#we can discuss a price if you want me to educate you and i mean that very neutrally

[nonegenderleftpain]

Hey Jewish and trans allies playing Hogwarts Legacy. These are the people you are aligning yourself with.

There is so much more of this, but it didn't occur to me to start screencapping until I'd blocked a dozen or more blogs. These are the people you are joining while enjoying this game. This kind of hatred and gleeful terrorizing of the Jewish community is what you are endorsing by engaging with this game. I'm done telling people how to feel about this, or how much it hurts us. How terrifying it is to see people say "you SHOULD feel unsafe" when we express our discomfort with the popularization of this Nazi imagery. I'm not going to be addressing it anymore.

But I am going to ask you - is this what you want? Is this who you want to agree with? Is this behavior what you want to condone? Because internalizing and finding enjoyment in a game that reskinned and joked about pogroms and Jewish annihilation puts you in line with these people. You reinforce what @official-corgi-account said - that we should feel unsafe. That it's good if we do.

That doesn't seem like allyship to me.

(Goyim, if you want to discuss and unpack your discomfort with and conflicting feelings about learning this information, I will give you space to do so in my DMs. Send me a couple bucks and I will happily sit down and help you deconstruct/educate you on the history of Nazi propaganda, but I will not do it for free. I am too tired and disabled to do that. We can talk about it and I will give you space to grieve in private but I will not tolerate it on this post or anywhere else. Discomfort about your privilege and spreading of/engaging in Nazi propaganda is not the job of my fellow Jewish followers to see. I am offering. They are not.)

EDIT: IMAGE ID

FIRST IMAGE - Screenshot from a post from @theglitchywriterboi, as a response to someone supporting and promoting Hogwarts Legacy: Bruh shut the fuck uppppp. JKR activity promotes hate towards us & uses the money she makes to donate to things that harm us & Jewish people have talked about the PLETHORA of antisemitism throughout the game. [Also their tags are gross]

Response to @theglitchywriterboi from @official-corgi-account : Good. You should feel unsafe.

SECOND IMAGE - Post from @direwolf-distributor : Me when my purchase of a video game helps fund Dark Lord Rowling's anti-trans death squads

Beneath is a picture of a woman jumping happily in a field.

A response from @havocnoodlesoup : This is so funny

END ID.

[mysticalserenity-tarot]

🧸♡ what they like about you♡🧸 (Pick a pile)

{How to pick a pile? First, take a deep breath with your eyes closed to clear your mind. When you open your eyes, don't hesitate – pick the image that immediately grabs your attention or stirs up a memory. Remember, you can pick more than one pile if you feel called to. If none of the images stand out for you, it means there's no message for you at this time. You can always come back to it later.}

⋆｡ ﾟ ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ ☾ ﾟ ｡ ⋆⋆｡ ﾟ ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ ☾ ﾟ ⋆｡ ﾟ ☁︎｡

Pile 1, Pile 2, Pile 3 (from left to right)

Hello, and a huge thank you to everyone for your incredible support! I'm so glad that my first Pac has been so well-received.

In this collective pick a pile reading, we'll delve into what your specific person likes and appreciates about you. You can consider this the continuation of my first Pac, if you prefer. Let's see where your energy takes us.

Disclaimer: This is a collective reading I picked up on multiple energies, so please only take what resonates and leave the rest. When something resonates you usually feel a light energy and in your heart you can feel it's your message, and the pic that attracts you is a clearly sign.

⋆｡ ﾟ ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ ☾ ﾟ ⋆ ﾟ ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ ☾ ﾟ ｡ ⋆⋆｡ ﾟ ☁︎｡ ⋆

🧸PILE 1🧸

2 of Pentacles, the Hierophant, Page of Swords. (top: 4 of Pentacles)

Hi Pile 1, and welcome to your reading. Let's dive in!

This is a delightful and quircky energy. As multiple cards representing the number 2 kept coming out. Your person seems to want me to know that they love how you balance your light energy with your dark energy underlining the importance of this aspect in their mind, and they feel a connection because they share similar traits - from you previous reading, I sensed this affinity. This is either my spiritually inclined collective or those who resonate with a sense of inner peace and balance. If you've chosen this pile, bravo! You've made the right choice! [ it's okay if you're new, welcome <3 ]

I sense that many of you are in your prime years, and your person appreciates your vibrant youthful energy. Regardless of your age, they believe you'll fill a void and complete them, like a "missing puzzle piece", as I just heard. Many of you have a deep love for reading and acquiring knowledge, which may or may not be associated with formal education. I sense that you might prefer solitude, perhaps engrossed in your favorite book, while your classmates or colleagues (if in a work setting) are gathered discussing different things. Therefore, your person finds captivating the way you immerse yourself in your activities amidst the 'chaos' surrounding you. Some even observe and admire you from afar, potentially without your awareness. Your person finds you inspiring and loves how you handle problems with patience and diplomacy, without letting anger and stress take over. They also appreciate your thirst for knowledge and how you're curious about diverse topics. Your person values how secure you are in yourself and how you stand by your values and beliefs.

Overall, they are drawn to your mysterious yet serene, and intellectual nature, making you almost like an enigma to them. 🧙‍♂️✨

Thank you for allowing me to read your energy, Pile 1.

Note: -If you enjoyed this and my other readings, and you'd like to support me further, you can do so on my ko-fi, I'd greatly appreciate it. It's not mandatory.

-For further guidance or a personalized reading, feel free to book a reading through my Tumblr DM or email [dvinecrystl@gmail.com]. I'm here to help you navigate life's challenges and find clarity. We can decide the price together.

🧸PILE 2🧸

The Star, 9 of Swords, the Tower. (top: Ace of Swords)

Hi Pile 2, and welcome to your reading. Let's dive in!

Ah, Pile 2, based on the energy of the cards, your person has clear ideas about what they appreciate about you.

You possess strong manifesting skills and when you are certain about what you desire, you make it happen, I'm hearing the song "I Want It, I Got It" by Ariana Grande in my mind. For you, I have two cards confirming your innate manifesting power. You may have powerful water placements or inner planetary influences in your water houses (if you're not into astrology and don't know what i'm talking about, please feel free to ask). Some strong air energy is also sensed, whether it pertains to you or your person - one of you has great communication skills even. Your person finds it remarkable that you can create positive outcomes in adverse situations, emerging even stronger after initial doubts or negative emotions. This is not only temporary but a trait your person admires in you.

The energy here feels mature, likely older regardless of your age (old souls, perhaps?), indicating that some of you actually laugh in the face of adversity due to an innate ability to rise above struggles. Your determination draws your person's admiration; they struggle while you have clear goals and pursue them despite what others may think. You may receive sudden insights or instincts, unaware of their source, which are hints from the divine. Your person loves your strong will and determination, which they lack and need. This is one of the reasons they're attracted to you. I'm also sensing some popular individuals here, possibly on social media. Your determination, strength, and success have garnered success, with many followers and admirers, including your person. However, for those not yet successful, if you stick to your path and mindset, you'll reach your goals. Best of luck, my dears! 🍀🧿

Thank you for allowing me to read your energy, Pile 2.

Note: -If you enjoyed this and my other readings, and you'd like to support me further, you can do so on my ko-fi, I'd greatly appreciate it. It's not mandatory.

-For further guidance or a personalized reading, feel free to book a reading through my Tumblr DM or email [dvinecrystl@gmail.com]. I'm here to help you navigate life's challenges and find clarity. We can decide the price together.

🧸PILE 3🧸

Queen of Wands, The Sun, the Lovers. (top: Knight of Cups)

Hi Pile 3, and welcome to your reading. Let's dive in!

Wow, your cards are amazing, Pile 3! This person is head over heels in love with you, and the question is, what do they like about you? As I look at the cards as a whole, I'm feeling an intense passion surrounding you. They're burning with desire for you - sparks or flames, especially the color red may be significant (and for some a sign that is your pile!. Some of you may have worked or are working on your Root Chakra, which fuels this intense passion. I'm not supposed to do a spicy reading here but I'm feeling really hot lol. It's important to not a strong presence of two Major Arcana cards in a positive and powerful sequence, underlining this passionate hidden desire. Your person admires your overall positivity and passion for life, or specific interests. You may be a hopeless romantic, and they find this endearing. They perceive you as a powerful and passionate leader who remains unfazed by gossip about them and actually enjoys the attention.

It's intriguing that the Knight of Cups appeared on top of the deck in my previous pick up pile and has come up again here. You and your person may both be dreamy and romantic souls. In summary, your person appreciates your positivity, harmony, and artistic nature. You might be a creative individual, perhaps making unique art or being an enthusiast of it. They are fascinated by you and have vivid fantasies, like going to an art museum together.

I'm seeing blue stars on a blue neon ceiling in a potential art museum setting, which could be significant for some of you - and also the color blue. Now, very specific, maybe someone here has created a drawing or work with stars or blue stars on a blue background and shared it with their person and they're reminding me of it, or you or them work in a planetary museum? Take it how it resonates. Anyway, how cute! 💙

Thank you for allowing me to read your energy, Pile 3.

Note: -If you enjoyed this and my other readings, and you'd like to support me further, you can do so on my ko-fi, I'd greatly appreciate it. It's not mandatory.

-For further guidance or a personalized reading, feel free to book a reading through my Tumblr DM or email [dvinecrystl@gmail.com]. I'm here to help you navigate life's challenges and find clarity. We can decide the pricetogether.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ANY LIKE/REBLOG/COMMENT IS APPRECIATED, ALSO IF YOU LET ME KNOW IF IT RESONATED.

PLEASE DO NOT REPOST MY WORK.

ALWAYS THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EACH ONE OF YOU'S SUPPORT, I'M GRATEFUL 🤗🤍

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please note that I used AI language bot to help improve grammar and spelling in my readings, as English is not my first language. However, the interpretations and insights provided in my readings are all my work, based on my intuition and the cards' symbolism.

Disclaimer: Tarot readings are for entertainment purposes only and are not meant to predict or dictate your future. The cards provide insights and guidance, but the ultimate power of choice lies with you.

[jotatetsuken]

Shyna’s Summer Commissions

When I was planning this, it was supposed to be spring commissions, looks like procrastination has kept me busy af xD /hj /lh

Slots: 1/10 (OPEN, will roll out again once I am done writing, and this will go until 31st August, 2023)

Anyway, so, as much as I don’t want to admit it, here’s what’s happening: I have an educational loan to pay; two in fact, and while my father and I have been paying them diligently, he’s just turned 64... and I want him to not work anymore, and enjoy his retirement, y’know? The problem: my IT job does not pay enough per month and we’re currently on talks on reworking the appraisal (as I received minimal increment this year). So, this is something I want to do to help alleviate financially.

I know I can’t work on a lot with a ton of WIPs that I have, so I will have 10 openings for now so that I don’t overwork myself, and I will keep doing so throughout this summer, which means this will get over by 31st August, 2023. I also have a goal on Ko-Fi incase you want to donate to that as well. In case you can’t pay, but still want to spread the word by reblogging, you are more than welcome to do so <3

Now for the rules:

Only available for those who are 18 and above. (which means if you are a minor, please DNI with this post, please)

Payments will have to be made through Ko-Fi and Paypal only. For those based in India, we can discuss other alternatives (Paytm, PhonePe, etc, else the usual.)

If you’d like a Canon x OC fic, I will need every info about the OC, the background, traits, backstory, abilities, etc. If it’s a reader insert, I will need the same, so that it will help me write better. Picrew/art references are also appreciated. I can also write selfship fics too.

For reader inserts, I will only write female readers, afab readers, and gn!readers (only for sfw commissions).

I am available to talk via Tumblr DM or Discord (the latter, if you are a mutual)

Only two revisions allowed.

The teen characters (Itadori, Megumi, Nobara, Asta, Yuno, Noelle, all the Blue Lock and KNB characters, Josuke, Okuyasu, etc) will be aged up or post timeskip (like Haikyuu).

Details under the cut (Minors DNI with the post):

Pricings: Because I am just starting out, I checked a couple of my mutuals who are commissioning too, and pricing will be based on word count: $1 for 100 words, and I will start out at a minimum of 500 words and a maximum of 2500 words (will increase my limit when I feel more comfortable writing longer fics).

$5 - 500 words, $10 - 1000 words, $15 - 1500 words, $20 - 2000 words, $25 - 2500 words.

Fandoms: Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure (current fixation haha), Haikyuu, Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan, Black Clover, Blue Lock (only the anime, haven’t read the manga yet), Kuroko no Basket

What can I write?: canon x oc, selfship, canon x f!reader/afab!reader/gn!reader (gn! only for sfw commissions), AUs (please specify the AU because I may not be familiar with everything), nsfw, dubcon, polyamory

What can I not write?: Stroheim (JJBA), Pucci in NSFW scenarios, certain kinks, characters other than the ones that I mentioned I will write

Tagging to spread awareness: @sugardaddyreo @chronic-claire-universe @cyberparadis @romiyaro @strawberrystepmom @bizarrebankai @jctaro @ilyluffy @litepowee @jellyluchi @mapesandoval @magthemage @papersirens @amberswords @uminozerol @thoughtfullyrainynightmare @arcanestage @spookysinner45 @scary-monsters @peachsayshi @theschneckenhouse @aeons-domain @mrsgiovanna @fuwushiguro @aizenhours @i4sgwr @sookisaurus @millionsknive @gojoest @amidalashandmaidens @tsutsumies @jojolovenotes @shaylistic @flowers-n-felines

[transmalewife]

does anyone have any leftist reading on the subject of tourism to recommend? Specifically about how travel for fun, education, sport, friendship or whatever might work in a communist or anarchist or socialist society. Because like yeah, open borders or no borders whatever, cool. But that usually only gets discussed in the context of permanent immigration

Idk I guess I just find it hard to imagine how it could be organized since where I live the most obvious ways capitalism has made things worse over my lifetime have all happened because of and through the lens of tourism. Rents literally doubling over the last five years, while the standard of living falls because apartments are bought, split into tiny pieces and renovated to accomodate a couple days of living at most. The specific kind of gentrification that is NOT being pushed out by richer people moving in permanently, who might cause more expensive shops and services to replace the affordable ones, but do still need the basic necessities everyone does to live. Instead, all hairdressers, repair shops, clothing stores (especially thrift shops), pharmacies, post offices etc etc close and are replaced by luxury boutiques, clubs and stores whre you can only buy snacks, alcohol and microwave meals. Restaurants and bars hiking up prices because most of their clients come from places with stronger currencies etc etc.

At the same time though I believe travel is a crucial part of a fulfilling life for most if not all people. I believe people have the right to see and appreciate the culture and history of other places and also like... maybe go somewhere warmer and lay on the beach sometimes, even if they prefer to live and work somewhere colder. Or go skiing even if they chose to live somewhere warm and without mountains. Or even just like... vacation in a big city if they live in the countryside and vice versa. Or pop over to another continent to visit an online friend maybe. Although obviously intercontinental travel would have to be hugely limited until and unless we find ways to do it that don't destroy our planet.

At the same time some precautions do have to be taken to protect historical and especially sacred sites. Like, I don't think endless crowds should be allowed to trample through historical buildings and also open borders obviously doesn't mean white tourists get to go camping on Uluru. But on some level I do believe everyone who wants to should get to see Venice at least once in their life. But that's probably not feasible so like... who gets to decide? On what merit? Are historians, artists, journalists privileged? Or should it be a lottery?

Also I think there's a significant amount of tourism that would simply die out if going to that place wasn't a status symbol. Like you cannot convince me that if you spend 2 weeks by the pool in an enclosed luxury resort it makes a difference that it's on Hawaii rather than like... in florida. And then theres places like the Hamptons. What the fuck is the point of the Hamptons, other than bragging rights?

Obviously I know none of this is even remotely the main pressing issue to solve about a potential communist society, but then again, that's why I'm asking for reading materials, because it so rarely gets discussed. I mean I bet Marx wrote about it, which, great, point me to the relevant fragments please and I'll have a look but also this is an issue where a modern perspective would be really important. I don't think Marx, for all his wisdom, really has a solution to "what are the ethics of taking an 8 hour flight to visit a tumblr mutual".

Or maybe this whole thing is me being cynical and this is another place where things would sort of just regulate themselves. Anyway. Send me reading recs and let's very unscientifically try to check if it could work. Do try to be honest, like I've been several times as a kid and I would still go again in a heartbeat.

btw the goal of the poll is to get some kind of percentage that can be compared with the world population and how many tourists venice can support per year, though I obviously know tumblr skews mainly american and european

[come-see-our-show]

Into the Woods is clearly a story about growing up, but I want to acknowledge the underlying sexual themes in the story, specifically growing into one’s own sexuality, because there are so many allusions to that and I can't be the only one seeing it.

Fair warning, this analysis is going to be a mess.

CW: Discussions of rape and pedophilia.

(Also, when I refer to "sexuality" and "sexual indentity," I'm not taking about one's sexual orientation, but rather one's interest in sex and relationship to it.)

1. The Witch

I’ve always seen the Witch’s backstory as a metaphor for rape. When she says the Mysterious Man was “Raping [her],” she means that he was stealing from her. However, even since biblical times, gardens have represented temptation, maturation, femininity, and sex. The witch was told from a young age to protect her garden, and when the beans are taken, she feels an intense loss. She is cursed with ugliness because she has been “deflowered.”

This was clearly a traumatic event for her, much like how sexual assault is traumatic for victims. It reminds me of the scene in Maleficent where her wings are taken from her while she’s asleep. There’s something so graphic about it. From a young age, girls are taught to protect our virginities, and if we are too proud of it then it will get taken away from us. We are shamed for being comfortable in our sexual identity, but at the same time we are forced to make it a huge part of our identities. The Witch does not know who she is without her power, and the thing she loved most was taken from her.

2. Baker’s Wife

BW is also shamed by the narrative for having a sexual identity. We can infer that she’s had sex with the Baker because she knows they can’t have children, but the only time she is explicitly shown as a sexual being is when she cheats on him with Cinderella’s prince, which results in her demise. Again, female sexuality is seen as destructive.

3. Cinderella

Cinderella’s character doesn’t have any explicitly sexual themes like the Witch or BW, but I feel like that’s intentional. BW admits to Cinderella that she’s attracted to the Prince. It’s all described in a very tame way, but given the fact that BW has sex with him in Act 2, we know in hindsight that there is some sexual desire there.

Cinderella doesn’t show any desire for the Prince. She talks about how amazing the ball was, but doesn’t talk about the Prince unless BW coaxes it out of her. It’s weird to BW that Cinderella isn’t really excited about him, because shouldn’t all women feel that way?

I don’t think Cinderella is attracted to men at all (I see her as a lesbian or aroace). Her arc ends with her dumping the Prince, thus claiming her independence and rejecting the traditional expectations of female sexuality.

4. Rapunzel

The Witch projects her own trauma onto her “daughter” (bc uhhhh generational trauma 🤪). While she is undoubtedly abusive, you can see why she wants to protect Rapunzel from the world so badly.

Rapunzel’s first introduction to the world is by a man who enters her home and has sex with her after knowing her for maybe a day or two. We don’t know if she was the one who asserted the sex, but given the fact that she lived in a tower all her life and doesn’t know anything about the world, I doubt it.

Despite how dubious the consent is, Rapunzel probably enjoyed it since she was so happy to reunite with her prince after. Sex should be a beautiful and exciting thing, but she pays the price by becoming pregnant, another thing that I highly doubt she was educated on. Imagine how terrifying that must have been, to wonder why your body is changing so durastically, then giving birth to TWINS. Nightmare fuel.

Rapunzel’s storyline reminds me of Wendla’s in Spring Awakening. A sheltered girl is entering womanhood, but because she isn’t taught how to handle these aspects of life, she is sort of taken advantage of by a more experienced partner, and her first time having sex isn’t 100% consensual (even if she enjoyed it), she becomes pregnant, then dies. Rapunzel and Wendla never get full control of their bodies.

So, yeah, teach your children about sex because “children will listen.”

5. Little Red Riding Hood

Most actors portray the Wolf as a lustful character with lots of sexual undertones. The story of Little Red Riding Hood does sound a lot like a story about a little girl getting taken advantage of by a predator. That IS the story, even if it’s about a wolf eating her instead of a pervert molesting her. The lyric “Look at that flesh, pink and plump,” has undeniably sexual undertones. He’s attracted to her youth and purity (cough cough her virginity). He reacts to her the way a pedophile would react to a child. And yes, it’s disgusting.

Many victims of pedophilia don’t see the perpetrator as a threat initially. They’re kind, funny, maybe even give you treats. That was how Red initially saw the Wolf.

Red’s solo, I Know Things Now, is about not trusting strangers. All children are told to not trust strangers. In fairytales, it’s so you don’t get eaten by a seemingly-kind wolf. In real life, it’s so you don’t get kidnapped by a seemingly-kind adult. She acknowledges that “even flowers have their dangers,” again drawing the parallels of nature and sexuality.

Young girls are seen as women once they are objectified by men (hello barbie movie). So, we learn to be wary of men by protecting ourselves with keys or pepper spray. Red begins her introduction into adulthood once she is objectified by a wolf. She learns to be wary by protecting herself with a knife. However, Red reclaims her power by wearing the Wolf as a coat. She's hardened by this experience, which is tragic because she's still a child, but she holds her head up high by wearing her abuser's dead body. She views herself as a survivor. That's a power move.

6. Jack

Jack’s solo also has some sexual undertones, though less obvious than Red’s. The Giant’s Wife “draws [him] close to her giant breasts” and he "come[s] back again, only different than before."

In real life, boys are congratulated for having sex, but girls are shamed. Jack and Red, the two tweens in the show, have the same reactions to their pseudo-sexual experiences. Jack becomes greedy and impulsive, but Red becomes wary and guarded.

While I don't see Jack as a victim of the giant in the same way that Red was a victim of the wolf, his experience also parallels how male victims are treated (if you want to interpret his experience as statutory rape). They are congratulated for being assaulted because boys are expected to always enjoy sex (even though assault/rape are not sex!). Jack's Mother is the only person who acknowledges that he could have been hurt, and that he is "still a little boy." But of course, she gets killed trying to protect her son from that danger.

7. The Princes

I’m lumping the two princes together because they’re very similar. Much like men in real life, they rarely face the consequences of their actions!!! They treat women like prizes (evidence: all of Agony), but soon after, they cheat on the prizes they used to want so desperately. They aren’t satisfied because the patriarchy teaches men to view women as sexual conquests.

Also, it’s notable to me that after CP and BW have their affair, BW has to pay a much bigger price. While CP is dumped by his wife (and tbh he’ll just move onto the next girl), BW is literally KILLED. The Giant is not literally killing her for having sex, but it’s rather coincidental that these two events coincide.

BW and CP’s aftermath is similar to the real life aftermath of sex. If you’re a man, you’re gonna be fine. If you’re a woman, you need to pay a price because you’re a whore. I’m not saying BW should have cheated on her husband, because that’s wrong. But it takes two to tango, so it’s interesting that CP gets out scott-free. On the plus side, CP is still seen as an asshole and BW remembered as a loving person despite her flaws. A slight win despite all of the tragedy.

Anywho, that my spiel. I may edit it in the future, but I was just in a production of Into the Woods and HAD to get my feelings out at once. Toodles.

[sailorsally]

You know, as a real peacenik and a "there's no real borders man, we're all one people" kind of person, it just drives me nuts that people can't see nuance with it

Like I'm very anti war... but that doesn't mean I expect Ukraine to roll over and die for the sake of some kind of "peace" (in fact I think the quickest way to minimize the death is to just give Ukraine all the weapons possible, and surely the whole point of being anti war is being against senseless death so...)

And like, with that bit about "oh, you're all brothers" it's like... learn to read the room man

Like I'm American, I have governments I dislike, but I don't have any kind of generational grudges... except maybe towards some American politicians, they're the ones that have probably directly wronged me the most. So like, any given person so long as they're not actively doing something bad, I'd be happy to welcome them

But I'm not an idiot, I'm not gonna just tell someone Korean about how Japan is their brothers cause I can pay attention to history that happened in the last 100 years

Similarly I'm not gonna tell anywhere that was under soviet rule to make nice with russia when... you know, they did a terrible job reporting what was happening in Chechnya, or Georgia, or even in 2014; but looking back at it, it doesn't take much to see the brutality of the russia army and like... I'm not gonna tell someone to play nice with people who committed atrocities against them not even that long ago

Peace and love and world unity are all great ideals, they're stuff I want to see, but damn... you've got to live in the real world, and so many people in the west seem totally unwilling to listen or learn the history of anywhere else, and then they make fools of themselves

(Bonus story you might find funny: I, an American, once made a post on here saying how I notice a lot of Americans are very America-centric in their thinking, and then got called xenophobic)

The thing is the way westerners view 'peace' is different to what 'peace' is when you are in the country that is affected by war. For them it's like "oh war is over we don't hear about it anymore everything is dandy" when the county where "peace" was finally established had to pay a high price - either by defending their borders and losing citizens or giving up their territories and being occupied. I know it is hard to imagine this for people who haven't experienced war but being occupied is not just a word, it means people lose lives, people lose homes, people are being persecuted for their views & actions, separated from friends and family, losing homes, economy going to shit, raising unemployment, crumbling education system etc. So it might look 'peaceful' on the outside because news outlets have finally shut up about it but life there is a struggle and there is no progress on horizon, no hope.

So as much as it's great to advocate for peace, it is not realistic to some of us who have neighbours like Russia, that's probably 100 times bigger and stronger. Accepting peace for us means just. not existing anymore.

The way especially Americans are so often advocating for peace makes me absolutely FURIOUS because on the one hand they will insist that every white person (even non American) contributed to slavery but will absolutely disregard when we start talking about Russia's centuries old history of mistreating minorities and imperialism. Or will start defending one single 'poor russian' and totally miss the point of discussion.

I do understand every country has it's issues and the US is certainly no exclusion but as an American I think it is important to understand that a lot of especially leftists in US are very susceptible to Russian propaganda. Yes, US government is terrible, they have done terrible things. But this doesn't mean that Russia is any better just because you don't have as much information about the terrible crimes Russia has committed in Caucasus etc. This is why you have to listen to the locals and have a little empathy for their terrible situation.

[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.

[lasvegasjewelrydistrict]

How To Find The Best Jewelry Store? - A Complete Guide

When individuals are planning on Las Vegas weddings, there are some important considerations to make particularly the wedding rings and bands. The Las Vegas Jewelry District is the place which offers many kinds of fine jewelry shops and there are various choices for every price range. It is very rich in that you can find almost everything you need, ranging from a cute diamond ring for your fiancé to a cheap wedding ring for both of you. That is why I am going to show you some examples of the best jewelries and how to find cheap wedding bands near me.

We also offer a beautiful line of engagement rings, Wedding Rings Las Vegas, and some other custom-made pieces of jewelry. Find Cheap Wedding Bands Near You Although the Las Vegas jewelry district has its luxurious side in terms of jewelry, you can also find inexpensive wedding bands. Here are some suggestions for getting economical wedding rings without sacrificing quality: Here are some suggestions for getting economical wedding rings without sacrificing quality:

Eat out during weekdays and avoid eating out at all costs during festive seasons. The vast majority of jewelry retailers located in the region offer seasonal possibilities, offers, and sales. Always make it a point to observe such situations if you want to purchase wedding bands at fairly cheap prices.

Consider other metals. It is possible to consider some other types of metals; for instance, tungsten, titanium, or even sterling silver. It not only costs less, but those metals are also much stronger and aesthetically pleasing than that iron mess.

Consider Vintage and Pre-Owned Options: It may be of equal interest to acquire jewelry from other time periods at a discounted price or get jewelry that was bought from another person. A majority of the best jewelry stores in the Las Vegas Jewelry District offer a variety of second-hand wedding bands that are elegant and inexpensive.

Customization on a Budget: If you have desired design, then, it is you can discuss your available amount with a jewelry expert. Business signs are often unique and can be made to fit your budget if your preferred design cannot be afforded. Hence, customization allows an artist to create a large artwork of his or her choice at an affordable price or within his or her means.

Compare Prices: Never feel that the first satisfaction ring that you meet is adequate for you. Always compare the price with different retailers, whether for online or offline purchase. This also helps you sift through the market to look for the best deal, but it also educates you on what is out there.

where old and very old jewelry pieces offer rare and unique designs for less than what one would have to spend on new jewelry. There are an abundance of shops in the Las Vegas Jewelry District and many of them offer to sell and buy pre-owned wedding rings that can be beautiful and cheap.

Isolated, the Las Vegas Jewelry District may prove optimal for couples seeking the perfect wedding rings and bands. Being in a position of offering anything from expensive diamonds to economical rings, you will be assured of getting an organization that caters for your preferred style and budget. It is important to note that you could save Money as well.

By looking around and considering other options, you meet beautiful and quality wedding rings that define your love and your commitment. At reasonable prices you will be happy about it. Therefore, go into the search for those perfect rings in the midst of this colorful neighborhood in the heart of Las Vegas, and let the beauty of this place help add a sheen to your special day.

[hyen09]

Blog#1

To be honest, I find it incredibly hard to brainstorm and have discussions with other members of my group because we don't know what kind of product would actually make a big difference in the community. Because there are so many products and services on the market right now, we feel as though the thing we had in mind already exists.

Each member of our eight-person group is tasked with conducting an interview with eight different people in order to gather information about what people are looking for in terms of change and the difficulties they encounter on a daily basis when trying to come up with ideas for new projects. We were able to interview with 64 distinct individuals in all. Because Messenger is the most convenient choice for both me and the interviewee, I used it as my primary means of communication during doing the interview.

We conduct interviews despite the fact that we are at a loss for ideas and have not yet developed a product to market. Interviews were done with students at Central Mindanao University that I knew from my high school senior year. This is so that I may learn more about the difficulties they encounter and assess whether or not their problems are the same or different in their distinct fields.

Our group decides what questions to ask during the interview because we have no idea what kind of business to launch or what product to create.

The results of the following inquiries included:

1. What problems do you encounter in your daily work?

2. As a consumer, what is the current demand for products in the marketplace?

3. What factors are most important to you when deciding to purchase from a new business?

4. What current problems exist in the field of agriculture, medicine, and education that needs to be solve?

5. Upon evaluating the problems encountered in the fields, do you have any product suggestions that can be launched in the marketplace?

We would like to know more about the experiences that our interviewee has on a regular basis. They are customers, and since we believed that customers select items according to the specific issues they face, we determined that our venture proposal's content would be determined by their response. We believed that customers choose products based on certain difficulties they face because they are customers. We also want to focus on the areas of agriculture, education, and medical, so we question them about the difficulties they have and follow up to see if they have any recommendations for how these problems could be solved.

The significant majority of respondents agreed that the majority of problems are located in the agriculture sector when we finished our interviews and collected all of the data. Their primary issue, which is the rising price of rice, is said to be caused by a combination of reasons, including the growing cost of producing crops and the price of fertilizer. Having high-efficiency organic fertilizers that can boost crop output while posing less of an environmental risk is the general answer they suggest we use to solve this issue.

[ear-worthy]

TIL Climate Podcast: A Genius Podcast We Can All Understand

It's encouraging that the number of climate change podcasts grows every day. That growth means that people tackle seriously the climate change problem. They want to understand and then somehow be part of the solution, not the problem.

Forget about climate deniers for the moment. They live in their own bubble, where climate change is a hoax to force them to buy LED bulbs, electric cars, and stop eating red meat. I know. It makes no sense. But this is where we are as a nation.

Anyway, these misanthropes are not the target audience for the TIL Climate podcast.

It's for the majority who believe in climate change and want to understand how it's happened, why it's so dangerous, and what we can do about it.

To me, climate change is like recycling. There are a lot of people who want to recycle, but so many barriers and confusing messages.

Leave it to the braniacs at M.I.T. to develop a podcast that can transform the complex into bite-size pieces of comprehension.

TIL Climate positions itself perfectly: "Climate change is confusing. This award-winning MIT podcast breaks down the science, technologies, and policies behind climate change, how it’s impacting us, and what we can do about it. Each quick episode gives you the what, why, and how on climate change -- from real scientists -- to help us make informed decisions for our future."

To make the podcast a true learning experience, TIL Climate has created for each podcast episode "a set of questions and activities that educators can use in high school and higher education classrooms. To access these, click the "Educator Guide" tab on the episode page, or browse all our Educator Guides here."

“There’s a lot of information out there about why climate change is happening, how it will affect human life, and the solutions that are on the table. But it’s hard to find sources that you trust,” says Laur Hesse Fisher, program director for ESI and host of the new series. “And even then, there are still a lot of jargon and technicalities that you have to wade through.

“We’re trying to solve that problem.”

In each 10-minute episode, Hesse Fisher speaks to an expert from the MIT community to break down a clear, focused question related to climate change. In the first batch of episodes, these questions have included: What do clouds have to do with climate change? Why are different parts of the world experiencing different climate impacts? How does carbon pricing work?

The podcast is part of a broader ESI project called MIT Climate, a community-building effort built around a common web portal where users can share climate change-related projects, news stories, and learning resources at MIT and beyond. MIT Climate is intended to draw individuals and groups working on climate issues at MIT closer together, and eventually become a platform for worldwide, science-based learning and engagement on climate change. You can see a prototype of the portal at climate.mit.edu.

“We named the podcast TIL Climate after the popular Reddit hashtag TIL, which stands for Today I Learned,” says Hesse Fisher. “We hope to signify that these episodes are accessible. Even if you have no prior knowledge of climate science or policy, after 10 minutes, you know enough to start being a part of the conversation.”

The podcast slices up the complexity of climate change into easy-to-understand bites of knowledge. For me to make that claim, you should trust it. After all, I can't even wink with both eyes, snap my fingers, or blow a bubble.

TIL Climate just started its fifth season. Their most recent episode, "Wait, how do greenhouse gases actually warm the planet?" was a tour de force of translating the complex into the understandable. I think it should be compulsory listening for all climate deniers.

The episode discusses physics and chemistry, which can trigger warning signals to most of us non-geniuses. Don't worry. In the capable, secure hands of the host, Laur Hesse Fisher, any topic, no matter how complex, can be understood.

Speaking of Fisher, she's an incredible host. It's like she was born for this. Did her parents say, "We want Laur to grow up to be an amazing podcast host?"

As a host, Hesse Fisher holds the listeners' hands through every episode, making sure the information is served in easily digestible mental bites, and that the narrative is as clear as Sprite soda and just as bubbly. If you were expecting Hesse Fisher to sound like Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik) on the TV show The Big Bang Theory, you would be sorely disappointed. Hesse Fisher has a voice that can calm rogue waves, prepare you for daily meditation, and energize your brain.

I've listened to almost every episode to prepare for this review. In fact, I challenge Hesse Fisher to quiz me. Not that I'm smart (remember the whole can't blow a bubble or wink with both eyes' thing), it's simply that the TIL Climate podcast serves up climate change information like McDonald's serves fries. One taste and you're hooked.

What I enjoyed about the treatment of climate change in the podcast by experts on each episode is that these smart people offer information cleanly and without proselytizing. These experts often explain the tradeoffs and ambiguity inherent in climate change initiatives.

For example, in season four / episode four on electric cars, the expert, Assistant Professor of System Dynamics at the MIT Sloan School of Management David Keith acknowledges issues with using batteries, the messy EV manufacturing process, and the mining of lithium. Yet, at one point, he states, "An electric car that is drawing its recharge power from the dirtiest coal-powered plant is still getting the equivalent of about 60 miles per gallon (MPG) on that EV, still making it the most energy-efficient and least polluting vehicle on the road."

Keith then adds that an EV powered by a renewable power plant could get as much as 150 MPG.

In the episode on nuclear power, MIT Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Jacopo Buongiorno explained the benefits of nuclear power, covered the potential safety concerns, and concluded that a power management system should include a combination of renewable and nuclear power.

The show is not a climate change cheerleader. Instead, it is a climate change explainer and a solutions investigative body.

Here's what I love about the TIL Climate podcast. Most climate change podcasts are forbidden ground for climate deniers, because people are always afraid that information that conflicts with their worldview could be legitimate, accurate, and viable.

Yet, the TIL Climate podcast is different. Their arguments aren't moral, ethical, spiritual, or existential. No, they reveal climate science in comprehensible slices, and they allow you to make the sandwich that makes sense of this data.

If you are confused by the conflicting and contradictory information flying around social media about climate change, or you just want to know more without the preaching, listen to the TIL Climate podcast.

And if the host, Laur Hesse Fisher, takes me up on my challenge of a test, I would like only TRUE or FALSE questions, and to be graded on a curve. So, 50 percent would be A, and so on from there. Bring it, Ms. Fisher. And, by the way, can you help me learn how to blow a bubble?

[fahrni]

Saturday Morning Coffee

Good morning y’all. It’s raining this morning, a repeat performance of last weekend. I did manage to get the steps completed in the garden now we let the rain test my work.

This week I had to get a tooth and removed and a bone graft due to a 20 plus year old root canal failing. I don’t recommend it. ���

Time to go lay down in a field and have Kim throw some dirt on me. 😂

CNN

On Monday, it was Nashville’s turn to join the roster of cities made notorious by a mass shooting epidemic much of the country seems prepared to tacitly accept as the price of the right to own high-powered firearms. 

No words. 😔

Microsoft Design

Today marks the debut of the new Microsoft Teams app, released in public preview for Windows customers.

This redesign of Teams looks extremely thoughtful, well planned, and well executed. I’d like to get my hands on it and run it through dumpbin and other tools to see just how it’s put together.

It’s my understanding it’s a native app — no more Electron — with an HTML/CSS/JavaScript filling using the new, Chromium based, WebView2 control

It also means no Mac or Linux client until they can get those items ported to Mac and Linux. You can write C#/.Net code on Linux and Mac today, but as far as I know WebView2 hasn’t been ported. Heck, who knows, the shell around the app could be written in C++? I’m not really clear on that bit, it’s why I want to get my hands on it. 😁

Wired

The US Republican Party has become increasingly authoritarian and extreme in recent years, and it doesn’t seem likely to moderate that in the foreseeable fut//rob.crabapples.net/uploads/2023/2a91fcbb58.jpg](https://mastodon.scot/@SteveHynd/110091906801062582)

Red States are becoming more and more radical. The entire anti-LGBQT, anti-woman, anti-education, movement is in full swing.

Next thing you know women will have to walk 10 paces behind their husbands in their modest to the ground dress with their eyes on the ground. Disgusting.🤬

Dave Winer

In September 2004, the activity we called audioblogging was starting to gain traction.

Neat little story about how podcasting got its name. 👍🏼

The Guardian

A dispute between the Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, and Disney over control of the company’s Florida theme park district hinges on a clause referencing King Charles III and his descendants.

The authoritarian was outwitted in this story. If you haven’t heard about this yet go read it. 🤭

John Nunley > This year is supposed to be the year of the Rust GUI. So why is it still so unsafe?

This discussion focused around handles in Windows is quite interesting.

Having written a lot of Windows code that uses handles everywhere — HWND, HINSTANCE, HANDLE, anyone(?) — because that’s the way the Windows API works I don’t see it as an issue.

A HANDLE is a persisted thing that allows Windows to shuffle the underlying object around if needed. It’s a remnant of 16-bit Windows days, because 640k of memory was a precious commodity. It’s a safe thing to the developer as I see it but I do not fault anyone wanting to make things even safer for developers. 👍🏼

John Scalzi

Trump is and has always been the sort of person who believes that laws are for the little people, and has acted accordingly.

I love John Scalzi’s books and prior to Twitter becoming a worthless piece of poo I really enjoyed reading his tweets. In case you don’t know he’s had a blog for many years and it doesn’t disappoint.

Judo Blog

We believe that designer-developer handoff is broken and to solve this problem well requires software that is familiar to designers and developers alike—software that makes building an app’s user interface a collaborative process instead of handing off files back and forth.

I’d really like to take a look at Judo to see how it could improve my own coding efforts. Stream for Mac could use some help. It’s been a slog for me and I keep switching between AppKit and SwiftUI. I really need to focus on SwiftUI going forward.

Los Angeles Times

Only two centuries ago, a shallow inland sea dominated California’s Central Valley.

Tulare Lake is fascinating. California Highway 41 runs right through the lake between Lemoore and Kettleman City. I’ve heard tale in the olden days one had to catch a barge or take a boat from Lemoore to Kettle City.

We drove that route all the time when we lived there. It’s one way to get from the San Joaquin Valley to the Central Coast and all the lovely towns and beaches we fell in love with. Places like San Luis Obispo, Avila Beach, Cambria, Morro Bay, and Pismo Beach.

As it is today you’d have to go out to I-5 and loop back to get to Kettleman City.

https://rob.crabapples.net/uploads/2023/469a502af1.jpg

[black-n-white-wings]

Hey, quick correction here. There was no Jiang Cultivator left after the fall of Lotus Pier. Jiang Cheng had to start from scratch, meaning he recruited every Jiang soldier that was with him before he reunited with Wei Wuxian. How do I know that? I read the book and did not cherry pick.

Pages 324 and 325, chap 51 of the Exiled Rebels translation. "None of us are allowed to leave" and "prohibiting the other sects from night hunting" are pretty clear. The Jiang Sect has been decimated because they had nowhere to go but Lotus Pier with no night hunts to attend.

You can argue that during the Sunshot Campaign, Wei Wuxian was both encouraging people to join YMJ and actively deterring them to do so. You can argue that classicism and mob mentality were a thing that informed people's treatment of WWX.

But, as a non-chinese, I took the time to educate myself on a culture that is not mine and for which I did not have the codes. Respecting the dead is a BIG part of this culture and raising them willy-nilly, including children may I add, is a taboo that has nothing to do with being a servant's son. Demonic cultivators are never innocent, they use taboo magic, desecrate corpses and prevent the dead from moving on by using their spirits as well as their bodies. They are actively corrupted by this practice. We can discuss all night long about rules and societal codes and taboos and pressure on what's right and what's wrong, absolutely. The Lan are a perfect example of that => why are they the ones to teach the entire Jianghu when they pick and choose the rules they apply themselves? Lan Qiren is seen multiple times breaking the very rules he is enforcing. Lwj actively demonstrates the non-intervention policy of the Lan has limits and is detrimental to what is morally right. The Nie too! They are the most vocal about righteousness and the art of cultivation but their own cultivation, if not demonic because it doesn't raise corpses or ghosts, is definitely wicked and is a source of shame for them and they pay the price of their transgression while judging those who transgress and are not Nie. All demonic cultivators are shown to go too far, to cross a line and pay the price for it. WWX is no exception. While he lived in the Burial Mound, he's seen growing short tempered, and his fury at the bloodbath in Nightless City confirms that. He doesn't even feel pain. He loses control. There is NO SECOND FLUTE in the book, the corpses that attack everyone is WWX's doing!! He *is* affected by his cultivation! And it is the duty of cultivators to prevent monsters and demons and ghosts and corpses AND EVIL CULTIVATORS to harm the civilians and we have ONE guy that actually does the fucking job.

Don't go accusing people of not knowing how to read when you make mistakes like this. I'm all for friendly banter and debate but it stops when you attack the people you're engaging with. It stops when you cherry pick the fucking information and then accuse others of not knowing how to fucking read. You tell us to read the book and I've yet to see a single citation from you, and as a PhD researcher that tells a lot for me. Don't go getting all almighty when you can't follow the rules you impose others. Don't pretend being the might Hanguang-Jun, herald of virtue, when you act like SL Yao at best. Mob mentality my ass coming from someone that has terminal WangXian brain rot. I'm sick and tired of fistfights, I want adult conversations and fun and being allowed to enjoy being in a space that is supposed to get me out of real life's wear and tears. Are you all fucking children?? Not able to have civil conversations with people that disagree??

God, I'm tired of fandom wars... Y'all are starting to make me doubt the interest in engaging in FICTION fanspace or fiction as a whole.

Sorry @whumpbby it seems it's the day I hijack your posts

"People only joined Yunmeng Jiang because of WWX's Demonic CUltivation"- he was dead for 13 years as the Cultivation World's boogey man and Lotus Pier flourished. WWX's former presence in Yunmeng was an active deterrent and my purple menace still got things back in shape.

[digitaltariq]

Profitable entrepreneur ditches school diploma for 'hands-on expertise'

Ground Coverings Worldwide proprietor Krista Farney reveals her recipe for turning into a profitable entrepreneur with out increased training throughout an look on ‘The Huge Cash Present.’ You do not want school to achieve success, in accordance with one entrepreneur who acquired her abilities on the job. "I simply type of knew I had that feeling of like, I have to do one thing by myself, have my very own enterprise, make my very own success." Ground Coverings Worldwide proprietor Krista Farney shared throughout Wednesday's "The Huge Cash Present." "I began early on. My mother was what I'd say is sort of a serial entrepreneur. She did all the pieces, you already know, early 80s. So she was promoting garments and kitchen machines, Tupperware, all of the issues. So she was all the time busy together with her personal enterprise of some kind and rising that community." EMPLOYERS ARE FED UP WITH COLLEGE 'WASTE,' OPT FOR SKILLED BLUE-COLLAR WORKERS INSTEAD Farney mentioned after highschool, she began working for plenty of small companies the place she discovered how you can use instruments equivalent to QuickBooks, make orders and deal with public interactions and forayed into the mobile business. "I went into mobile for a very long time, acquired to study quite a bit there, loads of hands-on expertise." From there, Farney "stepped into the world of entrepreneurship," with the aim of succeeding with out increased training. MikeRoweWorks Basis CEO Mike Rowe argues that four-year school levels are not seen as a supply of delight by graduates on 'Varney & Co.' The price of a school diploma comes with the hefty price ticket. In keeping with a analysis report from the Education Data Initiative, the common price of attending school is $36,436 per yr, with an annual progress fee of two% during the last decade. When Farney was requested in regards to the toll of pupil mortgage forgiveness, she mentioned: "There's quite a bit that goes into it." "All of these loans are being forgiven or are getting paid one way or the other, whether or not it is by means of the backs of the small companies which can be already opened or the taxpayers in every single place across the nation," she mentioned. "That additionally makes it harder for us to get loans if we want them for our companies that we're operating right now." INFLATION RETURNS AS TOP PROBLEM FACING SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS Ken Rusk, 'Blue Collar Money' creator and former development employee, discusses survey information indicating employers worth blue collar employees' expertise and abilities greater than a school training. She went on to elucidate the challenges confronted by working her personal enterprise and the way a lot more durable it's now than when she had began. "That is what I've dreamed of for years, and the issues that it is allowed me to do with my household is large. You recognize, there's loads of issues that we do not take into consideration, the taxes and all the pieces else that goes with companies and all of the underlying issues that it's a must to know and do." "We have to discover a option to make that simpler as a result of it is value it, proudly owning your individual enterprise and being this nice," she added. Read the full article

[scorpionyx9621]

The Inevitable Dick Grayson Retrospective: Hero, Childhood-Crush, a Paragon of Comics Characters

I've talked about making this deep-dive for a while now. And I've been really excited about doing it. Nightwing is easily one of the most recognized and beloved characters in all of superhero media. Dick Grayson is the original sidekick all grown up transformed into one of DC Comic's greatest heroes whom, even though he's almost always associated with Batman, can stand on his own two feet easily. He's impossible not to love, with decades of beloved portrayals and an almost universal admiration amongst comic fans, as knowing him first as Robin in Teen Titans, I fell in love with the character and when I finally got re-introduced to comics last year, I fell in love with him just as much as I did Jason Todd and Red Hood.

And then it hit me. I was trying to write a thought piece on one of the literal paragons of comic heroes. One of the most beloved characters in western hero media, and I was going to criticize him?!? Me? I originally wasn't trying to put Dick Grayson on a pedestal and say he's above the big three of DC Comics, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Now that I had thought about it more, the more I realized that yes, a lot of the younger fans and generations prefer Nightwing to Bruce Wayne, clearly, but even above Wonder Woman and even Sups. I mean we are talking about the original sidekick character in comics media. It all originates back to Dick Grayson. I looked at the monumental task in front of me and realized that this was going to be no light task. So I, as I usually am one to do, just stayed in the drawing board, never really trying to actually write a thoughtful analysis out of fear of criticism or just not doing the character justice. It really wasn't until recently that I truly wanted to revisit this character and just give an honest analysis on why we and myself included, hold Dick Grayson with such high regard.

Please be advised, I am not going to be heavily criticizing the writings of any comics book writer at DC or any artists. This is mostly just a tangent about love and appreciation for a character. Based heavily upon his design, characteristics, representation to the people/fans as a whole and just my personal takes. I don't want to bash anyone because this is art, and art is subjective. Writing and character development is just as valid of an art as a fancy spread in a comic. There's a reason why in primary education it's referred to as language arts. (I know that's kind of missing the point but writing/speech/storytelling/communicating all fall under that same general umbrella as English/Language Arts teaching in the American Education System)

Tangent asides, enjoy!

TW: Violence, mentions of SA, discussing sex in general: I'm going to generally say this post is 18+ because while this isn't pr0n, it does contain heavy simping for a fictional character. You have been warned.

So I like many people in that weird late-millennial/early Gen-Z grew up watching this boy on cartoon network in the 2000s when we were kids. (I was born in 1996, give me a break) This is Robin. Leader of the Teen Titans from the eponymous tv show, Teen Titans. Robin was that character who fit nicely into that mould formed by mid-2000's media in an obsession with edgy, dark, spiky-haired boys who brooded but we're still cool and above it all. Think your Price Zuko's, your Shadow the Hedgehogs, your Sasuke Uchiha's. Robin fit nicely into that mould and became a lot of people's fictional crushes. I too fall into that category. Robin was the leader of the group but portrayed a very cold and stern front, one who was deathly serious but knew how to have fun and kick back when the moment called. Savvy and smart but full of drama and edge, jealousy and even pure anger. Robin was a fully realized and 3D character who had great development but felt so very real and even personal.

I've been avoiding calling him Dick Grayson because while it's very heavily implied that this is Dick Grayson, it isn't outright stated. We're 99% sure this is Dick Grayson because of an episode where they meet their future selves, this Robin does become Nightwing in the future. That being said, a lot of his traits, most notably his bowstaff usage, is taken directly from Tim Drake. So there's been some debate on whether this is Tim Drake or Dick Grayson, but looking retroactively at the earlier Teen Titans comics and Tim Drake's teen Titans comics. It's pretty clear that the intention was to have this Robin from the TV show be a more anime-centric, edgier Dick Grayson. This asides, this is what made me fall in love with the character of Robin. And yes, characters change and evolve, sometimes it's good, sometimes it's really not. What I am here to say is though, that Dick Grayson only gets MONUMENTALLY better from here on out.

So my introduction to the comics is really not logical. Granted trying to find a congruent spot to start in DC Comics is like trying to break bad news to someone. There's no right way to do it, it's just do it. Sometimes you stick the landing and land on a good one, sometimes you don't. And I landed on Red Hood and the Outlaws as my first DC Comic series as I was introduced to the comic side from Jason Todd, but this isn't about him. This is about Dick Grayson and a celebration of him. I already have enough thought pieces on Jason. When I first landed into a Dick Grayson-centric comic it was actually Grayson. Which I know is a weird starting out point but honestly, as an analysis of Dick as a character and who he has become as an adult, this was a fantastic introduction to him as a character. Not to mention, Mikel Janin is CRIMINALLY UNDERRATED as a Dick Grayson artist. I mean come on. I could stare at that face for literally HOURS.

Speaking of, I think now would be a good time for me to define who Dick Grayson is to me. My broad overview is that Dick Grayson is the sidekick who grew up. The one who was seen as the best there was after all those years and he's still the best. Robin was defined for being the light side of the bat. The light side of the moon so to speak. Dick Grayson is the true representation of the idea that dark is not evil. Dick Grayson is the hope and dream that our children end up better than us fully realized. While Batman is 'The Dark Knight', Nightwing is the hopeful beacon towards the future. Dick Grayson is what everyone strives to want to be. He's truly the idea of a hero encapsulated around a veil of horrific darkness and trauma and intimidation. I'm a person who is obsessed with duality and its themes, and I absolutely adore the duality of Nightwing. His means and methods are just as harsh and even more brutal than the bat's, but he also is the one who steps into the light and prioritizes the little guy. He's witty and funny, vibrant and full of life but he's also extremely brooding and downright malicious if pushed far enough. He's probably the biggest proponent of the Bat family's 'no kill policy' second only to the Bat himself when in actuality Bruce thought if he let Dick go unsupervised, he would want to and probably would kill Tony Zucco. For the majority of his time as Robin and well into his time as Nightwing, Dick did have every intention of killing Tony Zucco. Dick has also killed The Joker in a fit of blind rage. Dick has powers and skills to match and even surpass Bruce, he has genius intellect and in many ciminal cases is seen to be even faster on his feet than Bruce. But Dick is so human, he is THE exception to the saying "Marvel is the story of normal people learning to live with the power of the gods. Whereas DC is the story of God's learning to live amongst humans" No, for all intents and purposes, Bruce is written pretty much as omnipotent. Dick is the human extension of this omnipotent hero. I mean hell, it's even stated by Superman that the multiversal constant is that Dick Grayson/Nightwing is beloved and is a good person no matter what universe he's in.

Also it's pretty deep in but if you haven't figured out by now that Dick Grayson is my favorite character in comics 2. Because all of this and 1. That I am a SIMP for this 2-dimensional man, then now's your chance to turn back because this is where I get downright thirsty because all jokes aside, I'm down cataclysmic for this character. But this man is physical perfection. Easy on the eyes is an understatement with Dick Grayson and to say that I'm attracted is also an understatement. He's that dark edgy boy we all crushed on in middle school all grown up and he's aged like fine cognac. He's literally famous throughout pop culture because of his behind. He's at the same level of popularity in his respective universe as Spider-Man but darker, edgier, and sexier. I know there's a lot of people here who are very protective of his sexuality and sex appeal but Dick Grayson is very famously known for getting down with an actual space alien. There was a whole controversy surrounding comics and homosexuality in the 40's/50's and it was started by him. He's a male gymnast with the physique of a Greek God and has been portrayed as even a stripper for a comic. DC Comics is not afraid to sexualize him and Dick Grayson has been sexualized for literally DECADES now. Dick Grayson has been sexualized before my parents were even born.

I'm not here to judge people for their attraction to a fictional character, nor am I here to justify my reasoning for liking said fictional character. DC Comics is well aware of their blatant sexualization of Dick Grayson. They utilize it almost every opportunity they can get him on a panel. The angle of which varies, like how in Grayson they have him be not only oggled at/inspected while naked and even touched and groped, to which he vocally and firmly voices that he didn't give permission and that he's not comfortable in this position, to certain villains pondering what kind of steroids he's taking because he's in that pique of physical condition and many even making lewd remarks about his physicality. To the infamous Devin Grayson run of Nightwing. Now truth be told, I don't completely hate this era of Nightwing. It shows Dick at his lowest of lows, and shows that even the brightest and happiest of people can fall to the lowest of lows, but that it is possible to pick yourself back up again. That aside, that's not what Devin Grayson is known for. She's known for being the writer who allowed Dick Grayson to be fully R-worded when Dick was in the middle of a nervous breakdown, and the fallout of it isn't handled the best even for a comic run that took place in the 90's. Devin Grayson to this day has a pretty unhealthy view on what she did to Dick Grayson. DC Comics as a whole is not afraid to utilize every opportunity they can get to sexualize Dick Grayson and I understand the sentiment behind wanting to protect him from these types of writers, but at the end of the day, it's almost as if that this really is just a part of his character now. I can't think of a piece of media that he is in where he isn't a child that he is not sexualized. This is neither good nor bad. An adult or person who is of consenting age (Because yes different states/cultures practice different ages of consent and I'm not opening that can of worms) you should be allowed to look at and enjoy looking at media of sexy men in tight costumes and who have rippling muscles (if you're into that)

I'd be remiss if I didn't talk about Dick's portrayal in Young Justice. Because for many people this is their favorite portrayal of him. I didn't get into Young Justice until about the summer of last year and ho-boy, when I tell you I was not expecting this group of teenage superheroes to have House of Cards/White House Drama levels of manipulation, backstabbing, lying, and deceit. Part of what made Dick Grayson such a poignant and watershed character of the show is how transformational he is. He starts out as what I can only define as an immature goblin of a boy with insane fighting abilities and his hiding years worth of trauma behind witty catchphrases, when he steps into a leadership role for the first time and follows what he knows, Bruce's instinct, in finishing the mission no matter what, he's mortified, and swears he never wants to be a leader like Bruce.

Then season 2 and onwards happens. I wouldn't quantify Dick's transformation from smartass goblin to a literal Adonis of a young man puberty hitting him like a brick. I'd say a more fitting comparison would be puberty hitting him like the Chicxulub meteor hitting the Yucutan peninsula and literally triggering a mass extinction event. I cannot imagine the crushing chokehold this man had on the fandom once they revealed how he had aged from S1-S2. Part of what makes him so interesting as a character in S2 and onwards is that he knows exactly how attractive he is and he fully weaponizes it, hell, Dick has literally come into his own as basically a vigilante assassin who doesn't kill and he's only 18 in season 2. Even more than that, we see Dick fully blend into the leadership role and despite his previous horrors at Bruce and his methods, we see him so easily resort to his methods, and end up being almost exactly like Batman in terms of a leader and a hero, just more bubbly and talkative. When he realizes what he's become he steps back and abdicates his position. The storytelling in YJ is god tier and we see Dick truly as a fully fleshed 3D character, who, while is very confident, cocky, and physically handsome but also very kind and supportive. We see him fall down and make mistakes. We watch him backslide into becoming the one thing he promised himself he'd never become when he was put under pressure. All the while looking absolutely jawdropping while doing so. Also mad props to Jessie McCartney for voicing him. He goes from what I can only describe as chipmunk going through a pubescent crisis in terms of voice in S1 yet somehow does it in a way that's not downright obnoxious, to smoothly transitioning to how Jessie McCartney actually talks normally in real life and it blends so well.

I also need to touch on the DCAMU. Some of the movies were good, some were pretty awful. Yet I find their portrayal of Dick Grayson to be very interesting. It's this iteration that a lot of people cite when it comes to Dick's "player" tendencies. When in reality they should be sourcing Young Justice over this but hey. I've seen a lot of people disliking this take on Dick Grayson because he's not the best at fighting and he splits the absolutely cataclysmic power he holds between his brains and beneath his pants. This design is pretty iconic (and also very hot) for what it is, he's never looked bad in any DCAMU movie in my opinion and he lends well to a more 'adult' Dick Grayson. I know I just fawned and gushed about Jessie McCartney but we really need to give credit to Sean Maher, Dick's VA in the DCAMU. It's not as iconic or recognizable as McCartney, but it's a bit more adult while still having the lighter, chippier tonal inflection that Dick Grayson is usually associated with having and still sounding cool and above it all. Which is really interesting considering Maher edits himself quite heavily to voice Dick. Many may not know but Sean Maher is an openly out gay man who does have a prominent 'gay' "lisp". I'm not trying to offend anyone but just listen to how he talks during an interview and how he voices Dick Grayson. All this being said, Sean Maher is easily my favorite voice for Dick Grayson. He has a very comforting and reassuring voice that's both soothing and attractive. Which is funny because the DCAMU'S take on Dick Grayson tends to be a bit more light hearted but also focuses heavily on his humor and sex appeal. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's just more of the emphasis.

I'm going to touch on it lightly, mostly because you can find numerous biopics and analyses' on Dick Grayson and his anger. It's such a fundamental part of who he is as a character and it's often brushed to the side for the fact that he takes on the more 'adult' or 'first-daughter syndrome' roles that are assigned to him in the comics and fandoms. But it cannot be understated that Dick Grayson is a brutal vigilante. He's not the strict Kantian that Bruce is, nor is he murderous utilitarian that Jason Todd is, but he falls somewhere in between. I've stated before that Dick is very versed in all of Bruce's tactics and is even a better fighter than Bruce in some matchups. This makes Dick not only one of the like, top 5 fighters in ALL of DC Comics, but it also makes him one opponent you cannot underestimate. Yes he's talkative and nice on the surface, but Dick Grayson is an active decade volcano of a man (think Mouth Rainer in Washington State) he's this huge, towering force that is generally calm and majestic. However, with the right trigger or if pushed far enough, Dick will erupt and erupt VIOLENTLY. Dick's rage is white, searing hot and deadly. It's as frightening as it is beautiful and captivating to watch. If you have Dick Grayson truly angry at you, I'd debate you have more to fear from him than you do Batman. I mention it all the time but I'm going to keep mentioning it until it sticks. Dick Grayson literally mauled the joker to death with his bare hands and rage alone. This is the same kid who has every intention on doing the exact same thing to Tony Zucco. To this day, no media with the exception of Titans and Brenton Thwaites has really addressed this topic in a meaningful way (which can I say got-damn. Brenton can get it)

In conclusion. This has been a love letter to Dick Grayson as a character as a whole. I know there are still decades of media of him for me to consume and I did broadly generalize a fair deal. Dick Grayson is a literal mountain of a character. Breathtaking and full of such life and vibrancy. There's a lot that Dick Grayson is, and there's a lot that he isn't. He's a miracle and he's a menace. There's a tale of two cities playing out when talking about Dick Grayson and Nightwing both figuratively and literally. The story of the orphaned circus boy who grew to be the original sidekick and was so good eventually took the mantle on himself and performed brilliantly in Gotham. He's also the man who was the rebel that fought back against a strict parent and ran off to find his own way and become his own hero. Truly stepping out of the shadow of his predecessor, and became a full-fledged hero of his own accord and merit in Blüdhaven. We now are watching him as a fully fleshed-out adult man who has come unto his own as a billionaire (albeit he inherited the money from Alfred) and we're watching him try to use the money in a way to actually benefit society. Now comics are known for their progressive leanings but it's really interesting to see them be so on the nose with Nightwing and Dick Grayson. I'm interested to see where they take this plot because this is pushing very hard against a glass ceiling during a time of high political tension.

Robin was my childhood crush and one of my subconscious gay awakenings. He's a monument of a character who stands tall even despite numerous bad portrayals. With news coming out that a Nightwing live-action movie is in the works in the DCEU and potential leaks that we may see him as early as the Bat Girl movie. There's a lot to be excited for. With Dylan O'Brein being the rumored favorite for the role, I have a lot of feelings. Mostly mixed. He's proven his worth as an actor but there's a certain magic that Dick Grayson has, and truth be told I don't know if Dylan O'Brein has it. I don't want to count him out, but honestly, I'd feel as though Brenton Thwaites is probably the perfect live-action Dick Grayson because while he plays a darker, snarkier, more serious Dick Grayson. He has the look and that extra bit of oomf that makes Dick Dick. We'll just have to wait and see I guess, but like Nightwing himself, I'm looking at the future with optimism.

[keshetchai]

Disclaimer that the easiest and most effective thing to do is simply block and ignore them. Probably also the most healthy for you mentally.

And don't use this with unhinged people, use your best judgment here, and block when you need to as a first option, not last. Also this probably works better with people who are interested in appearing like they listen to "all sides" or are fair and unbiased, or who care about like hearing people out, or whatever. (Including conservatives who just want to decry how no one listens to them.) And also people who want to appear liberal.

this works because it's happening in public, and because people want to be heard out, and they also don't want to listen.

BUT,

If you don't want to block them immediately for whatever reason, and you aren't being threatened and for some reason you want to engage with this person, this is what I do:

First: I establish we disagree. I establish I am currently communicating with them — this means we could actually continue this discussion and what they want is to be listened to. That's fine. But I don't want to continue the discussion the way it is right now. This part is nebulous, you're just sort of...doing whatever to indicate you realize the conversation was going nowhere.

Got it? Okay.

Second: you pivot to The Offer. The way this gets set up will vary. Sometimes they asked you to read/watch/listen to something and then you can turn this request back on them. Sometimes you can transition from something they said. Sometimes you just don't use any lead in at all.

But the key part is this:

when was the last time you visited a Holocaust museum? Have you ever visited one?

(They've never answered anything recent. Never. If they did, they were usually children.)

Then you pitch it to them:

You're going to offer to help them find the nearest Holocaust museum to them, and you will reimburse their trip by covering ticket admission or parking costs. then after they've been, you can totally continue to discuss their claims or read/watch whatever thing etc.

Where do they live? A day's travel to you? Far away? If you both live a days travel from the nearest one, you tell them you'll join them and go together whenever you can schedule it. If you don't, you offer to reimburse them the cost of admission (if there was any ticket price) or parking contingent on proof of their museum admission ticket. I say that. I tell them I will pay for their ticket, or if there was no ticket, the cost of parking.

If you don't have money just offer to plan logistics. Find the easiest way to get there. Offer to help schedule them for a museum tour, even.

I don't know why this works literally every time I offer, but it does. And by work, I mean no one has ever actually taken up the offer. No one says "okay, if you pay me back for museum parking, I'll go spend a few hours at the Holocaust museum near me." No one says "okay, I'll meet you there and we can go together, if you promise to read this book I want you to read afterwards."

Most of the time they just stop talking. Or they ignore it and try to change the conversation again. Too bad. This is public and people see them side stepping. On Twitter it gets funny because they'll start ignoring you to argue with other jews, and then you can point this out to everyone.

It works great when this person is still trying to talk about witch hunts, or how other people won't do x or y thing they demanded, complain about an unwillingness to have "civil discourse" or whatever silly claim and insist they know XYZ, that they're soooo educated. but you already just had them admit they've never been to a Holocaust museum (and frankly that'd be fine if they ever read any genuine history or Holocaust scholarship, but they haven't done that either) and also they ignored your offer to help them visit one. You even said you'd pay for it! You'd find the nearest museum. You'd go with them personally if you can get to their closest museum.

It's like popping a bubble on them. They drop the conversation. They don't respond to the challenge. If they talk to other people, you can tell those other people about your offer to this person. Other Jews they try to argue with can see how you've signalled they're full of shit if they try to act like they're willing to learn or converse. Sometimes they'll block you, but most of them don't do that until after I've brought up my offer to several other people they were trying to engage or argue with, and they then sense they no longer look good to the audience.

I've never had a single person say yes, they'd do it. I promised up and down I would read whatever 500 page terrible hardback they wanted if they also agreed to do this, and I ALWAYS mean it. No one does it.

Not a one! Although the person who taught me this trick i think(?) has actually managed to get one person to go out of the many many times he's done this.

But it sure does make them stop every time! Also it keeps you from trying to continually argue and educate with no progress while only getting more upset! Stop doing that, it only stresses you out!! Go straight to The Offer!!

If you don't block these people straight off, don't argue with them and infuriate yourself but get nowhere. Just make The Offer. It kinda operates on the same principles of unbalancing people by leveraging peer approval and shame to get them to not make shitty racist jokes or say a slur. Or when you vocally deny whatever it is they want (talked about here a bit.) Like it's not identical, but it does do the thing of not arguing and debunking point by point, but instead redirecting and giving the conversation boundaries publicly.

(And then you block them if you think you'll try arguing again. Don't do that).

Have I already talked about my magic trick to get annoying people on the Internet to shut up when incorrectly invoking/misusing the Holocaust or soft denying it? Like when they are trying to argue something stupid wrong or just toss it around like it's only a rhetorical talking point?

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Charter schools are money laundries

Critiques of charter schools usually focus on poor quality education (disproportionately affecting racialized and poor people) and dangerous ideology (the movement is funded by billionaire dilettantes and religious maniacs), and with good reason!

Charters hand public funds to private institutions with minimal oversight. Public money should not go to schools that endorse slavery and indigenous genocide, nor schools that deny evolution and claim humans and dinosaurs co-existed.

https://web.archive.org/web/20180604002542/http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/education/school-zone/os-voucher-school-curriculum-20180503-story.html

Charter students know they’re getting substandard educations — that’s why the 2019 valedictorians for Detroit’s Universal Academy used their speech to denounce the school, its curriculum and administrators.

https://www.freep.com/story/news/education/2019/06/10/salutatorians-criticize-charter-school-graduation/1381474001/b

The more we learn about charters, the worse the situation gets. Take New Orleans, where, post-Katrina, the Republican statehouse and wealthy dilettante “philanthropists” eliminated all public education in favor of charter schools.

https://www.nola.com/news/education/article_0c5918cc-058d-11ea-aa21-d78ab966b579.html

A decade later, the state education regulator gave half these schools “D” or “F” grades.

No wonder that charter teachers joined LA public school teachers on their Red For Ed pickets in 2019:

https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-edu-lausd-strike-accelerated-school-20190114-story.html

Charter schools pitch themselves as grassroots phenomena, made possible thanks to the passion of parents seeking quality educations for their kids. The reality is that the movement is funded and promoted through a corrupt network of ultra-wealthy ideologues.

The Kochs and the Waltons (Walmart) have secretly funneled vast fortunes into disinformation campaigns aimed at demonizing teachers’ unions:

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/apr/12/teacher-strikes-rightwing-secret-strategy-revealed

They were joined by the likes of Trump education secretary Betsy DeVos, a fundamentalist who makes no secret of her view that charters can remove the barrier between church and state and institute publicly funded Christian indoctrination in schools:

https://www.cnn.com/2017/02/02/politics/eli-broad-letter-betsy-devos/index.html

Destroying public education is the sport of kings. Bill Gates blew $775m on a failed charter experiment whose subjects were children who got no say in the matter:

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2018-06-27/here-s-how-not-to-improve-public-schools

Gates has solid teammates in his anti-public-education crusade. I mean, who can say no to Mark Zuckerberg?

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/21/technology/silicon-valley-kansas-schools.html

Misery loves company, which is why the Sacklers — mass-murdering architects of the opioid epidemic — sunk so much blood money into the charter project (incredibly, this “philanthropy” is supposed to improve their reputation):

https://web.archive.org/web/20171113043810/https://www.alternet.org/education/notorious-family-contributing-opioid-crisis-and-funding-charter-schools/

But a critique of charters that starts with poor outcomes and ends with ideological billionaires misses the third leg of this stool: money-laundering and financial fraud.

Admittedly some of that has been in plain sight for years. Remember when an LA school board exec plead guilty to felony finance fraud and conspiracy for his role in the charter-backed takeover of the board?

https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-edu-ref-rodriguez-resigns-20180722-story.html#

But “Chartered For Profit,” a report from Network for Public Education is by far the most comprehensive look at the means by which billions are transferred from public school districts to profiteers, at the expense of kids in both the charter and public system.

https://networkforpubliceducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Chartered-for-Profit.pdf

In an interview with Jacobin’s Meagan Day, NPE’s executive director Carol Burris discusses the blockbuster report, which is so damning that it prompted a bill in Congress that bans funding to charters that are managed by for-profit contractors.

https://jacobinmag.com/2021/07/charter-schools-for-profit-nonprofit-taxpayer-public-money-oversight-education-salaries-real-estate-burris-interview

Burris explains that even though nearly all charters are nonprofits (except in AZ), there’s a widespread practice of contracting with for-profit corporations to “manage” these schools; the for-profits are often owned by the schools founders or their relatives.

Others are nationwide chains that offer comprehensive management services — “comprehensive” in the sense of steering schools to procure materials, services and supplies from affiliates that overcharge and kick-back to the management companies.

From substandard, overpriced cafeteria fare; to janky, nonfunctional ed-tech; to unqualified, underpaid teachers, these for-profit entities figure out how to minimize costs, maximize profits, and disguise poor student outcomes so they can keep doing it.

They deploy opaque corporate structures to give the appearance of a thriving ecosystem of suppliers — meanwhile, the largest chain, Academica, consists of 56 companies at one address, more than 70 at another, and a network of real-estate, holding and finance companies.

Real estate plays a major role in charter profiteering. Profiteers scoop up tax-advantaged funding and subsidized loans to buy buildings, leased at inflated rates to charters, with the tax-payer paying their mortgage.

When the mortgage is paid, more tax dollars are used to buy the school at inflated prices.

But it’s even more profitable to run a “virtual school” where you can deliver canned lectures and fake attendance records and pocket vast sums in public money.

For-profits are also loan-sharks. They offer credit to the nonprofit charters so they can afford the inflated prices for educational “services,” charging high interest rates that ensure they get an additional rake off of every public dollar the charter receives.

NPE’s “Another Day Another Charter Scandal” page is a good look at the tip of the corruption iceberg — the crimes that get caught, from fake invoices to outright embezzlement. Charter execs use the school’s credit card to pay for fancy dinners even trips to Disney World.

https://networkforpubliceducation.org/another-day-another-charter-scandal/

Charters shouldn’t exist, period. But if they must exist, then the loophole that allows for-profits to run the notionally nonprofit charter sector must be closed.

Meanwhile, if you want a look at education “reform” that works, check out Andrea Gabor’s 2018 “After the Education Wars,” and learn how eliminating hierarchy, funding the arts, offering good wages and good training to teachers transform schools.

https://www.ineteconomics.org/perspectives/blog/millionaire-driven-education-reform-has-failed-heres-what-works

The formula is rather simple, really: “a respect for democratic processes and participatory improvement, a high regard for teachers, clear strategies with buy-in from all stake-holders, and accountability frameworks that include room to innovate.”

“Robust leadership and strong teacher voice. Their success underscores the importance of equitable funding and suggests that problems like income inequality are far more detrimental to education that the usual suspects, like bad teachers.”