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hiriajuu-suffering · 3 years ago

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Reasons I believe in Polyamory

I’ll preface this by saying I’m not attractive enough to be able to have more than a single partner at once, but there is a reason for that, and really, the thesis of this wall of text below: heteronormative relationship standards in every culture have always been, and will continue to always be, more about possession than love in a post-imperialistic world.

Personally, I’m a huge proponent of engendered sexuality variance to the tone of males have a constant slow drip of libido and a female’s sex drive hits them like a freight train once a month (in mammalian bioepigenetics, this makes sense). I’m inclined to infer, because I’m not idyllically normatively attractive, only a fraction of a percentage of women will be attracted to me 24-27 days of any given month. As a cisgendered man who is regrettably straight, having the least attractive genoethnic identity intersection (South Asian Muslim) in Western culture, I’m never actually presented with the choices to act on a poly mindset (in fact, I would be ridiculed for it because people think it aligns with some other gross tribal stereotype when it couldn’t be further from the truth). In retrospect, I have everything to gain from interpreting the main benefit of an intimate relationship as ownership like heteronormative culture generally does yet I still think disavowing poly as a legitimate personal choice is immoral.

I know saying monogamous relationships are more about possession than love will offend lots of people, so before you throw hate at me for your emotionally defensive skepticism, hear me out. An unflinching, unyielding love is seen as the highest parameter in any type of romance. So why is it cheating is so much of a bigger problem than a dry spell specifically? Is it because it’s legitimately a breach of trust, or is it more about “if I can’t have you, no one can”? More importantly, does it go a step further and say “if I don’t want you, no one should”? To me, any sort of dry spell (whether physically, emotionally, mentally) signifies a much larger breach of trust than simply having been shared because it shows said commitment in the relationship was not unflinching, not unyielding. The monogamous lens looks at others like: I want to have the best partner, not just so that I’m happy, but no one else can receive the specific happiness I get. Doesn’t that whole mindset come off as brutish? Just me? Well, maybe your pitchforks will start coming down when you realize monogamy is a function of toxic patriarchy on both feminine and masculine ends.

There are bioevolutionary reasons for toxic femininity to value the possession aspect of a relationship over its substantive “quality of life” components, the birth-giving gender in any animalistic specie always had to be beheld to a provider they reproduce with. Does it not then represent a sense of feminine fragility when a single mother immediately demands a long-term relationship and nothing else? If I’m to believe said woman is capable of genuine lust in her system, having a child shouldn’t evaporate all carnal desires completely and, therefore, should leave room for compromise. Said stance also indicates she made some sort of error in judgment of her chosen reproductive mate and feels entitled another man ought remedy her strife even though, evolutionarily speaking, he has nothing to gain from helping to rear offspring not of his kin. Harsh, to be sure, but it does show in the obnoxiousness of the connotation of becoming a stepdad being a positive one and becoming a stepmom assumes the motivation of some gain in status (wealth, fame, power, etc.) which I would argue is negative. Where does toxic masculinity come into play? Desire for possession on the part of a male promotes the viability and exclusivity of his own children with his most desirable partner. While that’s damn near nowhere as compelling, it has to be stated because there are always two benefactors to patriarchy. Patriarchy is not a zero sum game, patriarchy seeks to concentrate all familial social benefits in the monogamously-driven, heteronormative genus, away from those who deviate from the ideal picture of stereotypical gender roles. The ill effects of patriarchal standards exist in every human civilization, but the ontological root to the specific brand of patriarchy that oppresses all genders today was spread by a culture that uniquely preached monogamy.

Polygamy, in a historical sense, was a testament to the more status a person of the provider gender could achieve, the more their genetics would proliferate. Many cultures globally practiced this, the issue is, the ones that didn’t were the ones who, often violently, “conquered” the ones that did. Christian fundamentalism is in every fiber of international morality, whether the nation in question believes in Christianity or not is often irrelevant. Monogamy is enforced, anything outside of that is deemed as necessarily being deviant (whether choosing to be alone or choosing more connections than a monocule). Fetishization of the step relation is eluding to this deviance in a not-so-subtle way because it’s something where its allure is derived from its forbiddenness moreso than its convenience, every one of these scenarios has a subtext of implicit gain, not loss, in engagement. Meaning, the idea is planted because a hot person is there not because a person in general is there and can satiate an urge. Tl;dr - we believe polyamory is a morally negative act because the Holy Roman Empire did and every nation that spawned from it spread, imparted, and coerced that ideal on every culture it came into contact with. Before the Holy Roman Empire, no historical documents made distinctions to behest multiple lovers as desanctifying of life itself, not even the coalescing of nations that made up the Holy Roman Empire before its inception.

We are now in an era when women have access to full reproductive control, yet we still see men lust more than women, e.g. archetypal lesbian tendencies versus archetypal gay male tendencies. Do we not question why this is the case? All lifeforms are hardwired with a desire to survive and reproduce, so why does that drive not reach equity when risk does? There are two answers, and it could even be both: women are only socially conditioned to have sex via patriarchal pressures and don’t have as much inherent desire to reproduce OR sex is a means-to-an-end to exclusively possess a desired provider, whatever said person provides. If said person has a trait valuable enough to want to possess, is it not self-contrived to keep that quality to oneself, not share it with the world where it can provide more utility? Heteronormative relationships, in a sense, are anti-altruistic at their very core. As facetious as this sounds, either of these trains of thought are validated by men being more willing to engage in polyamory than women, not because men are somehow any less loyal than women. On its own, I feel this line of reasoning is enough to justify a vehement disgust of polyamory as immoral, but I want to conclude on the most pivotal facet to this conversation and not just heavily imply monogamy encroachment on moral turpitude is problematic at best.

As I mentioned a few times, I am likely to be a spoke on a polycule, not a member with multiple connections. Exclusive possession is something I probably stand more to gain from than any woman, logically and realistically, given the current social climate and general global beauty standards. My advocacy of polyamory stems from me accepting I may not be enough to be the full extent of happiness my romantic interest desires. That doesn’t even come from a place of insecurity, it comes from a place knowing I could never be perfect even if its pursuit is a righteous cause. I see real insecurity as a fear of loss when the rules of engagement you put into place were exclusivity: you don’t want your partner looking at anyone else because it’s disadvantageous to you, meaning you’re not fixated on their best interest and looking at relationships in said manner is deliberately selfish. To me, the best frame of reference to morality in interpersonal social connections is altruism. Yeah, self-love is important and knowing your own boundaries is beneficial but everyone else’s boundaries don’t have to match yours. I’m not anti-monogamist, really. I’m more anti-polyamorist discontent.

Not having thought this deeply isn’t an excuse, either.

#personal #polyamory #polyamourous #polyandry #polycule #polyam life #polyam relationship #polyamourus pride #polyam tag #polyamorous #polyamoury #polyamorus

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derangedhyena-zoids · 4 years ago

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I guess now that I featured The Kids in something I can elaborate on them and everything related slightly without seeming completely insane. BIG HEADCANON BLATHER TIME: Raven and Ryss had 2 kids, both boys.

Ryss wasn’t a terribly good mother. She loved her kids but was a little panicked about them at all times, and didn’t really like the distraction they were. Specula was a good mother and did the majority of keeping them out of trouble.

They were also psychic as fuck, but that didn’t show up until they were hitting puberty. I’m sure that was an entire Time.

Ryss literally didn’t think she could get pregnant by Raven. She based this off of both what she’d been taught by Hiltz (humans=/=Zoidians) and the fact that Fiona had never been pregnant despite sleeping with Van for years*. So, once Ryss figured out she was pregnant**, telling Raven was a bit of an event because Raven was under the impression that such a thing wasn’t possible. He also had little interest in being a parent. Ryss also had no idea what pregnancy even entailed for a Zoidian, and neither did Fiona. Again, all she knew was what she’d learned from Hiltz, and it wasn’t as if he went out of his way to teach her the finer points of anything. (Knowledge is power after all, and he wanted wanted to hold as much power over her as possible. What she didn’t know to begin with, she couldn’t know was being withheld. All she knew from Hiltz on the topic was Zoidian pregnancies are of a greater duration than human pregnancies - mainly because he’d irritably snapped about how ‘the vermin’ reproduce faster.) Raven’s main reluctance about parenting had to do with... you know, his massive unresolved parental trauma. Which after some extreme stress he and Ryss managed to work through, largely because they had a lot in common in this department. Afterwards Raven warmed up to the idea of being a father, and was... well, Okay.jpg at it. Let’s just say he had Shadow helping Specula with the kids a lot. ...the kids were raised by Organoids. SO.

An attempt was made to keep track of Ryss and her offspring, especially after Raven’s death and she began to make herself scarce. But nobody expected the kids to be psychic af, and they quickly sussed out that something was up and followed their mom’s lead, making themselves and their families impossible to find. ....

The Guardian Force pretty quickly lost tabs on them, but did know what to “look for”, so to speak.

However, this attempt was never linked up with the information the Empire had on Ryss, mainly because too much time had passed and no one knew to bridge the info.

Anyways. All three Zoidians were aware there were differences between themselves and humans, Hiltz more than most. Hiltz was the only one of them that had an adult level of knowledge from Zoidian times. Fiona and Ryss were literal children and were only ever, at best, taught the very basics about things. Part and parcel of subscribing wholesale to the we’re-the-best group’s newsletter, Hiltz also a keen interest in biology/related, obviously interested in scholars of that group’s discussion on what amounted to Zoidian eugenics. ‘we’re the best, and here’s why.’ Hiltz didn’t even remotely consider that humans and Zoidians could hybridize, nor was he interested in finding out. (though he had well-established to Prozen and the Imperial scientists his “ownership” of Ryss and the fact she was not to be messed with, I’m sure he had to mindfuck and/or sic Ambient on a swath of folks to get them to stop bothering him about jizzing in a cup.)***

Joke’s on him because he fathered *at least* these three:

while living in the small colony with the scholar.

because he, Hiltz, the weird guy, was hot, amazing in bed, and quite DTF. scholar: ... Hiltz: (ツ) scholar: ... Hiltz: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ scholar: ...sure, whatever, what could it hurt anyways ^^^THESE FOLKS HAD A TIME. Unlike with Ryss’s kids, who at least had a slight understanding they were different and some guidance on the situation, any and all of Hiltz’s offspring HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS GOING ON. And not that any of the fertility restrictions were enacted at this point in time (there’s wars, you live in the wild west, please have kids), but the addition of Zoidian into the mix fucks the inbuilt population-control-genetic-engineering-bullshit straight up, which resulted later in a lot of confusing surprises for people annnnnd is part of why miscarriages became common later down the line.

Nobody expected the spanish inquisition weird side-species fuckery. Nobody even knows to look! By NC0 times there’s just starting to be coherent, unified inquiry into the various vanilla-human mutations running around.

WHOOPS THO: Backdraft & Co have been at this shit for a while and already know a lot about this. Because they have a hard-on for the Empire and a lot of OG Backdraft are basically really rich, bitter offspring from Imperial families who think they’re better in just about every way. Including genetically. When Backdraft became predominantly a moneymaking, black-market, illegal-battling underground enterprise, a rift began and never stopped growing. Backdraft has a strong preference for recruiting folks of Guylos descent (hi, Bit), but in recent memory had stopped turning people away for not being so. Because money. It did kinda... go in peoples’ file though. In the game of historical telephone, Ryss (and Raven’s) bloodline were more or less demoted to the same: ‘from Guylos.’ Alteil was in range of figuring a few important things out. Unfortunately, HE DED. His successor with this information is Layon. Surely nothing can go wrong there. ANYWAYS. A massive and valid concern Ryss had was what would happen with hybrid offspring, since to her knowledge her kid would be the first. Hiltz’s were already adults, they were fine. They were better than fine, they just needed a lot more water and salt than everyone else. So, as we all know, Hiltz uh, actually succeeded in removing a sizable chunk of the human population on Zi. Once everyone had scraped semi-functional society back together, the powers that-were-to-be basically prioritized secure settlements and making everyone feel safe so... you know, they’d have kids. Important for the whole rebuilding society thing. The Zoidian offspring became slightly more statistically relevant during this time, because them and potentially even their kids had all been scared shitless and fled into the hills from the Death Stinger bullshit long before anyone else had. Once there they were good at Not Dying In General, because they had a variety of inexplicable abilities and were just WELL I’M A FREAK BUT I’M ALIVE SO, YOU KNOW, WE’RE COOL.

Greater than zero chance that someone started a cult. Very, very obviously: these folks knew to keep to themselves. Though the original offspring and their mother had NO idea what was going on, over time any kids at least had fair warning, and knew to keep oddity to themselves. When the most blatant expressions of things were bred out, only the subtle but strongly expressed items remained, discussion of familial strangeness subsided. Then you’re left with people like Brad who can basically see in the dark, but thinks everyone can see in the dark, it’s no big deal right? RELATED, BUT NOT: This is technically a spoiler, but not really, because I’m not sure this actually “plays into the plot” so much as it is just “a fact of the plot” annnnnd I sort of want/need to explain this a little because it’s related to all of this. In this hc, the Zoid Eve is a metaphorical hyper-simplification of ‘resources.’

Back in Zoidian times, some scholars - namely those aligned with the group(s) Hiltz was eventually born into - theorized that the Zoid Eve’s power was not an infinite resource as many believed, but actually an incredibly finite one. Not in the sense of it being used up, but the sense of “there are only ‘100′ of these, there will only ever be ‘100′ of these, we cannot add to or take away from this” (sidenote: I subscribe to the idea that the Zoid Eve was some kind of supernaturally-occurring power source that the Zoidians shaped into what everyone now calls the Zoid Eve. They did this so long ago that its origins became unclear; beliefs from various groups ran the gamut from “LITERALLY GOD” to “it was built by us”) The power of it gave life and longevity not only to all Zoids but them too. And it seemed that the more individuals there were, the smaller the “slice of the pie” they received. They began to project apocalyptic futures in which the “slices” were so small that death ran rampant, and Big War would be inevitable. Obviously, nobody wanted this. But unfortunately the group who theorized this also started a huge, lengthy campaign to reduce the population, which - after many years, a lot of societal sabotage and and many smaller conflicts between groups - eventually culminated in ongoing, wholesale slaughter, which led to the big Zoidian-apocalypse nonsense that we’re all familiar with. Cool story bro, right? Well, y’see, those ancient scholars weren’t wrong, though. To an extent that’s actually what led to the hyper-concentration of strength in the DSaurer/DScorpion battle, and why Zero and One are functionally god-tier Organoids. But what this means in modern times, is that the remaining Zoidians - and to a proportionately-relevant extent, the hybrid offspring - are the only remaining folks (besides the Organoids and Zoids) benefiting from the pie anymore. Ryss is the last Zoidian; she’s basically non-aging at this point.

First-gen hybrids? Aging at a complete snail’s pace. Second gen? Still having a very strange time. So on and so forth... Can they die? Absolutely, but it’s pretty hard to kill them. Basically only complete destruction of vital parts works. Does this also apply to Organoids and Zoids? Absolutely. “then why’s Fiona dead” Because the double-bond with Zeke seriously fucked her up. Van dragged her down, hard. “but-” Zeke could’ve pulled away from her at any time and she would’ve lived. Been a nutcase probably, but lived. She suspected it, Zeke was outright in denial; she never called him on it because she cared about him too much and didn’t want him blaming himself for whatever happened. This is what Ryss suspected/understood as well, and likewise didn’t want to break Zeke. “wait, what about zeke?” HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM IN CLOSING: I don’t have names for any of the offspring discussed here, but I have thought about the appearances/other stuff. Obviously. I’ve never specified how many original offspring(s) were running around. But it couldn’t have been too many. So anyone in NC0 times related to either Ryss or Hiltz can trace back to ^^^the folks pictured above, most likely. I actually have no idea how to properly calculate the amount of population vs how much impact a handful of reproducing individuals would have over x generations. So please excuse vagueness there, as I’m both open to adjusting that number when/if it becomes feasible to do so, and also don’t think it’s terribly necessary to have this information nailed down because let’s be real nobody cares and that’s a lot of work. Also as I’ve mentioned before, there’s several serious confounding factors here: -these people can LIVE A LONG TIME. The original hybrids and their kids ARE POTENTIALLY STILL ALIVE. They mature relatively rapidly, but then coast into a very slow aging process. That means that - especially the males - could still technically be producing offspring. -that makes my head hurt and makes figuring out lineages stupid nightmare mode. so don’t expect me to actually do that because I’m not sure how to. The main Facts(tm) you need are: Sara is 4th gen. Vega is 5th gen x2. Brad is 5th gen. Stoller is 7th gen.

that’s the important part, okay. (*’s from earlier: ) *tl;dr the bizarre situation they’d inadvertently created with Zeke wreaked havoc on Fiona’s ability to reproduce. Conversely, Raven and Ryss *almost* had a ‘proper’ setup, so Ryss was fine. Nobody knew this. **Ryss figured this out with Fiona’s help - and who did they both go to, to ask in confidence?

Yep. ”isn’t he-” YEP. ***The Empire knows next to nothing about Hiltz. The Republic, however has AN OBSCENE AMOUNT of information about him. Difficulty level? The data was both classified, and never really tied back to him. Because Hiltz murdered the scholar and burned down his house/lab, the connecting information was all lost. The scholar had moved the material to his house in secret, due to fears of an Imperial spy in their research facility - he was telling Hiltz the truth. The most that the Empire ever learned at that time was that the Republic had “captured” a Zoidian (Hiltz), and that was about it. This drove the fervor which led to them grabbing at the Republic’s continued excavations - eg what happened with Shadow, and presumably them attacking (and IMO, overpowering) the Republic group that’d also seized Ryss. Before Hiltz became involved, Imperial scientists gleaned a lot about Ryss, but as I’ve mentioned before, she wasn’t treated anywhere nearly as poorly as Hiltz had been. She also had Specula, which helped a lot. So, the Empire knew nothing of Hiltz, but a lot about Ryss. Thanks to Alteil and his predecessor’s longstanding obsession with the Imperial military, Backdraft has almost all of the Imperial military’s data from the past few centuries. Ergo...

#headcanon #long post #spoilers kinda?#in this house everything is a MESS

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watermeloneconomics · 4 years ago

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Universal Basic Services in New Zealand

As per the UCL Institute for Global Prosperity, Universal Basic Services (UBS) "[is] proposed as a policy for tackling poverty, reducing inequalities and improving wellbeing for all."

The idea is to provide to every member of society a set of adequate essential services that facilitate a suitable standard of living for the individual and their family, as well as enhancing the overall wellbeing of society by reducing the social ills that come from inequality and poverty.

UBS is often framed as an alternative to or complement of Universal Basic Income, as it follows that same principle of universality. Everyone whether they are unemployed or a multimillionaire gets to benefit from UBS. I think UBS is perhaps an easier sell than UBI as the services included in UBS are inarguably essential to a basic but modern standard of living and since it provides services rather than money, it removes the unfounded but prevalent criticism that UBI will encourage laziness.

An important note for implementing UBS is that all the providers of services should be publicly owned. The government and public would want to make sure that in providing these services, we are not lining the pockets of wealthy shareholders. Public ownership also allows the state to direct efforts to ensure universal coverage. In some cases (education and health) public ownership and universal access is already largely a given, however in other areas (utilities and communications) nationalisations and infrastructure expansions would be necessary. This presents an upfront cost in implementing UBS, but not one I’ll be calculating right now.

Instead, I’ll be looking at the operating cost of a fairly comprehensive UBS package. What services to include would be one of the important discussions to have prior to implementing UBS. Some proposals such as that of the Institute of Global Prosperity include shelter and food, but don’t account for expanded health and education provision.

In my proposal I’m including:

Utilities: Basic monthly allowance for water, electricity and heating based upon number of regular household occupants

Healthcare: Cradle-to-grave healthcare, including: mental health, dental, aged care and allied health

Education: Comprehensive education: early childhood, primary, secondary, post-secondary, retraining and adult learning

Childcare: Professional childcare for zero to three year olds, as well as before & after school care

Communications: Unlimited high-speed broadband to every household, including home phone line rental with unlimited domestic calls

Public transport: zero restrictions use nationwide

This is not to say that food and shelter shouldn’t be provided for – they should be, they’re just each more complex and deserve a whole article of their own.

Utilities

Utilities, especially electricity & heating, are a significant source of inequality in New Zealand, especially with the poor, damp and cold state of our housing stock. Providing a basic monthly allowance for utilities usage would provide big savings to lower-income households, and provide for healthier living environments. It would hopefully also help UBS get buy-in from middle and higher income households, as electricity costs are a pressure point across the country. As New Zealand gets the vast majority of its electricity from renewable sources, I’m proposing an allowance equal to the average household use of 7,000 kWh.

Considering the vitality of water to life’s continuance, it seems natural to include it in this package as well. However, unlike electricity, there are supply issues with water – especially in drier months. While for the purposes of this proposal I’ve set the allowance at mean New Zealand usage per person (82,855 litres per year) , it is likely that a lower threshold would be desirable to prevent unsustainably high water use.

Healthcare

New Zealand already has a public cradle-to-grave healthcare system, however there remain cost barriers at several points (GPs, dental, mental health). I’m proposing zero out of pocket costs for end users and a general funding boost. Currently public healthcare spending from Vote Health and the ACC is about $3,788 per person. Under UBS we’d eliminate the further $915 spent per person each year out of pocket or through private insurance. A further 7% boost in funding would bring us to $5,032 per person.

Education

Much like healthcare, there is an existing public education network, but with various holes. Childcare is not fully funded nor universal, adult education opportunities like night school are limited, and the majority of post-secondary education incurs substantial fees. For UBS to be most effective, these holes must be plugged. NZ currently spends about 5.2% of GDP publicly funding education, however a further 1.8% is spent privately by households. UBS would take on this cost, allowing for a completely free education system, including tertiary student living costs and universal childcare. This brings total expenditure to 7%, comparable to but still slightly below Scandinavian countries.

Communications

Communications have become a vital part of 21st century living, with the internet being necessary to participate fully in society. The universal provision of broadband will reduce inequalities and improve access to social, economic, educational and health resources for all. To calculate the cost of this, I have taken the wholesale cost of using Chorus’ standard high-speed fibre infrastructure for each household.

Public Transport

Finally, public transport. The previous National government hobbled the development of public transport by setting an arbitrary fare-box recovery ratio of 50%. Removing this requirement by eliminating fares and fully funding public transport is not only the equitable solution but also an environmentally sound one. However, fares are not the primary deterrent of public transport use – rather it is frequency and reliability of service that are preeminent. So, an overall funding boost (25%) to public transport is also required to truly make public transport a feasible alternative for the majority of Kiwis.

Total Cost

As shown in the table below, UBS would have a total cost of $57.7b per year, however once existing funding is taken into account the increase is only $20.7b. Implementing UBS would be equivalent to 6.7% of GDP. With existing government spending being the equivalent of 37% of GDP, an increase of 6.7 percentage points would bring government spending to almost 43.7% of GDP. This is comparable to Germany or the Netherlands and still much lower than Scandinavian countries (49-56%) or the likes of France (57%). It is slightly higher than the UK or Iceland (42%).

Paying for $20.7b in additional spending each year would require significant new revenue raising measures. This could be done by cracking down on corporate tax avoidance, implementing a wealth tax and creating a more progressive income tax system. I’ll probably explore more of these in another article.

There are significant advantages to UBS in creating a more equitable society and one with a greater general wellbeing, but it does come at a cost, and it will be a challenge to politicians to see if they can win the public over on committing to that cost.

#universal basic services #socialism #economics #welfare #policy #politics #universal basic income

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littlemonstersau-blog · 5 years ago

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The Feels Awaken, Part 2: The Fandom’s Menace

Written by @jkl-fff, illustrated by me

PART I - PART II [Interlude] - PART III (you are here) - PART IV [Interlude]

———————————————————————————————-

Soos, excitedly setting up everything: Dude, I knew exactly what we should watch as soon as Stan said “movie day”. The prequel trilogy of Cosmos Conflicts! I’ve been meaning to show you them since, like, the first time you said you love the first two originals movies, and even more since we all sat down together so you could finally see Return of the Jelived, Bitch! The prequels’re actually, like, seriously three of my all-time favorite movies ever.

Ford, actually smiling: Heh. I would’ve watched them before now— especially now that I know how keen you are to share them with me— except Dipper and Mabel would never let me. They kept saying they loved me too much to let me watch them, if you can believe it.

Soos: Well, I admit they’re not the most popular with fans, yeah, but that’s just ‘cause, like, most people can’t handle this much raw, concentrated awesomeness.

Melody, deadpan on the floor: Uh huh. That’s exactly what it is.

Soos: It’s like really spicy food; some people just don’t have a— whatcha call it?—sophisticated enough palette to appreciate the awesome sauce. Y’know?

Melody, still deadpan: Most just aren’t refined enough. For sure. Yep. That explains it.

Stan, entering TV room: I got drinks for everybody!

Bill, right after him: And I got the popcorn! Let’s jump right in to this glorious madness!

Melody, mildly surprised: You like these movies?

Bill, passing around bowls of popcorn: Absolutely! They’re one of the hottest messes in cinematic history!

Stan, passing around cups of soda: Mel, you sure you don’t want my easy chair? It’s no problem, really.

Melody: Lying flat is the best thing for my back lately. Besides, I can put my feet up in my honeybear’s lap while he rubs them for me.

Soos, genuinely happy at this prospect: Sure can, honeybadger!

Stan, taking his seat: Well, if you’re sure. C’mon, gremlin! [picks up Bill]

Bill, almost giggling: Whoahoho! Careful, I’m gonna spill!

Stan, setting Bill next to him (on opposite side of Ford): There. All comfy, kiddo?

Bill, deciding to settle in like a cat: Alright, yeah, I’m okay with this. Primo seating and everything!

Ford, making himself look straight ahead: Let’s start it.

TV: George Dufasfilms Ltd. and 20th Century Foxups presents … Cosmos Conflicts, Episode 1! The Phantom Nuisance! [fanfare theme song plays, prologue crawls upward]

Ford: Wait, what? “Turmoil has engulfed the galaxy because taxation of trade routes to outlying star systems is in dispute”?! This is about freaking tax policy? And that leads to galactic turmoil?

Stan: Don’t know ‘bout you, but the IRS certainly causes me turmoil. [Soos stops rubbing Melody’s feet long enough to highfive him]

Ford, incredulous: This is a prequel, right? So why is all their tech more advanced? Why are there more and better droids?

Soos: Well, the Trade Union canonically uses droids more than other species. It only makes sense they’d create more advanced—

Bill: Because George Dufas has a robot fetish. That’s seriously why. He uses the entirety of this film like normal people use hardcore porn.

TV: Master, I have a bad feeling about this. TV: Be mindful of the Living Force, my rattail-coiffed padawan.

Ford: Pada-what-now? That’s not a word. Why didn’t they go with “apprentice” or—heck!—“squire”, since they’re Jelived Knights?

Soos: Shhhhh!

TV: Gee thanks, Master, that’s certainly helpful and not at all vague. That advice will definitely help me be a diplomat, even though Jelived like us are more like killer, magic samurai-priest-cops. TV: Indeed, my superfluously-ponybobbed padawan, which is why we have openly worn our iconic bathrobes and lasercutlasses instead of even the most basic of disguises. Letting the Trade Union know the Senate sent trained killers will surely put them at ease.

Melody: Nope, they’ll try to gas you both now. Good thing they kept all that toxic gas in their air vents.

TV: My fellow crafty and greedy Trade Unionist insectoids. First, I raise a glass to our race’s abandon of our native customs and tongue in favor of caricatures of antiasian stereotypes and accents. TV: Hear hear! TV: Second, we have done well in executing our secret Shit master’s evil plan to blockade this world of minor socio-economic importance (for some reason), and to kill those two Jelived. They must surely be dead by now, so let’s send in some droids to kill them further. TV: But, sir, they’ve only been in there for fifteen seconds. TV: OPEN THE DOOR, I SAY! AND SEND IN … FIVE DROIDS! TV: Sir, predictably, they weren’t dead, and destroyed the five droids. Now they are cutting through the door to our command center. TV: IMPOSSIBLE! SEND … TWO MORE DROIDS! NO, THREE!

Ford: Wasn’t the hangar full of battle droids?

Melody: Oh, the whole ship is. They just want the fight to be fair.

Ford: … what. [watches as Trade Union leader makes a call to Queen Imdolledupa] … What. [watches as she tells her council “I won’t condone actions that could lead Planet Baboon to war, even if we have been blockaded for months at this point and they’re clearly planning an invasion”] … What. [watches as invasion lands on opposite side of planet than cities] … WHAT.

Bill, grinning: Don’t worry. It gets worse. Much, much worse. Starting … right … now.

TV: Tank yusa for saving mesa from dose bombad battle droids, yusa Jelived who escaped da main starship by sneaky-sneaky on dat transport! Mesa love you! Mesa follow you forever and ever! TV: Master, I sense that this Jerkjerk creature will bring suffering to millions. May I please cut him down for the good of the Force? TV: No, my practically mulleted padawan. We need him alive, because … reasons. Probably related to merchandising. TV: Mesa take yusa to secret, bubble city of mesa people now!

Ford, through gritted teeth: Who the fffff … fuzz is that annoying frog-lizard-man, and why do I feel a collective unconscious urge to beat him to death with my bare hands?! Why aren’t the Jelived Force Choking him, or at least Mind Tricking him into leaving?

Bill: That is Jerkjerk Kinks, a monument to Dufas’s amphibian fetish and the first reason the Twins wouldn’t let you watch this movie.

Soos, defensively: He’s not that bad! He’s got a good heart!

Melody, sighing: Oh, my sweet, innocent, naïf honeybear …

TV: Boss Gass, even though you dislike the humans who invaded and colonized your planet, and even though you live completely apart from them in your Plasmatlantis, you are symbiotic with them. TV: Mesa tinking yusa no understand what “symbiotic” means. TV: Well, if you won’t help the humans, at least don’t kill Jerkjerk—

Ford, spitting out popcorn: YES, KILL JERKJERK!

TV: —because he owes me a life debt and is now basically my slave. Your gods and laws demand that his life belongs to me. TV: Mesa tinking it racist for yusa to claim to understand oursa laws and culture, white man. And to claim ownership of a sentient being (dat isn’t a droid). But yusa hair so fabulous and mesa so bored wit dis conversation, mesa give yusa Jerkjerk and submarine so yusa go. TV: Excellent. Now, to boat through the planet’s watery core.

Ford: … That is literally impossible. Even if the core was water, the center would be denser than rock because of all the pressure. [watches as ship navigates past giant sea monsters] There would be no light, no life, no nothing down there.

Soos, patiently: Yeah, but it’s fun. That’s what matters.

Stan: I like how they just happen to pop up in the capital city, and how nobody notices them, even though it’s occupied.

Bill: I like how the people of Planet Baboon put up absolutely zero resistance to the Trade Union’s invasion, despite all the forewarning they had since the blockade and from the invasion landing clear on the wrong side of the planet. If only Imdolledupa had been Mayor of Gravity Falls, am I right? Heh heh … heh … What? Too soon?

Ford, grimacing at Bill: Mmm …

Stan, patting him: Gremlin, it’ll prob’ly always be too soon for that.

TV: Master, there’s the Queen. How fortunate we came up next to her, and that the Trade Union decided to march her through the streets instead of simply landing a shuttle outside the palace. TV: Yusa big fortunate dey only escorted by six droids even dough hersa entourage has twenty people! TV: … Master, yet again I beg you to let me kill this irritating— and you’re already gone … and the droids are already dead. TV: Majesty, I am Jelived Master Leam-Nee San. Come with me if you want to Jelive. We’ll escape this planet, take you to the Senate, and tell them how heated this tax policy dispute has gotten here. TV: You arrived at a fortunate time, Jelived, because they were about to make me sign a treaty legalizing their invasion of Baboon.

Melody: ‘cause that’d be totally legit, right? No coercion at all.

Stan, nudging Bill, whispering: Maybe you should’ve forced Mayor Cutebiker to sign a treaty, eh?

Bill: Heh! But you just said—

Ford, grimacing at Stan: Mmm … [watches as they find an unguarded ship and fly straight at blockade instead of around it; ship gets away, but with hyperdrive damage] Okay, why is that Jelived—what’s his name? Yuan-Mac Gragor?— repairing the hyperdrive instead of a pilot? Is that supposed to be standard training for Jelived, or something?

Soos, shrugging: Seems like it’d be pretty easy to pick up to me.

Melody: Well, yeah, it would be for you, honeybear. Mr. Handyman with the magic fingers! Aw, yeah, that’s the spot … Keep rubbing …

TV: We can’t land on Hallowine, it’s controlled by Pitsa-Hutts! They’re gangsters! It wouldn’t be safe for Queen Imdolledupa! TV: I’m sorry, non-Jelived person, I couldn’t hear you over how luxurious my hair is. And I don’t care what you said anyway. Now, I’m off to buy us a hyperdrive. Time and stealth are of the essence, so naturally I’m going to take with me a slow-rolling droid, my frog-lizard-man slave who is so idiotic he will step in every literal and figurative pile of doodoo, and this willful teenage girl. TV: Master Jelived, not to question your wisdom, but— TV: Good. See to it that you never question any Jelived ever again, for we are infallible and will take off your head. Tata for now.

Stan: Why take Jerkjerk? D’you think he was hopin’ to sell him? Or maybe just ditch him?

Ford: Being amphibious, it’s likely the extreme heat and dryness might’ve proved fatal to him. Perhaps the hope was he’d drop dead.

Soos, whimpering softly: Why does everyone hate him? He just wants to help!

Ford, curtly: Because he’s the worst, Soos. He’s just … the worst. [watches shadowy Shit Lord Farth Sidious bitch at Trade Union for letting the Queen get away, then dispatches Farth Maul to fix it; watches heroes wander into a desert town on Hallowine]

TV: How fortunate the first shop we enter has a hyperdrive for sale. Now to use my Mind Trick on the disgusting, pig-butterfly proprietor without once having the least of scruples about how unethical that is. TV: Ha! Mind Tricks won’t work on me, only MONEY! I’m surprised you couldn’t tell from my Yiddish accent and hooked nose, human.

Ford, eyes wide in shock: Did they really just—

Stan, shaking his head: Moses—

Soos, blanching: Oh, yeah … I, uh, k-kinda forgot about him. Sorry, dudes. I guess all the lasercutlass duels and space battles made me forget about the, um, antisemitic stereotypes.

Ford: Not … Not your fault, Soos. We’ll just—

TV: Are you an angel? I know it doesn’t make sense that angels exist as a mythological concept in our galaxy, but you’re really pretty, so … I’m a slave, by the way. So is my mom, though you’d never know it since we dress like everybody else and get to walk around freely. I saved your frog-lizard-man friend thing from a brawl, by the way. My name’s Otherkin Skyjogger. I’m 9, but that doesn’t matter, angel. TV: I’m Padmy Resume. I’ll try to forgive you for saving Jerkjerk. TV: Is your friend with the magnificent hair a Jelived, angel? He has a Jelived weapon. There’s a sandstorm coming, even though the air looks exactly the same as it did a while ago, so you should all come have dinner at my place. My mom won’t mind, even though we have very little money for food, presumably, what with being slaves. TV: Why not? Story’s not going anywhere. I’ll get Leam-Nee San.

Bill, stifling a cackle at the next scene: (My favorite dialogue!)

TV: Queen, this is a holo-transmission from Baboon, even though we have no idea where your ship is because you’re hiding. Anywho, the Trade Union is awful, the death toll is catastrophic, the weather is a little humid. Please contact us; this is not an obvious ploy. Love ya, bye! … Wait, did I just say “love ya” to the Que— TV: I know I’m just a padawan with a pointlessly stupid haircut, but I’m gonna tell your planet’s leadership what to do now. *Ahem*. That was an obvious plot to learn where the Queen is. Don’t reply.

Stan: If I was that security office, I’d bitchslap that uppity teen.

Melody, warningly: Language.

Bill: Sorry, Mel, he meant to say “teenslap that uppity bitch”. [highfives Stan]

Ford: Pffhaha! *ahem* [watches Otherkin take them home and mother is all “Sure, why not? I’ll give room and board to three strangers who’ve taken a not-at-all unsettling interest in my prepubescent son. Now for a dinner chat!”] Wait, what? Did he seriously just say he’s the only human who can rocket-chariot race? But racing is just … racing!

Bill: He just wants to impress the “angel”, so he’s exaggerating. But she believes him even though he’s 9 and obviously has a crush on her ‘cause she’s kind of a Dumasc.

Melody, more warningly: Language.

Soos, reluctantly: Actually, he’s not swearing. It’s an in-canon term for “politician” ‘cause the galactic capital is on Planet Dumascent.

Bill: And it’s very political of her—gets them free room and board. Yep, that Dumasc ain’t no dumbass.

Ford and Stan, cracking up: Pfffhahahaha!

TV: There’s a problem, my should-just-get-a-buzzcut padawan. I found a hyperdrive, but couldn’t Mind Trick the owner to give it to me for racist and plot-related reasons, and it’d be unethical to just steal it (and I just can’t be unethical). Nor could I buy it with a promise of higher repayment next week from Jelived funds. But, fortunately, there’s a rocket-chariot race soon, and if this 9-year-old Force Sensitive I just met wins … we’ll get the money to buy it!

Stan, exasperated: What, does George Dufas also have a fetish for 80s sitcom clichés? Don’t answer that question, Bill.

TV: And I’ll win the kid as a slave—Jelived apprentice, I mean— because I unironically rigged a dice toss with my powers. I had to bet the Queen’s ship, but I’m sure she won’t mind if we don’t tell her. TV: Ah, but you’re going to use Jelived powers to rig the race, right? TV: What?! Never! That would be unethical and spoil the suspense! TV: … Master, I’m concerned your gambling addiction is— TV: What? Khshh! Can’t hear you! Khshh! There’s a sandstorm! Oh, also, I’m transmitting the kid’s blood sample through our radio. TV: That’s not how radios work, Master, but okay … dum di dim … Got the results, and this kid has more midi-chlorians than Yoda.

Ford, suspicious: What … are … those?

Bill, grinning: The second reason the Twins wouldn’t let you see this movie. Heh heh heh …

TV: My 9-year-old son is meant to help you in this dangerous race. It’s destiny, and stuff. That’s why I’m so criminally permissive. Oh, did I mention his conception was immaculate?

Ford, jumping up: WHAT?! JESUS CHRIST!

Bill, grinning: Exactly. Space Jesus Christ.

Ford: Does … Does this mean … midi-chlorians …

TV: Sir, you were talking to my mom about midi-chlorians? TV: Ah, yes, the omnipresent, microscopic organisms that confer the Force randomly upon some individuals, are not at all mystical or magical, and are probably your daddy, O Chosen One of the Jelived.

Ford, apoplectic: WHAT THE FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF—

Soos, whimpering softly: Oh, no! the Angry Words™!

Melody: Don’t you dare, Stanford Pines!

Ford, like a death metal singer: —UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU—

Melody: Don’t! You! Dare!

Ford: —NDAMENTALLY STUPID IDEA IS THIS CRAP?! AND HOW DOES FARTH MAUL KNOW TO CHECK THIS PLANET, BUT THE JELIVED DON’T SENSE HIS DARK PRESENCE?! I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS BULLSHI—

Stan, as though his brother wasn’t screaming: Oh, look, Sixer. It’s time for the big rocket-chariot race.

Ford, breathing heavily: If this isn’t the best race ever, I swear … [watches race] Okay, yes, that was genuinely exciting.

Soos, relieved: Hooray!

Ford: Enough that I’m going to overlook the sabotage in front of a stadium of spectators, the fact it didn’t actually impede his winning, the ludicrousy of Otherkin catching up to but not passing his rival, and Java the Pitsa-Hutt being shown sleeping through the race. I mean, really? Why would you suggest your own film is boring?

Melody: To be fair, this is basically space NASCAR, and earth NASCAR is boringer than golf.

Ford, muttering to himself: More boring … Grammar …

TV: Alright, my shamefully beardless padawan, take the hyperdrive and everyone else back to the ship while I make Otherkin say goodbye to his mother forever and ever and ever. TV: About that, Master. Why don’t we just take her with us, too? I mean, slavery’s incontestably morally abhorrent, and we’re Jelived and can screw the consequences of most our actions. TV: What?! Never! TV: Because it’d be unethical to steal someone’s property, Master, even if that property is a sentient being? TV: Well, that, and we already have one major woman character for this whole trilogy. Why would we have more than one woman?

Melody: Grrrr, sexism … Makes me always hope Maul’ll kill him.

TV: Goodbye, son. Jelived, promise you’ll take care of my son? TV: What? Sorry, I couldn’t hear you over how opulent my hair is. Anyway, tata forever. Come along, Otherkin. TV: I love you, mom! I’ll never forget you!

Stan, looking sideways in surprise: Gremlin, are … are you crying?

Bill, swiping at eyes: W-what, me?! No! Not like goodbyes’re s-sad! I just got, um, some g-glitter dust in my eyes … All Mabel’s fault the stuff is freakin’ everywhere in here …

Stan, putting an arm around him: Heh. Tell me about it, kiddo.

Ford, silently glancing sideways at Bill: (… hmm …)

TV: Excuse me, Yuan-Mac, but isn’t that a Shit Lord attacking your master right outside the ship? Shouldn’t you go help him? TV: I would, but this chair’s just too comfy. If I get up, you know Imdolledupa will steal it (that bitch!). Besides, look, Leam-Nee San got aboard the ship just fine. Oh *sigh* and so did his new slave boy. Guess I should go introduce myself to that homewrecking hussy— er, kid! I meant kid … Hello, Master and filthy slave boy. TV: Ah, my worst-hair-of-the-three-of-us padawan, meet my new younger and cuter padawan, Otherkin Skyjogger. The Chosen One. I’m sure you two will be best friends and as close as brothers. TV: Hi! (I’m daddy’s new favorite. Die jealous about it.) TV: Hi! (I will throw you into a volcano the first chance I get.) TV: I knew you two would hit it off. But I wonder who that person in black with a red lightsaber was who attacked me just now … Well, I’m off to bed. Don’t stay up too late becoming best friends.

Ford: Does he really not pick up on them hating each other then?

Soos, confused: What’re you talking about? They get really close.

Ford: Pff. Yeah, which is why Farth Vaper strikes him down in the original movie, right?

Stan: Eh, what’s a little strikin’ down between brothers?

Melody: “Space is cold,” Padmy Resume says to the kid. Like, don’t they have temperature controls in their ships?

Bill: Don’t forget, this was “a long time ago”. They hadn’t invented space heaters yet.

Ford: Ha! Haha—er, *ahem* that was … that was clever. [watches them land on Dumascent, a planet-wide city] That … is also impossible. Completely unsustainable. Without trees, how do they breathe?

Bill: They export all their CO and CO2, and import … everything, pretty much. Oxygen, food, water … It’s the reason they named the planet Dumascent; they’re all—

Melody, warningly: Don’t say it.

Bill, silently mouthing at Ford: (… dumbasses.)

Ford: Heh heh … [watches Imdolledupa’s retinue go with Baboon Senator Shiv Saltine while the Jelived threesome goes to the Temple and tests Otherkin]

TV: Esteemed fellow Senators, I haven’t made a big deal about it, because I kinda suck at my job, but Baboon was invaded recently. I now introduce Queen Imdolledupa and Representative Jerkjerk—

Ford, sarcastically: Well, he certainly is qualified.

TV: —who will speak on my planet’s behalf, thereby rendering my presence here as a Senator utterly redundant. Majesty? TV: I— TV: I’M THE SENATOR FROM THE TRADE UNION, BECAUSE IT TOTALLY MAKES SENSE A COMPANY HAS EQUAL REP WITH INHABITED PLANETS, AND I NOW FORMALLY MAKE A MOTION OF “SHUT UP, BITCH”! TV: Motion is seconded. The bitch is hereby required to shut up. TV: … Okay, y’know what? Screw y’all bureaucrats. As queen, I raise my planet’s middle finger at all of you. Now, I’m going back to do what I should’ve done months ago … fight the invaders! TV: Mesa going wid you? TV: Sure, why the space heck not?! We’re out. Peace between worlds!

Melody, raising a fist: You go, girl! Better late than never!

Bill: And the moral of the story is that democracy doesn’t work.

Ford, dubious: Thank you, Farth Cipher. Anyway, if we get lucky, Jerkjerk will die painfully in the coming battle.

Soos, whimpering: He’s just doing his best!

TV: Spoken, the Jelived Council has (meaning a decision, I’ve made with Master Sa-Myul Jaxon, which abide the other masters will, if what’s good for them, they know). Your padawan, Otherkin won’t be. TV: Master Jaxon, for clarity’s sake, could you explain why not? TV: Our code forbids someone as old as he is be trained. For reasons. Our code forbids you having two padawans at once. For reasons. TV: And much fear in him, we sense. Which bad, always is. TV: But, Master Yoda, his midi-chlorians—

Ford, jumping up: RRRAAAAAARRRGHGHGHGHGHGH!

TV: —and he’s the Chosen One prophesied to bring balance—

Ford: WHO EVEN MAKES THESE PROPHECIES?!

TV: —and it’s kind of hypocritical of you to say his fear is bad even as you are all too afraid to let train him be trained. TV: Clutching my pearls, I now am! A scandal, this is! TV: The council forbids you training him, Leam-Nee San. TV: Huh? Sorry, Master Baldy, I couldn’t hear you over how sumptuous my hair is. Oh, and now my middle fingers are up for some reason. Strange … Well, better go train Otherkin. I’ll start by taking him to the soon-to-be Baboon warzone. Tata, bitches.

Bill: I guess we call that Leam-Nee San’s act of … HAIResy!

Ford and Stan: Pffhahaha!

Melody, annoyed: The prophecy (we almost never hear about again) is to bring “balance to the Force”, right? Why do none of them ever consider that might signify strengthening the Dark Side? I mean, Jelived are kinda dominating the galaxy right now, and are always trying to stomp the Shit out of existence.

Ford and Stan and Bill, uncontrollably: Hehehehehehehe!

Soos, plaintively: Why must we always question it, dudes? Why can’t we just enjoy it?

Stan: ‘cause they’re flyin’ back to the planet without any trouble. Look, the blockade is gone. Where the heck did it go?

Bill: They got sucked into a black plot hole. Lots of those in space.

Ford: And they just happen to land in the swamp right where all the frog-lizard-men are hiding?

Bill: Don’t forget George Dufas made good actors act woodenly. See?

TV: Boss Gass, I woodenly beg you to help us. To be our allies. After this, we’ll return lands and first-class citizen status to you, even though your people are slimy and inferior non-humans. TV: Hmm … Wesa live in a bloody swamp. Wesa need all the land wesa can get. Okay, wesa fight wid you, and Jerkjerk is a general.

Ford, sarcastically: Well, he certainly is qualified.

TV: The plan’s for us to sneak into the palace via secret passages that of course it has. While one team seizes the Trade Union leader, 12 pilots will take on the blockade that just barely reappeared. Well, it’s just one ship for some reason now and not a blockade. So, yeah, 12 should be enough. Meanwhile, Boss Gass’s and *snicker* General Jerkjerk’s armies’ll be a cannon fodder distraction. TV: Mesa have no qualms wid taking on a better armed force. TV: Good, because you blinked and we’re in the palace already. TV: Oh, blast. I was going to leave you on the ship, Otherkin, but the Queen scene-transitioned us here too quickly. Okay, listen. I want you to find somewhere safe to hide, alright? TV: Yes, daddy. I mean, Master Leam-Nee San. TV: Uh, daddy—I mean, Master? That Shit from Hallowine is back. Should I have the Queen’s troops gun him down? TV: No, my why-didn’t-you-get-a-haircut-on-Dumascent padawan, we will seductively slip out of our Jelived bathrobes and duel him despite his badass, double-ended lasercutlass. BONZAI!

Ford, excited: Finally, the good stuff! [watches movie cut back to Jerkjerk; his people’s shields stop blasts, but not droids and tanks rolling right through them] … what. [watches Otherkin hide in a ship, activate it on accident, fly it into the heat of a space battle on accident, not get shot down but rather shoot down bunches of droid ships on accident—because the Force and because rocket-chariot racing and because fuck the audience— “I have no idea what I’m doing. I’ll try a spin; that’s a good trick.”] … What. [watches Jerkjerk shoot more enemies than all the stormtroopers in the original trilogy combined on accident, explode some on accident] … What. [watches Otherkin crash land inside the Trade Union ship on accident blow up its power core or something on accident, escape on accident] … WHAT.

Soos, unironically: Hooray for Jerkjerk! Hooray for Otherkin!

Ford: Boo for Jerkjerk! Boo for Otherkin! Why aren’t they dying?! [throws handful of popcorn at screen]

Bill, excitedly joining in: Woooooo! Anarchy in the living room!

Ford, ranting: Why are all the droids shutting down?! Why would anyone design battle droids without independent operating systems?! Why isn’t there at least one other battleship with a backup for them?! And where the fffff-funky music is my lasercutlass duel?! [watches Queen’s retinue capture the Trade Union leaders “Your invasion of the planet we invaded is over, immigrant sc … um, I mean, Asian sc … uh, no, that’s much worse … Well, anyway, it’s over, you scum who aren’t white or that token black guy!”]

Stan, blinking in surprise: I don’t remember this movie bein’ so racist the first time I watched it. Was it always like this?

Ford, throwing more popcorn: Get to the Jelived already! [watches legitimately epic duel with great choreography progress from starfighter hangar into some sort of massive power plant] … What is a power plant doing inside the palace?

Soos: Shhhh!

Bill: Well, on Baboon, the palace is the seat … OF POWER!

Ford: Ha! Indeed … Wait, why is there a corridor of laser doors? And who’s turning them on and off? Are they on an automatic timer, or something? That’s a terrible security design.

Stan: Especially since what they’re guarding is just a dead-end room with a gaping, bottomless pit.

Bill: Lady and Gentlemen, I give you … the movie’s plot hole!

Ford and Stan: Pffhahahahaha!

Soos: Guys, c’mon! You’re spoiling the emotional climax!

TV: Da—I mean, Master, I’m stuck behind a laser door! Hold on! TV: Not to worry, I’ve got this well in hand, my less-than—Gah! Oh, look at that … I’ve been impaled … Huh … Down I fall … TV: DAAAAADDDDDDYYYYY!

Ford, surprised: Wow … I actually am moved right now … [watches Yuan-Mac Gragor attack once door opens, get kicked into the pit but catch onto a convenient pipe thing or something]

TV: It’s over, Jelived. I, Farth Maul, have the high ground. TV: What a stupid thing to say, Shit Lord murderer! You will pay!

Ford: But how can Yuan-Mac Gragor possibly defeat him now? [watches him connect with the Force and do a flying backflip while drawing the lightsaber to him … and cutting Maul in half] OH, BULLSHIT!

Melody: STANFORD PINES!

Ford: The whole fight scene was the coolest except for that ending! Maul just stood there with his guard down let himself get killed off like a little bit—um … idiot. A genuinely intimidating villain, gone without a chance to develop, and in the least satisfying of ways!

Bill, casually: It was assisted suicide, really, ‘cause he couldn’t bear to live any longer in a universe where George Dufas is his god.

TV: Daddy! Master! I’m here! Hold on, please! TV: Listen … my first padawan, my first son … you must train him. Otherkin is the Chosen One … will bring balance to the Force … TV: I promise. No matter what. TV: And you must … get rid of that rattail, grow a proper mane … It’s important … for being a badass Jelived who don’t give a crap … TV: I will. The most magnificent mane ever, I swear. TV: Finally … most importantly … make sure to bury me … with winged eyeliner … *death rattle* TV: NOOO! I mean, I’ll do that, yes, of course. But NOOOOOOO!

Soos, tearing up: *sniffle* He was such a good Jelived.

Bill, evilly: I think you mean “Jedied”.

Ford and Stan: Pffhahahaha!

Bill: And don’t you meatbags usually consider owning slaves to be something that disqualifies a person from being good? Like, he had two of ‘em. Speaking of, you think this means Yuan-Mac Gragor inherits Jerkjerk? Is he legally permitted to euthanize him now?

Melody, considering that: I think the life debt is fulfilled now.

Soos, muttering: (You dudes all suck …)

TV: Come to Baboon, I have. Along with Senate soldiers to arrest the Trade Union (now that matters, Senate involvement does not). TV: Thank you, Master Yoda. That means a lot during my grief. TV: Out of pity, promote you to Knight we do. Also, more impressive than our lame, traditional trials killing a Shit, we consider. So … TV: And may I take Otherkin as my padawan? Just so you know, I made a deathbed promise to train him, so I’m going to anyway. TV: Changed their minds for no reason, the other councilors did. Little bitches, I consider them to be … But no reason, I have really to oppose his training. Other than that grave danger, I fear in his training for us all. For foreshadowing purposes, you understand. TV: Aren’t you always saying “fear leads to the Dark Side”? TV: Like your master, you are. Meaning go screw yourself, you can.

Stan: Convenient decision, ain’t it? Oh, time for the funeral.

Bill: I’m always amazed and, to be honest, a little jealous at the caliber of the winged eyeliner they get on Leam-Nee San.

Stan, shaking his head: Can you believe Yoda and Sa-Myul Jaxon are discussing Jelived business during the guy’s funeral? That’s just inconsiderate, is what that is. And why would the Shit follow that rule of two, anyway? I thought they were anti-Jelived.

Soos, dismal but unable to not answer: ‘cause they know treachery’s gonna happen sooner or later. One apprentice means only one person to keep an eye on.

Ford, derisive: Why not? Makes as little sense as everything else. Oh, they’re having a parade now. And … there’s a glowing orb? Why is the Queen giving a glowing orb to Boss Gass?

Bill: For his coffee table. It’ll make a great conversation piece.

Ford: Or would, except he’d then have to tell this awful story. Just awful … But the rest of the trilogy, it has to be better, right? It couldn’t possibly be worse.

Bill, smiling evilly: Heh heh heh … You say that now …

Soos, sulking: … I guess if you wanna watch ‘em, we can.

Melody, picking up on her husband’s dejection: Can we leave the movies with them, honeybear? I’m starting to not feel well.

Soos: Uh, sure thing, honeybadger, if you like. [gets up, helps her up, goes out the door with her] Um, see you dudes tomorrow!

Stan, with a tinge of regret: Y’think maybe we hurt his feelings raggin’ on the movies so much?

Ford, realization dawning: He … He did say they’re three of his favorite movies. Though I fail to understand why or how … All the same, perhaps I was being insensitive … again … [sighs, shrugs] Oh well. He’s not here anymore, so I suppose we can be as unbridled in our ragging as we want. And tomorrow, we’ll make it up to him. Somehow … Shall we put in the next one?

Bill, excitedly: 79 Hecks yeah! Oh, wait, they’re both gone now.

All three together: We can swear for real!

#little monsters au #the feels awaken #bipper #ford #stan #bill cipher #writing #fanfiction #this entire thing man #i have barely watched a star wars movie in my life and this is still so funny to me #submission

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warlordess · 6 years ago

Note

Top 5 Pokeshipping Moments?

Part of me feels like just linking to one of the other asks I’ve received with this exact same inquiry… but I suppose I can give a whole new answer since some things in the canon have actually improved upon Ash and Misty’s dynamic after OS. :-P

(Please bear in mind that these moments are in no specific order.)

1. Ash and Misty’s late night chat right before their Perfect Match at the Whirl Cup. There’s a lot on Misty’s end depicting her obvious romantic interest in Ash and there’s some substantial jealousy and enamored staring on Ash’s end at least questioning his platonic relationship roots with Misty… but this moment shows a rare moment of intimate camaraderie that we don’t get to see between these two characters very often. While their battle the next day still leaves somewhat of a bitter aftertaste in my mouth, their conversation the night before is… everything, honestly.

2. Ash’s very obvious jealousy in Naval Maneuvers. He honestly can’t keep his eyes on the prize (well, the obvious prize that is his victory over Danny and ownership of his second Orange League badge) in this episode, is constantly sidetracked by Misty poking at his ego and ignoring him and favoring Danny instead, comparing the two openly just to get a rise out of him. As I’ve said before, his emotional turbulence almost causes him to fall to his flippin’ doom at some point during his match trial… And that’s quite impressive.

3. Ash and Misty’s first farewell in Gotta Catch Ya Later. There’s something to be said here… but the writers lost themselves in Ash and Misty’s relationship during this episode and it shows. I could go on (and, much like I’ve said about other parts of their relationship mentioned in this post, I already have a few times in the past) and on about the emotional/psychological path traversed between the two of them during the first half of this episode, how all this mileage was sprinted at the last minute due to how their friendship began at the start of canon… but the part that I really can’t help enjoying is how everything about the scene where they say goodbye is so intimate that the writing has to use a third character to forcibly intervene before things progress too far. Like, honestly, if Brock hadn’t launched into his own commentary about how he has to go home too (and let’s not even start unpacking how he could have possibly forgotten such important news in the midst of another friend going through the same exact situation), I can’t help wondering how much more of The Ash and Misty Show we would of had to endure. (Not that I would’ve been complaining…)

4. I’m just gonna go off and say the entirety that is the second of the four cameo episodes during the SuMo series - When Regions Collide. I love so much about this episode. I love the hyper-focus on both Ash and Misty’s improvements as trainers, I love their banter during the battle (from Misty flirting to Ash blushing and belying his shock and being impressed by her ingenuity to the both of them just going all out and having a wonderful time as rivals that doesn’t go too far). And finally, something else I love is the special extra scene at the end where we see how casually they touch each other. Misty grabbing Ash’s wrist and joking about him giving her his Z-ring and poking him in the forehead. We never got to see this behavior during OS and it makes me wonder (in the realm of canon continuity) what happened between them during their separation that helped them reach this point. Not to mention, we got a second round of The Ash and Misty Show, wherein everyone was basically a bystander or lookers’ on (except for Brock somehow). Also, honorable mention, but we got to see a bit more of this same intimate Ash-and-Misty-only-nobody-else-is-allowed-to-interrupt stuff in the most recent cameo episode during the fireworks scene (not to mention that camaraderie/passion/rivalry from the second cameo episode).

5. Misty rescuing Ash during Pokeshipping: The Movie - I mean, um, Pokemon 2000. Because this didn’t actually take place in the anime series canon (though 2000 is one of those rare movies that has been referenced later in canon so…) I’m not sure I can put this (and if I can’t, I have plenty of other options I could use in its place) and I was originally gonna say something else here but… Misty doesn’t often get a chance to shine, and she doesn’t usually get that chance in a completely selfless manner like during this scene here. It takes a lot for someone (let alone someone who is canonically 10 years old, let alone someone who has recently been struggling so much to identify what a particular someone else means to them) to tie a damned rope around themselves and dive into frigid below-zero-degree temperature water and swim an unknown distance and length of time in search of a potential drowning victim. Right before this scene takes place, Misty openly states that Ash is her responsibility, her burden. It’s almost scary how much she’s confessing and dedicating herself to this one boy. But… that’s love, you know?

Welp, those are my five choices this time around. Some of them (one in particular) will probably be mentioned no matter what day or age when I’m asked to list my top Pokeshipping moments. Admittedly, most others will probably bounce around among all the different possibilities in the canon due to reasons like I’d forgotten about this one, or I’m just really feeling some other one more than another I’d chosen previously…

I hope this list suits your taste, anon. Feel free to send me another “Top Five Things” ask or to inquire about my choices in this ask. If anyone knows me at all then they know I love talking about my number one OTP!

#pokeshipping #commentary

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noelle-wright · 5 years ago

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A Journey Towards Debt Liberation

Working towards paying off my student loans was one of the most scary, liberating decisions that I decided to embark on. When I first took out my graduate school loan and moved to France in 2013, I had no idea what I was doing. I didn't know what interest was and how that would affect the life of the loan. I just went with whatever the Department of Education was offering.

Fast forward to life right after graduate school, the reality of Hawaii public sector wages hit me hard. The thought of paying through almost $60,000 in student loan debt seemed impossible, and I believed I wouldn't be done until I was 40. As a 23-year-old, that was fine, though, because I had no plans to own a home, start a family, etc. However, the reality of this loan was a constant worry.

It was a trip home to visit my sister and brother-in-law that really got me thinking about how I'd been approaching my loans, as they had been aggressively paying down loans. I had heard many podcasters preach about "financial freedom" and paying off $100,000 in two years. I would get bitter inside and thought that doing what they were doing was impossible for myself. However, with the inspiration of my family, I saw that it WAS possible. I realized I was mentally stuck in a limiting mindset, and my bitterness at those paying off their debt was a projection of the insecurity I felt in my own situation.

As I started to reach my later twenties, I moved to a much better paying career and started a long-term serious relationship. I decided it was no longer time to be held down by my debt in order to manifest the life I intended to create for myself and with my partner. For me, there was no better time than now to work on my debt - while I had low expenses and a stable job. I happily traversed into an ABUNDANCE MINDSET. I shifted my thinking from not believing I had enough to believing that I did have the means to get out of this debt, and that everything I had now was all I needed. Money can be so stressful, but when our minds are controlled by it, it blocks us from serving our higher purpose. Financial freedom is also a mindset and a practice in discipline. The more you practice, the more you evolve. My goals were to 1) taking responsibility through hard work and discipline, 2) liberate my mind from the worry of money and feeling of lacking, and 3) turn this journey into part of my sadhana, or spiritual practice - spiritually work on discipline and seeing myself and everything around me as abundant.

Here are a few things that helped me along the way.

Know how much you owe and your interest rate. It can be scary to face how much we owe. I didn't keep track when I was borrowing, only to find out I had initially borrowed $59,410.93. I was so scared to face how much I owed, that I didn't really start paying attention until 2018. Be clear with how much you owe so you can start setting goals that work for you.

Know your monthly spending vs. how much you make. Be completely honest with yourself so you can see your net outflow and what extra you can realistically put towards your loan. This also allows you to cut off expenses that you may not need.

Refinance. It took me five years before I proved I was credit-worthy for refinancing, but it got me a lower interest rate, so keep trying. Do your research when looking at companies (I myself refinanced with CommonBond).

As much as you can, pay your minimum then build to paying over your minimum. When I had a low salary, I applied for income-driven repayment (IDR) to pay lower than my minimum. Even when my salary got higher, I got mentally stuck in an IDR-mentality, but I was actually doing myself a disservice. If you start to make more money, start paying that pre-IDR minimum right away. Even better, start paying MORE than your minimum. Set up automatic payments so you don't know what it feels like to have that extra money to spend. Personally, I paid a portion towards my loan every week.

Make more money. This sounds blunt and I understand everyone has different circumstances. For me, though, moving to a job that paid me $30,000 more per year and gave me much better benefits like, fully paid healthcare, paid transportation, and life insurance really helped. Also, taking on a side hustle changed everything. I work really hard right now and put in the time, but I know that in a few months I can live more comfortably and have more free time. Don't let making more money, though, inflate your lifestyle.

Listen to podcasts and go online for inspiration. Sometimes it can feel like you are alone in everything, but when you enter the online world, you'll see that there are a ton of people in the same boat and with their eyes on the same prize. My favorite podcast has been Afford Anything with Paula Pant and watching Aja Dang's YouTube videos on her own personal journey.

Get a financial planner to help you. They help you stay accountable, and can provide you with tools to use to help you figure out how much you should be paying to meet your goals.

Live frugally where you can. Discipline. If you can't increase your income, decrease your expenses. I forgo a car because of multiple reasons; I don't have kids, I live in a convenient and walkable part of the city well-served by public transit, I want to lessen my impact on the environment, and I quite frankly just hate driving. Since my company pays for my bus pass, I basically have no transportation costs except for occasionally buying my boyfriend's gas (the rare times he lets me). I also still live at home and get an unbelievably subsidized rent to help my mom out. Ever since I discovered Poshmark, I got rid of a lot of clothes and made over $1,500 on the app. I also now don't buy new clothes; I only buy clothes on Poshmark. I also participate in a yearly "Lent" with my friends that has really helped me break some bad habits (I credit this exercise to me no longer watching TV except for Game of Thrones, and cutting down clothing spending habits by 75%!). It also helps to unsubscribe from newsletters that tempt you to buy more stuff. Living frugally is a mindset. It doesn't have to feel like frugality; think of it as living simply. It could feel more liberating to be freed from ownership of too much stuff. There are less things to think about and less clutter to look at. If you experiment or practice changing your mindset, you may be surprised at what you can let go of materially to live well, while at the same time saving money.

...But don't deprive yourself. When I started my student loan journey, I was definitely overwhelmed by the budget aspect because I wanted to preserve my lifestyle. I didn't want to cut down on the things I valued, especially on food, fitness, and travel. I resolved not to cut corners on the things that mattered most to me. It was important to me to not get into the mindset of deprivation. Still buying what is nourishing for your soul is crucial in preserving joy throughout the process.

Save for big expenses. Start a separate savings account for bigger expenses, like a trip, car, training, etc. Calculate its estimated total cost and how much could be saved for it per month. Then, establish a savings timeframe and automatic monthly transfer into that account. It's important to not be tempted to dip into that account. Personally, my big ticket items are travel. I don't feel scared to take a vacation because I know I already have the funds for it set aside.

Celebrate the small wins. Whether its setting up that detailed budget spreadsheet or the big-ticket savings account or putting an extra $100 towards your loan, be proud of yourself every step of the way.

Don't obsess over it. Oddly, once I started making progress on my loans, I became obsessed with paying them off. I realized the space it was occupying in my mind was large. It's important to not let the whole process consume your life, and be patient with the journey.

if you're comfortable, use a zero-based budget. Put simply, zero-based budgeting allocates all of your money to something. Through the help of a financial adviser, I realized the money I was saving in a savings account yielding 2.2% interest was just sitting there and not doing as much as if I put it towards other things like investments or putting more towards my loan. Through zero-based budgeting, you can actually find ways to better maximize the use of your money. I realize that this isn't realistic, though, for those that might freelance.

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potterkane3-blog · 6 years ago

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Tron Wallet

1. WHAT IS TRON? Into their Words: �TRON is usually a blockchain-based decentralized method that aims to construct some sort of worldwide free content amusement system with the blockchain and distributed storage technological innovation. � In Our Words and phrases: TRON are aiming for you to create a great entertainment podium that enables content builders full control over their content. Think of a new decentralised combination of Netflix, YouTube and the App Shop.

2 . not HOW DOES TRON WORK? This TRON venture is an very intricate one, we will aim to highlight its key functions but encourage you to read through their whitepaper and complete further more research when you want to know the harder technical details associated with the assignment. We will first discuss the particular TRON token. The TRON Symbol There are in fact three different tokens engaged in the TRON assignment: TRONIX, TRON Electricity together with the TRON 20 Expression; we�re going to rapidly format all three and even their uses beneath. TRONIX (TRX) � This is the token available for purchase/trade upon the exchanges; it will be instructed to access the TRON system and is furthermore used to trade content upon this. TRON Strength (TP) � This can be in essence locked up TRONIX; end users volunteer to secure their very own TRX and get TP in return, as very well as voting rights and other privileges inside TRON ecosystem. TRON Energy is usually not tradable and would of course be a new long-term determination. TRON Power is similar to Steem Power used on this Steemit platform. TRON twenty Expression � TRON 30 Token allows content makers to create and issue their own bridal party, similar for you to Waves and NEM. The Platform In its most straightforward, content builders will end up being able to catalog their content on the TRON platform and make the idea available; this could get music, films, photographs etcetera. These transactions will probably be finished using the TRX token and without the assistance of any fees. The particular TRON system will furthermore offer bonuses to material creators to help inspire them all to place their very own written content on the software and help stimulate the TRON environment. Other crypto platforms may also be able to host upon the TRON platform while offering their unique tokens. People would be capable to be able to transfer these bridal party in to any other on the software using TRX as a bridge foreign money. several. ARE TRON SOLVING GREAT MARKET ISSUES? #1 Difficulty � Censorship & Centralization In many countriesm online censorship and restriction is definitely rife; government treatment methods users are on a regular basis incapable to access specific web sites. In China, for case in point, folks are unable to admittance Facebook as well as Snapchat, whilst the Iranian government include prevented access to the two Instagram and Telegram. TRON�s Option The decentralized nature with the project means the idea should be clear of censorship or interference. #2 Problem � High Channel Expenses One problem experienced simply by content creators when trying to distribute their content could be the high fees or commission rate rates recharged by multimedia platforms much like the App Store and Google Enjoy. TRON�s Option Content makers will have sole control regarding their very own product as well as direct access for their consumers and, without typically the effort of the middlemen, these fees are enormously reduced. four. WILL THE PARTICULAR TRON TOKEN EMBRACE SELLING PRICE? This is one other very important point that folks frequently overlook when committing in Cryptocurrencies � is definitely the token price really linked to the software utilization? Investing in Cryptos is not similar to standard investing � when you buy gives you in a company, youre buying ownership. As typically the firm makes increased profits, typically the share price will increase plus your investment price will rise also. With the the greater part associated with Cryptocurrencies, the tokens don�t signify shares. Thus, it is a possibility for the company to be able to be successful (i. e the CEO and staff members get rich) and yet the token rates may well actually fall if many people aren�t accurately linked for you to platform consumption. The MERELY factor determining token price is supply and demand on exchanges. Obviously, supply and demand are afflicted by quite a few factors although the price most occurs down to the combination of these. Because of this, it is important to ask yourself the following two questions: Demand ~ Will there be symbol demand within the exchanges? Supply � Will there be excessive pumping hindering selling prices? Let�s initially look at demand: What are Sources of Demand? People will probably be required to keep TRON bridal party in purchase to access the system plus, on top connected with this, all transactions is likewise completed using TRX. As more content is listed on the TRON software together with users convert to the program, the demand for the token will increase and the price should likewise. The Result? The price regarding the TRON token is usually amply linked to the demand to get the platform. TRON has passed this test. What Can be The Probably Inflation Rate? TRON made a predetermined supply of tokens (100 billion TRX) meaning a new zero pumpiing rate nonetheless that doesn�t mean of which new tokens won�t enter in the market while. A good total of 40% on the tokens were sold in the ICO, meaning 60% from the tokens will get into industry at some point so how will they end up being distributed? 35% � TRON Foundation/Ecosystem � It was just lately announced that all of these as well will turn out to be based until The month of january first 2020. 15% � Individual Offering � No more details provided 10% : Peiwo Huanle Technology Limited � No further details offered but CEO Justin Sunshine is also the originator associated with Peiwo. TronWatch Wallet could potentially end up being increased here about where these kinds of tokens have within fact gone. Coin Sector Cap currently lists TRON since having a circulating method of getting 65 billion; this will show that all of typically the tokens that could enter the market have already carried out so. Consequently, we can certainly assume that no even more bridal party will be getting into the market right until on least January first 2020 when the Foundation�s lock-in period of time expires. Sun also introduced on Twitter that TRON have a or maybe burn off planned during Q1 connected with 2018, this will of course cure the going around supply and a rise in expression price should be believed as a result. TronWatch Wallet has passed this particular check. 5. THE TRON CREW & ROADMAP Often the TRON Team TRON have what exactly looks to be a very strong and well-rounded staff. As a project overview, i will giving each of our opinions in a good number of key online players and all of us recommend that readers check out the TRON website for more information on the team. First up will be Founder in addition to CEO Mr. bieber Sun; recently involved with Ripple while chief representative with regard to their Greater China Region, Sunlight seemed to be also the founder associated with Peiwo (A Chinese web 2 . 0 platform with over 10m users). They has also double already been listed because one of Forbes 25 under 30 (2015 plus 2017), showing the particular solid reputation he has inside of the business enterprise world. Chief Technology Officer Lucien Chen possesses a new large total of experience with a amount of first-tier internet firms while Product Supervisor Deuce Yu has extensive experience in the gaming industry, something which could be extremely beneficial to often the TRON project when they accomplish the latter stages regarding their map. A closing member we would want to highlight is Procedure Manager Charles Zhang; he is definitely the former co-founder in addition to COO regarding Beauty Place and also dished up seeing that Secretary-General of their Chicago , il branch. Charles offers a good burial container of business information away from crypto and provides been increased to provide lectures more than one particular 100 times by Peking University or college, highlighting how effectively recognized he or she is inside the company world. This TRON Plan Another standout aspect of often the TRON project is his or her extensive roadmap; a new detailed six-stage, ten 12 months plan. We all will highlight each step and their focus beneath. Exodus � August 2017 to be able to 12 , 2018 � Written content distribution platform Odyssey : Jan 2019 to July 2020 � Focus on monetary incentives in addition to content personal strength to stimulate growth. Superior Voyage : July 2020 to September 2021 ~ �Personal ICO� implementation : content designers will be able in order to produce their own tokens and sponsor their a ICO to be able to allow these people to produce more articles Apollo � August 2021 to March 2023 : Building the full decentralised forex trading platform for tokens Celebrity Travel � The spring 2023 to September 2025 ~ Building a decentralised gaming software to get end users to produce their own video games Everlasting � Sept. 2010 2025 to September 2027 � Customers will be able to help build their own gaming websites 6. PROVIDING POINTS Close ties Operating in an industry that will was worth $1. eight trillion in 2016, TRON are also able to boast a number regarding amazing partnerships already. By these kind of partnerships with businesses for example Baofeng, Peiwo together with Obie, TRON are able to provide their selves together with over 200 mil probable users already. Any time this specific is combined with typically the recently introduced project having game. junto de (TRON Dogs- Similar to Crypto Kitties), then the potential customer numbers are presently amazing for the system. A new part note surrounding this TRON Dogs project is usually that 2018 is the Chinese year with the puppy; this is rather insignificant but may well help to be able to drive uptake and is an extra point to think of. Chinese Endorsement Lately, the parent company connected with Peiwo APP (The first software package to host for the TRON platform) was seen as one of Beijing�s high-tech businesses of 2017. The National High-tech Enterprise is some sort of policy set by this Far east government to encourage the quick advancement of high-tech companies. There are usually strict standards to get inclusion. �After being integrated, firms will enjoy a new series of concessions in technology researching and development, tax reduction and employees policies so as to help enterprises devote more energy and ability to be able to separate research and progress and also to enhance their primary competitiveness. � � Tron Foundation�s Medium Page. Considering TronWatch Wallet Download in direction of cryptocurrency, this particular news is certainly somewhat surprising and is usually a good sign to the long-term potential of often the project. 7. BARRIERS TO SUCCESS Overambitious? There is definitely no question that is usually the incredibly focused job; TRON themselves high light eight distinct types of risks involved in the job and while some sort of twenty yr roadmap will probably be congratulated by many, you furthermore have to question chances of which reaching that objective with no few hiccups. 8. CURRENT CONTROVERSIES Copied Whitepaper? TRON recently came below fire following analysis associated with their whitepaper identified a large portion of this to get copied, almost message for word, from the IPFS and Filecoin whitepaper. The diagram below displays just simply how much was owing to have already been duplicated and even details deficiency of references. TRON Debate Sunlight responded in order to this by saying that typically the original Chinese version in their whitepaper featured a good number of references nonetheless since this choice variants (English, Korean etc) had been translated simply by volunteers, they had skipped a number of critical details as well like the references. This TRON Foundation as well published a good statement saying: �The design of TRON is based about it�s own personal system plus the realization involving unique codes, some codes of Ethreum were being used as guide, we didn�t note associated license, from now along we shall note the copyright laws ownership and promise this wil happen again. � Even though we are regarding course not throughout a good position to say everything with outright confidence, it is something that would be anxious people. TRON have considering that taken out all variants regarding the whitepaper from their website and have assured the release of a new whitepaper some moment soon. This is something we certainly look onward to browsing. Justin Sunlight Sells six Billion TRX? TRON likewise came beneath scrutiny recently if a post on Reddit so-called of which CEO Sun possessed distributed 6 billion TRX, this particular was proven not in order to become the case but would make some fear. The particular post highlighted a pocket which they believed to find yourself to Sunshine due to the high volume involving TRX, as well like the wallet also staying linked to a CryptoKitties bank account called �justinpets�. Often the budget in question experienced sold above 6 billion TRX regarding ETH over a three few days period of time. Even Litecoin founding father Steve Lee got involved, calling out Sun above this kind of on Twitter. Direct sun light would respond to the accusations on his personal Twitting profile by stating of which the budget in thought actually belongs to a private investor and market maker who buys in addition to sells TRX tokens to present liquidity. He also declared when it comes to any form of registration, he uses his China name of Yuchen, as opposed to Justin. Upon learning the reality, Charlie Lee would apologise and delete the tweets accusing Sun. While typically the job has certainly had some flaws, this show turned out to be a poorly researched accusations as opposed in order to anything untowards with TRON�s behalf. An case in point involving what many inside of crypto refer to as FUD. 9. WHERE TO BUY as well as STORE TRON BRIDAL PARTY Where you can Buy TRON Tokens In your opinion, the ideal exchange to buy TRON tokens from can be Binance; that is also on a number of smaller exchanges but also in our opinion Binance will give you the best prices and fluid. Where To Store TRON Bridal party TRON is an Ethereum-based symbol which means it can be safely kept with any ERC-20 appropriate wallets. Our favourite selection can be the Ledger Offline Finances. Our favourite option is definitely MyEtherWallet which you may obtain with the link beneath: Download Pocket HERE (MyEtherWallet) For guidelines on exactly how to download and mount MyEtherWallet, check out often the video under (not made by us). 10. TYPICALLY THE CRYPTOGURUS FINAL RESULT While there is no doubting the particular size of the TRON job, there are a new number of red flags who have arisen during the explore. We do maintain a small amount of TRON in all of our portfolio nevertheless this had been acquired in a good attempt to access the TRON platform. We anticipated this could allow us to give an possibly more comprehensive review although i was not able to access the podium eventually; potentially one more pink flag. We have been looking forward to reading the brand new whitepaper when it is usually released in the desire that it can minimize some of the worries people have round the project. If the project hits all of its targets it could become one particular of the biggest with the market but, since it stands, there usually are currently just way too a lot of questions around the job for us to think of a critical investment. On leading of this, the task is already priced really extremely in the market place � number tough luck � so the benefit possible is relatively small whenever compared to the substantial associated risk.

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pass-the-bechdel · 6 years ago

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Homicide: Life on the Street season three full review

How many episodes pass the Bechdel test?

65% (thirteen of twenty).

What is the average percentage per episode of female characters with names and lines?

32.96%

How many episodes have a cast that is at least 40% female?

Three (episode three ‘Extreme Unction’ (40%), episode sixteen ‘Law and Disorder’ (52%), and episode eighteen ‘In Search of Crimes Past’ (43.47%)).

How many episodes have a cast that is less than 20% female?

Two (episode eleven ‘Cradle to Grave’ (18.75%), and episode seventeen ‘The Old and the Dead’ (19.04%)).

How many female characters (with names and lines) are there?

Fifty-nine. Seventeen who appeared in more than one episode, three who appeared in at least half the episodes, and ZERO who appeared in every episode.

How many male characters (with names and lines) are there?

Ninety-four. Twenty-four who appeared in more than one episode, seven who appeared in at least half the episodes, and five who appeared in every episode.

Positive Content Status:

Strong. The show maintains a powerful awareness of the society it is situated within and the varied experiences of those within it; the analysis of racial issues - systemic and individual - is particularly impressive, and though it is not the subject this blog was created to explore, it seems wrong to talk about this show at all without acknowledging the good work it is doing on that front (average rating of 3.1).

General Season Quality:

While not quite as strangely, darkly real as the beginning of the series, it’s still good, compelling, and meaningful television, and it does make the most of itself in terms of telling new stories which enrich and expand the world of the show; it does not rest on its laurels and repeat the same narrative patterns as earlier episodes, and it is the better for it.

MORE INFO (and potential spoilers) under the cut:

For the record, I regret the decision not to write individual episode posts for this show. Not quite enough to go back and write them after all, but enough to complain about how I’m not doing it. This is a note to my future self, in case I try to convince myself that summary-only is a good idea after all: it isn’t. It’s just a way to guarantee that you’ll end up leaving things out and being less thorough than you want to be. It’s a dumb idea. Don’t do it.

To business: the season literally opens with Bolander watching a love scene on the tv in the break room and complaining about all the gratuitous sex on tv shows these days, prompting a conversation with Lewis and Munch about how ‘the networks make them put that stuff in’. It’s essentially a written-in apology to the audience for the fact that there are romantic subplots in this season; they might as well have broken down the fourth wall completely and had the characters look straight into the camera, that’s how transparent they are about it. The network demanded sex appeal as a condition of renewing the show for a third season, and the writers were NOT happy about it; I appreciate both their convictions, and the fact that they made this slim compromise which gave us more of this wonderful show to enjoy, even if there is a bare minimum of unnecessary sex in there. It’s a worthy trade. (the sex-on-tv discussion segues into a prediction from Munch about how the future will include a trillion different channels to watch, everyone communicating online, and never having to get out of your chair for anything. Bolander then says that he wishes they’d bring back Hawaii 5-0, which of course has since happened. It’s eerie).

Anyway; the sex mostly involves Felton, whose slightly-unhinged (and, in mercifully one scene only, gratuitously undressed) wife Beth has kicked him out of the house at the beginning of the season, to which Felton has responded by promptly jumping in bed with a new woman: that is, with the new woman, Megan Russert, whose presence in the main cast brings us to a grand old two women in the regular rotation. The show gleefully ditches the Felton/Russert romance three episodes in (but not until after we’ve been subjected to Daniel Baldwin in his little nineties underwear:

cheers network, I hope that’s what you were aiming for when you demanded more sex appeal), and the whole business manages to play out with relative grace, being blatant network-service but avoiding the common pitfall of useless hetero romance wherein the female character ends up seeming like she only exists to be sexy.

Russert’s introduction isn’t entirely smooth - and the romance angle doesn’t help there - but despite being a much more traditionally-feminine and traditionally-attractive character than Howard is, and despite having the confrontation of sexism in the workplace laid on a little thick in those introductory episodes, Russert is still successfully established as a person in her own right, and not defined by her womanhood any more than Howard is. Like Howard, Russert can’t escape the way that the department and the men within it treat her gender as a conspicuous and dominant trait, and like Howard, Russert is not interested in letting the preoccupations of other people impact the way she goes about her work; unlike Howard, Russert refuses to engage with the idea of being a good example for other women because she feels that doing so means participating in making gender an issue when it shouldn’t matter in the first place. Howard - delighted to be working with an accomplished woman who meets her personal standard of conduct, and willing to openly defend Russert’s service record against her sexist detractors - is affronted by Russert’s refusal to fight the good fight on behalf of her gender, but the show wisely does not take a side. Both women’s approaches to their womanhood have merit, and neither is perfect; rather than pitting them against one another over their differences, the show acknowledges that Howard and Russert are, each in their own way, doing the best their with a situation that has been stacked against them and in which there are no absolute ways to ‘win’, only ways to play.

This season is much stronger on women than those preceding it, as evident in the statistics: over 12% better in the female:male ratio, and 57% better on the Bechdel (they were doing shockingly well with that one until they went and failed in the last four episodes all in a row, but still. This is far, far better than I had expected). It takes a broader, more detailed look at the way women exist (and are forced to exist) within the structure of society, and there is evidence of clear comprehension of the imbalances, the contradictions, and the illogical expectations and judgments that come with that. The serial killer Annabella Wilgis from the opening trilogy of the season asserts that she murdered eight women because she blames women in the workplace for ‘ruining everything’ by upsetting the strictly-gendered status quo of Wilgis’ childhood; Howard catches a killer back in her home town because the guy was so much of a sexist chump he wouldn’t wash his own shirt to get away with murder (as he is arrested the guy screams at his wife for not ‘doing her job’ and washing his shirt for him, and the lack of self-reflection is as bizarre as it is believable); the fantastic ‘Every Mother’s Son’ sees two women - both unaware that they are at the police station for the same case, one’s son having been murdered by the other’s - commiserating about the state of the men in their neighbourhoods and the lack of good father figures and role models for their boys (both women are black, and as they discuss also the number of funerals they have attended for their early-teen son’s friends, the conversation serves as a double-whammy observation of both gender, and systemic racial inequality. It’s powerful and sobering); Russert intervenes in the private life of her former detective partner when she discovers that he’s been beating his wife, and takes no excuses from either party about ‘the stress of the job’ or any other such tragically familiar lines; Beth Felton’s behaviour, while erratic and hurtful, finds some sympathy from Howard and Russert as they consider the dire lack of options open to Beth as a potentially-single mother of three small children. With the exception of Wilgis the serial killer, there is altogether an underpinning thread of women understanding and supporting each other, a factor which helps to give the women’s narratives a sense of their own gravity through recognition from outside; something particularly important when set against the ignorance and even complicity which can arise even from seemingly forward-thinking men.

Network-mandated sex brings us Emma Zoole, and with her, reflections upon the attitudes of some of our male characters, some of it good, some of it bad. Lewis makes a pushy fool of himself trying to chat her up, but he’s harmless enough and once he plays out his chance and is rejected, he respects Emma’s choice and declares unequivocally that he will not pursue her further (a declaration prompted by Felton suggesting that he just needs a new strategy). That said, there is a possessive streak at work when Lewis learns that Bayliss has hooked up with Emma instead; if Lewis didn’t feel some sense of ownership for having called first dibs on Emma, he wouldn’t have anything to feel ‘betrayed’ about. For the most part, laughs are had as Bayliss literally falls over himself and clutzes around Emma’s apartment in the least-sexy way possible - it’s funny, it’s realistic, and it’s a solid fuck-you to the network - and the fallout as the entire workplace learns of his exploits (”what is a cuffoon?”) is a great time. But, on the other side of it all, things are less bright. Lewis is smothering his sorrows by eating cous cous, and Felton delivers a diatribe about how the idea of health food and men thinking they need to watch their weight is all about ‘women trying to dominate men’ (a double-standard view if ever there was one; at least Lewis ain’t buying it). Meanwhile, it turns out Emma has a boyfriend named Andy who takes it poorly when he hears about Bayliss; Andy knocks Emma down - Bayliss is aghast when Emma tells him, and his anger does feel like it is at least mostly coming from the right place, but under the circumstances one also wonders if there’s an extent to which he goes out to give Andy what-for as a possessive pissing contest and not in genuine concern. Emma breaks up with Bayliss for interfering with her relationship with Andy, and Bayliss...goes off the deep end and robs a convenience store at gunpoint after he comes up eleven cents short trying to pay for beer and cookies. Pembleton bails Bayliss out so that he winds up not suffering any significant ramifications for his actions, and the comedic tone of the whole piece feels decisively off, as if the writers have hit a major blind spot wherein they think men lashing out dangerously when a relationship falls apart is normal and understandable on its own, and therefore not worthy of harsh scrutiny. I mean, if the guy hurts or kills his former lover, that behaviour is condemned, but if he just threatens to shoot a store clerk for voiding a sale, that’s funny, right?

The idea of that unscrutinised blind spot is reinforced throughout the rest of the series so far; while none of the other central male characters have reacted quite as wildly as Bayliss, they do form a cohesive track record for refusing to do their own emotional labour in working their way through romantic disappointments. Felton is a slightly different case since his relationship woes are also tied up with custody of his children, and as such his spiralling alcoholism is not necessarily a consequence of the end of his marriage itself so much as it is about the messy way that plays out (it is very, very messy, though, and he does lean on the other women in his life throughout rather than taking control of his situation himself). Bolander was a total bear throughout the first season after separating from his wife, and Munch I already flagged in my previous review for his attitude toward his now-ex Felicia throughout the final ups and downs of that relationship. Lewis may just drag himself off to eat some cous cous all alone, but he still wallows over a relationship that never even began; Gee does the same thing after being rejected by Russert’s friend Amanda (though there is an additional factor there in which Gee - this guy:

- feels that Amanda - this lady:

- has rejected him because he’s blacker than she is, sparking what remains the only discussion on colourism within the black community that I have ever seen on tv. It’s an illuminating subject that deserves discussion, though we never find out if it really is the reason for Amanda’s rejection or if she was just not interested in Gee for any number of other, completely legitimate reasons). As Bayliss forgoes all self control, as Felton spins his ridiculous opinions on health food, and as Bolander commiserates with Gee about how ‘the way a woman feels about a man, that’s the way he’s going to feel about himself’, there’s a consistent theme of this notion that women have a responsibility to prop men up and protect their fragile egos, and it’s a theme that the show - for all that it is mostly very self-aware - doesn’t seem to challenge at all.

While I’m griping, there are more imperfections this season than there were last time around: Munch makes a lot of jokes about women, not necessarily in disparaging ways but definitely in an othering fashion which lends itself to a perception of women as objects of desire rather than, um, people. His nihilistic attitude about pretty much everything combined with his regular gendered commentary can make him pretty hard to enjoy as comic relief, especially when you’re viewing the show with a deliberately critical eye (he also makes a joke about prison rape at one point, and rape jokes of any kind are a surefire way to vault straight into my bad books). Pembleton gets embroiled in a political quagmire involving one Congressman Wade: a closeted homosexual, Wade has filed a false police report to try and cover up his affair with his male assistant, fearing that said assistant might expose him by filing assault charges after Wade beat him up. While everyone involved rightfully agrees that being gay should not end Wade’s political career, they all kinda ignore the fact that committing assault probably should, and I’m not ok with the way that detail gets shrugged off. And the episode ‘The Last of the Watermen’ not only uses the cliche of having a character just-happen to catch a case while on vacation, it also repeats the cliche of having a former flame of Howard’s as a suspect, something we already did in season two (less than ten episodes ago, to make it even more egregious that we’re doing it again); the show is better than that kind of contrivance.

To wrap this on a good note though, there were also some real gems in the piece: the episode ‘Colors’ delivers a great guest star in David Morse and tells a confronting story about the insidiousness of subconscious racism; it’s very easy for shows to do stories about racism that acknowledge it in a very obvious surface-level way (i.e. this person treats that person badly because of the colour of their skin, and that’s wrong), but it’s more difficult and more important to explore the subtleties of the ways racism can manifest both individually and systemically, and that’s what this show does so well. On the topic of great guest stars, Steve Buscemi is used to magnificent effect in ‘End Game’ as a character who is so very, very wrong in such very, very obvious ways, and yet so superciliously convinced of his correctness that he’s impossible to argue with (we all know at least one person exactly like that). Buscemi’s turn comes at the culmination of the three-episode arc surrounding the shooting of three of our detectives, which is masterfully handled both in the immediate shock and the ensuing tension, as well as in the complicated miasma of emotional fallout for the rest of the squad as they struggle and rally. The fallout from that arc continues to permeate the rest of the season, in much the same way as the suicide of our beloved Steve Crosetti does at the beginning of the season: the episode ‘Crosetti’ is the highlight of the season despite fierce competition, and watching Lewis bawl his eyes out while Bolander holds him still gets me every time, but it’s nothing compared to watching Pembleton provide a one-man Honour Guard for his fallen comrade at episode’s end. The heaviness of the episode has some serious emotional staying power, and while the ditching of Crosetti was another network-mandated dick move designed to up the show’s sex appeal, the writers well and truly made lemonade by crafting the loss into a powerful narrative which emphasises and reinforces the core of the series itself: the horror and the battle to overcome the darkness of a truly thankless job, and find the good glimmer of life that lies beyond it.

#Homicide: Life on the Street #Homicide: Life on the Street season three #HLOTS #Bechdel Test #full season review #female representation

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fortnegrita · 7 years ago

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28 times black people were effortlessly environmentalists

i got inspired by all the posts wishing me a happy black history month, that i had to jump in and big up the numerous ways that black folks stunt in the world of sustainability. and no, this isn’t a list filled with facts about 28 eco-leaders in the black community, that’s a whole other post that needs to be published.

this is 28 things commonly known in the black community that we take for granted, but are very much so actions of environmentalism. and it’s more than 28 ways, i could go on for millions of years, like my ancestors, but we’re sticking to 28 because, well, you know why.

1. black people reuse old containers. whether is that tin can that had shortbread cookies in it one christmas, or butter tubs, or that crisco can full of grease. instead of purchasing tupperware made from virgin materials, we cut back on manufacturing and go the ‘feed two birds with one hand’ route. if i buy this butter tub, i will have butter now, and a food container later. genius!

2. emancipated ourselves through slave revolts and the underground railroad. yup, our most warrior moves in our modern history, was also an anti capitalist move. this is huge! capitalism, and the consumerism by product, is the biggest contributors to climate change; it exploits natural resources like metals found in your phone and coal used to light factories. our demand for things whether it’s cotton to make a pair of trousers in the 1700s or a new cellphone in 2018; it’s all increasing unused carbon in the air.by resisting, we slowed down demand. also, since agriculture is a leading contributor to climate change because of pesticides by abandoning the agriculture fields, where sugar and cotton both strip the soil of it’s nutrients, we gave the land a major rest.

3. our mommas told us to ‘turn off the damn lights.’ yes, she was trying to save her coins, and why not?! the energy system is monopolized anyways, why spend money with a company you are forced to be in a relationship with. two, cutting down on electricity is cutting doing on fossil fuels (coal or gas) extracted from the earth. this is important because carbon is energy, and energy is never gained or loss, it simply goes some where else. so keeping your momma’s kitchen light on when you not in there, means more coal with be extracted from earth, burnt to put energy into a grid and then sent to your momma’s house via a power line. once the energy it burnt it is exhausted into the air. so instead of that energy being in in the ground it’s now in the atmosphere, making the air warmer, making places that aren’t typically hot like the Arctic, melting archaic ice, rising sea levels, and in the future possibly pushing you and your momma out of your house because of horrible flood damage, and now your property is considered a floodplain.

4. multiple families living in a single home. my family like many black families and even families of color have lived with multiple people outside of their nuclear family in the house. most of my childhood, some extended family lived in my parents’ house. my aunt and her kids, my uncle, godmother, granddad. how is a crowded house an environmental plus? homes take up lots of energy, imagine all those people forgetting to turn off your mommas lights. :-D trying to keep homes warm or cold require an insurmountable amount of energy, the more people in one house means less energy usage, also more body heat. and don’t front like your favorite memories weren’t created in a house full of people.

5. our elders tell us ‘no ins and outs.’ again, an issue of energy usage, when children run in and out of the house they ar eletting air (or heat) out of the house making our controlled climate sysmtem to work harder to keep our home at a certain temperature.

6. when yall packed snacks for outings. moms probably made an amazing tuna salad for the beach. you may have missed out on boardwalk fries and pizza slices, but look at the upside, oyu avoided so much packaging all those years.

7. when the matrons kept a few good plants. whether it’s hanging from a macrame-styled planter or in her garden, greenery is always good for the air. also photosynthesis is a sink in the carbon cycle, meaning is absorbs carbon helping to decrease carbon in the atmosphere.

8. when families sit on the porch. a seemingly idle activity, but it is a huge element of community activism. how else are neighbors suppose to talk about their kids asthma, the rotting smells of landfills, or getting more fresh foods into their neighborhood? on the porch is where conversations are sparked that could lead to policy change, closing landfills, or even, the drafting of something as powerful as the ‘principles of environmental justice”. also, healthy communities = healthy planet.

9. when that plastic grocery bag has 237 lives. conditioner cap, fried chicken batter bag, lunch box, bathroom trashcan liner. it’s in our DNA to be resourceful, why buy cheap single use showers caps when you can use a plastic bag before you turn it into a trash bag?

10. seeing the potential in a 98% empty toothpaste tube. there’s no such things as waste, and there’s still toothpaste in that tube. my trick? pinch the head of your tooth brush directly into the tube cap.

11. our enslaved ancestors made a meal out of pig intestines. being from a 5% household, i’ve never been into pork, but i find beauty in my ancestors’ ingenuity to turn literal shit into sugar. this is zero waste at best. globally family of the diaspora have used every part of their preferred animal. the ancient tribes of the americas who use every part of the buffalo, my carribean yardies who can cook a mean goat and save the leftover for mannish water. zero waste takes a lot of creativity, to avoid the trash can, the most convenient, yet unfortunate option.

12. when you sick, take a nap. medical care, one of the largest expenditures for the american budget. lot’s of infrastructure, products and people banking on your sickness so they can ‘cure’ you. chances are high that you can sleep off whatever is wrong with you, before you need to go to see a physician.

13. the montgomery bus boycotts. for 381 days, black commuters in montgomery, opted-out of the bus system. Considering the amount of fuel it takes to get a city to work for 381 days, black commuters help to cut fossil fuel usage and decrease particulates and carbon released into the air from the bus’ tail pipes.

14. when we take public transit. yes, contrary to #13, but public transit i still an alternative transportation option to cars. the us has the third largest vehicle per capita at 795 people out of every 1,000 people. cars reliance contributes to climate change with exhaust of particulates making the atmosphere warmer, water runoff (subsequent flooding) from asphalt (impervious) roads, maintenance and upgrades, all demanding more manufacturing, more carbon usage.

15. since we still don’t have complete road infrastructure in our countries. this is tricky, because people praise roads for their ability to offer accessibility to jobs, but it also means an increase of development, gentrification, removal of indigenous folks from land they’ve stewarded for centuries, more trash flying in to sacred places, etc…. the best way i can say this is there’s no jobs on a dead planet.

16. crafted the principles of environmental justice. in 1991 we, with our brown and yellow brothers, crafted the principles of environmental justice, during the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit, shout out to Ms. Dana Alston. the list of principles is the coldest thing i’ve ever seen written on behalf of the planet. my favorite principles?

#4 Environmental Justice calls for universal protection from nuclear testing, extraction, production and disposal of toxic/hazardous wastes and poisons and nuclear testing that threaten the fundamental right to clean air, land, water, and food.

#9 Environmental Justice protects the right of victims of environmental injustice to receive full compensation and reparations for damages as well as quality health care.

#8 Environmental Justice affirms the right of all workers to a safe and healthy work environment without being forced to choose between an unsafe livelihood and unemployment. It also affirms the right of those who work at home to be free from environmental hazards.

17. black americans stayed in the south. post reconstruction era, for those of us that took the road less traveled. we stayed in the south and maintained a connection to the land. we stewarded the land, keeping rural farms in black ownership for over 100 years while also expanded their resourcefulness (see #21 remedies) as black southerners were intentionally isolated from resources (racism). shout out to fannie lou hamer.

18. moved up north. contrary to staying in the south, folks moved up north during the great migration for ‘opportunities.’ sure, there was a lot of industrial jobs, but what’s bigger than that is the minimized lifestyle. thanks to red lining, black people were racially discriminated against and only able to live in ghettos, confined to centralized areas in the uban core, making walking to work or public transit more accessible (see #14), living quarters were smaller so know need to heat an empty house ( see #4), condensed purchasing because a lack of homes square footage and funds (see #)

19. hand me downs. yall got a shirt that made it through a whole line of cousins? yea, me too. we are in a time where american hands me downs are stifling clothing markets in african countries, so getting your big cousins bedazzled jeans aint so bad. and my soap box, never buy brand new baby clothes, like fah what!?!!

20. you got mcdonald’s money. easily one of the corporations that hate black people and the planet the most. and even though that corporation hates both black people and the earth, it exploits both. micky d’s takes our money, bombards our neighborhoods, feeds us crap and makes us look like clowns in marketing campaigns. all while contributing to obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes cases, so no, we ain’t got no mcdonald’s money.

21. home remedies and traditional african medicine. before capitalism saw an enterprise in the health of people, our ancestors were developing cures and ailments with plants found in nature;; tonics, elixirs, poultices, YOU NAME IT! some modern day remedies include; red clay and vinegar for bee stings, chickweed tea if you’re sick, mint for digestion, rubbing your skin with eucalyptus to keep mosquitoes away. onions on the bottom of your feverous feet and #12 above. a few of my favorites.

22. marooning. from north african moors to the somalian gypsies on caravans through the dessert, to the isrealites in exile from egypt to nanny in the jamaican mountains to the escaped slaves on the coasts of ecuador and columbia to the geechee folks on the gullah islands to MOVE in Philly; we are the the original off-the-griders. going into maroon communities (like many communities built after revolts and ‘making it’ north) we relied heavily on the earth for livelyhood including food and shelter, it reconnected us with the land in a very intentional way. we ain’t new to this we true to this. we’ve always been nomads, when a place doesn’t provide us with our most basic needs, we dip. this is eco-friendly for several reasons. 1. we understand the importance of living of the land, and because of that we are better stewards of the earth. 2. in maroon cases we didn’t have the infrastructure like running water, so we may have depended on natural catchment systems, 3. we likely composted food and human waste to create our own safe and sanitary waste systems.

23. black farmers. as much as we predominately run from the idea of farming, there are many black families that continue our legacy of farming. our legacy of farming didn’t start in the slave trade. matter of fact, some of us were kidnapped to american because we could grow a particular crop, like rice (which the us affectionately calls ‘carolina gold’). farmers are the most concerned citizens about the state of the planet. climate change and the human impact on agriculture could mean a food scarcity and lost of jobs. there is a growing number of young farmers filling in the intergenerational gaps between them and the elder farmers, so that we don’t loose these skills. we are grateful.

24. being financially poor. there is a positive feedback between the increase in climate change and the increase in global affluence. and that is because as more people have more disposable income, they buy more dispensable things. for instance, shoes in every color instead of one pair of functional shoes for work. with countries like India and Chile’s growing middle class, we are over-consuming for what the planet can handle. not that it’s glamorous but being poor means that you are contributing less to climate change. in fact, the countries most vulnerable to climate change make up 70% of the world’s population, but only 3.2% of the global greenhouse gas emissions.

25. historically being sea explorers, alchemist, astrologists, engineers, masons. our skill sets run deep, and many ofthem are reliant on the earth. mansa musa, the world’s richest man, used a certain sea current to carry him and his 2,000 boats to the americas. also, you remember how we built those massive three triangular monuments, that were built without any construction equipment. that are aligned with the stars and the summer solstice, when the sun reaches it’s highest point in the sky.

26. literally the entire being. essence. and inspiration. that is george washington carver. carver the great, developed techniques to prevent soil depletion caused by cotton farming. one of his most notable techniques was crop rotation a practice used by many farmers (see #23) today. he also created 200 products from the peanut plant and another 100 from the sweet potato. he wrote literature on how to start self-sufficient gardens, uses for wild plants and how to compost. he is the GOAT!

27. reusing grease for frying. every black family got a old pot of grease. if not, check your pockets for your black card. the notorious pot of grease is symbolic to so many things; 1. your family understands that nothing should be single-use, you need a handful of uses out of everything, even cooking grease. 2. your mother knows how to save a good coin. 3. there’s been several crispy dinners cooked at your house. 4. the next fried meal gonna be fiy, because the flavors from the last four fryings have marinated at the bottom of the pan.

28. midwifery. a practice we never lost through time. even, when hospital services became available to black families, some women have always preferred a midwife to deliver their babies. in this way, black midwives are helping to usher more life onto the planet; creation being the number one late of nature. their practices tend to be holistic, and that cutbacks on epidurals and disposable hospital garbs.

that’s all folks! black people are certified everywhere, you ain’t gotta check our resumes

#black history month #zero waste #environmentalism #environmentalists #environmental justice

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anakinsbugs · 4 years ago

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WordPress Vs. Wix

New Post has been published on https://walrusvideo.com/wordpress-vs-wix/

WordPress Vs. Wix

Disclosure: This content is reader-supported, which means if you click on some of our links that we may earn a commission.

WordPress outshines Wix in terms of flexibility for allowing users of all skill levels to create a more sophisticated website and customize it to their liking. Wix, on the other hand, forgoes some flexibility so beginners and non-coders without advanced needs can launch their websites in no time.

With WordPress and Wix serving different users, the final decision ultimately depends on your experience level and purpose in launching a website.

WordPress or Wix: Which is Better?

WordPress is a content management system best for those who value flexibility and versatility. It doesn’t come with great functionality right out of the box, but you can customize it through thousands of themes and plugins.

Get your website idea off the ground using WordPress’ powerful, flexible platform.

Wix is best for beginners who want to whip up a basic website that does not need advanced features. It’s an entry-level tool with an intuitive drag-and-drop editor so you can churn out a website in minutes without much technical know-how.

Create your own website today and let Wix do the heavy lifting.

A Review of The Best Website Builders

Website builders provide the tools you need to spin up basic or highly-versatile websites without touching any code. But it can be challenging to decide which website builder fits your needs if you’re clueless about what to look for.

With years of experience under my belt, I’ve learned the key differentiators you should look for when shopping for a website builder. Using

this in-depth review of the top four website builders

, you’ll be able to zero in on the best platform that will set up your website for future success. Both WordPress and Wix made it into the top four.

WordPress Wins

Full data ownership : With WordPress being open-source software, nobody is holding you by the neck. Hence, transferring from one host to another isn’t complicated. You own all your files and can take them to any hosting provider that supports WordPress.

Site transfers are facilitated by the built-in WordPress Import and Export tools, features you won’t find in Wix. In addition, Wix sites are hosted exclusively on Wix’s servers. Therefore, transferring your website files to a self-hosted WordPress requires a complex, cumbersome process.

Limitless design options : WordPress is generous to a fault when giving users the power to design their websites. Free themes are available for starters, but if you’re looking for more functionality, you can choose from over 5,000 premium third-party themes that cost anywhere between $25 and $299.

You can also hire a developer to create a custom theme with unconventional features to make your website stand out. The best part is you can easily switch from one theme to another, unlike Wix that doesn’t allow it once your site goes live.

No WordPress-sponsored ads : WordPress is free, but you need to purchase a domain name and a hosting plan for it to work. But once your website is up and running, you’re free to monetize it any way you want. Meanwhile, Wix websites are free, and most basic plans are riddled with ads you don’t control. Wix only removes these ads once you upgrade to higher premium plans.

Unmatched customizability : An open-source software, WordPress offers great flexibility right out of the box. If you’re a programmer or somebody who knows how to code, you can tweak WordPress’s underlying codes to create a website exactly as you envision it. Beginners can also customize their WordPress sites as they please.

From switching templates after the website goes live to improving site security and adding forms to blog posts, WordPress allows you to modify your site in ways that are impossible with Wix.

And even if you love Wix for its drag-and-drop builder, WordPress also offers something better with third-party page builder plugins like Elementor or Divi.

Massive selection of plugins : WordPress beats Wix for having the most number of plugins to enhance your website’s functionality. Whether you want to add a table, collect your visitors’ emails, or create a landing page, there’s always a plugin that will match your needs. There are over 55,000 free and premium plugins to choose from, so it’s easy to beef up your website without manipulating any codes.

Robust blogging platform : Even if it has evolved into a full-blown content management system, WordPress doesn’t forget its roots and continues to be the platform of choice for all things blog related. It offers the same blogging features as Wix but takes it up a notch with advanced features you’ll only find in WordPress.

These include a native commenting section so you can manage your readers’ comments without the need for additional plugins. You also have complete control over posts and pages’ visibility as you can set them to public, private, or password-protected.

The new Gutenberg editor has its flaws, but the ease of adding, dragging, and dropping different elements without the need for scrolling up or down is second to none.

Better search visibility : WordPress gives you more control, so your website is more likely to rank on search engine results. Slow website? You can improve your site’s performance by applying speed-boosting strategies.

WordPress users can also install Yoast, the world’s most popular SEO plugin. This tool helps over five million websites improve how their articles appear on search results, insert internal links, and redirect old pages to new ones, all of which help boost their rankings in the long run.

Ahrefs, a leading all-around SEO tool, once

analyzed 6.4

million websites

, and the results show that WordPress sites have higher domain authority, backlinks, and traffic than their Wix counterparts.

Scalable ecommerce functionality : WordPress lacks built-in ecommerce features, but you can easily integrate it with a powerful ecommerce solution like WooCommerce.

Used by over 40% of ecommerce sites, this plugin can help you display products, fulfill orders, receive payments in multiple currencies, and automatically calculate tax by region.

To further boost its functionality, you can also install additional WooCommerce plugins. For example, you can connect your store to a print-on-demand service that will process the orders on your behalf.

There’s also the free HubSpot for ecommerce plugin that lets you track your visitors and lead them into your sales funnel.

WordPress Losses

No phone support available : WordPress relies on its global community of volunteers. Hence, there’s no customer service hotline that you can turn to if you encounter technical hiccups.

However, over 39% of websites in the world are powered by WordPress, so whatever issue you’re dealing with, chances are you’ll find a troubleshooting guide in support forums, Slack channels, or YouTube. But having to go looking for solutions is annoying.

The cost of creating and maintaining a website varies : WordPress is free to download. However, it can’t stand on its own, so you need to pay for a domain name and a hosting plan before you can start a website.

A custom domain name starts at $10 per year, while a hosting plan can start as cheap as $2.95 a month. If your website gets a lot of traffic, you need to pay more for a hosting plan to avoid downtimes with each traffic spike.

Additional expenses include premium themes and plugins to enhance the functionality of your site. In total, you might spend anywhere between $200 to a few thousand every year.

Steep learning curve : WordPress is not the most intuitive, and it takes time to understand it. It doesn’t come with an official walkthrough, so you have to learn everything on your own.

WordPress’s Gutenberg editor, for instance, is not as intuitive as Wix’s drag-and-drop editor. It lacks the what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSWYG) framework, so you need to preview the page you’re working on to see what it will look like once published.

DIY security and maintenance : Website upkeep is not hands-off for WordPress users. The WordPress software itself rolls out updates every once in a while, and it’s your responsibility to ensure you’re using the latest version.

You also need to manually update themes and plugins to fix bugs and prevent them from affecting site performance.

As for backups and security, you can handle them yourself with the help of plugins. In exchange for fixed monthly fees, you can outsource all these to a WordPress maintenance service or choose a managed WordPress host to handle everything for you.

Wix Wins

No upfront cost : Anybody can register and create a Wix website for free. If you want more functionality and to remove the Wix ads, you can upgrade to one of the Wix website plans or the business and ecommerce plans.

Unlike WordPress, which is 100% free but comes with extra expenses, Wix’s pricing is much more straightforward.

You don’t have to estimate anything as the pricing page has all the details. The Unlimited and VIP plans, for example, cost $12.50 and $24.50 per month (billed annually), respectively. Both include a custom domain, unlimited bandwidth, free SSL certificate, and built-in analytics.

If you want more features like chatbots or event booking, you can also add Wix apps that are either free or premium with prices ranging from $3 to $20.

Effortless registration : Although the software itself is free, creating a website with WordPress requires the additional steps of domain registration and signing up to a hosting provider. With Wix, registration is as easy as signing up using your Facebook or Google account. Then, you can start building your website right away, either through the editor or with the help of an AI tool.

Intuitive drag-and-drop editor : Wix sacrifices flexibility so users can build websites fast with little to no learning curve. Beginners can easily customize their website templates with Wix’s drag-and-drop interface that lets you move things around and add as many features as you please.

Unlike WordPress’s Gutenberg editor, Wix’s operates on a what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSWYG) paradigm, so everything you see is exactly what will appear once the site goes live.

If you’re short on time, you can also let Wix’s Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI) tool automatically create a website based on your answers to a series of questions.

Wide selection of free templates : Wix offers the most free pre-made templates among all website builders. With over 500 templates to choose from, it’s easy to pick one that best aligns with your brand, whether you’re a non-profit organization, a photographer, a small business, or a school.

Each template is packed with built-in elements that you can drag and drop wherever you want. The editor also gives you the freedom to change the background image into a video, select a different color palette, change the font, and tweak other elements that matter to you.

Handpicked in-house and third-party apps : Wix’s over 250 apps are the counterpart of WordPress’s plugins that enhance a website’s functionality. WordPress plugins may outnumber Wix’s, but you have to sift through piles of clunky ones before finding what you need.

With Wix, however, quality matters more than quantity. Everything in the Wix App Market has already passed Wix’s guidelines, so you won’t have to perform a vetting process. In addition to that, all apps integrate well with Wix, so there’s no need to worry about incompatibility issues.

Multiple customer support channels : Unlike WordPress that mainly relies on its support forums, Wix employs a more personal approach to customer service.

Users can request a call-back through the Wix website so a company representative can talk to them directly. This way, they won’t have to waste time fixing the issue themselves and let a real person handle it.

If phone support is unavailable, Wix users can also reach out via email or search Wix’s online help center to find relevant articles and video tutorials.

Easy WordPress-to-Wix migration : If you jumped on the bandwagon but soon found out that WordPress lacks the simplicity you’re looking for, Wix offers an easy way out. All you need to do is enter the WordPress blog URL in Wix’s blog import tool, and with one click, your WordPress blog will be converted into a Wix blog.

With this import tool, you can choose only the blogs you want to move to Wix without building anything from scratch.

Hands-off security and maintenance : The benefit of having your website hosted in a closed ecosystem like Wix is its technical team handles all maintenance and security. This means you won’t have to lift a finger to create backups, update apps, or fix security glitches.

All updates are implemented and deployed by the in-house technical team, so you won’t even notice there’s an update taking place. In contrast, WordPress doesn’t handle any of these right out of the box, so you’re basically on your own.

Wix Losses

Pricing page lacks transparency : At first glance, Wix’s pricing page seems to show how much you’d pay for each premium plan every month. However, the prices are actually what each plan would cost if you avail of the annual subscription.

If the Unlimited plan’s monthly cost is $12.50 per month, you’ll actually pay $150 upfront. If you opt for monthly payments, the cost is significantly higher.

It wouldn’t have been an issue had Wix placed a toggle button through which users can compare the prices if billed monthly or annually. To be fair, there’s a disclaimer at the bottom saying that the prices displayed are for yearly subscriptions, but the text is so small you won’t notice it right away.

Limited flexibility : Wix may be easier to use than WordPress, but that comes at the price of flexibility.

For instance, the free templates have good enough designs for inexperienced builders but are limiting for more advanced website creators. Not to mention that you won’t be able to switch to a different template once the website goes live.

Wix is also not open-source, so programmers and other tech-savvy users won’t be able to tinker with its underlying codes. Lastly, the over 250 apps inside its App Market can enhance the site functionality, but they pale in comparison to the thousands of WordPress plugins.

Underwhelming blog features : Wix wasn’t created with bloggers in mind, so if written content is your website’s main attraction, choose WordPress instead.

Although Wix offers basic blog features like categories, tagging, cover image, and post scheduling, it lacks other vital elements like native commenting.

For readers’ comments, Wix only offers Facebook comments, which are much more vulnerable to a slew of spammers. Also, the Wix plain blog editor doesn’t have the drag-and-drop functionality of WordPress’ Gutenberg, so the formatting options are limited.

Ad-free site not available in all plans : A free Wix website comes with Wix ads and a Wix subdomain. You won’t pay for anything, but it’s not good for branding. If you already have a custom domain, you can connect it to Wix for $4.50 a month (billed annually). However, the Wix ads remain at this level. You can only get rid of the Wix-sponsored ads if you upgrade to more expensive plans.

Difficult to get out of : Wix websites are hosted in their infrastructure, so once you create a website with them, it’s stuck in their hosting for life. It also lacks the Import and Export function of WordPress, so moving your website files from Wix to WordPress is tricky.

To give you an idea, your posts will be imported in the form of RSS files, while your images will need to be transferred manually. For most users, this complex procedure is enough to discourage them from making the switch.

Inferior built-in SEO functionality : Wix is not a terrible choice if you only get direct or social media traffic on your site. But when it comes to search engine visibility, Wix lags behind WordPress.

Wix is not up to snuff from a technical SEO standpoint as it relies on Javascript to display its URLs, making them more difficult to crawl. The Javascript also leads to code bloating, resulting in slower pages.

Wix also doesn’t have the basic features to set up a website to SEO success like hreflang and AMP support. Users have limited control over redirects and are restricted from editing the site’s robots.txt and sitemap. Creating shorter URLs is also impossible, so you’ll be stuck with https://www.neilpatel.com/ post /keyword instead of the more concise and user-friendly https://www.neilpatel.com/keyword.

Comparing The Top Website Builders

Whether you’re a tech-savvy geek or a technophobe who wants to take a stab at creating websites, there’s a website builder that meets your needs. Here are my top four recommendations:

Wix

— Best for general use

Weebly

— Best for beginners

Shopify

— Best for ecommerce

WordPress

— Best for content management

In terms of Wix and WordPress, if you’re a novice who needs a leg up in creating your first website,

Wix can get you online fast

. The ease of its drag-and-drop editor is second to none, while its wide range of free templates can give you a professional-looking website without breaking the bank.

For high-traffic websites that generate income from content,

WordPress remains the best content management system

See How My Agency Can Drive Massive Amounts of Traffic to Your Website

SEO – unlock massive amounts of SEO traffic. See real results.

Content Marketing – our team creates epic content that will get shared, get links, and attract traffic.

Paid Media – effective paid strategies with clear ROI.

Book a Call

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Go to Source Author: Neil Patel

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simmyseo · 4 years ago

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Scrap Car Removal Melbourne

If your vehicle is found to be unroadworthy, then you will take the measures required to make it roadworthy once again. If it is roadworthy, you cannot sell your car to a private buyer. But selling your vehicle for cash to scrap car removal Melbourne without reinstalling it to its roadworthiness is right. It is because, for their scrap metals, a wrecker must buy, wreck and recycle the vehicle. Yeah, because the car won’t be driven on the roads and present a risk to other cars, it’s legal to sell your car with a defect notice as long as you sell it to a licensed and insured Melbourne Car Wrecker.

The other alternative is to repair the car so that it is roadworthy again. It will cost you from a few hundred to several thousands of dollars everywhere with scrap car removal Melbourne, depending on the reparations to be made. Why go through all this trouble? And there’s no guarantee the vehicle will be roadworthy to repair the problems. You will need the car checked and a roadworthy certificate released. If you fail to obtain a roadworthy certificate within 28 days of obtaining notice of defect, registration of your car will be revoked, meaning you may no longer drive the vehicle. Sell your car for cash would be the better, simpler, and smarter choice.

How Can Hassle-Free Car Removal Melbourne Help You?

If you have a car that is given notice of defect, please contact Hassle-free car removal today. We are licensed and insured Old Scrap Car Removal Melbourne buying vehicles with all marks and conditions. If your vehicle is vintage, unroadworthy, destroyed, borrowed, unwanted, junk, or ravaged by flooding, you can still get top cash for cars with us to sell it.

If you sell your car to a private buyer, then to complete the sale, you will be forced to pass the vehicle title to the buyer. But if you sell the car to an Old Scrap Car Removal Melbourne, then it’s not necessary to have the description. For more information on this, please read on.

A car title is a legal document which contains the vehicle owner’s name. It is an important record that needs to be passed on to the name of the new buyer when selling a car. But if you can’t find the label, and wonder if without it you can scrap your car for cash, then the short answer is yes.

At Hassle-free car removal, we request that each car seller have evidence of vehicle ownership. While a title is the most common document provided by sellers to create evidence, in the absence of one, then you may have old registration papers and other related paperwork.

For a vehicle owner, a scrap car may be a source of tension and anxiety. It is not roadworthy after all, so it is very pointless, only taking up valuable space in your garage. But the prospect of wasting money to have it towed to a landfill is not an enticing one either. So, what does one do in a case like this? Okay, you can still make a call to Car Removal Hire Melbourne. We pay cash for Melbourne’s Scrap Cars and will be delighted to come to your place to pick the car for free.

It means you’ll enjoy a zero-cost car sale with us, which pays instant cash. Was there any better option for getting rid of a junk car? Should sit, then? Contact us today, and we’ll give you a short quote for your car.

If you’re searching for an online Car Scratch Removal Melbourne, it’s crucial not to pick the first one that comes up in your search! Not only do you risk losing out on hundreds or even thousands of dollars in better offers, but because of the way google ads operate, the business may not even be operating in your city. It is best to take some time to test out the different businesses online before making your final decision.

Typically it can be a lot of hassle to get quotes, but most Car Scratch Removal Melbourne can provide you with ‘Instant Quotes’ over the phone or online. How would they make you a bid without looking in person in your car? You give their car by measuring their bid based on a complete description. This makes gathering offers quick and comparing who can give you the most for your car.

A true Car Removal service such as Hassle-free car removal Melbourne would have a completely free service. It’s important to explain exactly what you’re going to get into with a Car Removal service – the process of removing a car should be free from surprises. You can also ensure that the undertaking is completely approved, which you may do by requesting to see. An authentic Melbourne Auto Wrecker would gladly supply you with that.

Scrap car removal is essentially a tiring job, but you people don’t need to think about it. Since many businesses are providing these programs and making the work easier, they hire qualified staff members from these firms. Also, they’re fitted with the latest facilities.

In reality, this means removing unused, old and junk cars to make way for new ones. It lets you avoid vehicles or cars that may not be in good shape, or that may have some damaged parts.

These leaders are, therefore, qualified professionals. They know how to extract the car and drive it toward disposal yards securely.

Getting support from car removal saves you a lot of time.

Much as a Car Scratch Removal Melbourne would claim to be the best thing since toast creation, nothing can help you gauge the standard of a company as the ratings and feedback of its customers. When customers say positive things about a company, then they are far more likely to provide you with the high-quality Car Removal service you are looking for.

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knightavery · 4 years ago

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saip insurance

BEST ANSWER: Try this site where you can compare quotes from different companies :quotesdeal.net

saip insurance

saip insurance can be extremely expensive. With no coverage, it can be expensive to protect your own finances in case of the sudden loss of an important person. If you live in one of the many counties, you can check local counties by entering your zip code into the free tool on this page to see your local area and what is covered by car insurance. The cost of car insurance depends on several variables, such as your driving record, miles driven each year, and your zip code. However, there are that don’t have the cheapest rates. Here are some of the most expensive counties in Louisiana, along with average rates . When comparing the cheapest and most affordable insurers, the difference between these values is significant. is a reliable auto insurance provider that offers all of the coverage in Iowa below. The cheapest insurance provider in the state of Louisiana is USAA, which charges an average annual rate of $543. A full coverage option is a minimum coverage option. The. saip insurance program. This insurance program offers low monthly payments for car insurance coverage. The company also plans to extend the coverage to vehicles less than five years old at the same insurance company. If the company becomes insolvent, it is possible for an auto liability claim to break out as a claim against the company that is making the policy offer for less money than the auto policy is paying for. If you are a high risk driver, you may want to consider one of these more reputable providers for car insurance. You need to be aware of the difference between liability coverage and liability insurance with each and to keep them in the same company. You should also look into getting an . Although these are similar in every way, they can provide great savings for policyholders to add to the insurance policy. For a full breakdown of why it is important to add additional coverage to an insurance plan, the below links will give you a quick overview. You may be wondering: How do I start this process? There is no time. saip insurance for personal and family use. In some states, this option is available only to those owners of recreational vehicles, and in others, it can be replaced by a vehicle used to ride on public roads or at bike-share meetings. The insurer will not pay for its cost-sharing, so you may be better off simply purchasing car insurance from an insurance company. The first step to a better insurance experience is to get a quote from multiple insurance companies. You and your agent should do this in conjunction with your quote. Your agent will be able to give you a quote that reflects exactly what you would pay with any other auto insurance coverage. If you do not need to obtain quotes in a single sitting, we can help. By serving you with the best customer service, it makes them feel smarter about all that they do. As we have been for more than 150 years and have been part of many, many different organizations, it has made us more honest to our clients about who they are and who they.

What is the dollar-a-day insurance program?

What is the dollar-a-day insurance program? The question of whether or not an insurance company is covered varies greatly from company to company. One important variable to take into consideration when choosing a plan is to compare how much it would cost to insure your motorhome. When choosing a motorhome insurance plan, the most important consideration that you face as you will most benefit is the fact that there will often be a higher amount of vehicle ownership of your vehicle and less income you lose as you drive. When the accident occurs, coverage for you will increase in the event you re forced to drive it with zero insurance because you can t drive it with no insurance. If you re unsure about when your insurance might go up, think about the number of years (i.e., 10 years) in which your car is being held as a personal . There is a reason why that is such the best idea. You may have a claim, but you’ll also have to pay for something out of your pocket. However, the cost of insurance varies depending.

Insurance types

Insurance types: Life insurance for veterans. The life insurance policy we offer protects one or more people if they pass away before the age of 65. If you are a military member, your family won’t let you off the hook. Because life insurance is a form of protection against your death, you can always get insurance. There are certain times when you don’t need your life insurance. For example, the early years of retirement are the only years in which an insurance company doesn’t provide insurance to anyone. That’ll keep you out of trouble, however, as you won’t be around a long time. You may even need your life insurance policy to protect something completely. For example: If your spouse passes away and you were the owner of your home and all that wealth, you may not be able to financially support themselves. You may also choose to purchase a life insurance policy to pay off debts, or even fund a small charitable effort. The life insurance.

How can I get Dollar A Day insurance?

How can I get Dollar A Day insurance? Dollar A Day car insurance is a type of auto insurance that allows drivers to drive a car that a company will insure in person for a short time without needing a fee or any driving violations. Dollar A Day car insurance is similar to auto insurance, except it allows one driver’s car to be insured for a short time, but its purpose is to allow drivers to live out their days without needing to buy a special insurance policy. Dollar A Day car insurance, which also applies to motorcycles, is sold by the same insurance partners. There are also other factors that influence a price and insurance policy, like the age of a car’s owner and who’s driving it. Dollar A Day car insurance is the latest in a variety of insurance partners and is available only in a few states. Dollar A Day car insurance, when purchased in person, also has a short time guarantee. This means it’s much different for a driver than a year younger. A short time guaranteed minimum.

Cost of dollar-a-day car insurance in New Jersey

Cost of dollar-a-day car insurance in New Jersey, not including the standard $1,000 deductible. So, what does this mean car insurance? Well, the average car insurance policy is an increase in premium based on miles driven every year. So, what does this mean? Well, this means that you have to insurance for a specific reason, such as being a new married, having a DUI, or having a move. These are just a few of the reasons for which you’ll want to make the biggest difference against you for your car insurance. The only way to ensure that the price paid for car insurance is the same over and over is to do this over the phone or . You’ll also want to try out some free online car insurance calculators to get you started. If the cost is not enough to pay for the premium, an independent will help you make some choices about the best provider. A few factors affect the amount of car insurance quotes you get, like.

How to get dollar-a-day insurance in New Jersey

How to get dollar-a-day insurance in New Jersey: There’s no doubt about the benefits of getting affordable car insurance in NJ as a driver in the state of New Jersey. The reasons for this, however, differ based on who is the highest-paid in New Jersey, according to an .* One of the reasons here is that do not have their own car insurance, thus contributing to the state’s higher insurance rates. The high unemployment rate among this population helps to drive overall insurance costs down. The average yearly paid by New Jersey residents is $1,101, according to the report. * All figures based on 2015 data. Many small average pay rates on a monthly basis. If you want to get the cheapest rate, it’s time to look at The bottom line is that, with the help of insurance and financial resources, it’s possible to make the leap to the top 100,000 car insurance savings How to compare New Jersey car.

Low-Income Car Insurance

Low-Income Car Insurance Options. The plan will cover you for: Tobacco use Unemployment/under-40 hours Tobacco use related accident-related lapses If this isn’t a good idea, you can still put your name and coverage number on your policy, especially if you quit smoking during a policy. If you’re a youth driver and want a policy that doesn’t require a medical exam, this coverage won’t be an option. Check out our step-by-step guide to getting car insurance quotes for teens using this coverage: Getting a While not a major medical issue, teens can sometimes take a hard time qualifying for a good student discount, particularly if they recently graduated from college. If your teenage son is insured up to your policy limits, this could be an option. The downside is that you’ve probably never heard of or seen a policy that’s that hard.

Dollar A Day insurance provides limited medical coverage

Dollar A Day insurance provides limited medical coverage for any accident at your own expense, and you can add a few add-on options to your policy. You can get basic coverage of $10,000 for bodily injury liability, $10,000 to pay for property damage liability, $15,000 for legal costs if an uninsured motorist causes a motor vehicle accident and $50,000 to pay if a defendant submits a liability insurance claim. The most basic car insurance will cover any vehicle you possess as long as you don t use it to perform your job for purposes other than providing an hour a day. This type of car insurance is available with limits varying from $5,000 – $25,000. It also includes coverage for bodily injury, property damage, personal injury protection, uninsured/underinsured motorist, roadside assistance and rental collision coverage. You can get the maximum you can pay for your auto insurance policy. Most auto insurance companies offer a 10% policy discount on your monthly premium. You can also select a higher.

Who should get dollar-a-day insurance

Who should get dollar-a-day insurance because it’s affordable and has benefits other companies do not offer? If you can avoid car accidents and get a car quote online, you can get coverage for a whole-life or term-of-service policy. There is no single way to get car insurance, but if you think you can save money on your policy, think again. If you have a gap policy and need to add an additional rider to your existing policy, think about getting your own policy. This type of insurance helps cover an insurance gap through your vehicle(s) while you still driving. Many insurance companies provide . To make it easier for you to shop for car insurance, we’ve put together a few articles and resources to help you get started. These include: You’re a few minutes away from great car insurance If you’re not aware of any life insurance company you can’t trust, go ahead and find it out. If you’re still having trouble getting coverage.

Best car insurance in New Jersey 2020

Best car insurance in New Jersey 2020-2020 . The auto insurance rate is dependent on your own information. If you re looking for the highest quality car insurance in the state of New Jersey, you should take a look at the and the . The insurer is highly influential when it comes to finding the best car insurance for the best price. This state of affairs is most common in the Southern part of the state, particularly during the years when most companies seek customers with . In the fall and winter quarters, rates are especially expensive. Since there s no electricity during the winter, a lack of water makes it less favorable for snow. If you are ever in a natural disaster, like a tornado, hurricane and/or other weather-related threat, it would be smart to have coverage that s specifically designed to insure your vehicle during the heavy snowfall that comes along with freezing temperatures. It is very possible to find this out when buying auto insurance, and if you are willing to do your homework, get quotes from several companies when.

Dollar A Day insurance does not cover property damage

Dollar A Day insurance does not cover property damage caused by an uninsured driver. There are also no rules about how close the car is to foreclosure for an auto loan or lease. This insurance will pay you back up front if you get into an accident that costs damage or loss. Coverage typically costs a few thousand dollars per year. Some insurers wonât pay for more than the first couple of years of a policy, so itâs a good idea to have more than the minimum coverage. If youâve been involved in an accident as an uninsured motorist, there are some guidelines you can be aware of. Even in states where this insurance cover isnât required, your carrier will cover you if youâre at fault. There are policies out there with , and . Many insurers require you on their insurance policies for the years after the accident occurs or until you re able to show proof that youâ.

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doomjournal · 4 years ago

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Sunshine, on a Cloudy Day

It’s 5:30 in the morning as I type this, and I’ve been awake for about two hours. I got to sleep around 1 AM, so I am not feeling phenomenal. I don’t feel sad though, which is a plus. I’m back to that comfortable numbness, which is never fun, but I’ll take it over overwhelming hopelessness. I guess the way to put it is that I believe things can get better, I just think they’re awful right now. I have a blanket on my lap and a dog at my feet though, so I suppose they could be worse.

While the hopelessness is gone, I think I should still try to express and release some worries about the future. Honestly when I started this entry, the title was mostly about how I’m feeling better, but this isn’t so much about the stuff that makes me feel better, this is about the scary stuff in the world. So let’s talk about the end of the human race.

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Even though there are other important factors, it’s hard to compete with the west coast fire season as an demonstration of the awful power of climate change, and more importantly, the fact that even the powerful cannot completely escape its horrifying consequences. Hurricanes ravage the gulf, and more personally, freak storms tear a swathe through my erstwhile home, destroying a food crop that feels increasingly insecure. That I have not experienced famine does not remove it from my mind as a fear.

What really frightens me about climate change, however, is that it is an inflection point that has no real basis. The rise of fascism is terrifying, but ultimately familiar. I can look to history, to the dozens of examples it provides, and take solace at least in the predictability of things going as they go. Climate change does not afford me that same comfort. I do not even understand the science well enough to be certain I know what the doom will look like, but I am confident it will involve some combination of choking death and widespread crop failure and famine, which is an awful way to die, and a concept that makes me unsure about my longest-held goal, to be a father.

How can it be love to bring a helpless and hapless life into a world you believe to be doomed? The speed of our ecosystem’s collapse seems to be accelerating, I have not even the confidence that the death will be my children’s after I am gone, I expect to share it with them. Perhaps that is better than to allow death to spare me the consequences of my actions, as my parent’s generation seems determined to do. (note: not my parents in specific, hello mom, I love you)

The spark of hope I have to cling to is a belief in the almost supernatural ability of humanity to invent our way out of a tight spot. I don’t know that it’s possible that we can return Earth to the state it was in before I was born, but we might be able to mitigate or prevent any further damage, to amputate the injury before the gangrene reaches the torso. Let us assume that such a thing is possible, that some technology could exist that will allow us to turn back the clock. It seems to me that there are a few potential scenarios based on this:

1.) We simply don’t try.

Any operation on this scale would require a mobilization of a scale comparable only to global war. This will not be a pill or bomb developed by fifty scientists, detonated, and a job well done. I have seen a concept for a solar shield, essentially sunglasses for the Earth, that seems the closest to this, but to manufacture, assemble, and launch something of that size would be a titanic effort, and necessarily involve a great number of people, nations, and a truly staggering cost. This last seems the largest stumbling block. We live in a capitalist economy, and as such, the scales will always be tilted in the favor of a few wealthy sociopaths who operate in the mode that economists presume all people do, that they respond nearly exclusively to economic incentives. Saving the planet will never be the money-making choice. You cannot sell an undamaged atmosphere. You cannot exploit the absence of famine. So long as the largest economy in the world remains deeply committed to subservience to these sociopaths, no meaningful progress can be made, because they possess too large a share of our collective resources, and they are not interested in sharing. Bill Gates pledged to give away his fortune in 2010. Since then he has nearly doubled his net worth. Philanthropy is nothing but a PR expenditure, an attempt to stave off the guillotines that rightfully should already have been erected.

Up to this point I have even ignored the fact that a massive part of the US political system has bet and doubled down on the idea that they will be dead before global warming impacts them personally. I do not grant them the moral shield of ignorance, they have been given far too many chances already. I do not believe in hell, but these people, who have constructed climate denial as a cultural issue... They force a test of my ability to love humans for their God-given humanity that I have not been able to succeed. I hate them. I understand the appeal of hell, because it would give a sense that eventually they would suffer the consequences of their actions in the hereafter, as I do not believe they will here on Earth. Upton Sinclair wrote that “It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it!” Writ large, killing my children and most likely killing me helps a few maintaining power, so I believe that it is unlikely that we will actually do anything about the disaster. We will see a smooth transition from “Climate change is a hoax” to “Nothing can be done”, and the octogenarians responsible will simply die rather than face any consequences.

2.) We act too late for most.

It is a patently true fact that the United States is directly responsible for “illegal” immigration. We plundered the Americas, deposed democratically elected governments in favor of dictatorships, and contributed disproportionately to climate change. What is left for the poor in countries like Guatemala? Increasing temperatures are causing crop failures, and they reasonably cannot hope for their government to be responsive, or if they can, to have the resources necessary to save them. So they flee, hoping to find salvation elsewhere. It is reasonable to think that all that wealth must have gone somewhere. Thus they are some of the first climate refugees, but they will not be the last. If my hypothetical climate Manhattan Project was finished today, we would still see repercussions for decades. It is possible that the conclusion of the American populace is not to stick to their guns and refuse to admit that the climate hangman exists until the noose is around our collective necks, but instead to act. I suppose it is not selfish to prefer this over my first scenario, but the spectre of ecofascism looms large. A racist, nationalist, angry populace may decide that the world would be more sustainable if there weren’t so many Others. In some ways this is already starting at our southern border, all it takes is a bit of specific spin. It is even possible that ecofascism could generate a solution, or buy us enough time to find one. This would be at a horrific cost, a final price paid in blood by the global south for the sins of the north. Barring unrelated disaster, I will be relatively well off in a temperate area of the United States, and I will be white. This scenario may allow me to dodge the consequences of climate change, but I do not know if I could live in that world, even if I had no ability to stop it.

3.) We act, and have not delayed too long.

This scenario seems unlikely, as it relies not only on the ruling class either being deposed or convinced that their best shot is saving the world rather than trying to ride out the apocalypse in bunkers, but also the defeat and/or conversion of a substantial part of the populace to a more empathetic way of looking at the world. Any solution is basically guaranteed to involve drastic changes to our way of life at this point. The end of the suburbs, of meat-eating, private ownership of cars, possibly even resettling entire cities. I doubt that Phoenix will exist in fifty years in the same way it does now, regardless of scenario.

All of this assumes there is a way out to find, and that we will find it. To explain why we have not detected any traces of intelligent life in the galaxy, some have hypothesized a concept called the Great Filter. That there is some common biological process or self-destructive phase that life goes through, that prevents it from moving into the stars. In my youth I always assumed that this was mistaken, that one of the many other reasonable explanations made more sense. I didn’t believe that the world was coming to an end. I still don’t know if the Great Filter makes sense for its stated purpose, but I cannot help but begin to believe that survival until we are a mutiplanetary or interstellar society is a pipe dream at best. I wonder how the so-called “futurists” like Elon Musk can convince themselves that ensuring the future of humanity means traveling to Mars. There is zero chance that an un-checked climate crisis will give us the time needed for a self-sustaining Mars colony, so every penny spent on manned space flight would pay much greater dividends invested here, terraforming our planet instead.

I would love to end on a hope spot, but I don’t know that there is hope to be found, save for this: I am already doing essentially everything possible for someone in my position in life to do towards preventing disaster. I bear no individual blame, and do not have to shoulder this burden. All I can do is minister to those I can reach.

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mcccleaningomaha-blog · 4 years ago

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Best Parking Lot Snow Removal Services and Cost in Omaha NE | MCC Cleaning Omaha

More information: http://www.greencleaningomaha.com/parking-lot-snow-removal2.html

Parking Lot snow removal services near Omaha NE: Looking for Parking Lot snow removal services near Omaha NE? MCC Cleaning Omaha, we have a proactive real-time approach to parking lot snow removal. During a snowstorm, we monitor the weather and our team is ready 24/7 to manage whatever weather event hits the area. Cost? Free estimates! Send us a message or call us today. Best Parking Lot Snow removal Services around Omaha NE. Parking Lot Snow Removal specialized snow removal service, If you want to limit your liability and keep customers and employees safe, it is critical to work with the dependable Omaha NE Parking Lot Snow Removal. We serve Omaha NE and other areas. Get a Free Quote Now!

PARKING LOT SNOW REMOVAL SERVICES OMAHA NE

OMAHA PARKING LOT SNOW REMOVAL

Parking Lot Snow Removal

Parking Lot snow removal services near Omaha NE: If you own or operate a business, ignoring snow in your parking lot can lead to slip and fall injuries or auto accidents. Premise liability makes property owners responsible for ensuring the safety of those who enter their property. If you want to limit your liability and keep customers and employees safe, it is critical to work with the dependable Omaha NE Parking Lot Snow Removal Experts at MCC Cleaning Omaha.

At MCC Cleaning Omaha, we have a proactive real-time approach to parking lot snow removal. During a snowstorm, we monitor the weather and our team is ready 24/7 to manage whatever weather event hits the area. We work tirelessly around the clock to ensure that we keep businesses snow and ice free.

Parking Lot Snow Removal Service

Parking Lot snow removal services near Omaha NE: We pride ourselves in being able to provide snow removal services for corporate office buildings, medical facilities, shopping centers, restaurants, industrial properties, and any other type of commercial property in Omaha NE.

Parking is a huge commodity in Omaha NE, so piling snow in gigantic mounds taking up large sections of valuable parking is not an option. MCC Cleaning Omaha utilizes a full fleet of trucks, commercial-grade snow plows, salters, tractors, loaders and heavy equipment for plowing, hauling, and the removal and relocation of snow.

Some of the commercial snow removal methods we use help prevent & melt snow and ice:

● Rock Salt (Sodium Chloride). Rock Salt is the go-to sidewalk and parking lot deicer. MCC Cleaning Omaha has tons of rock salt at our disposal and a fleet of trucks available 24/7 to distribute it.

● Calcium & Potassium Chloride is safe for plants & animals and better at controlling ice that Rock Salt at extremely low temperatures.

● Applying Liquid Deicers prior to severe weather is an effective preventative measure that MCC Cleaning Omaha relies on. Liquid deicers essentially create a barrier between pavement and ice, making ice removal simple.

● Magic Salt is pre-wetted with Magic minus Zero. This salt is a combination of magnesium chloride and a by-product of distilling. Magic Salt was designed to be safe for the environment and is also safe for parking lots, sidewalks, grass & pets.

● We have snow melting equipment available that can be used to melt up to 20 dump trucks full of snow per hour!

● We monitor the weather 24/7. We use advanced prediction models and software to precisely time and forecast weather events that impact Omaha NE. Our fleet of equipment and over 250 full time and seasonal employees are prepared to mobilize promptly.

Omaha’s Parking Lot Snow Removal Leader

Parking Lot snow removal services near Omaha NE: Collaborating with the right parking lot snow removal contractor can save time, limit exposure to claims, and control costs season over season. MCC Cleaning Omaha can successfully maintain your commercial property leaving you more time to manage the internal affairs of your property. Our expertise allows us to offer site-specific services tailored to the needs of your business.

We have proudly forged lasting relationships with over 100 satisfied customers, overseeing 500+ locations, and we would appreciate the opportunity to be your Snow and Ice Management Company.

Trusted by Our Clients for Snow Removal

We can’t share all of our clients’ names with you, but we can tell you we remove snow for businesses, movie theaters, hospitals, townships, and government agencies. What other commercial snow removal company in the area is trusted by such a broad range of clients?

It is not just that we work for names you already trust. It is that we get the opportunity to service their needs year over year. They know when they hire the MCC Cleaning Omaha team, night or day, we will be there to keep people safe.

A Tailored Snow Removal Approach

We quote jobs tailored to your needs. Do you need a snow removal company that can provide an always clean, zero-tolerance approach to snow removal on your property? Many of our clients need this option. Do you need basic service to plow snow when a winter storm hits? Our Omaha NE team can handle that too. At MCC Cleaning Omaha, we ensure you get the best pricing we can give you by matching your service level to your needs.

Our Broad Experience

It is not just our snow removal experience that makes a difference. At MCC Cleaning Omaha, we also handle landscaping, home building, and support other snow removal companies with salt and supplies.Our experience in landscaping is probably the most important to you. We know how proper landscaping affects the safety of your property in the winter. From proper drainage to where to put the snow; we want to keep people safe as they visit your property.

We also know how snow removal can affect your landscaping. When snow removal is done poorly, your landscaping can get ruined. Our Omaha NE commercial snow removal team will plan your snow removal in a way that keeps the protection of your landscaping in mind.

Specialty Ice Removal

Parking Lot snow removal services near Omaha NE: Anyone can dump a ton of salt on your lot, but that salt can damage driveways, parking lots, walkways, grass, and landscaping. Even when it comes to ice, you should expect a tailored solution from your snow removal company. At MCC Cleaning Omaha, we work at protecting the environment by only using the salt needed to get the job done. It’s vital to avoid dumping salt you don’t need. Our team also has in their tool box different kinds of salts that are less corrosive to both concrete and steel.

Using the right deicing material for specific weather conditions can make all the difference in the world. Make sure you make your concrete and asphalt surfaces last longer by having us use the best deicing product for your needs.

Advanced Use of Technology

Parking Lot snow removal services near Omaha NE: We use the latest technology to ensure our team is doing what is best for your property any time of the night or day. Our team is equipped with:

● A snow and ice removal plan at their fingertips made just for you

● Tracking tools so we can communicate their progress to you if needed

● Documentation tools so we can protect you from frivolous lawsuits

● The right tools to get on and off your site as quickly as possible

It all adds up to mean that MCC Cleaning Omaha is the best Snow Removal company in the Omaha NE area. We are ready to serve you and the community. It’s important to us that you and the people on your property are safe throughout the winter and we are grateful for the chance to serve your needs.

HOW MUCH PARKING LOT STORM CLEANUP REALLY COSTS

Snow removal is a necessary part of home ownership. And, in some cases, you may be able to tackle the job yourself. But depending on the size and scope of your property, it might make more sense to hire a professional.

The three most common methods of snow removal are shoveling, plowing and snow blowing. To help you decide which is best for your home, we've broken down the costs and benefits for each option.

Shoveling

If you're physically capable and have the time, you can remove snow from your walkways and driveway the old-fashioned way: Shoveling. Keep in mind that if you go with this method, you run the risk of slipping, straining your back or otherwise injuring yourself. If you're dealing with a larger area that needs significant snow removal, the time it would take for you to shovel may outweigh the cost of hiring someone else for the job.

Make sure to discuss the specific areas you want cleared before negotiating a contract. Most snow removal contractors will shovel walkways as a part of their services. Always work with an insured snow removal contractor so that you're not held liable if one of their workers is injured while working on your property.

According to Home Advisor's True Cost Guide, most professionals charge between $25 and $75 per hour to shovel snow. Naturally, the length of time it takes to complete the job will depend on the size of the area being cleared and the condition of the snow.

Snow Blowing

For larger properties where shoveling wouldn't be practical, using a snow blower is an efficient choice for snow removal. Operating a snow blower requires significant physical effort. If you're not able to safely guide and maneuver the machine, it's best to hire an experienced professional.

According to Home Advisor's True Cost Guide, most professionals who use a snow blower or thrower charge between $25 and $75 per hour.

Plowing

For large scale snow removal, hiring a plowing company is often the best choice. An experienced snow plowing company can clear your driveway safely, efficiently and without causing damage to the pavement.

According to Home Advisor's True Cost Guide, plowing typically runs between $30 and $95 per visit. You can also hire a company on a seasonal basis for $350 to $450 with a maximum limit of visits per season.

Heated Driveways and Walkways

If you never want to plow or shovel again, you could always opt for a heated driveway. With this option, you simply turn on the heat and the snow melts away.

Installing a heated driveway requires removing and putting in new asphalt or concrete. According to Home Advisor's True Cost Guide, the average heated driveway costs between $12 and $21 per square foot.

For sidewalks, walkways and porches, heating pads may be an option for melting the snow. These lay directly on the sidewalk and walkways and, according to Home Advisor's True Cost Guide, typically run between $100 and $450.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Who is responsible for snow removal in parking lots?

All parking lots are the responsibility of the property owner. This includes parking lots owned by the school boards, hospital and other businesses. City owned parking lots are done under contract.

Does MCC Cleaning Omaha handle my snow removal?

MCC Cleaning Omaha does not handle all of the snow removal for all of the properties we manage. Depending on where you live, the snow removal process will differ. This is due to us managing properties for other owners and for certain rules/regulations.

● Apartments

● Based on some owners’ choices, another vendor may handle your snow removal and not us.

● Single Family Homes

● Single family homes are in charge of their own snow removal.

What does snow removal include?

● In preparation for the snow, we may treat areas to help the removal process

● If we handle your snow removal, if the snow is under 2 inches it will not be plowed (this is common amongst most snow vendors)

● Depending on where you live, you may or may not have salting included with the snow removal

● We work overtime and long hours to constantly be plowing.

Do you work with the City on their plowing?

No. The snow removal process is very complicated and it would be impossible for the City to work with every vendor. This means, once we are finished plowing, the city may come and plow over what we have done causing people to be trapped. We have no control over the city unfortunately.

Why can’t you plow right when I call?

Every snow situation is different and we have to prepare for that. We must adhere to a carefully laid out system for clearing the driveways/parking lots. If we allowed our plows to be diverted each time a special request was made, our system would be destroyed and it would take far longer to get all the snow cleared. To keep our snow removal operations as effective and efficient as possible, plows are not permitted to deviate from their assigned routes. FYI – Our routes are on rotate for each snow so the order of the properties change each time.

Can you tell me exactly when my parking lot will be plowed?

As weather conditions change we often must alter our snow-fighting strategy in the midst of the snow removal operations in order to control drifting snow, ice or other special problems. We cannot give you an estimate of when it will be cleared due to ever-changing weather conditions.

Why didn’t you plow next to my car?

When cars are in the streets/parking lots, we cannot get within 2-3 feet of them due to safety/insurance reasons. Since we cannot move the cars, we have to plow around them and so snow will be piled due to the lack of locations we can put it.

Why do you sometimes salt instead of plow, or plow instead of salt?

Different types of storms require the use of different snow-fighting techniques. The decision whether to salt or plow depends upon the expected weather conditions. For example, if the temperature is below 20 degrees and not expected to rise, salt will not be effective. But if the sun is shining and the temperature is 20 degrees or more and expected to remain steady or rise, then salt would be more effective. The decision whether to plow or salt is made with great consideration and based on the latest weather information available.

During severe weather conditions we advise limiting your travel or staying off the roads entirely if possible. Listen to television and radio bulletins about road conditions. Remember that we are doing our best to get to you as soon as possible. Please understand that we care about our properties and tenants and we work around the clock (literally) to remove as much as quickly as possible.

CALL FOR US:

● How To Measure A Parking Lot Near Omaha NE

● Snow Removal Prices

● Commercial Snow Plowing Rates

● Snow Removal Estimate Template

● How Do You Charge For Snow Plowing

● Snow Plow Cost Omaha NE

● How Much To Charge For Shoveling Sidewalk

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● Snow Removal Cost Report

● Bobcat Snow Removal Prices Omaha NE

● How Much To Charge For Snow Plowing Driveways

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● Snow Removal Calculator

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● Parking Lot snow removal services near Omaha NE

BEST PARKING LOT SNOW REMOVAL SERVICES IN OMAHA NE

MCC CLEANING OMAHA

REQUEST MORE INFORMATION. CONTACT US NOW!

#office building snowremoval mcccleaning omaha cleaningservices junkremoval Junk removals

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cabiba · 7 years ago

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The EU is a deeply undemocratic institution enforcing austerity and privatisation on its member states. In what strange world is this a progressive institution?

The EU is now, more than ever, defined by its fanatical commitment to the rule of market forces, privatisation and the rolling back of the power of national governments. This ideology of neoliberalism explains the EU’s enthusiasm for the politics of austerity, which it has imposed throughout the continent as a response to the global financial crisis.

But, just as austerity has failed in the UK, it has failed throughout the EU. Twenty-three million are unemployed thanks to EU-driven austerity. Living standards have collapsed thanks to EU-driven austerity. Far-right groups have gained strength thanks to EU-driven austerity. Renewed tensions have emerged between nation states thanks to EU-driven austerity. Public services have been decimated thanks to EU-driven austerity.

When economies crashed, the EU’s answer was to impose more crippling austerity as part of any bailout condition. This served only to generate deeper impoverishment and social tensions.

The EU’s commitment to neoliberalism means its laws are designed to encourage private enterprise at the expense of public ownership. As a result, we have seen an accelerating transfer of ownership and control of industry from elected governments to big corporations.

Trade unionists and socialists make key demands over public ownership. But many of these demands would actually be prohibited under EU law. So, for example, renationalising the railways is forbidden, as EU law compels member states to open up their railway systems to the market.

And the controversial Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) deal, which would open up public services, including the NHS, to wholesale privatisation, should be reason enough for anyone who cares about these things to support a Leave vote.

The recent Tata steel crisis threw into sharp relief the pernicious effects of EU law on ownership. Understandably, many trade union leaders and some Labour MPs demanded the government nationalise the Port Talbot steelworks. But missing from their demands was any recognition that such a move would undoubtedly have breached EU law, which prohibits member states from using public money to rescue failing steelmakers. EU competition rules dictate that these things must be left to market forces instead.

Indeed, earlier this year, the EU took punitive action against the Belgian and Italian governments after they used public funds in an attempt to rescue steelmakers in trouble.

That’s why we shouldn’t get too excited about the recent decision by the UK government to take some control in Tata. First, the government isn’t nationalising Tata; it is taking a mere 25% stake. Second, even this limited step is likely to fall foul of EU law. However, it is questionable as to whether, against the backdrop of the referendum, the EU will intervene at this stage to block it. As the Guardian’s respected economics editor, Larry Elliott, perceptively pointed out: ‘Is Brussels really going to kibosh the government’s rescue plan if the consequence is that Europe gets the blame and the referendum is lost? It will see the bigger picture.’

It is therefore probable that in the case of the government’s intervention on steel the EU will, for reasons of expediency, choose to look the other way for a few weeks.

But we should be in no doubt at all that EU law is ultimately framed to benefit the privateers and to discourage public ownership of industry, even in cases where entire communities and thousands of jobs are at risk.

Trade unionists and socialists stand for investment in industry as a means to achieving full employment and economic growth. Investment is particularly important in tough times, as it stimulates economic activity, increases tax revenues and aids recovery. Austerity does the precise opposite.

After the global financial crisis struck almost a decade ago, EU-driven austerity prevented many countries escaping recession. Crucially, EU rules, under the Stability and Growth Pact, prohibit any member state from running a budget deficit of more than three per cent of GDP. This means that any government wishing to borrow to invest as a means to boost the economy faces rigid constraints. This, in turn, means that recessions and austerity are prolonged. The doctrines of John Maynard Keynes, which for so long after the Second World War provided the foundation of economic policy for left of centre governments, are effectively illegal inside the EU.

One of the primary arguments deployed by some on the Left against withdrawal from the EU, is the danger of what is termed a ‘Right-led exit’ – meaning a withdrawal undertaken on the terms of Tory right-wingers and Ukip. But this argument is flawed, because it appears to completely discount the fact that the Remain campaign itself is dominated by the political Right. Just consider, David Cameron, George Osborne, the Tory government, the CBI, the IMF, the Bank of England, the wider banking industry and big corporations are all fighting desperately to remain inside the EU. They do so in the knowledge that a ‘remain’ vote would settle the issue for at least another generation, and with the consequence that for all that time we would be locked into an institution that is explicitly pro-neoliberal and anti-socialist. Add to that the restrictions of EU law that would constrain any incoming Labour government, and with the EU heading in an ever-more anti-democratic direction, it is obvious that a ‘Right-led Remain’ poses a much greater threat to workers than any ‘Right-led Brexit’.

There is also a view among some on the Left, particularly in the trade unions, that while the EU’s enthusiasm for neoliberalism and austerity is an inescapable truth, our interests are best served by staying inside it because it has delivered some rights for workers. They claim that these rights would be threatened by a withdrawal from the EU.

In truth, the picture is far more complex than that. Many of the main planks of workplace legislation giving benefits to UK workers – such as on health and safety, equal pay, the minimum wage and trade union recognition – were won through the UK parliament as a result of trade union campaigning. They had little or nothing to do with the EU.

Even today, the broad sweep of workplace law - such as on pay, terms and conditions, dismissal, industrial relations and disputes - remains completely outside the remit of the EU. (This is why, for example, the Tory government is able to push the Trade Union Bill - the biggest assault on workers in a generation - through parliament without any opposition whatsoever from the EU.)

The image of the EU as some great protector of workers is hard to reconcile when considering that, in keeping with its neoliberal objectives, it promotes zero-hours contracts under flexible labour market rules and deliberately weakened collective bargaining arrangements in the bailout countries. And let’s not forget that the most fundamental workers’ right of all – the right to work – has been denied to millions as a direct result of austerity-induced mass unemployment.

Worryingly, in two landmark legal cases – Viking and Laval – the European Court of Justice ruled that collective action by a trade union could be deemed illegal if it is taken to prevent an employer setting-up in, or posting workers to, another member state, for example in an attempt to pay cheaper wages.

And while as trade unionists we must oppose attacks on immigrants, we must also recognise that the EU’s policy of open borders has given rise to an explosion of cheap labour and contributed to the undercutting of wages (a reason why the policy enjoys the support of big business), caused real social tensions, placed public services under pressure, and fuelled the rise of far-right groups. The truth is that unrestricted movement of labour has the capacity to cause social and economic disruption just as much as the unrestricted movement of capital. None of this is to blame immigrants personally. Nor it is to absolve governments or unscrupulous employers for their actions. It is simply to recognise the reality that EU-driven mass migration has impacted on the lives of workers in a real and tangible way.

In the final analysis, any perceived benefits of EU membership in terms of workers’ rights must be set within the context of the huge setbacks suffered by workers as a result of EU-inspired austerity.

Ultimately, it is a question of what the EU is defined by. Is it defined by its support for trade unions and workers’ rights? Or is it defined by its zeal for neoliberalism, austerity and cuts? It is surely the latter.

We should no more look upon the neoliberal EU as a friend of workers because it gave us the Working Time Directive than we should look upon the neoliberal Tory government in the same way because it gave us the ‘living wage’.

And what of the small matter of democracy? The EU parliament has no right to initiate or repeal legislation. Instead, all legislation is generated by the unelected EU commission. The EU parliament is effectively a rubber-stamping body for the commission – a fig leaf for democracy.

Throughout the history of the EU, there has been a gradual but unrelenting transfer of power away from elected governments and towards unelected bureaucrats and big corporations. This is an insult to all those who fought for the vote and the principle that ordinary people must be allowed to hold their rulers to account.

In Greece last year, the people voted decisively and explicitly against austerity in a national referendum. But the EU establishment forced it on them anyway in brutal manner.

To avoid further bailouts, the EU is now demanding deeper economic integration between member states. This can happen only if there is closer political union. This, in turn, would mean even more power being transferred from national governments to unelected bureaucrats and bankers. The EU superstate is no longer a distant threat; it is a growing reality.

That's why there is no status quo in this debate. The question of 'stay as we are' or 'leave' is actually one of 'in even deeper' or 'leave'.

Some argue that we need to be inside the EU in order to reform it. Such talk is idle. Government after government has been saying the same thing for years, even decades. But in reality the EU is unreformable. Indeed, it has been designed to preclude serious reform.

The EU commission is unelected and unaccountable. There is no democratic mechanism by which it can be reformed.

The UK government recently undertook a ‘renegotiation’ of EU membership in an attempt to achieve serious reform. It threatened to walk away from the EU if it didn’t get its way. But even under this nuclear threat, the EU offered very little in the talks. If the EU isn’t prepared to reform under threat of withdrawal by a significant member state, when would it be?

Neoliberalism and unaccountability are locked into the EU through its treaties and directives. To reform the EU from being a neoliberal, anti-democratic institution into being a progressive, socialist, democratic one would mean that all member states must agree simultaneously to unpick all of this. There is zero chance of that happening.

Those of us on the Left must seek to build solidarity between workers in different countries. But we do not have to be locked into a highly-bureaucratic, anti-democratic, anti-socialist, supranational institution to achieve that.

A Leave vote would not of course put an end to the attacks being suffered by UK workers in the name of austerity. We would still face at home a Tory government hell-bent on making workers pay for the economic crisis. But the EU referendum gives us a clear opportunity to kick away one of the pillars of austerity which has caused so much suffering to workers.

We may then concentrate our efforts on defeating the enemy at home and electing a Labour government committed to a radical programme of investment, redistribution of wealth, full employment, defending public services, improving workers’ rights and reinvigorating our democracy.

The first step to achieving that is getting out of the EU.

#europe #EU #neoliberalism #neoliberal #European Union

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