Every 28 Hours (7.10.15): Last night, a black Mississippi farmer was choked to death by a police officer. Jonathan Sanders was exercising his horses, when a white cop approached him, pulled him off his horse, and choked him with a flashlight. Literally no explanation has been provided as to why this unarmed man was stopped, let alone murdered. At the time of this post, at least five other people today alone have been killed by the police. #staywoke #farfromover
please also take a moment to read about amaria diljohn, the fourteen-year-old black girl who was murdered in toronto yesterday when a public city bus driver ran over her and drove off, leaving her on the road. the driver has not been charged. please spread this. please talk about this. i know canadian issues aren’t often widely discussed on tumblr, but it’s important that this becomes widely known so the driver is brought to justice.
amaria’s family has also set up a donation fund to pay for her funeral - details are here.
Western Canada Wildfires Infopost
Haven’t seen a big info post for the large amount of wildfires currently active in Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia, especially as to what people can do. So here it is:
Keeping Informed:
Each province has their own website pages dedicated to wildfire information. If you are in an area currently affected by a wildfire, they can be of help as they have maps of fire activity and smoke distribution as well as air advisories. They also have information about wildfire management and prevention if you’re curious/aren’t up to date on that. There have been no reports yet as to whether any of these wildfires were started by human error but always obey Fire Bans, and be careful of open fires even if you’re on private property near brush or woods. These pages also have contact information for reporting a fire you don’t see on their reports and maps. If you are active on Twitter, consider following your province’s emergency info/alert agency.
Saskatchewan - Map of Active Fires >100ha (pdf), Fire Ban info, Air Quality Readings (doesn’t seem to be working for me atm), SaskAlert
Alberta - Wildfire Status Map (pdf), Fire Ban info, Air Quality Health Index (mobile friendly view), Alberta Emergency Alert
British Columbia - Active Wildfires Map (Google Maps), Fire Ban info, Air Quality Health Index, Emergency Info BC
All - Smoke Forecasts (epilepsy warning: maps may flash white between frames)Keeping Safe:
People in all smoke affected areas: please read the Lung Association of Saskatchewan’s Forest Fires and Lung Health Sheet. It has symptom info for smoke inhalation and very importantly, warning signs for Asthma and COPD attacks. Here are some general precautions to take:
- Stay cool and hydrated.
- Avoid strenuous exercise.
- Remain indoors if possible.
- When driving, keep windows and vents closed, use air conditioning with the recirculation setting to avoid introducing outside smoke.
- If you use an air conditioner in your home, follow advice as above.
- If you have a room air cleaner in your home, use it. Make sure filters, which can be especially helpful (such as HEPA filters), have been replaced if necessary. Consider purchasing one if you or anyone in your home appears to be sensitive to the effects of the smoke.
- Pay special attention to children, the elderly, and those with pre-existing medical conditions.
- Take shelter in large air conditioned buildings.
How to Help:
On the front line, firefighting services are provided by the Forestry Service and they do not accept donations. The best way to help them is to follow fire bans, be cautious, and be prepared for evacuation by having supplies and plans ready if you are in a wildfire risk area and to pay attention to any evacuation warnings and orders.
Evacuation services are generally provided by the Canadian Red Cross, a Non-Governmental Organization. They are who to call if you have been separated from family due to evacuation orders. They do accept monetary donations, and you may specify where you wish for your donation to go, such as to Canadian disaster relief. If you are not in an area where evacuees are being sheltered, this is probably the most effective way to help.
If you are in an area where evacuees are currently being sheltered, local organizations likely take over as the Red Cross volunteers already have their hands full at evacuation centres. In Saskatchewan, the Salvation Army is accepting summer clothing and footwear for evacuees, which can be dropped off at their thrift stores. However, efforts are largely decentralized, so please do local research for where you can volunteer or donate, or even connect with evacuees needing shelter if you have (or can make) space in your home. There is a Facebook page called Sask Evacuations - Helping One Another you may want to check out.
Finally, spread the word. The more informed we all are, the better.
 | Anonymous SAID: bernie sanders supports israel, do you think everything else he does outweighs that? |
biculturalist-deactivated201612:
Yeah I know. Bernie supports Israel and he’s even justified Israel’s attack on Gaza last summer by blaming Palestinians. Even though I don’t like that at all I still agree with him on many, many other issues that I need to consider deeply as well. Also compared to all the other bigoted candidates (Hillary), Bernie still offers the best results.
But let’s analyze his policy on Palestine since it’s more complicated than what people usually believe. If there’s any misinformation here then anyone is free to correct me.
He has been rated “+2″ by the Arab American Institute, indicating a pro-Arab pro-Palestine voting record. Here’s what it is in detail (I bolded the legislation that deal directly with Palestine):
“The Arab American Institute has compiled a Scorecard to catalogue the voting record of the 112th Congress on issues of importance to the Arab American community. Though not comprehensive, we have attempted to provide a snapshot of legislation concerning many of the primary issues concerning Arab Americans. For the Senate, we have included 10 items: two bills on the Arab Spring, three on Palestine, one on Lebanon, one regarding civil liberties, and two for immigration reform.
+ = Bernie Supported
- = Bernie Voted Against
- S. Res. 44: (+) calls on former President Hosni Mubarak to immediately begin a peaceful transition to a democratic political system
- S. Res. 109: (+) honoring and supporting women in North Africa and the Middle East
- S. Res. 138: (-) calling on the United Nations to rescind the Goldstone report, formally known as the UN Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict, which accused the Israeli government of targeting Palestinian civilians.
- S. Res. 185: (-) reaffirming the commitment of the US to a negotiated settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and calling for a US veto of any UN resolution on Palestinian statehood without a settlement.
- S. Con. Res. 23: (-) supporting Israel in maintaining defensible borders, and against Israel returning to the armistice lines that existed on June 4, 1967
- S. 558: (+) the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act, to limit the use of cluster munitions in areas normally inhabited by civilians.
- S. 1125: (+) greater judicial review of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), and greater protections to individuals being monitored or gag-ordered by the FBI.
- S.1038, the PATRIOT Sunsets Extension Act, in opposition of PATRIOT Act extension.
- S. 723: (-) The Birthright Citizenship Act, limiting citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants born in the US.
- S. 952: (+) the DREAM Act, allowing undocumented minors to become US citizens, provided they meet certain conditions, including good moral character”
—
So basically this is what it is:
-Bernie maintains that Israel shouldn’t solidify its illegal occupation of large swaths of Palestinian land through its argument of “defensible” borders (good)
-He wants to pull back the UN’s investigation on Israel’s human rights abuses (shitty)
-Bernie voted against a resolution which said Israel shouldn’t return to its 1967 borders (which would then give the West Bank to Palestine) because that would be a national security threat. So this means he may support the consideration of Israel to retreat much of its current illegitimate borders (good).
-He wants to allow Palestine to explore the possibility of achieving statehood outside of forced recognition of Israel or a two-state solution, and he doesn’t support a strictly two-state solution either (good-ish, depending on why he doesn’t want a two-state solution)
-He wants to stop US aid towards Israeli cluster bombs if they’re used to target civilian areas in Palestine (good)
—
Bernie also wants to tighten funding on the US defense budget which could have positive implications for the foreign aid it sends to oppressive governments in the name of “national security.” But his plan here isn’t entirely defined yet (to my knowledge).
So overall, Bernie supports Israel but if you look at the details he’s also not an unequivocal staunch supporter of the state. Compounding that with a lot of what he aims for in the economic and social policy spheres, he’s still America’s best bet and he’s got my vote.
Don’t think I’m excusing Bernie and his support of shitty Israel. I’m just trying to deliver some facts.
Also, let’s try to remember that Bernie Sanders is Jewish and would be the first Jewish president. For many modern Jews, the issues of Israel is a tough one, it’s too close to our hearts to think completely logically sometimes. Yes, he is a politician, but he is also a Jew. His parents came to America to escape the holocaust. We need to try to understand the complexities of the modern Jewish identity when it comes to Israeli politics.
I’ve been seeing way too much coverage of the terrorist rather than of the victims, which isn’t right, so I made this. Went more realistic to get more of a resemblance, and all information is based off what I could find on the internet. Hopefully it’s all accurate, if something isn’t, please tell me.
Such a horrible event. RIP.
*edit: Rev. Sharonda was also a speech language pathologist.
Bree Newsome takes down the Confederate flag in Charleston, South Carolina, with the help of James Tyson.
AWESOME!!!
‘A Californian congressmen has just introduced a law to make it illegal to keep orcas in captivity. This could change everything — but SeaWorld is already mounting a vicious campaign to defeat this congressman’s brave move. We need to tell the State of California that the public won’t accept SeaWorld’s imprisonment of orcas any longer.’Enact the Orca Welfare and Safety Act to make it illegal to hold orcas in captivity for performance or entertainment purposes
sign this petitionTHIS IS SERIOUSLY SO CLOSE, SIGNAL BOOST SO HARD