Today, for Tough Times Tuesday, we look at the latest valiant bit of reporting on Big Business emissions from The Guardian, and put it in conversation with the last two decades of reporting trying to sound the alarm in a way that might actually yield meaningful change. We keep saying that change has to happen "now"... but when it doesn't (and it won't), we need to be pragmatic. Our fight will be lifelong.

#ClimateCrisis #Technology #MediaLiteracy #Humanism
https://open.substack.com/pub/mlclark/p/the-guardians-run-of-climate-journalism

#Israel #Gaza

Those following local media know Netanyahu's Philadelphi gambit was hot air, so to keep his war alive he's been sabre-rattling tossing Gallant in favour of a more loyal minister (i.e., one pro an aggressive launch into northern war, when Gallant has been focusing on readiness & the US has been cautioning against N's objectives).

This is all happening amid a bottomed-out Israeli economy. He's killing his country to stay in power. No civilian in the region deserves this nightmare.

🤔 I think I'm going to need to see their peer review first. An outside assessment would probably help! #Space

https://www.sciencealert.com/a-distant-spacecraft-has-confirmed-that-earth-is-habitable

14 emails down, two to go.

One project pitch.
One finished project with project summary attached.

Then newsletter. Then maybe a little fiction before evening classes?

I slept through most of yesterday afternoon and evening, which is probably for the best. Downcycles used to be a lot harder, but I still have habituated thought patterns that are double-plus-ungood.

It's like at the end of A Beautiful Mind: the mental constructs are still with you; you just learn how to keep them at a distance.

I know I'm not the only one, but I'm having a tough time mentally, especially with executive function.

Today's huge surge of relief over not needing a bigger repair was followed by a real struggle with everything else, even though I'm behind on tasks.

Am I frustrated with myself? Yes.
Does being frustrated fix this? No.

So if your brain isn't braining the way you want/need it to brain, try not to brain yourself further over your brain drain.

Off for a walk, to try to sneak up on mine again.

While I'm still in my relief-high, please enjoy this massive list of late-medieval dog names, compiled between 1406 and 1413 by Edward, Duke of York.

Which would you use?

#DogsOfCoSo

https://tudortreasures.net/medieval-dog-names/

Okay, I have such a great tech person.

Just a loose connection, no new part needed. She didn't want to charge me for the fix, but obviously I insisted on paying for her time, because I can't pop open my own machine or troubleshoot most hardware issues. Still--

Just want to give a shout-out to all the great, honest tech people here.

You folks are a freaking gift. 💛

A'ight. Off to take this hobgoblin of a machine to the shop.

Low internet for the next while.

Will say howdy to a bee, a tree, a flower, and a good boi for you all.

Today, for Monday Media Review, we're talking about an NBC article that exacerbated the pain of a vicious, racialized rumour that's been gumming up our news cycle this past week.

Although most of the race-baiting came from people with some pretty big platforms, we mustn't forget that we all have a responsibility to nip hatred locally, in the bud.

#Humanism #HumanBehaviour #Racism #MediaLiteracy #Politics #GlobalHumanism

https://open.substack.com/pub/mlclark/p/whos-in-the-room-when-we-speak

Anyway, giving the laptop to my repair shop for two days might not be the worst thing for me, is my point.

I'm thinking a nice long water fast, newsletters mostly drafted by hand so I spend minimal time with a screen, and more time in nature every day - little things to reset the ol' noggin for the next month.

Just have to finish these last few online-intensive admin & editing tasks, then have the newsletter out super early tomorrow. Then off to the tech mall, &... freedom!

Some tabs, I haven't closed for months because I don't want to forget them, even though I don't quite know what to do with them.

One of them autoplayed when I rebooted. It's an interview with a Russian soldier describing how his unit methodically entered Ukrainian homes and raped boys, girls, and women before murdering each whole family in Feb.

Still can't bring myself to delete the tab. I have a few like this, across conflict zones, and I wonder why I'm so angry sometimes.

Quick #Canuck break.

This is a pretty spot-on reminder that the strength of the multiparty system in #Canada is floundering in part because of a major third option that hasn't acted like a proper check-and-balance in a while.

(US friends, if you want a break from your own #Politics drama, you're welcome to watch, too! It might be amusing to see that we once had a functional socialist option in federal government, before it got neoliberal-ified to try to pick up votes.)

https://youtu.be/ux3PPTrbyys

I saw many beautiful things on my walk tonight.

I also saw a truck driver, who'd stopped by the side of the road facing my line of buildings, lean against his cab door & jack off into a giant pile of grass clippings in front of the sidewalk.

(I mean, I didn't watch for long, but I got the vigorous gist.)

#NotAllDudes
#ButDefinitelyThatOne

I think that's enough "being in the world" for me today.

Four things to finish and send off before tomorrow leaves me laptop-less for a bit.

Night, CoSo.

For those who were curious...

Costumes for Halloween are now out. They came a few days after the first trees.

Kids don't really trick-or-treat, except at mall events, but they do love hanging out in costume during family parties or out in neighbourhood throngs on Halloween.

#Colombia

One last push of main work this week, starting in a minute and running until 2 p.m.

It has been A WEEK, but I look forward to being able to read for BookTube tomorrow, and ideally write fiction Sunday afternoon. 🤞🏻

#OnceMoreUntoTheBreach

"Looking up at the stars, I know quite well
That, for all they care, I can go to hell,
But on earth indifference is the least
We have to dread from man or beast.

How should we like it were stars to burn
With a passion for us we could not return?
If equal affection cannot be,
Let the more loving one be me." #Space

The poor donkey has been relocated after a violent attack by a disturbed street person a few days back, and it seems that Pablo is being more vigilant with "his" horses, too, so in the absence of my usual early morning park friends, I'm communing with this fleeting red abyss of beauty before the dawn instead. #Nature

...And good morning! 😘

(My mind chews through things differently while I'm getting ready to run. Hope everyone slept well!)