Helen Melton

I love to draw, but prefer to paint.

[Barack Obama @BarackObama]

Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know. But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself. Between someone who tells the truth; who knows right from wrong and will give it to the American people straight — and someone who lies through his teeth for his own benefit. Last night didn’t change that, and it’s why so much is at stake in November. https://t.co/Tn2TQu5Djo

[Helen Melton @HelenMelton]

Don't touch me #nuria #nuriapiera 🔥 🔥

[CALL TO ACTIVISM @CalltoActivism]

A British writer penned the best description of Donald Trump I’ve ever read:

“Why do some British people not like Donald Trump?”

A few things spring to mind. Trump lacks certain qualities which the British traditionally esteem. For instance, he has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honour and no grace – all qualities, funnily enough, with which his predecessor Mr. Obama was generously blessed. So for us, the stark contrast does rather throw Trump’s limitations into embarrassingly sharp relief.

Plus, we like a laugh. And while Trump may be laughable, he has never once said anything wry, witty or even faintly amusing – not once, ever. I don’t say that rhetorically, I mean it quite literally: not once, not ever. And that fact is particularly disturbing to the British sensibility – for us, to lack humour is almost inhuman. But with Trump, it’s a fact. He doesn’t even seem to understand what a joke is – his idea of a joke is a crass comment, an illiterate insult, a casual act of cruelty.

Trump is a troll. And like all trolls, he is never funny and he never laughs; he only crows or jeers. And scarily, he doesn’t just talk in crude, witless insults – he actually thinks in them. His mind is a simple bot-like algorithm of petty prejudices and knee-jerk nastiness.

There is never any under-layer of irony, complexity, nuance or depth. It’s all surface. Some Americans might see this as refreshingly upfront. Well, we don’t. We see it as having no inner world, no soul. And in Britain we traditionally side with David, not Goliath. All our heroes are plucky underdogs: Robin Hood, Dick Whittington, Oliver Twist. Trump is neither plucky, nor an underdog. He is the exact opposite of that. He’s not even a spoiled rich-boy, or a greedy fat-cat. He’s more a fat white slug. A Jabba the Hutt of privilege.

And worse, he is that most unforgivable of all things to the British: a bully. That is, except when he is among bullies; then he suddenly transforms into a snivelling sidekick instead. There are unspoken rules to this stuff – the Queensberry rules of basic decency – and he breaks them all. He punches downwards – which a gentleman should, would, could never do – and every blow he aims is below the belt. He particularly likes to kick the vulnerable or voiceless – and he kicks them when they are down.

So the fact that a significant minority – perhaps a third – of Americans look at what he does, listen to what he says, and then think ‘Yeah, he seems like my kind of guy’ is a matter of some confusion and no little distress to British people, given that:

• Americans are supposed to be nicer than us, and mostly are.

• You don’t need a particularly keen eye for detail to spot a few flaws in the man.

This last point is what especially confuses and dismays British people, and many other people too; his faults seem pretty bloody hard to miss. After all, it’s impossible to read a single tweet, or hear him speak a sentence or two, without staring deep into the abyss. He turns being artless into an art form; he is a Picasso of pettiness; a Shakespeare of shit. His faults are fractal: even his flaws have flaws, and so on ad infinitum. God knows there have always been stupid people in the world, and plenty of nasty people too. But rarely has stupidity been so nasty, or nastiness so stupid. He makes Nixon look trustworthy and George W look smart. In fact, if Frankenstein decided to make a monster assembled entirely from human flaws – he would make a Trump.

And a remorseful Doctor Frankenstein would clutch out big clumpfuls of hair and scream in anguish: ‘My God… what… have… I… created?' If being a twat was a TV show, Trump would be the boxed set.”

-Nate White

[Historic Vids @historyinmemes]

In 1913, a remarkable story unfolded in the heart of Oklahoma that would eventually turn a 10-year-old girl named Sarah Rector into one of the nation's first black millionaires. At that time, the United States was still grappling with the remnants of racial segregation, and the allocation of land to Native Americans and African Americans was deeply entrenched in discriminatory practices.

Sarah Rector, born to African American parents of Creek Nation descent, was among the beneficiaries of the Dawes Act of 1887. This legislation aimed to break up communal tribal lands and allocate individual plots to Native Americans and their descendants. However, the system was inherently biased. The best agricultural lands were typically reserved for white settlers, while less fertile and often barren plots were assigned to African Americans and Native Americans.

Sarah's fate seemed sealed when she received her land allotment of 160 acres, seemingly located on barren soil in an area known for its lack of agricultural potential. But destiny had other plans. Beneath the surface of that seemingly barren plot lay a hidden treasure—oil.

In a twist of fate, oil was discovered on Sarah Rector's land. The black gold gushed forth, transforming her life and fortunes beyond anyone's wildest imagination. Sarah, still a child, found herself sitting on top of a literal gold mine. News of her newfound wealth spread like wildfire, and she soon became the subject of intense media attention.

With shrewd management and the support of her family, Sarah's wealth grew rapidly. Her story symbolized the potential for African Americans to succeed against all odds and transcended racial barriers. Sarah's life in the spotlight also highlighted the systemic injustices that had held back marginalized communities for so long.

[ChristinaProenzaColes @ProenzaColes]

Attorney Gaius Bolin is pictured here graduating Williams College in 1889. His daughter Judge Jane Bolin earned her law degree from Yale in 1931 & was sworn in as a New York City judge in 1939.

[Wars @wars]

Most soldiers of World War 1 were severely disfigured. Disfigured soldiers often became victims of despondency, leading, in some cases, even to suicide. However, their help came in a woman called Anna Coleman.

Anna Coleman Ladd was an American sculptor who founded the American Red Cross "Studio for Portrait-Masks" to provide cosmetic masks to be worn by men who had been badly disfigured in World War I. She created prosthetic masks for soldiers who had facial injuries from the war.

She used copper, enamel, and real hair to make realistic and personalized masks that matched the soldiers' skin tone and features. She also fitted the masks with spectacles or strings to hold them in place.

Ladd wanted to help the soldiers regain their confidence and dignity, as well as avoid the social stigma of being disfigured.

She treated each soldier with compassion and respect, and often gave them gifts and photographs along with their masks. She made about 185 masks in total, and received the Légion d'honneur from the French government for her service.

[Chef José Andrés 🕊️🥘🍳 @chefjoseandres]

The situation on Maui is devastating..Last night @WCKitchen teams brought hot meals, fresh sandwiches made by local restaurants, water &fruit to families in and around Lahaina . Today WCK teams are setting up again with thousands of meals for people in need🙏 #ChefsForHawaii

[Massimo @Rainmaker1973]

The apocalyptic images from before and after the wildfires that devastated Lahaina, Maui earlier this week

[📹 lei_dubzz: https://t.co/TZlFe7bw1p]

[George Conway ⚖️🇺🇸 @gtconway3d]

.@KFAlegal nails it:

“As a three-decade former state prosecutor in New York, I have never seen a defendant treated as leniently as defendant Trump. He has a rap sheet with 3 open felony indictments, 78-charges, in 3 separate jurisdictions. He has repeatedly threatened prosecutors, judges, and potential witnesses and has his own 757 jumbo jet at the ready to fly anywhere in the world and can abscond at any time. And the nature of his charges are among the most serious there are — he is accused of stealing our nation’s most sensitive secrets, trying to destroy evidence of his crimes, committing fraud in the oval office, and causing a violent insurrection in order to attempt to steal an election he lost, and our democracy. Imagine if he were Black or Muslim. There is no doubt he would be incarcerated pending trial.”

[Mohamad Safa @mhdksafa]

If you think fertilized eggs are people but parents who've crossed the oceans with their kids aren't, stop pretending your concerns are religious.

[Sen. Bernie Sanders @SenSanders]

Congratulations to Sean O’Brien and the Teamsters for negotiating a strong pro-worker contract with UPS. This is what progressive, grass-roots union leadership is all about. This is a major victory for the American working class. Let’s keep going.

[Helen Melton @HelenMelton]

@AnaLuisaArias 👏🏼 👏🏼 👏🏼 👏🏼 Más información que SIN, CDN, Listin, Diario Libre y demás! Sigue en eso...

[videos that boost your mental health @cheerfulclips]

Nephew surprises his aunt with a painting he made of her that earned finalist placement in an art competition

[The Recount @therecount]

“Texans can't afford six more years of Ted Cruz ... I remember when our state had a statewide freeze and ... he decided that was a good time to go on vacation to Cancun. We know who this guy is.”

— Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX) on why he's running against Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)

[fooler initiative @metroadlib]

this is the bodyman.

if the past is indeed prologue, and we draw from my favorite episode in american history ever, brought to us courtesy of messrs. mitchell, haldeman, ehrlichman, colson, hunt, and liddy-

HE goes DIRECTLY to jail, and 45....well...doesn't.

[Helen Melton @HelenMelton]

I'll need more updates in this read.

[fooler initiative @metroadlib]

I LITERALLY stopped working on my memo so I could read this indictment.

I am on page 24 and JESUS LUPITA NYONG'O CHRIST.

HOW this man still has the capacity to shock me after everything that's happened, i'll never know.

but I am sitting here *STUNNED*.

[La Resistencia por M+ @LaResistencia]

Álex es la primera persona del mundo con un 76% de discapacidad en completar una maratón.

"Aunque tengamos limitaciones o miedos, debemos intentar lograrlo. Me han dicho muchas veces que no puedo hacer muchas cosas. Me hizo sentir orgulloso y muy capaz" @alexroca91

[Francisco Fonseca @_Francis_co_Art]

Doors and more - Portugal

[Alex Roca Campillo @alexroca91]

¡HE HECHO HISTORIA!

Primera persona del MUNDO con un 76% de discapacidad que ha logrado terminar una MARATÓN: 42, 195 Km ✊🏻✊🏻✊🏻

Esto ha sido posible gracias a TODO mi equipo. Gracias a TODOS los que habéis estado animando, NO TENGO PALABRAS… 🫶