I received a funny comment today. I'd mentioned that I write about a wide range of topics on my newsletter - democracy watch, media literacy, global humanism, climate change, economics, scientific literacy, historiography - but this more conservative person then explained why he doesn't engage with it.

The "moods" comment is hilariously patronizing, but I also know that, while I advocate for constructive dissent as critical to democratic thinking, many see dissent as intrinsically negative. /x

Off to work at the mall until Colombia faces off with Argentina. Here's a little taste of the conversation happening locally: some people think that the officials are already in the pocket for Argentina, while others are filled with pride for how far #Colombia has come and are widely stressing the importance of "losing with dignity" if the game doesn't work out in the team's favour.

I hope everyone has a really fun match. No ugliness! Just good clean #Sportsball. 😊 #Copa

😅 So far I can't help most of you.

The flavours that *do* exist here (from the ones you mentioned) include chocolate, vanilla, pistachio, rum raisin, and coconut.

But I nabbed a bocadillo con queso ice cream bar, myself. 😋

GUYS!

GUYS GUYS GUYS!

😀

THE NEIGHBOURS MOVED OUT!

AND THEIR LITTLE DOGS, TOO!

I'll start reading this review-book soon, but a new mum just sent me a VM with the little one burbling in the background, and I am *so* here for listening to someone burp their gently cooing babe while updating me on their life.

What really keeps me going when the world is awful is knowing that there are still so many new and young sprogs who need us to straighten up and fly right in everything we do.

All our nonsense bickering had *better* be serving that end... or else what's even the point?

#Copa #Colombia #Sportsball

WE* DID IT!!!!! 🥳🇨🇴🥳🇨🇴🥳🇨🇴

*Well, the team did it. But ask any audience member in attendance and they'll tell you that they all helped. 🤣 #ItWasTheVuvuzela

An example of the hysteria at everything. 🤣 This is when there was almost a goal a minute ago. #Copa #Sportsball #Colombia

Second drink: non-alcoholic, delicious delicious mango limonada. 👌🏻😊

There was of course live singing at half time. Let's gooooo! 🇨🇴🥳 #Copa #Colombia #DontScrewThisUp

I am having ONE. This beer is pretty generic, but it's considered pretty patriotic because it has all the right colours. #AyOmbe! #HágalePues! #Colombia #Copa

One of the "before" shots. I'm going to watch the first half on the other side of the mall, though. More table space to multitask. #Colombia #Sportsball #Copa

Also, my latest review at Strange Horizons might pique the interest of some film and science-history scholars... but it's also worth considering as an average reader and writer of #SFF, and lover of our media histories.

There are other vocabularies for cosmic wonder in our storytelling! Keep them in mind when forging your tales.

#Books #Reviews #Film http://strangehorizons.com/non-fiction/stardust-cinematic-archives-from-the-end-of-the-world-by-hannah-goodwin/

Good morning to everyone who hasn't yet unfurled. (Maybe they need a cuppa? ☕️)

Taken from Bluesky, and shared here because it's important to remind ourselves to be careful whenever relying on AI.

CW for adult themes. 😉 Off to teach! G'night, you princes of Maine, you kings of New England.

#CoSoAfterDark #Memes

And a modest proposal for a new news channel we can all follow until legacy media gets its shaving cream together...

#HypnoToad
#ItsProbablyProDemocracy

Today's plan is:

BookTube
Novelette writing (picked a "trunk" story to redo, working on it from scratch)
More #Zine layout (8 pages blocked so far; still waiting on some content but I'll share progress when I have 16 more or less prepped).
A good long walk

Of course, my brain is already trying to draft Rewind Wednesday instead (on some tough histories of antisemitism in Christianity, following from Thursday's post), but I've got my comically large ACME hammer ready to whack it back into focus.

And... the happy conclusion! 🥳😊🇨🇴

#Colombia #Copa
#NowMaybeICanWrite 🙃

Every now & then, there's an article about the latest uplift project in a "barrio popular", a cluster of haphazardly built homes of brick, corrugated metal, & clay tile where the poorest citizens live.

Medellín has many such neighbourhoods, where to improve fellow-feeling & boost chances of tourist income, folks living in these places collaborate to paint their homes brightly and invite graffiti artists to do their work.

Community uplift takes many forms.
Quite a few start at home.

#Colombia

Chapters 5 & 6 are now up, in audio and text alike, for Patreons following A FERTILE SOURCE OF RUIN, my wartime space opera inspired by Thucydides.

As we go along, each post not only includes a quick summary of where we left off, but also reflections on the history of the Peloponnesian War, political science concepts, and key historiography, as they relate to elements in my tale of dodging war and nationalism (in space!).

#SFF #AFSR #Reading #Novel #WritingCommunity

https://www.patreon.com/posts/fertile-source-5-107604047

As ever, I use that CW because I try not to trigger anyone's eating disorders when I talk about fasting. I didn't use it for my Ramadan experiment (dry fasting is SO WEIRD THOUGH), because I didn't think anyone would mistake that for a "diet".

I just came across this meme while prepping for a nice long fast to rebuild energy. IYKYK.

I'm still easily fatigued with a lingering deep cough after that flu, so we'll see if a few days' rest from digestion helps get me back to 100%. 🤞