Libraries are one of the few remaining public goods that haven’t been completely privatized and profitized. Libraries are virtually free to the public, regardless of race, class, gender, religion or sexual orientation. And it needs to stay that way. Capitalists need to keep their dirty, grubby little HANDS OFF libraries.
I don’t usually like to add non-tag responses to more serious posts like this but, holy shit yeah. My girlfriend’s job is in a library in a fairly low-income area. Her entire job revolves around helping people who aren’t computer-literate, often so she can get them set up with emails, job applications, setting up for their resumes, and printing both of the latter. Things that a lot of people don’t have access to a computer anywhere else to do, and could not do without the services she and her coworkers provide at the library.
She’s been told outright by patrons that she and the library as a whole were miles more helpful than the unemployment offices they tried going to. Her position has enabled her to help numerous people find jobs who might still be struggling were it not for the opportunities provided there. There are tons of homeless people who make use of the library, and the person in the screenshotted tweets is right; there’s no way in hell Amazon would provide service to these people in the same way libraries do.
And even if you’re devoid of all empathy for people who aren’t as lucky financially as you, the taxes you pay to keep your local library afloat is pennies and dimes compared to the cost of, y’know, having to buy every book you want instead of checking it out for free (Unless you don’t really read, I guess). It doesn’t even make sense from a wholly self-serving angle.
Look, I know a good number of you are from the US and things aren't amazing there either, but my country is literally on the brink of collapse. So I'd love it if we could talk about that for a minute.
If you can't do anything else, please just read and reblog.
A second COVID wave has taken out the healthcare system. There are no more hospital beds. There's an oxygen shortage. There's a critical vaccine shortage. The Central Government has thrown its hands up and is passing the baton to the State Governments to do what they can.
There are over 16 million covid cases. A record 330,000 new cases reported yesterday - comparable to the US at its peak. 187,000 dead as of today.
There is no plan.
Mass cremations are taking place. The cremation grounds are running day and night and they are short on wood. People are watching their loved ones die while waiting for a hospital bed, and then they're unable to give them the proper burial rights.
Hospitals are overwhelmed. Patients are being confined, two to a bed. They're the lucky ones.
We are on the verge of people dying in the streets.
This is the second-most populous country in the world. The largest democracy. A country that encapsulates over 15,000 years of recorded human history and has endured everything from famine to invasion to colonisation.
We might be at the end. This might be the thing that does us in.
People are dying.
People are dying.
People are dying and there is no plan.
More good news? Variants are popping up. A double mutation strain has shown up. It is resistant to current vaccines. This will not go away. This is the devastation they warned of when the anti-maskers were out protesting the minor inconvenience of covering their face in public.
My country is on the verge of an emergency state. Our government has failed us. This is as dire a situation as it ever could be.
Look. I don't do much with my life. I write fics, some of you have read them and that's pretty much it. I spend my days with my head in the clouds because that's where I like to be.
But two days ago, my grandmother tested positive, had to be taken to hospital and the ambulance caught fire.
She barely made it to the urgent care she needs.
So, here I am, using whatever meager platform I have to cobble this request together. Because I have to do something.
Even a small amount of 5 or 7 or 10 of foreign currency will help a lot. Our government has essentially abandoned us. People have turned to social media for help. WhatsApp groups and DMs on twitter/insta is where we find help. Our helpline is a Google doc. Situation is so dire that hospitals are discharging patients due to lack of oxygen. Every night the same story, oxygen running out in hospitals, citizens running around to somehow arrange for oxygen with minutes to spare. Last night, we had manged to get oxygen to a hospital with 14min to spare.
Reblogging with more links. Listen to @groundzero-and-deku ☝️ they know what they're talking about.
Some of you in the US have asked what else you can do. I'm not the best person to answer this since I'm not from there, but I do know that Biden is being urged to ship supplies to India. Maybe a more informed person can chime in with how best you can help but calling your representative and registering your concern sounds like a good starting point.
From one democracy to another, thank you. Please keep this going, you're all amazing.
EDIT: Reblogging with some more donation links from @spacegirlstuff
Here and Here
Y'all, this is a good time to mention that I am not affiliated with any charity or donation centre, and am not receiving donations on behalf of anyone.
This is a list of resources compiled by me and more importantly, other people who have a better grasp on the situation than myself. They are to the best of our knowledge great resources but
I still encourage you to do your research and put your money where you believe it will be used best.
If you find more ways to help or donate, add them in a reblog - let's get as much information out there as possible.
Much love and please stay safe
PLEASE BOOST THIS VERSION OF THE POST WITH THE EXTENDED LIST OF LINKS TO DONATIONS AND RESOURCES
as of 22nd April 2021 we have about 16.3M new cases and a death toll of 187K . Only about 1.4% of the population has been fully vaccinated yet.
on top of that, we've been facing a major shortage in oxygen supply (to the point where the govt has decided to airlift oxygen from other nations), a shortage in hospital beds and services. The numbers keep rising and with the spread of the new strain, the scenario has transformed into something deadlier than ever.
our infrastructures are falling apart and we need all the help possible at this very moment so the nation can be atleast saved when there's still a chance. I've already lost two of my friends, a teacher and family to the second wave and I can only imagine how much worse it can get. so i would like to take this opportunity to link in some donation posts below–
Donate to trusted local nonprofits in India responding to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Your gift is eligible for tax benefits in the U
> Here is Akshaya Patra's Covid-19 relief service— help provide meals and packed grocery to those in need
Protect India from Coronavirus
Getting the word out at this time of crisis matters.
and also, because a scary high amount of asexual teens force themselves into awful sexual situations and abusive relationships because they think there is something wrong with them and maybe we could make it so they didn’t do that
Also, what’s the worst that happens? A teen mistakenly identifies as asexual for a while and thus takes longer to foray into sex? Oh, heavens forfend a young person who is already filled with hormones and a brain pushing them to make risky decisions waits a few months or years to have sex, already a slightly risky decision for adolescents to make. 🙄
I have a friend who currently identifies as lesbian that used to identify as asexual. For several years. Then, evenutally, she did some further self-reflection and decided she was not asexual. And the damage done by this mistaken self-understanding was…
(check notes)
Ah. None at all.
I’m assuming most of you have heard of heteronormativity, but I’ve thought of another type of normativity that is SUPER common. This isn’t an actual word, but I call it allonormativity, the normalization and assumption that everyone is allosexual (the opposite of asexual). People constantly assume that everyone is sexually attracted to others, which can be super frustrating for asexuals.
I am in month 3 of trying to get my Public Service Loan Forgiveness application approved. Soon to be in month 4.
For those of you who are about to attempt this Everest, or who are in the throes of it, I have some interesting news for you: You actually have to get two approvals: Final ECF, and Payment Review.
What I mean by this is that I applied twice and was rejected twice, both times erroneously, but that was only the FIRST rejection. Basically, someone at FedLoan (or whoever your loan administrator is) has to look at your final Employment Certification Form, which is attached to your application for forgiveness, and both forms look fucking IDENTICAL which is why mine was rejected twice (they confused some dates on my ECF with dates on my Forgiveness application). If your ECF is rejected you should immediately call the people doing the rejecting and appeal. Don’t do what I did and submit a second form, that just wasted everyone’s time.
Here’s how you know which rejection you’ve received: an ECF rejection takes about 10-20 days. If your ECF is approved, you will never be told.
Once your ECF is approved (mine was put in for appeal on the 12th of November and approved the 24th of December), then your application goes to the Department of Education. This is called a Payment Review. Here, someone at the DoE looks through every loan and every payment, to make sure everything is properly documented and paid. THIS process, which I am now in, is the “60 days” that they quote you when you apply for approval. Which means approval actually takes closer to 80 days.
According to the woman I spoke to today, I should also keep a close eye on my loan administration page, because sometimes they don’t tell you that you’ve been approved for forgiveness. They just zero out your balance and walk off sullenly. So now I need to check towards the end of January, and again the end of February, to see if my loans have been forgiven.
I do find it amusing that everyone I’ve spoken to at FedLoan is a 70 year old chain smoker with a Jersey accent and a name like Maud who clearly WANTS to help, they just have limited ability. All of them have been like “Fuck the government, we need to get you this forgiveness” but they’re not the ones approving or rejecting. This time the woman who helped me kept telling something on her computer to “Go away, go away!” and then said “Why would you pay the government another cent, have you seen the shit they’re getting up to?”
This fund is to install water purifiers for indigenous families in Canada, where there is a water crisis and desperate need for safe water sources. There are currently 58 long term water drinking advisories across Canada, which does not include short term ones (eg ones that are under 12 months long)
Since the beginning of the year it has only reached $2547 out of $10000 (as of December 21st 2020). If you can donate or share this, please do!!
every time I see a photo of a bear it’s like. that really is the ideal animal. large. fat. virtually indestructible. vaguely resembles both a large dog and a person. absolutely could and probably would maul me but nonetheless looks extremely huggable. 10/10 creatures, immaculate
Folks, friends, y’all…. esk*mo is a slur. I understand a lot of people don’t know that, I don’t want to be a dick about it, but I’ve been seeing it in fics. Wanna write “esk*mo kisses”? Just say “nuzzled noses” or something.
I’m not here to call anybody out, it’s been in multiple fics, I’m not vague posting. This is just a psa. 👍🏻
Doc, what are the top five items food banks LOVE to receive? I'm doing a collection soon and want to ask for specifics.
MONEY. WE WANT MONEY. MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY. WE CAN DO SO MUCH WITH IT. WE HAVE ACCESS TO DEALS YOU COULD NEVER. MONEY
That aside.
I’m only going to talk about food items but if your food bank takes personal items, a lot of times diapers, feminine hygiene products, etc, are very very welcome.
1) Canned chicken and beef
looooooove this stuff. It’s expensive, it lasts forever, it tastes good and it can be used a variety of ways. This stuff is fucking catnip to food banks, it’s so hard for us to provide proteins.
2) Fancy nut butters
Peanut butter is a standby for food banks as a shelf-stable inexpensive protein, but if we have a family with a kid with a peanut allergy that’s not going to work. Non-peanut butters are expensive and it’s something we hardly ever see donated. (we also like peanut butter, but that’s easier for us to buy ourselves than non-peanut butters)
3) Canned or packaged tuna
You may notice a trend here in shelf-stable proteins. And yeah. That’s basically it, so I’m not going to keep harping on it. But this stuff is a godsend.
4) Easy breakfast things for kids (Granola bars, instant oatmeal, and the like)
Whatever Donald Trump tells you, most people who get food from food banks are actually working their asses off and so they have to leave Obama to raise their baby or whatever, and they don’t have a lot of time in the morning. Things like this that kids can make for themselves are expensive. (Another trend you may be noticing–donate shit that costs a lot of money. That helps us more than all the shitty green bean cans in the world) But they are so helpful for busy working families where the parents may not have a set schedule and sometimes little Amanda is making her own breakfast before she runs off to school. Don’t let kids go to school hungry.
5) Shelf-stable juice
This is one people never think of! But if you show up with a bunch of (preferably reduced sugar stuff) bottles of juice at my door, oh man, you are gonna get so many check mark and okay hand emoticons. This stuff is great for kids, and it doesn’t require refrigeration until it’s opened, so it works great for food drives.
And it’s way better food, too, anything you get prepackaged has A TON of sugar and/or salt in it…collecting cans may be more exciting than writing a check, but if the point is to help people, the check is going to get a lot more done
Yoooooo heads up for those of you with kids, I know this time of year schools start holding canned food drives so keep this in mind if you’re able to give.