#being poor/semi disabled is EXPENSIVE

[italianodamiano]

beth go see a specialist and don’t cry afterward challenge

[hyperlexichypatia]

This is a semi spinoff of this post, but really its own thought.

When a job pays less than a living wage, it generally attracts one of two types of employees:

Desperate people (usually poor and/or otherwise marginalized or with barriers to employment), who will take any job, no matter how bad, because they need the money, or

Independently wealthy people (usually well-off retirees, students being supported by their families, or women with well-off husbands*), who don't care about the pay scale because they don't need the money anyway.**

And sometimes, organizations will intentionally keep a job low-paying or non-paying with the deliberate intent of narrowing their pool to that second category.

People sometimes bring this up when discussing the salaries of elected officials -- yes, most politicians are paid more than most "regular people," but they're not paid enough to sustain the expensive lifestyle politicians have to maintain, and that's on purpose. It's not an oversight, and it's not primarily about cost-cutting. It's a deliberate barrier to ensure that only rich people can run for office.

The same is true, albeit to less severe effect, of unpaid internships -- the benefit of "hiring" an unpaid intern isn't (just) that you don't have to pay them; it's also that you can ensure that all your workers are rich, or at least middle-class.

When nonprofits brag about how little of their budget goes to "overhead" and "salaries", as if those terms were synonymous with "waste," what they're really saying is "All our employees are financially comfortable enough that they don't worry about being underpaid. Our staff has no socioeconomic diversity, and probably very little ethnic or cultural diversity." ***

This isn't a secret. I'm not blowing anything wide open here. People very openly admit that they think underpaid workers are better, because they're "not in it for the money." This is frequently cited as a reason, for example, that private school teachers are "better" than public school teachers -- they're paid less, so they're not "in it for the money," so they must be working out of the goodness of their hearts. I keep seeing these cursed ads for a pet-sitting service where the petsitters aren't paid, which is a selling point, because they're "not in it for the money."

"In it for the money" is the worst thing a worker could be, of course. Heaven forbid they be so greedy and entitled and selfish as to expect their full-time labor to enable them to pay for basic living expenses. I get this all the time as a public library worker, when I point out how underfunded and underpaid we are. "But... you're not doing it for the money, right?" And I'm supposed to laugh and say "No, no, I'd do it for free, of course!"

Except, see, I have these pesky little human needs, like food. And I can't get a cart full of groceries and explain to the cashier that I don't have any money, but I have just so much job satisfaction!

And it's gendered, of course it's gendered. The subtext of "But you're not doing it for the money, of course" is "But how much pin money do you really need, little lady? Doesn't your husband give you a proper allowance?"

Conceptually, it's just an extension of the upper-class cultural norm that "polite" (rich) people "don't talk about money" (because if you have to think about how much money you have or how much you need, you're insufficiently rich).

*Gendered language very much intentional.

**Disabled people are more likely to be in the first category (most disabled people are poor, and being disabled is expensive), but are usually talked about as if they're in the second category. We're told that disabled people sorting clothing for $1.03 an hour are "So happy to be here" and "Just want to be included," and it's not like they need the money, since, as we all know, disability benefits are ample and generous [heavy sarcasm].

***Unless, of course, they're a nonprofit whose "mission" involves "job placement," in which case what they're saying is "We exploit the poor and desperate people we're purporting to help." Either way, "We pay our employees like crap" is nothing to brag about.

[transmutationisms]

sorry could you elaborate on running not being an accessible sport? do you mean if you want to do it semi-professionally or even on amateur levels? i ask bc i am broke as fuck and always found it the easiest sport to keep up for regular physical activity, but maybe that depends also on where i live/other circumstancial factors i am not considering. just curious to hear your opinion

-running shoes are expensive

-workout clothes are expensive

-there is always other gear you need, depending on the weather but at the very least like. sunscreen, even if you live somewhere temperate year-round

-there is such thing as an area without good roads/pavement to run on, and these also tend to be poorer areas

-as with any sport, time constraints tend to make it much harder for poor and working people to keep it up

i am also poor and run a lot, i'm not saying it's categorically impossible, but i also have an accommodating schedule bc i have a white collar job that i do from home, and frankly running is my most expensive hobby. what drives me up the wall is that the "oh just throw on a pair of shoes, anyone can do it!" line is usually just being weaponised by some condescending like health journalist embedded in the ideological matrix of bootstraps biopolitics to tell off ppl who are poor / fat / disabled. also it's bad advice from an injury prevention standpoint but that's another can of worms

[chronic-frustration-syndrome]

Hi there, fellow disabled person who can only really do computer stuff (but desperately needs to feel fulfilled in life) here;

My hands suck (chronic pain, unstable joints, giving me poor grip & mild dexterity issues, plus severe fatigue, plus semi-recently acquired intermittent temporary paralysis - yes it's weird!) But I recently found I can draw using a stylus on a tablet for (what is for me) a fairly long time, snce the almost complete lack of resistance provided by the slick screen means I can grip the stylus very lightly, & I also don't need to press down on it (I end up with a death grip on regular pens & pencils to stop them twisting out of my shifty fingers).

I also like to write, (which I find easiest to do using analogue tools, but) & find a mix of writing on my tablet (stylus again, but also smaller, lighter movements touching a touchscreen keypad than typing on a manual one) & using text to speech (plus occasionally regular typing) helps me jot my thoughts down most effectively.

My sister & I like to play games together, & the main thing we do is make worlds in sims 3, which is pretty fulfilling because not only do we enjoy the process, but every time we play with the worlds we can go "I made that" "we did a good job on this", etc, & feel proud of ourselves!

With all 3 types of activity, I find them most fulfilling when I share them with others (I have a small account for my art, another for some of my writing, plus I show my family things when I can) since the biggest downside to creating digitally is that no matter how big the file size gets it doesn't always feel like you've done anything, since there's nothing you can touch, but when you show someone else it reminds you "oh yes, I made that. I put in lots of time & effort & got a thing I can share with people".

I also like to engage with creative communities, even if I can't create myself. It doesn't always work - Sometimes I find it depressing as it reminds me I can't make a thing - but often, seeing something grow & take shape, sympathising with the trials & tribulations afforded by the creative process, being able to make suggestions if they ask for help or guidance, etc, gives me a sense of satisfaction that comes close to the satisfaction I get when making something myself - I also like to research skills & techniques I didn't know about before (& history)

Ideas gleaned from other people:

Some people use 3d modelling software instead of drawing in 2d

On top of regular printers (which can also help make digital creations become more tangible) you can also get 'cricut' machines (other brands available) that can cut out various shapes, make stickers, etc, which can help make something tangible, even if you need a hand with final assembly (I've been thinking of getting one myself) - obviously these cost, but people do spend money on their hobbies, so for some people it's a worthwhile investment (for others, it's not - 3d printers, ditto - though apparently you can make a bunch of adaptive tools using a 3d printer - think they're pretty expensive, though)

There are companies that let you make/will make stickers, tote bags, keychains, t-shirts etc, using anything from a snappy slogan made with basic text-creator, to a photograph, to a full-blown artistic masterpiece. There are other places which will let you print & bind books of your art/writing.

Other crafting games (or just games with tiers of achievments) exist - I believe minecraft lets you make all sorts of stuff - sims 3 just happens to be what my sister & I like :)

Photo or video (or gif) editing often involves creating using other people's work, which can make it feel more important than creating for just yourself sometimes does, & more tangible, since you're starting with 'raw materials', rather than just the infinite potential of a blank screen (plus it gives you the chance of a wider audience, making it easier to share with more people, whether it's the original creator whose work you helped edit, or fans of the larger work who you edited a snippet of).

Photography/videography: even though the end product is digital, you're still interacting with someone/thing that isn't. There are also many, many tools for taking photos remotely/hands free, stabilising the camera, etc, since even able-bodied photographers need these things for tricky subjects

Creating collages or fanvids or character playlists, etc, again, things to share with other people (that you also happen to enjoy) can get more fulfilling feedback, since it's easiest for people to connect to something they already know & enjoy

Digital meetups: some people play DnD, & other such games over online videocall, rather than in person, other people have (ir)regularly scheduled meetups about a whole range of topics (there's also things like discord, etc, but having a real-time face to face about a shared is a cut above)

Book/other discussion/study groups: getting together to talk about things face to face is always surprisingly rewarding (humans are social creatures, after all)

Turning silly cooking/crafting games where you 'pilot' another person (they do the making, but you have the recipe/instructions) can work for some people: it not only lets you create together, but can be very amusing, too (how much independant thought/activity they can do, how much of the instructions they know in advance, etc can be varied depending if you want a genuine thing that you made together or just a fun creative mess!)

Learning a skill/language gives you plenty of opportunities to engage & interact with other learners & test & encourage & teach, etc them (my sister met her husband online when they were learning each other's language: they were language buddies, then language, music & gaming buddies, then romantic, now married!)

Oh yes, music! whether it's using a digital music programme to create from scratch, writing tunes/lyrics, singing, remixing existing tunes, etc, there are tons of ways to make music & interact with other musicians online

Hope this gives you some ideas & you find something tangible that works for you :)

I read your post about rewarding activities and it was really interesting! I'm phisically disabled and can only really do computer stuff, and I've always had the intuition that having all of my hobbies in here kinda sucks. But I don't know what tangible hobby I could have when my hands won't let me. Do you have any suggestions for that?

I'm not an expert in any such thing; anyone else who can't use their hands have any advice?

As a side note, computer stuff is less effective than physical stuff, but adequate if that's what you have. People kept sane in quarantine with Zoom. There's a surprisingly high number of cases of suicidal people getting a handle on their depression by playing Dark Souls. I warned about the lesser effectiveness of digital stuff because it's a trap I see a lot of people falling into, assuming that digital work works as well as any other kind of work and having the computer take the entire load and getting distressed when it's not enough, but digital work is still psychologically useful, just less so. If that's the limitation you end up working with, you can work with it.

Rewarding activities don't have to require a lot of physical activity, either; tabletop rpgs are popular, for example, if another player rolls your dice for you. Local poetry clubs or book clubs can also be great fun. But again the advice of other people in your situation is going to be more valuable than whatever random shit I (whose hand mobility is normal) can come up with off the top of my head.

[canttelliotte-blog]

Incredibly long, overly detailed post I spent too much time on.

Tl:dr AITA for telling someone they were coming off as an ungrateful, privileged asshole who didn't seem to recognize or truly appreciate what they have? I blew up after a series of encounters, they seemed oblivious to their lifestyle and support and how truly different life could have turned out without it. I called them out after weeks of trying to be empathetic but couldn't take how helpless they were acting when I would kill for the kind the support they were complaining about and taking for granted.  

I should use a throwaway because I know this person will probably see this but I don't have the energy. I'll try to keep this short (actually super long sorry) I feel like I already know I was sort of harsh and out of line. This whole thing has just been sticking with me and I feel really messed up about it.  

Alright, so context, back story. I had a breakdown in February and tried to kill myself. By some miracle, I got a bed at one of the best mental hospitals on this side of the east coast. After a long history of chronic mental illness, being on disability for years with medicare, getting an opportunity like this was amazing. I had been on waiting lists for months before my attempt, but fate, acuity, and availability all lined up. A true miracle. Unless you have a family with money or amazing health insurance, getting a bed is just extremely difficult at this particular facility.  

The reason being, they provide real treatment. Comprehensive, attentive, life-saving treatment. They actually provide real care with empathy, actual therapy, psychiatry, and groups, with educated staff, real food to eat, world-renowned providers, and treatment teams that listen and work with you to come up with effective long-term solutions/aftercare plans that set you up for long term success.  

Out of pocket, this place is unfathomably expensive. The more exclusive programs on-campus are for the ultra-elite/ ultra-wealthy, taking celebrities like Selena Gomez. The institution itself is known for its education and research. It is not funded by the state like almost everywhere else. Most state-run facilities are atrocious. a disgusting holding cell, where you're stripped of your clothes, dignity, and rights, fed prison food, overmedicated, physically and chemically restrained, only to be thrown back on the street in 3-5 days with no aftercare, med refills, or plan. Been there, done that, many times, not the point. The point was, I got some really helpful expensive ass treatment by the luck of the draw.  

While I was there, I met someone lovely. We instantly connected and expressed interest in one another. They seemed really cool, we talked at length about income inequality and how unfair it was that this kind of treatment wasn't the norm or easily accessible and how unfair that was. They seemed passionate and bright and we got along great. They were set to discharge only a few days after I got there, so we exchanged info before they left. We talked a bunch while I was still there (my discharge was a couple of weeks later) and decided to go on a few dates after I got out.  

A few days after I got out, I unintendedly overdosed, confused about my meds, and was incoherent by the time I got to the ER. I was restrained and chemically sedated. I was confused and fought so was deemed severely acute, and got sent to a state-run facility similar to what I described above. It was all very traumatic and I shut down once I got home. I was lucky I made it out semi-okay, that they let me out at all.  

I wasn't replying to anyone's messages but the person I had met kept reaching out wanting to hear from me and make sure I was okay. I was embarrassed but it was really sweet and soon we starting talking a lot again and really connecting.  

As I got to know them, I definitely thought they were very cool, we seemed to have a lot in common, they made me laugh and we got along really well. I was really digging them and saw us potentially becoming a thing.  After talking for some time, we decided to anxiously have our first date. It went okay but something was off.  

I didn't really pick up on it at first but the more we talked, the more privileged they offhandedly revealed they were. I know it's judge-y and lame, but that kind of put me off. I've been poor my whole life and struggled hard for everything, it's a whole different world living in poverty, so it made me a bit uncomfortable.  I still live in poverty, on disability, with food stamps, and can barely hold it together enough to have a part-time job, but I have no choice. It's rough. I've been homeless, lived in institutions, went through foster care, and have no familial support. I have one of the most serious debilitating mental illnesses. It's been very very hard.  

I am biased but I haven't met anyone well off who gets it. Some people don't realize how hard things can be when you've really had nothing, and had to work hard for everything. Even simple things are taken for granted, not understood, or there are miscommunications or assumptions made due to the lack of understanding. That's just my personal experience, it's hard trying to explain things and it's invalidating sometimes, it can be hard to relate or connect due to the lack of understanding.  

Honestly, though, it took me by surprise. We had both talked passionately about the struggles of being on disability, the importance of income inequality, how unfair the system is set up, the barriers against the poor receiving adequate mental health treatment. They explained how they advocated for social justice and regularly went to protests. I felt dumb because I did meet them at higher-end facility, but I assumed they ended up there by dumb luck as I did with how they presented and initially came across.  

They made it seem like we were in the same boat, poor af, chronically mentally ill, and 4 ever struggling. It was just a surprise because that was very much was not the case.  

They moved up here from Florida, (where admittedly their life was much harder and different), but since moving, they were being supported by their aunt and uncle, who were very, very well off. They had a very expensive private practice psychiatrist, multiple treatment providers, and an apartment in a very well-off area, that their aunt owned, so they paid no rent.  Their car/insurance/phone everything was paid for.  

They seemed to have money to burn, dancing around being well taken care of and not really having to worry. They were on disability though receiving payments and food stamps in addition, not reporting the assistance from their family. When I lightly inquired, they said their grandmother mostly controlled their finances and they didn't deal with bills etc. They spent freely, getting take out almost every night, etc. enjoying all the pleasure of life without a second thought.  

I was uncomfortable with this like I said, but they did seem cool and understanding, we did get along and I wanted to give them a chance. I put my biased experience aside and tried to give it a go.  

First example that really blew me away was their dog. They had several animals, including a cat and two dogs. Even for someone working, three animals is a huge expense. I only have one cat and while she's my world, it gets hard sometimes. The vet is expensive, litter, food, treats, it adds up. And she's only one animal!!! I provide for her and take care of her, but a $350 vet bill still packs a punch. Of course, I pay it, she's my baby, but it might mean only eating sandwiches for a few weeks. I love her, so I sacrifice, she is worth it in every way, but animals are expensive and a lot of work/responsibility.  

When this person and I first started seriously talking, they mentioned the dog they were closest to was very sick with a rare condition. I don't know the full details, but I guess it took a while for the vet to figure out what was wrong, he was on a lot of medications, needed loads of tests and scans. There were weeks of extensive treatments/ blood transfusions, all in a long, painful, and strenuous attempt to save him. They tried for a long time in the hopes he would get better.  

He, unfortunately, passed away a few weeks after we started talking. It was devastating to them and I tried my best to be supportive and help them grieve. They were understandably at a huge loss. Their mental health tanked. Their dog meant the world to them, I understand that completely. Pets are family.    

A few weeks after he passed. They were talking a little about the course of treatment and how hard it had been and what a long, painful road it was. They kind of casually remarked that his treatment cost over $20,000.  

I honestly thought I had misheard. I had to ask twice because I thought they meant $2,000. No. $20,000. $20,000.Holy shit.    

I just...$20,000 is what I make in a year. A year. Dogs are family, I totally, totally get that. People will do anything to save their loved ones. A pet is like an uninsured child, even with pet insurance, it can be expensive. I get that. If you have that kind of money, you pay it, without a thought, no problem.  

I just... wow. I still couldn't even wrap my mind around it. My cat is my world but it breaks my heart to say, if anything happened to her like that, it would kill me, but I would be forced to put her down. I just couldn't believe, $20,000. And they said it like, no big deal, of course, like anyone would/could afford that, it was obvious, a no-brainer. I just...wow.  

Next, kicker. I  came over to hang out one night and watch movies. I had never been to their apartment before. They claimed it had been super messy and they made a big deal about how they had cleaned for me. Sweet, but unnecessary, I get mental illness is tough. It was two bedrooms, all to themselves, decent space and light, but definitely scattered and cluttered. They had a huge king-sized bed, a bidet in the bathroom, and a super nice living room set up. Big comfy couch, loads of nice blankets, and honestly the biggest tv I had ever seen. They joking bragged about having all the streaming options. No kidding. Hulu, Disney plus, Netflix, Amazon, HBO, Paramount, and at least half a dozen more I hadn't even heard of. It just seemed crazy and excessive paying for that many streaming services every month.  But to each their own I guess.

We were both huge fans of anime, and they sort of decided to venture to studio ghibli. They asked if I had seen a particular favorite of theirs. I hadn't. They searched and it was only available to rent. $17. I nearly had a heart attack. I was like no way, we could definitely find it streaming for free somewhere if we look, or watch something else, shortage of options. They were like no it's no biggie that's what I want to watch and clicked rent. Like no problem *sweats intensely* Anytime I spend money, I have a heart attack and second guess it, it takes me like 10 minutes to click buy and my heart always drops when I do. I overthink, whether I really need/deserve it/whether there's a cheaper option, or if it's truly necessary. I know that's a poverty thing. It's just like we could have easily found it somewhere for free with a little effort!  

We go to order food, we both have celiac so finding takeout is a chore. They knew the area better so I was trusting them. They were very adamant about ordering expensive sushi. It was $36 for just one of the things they wanted. Not including delivery or tips or fees or anything else, which included appetizers and drinks, the whole nine. I wasn't feeling sushi. They were like fine, we'll order from two separate places then. Double the delivery fee, not something I ever do, it would be cheaper finding a place together, I could get something small and affordable but they wouldn't budge. I didn't really have money to order a big thing on my own, I wanted something small, but I felt pressured. I figured anything I got would be cheaper than having to split a big sushi order I didn't want. I was like okay fine.  

They kind of seemed annoyed that I didn't just give in and get sushi. They were a little short with me, didn't give me many options of other places, and were weirdly controlling, not letting me look at their phone to find something. I kind of gave up and said like just a burger is fine. I figured it would be cheap and filling, probably $20 max. I didn't take into consideration that they live in an extremely expensive area. It ended up being almost $30, plus tip. For a burger. I almost wanted to cry. I would have picked somewhere else cheaper given the option. They didn't even tell me the price until after they ordered it. I was like oh how much like $15 and they were so casual like oh no, $30 with tip. When it arrived, it was cold and disgusting, really inedible. I picked at the fries, which gave me a stomach ache as they were not gluten-free friendly and had been cross-contaminated in the fryer. I assumed they picked a place that they knew was safe.  

When I wasn't eating, they asked if it was bad. I said yeah and they were like oh well just order something else. Like no, I can't afford anything else, it doesn't work like that. I was like no it's fine I'm not really that hungry. I wanted to say, I trusted you, and you kinda fucked me. I guess they picked that place because there was a gluten-free brownie sundae (prepackaged and not cross-contaminated) on the menu that they really wanted. Obviously more important.  

My stomach ached all night. They ate their food happily. No big deal to them, $30 wasted on food I didn't really want, that I couldn't end up eating and got me sick. If it were them, they would have just ordered something else. No big deal to them. It was more important they got their brownie sundae and expensive sushi than making sure I was able to get something edible. Didn't matter that was half my grocery money for the week. Bologna sandwiches it'll have to be then. Awesome.  

We spent the night talking, I didn't let on to how sick I was or that I was upset about not being able to choose food. They picked all the movies. I wanted to go home, but it just got later and later, one more movie I just *needed* to see. I asked them several times as the clock was ticking if it was getting too late to drive me home. No, no they were fine. Let's just watch another one. Then casually, they went to their room and brought out their night meds, threw 'em back, and settled into the couch. I started to panic. I asked again, you're taking me home, right? I guess they decided they weren't. I was miles away from home, no public transit running or close by. They were like oh I'm so tired, it got so late. Just order a car. I pulled up uber, $25. That would definitely overdraft my account.  

Thankfully, after they saw me sweating and looking panicked, they were like, oh, I feel so bad, I'll order the uber for you. (If they hadn’t, I would have had to explain like, getting home on my own wasn't the plan nor was staying the night. If they thought I would be cool with just staying, they should have said something, if they wanted me to stay, it should have been a discussion, not a surprise.)  

I just felt really disrespected. I was simultaneously hungry and sick from dinner, broke and unprepared to stay over with no prior discussion. I didn't have meds, my cat didn't have food out, I was blindsided and essentially stranded/put in an awkward position. They didn't consider that it might be stressful or beyond my limitations to get home. Being able to just roll with punches isn't financially feasible for everyone. It just felt like they were self-centered and inconsiderate. The whole night was what they wanted, what they wanted to eat, where they wanted to order from, what they wanted to watch, changing plans to what was convenient for them without any regard toward how it might impact me. Just inconsiderate and self-centered behavior.  

We did keep talking though, I just sort of chalked it up to miscommunication and sort of beat myself up for not speaking up. It was weird though, kept just casually mentioning shit that was so privileged and complaining about shit that made them sound so ungrateful. I don't think they realized how it came across, just completely oblivious to their access to resources and not appreciating their position or supports.  

They started talking about starting ketamine treatments to combat their ongoing depression. They had received them in the past and went on about how life-changing and helpful it was, and that everyone should try it. Now, being on disability (and even with most insurances) the treatments are not covered. The clinics that administer them are all out of pocket, bougie as fuck, and extremely expensive.  

They talked about having several rounds in the past like it was nothing. It's easily $250-400 a pop and they were going 1-2x a week for a long time. They kept talking about all their options like what a painstaking burden. Should they start with lozenges and work up to IV clinic or ask for patches, and start that way. They wanted to work up to twice a week again but their family was giving pushback. They wanted me to agree with them, saying it was so unfair and lame and unreasonable/closeminded of their family for not immediately agreeing. The same family that would be footing the bill.  No, not unfair or unreasonable at all. You sound privileged as fuck.  

I was super bothered they were endlessly going on about it and complaining about pushback and asking me to agree with them. My treatment-resistant depression hasn't responded to anything, I've been on every waiting list for MDMA-assisted treatment whenever they pop up but never been selected due to demand and availability. Even ECT is too expensive and not covered. I'd kill for an opportunity like that! And it wasn't even like their family was saying no, they were discussing it in family therapy and seriously considering it.  

They talked about it so nonchalantly and kept going on and on about how amazing it was. Like great, tell me all about something else I'll never be able to afford. I'm sure Paris is great, and backpacking across Europe is awesome, like please do tell me more.  

I finally mentioned like okay that sounds great, will never able to afford it, glad it's so helpful They told me that I could just buy it off the street. That's what they used to do occasionally. It's only a couple hundred dollars and you get way more. Like oh okay. Let me just not pay a third of my rent in the hopes that this jam band kids ketamine isn't fentanyl or some shit and maybe have a shot at not wanting to kill myself for a week, you know on the off chance it works. Sounds great, super safe, much more affordable. And like as ridiculous as it was to offer that as an alternative, that still wouldn't be something I could afford! They just came off so clueless and privileged and oblivious.

What really got me was how they eventually talked about their family. They did weekly family therapy with their aunt and uncle and occasionally their dad since moving up here. They stayed with their aunt and uncle (lived down the street) more often than not so they weren't alone. This was encouraged/appreciated/welcomed. They did activities together regularly to help with depression and loneliness/ managing symptoms. They had their grandma and brother, whom they saw often and cherished greatly. They portrayed the relationships as really solid and important. I thought wow, truly wholesome and wonderful.  They seemed so loved, close, connected, cared for, and supported. Across the board, they had support.  

But then tables would turn. They complained often their family was too close, too conservative, and not understanding. They didn't want them so involved in their life, their treatment, decision-making, and recovery process. They resented the support, complained they weren't a kid and were capable/in sound mind to make decisions/have control of their life. I tried to listen and be understanding but I didn't get it. They came off almost like a spoiled, ungrateful teenager.  

You're getting help, love, and support all around, everyone wants to support you and see you do well and will give whatever that takes. Like legitimately whatever ?!?  You don't have to work, pay for anything, and it is made sure you don't have to struggle for anything. Anything you need, you've got.  

I get the concept that having family so close/involved could be crippling or invasive or just downright unproductive. But it was such a slap in the face they would complain to me of all people about having that kind of support.  

Family/support is such a foreign concept to me personally. Like I said, I grew up in foster care. I've never had family involved, healthy relationships, or any sort of support like that. The concept of calling your aunt when you're sad and she offers kind words, support, and tells you to come over to do something fun? Like, can't relate. I could only take so much of them complaining about being taken care of.  

Living with extreme mental illness, not being able to work for periods of time, living solely on disability paychecks and food stamps is damn is impossible to survive, especially where we live. Without the help they were being given, they wouldn't be able to survive. The cost of living is out of control, you can't even rent a room with a single disability payment. I know, I'm doing it. It takes everything for me to keep a part-time job, barely making enough to make ends meet. But if I don't. I'm homeless again. No matter what, no matter how bad symptoms get. And I have one of the hardest, most debilitating mental illnesses. I don't have any other choice.  

Their aunt would pay for them to go to school or learn a trade or anything they wanted. They have a world-renowned private practice doctor that prescribes them literally anything they could want or need to help and they have a great bond/ working relationship. I have a psych who can barely remember my name and sees me for 5-15 minutes maybe once or twice a month. I was asking for medications recently to get through a hard time, nothing serious, but my state-assigned psych does not prescribe benzos. Period. Neither does my PCP. It's state rehab or psych facility for me or bust. Another thing they take for granted. They almost bragged to me about immediately getting two heavy-duty benzos and another maintenance medication,  just by saying their panic attacks were slighting increasing. Meanwhile. I was at risk for DT's after relapsing and begging for basic Librium to maybe not die and was denied.  

The real reality of being on disability is the bare minimum or bad treatment. My psychologist is thankfully amazing but it took 10 years and hitting absolute rock bottom and being homeless to find her. She's a diamond in the rough but only works with the sickest of the sick. I would be in a state institution right now if it weren't for her and I avoided it by the skin of my teeth.  

So here's where I'm probably the asshole. After weeks, I broke. We were texting as usual and they started to sort of mope and complain. They were venting about having a hard time again and how symptoms were bad and there was just nothing they could do and it was so hard. They started going on about how helpless they were and how there was no opportunity to get better and everything was just super hard and impossible for them and how rough they had it. Their family was checking in on them too much and they were annoyed at them for being concerned and that they had no options and no chance and everything was just so hard and impossible.  

I understand, that's depression. I'm pretty empathetic and understanding and have been up to this point but it just felt like the rich person complaining to the homeless guy sleeping on the street, how awful it was they forgot their umbrella that day, and how unfortunate it was to be getting wet. I just wanted to scream. If you're anxious take your benzos, take your other meds! Call your aunt. Text your on call therapist. Call your fancy psych who answers night and day. Utilize any of the resources you have and all the support you are given!    

I was just tired of it. Things in my life have been super difficult, especially lately, and I have to figure it out alone. The voices were getting loud again which lead to a bad relapse that went off the rails, which I had to pull out of completely unassisted. I am in between jobs, my housing isn't stable, my bank accounts are low, my mental health is chronic and very severe, my treatment team was threatening to section me if I didn't reel it in. Things were bad. But I deal with it, alone.    

I know it was wrong of me, but I couldn't take it. They have everything to help themselves!!! They could go to a fancy hospital, they could ask all their supports for help! They would receive the best care. All the medicines, the best treatment. Anything.  

I basically kind of spelled it out for them. You have privilege, you have support, you have money, resources, a great treatment team, family, everything... please for the love of God, USE IT! You wouldn't have to worry about losing your job going into treatment, you wouldn't lose your housing. You wouldn't have to worry about falling behind on bills. You'd be fine.  

How can you not see or appreciate all you have and or see how oblivious and privileged you come across and how hurtful that is? You're complaining to the wrong person.

I went on a bit too long. I was definitely coming from a place of hurt, mental illness, and jealousy. I wasn't trying to make them feel bad, I just wanted them to understand. That kind of support would make all the difference for so many that are struggling. They are sitting with gallons of water around them, complaining to be inconsolably parched and that don't know what to do, all while sort of offhandedly bragging about how much water they have and how they can easily get more. I've been carefully conserving a 16 oz Poland spring bottle, rationing for weeks not knowing if/when I will be able to refill. They aren't alone, expected to make it on just disability. They weren't recognizing their position, how they were coming across, how hurtful that was. I didn't get anyone to catch me, love me, support me. This is the real reality of living with extreme mental illness on disability looks like without that opportunity or support. This is hard fucking work. We are not the same. You got lucky. Now do something with it.

They ended up calling me a dick, saying I didn't understand, that I was being cruel and mean for no reason. We haven't talked since. I do feel bad, I just couldn't take it anymore.  

So if you made it this far, lay it on me, AITA?      

[queernuck]

Are guns inherently fascist/reactionary?

not in the least. and that goes even for fascist-designed weapons as well as literal weapons of imperialism: the use of the MP40 by partisans is well-documented, and that was because it was a good submachine gun that functioned very well, simply, and could be picked up or supplemented by parts taken from Nazi stores and dead Nazis themselves. Captured weapons were heavily used on the Eastern Front in WWII, a lot of partisans were armed with captured weapons, and captured weapons have been used by numerous anti-imperialist groups specifically because they just work well as weapons.

discussing the inherent properties of a weapon can be difficult, especially given how many military-style Semi-Auto rifles are used largely for mundane ends in and of themselves, punching holes in paper or dinging bullets off bits of steel. the same is true of long-range rifles: many of those that participate in long-range or very-long-range shooting competitions are just trying to hit targets at extremely long ranges. that said, the ways in which civilians drive military development is not to be misunderstood: these are absolutely spaces where imperialist powers draw their own weapons from. Lewis Machine & Tool, an American company, was the one who built the rifle now being used by the British military as a designated marksman’s rifle in Afghanistan as part of supporting a US occupation. Techniques, rifles, and rounds used in long-range shooting for the purpose of competition have contributed to the capabilities of snipers operating in service of imperialist violence. And that says nothing of how guns as a whole, as objects able to direct flows of force, of libidinal energy, in a profoundly traumatizing fashion, serve to protect their own spaces, the mere carrying of a gun can be used to make it such that someone interested in but not “right” for fascist-influenced gun groups can be easily scared away.

the ascribing of inherent agency, inherent properties to objects is difficult, but there are certainly guns that imply certain things about themselves in their structure. short rifles chambered in .300 BLK are usually meant to be used suppressed, which means that whoever owns one probably owns a suppressor, can purchase a relatively expensive round routinely, and the fielding of such weapons is usually done by units that are doing some pretty unsavory work, be it kicking doors for Delta or for SWAT teams on drug raids. designing and fielding and accessorizing and using a rifle involves a relationship of so many different instantiations of possible-events, involves conceptualizing one’s relationship to the gun, and for many, this is fascist, or at the very least reactionary.

just as we should not fall to book worship, gun worship is likely not the best policy. i have a personal interest in guns, some forms of “gun culture” (mostly those outside of hegemonic gun culture like the convergence of new trends in gunmaking and, say, gangster rap appropriation of these tools of war. or, the use of older arms in contemporary battlefields, like that of the SKS or M1 Carbine, or looking at how countries exchange arms like Columbia building the Galil ACE for Israel, America buying Croatian rifles to arm Syrian rebels, and French cops ditching the HK416 for the CZ BREN in 7.62x39 along with numerous other such instances of arms as structures of exchange, symbols, objects of ideation and the functionality of exactly what is prioritized about a rifle) but I am aware of its shortcomings all the same. 

gun CULTURE is overwhelmingly reactionary. this is by design, is through the involvement of cops and fash and veterans and combinations thereof and so so so many gun owners are just absolutely awful people, people who run “right-anarchist” blogs and who would shoot me if they thought they could get away with it, who want me to get thrown in an institution

i dont fucking trust red flag laws

fuck ICE, fuck cops, fuck the fash, regardless I want some guns. arm addicts, arm dealers, arm sex workers, arm the disabled, arm the poor, arm immigrants, arm black communities, arm gay men, arm lesbians, arm trans women trans men arm trans people more generally, arm them all and I think that disarming police, disarming ICE, disarming the military should follow but if it doesnt immediately disarm them as well. this will also do nice to get rid of landlords lol

[elinor-sutton]

Fuck MAGA: Then & Now

I started this blog right after the 2016 election.

I was angry, and it was an outlet that I needed, but after a few posts, I did not consider my rage a priority worth my time.

I was told that it might be unhealthy to indulge an anger so deep that it began to form, for me, an existential foundation of being—almost always in hair-trigger battle mode, rhetoric and righteous anger at the ever-fucking READY.

BUT I have a life that needs attention and only occasionally merits ferocity, so I gave up blogging.

And now? All this time later, I am still in a near-constant state of slow burn, and it’s been way too long without an eruption.

In the year-and-a-half since I let the blog slide, the Perpetrator-in-Chief has lived down to the worst of my expectations, and he shows no signs of improvement. It’s a narcissist thing. He CANNOT improve because he cannot recognize ANY of his infinite faults. Here’s one: GROWN-UPS don’t play Keep Away or Made You Look or the fucking Dozens with psychotic nuclear-arsenal-wielding tyrants. [It should go without saying that, if at all possible, nuclear arsenals should not be handed to psychotic tyrants in the first place, but MAGA, or whatever, right? If you live, maybe you learn. FINGERS CROSSED!]

But really, are we STILL living in a world where the safety of [at least] half the planet comes down to a man-child measuring contest?

Dear President Prick-for-Brains,

If you have to start a motherfucking WAR over it, it’s NEVER going to measure UP!

Sincerely,

Elinor S. and—oh yes, the ENTIRE FUCKING WORLD SO JUST STFU ALREADY!

Yep—still SUPER-PISSED!

If you’re looking at the world—and the supposed leader of those parts of it which are purportedly “free”—and you’re not losing your damn mind, you must have some sort of pre-established lunacy. [I’m not speaking of mental health problems. Mental health and mental healthcare are legitimate issues ignored by the thoughts-and-prayers crowd unless they need a scapegoat/catchphrase for the walking, shooting consequences of MAGA-indoctrination.] I’m thinking of the WHITE-NATIONALIST-NAZI-RACIST-MISOGYNISTIC-PATRIOTISM-BEFORE-PEOPLE-BUT-REALLY-ME-FIRST-AND-FUCK-EVERYONE-ELSE psychosis that passes for conservative politics since 45 first got his ridiculous feelings hurt by a black man and a “nasty woman” who were—and ARE—undeniably his betters. Or maybe since Mitch McConnell crawled out of his deep, dark shell and STOLE A SUPREME COURT SEAT while we sat on our hands and muttered, “Can he do that?”

Evidently, he can! AND with ZERO consequences—not for him or any other limp-dick Sentry of the Status Quo tip-toeing his way across the Glass Ceiling, stroking his Keys to the Kingdom, or hiding under his Protector of the Patriarchy parasol because HE KNOWS—they ALL know—that “Zero Consequences” comes with a big, fat, fucking YET, and she is a BOSS BITCH—woke and coming ready with a to-do list several centuries in the making. Her list says, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” It says Black Lives Matter, Me Too, My Body/My Choice, LOVEisLOVE, NoH8, and NO MORE. She’s got Science-based, Evidence-based, Fact-based TRUTH with ZERO Alternatives because TIME is fucking UP!

And that means White Male Privilege [WMP—pronounced “wimp,” right?] is coming to an end. I can’t pinpoint the starting line, but scared-shitless white men with money and/or guns have been running THE REST OF US down since well before this “great” nation was founded, and there are far too many of “the rest of us” who buy into their bullshit—53% of white women [pronounced “silly twits”]?! If you don’t fall into any category that benefits from WMP, and you voted/plan to vote for more of this nonsense, your patriotic duty, as of this moment, is to wake up every morning and punch yourself in the fucking face until something like SENSE prevails. Side effects MAY include REASON and a newfound appreciation for ACTUAL FACTS as opposed to the alternative variety, but if that fails, it is my heartfelt hope that when you make your way to the voting booth—to do what is, of course, your civic duty—you may just do us all a favor, and GET LOST!

[On a friendlier note, if you benefit from WMP and DID NOT vote in favor of our present national tragedy, congratulations on your conscience! Please take your place in the crowd, and resist the urge to act like you know everything. Instead, memorize this mantra and repeat to yourself as often as necessary to convert words to action: I’VE HAD MY TURN TO TALK. NOW IS MY TIME TO LISTEN.]

I am still angry, and I will remain so as long as “Making America Great” looks like:

1. Children murdered at school with unregulated guns or ripped away from immigrant parents who thought they could find safety in this “great” country,

2. Law enforcement abusing and KILLING men and women of color without consequence,

3. Tax cuts designed to further line the pockets of the few at the expense of the many and promote the “trickle-down” bullshit we’ve been forced to swallow, off and on, since the fucking 80s—when it didn’t work the first time.

4. Ordinary Americans struggling, or going without, while working full time for LESS THAN A LIVING WAGE,

5. Ignoring veterans who are homeless, wait months for promised healthcare, and/or commit suicide at more than twice the rate of civilians,

6. Women facing unconstitutional restrictions on access to reproductive healthcare and a choice that is STILL A LEGAL RIGHT,

7. LGBTQ+ people living with discrimination from bathrooms to bakeries and everywhere in-between—including public schools and the workplace,

8. People with disabilities at risk of losing the protection of the ADA, and disabled children at risk of losing their right to a “free and appropriate public education” under IDEA,

9. Underserved children, or those who suffer illegal discrimination in schools, losing protection from the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights,

10. Environmental protections rolled back to protect corporate profits,

11. The sex offender/demagogue/imbecilic slab of semi-sentient slime—AND the soulless mob of Republican/MAGA-minions fighting to stroke his [gross] ego—that we have given ourselves in place of legitimate leadership,

12. And the untold number of HUMAN BEINGS suffering from the tragic FOLLY of a deluded minority of voters.

For as long as this country is attacked by toxic overgrown toddlers who play at governing, and in their incompetence, damage its environment, menace its people, abuse the fundamentals of democracy and the republic, and terrorize those who protest, I will NURSE this rage and STOKE its fire.

This is MY COUNTRY. I love it, and I recognize that TRUE LOVE does not ignore fault. This country has NEVER achieved “greatness” for all of its people. It is fortunate for “the rest of us” that patriotism does not demand blind loyalty. It does not hinge love of country on absolutes, and it does not forever marry us to White Male Privilege and what has been done in its name. We pledge allegiance to an IDEAL, and then we work the phones, yell ourselves hoarse, march until our feet bleed, and fucking VOTE to mold OUR COUNTRY into what it should be.

We DO NOT forget the progress we have made. We remember every step forward even as we recognize that the ignorant, forgotten [whatever], and privileged—with their long-overdue last gasp—forced us to take two steps back. We didn’t NEED to go backward. Nobody needs this bullshit—EVER. But we can use this. We can take a look, MARK what we missed and LEARN where and HOW we can do better. We can do what needs to be done to make sure this doesn’t happen again.

Step One: EMBRACE the anger. We can be appalled at all the FUCKING BULLSHIT the MAGA-goons have wrought and amazed that WE STILL HAVE FUCKS TO GIVE. We can revel in the madness that living in this time brings us—because progressives know how to USE rage. We know how to mine it. We have a long history of crafting change from righteous anger, and [always] moving on—an inch or a mile at a time—pushing a reluctant nation to keep its promise of “LIBERTY and JUSTICE for ALL.”

Numbers, time, and momentum are on OUR SIDE. We need to get MAD, and we need to do it TOGETHER—FOR FUCK’S OBVIOUS SAKE—and then we need to run these backward motherfuckers down with an ever-loving TIDAL WAVE OF PROGRESS that will put two steps back so far beyond the last red mile marker that even Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell will regain consciousness in the gender-neutral bathroom of an inclusive, well-funded public school with no fear of shooters, fully aware that Black Lives Matter, wearing a pussyhat, shouting TIME’S UP, and feeling grateful for the motherfucking PRIVILEGE!

So yeah, I’ve been paying attention, and I’m still angry, and it’s long past time to start talking about it again.

Stay tuned.

[maydei]

sociopolitical facebook rant on the 1% as requested you cannot compare the harmfulness of “stereotyping” the corporate elite and the 1% against the systematic harm and oppression of the lower class because of the corporation-protecting structure put in place by our “democratic” government, which serves the highest corporate bidder. you cannot compare poor people commenting on inequality and entitlement of super-rich people interacting with those in service-providing jobs to the inequality of those very same hiring practices, the increased taxation on minimum wage compared to the tax-breaks on those making billions. you cannot compare the shared experience of thousands of poor people commenting on the unfairness they’ve faced to the same sort of prejudices as racism and sexism, which benefit those who ALREADY IN POWER (see: Hollywood, and how sexism contributes to the rape culture that is obviously pervasive there), compared to the social commentary of those already oppressed by the system. those denied living wages and sick days. those employed only at part time so their employers do not have to provide health insurance or benefits. those whose part time jobs are so unpredictable with their scheduling that it’s almost impossible to find a second job to work just to make end’s meet, but if they just quit their job and looked for something else, they’d be out on the street. whose schedules are so demanding there’s no way in hell they could ever find time for an interview, and who haven’t had a day off between their multiple jobs in weeks, months, years. playing the devil’s advocate in favor of those who are in a position of power only shows how much they’ve manipulated the american public into thinking they deserve their wealth through hard work, when in reality it’s a combination of outsourcing labor to the cheapest bidder, destroying excess product that could otherwise be donated, and using tax shelters. by cutting taxes on the rich, we’re furthering the gap between the rich and the poor. those billions of dollars stay in their pockets instead of funding infrastructure, public education, and increased wages for the very people working for the CEOs who are getting a pay raise. i’m not talking about doctors who drive a nice car, who worked for a hospital for 30 years and made a million dollars doing it, who have a six bedroom house and a comfortable life that they worked hard to earn. i’m not even talking about those who make $500,000 a year in an urban area WORKING for a corporation. i’m talking about billionaires. people who make more money than we can even conceptualize, who have more money than they could literally ever possibly spend. people who, by existing and delegating their responsibilities to others, sit in an office and make in excess of $3000 per hour to culminate in their yearly salary.  people who could buy a yacht and a private jet and a mansion in one day and shrug, because they have that much more left to spare. people to whom five million dollars is a vacation home, not five thousand times more money than my entire life is worth and then some (and i’m lucky enough to have a semi-comfortable existence where i can live by myself and work a single job). the kind of people who don’t pay taxes because their NAME is a corporation and everything is a write-off, the kind of people who are getting enough of a tax break that they could fund free public college tuition for the country several times over with the money they’ll all be saving. what most of america conceptualizes as rich is actually upper-middle class. that’s how much of a disparity there is between the well-off and the 1%. those are the people i am talking about. those are the people who believe service people should pull themselves up by their bootstraps and get a real job, like the service they provide to society isn’t one that’s simultaneously being demanded by the public, and therefore categorically NOT worthless. those are the people who outsource their labor jobs to a place where they won’t even HAVE to pay minimum wage to the people who would desperately and happily stand in line for a chance at a job to work 40 hours a week. the fact that some of our own coworkers work multiple jobs should be proof enough that there is something fundamentally broken in our system. (from google)

“The American federal government requires a wage of at least $2.13 per hour be paid to employees that receive at least $30 per month in tips. If wages and tips do not equal the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour during any week, the employer is required to increase cash wages to compensate. Many waiters and waitresses are paid less than the federal minimum wage by their employers and rely primarily on tips to earn a living. Including both tips and wages, the average hourly rate of pay for a server in the United States was $10.05 as of May 2011. This is the equivalent of about $20,890 per year.“ “US companies are allowed to pay tipped employees pittance because customers are expected to tip well enough to surpass at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25, and, if they don’t, companies have to chip in the rest. But that’s not how things always work in the real world. “The servers who make ‘good money’ are in the minority,” says Maria Myotte, a spokesperson for Restaurant Opportunities Center United, which aims to improve conditions for workers in the industry. She notes that tipped workers are hit especially hard by “wage theft,” whereby restaurants don’t make up the difference when the tips aren’t rolling in. Between 2010 and 2012, the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor conducted nearly 9,000 investigations in the restaurant industry, and discovered that 83.8 percent had some kind of wage and hour violation.” “Like millions of Americans across the United States, 23-year-old Anna Hovland worked a waitressing job earlier this year to make ends meet. Her restaurant in Washington, DC, paid her the local minimum wage for tipped workers, $2.77 an hour, which meant that after taxes, her paycheck was usually zero. Her tips, never dependable, ranged from $20 to $200 a shift. “In a city as expensive as DC, I’ve been able to make ends meet by the skin of my teeth,” Hovland says. “Sometimes it will only be in the last week or two of a month that I’ll realize I’ve made enough to pay all my bills.” source one additional source one more for the books i’m lucky. i know i’m lucky. last year i was below the federal poverty level, and this year i’ll be above it. but because of being below the federal poverty level, i qualified for medical bill forgiveness through UVM. i still received a $400 bill for a procedure to find a problem with me that can’t be treated or made better. without that bill forgiveness, my bill would have been $3000. my deductible through my insurance provided by my job is $5000, which means i would have to pay that full $3000 by myself plus another $2000 before my insurance company would cover anything. $400 right before christmas still stung. $3000 would have been unimaginable. and in my current situation, i have no option to get better medical coverage through work. i get what i get, that’s my only option, take it or leave it, and without health insurance, i would be penalized on my taxes. i pay more then $200 a month to have the privilege of only having to shell out $5k in case of emergency, not covering my monthly medications, doctor’s appointments, blood panels (most of which is not covered! surprise), etc. and i am one of the lucky ones. i have a full time job. i have a car that rarely needs repairs. i can afford my rent (though i take a loss during the winter months because of my pay structure) and i can feed myself and my pets without having to ask for help. i don’t have to crowdfund insulin or hospital bills, because i’m fortunate enough to have some savings to mitigate my expenses. i certainly don't die because of it. i’m lucky. and it’s my duty as someone who is lucky to speak up for those who are not lucky. the people who work multiple part time jobs to make end’s meet and still don't have insurance. the people who end up with five-digit hospital bills that will bankrupt them. the people who come out of school with a four year degree and hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loan debt who can’t find a job making anything more then $8 an hour, and who get slapped with $800 bills they have to pay back per month because they’ve graduated. this is to say nothing of those who are not able to be hired because of age, disability, or other outlying factors—the people whose medicaid and entitlements are about to be cut, who already live in low-income housing and rely on the assistance of the state to survive, and whose benefits are about to be hacked in half. is this meme about pizza drivers and bad tippers? yeah, it is. does it generalize that rich people are bad tippers? sure. but that’s not exactly news. if you were to mention it to someone else, they’d say “well that’s how the rich stay rich!” and we'd all laugh it off and go our separate ways. but we’re not talking about the people who live in a cul-de-sac or a gated community, we’re talking about a symptom of a much larger problem, which is the growing gap between the ultra rich and the ultra poor in america. and it’s not only college-aged kids. it’s single parents, it’s people who are laid off from their jobs of 30 years, it’s people who lose their jobs to outsourcing, it’s everyone. i haven’t even gotten into the systematic prejudice against POC. i'll leave that for another time. even though you and i are sitting here thinking “hey we have it pretty good”, the point stands that things are less than ideal in america right now, and having it pretty good is actually an incredible privilege. i have strong opinions that can be stereotyped pretty easily by saying “eat the rich”, but you should know which “rich” i’m talking about. and no, i don’t actually want to eat them. but i think it would be pretty nice if everyone could afford groceries (even with food stamps or SNAP cards, which don’t cover diapers, soap, vitamins, toilet paper, or any hygiene products), and if service workers could make end’s meet for a modest life on a single full-time job. if health insurance covered dental work and optical needs, because we’ll never need glasses any less. if public education funding didn’t depend entirely on the value of the property in the neighborhood, which presents a disadvantage to poor neighborhoods. if grad students wouldn’t now have to pay taxes on the tuition allowances they get from teaching as part of their degree, which was never actually cash they had in the first place--and undergrads wouldn’t now have to pay taxes on scholarships (see above). our financial system in a nutshell is highway robbery, and if we all had each others’ backs on a social scale, a lot of these problems wouldn’t even be problems we have yet to solve, they would be completely moot. assuming you’ve gotten to the end of my sociopolitical rant that’s gone wildly off-topic, here’s a youtube video.  it’s a really good one to watch. a bit old, yeah, but the figures he’s talking about certainly haven’t gotten any better. and here’s a newer one, just to be fair, that’s incredibly relevant to our current situation.  i guess that’s my contribution to the “thought experiment”.

[satisfaction-explorations]

66.media.tumblr.com/c6ec75dbaaf086144be49ba2ee298d58/3884b0b016d4bbb0-db/s250x400/6f88104ba84a25149bfc0139d7df93fd0b7a3dff.jpg

.

Can there be places that people who are at risk move to in the US (if they’re renters)? E.g. states that vow to be extremely protected for the next 36 months- and won’t change? And that aren’t expensive? And where there are specific ways to earn income there? For example, apparently there are very few cases in Alaska (?) because of the very low population density… are there other places with very low population density?

A lot of these methods are also applicable to a variety of countries, so it is highly worthwhile to read all of this if you are interested in the coronavirus. 

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The overall question is… what is the goal for the US? Is the US willing to wait for 18-36 months until a vaccine is reached so that all at-risk people are immunized? These are people’s lives here, and they are people’s parents, siblings, husbands, wives, friends, colleagues.

People losing their businesses and their jobs, and the stress from losing all their savings/ incurring big rent debts without income, is serious too

Honestly, I think the answer has the potential to change every half week or so, depending on what is happening. But I think an answer can be estimated regularly as well. 

I think the overall, 52 state solution will come from some very unbiased, very benevolent, very smart people with a lot of influence in the US- so maybe some think tanks (or something else) that the government finds particularly useful. 

What other countries are in the US’s corona-zone (i.e. areas that can get strongly infected within months)? I suspect the islands can probably come up with strong quarantine measures to protect themselves, although I could be wrong. They probably need support in making sure the quarantining process between countries is as good as possible. 

I think it’s worthwhile talking with Canada regularly. I think it’s also worthwhile talking to Mexico regularly. However, Central America, especially the countries past Mexico- are probably extremely vulnerable. Can 10,000 waves of extremely helpful 5%s, financial resources and resources be organized as soon as possible? This would probably be led by 15 individuals who are very corona-smart, very country smart and who can get serious influence in the US and Central America. 

This means that the US did what it could for its corona-zone and can go forward guilt free. 

But what should the overall solution be? 

Some countries got the corona new cases to zero. But many missed the opportunity. Really open countries, and especially areas with high density, may have been really challenged with doing this either way. 

Considering there are over 1.2 million >>>confirmed cases, it looks like the illness is unstoppable in the US, although it is slowable. So

1. Organise 10,000 waves of extremely helpful 5%s, financial resources and resources to the most vulnerable countries in the US’s corona-region as soon as possible. This would probably be led by 15 individuals who are very corona-smart, very country smart and who can get serious influence in the US and Central America. The Bahamas and Haiti would also really appreciate additional quarantining help- Haiti because they have a jigsaw puzzle of areas that they really need support with, and the Bahamas because they’re so close and they have high vulnerabilities. But the most still needs to go to Central America- these countries are probably intensely vulnerable. 

2. Definitely find a way to talk with Canada regularly. They would probably be quite upset because they have a huge border and they probably would have been able to get the coronavirus to zero if it is wasn’t for that border. However, this is fate. There is nothing that can be done. They need to accept it. However, it is a very good idea if the US makes up the points to Canada (e.g. through increased friendship, a lot of token gestures, increased help, increased support), because it is really unfair for them. 

3. It’s really good talk to Mexico regularly as well, with the goal of coordinating responses, keeping them informed, and similar things to what is for Canada above. 

4. It looks like the coronavirus is not stoppable in the US. However, you can choose certain US states with certain industries that will take stopping this coronavirus for the full 36 months. States that will try to act like fortresses and where a tonne of at risk people can go to rent. So that if everyone in the US gets the coronavirus, in these states, they will fight to get zero cases for the full 36 months. But they would need appropriate industries- industries would need to exist where 

a. And the chosen states need to be livable enough. Or at risk people will refuse to rent there and will die. What about if elected officials change over in 1 year or 2 years? How can a promise be kept even if officials and parties potentially change? 

b. I’m definitely not a US expert, but I would say, states with low population density, states with less complicated borders, states that aren’t too hot, states that don’t have problems with tornadoes because this will make everything 1000x more complicated for people at high risk of coronavirus. 

c. I think it would be best to choose regions around Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota, because I think they have lower population densities, and this means that you do your part to help Canada/ Canada’s border (because Canada would be able to get close to zero)

d. But most people will only move to places if there is a high enough chance of work- so if high risk people move to less dense areas who have nominated themselves to fortress against COVID for the full 36 months, most will need to work sooner or later (especially with rent). Although, what about housing? 

5. In the US, help needs to be made for the different groups of people

a. The 3% at high risk of death even if they get ICU treatment

b. The 5% at high risk of intubation or other disability if they get ICU treatment

c. The 5% at high risk of death if they can’t get ICU treatment

i. This is where the greatest problem is, and why all the behavioural measures and restrictions are put in place. These people often have younger children, or are spouses, or are people’s siblings or friends. And 5% is a huge number- it’s 16.4 million people, on top of the 3% 10 million. 

ii. Quite simply, hospital ICUs can’t deal with tonnes of people getting sick with a new illness in very short amounts of times. Those people get rejected from ICUs, and die for no other reason than that- they could have lived. 

iii. Slowing the virus means that hospital ICUs aren’t 10x 50x 100x 300x over capacity- how many rejections is that? 

iv. It’s also so that people aren’t directly responsible for other people’s death, serious illness or even disability because they didn’t follow the behavioural protections. 

v. This is what all the slowing the curve is about

vi. States obviously have to get enough resources to cover this (e.g. double them- although that’s not 10x 50x 100x 300x), and implement regular extremely effective extremely memorable behavioural requirements via the media as well as fines to back them up. 

vii. And to follow New York’s lead- they had a densely populated, high tourism population that had a huge percent commuting by subway, and they implemented scores and scores of methods- the best 200 they could think of- being really tough with criteria- and they paid attention to which methods helped the most and scaled those up further. There is so much to learn from New York methods- they have been leaders in flattening the curve in one of the most challenging cases in the US. 

d. The 12% other than the above that needs to go to hospital

i. For the 12%, what exactly are the treatments they receive in hospital? Can any of these treatments be mailed to people? Or done over video link from home? 

e. For all or multiple groups from above

i. All the relevant methods that the poorest countries use, the US can and should use too. The goal is to save as many lives as possible, while saving as many jobs and businesses and keeping the rest of society happy enough

ii. A lot of these methods will help the most poor and vulnerable in the US- definitely use them, tailor them, apply them to anyone, rich or poor, who they can help

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What about economic measures? How would that work? I know I’m always saying the US is a rich and lucky country, but it should aim to solve everything as soon and effectively as it can. Australia is a rich and lucky country too, and we’re almost down to 0 new cases and semi-reopening, but with strong behavioural requests regularly reinforced via 30 second, highly pleasant, highly memorable ads that run frequently. And these are also reinforced with fines, some really large (e.g. $1200) 

• Everyone who can work from home should be able to work from home

• What can be put in place to make working from home as achievable for businesses as possible? 

Some people will need to go into businesses to pick up items from their workplace, to send workplace documents to their home emails and to get people to send office software to others

It will help the economy an absolute tonne- an absolute tonne- to allow people- in a very staggered way- into workplaces as soon as humanly possible for the goal of sending their work documents to their email or onto google drive

This would just need behavioural recommendations for work protocol- e.g. only 5 people in an office at a time, 1.5 metre social distancing, at work for as short as possible, and maybe you can allow external IT contractors to come in to set up programs so that office programs can be used from home. For some businesses this might be easy to resolve in under a week (e.g. 20% of employees come in for 1 day each, and the boss is in the office for the full week), and for some businesses it might take longer to figure out (e.g. if they have to negotiate deals for special software that then needs to go to all people’s computers)

• It might also be a very good idea to allow some industries that employ a tonne of people to reopen- at people’s own risk- and create protocol for each of these industries

• Can each area go through its 20 largest employing industries, and figure out protocol for how to allow them to operate? 

• And in terms of the corona economy 18-36 months, how exactly will businesses and jobs survive and be recreated with all these behavioural requirements?

Obviously, all the work that can be done safely via the internet should be

If people can work from home, they should 

I don’t know yet- think tanks and the people should come up with the best ways to hire and keep employing each % of the population until everyone is covered

It might take time but every contribution counts. Even a 1% contribution might help literally millions of people. Even hundreds or thousands of people- while not being 1%- is still a lot and still very helpful. 

Every solution can be used globally, and every relevant global solution can and should be used here

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What can be learnt from Italy, Australia and other countries on which additional methods worked? Yes, every country is made up of millions of individuals in a different geographic context, but some of the methods might be extremely relevant if tailored to the local context a bit. 

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Nursing homes: in addition to the 30-40 most effective methods, temperature checks upon entry for 100% of people coming in for any reason might be potentially be the #1 method... 

What about food, plastics and fabrics coming into the facilities- as well as what is in people’s personal bags? It’s hard to reach perfection, so it’s just adding a handful of improvements as a time as they are thought of- maybe a specialist team can keep adding to this. 

Once nursing homes can successfully contain COVID19, I think residents should be able to choose whether they socialize in common areas or not, because they’re quite old. It’s like smoking- if someone is over 80, they should be able to smoke and drink however much they want, if they enjoy it. It becomes about quality of life. What about their relatives though?  

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Who are the people most financially at risk and how exactly? Not in terms of the squeaky wheel gets the grease and not in terms of subjective stress, but in terms of the most problems. What pathways can be created for them to go down? i.e. all these solution steps that help them (not thinking of handouts, thinking of solution stimulators). I don’t know how to write about this but it is such an important area because I imagine this would be the second largest source of stress for the wider population. 

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On the federal and state COVID websites, it would be an excellent idea to create a resource that explains to people how exactly the immune system works with this virus. It would have to be very very emotionally sensitive and emotionally safe to watch and memorise from the first go, but the goal of it would be for people to know what exactly their body needs to do if they get the virus. Bodies are very intelligent and can do incredible things via the brain. If the above is presented in as sensitive and safe way as possible, it can be made to really motivate people to tell their bodies what to do with the virus, sort of like self-hypnosis. This is real. The body and brain can do very complex things. If it is given some guidance. For example, I realized a while ago that the virus works by the immune system being too strong and attacking the body. Since then, I have repeated hundreds of times that my immune system needs to get extremely >>>smart and >>>supported, not ‘strong’. I also learned that one of the major sources of immune system support was Vitamin C and other vitamins and minerals. When I learn more about how the immune system works, especially in the context of this virus, I can find more and more ways to get it as smart and supported as possible. However- you would need to be careful to not accidentally traumatize people or kids- it would need to be very emotionally sensitive and emotionally supportive resources.

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Can large surveys be held, asking people what their top worries are (up to 10 or 12) with the consequences of everything COVID (the health measures, the economic measures, and literally anything else, government or non-government related)- both for themselves and for anyone else they have thought of (e.g. homeless people they have seen, behaviours on the subway)?

You can put e.g. 20 options, each with the option of a comment, which you may or may not look at, and 4 “other” options at the end (longer comments). And they’re not compulsory, but they’re highly hyped- repeated 15-20 times in public announcements (e.g. government ads and TV announcements). And then put them in themes? But you would have to be very, very careful not to ask “leading” questions- i.e. questions phrased in a way that get people to say something. They have to let people’s answers be as unbiased as possible- their centred, truest, most useful thoughts.

And to give people a week to open and edit these… and any that are saved are automatically submitted at the end of the week (Sunday night at midnight- Sunday/Monday crossover time). But the government does repeat 15-20 times in TV ads to do these.

They can be sent to everyone whose email is available and it can be said to everyone else to just follow these extremely easy instructions and the survey will be sent to them.

You can also put a section below with 10 options for suggestions of improvements and solutions, preferably with a why (but not essential- some people know without being able to explain why). People don’t need to fill this in, but it could be really useful for that point in time.

And another section with 10 options for people to provide any information that might be useful. You would have to make this survey as enjoyable as humanly possible- a lot of people are very feelings-based- if they don’t like how it looks or it’s too big, they might not do it. You could do the first section, and then two buttons, one button taking you to the second section and back, the second button taking you to the third section and back, and a save button on the first page, very strongly encouraging people to save it regularly, and for it to be auto-submitted at the end of Sunday evening.

And this to be USA-wide, not just New York and New Jersey wide.

And a few demographics, although these should be strongly encouraged but optional, to maximize the number of people answering the full survey. But maybe avoid details like names and phone numbers- people can put this sort of information if they want to, but they definitely don’t have to- demographics like postcode, exact age, gender, income bracket, and savings bracket are more relevant.

Hiring people to analyse 100% of the comments doesn’t have to be the most urgent task, but even 5% of the comments might show highly useful things.

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New York has a lot to teach all the other super-cities of the world… there are a lot of cities with very high population density x very high populations. 

It’s also highly likely that, because of the wide variety of methods- some of these really ingenious and at times beating almost impossible odds- that New York has tried, tested and used, it’s a really good idea for other states to find out about New York’s methods and see which methods are the most relevant to their state, which methods are relevant but need to be adjusted to fit local conditions, and where there are gaps in methods for problems in your states and where you need to create your 100 most effective methods to cover these gaps. 

As a start, New York has very recently published a new plan for the next steps, and this may be very useful for a lot of locations across the US. 

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One of the most effective methods I have seen is New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s daily one hour briefings about the data, the best methods so far, the knowledge, and what he thinks. 

One hour would probably be too long for other states (although, if they were in lockdown they would probably have more time), but he specifically said that if you don’t engage with the people and get them committed, motivated and interested- without stressing anyone out- no amount of policing will be enough. 

The coronavirus deaths and economic factors are mitigated by the population’s day to day behaviour, commitment, interest, and being on the same page, and by doing these regular briefings, he showed the people the best current methods, along with the best solution stimulators (information that would stimulate solutions in the people, who know all the details of the city). 

It’s a really good idea if every state had regular, frequent communications that motivated the people to be committed, showed the best current methods, and stimulated solutions in a large number of people. They wouldn’t have to be one hour- if you can say it in 30 or 15 minutes, whatever reaches the required results of the biggest goals like minimising deaths through people’s behaviour, encouraging people to do the right thing, stimulating solutions among the 10,000 different skills the people have (if each person is great at 10-20 and OK at 100-200), stimulating corona economy solutions, reassuring people and helping them with their mental health, and any other priority goals. 

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New Jersey has a considerably smaller population than New York, are less dense and have a high number of COVID cases- they could do with support and help from nearby states. Was it because of a ton of people who lived in New Jersey worked in New York during the day? Although, people have stayed at home for over a month in lockdown in New York so there probably wouldn’t be much traffic going either way. 

It’s likely that New Jersey has some unique contextual or geographic challenges, and could really use the support and helping hand of others to figure out their 200 most effective methods to get deaths as low as possible. 

New Jersey could probably use a lot of TV ads and public health campaigns on the best 15 things people can do to stop the spread. But any other help, support or methods for them would be really useful.

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A lot of these could be passed on to the specialist teams in these areas… it’s a lot of information sometimes. Although, it would be really important to know when methods oppose each other (e.g. when reducing deaths makes the economy slow down and vice versa) so as to be able to get both teams in and come to some sort of most effective and fair middle ground (and not a squeaky wheel gets the grease middle ground but a most effective one)

What are the 50 most likely ways that the virus can be spread via commutes/public transport/waiting, etc? It may need to be added to 5-6 things at a time. This is just for awareness of what short list of behavioural measures will be most useful and for what resource measures are most helpful.

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It still seems the best way to deal with this is behavioural change, so clarifying which behaviours help the most, and figuring out how to motivate the hardest to motivate. 

Would these be people who have had very unfair lives for whatever reason (e.g. discrimination)? Maybe who became hardened criminals? Who have an attitude of, ‘why should I help anyone at all’ and even wanting to make things a bit worse? Not a lot- just a bit. Maybe the police or any other groups can help? Maybe there can be analyses done of who is most likely to break these? For the goal of- not discriminating further- but of passing this information on so that whoever is in charge of this area can figure out ethical ways to motivate them. 

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The city will increase the number of city employees acting as “social distancing ambassadors” to 2,300, up from 1,000. The move comes after criticism that city police were unfairly enforcing such rules. 

Maybe there can be ambassadors that really appeal to the people in the previous section that they really listen to. Even rebels have people they respect. 

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Socially, what are the emotions most likely to cause people who catch the coronavirus to get stronger side effects? Grief (e.g. from the death of a friend or family member), a broken heart, depression, anxiety (?), exhaustion. It’s not a good idea to suppress or repress these because they will most likely get worse or blow up, but can there be strong social patterns that when someone gets the coronavirus the world puts them in an optimal emotional and mental state for dealing with it. 

In terms of worrying, what would their access to family and friends be? They would need access to a phone charger, their phone and maybe their laptop. And maybe there can be a 

People will worry so much less if they can stay in touch regularly. 

What about mental health support? It would be pretty expensive to get this for hospitals and hospital staff already have a tonne to deal with. 

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What about worrying about others, and helplessness? I remember with development, I had to stop working on certain areas for weeks and months because I empathized but I felt helpless. I now stick to the principle of spending certain allocated times for solutions and personal recovery/writing about how I will deal with any side effects, and give myself the right of boundaries and ignoring problems- as respectfully as I can- outside of the times I do my development work. 

So, with children, with helplessness, you can publically communicate the top 5 or 15 ways kids can help (e.g. supporting mum and dad, writing letters, creating things to support the response), and the top 5 to 15 ways to protect themselves. 

However- we’re all a bit like sponges for absorbing emotions, especially hidden emotions… so if people on the TV are worried, kids will worry too… maybe it’s a good time to watch scarier news (like overseas new) when kids are in a different room and can’t hear it. 

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My personal experience with illness is getting almost better, then getting sick again, and this repeating. What are the behaviours people can take when they have COVID 19 or anything that might be that to fully recover? For example, I learnt to be very careful for several days after you have symptoms, because that is when it is most likely to return. 

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Can we start the idea of what to put in a hospital preparation bag- i.e. a list of things everyone- literally 100% of people- know about (e.g. accessible on the government website in a really obvious place)- and if they have to get to hospital, they know the most helpful things to bring. For example, three novels that will help you feel these … emotions helpful to recovering from COVID 19 with minimal symptoms. And instructions for the top 10 or 15 recommended things for different people to do while they’re in ICU or hospital dealing with the coronavirus (e.g. how restless people deal with boredom x high symptoms)

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Can we also strongly fight hospital phobia in those that have it? We would need as few people as possible in ICUs and hospital beds, and need to encourage people to keep in strong enough health to not go in there, but I imagine if someone had hospital phobia or fear and then got really sick with corona virus this fear would contribute quite a bit to how strong the symptoms were. Especially if everyone was wandering around in those space suits and they couldn’t see or speak with anyone. 

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You would have to protect your mental health enough- i.e. what were your specific actions around things and how they were connected- you can’t blame yourself for other people’s actions because you can’t control other people’s actions. You can influence them by e.g. 20%, 40%, 60%- but that has a strong element of unpredictability of it as well. And if you made some mistakes in the past, hitting yourself over the head is the wrong way to approach it- you just make sure you don’t repeat it and make up the points later when you have free energy and time (not your current recovery time), even if it takes months, years or decades. It’s true that some things are really terrible and they should strongly be prevented. But with the past, it’s set in stone, so you should definitely not hit yourself over the head- show genuine remorse and make up all the points later on. That’s the healthy and correct way to deal with most things. I’m a fence sitter though- I prefer to hear all sides and evaluate all sides as accurately as I can. I think that’s the only way to reach fairness. 

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If you’re someone who can’t accept help unless there’s reciprocity, there are three areas that seem connected that are really close to my heart:

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Helping Puerto Rico untie the aid, bureaucacy and social requirements for the rebuilding funding promised for Hurricane Maria. Hurricanes batter their island each hurricane season, and unrepaired houses are at much higher risk of getting more broken. If it takes 10,000 waves to untie the category 5 aid they need so much to rebuild their priorities, it would be so very helpful to add to these waves to help them get it. And maybe to help them figure out how to rebuild houses if there has been 1000 earthquakes and a big earthquake expected every year. Would this be an area of engineering that needs to be created? Or does California know how to do this? It needs to be hurricane surge proof as well. 

Helping Haiti be a politically neutral country, like Switzerland- they really don’t have much power or influence, so being a really strong friend and ally to them while, at the same time, allowing them to work a lot with Venezuela, who provides them with crucial trade and oil subsidies (which they very, very strongly need) and allowing them to work with China, who provide them with funding for infrastructure projects, which will help them an absolutely huge amount. Haiti really does not have much power or influence internationally, so making them like Switzerland would have little impact on the US’s needs or influences. So, being a big help to them, even if they also accept help from Venezuela and China. They are the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and 90% of their people live below the poverty line, so everybody should be allowed to help them... Let’s win their support via who helps them the best, rather than threatening to withdraw allyship. Apparently Haiti and the US have a strained relationship, so this would need to be healed somehow though. 

Any way to help the Rohingya find a big picture and short term solution. <3 <3 <3 If it takes 1,000 methods to complete the puzzle of a win/win solution for them, any methods contributed would be hugely helpful. I don’t know how, but any contributions to help them find a big picture solution that is good for everyone would be hugely appreciated.

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[theannuityexpert]

The Long Term Care Annuity: The Modern Day Long-Term Care Insurance

There are a few niche annuity products that are built specifically for Long-Term Care (LTC) or Critical Illness, and really nothing else.  A deferred long-term care annuity is a great alternative to traditional long-term care insurance. 70% of people age 65+ will need Long Term Care (September 2008).- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Table Of ContentsWhat is Long Term Care?Who Needs Long-Term Care Insurance?How Much Does Long-Term Care Cost?Who Pays for Long Term Care?What does Long-Term Care Insurance Cover?How Does a Long Term Care Annuity Work?LTC Annuity ExampleLong-Term Care Insurance Annuity vs. Annuity with Long Term Care RiderLong-Term Care Insurance Requirements Long-Term Care Insurance Interview QuestionsWhere can I find long-term care facilities and services near me?Do I Need Long-Term Care Insurance?Understanding Long-Term Care Annuities

What is Long Term Care?

Long-term care insurance is for a person with a prolonged physical illness, a disability or a cognitive impairment (such as Dementia). Long term care protection comes in many different types of services or facilities to help people with chronic conditions overcome limitations that keep them from being independent. Long-term care is different from traditional health care. Long-term care helps one live in their current state or condition with the possibility they may not improve or correct their medical problems. Long-term care services may include help with activities of daily living, Home health careRespite careHospice careAdult daycareNursing homeAssisted living facility Long-term care may also include professional care services, which will evaluate your current and future needs then coordinate and monitor the delivery of long-term care services along the way. Someone with a physical or mental illness or disability often needs hands-on or stand-by assistance with activities of daily living. Basically you need a professional to assist in living day to day. People with cognitive impairments usually need supervision, protection or verbal reminders to do everyday activities. Long-term care services today are changing and expanding, but still uses standard terms such as "skilled care" or "personal care". Skilled care is needed for medical conditions that require assistance from medical personnel such as a registered nurse or professional therapists. Skilled care is usually needed 24 hours a day, a physician must order it, and there must be a plan in place. Seniors usually get skilled care in a nursing home or an assisted living facility but may also receive it in other places. For example, you might get professional medical care in your home with help from visiting nurses or therapists. This is called Home Health Care. Home Health Care may include physical therapy, caring for a wound, or supervising or administering medication. Personal care (sometimes called custodial care) helps one with activities of daily living (ADLs.) Personal care is less involved than skilled care, and it may be given in many settings typically in your home. A long-term care insurance policy is essential in retirement planning. Any sort of Long-Term-Care insurance requires an individual to not be able to conduct 2 out of the 6 Activities of Daily Living (ADL) in order to take advantage of the insurance company benefits. Adult Day Care Adult Day Care is basically a community-based center for elderly adults who need assistance during the day, but do not need-round-the-clock care. Assisted Living Facility An assisted living facility is a residential living home (apartment or house) that provides individual care to those who not perform Activities of Daily Living. Home Health Care Home Health Care offers health-related and homemaker services to seniors at their personal homes. Nursing Home A nursing home is a qualified facility that provides nursing care to seniors with chronic illness or can't exercise Activities of Daily Living. Respite Care Respite care offers caregivers relief for several hours at a time to break from the daily responsibilities.

Who Needs Long-Term Care Insurance?

Since the Federal Government is predicted that 7 out of 10 retirees above the age of 65 will need some sort of long term cares in their lifetime, it would safe to say every senior will need coverage in some shape or form. Luckily there are different alternatives (annuities or life insurance) other than traditional long-term-care insurance. At the very least, the alternatives are not "use it or lose it" types of insurance plans. Since the immediate need for long term care won't begin until you are starting to need help with your day to day basic living needs, it's hard to tell when you need to actually buy long-term care insurance. What I can tell you is that when it gets to that point, it's already too late. You probably can't be insured, and this is why a plan for long term care needs to be taken care of at the start of your retirement, not the middle or the end.

How Much Does Long-Term Care Cost?

Long-term care can be expensive. The cost depends on the amount and type of care you need and where you get it. Below are the national median annual costs for care in 2019 provided in a nursing home stay, in an assisted living facility, and in your own home (Home Health Care). Nursing Home Costs In 2019, the national average cost of nursing home care was $90,155 a year for a semi-private room and $102,200 a year for a private room. The cost of a semi-private room increased nearly 1% from 2018 while a private room increased almost 2%. This cost does not include items such as therapies and medications, which could make the cost much higher. Assisted Living Facility Costs In 2019, assisted living facilities had a median cost of $19,500 a year for adult day health care and assisted living facilities charged a median cost of $48,612 a year. Adult day care had a 4.17% increase in cost from 2018 while assisted living facilities had an increase of 1.28% from the previous year. Some residents in the facilities may pay a lot more if their care needs are higher. Home Health Care Costs Homemaker Services In 2019, the national median cost for Homemaker Services was $51,480 a year which is a 7.14% increase from 2018. Homemaker services are professionals that come into your home and help with day to day chores, cook meals, or run errands. Homemaker Services are based on 44 hours per week for 52 weeks. Home Health Aide In 2019, the national median cost for Home Health Aide was $52,624 a year which is a 4.55% increase from 2018. Home Health Aide offers more extensive personal care (bathing, dressing, transferring) than Homemaker Services in terms of personal care. Home Health Aide cost is based on 44 hours per week for 52 weeks. In-Home Care - Skilled Nursing In 2019, the national median cost for In-home Skilled Nursing was $87.50 per visit. Skilled nursing is licensed health care that sends a registered nurse into your home, and supplying personal care, intravenous medications and injections, caring for wounds, etc on a visit by visit basis.

Who Pays for Long Term Care?

You pay for long-term care using personal resources, long-term care insurance, long term care insurance alternatives, and some assistance from Medicaid for those who qualify. Medicare, Medicare supplement insurance, and regular health insurance (medical insurance) typically will not pay for long-term care assistance nor facilities. Personal Resources Typically long term care expenses are out of pocket costs such as personal savings accounts, investments, retirement plans. Because of the expensive cost, some people sell their homes and assets to pay for their long-term care needs. Medicare Medicare’s skilled nursing facility benefit does not cover most nursing home care. Medicare will pay the cost of some skilled care in an approved nursing home or in your home, but only in specific situations. The skilled nursing home facility care (SNF) benefit only covers you if a physician says you need daily skilled care after you have been in the hospital for at least 3 days and you are receiving that care in a nursing home that is a Medicare-certified skilled nursing facility. While Medicare may pay for nursing home care in some scenarios, the benefit doesn’t cover the costs of care in assisted living facilities. Medicare does not cover home health care including homemaker services, home health aide, and in-home skilled nursing care. Medigap (Medicare Supplement Insurance) Medicare supplement insurance or Medigap is private insurance that helps pay for some of the gaps in Medicare coverage, such as hospital deductibles and excess physician charges above what Medicare approves. Medicare supplement policies do not cover long-term care costs but may pay for services to people recovering at home from an illness, injury or surgery. Medigap does not cover assisted living facilities, Alzheimer's Disease, custodial or personal care, or adult daycare. You must qualify for Medicare-covered home health services before this Medicare supplement insurance benefit is available. Medicaid Medicaid is the government-funded program that pays nursing home care only for individuals who are destitute. Medicaid pays for almost 50% of all nursing home care on an aggregate basis. However, people who need long-term care almost never qualify for Medicaid benefits. To utilize Medicaid assistance, you must meet federal and state guidelines for income and assets. Basically many seniors start paying for nursing home care out of pocket and “spend down” their income until they are eligible for Medicaid. Basically, the elderly have to become legally poor in order to advantage of the Medicaid program. Some of the elderly's assets and income can be protected for a spouse (Medicaid Annuity) who remains at home. Long-Term Care Insurance Traditional long-term-care insurance is one other way you may pay for long-term care and comes in many forms. Long term care annuities are just one way to pay or reimburse you for some or all of your long-term care costs. Annuities Annuities offer a hybrid policy called long-term care annuity which explained in this guide. Some annuities also offer contract waivers and optional riders that can be added to help with the cost of long term care. What ever value in the annuity contract not used will be passed down to beneficiaries in a lump sum. Life Insurance Some permanent life insurance policies, with the exception term life insurance, can be used as a hybrid long-term care insurance. The life insurance policy (Whole Life Insurance or Universal Life Insurance) offers riders and provisions called Living Benefits or Accelerated Death Benefit s that will allow you the insured to access your death benefit while alive to pay for long term care needs. If the life insurance policy has any death benefit (face value) left, the remainder will be passed down to your beneficiaries.

What does Long-Term Care Insurance Cover?

Home CarePersonal CareHomemaker ServicesBed ReservationAdult Day CareResidential CareNursing Home Care and FacilityHospice Care (Critical Care)Chore ServicesHome Health AideNurse and TherapistRespite CareAssisted Living

How Does a Long Term Care Annuity Work?

The base annuity contract is a deferred fixed annuity that offers enhanced care coverage, tax-free. There is some but minimal underwriting (no medical exam) involved so not everyone can purchase an LTC annuity. Basically,  these niche annuities double (200%) or triple (300%) your initial single premium payment (based on medical records) to generate a tax-free long-term care insurance benefit. Yes, tax-free thanks to the Pension Protection Act. When your ready, you will choose your qualified service or facility of your choice. You will be able to access the benefit via a reimbursement over a specified period of time. What this means is you have to pay for the cost upfront then have invoices sent to the insurance company. The insurance company then pays you back up to the monthly allowance. If there is any of your money left over in the annuity policy at death, the heirs will inherit it.

LTC Annuity Example

So let's give you an example so we are clear on what I'm talking about. Let's take $100,000, and purchase long term care annuity insurance. You qualify for a Standard insurers rating,  you're $100K will now be worth $200,000 in tax-free Long-Term Care benefits instantly. Now let's say you qualify for a Premier (Preferred) insurers rating, you're $100,000 investment is now $300,000 in tax-free Long Term Care benefits. Now let me just state, the enhanced tax-free LTC benefit is not money you can walk away with. That would be just too good to be true. When you're ready to exercise this enhanced benefit, you will pick out your facility (Nursing Home Care or Assisted Living Facility) or your service (Home Health Care or Homemaker Services). You will pay for the qualified long-term care expenses upfront, and submit receipts to the issuing insurance company to be reimbursed. Whatever your benefit equates to will be divided out over a fixed number of months. In the previous example of $100K = $300K LTC Benefit, if your policy covers 60 months, you will receive a monthly maximum allowance up to $5,000 monthly for 60 months. It's that simple.

Long-Term Care Insurance Annuity vs. Annuity with Long Term Care Rider

A Long-Term Care insurance annuity is built just for LTC cost assistance, nothing else.  You can plan your eldercare around one of these types of annuities. A deferred annuity with an LTC rider is not built for eldercare planning, but rather retirement income planning primarily with an enhanced benefit.  The enhancement on the rider typically doubles the retirement income amount to help pay for LTC, but reverts back to the original income amount when your account value runs down to zero. The LTC rider helps but typically does not scratch the surface in terms of cost.  Riders also limit what LTC benefits they will cover as well. The only time I would recommend an annuity with this type of rider would be if you can't qualify for a typical LTC vehicle due to health. Example Just so we're on the same page, let me give you an example comparison. I have $100,000 to purchase long-term care insurance, and I want to use an annuity for my vehicle. Both annuities will cover you for 60 months (5 years). Let's say the annuity with the LTC rider generates a retirement income of $5,000 annually for life.  When you're ready for the benefit, the $5,000 turns into $10,000 annually ($833.33 a month) for a facility or service. With the LTC annuity,  the same $100,000 would be equal to $200,000 ($3,333.33 a month) or $300,000 ($5,000 a month) worth of benefit spread out over 60 months. It's comparing apples to oranges for eldercare planning.

Long-Term Care Insurance Requirements

Activities of Daily Living Activities of Daily Living (ADL) are the primary requirement to trigger long-term care insurance benefits. Most insurance companies want a person to not be able to meet at least 2 out of the 6 Activities of Daily Living which are bathing, continenece, dressing, eating, toileting, and transferring. Cognitive Impairment Most long-term care insurance policies cover for “cognitive impairment.” The policy usually pays benefits if you cannot pass certain tests of cognitive function. Coverage of cognitive impairment is especially important if you develop Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia. If being unable to do ADLs is the only benefit trigger your policy uses, it may not pay benefits if you have Alzheimer’s disease but can still do most of the ADLs on your own. If your policy tests your cognitive ability as a benefit requirement, it is likely to pay long term care benefits if you have Alzheimer’s disease. Doctor Certification Some long-term care insurance requires a recommendation from a doctor that long term care is medically necessary. Elimination Periods Most long-term care insurance policies won’t allow you to start the benefits on the first day you go to a nursing home or start using home care. Most policies have an obstacle called an elimination period (deductible or a waiting period). The elimination period means benefits can start from 0 days to 30+ days after you start using the facility/service or become disabled. Elimination periods for each type of care may be different from another. Sometimes there might be a single-elimination period. The elimination period will determine how many days you have to wait before benefits start to be sure to review your policy carefully. Some elimination periods allow you to accumulate non-consecutive days, and some policies require consecutive days. If you find a policy with a zero-day elimination period, it might cost you more, but it will set you up in a good position when you are ready to exercise the benefits. During the elimination period, your policy will not pay the cost of long-term care services or facilities. Medical expenses could be out of pocket during the elimination period. Elimination periods are determined by calendar days while other policies use days of covered service to determine an elimination period. Make sure you know how the policy defines the elimination period. Calendar Days Every day of the week would count in determining the elimination period regardless of whether you received any services on those days. Days of Service Only days when you receive the actual services will count toward the elimination period which means the benefits can take longer to activate if you only use the services part-time. That means more out of pocket medical expenses are accrued. Single Elimination Periods Some policies allow a one time elimination period for you to get through, and benefits are eligible at your disposal for the remainder of your life.

 Long-Term Care Insurance Interview Questions

Typical qualifying questions would include: Are you currently hospitalized, confined to a bed, or residing in an Assisted Living Facility? In the past 12 months have you applied for any long-term care insurance policy or long term care rider that was declined or postponed? Are you currently using, or in the past 12 months have you used or been medically advised by a Health Care Professional to use any of the following: Medical Care in a Nursing FacilityHome Health CareAdult Day CareA Walker,WheelchairA Cane,Motorized ScooterHospital bedStair LiftOxygenDialysis machineHospice Care Do you require assistance or supervision in performing any of the following activities including: taking medicationbathing, dressinggetting in and out of a chair or bedeating, toiletingmanaging your bowel or bladderwalking In the last 7 years, have you had, been diagnosed or treated by a Health Care Professional, been prescribed or taken medication for any of the following: Alzheimer’s disease or dementiaRecurrent memory lossMild cognitive impairment (MCI)Organic brain syndromeMental incapacity or retardationMultiple sclerosisParkinson’s diseaseParalysisOrgan transplant other than cornea or kidneySpinal Stenosis or Chronic back pain with narcotic medicationAutoimmune disorder/disease such as Systemic LupusSystemic SclerodermaCREST syndromeConnective Tissue DiseaseMixed Connective Tissue DiseaseMuscular dystrophyLou Gehrig’s disease (ALS)Huntington’s diseaseHepatitisCirrhosisSmoking in conjunction with EmphysemaCOPDStrokeMultiple Transient Ischemic Attach (TIA) In the last 12 months have you had, been diagnosed or treated by a Health Care Professional, or been prescribed or taken medication for any of the following: AneurysmHeart bypass surgeryHeart valve replacementVascular surgeryBeen hospitalized overnight 2 or more timesHad any fall resulting in a fractureHad a seizure or convulsionHad multiple falls, TremorsCongestive heart failureCardiomyopathy In the last 5 years, have you had, been diagnosed or treated by a Health Care Professional, or been prescribed or taken medication for any of the following: LeukemiaHodgkin’s disease or other lymphomaAny cancer other than non-melanoma skin cancerAlcohol or drug abuse or dependency, Hospitalization for depressionBi-polar disorder or any other psychiatric disorderBlood clotting deficiency, Factor V, VII, VIII, IX, XIdiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) or essential thrombocythemiaVon Willebrand diseaseSmoking with peripheral vascular diseaseDiabetesrenal disease In the last 7 years, have you had, been diagnosed or treated by a Health Care Professional, or been prescribed or taken medication for any of the following: TIA with a history of heart diseaseDiabetes currently treated with insulinRheumatoid arthritis with joint deformityRheumatoid arthritis with joint replacementKidney or cornea transplantMyasthenia gravisDiabetes with a history of TIAStrokeNeuropathykidney diseaseperipheral vascular disease or congestive heart failureRheumatoid arthritis requiring use of narcotic medicationBipolar disorderschizophrenia or other psychosisChronic kidney failure Have you been medically advised by a Health Care Professional to have any surgery, non-routine diagnostic test or medical evaluation that has not yet been completed?

Where can I find long-term care facilities and services near me?

Find Long Term Care ServicesFind the nearest qualified long term care services nearby.Read More Find Long Term Care FacilitiesFind the nearest qualified long term care facilities nearby.Read More

Do I Need Long-Term Care Insurance?

Whether you should buy a long-term care insurance policy will depend on your age, health status, overall retirement goals, income and assets. With that said, if you have assets for retirement planning, you may want to buy long-term care insurance (traditional LTC insurance policies or alternatives) since there is roughly a 70% chance of needing long term care. Many seniors buy a policy because they want to stay financially independent of government aid or they don’t want to burden anyone such as family members with having to care for them in the future. If you're living on a fixed income from primarily Social Security Benefits, Medicaid might be the way to go. Above all, you should not buy a long-term care insurance policy if you cannot afford the insurance premium or aren’t sure you can pay the premium for the rest of your life. If you currently have serious health problems such as Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease, you probably won’t be able to buy a policy. Insurance companies have medical underwriting guidelines and procedures to keep the cost of long-term care insurance coverage affordable. Without these guidelines and procedures, most people would not buy coverage until they actually needed long-term care services. Not everyone should purchase a long-term care insurance policy. The coverage can be expensive, or the benefits you can afford makes the coverage not worth the money. You should not buy long-term care insurance if you can not afford to pay important bills.

Understanding Long-Term Care Annuities

When you receive your long-term care annuity contract, carefully read through and review it. Be sure every feature is what you understood your retirement plan would be. There are disclosures, statements of understanding or a prospectus to better understand what you have invested in. If you find yourself worried or feel that you haven't purchased what you understood, there is always a freelook period which gives you a set number of days (usually 10 to 30 days) to change your mind about buying an annuity after you receive it. If you decide during the freelook period that you don’t want the annuity, you can return the contract.

Long-Term Care Insurance Help

Not all long-term care insurance is created equal. Find out if you're getting the best policy from LTC Experts. Read the full article

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Archeology and Sustainable Regional Development with a Case Study- Juniper Publishers

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to analyse some characteristics of the archeological heritages and clarifies how they used natural energies. This research is based on the problem-oriented methodology and aims to introduce a new architectural model. The model uses natural energies like ancient architecture, but with the help of new building materials and technologies. The case study strategy of this paper rests mainly on analyzing the elements of the ancient structural systems and their functions related to the energy supply and consumption. The case study of Sistan looks at the dependency of the ancient construction to nature. The new construction model as a modernized version of the ancient building is applicable everywhere. Nevertheless, the model is more helpful for the underdevelopment regions. The result of this research contributes to the cities/regions to overcome the current crises, including provision of energy, environmental degradation and the unsustainable urban development.

Keywords: Archeology; Ancient architecture; Natural resources; Wind room; Ventilation; Modernized version

Abbreviations: BEA: Building Environmental Assessment Technique; PPFA: Past Present Future Analysis; POM: Problem Oriented Method

    Introduction

Major urban developers are worried about the energy supply for the built environments. There are multiple construction problems cause expensive and unsustainable energy usage. Factually, the current development has been accused of producing excessive consumption of global energy resources and polluting of the environment. The major current development procedures are meeting less sustainable use of the energy. The architectural heritage illustrates that those had been built according to the local culture and livelihood. Talent architectures and civil engineers have improved the structural systems and skeleton of towns by learning from climates, nature, inhabitants’ needs and economic requirements. For example, Hassan Fathi has done a lot in this regard [1] . In the ancient civilizations, the architecture had been an important element of the Iranian culture [2].

Iranian architecture not only had displayed a great variety both structural and aesthetic, but also as Upham Pope wrote it had included a wide range of applications [3]. The energy efficiency in Iranian houses had also been a functional characteristic [4]. As the ancient heritage proved, people had been using natural resources and energies well. The purpose of this paper is to recommend the use of natural energies in homes and cities. It aims to encourage the urban managers and contractors to use a new school of architecture based on the application of ancient architectural ideas, but with the help of new technologies at this time. This research is both theoretical and practical. In the theoretical perspective, it rests on theories of vernacular architecture and earth-architecture.

The practice of this research is its field study. This research applies a problem-oriented method and performs a past → present → future analysis. It studies the ancient building techniques, particularly Mede architecture in Sistan region. It adds the experiences of ancient architecture to new information, building knowledge and materials to solve the current regional/urban crises in terms of energy and water supply. This paper designs a modernized version of Mede’s homes to promote the pattern of nature-based construction. This research understood the urgent problem of current urban development, which not only does not rely on nature, but also destroys it. It argues that there are rational socioeconomic and environmental reasons to learn from the ancient nature-based architecture school. While the underdevelopment communities left the nature-based socioeconomic regimes, the ever expanding Urbanism degrades the environment and natural resources in the regions [5].

At the same time, the new technologies have changed the major general feature of the physical expansion of the cities, economic activities and social life against the environment and nature. Simultaneously, one result of the new information and technological advances has been a sharp reduction rate of mortality in the underdevelopment countries and the population increase. The current trend requires many new homes and urban spaces from one side and it is damaging the natural resources increasingly from the other side. In the next parts, this study examines the validity of the following hypothesis: The Sistan ancient architecture procedure together with new knowledge, materials and technologies will solve the urban/regional crises and conserves natural resources.

    Current Regional/Urban Development Problems

The current paradoxical problem is the expansion of cities from one side and the need for various energies from another side. Figure 1 reports a continuous dramatic population increase during 1880-2010. The dramatic population rise in Iran has religious and political roots [6]. Iran has also exhibited one of the sharpest urban expansion rates in the world according to the UN humanitarian information unit. Approximately 73.4 percent of Iran’s populations are in urban areas [7]. This fact relates to the widespread migration to the cities (The same source). Changes in urbanization law and regulations convert the producer villages to consumer cities. This process created more than 400 cities only in the period of 1996-2005. Increasing of urbanization in the recent decades left millions of poor people, who are not integrated into the urban economies. They have been left without adequate infrastructure, energy, water and occupation.

Ghobadian described the problem: “Continuous increase of the population caused depletion of the water resources so that we are disabling to settle our people” [8]. The new built environments have been developed without regard to traditional livelihood, lifestyle and culture [9]. Asadi argued convincingly, but the cities have still more problems. Small neighborhoods have become cities and cities are inside the protected walls. New rings of walls have been added constricting the horizontal views of blue skies. Beds of natural and seasonal rivers have become places for vulnerable homes filled with waste and sewage. Urban difficulties in arid and semi-arid regions of Iran are still more complicated. In the regions, the urban areas faced climatic hardness, depletion of natural resources and degradation of environmental components. Consequently, the regional cities put stress on eroded soils and show a thirsty earth with no plants.

Particularly, failures such expansion of unplanned and unauthorized urban districts, need for urban infrastructure, lack of public urban spaces, vulnerable and non-resistant buildings against natural hazards, lack of technology and weak official authorities are visual perspectives. Many scholars, i.e. Shahraki introduce the climatic hardness as a crisis as well [10]. Worse, the head of the National Security Council said that the water crisis has become a security issue. As the scholars discuss, the climate and social conflicts damaged the natural resources. This two facial problem has been deepened by the distancing from nature and has reached at a critical level now. When people left the traditional lifestyle, they built their homes unsustainable. Most of them do not have any relationship with nature since they supply fresh air, light, and energy with the help of mechanical and electrical devices. A solution to all the mentioned problems, including the energy supplying, shall stand on infinite natural resources. Therefore, the result of our theoretical and field studies suggests an urban/regional development way that has a strong connection with nature.

    Methods Applied

Research Methodology

While this research uses both theory and practice, its practical feature is heavier. It studies the relationship between built environments and nature. For this reason, a problemoriented method (POM) has been applied to study the harms of not being friend with nature. Shahraki has introduced a problemoriented method as a suitable tool to deal with the regional/ urban development crises in the underdevelopment regions [11]. The POM is pertinent to this work to look at the problems in none nature-based built environments. As this research suggests the usage of natural resources, a case study has been implemented to analyze the energy efficiency in the ancient construction of Sistan region. The case study analyzes and compares the advantages and shortcomings of the ancient buildings.

It discusses the applicability of the Mede’s building techniques to future constructions. This research compares Sistan traditional homes that benefited natural energies to the contemporary regional/urban developments. A building environmental assessment technique (BEA) has been performed during the process of the past-present-future analysis (PPFA) as well. The POM, BEA, PPFA and the case study provided necessary foundations for building a nature-based model of a structural system. The systems analysis and the systematic thinking in micro and macro dimensions are other important procedures used in this research. The components of the ancient building systems that influence the energy efficiency have also been analyzed by this research.

A Nature-Based Development Method

The history of housing and the built environment is an exciting and multifaceted story that reports socioeconomic conditions, lifestyles, and building methods in various eras. Related to their geographic place, local climate and socioeconomic ordering people have built homes and other structures [12]. Scientists understood many issues such as forms and plans of homes and building materials with the help of the PPFA. Scholars, i.e. Gibbs and O’Neill explored the history of built environments to adopt green building methods and techniques in the United Kingdom [13]. The history of architecture and building reports that the human has come a long way since people first used natural energy sources for their homes and fuels for their fires. The ancient Chinese used concentrated solar power for heat energy and fire. Native Americans used hot springs as renewable geothermal sources for cooking and heating. Some historians speculate the Egyptians used wind power to build their pyramids.

From Greece and Rome to Persia and North America, people benefited of geothermal, water, wind, and solar power in the ancient constructions [14]. Even today, you still see the ancient Persian wind towers that use wind to cool and heat homes. You also see ancient Roman gravity aqueducts for creating power, ancient Jerusalem gray-water plumbing to reuse water, ancient Roman thermal baths that could withdraw geothermal heat energy and ancient Greek cities that used passive solar systems for heating. You see the Native American cliff dwellings that used passive solar shade for cooling as well. In all examples of the ancient buildings, people had focused on the connection between the buildings and nature. During history, people have experienced many types of relations with nature. The technological outcomes of the industrial revolution altered the human need for natural resources. Roaf and Hancock analyzed the need for a relationship between building and nature to design energy efficient buildings again [15].

Considering the specific characteristics of Iran’s development, this research divides the history of architecture into ten different known periods to analyze the correlation between buildings and nature. Table 1 reports this periodical typology. In the left column of the table, you see the names of the known classic periods of architecture. In the middle column, the level of dependency of architecture on nature and natural resources has been evaluated with the help of qualitative concepts. The right side column shows the numerical scores, which are the interpretations of the qualitative evaluations. This research reviews the ideas of many scholars, i.e. Zargar [16] about the building styles and technologies, and energy efficiency of the constructions to determine the degree of the architecture dependency on nature.

Source: Table 1 is extracted from theoretical and field studies of this paper.

Several scholars also have discussed the energy provision and looked for a new connection between architecture and nature. Those ideas, plus consultations with many colleagues, explorations and experiences assisted the finding of the dependency degree of Iran’s architecture to nature in the form of numbers. Therefore, the scores have been decided after enough studies in the architecture and building style of every era. The scores are within an interval of the lowest number zero (0) up to the highest number one hundred (100). On the table, the qualitative evaluations and the scores report the degree of the architecture’s cohesion with the natural resources and nature.

    Case Studies in Sistan Region

Introduction

The whole region of Sistan is located in Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The city of Zabol is the largest city of the region located in Iran. Since Zabol is close to border of three countries, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, it has an international position. Sistan plain is the continuation of Helmand river basin mainly in Afghanistan. Figure 2 shows the place of Zabol, as the largest city of Sistan region. Sistan region is an obvious loser of natural energies while it owns infinite solar and wind resources.

Introducing Sistan’s Ancient Architecture

One of the earliest documented climatic architecture of ancient time belongs to the Greek philosopher Vitruvius, who looked at the climate in every building [17,18]. In the Middle East, ancient architects used local building materials such as clay, sands, stones, plaster of lime and ashes, and various woods to build their homes and towns. Mede was an early centralized government in Iran. The Medes came to Iran in the ninth century BC. The capital of the Medes was the city of Hamedan in western Iran. Their dynasty was destroyed by the Persians in 549 BC after about four centuries [19]. Mede architecture was climatic and popular. Their architecture had two distinct types namely; Rocky architecture in the mountainous regions and large cities in the wide plains, such as the Sistan plain [20,21].

Medes architects built surprisingly solid houses, bridges, and castles. Basically, they built for normal people unlike to Achaemenes and Sassanian . Medes promoted public spaces. Their architectural works were in the form of large buildings on platforms all over Sistan plain. They built many temples and fire temples that still are visible. Medes used indigenous materials and semi-oval arch techniques. They also enjoyed the halls and porches. Since they used simple building materials such as dried mud, clay blocks, and wood, their wonderful buildings have been demolished by passing times [22]. The picture below shows the building material used by Medes architects in Sistan plain.

In the Sistan plain, you still see Medes building heritage. Moradgholi describes the importance of the heritage: “Sistan is a rich collection of historic buildings and archeological sites in the desert. Through this civilization the missing link between the civilizations of East and West was found” [23]. Architecture in Sistan used wide and tall walls with light colors in response to the hot weather. They designed their homes with cupola roofs and small openings. Their building materials included sun-dried brick and cooked bricks. They tried to absorb temperature fluctuations. One function of the small window was to combat dust and sand dune storms in the arid regions. The ancient architects arranged windows to direct the airflow into rooms and to ventilate the air constantly.

Turner commented that the ventilators moved the air to keep the inhabitant cool. Other common techniques in the region to combat the heat were courtyards, patios, and verandas. Oktay reported more techniques, i.e. high walls and outer spaces (Figure 3). Ancient architects provided shade and a relaxing environment for the users during social gatherings, evening entertainment, food preparation, and domestic works such as laundry. A significant characteristic of the ancient building was its functionality. The people built their homes to satisfy their active life necessities and their culture and traditions. The homes were affected by producing, distributing, and consuming activities. In the next section, some practical features of the ancient Sisan architecture will be introduced.

Analyzing Functional Characteristics of Sistan Architecture

High compactness of homes: Sistan architecture interacted well with the climatic hardness. Medes architecture was a unique instance of ancient knowledge, culture, climate consideration, and natural energy usage. The old neighborhoods in the region exhibit also other techniques used in the ancient architecture. For example, the high compactness of homes and the suitable localization of buildings as a part of functional plans. Natural ventilators are used along with applying suitable building materials too. The architects used buffer and middle spaces and designed suitable size and place for every opening of a house, including so-called wind rooms and natural light intakes. A unique method was the use of plants and vegetation with water. Usually the ancient architects built homes close together.

One reason was security. Mass homes could be defended against enemy threats and eventual wild animal attacks. However, the most significant reason was to protect the buildings against hot, winds and hard sand dune storms. Figure 4 shows the high density of the homes in an old district. In the picture, it is visible that the ancient architects protected the homes from continuous regional dry windstorms by heaping up of buildings. This technique had been linked to the livelihood of the people as well as the defense against the invasion of tribal peoples.

Suitable localization of Buildings: Site planning and placing of the building in Sistan traditionally depended on factors of hard winds and sunshine. Kasmaei analyzed the impact of local winds on the buildings. The arrows in Figure 5 illustrate the behaviors of local hazardous winds around and through a building. To combat the winds and climatic hardness ancient architects in Sistan were building the homes at the northern edge of the site, with a suitable declination with the north south axis. With the help of this technique, architects prevented hazardous hot sand dune storms in the summers and cold weather in the winters.

Functional Plans: The ancient building style applied functional plans based on the livelihood of local people and the natural environment necessities. The structural plans and the details arranged the indoor spaces so that they needed less energy. They placed living rooms and workplaces that required more warm energy in the south side of the buildings, while they set the food store on the north side of the building to be colder. Figure 6 shows a typical plan of an ancient home in the region.

The architects recognized that the shape and form of buildings are important determinants to consume less energy. They also understood that the plan must be suitable to the lifestyle of the regional people and their economic activities.

Natural Moisture Isolation: Clive et al wrote that ancient architecture had knowledge of niche construction and techniques to protect the structures by available natural materials. Generally, organisms directly or indirectly modulate the availability of resources to other species by causing physical state changes in biotic materials. In so, ancient engineers modified, maintained, and created habitats [24]. More than biological techniques they used natural materials such as natural cement like Sarouj to isolate the building against water and moisture. They also used buffer spaces to prevent noise pollution and to create silent rooms where necessary. They used natural vegetarian poisons against ants and insects in the wooden elements of the building as well.

Natural Ventilators: Another ancient effective technique in Sistan ancient buildings was ventilators. Ventilation shifts had been made in different sizes, shapes, and forms [25]. Fortunately, many researches, such as Lashkaran, Saidian and Nordquist performed research related to various uses of wind power in ancient Sistan [26]. Figure 7 shows one side ventilation shifts on the roof of every room.

The above photo shows that old Sistan buildings used the cupola roofs with a small window (Kolak) on the center of the cupola as a ventilator. The ventilators sucked the air into the building. Then, the sucked airflow was brought down into the rooms on the bottom of the house.

Suitable Size and Place for Doors and Windows: Sistan old houses used small and simple windows at the height of the walls to transfer outer clean air into the building without heat and dust. The openers on the tops of walls improve the distribution of the natural light and cut the direct heat and light, see an illustration of the technique in Figure 8.

The placing of windows, walls, and circulations of various indoor spaces with outdoors are significant to reduce energy consumption. Dwaikat and Ali describe the importance. They said that to reduce operating energy use we need high-efficiency windows and insulation in walls, ceilings, and floors. Another strategy is passive solar building. This is often carried out in lowenergy homes [27]. Sistan ancient architects implemented what Dwaikat and Ali recommend.

Using Wind Rooms: Another ancient architectural technique in the Sistan plain was the wind room. A wind room is an interesting technique that still exists in other Middle East countries too. People made it to cool down rooms with the help of local water and wind. The wind room was at the bottom of the building and directly under the ventilator (Kolak). The flow of water and wind went into the wind room and produced a natural desirable clean cool air. Living rooms and workplaces were around the wind room and the cool air flowed into them. In fact, the flows of water and wind passed down into the room and the warm air went up. Consequently, the air pressure made desirable fresh air with less moisture in the lower surfaces.

Using Middle Spaces: Traditional homes usually were built in two stories. The ground floor was for domestic animals like cows, sheep and horses. The upper floor was for the members of the family. The homes had a middle space called veranda, which means “Iwan” in regional language, between the yard and the building. The middle space or the balcony used to be in the front of the building called Dakoncha. The wall around the Dakoncha was about one half meter and a stairway led you to it. The following picture shows a typical Dakoncha.

Using Natural Light: Ancient architects in Sistan strived to save energy and use natural light. This study demonstrated that they placed the Kolak and windows in suitable places and directions to use natural resources effectively. The Kolak and windows that have been described earlier had important roles to use the natural light. The technique of the classic Kolak lighted the Sistan homes by daily sunshine and the nightly moonlight well.

Applying Suitable Building Materials

Clay is an available building material in Sistan and affected major forms in the traditional constructions. The building techniques used the clays as a primitive building material. Bricklayers compressed solidly molded mud and allowed it to dry. Tenacious lime mortar also eased the development and use of brick [28]. Ancient architects supplied the native building materials and colors in the region. The materials were harmonized with the climate and the built environment. Givoni wrote about the building materials as follows: ‘In many arid and desert regions, buildings are designed with small openings and heavyweight materials. These materials include dried mud. They use white or light colors’ [29]. The ancient builders blended straw, clay mud, and water carefully. Sometimes it took about one month to give an acceptable mortar by vibrating the materials every day. Then, they blocked the mortar with a cast in different sizes.

The purpose of the analyzing of the ancient building technology in Sistan is to encourage the use of ancient experiences combined with the new technologies to change the current problematic development trend. The change is necessary to save the natural resources and environments in the region.

    Discussions And Findings

Discussion

Until here, the case study has analyzed the ancient building techniques in Sistan region. The ancient architects applied those

techniques to build comfort with the help of the natural resources. Factually, the ancient civilizations had got numerous techniques and experiences to construct climatic and green. Nevertheless, this case study studied and only the techniques that are still observable in the case study region as follows:

a. Building of windmills

b. Building of windbreaks

c. Building of wind rooms

d. Using vegetation and water

e. Design inner, outer and middle spaces

f. Protecting a building thru earth

g. Designing solar walls and windows

h. Making a thermal shell around the building

i. Designing shadows against the sun’s heat

j. Building of natural ventilators

k. Shaping a building by selecting a right place and drawing up a climatic plan for it

l. Isolating the buildings by natural materials

The main discussion in this paper is that the urban/regional development shall use natural energies. The hypothesis of this research is also that the future regional/urban development should use natural energies to save the natural environmental components. Like theories of vernacular architecture and eartharchitecture, the nature-centered architecture saves the natural resources and solves the existing urban difficulties. Major scholars, i.e. Jiahua Pan believe that the application of natural energies requires: First, the preservation of the remaining natural resources (water, soil and plants) and in the next steps, improvement of these resources and creating of new resources [30].

Contemporary buildings do not relay on natural energies and use mechanical and electrical energies, fossil fuels, etc., which damage the environment and nature. At the same time, the disrespecting of regional difference undermines the uniqueness of the buildings (Figure 9). The result of this research recommends to use the ancient experiences, but with new building materials and new technologies. Today, if architects consider the experiences of the ancient structural systems with a knowledge-based use of new building materials and an understanding of the climate requirements, they will success to build functionally too.

The theories of the scholars and our observation suggest that natural building is functional, rational, economic, and importantly savior of various crises. When the regional economy is in troubles, fossil fuels are limited and energy supplying is costly, a desirable and economic left alternative is the returning to nature in a wise and modern way. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to see how a modernized version of the ancient building shall be designed and built in the modern time.

Presenting a Model Based on the Ancient Experiences and new Technologies

With the help of the problem-oriented method the new model shall address the mentioned urban problems. The model is based on the vernacular architecture theory too. To design an advanced version of the Sistan ancient building as a green model the ancient techniques have been analyzed in this research. The purpose is to use natural energy and less mechanical and electrical energy with the help of new knowledge, technologies, and building materials. A pilot model, as a green building shall reduce the environmental impact in new urban development projects thru the usage of natural light, benefiting natural and renewable infinite energies, and saving the water resources. This model is a new technique in today’s Sistan region, but the green buildings have been examined and promoted earlier in other corners of the world.

As an example, nature-based buildings have undergone breakthroughs in Stockholm and throughout Sweden. Construc tion materials and technologies have developed quickly there. From an investor’s view the green building has seen as a necessity [31]. Another sample is the United States of America. There, the American environmental protection agency promoted green buildings to reduce the overall impact of Urbanism in the natural environment and water resources [32]. The above examples give the lesson that Sistan also has to construct nature-centered. The examples show that green building is economic. Sistan region is able to build nature-based buildings too when it has enough natural resources such as solar energy and winds. Nevertheless, Sistan shall consider the ancient experiences also apply new knowledge and technologies from advanced countries.

Sistan shall attract investors for funding the modern naturebased projects. The project of the nature-based model started with a site selection technique. As the ancient architects did, the place of this model has been studied in detail to apply local natural light and wind. Only after the site observation, a proper place for the building and its openers could be found and the measures of the windows could be specified. After the site analysis, a decision on the form and the shape of the building could be made. Figure 10 shows the ground floor plan of the pilot building.

Figure 10 illustrates the architectural plan of the building in harmony with daily light aiming to use natural energies. The twostory model has buffer spaces, rooms for work and production, a kitchen and stores in its ground floor. The family will live in the first floor. There are a computer and digital workroom, bedrooms, a living room, and a bath on the first floor [33,34]. The ventilator and wind room techniques have been applied in the model too. Figure 11 shows a linear section of the model. A fountain in the center of the wind room and windows around it are visible. When the air flows down on the water makes cool air and inhabitants of the rooms will enjoy it.

The pilot building model inspired by the Sistan ancient architecture is a functional home based on the economy and traditional customs of the region. Following, you see this model (the modern version of an ancient home) that supplies living and working spaces for members of a family. The model pays special attention to building materials to be pertinent to the local climate and environment as shown in Figure 12. The figure shows how the ancient techniques have been applied in the model [35,36]. For example, this building reduces the outer openers to suitable sizes and allows the structure protection against winds and their negative consequences.

    Conclusion

This research followed the method of the past → Present → future analysis (PPFA) logic. That is why it analyzed Mede’s era, the current regional/urban crises and the future optimal way. The advantages of the ancient nature-based Sistan building method have been reviewed. Then, the discussions were about the ongoing disappearing of water resources in the arid underdevelopment countries. This research introduced the present architecture in the Sistan region as ‘detached from nature’. It argued that the recent socioeconomic changes, especially the faster population increase in the region need severe revision in the present architecture and building style while there is no adequate urban water. In such a paradoxical situation, the underdevelopment regions should build climate-adjusted and connected to nature to overcome the ongoing problems. To check the accuracy of the hypothesis, the case study of Sistan ancient architecture has been performed. The study observed directly the advantages and weaknesses of the ancient building.

The case study was pertinent to the aim of this research owing to Sistan’s famous ancient heritages that used natural resources directly and explicitly. Since the socioeconomic situation has changed dramatically, Sistan needs to plan and design the built environments based on new realities. The results of this research will convince architects and entrepreneurs in the region to change the ongoing problematic trend of the unsustainable, costly energy consumption and critical urban expansion. Therefore, a useful recommendation would be to start using the ancient architectural experiences with the help of advanced knowledge and technologies. With the help of lessons from Mede architecture, this paper presented a pilot building model for future homes in Sistan plain. The model benefits the positive ancient building techniques related to nature and the environment. From the other perspective, the presented model uses new knowledge and information, advanced building technologies, and modern tolerable building materials. This model is feasible in all desert/ arid/semiarid regions similar to Sistan in the world.

To know more about Journal of Archaeology and Anthropology: https://juniperpublishers.com/gjaa/index.php To know more about our website click on Open access publishers: Juniper Publishers  

[rebelracket-a]

OFFICIAL TEAM ROCKET PERSONNEL FILE

[CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CONTAINED WITHIN. ACCESS RESTRICTED TO AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY. A/N = ADMINISTRATOR NOTE]

NAME [LAST NAME, FIRST NAME]: Rennard, Clarissa DESIGNATION: ELITE AGENT

DOB: 1981 [A/N: Factcheck this please?? —Archer] SEX: Female ETHNICITY: Japanese CITIZENSHIP: Kanto PREVIOUSLY KNOWN RESIDENCES: Saffron City, Northern District (Laylands Estate)

KNOWN RELATIVES: Sibyl Rennard, mother (alive). Marital status unknown. Previous residences unknown.

A/N: Clarissa has been repeatedly avoidant with the details as to her mother’s employment, residence, or movements prior to moving to Saffron. Intelligence suggests S. Rennard has worked a number of low-level blue and white collar jobs since taking residence in Saffron’s Northern district.

Paternal lineage unknown.

NOTABLE INTELLIGENCE: Childhood survivor of the fire that ripped through one of Saffron’s largest apartment buildings in [YEAR REDACTED]. 

(Source: Saffron Local News. Clarissa’s name appears among the names of other victims on pg 5). The blaze is said to have started on the floor within which Clarissa and her mother lived, spreading to the above two floors. Multiple casualties with minor to moderate injuries, no life lost. Victims sustained a brief period of homelessness prior to council-arranged relocation.

CRITICAL UPDATES: Rennard has been placed upon indefinite PROBATION, following having displayed signs of an apparent psychotic break ongoing since approx. [DATE REDACTED]. Her section leaders report atypically extreme delinquent behaviours such as truancy, fighting with and inciting acts of violence against both her fellow grunts and her superiors.

 Due to the unprecedented extremity of her outbursts, Clarissa has been removed from duties until the situation can be reviewed. Her position with Rocket is also to remain under review until further notice. UPDATE: Probation removed and Clarissa declared fit for duties on [DATE REDACTED]

PHYSICAL: Consistently high performance in 85% of all quarterly athletics tests. Despite apparent tendencies to injure herself in the midst of her own recklessness, Clarissa displays considerable strength, endurance, and perseverance. Upon review, her section’s physical trainers insist her lap times could be improved upon, as could her balance and coordination work. Otherwise, Clarissa is a multifaceted athlete capable of performing in most physically-stressing missions. Intelligence suggests prior sports participation in school, including baseball and boxing.

Health is otherwise considered good to fair. Medical reports suggest no underlying health problems, and notable illnesses are few and far between, but Clarissa’s physical state is at least semi-frequently impaired by sleep deprivation, and excessive intake in substances such as alcohol and caffeine.

MENTAL: Average to poor. Presence of low-level learning disability and/or behavioural disorder likely. Unsatisfactory language and literacy skills suggest Dyslexia. Unsuitable for desk work. Though she has been proven herself capable of the quick thinking and split-second decision making necessary for agents who focus upon their field, she is prone to being rash at the expense of the rest of her team.

Despite recent progress reviews suggesting certain improvements in this regard, Clarissa has a long record of stoking conflicts between herself and her teammates, often rooted in her reluctance to follow direct orders. As the result, some higher-ranking personnel continue to express reluctance towards working with her, despite apparent changes to her work ethic and character since pursuing elite training.

Strange aversion to Psychic type Pokémon has been documented during training.

SKILLSET OVERVIEW: Properly trained and equipped for all low-ranking menial work. Physical condition and combat skill sufficient for most high-risk fieldwork assignments. Not advised for deskwork. (A/N: If I have to read Rennard’s wretched hand-writing ever again I will be personally having words with her section coordinator —Archer). Capable of leading her own unit without supervision or getting anyone blown up. 

CHARACTER OVERVIEW: In the years following her recruitment as a teenager, Clarissa has displayed herself to be mediocre at her best, to unreliable and a liability at her worst. Her position within the team has been brought before the board multiple times, and serious questions have been asked about her suitability to our work and her long-term future working with Rocket. Understandably, the decision to train her for a new role has come under scrutiny.

However, Clarissa is exemplary of what it means to be loyal to Rocket, remaining with the organisation despite its dwindling numbers following Sir Giovanni’s fall in Kanto, and again the failed resurgence movement in Goldenrod. Improvements in her performance since Johto suggest a realigning of her priorities following the near disbandment of the team. Conversations suggest an unwillingness to part from what Miss Rennard describes as “her home”, and, despite frequently displaying antagonistic behaviours towards her teammates, consistently puts her allies before her own personal safety in times of danger.

As a Kanto native who both grew up below the poverty line and has displayed commendable loyalty towards Rocket, the promises for her career advancement are enough to counterbalance the risks. Her upbringing makes her relatable and knowable both to her teammates and the communities within which Rocket casts its nets in the name of its current recruitment initiatives. The potential exists that she might be moulded to personify Rocket’s values, performing as an example to the grunts.

It is worth the warning that Clarissa’s loyalty appears to fall more with the interpersonal aspects of Rocket than with our grand organisation’s—with our Leader’s—ideals. Rocket requires sacrifice, and the basis of any Rocket’s code of loyalty to their peers should be that we are working as one to that goal. Given Clarissa’s historically stubborn temperament and free-will, prime attention must be given to making certain she understands and internalises these realities, as well as the expectations placed upon her. The situation should be observed, lest Miss Rennards sentimentality for the individual risk destroying the whole.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

The experience of anything approaching good government or robust democracy in the province of B.C. is now such a distant memory that the present danger is people's low expectations. The Liberal government of Christy Clark is not so much a government as it is an anti-government: contemptuous of both the public good and of the citizens it is supposed to be governing for.

From reckless and damaging tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations (which leaves a budget shortfall of over $3 billion a year) to the $9-13 billion Site C dam catastrophe, to the financial commitment to an LNG business that the experts say is not viable, the Liberal government is aiming to govern into the future even if it loses the May 9 election. These decisions will financially cripple future governments.

If governments could be charged with criminal negligence, the Christy Clark Liberals would be in the dock.

Let me list the charges. Criminal negligence causing harm to pupils. Criminal negligence causing harm to families on social assistance and those with disabilities. Criminal negligence causing harm to B.C. Ferries. Criminal negligence causing harm to B.C. Hydro, once the pride of the province under governments of all stripes.

The "harm to pupils" should be familiar even to those outside B.C. given that it received national attention when the Supreme Court of Canada ruled the Clark government violated the Constitution when it unilaterally gutted the teachers' contract language on class size and composition. That resulted in a whole generation of students -- 15 years' worth -- being denied not only decent class sizes but librarians, specialist teachers and those serving kids with special needs. And the principal reason for this outrage? Christy Clark's personal animosity towards the B.C. Teachers' Federation.

In Christy Clark's world the first will always be first and the last, last. Under the Liberal government, social assistance rates have not been raised in 10 years. That means that you get $610 a month for everything (if you are on disability you get $906). You get more if you have kids but forcing a family to exist on such rates in Vancouver is tantamount to child abuse.

Punishing the poor is hardly new in this neoliberal world but the B.C. Liberals have proven to be not just right wing but spectacularly reckless and incompetent when it comes to public utilities. There are, of course, institutions in B.C. that even the rabid privateers in Clark's political universe didn't dare privatize outright: ICBC (Insurance Corporation of British Columbia -- the public insurance corp.), B.C. Ferries and B.C. Hydro. But even though they couldn't sell off B.C. Ferries they "commercialized" it, turning it into a semi-private corporation with a mandate to make a profit. Even the National Post, in 2014, was left rolling its eyes at the results:

"[B.C. Ferries'] government subsidy has ballooned by more than $20 million a year, fares have risen by as much as 100 per cent, and as per one recent study, the combined effect has sapped an incredible $2.3 billion out of the coastal economy."

But the prize for recklessness would be awarded for what the Liberals have done to B.C. Hydro -- including, most recently, the decision to proceed at record pace with the Site C dam project -- at $9 billion (which will likely become $13 billion) the most expensive public infrastructure project in B.C. history. Flying in the face of withering criticism from a large array of strange bedfellows and experts, Clark is furiously building "facts on the ground" so it can't be stopped.

Among the angry and dumfounded opponents are large industrial users of electricity who in 2014 declared B.C. Hydro "out of control." They will have seen a doubling of electricity costs even before the dam is half built. Some pulp mills have already decided to use natural gas to produce their own -- cheaper -- electricity.

And just this week UNESCO added its voice with a dire warning that if the Canadian government didn't intervene, the negative downstream effects of Site C could result in the giant Wood Buffalo National Park being declared a world heritage site "in danger."

The bizarre 70-year financing of the dam means that it will not be paid for until 2094. In other words, it will be at least two generations before B.C. citizens see any return on "their" investment.

Former B.C. Hydro CEO Marc Eliesen has also denounced the project as irresponsible: "In my view, the directors of B.C. Hydro have abdicated their fiduciary and legislative responsibility. They have allowed primarily the premier and the minister of energy to run B.C. Hydro."

Dr. Harry Swain, who served as the chair of the Site C Joint Review Panel, broke his silence in 2016, saying the project was not needed now or in the foreseeable future: "You would only want to do that if there were an overwhelming economic case that this was the best and cheapest way, including all external effects, of providing something that the provincial economy absolutely required."

All of this criticism has been tossed aside by the Clark government because of yet another reckless commitment it has made: to the development of a huge liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry in the province supplied by the fracking fields of northeastern B.C. -- the idea being to provide clean Site C electricity to an industry with a huge carbon footprint.

One madness has led to another -- because experts in the field of LNG say it will be years, possibly decades, before anything like the Liberals' plans will play out. Perhaps three or four of the 20 proposed plants envisioned for the B.C. coast are economically viable -- and then only after the huge supply coming on line in the next few years -- increasing world supply by over 50 per cent -- is taken up and prices rise.

Despite the "facts on the ground" both Harry Swain and Former Hydro CEO Eliesen said this week it still makes sense to cancel the project. It would cost at least a couple of billion dollars but that is still cheaper than a potential white elephant with $9 billion in stranded costs -- and huge price increases to pay down the costs.

Regrettably we can't charge this wrecking crew with criminal negligence. But at least on May 9 we can throw them out of office and stop the carnage.

Murray Dobbin has been a journalist, broadcaster, author and social activist for 40 years. He writes rabble's State of the Nation column.

[luculuqueraxa-blog]

Mulatto

I am a mule. No I cannot be fully Mexican, even though Mexican is the family I come from. I am a mutt, a mixture, and the implication is that I am infertile, and the implication is that two races should not mix.

Please don’t use that word. Especially on me, I said. I went on to explain what the word meant, how that word had been used on me since elementary school, that it hurts. It’s bad.

Oh but, he said. Like I think it’s cool to use words that are bad and sort of reappropriate them, make them good again.

I dropped it. I didn’t tell him, You are white. That is not for you to decide.

But I keep thinking about it. Months later, I am wondering why I am so angry about it even now. But I think I know why-- because it is indicative of our entire relationship, and I know that this is a repeating pattern.

Back when we were friends, he would constantly hurt me, invalidate me (not meaning to, of course, with the best intentions imaginable) and I would constantly excuse him. Drop it. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings.

Once I mentioned the dollar amount I get for disability every month. Wow, he said. I wish that I got x dollars every month!

I dropped that too. I didn’t tell him, No, you don’t.

It hurt me then, but I didn’t get angry. I just felt confused. How can you say that to me, when you know what I have been through? How can you say that to me, when you know it hurts me to feel useless? How can you say that to me, from your position as child of a wealthy white family, so ignorant of the advantages you have that you don’t even know how much money passes through your hands every month?

But these questions are just surfacing now, under anger and confusion as I try to understand how someone who calls me Friend could treat me so badly.

These Rich White Children have hurt me again, without meaning to, with the best intentions imaginable. And when I became angry enough, finally, to reprimand their actions, with soft hands they offered their reconciliation or revilement-- but only on their terms. With soft hands they typed out apologies or blocked me immediately, and washed them afterwards.

He offered me food from his Rich White Mother’s pantry. Old canned goods, stale instant grits and pudding mixes filled a small cardboard box, along with a new, unopened package of some strawberry-flavored vitamin supplement that I could never dream of affording. A stuffed rainbow pony in among the food. Left on my porch on the way to an Important Music Show. No time.

Where was I during a show that headlined some shitty post-punk band with some SadBoy Faux Feminist EdgeLord frontmanning (when it should have been the band’s shoved-aside-musically but showcased-aesthetically only female member, who wrote the band’s few decent songs, but beside the point) who was debating at the last minute whether to go play a different show at a cooler place?

I am actually really angry that I had to miss that show. I could care less about the headlining band but the opening band was one I’d been waiting to hear, one that was to be my single outing for three months, one that hardly ever plays and HARDLY EVER coincides with a time when I am not too sick to get out of bed.

Where is the dog that you left at my house? I wonder if they are even still alive. Would you be astonished that I am wondering that? No, of course not, but you never bothered to tell me anything after you finally picked them up after a week. A week of panic, a week of crying. Wondering How could you? How could you possibly do this to me? A blow to my expenses so heavy that I starved that month despite your gracious offer of food. A week of watching them sleep, watching them suffer, listening to their semi-conscious heavy breathing, their heaving, stuttering heart. Not being able to do anything about it.

But I do wonder what happened to Briley. 

In a way, I am dropping this, too.

If he ever read that I’m sure it would make him sad. I’m sure it would hurt his feelings, and I’m not sure if I want it to. The moment I tried to hold him accountable, the time I didn’t drop it, because I couldn’t drop it, that’s when he dropped me.

He told me he left a stray dog with a severe heart condition with me for a week because he Wanted to Bring Me Joy.

You see these Rich White Children never wanted to hurt me. They had the best intentions imaginable.

And when they drop me from their lives they get to say That Crazy Bitch is still mad about not being a part of our music video, and I Shouldn’t Have to Be Punished for Something I Didn’t Do.

But they did do it. And walked away. And I’m left in shambles like a dog on the freeway, but the people in the cars had the Best of Intentions.

Is the dog still alive?

I wonder this now, but I know I won’t soon get any answers. I won’t get answers for many of these questions, even though I ask them over and over again, turning over possible motivations tirelessly, a tedious game that is life-or-death, because if I don’t figure out why this was done to me it will happen again, over and over and over.

I won’t get answers to the questions, How could they do this? Why would they do this? Until these Rich White Children are comfortable with being accountable for their actions, comfortable with leaving the security of being Children and trying to become adults... but that would mean facing the realities that their poorer friends face every day, and that is frightening.

My Rich White Friend would have to be accountable in his relationship with me every day, for invalidating me on accident, for hurting me because he wasn’t paying attention, for perpetuating toxic patterns that he Didn’t Mean To and had No Idea.

But that would mean realising that you are hurting me. Realising that you can’t begin to imagine what it’s like to actually be poor, to actually be a Mulatto, to feel physically sick at the sound of the word. What it’s like to eat food from a cardboard box hastily filled and dropped, hastily because you couldn’t be late for your Important Show, because that was more important to you than my hunger, and it was more important to you than the pain you caused me.

You dropped it like you dropped me, like you had the luxury to, because I am Schizophrenic and Born to be Ostracized, and it was easy, and I was Angry, and it was unfair because None of You Did Anything Wrong and had the Best of Intentions, and no one should have to deal with some Crazy Bitch just because she was Jealous, and

You Were Just Trying To Survive.

And so yet again my heart is broken. Yet again I have lost a Friend, yet again I have been Ostracized. Yet again I wonder why this keeps happening... over and over.

I do understand the cause and effect. In order to be friends with someone like him, I had to constantly drop things, things that he did, things that he did to me, things that made me angry, things that hurt me. And I couldn’t let him know, because I didn’t want to hurt his feelings. And any time I tentatively tried to hold any Rich White Child accountable for something they’d done, I was met with Denial, Dismissal, Defensiveness. I hurt their feelings. I didn’t want to hurt him. I wanted us to be friends. So I dropped things.

And I realise that in order for someone like me to be friends with someone like him, I was given the weight of it. Even though he would constantly hurt me (without Meaning To) I could say nothing about it, because that would hurt him.

The cause and effect is clear: I dropped this weight, I got angry and I demanded accountability instead of dropping it, I told the Rich White Children that they hurt me and THAT hurt THEM... so they dropped me.

Because they have the luxury to drop me from their lives... for being Crazy, for being Poor, for being Latinx. And they have the luxury to deny that... while secretly vowing to never be friends with someone like me again. Or so I imagine... and dozens of other possible motivations and thoughts, because I will never be privy to those, but I do not have the luxury of moving on as they seem to.

I must always wonder, Which aspect of it was me that was rejected? And I look at all the things I dropped, and I come to conclusions based on the implications of their actions.

I must always wonder, What are their possible motivations for doing this, and How can they deny what they are doing AS they are doing it?

I must always wonder these things because I must always be prepared for it to happen again. And again. Over, and over.

[dekierey153]

On the outskirts of this lovely Italianate capital, the Government recently built an unusual steel plant. There is no iron ore nearby. Instead, former rebel soldiers are melting down the Ethiopian tanks once used to crush them and turning them into construction girders. The plant, called Orota, is the namesake of a military base run by the Eritrean People's Liberation Front where, cut off from international help, rebels made bullets and spare weapons from scrap during the 30-year war against Ethiopia. The officer who oversaw that shoestring operation is now in charge of beating battle debris, if not into plowshares, into badly needed construction material. It's a pleasure to be making something for peace," said the former officer, Tekeste Ghebre-Egzihbher. "It was only a matter of time." Five years after winning the war that led to independence, former Eritrean rebels are rebuilding their shattered country with the same tenacity and self-sacrifice that served them well in the longest civil war in recent African history. When the Ethiopian Government of Lieut. Col. Mengistu Haile Mariam finally fell and the Eritrean front's soldiers marched victorious into Asmara in May 1991, they found a faded and crumbling capital. Nothing had been painted or fixed since the 1960's. Few people dared go out at night for fear of crime. The palm-lined main boulevard was crowded with beggars and prostitutes. There were hundreds of dingy bars and discotheques where there had once been clean, bustling cafes. Five years later, the city has been restored to something like its old state. New streetlights illuminate the avenues, where bright red late-model Mercedes-Benz buses and yellow Opel taxis cruise along. There are no beggars or prostitutes in sight. The police, sporting new uniforms and riding new Honda motorcycles, have cracked down on crime. At night, crowds of well-dressed people parade along the avenues, stopping in cafes and restaurants that look as if they were transported from prewar Italy, the onetime colonial ruler. Since ratifying its independence in a referendum in 1993, Eritrea, with a population of more than three million, has become an African oddity, a country that works well despite receiving little foreign aid and having an average per capita income of $140 a year, diplomats say. It is poorer than Ethiopia, yet it has none of the street crime and beggars that mark Addis Ababa. It receives a fraction of the aid Kenya gets, but it has none of the corruption. It is divided almost equally between Muslims and Christians like the Sudan, but that has not led to a religious war like the one afflicting the Sudanese. Though in ancient times Eritrea was part of the Kingdom of Axum, over the centuries its nine ethnic groups -- some Christian, some Muslim -- were conquered by various powers like the Turks and the Egyptians, so they did not see themselves as Ethiopians. Still, the region only began to emerge as a distinct national territory during the Italian colonization from 1885 to 1941. After Italy's defeat in World War II, the United Nations overlooked the desire of the much of the population and, in 1952, made the region a semi-autonomous part of Ethiopia, with its own constitution. A decade later, Ethiopia annexed the land and abolished the constitution, prompting the Eritreans to begin their long fight for independence. Leaders' Discipline And National Pride Eritrean officials and diplomats here say that what has set this country apart is the discipline of its leaders and the strong sense of national identity forged during the long war for independence. The entire Government, from President Isaias Afwerki down to foot soldiers, has worked for years without normal salaries, subsisting on small monthly stipends. "There is almost a demonic determination to get things done," said Dr. Bereket Habte Selassie, the chairman of the commission drafting a new constitution. "It's one of those things I think comes out of suffering. The 30 years of war -- one of the dividends of that was this tremendous sense of discipline." President Isaias has been restrained in accepting financial help from abroad, keeping international borrowing at a minimum and limiting the power of international relief groups working here. Rather than hire foreign contractors, he created a national youth service and put teen-agers to work, along with idle troops, to rebuild roads. When the Government found that it would cost $400 million to rebuild the railroad from the capital to the main port, Massawa, it decided to do the job itself. The President called septuagenarian railroad men out of retirement to rebuild steam engines brought by the Italians in the 1930's. But critics say country's success has come partly at the expense of personal freedoms. There is a reason there are no beggars on the street. The police have rounded up all of the ragged and disabled street people and virtually imprisoned them in an old tuberculosis hospital. A reporter who visited was not allowed to enter. Officials say other able-bodied beggars were put to work on public projects. "It doesn't mean that we don't have poor people or beggars, but they get the assistance properly, not by begging in the streets," said the Tourism Minister, Worku Tesfamichael. "Those who can't work get assistance. Those who can work but prefer to beg are sent to work." Jehovah's Witnesses Suffer Reprisals One group that has felt the darker side of Eritrea's nationalist fervor is the Jehovah's Witnesses. For religious reasons, they refused to fight in the war and abstained from the 1993 referendum on independence. In response, the Government closed shops owned by members of the church, evicted them from public housing, dismissed those who had Government jobs and took away their passports. An official statement said the actions were being taken because the group had "dissociated themselves from the liberation of their country" and had "acted as disinterested spectators, oblivious to the injustices meted out to their people." There has been no outcry here about the treatment of the Jehovah's Witnesses, who are believed to number no more than a few thousand, or anything else the Government is doing, for that matter. No one has organized a political party opposing the front, which enjoys enormous popular support. The only newspaper is Government-owned, and there is little open debate. Politically, the country is still in the grip of postwar euphoria and nationalism. The new constitution being drafted will guarantee freedom of speech and assembly as well as the right to form political parties, Dr. Bereket said. But the President has said he wants to ban parties based on ethnicity or religion, and it is unclear how that conflict will be resolved. Elections in '97 For a Parliament If adopted, the constitution will set up parliamentary system under which a powerful chief executive will be elected by Parliament from among its members. Elections are scheduled for 1997. For now, the only viable political party is the People's Front for Democracy and Justice, as the front was renamed last year. "Frankly, I think it will be several years before we see the emergence of credible political parties in this country," said Yemane Gebreab, a senior party official. "Right now there is a high degree of consensus in the society." The biggest threat to stability so far has come from the front's own rank and file -- disgruntled demobilized soldiers who are having trouble finding jobs. Last June, disabled former fighters at the Mai Habar rehabilitation center outside Asmara blocked a highway, hijacked several trucks and took hostages to protest meager severance benefits. Troops were called to quell the protest. Three disabled veterans were shot to death. That incident followed another protest in 1993, on the eve of the independence referendum, when thousands of soldiers marched against the Government's announcement that they would have to work for another two years without pay. The Government relented and gave the soldiers a $25 monthly allowance. Racing Against Time To Revive Economy In a sense, the Government is racing against time to revive the economy and create jobs before the legions of former guerrilla fighters lose patience. "I think our biggest problem is the economy," Mr. Yemane said. "For ordinary people that's the main issue for them." Officials here have pinned their hopes on tapping Eritrea's considerable natural resources, which have been off-limits to development for three decades because of the war. The country possesses oil deposits under the Red Sea, substantial gold deposits in its mountains and miles of pristine beaches and secluded islands, perfect for resort operators. Already there are signs that the economy is poised to take off. Several high-rises are under construction in the capital, including a $65 million housing complex near the airport. Shops in Asmara are full of European goods hard to find elsewhere in the region, and the city market is booming. In the capital's streets and markets, many people said they were willing to give the current leaders more time. Though most said they earned barely enough to put food on the table, much less to save money, they said the peace and stability they have enjoyed since independence were more important to them. Even disabled veterans are reluctant to criticize the President, their former commander. Girmai Woldeab, 35, lost his sight when a bullet hit him in the head during an offensive against Massawa in 1977. Now he scrapes by on a monthly disability check worth less than $20. "The Government cannot yet stand on its own two feet," he said. "It's unable to provide everything we need. Sometimes the money runs out, but I try to live on it, even though I may not eat my fill."

Eritrea: African Success Story Being Written

By JAMES C. MCKINLEY JR.APRIL 30, 1996

https://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/30/world/eritrea-african-success-story-being-written.html

An article written 23 years ago on Eritrea...

[furiousconnoisseurcomputer-blog]

Rome New York Cheap car insurance quotes zip 13440

"Rome New York Cheap car insurance quotes zip 13440

Rome New York Cheap car insurance quotes zip 13440

BEST ANSWER:  Try this site where you can compare quotes: : http://salecarinsurance.xyz/index.html?src=tumblr 

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Rome New York Cheap car insurance quotes zip 13440

Rome New York Cheap car insurance quotes zip 13440

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Rome New York Cheap car insurance quotes zip 13440

Rome New York Cheap car insurance quotes zip 13440

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people less well off then you would have a better chance at life.

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I was in a low-impact car accident and went to the ER the next day to get checked up just incase. I went to my doctor because of back pain and when I mentioned I was in a car accident. They told me I could not go through my health insurance that it has to be through my car insurance. It turns out I have herniated discs and now my doctor has referred me to see an orthopedic surgeon but, I do not feel that the car accident was the cause of the herniated discs. I asked again if I can treatment through my health insurance and I was told by one of the office assistants that it is fraud if I use my health insurance. If I explain to my doctor that I fell down the stairs and insist that I do not want to through through my car insurance because I do not feel the car accident was the cause will he change his mind and refer me to the specialist using my health insurance or should I go through another doctor.""

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I work full time for my company, but part-time in one postition and part-time in another still makes me a part-time employee and ineligible for benefits. I make a little too much for medicaid, but not enough to buy a plan that covers me. I lost my last health insurance 2 years ago when I lost my old job while I was having surgeries on my hand to fix a bone defect. My problem is now that I'm having a lot of problems with my hand and will need another surgery to fix the problem. I can't afford to pay 30k for it and no doctor will do it because it's not an emergency eventhough I'm in pain. I know that I'll have to be insured for a year before it will cover a pre exhisting. The hospital turned me down for any type assistance, and even if it did I the doctors are all seperate so I'm still in a lot of debt plus physical therapy is expensive. What can I do?""

How to insure my car if I go to live in France?

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I need insurance for a job & i can't afford insurance.. So expensive atm, last year was about 1700 now its 4000 for 1L? What they playing at, anyone insured anyone recently with cheap car insurance at 17, i don't want to know why it is expensive thanks!""

Do I HAVE to have car insurance in order to drive?

So I just got my license a few days ago, and I'm confused with the whole insurance thing... I am not getting my own car until I graduate high school, which won't be for like a year ish. So do I need insurance in order to drive my parents car OCCASIONALLY? Both my parents have car insurance. So pretty much, it would have been better to just have my permit where I don't need car insurance, instead of getting my license and being forced to get car insurance even if I'm going to be driving RARELY? Whereas with my permit, I could drive within hours with an adult for as long as I want without needing car insurance.........""

Auto insurance. please help me. =)?

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""Served my country, but can't get life insurance?""

I have served in the US Army for 17 years, I have deployed 5 times in support of many operations to include twice to Iraq and preparing for a 3rd. I took a physical last year for life insurance when I retire and it was found that I have a high level of protein in my urine. I have been denied time after time because of this preexisting condition. Who can I go through so I can get some affordable life insurance. It is sad how this country takes care of it's veterans. I have done everything that was asked of me as a Soldier, now that my time is almost up, my country turns it's back on me. What a shame.""

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I will be leaving the country for about 5-6 months. I dont want to pay my car insurance if I am not gonna be using my car. How should I approach this problem of mine? I dont want to cancel my insurance just for the few months i will be gone, then have to start from scratch when I come back. I'm happy with the rates I have now. So will my agent allow me to not pay anything for the time being, or atleast let me pay a small monthly fee just so I can keep my existing insurance policy?""

Why am I quoted so high for auto insurance?

Recently I have been shopping around getting online quotes for auto insurance in hopes of getting better rates. Sadly that is not the case. The last three quotes I got were from Farmers, State Farm and met. The quotes for 6 months were absurd. Farmers even quoted me at 8000+ for six months. Seriously? I do live in Detroit, so I am accustomed to higher rates but this is crazy. I have never made an insurance claim. I had one minor traffic ticket 3 years ago(no turn on red). I have had continuous coverage from my current provider for 4 years. What could the problem be. Is it possible to get the insurance companies I quoted with to give me information on why they quoted me at the rates they did. This has been incredibly disheartening. I guess I will stick with my current provider for about 1800 every 6 months.""

Should the U.S government require it's citizens to have health insurance?

Should the U.S government require it's citizens to have health insurance?

Insurance on Rx-8 for a 29yr old male?

I'm almost 29 and I'm thinking of buying a Mazda Rx-8, the 230bhp version. I've got 2 yrs no claims and was wondering if anyone of similar age has one and if they could give me an idea of what the insurance would cost in Ireland??""

I was recently in a car accident and fractured my hand in two places. How much should my settlement be?

The accident was not my fault, but the other driver did not have insurance. My left hand was fractured at the pinky knuckle and also lower in my hand at the middle finger. I was in a splint for 8 weeks, and went to see a physical therapist for only two weeks. I still have pain in the pinky knuckle and cannot bend it as far as the right hand. The doctor told me that I will most likely have severe arthritis when I get older (I am 26 now). I was only out of work for three days, but I had to be on restricted duty for a month. I had a hard time buttoning and pulling up my pants, as well as fixing my hair. It took me an extra half hour to hour to get ready every day. I want to know what to expect from the insurance company.""

Rome New York Cheap car insurance quotes zip 13440

Rome New York Cheap car insurance quotes zip 13440

Looking for Maternity Insurance?

We're wanting to get preggers in the near future. We're trying to look at our financial options for insurance. Currently we don't have major medical insurance (I don't need any comments on this, it's not what I'm asking about). I'm hoping to get a type of maternity insurance that will cover a couple thousand dollars. We're also planning on home birthing (again, this isn't my question, so I'm not interested in opinions on this matter). Does anyone know any carriers that I could get some maternity insurance from for the states of Utah and/or New Mexico?""

What are some names of some cheap 3rd party Auto Insurance companies in Texas?

Tittle say it all, best answer 5 stars""

If I apply for life insurance through a different company will they know what I told the first company?

I have life insurance with State Farm. I quit smoking on a daily basis 2 years ago but had a cigarette and 1 hit of marijuana on June 18th of this year. I told this to the underwriters because I wanted to be completely honest. All blood work came back negative for nicotine (Cotinine) and THC. State Farm charged me the smoker's rate and said I can get it reevaluated in 1 year. My agent told me I should have lied since it was just the 1 cig. I am not happy paying the smoker's rate as I don't consider myself a smoker. I called an Allstate agent and she says I can go thru her and just say no this time when asked by the underwriters about smoking. My question is, do they have the State Farm phone interview with the underwriters stored somewhere in some database and they will know I smoked the one cigarette or will I be ok just going thru Allstate and saying no to the smoking question this time?""

Canceled Car Insurance?

So, I found out today, that State Farm canceled my car insurance. My coverage was good through Feb. 1st. My billing date is also Feb. 1st, but they usually charge me a day or two late. They charged me today for my renter's insurance, which is how I found out that I have no car insurance. State Farm never informed me that they were canceling my policy. They said I have had too many incidents. I have had 2 accidents and 1 ticket in the past 2 years. One accident was my fault and the other was not. The ticket was because of the accident. My question is: What can I do to get insurance with another company when I have not had insurance for the past 4 days (even though I didn't know it) and is it going to be a lot more expensive because I do not have a current policy?""

How would I insure my drivers license?

Hi, I live in Maine and was wondering if its possible (if at all) to insure my drivers license. I don't have a car but live with people who do, it would cost to much to be put on their insurance. So is there insurance out there for just a drivers license so I can drive someone else car.""

I don't have dental insurance.?

I don't have dental insurance and I haven't been to the dentist in years. Anyone know of any good dental discounts or insurance. I really want to go and get a cleaning and check up. I think i'll need some work done considering my jaw hurts and the gap in my teeth seems to be getting wider. Anyone else not have dental insurance? Thanks for the help

Cheap full coverage auto insurance?

Would it be cheaper to put I rent my home or just other on my insurance for my vehicle.

How much does a teenage car insurance for a 1991 chevolet corvette convertible cost per month?

my grades havent been good till this year i kinda have a bad record idk if that would effect it so ya i no i turn 16 on tuesday and im getting the car for my bday so i need to no quickly how much the insurence would cost thanks

Can I get motorcycle insurance without a license?

Can I get motorcycle insurance without a license?

Different ways to lower insurance cost. could i have my boyfriend insure my car for me?

Please, if you're not 100% sure don't answer,, it's confusing. Anyways, i recently financed a vehicle, 06 Taurus, and the insurance is killing, nearly higher than the car note! ($314 a month). & now that I'm pregnant i need to save $. My boyfriend doesn't have a car or license, but is there any way he could get insurance under his name & then add my car? Or any other work a rounds? Btw, I'm willing to fix his license if that's an issue. I'm 23, He's 29. I live in what's considered to be more dangerous city than he does. Also, he has less moving violations than me. So a policy for him maybe be anywhere from 40-60% cheaper than mines.""

Why is my car insurance quote so high?

I have been to CompareTheMarket for a quote on car insurance, and the cheapest quote was around 5,000 for a car that costs 250. Why is my quote so high? I'm a first time driver living in an area with a fairly high crime rate. After changing the address to my girlfriends the quote came down to 2,000. This is still way too much considering the cost of the car! Is there any way to bring the insurance cost down? I wont be able to afford to drive at this rate.""

Whats a good cheap auto insurance company on just liability? ( I am 24 in college)?

Whats a good cheap auto insurance company on just liability? ( I am 24 in college)?

Will my car insurance go up?

I live in the state of Missouri and I got my first speeding ticket. I have Travelers insurance. Does anyone know if my rate will go up or do they let the first one slide?

Cheapest car to insure/ run in UK for a 21 year old female?

Someone said Renault Clio. Then someone said no, because they're branded boy racers. Then someone said Vauxhall Corsa. But then they're supposed to break down frequently. I don't like Ford Ka's or Micra's. Help me please! Aha x""

Car Insurance when selling Car?

Ok the situation is as follows: I am selling my car for a new one. I have asked my current insurer to transfer my policy to the new car which is fine. However I then questioned about temporarily insuring my old car under the policy and they wanted a ridiculous amount of money for a week - I also do not know how long it will take to sell the car. I questioned the amount and asked what customers generally do when they wish to keep an old car insured. I was told that I could drive my old car on a 3rd party basis as my policy going forward covers me fully comprehensive. I thought fantastic - but then I was shocked when I was told that if I drive the car it is insured 3rd party only but as soon as I park it up somewhere it is uninsured and could be towed away by the police. I have since read my policy document which claim that I can drive any other car 3rd party providing I do not own the car and that there is already insurance in place? Can anyone clarify the above or provide advice. I am so confused and unfortunately are unable to call my insurer back now or over the next couple days? Thanks in advance

Is it a legal requirement in Texas to have health insurance?

after i graduate high school and when i turn 18 and move out i will not be a full time student there for not covered under my parents insurances in any way... so is it a legal requirement in Texas for me to have health insurance like it is for car insurance? thanks in advance

Car insurance question?

I have basic liability insurance with American Family Insurance, About a week ago my boyfriend (who has a suspended license) took my car when i was sleeping, almost hit a deer and went in a ditch with my car and im pretty sure its totaled its a 97 lumina. I have a title loan on the car, will insurance pay it off?""

CAR INSURANCE <how much>?

how much is the car insurance for eg. opel corsa <cheapest car> because it would be my first car if you're a woman under 25 im actually 18

Car insurance per month?

I was just wondering if any one could give me a close estimate on how much car insurance would cost a month if you drove a 2003 Cadillac CTS & were 16 years old. The car is used. Please don't say depends what insurance company you have. Thank you.

Where can you find the best/cheapest car insurance for a 17 year old?

I am 17 years old and I hav recently jst passed my driving test. I was wondering where i can find the cheapest car insurance. Preferably, i would like to put myself as second driver of the car (under my dads name who is the main driver). But does any1 kno where i can find the cheapest car insurance for someone my age? Thanx in advance.""

Where is the best place to get earthquake insurance quotes?

I live in Seattle, WA and I currently do not have earthquake coverage. I don't know what carriers provied earthquake coverage, and I don't know if I need to also get homeowners coverage from the same carrier.""

Car insurance when buying a new car ?

Hello,i have seen a used certified car online and very much interested in haggling with the car dealer to buy the car,but my problem is,i have heard you need insurance coverage on the car before the dealer will let you drive off the lot with the car.So my question is how do i go about this when i havent yet selected or bargained for the price of the car before purchasing.I am driving 2 hours to-and-fro to get this car and cant afford to go home without the car the day i go to the dealership.How do people go to car dealerships,haggle on any car they love in the showroom and drive home the same day? I cant buy insurance that i may not need( example buying insurance on a 2009 car,but later get a good deal on a 2010) Any help on how to get the car insurance issue straightened out before i go haggling for cars?""

Does anyone knows an affordable weight loss camp for a 20 years old?

I am desperate to lose weight and i need a healthy, but affordable way to do so in the Florida area OR new England""

Whats the best kind of car to get cheapest insurance for first time driver under 25?

Whats the best kind of car to get cheapest insurance for first time driver under 25?

Which auto insurance is the cheapest? HELP PLEASE?

I'm 16 years old and I want insurance on my moms car. What is the cheapest company to have? help please! I really want to drive and moneys a big problem in my family.

Rome New York Cheap car insurance quotes zip 13440

Rome New York Cheap car insurance quotes zip 13440

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