#philanthropy issue

[trendynewsnow]

Creative Collaboration at Town & Country's Philanthropy Issue Meeting

A Morning of Creative Collaboration at Town & Country On a crisp Tuesday morning in early October, Stellene Volandes, the editor in chief of Town & Country, gathered around a polished conference table on the 19th floor of Hearst Tower with three senior editors. The atmosphere buzzed with energy as they engaged in a lively discussion about potential cover lines for the upcoming philanthropy issue,…

[valenciamidknight]

“Benevolence” - July 2024

[dismotivatedwriter]

Y'know,

maybe I shouldn't even try creative writing. Maybe I should just try ranting for long hours instead. I've always been afraid. I've always been afraid of speaking my mind in anything, maybe I should just pour out 24 long years of what I think is wrong with the world, maybe that would unblock my creativity? I tend to think things are wrong the way they are, but heck, I'm not a genius to give out other solutions for it, I'm just good at finding flaws.

Every time I gathered the courage to go and bash something I thought wrong, I was highly criticized for it. In the beginning I'd always suggest a better solution, which was often seen as childish. Of course, I didn't have enough studies back then, and being honest I still don't, I dropped out of school and got my degree via a ridiculous govt test in my country, it's stupid.

I think schools are wrong the way they are. I support feminism, but I don't like where it is going in some areas. I support LGBTQIAPN+ yet even in the community i find some minor flaws. I absolutely hate a lot of shit men do, I'm not a radfem, neither a defensor of cis het males doing whatever they please and fucking up in the ways they often do, but hell, were men in general in a better headspace they wouldn't do half the shit they do, and same works for most of the humanity!

Racism, wars, cis-het fuckups, radfem fuckups, LGBTQIAPN+ fuckups, political/economical fuckups, relationship fuckups, damn, more than half that shit wouldn't even exist if people were a bit less hurt and a bit more empathetic.

Everyone has their own pain, their own childhood wounds, relationship wounds, wounds caused by life in general, everyone has their own shit, if you put aside your own shit for half a second and not go into defensive mode just a little bit you can get where they are coming from.

OF COURSE, IT DOESN'T EXCUSE THEIR WRONGDOINGS, yes, I know. But it points at a deeper reason, a deeper cause, a root, and it is only going out of defensive and into empathy that we're able to look at said wounds and root causes in others, and maybe that'd shed some light onto how to stop that from happening, on wether people who are already in a radical stage in some ideology can still change and be saved from radical behavior just by healing themselves.

"It's not my job to try to change people, they won't change" INDEED, it's not ur job, it's no one's job, no one can do that full time, specially because everyone has their own wounds, YOU HAVE YOUR OWN WOUNDS, and then you do a lot of effort to heal on your own, and you do heal, and you go near the same type of people who hurt you again and guess what? Your wounds reopen, they trigger you.

And there's yet another point in that, they have to want to heal as well for it to work, they have to be willing to change, they need to have their own mind open for change to be able to happen in first place, they need to put their pain aside and empathize with those who they hate first and then look at their wound and realize their hatred is justified by their experiences yet unfair to everyone other than the specific person who caused them.

It feels like a loosing game, a lost cause, a never ending war.

In reality, it's all a damn puzzle, a enigma, waiting to be solved.

How to get people to stop themselves from hating others?

How to get people to heal and not have their wounds reopened all the time?

How to get people to be able to feel empathy and compassion for others, even with completely different struggles?

How to get people to understand that every time someone acts or speaks with hatred they're speaking from their pain no matter how unreasonable it may seem, and how to get the people who are speaking from their pain translated into hatred that they're only hurting other people who will turn into people who spew more hatred cause they'd be again speaking from pain? How to teach them all to empathize and listen without being triggered? How to get them all to heal?

All the wounds and hatred are tied to eachother, some kinds of those come from old political affairs, old societies, others from religions, others from the enviroment they were raised in, others from violence they suffered, it's a massive intricate web of pain and wrongdoings stemming from history itself, how to get all that people to heal?

How to get all that people to stop hurting so that they can stop hurting others?

I might be some sort of Freud, mirroring my own personal things into worldwide dilemas chalking it up to human nature and assuming it applies to everyone, or I might have caught onto something that makes sense, I don't know, I have no idea.

What I do know is that right now on a world wide level we have people struggling with their own pain, we have groups of people fighting eachother due to ideologies and their personal motives to engage in these fights. For some is race, for others it's gender, for others it's minorities as a whole, for others it's politics, for others it's history. They all have heavy studies in each of their areas, they're all working with statistics and numbers and the whole big picture, they're all far more educated than myself.

I'm nothing other than a uneducated observer, who has their own pain, who feels compelled to stand up for certain people, who feels compelled to hate certain people, who tries to stop themselves from feeding hatred and trying to empathize and ffs how hard it is to in fact empathize with those who are in the wrong, I feel how hard it is. How exhaustive it is as well, how exhaustive is the fact that in the last couple centuries people have been fighting the same battles and even though they get advances it seems that all those wars are never over, never ending, it feels hopeless at certain times.

People get reduced to tags, numbers, titles (in example, "minorities", "radfems" "trans people" "X nationality" "Race A, B or C"), I'm talking about everyone here, both the oppressors and the oppressed, they're all getting reduced to "parties" while there is still the individual level. They all have pains and they all gotta work through their own issues, they all could use help from people, both from people who go through similar stuff and from people who are against them.

It feels like for all of those to be solved, it'd require collective effort from both parties to work through their own root causes, their differences, their pains, and while they're all in pain and with emotions such as hatred being let loose on the other side uncontrolled, no definitive solution will ever be achieved.

The best analogy I can come up with to explain my point are couples with troubled relationships. They build resentment which can turn to hatred real quick, they forget they're on the same team (we're all human and no one wants to feel hurt), they feed their own resentment and turn against eachother. Both have to heal from their past, have empathy and compassion with their partner, both have to be willing to do their part and put in the effort. Both need to learn how to communicate.

To me, it feels like that can apply to any social issue, war, political issue, economical issue, you name it, the United Nations is like a huge poly couple trying to do couple's therapy amongst themselves while some have already checked out emotionally from this relationship and others are still in too deep in their own hatred to add productively to that exchange. The thing is this affects millions of lives worldwide, the impact is huge and it mustn't be taken lightly.

That's humanity's major enigma, puzzle, issue, you name it: Achieving peace, enlightenment, equality, equity, justice, empathy, etc in a actually fair way without hatred, resentment, ill-will, greed, power struggles, manipulation, etc. IN ALL LEVELS, from personal relationships, day-to-day interactions, nation-wide issues, or global problems.

It may be impossible, it may be possible, all I hope for is that someday a genius be born and find a way to fix it in all levels so we can live in a utopy, even if in the current scenario it's totally unrealistic and farfetched.

Finally, I got one of my opinions on huge polemics out of my chest in 24 years of life, publicly, no matter if I'll be crucified for it or not.

I'm just a uneducated observer, sharing my maybe naive thoughts, in a rather childish and over-empathetic way, from the bottom of my non-confrontational people pleasing heart. Idk what sort of feedback I'll get for this, Idk how tf y'all gonna react to it, I'm just glad I got this off my chest.

If this is right or wrong, doable or not, offensive or not, that's up for y'all to decide.

[billyb]

Young $$$ Donors Support Issues > Organizations

[justaholeinmysoul]

Humanitarian organisation giving awards to celeb because they donated 1€ is so shitty to me. Like woah let's bow down to the rich person for doing the bare minimum ignoring that there are volunteers actually risking their lives for free for you and no one knows their names

[rmstitanics]

* GENERAL OBSERVATIONS

CANCER MOONS and 4H MOONS might enjoy media with the found family trope.

Those that have an 8H STELLIUM, PISCES MOON, 12H STELLIUM, or SCORPIO URANUS would make great divination witches, tarot readers, astrologers, and / or ghost hunters.

MERCURY OPPOSITE MARS folks have no filter in every sense of the concept. They tend to speak their minds and say the MOST out of pocket things, and also might be prone to swearing like a sailor.

“Taylor Swift only writes music about her exes—” NO. Her entire discography reflect the journey to heal the inner wound of CANCER CHIRON, which is all about feeling unloved and abandoned by others. If you’ve got this placement, you probably relate on a spiritual level to her song “The Prophecy”.

12H STELLIUMS may have had some paranormal experiences in their childhood or early adulthood.

SUN SQUARE URANUS aspects may be prone to a feeling of always being at war with themself — whether spiritually, emotionally, or psychologically. Although they do a good job at hiding this inner conflict, it might still manifest in social interaction by others perceiving them as contradictory due to actions not aligning with words.

AQUARIUS MOONS are natural humanitarians, and would find lifelong emotional + spiritual fulfillment in community service or philanthropy.

I encourage individuals who have NEPTUNE TRINE MERCURY in their chart to try astral projection or lucid dreaming — you’ve got a natural affinity for it!

If you have your SUN PLACEMENT AND CHIRON PLACEMENT IN THE SAME SIGN, your Chiron wound is likely a major and crucial part of your core personality. For example, Abraham Lincoln had his sun sign and chiron sign in Aquarius, indicating that the core wound of always feeling like an outsider in the community was a foundational aspect of his character.

CAPRICORN CHIRONS might enjoy writing or reading historical fiction — especially historical fiction that features characters who others view as “outsiders” achieving succsss in the public eye against all odds.

4H SATURN placements may have chosen or will possibly choose to attend university far away from home in a desperate attempt to break free from strict parents.

SATURN TRINE NEPTUNE aspects make for individuals who care deeply about topics related to social justice and are driven to take action and participate in organizing their communities. They could be involved in social media activism and have accounts dedicated to posting about certain issues, but it is essential for these natives to also take concrete actions locally.

[astrocafecoffee]

Solar return observation ☀️

✨ For entertainment purposes only, enjoy ✨

🌿 My masterlist

Let's go !!

🧡 sun in the 8th house means there can be a heightened interest in the occult, astrology, spirituality or the hidden aspects of life. You might find yourself drawn to exploring the mysteries of existence, delving into psychological or esoteric studies.

🧡 Saturn in 11th house means you may find that some friendships are tested, leading to the realisation of which connections are truly meaningful and worth maintaining.

🧡 Moon in the 12th house means you might feel a desire to withdraw from the hustle and bustle of daily life to spend more time alone. this can be beneficial for introspection and self discovery but be mindful of not becoming too isolated.

🧡 part of fortune in 5th house - if you are involved in any form of performance or entertainment such as acting, dancing or public speaking this can be a highly successful and rewarding year.

🧡 Uranus in the 1st house means others may see you as exciting ,dynamic and unpredictable. your unique qualities and originality can attract attention and admiration.

🧡 Groom conjunct Vertex- you may meet your fs that year.

🧡 Boda conjunct sun - either you will get married or engaged.

🧡 Juno in 7th house means you might have a clear vision of what you want in a partner and what you expect from a relationship.

🧡 if you have North node in 12th house then pay close attention to your dreams and intuitive insights as they can provide valuable guidance and messages from your subconscious.

🧡 Taurus rising means you may find yourself drawn to comfort and luxury more than usual.

🧡 Venus in 10th house means others perceive you as charming ,attractive and likable.

🧡 Mars in 4th house may signify conflicts with family members.

🧡 Capricorn mc means you are likely to prioritize long term planning and stability in your career. you may take steps to secure your future whether through investments ,career advancements or building a solid professional network.

🧡 if you have Vertex in your 6th house then it's a time to pay attention to your physical well-being and perhaps make positive changes to your health routines.

🧡 Jupiter in 2nd house can inspire a spirit of generosity and philanthropy. you may feel inclined to share your wealth or resources with others contributing to charitable causes or supporting those in need.

🧡 Groom conjunct POF - meeting with your significant other/ spouse.

🧡 Sagittarius stellium - frequent travels.

🧡 if you are married and want a baby and if you have 5th house stellium, then you can expect your pregnancy that year. Congratulations 🎉

🧡 Ceres in 5th house also a indicator of being pregnant.

🧡 Saturn in 4th house - family problems can occur.

🧡 Pluto in 7th house - issues of power and control may become prominent in your relationships Both in romantic and platonic.

🧡 Uranus in 10th house - sudden changes or unexpected developments in your career.

🧡 leo rising means this year you may find yourself drawn to activities or situations that allow you to shine and Captivate others with your enthusiasm and charm.

🧡 sun conjunct juno means your relationships may become more visible or influential in your public or professional life during this period.

🧡Moon in 2nd house suggests emotional support or financial contributions from family members or closed loved ones.

🧡 Jupiter in 12th house - you may be drawn to meditation, dream analysis, or psychological studies that help you understand hidden aspects of your psyche and spiritual self.

🧡1st house stellium can indicate a fresh start or a new chapter of your life., Can influence your physical appearance too.

🧡moon in 5th house means a focus on nurturing your inner child.

🧡 Uranus in 5th house can indicate unexpected romantic connections or surprises in relationships.

🧡north node in 1st house indicates a sense of restlessness and a desire for new experiences.

🧡 Jupiter in 7th house - marriage can occur.

🧡 Chiron in the 10th house means that the year will bring a focus on healing and mentorship in your career and public image.

🧡 Venus conjunct saturn means fear of loss and abandonment in romantic relationships.

🧡 Fama conjunct ascendent/ in 1st house/ 11th house / 10th house means gaining fame / recognition/ reputation that year.

🧡 if fama it's in 7th house then your relationship may bring fame.

🧡 Webb (3041) conjunct groom meaning gaining fame with your partner in social media.

Ends here.....

✨ solar return indicators

Thanks for reading.

- Piko ✨

[copperbadge]

Hey Sam! Since it's currently AO3 donation time, I'm wondering what your thoughts are on it? I'm asking because you've written RPF and it's one of many "anti-AO3/anti-AO3 donations" people's favourite things to bring up when they're complaining about AO3 getting so many donations that it continuously obtains an excess of its donation goal whenever donation time rolls around? (Wow, how many times can I say "donation" in an ask?) Sorry if this question bothers you! I don't mean to offend or annoy.

Hey anon! Sorry it took a while to get to this, I don't even know if the drive is still going on, but the question came in while I was traveling and I didn't really have the time for stuff that wasn't travel-related. In any case, let's dig in! (I am not offended, no worries.)

So really there are two issues here and as much as some people who are critical of AO3 want to conflate them, they are different. While some criticism of AO3 may be valid, rhetoric against AO3 tends to misinterpret both in separate ways.

First there's the issue of what AO3 hosts -- RPF, yes, but more broadly, varied content that some people find distasteful or think should be illegal, which is a misunderstanding of the purpose of the archive and more broadly a dangerous attitude towards the concept of freedom of expression.

Second, there's the issue of AO3 generally outpacing its fundraising goals while not allowing monetization, which is a misunderstanding of the legal status of AO3 and to an extent a misunderstanding of philanthropy as a whole.

The longer I watch debates about content go on, the more I come to the conclusion that I was fortunate to have a teacher who really wanted to instill in us an understanding of free speech not as a policy but as an ongoing dialogue. It's not only that freedom of expression "protects you from the government, not the Justin" as the meme goes, but also that freedom of expression is not a static thing. It's an ongoing process of identifying what we find harmful in society and what we want to do about it.

Should the freedom to shout "Fire!" in a crowded theater be restricted? Should the freedom to yell slurs at drag performers? Should the freedom to teach prepubescent kids about gender, sexuality, and/or safe sex? Should the freedom to wear a leather puppy hood at Pride? Who gets to say, and why?

I was nine when my teacher did a unit on freedom of speech and the intersection of "harm prevention" and "censorship", which is (and should be) a discussion, not a set of ironclad rules. This ambiguity has thus been with me for over thirty years, and I'm comfortable with the ambiguity, with the process; I'm not sure a lot of people critical of AO3's content truly are. Perhaps some can't be, especially those affected by hate speech, but RPF is not hate speech. It's just fiction. Or is fiction "just fiction"? This is a question society as a whole is grappling with, although fandom seems to be a little out ahead of society in terms of how explicitly we discuss it.

The idea that prose can incite violence or cause harm is both valid to examine (witness the rise of fascism on the radio in the 20s, on Facebook and Twitter in the past ten years; they're very similar processes) and a very slippery slope. Because again: who decides what harm is, and what causes it, and what we do about it? Our values align us with certain beliefs, but those are only our values, not universal truths. So AO3 is part of the ongoing question of harm and benefit both to society and individuals.

AO3 itself, however, has a fairly defined policy that it is not meant to police content; it is an archive, not a bookstore or a school board. AO3 refines its TOS and policies as necessary, but the goal is always open access and as much freedom of expression as possible, and if that's uncomfortable for some people then that's a discussion we have to have; ignoring it won't make it go away. But it has to be a discussion, it can't be a unilateral change to the archive's TOS or a series of snaps and clapbacks, and I don't see a lot of people ready to move beyond flinging insults. Perhaps because they were taught a much more binary view of freedom of expression than I was.

So, self-evidently, I support AO3 and I don't have a problem with RPF. Whether other people do is something we're going to have to get to grips with, and that's likely to be a process that is still going on when most of us are dust. I'd rather have a century of ambiguity than a wrong answer tomorrow, anyway.

But whether AO3 hosts RPF is truly a separate issue from its donation drives, because it's a criticism some people level at the site which exists whether it's fundraising or not. So people can criticize AO3's open policy and they can give it as a reason not to support the site, but it's just one aspect of the archive and the fundraising as a whole should be examined separately.

I think AO3's fundraisers are deeply misunderstood (sometimes on purpose) because even people who are anticapitalist get a little crazy when money gets involved, and this is, to fandom, a lot of money -- a few hundred thousand, reliably, every fundraiser. To me, a fundraiser that pulls in three hundred grand is almost quaint; my current nonprofit pulls in better than ten million a year and my previous employer had an endowment of several billion dollars. At my old job I didn't even bother researching people who couldn't give us a hundred grand.

On the other hand, AO3 is an extreme and astounding outlier in the nonprofit world, because basically it's the only one of its kind to work the way it does. It is entirely volunteer-run on the operational side (ie: tag wranglers, coders, lawyers, etc) and has no fundraising staff (gift officers, researchers, outreach officers) as far as I'm aware. To pull in three hundred grand from individual one-time donations, without any paid staff and without even a volunteer fundraising officer? That's insane. That doesn't happen. Except at AO3.

What people misunderstand, however, is the basic status of a nonprofit, which is a legal status, not simply a social one. (I'm adding in some corrections here since it gets complicated and the terminology can be important!) The Organization for Transformative Works, the parent of AO3, is a nonprofit, which indicates how it was incorporated as an organization; additionally it is registered federally as tax-exempt, which carries certain perks, like not paying sales tax, and certain duties, like making their financials transparent to a certain extent. (Religious nonprofits are exempt from the transparency requirement.) If you're interested in more about nonprofits and tax-exempt status a reader dropped a great article here.

Nonprofits, unlike for-profit companies, cannot pay a share of their income to stakeholders. Nonprofits don't have financial stakeholders, only donors. They can have employees and pay them a salary -- that's me, for example -- but if a nonprofit pulls in $10M in donations, my salary is paid from that, I don't get a percentage and nobody else does either. That's what it means to be a nonprofit -- the money above operational costs goes back into the organization. The donations we (and AO3) receive must be plowed under and used for outreach, server maintenance, further fundraising, services expansion, et cetera. You can see this in the 990 forms on Guidestar or ProPublica, or in their more accessible breakdowns on Charity Navigator. Nonprofits that do not put the majority of their income towards service provision tend to get audited and lose their nonprofit status. So nobody's getting paid from all that money, and the overage that isn't spent goes into what is basically a savings account in the name of the nonprofit. (I'm vastly simplifying but that's the gist.) Using that money for personal purposes is illegal. It's called "private inurement" and there's a good article here about it. The money belongs to the OTW as a concept, not to anyone in or of the OTW.

So the biggest misunderstanding that I see in people who are mad at AO3 fundraisers is that "they" are getting all this money (who "they" are is never clearly stated but I'm pretty sure people think @astolat has a special wifi router that runs on burning hundred dollar bills) while "we" can't monetize our fanfic. But "they" get nothing -- nobody even earns a salary from AO3 -- and you can easily prove that by looking at the 990 forms they file with the government, which are required to be made public. You can see the most recently available 990, from 2020, here at Guidestar. Page seven will show you the "highest compensated" employees, all of whom are earning zero dollars or nonmonetary perks (that's the three columns on the right).

Either AO3 is entirely volunteer-run or someone's Doing A Real Fraud. The money the OTW spends is documented (that's page 10 and 11 primarily) and while they may pay for, say, the travel and lodging expenses of a lawyer going to DC to defend a freedom-of-expression case, they don't pay the lawyer for their time, or give them a cut of the income.

Despite what you've read, the reason "we" can't monetize our fanfics on AO3 has nothing to do with the site being the product of volunteer handiwork or AO3 having it in their terms of service or it being considered gauche by some to do so; it's because

IT'S ILLEGAL.

I cannot say this loudly enough: It is against the law for a nonprofit to be used by its staff, volunteers, or beneficiaries to earn direct profit from the services provided by the nonprofit.

You can be paid to work at one, but you cannot side-hustle by selling your handmade friendship bracelets for personal gain on the nonprofit's website. If the nonprofit knowingly allows monetization of its services, it can lose nonprofit status, be fined, be hit with back taxes, and a lot of other unpleasant bullshit can go down, including prosecution of those involved for fraud. If you put a ko-fi link on your fanfic, you are breaking the law, and if AO3 allows it, they are too.

Okay, that was a sidebar, but in some ways not, because it gets to the heart of the real complaints about AO3 fundraising, which is that people in fandom are sick or unhoused or in some form of need and other people in fandom are giving to AO3, a fan site that is financially stable, instead of giving to peoples' gofundmes or dropping money in their Ko-Fi or Paypal. And while it is a legitimate grievance that there are people who are in such desperate need while we live in an era of unprecedented abundance, that's not AO3's fault. AO3 doesn't solicit actively, there's no unasked-for mailings or calls from a gift officer. They just put a banner up on their website, and people give. (Again, this is incredibly outlier behavior in the nonprofit world, I'd do a case study on it but the conclusion would just be "shit's real, yo.") You might as well be mad that people give to their local food bank instead of someone's ko-fi.

You cannot lay at AO3's feet the fact that people want to give to AO3 instead of to your fundraiser. That's a choice individuals have made, and while you can engage with them in terms of why they made the philanthropic choices they did, to blame an organization they supported rather than the person who made the choice to give is not only incorrect but futile, and unlikely to win anyone over to supporting you. We know from research that guilt is not a tremendous motivator of philanthropy.

It is also not necessarily a binary choice; just because AO3 gets a hundred grand in $5 donations doesn't mean most of the people giving don't also give $5 elsewhere. I support the OTW on occasion, and I also fundraise for UNICEF and the Chicago Parks Foundation and BAGLY and others, in addition to giving monthly to several nonprofits that I have longterm relationships with -- my alma mater, the animal rescue where I got the Cryptids, my shul. And I give, occasionally and anonymously, to fundraisers that pass through Radio Free Monday, which are mainly individuals in need, because I was once in need and now I pay it forward. These are the choices I have made. Nobody twisted my arm. I respond poorly to someone making the attempt to do so by attacking places I've given.

I think the upshot is, after all of this that I've written, that we cannot begin to come to grips with questions of institutional inequality in philanthropy, or freedom of expression and censorship, until people actually understand what's going on, and too few do. So all I can do is try and explain, and hopefully create a forum for people to learn and grow when it comes to charitable giving.

Archive Of Our Own and the Organization for Transformative Works are products of our community and as that community changes, we will necessarily continue to re-evaluate what aspects of it mean and how AO3/OTW express the community sentiment. I hope that the ongoing discussion of support for AO3 also leads to people learning more about their philanthropic options. But criticizing AO3 for fundraising by attacking it for fulfilling one of its stated purposes is silly, and attempting to guilt people into giving in the ways one thinks they should give rather than how they do give is just going to make one extremely unlikable.

As members of this community, we have to be a part of the push and pull, but it's difficult to do that competently in ignorance. So, I do my best to be knowledgeable and to educate my readers, and I hope others will do the same.

[cupcraft]

I think people once again need to get it through their heads that performative Philantrophy is a thing and is not good. And "Well Mr beast has done good things" isn't enough of a statement to dismantle the unethical and exploitative nature of his content and for profit model. Mr beast actually does bad things and his philanthropy is performative and a capitalistic exploitation and a signal to the larger issue of capitalism and the state of it. We need to stop rewarding this type of showboating and this type of content like its a revolution and not inherently manipulative towards desperate people to use them for entertainment for his for profit brand.

[trendynewsnow]

Philanthropy and Optimism: Laurene Powell Jobs' Vision Amid Political Uncertainty

Philanthropy and Optimism in Uncertain Times As the Trump administration takes shape, a notable shift is occurring among the ranks of billionaires. While some are aligning themselves with the new administration, others are contemplating leaving the United States altogether. In the midst of this tumultuous political landscape, Laurene Powell Jobs, one of the wealthiest individuals globally and a…

[hero-israel]

The independent bookstore preparing to open in my corner of the Boston area is sharing fundraisers for the idiot Columbia kids on Instagram. The fiber arts group I'm a member of sharing memes about those dirty zionists. The comic artist I support on Patreon is having a whole lot of fun with Holocaust inversion rhetoric. The roar is getting so loud in every single alt-y, arty, left-ish, intellectual scene. I rely on Jewish community, I seek out other Jews to share these interests. But it's impossible to ignore that these are becoming my only options. It's like we're being excommunicated.....from these communities that we've fucking bled for, for decades.

Yes. The institutions and norms of American progressive and artistic life were founded or led or strongly influenced by Jewish creativity and philanthropy, and we are increasingly being purged from them as Palestine settler-colonizes Every. Single. Issue. The 2015 movie "Selma" showed Martin Luther King Jr. meeting with white Christian religious leaders but erased all Jewish involvement, erased Rabbi Heschel. The arts, the museum world, the comics industry, even Hollywood... we built these movements and industries, and we're suddenly not good enough to be included anymore.

[robfinancialtip]

Empowerment lies in wealth and the boundless capacity to do good. Let us break free from induced scarcity, challenge greed, and envision a world where abundance is shared, debts are canceled, and hunger is conquered through innovative solutions.

In this inspiring video, Abdul Tubman delves into the vast wealth of influential figures such as Jeff Bezos and contemplates the transformative potential of philanthropy. Abdul envisions a world where individuals like Bezos could play a pivotal role in addressing pressing global issues, advocating for the cancellation of student debt and innovative solutions to combat world hunger.

Abdul explores establishing a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) that tackles societal challenges, including the issue of farmers' subsidies and their impact on induced scarcity. He suggests alternatives like vertical farms, utilizing minimal space to grow crops that could be used to feed the homeless. The discussion delves into the root causes of food scarcity and challenges the prevailing economic model prioritizing monetary gain over human well-being.

Abdul confronts notions of greed and artificial scarcity, emphasizing the role of economic monopolies and their pricing structures in perpetuating societal issues. Join Abdul in this thought-provoking exploration of wealth, power, and the potential for positive change when resources are redirected toward meaningful causes.

[theblue6ook]

Shit Interview PT 6

Summary: Bruce was really doing all of this to humor Alfred, and then he’d tell him it didn’t work out… or at least that’s what he is trying to tell himself. [B (23) & Y/N (21)] [Eventual slow burn with Bruce]

Pairing: Bruce Wayne x fem!reader

a/n: This is the last part of “Shit Interview,” BUT it is not the last part for these characters. Basically, we’re going to be doing different series with them until they get together so stay tuned. Their whole story can be found in my “Out of My League” series :) Also, this is unedited so hopefully, it's good for you guys lol the next week I'll be a little MIA.

Bruce didn’t expect Y/N to be so quiet after their first encounter, and while she did have spice and a frankly entertaining competitive attitude after their run-in earlier, she kept to herself. She seemed like a pretty dedicated worker. She was organized and thoughtful. He hadn’t realized, but he hadn’t even eaten breakfast this morning, so the coffee and sandwich were welcome. The flowers she placed in his office reminded him of his mother. It was always something she did when they would visit his father at work. Bring flowers and breakfast. He wondered if she had done her research on him. 

He cleared his throught, “Can I ask why there are flowers in the office?” 

“I thought they were pretty,” Y/N responded from the other room. “Why do you not like them?”

“No, they’re nice,” he responded, admiring them. 

He heard some shifting and she appeared in his doorway not too long after with a few papers. “A friend of mine owns a flower shop. Dorthie’s. He’s pretty decent friends with Alfred actually.”

She laid the papers on his desk. It was his schedule for the next week, he wasn’t even sure he’d be back next week. After a few heated discussions with Alfred, he decided this would be a trial period. Not that Y/N needed to know, he’d had enough arguing with her to last a life time. By the end of this he can tell Alfred it didn’t work out and that will be the end of it. No more assistants. 

Y/N was having similar concerns about him not returning and though she cleared her end of the bargain with Alfred… she hoped he’d be back. She liked her job and no boss means no assistant. “You can let me know if there’s anything that doesn’t work for you on there. If you can’t come to something or you’re going to be late, or planning to, in your case, just let me know. I can swap things around.”

He looked pailer than the last time she saw him so she moved across the room and grabbed the pitcher she filled with water earlier, pouring him a glass. Her mind wandering, she looked over at him in thought. 

“Something on your mind,” Bruce asked without looking up.

“Can I ask you something?” She walked around the desk and placed the glass in front of him.

“Hm,” he said going through the documents.

“I’m taking that as a yes.” She leaned on the edge of his desk. What she really wanted was to catch a vibe. Who was her boss? Why was he the epitome of a human disaster? The press says he’s partying but he doesn’t even seem like he leaves his house. She was hoping to get his attention, but his eyes stayed on the pages in front, focused. I know what will get his attention. “They say you’re a billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, and I can get the billionaire part, but you haven’t really done much philanthropy recently.”

He scoffed, eyes still focused on the words in front of him, “I would argue Wayne Enterprises-”

“Obviously I’m not talking about your company I’m talking about you,” she strained. No dice, moving onto the next question. “Plus, have you even ever been on Playboy?”

That got his attention and he looked up at her with an amused smile, “Why? You going to go look up the issue?”

“I’m just trying to get a good judge of your character,” she admitted. “There are so many rumors about you, but they don’t even seem like they make sense. Unless you’re hiding like thirteen models in your mansion, I think you value your privacy more than you let on.”

That hit something. She could tell. He sat and looked at her quizically. 

“Speaking of privacy,” he smirked, mask back on, “thank you Y/N that will be all.”

She sat, a little stupid and embarrassed out at her desk. What was I thinking doing that? And on the first day. She really didn’t want to scare him off and her job literally depended on it. As much as she liked to say Alfred hired her, Bruce can do anything about it in all actuality, one word and he could have her ass on the sidewalk. Aside from the uncomfortable ending to that conversation, she still sat working, typing up the meeting notes and preparing a mass-email when Mr.Wayne stepped into the doorway, papers in hand. They looked different from the stack of papers she gave him though.

“Did you need something, Mr.Wayne,” she spoke without looking up from her email, giving him the same treatment he gave her.

“So, you were apart of the Martha Wayne foundation at Gotham Academy,” he smirked moving the papers into his right hand. Now that was a way to get someones attention. She looked up from her keyboard eyeing him and then the papers.

“Are you reading up on me?”

“Hey, I’m just trying to get a good judge of your character,” he repeated back to her.

Alright, I’ll bite, she thought. “Yes I was once apart of the infamous Martha Wayne Foundation.” She continued typing on her computer, trying to seem bored. 

“That’s for the best and brightest.”

“Mhm,” she replied.

“And now you’re my assistant.”

“Unfortuately.”

“Ha,” he snickered, “so how does the best and brightest become an assistant?”

You get cornered in a flower shop by two old men who can’t mind their own business, she thought. “Well if you must know my expertise was in engineering which I have geared away from.”

“Any particular reason why.”

“I’m not interested in it anymore,” she answered shortly.

“Hm,” he responded and then continued down his papers, “your record is clean so that’s good.” 

“Yep.”

“But Commisioner Gordan is listed as a contact for emergencies. You know him well?” 

“I didn’t realize you were a billionaire, playboy, philiantropist, and detective. You should add that to your list of qualities.” she finally stopped typing and looked up at him. “Don’t you have work to do I thought you were eager to leave at 3pm?”

He smiled, “I already finished reviewing the projects you sent me. I signed off on a few of them and have notes for the rest.” He handed them off to her.

“That was fast,” Y/N muttered taking them from him.

Shrugging on his coat, he went to head towards the door before abruptly turning around and looking at her. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Y/N. Same time.”

He stepped out of the office, a slight spring in his step as she dropped the papers she was once holding. “Holy shit. I did it.”

-

Bruce stepped into the pick up zone dedicated for him and Alfred. Popping into the back seat, he looked at his watch 3:05 pm, right on time to work on his case. 

“How was your first day of work, Master Bruce,” Alfred smiled to himself.

“Please don’t mock me, Alfred,” Bruce smiled at him. “I need to be back here tomorrow same time.”

Alfred snickered and sat smiling as he pulled away from Wayne Enterprises.

“Alfred,” Bruce looked up at him. “Is there something amusing?”

“I told you she’d be good for you.”

“Stop it.”

“She’s quite a motivating individual don’t you think.” Bruce paused for a moment.

“She’s smart too,” Bruce thought back to Y/N’s slight psychological evaluation of him. “Did you know she was apart of the Martha Wayne foundation?”

“Well I did interview her Master Bruce.”

“Hm,” he hummed, “I hope she’s not too smart.”

“Excuse me sir?”

“Having someone intelligent work so closely with my schedule could mean trouble.”

“Don’t be dramatic it’s not like she’s following you around during your nightly escapades besides I think she’s good for you. You need someone to get you out of the house.”

“That’s what I have you for Alfred.”

“And that would be fine if you listened to a bloody thing I say,” he muttered.

“I heard that.”

@pank0w @moejoeflow @padsfirewhisky

[jimothy-hopkins]

This is another one of my many precious Bully ocs, Alice. She’s the sweetest fr. (Also easiest to draw)

Info about Alice!

General Description:

Alice is average height with an athletic, but delicate build. She has short, bleached blonde hair and greens eyes. She is in the paler side, and tends to get burned when she makes any attempt to tan. Alice walks with a straight posture, but tends to be fidgety when still.

Unlike many of her fellow preps, Alice is incredibly kind. She is known to be generous, and gives to those in need whenever she can. She is aware of her privilege and tries to use it to improve the lives of others rather than just take it for herself. As nice as Alice is, she is naive and often gets taken advantage of. She tends to struggle with anxiety as a result from the pressure of those around her.

Interests and whatnot:

Alice is very interested in charity and philanthropy, much like her parents. She attends various events and even starts her own fundraisers for certain causes. Wether that be school bake sales to help the art and theatre department, or going to large charity events to put money towards hospitals and whatnot.

Aside from charity, Alice is also an environmentalist and an animal rights activist. She does her best to improve natural habitats of animals and donates to rescues and shelters so that they have more capacity and care for animals.

One of Alice’s biggest interests is figure skating. Alice started skating at a young age, and has developed a natural talent for it. Skating brings her into a relaxed, but determined state of mind. It is her passion. It is what she is best at. She is deemed a prodigy.

Reputation:

Due to her interest in figure skating and regular fitness routine, Alice is admired by the jocks. She doesn’t cause issues for them, since she is usually very kind.

The greasers hate Alice by association. Alice doesn’t blame them at all- if the shoe was on the other foot she would hate the preps as well. She understands their point of view and does her best to avoid them.

The preps don’t respect her as much as she would like. She really only hangs around the clique because that was where she was initially accepted. They often think she’s childish and silly for starting charities and donating money. She is also in competition with her fellow preps across academics and sports. Their expectations weigh heavy on Alice.

Alice is in very good standing with the bullies. She is dating one of their clique members. (This member is a separate oc of mine, her name is Angelina. I’ll make her ref soon I promise guys.) The pair are quite open about their relationship. Alice and Angelina spend a lot of time with one another.

Alice is straight up afraid of the nerds. She’s heard all about Earnest and wants NOTHING to do with that crowd. If she absolutely had to be by their hangout spots, Alice brings her girlfriend with her to make sure they won’t bother her.

Quotes:

“If money is the root of all evil, I want to try and use mine for good things.”

“Sorry, I have a date with Angelina, cya later!”

“I can’t stand the way they talk about poor people! Just because they don’t have a trust fund doesn’t mean they should be treated that way.”

“One day I’ll skate at the Olympics.”

“Do you need anything? I’m happy to help!”

“Oh, I don’t have a five. Is a hundred okay for you? Here, take it.”

“Derby PAID someone for that ACT score. He’s not that smart.”

“I just feel like I’m a complete failure! They all hate me I don’t know what to do!”

“Snowball fight!”

��Promise you’ll be a real friend, please?”

“I can’t tell if Derby is just born that way or if he’s had plastic surgery. He doesn’t even look real.”

[marvelmaniac715]

The Lords in Black and Webby as content creators (they’re still siblings and they perhaps all lived in one Content House):

Wiggly:

Wiggly is your standard Big YouTuber - think Pewdiepie or MrBeast without the philanthropy. He’s gotten into feuds with EVERYONE and is highly controversial, his fans are mostly Dude Bros who excuse his actions because “Wiggly’s based, dude”. Nobody can quite figure out how he got so popular but any attempts to get his accounts deleted were stopped in their tracks by his loyal fans. He plays a lot of video games.

Pokey:

He’s a cover artist who has a Rachel Berry sized ego. He thinks he’s the best thing since sliced bread, and is actually better than that because bread can’t sing. He’s been booked as the opening act for a few bands so that inflated his god complex, but really he’s semi-average at best, the guy with a guitar at a party who’ll say “Anyway, here’s Wonder Wall”. He doesn’t have as many fans because although he’s proud of his voice he doesn’t like being seen, so he always has an avatar on screen to sing through (see what I did there?) alas, he is quite the elusive figure and he’s only ‘famous’ because of his family.

Tinky:

He’s the wacky, zany challenge guy who tries to break world records or play pranks on his siblings, he’s done at least twenty “Calling _blank_ at 3 am” videos and a lot of them are centred around FNAF. He also posts conspiracy theories and has been cancelled numerous times for stalking smaller YouTubers such as the Alpha Male influencer Ted Spankoffski. He’s rarely featured in his family’s videos for many reasons.

Blinky:

Blinky is a commentary YouTuber who reacts to various movies and tv shows. He’s famous in his own right because he picks up on small details in what he watches and is scarily good at figuring out where the plot is going - his viewers have an ongoing challenge amongst themselves to try and make him watch something that he can’t work out the ending of, but they haven’t been successful yet. Overall Blinky is pretty chill, he doesn’t get into controversies and he’s decent enough to anyone he interacts with - he’s genuinely nice to his fans and is a bit confused as to why his videos blew up.

Nibbly:

A Mukbang YouTuber as well as a chef and beauty influencer (on the side). He is just the sweetest ray of sunshine, with his signature bright smile and sign-off of “Remember, friends, spread kindness throughout the world, because we deserve more smiles!” He’s overlooked by his brothers when it comes to making content but he doesn’t mind; people are drawn to his enthusiasm and he’s one of the most popular brothers alongside Blinky because of the chill vibes he emanates - he’s the only one who’ll collaborate with Webby.

Webby:

Webby was kicked out of the Content House in disgrace when she spoke out against Wiggly’s cruel behaviour. She mostly dances but she also does song covers and fashion videos - a lot of her fans see her as an older sister because her videos are very informal, like you’re talking to your best friend over the phone. She also raises awareness for social issues and has launched several successful fundraising campaigns to help as many people as possible. Some people call her the Guardian Angel of YouTube.

[kayleightarot]

Greetings Folx! This week holds balances, temptations, and joy For the week of November 4, 2024 💚 We start the week with an ‘upward’ turn that comes, either from someone else’s need to give to you in order to restore balance or, a need for you to give in order to create balance. While it represents a need for generosity, it’s less about philanthropy, and more about equity, and compassion.

Mutually beneficial energy is the key to this card. Gracefully receive assistance that returns a balance of fairness and equity, and generously offer what is needed and ‘deserved’, and you can illuminate the next steps on your path, and renew your inspiration. 💙 Midweek, a situation that has you feeling trapped or restrained will need you to look past superficial appearances, beyond blame or guilt about how you got ‘here’ and, instead, seek solutions.

Guidance, or advice, may help but, don’t let someone else’s opinion of your circumstances sway you; ensure that your decision on how to move forward is your own and for your highest good. Remember that you can free yourself by making a choice to remove what doesn’t serve you. You have a right to make your life what you want it to be.

🧡 The weekend brings us a feeling of immense freedom and hope. The Sun, heralds vitality, and being filled with joy, energy, invigoration, and good health. You are entering a time of enlightenment, confidence, and self-expression. Truth is key to this time so be sure all your interactions are as truthful and authentic as possible. When you find it easy to see the beauty, joy, and happiness that can be found in life, share those observations – particularly with those who are struggling to find them.

The Sun manifests enlightened change and opportunities. It illuminates the details of your life, bringing renewal to pending issues. This is likely to give you If you have been waiting for a decision from someone else before moving forward with something, the Sun is a good sign that you will now be free to move ahead. Gus an ath thuras (Until next time), Darlings. Have a wonderful week Peace Out