#deforest said it first

[justanotherbirdbrain-blog]

Geology of Natural Disasters and How to write them into your fictional universe.

So, you want to write about a natural disaster to advance your plot and torture your players/characters even more? Let me tell you how, accurately.

I feel like unless it is a volcano, natural disasters are a pretty slept on plot drivers, and some of them are really cool and unique! Today, I will talk to you about land slides, earthquakes (And earthquake related disasters), and volcanoes.

Landslides: Probably one I see the least in stories, but one that would be incredibly interesting to write into a plot where they believe in curses. Landslides can happen along ocean bluffs, slightly hilly areas, and highly mountainous areas, this means it is something that can happen in most landscapes. But what can trigger a landslide? Mostly all you need to trigger a landslide could be just abnormally large amounts of rain, excessive deforestation (with a little bit of rain), or an earthquake. If you don't want to use deforestation or an earthquake as a catalyst, a really cool indicator that the land is slipping and may be prone to a collapse is J hooked trees.

This indicates that there is soil creeping slowly over time, and it may lead to a major landslide.

2. Earthquakes: Probably one of the easiest things to write, earthquakes can happen anywhere, but they are most common in places that are tectonically active areas. There are about three types of environments you can expect earthquakes to be common. The first is just rugged mountains, if your landscape looks like this, you should write in earthquakes. Associated hazards could be landslides, avalanches, and large falling rocks.

The next landscape could be a thin mountain range, next to the ocean, very scenic, but very dangerous. Essentially, I am describing a subduction zone environment.

Earthquakes in these areas could equal a couple different associated disasters. Scenario one: A very large earthquake happens, and the ocean begins to recede. This is a tsunami, enough said. If you are writing a tsunami though, please, please, do not write it as a large wave, thank you. Also, a common way people are hurt by tsunami's are from them going into the ocean because they don't understand a tsunami is going to happen.

Scenario two: A large earthquake happens, your characters are in a valley and suddenly the ground begins to liquify as the ground shakes, once the shaking stops, the ground becomes solid like nothing ever happened, except everything has suddenly sunk into the now hard ground. This is called liquefaction and it typically happens in areas that have loose dirt or lots of saturated soil.

Scenario three: There are a lot of small earthquakes, they do not cause a lot of damage, but you begin to notice that one of the isolated mountains has a plume rising. Earthquakes can indicate lava moving underground and the filling of magma chambers.

The next environment that can host lots of earthquakes would be regions that have a lot of really deep valleys and small mountain ranges (not cone volcanoes), but overall seems pretty flat.

This indicates a transform fault like the San Andreas. If you want to hint at there being earthquakes in the area, you can show fence posts that are suddenly several feet out of line at a dilapidated farm or something similar.

(These earthquakes are different because they are cased from sideways movement, not an up-and-down movement this hint can only be used for this environment). Volcanoes would not be found here, but liquefaction and landslides could still occur here.

4. Volcanoes: If you thought earthquakes had a lot of information, volcanoes do too. First you have to ask yourself, what kind of volcano you want to have, what kind of eruption style? So lets break down the kind of eruptions you can have and what their landscapes look like. Hawaiian Shield volcano: This will produce a smooth fast lava, the landscape typically is pretty flat, but there will be small cones and the rocks can have a ropey or jagged texture and the rocks will be almost exclusively black to dark red.

Stratovolcanoes: These will be solitary mountains, typically, that look like perfect cones (Picture shown in earthquake section). These will have large ash cloud eruptions and pyroclastic flows, they may have some lava, but typically most damage is done from the pyroclastic flows (think Pompeii). Some hints of these, other than describing the cone features (which can be hidden by other mountains), would be to talk about petrified wood! Trees can get fossilized in the ash and I imagine it would be very strange to find this rock that clearly looks to be a piece of wood, but its a rock. Subcategory- Calderas: Used to be a large stratovolcano, but they erupt so explosively that the entire cone collapses and creates a basin.

There are a lot of kinds of volcanoes out there, so forgive me for just putting an infographic and then talking to you about these really rare types of eruptions that I feel like people should know about.

Okay lets talk about blue lava (kind of) and black lava

You will notice the lava is still red in the middle of this image, during the day these would look like a normal eruption, but at night the burning sulfur would make it appear blue. Some cool features other than this, would be that any water in the area would become very acidic and burn the skin due to sulfuric acid. This would again be really cool if you are trying to describe a 'cursed' land.

Black lava: This happens only in the east African rift I believe, but it is a carbonatite lava, but if you are writing in a rift valley (where the continent is tearing apart to form a new ocean) this might be a cool feature. The lava will cool white and will quickly erode, it makes for a very alien landscape!

Anyway as always, this is supposed to be an introductive guide for the basics of writing geology to create cool landscapes/features into dnd or fictional universes, if you are a geologist please understand my oversimplification of tectonics, I didn't want people to run away.

#geology #rocks #stem #dnd #dnd worldbuilding #worldbuilding stuff #fictional world #worldbuilding #fictional writing #writing resources #creative writing

[reasonsforhope]

"In a bid to slow deforestation in the Amazon, Brazil announced Tuesday [September 5, 2023,] that it will provide financial support to municipalities that have reduced deforestation rates the most.

During the country´s Amazon Day, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva also signed the creation of two Indigenous territories that total 207,000 hectares (511,000 acres) — over two times the size of New York City — and of a network of conservation areas next to the Yanonami Indigenous Territory to act as a buffer against invaders, mostly illegal gold miners.

“The Amazon is in a hurry to survive the devastation caused by those few people who refuse to see the future, who in a few years cut down, burned, and polluted what nature took millennia to create,” Lula said during a ceremony in Brasilia. “The Amazon is in a hurry to continue doing what it has always done, to be essential for life on Earth.”

The new program will invest up to $120 million in technical assistance. The money will be allocated based on the municipality´s performance in reducing deforestation and fires, as measured by official satellite monitoring. A list of municipalities eligible for the funds will be published annually.

The resources must be invested in land titling, monitoring and control of deforestation and fires, and sustainable production.

The money will come from the Amazon Fund, which has received more than $1.2 billion, mostly from Norway, to help pay for sustainable development of the region. In February, the United States committed to a $50 million donation to the initiative. Two months later, President Joe Biden announced he would ask Congress for an additional $500 million, to be disbursed over five years.

The most critical municipalities are located along the arc of deforestation, a vast region along the southern part of the Amazon. This region is a stronghold of former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who favored agribusiness over forest preservation and lost the reelection last year.

“We believe that it’s not enough to just put up a sign saying ‘it’s forbidden to do this or that. We need to be persuasive.” Lula said, in a reference to his relationship with Amazon mayors and state governors.

Lula has promised zero net deforestation by 2030, although his term ends two years earlier. In the first seven months of his third term, there was a 42% drop in deforestation.

[Note: For context, Lula's third term as president started January 1, 2023. It was not continuous with his first two terms, when he was president from 2003 to 2010. Lula's third term has been a historic and desperately needed reversal of the anti-environmental, etc. policies of Bolsonaro, whose term ended at the end of 2022.]

Brazil is the world’s fifth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, with almost 3% of global emissions, according to Climate Watch, an online platform managed by World Resources Institute. Almost half of these emissions come from deforestation. Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, Brazil committed to reducing carbon emissions by 37% by 2025 and 43% by 2030."

-via AP, September 5, 2023

#brazil #deforestation #lula da silva #amazon #amazon rainforest #environmentalism #fossil fuels #environment #environmental justice #land back #illegal miners #yanonami #indigenous #first nations #greenhouse gasses #conservation #good news #hope

[zvaigzdelasas]

The big three tropical rainforest nations – Brazil, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo – are in talks to form a strategic alliance to coordinate on their conservation, nicknamed an “Opec for rainforests”, the Guardian understands.

The election of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known as Lula, has been followed by a flurry of activity to avoid the destruction of the Amazon, which scientists have warned is dangerously close to tipping point after years of deforestation under its far-right leader, Jair Bolsonaro.

During his first speech as president-elect, Lula pledged to fight for zero deforestation in the Amazon, while Colombia has proposed creating an Amazon bloc at Cop27, and Norway’s environment minister is moving to reinstate a billion-dollar fund to protect the rainforest after it was halted under Bolsonaro.[...]

The alliance could see the rainforest countries make joint proposals on carbon markets and finance, a longtime sticking point at UN climate and biodiversity talks, as part of an effort to encourage developed countries to fund their conservation [...]

Oscar Soria, campaign director of the activism site Avaaz, said the alliance could be an “Opec for rainforests”, akin to the oil producers’ cartel, which coordinates on the fossil fuel’s production levels and price. Before being elected, Lula said any alliance could be expanded to other rainforest countries, such as Peru and Cambodia.

“This deal could be a promising step forward, as long as Indigenous peoples and local communities are fully consulted in the process and their rights and leadership respected,” Soria said.

5 Nov 22

[thebubblesareevil]

A Deal is a Deal…

I haven’t really posted any danny/kaldur in a bit so here you go

Danny was having a really long, really stupid day.

First he was late for his exam because he woke up to kitty and johnny fighting in his apartment. By the time he got that sorted out he had to rush to campus.

Then, by some miracle, the proctor let him in despite being late only to realize he was in the wrong exam halfway through. (He decided to finish the test and turn it in rather than admit his mistake.)

Then he finally managed to stop and get a truly unholy cup of coffee that he topped off with his last bit of ecto shot only for someone to run into him, spilling his coffee.

Which really didn’t make the blind date Sam set him up with anywhere near bearable. She was nice, don’t get him wrong, however Sam has two types of friends outside of Tucker and him. He was pretty sure he would have preferred hearing about the deforestation of the Amazon than have the heavily pierced girl get wayyy too excited when she realized he was from Amity Park. After he finally escaped with the excuse of feeding his dog Sam decided to call to find out how the date went.

“She did the thing Sam.” He stated bluntly as he struggled to unlock his door.

“And which thing would that be Danny? The one where she’s interested in your personality or the thing where you might need a restraining order?” He groaned, thumping his head on the door before checking the hall for neighbors. With the coast clear he phased through, once more leaving his arch nemesis to fight another day.

“The second one, or at least that definitely seemed where it was heading. She kept asking about all my favorite cemeteries back home.” He threw his keys on the counter, dropping his bag to the floor.

“Well did you tell her about the one near the old clocktower? I’m sure she loved that.”

“Sam, she wasn’t asking about nightly walks and talking to ghosts. She made some not so subtle hints about what she liked to do there.” He could hear Sam wince through the phone.

“Eww, sorry Danny. She really seemed like someone you would click with.” He sighed as he looked through the bare cabinets.

“Not your fault, to be fair things were going great till that point. Plus most people don’t see half as much as I do in graveyards. It could have been worse.” He grinned.

“Oh yeah, what are you thinking?”

“Do you remember that guy from the protest you set me up with awhile back?”

“You mean Orion? What about him? You said he tried to gas light you.” Sam almost sounded offended on behalf of her semi-cannibalistic friend.

“Oh he did more than that. He followed me home.”

“No!”

“Yep, apparently I was being stingy and he thought I owed him so he tried to steal my bike.” He laughed.

“Ugh, don’t worry I’ll be sure to pass the word on to his new partner Marcy. I guarantee he’ll regret it.” He shrugged as he ate a piece of plain bread.

“It’s whatever, at least he didn’t try to kill me.” Sam sighed.

“It was one time!”

“Oh really?” He said as he munched. “If I remember correctly it happened twice.” He could hear the sound of Sam smacking her forehead.

“The first time doesn’t count, that was an accident! Besides Valerie tried way more than I did.” She huffed.

“Yeah, I know.” He yawned, heading over to the bathroom, discarding his socks and shoes along the way. “Some how neither of you are even my worst exes to date.” Sam snorted.

“No I think that title belongs to that crazy Viking that was convinced you were going to start Ragnarok.” Danny felt a small tug at his core as he brushed his teeth.

“What can I say? She was charismatic!” He claimed after spitting into the sink.

“Yeah well Miss. Charismatic nearly talked you into a war with her brother just because he flirted with you.” The tug on his core got stronger. “Personally I would have gone with the brother.” Danny nodded as he nearly tripped walking to his bed.

“I mean, that was never in question. Regardless, I’m swearing off Vikings for the next century.” Danny began struggling to take his shirt off without setting down the phone. The tug on his core was stronger than ever, try as he might to ignore it.

“You really suck at this dating thing, I killed you twice and somehow I’m still not in your top ten-” Danny struggled to escape his stupid shirt as his core PULLED, sending him tumbling to the ground. With a groan Danny finally gave in and just pulled the stupid shirt through his body only to come face to face to someone that was distinctly NOT his bed.

He looked around,coming face to face to someone he was actively avoiding.

“Ello Phantom? How’s death going for ye.”

John Constantine, accompanied by what appeared to be some of the newer members of the Justice League.

Danny decided the best option for this would be to do his best impression of a confused, semi-hungover college student.

“Look man, I don’t know who you are, or what you want but do you have some coffee or something? I’m dying over here.”

“Yet not foolin anyone mate. Need a favor from you. Or rather your better half of you don’t mind.” John replied vaguely as he rubbed his hands together before blowing some kind of powder all over Danny.

Danny stood there flabbergasted, as a rain of dust? Covered him head to toe. He stood there for a minute before his face started to twitch as John began to chant a spell. Danny took a deep breath and-

“AACCHHOOO” John jumped back as the sneeze disrupted the dust.

“What the hell man?” He scolds as he rubbed his nose. John grunted.

“Stubborn little shit huh? Too bad we need the Phantom and he’s coming out one way or another.” Once more he began to chant, Danny however chose to ignore this fact as he took in the faces surrounding the circle. They were clearly some of the younger heroes, even a few apprentices by the looks of it. But Danny really didn’t have time for this, he had another exam tomorrow.

“Look man, I’m not sure what you’ve been smokin or how I got here but unless you’re gonna help me study for my engineering exam, then I gotta go.”

“Please wait.” Danny spun around to face the hero standing behind him, stopping him before he even started to leave. The handsome hero stood tall, clearly he was the leader of this group, which begged the question of-

“Why? What you guys possibly want from me?”

“Allow me to explain. I am Kaldur’ahm, though I am also known as Aquaman. We are seeking the help of a spirit of hope and protection that goes by the name of Phantom. We need his help.” Danny gave the gilled hero a considering look.

“With what?” Kaldur’ahm somehow managed to stand up even straighter.

“A powerful magician by the name of Zatanna was pulled into the Infinite Realms. We need to help of Phantom so we can venture into the realms to retrieve her.” He replied with a barely noticeable sense of urgency. Danny raised a brow.

“You want to go to another dimension? With help from a ghost named Phantom? And you want my help to what? Summon him?” John scoffed, completely ignoring the glare Aquaman sent his way.

“Don’t go playin dumb mate. How exactly do you think you got here.” He pointed to the floor “ That there is a summoning circle, invoking Phantom by name. Now here’s how I figure it. Either you’ve gone and disguised yourself or you decided to take this poor sod for a joy ride.” He smirked. “So which one is it mate?” Danny glared at the Englishman.

“Whether you’re Phantom or not we need help.” Danny sighed as he looked back at the hero.

“Well what’s in it for me? You dragged me from my apartment and you want my help, give me a reason.” He announced.

“Name your price demon.” Danny rolled his eyes at the annoying sorcerer.

“Not a demon.” He paused, trying to figure out what he could ask for as the little heroes started to get nervous. He was gonna help them one way or another, ideally they would give up on him and send him back to his apartment. It would be easy enough to get a magician out of the realms. Danny took one more look around the circle before grinning.

“How about a date?” He said, looking directly at Kaldur’ahm with a grin. He laughed before he continued “Just Kidd-”

“Deal.” Danny choked on his own spit as his cheeks lit up like a Christmas tree. John shouting from the other side of the circle.

“What the bloody hell kind of request was that?!?”

“ I didn’t think he’d say yes!!!!” Danny covered his cheeks as the handsome hero smiled at him.

“A small sacrifice to help a friend, though not a difficult one.” Danny’s face turned a darker shade of red as green started to bleed into his cheeks. ‘Was this guy seriously flirting with him right now?!?’ The hero raised a single smug brow at him, tilting his head just slightly to the side.

“Do we have a deal?” Danny took a deep breath, coughing into his hand.

“Uh, yeah sure, I’ll get your friend back from the realms.” Kaldur’ahm smiled, Danny blushed. “I guess I’ll just… yeah.”

“We shall begin preparations immediately. Once Phantom arrives we should head out immediately, the less time Zatanna spends in the realms the better.” His face closing off as he got serious, Danny couldn’t deny it was cute before he realized what he said.

“Oh, yeah no, you guys aren’t going.” John practically growled causing the hairy green kid to back up.

“Like hell we aren’t! Just because you claim to be a spirit of protection doesn’t mean I trust ye.” Danny turned a steely glare on the sorcerer as he walked towards him. He made it all the way to the edge and the look of confidence he’d been sporting during this whole ordeal dropped from his face as Danny stepped over the edge of the circle.

“I don’t give two shits if you trust me! You aren’t welcome in the Realms John Constantine. Not until you get that piece of patchwork you call a soul sorted out!” He looked around at the rest of the people in the room. “Besides, it’s against the rules to bring the living into the Realms and I’d rather not have to deal with Walker today, thank you very much.” John glared.

“Look here you dead piece of sh-”

“HALF-dead thank you.” He interrupted as he started to float off the ground. “Now buzz off before I change my mind.” John looked as though he intended to reply when Kaldur’ahm stopped him.

“Enough Constantine, we need his help. For Zatanna.” The British asshole grumbled to himself as he scurried off to the side. Danny stepped back on the ground, making his way over to the Atlantean.

“Hey Kaldur’ahm, before I get your friend, you don’t actually have to go on a date with me.” He looked away as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I was gonna help you anyway, I just wanted to get under Johnny boy’s skin.” He just looked at Danny with a smile.

“I thank you, however a deal is a deal, it’s too late to back out now.” Danny’s jaw dropped as the Atlantean grinned. “And please, call me Kaldur.” Danny coughed into his hand to try to force himself to talk.

“Okay… well… okay then… um…” he studdered, dying a little more inside. “I’m gonna go get your friend we can…uh… talk about the details after.” Kaldur nodded as Danny reached a hand behind him to open a portal.

“Agreed, and please be careful Phantom.” Danny paused.

“You can, you can call me Danny.” He back with a slight stutter.

“Very well Danny.” He smiled. Danny blushes as he backed up into the portal, tripping over his own two feet as he fell through. Once on the other side he quickly reached out to find the intruder in his domain. She was easy enough to find, he didn’t even bother transforming. She was standing on an unclaimed floating island only a few miles from where he opened the portal.

Armed with the knowledge that she regularly worked with superheroes he thought it would be best to announce his presence before he surprised her.

“You wouldn’t happen to be a magician by the name of Zatanna would you?” The fierce woman turned, her wand posed, ready to send a flurry of spells at a moments notice.

“And if I am?” Danny smiled.

“A friend of yours asked me to come get you.” She looked at him suspiciously.

“And which friend would that be?”

“A cute Atlantian with a killer sense of humor, named Kaldur.” She raised an eyebrow at that.

“I’ve never heard him described as having a sense of humor.” Danny chuckled.

“Yeah, I told him I’d come get you in exchange for a date. He didn’t even hesitate. Like he’d actually wanna go on a date with a ghost!” He replied with a laugh. Zatanna however did not join in and instead looked Danny up and down before looking him dead in the eyes. She grinned.

“Gotta say I can’t exactly blame him. It’s not often he gets asked out by handsome shirtless men.” Danny squinted at her confused before looking down. His eyes went wide as he realized he hadn’t been wearing a shirt the whole time!

#danny phantom #ghost king danny #dc x dp #brain vomit #dp x dc #danny/kaldur #danny x kaldur #kaldur'ahm #zatanna #john constantine #beast boy mentioned #Sam Manson #she is never gonna let him live this down #might make a sequel of Kaldurs pov #this got out of hand #they always do #i should be working on my wips but here we are #this is post season 2 but I’m ignoring the war it doesn’t exist

[afeelgoodblog]

The Best News of Last Week

TikToker raises $186,000 for woman, 81, to pay off her mortgage and finally retire. He saw her on break at Walmart and recorded her clearly having a bad day.

Devan Bonagura, 19, works for a third-party company that sells products to Walmart, and it’s at the retailer where he met 81-year-old Nola Carpenter.

One comment read: “GOFUNDME ASAP” — before going on to receive 130,000 likes. Devan would honor the request of his followers, and later set up a GoFundMe to help Nola retire. Needless to say, the response was overwhelming.

2. Grandma and man she accidentally texted for Thanksgiving to reunite for 7th year

An accidental text message has led to a Thanksgiving tradition that is now continuing into its seventh year.

On Tuesday, Jamal Hinton confirmed in an Instagram post that he will spend this Thanksgiving with Wanda Dench, who in 2016 thought she was texting her grandson to invite him to Thanksgiving when she actually texted Hinton.

3. Flossie, 26, officially crowned world's oldest living cat by Guinness World Records

British-born Flossie has set a new record as the world’s oldest living cat. Guinness World Records have officially awarded the title to the feline, who was born in 1995. The cat has had a number of owners during her lifetime, but currently resides in southeast London.

But she’s still got several years to go if she wants to beat the oldest cat ever recorded. That title goes to Creme Puff, who lived to an incredible 38 years and three days in Austin, Texas.

4. Nano-robot antibodies that fight cancer enter first human drug trial

Scientists in Israel have created the first nano-robot antibodies designed to fight cancer. The first human trial for the new nano-robots will start soon, and it will determine just how effective the antibodies are. What is special about these particular antibodies, too, is that they are programmed to decide whether cells surrounding tumors are “bad” or “good.”

The trial is currently underway in Australia and if it goes according to plan, the nano-robot antibodies will be able to fight cells around tumors that can help the tumor while also boosting the capability of the cells inhibiting the growth of the cancerous cells.

5. Nepal Fights Deforestation, and Wins

This transformation is visible across Nepal, thanks to a radical policy adopted by the government more than 40 years ago. Large swaths of national forest land were handed to local communities, and millions of volunteers were recruited to protect and renew their local forests, an effort that has earned praise from environmentalists around the world.

6. Amazing quote from Richard M. Fierro, the Club Q hero that probably saved dozens of lives

“These kids want to live that way, want to have a good time, have at it,” he said as he described the night. “I’m happy about it because that is what I fought for, so they can do whatever they hell they want.”

7. First Drug to Delay Type 1 Diabetes Approved by FDA

Last week, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first drug to delay the onset of Type 1 diabetes.

That’s it for this week. If you liked this post you can support this newsletter with a small kofi donation:

Buy me a coffee ❤️

Have a great week ahead :)

#best news of last week

[bonefall]

what cats are still prayed to and revered by the clans besides firestar or skystar? i fuckin LOVE the patron spirits thing you have going on in this rewrite, it’s so cool to see what cats are worshipped and why

There's a lot of them! I don't think there could ever be a "comprehensive list" without just listing most of StarClan. See, most cats will typically value their own family over others, leading to the patrons "waxing and waning" in popularity over the generations.

But here's some of the ones who are pretty consistently popular!

Thunderstar = Justice Comeuppance, fair judgement, and mercy are also things he can be invoked for. Remember that a Patron gains its power from belief. Much like how Saint Michael was once a patron of healing as well as war, associations for BB!StarClan cats can shift over time.

Bumblemumble = Speech, Diplomacy She became less popular in the Chivalric Period, but was a favored patron for Pinestar to invoke. She never totally went away, even though her name has become "Bombolmlemlaan," 'Sentence-Tonguetwister,' over time. (Her name is also used in reference to "being tongue-tied." Fitting that she's a bit hard to translate into English!)

Acorn Swoop = Prra A Clan culture-specific value. Perfect timing, promptness, coincidences of good planning. Arriving in the nick of time. Acorn Swoop is a good example of how cats can wax and wane as well; when Hallowflight dies (he is alive to the current arc in BB), RiverClan will probably prefer invoking him over Acorn for a while.

Sparrow Heart = Loyalty and Fidelity. This BURNS her a new one, btw. Many of the other spirits as old as her have begun to lost touch with their mortal lives, but she didn't join Clear Sky because she loves him. She didn't serve him for his own ends. She wanted his power, and in death she's been reduced to his eternal stooge. She craves his throne. (And I have to leave it there until we find out what the next few arcs have in store :3)

Speckletail = Protection Against Natural Disaster Storms, deforestation, pollution, whatever. Speckletail is invoked to defend Clans against oncoming doom, because girlie took out a bulldozer and the battle culture is obsessed with that

Stonefur = Winning the War/Losing the Battle An important god for lost causes. When you aren't able to win, he is invoked to make your death mean something. Needletail, for the first time in a long time, requested for StarClan to call down his strength.

Blackstar = Redemption And change in a better direction. Said to be reflected in frogs in particular, how they go from tadpoles to full creatures, associated with wetland health thanks to his ambitious Bog Project.

Sundrown Patrol = Directions Most of them are not dead yet. Feathertail is currently the only one in the role and protects travelers generally, but eventually her and her Cohorts will comfortably divide up the cardinal directions. Feathertail is South (Towards the Mountain), Tawny is West (Towards the Ocean), Bramble is North (Towards the Lake) and Crowfeather is East (Into the Wilderness).

Leafpool = Clarity Leafpool Moonpool is one of the most popular young spirits. In difficult situations, she is invoked for StarClan to see your sins and understand that you are trying to find the holiest way through them. The Firekin family is going to be a very strong pantheon eventually.

Palefoot = Bodies that Can't Be Recovered/Closure Anon suggestion that is canon now. Palefoot was murdered by Batear for killing Fenneldust and shoved into a bog where his family would never find him, because Batear was not allowed to go to ThunderClan to sit vigil for his best friend. When someone is lost and can't be buried, Palefoot is often invoked for comfort. He is actually sort of displacing Turtle Heart, who used to function in a similar way. She is being pushed into a more specific role for Lost Parents, not bodies or closure in general.

In addition, Dark Forest Spirits are also powerful... and thanks to the fact you have to use a direct line to get to them, quite capable of granting strength without holding back. They have no StarClan to answer to if they blessed the plans of the wrong cat.

So they can do curses for you, if THAT is what you're seeking. A whole lot of these cats tend to provide various types of revenge lmao... "We serve Vengeance here, sir."

Batear and Fenneldust = Retribution Evolved from a mix of how Batear's target went BEYOND his victim to deny closure to the family, and also the Fepfr which he was named for, Long-Eared Bat, which in Clan culture is said to have a modest song of mourning for every bat wrongfully killed. Fenneldust actually LOVED that he was willing to be so spiteful for her, and followed him to the Dark Forest. So if you want, you can call for them to cause pain to people who wronged you. If your case is bad though, they'll fuck with you instead. They aren't MALICIOUS spirits though... just mischievous.

Mapleshade = Revenge If you want your target to DIE, you give her a call. She is ACTIVELY malicious. She will stop at nothing to kill someone she agrees should go, even going as far as to fight a Fetcher to drag the target down with her. If you're just miffed at someone and want them to get karma, you talk to Batsy and Fenfen. If you want BLOOD, you talk to Mapleshade. But be prepared, because she is just as dangerous as that implies.

Cloudberry and Ryewhisker = Secrecy An obvious one, but one of the gentler requests of the Dark Forest. They will help you hide forbidden love from your Clan, and can be prayed to when you're having a close call and may be discovered.

#Spirituality overhauls #Better bones au #BB!Starclan

[saywhat-politics]

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — After four years of rising destruction in Brazil’s Amazon, deforestation dropped by 33.6% during the first six months of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s term, according to government satellite data released Thursday.

From January to June the rainforest had alerts for possible deforestation covering 2,650 square kilometers (1,023 square miles), down from 4,000 square kilometers — an area the size of Rhode Island — during the same period last year under former President Jair Bolsonaro. This year’s data includes a 41% plunge in alerts for June, which marks the start of the dry season when deforestation tends to jump.

“The effort of reversing the curve of growth has been reached. That is a fact: we reversed the curve; deforestation isn’t increasing,” João Paulo Capobianco, the Environment Ministry’s executive secretary, said during a presentation in Brasilia.

#brazil #amazon #deforestation

[mikakou2]

To Be Eaten Out (Karaku x Fem!Reader)

Hantengu, one of the Twelve Kizuki, and the Upper Rank Four. He was definitely a dangerous threat to the land where people yearn to live.

You have heard from other people that Muichiro slit Hantengu's head apart, though you haven't heard much from that. Not that you care for a moment, because you were searching for a different demon. Besides, the upper demon slayers can handle a demon like that.

You and your friend were waiting by the forest, watching your friend slice some trees apart. You sat on a log while brandishing your sword.

"Hey, aren't you gonna train with me today?" Your friend asked with a whiny expression. "I thought we went here to train!"

"I'm still exhausted from yesterday. It's not everyday that the city was in shambles because of the Hantengu release." You replied with an exhausted expression. "Or is it everyday...?"

"Do you have a screw loose on your head...?" Your friend asked and sighed. "Well, whatever. If you're exhausted, just rest there." They said and continued to slash trees.

"... Hey, you do know that if you keep slashing trees, you're gonna lead to deforestation, right?" You deadpanned. How inconvenient for your friend to not think about that.

"Hmm..." Your friend hummed. "Don't care. I mean, the world's practically corrupted anyway."

"You should care. Otherwise, we'll die for God's sake." You added in a firmer tone than before.

"Don't be so tight on yourself! Just relax there. Tomorrow, we have so much to do. Like, um... Visit the yakisoba shop? Or probably train more?" Your friend smiled as they rested on the hilt of their sword.

"That's dangerous. Don't do that." You sighed. "I'm gonna close my eyes for a while..."

"Yeah, you do you." Your friend nodded, and wandered further in the woods.

You laid on the log and slept. You dreamt of a world that wasn't so corrupted by demons and having to be a demon slayer against your will...

Well, all that matters is you're doing this for your own sake, and your family's sake.

You were dreaming so much, dreaming of everything and you wanted.

Possibly a boyfriend...?

However, your dream was immediately interrupted as you heard your friend's scream. You jolted up and immediately unsheathed your sword, running towards the direction of your friend's screams and pleas.

You then widened your eyes to see a muscular body, headless. Your friend panted as they held their sword.

"What are you doing?! Leave already!" Your friend yelled, however, it didn't take long for the body to regenerate.

The body regenerated a head. It was a gruesome sight to see, but the person was quite handsome. He had greenish eyes, and as you read the words on their eyes, you felt your heart drop.

Upper four.

"Isn't this exciting, man?" The man yelled with a smug grin while holding your friend's wrists, and your friend yelled in pain as the man forcefully cracked your friend's hands. "You're gonna prove your strength to the pretty girl over there! Unless I prove myself first."

You were breathless and terrified. This man had his head cut off and had it regenerated easily without raising a finger. The man wrapped his rough hands around your friend's neck. "Hey, girl. If you do what I say, I'll let your friend go."

"Don't listen to him! If you get included with Karaku, you'll-"

Without a second thought, Karaku held your friends neck tighter, his nails digging in his flesh. Your friend panicked, and so did you.

"Let them go!" You said, putting your sword infront. "Fine, I'll take up your offer. Whatever it is. Slit my throat, offer my head to the wells, I don't care. Just let them be."

Karaku, the Hantengu clone, let out a haughty laugh. He then had a smug grin on his face. "How amusing. What a determined girl!" He said, letting go of your friend. Your friend fell on the floor, panting for air.

You rushed to your friend as they had their wrists broken. "Shit, I'll get you back, don't worry-"

Suddenly, you were raised up from the ground. It was Karaku, holding the back of your uniform to raise you up.

"You're a strong, independent young woman, aren't you? No wonder this friend of yours is trying to preserve your beauty," Karaku smiled, raising you up like a child admiring their doll. "I'm gonna mess you up a little."

You widened your eyes as Karaku jumped up highly, making you grip onto his back. "Hey! What are you trying to do?! Get me back there! My friend's gonna die!"

"Your friend's gonna rot and die for all I care. Atleast I've gotten myself fresh meat today." Karaku smirked as he held the back of your head, holding you close to his shoulder as his other arm was around your waist.

He landed on a house, somewhat an abandoned traditional Minka house. He opened the sliding door and placed you in the middle of the room, that had a mattress on top.

You were quite conflicted on how to act to this. However, you definitely knew you SHOULDN'T be aroused after being dragged by a stranger to a house. And an abandoned house infact. And that you should be aware that this stranger is a demon that is an upper four.

"What do you want? Are you gonna open up my organs and play with them?" You said in annoyance. "Do it. I don't care anymore."

"Oh? How eager. How did you know that I was gonna play with your organs?" Karaku said with a grim smile as he went near you. "You know which organ, don't you?"

His hand was on your chest, and you gulped. "My heart?" You mumbled as he started to run his finger on your chest.

"Oh- nice guess. Hmm," He hummed, staring at your chest.

"Hmph. Karaku is your name, huh? I don't like your name." You said and crossed your arms, so that his finger would get off.

"Hm... You're correct. What a brilliant lady you are~ Also, you'll learn to like my name soon." He said with a cheeky grin. "What's your name?"

"It's Y/N." You mumbled. Karaku grabbed your waist and pulled you close.

"Your name is as pretty as you are," He sighed happily. "and, your uniform's quite a tease, is it? It enhances and wraps around your boobs better." He said, rubbing your chest.

"What the- stop playing around!" You said, pushing his hands away. "Anyways, aren't you gonna kill me?"

"Kill?" Karaku asked with a shocked expression, and smiled again. "Why would I kill you? You're a pretty woman."

"Ha? Then what do you even mean when you said you'd play with my organs? What, are you gonna gut me alive?" You said with a furrowed expression.

"The way you think is so endearing. Aren't you such an intelligent woman?" He smiled and went lower, until he was infront of your skirt. He raised your skirt and lowered your panties, making you shocked.

"I'm talking about this kinda organ." He said, sliding his fingers on your wet pussy. "Oh, man. You're soaked. And your lips down here look as fresh as yours up there," He gasped in excitement. His tongue then landed on your clit and started to move.

His tongue lapped fastly, making you moan loudly. "Karaku...!" You moaned, holding onto his head. "Stop that...! This isn't what we promised!" You yelled.

You saw Karaku's head pop up from between your thighs, his tongue out that was dripping with your liquids. "But we didn't promise anything." He said, removing your skirt completely.

He removed your panties as well and spread your legs. "Y/N, cooperate with me, will you?" He said, holding your inner thighs. "Spread them more."

This was getting frustrating. However, you wanted to feel something... For the past few days, you were exhausted and anxious because of expeditions.

You gulped and spread your legs more, and Karaku licked his lips. "Perfect..." He whispered in a low, sultry tone.

He then used his index finger and middle finger to open up your pussy more, exposing your sensitive folds. "I wonder what will happen if I'll apply my power on you~?" He whispered, then placed his other hand's index finger on your pussy. His index finger then produced a gentle wind, softly seducing your clit.

You moaned, arching your back. Your hands gripped onto the mattress as if there was no tomorrow, as you yelled out Karaku's name. "Gah... It feels so weird...~" You whimpered, as Karaku smiled.

"You're so pretty..." Karaku whispered, then went closer. "Hold me instead. Yell out my name until you can't even handle your own vocal cords."

As he said those words, he guided your arms to wrap around him. "There, don't be so uptight." He added, kissing your cheek.

You held onto him as your legs twitched as his finger produced more wind energy to pleasure you.

"I want to slide it inside." Karaku whispered to you ear, before gently sucking on your earlobe. "Can I?"

You were hesitant, but nodded nevertheless. "Please do..." You begged. Karaku smirked. Just earlier, you wished to die and sacrifice yourself. But now, it seems that you've submitted to this clone.

"Alright, it's coming in~" He said, inserting his middle finger inside. You moaned louder as usual. It was way different when you pleasured yourself, as his finger was longer and thicker than yours.

"Woah, it slid in so easily with no lube! How interesting, did you get yourself prepped up?" Karaku panted in ecstasy as he kissed your neck. "Did you spread your pussy like this and start fingering yourself before the expedition~?" He added with a sultry gaze, thrusting the finger in and out.

"Karaku!" You moaned out, your grip around his neck tightening. "I-It's too much, I think I'm gonna cum already...!" You added, however, Karaku shut you up by pressing his lips to yours.

The two of you had a pleasant make out session, with his tongue exploring the insides of your mouth thoroughly, as if he had been waiting for this moment his whole life.

As this continued, his fingers continued to thrust in and out. The pace increased further, making you moan into his mouth.

He pulled away and grinned. "I actually lied," He said, pulling out his finger.

"H-Huh? I was just about to cum..." You frowned. Karaku then went close to your ear.

"Remember when I said I'm gonna mess you up a little?" He whispered. "I guess I lied to myself as well." He added.

He then pulled out his cock, and it was large than you expected from him. He positioned himself infront of your pussy as he held your legs.

"I'm gonna mess you up until you can't even fucking remember your name." He said while licking his lips. "I'll mess you up until all you can think of is taking my big cock."

He then pressed his forehead against yours as he rubbed his tip against your slit, and you could see him panting heavily.

"Can you handle it for me, Y/N?" He asked, wanting consent from you first.

Obviously, with that face of his, you weren't the one to decline. You wrapped your arms around his neck once more and spread your legs.

"Just fuck me already," You said with a smile. "I want you inside of me, Karaku. Please. All of your dick."

With the green light, Karaku's eyes shined in delight. He then held your thighs.

"You said it yourself, Y/N! Well done! You're such a good girl!" He said, his left hand holding your cheek. "Might as well reward you for being such an obedient girl~"

And without waiting for more talk, he entered your pussy. Of course, the two of you moaned loudly. Karaku panted heavily while biting down to your shoulder.

"Karaku, Karaku...!" You moaned out his name, holding his back. "It feels so big and slippery...!"

"Probably because your pussy is so slippery and wet~" He grinned, holding your hips tighter. "And I'm not even all in yet."

You moaned and groaned as he started to move. You felt your eyes roll back as you arched your back more. Karaku embraced you as he thrusted in slowly.

"I've never had a pussy like this before... Fuck..." He groaned out, kissing your neck. "Tell me, have you been showing your pussy to other people? Have you, Y/N?" He grinned, licking your lips.

"Fuck... So big..." You whined out, covering your face in ecstasy. "I haven't... Karaku... You're the only one..."

Karaku's grin appeared again in pleasure. "You're such a good girl for saying what I want to hear~" He said, and went deeper. "That guy you were talking to earlier probably had a small dick, huh? Don't worry, I'll make you feel how good it is to have a real man inside you."

Karaku pushed further inside until he was balls deep inside you. You quivered underneath him, and he held your wrists.

"Don't cover your face, Y/N," He said as he catched his breath. "I want to see your beautiful face while I fuck your pussy hard."

He then raised your legs and thrusted deeper, making you curse. "Fuck...! It feels so good~!" You yelled out. All you could saw were curse words, due to how slurred your brain was as a response to the pleasure.

"Yeah? You love my big cock inside you, hm? You wouldn't think of anyone else other than me?" He asked as he started sucking on your boobs. "I won't let you cum from someone else's dick."

"I won't... Anymore..." You panted, holding onto his black, long hair. "I promise I'll only cum for you...~"

Those words of yours immediately turned on Karaku, and he held your thighs. "The way your words entices me," He said, and thrusted deeper. "makes me want to fuck you until you pass out!"

You gasped in ecstasy as all of his length slid out and slid inside roughly. You couldn't even think about how you were having sex with a demon. All you could think of was swallowing his big cock. "Kakeru, I'm gonna cum soon...!" You whimpered, holding onto his shoulders as he kissed your cheek and licked your ear.

"I'm gonna cum too," He groaned as his pace went harder than ever. "Let's cum together~"

You felt his cock throb inside your pussy, and you widened your eyes. He shot his load inside of you as you came on his cock, and the room was filled with slurred moans and sloppy noises.

The sloppy, wet noises died down as you two started to make out again. You loved how his tongue felt, and how skilled it was. You pulled him closer by holding his cheeks.

"Fuck, Y/N... If you continue on doing that, I might end up falling for you..." Kakeru said, licking your lips.

"Ngh... That was so exhausting," You said, catching your breath as you laid down. Your arm was hovering over your face to block out the light.

Karaku whined as you were about to sleep. "Come on, one more round... Please...? I'll lick on your pussy until you cum, I promise." He added, kissing your lips.

Now that sounded like a great deal.

"You promise?" You asked as you sat up.

"I promise," He replied, sitting up as well. You could see his cock still up, as if it didn't shoot it's load inside you. "Darling, suck my dick for me."

It was so tempting, that you can't even refuse. You've never imagined going as far to sucking someone's cock.

You got between his thighs, and he guided you properly, his hand on the back of your head gently. "Just position yourself there, and suck on the tip." He said, holding your chin. "Come on now... I feel like I'm gonna cum from seeing your face."

Without slacking off, you started to suck on his tip. He moaned as he caressed the back of your head. "Fuck... Just like that, baby. Go deeper." He added, pulling your head deeper gently. "Shit, I promised to only finger her... But that's just a lie again," He thought while caressing your head.

You started to bob your head up and down in a medium pace, and he groaned. You wanted to make it feel better for him, so you started to give him a boob job AND a blowjob.

"Fuck, Y/N...! This feels so good...!" He moaned out, holding the sides of your head. Without thinking, he started to fuck your mouth.

The wet and sloppy noises came back as he was fucking your mouth like there was no tomorrow. You felt his cock throb again. "Fuck, Y/N... I'm gonna cum..."

You pulled out from his cock just in time as he came. He panted heavily as you did as well, and he smiled to see his cum all over your face.

"That felt amazing, sweetheart~" He said, then pushed you down again on the bed. "Might as well fuck all of your holes, right?"

He turned you over and positioned you into a doggy style potion. "Wait, Karaku, I just came-!" You said, but Karaku has definitely lost his mind now. He shoved his cock in your ass, and you moaned loudly.

Karaku let out a smug chuckle. "You like it from the back too, hun?" He asked as he kissed your nape. "I'll make you my personal cum dumpster, Y/N~"

Karaku's nails digged deep on your hips as he started to thrust into your ass. Since you gave him a wet blowjob, it slid in perfectly.

"Ah~! Karaku, Karaku...! Your cock feels so good...!" You moaned out, pushing your hips cloder towards Karaku. "Go wild on me and fuck me like you intended to!"

Karaku had an amazed look and grinned. He had already made you submit to the point you begged and ordered him around. "My lady, you're so persistent~ But I'll grant your wish!" He said, and started to thrust faster.

His thrusts only sent you to euphoria as your hands gripped the mattress tightly. You've never felt this much pleasure, so it was overwhelming. "I'm gonna cum, Karaku...! I'm... Cumming...!"

"Me too... Fuck... Let's cum together, Y/N~" He grinned and bit your nape, leaving a hickey.

The two of them then moaned together as they came together. You felt so full of his cum, but when did that matter? All that matters was that you felt so good and dominated by this demon, to the point you can't even handle it anymore.

You passed out on the mattress, and Karaku smiled. "She passed out after I filled her up. How cute~" He said, turning her over. He started to kiss her neck that had a mole. "Beautiful women always have lots of moles. Do you know that, Y/N?" He asked, even though he's fully aware of you being passed out. "Fuck, I love her." He thought to himself, as he kissed your moles. "I love you. I love you, Y/N." He repeated, until he went low infront of your pussy again.

"It's so full of your cum..." He said with a grin and started to lick your pussy again. He tasted your juices, and it was obvious that he was obsessed. His tongue lapped your clit over and over, until your pussy was cleaned.

He looked at his side to see your panties. "Your panties have precum on them. I should have fucked you infront of your friend~" He hummer, and smelt your panties. "Fuck, that smells great... The smell of a horny virgin..." He grinned.

He put the panties aside and pulled out a blanket. He laid beside you after he gave you the blanket.

"I wanted this to be a fingering session, then an one night stand... But with that face of yours, I don't think I'd want to fuck someone else that doesn't have your face." He whispered to your ear and then sucked on your boobs.

"I've fallen inlove with you, Y/N."

(I have no idea who Karaku is but I wrote this anw, if there are incorrect sentences and false information according to lore/mischaracterization, spare me T-T)

#karaku #demon slayer fanfiction #demon slayer fanfic #karaku x reader #hantengu clones #fanfiction #smut #kinda fluff #demon slayer

[avengersnewb]

The Consequential Thing

It’s not like Steve hasn’t had many, many coffees with Tony over the years.

In many cities in the world, hotel lobbies, business functions—they’d once gone around Florence, finding a gazillion of must-visit espresso bars. Their party had bailed one by one, Pepper, Rhodey, Carol—even Happy, who’d clutched Steve’s shoulder and said that he was probably hallucinating from too much caffeine intake. Steve had to stick around. There’d been no way in hell that Steve would leave Tony alone in a foreign country. Tony speaks Italian fluently, sure, but that little detail—even if Steve’s buzzing brain hadn’t remembered it at the time—was quite inconsequential.

The consequential thing, always, is that Steve goes wherever Tony asks.

Hiking for five days, for example, to raise awareness on deforestation, which put them both in hospital for dehydration as they’d ran out of water on the last day; or swimming with sharks, literally, twice in Costa Rica and Ecuador, but also metaphorically, like last year when Steve had agreed to accompany Tony to the SI safety measures Senate hearings.

They’re even going skydiving for Tony’s 40th birthday. It’s special because it’s Tony’s 40th, of course, but on a more selfish note, Steve’s thrilled that he is the only friend accompanying Tony on the day. The fact that none of Tony’s other, non-insane friends are into jumping out of planes doesn’t really matter; what does matter, is that it’s just Steve.

Not that he doesn’t know that it’s not what he actually, deeply wants; it’s just that he knows that it’s all he will actually ever get.

He knows that Tony is Tony Fucking Stark. That he is the smartest, kindest, most brilliant man Steve’s ever known, and to make matters worse—to leave Steve royally fucked—he is mesmerizingly, breathtakingly beautiful.

Steve can never take his eyes off him.

Like just now, sitting across from Steve in the corner booth, with the flicker of the neon lights dancing in his eyes, the gray in his hair, the crinkles in the corners of his eyes—he is a sight to behold.

All Steve wants to do is to reach over the narrow table and kiss Tony’s lips, his jaw, his midnight stubble, the deep lines that form when he laughs; it’s truly a miracle—with how much he wants—that Steve’s kept from embarrassing himself in Tony’s presence.

Thank God, and all things holy in heaven, that he has the tiny bit of self-preservation. That he is stupid enough to fall for Tony, but not stupid enough to imagine that he actually has a chance with him.

It’s just logic.

Steve’s just not good enough.

---

My entry for @stonylovessteve 2023, written for @purpleicedteas :) I love SLS, hope you enjoy this smol piece of love for Steve 😍

The Consequential Thing (3k, T)

Steve works for Stark Industries as the head of design, and has a great friendship with his boss, Tony Stark. Except for the got-wrenching, blinding pain of not being Tony's boyfriend—which Steve's learnt to live with over the years—his life is a-okay. An unfortunate encounter with Steve's terrible ex, however, changes everything. Pining, Fluff. Idiots in Love, Bad Boyfriend Brock, Protective Steve Rogers Protective Tony Stark, Self-Worth Issues, Getting Together, First Kiss, Insecurity

#stony #stevetony #superhusbands #stony fic #stonylovessteve2023

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

The world must help Brazil preserve the Amazon, says Lula

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Wednesday insisted that “The world must help” his country preserve the Amazon after deforestation in that natural area went down by 33.6% in the first semester of 2023, following Lula's Jan. 1 inauguration.

“We know the responsibility it means to convince the world that investing is cheap if it is to keep the forest standing,” said Lula during breakfast with foreign correspondents at the Planalto Presidential Palace.

The eight member countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) are to convene next week for the first time since 2009 to discuss policies to preserve the world's largest rainforest. In this regard, Lula said his government intends to “share with the world's science the research on the region's biodiversity” and seek ways to make it possible to “work without destroying” the biome.

With next week's encounter in the city of Belém on Aug. 8 and 9 serving as a preparation for the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference COP28 to be held from November 30 in the United Arab Emirates, Lula stressed that “the world needs to see this meeting as a historic framework for the discussion of the climate issue.”

Continue reading.

#brazil #politics #brazilian politics #environmentalism #foreign policy #luiz inacio lula da silva #amazon rainforest #mod nise da silveira #image description in alt

[beardedmrbean]

China underwent rare scrutiny of its human rights record at the United Nations on Tuesday.

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR), which all UN member states must undergo every five years, focused on Xinjiang, a remote region where China has incarcerated more than 1 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities and is accused of crimes against humanity.

The political situation in Hong Kong, where Beijing has imposed a strict set of "security" laws, was also taken into consideration. 

More than 160 countries addressed the hearing in Geneva, Switzerland, and each only had 45 seconds to speak.

China once again denied any allegations of human rights abuses.

"We embarked on a path of human rights development that is in keeping with the trend of the times and appropriate to China's national conditions and scored historic achievements in this process," China's UN Ambassador Chen Xu said through an interpreter at the meeting.

Uyghur and Tibetan groups each held small protests outside the UN offices in Geneva.

Western countries slam Beijing

Canada's representative to the UN, Leslie Norton, called on China to end "all forms of enforced disappearances targeting human rights defenders, ethnic minorities and Falun Gong practitioners" and to repeal the controversial security law in Hong Kong.

Danish UN ambassador Ib Petersen called on Beijing to implement UN recommendations in Xinjiang and to "release writers, bloggers, journalists, human rights defenders and others arbitrarily detained for exercising their right to freedom of expression, and guarantee this right, including in Hong Kong."

Meanwhile, Czech ambassador Vaclav Balek also urged China to "end the criminalization of religious and peaceful civil expression by ethnic and religious groups — including Muslim, Uyghurs and Buddhists, Tibetans and Mongolians — under the pretext of protecting state security" and "stop cross-border kidnappings and intimidating Chinese citizens living abroad."

Germany, Japan and Ireland also called for better protections of minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet.

Praise for China

Diplomats told Reuters news agency that China had pressured its supporters to fill up their allotted speaking time with praise.

First secretary Ilia Barmin of Russia's diplomatic mission advised China "to consistently improve the understanding and capacity of citizens to use standard spoken and written Chinese in Xinjiang."

South Africa's political affairs counselor Frankye Bronwen Levy called on China to strengthen laws against domestic violence that were introduced eight years ago.

The Indian representative, meanwhile, urged Beijing to "continue taking steps to ensure fullest enjoyment of basic human rights by its people, through inclusive and sustainable development."

Some African countries like Ethiopia and Cameroon lauded China's efforts on human rights.

Eritrea's representative for instance urged China to "to comprehensively promote ethnic unity and progress."

Iran also praised China's "national action plan for human rights," while Bolivia commended China's efforts against deforestation.

#nunyas news

[strawbs-screaming]

☆ WVBA At A Camping Trip☆

hehehe this is gonna be so fun, also none of them got proper sleep unless stated otherwise because im evil like that

Glass Joe

- harassed by mosquitos & any other bug devious enough to bite him, covered in bug bites

- burnt his marshmellow while trying to melt it over the campfire, settled for a croisssant instead

- couldnt get any sleep, at all, only physically present at some point

- fed a moose and accidentally caused kaiser to get attacked by said moose (when you feed a moose it will attack whoever doesnt have food/doesnt give it any)

- tried to go swimming in a lake and got scared by a fish

Von Kaiser

- gathered some bug repelling herbs & used them to not end up looking like he has 3 trained assasins aiming at him (bear hugger approved)

- gathering mushrooms & other fruit, knows whats not edible & whats not

- brought a shotgun to go hunting, Joe thought he was gonna murder him

- "put the gun down please i have loved ones at least let me say goodbye to them im so sorry for whatever i did PLEASE"

- "Joe why would i shoot you"

- his insomnia is kicking his ass

Disco Kid

- spiders really like to bite him for some brilliant reason, nobody knows if they were non poisonous or not, either way hes still thriving look at him go!!

- climbing trees to collect fruit with kaiser

- tried to go kayaking, fell into the water instead

- trying his hardest to befriend a random fox, disco please stop it probably has 20 diseases & cares about you only for the food

- fell face first into poison ivy :(

- tried to chop down a tree and almost got crushed to death

- traumatized but also thriving

King Hippo

- hes a natural bug repeller, by that i mean he enjoys eating bugs

- traumatized everyone by eating a living spider in front of their eyes

- only person who actually got proper sleep

- rolled down a hill at some point and knocked over disco kid, kaiser and joe like a bowling ball, aran yelled out strike before also rolling down a hill and hitting a tree trunk head first (ouch)

Piston Hondo

- bit by a few mosquitos but nothing that serious thankfully (other than an entire colony of ants biting him when he got stuck in a log)

- best person to go kayaking with, going at it like hes going to war

- collected flowers and made a flower crown & gave it to bear hugger as a thank you

- holding spiders in his hand like theyre nothing & info dumping about them

- Just happy to be here

- climbing trees to also help kaiser, trying his best not to not fall on anyone

- fell asleep in a log at some point, waa super traumatized when he woke up because what the fuck why is he in a log get him out of there

Don Flamenco

- not bitten at all but chased by a scorpion

- hes too diva for nature

- got scolded for using perfume that harms the ozone layer by bear hugger for 3 hours straight, had to stink for a while because of that

- stepped in poison ivy, got treated insantly thankfully or he would have cried for a hour straight

- traumatized, depressed, mentally scarred, not flourishing, not in his lane, un-moisturized, not hydrated

- also couldnt get any sleep, went straight to sleep after getting home and showering (and drying his hair, he doesnt wanna wake up looking like a hedgehog)

- never doing that again, fuck you

Bear Hugger

- got bitten by every kind of bug out there but hes still alive

- flourishing, in his lane, moisturized, happy, mentally healed, hydrated, thriving

- stepped on poison ivy but pretending nothing happened

- chopping down trees (he then plants another because deforestation is not very cash money)

- went hunting & almost shot Aran Ryan because he put branches on his head pretending to be a deer

- "BEAR!! ITS ME DONT SHOOT ME IM NOT A DEER!!"

- "why would you do that?? especially when you know that i was going for deer" he proceeded to scold him for half a hour and how he could have injured himself

- went gathering with kaiser & bull

- did kayaking with disco kid, theyre a really good team somehow

- gathered wood for the campfire

Aran Ryan

- got bit like a thousand times, but its ok because he also bit them back

- hit his head on a tree trunk while he was rolling down a hill at full speed, passed out for a while after that and woke up on a kayak out in a pond, had to swim all the way back thanks to don flamenco getting pissed off at him

- climbing trees & throwing stuff down at whoever walks under him, airstrike bitch

- touched the wood under the campfire after it got put out expecting it to be cold, got his hand burnt instead

- "ooh this piece of wood is shaped like a gun"

- "wait for it to cool off"

- "im sure its not THAT hot" cue irish screech in pain

- went hunting & laughed like a psychopath whenever something got shot

- did kayaking & got thrown off the kayak by Mr Sandman when he got too loud

Soda Popinski

- his legs are covered in mosquito bites, hes literally their favorite capri sun

- Just swam a lot & ate berries

- tried to make up a scary story to tell during the night and failed miserably at it

- "And she.. sneezed out a worm!! Ooohh!!!"

- "so creative, never make a story again"

- ate a piece of wood, delicious!!

Bald Bull

- got bit a few times but not that much

- picked flowers & gathered berries

- helped bear hugger make the campfire

- tried to hunt but he didnt have the heart to shoot such a majestic looking animal, bear hugger did though, got traumatized

- "they might look good but they also taste good"

- "yeah" And he has the 1000 yard stare during dinner

- couldnt sleep well after what he saw during that hunting trip (i hc him to be afraid of blood & not be able to handle it well) he sometimes has nightmares about it, pretending to be okay even though he knows hes not going to be able to sleep for a few days after that

- he started out all happy & got traumatized midway through

- Just sat on a hill & enjoyed the wind during his spare time

Super Macho Man

- harassed by mosquitos

- also too diva for nature

- tried to climb a tree and fell on his ass

- cannot fish to save his life

- had a "swordfight" with soda popinski (by that i mean they just fought each other with sticks)

- making up really weird stories during the night & telling them in front of the campfire, really good at making it sound like bad improv comedy, thinks its fooling everyone

Mr Sandman

- got bit by everything BUT mosquitos

- making sure no one gets shot during the hunting trip

- cooking fish over the campfire

- picking flowers, explaining literally every detail about his favorites

- tried to catch a fish with his bare hands

#punch out #headcanon #punch out wii #don flamenco #bald bull #piston hondo #glass joe #punch out headcanons #aran ryan #von kaiser #soda popinski #super macho man #disco kid #king hippo #bear hugger

[kp777]

By Tom Phillips

The Guardian

Aug. 8, 2023

The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has vowed to haul the Amazon out of centuries of violence, economic “plundering” and environmental devastation and into “a new Amazon dream”, at the start of a major regional summit on the world’s largest rainforest.

Addressing South American leaders gathered in the Brazilian city of Belém, Lula offered a bold blueprint for the future of the Amazon, a 6.7m sq km region that is home to nearly 50 million people spread across eight countries and one territory.

The Brazilian leftist promised to repair his country’s environmental and international reputation after four “disastrous” years under his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, during which the rainforest and Indigenous communities came under growing attack. “Thankfully … we have managed to turn this sad page in our history,” said Lula, who took power in January after thwarting Bolsonaro’s re-election plans.

Lula pledged to promote an ambitious model for the rainforest region – 60% of which lies within Brazil – in which environmental protection was accompanied by desperately needed social inclusion, economic growth and technological innovation.

“The rainforest is neither a void that needs occupying nor a treasure trove to be looted. It is a flowerbed of possibilities that must be cultivated,” Lula told the audience, which included the presidents of fellow Amazon nations Bolivia, Colombia and Peru, as well as the prime minister of Guyana and Venezuela’s vice-president.

Pledging to achieve zero deforestation by 2030, Lula said: “The Amazon can be whatever we want it to be: an Amazon with greener cities, with cleaner air, with mercury-free rivers and forests that are left standing; an Amazon with food on the table, dignified jobs and public services that are available to all; an Amazon with healthier children, well-received migrants [and] Indigenous people who are respected … This is our Amazon dream.”

Indigenous communities demand greater change as Amazon rainforest summit begins – video

The comments came at the start of a rare two-day meeting of the eight-member Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (Acto), which Lula called as part of efforts to reposition Brazil on the world stage as a key player in the fight against the climate crisis.

Among the issues being discussed at Acto’s first such meeting in 14 years were a possible deal to halt deforestation by 2030 and joint efforts to fight rampant illegal mining and organised crime groups that are tightening their grip on the rainforest region. Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, has been pushing for an end to oil and gas exploration in the Amazon, although Brazilian moves to develop an oilfield near the mouth of the Amazon River complicate those efforts.

Petro used his intervention to call for the creation of “an Amazonian Nato” under which regional military would join forces to protect the jungle, about 6% of which lies within Colombia’s borders.

“You defend life with reason – but also with weapons,” he said, also proposing a “Marshall Plan” to pump resources into Amazon protection and a specialised Amazonian court to punish crimes against the biome.

Dina Boluarte, the president of Peru, home to about 11% of the Amazon, also urged action to preserve a rainforest that “isn’t just the lungs of the world – it’s the heart of the world”.

“We must act now. There is no time to lose,” said Boluarte, who was making her first trip abroad since Peru was gripped by protests after she took power last December.

After hours of talks, a joint Acto communique, called the Belém Declaration, was published, calling for increased police and intelligence collaboration to fight illegal activities and environmental crime as well as human rights violations against Indigenous people and activists. It said a law enforcement centre would be opened in the Brazilian city of Manaus to promote cooperation among regional police forces.

The 113-point text also urged greater efforts to slash deforestation and promote sustainable development in the region. However, the document fell short of many expectations for failing to include a common goal of zero deforestation by 2030.

Marcio Astrini, the executive secretary of the Climate Observatory group, said he had mixed feelings about a declaration that was weaker than many environmentalists had hoped for.

“It’s a first step. It was important for [these leaders] to come together but there isn’t much concrete in there. It’s a list of very generic promises. It was lacking something more forceful,” Astrini said.

“We’re living in a world which is melting. We are breaking temperature records all the time. How can it be that in a 22-page declaration the presidents of eight Amazon countries can’t clearly state that deforestation needs to stop?”

Read more.

#Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization #luiz inacio lula da silva #amazon rainforest #conservation #deforestation #indigenous peoples #Youtube

[josnhoes]

Lol I laughed at the reply on it, it'll be bit more funny if the child asked why they do this and wouldn't be more beneficial if say poison ivy use her power to regrow deforestation and maybe Dr Freeze to used his cryo things to help out cancers and illness if he could probably reverse engineering his tech and used a different formula to actually used it like logically thinking

To be more funny when they say " fuck the government and fuck capitalism! Like all this shit that the world gone through the daily basis no fucking wonder why this planet is a shit hole as it is because fixing cities are not cheap in the first place let alone said villains and heroes won't suck up their god-damned pride and have one mutual agreement"

The logical Knak reader is much more ignored. I fully believe rogues like Ivy and Freeze *know* they could be going about things differently they just also know that trying to do it the nice way isn't going to work.

Ivy can grow as many plants and trees to fix the issue and people will just tear them down and keep doing what their doing. The way she sees it a bandaid isn't going cut it.

Mr.Freeze is trying to fund his research to cure his wife. And as optimistic as it is to think he'll find another way to fund this he has to tell you that fact too. He doesn't care what happens to anyone as long as he can cure his wife.

As for the fuck the government reader who is obviously angry and tired of the world well I can see rogues taking it as a chance to get her to work for them. Either as a sidekick of sorts, a new family member, or an inside mole in the Wayne household.

If the Joker grabs you don't do either. He is not safe to an extreme level. Positive attention or negative you will be hurt. Just stay quiet and try and stay calm, maybe a little crying so he doesn't get curious how a kid is staying so level headed.

#DC knak au #batfam #batman #yandere #platonic yandere

[afeelgoodblog]

These are The Best News of Last Week

1. Brazil’s new president Lula vows to halt Deforestation.

For many Brazilians, Bolsonaro’s defeat represents a rejection of the explicit anti-Indigenous, anti-environmental agenda he enacted while in office.

Lula has promised to update Brazil’s climate goals to steer the country back in line with the Paris Agreement. He has also committed to a list of climate proposals put forth by Marina Silva, the most prominent environmental activist in Brazil who served as his former environment minister. In his first speech as president-elect late Sunday night, he reiterated his strong support for zero deforestation in the Amazon. “Brazil is ready to resume its leading role in the fight against the climate crisis”

2. All-terrain wheelchairs arrive at U.S. parks: ‘This is life-changing’

For anyone who has to use a wheelchair, the state says it will soon be easier to be able to enjoy several parks, historic sites and wildlife centers because these locations will provide free all-terrain wheelchairs.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources said it has partnered with the Aimee Copeland Foundation to provide high-mobility, all-terrain track wheelchairs at 10 different locations across the state. DNR said the initiative “encourages those with mobility impairments to reconnect with nature, explore nature trails, go fishing and attend adaptive hunts.”

3. Electricity-generating windows? Swiss scientists design more efficient transparent solar panels

All that natural light flowing through your windows may one day do much more than brighten your mood. Scientists in Switzerland have reached a new efficiency record for transparent solar cells, paving the way for electricity-generating windows that could help power our homes and devices.

Also known as Grätzel cells, dye-sensitised solar cells (DSCs) are a type of low-cost solar cell that use photosensitised dye attached to the surface of a semiconductor to convert visible light into energy.

4. In France all new large parking lots must now be covered in solar panels starting in july 2023

The new provisions are part of French president Emmanuel Macron’s large-scale plan to heavily invest in renewables, which aims to multiply by 10 the amount of solar energy produced in the country, and to double the power from land-based wind farms.

Starting July 1, 2023, smaller carparks that have between 80 and 400 spaces will have five years to be in compliance with the new measures. Carparks with more than 400 spaces have a shorter timeline: They will need to comply with the new measures within three years of this date, and at least half of the surface area of the parking lot will need to be covered in solar panels.

5. Car horns replace gunfire as Ukraine’s troops return to jubilant Kherson

Ukrainian soldiers swept into the southern city of Kherson on Friday, seizing a major symbolic and strategic prize from the retreating Russian army and dealing a bitter blow to President Vladimir V. Putin.

Just weeks after Mr. Putin declared the Kherson region a part of Russia forever, his troops were forced to abandon its capital city, their third major retreat in the war. The setback further dented the once-formidable reputation of an army that has mismanaged logistics and sent unprepared and unmotivated soldiers into battle.

Jubilant crowds poured into the streets, greeting Ukrainian soldiers and waving flags

6. Lab-grown blood given to people in world-first clinical trial

Tiny amounts — equivalent to a couple of spoonfuls — are being tested to see how it performs inside the body. The bulk of blood transfusions will always rely on people regularly rolling up their sleeve to donate.

But the ultimate goal is to manufacture vital, but ultra-rare, blood groups that are hard to get hold of. These are necessary for people who depend on regular blood transfusions for conditions such as sickle cell anaemia.

7. A pod of dolphins got stuck in the mud at low tide — here’s how a N.S. community saved them

According to the Digby Fire Department, there were 16 Atlantic white-sided dolphins, of various sizes, stranded. People of all ages rushed to the scene in Digby on the afternoon of Nov. 4 after it was discovered that 16 dolphins were stranded in the mudflats of an area known as The Joggins.

“We are happy to report that all 16 dolphins eventually were ushered into the water,” the department posted on its Facebook page late in the afternoon. “We are hopeful once the tide keeps rising, they will safely make their way back out to sea.”

- - -

That’s it for this week. If you liked this post you can support this newsletter with a small kofi donation:

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Have a great week ahead :)

#best news of last week

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from the New York Times:

There’s a struggle for law and order in many of the world’s tropical forests, and nature is losing.

Last week, I wrote about the major progress Colombia made in 2023, slashing deforestation rates by 49 percent in a single year. But this week, we learned the trend reversed significantly in the first quarter of this year. Preliminary figures show tree loss was up 40 percent since the start of the year, Colombia’s Minister of Environment, Susana Muhamad, told reporters on Monday.

Why have things changed so quickly? Mostly because a single armed group controls much of Colombia’s rainforests.

Muhamad explained that conflicts with Estado Mayor Central, a group that is thought to run a sprawling cocaine operation among other illegal activities, were partly behind the striking numbers. “In this case, nature is being placed in the middle of the conflict,” she said. According to experts, E.M.C. had largely banned deforestation and in recent months it seems to have allowed it again.

A 2023 United Nations report referred to this entanglement between drug trafficking and environmental crime as “narco-deforestation.” Perhaps nowhere is that phenomenon more clear than in Colombia, a country that’s both a stage for the decades-old global war on drugs and one of the most biodiverse corners of the planet, where the Andes Mountains meet the vast Amazon rainforest.

But what’s happening in Colombia underscores a growing challenge for many developing countries. Vast pristine forests are both essential to curb climate change and biodiversity loss, and they’re also prized by groups who want to hide illegal activities beneath thick tree canopies.

Today I want to explain why experts on the ground say that there’s no way to protect crucial forests like the Amazon without dealing with the growing power of armed groups.

#deforestation #Amazon River basin #narco-deforestation