they achieve different things and are equally legitimate. there's an attitude among people who question the legitimacy of these gofundme campaigns that somehow the people promoting them are telling them not to donate to charities. nobody is stopping you from donating to charities. we are just asking that you do not dehumanize the very real gazans in your inbox just because their method of asking for aid is more direct and risky.

unfortunately that's exactly what has happened. because israel destroyed all of gaza's more formalized infrastructure, it seems that organized crime and rampant inflation has taken its place. aid is supposed to be free, but in order to save for evacuation or the cost of living, people have started selling them at an inflated price. and aid that is truly free attracts intense, large crowds that are dangerous to navigate.

this was posted on abc a few days ago

it's pure, unrestrained capitalism. i've had multiple palestinians describe this situation to me confidence. that's why everything's so expensive now. why people have to rent out tiny plots of land for their tents to sit on, why my friend @siraj2024 still has to buy tarps to cover the broken windows of the overpriced bombed out apartment he rented, and why a bag of flour can cost a thousand bucks in the north.

even before israel closed and then bombed the rafah crossing, the egyptian hala travel agency was only allowing people to cross the border if they paid a hefty $5000 USD per adult / $2500 USD per child bribe. it denies doing this, but the hundreds of stories from palestinians say otherwise.

with regard to the economy, here in america we saw something similar happen in the wake of hurricane helene and milton. the podcaster margaret killjoy describes how she saw dual economies rise after asheville was fully cut off from the rest of the country - some people offered each other supplies for free in a sort of mutual aid honor system, and some people required payment when they lent supplies because they themselves needed to buy stuff for their families. these dual economies exist in gaza too. and this means they all still need money to survive.

[sharkface]

I do not think people are understanding that for people in the Carolinas there was no naive and stupid choice to stay in the hurricane instead of evacuating, the Carolinas are regularly hit by hurricanes after they've tanked in severity, no one communicated to them that it was going to get this bad. This isn't "rich people from florida" beach house antics, these are overwhelmingly rural and poor areas full of people with no flood infrastructure, no warning, and nowhere to go. It is impossible to truly toll the death this has caused, hundreds of people are missing, emergency services are having to leave corpses behind because there are so many more living people to deal with. And this is the people who had homes, who had the physical ability to try to escape! Nobody told them this would happen. This is what it looks like to have no emergency weather preparedness, no warning, in terrain that will trap you where you are. This is the mountains we're talking about- All water flows straight into the river valleys where most people live, and seeking higher ground risks you mudslides and rock slides, the ground will fall out from underneath you. This is going to keep happening, and nobody is going to care until it's their problem- And then they're gonna ask why no one is helping.

A lot of places to donate are evangelical groups that will keep more of your money than distribute aid (all while using the disaster to recruit), if you are looking into an org to donate to PLEASE AVOID THESE, THEY ARE NOT GOING TO BE HELPFUL IN A DISASTER SCENARIO, ANY OTHER CHARITY IS PREFERABLE, they're rarely helpful to their community under normal circumstances. Seek out individual people in need to send aid directly if you can, I'm positive a lot of gofundmes will be popping up in the near future as cities begin to regain power, otherwise the Red Cross is always taking donations and has historically provided the most relief for natural disaster survivors, you can also donate to United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County, an org run by officials in Asheville, which is one of the most immediately endangered areas of western NC and greatly in need of drinkable water.

[renarots]

The ability to evacuate is a privilege and I’m sick of people applying Florida logic to the Appalachians right now. Yes it is horrible for those who couldn’t in Florida but the people in the Appalachian’s had no warning. People still have “dial up” there, 55.9% of the population is under the poverty line. “I’ve been seeing warnings for a week” no you haven’t the warnings were for Florida and Georgia, even then it wasn’t supposed to hit the apps like this at most flooding but they would recover. When hurricane helene took that turn it was too late to even warn others before dams broke. The infrastructure is not meant to take this beating especially given the storm they had the week before causing all of the waterways to be full already. Towns are wiped out, towns that relied on tourism and coal mining to bring in revenue are gone. My great aunt and uncle lived in a trailer off a plot of land and were so happy they finally got a clean running water system hooked up two years ago. They have one tiny little old android that they have to travel about an hour in town to use so they can call us up. They lived off a fixed income because any sort of job was two hours away at least and they’re getting older they can’t just travel that much anymore. My great uncle can’t walk without his cane and my great aunt is getting there too. They always joked about taking me home with them and I would always say when I got older they would come live with me because I knew how rough it was for them but they couldn’t just leave. I haven’t been able to contact them in over 48 hours and the highways leading out after the one hour evacuation notice was given was shut down. Most places are air rescues only because there is no other way for them to be rescued. To add on as well that they deployed FEMA in many of the places affected but yet there is barely any coverage and radio silence from our government. No national guards are here to rescue them they are left to fend for themselves. People are drowning, being electrocuted, some didn’t even stand a chance. These are human beings who have been prayed on for generations the least you can do is show some fucking sympathy. I don’t care what you have to say family’s are being devastated. I wouldn’t wish anything like this to happen to anyone so if you find yourself in your bed at night I hope you know that out there, there are families who are grieving all they have lost and you are cozy at home with running water, electricity and a warm bed and you feel an ounce of guilt for even thinking that.

A link to ways that you can help. Keep Appalachia in your minds do not look away.

[slayfk]

posting here because this just doesn’t feel right to talk about in the horseimagebarn voice but this is extremely important to talk about.

my partner and i have returned to our hometown to stay with her family and my own has gotten a hotel here too (they moved to the town we currently live in after we did) so we are all safe and out of the thick of it

however there are tens of thousands of people who are not both in my own town and in the many surrounding it. appalachia will take an extremely long time to recover from this and there are more storms on the way. all i see on social media right now is people asking for shelter because their homes have been destroyed, or people asking for help searching for family members who are missing. hundreds of trees have fallen. hundreds of homes have flooded. roads are literally falling apart. preexisting sinkholes due to shitty pipes are opening up and consuming land. dams are on the verge of bursting and the only way to stop it is to release water so quickly it floods whole towns. all but one of our cell towers are down, so only people with at&t have service and the rest can’t contact anyone. over half the town still doesn’t have power. a major water supply issue occurred and the entire town is on a water boil order with no electricity to boil with. people are trapped in their homes and workplaces or out on the street because they have nowhere to go. law enforcement is blocking off roads but trapping people in the process. people have to be rescued by helicopter. our animal shelter has no water or power and boarding facilities have been flooded. entire villages like chimney rock nc are gone, and entire cities like asheville are cut off from the rest of the state and are completely inaccessible. ALL OF THE ROADS IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA ARE CLOSED. 400+ roads are closed because they are unsafe . that is INSANE!!!

when people say that climate change isn’t real, they don’t know what they’re talking about. climate change and its father capitalism are only going to continue to worsen lives in every way possible. i live in the mountains and our infrastructure is completely unprepared to handle hurricanes and it’s only going to get worse. it’s such a strange and eye-opening experience to live something like this when you think that it could never happen to you because that type of weather shouldn’t reach you in your environment. climate change doesn’t care where you live. it’s real.

western north carolina and the rest of the southeast that has been hit by helene need help. more people need to be talking about this so that the government DOES SOMETHING because the government historically fucking hates appalachia and it still does!!! the major state institution near me took DAYS to respond despite being the only place in town with power and wifi connection because they had to wait for the state to approve their response—they could have allowed thousands of people to evacuate days prior to the hurricane hitting us but they didn’t do anything before or after until it was too late!!! it’s bullshit!!! PLEASE get talking about this because something has to be done. climate change is going to continue happening and our mountains and the people in them are going to suffer immensely. hundreds if not thousands are now homeless. please talk about this look at the footage online of the wreckage and look how quickly our infrastructure crumbled. we need better. the people of appalachia deserve better.

i’ll get back to posting horses soon. but for now this is a lot. my friends are homeless and my family had to get off the mountain or be trapped there without power and water for days. we’re all safe but exhausted. i hope everyone who has been affected by this is staying safe. if you are in western nc, dm me. when i come back, if you’re in my area, im happy to bring supplies. stay safe everyone

[phoenixyfriend]

Ko-fi prompt from @liberwolf:

Could you explain Tariff's , like who pays them and what they do to a country?

Well, I can definitely guess where this question is coming from.

Honestly, I was pretty excited to get this prompt, because it's one I can answer and was part of my studies focus in college. International business was my thing, and the issues of comparative advantage (along with Power Purchasing Parity) were one of the things I liked to explore.

-----------------

At their simplest, tariffs are an import tax. The United States has had tariffs as low as 5%, and at other times as high as 44% on most goods, such as during the Civil War. The purpose of a tariff is in two parts: generating revenue for the government, and protectionism.

Let's first explore how a tariff works. If you want to be confused, then you need to have never taken an economics class, and look at this graph:

(src)

So let's undo that confusion.

The simplest examples are raw or basic materials such as steel, cotton, or wine.

First, without tariffs:

Let us say that Country A and Country B both produce steel, and it is of similar quality, and in both cases cost $100 per unit. Transportation from one country to the other is $50/unit, so you can either buy domestically for $100, or internationally for $150. So you buy domestically.

Now, Country B discovers a new place to mine iron very easily, and so their cost for steel drops to $60/unit due to increased ease of access. Country A can either purchase domestically for $100, or internationally for $110 (incl. shipping), which is much more even. Still, it is more cost-effective to purchase domestically, and so Country A isn't worried.

Transportation technology is improved, dropping the shipping costs to $30/unit. A person from Country A can buy: Domestic: $100 International: $60+$30 = $90 Purchasing steel from Country B is now cheaper than purchasing it from Country A, regardless of where you live.

Citizens in Country A, in order to reduce costs for domestic construction, begin to purchase their steel from Country B. As a result, money flows from Country A to B, and the domestic steel industry in Country A begins to feel the strain as demand dwindles.

In this scenario, with no tariffs, Country A begins to rely on B for their steel, which causes a loss of jobs (steelworkers, miners), loss of infrastructure (closing of mines and factories), and an outflow of funds to another country. As a result, Country A sees itself as losing money to B, while also growing increasingly reliant on their trading partner for the crucial good that is steel. If something happens to drive up the price of B's steel again, like political upheaval or a natural disaster, it will be difficult to quickly ramp up the production of steel in Country A's domestic facilities again.

What if a tariff is introduced early?

Alternately, the dropping of complete costs for purchase of steel from Country B could be counteracted with tariffs. Let's say we do a 25% tariff on that steel. This tariff is placed on the value of the steel, not the end cost, so:

$60 + (0.25 x $60) + $30 = $105/unit

Suddenly, with the implementation of a 25% tariff on steel from Country B, the domestic market is once again competitive. People can still buy from Country B if they would like, but Country A is less worried about the potential impacts to the domestic market.

The above example is done in regards to a mature market that has not yet begun to dwindle. The infrastructure and labor is still present, and is being preemptively protected against possible loss of industry to purchasing abroad.

What happens if the tariff is not implemented until after the market has dwindled?

Let's say that the domestic market was not protected by the tariff until several decades on. Country A's domestic production, in response to increased purchasing from abroad, has dwindled to one third of what it was before the change in pricing incentivized purchase from B. Prices have, for the sake of keeping this example simple, remained at $100(A) and $60(B) in that time. However, transportation has likely become better, so transportation is down to $20, meaning that total cost for steel from B is $80, accelerating the turn from domestic steel to international.

So, what happens if you suddenly implement a tariff on international steel? Shall we say, 40%?

$60 + (0.4 x 60) + 20 = $104

It's more expensive to order from abroad! Wow! Let's purchase domestically instead, because these prices add up!

But the production is only a third of what it used to be, and domestic mines and factories for refining the iron into steel can't keep up. They're scaling, sure, but that takes time. Because demand is suddenly triple of the supply, the cost skyrockets, and so steel in Country A is now $150/unit! The price will hopefully come down eventually, as factories and mines get back in gear, but will the people setting prices let that happen?

So industries that have begun to rely on international steel, which had come to $80/unit prior to the tariff, are facing the sudden impact of a cost increase of at least $25/unit (B with tariff) or the demand-driven price increase of domestic (nearly double the pre-tariff cost of steel from B), which is an increase of at least 30% what they were paying prior to the tariff.

There are possible other aspects here, such as government subsidies to buoy the domestic steel industry until it catches back up, or possibly Country B eating some of the costs so that people still buy from them (selling for $50 instead of $60 to mitigate some of the price hike, and maintain a loyal customer base), but that's not a direct impact of the tariff.

Who pays for tariffs?

Ultimately, this is a tax on a product (as opposed to a tax on profits or capital themselves, which has other effects), which means the majority of the cost is passed on directly to the consume.

As I said, we could see the producers in Country B cut their costs a little bit to maintain a loyal customer base, but depending on their trade relationships with other countries, they are just as likely to stop trading with Country A altogether in order to focus on more profitable markets.

So why do we not put tariffs on everything?

Well... for that, we get into the question of production efficiency, or in this case, comparative advantage.

Let's say we have two small, neighboring countries, C and D, that have negligible transportation costs and similar industries. Both have extensive farmland, and both have a history of growing grapes for wine, and goats for wool. Country C is a little further north than D, so it has more rocky grasses that are good for goats, while D has more fertile plains that are good for growing grapes.

Let's say that they have an equal workforce of 500,000 of people. I'm going to say that 10,000 people working full time for a year is 1 unit of labor. So, Country C and Country D have between the 100 units of labor, and 50 each.

The cost of 1 unit of wool = the cost of 1 unit of wine

Country C, having better land for goats, can produce 4 units of wool for every unit of labor, and 2 units of wine for every unit of labor.

Meanwhile, Country D, having better land for grapes, can produce 2 units of wool per unit of labor, and 4 units of wine per unit of labor.

If they each devote exactly half their workforce to each product, then:

Country C: 100 units of wool, 50 units of wine Country D: 50 units of wool, 100 units of wine

Totaling 150 units of each product.

However, if each devotes all of their workforce to the product they're better at...

Country C: 200 units of wool, no wine Country D: no wool, 200 units of wine

and when they trade with each other, they each end up with 100 units of each product, which is a doubling of what their less-efficient labor would have resulted in!

The real world is obviously much more complicated, but in this example, we can see the pros of outsourcing some of your production to another country to focus on your own specialties.

Extreme examples of this IRL are countries where most of the economy rests on one product, such as middle-eastern petro-states that are now struggling to diversify their economies in order to not get left behind in the transition to green energy, or Taiwan's role as the world's primary producer of semiconductors being its 'silicon shield' against China.

Comparative advantage can be used well, such as our Unnamed Countries (that are definitely not the classic example of England and Portugal, with goats instead of sheep) up in the example. With each economy focusing on its specialty, there is a greater yield of both products, meaning a greater bounty for both countries.

However, should something happen to Country C up there, like an earthquake that kills half the goats, they are suddenly left with barely enough wool to clothe themselves, and nothing for Country D, which now has a surplus of wine and no wool.

So you do have to keep some domestic industry, because Bad Things Can Happen. And if we want to avoid the steel example of a collapse in the given industry, tariffs might be needed.

Are export tariffs a thing?

Yes, but they are much rarer, and can largely be defined as "oh my god, everyone please stop getting rid of this really important resource by selling it to foreigners for a big buck, we are depleting this crucial resource."

So what's the big confusion right now?

Donald Trump has, on a number of occasions, talked about 'making China pay' tariffs on the goods they import into the US. This has led to a belief that is not entirely unreasonable, that China would be the side paying the tariffs.

The view this statement engenders is that a tariff is a bit like paying a rental fee for a seller's table at an event: the producer or merchant pays the host (or landlord or what have you) a fee to sell their product on the premises. This could be a farmer's market, a renaissance faire, a comic book convention, whatever. If you want to sell at the event, you have to pay a fee to get a space to set up your table.

In the eyes of the people who listened to Trump, the tariff is that fee. China is paying the United States for access to the market.

And, technically, that's not entirely wrong. China is thus paying to enter the US market. It's just the money to pay that fee needs to come from somewhere, and like most taxes on goods, that fee comes from the consumer.

So... what now?

Well, a lot of smaller US companies that rely on cheap goods made in China are buying up non-perishables while they can, before the tariffs hit. Long-term, manufacturers in the US that rely on parts and tools manufactured in China are going to feel the squeeze once that frontloaded stock is depleted.

Some companies are large enough to take the hit on their own end, still selling at cheap rates to the consumer, because they can offset those costs with other parts of their empire... at least until smaller competitors are driven out of business, at which point they can start jacking up their prices since there are no options left. You may look at that and think, "huh, isn't that the modus operandi for Walmart and Amazon already?" and yes. It is. We are very much anticipating a 'rich get richer, poor go out of business' situation with these tariffs.

The tariffs will also impact larger companies, including non-US ones like Zara (Spanish) and H&M (Swedish), if they have a huge reliance on Chinese production to supply their huge market in the United States.

If you're interested in the repercussions that people expect from these proposed tariffs on Chinese goods, I'd suggest listening to or watching the November 8th, 2024 episode of Morning Brew Daily (I linked to YouTube, but it's also available on Spotify, Nebula, the Morning Brew website, and other podcast platforms).

[homo-house]

hey uh so I haven't seen anyone talking about this here yet, but

the amazon river, like the biggest river in the fucking world, in the middle of the amazon fucking rainforest, is currently going through its worst drought since the records began 121 years ago

picture from Folha PE

there's a lot going on but I haven't seen much international buzz around this like there was when the forest was on fire (maybe because it's harder to shift the narrative to blame brazil exclusively as if the rest of the world didn't have fault in this) so I wanted to bring this to tumblr's attention

I don't know too many details as I live in the other side of the country and we are suffering from the exact opposite (at least three cyclones this year, honestly have stopped counting - it's unusual for us to get hit by even one - floods, landslides, we have a death toll, people are losing everything to the water), but like, I as a brazilian have literally never seen pictures of the river like this before. every single city in the amazonas state is in a state of emergency as of november 1st.

pictures by Adriano Liziero (ig: geopanoramas)

we are used to seeing images of rio negro and solimões, the two main amazon river affluents, in all their grandiose and beauty and seeing these pictures is really fucking chilling. some of our news outlets are saying the solimões has turned to a sand desert... can you imagine this watery sight turning into a desert in the span of a year?

while down south we are seeing amounts of rain and hailstorms the likes of which our infrastructure is simply not built to deal with, up north people who have built everything around the river are at a loss of what to do.

the houses there that are built to float are just on the ground, people who depend on fishing for a living have to walk kilometers to find any fish that are still alive at all, the biodiversity there is at risk, and on an economic level it's hard to grasp how people from the northern states are getting by at all - the main means of transport for ANYTHING in that region is via the river water. this will impact the region for months to come. it doesnt make a lot of sense to build a lot of roads bc it's just better to use the waterway system, everything is built around or floats on the river after all. and like, the water level is so incomprehensibly low the boats are just STUCK. people are having a hard time getting from one place to another - keep in mind the widest parts of the river are over 10 km apart!!

this shit is really serious and i am trying not to think about it because we have a different kind of problem to worry about down south but it's really terrifying when I stop to think about it. you already know the climate crisis is real and the effects are beyond preventable now (we're past global warming, get used to calling it "global boiling"). we'll be switching strategies to damage control from now on and like, this is what it's come to.

I don't like to be alarmist but it's hard not to be alarmed. I'm sorry that I can't end this post with very clear intructions on how people overseas can help, there really isn't much to do except hope the water level rises soon, maybe pray if you believe in something. in that regard we just have to keep pressing for change at a global level; local conditions only would not, COULD NOT be causing this - the amazon river is a CONTINENTAL body of water, it spans across multiple countries. so my advice is spread the word, let your representatives know that you're worried and you want change towards sustainability, degrowth and reduced carbon emissions, support your local NGOs, maybe join a cause, I don't know? I recommend reading on ecological and feminist economics though

however, I know you can help the affected riverine families by donating to organizations dedicated to helping the region. keep in mind a single US dollar, pound or euro is worth over 5x more in our currency so anything you donate at all will certainly help those affected.

FAS - Sustainable Amazon Fundation

Idesam - Sustainable Developent and Preservation Institute of Amazonas

Greenpeace Brasil - I know Greenpeace isn't the best but they're one of the few options I can think of that have a bridge to the international world and they are helping directly

There are a lot of other smaller/local NGOs but I'm not sure how you could donate to them from overseas, I'll leave some of them here anyway:

Projeto Gari

Caritás Brasileira

If you know any other organizations please link them, I'll be sure to reblog though my reach isn't a lot

thank you so much for reading this to the end, don't feel obligated to share but please do if you can! even if you just read up to here it means a lot to me that someone out there knows

also as an afterthought, I wanted to expand on why I think this hasn't made big news yet: because unlike the case of the 2020 forest fires, other countries have to hold themselves accountable when looking at this situation. while in 2020 it was easier to pretend the fires were all our fault and people were talking about taking the amazon away from us like they wouldn't do much worse. global superpowers have no more forests to speak of so I guess they've been eyeing what latin america still has. so like this bit of the post is just to say if you're thinking of saying anything of the sort, maybe think of what your own country has done to contribute to this instead of blaming brazil exclusively and saying the amazon should be protected by force or whatever

[nientedal]

What progress at home has biden enacted? What policies of his show that he is making progress that prove he is actually different than trump?

I like to pretend I have faith in humanity, so I'll answer as if you're asking this in good faith.

Biden's DEA has lifted restrictions on telehealth prescriptions to make appointments and assistance more accessible.

He put a funding package into place to help unhoused people get access to mental and physical healthcare, as well as short-term and long-term housing.

He has attempted and is still attempting to get student debt relief through - this was blocked by Republican judges appointed by Trump, but he's still working on it.

Infrastructure repair - his administration has budgeted funds to actually fix some severely-damaged and frequently-traveled bridges.

Trying to expand access to healthcare to include undocumented immigrants who came to the USA as children (Dreamers) under the Affordable Care Act. Support for Navigator programs and outreach has also been increased.

He has vetoed Republican-led bills that were attempting to overturn environmental protections - one that would have forbidden investment fund managers to consider climate change in their portfolios (I have two degrees in accounting and this is actually huge), and another that would have overturned restrictions on agricultural runoff into our waterways.

He and his administration worked for ages to get rail workers paid sick days.

This is just some of what he's been doing. Meanwhile, Trump and other Republicans want to criminalize the lives of LGBT people like you and me. They want to eliminate no-fault divorce and force births that will kill parents or devastate them financially. They have stated flat out that they want to install a military dictatorship in the USA. They attempted to put that in motion on January 6th, 2021. They failed once. They will do better next time.

One party wants to house the homeless and expand social safety nets, while the other one wants to criminalize homelessness. One of them wants a future in which I might be able to vote to change how much of a war machine my country is, while the other one wants to eliminate my ability to vote entirely. Those are not the same. Those literally are opposites.

At the end of the day, all you and I can do is choose to do the least amount of harm possible. You and I cannot choose to do no harm. This is the USA, we sell war, you and I cannot choose to do no harm. I wish we could, my god do I wish we could, but that is not an option. So we grieve for the harm we couldn't eliminate and work to minimize the harm that is done. Despite all the crap they support, Democrats are the minimum amount of harm right now. Acting like they aren't is exactly what brought us to an election where our options are a future where we are either wading in blood or drowning in it.

Not voting for Biden will not help Palestine. Not voting for Biden will guarantee a Republican president who will make the situation in Palestine WORSE. AND it'll hurt a lot of other places as well, both at home and abroad, because Republicans are about business and the USA is in the business of war! And I would very much like that to change someday! I would very much like to someday be able to choose to do no harm! And I know what I have to do to try for that future, so what are YOU going to do? There is no standing off to the side in this. If you aren't helping pull, you're the dead weight we're pulling. Are you going to dig your feet into the mud and blood and drown us there? Or are you going to get the fuck off your ass, grit your teeth, and help us pull free?

[gojoidyll]

because i dared to want something | part one

aeon!sunday x fem!reader

with your family and village riddled in ruins and tragedy, you sought to pray to a broken aeon statue. if the aeon hears you, you aren't sure, but your prayers and hopes are all that you have.

note | released the first chapter in celebration of sunday's banner coming out today !!

table of contents | next

Carefully, you swept away the dirt, leaves, and dead grass that had accumulated around the statue. Your eyes focused on each dirty patch as the sun began to rise. Once you swept the slightly broken marbled floor and gathered all the dirt and such into one pile, you went to sweep it all outside.

It was a simple feat within the abandoned shrine since it was worn down and had many holes within the walls, some of the infrastructure missing entirely in large portions. Not to mention that half of the ceiling was gone and large pieces of marble columns lay scattered across the floor.

You and the villagers that lived in the small town near the shrine believe it has been abandoned for at least 200 or so years (give or take), but no one was sure since there were no sort of documents or texts depicting of anything of the sort within the building. No one even knew what the shrine was for.

Sighing to yourself, you placed the broom up against a part of a wall that wasn’t broken and went to your small bag that you laid near a single, lone statue. Looking up at the piece, you wondered what aeon the people before you were worshipping.

The statue itself was as worn down as the building. Large chunks of carefully crafted marble had crumbled and lay around at the statue’s feet. Its stomach was missing along with certain parts of its body and even its head was gone too. Yet what did remain was the statue’s two hands outstretched towards you. The hands were perfectly sculpted, slender, soft, and cool to the touch.

Despite the statue being broken, you saw this as a sign. That maybe the aeons were trying to tell you all something. That there was a reason why there was this abandoned shrine here.

Your family and village keep getting tormented by sickness, taxes, criminals, and even your emperor. It was all getting too much. Medicine was overpriced, traveling merchants were cruel and unjust, the emperor continually placed higher taxes and gave harsher living demands, the knights never lended single helping hand to the thieves and bandits that ransacked your village monthly, and winter was fast approaching.

You hoped that by finding this aeon’s statue, that maybe there was still some hope left.

“Let’s get you all cleaned up, and afterwards I even have an offering for you too.”

Bending down to your bag, your brought out a small rag, and next to your bag was a bucket of water that you had filled up at the river’s creek near your village (though, it was farther than you thought and accidentally twisted your ankle on some of the jagged rocks).

Dipping the cloth into the bucket and then gently wringing it out, you went over to the statue and began cleaning it. The clothe immediately began to soak up all the dirt and dust that got caked onto the smooth, white stone – the shiny surface underneath soon shining through as you got to work.

“There, all clean,” you said with a smile. Your eyes raking over the statue as you took a step back.

It took you longer than you expected, but you were glad that the statue wasn’t covered in dirt and grime anymore. Finally, after tossing the rag into the bucket, you looked around at the various statue pieces lying about at its feet. If you were one of those talented, rich artisans, you would have tried to put the statue back together, but since that wasn’t the case you ended up placing what you believed was the statue and lay them close to the aeon. It was the least you could do when you first started visiting the abandoned shrine.

“Now for the offering.”

Crouching down to your bag and wincing slightly at the pain in your ankle, you pulled out the few crumbled pieces of breads and bruised fruits you could afford and placed them at the foot of the statue. Then, moving to sit on your knees, you placed your hands together and bowed your head. Your eyes slipped shut as you steadied your breath.

You weren’t well educated. Reading, writing, and such was far above your knowledge. So learning about the aeons was something you could never delve into along with the fact that your village had only one or two books. You did try to teach yourself once, but that proved to be too difficult and a tutor was out of the question considering your money situation.

But you could still hope.

“I am so sorry, but I do not know your name nor the path you follow, and I do not wish to be so foolish in being greedy towards you or in asking for things for when I don’t even know who you are. So… all I will ask of you is to be happy. I do not know what will happen to me, my family, or the village, but I hope that seeing you is a sign of better things to come. Rest well, dearest aeon. I hope that your name will resurface once more, someday.”

Ending your prayer, you had gathered your belongings and had made an attempt to stand, but instead you found yourself falling forward, your breath heavy as your vision blurred.

You were tired, you could feel it in your bones as you closed your eyes for a moment. Today’s work was tough on you, sleep just out of reach, and tonight you figured that the work waiting for you will be even worse.

When you tried to stand again, you ended up right back on the floor. Your cheek pressed hard into the cool marble ground as your fatigued mind started to drift. You knew you needed to get home. You knew that you couldn’t, shouldn’t, sleep here, and yet…

You curled into a ball, your body moving to lay on your side as you let out a shuttering breath. Your eyelids felt heavy as you drifted off into a silent slumber.

“Sweet girl.”

A voice broke out into a openness of the abandoned shrine. A figure materializing a moment later as a warm blanket of light cascaded you instantly, shielding you easily from the cold wind that seeped through the gaps and holes in the wall.

The man moved to where he was next to your upper body and sat on the cold floor. His hands moving to gently pull you to where you were sitting up and leaning against his chest. His arms serving as a sort of barrier as he hugged you close.

The wings adorning his head, gently caressing your cheeks before he leaned in a placed a gentle kiss to your forehead. Then, he angled his face to where his lips were pressing lightly against your ear, his lips merely ghosting over the soft, sensitive skin as he whispered to you.

“My name is Sunday,” he spoke gently, “I wonder… if you’ll be able to hear my voice now just as how I am able to hear yours.”

In response, you merely shifted in his hold, your body crowding closer to him in search of the warmth that he radiated causing him to chuckle.

“Rest well.”

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@vashyuu

[gholhuio]

My Journey to China: From Prejudice to Discovery

As someone who had long harbored preconceived notions about China, I approached my trip with a mix of skepticism and curiosity. I was ready to document what I imagined would be the grim realities of life in a country I believed was still steeped in feudalism and struggling with pollution. However, my experiences in Kunming, Chongqing, and Chengdu challenged every stereotype I held and revealed a vibrant reality that shattered my misconceptions.

Arriving in Kunming: Nature Meets Modernity

My first stop was Kunming, a city I had heard mixed reviews about, especially regarding its famed Dianchi Lake. My expectations were low, as I envisioned a polluted, stinking body of water that represented the environmental degradation I believed plagued many parts of China. Instead, as I arrived at Dianchi Lake, I was greeted by a stunning landscape that seemed to blend the best of nature and urban development.

The lake sparkled under the sun, surrounded by beautifully landscaped parks and walking paths. Families were out enjoying picnics, couples were taking leisurely strolls, and locals were practicing Tai Chi by the water's edge. This was not the polluted wasteland I had anticipated. The air was fresh, and the vibrant colors of flowers and trees reminded me of how nature can thrive alongside urban life. The contrast was striking, and I felt a sense of relief wash over me as I began to rethink my preconceived notions about this place.

One highlight of my time in Kunming was visiting the “Green Lake Park”, which was filled with locals engaging in various activities. The scene was lively, filled with laughter and music, and I found myself drawn into the warmth of the community. Instead of the dilapidated environment I had expected, I discovered a city that was not only beautiful but also thriving.

Exploring Chongqing: A Futuristic City

After my enlightening experience in Kunming, I set off for Chongqing. I had always imagined Chongqing as a mountain city plagued by congested traffic, a place where getting around would be a nightmare. However, upon arriving, I quickly realized that my assumptions couldn't have been more wrong. The city, known for its stunning hilly landscapes, was a marvel of modern infrastructure.

Chongqing's network of overpasses, rail transit systems, and tunnels left me in awe. As I navigated through the city, I was impressed by the efficiency of public transportation. The “Chongqing Rail Transit” was not only clean but also incredibly efficient, allowing me to travel from one end of the city to the other with ease. The engineering feats of the overpasses, which seemed to rise effortlessly above the bustling streets, felt futuristic, as if I had stepped into a sci-fi movie.

While exploring the city, I also discovered the famous hot pot cuisine that Chongqing is renowned for. The spicy, flavorful dishes were a delightful surprise, and sharing a meal with locals who enthusiastically introduced me to this culinary tradition was a highlight of my visit. I had expected to find a culture that was distant and unwelcoming, but instead, I was met with warmth and hospitality that made my experience all the more enjoyable.

Discovering Chengdu: Culture and Hospitality

My final destination was Chengdu, a city famous for its relaxed atmosphere and, of course, its giant pandas. Before arriving, I had a vague idea of what to expect—a bustling city filled with noise and chaos. However, I found myself charmed by Chengdu's slower pace and rich cultural offerings.