Day: October 14, 2023

PCRF communiqué

Date: October 14, 2023

A Humanitarian Catastrophe Unfolds in Gaza – An Appeal to the International Community

A catastrophe of unprecedented proportions is unfolding in what many refer to as “the most densely populated territory on earth”…the Gaza Strip.  Over the course of the last week, Gaza has plunged into a deep trail of destruction and unimaginable human suffering. The non-stop Israeli military bombardment of the civilian population in Gaza has now claimed over 1800 innocent lives, one-third of whom are children.  Over 500,000 people have been displaced and are seeking shelter in UN schools that have reached capacity. The IDF ordered one million people to evacuate northern Gaza for the south within 24 hours (as of yesterday, October 13th) in anticipation of an Israeli ground invasion.  This is being done without guarantees of safety or return to their homes, and what international legal experts say amounts to the forced transfer of inhabitants in violation of international law.

Essential resources like electricity, water, and food have been deliberately cut off, pushing the civilian population to the brink of desperation. The deliberate severing of vital services such as electricity, water, and food has magnified the suffering of Gaza’s people. Hospitals are overwhelmed and unable to provide adequate medical care due to the lack of medical supplies, electricity, and clean water. Emergency medical aid is being denied entry, ambulances are being bombed and vehicles carrying aid are being targeted by airstrikes. The urgent intervention of the international community is critical now more than ever.

In the face of this grave humanitarian crisis, it is imperative that the international community responds with unprecedented urgency and determination. The situation demands decisive, immediate action to alleviate the immense suffering of the over 2 million people trapped in a 140 sq. mile territory, roughly twice the size of Washington, D.C.

PCRF joins other humanitarian organizations and people of goodwill in calling on the international community to provide immediate humanitarian aid, intensify diplomatic efforts for an immediate ceasefire, ensure accountability for violations of international law, and actively support Gaza’s reconstruction. Silence in the face of such tragedy is complicity, and the time to act is now.

For any inquiries, please contact: Steve@pcrf.net

To Donate to PCRF’s Gaza Relief Efforts,  go to our website at www.pcrf.net

The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (“PCRF”) is a 501(c)(3) Federal Tax-Exempt U.S. Organization that provides free medical care to thousands of injured and ill children annually who lack local access to care within the local healthcare system in Palestine and other countries in the Middle East.

I’ve donated to PCRF twice, once a couple of years back and once in the last week. My donations were miniscule but I made them.

If you would prefer to donate in North America to try to stop this mess, here’s an interesting alternative.

halos on Mars

isn’t it stunning? This is actually a computer graphic, but apparently that’s what they’d look like. Researchers sought them but haven’t found them yet.

 

I have a month to get ready for Orycon. I have to admit that I’m jealous of all of Shad’s wonderful patches she’s sewn onto her guitar case, so now I’m going to announce my probably useless plan to sew patches on MY guitar case (Smokey’s going to the con, I don’t know if both ukes and the mando are going. I really want to take the dulcimer but then I keep thinking I’ll borrow Jeff C’s but I’m not 100% sure he’s going. Anyway, I have to figure all of that out. ANYWAY while tearing my craft boxes apart for patches I found Granny’s little Hummel girl on mesh, so SHE’S going on my guitar case and then I can carry Granny around with me every time I sing and play. I’m going to try to find some of the crochet work Grandma Zoos made and tack that on too, mebbe make a mesh pocket of it.

I need to select, assemble and print/PDF a filk-büche, practice until my fingies hurt, sew some patches, select and pack clothing,

Brief break for crafty Black woman! I freaking love the hat.

SHAD’S HAT THAT SHE CROCHETED AS PART OF HER CARPAL TUNNEL THERAPY. (SHAD IS CINDY, CINDY IS SHAD.)

is it not of surpassing excellence and tremendous beauty???? SAY IT ALOUD

So I’m ripping stuff apart in the craft area of my room (which I have to compress down into JUST ONE BOX lol AND I FOUND THE PERFECT PURPLE SPARKLY EMBROIDERY FLOSS TO MEND MY PURPLE TIE DYE TSHIRT WITH. SO I guess this morning has been a success so far.

I’m going to the Con!

 

 

Early one morn on a unicorn, well, I launched a rocket ship!
and I wore my silks and tie dyes and gave mundane life the slip
It cost me more than I could afford but I had to take the trip
for I have you all to thank that I’m a filker!
We sing the sweetest music and we laugh the loudest laughs
The robots sell their spares to hear, the wizards pawn their staffs
the circle calls in the function halls for a chorus fine and free
You can keep your wretched autotune –

it’s a filker’s life for me!

Good Omens fandom

One of the reasons I’m a Good Omens fan is because, WHATEVER THE GENDER PRESENTATION AND SEXUALITY OF THE PEOPLE TAKING LEAD ON MAKING IT, they specifically support gay and trans youth. Tennant and Sheen are also phenomenal actors (Sheen better than Tennant but only because he has a bigger wheelhouse, ie, the universe). But I can’t help but unironically love an actor who gets pinged on twitter and has this to say.

so many other artists and writers came out to dance up and down in agreement.

 

that’s the kind of energy I want in my life, especially when everything is turning to shit quite this runnily. I guess watching those NOVA programs about how Earth got to be able to be so alive has me going, too.

Not pouting

Dave called me and asked me what I was pouting about and I COULDN’T REMEMBER so I said I’d stopped, since I had. Lovely phone call.

I am not particularly writing but I am stewing, cogitating, remarking and positing, so there you go.

The Israelis didn’t learn anything from the Holocaust, as seems currently evident.

The Russians are bringing EVEN OLDER vehicles to the fray, and they can’t even hit a train.

This morning I saw three different photos of three different sets of Orthodox American Jews protesting the war. (They all dress different.) I’ve been around a long time and I’ve never seen that before. They were specifically saying things like this is all on Netanyahu.

Weather has been unexpectedly glorious, so I think this is our sunny period in mid October which is standard for around here.

Katie hosted Rynn and Alex for a sleepover last night at where she’s living now – Dax’s place. Katie didn’t say anything – her expression was capacious – but I’ve met Rynn and I can only imagine what two lively 9 year old boys can get up to at least in terms of volume.

I ran the dishwasher yesterday, go me, and ate home made salad and store bought pecan pie for dinner last night. Other than that I don’t think I did much, except watch TV and noodle on the internet. Oh right, I dropped the car off and walked back. I won’t get it back until Monday so Jeff helped me pick up Alex yesterday.

COMPLETELY quit twitter yesterday. Friday the 13th is as good a day as any.

The Echo Paul loaned me hasn’t had any maintenance since we put the O2 sensor in after Tammy’s last visit here, and not much before that, and the bushings are shot, the heat shield for the exhaust is shot, and there’s a light burned out on the dash so that I wouldn’t know if the brakes were shot. SO YES it was about time. I’m driving my grandson around in that car and Keith wants to borrow it to take his dad to the States so he’s not putting wear and tear on his own car. Given that there’s a busted tail light (thanks ASSHOLE IN THE GUARDIAN DRUGS PARKING LOT) there’s no WAY they should drive down the I-5 into Seattle without repairs first. The f’n highway patrol loves nailing tourists for that shit.