lifenacademicpublishing

[lifenacademicpublishing]

No work is degrading if you don't degrade the people doing the work!

When the health food store unionized, something wild happened that I thought was just a goofy one-off, but makes more sense now.

There was a big push to eliminate "degrading jobs" but the strategy was to eliminate the position, then create a new position outside of the bargaining unit to do the work. So like, we wouldn't have dishwashers, but we'd have people who washed dishes that weren't eligible to be in the union.

I was like A) what the actual fuck? Dish washing isn't "degrading", it's fucking vital. B) What the actual fuck? You want to create a union just to exploit different people?

There were enough of us to be like "Absolutely the fuck not," and put a stop to it, but I was absolutely flummoxed that people involved in a union would say that out loud. Working with more leftists now, it makes sense.

[lifenacademicpublishing]

Oh we have been pointing that out....it's just that no one is listening

Yo, correct me if I am wrong please, but didn't Hitler rise to power because he promised to fix the German economy and people really liked that so they looked past everything else he was doing??? Like exactly what's happening in America right now???

So many people said they voted for Trump, put a truly evil person in power, because he said he'd fix the economy, and a little voice in my head is going, "Isn't that what happened with fucking Hitler??"

But I've seen no one point that out so maybe I'm miss remembering???????

[lifenacademicpublishing]

Yes, please spread news! It is sooo hard to find accurate news anywhere. I'm honestly finding more coverage on tumblr than anywhere else. All our major news outlets are OWNED by the oligarchs.

What can someone who doesn't live in the united states do to help with the... general state of everything right now?

Great question. (And thank you so much! The people of the US need all the help they can get - and stopping the rise of a Fascist dictatorship will help other countries too since a Fascist, Russia-controlled US is bad for the whole world).

There's a couple things you can do:

Boycott companies that support the regime (like Walmart for example, which donated to him) either monetarily or by having their execs speak out in his favor - and write to them and tell them this is what you are doing (and consider giving a boost to American companies like Costco that have defied the regime if they are in your area). A lot of these big businesses rely on profits abroad as well as in the US. And if their alignment with the Fascists starts hurting their business in the US and abroad they may reconsider their positions and might even put pressure on the GOP to reign the Fascists in. Remember, the GOP only has a slim majority in Congress, so if a few Republicans vote with Democrats a lot can be done to foil the Fascists' plans for a coup. And of course, don't support ANY company owned by Musk and if you have a Tesla get rid of it. Giving money to Musk directly funds Nazism.

Do whatever you can to support Ukraine and stand up to Russia. I think it's pretty clear Russia is behind all this. I think they are supporting the rise of a Fascist dictatorship in the US so that they can destroy democracy around the world and continue to expand their empire. Defeating and weakening Russia will weaken their ability to support Fascism in the US and around the world and make everyone safer.

Spread news about what's going on - on social media and in your press. This will help people in the US learn about what they need to protest and call their reps about. And it will also help them find out about all the protests going on so that they don't feel alone and so they know what to join and how many other people are standing up. A lot of the mainstream media in the US is bowing to Trump and not covering the protests that are happening, even the very big ones or they are posting misleading images that make the protests seem smaller than they are.

If you have ever lived under a dictatorship, help Americans understand what is at stake. Unfortunately, many Americans are very innocent and sheltered and cannot imagine the horrors of a dictatorship because they take democracy for granted and have never lived under any other type of system. If you or your family have lived under authoritarianism, talk/post about it online or irl with Americans you know and help them see what is going on and how fragile democracy is and how bad it is to live without it.

[lifenacademicpublishing]

As an editor, can I please add that human authors do, in fact, use m-dashes....a lot. Please have mercy on your editor and stop using m-dashes....and semicolon. Far, far too many semicolon.

Most of them wrong.

someone on twitter is trying to claim that use of an em-dash is an indication of AI-generated writing because it’s “relatively rare” for actual humans to use it. skill issue

[lifenacademicpublishing]

Hi folks!

I'm lighting a beacon, and I hope you'll light another and another and another!

All you have to do is write an email to your senator or (gulp) calling them?

Relax. Email is fine!

Please tell your senators to oppose HR 734, the federal trans sports ban. Find your Rep's contact information and tell them that you oppose HR 734 and they should too!

Why does this matter so much?

The language in this bill sets a dangerous precedent by defining sex based solely on reproductive biology and genetics at birth. If they get away with this, if we let them set this precedent it makes it so much easier for them to take the next step towards isolating and targeting trans people. It will erode the rights of trans people and the ways that they can legally protect themselves. This is a play lifted directly out of Hitler's playbook. Please don't let them do this!

They're pretending this is about "protecting women and girls" but this bill is a direct attack on the LGBTQ+ community and poses significant threat to their rights and well-being. Research has shown that participation in sports is crucial for the mental and physical well-being of all youth, including LGBTQ+ individuals. Denying a child the opportunity to participate in sports can lead to increased rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide. Sports participation is correlated with higher academic achievement and self-esteem.

Studies have shown that inclusive policies that allow transgender individuals to participate in sports according to their gender identity do not harm cisgender athletes. Instead, these policies promote fairness, equality, and the well-being of all athletes.

What can you do?

Email (or call if that's your jam) your senator. Look up who they are and how to contact them:

Then tell them to oppose HR 734! The message can be that simple. Say "I oppose HR 734 and I want you to oppose it on my behalf!"

If you want to say more and are stuck for inspiration, maybe check out what the Congressional Equality Caucus had to say about it: Congressional Equality Caucus Denounces House Passage Of H.R. 734, The “Politics Over Participation Act” | Congressional Equality Caucus

Or what the National Women's Law Center said: Letter from Women’s and Girls’ Rights Organizations Opposing H.R. 734 - National Women's Law Center

Or Pro, Olympic, and Paralympic athletes have to say about it: Pro, Olympic and Paralympic Athletes Sign Open Letter Against HR734 - Athlete Ally

[lifenacademicpublishing]

Checking in on y'all. This election eat you alive?

[lifenacademicpublishing]

I love you. Even if I've never met you, I promise, I love you!

Please, spread this for those who might need it right now

U.S. suicide hotline: call or text 988 (available 24 hours)

U.S. trans lifeline: (877) 565-8860 (when you call, you’ll speak to a trans/nonbinary peer operator. full anonymity and confidentiality)

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357) – provides 24/7 confidential support and referrals for individuals and families facing mental health and substance use disorders, including panic attacks and anxiety.

LGBT National Help Center: (888) 843-4564

Trevor Project: Call (866) 488-7386, text START to 678-678, or chat online.

Take care of yourself and each other. Please stay safe ♡

[lifenacademicpublishing]

I have a masters degree and have been working in the same industry for 15+ years. I just got a raise last month that brought me into this range...I earned 23k in my first job. And before you ask, yes it was in a major city where that was below the poverty line.

That is not close to being realistic

[lifenacademicpublishing]

Hey, listen here, you jerk. We're just over here wrestling with our last shred of sanity. No need to call us out like that!

[lifenacademicpublishing]

fucking Yoda spellchecking my papers in microsoft word

[lifenacademicpublishing]

[lifenacademicpublishing]

I have #whitegirl version of this. I went to school in a predominantly Black and Latinx students and teachers. I was often the only white kid in my class and I was a very stereotypical goodie-two-shoes, quiet, white girl in pig tails with straight A's. The adults viewed me the ideal, well-behaved student. I never got in trouble, and as such I got away with murder! I could wander the halls unchecked. The other students caught on to this and began to enlist me in their shenanigans. I walked at the front of the group and teachers and security guards all assumed everything was on the up and up! A security guard once walked in on me and a group of 5 other students sitting in a back staircase, saw me with a notebook in my lap and just assumed that we were working on a group project.

[lifenacademicpublishing]

In the office today as required. Literally, no one else here on my entire floor and only 4 other people in the entire building. On-site face to face collaboration is so valuable. Glad I'm here for it.

[lifenacademicpublishing]

The lengths people will go to to avoid using singular "they" in their writing is astounding.

The person must include a description of the person's own experiences at the person's current or former position unless the person has....just say THEY!

[lifenacademicpublishing]

My sister and I had a Barbie graveyard in the garden. We used to bury our "dead" Barbies with much pomp and circumstance. Sometimes they came back as ghost or zombies.

I remember desperately begging my mom to get me a Barbie car so i could make Barbie die in a horrible car crash (aka roll it down the stairs).

It kind of really confuses me when Barbie commercials have little girls dressing them up and brushing their hair Like no Barbie is not about fashion. Barbie is about collecting as many dolls as you can get your grubby 7 year old hands on and dominating the living room with your expansive empire of plastic women. Barbie is about creating intricate social structures and spicy inter-family conflicts between town house residents. Barbie is about formulating complex back stories for tortured Ken dolls with emotional scars. It’s about creating near-sadistic dramatic plot twists that split up marriages and cause that one Barbie you really dislike to be ceremoniously tossed down the stairs in order to be offed by the jealous ex-wife of Ken #4.

[lifenacademicpublishing]

HarperCollins Strike Update

For the full breakdown of what’s been going on since November, read here.

January 20, 2023

It’s been over FIFTY days. The strike is still ongoing. Harper has yet to even speak to the union.

Union members are still scraping on their second and third hustles (which most entry-level publishing people have) and donations to the strike fund. The union has set up a hardship fund (here’s the post about it on their official Instagram, for verification) so no more fiddling with checks or Venmo.

If you can donate, please do.

And whether you can or can’t, please do still share.

[lifenacademicpublishing]

I've got bad news for you...industry is not any better. Last week I had a meeting to talk about the meeting we were going to have to plan the agenda for the actual meeting.