DoomsdaysCW

DoomsdaysCW, 4 months ago to history

How the #GreensboroFour Sat Down and Changed the World

Four Black students sat at a “whites only” lunch counter in 1960 and sparked the sit-in movement.

By Colin McEvoy

"On February 1, 1960, four Black men walked into the Woolworth’s general store in Greensboro, North Carolina, and changed the world.

"Ezell A. Blair Jr., Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, and David Richmond bought toothpaste, notebooks, and other small items at different counters in the store, saving the receipts to prove they were paying customers. Then, they each sat down at the store’s lunch counter, which was designated for 'whites only,' and tried to place their orders."

https://www.biography.com/activists/a42926155/greensboro-four-sit-in-movement
#BlackHistory #Protest #Histodons

DoomsdaysCW, 4 months ago to actuallyautistic

So, I just was accused of using a "stern librarian tone" when calmly making a request. Apparently, the person accusing me thought he was insulting me. Hah! Nah, I'm just being my true self without the exhausting mask, but thanks for the compliment!
@actuallyautistic

DoomsdaysCW, 4 months ago to random

I guess the #IAEA hasn't heard about #bioaccumulation, eh? Also, #radiation #hormesis has been DISPROVEN! smh

IAEA: #FukushimaDaiichi treated water release meets intl. safety standards

January 30, 2024

"The agency said in its earlier report in July that it found Japan's plan for handling the treated water to be consistent with international safety standards. It added that the discharge as planned would have a negligible radiological impact to people and the environment."

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20240131_07/

#IAEALies #TEPCOLies #WaterIsLife #FukushimaIsntOver #NoDumping #NuclearPowerPlant #RadioactiveWater

DoomsdaysCW, 4 months ago to Japan

#Japan announces date for #Fukushima #radioactive #water release

August 2023

"As of 8 June 2023, there were 1,335,381 cubic meters of radioactive wastewater stored in tanks, but due to the failure of the #ALPS (Advanced Liquid Processing System) processing technology, approximately 70% of this water will have to be processed again. Scientists have warned that the #radiological risks from the discharges have not been fully assessed, and the biological impacts of #tritium, #carbon14, #strontium90, and #iodine129, which will be released in the discharges, have been ignored.

"The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) endorsed Japan’s plans for discharge. However, the IAEA has failed to investigate the operation of the ALPS, has completely ignored the highly radioactive fuel debris that melted down which continues every day to contaminate ground water – nearly 1000 cubic meters every ten days. Furthermore, the discharge plan has failed to conduct a comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment, as required by its international legal obligations, given that there is a risk of significant transboundary harm to neighboring countries. The IAEA is not tasked with protecting the global marine environment but it should not encourage a state to violate it."

https://www.greenpeace.org/international/press-release/61364/japan-announces-date-for-fukushima-radioactive-water-release/

#IAEALies #TEPCOLies #WaterIsLife #FukushimaIsntOver #FukushimaDaiichi #NoDumping #NuclearPowerPlant #RadioactiveWater

DoomsdaysCW, 4 months ago to random

The #USGovernment’s Secret Inventions

Secrecy orders allow U.S. defense agencies to control patents, including those that are privately developed.

By Arvind Dilawar
May 09, 20189:00 AM

"Invention secrecy in the U.S. dates back to at least the 1930s, but it really took off in the ’40s, when the development of nuclear weapons was shrouded in classification. It became official policy in 1952 with the #InventionSecrecyAct, which allows USPTO to keep patents deemed ‘detrimental to the national security’ on lockdown. Under the act, USPTO’s commissioner of patents became empowered to flag patent applications—even those developed by private citizens—for review by government defense agencies, which could request that certain inventions be kept secret. Patents covered by such ‘secrecy orders’ may be restricted from export, made available only to defense agencies, or even classified. Patent holders can appeal secrecy orders, but the power to rescind those orders remains in the hands of the agencies that made the requests. While there may be a chance those agencies will reconsider, the statistics aren’t promising: According to figures from the Federation of American Scientists, from 2013 through 2017, an average of 25 old secrecy orders were rescinded each year—while 117 new secrecy orders were imposed annually. With so many inventions deemed secret, so few eventually publicized, and the entire process itself obfuscated in classifications, it’s no wonder that critics have questioned whether the current invention-secrecy regime is really working properly.

“FAS has been dogging the patent-secrecy system for three decades now. Founded in 1945 as the Federation of Atomic Scientists by the engineers of the #ManhattanProject, the organization was originally formed to promote nuclear disarmament. As time passed, it renamed itself the Federation of American Scientists and expanded its scope to address additional issues, like chemical weapons, arms sales, and government secrecy in general. In the ’80s, when the Reagan administration and the National Security Agency sought to limit discussion of cryptography using invention secrecy, FAS entered the fray, successfully fighting off government censorship and tracking the USPTO’s secrecy activity ever since."

https://slate.com/technology/2018/05/the-thousands-of-secret-patents-that-the-u-s-government-refuses-to-make-public.html

#Confiscation #GovernmentCensorship #AlternativeEnergy #AlternativeTechnology #NikolaTesla #WalterRussell

DoomsdaysCW, 4 months ago to random

#TrueStory

Way back in the 1990s, I worked as a file clerk for #MIT's legal department. While filing patents for inventions, I noticed the file folder for #PonsAndFleischmann's #coldfusion experiments was empty. When I asked someone about it, they told me the #USGovernment came and #confiscated them. Pons and Fleichmann's experiments did not pan out (or so we were told), but the fact that the government can just grab potentially game-changing inventions was a bit unnerving (and then I found out about #NikolaTesla...).

Revisiting the cold case of cold fusion

by Curtis P. Berlinguette, et al.
Published: 27 May 2019

Abstract:
The 1989 claim of ‘cold fusion’ was publicly heralded as the future of clean energy generation. However, subsequent failures to reproduce the effect heightened scepticism of this claim in the academic community, and effectively led to the disqualification of the subject from further study. Motivated by the possibility that such judgement might have been premature, we embarked on a multi-institution programme to re-evaluate cold fusion to a high standard of scientific rigour. Here we describe our efforts, which have yet to yield any evidence of such an effect. Nonetheless, a by-product of our investigations has been to provide new insights into highly hydrided metals and low-energy nuclear reactions, and we contend that there remains much interesting science to be done in this underexplored parameter space.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1256-6

Paywall article (requires registration):

Cold fusion remains elusive—but these scientists may revive the quest

May 2019

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/cold-fusion-remains-elusive-these-scientists-may-revive-quest

DoomsdaysCW, 4 months ago to random

The Mystery of #NikolaTesla’s Missing Files

The #FBI has finally declassified its files on Nikola Tesla, but questions remain.

By: Sarah Pruitt

Updated: June 1, 2023 | Original: May 3, 2018

"What happened to Tesla’s files from there, as well as what exactly was in those files, remains shrouded in mystery—and ripe for conspiracy theories. After years of fielding questions about possible cover-ups, the FBI finally declassified some 250 pages of Tesla-related documents under the Freedom of Information Act [#FOIA] in 2016. The bureau followed up with two additional releases, the latest in March 2018. But even with the publication of these documents, many questions still remain unanswered—and some of Tesla’s files are still missing.

"Three weeks after the Serbian-American inventor’s death, an electrical engineer from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (#MIT) was tasked with evaluating his papers to determine whether they contained 'any ideas of significant value.' According to the declassified files, Dr. John G. Trump reported that his analysis showed Tesla’s efforts to be 'primarily of a speculative, philosophical and promotional character' and said the papers did 'not include new sound, workable principles or methods for realizing such results.'

"The scientist’s name undoubtedly rings a bell, as John G. Trump was the uncle of the 45th U.S. president, Donald J. Trump. The younger brother of Trump’s father, Fred, he helped design X-ray machines that greatly helped cancer patients and worked on radar research for the Allies during World War II. Donald Trump himself cited his uncle’s credentials often during his presidential campaign. 'My uncle used to tell me about nuclear before nuclear was nuclear,' he once told an interviewer.

"At the time, the FBI pointed to Dr. Trump’s report as evidence that Tesla’s vaunted '#DeathRay' particle beam weapon didn’t exist, outside of rumors and speculation. But in fact, the #USGovernment itself was split in its response to Tesla’s technology. Marc Seifer, author of the biography Wizard: The Life & Times of Nikola Tesla, says a group of military personnel at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, including Brigadier General L.C. Craigee, had a very different opinion of Tesla’s ideas.

"'Craigee was the first person to ever fly a jet plane for the military, so he was like the John Glenn of the day,' Seifer says. 'He said, ‘there’s something to this—the particle beam weapon is real.’ So you have two different groups, one group dismissing Tesla’s invention, and another group saying there’s really something to it.'

"Then there’s the nagging question of the missing files. When Tesla died, his estate was to go to his nephew, Sava Kosanovic, who at the time was the Yugoslav ambassador to the U.S. (thanks to his familial connection with Serbia’s most celebrated inventor). According to the recently declassified documents, some in the FBI feared Kosanovic was trying to wrest control of Tesla’s technology in order to 'make such information available to the enemy,' and even considered arresting him to prevent this.

"In 1952, after a U.S. court declared Kosanovic the rightful heir to his uncle’s estate, Tesla’s files and other materials were sent to Belgrade, Serbia, where they now reside in the Nikola Tesla Museum there. But while the FBI originally recorded some 80 trunks among Tesla’s effects, only 60 arrived in Belgrade, Seifer says. 'Maybe they packed the 80 into 60, but there is the possibility that…the government did keep the missing trunks.'

"For the five-part HISTORY series The Tesla Files, Seifer joined forces with Dr. Travis Taylor, an astrophysicist, and Jason Stapleton, an investigative reporter, to search for these missing files and seek out the truth of the government’s views on the 'Death Ray' particle-beam weapon and Tesla’s other ideas.

"Despite John G. Trump’s dismissive assessment of Tesla’s ideas immediately after his death, the military did try and incorporate #particlebeam weaponry in the decades following World War II, Seifer says. Notably, the inspiration of the 'Death Ray' fueled Ronald Reagan’s #StrategicDefenseInitiative, or 'Star Wars' program, in the 1980s. If the government is still using Tesla’s ideas to power its technology, Seifer explains, that could explain why some files related to the inventor still remain classified.

[...]

"Although some of his more sensitive innovations may still be hidden, Tesla’s legacy is alive and well, both in the devices we use every day, and the technologies that will undoubtedly play a role in our future. 'Tesla is the inventor of #wireless technology. He’s the inventor of the ability to create an unlimited number of wireless channels,' Seifer says of the inventor’s lasting impact. 'So radio guidance systems, #encryption, remote control robots—it’s all based on Tesla’s technology.'"

Read more:
https://www.history.com/news/nikola-tesla-files-declassified-fbi

#Confiscation #Inventions

DoomsdaysCW, 4 months ago to uk

So, why build #SizewellC and #HinkleyC?!! smh

The #UK produced enough #renewable energy to power all its homes in 2023

Jack Loughran
January 3, 2024

"UK-based renewables generated over 90TWh of energy in 2023, which is more than enough to power all of the UK’s 28 million homes, an analysis has found.

[...]

"There are also several large new #WindFarms in the pipeline such as an £11bn 3GW project led by Germany’s RWE and UAE’s Masdar, which followed the opening of #Scotland’s largest offshore #WindFarm yet in October."

https://eandt.theiet.org/2024/01/03/uk-produced-enough-renewable-energy-power-all-uk-homes-2023?utm_source=related-content

#RenewablesNow #NoNukes #WaterIsLife #BigGas #WindPower

DoomsdaysCW, 4 months ago to random

Gods, I know we don't live forever, and I'm not sure if there is an afterlife, but I'm proud that I spent a lot of my time here on Earth fighting for the future. It's the least I can do, being a denizen of Mother Earth.

DoomsdaysCW, 4 months ago to climate

So, with all that's being revealed about what #ExxonKnew in the 1950's, I thought it might be relevant to post what #WalterRussell, artist, visionary and scientist in the 1950's posted about #AtomicEnergy and #ClimateChange...

LOSS OF OXYGEN GLOBALLY

"Walter Russell, a visionary artist and scientist, predicted in his book Atomic Suicide? published in 1957 that due to man-made radioactivity we would experience a loss of oxygen in the air that we breathe. In a similar way to the predictions of Andrei Sakharov in the 1950's, Walter Russell's foresight is now coming true. Our current oxygen resources are low. The percentage of oxygen in the air is down to about 19 percent. (BioTech News 1997) The expected amount is 21 percent oxygen. Some experts say that we may have originally evolved in an atmosphere of 38 percent oxygen. But now, due to the loss of forests and ocean plankton, our two sources of oxygen production, measurements of oxygen as low as 12 percent and 15 percent have been made in heavily industrialized areas. This oxygen-depleted condition is a contributing cause of the generalized lack of well-being that many are experiencing. And it does not look good for the future. We need oxygen to live!

"Trees and green plants provide about half, and plankton provide the other half of our oxygen. Phytoplankton, which are the base of the marine food chain, is declining. Various studies confirm this: plankton in parts of the Antarctic Ocean is declining up to 12 percent. (S. Weiler. Testimony to Senate Commerce Committee, November 15, 1991)

Trees absorb radioactive carbon-14 in place of stable forms of carbon and in this way they are gradually killed. The book, The Petkau Effect, by Ralph Graeub tells how radioactivity has harmed trees and forests: "It is assumed that the decisive physiological damage resulting in current forest death must have begun during the 1950's. This is depicted in a reduction in density and width of tree rings, and in reduced growth, which is true in the Northern Hemisphere and in the Himalayas.... Neither aging, location, nor climate can be considered as the possible sole cause of damage.... The growth ring of a tree shows exactly what effects the tree has experienced, both in terms of time and seriousness.... During the 1950's and 1960's, there must have been a global wave of air pollution which caused the initial damage."

"The author speculates that it could not be just the usual chemicals which are so damaging the trees. And he explains that these trees are mainly within the 30th to 60th parallels of northern latitude.

"This zone contains the most nuclear power plants -- over 300 -- and almost all nuclear reprocessing centers. Also, the vast majority of nuclear weapons tests occurred in this area."

https://ratical.org/radiation/HoLLR.html#p4

#ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #NoNukes #RethinkNotRestart #NoNewNukes

DoomsdaysCW, 4 months ago to climate

New Evidence Reveals #FossilFuel Industry Sponsored #ClimateScience in 1954

Documents shed light on the earliest-known instance of climate science funded by the fossil fuel industry, adding to growing understanding of #BigOil’s knowledge of #ClimateChange

By Rebecca John
on Jan 30, 2024 @ 09:00 PST

"In 1955 in the wilds of Big Sur, a young Caltech researcher named Charles David Keeling gathered carbon dioxide samples among Northern California’s towering redwoods. Crawling out of his sleeping bag several times a night on research trips conducted over the course of 18 months, from January 1955 to June 1956, Keeling measured background levels of carbon dioxide across the western United States — at Big Sur, but also at desert and high mountain stations, in forests and grassland, above the city of Los Angeles, and over the waters of the Pacific Ocean.

"Keeling’s findings would lead him to conduct a separate series of experiments from the top of the Hawaiian volcano Mauna Loa resulting in the famous Keeling Curve — a visual depiction of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) caused by the burning of fossil fuels. His work underpins our understanding of manmade climate change."

https://www.desmog.com/2024/01/30/fossil-fuel-industry-sponsored-climate-science-1954-keeling-api-wspa/

#ExxonKnew #BigOilKnew #FossilFuel #FossilFuels #ExxonLied #Oligarchy #Oiligarchy #ClimateDenial

DoomsdaysCW, 4 months ago to snowboarding

News flash -- "#SkiWax" is not made from wax!

#Skiers are leaving dangerous '#ForeverChemicals' on the slopes

Story by Wiliam Hunter

• Scientists found unusually high levels of 14 different chemicals at ski resorts
• These chemicals, called #PFAS, have been linked to cancer and infertility

"Skiers chasing smoother runs are leaving behind a trail of toxic 'forever chemicals', a new study has revealed.

"Scientists found high levels of PFAS chemicals commonly used in ski wax in the snow and soil of Austrian resorts.

"While wax containing PFAS reduces friction between snow and skis, experts from The James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen and the University of Graz in Austria warn it could also be creating a dangerous hazard.

"These chemicals have been linked with cancer, thyroid disease, fertility issues, and liver damage.

"Viktoria Müller, of James Hutton Institute, says: 'These chemicals are called forever chemicals because they will need hundreds of years to break down.'

"The researchers collected snow and soil samples from family skiing spots in the Austrian #Alps as well as six commercially available ski waxes.

"These samples were then tested for 30 of the most common per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also called PFAS, found in ski wax.

"Testing revealed that 14 different types of PFAS were found at far higher levels than in areas not normally used for skiing."

Source:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tripideas/skiers-are-leaving-dangerous-forever-chemicals-on-the-slopes/ar-BB1hr5Hk?rc=1&ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=f949baf36b4d43c6adabc5e74b1e56d8&ei=12

#Skiing #Austria #SkiSlopes #PFASPollution #Pollution

DoomsdaysCW, 4 months ago to aitools

I remember this story from last year...

‘#Pathogen’ Storm: #VibrioBacteria, #Sargassum and #Plastic Marine Debris

By gisele galoustian | 5/18/2023

"A new study uncovers how the interplay between Sargassum spp., plastic marine debris and Vibrio bacteria creates the perfect 'pathogen' storm that has implications for both marine life and public health. Vibrio bacteria are found in waters around the world and are the dominant cause of death in humans from the marine environment. For example, Vibrio vulnificus, one of more than 100 species of Vibrio, sometimes referred to as flesh-eating bacteria, can cause life-threatening foodborne illnesses from #seafood consumption as well as disease and death from open #wound infections.

"Since 2011, Sargassum, free-living populations of brown macroalga, have been rapidly expanding in the #SargassoSea and other parts of the open ocean such as the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt, including frequent and unprecedented seaweed accumulation events on beaches. Plastic marine debris, first found in surface waters of the Sargasso Sea, has become a worldwide concern, and is known to persist decades longer than natural substrates in the marine environment.

"Currently, little is known about the ecological relationship of vibrios with Sargassum. Moreover, genomic and metagenomic evidence has been lacking as to whether vibrios colonizing plastic marine debris and Sargassum could potentially infect humans. As summer kicks into high gear and efforts are underway to find innovative solutions to repurpose Sargassum, could these substrates pose a triple threat to public health?

"Researchers from Florida Atlantic University and collaborators fully sequenced the genomes of 16 Vibrio cultivars isolated from eel larvae, plastic marine debris, Sargassum, and seawater samples collected from the Caribbean and Sargasso seas of the North Atlantic Ocean. What they discovered is Vibrio pathogens have the unique ability to 'stick' to microplastics and that these microbes might just be adapting to plastic.

“'Plastic is a new element that’s been introduced into marine environments and has only been around for about 50 years,' said Tracy Mincer, Ph.D., corresponding lead author and an assistant professor of biology at FAU’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College. 'Our lab work showed that these Vibrio are extremely aggressive and can seek out and stick to plastic within minutes. We also found that there are attachment factors that microbes use to stick to plastics, and it is the same kind of mechanism that pathogens use.'

"The study, published in the journal Water Research , illustrates that open ocean vibrios represent an up to now undescribed group of microbes, some representing potential new species, possessing a blend of pathogenic and low nutrient acquisition genes, reflecting their pelagic habitat and the substrates and hosts they colonize. Utilizing metagenome-assembled genome (MAG), this study represents the first Vibrio spp. genome assembled from plastic debris.

"The study highlighted vertebrate pathogen genes closely related to cholera and non-cholera bacterial strains. Phenotype testing of cultivars confirmed rapid biofilm formation, hemolytic and lipophospholytic activities, consistent with pathogenic potential.

"Researchers also discovered that zonula occludens toxin or 'zot' genes, first described in Vibrio cholerae, which is a secreted toxin that increases intestinal permeability, were some of the most highly retained and selected genes in the vibrios they found. These vibrios appear to be getting in through the gut, getting stuck in the intestines and infecting that way.

"'Another interesting thing we discovered is a set of genes called ‘zot’ genes, which causes leaky gut syndrome,' said Mincer. 'For instance, if a fish eats a piece of plastic and gets infected by this Vibrio, which then results in a #LeakyGut and diarrhea, it’s going to release waste nutrients such #nitrogen and #phosphate that could stimulate Sargassum growth and other surrounding organisms.'

"Findings show some Vibrio spp. in this environment have an ‘omnivorous’ lifestyle targeting both plant and animal hosts in combination with an ability to persist in oligotrophic conditions. With increased human-Sargassum-plastic marine debris interactions, associated microbial flora of these substrates could harbor potent opportunistic pathogens. Importantly, some cultivation-based data show beached Sargassum appear to harbor high amounts of Vibrio bacteria.

"'I don’t think at this point, anyone has really considered these microbes and their capability to cause infections,' said Mincer. 'We really want to make the public aware of these associated risks. In particular, caution should be exercised regarding the harvest and processing of Sargassum biomass until the risks are explored more thoroughly.'"

https://www.fau.edu/newsdesk/articles/perfect-pathogen-storm.php

#WaterIsLife #Microplastics #PlasticPollution #Anticonsumerism #Degrowth
#PlasticAlternatives #CleanUpYourMess #BigCorporations #Consumerism #Advertising

DoomsdaysCW, 4 months ago to Futurology

Researchers sound alarm after making concerning connection between #plastic and the spread of #pathogens: ‘Urgent need for intensified monitoring’

Story by Juliana Marino
January 28, 2024

"New studies have revealed the dangers of microplastics. These tiny plastic particles are not only a major #environmental threat but also a serious health risk.

"A recent study in the 2023 Volume 2 issue of Eco-Environment & Health has identified the hidden dangers of microplastics spreading in bodies of water.

What’s happening?

"Microplastics are tiny plastic particles — no bigger than 5 millimeters — that come from industrial materials and the breakdown of plastic products. They have become a growing environmental concern due to their widespread presence throughout marine and freshwater ecosystems worldwide.

"The new study reveals the alarming health risks associated with the spread of microplastics. According to the research findings, pathogens can adhere to microplastics, using plastic waste particles as a medium for transmission.

"Researchers who worked on the study underscored the 'urgent need for intensified monitoring of microplastic contamination.' The study also calls for additional research investigations examining the 'role of microplastics in pathogen transmission, along with the health risks that ensure.''

Why are microplastics concerning?

"Microplastics pose severe health risks to living organisms. Scientists have found microplastics in the stomachs of a variety of organisms, from small invertebrates to large mammals like bears, whales, and deer. When organisms ingest microplastics, the plastic waste particles build up and can cause #inflammation, #neurotoxicity, and #GutImbalances.

"From an environmental standpoint, microplastics leach toxic substances into the #soil, #air, and #water. Since microplastics are made of synthetic materials, they do not break down, remaining in the environment and our bodies indefinitely.

"Plastic pollution threatens the biodiversity of aquatic ecosystems especially, as scientists have already identified 24.4 trillion pieces of microplastics in the ocean. However, the total number of microplastics floating through the ocean is estimated to be much higher.

What’s being done about microplastic pollution?

"Countries across the globe are taking action by developing policies to prevent further plastic leakage into soil and water sources.

"Scientists are also developing methods for effectively removing existing microplastics from contaminated bodies of water. One promising technique uses a magnetic nano-pillared absorbent to extract tiny plastic particles. This approach removes microplastics at a much faster rate than previous methods.

"Individually, we can stop adding to plastic pollution by changing small habits that make a big difference."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/researchers-sound-alarm-after-making-concerning-connection-between-plastic-and-the-spread-of-pathogens-urgent-need-for-intensified-monitoring/ar-BB1hpeJB?rc=1&ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=775a873f9cfb4e13921f2e82444cd078&ei=35

#WaterIsLife #Microplastics #PlasticPollution #Anticonsumerism #Degrowth #PlasticAlternatives #CleanUpYourMess #BigCorporations #Consumerism #Advertising

DoomsdaysCW, 4 months ago to diy

I've made this with leftover soap scraps (we sometimes make our own soap). If one buys soap wrapped in paper (or make their own), the borax and washing soda come in cardboard boxes -- no plastic involved! As for essentials oils, one could make a lavender or rosemary "tea" using dried leaves. Also, I use lemon juice and apple cider vinegar in the final rinse, which helps remove soap residue.

How to Make Your Own #LaundryDetergent

It’s cheap, easy, and quick. Did we mention cheap? (And doesn't involve plastic containers! Though one could store the home-made detergent in old containers, which is what I do)

by Sandra Gutierrez G.

Everyone wears clothes, everybody’s clothes get dirty, and even though you hate it, everyone needs to do laundry. And unless you’re fortunate enough to have a washer and dryer at home, washing your clothes may be more than annoying—it can also be expensive.

If this is your situation, or you simply enjoy making things from scratch—because why not—you can try making your own laundry detergent. Just as effective with your dirty socks as whatever you buy in stores, it is not only easy to make and incredibly cheap, but can also be hypoallergenic, custom-scented, and environmentally friendly.

It’s important to note that you’ll need a lot of containers for the finished product. DIY laundry detergent is a go-big-or-go-home kind of deal, yielding up to 2 gallons per batch. You said you wanted some savings, right?

What You’ll Need

Ingredients

• ½ cup borax
• 1 bar of soap
• ½ cup sodium carbonate
• 2 gallons of water
• 1 ounce of essential oils (optional)

Tools

• Large bucket (must hold more than 2 gallons)

Preparation time

• About 20 minutes (plus 24 hours of resting)

Read more:
https://getpocket.com/explore/item/how-to-make-your-own-laundry-detergent?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-us

#DIY #LaundryDetergent #Degrowth #Anticonsumerism #Clothes

DoomsdaysCW, 4 months ago to california

[video] #Quechan Elder Urges Solidarity in Face of #Mining Efforts

#SMPGold’s #OroCruz Project Threatens #SacredLands, #PrestonArrowWeed Says

by Juan Valencia on October 9, 2023

"IMPERIAL COUNTY — Imagine Jerusalem burning. Imagine Mecca, Bethlehem — any of these cities important to the history and faith of their respective religions — being destroyed, disrespectfully invaded, and irrevocably altered for the sake of exploration, extraction, and #mining.

T"hough these are far-fetched and horrific developments to the imagination, 83-year-old Preston Arrow-Weed — the Quechan tribal elder, cultural bearer, singer of the old songs, as well as author, actor and playwright — today paints a similarly bleak picture regarding the threats being made to his holy place of worship.

"This place is located here in the desert outskirts of #ImperialCounty and in the neighboring #YumaCounty.

"Southern Empire Resources Corp. (SMP Gold) is a company based out of British Columbia, Canada, which for years now has been attempting to mine for gold within these Imperial County areas, specifically the #CargoMuchacho and #IndianPass regions, in a project of mineral exploration for the purposes of extracting gold that they are calling the Oro Cruz Project.

"'We firmly believe that Oro Cruz has exploration potential for more than a million ounces,' states SMP Gold’s project mission on its website. 'We’ll explore the property using modern geological theory and high tech methods of exploration, and see what we can do.'

"For millennia, the Indian Pass area in eastern Imperial County, where SMP Gold plans to drill and disturb the habitat, has held religious and historical significance for the Quechan Tribe. The area contains sleeping circles, #geoglyphs and pottery shards left behind by the tribe’s ancestors, to name some #artifacts."

Read more:
https://calexicochronicle.com/2023/10/09/quechan-elder-urges-solidarity-in-face-of-mining-efforts/

Video:
https://youtu.be/rOIEx1pmVEI?si=9R6b8QULnuJIZHQW

#California #EnvironmentalRacism #WaterIsLife #CulturalGenocide #IndigenousNews #NoConsent #GoldMine #GoldMining #MercuryPollution #Cyanide

DoomsdaysCW, 4 months ago to Scotland

Weather record for warmest January set in #ScottishHighlands

A new UK record high temperature has been set in the Scottish Highlands, according to provisional figures from the Met Office.

28th January 2024, 10:31 EST

"It recorded a peak of 19.6C (67.3F) at #Kinlochewe on Sunday, making it hotter than Rome and the Cote d'Azur.

"If confirmed it would be the highest January temperature in the UK, breaking a record set in 2003 by more than a full degree celsius.

"It would also be the highest winter temperature ever recorded in Scotland

"While enjoying mild temperatures the village was also subject to a yellow wind warn on Sunday, with gusts in excess of 40mph forecast. In the Western Isles a gust of 71mph was recorded."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-68119951

#Scotland #ClimateChange #ExtremeTemperatures #ExtremeWeather #ClimateCrisis

DoomsdaysCW, 4 months ago to Christianity

So, my take on #Christianity (after exploring several sects -- as well as other religions), and reading some of the texts in the original languages (Hebrew and Koine Greek), as well as studying Greek and Roman history -- that pretty much, the Romans saw the popularity of early Christianity (which was based on earlier mystery cults), as being a threat to their rule. So they incorporated elements of Christianity into Roman Christianity (which later became Roman Catholicism) -- fusing Christian beliefs (myths) into the existing Roman state religious structure (divine ancestor worship, virgin birth, etc) -- and turned it into the colonizing, misogynistic, abusive, xenophobic monster that committed genocide on Indigenous peoples, subjugated women, and erased any religion that wasn't "Christianity." I think that about sums it up...

#AncientHistory #AncientTexts #AncientMediterranean #AncientReligions #ChurchAndState #RomanChristianity #Christianity #Vatican #PaterPatriae #ThePope

DoomsdaysCW, 4 months ago to Christianity

Another informative piece by Joshua J. Mark (one of my sources for "Women in the Ancient World"). Also, ever wonder where #Christianity got some of their ideas about the #afterlife? Pretty much, they took what they wanted (or what was popular), then banned the Rites.

The #EleusinianMysteries: The Rites of #Demeter

by Joshua J. Mark
published on 18 January 2012

"The #RitesOfEleusis, or the Eleusinian Mysteries, were the secret rituals of the mystery school of #Eleusis and were observed regularly from c. 1600 BCE - 392 CE. Exactly what this mystic ritual was no one knows; but why the ancient Greeks participated in it can be understood by the testimonials of the initiated.

"The Eleusinian Mysteries, held each year at Eleusis, Greece, fourteen miles northwest of Athens, were so important to the Greeks that, until the arrival of the Romans, The Sacred Way (the road from Athens to Eleusis) was the only road, not a goat path, in all of central Greece. The mysteries celebrated the story of Demeter and #Persephone but, as the initiated were sworn to secrecy on pain of death as to the details of the ritual, we do not know what form these rituals took. We do know, though, that those who participated in the mysteries were forever changed for the better and that they no longer feared death.

"The rituals were based on a symbolic reading of the story of Demeter and Persephone and provided initiates with a vision of the afterlife so powerful that it changed the way they saw the world and their place in it. Participants were freed from a fear of death through the recognition that they were immortal souls temporarily in mortal bodies. In the same way that Persephone went down to the land of the dead and returned to that of the living each year, so would every human being die only to live again on another plane of existence or in another body."

https://www.worldhistory.org/article/32/the-eleusinian-mysteries-the-rites-of-demeter/

#ReligiousHistory #AncientGreece #AncientRome #Eschatology #ImmortalSoul #Hallucinogens

davidho, 4 months ago to random

Pro tip: Bring your phone with you on a hike. That way, if you get lost, you can post on Mastodon and someone will invariably come up behind you and tell you how to write your alt text.

DoomsdaysCW, 4 months ago to AncientHistory

#Hatshepsut

by Joshua J. Mark (one of the sources for my "Women in the Ancient World" presentation)
19 October 2016

"Hatshepsut (r. 1479-1458 BCE) was the first female ruler of ancient Egypt to reign as a male with the full authority of #pharaoh. Her name means 'Foremost of Noble Women' or 'She is First Among Noble Women'. She began her reign as regent to her stepson Thutmose III (r. 1458-1425 BCE) who would succeed her.

"Initially, she ruled as a woman as depicted in statuary but, at around the seventh year of her reign, she chose to be depicted as a #MalePharaoh in statuary and reliefs though still referring to herself as female in her inscriptions. She was the fifth pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty during the period known as the New Kingdom (c. 1570 to c. 1069 BCE) and regarded as one of the most #prosperous and the era of the Egyptian Empire.

"Although she is sometimes cited as the first female ruler of Egypt, or the only one, there were women who reigned before her such as #Merneith (r. c. 3000 BCE) in the Early Dynastic Period (probably as regent) and #Sobeknefru (r. c. 1807-1802 BCE) in the Middle Kingdom and #Twosret (r. 1191-1190 BCE) after her toward the end of the 19th Dynasty. Hatshepsut, though not the first or last, is undoubtedly the best-known female ruler of ancient Egypt after #Cleopatra VII (r. c. 69-30 BCE) and one of the most successful monarchs in Egyptian history."

Read more:
https://www.worldhistory.org/hatshepsut/

#AncientEgypt #FemaleRulers #AncientHistory #WomensRights #AncientWomen #Histodon

DoomsdaysCW, 4 months ago to AncientHistory

So, I had to talk about #Sparta! A warrior society focused on war, women had more rights than their #Athenian counterparts -- and were encouraged to be physically fit and prepared to fight to defend their homeland.

Sparta

Unlike their Greek counterparts, the women of Sparta had a lot more freedom and status. They were educated, since they would be in charge of keeping the homeland running smoothly while the men were at war – but they were also strong and able to defend themselves and their homeland.

Spartan men and women lived in separate quarters – even while married. Married couples would leave their respective quarters to procreate, and Spartan wives were required to have short hair and sometimes wore men’s clothing.

Amongst married couples, the Spartans were relatively #polyamorous, and women were not punished for infidelity.

#AncientWomen #AncientHistory #Histodons #WomensRights #SpartanWomen