#20 whole American dollars

[slav-every-day]

[shithowdy]

had a somewhat disheartening encounter on reddit after i suggested an artist raise her commission prices, where she told me that they are so low because in her country the value of the us dollar is much higher so $20 is more like $100 to her.

international artists, that $20 is still only worth $20 to your american customers! no one is taking currency exchange conversions into account when it comes to buying art. a piece is not suddenly worth half its value in usd because it can go twice as far for the recipient, that's called taking advantage of you. i understand the desire to keep prices low to cast a wider net but to do so devalues the labor as a whole. get those sweet american dollars and up your prices.

[rabbits-of-negative-euphoria]

.

[batboyblog]

Things Biden and the Democrats did, this week #10

March 15-22 2024

The EPA announced new emission standards with the goal of having more than half of new cars and light trucks sold in the US be low/zero emission by 2032. One of the most significant climate regulations in the nation’s history, it'll eliminate 7 billion tons of CO2 emissions over the next 30 years. It's part of President Biden's goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 on the road to eliminating them totally by 2050.

President Biden canceled nearly 6 Billion dollars in student loan debt. 78,000 borrowers who work in public sector jobs, teachers, nurses, social workers, firefighters etc will have their debt totally forgiven. An additional 380,000 public service workers will be informed that they qualify to have their loans forgiven over the next 2 years. The Biden Administration has now forgiven $143.6 Billion in student loan debt for 4 million Americans since the Supreme Court struck down the original student loan forgiveness plan last year.

Under Pressure from the administration and Democrats in Congress Drugmaker AstraZeneca caps the price of its inhalers at $35. AstraZeneca joins rival Boehringer Ingelheim in capping the price of inhalers at $35, the price the Biden Admin capped the price of insulin for seniors. The move comes as the Federal Trade Commission challenges AstraZeneca’s patents, and Senator Bernie Sanders in his role as Democratic chair of the Senate Health Committee investigates drug pricing.

The Department of Justice sued Apple for being an illegal monopoly in smartphones. The DoJ is joined by 16 state attorneys general. The DoJ accuses Apple of illegally stifling competition with how its apps work and seeking to undermining technologies that compete with its own apps.

The EPA passed a rule banning the final type of asbestos still used in the United States. The banning of chrysotile asbestos (known as white asbestos) marks the first time since 1989 the EPA taken action on asbestos, when it passed a partial ban. 40,000 deaths a year in the US are linked to asbestos

President Biden announced $8.5 billion to help build advanced computer chips in America. Currently America only manufactures 10% of the world's chips and none of the most advanced next generation of chips. The deal with Intel will open 4 factories across 4 states (Arizona, Ohio, New Mexico, and Oregon) and create 30,000 new jobs. The Administration hopes that by 2030 America will make 20% of the world's leading-edge chips.

President Biden signed an Executive Order prioritizing research into women's health. The order will direct $200 million into women's health across the government including comprehensive studies of menopause health by the Department of Defense and new outreach by the Indian Health Service to better meet the needs of American Indian and Alaska Native Women. This comes on top of $100 million secured by First Lady Jill Biden from ARPA-H.

Democratic Senators Bob Casey, Tammy Baldwin, Sherrod Brown, and Jacky Rosen (all up for re-election) along with Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, and Sheldon Whitehouse, introduced the "Shrinkflation Prevention Act" The Bill seeks to stop the practice of companies charging the same amount for products that have been subtly shrunk so consumers pay more for less.

The Department of Transportation will invest $45 million in projects that improve Bicyclist and Pedestrian Connectivity and Safety

The EPA will spend $77 Million to put 180 electric school buses onto the streets of New York City This is part of New York's goal to transition its whole school bus fleet to electric by 2035.

The Senate confirmed President Biden's nomination of Nicole Berner to the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Berner has served as the general counsel for America's largest union, SEIU, since 2017 and worked in their legal department since 2006. On behalf of SEIU she's worked on cases supporting the Affordable Care Act, DACA, and against the Defense of Marriage act and was part of the Fight for 15. Before working at SEIU she was a staff attorney at Planned Parenthood. Berner's name was listed by the liberal group Demand Justice as someone they'd like to see on the Supreme Court. Berner becomes one of just 5 LGBT federal appeals court judges, 3 appointed by Biden. The Senate also confirmed Edward Kiel and Eumi Lee to be district judges in New Jersey and Northern California respectively, bring the number of federal judges appointed by Biden to 188.

[octuscle]

Cursed Ken, part 7: The Greaser

Daniel's whole body was shaking. He had leafed through all the catalogs. He had been on various forums. This Ken figure didn't even exist. And yet it was offered here on ebay. It could be a prototype that had never been produced. Or a small series that had never gone on sale officially. But the doll was there. Of course, it could also be something else. A product from another company. A fake would not be out of the question. But there was currently no bidder. The auction ran for another eight minutes. The seller wanted a paltry 10 dollars. The risk was minimal. And the chance? Prototypes of such dolls had already been sold for thousands of dollars. Daniel was a cautious, no, a fearful person. A person who enjoyed collecting dolls. To put it mildly, Daniel was overweight, didn't leave the house and lived on welfare. But he had an impressive collection of Ken figures. And now he was bidding 20 dollars on this doll. Ping! He was the highest bidder. Six minutes to go. Three more. 50 seconds. No more bidders! 3, 2, 1. Mine! He had the doll. Without a counterbid. For 10 dollars. He couldn't wait. He paid immediately via PayPal. And waited…

Daniel had to wait two weeks. Two bloody long weeks. And then he held the parcel in his trembling hands. He was wearing gloves. The doll was too perfect to be a mass-produced product. The hair wasn't plastic, it had actually been waxed into an oily quiff. The jacket was made of leather, the jeans of real fabric. The doll even smelled real. Like leather and pomade. Daniel breathed heavily. With excitement. And from exertion. He had almost run up the stairs to his collection. He draped the latest doll in a place of honor. Shit, he'd left his cell phone downstairs. Panting, he went downstairs. He had to capture this moment in a photo. Downstairs, he searched for his cell phone. He had left it somewhere… "Mamma, dov'è il mio cellulare?" he called out. No answer. Where was his mamma? There was a note in the kitchen. That he should remember to buy tomatoes at the market before he came to the restaurant. What time was it? 10:30. Shit, he had to hurry. The first guests were due in an hour. And if the pasta sauce wasn't ready by then because there were no fresh tomatoes, he'd be in big trouble with his mamma and his nonna.

Danilo was the typical Italian-American in his early 20s. Hot and testosterone-driven. But a bit on the simple side. He had forgotten something upstairs. He wanted to do something upstairs and for that he needed something from downstairs. And now? He ran back to his room. Logically, he had forgotten his comb and his leather jacket. He stood in front of the mirror and smoothed his hair. The pomade was shiny. Yes, he looked pretty retro. But that was part of the family home. It was the place to go for fans of good Neapolitan cuisine. And the 50s. Well, and a lot of guests came for Danilo's sake.

"Excuse me, may I take a photo of you?" Danilo heard this an average of 1.8 times as he walked from his parents' house, where he still lived, to his parents' restaurant, where he worked. Danilo was good at striking a pose. He was a star in Little Italy. And on Instagram. And even if his mamma and his nonna didn't know it, also on Grindr.

[lexithevalkyrie]

Wieght gain tip number 2: what should i eat 🤷‍♀️

Now that we talked about the best nutritional intakes to gain weight, both healthy and unhealthy, next next question to ask yourself is: what do I eat?

Now, let's start with you unhealthy piggies first. Good news for yall! You get to have all the fatty and delicious food you want 😋. Now, what is a good meal plan that will last you a week and won't hurt your wallet 🤔

Well any American knows the magnificent super store called Walmart 😌. Now what if I told you this bad boy can get you so fucking fat with only 40-50$ a week?

At 35-50$ a week: you can get around 3k calories per day for 1 whole week

Let's get the fun stuff out of the way. For your morning snack should be light compared to your afternoon snack, I recommend getting fritters. You can scarf down 720 calories with 2 fritters. A whole box of 6 fritters is merely 4 dollars, sooooo you should pick up 1-2 boxes. Your breakfast should be your lightest of your meals. If you want to go the extra mile and be lazy, I highly recommend Jimmy Dean Sausage, Egg & Cheese Croissant Sandwiches, each sandwich is 400 calories and one box has 4 sandwiches in it, so once more get 1-2 boxes for the week at this point you've spent between $10-$20 and eaten around 700-1.2k calories so far. It's not bad for a start, but im sure that tummy is still very hungry 😋. So let's move on to some lunch, and I know just the meal that will fill that gut! Starting off with your sides, you should pick up some Great Value Seasoned French Fries. 11 servings per bag with 140 calories per serving and only $3.75. As always, I recommend getting 1-2 bags like usual, of course, the more the merrier 😁. For your main meal, I recommend eating some nice and healthy American made burgers 😋, so grab some patties (recommend 20% fat 80% lean). The All Natural brand sells 12 patties per pack at $10! And if course you can eat a burger without buns, sooooo let's grab some big carb filled buns 😌. Great Value Jumbo Hamburger Buns should be the cheapest and most carb heavy buns you can get at only $2 (although you have to pick up 2 for all 12 patties). So let's have the final snack before bedtime, I think something light like walmart's famous Freshness Guaranteed Frosted Sugar Cookies should do, hehe 😉

In total, this should set you around 2.7-3k calories worth of food, which is more than enough to fatten up anyone under 200lbs

(The second part of this post will be about healthy gain, which I will post later today)

[sreegs]

‼️READING COMPREHENSION WARNING‼️

Read and comprehend the topic of this post above the "read more" link before attempting to respond. This is your only warning. Violators will be mocked and blocked.

A GUIDE TO TIPPING IN AMERICA FOR TOURISTS AND VISITORS

AND ASSHOLES WHO SOMEHOW LIVED HERE THIS LONG WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING THIS

This post is going to cover tipping people in restaurants/eateries and private transportation. Tipping can also apply to many, many other service industries including but not limited to: movers, handypeople, mechanics, etc. Since this is meant to be brief and focused on info relevant to visitors and tourists, I won't discuss that here.

You're tipping 20% minimum on your food and public/private taxi rides (including lyft, uber, etc). Include this in your budget calculations for engaging with these services.

I was going to jokingly just end the post here but let me explain. Minimum wage laws in the US allow employers to pay their employees UNDER FEDERAL MINIMUM WAGE if they're in an industry that receives tips on the regular. Taxi drivers are self-employed and have to pay for the costs of the lease on their vehicle, gas, and give a cut to their garage or ride service provider.

Therefore, capitalists have shifted the cost of paying a living wage to these people on to the consumer rather than the employer. No amount of arguments against tipping culture is going to magically fix this overnight. That's the long game and we're trying to abolish this shit. Therefore, you are tipping 20% minimum. Today.

Even if you did not like the food.

Even if the food was cold.

Even if the server didn't seem cheery and smiley.

Even if the taxi wasn't as fast as you wanted it.

Even if the taxi smelled a little funny or the driver didn't talk the amount you like.

If you did not suffer immediate physical harm or harassment or discrimination at the hands of the service person who provided you the service, full tip. Five stars if you have to rate them in an app. Perfect marks.

Does the above statement seem strange to you? It shouldn't, because remember: capitalists have forced you to cover the full cost of the service. THIS IS NOT THE FAULT OF THE SERVICE WORKER.

Cash is King

Tip in cash if you have it. Credit card companies can't take a chunk out of cash tips. And if someone who works a low-paying job can grab a bit of cash under the table, away from the eyes of the IRS, then they will do more economic good with that money than the tax cut that goes to pay for bombing other countries.

How do I figure out a 20% tip?

Easy. Look at the total (THE TOTAL, WITH TAX YOU FUCKING CHEAPSKATE). Double it, then divide by 10 (move the decimal place one over to the left). Round up the remainder to the nearest dollar. That's going to be at least 20%.

What about counter workers?

There is some confusion on how to tip people who work at a counter in cafes and fast food establishments. Because they are not considered tipped employees and they get minimum wage.

The rule is, if during your transaction the POS (point of sale) register asks you to add a tip, you add a 20% tip. If you see a tip jar, you tip. If neither of these things happen, you don't tip

What about food delivery?

20% minimum tip. You called/ordered via an app, and magically food showed up. In any weather. 20% tip.

Bonus Holiday section:

Let's say you're visiting America during the peak American holidays when it's either a common "dining out" holiday or a holiday where you usually spend time at home with family. This includes, in chronological order:

Valentines Day, Fourth of July Weekend (the whole weekend), Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Eve and Day.

You tip even more on those days. 30% minimum. I've tipped 100% on meals and rides on Christmas and Thanksgiving. Because those people are taking the time out of spending the day with friends and family, what everyone else is doing, to make sure they have enough money to pay bills and survive in America. And no you fucking bigot, you don't get to eye up the server and figure out if they celebrate Christmas or not.

FAQ:

I can't afford a 20% tip. How do I pay for this?

You can't afford the full service or experience. You don't buy it. Next question.

Where I come from, we don't tip that much/not at all. Why do I have to do this?

You're in America now. You have to do this. Please, feel free to engage the worker in a spirited debate about tipping culture if you feel like you need more info. I'm sure you'll learn something new.

I have a tipping system. You see, first I start at 10% and for every...

Your system is bad and you're a cheapskate. 20% minimum.

Hey wait a minute, I'm an American and I have strict rules about who I tip and how much. And 20% is too high! What are you talking about?

Every decent human being quietly judges you for being an asshole. You are disliked by the people around you who tip like normal people. You are not going to become rich some day because you saved $5 on a tip. Own up and tip.

I ate at an expensive restaurant. Surely I don't have to tip 20% on a bill like this, do I?

Yes you do.

Holy shit. I'm going to follow this guide but wow. Do you Americans really live like this?

Oh buddy wait till you encounter states that don't list the tax on the price tag.

OH MY GOD TUMBLR KEEPS BREAKING THIS POST. ANYTHING BELOW THIS GIF GETS FUCKED PLEASE TRY TO BEAR WITH ME

[darkeagleruins]

Mayor Of Border City El Cajon, California Interview

- They’ve received over 250,000 Illegal Migrant drop offs JUST SINCE OCTOBER

- Illegals get free health care & free transition surgeries

- New $19 million dollar Mega Migrant welcome center being built

- Free 20% down on home

- Free college tuition

- They have an existing Migrant Welcome Center nobody asked for

- City is paying up to $10k per month in hotels every month for each of these illegal immigrant families

“Who are you?”

“My name is Bill Wells. I'm the mayor of the city of El Cajon and here in San Diego County, we're seeing a lot of stuff happening here at the border.

And you guys being a border town, how is it affecting the city here?

Since, um, October, we've had over 250,000 drop offs in San Diego, these street releases. The county of San Diego already spent, $6,000,000 on a a migrant welcome center, which I’m not sure why we need that, but they've just allocated another $19,000,000 for that.

But, you know, there are also costs that you don't see.

You know, everybody that that comes across, whether they're a citizen or not, is entitled to full health care. That even includes having sex change operations.

That's an expense for the whole family.

Uh, people that come over with kids are put up in hotels. Those hotels cost $8- $10,000 per month, and that's paid for by the city. So the these are expensive things.

Now there's a a bill in California that says that if you're an illegal alien, you can get, um, free college tuition, even a 20% down on a house.

These are things that American citizens are not getting.”

[ceasarslegion]

Do you think visiting America changed your political views?

Honestly no, my political views are a bit too weathered to be too rocked by a week in a country I have been to before (been to NYC once before, plus Montana, Seattle, Oklahoma, and Texas before, I was just either a kid or a dumb college student for all of them so those trips were very much led by either the adults around me or my terminal disease of being 20 years old and in the same room as my dorm buddies at the time. What made this trip different was that it was entirely sponsored by me as an independent adult who pays his own bills, so I could really stop and take in the americanness of it all)

What it did do was give me some more depth regarding my political views around the US. Of course you're going to think easy access to killing machines is cool and progressive when there's guns on display for sale in Walmart. Of course you're going to act like the way they do about strategic voting when you've been entrenched in the sheer individualism in every mundane little facet of life that they are. Everything about that country screams "im special" rather than "im one part of a global community."

My doctor told me he couldn't let me in good conscious go to the US without travel insurance because if I got sick or injured I'd be in medical debt to a foreign country for the rest of my life. And I saw military discount stickers on street food carts and hometown heroes banners in every hovel we drove through because their military gobbles up every red cent of their tax dollars instead of a functioning healthcare system. It's so isolated and bubbled away it reminds me a bit of those bubble wrap kids but if it could be a country, and if those bubble wrap kids wrapped themselves up and then watched the rest of us playing and cried that we were doing it wrong

Idk man, ive always kinda suspected the whole "you only think the US is right wing because of gerrymandering without it we'd out-progress the whole world!!" thing that gets touted every US election season was hot horseshit. Like don't get me wrong gerrymandering does skew results in favour of Republicans but I don't think that person I saw with the trailer car that just said "LAW + ORDER" on it with a bunch of guns hanging off it and a dummy in a maga hat sitting up top would be a shining communist leader if there wasn't any gerrymandering. I think a lot of Americans are just organically fucked up as a result of the self-isolation and I don't think a lot of them even realize that. Even the ones who say they do

[ladycamdens]

hi friends. i removed my post from reddit, not because i retract my statements about kong, but because this whole thing has been too triggering for me tbh.

this post is sort of a way for me to vent and provide some clarifying statements for anyone who is interested. feel free to ask questions if anything is unclear.

kween kong and i were "drag family" from 2019 to 2020. in that time, we saw each other basically every weekend she was home. i worked hours and hours of unpaid work for her, as did the rest of her drag family. which she would later completely discredit and talk shit about us all for.

when we first met, she just didn't talk about her race much. she lip synced the n word (as pictured in this video)

and wore box braids and things like durags. she also strictly performed songs by African American artists. at first, i did presume she was black. then, within that time, when actively asked by us, according to her, she was of strictly Pacific Island descent. on both sides of her family. and still only publicly claims that.

i also remember being out with her @ lunch once, she looked at the Cafe staff and said (loudly) "these *n slurs* clearly want us to leave". i also then wanted to leave. it would be very shortly after that that we would have a very public falling out. where i called her out for this post on her insta story

keep in mind she did nothing but yap about how she was creating a "safe space" for all of us and had multiple plus sized daughters.

now flash forward to her time on drag race !!!

she was still doing looks like this and not addressing her racism

i love all the zebras and black girl magic in *checks notes* Polynesia...

she would finally claim some of her actual identity, only to play activist, whilst promoting a bar that she knew employed abusers

now the final nail in this goddamn coffin is how she lied about her children

1. all of her children, bar two of us had perfectly fine relationships with our parents. and most of them lived at home lmao

2. one of her daughter's CHOSE to do escorting. she still does.

3. on average the members were about 24. there were zero minors in the haus of Kong. you cannot work bar gigs in australia under the age of 18.

4. whenever her daughters, usually young POC trans kids, asked her for help, she would demonise them and say all they did was take from her.

5. as i mentioned before, we were largely unpaid. our actual lipsync numbers were paid through tipping - which is near unheard of here. most queens get a booking fee. if you didn't have a lot of friends or family you'd be lucky to make $20

photo of me with the fucking "kong dollars" as she called them

if you got through this entire post. thank you. that means a lot to me. i love you all. if you do wish to share this it would be really helpful to me. okay bye xo

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Is Lula Anti-American? It's complicated.

It’s the question in Washington that won’t go away: “Is Lula anti-American?” Since returning to Brazil’s presidency on January 1, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has repeatedly caused alarm in the U.S. capital and elsewhere with his comments on Ukraine, Venezuela, the dollar and other key issues. An unconfirmed GloboNews report in June said President Joe Biden may have abandoned any intentions of visiting Brasilia before the end of the year because of frustration with Lula’s positions.    

The question causes many to roll their eyes, and with good reason. Three decades after the end of the Cold War, some in the United States continue to see Latin America in “You’re either with us or against us” terms. Washington has a long record of getting upset with Brazil’s independent stances on everything from generic AIDS drugs in the 1990s to trade negotiations in the 2000s and the Edward Snowden affair in the 2010s. A large Latin American country confidently operating in its own national interest, neither allied with nor totally against the United States, simply does not compute for some in Washington, and maybe it never will.   

That said, there is a long list of reasonable people in places like the White House and State Department, in think tanks and in the business world who are perfectly capable of understanding nuance — and have still perceived a threat from Lula’s foreign policy in this, his third term. The list of perceived transgressions is long and growing: Lula has repeatedly echoed Russian positions on Ukraine, saying both countries share equal responsibility for the war. In April, Lula said blame for continued hostilities laid “above all” with countries who are providing arms—a slap at the United States and Europe, delivered while on a trip to China, no less. Lula has worked to revive the defunct UNASUR bloc, whose explicit purpose was to counter U.S. influence in South America. He has repeatedly urged countries to shun the U.S. dollar as a mechanism for trade when possible, voicing support for new alternatives including a common currency with Argentina or its other neighbors. Lula has been bitterly critical of U.S. sanctions against Venezuela–”worse than a war,” he has said—while downplaying the repression, torture and other human rights abuses committed by the dictatorship itself.    

For some observers, the inescapable conclusion is that Lula’s foreign policy is not neutral or “non-aligned,” but overtly friendly to Russia and China and hostile to the United States. This has been a particular letdown for many in the Democratic Party who briefly saw Lula as a hero of democracy and natural ally after he, too, defeated an authoritarian, election-denying menace on the far right. And for the record, it’s not just Americans who feel this way: the left-leaning French newspaper Liberation, in a front-page editorial prior to Lula’s visit to Paris in June, called him a “faux friend” of the West.  

To paraphrase the old saying, it’s impossible to know what truly lurks in the hearts of men. But as someone who has tried to understand Lula for the past 20 years, with admittedly mixed results, let me give my best evaluation of what’s really happening: Lula may not be anti-U.S. in the traditional sense, but he is definitely anti-U.S. hegemony, and he is more willing than before to do something about it.  

That is, Lula and his foreign policy team do not wish ill on Washington in the way that Nicolás Maduro or Vladimir Putin do, and in fact they see the United States as a critical partner on issues like climate change, energy and infrastructure investment. But they also believe the U.S.-led global order of the last 30 years has on balance not been good for Brazil or, indeed, the planet as a whole. They are convinced the world is headed toward a new, more equitable “multipolar” era in which, instead of one country at the head of the table, there will be, say, eight countries seated at a round table—and Brazil will be one of them, along with China, India and others from the ascendant Global South. Meanwhile, Lula has lost some of the inhibitions and brakes that held him back a bit during his 2003-10 presidency, and he is actively out there trying to usher the world along to this promising new phase—with an evident enthusiasm and militancy that bothers many in the West, and understandably so. 

Continue reading.

[just-your-average-tangerine]

I had typed up a whole post about someone fitting the average tumblr demographic (american, gen z) has likely only been exposed to country music in the form of 'bro country", the "i love my guns/ beer/ truck/ pretty-girl-in-cutoff shorts" type of country music. So its not that strange that those people would dislike country music. But that form of country music was an intentional campaign post 9/11 to erase the roots of country and turn it into the violently nationalistic, misogynistic, racist crap that has plagued country charts for the past 20+ years.

but tumblr deleted that post and i don't feel like retyping it so here's a selection of my favorite country music that doesn't fall in to that category.

side note: this is a mix of older and newer country so not all of it is pre 9/11 and some of it has been on country top 40 charts since then, but its still not bro country

side note 2: these are recommendations for individual songs, not necessarily artists, some artists here do have 'bro country' songs just not these ones

I am a chicks fan from birth so I will not apologize for the number of their songs I'm including

the ultimate example of country music written by angry women. Who doesn't love two best friends getting together to murder ones abusive husband then live the rest of their lives as lesbian famers?

a haunting reflection on trauma and abuse, especially being abused by someone who's well loved by others.

a mothers words to her son following a divorce and subsequent abandonment by his father

following 9/11 the chicks were outspoken against Bush and the invasion/ war in Iraq and Afghanistan, due to the changing politics of country music this got them death threats and got them blacklisted from country radio. this song is about that.

-this list would not be complete without some Johnny Cash

a perfect example of the more progressive politics in country music. How can we as a country claim to be a pillar of progress just because we have nice things while were spending millions of dollars to send young men to die in Vietnam but cant afford to feed the hungry at home?

-cant mention Johnny Cash without including his cover of Hurt

for all your gay and tender needs

I was pretty neutral on this song until I saw Darius Rucker perform it at the Grand Ol Opry and it just makes me happy now

for all your gay and sad needs

[iww-gnv]

DETROIT – General Motors reported adjusted earnings of $3.2 billion in the second quarter, up 39% over last year and driven almost entirely by North American profits. The Wall Street Journal reported that GM’s quarterly revenue was $44.7 billion, 25% more than last year and “a post-bankruptcy record.” GM far exceeded analysts’ expectations and raised its full-year adjusted earnings forecast to between $12 billion and $14 billion. The 150,000 UAW members at GM, Ford and Stellantis began negotiations for a new contract with the three automakers this month. Altogether, the Big Three made a quarter-trillion dollars in North American profits over the last decade. The car companies’ current contract with the UAW expires on Sept. 14. UAW President Shawn Fain made the following statement today: “General Motors has made mind boggling profits over the last decade. GM’s recently announced quarterly earnings just set a post-bankruptcy record, but autoworkers and our communities have yet to be made whole for the sacrifices we’ve made since the Great Recession. GM executives have closed 31 plants over the last 20 years and are now enriching themselves through joint venture battery plants that get billions from the federal government in taxpayer subsidies but pay poverty wages. It’s long past time for GM to pony up, end tiers, pay their employees competitive wages that keep up with the cost of living and provide everyone the ability to retire with dignity.” UAW Vice President Mike Booth, Director of the union’s GM Department, issued this statement: “The enormous profit General Motors announced today does not happen without the great work of our UAW-GM Members building world-class vehicles, right here in the U.S.A. For a decade now, UAW members have been GM’s profit engine. It’s time for a contract that fully rewards our members for the hard work we do.”

[animation-is-my-jam]

i love ur art its so cute and soft!!!! Update ur fanfics 🫵😡 (joking but pls do)!!! Im somewhat new to the WG fandom but not wordgirl itself and I wanted to know more about the becky botsford is afro latina head cannon, I (as a child) always thought she was Indain or Nepalian or Bangladesh. Im curious how everyone collectively came to this agreement. Anyway love ur art n ur writing (which u will finish 😡) have a great day!!!!

*(Also how do u feel about becky being short for Rebecca???)

HEHE thank you! (^-^)

Also JSJSJSNSNS XD yeah my fics....(((^_^;)

DW! Cheap 20 dollar-Ring is the one fic I intended to finish since it had so many eyes on it. As for the others, unfortunately, I don't have the drive or motivation to finish them even if I had planned out from beginning to end. Though not all hope is lost, I do intend to revamp one fic in particular since it's going to be part of the Future AU series, which I need to establish tbh. And I, of course, have other ideas after I'm done with cheap 20 dollar ring. (Tobecky and non-tobecky)

As for the Headcanon on Becky, I think it's just a popular idea because I've met a lot of Hispanic wordgirl fans, and it just became a thing to apply. Me, especially since I'm Mexican and ever since I was a kid, I always thought the Botsfords were of mixed decent and had that Hispanic in them lmao. Because I think that was the point with both her and the Botsfords, they're ambiguous, so they can be anything the kids at home can imagine their lives to. Of course, anything but like white americans, especially Becky...just because she can be anything and is an alien doesn't mean she should get white washed.

But omgg that's so good, you're Headcanon for her!! I love hearing all the interpretations of Becky that aren't just The Latina or Afro-latina one. I love it. (*^-^*)

Again, thank you for the nice words and ask. This was so nice ahhh!! I'll try to get my fic stuff in order, and while before, I could blame my executive disfunction on me not being quick enough on updating fics. I have a job now so...writing going to be a bit difficult, but I'll try!!

(Also, ever since I heard Liz breens idea of Becky's full name, where she thinks the Botsfords didn't make it Rebecca and shortened it to Becky. Instead, they just named her Becky because they are silly like that, I've adopted that and have it that her full name is just Becky lmao. However, I do use the whole Rebecca full name in other aus, but for me it's so funny it just being Bdcky and others assuming it's Rebecca and she's like "nope". )

[autismvampyre]

hi hi not American but a math enthusiast lol! feel free to ignore ofc I wasn’t really sure what would be the best way to reach out but I read your tags on the tipping post and my tip (pun intended) for calculating 20% quickly without a calculator is just to take 10% first and then double that. It can get a little messier if the original total wasn’t a whole number but I tend to just ignore the decimals and look at the whole number cause that’s way easier :) so like a 20% tip for 57 dollars would just be 5.7 + 5.7 so 11.4 :D I hope this helped a little, I totally get feeling anxious about it :)

damn. that's actually very helpful and i'll keep it in mind if i ever visit a country where tipping is customary. i honestly really appreciate this so thank you for the tip!

[crookedfandomquill]

"Hotel King" Rewatch: Episode 1

Let’s address the elephant in the room: if I had a dollar for every time Lee Dong Wook and Lee Da Hae played love interests in a fake-out incest plotline…

Tragic backstories are like blood in the water and I am a hungry-ass shark

I’m sorry but his name being Jayden will never not be funny to me. I am from the American South and I know multiple Jaydens, all of whom are polo-wearing white boys ages 5 to 26 whose moms sell knock-off essential oils out of the backs of their minivans. I can’t take the name seriously in this context

“Is this heaven?” Oh honey no it really isn’t

Ah and the gaslighting begins. I’m remembering now that the main character in this drama is one of the more traumatized ones I’ve come across

Mmm yeah this is a good look for LDW. Not my absolute favorite (*cough* Soo Yeol *cough*) but objectively spiffy nonetheless

You know what, that party was so painfully lame that Chairman Ah saved it by falling to his death in the middle of it

Say what you will about the balls-to-the-wall plots of melodramas, but more often than not they deliver really incredible character writing. 30 minutes into the show you already know so much about Jae Won: he’s cold and full of anger, but he’s also idealistic and a bit naive (he genuinely thought Chairman Ah would acknowledge him and beg forgiveness if he just confronted him). He’s competent and driven but also completely beholden to his abusive father figure. He’s a man of few words and fewer platitudes, and the only thing sharper than the lines of his suit is his business acumen. Going back through the journey of getting to know the characters is my favorite part of any rewatch

Meanwhile, Mo Ne be sneakin’ (badly)

Gosh, imagine your beloved father has died and you make your grand return to the country by crab-walking in public, committing widespread property damage, and braining somebody with a large frozen fish 

Oh look, it’s the manager who CARRIES A HORSE WHIP??? Look, she knows her aesthetic and she’s rocking it. And no patience for guests creeping on the maids, I can’t not stan

Alright, but the fact that our lead couple starts out with him thinking she’s his secret half-sister/rival for his inheritance, and her thinking he killed her dad? It’s the messed up, angsty, weird, character-driven stuff that dreams are made of (mine, at least) 

Mo Ne really said “I want lots of money and zero responsibility” and let me tell you I felt that in my broke 20-something soul

Very strong soundtrack on this drama tbh, even if it does get repetitive after a while

Overall rewatch thoughts: I’m a ho for intrigue and this drama has so much of it, no wonder I binged the whole thing in about two days the first time around. The acting is as good as I remembered it, the secondary characters are so promising just from the first episode, and the vice chairman really makes my skin crawl. Knowing all the insane twists and turns the story takes just makes the rewatch extra fun. Safe to say that I have been thoroughly dragged back into Hotel King!