hello yes this is dog

[guerrillatech]

[enki2]

[storybookprincess]

so a very long time ago, my dad worked with an arson investigator

this guy was often one of the first people on the scene following a suspected arson, once emergency services had done what they needed to do. at times, there were also civilians on the periphery. often, they were freaking out, and understandably so; their home or workplace had just, quite literally, gone up in smoke

this investigator wouldn’t try to calm them down. he wouldn’t comfort them or be a shoulder to cry on.

instead, he’d walk up to the person most visibly losing their shit, hand them a fire extinguisher, and say “hey, can you keep an eye out for any other fires, and if you see one, can you put it out with this?”

of course, there was no actual risk of another fire. he wouldn’t be on the scene investigating if there was even a chance that the fire wasn’t completely put out. but the bystander didn’t need to know that

because that person, without fail, would immediately pull it together, take the fire extinguisher, and stand guard. they were, at least temporarily, calm enough for this investigator to do this job

my dad has told me the parable of the fire extinguisher a hundred times, and i think about it a lot. i think about what it says about people and crises. i think about what it says about the grounding power of having a purpose. and i think about the importance of letting someone help me through something, even if that help is just going to be another casserole to throw into the freezer, because useless or not, that fire extinguisher might be the only thing holding them together

[thedeafprophet]

....environmental storytelling

[shinolavolume1-deactivated20240]

im not really trying to be funny here i genuinely have never wanted context for something more in my life than this video. i mean ive always figured its just one of those weird for the sake of weird kind of things. but regardless the logistics of this whole setup are what intrigue me. what is this body of green water? a koi pond? the lighting reminds me of a hospital room or something. is the room flooded? it doesnt really look that way, but its possible. why are there apples and balls in it? but why is it also in a room? i cant tell if theres light eminating from the water or if its just such an intense shade of green it gives the illusion. is the bed affixed to the wall and suspended over the water or what? how did the bed even get there if its not a flooded bedroom? i only just noticed the water bottle tied to the bar as well. how does he manage to act relatively unbothered by a massive branch hitting him in the neck. and the watermelon just speaks for itself. im not expecting an answer i just need you to know these are the kinds of things i ask myself for 20 minutes each time its brought back to my attention

[romeomathgod]

[eliotheman]

”This portrayal of a marginalized group was wrong then and is wrong now” and “This portrayal of a marginalized group was very progressive for the time period and paved the way for more representation while likely limited by factors outside of the creator’s control” are two statements that can and should ABSOLUTELY coexist and be kept in mind when interacting with older media

[ladytuarach]

Thank you @posttexasstressdisorder for the complete picture

[sandersstudies]

I think a great way to improve communication with kids (and adults) is to make every yes or no question a this or that question.

I started doing it when after brain surgery my husband had trouble forming responses to questions for a while, and realized that the habit was helping my students engage more truthfully with me.

Some examples:

Yes/No: “Did you clean up your room like I told you?”

This/That: “Did you clean up already, or do you still need to do that?”

Yes/No: “Are you going to sit quietly?”

This/That: “Are you ready to sit and do our quiet activity, or do you need some time by yourself first?”

Yes/No: “Are you doing anything fun for your birthday?”

This/That: “Are you having a party on your birthday, or are you going to relax?”

I think many children (and adults!) are averse to telling adults “No,” especially when a command is implied. (“Did you clean your room?” “Are you going to sit quietly?” Hmmm if I say ‘no’ I will be in trouble with the adult.) So they are actually pretty likely to just lie and say what they think you want to hear.

Presenting a this or that question provides an alternative to lying, a ‘no, but’ scenario where they are presented with the reasonable consequences of a No (“if you’re not ready to sit quietly, you cannot do our quiet activity with us yet.”)

[redstonedust]

theres definitely something to be said about straight men leaning into homoeroticism as a joke because society still sees the notion of two men being intimate as a punchline. but like would i rather live in the world where i DONT get to see comedians and twitch streamers do increasingly elaborate gay roleplay in front of an audience of thousands? so you know. we win some we lose some. i think.

[wuntrum]

"do it scared" is valuable advice but it'd also be SIIIICK and AWESOME if it stopped being scary at some point. any point

[lokaror]

Casting lightning magic alone in the parking lot

[lokaror]

Cops are here.

[lokaror]

Casting lightning magic alone in the parking lot

[cowpokeredeemed]

[vocabulary-altering-posts]

PHRASE ADDED!

"Taste the god particle you rat"

CHARACTER ADDED!

The Gnome That Makes Snow Angels In Your Kitchen (Deceased)

[corporationsarepeople]

[redstonedust]

people will insist humans are naturally selfish when feeding the birds is a common hobby. when there are wildlife hospitals you can call when you find an injured fox outside. do we get anything from helping wild animals? i don't think so. it's not personal. it's just nice. it's something we have the resources to do, so we do it. i think thats worth remembering.

[enki2]

[the-cimmerians]

Massachusetts's Millionaire Tax Still Going Very Well, Thank You!

And the millionaires aren't going anywhere, for the most part.

Excellent update on year 2 of this program:

Last May, we were very happy to report that the Millionaire Tax instituted in the state of Massachusetts was working out very well, not scaring off all of the rich people, and raising funds for necessary education and transportation initiatives. The state had raised $1.8 billion — $800 million more than they predicted — and none of the terrible things the naysayers had predicted happened at all. But how are things going a year later? Even better! The tax has now generated $3 billion more than expected, for a total of $5.7 billion that has been spent on projects that are positively benefiting Massachusetts residents and “being used to bridge repairs, bolster literacy programs and address the transportation system’s budget deficit.” In case you need a refresher, the tax is a 4 percent tax on anything people make over a million dollars.

[massachusetts-official]

Official Post of Massachusetts

[thethingsnerd]

This article has a great way of framing tax alarmists for the hypocrites they are. It’s woven neatly through the whole article, but this quote really sums it up:

Sure, people complain. Rich people are always going to complain about taxes. But they never flee the way they threaten to, largely because whether or not they like to admit it, they prefer to live in the kinds of areas where things are made nicer by the taxes they don’t want to pay.

Tax the rich. Most of them won’t notice and even more of them won’t care

[escuerzoresucitado]