KIRSH 2024A/W‧₊˚𖦹𓂃౨ৎ˚

Okay, so I am still on muscle relaxers, but at a lower dose than the ER gave me so here goes:

By eliminating caps on corporate donations to political PACs, candidates, and proposed legislation, we essentially handed over our governmental system to corporations and super PACs, while this has been visible since Citizens United, the new Pseudo-feaudalism was the most clear its ever been during the 2024 Presidential race, while the Harris Walz campaign did have corporate donations, the Trump Vance campaign had Elon Musk, who had not one, but multiple corporations actively interfering in the election, between the algorithmic changes to Twitter favoring Trump-backing voices as well as voices sowing discontent and apathy among leftists, and reducing Moderate and main line democratic voices, the million dollar check raffles to essentially buy votes, and buying himself a governmental appointment (as a immigrant who, before being naturalized, was infact here illegally via immigration fraud during his Zip2 era). We are not longer a governmental priority, and while some more cynical people than me believe we never were, I would argue that the rapid degeneration of American Politics is directly linked to uninhibited campaign donations, corporate personalization under Citizens United, apathy to history and civic duties, and the rise of Infotainment over academia.

Now we find ourselves in a place politically and economically where the bootstraps simply do not exist anymore, we exist in a state of faceless corporations owning the majority of housing, production, recreation, and leisure. You cannot go a week without giving a dollar to a corporate conglomerate that owns everything from your deodorant to your cereal, to your utilities, to the land you are standing on. I'm not going to name too many names on this because a funny thing happens when you do that, you suddenly develop major mental health problems and end up dead "by suicide". Your boss's boss, what used to be the top of the corporate ladder, had instead become a lower manager compared to the shareholders and the hedge funds on Wall Street and in the pockets of your politicians. Have you ever tried to start a small business and looked to source your raw materials from a supplier? Have you ever looked into who owns that brand only to find it's actually the same owner of the very product you're trying to counter in the market? This is what corporate feudalism has developed into, there are very few raw materials you can outsource and stay away from them, you are dependant on them for the food you eat, the water you drink, the roof you sleep under at night. And that's just what it's become.

How do they keep making later and later stages of late-capitalism

Quit over buying

Hunt and utilize your entire harvest, stop going for big racks, focus on meat and pelt quality

Get a simple milk soap bar for hair body face etc

Cut unnecessary subscriptions

Buy bulk where you can

Speaking of can, learn how to can so you can preserve your foods you grow/buy during the growing season for the off season

Swap bread for rice 20 lbs bag of rice is $15 lasts 6-12 months for a single individual and provides sufficient carbohydrates

Yogurt and hard cheeses > milk lasts significantly longer

Ground meats are cheap, easier to integrate organ meats into, and take up less freezer space than cuts, you also have better control over your fat intake and the price per pound is a fraction of cut meats

Canned chicken breast: versatile, good storage life, shelf stable, and cheaper than buying chicken breasts

Ramen + produce is better than Ramen alone, and cheaper than eating out

ways to actually save money

stop buying animal products ($10 for a single meal vs $10 for months worth of beans) + benefit of saving planet

use wash cloths for wiping urine + benefit of saving planet.

get a menstrual cup or panties. yes, even if you have a heavy flow.. the chemicals in tampons and pads leads to heavier, more painful, and smellier periods. +benefit of saving planet.

shampoo bars, lasts way longer + benefit of saving planet.

stop buying name brand

stop buying makeup + benefit of saving planet

stop buying nail polish + benefit of saving planet

stop buying synthetic clothes. + benefit of saving planet

reuse (soap free) tub and shower water for plants, laundry. + benefit of saving planet.

hang clothes to dry, even if you don't have an outdoor area. hang in the windows, by fireplaces, by heaters and ac units. + benefit of saving planet

stop buying niche chemical products. for almost every single cleaning situation you only need soap, baking soda, vinegar, rubbing alcohol, and bleach. this goes for gout removal, rust removal, urine removal, window cleaner, sanitizing wipes, literally every single thing. + benefit of saving planet

repurpose old clothes and towels by making them into wash cloths and oven mitts.

stop buying from shein, temu, amazon, and using afterpay. (im not demonizing pay later. i utilize it all the time. I've just found a lot of people who do use these payment methods treat it like a 'buy now, pay NEVER' option and are surprised when it fucks them over)

remember this any time someone tries to tell you being eco friendly isn't affordable.

know what really isnt affordable? buying disposable products every week.

My favorite part is the fact that they are in essence a sharp and pointy weighted blanket.

Okay another post made me think of this but

Fashion Ins and Outs for 2025

In:

Vintage Furs/ Genuine Fur

Real Leather

Cottons, Linen, Hemp fabrics

Wool, Hair, & Silk

Woven rather than treated stretch factors

Feather and Down stuffed products

Buy Once Clothing

Quality

Well Fitted and chosen undergarments

beeswax lanolin and non-petroleum/silicone based waterproofing waxes

Out:

Faux Fur

Imitation Leather

Polyester, Acrylic, and Spandex based fabrics

Polyfill in bedding and garments

Green Washed fabrics like Bamboo & Viscose

Petroleum-based products

Wasteful Microtrends and Shien hauls

Quantity

Skipping Underlayers/ Poorly fitted undergarments

synthetic waterproofing treatments and materials

just got 100% on five tests and 97% on the last one. pretty impressed.

photos from pinterest!

"If I'm going to be a partner in a law firm by the time I'm 30, I'm going to need a boyfriend who's not such a complete bonehead."

~Elle Woods Legally Blonde

push back against the idea that 4B is “terfy” please. i guarantee that that will be the left’s excuse for opposing it, even if the real reason they hate it is that they are just as addicted to male supremacy as the right.

Local Feminist gun owner here: another important thing to consider is the fact that the police may be less likely to believe you acted in self defense, particularly if you are a woman of color or lower socioeconomic status or if your attacker is a white male. This makes it doubly important to have a self-defense lawyer on retainer and self-defense liability insurance on hand. I achieve both and have additional training aids by having membership with USCCA/Delta Defense. I have the top tier for $49 a month. They cover firearms related to self-defense incidents, tasers, pepper spray, and even justified dog bites. Every legally justifiable act of self-defense and justified use of force. They have free events for members, a network of lawyers on retainer, and a post-incident hot-line available 24/7 as well as maps of where you have reciprocity on your license to carry, and detailed breakdowns of each state's laws, which is particularly vital if you travel for work, school, or hobbies. I've linked my referral code as well. It's absolutely something I encourage every gun owner in America to have, but particularly gun owners who may be at a disadvantage with police and the judicial process in the event they have to defend themselves.

https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/referral?id=MDAxNWIwMDAwMkRpMGVYQUFS&tID=5bf43111b0cd6

Also, for a primary side arm, I wouldn't go any smaller than 9mm. A compact frame size is also your best bet as a beginner, subcompacts have more felt recoil at the same load weight and caliber, and full sizes have the least but they're also significantly more difficult to on body carry. I also suggest on body carry rather than purse or off body carry for a multitude of reasons. If you have questions about gun ownership, tactics, law, resources, and training my DMs are always open. Stay Strapped Ladies

I'm seeing a ton of Feminists urging eachother to get a gun due to the election results, which is fantastic news imo American women please please please assert your 2nd amendment rights and get a gun if you're able to <3

You can start by looking into the gun laws in your state: https://everytownresearch.org/rankings/compare/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_laws_in_the_United_States_by_state Gun safety: https://www.agirlandagun.org/how-to-shoot/4-rules-of-gun-safety/ Youtube has thousands of gun related videos, it's a male dominated culture but there are absolutely a ton of resources for female shooters and beginners. Reddit has a handful of firearm related subs, included r/firearms(skews conservative/rightwing) and r/liberalgunowners and r/concealedcarrywomen Facebook has women's gun groups also, many of them skew conservative but can still be a valuable resource for beginners Check out your local area for self defense firearm classes, some will have classes geared specifically to women. Check out your local gun stores, or sporting goods stores, some will have a range in which you can rent a firearm before purchasing but many don't have this feature, so it's important to do product research before buying. https://www.pewpewtactical.com/best-handguns-women/ https://tombstonetactical.com/blog/best-guns-for-women (Most guns range from $400 to $700 btw) Gun store employees are overwhelmingly male (and in my experience, old) and might try to steer you towards the tiny pink pistol, or a .22, or something else equally impractical for self defense. It's important to be assertive and clear in what you're looking for!

Masking also doesn't just apply to protecting you from Covid. It also helps defend against TB, most influenza strains, and numerous other particulate, droplet, misted and air born diseases. And it helps defend against dangerous pollution, allergens, and irritating natural dusts that effect air quality. Get the most effective and efficient masks you can afford.

Now is the Time to Start Masking Again

If you stopped paying attention to COVID with the release of vaccines, you've missed a lot.

COVID is airborne.

Long COVID impacts 10% of people infected by COVID (though this is beginning to look like a low estimate). Risk of Long COVID goes up with each reinfection. Long COVID is worse than initially reported.

Bisexual and trans people are more likely to develop Long COVID.

Black and Hispanic folks are more likely than White folks experience more symptoms and health problems from Long COVID.

***COVID and Long COVID has much more in common with HIV and AIDS than the flu (28:19 - 38:30 of linked video)***

The Basics

[WEBSITE] You Have to Live Your Life

[ZINE] What's Up With COVID and How to Protect Yourself - 2024 Edition

[FAQ] r/ZeroCOVIDCommunity's FAQ and Resource List

"This is great and all but it's overwhelming. TL;DR?"

COVID is airborne. Long COVID is much more common (and serious/debilitating) than previously thought.

Mask with an N95 or better in all indoor spaces and outside when close to others. Improve your indoor air quality by opening windows and using fans/air filters.

Rapid tests are prone to false negatives so make sure to retest in 48 hours after exposure and/or when you develop symptoms. Isolate in the meantime. Consider upgrading to a NAAT (PlusLife, Metrix) or PCR (Lucira) if you have the money.

Things for you to do today:

buy some N95s or request some from a local mask bloc

open a window more often and/or buy an air purifier

buy the best COVID tests you can afford

Basics in Video Form

If you have limited time, watch the videos with * first. They will cover the basics in about 20 minutes.

*VIDEO: COVID is Airborne [2:53]

*VIDEO: What the latest research tells us about long COVID's most common symptoms [5:58]

*VIDEO: FDA warns of false negatives with at home COVID Tests [2:19]

*VIDEO: How to Stay Safe(r) at Home [10:35]

--

VIDEO: The Astounding Physics of N95 Mask [6:08]

VIDEO: Mask Fit 101: Seal [4:07]

VIDEO: Mask Fit 101: Qualitative [3:49]

VIDEO: Mask Fit 102: Quantitative [5:04]

VIDEO: How to get [and give] FREE Masks [6:07]

VIDEO: Try this DIY indoor air purifier for cleaner air [4:22]

VIDEO: Why is EVERYONE more SICK [54:55]

Want to Get Involved?

Join your local Mask Bloc

No local Mask Bloc? Consider starting one

Talk to the people in your life about COVID

Print quality zines and spread them in your communities

Push for COVID Conscious changes in your spaces.