Everything I draw ends up wearing a bow-tie

hedaclara:

hedaclara:

hedaclara:

Guys, the first images of Irma’s level of devastation are coming out of Barbuda and it’s heartbreaking. The President of Barbuda says that 90% of the island is uninhabitable, upwards of 60% of the TOTAL population are now homeless because the hurricane destroyed virtually every building and home on the island, and that the estimated damage is valued at no less than $200 million dollars. That’s money a small island like that doesn’t have. They’re saying it’s going to take years to rebuild and Hurricane Jose is right behind Irma on the same path which means they could be hit twice. This is just one of the islands being affected.

Please, show up for the Caribbean like you did for Houston. There is no safety net for any of these islands including mine. They’ll rely entirely on foreign aid. Find local charities or global trustworthy charities (NOT the Red Cross) and make a donation asking them to aid the Caribbean. There’s whole countries being turned into rubble with no financial means to repair their infrastructures. They’re going to need help.

For the hundreds of people replying or in my inbox asking “Why not the Red Cross?!”:

1. Google is free.
   
2. Why The Red Cross Faces Backlash on Harvey Relief Efforts [Washington Post]
3. Red Cross Built Exactly 6 Homes For Haiti With Nearly Half A Billion Dollars In Donations [Huffington Post]
   
4. Red Cross Exec Doesn’t Know What Portion Of Donations Go To Harvey Relief [NPR]
   
5. Report: Red Cross Spent 25 Percent Of Haiti Donations On Internal Expenses [NPR]
   
6. Seriously, guess where I found all of those in two solid minutes of searching? Google. Even better, they didn’t charge me a penny for it. 

Stop wanting things to be spoonfed to you. While you waited for someone to link you to sources, you could’ve done it yourself and already donated to people who desperately need it. 

Because people are also asking where to donate instead of the Red Cross:

1. MercyCorps [89% rating on Charity Navigator]
   
2. Heart To Heart International [97% rating on Charity Navigator]
3. Direct Relief [100% rating on Charity Navigator]
4. Habitat For Humanity [83% rating on Charity Navigator // Because with islands like Barbuda 90% destroyed and French St. Martin said to be 95% destroyed then people are going to need homes built]
5. Catholic Relief Services [90% rating on Charity Navigator // For those who would want to donate to a religious organization]

If there is a note or comments section on their donation page please do let them know that you would want your money to go to their Caribbean relief efforts. Houston and Florida have the US government backing them in whatever they will need but these islands will have very little except for these charities to fall back if they have any hope of rebuilding what seems to be entire countries in some cases. For the people who lost everything even a few bucks will go a long way. 

For the most part I would suggest staying away from privately launched GoFundMes unless you know the person directly. Ultimately, you just never know where those funds are going to end up and if your money will be used wisely. Sure, the same can be said for charity organizations but at least there is a better shot at possibly helping through them. The five listed above are world known and have been studied by charity oversight organizations. It’s as close to perfect as we’re going to get.

(via fablegate)

Hurricane Irma

thelovelylights:

This hurricane has officially hit a category 5. To give you an idea of the strength of this storm:

Harvey was a category 4.

Katrina and Andrew were a category 5 and Irma is at the moment is stronger than both of them.

This hurricane is going to cause absolute destruction when it hits. Puerto Rico (especially this beautiful isla)  Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic and Florida are all in it’s path. Here’s a checklist if you can afford these supplies.

Food

• Bottled Water- a week’s supply minimum (One gallon daily per person)
  
• Non perishable items that don’t require cooking ( Tuna, nuts, fruit cups, Cereal bars, peanut butter, crackers, dried fruits, canned vegetables, chili)
• Dry pet food 
• Packaged juices 
• Powdered or canned milk 

Supplies

• Manual can opener
  
• Toilet paper 
• Baby wipes ( this will make a great alternative for showers)
• Batteries ( AAA, AA, 6V, C, and D)
• Flash lights (if you have manual ones even better)
• Battery powered radio 
• Utility knife 
• Waterproof matches 
• 5 gallons of gas
• Tampons and pads 
• Portable phone charger fully charged)
• Sand bags (redirects water and debris flow)
• First aid kit
• Blankets 
• Rain gear - Ponchos, boots. (avoid umbrellas)
• Medications 
• Portable cooler

Documentation / Legal End

• A closed water proof sealed container
• Take pictures and send them to yourself in an email of the following: Drivers License, photo ID, social security numbers, medical insurance cards (of each person) 
  
• Take photos of everything! Insurance companies are not your friends. Email everything to yourself. 
• If you have young children and they are able to make sure they memorize your name, address, and phone number

Other tips: 

• Before the hurricane hits fill up the bath tubs in your house (extra water for flushing the toilet) 
  
• Bring any ornaments from outside inside 
• Trim trees
• Board your windows
• Have a secure room that you an pile everyone ( has to have no windows) 

if you have any questions message me. Keep safe mi gente xx 

(via starfleetrambo)

Net Neutrality Update! 5/18/17

justsomeantifas:

The FCC has just voted 2-1 to start undoing the net neutrality rules. Today’s vote DOES NOT immediately undo the Open Internet Order. Instead, it kicks off a public commenting period that will last for several months. During these several months companies, interest groups, and advocates can file their thoughts with the FCC. 

When the comment period ends, the commission will then put forward a finalized proposal, where it’s supposed to take into account those comments, and vote to put that into the rulebooks. However, outlook is grim because two of the three people leading the FCC right now are republicans opposed to the Title II classification in the first place. 

The public will have 90 days to leave comments on the proposal. Here’s one of our old posts to help you out:

Here’s a detailed explanation HOW to submit feedback to the FCC and some suggestions on what to say. 

If you would like to understand net neutrality and what this will mean for you, here are some helpful links:

Here’s a good place to start, it breaks down some of the basics and common questions you might have and there are sections linking to individual explanations that will answer questions like:

• What is network neutrality?
  
  
• What’s the argument for network neutrality?
  
  
• What’s the case against network neutrality regulations?
  
  
• How did the government promote open networks in the internet’s early years?
  

This article was made back in 2015 but the answers and debate is still very relevant to the argument today. I’d suggest reading up on these to get a basic understanding. Here’s some other articles that might help:

• Net Neutrality: What You Need to Know Now
  

• What is net neutrality and what does it mean for me?
  

• Here’s a Simple Explanation of Net Neutrality And How It Affects You
  

• Interview: A Primer On The Future Of Net Neutrality Under Trump
  

Here’s a video breakdown that may help you understand.

(via brandb)

artbytesslyn:

Don’t ignore this Net Neutrality stuff people. DON’T IGNORE IT. It WON’T go away on it’s own and if you’re on the internet RIGHT NOW, you have the power to do something about it. 

If the internet means ANYTHING to you, if it’s an escape, if you support creators, if you stand for free press and speech and the right to self start, STAND UP FOR ITS RIGHT TO BE FREELY AVAILIBLE TO EVERYONE!!

Wealth is a disease to these people. They have more money than any of us will ever have. They have the power to do good, and they don’t. STAND UP   TO THEM! 

Go to this link, fill out the form, and SEND IT. Send 10. Send 20. Make it perfectly clear how suicidal it would be to agree to this.

It takes 5 minutes. Do it. 

(via fablegate)