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ofthenoseclan · 11 months

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merry and renko go

OUGHHHHMY GOD OKAY. OKAY YOUVBE MADE A GRAVE MISTAKE IM NOT WELL ABOUT THESE GIRLS. these are my second favourite characters in the entire touhou franchise as a unit and i have LOADS to talk about with them

renko and merry are the main characters of the "zun's music collection" concept records (not counting vol.1 which is standalone). these albums are compilations of rearranged music from the franchise, featured along with original compositions unique to the records. alongside them is a story booklet, and the tracks in the album are composed to convey its narrative through their melody. the stories themselves are written a lot like the script of a radio play, consisting primarily of dialogue between the duo.

set in a near-future setting suffering hard from the impacts of late-stage capitalism, the narrative of the concept records follows these two chuunibyou university students as they muse on daily life in their current society. the albums' stories are pretty much entirely self-contained from the rest of the franchise, making them a great entry point.

the blonde-haired girl is merry hearn (her real given name is maeriberii, which is just a keyboard-smash of katakana zun came up with to sound like an unpronounceable european name, but is ironically pretty hard to actually transliterate), a well-mannered girl who's outspoken, but often anxious and unsure of herself. she has the unique ability to see unexplainable phenomena, travel to other worlds in her dreams, and even bring objects in and out of them. a good chunk of the narrative is spent detailing how these two explore the extent of merry's talents.

to her left is her girlfriend, renko usami, a hyperactive, analytical, and curious woman interested in all things occult. she's extremely precise and accurate at measurements—enough that she can tell the time just from the way the stars are placed in the sky. she encourages merry to delve deeper into testing her abilities partly because she wants to see merry succeed, but partly because she's hopelessly fascinated with her and her powers.

the most enjoyable part to me isn't their dynamic itself though, but how it's used as a catalyst to touch on political satire and discussion of capitalism and consumerism. as i explained above, the future they live in is on the verge of collapse. the details are never explained, as most of our insight into it comes from the duo, who are both probably at least middle class if they're in college, so our information about the state of the world is tinted from the lens of people who aren't as affected as some people might be. but we do know quite a lot—climate collapse has already occurred, and many parts of land are underwater. science has progressed to the point that it's considered "solved", and anything unexplainable by science is swept under the rug by society at large because it's not beneficial for humanity to spend money to research it further. world hunger is paraded around as having been eliminated, but in reality it was likely only fixed because those unable to be fed have passed on. despite the state of the earth, the wage gap continues to increase, and society marches on like usual.

the duo is unsatisfied by the way the education system is built, with science being pitched as a cut-and-dry academic study with no further discovery to be made, so as a form of escapism they set up a two-person school club, the hifuu (sealed secrets) club, and explore paranormal happenings, which often leads to commentary on the state of the world in comparison to the wonderful occurrences they explore.

one of my favourite moments is in the fourth volume, bouyuu toukaidou ~ retrospective 53 minutes, where the pair take a train trip to meet renko's parents. the train runs underground since the ground level it used to travel was flooded, so there's a fake screen projecting what the surroundings used to look like built into the tunnel. at the end of their trip, merry notices a credits sequence displayed and remarks about how ironic it is to replicate a scene of nature that humans wiped out, then take credit for the image. there's all sorts of moments just like this throughout the series that i adore for their message.

another thing about these two is how prominent they are in yuri culture. their relationship is left very much out of the picture in canon, but the fanbase goes absolutely wild for it. it has left its mark on so many yuri authors, with a huge number of them producing doujins for the pairing before breaking out into professional work—some even continuing to release hifuu content after making a name for themselves outside the fandom as well! notable examples being nio nakatani, famous for bloom into you, and iori miyazawa, author of otherside picnic (which even started life as a fanfic starring the hifuu duo, before having their names changed to sorawo and toriko to stay legally distinct). even azuma aya, who illustrated one of the official touhou manga that zun wrote, did a very sweet oneshot featuring the pair which i recommend as a quick read :]

im gonna cut myself off now before i type about them for the rest of the night, but in conclusion: my GOD these bitches gay. good for them! good for them. they will bounce around in my mind until the end of time and they are the driving force of my favourite part of the entire franchise. i owe them my life savings

#touhou #renko usami #maribel hearn #hifuu tag #blub #hydrophone

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writingwithcolor · 2 years

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Middle Eastern /Arab Muslim mercenaries

Anonymous asked:

Hi there. I wanted to write a Middle Eastern action story set in near future Kurdistan. These are 5 of the most important points: 1) It’s about a syndicate called “The Kurdish Order”. 2) My two heroines are a Kurdish woman and her Arab partner. 3) The reason for them living their lives as professional assassins was because their parents were survivors of a civil war in their country. 4) The supporting characters are the Kurdish woman’s parents who contacts her from the headquarters via a radio, and informs her about the targets’ whereabouts. 5) The main villain is an Arab woman whose evil plan is to distribute a lot of firearms to the mercenaries around the world. When the two heroines confronts her and asks, “What did your parents taught you when you were young?”, the villain’s response is; “You’re correct, my nemeses. This is not a ‘My mom and dad hated me for no reason when I was young’ type of excuse. It’s more of a ‘My mom and dad taught me that the world is about the survival of the fittest’ type of motive.”. The issue here is that I want my story to take place in the Middle East, but I don’t want to perpetuate the “Muslims = Mercenaries” stereotypes. Would my story still work the same if my characters are coded as Christians or Atheists?

I don’t know enough about this topic to speak on it authoritatively but I do want to point out that Kurdistan isn’t currently a country. It isn’t clear from your ask whether you want to set your story in a near-future setting in which Kurds have gained independence and founded their own country, or whether you are referring to the geographic region that spans present-day Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran in which Kurdish peoples are mostly concentrated.

Either way, it’s worth noting that Kurds are currently a marginalized ethnic minority in all of the countries in which they reside. Kurdish nationalism dates back over a thousand years and has a complex history including many instances of violent repression. If you are not Kurdish yourself, I would recommend doing a lot of research into Kurdish history and current political issues before attempting to write this story.

-Niki

The Middle East is diverse in ethnicities and beliefs. Even though Islam is the religion that many people from the region follow, is not the only one. My suggestion in this case, to avoid the “Muslims = Mercenaries”, is to give your readers a clear image of how much of a mosaic the Middle East is. And this can only happen when the worldbuilding is correctly done and the focus is not only on the Muslims but on the rest of the people as well and their customs. As for the rest of your question, I agree with Niki that before you proceed with this project you must inform yourselves deeply about Kurdish history and especially the current political climate

-Asmaa

We would like to turn this over to our Kurdish and Arab readers. How do you feel about the asker’s story premise? What advice do you have for them and which stereotypes would you like them to avoid?

#Kurdish #Middle eastern #Kurdish women #Arab #Arabian #Middle Eastern Women #Islam #Muslim stereotypes #Muslim characters #asks #Arab women #villains

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masterofrecords · 1 year

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Kalim and ADHD

@weilaverdui suggested putting on tumblr all the stuff I felt was too long for the author's notes, so here. Some Kalim thoughts from my drafts. It is, as usual, only speculation for the game, but canon for Aquarium, and something that emerged during my work on chapter 23.

I do think that Kalim’s ADHD contributes heavily to the way he comes across as perpetually lighthearted and silly to a point of other characters feeling like his attitude is inappropriate at times.

We have inability to form habits, inability to parse social cues (all while being around Jamil, who operates largely on routine, planning and subtlety). We have the fact that he’d never before had reason to try and manage it (him likely never being punished for it is a good thing; him never facing any accountability whatsoever… not so much). We have impulsiveness that to him is completely logical but that for others comes out of nowhere.

And it would play so much into how Kalim treated Jamil before the overblot and his inability to notice anything was wrong; it's not just naivety and trust, but also the difficulty Kalim has reading people's behaviors and keeping track of them. So maybe Jamil behaves a little weirdly today? Except Kalim can't quite remember how things were yesterday, or a month before - and surely if something was really wrong, Jamil would say it.

Meanwhile Jamil, a whole different brand of mental illness, just bottles things up. And it becomes a cursed circle until things eventually explode.

Despite how happy Kalim is, I always get a little sad when writing him, because while his upbringing allowed him to have a happy childhood, it also traumatized him in ways he will probably never fully realize.

It might have made his life easier, in some ways - it's hard to dwell on all the assassination attempts when they don't exist unless you deliberately remember about them. It also probably made navigating the political climate of the Asim estate an absolute nightmare - not that Kalim probably gave it much conscious thought, at least so far.

I'm actually curious what will happen if Kalim's mind, for once, gets stuck on something bad. He's had plenty of those experiences - from his own near-deathes to Jamil's - but in canon, he only ever focuses on the nice memories or bizarre, but harmless ideas that wander into his head. I don't really know if I'd get to explore that - Aquarium is not Kalim's story, after all - but I'd love to if I can spare words for it.

I'm currently in the planning stage for some of the events far in the future of Aquarium, including Kalim's 18th birthday celebration. It makes me consider all the implications of the tidbits of worldbuilding we've been given and how much it had to fall onto Jamil's shoulders to remember who's friend and who's foe and what's going on at the estate. I guess Kalim's father might have tried to teach Kalim something, but that would inevitably run into the wall of Kalim's complete lack of interest in politics of any kind.

And when Kalim's not interested, good luck getting anything stay in his head.

I'm guessing my interpretation of palace politics (I know they're not technically royalty, but they're filthy rich enough for it to apply) is going to be inevitably colored by all the Tang dynasty research I'm having to do for my translations. I don't know if TWST intended for the level of scheming that's going to bring, but if they didn't, they really shouldn't have made Kalim victim of all those assassination attempts.

It's going to be one hell of a party, let me tell you.

#masterofrecords writes

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whentherewerebicycles · 2 years

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i am still not really here (1-2 weeks left in my tumblr/fandom break), but i need to just process the big decision i’ve made and then i need a bunch of friends on the internet to tell me that i am doing the right thing so i can fully let go of the decision anguish.

i’m moving to seattle this summer

i don’t have a job yet but i am slowly, painstakingly working on it

my sister, brother, and my brother’s wife live there, as does one of my best college friends, as does la who i am going to make write with me and also teach me about the seattle kraken (or whichever niche pair she is extremely into at the moment).

i’m feeling really unsettled and uncertain about leaving a place i’ve lived ten years and kind of half thought i might live at least another decade if not forever. i feel optimistic and excited every morning and then crushed by fear and doubt by evening. it’s the same rollercoaster every day, but i still feel that sickening drop.

but idk. the political situation in this country and in this state just has me so depressed and exhausted and ground-down these days. the dobbs decision is obviously playing a big part in my decision (i want to try to get pregnant in the next 2-3 years and this isn’t a safe/okay place to do it anymore) but i feel like uvalde was really the turning point, just the moment of total clarity where i was like: i think i need to get out of here. gun violence is terrible everywhere in this country but at least i don’t have to live in a state that worships guns. this is a bad place to be politically and climate stuff is just going to get worse.

austin feels so different than it did when i moved here. i’ve only been here ten years and i know i was part of the wave that changed it but it just feels.. i don’t know. it feels too big and too tech-y now and i just... i don’t really love it here anymore. i know that’s all true of seattle too but at least it’ll be a place where it was always that way for me, rather than a place where the culture and demographics of the town changed around me. idk. i love my people here and i loved my time here - my grad cohort is the best, best, best. but i feel like a lot of things are weakening my ties to austin and to texas and i think that means it’s time to go.

i really want to be closer to my family

i want to live in a naturally beautiful place

i want to live in a blue state

god i want to live in a blue state

i just really want to live in a blue state

i feel shitty leaving the south when i think the south needs sane people who give a shit about other human beings. i feel shitty leaving texas when i love the kids i get to work with so much and when i’ve spent so long thinking about how important it is not to abandon the state to these horrible people. but man i can’t live here. can’t raise a family here. i was emailing this week with my boss, whom i love and whose opinion i respect a lot. i was voicing some of these conflicted feelings, wondering if i was cutting and running instead of digging in. and she wrote back three minutes later: “fuck the south is my current mode. we must create our own sustainable communities and cultural worlds.”

i have a feeling ‘fuck america’ may be my own future mode so i would kinda like to live near canada for a bit and have the chance to scope it out, yknow. see if it’s a place i could take up permanent residence one day. idk man. we are living in end times aren’t we? sorry i meant this to actually be a post about pros and cons of moving and instead i guess i am just spiraling a bit about politics. that’s just being a person in america these days.

i’m going to miss my familiar places here. my places and my people and my routines and all the little things that have made this home for ten years. but it’s time to go.

it’s time to go. it’s time to go

it’s okay. it’s time to go.

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perexcri · 1 year

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THE NEON GENESIS EVANGELION FIC ??? 🤲🏽 asking so politely for more information bc i am so obsessed with this show

AHHH hello!! it's nice to have another nge fan in the ranks heheheh

first of all, since you like the show, i actually have one fic up already that's based on the last scene of end of evangelion, if you're looking for those sweet sweet evangelion vibes. it's 2k words and depressing, but what is nge if not uhhhh 2k words and depressing

ANYWAY: this wip has evangelion vibes but not in the "depressed teenagers being forced to fight extraterrestrials in giant robots to save the world" kind of way (though there's so much possibility there 👀). i'm drawing a lot of inspiration from the actual environment that evangelion is set in, so high sea levels, a kind of permanent summer, lots of ambient cicada noises around at all times...things like that!! the basic idea is that it's set in the 2200s in a future where climate change has really affected a lot of things and humans are still trying to adapt to it. one of the ways they've done that is by implementing mandatory service in research or fieldwork to study environmental changes and invent new ways of dealing with it, so, in this fic, Mike's still a writer and basically compiles scientific data and fits it all into articles, and Will's a cartographer. it's only gonna be a few chapters long, but the main issue at hand in it is the whole party is stationed at the same base of operations, but Will puts in for a transfer to a more dangerous part of the country, and Mike decides he wants to go on Will's last mission at their current base with him. and, for reference, most of this fic is going to be taking place near the gulf of mexico/mississippi river because i want them to be near lots of water where there's always a high chance for rain, lots of flooding, entire cities underwater...that kinda stuff. no indiana in this fic no siree

idk if that makes sense, and i feel like the nge reference is a little misleading (lol), but that show is my main source of inspiration for it!! i'm trying to draw on a lot of the themes in the show, and the hedgehog's dilemma that they talk about in one of the episodes is central to this fic :D

and since i'm already on a roll, i'll put the title here because it's my favorite title i've come up with for any fic, and tbh i'm determined to finish the fic just to get to use it: Hedgehogs Staying Warm: A Study on the Impossibility of Emotional Intimacy without Mutual Harm

sorry that's a lot, but i got excited heheheh. anyway, thanks for the ask, and, again, it's nice to have a fellow nge fan around :]

#ask

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returntothewilderness · 2 years

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A Meditation for Tisha B'Av

Saturday evening begins the observance of Tisha B'Av (the ninth day of the month of Av), which is the mourning of the destruction of the first and second temples. I've always appreciated Judaism's approach to grief. It's done communally, it acknowledges that deep grief needs time to be felt and tended to, and it gives ample space to feel the pain as well as start to heal.

This pulled me in as I've always struggled with grief. When faced with overwhelming grief, the first thing I do is go numb. I shut down, I distract myself, I pull away from people, I feel like the only way to get through is to quietly suffer on my own. Judaism asks us not to just face ourselves when we're deep in pain, but to face others when they are deep in grief. With all the collective grief we've been feeling, it's important to let ourselves feel the despair and anger. However, it's just as important to work through our grief together so we can find ways of transforming the world around us. I don't remember the name of the person who said this (i'll immediately update once I learn it), but a disabled comrade who passed away liked to say that grief can topple empire.

This Tisha B'Av, I'm thinking a lot about the similarities between the destruction of the temples and our current struggles within empires. The complete destruction of life as Jewish people knew it. The need that arose to recreate something new yet familiar enough in the wake of destruction. This Tisha B'Av I'm mourning:

Those who have lost their homes, lives, loved ones, childhoods, and sense of well-being to colonization/invasion and war. Especially thinking of Palestinians as Gaza is again under attack as elections near.

Trans youth and trans adults who are at the center of deep political and societal hatred. Who are losing access to gender affirming care and support. Who face violence and death because of their gender identities.

Those who are navigating the concurrent pandemics with disabilities and chronic illnesses. Who have no sense of normalcy in their lives, who have lost touch with so many loved ones because of their lack of care, who have been living in uncertainty for over two years, and who have increasingly bad mental health.

Those who experience police profiling and brutality, who have their rights stripped from them, who have been separated from their families, and who have lost loved ones to this type of state violence.

Those who work many hours and many jobs and still can't afford rent, healthcare, or basic necessities.

This beautiful earth and the climate crisis that is impacting every part of it. To those who have lost homes, lives, and loved ones to disaster. To those who can't quite envision a future anymore because of the extreme weather.

But along with mourning, I think about how Judaism continued even after the fall of the temples. It was re-imagined and sustained with the small population of them that remained and it grew to what it is today. Just like the Jewish people who carried on and created something new after destruction, I fully believe different groups can come together in grief to transform our lives into something better. Our grief can bring equity, community care, mutual aid, protection, empathy, and solidarity. Our grief can build a world where our earth is taken care of, all people are free from the binds of imperialism and greed, and a place we can begin to heal.

#meditation #long post #antizionism #jewish life #tisha b'av #mourning #anti imperialism #community care #transformative justice

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pageadaytale · 3 months

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BOOK REVIEW - Terror in the City of Champions: Murder, Baseball, and the Secret Society that Shocked Depression-Era Detroit by Tom Stanton

I finished reading this book the night of the Lions' playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers. I'm writing this review the night after, knowing they've lost.

There was a time Detroit was not the dark horse in sporting achievement; when people looked to the Motor City as a pillar of strength. Coming out of prohibition with record unemployment, Detroit boasted industrial power as America's automobile capital, and it would boast physical prowess as it cornered four of America's greatest exports: Baseball; Football; Boxing; and Hockey.

But beneath the shining veneer of the "City of Champion" lay a dark heart: a gun-toting, hood-wearing mob known variously as the Bullet Club, the Wolverine Club, or the Black Legion.

This is a book in two parts, really. In 1934 and 1935, as Mickey Cochrane takes on the role of the Tigers' player-manager, we chart the rise of Detroit in the sporting world. In baseball their team finally takes shape and they begin a meteoric rise; in boxing Joe Louis wins Detroit's Golden Gloves championship and starts his world champion climb; a small football team moves from Portsmouth to become the Detroit Lions, and is immediately a powerhouse. The first half of this book centres on the achievements of the Tigers and Joe Louis, as they upset the world of baseball and boxing respectively. The whole time there is an undercurrent of malice as we learn about the Black Legion coming together, growing in numbers - swelling their ranks with terrified prospects swearing an oath at gunpoint - but there is little activity to truly shock. Whilst they are, at this point, a club of racists, they do little in the way of heinous acts.

It's in the second half that the Legion comes to the fore. Started in Ohio following the collapse of the Klan, the group expanded to Michigan and in the 1930s it began its reign of terror. We principally follow Dayton Dean, a middle-ranking member of the Legion who is caught up in many plots - the attempted murder of Detroit attorney Maurice Sugar; the bombing of Ecorse mayor Bill Voisine's house; and any number of racially- or religiously-motivated attacks and murders. In the final third of the book we are witness to the murders he partakes in, ordered by higher-up Legion members, and the following investigations which drag the cult into the light and tear away its hood.

Both stories are equally gripping. The tremendous highs of Detroit baseball and boxing mix well with the seedy underbelly of segregationist, isolationist fascism growing in America's heartland. But it's fair to say that they are not exactly intertwined - the closest we get to a scandal in Tigers baseball involving the Black Legion is Mickey Cochrane's friendship with Harry Bennett, the Ford factory's union-busting second-in-command, who may or may not have been a Legion member. There is much speculation on Stanton's part as to whether Legionnaire's crowded the stands at Navin field to watch the Tigers win their games, but for the most part it can only be left at that: speculation.

But that's not to say it's bad. As I say, it's really a book in two parts. And if you take the baseball story and you take the crime story, and you look at them as two separate wholes, they both draw you in and keep you reading. I think both sides are important: the story of Detroit as a sporting powerhouse, something we can look to for hope for the future; and the story of the Black Legion, a far-right menace that met in community centres and basements and plotted to kill black people and Catholics and Jews.

In the wake of the Detroit Lions making the playoffs - and in the current political climate, with the right-wing threat ever-present and growing as another US election draws near - Terror in the City of Champions is a book worth keeping in mind.

#Book Review #Year of Learning #History #Sporting History #Baseball #Football #Boxing #Joe Louis #Detroit Tigers #Detroit Lions

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earaercircular · 5 months

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Learn to act

Many students are already committed to sustainability. The aim of politics is therefore to increase this even more. What incentives programs like “Climate School Bavaria”[1] or “Consumer School”[2] offer.

"Oh, how delicious!" Paula Bäuerle used to reflexively grab it when someone offered her a chocolate bar. Now she prefers to hesitate. And first ask a few questions: Was the chocolate produced in an environmentally friendly way? How much and what type of sugar does it contain? Were the cocoa farmers paid decently? What quality seal does the product have? The 16-year-old has been a chocolate expert for four years: she gives lectures about climate-friendly chocolate at her school, which is attended by 900 children and young people. “I now make sure that I eat sustainable chocolate,” says Paula Bäuerle. She is a member of the Fair Trade working group at the Camerloher High School[3] in the city of Freising near Munich. The working group promotes fair trade with numerous activities, including organising green fashion shows and a cooking event in which high school students prepare a vegetarian menu together.

The fact that young people become active themselves and that sustainable action ideally becomes natural for them is a core idea of the global educational concept Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)[4]. Schools in Germany have a lot of freedom in how they implement climate protection issues. To ensure that it is not just a single waste collection campaign or a project day to protect the rainforest, some federal states have developed sophisticated programs that give students and teachers special incentives to get involved: the Camerloher high school has the official title “Climate School Bavaria 2023”. It is one of 51 schools that received the award this year, which comes with prize money of up to 1,500 euros. Public schools as well as private schools can take part in the program.

Every school must submit a well-conceived climate plan to the ministry

Since its launch in 2022, more than 70 Bavarian schools have been named “climate schools”. This was preceded by a complex certification process. An expert jury examines whether the broad field of sustainability has really been and is being pursued comprehensively. The actions of the Fair Trade working group, which has existed for more than ten years, are an important, but only one of many pillars of the climate protection concept that the Camerloh high school submitted to the Bavarian State Ministry for Education and Culture.

In eight stages - the ministry has created a guide for this - teachers and students plan together the path to the climate school and get involved in this during their free time: They carry out surveys and measurements to track down “energy guzzlers”, organise information events, and collect the best ideas for a sustainable way of life and determine the carbon footprint of your school. This constitutes the basis for the sophisticated climate protection plan that every school must submit to the ministry. “It contains the goals that we have already achieved, that we are currently implementing and that we still plan for the future,” explains Andreas Decker, senior teacher and environmental officer at Camerloher High School.

Throughout M. Decker, all the threads for the school's climate concept come together. The school's waste has recently been properly separated - residual waste, paper, plastic and organic waste. A schedule regulates which class takes care of the proper disposal and when. The students are currently measuring the temperature in the classrooms and comparing them with the values determined during summertime. Do you need better insulation? That will be decided when all the results are there. “Next year we want to introduce a meat-free day in the cafeteria and ensure that even more regional products are used for our food,” says Anne Graf. The 17-year-old high school student is a member of the “Climate School” project seminar in high school and is responsible for the topic of nutrition. "I also plan to suggest healthy, vegetarian recipes to our chefs." It is the sum of many small measures that make a climate school a great role model.

Since this school year, the Ministry of Culture in Bavaria has set up a “BNE advisory network”[5] that is intended to support schools in the certification process. "We have to take action today and fight climate change - and not tomorrow or the day after. That's why we not only want to sensitise young people very early on, but also equip them with the skills to act in climate protection," says Bavarian Minister of Education Anna Stolz, describing the central goals of the "Climate School" program Bavaria". She aims “to reach at least at 300 climate schools in Bavaria by 2025”. The minister emphasises that the program should also motivate teachers and students to support friends or family members in making a contribution to climate protection. Paula Bäuerle from Camerloher High School is enthusiastically working as a multiplier. "I think it's great that I was able to convince my brother and my parents to buy fair trade chocolate," reports the high school student.

Climate ambassadors bring innovations from vocational schools to companies

The award is available in bronze, silver and gold. In order to achieve the highest qualification level, a school must be involved in all eight specified areas of action: waste, purchasing, nutrition, communication & networking, mobility, electricity, heat, compensation & carbon sequestration. And it must show how it can create the path to climate neutrality.

A lighthouse among the climate schools is the Mindelheim State Vocational School[6]. Because it is one of the few vocational schools that have taken part in the program so far and because it has “gold status”. The variety of sustainability projects that the school has implemented with 2,200 students at its locations in Mindelheim, Memmingen and Bad Wörishofen is correspondingly large. “We are aiming for climate neutrality by 2030,” says headmaster Gottfried Göppel. With the help of financial support from the Unterallgäu district[7], solar modules were installed on all roofs of the school buildings. In the area of mobility, the focus is on, among other things, carpooling, charging infrastructure for electric cars and a solar carport.

Together with teachers, vocational school students have developed so-called learning snacks - knowledge in small portions that is imparted online. This is about, for example, food waste or green apps. And who knows exactly what goes into a CO₂ footprint? The school also offers additional professional training to become a sustainability officer. In a vertical farming project, students produce vegetables in a container with a photovoltaic roof. The Mindelheim vocational school plans to soon bring the project to a school in Uganda.

Source

Stephanie Schmidt, Lernen zu handeln, in: Süddeutsche Zeitung, 6-12-2023, https://www.sueddeutsche.de/stil/schule-klimaschutz-nachhaltigkeit-programm-1.6310233

[1] With the Klimaschule Bayern (Climate School Bavaria) we give schools the opportunity to systematically set out on the path to greater climate protection. At the end there is a certificate that makes the commitment to climate protection visible to the outside world. This is how we promote awareness of climate protection. https://www.realschulebayern.de/aktuelles/einzelansicht/klimaschule-bayern/5742bce98d7ef4911e784340daa06a2e/#:~:text=Mit%20der%20%E2%80%9AKlimaschule%20Bayern%27%20geben,wir%20Bewusstsein%20f%C3%BCr%20den%20Klimaschutz.

[2] The Verbraucherschule des Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverbands (vzbv) (Consumer School Network of the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations) supports and promotes this commitment. We give interested schools nationwide initial help with implementation, regularly offer up-to-date information, support with online training and bring teachers together. Active schools can also apply for the consumer school award. https://www.vzbv.de/ueber-uns/projekte/verbraucherschule

[3] The Camerloher-Gymnasium is not a special school for arts subjects, but a state high school that is committed to the Bavarian curriculum in all areas. However, we are convinced that intensive and active engagement with cultural content is part of a comprehensive education of the whole personality. https://www.camerloher-gymnasium.de/schule

[4] Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung (BNE) (Education for Sustainable Development) stands for education that enables people to think and act in a sustainable manner. The implementation of the UNESCO programs for ESD, currently the world program "ESD 2030", has been coordinated in Germany by the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) (Federal Ministry of Education and Research) since 2015. https://www.bmbf.de/bmbf/de/bildung/bildung-fuer-nachhaltige-entwicklung/bildung-fuer-nachhaltige-entwicklung_node.html#:~:text=Bildung%20f%C3%BCr%20nachhaltige%20Entwicklung%20(BNE,2015%20federf%C3%BChrend%20vom%20BMBF%20koordiniert.

[5] The Bavarian State Ministry for Education and Culture has off an education advisory network for the 2023/2024 school year sustainable development (Beratungsnetzwerk BNE (consultation network)) at Bavarian Schools established. The BNE advisory network is established for each administrative district active and consists of teachers from all types of schools, the corresponding ones Perform consulting tasks. https://fibs.alp.dillingen.de/pdf?container_id=331263

[6] https://www.bsmn.de/

[7] Unterallgäu is a Landkreis (district) in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. Neighbouring districts are (from the north clockwise) Neu-Ulm, Günzburg, Augsburg, Ostallgäu, Oberallgäu, and the districts Ravensburg und Biberach in Baden-Württemberg. The district-free city Memmingen in the west of the district is nearly surrounded by the district. The capital of the district is Mindelheim.

#climate education #sustainability education

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texas-electricity-ratings · 10 months

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Renewables Save the Texas Grid

How Green Energy Bailed Out Texas

Renewables bailed out Texas when thermal powerplants fainted from the heat. Though fossil fuel plants are still important now, find out how more green energy may cut future electric prices.

It’s great when the underdogs end up saving the day. And in Texas electricity news, the underdogs have been wind and solar energy lately. But renewables saved the Texas grid during the last week of June when demand soared to a record high. Hopefully, this taught leaders a good lesson on the reliability of green energy vs. fossil fuels. Here's what happened last week and how it may help to get you cheap electricity.

A Record-Breaking Heatwave

It’s so hot in Texas right now you could fry an egg on your driveway. To make matters worse, a climate change-exasperated heat dome looms over Mexico and South Texas. This causes extreme heat and humidity in the state.

And on June 27, the demand for electricity was at an all-time high. The 80,828 MW needed to power the air conditioning of 26 million Texans tested ERCOT’s reliability to its limits.

Putting All Faith in Fossil Fuels

When the electricity grid’s pushed near the limit, catastrophe can happen. In February 2021, a winter storm caused blackouts that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Texans.

Since then, ERCOT and lawmakers made considerable steps to prevent blackouts like that. But, some may have bet on the wrong horse.

So far, reliability has been maintained by dispatchable power sources. These are the natural gas, coal, and nuclear power plants the state has at its disposal that have been weatherized. ERCOT can turn these on and off when needed. And there's a major political push to invest more into these dispatchable sources, purely run on fossil fuel. However, these failed during the last week of June amid record-breaking demand.

Due to unplanned outages, 8,000 MW of natural gas capacity went offline. And the unexpected loss of 2,300 MW from coal power made the situation even worse.

Renewables to the Rescue

But thanks to wind, solar, and utility-scale batteries, the Texas energy supply went on as normal. The 31,000 MW generated by green sources powered 3.6 million Texan homes. Solar, in particular, rose to a challenge. On June 27th, solar power was generating at 62% of its installed capacity. Surprisingly, the very rays that make Texans turn the AC on are the same that saved the grid.

Green renewables help beat the heat with lower Electricity Prices.

Renewables Are The Future

The energy created from green sources isn’t just environmentally friendly. It’s also a lot cheap to make and gives customers low electricity prices.

The Texas power grid will need to prepare for more high-demand days this summer. The estimated peak demand is currently at 82,739 MW. But, with the rising Texan population and global warming, this is just the start.

Luckily, there are plans to invest in more renewable dispatchable power in Texas too. Apart from wind and solar, these plans involve geothermal, hydro, and biomass. However, the roll-out of these is very slow without proper political support.

Shop a Green Plan in Texas

Historically, the price of electricity is always the highest when the demand is high. So, buying in the summer isn't ideal. But, having a fixed-rate plan is often still better than going month to month.

The best way you can support renewable energy is by getting a 100% green plan. They’re often cheaper too. Visit www.texaselectricityratings.com to find the best green deals for your home.

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walkingscottst · 11 months

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BLOG 7: POLITICAL PERCEPTIONS OF TOURISM

There are 195 countries in the world. Very few people will ever have intimate knowledge of all 195 countries, or even more than maybe a handful. In the uber-connected internet age, this might seem crazy, but the rapid spread of information is just that. Rapidly spreading information. It doesn't mean that everyone has first hand experiences and knowledge of the world at large, it means that information is available and being consumed on a mass scale.

Sometimes, it is high quality information that really can educate people on different parts of the world where they may never set foot. However, often times, small pieces of information are heavily saturated and over-circulated to the point that they feel like the whole truth. One headline may come to define someone's entire perception of something, not because it is the only relevant information about it, but because that information is all that the person has. That said, they will still feel like they have some knowledge about it, because something feels like a lot more than nothing.

Anthony Bourdain gave us an extreme example of how one experience or case-study of information can drastically impact someone's perception of a travel destination. In this case, it is much more traumatizing and personal than simply watching a film. Watching the airport explode is a memory he will never be able to escape, as well as an experience that really puts things into perspective. I think I would have also needed to "take a break from food" as he put it, and I would have been dissuaded from any travel in the near future, regardless of how safe or unsafe I found the destination to be.

Argo does not paint a very welcoming or travel friendly portrait of Iran. Based on the experiences of the American citizens in the movie Argo, I would never travel to Iran. This is an example of how powerful the media portrayal of destinations can be, because it is the only information I have on the experience of an American traveling to Iran. If I were considering traveling there, I would be sure to educate myself with an array of sources to make a more well rounded decision, as opposed to just watching one movie and considering it the standard.

I think political history is important when considering travel destinations, but it is important to recognize that it is just that. History. For a smaller-scale example a little bit closer to home, I think of Detroit. It still has the reputation of being extremely unsafe, when in reality, there are large portions of Detroit that are unrecognizable when compared to the city's more dangerous history. Just because a country was once safe or unsafe does not mean it has remained that way. There is a level of discomfort that may come with knowing that a country was once an unsafe place, but it is important not to let political history and reputation be a conclusive statement about the current climate.

Travel safety, comfort, and choices are so multi-factorial. There are so many amazing places to visit, each one with a rich history, and becoming educated on all of the facets of the destination are important when deciding where to visit next.

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xtruss · 1 year

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In US, Military Special Interests Wag The US Foreign Policy Dog

— Franz Gayl, Retired Marine Corps Infantry Officer and a Former Pentagon Employee | February 01, 2023

Illustration: Chen Xia/Global Times

An active duty US four-star general recently expressed his belief that the US will go to war against China over Taiwan island in 2025 in a memo sent to the officers he commands. The memo predictably found its way into the public domain.

That prediction is only the latest of many by senior US military officials in recent years. They are all similar in content, but each one in succession has a nearer time horizon. Their prophesies consistently omit the fact that China steadfastly expresses its preference for reunification by peaceful means.

The permissibility of such public warmongering by uniformed US generals and admirals calls into question civilian control of the military firewalling officers from foreign policy development. The typical outcome is that such sensational media reports of military concern alarm the White House and Congress alike. In the case of Taiwan island, this leads to the increased production of advanced weapons and their accelerated delivery. The knee-jerk policy responses to military coercion are things observed in the foreign countries the US has condemned and fought in wars against in the past.

Given that all evidence points to a role reversal in US national security policy-making, there must be a rational explanation for an otherwise unconstitutional evolution.

Beginning with the spectacular victory of the all-volunteer US military in the first Gulf War, the negativity of the Vietnam war was finally overcome. In the years and decades that have followed the military has rightfully emerged as an exemplary, though less representative class, that showcases the best in American character.

At the same time members of Congress are unencumbered by conscription, and far fewer have elected to serve in the military. This gave rise to two phenomena. The civilian political class today lacks military insight and expertise, increasing its dependence on active duty and retired military leaders in policy development. Additionally, Congress' reduced service credentials have cowed many elected officials from challenging military perspectives and resource requests out of fear of being characterized as unpatriotic.

As a consequence, new generations of general officers and admirals have emerged as celebrated and largely untouchable public figures. In particular, four-star flag officers now constitute an elite special class that is considered above reproach by default, roughly corresponding to a form of American royalty. Four-star flag officers in particular, are fawned over by the media, Congress, and throughout the Executive Branch, and coveted for employment in the defense industry and media as retirees.

The recent public senior leader comments presume an ever more immanent conflict with China, and imply support for an increase in US Indo-Pacific Command military capabilities and arms sales for and to Taiwan island. In a fashion that is indistinguishable from civilian obedience to the military, an uncritical US president and Congress reflexively concur.

General officers and admirals are anything but irrational. Knowing from precedent that the impact of warmongering words could have on policy in the current climate, what caused an active-duty leader to depart from our tradition of military subordination to civilian leadership? Public messaging is as impactful as issuing orders.

Despite their rightfully celebrated status, like all human beings, senior generals and admirals are fallible and are not immune to conflicts of interest. They are not insulated from powerful factors that have little to do with the best interests of their Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines or even American society. Instead, they find themselves torn and politicized within a network comprised of competing interests.

These often include their future ambitions as four-star flag officers are at the peak and nearing the end of their military careers. They also could include personal loyalties to and friendships with retired senior mentors under whom they once served and who are now working in defense industries with revenue and profit agendas. Finally, they might want to preserve their forward leaning legacies, all the while with a subconscious awareness that advocating a bigger stronger military in the nearer term improves their odds of being coveted by the largest defense contractors in retirement.

Mind reading is impossible, and some out-lying officers may indeed be immune to such forces. But past precedent is informative in the case of future retired military four-star employment.

For example, Lockheed Martin Corporation, BAE Systems Inc., Raytheon Technologies, and Huntington Ingalls Shipbuilding all employ four-star flag officers. These do not count the many dozens of retired three, two and one-star generals and admirals that are employed on boards throughout the defense industry.

A number of retired four-star generals and admirals spread across just eight of the US' largest defense contractors is noteworthy. Together, these eight companies are overwhelmingly responsible for and benefiting from the arming of Taiwan island and US preparedness to fight China.

Returning to the issue of any rational active duty flag officer's public comments having a predictably out-sized influence on American foreign policy, a permissive US government culture is suspect. Any suggestion that Chinese mainland will likely invade Taiwan island in 2025 when that comment does not reflect China's history or preference for peaceful reunification fails to promote a One China policy. Instead, it could be interpreted as an incitement to fight influenced by a network of competing material interests.

— The author is a retired Marine Corps infantry officer and a former Pentagon employee. Opinions are of the author and do not represent the US government.

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oblivionwithbells · 1 year

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I Read Former NASA Chief Climatologist James Hansen's 'A Realistic Path To A Bright Future' Letter So You Don't Have To

I realise not everyone has time to read former NASA chief climatologist James Hansen's letter 'A Realistic Path to a Bright Future' about the state of the climate emergency, so I've read it and summarised what I think are the key quotes from it are below :

(emphases in bold are mine)

'An essential early requirement is that global greenhouse gas emissions begin to decline during this 4th decade of the Framework Convention.'

'China and the United States … [a]s the largest economies in the world, … have the ability to alter the global energy pathway via agreement on simple, honest carbon pricing, but adequate pricing becomes practicable only in concert with advances in carbon-free energy technologies including modern nuclear power.'

'Young people in the United States have the most urgent and crucial task: to fix the broken two-party political system.'

'To achieve the bright future, young people must understand what is needed and affect the political process accordingly.'

'[I]t’s certain that global warming will exceed 1.5°C and almost certain that it will exceed 2°C. That’s what real data from the physical sciences tells us.'

'The present large planetary energy imbalance should cause a new global temperature record to be reached by 2023 or 2024.'

'Barring the unlikely event of a Pinatubo-scale volcanic eruption, the +1.5°C level should be breached within a decade.'

'The inertia of the climate system allows us the opportunity to ameliorate consequences, if we understand the climate system and take sensible actions.'

'The eventual response to [current projection of climate change] – if it is left in place – will be global warming of about 4°C'

(above) 'This is the most important graph – carbon intensity – the amount of carbon per unit energy. Carbon intensity must go to near zero to solve the climate problem.'

(above) 'Global energy consumption since 1965 increased by more than a factor of three. Renewables – the green area – are increasing, but not enough to replace other energies. Because the carbon intensity of the energy decreased only from 80% to 70%, global CO2 emissions – the graph on the right – increased by a factor of three.'

'Emerging economies will be the source of most future emissions. So we should work together with China, India, Indonesia, Viet Nam…and other economies that are growing rapidly.'

(above) 'Today, China has the greatest emissions. China, the U.S. and India produce half of global emissions, as shown by the pie chart on the left. However, global warming is accurately proportional to cumulative emissions – total historical emissions – the pie chart on the right. The West – especially the United States – is responsible for more than half of historical emissions, despite the relatively small population of the West.'

'[O]n a per capita basis – using today’s populations – the U.S., the U.K., and Germany are the three major nations most responsible for global warming. Per capita responsibilities of China and India are much smaller.'

'[A]ll nations want to raise living standards. That’s the priority of governments. So, given the energy options readily available today, emissions will rise.'

'Special interests wade in the Washington swamp and bribe politicians. Politicians lie to the public to try to gain favor, for example, by declaring that climate change is a hoax.'

'A rising carbon price is the basic requirement to solve the climate problem; it will make all other actions to reduce emissions work better and faster.'

'When China and the United States agree on a rising carbon fee, the climate problem will be on the way to solution, and we will have a much cleaner, healthier, world.'

'When President Xi of China and Prime Minister Modi of India say that they will aim for net zero emissions by 2060 and 2070, they recognize the difficulty of the task and the fact that the world is not taking actions to make carbon intensity dive rapidly toward zero. The required actions are a rising carbon fee – to make the price of fossil fuels include their costs to society – and modern nuclear power as cheap as fossil fuels.'

'History shows that once a good design for a nuclear power plant is approved, nuclear power provides the fastest way to decarbonize because of the massive amount of energy provided by each power plant.'

'We must look at real data to assess the global situation. We cannot rely on soothing words heard at the COPs, words about goals for 2050. The data are damning. The data reveal minimal progress toward the zero carbon intensity goal. The data should make us suspect that carbon-free plans for 2050 are in part a hoax, a "scheme," as opposed to true carbon-free energy. Beware of any reference to "net zero" or "offsets."'

'The crucial requirement is that electricity generation be truly carbon-free. In most countries carbon-free electricity is unlikely to be achieved without a significant contribution from nuclear power.'

'Absolute proof of the pudding is the greenhouse gases. Look at what happened since the Paris Agreement of 2015. Gases are growing as fast as ever. A pathway to keep warming to 1.5°C was defined, but already a gap has opened up that would cost about $1 trillion dollars per year to close. Boris Johnson claimed that COP26 was a success – the goal to keep global warming below 1.5°C was still achievable. That assessment is pure, unadulterated bullshit. There is now no chance whatever of keeping global warming below 1.5°C. Young people, you cannot count on today’s politicians to solve the problem – you must get involved – don’t be discouraged – look at it as an invigorating challenge.'

'Large sea level rise is the irreversible climate impact that we must avoid. We are warming the ocean and it is beginning to melt the ice shelves around Antarctica. We may be close to the tipping point at which the West Antarctic ice sheet collapses and sea level goes up several meters. Contrary to the impression left by models that IPCC relies on, we know from Earth’s history that ice sheet collapse is exponential.'

'One consequence of sea level rise, low latitude overheating, and climate disasters will be increased emigration pressure that could make the planet almost ungovernable.'

'The underlying cause has long been recognized: the role that money is allowed to play in our democracy.'

'I have great confidence that young people today are even better able to take on the task of saving our democracy and their future.'

'[A third political party in the U.S.] should advocate and fight for ranked voting in as many states and locales as possible.'

'I am confident … that the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) badly understated the threat of large, rapid sea level rise.'

'[I]f greenhouse gas emissions remain high – feedbacks associated with these ocean changes will cause exponential sea level rise of several meters by the end of the century – consistent with the nonlinear way that ice sheet disintegration has almost always occurred in the past.'

'[I]ce sheet disintegration is an exponential process and large sea level rise this century is the expected outcome, if high emissions continue.'

'Adaptation is needed, but it will be ineffectual for most coastal cities in the event of exponential sea level rise by several meters. With high emissions, coastal fortification would prolong the lifetime of such cities by only several years. A majority of the world’s largest cities are coastal. If ice sheet disintegration is allowed to pass a point of no return, today’s young people thus could inherit a situation that’s out of their control.'

'Our expectation of multi-meter sea level rise on the time scale of a century refers to the case of continued high greenhouse gas emissions. The time scale for ice sheet collapse and large sea level rise might be longer if greenhouse gas emissions are much reduced and global warming is more limited. Despite uncertainty in the time scale of the ice sheet response, paleoclimate data imply that we will need to aim to return to a global climate no warmer than the mid-20th century, and perhaps cooler, if we wish to maintain reasonably stable sea level.'

'[C]ondemnation of investigation of ways to alleviate global warming impacts – and demonize them all with the "geoengineering" label – is unhelpful. We already are geoengineering the dickens out of the planet, pumping energy into the ocean at a rate that’s much greater than any time in Earth’s history that we know about.'

'I am sorry that we are leaving you – young people – with such a burden, but I know that you will accept it as a challenge. You have a magnificent opportunity to change the course of history this decade, to move the world onto a realistic path to a bright future for your own sake and for that of your children, grandchildren and future generations.'

#Climate #Climate change #Climate emergency #global warming #global heating #James Hansen #We don't have time #WeDontHaveTime

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charlotteswebbbbb · 2 years

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What's the vibe? #6

Politics:

New chancellor, Jeremy Hunt (yeah, I know, another one) has done a policy u-turn. Things that will affect spending is mostly the energy bills support is going to be slashed after 6 months instead of 2 years (so April 2023 and beyond is going to be brutal) and Income Tax is going to stay at 20p. (Income Tax Factsheet from before U-turn)

Meta partners with Microsoft to bring Teams, Windows apps and games. Not sure where this is going yet but something to keep an eye on for the future of work and play. Meta also just added legs but I don't think this is even on the radar of cool.

*For marketing purposes only*

*Project Starline, 3D calls from Google will be tested by Google employees. The video actually looks quite interesting as it looks quite realistic/futuristic? "Project Starline is a video-calling booth that uses 3D imagery, high-resolution cameras, custom depth sensor sensors and a breakthrough light field display to create a lifelike experience for callers on both sides of the screen — and all without a required headset." - TechCrunch. Something for maybe connecting long distance families in a high quality call setting?

youtube

Interesting things/ people:

Elon Musk's perfume titled Burnt Hair was released last week, at $100 a bottle - people's desire to try gimmicks and new things has not gone away.

Fenty eau de parfum ad?

youtube

Little Simz won the Mercury Prize :)

In Sustainablity:

"For recycling business partners, including informal waste collectors, Waste4Change is building a platform to help them sell and buy solid waste with the company. The goal is increase the traceability and accuracy of the waste management process. It is also working on a program called Send Your Waste, where consumers can send waste to Waste4Change’s pick-up points. An app tells them what kinds of waste to send, where the nearest pick-up point is and what kind of reward they can receive.

Junerosano says informal waste collectors tend to be selective about the materials they collect, picking out PET bottles, glass and cardboard. But this means less desirable materials like PP plastic, multilayer packaging and styrofoam are often left behind, polluting the environment. To combat that, Waste4Change has started a service called Waste Credit, that gives incentives for picking up certain materials, and also makes it easy for waste collectors to build this businesses."

Flushable pads? Would be interesting if this was available cheaply or even for customers who want to have a low waste experience.

Reading List:

Dreams for the ICA - places trying to become culturally interesting again? Trying to make money? Rave politics to be explored.

Interesting conversation on drinking alcohol but also about the rise of non alcoholic drinks:

Upcoming events:

COP27 is happening in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt from 6-18 November 2022. Looking out for interesting climate ideas and discussions.

Men's World Cup in Qatar, 20th November 2022 - team spirit??? Women's team is way better imo but Women's World Cup isn't until next year and I think England team has a great chance of winning after beating the current champions (USA) a few weeks ago.

2-1 England V USA (7 Oct 2022)

0-0 England V Czech Republic (11 Oct 2022)

Thank you!!

#vibe #what's the vibe #Youtube #parsed

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thepiresearchusa · 2 years

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Why Delivering A Great Customer Experience Is Important?

When people discuss customer experience, they mean the traditional sales and marketing touchpoints that show the customer's journey. In the past few years, customer experience investment yielded good results like increased sales, customer acquisition, customer retention, and loyalty. But currently, with the advent of digitization, the world has changed.

The way customers interact with brands has changed and evolved. Even before the Covid-19 pandemic struck the world, digital media was already ruling our lives and businesses were able to create a great customer experience utilizing digital media. Currently, we are on the brink of a customer experience renaissance. It is not going away but it is actually a value proposition that is stalling because several fundamentals of customer experience are just no longer enough for ensuring growth.

Understanding customer experience

Customer experience can be described as the perception of a customer towards a brand. These perceptions can definitely lead to lifelong loyalty and steadfastness towards the particular brand.

In today's uncertain climate customer service and customer experience are the two very hot topics that every business is focused upon. From 2020, consumers are empowered like never before as the business has been able to deliver a great customer experience by driving revenue and loyalty in the long run. Therefore, downplaying the importance of customer service and experience in this difficult Covid-19 situation is no longer an option for businesses as the voices of the customer are getting louder every day. Therefore, investing effort and time into customer experience is usually the main focus of at least nine 68% of marketers as it is the only source of generating high revenue.

Know the reasons why customer experience is a matter of growing importance

1. Customer satisfaction is more crucial than ever

Companies worldwide have an average customer satisfaction of 86%. It is the key to exceeding your customer's expectations. Brands have to be dependable, accurate and have to offer the service that they have guaranteed. The opportunity thereby lies in their ability to deliver whatever they have promised and surprise them with extra support and care. A completely satisfied customer is said to be contributing 2.6 times more revenue than a somewhat satisfied or dissatisfied customer. Thus, the main goal is to create a constant customer experience by meeting all the touchpoints.

2. Customer advocacy is a powerful tool

Word of mouth is one of the best tools that a company can rely on. The fact is 84% of customers do not trust advertisements anymore. People now seek third-party validation while they make online purchases. They would look for online reviews before they would make a purchase or ask their friends to share their own experience of the product or services. That is the reason why customer advocacy is important for your business to prosper.

3. New Shoppers are likely to turn into your loyal customers

Creating an ultimate experience actually creates a long-lasting influence on your shopper. This also ensures that they keep returning to your business in the near future. A superior customer experience is often valued and can be considered a unique asset for a business. Acquiring a new customer can actually cause the business seven times more than maintaining an existing one. Therefore, investing in your existing customers can actually pay you well off. However, it's only a matter of time as you have to wait for the positive results. Also, if your customer is unhappy, then you have to try responding to the negative feedback politely and try to find out the best possible solutions to their issue.

4. Standing out in the crowd no longer matters

It is actually very difficult and harder to differentiate yourself from other businesses, especially when everyone is sharing the common strategy online that is great content. However, a competitive advantage is huge and thereby a customer experience could be a perfect tool that can help you to stand out in the crowd and outshine your competitors. Today, customer feedback has become the most precious tool which you can utilize to the fullest. 88% of customers now read reviews to determine the quality of a business and the customer experience that people are deriving out of it.

5. Bespoke content and experiences are the keys

In uncertain times, trusted relationships with your customers have now become extremely important. In a world where we are touched by hundreds of adverts and brands every day, building a strong relationship with your customer may be difficult but not impossible. Try personalizing their experiences. Make each one of your customers feel unique and special by sending a positive message that they are being cared for and are important to your business. By doing so, you are a step ahead in generating a better chance of building trust with them. This, therefore, creates a long-lasting and strong relationship with your customers.

Are you ready to deliver an exceptional customer experience?

There is no doubt that the key to any company or brand’s success is customer experience. And a great customer experience will always start with good customer service. Leaders who push beyond the customer experience strategies and redefine their organization with not just services or products they offer and sell, but actually the experiences that they deliver to the customers will definitely emerge as a stronger organization by igniting growth.

Pi Research and media is one such organization that has been pioneering in delivering a great customer experience. We have been understanding the need of companies for harnessing the power of customer data and embracing technological advances for creating an experience that responds to people's unmet new and ever-changing needs

#cx market research #custom market research services

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farnoush-farsiar9hffdd33 · 2 years

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How can firms that manage wealth be prepared for turbulent times? [Farnoush Farsiar]

Generational changes. Global mobility. Technology transformation. Farnoush Farsiar Farnoush Farsiar from EU Today discusses the major changes that impact family offices and are fundamentally threatening operating structures and practices. Family offices cater to more mobile, tech-savvy and younger generations. Due to the financial crisis, all clients are now more interested and involved in their investment. These changes occur at a crucial time in the economic and political crisis. If the offices attempt to maintain their current strategies and methods, they could realize that the people they were created to assist will not be able to keep them. https://www.privatebankerinternational.com/author/farnoushfarsiar/ They need to adapt to a more entrepreneurial approach in the field of investment management, to provide UHNWIs an authentic value proposition. Family offices differ greatly in terms of dimensions and scope, but irrespective of this they should focus on agility and improving their services, rather than striving to be specialists at everything. Customers will get better service when they have fewer advisors that can quickly implement new technologies and bring in outside specialists when needed. This has led to the blurring of distinctions between private banks and family offices. The most successful firms will continue to maintain the trust of family offices and the level of trust they receive while keeping up with the latest technology in sourcing deals and adopting new technologies. It is a good idea if you can leverage traditional, network- and reputation-based methods of dealsourcing, while making use of online tools to identify deals and opportunities. Farnoush Farsiar https://twitter.com/brexitcentral/status/1151733390485467136 Wealth managers and private offices that can manage large numbers of deals on the internet are superior to banks with a cumbersome structure. Dealmakers are able to access and analyze large numbers of deals simultaneously and this can be a substantial time and resource saving. Wealthica is another online platform which has changed the way a family office interacts with clients. Wealthica's dashboards automate the consolidation of investments from different sources. Clients can have daily contact with their investments. This is a lot superior to the past when wealth management only provided periodic updates about the condition and status of the money they had earned for their clients. These tools aren't the only way wealth managers can increase efficiency and speed of their operations. Farnoush Farsiar The strategy which underpins their investment strategy is the most important factor. It is important to combine the traditional and new. For instance keep searching for deals in real estate and also look into investment opportunities in emerging areas such as food security or climate science. Impact investing has certainly 'arrived' within the family office industry. According to the UBS Global Family Office Report 2018 found that a third of family officers are actively engaged in impact investing. Many expect to take part in the near future. There are a myriad of issues with this field including the difficulty in assessing impact and conducting due diligence. But, the next generation UHNWIs, and HNWIs, are likely to expect family offices to determine and secure investments in this area. Plato Capital is my boutique investment bank. Plato Capital draws from the experiences of its founders who have worked in large banks as well as the technology sector. Plato Capital provides investment advice that focuses on the entrepreneurial. Our clients are able to successfully control risk and receive the highest returns from their capital due to our local network. Wealth managers can thrive in turbulent times by blending past and the future and adapting to the demands of the young generation and taking risks with their own structures.

#Farnoush Farsiar

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