I Wanna Be The Weird Lady Who Lives In A Small House And Grows Lavender And Wears Sundresses With Straw

If You’re Gonna Make Something Wheelchair Accessible, Don’t Make it a Thing

Here’s some examples awkward accessibility being a thing:

Your at a hotel that has a lift to get you from one sub-floor to another, but the lift can only be unlocked and operated by one specific person that the hotel now has to go find. Sure, they’ve made the entrance to the sub-floor is accessible, but now it’s a thing.

The buses are wheelchair accessible but the driver has to stop the bus, take 30 seconds to lower the goddamn ramp, move passengers out of their seats, hook up the straps and then secure you in the bus. Sure, they’ve made the busses accessible but now it’s a thing.

The restaurant has an accessible entrance, but it’s past the trash room and through the kitchen. Sure, the restaurant is accessible, but now it’s an insulting thing.

Here’s some great examples of accessibility not being a thing:

The train to the airport pulls up flush with the platform. I board with everyone else and sit wherever the fuck I want. Riding the train is accessible and not a thing.

In Portland, I press a button the side of the streetcar and a ramp automatically extends at the same time the door opens. I board in the same amount of time as everyone else. This is not a thing.

I get that it is difficult to design for wheelchair accessibility, but folks need to start considering the overall quality of the experience versus just thinking about meeting the minimum requirements.

Pics Of Fairy Tale Architecture From Norway

Can I watch a great film knowing the actresses in it were terrorized and mistreated the entire time? Can I watch a football game knowing that the players are getting brain injuries right before my eyes? Can I listen to my favorite albums anymore knowing that the singers were all beating their wives in between studio sessions? Can I eat at the new fancy taco place knowing when the building that used to be there got bulldozed eight families got kicked out of their homes so they could be replaced with condos and a chain restaurant? Can I wear the affordable clothes I bought downtown that were probably assembled in a sweatshop with child labor? Can I eat quinoa? Can I eat this burger? Can I drink this bottled water? Can I buy a car and drive to work because I’m sick of taking an hour each way on the subway? Whose bones do I stand on? Whose bones am I standing on right now? 

Tis the season of mass consumption. One of my friends was telling me about how her grandmother used to save old holiday cards to make name tags for presents. Seemed pretty solarpunk to me. Thought I’d share.

      By one way or another, the world as we know it has ended. Nature starts reclaiming the land.  There are survivors, but they have a hard task ahead of them; that of trying to rebuild after a great loss. There are no zombies, no mutant beasts here to contend with, but there is always that most human of emotions in the aftermath. Fear.        But people pay heed to the mistakes of the past and make conscious choices to not repeat them. Focus is placed on making things grow and thrive, whether it’s the flora and fauna or  peoples’ physical/psychological well-being.  Builders, farmers, engineers, teachers, and healers become leaders. Storytelling bonds people together through the sharing of vital information and in entertainment.        Everyone becomes a guardian of certain areas of knowledge contained in the precious resources of books. Part of the day is spent in necessary labor, but time is also set aside to unwind and share all that’s been learned with others. Strong foundations are laid for a vibrant community.         And slowly over time, with an abundance of patience and determination, the community flourishes, able to speak of its own unique achievements. And so, travelers are sent out, to learn about other communities, to listen to their stories, to offer aid if it is wanted. Eager to share what they can, they travel past technological relics to strange and distant lands. In the face of the unknown, they have chosen hope.

Welcome to Soft Apocalypse. 

This compilation of downtempo instrumental songs with a low key hip hop vibe encompasses optimistic, wistful, and relaxed moods. It became evocative of a solarpunk theme to me.  Enjoy!

00:00:00 Palmer’s Medic - Soft Apocalypse 00:05:24 Katuchat x Andrea - Call Me 00:08:10 Lorn - Ice 00:12:17 Katuchat - Watercolor 00:15:49 Izzard - Late Night Ramen 00:19:05 Dirty Chocolate - Flutter 00:21:43 Lorn - Conduit 00:25:17 Neotenomie - On the Grass 00:27:59 Natan Vance - Like Tears in the Rain 00:30:48 idaydream - Sugar Plum Dumpling 00:34:29 Moonkay - Waterfront 00:37:44 Katuchat - Pink Lemonade 00:41:13 Auditory Canvas - Lost and Found 00:47:39 Palmer’s Medic - 400,000 00:51:00 Katuchat x Rusty Hook - Pastel 00:54:11 Rascal - Elhae’s Joint 00:58:28 Izzard - I dreamt of you 01:01:58 Palmer’s Medic - Justin Everett

The plastic backlash: what's behind our sudden rage – and will it make a difference? – podcast

Decades after it became part of the fabric of our lives, a worldwide revolt against plastic is under way

A history of plastic and the lobbying that surrounded it.

Hand Felted Accessories

Folk Owl on Etsy

See our #Etsy or #Felt tags