Meg Porteous, ‘SELF-PORTRAIT (THE SPECTATOR)’, 2019

Spanish, Turkish, Arabic, French & Kiswahili.

If you could instantly be granted fluency in 5 languages—not taking away your existing language proficiency in any way, solely a gain—what 5 would you choose?

Millennials are the only generation to have to teach both their parents and children not to believe everything they read online

it’s that time of the year where u go outside and some are wearing tank tops some are wearing turtlenecks some are wearing a jacket and a coat and some are shirtless and you can’t blame anyone because it represents exactly how the weather is

arontphotos

by james_films

To live with precarity requires more than railing at those who put us here (although that seems useful too, and I’m not against it). We might look around to notice this strange new world, and we might stretch our imaginations to grasp its contours. This is where mushrooms help. Matsutake’s willingness to emerge in blasted landscapes allows us to explore the ruin that has become our collective home.

— Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing, The Mushroom at the End of the World

they should invent 7 hours between 10pm and midnight

The economies of the US, Canada, and the European Union depend on immigrant labor. As Harsha Walia documents, the purpose of the border regime is not to stop immigration but to control and terrorize it. When Germany decided in 2015 to take in over a million refugees from the Syrian civil war, it was only because the largest association of German employers had just declared that the national economy faced a shortfall of millions of skilled laborers. But at no point did the German government allow direct flights from Turkey or Lebanon, where so many of the refugees were warehoused. Instead, they obligated refugees to make the expensive and perilous journey over the Aegean Sea, through the Balkans, under and over razor wire fences, through police truncheons and tear gas, past violent, xenophobic crowds, so that finally they would arrive with almost nothing, willing to accept any labor conditions and bureaucratic controls. It was a journey that cost on average several thousand euros, on top of the steep psychological price, effectively ensuring that primarily only members of the university-educated middle class would be able to make it.

Peter Gelderloos, The Solutions are Already Here

Hi,

I'm saraphil, a transgender queer refugee. I'm part of a group of LGBTIQ refugees facing extreme hardships. Life in the camp is incredibly tough—access to food, water, medication, and shelter is nearly nonexistent. Every day is a fight for survival, and despite our resilience, the lack of basic necessities is overwhelming.

Asking for help is never easy, but we are at a point where we have no other choice. Donations have been scarce, and we're reaching a critical stage. Without support, we face starvation and worsening conditions. Your contribution, no matter the amount, can make a difference between life and death for us. It helps provide the essentials we desperately need: food, clean water, medical care, and shelter.

Please consider donating to our GoFundMe fundraiser:

https://gofund.me/4d80b32c.

We are deeply grateful for any help you can offer. Thank you for reading and for your compassion.

With gratitude,

Saraphil

Donations! Donations!