#library of trader | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

sophiamcdougall · 11 months ago

Text

You're a reasonably informed person on the internet. You've experienced things like no longer being able to get files off an old storage device, media you've downloaded suddenly going poof, sites and forums with troves full of people's thoughts and ideas vanishing forever. You've heard of cybercrime. You've read articles about lost media. You have at least a basic understanding that digital data is vulnerable, is what I'm saying. I'm guessing that you're also aware that history is, you know... important? And that it's an ongoing study, requiring ... data about how people live? And that it's not just about stanning celebrities that happen to be dead? Congratulations, you are significantly better-informed than the British government! So they're currently like "Oh hai can we destroy all these historical documents pls? To save money? Because we'll digitise them first so it's fine! That'll be easy, cheap and reliable -- right? These wills from the 1850s will totally be fine for another 170 years as a PNG or whatever, yeah? We didn't need to do an impact assesment about this because it's clearly win-win! We'd keep the physical wills of Famous People™ though because Famous People™ actually matter, unlike you plebs. We don't think there are any equalities implications about this, either! Also the only examples of Famous People™ we can think of are all white and rich, only one is a woman and she got famous because of the guy she married. Kisses!"

Yes, this is the same Government that's like "Oh no removing a statue of slave trader is erasing history :(" You have, however, until 23 February 2024 to politely inquire of them what the fuck they are smoking. And they will have to publish a summary of the responses they receive. And it will look kind of bad if the feedback is well-argued, informative and overwhelmingly negative and they go ahead and do it anyway. I currently edit documents including responses to consultations like (but significantly less insane) than this one. Responses do actually matter. I would particularly encourage British people/people based in the UK to do this, but as far as I can see it doesn't say you have to be either. If you are, say, a historian or an archivist, or someone who specialises in digital data do say so and draw on your expertise in your answers. This isn't a question of filling out a form. You have to manually compose an email answering the 12 questions in the consultation paper at the link above. I'll put my own answers under the fold. Note -- I never know if I'm being too rude in these sorts of things. You probably shouldn't be ruder than I have been.

Please do not copy and paste any of this: that would defeat the purpose. This isn't a petition, they need to see a range of individual responses. But it may give you a jumping-off point.

Question 1: Should the current law providing for the inspection of wills be preserved?

Yes. Our ability to understand our shared past is a fundamental aspect of our heritage. It is not possible for any authority to know in advance what future insights they are supporting or impeding by their treatment of material evidence. Safeguarding the historical record for future generations should be considered an extremely important duty.

Question 2: Are there any reforms you would suggest to the current law enabling wills to be inspected?

No.

Question 3: Are there any reasons why the High Court should store original paper will documents on a permanent basis, as opposed to just retaining a digitised copy of that material?

Yes. I am amazed that the recent cyber attack on the British Library, which has effectively paralysed it completely, not been sufficient to answer this question for you. I also refer you to the fate of the Domesday Project. Digital storage is useful and can help more people access information; however, it is also inherently fragile. Malice, accident, or eventual inevitable obsolescence not merely might occur, but absolutely should be expected. It is ludicrously naive and reflects a truly unpardonable ignorance to assume that information preserved only in digital form is somehow inviolable and safe, or that a physical document once digitised, never need be digitised again..At absolute minimum, it should be understood as certain that at least some of any digital-only archive will eventually be permanently lost. It is not remotely implausible that all of it would be. Preserving the physical documents provides a crucial failsafe. It also allows any errors in reproduction -- also inevitable-- to be, eventually, seen and corrected. Note that maintaining, upgrading and replacing digital infrastructure is not free, easy or reliable. Over the long term, risks to the data concerned can only accumulate.

"Unlike the methods for preserving analog documents that have been honed over millennia, there is no deep precedence to look to regarding the management of digital records. As such, the processing, long-term storage, and distribution potential of archival digital data are highly unresolved issues. [..] the more digital data is migrated, translated, and re-compressed into new formats, the more room there is for information to be lost, be it at the microbit-level of preservation. Any failure to contend with the instability of digital storage mediums, hardware obsolescence, and software obsolescence thus meets a terminal end—the definitive loss of information. The common belief that digital data is safe so long as it is backed up according to the 3-2-1 rule (3 copies on 2 different formats with 1 copy saved off site) belies the fact that it is fundamentally unclear how long digital information can or will remain intact. What is certain is that its unique vulnerabilities do become more pertinent with age." -- James Boyda, On Loss in the 21st Century: Digital Decay and the Archive, Introduction.

Question 4: Do you agree that after a certain time original paper documents (from 1858 onwards) may be destroyed (other than for famous individuals)? Are there any alternatives, involving the public or private sector, you can suggest to their being destroyed?

Absolutely not. And I would have hoped we were past the "great man" theory of history. Firstly, you do not know which figures will still be considered "famous" in the future and which currently obscure individuals may deserve and eventually receive greater attention. I note that of the three figures you mention here as notable enough to have their wills preserved, all are white, the majority are male (the one woman having achieved fame through marriage) and all were wealthy at the time of their death. Any such approach will certainly cull evidence of the lives of women, people of colour and the poor from the historical record, and send a clear message about whose lives you consider worth remembering.

Secondly, the famous and successsful are only a small part of our history. Understanding the realities that shaped our past and continue to mould our present requires evidence of the lives of so-called "ordinary people"!

Did you even speak to any historians before coming up with this idea?

Entrusting the documents to the private sector would be similarly disastrous. What happens when a private company goes bust or decides that preserving this material is no longer profitable? What reasonable person, confronted with our crumbling privatised water infrastructure, would willingly consign any part of our heritage to a similar fate?

Question 5: Do you agree that there is equivalence between paper and digital copies of wills so that the ECA 2000 can be used?

No. And it raises serious questions about the skill and knowledge base within HMCTS and the government that the very basic concepts of data loss and the digital dark age appear to be unknown to you. I also refer you to the Domesday Project.

Question 6: Are there any other matters directly related to the retention of digital or paper wills that are not covered by the proposed exercise of the powers in the ECA 2000 that you consider are necessary?

Destroying the physical documents will always be an unforgivable dereliction of legal and moral duty.

Question 7: If the Government pursues preserving permanently only a digital copy of a will document, should it seek to reform the primary legislation by introducing a Bill or do so under the ECA 2000?

Destroying the physical documents will always be an unforgivable dereliction of legal and moral duty.

Question 8: If the Government moves to digital only copies of original will documents, what do you think the retention period for the original paper wills should be? Please give reasons and state what you believe the minimum retention period should be and whether you consider the Government’s suggestion of 25 years to be reasonable.

There is no good version of this plan. The physical documents should be preserved.

Question 9: Do you agree with the principle that wills of famous people should be preserved in the original paper form for historic interest?

This question betrays deep ignorance of what "historic interest" actually is. The study of history is not simply glorified celebrity gossip. If anything, the physical wills of currently famous people could be considered more expendable as it is likely that their contents are so widely diffused as to be relatively "safe", whereas the wills of so-called "ordinary people" will, especially in aggregate, provide insights that have not yet been explored.

Question 10: Do you have any initial suggestions on the criteria which should be adopted for identifying famous/historic figures whose original paper will document should be preserved permanently?

Abandon this entire lamentable plan. As previously discussed, you do not and cannot know who will be considered "famous" in the future, and fame is a profoundly flawed criterion of historical significance.

Question 11: Do you agree that the Probate Registries should only permanently retain wills and codicils from the documents submitted in support of a probate application? Please explain, if setting out the case for retention of any other documents.

No, all the documents should be preserved indefinitely.

Question 12: Do you agree that we have correctly identified the range and extent of the equalities impacts under each of these proposals set out in this consultation? Please give reasons and supply evidence of further equalities impacts as appropriate.

No. You appear to have neglected equalities impacts entirely. As discussed, in your drive to prioritise "famous people", your plan will certainly prioritise the white, wealthy and mostly the male, as your "Charles Dickens, Charles Darwin and Princess Diana" examples amply indicate. This plan will create a two-tier system where evidence of the lives of the privileged is carefully preserved while information regarding people of colour, women, the working class and other disadvantaged groups is disproportionately abandoned to digital decay and eventual loss. Current and future historians from, or specialising in the history of minority groups will be especially impoverished by this.

#ukpol #uk politics #fuck the tories #lost media #data loss #cultural vandalism

16K notes · View notes

holyluluslibrary · 5 months ago

Text

Library reblog

TOL - Swaying - Ari Levinson

Summary: He'd love to dance with you for the rest of his life.

Pairing: Mobster!Ari Levinson x Dance Instructor!Reader

Side-pairing: Lloyd Hansen x Sunshine (different reader)

Warnings: fluff, smitten Ari, mentions of stalking, violence, reader getting attacked (not Ari), I mention suicide (nothing happens)

A/N: This is part of my Traders of love (lust) masterlist series. It tells the story of Ari and his girl Fairy. For more information, you should read TOL - I’m your daddy now (2 + 3) first.

Ari puffs out a huff. He glares at the man he pays to get a chance with you. His hands ball into fists, as it seems that Lloyd has better things to do than help him.

“Sunshine, you look beautiful.” Lloyd is all over his girlfriend. He grins like the cat that got the cream when he moves his hands to her ass to grope it. “I’m glad we came here for a dance lesson.”

“Lloyd,” his girlfriend says. “We came here to help your client. Mr. Levinson doesn’t look happy. If you don’t stop, you’ll draw too much attention to us. The last thing we need is to lose a client. Mr. Levinson pays well.”

“Aw, all business and no fun,” Lloyd purrs and grabs a handful of Sunshine’s ass. He grins while slowly twirling her toward Ari. Lloyd smirks at Ari and winks at him before starting to slow dance with his girlfriend.

“You’re a natural, Mr. Hansen!” You gasp while watching the new pair that signed up for your dance class take over the dance floor. “Look at you! You’re light-footed, and your posture is just perfect.” You clap your hands. “Why did you come here?”

“You see,” Lloyd tries to focus on the song and not step on his girlfriend’s feet while struggling to come up with a lie: “I can dance like Fred Astaire, but my Sunshine is rather clumsy. She steps on my feet all the time.”

You chuckle because his girlfriend gives him the stinky eye. “Oh, don’t worry, Mr. Hansen,” you softly say. “She’s doing just great. With a partner like you, she’ll be even better in no time.”

“Ahem...” you dip your head when Mr. Levinson clears his throat. He’s the only one coming to your dance class without a partner. He’s a little clumsy and has barely made any progress over the last two months. “Miss Y/L/N, uh, I got no partner, and I still got problems with the steps.”

Ari gives you a sheepish smile, making your heart flutter. If not for your strict rules to not get involved with people coming to your classes, you’d fall hard for the handsome man.

“Well, let me be your partner then,” you chuckle and hold out your hand. Ari takes the chance to get you in his arms. He’s a little too eager to put his right arm between your left arm and your body, and places his hand on your back.

You place your left hand on his shoulder. “We will start all over, Ari. I need you to extend your left arm to your left.” You watch him follow your instructions before you take his left hand with your right hand. Ari closes his hand around your smaller ones. He stares at your hand and licks his lips. “Very good.”

He nods while knitting his brows together. Ari seems to be hyperfused about following your instructions. “Remember to not pull me in tight. A waltz is a classic dance, and we cannot have chest-to-chest contact. It’s not an intimate dance.”

Ari nods again, but his face falls. He had hoped to have you closer tonight.

You nod at him as the next song begins. “Alright, ladies and gentlemen. This is one of the most romantic songs for a waltz. I want you all to give your best.”

Murmurs fill the room. Lloyd is pressing his dance partner close to his chest, earning a slap from her and a headshake from you. He grins and moves his hand from her back to her butt.

“Mr. Hansen, we do not make out during a waltz. Save it for the tango we will learn in a few weeks.” You give Lloyd a stern look before turning your attention toward Ari. “Alright, the others are doing well on their own. Let’s focus on us.”

Us. Two letters - one word makes Ari’s heart skip a beat. He flashes you a smile, even though he’d love to be as forward as Lloyd. But he knows you’re not the kind of woman he can impress by just taking what he wants.

“Alright, tonight you will take the lead, Mr. Levinson.” You explain the steps for the waltz to Ari again. He nods and listens closely while staring at you in his arms.

“Please call me Ari,” he says, flashing you an irresistible smile. You sigh because you’re close to breaking your rules for the charming man.

“I don’t do this,” you softly reply.

He dips his head, disappointment written all over his face.

“Fine, if you get it right tonight, I’ll call you Ari from now on,” you challenge. Ari is far from a good dancer, and you know he’ll fail again.

“We have a deal,” determination colors his features as he doesn’t wait any longer. He steps toward you, and you respond by backing up out of instinct. Ari steps back, pulling you along with him with his hand on your back.

You stare into his eyes as Ar when the worst dancer you ever met, suddenly turns into a ballroom dancer. He sways with you, nearly taking you off of your feet as he dominates the whole room. Everyone stops dancing to watch you and Ari on the dance floor. He smirks while you incredulously stare at him.

“How... how can you suddenly be so good?” You try to keep up with him, but honestly, he’s the first man to take your breath away because he gets faster and faster. He grins while you can’t fathom that he suddenly can dance.

“Motivation is the key,” he laughs, pressing you to his chest. This is not a waltz any longer. It’s a courtship dance, and Ari is about to win it. “...and I had an incredibly good teacher. She taught me everything I need to know about dancing.”

“Not everything,” you giggle as he twirls you around. “Ari, that’s not a waltz. What are you doing?”

“Dancing with my beautiful dance instructor,” he grins and presses you even closer to his warm body. “She put so much effort into turning this clumsy man into a dancer.”

You feel heat rush into your cheeks at the way Ari looks at you. He’s the kind of man who wants you to break all the rules. “You’re doing pretty well.”

“Poser!“ Lloyd grunts in your direction. He tried to impress his girlfriend, and now Ari is drawing all the attention toward him.

“Now, now. No jealousy or fighting in my dance class, Mr. Hansen,” you playfully point your finger at Lloyd. “You did well too for your first dance lesson.”

You end the dance, a little lightheaded but happy that Ari made such great progress.

“I’m sorry to tell you, but our lesson is already over. We see us next Wednesday,” you clap your hands. “You all did very well. I’m very happy about your progress.”

You rush off before Ari gets the chance to talk to you. He sighs and watches you walk toward your office in the back.

“Did you find anything, Lloyd?” Ari looks around the dark alley. “Hansen! I hope you aren't too busy groping your girlfriend.”

“Shush!” Lloyd presses his index finger to his lips. “While you were busy getting all cozy with your dance instructor, my minions checked her office. We can talk about her finances, and all I found out tomorrow.” He dips his head to watch the last pair get into their car. “It’s too dangerous here. You don’t want her to find us together talking about her business.”

“Tomorrow morning then,” Ari nods. He looks at his keys and phone in his hands. “Fuck, I forgot my jacket.”

“Maybe Y/N is still inside,” Lloyd’s girlfriend says. She gives Ari a soft smile. “She seems to like you, Mr. Levinson.”

“How do you want to know, Sunshine?” Lloyd asks.

“A woman knows,” she grins. “Get in the car, Fred Astaire. The babysitter wants to go home. We don’t have all night.”

“Coming,” Lloyd grins. “And by coming, I mean I’ll come inside you.”

Ari doesn’t want to hear about Lloyd’s sex life. He turns to walk back inside the dance school.

“Y/N?” He knocks at the door to the back entrance. “I’m coming in,” he says, pushing the door open and silently entering the school. “Y/N? I don’t want to scare you. I forgot my jacket and wallet. Sorry to disturb you.”

He listens closely, waiting for an answer, only to hear something crash to the ground. Ari immediately sets into motion. He runs toward your office to kick the door open.

His breath lodges in his throat after seeing a man grab your arm. Ari’s eyes darken, and he’s about to shoot the man in the head. But he can’t. Not in front of you.

“Let go of her!” In a split second, he slams his fist into the man’s face. His opponent hits the floor, groaning loudly as Ari brings you into his arms. He kicks the man’s head before hurriedly guiding you out of the building and toward his car. His wallet and jacket are long forgotten.

“Ari,” you sniffle when he opens the door to the passenger seat and helps you get inside. “You shouldn’t have done this.” You cry when he enters the car.

“Who was this guy? Did he want to rob you?” Ari softly speaks to you. “Y/N?”

“I—no,” you say, shaking your head. “He…he’s…”

“Is that man your ex or something?” He presses on. Ari carefully checks on you, wiping tears off your cheek. “Who is he, fairy?”

You choke out a sob, still shaken from the encounter with your attacker. “He’s not my ex,” you sniffle as you grab Ari’s hand, squeezing it to silently thank him for saving you.

“I went on a date with him,” you say. “We didn’t click, you know.”

“Yeah,” he nods. “What happened?”

“I told him that it was a nice date, but that we don’t have anything in common. It was a little white lie to not hurt his feelings,” you silently cry. “The truth is, it was an awful date. He talked about himself the whole time, barked at the waiter, and talked lowly about his ex-girlfriends. He was nasty.”

“I get that you didn’t want to see him again,” Ari murmurs while moving a little closer to cup your face with his big hand. “I assume he didn’t get the message.”

“No,” you say, shaking your head. “A few days later, he showed up at my apartment. I never told him my address. When I told him to leave, he laughed and said I don’t have to play hard to get.”

Ari feels hot, white anger well up deep inside of him. “What else did he do?”

“He called and sent messages. I changed my number, but the next day, he called again. I didn’t know what to do, so I went to the cops, but...

“Let me guess,” Ari whispers lowly. “That bastard is one of them.”

You nod, choking on your tears. “ He stopped for a while. I believed that he had lost interest or got a girlfriend. But tonight, he suddenly sat at my office and wanted me to...” You shake your head, not wanting to tell Ari about it.”

“What did he say?”

“He wanted me to pay him back for his inconvenience and all the things he did for me.” Your hands tremble, and you cry even harder.

“You’re safe now. I’ll drive you home and—”

You whimper. “He knows where I live; he'll be waiting for me. What do I do now?” Helplessly, you look at Ari.

“I’ll take you home,” he softly says. You shake your head again, and he murmurs your name. “My home, fairy. We will think about everything else tomorrow. Okay.”

“Okay,” you murmur. “Thank you.”

“All for you, Y/N…”

“Hansen, things have changed. Stop whatever you’re doing,” Ari whispers on the phone to not wake you. After you cried in his arms, you finally fell asleep in his guestroom. “Someone tried to attack her tonight.”

“Good job, Levinson,” Lloyd cackles on the phone. “The good old knight in shiny armor trick. Well done.”

Ari squares his jaw. “Shut it! I didn’t have anything to do with it. That bastard is a cop. He's been following and threatening her for months. She had one date with him, and he won’t leave her alone.”

Lloyd curses into the phone. “I’m all ears. How can I help you?”

“I’d take care of him myself, but the cops would ask questions. If he has, let’s say, an accident, no one will ask questions.” Ari closes his eyes to calm his anger. He’d love to kill your tormentor himself, but he must stay out of this to take care of you. “Are you still in contact with that guy calling himself God?”

“Ah, you want the master,” Lloyd snickers. “Let me make a few calls.” He sighs dreamily. “Man, it feels like the good old days. I miss them.”

“Call him. I need it to be done as soon as possible. I left my wallet at her dance studio. If that bastard finds my wallet, he knows where to find Y/N and that I attacked him.”

Lloyd hums. “I call God. He’ll take care of the bastard within the next few hours and make it look like an accident or a suicide. Whatever you prefer.”

“I’m sending you his name and all the information I gathered over the last two hours. Make the best of it. I’ll leave it to God. He knows best how to get rid of a piece of shit…”

Part 2

Tags in reblog.

#ari levinson #ari levinson x reader #ari levinson x you #ari levinson x female reader #ari levinson x y/n #lloyd hansen #lloyd hansen x Sunshine #traders of lust #library reblog

113 notes · View notes

tgirlwithreverb · 1 year ago

Text

I saw that post about what to do if you're homeless again (the one that starts by telling you to spend all of your money on motel rooms lmao) anyway, here's a few thoughts, specifically for trans girls, cuz I don't really care otherwise tbh:

1) plan ahead, most trans girls are in precarious housing situations, you will have a much easier time when it falls apart if you already have a pack with most of the gear you need in it. Also, if you find yourself in a situation where you cant make rent, dont pay part of it, spend that money on gear, pocket the rest and leave, youll have a much nicer time. Look up your local eviction laws, you have plenty of time. (Gear list at the end)

2) travel! If you're in Arizona in May, leave. it's about to be hot as hell. If you're in Michigan in October, leave. It's about to be cold as hell. If you're in a big city, leave. It's way easier to be homeless pretty much anywhere else. Amtrak is cheaper and more comfortable than greyhound, hitchhiking is free and easy, if you're alone it's not that much slower than the previous two, and it's more fun, and sometimes people buy you food or whatever or give you money. I promise it's not scary and you're entirely capable of doing it, no matter who you are. 95+% of people who will pick you up are very nice. All you have to do is take the bus out of town, as far down the highway you can, to an exit with a truck stop if possible, then just stand on the side of the road with your thumb out until someone picks you up. You can stand at the bottom of the ramp(on the highway) near where the merge lane ends or at the top of the ramp(where there's usually a traffic light), the former is more likely to lead to cop interactions but will maybe get you a ride faster, check on hitchwiki for how the cops are in the area. don't be afraid to take a commuter bus or Amtrak to get out of a shitty cop area

3) skip shelters if you can (they are very occasionally a decent place to get stuff from) and encampments, good places to sleep include the trees near railroad tracks or highways, wooded areas behind shopping centers, sections of parks without paths, overgrown empty lots. Hang a tarp above you if there's an appreciable chance of rain, there's tons of YouTube tutorials on how to do this, maybe I'll make a post about what I usually do some day. There are many habits more fun than motel rooms, save your money for them lmao.

4) get on food stamps. This is easier in some places than others, but it makes the whole thing a lot easier. Just tell them you're homeless, if they don't give you a card the same day, you can probably ask to pick it up from that office, alternatively some drop in centers/day shelters can receive mail for you, or you can have it sent to general delivery(USPS service, look it up)

7) libraries are great for charging your phone and using wifi, but also keep an eye out, plenty of random outlets on the outsides of buildings are also powered

5) dumpster. sidewalk trash cans, Aldi, Einstein's, trader Joe's, pizza places, etc. You need to develop a bit of a sense for it but it's an easy way to get cooked food or travelling food or expensive food without spending resources. Also it's fun.

6) water is free, go into the bathroom of any gas station or grocery store in America(offer not valid in most big cities or on the west coast, but in that case just go to the library) and fill up your water bottle

8) hygiene notes: truckers get free showers from chain truck stops(loves, pilot/flying j) go there and ask them. convenient if you're hitchhiking, also you don't need to shower 3 times a day, really, you'll survive. Ditto with deodorant. Take care of your teeth though. Take your socks off every. day. Change them consistently. Safety razors give a good shave, work well without adequate water pressure, and the replacement blades are very stealable, they're kind of heavy though. Walmart makes these electric razors for women that take AA batteries and are pretty light but give a worse shave, also they kinda go through batteries, pick whatever works for you(cartridge razors suck)

9) traveling food notes: peanut butter is great, tortillas and bagels travel pretty well, tuna packets are pretty good protein for traveling(the ones with rice and beans or whatever are nice since theyre often the same price as the regular), condiment packets are free, hot sauce makes everything better, and mayo goes well with tuna and has a bunch of calories in it, salad dressing packets are free from truck stops and work well turning the Walmart shredded vegetable packages (labeled for making into slaw, next to the bagged salads) into a salad with real vegetables(not iceberg lettuce) in it or mixing in with tuna packets for even more calories than mayo

Gear world:

Necessary items(in order of importance): a gallon of water carrying capacity(an Arizona jug or other twist top jug is conventional, but a bladder+arizona bottles also works), a tarp(larger than 6'x9', not brightly colored), a hank of parachord, a sleeping bag (20° rated, synthetic insulation), a backpack with a padded hip belt(at least 50L, no more than 75), rain gear(a rain poncho might cover your pack too, a rain jacket can help with wind when its cold, a trash bag inside or outside your pack can keep it dry, a plan to watch the weather and not get caught also works), a z-fold foam sleeping pad, three pairs of socks, two pairs of underwear (at least one pair of boxer breifs strongly recommended if you arent incredibly skinny), a decent pair of shoes with good arch support, a functional jacket(skip if you got a rain jacket before), a base layer(wool or poly, absolutely no cotton)

Convenient items: a sleeping bag liner(cotton free, keeps you warm in winter and cool in summer), gallon zip locks to pack your stuff in(helps keep it dry and organized), no more than one change of clothes(as light as possible), a multi-tool(can opener, pliers, wire cutter), lighter(burning rope ends etc), spoon, floss and needles for patching

#anyway #not all encompassing or whatever #feel free to add your own tips but ill make fun of you if theyre stupid

4K notes · View notes