ysabeau-valikov

[ysabeau-valikov]

Last Week Tonight, March 16, 2022

[ysabeau-valikov]

Some things I think people are overlooking in the tiktok ban bill, because it's not just a tiktok ban:

It gives the US government to ban *any* app, website, or company they believe to be "controlled" by an "adversarial power" which can change whenever they want

It allows the President and the Administrative branch almost unilateral power to designate *any* app, website, or company to be under the control of an "adversarial power" (and just think about how thelat can be used un the hands of, say, Donald Trump or Ron DeSantis)

They have to offer little to no evidence for this. For example, tiktok - a Singaporean-headquartered and ran company, partially owned by US interests, incorporated in the Cayman Islands, and whose userdata is stored Austin, TX - is apparently controlled by the Chinese government

It also gives the Federal Government the ability to investigate and shut down any provider who gives access to these banned websites or services, including VPN. They will have unilateral power to dismantle VPNs through outrageous fines what will essentially force them to not operate in the US

A lot of the Congressional Representatives who supported this bill have large donors and/or stock in US Tech companies like Meta, Google, or Palantier who would benefit from the downfall of tiktok or the ability to purchase it and monopolize the market

Those same tech companies which sell our data constantly anyway, including to "adversarial powers"

This is so much more than just a tiktok ban.

[ysabeau-valikov]

so the house of representatives just passed a bill that will now move to the senate to BAN tik tok completely in the united states and they are expected to argue that “national security risks” outweigh the freedom of speech and first amendment rights. biden has already said that if it gets to him, he will sign it. whether or not you use the app…….this is something to be worried about

[ysabeau-valikov]

Why you NEED to vote!!

This is so serious. Do not withhold your vote. It's not going to send the message you think it is.

It never will. It will not be the 'devastating blow' or 'learning lesson' to the Democratic party as a whole- they won't learn a thing by you withholding your vote. It won't help Palestine- if anything it will make you complicit in whatever further harm comes to Palestinians when your "protest" results in Trump/the Republican Party winning the election, because they've already stated that they will back Israel no matter what.

Know what sends a better message than not voting? Voting for the other candidate, or voting "Uncommitted," in the primary.

So many of you are forgetting about the Primary!!

Currently there are two other notable* Democratic candidates (Dean Phillips & Marianne Williamson) and four notable* Third Party candidates (Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Chase Oliver, Jill Stein, & Cornel West). People have also been writing in Claudia De La Cruz. *In this context, notable means that a candidate appears on enough ballots to stand a chance to win a majority of the Electoral College, as according to Ballotpedia.

And let me tell you, even though only a few Democratic primaries have passed as of the writing of this post, their results already seem to be having the desired effect, because Biden started pushing harder for a ceasefire right after he lost 13% of the vote in the Michigan Primary to "Uncommitted."

Of course it's not perfect, but if 13% in one state could have even that much sway, imagine what could be accomplished on Super Tuesday* if everyone went out and did the same in their states? That's what could actually stand a chance at getting the Biden administration (and rest of the Democratic party) to scramble towards doing what we want. Withholding your vote won't do shit, I'm sorry. They only notice/care where the cast votes go- not votes that are absent. And unfun fact, Trump was elected by only about 25% of eligible voters. We got Trump because so many people (43%) DIDN'T vote in 2016. This is why turnout is such a big deal- your vote absolutely does matter. *Super Tuesday [March 5th] is the day where several [15] US states hold their primary election.

Need another reason? There are 468 seats up for election. All 435 seats in the House, and 33 seats in the Senate. That is huge.

Currently Republicans hold majority in the House. This is a chance to change that- to flip seats! We have the chance to tip the scales further away from fascism instead of further toward it- But we can only do that if people get out and VOTE. Vote in the primary to choose your candidate, and then vote again in November to try and secure a blue majority and actually get shit done.

Do not withhold your vote!

Withholding your vote isn't a rebellion, it's silencing your own voice. It's complicity in whatever bad thing happens when the bad people win. It's an active sabotage of the things you supposedly want.

And to those who think "Oh who cares if things get worse for us! People in Palestine are already suffering in unimaginably worse ways!" I need you to reflect, and realize that trying to punish yourself because you feel guilty that you're not suffering with them will not help them. It's not "solidarity." It's not heroic. I'm having trouble finding the right words, but to think it comes anywhere close is a slap in the face to those actually suffering. If anything it will only make their situation even worse if Trump wins. Again, the Republican party has already stated it's intentions to back Israel no matter what.

You need to make sure that your actions aren't just you trying to assuage your own guilt because you feel bad that you can't help more. And you need to make sure that you aren't holding these guilty feelings over the actual needs of Palestinians and that you're not speaking over them in your "activism."

I'll say again, Do not withhold your vote. Do not silence your voice.

We have a chance to make this better, but we can only do it if we all do the work- and voting is the bare minimum of said work.

So make sure to get out and vote in your primary!

#usa

[ysabeau-valikov]

#come back to me #insp

[ysabeau-valikov]

#come back to me #insp

[ysabeau-valikov]

#i want to draw these #note to self

[ysabeau-valikov]

Added a friend :)

Feeling a little homesick for the pines…

[ysabeau-valikov]

Feeling a little homesick for the pines…

#painting #original art #forest #pines #moon #pine trees #mist #misty #fog #stars #sunset #twilight #evening #the singing in the sky

[ysabeau-valikov]

Would anyone be able and willing to help me translate this, or tell me where to go to do so? I found them at a thrift store. And I'm so glad I did!

#kemetic #egyptian #hieroglyphics #help #egypt #kemet #language #translation

[ysabeau-valikov]

I'm not sure I've got the hang of the underpainting yet, but this was an excellent and very rewarding project.

#painting #acrylic #angelic realms #ocean #beach #clouds #good vibes #can you hear the singing?

[ysabeau-valikov]

Working on my costume design. I should start now if I want to get all that beading done. But funds are unfortunately not high atm.

#costume design #water fairy #for Halloween #original art #sketchy

[ysabeau-valikov]

I guess I’m in a blue and purple phase. Trying out a different approach to the shading process, what do you think?

#elf #original art #pearls #digital painting #portrait #purple blue #I want to name her Ithilien #but ik that’s from lotr

[ysabeau-valikov]

So happy to be playing dnd again! My tiefling Anākis, descended from the God(des) of Shadows. She’s a necromancy wizard who doesn’t like to create undead. It’s been a while since I painted digitally, and I haven’t painted anything quite like this, she was an interesting subject.

#dungeons and dragons #oc #tiefling #indigo #Anākis #portrait #digital #artists on tumblr #sketchy

[ysabeau-valikov]

Ok, I just found your blog and your art is so gorgeous I love it and your styles so much fun. I came here from the recent patton and lena sketch but dude I literally fell in love with it. Just stunning. Hope you have a nice day! 💕

Thank you anon ♥️ I think you're my first real anon, how weird is that? There's nothing you can hear, as an artist, that's more encouraging than that people feel inspired by your art, or that they remember and think of it. This was so nice to receive, thank you.

#i needed this today #thanks you guys

[ysabeau-valikov]

With @staff 's recent post saying 1/4 of this site is LGBTQ going around, I'd like to see what the actual demographic is

So!

Please reblog for bigger sample size!

[ysabeau-valikov]

Thanks for all of the recent feedback around Community Labels being incorrectly applied to content. In particular, we appreciate the input we’ve received from the LGBTQIA+ community and understand the frustrations from folks who felt that their content was unfairly labeled. When we realized this was happening, we immediately investigated and are taking steps to prevent this from happening again.

The LGBTQIA+ community makes up about a quarter of the Tumblr community. It is important for us to support all Tumblr users, especially those whose safe spaces are under threat in certain parts of the world.

As you know, alongside of the rollout of Community Labels we also expanded the types of content allowed on Tumblr as a way to welcome more creativity, art, and self-expression. Our goals remain the same today. Human error happens and we apologize to anyone who has been impacted by these mistakes.

We are working to better understand what happened and will follow up with more information soon.