but seriously i think learning about nature is Hard for many people, especially adults, because you have to rationalize the symbiotic experience youre having next to the contemptuous and abusive way we treat the land. I think USAmericans fear nature as a way of making sense of the fact that we're waging war against nature, with our lawns and our suburbs and our landscaping and our cosmetic use of pesticides.
There was a post on facebook my mom was showing me where someone found a salamander and was asking what it was. thankfully half the comments were like "that's a SALAMANDER they are SPECIAL and a BLESSING and you must PROTECT it"
but the other half were things like..."I don't know, but I think it's time to move" "Burn the house down" "Kill it with fire" "I would scream if i saw that"
this is why i have such specific preferences in horror fiction that nothing seems to really hit: for me, horror is not about bad things happening, horror is about fear. So occasionally I find these really satisfying stories that are about fear of the unknown thing and the experience of fear, but the unknown thing being harmless is generally seen as a "twist" rather than a perfectly sensible and satisfying outcome.
on the face of it: why would you be afraid of a tiny creature weighing only grams, whose body is so delicate and frail? it's heartbreaking, but it's not unexplainable. What kind of a childhood makes someone an adult who is totally unprepared to comprehend the idea of something both unexpected and good?
a bizarre universe to try and place myself in, where a salamander is more likely to be...what? a mutated fetus of a brain-sucking alien? rather than one among the thousands of gentle creatures that you can marvel at, forever, for free.
It's the same way with bugs: people argue with the simple fact that nearly all insects cannot harm you, and I think it's because it's so difficult to reconcile with how liberally and carelessly we use insecticides with proven harms to humans and pets, and how we treat and speak about these creatures in general. If that weird bug almost certainly would not have harmed you, that means you killed a living thing because you didn't understand it, and that's a troubling thought.
@danashehab has been fundraising since may and is just over €15,000 away from their goal l. as stated in the screenshot people are starting to believe the rafah crossing will open so it’s important to make sure everyone has the funds in case they are allowed to evacuate.
thee shehab family consists of dana (13), sahar (14), mona (9), malak (5), yehya (1.5), fahed, (38), reem (32), and grandmother mona (60). they have been shadowbanned and deleted a few times. you can also find this family at @monashehab
The family has had to raise their goal to cover their extended family’s evacuation fees since they are unable to make a new GFM.
The new goal is €85,000.
[vetted]
@fadel-dani is only 23 years old, a third-year IT student, and he and his family have been displaced multiple times in the genocide. When his university was destroyed by Israel, he registered to study remotely. Imagine the world falling apart around you and still trying to complete your school work! When his family, after being displaced 5 times, returned to their home, bombs were dropped, and they survived an explosion which destroyed their house. He fainted. Fadel woke up in a hospital and learned that, because hospitals in the north of Gaza had completely collapsed, he and his family were transported under extremely dangerous conditions to a hospital in the south of the Gaza.
Further he learned that while unconscious, he had undergone surgery to remove iron fragments that shot into his body in the bombing. Because of the extreme danger and the collapse of the health system, some of the pieces could not removed at their location. The doctor assessed his health and told his family that he needs to receive treatment in another country as soon as possible. Obviously, doing so safely requires coordination and funds for both travel and the surgical fees once they get to a hospital. They have been trying to raise funds since then. He had bled a lot that day. His normal bloodcount is weak because he has thalassemia. The price of the medicine is too high for them to afford, and so he has fainted many times. So far they have waited over 300 days to meet their fundraising goal so he can get needed surgery. 300 days of suffering the physical and psychological pain of feeling shrapnel from the Israeli bombing that destroyed his childhood home embedded in his body. He is currently sitting in a tent, sending me messages on tumblr. His campaign was vetted (gazavetters #197), and you can help him raise funds to get medical care as soon as possible by sending some funds here:
okay yes haha but the catholic church must be annihilated
Do we think "Israel" brazenly bragging about not allowing humanitarian aid through the border will be enough for people to stop scolding Gazans for making individual/family fundraisers because "it's better to donate to trusted orgs instead" or are they never going to get it?
American Bison (Bison bison), family Bovidae, Caprock Canyons State Park, West TX, USA
The animals in these photos are part of the official state bison herd of Texas.
This is the national mammal of the United States.
photograph via: Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept.
Hey everyone, my name is Abdelmajed. I don’t usually talk much about myself, but today, I want to share a little piece of my story.
I was born and raised in Gaza, a place that has always been my home 🏡. I grew up surrounded by my family, my friends, and the streets that I knew like the back of my hand. Life wasn’t always easy, but we had love, laughter, and dreams. I used to think that no matter what happened, home would always be here. But life has a way of changing things in ways we never expect.
Over the past months, everything I once knew has disappeared. The streets that were once filled with children playing are now silent. The houses that held so many memories are now just rubble. And the people I loved—some of them are gone forever. 💔
And I'm now waiting to be Vetted by @gazavetters 🙏
On April 16th 2025 the US federal government has proposed to change the interpretation of the endangered species act so that it no longer protects habitat.
This is open for public comment until the end of May 19th. Please comment and make your voice heard.
Wildlife need their habitat. If the ESA redefines harm so that habitat is no longer protected, the implications for wildlife would be catastrophic.