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Sokoto state, a majority Muslim state in north-west Nigeria was bombed on Christmas day. It is still unclear how many bombs were dropped and where. Confirmed is a bomb dropped on a Mosque in Jabo, killing 5 people.

Trump has claimed that this is in retaliation of the "Christian genocide" happening in Nigeria, committed by "radical Islamists" of the ISIL (ISIS), and the specific choosing of Christmas day was to reify that this is a religious based retaliation.

This Christmas, I am in Nigeria. My family is majority Christian. We are without fear of being persecuted on the basis of our religion. So, what is going on?

There is no Christian genocide in Nigeria. Nigeria is a complex country that faces a lot of violence, exploitation and subsequent neglect from our government. But it is not Christians being targeted in our country. This insidious piece of misinformation has been dutifully organised by US officials for months and gained steam on platforms like X and Truth Social.

I do not believe though, that this action was done to fight Islamic terrorists or protect Nigerian Christians. The reason being:

Sokoto state is not a state with ISIL activity.

This is another display of US throwing its weight around, conveniently, onto the most oil-rich country in Africa.

Do not believe everything the US tells you about its foreign affairs. The US will gladly spill blood on the flimsiest of justifications just to continue gorging its empire.

It’s so bizarre yet oddly familiar

"I don't want to be a burden anymore", your hat answers. "You are always carrying me around, and I can't carry you. That's not fair."

"I don't mind carrying you, little idiot", you tell your hat, "you hardly weight anything at all, and you shelter me from the sun."

"But that's different", your hat protests. "I don't mind the sun scorching on me. That happens anyway. It's literally no trouble for me to shade you too."

We toss out over 80 pounds of textiles each year. These textiles are often made of plastic materials (polyester, nylon), made in unethical conditions, dyed with harsh dyes that often get put into the rivers, etc. Even a single cotton shirt releases carbon emissions and uses tons of water. 

So the best thing to prevent the unsustainable growth of the fashion industry is to make sure that your clothing lasts as long as possible. To do so, mending clothing is a must. So here are some resources to help you learn how to do various things, such as sewing a button, to tailoring clothes, or even upcycling old clothing into new styles. 

* How to sew on three different types of button

* How to hand sew on a patch on a torn pair of jeans

* How to sew up a hole in an old shirt

* How to sew a simple T-shirt

* How to upcycle old clothing into new clothing

* More upcycle and sewing techniques

* How to repair a damaged sock

* How to do an invisible stitch

* 3 different stitches to work with for different results

* How to make a T-shirt smaller so it fits you better

* How to make repairs to your shoes

These are just a few of the things that you can do in order to make sure that your clothing lasts for a long time. Nobody wants to keep buying new clothing, as it is expensive and wasteful. 

So making alterations to your clothing, or fixing small holes hen you see them can be hugely beneficial to your wallet, to garment workers, and to the environment in the long term. 

***

If you like what I write, consider buying from:

My Etsy shop for upcycled bags, jewelry, and crafting supplies.

Or

Many people have asked questions, so I decided that I should answer them to the best of my ability!  So let’s see what people are asking!

How to make small clothes bigger, or short clothes longer

This question was asked a lot, for instance, Celestriankle and Drachenstocther are at least two users who asked this, and this is a great question! Often you see how to make large clothing smaller, but not the other way around.

Here are some resources on that:

Shirts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isy2xwFYihQ

Jeans/pants https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s4TnNcbgEU

Mostly this is done by just adding a wedge of extra fabric between the seams, and this can make youtr clothes last and fit you, even if you fluctuate in your weight.

Here is a resource about adding more butt to your pants:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EG_QnEL9xYI

When it comes to repairing the crotch of jeans, which is what anyone with thick thighs know all too well the irritation of, there are a few ways that you can do that. For instance:

Patching:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h90nYzbDFdE

Darning:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMsm6wyjF8E

This question was asked by user CleanLinens and Bovel.

One person, OnYourGoat, asked about resources for people who cannot thread a needles, The good news with this, is that there are needles out there that you do not have to thread if you have vision issues. These are called Self Threading needles.

Also, there were a few tips by users on how to make your sewing more sustainable. User SaveATruckRideAnOptimus-Prime states that you can get blankets and table-cloths from the thrift shop (something I often do myself) in order to have fabric to make your own clothing.

This is even more sustainable if you are choosing cotton, wool, or linen fabrics.

The last thing to mention is that user AssassinationTipsForLadies says:

“there is a great sewing instructor on YouTube called Evelyn Wood who has a whole bunch of videos on mending and the construction of old clothes.“

Fabric stores sometimes rent out machines too so check if you have one near by.

I mention the SCA’s sewing guilds and fiber arts enthusiasts in particular because one of the things earlier period medieval folks did was create patterns that used up as MUCH material as possible.  Hand-spinning and hand-looming fabric was a process that could take all year, and was something nobody wanted to have to do in excess.  So they developed patterns that had very little waste or leftover material.  A lot of the earlier construction patterns are based on the T-tunic or T-dress shape, and add clever gores (triangular wedges or inserts) that can add fullness and body-shaping.  It’s simple to make, very comfortable to wear, and there are tricks to make it flattering and/or fancy.

If this sounds interesting, you’ll want to see if there’s a branch near you by looking up your nation, state, county/city, etc–if there’s not someone local to your area available to help, there might be someone in the barony or shire next door to where you live who could help.  While COVID restrictions are still in effect in many areas, you can meet masked in a well-ventillated area (if the weather’s nice, outdoors?), or you can see if a webcam / zoom style demonstration could be arranged for a virtual one-on-one learning session.

Wanting something requires dopamine signaling, but liking something doesn’t.

If you have a mental illness/disorder that affects dopamine, you might feel that you don’t want to do the things that you like. You do still like them. You will appreciate having done them.

Let your likes guide you.

(If you want to read more, here’s one experimental paper about it. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5171207/ This theory called the incentive-sensitization theory was originally created to explain behaviors in addiction but can be applied elsewhere as well)

Black text on a white background. It reads:

"Focus on your likes, not your wants.

You may not want to exercise, but you like how it makes you feel.

You may not want to write, but you like the feeling of accomplishment.

You may not want to wake up early, but you like the calm beauty of morning.

Wanting is the desire you feel before doing something. Liking is the satisfaction you feel after doing something. Let your likes guide you.

write, but you like the feeling

of accomplishment.

Grenoble, France, in 2014 banned any new billboards and took down the city owned ones in a step towards de-advertizing public spaces. They swapped out the billboards with trees btw!

The city of Nantes in western France has recently banned most electronic billboards, dismantling 110 in one night. The municipality is also cutting digital advertising in shop windows and on the public transport system. It’s also banned all advertising near schools. Which is apart of Frances over all goal to reduce visual noise and light.

In 2009, Chennai, India prohibiting billboards, digital banners and placards in public spaces.

São Paulo Brazil created a law "Lei Cidade Limpa" (Portuguese for clean city law) in 2006

Several states, namely Maine, Vermont, Hawaii, and Alaska have banned Billboards and have been working on other electronic ad bans.

This article goes over what some other locations might look like without such advertising