#How to Help

[remindertoclick]

Hi everyone! Here's your Daily Reminder to Click for Palestine!

And if you can spare a dollar, donate to ANERA!

[thatdiabolicalfeminist]

I've been messaging with a 17yo kid from Gaza, named Nader.

When I asked what he wanted people to know about his family's situation, he immediately answered "the bitter cold".

His other answer was about how incredibly expensive everything is in Gaza right now. Here's context: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/10/16/how-much-does-food-cost-in-gaza

Can you imagine being in this situation? Made homeless where the stores are no longer getting consistent deliveries and might be bombed, the government is barely operating cuz it keeps getting bombed, there's not even charity getting into your besieged area, and most people's jobs—including your big brother's—have been bombed beyond repair?

Where it's getting so cold and you CAN'T get warm because you're relying on strangers to help you get that coat or blanket, or bc you need the little money that trickles in to just survive??

And can you imagine living this way for OVER A YEAR as a normal teenager who has a little brother and a baby niece with malnutrition to stress about too?

I know people are tired of hearing about Gaza. It's upsetting that this genocide has continued so long with so few powerful people even trying to stop it. But we have a responsibility to our fellow humans, to help them survive persecution.

Nader is seventeen. None of this should be on his shoulders. Please help his family be safe so he can stop feeling like it's his job to make sure his family has what they need.

This campaign was verified as authentic by gazavetters (#4 on this spreadsheet), which I have seen Palestinians I trust cite as a trusted source.

Can you give up one treat this week to help Nader's family have the basics?

If you donate at least $10 and comment on this post with proof, I'll record a silly voice message for you or draw you a post it note doodle!

Please also consider following @abdalsalam1990, the tumblr account this family is using to try to raise funds, as a reminder to yourself to share the campaign or contribute in the future.

Tagging usernames off the top of my head in hopes you'll share this fundraiser; please message me if you don't want to be tagged in things like this, or if I didn't tag you but you DO want to be tagged in posts like this.

Edit edit: thank you @transmutationisms for teaching me how tagging works 😅 i've only been on this site 10 years lmao

@wizardarchetypes @herpsandbirds @brattylikestoeat @tearsofrefugees @milf--adjacent

@vampiricvenus @mostly-funnytwittertweets @sweatermuppet @mostlysignssomeportents @probablyasocialecologist

@timequangle @repotting @robertreich @antifainternational @dlxxv-vetted-donations

[pilloclock]

Donate to Congo:

Help Congo 🇨🇩 you do not need the latest iPhone yours works absolutely fine.

[garland-on-thy-brow]

Personally, I am going to tax my thoughts of doom.

In the past I used to donate to LGBTIQ+ Military (Ukrainian NGO) whenever I saw something stupid said about the war online. Today I am donating a fixed amount for every hour I spend thinking how we are fucked. 

Donation link: English version, Ukrainian version.

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

Autistic Meltdown: How to Help

Lil Penguin Studios/Autism Happy Place

[kedreeva]

Usually a bit too stubborn to do this, but a surprise $250 vet bill was not ideal, so here I am. If anyone has some spare change this week, and if Bug has brought you happiness worth giving it, I could use a little help.

To explain, she tore the keratin sheath off a nail yesterday, exposing the quick/bone underneath. I took care of it with everything I had on hand to the best of my ability and it will likely heal- the tear was clean and my care of the wound was sound. I found the wire she caught it on and fixed it, to prevent this from happening again.

Ouch!

Thankfully, we are in good enough standing with my vet that she was able to see us today on her lunch break instead of weeks from now like they're booked out to, which she is a saint for doing (and hopefully we make it easier because my birds are always well behaved and quick to deal with). She gave us some antibiotics to prevent infection in the skin and bone, a med to help blood flow to give the nail a good chance to heal and regrow, an anti-inflammatory/pain med, and wound balm for bandaging.

I paid for it, obviously, but I used a large chunk of the cash I had set aside for the feed bill which is coming due in the next week or two (usually around $350 for 4-6 months worth), and I could really use a fucking break after the last year.

So, if this silly little gremlin

has touched your life and you'd like to help me out in her care and make my week a little better, I have PayPal (itamashiisparkle@gmail.com) and ko-fi, and if I have to I can probably figure out other things (random apps are my nightmare, but I will dream for her if that's what it takes)

Thanks in advance for anyone willing to help us out, donating or signal boosting this post. Have another Bug

[amaditalks]

This whole issue of whether the “vetted“ crowdfund campaigns for Gaza’s families are legitimate really points up a pretty basic tenet of Internet and financial safety that a whole lot of people have either never been taught or have forgotten.

Only give money directly to individuals with whom you have a relationship of trust, or to people who are personally known and trusted by people with whom you have a relationship of trust.

This should also be your standard offline.

Now I’m not talking about giving a few dollars to a stranger outside the Burger King asking for help to get food.

But campaigns trying to raise thousands of dollars? Those demand special scrutiny.

And if you are 3 degrees or more removed from the person who will benefit, or can only rely on the word of a virtual stranger about legitimacy, it makes much more sense to give money to a trustworthy organization instead, so you can be sure that your money will actually help people and not line the pockets of a scammer.

[gwydionmisha]

Boomers Threaten Our Housing

On Monday September 16th, HOA announced an emergency meeting that members weren't allowed to vote or participate in.  That Thursday they rammed through a special assessment for $4416 and change due in 90 days.  This is on top of the $141 and change they raised us starting every month in August.  I am currently spending nearly everything on housing and bills.

The rate hike was legal as it was voted through properly: Reasonable notice. People allowed to vote. The second very likely was not, but that likely won't make a difference, as it would require a class action lawsuit by 51% of the people in the complex to stop it.

To give you an idea of the scale of the catastrophe, the entire special assessment is just under 5 months' entire income for me. Squirrel originally thought they could save a month's wages, but due to COVID and the extra high bill, they can only kick in about $1000. They think.

Update 10/27/24:

Squirrel got hit with another extra large bill that wiped them out. I need to revise again. I'm sorry. I will leave their $400 pledge from them for now, but I may need to revise again.

I want to thank all the generous benefactors who have helped.

4416 needed.

Squirrel's pledge: 400.00

Me: 2654.00

Total Raised 3054.00

Click Here to Donate

[edenfenixblogs]

hello! I’m not a Jewish person (ethnically or religiously), but I was wondering if you know of any ways that I can help Jewish people right now? Like if you know of any donation programs or volunteer work or food drives or anything of the sort that I could do to help? I want to help fight antisemitism and help Jewish people beyond simply spreading awareness on Instagram, but I’m not exactly sure how or where to start. This is a very dumb question, I’m so sorry, you can ignore this if you want

(CONT'D) also, I have another question, I’m so sorry To preface this question, I’d like to say that I’m a very stupid individual who knows absolutely nothing about anything. So the question is, do you have any book or article recommendations that showcase Jewish people’s experiences, values, perspectives, etc. Like for example, are there any books written from the perspective of an Israeli/jewish person who had moved from wherever they were to the state of Israel in 1948 (I apologise if this is a horrible example, I just know absolutely nothing about anything and everything, but I’m open to learning)

Thank you so much for asking these valuable questions!!!!! (And thanks for being patient until I was able to answer!)

Neither of your questions are dumb, and you don't need to be sorry! You're not stupid and I hope you can be as kind to yourself as you have been to me and my community in your questions.

I was wondering if you know of any ways that I can help Jewish people right now?

Truly the very best thing you can do to support Jews at this time is routinely check in on us, speak up for us, and correct misinformation or antisemitism if you see it happening. This means not running away if your Jewish friends mention two antisemitic experiences they've had in one week. This means adding a media bias/fact check link when someone sends you antisemitic propaganda from Al Jazeera. This means saying "Hey. That doesn't help Palestine. That just hurts Jews," when someone's "activism" veers too far in the wrong direction. That means that you don't just shout ceasefire now without also acknowledging that Hamas and Hezbollah also need to cease firing. This means making sure your donations and your links to donations go to sources that do not fund Hamas, like Anera. It also means making sure your donations for the I/P conflict support interfaith efforts whenever possible. I routinely promote the interfaith and intercultural organizations represented within AllMEP; https://www.allmep.org/ Also, steer clear of culturally expropriating organizations like JVP.

Like if you know of any donation programs or volunteer work or food drives or anything of the sort that I could do to help?

Ones that specifically help Jews, you mean? I don't actually! Unfortunately, the international conversation since 10/7 has had very little to do with how to help Jews in Israel or in diaspora. I would say that you should look into and perhaps even email or call your local synagogues and see if they have any kind of fund for their buildings or if they're trying to raise money to pay security and donating to them. Aside from that, I'd love for my followers to weigh in on this, as they'll know better.

Book Recommendations!

These aren't exactly what you're looking for. But I believe deeply in my heart that every single non-Jewish person should read:

Jews Don't Count by David Baddiel

People Love Dead Jews by Dara Horn

Night by Elie Wiesel

There are plenty of other books that are less of a bummer to read than those, too. But I think for any non-Jew to truly understand us they need to understand the unexamined antisemitism they carry with them and they need to have true, first-hand accounts about the holocaust to understand the legacy it left to us as well as what it took away.

Followers with more specific recommendations, please offer your advice in comments or replies or reblogs or tags! I'm just one person. I don't claim to speak for my entire community, nor have I ever. But I think, as a larger community, we can all steer you in the right direction, Thank you!!!!!

[queer-geordie-dyke]

HOW TO HELP:

A list of organisations working to aid communities around the world suffering humanitarian emergencies.

MSF provide urgent medical and surgical care in conflict and crisis zones, providing treatment to anyone who needs it, regardless of political affiliation or what side of a conflict they’re on.

The World Food Programme provides urgent food packages to communities that are most at risk of food insecurity, in places like Sudan, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, the Congo, Ukraine, Palestine, Syria, Yemen, and many more.

https://www.rescue.org/uk?_gl=1*1pjpb2g*_ga*MTA0MjAyNTQ0MC4xNzA3OTE3NTA1*_ga_2VX3X7JYPY*MTcwNzkxNzUwNS4xLjEuMTcwNzkxODMwMS4wLjAuMA..*_ga_DDZCWB8N2Y*MTcwNzkxNzUwNS4xLjEuMTcwNzkxODMwMS40Ny4wLjA.

The International Rescue Committee provides vital aid to people living in conflict zones, such as Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan.

Action Aid supports women and girls around the world who are most at risk of deprivation and poverty, sexual violence and FGM. They also provide menstrual products in areas where it is almost impossible to find the most basic levels of hygiene and sanitation, such as conflict zones.

Beyond Conflict is a mental health charity working with survivors of war, with a focus on children, and are currently funding projects to help both Israelis affected by the Hamas pogrom in October and Palestinians affected by the ongoing war.

Refugees International works with refugees and displaced people around the world.

[profeminist]

Want to help the nonprofits that are going to be supporting those hardest hit over the next 4 years?

You can donate your design, web building, copywriting, accounting, grant writing, and other marketing & development skills through the Taproot Foundation. You can donate as little as a 1-hr. consultation session, or sign up for a project that averages 3-4 hrs./wk. over 7-8 weeks. I've done a couple of projects through them so far and they're a great org. https://www.taprootplus.org/consultants

If you're a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that can use help, it's easy to sign up! I've just obtained a volunteer designer for a new logo and brand style guide project for one of my nonprofit clients: https://www.taprootplus.org/nonprofits

Please share! THANK YOU!!!!

[remindertoclick]

Your Daily Reminder to Click for Palestine!

[thatdiabolicalfeminist]

A lot of people will be spending more time with their families of origin in the next few weeks.

And when you're with people you've spent so much time around in the past, it can be easy to fall into old habits and social role dynamics without really noticing, and without evaluating whether those patterns are reflective of the values we have now.

So with that in mind, I'd like to gently suggest taking a closer look at your family's interactions and see whether there are patterns you're part of that you don't want to be and could potentially do something to disrupt.

For example, is there anyone:

your family routinely treats as faintly ridiculous or hysterical?

or whose ideas, opinions, or interests are automatically dismissed by the group when those same things would be worthy of consideration/discussion from someone else?

or who gets teased and made fun of more than others, or past the point where they seem to be having fun?

or who is expected to do a disproportionately large amount of work that others could be helping with?

or who is consistently left out of group activities and is not asked if they'd like to join this time? (Do they think you'd be happy if they did join in?)

or who is automatically treated like "the problem" in any conflict they're in, regardless of whether they initiated the conflict or were being reasonable or not?

or who makes/has made repeated requests that some reasonable boundary be respected that is habitually ignored, belittled, or argued with?

or who habitually speaks or acts in unkind or unloving ways and gets minimal pushback, and/or minimal concern for the targets of their unkindness, because "that's just how they are"?

Or is there maybe:

a gender, racial, and/or class/income, etc., divide in who in your family does how much cooking/cleaning/kinship work?

a difference in who leads dinnertable conversations and whose input, interests, opinions, etc., are more valued/respected?

a difference in whose job or home life is worthy of being asked about?

automatic assumptions about people's interests, skills, life experiences, etc., that haven't been updated in years? Is anyone trying to build connections and find out more about who each of you are now?

Group social dynamics are always complicated, and perhaps never more so than in families. I'm not in your family, and I don't know the complicated contexts between each of the members. I also don't know how you'd like your family interactions to go, or if you're even spending time together willingly or unwillingly. Maybe this post will be helpful to you, maybe not.

But if you want your family to interact in more loving ways, sometimes as adults or even teenagers there ARE things we can do to interrupt patterns people are participating in without even noticing!

We can start helping with work we're not expected to participate in, and we can ask others who don't participate to take on part of the task. (In many families, a man standing up and starting to clear away the dishes and saying, "Brian, would you mind grabbing the green beans and the mac and cheese?" would be out of the ordinary if the women usually do that, but (in many families) people would go along with it once suggested.)

We can try to bring neglected others into conversation by asking and genuinely listening to their thoughts and opinions.

We can speak up when someone's interrupted and insist that we want to hear the rest of their thought.

We can take seriously the person treated like a joke, and show others that we're taking them seriously.

We can say "I don't think we need to discuss people's bodies here" or "not cool, dude" and redirect the conversation when someone is unkind.

Sometimes we can take people aside and ask them to ease up on a person being teased. Sometimes saying "I think it's actually hurting their feelings" or "it's not funny anymore, let up" is enough to actually make a difference.

We can ask about someone's job, interests, home life, hobbies etc., when they are usually left out of being asked.

We can try to remember that people aren't fixed in stone, and try to get to know who people are now without making too many assumptions.

Sometimes harmful patterns can be interrupted just by pointing them out and making an effort to not participate in them anymore.

[oediex]

Cutting out as many animal products from your life as you can is probably the most effective thing that you, as an individual, can do to fight the climate crisis.

I know many of you feel like there is nothing you can personally do to battle the climate crisis, but this is one of them. This, you can do. However small your contribution is, it will make a difference.

You don't have to do it all at once. Take your time. There are plenty of resources online, and I know it can be overwhelming, but again, take your time. If you need help, feel free to send me an ask or a message, or other vegans on here like @acti-veg (in fact, check out www.acti-veg.com). We are experienced vegans and have been living on a plant-based diet for years.

You don't have to figure it out on your own. You won't be doing something no-one has done before you. We are here and happy to help you.

Yes, it will be a change. Yes, you will have to learn new things. But you can be part of the solution. This is something you can do.

Source for data & relevant quotes below:

Eating a vegan diet massively reduces the damage to the environment caused by food production, the most comprehensive analysis to date has concluded. The research showed that vegan diets resulted in 75% less climate-heating emissions, water pollution and land use than diets in which more than 100g of meat a day was eaten. Vegan diets also cut the destruction of wildlife by 66% and water use by 54%, the study found.

However, it turned out that what was eaten was far more important in terms of environmental impacts than where and how it was produced. Previous research has shown that even the lowest-impact meat – organic pork – is responsible for eight times more climate damage than the highest-impact plant, oilseed.

Prof Peter Scarborough at Oxford University, who led the research, published in the journal Nature Food, said: “Our dietary choices have a big impact on the planet. Cutting down the amount of meat and dairy in your diet can make a big difference to your dietary footprint.”

The researchers who conducted the new study said diets enabling global food production to be sustainable would mean people in rich nations “radically” reducing meat and dairy consumption. They said other ways of reducing the environmental impact of the food system, such as new technology and cutting food waste, would not be enough.

[sopreciouslife]

3  𝒢𝓁𝑜𝓌  𝓊𝓅  𝒯𝒾𝓅𝓈

𝟏. Hygiene: This key for any glow-up, and it doesn't have to be super extra, just the basics to stay fresh. You should be showering at least once a day, preferably at night (and if you work out in the morning, definitely shower after that). When you're in the shower, PLEASE don’t just use your hands, grab a loofah, sponge, or washcloth, anything! But hands alone? A big no. Shaving is optional, but do it as often as you need. Some girls can get away with a couple times a week, others might need to every day, it’s totally personal. Lastly, exfoliation is your everything. You only need to do it 2-3 times a week, but girl, it’ll give you that smooth skin by scrubbing away all the dead skin cells. Trust, your skin will be glowing!

𝟐. Hair: Keeping up with hair care can be such a struggle sometimes, especially depending on your hair type, but trust me, it’s 100% worth it. I’ve been through a whole hair journey myself, so I get it! There’s a ton I could say, but here’s the tea-- first, you need to know your exact hair type. This will help you figure out how often to wash it and which products will make your hair thrive. It’s all part of getting that soft, long hair faster. Oh, and don’t forget—there are certain hairstyles and cuts that are perfect for your face shape, so do a little research to find what suits you best. You’re already gorgeous, but the right cut will take it to another level! 

𝟑. SkinCare: If you're ready for that glow-up, it’s time to get serious about your skincare! Start with a bomb cleanser, something that matches your skin type (oily, dry, combo, girl... you know the drill). Exfoliate 2-3 times a week to get rid of those dead skin cells, and trust me, your skin will feel brand new. Hydration is everything, so find a moisturizer that leaves you dewy, not greasy. And don’t even think about skipping sunscreen, UV rays are NOT your bestie. Finish off with a glow serum and watch yourself literally shine. Glow up season is officially ON.

Note: This is my first post which is why I didn't make it too long. if you want me to make a post one a specific thing (or you wanna ask me a question) either dm me or ask in my inbox and ill answer! love ya <3