Communities
Jul. 18th, 2026 01:40 am![[personal profile]](/%20https://www.npmjs.com/package/ocr-https-www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithAmerica’s Most Overlooked Developer: Local Churches
As communities seek solutions to the housing crisis, many are overlooking a group of landowners positioned to create housing through local stewardship and incremental development. These property owners are some of the oldest community anchors, long-standing gathering spaces, and large sources of organized power and funding. They are faith institutions: the churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, and land they own. In neighborhoods across America, faith institutions are deeply rooted in their communities and located in areas with existing infrastructure, nearby schools and transit, where housing is needed the most. Those qualities make them uniquely suited to create small-scale housing that fits within existing neighborhoods and make a difference toward more housing opportunities.
As communities seek solutions to the housing crisis, many are overlooking a group of landowners positioned to create housing through local stewardship and incremental development. These property owners are some of the oldest community anchors, long-standing gathering spaces, and large sources of organized power and funding. They are faith institutions: the churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, and land they own. In neighborhoods across America, faith institutions are deeply rooted in their communities and located in areas with existing infrastructure, nearby schools and transit, where housing is needed the most. Those qualities make them uniquely suited to create small-scale housing that fits within existing neighborhoods and make a difference toward more housing opportunities.
Wildlife
Jul. 18th, 2026 01:00 amysabetwordsmithEndangered species lose one of their strongest legal protections
Federal agencies have rescinded a decades-old rule that treated the destruction of an endangered animal’s habitat as a form of harm under the Endangered Species Act.
Wrecking a forest, wetland or stream that a protected species depends on will no longer count, on its own, as illegally harming that animal.
The move clears the way for logging, energy drilling and other development on land where threatened species live. Development can proceed as long as the animals themselves are not killed or injured.
Because most species reach the endangered list as their habitat vanishes, conservation scientists say the rule removes one of the law’s strongest protections.
If you remove the habitat in which a species lives, one of two things will happen:
1) It will go extinct, which is what usually happens, which is harm.
2) If as many members as possible are captured to preserve, it will go extinct in the wild, which is also harm.
And these two methods are exactly how we've lost most recently extinct species.
( Read more... )
Federal agencies have rescinded a decades-old rule that treated the destruction of an endangered animal’s habitat as a form of harm under the Endangered Species Act.
Wrecking a forest, wetland or stream that a protected species depends on will no longer count, on its own, as illegally harming that animal.
The move clears the way for logging, energy drilling and other development on land where threatened species live. Development can proceed as long as the animals themselves are not killed or injured.
Because most species reach the endangered list as their habitat vanishes, conservation scientists say the rule removes one of the law’s strongest protections.
If you remove the habitat in which a species lives, one of two things will happen:
1) It will go extinct, which is what usually happens, which is harm.
2) If as many members as possible are captured to preserve, it will go extinct in the wild, which is also harm.
And these two methods are exactly how we've lost most recently extinct species.
( Read more... )
Philosophical Questions: Humans
Jul. 18th, 2026 12:36 amysabetwordsmithPeople have expressed interest in deep topics, so this list focuses on philosophical questions.
At what point is a technologically enhanced human not a human anymore?
( Read more... )
At what point is a technologically enhanced human not a human anymore?
( Read more... )
Creative Jam
Jul. 18th, 2026 12:35 amysabetwordsmithThe July ![[community profile]](/%20https://www.npmjs.com/package/ocr-https-www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
crowdfunding Creative Jam is now open with a theme of "Survival." Come give us prompts, or claim some for your own inspiration!
What I Have Written
From My Prompts
.
crowdfunding Creative Jam is now open with a theme of "Survival." Come give us prompts, or claim some for your own inspiration!What I Have Written
From My Prompts
.
Icon Dump
Jul. 18th, 2026 10:24 ammagnavox_23Fandoms in order of appearance: Our Flag Means Death, Good Omens, Stargate SG-1, Doctor Who, Legend, Project Hail Mary, Star Wars, The Last Unicorn, Evanescence, Sherlock, Hazbin Hotel, What We Do in The Shadows, Starsky & Hutch, Reservation Dogs & The Mandalorian.
icons10in20 Round 43
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fandom10in30 Round 65: Text
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icons10in20 Round 44
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icons10in20 Round 4301020304050607080910fandom10in30 Round 65: Text01020304050607080910icons10in20 Round 4401020304050607080910History
Jul. 17th, 2026 12:17 pmysabetwordsmith3,200-yo Tomb Discovered in Luxor from the Era of Ramses
Another month, another big discovery in Luxor—this time of a tomb with preserved interior frescoes dating back around 3,200 years. The T-shaped tomb was discovered by a team of Dutch-Egypt archaeologists in the middle of a long-term project to combine proactive conservation strategies with archaeological excavations at the Theban Necropolis.
Hisham El-Leithy, Secretary-General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, said that inscriptions inside the tomb identify its owner as a man named Paser. Decorative frescoes lining the walls of the tomb indicate it may have been made and occupied during the 19th Dynasty of the New Kingdom—the Ramesside period, that included who is arguably Ancient Egypt’s greatest-ever ruler, Ramesses II.
Another month, another big discovery in Luxor—this time of a tomb with preserved interior frescoes dating back around 3,200 years. The T-shaped tomb was discovered by a team of Dutch-Egypt archaeologists in the middle of a long-term project to combine proactive conservation strategies with archaeological excavations at the Theban Necropolis.
Hisham El-Leithy, Secretary-General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, said that inscriptions inside the tomb identify its owner as a man named Paser. Decorative frescoes lining the walls of the tomb indicate it may have been made and occupied during the 19th Dynasty of the New Kingdom—the Ramesside period, that included who is arguably Ancient Egypt’s greatest-ever ruler, Ramesses II.
Birdfeeding
Jul. 17th, 2026 12:15 pmysabetwordsmithToday is mostly cloudy and warm heading for hot. I've been hearing thunder, and parts of the patio are damp, but I think we've only gotten a mizzle of rain.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 7/17/26 -- We went out shopping and stopped at Grissom orchard. Even a mile or so south of us, they'd gotten more rain. :/
EDIT 7/17/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 7/17/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 7/17/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
I cracked the last 2 apricot pits and got 2 good seeds, which I put in the fridge.
Fireflies are coming out. Cicadas are singing.
EDIT 7/17/26 -- I watered the new picnic table garden. I picked 1 red cherry and 1 yellow pear tomato.
EDIT 7/17/26 -- I watered the telephone pole garden.
No bats tonight, but I saw a giant dragonfly swooping along the road. :D
There's a row of low clouds to the southwest, and some to the north. The only thunderhead is far to the northeast. *sigh* More and more, it seems we're in a lull where rain often falls just north or just south of us, and we catch the fringe at most. However, in a time when violent weather is also increasing, that means we're less likely to get hit by more than the fringe of it -- exactly what happened last month.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 7/17/26 -- We went out shopping and stopped at Grissom orchard. Even a mile or so south of us, they'd gotten more rain. :/
EDIT 7/17/26 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 7/17/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 7/17/26 -- I did more work around the patio.
I cracked the last 2 apricot pits and got 2 good seeds, which I put in the fridge.
Fireflies are coming out. Cicadas are singing.
EDIT 7/17/26 -- I watered the new picnic table garden. I picked 1 red cherry and 1 yellow pear tomato.
EDIT 7/17/26 -- I watered the telephone pole garden.
No bats tonight, but I saw a giant dragonfly swooping along the road. :D
There's a row of low clouds to the southwest, and some to the north. The only thunderhead is far to the northeast. *sigh* More and more, it seems we're in a lull where rain often falls just north or just south of us, and we catch the fringe at most. However, in a time when violent weather is also increasing, that means we're less likely to get hit by more than the fringe of it -- exactly what happened last month.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
fic: you can reach me (if you need me) - Game Changers/Heated Rivalry
Jul. 17th, 2026 10:44 amdevinwolfiTitle: you can reach me (if you need me)
Ratings & Warnings: Gen, no warnings
Fandom: Game Changers (Rachel Reid)/Heated Rivalry (TV) - kind of a fused canon situation
Relationship(s): Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov
Character(s): Shane Hollander, Ilya Rozanov
Details: Set during Heated Rivalry Chapter 4/Heated Rivalry s01E01 Rookies
Summary: Instead of hooking up post-CCM, they exchange numbers.
( Author's Notes )
( Read you can reach me (if you need me)... )
Ratings & Warnings: Gen, no warnings
Fandom: Game Changers (Rachel Reid)/Heated Rivalry (TV) - kind of a fused canon situation
Relationship(s): Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov
Character(s): Shane Hollander, Ilya Rozanov
Details: Set during Heated Rivalry Chapter 4/Heated Rivalry s01E01 Rookies
Summary: Instead of hooking up post-CCM, they exchange numbers.
( Author's Notes )
( Read you can reach me (if you need me)... )
the friday five
Jul. 17th, 2026 09:58 amgaladhir1. Books or movies?
Books. I love some movies, and movies are a more regular source of fannish inspiration than books, but books are daily companions and comforts. I'm never without at least one book underway at once, whereas I can go months between movies.
2. Indoors or outdoors?
Indoors probably. I grew up outdoors - at the weekends I would be out of the house after breakfast and not come back til dinner, but that was before the fibromyalgia. I now can't walk very far, so I like to be within reach of my PC, my sewing projects and a comfy chair.
3. Morning person or night owl?
I used to be a night owl but now it's neither? I don't like to get up in the morning, and I'm never really functional before 9.30, but by 11.00 I'm falling asleep where I sit.
4. Online messaging or physical letters?
Physical letters - I like the built in time delay. Online messaging demands your attention right now and you might easily not have the attention to spare right now.
5. Dragons or unicorns?
Both? Dragons at a pinch. Dragons will hold a conversation with you, whereas unicorns are only ever glimpsed at a distance.
Science
Jul. 17th, 2026 01:56 amysabetwordsmithRaising Rice and Fish Together Cuts Disease From Snails While Boosting Crop Yields by 25%
To reduce disease transmission, the research team led by Rohr introduced African Bonytongue and Nile tilapia into rice fields, two native fish species that naturally suppress snail populations by eating snails or competing with them for resources. Through two trials, the team found that although the fish were not actively fed, both species thrived.
The researchers found that fields containing both fish species had fewer of the snails that host the parasite that causes the dominant form of schistosomiasis in the region. Fewer snails could reduce the risk of infection faced by rice farmers and their families.
To reduce disease transmission, the research team led by Rohr introduced African Bonytongue and Nile tilapia into rice fields, two native fish species that naturally suppress snail populations by eating snails or competing with them for resources. Through two trials, the team found that although the fish were not actively fed, both species thrived.
The researchers found that fields containing both fish species had fewer of the snails that host the parasite that causes the dominant form of schistosomiasis in the region. Fewer snails could reduce the risk of infection faced by rice farmers and their families.
Icons: Ryland Grace [Project Hail Mary]
Jul. 16th, 2026 07:43 pmpebbleinalakeChallenge: characters20in20
Claim: Dr. Ryland Grace
Fandom: Project Hail Mary
Preview:
( Icons under the cut )
characters20in20Claim: Dr. Ryland Grace
Fandom: Project Hail Mary
Preview:
( Icons under the cut )
Today's Cooking
Jul. 16th, 2026 06:20 pmysabetwordsmithYesterday we made a stir-fry with chicken thighs, 'Gypsy' peppers, half an onion, and Chinese 5 spice mix.
Today I'm making a crockpot dish with the remaining chicken thighs, more 'Gypsy' peppers, the other half of the onion, dried mushrooms, pigeon peas, several yellow pear tomatoes, and Xawaash spice mix.
Today I'm making a crockpot dish with the remaining chicken thighs, more 'Gypsy' peppers, the other half of the onion, dried mushrooms, pigeon peas, several yellow pear tomatoes, and Xawaash spice mix.
