Earth, our home planet, is the fifth largest planet in our solar system and the only planet we know of where life exists. Even though Earth seems extremely large to us, it is actually a tiny spec in the vast expanse of the universe. Here are 7 space facts that will make you feel very small.
1. Our sun is one of at least 100 BILLION stars, just in the Milky Way. Scientists calculate that there are at least 100 billion galaxies in the observable universe, each one brimming with stars. There are more stars than grains of sand on all of Earth’s beaches combined.
In 1995, the first planet beyond our solar system was discovered. Now, thousands of planets orbiting sun-like stars have been discovered, also known as exoplanets.
2. The Milky Way is a huge city of stars, so big that even at the speed of light (which is fast!), it would take 100,000 years to travel across it.
3. Roughly 70% of the universe is made of dark energy. Dark matter makes up about 25%. The rest — everything on Earth, everything ever observed with all of our instruments, all normal matter adds up to less than 5% of the universe.
4. If the sun were as tall as a typical front door, Earth would be the size of a nickel.
5. The sun accounts for almost all of the mass in our solar system. Leaving .2% for all the planets and everything else.
6. Edwin Hubble discovered that the Universe is expanding and that at one point in time (14 billion years ago) the universe was all collected in just one point of space.
7. Four American spacecraft are headed out of our solar system to what scientists call interstellar space. Voyager 1 is the farthest out — more than 11 billion miles from our sun. It was the first manmade object to leave our solar system. Voyager 2, is speeding along at more than 39,000 mph, but will still take more than 296,000 years to pass Sirius, the brightest star in our night sky.
Feeling small yet? Here’s a tool that will show you just how tiny we are compared to everything else out there: http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/features/cosmic/earth.html
Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com
Tweet by Dallas Goldtooth:
“Lakota land defenders have blocked access to the Trump rally at Mt Rushmore in the Ȟe Sapa, aka Black Hills! Nat'l guard on scene. Tear gas used. Arrests happening.
Plz donate to bail.
venmo: @westriverbailfund (6892 if asked to confirm phone)
PayPal to: westriverbailfund@gmail “
SIGNAL BOOST! DONAATE & REBLOG TO SUPPORT LAND DEFENDERS
Medieval Weapon Concepts
It’s a minor pet peeve, but it is everywhere today so errrr…. please keep in mind that “Rest in Peace”/RIP literally comes from a latin phrase and is a very very deeply Christian expression.
When talking about the departed, Jews say “may their memory be a blessing.”
So please, when talking about a dead person who is Jewish, try to keep in mind that RIP is a Christian phrase.
Most of the “keep up the work after the protests have ended!”-type posts I’ve seen are mostly focused on like, reading Black authors and listening to Black voices and unlearning racism, and obviously all of that is absolutely vital - but no amount of individual self-reflection will be able to dismantle institutional systems of oppression. So I wanted to put together some resources for continuing to build a culture of noncompliance and resistance to the police and prison system even after things have calmed down
Know your rights. Giving the police any more information than you absolutely have to will never and can never benefit you or anyone else - positive evidence given to the police is regularly thrown out in court, whereas negative evidence will be used against you. Know what to say and what you have the right to refuse. You don’t have to answer any questions without a lawyer present, you don’t have to give the police access to your house or car unless they have a current warrant signed by a judge. They will try to intimidate you - learn your rights and don’t let up, don’t ever cooperate with the police
Don’t snitch. If you see someone breaking the law in a way that doesn’t hurt anybody, keep your mouth shut. If cops knock on your door asking you questions about your neighbors or anyone you know, don’t answer
Don’t call the cops. If you can solve the problem in a different way, do it. Cops have on multiple occasions murdered the people they were called to help (or bystanders) without provocation. Don’t be complicit in that. Learn how to handle situations as a community or with the help of qualified experts
When you see an interaction with the police happening, stop and observe. If necessary, film the interaction. Organize and work with groups such as Copwatch to observe the police and hold them accountable
Use proper opsec, especially if you’re involved with anything that might make you a target for the cops. Downloading Signal is a great simple place to start
Learn about jury nullification, and spread the word. When serving in a jury, you have the right to vote not guilty on a defendant that you believe did commit the crime but doesn’t deserve punishment for it. Don’t be complicit in unjust punishment
Refuse to do work for the police or prison system. Workers keep the world running and the state relies on our compliance to keep our neighbors under their thumb. We can shut it down
Continue to support bail funds, even for non-protesters. Cash bail is unjust, and people shouldn’t be in jail just because they can’t pay
Continue to support legal defense funds as well, such as that of the National Lawyers Guild
Write to prisoners, either by yourself or with groups such as the Anarchist Black Cross or Black And Pink, and organize/support books to prisons programs, commissary funds, reentry programs, and other forms of prisoner support
Organize and support community-run crisis response organizations like the CAHOOTS program in Eugene, Oregon or the Birmingham Peacemakers in my hometown
Here are some other organizations to join that are doing good work in this area:
Black Lives Matter is obviously a huge voice in racial justice right now. The list of “official” chapters on their website is very incomplete, though, so you may have better luck doing a web search for “[your area] black lives matter” (beware of fakes though)
Showing Up for Racial Justice is another very active and widespread racial justice network
Critical Resistance is a grassroots prison abolitionist organization founded by Angela Davis
The Revolutionary Abolitionist Movement is another active prison abolitionist organization
The IWW’s Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee works with prisoners to organize strikes, phone zaps, and other actions combating injustice in prisons
Again, the Anarchist Black Cross does great work supporting political prisoners through letter-writing and more. The link I’ve been including is to an unofficial federation of ABC groups, though - there may be a group in your area that’s not part of that federation, so a web search for “[your area] black cross” may be better
Black And Pink is a prison abolitionist organization focused on queer people and people living with HIV/AIDS
Antifascism is of course an important aspect of racial justice and community safety. See @antifainternational‘s guide to getting connected to your local antifascists - though, again, beware of fakes (the “antifa checker” accounts on fedbook and twitter can help)
The police state and prison industrial complex rely on the complicity and cooperation of all of us to function and be effective. By building a culture of noncompliance and active resistance, we can drastically reduce the state’s ability to oppress communities of color. Don’t let the struggle be forgotten with the changing of the news cycle - keep up the struggle until all are free!
Guys if you get a similar message PLEASE DONT CLICK THE LINK
It’ll make your device vulnerable to being hacked
Please rt to make people aware ‘exposingthelosers’ does not exist
Just know you’re not alone.
With the Ansel Elgort situation going on, I just want to remind you all of this: DO NOT. IDOLIZE. CELEBRITIES. Yes, you can be fans of their work. You can admire how they give back and/or support good causes. There's nothing wrong with that. But to put them on a pedestal, see them as a "God", "Flawless", or "perfect" is truly stretching it. You never know how they behave behind the scenes, and most importantly, you don't even know them personally. So, when a certain celeb does something really screwed up that no one should ever condone (r*pe/s*xually assault, say slurs, etc.) what are you going to do then?
Celebs are not worthy of praise unless it's for their work. And they are not Gods. They are just regular people who are just more recognizable to the public.
So, if your fave has done problematic things, you need to rethink how you see them. If they've done inexcusable things like Ansel did, then you need to find someone different to be a fan of. If they made a mistake years ago and it just came back into light, don't go "so-and-so is over party". That's just childish. If they acknowledge their past mistakes and apologize for it, forgive them, but don't put them on a pedestal. Because like I said earlier, celebrities are human beings, and as humans, we're not perfect. You, the person reading this, aren't perfect either. So don't think big name stars are no different.
jeff bezos: now that i’m the richest man on the planet with a net worth of over 100 billion dollars
jeff bezos: how about i create new ways to fuck over my employees and underpay them
jeff bezos: i’ve got it, i’ll legally not pay them while they’re still on the clock, and i’ll get the supreme court to agree with me
me:
"real rednecks aren't racist! real punks can't be bigots! real (insert x social group) can't-"
Side blog for my socially anxious soul. No posts just likes. Edit : I'm a liar
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