Hi, my name is Mosab , and I’m from Gaza. Life here has been harder than I could ever imagine, but today I’m sharing my story with hope in my heart, because your kindness has already given us so much strength.

This journey hasn’t been easy. The war has taken 25 family members from us—25 beautiful souls we loved deeply. Their laughter, their presence, their love… all of it is gone, leaving behind memories that are both precious and painful. Every day, I carry the weight of their loss, but I also carry their spirit, which gives me the strength to keep going.

Our Journey So Far

When I first reached out, I couldn’t have imagined we’d make it this far. Your support has been a light in these difficult times, and we are so deeply grateful for every single contribution.

But the road ahead is still challenging. Every day, we’re reminded of how much we’ve lost and how much we still need to rebuild.

Here’s what life in Gaza looks like for my family right now:

🏠 Safety: The uncertainty of tomorrow weighs heavily on us.

😢 Loss: The absence of the 25 family members we’ve lost is a pain we carry every moment.

💔 Dreams on Hold: The future feels so far away when survival takes all our strength.

How You Can Help Us Cross the Finish Line Even the smallest act of kindness can make a difference:

✅️ Vetted by @gazavetters ( #309 ) ✅️

Why Your Support Matters Your kindness isn’t just about helping us meet our goal—it’s about reminding us that we’re not alone in this fight. It’s about hope. It’s about survival. And it’s about giving my family a chance to rebuild our lives, even in the face of unimaginable loss.

Thank you for helping us get this far. Your generosity and compassion have already brought us closer to a better tomorrow, and for that, I’m endlessly grateful.

With all my love and gratitude,

Mosab and Family ❤️

Something I have been coming to terms with recently as someone working in academia:

You don't need to have 'intellectually stimulating' hobbies if you don't want to. They don't need to make you money or make you famous, either. Hobbies are activities that bring you happiness. It's ok if the people around you have different hobbies!

I remember trying to force myself to like so many things (such as podcasts and word puzzles) because my colleagues said they were 'good for you'. It forced me into an endless cycle of anxiety and depression; it felt like work never ended.

This past year I have decided to get back into hobbies that I seriously enjoy (such as videogames). Even if my colleagues think they are dumb, they are important for my mental health & well-being!

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a beginner's guide for making your very own home on the indie web—retro, personal, weird, and 100% yours.

this ain’t an average wix, squarespace, or tiktok aesthetic.

we’re talking full html/css with soul and attitude.

[ prerequisites ]

------------------

> an idea

> basic text editor (vscode, notepad++, or even notepad)

> account on https://neocities.org or https://nekoweb.org

> some gifs or tiles you love (dig deep or make your own)

> optional: image host or gif repo (or self-host everything)

[ feeling overwhelmed? read this. ]

-----------------------------------

you do *not* need to know everything.

html is not a mountain. it's a garden.

you plant one tag. then another. then a style. then a button.

you can build your site piece by piece.

and every piece is a portal to somewhere personal.

you are allowed to make broken pages.

you are allowed to use templates.

you are allowed to start over as many times as you want.

this is *your* world. you control the weird.

[ step 1: create an account ]

-----------------------------

> neocities: https://neocities.org

> nekoweb: https://nekoweb.org

register a name, log in, and enter your file manager.

this is where you upload your files and see your site live.

[ step 2: your first file - index.html ]

----------------------------------------

make a new file: `index.html`

basic starter:

> upload to the dashboard

> boom. you’re live at

https://yoursite.neocities.org

or https://nekoweb.org/u/yoursite

[ step 3: add a style sheet - style.css ]

-----------------------------------------

create a file called `style.css` and upload it.

here’s some nostalgic magic:

link it in your html and the vibes activate.

[ step 4: decorate it like a haunted usb ]

------------------------------------------

> use <marquee> for chaos scrolls

> embed gifs from https://gifcities.org/

> steal buttons from https://cyber.dabamos.de/88x31/

> set up a guestbook at https://www.smartgb.com/

> loop audio with <audio autoplay loop>

> add fake errors, 90s web lore, random link lists

[ step 5: resources, themes, and comfort ]

------------------------------------------

> templates & layouts: https://numbpilled-themes.tumblr.com

> glitchy gifs & buttons: https://glitchcat.neocities.org/resources

> layout builder: https://sadgrl.online/projects/layout-builder/

> free tiled backgrounds: https://backgrounds.neocities.org/

> beginner html intro: https://www.w3schools.com/html/

> pixel fonts & cyber assets: https://fontstruct.com/

remember:

you don't need to know js. you don't need to be a coder.

you just need a mood, a direction, a dream.

the html will follow.

[ bonus concept: shrine pages ]

-------------------------------

> a page just for one character you love

> a room to house digital fragments of your identity

> embed quotes, music, images like altars

> call it shrine.html and link it from your homepage

[ closing mantra ]

------------------

you are not here to be optimized.

you are not a brand.

you are a ghost inside the machine,

carving your initials into the silicon void.

welcome to Your website.

========================================================

Reblog if its ok for your moots to stalk your blog and interact with everything you've posted.

This is what remains to my family and we are NOW living in a small tent 💔‼️🔕

🥺🥺✅️Vetted by @gazavetters , my number verified on the list is ( #523 )✅️

✅️Vetted by @90-ghost

Everything is unbelievable and our life is hard. Everything is expensive and I need support follow you guys 🙏🙏❤️❤️❤️❤️Every dollar you contribute will make a tangible difference in our lives. Your donations can ensure that this newborn baby has a chance at survival and that  can provide my children with the necessities they deserve.

At the risk of sounding anti-intellectual, I think that college should be free and also not a requirement for employment outside of highly specialized career fields

At the risk of sounding like an effete intellectual, I do actually think you should be allowed to just take college courses indefinitely

technically you can, if you don't care about degrees.

Free Harvard courses. Free Courses from Stanford. Free Courses from MIT. Free courses from Yale. Free courses from Princeton.

Free courses on Coursera.

Free Courses on EDx Free Courses on Alison

For paid, there's The Great Courses+/Wonderium. 20$ a month for unlimited courses.

When searching, the phrases you're looking for are Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), or you can do a general search of say, "free online college courses." Oh, and so you don't get surprised like I did, have an avoid: Hillsdale College is a conservative Christian site and not a valid MOOC place. Sign up with them and you will get things like THIS IS WHY THE LEFT IS TURNING YOUR KIDS TRANS AND GAY in your inbox.

Hey hey, as a librarian, can I just say don’t pace yourself at the library. I get a lot of customers saying “oh I shouldn’t get too many books out at once” but like you should!!!! Max out your card, take everything we have on a subject you’re interested in, make a book fort in your home. We love that shit! It doesn’t matter if you read them or not; just take them for an adventure and bring them back whenever they’re due!

For public libraries, one of the ways we secure funding year to year is lending. Governments don’t want to fund more books if they’re not being used and the way we measure use is by issues. Regardless of whether you read it or not, whether you have it for a day or a month, if you issue it to your library card, we get the stats! It makes the library look good!

Help your local library; get books out even if you know you can’t read them all!

official library post

Ruby

sir please that’s my emotional support group of mutuals who I never interact with but still care deeply about

Many queer people are just fundamentally not normal, because “normal” is socially constructed. It is an arbitrary category meant to be weaponized against marginalized people. If you limit your advocacy for queer rights to those who can be crammed into that category, you won’t have a leg to stand on when that category gets smaller and you suddenly aren’t in it anymore.

today im feeling a lot better

i will create a fastapi + frontend for a movie rec site (i am doing this to understand fastapi and docker) maybe even deploy something idk.

and also today for 2 hours i will solve aws quiz.

i will read chapter 6,7 of the kubernetes book.

and i will reach the yellow gem (expert) on this site!!!

things we forget are noooormal cuz we are humans after all !

Outgrowing friendships

Feeling lost sometimes

Not being productive every day

Needing rest without a reason

Changing opinions over time

Taking longer than others to succeed

Feeling unmotivated even about things you love

Having days where nothing feels right

Wanting different things than you did before

Feeling socially awkward in some situations

Losing interest in hobbies for a while

Not always knowing what to say

Making mistakes, even big ones

Feeling like you’re behind in life

Not being happy all the time

Needing reassurance

Being emotional for no clear reason

Struggling with confidence now and then

Taking time to heal from things

Still figuring yourself out

Changing your mind about people

Not always feeling close to family

Wanting to be alone sometimes

Feeling nostalgic for no reason

Finding comfort in routines

Outgrowing past versions of yourself

Being unsure about the future

Losing touch with people you once loved

Feeling overwhelmed by small things

Needing a break from social media

Not wanting to explain everything you feel

Having phases of intense motivation and then none

Struggling to balance everything

Feeling distant from yourself sometimes

Loving something but still procrastinating on it

Worrying about things that might never happen

Wanting more even when you have enough

Getting bored with routines you once loved

Feeling like you’re not doing enough, even when you are

Taking time to truly trust people

Feeling awkward in new situations

Laughing at something and then feeling sad right after

Not always loving how you look

Missing people you shouldn’t miss

Feeling like a different person at different times

Overthinking simple conversations

Not always having a clear goal in life

Wanting to start over for no reason

Changing your style or interests often

Feeling disconnected from your past self

Being unsure if you actually like something or just got used to it

Feeling guilty for relaxing

Finding it hard to accept compliments

Not knowing how to comfort someone properly

Getting random bursts of confidence

Feeling like you should be happier than you are

Comparing yourself even when you know you shouldn’t

Forgetting what truly makes you happy sometimes

Taking longer than expected to move on from something

Feeling homesick for a place or time that doesn’t exist anymore

@bloomzone

I'm an electrical engineer and for the longest time I was saying that electricity and electronics isn't magic, but think about it.

You literally have to collect rare stones from remote locations, put them into specific formations to work. All of this gets written down in symbols which don't make sense to the uninformed. It gets powered by energy which can not be seen in most cases.

Like what else do you want. What's your standard for calling something magic.

@ettawritesnstudies

Engagement with Palestinian fundraisers have dropped an all time low! This should not be the case! We need to continue our support. Especially since a ceasefire is a temporary solution! It does not mean the occupation has ended. Ghazzah and the West Bank are still under siege. The IOF continues their violence and families need to purchase essentials!

Please consider donating to my lovely friend, Suad Ahmad. She is a computer engineer who has given birth to a baby boy named Khaled, and he suffers from a respiratory infection. Let's raise the short-term goal of 49K! $48,560 USD has been raised. There is $440 left to go!

@suad-khaled (Verified: #279) (Donation Match)

$48,890 USD has been raised, and the last donation was made 2 hours ago. Please keep donating and sharing. There is $110 left to reach the 49K mark!

$48,905/$49,000 we are so close to the current goal!

because cassowaries are giant fucking birds with knives on their feet. this is perfectly reasonable

i mean, it's not like they have a good history in warfare against birds either

they literally went to war with this guy’s cousin

Learning German & Staying alive

☄  https://german.net/ - free online resource with some tests, text, and planty more. Great for reading and reading comprehention;

☄ https://germanwithlaura.com - great course that explains grammar a bit more manageable;

☄ https://www.clozemaster.com - somewhat of a duolingo-copy, gamification at ift greatest. From 100 to 50 000 common words in context, can be used for free;

☄ https://wunderdeutsch.com/uk/grammatik-null-u/ - grammar, but in ukrainian. Helpful;

☄ https://golernen.com/ - more grammar, with ukrainian language avaliable;

☄ https://piracywhiskeypoetry.tumblr.com/post/136460408137/language-resources-masterpost - masterpost with multiple language;

☄ https://mein-deutschbuch.de/grammatik.html - another damn grammar

☄ https://www.quia.com/web - tests, some fun stuff.

sheesh I would need to make it pretty, but for now will do