“They call us now, before they drop the bombs. The phone rings and someone who knows my first name calls and says in perfect Arabic “This is David.” And in my stupor of sonic booms and glass-shattering symphonies still smashing around in my head I think, Do I know any Davids in Gaza? They call us now to say Run. You have 58 seconds from the end of this message. Your house is next. They think of it as some kind of war-time courtesy. It doesn’t matter that there is nowhere to run to. It means nothing that the borders are closed and your papers are worthless and mark you only for a life sentence in this prison by the sea and the alleyways are narrow and there are more human lives packed one against the other more than any other place on earth Just run. We aren’t trying to kill you. It doesn’t matter that you can’t call us back to tell us the people we claim to want aren’t in your house that there’s no one here except you and your children who were cheering for Argentina sharing the last loaf of bread for this week counting candles left in case the power goes out. It doesn’t matter that you have children. You live in the wrong place and now is your chance to run to nowhere. It doesn’t matter that 58 seconds isn’t long enough to find your wedding album or your son’s favorite blanket or your daughter’s almost completed college application or your shoes or to gather everyone in the house. It doesn’t matter what you had planned. It doesn’t matter who you are. Prove you’re human. Prove you stand on two legs. Run.”
the russian censorship agency just killed off Novaya Gazeta, whose editor in chief dmitry muratov was a nobel peace prize recipient in 2021 (and who sold his medal last week to raise funds for ukrainian refugees).
to some extent, this was inevitable: Novaya maintained a careful balancing act over the last month, formally complying with censure laws by putting <…> instead of “war” or other banned phrases, but otherwise printing material directly about the war. still, the weight of the nobel and the paper’s role in russia since 1993 likely prolonged its life, and likely fed hopes that it would last longer. i thought it would. this is a devastating moment, as big a blow as when they dissolved echo of moscow on march 3
disney employees are starting a full week of walkouts leading to their big walkout on march 22nd, 2022. they’ve asked people to not use disney products during this week. (no disney+, hulu, espn, playing games, watching videos, reviewing/blogging about any of their IP, no going to the parks). this is a targeted and timed action you can concretely participate in.
So I kind of hate that Putin is trying to restrict the flow of information into Russia so that he can control the narrative, so for my Russian friends, here is my guide on
How to get around internet censorship and maintain internet privacy
This will hopefully help you access the internet regardless of Russian government bans. It’s a little slow, but better than nothing. It hides your IP address from the internet, so it’s kind of like using a VPN. A very basic summary of how Tor works: your internet traffic is routed through several “nodes”. The Entry Node, can see your IP address but has no idea what data you’re sending, and this goes through several middle nodes, until it reaches the Exit Node. The Exit Node can see what data you’re sending, but it can’t see your IP address so it doesn’t know WHO sent it. That’s why it’s a good idea to do nothing identifying when using the Tor Browser, like writing personal information. Here’s a blog post with more detailed information about the Tor Browser.
Get a VPN
VPNs are often used to get around government internet restrictions. Russia will probably not be able to do much about it. However, not all VPNs are created equal. Nearly all of the free VPNs are a scam that turn around and sell your data, so free VPNs are not secure. The only exception to this is ProtonVPN which has a free tier, but it’s very slow. Basically the only good VPN is one you pay for. When choosing a VPN, be aware of where the company is based, because if a VPN company is based in the USA, it will have to comply USA privacy laws. So choose a VPN based in a country that has good privacy laws. A great one is Mullvad VPN, which is based in Sweden. But for the purposes of Russia, just making sure your VPN is not Russian or in a country sympathetic to Russia is probably good enough.
Alternative Front-Ends A frontend is the the part of a website which the user interacts with directly. To browse the contents of websites, you usually have to visit them. However, many people have made alternative privacy-respecting frontends to popular websites that allow you to see the site’s content without actually visiting the website. This helps avoid tracking, data-collection, and even countries’ attempts to ban websites. Twitter is banned in Russia right now, but using all an alternative frontend to Twitter works (according to my Russian friend).
If anyone knows of one of these for Tumblr please let me know. I found this site called Tumgir but it looks sketchy and unlike the rest of the ones I listed, it’s not open-source. So visit with caution, but I’m mentioning it because it might be better than nothing.
There are also these browser extensions that automatically redirect site links to the available alternatives:
Privacy Redirect - Redirects Google Maps, Google Search, Instagram, Reddit, Twitter, Youtube.
iPhone (iOS 15+) Safari
Privacy Redirect - Twitter, Reddit, YouTube, Instagram, Google Translate, Google maps, Google Search, Medium
Android
UntrackMe - Google Maps, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube
Messaging / Communication
Matrix is a federated and decentralized End-to-End Encrypted (E2EE) messaging with many platforms, the most popular of which is Element. It’s like Discord, but worse. It’s getting better over time though! You can even use a a throwaway email to sign-up.
If you’re Russian you likely already know about Telegram, but MAKE SURE you’re aware that only Secret Chats are End-to-End Encrypted. So don’t say anything that would get you in trouble outside of a Secret Chat.
End Notes
China is way better at internet censorship. They’ve had years to build the infrastructure to control the flow of information online. And yet, the Chinese people still manage to “climb the wall” and find ways around this. Russia is new to this game and doesn’t have the resources China does. So I really doubt it’ll be that hard to get around their attempts to block websites. Have faith! And feel free to DM me for more info cause this post just scratches the surface for things you can do tbh.
american whites were just caught on footage, chasing haitian migrants on horseback with whips in their hands. on horses. with whips.
and yet, black immigrants are still completely dismissed from all conversations about the violence against immigrants. for as long as i could remember, mestizo mexicans and central americans have been the face of immigration-related abuse… so much that people wrongly assume these are the sole victims of that violence.
haitian immigrants represent a disproportionate amount (44%!) of people currently detained in ICE quarters (as of 2020), and since haiti is overwhelmingly black, most - if not all - of those figures are black people. which means the attacks on haiti are automatically attacks on blackness.
it worries me a lot how haitian migrants are being treated and have been treated by not only the united states, but the rest of latin/caribbean/south america. there have been extended violences toward haiti from the entire americas for so long, it’s naive to say that it’s not related to how black the country is. to be black is to be unthought of, and unalive.
forced migration/extermination isgenocide.
and it’s so telling that people won’t bother empathizing with the victims of forced migration unless they look a certain (non-black) way.
(if i find any haiti crowdfunds for haitian immigrants, i’ll add them)
i went in the notes to see if crowdfund sources had been added in a reblog; the notes are full of “not all whites” bullshit.
(protip: if you are white in america, arguing ‘does that make me racist?’ then you need to examine yourself and why you personally feel attacked by a news story about antiblackness.)
here is a link to an aggregation of news stories concerning immigration to the US:
and here is a link to an article that may be a good place to start looking for who might be able to help crowdfund and advocate, though the thrust of the article regards post-earthquake aid within haiti:
thank u so muchhh, i literally just woke up & usually i see crowdfunds on twitter but i have yet to see any. i did not expect this post to get more than 100 notes so i am a bit overwhelmed eeeek
Here are Black led organizations that are supporting Haitian migrants rn where people can donate.
if you or someone you know is in need of funds or assistance due to devastation caused by hurricane ida, feel free to add onto this post. I will reblog with more links as I find them
a gentle reminder to avoid donating to the red cross and other profiteer organizations if you plan to help those affected by hurricane ida … find smaller/local charities, direct aid funds or organizations that have a “boots on the ground” approach. here’s a great starter list:
“Hey y'all I am compiling thread of black people in New Orleans who need direct aid NOW!! All of these people need evacuation money and money to shelter in place! Please share and donate to everyone !”
The United Nations has explicitly stated that they WILL NOT recognise Afghanistan as a country, should Taliban take complete control and overthrow the Government. They’ve seized all the major cities including Herat and Kandahar, with only the capital Kabul, Mazar-e-Sharif and Jalalabad left. Families have had to run from their homes in fear, with surrounding countries borders and embassies closing their doors on the Afghan people. IF the UN does not recognise Afghanistan as a nation, this means there will be NO FINANCIAL AID OR ACCESS TO RESOURCES AND SUPPORT, which will lead to an EVEN BIGGER HUNGER CRISIS. Leaving the average working Afghan with no one to turn to for help. Enough is enough.
My own families live in Kandahar, Herat and Kabul. The terror they must be feeling right now is unimaginable, and my heart breaks for them. But they are only 2, of the thousands of families going through the exact same thing. And yet, the ENTIRE WORLD remains silent. The only ones I see who are doing something, are the Afghans themselves, trying so desperately to spread the word. Please help us, and don’t overlook everything happening right under your noses.
what you missed in Minneapolis this past week (6/6/21)
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The city and mayor are attempting to remove the community structures and memorials from 38th and Chicago to re-open the streets to car traffic despite the mayor’s promise last year and continued local opposition.
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U.S. Marshalls killed a Black man, Winston Smith for unclear reasons in Minneapolis. Minneapolis police then cracked open the head of a person at a vigil for Smith who was handing out pizza (no hospital info for her yet) while attempting to shut down the vigil. The task force that killed Smith does not use body cameras, but it’s believed witnesses may have recorded something. Police have stated that Smith was suspected of owning a handgun while being a (former?) felon.
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Gun control in the U.S will always be used to kill Black people. There is no legal measure that won’t be used to subjugate Black people. The law and its enforcement are murderous institutions of control for white supremacy and the rich.
This story might be being suppressed on social media according to local sources. This post will be updated as/if I learn more.
The Zionist argument is that Israel is necessary as a redoubt and a safe haven for Jews in the event of another Shoah. Yet not even all Jews are safe in Israel. The State of Israel routinely discriminates against Ethiopian, Kochin, Mizrahi, Sephardi, and Yemeni Jews. It outright denies the Jewishness of groups such as Ugandan Jews. The use of Yiddish was aggressively suppressed in Israel for decades. Israeli religious authorities are typically ambivalent and tersely tolerant of Reform Judaism, and at worst openly hostile, denying the legitimacy of Reform conversions. Israel is not a safe place for Jews or Judaism. It is a parasitic entity which flattens and reduces Jewish identity to a single acceptable homogenous concept. The State of Israel is not a safe place for Jews or Judaism - it is actively destructive to them.
in light of the absolutely horrific news about Ma’Khia Bryant’s death at the hands of the Columbus PD i just wanted to take a moment to link Loveland, a nonprofit that provides therapy to black girls and women if people are looking for support or people are looking for somewhere to support right now
In 1987, Payne had called the police after discovering the aftermath of a bloody attack on his neighbors.
Later, he was sentenced to execution. He has been for over 30 years.
This case has never been properly DNA - tested, and the process of DNA testing only takes a few months at most. His district attorney actively opposes the decision to DNA test his case - even though the evidence from the case is still here. This attorney has refused DNA testing in MANY cases that could have proven innocence.
In the trial, his past was fabricated - of doing drugs (he didn’t/only barely did, and obviously that doesn’t justify the death sentence regardless of amount), being sexually perverted (he isn’t) and being aggressive, which he wasn’t. He had an intellectual disability that was tested later.
Multiple other suspects exist.
We cannot let another innocent be executed on death row. Pervis Payne suffered 30 years because of the racist “justice” system - he cannot die at the hands of it too.
We cannot let death row be a substitute for justice any longer.
thinking of incarcerated women on this international women’s day, a group I haven’t seen specified in any post yet.
Women are the fastest growing US prison population, at an increase of 834% since the 70s.
Incarcerated women are more likely to enter the system with a history of abuse, trauma and mental health disorders, which prisons ignore or exacerbate.
Most incarcerated women (62%) are mothers of minor children, and are more likely to be the primary caretaker of these children, leading to family disruption/dissolution.
Women are also frequently incarcerated for “failure to protect” convictions - meaning victims of abuse are punished for being abused.
today i am thinking of all the women in jails and prisons, across the US and around the world, and hoping for a future where ALL women are seen, valued and fought for.
hope it’s ok to add this: aid to inmate mothers is a great organization in alabama. their mission and website is below if anyone is interested in donating/sharing/learning more.
Hello! Let’s continue to support Adarna House. This children’s book company is being red-tagged and accused of radicalizing children for publishing books regarding the Martial Law. That’s fake news and leading to the start of history revisionism. These books simply tell historical events and the authors are not affiliated with terrorist groups. Adarna House has done so much for Filipino writers and artists, me included.
Here’s a link to their book bundle! Filipinos, order your copies now.
Char-broiled chicken on rice. Only takeout and home-cooking around here! No dine-in in this city. I’m still working though. No self-quarantining for me.
I’m the only one in my department who isn’t working from home.
guys…why are you feeling sorry for this lady? she was the abuser. she cut off a piece of her ex husband’s finger. she shat in his bed. “she did not punch him, she was hitting him”. like seriously, why are you feeling sorry for her?
#AmberTurd deserves all the hate and should be cancelled. How dare she treat Johnny Depp the way she did. Johnny didn’t ruin her career & image. She did that to herself.
My worry is for domestic abuse victims who do decide to speak out, but no one will believe them because of this fucking cunt. She had an outlet because she’s a celebrity. What will others have?
