#Bankers Insurance

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

As yet another insurance company is pulling back from issuing policies in Florida following a string of natural disasters, the state’s chief financial officer has accused the industry of pulling out not because of losses, but due to wokeness.

Jimmy Patronis, CFO of the state, lit into Farmers Insurance for its plans to leave the state on CNBC recently, saying “if they would just leave ESG [environmental, social, and corporate governance ] and put it away, and focus on the bottom line, they may not have made this decision to leave the state of Florida with the tail between their legs.”

“I do say they’re too woke,” he added. “I do call them the Bud Light of the insurance industry. I do feel like they have chaos in their C-suite.”

The accusations aren’t helping the state hang onto insurers, though. This week, AAA announced it would not renew the auto or homeowners policies of some customers in Florida, making it the fourth insurer in the past year to back away from the state. (Bankers Insurance and Lexington Insurance, a subsidiary of AIG, left Florida last year.)

All of the companies that have reduced or eliminated their presence in the state have said the string of local hurricanes, including last year’s catastrophic Hurricane Ian, have made it too expensive to cover residents of the state.

The shrinking number of insurance options and the growing number of disasters is hitting Floridians in the wallet. The average homeowner’s premium in the state costs over $4,000, compared to the U.S. average of $1,544, according to E&E News, a division of Politico that focuses on environmental and energy news.

The companies are leaving the state despite legislation meant to encourage them to stay. Last year, Florida created a $1 billion reinsurance fund and set up laws meant to prevent frivolous lawsuits.

Insurance companies have also stepped back from California, with AIG, Allstate and State Farm no longer taking new customers, as wildfires in that state have driven up costs.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

[carcarrot]

do i really want to make individual drinks again

[yourownbank]

The idea of “Becoming Your Own Bank” sounds like something out of a Finance Experts dream—but “Your Own bank book” introduces the concept as a practical, achievable strategy. This book delves into a financial strategy called the infinite banking Concept (IBC), a system that utilizes a specially structured whole life insurance policy to create your very own banking system. In a world where traditional banking leaves little room for individual Financial Autonomy, the vision empowers people to take control of their personal finances, maximize liquidity, and avoid relying on external Financial Institutions.

[zvaigzdelasas]

The Communist Party’s main theoretical journal has laid out a new ideological framework for the financial system that emphasizes the primacy of China’s top leader and Marxist principles. [...]

The Communist Party issued a detailed ideological statement on Friday in Qiushi, the party’s main official theoretical journal, that made clear that it expected banks, pension funds, insurers and other financial organizations in China to follow Marxist principles [...]

The Qiushi paper, which was being closely studied by bankers and economists in China, could cut against efforts by Beijing to show that the economy is open to investment even as it places a heavier hand on business.

Barry Naughton, an economist at the University of California at San Diego who has long studied China’s transition to a market economy, said that the document signaled that the finance sector would be subject to ever-tighter oversight and forced to serve government policies more actively.

“The financial sector will not be expected to push for market-oriented reforms or even necessarily maximize profit,” he said. “As a program for the financial sector, it is ambitious, disappointing and somewhat ominous.”[...]

“Politics will for sure further dictate China’s finance, effectively moving China even closer to how it was before the reforms started in 1978,” said Chen Zhiwu, a finance professor at the University of Hong Kong.

Some of the policy targets set forth in the essay would not be unusual as regulatory goals in the West. For example, it calls for banks to emphasize financial services for the “real economy,” which the party has long interpreted to include ample financing for the country’s industrial base.

But it also calls for a strong role in finance for [...] Marxist ideology generally. That follows a pattern that emerged for other sectors during the national congress of China’s Communist Party a year ago, but has been less apparent in finance — until now. [...]

Moody’s, the credit rating agency, announced on Tuesday that it was lowering its credit outlook for the Chinese government to negative. It had previously assigned a stable outlook for the country’s credit rating, which remains at A1, near the top of the ratings scale. [...]

Qiushi is the main journal providing pronouncements on China’s current ideology, which is known as Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. The statement on Friday said that Mr. Xi’s speech to the financial conference, “is a valuable ideological crystallization formed by our party’s unremitting exploration of the path of financial development with Chinese characteristics.” [...]

“Politics affects all important areas, and economic or financial issues are themselves political issues,” he said. Indeed, Communist Party control over finance comes up repeatedly in the Qiushi statement. “We must unswervingly adhere to the centralized and unified leadership of the party Central Committee over financial work, uphold and strengthen the party’s overall leadership over financial work,” it said.

5 Dec 23

[a-d-nox]

web of wyrd: the career number

the number we are focusing on today is based on the SACRAL PHYSICS NUMBER AND THE FLOW NUMBER (ex: my career number is 7: 8 + 17 = 25 -> 2 + 5 = 7 (recall that numbers must be summed a second time if they total 23 (i.e. 2 + 3 = 5) and above)). for some reason this is a calculation error in my astro-calc chart - my monetary number and relationship numbers are swapped (don't be afraid to question your numbers and check the math of websites).

but what does this number mean?

this number represents your career and monetary situation in this lifetime. that being said, this number can give you insight into what you can do for a career long-term, what you are like at work (your strengths and weaknesses in the workplace), and your monetary mindset.

so let's talk about some examples:

7 - the chariot

click here for the card description of the chariot found in a prior wyrd web post.

for unblocked 7s it is important to maintain focus, have clear intentions, and a plan in their line of work. they often work from the bottom up - they start in an entry level position then come into power (in some theories, the charioteer was both the page of swords and the page of wands before they came into power in the major arcana). often it is their careful planning and plotting that gains them their success.

blocked 7s often lack confidence at work and fear being talked down to / judged for their actions. they often lack focus and direction, which causes them financial stress. they are in need of careful planning and reflection to get out of their burdensome situations. they should try to be less impulsive and more intentional at work and when searching for jobs in order for them to find what works for them.

careers for the charioteer are chauffeur, delivery driving (UPS, amazon delivery, mail, etc), military services, pilot, police men, emergency services (firefighting, EMT, etc), security guard, equestrian, chemist/pharmacist, chef/cook/baker/nutritionist, political diplomat, marine biology, phlebotomist, ship captain, babysitter/nanny, hotel manager, housekeeper, fisherman, fertility specialist, farmer, land baron/baroness, pottery maker, plumber, real estate agent, and other related fields.

14 - temperance

rider-white's temperance (symbolic of sagittarius) depicts an angel facing the view with their eyes shut. their purple-y/red wings emphasizes their passion for the mystical as well as harmony. their golden curls are haloed showing that the angel is an enlightened being. they stand in a white (innocence) robe with one foot on land and the other in water - which shows they are connected to the emotional and the physical world. water seamlessly flows between the cups, meaning to show the flow of energy in life forces. a sun (alludes to the sun card) rises in the distance and illuminates a path for the angel to take. the irises to their [the angel's] right show that they have the wisdom needed to take on whatever gets in their way on this journey.

unblocked 14s seek help from those around them so that they can reach their monetary and career goals. they look for signs as to what they should act upon in their career and as to what they should do for their long-term career. they are flexible at work and are often very even-keeled. they are patient at work and when it comes to making money.

blocked 14s often try very hard at work and to make a lot of money - they can be too hard on themselves and their co-workers. they might struggle with relaxing - they have a lot of monetary stress. they have to realize that being overworked does not mean they are working efficiently/effectively. look at you schedule / your role and try to find ways to slow down so that you can realign with your values and goals.

careers for the angelic temperance person are medical careers (doctor, nurse, etc), pharmacist, scientist, librarian, life insurance agent, marketing/advertisement, air steward/stewardess, attorney, banker, religious leader, teacher, philanthropist, philosopher, publisher, podcaster, radio show host/hostess, writer, and other related fields.

18 - the moon

rider-white's the moon (symbolic of pisces) depicts one wild dog/coyote and one tame dog (the duality of human nature) barking at the moon or rather an eclipse. behind and between the two dogs is a lobster - the lobster is a bottom feeder of sorts, thus could represent the shadow self. the lobster emerges from the water to walk a moonlight/guided path through the mountains similar to how the hermit once walked the mountains - thus alluding to the lobster doing self-discovery / the quartet doing shadow work. first the lobster must walk between the rebuilt towers - likely face personal change.

unblocked 18s embrace their darker selves when in the workplace - they are okay with failing and having weaknesses. they see it as room made to grow/evolve. while they know how to be civil, they also know when to be impulsive and aggressive to get things done. they are open to others ideas - they are open to learning what they perviously didn't know before. they are ambitious and want to go outside the scope of what they are already know. they don't fall for things that sound too good to be true in their financial realm. they are willing to confront why they maybe the ones in their own way of gaining more money, getting a raise, etc.

blocked 18s often refuse to acknowledge that they are in a career that is making them unhappy or is not compatible with their monetary lifestyle. they might be the type to ignore their debts for awhile or to the point where it gets bad and they struggle to catch up / recover. they are also prone to falling for "get rich quick" schemes; they also might struggle with gambling - the might not know how to walk away when they have made money back / are gaining. they hate failing at things or having weaknesses in the workplace. they are prone to staying in a job that is comfortable for them without growing or accepting promotions. don't be afraid to break free.

careers for the moon are night club owner/manager, psychic, doggie daycare center management, dog kennel owner, dog breeder, night club performer, professional water sport athlete, alcohol vender, sommelier, marine biology, art therapist, artist, bartender, mental health professional, chemical engineer, detective, drug manufacturer, life guard, prison guard, private investigator, relief worker, writer, and other related fields.

like what you read? leave a tip and state what post it is for! please use my "suggest a post topic"! button if you want to see a specific pac/pile next! if you'd like my input on how i read a specific card or what i like to ask my deck, feel free to use the ask button for that as well.

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© a-d-nox 2023 all rights reserved

[mostlysignssomeportents]

"Medical costs are up and wages are not for one reason that is very easily understood by Americans: monopolies. Hospitals, doctor’s practices, health insurance, pharmaceuticals, ambulances, nursing homes, rehab facilities: Every part of our health care world is increasingly controlled by greedy bankers who kill people for money. "

- David Dayen and Matt Stoller, "Moving Past Neoliberalism Is a Policy Project"

[yantalia545]

Yandere America with a serial killer darling

The news has heard a lot about a mysterious man killer lately. You were notorious for luring innocent men to their fates in the dead of night. Time and time again you would strike. Leaving nothing to go on but your trademark heart carved into the victim's cheek. Giving you the infamous name; Cupid's Fallen Angel.

For the first time in a long time, America was entertained. He was determined to finally catch this sweet little killer and bring you to the light of justice.

He was hooked from your first story when your kill was broadcast on the morning news. Cupid's Fallen Angel had left a corrupt banker in a pool of his own blood behind a floozy bar. A heart caved into his cheek and a red lipstick kiss planted on the right side of his neck. Articles of his misdeeds left behind for all to discover spread out over his body.

Three weeks later Cupid's Fallen Angel strikes again. An insurance company CEO was poisoned with hydrofluoric acid. America could only grimace in sympathized pain for the poor man. It must have been an agonizing death as he read over your second kill. That was until he caught why you had targeted this man.

The insurance CEO was responsible for sleazy deals that left millions without coverage when they needed it most. Basically throwing them out to their financial deaths.

As time went on, his own police were left astray time and time again as you slipped right through their fingers and seized more victims. America could only read in awe as one after another you would slay these rotten demons. Each kill was unique in its own way from stabbings to arson. All left with your signature mark.

It wasn't uncommon. There were plenty of killers in the world who had pure-hearted motives that he could somewhat sympathize with. They, like him, were just trying to bring justice to a world full of corruption. America understood your cause and slowly began to see you as the antihero you were. His beautiful little angel of judgment. He just needed to show you the path to righteousness.

There were so many nights where America would find a stay hand unbuttoning his pants as he read over your latest marks. So many nights he would dream of you under him. In his bed. He'd fight but endeavor in the end to dominate you. The nights would be everlasting, but passionate.

He needed you. He had to have you.

So, how does one catch a killer? String yourself as the killer's next victim of course. And so, here he was, playing as if you were the one having their way with him. America even got you to lead him to his apartment.

His heart couldn't have been beating any harder than when he finally had you under him. In his bed of all places. Just as he's dreamed. America could feel his heart racing as he trailed hungry kisses over your tender body. You were finally here, in the flesh.

Time seemed to have moved slowly as he could feel you reach down to pull out the dagger you had strapped to your thigh. You were about to make your strike upon him. That was until America pulled out a trick of his own.

A syringe was quickly pricked into your neck and his serum was pushed through your veins. His own sickening laugh ruptured through the apartment suite as he watched your helpless body squirm underneath him. His free hand cupped your cheek as he watched the fight slowly leave your eyes as you fell unconscious.

America's first step was complete and now your reconditioning could begin.

[scarubaru]

Thinking about how TS Eliot and Wallace Stevens both worked office jobs while producing some of the most well know poetry of the last century. Office jobs undersells it a bit. Eliot worked as a banker for Lloyds and Stevens became an insurance executive. Stevens' education pegs him as the more conventional of the two: law at Harvard vs Eliot's English.

What's interesting to me is whether their trajectories would be possible today. For Eliot, I don't think so. The days of 'go to Harvard, land job at bank or finance firm' are over, unless you set out to study finance. The pipelines have been diverted and narrowed, so to speak. For Wallace I'm also a bit skeptical. Granted I don't follow the legal profession closely, in its historical or current form, but from what I do know, a legal career's demands on time are squarely at odds with a hobby that requires hours of daily concentrated effort. You're either a lawyer or a poet.

Of course a modern Eliot or Stevens might become a scholar in lieu of a temporary banker or permanent insurance man. Maybe. Or maybe both would would do the sensible, more conservative thing and settle in at stable, well-paying jobs. The gist is, I don't think it's currently possible to tread that line, between artist/intellectual and cog. It's one of those paths that's been closed off, for better or worse. I'd say for worse.

[racefortheironthrone]

A Guildsman Goes Forth to War, Inciting Event and Main Characters

Inciting Event:

The city of Brugghe is one of the largest and richest in all of Europe. It is a center of vertically- and horizontally-integrated textile production in wool, cotton, linen, and silk, and the people wear their reputation on their richly-dyed, patterned, and embroidered backs. As the northernmost of the cloth fairs that stretch all the way from Gallia to the southernmost reaches of the ancient Kingdom of Lotharingia), and the confluence of the North Sea and the Rhine, Brugghe is a natural entrepôt between the merchants of the Hansa and the commercial republics of the Lega, and thus one of the leading financial centers on the Continent.

A bustling cosmopolis of two hundred thousand souls, with a lively Foreign Quarter representing merchants and bankers from Portugal and the Basques to a half-dozen Lega republics to representatives of the Sublime Porte. In Brugghe, even the poorest and least educated rural migrants are bilingual (even if they insist on speaking only Gallician or Imperial), a respectable burgher is expected to speak at least four, and a man is considered educated only if he speaks six. A center of the printing trade (and thanks to its dyeing industry, a lively art scene), it is an unusually literate city, only more so thanks to the recently-established University.

For the last thirty years, the city has been ruled by the tolerant but firm hand of Baron Froederick van Zonder Vrees, although for the last ten the day-to-day governance has been conducted in his name by his significantly younger wife due to a long and lingering illness that has forced the Baron to a sickbed and (accoridng to reports) to his deathbed. Although by all reports a loving and capable partnership, the Baron and Baronness are childless. If the Baron should pass, what shall become of Brugghe?

Main Characters:

Margrit van Zonder Vrees (née Marguerite de Corbenic), Baronness of Brugghe

The daughter of a noble family from Brittany (with extended ties to Cornwall and south Wales) with a strong Gentry heritage of elfkind, Margrit (or Marguerite, depending on whether she's speaking in Gallician or Imperial) was sent to the Burgundian court following a romantic indescretion in her youth, where she became one of the court beauties and a poetess beside, reknowned for the strength of her Glamour and wit alike.

At the age of twenty, she was married to the significantly older Froederick van Zonder Vrees as part of diplomatic efforts to maintain Gallician/Imperial harmony in the Low Countries. Despite the age gap between the two, Froederick came to respect his bride's surprisingly well-educated mind and supported her patronage of the newly-founded University and the city's cultural industries, while Margrit came to admire her husband's commitment to light-handed and tolerant governance that had seen Brugghe reach heights of prosperity that it had not seen since the collapse of the Flemish revolt.

When Froederick began to fall ill, Margrit smoothly gained influence within the Baronial Council of State that governed the city until she became the Regent in all but name. At the outset of A Guildsman Goes Forth to War, Marguerite's dilemma is that she has no child to pass the title to upon her husband's death - and due to the complicated mix of family intermarriages, there will be claimants from both the Kingdom of Gallia and the Sacrum Imperium.

[Need to find a good picture]

Ludovico "Malasangue," Captain-General of the Bonafortuna Mercenary and Insurance Company, graduate of the University of Padua, and guildsman of the Arte dei Giudici e Notai of Florentia.

The younger son of the Bilancia banking family, Ludovico was the subject of considerable scandal, for from birth it was quite clear that he was Gentry-born of some rare and unknown lineage, while neither his mother nor his father had any such connexions. A brawler of violent temper, Ludovico was packed off to Padua by his decidely chilly and aloof father to avoid embarrassment - and to ensure that he would have a career that would avoid any interference with his older (some would say "legitimate") brother's inheritance of the family business.

The curriculum at the great university of the hills seemed to calm the intemperate youth and Ludo proved to be quite adept at both the Old Learning of the trivium et quadrivium, the New Learning of the studia humanitatis, and his chosen degree in Law. It was widely expected that, upon his graduation and return to the city of his birth, he would take up a respectable and conventional career in the leading Arti Maggiori. Thus, it came as something of a surprise when instead Ludovico and some of his university friends announced the formation of a new kind of mercenary company.

The Bonafortuna Mercenary and Insurance Company would be made up not of impoverished noblemen and ambitious peasants, but entirely of urban guildsmen recruited from among the Lega. In times of peace, the Company would make its income from providing a comprehensive suite of services from messenger and parcel post to commercial and residential insurance to private security, to individual and municipal clients alike - with significant discounts for joint customers of the condottieri side of the business.

[cartermagazine]

Today In History

Charles Clinton Spaulding, businessman who helped the NC Mutual Insurance Co. grow from $350 to $43 million in assets, was born in Columbus County, NC, on this date August 1, 1874.

Spaulding provided leadership in the National Negro Insurance Association and the National Negro Bankers Association by 1920. In 1942, the New York Chamber of Commerce, mainly a white body, elected him to membership. He served as a trustee for Howard University, Shaw University, and North Carolina College at Durham.

He was also active in politics. He helped establish the Durham Committee on Negro Affairs in 1935, serving as its first chairman. As national chairman of the Urban League’s Emergency Advisory Council from 1930 to 1939, he campaigned to secure New Deal jobs for African-Americans.

CARTER™️ Magazine carter-mag.com #wherehistoryandhiphopmeet #historyandhiphop365 #cartermagazine #carter #blackhistorymonth #blackhistory #history #staywoke #charlesspaulding

[handeaux]

A Secret Organization Scoured Cincinnati For Bolsheviks But Found Only A Schoolgirl

It is inevitable, once you have created an organization to snitch on your neighbors, that you will find neighbors to snitch on. So it was with the American Protective League.

The American Protective League emerged from the jingoistic fervor that gripped America during the First World War. According to Steven L. Wright [Queen City Heritage, Winter 1988]:

“The American Protective League (APL) organized in Chicago in March 1917, had units in 600 cities and a membership roster of nearly 100,000. And by 1918 membership had grown to 250,000. Its membership consisted of bankers, businessmen, attorneys, chamber of commerce leaders and insurance company executives. Because of their ‘high’ position, they easily obtained information concerning ‘troublesome’ citizens, especially those who opposed the draft.”

Nationally, the APL received quasi-legal status as an affiliate of the federal Department of Justice. Locally, the Cincinnati branch of the APL was instrumental in arresting thirteen socialists who were charged with treason for circulating literature opposed to the military draft. Those charges would eventually be dismissed by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1924.

With the conclusion of hostilities, the APL technically disbanded on 31 January 1919 when Gerson J. Brown, the wholesale tobacconist who led the Cincinnati chapter, turned over all League records to Calvin S. Weakley, special agent of the Department of Justice. Even though the organization ceased to exist, however, some members insisted on carrying on the work of the League. Germany’s surrender had revealed, according to these men, a new and even more sinister enemy working to conquer America – Bolshevism. John L. Richey, head of the Cincinnati Association of Credit Men, announced through several very public speeches that his position as chief investigator of the American Protective League had revealed to him that Bolshevism was alive and well in Cincinnati. According to the Enquirer [9 January 1919]:

“Mr. Richey declared speakers at recent meetings in Cincinnati had advocated immediate revolution and deliberate assassination of public officials who could not be influenced as part of the Bolshevist doctrine. There has been an increase, Mr. Richey said, in the Bolshevist movement in Cincinnati from 500 members 60 days ago, to a membership of a few more than 3,000 today.”

Not quite a week later, the Cincinnati Post [14 January 1919] announced that Richey now estimated a Cincinnati cabal of Bolshevists, International Workers of the World, and various other radical fellow travelers had more than 7,000 members. Richey pledged to continue his investigative work in Cincinnati despite the dissolution of the American Protective League through a new “secret patriotic organization.” According to Richey:

“Members of these groups of radicals, or revolutionists, are guided by a national head, who directs from New York and Philadelphia. Cincinnatians in the organizations principally are foreign born. There are Germans, Italians, Russians, and Hungarians, with some malcontent Americans.”

In a statement that foreshadowed the Red-baiting tactics of Senator Joseph McCarthy thirty years later, Richey predicted that eight to ten Cincinnati officials would soon resign once the Justice Department digested the reports submitted by the American Protective League. By February 1919, Richey’s estimate of Cincinnati radicals had reached 10,000, holding regular meetings to urge the “seizure of banks, manufacturing plants, and private property.”

Richey repeatedly asserted that the Cincinnati Board of Education fanned the flames of Bolshevism here by allowing teachers to spread radical propaganda. After all his stomping and fuming, Richey had trouble producing a single Bolshevik. Nevertheless, he told the Cincinnati Post [3 February 1919], he knew exactly where to find one:

“The home of a Cincinnati school girl, the alleged meeting place of supporters of Bolshevism, is being watched by the secret patriotic organization of which John L. Richey is head, he said Monday. Richey told of existence of a Bolshevik school where students are taught principles of Bolshevism and urged to spread them in educational institutions. A Woodward High School pupil is leader in the movement, according to Richey.”

The moment Richey made that accusation, the city turned against him and his “secret patriotic organization.” The pupil in question was Rose Simkin, aged 19, who had immigrated from Russia six years earlier. Since that time, she had been employed at the Cross Overall Company while studying in the morning before work and in the evening after work at Woodward High School, hoping to earn citizenship. She told the Post [7 February 1919]:

“I hardly know what Bolshevism means. I am an American. I didn’t even know it was I who was being talked about until told so by the school authorities. Ever since I have been in America and lived in this free country I have thought of nothing except what a wonderful land this is.”

Miss Simkin pointed to her bookshelves, filled with volumes by Poe, Shakespeare and other classic authors and defied Richey to find any hint of subversive literature.

Helen T. Wooley of the Cincinnati School Board was outraged by Richey’s accusations against Rose Simkin.

“There has been excessive zeal in trying to uncover un-American plots and in this case they have hit an innocent girl.”

The American Israelite pointed out that Rose Simkin’s brothers were serving in Palestine as part of the British army there and that Richey may not have known the difference between Zionism and Bolshevism – a not-so-subtle accusation of anti-Semitism. Mainline organizations such as the City Club and the Women’s City Club passed resolutions condemning Richey’s accusations.

As the Simkin debacle faded, so did Richey’s “secret patriotic organization.” When Richey died in 1962, his obituary made no mention of the American Protective League or his secret organization.

In 1920, Rose Simkin married Edward Trieman, her father’s partner in a Race Street haberdashery. She lived to be 70 and gave birth to a son who became a doctor. Her tombstone identifies her as “A Devoted Daughter In Israel.”

[relativelydimensional]

Mrs Hong: I'd like to take out several life insurance policies so my son is well settled when i pass away

The one hot banker™: Yep cool so I will need some documentation from you

Mrs Hong: ...........oops I forgot 💅 please speak to my single and very gay son

[anarkittyuwuuniverse]

"We have to take what useful work remains and transform it into a pleasing variety of game-like and craft-like pastimes, indistinguishable from other pleasurable pastimes except that they happen to yield useful end-products. Surely that shouldn’t make them less enticing to do. Then all the artificial barriers of power and property could come down. Creation could become recreation. And we could all stop being afraid of each other.

I don’t suggest that most work is salvageable in this way. But then most work isn’t worth trying to save. Only a small and diminishing fraction of work serves any useful purpose independent of the defense and reproduction of the work-system and its political and legal appendages. Thirty years ago, Paul and Percival Goodman estimated that just five percent of the work then being done—presumably the figure, if accurate, is lower now—would satisfy our minimal needs for food, clothing and shelter. Theirs was only an educated guess but the main point is quite clear: directly or indirectly, most work serves the unproductive purposes of commerce or social control. Right off the bat we can liberate tens of millions of salesmen, soldiers, managers, cops, stockbrokers, clergymen, bankers, lawyers, teachers, landlords, security guards, ad-men and everyone who works for them. There is a snowball effect since every time you idle some bigshot you liberate his flunkies and underlings also. Thus the economy implodes.

Forty percent of the workforce are white-collar workers, most of whom have some of the most tedious and idiotic jobs ever concocted. Entire industries, insurance and banking and real estate for instance, consist of nothing but useless paper-shuffling. It is no accident that the “tertiary sector,” the service sector, is growing while the “secondary sector” (industry) stagnates and the “primary sector” (agriculture) nearly disappears. Because work is unnecessary except to those whose power it secures, workers are shifted from relatively useful to relatively useless occupations as a measure to ensure public order. Anything is better than nothing. That’s why you can’t go home just because you finish early. They want your time, enough of it to make you theirs, even if they have no use for most of it. Otherwise why hasn’t the average work week gone down by more than a few minutes in the last sixty years?

Next we can take a meat-cleaver to production work itself. No more war production, nuclear power, junk food, feminine hygiene deodorant—and above all, no more auto industry to speak of. An occasional Stanley Steamer or Model T might be all right, but the auto-eroticism on which such pest-holes as Detroit and Los Angeles depend is out of the question. Already, without even trying, we’ve virtually solved the energy crisis, the environmental crisis and assorted other insoluble social problems.

Finally, we must do away with far and away the largest occupation, the one with the longest hours, the lowest pay and some of the most tedious tasks around. I refer to housewives doing housework and child-rearing. By abolishing wage-labor and achieving full unemployment we undermine the sexual division of labor. The nuclear family as we know it is an inevitable adaptation to the division of labor imposed by modern wage-work. Like it or not, as things have been for the last century or two it is economically rational for the man to bring home the bacon, for the woman to do the shitwork and provide him with a haven in a heartless world, and for the children to be marched off to youth concentration camps called “schools,” primarily to keep them out of Mom’s hair but still under control, but incidentally to acquire the habits of obedience and punctuality so necessary for workers. If you would be rid of patriarchy, get rid of the nuclear family whose unpaid “shadow work,” as Ivan Illich says, makes possible the work-system that makes it necessary. Bound up with this no-nukes strategy is the abolition of childhood and the closing of the schools. There are more full-time students than full-time workers in this country. We need children as teachers, not students. They have a lot to contribute to the ludic revolution because they’re better at playing than grown-ups are. Adults and children are not identical but they will become equal through interdependence. Only play can bridge the generation gap." -Bob Black, The Abolition of Work

[antisocialmastermind]

The Collector

a klaine word scramble fic

Chapter 2

Day 2: H B U L S A F = Bashful, ablush, blush

Chapter 1 (on Ao3)

They drink too much.

Justin and Michael don’t make it, but Chandler and Sebastian do. Kurt slides into the bench seat and Sebastian drags a second tiny table into the corner. The air feels electric and joyous and Kurt can’t drag his eyes away from Elliott’s giddy, excited face. He’s really unfairly beautiful. Elliott volunteers to get the first round.

“No way,” Kurt says. “We’re celebrating you. I’m buying.” They all know that Sebastian will most likely end the night by intercepting the check anyway.

Elliott’s drinking bourbon, of course, while Kurt orders a Martini and Sebastian sips a Negroni. It’s Chandler who raises his bright green Midori Sour into the air with a “Cheers, bitches. Now what exactly are we celebrating?” 

Kurt chuckles when Elliott grins and launches into a little monologue, spilling out an idea that’s further developed than Kurt expected. He’s grinning like a maniac while Chandler’s mouth hangs open and Sebastian looks typically unimpressed.

“Oh, my gawd,” Chandler squawks, “Were you ever going to tell us?”

“I just did,” Elliott laughs.

Sebastian leans forward and actually puts on his glasses. Kurt snorts. Sebastian takes himself way too seriously. 

“Wait a second,” Sebastian interrupts, sounding every bit the Wall Street banker that he is, “tell me that you have an actual business plan and not just some hippie-dippy dream to make art.”

“Wow. Bitchy,” Chandler says, glancing at him across the small table.

“Remind me again why we like you,” Kurt mutters at the same time, but his gaze is teasing when he looks at Sebastian. 

“Not bitchy, just starkly realistic,” Sebastian snipes at Chandler before turning to Kurt. “And you like me because I bring the classy to this otherwise sad little congregation.” Elliott throws his head back and laughs. Kurt kind of wants to suck on his neck. He flags down the waitress instead.

Sebastian spends a few minutes grilling Elliott before he leans back in his seat, apparently satisfied. It turns out that Elliott’s dad’s attorney has already set up an LLC – Elliott has a business plan and a tax ID and insurance and permits. Sebastian’s glasses go back into his breast pocket. “Alright,” he allows, “you get the Smythe stamp of approval.”

Chandler and Kurt burst into laughter as Elliott raises an eyebrow and calls Sebastian a pompous ass. Sebastian just shrugs. “You love me.”

Elliott’s voice drops. “I do,” he says, and Kurt is struck by the softness in his blue eyes.

“So,” Chandler says after a second, “spill boys. Who besides me is gettin’ some on the regular?” Kurt shrieks “Since when?” a little too loudly and the couple at the other end of the long bench shoots them a look. Elliott’s giggling while Sebastian smirks smugly and suddenly they’re talking about boys and their jobs and celebrity crushes. (“Tom Cruise is not hot, Chandler. He’s old. And a fucking psycho.”) 

Conversation finally drifts back to Elliott’s plan. Kurt props his elbows on the table and his chin in his hands. Chandler’s listing to one side and Sebastian’s face is flushed. The night is winding slowly down.

Elliott talks about the space he’s found and the renovations he envisions. He has a list of artists he wants to work with to stage the opening, and he wants Kurt’s input and also his work, and Kurt’s heart stutters in his chest a little. He tries to make it mean nothing that Elliott so clearly wants him as a… business partner? But it could be something. It could.

Sebastian brings up a possible name and they brainstorm, fueled by alcohol and camaraderie. Chandler’s suggestions are ridiculous (Imagination Station?), while Sebastian’s are too safe (The Gilbert Gallery). Elliott thinks maybe he’ll just go with Art Space when Kurt says softly, “What about Muse?” Their eyes meet across the table and Kurt feels a spark ignite under his skin.

“Muse Gallery,” says Elliott, with a devilish, sloppy grin. “I love it.” And he gestures for another round.

So, yeah. They drink too much. 

Which is probably to blame for what happens after.

****

It’s late when they leave, Sebastian and Chandler sharing a cab while Kurt and Elliott link arms and head down the sidewalk toward their apartment. Kurt’s humming under his breath and Elliott skips a step to synchronize their footfalls as they walk. Kurt’s not sure how much happier he could possibly be.

“We’re doing this, right?” Elliott asks suddenly. Kurt studies his profile and smiles.  

“What exactly do you want me to do?” he says.

“Well, I want your work, Kurt. Obviously. I definitely want that blue and black eye–” Elliot doesn’t notice Kurt’s sharp inhale “–but I want your input on the renovation; you have such a great sense of that stuff. And you can help do front of house if you want and I want you to use the studio, too–”

“There’s a studio?” Kurt interrupts Elliott’s babble.

“You’ll see,” Elliott explains. “The space was a cafe, so I’m gonna keep part of the kitchen as a little studio. Imagine not having to walk down three flights just to clean brushes.”

“Imagine,” Kurt says softly. He wonders how Elliott hasn’t ever figured out that the eye – a textured fabric collage in blue, black and white – is his eye. That it’s the closest Kurt’s gotten to putting his feelings for Elliott into his work. Elliott’s definitely oblivious sometimes. He breezes through life in full steam ahead mode and glitters and shines and asks for forgiveness rather than permission. Kurt squeezes Elliott’s arm in his and smiles down at the sidewalk.

****

It takes Kurt two tries to get his key in the lock. He shakes his head at himself and squints a little and manages to get the apartment door open without further incident. He precedes Elliott into the dim living room but turns back when he hears him stumble, moving quickly to offer his arm. And Kurt’s breath gets stuck in his throat.

Elliott just glows in the doorway, backlit by the hallway light. There’s a syrupy golden aura clinging to his hair and cheekbones and shoulders as he looks into Kurt’s eyes and smiles at his own tipsy clumsiness.

Kurt’s just done. He’s been so bashful, so quietly flirty and besotted for so long. He takes a half step more and gently grasps Elliotts face in both hands, gazing up at him. But Elliott’s hands flutter up to hover near his shoulders, palms out toward Kurt, like he doesn’t know what to do with them. The momentum of the closing door pulls Elliott behind it and he takes a shaky step back.

“Whoa,” he says, and it’s unclear whether that’s for Kurt or for his second stumble in as many minutes, but it doesn’t really matter. Kurt’s face blushes hot and he pulls his own hands back as if he’s been burned.

“Oh god,” he murmurs at the floor, “I am so, so sorry–”

“Kurt,” Elliott says gently, “it’s fine. Really.”

Kurt dares to look up at him and oh shit, he’s not going to cry right now, he’s not. But Elliott’s so beautiful and Kurt just wants him and he’s probably ruined everything between them and oh my god he needs to find a new apartment, like, right now –

“Kurt, stop panicking,” Elliott murmurs. “You’re okay. It’s fine.”

Kurt just can’t keep looking at his face. He crosses and sinks into the sofa, dropping his face into his hands. “I’m so sorry,” he says again, “I’ve just. I’ve had the biggest crush on you for so long.”

And Elliott must be part cat because Kurt’s not aware of him moving, but he’s suddenly sitting next to him on the couch, gently grasping Kurt’s wrists to pull his hands away from his face.

“I know,” he says.

Kurt’s mouth drops open. “You know?” He looks at Elliott, ablush with temper and embarrassment and too many Martinis. He wants to say something biting and clever, but words elude him. He stares, moisture prickling at the corners of his eyes.

Elliott is still holding Kurt’s wrists, and he slides his grip so that they’re holding hands, looking at each other, side by side on the couch.

“Kurt,” he says tenderly, “you’re wonderful. I think you’re smart and talented and funny and amazing. I love you. I love you like an insane amount. But not that way. I’m sorry. I sort of wish I could. But you’re…you’re my best friend and my brother and you’ve been my muse and I just–” he sighs and shakes his head slightly.  “I just thought I’d keep my mouth shut and let you get over it. I’m sorry.”

Kurt’s heart is badly bruised, if not broken, and he’s so utterly mortified and he kind of wants to yell. Or cry. Or tell Elliott to take his friendship and shove it up his glorious fucking ass. But he doesn’t. He sighs, a little shaky, and says, “Thanks for putting up with me.”

Elliott smiles. “I don’t put up with you. I love you. And our friendship is so important to me. We’re gonna be fine.”

Kurt needs distance, privacy and sleep. And probably Advil. 

“We are,” he tells Elliott as he rises. “Thank you.” Opening the door to the safe haven that is his bedroom, he turns back. 

“Elliott?” He pauses. “I hope this doesn’t change anything.”

Elliott flumps back into the couch cushions with a tiny, warm chuckle. “I hope you’re kidding. Can’t have Muse Gallery without a muse, right? Go to bed.”

Kurt does.

Chapter 1 on Ao3 Chapter 3

[hwestil]

If your banker breaks, you snap; if your apothecary by mistake sends you poison in your pills, you die.

-

"Aye, aye, steward," cried Stubb, "we'll teach you to drug a harpooneer; none of your apothecary's medicine here; you want to poison us, do ye? You have got our insurances on our lives and want to murder us all, and pocket the proceeds, do ye?"

Ishmael saying something profound and then we learn he pulled it from Stubb's aggressive anti-ginger agenda.

[thedurvin]

Just occurred to me that despite living through OJ Simpson’s heights of fame and infamy is never heard what the OJ stood for, and in the process learned that this man’s life was fascinating from day one

(That’s “bank custodian” not as in “janitor at a bank” but as in “specialized banker that handles asset management for complex organizations such as insurance companies and hedge funds”)