#saltwater intrusion

[workersolidarity]

🇺🇲 CURRENT AND PREDICTED TIMELINE FOR SALTWATER INTRUSION UP THE MISSISSIPPI AND INTO THE NEW ORLEANS WATER SUPPLY

A lack of rainfall in the Mississippi River basen has allowed denser saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico to intrude slowly up the Mississippi River over the last two months.

Current estimates put the saltwater intrusion reaching the New Orleans water supply in Algiers by October 20th, and the Carrollton water treatment plant by October 28th. Currently preparations are being made for the intrusion to last about 3 months, or until roughly late January according to top city officials citing data collected by the Army Corps of Engineers.

On Wednesday, the Biden Administration declared a Federal emergency after a formal request by Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards.

According to New Orleans Sewage & Water Board the city's drinking water "is safe" for now.

#source

#source2

#nola news #nola #new orleans #new orleans news #louisiana news #us news #news #politics #us politics #mississippi river #saltwater intrusion #socialism #communism #marxism leninism #socialist politics #socialist news #socialist #communist #marxism #marxist leninist #world news #global news #international news #natural disasters #drinking water #american news #environment #environmental news #america news #north america

[shapa-likes-art]

Urghrgh

Someone write this essay for meeee

#its only the first week and I dont wanna to the core subject work #I mean its not that hard of an essay to write tbh but I dont have the energy to write 300+ words abt saltwater intrusion #me just wanna make art #shapa's ramblings

[hannahmont121]

Saltwater Threat to Louisiana and Mississippi Residents 2023

For the second year in a row, water levels along the Mississippi River have plummeted as a result from the blazing summer heat with little rain fall. This has triggered droughts across the United States and more so has affected southern states like Mississippi and Louisiana tremendously. With plummeting water levels in the Mississippi, a surge of saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico is pushing upstream which will pollute drinking water for thousands of residents. 

Water from the Mississippi River normally flows at a rate that can keep water from the Gulf from moving upstream. The flowrate must be above 300,000 cubic feet per second in order to keep saltwater from intruding. Saltwater is more dense than fresh water and forms a wedge shape at the bottom of the riverbend. So, with water levels dropping due to a drought a wedge of saltwater starts pushing upstream affecting drinking water systems. 

Many homeowners, businesses, and communities will be affected. Communities will have to stock up on bottles of water; not only will the drinking water be contaminated, but city pipelines would also become corroded and the region’s water infrastructure will be greatly impacted. If saltwater is lingering in the pipelines, lead contamination can occur. Lead contamination can affect the heart, kidneys, and nerves and can result in impaired cognition and behavioral disorders if children are exposed. High levels of saltwater can damage plumbing systems, cooling systems and water heaters for homeowners. During harvest season barges will have to be docked and river ports will be blocked affecting local businesses. 

In July with nearly 2,000 Plaquemines parish residents were unable to drink from the tap. As of July, a 1,500-foot-wide levee was built underwater to serve as a barrier to prevent the saltwater moving upstream. Currently, the Army Corp are now working to make this levee 25 feet taller in order to slow the saltwater rate. With the Saltwater intrusion projected to hit New Orleans late October – early November many businesses and homeowners have invested in installing their own reverse osmosis water filters to make water safer to drink. The Army Corp also announced plans to distribute nearly 36 million gallons of freshwater a day with barges to reduce the salt content in the water. A pipeline proposal is also in place to help deliver freshwater from upstream, which could cost roughly $100 million to $250 million to build. 

Currently, I believe that the underwater pipeline is a temporary fix to slow the rate of the saltwater intrusion, but I don’t believe that this is enough to solve the issue. My fear is that the lingering salt water in the pipes will corrode, and our pipelines will be contaminated with lead. I believe some people are hesitant to trust authorities about the saltwater intrusion issue because of the way the state has handled its infrastructure and government funding. My hope is that the state can fund to build new pipelines so that water can be safe for drinking. 

#saltwater intrusion Mississippi water level

[worldofpublichealth]

How are Southeast Louisiana Residents being affected by the Mississippi Saltwater Intrusion?

If you have not yet been made aware, the Mississippi River has been in a longtime turf war with the Gulf of Mexico and it is not looking good. The force of water from the river is usually enough to push the Gulf of Mexico's waters back. However, due to a drought affecting the country this year, the Gulf of Mexico's waters have outpowered that of the Mississippi. This has resulted in an upstream of saltwater into the Mississippi River, affecting thousands of Southeast Louisiana residents who now have water with unsafe salinity levels due to the intrusion.

Many Southeast Louisiana communities depend on the Mississippi River as their source of fresh water, the most important use being drinking water. Drinking water with such high salt levels poses various health risks, especially for those who suffer from hypertension, kidney disease, or pregnant residents. This environmental issue also puts healthy residents at risk for complications such as hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Many occupants have been relying on bottled water for both drinking and cooking to avoid these complications, however, this has provided some financial strain to those. The saltwater intrusion has also affected farmers, who rely on the Mississippi River for irrigation systems. Saltwater harms both crops and the infrastructure commonly used in farming. The shipping industry is another industry that has been affected by the saltwater intrusion. The narrowing of many of the channels has affected the navigation of certain ships.

Currently, efforts are being made to provide residents with the safest water possible. One of the proposed methods is a pipeline that provides water that has been sourced upstream, where the intrusion does not affect the salinity of the water. Other efforts include simply reducing the salt content by mixing it with fresh water. That being said, I believe the issue is being handled appropriately, however, I hope they pick the option that puts the safety of the region first. While I believe this, many residents are likely comprehensive on trusting those in authority due to past issues in other cities such as Flint, Michigan. New Orleans is a predominantly black city, much like Flint Michigan, which is infamous for the neglect of their governments handling their safe water. New Orleans is the biggest city affected by the saltwater intrusion, making being apprehensive on whether or not the authorities will prioritize them due to the city being mostly comprised of black people. Provided below is a link on the Flint Water Crisis if you would like to know more.

Currently, the outlook on the water status in New Orleans and the rest of Southeast Louisiana is positive! The salinity levels are projected to continually decrease as they continue working on it, so time will tell.

Madison Clay

#Public Health #Mississippi saltwater intrusion #New Orleans

[justfangirlstuffs]

So Much More

Adjustment periods can be difficult, job hunting even more so. But an unexpected visitor comes to provide a pleasant distraction. (Takes place after A Saltwater Room.) You x Sea Slug Moon

Wordcount: 2900

cw: slightly suggestive

Sea Slug AU belongs to @scarredlove

“Hello, sea star,” a voice spoke from your open bedroom window, causing you to nearly jump out of your skin.

You whipped around to see Moon climbing in through your window, his red eyes gleaming bright with delight and mischief. "Moon, you shouldn't be here," you muttered, hurriedly going to your bedroom door and closing it, locking it for good measure so no one came in unannounced. Your aunt said she'd be working late, and your cousin was staying the night elsewhere but... couldn't be too careful.

It had been several days since you'd been reunited with Moon and his siblings, Sun and Eclipse. Once you had believe them to be simple if not strange sea slugs that you had loved and lost years ago. Only to discover that in truth, they were some manner of mythical sea creature. Sea slugs, yet so much more than that. More than you could have ever guessed.

Honestly, you were still getting used to having them back in your life. It had been so long since you've seen them. They were so different, and you were different too. Time had chafed you, made you rough and tender around the edges. It didn't help that you were already going through an immense transition in your life. So suddenly having them back in your life... it was a lot.

"And yet, here I am," Moon giggled mischievously, leaning on the wall near the window.

The moonlight cast his shadow on the wall and reflected on his dazzling robes, the patterns of bio luminescence drawing your gaze with their mesmerizing beauty. His eyes were shining with amusement but he didn't look like he had any bad or malicious intentions.

His voice softened a margin. "Don't be mad... I just wanted to see you.”

The words cause an undeniable, split-second lift to your mood. When was the last time someone said those words to you? It felt like forever... "I'm not mad," you said quickly, wanting to reassure him in some form or fashion. You sat back down at your desk, with the newspaper classified ads spread out before you. "You guys just have a habit of showing up without warning. It can be..." What was a tactful way to put it? "...stressful."

The antennae on his hood twitched and drooped a bit. You didn't know it, but your words did make him feel a bit guilty. After all, he was known for sometimes being very intrusive and showing up unexpectedly, even when he's uninvited or at undesirable times. He took a step forward, leaning forward over your desk but not yet invading your personal space. Though by the look in his eyes it was on his mind.

"Well...we're family, right?" he said, as if that was enough of a justification for his actions. His head tilted to the side, his expression softening as his shoulders drooped a little. "Besides... aren't you happy to see me?"

You thought about that question. Which, yeah, wild that you even had to think about it. Most people would probably find it weird; shouldn't you be able to just.... know how you feel? Yet you had to pause, and reflect, and try and identify your mental state. And then you had to find the words to express it. It was like wading through static.

"I'm not unhappy," you said finally, looking at him sincerely. "And I'm not asking you to leave."

Moon was slightly taken back by your answer, but his eyes glimmered with amusement. "Well, that's a good start." He leaned a bit further on your desk, slowly closing the gap that was between you and him. "But you're not totally pleased by my presence either, are you? You're just tolerating it, is that right?" The corners of his lips curved upwards, as if he was daring you to try to lie.

"It's not that, it's just..." You bit your lip and glanced away from him, looking down at the multitude of jobs you'd either circled or crossed out. Such a simple task, yet for you it had been a monolith chore. "I just don't feel like I'm the greatest company right now."

He let his lips thin out, the smirk was replaced by concern. This wasn't the response he was hoping for. It might not be the worst that he could have heard, but it was not the best answer he could've gotten. His expression softened, his body became less imposing and he sat down on the bed beside your desk, gazing at you whilst taking care not to cross your personal space.

"Are you not feeling alright?" He asked earnestly, you could tell he was genuinely concerned for you and not just asking out of politeness.

Wasn't that a loaded question? But thankfully at least you had an immediate source of stress you could identify and voice.

"I need to find a job." You sighed, pinching bridge of your nose and squeezing your eyes shut for a moment. "I've been applying to various places but... I keep getting rejected."

It was tiring, and it was stressful, and it was such a soul sucking ordeal. Putting in the effort, waiting to hear back, only to be overlooked or declined. Not exactly a boon towards your self-esteem.

"Why do you need a job?" he asked curiously, head tilted to the side. He was still sitting near you, his legs crossed and hands resting in his lap. It was such an ordinary position but something about it made him seem even more approachable and calm. It was a stark contrast to his usual self that often seemed impish and playful.

"Because... I need to make money. I need to help out. I can't.... I can't be a waste of space." You voice broke over those last three words, like glass shattering against rocks. Tears burned your eyes as your anxiety swelled.

Moon's eyes widened in shock at your sudden breakdown, you looked... fragile and vulnerable, yet your words had an underlying tone of determination to them. You spoke as if you were ashamed and have to pay for simply existing in this world. His expression softened, he immediately reached out and grasped your hand. His skin was soft and cool, the texture far too smooth and alien to be human, yet it felt comforting.

"You're not a waste of space," he said in a quiet voice, his long fingers carefully lacing with yours. "Not to me. To me, you're... so much more than that."

Tears dripped down your face, and even though his words didn't completely calm your fears, they were until to keep you from getting pulled under by the riptide of anxiety. Moon's touch and genuine affection was like a life preserver keeping you afloat on rough waters. You were still getting tossed, but you weren't drowning.

"Thank you," you murmured, giving his hand a firm squeeze.

"Anytime," he answered, continuing to speak in that soft and gentle way. "And also..." He hesitated for a moment, but he looked at you. His gaze was sincere and genuine, like he wanted to say something but afraid of ruining the mood. "You can always come to me when you're feeling like this. I just... don't want you to be alone during these difficult times. Not again."

That managed to bring a small smile to your face, and you sniffled, wiping your tears with the sleeve of your jacket. "I'll keep that in mind, if I ever want to pal around with a troublemaker like you."

"Aww, troublemaker, huh?" He chuckled, a mischievous grin slowly spreading across his face as he squeezed your hand a bit. "A compliment from you? What a surprise. I feel honored."

A snort of mirth erupted from you and you had to grab some tissues to clear out your sinuses before you felt a little better. Moon shifted slightly in his seat, trying to get comfortable, though it's evident that all he wants to do is to get closer to you. He gave your hand a small tug, silently urging you to sit on the bed with him. You gave a heavy sigh but decided to let him pull you away from work to plop onto your mattress beside him.

"Wanna know a secret?" he asked, his antennae twitching restlessly.

"Oh, a secret?" you murmured, giving your voice an edge of conspiratorial playfulness. "Now I feel honored."

"It's about you." The glint in his eyes was impish and his smirk indicated that he was up to something. "But don't tell anyone, alright? Keep it between yourself and your old pal Moon."

"My lips are sealed." You drew your hand across your mouth like you were closing a zipper. "So, what's the secret?"

"The secret is..." He shifted his body closer to you - close but not too close- and you caught the scent of sea breeze and something sweet... like watermelons. His gaze sharpened on you, as if he was studying every small detail about your face.

His smile was still etched right across his features and you could practically feel his excitement building up. He took a deep breath as if he was about to tell you something that was forbidden. He whispered the words into your ear.

"You're beautiful." He had finally found a word that fit perfectly for what he wanted to say, and he just had to say it. His grin brightened up into a big smile, his gaze shifting from your eyes to your lips.

Your heart stuttered in your chest and suddenly heat was overwhelming your face like you'd just stepped out into the mid-afternoon sun. "O-Oh..."

Moon observed the effect his words had on you. Your blush, your fluttering heart beat, the way your breath seemed to come out all too lightly and quickly. He took note of all of them. His smile didn't falter, neither did his gaze. He took a risk, he was now closer to you, you could feel his robes brushing against your skin, gently caging you like the most lovely and velvety cage imaginable. His hand was still gripping yours as he stayed silent, letting the moment linger. He wanted you to experience it, to savor it and to feel it's warmth.

Your heart thumped loudly at the sudden proximity and you eased back just a little bit. Even after all these years, it seemed Moon was still a cuddly little guy... except he wasn't little anymore. And your perceptions of him were vastly different from how they were when you were younger.

"H-How have you been?" you asked. It was an attempt at regaining some control of the situation, yet it was also a question that had been on your mind every since you re-discovered them.

Despite the sudden change of subject Moon didn't seem to mind. He chuckled, his fingers still holding yours, his thumb tenderly brushing over your heated skin.

"I've been alright. Though..." His voice became quieter, and you had to concentrate a bit to hear it. "I've really missed you."

"I missed you too..."

A thousand apologies got stuck in your throat, choking off your next words. You'd had no idea that Moon and his brothers had been lingering so close to home. If you had, you would have come back sooner. Instead, you had stayed away, the bittersweet memories too painful to revisit. Yet another thing to pile onto your list of regrets.

He nodded and a brief flash of concern crossed his expression, as if he could sense the guilt in you. "You don't have to say it, I know." He smiled, a slight pity in it. This moment was no longer filled with light or laughter, it was heavy and full of regret.

"The past years... have definitely been hard on all of us," He finally said, breaking the silence that had settled between the two of you. "Especially to you."

You shook your head, already guilty that you'd managed to bring down a pleasant mood. "I'm fine. I've been... managing." That felt like such a lie. You didn't feel like you've been managing at all. "Really, I'm... I'm dealing with it. I'd much rather hear about you."

The fact that you tried to dismiss the conversation with a quick 'I'm fine...' made him feel even more pity for you. He noticed your reluctance to talk about it. You were still dealing with something and you weren't ready yet. You needed more time, and that was something he was aware of.

"Can I ask you something?" he asked, his voice softer, gentler than before. He looked at you, and you could see that he took your feelings more seriously.

"Of course," you said quickly, eager for a change of topic. Eager for something to distract you from the heavy weight that seemed to constantly be anchoring you.

He shifted his body again, his long legs now crossed over each other, his robes fanning out across the bed like a gleaming river or waterfall. His eyes scanned every part of your face as if searching for something. Finally, he took a deep breath, then spoke again.

"You know, I thought I'd find you so different. You had been gone for so long, I thought you were going to be..." He broke the silence again. "Different."

A burble of laughter erupted up. Though it was more of an expression of surprise than actual mirth. "You mean I'm not?"

"No... not really." He shifted once again, now leaning slightly closer, his eyebrows curling upwards with curiosity. "I think you're still you. I was expecting to see a complete stranger here. But you're still you. Everything that I remembered is still there. You're still adorable, you're still kind, and you're still so very warm." He smirked, his gaze was now intense as he stared at you closely. "Are you still ticklish, though?"

Your eyes widened and before you could react Moon pounced. You feel back on the bed, squirming as Moon began tickling you. "Moon! Moon! Stop! I can't... Noooooooo!" You screeched between fits of laughter as you kicked and squirmed.

Moon laughed, amused by the sight. He began to tickle you ruthlessly, his fingers quickly exploring every inch of your stomach, sides, and even underneath your arms. His laughter became so intense that he almost couldn't breathe. "I've missed doing this to you so much, little crab," he confessed between giggles. "And I missed the noises you make."

He eased up a bit and you had a moment to catch your breath, wheezing and giggling as you stare up at him. You were entirely sure what he meant. Was he referring to the times when you would take him out of his tank and let him crawl along your arms and neck? That had to be it.

"You are such a gremlin," you muttered, but the comment was said with affection. A lot had changed but... it seemed Moon wasn't all that different either.

"The cutest gremlin you'll ever meet," he replied, his voice dripping with mischief.

Moon leaned down towards your face, his hands still on your stomach as he gave you a big smile. He giggled with you, both of you were red in the face from laughing and from being tickled, and yet the two of you seemed so happy at that moment. He shifted slightly, trying to get a bit closer to you, his hands gently moving to your legs.

He leaned down, his face close to yours. "You know what I miss the most?"

The mood seemed to suddenly shift, and like the lurch of a car turning too quickly, you found yourself a little unsteady as you stared up at him. "Wh-what?" you spluttered out.

"Your scent," he said, his voice was very quiet and calm. He had moved even closer, he was breathing out in hot puffs on your face, and you could see his chest rising and falling. His gaze went down as he looked at you, his hands were still firmly on your legs, but he had made no sudden movements.

“Your taste.” Once again, one of his hands found yours, effortlessly threading them together as though that were their natural state. There was a calmness in the still, the air was heavier, a bit more intense, but not in a bad way. His voice was very soft and sincere, almost as if he was trying to tell you something.

"And your kisses," he finally said. This moment was finally ripe, it gave him the chance to see if you were still open to the idea. He was now even closer to you. His gaze pierced through yours, as if looking for an answer in them.

Staring up at him, you found yourself at a loss for words. He couldn't possibly mean what you were thinking, right? Sure, you used to kiss him. But he'd been just a little slug you could hold in the palm of your hand. But now he was... he was... what?

Before you could say or do anything, a stream of water shot across the room and hit Moon in the face, splashing against his cheek. You jumped as Moon hissed in surprise. The both of you looked around to see his brother, Sun, standing in your room with a squirt bottle in his hand and a far too wide smile on his face. To be continued...

#fnaf sundrop #fnaf moondrop #moon x y/n #moon x reader #sun x y/n #sun x reader #sea slug au #justfangirlwritings #not beta read so apologies for errors/typos

[youareunbearable]

I've been thinking about Dionysus a lot, mainly as a god of madness and what that looks like, and ofc I've been taking my two favourite things and smashing them together so I come to you all with this: to mortals, the Sons of Feanor are remembered for their madness.

Feanor, of course, is remembered the most for his brilliance. And because of this, brilliance comes hand in hand with madness. A mad scientist of you will. Many mortals warn each other of not falling too far into the act of creation, to not get too lost into their work or else they might not find themselves whole and sane again.

Ambarussa are seen in duality, like expected. They embody both the panic and fear and crazed determination of: the coward that would do anything for life; the deserter who claws and screams at their chains begging for freedom at any cost ; the dying and their moans and pleads and horrible knowing laughter; but also of the slow, mindless, aching guilt of the survivor. For there is a madness there, a quiet consuming one, that comes with the knowledge of following orders of madmen, and doing nothing to free yourself. Of shaking the bars of your mind as you complete the same tasks over and over and over hoping for a new outcome when you know from the start what it will be. In both cases Ambarussa burns and they laugh

Caranthir is another one that mortals call upon often, for its the madness of rage, of speaking and acting without thinking. The kind of daily insanity of intrusive thoughts and his name would be a warning to not let them win. For its so easy to slip, to give into the mindlessness of instinct, of acting without thought or reason, to scream and rage and feel it flood over your body, ignite your cheeks. But it's always over before it starts, leaving you dizzy at the thought, the implications, the aborted actions.

Curufin is madness of loyalty. Blind loyalty, consuming filial loyalty, the desire for praise and recognition, to be the best. It strangles your heart and mind, his mindless loyalty, this overwhelming driving force. Cities and empires have fallen to this madness, for what is ambition if not its own brand of insanity. To believe you are larger than life, to be greater than your fellow man, to take whatever you want at the cost of everyone else- if that isn't madness then what is?

Celegorm would be that answer, for many mortals say he is the most blatant of the Sons, for he is the madness of the Kill, the lost of self in the Bloodlust, the driving force of the Hunt. With the third son, he is the true concept of Maenads- the frenzied rites. The losing of inhibitions, the fervent prayers to a God that is no longer listening, the thrill of tearing into your kill, feeling their life drip from your teeth as you laugh and laugh at an all seeing and uncaring sky. He would be the unruly madness, the one that follows you at the bottom of a bottle, laughing in your ear and filling your senses until you do something you regret, maybe even something you don't even remember at the end of the night

Maglor would be the most well known of the Sons, one mortals are aware of, and many aren't even afraid of. Many even sink into his embrace, as easy and willing as a hug from a longtime friend. Madness in grief is always easy to be enveloped by, for grief is something that is too easy to lose yourself in, and its something that lingers for years, decades, always ready to sink its claws into you when you least expect it. To ward him off from overstaying his welcome, mortals gift seashells to lessen the time his hysteria cloaks you, if not to ward it off completely. Its because of him, mortals say, that your tears taste of saltwater, its his unending grief at the seaside at work

And finally, the oldest of the Sons. Some mortals claim that Maitimo isn't a madness of his own, but Feanors perfect creation that was shattered into 7 fragments, never to be whole again and doomed to be imperfect forever, picking up after his broken pieces. Oh no, others cry out, Russandol is the insanity of doom relationships, of star-crossed lovers and falling into the insanity that is born of knowing you will never be happy and at peace together. Other mortals scoff at this, for they know that Nelyafinwe is the downward spiral one goes on when they have overwhelming and doomed expectations crushing their shoulders, the slip into consuming madness that no matter what you will never be able to meet them. Still others shake their head. You're almost right, they call, Maedhros is all of that and more. For the eldest of the Sons is the most madness inducing thing of all, the knowledge of failure.

#Silmarillion #sons of feanor #feanor #Ambarussa #Curufin #Caranthir #celegorm #maglor #maedhros #amber rambles #yeah ive been Thinking lately #here is a list of things that i think drive ppl Crazy #and obvi i have to save the best for last love u mae my sad wet napkin of an elf

[kittlesandbugs]

Commission illustrated by @antisocialxconstruct of the moray scene during the Hollow Ground meeting in Fallen Hero: Retribution.

Book text under the cut:

Hollow Ground's head is unknown territory, but you don't need to go deep to do what you need to do. All you need is a nudge and a tweak, find a reason she'd be ready to let you go and strengthen it.

And you've got to do it fast.

Slipping in through her shields is second nature by now, walking the minefield, a coral reef of creatures hungry to devour you. Don't touch the tentacles, feeler anemones tangling the currents, coat your thoughts with scents close enough for her mind not to immediately recognize the intrusion.

Curiosity is a subtler feeling than fear or paranoia, but no less potent. Especially since it's shared by you. What is going on here? There's something more than superficial chance resemblance, sure, and those are not your thoughts. Those are Hollow Ground's.

Interesting.

Worth exploring.

You gently brush your fingers over her mind, bringing feelings to life. There are dangers everywhere around you, but you don't let them catch you unawares. It's a beautiful mindscape, a coral reef filled with life and color, hidden dangers lurking in crevasses, the ever-present sea anemones trailing their tendrils everywhere. A less talented telepath would be tangled and risk triggering a memory, but you're a master of your craft.

Familiarity can be a useful shield. You can brush against thoughts and memories, picking up details. There's already enough of a rapport you can use for groundwork. Similarities, not just in looks but in…demeanor?

Very carefully, you reach into one of the darker crevasses, a crack going deep, as if an earthquake cracked the mind down to the core. There are things there, old memories, slippery and cold and out of the sun.

"Put your hand in that crack,"

"and you won't get it back…."

Singing? A memory?

The aquarium is as tall as you are, filled with all the brightness of the tropical sea. Fish glitter past like confetti, too small to pick out, but together they're strong. Your breath is misting the glass, but you're entranced, it's the best day of your life, you didn't think…

Wait. Your life?

A reflection in the glass, your face but far younger than you've ever been, eyes meeting yours   and too young,too innocent, the smile, the chubby cheeks, and there's a hand on your head, a fond ruffle and a whisper in your ear.

"…that's a moray."

A memory. Of course. It stinks of Hollow Ground. A fond memory? Intense enough to form her mindscape? Looks like it.

You yank your hand out just before the moray strikes, two sets of teeth missing your fingers, and you bare your teeth in an echoing growl. It's dangerous this deep, you can feel yourself sinking into memories of your own, of different tanks, not filled with saltwater but amniotic fluid, trapped, the faces glaring at you covered with surgical masks, tapping the glass, and you twitch, echoes amplified and you can't get out and do you even know what's out? Do you know anything?

Too loud. Everything echoes, their thoughts so loud, and none of them concerned with you. You. There is no you. Just a body. A potential. Nobody bothers to name the fish in the tank. If you did, you'd have to grieve when they started floating belly up.

Lies. You named them.

You named yourself.

Floating belly up. How did you lose yourself in here? You went too deep, you need to breathe, but everything you touch gives way, climbing kelp and looking for the sun.

~I got you.~

Dragged back, pulled out, pushed behind. Protected. The ghost of a memory.       

"Fuck." Hollow Ground coughs, leaning against Nocturne, who is glaring daggers at you. You're back in the room with blood in your mouth and salt on your cheeks. "What was that?"

Excerpt from Fallen Hero: Retribution by Malin Ryden

#antisocialxconstruct #fhr #sidestep #hollow ground #nocturne #jake manolo #riley owens #commissioned piece #an absolute beast of a commission #thank you so much for your hard work rom!!! #this was my dream commission lol it's my absolute favorite scene in the book #rom is an absolute delight to work with and if you get the chance you should commission them #also this is your daily dose of fhr propaganda #anyway i'm just gonna toss this in the queue 87 times sorry not sorry i need to stare at it for a billion months mwah

[bamdelune]

In Hindsight 📹 Ch. 13 "new year, old me"

notes. long narration ahead, will do a bonus episode from scara's pov!

The beach was somewhere you imagine to be as peaceful and serene just as they had portrayed it in your favorite films and novels. You yearned to feel the gentle intrusion of the saltwater sea between the gaps of yout feet, to feel the grainy sensation of sand as you draw the faintest of patterns, leaving shapes in its wake. These thoughts were exactly why you ended up in a car ride with Kunikuzushi on the way to a mildy popular place to celebrate graduation. Both of you didn't have any plans for the week; your hometown was miles away from the city you lived in, meaning you wouldn't be able to see your parents—not that you'd want to anyway in this state while Kuni just didn't want to plainly stay home.

The car ride was silent for the majority, save for the occasional question of "Do you want to switch places?" after each hour of driving, perhaps you can include small chitchat in between stops, and changing the song that was playing on the speaker. You've come to find that Kuni likes songs with slow tempos, maybe R&B.

Once the both of you finally settled down in your shared room, the sunset had already started to fall on the shoreline. The calm waters of the sea nearby illuminated by the shine of the sun, you could compare it to the most eye-catching scene in a fantasy movie where the two leads would share a romantic gesture.

Except those two leads weren't you and Kuni, you were just friends.

Two friends at the beach at such close proximity that anyone passing by would've thought otherwise.

The soft splash of the water against your bare feet made you wonder how you weren't able to visit this type of calmness earlier. The sun was about to set at any time now, while the both of you sat in comfortable silence on the blanket he had laid out on the sand.

"Y/N."

You turn your head to Kuni, hugging your knees as you were watching the sun starting to set behind the sea.

"Hm?"

Kuni looked hesitant, almost bashful if you looked closed enough. He reaches for something in his pocket and fishes out what looked like a bracelet. You peer at his hands, examining the design.

"Consider this a graduation gift. I didn't know what type of stuff you liked so I had to make a guess. You like wearing accessories so I figured... well—" He looks away, hiding a tint of pink on his face that had bloomed out of slight embarrassment. You laugh, taking the bracelet from him.

"It's really pretty, Kuni. Thank you... so much."

Huh.

At your words, your heart twists slightly, a twinge of sadness punching in.

This bracelet... and Kuni gifting it to you, it just meant something that you didn't want to think about. You don't want to think about how with this seemingly small and minor item, it meant that you were close enough with Kunikuzushi to be able to receive something from him.

Ergo, that was one more person added to the list of people you were going to have to say goodbye to the time 10 months had passed.

You hope that Kunikuzushi doesn't catch the way your smile falters ever so subtly, tearing your gaze away back to the sun as it set. The moon starting to take its place as the cape of nighttime draped over the shore.

You felt compelled to ask a question, one that was quite surprising if you examine it closely.

"Kuni, do you make friends with your patients?"

He stiffens a little at your question, his eyebrows lowering in thought. "No, why?"

"Alright... are you friends with me out of pity then?"

He looks at you with a confused expression, his indigo bangs moving along. He thinks about it for a while.

"I'd be lying if I said that wasn't part of the reason."

Oh.

"Ah." You only say in response.

"—But, I guess it's more than that now. Listen, Y/N. I may have agreed to this because Baizhu said I had to and I felt bad, but after the past few weeks, I think that... we're kind of alike."

"Alike?"

Kuni nods, "My mother— holy shit, even saying that makes me a little nauseous, she's the type to control every minor and trivial detail of my life. Where I go to school, who I'm friends with, where I go after graduation. I guess with an overbearing person like that watching you like a goddamn hawk, I wanted to live a little. And you, well, you convinced me that it was okay to do that."

His tone was soft and gentle, much different than that of his normal and teasing attitude. Genuine feelings latched onto every syllable and burned into your mind.

Silence fills the conversation again, before you open your mouth to speak.

"Do you.. hate your mom?"

His lips purse a little, "I couldn't if I tried, and believe me, I tried. Even with amount of fuckery she did to me, I still love her as a mother."

"Maybe if she wasn't so busy as the director of the hospital, we would've been able to sit down and talk about our issues."

You smile assuringly at him, hesitantly taking the fingers of his left hand and tracing patterns on it as you reply, "I'm glad you get to have a little wiggle room, Kuni."

Kunikuzushi lets you draw shapes on his hand, his eyes trying to deduce what you were tracing. You don't catch the way his pale face blooms pink as he watched your features focus on the silly little shapes you formed on his skin.

He was falling.

He was falling and he didn't like it.

footnotes. i do apologize once again for the slightly (very) late update T_T i got caught up in a lot of summer programs

synopsis. You are a singer-songwriter. Music has always been a part of you, it's a part of your identity that no one can ever take away. However, there's always a catch: you are diagnosed with a chronic illness that puts your life on a timer. Those who have heard your countless melodies have grown to notice that the notes on the sheet played a gloomier tune. Would the snarky and capable medical student you've met be able to bring life back into these melodies? Even as life begins to seep out of your own body? (scaramouche x gn!reader)

tags. gender-neutral reader, angst, fluff, crack, heavy contexts of death and illnesses, friends to lovers, slowburn, profanities, drinking (characters are in college), suggestive themes but no nsfw.

taglist. (status: open) — @beriiov @alatusorrow @br0oke96 @ohmyfinggod @itzblazekun @featuredtofu @sketcheeee @lazy-sanns @sakurapeach @sheraffim @vxmp-loml @sukunasrealgf @sleepning @yukiipc @thenightsflower @aqvvas

masterpost ★ masterlist © bamdelune 2023. do not repost, translate, plagiarize any of my works without permission, thank you so much! reblogs, notes, and comments are always appreciated!

#bamdelune #genshin impact #genshin #genshin x reader #bamdelune's bookstore #genshin smau #📹 (in hindsight) smau #genshin impact x reader #wanderer x reader #scaramouche x y/n #scaramouche x gn reader #scaramouche #scaramouche x you #scaramouche x reader #wanderer x gn reader #wanderer x y/n #wanderer x you #wanderer #kunikuzushi x reader #kunikuzushi

[workersolidarity]

🇺🇲 Saltwater intrusion from the Gulf of Mexico into the Mississippi river Delta threatens drinking water in the New Orleans, Louisiana area.

Louisiana Gov. John Bell Edwards said today the State is days away from requesting a Federal Emergency Declaration from the Biden Administration.

"I can tell you in the next couple of days, we will be requesting a Federal Emergency Declaration related to the seawater intrusion of the Mississippi River that threatens drinking water," Governor John Bell Edwards said in an update.

"But also, authorizing us to take emergency protective measures with some level of reimbursement available from the Federal Government should that Federal Emergency Declaration be granted."

Governor John Bell Edwards has already declared a State of Emergency earlier this month, and the State of Louisiana has received some Federal assistance.

"Unfortunately, we just haven't had the relief from dry conditions... so that intrusion is worsening, in the sense that it's moving further up the river," Edwards said.

"Most of the state has been experiencing prolonged drought and and above-average heat, and has presented a number of challenges including wildfires, drought, heat-related deaths, injuries and so forth and now saltwater intrusion."

Extreme, prolonged drought in the Southern Mississippi RIver Valley has led to historically low water levels in the Mississippi River, allowing saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico to creep its way upriver.

Edwards added that the State was being "proactive", including expanding an underwater levee recently built to slow the flow of saltwater upriver that was topped by the saltwater flow last week, and bringing in over 15 million gallons of fresh drinking water for effected residents.

Federal officials also said they would be barging water into the Mississippi to help slow the upriver flow of saltwater.

Despite Mississippi river water levels already sitting at historic lows, water levels are expected to continue to drop as forecasts show little rainfall is expected in the coming days.

#saltwater intrusion #new orleans #new orleans news #louisiana #us news #news #emergency declaration #emergency #socialism #communism #marxism leninism #socialist politics #socialist news #socialist revolution #socialist worker #socialist #communist #marxism #marxist leninist #politics #us disaster #workersolidarity #worker solidarity #WorkerSolidarityNews #disaster declaration #environmental news #environment #safe drinking water #drinking water

[reasonsforhope]

“Until as recently as 1970, India was a land with more than 100,000 distinct varieties of rice. Across a diversity of landscapes, soils, and climates, native rice varieties, also called “landraces,” were cultivated by local farmers. And these varieties sprouted rice diversity in hue, aroma, texture, and taste.

But what sets some landraces in a class of their own—monumentally ahead of commercial rice varieties—is their nutrition profiles. This has been proved by the research of Debal Deb, a farmer and agrarian scientist whose studies have been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals and books.

In the mid-1960s, with backing from the U.S. government, India’s agricultural policy introduced fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation facilities, and high-yielding varieties of crops under the moniker of a “Green Revolution” to combat hunger. Instead, it began an epidemic of monocultures and ecological destruction.

In the early 1990s, after realizing that more than 90% of India’s native rice varieties had been replaced by a handful of high-yielding varieties through the Green Revolution, Deb began conserving indigenous varieties of rice. Today, on a modest 1.7-acre farm in Odisha, India, Deb cultivates and shares 1,485 of the 6,000 unique landraces estimated to remain in India.

Deb and collaborators have quantified the vitamin, protein, and mineral content in more than 500 of India’s landraces for the first time, in the lab he founded in 2014, Basudha Laboratory for Conservation. In one extraordinary discovery, the team documented 12 native varieties of rice that contain the fatty acids required for brain development in infants.

“These varieties provide the essential fatty acids and omega-3 fatty acids that are found in mother’s milk but lacking in any formula foods,” Deb says. “So instead of feeding formula foods to undernourished infants, these rice varieties can offer a far more nutritious option...”

Deb’s conservation efforts are not to preserve a record of the past, but to help India revive resilient food systems and crop varieties. His vision is to enable present and future agriculturists to better adapt to climate change...

Deb conserves scores of climate-resilient varieties of rice originally sourced from Indigenous farmers, including 16 drought-tolerant varieties, 20 flood-tolerant varieties, 18 salt-tolerant varieties, and three submergence-tolerant varieties. He shares his varieties freely with hundreds of small farmers for further cultivation, especially those farming in regions prone to these kinds of climate-related calamities. In 2022 alone, Deb has shared his saved seed varieties with more than 1,300 small farmers through direct and indirect seed distribution arrangements in several states of India.

One of these farmers is Shamika Mone. Mone received 24 traditional rice varieties from Deb on behalf of Kerala Organic Farmers Association, along with training on maintaining the purity of the seeds. Now these farmers have expanded their collection, working with other organic farming collectives in the state of Kerala to grow around 250 landraces at two farm sites. While they cultivate most of their varieties for small-scale use and conservation, they also cultivate a few traditional rice varieties for wider production, which yield an average of 1.2 tons per acre compared with the 1 ton per acre of hybrid varieties.

“But that’s only in terms of yield,” Mone says. “We mostly grow these for their nutritional benefits, like higher iron and zinc content, antioxidants, and other trace elements. Some varieties are good for lactating mothers, while some are good for diabetic patients. There are many health benefits.”

These native varieties have proven beneficial in the face of climate change too.

With poor rains in 2016, for example, the traditional folk rice variety Kuruva that Mone had planted turned out to be drought-tolerant and pest-resistant. And in 2018, due to the heavy rains and floods, she lost all crops but one: a folk rice variety called Raktashali that survived underwater for two days.

“They have proven to be lifesavers for us,” Mone says.” -via Yes! Magazine, 12/14/22

#india #rice #indigenous knowledge #farming #agriculture #climate change #climate resilience #sustainable agriculture #traditional knowledge #drought resistance #nutrition #good news #hope

[socialjusticeinamerica]

But, but…climate change isn’t real…

🙅🏽🙅🙅🏻‍♀️

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

By Gregory E. Williams

The combination of winter cold fronts and summer heat and drought took a toll on crawfish, which are mostly grown in water-logged rice fields. 2023 was the hottest year on record. Those same heat and drought conditions caused multiple crises in the state, including the saltwater intrusion and an epidemic of wildfires.

Losses like that should be frightening to the capitalist class. But this comes at a time when the capitalists and their politicians are doubling down on protecting fossil fuel industry profits at the expense of life on earth. That was the thrust of the debacle that took place at the 2023 COP 28 conference in Dubai.

[quaranmine]

so i won't turn on archive locking for my fics, because i'm sort of a "whatever will happen will happen" type of person. i will not send or put myself out there for any fanfic reacts though.

that said, i almost hope he sees my fic Gadus morhua. I think he and chat would be completely and amusingly stunned over things such as saltwater well intrusion and desalination and 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene contamination and anoxic swamp water and engineering on unstable foundations-

#that fanfic is kind of like firewatch au in that it's completely on a different level of environmental scientist LOL #i hope if jimmy reacts to fanfics he lines up a few first and asks the author's permission first #he's normally quite good with reactions though #i've never seen him react in any way except positively #but it’s....scary territory nonetheless #fanfics are SO different than going through the subreddit or your fanart tag or youtube animatics

[stele3]

#destiel daily digest

[anarchywoofwoof]

January 11, 2023 9:15 AM EST

Whereas worldwide temperatures have increased by an average of 1.1°C since pre-industrial times, in Israel and the surrounding areas, average temperatures have risen by 1.5°C (2.7°F) between 1950 and 2017, according to the Israeli Meteorological Service, with a forecasted increase of 4°C (7.2°F) by the end of the century. Meanwhile, rising sea levels—projected by Israel’s Environment Ministry to be as high as a meter by 2050, according to a new investigative report by Haaretz newspaper—threaten to obliterate Israel’s famed beaches, damage its desalination plants and undermine the sewage and drainage systems of many coastal cities. In the densely populated Gaza strip, where 2.1 million Palestinians are crammed into 365 square km (141 sq. mi.), sea level rise means a loss of precious real estate as well as saltwater intrusion into an already overtaxed aquifer.

...

In an arid region already threatened by desertification and declining precipitation, one would think that the looming climate catastrophe would catalyze a powerful climate movement. Instead, the whole thing is largely an afterthought. Climate made barely a ripple in the recent Israeli election, and in Palestinian politics, it has been sidelined by the government’s justified preoccupation with, well, Israeli occupation. In forming his new cabinet, Netanyahu replaced a vetted environmental protection minister with the former chairperson of the Knesset’s Labor, Welfare and Health Committee, who is widely considered to be more palatable to his ultra-conservative allies in the new government.

...

The problem, says Majdalani, is that both Palestinians and Israelis are so focused on the politics of their current existence that they can’t plan for future threats. The late Palestinian-American social commentator and literary critic Edward Said once dismissed environmentalism as “the indulgence of spoiled tree huggers who lack a proper cause.” That sentiment still lingers, Majdalani says, casting climate activism as secondary to establishing a fully independent Palestinian state. “The average Palestinian wakes up in the morning worrying about how to get to work without crossing a checkpoint. Their priority is the [Israeli] occupation. For the Israelis, it’s security, the sense that there is a dangerous enemy on the other side that needs to be controlled.” Dror Etkes, an Israeli activist who campaigns against the growing number of illegal Israeli settlements in the Palestinian controlled West Bank, says that Palestinians are given little choice but to focus on the immediate threat. “Of course climate change is important. It’s going to influence life here enormously. But when you’re almost drowning, you don’t have the time to think about anything else. You just want to keep your head above the water.”

...

Meanwhile, the power imbalance between Jewish Israelis—even those who are politically left-wing—and Palestinians promotes fears among Palestinian climate activists that cooperation could be misinterpreted as “normalizing” relations before the conflict is resolved. It’s a situation that Majdalani, of EcoPeace, has frequently faced in her own activism. “There’s this pervasive sense of ‘we don’t cooperate with the occupier, it’s not the right political environment.’ But if we wait for the right political environment, we will lose more land. We will have more people suffering water shortages, more farmers leaving their farms, and the crisis will continue.” Meanwhile, progress on the two-state solution has effectively stalled under a far-right government that opposes any efforts to create a viable Palestinian state. If the expansion of Israeli settlements on what is supposed to be Palestinian land in a two-state future continues at the same pace, says Etkes, the anti-settlement activist, “[Climate change] might not even be a Palestinian problem in 30 years, it might just be a purely Israeli one.”

#climate change #israel #palestine

[notwiselybuttoowell]

They have weathered the elements for hundreds of years and historians have described them as part of a landmark moment in the cultural history of Siam. They not only made temples more attractive, but also relayed moral lessons. Now Phra Maha Natee fears the designs on the walls of Wat Prasat could disappear completely within a couple of decades.

Murals in temples across Thailand face the risks of flooding, pollution and poor planning but conservationists say the main danger is another, more existential threat: saltwater intrusion from rising sea levels sparked by the climate crisis.

Wat Prasat is in Nonthaburi a low-lying province less than 60km from the coast, and is especially vulnerable. Drought and rising sea levels are increasingly causing saltwater from the Gulf of Thailand to intrude into the Chao Phraya river, the main source of water in central Thailand. The saltwater can destroy crops, at huge cost to farmers, and render tap water unsafe. It is also threatening to degrade historic temples, by seeping up from the ground, causing concrete walls to crumble, and their paintings to flake and disappear forever.

Thailand’s Fine Arts Department, the government body responsible for heritage conservation, said that salt moisture is the biggest issue it finds in the temples it has been called to survey for damage. The effects are gradual and can take decades to show, but it is feared the problem will only get worse.

“With the sea water level getting higher, the salt[water] is coming into the land more,” says Kiriya Chayakul Sitthiwang, an academician at the department. “[It] means that in the future more heritage sites will be impacted from this salt moisture,” says Kiriya, who added the problem was now affecting areas as far away as Chai Nat province, more than 200km north of the Bay of Bangkok.

#thailand #siam #climate change #art history #buddhism