I'm gonna be real with you, tumblr
I dislike the trend I have seen for a while of a minority of people that do claim to do their research with stories regarding Greek mythology or ancient Greek stories and absolutely, without shame disregard the environmental aspects of it.
Not just erasing some stuff like the importance of legumes, but also genuinely erasing normal flowers with exotic ones or making crap up with no reason that would be fixed with a normal googling.
It makes me sad but, I prefer helping instead.
This is not a post meant for people that write for writing which is A OK.
No, this is for the people that claim to do their extensive research and end up painting the flat image they were trying to avoid or end up making more mistakes. Example peaches or lemons on Mykenaean Greece.
I'm no authority whatsoever but a fellow research so If y'all need help here are some my tips:
- iNaturalist is a really good tool for a general idea. Type location you want and a huge array of species will appear. Choose Native and it will clean your feed from exotic or invasive species.
- Flora ionica is a German web in English that has the flora of the Ionian islands
- My library (Ulises' library/la biblioteca de Ulises) will have stuff updated and if you really, really have a question do this.
"topic you want to research" pdf.
Most sources I use: Wikipedia, iNaturalist, Flora Ionica, Greek Forest Map, Köppen climate classification,
It will send you to ResearchGate or any other paper you may need.
Reiterating. This is not mandatory to anyone. but, if you are a writer that wants to understand a better image of our beloved stories, this aids so much in your path plus it makes a more lived on worldbuilding
to: whoever says they did research without sources and passes rosemary as a strange plant or says oak is the same. (this also applies to any type of story btw, even outside Greek myth)
Not only just with Ancient Greek or Mediterranean areas but rather as a whole in many other takes and tales. An example would be Homer, who spends many lines describing the enviorment with direct words not like: the fragrant dark tree which's leaves look like...." no.
Homer goes: this is an olk-helm, a cypress, and fragrant cedar tree.
The Homeric Hymn to Demeter says the flowers Persephone was taking: rose, saffron, violets, iris, hyacinth and narcissus.
it is unfortunately that I feel the climates of many period pieces have been shaped not by research but by the desire to achieve a specific aesthetic... This is specifically evident with classical pieces and as you mentioned including stuff like lemon trees and other fruits that were simply not present there? It's chasing a feeling for someone to read your book and experience rather than a setting for them to be immersed in.
but really, the Homeric Mediterranean WAS beautiful without these neoclassical inventions and people need to realise that.
The Homeric Mediterrean IS beautiful.
I dislike the idea that the ancient Mediterranean is not alive, it is. Not as much but it really is. The trees have not been erased they still exist as before just younger not older. Heck the mediterranean forest is pyrophile and needs wildfires to turn back (natural ones, not human made ones) But we still have forests with the same tree composition as the Homeric ones, different? sure, but still the same core species.
Anyways, back to topic.
What I really start to see is something and is the subliminal reitaration that there is only one type of correct Mediterranean and that is the Thyrrenian and Aegean one when no, it is not. And even then is the type of Mediterranean that is only found in touristic areas such as Liguria, Sicilia, Aegean islands, Attika, etc.
And more so, an specific one of the times of Northern European/American's elite areas for Summer. Because most details that they throw in their tales roughly correspond to the XIX-XX century ideal for tourist destination. Again homegenization and touristification of the area.
Again, it is regurgating an already tired idea and making it look "ancient". Which is funny in itself for they always miss the mark and end up writing stories that only work in their narrative framework, example: kissing.
Kissing in the mouth, cheeks or hands was not seen as purely romantic nor cheeks, hands are. A normal retelling author would write a king kissing a king in the lips with homoerotical subtones when in reality it was just protocol and nothing special (really rough example)
The enviorment they paint is so off, and I will say it, there is this strange obsession with olive trees (Olea europea) that is so distasteful. It is emblematic, it is crucial for our area for it is a bioindicator of mediterranean climate and intrisic part of our stories but, it is not in the way I've seen it done.
Not everywhere is just olive tree groves, there are many many other trees such oak-helm, oaks, beeches, cypress, pine trees (P. maritima, nigra, halepessensis you decide), etc... and we are not going to talk about flowers because only just with the Asteraceae (daisy family).
So the feeling or aesthetic they try to emulate or create is based on a misinterpretation of a really concrete time that it is not even close to the multitude of realities that existed, exist and will continue to exist.
It is really scary to see the conspiracy theories about ebola take shape and begin to weave their way through the internet. We are going to continue to see the emergence (and associated outbreaks of) new and novel viruses because of global warming, because the earth’s global population is higher than it has ever been and we are constantly on the move AND because so many ecosystems have been decimated. It is not a conspiracy. It is something we must be aware of. We cannot continue with the same conspiratorial and individualistic thinking that arose during the COVID pandemic, it will kill us all.
We have been aware of ebola for the past 50 years. We know bats in west and central Africa are virus reservoirs, they carry the viruses without showing symptoms. Outbreaks of ebola keep occurring because the viruses are now endemic and bats aren’t the only species that can harbor the virus without showing symptoms.
This is the 17th ebola outbreak in the DRC in the past 19 years. This is the second outbreak of the Bundibugyo virus in the DRC. The current outbreak is decimating gold mining regions because panning for gold is a perfect storm for zoonotic & water-based illnesses, you are constantly outside in nature, ankle deep in rivers and streams, interacting with others, often temporary workers sharing cramped accommodations. Historically and worldwide, mining camps and mining settlements have been decimated by infectious disease.
Ebola outbreaks will continue occurring for the foreseeable future, unless we figure out how to eradicate them in disease reservoirs. Downplaying the lethality of the viruses, turning a blind eye to it because it is occurring on another continent or preying on fear and creating conspiracies about it is extremely dangerous.
the thing about media literacy is that understanding why the author chose to specify that the curtains are blue is the same skill set as understanding that the way the author characterizes all black characters as angry or all chinese characters as meek and silent is racist. it is the same skill set as being able to identify when a news source is biased or when someone is feeding you propaganda. the ability to ask "why did this person choose to present this premise in this specific way?" is a critical skill in a world full of misinformation. why are the curtains blue? maybe it's a characterization detail. maybe it's extraneous worldbuilding. why is this character written as being right all the time? maybe you're intended to disagree with them. maybe it doesn't matter. maybe you should still ask why.
if you're living in the western half of the u.s. and worried about forest fires, i cannot recommend the app "watch duty" enough. it's up to date with its fire tracking, sends alerts about evac notices, and even told me about a community meeting re: an encroaching fire that idk i would have heard of otherwise
I’m begging all my mutuals to pay attention to the wildfires in Argentinian Patagonia. Almost 10.000 acres of unique Patagonian Andean forests, with South America tallest and world’s oldest trees, burned and they were all intentional. The worst part is that back in December, the government announced that they would lift the ban on foreigners buying rural land, and on changing the land productive activity after a wildfire for 30-60 years. Firefighters are crying because they don’t have enough resources, the government cut their budget by 70% for this year, while they wasted 300 million dollars on F-16 jet fighters. It’s not just trees, it’s animals and people’s lives, whole towns, that have been endangered, more than 3000 tourists had to be evacuated. The climate catastrophe is worsening the fires, with less rain and more wind this summer.
Heads up from a Southern Californian that it is time to buy any fans and/or KN-95 masks for the summer NOW, before the start of summer and wildfire season!!!
If you wait until your AC goes out to make sure you have enough fans, there will not be fans available for you to buy. If you wait for a wildfire, no one will have KN-95s for you to buy. They will all be sold out, especially as climate change makes summers more and more severe, and fire season longer and longer.
Other tips for keeping cool in extreme heat:
Do not ever leave a child or a pet in the car while it is off. Ever. Not "just for a few minutes," nothing. Kids have died from being trapped in hot cars in temperatures as low as 70 degrees F (21 C)
Especially if you live somewhere that doesn't typically get hot, make sure you own at least 2 tank tops and 2 pairs of shorts if at all possible. Thrift them or search them on Buy Nothing/something similar if you don't have them already. You will want the option
Cotton fabric evaporates moisture quickly and sheds heat fast. Cotton clothes are great for the heat for that reason, and if you're really desperate for relief, get cotton shirts/towels/cloths wet and either wear them or hang them up in front of a fan. The fan will blow the cooler, moist air throughout the room, cooling things down
Open windows and doors on opposite sides of rooms to create airflow
Hydration tablets and electrolyte drinks are magic for dehydration. You need to replace the salts you're sweating out. Salty trail mix is also great for this (you eat it on hiking trails for a reason)
Make sure your pets stay cool! Cold packs inside fabric can be really good for this (and for you!)
Most efficient place for a cold, wet towel to cool you down is the sides of your neck, your hands, and the soles of your feet (but NEVER put ice against your bare skin!)
Don't really expect anything of yourself between 1pm and 4pm - that is the hottest part of the day, and so it's the time you need to be the most chill (ba-dum tss). Movement creates heat (hence why you shiver, hence why exercising warms you up), so try to do as little as possible, and especially try to save errands and exercise until dusk
Many places now have heat shelters. Look them up in your area. The public library is often a spot for these, and if not, still a really good and FREE place to stay all day with AC
Plants cool things down. Standing on the grass will leave you measurably cooler than standing on the asphalt two feet away. Stay on plants, stay in the shade, and do what you can to add plants and green spaces to your area, to help keep it cool
If you live in a wildfire hotspot, try your best to get an air filter or air purifier now, because there will be none left by the time you need one
If you do end up near a wildfire zone: any smoke you can smell is smoke that can affect your lungs. Leave the house as little as possible (except to evacuate, which you should do as soon as an evacuation is called for your area). Duct tape the seams around windows and exterior doors to help keep out the smoke. And pack a go bag (change of clothes, toiletries, important documents, medications, spare food and water, essentials for pets or kids)
My qualifications: Lived in California my whole life, most of it in Los Angeles, and half my adult life living in buildings without AC. One time I went to a baseball game in 117 degree weather (47 C) and genuinely had a good time. I know things about keeping cool
For millions of people managing type 2 diabetes, mornings begin the same way — a needle, a dose, and a quiet mental note to do it all again
So that article turned out to be AI. No I did not know that at the time I posted it. Yes I did find out a few hours later (in this case, there is substantial evidence that the people who called AI in the comment section were correct).
No I did not deal with it immediately, because I've been dealing with severe medical issues for months.
(Get your shots. Post-viral syndromes like long COVID are brutal. Also, get your shots because some people, like me last year, CAN'T get COVID or flu vaccines because of the medical complications it would cause. Any year you CAN get vaccinated, DO get vaccinated.)
I'm leaving it up so that this full information and context is here when anyone tries to navigate to the original post.
Also because the headline itself is true and I can verify that part, at least, independently (and had while creating the original post).
Here's another, much better source:
FDA Approves Weekly Basal Insulin for Adults With Type 2 Diabetes
-via JAMA Network (medical journal), April 17, 2026. doi: 10.1001/jama.2026.2111
Of course, that's paywalled, because most academic sources are these days (derogatory). So here's the source I found that best seems to have the best lay reader explanation (but which unfortunately does not have a preview image that works with tumblr's embedded link formatting)
Awiqli: FDA Approves First and Only Once-Weekly Long-Acting Basal Insulin for Adults With Type 2 Diabetes
What Is Awiqli, and Why Does It Matter?
Awiqli (insulin icodec-abae) is a once-weekly long-acting basal insulin injection approved by the FDA for adults with type 2 diabetes. It helps lower blood sugar levels when used along with a healthy diet and regular exercise. It is taken as a subcutaneous (under-the-skin) shot with a prefilled FlexTouch pen on the same day every week.
Type 2 diabetes is a condition in which the body has trouble controlling blood sugar levels. If it isn't well managed, it can lead to serious complications like heart disease, kidney damage, nerve problems, and vision loss. Many people need insulin to control their diabetes, which often means giving themselves daily injections to keep their blood sugar in a healthy range.
Awiqli is the only long-acting man-made insulin (U-700) in the U.S. that is designed to last an entire week. Its active ingredient, insulin icodec-abae, loosely attaches to a blood protein called albumin, forming a reservoir that slowly and steadily releases insulin into the bloodstream. This lowers blood sugar levels in the same way as human insulin. Because of this slow, steady release, Awiqli provides a consistent dose of insulin icodec-abae and maintains a stable blood sugar-lowering effect throughout the week.
This approval matters because this medicine reduces the number of basal insulin shots from seven to one per week, offering a more convenient option that can be tailored to individual needs and routines.
-via WebMD, March 27, 2026. And that matters, because how easily you are able to take your meds determines how often you are able to take your meds, which with type II diabetes in particular (as well as plenty of other conditions) is often:
the difference between being pain-free and developing nerve damage
the difference between keeping your mobility and losing it
the difference between keeping you leg and losing it
the difference between keeping your life and losing it
So that's why this is a reason for hope.
That's why this matters. This will save people's lives.
--
(And that is why we need to do everything we can to make sure every single person in the world can access this medication when needed - fuck corporate patents, lives are more important)
More details on how that post mixup happened after the readmore if you're curious:
So, frankly and painfully, the specific AI article I originally linked did a better job of explaining the difference this will make in people's lives better than any legitimate medical source than search engines were giving me, especially if I wanted to link an article that wasn't behind a paywall. And I hate that it was better than anything else my search engine would give me!! That's a problem due in large part to Google and other tech companies intentionally ruining their search algorithms for greater ad visibility and an informational monopoly.
But, yeah, that's why I went with it over other sources despite the major red flag and general terrible practice of the article not having a specific author credited. (Which isn't always an AI thing, to be clear, sometimes it's just a shitty media outlet thing, as has been the case since long before generative AI.)
My little baby sister Maryam may not survive if the war or famine returns again. Her tiny body can no longer endure all this exhaustion, hunger, and fear.
I can't sleep because of the overwhelming fear and dark thoughts haunting me. I keep imagining what could happen to Maryam if we are forced to go through all of this again.
Maryam deserves safety, warmth, food, and the chance to live like any other child. Instead, she wakes up every day surrounded by fear and uncertainty. Please do not look away from Maryam and help her have the chance in a safe and peaceful life.
voter suppression against black people is reaching Jim Crow era levels in the US so please get registered to vote now, learn who's going to be on your ballot in advance, try to talk some sense into your conservative relatives or coworkers (diplomatically), and, when November rolls around, vote to make Republicans lose as many seats as possible. there are many other things to do, of course, but the midterms will have a massive impact on the future of civil rights.
The FBI cut the phone lines during the 1977 disability rights sit-in. Then they turned off the hot water.
They locked the doors from the outside. One hundred and fifty people were trapped on the fourth floor. Half of them used wheelchairs. The government assumed they would leave.
Kitty Cone was thirty-three. She had muscular dystrophy. Her muscles were failing, but her logistics were flawless. She knew how to organize people.
The federal government had promised to sign regulations protecting disabled Americans from discrimination. The policy was known as Section 504. They printed the promise on paper. Then they stalled. Without a signature, it was just typography.
The protesters entered the regional Health, Education, and Welfare building in San Francisco on a Tuesday morning. They took the elevators to the director's office. They brought sleeping bags and catheters. They informed the staff they were not leaving until the law was signed.
By sunset, the police surrounded the exits. Kitty sat near the windows. She organized the floor plan. She assigned committees for security and sanitation. She kept her medication in a small cooler.
According to federal memorandums released decades later, the strategy to end the occupation relied on medical attrition. The building was not equipped for long-term habitation. The FBI calculated that a population requiring ventilators, specialized diets, and daily medical aides would voluntarily evacuate if the environment became sufficiently hostile. They instituted a blockade.
The blockade went into effect immediately. No food deliveries allowed. No medical supplies permitted through the lobby. Guards stood at the main doors checking identification.
Kitty's muscles deteriorated faster under the physical strain. She couldn't walk. When the phone lines went dead, the fourth floor lost contact with the press. The government waited for the quiet.
Kitty dropped to the floor. She realized the barricades were designed for standing adults. The police had blocked the hallways at waist height. They hadn't blocked the linoleum.
The floors were covered in cigarette ash and spilled coffee. She dragged her body through it. She crawled under the barricades to reach the restricted elevator shafts and unguarded offices.
She carried notes in her pockets. She found a single working payphone the FBI missed. She called the local news desks. She called the mayor's office.
She crawled back. When her arms failed, someone pulled her by her ankles. The Black Panthers heard the news reports. They crossed the police lines with hot meals. The FBI could not stop them without a riot.
They shut off the elevators, so she crawled.
The occupation lasted twenty-five days. It remains the longest non-violent occupation of a federal building in American history. On April 28, the Secretary of HEW signed the regulations without a single alteration.
The protesters left the building the next morning. They went back to their apartments. The Rehabilitation Act regulations laid the groundwork for every accessibility law that followed. The HEW building still stands on United Nations Plaza. The elevators run on a schedule. The doors are heavy glass.
Kitty Cone: the woman who crawled under the barricades.
A lot of the satellite footage of Gaza and Lebanon that you see in the media looks like this
And while that is obviously horrifying to me, I think people ho are still in deep denial can sort of pretend to themselves that there must have been a very big battle there, or a massive fire, or one really big bomb. The 'oh we were fighting Hamas/Hezbollah' bullshit can somehow be wielded to stay in that deep denial.
So I think they should be showing more shit like this:
Like, this makes it pretty clear that it's every house. Systematically. Can you convince yourself that Hezbollah was in EVERY house? For real? Or is it time to start facing that the IDF is deliberately going from house to house destroying a civilization?
A lifesaving injection given at birth to prevent severe bleeding has become collateral damage of the anti-vaccine movement.
talk to your coworkers about this. remember that the "taking advice from everyone except the experts" thing cuts both ways. you can be the non-expert guy at work who isnt an expert and gives someone advice they decide to follow based on vibes, but your advice can be the right advice instead. this is something we can all do.
the vitamin k shot has zero side effects, it is literally just a vitamin that does nothing except prevent babies from bleeding to death internally. its one of those things that does absolutely nothing except what it's supposed to do, is cheap, and has drastically reduced infant mortality this century and the last
“Because the truth is, tech doesn’t have an image problem. It doesn’t have a message problem. It has an intention problem. What’s wrong with the axe murderer who broke into my house is not that he hasn’t successfully persuaded me to buy into his narrative. What’s wrong is that he’s trying to kill me with an axe. Similarly, when you launch a product that’s designed to put millions of people out of work, block access to sources of verifiable truth, replace human creativity with slop, and lower the barriers to every sort of atrocity, the problem isn’t that you haven’t told the public a good story about those things. The problem is that you are trying to do them.”
Since you don’t respect my opinion anyway, quit pestering me to fill out a survey after every single consumer experience. I keep wondering who looks at these surveys. Is the CEO sitting in his wood-paneled office, reading each individual response on an old-timey stock ticker? If so, you can keep doing this. If not, I rate this experience zero stars out of infinity.
baratheonpilled
jbbartram-illu
izzy806
dededos
