Cory Booker has been talking in the senate for over 20 hours now

He’s not filibustering. He’s protesting the current administration.

For those of you from outside the US or those of you who didn’t pay attention in government class, in the US senate there’s really no limit to the amount of time a senator can speak. So sometimes if they don’t want a bill to pass they just. Don’t stop talking. To hopefully get past the deadline to vote on a bill. This is called filibustering.

Senator Cory Booker isn’t doing that. He’s disrupting “the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able”. Just in protest. This doesn’t usually happen.

He’s less than 20 minutes away from breaking the record of the longest speech given on the senate floor

Cory Booker has officially broken Strom Thurmond’s record for longest speech on the senate floor and he’s still going

For those of you wondering what he’s been talking about this whole time, his staff wrote down a bunch of stuff for him to read like stories from people across the political spectrum opposed to what the administration is doing. He’s also been telling personal anecdotes about meeting important civil rights leaders and other democratic senators have been pausing him for “questions” but the questions have been as long as a small speech and have both served the purpose of giving him a second to sit down and updating him on the news that he’s been missing while he’s been talking.

He has yielded the floor at 25 hrs and 4 mins. His eyes are so wide they look like they’re going to bug out of his skull so I don’t blame him for stopping. He said to go out and get in some good trouble.

Addition for those unaware: Cory Booker is black. Strom Thurmond set the previous record about 70 years ago in protest of civil rights. Booker spent much of the time I was watching talking about the importance of working together for the people and the idea that it's not "left versus right but right versus wrong."

The new record speech is on the right side of history.

Listen, I'm having fun playing with the ultra patriotic voice, but after a couple years in blue-collar landscaping jobs, you really do need to phrase things like that.

"I'm pretty sure that fella ain't here legally."

"Well, that ain't your business Chip, it's his."

They hate being preached to. If you pull out words like 'gender wage gap' they'll tell you you're brainwashed by the far left media.

"He's one of them transgenders."

"He got freedoms too, Jimmy."

You say, "bodily autonomy" and it's all, "oooh look who's got a college vocabulary."

Instead say, "The government shouldn't be able to tell you what to do with your body. You want some bureaucrat getting between you and your doctor? Making it take twice as long to get treatment? If someone wants breast implants, hormones, or to not get pregnant, that's between them and their doctor. You know they got surgeries where they can break your leg bones and stretch them to make you taller? I watched a thing about a woman who did that; it was her dream to be a fight attendant, but she was too short (you gotta be able to reach the overhead compartments), so she got the surgery to be tall enough. Living her dream. I think people should be able to do what they want with their bodies. If you don't want to change genders or get taller or take hormones, that's your choice, but that's no reason to tell other people what they can't do. Mind your business."

"All I want the government to do is make sure companies can't rip us off by selling us do-nothing pills, poison us, or overcharge for stuff we need to live. Greedy corporate bastards. Police the greedy CEOs and insurance companies who are scamming us, who would shoot your granny if it increased profits, and leave the end users alone."

"People worry too much about other people's genitals. Bunch of weirdos, wanting to check kids genitals before they can use the bathroom or play a sport. Sick freaks if you ask me. Leave the kids alone. When I was a kid, I was the only girl on my t-ball team, and I was just fine. Let kids play sports, doesn't matter what gender they are, what matters is what skill level they are in the sport."

"I think the government should stay out of the bedroom. You want to have sex with a man? Two men? Three? You want to get paid for sex? None of my business, none of the government's business, none of my neighbor's business. As long as no one's getting hurt, let people do what they want. We got a huge child marriage problem in this country; you want to fight perverts? Tell the government to fight that. That's much a bigger problem than gay marriage or trans people or kinksters or sex workers. If two adults want to dress as cats and do sex games with each other, let them! But I draw the line at marrying kids; that's fucked up, you agree?"

This is what I mean when I say you have to meet people where they're at if you want to change minds. Because there are people that you can throw essay level argumentation at all day and nothing will change, but you say "mind your own business Ted" and they get it.

When my mom and I lived with her bf, I ran into this a lot. Not so much from the bf himself (though he did make fun of they/them a few times), but from the people he hung out with. He ran a landscaping company in an area that's most purply than most of western washington. So his employees occasionally asked pointed questions about his two weird kids.

A quick "it's not your business" worked for most of them. But the guy who rented his shop and ran a vehicle repair business out of it was a little more inquisitive. For a while he didn't want anything to do with me and my sibling, but eventually he came around after a talk with my mom, and I had a beer with him in the shop. An alright guy, who had been convinved of some messed up things.

I think a lot about the folks at my old hardware store. It was the cheapest place nearby for me to get a lotta what i needed for my projects, and it was an independent place run by a third generation woman. It was literally built by hand by her grandfather. It was also a place mostly shopped at by low-income conservative folks, just due to the demographics of it's location.

When I went in the first time, a very visibly trans woman, things were a little cold. Not rude, not unsafe, but I was very clearly An Outlier in that place, and both the owner and some other folks there were kinda side-eyeing me the whole time. The second time i went it was much the same. The third a little less so. The fourth even less. I liked the place, and i came from a more rural spot, so it felt more familiar to me then like, a big hardware store, or even something like an Ace, so I just kept going.

folks slowly warmed up to me, and one time I went there the thing i needed was hard to get to, so i ended up hanging out and shooting the shit with the owner for like, 20 minutes while she dealt with some other stuff first. We both came from farm backgrounds. Both had some similar experiences. Both loved some of the same features of the area we lived in. The more we talked the more she warmed up, and the more I think she started to see me as just another farm girl like her, just of a younger generation.

I've been going there for years, and that place is warm and friendly now. I'm greeted like an old friend when I come in, and the other regulars give me smiles and nods, and when i go there with other trans folks, they treat them just the same way.

The thing is, a lotta people just. lack the exposure. It's not ignorance out of malice, it's not actual hatred or distaste, it's just the unease that comes from being fed this vision of minorities by other conservatives all the time. When you start to become a part of their life, they learn to stop seeing you as some mysertious other, and you become just another person at the hardware store. You become someone they can listen to, someone who speaks their language and respects them, someone they can teach something to, and someone who can also be taught.

I see pride flags there sometimes now. progress flags, even. in the windows of peoples cars. in pins on peoples jackets. On peoples trucker caps. I talk to folks there and, well, they're still a little awkward, but a lotta them have that spirit, and the more we talk the more they have.

I know i'm a bit off the topic of this post, a post about language, not just some vague concept of familiarity, but like. I know that there's a hardware store worth of people who are still conservative, who still probably watch fox news and complain about taxes, but when someone comes on their tv talking about trannies indoctrinating kids and screaming at people in stores and making everyone uncomfortable and unsafe, I bet a lot of them think of me, their hardware store tranny. I bet a lot of them furrow their brow a bit, and tilt their head a little, and think "well, i don't know about that, i wouldn't go that far..." and honestly. That's worth a lot more then you might realize. That can be the starting point of questioning those beliefs, of questioning what they're being fed.

It's the little things that spark that change. Sometimes it's as simple as coming back each week and speaking the language. Sometimes that's enough to get people started.

“Rayban charity glasses event” is a scam don’t click any link in a post that says that.

Old tumblr users remember this scam back when it first went out.

Also no, this isn’t a joke. This phishing scam is 100% running its course again so watch out for your mutuals long abandoned accounts suddenly posting it. Please make everyone aware of it since most users here are newbies who have not seen it before!

i have an ancient box camera from the late 40s. takes 120 film. Absolutely unfair good images out of this thing.

This is the 1940s equivalent of a disposable Kodak, it’s terrible but because modern film stock is so fucking good it just rips absolute ass. No I don’t have any pictures they’re scanning shut up.

the shutter speed is "yes" and the aperture is "sure, why not"

it turns out when you have a negative that's 60x70 mm that you don't really need the world's best glass

Beeg Pitchoor

this just isn't fair. this is like a toddler walking into a chess tournament and beating a high schooler

#JESUS THAT DYNAMIC RANGE!!!!

Fun fact: This is all on expired lomography metropolis. if it were in-date film it'd look even better. I dont have any in-date metropolis in 120 but i have a roll of it in 35mm that i'm gonna load up once i've finished my current roll of Kodak ColorPlus 200 (cheap color film that looks better than it should)

Here's Catlabs X Film 100 in 35 though, which is kinda similar in terms of range

these are simply stunning, thank you for sharing these

BOOBS-HAVERS. PLEASE ANSWER:

for april fools we’re deleting this entire site sayonara you weeaboo shits

if anyone is able to donate, please do so. regardless, please reblog this, so more people can help. thank you.

£709,345 raised

£800K target

[89%]

hold my hand. sometimes someone who creates something you care about is going to do something terrible. it is okay to mourn your trust in them. it is okay to be upset to find that a youtuber you liked is racist, that a musician is transphobic. i won't tell you what to do next but your hurt is real.

i don't think its parasocial actually to think "man this thing that brought me joy is harmful, and i am going to miss it, and my memories of it will hurt now. this feels bad."

my friends r so talented. rb if ur friends are talented

not to be controversial bc I know this is like…not in line with shifting opinions on fanfic comment culture but if there’s a glaring typo in my work I will NOT be offended by pointing it out. if ao3 fucks up the formatting…I will also not be offended by having this pointed out…

‘looking forward to the next update’ and ‘I hope you update soon!’ are different vibes than a demand, and should be read in good faith because a reader is finding their way to tell you how much they love it. I will not be mad at this.

‘I don’t usually like this ship but this fic made me feel something’ is also incredibly high praise. I’m not going to get mad at this.

even ‘I love this fic but I’m curious about why you made [x] choice’ is just another way a reader is engaging in and putting thought into your work.

I just feel like a lot of authors take any comment that’s not perfectly articulated glowing praise in the exact manner they’re hoping to receive it in bad faith.

fic engagement has been dropping across the board over the last several years, and yes it’s frustrating but it isn’t as though I can’t see how it happens. comment anxiety can be a real thing. the last thing anyone wants to do is offend an author they love, and that means sometimes people default to silence.

idk where I’m going with this I guess aside from saying unless a comment is outright attacking me I’m never going to get mad at it, and I think a lot of authors should feel the same way. ESPECIALLY TYPOS PLZ GOD POINT OUT MY TYPOS.

Not that it's anything new, but the "voluntary" in "voluntary migration" really drives home the utter shamelessness of the occupation.

They destroy Gazan homes, hospitals, schools, roads, universities, infrastructure, cut off their water and electricity, then when they have no choice but to escape the hell that was created for them, claim they "voluntarily" chose to leave their land behind and have no right to return.

When Nakba deniers claim that Palestinians "chose" to leave their land, remember this.

Amal's baby daughter, Mariam, has known no childhood outside of surviving this genocide. She will soon be of age to attend school. Last we spoke, she had a very close call during the most recent bombardment. If she wants to give her daughter a chance at normalcy, security, education, and a decent childhood, but those options have been taken away from Gaza, is this voluntary migration?

Mahmoud wants to continue his education. He has been able to scrape by through remote learning online, but every day it becomes harder to even find reliable internet access. Last we spoke, he was trying to pay his fees in time, so that he would be allowed to enroll in this semester. If he wants to pursue his degree, but the conditions in Gaza have made that impossible, is this voluntary migration?

Dr. Anas is a cancer patient. His physical and mental health have been obliterated by this genocide. Last we spoke, he told me that after making some recovery during the ceasefire, he's now back to square one. If he wants to live, to continue his job as a doctor, and to recover from depression, which is impossible to do during bombardment, is this voluntary migration?

Samir is severely injured, and in immediate danger of losing his leg. Last we spoke, his sister told me that the bombardment in their area are more intense than they've ever been. If Samir wants to undergo surgery to save his leg, but there are no such options in Gaza, is this voluntary migration?

Please don't abandon them like our administrations have. They shouldn't have to rely on our generosity, but they must.

Donate: Amal, Mahmoud, Anas, Samir

Vetting: Amal (#175), Mahmoud, Anas, Samir (#428)

So I have a slightly different perspective as the mom of a kid who was born with a partial palm and no fingers on one hand (the one I'm pretty sure was wired to be their dominant hand). They aren't an amputee, but congenital limb differences are also a thing. I obviously don't live with a limb difference and prosthesis the way they do but I did have an up close view of how they work with one.

When they were born I got the best advice I ever had from a pediatric specialist in the hospital, which was that we would probably be surprised how little it matters, and that kids like them can do anything they want except maybe two hand piano solos. As a young child we tried an opposition bar (which wasn't very useful) and talked about more elaborate prosthetics but never got one; they are expensive things to grow out of! And they did very well without it; this child was a sculptor from the beginning and made elaborate pipe cleaner/paper/duct tape creations, and later elaborate boffo weapons including an ornate ridiculous anime sword and a giant foam wrench.

The only things they couldn't do was anything they didn't want to do to begin with.

Then in high school they discovered e-nable and 3D printing. e-nable was started by a guy who lost a hand in an accident, and is an open source community that 3D prints mechanical hands like the one he designed for himself, mostly for kids. They aren't high tech aside from the way they're made; the hand for kids with a partial palm (which is a more common congenital limb difference than you might think) opens and closes by flexing the wrist. It looks like a transformer robot hand. They modified the design to better fit their needs and added post-print medications to improve it structurally and functionally (including at one point a red LED light for use in the theater sound box).

It's more useful for some things than others; sometimes they're wearing it, sometimes it's clipped to their belt. It has a snazzy leather gauntlet and they use a variety of cool socks (or basic black) over their forearm with it. They are a professional welder now and I think they use it at work at least some of the time (and have at least discussed the possibility of ceramic fingers, as the current hand needs the same protection as a flesh one).

So I don't think prosthetic hands are useless or just to make other people comfortable, but they might not be used exactly how you'd imagine or be equally useful for all situations.

Here's a link to some of their own words and photos of the hand. It's from almost a decade ago, but still pretty relevant. https://enablingthefuture.org/2015/08/12/interview-with-peregrine-%E2%80%A2-e-nabling-the-future/

i really appreciate hearing this perspective, especially as it's the very first time i've heard of an upper limb different person having a genuinely positive prosthesis experience, out of maybe hundreds of people i've read about/spoken to. i'm glad it helps them, and that they've had a much more positive experience with the tech and the e-nable makers than i and others did.

i could probably write a whole other essay hypothesising on why the experience is so different and the blurry line between 'prosthesis' and 'assistive device', but i think it's better to just say: yeah. we're not a monolith, and everyone experiences things differently.

explain why if you so desire.

Some women are conditioned to be fragile and weak, and to believe that it's a sin to outperform a man. Her feminism would involve allowing women to be strong.

Some women are expected to be strong at times when they can't. Her feminism would involve reassuring her that it's okay to not be strong.

Some neurodivergent people are raised to believe that they're too stupid to ever amount to anything. Their disability activism would involve reassuring them that they're capable.

Some neurodivergent people are raised to believe that they're smart and gifted, and are expected to live up to impossible standards. Their disability activism would involve allowing them to fail, make mistakes, be stupid, etc.

Some children are constantly reminded "you're the child, I'm the adult" in order to deny their autonomy. Their youth rights activism would involve treating them like an adult at times when they feel ready for it.

Some children are treated like adults in order to justify increased expectations or to downplay abuse against them. Their youth rights activism would involve allowing them to be a child.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to oppression. Each individual person's experience is different. Whatever trauma is caused by their oppression, the activism should focus on undoing it.

Meow Wolf's Omega Mart in Las Vegas, Nevada