I hear you.
Their world has been turned to shiite shite repeatedly by forces and people who will in all likelihood never see justice. I hate it.
But.
I am inspired beyond words that these survivors sound like they have retained their humanity, defying all logic. The eldest is concerned about his siblingsâ education deficit, for goodness sake. I have no idea how they could manage to start a GoFundMe etc., but ye gods, thereâs gotta be a wayâŚ
Their story is doubtless one of many similar stories doubtless unfolding in all the warring places where people kill each other at scale. We U.S.ians mostly live in ignorance of not only their stories and these peoplesâ very existence, but how quickly it can change for any of us, how suddenly things can devolve into chaos.
As a child of empire, I both benefited from and have no illusions that the Pax Americana was never 100% based on peace. One need only remember the fates of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Patrice Lumumba, Mohammed Mossadeq, this list is shockingly long (Howard Zinn did a great job in 1980 in his recountings) and I am fully cognizant that I am writing to you, a history professor.
Btw some of the sections at the end of this wiki entry were a wake-up call for me as they mention the current âadministrationâ we are now living under. Weâll see how long wikipedia can fight off the inevitable. I hope they are not funded by any federal government. I sure hope they have good lawyers.
ETA:
typo
Yes, and I in turn hear you (and Mindy!). I think that in order to stay sane, we aware citizens within Fortress USA must close our eyes and ears some of the time to the horrors inflicted in our name, and often to our benefit. Yet we also feel an urge to resist effectively, somehow.
How can we effectively resist? What are we brave enough to do, and have energy and time enough to do?
Anything is surely better than nothing?
Iâm not a physically brave or capable person, so protests frighten me. But one small thing I do: even though so few people read anymore, I still believe in the power of books, so I support radical independent publishers (Haymarket Press, Aunt Lute, PM, OR, Verso, etc.). I order books from them that I can mostly find time to read, and also leave their books in local Little Libraries, so they can infect other minds (cue Evil Laughter).
Your comment actually reminded me that I plan to get this one:
Recently, Verso Books published a translation of Louisa Yousfiâs Rester barbare, giving it the English title In Defense of Barbaraism: Non-whites Against the Empire. Some would call this text a brutal, crude, even savage book. My response to that charge is simple. That is part of its intention. In Defense of Barbarism is a compact punch to the gut of western colonialism and its detritus. It turns the accusations and portrayals of the citizens of the global south as barbarians on its head, pointing the finger at the true barbarians; it takes the violence which is the essence of western colonialism and imperialism for its own and demands to be heard. It begins with the conclusion that violence is all that the colonizer, the imperialist understands. History tells us it is absolutely correct in this perception. Doesnât every day bring news of another atrocity committed on Palestinians by the Israeli colonial project? Doesnât the history of colonialism list its massacres and conquests as achievements worthy of praise instead of the disgust they should honestly evoke?
Itâs been mentioned in other threads, but the human basics all apply, right?
Take care of family, friends, allies⌠and of yourself.
âDo one thing every day that scares youâ is an oft-repeated personal growth pitch that gets airtime whenever I hear a âunleash your potentialâ motivational speeches.
If the doing of the one thing that scares you jeopardizes your own sanity, itâs wiser to know oneâs limits.* You have not given up. I appreciate your willingness to support stuff that I am not able to.
I started avoiding crowds of all kinds in Texas after the umpteenth mass shooting in that state overwhelmed my own tolerance for risk.
I hear you.
*(No one has ever mistaken me for wise, and that comes as a relief. Freeing, really.)
Yeah, absolutely about the resilience and humanity for those kids⌠they should not have to do that. The oldest should get to go to school, the rest should be home, with their parents, being young, getting an education, etc.
AbsolutelyâŚ
Every part of this story is wild, every detail feels like something from some magical realist/fantasy fiction:
Each spring, under the cover of darkness and guarded by members of the Italian Coast Guard, 62-year-old Chiara Vigo slips on a white tunic, recites a prayer and plunges headfirst into the crystalline sea off the tiny Sardinian island of SantâAntioco.
Using the moonlight to guide her, Vigo descends up to 15m below the surface to reach a series of secluded underwater coves and grassy lagoons that the women in her family have kept secret for the past 24 generations. She then uses a tiny scalpel to carefully trim the razor-thin fibres growing from the tips of a highly endangered Mediterranean clam known as the noble pen shell, or pinna nobilis.
It takes about 100 dives to harvest 30g of usable strands, which form when the molluscâs secreted saliva comes in contact with salt water and solidifies into keratin. Only then is Vigo ready to begin cleaning, spinning and weaving the delicate threads. Known as byssus, or sea silk, itâs one of the rarest and most coveted materials in the world.
Today, Vigo is believed to be the last person on Earth who still knows how to harvest, dye and embroider sea silk into elaborate patterns that glisten like gold in the sunlight.
The rest of the story is filled with details that made me stop and exclaim, âWaitâŚwhat?â
https://www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/article/calif-punk-stalwarts-army-of-luigis-coachella-20274319.php
California punk rockers call for an âarmy of Luigisâ during brash Coachella set
SFGATE LA contributing culture editor Paula MejĂa reports on one of the festâs most controversial sets
Shortly after ending a blistering rendition of âCoup DâEtatâ during their Coachella set, Circle Jerks frontman Keith Morris made a clarification to the moshing crowd. Although that last song ended with the words âkill all,â he made a point to say that the band does not condone what it describes, including kidnapping government leaders for ransom and leading a coup. âThat song, that last line, ends with âkill all.â Thatâs a pretty fâking ugly statement,â Morris said. âIn ugly times. Do not think that we encourage that.â
Then, Morris went in a different direction. âWhat we do encourage â what would be totally fâking happening â would be an army of Luigis,â he said, in reference to Luigi Mangione, who is currently facing both federal and New York state charges for the alleged killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson late last year.
Unsurprising from Keith Morris. Heâs always been pretty politically vocal.
âWe all gotta duck, when the shit hits the fanâ
Osaka, Japan
An aerial view of the Grand Ring, the worldâs largest wooden architectural structure according to Guinness World Records, on the first day of Expo 2025
Philly fusion?
The Philly-themed sports bar that fuels Japanese Eagles fans is touching down in the city for a limited-time pop-up from April 30 to May 5.
Having recently returned from a place with a toilet that left me wondering WTH the designers were thinking, maybe they could expand their studies and simulations. Itâs a shame so many designers of fixtures donât pay attention to where/how water tends to flow. Rectangular, flat basins and walk-in showers that donât drain well are difficult to use and to clean.
Last night I slept in my seat on the Lake Shore Limited. Sleep in such a location is never deep.
I woke a few times somewhere between Buffalo and Toledo. I was roughly facing south. Each time I could see the Moon, stationary in the sky, as the trees rushed by at 80 mph. I was literally racing with the Moon.
And, I swear this was true, each time the Moon was very clearly pink.
Pink pink pink⌠oblig:
