David Slack Warning Against AMPTP Trying To Turn The Unions Against Each Other, And Stating The Facts.

Reblog if, no matter the size of the role, you would agree to work with the Muppets if offered the chance to do so, no questions asked

What to do with fallen leaves: a short story

I told my landlord if we can leave the fallen leaves on the ground, they can decompose naturally and enrich the soil. He said no and hired a gardener to remove them all with a chemical-filled leaf blower. I hate landlords. What world do we want to live in and create? Biodiversity is being lost in urban neighborhoods because of monocultural aesthetics and property values. We were taught to take pride in lawns, which are one of the most useless modern fixtures. A front yard full of native plants, weeds, and flowers could be an important home for many other species, but we decide to go with clean-cut grass monocultures, often using poison to kill any other species of planet.  I’ve been trying to prepare my garden for the next season. Since it’s my responsibility to take care of the garden, I asked my landlord if I could leave the fallen leaves on the ground so they can be beneficial for the soil. He said he didn’t like the leaves “creating a mess” on the property and the next day, when I was shopping for groceries, he hired a gardener to collect all the leaves. Using gas-powered leaf blowers produces toxic waste like fuel filters and contaminated air filters. Blowers erode, compact and dry out soil, and harm plants, microorganisms, and pollinators. All for the sake of what you see in the second photo.  So, here are some tips/education on what to do with fallen leaves in your backyard:

1.) Leave them be. Leaves are great for wildlife species like worms, moths, and tiny critters. With moths, nearly 94% of species rely on the leaf layer to complete their lifecycle. The wintertime is a prime spot for species to partake in these activities. 2.) Use them! The leaves are free mulch and fertilizer!!! Leaves form a natural mulch that helps suppress weeds and, at the same time, fertilize the soil as they break down. 3.) Move them. Most lawns fail to provide habitat for species already co-existing in ecosystems, but you can always move the leaves to another designated area in the garden. Having a relationship with other species and the seasons invites us to contemplate natural cycles, like life and death. Anyways, even though it’s not my house, I still get sad at how hostile we are towards other life and how little control I have over my garden as a tenant.  Source: National Wildlife Federation -queerbrownvegan

I’ve said it before, and I will say it again.

If you want Roe v Wade overturned, but don’t support:

Comprehensive sexual education in schools

Easy and affordable access to contraception

Access to adequate and affordable prenatal care

Paid parental leave

Subsidized childcare

CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program)

WIC,

Then you don’t actually care about reducing abortions or protecting children. You just want to punish people with uteruses for having sex.

You are still you, even when you’re going through a difficult time. Even when other people have expectations that they think your aren’t meeting. You are allowed to have struggles. You are allowed to make mistakes. The you that has struggles and the you that makes mistakes IS the real you.

When you first start to consider that you might be bisexual, a whole new world of possibilities suddenly opens up. Essentially, your personal dating pool just doubled in size at a time when you’re still trying to figure out your own identity. It can be a lot. Here’s how to explore your bisexuality without getting overwhelmed.

Feel out what this means for you, however you want

There’s a big misconception that goes along with coming out, so let’s dispel it right away: You don’t have to immediately start getting physical with people to prove to yourself or others that you “really” are bi.

Haley Jakobson, a writer based in Brooklyn, explained that there is a lot of pressure on newly-out people to “prove” their sexuality, but that pressure is unfairly and unequally applied to the LGBTQ+ community. She pointed out that it would be bizarre for an adult to tell a child they couldn’t possibly know they were straight until they kissed a classmate of the opposite gender, so it should be seen as equally inappropriate to say something like that to a newly-out bisexual adult.

Kissing and physical touch may not even be your primary objective in this journey, either, and that’s totally fine. Jakobson pointed out that engaging in community could be a priority that outweighs intimacy and suggested going to queer bars, posting on LGBTQ+ community-based apps and forums, and listening to podcasts and reading books about sexuality.

“These are all things you can do without actually, you know, smooching someone,” she said. “I think that when we say ‘explore sexuality,’ we kind of immediately think of getting intimate or fucking someone, and I think that’s not great because that’s a lot of pressure.”

She added that there is “trial and error” involved in finding compatibility and chemistry with anyone. Don’t rush into that. There is no right or wrong way to explore. Go as slowly as you need or want to. Spend some time messaging back and forth on a dating app. Flirt at a queer bookstore or club.

Be patient with yourself

Once someone begins identifying as bisexual, Jakobson said, there are plenty of potential issues to contend with. There can be feelings of imposter syndrome, internalized biphobia, and patriarchal expectations of what a bisexual person even is to deal with, she said.

There are stereotypes and stigmas associated with bisexual people, too, and that sort of external force can really wear you down. Bisexual people can be seen as promiscuous, unable to “just choose” a side, or interested in leading people on. It’s not wholly on you to shatter these misconceptions, so remember to do what is best for yourself and not shoulder the weight of society’s incorrect takes. There are people doing great work in the space—writing like Jakobson, or podcasting or posting or advocating in myriad ways for the community—but you don’t have to do that if you aren’t yet comfortable. Work on your own journey day by day.

Instead of focusing on any negativity, embrace the good and fun parts of your queerness, Jakobson said. She noted that she thinks about herself and her sexuality through a joyful frame: “I’m so valid and I’m hot and cool and sexy and just this endless container for love and that deserves to be celebrated.”

You’re not alone, so find your community

No matter how old you are, where you live, or what culture you were raised in, coming out can be a little hard—and acting on your newly-confirmed identity can be hard, too.

Jakobson recommended talking to other LGBTQ+ people online, finding a queer-friendly therapist, and “coming out to people who are just going to be absolutely overjoyed for you.”

“In the coming-out journey we can easily focus on the people who won’t get it but go first to the people who will feel so honored that you are able to express your identity to them,” she said, adding you should “lean into the joy or just kind of deal with the hardship as it comes.”

You can take small steps to feel more involved in the community, go at your own pace, and make friends as you do it all. Remember that you’re worthy of love, respect, and a welcoming attitude.

Sometimes, no matter how many how-to guides you read, this will be overwhelming, but with a little grounding and a group of supportive friends around you, you’ll be fine.

“I choose everyday to lean into the parts of my queerness that are just fun and light and easy,” said Jakobson, “and because I do that, I’m able to hold the parts that are overwhelming.”

“We chose the term “asexual” to describe ourselves because both “celibate” and “anti-sexual” have connotations we wished to avoid: the first implies that one has sacrificed sexuality for some higher good, the second that sexuality is degrading or somehow inherently bad. “Asexual”, as we use it, does not mean “without sex” but “relating sexually to no one”. This does not, of course, exclude masturbation but implies that if one has sexual feelings they do not require another person for their expression. Asexuality is, simply, self-contained sexuality.”

— The Asexual Manifesto, Lisa Orlando and Barbara Getz, 1972

(1) A person reacts during a pro-Ukrainian demonstration near Downing Street, in London, February 24, 2022. REUTERS/Peter Cziborra

(2) A demonstrator holds a sign during an anti-war protest, after Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized a military operation in eastern Ukraine, in Berlin, Germany February 24. REUTERS/Michele Tantussi

(3) Olga Lietnieva, a Ukranian woman who is on a holiday in Norway, reacts after talking to her aunt residing in Ukraine, as she participates in a demonstration in front of the Russian Embassy following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Oslo, Norway, February 24. Courtesy: Heiko Junge/NTB

(4) A person is detained by police during an anti-war protest, in Moscow, Russia February 24. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina

(5) A demonstrator displays a placard during a protest against Russia's attack on Ukraine, outside the Dutch parliament in The Hague, Netherlands, February 24. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw

(6) A person reacts during an anti-war protest in Barcelona Spain February 24. REUTERS/Nacho Doce

(7) A demonstrator takes part in an anti-war protest in front of the Russian embassy in Paris, France, February 24.  REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

(8) A woman cries as she has her face painted with the colors of Ukrainian's flag during an anti-war protest in front of the Russian embassy in Paris, France, February 24.  REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

(9) Demonstrators hug each other during an anti-war protest at Brandenburg Gate, in Berlin, Germany February 24. REUTERS/Michele Tantussi

World protests Russian invasion of Ukraine

Wait what's a buildings fire evacuation plan if you aren't supposed to use the elevator to get down

i personally do lateral tripod. dynamic tripod is the "proper" way and i believe most common, feel free to correct me.

can we like…get rid of the so-called leather and rubber “pride flags” ? it’s honestly ridiculous and offensive to the lgbtq community. those aren’t pride flags.