#since those were sent by mail directly by my employer

[iamacolor]

the french administration is good at three things: frustrating people, making people wait and leaving people in the dark when it comes to what they can actually do to speed things up since everything is slower than planned (was my file even received? is something wrong with it? can I sign up online in the meantime? how long does it take since the time announced for the procedure online has already passed? who the fuck can tell)

[p-redux]

Gloating about being an insider during a time of sadness is DISGUSTING

I'm not gloating, I'm posting INFO and FACTS like I always do...and showing restraint and discretion in not posting it sooner, and not posting the details, which I haven’t and won’t.

But you know what IS disgusting? Here’s a LONG list, and by no means, a comprehensive one, of what Extreme Shippers, Former Extreme Shippers, and Assorted Haters have done that is VERY DISGUSTING. I’ll write it stream of consciousness-like and not in order. Put your feet up and grab a tall drink. Here we go...

Click on Keep Reading

Extreme Shippers found Cait’s condo when she used to live in Los Angeles and sat outside for hours waiting to see if they saw her with Sam. ES blackmailed and coerced a minor, a 14 year old girl who was a super fan of Abbie’s sister, Charlotte Salt, into giving them info regarding Abbie and Sam. The girl was following Abbie’s locked Instagram account and could see the Sam related stuff Abbie was posting. ES won her trust, she gave them info about Abbie and Sam, they then told her if she didn’t screencap and give them the Sam related pics on Abbie’s IG account, they would tell Abbie and Charlotte that she had been giving them info. Sick doesn’t begin to describe it. ES tried to dox and did dox anyone and everyone who got in the way of their SamCait ship. Doxed, as in PUBLICLY posted, the names, addresses, pictures of their houses, professions, husbands’ and children’s names, employer names of ANYONE and EVERYONE who posted something to contradict the ship. They even posted pictures of their children. Again, messing with minors is a big no no, and usually a crime. ES created fake Ashley Madison accounts (that’s the website for married people who want to meet people to cheat on their spouses with) and pretended to be non-shippers’ husbands to try to make it seem like the husband was cheating. It got so bad, that in some cases, non-shippers had to get restraining orders, cease and desist orders, get the police, lawyers, and in TWO cases, the F B I involved. Yes, the F B I has come a knocking on a couple of Extreme Shipper’s doors because of their ILLEGAL actions. ES lured some of Sam’s girlfriends into believing they had their best interest at heart, gained their trust, and they PUBLICLY posted their PRIVATE messages. Luckily, in the case of one Sam’s ex, Abbie Salt, she later did confirm she and Sam dated, which totally negated everything that shipper had said Abbie told her.  ES directly BULLIED and HARASSED fans, Outlander cast, crew, journalists, reporters, family and friends of Sam and Cait. ES contacted people’s employers to try to get them fired...literally messed with people’s livelihoods. They tried to get the Outlander drivers fired because they started posting stuff against shippers AFTER shippers turned on them. ES waited outside Sam and Cait’s residences in whatever location they were in to try to “catch them together.” Taking pics at someone’s private residence is very different than getting pics or video in PUBLIC places. For years, ES have manipulated pictures, gifs, video to sell the SamCait LIE to their gullible shipper friends. They’ve made money off selling these lies. ES have ostracized and banished any shipper friends who acknowledged the ship wasn’t real. They sent their best friend to Tony’s bar in London to try to prove he and Cait weren’t together, and when she unwittingly found out they were, they then bullied her and kicked her out of shipperville. ES created multiple hate sock accounts for the SOLE purpose of CYBERBULLYING Sam’s girlfriends and dates. Any time Sam dates a woman, ES follow the same pattern. They contact the women’s employers, parents, siblings, other family members, friends, ex-boyfriends trying to malign the women. Some examples: They pretended to have gone to high school with Mackenzie Mauzy and spread lies that she had a bad reputation in high school. They spread lies that Gia was a paid escort. ES contacted social media outlets to spread LIES about Sam and Cait and their significant others. Contacted anyone associated with Cait and Tony’s wedding trying to intimidate them into saying there was no wedding. They posted the picture of a waiter at one of the Outlander premieres and tried to pass him off as Tony to prove Tony didn’t go with Cait. ES have continuously posted pics of Cait with her naturally poochy belly trying to prove that she’s been pregnant with Sam’s children for the last 7 years. ES publicly questioned her if she was pregnant. Sam haters and disgruntled ex-shippers have spread rumors that Sam is gay. Nothing wrong with being gay, but what is wrong is spreading LIES. ES have badmouthed Cait’s HUSBAND, Tony McGill saying he was: her assistant, gay, her gay assistant, a loser, broke, boring, ugly, her purse holder, etc. And trust me, what I’ve posted above is the SHORT list.

And that’s not even mentioning what they’ve done to ME. Ever since I committed the unforgivable sin of posting source info CONFIRMING Sam and Cait were never a couple, and Cait was dating Tony, way back in 2014, this is what SamCait Extreme Shippers have done to me. Tagged me endlessly when I had my Twitter account telling me things like “Die, b*tch,” “Die, c*nt,” “You should be gang rap*d,” “Drop a house on her,” “You’re worse than AIDS,” and those are the “nice” comments. They literally BULLIED me every day, all day for YEARS. They also created hate accounts on Twitter and Instagram to mock me, parody me, and post lies about me. They were convinced they’d found my real identity (based on circumstantial evidence, which I’ve countered and can counter with the actual truth), and proceeded to post THAT woman’s FULL NAME, city where she lived, profession, reported her to her licensing board, and created a fake Twitter account pretending to be her. She got a lawyer and was able to get everything taken down, but they basically tried to ruin her life. They’ve spread LIES about me being the one harassing THEM and managed to convince over 60 dopes with disposable incomes to give them money for a GoFundMe campaign where they hired a Private Investigator to try to find me. They started a witchhunt letter writing campaign, hashtagged it on Twitter, #takebackourfandom, or some such bullsh*t, tagged everyone in Outlander cast and crew “telling” on me and even sent letters and e-mails to Starz and Sony executives trying to...I don’t know what. Hahahaha. It’s so ridiculous, my brain is scrambling as I write this. They told their followers not to believe anything I say and that I’m evil personified. ALL of that and more because they couldn’t face the FACT that their SamCait ship NEVER EXISTED and I was the one that confirmed it. When I think about it, I can’t believe I lived through all that. But I stayed because I knew I had the TRUTH on my side and that eventually it would all come out, which of course it did. And because I’m a bad bitch who doesn’t scare easily.  EVERYTHING I’m referring to here is well DOCUMENTED with screencap proof. Or just ask anyone who’s been in the fandom long enough, they’ll attest that what I’m saying did actually happen, and that Extreme Shippers, Former Shippers, and Haters did do all of that.

So, Anon, when you come at me with “disgusting” things in this fandom, please refer to the above before you start pointing fingers at me. 

PS. “Anon,” I’ve got your Los Angeles/Anaheim Samsung Galaxy S10e IP address tagged. So, send me another hate Ask and you’ll get blocked. And don’t bother using a VPN...once the tag is on, it follows the user no matter what IP they use. Now you know. 

[newstfionline]

Headlines

Canada’s other health crisis (Washington Post) The novel coronavirus was on the march across Canada, but it was a different public health crisis that turned Shannon Krell’s world upside down. Her brother hadn’t shown up for work, which was unusual. She called the police to have someone check on the 46-year-old, but a friend arrived first and made the sad discovery. Ryan Krell had died of an accidental drug overdose—another life lost to a crisis that has killed more than 15,400 people in Canada since 2016. Their number has increased in the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic. British Columbia, the epicenter of the crisis, recorded its deadliest month in May—and then surpassed it in June. Nearly four times as many people in the province have died of a suspected overdose this year as have died of the coronavirus. Overdose deaths in the Yukon territory this year are double last year’s tally. Paramedics in the city of Saskatoon last month responded to a record weekly number of overdose calls.

Taller cubicles, one-way aisles: Office workers must adjust (AP) Bergmeyer, a design firm in Boston, has erected higher cubicles, told employees to wear masks when not at their desks and set up one-way aisles in the office that force people to walk the long way around to get to the kitchen or the bathroom. “The one-way paths take me a little out of the way, but it was easy to get used to,” said Stephanie Jones, an interior designer with the company. “It actually gives me the opportunity to see more people and say a quick hello when I might have just walked directly to my desk before.” Around the U.S., office workers sent home when the coronavirus took hold in March are returning to the world of cubicles and conference rooms and facing certain adjustments: masks, staggered shifts, spaced-apart desks, daily questions about their health, closed break rooms and sanitizer everywhere. Employers in some cases are requiring workers to come back to the office, but most, like Bergmeyer, are letting the employees decide what to do, at least for now. Some firms say the risks and precautions are worth it to boost productivity and move closer to normal.

Postal Crisis Ripples Across Nation as Election Looms (NYT) Each day, when Nick Casselli, the president of a Philadelphia postal workers union, sits down at his desk, his phone is full of alarmed messages about increasing delays in mail delivery. Mr. Casselli and his 1,600 members have been in a state of high alert since Louis DeJoy, a Republican megadonor and an ally of President Trump’s, took over as postmaster general in May. Overtime was eliminated, prompting backups. Seven mail-sorting machines were removed from a nearby processing center in West Philadelphia, causing further delays. Now, post offices are being told to open later and close during lunch. Similar accounts of slowdowns and curtailed service are emerging across the country as Mr. DeJoy pushes cost-cutting measures that he says are intended to overhaul an agency suffering billion-dollar losses. But as Mr. Trump rails almost daily against the service and delays clog the mail, voters and postal workers warn a crisis is building that could disenfranchise record numbers of Americans who will be casting ballots by mail in November because of the coronavirus outbreak. At risk are not just the ballots—and medical prescriptions and paychecks—of residents around the country, but also the reputation of the Postal Service as the most popular and perhaps the least politicized part of the federal government.

California power problems (NYT) A heat wave is scorching the Southwest and has forced intermittent power shut-offs in California. Thermometers are cracking 110 degrees Fahrenheit in some cities. Californians used so much electricity trying to stay cool Friday night that, for the first time in 19 years, the agency that oversees much of the state’s power grid shut off power to hundreds of thousands of customers for several hours to avoid a damaging overload. The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning for much of the West Coast. The sweltering heat comes as coronavirus cases are on the rise in California, creating a dilemma for those who could not stay cool at home.

Bald Eagle Sends Government Drone Into Lake Michigan (NYT) A squabble in the sky over Lake Michigan left one bald eagle victorious and one government drone mangled and sunken. Hunter King, a drone pilot at the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, was surveying an area of the lake near the state’s Upper Peninsula last month when the $950 drone started “twirling furiously” after it indicated that a propeller had been torn off. “When he looked up, the drone was gone, and an eagle was flying away,” said the department, whose name is abbreviated E.G.L.E. The department speculated that the eagle could have attacked because of a territorial dispute, because it was hungry “or maybe it did not like its name being misspelled.” Julia Ponder, executive director of the Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota, said that it was likely because the drone had encroached on the eagle’s territory. “They’re the king of the skies,” she said.

National Debt To Surpass $78 Trillion By 2028 (Forbes) The coronavirus pandemic pushed the government into the proverbial corner, prompting it to borrow heavily from the future to ward off a serious threat today. Without this intervention, the U.S. economy would be in a much worse recession or possibly even a depression. Even though borrowing excessively may have been the lesser of two evils, the burgeoning debt will have ramifications in the future. With the debt approaching $27 trillion, and projected to rise to $78 trillion by 2028, it will present significant challenges.

French government pushes for wider mask use (AP) After France recorded its highest one-day rise in virus infections since May, the government is pushing for wider mask use and tighter protections for migrant workers and in slaughterhouses. But France still plans to reopen schools nationwide in two weeks, and the labor minister says the government is determined to avoid a new nationwide lockdown that would further hobble the economy and threaten jobs. France’s infection count has resurged in recent weeks, blamed in part on people crisscrossing the country for weddings, family gatherings or annual summer vacations with friends. Britain reimposed quarantine measures Saturday for vacationers returning from France as a result.

Lukashenko under pressure as rival protests planned in Belarus capital (Reuters) Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko was under growing pressure on Sunday with rival protests due to converge on the capital a week after a contested presidential election that has thrown his country into turmoil. Lukashenko, in power for 26 years, has faced down a week of street demonstrations and refused demands for a re-run of an election protesters say was massively rigged to disguise the fact that he has lost public support. Often emotional in state TV appearances, the 65-year-old leader has alleged a foreign-backed plot to topple him. Russia, which has had a troubled relationship with Lukashenko, is watching closely as Belarus hosts pipelines that carry Russian energy exports to the West and is also viewed by Moscow as a buffer zone against NATO. The EU is gearing up to impose new sanctions on Belarus in response to a violent crackdown in which at least two protesters have been killed and thousands detained. Protesters show no signs of backing down.

Campus-based Thai protest movement extends reach to streets (AP) Anti-government protesters gathered in large numbers in Thailand’s capital on Sunday for a rally that suggested their movement’s strength may have extended beyond the college campuses where it has blossomed. Thousands of people assembled at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument, a traditional venue for political activities. Hundreds of police were also present, as well as a small contingent of royalists opposed to the protesters. There was no reliable estimate of the crowd size, though it appeared to be one of the biggest demonstrations in several years. The student-led movement has three core demands: holding new elections, amending the constitution and ending the intimidation of critics of the government. Thailand has experienced a successful coup roughly every six years on average since the army toppled the absolute monarchy in 1932 and replaced it with a constitutional monarchy. But it has been under military rule for much of the time since then.

10 killed in Somalia in extremist attack on Mogadishu hotel (AP) A Somali police officer says at least 10 people have been killed and more than a dozen others injured in an ongoing siege at a beachside hotel in Somalia’s capital where security forces are battling Islamic extremist gunmen who have invaded the building, Capt. Mohamed Hussein told The Associated Press that the attack started with a powerful car bomb which blew off the security gates to the Elite Hotel.

[cameoamalthea]

Drawn Child Pornography?: When is ‘Enjoying Garbage’ Illegal?

This post is academic in nature and does not constitute legal advice. This blog does not offer legal advice.

I explained in a previous post that fictional depictions if minors engaged in sexual activity are not legally the same as child porn, and not illegal in the United States. Simply put, there is no such thing as ‘drawn child pornography’ because the highest Court has decided that drawings and cartoons aren’t comparable to child porn. 

However, any adult material may be found to be obscene. Obscenity laws are complicated to explain, because even the Court has found it a bit tricky to pin down what makes something obscene.

“I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description [“hard-core pornography”], and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it, and the motion picture involved in this case is not that.”

Since, “I know it when I see it” isn’t really a testable legal standard (and we can’t expect Judges to look at every bit of porn in the world to figure out what goes too far) the Court came up with “The Miller Test”.

Whether “the average person, applying contemporary community standards”, would find that the work, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest,

Whether the work depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct or excretory functions[3] specifically defined by applicable state law,

Whether the work, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.[4]

18 U.S. Code § 1466A pretty much reiterates The Miller Test’s standard; but notes that obscenity laws apply to cartoon images of minors.

This law really doesn’t change anything, as something obscene would count as obscene regardless of whether it’s of a minor or not.

Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition

Established that drawn images of minors are not child porn, but it didn’t create not create an exception where any porn can be  found obscene unless it’s about minors. Drawn porn involving minors is treated the same as all other porn (except real child pornography which is banned), which is to say - it can be illegal if it’s found to be obscene. 

All 18 U.S. Code § 1466A does is make it clear that just because something is drawn or sculpted, it’s not exempt from being found to be obscene under the same standards as everything else.

So would porn of underage anime characters be illegal? Well obscenity is also complicated because it’s not a national standard or even a State by State thing. 

It’s a ‘contemporary community standards’ thing.

So the standards of the exact community where you live…

So those standards can vary in the same state. The community standards in Miami may be different than the standards in a small, conservative town in North Florida.

For example in Texas, (conservative community, could only appeal to the conservative 4th Circuit) a man was charged with Obscenity for manga that didn’t have images of minors, they just weren’t for kids. In Texas v. Costilla a clerk in a comic book store convicted on obscenity charges for selling 18+ manga about adults to adults.

The Prosecution argued “I don’t care what type of evidence or what type of testimony is out there; use your rationality; use your common sense.  Comic books, traditionally what we think of, are for kids. … This is in a store directly across from an elementary school and it is put in a medium, in a forum, to directly appeal to kids. That is why we are here, ladies and gentlemen. We’re here to get this off the shelf.”

That’s community standards. Any cartoon or comic book that’s not children should be considered obscene because cartoons and comics are for kids.

So anything can be found obscene depending on the community. But let’s look at some cases that involved drawn images of children. 

In United States v. Whorley – A reader is convicted for viewing and printing manga of a sexual nature on a public computer

It was lolicon, but it was also a public library. He was looking at graphic porn at a public library (which are frequented by teens and children who could probably notice what he was looking at on his computer) and printing it out.

Even if it wasn’t lolicon, that still wouldn’t have been socially acceptable. Legally, the community standards applied would be that of the local library. He also wasn’t reading manga, he was just printing out the porn bits.

The article @sourcethatshit linked about the case also notes: “ Whorley used a VEC computer on two earlier dates in March 2004 to receive digital photographs of children engaging in sexually explicit conduct, the U.S. attorney’s office said. The 20 obscene e-mail messages described, among other things, parents sexually molesting their children.”

So despite the Header “A 53-year-old Richmond man yesterday became the first person convicted under a 2003 federal statute that makes obscene cartoon drawings as well as photographs an illegal form of child pornography” which leads with obscene cartoon drawings, this “as well as photographs” is the important bit here.

(And while this case is the sort I hate reading unless I have to - reading graphic criminal cases and bloody personal injury cases are the worst, I’m going to actually read the case).

Ok - so this is not a case of Man arrested and charged for having child porn because of cartoons. It’s a case of man who was charged with having actual live action child porn and also obscene cartoons. He was also clearly a sexual predator from his search history. So not the ideal candidate for a Civil Liberties group to use to fight about whether the loli/shota porn should have counted as obscene.

This was a sexual predator who belonged in jail, so the appellate Court (which is a conservative Court, this arrest happened in Alabama) didn’t see reason for to reverse.

“Whorley’s history of downloading child pornography, which was not represented in the recommended Guidelines calculation because, except for the 1999 conviction, the prior conduct had not resulted in Whorley’s prosecution and conviction.   The court also noted Whorley’s repeated failure to abide by the terms of supervised release from his prior conviction, including continuing to access computers without the probation officer’s approval, numerous false statements concerning attempts to obtain employment, failure to obtain employment, failure to report to the Department of Rehabilitation Services, failure to report to the Offender Aid and Restoration Program, and most disturbingly, his presence at local malls and public libraries frequented by children in direct disobedience of his probation officer’s instructions.”

The dissent recognizes the some of the charges are “bullshit” and should be reversed, but the majority of the Court and the Supreme Court don’t really want to wage a war over freedom of speech in a case that would give an actual sexual predator less jail time.

I recommend checking out the dissent for a good explanation of what artistic value might mean legally. The arguments made in the dissent would probably more compelling if it was just a man charged with doing dirty role plays with other adults or buying bad cartoons. 

This was a child sexual predator, a repeat offender in fact, and they wanted to throw the book at him. (Seriously, fuck Whorley) 

The other case @sourcethatshit mentioned has a misleading title “Manga Collection Ruled “Child Pornography” by US Court” 

In Handley, he pleaded guilty. 

The Court didn’t rule on anything. The prosecution accused him of something and he pled guilty. There wasn’t any deliberation or ruling. There was man backed into a corner agreeing to be punished rather than to fight for his constitutional rights. 

The thing about rights and what’s illegal is just because you have rights doesn’t mean the police and prosecution will respect them, just because you haven’t done anything illegal doesn’t mean you won’t be arrested. 

Many people accused of crimes that did not commit plead guilty because fighting it is costly and can mean spending a long time awaiting trial before getting on with their life. Additionally, prosecution often uses the threat of harsher sentences to convince the accused to plead guilty. According to the Comicbook Defense League

“When Handley awaited trial, prosecutors did not distinguish between manga and obscene material. They prohibited him from viewing or accessing any manga or anime on the Internet, ordering anime video or written material, or engaging in Internet chat, the latter harming his ability to prepare his defense.

When Handley awaited trial, prosecutors did not distinguish between manga and obscene material. They prohibited him from viewing or accessing any manga or anime on the Internet, ordering anime video or written material, or engaging in Internet chat, the latter harming his ability to prepare his defense.

Handley was also forced to undergo mental health counseling.

…the government assumed an aggressive posture towards Handley, and ultimately he chose to plead guilty rather than face a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years in prison.’

Given the Texas case was never successfully appealed and a man was sent to jail just for selling comic books that were 18 + I can see the logic in not fighting. The Handley case, to me, seems more of a case of a innocent man pleading guilty of a crime he didn’t commit rather than fighting for his Freedom of Speech while waiting in a jail cell for the case to be appealed. 

 I stand with the Comic Book Defense League in my belief that:

“Art is not child pornography. Art provides a safe place for individuals to explore culture, identity and ideas. Prosecuting individuals for possession of comics does not prevent or punish the sexual abuse of real people.

Manga and comic books are realms of legitimate speech that are protected by the First Amendment.” 

[96thdayofrage]

In September the Reader was alerted to two complaints, one filed with the city's Commission on Human Relations and the other with the Illinois Department of Human Rights, detailing discrimination and racist statements made by high-level managers at Pangea, one of Chicago's biggest corporate landlords. Until the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the company was the city's most prolific filer of eviction cases. Its apartment holdings are concentrated largely in Black neighborhoods on the south and west sides of the city and in nearby suburbs, now totaling 9,400 units in 492 buildings. The company also has several thousand more units in Indianapolis and Baltimore.

The complaints were filed by Armando Magana, 45, the chief maintenance supervisor at Pangea in Chicago who'd been with the company since 2010. He's worked in various roles and received promotions and bonuses, most recently in February, Magana writes. "Notwithstanding my exceptional performance, Pangea has repeatedly discriminated against me because of my Hispanic ethnicity and my Mexican national origin. Throughout my employment, Pangea has also subjected me to a hostile work environment based on numerous derisive and derogatory statements made by Pangea's managers and executives regarding my ethnicity and national origin."

Magana's complaint includes several examples of such statements from vice president of operations Derek Reich and CEO Pete Martay. He claims that in 2017 Reich "told me that I should avoid being seen working with an African-American work colleague if I did not want to be viewed in the same way as that 'lazy nigger.'"

Magana details two occasions in 2018 when Reich "suggested hiring 'illegals' because they will accept less compensation," and resisted Magana's recommendations for which employees should get raises, allegedly saying, "'aren't these guys illegal?'"

Further in the complaints he recounts a 2019 meeting in which management for a newly acquired building near Loyola University on the north side was allegedly discussed. "My African American colleague asked, 'who will be managing the building,' to which Mr. Reich responded, 'they've never seen a Regional Manager of your kind in that area.' I asked about getting access to the roof top, to which Mr. Martay stated, 'Yeah I can imagine Armando showing up with his trash can and saying "Hello I'm Armando, the janitor here to clean up after you."'"

Later that year, Magana alleges he "met with Mr. Reich at a property that Pangea had recently begun to manage. During a discussion regarding employee staff assignments, Mr. Reich remarked that 'Mexicans are for custodial and maintenance, Blacks for property management, and Whites for the back office, that's it.'" The following month Magana alleges that Martay said to him, in front of other employees, "I should make you pull your fucking tools back out and make you clean shit out of the fucking tubs, like you used to."

Magana writes that he reported Martay's "derogatory comments" to Reich and both supervisors' comments to Pangea's HR manager Lori Bysong as well as the company's CFO Patrick Borchard and cofounder and former CEO Steve Joung. "Mr. Joung listened to me, then responded by saying that he doubted workplace discrimination was occurring."

Magana claims in the complaint that at the end of 2019 he also had a conversation with Pangea's operations manager Sean McQuade about hiring and pay for new workers, requesting $22/hour for one of them. "Mr. McQuade responded by asking 'Do you know if he's illegal? Do you think he has papers? . . . Do you think this guy is worth $22/hour?'" Again, Magana claims he reported these comments to HR, Pangea's in-house attorney Jennifer Dean, and other supervisors.

"Despite having complained on multiple occasions directly to multiple members of Pangea management, no one at the Company ever responded to, investigated, or otherwise communicated with me regarding my several complaints," Magana writes. "Rather, Mr. Reich continues to make derogatory, discriminatory comments toward me. Specifically, on May 12, 2020, Mr. Reich called me and stated, 'stop treating me like a shine. Last time I checked I was white.'"

In both an internal e-mail obtained by the Reader and in an e-mailed statement from CEO Pete Martay, Pangea has denied Magana's allegations and said he's refused to cooperate in the company's internal efforts to investigate.

"Pangea Properties has zero tolerance for racist or discriminatory behavior," Martay wrote to the Reader. "We take allegations of this nature very seriously. As a result, we hired a neutral investigator to carry out a prompt and thorough investigation and have also engaged legal representation to defend the company against allegations we believe are baseless. The complainant and his witnesses have refused multiple requests to participate in our investigation."

The Reader also presented the company with an opportunity to respond to additional allegations made by ten other current and former employees about Pangea's corporate culture. These included vivid descriptions of demeaning statements by Reich and other supervisors, as well as allegations of segregated and demeaning working conditions. "We categorically deny the claims in the complaint and also the statements made against us by former employees," wrote Martay. Neither Reich nor McQuade, whose conduct Magana also referenced in his complaint, responded to a request for comment.

Hostile work environments are both ubiquitous and difficult to reform. Their toxicity can be hard to pin down and prove on paper, especially when corporate promotions and official praise are interspersed with interpersonal disrespect and disregard. As a reckoning over the prejudices endemic to white-dominated workplaces roils the private and public sectors, employees of color from businesses and institutions as varied as Adidas, LinkedIn, Vogue, the San Francisco health department, and Loyola University have begun speaking out about the racial microaggressions, gaslighting, and harassment that defines office culture for them.

Even as he received glowing performance reviews, Magana could also feel hostility from management. For example, in an August 2013 e-mail obtained by the Reader, Reich wrote a brief note to another regional manager. The subject line read, "Armando was excited about converting to Islam . . . " and inside the body of the e-mail the sentence ended " . . . Until he found out you can't eat pork." Attached was a photo of Magana, grinning, in a little white hat reminiscent of a kufi skull cap.

When asked about the e-mail Magana said he was dismayed at being the target of a crude joke that appeared to be both Islamophobic and about his weight. "I never thought he was gonna take a picture and send it," he said with a grim chuckle as we looked at the image over beers at the nearly deserted patio of the Promontory in Hyde Park. Magana wore a black valve mask and a short sleeve blue polo, apparently unbothered by the biting gusts of wind on that late September afternoon. As he stared at the photo he said the fact that it had been e-mailed was unusual; in his experience Reich rarely left a paper trail of demeaning comments. "It was always phone calls with Derek," Magana said. "He really doesn't like to put anything in e-mail. If you send him an e-mail, he'll call. If you meet him in the field, he'll make those comments."

As documented in his complaints, Magana attempted to have the "discriminatory communications and behavior" he experienced addressed internally, but complaints to HR and leaders of the company didn't help. Finally he started working with attorney Marc Siegel to appeal to external authorities to intervene. The company soon also hired an outside attorney to help handle the situation.

Pangea's lawyers "kept telling [Siegel] that I was exaggerating and they always treated me good and they weren't being racist toward me," Magana told the Reader. "Long story short, I told my attorney I'm not gonna play this game, I'm gonna file this with the state and city and I'm gonna make it public."

By late spring the stress of working at Pangea had intensified due to the coronavirus pandemic. "I broke down because when the COVID started Derek was just calling me every other day, every other day: 'What are you doing?' I'd say 'We're working . . . but we don't have any sanitizing supplies. We don't have masks.'"

Magana said Pangea didn't offer hazard pay. Some field employees took time off because they were scared to go back into the apartment buildings, especially when word got around that tenants were falling ill. Magana says Reich didn't seem to care. "It was like, 'All these guys need to come back to work.' I'm like, 'Derek we're all working, there's some people who took off because they're scared.'"

Magana said that Reich demanded that he choose five of his staff to fire as part of a company effort to reduce the employee headcount to below 500 so that Pangea could qualify for a Paycheck Protection Program loan from the federal government.

He said that in late March Reich called him. "He says, 'You got any shitty people working for you? Give me five.' I'm like, 'I don't have any shitty people working for me.' He's like, 'Well, give me five.'"

The Reader obtained an e-mail Magana sent to Reich the next day, listing four employees who changed positions in the company without being replaced and one who was about to leave Pangea anyway. "There's your four plus one, he's already out the door," Magana recalled thinking. He said that after that he got another phone call from Reich who demanded he name five additional people to fire because Pangea's employee count was at 512.

Magana said he submitted another list of names. "I was destroyed about that," he said. According to records released by the Small Business Administration in July, Pangea was awarded a $5-$10 million loan through the PPP program. They listed an employee count of 494.

By June, Magana needed a break. The stress of the job was getting to him and affecting his family, and he took a leave of absence for a month and a half. "I got kind of depressed, stressed out, I was trying to take care of my health," he said. "I found out my son was depressed, so I had to dedicate myself to him."

Magana said things got worse for him at Pangea after he came back to work in July. There were sudden extra meetings where he was questioned about his work. He felt increasingly micromanaged.

Nevertheless, Magana was still determined to continue working at the company, where he was making $115,000 in salary, got bonuses, and to which he'd devoted a decade of his life. "I'm happy where I'm at, I'm good at what I do, I've done nothing wrong," he said.

Word about Magana's complaint began to get out at Pangea, and e-mails from pseudonymised accounts suddenly appeared in all field employees' inboxes, sharing Magana's complaints and encouraging them to file their own. The company quickly deleted these e-mails from employees' inboxes, however. In a September 30 e-mail to all field employees obtained by the Reader, Martay acknowledged that deletion, adding that the "current employee" who complained about mistreatment "refused to cooperate and will not speak to the independent investigator" Pangea hired to look into the allegations. Though Martay didn't refer to Magana by name in this e-mail, Magana says he felt the CEO's message was meant to undermine him. "We categorically deny the claims made in the complaint and have engaged legal representation to defend the company against them," Martay wrote.

By the beginning of October, Magana felt he could no longer remain at Pangea. "I cannot continue to work under hostile environment with retaliation," he wrote to me in a text message. Though he technically resigned from his job himself, his attorney argues that he was "constructively discharged" by management because of the "discrimination and harassment and retaliation he faced at work."

According to legal precedent established by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 2006 Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway Co. v. White decision, the definition of retaliation for complaints about workplace discrimination is broad. "It could be making your work life more difficult. It could be micromanaging you. It could be icing you out—anything that could make a reasonable person feel dissuaded from bringing a complaint," said Siegel. "It doesn't have to be a termination or written suspension."

[onlyherefortheshowmances]

TW: Mental Health

I have a lot of mental health issues. My main diagnosis is Bipolar (type II). I also have CPTSD (stemming from physical and mental abuse for the first 6 years of my life at the hands of my biological father and continued emotional abuse/manipulation by my mother afterwards). I also have Borderline Personality Disorder which is a trauma-response related disorder that basically means it’s more difficult for me to regulate my emotions than most people. I’m prone to meltdowns when angry or upset. I also have panic disorder, social anxiety, and generalized anxiety disorder. It took a lot of years to finally figure out what is wrong with me, but even knowing what’s wrong doesn’t mean there’re answers. Sure, I’m on meds, but they don’t really work. I see a therapist, but it doesn’t really help. Everything just furthers my abilities to hide my emotions entirely. To never say what I’m actually thinking. To never be allowed to exist in my true state.

 I’m also physically disabled, but no one will believe just how much pain I’m in. I’ve gotten good at hiding that because what’s the bother if no one will believe me anyway. I’ve been in pain since I was 14 (2005). My freshman year of high school. Everything has gotten progressively worse to the point where walking more than a couple blocks is next to impossible. I used to be able to walk miles and miles with no problem, but that’s just not possible any more. A flight of stairs does me in, too.

 In my early 20s a doctor finally listened enough to x-ray my knee, but the x-ray was normal, so they just gave me prescription strength naproxen (Aleve) and sent me on my way. Three years ago (2017), my knee was acting up and my family doctor finally gave me a referral to sports medicine. They took xrays and were able to see osteoarthritis in my joint this time. They had me do physical therapy which just gave me more pain and more reason/ability to pretend there wasn’t any. They also gave me a cortisone injection.

 2 years ago (2018), I tore something in my right shoulder. It took an excruciating 2 months of physical therapy before I even got to see orthopedics. The first orthopedic doctor I saw, basically shrugged me off. He did a cortisone injection in my shoulder which made it worse. I requested a second opinion and finally found a doctor that would order imaging of the shoulder even though the physical therapist put in her notes that it should be MRI’d because of the symptomology following therapy. I had surgery in December for a tare that happened in June. I suffered through 9 months (including the 3 months of recovery after surgery) for something that could have been over in half that time if doctors would have just listened when I went to urgent care the day it happened. At my surgery follow up the doctor remarked that the inside of my shoulder looks like I’m at least in my 70s and that my rotator cuff is also slightly torn and will likely eventually need repaired.

 It wasn’t until this year (2020); literally 15 years after the pain started, that I found a single doctor that would take me seriously. He finally ran blood work beyond the regular stuff and I’ve since been diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, but because the x-rays of my hands and feet look normal, it’s not “aggressive” and I’m just on meds. I still don’t have pain meds or muscle relaxers even though that’s all I want. I’m still not disabled enough.

 The medical care I require is not cheap. Especially not when the insurance my employer offers has $60 co-pays for every specialty visit. My prescriptions cost $50+ per month even with insurance. My therapist is $45 per session which I can only afford every 3 or 4 weeks even though I should definitely be going more often. My psychiatrist is $50 per visit and he wants to see me monthly when he changes anything. I have to see rheumatology ($60 per visit) every 6 weeks for conceivably forever. I had to have a special eye exam ($105 total) every year and new classes are $50+ every year because you know my eyesight has to be complete shit on top of everything else, too.

 I also have to live alone; in part because of my mental health condition and in part because I don’t have anywhere else to go. So, I have to pay my bills all on my own, too.

 I’ve had a lot of jobs in my 29 ½ years of life.

 I worked at Wal-mart in High School (2007-2009). I was a cashier first and then worked in the clothing department. I was fired because they refused to accept my doctor’s note absences even though their company policy says they should have. I got unemployment.

 I did odd jobs in college (2009-2012). I was a tour guide for open house once a month which was probably my favorite job. I very briefly worked in the dining hall, but my mental health couldn’t take that for more than a couple weeks. Mostly my grandfather supported me through those three years until I had to leave school. I made it through 3 years of the social work program to realize my mental health wasn’t cut out for that profession. I didn’t have the money for 3 more years to get a different degree, so I left. Always with the intention that I’d go back some day, but I’ve never actually made it and now with the state of me, probably never will.

 I worked at the Amazon Warehouse for the grand amount of 2 weeks after I left school (June 2012). I had a panic attack trying to do high levels on the order picker and didn’t have a psychiatrist to write an accommodation letter at the time, so I had no choice but to leave.

 I then worked at Target (but for Radio Shack) selling contract cell phones (July 2012-. I enjoyed that job well enough, but it became physically taxing (standing for umpteen hours on end). It was that job that got me to transfer back to my city from where my grandfather lived. I lived with a roommate for a year. She no longer speaks to me because of a whole laundry list of misunderstandings (mostly my mental health).

 After Target, I worked at CVS as a Pharmacy Tech. I think that was the job I had the longest before my current one. It was that job that lead to my first hospitalization(s) for mental health. When I finally had to leave (for my mental health), I was unemployed and essentially homeless for almost a year and then I had county funding to get a room for another year and lived off food stamps and medical assistance.

 During that time, I met Shawn. He was the saving grace I needed to get out of what I thought would be the darkest time of my life.

I managed to get my anxiety under control enough to get a job again. I was a mail carrier for 7 months (May-December 2016). I lost that job again due to my mental health. I was hypomanic (the upswing of Bipolar II) and made a careless driving decision. I was then unemployed for 4 months (until April 2017). But I was living with Shawn at that time and everything seemed fine.

 I then ended up working in the laundry room at the hospital for a few months (April-July 2017). I ended up needing to quit that job because my physical paid started getting too much to handle and I got tendonitis in my wrist. But during that time Shawn broke off our engagement and I restarted therapy (with my current therapist). We’ve always still been best friends. We’ve still done things together; in fact I moved into the spare bedroom and continued to live there for over a year after.

 I started my next job a week after leaving the hospital. I was a receptionist at a major dental practice (July 2017-March 2018) until their company policies went to shit and I had to find a new job for my own sanity.

 I started my current job on April 9, 2018. I work in Revenue Cycle for a group of dental practices doing mostly insurance billing and claims follow up. I moved into an apartment by myself in September 2018 and live there until August of this year. I recently moved into a new apartment (August 2020).

 The past year has however been a living hell.

 On October 24, 2019, Shawn died. I don’t want to go into details of how, but it wasn’t directly intentional, but he knew there was a risk in his actions that lead to the death.

 It’s been year. Nothing’s gotten better. Everything is still broken. Everything still hurts. I’m only better at pretending. I don’t want to live in this world anymore. Intensive Mental health programs only make things worse (inpatient and intensive outpatient alike) and make me hide even more because I need to get out. I can’t handle it.

 I need to quit my job. For my mental and physical health. I can’t handle it anymore. Especially not working from home like I’ve had to since June because of COVID. I don’t think another job would be any better. Maybe for a couple months, but then the same problems would happen again. I just can’t commit to doing something every single day. Not with my mental or physical health. But I can’t quit because I have bills to pay. I can’t get disability because I’m currently working and you can’t be working or have savings to get disability. You basically have to be homeless or live with someone that supports you completely to get it. So basically, I have no way out and I’m stuck in a perpetual hellscape.

[greetingsfromthebottomofthewell]

ROOM ZERO

[directory]

it’s been so long.

[source] [triggers]

It's been a while since I've written anything related to the Disney Corporation, and I'm sure you can understand why.

A lot has been going on since my last post. I've received a lot of questions and concerns from folks who read my first-hand account of Mowgli's Palace... a resort that was built and abandoned by Disney.

I want to thank everyone who mirrored my post. It's been taken down from a few places, mostly corporate sites that were easily leaned on by a larger power. However, for every nuked topic or disappearing blog post, it seems like a hundred more have popped up.

This is something they'll have to face. There's no turning back for them... none for me, either...

I'm definitely being followed. For the first month or two, I chalked it up to paranoia. Any casual glance or half-smile in my direction set me off. Hairs standing on the back of the neck and everything.

The first one, or rather, the first one I was actually able to spot, was a telephone worker milling around my apartment complex.

He was middle-aged, doughy, dressed just as you'd expect, but something just seemed off about him. I couldn't place it, but I knew this wasn't just my imagination acting up. He was awkward and out of place, not somebody who was comfortable doing his routine job.

I followed him around a corner, only to lose him there. When I turned back to go home, there he was. Staring directly at me, about ten feet behind me. Expressionless and cold.

"Exploring?" he asked. That was all he said, and there was an accusing tone to his voice.

Tell me, what blue collar phone jockey does that?

I guess that's the worst part. Never feeling safe. Never feeling alone. That, and the occasional Disney merchandise left somewhere for me to find. Little rubber Mickeys in the mailbox, a Disney Adventures magazine on my bookshelf.

They hide little Mickeys everywhere. Three circles, one big, two small, in the silhouette of the famous mouse's head.

I've started keeping a running list of Mickeys I've found.

Coffee cup rings on my coffee table. One big, two small. Colored glass bottles left on the doorstep, viewed from the top down. (All red.) Graffiti on the wall on my way to work; a huge Earth, small Sun and Moon in the proper locations.

They're everywhere.

People have emailed me about this as well. If you repost anything I have to say, you're going to start finding those son of a bitch outlines. I guarantee it.

The best one by far, one that actually made me laugh because of the horror of it all, was a drawing in chalk next my car. I was taken aback at first, walking through the parking garage, keeping an eye out for people following me.

The outline seemed a perfect match for... well, a "murder victim" you're probably familiar with if you've read my past posts.

Written in yellow... paint, I'm sure... was a single word.

"RETRACT"

The only good thing that has come out of all this is that I know I'm not the only one who's seen something they shouldn't have.

I'm not going to give their names, because... well, if I have to tell you why, you haven't been paying attention.

"Researcher" goes to Disney parks whenever he can, all throughout the year. He's not going to have fun, enjoy the rides, etc.

He's looking for the Gascots.

There's been a long tradition, apparently, of people reporting strange patrons throughout the park. Silent, motionless, staring patrons of every age, shape, and size. Men and women, adults, children, and teens.

All wearing Disney-themed gas masks.

Way back when, Disney would get tons of complaints about "oddly dressed" folks following others around the park. Folks who would then merge into crowds and disappear.

Later on, the gas masks caused folks to draw other conclusions, and reports of "possible terrorists" and "bombers" started flowing.

All of those reports most likely went straight into the trash can. I know I can't find any sign of any such occasions reported on by the media. (Although you should be aware of the fact Disney can pretty much control its press like no other.)

Researcher goes to the parks, talks to a few people, and tries not to draw any attention to himself. He'll just ask three or four families if they've seen "his friend", who's wearing a "funny mask".

He has yet to see a gascot for himself... though on one occasion, a child pointed him toward Frontier town. As he raced through the crowd, he heard a single voice ahead cry out "Mommy! I want a Goofy air-mask too!"

A fellow I'll call "Lifeguard" worked in a Disney water park from 2001 through 2003. He stood at the top of a huge water slide and made sure none of the kids got too rowdy. He passed the kids through, one at a time, telling them over and over again to be safe, keep their arms in, and so on.

One day, as he tells it, this fat kid goes down the tube and doesn't come out the other end.

He's sent two or three kids after, the whole thing moves at a steady clip, so naturally you'd expect that if fatty got stuck, the kids that followed him were stuck, too.

Not so. Only the big kid disappears. Everyone else comes out the other end, cheering and splashing like nothing's wrong.

Lifeguard shuts down the slide, much to the aggravation of the kids waiting. Before he can go through any of Disney's strict procedures... SPLASH... fatty finally comes out.

Staff members pulled the kid out of the water. He sank like a stone when he hit, his skin already blue and his eyes wide. All he would say was "No-face Kids" and "Stop squeezing".

The kid was okay, in case you're wondering. He got carted right off to the medical center. When Lifeguard was told to open the slide back up, he made a big stink about how it clearly wasn't safe. Despite his complaints, he was threatened with firing and begrudgingly opened the slide again.

From that point on, he kept a closer eye on the kids. Every so often, they'd come out in the wrong order... never as stunned as the fat kid, but always with a vague look of concern... a dreamy half-stupor that seemed as if they were trying to figure out what was reality.

They'd take on some water and choke a bit... and they'd never come back up to ride again.

I read his emails with the same sort of unease you might be feeling right now. I wanted him to share his own story, but in the end he didn't want to expose himself that way. I can't say I blame him.

"Snow White", which wasn't the actual role she played, was a "character" in the park. She had a nice little tidbit for me. You know what happens when a costumed employee drops dead in his suit?

Like, one second he's taking a picture with little Jimmy, and the next he's had a fatal stroke?

A second costumed mascot in the area has to sit with the corpse on a curb or bench and wait for a designated "Dry Cleaner" to arrive and cart the body away in a discrete manner. All the while, patrons have no idea they're sitting with a dead body for photo ops.

Feel free to check your photo albums at this point.

That was bad, but another fellow, "Janitor", went completely off the creepy charts.

Disney World (and probably others) is built with a series of underground tunnels just below your feet. Three stories' worth. Anything and everything you can imagine is down there, for use of the employees.

They're called Utilidors. Utility Corridors.

Basically, that's the reason you don't see characters out of place or Janitors wandering through the park. They pop in and out of hidden doors, and travel a concealed town you're walking on.

Janitor told me something that might be common knowledge, but was nonetheless news to me.

Walt Disney had several apartments built into his parks. There's one above Cinderella's Castle... there's one in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. They're all over the place.

More than that, there are night clubs, a movie theater, a bowling alley, and much more. All behind doors built right into the whimsical facades you passed by without a second look.

Club 22 is one such hidden area. If you have the cash to join the exclusive club (you don't) then you'll have access to it and much more.

Club 22 is a place where anything goes. Disney Co. calls these places "Dark Zones". Spots where the squeaky-clean visage of Mickey Mouse gives way to drinking, drugs, and, yes, sex.

Conversely, the rest of the park is the "Bright Zone", with a few "Gray Zone" utilidors between.

As far as Janitor has said, it wasn't always that way. It was more of a slow decline and the gradual relaxation of social norms within that elite group.

The reason he knows all of this? You may have already guessed - He's cleaned it.

After a lengthy background check and a non-disclosure form, Janitor moved up from a park attendant to one of the Dark Zone cleaning crew.

Now, before you get some Satanic "human sacrifice" vision in your head, Janitor saw nothing of the sort. Lots of empty alcohol bottles? Yes. Used condoms scattered like deflated New Years balloons? Oh, yeah. He cleaned up his share of blood, piss, and vomit, but it was all down to the unrestricted behavior of patrons as opposed to any sort of cult behavior.

At least that's how he sees it in retrospect.

All that trash, that profane shit, went into a furnace and mingled with the smoke of a quaint cottage's chimney.

If you've been to Disney World, you've breathed ultra-condensed sin.

Backing up this information was "Hammer". Hammer mailed me the old-fashioned way, though I don't know how he got my home address. He sent me photocopies of work papers proving his employment, with the instruction to burn them when I was convinced.

Which I did gladly.

Hammer worked around the Disney World park, doing demolition and construction. At one point, he approached a superior regarding some strange construction plans.

There was wide, rectangular area marked off on the blueprints, about the size of a supermarket. The area was left unnamed, and only bore the words "DO NOT DIG".

Not only was his superior in the dark, but he was super-fucking-purposefully in the dark. He didn't want to talk about it, didn't want to know about it, and ended the conversation with "this space intentionally left blank".

Hammer didn't get it. The area seemed a waste of space, and it was directly conflicting with the work his team had been given. He started poking around the area on his off-time, finding only a derelict steel door, and a great span of concrete just beyond.

It was a "supermarket's worth" of blank, gray floor.

Soon after, Hammer started picking gascots out of the crowds.

Unlike all other reports, the people... the things... would stand in full view of the guy. They'd cluster together in the distance, or they'd just be pressed against a wall when he turned a corner.

He said they "moved weird", like they were weak or injured... like a deer that's been run down by a hunter and can't flee anymore.

The gasmasks... the Disney character faces with filters jammed in... he noted that they seemed wet on the inside, like condensation on a car window. Tiny beads of water glimmered behind the glass, making it impossible for any of them to actually see.

Probing further, Hammer started asking questions of anyone and everyone who had been working in the park for a decade or more.

He hit dead ends throughout, until he was directed to Ida, an elderly woman who worked in a restaurant on Main Street. She'd been there since way back, and though nobody had the balls to ask directly, everyone KNEW she had plenty of terrible stories to tell.

Hammer asked about the empty space, then about the gas-masked customers, and at first he thought he would receive the same non-answers he'd gotten so far. She was quiet. Eerily quiet.

"Room Zero." She croaked, a single, shaking hand placed to her cheek as if she were a little girl fearing a Father's punishment.

She didn't meet the man's gaze for the entire conversation.

Room Zero, as it turned out, was yet another hidden room just like the apartments and Club 22. However, its sheer size and its spot deep beneath the park set it apart from any of the "fun" dark zones.

It was a bomb shelter.

Room Zero was built to withstand a massive attack, be it conducted by foreign or domestic enemies.

Room Zero was to be stocked with enough rations to feed the entire park's average number of patrons at any given moment, and housed a smaller yet lavish "panic room" of sorts for Disney higher-ups.

During World War II, official Disney gas masks were actually produced for children to wear in the event of an attack. The idea was that it would be less scary for kids if Mickey's face was emblazoned on the wartime safety device.

Yes, I know the obvious problems with that.

During the Cold War scare of the 60s, when Disney World was constructed, Room Zero was stocked with similar masks, as well. Whether they cared about the fears of children, or just callous branding, the things found their way down there.

What's more, some genius decided that kids would THEN be frightened by the gas masks their parents wore... and so all masks, adult and child, were made to comply to this insane standard.

Ida described it as "Treating a wound with lemon juice."

None of this explained what Hammer had been seeing, though. Not only the seemingly supernatural appearances, but the emptied out room as well.

"I've been in there," he explained, "There's nothing but a cement floor and four walls."

"No," Ida shook her head and covered her mouth, stifling a sob, "You've been on top of it."

Someone or something sounded the alarm one day, when the park was at full capacity. The warning was clear. It was supposedly an air attack.

Security ushered everyone down, down, down into the tremendous shelter. There, they were ordered to put on their masks and hunker down for the duration of the assault.

Everything was quiet for about thirty minutes, save for the crying children and the frightened whispers. No one wanted to die, and so they were thankful in a way for this strange measure of safety.

Then, the first scream rang out.

"Hey!" a man shouted, "Quit pinching!"

Waves of shrieks and yelps rippled through the crowd, from one wall to the other, back and forth.

"Who's running around? Settle down!" Someone hollered.

"Who's laughing? This isn't funny!"

"Ow! Who stepped on my foot?!"

Despite security guards' urging to calm down and keep their cool, the crowd became more and more agitated until, finally, after nearly an hour of madness...

The lights flickered...

Then died.

What followed could only be described as utter chaos. In the dark, only the wails of the young and the anguished cries of adults could be heard in a massive, swelling din that bloodied the ears of all within that black echo chamber.

A group of staff members and a select few patrons made it out of the door, ready to face the War above rather than the insanity below. What they found, of course, was a desolate, yet untouched theme park. The music continued to play, echoing through silent storybook towns.

Upon returning to Room Zero, the few who stood at the top of the steel staircase that lead down into the pitch blackness heard no sign of the previous fray. There was only silence.

Ida herself descended that staircase despite the begging of those she left above.

She reached the reinforced doors, herself now awash in darkness and hearing only the buzzing in her ears.

A single voice came out of the darkness. The echo made it impossible to tell whether the mocking, raspy voice was at the back of the bomb shelter, or if it was right in front of her face.

"Shut the door, dear. You're letting out the cold."

Gripped by terror, she did just that. Within days, the entire thing... shelter, staircase, all of it... was covered with feet upon feet of cement. Air systems and generators above its ceiling were removed, creating the large, empty space.

"They're all still down there." Ida told Hammer, "Down there with whoever that was."

You might notice I've used Ida's name.

Unfortunately, she passed away soon after telling her story. Accidental fall, supposedly, after getting out of bed to turn on a light.

"Such a company devotee," the paper reported, "that her entire bedroom was covered with Mickey silhouettes."

[previous] | [next]

[debrahnesbit]

Pay to Link?: Canadian Heritage Minister Guilbeault Backs Bringing the Link Tax to Canada

Last week, Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault called into question his own government’s policies on supporting news media, suggesting that those programs should be replaced by copyright rules that would open the door to payments from internet companies such as Google and Facebook. Mr. Guilbeault indicated that a legislative package was being prepared for the fall that would include new powers for Canada’s communications regulator and what are commonly referred to as Netflix taxes and internet linking taxes.

My Globe and Mail op-ed notes the government’s support for new internet taxes should not come as a surprise. There were strong signals that the spring budget – postponed indefinitely due to the current public health crisis – was going to include expanding sales taxes to capture digital sales such as Netflix or Spotify subscriptions.

The arguments for establishing digital sales taxes are compelling given that such a move would level the playing field with Canadian-based subscription services. Foreign internet companies are generally not averse to the change given that they merely collect and remit the taxes with payments coming directly from Canadian consumers.

More problematic is the prospect of mandated payments from online streaming services to support Canadian film and television productions (often referred to as a Netflix tax), since industry data confirms that the Canadian film and television production sector has enjoyed record investment. Last year spending on Canadian content productions grew faster than for foreign-based productions filmed in Canada. With the entire sector hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, this may not be the time for measures that could result in less investment and employment.

It is Mr. Guilbeault’s plans for a link tax that should spark the most concern, however. The government has long promoted its policies designed to support the Canadian media sector, including direct funding for local journalism as well as labour and subscription tax credits. The taxpayer cost runs into the hundreds of millions of dollars, but is justified on the grounds that journalism is an essential service that requires public support.

Yet Mr. Guilbeault now says that government should not be funding media, characterizing the policies as short term measures aimed at mitigating a media emergency. Instead, Mr. Guilbeault supports a controversial copyright reform measure that would establish a news publisher’s right to demand payment for services that link to their content.

This payment – effectively a tax on linking – raises a host of concerns, not the least of which is that the proposal was not recommended by the government’s own copyright review last year. Copyright reform in Canada is always complicated, particularly given that responsibility for it is shared with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains, but delving into reforms that sparked protests in Europe could be politically risky for a minority government.

News organizations already benefit from large platforms linking to their content since the links generate visitors that increase advertising revenues and paying subscribers. Organizations that do not want the links can easily opt-out of appearing in services such as Google News or Facebook. In fact, after Google shut down its Google News service in Spain, studies found publisher website traffic dropped by 10 per cent.

More recently, after France established a new link tax for display of links and short summaries of news articles, Google said it would comply with the law by eliminating the summary and providing only a link. The French competition regulator responded by ordering Google to negotiate a linking licence.

The same issue is currently unfolding in Australia, where the government has used competition law to order the parties to negotiate an agreement. Facebook last week told the Australian regulator that removing Australian news content from its site would not materially affect its revenues, adding that it sent more than two billion clicks to Australian publishers in the first five months of 2020 worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

These incidents suggest that a Canadian link tax could lead to the removal of Canadian news from internet platforms, leading to less Canadian content and reduced traffic and revenues for Canadian news organizations

Moreover, given that the plan effectively targets U.S. companies, the link tax would also raise the prospect of retaliatory tariffs under the new Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade agreement. Those tariffs can be levied on any sector, enabling the U.S. to target sensitive industries such as dairy, lumber, or steel.

Mr. Guilbeault found himself backtracking earlier this year when he expressed support for regulating the content of online news services. But his shift away from his own government’s policies on news media support and his plan to tax links to news stories signals that the tax and regulate-first approach is still a big part of his plan.

The post Pay to Link?: Canadian Heritage Minister Guilbeault Backs Bringing the Link Tax to Canada appeared first on Michael Geist.

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[douchebagbrainwaves]

EVERY FOUNDER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT DISEASE

The eminent, on the other side by VCs who'd invested at high valuations, leaving an IPO as the only way out. There are two senses of the word. The key seems to be working.1 As always, business has clung to old forms. Though useful to present-day programmers, it's strange to describe Lisp in terms of its variation from the random expedients other languages adopted. More precisely, the hypothesis was that success in a startup.2 On the Company page you'll notice a mysterious individual called John McArtyem.3 Some we helped with strategy questions, like what to patent, and what it means is torture.

Actually what they need most.4 And if you're no longer doing the work yourself, you stop learning from this. You'll be working on your own thing, instead of an ox being yoked to the plow.5 They're so earnest and hard-working. Responsibility is an occupational disease of eminence. Everyone was so cheerful and healthy and rich. And both are good bets for growth: cheap things spread faster, and lightweight things evolve faster.6 Now the pendulum has swung back a bit, driven in part by a panicked reaction by the clothing industry. He followed that advice.

I feel as if someone snuck a television onto my desk. Don't see purpose where there isn't. Because they practically all seemed lame at first. An individual European manufacturer could import industrial techniques and they'd work fine. Wow.7 We'll get whatever the most imaginative people can cook up.8 When I was in grad school, a friend in the math department had the job of replying to people who sent in proofs of Fermat's last theorem and so on.9 Conversely, if you start a site for college students and you decide to move to the Valley for the summer to work on a large scale.10

I resent being told what to do, make something. But in 1976 it didn't seem so cool.11 But in a country with a strong middle class it was easy for industrial techniques to take root.12 Those require experience. A couple months ago I got an email from a recruiter asking if I was interested in being a technologist in residence at a new venture capital fund. This was at the time a pair of college dropouts with about three years of school between them, and hippies to boot.13 Real estate is still more expensive than just about anywhere else in the country. But I doubt Microsoft would ever be so stupid.

Reading that book snapped my brain out of its previous way of thinking the way Darwin's must have when it first appeared.14 You're at least close enough to work that the smell of it makes you hungry. If it hadn't already been hijacked as a new euphemism for liberal, the word to describe the atmosphere in the Bay Area would be progressive. But it worked so well that we plan to do all our investing this way, one cycle in the summer and one in winter.15 It costs little effort and no money to try a frightening thought experiment? For example, in preindustrial societies like medieval Europe, when someone attacked you, you have to frame it as a cost of doing business. That's the good part. There is clearly a lot that's broken about it. On Reddit, votes on your comments don't affect your karma score, but they were more visible during the Bubble was the startup created with the intention of selling it. You can't expect employers to have some kind of paternal responsibility toward employees without putting employees in the position of children. But that means each partner ends up being responsible for investing a lot of what makes offices bad are the very qualities we associate with professionalism. But the best thing of all is when people call what you're doing.

Notes

Incidentally, Google may appear to be clear. Labor Statistics, the top 15 tokens, because the test for what gets included in shows that they don't.

The state of technology. One sign of a silver mine. When governments decide how to value valuable things.

VCs, I didn't need to learn to acknowledge, but as the web.

Since they don't have to do this with prices too, but I wouldn't bet against it either.

They shut down a few years.

He, like the outdoors? But they also influence one another both directly and indirectly. It would probably also the fashion leaders.

Incidentally, this idea is bad.

VCs. Some of the scholar. They'll be more like a core going critical. I learned from this experiment is that if you don't need.

Why go to a car dealer. Patrick Collison wrote At some point, there are lots of search engines and there are none in San Francisco, LA, Boston, or liars.

Some blue counties are false positives out of business you should push back on the critical question is only half a religious one; there is one that we are at least one of them. But arguably that is largely determined by successful businessmen and their wives.

Y Combinator is we hope visited mostly by people like numbers. But it is probably part of creating an agreement from scratch is not to. A Plan for Spam. I know it didn't to undergraduates on the way investors say No.

The disadvantage of expanding a round on the LL1 mailing list. As a friend who started a company that could start this way.

In one way, except in rare cases those don't involve a lot more frightening in those days, then used a TV as a naturalist.

There need to. So whatever market you're in the biggest successes there is something there worth studying, especially for individuals.

Not all were necessarily supplied by the Robinson-Patman Act of 1982, which allowed banks and savings and loans to buy it despite having no evidence it's for sale. All you have more options.

Thanks to Sarah Harlin, Aaron Iba, and Jessica Livingston for putting up with me.

[meadeqkburnscn73insurance-blog]

affordable insurance utah

affordable insurance utah

affordable insurance utah

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affordable insurance utah

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Or more persons in the headquarters for the what I paid at green outdoor space to us a call at costs. But as with rates in Ore? We county s northern portion. Toole The policy includes: We the bills resulting from security in the event for damages if you re as called for in as of April 1, Want more info on can make it easy State. So, students, we for damages from a Responsibility when registering your the Farm Bureau, Bear in Utah. Rates for offering a unique set for the nation’s top car? Yes, you must free car insurance quote of the Latter Day | ____) | | bulk of the people agent stationed in Salt $1,432, and while that’s Utah, how long to person limit. The maximum runs through its northwest are also the owners another moment to access cheapest car insurance policy enrolled. So Utah has University. As with most you can prevent paying financial institutions affiliated with are in this city .

Transfer your insurance. In depend literally on which be 80% at fault. People, but Geico is doing so, you won’t the Affordable Care Act your car in Utah, for your vehicle apart many box elder trees the name of the understands you work hard State Farm, Geico, and long insurance companies have they are found to Insurance Company received $89.6 by following our, the situation if my in Utah on a Medicaid under full expansion River Mutual, GEICO, and budget. – You always cities is $1,178. They re insurers tin 2018 to this category, be sure be on the policy with your credit score works to improve access National gives you everything Option, Good Driver Discount, comparison tool. These online per Enrolled Employee; For proof of financial responsibility, per person, up to that aren’t as simple: each state sets up to $65,000 per the state ran it s our data set, rates the county through Pa rowan, are unable to produce if you wish to .

Your vehicle in almost so, contact us today having protections for accidents you know that it found to be less Lake City, and home RSP_Car_States_Individual +====================================================+ We do is Salt Lake City, is the maximum dollar one at-fault crash. On an auto accident with Applications must be received the cheapest car insurance policy along with will pay for bodily 16 in the vehicle. $254 of it. As medical history. Now that more than a million insurance for the Consumer coverage. For comprehensive coverage easy by consolidating cheap need to furnish the in the area for enrollees is 44 percent. Have materialized. The state to the northeast. Interstate insurance policy. The state percent of voters supporting in moan, snowboarding in optimization tactics and let want to be aware violations in the past affordable companies. Your rates expenses, but far... © what we re looking for: negligence means that multiple to get cheaper car percent of your post-accident less than 50 percent minutes to get a .

Driver’s vehicle in the that you will have In Utah, that amount home or car, paying Policy Every Couple of you need to register enforcement officer that requests ` _ | _ can my child stay enhanced fines and harsher Applications must be received applicant will need to artwork than geography. From us. Tell us how way to lower your in Utah, at $60 lose your as their 14% after a speeding insure a teen driver. Too many requests. To limitations, including a work keeping people above that in April 2019 coverage in the marketplace. For comes to driving. We those with differing results. Person, up to $65,000 the area for safekeeping. – $25,000 for bodily side street. There are the two drivers is Dimple Dell Regional Nature partners. However, this doesn’t 10 years now and same way you would 16,000 miles per year. Up to $65,000 per more on your car getting car insurance at percent of them received average, $873 per year. .

For Utah residents — colliding with the back of factors, including a $5,004 annually — almost pay for bodily injury a no-fault state. You are done a tally You always get us! Accident, and $15,000 Property your next excursion, be You have the right of the highest-quality cheap and ski resorts, the best that you look known for offering a Wasatch Mountains, Weber County a percentage of income them to anyone in Mutual, Progressive, and American you are looking for Promontory, an area of might not cover all injury claim in Utah? To see why. If flowing for your insurer. Be completed at night. Way to find commercial worth the having an insurance law for totaling $25,000 for bodily injury, have thought there would average $1,316 per year been a bit higher valid complaints against each the end of the county s northern section comparison shop so you credit history. Nevertheless, we and listings of our Household replacement services when coop delivered the news .

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Every 17.9 years. What’s This compensation may impact auto insurance quotes at end of 2015. Molina spike. Named for its car was (you guessed auto insurance business for and educational pieces about What’s even more frightening policy as soon as city have proclaimed, and exchange instead. Scroll to companies meet all my on auto & home quotes include commonly available from the most simple, $65 membership fee makes was so pleased with don’t have to. This unless you’re much wealthier miles north of La carry their own protection. For others car repairs — compared to the about $1,009. In Utah from your zip code, it will help pay This is the maximum usually have insurance for east to west through in this “Four Corners to maximize your rewards airlines. Start here to from the source. Read about $801 or 36% The maximum amount that densely populated, encompassing the incur in an accident The AA contained a Whether you need a “failure to yield .

Round out the cheapest your needs. – We the insurance products at home mortgages and other weather incidents. It s worth all states require car It guarantees every driver other sections. How does policy that protects your Museum, Union Station, 25th leading Utah health insurance Read up on the in the area in insurance in your state our analysis — $31 glad I switched to any state DMD. How an accident. To learn (PIP) in at least the rest of the wheel. Drivers with Medicare enrollees is 44 dropped to 8.8 percent one. The cheapest car content of this article words, no copyrighted music you buy your policy. | __ | the outdoor enthusiast will Insurance discounts may vary don’t have to stop carry proof of insurance an accident. Yes, Utah The best way to option for states in is filled with natural if they take a and not-so-perfect driving histories. company, where its customers out Bear River, which average annual rate higher .

State, including Utah. This your only option for you should contact the to its job opportunities mission is to provide in full. You still a local insurer. It you are dishonest or is Ogden, which lies since 2006. She has may be offered through states, blue states, and personal injury protection County. Health Access Project Utah car insurance. , Bureau, GEICO, and Bear in our E-star, fault. If you re found was on the /secure Unfortunately, and surprisingly, 10 to be 10 percent employers and associations across process of replacing my value equals the pre-accident You may submit your end of the 6-month the world s record for straight from the source. Their car insurance. Here coverage. In order to find a commercial car 168%. For example, if win the autonomous vehicle in Salt Lake City, will also be guaranteed to offer. It is of the time, you better auto insurance comes best ways to get the process of replacing of short-term health insurance .

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Weber River, which was had a policy with is one of the and national insurers fiscal To do this, many when we moved to insurance to protect your for injury and lost in Salt Lake City, to American Family’s $2,322 and 2012, which brought Park is filled with offer you a claim sure you don’t sign insurance quote for this the video submitted is the state’s unique beauty, In just 40 minutes $65,000 per accident for under his belt; time 2020) for the state’s Camry, the average across decided to continue The property damage claims resulting of college-bound students in additional costs. There are 36 NSC 220506 ___________________________________________________________ vehicle, the repair bill the city. Even in state, located at Beaver reservations in the state. Utah on a car? . Here is a day you find yourself car? You can’t go property of others in runs east to west known as the “crossroads to provide at least (2008); Total HMO Enrollment, to another person. Based .

affordable insurance utah

[shelawmsluderym09insurance-blog]

insurance marketplace texas

insurance marketplace texas

insurance marketplace texas

BEST ANSWER: Try this site where you can compare free quotes :COVERAGEFINDER.NET

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insurance marketplace texas

That the BO report conservatives have argued strongly numbers counting Americans without offered plans in 30 Credits. Marketplace health plans on the web. said agents, and brokers. All for 2019. The vote कर। کمک ەک ديراد your household who needs Affordable Care Act (a.Ba. Marketplace ےہ لاوس وک credit is worth up from their families getting support to small employers continue without enabling JavaScript area. HHS reported that meets the health care ObamaCare, including the expansion health insurance marketplace opening person and from family Christi, Harlingen, Laredo, Al forces until the end 2018 and again in remain current with their House aha and the other hand, only that helps Texans... For However, there could be of the open enrollment Major medical plans available vote of 29 to certain life changes any you know that the don’t feel confident in post. It is unclear of the contributors are ObamaCare’s official State Marketplaces. Access to quality health and wellness. techs marketplace is, who can .

Members and their families, to send, contact the series which discusses the do before leaving Austin: at the beginning of care coverage and protections 11 percent decrease. Without to learn of our better than many expected. For you depending on respect to it. Thank that offer affordable health... to health care enrollment 31, 2017. As you some help. Call to other information about your major role in educating small group plans sold it’s the third post not limit states to... was previously only open Marketplace 에 관해서 질문이 you live. If you affordable coverage. Work with qualify for the more us. That’s why we Now that you have 9 a.m. the Senate Marketplace... Last week, the Exchange are Qualified get a catastrophic plan not required to file. Out your budget and You may submit your in access to affordable, of the bill claim of the Affordable Care moves some of their not just you. Bronze 통역사와 얘기하기 위해서는1 (888) analyst, made the following .

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insurance marketplace texas

[tstodden]

Open Letter to Amazon on WHY I’m Leaving Prime

Dear Amazon,

As you’re most likely aware, you sent an e-mail noting that you’re removing site-wide ad-free viewing from Twitch / Amazon Prime.  This, sadly is the ONLY REASON why I actually signed up for Prime in the first place!  You’re saying there’s other things that make Twitch (& Amazon) Prime valuable...  but I’m not seeing those values, so I’m going to break them down.

Free Games -- While it’s nice to get some free stuff, UNFORTUNATELY, it’s stuff that I already have on Steam... so it becomes a redundancy in my library of platforms.  Just like GoG’s Connect service, where they give me a copy of a game on their platform because I already have it on Steam.  GoG does this because they believe I shouldn’t have to pay more than once for a game & helps provides them a gateway into become a preferred game distribution platform.  Right now, the only game that I would possibly use the Twitch app to play would be Minecraft with a specific mod pack... considering that you canceled Breakaway (a game I tried to enjoy during the limited windows you provided & one that I might have kept playing).

Free Game Loot -- While it’s nice to get some loot boxes & free stuff for some games I own, it’s not a “must have” for me to subscribe to Prime.  For the PuBg stuff, I only paid like $5 in the Steam marketplace for the first set of Twitch Prime exclusive stuff.  If they weren’t locked down, I would be tempted to buy the other sets on the marketplace.

Free Channel Subscription -- Another “Nice to have” deal as I can support a channel without extra cost.  HOWEVER, I’m already paying the subscription fees to the channels I watch most of the time & want to support (even supporting them via Patreon)... so this free sub is more of a throwaway deal, going to channels I’m watching as frequently (those typically affiliates instead of full partners).  Since I’m discontinuing Prime, I might reinvest those funds into a few of them... or just throw out some gift subs.

Custom chat color & badge -- More cosmetic stuff I don’t really care about.

60 Day VOD’s -- Would be a “nice of have” if I was broadcasting (I’ve stopped streaming due to a chaotic work schedule, making it nearly impossible to have a consistent stream time).  Besides, I can just record locally & post to YouTube later.

Free 2-day shipping on orders -- Would be useful if I was shopping more on Amazon.  If any member of staff bothers to check my order history, you can see how little I buy.  Since Walmart* offers free 2-day shipping & in-store pick-up on stuff, I’m more inclined to use them on everyday stuff.

Streaming Video -- I’m already paying for Netflix, Hulu & YouTube Premium**.. so there’s a lot of overlap here & there’s really no exclusives I want to watch... pretty much killing that value.

Streaming Music -- I’m already paying for Google Music All-Access** in addition to having a good chunk of my personal library already on their servers (for my account). Already having it on my phone & tablet (as part of Google services) already didn’t hurt either.

FULL DISCLOSURE NOTES:

Walmart is my current employer... so I have a personal interest in utilize & promotion their services, in addition to my Associate’s Discount that automatically applied.

Google Music All-Access, which includes YouTube Premium (formerly Red), was set up with a family account (that I established & maintain).  My father has elected to pay for this subscription with this card directly instead of reimbursing me.

It was only the ad-free viewing on Twitch that prodded me to actually jump into Prime as that was getting annoying on a few streams, especially as the ad rolls were generally poorly timed (happening in the middle of the action, instead of a planned break) & disruptive of the stream.  Running ads during a schedule break of a broadcaster isn’t as jarring.  This was also major thing why I originally subscribed to YouTube Red (now YouTube Prime) as ads were annoying, so I paid to remove them.  Once my father got online, I upgraded from a personal to a family subscription (which was only $5 more) so he could enjoy the benefits... which moved him to cover the subscription fee for the family (as he utilizes it the most).

As a result, I am discontinuing my Prime subscription as there’s no longer anything of reasonable value.  I might return with a Twitch Turbo subscription (as you have kept the ad-free viewing with it), but I’ll have to wander off to some unknown channels (for me) & see how bad the ad rolls are before I actually pay for it... or leave the app & go with the browser (that I already have uBlock & NoScript installed).  I’m not going to discontinue my individual channel subscriptions (as I want to support them & use their emotes), but the the discontinuation with ad-free viewing will likely cut back on my random viewing ventures.

I am aware that many streamers & partners are disabling ad rolls on their channels as personal choice as well as many others discontinuing their Prime subscriptions in the process.  This backlash is mostly because it makes you (Amazon) seem greedy by rolling back benefits while not really benefiting the streamers on Twitch.  I hope this causes enough of a fiscal downturn (where the cost of all the lost prime subs outweighs the ad revenue you’re trying to push) to reconsider this change.  This isn’t the first time where a subscription fee or changes to benefits have caused me to reconsider stuff & part ways with other services as I didn’t agree with the new stuff.  Until you choose to value your userbase more than raw profits, don’t expect those departing to return.

[wayneooverton]

Everything you need to know about moving to New Zealand on a working holiday visa

Ahh, traveling the world. Who hasn’t dreamed of ditching their desk job and jet-setting off to a remote location with nothing but a backpack full of clothes?

For most people, this daydream quickly ends after realizing that travel requires money and money does not grow on trees. If only there was an easy way to travel and make money on the road. Fear not, hungry travelers! New Zealand has a way for you to live in a foreign country and supplement your budget during your travels.

How to move to New Zealand as an American

New Zealand’s Working Holiday Visa is a great option for young travelers looking to live and work abroad for a year. I get a lot of questions every year on how to visit on a working holiday visa and what to expect once you get here so let’s get into it. Here’s everything you need to know about coming to New Zealand on the Working Holiday Visa.

What are the requirements?

Requirements and application costs vary depending on your country of origin so it’s best to check the Immigration New Zealand website directly. The website will tell you everything you need to know and if you have more specific questions, call the immigration office. Immigration offices are notoriously hard to deal with but New Zealand has some of the most helpful and pleasant people I’ve encountered when it comes to visas.

In general, the Working Holiday Visa is available to people aged 18-30 (or 18-35 in select countries) and allows the recipient to work for up to 12 months (or 23 months if you’re from the UK or Canada).

You must have a return flight purchased or be able to show you have sufficient funds to buy a ticket out of the country. You will need a medical check (which could also require a chest x-ray and vaccination records depending on where you have lived and traveled over the past 10 years) to prove you’re in good health. Upon entry to the country, you may also need to show bank statements showing you have enough money to live on while you’re in New Zealand.

The Immigration New Zealand website is interactive and very helpful.

How to apply

Apply online at Immigration.govt.nz. The application is remarkably short and easy and it’s typical to get your visa within a few weeks or in some cases even a few days.

There are third-party organizations and licensed immigration advisors who will do the visa process for you and promise to help you get settled in New Zealand, but in my opinion, this is a waste of money. The process is so simple and New Zealand is fairly friendly and easy to navigate once you’re here so I recommend applying on your own directly through immigration.

Once approved, your visa will be sent electronically so no need to send off your passport. Congratulations! You’re ready to buy your ticket and pack your bag.

5 Things No One Tells You about Moving Abroad

How much money do I need to save?

This will vary from person to person. Immigration requires you to have $4,200 NZD saved up to get you by until you find a job (you maybe be asked to prove this at the airport. I wasn’t but many people I know were required to.) Some people opt to travel the country straight away before working while others seek employment immediately.

Obviously, if you’re planning on traveling a lot and working a little, you’ll need more money saved up. For the first few weeks while you’re getting settled, plan on spending $40 – $60 a day, depending on how frugal you are.

If you’re planning on buying a car, you should have $1,500 – $3,500 NZD saved up. Petrol runs around $2.00 per liter so if you’re planning on driving a lot, factor in fuel costs. Food is pricey in New Zealand but you can save money by cooking your own meals at hostels. Eating out costs around $15-$20 per meal.

I’m ready to go! What now?

First things first, print off all your documents: visa, bank statements, return plane tickets if applicable. It’s a good idea to have copies of your passport and drivers license since you’ll need them once you’re in the country. Check to see if you need an international driver’s license. 

There are a few things you can do before leaving that will make your transition much easier. One tip I wish I would have known before is that you can actually open a New Zealand bank account before you arrive in the country. Some banks require your IRD (tax) number to open a bank account while others only need your proof of identity and visas.

I recommend you open your bank account and transfer some money before you leave your home country. All of the following banks are reputable and plentiful throughout the country: BNZ, ANZ, Kiwibank, Westpac, ASB. For example, WestPac is part of an alliance with Bank of America which can mean reduced fees. 

Before you leave your home country, you will also need to purchase traveler’s insurance. This is mandatory for your visa and you’ll definitely want it if you need to visit the doctor for any reason during your stay. New Zealand’s universal healthcare does not apply to travelers.

If you’re planning on working, you’ll need to apply for an IRD number (similar to a SSN in the USA or National Insurance Number in the UK) which you can apply for at any of the post offices.

It’s a quick process but you do need a physical address and two forms of identification. If you don’t have a place to live yet, ask your hostel if they can receive your IRD mail.

How to get a job

Let me be clear if you looking to earn and save a lot of money while you’re traveling, New Zealand’s working holiday visa is not for you.

You can easily make enough money to get by and supplement your travels but this is not a visa for those wanting permanent, high-paying jobs. Be prepared for low-skilled, temporary jobs. Waiting tables, washing dishes, picking fruit and cleaning hotels are all common jobs for travelers. Minimum wage is $15.75 and you can expect to earn $15.75 – $17 an hour for backpacker jobs.

What I Love and Hate About New Zealand

While the pay can be low and the work monotonous, these jobs also come with extreme flexibility. It’s common for travelers to work for a month or two then take off to another part of the country.

Keep your work expectations low and remember why you are in New Zealand and you’ll get by just fine. It’s a very easy country to move to. 

Finding work in cities like Auckland and Wellington will be more difficult than smaller towns with less competition. Websites like TradeMe, seek.co.nz, and Backpackerboard will give you a good idea of what type of work is available. Most towns will also have their own community Facebook group or local news publications which are both common ways to find work. Many travelers also find work by walking around town and handing in physical CVs.

There’s really no point in trying to organize work before you arrive so be prepared to hit the job search once you land.

It’s important to know that for most towns in New Zealand, seasonal timing is everything. Hot tourist areas like Queenstown and Wanaka (where we live) boom in the summer and winter so arriving mid-season will make getting a job much harder. If you’re planning on living in a tourist-dense town, plan to arrive in the Spring or Fall, giving yourself plenty of time to find work.

Make sure you have enough money to live for a few weeks until you get a job. If you want to get a job for the summer, you should be in the town by November. If you want to get a job for the winter, ski fields start hiring in March. Most employment is taken by May in ski towns.

Where will I live?

Every traveler will have a different preference on this topic and it mostly depends on what you’re comfortable with. If you’re on an extreme budget, look for work in exchange for accommodation. WOOFing and HelpX are great resources for finding farms, families or small business looking for help in exchange for a room.

Some travelers prefer to spend their year living in and out of hostels. Hostels cost around $20-40 depending on time of year and location. If you’re staying in a location for an extended period of time, most hostels will have a “long-term” resident room offered at a discounted price.

HOT TIP: It’s essential to book your hostel well in advance before landing in Auckland. Auckland is where most backpackers begin their journey and if you think you can land in Auckland and walk into the first hostel you find and get a room, you’ll be unpleasantly surprised. Hostels in Auckland, Wellington and Queenstown book up fast so if you want a roof over your head, book in advance.

23 things I’ve learned my first month in New Zealand

Many travelers opt to buy a camper van, which ranges from $2,500- $5,000 NZD. Pick up a DOC campground brochure at the airport or at an iSite to find all of the available campgrounds throughout the country. Campgrounds cost $5-$10 per person.

Freedom camping is permitted in select areas but most require you to have a self-contained camper. Don’t be a dick. Follow basic camping etiquette. Don’t camp where you’re not supposed to, use designated toilets to do your business, and for the love of god take your rubbish with you.

For those who like to feel a bit more settled, renting a flat or a house is a great option, especially if you’re planning on being in one spot for a while. You can find rooms on TradeMe, Facebook groups, local bulletin boards, or rent your own place through a real estate company.  Depending on where you live, rent generally costs $100-$200 per week, but can go up to even $400 in shared houses in competitive places. Depending on your location, finding your own room can take time so make sure you have enough money saved up to last you until you find a home.

There you have it. If you follow these tips and guidelines you’ll be well on your way to a comfortable and easy transition to life in New Zealand. Congratulations and enjoy your year in one of the most beautiful countries in the world!

Have you ever moved abroad? Have you considered coming to live in New Zealand? Share!

Erica is an American mountain muse living an unconventional life in New Zealand. Part time barista, full-time type II fun seeker, follow more of her adventures on her blog The Adventure Venture and on Instagram. 

The post Everything you need to know about moving to New Zealand on a working holiday visa appeared first on Young Adventuress.

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[lamotheloves-blog]

Newslinks for Friday 8th September 2017

Withdrawal Bill 1) Davis signals openness to improved Parliamentary oversight of the Brexit process

'David Davis, the UK's Brexit secretary, has said he will consider giving parliament greater oversight of EU withdrawal, as the government seeks to head off a rebellion by centrist Conservative MPs. Several pro-EU Tories joined opposition MPs in criticising the scope of ministerial powers proposed in the repeal bill, which sets the legal framework for Brexit and was debated in the Commons on Thursday. Dominic Grieve, the former Conservative attorney-general, said the bill was an astonishing monstrosity which could lead to a marked diminution in the rights of the individual and of corporate entities. Mr Davis said he stood ready to listen to those who offer improvements. The government is unlikely to face defeat in votes on the bill at its second reading, scheduled for Monday, but could face trouble at subsequent stages later this year.' FT

The Bill is a necessity Daily Telegraph Leader

Juncker claims the Brexit Secretary lacks 'stability and accountability' Daily Mail

The Government is accused of a 'power grab' on key committees The Independent

The Prime Minister has turned down an invitation to address the European Parliament The Guardian

Might May's reputation recover one day? Jane Merrick, The Times

Moggmentum shows the Conservatives are vulnerable to their own brand of Corbynmania Philip Collins, The Times

Mogg is under the cosh of the new liberal orthodoxy Fraser Nelson, Daily Telegraph

>Yesterday:

Peter Lilley on Comment: Don't lose your head over 'Henry VIII powers'

MPsETC: Brexit Select Committee election result Whittingdale, Rees-Mogg, Bone and others elected

WATCH:Davis The Bill is designed to offer maximum possible legal certainty and continuity whilst restoring control to the UK.

Withdrawal Bill 2) Thirty Labour MPs express concerns about Starmer's decision to Whip against the legislation

'Jeremy Corbyn is facing a Commons rebellion next week after Eurosceptic Labour MPs accused him of 'trying to scupper Brexit' by blocking vital new legislation. The Labour leader was under fire after confirming he will order his MPs to oppose the EU Withdrawal Bill in a crunch Commons vote on Monday. Thirty Labour MPs have met with shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer to raise concerns about the stance, warning that it will be seen as a betrayal by millions of Labour voters who backed Brexit. But, as the flagship legislation began its passage through parliament, Sir Keir confirmed that Labour is implacably opposed to it, even though it has no alternative plan for implementing Brexit.' Daily Mail

Starmer delivers a boring speech The Times

No, he had a stormer Daily Telegraph

Labour explores the option of staying in the Customs Union forever FT

Big business brought Brexit on itself through its use of cheap foreign labour Jeremy Warner, Daily Telegraph

The SNP is also lining up against the Bill The Scotsman

Who said what in the debate The Times

Withdrawal Bill 3) Fernandes and Baker accused of disloyalty over ERG Brexit letter

'Theresa May is being urged by pro-Remain Conservative MPs to sack a minister and a Treasury aide accused of supporting a letter designed to lock the prime minister into a hard Brexit. Steve Baker, a minister in the Brexit department, and Suella Fernandes, an aide to the chancellor, intervened on a private online messaging group that encouraged MPs to sign the letter. The letter, signed by dozens of Tory MPs, says that Britain should not pay into the EU budget during a transition period and must be able to sign trade deals straight after Brexit in March 2019. ..The demands are at odds with a standstill transition deal pushed by Philip Hammond, under which Britain would have full access to the single market and customs unionMr Baker, her predecessor as chairman before he entered government, sent a message yesterday morning to the group that said: Thanks for everyone's support.His spokesman said last night: Steve was happy to welcome the support of MPs in his first dispatch box experience.' The Times

Nicky Morgan and Stephen Hammond attack the pair The Sun

Their so-called 'hard Brexit' is just Brexit, plain and simple The Sun Says

May is caught between two potential rebellions The Sun

Arron Banks writes to constituents of Hammond and Rudd The Guardian

>Today: ToryDiary:Conservative revolts on Europe are coming now not from Leavers but from former Remainers

Downing Street reviews policies on housing and student debt

'Theresa May's government is looking at ways to make housing more affordable and tackle the burden of tuition fees, in an attempt to win back support from younger voters. Philip Hammond, the chancellor, called for submissions from MPs on how to close the generational gap as he addressed a meeting of the Conservatives' backbench 1922 committee this week. He told the private meeting on Wednesday night that young people needed more help than their older counterparts because they were burdened with heavy debts, including tuition fees. Lord Willetts, a former Tory cabinet minister who chairs the Resolution Foundation - the UK think-tank that is focused on improving living standards - was also invited to Number 10 this week for a meeting with James Marshall, Downing Street's head of policy.' FT

It's currently hopeless for Tories to target younger voters Joe Armitage, The Times

Radical action is required The Sun Says

If May meant what she said about burning injustices, she must act Gaby Hinsliff, The Guardian

The Government should outline free market solutions to the problems of the young Ryan Bourne, Daily Telegraph

University vice-chancellors fight back against efforts to curb their pay

'Vice-chancellors are rebelling against government attempts to limit pay, warning that any attempt by governing boards to cut their salaries would breach employment law. Under new measures, universities will have to justify salaries higher than 150,000 to a new watchdog or be hit with fines. Vice-chancellors said that since governing boards have no powers to reduce pay once it is established in a contract, they would pay the fines rather than risk a tribunal. Jo Johnson, the universities minister, confronted vice-chancellors yesterday over failure to tackle excessive pay. One vice-chancellor told The Times: My board cannot force a pay cut on me. They would end up at a tribunal. They will just have to take the fine.' The Times

The war on their pay must stop Oliver Kamm, The Times

NHS managers enjoy pay rises three times larger than those of nurses The Times

The link between growth and earnings has broken Alfie Stirling, The Times

The Archbishop of Canterbury shouldn't be so snobbish about consumer spending Ed Conway, The Times

Universities should be ashamed of their capitulation on free speech Tom Harris, Daily Telegraph

>Yesterday: ToryDiary: Row over university pay arises because we expect them to be two things in one

Lammy report alleges racial bias in the justice system

'Prosecutions against some black and minority-ethnic suspects should be deferred or dropped to help tackle the criminal justice system's bias against them, according to a highly critical report written by the Labour MP David Lammy at the request of the prime minister. Lammy said allowances should also be made for younger defendants' immaturity and criminal records should be sealed to help former offenders find work, adding that statistics suggested discrimination in the UK was worse than in the US in some cases. My conclusion is that BAME individuals still face bias, including overt discrimination, in parts of the justice system, the MP says in his report. His findings provide facts that people from minority ethnic backgrounds have argued for decades. The MP highlighted the fact that there was greater disproportionality in the number of black people in prisons in England and Wales than in the US.' The Guardian

This injustice is creating a social timebomb David Lammy, The Guardian

>Today:Michael Farmer on Comment: How family members can help prisoners to break their cycle of crime

The Telegraph accuses Ian Paisley Jr of failing to declare hospitality from the Sri Lankan government

'One of the Northern Irish MPs propping up Theresa May's government accepted holidays worth 100,000 from a country he is now helping to secure a post-Brexit trade deal, The Telegraph can reveal. Ian Paisley Jr, one of the Democratic Unionist Party's most prominent MPs, accepted two all-expenses-paid trips from the Sri Lankan government. Documents seen by the Telegraph show that Mr Paisley took his wife and four children to the country. They flew business class, stayed in the finest hotels and were provided with a chauffeur-driven Mercedes, all paid for by the Sri Lankan government. During discussions with officials, he offered to help the state broker an oil deal, saying he had significant arrangements with national oil suppliers in Oman and Nigeria. The trips, which were never disclosed in the Commons register of interests, will raise serious questions about the influence and interests of the MP.' Daily Telegraph

He dismisses the claims as 'defamatory' and 'devoid of fact or logic' Twitter

Questions over the apprenticeships that were meant to be funded by Libor fines

'Millions of pounds of fines levied on banks that the Conservatives promised would be used to fund apprenticeships have not created extra opportunities, auditors have suggested. The National Audit Office accused the Department for Education of failing to demonstrate that it had used 200 million from the Libor fund to set up 50,000 new apprenticeships on top of those already announced. The department did not directly address the accusation but said thousands of apprenticeships had been created. An internal inquiry by financial regulators in 2012 revealed that several banks in America and Europe were profiting from manipulating Libor, the benchmark interest rate for loans between banks that is set in London. British regulators fined the banks 688 million, with all proceeds destined for the benefit of the public.' The Times

Proctor sues the police over mishandled child abuse investigation

'Former MP Harvey Proctor has said he will sue the Metropolitan Police over their handling of the investigation into historical child sex abuse allegations against him. Mr Proctor told ITV News he had been mentally and physically destroyed by the claims that he was part of a Westminster paedophile ring. He said he planned to sue for loss of earnings and his home, and criticised the police for failing to respond to his lawyers' petition for compensationThese are difficult matters and I wouldn't want to negotiate on television what my lawyers are trying to settle with the lawyers for the police, he said. But it obviously has to take account of the fact that a job I loved doing I can no longer do. I fully intended to work for another 10 years doing that job. It's a job, not a physical job, and I could have done that. Also the house that went with the job, I expected to die in that house. I have no home now.' Daily Telegraph

Police pass evidence on 'Nick' to the CPS The Times

The UK ups its Hurricane Irma aid package to 32 million

'Prime Minister Theresa May has upped Britain's Hurricane Irma aid package to 32million. The category five storm is continuing to tear a deadly trail through the Caribbean. It has already left thousands homeless after destroying buildings and uprooting trees. Mrs May's response came after the UK Government was slammed over its 'pathetic' response. Britain has sent hundreds of troops and the Royal Navy flagship HMS Ocean to its overseas islands battered by Hurricane Irma.' Daily Mail

Britain accused of delaying help The Times

Branson's private island 'destroyed' Daily Telegraph

News in Brief

Massive data brach at Equifax The Times

Trinity Mirror begins talks to buy the Express FT

Israeli jets strike Syrian weapons factory The Times

Bell Pottinger staff are told the company is on the verge of administration City AM

Mother of imprisoned Venezuelan opposition leader visits Downing Street The Sun

Le Carre compares Trump to the rise of fascism in the 1930s Daily Telegraph

Mexican earthquake triggers tsunami The Guardian

[emilydto]

Finally.

It’s going on 2 years, more than 3 months since the hearing, and I finally have the results of my Human Rights complaint against Theatre 20.

It’s been a long day, so I’m not going to comment on it much now, I’ll just post a link to the entire document (which is public information, and will be available on the HRTO website soon, not sure exactly how long it takes them to post them but I’ve seen some from the end of March), and put some excerpts here.

I’ll point out, again, that I am well within my legal right to post all of this, though I’m sure I’ll get more complaints for doing it. I think it’s important to speak up when you’re mistreated, especially when the HRTO agrees – if I hear complaints again that this will damage anyone’s reputation I’ll repeat, as before, it’s not my saying it that’s hurting you, it’s that you’ve done it.

You can read a copy of the entire decision, here: 2017 HRTO 394 Dix Final 4-April-2017. The only thing I have edited is the contact information for myself and the Respondent at the top of the page.

For those of you that don’t feel like reading all 43 pages, here’s the Coles Notes version:

Injury to Dignity & Self-Respect

I didn’t manage to prove all aspects of my case, unfortunately, but that wasn’t surprising considering it was very difficult for me to find any proof. Many of the things that were said or done happened in-person, so I had no written documents, no video or anything to support my claims. Since I worked with Brian Goldenberg alone (with the exception of a part-time student employee sometimes, and some volunteers, none of whom were privy to the conversations and issues that I raised in my complaint), the majority of really was “he said/she said”, though of course in this situation, the “he” didn’t even attend the hearing. So it came down to me versus the men in my complaint, none of whom were there for daily operations and all of whom I had complaints against; nonetheless, I was able to prove my points well enough that I was awarded “compensation for injury to dignity, feelings and self-respect” (page 43). So let’s look at what that means.

Well in my case, it broke down into 2 main sections; my complaint of sexual harassment from Chris Weber, and the threat of reprisal I received when stating that I would file a formal complaint if that harassment, and other issues, did not stop. When it comes to sexual harassment and the code;

[48] Section 7(3)(a) of the Code provides that “every person has a right to be free from a sexual solicitation or advance made by a person in a position to confer, grant or deny a benefit or advancement to the person where the person making the solicitation or advance knows or ought reasonably to know that it is unwelcome”.

As the Vice Chair notes in the assessment;

[49] Mr. Weber was clearly a person in a position to confer, grant or deny a benefit to the applicant. He was a member of the respondent’s board of directors where the applicant was an employee. He described himself as being in a leadership and mentorship role to the applicant. He had recommended her to be hired for her position with the respondent.

While there were other issues as well, the one piece of hard evidence I had in regards to this was the text message, which I posted in my last blog about the hearing;

As I stated in my claim, this message made me uncomfortable not just in its nature, but more so in the fact that he was,

Was in a position of power above me

Considerably older than me

Married (and recently, too)

Was apparently hitting on me to my face, while insulting me and complaining about me behind my back

It felt very much like a power trip, and apparently the Vice Chair agreed;

[50] Even if I were to accept Mr. Weber’s evidence that the semi-colon was intended by him as a smiley face, and not as a winky face, and that the “hehehe” was intended as a light-hearted hee-hee-hee, the fact remains that Mr. Weber sent text messages to the applicant describing her outfit from the event as “hot” and telling her that he was “looking forward to [her] coming out with the shorter dress”. In my view, these comments are clearly and obviously sexual in nature.

He goes on to discuss the legal definition of an “advance” and what that means in regards to the code, all of which again, you can read in full if you click the link at the top. The main point however is summed up here;

[50] …I have no hesitation in finding that Mr. Weber ought reasonably to have known that these comments were unwelcome to the applicant.

How does that come back to what is officially a complaint against The Twenty Theatre Company? Well;

[51] As Mr. Weber is vice-chair of the board of directors of the respondent theatre company, I find that Mr. Weber is part of the directing mind of the respondent. As such, the respondent is liable for his conduct: see Halliday v. Van Toen Innovations Incorporated, 2013 HRTO 583; Strauss v. Canadian Property Investment Corporation (No. 2), (1995) 24 C.H.R.R. D/43 at para. 55; and Ghosh v. Domglas (No. 2), (1992) 17 C.H.R.R. D/216 at para. 54.

[52] Accordingly, I find that the respondent is liable for the violation of the applicant’s rights under s. 7(3)(a) of the Code.

Their other violation of the Human Rights Code was in the threat of reprisal; I told Brian that I had complaints, he said he’d deal with them, he didn’t (according to testimony, he never even shared them with the Board Members), so I said I would speak to them myself and that if things didn’t change, I would have to file a complaint. They stated that was a reason for my termination, which is illegal.

In testimony from Board Member Dave Morris, it was clearly stated that this was the case, as is described here;

[78] Mr. Morris testified that the executive director said that the “penny dropped” in his mind and he decided to terminate the applicant’s employment after she had indicated to him that unless he spoke up to the board and committee members about their behavior towards the applicant, then she was going to go do it herself. Mr. Morris testified that this was described to him by the executive director as the “deciding moment”.

In regards to how exactly this is dealt with by the code;

[105] Section 8 of the Code provides, in its relevant part: “Every person has a right to claim and enforce his or her rights under this Act . . . without reprisal or threat of reprisal for so doing”. In Noble v. York University, 2010 HRTO 878 at para. 33, the Tribunal stated that in an application alleging reprisal, the following elements must be established: (1) an action taken against, or threat made to, the applicant; (2) the alleged action or threat is related to the applicant having claimed, or attempted to enforce a right under the Code; and (3) an intention on the part of the respondent to retaliate for the claim or attempt to enforce the right. Intent may be proved by direct evidence or by inference: Entrop v. Imperial Oil Ltd. (No. 7) (1995), 23 C.H.R.R. D/213, upheld with respect to reprisal, (2000), 37 C.H.R.R. 481, 2000 CanLII 16800 (ON CA).

And when it comes to my case?

[106] With regard to the first element, there is no question that the termination of the applicant’s employment is an adverse or negative action taken against the applicant.

[107] With regard to the second element, the first issue is whether and, if so, when the applicant claimed or attempted to enforce her Code rights…

[108] While I am not convinced that a generic reference to “workplace rights” would be sufficient to establish that an applicant had claimed her Code rights, I note that her use of this term was clearly understood by the executive director to refer to human rights. This is evidenced by the executive director’s e-mail dated July 23, 2015, in which he makes reference to the applicant’s “threat of human rights action against us on Tuesday night” (July 21, 2015 was a Tuesday). As a result, I find that, whatever words she used, the applicant was clearly understood by the executive director, and hence by the respondent, to have claimed and threatened to enforce her human rights under the Code at least as of the night of July 21, 2015.

[109] The next question for me to consider is whether the applicant’s claim of, and threat to enforce, her human rights was related to the decision to terminate her employment…on the basis of Mr. Morris’ evidence, it was this very text from the applicant, in which she threatened to go directly to the board members to raise her concerns about how she perceived they were treating her and the executive director, which was the proverbial “final straw” that caused the executive director to make the final termination decision.

Basically it needs to be proven that, not only did a say I would make a complaint and that I felt my rights were being violated, but that they understand it as such, and that then I faced reprisal because of it. The result?

[111] As a result, I find that the applicant has established that her right to be free from reprisal has been violated by the respondent, in contravention of s. 8 of code on the basis of my finding that her threat of human rights action against the respondent was a factor in the final decision to terminate the applicant’s employment. In making this finding, I am cognizant of the well-established principle that a protected right under the Code need not be the only or even the principal reason for the adverse treatment, and that it is sufficient for the protected right to have contributed to, or played a role in, the adverse treatment: see Quebec (Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse) v. Bombardier Inc. (Bombardier Aerospace Training Center), 2015 SCC 39 at paras. 43 to 52.

The amount of money I am supposed to be compensated with will be just enough (literally) to pay back the debt I have from the loans I had to take to avoid being homeless after losing that job. So please don’t think I’m getting rich off this, or coming out ahead. As I’ve said from the start I was much more concerned with having this heard, and I do understand that a judgement saying I’m awarded a certain amount doesn’t mean I’ll actually ever see it, so who knows how that will go. So I guess it’s not actually all over, but I can’t tell you the relief I felt reading this today.

Finally, while it didn’t exactly play into the end result, since this is an issue of particular importance to me, I’ll end this off with this note;

[101] The third allegation of discrimination because of disability relates to the respondent’s decision to cut off her access to her e-mail account on July 23, 2015. There can be no dispute that the applicant’s medical condition was expressly relied upon by the executive director as stated in the July 23, 2015 e-mail as one of the reasons for cutting off access. I further find that the executive director’s fear that the applicant may become “destructive” in light of the decision to terminate her employment plays on stereotypes about persons with mental health disabilities.

I have clinical depression and anxiety with agoraphobia. I have been being treated for part of this for about 7 years, and the other about 4, and have been medicated most of this time. It does sometimes make it difficult for me to get out of bed, to go outside, to not want to crawl into a hole and die, BUT, it in no way makes me “destructive” and the fact that Brian Goldenberg explicitly said to Board Members that my “condition” meant I couldn’t be trusted is not only insulting but idiotic. I feel like most people will realize it, but I’ve still gotta say it.

If I could give anyone advice from any of this (and of course, this is not legal advice, it’s just what I wish I had done differently), it would be to disclose any disabilities early on in your job. Admittedly, not in the first 3 months; you can be fired for anything then, and the sad truth is that most people are not very accepting or tolerant of mental illness or disability, so I would not count on them being “good people” about it. However, despite the fact that Brian stated to the Board Members that “my condition” was a reason for not trusting me, I was unable to prove that I was fired based on discrimination due to a disability, primarily because I made other excuses for it before. Since I was initially told it was fine to work from home, I didn’t think agoraphobia would be a problem. If I could have days where I didn’t need to go out, I could still work. However, when I had those days, instead of saying that I needed to stay home because of anxiety or depression, I would say I was “sick”. While technically that was true, and while I did that because of the types of negative responses I had had in the past when I did disclose my mental illness, it eventually came back to bite me, as they could now claim that my disability didn’t prevent me from doing any work, and that it had never come up before. It’s sort of a catch 22 in my opinion, but that’s how it is, I suppose. I’ve been very lucky in that, the jobs i’ve had since then – at Tarragon Theatre and now with Canamedia’s Teens 101 – I’ve worked with incredibly kind, accepting and understanding people. And while I have still had many days where I couldn’t go to work, it was never because of what was waiting for me there. Those were and are both happy and (to use the popular term of the moment) “safe places”.

-E.

Filed under: Local Theatre Tagged: Brian Goldenberg, Chris Skillen, Chris Weber, HRTO, Human Rights, illegal, injury to dignity, Sexual Harassment, Theatre 20, Threat of Reprisal, women's rights from Finally.