[cloudswamp]

speeches for dr. frankenstein, margaret atwood

[possessionisamyth]

If you live in the USA and you're pleading for donations to pay your rent, bills, or get food then dial 211! Please dial 211 before the last minute!

It's a toll free service with people who will help you find programs in your community to pay those bills, find food, and find housing! They will give you numbers to call so you can get help.

It is not 100% foolproof. Their job is to direct you to a program they believe will help your current issue, but it's still a step up from praying random strangers online will give you enough cash before a deadline! The added benefit of these community programs, which get funded by the local government most of the time, is if there are more people using them then they can get more money to help more people.

You're not taking resources from other people if you use your community services. Your taxes pay for them. Use them.

Dial 211 first to see if they can help, and if for some reason they can't, then make your donation posts!

https://www.211.org/

[dcmcboxers]

Hi I work for my state's 211 service. It really breaks my heart how many people only know to call us at the last minute. 211's can provide a whole wealth of resources to use before things ever get to a cut off utility, eviction, or homelessness!

I can't speak for all 211's but most should also have a website detailing all the agencies in their database. if you don't like phone calls, this can be something to reference instead.

If you don't have health insurance but you need to see a doctor, reference 211! We list clinics that provide free or discounted general care, vision, and dental services to low income households and people without insurance! Many hospitals also have financial aid policies that can severely reduce your bill if you had an expensive procedure!

If you're stuck in a dead end job or need educational resources reference 211! There are a lot of programs focused on providing basic adult education as well as trade skills or other high demand fields! State governments are generally more interested in funneling people into work than providing benefits, but you can still use this to your advantage especially if you have some form of disability but are still able to work. That includes if you're neurodiverse or have mental health issues! Most of these programs are extremely underutilized.

If you believe you qualify for public benefits but the bureaucracy of the process is in your way, reference 211! There are agencies specifically geared towards helping people obtain the benefits they qualify for- for free!

If you need help with your taxes-

If you need help finding a pro bono lawyer-

If you need help finding affordable housing/section 8 housing-

If you need help finding food pantries-

If you need help paying for your prescriptions-

If you need help obtaining disability aids or assistive technology-

If you need help finding transportation options-

If you need help following a natural or personal disaster (like a home fire)-

If you need help repairing a home you or your family owns or it needs modifications to be accessible-

If you need Queer resources-

Reference your 211!!!!!

I had no idea what 211 was before working for it but I wish I had. I've learned so much about what resources are actually available to the community even in a ho hum area of the country like my state. I've saved my partner literally thousands of dollars just from the medical resources I've gathered.

Not enough young people know about or utilize these services but they are there for you!

P. S.

This isn't an intended use of 211, but I like to reference the agency listings when I look for jobs. Many of the agencies listed are non-profits which, while they certainly are not perfect, generally have lower barriers of entry to decent paying jobs with benefits. The work environments tend to be much kinder and at least pretend to be forward thinking. You're more likely to find jobs without as many people applying as well, especially if they're only advertising their positions through their own website.

[ghostpyre]

Very cool life update: I am hopefully getting a tattoo of my favorite cave painting ever by someone who is equally obsessed with lost species of humans, I made bread for a friend who biked to get it from me, I have begun packing my belongings, and I think for a moment it is okay.

[ghostpyre]

The boys are going in my body this week I am so stoked

[ghostpyre]

THE BOYS ARE HERE

[storm-sergeant]

THAT'S MY GIRL!!! CONGRATS 128 GRAZER!!🐻👑

[nilim]

Ok, so I was reading this news story:

So far so normal, right? But then:

Like what. And then:

Like, I think Alaska State Trooper Ken Marsh wants to be a romance novelist. 

[panicblanket]

well would you look at that

[autisticexpression]

One of the best posts

[memewhore]

[krisiverse]

this is what life is all about. make someone's day better and a little more weird at the same time

[jewish-sideblog]

Today is a day in which our global convictions will be tested.

The goal of Hamas, stated plainly and clearly by Hamas itself, is the destruction of Israel and the establishment of an Islamic state ruled by Islamic law. More than seven million Jews live in Israel today. In Hamas's vision of an ideal world, seven million Jews would die or be displaced.

I have seen many people come out to support Hamas's invasion today. I have seen them cheer because Hamas has killed over 700 Jews. I have seen them celebrate because Hamas has injured thousands more. I have seen joy and excitement awaken in the hearts of onlookers because Hamas has fired 5,000 missiles at civilian targets. I have seen them use freedom and self-determination as a justification for their delight in the deaths of Jewish people.

Hamas is not fighting for freedom today. They have abducted civilians and children, entire families living in peace, to use as bargaining chips and human shields. They have bombed ambulances and hospitals. They have murdered the elderly and disabled. They have consistently rejected peace negotiations. They have indefinitely cancelled the Palestinian democratic election process. They are allied with Hezbollah, Iran, and the Taliban. They are a terrorist organization, as designated by nearly seventy nations. If Hamas wins, they will not bring peace and freedom to Palestine. They will only bring death to Jews.

Many of the same people who were elated at the news of Hamas's invasion protested and boycotted Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini a year ago. Hamas does not have a cleaner record on women's rights, Queer rights, criminal justice or free speech than Iran does. They will not bring freedom to Palestine. They will only bring death to Jews.

This does not excuse the Israeli government's war crimes. This does not excuse the Israeli government's treatment of Palestinians in Gaza or the West Bank. This does not mean you should not criticize Israel, or that you should not hope for and support Palestinian self-determination.

This does mean that if you claim to be anti-fascist, or an ally of Jewish people, you should be careful what you choose to cheer for today, and who you choose to align yourself with. It means you should fact-check what you see on the internet today using reliable and unbiased news organizations. It means you should hesitate to comment on issues you are uneducated about. It does mean that you should let Jews mourn our families, our friends, and our communities.

[jerseymuppet]

I’m just a notch in your bedpost but you’re just a guy in a thong or whatever fall out boy said

[technofeudalism]

it’s too early for this shit.

i’m gonna say it again since some of you don’t listen: if the statement “the loss of innocent life is bad” compels you to write more than 10 words at me, please fuck off. forever.

don’t tell me there are no “innocent” people involved on either side of the Israel-Palestine conflict. you are being downright obtuse and you’re acting just like the chuds on reddit calling for the obliteration of an entire group of people.

dead children is a bad thing no matter if they are Palestinian or Israeli. dead civilians is a bad thing no matter if they are Palestinian or Israeli. dead people who have never harmed anyone or who lack the capacity to even understand this situation is a bad thing no matter if they are Palestinian or Israeli.

the lack of humanity some of you display is appalling. you can condemn Israel and acknowledge the responsibility their government and their citizens played in this while subsequently condemning the slaughter of civilians.

your inability to think in anything but black or white is the reason that we are falling away from each other as a society faster than ever. wake the fuck up. you are so focused on “the good guys” and “the bad guys” that you have totally lost the plot.

a guy who posts memes about dead cops and advocates for showing no quarter to fascists is telling you that you’re acting like you’ve completely lost your sense of humanity. find it before it’s gone forever. it’s so hard to claw back from the darkness.

and the next person to come at me about this is getting blocked and reported for harassment. i’m done talking about it. i have been advocating for Palestinian independence longer than some of you have been alive. i don’t need your validation.

[the-lady-of-the-labyrinth]

[byjove]

The dude who built my childhood home died there in the 90s and then his widow let my parents buy it cheap because she liked my mom and also wanted to get the hell out of there. She left most of her husband’s stuff in the house when she left and that was, I shit you not, roughly 200 hand carved decoy ducks, all of his decoy duck carving materials in his shop, several dozen books on antique duck decoys and around 50 high quality full color books on American made muskets and rifles of the 19th century. His son is apparently a renowned Star Wars prequel trilogy memorabilia collector. Really glad he’s carrying on his dad’s legacy of obsessively perusing his hobbies to the detriment of his marriage.

[byjove]

Actually, it kind of made us sad that his wife didn’t value things that seemed to mean so much to him. She abandoned his two elderly cats when she left too so we inherited them. We ended up displaying some of his best duck decoys in the basement but the majority are still sitting under our shed. You could feel his ghost so keenly in the house, I don’t mean that negatively, he just seemed like a very nice man who was meticulous in his interests and in the construction of the home. Everything reflected that. He also loved Colonial Williamsburg so my childhood home was built with unique Colonial Virginian design details. When I was about 9, my dad found some tapes in the attic, played them out of curiosity and they were footage of him playing with his kids in the snow back in the 70s. I remember that moment because suddenly the specter of the man who designed the house I loved and grew in had a face.

[byjove]

He put so much thought and love into the design of our house, planned to grow old there, raised his children with every advantage he could give them and died of a heart attack in his bathroom while in his early 50s, never got to see the fruits of his labor. But I think me growing in that house, the time my parents and I were happy, I think that honored him. A mean ghost is sad enough but the ghost of a good person is far sadder.

[stripedroseandsketchpads]

I am aware that on social media all you can see of other people is what they post about…

That said, the late tendency on this hellsite whenever things happen in the world especially for Americans has lately REALLY gone towards “stating your opinion (preferably loudly!) is the only important thing to do as long as you make sure you’re correct first,” because it’s easy and people get a rush out of feeling righteous. I notice this specifically in contrast to years past when it was a lot more easy to find information about and concern for the impacts of violence, which is disturbing.

I don’t know what people have or haven’t done IRL, but I will say this:

A lot of people in Gaza have just lost their access to reliable food, water, and shelter. A lot more are about to, as they’ve been ordered to leave a blockaded area which is currently under heavy fire, which they cannot. There is great need for medical care.

If you are able and moved to want to help but can’t figure out how to from abroad, start here to cross-check organizations:

Donate with confidence. Get detailed information about your favorite charities. CharityWatch is America's most independent, assertive charit

Charity Ratings and Donor Resources | Charity Navigator

Use Charity Navigator's ratings and resources to find and support highly rated charities that align with your passions and values. Whether y

and here are two currently-active charities which are I think well-known but also highly-rated for safety & effectiveness.

MSF (Doctors Without Borders): medical personnel & equipment

MAUSA: Medical aid & equipment; food; hygiene packages

[tributary]

adding PCRF (Palestine Children’s Relief Fund): emergency humanitarian care

[tributary]

magen david adom is the israeli emergency medical and blood bank service. years ago they saved my bubbe’s life after a bad fall in jerusalem. they are saving lives now, and they serve everyone that they can get to.

i am going to donate in her memory and i encourage you to do so as well if you’re able.

[your-url-is-problematic]

United Hatzala are a community-based volunteer emergency medical services (EMS) organization who provide services completely free of charge, regardless of race, religion, or nationality. they've made it their mission to arrive as fast as possible, often before ambulances, and have trained thousands of volunteers, Jews, Muslims, and Christians alike. they serve hundreds of thousands of people a year.

they're another good organization to donate to, if you're so inclined.

[amaraqwolf]

Are you trapped on tumblr right now?

Is there something you planned to do before you got trapped in the endless tumblr scroll?

Are you yelling at yourself to get up and do the thing, but you can’t, because you’re trapped in the endless tumblr scroll?

Consider this your save point.

Put tumblr down, stand up, stretch, and go do the thing you planned to do. Future you will be incredibly grateful.

[amaraqwolf]

Things people in the notes have been able to do thanks to this post:

eat breakfast

go to bed

get out of bed

take a shower

write

practice

watch Superman Returns and write a paper on it

retain shreds of sanity

I need y’all to know that you’re doing amazing, and I’m so glad that I was able to help you break out of a procrastination loop you did not want to be stuck in.

[andythecarpathian]

Helpful post I’ve added to my queue in case it helps someone else at the random point when it’s posted.

[helenvaughans]

[rimonoroni]

if you're a goy that thinks Jewish culture and history and religion is interesting but don't want to intrude upon a closed religion, the answer is academia!! study Jewish academia oh my goodness the sheer volume of freely accessible literature written by Jews about Jews is genuinely staggering. please

[rimonoroni]

some random goyim out there: wow, i find Jewish culture and history very interesting, but i've determined that it isn't because i'm interested in converting. i just think that Judaism is fascinating, but i'm also aware that because i lack the cultural context of a Jewish person, i could easily misunderstand and disrespect this religion/closed cultural group as an outsider. if only there were a way for me to respectfully engage with specific aspects of Judaism outside of a conversion context........

every Jewish academic i've ever met in my life, absolutely frothing at the mouth: if somebody doesn't read my 900 page dissertation and six full length books about this specific niche aspect of Jewish culture written to be accessible to a goyische audience, i'm going to throw myself into the sea

[gingerswagfreckles]

Insane how people can't understand that terrorism and civilian deaths are bad even when this terrorism is a predictable result of decades of oppression...Hamas is not an organization that works for the freedom of the Palestinians. They are a reactionary religious extremist group that has no problem provoking even further violence and taking down thousands of Palestinian civilians with them.

This is not going to end well for the Palestinians and anyone who thinks it is is fucking delusional. A lot of you people are about two bad days from joining a terrorist organization yourselves judging by your lack of critical thinking skills. Get a grip and see this as the tragedy it already is.