Call me Alex! |
23, transmasc and autistic | werewolf therian | Jewish, but fuck zionists | I reblog all manner of free and low-cost resources, crafting tips, mutual aid, and pretty much anything I find informative or useful
LINKTREE: https://linktr.ee/alex.mutual.aid?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=192b9ba2-a2de-4192-94ba-eff74669e159
My master linktree for mutual aid and informational resources for everything from disability, trans and reproductive health, to organizing, to arts and crafts, to internet safety.
I had to dig through a backlog of all my reblogs from my spam/main account to collect these.
Please note though, this is still a work in progress! I'm open to submissions for things to add, especially for transfemme and intersex-related resources.
And if there's anything in this linktree that you find to be inaccurate, please let me know! I strive to be as accurate and safe as possible
Researchers Found Even Lower-Performing Masks Were Protective
From the article:
Any common face mask provides significant protection against the virus that causes COVID-19, but N95 masks are most effective at slashing the amount emitted by infected people, according to a University of Maryland-led study released Wednesday.
So-called “duckbill” N95 masks scored highest in the study, which measured the exhaled breath of participants who were tested both masked and unmasked to measure comparative outputs of SARS-CoV-2. The inexpensive masks, which have two head straps and a horizontal seam, captured 98% of exhaled virus, according to the study published in eBioMedicine.
The researchers also found that—in what might come as a surprise to many—cloth masks outperformed the specific brand of KN95 mask that was tested. Surgical masks brought up the rear in performance out of the four types, but even they blocked 70% of the virus, the tests showed. (To reflect the general public's use of masks, study volunteers were not fit-tested for their masks or trained how to properly wear them.)
“The research shows that any mask is much better than no mask, and an N95 is significantly better than the other options. That’s the No. 1 message,” says the study’s senior author, Donald Milton, a professor of environmental health and a global expert on how viruses spread through the air.
#sewing dinosaur please share your wisdom #i want nothing more than to make a waistcoat #but i tried once and it was super difficult #do you know any patterns or tutorials for beginners?
I have made videos on sewing several of the things in this picture! Here's a link to my youtube channel.
Though I'm not sure if I'd call them beginner friendly. I go over every technique VERY thoroughly, but I mostly do 18th century or 18th century inspired stuff, which includes a lot of hand sewing and completely different tailoring techniques from what you'll find in modern waistcoats.
The first of the 3 leaf boleros I make in this one is pretty simple though, so that ought to be fairly beginner friendly. (The light green one)
You could make a super basic waistcoat with the same sewing and turning method and just add some buttons & holes. (I have tutorials for covered buttons and buttonholes too if you want to do those by hand.)
OH also! That brown monster print waistcoat in the closet picture is a print I designed that's available on Spoonflower.
That one's got more machine sewing than the brocade one in the first video, but I haven't made a video about that method yet. My most recent leaf one is machine sewn and turned, but hasn't got any pockets.
Edit: Forgot to mention my sewing blog is @vincentbriggs
just got phone call from my neurologist WHO IS ON VACATION may his name never be erased, basically being like. "ok so your insurance is trying to kill you. I've referred dozens of people to Duke for this and this has never happened. they're being purposefully confusing and sending us all in circles. they keep sending me forms asking ME to agree to pay for your treatment no matter how many times I explain that I am THE REFERRING PHYSICIAN. so here's what you're going to do-" and gave us instructions on what to do when the health insurance corporation is trying to kill you
this is not his job. his job is being my neurologist.
his job is not "call patients after hours while I'm on vacation because I'm afraid if I don't give them this guidance their insurance company might murder them and so even though this isn't my job it feels like a fucking hostage situation"
anyway. he confirmed that the shit my insurance has been pulling for a month and a half is explicitly Trying To Kill The Patient behavior. told us to get everything in writing. sending us a whole packet of every single relevant form and piece of paperwork so we have it all on hand. told us to contact the patient advocate and if that doesn't work, we're going to have to go outside the company entirely and get the state insurance ombudsman involved.
so. that's fun. and a totally productive use of everyone's time and resources. I've had insurance companies be shitty to me but I've never been the Patient They're Explicitly Trying To Kill before. like I've never had them throw this much energy at blocking a procedure this lifesaving. it actually feels even worse than I thought it would!
With all the talk about telling people to start planting and growing crops to feed themselves and their communities during this time of crisis, I’m surprised I haven’t seen much about HOW MUCH to plant to feed people. Here’s a good article to serve as a jumping-off point, to give people an idea of when to plant and how much to plant to keep people fed. Keep in mind that unless you live on a fairly sizeable plot of land that has ideal growing conditions, you probably won’t be able to completely feed a family of four, at least with traditional gardening methods. However, you can still heavily supplement your diet with homegrown food if you plot your garden carefully.
It's time to plan the vegetable garden, but how much should you plant per person to feed your family?
Some things you can do to save space include growing plants in stackable towers rather than flat rows. Not everything can grow this way, but growing herbs or even strawberries or some kinds of tomatoes in them can save a lot of space. Bonus points if you can get some vertical vining plants like beans or tomatoes to grow up the sides of them to maximize the space used.
Hanging planters can also be used for things like tomatoes, herbs, some berries, etc. The people who grew up watching TV in the 2000s may remember ads for the topsy-turvy tomato planter. I can’t vouch for the effectiveness of them, but it may be good inspiration for creative DIY hanging planters.
Many people don’t seem to know this (to be fair, it’s not very intuitive), but small melons and gourds can be grown vertically on a trellis. You will need pantyhose or something else that can act like a sling for when the fruit gets large enough, and you’ll also want to make sure the trellis is very sturdy. Here is an example of a watermelon growing on a trellis, with squash growing in the background:
Other good options that require a bit more DIY are hydroponics towers and walls. It’s basically just a series of pipes with holes for plants to grow out of. The only downside is they will require very regular fertilization and supplementation with other micronutrients that are essential for plant growth, because the plants are typically grown in either a non-nutritious medium like coconut coir or nothing at all.
Planter walls are the next step down, basically just building shelves with pots in them to fill with soil. Put these on a wall that gets good morning sun and some afternoon sunlight for best results. These and hydroponics both also have the advantage of being able to hook up to your gutters so that rainwater will go towards watering your plants rather than just being wasted.
If you want to get really fancy, aquaponics is the next step up. With aquaponics, you create a system that circulates water between plants and a tank full of fish. The fish waste provides fertilizer for the plants, and the plants help filter out the waste so the water stays cleaner. I’ve heard they’re a bit tricky to establish, but once you find the right balance, all you’ll need to do is feed the fish. This has the added bonus of providing a source of fish for people who can’t eat things like nuts and legumes but need protein. Here is a link to an article explaining what aquaponics is, how it works, and how it differs from hydroponics.
WHAT IS AQUAPONICS? What is Aquaponics? Many definitions of aquaponics recognize the ‘ponics’ part of this word for hydroponics which is gro
I also want to add that if you don’t have the space or ability to maintain a large garden, there are other options. Find or create a group with access to enough food to supplement or completely fulfill your diet, and offer another service. If you have space for a vermicompost bin or tower, that can still help contribute to the garden. Learning other skills like soap making, cooking, sewing/knitting/crocheting, electrical skills like wiring and soldering, welding, woodworking/carpentry, etc. means you will still have valuable skills to contribute towards the group, and this will set up the basis for a larger mutual aid network within your community.
Unless you have a huge amount of land, resources, a shitload of free time and a lot of gardening skills, trying to live completely off your own garden within a year is a ridiculous idea.
Most of us can’t do it ever even if we use all our space perfectly. Some of us can do it after years of building those skills, and we might still have bad years. And in the end, what does it get us? Self-reliance is a right-wing preppers dream but it isn’t what we should be aiming for.
If we’re thinking about collective survival and we’re looking at food as part of that survival, there’s two things that work:
Start a community garden. Bring together the resources, time and skills by getting together in a big group.
Or learn to grow a few crops really well and share them with all your friends.
The last one is what I’m going for and it works great. You can chose a few crops that are perfect for your soil, shade/sun conditions, skill level, amount of time, etc. Perfect those crops so you’ll have a huge harvest, and share share share. With a couple of friends doing the same, it’s much easier to get to a point where you’re no longer relying on stores for your fruit and veg.
If you have permanent long term space but limited time? Fruit trees and berry bushes.
If you have a lot of nice soil and can do physically exhausting work? Potatoes, pumpkins, zucchini.
If you have a green house? SOOOO many tomatoes. Fruits that require warmth. etc.
Are you a gardening nerd with time and an interest in learning complicated plants? Take on the challenges like broccoli, cauliflower and depending on your needs, location and options, maybe cannabis? Or build a permaculture garden if that’s your thing.
If you have a balcony or window sill or prefer to do light work in high mobile planters due to limited space or mobility? Leafy greens, herbs, radishes, carrots, maybe a small tomato plant.
Together, we have complementary needs and abilities.
I was talking to a friend last night about how he’s closing down his garden for the winter, what worked this year and what he wants to repeat and try new next. He said squash, cucumber and beans have always worked from seed, they’re easy and good producers if you’re in a 5-8 climate.
Peppers are perennials and we talked about bucket planting for those so you can bring them inside if your winters get cold to overwinter and bring them back out in the spring.
In learning how to garden and grow produce it helps to start small and scale up year to year. Try new varieties and planters and spots in the garden, find ways to allow things to volunteer in the spring (leaving peppers, basil and other plants to cast seeds directly). You’ll learn and grow so much, even if much of it isn’t edible.
Remember to grow flowers too - not just because they are pretty but they will attract pollinators who will help your produce grow too! Sunflowers grow great in the US so don’t sleep on those babes.
I live in a city where we can’t grow produce in the ground due to industrial contamination but we’re experimenting with raised beds. This year’s attempt was a 3 sister mound and we only got a couple handfuls of green beans out of the effort but we learned SO MUCH and those green beans tasted all the sweeter because we watched them grow.
To be clear, when you minimize covid, this is what you're minimizing. When you refuse to mask and take other precautions, this is what you're assuring will continue to happen. When you make this a useless culture war about vaccines and your politicians are called "heroes" for finding rhetorical and political middle ground with literal antivaxxers, all you're praising is more and more dead babies. More and more dead kids. More and more dead people. More and more widespread disability. More and more and more and more suffering.
With one simple act, you can assure less dead babies. Mask up. Act to defend public health instead of giving your thoughts and energy to debating with bad-faith actors funded and informed by white supremacist entities (and ending up closer to their ideals in the end).
My dad isn’t one of those parents that is like you’re gonna be rich and you’re gonna be a doctor or whatever. He only has three conditions. 1. Don’t get involved in organized crime 2. Don’t join the military and 3. Don’t drive a motorcycle
So in the US they say there’s a 1% chance of getting in a motorcycle accident. That’s just per year though. If you stretch that over 20 years that gets up to like 18.3% which is a much higher gamble when you think about it. And motorcyclists make up 15% of fatal accidents while only representing 6% of vehicles.
context: the heritage foundation is trying to launder data in support of doge by sending a survey to only their supporters and using blatantly leading questions. the survey takes less than 5 minutes and they don't verify your email
💥#Breaking: Israel halts entry of all humanitarian aid into Gaza as Phase I concludes. The IDF has been ordered to close all entries to Gaza.
Further evidence that the genocide in Gaza is still ongoing: Israel's deliberate suspension of humanitarian aid to Gaza is a genocidal act that violates the ICJ provisional measures & a prosecution of the war crime of starvation, for which the ICC has issued arrest warrants.
Please donate to my family from here to provide for their living needs.
You know how the trans community asked cis folks to put their pronouns in the email signatures and the like so they didn't out themselves by making theirs public?
Consider this.
In a country that is being fueled by fascism - which is big on eugenics - if the only people masking are people with chronic illness and immune deficiency, then by not masking you're leaving us high and dry not just to the virus, not just to social isolation, but to fascists who consider us a threat to country.
So even if you really don't think COVID is a big deal - fucking mask.
Mutual Aid uwu @wolfboy-awoos - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
