Commodity Food

‘There was no other option’: the aid packages feeding diabetes and heart disease in the Pacific islands

Increasingly frequent natural disasters leave islanders reliant on processed foods for months on end – with deeply concerning knock-on effects to health.

When twin cyclones Judy and Kevin hammered their way through the 83 tropical islands of Vanuatu in March 2023, the government and NGOs were quick to distribute supplies. The South Pacific country’s crops had been decimated and the need to feed the 300,000-plus population was a priority.

The bags of rice, packets of noodles and tinned tuna that communities depend on for the months after a disaster were welcomed. But unlike native staples such as yams, taro and sweet potato, these emergency foods only serve to worsen the region’s non-communicable diseases (NCDs) problem, according to experts.

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Ukraine Resistance

Life on Ukraine’s front line: ‘Worse than hell’ as Russia advances

Ukraine's soldiers talk of exhaustion, faith, personal loss and a perilous shortage of munitions as Russian forces take new ground. Reuters traveled along the front line, where Ukrainian troops say Vladimir Putin must be beaten back. Otherwise, said one, "he’s not going to stop over here."

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My Gender Is Not Human

My Gender is [NOT] Human Zine is now available for download!

Xenogender: A gender that cannot be contained by human understandings of gender; more concerned with crafting other methods of gender categorization and hierarchy such as those relating to animals, plants, or other creatures/things.

This zine is a collection of artwork, writing and more created by alterhumans and nonhumans to express both their species identity, gender, and how they intersect. While this zine has an xenogender slant, everyone who had something to share about how their species and gender overlap were encouraged to submit pieces!
[---8<---]
We created this zine to be an accessible pdf.


And yes, some of my genders are nonhuman.  Especially the corkscrew.  \o/

Birdfeeding

Today is cloudy, mild, and still quite damp from yesterday's rain.

I fed the birds.  I've seen several house finches.

EDIT 6/2/24 -- There are still water droplets all over everything, so it's too wet for yardwork.

Yarrow is just starting to bloom in the septic garden.  If I remember right (this is from a year or two ago) this batch is 'Summer Pastels' yarrow.

EDIT 6/2/24 -- I spotted some deer tracks in the yard, so I took pictures of those and a few other things.



 

Poem: "A Writhing Snake Pit of Envy"

This poem is spillover from the April 2024 crowdfunding Creative Jam. It was inspired by a discussion with dialecticdreamer. It also fills the "Throwing the First Punch" square in my 4-1-24 card for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred. It belongs to the college arc of the Shiv thread in the Polychrome Heroics series. This poem follows "The Hope and Freedom You Exude," so read that first or this won't make much sense.

Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the more detailed warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes emotional turmoil, outrage, reference to recent educational abuse, raised voices, peer conflicts among faculty, persistent refusal of blame, delusions of competence, insulting language, sexism and ageism, divergent perspectives, professional consequences, and other challenges. Survivors of educational abuse should think carefully about reading this, as it refers to very common types of abuse -- and reading about someone actually facing consequences for such abuse could be either gratifying as a fantasy or upsetting because it almost never happens in the American school system. If these are sensitive subjects for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.

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Character notes for "A Writhing Snake Pit of Envy" Part 1: Sidney Evergood

Here are the character notes for "A Writhing Snake Pit of Envy" Part 1: Sidney Evergood.

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Character notes for "A Writhing Snake Pit of Envy" Part 2: Millicent "Millie" Fiore

Here are the character notes for "A Writhing Snake Pit of Envy" Part 2: Millicent "Millie" Fiore.

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Character notes for "A Writhing Snake Pit of Envy" Part 3: Mardy O'Keeffe

Here are the character notes for "A Writhing Snake Pit of Envy" Part 3: Mardy O'Keeffe.

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Character notes for "A Writhing Snake Pit of Envy" Part 4: Antonius Bridgman

Here are the character notes for "A Writhing Snake Pit of Envy" Part 4: Antonius Bridgman.

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Character notes for "A Writhing Snake Pit of Envy" Part 5: Reuben Cooper

Here are the character notes for "A Writhing Snake Pit of Envy" Part 5: Reuben Cooper.

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Location notes for "A Writhing Snake Pit of Envy"

These are the location notes for "A Writhing Snake Pit of Envy."

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Content notes for "A Writhing Snake Pit of Envy"

These are the content notes for "A Writhing Snake Pit of Envy."

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