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Me.

@zarq.bsky.social

490 followers 380 following 3.9K posts

SciFi fan. Amateur baker. Marketing/Comms professional. Jewish. Progressive. Black Lives Matter. Pro-Choice. Pro-Women's Rights. Trans rights are human rights, and gender-affirming care saves lives. Kindness above all else. he / him.

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Me. @zarq.bsky.social · Jul 9

Boosting this.

The Hebrew Free Loan Association usually requires proof of creditworthiness and a demonstration of need. Be forewarned that they may ask for guarantors.

Qualified applicants are eligible for interest-free loans of up to $10k to help cover relocation costs.

Erin Biba @erinbiba.bsky.social · Jul 9

Jewish orgs Keshet and the Hebrew Free Loan Association are giving out interest-free loans to LGBTQ+ folks who need to re-locate but can’t afford it. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE JEWISH.

“The idea that people were having to pick up and flee their homes was something that resonated Jewishly.”

Persecuted for being LGBTQ+ in Trump country, they now have a chance to start over someplace new

Keshet and the Hebrew Free Loan Society are fighting persecution by offering loans to those who need to flee,

forward.com

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Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 9h

Self care is better than other alternatives. Ignoring problems doesn't work. They don't solve themselves.

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Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 9h

I really don't like being this way. There's a fragility to things. To me. It's hard to explain. I wasn't always like this.

Have spent the last two hours in bed, quietly doing square breathing exercises and meditation visualizations, while wearing a heated eye mask.

Feels a bit ridiculous.

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Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 9h

Well, sort of nothing. Someone was being creepy and weird, but not an imminent danger.

--

After all these years, I'm good at masking. Putting on a reassuring, "everything's fine" face to my family and friends while internally everything is coming apart at the seams.

I used to be better at it.

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Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 9h

I had a panic attack anyway. Because cptsd is not an "only at your convenience" condition. Spent an agonizing amount of time trying to get it under control while driving. Finally pulled over in a parking lot and did some breathing exercises. Barely helped.

The threat turned out to be nothing.

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Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 9h

I had a very bad day.

Was told something this afternoon that I felt was threatening, and it sent me into a panic. The problem was, what I knew was vague, and I filled in the possible blanks with the worst possible outcomes.

I was driving and couldn't take time out to have a panic attack.

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Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 1d

We're in the middle of Diwali. (Diwali ki shubhkamnayein!) Yesterday was Lakshmi Puja.

Woke up this am to over a dozen nextdoor and ring notifications. All were some panicked variations of "WHY AM I HEARING GUNSHOTS?"

Oh, to be a white Republican living in the South. 🤪

They're fireworks.

Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 1d

Text from my child:
"I WOULD PAY SO. MUCH. MONEY. TO WATCH THIS MOVIE MASHUP:"

Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 3d

For a deeper understanding:

Talmud: www.myjewishlearning.com/article/talm...

Mishnah: www.myjewishlearning.com/article/why-...

Gemera: www.myjewishlearning.com/article/gema...

Gemara: The Essence of the Talmud | My Jewish Learning

Gemara are the teachings transmitted by the rabbis in the centuries following the destruction of the Second Temple, which formed the core of what has come to be known as rabbinic Judaism, which still ...

www.myjewishlearning.com

Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 3d

Together they're source texts + endless arguments/points of view from rabbis and sages across the centuries. Presented as a timeless discussion of various issues. Minority viewpoints are deliberately preserved.

Modern Jewish tradition is to consider all sides and not accept anything blindly.

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Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 3d

Jews have the Torah (tanakh), Mishnah and Gemera as references. There's more, but let's focus on those.

In simple terms, the Torah is our core text. The Mishnah and Gemara are commentary, layers of interpretation, saved discussions and arguments. The Mishnah and Gemara together form the Talmud.

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Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 4d

Author Baek Se-hee passed away yesterday, at the age of 35.

May her memory be for a blessing.

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Baek Se-hee: South Korean author of I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki dies at 35

South Korean writer Baek Se-hee was known for her 2018 bestselling memoir about her struggle with depression.

www.bbc.com

Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 4d

As someone who struggles with depression and cptsd, it's difficult to explain what a powerful relief it can be to know that you aren't alone. The isolation can be awful.

It's even more important to have hope for the future.

Baek's two memoirs are sad, intimate, and also filled with simple joys.

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Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 4d

Baek drew back a curtain of stigma on mental illness, depression and treatment in an unprecedented way, especially in South Korea.

She wrote a sequel, titled "I Want to Die, But I Still Want to Eat Tteokbokki"

Millions resonated with her life and what she was dealing with.

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Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 4d

Content Warning ⚠️: Ideation and self harm.

Back in 2018, author Baek Se-hee released a book called "I Want to Die, but I Also Want to Eat Tteokbokki"

The book was the transcription of a series of conversations with her psychiatrist as she worked on navigating dysthemia and other challenges.

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Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 4d

People's identities (which we are discussing here, not "nations,") are made up of both innate and fluid aspects, and cannot be so simplistically reduced.

Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 4d

In the same book he claims (100% incorrectly, btw) that Palestinian identity is a wholly invented nationalist narrative. Goes into that idea at length, too.

Just because a professor wrote a book, that doesn't make him a valid source of information.

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Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 4d

Thank you for explaining.

Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 5d

A year later, the Times released this update.

The Mets and Kansas City Royals had (surprisingly,) both had a good year.

The Mets still weren't the preferred team in any zip code in the country. But they had found a bit of popularity with new fans in Queens and Long Island.

Where the Mets Found New Fans in 2015 (Published 2015)

Maps showing how the fan base of the Mets has changed since the start of the 2015 season.

www.nytimes.com

Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 5d

This is the interactive map. Zoom in.

The Mets didn't even have a plurality of fans anywhere in NYC (including Queens!) or on Long Island.

Even in the Queens ZIP code (11368) surrounding the Mets' home stadium, the data showed that Yankees fans outnumbered Mets fans by more than 2-to-1.

🤦‍♂️

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A Map of Baseball Nation (Gift Article)

Facebook data reveals the most popular team in every ZIP code.

www.nytimes.com

Me. @zarq.bsky.social · 5d

With the World series starting next week, I thought I'd take a look back at the humiliating yet hilarious moment when the New York Times discovered that the New York Mets weren't the preferred baseball team in a single zip code in the United States.

Article:

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