this should be concerning a lot more people than it is
not only because bees are one of the most important animals in the world and their job is a lot more than gathering honey but also because they are what scientists refer to as an “indicator species”
this means that when their populations start dwindling and then rapidly dropping, humans need to watch their shit because that means that environmental factors are too difficult for THEM to live in, so it might be difficult for US to live in, too. bees basically act as an indication that humans have a lot to worry about and when they start dying like this it deserves a lot more than a few headlines.
last year my biggest worry was the steep decline in bee population and apparently thats not about to change anytime soon. people have told me to my face that they think its strange I’m so concerned for the bees. read this you selfish fucks
Get excited, motherfuckers. Without bees, we will die off. Bayer and Monsanto continue to produce the chemicals that have been proven to kill them, and the government has their backs. Bees pollinate 30% of our food in the US and we are passing legislation to PROTECT the scumbags responsible for killing them.
I preach this shit to everyone who will listen and I always get “WAAAAH I HATE BEES THEY STING AND THEY ARE BIG MEANIES!” but think about your future life without kiwis, cranberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, peaches, sunflowers, cotton, apples, plums, pears, mustard, celery, peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, beans, cherries, melons, turnips, canola oil, alfalfa, soybeans, lemons, oranges, and I could go on forever.
Bees are amazing creatures who are responsible for the comfortable lives we lead in this country and we cannot sustain and feed our population without them.
Alright you guys, there’s a good amount of notes on this but it’s only making us aware of the problem, not telling us what we can do to help. We can do something to help and YOU CAN HELP, YES THAT MEANS YOU. ALL YOU NEED IS DIRT, A FEW BUCKS, AND A MOMENT OF YOUR TIME TO MAKE A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE, LITERALLY.
Plant flowers that bees like and that attract them.
Bees prefer flowers that are blue, purple, and yellow. Choose flowers that bloom successively over the spring, summer, and fall seasons such as coreopsis, Russian sage, or germander. They especially love clover! Other plants include sage, salvia, oregano, lavender, ironweed, yarrow, yellow hyssop, alfalfa, honeywort, dragonhead, echinacea, bee balm, buttercup, goldenrod and English thyme. Buy seeds online.
GET RID OF THE PESTICIDES!!
If pesticides are killing off the bees so easily, what do you think it’s doing to us? The EPA says studies have shown pesticides can cause birth defects, nerve damage, and cancer. There are other ways to get rid of pests in the garden than using chemicals. Organic Garden Pests shows you how to keep off the bugs the organic way.
Please, if you have already reblogged this, reblog this is again with what I have posted onto it so you know what you can do to help. We can make a difference.
Like why is our entire existence at stake and all anyone wants to talk about on the news is the “TWERKING PHENOMENON”.
this is so so important please everyone reblog this and help where you can!
This isn’t more of an issue cuz capitalism doesn’t want it to be. A lot of companies would suffer if they suddenly had to be responsible about their sustainability practices and the damage they do to our environment.
to my fellow freshman girlies out there, go parties in groups, don’t walk alone late at night, and if you sense some shady shit going on don’t hesitate to interfere. trust your gut. people are getting sicker by the minute and nothing seems to be changing anytime soon.
PS: CHECK YOUR LOCAL LAWS REGARDING WEAPON PURCHASING
I’m not lying fuck men omfg
If you don’t wanna support Amazon, lots of stores like hardware chain stores and similar also will have pepper spray. I even got a spring assisted knife (within the legal length and width limits) in the utility knife, camping, and hunting section.
i gotta suspicion everyone got a secret hoard of something they keep hidden from their friends let if its shoes and makeup or like teacups that shits fine and all but once i went to my buddy mikes house and like,, well i knew him for years since like fucking 2006, we talk non stop,used to be my bff of the year and what not, ya whatever, i hop to get something from his basement once and i turn on the light and its littered with not a handful, but at least 20 hand made dollhouses with little trees and paint jobs and everything made from wood he harvested from his fathers construction company, all he missing is furniture and little people like FUCK that fucked me up so bad, but thats not the point of my story here see, it didnt fuck w me as much as after i visited my not so much anymore freinds house in 10th grade and she had a collection of her friends hair and she asked me for a snippet becasue she never had blue before and i went home and blocked her number anyway she jsut messaged me on instagram 30 min ago and i had to like sit in my kitchen in the dark for a while jsut thinking about how scary it is to know people but not know them at all
heres some pics cuz i actually i love his little houses they just took me by surprise cuz he aint seem like the type
oh it aint me!!! i bitched to him that he got like 0 fucking people living in his fucking basement village so he was all, then fucking buy me some??
so i went on a miniture dollhouse website and bought him his first citizen and he laughed cuz it was this lil motherfucker
if u look closely hes the black dot in the first pic in front of the white house!!!
This is cute and I’m glad you were so supportive of something he was embarrassed of
That craftsmanship tho??? He has some incredible skills!!!
Probably the saddest sign of our times is how many people respond with complete bewilderment if you mention direct action. Cutting border fences? punching nazis? sharing resources? blocking arms transports? building alternatives? They’re not even outraged, they’re just confused.
It’s like they’re so caught up in the spectacle of petitions, calling senators, ‘awareness’ and media visbility that they’ve completely forgotten that you can also just do shit without begging for permission.
Seriously, we’ve been so conditioned to seek permission for literally anything that the idea of just doing something yourself is seen as utterly unfeasible, pie in the sky, nonsense.
I for one am a huge believer in direct action and just making the changes we want to see instead of asking the powerful to implement them.
Want to house the homeless? Occupy some abandoned buildings. Want to replace your yard with a vegetable garden? Get you hands on some seeds and plant that shit. We can accomplish so much more by doing instead of begging.
I, for one, would just like to say it’s a bad idea to do the whole punching Nazis thing. There’s nothing worse than being sued by a Nazi and having them win and fuck up your life.
On Tumblr I see a lot of concern about safety under every single post about direct action and honestly, that’s good. Looking out for each other is good, wanting to keep each other safe is good.
Because yeah, direct action can be very dangerous. But it’s a good thing some people are willing to do dangerous things to change the world. Because you know what else is very dangerous? Letting nazis organize. Allowing weapon transports to pass. Allowing border fences to stand. These things are deadly. And conversations or petitions are never going to stop them. Pretty much the only time governments do what nice activists want is when they’re worried about what the not-so-nice activists will do if they don’t change a thing.
So I would respond to the need for safety not with inaction but with prepared action and security culture. Which means shit like cover your face, don’t bring your phone, have a getaway plan, make your plans offline, understand how modern surveillance techniques work, gather intel on nazis before deciding who to punch, never brag about what you did, leave out that comrade that can’t punch nazis without bragging about it, have a good lawyer to back you up if things do go wrong. And more.
And important: work with experienced activists and choose an action that matches your experience level. It’s probably not a good idea to go from handing out leaflets to a prison break, or to make the G20 your first blackbloc experience. Start small, start local. But do something.
Also, do what you feel ypu can handle. Like, yeah, I’m the person who can barely keep it in when they’ve done something. How I control that is having one or two designated people I know and trust with my life to tell. I am best utilized as support and research or intel and planning/strategizing. Those are what I’m good at. I can strategize and give excellent strategic advice. But I am not the one you want actually out there doing it.
When I got caught lifting and my backpack had been left behind (with identifying information and my medications), I ran to my friend’s house who I know lifts and got a ride elsewhere. And I ended up getting things back through careful planning, but the fact is that I made a mistake. I make mistakes in the moment but planning is where I shine. I can see a potential landmine problem a mile away and come up with a patch/remedy or alternative plan.
I am good at strategizing. But I’m bad at the actual action. And that’s okay. We all just have to play to our strengths. We’re all different and we won’t all be able to do the same things.
YES. YES. YES.
Also:
High stress actions become easier with time and slow build up. Jumping into a high stress action without experience can knock you off your feet. It takes time to build resilience.
Having a solid base in your life (supportive friends, a safe home, a rhythm that involves enough sleep and good food, time for yourself, creative outlets, etc) is an important part of being able to do high stress activism.
Having a good safety net on the day of the action (like a coördinator team, a legal team, a medic team and a psych help team)
is an important part of being able to do high stress activism.
Information and training go a long way. Knowing what to expect when arrested makes it easier to take risks that might result in arrest. Crossing a police line together to retrieve an arrested comrade is a highly coordinated move that can be done if it is trained properly.
The best way to train, exchange information, create safe lines of communication and take care of each other before, during and after an action is to form an affinity group
Always have at least one protest buddy.
And so on.
Take action safely, but take action! I’ve found myself caught in the trap of talking myself out of action when I could’ve & should’ve taken action. I think it happens to all of us. It’s really important to remember that taking action, on whatever scale, is far better than taking no action out of fear of punishment.
If there’s too many people out for graffiti? Hand out some zines or fliers. Too many cops at a demo to realistically evict Nazis? Record some license plates & get some pictures.
Remember that there more to direct action than violence and that every action must be prepared for appropriately. Do do something stupid but make sure you do SOMETHING.
The COINTELPRO Papers: Documents from the FBI’s Secret Wars of Domestic Dissent (PDF)- A breakdown of how the government attacked and sapped the strength of the Puerto Rican Independence movement, American Indian Movement, black liberation, and left organizers. Important because you can read what those crushing our comrades wrote of their own tactics.
If a Tree Falls (Documentary) – Coverage of the ELF arsons (on logging sites, horse slaughterhouses, etc – no one died), including interviews with the arsonists and investigators. Extremely important that you see the version that includes how that direct action black bloc was made (one member who’d been addicted to heroin was made to snitch by cops lying to him, then he wore a wire and visited his friends).
The Newburgh Sting (Documentary) – How the FBI used an informant to set up four impoverished black muslims in New York. Link is to the preview (which is 2 hours). Gives information on how to spot an informant.
Trust friends, be cautious of strangers (especially if they suggest you do anything illegal), and read into security culture. Direct action gets shit done.
I can’t fucking believe I’m reblogging George W Bush.
I can’t believe it either. Hell has frozen over.
you know the world is fucked when you agree with G.W Bush
I am lost and confused. How has my life come to this?
Did he really say that?
Look, Bush was bad. We all know it. He did bad things as president that I strongly disagree with. And there were many bad presidents before him. But that is the difference between what has come before and what we’re living through now.
We have had bad presidents. We have never had a president who is not only so utterly unqualified for the job as to be laughable, but also clearly has no respect for the office, or indeed any of the fundamental institutions that make up the foundation of our government.
There is a difference between a president who does bad things that have harmful results for the American people and a president who seems to be hellbent on becoming a fascist dictator as quickly as possible. There are literal Nazis at the highest levels of government. This is different. This is different. This is different.
Call me kooky but I get highly suspicious when I see a sudden push to privatize and commercialize public libraries and then almost immediately see a bunch of viral posts about “library books have bed bugs and you will get bed bugs from them.”
JUST SAYIN’.
on one hand, i get this
on the other, i met an entomologist at spouse’s school at their March for Science, who’s been studying them and consults for (Richmond? Roanoke?) government and housing for the poor, who mentioned that bedbugs have been getting really out of control in recent years, between spending cuts, general refusal to spend money on poor people, and climate change, so ???
Lemme be clear that this was in no way a call-out toward anyone, nor is it dismissive of “Eh, you could probably get pests that way”, in case someone gets that idea (I ain’t got time to act like that). AND that I didn’t really phrase things as well as I should have.
Take precautions for sure – absolutely. Seems to me a real easy way to tackle it would be to ask one’s library about whether pests have been a problem and what precautions they are taking (or you should take).
What got my goat this morning is that I’ve seen a general shape/gloss to posts pertaining to libraries recently that’s left a bad taste in my mouth.
I’ve seen several about how “loud and hot and dirty” their library is, or how “there’s homeless people there who are rude/scary/gross” or “DRUG USERS OMG” or, yes… at least one that was just barely-veiled racism. And a few posts about how libraries are for the poor, and it’s Appropriation for anyone who has an income to go there which 100% felt like trollfarm psyops shenanigans. Some of the posts gave me the impression the posters were disingenuous, others just … not real nice.
They’re gonna post what they’re gonna post and I’m gonna glare balefully at it and possibly say something on an unattached thread in my own space if I feel like grumbling. YMMV.
Yeah. To anyone who has even the most basic knowledge about how libraries work, it is blatantly obvious that we want wealthy people using libraries too. Because we’re far more than just books to loan out, but more pragmatically because they are the ones who can afford to donate.
I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but the idea of library use as “appropriation” is just so out there and contrary to how it works in reality that I can’t conceive of it coming from anywhere other than psyops.
Yeah no, libraries are a great resource for poor and marignalized people, but there’s nothing to discourage wealthier people from using the library and supporting them especially since libraries can get better funding that way (cuz of racial and economic disparities in local government budgets usually). Like the only reason I can think of that wealthier people might feel discouraged from going to the library is if they’re racist/classist/ableist/etc.
Some libraries aren’t as clean/well-maintained as others, but that is generally to my understanding and experience due to funding issues which tend to be caused by racism and classism by those making the budgets. For example the segregation of communities in Chicago is pretty fucking severe, and you can tell from the public schools and libraries if you’re in a majority white or black neighborhood by how many schools and libraries have been recently closed or downsized, the quality of facilities, and how many services are available at those places. I live in a majority black area and I always can tell when it’s a suburb or a white neighborhood for exactly this reason. A majority black school on the south side got 9% of its funding needs from the government, while a majority white one on the north side got 135% of it’s funding needs (despite already being well-maintained and having more resources to begin with). If the patrons were more diverse in race and economic status (or local governments stopped being TOTAL asshats) then those issues would be resolved.
I once saw someone point out something I hadn’t really considered before- libraries are one of the only places that are warm and dry where you can stay for long periods of time if you have no money. If you’re someone with nowhere to go during the daytime, they provide a safe environment in which to keep a roof over your head for a while- and all while you can access information.
So yes. This.
It’s weird…libraries almost feel /wrong/ now. It’s like I walk in and think “This is great…where do I put my money?”
I used to work on a campus library and if you want someplace to put your money, so to speak, make sure you put books back in the designated areas. I know you think you’re being helpful by reshelving, but even if you pull something out to read a couple paragraphs just stick it in the basket for things you didn’t want. I don’t care if you know EXACTLY where you are. In academic libraries (at least in Texas) our funding was determined by how many books people looked at. So we got additional funding based on books not being reshelved. If there’s a designated shelf/basket for things you don’t want, stick things in it!
What @standbyyourmantis said about not reshelving is true for public libraries, too. Our funding is dictated largely by how ‘used’ we are, so we scan all the items that are laying about as In House Use. That, tied with Reference Count and Door Counter numbers (we have to manually put in the time we take for references) to prove we’re providing a needed service. We also have to count the number of people who come for our programs, which not only helps funding but shows that the programming/services are needed, as well. So, basically, if you want to feel like you’re making sure we’re getting paid and staying around, keep these in mind.
I didn’t know that’s why you’re not supposed to reshelf!
Wow! That’s astounding!
LIBRARIES!!!
I’ve lost how many times I get asked about how much it costs to get a library card. It’s free. Everything is free unless it’s late or you lose an item.
Free. Free. Free. Free.
Not to mention they have programs for kids and adults, activities, usually have info on local food pantries, access to the internet, etc, etc
i never talk about these things but i can’t remain silent.
i know tumblr doesn’t give a SHIT when things happen in countries outside the “most popular ones” (such as the usa & england). it’s true, don’t lie to me. y’all don’t give A FUCK. not every issue and problem in said countries gets the appropriate exposure but in general shit shows up on the news WORLD FREAKING WIDE. you set up donations, you help out, your spread the word, you say “pray for x”……
southern europe is burning.
my country is burning.
people are dying – at home, on the road, trying to run away, in their cars.
yesterday my country had 300 active fires.
people are losing EVERYTHING they own.
i have a friend that is on a train right now passing through places that have been burnt to the ground and she says the smoke is so intense it’s getting inside the train and she can barely breathe.
and yet, even though several people (myself included) have been trying to bring awareness to what has been happening in southern europe… what we get from most of you, those not part of the countries suffering, is silence. we don’t ask for money, we don’t ask for shit other than a reblog to spread awareness… something you can delete in 24/48hrs if you wish.
i don’t know what to tell you. i’m angry. i’m frustrated. i’m disappointed. i feel like i’m screaming into the void. “a reblog does nothing” – you know that’s a damn lie, you know exposure always helps, you know people start paying attention when posts on social media become popular. my country in particular is a small one, we get ZERO exposure. y’all are only starting to figure out we even fucking exist bc of the shit we’ve been winning lately.
but hell, if the EU doesn’t give a shit, why should some user on tumblr dot com?
again, i don’t know what to tell you so i’ll let the images speak for themselves:
An image captured by a Nasa satellite shows a thick plume of smoke blowing southward from the Greek island of Chios over the island of Crete
Torneros de Jamuz, Spain
Duca, Croatia
A helicopter from Italy’s civil protection service drops water on a fire near the railway between Venice and Trieste
Residents take refuge on the beach as a wildfire burns on the mountain next to the village of Lithi, on the Greek island of Chios
Men gather cattle during a forest fire in Vieira de Leiria, Marinha Grande, Portugal.
Charred trees are seen on the hills above the Cloister of Thivaidas on Mount Athos, a World Heritage Site in Greece
Portugal
This is fucking important. I am glad someone fucking spoke about this and said what they had to say. The damage is terrible, and all the evergreen, stone, even the ground is black. I was fucking terrified when Croatia was burning. The fire was near a village where I like and I thought it will burn down. I thought the church will burn down. I thought the cemetery where my grandpa is buried will burn. I still remember the smell of smoke, and when I went to check how bad is fire, my clothes and hair and skin all stunk of smoke. It didn’t go away for weeks.
This is NASA’s picture of Croatia and Montenegro burning. My fucking country was burning. Fucking reblog this. I don’t care that it isn’t UK or US, or that it doesn’t go with your blog, fucking. Reblog. It.
Not my blog type, I dont care.
God please stay safe everyone, take care
A perfect example what is wrong with the media. I can’t recall hearing about it in the German news.
I had nightmares like this when I was little.
Dear gods this is horrible!
The world is on fire, literally and metaphorically.
Last year southern italy was literally burnt down and nobody cared. Even the fucking vesuvius and fucking positano were burning. So i’m reblogging the fuck out of this
that’s what happened to Spain last year. need to reblog
The bodies of 26 people in Greece were found huddled together on a field close to the beach. A woman who had made it to the water with her 3 Yr old told the press people were running from their cars towards the water, but the fire moved so quickly she knew many of the people behind her wouldn’t make it. She found the path to the beach, but those 26 people? They didn’t find the path in time. The terror they must have suffered in their last moments doesn’t bare thinking about, but at the same time we have to confront this. If we turn away, we are complicit. These aren’t entirely natural disasters after all, this is climate change in action. And it will continue to get worse.
Disheveled Mess 