Wren

The political crisis in the United States today is the consequence of economic processes that have been underway for generations. The rise of fascism is not a fluke brought about by the demagoguery of a single individual, but the logical outcome of profit-driven capitalism.

The neoliberal order paved the way for this by deepening the gulf between the rich and poor, militarizing policing in order to preserve those disparities, and creating a downwardly mobile population desperate for scapegoats. In a globalized economy, politicians cannot mitigate the impact of capitalism on their constituents without investors taking their business elsewhere.

Consequently, “left” parties have consistently failed to deliver on their promises, while reactionary parties have pulled public policy and permissible discourse steadily to the right—with centrists serving as a sort of ratchet preventing policy and discourse from shifting back.

Doodle dragon with pen on paper, about 4" diameter.

When I'm too blocked to draw on rectangles I make circles.

Bill 9, or the Protecting Alberta’s Children Statues Amendment Act is a blatant attempt on the part of the United Conservatives Party (UCP) to control the bodily autonomy of trans individuals. It creates artificial narratives and problems surrounding the queer community to distract from the legitimate issues impacting the whole province.

U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock in August ordered Mississippi to redraw the map, which was enacted in 1987, concluding the current configuration dilutes the power of Black voters. The Friday ruling gives the Mississippi Legislature until the end of its 2026 regular session to redraw the map.

By 2027, global AI data centers could consume up to 1.7 trillion gallons of water each year. And, as reported in Essence, water’s only the beginning:

“Data centers’ enormous energy demands often lead to the construction or expansion of nearby fossil fuel-powered plants. This introduces air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and formaldehyde, which worsen respiratory conditions like asthma… Additionally, pressure on local power grids can lead to increased electricity costs, deepening energy insecurity for families already struggling to make ends meet.”

In drought-prone or water-stressed areas, the risk is even greater, with the diversion of billions of gallons of water to cool AI servers “threatening not only household water access but entire ecosystems,” according to the Essence report.

By studying the plants foraged by these rats, I learned not only about the important scientific and commercial plants in the garden, but also about the food and medicine the family were eating and using, including imported snacks such as peanuts and Brazil nuts, which were not grown in the garden but could have been purchased in Philadelphia.

Five months earlier, some of the visiting aides had celebrated USAID’s destruction over cake and speeches in Washington. With that job done, they’d embarked on a world tour of half a dozen cities, including the Kenyan capital. They were granted special permission to fly business class “to help ensure maximum rest and comfort,” according to an internal memo. Thornton alone received authorization to expense more than $35,000 in taxpayer money for the trip. The plan was to conduct exit interviews with USAID’s top experts, who were being forced out of the agency amid the administration’s stated commitment to austerity.

When the U.S. embassy in Nairobi learned of the visit, officials there arranged the dinner with a goal in mind. It would be their last opportunity to explain, face-to-face, the catastrophic impact of Trump’s drastic cuts to foreign aid.

A lot of them have a long history of really deplorable conditions. And a lot of times, they shut down only to reopen and detain a different population. It's just this continual cycle and conditions never get better," Ghandehari added.

NPR identified at least 16 shuttered facilities across a dozen states that have reopened as Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers since President Trump took office in January. Most were state or federal prisons, though some had been ICE detention centers. Almost all the properties were owned or operated by private prison companies, and many had a troubled past.

The dax in daxophone is derived from the German word Dachs, meaning "badger" and referencing the many animal sounds that the daxophone is capable of generating, changed to dax so that the instrument name echoes Adolphe Sax's saxophone.

!Art_Alchemist_Guild@lemmy.today

What painter isn't a little bit of a chemist? What quilter isn't a mathematics wizard? A skilled tailor is essentially an engineer, and a printer qualifies as a mechanic.

I'm interested in processes. Where does paint come from? How does the wool get from the sheep to my sweater? Is there anything stopping me from digging up clay from a riverbed and making a pot out of it?

I'm especially passionate about this since artist prices can be ridiculously marked up on the same supplies that are sold in bulk to big industry. Too many brands market a vibe over quality, which makes it good to know what goes into making quality paints, papers and clays, and if you really can just spin your dog's sheddings into a nice hat. In an age of amazon consumerism we forget how much useful stuff is around us, literally on the ground, is being repackaged and sold from a warehouse halfway around the world. Why not learn how to make the most of what's free outside and become a mad scientist?

So, I made a place for all those artists, and anyone else, who wants to discuss methods as well as the art, to share resources, meme about crafting insanity, and get critique.

Right now it's just me, but I'd love to have more people posting and sharing. I started weekly discussion topics and a monthly challenge to see if that gets people engaged.

I'm looking for at least one other mod to help keep an eye on the place, too.

In her written response, Segal has refused to answer the questions, stating only: “The Envoy declared any conflicts of interest as required”.

Segal has also refused to directly answer whether she still has any role in the ECAJ(Executive Council of Australian Jewry,) or, if not, when she finished all her roles at the ECAJ.

Segal was the President of the ECAJ, for four years until 2023, which critics say is a major conflict and should have disqualified her from the Antisemitism Envoy role.

The two main warring parties are the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The SAF is the nation’s official military. Prior to the civil war, it was responsible with enforcing the border, protecting the country from foreign entities and maintaining internal security. As of April 2023, the SAF had an estimated force of up to 200,000 people.