#Community Water Center

[makingcontact]

East Orosi's Struggle for Clean Drinking Water

A person holding a “Justicia para East Orosi” sign. Credit: Sandra Tsang East Orosi hasn’t had safe drinking water in over 20 years. The water is full of nitrates, runoff from industrial agriculture, which is harmful to human health. The community has taken action to find a solution, from lobbying at the state capital to working with neighboring towns.  And they may finally have one. New…

[thats-a-lot-of-cortisol]

I've been playing stardew non-stop. It's not even the new update (I'm playing on console) I just got excited by the talk about 1.6 and started a new save for the first time in almost a year lol

Tried romancing Shane for the first time and it's very sweet but also so so silly. local gay boy falls for the saddest, most pathetic guy in a 50 mile radius. more at 7

[artcalledtattoo]

To both of two it Concludes

Ex Former President

Vice President Harris

Have a debate

In mud

Middle

That M, means mo

A third light was on

Observed in real time

[omegaremix]

Omega Radio for December 14, 2019; #215.

N0V3L “To Whom It May Concern”

Institute “Deadlock”

La Dispute “Rhodonite And Grief”

David Vassalotti “The Light”

Tropical Fuck Storm “Can’t Stop”

Garcia Peoples “Feel So Great”

Gong Gong Gong “Ride Your Horse”

Ing “Closet”

Thanks For Coming “Bully”

Water From Your Eyes “Adeleine”

Big Brave “Holding Pattern”

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds “Ghosteen”

Lost Under Heaven / LUH “Black Sun Rising”

Better Oblivion Community Center “Didn’t Know What I Was In For” (self-titled)

My Brightest Diamond “Quiet Loud” (non-album track)

Kills Birds “Ow” (self-titled)

Jenny Lewis “Heads Gonna’ Roll” (On The Line)

Stella Donnelly “Old Man” (Beware Of The Dogs)

Ex Hex “Cosmic Cave” (It’s On)

Sleater-Kinney “Can I Go On” (The Center Won’t Hold)

Fontaines D.C. “Roy’s Tune” (Dogrel)

Idles “Mercedes Marxist” (self-titled single)

Sleaford Mods “Into The Payzone” (Eton Alive)

Royal Trux “White Stuff” (White Stuff)

Kim Gordon “Hungry Baby” (No Home Record)

Bambara “Serafina” (single)

Priests “Jesus Son” (The Seduction Of Kansas)

First of two Winners Of '19 broadcasts.

[solarpunkani]

Ok this is gonna be the wildest question imagineable and its for a story I'm writing.

Picture there's a zombie virus outbreak. The apocalypse happens. Instead of a large united country, you have different small communities scattered around, little to no communication across said communities.

One of these communities is more solarpunk. What would you expect them to have? How would you expect them to run?

My story centers around a researcher who was living on his own until he's brought into this society to help with their research attempts on a solution to the virus, so that's sort of the Main Focus. But what all would be reasonable to expect to see in a story like this?

[sergeantsporks]

Had some interactions with my guy Shane

[bijoumikhawal]

Funds for Haiti and Haitian Americans

A Haitian American woman with long Covid and her daughter with cancer have both been struggling to raise funds that would help them during their illnesses. Both of them live in the Midwest, which is where a lot of the most recent fear mongering has been centered.

COJEHA is a Haitian organization that provides financial support for youth, teaches agricultural skills, helps ensure children attend school, and teaches other soft life skills. They're working on building a farm with fish and vegetable crops where teaching occurs, which will also increase local access to fresh food.

P4H Global is the organization that has been working on building the canal connected to the Massacre River, another agricultural project. They have also been working to support education in Haiti, with both teachers and students.

The Haitian Community Center in Springfield, Ohio. Springfield's food bank, community health center, and a local Catholic organization that provides aid are also accepting donations.

Richard Pierrin is a journalist who has had to flee Haiti and is trying to get a visa that will allow him to work, and that doesn't end after 3 months.

Marc Henry and his family have been dealing with food insecurity for months, and are trying to get funds so they can eat, as well as supplies like livestock and fishing equipment so they can sustain themselves even after the fundraiser is done. They're close to their goal.

An elderly couple's home was damaged multiple times over the last few years and they are trying to raise funds to finish construction. They are also very close to their goal.

A fundraiser for children in Jacmel to provide food, water, and clothes.

A fund for several families to secure plane tickets out of the country

OTRAH is an organization that helps trans Haitians and wants to expand their services to combat HIV. They don't have a gofundme, instead donations are discussed over email.

There is also this thread of Haitian gofundmes which updates fairly regularly

This document explaining the leadup to where we are now also names some organizations that could use financial support

[le-agent-egg]

Fuckin hate Calgary sometimes. Why do I live here

[jcmarchi]

Sophia Chen: It’s our duty to make the world better through empathy, patience, and respect

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/sophia-chen-its-our-duty-to-make-the-world-better-through-empathy-patience-and-respect/

Sophia Chen: It’s our duty to make the world better through empathy, patience, and respect

Sophia Chen, a fifth-year senior double majoring in mechanical engineering and art and design, learned about MIT D-Lab when she was a Florida middle schooler. She drove with her family from their home in Clearwater to Tampa to an MIT informational open house for prospective students. There, she heard about a moringa seed press that had been developed by D-Lab students. Those students, Kwami Williams ’12 and Emily Cunningham (a cross-registered Harvard University student), went on to found MoringaConnect with a goal of increasing Ghanaian farmer incomes. Over the past 12 years, the company has done just that, sometimes by a factor of 10 or more, by selling to wholesalers and establishing their own line of moringa skin and hair care products, as well as nutritional supplements and teas.

“I remember getting chills,” says Sophia. “I was so in awe. MIT had always been my dream college growing up, but hearing this particular story truly cemented that dream. I even talked about D-Lab during my admissions interview. Once I came to MIT, I knew I had to take a D-Lab class — and now, at the end of my five years, I’ve taken four.”

Taking four D-Lab classes during her undergraduate years may make Sophia exceptional, though not unusual. Of the nearly 4,000 enrollments in D-Lab classes over the past 22 years, as many as 20 percent took at least two classes, and many take three or more by the time the graduate. For Sophia, her D-Lab classes were a logical progression that both confirmed and expanded her career goals in global medicine.

Centering the role of project community partners

Sophia’s first D-Lab class was 2.722J / EC.720 (D-Lab: Design). Like all D-Lab classes, D-Lab: Design is project-based and centers the knowledge and contributions of each project’s community partner. Her team worked with a group in Uganda called Safe Water Harvesters on a project aimed at creating a solar-powered atmospheric water harvester using desiccants. They focused on early research and development for the desiccant technology by running tests for vapor absorption. Safe Water Harvesters designed the parameters and goals of the project and collaborated with the students remotely throughout the semester.

Safe Water Harvesters’ role in the project was key to the project’s success. “At D-Lab, I learned the importance of understanding that solutions in international development must come from the voices and needs of people whom the intervention is trying to serve,” she says. “Some of the first questions we were taught to ask are ‘what materials and manufacturing processes are available?’ and ‘how is this technology going to be maintained by the community?’”

The link between water access and gender inequity

Electing to join the water harvesting project in Uganda was no accident. The previous summer, Sophia had interned with a startup targeting the spread of cholera in developing areas by engineering a new type of rapid detection technology that would sample from users’ local water sources. From there, she joined Professor Amos Winter’s Global Engineering and Research (GEAR) Lab as an Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program student and worked on a point-of-use desalination unit for households in India. 

Taking EC.715 (D-Lab: Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) was a logical next step for Sophia. “This class was life-changing,” she says. “I was already passionate about clean water access and global resource equity, but I quickly discovered the complexity of WASH not just as an issue of poverty but as an issue of gender.” She joined a project spearheaded by a classmate from Nepal, which aimed to address the social taboos surrounding menstruation among Nepalese schoolgirls.

“This class and project helped me realize that water insecurity and gender inequality — especially gender-based violence — ​are highly intertwined,” comments Sophia. This plays out in a variety of ways. Where there is poor sanitation infrastructure in schools, girls often miss classes or drop out altogether when menstruating. And where water is scarce, women and girls often walk miles to collect water to accommodate daily drinking, cooking, and hygiene needs. During this trek, they are vulnerable to assault and the pressure to engage in transactional sex at water access points.

“It became clear to me that women are disproportionately affected by water insecurity, and that water is key to understanding women’s empowerment,” comments Sophia, “and that I wanted to keep learning about the field of development and how it intersects with gender!”

So, in fall 2023, Sophia took both 11.025/EC.701 (D-Lab: Development) and WGS.277/EC.718 (D-Lab: Gender and Development). In D-Lab: Development, her team worked with Tatirano, a nongovernmental organization in Madagascar, to develop a vapor-condensing chamber for a water desalination system, a prototype they were able to test and iterate in Madagascar at the end of the semester.

Getting out into the world through D-Lab fieldwork

“Fieldwork with D-Lab is an eye-opening experience that anyone could benefit from,” says Sophia. “It’s easy to get lost in the MIT and tech bubble. But there’s a whole world out there with people who live such different lives than many of us, and we can learn even more from them than we can from our psets.”

For Sophia’s D-Lab: Gender and Development class, she worked with the Society Empowerment Project in Kenya, ultimately traveling there during MIT’s Independent Activities Period last January. In Kenya, she worked with her team to run a workshop with teen parents to identify risk factors prior to pregnancy and postpartum challenges, in order to then ideate and develop solutions such as social programs. 

“Through my fieldwork in Kenya and Madagascar,” says Sophia, “it became clear how important it is to create community-based solutions that are led and maintained by community members. Solutions need community input, leadership, and trust. Ultimately, this is the only way to have long-lasting, high-impact, sustainable change. One of my D-Lab trip leaders said that you cannot import solutions. I hope all engineers recognize the significance of this statement. It is our duty as engineers and scientists to make the world a better place while carrying values of empathy, patience, and respect.”

Pursuing passion and purpose at the intersection of medicine, technology, and policy

After graduation in June, Sophia will be traveling to South Africa through MISTI Africa to help with a clinical trial and community outreach. She then intends to pursue a master’s in global health and apply to medical school, with the goal of working in global health at the intersection of medicine, technology, and policy.

“It is no understatement to say that D-Lab has played a central role in helping me discover what I’m passionate about and what my purpose is in life,” she says. “I hope to dedicate my career towards solving global health inequity and gender inequality.” ​

[this-is-me19]

This almost sounds like something you can do in a bathtub but it’s more like immerse yourself in the bath than sinking into a body of water. I’m just saying there are alternative ways that can work for everyone. ❤️

-a spoonie witch

Sinking

(photo credit)

Sinking refers to a method of grounding which is favoured by water/sea witches. To use this method you will need a body of water. This could be a freshwater stream, a slow moving river, a lake, the ocean or even just your bathtub. The water should be cool (but not super cold) and deep enough so that you can sink below the surface of the water.

Ensure you will not be disturbed during the sinking process (if you are nervous though it is perfectly alright to have a “spotter” there to check that you’re not drowning)

Slowly step into the water and close your eyes. Feel the water as it caresses and flows around your skin. Slowly sink beneath the water until only your head and shoulders remains above water.

Slow your breathing and listen to the world around you. Feel your muscles relax as you float in the water.

Now sink below the water. Do not take a massive breath of air before you sink. Just breathe normally and as you slip below the water, release the air through your nose. The less air in your lungs the easier it is to sink below the water.

Try to think of nothing. Empty your mind completely and allow your mind to drift as you float beneath the water.

If you are relaxed you will be able to stay under the water for longer so do not focus on the air you breathed in (if you begin to panic you use up your oxygen faster and you will need to go up for air faster).

Instead focus on your heartbeat. Feel it pulsing in your temples and hear it in your ears. The water around you will warm as your energy (in the form of heat) seeps into the water.

Now slowly rise back above the surface of the water and take a slow breath in. As you breathe out sink below the water again. You should repeat this process a few times.

Not only does sinking help ground and centre yourself it is also extremely relaxing.

CAUTION: I do not recommend sinking to those who do not know how to swim proficiently or to those who are afraid of drowning. Please, do not do this in harsh running water (whether it be in a rushing river or in the ocean with crashing waves). I don’t want anyone to drown doing this.

- Marci

[rebeccathenaturalist]

I'm working on clearing out some old tabs, and ran across this piece from last fall. The short version is that your gut microbiome and other microbes that accompany you in a series of symbiotic relationships throughout your lifetime persist even after you die. While you might assume that these bacteria and other little beings would perish along with you once you're no longer warm and living, it turns out that they shift gears upon your death, being part of the massive effort to return your remains en masse to the nutrient cycle.

There's honestly something rather poetic about that. Here you've spent a lifetime being the center of a holobiont--a sort of miniature, migratory ecosystem. And these many millions of life forms that you have given safe harbor to for thousands upon thousands of their generations are among the funerary vanguard caring for your remains after you're gone. They pour forth from their ancestral lands--the gut, the skin, and other discrete places--and spread out through even the most protected regions of your form.

And then, just as you constructed your body, molecule by molecule, from a lifetime of nutrients you consumed, so do these microbes go through the process of returning everything you borrowed back to the wider cycles of food and growth and life and death. The ancient halls where their ancestors lived in relative stability are now taken apart in the open air, and their descendants will disperse their inheritance into the soil and the water through the perpetual process of decomposition.

I've always wanted a green burial, and I find it comforting that when my remains are laid in the ground, they'll be accompanied by the tiny ecosystems I spent a lifetime tending, and who will return the favor by sending my molecules off in a billion new directions.

[nochepsicodelica]

The door to your shared bedroom creaks open, and Toji is greeted by the sight of you sleeping. It's five in the afternoon and you're bundled up in the covers, soft breaths exiting through your mouth because your nose is congested. You look all cozy, like a hibernating bear, on his side of the bed. It would be a more adorable sight under different circumstances, but this is the product of you catching a cold.

Toji sets the small bag filled with your medicine and other little things he hopes will make you feel better, on his nightstand. He crouches down in front of you and brings a noticeably cooler hand to your heated cheek.

"Hey," Toji calls, gently pinching your cheek. Your hearing must be muffled, because you don't budge and remain in your deep sleep. "Ma," he tries again, shaking you by your shoulder this time. You stir and attempt to roll over in the other direction, towards the center of the bed, but Toji keeps you steady by tugging on the blanket you're cocooned in. "Wake up, mama. Just for a little. I got your stuff. Medicine, snacks— you probably won't be able to taste them, but they're there."

You open your eyes, and simply blink. The room is darker and more shadowy since you went down for your supposed nap. It's been hours, but your body still feels so tired and your head is pulsing.

"How are you feeling?" Toji asks.

You were trying to say "so so", but no sound came out, so it seemed like you were mouthing the words instead. You felt the effort your vocal cords made, but your voice was shot. Nothing is audible unless it's strained. A huff and a roll of your eyes let Toji know how bad of a time you were having.

"Gotcha," Toji responds to your attempt to speak, a soft smile on his face.

He stands up from his crouched position and turns to the bag on his nightstand, rummaging through it to grab the box of medicine at the bottom and your water bottle. He sees you untangling yourself from the covers and sitting up to rest against the headboard, in his peripheral vision. Your hair is messy, some of it is stuck to your forehead from how much you've been sweating, even though you've felt cold the whole time. You can't breathe properly out of your nose, and your throat is sore. Your entire demeanor just screams "sick".

Toji offers you two gel capsules and twists the cap off your bottle of water, before handing it to you as well. You toss the pills into your mouth, and wash them down with a swig of water. In an attempt to clear your nose, you sniff a few times, getting absolutely no change in your ability to breathe through your nose.

"Go back to sleep. I'll get you some soup for when you wake up, 'kay?"

You nod and set your water bottle down on Toji's nightstand, before you slide back down the bed and shift comfortably onto your side. The blanket is wrapped around you, again, and you're ready to shut your eyes. Toji comes closer, crouching down like he did when he woke you up.

"Mm-mm," you hum, the sound cracked and barely audible, a response to Toji leaning in and trying to kiss you.

"Come on, ma. It's been a whole day. Just one. A peck?"

"No," you whisper, only able to communicate verbally in this hushed voice.

"Oh. You want me to have two?" He says, with a playful smirk.

You give him a deadpan expression and shift in the blanket, bringing it up to cover your mouth.

"Okay, fine. Just one."

You shake your head, minimally. Just enough so that you don't shake your brain and make your head hurt even more, and he still gets the message.

"Be nice, mama. Just one, then i'll leave you alone--" he pauses, briefly, "--until I come back with your soup. Then you gotta give me another one. You know, Toji Tax."

You roll your eyes and huff. The Toji Tax is just Toji's way of getting extra loving from you. There's a Toji Tax on just about everything he does for you, so you're not surprised that your sickness doesn't exempt you from it.

Your reaction showed the signs that let Toji know that he's about to get what he wants. The barrier you raised over your mouth is lowered, your involuntary pout now on full display, ready to be kissed whenever Toji's ready.

"Don't look too excited," Toji jests. He chuckles at the gloomy expression on your face. You look absolutely miserable in this state. It's adorable, and while he would love to keep teasing you, he decides to move faster so that you can get your rest.

It starts with a peck—as promised. He's slow with separating his lips from yours, to keep the contact with you going for as long as possible. Then he goes in for another one—just as gentle and delayed in separation. You still haven't done anything to stop him, so he keeps going in for more and more, each kiss more fervent than the last. Within seconds, he's barraging you with quick kisses, back to back, as if to make up for the last twenty-four hours he went without feeling your soft lips against his. He's getting closer, almost climbing into bed with you, so you hum and turn your head. He starts following your movement, like an eager puppy, chasing after more of your kisses.

"Don't care if I get sick, ma."

You hum in disapproval and push his face away when he starts leaning in, again. Quickly, you cover your head with the blanket and roll to the other side of the bed.

Toji sighs, a mischievous smirk lingering on his face. He got way more than he expected, but when it comes to you, he can never have enough. He stands up from the awkward position he got himself into while he chased after your lips, and looks at your bundled up figure, now out of his reach.

"I'll be back, doll. Gonna go get your soup, but remember... Toji Tax."

[hostageofeurope]

📸 Owing to provisions scarcity at my refuge, and under an agreement with 'One Happy Family', I reluctantly began bi-weekly trips to their facility for meals every Tuesdays and Thursdays since October 06th, 2023. Nevertheless, they unreasonably terminated our agreement on October 31st, 2023, leaving me without food.

Despite limited time and resources, preventing recording and publishing every visit, one event stood out. On Thursday, October 24th, 2023, after procuring two servings and notifying a guard about my plea to the pertinent entities, I noticed a female MSF employee near the entrance on my way back to my shelter.

In light of countless ignored emails, I tried to obtain the 'MSF' director's contact details from the female employee present. Nevertheless, a guard unjustifiably interrupted our brief discussion, leading to an escalating situation thereafter.

Read more details here: 👇

👉🔗 https://chng.it/QyYqcwgTjY

Please sign the Petition now, Donate and share. 🙏💔🆘

[eastwickcommunity]

A water pipe broke and has been leaking a lot of water on Mario Lanza Blvd.

[gaza-giving-tree]

Imagine being a mother of four, forced to flee your home again and again, each time leaving behind more of the life you once knew. Now, you find yourself living in a small, makeshift tent, without access to clean water, sufficient food, or medical care.

Now imagine your little daughter, sick with an intestinal infection caused by the polluted water you’re all forced to drink just to survive. You're doing everything you can to save her...but the medical bills are so high, and your family can barely afford to eat.

@ranafam2

Story written by @rumiandroses

This is reality for Rana ( @ranafam2 ), a a 37-year-old mother of four from Gaza. With a master’s degree in statistics and a husband who dedicated his life to teaching English, their lives were upended by relentless war. Her husband's educational centers, which once provided hope and opportunity to their community, were destroyed. Their home was reduced to rubble, and now they live in a small, overcrowded tent, struggling to survive.

As a mother, Rana battles lung infections caused by cooking over open fires due to the unaffordable cost of cooking gas. Her children are deprived of education, living in constant fear of disease and epidemics that plague the overcrowded camps. With no access to basic necessities like clean water, food, or clothing, their lives hang by a thread.

Despite these hardships, Rana fights tirelessly to protect her children and give them a chance at life. She dreams of escaping the horrors of war, ensuring her children can grow up safe, healthy, and educated.

Rana's heartbreaking struggle continues to worsen as her youngest daughter, who is under two years old, battles a severe intestinal infection caused by polluted water and a lack of proper nutrition and vitamins. The little girl is critically ill, but the family has no access to medical care or essential medicines to treat her. The scarcity of basic supplies like diapers only adds to the despair, as the family remains trapped in a cycle of illness and poverty in the overcrowded tent camps.

Epidemics are spreading rapidly through the camp due to the unsanitary conditions, leaving Rana and her children more vulnerable than ever. Rana, as any good mother in her situation would, feels hopeless and frustrated as she watches her daughter's health deteriorate.

Your help can provide the life-saving medical care, food, and clean water that Rana’s daughter so desperately needs. Every contribution brings hope to this family and a chance for their children to escape the devastating impacts of war.

Please consider donating to their campaign and sharing their story to help save Rana’s daughter and ensure a brighter future for this family.

You can donate to Rana's GoFundMe [HERE].

[soon-palestine]

In a statement that was shared with The Nation, a group of 25 HLR editors expressed their concerns about the decision. “At a time when the Law Review was facing a public intimidation and harassment campaign, the journal’s leadership intervened to stop publication,” they wrote. “The body of editors—none of whom are Palestinian—voted to sustain that decision. We are unaware of any other solicited piece that has been revoked by the Law Review in this way. “ When asked for comment, the leadership of the Harvard Law Review referred The Nation to a message posted on the journal’s website. “Like every academic journal, the Harvard Law Review has rigorous editorial processes governing how it solicits, evaluates, and determines when and whether to publish a piece…” the note began. ”Last week, the full body met and deliberated over whether to publish a particular Blog piece that had been solicited by two editors. A substantial majority voted not to proceed with publication.” Today, The Nation is sharing the piece that the Harvard Law Review refused to run. Some may claim that the invocation of genocide, especially in Gaza, is fraught. But does one have to wait for a genocide to be successfully completed to name it? This logic contributes to the politics of denial. When it comes to Gaza, there is a sense of moral hypocrisy that undergirds Western epistemological approaches, one which mutes the ability to name the violence inflicted upon Palestinians. But naming injustice is crucial to claiming justice. If the international community takes its crimes seriously, then the discussion about the unfolding genocide in Gaza is not a matter of mere semantics. The UN Genocide Convention defines the crime of genocide as certain acts “committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such.” These acts include “killing members of a protected group” or “causing serious bodily or mental harm” or “deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.” Numerous statements made by top Israeli politicians affirm their intentions. There is a forming consensus among leading scholars in the field of genocide studies that “these statements could easily be construed as indicating a genocidal intent,” as Omer Bartov, an authority in the field, writes. More importantly, genocide is the material reality of Palestinians in Gaza: an entrapped, displaced, starved, water-deprived population of 2.3 million facing massive bombardments and a carnage in one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Over 11,000 people have already been killed. That is one person out of every 200 people in Gaza. Tens of thousands are injured, and over 45% of homes in Gaza have been destroyed. The United Nations Secretary General said that Gaza is becoming a “graveyard for children,” but a cessation of the carnage—a ceasefire—remains elusive. Israel continues to blatantly violate international law: dropping white phosphorus from the sky, dispersing death in all directions, shedding blood, shelling neighborhoods, striking schools, hospitals, and universities, bombing churches and mosques, wiping out families, and ethnically cleansing an entire region in both callous and systemic manner. What do you call this? The Center for Constitutional Rights issued a thorough, 44-page, factual and legal analysis, asserting that “there is a plausible and credible case that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian population in Gaza.” Raz Segal, a historian of the Holocaust and genocide studies, calls the situation in Gaza “a textbook case of Genocide unfolding in front of our eyes.”