is anybody else in that weird state where quarantine is a blessing for half of you and your mental state and the other half of you and your mental state is being completely obliterated and destroyed. bc same
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Hey, if youâre not black and canât get out and protest but want to know how you can help black people, consider donating to the Black Covid Relief Fund which goes directly to black people whoâve been affected by this pandemic. Black People are being disproportionately affected by this virus and anything you can give helps.
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What have the protests accomplished?
5/26Â 4 officers fired for murdering George Floyd
5/27 Charges dropped for Kenneth Walker (Breonna Taylorâs boyfriend, who police accused of killing her)
5/28 University of Minnesota cancels contract with police
5/28 3rd precinct police station neutralized by protesters
5/28 Minneapolis transit union refuses to bring police officers to protests or transport arrested protesters
5/29 Activists commandeer Minneapolis hotel to provide shelter to homeless
5/29 Former officer Chauvin arrested and charged with murder
5/29Â Louisville Mayor suspends âno-knockâ warrants
5/30Â US Embassies across Africa condemn police murder of George Floyd
5/30Â Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison takes over prosecution of the murdering officer
5/30Â Transport Workers Union refuses to help NYPD transport arrests protesters
5/30Â Maryland lawmakers forming work group on police reform, accountability
5/31Â 2 abusive officers fired for pulling a couple out of their car and tasing them - Atlanta, GA
6/1Â Minneapolis public schools end contract with police
6/1Â Confederate monument removed after being toppled by protesters - Birmingham, AL
6/1 CA prosecutors launch campaign to stop DAs from accepting police union money
6/1 Tulsa Mayor agrees to not renew Live PD contract
6/1Â Louisville police chief fired after shooting of David Mcatee
6/1 Congress begins bipartisan push to cut off police access to military gear
6/1 Atlanta announces plans to create a task force and public database to track police brutality in metro Atlanta area
6/2 Minneapolis AFL-CIO calls for resignation of police union president Bob Kroll, a vocal white supremest
6/2Â Pittsburgh transit union announces refusal to transport police officers or arrest protesters
6/2Â Racist ex-mayor Frank Rizzo statue removed in Philadelphia
6/2Â 6 abusive officers charged for violence against residents and protesters - Atlanta, GA
6/2Â Civil rights investigation of Minneapolis Police Dept launched
6/2Â San Francisco resolution to prevent law enforcement from hiring officers with history of misconduct
6/2Â Survey indicates that 64% of those polled are sympathetic to protesters, 47% disapprove of police handling of the protests, and 54% think the burning down of the Minneapolis police precinct was fully or partially justified
6/2 Trenton NJ announces policing reforms
6/2Â Minneapolis City Council members consider disbanding the police
6/2Â Confederate statue removed from Alexandria, VA
6/3 Officer fired for tweets promoting violence against protesters - Denver, CO
6/3 Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Institute of Art cut ties with the MPD
6/3Â Chauvin charges upgraded to second degree murder, remaining 3 officers also charged and taken into custody
6/3Â Richmond VA Mayor Stoney announces RPD reform measures: establish âMarcusâ alert for folks experiencing mental health crises, establish independent Citizen Review Board, an ordinance to remove Confederate monuments, and implement racial equity study
6/3Â County commissioners deny proposal for $23 million expansion of Fulton County jail
6/3 Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board unanimously votes to sever ties with MPD
6/3Â Seattle withdraws request to end federal oversight/consent decree of police department
6/3Â Breonna Taylorâs case reopened
6/3 Louisville police department (Breonna Taylorâs murderers) will now be under review from an outside agency, which will include review on training, bias-free policing and accountability
6/3 Colorado lawmakers introduce a police reform bill that includes body cam laws, repealing the âfleeing felonâ statute, and banning chokeholds
6/3 Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announces plans to reduce funding to police department by $150M and instead invest in minority communities
6/4 Virginia governor announces plans to remove Robert E. Lee statue from Richmond
6/4Â Portland schools superintendent discontinues presence of armed police officers in schools
6/4Â MBTA (Metro Boston) board orders that buses wont transport police to protests, or protesters to police
6/4 King County Labor Federation issues ultimatum to police unions: admit to and address racism in Seattle PD, or be removed
6/5Â City of Minneapolis bans all chokeholds by police
6/5Â Racist ex-mayor Hubbard statue removed - Dearborn, MI
6/5Â NFL condemns racism and admits it should have listened to playersâ protests
6/5Â California Governor Gavin Newsom calls for statewide use-of-force standard made along with community leaders and ban on carotid holds
6/5 2 Buffalo officers suspended within a day of pushing 75 year old protester to the ground, and lying about it
6/5Â 2 NYPD officers suspended after videos of violence to protesters
6/5Â The US Marines bans display of the Confederate flag
6/5Â Dallas adopts a âduty to interveneâ rule that requires officers to stop other cops who are engaging in excessive use of force
6/5Â Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax releases an 11-point action plan for immediate police reforms
6/6Â Statue of Confederate general Williams Carter Wickham torn down - Richmond, VA
6/6Â 2 Buffalo officers charged with second-degree assault for shoving elderly man
6/6Â San Francisco Mayor London Breed announces effort to defund police and redirect funds to Black community
6/7Â Frank Rizzo mural removed, to be replaced with new artwork - Philadelphia, PA
6/7Â Minneapolis City Council members announce intent to disband the police department, invest in proven community-led public safety
6/7Â Protesters in Bristol topple statue of slave trader Edward Colston, throw it in the river
6/7Â NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio vows for the first time to cut funding for NYPD, redirect to social services
6/7Â A Virginia police officer faces charges after using a stun gun on a black man
6/8 NY State Assembly passes the Eric Garner Anti-Chokehold Act
6/8Â Democrats in Congress unveil a bill to rein in bias and excessive force in policing
6/8Â Black lawmakers block a legislative session in Pennsylvania to demand action on police reform
6/8Â France bans police use of chokeholds
6/8 Seattle council members join calls to defund police department
6/8Â Boston reevaluates how it funds police department
6/8Â Honolulu Police Commission nominees voice support for more transparency, reforms
6/8Â Rights groups and Floydâs family call for a UN inquiry into American policing and help with systemic police reform
No, itâs not enough, but this is only the beginning. Keep fighting!!!
(This list comes from Mara Ahmedâs blog post and was compiled by Fahd Ahmed; I added sources and new entries. Please reblog with further additions.)
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teens and weird adults like me of tumblr, i am asking a favor of you: please arm yourself with the knowledge of how the Internet Archive National Emergency Library lending system operated prior to its dissolution so you are not bamboozled by the weird barrage of bizarre lies being spread about it. for a group of people who claim to love reading, none of the people criticizing it apparently bothered to actually look into how the archive functioned and are now willing to destroy one of the most important and valuable resources available to everyone, everywhere.
iâm going to try to make my case here, and i have no doubt there will be gnashing of teeth from people arguing the letter of the law over the spirit of it but i will address that as well. the âdamageâ done to publishers was near nonexistent but in exchange the publishers who have filed the lawsuit are willing to destroy the archive under the crushing weight of monetary punishment.
the Internet Archive is literally an online library and is recognized as a library by the state of california. it is not a pirate site.
you cannot download the books on the internet archive website. the only book available for download are those in the public domain. all other books can be checked out the same as you would check out any other e-book at any other brick and mortar library. you can borrow the book for 14 days. the books are protected with DRM and copyright protection to prevent theft.
the books online are purchased or donated, and then scanned. you can only borrow as many books as there are physical copies available at the library. so if there is one copy of war and peace  available as an e-book and i check it out, you will have to wait until iâm done with it to check it out yourself. this is slightly different than how regular libraries do it, but regular libraries are currently at war with publishers over e-books and how they fit into libraries.
the national emergency library was temporary. it was slated to last from march 24th to june 30th. it was made specifically in response to the pandemic.
the only change to the current process of book lending was the suspension of wait-lists. this means that for 3 months, multiple people could check out the same book for 14 days. they were able to accomplish this by using the collections from the phillips academy andover, marygrove college, and trent university. the statement from the Internet Archive includes this information:
During the waitlist suspension, users will be able to borrow books from the National Emergency Library without joining a waitlist, ensuring that students will have access to assigned readings and library materials that the Internet Archive has digitized for the remainder of the US academic calendar, and that people who cannot physically access their local libraries because of closure or self-quarantine can continue to read and thrive during this time of crisis, keeping themselves and others safe. Â
⊠Public support for this emergency measure has come from over 100 individuals, libraries and universities across the world, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).  âUbiquitous access to open digital content has long been an important goal for MIT and MIT Libraries. Learning and research depend on it,â said Chris Bourg, Director of MIT Libraries. âIn a global pandemic, robust digital lending options are key to a libraryâs ability to care for staff and the community, by allowing all of us to work remotely and maintain the recommended social distancing.â
⊠A final note on calling this a âNational Emergencyâ Library.  We lend to the world, including these books. We chose that language deliberately because we are pegging the suspension of the waitlists to the duration of the US national emergency.  Users all over the world have equal access to the books now available, regardless of their location.
ok, there are 2 things i want to address now:
the argument that by supporting this writers donât make money: the fault for this does not and will never lay at the feet of librarians. after reading all of the above, i would find it very difficult to sincerely believe that an authorâs royalty money was severely impacted by three months of 14 days library checkouts. we really cannot allow ourselves to start declaring libraries as our financial enemies because they allow the poor to access things they otherwise would not be able to access. institutions that make information freely available to the public need to be preserved at all costs (source: was librarian).
this is a fault in the publisher. the publisher is the one who profits the most from a book sale and the publisher is the one who is filing the lawsuit. the publishing industry is a group of leeches that cling to you as you slowly attempt to make a living.
a library does not hurt profits. a library is a public service.
even if you want to adhere to the letter of the law, i find it extremely difficult to condemn the actions of the internet archive. there was no financial reason for what they did, no malice and no ulterior motive. their national emergency library was a response to brick and mortar libraries being closed in the wake of a pandemic and shutting off a stream of information to people who needed it (especially students!). in response to catastrophe they stepped up and offered a solution. to condemn them under false pretenses (as many did, by calling it a pirate site and weirdly claiming you could download books an unlimited amount of times [?]) has been calamitous.
this was a huge post lol. if you really read this thank you. i hope it made sense. my motive for writing this is not bc i think writers should be poor and should work for free so donât get it twisted (i draw a dumbass webcomic so i Get It). i just really like libraries and am really upset at the smear job this one got.
please donate to the internet archive.
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Just a heads up
You know those âdonate by watchingâ videos going around for BLM? Iâve made a list of all of em I could find. 8 of the 28 I found have been removed from youtube. This happened around the same time I believe, as they were all there mere hours ago.Â
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CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS
CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALSÂ
CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALSÂ
CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS
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itch.io is offering a 743-game bundle including night in the woods, oxenfree, and overland, for as little as $5! just skimming the list, i also see tons of lgbt+ and poc-centric games available. 100% of contributions go to NAACP legal defense and educational fund and community bail fund. if thereâs a game you were already thinking of buying, spend that money here instead and get an extra 742 as a gift!Â
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List of Black Lives Matter and Racial Equality Petitions to sign:
one of the most comprehensive, well-rounded, and well researchd compilations of blm related resources (includes petitions, donation links, venmo accounts, names of people in need, etc) thats out there. please share this link everywhere and anywhere.Â
a black lives matter carrd that includes petitions, donation links, blm movement information, links on how to donate to BLM without spending money, black owned businesses, etc.Â
Justice for George Floyd
Justice for George Floyd 2
Justice for George Floyd 3
Charge the Officers Responsible for George Floydâs MurderÂ
Charge the Officers Responsible for George Floydâs Murder 2
Justice For Ahmuad Arbery
Justice For Ahmuad Arbery 2
Justice for Breonna Taylor
Stand with Breonna
Charge Officers Responsible for Breonna Taylorâs Murder
Justice For Tamir Rice
Justice For JoÄo Pedro
Justice for Alejandro Vargas Martinez
Justice for Belly Mujinga.
Justice for Rashad Cunningham
Justice For Tony McDade
Justice for Dion Johnson
Justice for Jennifer Jeffley
Justice for Young Uwa
Justice for Elijah Nichols
Justice for Tete Gulley
Justice for Tazne Van Wyk
Justice for Michael Dean
Justice For Amari Boone
Justice for Darrius Stewart
Justice for Shukri Abdi
Justice for Ashton Dickson
Justice For Darrius Stewart
Justice for David McAtee
Justice for Cameron Green
Justice for Crystal Mason
Justice For Zinedine
Justice for Regis Korchinski-Paquet
Justice for Christopher Josey
Justice for Amiya Braxton
Justice For Emerald Black
Justice for Andile Mchunu
Justice for Cameron Green
Justice for Tamla Horsford
Justice for Collins Khosa
Justice for Sean Monterrosa
Free Siyanda
Reopen Sandra Blandâs CaseÂ
Free Willie Simmons who has served 38 years for a $9 robbery
Get Washington State to Hold Police Officers Accountable for Police Brutality
Arrest Officer Jared Campbell for macing a childÂ
Demand Jail Time for Dylan Mota and Jacob Robles
Demand Jail Time for All Police who Murder Innocent People
Fire Racist Criminal Michael J Reynolds from the NYPD
Petition for Nationwide Police De-Escalation Training
Petition for Nationwide Police Required Racial Bias Test
stop immigrants being poisoned by ICEBan the use of inhumane rubber bullets
Demand a retrial for Angel Bumpass wrongfully convicted 13 year old with a life sentence
End Police Brutality and Violence Against BIPOC in the USA
Ban the use of rubber bullets for crowd control
Join Campaign Zero
Drop All Charges Against Incarcerated Trafficking Survivor Chrystul Kizer!
Reopen Kendrick Johnsonâs Case
Abolish Prison Labour in the USA
Require Dash and Body Cameras for the King County Sheriffâs Office
Donation Links
A thread of Youtuve videos you can stream to donate to BLM
Official George Floyd Memorial Fund
OFFICIAL Gianna Floyd Fund (George Floydâs child)
Black Lives Matter
We Cant Breathe
43 Bail Funds to Support
Homeless Black Trans women fund
Split a donation between 70+ community bail funds, mutual aid funds, and racial justice organizers
Minnesota Healing Justice Network
Women for Political Change
Spiral Collective
When We All Vote
National List of Bail and Mutual Aid Funds/Organizers/Black Owned Businesses
Venmo names of black trans people that need help
Latino Community on Lake Street
Black Immigrant Collective
Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha
Atlanta Black Owned Business Relief
Al Maa'uun
Remembering Shana
IsuroonÂ
Fundraising for destroyed black owned businesses
Joyce Preschool
Black Table Arts
Northside business support
Du Nord Riot Recovery Fund
Unicorn Riot
Donate to Destiny Harrison & her daughter Dreamâs Legacy
Pimento Relief Fund
Southside Harm Reduction
West Broadway Business and Area Coalition
Division of Indian Work
TC Care Collective
Justice for Breonna Taylor
Justice for Jamee
Justice for David McAtee
HOW TO DONATE INTERNATIONALLY/SITES THAT ACCEPT INTERNATIONAL CURRENCYÂ
HOW DONATE WITH NO MONEY
HOW TO DONATE WITH NO MONEY BY STREAMING THIS
HOW TO DONATE TO BLM BY SHARING LINKS
A list of black owned businesses we should be supporting! + a list of black owned businesses we should be supporting that accept international currency!
* this list is constantly updated so please keep checking back for new information on petitions and ways to donate!!
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BAIL FUNDS FOR PROTESTERS
ATLANTA
LOUISVILLE
HOUSTON
BROOKLYN
please reblog if you have links for bail funds in other cities or other resources!
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in the wake of yet another black person being murdered by police, hereâs a list of relevant fundraisers and organizations that could use your support right now.Â
this is specifically a call to action for fellow white people. if youâre white and youâre in any way able to, donate.
George Floydâs memorial fund
Minnesota Freedom Fund:Â âWe value a society that values its people, their freedom and recognizes their contribution to the greater good. A society that does not condition pretrial freedom on class or identity, that has ended mass incarceration, and that invests in restorative and transformative justice.â
Black Visions Collective, an org that strives to âshape a political home for Black people across Minnesota. We aim to center our work in healing and transformative justice principles, intentionally develop our organizations core DNA to ensure sustainability, and develop Minnesotaâs emerging Black leadership to lead powerful campaigns.â
Reclaim the Block, which âorganizes Minneapolis community and city council members to move money from the police department into other areas of the cityâs budget that truly promote community health and safety. We believe health, safety and resiliency exist without police of any kind. We organize around policies that strengthen community-led safety initiatives and reduce reliance on police departments.â
Black Lives Matter National
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you know, for all I joke about quarantine being my normal life, I never realised how much I liked having the option to go out if I want to.
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for everyone whoâs a bit sick of being stuck indoors
I know that feel. Iâve been in isolation for about four years due to illness. It was letâs say a very difficult life change. I crashed out of the world pretty hard and spent a few months in bed in constant pain wishing I was dead, while everyone thought I was just being incredibly rude. It sucked.
Iâm saying this because Iâm about to drop a few pieces of advice and I want you to know that theyâre coming from a place of experience and empathy.
We are nowhere near the end of this crisis. We need to be ready for the long haul, because we still have months of isolation, restriction, and caution ahead of us. This is normal now. Thatâs a lot to deal with. This sucks.
And hey if youâre still enjoying the veg-out binging netflix in your pyjamas with a bucket of chicken phase, thatâs great. You deserve to rest. Come back to this post later when you need it.
But if youâre realising thereâs actually a limit to how long social media, TV, and video games can keep you civil? Let me help with that.
0. Thank you. Iâm immunocompromised, so thank you for staying home, washing your hands, and following the guidelines to flatten the curve and slow the spread of the virus so I donât die. I know itâs hard. Remember youâre doing a good thing.
1. Keep using the internet to stay in touch and communicate with people so you feel less lonely. Use social media to socialise, not as a news source. Learn new things, fall in a wikihole, tell someone something interesting you just found out. But logging off will do you a power of good.
2. You need to engage your other senses to stave off depression. Your body and your senses need to be kept occupied, not just your brain. Learn to cook from scratch, try new recipes, bake something, have a home spa day, light that fancy scented candle youâve been holding on to for a special occasion.
3. Oh yeah, whatever youâve been holding onto for a special occasion, bust that baby out now. The nice outfit, the posh food, the fancy soap, whatever little treats you have squirreled away. Instead of saving them for a special occasion, use them to create an occasion and make it special. If nothing else, it will help stop the days blurring into each other quite so horribly.
4. Donât get drunk. A drink is ok, but a hangover will make everything feel worse.
5. Your round toit is here. Mend and repair those things, do a deep clean, rearrange that room, organise that stuff, do some arts and crafts, try a new hobby. Make and do something with your hands. BUT! Pace yourself. Spread things out a bit. Do a little bit of this and that each day, instead of doing one thing all day or everything in one day.
6. Donât sleep in. Go to bed early, take naps, get your rest, but if youâre going to have to go back to work after this, you really donât want to let your sleep pattern shift, and the best way to avoid that is by not sleeping in. Sorry. Really, I am so sorry.
7. You need to move your body, especially when you feel anxious. Anxiety is in the body, you canât think your way out of it, you need to move. Yoga is uh fine I guess, pretty good for stress, but tai chi is actually a lot better for anxiety. Or do some bodyweight exercises, or pilates. Or come up with some choreography and rehearse it and then perform it in the street for your neighbours. Or just pace around the house like a zoo animal, and roar occasionally. Roaring helps too.
8. Mind your diet. I know itâs a hassle when you canât go grocery shopping as often and youâre probably eating more tinned and frozen foods than usual, but do your best to vary your meals and eat a balanced diet. Donât add nutritional deficiencies and the misery of food boredom to your problems. And stay hydrated.
9. Look after something living. If you donât have a child or a pet or a garden or a houseplant, try growing some sprouts or microgreens, or start a sourdough mother or a ginger bug. Nurturing and caring for something alive (even yeast) is incredibly healing and stabilising. Also weâre starting to realise plants are super important for mental, emotional, and physical health. Humans need green time, so if you donât have a houseplant maybe see about getting one.
10. Be thankful. I donât mean in a stupid platitude way like âsome people have it worseâ or anything fake like that. You can still be angry, bored, outraged, frightened, disappointed, exhausted, dismayed. But to avoid falling into meaningless grey despair, set aside a few minutes each day and find things to be grateful about on purpose. It doesnât have to be big. Your pet has been super affectionate? Favourite youtuber uploaded? Weather was kind of nice? New episode of that show you like? Chair comfy af? Tasty breakfast? Recognise it and be thankful for it. You donât have to be thankful TO anyone or anything in particular, just be thankful FOR something in particular. Try for five things per day to start, but do more if you want.
11. Take some cosy time. I think this is maybe kind of like hygge? Spend some time each day doing something that makes you feel calm and cosy and safe. Build a blanket fort or snuggle up with a hot drink and a book, and just be cosy for an hour or so. This is a very stressful and frightening event weâre all going through so making a deliberate effort to cultivate feelings of warmth, contentment, and safety every day will help fend off trauma.
12. Speaking of books, reading a book engages your brain differently from watching a movie or listening to a podcast, and is very good for your brain and mood. If you have a to-read pile youâre probably already making a dent in it but if you donât, or if youâve reached the bottom of it, a lot of writers and publishers are offering free ebooks to help with isolation. You can read ebooks on your phone if you donât have an ereader or tablet.
13. Balance your news intake. Restrict the amount of time you spend looking at news about the pandemic, and limit yourself to a few reliable sources. For every hour you spend reading the news and watching the scary numbers go up, spend an hour specifically looking for good news. Incompetent governments are failing their people, a minority of profiteers are trying to take advantage of the situation, and a lot of people are sick and dying, but thatâs not the whole story. People can be SO GOOD. Did you hear about the medical drama shows donating their PPE to hospitals & fire departments? And the cosplayers and actors doing in-character birthday videos for kids who canât have parties? People are helping each other, taking care of each other, there is so much good news so look for it, and then share it.
14. Get fresh air & sunshine. If you have a garden or a balcony, use it. Spend as much time there as the weather allows. Open your windows, weather permitting. Pull a chair up next to a window and read a book. Depending on your location, you may even be safe to shove your hands in your pockets and go for a walkâbut keep at least 2m away from other people and if youâre in a hard lockdown or enforced quarantine, donât flout it.
15. If youâre working from home, be able to close a door on your work space. When I worked remotely I had the computer set up in a wardrobe because I didnât have a wholeass room for it, and I would unplug it and close the door on it at the end of my shift, it was a real sanity saver. Even if you donât passionately hate your job, be able to close a door on it. Closing a physical door helps your brain to keep your work compartmentalised away from your home life, and helps you control work-related stress.
16. Do something for someone else. Weâre a social species, we have a fundamental need to help others. It makes us feel connected, less isolated, and thatâs something we all need right now. If you have a sewing machine, make masks for people who need them. If you have money, drop some of it on gofundmeâs to help people whoâve lost their jobs make rent. If you bought too much toilet paper and youâre starting to realise that was a mistake, ask your neighbours if they need any. Live stream a cooking class. Teach someone how to use skype. There is something you can do to help someone else, so find it and do it. You will feel better for it.
17. The corollary to helping is: accept help from others. Helping others is one way we strengthen our social bonds, accepting help is another. Plus right now thereâs a lot of ways that accepting help is also helping others. If someone offers to pick up groceries or a prescription for you while theyâre getting their own, thatâs helping everyone, the fewer people in the stores the better.
18. Avoid platitudes. Theyâre actually harmful, not helpful. Be sincere, both in expressing your own feelings and when other people share theirs with you. To be perfectly honest Iâm pretty bad at this, itâs hard not to make jokes and deflect, but itâs so important right now to communicate authentically. I know how uncomfortable it can be but do your best. When we feel deeply heard and understood, we feel less alone. Itâs still ok to be silly and goofy, just be honest and compassionate as well.
19. Mind your temper. Try not to lash out or get drawn into arguments, it wonât make you feel any better. You might get an easy rush and some attention out of it, but afterwards youâll just feel more isolated than ever, and you risk permanently alienating people around you.
20. Everyoneâs process is different. Donât try to police other peopleâs emotions. Respect that weâre all processing this at different speeds and in different ways. Weâre off the map, in an unprecedented situation, thereâs no ârightâ way to feel about that. Invalidating other peopleâs feelings is a surefire way to push them away, and we all donât need any of that right now.
21. Keep taking care of yourself. Keep cleaning your teeth, bathing, changing your clothes, brushing your hair, doing your laundry. Keep taking your meds, doing your exercises, getting enough sleep, eating on time. Not just to avoid a big personal crisis when itâs time to go outside again, but also because you deserve it.
Covid-19 is showing us whatâs really important. After this is over, donât forget about it. Remember service workers, warehouse workers, and other âunskilledâ workers keeping the supermarkets running. Remember farmers and factory workers stepping up production to refill the shelves, and truckers hauling the goods. Remember doctors and nurses, orderlies and cleaners, working overtime, understaffed, underprepared, and under-equipped, to care for the sick and dying. Remember artists, writers, musicians, actors, performers, designers, and developers keeping you sane. Remember the garbage collectors and the street sweepers, and the folks who work at power, water, and sewage plants. Remember delivery drivers, couriers, and postal workers. Remember the disability and chronic illness communities reaching out to help you navigate your visit to our everyday reality. After this is over, be kind, and pay it forward. Tip generously, mind your manners, and donât look down on anyone for their job or ability level. Fight for better wages and working conditions, better accommodations, and better social safety nets. Show up for the people who are showing up for you.
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Please share for your fellow animators or aspiring ones!
For a little note on how to download it, got to the site, select the Fundementals Of Animation, and then Add to Cart, and order!
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Study Tip #19
âFailure is part of successâ and âFailure teaches more than successâ are sentences only uttered by people who havenât failed.
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Speak His Name
âNo one is actually dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away.ââSir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 - 12 March 2015)
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TAKE BACK THE FALLS
A little stress-off pic, still working on big-big art for artzine..
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Christopher Tolkien, thank you for everything.
No matter how many times I reread the Silmarillion and the History of Middle-earth, these stories never fail to move me to tearsânot just of sadness but also of joy and wonder. The Darkening of Valinor; the first rising of the Sun and Moon; the rescue of Maedhros; Finrod meeting BĂ«or and his kindred; the tale of Beren and LĂșthien; all the heroic deeds of the First Age, not to mention the Ainulindalë⊠These things are larger than life to me. You helped bring them to life. I cannot fathom what a task it was to edit and publish them. It is so clear how lovingly and carefully you have reproduced your fatherâs world. And no one else could have done it! If not for you, people like me would never have been able to witness the beauty and tragedy of the Elder Days⊠to behold Gondolin in all its glory; to feel TĂșrinâs sorrow at Belegâs death; to witness the greatest battles in the history of Arda; to imagine the bliss of Valinor; to listen to Finrod and Andrethâs heartbreaking conversation about the fates of their two peoples⊠I cannot imagine what my life would be like without it (nor do I want to).
When people ask me which is my favorite Tolkien book, I find it an absurd question, because they are all one story. But much of that story would never have been told without you, and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for telling it. I enjoy each and every one of your footnotes, every detailed explanation of why you made various editing choices about plot points and the phrasing of sentences. âThank youâ doesnât even begin to cover it.Â
I want to end by mentioning one of my favorite lines in the Silmarillion. (I certainly donât have only one favorite, but this is one that I think of often.)
It is said by the Eldar that in water there lives yet the echo of the Music of the Ainur more than in any substance else that is in this Earth; and many of the Children of IlĂșvatar hearken still unsated to the voices of the Sea, and yet know not for what they listen.
This is simply so beautiful and moving that I donât know quite what to say about it. But it evokes a feeling of longing that I understand very well. I love the sea, but more than that, this is exactly how I feel about your fatherâs workâand especially about the stories of the Elder Days. They seem to contain the most enchanting music imaginable, and no amount of listening can ever satisfy me. Like the sea, there are endless depths in which I can immerse myself. Thank you for letting me experience that.Â
This was part of the letter that I wrote to Christopher Tolkien less than two weeks ago, not knowing how soon he would pass away. Nothing can express how sad this news makes me. He was a brilliant and exceptional man who truly honored his fatherâs legacy. I donât know if he ever received my letter, but I hope that he knew how much his work means to so many people, even if he may never know how much it means to me personally. Without him, many of the stories of Middle-earth would never have been told. Because of his tireless efforts, they will live forever.Â
Thank you for everything, Christopher Tolkien. Whither you go, may you find light.
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