#and that's the importance on supporting your local union

[mrnoital]

As we enjoy this Holiday chili, let's not forget the reason for the season...(devolves into anti-capitalist rant)

#green arrow #festivus #call this my airing of grievances #now for the feats of strength #as i was saying... #Fascists wanted to control the behaviour of others so they co-opted the popular winter festivities with imposed their own rules #This tradition has been continued with the higher classes encouraging the idea that this Holiday season only has monetary value #Furthered by the division they push trying to anger you that other cultures celebrate this time of year as well #and that's the importance on supporting your local union

[thebibliosphere]

I both believe "poor people deserve art" and "artists deserve food", but it's hard to reconcile those beliefs. I blame capitalism. And I suppose it mostly matters who you're stealing from?

I don't mean to question you at all, I'm against people pirating your stories. I guess I was just wondering if you had more thoughts regarding the reconciliation the two beliefs I quoted above.

I think the reconciliation is working toward a future where things are better, and authors and artists don't have to beg people not to steal from them because they think every author is Stephen King, who wouldn't notice if you stole the pennies found under his couch when in reality most of us are hunting for spare change down the back of the couch because we are earning below minimum wage.

We need people to embrace the idea that art belongs to the working class, both in terms of consumption but also creation.

If you don't support the working-class creators, you'll only end up with rich fucks with no scope of the world beyond their own narrow view of privilege.

Indie creators are actually working very hard to change the way the industry works, and the publishing industry is shitting itself over it. They don't like the success some of us are having. It's why they keep upping prices while slashing corners on their own production (while never affecting the man at the top) to try and stay competitive within the rat race they've created.

They're not interested in the proliferation of art. They're not interested in making sure their authors can afford to live. They don't want more diversity. They don't want inclusion. They want profit at whatever the cost.

And while indie creators very much need to get paid because we live in a capitalistic society and everything is burning down around us, and a carton of eggs now costs more than what I earn per hour, our creativity is directly at odds with the type of profiteering big publishers want.

The money should go to the writers. Not the CEOs. The money should go to the workers in the print houses. Not the CEOs. No one needs the kind of wealth these people have. It's obscene. We need direct action against these conglomerates. We need unionization. We need a means to fight back so that we can make art and make it accessible.

So, how do we do that? I don't know. I'm just a very tired, disabled creator doing my best to keep my head above water. But I think getting people to realize that art and books are worth saving up for would be a good start.

That putting money in the pockets of creators is just as important as your own enjoyment of their art. Because if there aren't any artists, you've got nothing.

Getting them involved with their local libraries would also be a great start. Educating them on how the industry works is part of that. The number of people telling me they had no idea libraries paid authors is staggering. And that's intentional. It's a by-product of right-wing propaganda to make you think libraries are worthless and just sap taxpayers' money.

They're not.

If they were, the fash wouldn't be trying so hard to take them away.

Basically, we need working-class solidarity and for certain people on the left to rid themselves of the idea that just because something isn't borne of manual labor, it doesn't have worth. We need the artists and the dreamers as much as we need to bricklayers and the craftsmen. Otherwise, what's the fucking point of it all?

#sorry #this isn't an actionable answer to your question #I don't know what that answer is #I just need people to realize art is not the exclusive creation of the wealthy #and treating it as such is making everything worse

[jodipickens]

We under value and take for granted artists as a society. I’m talking all artists…writers, actors, musicians, dancers, designers, painters, sculptors…the list is endless.

The commonality is that they all have either spent their time honing their skills through practice, lessons, education or all of the above. Artists dedicate their time and often their lives to their craft.

We are failing our artists. Symphony orchestras are failing across the US. Writers and actors are on strike. People involved in the fine arts are turning to independent sales. We need to shift our expectations.

We need creatives as a part of our society. What we don’t need is the expectation that artists should work for free or for a paltry income. Simply because an artist enjoys performing or creating doesn’t mean they should have to do so for nothing.

We also no longer live in an era where it is standard that the extremely wealthy build museums or libraries or fund performing arts groups. We live in an era of amassing extreme wealth for the minority of the population.

I get that profitability is important, but at what cost? Are we ok that artists can’t afford health insurance? Are we ok that artists are leaving our communities for other opportunities? Are we ok that companies are ready to use AI over humans for creative processes and performance?

I’m not ready for any of this. We will lose a significant part of our humanity by eliminating and discouraging the ability to thrive for artists. Change can be hard but change is what is needed.

We are experiencing the beginning of a labor revolution and it will not stop with our writers, actors, UPS drivers or Starbucks baristas. The peasants are fed up and the nobility needs to pay attention.

Support your local artists. Support independent artists. Support the striking unions and organizations. We can all play a part in creating a long lasting effective change.

#WGAstrong #SAGAFTRAstrong #Unionstrong #BeLoud

#sag aftra strong #wga strike #support wga #support sag aftra #labor unions #support unions #labor organizing #labor movement #artistsupport #support the arts #union strong #labor strike

[batboyblog]

hey thanks for not being super doomer over these anti-trans bills. i kept on seeing so many people being defeated over them and it messed up my mental health for a while, like nothing could be done. but you did bring up some good points and shed some light onto people who are actively fighting for us so i thank you again

The queer movement, in the US any ways, has always been cyclical, we make big gains and push forward, then there's a super scary backlash. We're right now at the hight of a really scary backlash thats focused on trans people in particular but is anti-queer more generally. It's intense but its important to remember these backlashes don't generally last very long, they are scary, but each time they've happened, the mid to late 1970s, the 1980s, the early 2000s, the tide has gone out and gay rights, LGBT rights, and society's acceptance of LGBT people has been farther along than before they have never ever managed to turn us back in the years since Stonewall.

And as intense and scary as this is in some ways it's better than last time, when I was a gay teenager. in those days... in 2004 and 2008 the Democrats running for President were uniformly against gay marriage (the big issue of that time) they were trying to get us to settle for the not marriage alternative of civil unions. Only a handful of Congresspeople (some of them gay themselves) in DEEP! blue districts dared to support gay marriage outright. Today the Democratic Party is the most pro-LGBT major political party in the world, you had the President and every Democrat of any note making statements for TDOV a few days ago and you're not seeing even red state Democrats back down and agree to be "a little transphobic" for votes. It felt a lot more lonely last time when it was us and a handful of allies fighting the backlash with most of the Democratic Party on the side lines handwringing and saying "well can't you wait?"

any ways this movement is and will always be a struggle, the rights we've won, the acceptance we've received has never just been given, it's been won, through hard work. Everyone has to dedicate themselves to work in their corner of the earth to the best of their abilities and to push themselves past what they think they can do. That means hooking up with LGBT rights groups on the ground to protest, to rally, to try to support and comfort those queer people who are down and out in whatever way right now, it means digging deep and having hard and awkward conversations with the people in your life, if you're gay or trans or whatever and you got that one aunt/uncle/cousin/whoever in your life that loves you to bits but you know still votes Republican and you just don't bring it up because you don't want to hurt the relationship... have the talk keep having the talk as many times as you need to. Tell your grandparents if they don't know, tell your parents (if its safe or if you don't need their money any more) tell co-workers who don't know etc, they vote for us 2 to 1 if they know they know one of us. Finally register to vote, make sure all your friends particularly if you're young are registered and vote, vote in every election. Trust me it's AMAZINGLY easy to find the email of candidates for school board or city council and it's amazingly easy to ask questions. Last election I emailed every school board candidate about Holocaust education, and the state rep candidate about trans rights, she wrote me back a lovely note and mailed be a sticker she'd picked up from a trans rights group. It's amazingly easy to get involved, I volunteered with my local democrats for one election and they offered me the #3 spot in their local party, I have the phone numbers of my state rep and state senator without trying really, you can get in the room with these people, with candidates for governor, congress, I have my picture with 3 US Presidents? its not hard to do, and you can use chances like that to talk to them and show them your humanity and leave an impression that really matters in the long run.

sorry to RAMBLE but it's important that everyone do their part, pick a little something, a project to push this thing forward, people doom scrolling, particularly posting about how its hopeless does not help, posting in general doesn't help much even if its not doomerism, I think in the years after the anti-gay marriage Bush backlash we got very online and we got very "progress just happens" and a lot of people fell out of the habit or came of age without the habit of protest and without a local queer community or local progressive community and its very important in the face of this to find or build those and also understand in some places its gonna be years of work to get where we want to go, but we will and it'll be worth all the work.

#LGBT #Queer #gay rights #trans #trans rights #politics #ask

[ammg-old2]

Imagine that someone—perhaps a man from Florida, or maybe even a governor of Florida—criticized American support for Ukraine. Imagine that this person dismissed the war between Russia and Ukraine as a purely local matter, of no broader significance. Imagine that this person even told a far-right television personality that “while the U.S. has many vital national interests ... becoming further entangled in a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia is not one of them.” How would a Ukrainian respond? More to the point, how would the leader of Ukraine respond?

As it happens, an opportunity to ask that hypothetical question recently availed itself. The chair of the board of directors of The Atlantic, Laurene Powell Jobs; The Atlantic’s editor in chief, Jeffrey Goldberg; and I interviewed President Volodymyr Zelensky several days ago in the presidential palace in Kyiv. In the course of an hour-long conversation, Goldberg asked Zelensky what he would say to someone, perhaps a governor of Florida, who wonders why Americans should help Ukraine.

Zelensky, answering in English, told us that he would respond pragmatically. He didn’t want to appeal to the hearts of Americans, in other words, but to their heads. Were Americans to cut off Ukraine from ammunition and weapons, after all, there would be clear consequences in the real world, first for Ukraine’s neighbors but then for others:

If we will not have enough weapons, that means we will be weak. If we will be weak, they will occupy us. If they occupy us, they will be on the borders of Moldova and they will occupy Moldova. When they have occupied Moldova, they will [travel through] Belarus and they will occupy Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. That’s three Baltic countries which are members of NATO. They will occupy them. Of course, [the Balts] are brave people, and they will fight. But they are small. And they don’t have nuclear weapons. So they will be attacked by Russians because that is the policy of Russia, to take back all the countries which have been previously part of the Soviet Union.

And after that, if there were still no further response? Then, he explained, the struggle would continue:

When they will occupy NATO countries, and also be on the borders of Poland and maybe fight with Poland, the question is: Will you send all your soldiers with weapons, all your pilots, all your ships? Will you send tanks and armored vehicles with your young people? Will you do it? Because if you will not do it, you will have no NATO.

At that point, he said, Americans will face a different choice: not politicians deciding whether “to give weapons or not to give weapons” to Ukrainians, but instead, “fathers and mothers” deciding whether to send their children to fight to keep a large part of the planet, filled with America’s allies and most important trading partners, from Russian occupation.

But there would be other consequences too. One of the most horrifying weapons that Russia has used against Ukraine is the Iranian-manufactured Shahed drone, which has no purpose other than to kill civilians. After these drones are used to subdue Ukraine, Zelensky asked, how long would it be before they are used against Israel? If Russia can attack a smaller neighbor with impunity, regimes such as Iran’s are sure to take note. So then the question arises again: “When they will try to occupy Israel, will the United States help Israel? That is the question. Very pragmatic.”

Finally, Zelensky posed a third question. During the war, Ukraine has been attacked by rockets, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles—“not hundreds, but thousands”:

So what will you do when Russia will use rockets to attack your allies, to [attack] civilian people? And what will you do when Russia, after that, if they do not see [opposition] from big countries like the United States? What will you do if they will use rockets on your territory?

And this was his answer: Help us fight them here, help us defeat them here, and you won’t have to fight them anywhere else. Help us preserve some kind of open, normal society, using our soldiers and not your soldiers. That will help you preserve your open, normal society, and that of others too. Help Ukraine fight Russia now so that no one else has to fight Russia later, and so that harder and more painful choices don’t have to be made down the line.

“It’s about nature. It’s about life,” he said. “That’s it.”

#current events #warfare #politics #russian politics #american politics #russo-ukrainian war #2022 russian invasion of ukraine #russia #ukraine #usa #volodymyr zelenskyy #ron desantis #nato

[sigmatiqvevo]

The entire Bayonetta charade is fucking hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time, speaking as someone who never played the games and is looking at this thru the lense of "i worked in the gaming industry".

Here's a recap:

OG VA Helena Taylor posted on TWT that she was offered 4k for her to reprise her role as Bayonetta in B3. x

Taylor asked for us to boycott the game (first link) and send money we would've otherwise spent on B3 to charities instead. x

Support from the VA community and scrutiny both ensued

Local xenophobe and deplorable but yet ingenious and beloved Hideki Kamiya posts for the first time (in a long time) in English to call Taylor out for lying. x

His blocking tendencies and general cryptic messaging + the fact he isn't really viewed as the most friendly person on TWT have people siding with Taylor more than before. x/x/x

Hideki's account is suspended/gone from TWT for some time. x/x/x

Taylor is outed as a Blue Lives Matter supporter and TERF x/x

Replacement VA Jennifer Hale makes a statement regarding the situation but it is brief due to NDA x

Suspicions grow due to both Hale and Taylor being union VAs, and the game being union; something doesn't add up

Days after the videos and ridicule Bloomberg releases an article adding more details to the controversy

"Platinum Games sought to hire Taylor for at least five sessions, each paying $3,000 to $4,000 for four hours" contradicts Taylors own telling of voicing the entire of Bayonetta 3 for 4K.

Jennifer Hale is seen liking and retweeting some of the posts regarding the Bloomberg article

Jennifer Hale was allegedly outed as ableist and antivaxx via 5 years old tweets. x

Note about the last one; some people are claiming her apologies are enough, some are saying she's never directly apologized and only claimed she was misunderstood. Come to your own conclusion.

Will be updated when more stuff is known.

Updates 24Oct:

Platinum Games Official Statement.

H Taylor makes an announcement Twitter thread admitting that her initial offer was not 4k but instead 10k, mentioning it was then bumped to 15k.

In the announcement she also mentions that after declining and waiting 11 months in silence, they offered "a flat fee to voice some lines for 4,000 dollars."

"There were not “extensive negotiations.”" is in direct contradiction with P.Games's statement.

People keep asking where she's pulling the 450mil figure regarding the Bayonetta games. x/x/x

Personal Note, take with a grain of Basalt:

She claims "Any other lies, such as 4,000 for 5 sessions are total fabrications."; The 4k for 5 sessions, P.Games claims, was for her initial offer she refused. Seemingly, Taylor conflates and confused details from her own side.

Update 28thOct: It got worse.

Jessrine pointed out a very important note regarding the payment discourse/Bloomberg Article

The Bloomberg article stating "Taylor asked for a six-figure sum as well as residuals on the game" while she specified she never asked for $250.000.

New Twitt Thread from H Taylor claiming her post "hit a nerve with a lot of people." x

Down in the thread she lists charities to which you can donate

These tweets sum up the majority public reaction pretty damn well. x/x/x

Note: It's really funny how a UK Based VA is attempting to call to arm for donations to an anti-abortion/pro-life "Charity" across the pond all the way in the US of A. Because BB4Life is Kentucky Based.

#Bayonetta #Jennifer Hale #hellena taylor #Bayonetta 3 #drama #wolf talk #updated #discourse #bayonetta 3 drama

[gumjrop]

Masking and Protests

In a win for community care,masks are being used broadly at recent protests on college campuses across the country, making these protests more accessible as well as showing solidarity with disabled communities. Some college campuses have attempted to ban or discourage masking at protests. University of Texas at Austin’s Provost issued a statement including a rule banning masks, and University of North Carolina’s Provost asked protestors not to mask, citing a state law from 1953 enacted in response to the KKK. Notably, the North Carolina mask law contains an amendment, introduced in 2020, to allow masking “to ensure the physical health or safety of the wearer or others” (see PDF link to the amendment).

Masking at protests must be allowed to make protests accessible for disabled and immunocompromised people, and safer for everyone. COVID and other infectious diseases can spread both indoors and outdoors, especially in crowded settings. Share our guide to accessible protests on Instagram or Substack, and also check out our statement and call to action on Palestine. Also consider supporting mask distribution efforts such as local mask blocs, which may be seeing increased demand related to protests.

Wins

Remember our allies at the University of California Academic Worker Union from our January 2023 webinar, who fought for COVID safety protections? They're running for office this week on the executive board of UAW local 4811.  Check out their slate—which includes disability justice and COVID protections—and learn how to vote here.

The Weather

The CDC’s reported COVID wastewater levels by state show “Low” or “Minimal” wastewater levels across all reporting states and territories as of April 25, with no data available from North Dakota, West Virginia, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and Guam.

Wastewater levels across all four regions are at lower levels than this year’s fall-winter peaks, with all regions showing either a slowing of the rate of decrease or a leveling off. You can still be infected during times of lower wastewater COVID levels. Precautions including consistent masking in all public spaces are still necessary in our daily lives to reduce the risk of infection, to prevent Long COVID, and to practice community care.

Variants

The CDC’s variant tracking has been updated and now shows many JN.1 sublineages, including KP.2, JN.1.7, and JN.1.13.1. Regional variant NowCast predictions are not available as of April 26 for any US region.

COVID Treatment

With the end of the national Test to Treat program in mid-April, we have lost an important route for affordable and convenient access to Paxlovid. Still, Paxlovid continues to be an important treatment to prevent the development of severe COVID. A few important facts about Paxlovid eligibility that people may not be aware of:

Paxlovid can be started within 5-7 days of the start of COVID symptoms. Initially, starting within 5 days was the recommendation. The extended window for treatment is particularly important as folks may test positive later in the course of their infection, sometimes a few days after symptoms develop. 

People aged 50 and older are eligible even if they do not have other medical conditions.

Younger people with certain medical conditions may also be eligible for Paxlovid.

The PAXCESS program may provide a Paxlovid discount from the manufacturer and provides free Paxlovid for people who receive Medicare or Medicaid and uninsured people without prescription drug benefits. 

If you are infected with COVID, make sure you also talk with your doctor about over-the-counter medications or supplements you may be taking. Even over-the-counter medications can have significant risks that should be discussed in the context of your individual medical history.

COVID Prevention

An effective multilayered approach to COVID prevention should include proven measures such as masking with high-quality respirators (N95s, KN96s, KF94s or better), improving indoor air quality with ventilation and filtration, physical distancing, getting the latest vaccines, and using COVID tests appropriately. Unproven methods should not be considered part of a multilayered approach. Topical nasal products such as sprays or ointments may seem tempting but are not proven to prevent COVID infections (none are FDA approved for COVID) and may have risks. For example, Vaseline and petrolatum-based ointments can cause pneumonia if applied to the inside of the nose, as they may be subsequently inhaled where they can damage the lungs. Over-the-counter antibiotic ointments are intended to protect from bacterial infection in minor skin wounds and should not be used inside the nose. Although early research on other uses has been publicized, given the risks of petrolatum-based ointments if used in the nose, it is important to wait for larger scale studies to understand both potential risks and benefits. Colloidal silver, sometimes touted in nasal spray form, is not proven to treat or prevent any medical condition and can cause permanent gray pigmentation of the skin as well as other serious side effects. Research studies shared in the news or on social media should not be used in place of medical advice from an individual healthcare provider you trust. 

While we expect masking and other multilayered precautions to remain a mainstay of prevention, we hope that further research will lead to FDA-approval/authorization of additional drugs for COVID treatment and prevention in the future.

Measles

Measles outbreaks within the US continue, with the first Wisconsin case being reported. Measles transmits through the air as well as through contact with surfaces, and is highly contagious. Now is a good time to check vaccination records for yourself and your loved ones, get any catch-up vaccinations, and check with your local healthcare provider if you are uncertain about vaccination or immunity status. In some cases, lab testing for measles immunity (antibody titers) can be helpful.

Take Action

Use MaskTogetherAmerica’s letter campaign to ask your elected officials to reinstate the Test to Treat program for free and convenient COVID and influenza testing, telehealth, and treatment access.

Support science-based COVID isolation guidance from the CDC using our letter campaign to contact your elected officials or sign on to our expert letter.

If you know someone who is organizing a protest, share our guide to accessible protests with them, via Instagram or Substack.

#op #covid #covid19 #covid 19 #covid-19 #coronavirus #pandemic #coronavirus pandemic #sars-cov-2 #sars cov 2 #covid treatment #covid prevention #measles #people's cdc #pcdc #masking #paxlovid #covid tracking #covid conscious #covid isn't over #covid pandemic #covid safety #covid news #masktogetheramerica #mask together america #medical #uspol #img #links #described in alt text

[nordickies]

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but could you tell us more about Åland? 😅 What even is it? Is it a country, a state/province, or something else? (sorry, I have never heard of it before joining the Hetalia fandom)

I love your art, and I would love to see more of your OCs in the future!😊

Hello, anon! Don't worry, that's not a stupid question at all! I'm willing to bet most people are in the same situation as you, so I'd love to help out.

Åland Islands are an autonomous and demilitarised region of Finland. This self-governing region is made up of over 6,700 islands; only of which 65 are inhabited.  In addition, there are around 20,000 smaller islands and skerries! The biggest island on the archipelago, and where 90% of the population lives, is Fasta Åland; which is only 45 km long and 55 km wide. The Åland Islands are connected to mainland Finland via the Finnish archipelago and its island clusters. But Åland's easternmost point is only 40 km away from mainland Sweden. The capital, Mariehamn, is located at an almost exact midpoint between Turku and Stockholm.

Up until the 19th century, roads were sparse, in bad shape, and thus practically useless in Nordic countries. The fastest way to transport resources, people, and information was by waterways. Thus, Åland acted as a vital connection between Sweden and Finland, especially when those two countries used to be one massive kingdom. Over the centuries, the islands developed a unique identity, shaped by the isolating harsh nature and influences from both the West and East.

Even though Åland is part of Finland, its only officially recognized language is Swedish. Since 1921, The Åland islands have had special privileges provided by the hembygdsrätt, which roughly translates to "home regional right." Simply put, a person is required to obtain this right before it's possible for them to own property on the island, vote in the local elections, or run a business - having Finnish citizenship is not enough. These rights were created to protect Ålandic identity during a time when Sweden and Finland fought over who the islands should belong to.

To be granted hembygdsrätt, certain conditions must be met; you must have Finnish citizenship, have satisfactory Swedish language skills, be registered in the Åland islands, and have lived in Åland for at least 5 years. Alternatively, if one of the parents has this right, it is also inherited by their child. However, you can also lose hembygdsrätt if you lose Finnish citizenship or live outside of Åland for more than 5 years.

Due to its location in the middle of the Baltic Sea, Åland has always been critical, and powers in the area have wanted to control it; it has been occupied by Swedes, Finns, Danes, Germans, Russians, French, and the English. This geopolitical importance is a reason why the islands have been demilitarized since the 1850s after the events of the Crimean War. Also, while Finland is a military conscription country, Ålandic men (with hembygdsrätt) are exempted from this duty.

Åland is not a sovereign country, but it has self-governing rights and its own government. Åland joined the Nordic Council in 1970 and has two representatives in it. Åland also held a separate referendum, and in 1995, it joined the EU at the same time with Sweden and Finland. Åland has a special status in the European Union, as it's considered a "third territory," meaning it's not part of the EU's value-added tax (VAT) or excise duty area.

Ålanders have a strong and separate national identity, even though they have a Finnish passport and speak Swedish as their native language. However, the separatist movement barely exists nowadays, and Ålanders generally don't see a reason to change the status quo. All the granted special laws and privileges by Finnish and international law are perhaps more helpful and prospering to this tiny island than seeking full independence.

As of December 2019, in a survey conducted by Åland Gallup, 78% of island residents supported Åland continuing to be a self-governing region of Finland. It has been a trend in gallups for decades at this point. Being part of Sweden was the least popular option, only getting 4% support, and becoming a fully integrated part of Finland got 5% of the support. 9% of respondents would support the full independence of Åland. In a survey by the Statistics and Research Institute of Åland (ÅSUB, 2008), 90% of the respondents stated that they were Ålandic and 60% felt that they were "completely Ålandic." On the other hand, only a quarter of the respondents considered themselves "completely Finnish," and one-fifth considered themselves "Swedish at some level." The option "European" was more popular than "Finnish," "Swedish," or "Finnish-Swedish". In the ÅSUB 2018 survey, most responders also felt a higher sense of belonging to "Nordic countries" than they did to "Finland" or "Sweden." Another interesting statistic: In Åland Gallup's May 2019 survey, 80.4% of Åland's residents said they would support Finland, and 19.6% said they'd support Sweden if Finland and Sweden were facing each other in an ice hockey match.

I could go on about the Ålandic history and what makes its identity unique, but let this be a quick introduction to this place! Feel free to ask more if you're interested. I could have simply answered it's not a country, but I think that would leave out a lot of important context. Maybe this also explains why I think Åland should have a separate personification from Finland. I hope this helps even a little bit!

#hws åland #culture/history stuff #oc talk

[lasttarrasque]

If you are outside of the US you can still insure you comply with BDS boycotts. You should research your own government’s connections to Israel (probably exists more than you think) and pressure them to end them if they exist, you can do the same thing for institutions like businesses, universities and the like in your country. Attending protested as well is still useful as it further pressures your state to stand up to western powers. If your part of a trade union, try and see if you can refuse to deal with Israeli goods, especially if your involved in shipping things to Israel. If your Jewish you have a extremely important role to play in educating your community and taking away Israel’s support from our communities. Confront genocide enablers and apologists however you can. Engage in civil disobedience. If your nation is in Eurovision, pressure your local broadcaster to withdraw if Israel is aloud to participate. Spread further awareness online, make TikToks, infographic, memes, posters, whatever you can do. And BDS.

Unless your from a list of only a few nations, your government probably dose something to enable genocide, even if they aren’t the primary backers. You need to force your government to join the growing list of nations that are cutting ties with Israel and boycotting, sanctioning and divesting from Israel.

Honestly this is a good list even if your in the us.

#palestine #free palestine #gaza #free gaza #israel #from the river to the sea palestine will be free #free free palestine #current events #gaza strip #jerusalem #direct action #civil disobedience #boycott disney #boycott #boycott israel #boycott mcdonalds #boycott eurovision #boycott divest sanction #boycott starbucks #boycott zara #boycott intel #boycott puma #keep boycotting

[clonerightsagenda]

Getting Involved Locally

Every time I see a post implying the only two politically relevant actions you can take in America are voting or not voting in federal elections, I tell myself I will make this post, so now I am finally doing it.

As an American, it can be frustrating and dispiriting to feel like we're being held hostage by our politicians while the United States continues to be one of the biggest forces for suffering on a global scale. This post is not about what we can do on that scale but instead suggests that, if you're feeling powerless and depressed about your national/international impact, you can take action on the local level. I got involved with a local activist group a few years ago, and we've been able to tangibly help people in our community, get genuine policy passed, and net some legislative wins. It's much easier to influence a smaller system, and a lot more rewarding than doomscrolling on social media.

Disclaimer: I am an American who lives on the outskirts of a fairly large city. This post reflects my experience and not everything in it may be applicable to yours. Take what is useful and leave the rest.

What's out there?

There are a variety of ways to get involved locally depending on your preferences. I'm going to lump them into a few categories:

Local government. City council, school boards, library boards, etc. Many of these orgs have open meetings and allow public comment. They're often sparsely attended and members are frequently elected by small margins, so they're far more likely to listen to what you have to say than federal legislators. Check out your home's website to see if you can find minutes and agendas to learn what they're discussing and how you can weigh in. Great choice if you want to develop a first name basis nemesishood with a local politician.

Volunteering. If you have low bandwidth and just want someone to tell you what to do, but would like to know your actions immediately benefit real people, volunteering gigs might be for you. Lots of organizations need help! Community kitchens, greenspace cleanups, giving immigrants rides to appointments, phonebanking, tutoring, supporting cultural centers, etc. Find orgs connected to something you're interested in and see what they need.

Organizing. Organizing involves long term work to build groups of people who can push for change. Outside of labor unions, there are tenant unions (renters pushing their landlords for better conditions) and groups organizing around a specific issue. (Off the top of my head, in my area I'm aware of multiple groups organizing around abolition/decarceration, minimum wage, environmental justice, transit, and reproductive justice.) These groups require more commitment, but that also means you'll have more input than showing up to volunteer for a nonprofit a few times a month.

(The group I'm currently involved with is organizing-focused, so if you're curious I'm happy to share more details of what that's like, I just don't want this post to be even longer.)

How can I learn about opportunities?

Word of mouth

Local government websites

Library, college, and community center bulletin boards

Local events (I tabled at a music festival last summer)

Protests and rallies

Local news outlets (might be covering actions, etc.)

Social media

Google (try 'mutual aid' and your location)

Start getting involved. I cannot express how much I've learned about the activist landscape in my city just from joining one org. Between partnerships, solidarity requests, etc., so many groups are now on my radar that weren't before. As I said before, I'm in/near a fairly big city, but you might be surprised by how much is going on where you are!

A note on self-interest

Something we talk about in organizing is self-interest. Why are you passionate about this cause? Why are you in this fight? Identifying your self-interest is important for a few reasons. First, it helps you convince other people to care. Second, it keeps you engaged. If you start volunteering out of a vague sense that you're 'helping', it's much easier to lose interest. If you recognize how winning this fight makes your life better, you're more likely to stick with it. I'm not saying you should only get involved in causes that immediately materially benefit you, but it's worth thinking about your personal stake so that you can return to that when you think 'ugh I don't want to get out of bed for this meeting'. You may have seen the quote credited to Lilla Watson and a group of other Aboriginal Rights activists: "If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together."

In conclusion

This is work. I've spent weekends in campaign retreats and driven 45 minutes across the city to make care packages. I am doing group projects and not even getting paid for it. But when you're frustrated with the state of the world, it's nice to be able to roll up your sleeves and make a visible impact on something you can control. It's also a great way to meet people irl who care about the same things as you and learn ways we can support each other when larger structures let us down.

As yet another American election season draws near with its avalanche of posts about voting, whether you intend to vote or post on tumblr about how much voting sucks or are a long-suffering non-American cursed to always see this shit, I challenge you to take a step* into your community and tackle a problem there. Who knows? You might even help solve it.

*Virtually if necessary. Many orgs try to be accessible. I attend many of my org's meetings on zoom!

#idk if this is actually helpful in any way #I'm happy to talk more about what being in an organizing-focused group has been like for me #also sorry I turned reblogs off bc I did not want this somehow turning into voting discourse

[gothhabiba]

Hi Miss Najia! You're quite knowledgeable about Palestine and about workers as a class and solidarity so I'm hoping you can help me here. I work in a floral wholesale warehouse that imports a lot of their product, and we used to get a shipment from Israel but it's been stopped since October. I was hoping we wouldn't buy from an Israeli grower ever again, but I just found out it's starting again this week. I don't know what to do that would be effective getting the company to stop buying from this grower, do you have advice? (we aren't unionized obviously 🙃)

I'm really not an expert on labor actions, I'm disabled and don't per se have a "job."

As a start, I would suggest reading up on other situations where workers have refused to handle goods because they came from apartheid states (e.g. the Dunnes Store strikes). You'll need to think about what's similar and what's different about your situation and apply some creativity. Talk to the people you work with and sound out their willingness to A. form a union (check relevant legal protections in your country or state) and B. refuse to handle Israeli goods. Also look into legal defense for unions and for pro-Palestine protestors in your area--these are good numbers to have in your back pocket.

You might also be able to do something from outside the workplace. If you have a local pro-Palestine organisation or BDS branch, they may be able to provide strategy or support. Same with branches of Marxist &c. organisations that have pro-Palestine stances. Getting people to put up flyers, stickers &c. advising customers that the store sells Israeli goods, perhaps alongside other grocery stores and the like in the area, is something you could do without your boss necessarily knowing it was you / you and your coworkers.

Maybe some of my followers will have other tips or leads.

#questions #Anonymous #BDS

[hareofhrair]

Would it still be useful voting if I choose/write in Claudia/Karina or any other independent candidate? I just want someone better than both of them…

I completely understand this impulse and I wish I could say yes, but unfortunately the answer is no. Unless sometime before November someone manages to amass a genuinely huge grassroots movement behind a third candidate which unifies a block of people large enough to compete with both democrats and republicans (which is, I should clarify, EXTREMELY unlikely if not totally impossible at this point), voting third party/write in is essentially useless. It’s an empty gesture, because no third candidate can compete with the sheer numbers of the primary two parties.

Even if you managed to mobilize an entire state for a third party candidate, the electoral college means your state’s votes can still end up going towards one of the main party candidates (which is just one of the reasons the electoral college should be abolished)

Either Trump or Biden will be president and there’s no avoiding that. Voting for anyone else is essentially the same as not voting.

However! Presidential elections aren’t everything! Local and state elections are a GREAT place to vote third party. Especially if you can mobilize your social circle to join you! For local elections (which tend to have very low turnout) that can make an ENORMOUS difference. And who gets elected locally affects who gets elected at a state level, which affects viable candidates for federal elections, which is the pool from which our presidential candidates are chosen! So when you vote third party locally, it can really make a difference down the line! Even if there’s no third party candidate running, voting as far left as possible helps prove the viability of running on a far left platform, which means more people will do it. Even if there’s no democrats running at all (which happens a lot where I’m from) you can still vote for harm reduction. For candidates who won’t make things better but probably won’t make them worse.

What people forget is that voting is not about you or your personal beliefs. It’s about unified political action. It’s you and people who are aligned with politically, working together to compromise on and support a candidate that furthers all your goals as much as possible.

It’s a union.

You may not agree with everything your coworkers want out of a union negotiation. Maybe some of them want higher pay, but you think that’s unrealistic and you’d rather focus your efforts on getting better health benefits, and somebody else thinks healthcare is great but less important than demanding set schedules instead of week to week unreliable shifts. And then there’s this one asshole who thinks you hire too many immigrants and wants to get rid of affirmative action policies and also he’s sick of contributing part of his paycheck to the pension fund and we should just get rid of that.

If that asshole is the only one who shows up to the union meetings? He’s the one who’s going to get what he wants.

But if you and the other three guys who all want to actually make things better get together and agree, fine, more stable work hours is a good first step, we’ll all support that for now. Then asshole over there gets drowned out.

Voting is not a statement of your personal political beliefs. Voting is not an endorsement of everything that politician has ever done. Voting is you and everyone you know who wants the world to be better agreeing “this guy isn’t my first choice, but he wants SOME of the things all of us want. And he’s better than that trumpeting asshole over there who thinks lighting his farts on fire is a natural gas policy.”

At least until we can convince them to switch to goddamn ranked voting anyway.

#us politics

[lovedaymorbid]

ATTENTION BOOK AND UNION LOVERS!!!!

Powell's Books workers in Portland Oregon will be going on strike. Powell's prides itself on being the largest "independent" book store in the US and being "like a family".

For the entire YEAR the Powell's corporation has refused to meet Union needs and denied every contract proposal. For about 6 months Powell's Workers have been working without a contract because of this. There have been several COVID confirmed cases at Powell's Burnside location as well and there is NO COVID relief pay or PTO for exposure or close contact.

I personally know several workers who have been treated horribly for months if not YEARS by the corporation. They do not care about their workers.

Thank you @howdydowdy for the transcript (yes they have been working without a contract since June)

[Image description: Screenshots of Instagram posts by @\ilwulocal5.

2: How to support striking Powell's workers:

Do not cross a picket line at any Powell's Books location on Monday, September 4.

Do not shop at any Powell's Books location on Monday, September 4.

Do not shop on powells.com on Monday, September 4.

Donate to the ILWU Local 5 Strike Fund: www.ilwulocal5.com/support

Sign our petition, letting Powell's leadership know you support workers' demands: bit.ly/tell-powells

3: 3 ways to support the ILWU Local 5 Strike Fund:

Shop through our Powell's Partner Link and 7.5% of the sale will go to the Strike Fund!

Sell books through our Powell's Partner Link and 7.5% of the amound you're paid will go to the Strike Fund (without reducing your earnings)!

Donate to the Strike Fund via PayPal or credit/debit card!

4: BIG NEWS

We've added a third option for supporting our Strike Fund: direct donations! Now, in addition to buying or selling books through our Powell's Books Partner Link, where 7.5% goes to the ILWU Local 5 Strike Fund, you can donate directly to the Strike Fund via PayPal or a debit/credit card!

ILWU Local 5 is getting bigger and it's important that our Strike Fund does the same, to ensure Local 5 members have every tool available to get the contracts they deserve. Please consider donating if you're able, and help us spread the word!

www.ilwulocal5.com/support

/end transcript

/end ID]

#powells city of books #portland oregon #strike #powells strike #support unions #powells union #dont cross picket lines

[firstagent]

What It's Like To Get Elected

Has it been another month since my last story update again? Uh… it’s still going.

Anyway, switching to another subject since I promised to talk more politics. As I mentioned before, I’ve been active with my local Democratic party. As far as getting into the room, getting access to important people, and giving them reality checks (and boy, do they need reality checks sometimes), I can’t recommend joining enough. Assuming you’ve got the spoons for it, and your local party don’t turn out to be assholes. That’s another conversation.

I also mentioned I was running for local school board. And guess what? I won!

In a small miracle for this town, we only had three candidates for three positions. Well, a small miracle and some excellent coordination from the local lefties. Because we were essentially unopposed, a lot of the steps of normal campaigning didn’t apply this time. Which is a shame, because I had a design for yard signs all set to go.

I did, however, interview for unions! That looks like a big Zoom call with a bunch of local reps where they ask you questions to make sure you support unions. The teachers union asked me about supporting LGBTQ+ students. Anyway, if you stalk me and find my Ballotpedia page (I only discovered a couple weeks ago that I had a Ballotpedia page) you’ll find two union endorsements. So that’s fun.

So is defending those endorsements and my Dems activity on community Facebook groups when people were under the impression they don’t get involved in local races. Maybe they should ask the county board candidate who swore up and down he didn’t take outside money, while taking $700 from the county Republicans. We have receipts.

Because of that nonsense I was more focused on his race than mine on Election Day. Hearing results when you’re running sometimes works a little differently, as you probably know someone working the polls that will share the results before the internet and news networks find them. So I heard about the local results well before they were published. And yes, I won! And that Republican guy lost. Bonus.

What happens next? For starters, training sessions. The state’s school board association emailed me the next morning with a login for their site. Three meetings in the next month will help get me up to speed: an orientation with the actual board, a gathering for new members in the region, and then an all-day affair about the specific governing model we have. It’s a lot, but it shows how much they prepare you going in, if you’re committed to actually doing the job right.

The biggest reality check came when I went to the next school board meeting, the lame duck session, if you will. For one, when I got there I got handed payroll paperwork. It hadn’t really sunk in that I was getting paid for this. Another is a discussion that frequently mentioned waiting on a vote until the new members could chime in. Or even the kudos from the other board members for crossing the finish line.

Yesterday I took my oath of office. Reading the email I was expecting a small private thing where I do an LBJ-style swearing in in a secretary’s office, maybe a picture. I just had to sign a thing, in the office because it had to be notarized. I was in and out in five minutes.

We’re going from roughly a 6-1 progressive majority to 7-0. That’s great news for our school, even if my first meeting I get to vote on whether elementary school registration fees are tripled, or doubled with the district subsidizing the balance. Thanks state legislature!

If you go in intending to do the job right, it’s a lot of work. That’s why it’s so important to elect people who intend to do the job right. Because so much of this is optional. It’s entirely possible to skip most of the trainings, to take your seat and either do nothing productive with it, or try to push policy whether or not it’s relevant, appropriate, or even legal. That’s how we get bad leadership, and why participation in this process is the only way anything’s going to get better.

(Feel free to use my Ask box for any political questions, including what the hell Democrats actually do at the local level and why I encourage joining them even with all the baggage attached.)

#politics #elections #school boards

[bitchesgetriches]

Hey bitches! I was wondering if you think that going into HR is actually a good way to protect workers rights? I'm about to enroll in a business degree at my local community college and tbh I'll probably never be able to afford university. However, I am passionate about workers rights, particularly here in the South as I feel like there's tons of improvements to be made, and I would love to be more involved with the labor rights movement. But I was wondering, if I ever go to university, would getting an HR degree be the right move? I know I could have the potential to help people but I'm worried that, ultimately, my commitment has to be to the company. Is HR just another cog in the corporate machine? Or is it actually possible to make important changes there?

Pudding pie, this is a FANTASTIC question. You're doing the Lord's work!

First off, here's what we've written on HR:

Should You Trust Your Human Resources Department? 

The tl;dr is that HR's purpose is to protect the company, not the worker. Very often that means ensuring the company isn't violating labor laws, but it's still in the interest of the employer rather their employees.

That said, a degree in Human Resources could be VERY helpful to your goals of furthering the labor rights movement. For one thing, you could get a job in a company's HR department and work to change that individual company from within. But more importantly, you'll have an intimate understanding of the system and laws so that you can work to change it on a larger scale from without. Union organizing is a literal job you could do. Being the HR expert to law firms that specialize in labor law is a job you could do. Being a consultant helping companies improve their labor relations is a job you can do!

It's a great education and skill set. What you do with it is up to you, but I think that you can do a lot of good. We're on your side, babycakes!

How To Support a Labor Strike with 3 Simple Steps 

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[orfeolookback]

¡Hola!

¿Hay recursos que recomiendes para leer y aprender más sobre que esta occuriendo en argentina? He leido su post de fascismo en su país, y, como un estadounidense, quiero ayudar, pero no sé exactamente qué esta occuriendo en más detalle o qué puedo hacer para ayudar.

(puede responder en ingles o español, este mensaje es en español porque trato communicar más en español, lo siento si hay errores)

I'll answer in English since the post was in English. Thank you for reaching out!

Unlike many other crisis, we don't have a place for donations. You can help by organizing in your own country, being anti-capitalist and making sure the right doesn't spread elsewhere. If you live in the USA you can join strikes, rallies and protests, and anti fascist groups locally. Unionize. Demand rights. Reject US intervention. When Musk buys shit, boycott him, organize against him. Support Indigenous people's fight for Land Back and make sure no billionaire buys their land In your own country first. When you hear the people in power talking about Argentina (or any country!) as 'an important asset' make sure there's outrage.

I won't share sources that are easily digestible. If you really want to be educated, you can read about Operación Cóndor, read The Open Veins of Latin America by Eduardo Galeano, watch 1985 (a movie about the last dictatorship's aftermath) and read through the comments of my post, lots of people linked articles. Most sources will be in Spanish.

If you really REALLY want to immediately support Argentina financially, support Argentinian businesses. If you commission artists often, consider us. If there's an Argentinian band you like, buy their stuff. I won't pretend like this will do much but a single dollar is 1000 Argentinian pesos, so you might change someone's month just with 10 dollars. I make a living through my art, personally.

Thank you for the interest, have a nice weekend

#argentina