Of Life and Other Happy Things

Over fifty years of data show a peak in PFAS (also known as "forever chemicals") content in seabird eggs in the 90s, followed by a decrease as regulations went into effect. The most recent findings show a 70% decrease of most common PFAS.

We are making genuine progress! Producers are dramatically altering how much they use PFAS and how much gets released in effluent, but also there's a lot better understanding of how to remove PFAS from the environment!

(cw: rape, sexual assault, CSA, incest, domestic abuse, religious abuse, etc.)

The article, as you might have gathered from that list of content warnings, is about the widespread sexual and physical abuse in Amish communities and the way that their patriarchal and insular practices make that abuse almost impossible to prosecute.

I read that article when it came out, and that's why I went to a screening of McClure's new documentary, Keep Quiet and Forgive, at the Philadelphia Film Festival last month. We were also lucky enough to have a Q&A with Sarah McClure and it was really eye-opening.

(For those who want to watch it, I believe she said the doc will air on PBS next year.)

One thing I was really struck by when watching the documentary was the way that almost all of these women (and yes, a few men who'd been sexually abused by other men) had left the community. It makes sense; would someone still in the community ever talk to an investigative journalist? It's not likely.

Almost all of them had lost their entire support system when they'd spoken out about their abuse. Their families and friends shunned them. They got hate mail regularly from their former neighbors. Whenever they went to court dates, they had to face not only their abusers but their entire former community, who would turn up to support the accused in court.

The few who were still in the community were either going to meetings secretly or were largely being shunned. One of them, a woman who still identified as Amish but whose entirely community had turned on her when she'd testified against her wildly abusive husband, ended up leaving the community entirely by the end of the documentary. She looked so much happier.

Where I'm going with this, though, is that these people often lose their friends, family, and community when they leave. So they've started creating community of their own. The documentary showed a lot of meetings between former Amish women who would band together to support other Amish women through the process of leaving and testifying against their abusers. There were group therapy sessions where women would finally get to talk about what had been done to them. Conferences where they discussed future steps. Meetings with activists to create change. Podcasts by victims of abuse who wanted to reach out to others like them.

Groups like The Amish Rescue Mission are working to provide support to victims of abuse in Amish Country, including providing Pennsylvania Dutch interpretation services when necessary. There are lots of small survivor support groups on Facebook, too.

I don't generally add to posts, but I did want to spread this information, reporting, and list of resources to anyone who might benefit from them. I am no expert, but I wanted to link to some people who are.

so im at target right now doing christmas shopping with my dad and?? there’s just this… 67 dollar phone? not even like 69.99 or something but 67?? nnone of the other phones are like this??

…

………..

My name is Tawfiq Al-Tatri. I am 40 years old, a father of five, and a survivor—but survival here in Gaza is not truly living. My children and I have lost everything. Our home, our safety, our community—gone.

We now live in a refugee camp, crammed inside a fragile tent, shivering through the freezing nights, unsure where we will be tomorrow. We have been displaced over and over again, fleeing destruction, heartbreak, and loss. My home was bombed with my family inside. By some miracle, we survived—but so many of our neighbors and relatives did not.

As a father, my only mission now is to protect my children, to give them a future beyond war and suffering. I dream of getting them to safety, away from the fear that haunts their every step. But I cannot do it alone.

That is why I am reaching out, with hope in my heart, asking for your kindness. Your support can help us cover the costs of leaving Gaza for Egypt—giving my children a chance at life, at healing, at simply being children again.

Please, if you can, stand with us. Help me save my children from the trauma of war. Every donation, every share, every prayer brings us closer to safety

Thank you from the depths of my heart.

$115/$190 raised

Venmo: AGIEF

Paypal: [email protected]

Ko-fi:

But there's one massive issue. Hospitals generally cannot feed us. So we need to bring our own food which is going to be incredibly expensive (breakdown below the cut) and on top of that, weve been prescribed medication that insurance wont cover, so we need $85 for that.

I do art as seen below, I have a patreon and kofi for those. I have a GFM up to help with this and that explains a lot more too. If you'd like to help outright, here are some links.

PP V $C