You may have heard of what happened in Lebanon today and if not, basically, there was a big explosion in Beirut that affected many cities, destroyed shops, homes, cars, caused many injuries and deaths. The cause is uncertain.
As a fellow lebanese myself (that also lives there), today was absolutely terrifying, probably the scariest moments of my life. We heard a deafening sound as the floors were shaking. Some of us thought it was an attack, others thought it was an earthquake. As soon as it ended many expected a second one, which luckily never happened.
Here’s a video of what happened that was sent to me, there are also many others that you can find online.
Windows were broken, doors wrecked, cars flipped over, buildings collapsed, people hit by flying or falling objects, and unfortunately, many didn’t make it out alive.
We were one of the lucky ones, our families and friends were all safe and our homes were fine.
Some people couldn’t even get out of the crumbling builings, so we saw corpses being pulled out, although some people survived the crash. But wherever we looked, there was blood, poeple were half covered in it, their shirts, pants, hair, everything. And that sight was traumatizing.
We watched the news with elders severely injured, children with blood-spattered shirts and people in pain that couldn’t get in the hospitals because they were full.
Some people are missing. Just try to imagine the pain and fear their families and friends are feeling.
Articles about what happened, there are a lot more
Not only are we in the middle of a pandemic, but Lebanon is also going through a very serious economical crisis. To give you an example, before, $1 equaled 1 500 lebanese pounds. Nowadays, $1 equals more than 7 000 lebanese pounds. Not to mention that we obviously don’t have any dollars at disposition, so yeah we’re fucked.
People are hungry, homeless, unemployed. And even if they are getting paid, it’ll be useless since the prices of everything went up because they were affected by the economical fiasco.
Important additional information
Today, I heard my 7 year old cousins scream in fear that they were going to die. I saw my aunt shaking, worried that her children won’t survive. I saw my dad freak out while trying to reassure us when we both knew that we were uncertain about the next minutes of our lives. I heard the panic in the trembling voices of my family and friends as they couldn’t believe what had just happened. I thought my loved ones and I were going to die in the next seconds.
I’m never forgetting those moments and feelings.
I don’t think signing petitions will help, i don’t even know if the following links will help either, I just know Lebanon and it’s people are desperate for anything because the future of this country is extremely uncertain.
I think donating to the red cross would be the most helpful, so if you are considering it, it’d be great.
There are so many great threads on twitter about what you can do to help, just search help lebanon or something to find them. Also if you can, please donate, and as I said, the lebanese pound is pretty much worthless currently so USD is way more useful to us.
with everything that’s going on with bon apetit, i thought i’d just share some of my favorite recipe-based youtube channels run by people of color
just one cookbook - a super wide variety of japanese recipes. easy step-by-steps and all the recipes i’ve tried have been delicious
souped up recipes - chinese recipes - very informative videos and tasty food - i love her personality too
maangchi - who doesn’t love maangchi. delicious korean recipes and a fabulous personality
get curried - a huge variety of recipes from various regions of india
simply mama cooks - my fav for tejano food. i believe she’s a mexicana married into a korean family, and draws a lot from that
immaculate bites - mostly quick ‘tasty’ style video recipes focusing on southern us, african, and carribean foods. easy and delicious stuff!
stove top kisses - fun and delicious recipes and the videos are super fun to watch - mostly american food
j kenji lopez alt - author of the book ‘the food lab’ - he’s maybe my favorite recipe developer out there. all kinds of food and hes super knowledgeable
Here are some vegan channels run by people of color, as well!
gourmet vegetarian kitchen
- super creative projects. i personally find them very inspiring since she does things like make vegan cheese or ferment soy beans over the course of months
peaceful cuisine - he makes asmr & recipe versions of videos. everything is vegan. lots of desserts and traditional japanese cuisine
rachel ama - vegan food with a frequent caribbean twist! I love her! She has her own cookbook
cheap lazy vegan - her channel has an angle of vegan food intended for low budgets. she creates a lot of simple recipes. she has a recipe ebook as well as a free newsletter
Just to add a few more Indian options:
Sruthi’s Kitchen - Huge catalog of instructional videos; exclusively vegetarian.
My Heart Beets - My go-to for everything pressure-cooker related, and almost all of her recipes happen to be gluten-free (even more content on her website).
Food with Chetna - Mostly Indian recipes with some British/Western-Desi fusion thrown in.
Desi Food Recipes - Okay, this one is mostly in Hindi, but—it’s just an entire channel of a little granny making Indian food using traditional Desi cooking methods, and it’s so goddamn soothing??? I haven’t cooked a thing from this channel but watching this woman make ladoo cleansed my fucking soul. Just watch it.
I’ve actually ended up making a lot more food from De Mi Rancho rather than BA because she’s making simple food for her family with ingredients that are a lot easier to find.
IMPORTANT: Flying Foxes and Bats need our help in Australia
“When carers put up their hand to help they put the costs of it all on the back burner. It’s about saving as many lives as possible. Should we say no and just take a few we can afford? Or do we take 450 and ask for some help? Someone said yesterday I should get help from the government so I don’t have to beg for help. Well the government is not going to help the bats so I want these babies to eat at creche so yes I will beg. If you’d like to HELP, these are some of he babies you’ll be helping. Thank you!”
Tall ships help keep nautical history alive! They also take children sailing and put people into living wage jobs. If you’re able to donate anything, it would
be much appreciated: https://secure.donorpro.com/ghhs
Hawaiian Chieftain (right) has been hauled out since summer 2019 for repairs, and Lady Washington (left) is stuck in her northern port for repairs when she should really be down south in California with tourists and volunteers.
The goal is to at least get Lady Washington back into the water by February 2020, and I’ve been told that any gifts given between now and December 31st will be doubled; this means if 3,000 people donate $35.00 by then, the goal will be met.
I personally sailed and lived aboard Lady Washington for a short while, which was the adventure of a lifetime for a history nerd like myself. It also gave me the push to work on my webcomic involving tall ships, which I otherwise may not have had the confidence to tackle without such an experience. I owe these ships a lot and am personally thankful for any help y’all can provide. Even if you can’t donate, reblogs are appreciated! Thanks so much!
Fair winds and following seas!
Thank you all for the reblogs! I really hope word reaches some ship and history enthusiasts that are able to send a small gift. Every little bit helps!
This original post was written by me, the FYHC mod, so it really means a lot. If you have any questions about the ships feel free to message me.
Former Architect Captures the Emotion of Architecture in Watercolor Paintings
Artist Thomas W. Schaller combines a passion for architecture and storytelling into emotional landscape watercolor paintings. Originally trained as an architect, he found himself drawn to images of the built environment and eventually left designing behind to pursue fine art on a full-time basis. His education places him in an ideal position for architecture painting. Schaller understands how to design structures and knows what attributes to include and what he should leave out. At the same time, he’s able to tap into the feelings we get from visiting a city—such as a sentimentality—to produce pieces that are both beautiful and alluring.
Schaller looks at his architecture paintings as narratives meant to raise more questions than they answer. Within the diffused watercolor washes and faint shadows, he relishes the mystery. “My work is an invitation for you to ask your own questions, and tell your own stories,” he says. “It is my hope that painting can act as a sort of bridge between one world and another allowing for both personal—as well as more universal—forms of communication.”
“An entirely fresh and accessible approach to reading ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs by a proven expert, this step-by-step introduction assumes no previous knowledge of grammar or ancient languages, but guides readers through the inscriptions, from simple to more complex, supported by full explanations and translations.
Readers’ will see their knowledge and skills grow as Bill Manley clearly explains the mysteries of hieroglyphs without jargon or technical terms, guiding the reader step by step through 27 real-life, unaltered texts from stelae, tombs and portable objects. Specially commissioned line drawings present engaging texts clearly and elegantly, while fact boxes bring to life images of monuments of high officials and kings, giving glimpses of ancient Egyptian society and beliefs.
This guide is essential reading for anyone interested in Ancient Egypt, hieroglyphs or ancient languages and contains all the knowledge you need in order to start deciphering hieroglyphic texts for yourself.”
The wonderful organisation through which I had one of the best weeks of my life, learning how to sail a tall ship for my book, is in dire straits – please see if you can stretch to donating to keep it, aha, afloat. If you can’t then please spread the word. They are Good People.
You can read about my particular adventure here. That so many people have been able to have similar adventures – especially people who may have thought they’d never have the chance – is really amazing. They deserve to keep going.
You’ve been fired. According to your employer’s data, your facial expressions showed you were insubordinate and not trustworthy. You also move your hands at a rate that is considered substandard. Other companies you may want to work for could receive this data, making it difficult for you to find other work in this field.
That may sound like a scenario straight out of a George Orwell novel, but it’s the future many American workers could soon be facing.
In early February, media outlets reported that Amazon had received a patent for ultrasonic wristbands that could track the movement of warehouse workers’ hands during their shifts. If workers’ hands began moving in the wrong direction, the wristband would buzz, issuing an electronic corrective. If employed, this technology could easily be used to further surveil employees who already work under intense supervision.
Whole Foods, which is now owned by Amazon, recently instituted a complex and punitive inventory system where employees are graded based on everything from how quickly and effectively they stock shelves to how they report theft. The system is so harsh it reportedly causes employees enough stress to bring them to tears on a regular basis.
UPS drivers, who often operate individually on the road, are now becoming increasingly surveilled. Sensors in every UPS truck track when drivers’ seatbelts are put on, when doors open and close and when the engines start in order to monitor employee productivity at all times.
The technology company Steelcase has experimented with monitoring employees’ faces to judge their expressions. The company claims that this innovation, which monitors and analyzes workers’ facial movements throughout the work day, is being used for research and to inform best practices on the job. Other companies are also taking interest in this kind of mood-observing technology, from Bank of America to Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc.
These developments are part of a larger trend of workers being watched and judged—often at jobs that offer low pay and demand long hours. Beyond simply tracking worker performance, it is becoming more common for companies to monitor the emails and phone calls their employees make, analyzing personal traits along with output.
Some companies are now using monitoring techniques—referred to as “people analytics”—to learn as much as they can about you, from your communication patterns to what types of websites you visit to how often you use the bathroom. This type of privacy invasion can cause employees immense stress, as they work with the constant knowledge that their boss is aware of their every behavior—and able to use that against them as they see fit.
Lewis Maltby, president of the National Workrights Institute at Cornell University, tells In These Times that the level of surveillance workers are facing is increasing exponentially.
“If you look at what some people call ‘people analytics,’ it’s positively frightening,” Maltby says. “People analytics devices get how often you talk, the tone of your voice, where you are every single second you’re at work, your body language, your facial expressions and something called ‘patterns of interaction.’” He explains that some of these devices even record what employees say at work.
If you’re clued up on your Ghosts knowledge, you’ll know that the location of Button House is actually West Horsley Place, a Grade I listed medieval manor house and estate in Surrey, England that dates all the way back to 1425. You may also know that, along with some outbuildings, the estate is itself in some state of disrepair.
The Idiots Assembled fanpage on Twitter have teamed up with West Horsley Place AKA Button House to help fund-raise for their restoration projects! Any amount is appreciated, but sharing the fund-raiser will help massively too.
