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giant redwood trees really are so cool, they just have something incredibly special going on. it's hard to describe if you haven't seen them

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We ask your questions anonymously so you don’t have to! Submissions are open on the 1st and 15th of the month.

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I bet it feels good as fuuuuck to slightly draw your sword with all the other knights in anger when a treacherous knave shows their face in the court

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”getting thicker skin” is great in theory but I think for some people “get better at handling your thin skin” is gonna be way more helpful advice. I have strong emotional reactions to criticism and they might never go away, but i can continue to try and handle each situation maturely and that’s the important part. Sometimes irrational feelings are chronic and living with them is better than trying to beat yourself up into not having them.

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i think we need to bring back calling people internet famous instead of calling them influencers like there needs to be something borderline derogatory injected back into it

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The Quiet Song

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A blazing bright summer!

Itty Bitty Summer Dragon stickers ♡

I'm OFFICIALLY DONE with all the itty bitty seasonal dragons :") thanks everyone for checking them out!! It was such a fun little project to do! All the seasons here:

🍂Autumn | ❄️Winter | 🌱Spring | 🌻 Summer

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Stepping Stones

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In my experience as a third culture kid who travels a lot the best indicator that you as a non-x is appreciating x culture is if the locals actively invite you to participate in it with them

Yes, you are allowed to buy those handmade Inuit winter clothes if an Inuk is literally selling them to you. They would not be offering you a price point if they didnt want you to buy and wear them. And you might discover that theyre the best winter clothes youve ever worn because of COURSE they would be if theyve kept this culture warm in harsh winters for thousands of years.

Yes, you are allowed to join those Cambodians in that local holiday theyre celebrating during your visit if they literally invited you to it. They would not have invited you if they didnt want you to participate. And in the process you might learn a lot about a culture you never wouldve interacted with and you can all have a laugh together about your clumsy but genuine attempts at getting your footwork right in one of their traditional dances.

Yes, you are also allowed to ask if you can participate in something from the local culture you are visiting. Sometimes you will get "sorry, thats a closed practice" but in my experience most of the time you'll get "of course, let me show you how to do this!" And in my experience people tend to appreciate when others make an active effort in sharing their culture and wont stone you to death if youre clumsy about it while youre learning. I guarantee that the local children doing all of this for the first time too make the same mistakes you do and they can tell if youre being disrespectful or genuine.

So much "cultural appropriation" discourse really starts to sound like "you cant participate or visit any other cultures if youre from a Colonial Culture and have to stay in your little box and never relate to other people"

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Inner peace 🕊️🐱😌

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Trump’s defunding of CPB means a massive loss to all local PBS and NPR public broadcasting stations. But based on their ability to get sponsorships, advertisers, other grants, private donations, state funding, and membership subscribers, some stations will end up hit a lot harder than others.

And some of the hardest hit stations, the ones who had been relying most heavily on this federal funding, are Native American and Indigenous Nations’ local stations. Radio stations in rural areas and on reservations can often be a really important source of locally relevant information—and publicly available media in Native languages.

Unfortunately, many Native American-serving public media stations listed on Adopt A Station don't have donation or support pages that I can find (KGHR - Greyhills Academy in the Navajo Nation in Arizona; KGVA - The Voice of the Aaniiih and Nakoda Nations in Montana; KSHI - The Voice of the A:shiwi in Zuni Pueblo, New Mexico; KCUW - Umatilla Reservation Community Radio in Oregon; KTNN - The Voice of the Navajo Nation broadcasting from Arizona; KUHB - The Voice of the Pribilofs in St. Paul, Alaska; KDSP - Sand Point in Alaska... if you can find any, let me know! And certainly if you're in the area, show them some support!)

But one that's actively running a fundraiser that could absolutely use more support is KUYI - Hopi Radio in Arizona. Broadcasting from the seat of the Hopi government in Kykotsmovi, KUYI includes local news from the Hopi reservation and programming in the Hopi language. They're also set to lose 60% of their funding with the CPB funds rescinded. Donate to support them here—they’re aiming to raise $25,000 for their 25th anniversary, and as of the time of this posting have raised $1,660.

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illustrations from 'days with frog and toad,' arnold lobel, 1979.

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Gold etched sword with mother of pearl hilt, Italy, circa 1500.

from The Kunsthistorisches Museum