One in four hydropower project sites along the Himalayan Rivers are likely to face severe damage from earthquake-triggered landslides, according to a research. #UttarakhandDisaster #earthquake @nivedita_Him @yamunajiye @Upadhyay_Cavita @Indian_Rivers @hridayeshjoshi

The research was conducted by researchers from the University of Potsdam, Germany, who compiled damages to 41 hydropower projects after Nepal’s 2015 #earthquake, and used that data to estimate earthquake-triggered damages to projects in other parts of #Himalayas. @yamunajiye

The model developed by the research team took into account the combined effect of ground shaking (Peak Ground acceleration) & river steepness (Mχ) and was applied to projects in Indian, Nepalese and Bhutanese #Himalayas.
@yamunajiye @hridayeshjoshi @nivedita_Him @Upadhyay_Cavita

The findings indicate that more than 10% of Himalayan rivers may be unsuitable for hydropower infrastructure given high probabilities of high co-seismic damages and ~25% of Hydropower projects are located along these reaches. #UttarakhandDisaster
#earthquake

The study points to an urgent need to re-evaluate hydropower development in the Himalayas. The model used in the study would also help in making a more accurate assessment of risks at locations for potential hydropower plants. #UttarakhandDisaster

Humanity is good, but, when we let our guard down we allow darkness to infiltrate and destroy.
Like past battles fought, we now face our greatest battle at present, a battle to save our Republic, our way of life, and what we decide (each of us) now will decide our future.

There is so much wrong with this article, it's hard to know where to begin. Lesbians are not extinct, nor are lesbians close to extinction. The L Word has never really been as popular as "gay" & this has long been the case, it's not a new thing....

Then in the context of Queer activism, DIY activism & the burgeoning internet culture in the 90's younger adults did not seem to like to be labelled, or boxed into labels. It is still popular for younger adults to describe themselves as fluid, in terms of sexuality, gender...

Earlier, 70s/80s there had been an attack on #butch lesbians in the LGBT community, not from trans women, but from lesbian feminists & lesbian feminist theory, which branded butch #lesbians sadomasochists copying het roles & eroticising sexism & the oppression of femme lesbians..

There was also the so-called 'lesbian sex-wars' of the 80s which was really about Radical Feminist theory & lesbian feminist theory politically critiquing the industries of porn & prostitution, but also reflexively critiquing sexual practices like BDSM in the lesbian community...

There should always be space for such reflexivity, but what this was turned into was a false dichotomy between 'anti-sex' & 'pro-sex' feminists. This played into ancient misogynistic beliefs about lesbians as prudish, ugly, non-sexual, monstrous spinsters etc etc, NOT that this..

Thread — I’m very happy and relieved that my elderly parents got their first shot of the coronavirus vaccine this week. But the story of how they got it is nucking futs and illustrates just how messed up the vaccine distribution system is. 1/?

Just for background, they are both Pennsylvania residents living right now in South Florida and they are both between 65 and 75 years old. They own a small condo in a retirement community. They both have co-morbidities, like most people their age...

They watched in horror when Trump held huge rallies in Florida that spread the virus and they hung their heads in disbelief as Gov DeSantis bungled the response every step of the way. They did the best they could and were very lucky not have caught it...

When the vaccines started to be sent out, they wanted to wait to get their shots until after healthcare workers and people over 75 got them. They were confused by the lack of information about distribution and tried to get information, to no avail...

Inside their retirement community, the residents tried as much as they could to get a vaccine distribution outpost deployed there, but nothing ever happened. The phone line advertised for information led to nothing, when it wasn’t jammed. Emails disappeared into the abyss...

While @staceyabrams credits me & my wife w/ investing in GA "before it was logical," the signs were there if you knew what to look for. The question now is who's next?

In my latest for @thenation, I point to 4 factors for turning a red state blue. THREAD

1.) Favorable demographic trends

Texas has the second-largest pool of nonvoting people of color (after already blue CA), and the numbers of potential voters of color far exceeds the margin of difference in statewide elections.

Joe Biden lost Texas by ~600k votes, and despite the record turnout on both sides, 4.5 million eligible people of color still did not vote according to exit polls and census data.

2.) "Level 5 Leaders" also known as:

Leaders who combine personal humility with indomitable will and are "infected with an incurable need to produce results" for the cause.

and Brianna Brown are Abrams-like Level 5 leaders who have built a relentless and effective civic engagement machine that has helped tip electoral outcomes in cities and counties across the state.

Rarely does a pressure group go into a closed door meeting with the govt and come out the same. History is replete with examples; the trust deficit is justified.
The wiles of the oppressor haven't changed either.

*Brute force - already in display.
*Divide & rule - currently in play.
Money doesn't seem to be working, the PDP/APC card is dead and the last few days have shown that the religious and ethnic division is mostly inherited and sustained only by the ignorant

... and those benefitting from the resulting disunity.
Time to pit them one against the other.
The one who plants, is not necessarily the one to harvest. And e fit be say who harvest; no no go chop. Everyone has a role to play.

If the fight is truly for and about "country" it will not be sacrificed at the altar of ego. If you find yourself saying "I" too many times; re-examine your motives.
My age grade with the knowledge and experience; how far? With all the wisdom, nibo la ba de?

Barely 3 weeks ago we were all groaning under the weight of multiple increased taxation. Not a month goes by that we don't clutch our chests because another young Nigerian has been murdered in cold blood or another village massacred & razed by bandits.

BOYS ALSO SUFFER FROM DOMESTIC VIOLENCE LIKE GIRLS

HON ROBSON MAVENYENGWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker for allowing me the opportunity to add my voice to the motion brought by Hon. Bhuda concerning gender based violence which is mainly targeted against women and children. @wlsazim

HON MAVENYENGWA: I am a parent, I have a girl child and it pains me to witness the girl child being abused especially when they live with people who are not their natural parents. If people live with a step mother in most cases, they are ill treated.@YetTrust @NAYOZimbabwe

HON MAVENYENGWA: They grow up in an environment that is not conducive for children. There was a case where we ended up having to call the police because the stepmother was ill treating the child. @Y4pdZ @Youth4SDGsZim @NYDT1 @Youthdecidezw @moysarzim

HON. MAVENYENGWA: The child would draw water, look for wood and do everything to the extent that the child was failing to go to school. The father was there and was seeing these events unfold with his own eyes. That also touched me as the local Member of Parliament.

HON. MAVENYENGWA: I ended up looking for the police& those from Social Welfare department to ensure they assist the child. We are saying that Govt should come up with laws& penalties that are deterrent especially in GBV especially where the mother has passed away.

Thread on Al Qaeda & Taliban:

Ever since Joe Biden has won the elections, we’ve seen some fascinating proposals about the future strategy of Afghanistan. Almost all the analysts and think tanks were dissatisfied with Talibans commitment to break ties with Al Qaeda,...

1/9

... which is a serious matter of concern for the United States.
Although the Taliban have agreed to break ties with Al Qaeda but we’ve seen some recent reports that the two groups are sill collaborating.

2/9

The relationship between Al Qaeda & Taliban is decades old, they’ve helped & stood for each other in most difficult times. When the Taliban agreed to begin negotiations with the U.S, they knew that they would have to break ties with Al Qaeda or other Islamist militants.

3/9

Taliban knew that breaking ties with Al Qaeda will be America’s primary demand, they entered the negotiations after they had a consensus on breaking ties with Al Qaeda.

So far we’ve seen evidence that Al Qaeda has endorsed US-Taliban peace agreement, this suggests that...

4/9

... Taliban had Al Qaeda’s consent for negotiations with the US. Both parties agreed that breaking ties was the only viable option in order to achieve their primary goal of expelling ‘all foreign forces’ from Afghanistan.

5/9

all the boy cousins split off to talk about romances and personal growth since the last family reunion. the girl cousins go down to the creek to smoke cigarettes and throw knives

our conversation inevitably turns to the dark and mysterious world of the girl cousins. “why do they smoke those things? they smell so nasty!” teddy cried. “i saw a pack of birth control pills sitting out on lisa’s desk,” ronald said somberly.

quickly a consensus is reached that we need to find out exactly what the girls are talking about. gerald and i volunteer for recon. spying seems dishonorable but we agree bigger things might be at stake. edwin caught tara rolling her eyes at the Sunday school teacher.

we slip down to the creek by a trail cut by a jack rabbit. as we sneak, sly and quiet as foxes, the sense of boyish mischief departs and an oppressive feeling sets upon us instead. the thicket grows darker and the shadows twist the wrong way. we look at one another very coldly.

coming to a bank looking over the sand bar we see the girls sitting cross legged in a circle darkly painted on the sand. one girl sits in the middle but her face is covered by a kind of mask. a deer’s head. fat black flies buzz around her and her chest is painted sticky red.

THREAD. (You want to see conclusion)

Call me the eternal hopeful but I simply CANNOT ignore facts. Period.

I cannot ignore DECADES of global corruption, fraud, crime, human/drug trafficking being exposed during Trump’s admin.

I CANNOT ignore Trump’s statements, ie “we caught them all”, “just wait, you’ll see”, “the beer is yet to come”.

I CANNOT ignore Flynn saying he is 100% certain Trump will remain President.

I CANNOT ignore the facts that Pelosi, Schumer, Swalwell, Feinstein, and many other Dems/Reps are completely evil

I CANNOT ignore the fact the the media has CLEARLY been lying to us about Trump for 4 years.

I CANNOT ignore the fact that entire corporations, all chicom sponsored, are taking the actions they are taking to silence and destroy Trump.

I CANNOT ignore the fact Trump has done NOTHING but do everything his power to Make America Great.

I CANNOT ignore the fact that his opposition has done NOTHING in their power to destroy America.

I’m honestly just so sick to death of seeing hypersexualised female celebrities. It’s so, so damaging and to think that my nieces are growing up surrounded by it makes me worry constantly about the next generation of girls and women.

And it’s so fucking prevalent. Hypersexualised female celebrities are the norm, not the exception. Especially black/brown women. When I think about how every single Top 40 song sung by a female is about male pleasure, it hits home how profoundly mired in patriarchy we are.

Can we just have female celebrities that aren’t forced to sexualise themselves? Is that too much to ask for the diet that young girls grow up on?

Ariana grande’s latest album is *literally* named after trying new sex positions—for a man. The most famous pop song by women of last year, WAP, was literally about male pleasure and the lengths women will go to for it, and included the lyrics, “I wanna gag, I wanna choke.”

Don’t even get me started on the imagery. The music videos, the photography. The constant fucking nudity. The way almost every dance move is an allusion to sex.

Let's talk menstrual cups and periods. Ask me whatever questions you have and I'll do my best to answer.

I have been using a cup since June 2020 and it has literally freed me. I use a Sirona Small. I've answered some really common questions below.

1. The best way to find your size is a finger test. You will need to insert a finger in your vagina and then find your size. This video will help

2. Don't go by the descriptions on the menstrual cup website. Your age has nothing to do with your cervix size. Your size can't be changed unless you give birth. So, you have to measure it. Make sure to measure it when you are close to your period.

3. When you pick a brand, pick one that is FDA approved. This ensures the brand has used quality silicone for the cup. You can check the measurements for Sirona Small and approximate for other brands. I bought mine from Amazon.

4. Women have 3 different holes which connect to three different systems in the body. Your vagina connects to the reproductive system. Your urethra or pee hole connects to the excretory system and your poo hole/butthole is the final step of your digestive system.

//thread/

This was the very first experience I had in an LGBTQ social circle when I first openly came out as a lesbian at 18. I had just gone through a difficult breakup and was depressed and lonely for lesbian community, so I thought I would go to my university’s Pride Club.(1)

Pretty much all the members were female, with the exception of one gay man and one trans woman (who was 31). Not one single girl in the group identified as bi or lesbian, but rather several combinations of ‘queer’, ‘pansexual’, ‘genderfluid demisexual’, and ‘non binary’.(2)

We began by introducing ourselves and stating our preferred pronouns. I already felt super out of place but I went along with it anyway. When introducing myself as a lesbian, the head of the club kindly asked me to refer to myself as ‘queer’ or ‘gay’ so as to be inclusive of (3)

everyone’s identities. I apologized and agreed to the terms but it stirred up something inside me, pretty much the exact same feeling I had when I came out to my family and they refused to acknowledge or accept that I was a lesbian.(4)

The topics of discussion ranged from dating, gender expression, and the difficulties Victoria faced as a ‘trans lesbian’ and how so few people in her life would validate her identity. Victoria was showered with praise and support, and not one single person had any (5)

THREAD
1/15
I'm struck by how there's been no response to the #motherandbabyhomesreport from 3 of the largest national groups involved in survivors lives to date - the @clann_project, @adoptionrights & @maglaundries have not officially tweeted since the report was released.

2/15
This tells me one thing & one thing only - they have nothing to say yet. I find it so interesting that so many others have leapt to speak on behalf of survivors when some of the key survivor interest groups have not yet commented.
#motherandbabyhomes

3/15
The report is MASSIVE, approximately 3000 pages, the information contained in it very detailed in parts, I've been immersed in this story my whole adult life & even I can't yet grasp the detail in the one chapter that is about the #MotherandBabyHome I was born in.

4/15
I appreciate that much of the report is shocking to those for whom this has not been their life story, for those of us who are survivors we have, for the most part, been only too intimately familiar with the details of the #motherandbabyhomesreport, & much more besides.

5/15
My experience, & the experience of every other survivor I know, is that we have been talked about & talked over our entire lives. Gaslit by agencies, adoptive parents, birth parents, the state, churches, society & much more, with others deciding for us what is best for us.