Started With Books

I tried to get away but it didn't work.

[manbiteshog]

thanksgiving is a holiday based on a falsified narrative full of white guilt and the erasure of history so what are some good native organizations to donate to this coming thursday

[manbiteshog]

organizations recommended by @loneghostkid 

native american rights fund

heyday berkely roundhouse

news from native california magazine

national indian child welfare association

california indian legal services

the national indigenous women’s resource center

[meshkwahkihaki]

please also consider looking into funding native/tribal food sovereignty projects if you have food to donate or money to spare. friends, please add more if you know of them and have links to provide:

native american food sovereignty alliance

meskwaki food sovereignty initiative

friends of pine ridge reservation

first nations development institute

you can also buy food/gifts from indigenous sellers or donate to gofundme fundraisers made by indigenous people who need help getting groceries, paying medical bills, or paying rent. do something to help us and our communities.

[britomartis]

try water projects too, like the navajo water project: https://www.navajowaterproject.org/

Navajo Water Project

Help DigDeep bring clean, running water to hundreds of American families. Nearly 40% of Navajo don't have a tap or toilet at home. We can fi

a lot of reservations are fucked over on water by illegal oil drilling, pipelines, or other breaches, like in the navajo rez’s case: contaminated by illegal uranium mining.

[mango-habanero-autism-deactivat]

I would like to put my endorsement to the Sovereign Bodies Institute, home of the database of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. The database is trans-inclusive, the data protocols follow the desires of the families of MMIW, and this holiday season, they are collecting donations to buy gifts for the families, especially the children, of missing and murdered women. 

[qaigulik-deactivated20251021]

I’d like to add Feeding Nunavut, the cost of living in the isolated north for Inuit is up to and sometimes over 5x the prices the rest of Canada is used to.

[blondebrainpowered]

Arlo Guthrie - Alice’s Restaurant, 1967

[kim-jong-chill]

i need feminism because when jesus does a magic trick it’s a goddamn miracle but when a woman does a magic trick she gets burned at the stake

[mattheuphonium-blog]

fabulous 

[tockthewatchdog-deactivated2020]

i mean they did also kill jesus. that was a pretty significant thing that happened. like i understand where you’re coming from here but they very much did kill jesus.

[counterpunches]

#HAPPY GOOD FRIDAY

[muteddaydreams]

googling master degree programs that are true and beautiful and master degrees that are a vibe

[zero1infinity]

[tsukiyamas]

why does this have 32k notes? it’s just a picture of a knife in a ranch bottle, is there some unspoken joke that 32 thousand people share? what is going on here, i dont get it. it’s just a fucking picture of a knife in a ranch bottle. is there some spiritual connection people have to this picture? is there some ominous and mystical reasoning that this has 32 thousand notes? do people reblog this because it makes them look like some indie blogger? or is there just something funny to this? someone please explain

[diggly]

no one tell him

[rhube]

This is it, lads. The post that started us on this path 9 years ago.

I sure hope no one told him.

[tinyyellowflowers-blog]

I have been thinking a lot about what a cancer diagnosis used to mean. How in the ‘80s and ‘90s, when someone was diagnosed, my parents would gently prepare me for their death. That chemo and radiation and surgery just bought time, and over the age of fifty people would sometimes just. Skip it. For cost reasons, and for quality of life reasons. My grandmother was diagnosed in her early seventies and went directly into hospice for just under a year — palliative care only. And often, after diagnosis people and their families would go away — they’d cash out retirement or sell the house and go live on a beach for six months. Or they’d pay a charlatan all their savings to buy hope. People would get diagnosed, get very sick, leave, and then we’d hear that they died.

And then, at some point, the people who left started coming back.

It was the children first. The March of Dimes and Saint Jude set up programs and my town would do spaghetti fundraisers and raffles and meal trains to support the family and send the child and one parent to a hospital in the city — and the children came home. Their hair grew back. They went back to school. We were all trained to think of them as the angelic lost and they were turning into asshole teens right in front of our eyes. What a miracle, what a gift, how lucky we are that the odds for several children are in our favor!

Adults started leaving for a specific program to treat their specific cancer at a specific hospital or a specific research group. They’d stay in that city for 6-12 months and then they’d come home. We fully expected that they were still dying — or they’d gotten one of the good cancers. What a gift this year is for them, we’d think. How lucky they are to be strong enough to ski and swim and run. And then they didn’t stop — two decades later they haven’t stopped. Not all of them, but most of them.

We bought those extra hours and months and years. We paid for time with our taxes. Scientists found ways for treatment to be less terrible, less poisonous, and a thousand times more effective.

And now, when a friend was diagnosed, the five year survival odds were 95%. My friend is alive, nearly five years later. Those kids who miraculously survived are alive. The adults who beat the odds are still alive. I grew up in a place small enough that you can see the losses. And now, the hospital in my tiny hometown can effectively treat many cancers. Most people don’t have to go away for treatment. They said we could never cure cancer, as it were, but we can cure a lot of cancers. We can diagnose a lot of cancers early enough to treat them with minor interventions. We can prevent a lot of cancers.

We could keep doing that. We could continue to fund research into other heartbreaks — into Long Covid and MCAS and psych meds with fewer side effects and dementia treatments. We could buy months and years, alleviate the suffering of our neighbors. That is what funding health research buys: time and ease.

Anyway, I’m preaching to the choir here. But it is a quiet miracle what’s happened in my lifetime.

[socialjusticeinamerica]

National Park Service employees live in poverty. They make peanuts and are housed in dilapidated Quonset huts leftover from WWII that are un-insulated, full of holes, lacking running water, and often without heat or AC.

Even many of the liberals reading this think government employees are living high on the hog. Don’t be like MAGAts and think because you have hard times that everyone you perceive to be making more than you deserves to lose everything. Non-management federal government employees make shit and are forced to live in big cities where the cost of living is super high. They don’t deserve to lose their jobs or whatever benefits they may be getting to satiate oligarchs and Republicans. These employees have families, mortgages, student loans, and medical debt just like the rest of us. Additionally a disproportionate number of federal workers are marginalized people who couldn’t find any other work. They owe their jobs to the Democratic policies of hiring the disabled, veterans, people of color, women, religious minorities, etc. Times are hard for everyone and have been since Reagan and the Republicans murdered the American dream.

I know retail pays shit and most other jobs in the private sector as well. I know most people no longer have unions but that’s no reason to hate on these poor souls. Dragging everyone else down will not lift the rest of us up. Republicans, CEO’s, and oligarchs have spent decades trying to get us to turn against each other. Don’t fall for it. Your enemy isn’t the museum security guard, the librarian, the IRS receptionist, the National Park Service, the data entry tech at the Veteran’s Administration, etc.

We have one common enemy that is suppressing 98% of the public and it’s the billionaire oligarchs using corporate greed and Republican puppets against us. Drive the Republicans from office and drive the CEO’s and oligarchs from politics once and for all.

[arielsojourner]

USA people! Buy NOTHING Feb 28 2025. Not anything. 24 hours. No spending. Buy the day before or after but nothing. NOTHING. February 28 2025. Not gas. Not milk. Not something on a gaming app. Not a penny spent. (Only option in a crisis is local small mom and pop. Nothing. Else.) Promise me. Commit. 1 day. 1 day to scare the shit out of them that they don't get to follow the bullshit executive orders. They don't get to be cowards. If they do, it costs. It costs.

Then, if you can join me for Phase 2. March 7 2025 thtough March 14 2025? No Amazon. None. 1 week. No orders. Not a single item. Not one ebook. Nothing. 1 week. Just 1.

If you live outside the USA boycott US products on February 28 2025 and stand in solidarity with us and also join us for the week of no Amazon.

Are you with me?

Spread the word.

[kasplode]

Organised by People’s Union, read more here:

Nationwide economic blackout on February 28: What to know about boycott

When Donald Trump reentered office, one of his first calls to action was to end several DEI initiatives in the federal government.

[dvasva]

'This won't work, this isn't widespread, nobody knows, we're in a bubble, blah blah blah' my mom, a 64 year old lady with no social media whose first language is spanish, told me about this before tumblr did, and said we are going to participate.

[librarychair]

I've seen flyers for this in real life. Do it.

[our-queer-experience]

[friendlyfrankenstein]

[cilceon]

Putting a highlight on this part specifically, teach children that they have the ability to fight back

[thebibliosphere]

I had a severe mast cell reaction to something last night for the first time in the longest time* and I can honestly say, hand on heart, I have no idea how I lived like that 24/7 for years.

I have no idea how I dealt with that nightly as a child, only to be yelled at and told to stop attention seeking, while last night my partner held me while I shook and prepared to stick me with an epi pen.

Thankfully he didn’t have to. Thankfully my airways cleared after my body purged itself of everything I’d eaten yesterday** and my heart rate began to climb down. But Jesus Christ, I am wrecked this morning.

* no idea why, only thing I can think of is hormones + sugar which can sometimes raise histamine levels

** everyone thinks anaphylactic reactions start with visible swelling and airway constriction, but for me it’s always been the much slower reaction of severe gastric symptoms which progresses to rapid elevated heartbeat, followed by agonizing acid reflux that burns through my whole chest and then if it doesn’t stop, my airways start to close while I simultaneously start to “fall asleep” (that’s the shock.)

Very rarely do I get visible swelling or hives unless whatever triggered the reaction was from skin contact or injected into my veins. So, just so you know, anaphylaxis doesn’t always look the way it does in the movies. I tell you this only in case it saves a life one day.

[kadharonon]

…so this is me realizing I’ve probably had more anaphylactic episodes in my life than the 0 I previously thought I’d had.

Like, not as many as you, but that exact sequence happens to me approximately three times a year. Fun. Okay. Will have to think about that.

[thebibliosphere]

My brother experiences anaphylaxis very quickly and suddenly the way it’s shown in a lot of shows so that’s what I was trained to help deal with as a child.

No one ever told me anaphylactic or anaphylactoid* reactions could creep up on you slowly over a matter of hours. Very few places online mention it and some doctors aren’t even able to recognize it because they get it drilled into them that swelling and airway constriction are the major warning signs.

With hindsight last night I started having reactions about 8pm that I dismissed as feeling “a bit POTSy” (rapid heartbeat and feeling unsteady on my feet) I ate dinner then went to bed because I suddenly couldn’t keep my eyes open. 11pm I rocketed upright out of sleep because I was experiencing extreme anxiety. Then I realized my stomach was burning and it progressed quickly from there to stomach upset, followed by burning reflux in my chest and my heart skyrocketing to 160+ and a feeling of faintness and tightness in my airways.

With further hindsight I was experiencing more than two systemic reactions of the body which indicates anaphylaxis and the use of an epi pen and a trip to the hospital is required but um… do as I say not as I do, I guess. 🫠

(mast cell patients everywhere in the US playing the dangerous game of “to epi pen or not to epi pen” because you haven’t met your deductible yet…)

_ _

* An anaphylactic reaction is defined as an allergic response to IgE mediators that causes mast cells to degranulate and release multiple chemicals into the body that culminates in anaphylaxis.

Anaphylactoid is caused by non IgE mediated reactions, such as basophils, which is why you should never ever try to treat an allergic reaction with things like ibuprofen.

Ibuprofen can liberate basophil cells and can worsen allergic reactions by furthering mast cell degranulation. This is not unique to an ibuprofen allergy, it’s just how the drug works and during allergic reactions the body is already primed to react to other things.

I have seen this rec’d a lot on TikTok a lot.

Please, for the love of god, don’t listen to people on TikTok telling you to treat allergies with ibuprofen and Benadryl (Benadryl doesn’t stop anaphylaxis!!! It just relieves a few symptoms and due to the chance of drowsiness may mask falling into shock. Only take Benadryl for mild allergic reactions. It may be administered in hospital after epinephrine to help with symptom management).

I’m begging at this point. Also maybe consider taking a different pain killer if you’ve had an allergic reaction within the last 72 hours.

Mast cells take roughly 72 hours after exposure to a reaction to calm down, regardless of whether you have a mast cell disease or not. That’s why if you have anaphylaxis they warn you to keep an eye on symptoms for up to 72 hours in case of biphasic reactions. The more you know.

[sasskarian]

And today I learned that I've... probably also had this exact reaction more than a few times. Can anaphylaxis also cause like... sorry to get gross with it (cut for deets)

but feeling like you're choking on your own acid reflux? Because I've experienced that more than a few times too. Where I'll be so tired and so sleepy but Feeling Wrong and then my eyes close and I'm suddenly bolting upright to cough and choke and shake as my stomach purges itself

[thebibliosphere]

That’s exactly what it feels like for me. The esophagus is lined with mast cell receptors so when they light up in response to a reaction it can feel like you’re choking and can be incredibly painful.

This is also what can cause the “trouble swallowing” part of anaphylaxis depending on the severity of the reaction.

On its own with no other symptoms it can just be severe acid reflux that needs to be better controlled but with other symptoms, like the neurological ones you’re describing, it can be indicative of an anaphylactic response. It’s something I’d talk to your doctor about.

[wrendeela]

Like a lot of folks, thought I was at zero, but probably way higher...

I've got a ton of thankfulness for this post, which was what convinced me to go to the ER and get treated today. Still worried about a biphasic reaction, but I've got my epipen, so hopefully it'll be ok.

[lazyscience]

stolen from bluesky.

[saxifraga-x-urbium]

[khvylovy]

dear usamerican high schoolers looking for a way to resist fascism: sit through the pledge of allegiance.

no getting up. no looking at the flag.

everyone will be looking at you. you'll be sweating like a fucking hippopotamus. your teacher will sternly tell you to get up. you'll feel stupid and that maybe its not worth it because you're just a kid in a classroom. but I'm here to remind you that there are no real life consequences to detention. there are however real life consequences to resisting a thoughtless performance of nationalism.

[roach-works]

not to talk tough but i have sat through every pledge of allegiance in my life, and that includes the bush administration's hyper-patriotic war on terror.

you can NOT be compelled to say the pledge, and that also means you can't be given the 'choice' of doing it or taking a punishment. being sent into the hall is a grey area.

if you are punishing for refusing, parents or a more sympathetic teacher (like say a history or english teacher) can step in to intercede with the principal. do not be afraid to escalate.

it is critical now of all times that you PRACTICE civil disobedience, starting small, sticking to it, and working up, this will help you learn how very much disobedience you can actually get away with in this life, which is actually a hell of a lot.

[crawly]

ICE raids happening in Chicago on Tuesday January 21st. Get organized and get prepared.

[nevermindirah]

what to do if you are arrested or detained by law enforcement, a resource from the National Immigration Law Center, available in English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Korean, Tagalog, and Vietnamese

immigration law help, database of free and low-cost immigration lawyers, searchable by zip code as well as by detention facility if you or a loved one has already been detained

report an ICE raid or arrest in Chicagoland to the Resurrection Project, a Chicago nonprofit that works on immigration justice as well as housing affordability and other community needs

for those of us watching in horror from the sidelines, one of the best things we can do right now is donate to immigrant justice legal services, like the National Immigrant Justice Center or a local group in your community

in the longer term, we can all help by speaking out in support of immigrants and against these xenophobic deportation campaigns — in public discourse and in caring but firm one-on-one conversations with loved ones who've been swayed by hateful anti-immigrant rhretoric

[zinjanthropusboisei]

Museum of the Earth faces extinction under “imminent” threat of foreclosure - The Ithaca Voice

ITHACA, N.Y. — The Museum of the Earth, one of the last natural history museums in Upstate New York, faces an imminent threat of foreclosure

If you have ever been tempted by a Paleozoic Pal, like a a stuffed trilobite or a full size eurypterid body pillow, now's the time to buy one, before they and a really lovely little museum are gone for good 😭😭😭

Plush

Paleozoic Pals™ Paleozoic Pals™ are the Paleontological Research Institution’s line of plush fossils. The Paleozoic is the era before dinosa

[chilirasbora]

This was the museum I went to often in my childhood. I'm no longer able to visit unless I visit family, but this place holds a special place in my heart.

As stated in the article, they hold around 7 million artifacts- many of which are orphaned fossils, with the museum taking in collections that otherwise would have been trashed.

Please consider buying a Paleozoic Pal, but I'll also leave a direct donation link as well.

Donate — Paleontological Research Institution

[bunjywunjy]

THE GIANT EURYPTERID BODY PILLOW IS BACK IN STOCK

[zinjanthropusboisei]

It's really gratifying to see people sharing this and commenting about buying/donating; the Museum of the Earth really is a gem and the Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) that runs it does critical work in collecting and preserving "orphan" fossil collections. To explain/expand on a couple things, the financial straits they're in started a couple years ago when a $30 million donation fell through for reasons unknown. They severely restructured and downsized in 2023 to keep things going (including dramatically reducing staff and re-homing about 70 animal ambassadors from the Cayuga Nature Center which is also run by PRI, to ensure the animals got consistent care), but they are now in a critical spot with the mortgage and may be foreclosed on soon.

If you're at all in the Finger Lakes area, I recommend dropping in on a weekend - they've got an incredible mastodon skeleton, a new Blaschka glass specimen exhibit, and a full right whale skeleton hanging from the ceiling; they do Fossil ID Saturdays where you can bring in what you've found and get an expert opinion, and they do mask-required days regularly as well.

[muffinworry]

Mary Anning Pint Glass

Mary Anning Pint Glass Celebrate Women in Science! Mary Anning was an English fossil collector, dealer, and paleontologist. She discovered t

[ms-demeanor]

Hey you know what sucks is predatory companies that make you enter your email address so that they can harass and advertise to you to access resources you might need to keep track of expenses after a disaster. So, uh, fuck them.

If you need to track the cost of things like hotel stays, pet kenneling, medical care, etc. after a disaster you can use this worksheet.

If you need to create an inventory of your home for an insurance claim (and if you'd like to do this to keep someplace safe before a disaster) you can use this worksheet (two pages, instructions on the first page, worksheet on the second).

And here's a FEMA document with numbers for disaster relief groups and a checklist of documents that you may need to have replaced as well as a description of what to do if you had cash in your home that was destroyed and can possibly be replaced.

[ms-demeanor]

Bringing this back because there are a ton of people who are going to need it. A lot of stupid bullshit disaster recovery companies will be reaching out to people whose homes burned down. A lot of people whose homes burned down will be searching for resources that come from websites that require them to give up personal details in order to get worksheets and tools.

These are free documents you can download to keep track of disaster recovery expenses or make a list for insurance claims.

I know people are exhausted and frightened and not thinking about stuff but start a folder in your email for receipts for things you're paying for right now so that you can fill out these forms later.

Don't enter your info on a random website or you're going to start getting calls from scammy companies.

And here's a story from the LA Times with advice for people who lost homes or businesses during the fire; one of the primary pieces of advice is DON'T RUSH. Take your time to make decisions and look over any paperwork that anyone wants you to sign.

[ms-demeanor]

If you need to send people a link to these documents that isn't a tumblr post they're collected here on my website with links to archive.org instead of gdocs.

[digitaldiscipline]