#Pandemic Hub

[pandemichub]

I am well aware of the WHO's declaration in regard to the covid health emergency. I am in the process of preparing a response. Members of this organization are failing and guilty of a dereliction of duty. To be outspoken and concise, I condemn this. It is dangerous, unethical and anti scientific.

We've certainly entered a new point in the pandemic, the guard rails are nearly if not all removed. This is open violation of human rights, counter to all we've learned and created historically in regard to illnesses and disease control, especially on an international scale.

Please know I will be steadfast in holding officials, organizations and individuals accountable to the greatest extent of my power. And will do everything I can to provide people with accurate information, support and a guide as we go through these dark times.

The pandemic is not over

Covid is not over

#Pandemic Hub #Announcements #Statements #Public Health #Covid Health Emergency #Admin

[kaytory]

#Netflix and other streaming platforms like it moved their film and productions from Hollywood to New Mexico. Hollywood #known as a hub in the moviemaking industry #today is practically undesirable. This was mostly due to the imposition of extra costs #extreme protocols when it comes to personal protection equipment #and huge outbreaks of covid. They increased insurance costs for production companies. Hollywood sought to use the pandemic to its own advan #industry leaders took their business to New Mexico. #In addition to inflated prices #California requires a certain number of booster shots. Their arrogance does not allow industry workers a choice. The state determines the n #it drove industry leaders to leave Hollywood. In my mind it makes a lot of sense. If companies remained in Hollywood #they were going to lose money before they even began to create the work. Hollywood greed cost them their status and reputation. #New Mexico welcomes the industry. They offer “tax incentives that include a 25% to 35% production tax credit for film #TV #commercials #documentaries #music videos #video games #animation #postproduction and more.” Other credits are also available to production companies as well. This city has made itself number one in moviema #In 2019 #Netflix and NBCUniversal partnered with the city on a ten-year plan. Albuquerque and Santa Fe #New Mexico are a force to reckon with in the movie industry. “New Mexico’s film incentives continue to be a gold standard in the industry.” #https://www.abqjournal.com/.../nm-film-industry-sets... #and Finishing What you Start Seminar #1/7/23

[eligahmoore]

TOP STARTUPS IN BRAZIL

Today, it is a major accomplishment for startups to keep their business moving toward stability and acceleration. They must deal with several difficulties set by the unique circumstances arising from the current business atmosphere, including digital adoption, automation of business processes, delegation, team management, workflow management, and cyber security. This necessitates incorporating things that allow startups to adopt to the changing market dynamics, customer needs, and operating conditions.

Startups across Brazil are rising up to empower the industries that have remained underserved in the Brazilian landscape. They are also proving their resilience to economic shocks time and time again, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is doing little to stop the rise of the startups in the country.

#startups #Brazil #innovation #technology landscape #digital adoption #automation #resilience #COVID-19 pandemic #economic uncertainties #tech hubs #market requirements #partnership #efficiency #workspace #cyber security.

[mikesparow1]

Top Hormone Therapy Companies

Hormone therapy entails providing the body with enough estrogen, progesterone, or a blend. Hormone replacement treatment comes in a variety of forms, including tablets, patches, lotions, gels, and injections. Hormone therapy relieves symptoms associated with hormonal abnormalities by balancing or altering hormone levels. Hormone replacement therapy is a treatment that also includes female hormones. The drug is used to replace the estrogen that your body stops producing throughout menopause. Hot flashes and vaginal soreness are two menopausal symptoms frequently treated with hormone therapy. In postmenopausal women, hormone treatment has also been found to reduce bone loss and fracture risk.

The world’s total hormone replacement therapy market is estimated to develop at an average CAGR of 6.6% from 2023 to 2030. Hormone replacement therapy is critical for individuals with growth hormone deficiency, menopausal women, the elderly with hypogonadism, and various other patients. The medication is available in multiple forms, including skin and buccal patches, injectables, and pills.

#hormonetherapy #startups #Brazil #innovation #technology landscape #digital adoption #automation #resilience #COVID-19 pandemic #economic uncertainties #tech hubs #market requirements #partnership #efficiency #workspace #cyber security.

[aethelflaedladyofmercia]

One of my big executive function struggles is feeding myself.

I live alone (apart from the cat). I lose track of time when I’m involved in a project, and I don’t feel hungry so much as tired a lot of the time, which tends to lead to the wrong solution.

I hate taking five minutes to make myself food. If I have energy, it feels like I’m wasting time that could be spent writing or researching or whatever. And if I don’t have energy… FUCK. Even peeling a banana is beyond me.

When I drove to work, pre-pandemic, this often meant Dunkin’ Donuts for breakfast, Burger King for dinner, maybe head over to the bakery for a sandwich at lunch. I’d try not to do all three on the same day, but… I never had the patience to make food.

But now I work from home in the suburbs. There’s not a lot of places in easy driving distance, and only a few of them deliver. Food I get through Uber Eats or Grub Hub arrives cold. Always. I’m signed up to one of those weekly meal delivery services but they keep raising the prices and now I’m down to 4 meals a week.

I’m not asking for money, btw. I can afford to feed myself, I just don’t have the energy.

Now, in today’s society, this is considered lazy. Inefficient. How many times have we seen people saying working class people waste their money on fast food, and don’t they realize it’s cheaper to buy and cook healthy fresh foods? And you can say over and over again about the cost of exhaustion, but there’s still this sense of “no, you should be able to do this, just like everyone always has, this generation is just lazy…”

Not just from other people. Got that voice in my head, too.

And whenever it starts to get abusively loud, I just remind myself:

Working class apartments in Ancient Rome didn’t have kitchens. Apartment blocks (insulae) had shops on the ground floor, especially bakeries and places that sold quick hot food you could eat on your way to work, maybe with a few seats along a bar where you could rest for five minutes on your break.

Not just a few. These were goddamn EVERYWHERE.

We’ve known for two thousand years that people who work all day don’t have the energy or resources to cook for themselves. Longer, because Rome didn’t invent this, it’s just well-known there cuz Rome.

Anyway. I think if as a society we just accepted that “people don’t have the energy to cook but still need healthy food” is a real and valid issue, we could find some affordable fucking solutions. And step one is to stop blaming people (and ourselves) for not having that energy.

[goodluckdetective]

Twitter collapsing does really feel like a modern day Tower of Babel situation: breaking lines of communication that connected the entire world.

Scientists used Twitter to do science communication and to work with other scientists. Twitter’s API allowed scientists massive access to data that could be used to track pandemics, bias, and other metrics that can be really hard to collect in such massive numbers (this isn’t to say that data collection doesn’t come with ethical issues, but that’s another story).

Journalists used Twitter for breaking news updates and to connect with sources. I saw quite a few Twitter journalists upset about restrictions to DMs because it was how sources often contacted them. If you had a newsworthy problem, like an unfair eviction, you could reach out to local reporters and maybe get them to pick up the story.

Artists and other creators used Twitter to spread their art and build small businesses. I have bought art prints that I have since framed of artists whose work I first saw on Twitter.

Activists have used Twitter to challenge institutional narratives and to make their movements visible and loud. All across the world, people who’s stories would have never been heard have used Twitter to make sure the truth is out there.

Social and cultural groups have used Twitter as a way to connect and build community. I am obviously not qualified to talk about the importance of Black Twitter so here’s a link to Doctor Meredith Clark discussing archiving Black Twitter with NPR.

To see all of that break in one day really feels like watching just this ability to communicate crumble. From the ability to translate Tweets, to the ability to collect data, to the ability to simply see what people are saying, all of it has crumbled. But unlike the story of Babel, this isn’t an act of God: this is just the whim of one man who took a look at this flawed but impressive communication hub and decided to tear it down.

#iz rambles #twitter #elon musk #sorry for all the Twitter posting I’ve just been thinking a lot

[cherryjamandtoast]

UPS TEAMSTERS-UNION WON !!!!!!!!!!!

From the article:

[(WASHINGTON) – Today, the Teamsters reached the most historic tentative agreement for workers in the history of UPS, protecting and rewarding more than 340,000 UPS Teamsters nationwide. The overwhelmingly lucrative contract raises wages for all workers, creates more full-time jobs, and includes dozens of workplace protections and improvements. The UPS Teamsters National Negotiating Committee unanimously endorsed the five-year tentative agreement.

“Rank-and-file UPS Teamsters sacrificed everything to get this country through a pandemic and enabled UPS to reap record-setting profits. Teamster labor moves America. The union went into this fight committed to winning for our members. We demanded the best contract in the history of UPS, and we got it,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. ... This contract sets a new standard in the labor movement and raises the bar for all workers.”

“UPS came dangerously close to putting itself on strike, but we kept firm on our demands. In my more than 40 years in Louisville representing members at Worldport — the largest UPS hub in the country — I have never seen a national contract that levels the playing field for workers so dramatically as this one....” said Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman. “We stayed focused on our members and fought like hell to get everything that full-time and part-time UPS Teamsters deserve.”

“Rank-and-file members served on the committee for the first time, ... “Our hard work has paid off — from those members and leaders negotiating for more at the table to my sisters and brothers building a credible strike threat around the country. Our union was organized and we were relentless. We’ve hit every goal that UPS Teamster members wanted and asked for with this agreement. It’s a ‘yes’ vote for the most historic contract we’ve ever had.”

Highlights of the tentative 2023-2028 UPS Teamsters National Master Agreement include:

Historic wage increases. Existing full- and part-time UPS Teamsters will get $2.75 more per hour in 2023, and $7.50 more per hour over the length of the contract.

Existing part-timers will be raised up to no less than $21 per hour immediately, and part-time seniority workers earning more under a market rate adjustment would still receive all new general wage increases.

Wage increases for full-timers will keep UPS Teamsters the highest paid delivery drivers in the nation, improving their average top rate to $49 per hour.

New part-time hires at UPS would start at $21 per hour and advance to $23 per hour.

All UPS Teamster drivers classified as 22.4s would be reclassified immediately to Regular Package Car Drivers and placed into seniority, ending the unfair two-tier wage system at UPS.

Safety and health protections, including vehicle air conditioning and cargo ventilation. UPS will equip in-cab A/C in all larger delivery vehicles, sprinter vans, and package cars purchased after Jan. 1, 2024. All cars get two fans and air induction vents in the cargo compartments.

All UPS Teamsters would receive Martin Luther King Day as a full holiday for the first time.

No more forced overtime on Teamster drivers’ days off. Drivers would keep one of two workweek schedules and could not be forced into overtime on scheduled off-days.

UPS Teamster part-timers will have priority to perform all seasonal support work using their own vehicles with a locked-in eight-hour guarantee. For the first time, seasonal work will be contained to five weeks only from November-December.

On July 31, representatives ... will meet to review and recommend the tentative agreement. All UPS rank-and-file members will receive a list of improvements in the contract. ... Member voting begins August 3 and concludes August 22.

The UPS Teamsters National Master Agreement is the single largest private-sector collective bargaining agreement in North America.]

Check the article for the full list; but ho ho holy shit.

This is huge. It shows the collective bargaining WORKS. The Teamsters sent a message to UPS and this win will send a message to Corporate America that unions can WIN for rank-and-file workers!!!

#UPS #teamsters #ups strike #labor rights #labor movement #long post

[karliahs]

i often see people say they can't go to the library because they lost/never returned/dropped some library books in a bath or something, and now view themselves as heinous library criminals who would be yelled at and/or hit with a huge bill if they ever went back

and obvs i can't make promises unless you came into my specific library and were served by me but here are 10 reasons i think if you went in and politely explained the situation to a member of staff it'd probably be fine:

consider this from the library's perspective. those books are probably never coming back regardless. that value (having the books back), which is probably the reason the library has a fines system to begin with, is not gonna happen. the value of retaining you as a customer though is right there in front of them

if you explain that a fine is too high for you to pay and that that is keeping you from coming back to the library, what you've basically said is that there is an impediment to your library access. part of the job of anyone who works in a library is to remove that impediment

library computer systems will vary hugely and if it's been a long time there is a significant chance there isn't even a record of your lost books anymore

the pandemic affected library access significantly and a lot of libraries will have had amnesties once they reopened to get people over the hump of oh god oh god i've had these books FOREVER i can never show my face again. even if that amnesty is officially over, the fact that there was one helps the person in front of you justify waiving the fee (which, if they're like me and you aren't being cruel, they are probably looking for a reason to do!)

a lot of libraries have reduced or no fines for children, so if you lost books as a kid there's even more of a chance there won't be a fine

the person you speak to at the front desk at a library is probably not an accredited Librarian TM but a nice underpaid person who has to deal with a lot of difficult customers going off on them for no reason (also accredited librarian tms are also pretty nice usually). i would take 100 people politely explaining that they've lost books and are very embarrassed over one person whose purpose that day is to belittle me, a captive audience who has to be nice no matter what. library assistant jobs are often not that different from customer service jobs! a lot of library assistant jobs now explicitly are customer service jobs! it is so so likely that that person wants nothing less than to have an adversarial conversation with you

if you haven't been to a library since you were a lot younger, it is almost certainly no longer what you're picturing. most modern libraries are actively trying to move away from the image of severe quiet building where you will be shhhhed and sternly told to look after your books or else. we're trying to be vibrant community hubs full of friendly people who will do their best to help you

library employees, bizarrely enough, probably don't think of each individual book as being that valuable compared to other readers. if you own a book and keep it forever and read it maybe twice, barring any crazy accidents it'll probably last decades. if a book is on the shelves of a public library and is regularly borrowed, it'll last...3-5 years, maybe. a busy library will discard large volumes of stock every year because that's just how it works. you lose that sense of the sanctity of every copy of every book pretty fast in these kinds of jobs

libraries need people to use them! a huge huge part of getting library funding is demonstrating how many people use and value your service. you and the library staff are on the same side: they also want you to be able to use the library again

a public library has witnessed behaviours the likes of which you cannot imagine. people have shoved books down our toilets. people have looked at porn on library computers in full view of everyone around them. people have thrown chairs out of the window. losing books happens all the time and is so unlikely to phase staff who are probs a little bit dead inside

tldr: come back to the library, we need you visiting and using the service more than we need the books you accidentally lost, also if the person you talk to is anything like me they're probably just glad you aren't yelling at them

#like so many situations in life if you are polite and reasonable you will be a blessing to customer service workers #people are so fucking rude and dehumanising i do not care if you lost one of our books when you moved house 5 hears ago #talking

[todays-problematic-ship]

Today's Problematic Ship is the Satoshi

The Satoshi was a cruise ship owned by Ocean Builders, a company dedicated to "seasteading," an attempt to create a seabourne community free of laws imposed on dry land, with strong ties to the cryptocurrency movement.

The 1991-built ship, originally named Regal Princess but renamed Pacific Dawn in 2007, was purchased by Ocean Builders in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. The idea was to permanently anchor the ship in Panamian waters, as the central hub of an eventual community of "SeaPods", essentially individual houses at sea, which would be arranged around the Satoshi in the form of a Bitcoin B.

It quickly became evident that the people running Ocean Builders had no understanding of how to operate a ship: they initially failed to ensure their ship had certificate of seaworthiness to allow it to sail to Panama (where the venture was to be based), and even after this no-one was willing to insure the ship, making it impossible for passengers to live onboard. They also planned to re-engine the ship while it was out at sea, a physically impossible task to accomplish without sinking the ship in the process.

The leadership of Ocean Builders blamed all this on shipping being "plagued by over-regulation." (Many of our entries here at Today's Problematic Ship demonstrate those regulations exist for a reason). The end result was predictable: by the time the Satoshi arrived in Panama it had been sold to an Indian shipbreaker.

Except Ocean Builders had signed a contract they could not honour: according to the Basel Convention, which covers the disposal of hazardous waste, they weren’t allowed to send the ship from a signatory country (Panama) to a non-signatory country (India). Thus the sale was cancelled, and subsequently the ship was arrested by Panamian authorities.

Eventually, the Satoshi was sold in 2021 a different startup company, Ambassador Cruise Line. The new venture, who actually knew how to operate a cruise ship, started successful operations with the former Satoshi, now renamed Ambience, in 2022.

The Guardian has a detailed article about the saga of the Satoshi and the seasteading movement.

#problematic ships #cruise ship #cryptocurrency #bitcoin #satoshi

[pandemichub]

I know some ask "well how long do we have to mitigate?" Or get angry because they think public health is an effort to isolate people and cut off their access to greater society.

Which, with proper, consistent and equitable NPIs, vaccinations and therapeutics (especially next generation, and of course for all who can use them/do so, not everyone can. Equity in this pandemic has been a major problem), and new standards and guidelines in place for infrastructure and lasting changes, it is entirely possible for us to live well and safely.

I cannot and will not give a timeline or specific dates. I won't pretend to know when covid will be effectively handled. What I will state is if we continue to try denying and ignoring the situation, the worse and longer the situation will be. Lastly the frustrations so many have are valid.

And it is important to remind ourselves, vulnerable populations are most living in the reality of having reduced, limited or no access to society because of a disappearing and or lack of a robust response to the ongoing pandemic.

#Statement #Pandemic Hub #Pandemic response

[thebibliosphere]

You said the phrase "the mysteries of publishing" and honestly that's wild to me. I knew the publishing industry was shitty, but I had no idea it was also mysterious/secretive because the vast majority of what I know of it has come from you and Brandon Sanderson, and both of you are very up front and open about your gripes with publishing

There's always been systemic gatekeeping from traditional publishing (lack of diversity in publishing is not an accident, it is intentional), and there have always been a few jerks in indie-pub who intentionally give out bad-faith advice to try and sabotage the "competition," but they get called out by the community pretty quickly.

Where things can become (unintentionally) mysterious, is when people look at all the information available to them and freeze because they don't know where to start.

Indie and self-publishing is daunting, not just from a creative aspect, but administrative as well. It can be especially difficult if you struggle with executive dysfunction or other information-processing issues.

But if you take your time, ask questions in writing groups/forums -- reach out to author friends if you have them -- or even just contact customer service, you usually get it figured out.

This recent trend-- and it's gotten really bad over the pandemic-- with people conflating being an author with being an influencer, (and some do both well, but many don't.), and there's an almost MLM (multilevel marketing, not men-loving-men. Just clarifying seen as how this is Tumblr 😅) vibe to the way some of them are pushing their platforms harder than their work.

And people think, hey, this person has a million followers on TikTok; they must know what they're talking about!

So they sign up for the "classes" being promoted by these influencer management hubs, and while I am sure some of them are legit, if a lot of them are getting the same emails I'm getting, it's the bare minimum shit that you can find on google.

Maybe if you're lucky, they'll talk you through figuring out international royalties. Chances are they'll just regurgitate David Gaughran's 'Let's Get Digital: How To Self-Publish And Why You Should' -- WHICH YOU CAN GET FOR FREE-- and frame it behind girl-boss empowerment vibes spun through the lens of being a boss-babe author.

When truthfully, this person probably earns more from your clicks and views than anything they've written. There's more money to be made in the hustle of appearing successful and pretending like this wealth of information is secretive and unknown.

And I want no part of that.

#author stuff #influencer culture

[kristihines]

Can you trust AI Answers about your health?

During the summer of 2020, when the entire world was focused on the pandemic, getting treatment for other health issues became a challenge.

I started experiencing a lot of back pain, but I shrugged it off as an injury and took Advil to cope.

A week later, I thought I had food poisoning.

I tried an at-home service where they pumped me full of IV fluids.

I went to urgent care. They sent me to get scans. I paid hundreds of dollars out of pocket to get them quickly.

The imaging place never sent the scans to the urgent care.

A day later, I had the worst chills. It was July, in Phoenix. Most likely 100 F. I went outside and was still freezing.

At that point, I was taken to the ER. I ended up in the ICU in one of those rooms they zipped up in plastic.

While most of the focus was on COVID, I had something else: a large kidney stone. The kind that doesn’t pass on its own.

I was in septic shock and acute renal failure according to discharge papers.

The hospital stay itself wasn’t too long, but the treatment with specialists took three months to complete.

Surgeries during COVID were extra special because if you tested positive, your surgery was delayed.

Two years later, in 2022, I ended up in the same hospital for the same reason.

And now, I’m a few days into aggressive antibiotic treatment for my kidneys, yet again. Wondering if I make it to the next followup or have to Lyft off to the ER.

So what does this have to do with Google AI Answers?

In 2020 and 2022, I spent a lot of time perusing Google Search results on kidney stones.

Now, I get AI Answers above at the top of SERPs (search engine results pages).

This wouldn’t be a bad thing if one could trust the AI to accurately summarize its sources.

That’s the big if.

In the first screenshot, you’ll find an AI Answer from Google Search results for the phrase how to pass kidney stone.

The first mistake involved an error with paraphrasing a source with legitimate information.

Because I can assure you after four years of seeing urology specialists, no one has ever suggested drinking two quarts or liters of urine.

The basil leaves suggestion, on the other hand, is suspect. I’ve never come across that as a suggestion. It would have stood out, because I have a lot of basil growing around the garden.

I don’t even remember that website from my previous Google searches. I had to check Wikipedia and other sources to find out what the company even was.

Much like the search quality raters and AI Answer checkers do...

In the second screenshot, Microsoft Bing with Copilot offered ads for supplements and advice from five sources, two of which are the MSN Health Hub.

The hub includes a section where you can Ask a health professional questions.

In the third screenshot, ChatGPT using GPT-4 with browsing offered a concise response based on its training data, but claimed not to have access to external sources.

In the fourth screenshot, Perplexity provided the best AI Answer with 19 sources I recognized from my previous research into this health issue.

Moral of the story:

You can’t trust generative AI with your money or your life issues.

But if you do, start with the right AI Answer engine. One that cites sources you trust and doesn’t suggest drinking your own pee.

Think of Perplexity as a better starting point for more in-depth research that you can discuss during your next doctor’s visit.

Not as a definitive answer.

Follow @kristileilani on X for more on AI news, trends, and tools.

#ai chatbot #google #openai #chatgpt #perplexity

[riacte]

Idk how to describe it but I’m really comfortable with the vibe HC9 has now.

I know we’re all tired of the Season Sixfinity comparisons, but right now HC9 has (imo) the vibe of HC6 before the big drama Civil War dropped. Lots of crazy builds are clustered in one small area, and while everyone’s spreading out to build their main base, it doesn’t feel like anyone’s in a rush? Of course, we have hermits who are so excited that they build so much in one go (*coughcough Scar coughcough False*), but it looks like everyone is settling down for long term projects. Like, labours of their love.

And it’s different from, let’s say, HC7, which is probably the most hyped season so far bc it 1) followed HC6 2) dropped at the beginning of the pandemic. HC7 had insane production value and everyone was building mega bases, focusing a lot on the scale (Iskall’s tree, Impulse’s base that he famously moved by one block, Cub’s pyramid). HC8 was unfortunately cut short so we don’t see a lot of builds. But while HC9 definitely has its mega builds (Tango’s nether hub), again it doesn’t feel like anyone’s in a rush. It’s very productive, but also comfortable. It’s so nice seeing everyone so passionate and happy, even for the hermits who aren’t “building” something as their main gimmick, let’s say Zed’s achievements or Beef’s card game.

The diamond pillar fiasco was super fun and reminded me of HC6 Build Off, but now we have the inevitable Seasonal Shopping District conflict in the form of Ren being Hermitcraft King or whatever. And judging from Ren’s Twitter, he’s getting really into it and probably gonna stir up some server wide shenanigans.

I can’t wait to see what the hermits do next :D HC9 is looking really beautiful so far

#hermitcraft #ria.txt

[aziraphales-library]

Hi there!! Thank you so much for running this wonderful blog! As someone who has only recently started to get into fanfiction your recommendations have been very helpful.

I was wondering: I’ve read quite a few historical fics, and while all of those were wonderful, I was wondering if there were any fics set in a futuristic (like post 21st century or something) setting that you would recommend? It can be cannon compliant or not it doesn’t really matter to me, but I would prefer something not E-rated. :)

Thanks again for this great blog!!

Hello! Here are some future fics for you...

The Four Hundredth Anniversary Is Stars by AstroGirl (G)

They make it to Alpha Centauri eventually, via the tourist route.

Celestial Passengers by syrupfactory (T)

Passengers adaptation for the Good Omens RomCom Event  In the distant future on the planet Homestead II, Aziraphale and Crowley recall the journey that brought the first settlers there. The starship Avalon transported five thousand hibernating passengers from Earth to this new world, and their safe arrival was declared miraculous … which sparked a curious rumor that angels must have accompanied and protected them. Aziraphale is happy to keep that legend alive as long as there are people who want to believe. His husband is mostly just amused.

Revelation by syrupfactory (M)

The year is 3021, and Aziraphale and Crowley have been married for a thousand years. Together, they manage the London Archive, a futuristic information hub that stands on the same block that one held a bookstore. An Anglican priest who visits regularly has a huge crush on Aziraphale, and Crowley is amused … until the priest grows bitter enough to make a very poor choice. As it turns out, envy is a bad look for a man of the cloth, and pissing off an angel is far worse.

This One Is Special by AppleSeeds (M)

Heaven and Hell are joining forces against humanity as written in the Divine Plan. Aziraphale is desperate to stop them, convinced that if he can just find evidence to show Gabriel that there is still hope for humanity, he might be able to persuade him to stand down. All he needs is one human, someone who has learnt to be better and wants to save the world... Might that person be Crowley, a man who has just quit his job and joined a spiritual retreat while he tries to work out what to do with his life in the face of unethical corporate practices, yet another pandemic and impending ecological collapse? Crowley is surprised by the interest Aziraphale is taking in him, listening to him like no one ever has before. Aziraphale also happens to be completely lovely and gorgeous enough to make Crowley reverse his decision not to think about men on this retreat. It's still a bit of a shock when Crowley wakes up surrounded by candles with Aziraphale actually in his bedroom though...

Binary Star by TriffidsandCuckoos (T)

After abandoning the Earth in the wake of a more environmental apocalypse, humanity has taken to the stars. Crowley stayed behind to restore the Earth; Aziraphale followed the humans into space. After almost two centuries, the latest prophet arrives in Aziraphale’s archive, determined to rectify this.

- Mod D

#good omens #ineffable husbands #future fic #space #science fiction #mod d

[socialjusticeinamerica]

Hell on earth.

[pumpkincurryelote]

Furthering the world-building thought experiment of Midwives as an independent organization or governing body in a stateless/moneyless world: Imagine their purview extending not just to birth, but to abortion, women's health, women's history, and women's liberation by force where necessary up to and including the execution of rapists. Exclusively female membership, living in facilities akin to non-religious convents. In fact the most powerful of any large organization. How their services/protection might be engaged would vary depending on region. If this be a post-patriarchy world, they would be the first line of defense against the resurgence of said disease.

Farmers would be second most powerful. As permaculturists in a world where everything is locally sourced, and they would be responsible for protecting biodiversity of both flora and fauna in their biomes. There is no mass production of anything in this model. Wild animals are respected members of the community alongside domesticated ones. They monitor and survey the land, on guard for outbreaks and potential disasters, tending the food forests and keeping the biome healthy. They deliver non-human medical care to every creature in the land. Their voices are heard first on the floor of any development project and they can set hard boundaries or veto projects outright. While not explicitly stated to be female only, females would nonetheless outperform males in this field. Even in hunting.

Next up is Libraries. Librarians collect, organize, and administer all manner of public resource, not just books. Knowledge, tools, furniture, clothes, technology, seeds, genetic material, whatever is needful. They keep mundane records of everyone in their community, and community members can deposit personal logs for safekeeping here. Indeed anything the community deems of utmost value may be stored here. Every library is built to withstand assault, and to protect its contents-- a last resort lockdown would fully seal the library from the outside world for 100 years, killing anyone inside. The identities of chief librarians with access to sensitive collections (and the ability to lock their library down) are shrouded in secrecy. Field librarians go out on expeditions to collect data, specimens, etc where permitted by a region's Farmers (and always with a Farmer in attendance).

Hospitals are fourth, and we all know what they're supposed to do. Universities are arguably fifth, and bosom buddies with Libraries. Universities would be the only "large cities" you ever see, and are major transportation hubs. Any large scale project happens here-- rocket to the moon large. Trains occupy this status bracket as well, being the main arteries of civilization/transportation. Ocean cargo could be an extension or a symbiotic relationship.

Of equal influence are Mail and Sanitation. The postal service delivers through whatever means necessary. Any interference with another person's mail results in brutal application of force. No matter how isolated or alone you think you are, the post service will find you. If anybody at all sends you a message, you WILL receive it. They're the best trackers in the world. Many have working dogs as companions. Some have birds. All of them tend to be loners unless someone has done them dirty or behaves dishonorably.

Sanitation encompasses recycling/repurposing of non-compostable goods, composting itself (composting toilets are the norm), janitorial work, pandemic/outbreak containment, and burials (where applicable). If there's a landfill or old oil spill that needs remediation, they're there. Many have skill in repairs/fabrication, and choose this life to have first pick of scavenged parts. Many are also skilled at soapmaking, extractions (Greek oregano, eucalyptus, wintergreen, etc.), and distillation (vinegar).

#radblr #radfem safe #solarpunk #anti capitalism