birbstille reblogged
ib 🌹
birbstille reblogged
lantern festival （元宵节）by 烟波里的棠
birbstille reblogged
suzhou gardens in sunset by 视觉影像杨
birbstille reblogged
if you have a couple of bucks to spare, consider throwing them to The Indian Residential School Survivor Society (IRSSS). they provide counseling and other forms of support to first nations people who are residential school survivors. this is a list of other charities that support first nations people, this list is a mix of charities and ways to learn more about first nation activism and history, and this is a link to a free online college course called Indigenous Canada
birbstille reblogged
Clinical trials on Cuba’s vaccine candidate, Abdala, have demonstrated a 92.28% effectiveness rate in its three dose application, making it one of the world’s most effective vaccines against Covid-19.
The news follows an announcement over the weekend by scientists of the Finlay Vaccine Institute, who reported an initial 62% efficacy of Cuba’s Soberana 02 vaccine.
The news was broken by journalist Leticia Martinez Hernandez who posted via Twitter, “The effectiveness with three doses of #Abdala is 92.28%. The scientist Marta Ayala has just informed President @DiazCanelB.”
Cuban President Miguel Diaz Canel also confirmed the news, stating that “In less than 48 hours, Cuban scientists have given our heroic people, who are resisting the criminal blockade exacerbated in a pandemic, two overwhelming results. In two days we will denounce the blockade to the world, counting on two of our own vaccines. #SomosCuba #CubaViva”
Diaz Canel added, “Hit by two pandemics (#COVID19 and #Blockade), our scientists from Finlay and CIGB, have surpassed all obstacles and have given us two very effective vaccines: #SOBERANA02 and #Abdala. I think of Martí, who wrote that it is not intelligence received casually that gives man honor, but the way he uses it and saves it. There is only one way to endure and that is to serve. Above all, I think of Fidel, who did so much for Science and Medicine at the service of Humanity. He said: Everyone who has a vocation for health, I invite you to study … There is a huge world that is in need of you.“
The efficacy of Abdala places it above other vaccines such as Oxford/AstraZeneca which is 85-90% effective.
checking back in on an artist i really liked as a kid and seeing them now draw shuake TMA art
birbstille reblogged
“You have to cheat. Ask for as many extensions on papers as you possibly can. Pretend your computer is broken. Use your charm if you have any. If you’re going to cry, don’t wait until you’re out of the room–do it where the people in power can see you. Eat the same food every day if you can’t think of anything else to make. Put other things ahead of taking a shower, even if your mom said you have to take a shower every two days. Sometimes people won’t notice you’re cheating but even if they do and are annoyed you might still get by. My mom goes to workshops for people with ASD and then gives me the really long printouts that go along with them. The printouts tell me to sit down and make a list of everything I have to do. When I am anxious, as I have been this year, it’s hard to think about these things so I hold on to the printouts out of guilt but don’t actually read them. Then my mom finds them and gets upset that I haven’t read them and says that I’m not ready to live on my own. But I am ready to live on my own. Badly. Just like I can hold down a full-time job. Badly. Just like I am getting my homework done. Badly. And I forget to balance my checkbook, which none of my non-disabled friends do because you can get it online, and my mom says, “Well it’s different for you because they would be able to do it if they needed to, but you wouldn’t, so you have to do it.” Theoretically I understand this is true, but my checkbook remains unbalanced. Which is bad. And I feel bad. I do! At this rate I’ll never be able to go to college. But I do go to college. At this rate I’ll never be able to have any friends. But I do have friends. I just don’t do everything right with them all the time. For people whose lives are controlled by executive dysfunction, I firmly believe the difference between getting stuff done and not getting stuff done is not caring about doing things right. You cannot always make a list all the time and be early for everything. You just can’t. Hopefully you’re good-looking or funny or you remind someone of their niece. Exploit all opportunities. Do not do what people who are not disabled tell you to do (unless you want to, of course). All too often I find myself waiting for the day when I can do shit properly, which more or less amounts to waiting until I’m not disabled anymore. Then I can feel good enough to deserve everything I want. Well my cure is slow in arriving, so I’m just going to do everything I want now, if that’s okay with you.”
—
from I’m Somewhere Else, “Max is a Miracle”
The best advice I’ve heard on how to get through college with a developmental disability when there are zero accommodations for executive dysfunction. You can’t let anyone else try to live your life for you, and you cannot worry about “doing things right”. Also: none of the things described here as “cheating” are ACTUALLY cheating.
birbstille reblogged
So, India is dying.
Look, I know a good number of you are from the US and things aren't amazing there either, but my country is literally on the brink of collapse. So I'd love it if we could talk about that for a minute.
If you can't do anything else, please just read and reblog.
To put things in perspective,
1 USD = 75.22 Indian rupees
1 euro = 90.99 Indian rupees
1 pound = 104.40 Indian rupees
Even a small amount of 5 or 7 or 10 of foreign currency will help a lot. Our government has essentially abandoned us. People have turned to social media for help. WhatsApp groups and DMs on twitter/insta is where we find help. Our helpline is a Google doc. Situation is so dire that hospitals are discharging patients due to lack of oxygen. Every night the same story, oxygen running out in hospitals, citizens running around to somehow arrange for oxygen with minutes to spare. Last night, we had manged to get oxygen to a hospital with 14min to spare.
Please, PLEASE help. 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
^ that post has links to petitions and donations PLEASE boost the versions of this post with links!!
Reblogging with more links. Listen to @groundzero-and-deku ☝️ they know what they're talking about.
Some of you in the US have asked what else you can do. I'm not the best person to answer this since I'm not from there, but I do know that Biden is being urged to ship supplies to India. Maybe a more informed person can chime in with how best you can help but calling your representative and registering your concern sounds like a good starting point.
From one democracy to another, thank you. Please keep this going, you're all amazing.
Reblogging one more time
EDIT: Reblogging with donation and resource links all in one place: Here's a great post with links to petitions in the US and UK and a list of active charities and donation centres in India
And some more donation links from @spacegirlstuff
Some more posts with links, resources, and ways to help collected by @groundzero-and-deku who is doing the absolute most:
A few more NGOs that are helping:
Not every listed charity has the infrastructure to accept international donations, so please be sure to check this list which has specific information about charities that can and are accepting international donations.
Also re-adding the link to the give2asia charitable foundation for those who don't want to go through the whole post.
Y'all, this is a good time to mention that I am not affiliated with any charity or donation center and am not receiving donations on behalf of anyone.
This is a list of resources compiled partly by me and more importantly, by other people who have a better grasp on the situation than myself.
They are to the best of our knowledge great resources but I still encourage you to do your research and put your money where you believe it will be used best.
If you find more ways to help or donate, add them in a reblog - let's get as much information out there as possible.
Much love and please stay safe
PLEASE BOOST THIS VERSION OF THE POST WITH THE EXTENDED LIST OF LINKS TO DONATIONS AND RESOURCES
UPDATE:
The number of new cases has almost hit the 350,000 mark. The total number of covid cases in the country is just shy of 17 million. This is the situation as of 25 April 2021.
Things are dire. People are largely on their own now and help, if any, is yet to come.
President Biden is being urged to ease restrictions or remove to embargo on raw materials that could be critical in India's fight against the virus.
Just a while ago, the US government committed to helping with "a small supply of inputs and components from US companies for production of COVID-19 vaccines in India".
There are no specifics yet and time is of the essence.
Friends in the US, we know you're in the middle of your own fight. We want you safe.
But a stockpile of tens of millions of vaccines exists in the US, a fraction of which could make all the difference to India right now.
No one needs to die. Things are bad but Indian lives can still be saved without costing American ones.
We've been allies for decades.
We need your help.
Please, please, please find it in your heart to help.
Call your local representative and register your concern. Urge them to offer India aid by way of donating some of the vaccine stockpiles and removing the ban on raw material exports so lives can be saved.
Take this message to other platforms. Spread the word. Those of you on Twitter, please use your voice to promote #indianeedsoxygen.
Most importantly, DONATE WHERE YOU CAN. As little as 5 dollars can make a difference right now.
Example: here is a screenshot from the page for Making the Difference on Donatekart
As little 7 dollars can get someone a bed or an oxygen tank.
Here's a list of independent NGOs and charities that are largely accepting international donations. REMEMBER: OXYGEN is the need of the hour.
I've heard from multiple sources that the government-run PM CARES fund is not directing funds to where they're needed and while I don't have exact information, I would advise you to avoid this platform out of caution.
Some of you are rightly concerned about where your money is going.
Again, I do not represent any charity or NGO, am not affiliated with anyone and am not involved in any stage in the collection or distribution of your donations. I'm just a person doing whatever she can so please do a little bit of research to help you identify the best place to put your donation.
Charity Navigator is a good place to get a good overview of your NGOs.
At the very least, please don't let this post die. Don't let more people die. Keep reblogging and yelling about it on social media.
As someone else pointed out in the notes, there is no central helpline. All we have is each other and the little we can do in the face of this chaos.
We're resorting to social media to get help and spread awareness. We have literally the same tools you do. Please don't let this die yet. Please get the word out if you can't do anything else.
Thank you so much and please, keep us in your thoughts.
Also linking to @covid19-india-resources where you can find even more comprehensive info
A few more links from the notes (thank you all for bringing these to attention):
UPDATE on 26 April, 2021
Help is coming but we're nowhere near safe yet!
NO COMMITMENT TO RELEASE THE UNUSED STOCKPILE OF 20 million VACCINES YET FROM THE BIDEN ADMIN.
"When we make decisions on what we're gonna do with additional vaccines, about exporting them, we'll announce them," said Anthony Slavitt - White House Advisor in an interview with CNN (Source: link right above).
Nonetheless, all the international efforts are heartening and will make a lot of difference.
But even as I write this post, the total number of cases in India is 17.3 million, 195,000 people are dead and the number of new cases continues to rise - last seen at 354,000
These numbers will not go down anytime soon, not with what we're working with.
To what extent this one post I made out of total desperation has helped in spreading the word about our terrible situation and in generating donations wherever possible, I will never know.
But I want you to know how grateful this one Indian is to all of you who reblogged, used your platforms, opened your wallets, found the goodness in your heart to help and didn't give up on us.
Thank you.
Shukriya.
Lakh lakh dhanyavad.
We're nowhere close to done yet, so I am once again requesting you to please keep up with your efforts to get the word out there, make noise and help us reach the right people.
Donation links here:
Friends in the UK: Khalsa Aid is an NGO based in Berkshire trying their hardest to get oxygen into the country. Please get in touch with them to help or donate.
Please, please, please donate where possible.
An oxygen cylinder costs roughly $ 7 right now. So does a hospital bed. You will save literal lives with just a little generosity. There is no such thing as adequate help right now.
Friendly reminder that I am not affiliated with any of the above listed charities, do not handle your donations at any stage and strongly invite you to do your research and verify them to your satisfaction.
Friends in the US: We still need your help in so many ways.
Vaccines are the need of the hour.
Get in touch with your local representatives. Register your concern.
Take to twitter and your other socials, make noise, use #indianeedsoxygen and demand action.
We would never demand an exchange of your lives for ours. But hoarding unused vaccines at a time like this is near criminal. Help us make this right, please. People are still dying and they need every little bit of help that can be spared.
birbstille reblogged
I love this stupid animal.
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The cosmic horror of conservative uncles
birbstille reblogged
anyone who wants to learn to be a doctor should be accepted into medical school and allowed to study as long as they need until they are fit to graduate. we need more doctors.
people are dying. the artificial medical school caps where folks with goddam 4.0s from great fucking schools aren’t even allowed to go to medical school are part of the problem.
This practice of artificially deflating the number of medical students doesn’t produce better doctors, they’re only producing less doctors.
how are we gonna fund unlimited medical school for anyone who’s interested?
zerocapitalism
By taking the money from you, and only you. Get to work.
birbstille reblogged
girls im going to keep it real with u im getting worried about my spotify wrapped already