something my mum always taught us was to look for the resources we're entitled to, and use them. public land? know your access rights and responsibilities, go there and exercise them. libraries? go there and talk to librarians and read community notice boards, find out what other people are doing around you, ask questions, use the printers. public records offices? go in there, learn what they hold and what you can access, look at old maps, get your full birth certificate copied, check out the census from your neighbourhood a hundred years ago. are you entitled to social support? find out, take it, use it. does the local art college have facilities open to the public? go in, look around, check out their exhibit on ancient looms or whatever, shop in their campus art supply store. it applies online too, there is so much shit in the world that belongs to the public commons that you can access and use if you just take a minute to wonder what might exist!!!

hey if you live in the usa i am on my knees begging you to go to benefits.gov and take their quiz to see if you qualify for literally any government benefits at all. the income requirements for some stuff (i.e. SNAP) are actually not quite as low as one might think! the quiz is really straightforward and only took me around 5 minutes to complete. i do recommend a computer over a phone but it works ok on mobile too. it will share so many great resources for you and will show you things even if you only technically meet one eligibility requirement.

the mutual aid los angeles network (malan) has put together a spreadsheet with valuable resources for people affected by the ongoing los angeles wildfires and wind storm. the sheet is constantly being updated with resources such as shelter info, animal boarding info, addresses for distribution centers, volunteer opportunities and so much more.

please share this spreadsheet widely

hey so Los Angeles is in crisis right now.

Multiple concurrent wildfires are happening, two of which are extremely devastating. The Palisades Fire, which at this time is the deadliest wildfire in LA history, has burned 18 square miles worth of land and destroyed over 1,000 structures. The Eaton Fire has burned over 10,000 acres. And the Santa Ana winds are rapidly escalating the fires to where containment at this time is borderline nonexistent and firefighters are at a loss for what to do. People have died. The air is extremely hard to breathe from smoke. Elderly, disabled and transient populations are at great risk. Even 20 miles south and 30 miles west of the Palisades and Eaton Fires, the smoke is so bad that there are air quality alerts and the moon is red at night. These have been called “catastrophic urban firestorms” and the people affected need your compassion.

If you are directly affected by the Eaton or Palisades Fires, here is a list of safe evacuation centers:

photo credit: Adelettes2 on Twitter/X (retrieved from Google)

The DreamCenter is also taking evacuees.

I’ll reblog when I can with more information for shelters but in the meantime please signal boost and add your own information if and when possible.

Big shout out to Compton Cowboys.

Text SHELTER and your zip code to 43362 to find a local shelter near you.

Please make sure to bring your meds, extra clothes, hygiene supplies, diapers, and important documents. Some shelters are accepting small pets, but they’re going fast.

Thank you to the person who started this. I’ll keep posting stuff if I see it. Be safe! 💖

I would like to add that resources are extremely limited, and with how populated the areas affected are, shelters are at risk of being stretched thin.

Here is a list of verified organizations accepting donations in the wake of the fires:

TELADOC is offering free virtual 24/7 services for all non-emergency illnesses to first responders, residents affected by the wildfires, and Southern California residents. Call Teladoc at 855-225-5032 if you are in need of non-emergency medical assistance or for non-narcotic prescriptions.

UPDATED MUTUAL AID

google spreadsheet and infograph both provided by MALAN.org; spreadsheet provided by @ambiguouslady42 / infographs retrieved from Instagram.

HOTELS ACCEPTING DISPLACED EVACUEES

google doc provided by Hotel Association of Los Angeles (HALA); retrieved from Citizen app

stop fucking using the word psychotic to describe bad behaviour and violence already god fucking damn it

oh my god i’m so tired psychotic does not mean violent it does not mean angry or erratic. it refers to a person suffering from psychosis, a loss of touch with reality that includes hallucinations and/or delusions. psychotic people are not inherently violent and y'all need to understand how much stigma you create when you again and again incorrectly use the word psychotic without even thinking about it

would appreciate if non-psychotic people could reblog this

Why

This is demonstrating why you absolutely do not pour water on a grease fire.

holy shit

Okaaaay. If any of you actually have a grease fire in the kitchen put the lid on the pan. It will suffocate the flames. Don’t pour water on it, and don’t freak out. Cook safely!

Or throw flour on it to smother it.

/quick safety announcement

NO, DO NOT USE FLOUR, DO NOT USE FLOUR TO SMOTHER A FIRE.

YOU HAVE TO USE BAKING SODA.

Throwing flour into a fire can cause it to combust and make the fire worse because FLOUR/SUGAR IS FLAMMABLE. One cup of flour into a grease fire can have the explosive force of dynamite.

The reason you use baking soda is that it releases carbon dioxide when heated, and CO2 is a fire suppressant.

REBLOGGING FOR LAST COMMENT TO SAVE LIVES

Saw a tiktok of a guy saying he doesn’t feel comfortable talking to minors because he’s 19. And it’s just. I’m so fucking tired of this.

And like to be clear, I’m speaking as a victim of pedophilia when I say: We need to get over this collective fear of endangering children. Because holy shit, this stuff is getting out of hand.

The average person is not a threat to a child.

And also!!! It is actually really really good for kids to have friendships with adults that aren’t their family.

Having friendships with adults when you’re younger prepares you for adult life in a better way then only interacting with adults that are family members or teacher as well.

And also if there’s any sort of weird behavior happening with adults or teachers, it’s very helpful to have unrelated adults, you can go to, and also have a model for what normal adults are supposed to look like.

And also! You’re just making it way easier for pedophiles to prey on children when you completely avoid interacting with them as an adult. Because kids are naturally inquisitive and curious. They are going to want to interact with adults and they are going to want to ask questions. And if the only adult adults that are willing to interact and speak with them or adults who have ulterior motivations. Guess what’s gonna happen.

Also on a more general note. Having a model for what a normal healthy adult is supposed to look like makes it way easier for kids to be able to recognize and identify when adults in their personal life are being weird.

pls rb if you think cuddling doesn't have to be s3xual

im tryna prove a point to my bf's mother help me out

Remember to make space for the heteros this month too - yes, really.

Lesbians who became straight men

Gay men who became straight women

All straight drag artists (note that not all of them are cis!)

People with complex identities who thusly encompass multiple orientations (like genderfluid and multigender people who, yes, are sometimes straight, or even simultaneously with other labels)

Hetero aro and ace people. Especially. Seriously.

People with fluid orientations

Gnc people who find joy in their straightness

Many queer people are also straight. Queerness is note solely reliant on gayness. These people too, are a part of pride. Remember that.

[All discourse attempts will be swiftly blocked. Exclusionists fuck off]

helpful tattoo reminder: they are technically Injuries so u have to eat a lot of calories drink a lot of water and sleep a lot after so your body can Heal The Injury

another helpful tattoo reminder: the 24-48 hours after you get a tattoo your brain can not be trusted in regards to whether or not you should have gotten that tattoo, if you have somehow ruined your life, if it turned out ugly, etc. ignore that

finally, while i am at it: always bring a candy bar and a sugary drink to your appointment for blood-sugar reasons (worst case scenario) or so you can have a treat (unilaterally applicable)

this has been your friendly neighborhood haver of 19* tattoos (assorted sizes and placements)

*not totally sure here. bad at counting

Just reblogging this as a personal reminder for future reference….

「 washing mr. crawling’s hair 」

story down below ↓↓

"if trump is elected me and everyone i love are on the chopping block" you really aren't. you've been through 4 years of trump already and you weren't rounded up and sent to a concentration camp. You know who WAS sent to concentration camps during Trump though? Our fellow latinoamerican migrants. sent to camps set up by Obama. And who are still being sent to camps operated by Biden. And who Harris promises to send even more of us to camps.

I’m

Oh. I’m not drinking enough water

…SHIT.

How dare you call me out like this

Remember kids, water is good to have but at a moderate level

my trick for getting through grad school is learning to navigate the quadrants with all their nuances

if you don't do anything else today,

Please have a moment of silence for the people who were killed instead of freed when news of emancipation finally reached the furthest corners of the american south.

have another moment for the ledgers, catalogs, and records that were burned and the homes that were destroyed to hide the presence of very much alive and still enslaved people on dozens of plantations and homesteads across the south for decades after emancipation.

and have a third moment for those who were hunted and killed while fleeing the south to find safety across the border, overseas, in the north and to the west.

black people. light a candle, write a note to those who have passed telling them what you have achieved in spite of the racist and intolerant conditions of this world, feel the warmth of the flame under your hand, say a prayer of rememberance if you are religious, place the note under the candle, and then blow it out.

if you have children, sit them down and tell them anything you know about the life of oldest black person you've ever met. it doesn't have to be your own family. tell them what you know about what life was like for us in the days, years, decades after emancipation. if you don't know much, look it up and learn about it together.

This is Juneteenth.

white people CAN interact with this post. share it, spread it.

I can't hsndle this anymore. I know I said I wouldn't post fundraisers more than once anymkre but I just got hrorifyng news feom mahmoud that he's sustained injuries to hsi back from shrapnel while protecting his kids from nearby air strikes I can't fucking breathe please just donate to him and get him ojt I feel like I've been holding my breath for months now and I can't exhale

Mahmoud’s fundraiser has been up since February and currently is at $38,977 CAD raised of $200,000 goal as of June 15 in hopes of evacuating all of his family, please please donate what you can