braids and bowcasters

abuse in caregiving professions (like teaching or nursing) is not solely a result of power dynamics. it's also because people who go into those professions often have a idea of themselves as Good People, and are consequently incapable of recognising or acknowledging when they've hurt someone else. instead, they mentally put 'people who have inconvenienced me' into the Bad People box so they can freely abuse them while maintaining their moral high ground.

i read ross greene a lot when i was working with "difficult" or "behaviourally challenged" children. his refrain is "kids do well if they can" - meaning, in short, that most kids act out only when the demands of a situation exceed their capabilities. punishing them for this is not only cruel but also completely pointless, because they also don't want to be doing what they are doing.

this staged affection, a mix of theatricality and intimacy, the couple holding still for a couple of moments and now immortalised in a very set sequence of embraces and kisses. there is a charm to it even when I can’t tell whether this was a genuine couple portait or just actors hired by the photographer.

let us start with the kiss on the cheek (eyes averted! oh the pose! these were taken between 1910-1940)

or the nearly opposite energy (how daring!) of the kiss or caress with direct eye contact (1910-1930)

and then the innocent – yet so flirty – classic of the park encounter! (1890-1920)

and oh, I am not done, look at this – the adoration of the woman! look at this expression, this pose, this decorum! (1910-1940)

and then some of my favourites from the more playful or direct category, enjoy (1910-1930):

Annie Lennox

Grace Jones

Sinead O‘Connor

Dolores O‘Riordan

Patti Smith

Tracy Chapman

Joan Jett (photo credited to Brad Elterman)

Pauline Black (photo credited to Ebet Roberts)

Meshell Ndegeocello (photo credited to Raymond Boyd)

Tanita Tikaram (photo credited to Bernard Weil)

THE VAMPIRE LESTAT

You also don’t have to feel guilty or hopeless!

This absolutely isn’t the fault of any one person, and not everyone can contribute, at least not in the same way.

The point is it’s a problem, a problem for workers, marginalized communities, the environment, and animal welfare. And it’s getting worse.

Now’s not the time (nor will it ever be) to play the blame game, now’s the time to organize and do what each of us can to our own ability.

If you can’t reduce your animal product intake, try pursuing local farms (it still depends on the farm but generally they have more ethical regulations). If you can’t pursue local farms, try pursuing rifle hunting, whether buying from it or learning it yourself.

If you can’t do any of that, just talk about it and call for more ethical practices in agriculture, it makes a huge difference.

For example, if you live in the U.S., contact your senators to stop the ‘Save Our Bacon’ Act and Food Security and Farm Protection Act

The Save Our Bacon Act H.R.4673 and Food Security and Farm Protection Act S.1326 are 2025-2026 Act that will nullify state AND local regulations on production of agricultural livestock.

That means the efforts such as :

-California Proposition 12 (the law that establishes a minimum square feet based space for veal calves, breeding pigs, and egg laying hens in response to cruel confinement practices)

-Massachusetts Question 3 (a similar law that ensures veal calves, breeding pigs, and egg laying hens have space to stand up, turn around, and spread their wings)

Will be overturned.

These laws are already insufficient in preventing cruel farming practices, but they were a start.

The Trump Administration has already increased the federal kill speed limits, which puts animal welfare, workers, and food safety in danger.

Contact your federal lawmakers to oppose these acts.

Regardless of what you can do, please research factory farming, and advocate for agricultural regulations and against factory farming.

I thought about just tagging this 'nuff said, but it's not.

I want to say something to all of the women under 50 on this site. Ready? You do not have to be over 50 to start taking up space.

this is my reminder to me about what helped after a month+ of work, but if this could help others who have the same weakness as me, i'd be glad

note: these build up muscles (my thighs were particularly weak) so initially i got new aches. they're numbered by weeks assigned but stack, so by week 3 i did all these exercises twice a day. now that pain is just soreness -> once every other day for maintenance

week 1. strengthen feet/calves

10 reps twice of raising heels to point of stretch, not hurt (i have high mobility in my ankles and the pain focuses at the front, so 70% of the way up at first)

30 second hold (3 times each leg) of gastroc stretch: push down on the heel and bend forward knee to feel stretch in back-leg's calf back

2 minutes (each) rolling a tennis ball along the arch of my foot

week 2. strengthen thighs/hips (can have resistance band around thighs just above knees on all stretches here)

10 reps twice supine bridge, engaging butt muscles for lift

10 reps twice each side clamshell, feeling resistance bands on thighs (use a pillow. put hand on hip to find point hips may turn and stop leg raise there; you want to feel it in butt, not back, muscles)

week 3. relieve upper back pain

20 reps of open book, from on side: hands clapped together, bring upper arm up onto the other side, following the movement with head and feel stretch in upper back (modified to keep knees together and reminder to use pillow to avoid neck pain)