Happy Earth Day 2024
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Posted:Apr 22, 2024 4:07 am
Last Updated:Apr 22, 2024 6:56 am 468 Views
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More than 8 billion people inhabit Earth, and soon a springtime holiday will remind them of the need to take care of their home.
Earth Day, which takes place on April 22, dates back to 1970, when U.S.-based organizers were hoping to bring awareness to the environmental degradation they were witnessing across the country. Since then, recognition of the holiday has expanded to more than 190 countries who have added Earth Day to their calendar.
The holiday is both a grim reminder of the work that must be done and a celebration of the progress that has been made when it comes to climate change efforts. It's also been the catalyst for actions including the creation of international climate agreements and environmental agencies.
This year’s theme is Planet vs. Plastics, which calls on government leaders, businesses, and everyday people to reduce plastic production by 60% by 2040. It is also calling for the full elimination of single use plastics by the end of this decade.
“The word environment means what surrounds you. In the case of plastics we have become the product itself—it flows through our blood stream, adheres to our internal organs, and carries with it heavy metals known to cause cancer and disease,” said Kathleen Rogers, President of earthday.org. “The Planet vs. Plastics campaign is a call to arms, a demand that we act now to end the scourge of plastics and safeguard the health of every living being upon our planet.”
Here are 10 interesting facts about Earth Day.
Earth Day was created by a senator
Gaylord Nelson, a Democratic senator from Wisconsin, was growing increasingly concerned over the state of the U.S. environment in the 1960s. After a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, Calif. in January 1969, he had the idea to launch a nationwide, environmentally-focused teach-in on college campuses, drawing inspiration from the anti-war movements against the Vietnam War occurring on campuses around the country. Nelson recruited Denis Hayes, a young activist, to help bring the idea to the public.
The idea for Earth Day came after a series of environmental catastrophes
Hayes, one of the organizers behind the first Earth Day, previously told TIME that the idea behind the holiday came following a number of events that drew attention to the environment, including the release of Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring in 1962 and the 1969 Cuyahoga River fire. Hayes said that while there were a number of groups in the U.S. working on different environmental issues—to reduce air pollution, bring attention to the impact of pesticides on farm workers, and more—they had never worked in conjunction.
“What we did was take all of those myriad strands, including wildlife protection issues, and wove them all together. It sounds strange today, but back then, the folks involved with those various causes didn’t think of themselves as having anything in common with one another,” he told TIME in 2019. “No one was asking that question at the end of the 1970s.”
More than 20 million people participated in the first Earth Day
Millions of people participated in the first Earth Day celebration on April 22, 1970. The event shut down Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, as people demonstrated and participated in street clean-ups.
“The holiday mood on Fifth Avenue was exemplified by members of the architectural firm of Warner, Burns, Toan & Lunde, who spread a yellow and‐white quilt on the asphalt near 57th Street, put a tulip in a wine bottle for a centerpiece and enjoyed a picnic in the sun. A laughing crowd gathered around them and sang, ‘Happy Earth Day to You,’” the New York Times reported that day.
Earth Day is on April 22 because of college schedules
The date for Earth Day was largely dictated by the schedules of the college students Hayes and Nelson were hoping to attract. April 22 fell on a weekday during the school year—nestled between spring break and final exams, when the weather was mild enough to allow people to be outside.
The Environmental Protection Agency was created after the first Earth Day
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which regulates mechanisms to protect the environment, was created on Dec. 2, 1970 as a direct response to the first Earth Day. Congress formed the agency after witnessing the huge participation in Earth Day demonstrations across the country, the EPA says.
“Last year some said there would never be another Earth Day. They saw concern for our environment as a fad, and claimed that the instant enthusiasm of an activist generation would soon flow elsewhere,” said William D. Ruckelshaus, the EPA’s first administrator during the second Earth Day in 1971. “I believe they were wrong.”
Earth Day went global in 1990
Millions of people participated in the first Earth Day movement, which led to the passage of key environmental laws, including the National Environmental Education Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and the Clean Air Act in the U.S. later that year.
“Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, urban dwellers and farmers, business and labor leaders,” says the earthday.org history page.
But its impact spans larger than just one country. The movement went global in 1990, after a group of environmental leaders approached Hayes to organize another major campaign for the planet, which mobilized 200 million people in 141 countries.
In the new millennium, the movement switched its focus to campaign against global warming, and as recently as 2020, over 1 billion people worldwide participated in Earth Day actions.
The Paris Agreement opened for signature on Earth Day
The Paris Agreement, the most significant international climate accord in history, was opened for signature on Earth Day in 2016. The treaty has more than 190 signatories, all of whom agreed to reduce carbon emissions and carry out other actions to reduce climate change.
United Automobile Workers union played a role in making Earth Day possible
The former head of the United Automobile Workers (UAW) union was one of the biggest contributors to the original Earth Day, donating $2,000 in 1970 (the equivalent of more than $15,500 today).
“The UAW was by far the largest contributor to the first Earth Day, and its support went beyond the merely financial. It printed and mailed all our materials at its expense — even those critical of pollution-belching cars,” Hayes told Grist in 2010. “Its organizers turned out workers in every city where it has a presence. And, of course, Walter then endorsed the Clear Air Act that the Big Four were doing their damnedest to kill or gut.”
Organizers are trying to have the biggest Earth Day cleanup event in history in 2024
For this year’s Earth Day celebration, earthday.org is working with Malaysian organizations to host the largest cleanup in Earth Day history. Penang Island, the country’s main island, has been impacted by plastic pollution due to tourism. At least 100,000 volunteers will be cleaning up the beaches and forests in the country, according to organizers. They will also plant more than 1 million trees.
Tens of millions of trees have been planted on Earth Day
Some 18 million acres of forest are lost every year due to deforestation, per the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization. To combat this, earthday.org founded the Canopy Project in 2010 and says it has since planted tens of millions of trees around the world.
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Saturday Sway (420 Edition)
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Posted:Apr 20, 2024 2:07 am
Last Updated:Apr 22, 2024 5:05 am 1609 Views
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* You Don't Know How It Feels ~ Tom Petty ~ Wild Flowers
* A Pirate Looks At Forty ~ Dave Matthews, Jack Johnson~ KOKUA Festival
* Rainy Day Woman # 12 & 35 ~ Bob Dylan ~ Blonde On Blonde
* Legalize It ~ Peter Tosh ~ Legalize It
* Sweet Leaf ~ Black Sabbath ~ Masters Of Reality
* Weed With Willie ~ Toby Keith ~ Shock'N'yall
* Whiskey Weed & Women ~ Hank Williams III ~Lovesick, Broke & Driftin
* Weed Instead Of Roses ~ Ashley Monroe ~ Like A Rose
* Pass The Dutchie ~ Musical Youth ~Anthology
* Bowl For Two ~ The Expendables ~ Gettin' Filthy
How pot holiday 4/20 came to be
Today marks marijuana culture’s high holiday, 4/20, when cannabis fans gather in clouds of smoke at music festivals and celebrate with all-you-can-deals on chicken wings and other munchies.
This year’s edition provides an occasion for activists to reflect on how far their movement has come, with recreational pot now allowed in 21 states and the nation’s capital.
Here’s a look at the holiday’s history
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Why 4/20?
The origins of the date, and the term “420” generally, were long murky. Some claimed it referred to a police code for marijuana possession or that it arose from Bob Dylan’s “Rainy Day Women No. 12 & 35,” with its refrain of “Everybody must get stoned” — 420 being the product of 12 times 35.
But a consensus has emerged that it started with a group of bell-bottomed buddies from San Rafael High School in California, who called themselves “the Waldos.” A friend’s brother was afraid of getting busted for a patch of cannabis he was growing in the woods at Point Reyes, so he drew a map and gave the teens permission to harvest the crop, the story goes
.During the fall of 1971, at 4:20 p.m., just after classes and football practice, the group would meet at the school’s statue of chemist Louis Pasteur, smoke a joint, and head out to search for the Weed patch. They never did find it, but their private lexicon — “420 Louie” and later just “420″ — would take on a life of its own.
The Waldos saved postmarked letters and other artifacts from the 1970s referencing “420,” which they later kept in a bank vault, and when the Oxford English Dictionary added the term in 2017, it cited some of those documents as the entry’s earliest recorded uses
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How is it celebrated?
With Weed, naturally! Some of the celebrations are bigger than others; Hippie Hill in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park typically draws thousands. In Seattle, one movie theater is offering a “dank double feature,” with Cheech and Chong’s “Up In Smoke” as well as the 1930s “Reefer Madness” era cult classic “Assassin of Youth.”
I'm going to see a great band tonight I'm celebrating in a very typical way. I wish you all a very Happy 420!
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Naughty
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Posted:Apr 16, 2024 5:05 am
Last Updated:Apr 22, 2024 4:24 pm 3223 Views
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~
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Being Submissive
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Posted:Apr 13, 2024 1:44 am
Last Updated:Apr 22, 2024 4:31 am 4227 Views
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Being submissive isn’t a choice. You didn’t choose for your earliest sexual fantasies to include being restrained, punished, or controlled. You’re submissive whether or not you have a Dom/me or Sir or Master/Mistress. You’re submissive even if you have a long-distance D/s relationship. You’re submissive even if your D/s isn’t 24-7. You’re submissive even if you’re alone with your thoughts. You’re submissive whether or not you fight it, feel good about it, or bad about it. If you are submissive, you just are. And you should own it.
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Being Selective
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Posted:Apr 8, 2024 5:07 am
Last Updated:Apr 22, 2024 4:21 am 6316 Views
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She was aware that she had the power to indulge in passion at any moment, with anyone, anywhere. Yet, she yearned for more. She craved to be pursued with fervent passion, to be consumed by desire. Her longing was not to be fulfilled by just any man but by a Wolf.
The act of being selective holds great significance. Safeguarding the innermost essence of our being from negative influences, toxic individuals, and superficial connections is paramount. At times, this requires patience beyond our desires, but in the grand scheme of things, it is a demonstration of self-value.
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Opening Day
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Posted:Apr 5, 2024 5:41 am
Last Updated:Apr 6, 2024 10:21 pm 7775 Views
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My favorite team in pinstripes is back again. Today is Opening Day in the Bronx for the Yankees. I was lucky enough to snag a few tickets to the game. The New York Yankees will play their home opener today in the Bronx. They face the Toronto Blue Jays at 1:05 p.m.
It's a big day for baseball fans, who should be feeling good about the start of the season. The Yankees opened with a four-game sweep against the Houston Astros, then won two of three games against the defending National League champion Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Yankees will step onto the field with high expectations but also some renewed confidence after making a blockbuster trade over the offseason to acquire slugger Juan Soto. This will be the first time fans see him in pinstripes.
The 25-year-old joins Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton in the lineup, as they try to get back into the postseason after missing in 2023. New York back to the Bronx with a 6-1 record.
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Courtesy and Respect in Kink Culture
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Posted:Apr 2, 2024 9:09 pm
Last Updated:Apr 11, 2024 7:20 am 7899 Views
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In BDSM and kink, where desires diverge and exploration abounds, there exists a fundamental truth that often gets overlooked, the necessity of being a courteous and respectful individual. Despite the allure of exploring taboo desires and indulging in explicit conversations, it is imperative to remember that behind every fetish lies a person deserving of basic human decency.
In today's digital age, it is not uncommon for individuals to encounter unsolicited explicit content from strangers or acquaintances. Whether it is receiving unsolicited pictures of intimate body parts or encountering inappropriate advances, these experiences can leave one feeling disrespected and devalued. While some may associate such behavior with certain genders or orientations, the reality is that it transcends these boundaries, occurring across all spectrums of identity.
Within the lifestyle, there exists a misconception that the norms of traditional interaction do not apply. Some may believe that because they share a common interest in exploring unconventional desires, they can bypass the basic principles of decency and skip straight to the explicit. However, this could not be further from the truth.
At its core, BDSM and kink are about more than just sexual exploration; they are about mutual trust, consent, and understanding. Engaging in kink requires a deep level of respect for one another's boundaries, desires, and humanity. It is about recognizing that every individual is more than just a vessel for fulfilling fantasies, they are complex beings with thoughts, feelings, and autonomy.
Whether one is seeking casual play or a long-term kink-filled relationship, it all begins with treating others with the respect and courtesy they deserve. This means taking the time to get to know someone as a person before delving into discussions of kink and desire. It means seeking consent and respecting boundaries at every step of the way. And it means understanding that no one owes you anything, not their time, attention, or participation in your fantasies.
In a community built on the principles of trust and communication, there is no room for entitlement or disregard for others' feelings. Just as in any other aspect of life, being a decent human being should always take precedence. It is about recognizing that kinky desires do not exempt anyone from the basic principles of respect and decency.
So, before you send that explicit message or make that inappropriate advance, take a moment to pause and consider the person on the other end. Treat them with the same courtesy and respect you would expect in return. Remember, being kinky does not absolve you of being a decent human being. In the end, it is not just about what happens in the bedroom, it is about how we treat one another in every aspect of our lives.
©TLK2024
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3 AM Thoughts
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Posted:Mar 27, 2024 2:43 am
Last Updated:Apr 3, 2024 6:30 am 10202 Views
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When the air is charged with electricity and sleep is ages away, even if my clock promises the swift arrival of dawn, when the sheets and blankets are too warm on my skin even in the chill of winter, when darkness and solitude cease to be companions and become conspirators, bullying me into my memory of him.
My body remembers his hands, his mouth - oh god, his mouth - and how his lightest touch could spark ecstasy and his quietest whisper could instill obedience, even in the throes of that ecstasy. He is imprinted under my skin, the weight of his body over mine. the pressure of those relentless hands, the lightning strikes of his agile tongue.
My ears remember his heartbeat, thundering under his skin, his sighs of impatience, and the guttural gasp just before he roared out his pleasure into me, over me, through me. But mostly they remember his silence, his quiet patience, how he taught with actions instead of just words.
My mouth remembers him - the resilience of warm, salt-sweaty skin over rigid flesh, the scalding heat of his release, the sweetness of his kisses, the dark richness of his laughter. My mouth remembers the words he taught me - I never knew the intensity of “please” until he was through with me.
These are the nights I am restless, my hands are restless on my body. Nights where there isn’t enough pain to dull the ache in my chest or enough orgasms to make me forget the blinding intensity of the ones he gave me. And without him, they are hollow, pale, feeble imitations of what should be.
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Sculpting Desire
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Posted:Mar 23, 2024 3:45 am
Last Updated:Apr 3, 2024 4:54 am 11431 Views
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In the realm of the submissive, she stands,
With curves that sculpt desires, soft and grand.
Her callipygian, a mesmerizing sight,
Captivates the dominant, igniting his delight.
In his hands, she finds surrender, her soul alight.
The dominant revels in every touch,
Spanking, caressing, a dance they clutch.
Each stroke, a declaration of his control,
A symphony of sensations, taking its toll.
Their bond deepens, as their desires unfold.
She offers herself, a canvas to display,
His fingers traced paths, in a seductive array.
Each mark, is a testament to their fiery connection,
As they explore the realms of passion's intersection.
In their shared ecstasy, they find perfection.
He delights in showcasing his prized possession,
Proudly displaying her, without repression.
For she is not just his submissive, but his muse,
In her submission, he finds his strength, his fuse.
Together, they embrace their desires, unafraid to choose.
Their journey unfolds in whispers and moans,
In the tender caress and the passionate groans.
Bound by trust and fueled by desire's flame,
They navigate the depths of pleasure's domain.
In their union, they find ecstasy, without shame.
In the dance of dominance and submission's embrace,
They discover a love that cannot be replaced.
For in each other's arms, they find their release,
Their passion, their solace, their eternal peace.
In their connection, they find joy that will never cease.
©TLK2024
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Love & Seduction
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Posted:Mar 19, 2024 2:34 am
Last Updated:Mar 26, 2024 2:52 am 12563 Views
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Love her like a princess, respect her like a queen, treat her like a lady, Ravage her like a vixen. When the bedroom doors are closed and the lights go out, Set aside the gentleman and his manners. Unleash the wolf and devour her desire. Kiss her forcefully. Embrace her powerfully. Pull her hair passionately. Overwhelm her hunger and leave her craving more.
Love her like a gentleman. Make love to her with primal ferocity. Be a force of nature and sweep her away. Whisper gently in her ear as you kiss her cheek, hold her close as you feel her breath upon your skin. Feel her body undulate as you discover her weaknesses, and listen to her body language as you cover her with kisses. Trailing down her back with the tip of your tongue, Makes her hungry with anticipation.
Make love to her body as you seduce her mind, propelling her senses slowly into a crescendo of climactic pleasure, Hear the fierce beauty of her voice echoing in your ears... as you permeate every aspect of her imagination and reality. Make love to her in every way, tasting every inch of her flesh. She will remember every moment of your body upon hers. Seduce her mind, excite her imagination, tempt her senses, and unlock her deepest secrets... And embrace her soul. She will never leave your arms wanting more. A gentleman always remembers- Ladies first. Both, in the street And between the sheets.
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