Not even Amtrak does this.

What happened at ElaCon stays at Elacon. But here's some declassified information.

This was an event that by far exceeded my hopes and expectations. It had everything: reuniting with old friends from back in the day, forming bonds with new friends, interesting talks and workshops, sunshine and walks in the forest, a seed exchange, antifascist direct action, good food, good music, cuddle piles, and finally a party that Dionysos, god of fertility, ecstasy and wine making, would have approved. Ten out of ten, no notes, would do again.

My heartfelt thanks go out to all of you who made it there. I was only wishing this into existence, making it happen required all of you to come and contribute. I can only echo what many of you reported: these days with all of you brought me from a realm of despair to the place of hope, from the feeling of gloom to a renewed sense of agency, community and a future.

For a few precious days, I was your queen, the most beautiful woman, and I was wielding what the darkness fears most: the flaming sword that brings joy to your faces, that makes children dance and sing, that puts hope into people's hearts.

A wise person once noted that one should never underestimate the ability of a small number of dedicated people to change the world - because nothing else ever did. My hope is that we planted a seed here, not just having a few days of joy with friends, as valuable as this is, but also painting a way forward, out of doom scrolling, into effective actions.

I will end with two pictures. One is from a presentation, and I think it speaks for itself. These are the times we live in, and we need to form strong communities to face them. The other one was a present for me, an actual painting on canvas, called "Metamorphose", by Wayra, a.k.a. Nora Teichert. It literally made shed tears of joy, because this is how I feel, and it means the world to me that my friends see me like this as well.

I have reached my true form. I have never felt happier, more beautiful, or more powerful ever in my life. And I am blessed to call so many of you my friends and lovers, and I am grateful that you have gifted this experience to me.

@Bobo_PK @flowfx Pinches Vacas! I'll have to head your way after the May Day stuff settles down.

@Bobo_PK @flowfx

I swear these billionaires could announce they're going to start hunting us for sport and some people would still be out there defending it with they're whole chest like
"you're just mad because you can't run fast."

@Nfoonf Yup. But don't worry insider trading isn't illegal because the President does it now!

@don My reading of history tells me that most dictatorships fall apart upon the failure of an unsustainable process that keeps the population in check.

OH: "Dictators don’t require approval ratings"

@Nfoonf Don't look up what happens to Billionaires after *every dip*.

@wxcafe I'm trying to find an inoffensive and non-creepy way of saying that's a damn good selfie.

@Nfoonf We're still very likely to fail, but we know that going into it.

@Nfoonf You're right, you can't do it alone. For as trite as the saying is, it does take a village.

Not to get into too much detail, but there's ways of living in community on land that we've mostly forgotten. The homesteading I think you're speaking of is something I truly detest and is bound to fail like a Mars colony.

We're more interested as a family in connecting by discovering lost folkways and listening to the land. My partner dedicated her career to this, I'm following along.

@Nfoonf It's funny you mention it, I'm trying to create something like that in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I figure as long as you have enough water and a place to forage, it should work ..right?

@Nfoonf I mean, same. But here we are.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_you_live_in_interesting_times

May you live in times where April fools day headlines become true later that year...

@alios Yes, precisely! My poor old mushy brain went looking for this exact quote in Brecht and Wiesel.

The real cruelty of governments lies not in the dramatic, but the banal.

Did You Work on a Terminated NIH Grant? ProPublica Wants to Hear From You.
—

The National Institutes of Health is canceling grants that are seen as conflicting with the Trump administration’s priorities. We want to hear from researchers who have been affected.

https://www.propublica.org/getinvolved/national-institutes-health-nih-canceled-grants-research

#NIH #Trump #Research #Science #Medicine #Health

Something big got dropped into my inbox today, it is great news! 🥳
(Can't share much right now.)

But we need *your* help with:
What is the importance of the endangered data for Germany and for the international community (“what would happen if the data were no longer available?”)

We would love to receive as many testimonials as possible, from as many perspectives as possible, to our inbox: contact@safeguar.de | https://tickets.safeguar.de/submit
(please include name & affiliation)

#SafeguardingResearch

The GDR is a cautionary tale of the dangers of repressing free speech.

The USA is a cautionary tale of the dangers of fetishizing free speech.