#Housing Choice Vouchers

[drjvh]

Reflecting on a Momentous Day: Testimony to Congress on School Choice

Today’s experience—testifying before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce about charter schools—represents a full-circle moment and, more importantly, in the ongoing dialogue about the future of education in America. This was an opportunity not just to present data or argue for specific policies but to engage deeply with the critical issues at the heart of our education system. The…

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Kamala Harris herself has now borrowed Walz’s lingo and is also calling her opponents “weird”, while Walz is all over our television screens, bolstering the vice-president’s candidacy and playing “attack dog” against the Trump/Vance Republican ticket. I’ll be honest: last month, I would have struggled to pick Walz out of a lineup. This month? I’m Walz-pilled. I have watched dozens of his interviews and clips. And I’m far from alone. He has an army of new fans across the liberal-left: from former Bernie Sanders 2020 campaign co-chair Nina Turner, to one-time Democratic congressman Beto O’Rourke, to gun-control activist David Hogg. “In less than 6 days, I went from not knowing who Tim Walz is,” joked writer Travis Helwig on X, “to deep down believing that if he doesn’t get the VP nod I will storm the capitol.” According to Bloomberg, the Harris campaign has narrowed down its “top tier” of potential running mates to three “white guy” candidates: Walz (hurrah!), plus the Arizona senator Mark Kelly and Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro. Both Kelly and Shapiro have their strengths – and both represent must-win states for the Dems. Allow me, however, to make the clear case for Walz. First, there’s his personality. The 60-year-old governor would bring energy, humor and some much-needed bite to the Democratic presidential ticket. There’s a reason why his videos have been going viral in recent days. Tim Kaine he ain’t. Pick the charismatic and eloquent Walz and you have America’s Fun Uncle ready to go. Then, there’s his résumé. A popular midwest governor from a rural town. A 24-year veteran of the army national guard. A high school teacher who coached the football team to its first state championship. It’s almost too perfect! Finally, there’s his governing record. You will struggle to find a Democratic governor who has achieved more than Walz in the space of a single legislative session. Not Shapiro. Not JB Pritzker of Illinois. Not even Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan. [...] Think about it. Democrats can have Tim Walz on the ticket, who called the anti-war, pro-Palestinian ‘uncommitted’ movement “civically engaged” and praised them for “asking for a change in course” and “for more pressure to be put on” the White House, or they can have Josh Shapiro, who called for a crackdown on anti-war, pro-Palestinian college protesters and even compared them to the KKK. They can have Walz on the ticket, who has reportedly “emerged among labor unions as a popular pick” after signing “into law a series of measures viewed as pro-worker” including banning non-compete agreements and expanding protections for Amazon warehouse workers, or they can have Mark Kelly, who opposed the pro-labor Pro Act in the Senate (but has since touted support for it). They can have Walz, who guaranteed students in Minnesota not just free breakfasts but free lunches, or Shapiro, who has courted controversy in Pennsylvania with his support for school vouchers. They can have Walz, who calls his Republican opponents “weird” and extreme, or Kelly, who calls his Republican opponents “good people” who are “working really hard”. This isn’t rocket science. Walz is the obvious choice. Not only is he the ideal “white guy” running mate for Harris, against both Trump and Vance, but he is already doing the job on television and online, lambasting Vance in particular over IVF treatment and insisting he mind his “own damn business”.

Zeteo News founder Mehdi Hasan for The Guardian on why picking Tim Walz as Kamala Harris's running mate is the best option (07.29.2024).

Zeteo News founder Mehdi Hasan wrote in The Guardian why Tim Walz should be Kamala Harris’s running mate. Hasan’s opinion piece is worth reading.

[batboyblog]

Things Biden and the Democrats did, this week #18

May 10-17 2024

The Justice Department endorses lifting many restrictions on marijuana. Since the 1970s marijuana has been classified as a Schedule I controlled substance, the most restrictive classification for drugs that are highly addictive, dangerous and have no medical use, like heroin. Schedule I drugs are nearly impossible to get approval for research studies greatly hampering attempts to understand marijuana and any medical benefits it may have. The DoJ recommends moving it to Schedule III, drugs with low risk of abuse like anabolic steroids, and testosterone. This will allow for greater research, likely allow medical marijuana, and make marijuana a much less serious offense. President Biden welcomed DoJ's decision, a result a review of policy he ordered. Biden in his message talked about how he's pardoned everyone convicted of marijuana possession federally. The President repeated a phrase he's said many times "No-one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana,"

The Department of Interior announced no new coal mining in America's largest coal producing region. The moratorium on new coal leases has been hailed as the single biggest step so fair toward ending coal in the US. The Powder River Basin area of Wyoming and Montana produces 40% of the nations coal, the whole state of West Virginia is just 14%. The new rule is estimated to reduce emissions by the equivalent of 293 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, the same as taking 63 million gas powered cars off the road.

Vice-President Harris announced that the Biden-Harris Administration had broken records by investing $16 billion in Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Harris, a graduate of Howard University, is the first President or Vice-President to have gone to a HBCU. The Administration's investment of $900 million so far in 2024 brought the total investment of the Biden-Harris administration in HBCUs to $16 billion more than double the record $7 billion. HBCUs produce 40% of black engineers, 50% of black teachers, 70% of black doctors and dentists, and 80% of black judges. HBCUs also have a much better record of helping social mobility and moving people out of generational poverty than other colleges and universities.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced $30 billion dollars in renewal funding for the Housing Choice Voucher Program. The program supports 2.3 million families that are in need of housing with vouchers that help pay rent. This funding represents a $2 billion dollar increase over last year.

The Department of Agriculture announced $671.4 million in investments in rural infrastructure. The money will go to project to improve rural electric grids, as well as drinking water and wastewater treatment infrastructure. The money will go to 47 projects across 23 states.

HUD announced a record breaking $1.1 billion dollar investment in Tribal housing and community development. HUD plans just over 1 billion dollars for the Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) program. This is a 40% increase in funding over 2023 and marks the largest ever funding investment in Indian housing. HUD also is investing $75 million in community development, supporting building and rehabbing community buildings in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

The Department of Transportation announced $2 billion in investments in America's busiest passenger rail route, the Northeast Corridor between Washington DC and Boston. This is part of a 15 year, $176 billion plan to rebuild the corridor’s infrastructure and prepare for increased ridership and more trains. So far investments have seen a 25% increase, 7 million riders, over figures last year. a fully funded plan would almost double Amtrak service between New York City and Washington, D.C., and increase service between New York City and Boston by 50%. It would also allow a 60% increase in commuter trains.

HUD announced plans to streamline its HOME program. Currently the largest federal program to help build affordable housing, the streamlining of the rules will speed up building and help meet the Biden Administration's goal of 2 million new affordable housing units. HUD announced last week $1.3 billion dollars for the HOME program, which built 13,000 new units of housing in 2023 and helped 13,000 families with rental assistance

The Department of Interior announced $520 million in new water projects to help protect against drought in the western states. The funding will support 57 water related projects across 18 western states. The projects focus on climate resilience and drought prevention, as well as improving aging water delivery systems, and improving hydropower generation.

The Departments of Agriculture and HHS have stepped up efforts to wipe out the H5N1 virus prevent its spread to humans while protecting farmers livelihoods. The virus is currently effecting dairy cattle in the Texas panhandle region. The USDA and HSS are releasing wide ranging funds to help support farms equipping workers with Personal Protective Equipment, covering Veterinary costs, as well as compensating farmers for lost revenue. HHS and the CDC announced $101 million in testing an monitoring. This early detection and action is key to preventing another Covid style pandemic.

The Senate confirmed Sanket Bulsara to a life time federal judgeship in New York and Eric Schulte and Camela Theeler to lifetime federal judgeships in South Dakota. This brings the total number of judges appointed by President Biden to 197. For the first time in history the majority of a President's judicial nominees have not been white men.

Bonus: The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that transgender health insurance exclusions were illegal. The ruling came from a case first filed in 2019 where an employer refused to cover an employee's gender affirming surgery. The court in its ruling sited new guidance from the Biden Administration's Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that declared that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protects trans people in the work place. These kinds of guidelines are often sited in court and carry great weight.

[ukrfeminism]

A social worker turned interior designer is tackling furniture poverty by transforming the homes of social housing tenants through her charity.

Emily Wheeler, founder of Furnishing Futures, says the need for her charity is not just cosmetic design - domestic abuse survivors are often driven back to their perpetrators after being given empty social housing with no beds for their children.

When families escaping domestic violence are rehoused by their local council, properties are often stripped of all white goods, furniture, and flooring for health and safety reasons.

Having left their old homes suddenly without any of their belongings, families often end up in a flat or house with nowhere to cook or store food and no beds to sleep in, Emily Wheeler, founder of the charity Furnishing Futures, tells Sky News.

"There are no curtains at the windows, there's no oven, no fridge, no washing machine," she says. "Children are expected to sleep on concrete floors with no beds or bedding.

"Mothers may have experienced economic abuse or coercion and might not have access to their money and find themselves having to start again.

"So you can understand why some women think 'this is actually no better for my children than going back to my previous situation'."

Emily has been a frontline social worker in east London for more than 20 years. During a career break, during which she had her two children, she retrained as an interior designer.

When she returned to social work in 2014, she says austerity meant council budgets were being cut and previously available grants for social housing tenants were no longer funded.

"I've always seen furniture poverty throughout my career, but it had got worse," she says.

"I was meeting families living in these conditions without furniture and without access to support.

"When you look at the amount of stuff councils have to spend money on just to keep people safe, furniture isn't the priority."

Moved into empty flat two days after giving birth

Laura, not her real name, moved between different emergency accommodations while she was pregnant with her first child after being abused by her ex-partner.

She says she was offered a council flat two days after giving birth.

"When I first moved in it was all dirty, there was no furniture, no carpet, no cooker, fridge, or washing machine.

"I had to take out an emergency loan from Universal Credit to get away from my partner, so I didn't have any money left when my baby was born. The first couple of nights I could only eat takeaway food because there was nothing to cook with.

"It had concrete floors. I'd get up in the middle of the night to make my baby a bottle and it would be freezing, so I had to put blankets all over the floor."

Chief executive of the National Housing Federation Kate Henderson says: "In social housing, carpets have historically been removed as standard practice for practical reasons, to ensure hygiene between lets and to prevent any possible contamination.

"In some cases, housing associations provide new flooring as standard when a home is re-let, or in other cases they may provide decorating vouchers to new tenants, which can be used for flooring of their choice."

According to a 2021 study by the campaign group End Furniture Poverty, only 1% of social housing properties are furnished.

Councils under 'no legal obligation' 

The Housing Act 1985 states that a local authority "may fit out, furnish and supply a house provided by them with all requisite furniture, fittings and conveniences".

But Emily says this means there is no legal obligation to do so.

"Councils are fulfilling their duty by providing housing, so in the eyes of the law they're not doing anything wrong.

"But having an empty shell of concrete is not a home - just because you're not on the streets."

Having seen the problem on a wider scale when she began chairing multi-agency child protection conferences, she decided to combine her skills as a designer and social worker - and create a charity to help bridge the gap.

Furnishing Futures was set up in 2019. Emily and her team refloor, paint, and furnish empty properties given to trauma and domestic abuse survivors by councils.

She uses her industry connections, which include Soho House, DFS, Dunelm, and others, to source donated furniture, and fundraises for the rest.

She believes it is the only charity of its kind in the UK.

So far they have furnished more than 80 homes across east London, and a pilot scheme with Waltham Forest council and housing association Peabody will see another three completed there.

But with thousands of families on social housing waiting lists in each of the capital's 32 boroughs alone, she wants to expand nationally.

"The hardest thing about my job is having to say no to people because we don't have the capacity," she says.

"Every day we get inquiries from women, midwives, health visitors, other local authorities, domestic abuse agencies - but we're just a small team and the demand is huge."

The charity has a 4,000-square-foot warehouse, a team of five full-time staff, and a group of regular volunteers who help with flooring, painting, and assembling furniture.

As situations are often urgent, work is usually done in just one day.

Empty homes are form of 'revictimisation'

Jen Cirone, director of services at Solace Women's Aid, one of the charity's partners, says being housed in an empty home and having to start again is a form of "revictimisation".

But she says of the charity: "It's not only the practicalities of having a beautiful space to live in but also demonstrates that others care.

"Together, Furnishing Futures is able to complete the road to recovery that work with Solace has put them on."

Hannah, not her real name, is another of Emily's clients.

She was homeless after leaving her ex-partner and given emergency accommodation a day before she was due to give birth to her first child.

"I felt extremely stressed and vulnerable," she says. "As a victim of domestic violence and heavily pregnant, I already felt alone and unsupported.

"This empty space didn't feel like 'home' and it certainly wasn't suitable for baby."

As a type one diabetic she also had nowhere to store her insulin injections, she adds.

"I ended up staying in hospital for some time due to an emergency C-section and during that time Emily turned my empty, scary space into a home for me and my child."

Emily says that although COVID and the cost-of-living crisis have opened the conversation about poverty and how it affects domestic abuse survivors, the situation is "worse than ever".

"We're not just talking about poverty now, we're talking about destitution," she says.

"People need safe and comfortable homes. You won't be able to recover from trauma, rebuild your life, and be a productive part of society if you don't have your basic needs met."

A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson said: "Domestic abuse survivors deserve a safe home and we are grateful to Furnishing Futures for the work they do to help these families rebuild their lives.

"We expect social housing providers to play their part and provide homes that are of a decent quality, if tenants are unhappy, we encourage them to speak to their landlords.

"Our Social Housing Regulation Act is also driving up standards and strengthened the role of the Ombudsman so that it is easier for tenants to raise complaints."

[papurgaatika]

Knead Me, Need You

Pairing: Massage Therapist! Joel Miller x F! Reader

Summary: you were overworked, overstressed, and long overdue to get a massage. You just didn’t realize that getting one would come with a very good-looking massage therapist or the thoughts that filled your mind every time he touched you Tags: no outbreak AU, massage therapist! Joel, no reader desc. Gentle Joel, dirty thoughts, Joel is a tease, the reader is pent up as HELL, mentions of fingering, no actual sex, LOTS of sexual tension, pet names (darlin’ and sweetheart are used), Appreciation for Joel's arms, 18+ Word count: 2.7k

A/N: I very desperately need to get a massage and woke up from a dream about it so there’s that!! Also a huge lovely shoutout and thank you to my wonderful beta readers (@joelsdagger @carlynkurin and my lovely Laur) who have saved me from making the weirdest grammar mistakes and also fuel me with comments such as “IM (S)CREAMING” yall are real ones xoxo

Remember that TLOU is created by a zionist so please look at the resources at the end of this fic and in my bio on ways to donate and educate yourself!! 🇵🇸

You hate your job. Okay, that wasn’t true. You don't hate your job, you just hate the commute. And sitting at your desk all day. And the fact that you always decide that heels look better with your outfits. So you didn't really hate your job, you loved being in charge, but your back was paying the price for it. Everyone in your life has heard you complain about your back hurting at least once. Some of your coworkers had found you with a stash of the stick-on heating patches in your desk and that led to the office pitching in to get you a certificate to one of the nicest spas in the area for your birthday. 

You weren’t sure if you would use it, you barely had time to sit down and fully wash your face. How were you supposed to relax for a full hour and a half with some stranger touching you? The answer came to you one Saturday when you rolled out of bed and could barely stand because of a crick in your lower back. A groan falls from your lips before you throw yourself back onto your bed and grab your phone, making quick work of dialing the number on the back of the voucher. You let out a sigh of relief when the receptionist tells you they have availability later in the afternoon, and you tell her you’d take the appointment. You’re just about to hang up before her voice comes through your speaker again “Oh, and just to let you know, your therapist will be male, is that okay?” 

You freeze for a second. On one hand, you didn’t love the idea of some random man touching you, especially considering it was a full-body massage. But on the other hand, you really didn't have a choice, your back was going to give out if you waited any longer. You mumbled out a quick “That’s fine, thank you!” before hanging up and making your way up to change your clothes. You decide to opt for something more casual, before grabbing your keys and wallet and heading out of the house. 

This place was fancy. Like much fancier than you had expected and suddenly your outfit felt too casual and you missed your heels. You chewed on the inside of your cheek as you filled out the forms they gave you. No, you haven’t had a massage before, yes you wanted to focus specifically on your back, and you weren’t sure how much pressure you wanted. You hand the clipboard back to the receptionist with a smile and she lets you know that he’s just about finished with his last client and he’ll come back for you in just a few minutes. Your knee is bouncing of its own accord, nerves finally kicking in. You are about to be naked in front of a man who is then going to rub his hands into you. Taking a deep breath, you remind yourself that it’s his job. He does this all day, five days a week. You keep reminding yourself that it’s just a massage, you’ll be okay. You finally start to believe that, nerves dissipating and your heart settling back to its resting rate, and then you see him. 

He’s all broad shoulders and a kind smile walking out to the main area, before turning in your direction, and your mind blanks for a minute to fully take in how attractive this man is. His arms were gorgeous and you couldn’t take your eyes off of them. His t-shirt was pulled tightly over his bicep, riding up just enough to let you see a peek of skin that was untouched from the Texas sun. His arms were thick, the muscles defined and prominent, veins standing out against the smooth skin. You were enraptured watching his arms move as he signed off on some papers and grabbed the clipboard with your forms on it. Images of his thick fingers in unspeakable positions flooded your mind; tugging at your hair while his other hand was on your hip, dragging over your lips and pushing them into your mouth, letting them curl into your aching cunt while he holds you down. 

You were lost in your thoughts until his voice was saying your name and pulling you out of your depravity. You smile at him shyly and stand up to shake his hand “I’m Joel, and I'll be your masseuse for today, it’s a pleasure to meet you darlin’.” if you thought that he was attractive before, hearing that accent made you weak in the knees. The slow drawl of his words was smooth like honey and sent butterflies straight to your core. He takes the paperwork from the receptionist and gives it a quick scan before tutting at you lightly. “Overworkin’ yourself? Don’t worry, I'll take good care of you today.” You feel your face start to heat up as you follow him back through the halls into his room. You stepped inside to be met with a dim warm light, and soft music playing through a speaker. 

“So is this your first time coming in for a massage?” he asks, half leaning against the door. 

“Is it that obvious?” you half laugh, heat rising in the back of your neck. You bit the inside of your cheek, eyes locked on his. He laughed softly with a shake of his head and you think you might die on the spot. It’s so unfortunate that he’s so hot. 

“No, darlin’ it said it on one of those forms they had you fill out, I just wanted to go over how it all works with you.” you nod and look up at the man, waiting for him to go on, “I know it said you wanted to focus on your back, do you mind goin’ a little bit into why?” 

You sigh and press a hand into your lower back, “So I sit at work a lot, and granted my posture isn’t great, but I woke up this morning and it was worse than it had ever been” You tell him about your job, about being overworked, about your stupid half hour commute. He keeps his eyes locked on yours, only dropping to flick over your waist for a moment, and then back onto yours. 

He lets you explain where exactly you were hurting before he glances at his watch and lets you know that you should get started sooner rather than later. “Just go ahead and get dressed down to your comfort level and then just lay down with your face in the cradle sweetheart. I’ll knock before coming back in and then we can get started.” You smile and give him a nod, taking a deep breath once the door shuts after him. You make haste to strip down and fold your clothes leaving them in a little pile on a shelf, leaving your panties on much too aware of the wetness that was pooling into them. You grab your phone and lay down on the table, scrolling through your email and replying to a few new ones from your coworkers, knowing fully well that they can barely get things done without you. 

A knock on the door breaks you out of your thoughts and you let out a small noise of acknowledgment that you were ready, slightly hesitant. You watch as Joel opens the door and steps in, eyes immediately flicking to your phone. “Can’t have that out darlin’, this is your time to relax” he says gently, grabbing your phone and setting it down on the shelf next to your clothes. “I’m sure work can wait.'' He shoots you a wink and your face feels flushed. You let your face fall into the cradle, eyes shutting before you feel his hands grazing your body over the sheet slowly. He’s barely touching you, his touch is feather-light, so why do you feel like your body is on fire? His fingers make small circles on your scalp as his thumbs press gently into the base of your neck. Your eyelids flutter softly, the pressure he was applying immediately melting away your stress. His fingers work on your neck, not pressing too hard but not so soft that it wouldn’t help at all. You feel him work in the same place for a few minutes to get rid of a knot, likely from staring down at your phone or hunching over your computer all day, before he takes his hands away. 

“Alright sweetheart I'm gonna move the sheet and start on your back, if that’s alright,” you nod into the face rest, letting out a deep breath when his hands hit your skin. You figured his hands would be as strong as the rest of him looks but he was surprisingly gentle and warm. The smell of roses and sandalwood fills your nose as his hands press softly between your shoulder blades. You let out a soft sigh when his fingers dig into your skin “That pressure alright darlin’?”

You manage to mumble out a weak “yes” and let your eyes fall shut again. You don't know why he’s doing this to you, why this man is making you all hot and bothered while he just does his job, but he is. His hands feel like heaven on your lower back, fingers creating circles to try and get a particularly nasty knot out right above your tailbone. A sound leaves your mouth, a little too close to a whimper for your liking and you feel the blood rush to your face but Joel doesn’t even mention it. 

“You're real tense sweetheart, it’s a wonder you didn't have to come in before today” he mutters as his fingers work their way back up your spine. A trail of goosebumps follows after his touch as your back almost arches into his hands. Almost. You catch yourself at the last moment, sparing yourself from what would be the most embarrassing experience of your life and would also likely get you banned from the spa, which would truly be painful because lord, did Joel know how to use his hands on you. His fingers were soft yet somehow held just the right amount of strength in them to work your pain away, the way the heels of his palms would dig into your skin when he focused on a specific area, he was just too good at this and it was making you a little bit crazy. 

Your eyes were still shut, your body more relaxed than it had ever been when you heard him tell you to flip over so he could work on your legs. In your half-asleep state, you seem to have forgotten that moving too fast will not only make your head spin but will also make the sheet covering you drop. You managed to catch it and pull it over your chest, eyes wide and staring at him. “Oh my god I'm so sorry-” you start but he cuts you off with a shake of his head before clearing his throat. 

“‘s alright sweetheart” his eyes flick down to where you were clutching the sheet. Your breasts were spilling out of the top almost obscenely, a small sheen of sweat from the warmth of the table (and his hands) covering your skin. “Just lay back down, ‘m gonna work on those legs now.” He turns to grab the oil again, and you weren’t certain because of the dim lighting in the room, but you could have sworn there was a light blush dusting his cheeks. You lay down with your head in the rest, still clutching the sheet at your chest before he takes it out of your hands and brings it over your chest fully, leaving just your collarbone and neck exposed. He moves to a corner before picking up a bolster to put under your knees to prop them up slightly. 

You let your eyes fall shut as you feel his hands skim your calf. You bite back a gasp when his hands, god his hands are huge, encompass your ankle and bring it up out of the sheet, bending it at your knee slightly. You wet your lips with your tongue and find your mouth drier than it had ever been as he moves your leg into a good position for him, your calf almost grazing his chest. You feel yourself clench around nothing and feel your panties dampen at the closeness of him. He lets your foot down, tucking the sheet under your hip so that it doesn't slip out from under you, and you can feel your heartbeat everywhere. His fingers were so strong yet so gentle on your calf, rubbing out the tightness in your legs.  As his fingers made their way further up your leg you felt like you were on fire. His hands were pressing into the muscles, nails softly tracing against your inner thigh and it made you feel weak. You couldn’t get the image of those same fingers the ones that were trying to help you relax, rubbing circles over your clit or digging into your hips as he held you in place, out of your mind. It was filthy really, how pent-up you were. How depraved the thoughts you were having about this man, this stranger, were, but you couldn’t help the wetness pooling between your legs from growing.  He presses into a specifically sore spot, dragging something between a yelp and moan from your lips. “I'm so sorry-” your words were quiet, barely audible over the light music he had playing in the room. “Don't worry about it sweetheart, just means I’m doing my job right” he was fucking with you. He had to know what he was doing to you. Had to know that while he was working on the muscles of your legs, you wanted those strong fingers inside of you, talking you through orgasm after orgasm with that sweet southern voice. 

You close your eyes again, trying to stabilize your heart rate and keep it from pounding out of your chest “Alright sweetheart, I'm gonna wipe you off and then I’m sorry to say, but we are done for the session” You nod your head before feeling the warmth of a hot towel wipe against your legs, attempting to brush the idea of him wiping you up after pumping you full of his cum out of your mind. You take a few deep breaths before he turns the lights up slowly, letting you adjust to the change. “Alright, I'm gonna step out and grab you some water. I’ll meet you up by the front darlin’” You smile at him and say thank you before moving to change into your clothes, knees slightly wobbly from just thinking about him. Your panties are embarrassingly wet when you stand up, and you press your face into your hands trying to shake this out of your system.

You manage to step out of the room without having your knees give out,  eyes still slightly blurry from being half asleep through the whole appointment, and walk back out to the reception. You blink a few times, adjusting to the much brighter lighting, and see Joel waiting for you with a cup of water. “Pleasure working on ya sweetheart, I hope I’ll see you again soon” You take the water and say your thank you to him before watching him walk back into the backroom, and oh my god was his butt always that cute? 

You turn back to the receptionist with a smile, when she asks how the session went. “Good, yeah no everything was amazing” You bite on the inside of your cheek softly, the ghost of his fingers still on your skin. You get checked out, making sure to give him a hell of a tip and book another session with him in a few weeks. You take his card and twirl it around your fingers as you sit in your car. Joel Miller- Licensed Massage Therapist- Austin, TX. It was going to be a long hard few weeks without seeing him, but you had some ideas on how to keep yourself, and that dull ache in the pit of your stomach occupied, and every single one of them included thinking about Joel Miller and his fingers. 

A/N: From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free READ: This account stands with Palestine unequivocally, and so— I require everyone who interacts to educate themselves, and support/donate. READ THESE; 1, HELP HERE, BOYCOTT. silence is complicity, do not scroll past this. DO NOT BUY THE REMASTER, TLOU2, TLOU1, OR ANY GAME FROM NAUGHTY DOG! neil druckmann (the creator) is a zionist. PLEASE READ THIS. AND REBLOG THIS.  Thank you for reading, and free Palestine

[geekmystic]

"Adam? What are these?" Barbara pointed at two slips of card stock leaning up against the model of their home.

Adam turned and followed the direction of Barbara's finger. He adjusted his glasses as he stepped over to the model. Picking up one of the slips, he read out loud.

Adam Maitland

The Netherworld Express Cordially Invites You Aboard The Soul Train.

Please present this voucher at the will-call office at any time of your choosing.

The second slip had Barbara's name on it with the same message.

"The Soul Train? What is that? Do you remember reading about it in the handbook?" Adam asked.

"No. Do you think it's a trick? Maybe that Beetleman is trying to trick us? He can't be happy after what we did to him."

"Should we try to get ahold of Juno?"

"No need." A raspy voice startled the couple from behind them. The smell of cigarette smoke tickled their phantom noses.

Barbara turned around and exclaimed "Juno!"

"The vouchers are legitimate. You've been invited to The Great Beyond."

Barbara crinkled her nose in thought. "The Great Beyond? I thought this was the afterlife. You said we were stuck here for 125 years."

"Well, yes, typically, your spirit would be tied to the property for 125 years. However, you two lovebirds found a loophole."

Juno looked the couple up and down, disapproving of their naivete. With a sigh, she continued. "Both the living and the dead have a terrible time letting things go. Most people, upon learning they're dead, cling to the last bit of their mortal life. It could be a house, an heirloom, or a living person or animal. We can't break the bond until either property or living organism is destroyed or after 125 years has passed."

"But the house isn't destroyed," Adam quickly replied. "Though I question some of the choices in decor." Adam gestured downward to indicate everything below their feet.

Taking another drag of her cigarette, Juno clarified her earlier statement. "That's the loophole. You gave the house to the Deetzes. Your spirits have let go of your claim on the property. You're free to move beyond this mortal realm, past the nether realms, to the Great Beyond."

"Oh Adam. I don't know. Lydia would be heartbroken."

With her cigarette pointed at Barbara, Juno interjected again. "I know you love that kid. But my suggestion is that you leave sooner, rather than later. Otherwise, you'll be tied to her. She's still growing up. But she'll want her independence some day. And she'll resent you for not being able to move on. Leave now, while she has good memories of you."

Barbara felt tears prick the corners of her eyes. Juno made a great point. They couldn't be tied to Lydia forever. They also couldn't stay with the property. It was time to move along.

Barbara watched Adam straighten his back, his face growing serious but his eyes remained soft. "We'll wait till summer. When Lydia goes off to college, starting her adult life. That's when we'll take the train."

Barbara nodded in agreement. It would be difficult leaving Lydia but there was a brand new adventure ahead. She hadn't realized how stagnant life felt until this moment. Helping Lydia and the Deetzes was great but the thought of possibly seeing her grandparents again thrilled her. Adam would get to see his father again. "Okay. Yes. End of summer."

Juno clapped her hands together. "Sounds like we have a plan. When you're ready, hold the voucher in your hand while drawing the door. The will-call office will be straight ahead."

***

The end of summer arrived swiftly. A week before Lydia was to move into her apartment, Adam and Barbara sat down with her to explain that they wouldn't be here when she visited at Thanksgiving. Lydia cried herself to sleep that night while Barbara watched over her.

Stroking her hair, Barbara whispered, "You have everything you need, Lydia. You're the strongest and smartest woman I know. Your parents love you and support you, even if they struggle to communicate it well. I know that you'll never be alone. I feel it down in the very bottom of my soul that you'll never be alone. And we will never forget you. When you're old and gray, you come find us then. And not a moment sooner. Okay?"

Lydia whimpered in her sleep but managed to nod in agreement.

***

The night before Lydia was to move out, they had one last dance party. Even Charles and Delia danced with them. Adam and Barbara pulled out all the tricks they had learned over the last couple of years to make it a night to remember. Everyone went to bed laughing.

The next morning, Adam and Barbara watched the car pull away from the house, taking Lydia to her new life. They toured the house one last time, sharing different memories (and dreams) they had of the home. Eventually, they found themselves in the attic. Adam brushed some dust off the model, righted a tree, placed a miniature car just so.

Satisfied with his work, Adam grabbed the vouchers and handed one to Barbara. Lastly, he grabbed the chalk and drew a door...

[datura-tea]

when gwen came back to vault 101, no one cheered. no one welcomed her back. which is to be expected - there were some who blamed her for what happened. butch thought that was bullshit, but no one would ever hear him defending gwen. especially not gwen. so he watched from a distance when she stomped into the vault in her too-big boots, dried blood in her hair, dusty and dirty and standing taller than he had ever seen her.

gwen lit up when she saw amata, but quickly dimmed when amata approached her hesitantly, as if scared. butch can't blame amata; this new gwen, wasteland gwen, looked like vault gwen only in passing. wasteland gwen was rougher, tougher. imposing. her rifle slung easily from her shoulder.

butch wondered if she had ever killed anyone with it.

butch decided to break the silence. he pointed at gwen's rifle. "ever killed anyone with that thing?"

he leaned against the door as gwen and amata talked, noting gwen's frown deepening the more amata filled her in. she was all business now; very serious, impartial and indifferent. asking questions like: what happened here? what do you want me to do? how much are you going to pay me? which unsettled butch a little. gwen was never a joker, but she never took anything seriously, either. to see her stone-cold and stern (like james) was new, and it was concerning.

so when gwen passed him on her way to the overseer, he walked in step with her. she nodded at him. he nodded back. they stayed like that for a few blocks, just quiet. which was new, also. before, they would've been talking each other's ears off, firing off insults and jabs one after another.

gwen rolled her eyes. "hi, gwen," she said in a deepened voice. "it's nice to see you again, gwen. i was so worried about you, gwen." she sighed. "just shot wilkins with it."

"wilkins is dead?"

"fuck if i know. i didn't stay to check." she doubled back to peer into the clinic. she turned to butch, her hands on her hips. "look, what do you want from me?"

butch looked her in the eye. no need to beat around the bush, then. "i need to get out of here, man."

gwen shrugged. "then get out of here. what's stopping you and your dinky little knife?"

"dinky? what are you calling dinky?" butch bristled. "this thing's sharp as fuck."

"that shit can't peel an apple. that shit's barely worth a cap."

butch frowned. "the fuck is a cap?"

"wasteland money. it's dumb." gwen entered the clinic as she talked. butch followed her. "they use fucking bottlecaps."

"there's money up there?" brotch taught them about money and trade, but they didn't use it in the vault. "no vouchers? no rations?"

"no, man. you find food or you trade or you starve." gwen was rummaging through the rubble in james' office. "i've just been eating cold cram."

"but you're eating what you want," butch said. "you have a choice."

"yeah, i guess. it's just..." gwen sighed again and faced butch. "i'm not gonna lie, dude, it's bad out there. you get shot at, you get chased by randos, you eat 200-year old shit because you can't find fresh food. there's choices, sure, but it's between two shitty choices all the time." she gestured at their surroundings. "but, even with all that... it's loads better than this shithole."

butch whooped. "so you'll help me escape?"

"i'm going to do what amata wants, and that's to get the door open. what you do after that is your business." gwen went to the framed verse on the wall and opened it. "here we go."

butch went to her. she took out a bobby pin and a screwdriver and jimmied the lock, which broke with a small click. the safe opened, and gwen took out a small bag and some schematics. she stuffed both in her battered pack.

"okay, butch, i'm gonna go deal with the overseer," she said, patting his shoulder. "go do... whatever you want. go fucking wild. no one in here, or out there, cares."

"thanks?" butch watched her walk past him. gwen stopped when she got to the door.

"if you do get out, though," she said, "i live in this house in megaton. right at the entrance. you can't miss it. you're - and i can't believe i'm saying this - welcome there."

butch felt warmth bloom in his chest. it felt weird and gross, but not unwelcome. he smiled at her. she smiled back. and then she was gone.

[accidentally-in-fictional-love]

🔧 🍭? Lonny is such a doll

We'll Always Have Boston (Creme) - Lonny Crane/Reader

Warnings: No use of Y/N, gender-neutral reader, the reader's fear of heights is born here.

Wordcount: 2784

Summary: Moving to Columbia promised you a secure job and a great condo on the premises, but after a very avoidable accident, you instead become invisible so you can stay on the ground so it never happens again. Good thing the cute handyman works in the basement instead of the upper floors.

Notes: What's this? An excuse to write about how Lonny and the reader met before this fic? Don't mind if I do ;w; I gave him a nametag since he and Bud have official uniforms and all, everyone deserves to know Lonny's name as he fixes the place up! This one's a bit shorter, and it has a bit more plot than sweetness with him, but I still hope you like it, more is definitely coming with these two 💗💗💗

Being relocated from your home in the States down to Columbia wasn't on your list of things you wanted to happen that year, but the Belko branch down there was getting low on employees, the number of nonlocals had fallen under 100 despite being a large, government-owned business, while yours was so full that it was either move, or find a new job. This was fine, in order to make the transition easier you were guaranteed a good apartment close by so you wouldn't have to deal too badly with the traffic; in fact, to make the move even more enticing, they were starting work on a small neighbourhood of condos and townhouses on the sprawling, unused lot surrounding the building so people would be even more inclined to come down.

It made sense, you couldn't fault them for wanting to make this place seem as attractive as possible to anyone not currently living in the country, but that wouldn't stop you from complaining as you packed up everything and piled it all onto a plane with the other 19 employees who'd been given the same choice.

The new housing was still being built, so for now you had your voucher for one decent apartment until then, and whether you were promoted by the time they finished would guarantee you a choice of either the bigger, nicer condos in the future building, or one of the townhouses, which otherwise gave priority to families. Every day you came in you got to watch the progress through the window from your cubicle, the sounds of the construction somehow unable to penetrate the glass despite the proximity, but it helped productivity so there were no real complaints about that. 

On your lunch break you sat on the roof with the others who liked to go up for a secret smoke, or do a bit more, if they were in the mood to ease the stress of the day, and they always made sure to stand out of your way so you could sit on the ledge and eat your lunch despite the danger of falling.

You sat up there and watched as they worked below, the view quite spectacular considering you'd never be able to get away with this in the city, and as the skeletons of the future homes were slowly built up, you'd imagine what they'd look like when they were done, and how you'd decorate the inside of yours come Moving Day. It was a simple way to pass the time, but it wasn't like you had much of a choice considering everyone already knew each other from years of working together, while the ones who'd come with you had latched onto each other or the people who meshed with them. You did neither, it'd happen naturally whenever it happened, although you had to admit that it probably wouldn't happen so long as you kept ditching everyone to hang out on the roof with the smokers and stoners. 

‘Better be careful, the wind’s been pretty strong lately, don't want you falling over the edge,’ Marty warned you as he always did whenever the wind was even a little strong, his hand cupped around his lighter as he lit up against the wall, sheltered from it.

‘I haven't fallen yet, knock on wood,’ you replied as you always did in return, and he toasted the blunt in your direction before turning to the door to wait for the others. ‘How long d’you think it'll take them to finish?’

He took a drag and held it in with a hiss as he sauntered over to check, the wall up high to prevent any falling and just making it that much harder for him to see without climbing up to join you. ‘Been at it a while but they're working fast, you're still not seriously considering moving in there, are you?’ You'd heard this the first time you'd mentioned it, and you took a bite of your sandwich as he leaned in close. ‘They got cameras in the walls here, man, they put tags in us when we started, you think they're not gunna do some funky shit in there where they can watch us 24/7?’

‘I'm constantly watching the place be built, same as everyone, they're not gunna put cameras in the place,’ you once again tried to reassure him with an amused roll of your eyes, and he shook his head and blew more smoke into the wind away from you.

‘That's just it, isn't it? Once those walls go up, you won't be able to see what's inside anymore, they could be putting anything in there, we don't know,’ he continued, and when you gave him a teasing push he forgot where he was a moment and pushed you back.

Between his hand on your shoulder and the wind deciding to pick up, it was no surprise as you lost your balance and teetered back over the edge, your laugh getting cut off as your hand shot out to grab anything while your eyes went wide. He came to his senses and dropped his blunt in order to catch you, his hands gripping you so tight to make sure you didn't fall that he managed to not only rip your shirt but break the skin underneath, and you made the mistake of looking when you fell back enough to let your head go limp; the view was still beautiful even upside down, and you felt weightless as you kept going until you were no longer looking at the construction, but the ground 7 stories below.

‘I got you! I got you!’ Marty yelled as he fought not to be dragged down with you, and with some adrenaline-fueled pulls he was finally able to shift his weight enough to pull you down to the roof again. You fell on top of him as he panted loudly in fear and exertion, but you were still as your entire body went completely numb, your vision blurring as the vertigo made you still feel like you were still a million miles off the ground. ‘I got you,’ he repeated again as his hands let go of you to let his arms sprawl out over the sun-heated cement, but you didn't hear him as you stared ahead and still saw the ground.

You'd never had a fear of heights before, but you most certainly did now as the terror made a single tear roll down your cheek.

It'd been two years since then, and never once did you go back up there to enjoy your lunch again. You owed Marty a debt that could never be repaid, even though it was him who'd caused it all, but you still held that bond close to you as you stopped vying for any promotions that would get you a townhouse and kept to the lower floors, where it felt safer. You couldn't work on the ground floor, there were no offices down there, but the 2nd would have to do as you kept your head down and made sure that you didn't stand out in the Big Bosses’ eyes, didn't put yourself at risk of going up there again.

Even inside, the moment you saw the view from above you'd start to panic until your vertigo kicked in and rendered you useless, and in the end you'd stuck with your crappy apartment in the city instead of the condos because you didn't want to look at those buildings ever again from any height.

Two years to the day you’d gotten your phobia, you were just about to leave for work when you got the email about someone's birthday in your room, and it was finally your turn again to pick up the treats for everyone to celebrate. You didn't mind it, you enjoyed your cubiclemates’ company and it was always nice to start the day off with treats even though it was on your dime this time, and you picked up the pre-ordered cake and a box of random donuts along with your coffee with a very excited grumble from your stomach. You avoided looking at the buildings to your left as you drove up to work, a quick flash of your card allowing you through the gate thanks to Wilmar knowing you well enough to just let you pass by this point, and you carefully balanced the treats with one arm while your hand held your coffee. 

Thanks to the morning rush you had someone to open the door for you, your card resting on top of the cake box for someone to swipe to allow you entrance with your hands very full, and you waited patiently at the elevator for once because there was no way you could carry all this up the stairs. Right as yours let you know that someone had just gotten off at the topmost floor, the one next to you pinged to signal that someone was coming up from the basement, and you held your treats a little tighter as the two handyman you'd seen around but never really had the chance to get to know exited the metal box.

‘Got a big one lined up for us today, Lon, the boys upstairs say there's been a noise in their ceiling that's been spreadin’, gotta go up and make sure nothing got in over the weekend, just gotta check things out here first to see if they're related,’ the older man was telling his partner as they walked out, and the latter was so focused on his tasks that he didn't notice you, like you were invisible. He bumped into you and you lost your grip on your coffee, the treats slipping from your arm as you jumped away to avoid the hot liquid, but they were thankfully saved as the two men quickly swooped in to not only move you to safety but also catch the birthday sweets before they hit the floor and were ruined. ‘Whoa, easy there, you gotta keep an eye out for the smaller guys, cowboy,’ he chastised his partner lightly, and when he nodded in shame at what he'd nearly done, he finally got a look at you at the same time you did him.

He was beautiful, dark eyes almost hidden by messy bangs that had fallen from being pushed back in his haste to catch the cake, and they were focused solely on you before he looked away as fast as possible. You felt your cheeks redden, you hadn't known he was this cute from your minimal glances over the years, and you stuttered as you were handed back both boxes while a janitor came over to mop up the spill before it dripped into the elevator shaft.

‘No, it’s my fault, I get all spacy around elevators,’ you were quick to explain, both hands holding the boxes tight now that they were in your possession again, you wouldn't be dropping them a second time.

‘Afraid of small spaces?’ the older man asked, and when you shook your head at him you saw that his name tag read ‘Bud Melks’.

‘It’s the heights, actually, knowing I don't have control over if I go up or down outside of pushing a button, that if something happens and I fall- sorry, didn't mean to get serious on you,’ you mumbled in embarrassment, but neither thought it was anything to be embarrassed about as Bud clapped a hand on your shoulder.

‘Ain't no trouble, Lonny here used to be afraid of small spaces until he started working with me, maybe some exposure to it might help you too,’ he suggested as he messed with the hair of the cute one, whose name tag read ‘Alonso Crane’.

‘It might be a while before I try any of that, but… I'll take it into consideration,’ you said with a soft smile, and Alonso, despite being embarrassed himself just a moment before, gave you his own soft smile at the thought of you also getting over your fears before quickly looking away again. ‘Oh, for saving the day, would you guys like one of these as thanks? Everyone will have cake, so these are just a little extra,’ you said before attempting to set the cake down again, and Alonso’s eyes widened as soon as he took the cake box from you so Bud could open the donut box; he looked at the coveted Boston Creme waiting in the very center almost, but he didn't go for it even when Bud grabbed his own. ‘If you don't like any of these I can always grab your favourite on my break, you saved the cake and all,’ you offered, but he shook his head, he was fine.

‘Cmon, big guy,’ Bud sighed in an almost familial way before holding his donut in his mouth and taking the box from him so he could choose, and Lonny stared before taking his prize and giving you a small nod.

‘Thanks,’ he almost whispered, his voice even softer than he looked, and your heart pounded as you closed the box again the moment your elevator finally reached you.

‘You're welcome,’ you said in what might've been a whisper as well, and Bud sighed again in an even fonder way before handing you back the cake and guiding Alonso away by the scruff of his neck.

‘We'll be seeing you,’ he said before you all realized you'd never introduced yourself, and when you gave them your name you didn't miss the way Alonso smiled again. Bud gave you a wave with his donut, a big bite out of it now, and Alonso protected his as they made their way down the hall towards their jobs for the day. You watched them go until the elevator doors started to shut, and when you hopped inside and hit the button for the 2nd floor you didn’t feel dizzy for once as it started to ascend. Your superior looked a bit nervous by the time you finally arrived, but everyone gave a relieved cheer when they saw their free treats, the birthday girl in question coming over to grab the boxes so she could grab her slice of cake.

‘We got worried, you're usually so punctual, some of them started to bet that you dropped it and had to grab a new one,’ she teased as she flipped open the lid, and when she saw the slight smush to the one side her eyes went wide. ‘Oh my god you did nearly drop it didn't you?’

‘Just a little,’ you confessed, she was your friend and cubicle neighbour so she could take it, and she pursed her lips in false disappointment as she quickly started cutting it, a slow head shake topping it all off. You barely noticed, you were still thinking of him, and when you didn't get your cake or a donut before sitting down you had her entire attention as she rolled her chair over to you, her treats on the paper plate in her hand.

‘I don't recognize this look, you've met someone, haven't you?’ she asked like it was a devious secret you were trying to keep from her, and your cheeks flushed again as you thought of his smile. ‘Ha! I knew it, not a single person has caught your eye since you moved down here, who are they? Which floor are they on? Is it ours?’ She asked it all so fast that you could hardly keep up, and she nibbled on cake as you stared past your desk and to the floor. 

‘The basement,’ you answered, and her brows furrowed before she understood, a big, smarmy grin on her face along with the icing and crumbs.

‘He's perfect for you, then, that's as far away from the roof as you can get,’ she teased with another big bite, and you just took it as you finally got up to get your treats before those animals ate them all; she followed you, ready for more cake for breakfast, and your gaze became very fond as you looked at the place where his choice had been.

‘He likes Boston Cremes,’ you added, and she gave you a couple playful nudges before she got that second piece, there was still plenty for you and even him if you saved two pieces for later as a second thank you.

‘Sounds like you should start bringing us donuts more often,’ she suggested in a not entirely greedy way, and you knew what you had to do the moment you pictured how happy he'd looked when you'd offered it to him.

‘Yeah, yeah I think I should.’

[hadesdyke]

We only have a newborn nbd 🙄

It would be really cool if literally fucking anybody would help us move 🙄

[latefrequencies]

Big life update that I'd like everyone to know about.

Many of you were probably at least somewhat aware of my family's plan to move to Canada and for me to come with them. Due to being disabled and dependent on them for housing, I assumed I had no choice but to move there.

I have received the information that a waitlist for Section 8 vouchers in my area is opening up, and I am going to apply.

Some of the reasons I prefer to live in where I have lived my whole life than Canada:

-I have no social circle in Canada, and I am now too disabled to reliably create a new one -While I can still receive SSI money in Canada, it will be drastically less than I receive now -I will not receive food stamps in Canada -The Medicare I get from disability benefits here covers medication (which I require to function), but Canadian healthcare does not

Today, I talked to my mother about it, and she told the rest of the family. While I was fully prepared to find a way to do this without help from anyone, she and my father are going to provide material support in the form of paying for moving costs and helping me furnish the new apartment to some extent.

Due to a variety of factors, I am reasonably sure that I will be approved for housing and am therefore treating it as though it is a certain thing.

My parents agree that this is the best possible outcome for me, and this will likely occupy a lot of my attention, both in stressful ways and in nice ways (such as thinking about how nice it will be to live in my own place).

After I get some details worked out, I will post a GoFundMe (or something similar). While I believe I will be able to afford everything I need to, I would still like to see what kind of support I can get from my blog's readership.

I am very happy with this decision, and while I will be very stressed about this situation, I will also be very happy, and when I get that housing, it will be one of the best things to ever happen to me.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Kiera Butler at Mother Jones:

Earlier this month, former President Donald Trump held his first campaign rally as a convicted felon at Dream City Church in Phoenix, Arizona, hosted by the arch-conservative student group Turning Point USA. This wasn’t Trump’s first appearance at Dream City Church; he also held a rally there with Turning Point USA in 2020. For events like this, it’s an ideal venue: A weekly attendance of around 21,000 believers makes this one of the largest churches not just in Arizona but in the nation.

Dream City, which didn’t respond to my questions for this story, is a mecca for special guests who blur the line between religion and politics. Its annual conference has featured notables like musician and pastor Sean Feucht, who participated in a White House prayer session for President Trump in 2019 and is currently leading a tour of prayer rallies at state capitol buildings across the country. The lineup for this year’s event also included David Barton, whose organization, WallBuilders, teaches K-12 students about the supposed Christian origins of America; Jürgen Mathesius, a pastor at San Diego’s far-right Awaken Church, which has become a stop on Mike Flynn’s ReAwaken America tour; and Jentezen Franklin, a televangelist who also spoke at the 2022 Pray Vote Stand Summit, which mobilizes conservative Christian voters to engage in political activism.

In addition to its thrumming weekly worship sessions and its blockbuster events, the church has another project: Dream City Christian Academy. The K-12 private school, which serves nearly 800 students, is part of Turning Point USA’s Turning Point Academy program, a network of 41 schools that describes itself as “an educational movement that exists to glorify God and preserve the founding principles of the United States through influencing and inspiring the formation of the next generation.” Dream City Christian Academy promises to “Protect our campus from the infiltration of unethical agendas by rejecting all ‘woke’ and untruthful ideologies being pushed on students.” This politically charged approach to education likely isn’t for everyone—and because it’s a private school, it doesn’t have to be. Except for one thing: Dream City Christian Academy is one of a growing number of religious schools that are supported by public funds.

In 2022, Arizona became the first state in which all students are allowed to use state vouchers to cover a portion of tuition at any private school, secular or religious. Through Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, each participating family receives about 90 percent of the money the state would have spent on the child’s public school education—around $7,000 per student per year—for private school tuition. For the 2024-2025 school year, the Dream City Christian Academy annual tuition ranges from $10,450 in elementary school to $13,999 in high school—so families of the school’s nearly 800 students can use state funds to pay for between half and two-thirds of their tuition bill. Dream City Christian Academy received almost $1 million in tuition voucher money last year, the Arizona Republic recently reported.

Since Arizona passed its universal voucher law, 10 more states have followed suit. According to an analysis by Education Week, 29 states currently have programs that provide such assistance to a variety of different students many of whom attend local public schools that perform poorly. It also targets those with a disability that requires specialized education and those whose families earn significantly less than the federal poverty level. More programs are in the works: Lawmakers in both Louisiana and South Carolina recently advanced bills that would create programs like Arizona’s that are open to all students. When state funds are available for private school choice programs, a recent Washington Post analysis found that religious schools receive upwards of 90 percent of that money.

[...] A prerequisite for students and their families to attend some of the schools that currently receive voucher money is that they accept Jesus Christ as their lord and savior. In March, the education blog Notes from the Chalkboard highlighted one such school. Students attending North Carolina’s Daniel Christian Academy, are trained to “enter the Seven Mountains of Influence,” a main tenet of a Christian Nationalist movement known as the New Apostolic Reformation. Its adherents believe that the faithful are called to seek Christian control of the “seven mountains” of society: family, education, media, government, business, arts & entertainment, and religion. Many New Apostolic Reformation followers believe that waging “spiritual warfare” is justified in achieving these goals, though Daniel Christian Academy specifies that its endorsement of the Seven Mountains Mandate “in no way includes violence or manipulation at any level.”

Americans United for Separation of Church and State’s Laser worries that the proliferation of private school voucher programs will open the door to even more permissive rules around the use of public education dollars to teach religion. She points to a suite of bills that would allow public schools to employ chaplains, and even more remarkably, to an Oklahoma Catholic school called St. Isidore of Seville, which is set to become the nation’s first Christian public charter school this fall. The overarching goal of these initiatives, she says, is to “bestow a power and privilege on Christians in our country, at the expense of all the other religions in America.” Meanwhile, public education is robbed  “of the funding that it’s entitled to.”

Mother Jones reports on the disturbing trend of Christian Nationalists opening taxpayer-funded private schools with the intention to indoctrinate students with right-wing politics and a Christian Nationalist worldview.

[thornsent]

I'm trying to build a life for myself in this small red town I was displaced in but guys I'm not gonna lie to you. I kind of hate it here more every day.

There's a Trump store. Whenever we go to get groceries we pass by at least 20 trump signs. Someone's halloween decor was trump themed. The Salvation Army is the only thrift with normal, Monday through Saturday hours. Nearly everything closes at 5pm. Nearly everything is closed on Sunday. If you're not at least second generation from the town, hardly anyone will talk to you or treat you right.

The county treats us like shit, they misgendered my girl to her fucking FACE when we came in asking about some issues with food stamps. I suspect the whole fucking city is corrupt given what we've been going through with our apartment complex.

Yes there's local pride and it was awesome, yes I love the arts center and the concerts in the park, I love the proximity to nature, but holy fucking shit I could have literally all of that without the volume of bigotry if I was able to just go back home to duluth. I hate it here. I really actually hate it here and I just want to go home, I just want to see the lake again. I never wanted to be here but it was the only choice I was given, that or lose my housing voucher and end up on the streets. I never have autonomy over my own life or body, not even where I live, and it's getting to me more and more.

[mariacallous]

Housing vouchers are a cornerstone of US federal housing policy, offering aid to more than two million households. Vouchers are meant to provide the poor with increased choice in the private rental marketplace, enabling access to safe neighborhoods with good schools and higher-paying jobs. But do they?

The Voucher Promise examines the Housing Choice Voucher Program, colloquially known as “Section 8,” and how it shapes the lives of families living in a Baltimore neighborhood called Park Heights. Eva Rosen tells stories about the daily lives of homeowners, voucher holders, renters who receive no housing assistance, and the landlords who provide housing. While vouchers are a powerful tool with great promise, she demonstrates how the housing policy can replicate the very inequalities it has the power to solve.

Rosen spent more than a year living in Park Heights, sitting on front stoops, getting to know families, accompanying them on housing searches, speaking to landlords, and learning about the neighborhood’s history. Voucher holders disproportionately end up in this area despite rampant unemployment, drugs, crime, and abandoned housing. Exploring why they are unable to relocate to other neighborhoods, Rosen illustrates the challenges in obtaining vouchers and the difficulties faced by recipients in using them when and where they want to. Yet, despite the program’s real shortcomings, she argues that vouchers offer basic stability for families and should remain integral to solutions for the nation’s housing crisis.

Delving into the connections between safe, affordable housing and social mobility, The Voucher Promise investigates the profound benefits and formidable obstacles involved in housing America’s poor.

[ika-himee]

Artist Loft vs Himi Jelly Gouache

Out of curiosity, I decided to try the Artist Loft jelly gouache set. (My boyfriend took me to michaels to buy some art supplies to entertain myself during game night because i had a slightly stressful day and didn't feel like playing games lmao, so i just kind of stumbled across it and said, wth why not XD)

Here are my opinions on the set. I purchased the 24 set that comes with the brushes. It retails for about $24-$25. I had a couple coupons ($5 off $15+ and a 20% off) I purchased other things, but had I only purchased that, the set would have cost somewhere around $18 after tax i believe.

On amazon, the Himi gouache 24 set costs about $25-$26 and I think it also comes with brushes. So the sets are pretty comparable.

I have the 18 set of Himi gouache, that does not include brushes (tbh I cannot remember what I paid for it I bought it a couple years ago).

Having used both, I would say that the paints perform similarly and act as gouache should. (I could not find any information on the artist loft set about archival quality, but I scan most of my finished pieces, so it isn't a huge concern for me tbh.

The packaging is identical, the only real difference I noticed packaging wise is that the foil sealing the cups was incredibly difficult to remove from the artist loft set. I literally spent a collective 6 hours over 3 days peeling the foils off because they were stuck (and it would have taken longer had my dad not offered to help).

Content wise, the biggest issue with the set compared to himi was the quantity. Himi gouache cups contain 30ml of paint and the artist loft cups only contain 27ml i believe it is (which is not disclosed on the external packaging like it is with himi). They also seem to stain a bit more than the himi gouache, but probably not much more really. The artist loft set is also a bit more temperamental when it comes to adding water. Just a touch too much water, and the paint became extremely thin and streaky. I mostly got by with just the water left on my brush from rinsing and used that the thin the paint enough to use properly. The himi gouache was a bit more forgiving with the water, though it also gets streaky if you add too much.

Pigmentation was fine and each color acted as I expected it to. I did notice that the gouache skinned over rather quickly (within about an hour of use, the top layer already skinned, which the himi gouache did not skin so quickly when I first got it.) Overall, I think for a house brand, it did quite well and the price was well enough in line with the competitors to make it a solid choice if that is what is available to you (especially if you have coupons and vouchers).

HOWEVER, the fact that I had to spend hours (my fingers are still a little sore btw lol) peeling foils off of the cups before I could even dive into the paints was enough to make me low-key regret buying it. Now that its open and I've used it, I very much enjoy the set, and having 24 colors is great for people that want some variety and dont want to mix their colors. (I default to color mixing all the time though, so I could literally get by with the main 4 paints if i needed to haha, I just like options).

Do I recommend Artist Loft Jelly gouache?

Yes I do. However, I only recommend it if you can get a discount on it. Otherwise, I think you would do just as well getting the himi gouache unless you don't want to wait for it to ship and Artist Loft is in stock at the store. (remember, opening the artist loft cups is a literal nightmare and himi peeled off much easier).

[posttexasstressdisorder]

"Affordable" Housing.

You guys all know how badly we are being raped by the landlords here. We're paying $2,467/mo for a bare 2-br.

Since I'm on SSI, and it is really my only income, I also tried back in 2021 and 2022 to get on any "wait list" I could with the local "housing authorities". The wait lists have all been closed for years now.

Went just now and looked, and there was only ONE "listing" that could be considered affordable (at least by me): it's the old Hawthorn Inn "Extended Stay" motel on Webster, literally catty-corner to the Groce Out.

Here's what it looks like, the ONLY listing for "studio" units (two available).

So It looks like I barely squeak by on the "minimum income" with SSI, and with the COL increase 3.2%, the amt goes to $1,192/mo. So I make it over that bump, and that means the rent being $518/mo, I might actually be able to, you know...LIVE. Plus, they allow PETS!

So I filled out the application, which this time said you get "preference" if you live in Alameda, which yeah duh. So the attitude is slightly less Hunger Gamesish than the last time I looked at this stuff.

Could I stand living in a literal Motel room? None of my stuff would fit, for sure. Really not anticipating actually getting past all the insane hurdles they seem to throw up at every turn.

Why is this happening? Why don't they hand out the Housing Choice vouchers to ANYONE WHO NEEDS THEM? The parasite landlords all get paid just the fucking same, so why not just make that standard practice?

And thinking about all the hassle involved, at least here, I've got (for the time bein') the two best guys I could ever have picked to be roomies, and we are all basically clinging together to stay afloat, or as near afloat as possible...

I know I rail about this place, but at least I have a full kitchen, and have my kitchen tools around me. That is something that I gotta have. The "kitchenettes" in those motel buildings don't have even a full size fridge, much less a full stove.

But the fact that it is ALL SO BROKEN. HOUSING IS BROKEN.

THE WHOLE IDEA OF HOUSING IS BROKEN.

IT HAS TO BE RETHOUGHT!

To turn away people who need stable homes, by just wanting too much money for the barest of places, and limiting how many "poors" can be in your little artificial world. It's toxic. It's broken.