[ahsunay]

singing again :')

[importantcatpics]

@importantcatpics

[icaseybaybee]

[makingimages]

[lucybellwood]

I thought I was pretty hip to calling my reps but I’d never previously heard about speaking to a staffer in charge of a particular issue! Good tips in this post from Gordana Richardson:

“Advice (from a high-level staffer for a Senator) on contacting your representatives:

You should NOT be signing online petitions or emailing. They are essentially ignored or trashed. Instead…

YOU SHOULD MAKE 6 CALLS A DAY: 2 each (DC office and your local office) to your 2 Senators & your 1 Representative. Calls are what all the congresspeople pay attention to.

Every single day, the Senior Staff and the Senator get a report of the 3 most-called-about topics for that day at each of their offices (DC and local), and exactly how many people discussed said topics. They're also sorted by zip code and area code.

Republican callers generally outnumber Democrat callers 4-1; closer to 11-1 regarding hot-button issues. Congressmen who may be on the fence to vote with the their party can be swayed by call volume. In the last 8 years, Republicans have called, and Democrats haven't.

So, when you call:

A) When calling the DC office, ask for the Staff member in charge of the topic you're calling about ("Hi, I'd like to speak with the staffer in charge of Healthcare, please") — local offices won't always have specific ones, but they might. Record names of staffers you speak with. Don't leave a message if at all possible.

B ) Give them your zip code even if they don’t ask for it. Extra points if you live in a zip code that traditionally votes for them, since they'll want to make sure they get/keep your vote.

C) Make it personal if at all possible. "I voted for you in the last election and I'm worried/happy/whatever" "I'm a teacher, and I am appalled by Betsy DeVos," "As a single mother…" etc.”

[giant-bear-cat]

Hehua and her apples.

[cute-animals-only]

[storybookprincess]

one of the best ways i’ve found to combat that inherent depressive pessimism without veering into toxic positivity territory is simply the phrase “i’m open to the possibility”

this particularly works with anything negative i’ve forecasted. “i woke up feeling like shit today, so my day is gonna suck” isn’t a particularly helpful thought, but “it’s a great day to be alive!!!!!” feels hollow and insincere when i have a pounding headache & am running on three hours of sleep

instead i’ll tell myself, “i really don’t feel good right now, but i’m open to the possibility that coffee and breakfast might perk me up a bit.” or “i’m in a lot of pain today, but i’m open to the possibility that my workday might still have fun parts despite that”

sometimes, when your impulse is to slam the door on anything good, but you’re not exactly up to going out & hunting it down yourself, leaving the door open just a crack makes all the difference

[xanaxfarts]

‘Polluted Water Popsicles’ (2017) by: Hung I-chen, Guo Yi-hui & Chen Yu-ti

Addressing the issue of water pollution, the artists collected samples from 100 locations across Taiwan, first freezing the liquids and then preserving their creations in resin.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

U of O doctor suspended for pro-Palestinian posts says he's been reinstated, won't go back | CBC News

Dr. Yipeng Ge, 29, was sanctioned by the University of Ottawa last November after it got several complaints about a series of online posts t

A resident physician at the University of Ottawa's faculty of medicine who was suspended over pro-Palestinian social media posts says he's been reinstated but has no plans to return to the institution. Dr. Yipeng Ge, 29, was sanctioned by the university last November after it got several complaints about a series of pro-Palestinian posts he'd made, ones that included references to "apartheid" and "settler colonialism." At the time of his suspension, Ge had been a fourth-year public health and preventive medicine resident and was completing a residency at the Public Health Agency of Canada. His research has focused on Indigenous health, anti-racism and decolonization.

Continue Reading

Tagging @politicsofcanada

[nimashkawizii]

"With what I've experienced, I cannot continue within this institution," said Ge. "The subsequent conversations that I've had with faculty leadership and their lack of insight, remorse ... even after my reinstatement and everything, they don't feel like they've made a mistake.

"I cannot see them as respectable colleagues."

[pomegranates-and-photos]

A Palestinian boy throws a rock during the first intifada

[nowinexile]

His name is Ramzi Abu Redwan. During the time the picture was taken he was 8 years old. Today he is 36 and has become a world-class solo musician and composer, playing the Oud, Buzuq, Violin and Viola. 

He was discovered by a Palestinian musician who recognized his natural talent at the viola, and later received a scholarship to study at a conservatory in France. He could have stayed there and lived a comfortable life in Paris, but instead, he chose to return home and give back the gift of music by openning music schools in Palestinian towns and refugee camps.

[sherryzade]

he’s got a spotify btw!! if you’ve never heard a oud, i def encourage listening to his work. it’s a beautiful instrument from a beautiful people ❤🖤🤍💚

here’s my personal fave of what i’ve heard so far from his top 5

[191195-deactivated20240210]

link

[rueyam]

"pain travels through families until somebody is ready to feel it" is blowing my mind. it didn’t start with you, but you can make it end

[memeuplift]

[hopepunk-humanity]

“I’m almost 50, and here is the best thing I have learned so far: every strange thing you’ve ever been into, every failed hobby or forgotten instrument, everything you have ever learned will come back to you, will serve you when you need it. No love, however brief, is wasted.” @louisethebaker on Twitter

[mr--link]

No love, however brief, is wasted.

[kakalotl]

🥹

[feelingsoftheday]

Someone will appreciate your heart. Don’t get cold yet

[thoughtstherapy]