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nonschizophrenics will simply never understand that "what if it was all in the person's head?" will never be scarier than a monster that actually fucking exists.

stop buying into the idea that nonviolent activism is useless, rather than (by far) the most effective form of protest

stop falsely claiming that BLM accomplished nothing and that most citizens “don’t care” when people are murdered by the state

start understanding that most of your neighbors care about your rights, and their own

Their website is currently down from the sheer amount of traffic hitting it and Greg has said after they catch up with the online orders he's going to rest up for a bit before they get things back online, but for anyone outside of Twin Cities who wants to have a browse, their ABE books and Ebay where they post rare/collector items are still up.

https://www.abebooks.com/DreamHaven-Books-Minneapolis-MN-U.S.A/452261/sf

Greg has willingly given interviews and been loudly active in the local community. He is one of many people making the choice to do so to expose the levels of cruelty and inhumanity taking place, this is not the same as taking pictures of non-consenting protestors—but thank you for being worried about him.

Please know Greg and other booksellers in the area who have becomes hubs of local activity and resistance are being looked after by the community. They are making themselves visible so people have rallying points.

Also, did you know if you shop through Bookshop.org you can choose which independent book seller to buy from, directly increasing their visibility and sales? And that bookshop.org gives a large portion of their profit to supporting independent book sellers across the country?

If you and your loved ones don't want to experience this, please be sure to gently warm yourselves up (exercise wise, although clothing wise is good to) before shoveling any snow. Learn the signs of a heart attack and listen to your bodies!

The biggest thing to understand here is that this isn't, "Oh, you can die from exercise if you're out of shape!"

This is, "You can die from strenuous exercise in the cold, regardless of your physical fitness."

Your circulatory system is a major, major part of how your body maintains a regular body temperature. When it's really hot out, blood vessels dilate (widen), which thins the walls a bit and makes it easier for heat to escape the blood stream. This is why when you are really hot (it's hot outside, or you just finished a work out at the gym), you get flushed. The red color of your skin is from dilating blood vessels.

In contrast, to conserve heat in the cold, your blood vessels constrict. When they get narrower, the walls are thicker, and heat can't escape as well.

But the problem is that when blood vessels narrow, it increases your blood pressure. A lot. And if you are not in peak cardiovascular shape, this can be a huge risk for your heart if you then do a lot of strenuous exercise, which shoveling absolutely is. When I was going to the gym regularly, it was still tough.

Tips to decrease your chances of dying from shoveling:

Try not to lift snow when you shovel. It's better to push it to the side whenever you can, and if you do have to lift it, that's okay, but don't dramatically toss it over your shoulder. Just kind of lift it off the ground and dump it aside. Keep everything low to the ground.

Bundle up. The warmer you can keep your body using insulation, the less your blood vessels will have to constrict. This is especially important for your core, but also your arms and legs.

Consider compression socks, if you have any, to keep your blood flowing easily in your lower legs.

As mentioned above, do an actual exercise warm-up before you shovel. Again, it's not that shoveling is an Olympic sport, it's that you are about to put a huge strain on your cardiovascular system and you need to prepare.

Take frequently breaks inside. This is probably the most important one, and the one that a lot of people are the worst at. Don't power through to finish it all in one go. Set a loud timer on your phone and take lots and lots of breaks. Take those breaks inside where it's warm. Because again, the issue isn't just the activity, but the temperature.

Finally, and I can't stress this enough: NOT shoveling is not laziness, and if you can avoid doing it while still clearing your walkways, steps, or driveway, you should. This could mean using a snow blower if you can get your hands on one, but it could also mean hiring someone or using a lot of ice melt. Ice melt isn't ideal because it doesn't really clear snow, but it's better than nothing, will help prevent slipping accidents if you use it consistently, it's easy to apply, and you can get pet-safe versions.

Hiring someone isn't a sign of laziness or a privileged attempt to avoid a chore that we all should have to live with. Hire someone with better cardiovascular fitness! Hire someone who owns proper winter gear! Hire someone who is well-practiced in shoveling so they don't overtax themselves! Hire someone who owns a snow blower! Again, I live in New England, so your mileage may vary, but our town's facebook page is littered with high schoolers and their parents leaving phone numbers and neighborhoods and cost estimates. Others are offering it for free for elderly and disabled neighbors. This isn't like hiring a house cleaner or a landscaper.

and finally my personal favorite

Credit to @chris-in-the-abyss

Extra info was provided by a local friend I wont name because shit is scary for our Minnesota friends. But here's some valuable orgs and funds that are on the ground helping right now

MN Freedom Fund - bail org for arrested protesters

TCMAP - mutual aid project

Powderhorn Families - direct donation to families in the Powderhorn Park neighborhood so their rent and utilities are paid while they are sheltering in place during ICE deployments

Fe y Justicia - Latine aid organization that is managing rapid response in St Cloud

MN CAIR Minnesota - assisting with representation for Muslims in

Minnesota Minnesota Interfaith Coalition (ICOM) - accompanying people to USCIS appointments and on errands to keep them safe from ICE

MIRAC - THE immigrant rights org in Minnesota, doing a huge amount of rapid response and protest work in the TC

Sip of Silk - Palestinian and Salvadoran coffee house in the university neighborhood doing a direct food and hygiene products drive

so yeah

and I stand by that

thanks for reading

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