Marius Smith

CEO of VACRO. We work with people in contact with the justice system, and their families, to create new beginnings.

[Marius Smith @MariusSmith]

@bigblackjacobin n Shanghai, Eat as much Xiao Long Bao as you can. We took a bullet train from there to Huangshan (Yellow Mountain). 3 hour train ride, one night on mountain, then back. Astoundingly beautiful but you have to go on a Monday to avoid crowds.

[Pope Leo XIV @Pontifex]

God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs. Military action will not create space for freedom or times of #Peace, which comes only from the patient promotion of coexistence and dialogue among peoples.

[Charlotte Clymer 🇺🇦 @cmclymer]

It annoys me that so many people are under the impression that this guy, Steven Bradbury, is some subpar goober who lucked his way into gold.

That could not be further from the truth.

This is one of the most satisfying victories in the history of the Olympics if you know the full backstory.

This medal final was during his fourth Olympics, in Salt Lake City in 2002.

Earlier in his career, he was among the best athletes in the world in this specific event, the 1000 meter short-track men's speed skate.

But despite his talent, he just had some of the shittiest luck in the sport. We're talking a decade of shit luck.

In the '94 Winter Olympics, he was considered the odds-on favorite to take gold, but he fell in his heat after getting illegally pushed by an opponent (who was later disqualified). He didn't get a re-do. That was it. He got shoved by some asshole, and his Olympics was over.

Then in the '98 Winter Olympics, he was a favorite to at least medal in the same event but got caught up in a collision that wasn't his fault and failed to advance.

In 1994, he got his thigh sliced open by a competitor's skate during a race, which required 111 stitches and 18 months of recovery time.

In 2000, he broke his neck during training because a skater in front of him fell and tripped him up. That required a bunch of screws and plates being inserted into his skull and back and chest.

And doctors told him that he should stop skating. But he didn't wanna give up. It meant too much to him.

So, there he was in Salt Lake City in 2002, past his prime, a walking erector set, going up against opponents who were faster and younger and in their prime.

He manages to win his heat and advance to the quarterfinal but then has the shit luck (yet again) of having to go up against the best two athletes in the quarterfinal and only the top two advance.

He finishes third and thinks: "Damn, I gave it my best shot." But then, the second place finisher is disqualified, so Bradbury gets to advance to the semifinal.

Now, at this point, he's thinking: Well, shit, I'm not as fast as these younger guys, and I got a bad habit of getting taken out by crashes that aren't my fault.

So, he consults with the Australian national coach, Ann Zhang, and they decide that he should hang back from the pack and hope the pack crashes.

That is a perfectly valid strategy. If you crash, you lose, but speed skaters risk crashing to gain an advantage in order to win.

It may not feel exciting, but it is a valid strategy and just as risky: avoid crashes entirely and hope that pays off.

It paid off in the semifinal: the pack, including the defending Olympic champion, jostled too much and crashed. Bradbury wins and advances.

So, he's improbably in the final and takes the same approach, and it works: the entire pack jostles too much and crashes, and Bradbury's risk of hanging back pays off.

This victory was not some un-athletic schlub lucking his way into gold.

It was a journeyman athlete who never gave up and played smart after a career of shitty luck and finally got his due after it being snatched away from him so many times.

Hands down, one of my favorite Olympics stories.

[Prison Policy Initiative @PrisonPolicy]

Walmart sells 11-ounce bags of Chex Cheesy Pizza Snack Mix for less than $4. In North Carolina prisons, a 4.25-ounce bag of that same product costs $8.75.

That's less than half the product for 2x the price.

Carceral greed at its finest.

https://t.co/WUdsoO5FOx

[World Food Programme @WFP]

WFP Statement | #Gaza

On the morning of 20 July, a 25 truck WFP convoy carrying vital food assistance crossed the Zikim border point destined for starving communities in northern Gaza.

Shortly after passing the final checkpoint beyond the Zikim crossing point into Gaza, the convoy encountered large crowds of civilians anxiously waiting to access desperately needed food supplies.

As the convoy approached, the surrounding crowd came under fire from Israeli tanks, snipers and other gunfire.

We are deeply concerned and saddened by this tragic incident resulting in the loss of countless lives. Many more suffered life-threatening injuries. These people were simply trying to access food to feed themselves and their families on the brink of starvation. This terrible incident underscores the increasingly dangerous conditions under which humanitarian operations are forced to be conducted in Gaza.

Today’s violent incident comes despite assurances from Israeli authorities that humanitarian operational conditions would improve; including that armed forces will not be present nor engage at any stage along humanitarian convoy routes.

There should never, ever, be armed groups near or on our aid convoys, as reiterated on many occasions to all parties to the conflict. Shootings near humanitarian missions, convoys and food distributions must stop immediately. Any violence involving civilians seeking humanitarian aid is completely unacceptable.

We stand firmly by our principles of operating with independence, impartiality and neutrality. It is one of the many reasons why communities trust us.

The World Food Programme continues to call for the protection of all civilians and aid workers delivering life-saving assistance. WFP teams accompanying convoys should not have to risk their own lives in the effort to save others. Without these fundamental conditions in place, we cannot continue providing life-saving support across the Gaza strip.

Gaza’s hunger crisis has reached new levels of desperation. People are dying from lack of humanitarian assistance. Malnutrition is surging with 90,000 women and children in urgent need of treatment. Nearly one person in three is not eating for days. Food aid is the only way for most people to access any food – as the cost of a one-kilogram bag of flour has surged to over USD100 in local markets.

Only a massive scale-up in food aid distributions can stabilize this spiraling situation, calm anxieties and rebuild the trust within communities that more food is coming.

An agreed ceasefire is long overdue. All hostages should be released, and humanitarians should be able to reach the civilian population in Gaza with critical food supplies in a consistent, predictable, orderly and safe manner -- wherever they are across the Gaza Strip.

WFP is ready. We have food supplies nearby, experienced teams on the ground, and proven systems in place to respond at scale. We did it before and we can do it again.

We urgently call on the international community and all parties to advocate for, and facilitate, the delivery of life-saving food aid to starving populations inside Gaza – safely, securely, wherever families are, and without obstruction.

[Bernie Sanders @BernieSanders]

Had a great meeting with @ZohranKMamdani and am deeply impressed by the grassroots campaign he is running.

The Oligarchs are prepared to undermine democracy & spend tens of millions to buy the election for his opponents.

We will not allow that to happen. Stand with Zohran.

[UN Human Rights Palestine @OHCHR_Palestine]

In Gaza, 134,105 people including over 40,500 children have new war-related injuries. 25% are estimated to have new disabilities requiring acute and ongoing rehabilitation. 35,000+ people are believed to have significant hearing damage due to explosions.
https://t.co/DQtaDRn1WF

[Rozina Ali @rozina_ali]

James Elder, @UNICEF spokesperson, on what he saw in Gaza

[Sahil Kapur @sahilkapur]

.@BernieSanders calls Trump’s strikes on Iran “grossly unconstitutional.”

“The only entity that can take this country to war is the US Congress. The president does not have the right,” he says.

Tulsa crowd chants “no more war!” as he tells them the news.

[Sen. Bernie Sanders @SenSanders]

My thoughts on what’s going on in Los Angeles:

[Sarah Joseph @profsarahj]

Great article https://t.co/ubwM4TBmcY

[Eye on Palestine @EyeonPalestine]

Humanitarian aid trucks enter the southern Gaza Strip.

[Disposable Human @haveachattabs]

Imagine if these destructive energies were focussed on the carceral state rather than on brilliant people doing brilliant things for our community....just imagine...

[Vacro @ReintegrationAu]

An investigation by the @MarshallProj and the @latimes has revealed a dangerous, hidden harm of life in prison. Sleep deprivation is associated with deteriorating mental and physical health, workplace injuries, and poor legal outcomes: https://t.co/czcKYn6pht

[Daniel Denvir @DanielDenvir]

This is legacy left by the Biden administration and by the vast majority of Democratic members of Congress. It’s so shameful and morally grotesque. I can only hope that someday everyone complicit in this genocide will be punished for their crimes.

[Marius Smith @MariusSmith]

Victoria was the only state to experience a decrease (8%). First Nations prisoners in Vic fell 10%, but they are still shamefully overrepresented.

[Australian Bureau of Statistics @ABSStats]

“The number of prisoners on remand rose to 18,036 people in 2024. That’s 41 per cent of all prisoners, up from 38 per cent in 2023," Samantha Hall, ABS head of crime and justice statistics

For more, see https://t.co/KnZIfPcLNx

[Debbie Kilroy - Lawyer #FreeHer @DebKilroy]

The City of Moreton Bay’s recent decision to penalise and criminalise homelessness and vulnerable people for owning pets is a devastating blow to some of our most marginalised community members.
@NNetworkAu
Media release 👇🏾👇🏾

https://t.co/swl7LdprJW

[Vacro @ReintegrationAu]

Blak Pearl Studio is hosting a Xmas Feast luncheon featuring FREE roast lunch, gift bags & high-quality donated goods. Aimed at Elders, their families & communities who reside in or frequent the City of Yarra, all are welcome to attend. For more details, please contact Blak Pearl

[Vacro @ReintegrationAu]

Check out our 2023-24 Annual Report and join us in reflecting on our accomplishments!

Thanks to our supporters, we are able to achieve our goals. There is still time to support our work and to join us in creating stronger communities.

https://t.co/fVw6Lfr4Z6

[Prison Policy Initiative @PrisonPolicy]

@POTUS Right now, 40 people are on federal death row.

We're joining more than 130 orgs to call on Biden to change that with the stroke of a pen:

https://t.co/J8PFBDu2q7