#Government Contribution

[margaretlsgp]

Baby Boomers Redefine Retirement | Sponsored by AmeriCorps [Video]

[according2thelore]

oh hey! i’m sam, and this is my father—i mean, my mother—i mean, my best friend—i mean, shit, my lover—i mean, my guard dog—i mean, the man who sold his soul for me—i mean, the man fated to kill me—i mean, haha sorry, my moral compass—whoops, i mean, my stone number one, the last string i have connecting me to reality—i mean, my soulmate—my bad, i mean, my breeder—i mean, the man i modeled myself after—i mean, shit—

this is dean. my brother, dean.

[wackpedion]

Hey can we talk about how disheartening it is when as a disabled person unable to work you're given money to live off of but its actually nowhere close to being able to live off of? And how it makes no sense? I am disabled, I have been officially judged by the welfare department as being unable to and/or impacted in my ability to work, so theoretically the money I recieve is to make up for this and ensure that I can live, but it's literally not even enough to cover rent most places let alone other bills and food. I am lucky in that I live with my mom and she covers many costs, but not everyone has that option, that or staying with their parents or a partner means staying in an abusive or harmful environment, studies show disabled people are more likely to be abused. This system is trapping them. And so then you're presented with two choices: Work, no matter how hard and damaging it is to your mind and body and health so you might be able to live, or do what you can with what little money the government gives you, if it's even possible, at detriment to you and your quality of life.

And honestly, this just feels like the government doesn't care and wants us to die. That's the message they're sending, when they say "we recognize you can't work, but we won't give you the money you need to be able to live". And what's sickening is that the people around us don't bat an eye about this and may even think what we do get we don't deserve or is enough. My own father went on an angry tirade to me about how he has to pay alot of taxes, a portion of which go to this, which just tells me he doesn't care about me or my disabled friends and familys wellbeing. That he would rather us die or destroy ourselves working so he has a bit more money in his pocket. It's a sick individualistic mindset, to only worry about yourself, and not care about having a functioning society in which everyone is taken care of, including your family, friends, and even yourself, in the case you become disabled or simply grow old. Who doesn't want that? To be against that isn't only harming your close ones but also yourself. Why are you so upset about the idea of contributing to a society that takes care of its people.

This is a bit of an unprompted post, this topic has just been on my mind for a while. I wish things were better for us and that we could all live the lifes we deserve

[bigcats-birds-and-books]

Books of 2024: ALWAYS COMING HOME by Ursula K. Le Guin.

The people have Spoken, so I'll be reading this 618-page brick next! The cover page credits the author, an artist, a composer, a geomancer (??), and the author of the intro, so. I suspect I'm in for a Ride™. I am both Excited and Intimidated--will report back on how this goes!

[wonder-worker]

Angelberga was a peculiarly prominent personality in manifold aspects of European politics [in the late 9th century. Born to the powerful Supponid family of Italy, she married Emperor Louis II and had several opportunities to establish her position as an active and controversial player in the vicissitudes of her husband's reign]. She acted as Louis's regent, accompanied him on expansionary military campaigns in the south of the peninsula and represented him at [congresses, tribunals, and diplomatic negotiations]. Strikingly, she was also the beneficiary of a spectacular collection of charters. Almost one in seven of Louis II’s extant charters were issued in her favour. Angelberga’s conspicuous exploits in the field of charter acquisition did not diminish after the emperor’s death, and this helped her to maintain a position as a key power-broker in Italian politics, control of land [particularly monastic foundations] being a fundamental building-block of power in this period. In the interregnum following 875, during which Charles the Bald of West Francia and Karlmann of Bavaria fought to claim the succession to the heirless Louis, Angelberga herself conducted the negotiations and decided the loyalty of a major sector of the Lombard political community. She maintained this high profile until her death [having supported her son-in-law Boso's quest for power, endured a temporary exile, maintained the support of Pope John VIII, and founded the monastery of San Sisto in the city of Piacenza, where she probably ended her days sometime before 891].

-Simon MacLean, "Queenship, nunneries and royal widowhood in Carolingian Europe"

[rataccatak]

major grom/plague doctor pages that made me feel big emotions (pt 2.5/3)

yall im SO sorry for the long wait. It's been a year since I've sat down and did some Thinking bout this comic but my love for this franchise is immune to hiatus. I was orig gonna go chronologically but I wanted to post something rather than nothing so here is a panel I've wanted to scream about ever since I first read it.

"I'm not ready to lose you again" scene (Plague Doctor issue 14)

We all knew this page was coming; it is so fucking good. Surprisingly though, it's not the final hug that gets me as much as THIS PRELIMINARY SCENE RIGHT HERE.

Despite Sergey's queercoded flirtatious presence, he doesn't really show much physical affection towards anyone (at least, not in a vulnerable & genuine way) WHICH IS WHY I WENT APESHIT WHEN I SAW THIS. It shows a level of vulnerability that Sergey doesn't ever truly share with anyone because of course, it's reserved for Oleg and OF COURSE it has to come after he tells Oleg to SHOOT HIM if he ever comes close to putting his life at risk. It is SUCH a great moment in Sergey's development--not just the rearranging of his priorities (shifting from his plague doctor mission to Oleg), but his willingness to relinquish control to Oleg. He doesn't say "let me die" or "run away" or even just "stop me," motherfucker says SHOOT ME. It's, of course, a parallel to Sergey's attempted murder of Oleg in The Game, only now Sergey is willing to put himself in the same position as Oleg WITH the motivations REVERSED so that he intends to SAVE Oleg by letting himself get shot. Like. Poetic cinema. What the actual fuck.

Also, "your faith is the only thing saving me" is the most beautiful thing I think I've heard in my entire life. It's easy to think of Sergey as this laidback and callous terrorist who doesn't really interact with the human tragedies of his actions, and to an extent, this is true (he is VERY MUCH an "ends justify the means" kinda guy). But I think his remorseless attitude doesn't stem from an inability to grasp how truly awful he is, but rather, from a hyperawareness of the human cost of his actions that eventually just pushes him to ACCEPT his own irredeemability. Kinda like "I'm already past the point of redemption, so why stop now?" way of thinking. This line confirms it for me. It communicates the absolute DEPRAVITY Sergey assumes of himself, his belief in his own irredeemability, and the acknowledgement that Oleg's trust in his goodness is the only thing stopping him from losing himself to that impulse. Oleg is Sergey's heart and moral center. He redeems and humanizes him when the world and Sergey himself is unable to (exhibit A and B below).

And it is so incredibly tragic. That shot of Oleg reciprocating the hug is pervaded with such desperate and futile but UNKILLABLE hope, like he's trying to physically cling to the person Sergey used to be (or more accurately, who he thinks he is). There's even a role reversal here; now Sergey is the pragmatist, and Oleg is the naive idealist, unable to come to terms with the limitations of his own control. And that sort of deliberate ignorance only further hastens the inevitable, and it is so tragic, this scene. Another reference to The Game with the power dynamics between Sergey and Oleg reversed: once again, Oleg puts blind faith in Sergey. But this time, it may cost him SERGEY'S life, not his. And to an extent, Sergey also put his blind faith in Oleg as well; when the chips are down, he trusts Oleg to shoot him before he can kill him again. Whether their trust in eachother is enough to save them this time... that question is left uncomfortably open.

[credulouscanidae]

why is it whenever the topic of abortion comes up irl the person im talking to immediately brings up abortions georg who gets like 10 abortions in a row like. even if theyre pro choice they still complain about "those crazy women who take advantage of the system" cuz im quite confident saying that someone like that would be so rare that it's not even worth discussion compared to the millions of others who require abortions but cant get them.

idk it just reeks of that mindset of "oh theres people that take advantage of the benefits system by pretending to be disabled" like im sorry but i would rather a thousand people "take advantage" of the system if it meant the system was still there to support the multi-millions of people that need it.

[spaciebabie]

weather here is so fucking stupid. earlier this week it was freezing out and now its 60 degrees and i hafta dig thru my shit and pull out my sleeping shorts b/c its so fucking HOT IN MY HOUSE RIGHT NOW. WHY IS IT 60 DEGREES IN JANUARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[nando161mando]

On this day 16 years ago Ronald Reagan made his greatest contribution to society. He died.

[countess-of-edessa]

maria khoreva: has been posting on Instagram about how she'll be performing at the YAGP New York gala for a while now, obviously not keeping it a secret at all and lots of ballet people have been discussing it

some stupid representative in albany: you kept this a SECRET from us so we couldn't protest because you were trying to sneak in the Russians under the radar how dare you they're representatives of Putin >:(

[margaretlsgp]

DVIDS – Video – DoD ELDP Cohort 35.3

[blackautmedia]

It ended up being way more intensive than I had planned, but I did finish the writing for the Zelda video.

I managed to grab that James Somerton video he made about queer portrayals in Nintendo before it was privated. I haven't located any evidence suggesting it was plagiarized given the extent he's done it in nearly all his videos but that doesn't mean it hasn't occurred. I'm still trying to search and see if I can find any evidence of plagiarism to credit its proper author(s) if it is in fact stolen. There will be a section discussing the intersection of queerness and race with queer readings of Link and the Gerudo.

That aside, I wanted to share a bit! I picked out paragraphs out of order from how they're actually written, but these are a few of the points in the section about "the natural order of Hyrule."

Both film and TV westerns purport to be based on US history: the past is reframed as a glorious undertaking, the fulfillment of God's wish for his chosen people or as a rescue mission designed to rescue the pitiful other from himself or from some demonic other. Such fantasies serve to justify and legitimize colonial norms and practices. Stam and Spence explain that the colonial enterprise was often presented as a philanthropic "civilizing mission," reframing the colonial presence as a humanitarian intervention rather than an invasion. - Native Americans on Network TV : Stereotypes, Myths, and the 'Good Indian'

In Zelda Lore, it's said according to an entry in Hyrule Historia that "Hylians possessed a special power: it was said that their long ears allowed them to hear the voices of the gods." there's an inherent birth connection to the gods and to divinity in this series.

The best examples of community portrayal in the game exist when you remove Link from the equation. There are numerous instances of the different tribes providing support to one another--the Gerudo providing aid to refugees of Lurelin village, people providing resources to the Rito in their time of crisis, and the construction town helping in the rebuilding effort.

But a central part of what separates gaming from other types of media like books and TV is that you're not just a reader or viewer, but a player--you're asked to actively take part in the narrative and influence it yourself.

That community commentary also conflicts with the desire to treat Link as a demigod with the most major figures in the story continually sacrificing their autonomy and personhood to become resources that Link is ultimately to wield. Rauru gifts Link with some of his powers to save him from the Gloom. Mineru becomes little more than a rock 'em sock 'em robot for Link to pilot with little to no actual concern for her as a person.

Zelda is given the illusion of having agency in this story with how she orchestrates the conditions for Link to be able to defeat Ganon, but ultimately that doesn't come from her utilizing her research skills or building off the things her family provided her. Rauru even says he believes Zelda arrived to them for a reason, and based on what happens, it was ultimately so she could sacrifice herself yet again.

I'm not in the camp of people who wanted to see Zelda permanently stay a dragon at the end, I just want Zelda to not continually be sidelined in a series that constantly asks to sacrifice herself so she can't be an active part of the story.

The land and society once owned by gods must be restored and brought to its former glory as it is fated to be led by the divinely chosen Hylians. To that end, to defeat the evil and violent Middle Easterner who has defied the natural order of Hyrule, everyone must sacrifice themselves for Link to become the divine governor of power.

(This portion is part of the conclusion)

In thinking over what to write for this last portion, I came away feeling Nintendo's patterns here are a good example of why we should heavily value and take seriously the talents of artists and character designers.

It's important because art is so valuable in how it shapes the implications of the story, intentional or not.

I'm not here to convince you to boycott or stop playing Zelda because the issue goes beyond the scope of this individual franchise. What I ask more than anything is to see the people being propagandized as human and to equip yourself with the tools to better detect and resist the narratives both in fiction and non-fictional media.

[becomingabeing]

Moonlight chicken takes pains to show how everyone's lives in Jim's community are invariably bound together and all of them will be affected by the imminent gentrification of the neighbourhood. The show seems to be asking how to preserve communities like Jim's and their unique culture in the face of capitalism and so called development, an extremely relevant question in our times.

[stressedbeetle]

I know Sweden gets a lot of praise for being this socialist wonderland but seriously guys we still have capitalism, it still sucks and it especially sucks for anyone who is disabled or has a disabled family member. Yes we have rights and laws, but do you think anyone actually follows them? No, they cost to much money, disabled people are seen as a burden on the economy with nothing to contribute with. They just aren't worth the cost

[wastedlands]

i need season 2 only because i NEED to know what happened to shady sands in 2277 and how it started falling apart. for luke reasons of course

[neverendingford]

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