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i took out about 18k of loans for an illustration degree at a time where i thought i could pay that off in five or ten years– that i could make money as an artist, pay my rent, pay my bills, pay a couple hundred a month and whittle it down. if i got a job illustrating for a magazine or publisher, just a few of those jobs might clear by debt. lots of places had in-house illustrators then: lots of magazines, interior designers, videogame startups, magazines, even websites. it was possible. i was promised if i worked hard to add college skills to my native talent, it was guaranteed.
i never made it. the economy crashed halfway through my degree. it never recovered. studios fired artists by the thousands and hired them on as freelancers. the housing market crashed and bounced and mutated. rent was insane. the minim wage didn’t twitch. but the interest on those unpayable loans went up, and up, and up.
ive paid a couple thousand back, bit by bit. but now i owe 42,000 dollars. there’s no reason for it. my lenders just made those numbers up and no one stopped them. i borrowed 18 and payed back maybe 5. no one is losing 42,000 dollars if biden clears that debt tomorrow. my debt’s already been sold a few times anyway. that means even the original lender shrugged off the loss.
so yeah, i want the government to bail me out. they bailed out all the banks that fucked the economy before i ever grew up. they bailed out all the corporations who starved their workers of fair pay and steady careers for decade after hungry decade. they sure as fuck bailed out every landlord who gouged 90% of my paycheck out plus my security deposit plus pet rent for the privilege of a shitty little box with plastic carpets and leaking roofs.
all these great big men who have unrepentantly fucked up the economy bigtime has gotten to laugh it off and then chug down a firehose of taxpayer funded absolution. i want the 12,000 that my original lender already traded away, that i paid for a broken dream, to be so easily dismissed. i deserve that. we all do.
(via ihavenoideahonestly)
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That is exactly how my ancestors came to America.
They might not even have bought a ticket; entry forms had “stowaway” as a valid transportation choice.
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This is happening fast. Cats generally only survive 24 hours from symptom-onset.
Symptoms are hyperglycemia, stupor, limb stiffness, difficulty breathing, pupils with different widths, unresponsive pupils, seizures, and hypoalkemia.
It’s unknown how many of the deaths ARE bird-flu but please be vigilant. So far it seems restricted to Poland.
Here’s is another article; it was originally in Polish but google translate has provided a rough translation into English.
just to be extremely clear for anyone confused: it appears bird flu has jumped species to cats. cats are eating birds, getting bird flu, and dying. viruses do not go back in the box once this has happened. all outdoor cats eat birds, even if you do not see them do it. keep your cats inside or provide outdoor time with direct supervision/secure enclosure only.
your cat can also contract bird flu outdoors and then bring it into your house and give it to you. this is not only possible but likely to start happening if it hasn’t already
https://bnonews.com/index.php/2023/06/at-least-9-cats-in-poland-die-of-h5n1-bird-flu/
Updated on 26th June 2023
Another recent update:
(via saint-batrick)
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Section 11G here for the email address and opting out instructions:
“Opt out. You have a limited right to opt out of this Arbitration Agreement (excluding Section 11.I). Specifically, i If you are a new user of our Services, you can opt out of this Arbitration Agreement within 30 days after you first accept the Terms. If you are an existing user of our Services, you can opt out within 30 days after the effective date (listed above). To opt out, you must send a timely email to arbitrationoptout@etsy.com with your name, the email address for your account, your username and your shop name (if applicable), and a request to opt out of arbitration. If you validly opt out, neither Etsy nor you will be required to arbitrate as a result of this (or any prior version of the) Arbitration Agreement, but the Terms (and any other agreements between us) will otherwise apply to you. If we update the Terms after you validly opt out, we will continue to respect your opt-out, but such updates do not provide a new opportunity to opt out of arbitration.”
“This Section 11 (which we’ll also refer to as the “Arbitration Agreement” or “Agreement”) applies only if you are a user in North or South America”
Everyone else, you’re fine, just signal boosting.
It takes effect on July 24, 2023, so if you’re an existing user, you’ll have 30 days from that day to opt out by sending the email to the address: arbitrationoptout@etsy.com
Again:
Include your name, email address used by the account, username and any shop name you have and request to opt out of arbitration.
(via saint-batrick)
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In 1960, SAG and WGA struck to force management to adapt to the new technology of television. Without that strike and the agreement it birthed, residual use payments would not exist.
My parents stole nearly all of my salary from my entire childhood. My Star Trek residuals were all I had, and they kept me afloat for two decades while I rebuilt my life. I have healthcare and a pension because of my union. The AMPTP billionaires want to take all that security away so they can give CEOs even more grotesque wealth at the expense of the people who make our industry run.
To give some sense of what is at stake: There are actors who star in massively successful, profitable, critically acclaimed shows that are all on streaming services. You see them all the time. They are famous, A-list celebrities. Nearly all of those actors don’t earn enough to qualify for health insurance, because the studios forced them to accept a buyout for all their residuals (decade of reuse, at the least) that is less than I earned for one week on TNG. And I was the lowest paid cast member in 1988. They want to do this while studio profits and CEO compensation are at historic highs.
I mean, if not now, when? And I haven’t even touched on AI and working conditions.
We must fight for the future of our industry in the face of changing technology, the same way our elders did in 1960. So today, my Spacemom and I went to the place where it started for us, way back when, to do just that.
I see all your support. It means so much. Thank you.
(via saint-batrick)
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I am very serious when I say, cancel your subscriptions now. Don’t cross the picket line.
ALT
ALT
ALTthat’s not actually helping them at all, you’re just giving the studios another reason to point at their subscription numbers and say ‘see? we can’t afford to pay the writers and the actors!’
By canceling your membership, you’re not helping them at all.
congratulations, you’ve played yourself in not playing a role in the strike.
You’re not being serious, you’re being ridiculous!
Just, a little strike 101: if the union calls for a boycott, you boycott. If they don’t, you don’t. Sometimes not boycotting puts more pressure on services striking workers would normally provide, so metes it proves value in other ways. Do what the union asks. Simples
(via saint-batrick)
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Burn, Hollywood, burn.
Truly disgusting numbers.
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Political corruption by a criminal President. FUCK REPUBLICANS!
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