Call for Themes

9/6/25 20:28
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We've reached the end of scheduled themes for the Poetry Fishbowl project. It's time to brainstorm some new themes! These are a few that I've jotted down earlier, ones that I've thought up or people have suggested, to give you an idea what kind of stuff might be suitable:

* Angels and Demons
* Apocalyptic Visions
* Emotional Regulation
* Faeries and Fey
* Fixit
* Pirates, Rascals, and Rogues
* Time Travel
* Westerns

What other themes would you like to see me write about? What would you like to buy? Suggest them in a comment below this post.

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History

9/6/25 16:27
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New evidence reveals advanced maritime technology in the philippines 35,000 years ago

In a bold reimagining of Southeast Asia s prehistory, scientists reveal that the Philippine island of Mindoro was a hub of human innovation and migration as far back as 35,000 years ago. Advanced tools, deep-sea fishing capabilities, and early burial customs show that early humans here weren t isolated they were maritime pioneers shaping a wide-reaching network across the region.
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These are some posts from the later part of last week in case you missed them:
Pride Month
Birdfeeding
Early Humans
Today's Adventures
Birdfeeding
Philosophical Questions: Looks
Today's Adventures
Poem: "The Result of Your Own Bad Behavior"
Poem: "When Warmth and Gentleness Are Needed"
Poem: "Emodox"
Birdfeeding
Skate Park
Follow Friday 6-6-25: Active Communities on Dreamwidth Spring 2025 J-Z
Recipes
New Crowdfunding Project: "Aces and Aros"
Poem: "All It Takes to Be Invulnerable"
Poem: "The Bond with a Dog"
Birdfeeding
Read "Do you ever dream of land?"
Books
Wildlife
Birdfeeding
Good News

"Not a Destination, But a Process" has 138 comments. "The Democratic Armada of the Caribbean" has 89 comments.


Last week's Poetry Fishbowl went well. I actually finished a draft of the last obligatory poem yesterday, just need to get that tallied, proofread, and thumnailed. \o/


[community profile] summerofthe69 should be open today, but there's no theme post up yet. However, you can see the calendar here and the initial theme is "First Time 69: Everyone has to start somewhere."


"In the Heart of the Hidden Garden" belongs to the Antimatter and Stalwart Stan thread of the Polychrome Heroics series. It needs $86 to be fully funded. Lawrence shows Stan around the campus at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.


The weather has been warm and wet here. It rained again last night. Seen at the birdfeeders this week: a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, two mourning doves, a male cardinal, a catbird, and a fox squirrel. Astilbe, snowball bush, and daylilies have flower buds. Peonies are done blooming. Privet and mock orange are winding down. Currently blooming: dandelions, honeysuckle, pansies, violas, marigolds, petunias, red salvia, wild strawberries, verbena, lantana, sweet alyssum, zinnias, snapdragons, blue lobelia, perennial pinks, impatiens, oxalis, moss rose, yarrow, red coreopsis, anise hyssop, firecracker plant, tomatoes, tomatillos, dogwood, Asiatic lilies, cucumber. Raspberries, blackberries, and tomatoes have green fruit. Wild strawberries and mulberries are ripe.

Whales

9/6/25 13:34
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Whales blow bubble rings--And they might be talking to us

Newly documented behavior in a recently published paper by SETI Institute and UC Davis team members may offer insights into nonhuman intelligence--and help shape the search for life beyond Earth.
Humpback whales have been observed blowing bubble rings during friendly interactions with humans a behavior never before documented. This surprising display may be more than play; it could represent a sophisticated form of non-verbal communication. Scientists from the SETI Institute and UC Davis believe these interactions offer valuable insights into non-human intelligence, potentially helping refine our methods for detecting extraterrestrial life. Their findings underscore the intelligence, curiosity, and social complexity of whales, making them ideal analogues for developing communication models beyond Earth
.

Birdfeeding

9/6/25 13:15
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Today is partly sunny, mild, and damp.  It rained thoroughly last night.

I fed the birds.  I haven't seen much activity today though.

I put out water for the birds.

On the old picnic table, a cucumber is blooming.

EDIT 6/9/23 -- I did the indoor setup for the two jugs I'll be using to make comfrey liquid fertilizer, and took pictures.

EDIT 6/9/23 -- I tore up a handful of comfrey leaves for the first jug, put them in it, and filled the rest of the way with water.  If it works, this will produce a dilute solution of liquid fertilizer.

EDIT 6/9/23 -- I started filling the second jug.  This one needs to be entirely full of comfrey leaves.  I only got about halfway before I ran out of energy.  I'll have to work on it more later.

I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches plus two mourning doves.

EDIT 6/9/23 -- We went out to Fox Ridge and Lake Charleston.  So many things are blooming!  :D

EDIT 6/9/23 -- I added more comfrey leaves to the second jug.  It's mostly full now, but not tightly packed, so it still needs more leaves stuffed in.

EDIT 6/9/23 -- I added more comfrey leaves to the second jug.  While it's possible to push down the mass, it springs back immediately, making it hard to keep additional material inside.  I'll call it done for now.  If the stuff wilts down by tomorrow, I may add more then.

As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.

Pride Month

8/6/25 19:39
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31 Ideas To Take Action & Celebrate Pride Month In 2025

June is Pride Month! This month-long celebration is an opportunity to celebrate the very human and very beautiful spectrum of gender and sexuality, all while coming together to fight for widespread equality and justice in the LGBTQ+ community.


Birdfeeding

8/6/25 14:48
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Today is mostly sunny, humid, and warm. It rained yesterday and last night.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I dropped the Java moss into the trough pond. It floated. If it doesn't sink after absorbing water, I may need to find a rock to put on it.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 6/8/25 -- I did a bit of weeding in the septic garden and new picnic table.

EDIT 6/8/25 -- I did some work around the patio.

EDIT 6/8/25 -- I sowed cypress vine seeds around the support wire and in the septic garden.  Some of the earlier ones have sprouted, but I plant extra because they often get eaten.

I gathered a few poppy seeds.

The first Asiatic lilies are blooming, white with pink tips, around the telephone pole.  :D  Daylilies have buds.

I've seen a male cardinal at the hopper feeder.

Lots of things are sprouting in the septic garden.  \o/

EDIT 6/8/25 -- I picked half a bag of mulberries in the south lot and along the front fence.

I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches plus a mourning dove.

EDIT 6/8/25 -- I picked half a bag of mulberries along the front fence and in the savanna.

EDIT 6/8/25 -- I pulled weeds from the tulip bed.

EDIT 6/8/25 -- I pulled weeds along the strip garden.

The sky clouded over in the afternoon and feels like it might rain again.

EDIT 6/8/25 -- I pulled weeds around the edge of the house yard.

As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.

Early Humans

7/6/25 23:57
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3,500-year-old graves reveal secrets that rewrite bronze age history

Around 1500 BC, radical changes occurred in people's lives: they ate and lived differently, and the social system was also reorganized.
Bronze Age life changed radically around 1500 BC in Central Europe. New research reveals diets narrowed, millet was introduced, migration slowed, and social systems became looser challenging old ideas about nomadic Tumulus culture herders
.

Today's Adventures

7/6/25 19:12
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Today we went to the Fairy Market in Effingham. :D

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Birdfeeding

7/6/25 13:13
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Today is cloudy, mild, and damp.  It rained yesterday, and probably more last night.

I fed the birds.  I haven't seen much activity though.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 6/7/25 -- I did a bit of work on the patio.

It's been spitting or drizzling for much of the day, and is picking up again now.

EDIT 6/7/25 -- I put out more food for the birds.

I've seen several sparrows and house finches, a catbird, and at least one mourning dove.

The 'Mr. Stripey' tomato has green fruit.  :D




.

 
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
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People have expressed interest in deep topics, so this list focuses on philosophical questions.

Would the world be a better or worse place if everyone looked the same?


Much worse. It would be difficult to tell people apart. That would require doing something to make artificial distinctions, which has a lot of drawbacks. We know that problems occur when people are difficult or impossible to distinguish, because those things happen under conditions where people's normal distinctions are obscured. One of the most common is that it runs up the crime rate, because people are more likely to misbehave when they can't be punished because nobody can tell for sure who did it.



Today's Adventures

6/6/25 21:16
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Today we ran errands and went to a flea market at the local mall.

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This poem came out of the June 3, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by [personal profile] janetmiles. It also fills the "activism" square in my 6-2-25 card for the Pride Fest Bingo. This poem belongs to the series Monster House.

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This poem came out of the June 3, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by [personal profile] janetmiles. It also fills the "community" square in my 6-2-25 card for the Pride Fest Bingo. This poem belongs to the series Clay of Life.

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Poem: "Emodox"

6/6/25 20:22
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This poem came out of the June 3, 2025 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by the "unlabeled" square in my 6-2-25 card for the Pride Fest Bingo. It has been sponsored by [personal profile] janetmiles. This poem belongs to the series A Poesy of Obscure Sorrows.

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Birdfeeding

6/6/25 15:31
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[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Today is cloudy, warm, and damp.  It drizzled a little last night.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 6/6/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 6/6/25 -- It rained off and on today.

Skate Park

6/6/25 02:57
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[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
Blind skateboarder creates 'world-first' adaptive skatepark: 'I've never had a place where I can skate with full confidence'

About seven years ago, he started dreaming of creating the world’s first adaptive skatepark right in his hometown of Detroit, Michigan.

Finally, the park is a reality.

Called “The Ranch,” the 5,000-square-foot skatepark is completely accessible, allowing both seasoned low-vision boarders to take it for a spin and newcomers to the sport to feel welcome.



Everyone should have access to opportunities for physical activity and creativity.
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These are active communities in Dreamwidth from Spring 2025 . They include things I've posted, but only the active ones; the thematic posts also list dormant communities of interest. This list includes some communities that I've found and saved but haven't made it into thematic posts yet. This post covers J-Z.

See my Follow Friday Master Post for more topics.

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Recipes

5/6/25 23:11
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Someone mentioned efforts to increase use of offal.  The much simpler way to get more people to eat organ meat is to present delicious recipes using it. This is easily accomplished by scouting cuisines that already use a lot of organ meat, such as soul food or some Asian cuisines. Use everything but the squeal!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_soul_foods_and_dishes

https://www.butterforall.com/traditional-cooking-traditional-living/category/nutrient-dense/

https://foragerchef.com/category/carnivore/offal/
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Aces and Aros: An Asexual and Aromantic Comic Book Anthology
A 100-page graphic novel anthology about Asexual and Aromantic experiences across a wide range of genres.

$40,513 pledged of $30,000 goal
854 backers
21 days to go

Aces & Aros Vol. 1 is a 100-page GRAPHIC NOVEL that collects twenty-one (21) brand new short stories about Asexual- and Aromantic-spectrum experiences!

Read more... )