Notices by Euphoria Lophophora III 🌵 (invaderxan@sunbeam.city)

The highest mountain on Earth is known as Sagarmatha (सगरमाथा) in Nepali, meaning “goddess of the sky” and Qomolangma (ཇོ་མོ་གླང་མ) in Tibetan, meaning “holy mother”. The name “Everest” wasn’t given until 1865. Even the guy it was named after objected, and wanted them to keep a local name for it. Sadly, they did not.

The true names of places in the world always sound much nicer than the colonial names to me.

I know they were giving dudes estrogen to treat the virus, but I didn't realise it had already gone this far

Race is a nonsensical concept at the best of times. The closer you look at it, the less sense it makes. Take the views of race in North America, for instance.

Like... Spanish people are considered POC but Italian people aren't. Spanish people are "Hispanic" which also includes some people from across the entire continent of South America, I guess? Chinese people are "Asian" but Indian people aren't. Iran is in Western Asia, but Iranians aren't "Asian" either. They're Middle Eastern, like Egyptians, even though Egypt is in Africa. "African" is used synonymously with Black. Zulu, Shona, and Igbo are all just "African". And "Mixed" can mean virtually anything in any combination.

I really look forward to the day when everyone can just agree that the whole concept of race is outdated imperialist garbage which serves no purpose in our society.

You may have been told that it is, but it is not. "White" is not an ethnicity.

White is a social construct. Our notion of "white people" is nothing more than an outdated concept, created for the purposes of oppression and division. The entire idea of race is no different, and stems from imperialism. It has no valid scientific basis whatsoever. It's divided humanity for centuries, and still does.

There are 87 distinct European ethnicities, like Basque, Faroese, Croat, and Dane. There is no single group called "white".

But you know what kind of people use terms like "ethnically white"? Nazis.

Also:

* Growing almonds for almond milk damages ecosystems and uses a *lot* of water. 80% of the world's almonds come from California, where severe droughts can be a problem

* Soy farming drives deforestation in South America. Tofu can have twice the carbon footprint of chicken

* Fish populations are dynamic. Sustainable fishing leaves land open for reforestation

* Bioplastics are not necessarily better than recyclable plastics like PET

* Industrial cooking is more efficient than home cooking. Tinned tomatoes, chick peas, etc can be a good option

* Cling film is plastic, and plastic is not good. But if you use it carefully, you can prevent food waste, which is worse. Beeswax wrapping is ideal

* Leather can last over a decade, and is biodegradable. Fake leather is made from short lived plastic

* Cotton production is energy intensive. A cotton bag needs to be used 149 times to be more carbon efficient than plastic. Get a good one. Use it often

Turns out, toxic masculinity is a threat to the environment... https://psmag.com/environment/how-gender-stereotypes-affect-pro-environment-behavior

They're not weeds. They're native pioneer species attempting to restart ecological succession to reclaim lawns for nature.

@hollyamory @Juju @lapis @Neea @maloki
You know, I've never learned to read IPA? I really should sometime, I think.

The double-t is interesting. If you go to some parts of Scotland the double-t is replaced by a glottal stop. And my favourite part of this is that the best way to demonstrate a glottal stop is to say "glottal stop" in a Glasgow accent!

This is the sound of rhubarb growing in the dark. And someone really needs to take some sound samples to make a percussion track from it.
https://youtu.be/P2NMffyX2yw

"Forced rhubarb" is a technique for growing fresh rhubarb in the Winter, while keeping it in pitch dark conditions. Done correctly, the plants grow super fast. Fast enough that you can hear it popping and creaking as it grows!

In Capitalist America, software runs YOU

In Capitalist America, website looks at YOU

We’re going on a journey!

A lot of people like to throw the word "utopia" around, especially where solarpunk visions are concerned. But it's not really a good word to use, for one big reason – a utopia cannot actually exist.

The word utopia itself literally means "no place" because it's a philosophical ideal. In reality, it's unattainable. The reason why is pretty obvious when you think about it. A place which is perfect for one person may not be perfect for another. Ask ten people for a detailed description of a perfect world, and you'll get ten different answers. Some of them may even be horrifying when you consider the implications.

OTOH, the word eutopia (which is a homophone, confusingly) simply means a place which is good. A world does not need to be perfect to be a good place to live in. It may not be perfect, but that's ok. Perfection is a very western ideal anyway.

Basically, if you'll excuse the comic book reference, think Black Panther's Wakanda, not Wonder Woman's Themyscira.

Random odd question. Is there any way to post to Mastodon by e-mail?

The story behind this is that the Ecuadorean government tried to sell Amazon lands to oil companies for drilling. The Waorani, who live on those lands, took them to court over it, and they won.

—

The ruling "has created a significant precedent for the Amazon," said Lina Maria Espinosa, attorney for the plaintiffs, outside court.

"It has been demonstrated that there was no consultation and that the state violated the rights of this people, and therefore of other peoples."

https://phys.org/news/2019-04-ecuador-amazon-tribe-victory-oil.html

Tempeh is made from soybeans, like tofu. Unlike tofu it's made by fermentation into a kind of cake, and is made from whole beans so it has more fibre and vitamins than tofu, as well as a different texture. There are also a few different kinds of tempeh, which may include other ingredients like coconut, cassava or peanuts. At least one is made with leftovers from tofu production.

It's popular in Southeast Asia, where it's often fried (either with or without batter, or grilled on skewers. If you're trying tempeh, it's probably worth looking up some Javanese recipes to try.

✅ Pros: Nutritious and versatile. Keeps for a long time when cooked. A rare non-meat source of vitamin B12

❌ Cons: Made from soy and other things which may trigger allergies in some people

So whether or not you're vegetarian or vegan, cutting down on your meat intake is a good idea for various reasons – high among them being environmental concerns and overuse of antibiotics on farms. It would be foolish to think otherwise.

The thing is, some cultures have been using meat substitutes in food for centuries. Either for religious reasons, like some schools of Buddhism, or among people who don't always have access to meat. So it can be worth following their example.

Humans are not evolved to be herbivores, and I really don't like all the people who say "go vegan" without also telling people exactly what that means. So in case anyone finds it useful, here's a little thread about meat substitutes to include in your diet, and nutrients to make sure you're getting enough of!

I like how Duck Duck Go gives websites a grade for their privacy. sunbeam.city gets a B+, apparently.

Ambopteryx is a dinosaur with bat wings. Not a pterosaur either, but an actual dinosaur.

So basically, dragons actually existed on Earth, but they were only as big as sparrows.

Sometimes I stop myself from giving half-formed thoughts as replies. Better to let them brew awhile first, and develop them into actual ideas in their own right.

Thoughts are like tea. The trick is to let them sit for the right amount of time before sharing.

🍵