Shelly

@sensationally.bsky.social

170 Followers 115 Following

Fat, queer, anti-billionaire, iffy on capitalism, bookish, probably tired. Likes: Words, tennis, thighs, Cheerwine, North Carolina despite its flaws, my kids, my girlfriend, cozy video games, board games, and stories.

From tiny to vast, living systems are interconnected ecologies. Therefore, changing one aspect of a system without understanding its larger network of relationships can cause severe repercussions. For example, in the 1950s a tribe in Borneo had an outbreak of malaria. The World Health Organization (WHO) sprayed DDT, which killed the disease-bearing mosquitoes and things improved. But the DDT poisoned the insects eaten by geckoes, which in turn were eaten by cats. When the cats died, the rat population exploded, which lead to other plagues. To resolve the problem, the WHO ultimately parachuted 14,000 live cats into Borneo (Hawken, Lovins, & Lovins, 1999).
Picture swiped from Instagram, it's Ncuti Gatwa in a gorgeous brocade frock coat with pants that match. He's apparently starring in a production of The Importance of Being Earnest, which I wish I could see.
The book is Nonviolent Communication by Marshall B. Rosenberg.
It's the cover of the book A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold. The picture is of a man and a woman dancing together. Along the sides are soldiers dressed in blue and red. The man is taller than the woman, which is completely ridiculous given one of the main characteristics of the character Miles is that he's short. Still, good book. Though actually the woman is blonde. Which is also not accurate. Maybe this is a different couple? Actually, I bet it is. I just can't remember. This alt text is getting a little bit long, I know.
It's the book Jhereg by Steven Brust. There's a gold dragon-like creature (a jhereg, in the book) hatching from an egg on the front.
The book is The Tailypo: A ghost story, by Joanna Galdone. There is a creepy ass little furry creature hiding in some cattails on the cover.
It's the cover of Possession by A. S. Byatt.
It's the cover of Power Play by Francine Pascal. It's a Sweet Valley High book, #4, and the blonde twins featured in these books are facing each other in a circle on the cover.
This is the cover of the book a Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers. At the bottom right corner is a little cart with someone sitting on the back of it, and there's a robot up on the top left of the cover. The rest of the cover has a path and there is some greenery.
It's the cover of Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher. The picture is of a brown haired white woman facing away from the viewer, clad in nettles.
The cover of the book All Systems Red by Martha Wells. The picture is of someone (Murderbot) in combat armor.
The cover of To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
A paperback copy of A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engel. The cover has a creature that is sort of a pegasus but also a centaur flying above mountains, with a bubble containing a green face with red eyes in the middle.
It's a sheet of Duolingo stats. Top 2% rank, 451 longest streak, 48317 total XP, and 2751 minutes spent.
Cover of the book The Mask of the Enchantress by Victoria Holt. There's a white lady in the picture wearing a mask.
The book Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan.
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Brunette. Red cover, picture of brunette girl with curly hair and a blue dress, with other girls in white around and behind her.