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[cblj_backup]

Good morning all, and welcome to Radio Free Monday!

Clearly, some News to Know today is the fact that Osama bin Laden has been confirmed dead. I am honestly not well-educated enough about the war(s) or politics to give reasoned commentary on this, so I won't. But I have for you today a list of people who are asking for help, who are working to make the world better, and who are creating beautiful things.

Ways to Give:

kallaneboi kindly helped me out because I was at loose ends over the tornadoes that have hit the Stateside southeast this week and last: here are lists of places to give and ways to help. queenlily also suggests Help Marion County.

majoline notified me of the Help Comm going up for tornado aid. The auctions are not a go yet, but if you'd like to auction something or bid, HelpTheSouth is the place to be.

Yasuko Akiyama, an Osaka native living in London, is raising funds for children affected by the recent earthquakes and tsunami in Japan. She has translated a poem, "Unbeaten by Rain", into English and created a gorgeous poster of it that she's selling to raise funds.

A new help_japan lightning round is also now open! Including, for those Pern fans who popped up on the cafe recently, a Fire Lizard omg.

maidenjedi kindly came up with a list of aid orgs for the Texas wildfires:
The American Red Cross of Southwest Texas
The Jeff Davis County Relief Fund
The Cattlewomen Care Wildlife Relief Fund
The Texas DoA STAR Fund
There's also a benefit being advertised for May 13-15.

axeslade let me know about the Jim Collins Foundation, which raises money "to fund gender-confirming surgeries for those transgender people who need surgery to live a healthy life, but have no ability to pay for it themselves."

sevenswells let me know about Kiri, who is in desperate need of some cash right now and offering "flash commissions". You can read more and take a look at some of her fantastic chibis and sketches at her deviantart site.

Jill let me know about Melissa Abrantes, who is riding from Austin to Alaska (holy shit!) to raise money for cancer research, in memory of a friend's mother. Her fundraising page is here.

kath_ballantyne let me know about Bella and her (frankly adorable) seven-year-old daughter, Maysie, who will be doing the Race For Life on May 7th, raising money for cancer research in memory of Lis Sladen, Maysie's favourite actress.

fleur_de_liz and her family are participating in the South Shore Arthritis Walk on May 15th in honour of Liz's sister, who suffers from rheumatoid arthritis. They're looking for donors, but also to raise awareness about the debilitating effects of this disease.

Give for Free:

bree_black asked me to remind Canadians to get out and vote! Last election, less than 22% of those eligible to vote actually voted for the party that took power.

News to Know:

evilstorm linked me to the story of Chrissy Lee Polis, a 22-year-old woman who was attacked by two other women, beaten severely, and left to seize on the floor of a McDonald's bathroom while others filmed the incident or watched, laughing. Why? She's a transgendered person. You can read her story, partly in her own words, here. If you want to see what happened to her, the video is archived here, along with information on the story. There have been support rallies, though I can't find any info on fundraising to help Chrissy (if you have some, please share). I think the object lesson is clear enough: Don't stand by. If you see someone, anyone, being assaulted, intervene. If you can't or you're scared to, call the police. Don't let this kind of shit go down. It costs you nothing and might save the life, and at the very least the dignity, of another.

imagines let me know that Tennessee is trying to ban discussion of homosexuality in schools. If you're in the state, be aware. If you have any news about protests or fight funds, please let me know. George Takei, in the meantime, is displaying his usual, wonderful irreverence and generosity of spirit towards the kids of Tennessee.

Fans helpin' Fans:

bloodrebel333 is living in an increasingly unsafe situation with a landlord who is sexually harassing her (she's had to call the police on him). But she can't afford to move, and can't apparently get aid (there's more info at the post). She's looking for advice, assistance, or tips on cheap housing in the Den Bosch area of the Netherlands.

effex and sitara are looking for a new roommate in Central Dallas. They've got an info post here.

amand_r made A VERITABLE FUCKTON OF COOKIES. She's selling them for very reasonable prices!

Just for Fun:

This awesome mug reveals famous gay figures from history when hot water is added. Nifty, or niftiest?

It is not a well-known fact (though I guess now it is) that I am scared to death of balloons. Shut up, everyone has their quirks. Anyway, these I kind of like: Crappy Balloon Animals.

I'd like to close this week's post on a quote by one of my literary heroes, John Steinbeck:

It seems to me that if you or I must choose between two courses of thought or action, we should remember our dying and try to live so that our death brings no pleasure to the world.

And this has been Radio Free Monday! Thank you for your time. You can always post items for my attention in comments here (or on any post) or email me at copperbadge at gmail dot com. If you're not sure how to proceed, here is a little more about what I do and how you can help. Remember, non-embedded links are love.

Comments

[copperbadge.livejournal.com]

It's from East Of Eden, of which I am a huge fan :) So many good lines in that book.