lapsed-bookworm

[lapsed-bookworm]

Radio Free Monday (July 14, 2025)

Welcome to Radio Free Monday for the week of July 14, 2025. RFM posts links to peoples' personal fundraisers asking for community assistance, on Tumblr, Dreamwidth, and the Fediverse.

==== Ways to give ====

Tumblr user sage-nebula is raising funds to pay off a $500 insurance deductible after a car accident. Read more, share, and support the fundraiser here.

[Kurt] is raising funds to help with his uncle's end-of-life expenses. Read more, share, and support the fundraiser here.

==== Recurring needs ====

Tumblr user Chingaderita is raising funds to buy groceries, use the laundromat, and refill her medications. She is offering Deltarune trinkets through Kofi so she and her family can afford a computer and hopefully expand her job options. Read more, share, and support the fundraiser here.

Tumblr user loversdoom is raising funds to get an overdue checkup, ultrasound, and tests for her PCOS diagnosis, as well as ongoing monitoring for her PCOS. Read more, share, and support the fundraiser here or donate via Paypal.

=======================

This has been Radio Free Monday. Submit items for my attention through the link in the pinned post at https://radiofreemonday.dreamwidth.org/2024/12/05/welcome-to-rfm.html (English-language submissions only, please.)

[lapsed-bookworm]

Me: Exercise does not cause weight loss. This is a fact that has been demonstrated so robustly in research that even doctors, who hate and fear evidence, are grudgingly starting to admit this.

Someone reading that post: Cool, but have you considered that exercise leads to weight loss?

Me: I am going to eat you

[lapsed-bookworm]

What to do if your account gets wrongfully terminated

So by now most of you have probably heard that my account was suddenly terminated (aka banned) on Saturday afternoon. I’m back now, and since I had to do some digging into this on my own, I figured I’d make a post for others to reference. 

How to tell if you’ve been wrongfully terminated

You will find yourself suddenly locked out of your account. For me, I had just made a post when I got kicked to the login screen. My password wouldn’t work, so I tried to reset it, at which point I got this screen:

Now, if Tumblr legitimately terminated your account - meaning, you broke a rule and they banned you for it - they should send you an email telling you why. So, immediately check your email. If you don’t get anything, it was probably a glitch. These happen shockingly often, so there’s a whole process to it. 

How to get your account back

First, submit a support ticket. Tumblr’s support email does NOT work, you MUST go through their site. Select ‘Terminated account’. Write a POLITE message explaining the situation. Describe what you were doing when you suddenly got kicked off, and state that to the best of your knowledge, you haven’t broken any rules, or that if you did, you would be willing to delete the offending posts. Include your url and email.

Check your email. You should immediately get an automatic message saying they’re looking into the problem. If you don’t that means that Tumblr marked your email as spam (because they banned you). If you need to, resend the ticket using a different email address at the bottom. Explain that your account email doesn’t seem to be going through and that’s why you’re using a different one. 

Wait. Tumblr Support’s hours of operation are 9-5 EST, Monday through Friday. If, like me, you submitted your ticket on a weekend, you may be in for a wait. If you don’t get a response within 24 hours, DO NOT SEND ANOTHER TICKET, but instead reply to the email they sent you. I’ve seen it advised that you should send another ticket only if the problem isn’t fixed within the week. 

Check you url often. Tumblr will likely never respond to your email letting you know what happened or that you’ve been reinstated. Check your url every so often, and if it finally loads as your blog (instead of the ‘There’s nothing here’ screen) you are free to log back in. 

And that’s it! If it was a glitch, they SHOULD reinstate your account, but you MUST submit a support ticket letting them know what’s going on. 

[lapsed-bookworm]

sorry if i'm gonna be quiet for a while. my country recently introduced laws that make it so that in order to use social media to the fullest (not being able to view ns/fw content and in a few cases, not even having access to dms), i HAVE to give the sites my id/face scan.

it goes into effect july 25th. it'll probably effect here too, since this place allows mature content (tho not full on ns/fw)

i'm very distressed about it bc i might end up not even being able to talk to my internet friends. i don't really have any irl ones

if i have to disappear on most socials by then, you know why.

[lapsed-bookworm]

Oooo that's a good idea

[lapsed-bookworm]

Your immune system getting weaker when you're stressed has got to be the dumbest stress response ever like oh you've been having a horrible terrible no good week? Let Me Make It Worse.

[lapsed-bookworm]

i don't care how uncomfortable you are around cis men, queer cis men still need places to go, and sometimes, those spaces will be shared with yours. disabled and neurodivergent queer men and queer men of color especially need a place to go. the queer community isn't the "fuck cis men" community. that is the rad fem community. if you think cis men and people who read as cis men are inherently "too scary" or shouldn't be allowed in queer spaces, you joined the wrong community.

[lapsed-bookworm]

Jul 9, 2025

The Flint water crisis began in 2014, after lead-contaminated drinking water was found to be leaching out from aging pipes into homes citywide.

The American Civil Liberties Union and the Natural Resources Defense Council, with help from other activists and nonprofits, have released statements on the recent progress, celebrating the milestone.

The statements which they chalk up the crisis to “cost-cutting measures and improper water treatment,” that the state “didn’t require treatment to prevent corrosion,” after a “a state-appointed emergency manager” switched the water supply to the Flint River.

There is no safe level of lead exposure; each nanogram causes harm. In addition to long-known risks, such as damage to children’s brains and certain cancers, there is also significant evidence that exposure to lead is linked to numerous cardiovascular diseases, including stroke and heart attack.

The coalition mobilized the citizenry and filed a lawsuit against Flint and Michigan state officials to secure safe water. The result was a settlement in March 2017, under which a federal court in Detroit ordered Flint to give every resident the opportunity to have their lead pipe replaced at no cost, as well as conduct comprehensive tap water testing, implement a faucet filter distribution and education program, and maintain funding for health programs to help residents deal with the effects of Flint’s tainted water, according to the NRDC.

The coalition then returned to court six times in six years to ensure the city and state kept to the timeline, which was delayed by COVID-19, and other reasons which The Detroit News described as “spotty record-keeping” and “ineffective management.”

On July 1st, the State of Michigan submitted a progress report to a federal court confirming that, more than eight years after the settlement, nearly 11,000 lead pipes were replaced and more than 28,000 properties were restored where the maintenance had taken place.

Of the 4,200 buildings where lead pipes are known to still be in service, their owners have either left the properties vacant, abandoned, or have declined the free replacement under the Safe Water Drinking Act. The coalition has said it will continue to monitor city and state progress on these remaining lines.

“Thanks to the persistence of the people of Flint and our partners, we are finally at the end of the lead pipe replacement project,” said Pastor Allen C. Overton of the Concerned Pastors for Social Action, one of the organizations that sued the city. “While this milestone is not all the justice our community deserves, it is a huge achievement.”

[lapsed-bookworm]

there’s this extremely kind soul of a woman on instagram that makes accessible recipes that don’t require standing, chopping, or a stove and she might just have a permanent place in my heart

[lapsed-bookworm]

🇺🇸recall of 850,000 ozark trail 64oz water bottles sold at walmart due to injuries including permanent vision loss🇺🇸

these water bottles can fucking blind you. that is. really not good.

the recalled stainless steel water bottles have been sold at walmart nationwide and online since 2017, for around $15 each. stop using these water bottles immediately and return them to walmart for a refund!

https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2025/Walmart-Recalls-Ozark-Trail-64-oz-Water-Bottles-Due-to-Serious-Impact-and-Laceration-Hazards

Name of Product: Ozark Trail 64 oz Stainless Steel Insulated Water Bottles Hazard: The lid can forcefully eject, posing serious impact and laceration hazards, when a consumer attempts to open the capped bottles after food, carbonated beverages or perishable beverages, such as juice or milk, are stored inside over time. Remedy: Refund Recall Date: July 10, 2025 Units: About 850,000

so the problem here is the lid. depending on what gets put inside the water bottle and for how long, pressure can build up inside the water bottle and turn the lid into a dangerous projectile whenever the water bottle does finally get opened.

Description: This recall involves Ozark Trail 64 oz Stainless Steel Insulated Water Bottles sold with model number 83-662 on the product packaging. The stainless-steel bottles are silver with a black one-piece screwcap lid. They measure 4.41 x 4.41 x 11.5 inches and there is an Ozark Trail logo embedded on the side of the bottle. The model number does not appear on the product. Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled water bottles and contact Walmart for a full refund. Consumers can bring the bottle to their nearest Walmart store for a refund. Incidents/Injuries: Walmart has received three reports of consumers who were injured when struck in the face by a lid forcefully ejected from these bottles upon opening. Two consumers suffered permanent vision loss after being struck in the eye.

some emphasis mine. you can see the picture of the water bottle at the top of the post and a picture of the lid a little further down. stop using these water bottles immediately and bring them to the nearest walmart for a refund.

out of the three reported injuries to the face, two of them involved permanent vision loss after being struck in the eye. so my understanding here is, people started unscrewing the cap normally, and then the cap ejected the rest of the way with a lot of force due to the buildup of pressure and the way the lid was designed. anything in front of that is prone to getting damaged, including if that thing is someone's face.

as food and drinks go bad, gas can build up from bacterial growth. this can make packaged food look over-inflated. think twice about eating something in a swollen container!

after pressure has built up inside the water bottle, loosening the lid basically turns it into a rocket. since this water bottle is insulated stainless steel, it can be a lot more difficult to tell at a glance if there is a dangerous buildup of pressure compared to a swollen gallon of perished milk or a ballooning package of rotten meat. the recall says even carbonated beverages might be enough to cause this dangerous buildup.

and less immediately dangerous but still not great, there is also the possibility of the pressurized contents spewing out when opened. try not to spray spoiled soup everywhere.

Sold Exclusively At: Walmart stores nationwide and online at Walmart.com since 2017 for about $15.

these dangerous water bottles have been on the market for 8 years for around $15, in stores and online.

I (rune) would like to recommend, if you must open one of these, open it AWAY from your face. potentially outside. you probably have a better idea than me of what was in your water bottle and for how long, but remember: this water bottle has already fucked up multiple people's eyeballs. if you have any concerns there might be any kind of pressure buildup inside, know that it is way easier to be a little extra cautious about a water bottle than it is to regrow an eye or two.

for more information, check out the recall announcement.

[lapsed-bookworm]

I am just so tired of the phrases "contribute to society" and "functioning member of society"

Because what does that even mean? What dictates an appropriate contribution or functioning level? I know the people saying it mean someone who has a job but that's such bullshit. Being able to work or not being able to work should not dictate your worth to other people.

[lapsed-bookworm]

It is not “coddling” to refrain from telling people “I hate you for the way you were born.”

When I say it hurts the feminist cause to consider men our enemy rather than just patriarchy itself, accusations of “coddling” are the most common response I get. I am not asking anyone to put men’s feelings over calling them out for misogyny they enact and perpetuate. I am talking about expressing sentiments in public or to men directly that you despise them for existing at all.

It’s one thing to be traumatized by sexism and vent your feelings about men amongst friends. But normalizing this as a part of mainstream feminism, making it so men have to see these sentiments when they engage with feminist content, drives them away from our movement. You can say men driven away by being openly hated never were going to be feminists in the first place, but I staunchly disagree. It says nothing about one’s views on oppression to not want to be around people who say they consider you an irredeemable monster no matter how hard you try to support them.

This is not about men’s feelings. I do feel that people should care about those too, including because as a transmasc I am extremely aware that seeing these sentiments harms trans men, such as preventing them from being out and transitioning for fear of being hated by those around them. But this is about what is effective in breaking down the structure of sexism. Excluding half the population from being our allies matters. Cis men should be able to use their privilege to shoulder some of the work of fighting sexism. How will they learn how to do so if we ostracize them?

Note: This is not saying that men who see women hating them and respond by becoming MRAs and whatnot are totally fine or women’s fault. It’s just that it is difficult for men to be vocal feminists when people base their feminism off of hating men.

[lapsed-bookworm]

Self-Harm Harm Reduction Resources, A Master Post

[Pt: Self-Harm Harm Reduction Resources, A Master Post]

Check reblogs for more resources, I will be reblogging with more when resources if i find any!

Send me an ask (anon is on) or DM if you have any suggestions on what to add.

General info;

[Pt: General info; ]

Cutting The Risk (link), from The National Self-Harm Network

Free online book with information on anatomy, the risk of different locations, first aid (cuts/burn/chemical burns and emotional first aid), & over helpful information. This is one of my favourites.

Self-harm: Limiting The Damage (link), from the NHS

First-aid, preventing, reducing, & hiding scars, seeking help, distractions & alternatives.

Harm Minimisation (link), from Self Injury Support

A brief guide to harm reduction for self-harm.

Reducing The Risk: A Guide To Harm Reduction For Self-Harm (link), by me!

Focuses primarily on reducing the amount of physical damage.

More under cut!!

Alternatives, Distractions, and Recovery;

[Pt: Alternatives, Distractions, and Recovery; ]

Delaying Self-Harm (link)

Distractions and Displacement (link), PDF version (link)

Exploring Alternatives (link)

How To Tell Someone About Self-Harm (link)

Calm Harm (app) (link), an app that helps you "ride the wave" of self-harm urges. Free in the UK and US, charges may apply else where.

The 'Hurt Yourself Less' Workbook (link), a free work book designed to help you understand your self-harm better. Somewhat out dated.

Why Does It Happen? (link), examples of why someone might self-harm and questions to figure out why you self-harm.

First-Aid & Infection Prevention;

[Pt: First-aid & Infection Prevention; ]

First-aid for chemical burns (link)

Cuts and scrapes: First aid (link)

Burns First Aid (link)

Identifying Infections (link) and Treating Minor Infections at Home (link)

How To Clean Your Tools (link)

Self-Harm First Aid: Cuts & Scratches (link)

How To Dispose of Blade (And Other Sharps) (link)

Arteries, Veins, & Capillaries: A First Aid Guide (link

More accurate diagram of safer spots for self injury (link), made by a EMT with help from a phlebotomist, paramedic, and nurse.

The Self Harm Care Guide (link) basics of first aid for cuts in PDF and infographic form.

Infections; Prevention, Identification, & Treatment, a Harm Reduction Guide For Self-harmers (link)

Misc;

[Pt: Misc; ]

How to tell someone about self-harm (link)

How To Clean Your Tools (link)

How To Dispose of Blades (And Other Sharps) (link) (by me!)

“Does X count as self-harm?” “Is X bad enough?” (link) (by me!)

The 'Hurt Yourself Less' Workbook (link), a free work book designed to help you understand your self-harm better. Somewhat outdated, here (link) is an edited version.

Why Does It Happen? (link), examples of why someone might self-harm and questions to figure out why you self-harm.

[lapsed-bookworm]

So there is a lot of bad stuff going on right now, and I'm sure there are lots of people feeling hopeless and thinking of suicide. Well, I've been suicidal for 21 years and I have a few practical pieces of advice for surviving that I rarely see in other places but I think have done more to keep me off the ledge than almost anything.

1. Don't feel guilty for wanting to kill yourself. Life can be extremely painful, and you are not weak, a coward, or irrational for considering the obvious way to alleviate that pain. Guilt on top of the rest of your pain will not help, and you are not a bad person. You are going to have to tell yourself this a lot.

2. If you think you might do it, find an excuse to live. This is different from a reason to live in that it is short term and shallow. For years my excuse was that I still had enough money to buy a pizza and I'd be damned if I didn't get my last pizza before I died, and if i still wanted to kill myself after the pizza then I had lost nothing. I swear this kept me alive through some of the hardest years of my life.

3. If you have an online friend you can trust, ask if they would be willing to do check in duty occasionally on your worst nights. It's very simple, on bad days where hurting yourself is a real possibility, ask your friend if they can send you a message at regular intervals, say 15 or 20 minutes, confirming that you are safe. It can be as simple as "check?", with you responding "I'm ok". Being immediately held accountable makes not doing it so much easier. I asked a friend to help me like this about two weeks ago to deal with a really bad self harm day and the difference between trying to do it on your own and simple check ins is astounding. It hurts so much less.

4. You die with nothing left on the table. This is for when it's over and you are going to kill yourself. You have a plan, you are ready, and you want to. At this point you are effectively dead. Which means there are no consequences. You can finally do the thing that you were always too scared to do. Maybe it's quitting your job, or confessing to your crush. For me it was coming out as trans. This is your last ditch effort, so if it blows up in your face and ruins everything it is no loss because your plan will still work tomorrow. You were already dead anyway, who cares if you left behind a bit more chaos.

[lapsed-bookworm]

For those people who need to hear it, there is nothing wrong with going back into the closet for your own safety. You aren't less queer because you can't be queer publicly. You aren't less trans because you have to act like you're not trans.

If you need to start going by your old pronouns or quietly go back into the closet to be safe - you are allowed to do that. Please do that if it means you're alive.

Your safety is important.

You are important.

And if you know someone who has to do this, don't push them. Don't out them. Follow their lead. People's safety is more important that grandstanding.

[lapsed-bookworm]

I want to add to the post I just reblogged about delusions and how to help people with them, but op was specifically schizophrenic, and the last time I tried to share a related story on a post like that, a different OP got extremely angry that I didn't have an identical disorder to them and accused me of derailing, so I'm making a new post.

I have severe anxiety. The things you can believe when you are going through an acute anxiety attack or panic attack can be so extreme they can be classified as delusions. I've been convinced I poisoned myself, I've been convinced I had rabies, I've been convinced a building was going to burn down, I've been convinced my blood was full of bug eggs that were going to hatch and kill me.

Doctors and family members who have helped me the most were people who took those fears seriously, who examined me no matter how irrational my fear was, and who told me why, based on what they observed, my fears were unlikely to be true.

Instead of "you can't possibly have rabies", it was "the dog is vaccinated, so it can't have rabies, and the skin where it nipped you is not broken."

Instead of "Of course your blood isn't full of bug eggs" it was "bug eggs would have hatched by now" which was so coldly logical it completely snapped me out of my panic.

Instead of "I'm sure you didn't poison yourself", the doctor looked at the bug spray and the ingredients and listened to how I used it and said "based on your exposure, you haven't been poisoned".

[lapsed-bookworm]

I know your folks are out in East Texas somewhere from your Austin Airport Potato Wedges posts. I hope they are safe and well ❤️

They are well, thank you! And would be lightly amused to be considered East Texas :D (They're in what's known as the Central Texas Hill Country -- which I say not to make fun at all, only so people won't yell about it in the notes.)

For those looking to help, I know my folks are supporting Mercy Chefs and the Uvalde Foundation for Kids, and their neighbors have mentioned giving to the Flood Relief Fund, which will pass on pooled funds to vetted support for a number of affected counties and communities.