Cards Against Elon Musk

In case you missed it: CARDS AGAINST HUMANITY IS SUING ELON MUSK 

We have terrible news. Seven years ago, 150,000 people paid us $15 to protect a pristine parcel of land on the US-Mexico border from racist billionaire Donald Trump's very stupid wall.

Unfortunately, an even richer, more racist billionaire⸺Elon Musk⸺snuck up on us from behind and completely fucked that land with gravel, tractors, and space garbage.

 

Here is the CAH page about the lawsuit: https://www.elonowesyou100dollars.com/ 

Other coverage:

• AP News: https://apnews.com/article/cards-against-humanity-elon-musk-spacex-aa404db43f94fae76dc7524c7a646aca 
  
  
• WaPo: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/09/21/cards-against-humanity-sues-musk-spacex/ 

RIP Cemetery Tree (? - June 2024)

I walked over to the cemetery around 8pm this evening. Daff Moon app had notified me of "golden hour," and it looked to be good conditions to capture sunbeams. But what I found when I walked to the center of the cemetery brought tears to my eyes.

My favorite cemetery tree was gone.

I cautiously approached the pile of wood chips and dirt that marked where the tree once stood. Maybe I thought I was simply imagining the tree's absence. Maybe I thought the tree would come into focus as I drew nearer. Whatever I thought, I was wrong. The tree was indeed gone. It had been here before I moved to this town in 2001. So, while I had been actively photographing it for the past five to ten years, it had been at least a peripheral part of my life for just over 20 years.

But now it is gone. No notice; no ceremony. I went down to my knees. I pushed my outstretched hands into the tree's shredded remains. "I'll miss you," I said as a slight breeze stirred, "you didn't deserve this end." 

Image 1 (above): A collage of nine tree photos, arranged in a 3x3 matrix, and spanning from June 2020 through April 2024.

Image 2 (below): Photo of a pile of wood chips and loose soil where the tree used to be. Caption reads, "RIP Cemetery Tree. (? - June 2024)."

Fifty-Six

April 2024 has been quite a month. We had a small earthquake in PA and a total solar eclipse traversed across the continental US. On a personal note, before the end of this month, I'll graduate with my Master of Divinity and I'll complete my 56th orbit around the Sun. That's right! April is my birth month! 

Now, I will not use this occasion to have a party or seek presents. Nor will I give FB the opportunity to directly track my friends' donation activity. (At least Facebook seems to given up their usual full-court press of digital harassment in an effort to convince me to run a fundraiser through their platform.) But if you choose to somehow celebrate or acknowledge my Born On day, I ask that you donate time or money to your favorite charity or not-for-profit organization. If you cannot donate, then just talk a walk in your favorite park, and maybe pick up some litter. 

And for those who can donate but don't have a favorite charity or non-profit, here are several of my own:

• School of Sacred Ministries -- Independent divinity school that offers a two-year program of spiritual training with ordination as an Interfaith Minister upon conclusion. I was ordained here, I continue to work with them, and they can always use money to continue their programs and further the cause of interfaith dialog.
• Montgomery Theater -- A small professional theater in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Montgomery Theater is my home-away-from-home. Like many not-for-profit enterprises operating in the arts, they are in a budget crunch. Donations can help pay actor salaries or utility bills, or keep the education programs running.
• Cat Tales -- This is the animal rescue where we got Milo and Otis. When we are ready for more fur-babies, we will probably go back to them. 
• Leukemia and Lymphoma Society -- My father-in-law would have celebrated another birthday on Monday (4/26) -- if he had not succumbed to cancer in March 2005. My own father was diagnosed with a recurrence of Myelodysplasia syndrome (MDS) in November 2009. He did have a successful mini transplant, but eventually passed in 2013 due to complications from a recurrence of cancer. So, yeah, I'm all for funding cancer research and treatment.
• Cleveland Clinic -- My father had his bone marrow transplants performed here. They also treated him in March 2013. This clinic has an excellent medical staff and wonderful family support programs.
• Philabundance -- The Delaware Valley’s largest hunger relief organization. Working to end hunger and malnutrition since 1984.
• Hero Initiative -- These folks help comic book creators in all sorts of situations: emergency medical aid, financial support, help finding work, etc. Much of their work is in the sales of merchandise or features whose proceeds benefit creators in need, but they also have several donation options. 
• poets.org -- A trio of groups dedicated to poets, poetry, and poems (Academy of American Poets, National Poetry Month, and American Poets Magazine). April is National Poetry Month, and they also have an ongoing poem-a-day service. 
• EDF and EarthJustice -- Two organizations working for environmental protections and justice. For info about their work, check out the EDF quarterly publication, Solutions, or the EarthJustice Press Room.
• Americans United for Separation of Church and State -- With that name, it's probably fairly clear what Americans United (or AU for short) does. Help them fight theocracy in the US. 
• Life After Hate -- People who have spent much of their lives indoctrinated into hateful, dangerous lifestyles need help rejoining the compassionate, humane communities. And that's where Life After Hate picks up their work.
• A Woman's Place (AWP) -- Providing emergency shelter, counseling, legal advocacy, legal assistance, and more for victims of domestic violence in the Bucks County, PA, area. 
• Human Rights Campaign -- More than ever, advocating for equal rights is necessary. Particularly with the current administration seeking to undermine hard-won LGBTQ+ protections.  

Thank you in advance! Let's meet back here in another year!