Good morning. And welcome to this important live tweeting event. I've been working with a little scientist all morning. On a contraption to protect a fragile egg from a drop from a great height.
Follow along for the "Great Egg Drop" of May 23, 2021.
Any time we do anything "science-y" little man runs for his lab coat & "experiment glasses."
"My science outfit." It's seriously the cutest thing in the world. It came with a name tag clip, which sadly is now lost.
The beginning. Cutting open a milk carton. Why? He wanted to.
We pulled everything from recycling. Paper boxes. Cartons. Plastic bags. Decided to cut the pizza boxes into quarters & stuff each one with other stuff. "Trampolines" he called them. To break the fall. The egg itself went inside paper towels. Then zip locks with air kept inside.
A brilliant idea! Target bags as parachutes. We cut the handles off a paper food delivery bag and used a ton of duct tape to tighten them on the contraption.
I think we're ready to go. Off to Domino Park in Williamsburg. Have an idea of a good place to give it a try.
We made it. A beautiful day in Brooklyn. Domino Park in Williamsburg. Going to head up a ramp & drop the egg contraption down to the pathway below. The higher walkway is made from remains of the sugar factory that used to be here.
Walking up to the “drop zone.” He’s super excited!
His narration: “We’re head up to the top. Actually the very top to drop the thing!”
We made it to the drop zone! Time to put back on the science outfit. He’s looking like a real scientist.
Woops. Caught myself. “I mean, you *are* a real scientist.”
The pre-egg drop interview:
Him: “So you know, there’s an egg inside of it. And I’m gonna drop it to see if it breaks or not. And you see all these pizza things? Those are like trampolines. Look! And these are the parachutes!”
AND HERE IT IS FOLKS. WHAT YOUVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR. THE EGG DROP!!! (Pray with me).
Brief break to get your votes. After watching the last video, hearing the impact: do you think the egg survived?
Here he comes. Running down and then the start of the unpackaging. Suspense is killing me. Don’t worry: alive given him a pep talk about if it’s broken. Just need to try again!
Took some time & effort to get all that tape off. Here he is pulling out the inner core. Dying....getting closer.....!
And here it is. The grand finale. Don’t skip ahead. Wait for it. The opening of the inner core of the egg drop contraption. Wait for it. WAIT FOR IT.
“It’s like opening a present,” he says.
The celebration continues! Thanks to all for following us along on this adventure. We’ve got a very happy, very satisfied, and motivated little dude on our hands. So much fun. Now I need a nap.
Epilogue: while trying to put the egg in my pocket while I wasn’t paying attention as we were leaving the park, the egg fell on the ground and finally broke. Ha!
To clarify. Boy was trying to put the egg in my pocket. Not me! I’m not that absent minded!
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Wow. Fiona Apple is a real one. Watch this video. Calling for donations to bail out Black mothers for Mother’s Day. Her fans already came through w donations & spreading the word. Over $30k! Let’s “fetch the bolt cutters” & support even more. I just gave. givebutter.com/nHSrnp
Two years ago, Fiona Apple popped up on a zoom call to get trained by local organizers to Court watch. Dedicated ever since. Her work has led to freedom, lawsuits, accountability.
The stories all here in this short video. She wrote & performed the score:
Be like Fiona Apple. Volunteer to CourtWatch. Visit this campaign hub, learn more, connect w/ a local courtwatch program, &/or learn how to start your own.
Injustice happens in empty courtrooms. Which allows police brutality to continue outside of them. Courtwatch.org
“No judge has ever lost their job setting bail on someone.”
A NYC judge whispered that. To a public defender. Before depriving their destitute client of freedom. This happens every day. Judges are intimidated to throw poor people in cages.
Thread on a history of intimidation:
Public defenders @elizaorlins & @APetrigh tell about the open secret of "justice" throughout the country People are deprived of liberty, not based on merit. But judicial fear of negative press.
"The NYPD’s recent social media attack against a judge who released a defendant under supervision instead of setting bail and detaining them. The case drew headlines because the NYPD’s aggressive social media posts were full of misinformation, including misidentifying the judge."
How copaganda works. Police, prosecutor, & prison interests use media to exaggerate & lie about "sensational" cases. Amplify them on repeat. Create the *perception* that "crime" or "migrants" are a "Crisis!"
Perpetual anger/fear buys votes & public opinion. Facts be damned.
How copaganda works. Police release a highly edited video that doesn't include their unprovoked, violent, & unjustified attack on a migrant. Manufactured "outcry" ensues. Lawmakers call for sweeping policy changes. New video later released. It's too late. Profound damage done.
How copaganda works. Even after previously withheld police footage showed the "attack on police" in Times Square was the opposite: An unprovoked attack *by police* on innocent people, reports continue only center the lie.
None (that I've seen) report on the overt police lie.
An interesting story for you. Was catching up w/ a friend at coffeeshop. The mother of her friend walked by & joined us briefly. She’s from Chicago. She told us a story about talking to a Chicago police officer. Thanking him for his service.
What he told her will surprise you.
As quick background, she is a white woman. In her 60s. Well off. Grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. Now downtown. Forever Dem. Supported the end of cash bail. But is “fed up” w/ “all the violence.” Thinks “something has to be done.”
She saw a cop the other day & went up to him.
She told the cop how scared she was by everything she was reading in the news. Couldn’t imagine how tough things were “for him” given the “crime rates.” (Note: Homicides are down significantly in most of Chicago, but violence remains a scourge).
Extraordinary work again from @TeenVogue -- the best justice journalism outlet in the country. On the day that cash bail is finally eliminated in Illinois, they release a critical explainer on "Copaganda."
How to identify & respond to lies & fearmongering about safety. Watch:
Must watch. The week that cash bail is finally eliminated in Illinois, local experts debunk harmful myths that the media peddles about bail reform. In this @TeenVogue video explainer.
"This fear has been built up & stoked by media misinformation. A refrain. A scapegoat " Watch:
Last year: Artists, survivors of violence, organizers, entrepreneurs, public defenders, policy experts, restorative justice practitioners, and system-impacted people sat for a series of conversations while exploring a groundbreaking exhibition on torture and incarceration.
Teen Vogue out again w/ the best in political commentary, justice journalism & truth. A compelling & easily digestible explainer on "Abolition."
New vision of safety: "If policing prosecution & incarceration created safety, we'd be the safest country in the world." Watch. Learn:
When people hear the word "abolition" they think 'crazy leftist.' 'Idealistic.'
In reality: "We're the clear eyed ones. We have the whole history of the world to let us know what were doing now is not sustainable. We want a world where violence isn't the norm." Part 2:
Last year: Artists, survivors of violence, organizers, entrepreneurs, public defenders, policy experts, restorative justice practitioners, and system-impacted people sat for a series of conversations while exploring a groundbreaking exhibition on torture and incarceration.