Tootfinder

And you don't need to accept the trap of authoritarian masculinity on logic alone, the proof is right there in male influencers like Andrew Tate and their followers. These dipshits get so obsessed with gatekeeping they don't realize that the gates they're tending keep them in, that the more walls they put up to protect their privilege, the smaller their identity can be. They huddle in tiny pens, terrified of crossing imaginary bounds that they imposed *on themselves.*
They have built their own torture chambers and locked themselves inside, and for what? They turn themselves into dragons, hoarding what they see as valuable while repressing every emotion including joy. And if they let themselves experience joy, they would, perhaps, realize that all these privileges are inconsistent with it. They might, perhaps, recognize that they have built up these privileges so they don't have to admit that their suffering and fear are not, in fact, admirable. They might have to face the fact that they have lived lives that are deeply pathetic, might have to face the fact that only empathy can give one access to deep satisfaction, might have to face the fact that they have lived their whole lives on a treadmill, going nowhere.
But I assume that they won't ever do that, because to do so would force them to face the enormity of the emotional debt, the pain and suffering they have inflicted on the world, and those are big feelings. It's far easier to hide in a hole, forever alone, making up silly rules to keep everyone inside scared and keep everyone outside from seeing in.

Gut Feeling: Cowboys-Raiders staff predictions https://www.dallascowboys.com/news/gut-feeling-cowboys-raiders-staff-predictions

European automakers warn of substantial disruption to production after China cut off Nexperia's outbound shipments following the Dutch seizure of Nexperia (Financial Times)
https://www.ft.com/content/91304da5-6537-4f80-955a-6cb1df05cbc8

Record rains turn Argentina's farm-filled Pampas plains to wetlands #Argentina …

Record rains turn Argentina's farm-filled Pampas plains to wetlands
Parts of the Argentine Pampas, a vast expanse of flat grasslands, look more like wetlands these days following record rains, with local farmers warning of a "catastrophic" impact to their livelihoods.

When people say they need hope about climate change, what are they really asking for?
New piece breaks down why hope collapses so easily and what stronger feelings can replace it.
Not prediction. Participation.
Read it here: [link]
https://www.b…

How to Stay Hopeful About Climate Change: A Scientific Look at the Brain’s Hope Circuit
A science-backed exploration of why hope collapses during the climate crisis. Learn the neuroscience behind fragile hope, the psychology of despair, and the durable alternatives—like agency, imagination, and possibility—that truly sustain long-term climate engagement.

Jeremy Corbyn says the UK government is endangering pro-Palestine hunger strikers
Former UK Labour leader Cornyn has issued a statement in solidarity with Amu Gib, who is accused of participating in the Palestine Action break-in of RAF Brize Norton airbase this summer.
The action,
carried out in protest of Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the UK government’s participation in it,
led to the proscription of the group under “anti-terrorism” laws.
Dozens of protesters h…

Palestine Action activists on trial in UK over Israeli arms maker protest
The judge urged the jury to do away with personal feelings about the war on Gaza or the legality of the proscription.

All of the following are appropriate protest attire:
- Yellow, as per request from No Kings organizers
- Nudity, as per Portland Naked Bike Ride
- Frog suits and other inflatables, as per Portland again
- Formal attire, as per 60s Civil Rights Movement
- Black Bloc attire, for those concerned about privacy
- Military attire, e.g. camo fatigues etc.
- Clerical attire, for those ordained
- Anything else you can think of that fits the theme
Wear what makes you feel comfortable!

Just finished "Beasts Made of Night" by Tochi Onyebuchi...
Indirect CW for fantasy police state violence.
So I very much enjoyed Onyebuchi's "Riot Baby," and when I grabbed this at the library, I was certain it would be excellent. But having finished it, I'm not sure I like it that much overall?
The first maybe third is excellent, including the world-building, which is fascinating. I feel like Onyebuchi must have played "Shadow of the Colossus" at some point. Onyebuchi certainly does know how to make me care for his characters.
Some spoilers from here on out...
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I felt like it stumbles towards the middle, with Bo's reactions neither making sense in the immediate context, nor in retrospect by the end when we've learned more. Things are a bit floaty in the middle with an unclear picture of what exactly is going on politics-wise and what the motivations are. Here I think there were some nuances that didn't make it to the page, or perhaps I'm just a bit thick and not getting stuff I should be? More is of course revealed by the end, but I still wasn't satisfied with the explanations of things. For example, (spoilers) I don't feel I understand clearly what kind of power the army of aki was supposed to represent within the city? Perhaps necessary to wield the threat of offensive inisisia use? In that case, a single scene somewhere of Izu's faction deploying that tactic would have been helpful I think.
Then towards the end, for me things really started to jumble, with unclear motivations, revelations that didn't feel well-paced or -structured, and a finale where both the action & collapsing concerns felt stilted and disjointed. Particularly the mechanics/ethics of the most important death that set the finale in motion bothered me, and the unexplained mechanism by which that led to what came next? I can read a couple of possible interesting morals into the whole denouement, but didn't feel that any of them were sufficiently explored. Especially if we're supposed to see some personal failing in the protagonist's actions, I don't think it's made clear enough what that is, since I feel his reasons to reject each faction are pretty solid, and if we're meant to either pity or abjure his indecision, I don't think the message lands clearly enough.
There *is* a sequel, which honestly I wasn't sure of after the last page, and which I now very interested in. Beasts is Onyebuchi's debut, which maybe makes sense of me feeling that Riot Baby didn't have the same plotting issues. It also maybe means that Onyebuchi couldn't be sure a sequel would make it to publication in terms of setting up the ending.
Overall I really enjoyed at least 80% of this, but was expecting even better (especially politically) given Onyebuchi's other work, and I didn't feel like I found it.
#AmReading

Dozens of coal miners and their families are protesting the Trump administration outside the Labor Department building,
arguing it has failed to protect them from black lung disease,
an incurable illness caused by inhaling coal and silica dust.
They have been waiting months for the government to enforce federal limits on silica dust,
a carcinogen that has led to a recent spike in the disease.
But mining industry groups have sued to block the rule,
and the T…

Coal Miners With Black Lung Say They Are ‘Cast Aside to Die’ Under Trump
President Trump has been a cheerleader for coal miners. But these miners say his administration is failing to enforce limits on a lethal workplace hazard.