dandelionsresilience

[dandelionsresilience]

[dandelionsresilience]

[dandelionsresilience]

[dandelionsresilience]

Living any life in this world as a disabled person who can't be exploited effectively for profit is important resistance. Not being able to conform and yet refusing to be erased is vital. Living in spite of society's demands and expectations and refusing to apologize for it is part of a slow revolution. Crafting a space for yourself despite the worlds hostility will help others do the same.

[dandelionsresilience]

I’m still thinking about that “is OSHA regulations Cop Behavior” post. Like. You know who thinks regulations are for losers? People who build submersibles out of logitech gamepads and rejected carbon fibre. People who trust starlink as their only surface lifeline.

Do you wanna be like the fine film on the floor of the Atlantic that was once a billionaire? Is that the hill you’re really gonna die on?

We have an expression in my field- “Regulations Are Written In Blood”

People don’t have fucking safety standards as a power trip, we have them because somewhere in the past, NOT having those regulations killed or maimed someone.

A lot of laws out there are bullshit- safety regulations sure as fuck aren’t. I have the literal scars to prove it.

[dandelionsresilience]

we were talking about the criminalization of homosexuality in class and my professor (who as far as i know isn't in any way queer) said something i quite enjoyed in that. well the exchange was more or less this: a student asked a question (doesn't really matter what exactly just know that i was rolling my eyes So hard internally) and the prof looked at the student and was like (i'm paraphrasing here this conversation was not in english) Do you have any queer friends? and the student went Uhhhh in a manner that made it clear the answer was probably no and the prof said Actually statistically speaking you most likely do. If I had to divide this room into two groups the way to do it would not be "people with queer friends" and "people without queer friends" it would be "people whose queer friends are out to them" and "people whose queer friends aren't". And if you're in the latter category you should consider why that is--if maybe your behavior is indicating to the queer people around you that you're not safe to come out to. to come back to your question if you really want to know about queerness there's a very simple way of doing that: you make yourself a person queer people feel comfortable talking to about their experiences and then you fucking listen to them when they do (the fuck is not paraphrased) (there was a fuck involved) (frankly king shit)

[dandelionsresilience]

The phrase “due process” has been coming up a lot in the news lately, and it seems like way too many people somehow don’t know what it means

I’ve heard people say that only US citizens are entitled to due process. I’ve heard people say that you don’t deserve due process if you’ve broken the law. If you’re in the country illegally, if you’re a member of a gang, if you’ve committed a violent crime. The problem with putting any condition on due process is that

“due process” is just the process of finding stuff out.

Due process is finding out what your name is, your citizenship/legal status, your gang membership, your criminal history. Due process is finding out whether you’ve committed a crime, based on what evidence and defense is presented to a court. (I do believe due process also includes fair sentencing, ie after it’s determined that you have committed a crime, then there’s a process to determine what your punishment should be; but this rant is about the “finding out” part)

If we grant that any particular category of people isn’t entitled to due process in the US, how do we find out whether someone belongs to that category without first applying due process? without due process, police can just point at anyone they want and say “they’re a gang member, arrest them,” and then never check whether they are in fact a gang member.

due process is not some privilege reserved for respectable law-abiding US citizens. due process is how we find out who you are and what you’ve done, instead of just going by “trust me bro.” without due process, there’s nothing to stop you - the person reading this - from being deported on a whim without ever getting a chance to say “but I’m not a criminal”

[dandelionsresilience]

i've been reading a lot of books about urban naturalism recently, and the one big thing they all talk about is how you HAVE to stop seeing nature as something that happens somewhere else. nature is not just charismatic megafauna and state parks and mountain ranges. nature is that abandoned lot that's growing native milkweed in it. nature is the murder of crows that lives in your block. nature is the moss growing on your roof and the dandelions growing in the sidewalk cracks and the song birds at your neighbor's birdfeeder. and you should care about it! you should notice it! that's YOUR nature!

[dandelionsresilience]

Solarpunk Activities for the Socially Anxious

 - Read up on the philosophical background(s) of solarpunk. I’ve got a bibliography page if you are looking for more. - Figure out which plants that are indigenous or endangered in your area. Read about their history (and if you can make seed bombs.) - Enjoy Alan Watts lecture on nature - Make a herb drying rack by using string and push pins. You can eat, burn or drink tea from the herbs. - Consider growing food from your scraps - Watch a Ted Talk on Conservation - Draw nature, real or imaginary. Take time to map out fantasy lands. (Think about it as an environmental vision board) - Consider if composting might be right for you - If you have houseplants, learn how to propagate them (or even just take the time to learn more about them…their history, and how best to care for them). If you do want to learn how to propagate, I suggest starting with succulents. They are hardy, fun, and fairly cheap. -Learn how to Talk to Trees with Charis Melina Brown - A National Geographic explainer on how trees talk to each other. - Listen to this amazing, free, nature meditation with Jessica Snow

[dandelionsresilience]

PSA: Credit Card Phone Scam

(Or, how Tumblr just saved my ass)

I saw a PSA recently about a scam going around with spoofed official numbers calling and asking for information, and how you should hang up and call back using the correct number rather than just go along with what the caller is telling you. But this is Tumblr, so I'll never be able to find the post again.

I decided to make my own, because this literally just happened to me an hour ago. Hopefully my story can spread some more awareness and save other asses the way mine was saved.

Around 7:30pm tonight (Friday), I got a phone call from a 1-800 number. I almost didn't answer it, then I saw it was 1-800-465-4___, and I recognized that as the start of the CIBC phone number, so I picked up.

Me: Hello?

Guy: Hi, is this [MrsD]?"

Me: Yes.

Guy: Hi, [MrsD], this is _____ from CIBC, how are you tonight?

I thought, okay, this is a sales call. Right before I'm about to sit down for dinner. Typical. Mentally, I'm already putting together an exit strategy, preparing to say no to everything and get off the phone ASAP. But then—

Guy: We've just flagged suspicious activity on your CIBC Visa card. It was an online BestBuy transaction for $980.00. Was that your transaction?

Me, flustered: Uh. What? Sorry, how much?

Guy: $980.00 at BestBuy, was that you?

Me: Oh. At BestBuy?

Guy: Yes, your card was used at a BestBuy in [town nearby]. Was that you? Did you go to [town nearby] today? You don't live in [town nearby], right?

Me: Uh. No?

Guy: Okay, so I need some information to verify this transaction.

By this point, my brain had caught on that something about this was hinky. First of all, I thought he said it was an online purchase, then he said it was in person. But maybe I'd misheard, he was talking fast. My second thought was that every other time there was a suspicious transaction, I got an automated phone call and a text message with instructions to call back. I've never had a person call me directly.

My third thought was, well, the phone number on the caller ID was right....

THEN! I remembered a Tumblr post I saw recently, and I remembered what it told me to do.

Me: I'm skeptical about this call. I'm going to call CIBC myself and look into this.

Guy: What? Ma'am, you can just tell me, I can verify—

Me: No. Thank you, but I'll call the number on the back of my card.

Guy, getting more agitated: Ma'am, if you look at the number on your card, you'll see it's the same number.

Me: You know that can spoofed, right?

Guy: Uh— but ma'am—

Me: Sorry, but I need to make sure. I'm going to call CIBC directly.

The guy kept sputtering, but I hung up on him. In that moment, I really didn't think that he was a scammer. In fact, I thought I was being paranoid and was maybe kinda rude to the guy. I wondered if I was being overcautious, and I felt a bit guilty.

I called the number on the back of my credit card, waited 15 minutes for an agent, and told him what just happened.

IMMEDIATELY—

Agent: You didn't tell him anything, did you?

Me: No. I said I wasn't in [town nearby] today, but that's it.

Agent: Good. You did the right thing by calling us, let me look into the transaction for you.

Then, a minute later:

Agent: I'm not seeing any transaction like that. There's no flags on your card, nothing suspicious at all.

Me: So it was a scam?

Agent: Yep. Entirely fake.

I was honestly surprised. I really thought that there was some kind of mix-up and that I would be apologizing to this guy for being rude to his colleague.

Looking back on it now, I can see all the telltale signs of it being a scam call:

Time of day. Early evening on a Friday, chances are people are either sitting down for dinner or in a hurry to get somewhere. In this situation, a lot people probably wouldn't think twice about giving "the bank" some information just to get off the phone. (Joke's on them, I have no life!) But the way that I reacted to his introduction did evoke the desired reaction of Ugh, what now? Leave me alone! that the scammer was banking on (pun intended).

Sense of urgency. The scammer spoke fast, threw details at me quickly, and made sure I knew that I had to give him my information right away. This honestly threw me off. It was overwhelming, and I felt concerned and a bit frantic for a few seconds until I thought about what I know about scams and what I'd just read in that Tumblr PSA.

Complete lack of empathy or understanding about my skepticism/anti-fraud precautions. The last time I had to get a new credit card number due to fraud, the agent I spoke to said things like "I know this is frustrating", "I'm sorry this is a hassle", etc. And of course the CIBC agent I spoke to tonight was immediately grateful that I'd called them directly and reassured me that CIBC would never ask for information. By contrast, the scammer was outright dismissive of my concerns and got agitated when I wouldn't just trust him right off the bat.

Emotional provocation. Similar to #2 & #3 above, the scammer was very good at making me feel things. Worried and fearful at first, then guilty about being suspicious, to the point where I actually apologized to the guy. (Granted, I am Canadian, but still!)

And finally, I cannot stress enough: the spoofed phone number. I am a pretty well-informed person. I keep up with news about scams and whatnot. I know that phone numbers can be spoofed. I've been in front of my phone when it just starts to ring and I can see the auto-dialler number appear briefly before it gets replaced with a number that has my area code. But tonight—early evening on a Friday—I was cooking dinner and my phone was across the room. It had rung several times by the time I got to it. I only picked it up because I recognized the CIBC number. And when the scammer started his spiel, the fact that the number was the same was enough for me to give him just a tiny moment of trust. Had he actually gotten past that first barrier and started requesting my information, I think I would have caught on, because people asking for sensitive information over the phone is a huge obvious red flag. I like to think I would have caught on, anyway. But maybe not! That fake number almost had me.

TL;DR: No matter what the number on your caller ID says—that it's your bank, your energy company, your internet provider, whatever!—if the person on the other end is requesting sensitive information urgently, don't panic. Stop. Think. Then tell them nothing, hang up the phone, and call your service provider yourself using a verified phone number.

[dandelionsresilience]

As a former librarian I'm actually required to remind you that many libraries that subscribe to Libby are opted into a program that lets you subscribe and access magazines for free with no wait

And that this is actually a really fun, low cost way to not only access news and larger cultural magazines, but also to get free patterns for many different crafts that you can screenshot if need be and that lower the financial barriers to entry for trying new things

From my experience working in both academic and public libraries, many libraries are use it or lose it funding-- I have to say this because a lot of patrons feel guilty for how much they use the library and how often they're using it funny enough, but the worst thing you can do for libraries is not try out new features and not use what's already given to you as much as possible.

The numbers that come as a result of your patronage are how most libraries justify their continued existence in times of financial hardship, which sucks but, go check out some magazines on Libby!

[dandelionsresilience]

Indigenous-led resistance to 21 fossil fuel projects in the U.S. and Canada over the past decade has stopped or delayed an amount of greenhouse gas pollution equivalent to at least one-quarter of annual U.S. and Canadian emissions.

This is despite an onslaught of attacks against Indigenous activists over the past few years. Over the last few years, victories won against projects through direct actions have led to more than 35 states enacting anti-protest laws, jail time for protestors, thousands of dollars of fines, and even the killing of prominent activists.

Indigenous rights and responsibilities “are far more than rhetorical devices — they are tangible structures impacting the viability of fossil fuel expansion.” Through physically disrupting construction and legally challenging projects, Indigenous resistance has directly stopped projects expected to produce 780 million metric tons of greenhouse gases every year and is actively fighting projects that would dump more than 800 million metric tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere every year.

The analysis, which used publicly released data and calculations from nine different environmental and oil regulation groups, found that roughly 1.587 billion metric tons of annual greenhouse gas emissions have been halted. That’s the equivalent pollution of approximately 400 new coal-fired power plants — more than are still operating in the United States and Canada — or roughly 345 million passenger vehicles — more than all vehicles on the road in these countries.

“From an Indigenous perspective, when we are confronting the climate crisis we are inherently confronting the systems of colonization and white supremacy as well,” Goldtooth said. “In order to do that, you have to reevaluate how you relate to the world around you and define what your obligations are to the world around you. It’s more than just stopping fracking development and pipelines and it’s more than just developing clean energy, it’s about actually fundamentally changing how we see the world itself.”

[dandelionsresilience]

Went to the forest grove and nobody knew you. I told the grass and the moss and the rocks and the bugs all about you though, how you smile and your favorite food. I hope they remember for next time, maybe you can come along, just in case?

[dandelionsresilience]

Dandelion News - June 15-21

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my Dandelion Doodles!

1. At UN Ocean Conference, Nations and Funders Seek to Create and Expand Large-Scale Marine Protected Areas

“[… W]orld leaders agreed to sweeping but nonbinding commitments[….] Samoa will [protect] a section of the ocean roughly the size of Vietnam[…. Vanuatu] would protect 2 million square miles, an area the size of the Amazon Rainforest [… as] the world’s first multi-national Indigenous-led marine reserve. […] Tanzania will designate reserves to protect seagrass beds and mangrove forests, which serve as natural storm and erosion barriers for its coastal communities.”

2. Australia could host 73GW of solar in abandoned coal mines: study

“[Australia has] 1,470 km² of mine sites potentially supporting some 73 GW of solar in total — and some 2.7GW of coal-to-solar conversions have been announced. […] “Repurposing mines for solar development offers a rare chance to bring together land restoration, local job creation, and clean energy deployment in a single strategy[….]” Green Gravity is testing using mine shafts for gravity based energy storage, and last year secured another $9 million to continue that.”

3. Inside the Veterans Affairs Department’s underground resistance to Trump’s care ban for transgender vets

““I’ve never met a veteran who thought another veteran didn’t deserve care.” […] Despite the risk, all three physicians described a rapidly growing but carefully hidden network of VA staff committed to ensuring that trans veterans still receive care, often through unofficial channels, coded referrals, or creative documentation workarounds[…] and “personal connections,” including community providers and informal care networks.”

4. Native American tribe steps up to protect Florida lands for wildlife

“The [Miccosukee] tribe is looking to buy and protect environmentally significant lands [… as] an ambitious project to connect 18m acres (7.3m hectares) of state and privately owned wilderness into a contiguous, safe habitat for scores of imperilled and roaming species[….] Cypress said the tribe […] already has collaborative or direct stewardship of almost 3m acres in the Everglades and Biscayne national parks, and Loxahatchee national wildlife refuge[….]”

5. More trees, more tools: Uzbekistan steps up on Aral Sea recovery and support for green business

“[Recent] afforestation has reduced dust storms and improved local air and soil conditions. Now, the government is […] focused on biosaline agriculture - using salty water to irrigate crops, climate-resilient farming and sustainable water use [- as well as…] the launch of a national green certification programme, aimed at helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) transition to cleaner, more sustainable practices.”

June 8-14 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

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We are currently living in an era where tech moguls are realizing there is no more long-term perpetually growing profit in information technology because all the niche markets with any real demand have been filled. And this horrifies them so they're going to keep rinsing and recycling old tired schemes as many times as they can to wring the last dregs of money out of the system until the whole thing collapses in on itself. I just don't have the energy anymore to join the pack of rats racing back and forth from one sinking ship to another.

[dandelionsresilience]

I think most people know by now, if ICE or police knock on your door, do not open it and instead ask to see a warrant. What I did not know until now is exactly what you’re looking for when they show you a warrant. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, they could show you anything and you’ll have to assume it’s what they say it is. let’s be smarter than that

According to this video, the obvious difference between a judicial warrant (which authorises them to enter your house) and an administrative warrant (which authorises them to sit on their thumbs) is whether the word “COURT” is present at the top of the paper. If not, it’s administrative; tell them that they “do not have [your] consent to enter the premises.”

If the word “court” IS present at the top of the paper, it’s judicial, but check that it’s signed by a judge or clerk. If it is, you have to let them in, and do not interfere with their search. If not, tell them that they “do not have [your] consent to enter the premises.”

If they try to enter without your consent, do not resist; do not open the door for them, let them break it down. Start recording, call a lawyer, and do not impede their search. Keep yourself and your family safe.