solar farm built

Ground was broken today on the second of three solar farms planned to be built this decade in the Great Dune Sea north-west of the city of Gar Nuuzsh, in eastern Grigovia. Solar energy will be used to heat salt to roughly 300 degrees Celsius. Then, the molten salt - a mixture of nitrates calcium, potassium, and sodium - will flow through insulated underground pipes into concrete storage tanks situated throughout Gar Nuuzsh.

Once all three farms are operational, nearly half of the city’s 100,000 residents will be able to draw both electricity and heat from the storage tanks. Unassuming silos that resemble conventional oil storage tanks, the heat sinks will be topped with viewing platforms and surrounded by community gardens. External sections of each sink will be set aside for graffiti and the application of other spontaneously-occurring works of public art.

By 2030, Gar Nuuzsh plans to cover all of its electrical and heating needs from six such solar farms. Additionally, parabolic dish Stirling solar energy conversion systems installed on rooftops around the city will feed heat into the sinks and electricity into the local power grid. Cities in more mountainous western Grigovia generate a good portion of their electricity using wind and geothermal deposits.

americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan

her fellow deities

A thousand voices cried out in dismay, only to be suddenly silenced. A thousand hopes died, suffocated by some hasty, errant tweeting.

There was little that Nuuzstathena could do to lessen suffering in America; hers were the people of Grigovia, and of Gar Nuuzsh; she was honorbound to stay by their side.
Here she rocked a baby, there she soothed heartbreak, all the while holding space within her bosom for him Ynki, whose pleas and lamentations ricocheted throughout the firmament, upsetting gods and goddesses alike.

‘Is there no hand left to dry their tears, no force that might help them escape the darkness they have brought upon themselves?’ Nuuzstathena asked her fellow deities during the heavenly council she’d convened.
‘You know as well as we do, Nuat,’ said a floating, sticky cell-phone dripping with sickly effluence, ‘that Americans are stubborn and excitable people who will run against walls until they break through or fall down.’
‘The imbalance will right itself in due course, fair goddess,’ assured her an impossibly skinny, shadowy figure who was shaped like a door ajar. ‘Ignore it, if you can.’

A coalition of merciful goddesses agreed to share the burden of Ynki grief - but only from afar, and only as long as it threatened to snap the world-tree’s trunk.

americanifesto / 場黑麥 / jpr / urbanartopia / whorphan

valiant lovely Nuuzstathena

Gaze north on a clear night from eastern Nuuzsh Gar, and look for the light that floats but is not star. With keen eyes you'll glimpse it (rejoice! it's good luck) the maiden picks wisely – not any old schmuck. Have done then with seeking, cast no further glance: the goddess is quick to lash out with her lance. She doesn't mind peeking but hates those who stare, at her shining breastplate and resplendent hair. The winds are her vessel, in dunes she resides, she calls forth the new moon, comfort she provides. She curses the greedy, blesses those who share, has made great kings cower with her flashing glare. Her wards are the artists and weavers and they, who charge into battle their foes there to slay. Look not at her Gorgon's head that Hercule won, or you'll turn to marble-stone and weight a ton. Her trusty companion is burrowing owl, who rides the high thermals always on the prowl. She watches us mostly, touches here and there, sometimes she is brutal always she is fair. To praise her be crafty and industrious, avoid wasteful shortcuts and don't make much fuss. Her feast-day is one week past Mid-Winter's night – spend time with friends, eat well, right wrongs, light a light. She welcomes all comes, from near and from far, fair goddess, wise patroness: Nuuzstathena!

© americanifesto / 場黑麥

thermal springs reopen

As part of its nation-wide efforts to improve the health and well-being of its inhabitants, the Glorious Republic of Grigovia announced the reopening of the Lower Eastern Yiptlong Hot Springs & Baths (LEYHS&B). Shuttered shortly after Grigovia's independence – in 1988 – from the Union of Soviet Socialist States, LEYHS&B sat dormant and neglected until 1994. Then, a group of private investors conspired with the Grigovian Ministry of the Interior to not only restore the Art -Deco-style bath houses to their former glory but also tap the region's geothermal capacity to provide heating and electricity to the baths and some neighboring communities. At one time closed to all but the most well-connected cadres of the former Soviet regime, LEYHS&B is now accessible to citizens and tourists via Grigovia's robotic bus system. (Buses depart regularly from the town square in Eiyehrdo Ghassdt, a proud village that lies about halfway between Grig and the eastern city of Gar Nuuzsh.) Famous for wide pools of swirling hot waters as well as frigid dipping basins, visitors to LEYHS&B can now enjoy also a full spectrum of spa treatments that include world-class massages, Finnish-style sauna, archery and martial arts lessons, and guided horse-back or hiking tours of the majestic Eastern Yiptlong massif. Expect stunning views of the Great Dune Sea as well as many happy times with your friends and loved ones at our beloved Hot Springs & Baths. Be sure to visit the adjacent Happy Times Smoking Lodge, where all manner of combustible leaves, tars, and saps from around the world are available for purchase and consumption. Come soon, please, and relax.

© americanifesto / 場黑麥