The kids are protesting on Roblox
+ Women are striking in Iceland & Bel's latest chime 🌹
I’m slightly sick at the moment which means that today in between writing this for you (and trying to write… oh… our BOOK) I’ve watched half of ‘When Harry Met Sally!!!!’ So many of you have been on my case about never having seen it (rightly so bc I chose to tell you that I hadn’t) so I thought, as I was fatiguing, that it felt like a cute thing to watch.
Tonight I’m going to an event that has free tarot card readings and I’ve NEVER had that done before, so tell me - what am I in for? Do I need to prep myself for anything? Are you into tarot???
Oh and before I go - a little reminder about this webinar that AUT are putting on if you’re thinking about studying or doing some further study!!!
The kids are protesting on Roblox
Women in Iceland (including the PM) are striking
Bel Chimes In: On the two most romantic things you can do
Here’s where to get trusted information on Israel-Palestine
Meanwhile, I’m obsessed with this photo of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce
The kids are protesting on Roblox
Ok so I saw this tweet today:
And of COURSE did a little more research on whether it was true or not (you know me) and while I couldn’t find any NEWS articles reporting on whether kids had been protesting on Roblox (watch there be a few after I send this newsy out 👀) I did see a some TikTok videos that showed the players protesting in certain games.
In the time since I found out about this, TikTok comments tell me that Roblox has deleted the game that hosted the protest (if you don’t know how Roblox works, basically it’s a platform that hosts multiple user-generated experiences and games) but I’d say we’re about to see more and more online events like this continue to pop up. And it’s not like this is the first time people have protested on Roblox either - in 2020 protests were held for Black Lives Matter and just three months ago PETA took over a Starbrooks for a vegan upcharge - this is just the first time I’ve seen something about it come across my feed (as a non-Roblox user.)
You all know that one of my deep fascinations is in the way we (and younger generations) use tech, which is why I really wanted to write about this for you. It’s not just that it shows how engaged kids are in what’s going on around them these days, but it also makes me wonder what the impact of organising online like this is (and what the impact could be). I guess like any other protest, you attend to show your solidarity and rely on the media to find out about it and cover it so the cause reaches more people than the protest itself. Actually, now that I’m typing it out, I guess this one did exactly that!!!
Women in Iceland (including the PM) are striking
This Tuesday in Iceland was the "Women's Day Off," which called on women and nonbinary people to refuse both “paid and unpaid work, including household chores.” The one-day strike is to demand an end to unequal pay and gender-based violence, and even the Prime Minister will take part.
Iceland’s first strike like this - to voice anger over workplace discrimination - happened on October 24, 1975, and on that day 90% of women refused to work, clean, or look after children. This year’s strike is said to be the biggest since then.
Even though Iceland has been ranked the best country in the world for gender equality by the World Economic Forum (for 14 years in a row might I add), the country sits at a score of 91.2%, meaning they’re not completely equal, and this strike intends “to draw particular attention to the plight of immigrant women whose “invaluable” contribution to Icelandic society they say is rarely acknowledged or reflected in the wages they receive.”
Bel Chimes In: On the two most romantic things you can do
This section is written by my crush, the refreshing-as-a-house-chardonnay-on-a-steamy-day, Bel Hawkins. She also writes our Sunday newsletter ‘No News is Good News’ which all our paying supporters receive. Upgrade your plan to get her newsy here!
Good morning crushes 🌹
Being a writer is such a strange way to live sometimes. Each week (multiple times a week, multiple times a DAY), you have to come up with something interesting to say that you think people will like, that'll make you look smart or funny or come across as the kind of person people want to invite to a dinner or Halloween party! And sometimes bigger things are happening. That's something right now I don't have the qualifications to write into; you know what I'm talking about, and you know where to go to get the most objective reporting on that.
BUT in the meantime, because you know I'm a gush, and even though the climate's heating at a faster rate than anyone predicted and scientists are running out of new ways to talk about it, romance is important, and I think you need to know about it. Here are two extremely romantic things that will change your life, and I suggest you do them immediately or the next time you have a crush worth mentioning:
1) Get their number and simply ask in a casual, yet serious way, 'text or call?"
2) Organise something to do.
Incredible to know in this chaotic world there are two tiny truisms that can change the course of our lives entirely.
PS. See you this weekend, where I'm gonna give you another list to live by! And continue to show you the BTS making of our book on TikTok.
PPS. I just wanted to thank everyone who has messaged something caring to SSYCA over these last few weeks. The internet can feel like a really impossible place to be sometimes. It's easy to forget that. Most of the time it's a pleasure to be here xx
Here’s where to get trusted information on Israel-Palestine:
As usual, pointing you to the journalists out there who are covering this in-depth (have taken on a LOT of your suggestions, so thank you!)
A big Google Doc full of links, books, podcasts, and helpful history
A piece I read and loved: to bear witness
Explanations Are Not Excuses (Intelligencer)
(If you have other sources you’d like to see covered here, I’m only an email away!)
How we can help!
Social media is currently awash with misinformation so I wanted to make sure that any info I passed on to you about places we could donate were safe, legitimate and effective.
This a list that has been compiled by CharityWatch, who’ve listed “legitimate, efficient, and accountable charities involved in efforts to aid and assist the people of Israel – Palestine during active conflict in the region.”
This is another list from Charity Navigator which includes only “organizations that are at least three years old, show a three-or four-star rating and have a track record of positive results in their region, among other requirements.”
Meanwhile, I’m obsessed with this:
If you wanna:
Become a Close Friend on Instagram
Become a member of our 📚Book Club📚
AND get Bel’s Sunday morning newsy ‘No News Is Good News’
Please consider becoming a paying supporter 💌
Really appreciate you using this platform to recommend reliable and trustworthy sources about the Israel/ Palestine situation!