#this is not even about The Economy and Housing Crisis this is like. my life and choices lately lol afjsahfjk let's see:

[halfnekoslair]

TFATWS thoughts.

I came back to the fandom years later and found that some people have rather mixed opinions about Karly and Sam's stance on her. Which some people find hypocritical. I can agree that the TV show did a pretty poor job of emphasizing the Flagsmashers motivation. But it seemed so obvious to me what happened. From an economic standpoint. What do you think happened when half the population disappeared? Businesses lost half their employees. Half their customers. They would have to cut their production in half. But then would they be able to afford their space and equipment? The economy would collapse if these people weren't replaced. Production would suffer greatly. It wasn't necessarily the useless, uneducated poor people who moved to rich countries as migrants. The richer countries simply vacuumed up everyone they needed from countries with a even a little lower quality of life. And for these people, it wasn't just a matter of moving to a better place. It was a race to get to a place that would last. Because I'm sure that the economies of countries that couldn't attract enough people were destroyed. Even a small local business can't survive if there are too few buyers for their products. So in a way, richer countries Cannibalized economies of the weaker ones. In a time of crisis and chaos. And when the people erased by Thanos returned, the government wanted to send back the people they attracted to save their economy. But do they send them back to their home as they left it? No. In a few years, it turned into a poor semi-medieval society. And it will take decades to somehow fix it. The authorities used these people and wanted to throw them out when they were no longer needed. They were victims of the situation. And that's why Sam sympathized with Karly's ideas. And asked not to call her a terrorist. I've seen more than enough people call Sam a hypocrite on this. (mostly on my side of the fandom. I'm not sure if there are many with these ideas on the English-speaking side) And it's just so stupid. But at the same time, his lecturing the government seems a bit unfair. Because he's not offering a solution to the problem. And the problem is really complicated. Just "being better" isn't really an answer. And it won't help provide people with housing, jobs, and food. And the TV series did a really bad job of communicating the problem itself. So some people saw the displaced people as just invaders of other people's places. Ugh. Does it really require much knowledge of History and Economics to imagine what happened after half the population disappeared? And I'll add the TB* tag. Because I feel like that misunderstanding adds a little bit of negativity to Sam's position. Sorry.

[seenthisepisode]

i need help to manage my budget... by help i mean 3 million euro sent directly from heaven i guess

[pinkgy]

URGENT

Please keep reading this, and if you can, please share this and anything related to this topic, we NEED visibility.

Nicolas Maduro fraudulently won yesterday’s presidential elections, I repeat, NICOLAS MADURO and his allies have committed fraud against VENEZUELA.

EDMUNDO GONZÁLEZ URRUTIA WON THE 2024 VENEZUELA PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS BY MORE THAT 70% OF THE VOTES, AND ALSO WON IN EVERY VOTING CENTER IN THE WHOLE COUNTRY. BUT THE DICTATORSHIP OF NICOLAS MADURO REFUSES TO BE TRANSPARENT AND STOLE THE ELECTIONS.

There’s just been a day since this was announced and there’s already tons of harmed and killed citizens, OUR PEOPLE IS GETTING KILLED FOR SPEAKING UP, AND THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN LIKE THAT.

This is a dictatorship, one that has took the life’s of millions of Venezuelans in the past 25 years.

WE ARE SCARED, i am scared, I want to get out of my house and protest for a better future, for the freedom of my people and for peace to finally win in Venezuela, but I’m scared of getting killed for fighting for my rights. Venezuela right now is dangerous, even staying in your own house is dangerous.

I’m deeply proud of all of those who are on the streets right now, thank you so much for being so brave, and for fighting for this country.

We want to finally have a break, we’ve been suffering for way too long because of this government, this is nothing like what the foreigners think is going on, this is not about the the lack of food, this about that WAY more that half of the country can’t even afford to buy decent groceries with their monthly income (the minimum wage is 3.5$ PER MONTH, and whatever you hear out there where they say that is 800bs is a LIE)

This is not about the inflation, this is about that we have to use a foreign currency, because ours is WORTHLESS.

We are not the country with the biggest oil reserves on the world, the gas on the gas stations in Venezuela is from IRAN, our oil reserves are being STOLEN by the government.

Just by natural resources, we are supposed to be one the countries with the best economies in the world, but we have one of the WORST, because the government and those who are connected to them STEAL EVERYTHING.

We don’t wanna live this way anymore, I don’t wanna say goodbye to another family member, I don’t wanna say goodbye to another of my friends, I want them to stay, to come back, I want to celebrate Christmas with a table full of my loved ones, I want them to be part of my life, I want to be able to go out with my friends in car where there’s no empty spaces, I want to be free.

Please, to whoever is reading this, wherever your Venezuelan or not, please share this and everything related to what’s going on right now, we want this to have visibility, for the whole world to know what’s going on.

Here’s so important information that might help you to understand things a bit better.

And if you wanna know what’s going on the streets and the ATROCITIES this government is doing to Venezuelans, you can check this Twitter/X account. https://x.com/uhn_plus?s=21&t=811ZdyqLhYbY4z4zGa7Qlw

[mileygoneblogger]

♱⃓ 𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 ♱⃓

word count: (2.7k)

warnings: mild language use, mentions of weird/uncomfortable texts

⚝ return to masterlist ⚝

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞: 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐲!

damn the economy. honestly? let's just abolish capitalism itself at this point.

i glared at my bills spread across my table they had personally wronged me. rent. utilities. student loans. grocery reciepts. they all sneered at me, the numbers mocking my rapidly depleting bank account. the numbers didn’t even feel real anymore—just abstract threats in black ink.

i sighed to myself as i stabbed the calculator buttons like it had something to prove, finding the total of my costs for the month. i was hunched over the calculator, paper, and pen in front of me, sat down in my apartment's living room, slumping further into my couch as i saw the number on the small screen: $1,220 total. for one month.

i slumped further into my couch like it might swallow me whole. how was i even alive? no, seriously. i’m a nineteen year old college student with a part-time waitressing job that pays in crumbs and kind-of-okay tips if i smile enough. and somehow, that’s supposed to cover rent, tuition, food, and the occasional mental breakdown? it’s criminal. i should sue.

my mug of tea had gone cold an hour ago, abandoned on my coffee table as i spiraled into financial crisis. my laptop screen had dimmed, buried under a flood of passive-aggressive reminder emails from my professor and unread discussion posts. i was mid-rant to one of my friends from back home—something about capitalism, and student loans. as i was considering the idea of taking on stripping as a night job, she gave me an almost painfully logical answer: a roommate.

why didn't i think of it before? i mean, sure, i'm not exactly the most social person, but, if someone is just kinda in my apartment doing their own thing, and we split rent... hey, doesn't sound that bad to me. after i took a while to think about it, i set up an ad online:

[ad]

🏡 roomie wanted: cheap rent, good times (i hope)🏡

hey stranger :p i’m currently looking for a roommate to split rent with because, well… life is expensive and i’d rather not sell my kidney to afford groceries.

the apartment is decent—small, but cozy. there’s one available bedroom, a shared bathroom, and a living space that’s great for collapsing in after pretending to have your life together all day. rent is reasonable, utilities are split, and i’m close to campus (like a 15-minute walk if you’re aggressively late to class).

about me:

- 19, employed, college student

- primarily introverted, but i’ll talk your ear off about weird dreams and conspiracy theories if you let me

- i mind my business. you mind yours. just peace and harmony.

about you:

- preferably not a serial killer (non-negotiable)

- pays rent on time

- doesn’t force awkward small talk while i’m microwaving leftovers at 2am

general info:

rent: $900/mo (your half = $450) + utilities

available: november 5th

if you’re interested, shoot me a txt: (812) 789-4989

if this turns out to be a disaster, hey, at least we'll have a good story right?

[end of ad]

in all honesty, i wasn’t expecting anyone sane to respond. i mean, have you seen the internet? it’s like craigslist and tinder had a cursed lovechild. but hey, it was worth a shot, right?

a few hours later, the responses started rolling in. and let me tell you—nightmare fuel.

some highlights:

- one man asked if he could bring his pet rats. plural.

- a girl wanted to know if i was okay with “frequent overnight visitors” (translation: random hookups).

- guy who seemed halfway decent casually dropped on me that he was on house arrest for the next six months. i'd be lying if i said i wasn't interested in his backstory.

- one message just said “u up?” at 2am. spiritually? i wasn't.

don't even get me started on the degenerates. i didn't realize how low some people's self-respect can be until now.

my phone buzzed against the counter—here we go, another text. another stranger responding to my roommate ad like it was some kind of dating profile on plenty o' creeps.

seriously, i was two seconds away from tossing the damn thing into the garbage disposal, even though it would probably survive just to spite me. the thing had survived being dropped down three flights of stairs and left out in the rain once. a little white iphone 3g with not a single crack, the screen only covered by a veil of scratches and scuffs. i'll take whatever the hell steve jobs was on when he was making these things.

this text was... interesting, to say the least. here it is:

[unknown number]

7:26PM

💬👀: hey baby. not only can i bring you cheaper rent, but i can also bring you some romance, and a good time. a real good time. ;)

i blinked.

this wasn’t craigslist personals. it was a roommate ad. for housing.

what part of 'quiet, clean, non-creepy individual' translated to 'yes, please sext me'?

before i could even mentally formulate an insult, more messages popped up.

💬👀: just give me a chance. please.

💬👀: i just can't be alone anymore. i can't.

the screen stayed lit in my hand, thumb frozen. i stared, slack-jawed, while the next one rolled in:

💬👀: ...i'm a feminist? if that's your thing?

my first instinct was to throw my phone before this guy sends me something else i would want eye bleach over. second instinct was to screenshot it.

then, after a full minute of silence from me:

💬👀: fine then. you don't have to be such a bitch about it.

blocked.

that was my cue. so long, cassanova.

i felt like i needed to move. i definitely needed some fresh air after... whatever that was.

that was my first thought after blocking that number. not scream, not laugh, not dramatically throw my phone into traffic—just move. sitting still felt like suffocating. and when i felt like that, chores were my go-to. repetitive, mindless. today, it was laundry day. warm machines. detergent that smelled like fake lavender and something mundane.

i tossed my laundry basket in the backseat and drove with the windows down. the air was sharp and cold in that familiar indiana way—like it was daring me to roll them back up. it smelled like smoke, dry leaves, and someone’s horrible idea of pumpkin spice.

bloomington in the fall sometimes made me feel like a background character in someone else’s coming-of-age film. the trees were loud in color. people wore scarves and uggs unironically. there was laughter somewhere in the distance and it wasn’t mine.

i passed my work, lou’s diner on kirkwood—ben’s car was there. i could spot that rusted-out chevy anywhere. i remember he briefly told me it was his uncle's way back when, and it definitely shows. might as well stop in and say hi, right? not like i have much better to do on a sunday besides mope in the laundromat all by myself.

the bell above the door jingled as i stepped inside, dragging a gust of cold air with me. the smell of coffee and grease hit me instantly—familiar and comforting, like old flannel. the place was half-full, locals mostly, all hunched over pancakes and toast like it was a sacred ritual.

i spotted ben almost immediately—i mean, it's impossible not to with that firey head of his. he sat at a booth by the window, hunched over a plate of fries he probably didn’t even order, wearing that same faded brown flannel he always wore when he didn’t know what else to wear. he was halfway through doodling something in the margins of a notepad—little stars, planets, and constellations. he truly was a dork at heart. i casually slid into the booth across from him.

"y'know, it should be illegal to park something that ugly so close to a food establishment. think it'll start making the regulars vomit uncontrollably." i said sarcastically with a smug grin as i looked over at him.

his mouth twitched like he was fighting a smile. he was still looking down at his notebook with tired brown eyes, his wild ginger curls a mess. "y'know, if you insult her again, she'll get pissed off at you. maybe your airbag won't go off."

“excuse me?” i blinked. “her? oh my god. you named the van.”

"she's earned it," he finally looked at me, with that usual boyish smile he had on his face. "and for the record, i didn’t name her. the previous owner did."

i tilted my head slightly. “let me guess. your weird uncle.”

“yep, that's doug. toured with a pink floyd cover band in the eighties.”

i stared at him for a long beat. “that explains so much.”

he grinned and popped a couple of lukewarm fries into his mouth. "so, what brings you here anyway? you're not on shift." he says, his voice slightly muffled on account of the soggy mash of potato in his mouth.

"well, looks like you aren't either." i quipped, a trace of a chuckle in my voice as i spoke. "i saw your shaggin' wagon out front and decided to stop in. was on the way to the old laundromat."

"meg," ben groaned. "don't call it that ever again, i beg of you. besides, her name is betty."

i snorted. "betty?"

"betty," he confirmed with a nod, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "as in white walls, brown vinyl, smells vaguely like cigarettes and broken dreams betty."

"oh, so she’s a classy woman?" i chuckled, as i pictured the ugly-as-sin van i've come to know and love as some deeply troubled, esoteric woman chainsmoking and sadly sipping on some prestigious martini.

he shrugged, smirking. "of course she is. she’s got character. spunk."

i leaned back in the booth, arms crossed. "you’re one flat tire away from becoming a cautionary tale, you know that?"

"oh meg, you wound me," he said, placing a hand over his chest dramatically. "i’ll have you know she passed inspection last spring."

"right. and i’m the queen of england."

ben just laughed, low and easy, and went back to doodling in the corner of his notepad. he’d already drawn a little spaceship abducting what looked suspiciously like a cow grazing in the grass.

“so, laundry. you heading to that creepy laundromat on walnut?” he asked without looking up.

i nodded, pulling my sleeves over my hands. “yeah. figured i’d be productive. maybe stare into the industrial dryers and reflect on my many life choices.”

he glanced up again, that smile softening. “sounds cozy.”

“it’s something.”

we lingered in that weird, comfortable quiet for a few seconds—the kind that only ever came with ben. no pressure to fill the silence. no awkwardness. just the hum of the old diner lights, the jukebox, and the soft clink of silverware in the background.

i glanced out the window. the sky was starting to go gray, that muted indiana kind of gray where you couldn’t tell if it was 4pm or 9 in the morning. leaves scraped along the pavement like they were trying to get out of town before winter hit.

"i should get going," i said finally, sliding out of the booth. "before someone tries to use the good washers."

ben nodded. "tell betty i said hi."

i raised an eyebrow. "you want me to talk to your van?"

"i want you to respect her."

"not happening, ben."

he grinned. "drive safe, meg."

"you too, cowboy."

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

the laundromat was quiet when i got there. not dead, just sleepy. a kid was sliding around on the tile floors in socks while his mom tried to feed quarters into a jammed machine. some guy in the corner was reading the book of psalms like he’d read it a thousand times already—softly mouthing along, underlining a verse with a yellow highlighter that looked like it was running out of ink.

i shook off the memory of kokomo. my bible-belt hometown, all fire and brimstone and well-rehearsed smiles. sunday school stained glass and whispering women in floral skirts.

nope. not today.

i made my way toward a machine in the far back corner, the one with the dent in the side that nobody ever seemed to want. it was cheap and barely functional—perfect.

i dropped my laundry basket down beside it and started sorting through the pile. hoodies, socks, jeans.

i wonder how mom’s doing.

the thought came and went before i could stop it. i tried to stuff it down like the rest of the dirty laundry.

meg, you should really call her more. my hand hovered over the detergent for a second too long.

i hadn’t called her since the beginning of this school year. it wasn’t that i didn’t want to—it was just that hearing her voice always brought everything back, and i wasn’t sure i could face that again. i guess i just hadn’t wanted to hear that soft, tired voice laced with all the things she didn’t say. she always sounded like she was waiting for me to come home. not in a clingy way—just… like she still held space for me, waiting for me with open arms. sorry, mom.

the washer beeped. i snapped back into the room.

coins in. start button. spin cycle. move on.

the hum of the dryers filled the air like static. i sat on the little wooden bench by the window and watched the red leaves outside twist in the wind like they were trying to dance their way off the branches.

it was always like this.

bloomington in october. beautiful. lonely. loud in the ways that didn’t matter.

i stared into the washer drum as it spun, letting it hypnotize me. socks and hoodies and pillowcases tumbled like they didn’t have a care in the world.

must be nice, i thought. somewhere between the suds and spin cycles, i let myself breathe once again.

after reloading my clothes into a different machine, the dryer hummed behind me, its rumble rattling gently through the old laundromat floor. i sat on the cold bench by the wall, thumb absently tracing the edge of my phone, mind somewhere else entirely.

across the room, the kid in socks had finally tired himself out. he now sat curled up beside his mom, watching the dryers spin with the kind of wide-eyed wonder you only get before the world fucks you up.

i kept glancing at my phone, not because i was expecting anything, but because hope’s a stupid little habit you can’t quite quit.

i thought back to earlier today, being hunched over my coffee table, feeling the dollars in my bank account withering away with each number i punched into that damn calculator.

the hours at the diner weren’t cutting it, and neither were the uncomfortable couch sleeps at liza’s. i needed a roommate, and soon.

preferably one who didn’t sext me immediately or try to convert me to pyramid schemes.

a heavy sigh left my chest before i could stop it.

this wasn’t what i pictured when i thought about college. i thought i’d be in some dorm room with a cork board full of polaroids and twinkly lights, having the time of my life. not... whatever this is.

i reached for my laundry basket just as the dryer clicked off with a soft thunk.

the kid smiled at me as he left.

i smiled back.

i looked at my phone once again, skimming through the notifications i've recieved from the puddle of unsaved numbers of strangers i didn't even know the names of.

maybe this was all just a big mistake on my end.

okay, fuck it. a week. i’d give it one more week.

and if no one normal showed up by then, i’d delete the damn ad, burn my phone, and move into a cave somewhere. become the next small town urban legend or something.

and at that point, maybe i’d even start enjoying being the joke.

and if the universe had a sense of humor? it was about to make me its favourite punchline.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

next chapter coming soon! thank you for reading, xoxo <3

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

New Rule: Whoa, Canada | Real Time with Bill Maher

And finally, New Rule. If we want to save our country, we should follow the advice good liberals have given for decades and learn from other countries.

Especially those beacons of progressivism like Canada, England, and Scandinavia, and I agree we should, as long as we're honest about the lessons we're learning. And as long as we're up to date on the current data. Such as, the unemployment rate in the US is 3.8 percent. And in Canada, it's 6.1. And of the 15 North American cities with the worst air pollution, 14 are in Canada.

I'm not citing these stats because I have it out for Canada. I love Canada, and its people, and always have, but I hate zombie lies. Zombie lies. That's when things change but what people say about them doesn't. Yes, for decades, places like Vancouver, and Amsterdam, and Stockholm seemed idyllic, because everything was free and all the energy we needed was produced by riding a bike to your job at the windmill. Canada was where all the treasured goals of liberalism worked perfectly. It was like NPR come to life but with poutine.

Canada was the Statue of Liberty with a low-maintenance haircut and cross-country skis. A giant idealized blue state with single-payer health care, gun control, and abortion on polite demand. Canada was where every woke White college kid, wearing pajama pants outdoors who'd had it up to here with America's racist patriarchy, dreamt of living someday. I mean, besides Gaza.

There's only one problem with thinking everything's better in Canada. It's not. Not anymore anyway. Last year, Canada added 1.3 million people, which is a lot in one year. The equivalent of the US adding 11 million migrants in one year. And now, they are experiencing a housing crisis even worse than ours. And we're sleeping in tents. The median price of a home here is 346 grand, in Canada, converted to US dollars, it's 487. If Barbie moved to Winnipeg, she wouldn't be able to afford her dream house and Ken would be working at Tim Hortons. And because of mortgage debt, Canada has the highest debt to GDP ratio of any G7 nation. I don't know what that means, but it sounds bad.

So does their vaunted health care system, which ranks dead last among high income countries in access to primary health care and ability to see a doctor in a day or two. And it's not for lack of spending. Of the 30 countries with universal coverage, Canada spends over 13 percent of its economy on it, which is a lot of money for free health care.

Look, I'm not saying Canada still isn't a great country. It is, but those aren't paradise numbers. If Canada was an apartment, the lead feature might be "America adjacent." And if America was a rental car, Canada would be "America or similar."

And again, honestly, Canada, I'm not saying any of this 'cause I enjoy it. I don't, 'cause I've always enjoyed you. But I need to cite you as a cautionary tale to help my country. And the moral of that tale is, "Yes, you can move too far left." And when you do, you wind up pushing the people in the middle to the right. At its worst, Canada is what American voters think happens when there's no one putting a check on extreme wokeness.

Like the saga of Canadian shop teacher, Kayla Lemieux, whose pronouns are she/her and those. Kayla is now back to being a guy named Kerry, but two years ago when "they" showed up to teach children, the progressive high school "they" taught at said that they-- They, the school, not the person. Really? You couldn't have found another word? We were using that one. Anyway, okay. They were committed to a safe environment for gender expression. Safe for who? What about the children? What about the equipment in that shop class?

You know, there was once a weirdo D-list movie producer in the '60s named Russ Meyer who made low-budget B movies like Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! And Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. Always featuring women who look like this. His movies played in porn houses and were featured in Hustler and Playboy. Okay, fine, but who says, "No, when it comes to huge, ridiculous tits, let's save that for the kids."

And this is why people vote for Trump. They say in politics, liberals are the gas pedal and conservatives are the brakes, and I'm generally with the gas pedal, but not if we're driving off a cliff.

On the trans issue, America is no ands, ifs, or buts about it, absolutely alone in the world now. An outlier country. Last month, England's National Health Service announced that there's "not enough evidence to support the safety or clinical effectiveness" of puberty blockers for third graders, and that they were going to stop fumbling around with children's privates, because that's Prince Andrew's job.

So too with all the other good place countries in direct opposition to America's choice to affirm children's wishes on switching gender, no matter the age or psychiatric history. The Far Left, which always like to use, "Well, Europe does it." Yeah, no, that doesn't work on this one anymore.

Or on immigration. Sweden opened its borders to over a million and a half immigrants since 2010. And now 20 percent of its citizens are foreign-born and its education system is tanking, and it has Europe's highest rate of gangland killings. And one result is that the far-right parties are in the government now there for the first time.

To which liberals say, "Blaming immigrants for the rising crime rate is racist." Yeah, but is it true? Of course, it's true. It's not a coincidence. The quality of life went down after the Somali gangs started a drug turf war using hand grenades.

Calling it "racist" doesn't solve the problem. It hands future elections to someone who will solve the problem, and who, I promise, you're not going to like.

==

For the record, I've said literally all of this, including making the comparison of flying off a cliff if you rely entirely on the gas pedal. Just saying.

When Trump takes office again, and he will, people will act stunned and ask, "how could this have ever happened?"

[olippolyp]

rant:

i work in water/wastewater as an environmental engineer. my company consults for municipalities and private companies on designing and maintaining their water treatment quality & infrastructure. with that, i’ve gotten to work on a lot of really cool, gross, and important projects even as a very entry level person, having only graduated in 2023. while i know that i’m capable and that i have great mentors that are reviewing most everything i do, i’m frequently taken aback at just how much they trust me with with such limited practical experience.

i’m highly respected because of my job title, and that’s reflected in my pay. despite having graduated with crippling credit card debt and a mix of student, personal, and auto loans, my new steady income that allowed me to work overtime meant i could stop ubering and reexplore old hobbies. my mental health began to recover. but im still only beginning to get out of the red month to month. if i didnt live with my partner, i would be living paycheck to paycheck, and i would have to find a roommate.

my oldest brother works in the same industry as a treatment plant operator. he never went to college, despite being one of the brightest people i know. traditional schooling didn’t understand how to teach him. when we start talking about water treatment, his knowledge far surpasses mine. he knows what will happen if you add too much alum to a certain process at the wrong point in treatment without jar testing, whether a pump is or isnt appropriate for the application without modeling software, and what sounds good in theory but shits the bed in practice.

yet, because operator positions don’t require a college degree, he is paid a fraction of my salary. he’s been taking classes to advance as an operator since he started this particular job 2-3 years ago and does well. but because he doesn’t have a college degree, that is reflected in his pay.

he’s starting his third job this week and supports 4 kids. he’s one of the most determined and hard working people i know, but is filing for bankruptcy and is in danger of losing their housing. he feels like a failure and jokes about suicide.

if i make a mistake, it is extremely likely to be caught through several iterations of review by myself and others. if my brother makes a mistake, entire populations, ecosystems, and economies could be easily affected.

just look at what happened in richmond, va this past january after a snow storm that interrupted the water treatment plant’s power for a couple of hours caused the entire city to lose water for nearly a week, as well as critically affecting and/or taking out the water systems of connected surrounding counties. all because the plant was under-maintained and mismanaged. experts in my field weighed in around the country calling it the worst water crisis in us history next to flint, mi. it didnt make national news, however, because it was the same week that the la wildfires dominated airwaves.

we must pay our workers living thriving wages. your job, at the bare minimum, should compensate you well enough that when you leave work, you can rest, relax, and live a fulfilling life. your job should compensate you well enough that working a second job is an absurd red flag, not a necessity. your job should compensate you well enough to ensure that when you are there, you are able to be FULLY THERE.

the value of a person’s labor should not be determined by whether or not they have a degree, or how valuable our capitalist society deems their role. every person is entitled to an income that can sustain a happy, healthy life, whatever that means to them. i don’t give a fuck if the person working at wendy’s makes as much as me because i’m an egotistical ass that needs to feel superior to those around me. i want to know that the person across the counter from me is happy and healthy; not working themselves to the bone just to survive. i want to know that the operators at my local water treatment plant are well cared for and well rested, lest they make a preventable error that can have disastrous effects, or leave the industry after a few years, taking all of their knowledge and skills with them. i want to know that the people in my community are not exploited. that they pursue their passions rather than a paycheck.

if you are of the mindset that some jobs aren’t skilled enough to “deserve” a thriving wage, then you have never worked an “unskilled” job and NEEDED it. you may have bussed tables in school, but was your parents’ safety net there to catch you when you needed to give up a shift to study for a test? was it there when you got in a wreck driving home from class and totaled your car? was it there when you were in middle school and being introduced to the expectations for college scholarships? did you know at 12 that the only way you’d ever afford college would be by being perfect in school?

it is unacceptable that in 2025, it requires 4-5 incomes to keep a family above water. our people are worn down, burning out, and isolated. that’s how the system has been designed so that workers believe they are powerless within it. the reality is the system is powerless without them.

raising the minimum wage and taxes on the ultra-wealthy are the bare minimum. universal healthcare and the complete restructuring of the healthcare economic system is next. continue those regulations until the corporations’ price gouging and predatory tactics are eradicated in every industry. pull the united states military out of goddamn everything, and cut all their ties to local police organizations. cut their budgets and redirect it to improving national infrastructure, as well as the infrastructure and livelihoods of those countries and peoples we plundered. eradicate ice and use the budget to set up universal basic housing and income, available to all persons residing in the us, documented and undocumented. reinforce the fuck out of social security. build up our communities and the people that make them up rather than imposing restrictions meant to make them ‘prove’ their worth.

stop taking fucking advantage of each other.

[slaughterverse]

Y’all just keep acting like Biden is some kind of Patron Saint of all oppressed USamericans.

Anyways.

Biden allowed the defunding of ACP and EBT. In congress there has been no progress on any of the bills to reform SSI and SSDI. Disabled USamericans still are forced to live in poverty and now we can’t afford internet and we can’t afford food. Our food banks are suffering from the economy so we hardly even get food there. The housing crisis continues, the prices of rent are skyrocketing.

Again I will say I do not give a fuck how you vote, whatever you think you need to do I don’t care.

BUT DO NOT LIE ABOUT A SITUATION YOU HAVE NOT LIVED IN!! MY LIFE WILL CONTINUE TO GET WORSE REGARDLESS UNLESS THE SYSTEM IS DECONSTRUCTED.

[times-eclipse]

This fucking sucks man.

It's not like I didn't think they'd get in. I just expected things to be closer. It's fucking shameful that we'd lean so hard right just because the "vibes" were off or people got tired of the pandemic or whatever other stupid excuse centrists have.

It's incredibly disappointing how much people are willing to forget historically regressive social policies, the complete disregard for the pandemic, and that the housing market was caused by them in the first place. National will not fix the cost of living crisis - their cost of living is on a different planet to everyone else's.

I want leftists to yell it from the rooftops - I don't want us to forget anything they'll try this term. Centrists have the memories of goldfish and will forget all social policy rollback by next election just because they'll believe National's lies again.

These people do not care for me. They will make my life actively worse if it's economically advantageous to them. (And only them! Like, the party itself.) Even if Labour, unfortunately, wouldn't really ever do anything to help me*, they at least wouldn't ever make things worse.

*I personally agree more with the Greens' policies! But it's more strategic to side with Labour to fight against Fascism Lite.

I feel expendable by half this country.

I want National voters to look directly in the eyes of renters, disabled people, queer people, Maori, and struggling single-parents and tell them that they didn't disregard them when they chose to vote Right.

"But Aether, did you think about farmers when you voted Left?" Fuck farmers, they are a predominantly National/ACT voter bloc that only care about the fake thing we call the "economy". They got mad when they were told not to pollute waterways. Labour would never actively harm them, anyway.

Politics is not a game of equal sides.

[mightdeletelater]

The current discourse surrounding the cost of living crisis seems somewhat incomplete to me. When it comes up in the media or in discussions around me, it is consistently framed in terms of individuals' financial constraints, addressing what people can or cannot afford. I am not disputing that at all; that perspective is undeniably valid. In fact, I would argue that livable wages, affordable housing and rental control, neighbourhood resources, adequate public transit, high-quality education and efficient and productive health services are all very prevalent issues that fall under public safety.

But aside from all of that, when thinking about the cost of living crisis, I find myself asking: Why must we pay for everything in the first place? Today, I read this article highlighting local repair shops evolving into community hubs for free assistance in fixing gadgets and clothing. It prompted reflections on a bygone era when reciprocity thrived in communities, emphasising mutual aid rather than profit.

The individuals interviewed in the article are far from being revolutionary figures. Their actions echo sentiments reminiscent of historical resistors of industrialisation, like the Luddites (a word I learned from an English professor I hated) from the 19th century. Their resistance took various forms, some violent, but it takes one Google Scholar search to show that many chose to assert the mentality of: 'I do not need your money as desperately as you think, for I have systems of kinship outside this monetised economy.' The viewpoint of acknowledging that while currency is nice to have and it provides things, it really does not meet the majority of my needs right now is one that I am newly trying to adopt every single day. For me it's about starting small. I constantly think about that one viral Tumblr post about the commodification of friendship. It says:

the commodification of friendship is the most annoying thing to come out of the internet in ages. like actually i love to break this to you but you’re supposed to help your friends move even if it’s hard work. or stay up with them when they’re sad even if you’re gonna lose sleep. you’re supposed to listen to their fears and sorrows even if it means your own mind takes on a little bit of that weight. that’s how you know that you care. they will drive you to the airport and then you will make them soup when they’re sick. you’re supposed to make small sacrifices for them and they are supposed to do that for you. and there’s actually gonna be rough patches for both of you where the balance will be uneven and you will still be friends and it will not be unhealthy and they will not be abusive. life is not meant to be an endless prioritization of our own comfort if it was we would literally never get anywhere ever. jesus.

No, it isn't talking about the cost of living crisis, per se, but I like that the writer has specified how important community is and how yes, it may be unbalanced at times, and you won't gain from it monetarily, but that's OK. I'm constantly trying to remind myself that the human experience should be about giving. And I try. With my family. My friends. And in my community.

And so back to the main point: Does a significant portion of the cost of living crisis lies not just in our inability to afford things but in the imperative to afford everything. The issue transcends high prices; it's about the pervasive commodification of all aspects of life. It's about everything having a cost to begin with: whether that is physical items (like the things people were working on in repair shops) or emotional support (commodification of friendship). Capitalist logic has infiltrated to such an extent that almost everything is now part of a monetised economy. That's just so lame to me and not a trap I want to fall into.

[thoughtsoffoxes]

Why do we have to monetize everything?

I haven't been doing so well, but recently I've gotten more stable. It's probably a life crisis. I'll think about how working is what I'll be doing for the rest of my life. It won't matter if I'm in this same position or in another, but I'll be working. I get really upset thinking how lots of people just stay at jobs for decades. I haven't been able to stay at a job for over a year in a long time and I just have to strap down somewhere? Maybe other people are more fortunate and are able to find something they're okay with staying at. Personally, it's been hard. After a few months I get tired, I want to leave, things that are just standard for the job are annoying. I think maybe it's the sameness of it all. After a while the luster wears off and it's the same thing day in and out. I doubt there's any job that will truly fit the 'we do different things every week'. 

It's also crazy the sort of things people do to supplement income along with a full time job. We do door-dashing and sometimes it's been worth the money. Some people do Uber or those other delivery apps. If you have an extra house, somehow, you can rent that out as an AirBnB. One plus is that you can make the guests do all the housekeeping if you want so it's an even easier side hustle. Some people do tutoring, which is great if you're educated but I am not. Some people do art commissions. Some people do streaming. Some people do sex work or feet work or whatever kinky work, but (I hate to say this) the market is saturated and brutal. Some people do TikTok shop nonsense where they earn commission on drop-shipped items. Or they run little companies or brands. '5 ways to WFH, use my link on my profile.' 'Here's how to uplift yourself financially, Step 10 is buy my book'. People doing brand deals. Even pyramid schemes just popping up all over the place. I knew people who would do dog-walking on their breaks through Wag or something. There's apps to 'pay' you for scanning receipts or playing games or walking or some 'too good to be true' nonsense. There's transcription sites where you get paid one cent for every 'e' you write or something. Hey do you have a backyard you aren't using? Try Sniffspot! So people without a backyard can rent one for like thirty minutes for their dog! Have an extra car laying around? Put it on an app for people to rent! You just have one car laying around? Well get it wrapped with ads!

It's exhausting. It's disheartening. I can't paint one thing without pondering having a store and selling them. But I don't want to sell them. Not really. I've been trying to write a book, but I think I've put so much pressure on publishing it and making money from it that the joy is gone. When I play the Sims, I think about how I could post it and build a brand from it. But building a brand takes a lot of work and dedication and time. The Sims community is also oversaturated with content creators that I'd have to be extremely lucky to make it. I think about making a Youtube channel (again). I think about posting pictures of my body (and have) in the hopes of some cash. I then feel humbled in my job because I know other people would love the time to work on their various side hustles. Maybe if I just make the right TikTok and post it at the exact right time, it'll blow up and I could do something. 

Is this what the economy has to be now? People working a main job, a side job, and a side hustle to make ends meet. There's people making shitty AI music to make a few extra bucks. There's people begging on TikTok for money. There's people advising you to use all your time to make something of yourself, but I still have laundry to do. I still have groceries to get. It's bleak and part of why I feel so damn hopeless all the time. I constantly feel like I'm not doing enough, like I've failed in society for not wanting to labor more. For not wanting to spend more. 

In the first Hunger Games movie, Gayle asks Katniss, "What if everyone just stopped watching?" She responds with "They won't, Gayle. " He goes on to say, "If no one watches then they don't have a game." I've always had that concept bouncing around in my mind, like what if everyone stopped voting? What if we all stopped driving? What if everyone stopped paying rent? What if everyone stopped working? What if everyone stopped buying things? But they won't. There will be people who vote, who will drive, who will pay rent, who will work, who will buy things. Not that boycotting things hasn't worked in the past, but viewer the amount of chaos spread by one day of no one buying things? I doubt we'll see a significant amount of change like we did during the pandemic. As a kid I also thought about what would happen if no one voted, but even then I knew that the people who would absolutely vote no matter what would send things into ruin. Or at least change things that I could have avoided through voting. Imagine the change that could happen if we stopped buying things? Or just stopped working altogether? Would that actually change things? Would the minimum wage increase? Would the rents go down? Would quality of life improve? Probably not. I don't know, I didn't go to college.

So now we have too much supply, in my opinion. We have clothing factories making so many clothes as if everyone and their mothers are buying it. We have a plastic problem, despite how god damn useful it is. At least one fast food place in your town had someone drop a fuck ton of plastic lids on the floor and had to throw them all away. If one person doesn't follow recycling rules, one piece of non-recyclable material, the entire recycling bin is now trash. Even the new electric cars are bad for the world, using child slave labor to mine the cobalt for the batteries. 99% of food places have food waste. Someone screws up an order, things get dropped, things get thrown out at the end of the day. Maybe you're wondering, viewer, if we could just give this away? It depends on the place you work, honestly. But for hot food specifically, after two hours it can't be served anymore. For donations, it has to be food safe, so only one day before expiration. It's a lot of bureaucratic nonsense. 

There are lobbies with empty chairs and chaises as tons of homeless try their best to survive outside. Empty offices with no workers, just gathering dust. In Denver at least they've been bouncing the idea around of converting it to housing, but that will take years to come to fruition. The streetcars that used to get people around are no more, replaced with efficient RTD. If you haven't noticed, viewer, I'm talking about Denver specifically. Granted, many big cities did this too. They sold their streetcars and replaced it with personal cars. Instead of taking a nice train up through the mountains, we all drive. Just increasing more and more ozone. New cheaply built high rises keep getting built. They add another lane on the highways. They revoke more social services. Things keep getting more and more expensive. Then the planet will be too hot for us humans to survive. We will have brought on our own demise. Those with the money and power to change these things, just won't. The current way makes them too rich, too powerful. Those of us who want things to be better, who fight, who protest, all have to work together, but there's just too many of us who can't stop our lives. So we're just stuck on a speeding train, heading towards a cliff who knows how far down the track. 

[rauthschild]

Globalist Slavery Guide for Dummies

You Will Own Nothing and Be Happy" - The Plan for Global Control

The phrase "You will own nothing and be happy" didn't come from conspiracy theorists--it came straight from the World Economic Forum (WEF). This idea was pushed in 2016 as part of their vision for the world by 2030, and it's not a prediction--it's an agenda.

This isn't about making life better. It's about shifting ownership from individuals to corporations and governments, leaving everyday people dependent on the system for survival.

How They're Making This Happen

This isn't happening all at once--it's being rolled out in phases. Through economic manipulation, social engineering, and policy changes, private ownership is being systematically eliminated.

1-Housing & Property

Homeownership is becoming increasingly unaffordable while massive corporations like BlackRock and Vanguard are buying up entire neighborhoods.

Policies like rent control and zoning laws discourage private property ownership.

The push for "15-minute cities" is about restricting movement and forcing people into rented, controlled urban spaces.

2- Cars & Transportation

Car prices, insurance rates, and gas prices are being artificially inflated while public transit systems expand.

Climate policies are being used to justify phasing out gas-powered cars in favor of EVs that can be remotely controlled or disabled.

Urban planning policies remove the need for personal vehicles, forcing dependence on ride-sharing services owned by corporations.

3- Cash & Digital Currency

Cash is being phased out and replaced with Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs).

Digital wallets, social credit systems, and carbon tracking tools are all being developed to control spending habits.

Once cash is gone, every transaction can be monitored and even restricted based on compliance.

4- Food & Farming

Independent farmers are being regulated and forced out of business.

The push toward lab-grown meat and insect protein is a direct attack on food independence.

Governments are purchasing farmland, and major corporations like Bill Gates' Foundation are buying up agricultural land.

5- Jobs & Income

The rise of AI and automation is eliminating jobs, increasing reliance on Universal Basic Income (UBI).

UBI will be tied to compliance with government and corporate policies.

The gig economy means fewer full-time jobs, fewer benefits, and no stability.

The Goal: Forced Dependence

When you don't own a home, a car, or even the ability to transact freely, your survival depends on the government and corporations who control these systems. They aren't taking your property by force--they are making it unaffordable and unsustainable to own anything.

The ultimate goal is a world where everything is "rented" and controlled by a small group of elites. Every purchase, movement, and decision will be tracked, scored, and conditioned.

Yeshua's Words Warned Us About This System

Yeshua warned about a time when people would trade truth for comfort and security. He made it clear that the system of the world is designed to enslave people--not just physically, but spiritually.

Matthew 6:24 - "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other... Ye cannot serve God and mammon." Matthew 24:4 - "Take heed that no man deceive you." Matthew 10:39 - "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."

This isn't about rejecting modern conveniences. It's about recognizing the trap being set--where everything is controlled in the name of convenience, security, and sustainability.

The Time to Resist Is Now

This system isn't fully in place yet, but it's moving fast. Every new crisis, law, and policy change pushes us closer to a world where private ownership is impossible.

Will you allow yourself to be dependent on this system? Or will you take steps to remain independent and reject this control?

This isn't a theory. It's a plan playing out in real time. What are you going to do about it?

[televisionenjoyer]

Hey let me level with you for a second!! if your first instinct upon reading a post such as these in which people in the tags are discussing not having things like a washing machine or air conditioner is saying "but the united states isn't really rich!!" it may be advisable to touch grass and reflect for a minute.

Let me be truly completely honest about my situation, something I'd normally strongly advise against doing on the internet. What can I say about Argentina. It's a nice place to be in, even if the economy has been constantly crumbling since before I was born. I like it here. I like my life. I'm 23 with a degree on visual arts working full time at a marketing agency. I'm not even legally employed, which is estimated to be the case of 60% of our working population. so technically speaking I have no rights. 60% of our workers have no rights. This is completely normalized. I make the equivalent to $360 us dollars a month. This is more than double the minimum wage. It's lower than I'd like and less than I deserve to make, recognized by my employer himself. I'm managing just fine though! I live in a spacious house with my 4 people family. I'm really lucky to do so. Most people my age live with their parents, some with their parents' parents. It's normal! It's a cultural thing!! My friends who don't live with their parents have roommates as well. having roommates is not seen as being poor in the current state of affairs (housing crisis!!), living on your own would be rich shit.

Sure, there are rich people here, as there are everywhere! one percenters, five percenters, people who lucked out... but the economic recession is not a thing that is only happening in the united states. Just because you're looking at Europe and go "well they seem to be doing fine so it must be a USA thing" doesn't make it so. And I would hardly peg argentina as one of the worst cases, inflation and all. People in countries like Sudan are still enslaved working in mines for scraps.

The fucking. broken down dishwasher is just a metaphor for wealth disparity between regions. And as certain people pointed out this also happens within the US's states and towns, as within argentinian provinces and cities. I'm not pointing fingers and saying usamericans are rich but when you look at the numbers I think the imbalance is pretty clear

I don't think you guys realize but as a latinoamerican I have never met a person with a dishwasher who wasn't rich so every time you talk about the dishwasher I'm like holy shit my mutual is fucking loaded

[newstfionline]

Saturday, May 11, 2024

The U.S. is now Germany’s biggest trading partner—taking over from China (CNBC) After years of China being Germany’s main trading partner, the U.S. looks like it’s quietly taking that top spot as the year progresses. Combined exports and imports between Germany and the U.S. totaled 63 billion euros ($68 billion) between January and March on 2024. Meanwhile, trade between Germany and China came to just below 60 billion euros, according to CNBC calculations. China has been Germany’s biggest trading partner for years, but the gap between China and the U.S. narrowed in recent years. The U.S. has also long been a bigger market for German exports than China, Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg Bank, told CNBC. While the U.S. share of German exports had been growing in recent years, China’s has been decreasing, he noted. “The Chinese economy is stuttering and German companies are facing stiffer competition from subsidised Chinese firms,” Schmieding said.

How 360,000 Haitians Wound Up Living in Empty Lots and Crowded Schools (NYT) Hundreds of thousands of people in Haiti are on the run from rampant gang violence and have abandoned their homes, a worsening humanitarian crisis that the United Nations describes as “cataclysmic.” Masses of homeless families dodging gang members who burned down their houses and killed their neighbors have taken over dozens of schools, churches and even government buildings. Many places have no running water, flushing toilets or garbage pickup. The lucky ones are sleeping on a friend’s sofa. “There are kids at my camp who have no parents,” said Agenithe Jean, 39, who left her home in the Carrefour Feuilles neighborhood of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, in August for an improvised camp in an empty lot about six miles away. “We need latrines. We need somewhere to go.” At least 360,000 people—more than half of them in the capital or surrounding neighborhoods—have fled their homes in Haiti over the past year.

Brazilian horse stranded on a roof by floods is rescued after stirring the nation (ABC News) A Brazilian horse nicknamed Caramelo by social media users garnered national attention after a television news helicopter filmed him stranded on a rooftop in southern Brazil, where massive floods have killed more than 100 people. About 24 hours after he was first spotted and with people clamoring for his rescue, a team in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul state on Thursday successfully removed Caramelo, providing a dose of hope to a beleaguered region. The brown horse had been balancing on two narrow strips of slippery asbestos for days in Canoas, a city in the Porto Alegre metropolitan area that is one of the hardest-hit areas in the state, much of which has been isolated by floodwaters.

Argentina labor unions’ 24-hour strike against President Milei paralyzes daily life (AP) Argentina’s biggest trade unions mounted one of their fiercest challenges to the libertarian government of President Javier Milei, staging a mass general strike on Thursday that led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights and halted key bus, rail and subway lines. Main avenues and streets, as well as major transportation terminals were left eerily empty. Most teachers couldn’t make it to school and parents kept their children at home. Trash collectors walked off the job—as did health workers, except for those in emergency rooms. The 24-hour strike against Milei’s painful austerity measures and contentious deregulation push threatened to bring the nation of 46 million to a standstill as banks, businesses and state agencies also closed in protest. Thursday’s action marked the second nationwide union strike since Milei came to power last December, slashing spending, laying off government workers, and freezing all public works projects in a bid to rescue Argentina from its worst financial crisis in two decades.

British economy rebounds in first quarter of the year (AP) The British economy bounced back strongly in the first three months of the year, bringing to an end to what economists termed a “technical recession”, official figures showed Friday. The Office for National Statistics said the economy grew by 0.6% in the first quarter from the previous three-month period. It comes after two quarters of modest declines, which in the U.K. is defined as a recession. Despite the quarterly increase, the British economy has barely grown over the past year. It has been hobbled by interest rates at 16-year highs of 5.25%.

What Happens When a Happening Place Becomes Too Hot (NYT) Packed bars with carousing revelers spilling onto clogged streets. Takeaway booze swigged by drunken tourists and students. Earsplitting volumes in once quiet residential neighborhoods long after midnight. When Milan’s authorities embarked years ago on plans to promote the city as a buzzy destination by building on its reputation as Italy’s hip fashion and design capital, the resulting noise and rowdy overcrowding were perhaps not quite what they had in mind. Now, after years of complaints and a series of lawsuits, the city has passed an ordinance to strictly limit the sale of takeaway food and beverages after midnight—and not much later on weekends—in “movida” areas, a Spanish term that Italians have adopted to describe outdoor nightlife. It will go into effect next week and be in force until Nov. 11. Outdoor seating for restaurants and bars will also end at 12:30 a.m. on weekdays, and an hour later on weekends, so that people who want to party longer will have to do so indoors.

Ukraine orders electricity rationing after Russian airstrikes (Washington Post) On Wednesday, Ukrainian authorities said the country would begin electricity-rationing measures in response to a series of Russian airstrikes that hit Ukrainian power infrastructure. State energy provider Ukrenergo said that brownouts “are possible throughout Ukraine” overnight due to a “shortage of electricity in the power system.” “Restrictions will be evenly distributed across all regions,” said the power provider. According to DTEK, Ukraine’s biggest private energy company, the shelling marked “the fifth massive shelling of the company’s energy facilities in the last one and a half months.”

Civilian casualties rise in Myanmar’s civil war as resistance forces tighten noose around military (AP) Six months into an offensive against Myanmar ‘s military government, opposition forces have made massive gains, but civilian casualties are rising sharply as regime troops increasingly turn toward scorched-earth tactics in the Southeast Asian country’s bitter civil war. There is pressure on all fronts from powerful militias drawn from Myanmar’s ethnic minority groups and newer resistance forces. Troops are retaliating with air, naval and artillery strikes on hospitals and other facilities where the opposition could be sheltered or aided. “When the mass of people rise up against them, I think it terrifies them,” said Dave Eubank, a former U.S. Special Forces soldier who founded the Free Burma Rangers, a humanitarian aid organization that has provided assistance to both combatants and civilians in Myanmar since the 1990s. “They know that hospitals, churches, schools and monasteries are important places for human care, and gathering, and symbols—and they hammer them,” said Eubank. “That’s new.” Thet Swe, a spokesman for the military government, denied that troops were targeting buildings and areas where civilians were sheltering, blaming their destruction instead on the opposition forces, without citing evidence.

U.N. General Assembly Adopts Resolution Supporting Palestinian Statehood (NYT/WSJ) The United Nations General Assembly on Friday overwhelmingly adopted a resolution declaring that Palestinians qualify for full-member status at the United Nations, a highly symbolic move that reflects growing global solidarity with Palestinians and is a rebuke to Israel and the United States. The resolution was approved by a vote of 143 to 9 with 25 nations abstaining. The Assembly broke into a big applause after the vote. The United States voted no, saying that recognition of Palestinian statehood should be achieved through negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. Anger and frustration at the United States has been brewing for months among many senior U.N. officials and diplomats, including allies such as France, because Washington has repeatedly blocked cease-fire resolutions at the Security Council and has staunchly supported Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza, even as humanitarian suffering has mounted.       Israel stated that the resolution’s passage “will not change anything on the ground” in Gaza. On Friday, Israeli forces captured the main road dividing eastern and western Rafah, effectively encircling the eastern part of the city. The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees estimates that nearly 110,000 people have fled Rafah since Monday, many of them escaping to Khan Younis, only to face another city that has been devastated by war and is still coming under Israeli bombardment. On Thursday and overnight Friday, the Israeli military carried out deadly airstrikes in Khan Younis as well as in the northern areas of Gaza City and the Jabalya camp.

Netanyahu on US threat to withhold arms: Israel will fight with its ‘fingernails’ if needed (AP) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that a U.S. threat to withhold some arms would not prevent Israel from continuing its offensive in Gaza, indicating it might proceed with an invasion of the packed city of Rafah against the wishes of its closest ally. President Joe Biden has urged Israel not to go ahead with such an operation over fears it would exacerbate the humanitarian catastrophe in the Palestinian enclave. On Wednesday, he said the United States would not provide offensive weapons for a Rafah offensive, raising pressure on Netanyahu. But in a statement released Thursday, Netanyahu said “if we have to stand alone, we will stand alone. If we need to, we will fight with our fingernails. But we have much more than fingernails.” Israel’s top military spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, also appeared to downplay the practical impact of any arms holdup. “The army has munitions for the missions it plans, and for the missions in Rafah, too—we have what we need,” he said in response to a question at a news conference.

Another enemy of Israel: Debt (Bloomberg) Though in a stare-down with its biggest ally and arms supplier over the looming invasion of Rafah, Israel has another problem when it comes to the ongoing war with Hamas: debt. Israel has racked up a $16 billion bill after seven months of war, leaving its budget deficit on a path to calamity absent government action. As the war’s financial toll grows, Israel is on track to run one of its widest budget deficits this century. Expenditure surged almost 36% in the first four months of 2024 from the same period a year earlier, of which roughly two-thirds went toward defense outlays.

Brain complexity (nature.com, lichtmanlabs.fas.harvard.edu) Researchers have mapped a tiny piece of the human brain in astonishing detail. The resulting cell atlas, which was described today in Science and is available online, reveals new patterns of connections between brain cells called neurons. The 3D map covers a volume of about one cubic millimeter, one-millionth of a whole brain, and contains roughly 57,000 cells and 150 million synapses—the connections between neurons. It incorporates a colossal 1.4 petabytes of data. “It’s a little bit humbling,” says Viren Jain, a neuroscientist at Google in Mountain View, California, and a co-author of the paper. “How are we ever going to really come to terms with all this complexity?” Jain’s team built artificial-intelligence models that were able to stitch the microscope images together to reconstruct the whole sample in 3D. “I remember this moment, going into the map and looking at one individual synapse from this woman’s brain, and then zooming out into these other millions of pixels,” says Jain. “It felt sort of spiritual.”

[blackownersseekingsuccess]

From Capitalism to Revolution: Understanding Haiti's Economic Struggles with the Film 'Madan Sara'

by Levi Wise Kenneth Catoe Jr.

The documentary from Etant Dupain, Madan Sara (2021), foregrounds the hard-working women at the heart of Haiti’s economy. I had the chance to see the documentary when it screened at Medgar Evers College on February 5, 2024, followed by a Q&A with the film’s co-executive producer, Lulaine Childs. The issues raised by the film resonated deeply at this moment, as Haiti faces a new crisis and the hard-won stability of the Madan Sara is threatened.  The film is entirely in Haitian Creole and features one-on-one interviews, archival footage from Haitian revolts, and television news footage from the uprisings that have taken place in Haiti in recent years that have negatively impacted the country. 

I was deeply impressed with the documentary and I felt empathy for the Madam Sara community. Because of the similarities in the African Diasporic experience, I connect to their experience in Haiti as if it were my own in the United States, although we were divided geographically through the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. I hope that everyone has a chance to view this film and that it sparks discourse around the Madan Sara and the ongoing struggle for national autonomy in Haiti. It’s a conversation that is centuries in the making and needs, more than ever, to be had. To learn more about the film and the “Madan Sara,” I caught up with the film’s co-executive producer, Lulaine Childs. 

Levi Wise-Catoe: Hi Lulaine! Could you please explain what the film Madan Sara is about and who the “Madan Sara” are?

Lulaine Childs: The women known as Madan Sara in Haiti work tirelessly to buy, distribute, and sell food and other essentials in markets throughout the country. Despite the obstacles faced by the women working in a sector that lacks investment, infrastructure, and state assistance, the Madan Sara continues to be one of the most critical parts of the Haitian economy and of who we are as a country. The Madan Sara documentary tells the stories of these indefatigable women who work at the margins to make Haiti’s economy run. Despite facing intense hardship and social stigma, the hard work of the Madan Sara puts their children through school, houses their families, and helps to ensure a better life for generations to come. This film amplifies the calls of the Madan Sara as they speak directly to society to share their dreams for a more just Haiti.

LWC: I loved the movie. What was your filmmaking process like? Was it an easy process or was it difficult? And if it was easy or difficult, how?

LC: Independent filmmaking is always a difficult process because funds are limited and time is of the essence. For this film, it wasn’t a particularly hard process because Etant, Tina, Natalie, Wesly, and the rest of the team really did the heavy lifting. I think having a good team in place is key to making the process easier because doing this alone would be very difficult even for the most seasoned filmmaker.

LWC: In the film, Haiti is depicted as a community held together by strong Black women and by Black women’s entrepreneurship. Do you feel that is something that connects to the Black community in the US as well, where the Black community is often held together by strong Black women?

LC: I think it’s a common thread among the African diaspora. The strong Black woman has been and continues to be the “poto-mitan” of the society [note: the “poto-mitan” is a pillar that is found as the central architectural feature of Haitian vodou temples]. Nothing moves without their participation. A lot of times the leadership of men is talked about and heralded. Oftentimes, Black women still have a hard time getting heard, although it has gotten better over the years. You find them being the head of a lot of households, they are the ones who are doing the organizing, and sometimes they are the faces of certain movements. Without the women being as strong as they are, Black communities all over the world would be in a state of chaos.

LWC: What is the message that you would like for people to walk away with after viewing your film?

LC: The Madan Sara, like all women who do their work in the global south, deserve to be praised and the issues that affect them need to be handled so the countries can move forward. Despite all the odds, the Madan Sara have been able to feed their families, put their kids through school, and maintain their lifestyle. However, in these modern times, Haiti as well as other countries where women do this work should find a way to help lighten the burden they carry doing the work. Things like health insurance, property insurance for their merchandise, safe streets, access to credit, clean workspaces, and adequate bathroom facilities at the market, are just some of the things that should be in place for them.

LWC: As a Haitian-American, do you feel more Haitian or American? Which culture defines your character, being Haitian or being a U.S.-American from Brooklyn?

LC: I’m definitely more American from Brooklyn, but the more I learn about Haiti it gives me a better sense of self, if that makes sense. I have come to integrate certain aspects of the culture to my lifestyle.

LWC: How does the strife in Haiti affect you?

LC: Personally, it doesn’t really affect me. My ties to Haiti are limited. However, I do have some colleagues and contemporaries from Haiti I work with, and through them and the news I get an understanding of how bad it is. People have basically had their lives upended because certain people in the country want to keep it on its knees. Anywhere black people are suffering whether it be Congo or Haiti, it’s a terrible situation. Even the situation in Palestine specifically with what’s happening in Gaza and what happened in Israel on October 7th, human suffering is a terrible burden to deal with.

LWC: How do you think your film may change the negative perception that people may have regarding Haiti? Haitians?

LC: I think after seeing the film people will learn something new about Haiti. I also think the film humanizes the Haitian woman who is working as a Madan Sara. When people read or watch the news, they may see a woman selling food in the public market and think nothing of it. I think after watching this film and really getting an idea of what this woman has to do to feed her family, it will give them a different idea of the country and its people.

LWC: In your own words, could you tell the audience of Musings blog why they should all go watch your film Madan Sara?

LC: I think the audience should see Madan Sara because they may learn something new about Haiti. Madan Sara is a different story from the usual stories of disaster and chaos that tend to circulate about the country. While most of those stories are about current events, stories about people like the Madan Sara exist and deserve to be told.

LWC: How do Haiti’s problems and social disorder affect the whole African Diaspora? Are we all impacted by the political rebellion taking place in Haiti? And how difficult was it for you to include gang warfare in your film?

LC: Haiti is arguably the greatest symbol of Black power in the world. Once the country declared its independence by defeating the French and keeping the other world powers at bay, it was a signal to the entire world—especially black people—that freedom and independence were attainable. However, since that time Haiti has suffered for it. Part of it could be a conspiracy by world powers to make Haiti look bad, as some would suggest. I think there are a lot of things happening at the same time. Corruption, bad and weak governance, the lack of true relationships with other countries, the inability to grow the economy, and the unfettered presence of NGOS, in my opinion, have all worked to put Haiti in its current state. I also think part of the disorder is due to the long-lasting impact of slavery and colonialism throughout the African diaspora. I think there are still things we are learning about how slavery was and the mental impact it had on our people. In addition, I think the very real emotional, mental, and physical trauma still rears its ugly head even in the ways we act and how the outside world views the African diaspora. That is the reason unity and economic independence are always talked about, but never really materialize.

LWC: How do you feel regarding current news about the Haitian gangs’ war against law enforcement and the freeing of Haitian prisoners? And how does this affect Black people in the U.S. who are also dealing with our own mass incarceration?

LC: The situation in Haiti continues to get worse because of the insecurity in the country due to the elected officials and others in their positions not doing their work. A situation like a prison break isn’t new in Haiti, but obviously, it is a terrible occurrence on top of the recent events taking place in the country. It just adds to the narrative of the country being chaotic, but it took years to get to this state. A lot of people abdicated their responsibility while in power or were just corrupt officials using their positions and their resources to cause damage to the country.  As far as Black people in the U.S. it just gives those who already have negative ideas about us somewhere they can point their finger, making it seem like there is a simple answer. Those same people will ignore everything that came before and the effect it had which may lead to a situation like what’s taking place in Haiti. Corruption, the institutionalization of bad ideas, and the abdication of responsibility by those in power, all play huge roles in the mass incarceration of Black people.

LWC: What film are you working on now?

LC: We are working on a comedy film called Mainland. We are also working on a documentary about the 1974 Haitian World Cup team. We are also helping other filmmakers promote and distribute their projects. One of them is a short film called N’AP Boule by Alexandrine Benjamin, a filmmaker from Haiti.

LWC: Thank you so much for your thoughtful replies, and best of luck in everything that you are working on. I look forward to your further success. Finally, as a filmmaker myself, I am interested if you are also utilizing the film competition route, which helps to build exposure and accolades.

LC: Yes, with this specific film, we entered different film festivals and won some awards. However, we didn't want to stay in that loop. For documentaries, a lot of the time the different distribution companies that work in the space tend to have a formulaic way of marketing the film, and the ones that approached us about distribution I felt weren't going to do a good job. So we decided to keep it ourselves and work on the film on our own. We have had a lot of success so far, we are just going to keep going with it.

LWC: Is there anything further that you would like to pass on as far as how someone may be able to find any additional information regarding your film?

LC: Not a problem, we have a website; feel free to use any additional information regarding the story: https://www.madansarafilm.com/

The media plays a crucial role in shaping the outcome of the Black narrative that affects the way Black people are viewed around the world – and this time, journalists must get it right. BOSS is committed to doing so, but we can only do it with reader support.

Levi Wise Kenneth Catoe Jr.

Editor, BOSS

[strapskinkstories]

Mar 29 2024 - Where’s the content? WHERES THE FUNDING! WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF FUNDING!

theres been no new content because there’s a funding crisis. Provisional talks are in progress with an angel funder who might save strappyskinks from going belly up due to lack of funding.

That all said. One angel investor can’t float me forever.

See this? You can actually donate towards my clothing food electric internet phone and other things eligible to be paid from my disability trust account.

Before you ask: can gear come from the trust account?

Answer:YES! - Gear is classified either as clothing not otherwise specified or sensory therapy equipment not otherwise specified.

Ultimate dream is for this trust account to explode one day. How is it findoms can get a damn Lamborghini and have people constantly fill its tank and get them sushi and Starbucks when I can’t even complete one of my basic life goals Pay off the house so me and my caregiver can live in peace without worrying about busting ourselves or ending up out of runway to run the business. StrappysKinks is very much technically a business. Even though the product is free. I create content, written video and photographic as well as AI generated entertainment art.

All that content has *intrinsic value* that intrinsic value so you are all aware. Per video. The intrinsic value of an approximately 50 minute bondage video of Amateur/ProAm (I consider myself ProAm at the actual gear stuff. Still kinda amateur on the camera work cut me some slack, I’m working on zero funding right now! Read: out of pocket funding from my already paltry social security) costs pay per view $20.99 YOU PEOPLE HAVE OVER 50 OF SUCH VIDEOS FREE! That’s over $2,500 OF VIDEO CONTENT PER PERSON THAT IS FREE! 100 views would usually = $2,099 if I were running hard core PAY PER VIEW.

I don’t. Because I think paysites suck. And I also think JFF onlyfans all that sucks.

But let me continue. Then there’s my thousands of stories and now my anesthesia stories. Per document a story typically is about $1-$5 let’s just assume I’ve written 5000 stories and documents to keep shit simple. That is again $5000 of content PER PERSON THAT IS FREELY AVAILABLE. AS FREE AS GATDAMN LINUX! Now let’s talk about my image library. It’s on Flickr and spans 14,000 images. Typically a photo set in a paysite is like $10.99 so a little division aaaand the math comes out to… 466 image sets or a value of $4,660 PER PERSON FREELY ACCESSIBLE. It’s late. I can’t math right now. I’m too upset but when I just smash those numbers together and total them up you get. As a single viewer. If you access all of my social medias and my Flickr and use my XHamster. $15,000 of content FOR FREE!!!

I cannot continue as the American economy shoots disabled people in the foot and also screws over low income LGBTQ folks to produce content for free. Something has to change.

Either I have to shut down production. Whoa. Holy fuck.

I didn’t expect the outcry to be so intense. It wasn’t even outcry on Twitter.

The telegram group members went into total open outcry status.

Ok. So. Shutting down production is not an option.

Sustaining production at current funding levels is impossible. Especially considering I just lost $120 per month of government funds thanks to reckless cuts on food stamps and the affordable connectivity program being recklessly ended by a Congress that I can only politely describe as a pile of diarrhea dung from a deathly ill cow with mad cow disease.

So. This is not a tribute me. This isn’t a fucking pay up call.

This is a do me a favor.

Look at yourself in the mirror.

Think about how many times you’ve probably jacked off looking at my videos or photos. Then think about how much time money and gear it takes to make that entertainment material go from here to your screen. I want my 3000 something followers (as I am carbon copying this onto Twitter Etc as well) Do the following

1. Self reflect on your consumption of my media. You owe it to chip a dollar or two in if you’ve done so much as listened to a minute or two of my video. An average street musician gets a hundred dollars a day if they are in a good area. If you’ve watched my videos and you’ve done nothing not even liked them retweeted them or thought about donating them. Are you really being a sustainable consumer? Sustainable consumers support the creators who provide them content. If they can’t give financial support at the least hit the goddamned retweet button. It is not hard! One tap or click ffs!

2. ITS TAX DEDUCTIBLE! (Not sure if you can deduct for 2023 still. But you can deduct it on your 2024 taxes.) So instead of sending money to the fat cats at some national charity where the executives take multimillion dollar paychecks IM LOOKING AT YOU YA MOTHERFUCKERS AUTISM SPEAKS. WE DONT WANT A CURE RESEARCHED AND WE DONT NEED YOUR DAMN BIG HONKY TONK GALAS ON TV EITHER.

3. Realize that if funding doesn’t change in the next 20 days. Immediate cutbacks will begin and by 2026 StrapsKinks will entirely stop filming, photographing, producing AI art, and writing stories as all funding will be exhausted and instead of engaging in kink I’ll have to start selling off gear and computer equipment as we do last ditch efforts to make ends meet before ending up in a shitty apartment rental again or worse homeless. So yeah. Thanks everyone. Thanks for almost a decade of consume consume consume. All without giving back a damn dime. Hopefully this makes things start changing and before the first April 21 cutoff. If funding doesn’t increase by April 21 Twitter stories will permanently cease and the StrappysKinks website will be slated for destruction. If funding doesn’t increase by June gear purchases from Bronco and other planned vendors will be postponed and or canceled If by December funding does not increase there will likely be no further new gear acquisitions and if equipment breaks it won’t be replaced. If by January 2025 nothing changes. All Twitter accounts and the Tumblr will be deleted. The Flickr account will be deleted. The website will be erased in preparation for the October 2025 termination of the StrappysKinks services. At that time anyone who has my contact details will know me and those left in the community simply won’t. At that point I’ll just disappear off of social media and take all my stuff down.

Because guess what.

I’m not leaving $15,000 of content available for free if I go bankrupt. So sit down. Think about what you people are doing to small creators especially those with disabilities and think. Do you want to see StrapsKinks go bankrupt.

The fate rests in your hands folks. This is a publicly funded venture technically. Public funding from the federal and private……. Yeah that’s the problem. Nobody done fuckin stepped up to actually do the funding. Let’s hope this funder that is on the lines actually comes through because if he does his single round could set us back onto at least able to sustain current production even if it does mean slowing down gear purchases. That said. If new funding lines are not received by January 2025 *STRAPPYSKINKS WILL GO BANKRUPT*

[heyitsphoenixx]

I could talk about how this post was shit out at like 8pm while looking out the window at the sunset and feeling sad and wanting to make a funny and thinking no deeper than that. But that’s not the problem you’ve presented here.

I have no issue with labor and the idea that there are people unseen behind the creation of each and every thing in existence that we owe our lives and our thanks to, and that they deserve to be fully compensated for their work. It is true that I would not have a place to live in the first place without the people I don’t know who built the building in the first place. But they’re not the leeches who are my landlords.

Labor is the opposite of capitalism, which is the real enemy I’m suggesting here, and the one you seem to be supporting. If our system of government and our economy was truly as simple as you claim, that money is a straight reward for labor, we would all be living in a utopia if the implications in that sentiment were actually applicable; that the amount of money given to workers was equivalent to the labor they perform and allows them to live comfortably off of it, and that real estate taxes were actually affordable and feasible for most people to manage, and equally distributed among everyone. Everyone would be able to afford two houses and a beach condo.

My problem is never labor or getting paid. Everyone has a right to work. My problem is when people are exploited for their labor and aren’t paid enough to live. My problem is when the cost of living rises to become a cost of living crisis because of the rate of inflation, causing the cost of smaller living expenses, like just having enough to eat, to skyrocket, making it nearly impossible to even dream of being able to afford a home, let alone a one bedroom apartment that costs $1,200 to rent, which is considered cheap, with a clause in the lease saying they have the right to raise their rent at any time without any notice given, just because they feel like it, and it’s certainly not going to any maintenance on apartments from the 80s with a mold problem and broken dishwashers and doors falling off hinges when they won’t answer the phone.

I have a problem with landlords exploiting people who actually work, people with disabilities who can’t work, either as a result of being disabled or because this government will take away whatever crumbs in benefits they’re given to help pay that rent if they ever do decide to work. I have a problem with a government that decides it’s okay for employers to refuse to hire anyone they just don’t like on the basis of their race, gender, or sexuality, causing an unequal level of pay between all demographics of people, making it impossible for everyone to seek an affordable place to live on the same footing by themselves.

This is a modern problem invented by capitalists looking to exploit the poor in every single way they can to get the most money for themselves. It was specifically made to only allow those already possessing enough wealth (i.e. white trust fund families) to afford a more than comfortable life, and to quickly and happily allow anyone else outside of that small minority to grow cold, hungry, and die. This is outside the natural instincts of humanity, which is to create community and help each other through labor and through providing safety and shelter without exploitation.

So no, capitalism wasn’t always there when it was ‘just us and the golden hues,’ and every person has a birthright to labor, and a birthright to housing. So this is the kind of less than half thought-out response that makes me say you can take your bootstraps and shove them up your fucking ass, buddy.

the sun literally sets and casts a golden hue over everything every single day and we fucked it all up and invented paying rent