Conservation
Jun. 11th, 2026 10:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithPapua New Guinea Sets Up Protected Ocean the Size of UK–Over 77,000 Square Miles
In the legendary Coral Triangle, where the Pacific and Indian Oceans meet, 200,000 square kilometers of tropical seas will be off limits to fishing thanks to bold conservation action by Papua New Guinea.
The newly-designated Western Manus Marine Protected Area (MPA) will form part of the newly established Melanesian Ocean Corridor of Reserves, a network of national and jointly managed protected areas spanning Fiji, Vanuatu, and Papua New Guinea.
Score! \o/
In the legendary Coral Triangle, where the Pacific and Indian Oceans meet, 200,000 square kilometers of tropical seas will be off limits to fishing thanks to bold conservation action by Papua New Guinea.
The newly-designated Western Manus Marine Protected Area (MPA) will form part of the newly established Melanesian Ocean Corridor of Reserves, a network of national and jointly managed protected areas spanning Fiji, Vanuatu, and Papua New Guinea.
Score! \o/
* stares at camera like I'm on The Office *
Jun. 11th, 2026 09:49 pmdhampyresaI recently had to get a new mp3 player, because my old one stopped working. As I was filling it with music, I put all of the musical Hamilton on there and took the opportunity to relisten to the whole thing in order while paying attention rather than "whatever comes up on shuffle while I'm out and about doing stuff". Overall, I don't think my opionion has changed much from a decade ago, ie: I enjoy it overall, Leslie Odom Jr is the best singer of the bunch (unfortunately, Lin-Manuel Miranda is the weakest), I wish the women got to do more than just Be Romantically And/Or Sexually Entangled With Hamilton, Lafayette's French accent sure is Something, Huh and slavery is a bit glossed over, innit? I do really like the artfulness of the lyrics -- the way the words work is really nice, idk.
Anyway, there's a line in Cabinet Battle #2 that goes "If we try to fight in every revolution in the world, we never stop" and HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Anyway, there's a line in Cabinet Battle #2 that goes "If we try to fight in every revolution in the world, we never stop" and HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Space Exploration
Jun. 11th, 2026 01:32 pmysabetwordsmithNASA Reveals Details of its ‘Moon Base’ Program to Prepare Humanity for Next Chapter of Exploration
Moon Base is the first stage of establishing a semi-permanent human presence on our satellite, and the data gathered during missions I, II, and III will inform the first visit of humans to the Moon since Apollo 11 in 1969.
Both Moon Base I and II are targeted for 2026. The first mission will utilize Blue Origin’s Mark 1 Endurance lander to drop two critical science instruments on the Moon. The first will gather data on how thrusters impact the regolithic Lunar surface, while the Laser Retroreflective Array will help orbiting spacecraft determine a more precise landing location using reflected laser light.
Moon Base is the first stage of establishing a semi-permanent human presence on our satellite, and the data gathered during missions I, II, and III will inform the first visit of humans to the Moon since Apollo 11 in 1969.
Both Moon Base I and II are targeted for 2026. The first mission will utilize Blue Origin’s Mark 1 Endurance lander to drop two critical science instruments on the Moon. The first will gather data on how thrusters impact the regolithic Lunar surface, while the Laser Retroreflective Array will help orbiting spacecraft determine a more precise landing location using reflected laser light.
Last week I mentioned the drying racks to my sister
Jun. 13th, 2026 11:08 amconulyand she said we still have them "because what if the dryer breaks" and I thought to myself "oh, yeah, that's gonna come back to haunt us" but I didn't say anything for fear of making it worse and today - the dryer broke!
*headdesk*
This is Jenn's fault. I will stand by that.
The first repair appointment I could make is next week, but that's okay, we won't have enough money until next week anyway.
*********************************
( Read more... )
*headdesk*
This is Jenn's fault. I will stand by that.
The first repair appointment I could make is next week, but that's okay, we won't have enough money until next week anyway.
( Read more... )
Birdfeeding
Jun. 11th, 2026 12:16 pmysabetwordsmithToday is partly sunny, muggy, and hot. It rained on and off for several hours last night. I saw so many fireflies in the evening! :D
I fed the birds. I haven't seen much activity yet.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 6/11/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 6/11/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
.
I fed the birds. I haven't seen much activity yet.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 6/11/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 6/11/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
.
Community Thursdays
Jun. 11th, 2026 12:07 amysabetwordsmithThis year I'm doing Community Thursdays. Some of my activity will involve maintaining communities I run, and my favorites. Some will involve checking my list of subscriptions and posting in lower-traffic ones. Today I have interacted with the following communities...
* Posted "News" to![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
liberal.
* Posted "Books" tolibrary_community.
* Commented on "A thought experiment" inlinguaphiles.
* Posted "Linguistics" inlinguaphiles.
* Posted "Birdfeeding" inbirdfeeding.
* Commented on "Check-In Post - June 11th 2026" inget_knitted.
* Posted "Recipe: "Chicken and Peas Stir-Fry" inrecipecommunity.
* Posted "RECIPE: "CHICKEN AND PEAS STIR-FRY" increative_cooks.
* Commented on "Just One Thing (11 June 2026)" inawesomeers.
* Posted "News" to
liberal.* Posted "Books" to
library_community.* Commented on "A thought experiment" in
linguaphiles.* Posted "Linguistics" in
linguaphiles.* Posted "Birdfeeding" in
birdfeeding.* Commented on "Check-In Post - June 11th 2026" in
get_knitted.* Posted "Recipe: "Chicken and Peas Stir-Fry" in
recipecommunity.* Posted "RECIPE: "CHICKEN AND PEAS STIR-FRY" in
creative_cooks.* Commented on "Just One Thing (11 June 2026)" in
awesomeers.Community Thursday
Jun. 11th, 2026 05:41 amvriddyCommunity Thursday challenge: every Thursday, try to make an effort to engage with a community on Dreamwidth, whether that's posting, commenting, promoting, etc.
Commented on common_nature (birbs!)
Signal boost:
- Via
![[site community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/comm_staff.png)
dw_community_promo - Folks are looking to start doing The Artist's Way together over at theartistsway, hop over and comment if you'd be interested in joining! Expected start on June 28th.
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai
Jun. 10th, 2026 09:41 pmaltamira16Sonia and Sunny are Indians, living in New York City. Sonia is a student on a visa, and she works in the university library. Sunny has a job in journalism and is in the US on a work visa.
( Minor spoilers of the early themes of the book )
Sonia and Sunny repeatedly cross paths in a story that involves some magical realism. Are the observations of the characters real, or are the characters crazy?
( Minor spoilers of the early themes of the book )
Sonia and Sunny repeatedly cross paths in a story that involves some magical realism. Are the observations of the characters real, or are the characters crazy?
In case you were wondering...
Jun. 10th, 2026 11:45 pmdhampyresa"Is swimming from the Château d'If to land actually doable?" (à la Edmond Dantès, the Count of Monte Christo himself)
The answer is very much yes.
Looks kinda fun, honestly.
The answer is very much yes.
Looks kinda fun, honestly.
Storm Damage
Jun. 10th, 2026 01:12 pmysabetwordsmithSevere storms down trees, knock out power to thousands across Minnesota
A line of severe thunderstorms raced across Minnesota overnight, bringing wind gusts of more than 80 mph, downing trees and knocking out power to thousands of homes and businesses.
As climate change progresses, violent storms occur more often and do more damage. This is only going to keep getting worse.
If you are able-bodied, I recommend getting a chainsaw and learning how to use it. For less-able folks, a hand saw, or even a chainsaw that you could loan out, may make sense. Reason being, few people want to do blue-collar work nowadays, so any tree services in a given area tend to run months behind on work. When a storm hits, they get a huge surge in demand, but there is no surge capacity to absorb the demand. That means there's nobody to clean up the fallen limbs and trees promptly. Ordinary residents need to pick up the slack to clear debris from their yards, the streets, for less-able neighbors, etc. to restore road access and remove tree parts from places they don't belong. If you have a broken roof, punctured septic tank, or smashed car then by all means try to get the attention of overworked professionals. Otherwise you are probably on your own. Look out for each other. Form neighborhood storm response teams if possible. Here are some resources...
( Read more... )
A line of severe thunderstorms raced across Minnesota overnight, bringing wind gusts of more than 80 mph, downing trees and knocking out power to thousands of homes and businesses.
As climate change progresses, violent storms occur more often and do more damage. This is only going to keep getting worse.
If you are able-bodied, I recommend getting a chainsaw and learning how to use it. For less-able folks, a hand saw, or even a chainsaw that you could loan out, may make sense. Reason being, few people want to do blue-collar work nowadays, so any tree services in a given area tend to run months behind on work. When a storm hits, they get a huge surge in demand, but there is no surge capacity to absorb the demand. That means there's nobody to clean up the fallen limbs and trees promptly. Ordinary residents need to pick up the slack to clear debris from their yards, the streets, for less-able neighbors, etc. to restore road access and remove tree parts from places they don't belong. If you have a broken roof, punctured septic tank, or smashed car then by all means try to get the attention of overworked professionals. Otherwise you are probably on your own. Look out for each other. Form neighborhood storm response teams if possible. Here are some resources...
( Read more... )
Upcycling
Jun. 10th, 2026 12:55 pmysabetwordsmithRescuing London’s Precious Building Materials Diverting Them from Dumps for Reuse
A salvage and reuse operation in London is ensuring that every charming bit of wood, brick, glass, porcelain, and steel that has made the city beautiful can continue to do so with a second life in the circular economy.
Started through an epiphany of “street logic” by a man frustrated by red tape, Yes Make is making things all over London out of what the city might otherwise throw out.
“We’re creating a regenerative supply chain for the city we love,” says Joel De Mowbray, founder of Yes Make, to the Guardian. “Turning things that would otherwise go to waste into objects that have cultural potential.”
This kind of salvage operation is replicable anywhere, since towns generally have a cycle of demolition, renovation, and construction that generates considerable materials typically thought of as "waste" which are still useful. If you're looking for a cheap startup business, and you're at least a little crafty, then upcycling is an excellent bet because its raw materials tend to be free or cheap. The more we can keep out of landfills, and the less new material we consume, the better.
A salvage and reuse operation in London is ensuring that every charming bit of wood, brick, glass, porcelain, and steel that has made the city beautiful can continue to do so with a second life in the circular economy.
Started through an epiphany of “street logic” by a man frustrated by red tape, Yes Make is making things all over London out of what the city might otherwise throw out.
“We’re creating a regenerative supply chain for the city we love,” says Joel De Mowbray, founder of Yes Make, to the Guardian. “Turning things that would otherwise go to waste into objects that have cultural potential.”
This kind of salvage operation is replicable anywhere, since towns generally have a cycle of demolition, renovation, and construction that generates considerable materials typically thought of as "waste" which are still useful. If you're looking for a cheap startup business, and you're at least a little crafty, then upcycling is an excellent bet because its raw materials tend to be free or cheap. The more we can keep out of landfills, and the less new material we consume, the better.
The Harbingers season finale was great
Jun. 10th, 2026 11:13 amconulyand you all should catch up on the entire season so you can listen to it when it comes out for real. There are transcripts.
Also, they gave out stickers, so now I have something to slap over the Nazi sticker that just appeared by the train station.
*********************************
( Read more... )
Also, they gave out stickers, so now I have something to slap over the Nazi sticker that just appeared by the train station.
( Read more... )
Birdfeeding
Jun. 10th, 2026 12:23 pmysabetwordsmithToday is sunny, humid, and hot. A beautiful day to stay indoors and write! Yesterday it rained off and on during the afternoon. The patio was still wet this morning, so we likely got more last night too.
I fed the birds. I haven't seen much activity yet.
I put out water for the birds.
Morning glories are blooming. :D
EDIT 6/10/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 6/10/26 -- I took some pictures around the house and yard. I have a nice tall stand of milkweed blooming in the prairie garden, taller than me. :D
I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches at the hopper feeder.
EDIT 6/10/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 6/10/26 -- I started trimming grass around the Asiatic lily patch by the telephone pole.
The first of the recently sown seeds are already sprouting! :D Charleston Food Forest and 'State Fair' zinnias are up, though not the developing 'Shirley' landrace rows.
EDIT 6/10/26 -- I trimmed more grass around the Asiatic lily patch by the telephone pole.
EDIT 6/10/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 6/10/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
I planted 5 'Yelloween' lilies in the telephone pole garden. That's the end of the hummingbird garden sack that I got from Costco.
EDIT 6/10/26 -- I spread potting soil and mulch over the newly planted lilies.
It's not even dark yet, but already swarms of fireflies are rising up from the grass. :D Fly, my pretties, fly!
EDIT 6/10/26 -- I watered the telephone pole garden including the new lilies.
Lots more fireflies are out now. The evening is very sparkly! I've seen at least one bat too.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I haven't seen much activity yet.
I put out water for the birds.
Morning glories are blooming. :D
EDIT 6/10/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 6/10/26 -- I took some pictures around the house and yard. I have a nice tall stand of milkweed blooming in the prairie garden, taller than me. :D
I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches at the hopper feeder.
EDIT 6/10/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 6/10/26 -- I started trimming grass around the Asiatic lily patch by the telephone pole.
The first of the recently sown seeds are already sprouting! :D Charleston Food Forest and 'State Fair' zinnias are up, though not the developing 'Shirley' landrace rows.
EDIT 6/10/26 -- I trimmed more grass around the Asiatic lily patch by the telephone pole.
EDIT 6/10/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 6/10/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
I planted 5 'Yelloween' lilies in the telephone pole garden. That's the end of the hummingbird garden sack that I got from Costco.
EDIT 6/10/26 -- I spread potting soil and mulch over the newly planted lilies.
It's not even dark yet, but already swarms of fireflies are rising up from the grass. :D Fly, my pretties, fly!
EDIT 6/10/26 -- I watered the telephone pole garden including the new lilies.
Lots more fireflies are out now. The evening is very sparkly! I've seen at least one bat too.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
The 'indigineity' of Celtic peoples
Jun. 9th, 2026 05:29 pmsmmgI do think Wales and the other Celtic nations could/should engage with Indigenous peoples around the world more. I've seen some people from Celtic nations describe themselves as Indigenous peoples (as well as other Indigenous peoples call us Indigenous too), and I think maybe we could call ourselves that?? (Especially I have been thinking about it in terms of Ireland and the Irish people in the north being described as Indigenous people in territory occupied by British settlers) But I also think that maybe we need to engage with the wider global Indigenous community more and acknowledge our own complicity in colonialism better before we can call ourselves that. I think some people can't grapple with our status as colonised and coloniser (e.g. Wales and y Wladfa, Scotland and Gaelic-speaking parts of Canada, etc). And it's not like there aren't other Indigenous peoples across the world who have been complicit in colonialism, genocide, etc. (e.g. the M
Also it's not uncommon for white supremacists to be obsessed with our 'indigeneity' or whatever and to use the term to weaponise our marginalisation against immigrant/non-white members of our nations, so I think we definitely have to be careful with applying the term Indigenous with a capital I to ourselves. Of course 'indigenous' with a lower case i is frequently used to describe our languages and peoples and cultural practices from pre-Anglicisation/-Francisation.
Also it's not uncommon for white supremacists to be obsessed with our 'indigeneity' or whatever and to use the term to weaponise our marginalisation against immigrant/non-white members of our nations, so I think we definitely have to be careful with applying the term Indigenous with a capital I to ourselves. Of course 'indigenous' with a lower case i is frequently used to describe our languages and peoples and cultural practices from pre-Anglicisation/-Francisation.
Wildlife
Jun. 10th, 2026 01:23 amysabetwordsmith2026 Sees the Most Right Whale Calves Born in One Season Since 2009
Decades of diligent conservation seem to have allowed the whales to really turn a corner in the last 36 months, with milestones like record numbers of sightings, strange vagrancies, and an increasing population being celebrated.
Now, 23 calves were born during the 2026 right whale calving season—the highest number since 2009. Of the 23 mom-calf pairs identified this season, 20 of these were returning moms. Since that year, the average has been around 15 animals, but some years there have been 7 or fewer.
13 of these returning moms last had calves in the 2021 or 2022 seasons, marking a shorter interval between births than the recent average of 7 to 10 years. This is closer to the normal or healthy interval of 3 to 4 years.
It's so good to see a population recovering from whaling. :D
Decades of diligent conservation seem to have allowed the whales to really turn a corner in the last 36 months, with milestones like record numbers of sightings, strange vagrancies, and an increasing population being celebrated.
Now, 23 calves were born during the 2026 right whale calving season—the highest number since 2009. Of the 23 mom-calf pairs identified this season, 20 of these were returning moms. Since that year, the average has been around 15 animals, but some years there have been 7 or fewer.
13 of these returning moms last had calves in the 2021 or 2022 seasons, marking a shorter interval between births than the recent average of 7 to 10 years. This is closer to the normal or healthy interval of 3 to 4 years.
It's so good to see a population recovering from whaling. :D