Today there was a half-page write-up in El Colombiano of the Georgia shooting and the arrest of Colin Gray.
#Colombia is no stranger to violence, but locals are always shocked and mystified by the number of school shootings that happen in the US. The laws here are lax around gun ownership, but there also isn't a constitutional right to arms weaponized by racist lobbies to shape local views of entitlement.
As another shooting is underway, this Canuck can only thank everyone fighting for change.
β #CoffeeClub might enjoy this Ologies #podcast. It doesn't just discuss some of the science of coffee, but also some wonderful stories about its origins and spread, including a chuckle of a factoid about an early word for coffee that essentially meant "wine"/wine of Arabia, simply because wine was the standard drink of the time. (In other words, we're much more fixated on labels now.)
So here's to everyone enjoying their afternoon cuppa... ya drunks. ππ·
#History
https://pca.st/episode/f6089a5f-48c9-4784-9c30-857f17588ae7
The official U.S. food insecurity rate rose to 13.5% in 2023 from 12.8% in 2022, according to data the U.S. Department of Agriculture released on Sept. 4, 2024. That means more than 1 in 8 Americans β about 47 million people β couldnβt get enough food for themselves or their families at least some of the time.
Following government negotiations with a wide range of paramilitaries is always a trip. Two parts of EMC (a post-FARC group) recently split over disagreements at the table. ELN also makes negotiations a headache for other local outfits, who have demanded that the gov't exclude ELN from such talks.
But the gov't keeps working on it, & today's paper reports a key step in other talks: dropping leader arrest orders so can ACSN come to the table. #Colombia is a fascinating lesson in peace as a verb.
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Sometimes it strikes me as nearly tragic how miraculous it feels for some folks to be heard and understood.
If we could offer that to each other more often imagine what the world might be like.
Perhapsβ¦give it a try today. Listen to someone with your full attention. You donβt have to like what they say or agree. Just receive them with an open mind and heart.
π
π₯³ Feria de los liiiibros! QuiΓ©n quiere ir conmigo esta semana? π
(Book fair in MedellΓn! Who wants to go with me this week?!) #Colombia
Sending a random burst of love, well-wishing, and warmth @NiveusLepus's way.
I hope our dear Bun and buddy is taking good care of herself. The work of being present so much and so often with others is wonderful *and* can take a toll.
May you always feel supported in turn, and remember that your core value lies not in what you *do* for others, but in the sheer fact of being you. π«π
My therapist asked me yesterday, how I define #resilience. I'm curious to see what it means to you, fellow nauts.
Weekend #Ekphrasis challenge, for those who follow #CoSoArt. (Shall we make this a "thing", for those who want more creative expression shared on CoSo?)
This is "The Watcher" by Kellen Rodrigues. What writing, music, or visual art does it inspire from you?
Beating you to it today, bright star! π« π
Good morning and good caffeination to you! π β
"By 2036, the U.S. population is projected to grow by 8.4%. Additionally, the population aged 65 and older is projected to grow by 34.1%, with an increase of 54.7% in the size of the population aged 75 and older. Since older Americans tend to need more health care and access more physicians, the AAMC projects this trend will lead to a substantial growth in demand, particularly for the specialists they need most often." #healthcare https://www.aamc.org/news/press-releases/new-aamc-report-shows-continuing-projected-physician-shortage
It's utterly bonkers that we ever think of our societies as just.
At best, we're a mess of people with loosely related notions of common destiny, burning with competing internal convictions of what justice entails, trying to scrape out small, reactive wins in systems broken by design.
The cruelty of humanity, and its strategic indifference to *some* suffering, is never surprising.
What's surprising is the hope we still carry into the fight for something better, age after wounded age. #History
My daughter attended a graduation ceremony at San Quentin today. They graduated from GRIP and she said it was the most heartwarming thing. She was there all day. They got to have Subway sandwiches and cupcakes and she said it was so touching hearing their stories as they spoke. She said it was the most touching graduation ceremony she had ever been to.
As much as people make me grouchy sometimes, they also make me smile.
Today, walking through the mall, I saw a young kid about to burst into tears over pickles in his food court sandwich, but BIG BROTHER (not that one--the good kind) was right on hand, showing him that the pickles could come off, and swapping out a pickle-cleaned top-bun in no time at all. The eldest couldn't have been more than eight, but what a gift of care he's already mastered.
A silly start to the day, but a great end. π
Writer (SFWA), translator, humanist, general odd duck β’ π¨π¦n in π¨π΄ β’ avoids pronouns, they/them if key