Poetry Fishbowl Update
9 November 2025 04:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThere are currently three poems available from this week's fishbowl, and I'm working on the next. If you're still shopping, now's the time to make your choices.
Extreme Animals
9 November 2025 04:21 pmysabetwordsmithLife found in a place scientists thought impossible
Life defies limits in the deep sea—microbes flourish where Earth’s chemistry seems too extreme for survival.
Deep beneath the ocean, scientists uncovered thriving microbial life in one of Earth’s harshest environments—an area with a pH of 12, where survival seems nearly impossible. Using lipid biomarkers instead of DNA, researchers revealed how these microbes persist by metabolizing methane and sulfate. The discovery not only sheds light on deep-sea carbon cycling but also suggests that life may have originated in similar extreme conditions, offering a glimpse into both Earth’s past and the limits of life itself.
Extremophiles are fascinating.
Also, I really want to play with that blue serpentine mud to see if it would stand up to pinching, coiling, slabbing, or throwing and what would happen to it in a kiln. It looks like clay. I am betting it would fire either to a soft blue-gray (nice) or a sky blue (so much wow).
Life defies limits in the deep sea—microbes flourish where Earth’s chemistry seems too extreme for survival.
Deep beneath the ocean, scientists uncovered thriving microbial life in one of Earth’s harshest environments—an area with a pH of 12, where survival seems nearly impossible. Using lipid biomarkers instead of DNA, researchers revealed how these microbes persist by metabolizing methane and sulfate. The discovery not only sheds light on deep-sea carbon cycling but also suggests that life may have originated in similar extreme conditions, offering a glimpse into both Earth’s past and the limits of life itself.
Extremophiles are fascinating.
Also, I really want to play with that blue serpentine mud to see if it would stand up to pinching, coiling, slabbing, or throwing and what would happen to it in a kiln. It looks like clay. I am betting it would fire either to a soft blue-gray (nice) or a sky blue (so much wow).
Birdfeeding
9 November 2025 01:09 pmysabetwordsmithToday is cloudy and much colder. Bits of snow and grauppel are falling from the sky. Last night it drizzled a bit.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 11/9/25 -- I went out looking for more bits to use in the lantern terrarium, but didn't find much. It started snowing more briskly, enough to collect in places on the ground, which counts as First Snow.
EDIT 11/9/25 -- I went out looking for more bits to use in the lantern terrarium, and found a bit more.
I've seen a large mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.
EDIT 11/9/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 11/9/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 11/9/25 -- I went out looking for more bits to use in the lantern terrarium, but didn't find much. It started snowing more briskly, enough to collect in places on the ground, which counts as First Snow.
EDIT 11/9/25 -- I went out looking for more bits to use in the lantern terrarium, and found a bit more.
I've seen a large mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.
EDIT 11/9/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 11/9/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
I am done for the night.
The Hayes
9 November 2025 06:31 pmpoliphilo This is where we've been over the past couple of days.
The Hayes Christian Conference Centre, near Alfreton, Derbyshire.
Looks like a Victorian asylum....
But actually it's a Victorian country house- built by and for the man responsibe for London's St Pancras Station. Inside whatever character it may once have had has been exorcised by the application of gallons and gallons of magnolia paint. The Christians bought it in 1910 and visitors down the years have included T.S. Eliot, John Betjeman, C.S. Lewis and numerous German POWs. One of the POWs was Franz von Werra, the great escaper- the only Axis prisoner to get away from his captors and make it back to Germany. Von Werra was persistent in his escape attempts- the one from the Hayes involving him tunneling out below the wire, impersonating a Dutch bomber pilot, getting himself taken to a airfield by his dupes and very nearly managing to steal a Hurricane. When he finally got away it was friom Canada where he'd been dispatched to make escape so very much more difficult. There's a movie about him starring Hardy Kruger called The One That Got Away.
Our room wasn't in the main house but in the labyrinth of characterless mid 20th century buildings round the back. The place can house some 400 people- and we Quakers were doing our thing alongside a community choir from Birmingham, a gathering of Albinos and a noisy bunch of Catholic menfolk. The food was good, the staff were friendly, the service was efficient, but we agreed that the venue wasn't really our style. Still Ailz and jacky thought their course was excellent and I got to wander about, visit an historic village, complete a couple more screens of the game I play on my phone and read most of a chapter of Alan Watts' The Way of Zen.....
The Hayes Christian Conference Centre, near Alfreton, Derbyshire.
Looks like a Victorian asylum....
But actually it's a Victorian country house- built by and for the man responsibe for London's St Pancras Station. Inside whatever character it may once have had has been exorcised by the application of gallons and gallons of magnolia paint. The Christians bought it in 1910 and visitors down the years have included T.S. Eliot, John Betjeman, C.S. Lewis and numerous German POWs. One of the POWs was Franz von Werra, the great escaper- the only Axis prisoner to get away from his captors and make it back to Germany. Von Werra was persistent in his escape attempts- the one from the Hayes involving him tunneling out below the wire, impersonating a Dutch bomber pilot, getting himself taken to a airfield by his dupes and very nearly managing to steal a Hurricane. When he finally got away it was friom Canada where he'd been dispatched to make escape so very much more difficult. There's a movie about him starring Hardy Kruger called The One That Got Away.
Our room wasn't in the main house but in the labyrinth of characterless mid 20th century buildings round the back. The place can house some 400 people- and we Quakers were doing our thing alongside a community choir from Birmingham, a gathering of Albinos and a noisy bunch of Catholic menfolk. The food was good, the staff were friendly, the service was efficient, but we agreed that the venue wasn't really our style. Still Ailz and jacky thought their course was excellent and I got to wander about, visit an historic village, complete a couple more screens of the game I play on my phone and read most of a chapter of Alan Watts' The Way of Zen.....
Interesting Links for 09-11-2025
9 November 2025 12:00 pmandrewducker- 1. Women are three times more likely than men to get severe long COVID
- (tags:women Pandemic )
- 2. We've found a biomarker for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
- (tags:babies death )
- 3. Chinese Authorities Shut Down Film Festival in New York (By harrassing filmmakers and their families)
- (tags:china censorship movies usa OhForFucksSake )
- 4. The modern homes hidden inside ancient ruins
- (tags:architecture history )
- 5. What do voters think would count as Labour breaking their promises on tax?
- (tags:tax labour polls politics uk )
- 6. A Gene Editing Therapy Cut Cholesterol Levels by Half (trial only lasted 60 days)
- (tags:genetics health )
- 7. Interactive Time-Lapse Map Shows How the U.S. Took More Than 1.5 Billion Acres From Native Americans
- (tags:history USA maps visualisation )
- 8. Why didn't Democrats codify Roe v. Wade when Obama had a fillibuster proof majority in 2009?
- (tags:abortion politics USA )
A Day In The Life.....
9 November 2025 04:19 amdisneydream06Talk about disappointment.
I have bought Fruit of the Loom underwear and undershirts pretty much my whole life, so imagine my surprise when I went to their website to check on some prices.
Everything just had links to Walmart to shop at.
What the hell...
First of all, I don't shop at Wally's World.
Secondly, the last several times I have shopped I have done it right from their website.
So I messaged them to ask if I can only shop at Walmart.
They replied that their products are available at several different places.
Well, not according to your website.
So I was just sitting here and decided to ask Dear Google, if you can shop on FOTL's website.
The answer No blah blah blah...
And it went on to say that FOTL is phasing out the Fruit of the Loom brand in the North American wholesale market by early 2026.
WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh, but this shouldn't affect the availability of products for consumers through the retailers mentioned above. Wally's, Kohls, and Amazon. :o :o :o
I have bought Fruit of the Loom underwear and undershirts pretty much my whole life, so imagine my surprise when I went to their website to check on some prices.
Everything just had links to Walmart to shop at.
What the hell...
First of all, I don't shop at Wally's World.
Secondly, the last several times I have shopped I have done it right from their website.
So I messaged them to ask if I can only shop at Walmart.
They replied that their products are available at several different places.
Well, not according to your website.
So I was just sitting here and decided to ask Dear Google, if you can shop on FOTL's website.
The answer No blah blah blah...
And it went on to say that FOTL is phasing out the Fruit of the Loom brand in the North American wholesale market by early 2026.
WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh, but this shouldn't affect the availability of products for consumers through the retailers mentioned above. Wally's, Kohls, and Amazon. :o :o :o
Grand Prairie Friends
9 November 2025 03:26 amysabetwordsmithGrand Prairie Friends Acquires New Property- Warbler Bend
Grand Prairie Friends (GPF) is thrilled to announce the purchase of Warbler Bend, a meandering 110 acres along the Embarras River in Coles County (IL). This purchase expands the Conservation Land Trust’s existing Warbler Ridge Conservation Area, now totaling almost 1,400 acres. Warbler Bend is GPF’s second property north of Highway 130, joining Warbler Bluff, located on Harrison St. Rd (Charleston).
Over the last decade, GPF has restored more than 1,200 acres at their Warbler Ridge Conservation Area including the addition of 90,000 trees, nine acres of wetlands and hundreds of acres of pollinator fields.
Connected to Lake Charleston to the north, and Fox Ridge State Park to the south, Warbler Ridge Conservation Area began in 2015, to connect these three landscapes to create an over 4,000 acre contiguous corridor for wildlife, natural habitats and public natural space for the community.
I am so excited! More riverfront!
Grand Prairie Friends (GPF) is thrilled to announce the purchase of Warbler Bend, a meandering 110 acres along the Embarras River in Coles County (IL). This purchase expands the Conservation Land Trust’s existing Warbler Ridge Conservation Area, now totaling almost 1,400 acres. Warbler Bend is GPF’s second property north of Highway 130, joining Warbler Bluff, located on Harrison St. Rd (Charleston).
Over the last decade, GPF has restored more than 1,200 acres at their Warbler Ridge Conservation Area including the addition of 90,000 trees, nine acres of wetlands and hundreds of acres of pollinator fields.
Connected to Lake Charleston to the north, and Fox Ridge State Park to the south, Warbler Ridge Conservation Area began in 2015, to connect these three landscapes to create an over 4,000 acre contiguous corridor for wildlife, natural habitats and public natural space for the community.
I am so excited! More riverfront!
Communities
9 November 2025 12:06 amysabetwordsmith![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
displacementdiaries -- Displacement DiariesA reflective space for journaling life abroad, family complexity, grief, and personal growth.
Displacement Diaries is a reflective space for journaling life transitions, grief, family complexity, and experiences abroad. This community is for those who write about survival, emotional upheaval, and the slow work of rebuilding one’s life. Longform personal narratives, introspective essays, and memory-based storytelling are welcome.
For my friends who are from afar, or forced away from home, or may become so.
Photos: Lake Charleston
8 November 2025 10:14 pmysabetwordsmithToday we visited the Charleston Food Forest, Coles County Community Garden, and Lake Charleston. These are the lake pictures, thus meeting my fall goal for birdwatching / leafpeeping. (Begin with the food forest, community garden.)
( Walk with me ... )
( Walk with me ... )
Photos: Coles County Community Garden
8 November 2025 09:20 pmysabetwordsmithToday we visited the Charleston Food Forest, Coles County Community Garden, and Lake Charleston. These are the community garden pictures. (Begin with the food forest. Continue with the lake.)
( Walk with me ... )
( Walk with me ... )
Photos: Charleston Food Forest
8 November 2025 09:03 pmysabetwordsmithToday we visited the Charleston Food Forest, Coles County Community Garden, and Lake Charleston. These are the food forest pictures. What started out as a beautiful fall day, sunny and cool, clouded over by the time we got out of the house. So the lighting isn't great, but at least the pictures look okay. (Continue with the community garden and the lake.)
( Walk with me ... )
( Walk with me ... )
Activism
8 November 2025 07:29 pmysabetwordsmithEngineers built a drifting wheelchair for an injured colleague.
Given how crappy the official medical equipment is, and how expensive, I'm delighted to see people making adaptive equipment on their own.
Given how crappy the official medical equipment is, and how expensive, I'm delighted to see people making adaptive equipment on their own.
Safety
8 November 2025 06:02 pmysabetwordsmithCommon pesticides may cause testicular damage and lower sperm counts
Widespread farm pesticides may be quietly undermining male reproductive health.
A decade-long review by George Mason University researchers reveals growing evidence that neonicotinoid insecticides—the world’s most widely used class of pesticides—may harm male reproductive health. The findings, based on 21 animal studies, show consistent links between exposure and reduced sperm quality, hormonal disruption, and testicular damage.
This will be useful to people seeking to ban or limit harmful pesticides. Perpetrators may not care about the environment or other humans, but they almost certainly care about their own virility. Similarly victims who are lethargic about other health threats may rally over this one.
Widespread farm pesticides may be quietly undermining male reproductive health.
A decade-long review by George Mason University researchers reveals growing evidence that neonicotinoid insecticides—the world’s most widely used class of pesticides—may harm male reproductive health. The findings, based on 21 animal studies, show consistent links between exposure and reduced sperm quality, hormonal disruption, and testicular damage.
This will be useful to people seeking to ban or limit harmful pesticides. Perpetrators may not care about the environment or other humans, but they almost certainly care about their own virility. Similarly victims who are lethargic about other health threats may rally over this one.
Birdfeeding
8 November 2025 01:02 pmysabetwordsmithToday is sunny and cool, a beautiful fall day.
I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 11/8/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 11/8/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 11/8/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 11/8/25 -- We went to the Charleston Food Forest and Coles County Community Garden, where I gathered more seeds.
We also stopped by Lake Charleston in search of migratory birds, which was largely a bust. :/
EDIT 11/8/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
As it is now dark, I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 11/8/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 11/8/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 11/8/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 11/8/25 -- We went to the Charleston Food Forest and Coles County Community Garden, where I gathered more seeds.
We also stopped by Lake Charleston in search of migratory birds, which was largely a bust. :/
EDIT 11/8/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
As it is now dark, I am done for the night.
Interesting Links for 08-11-2025
8 November 2025 12:00 pmandrewducker- 1. What's wrong with the UK's housing market (and why are Labour's plans to tinker around the edges unlikely to help)
- (tags:uk housing doom viaFJM )
- 2. The Battle Iranian Women Are Winning
- (tags:iran women religion society GoodNews islam clothing )
- 3. Early-stage clinical trial demonstrates promise of intranasal influenza vaccine in generating broad immunity
- (tags:vaccines viaKenny flu GoodNews )
- 4. Getty Images v Stability AI: A landmark High Court ruling on AI, copyright, and trade marks
- (tags:uk ai law )
- 5. The old proxies for trustworthiness no longer work.
- (tags:trust design scam fraud )
Philosophical Questions: Community
8 November 2025 12:13 amysabetwordsmithPeople have expressed interest in deep topics, so this list focuses on philosophical questions.
Is hierarchy necessary for all successful human communities?
No. It's just easier. Humans seem inclined to prefer having leadership. Egalitarian communities exist, but they tend to take more work to create and maintain.
Is hierarchy necessary for all successful human communities?
No. It's just easier. Humans seem inclined to prefer having leadership. Egalitarian communities exist, but they tend to take more work to create and maintain.
Today's Smoothie
7 November 2025 10:51 pmysabetwordsmithToday we made a smoothie with:
1 cup strawberry apple cider
1 cup Brown Cow vanilla yogurt
1 banana
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup ice
The result is bright pink and on the thin side, with a nice fruity flavor. We used strawberry apple cider from Grissom Orchard -- they have a few different flavors, all good. It's at least the second time we've made this, but I forgot to write it down earlier.
1 cup strawberry apple cider
1 cup Brown Cow vanilla yogurt
1 banana
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup ice
The result is bright pink and on the thin side, with a nice fruity flavor. We used strawberry apple cider from Grissom Orchard -- they have a few different flavors, all good. It's at least the second time we've made this, but I forgot to write it down earlier.
Poem: "A Clear Path of Freedom"
7 November 2025 09:17 pmysabetwordsmithThis poem is spillover from the November 4, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by librarygeek. It also fills the "I didn't want power. All I wanted was control. Over my life." square in my 11-1-25 card for the Fairy Tales and Fantasy Stories Bingo fest.
Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the more detailed notes, some of which are spoilers. It includes a ritual for justice with violent ends, ominous mythical figures, a bad leader, reference to sexual assault, reference to abuse under color of authority, treachery, and other challenges. If these are touchy topics for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.
( Read more... )
librarygeek. It also fills the "I didn't want power. All I wanted was control. Over my life." square in my 11-1-25 card for the Fairy Tales and Fantasy Stories Bingo fest.Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the more detailed notes, some of which are spoilers. It includes a ritual for justice with violent ends, ominous mythical figures, a bad leader, reference to sexual assault, reference to abuse under color of authority, treachery, and other challenges. If these are touchy topics for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.
( Read more... )