Art (and Other Meanderings) by R. J. W.

The universe sings «The East is Red».

On 24 April 1970 the People's Republic of China successfully launched its first space satellite, the Dong Fang Hong 1 (东方红一号), carried by the first expendable launch rocket of chinese manifacture, the Long March 1. As the PRC was trying to catch up with both the USSR and the USA, the satellite was the last step of a path that began with the building of China's first atomic and hydrogen bombs, all meant to show off that China could "stand on its own legs", despite the Sino-Soviet Split, the lack of assistance from other countries and the threats of the USA.

After its launch the Dong Fang Hong 1, equipped with a radio transmitter, started broadcasting into the outer space the famous Cultural Revolution song "The East is Red", from which it took its name, and continued to do so for 20 days, while the team of the space program listened and recorded it from their base in Jiuquan, Inner Mongolia.

This part of my heart is now breaking. Amal, who's been on a poor diet because she can't afford better food, is unable to breastfeed baby Mina any longer, and is unable to afford enough formula to compensate, and now both mother and baby are weak and malnourished.

Amal is suffocating from the stress of having to provide for her daughters. Her husband Motasem is doing everything he can (recently, he was almost caught in a bombing while trying to get food) but they're both overwhelmed. I wish there was anything I can do for them.

I'm begging you to donate if you can and share if you can't. I want, more than anything in this world, for these kids to grow up healthy and for their parents to be able to rest.

Nader has spent the last eighteen years of his life in the Gaza strip. He has witnesses war after war, famine, fear, and death. His little cousin is now a toddler and has known nothing but terror herself.

If you'd like to help my friend Nader and his family afford food, medical, and housing costs please consider contributing to Nader's fundraiser, or reblogging! Thank you so much.

Nader's family has gone through @gazavetters verification and they're at #4 on that spreadsheet.

mutual aid means no hierarchy between givers and receivers

a new mutual aid org, Bridge of Solidarity, has been established in the gaza strip by 17 year old poet yazan mohammed in response to the exploitative practices conducted by some charities and encouraged by the existing charity-based model of fundraising for gaza. according to BoS: "the western attention economy and pity economy plays a large role in who lives or dies in gaza." essentially, people need to make themselves marketable in order to receive lifesaving aid; people who are not marketable die. yazan himself wrote about the damage this can do to one's self image, which you can read here.

after trying for a year to respect his own privacy, my friend siraj was also pressured into posting images of his son's emaciated body in order to gain sympathy from westerners.

we cannot keep forcing people to do this anymore.

here's a declaration of their values from bridge of solidarity's most recent post:

Our organization is against the Western gaze. We refuse to humiliate people. We refuse to force people to take photos. We refuse to force people to take photos with our flyer or logo. People will receive aid freely without being forced to pose. We will respect people's privacy completely. Our principles include autonomy, dignity, sovereignty, mutual respect, and mutual aid.

this org will prioritize giving aid to people without phones or social media, who do not speak english, and who do not have outside support or living parents. these are the people who are not palatable to westerners but who deserve to live with as much dignity as everyone else

as of five days ago, BoS are working on a water truck delivery

what does a bunch of sentient space hardware have to do with lunchables and football? fair question.

today is april 7th, 2026. it is also the day that humans stop dying, being born, and aging in jon bois' 2017 web novel, what football will look like in the future. here's some lovely art to celebrate our new-won collective immortality in that alternate universe <3

(unreality! also spoilers! also some access considerations! in case you want to read 17776! also, keep an eye out this cool @17776-fanzine!)

~

@rottenexcalibur:

@r0b0t1me:

@stupidteatime:

@ivvy-sx:

@slotinsievert:

@low-battery-warniing:

@zzoupz:

@polybiusplayer:

@bibyvariable:

@bteddy3276:

@sennicoo:

@whimsyandcuriosity:

@redelk10:

@pomegrann:

@lemonbucketz:

@axopies:

@kesketcher:

@helljunker:

@gang-with-hatz:

@semiohazard: