In lieu of flowers, Dolly Parton’s family is asking for donations to her Imagination Library, which has distributed over 330 million books to kids.

It was pretty clear this day was coming — her health had been failing and she had missed several high profile appearances — but this doesn’t make today any easier for literally generations of people, some of who knew her from her music, and others who benefitted from her philanthropy, including the Imagination Library, which put books into the hands of millions of children. Her private life was famously her own, but her public life was one of kindness, tolerance and inclusivity, consistent across decades. There was only ever one of her. Saying she’ll be missed doesn’t begin cover it.

— JS

RIP Dolly Parton, a gem and a hero. She died today at the age of 80.

Emporia Kansas has dropped its criminal case against Lux Claridge, a high school teacher who was arrested for clapping during a city data center meeting.

“Today, I was informed by my attorney that the city has dropped my charges and has passed my information along to the county. As far as I know, I'm in the clear unless the county is feeling froggy,” Claridge told 404 Media in an email on Monday.

The small town of Emporia, Kansas is fighting against its city commission and a proposed hyperscale data center project that would sit on 1,000 acres of prairie land near Claridge’s home. Claridge attended a commission meeting on July 22 and planned to speak out against the project, but was dragged out of the meeting and arrested by police when they clapped during a presentation.

Emporia held Claridge for eight hours and charged them with disorderly conduct and interfering with a law enforcement officer. The city refused to show 404 Media a copy of the arrest report and has not responded to a request for comment about the dropped charges.

After Clardige’s arrest, Emporia’s city commission moved to virtual meetings and ended public comment. The city said it was doing so “in the interest of public safety.” According to Claridge, the city commission announced that in-person meetings with open public comments will return soon. “Our mayor is ‘willing to give us another shot to act like grown ups,’” Claridge said, quoting Emporia mayor Becky Smith. They added that the city will vote on whether or not to ban hyper-scale data centers outright in November.

According to a press release from the Emporia city commission, the city will meet in-person in a special session open to the public on August 26. “Public comment is expected to resume at the regular September 2 meeting,” the announcement said. In a different press release, the city said the November vote on a data center ban hinges on a County court giving it the OK.

Emporia did not return 404 Media’s request for a comment.

Target’s now-pulled children’s Halloween costume is so unbelievably racist that it had to, on some level, be purposely done by someone in the decision chain and everyone else was like, “seems ok to me”.

Democratic decision-making puts the power of a choice into the hands of a larger group of people. Instead of having one person (or a few people) call the shots, the whole group gets to decide the best way forward. The group takes more time to ensure that everyone is up to speed on the problem. They discuss possible solutions, ask questions, refine ideas, and vote on what to do. Fist-to-five is one of the easiest ways that groups can take a democratic vote. It follows a consent-based decision model.

what is fist to five

Fist to five helps people quickly gauge how the group feels about an idea. It's flexible and low/no-cost. Votes can be asynchronous (with a set time limit) or take place when people are all together. Everyone can vote; anyone can suggest, support, or block a proposal.

proposals

Fist to five starts with a proposal, or suggestion, for what a group should do. What makes a good proposal? It's one everyone can understand. Anyone can ask clarifying questions before the first vote. Everyone, no matter how new, is eligible to vote (as long as they understand the problem and solution). Because voting is so easy, I usually discourage amendments until after the first vote. That gives the group a better sense of how close their support/opposition is to others in the group.

Anyone can propose edits to a proposal. We can add them to a proposal using fist to five voting, or vote for the updated proposal itself. Changes to a proposal can happen anytime provided the group can vote for the final version.

voting

How do we vote? At Long Haul Kitchen, we vote through our signal group chats. We've had many discussions about how long to keep a vote open. We found that 24 hours gave folks time to read and ponder without delaying action on a decision. At our last meeting, a group of 6 crafted proposals and voted to send them to the larger community for a full vote. When it's time to vote, people signal their support with their digits, fingers or otherwise.

5️⃣ - I give my full and enthusiastic support
4️⃣ - I am fine with this proposal as-is
3️⃣ - I don't love this proposal, but you have my consent to move forward
2️⃣ - I have a small problem with the proposal and I will work to amend it
1️⃣ - I have a serious problem with the proposal and I will work to amend it
✊🏾 - I can't consent to this proposal in any form

Here's what happens after the vote:

• If anyone votes for a fist, the process cannot proceed. The group learns why the voters are blocking the proposal. They may be able to find a new approach that works better for all participants.
• If anyone votes 1 or 2, the approval is on hold until members can work out a solution. If people are far apart on a solution, the process may take many rounds of discussion and voting.
• If everyone votes a 3 or above, the group approves the proposal. Members can get to work on the actions they approved.

things to consider

Fist to five is a simple approach to making consent-based decisions. Decisions made this way are not always easy; there's no promise the process will be drama-free. Participants must act in good faith and with the belief that there is a way forward. Here are some things to be aware of and their potential remedies.

• People who don't understand the situation might opt out of voting.
  Remedy: Organizers should encourage everyone in the group to stay informed and vote. Ample time for questions and discussions is important. The proposals should be easy to follow but detailed enough so we all know what will happen after the vote.
• Power dynamics skew support for a proposal. New or junior folks may not feel comfortable sharing their concerns with proposals. This is especially true for proposals their more senior peers support.
  Remedy: consent-based voting doesn't allow for strong persuasion or coercion. When someone votes a proposal low, it's the group's job to understand their misgivings and work to fix them.
• The fist feels nuclear. It may seem extreme to shut down a proposal completely. But believing a proposal is unworkable is a position we should be willing to take.
  Remedy: encourage people that their input matters. One person may notice an issue that others might not. Solving the problem now, before we approve a proposal, is easier than trying to fix it later.
• The proposal is too big. Proposals can do too much, confusing voters on what they're voting for.
  Remedy: Break up a proposal into smaller proposals and let people vote on each one.
• The proposal is way too big. A multi-page proposal feels inappropriate for fist to five. The amendment and voting process might take a long time.
  Remedy: consider a proposal to allow a smaller group to work through the details. A different voting method might also be appropriate.

Fist to five is a powerful tool to help groups make decisions together. It’s easy to understand and explain. It's a more productive, and generally safer, way to use one's fist.