Wren

@Wren@lemmy.today

Clinically depressed, chronically online,
Socialist discordian statist for open science,
Independent journalism and gay crime.

My Communities:

!Independent_Media@lemmy.today — Independent world journalism news feed.

!indy_news_canada@sh.itjust.works — Independent news from Canada.

!wildfeed@sh.itjust.works — Trash. Global, diverse news, reports, blogs and listicles.

!art_alchemist_guild@lemmy.today — Ask, share, learn and show off with the most DIY of artists.

!cool_rocks@lemmy.today — For cool rocks.

!everyday_socialism@lemmy.ml — For everyday socialism.

I keep making communities. Please help.

This is my main account.

Other Me:
icytrees@sh.itjust.works
woad@lemmy.ml

Former Me:
ceedoestrees@lemmy.world
icytrees@lemmy.today
trash_goblin@piefed.zip

Land back. Do drugs.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. View on remote instance

Wren ,

Wanna share your ambien? I want to speak walrus with you.

Why aren’t there more Indigenous foods in 'Canadian' grocery stores? ( indiginews.com )

Walking down the aisles of one of “Canada’s” major groceries, it’s rare to see Indigenous food products. Even in smaller, independently-owned retailers, they are still few and far between. Fish might be from Alaska and seaweed from Japan, despite being plentiful on the coast of “British Columbia” and harvested by...

Wren OP ,

The article isn't about diets, it's about how difficult it is for small, indigenous businesses to stock larger grocery chains — But diets can vary greatly between different tribes and locations. Remote communities have a hard time getting conventional products, which can be prohibitively expensive due to transportation costs, so a number of people rely on traditional hunting and local foods. Inuit still hunt seals, northern BC is big on the salmon catch, and deer are big in the prairies.

Pemican, salted fish and jams are all shelf-stable, traditional and use natural preservatives. Making products doesn't mean mass-production either, I worked at a small food production business for five years, and our biggest batches were around 40 pieces at a time.

Not to mention that seasonal harvests and hunts were a big part of the hunter gatherer lifestyle, where a whole community would come together to work through a salmon catch, game, and harvests. Mass production was absolutely a traditional part of indigenous life.

They definitely had complicated recipes, too. In just the northern Okanagan tribes, they made a bread from black moss, herbs and fruit. They also whipped up saponin rich berries into a kind of cream mixed with preserves and berries for a dessert, for just a couple examples. Foods of the BC interior first peoples are actually pretty fascinating. Seasonings and involved production methods were widely used as well.

Wren OP ,

The invisible hand is greedy and slaps small businesses with fees for products damaged in its stores. There's this cool new thing we're doing called reading the article.

Wren , (edited )

Some of my information might be outdated, it's been a while — I worked in a high end liquor store, brewing supply, and I'm a home brewer.

It might vary by state, but best bet is to go smaller. Molson, Kokanee, Sleeman, Alexander Keith's, Coors and Moosehead are all made in Canada and they've all been pretty hostile to the craft beer industry. When I was living in Nova Scotia there were strict guidelines on minimum output to be considered a craft brewery that made it harder for small businesses to start up. And that was because of Keith's. Personally, I can't stand moosehead because they use some skunky fucking hops that overpower everything with pot stank.

Don't even try molson, it's the bud lite of Canada.

Unibroue for sure is sold is some states, and they're owned and operated in Quebec. They do belgian, so they've probably got some lighter lager/pilsner style brews.

Big ones I think I've seen in the states are:
Parallel 49, Granville Island Brewing (I love their winter ale,) and Fort Gary. Maybe Half Pints.

You might be surprised how much liquor store employees know if you ask someone who's been there a while. We did product tests and talked to reps all the time where I worked. The Cariboo rep straight up gave everyone working a six pack whenever they delivered.

By the way, if you see Cariboo, they make the kind of light-but-friendly swill you're looking for, and are extra-Canadian. I'm obviously biased because free beer, but hey, the marketing tactic worked.

Wren ,

The rest isn't surprising. I should have looked more into it other than saying *made in Canada, to clarify. Granville Island is disappointing. Still not touching moosehead.

P49 is awesome AND the couple times I did orders for their brewers they were just lovely. But man, the big breweries are really taking over.

Then again, Red Truck and Yaletown are owned by Mark James, and he's a Canadian asshole. The brewer at Yaletown was a sweetheart, but he might have retired.

Stuff is complicated.

Wren ,

I may not agree with the guys who dress in leviticus quotes and declare me a harlot at transit stations, but I'll defend to the death their right to do it.

Wren ,

No, but that goes to show how many rich characters we'd lose to the skeptic laws.

Wren ,

Join !cool_rocks@lemmy.today if you're sick of doom.
It's just cool rocks and discussions about rocks.

Wren , (edited )

I'm doing my part. I can't stop making communities and having debates.

Wren ,

I'll die of excitement while mowing the neighbour's lawn with scissors.

I just halted a job interview process - due to self respect.

I don't usually have sufficient motivation to post much on any social media platform. This is rare for me. I am putting this out in the world in part hoping for some validation, in part hoping it sparks some kind of social action to save some semblance of privacy and dignity in this modern world....

Wren ,

Good on you. I turned down an interview at the first level because they asked me to download one program, I said I'd be happy to download anything they want if they bought the hardware and paid for my internet.

Wren ,

I do the same when people want me to download whatsapp. This is why we need unions.

Wren ,

We need to start demanding technical diagrams again. I've fixed up antiques where the schematics were printed on the inside, even for a simple flashlight.

Wren ,

Bred wine.

Wren OP , (edited )

The MAGA instance? I don't see any maga over here. The top two coms are for independent news and art, and they're run by me.

Wren OP ,

And he's on the Wren instance with my feminist, socialist, queer ass.

Wren OP ,

I say lots of things. Like all the queer, feminist things I spread.

He's on like ten instances. Why not just block his accounts instead of depriving yourself of cool rocks?

Wren OP ,
Wren OP , (edited )

Okay well, remember to have fun out there.

Wren ,

Come, friends.

Wren ,

Hi! Did you make paper yet?
Maybe some day.

Wren ,

Totally, and such a cheap hobby. I'm glad you're inspired!

Plus you can just remake all the sheets you fuck up.

I've experimented with so many methods, best I've found for pure plant fibre sheets (if you don't want to spend forever sponging) is to just flip your whole screen with the sheet onto whatever drying surface you use(as long as it's smooth and flat) sponge the back through the screen, wait for it to dry a bit until the paper holds together on its own, then peel the screen off with a butter knife.

I'm sure you'll figure out your own thing, though. Some people just leave them on the screens till dry.

Wren ,

Exactly! Have fun!

Wren ,

We had those in Vancouver, too, which came from a dairy in the Greater Vancouver Area. I used to get fancy milk on payday and keep the bottles for crafts, away from the recycling bandits. They love them because you can get like a dollar back, per each.

Wren ,

Okay but I've been in plastic bag land for a while and every goddamn time I make the first cut, I spill milk everywhere. Is there a trick? I already know the "both sides" method and put it in the jug before I cut the corner. Right now I just have a glass standing by for my obligatory shot every time I open one.

Wren ,

This worked! Thank you. My two-hole method was fucking me over.

Wren ,

Every goddamn one of these threads someone tries to discuss what it means to rape or to be a paedophile, and someone calls them a paedophile. We have criminal law because we, as a society, decided that some things are bad. We have different words for different crimes because, as it turns out, not every crime is the same. Manslaughter isn't first degree murder. Theft under $5000 isn't theft over $5000 because one is worse. Rape at knifepoint is not only arguably worse, it's definitively worse than statutory rape. No one said any of these crimes aren't "A big no no."

Wren , (edited )

This wasn't paedophile apologia and it's fucking ridiculous it was taken down.

The age of consent where I live is 16, with 14-15 year olds able to have sexual relationships with people up to five years older. The teacher is a predator, an abuser, an asshole, and a statutory rapist, but not a paedophile. She may also be a paedophile, but nothing in the article indicates she was. We should reserve that word for people who deserve it.

In order to understand why paedophilia is terrible we need to be able to discuss what it means. Defining a crime isn't apologia, it's how we figure out what is a crime in the first place. I don't want to see "Paedophile" go the way of "Fascist."

The Independent has no place on a site or community opposed to misinformation unless it's clearly labelled a tabloid. It's part owned by a fucking sultan, not independent, and failed multiple fact checks over the last few years. It's blatant misinformation to call the teacher a paedophile when that word doesn't even have a legal definition in the UK with regard to criminal law.

Wren ,

Doubt they read it, probably just downvoted all your shit because some people make up their minds by the end of the first sentence. Everything else is just a bingo card to find what lines up with what they already believe.

Wren ,

Too many words. People aren't reading it and just assume you're defending paedophiles. The same reason people are downvoting me as soon as they see "age of consent" and not reading the rest.

I have three news communities. Almost every active comment section has someone who argues based on the headline and nothing else. Some folks don't like to read.

Wren ,

Don't want to get modded for threatening violence when ten people are telling you off and calling you a paedo.

I agree, getting rid of paedophiles means either killing or treating them. Since the death penalty is a massive human rights abuse, guess we gotta treat them.

Wren , (edited )

Does the dick get in the way of regular crafting?

edit for shilling: I started !Art_Alchemist_Guild@lemmy.today a month ago. It's for art sharing, show and tell, how-tos, discussions and challenges for a ton of different crafts. I've done damn near everything from machining to crochet, so I'm happy to help out. Bring whichever combination of genitals you prefer.

Wren ,

Last year I only needed a good miter saw. Now I know I'll only be happy with a 5 axis CNC machine.

Wren , (edited )

Totally. Knitting is one of the most practical skills someone can have. It's math, textiles, logistics, engineering, and cozy. You can also take control of what materials go into your clothing, too, like by sticking to organics and staying away from synthetics that break down faster and shed microplastics.

Hell, I got into fibre arts and went so deep I started visiting farms to buy my own fleeces, paying small hobby shepherds directly.

Ravelry.com (I'm not a shill, it's just a great site) is good for searching patterns, organizing favorites, and it has a knitting calculator for conversions.

You don't even have to knit a bowl to felt it, you can just felt wool roving over a flat circle form, cut it off, blow up a balloon inside and let it dry.

Wren ,

Why would women be uncomfortable about a dude joining if it's not a gendered club? I haven't met knitters of any age who wouldn't be thrilled to talk wool weights and patterns with anyone. I'm a woman who's been in and taught a ton of art and craft groups, they've all been mixed in age and genders. Art is for everyone.

Wren ,

There aren't any more axes, unless you count the moving bed. The one I used didn't need specialized tools to change the bit.

Wren ,

Oof, I lost finger-skin to that slidey bitch. Does that make carpentry and machining more or less manly?

Wren ,

Is it supposed to be narrow and hooked?

Wren ,

My experience has been much different. I do everything from woodworking to Arduino to crochet, I've seen quite a few different group dynamics in gender and ages.

That's not to say you're wrong, lotta people have dumbass opinions on gender, but I'm so thankful I haven't experienced much of that in the art world. The men's sheds opening to women in the UK are a great example of positive change among the older generation.

Wren ,

Instead they're gonna take over the new Kiev they build on the moon.

Wren ,

I thought everyone was sexually attracted to all genders at least a little bit until I learned that no, straight people are actually straight.

Wren ,

Well, buddy, the Christmas Beaver sure isn't going to bring you any maple syrup.

House Democrats release 68 new photos from Epstein estate ( www.cbsnews.com )

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released a batch of 68 photos obtained from the estate of Jeffrey Epstein on Thursday, one day before the deadline for the Trump administration to release a much larger group of Epstein files....

Wren ,

James Randi is still clean. Still my hero.

Wren ,

I feel vindicated. I'm a little antifa leftist slut and Chompsky still triggered my creep detector.

Wren , (edited )

squints. Ah, okay. ML. Yes, fuck the liberals.

Wren ,

I aim to teach, not to shame. I had a few cooks who thought the same thing.