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thevindicativevordan · 3 years

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Any thoughts on Grant Morrison's Action Comics run? Beyond T shirt-and-jeans Superman being great.

That whole run reinvigorated my love of the character.

There have been numerous thoughtpieces about New 52 Superman, how he worked and how he didn't but these two entries really do a great job of summing up why Morrison's take on Superman was great. Morrison laid the foundation for a new generational Superman that DC completely fucked up and ran into the ground. I'll always be bitter about that, even if I had tapped out of reading the New 52 Superman books by the end due to how bad they got. Editorial and their idiotic mandates were what screwed over the potential of this take in my eyes.

Now I get that it wasn't to everyone's taste, but I cannot fathom how anyone could ever claim that Pre-Flashpoint Superman was better. If you liked Byrne's reboot better, your guy already got rebooted after Infinite Crisis. For someone like me who really enjoyed the Johns/Busiek era, that era's potential got spoiled after Johns & Busiek left, with New Krypton imploding and the awful Grounded taking it's place. When you get to the point where the best Superman book is the one starring Lex Luthor, it's time to reassess the franchise and figure out where the hell it went wrong.

Which is exactly what Morrison did. For this new Superman, Morrison mined all the best ideas of every Superman era to really give what I consider the ideal "base" for Superman. They also took pains to address common criticisms about Superman, working to correct his pop culture image. People have been complaining that Superman is "too perfect", "too unrelatable" for a long time, so Morrison addressed that. They gave Superman his balls back, and let him reacquire that Golden Age edge he had originally.

There are a lot of complaints you can make about Morrison's Superman, but I don't see how you could accuse this guy of being "flawless" or "bland". He definitely had a personality that you could describe, love him or hate him. Compassionate, but not a pushover. Clearly holding himself back, but unafraid to occasionally let loose. Flaws that were patently obvious, Clark had a temper here that could get him into trouble. There was a real showcase of anger here, of Superman being furious at the way people were treated by the rich and powerful, then doing something about it that I ate up.

I read this run just as I was coming into my teens and it hit perfectly for where I was in life. Did not want a Superman who would smile and tell me it gets better, I wanted a Superman who looked you in the eye and told you he felt that same anger, and then encouraged you to go out and do something about how you felt. That was what this run delivered in spades, and it expanded what I believed could be done with Superman.

While it totally blew my mind to see Superman acting this way the first time I read Morrison's Action Comics run, in retrospect it really isn't that different from how Superman has acted even under Byrne. One of the few traits I've seen carry across Superman incarnations in the comics is that he has a temper underneath that affable nature. "Don't tug on Superman's cape" as the old song goes. This run simply elevated that to the forefront of the character again, for the better in my eyes given I believe "Wrath" is Superman's Deadly Sin.

In fact, one of the strongest features of this run is that Superman gets actual character development over the course of the run, analogous to what Batman underwent in Morrison's Bat-Epic. While the Bat-Epic was merely Morrison re-canonizing Batman's entire history, and applying a retroactive character development storyline that culminated in Morrison's current Batman work, their Action Comics run had them attempt to craft something similar for Superman from scratch. What that meant was Morrison attempting to draw on the most important traits of every Superman era and incorporate those into this new take. So Superman had the Golden Age temper, compassion for the oppressed, and cockiness. The Silver Age supergenuis, proud scion of Krypton who cherished his Kryptonian nature, member of the Legion of Superheroes, and participant in stories that weren't afraid to get weird. Superman's wrestling with his place in the world, the importance of Clark Kent, and making journalism a key part of the character strike me as all being hallmarks of the Bronze Age. From Post-Crisis we got that Clark views himself as human and loves his adopted parents, considering them as equal to his birth ones.

One of the big frustrations for me with the endless origin stories for Superman, is that so many of them follow a predictable and stale formula where Clark puts on the suit and is essentially ready to go. Doesn't interfere with human affairs, is modest and humble, restrained in usage of his powers, it's like Clark has meta knowledge of what he "should" be, despite that he shouldn't have any foreknowledge of what a "superhero" should look like. He operates the same way at the start as he does in the modern day, and that's really boring to me. This Superman, because of the difference in powers and attitude, operated extremely different from his "present day" incarnation. Dangling Glenmorgan over the edge of a building isn't something a fully powered and mature Superman should do, but it works great to make his early days different and exciting to read about, it makes returning to that era something you can do different storytelling with. This run is the only time where I really cared that Superman is "supposed" to be the first superhero, because figuring out what that means here is a big part of how he develops.

We all know the common complaint that Superman is "too powerful" and that "nothing can hurt him" (funny how Thor never gets hit with those accusations), so Morrison made sure to show that this take on Superman could be beaten even if he could never be defeated. Events conspired to force Clark to use his brains as well as his powers to overcome the challenges in front of him.

Examples include him using his heat vision to fry Lex's equipment and escape the military, using his rocket ship to defeat Brainiac, and rallying the population of Metropolis to banish Vyndktvx. Not to say that Clark never used his brains before to win, but this run was very upfront and in your face about how important Clark's intellect is to triumphing over his foes. Can't take seriously the complaint that Superman is too overpowered when Morrison constantly showcased how even a very powerful Superman could get his shit wrecked by his Rogues.

Another example of Morrison addressing criticisms is Kryptonite. A lot of people poke fun at how convenient it is that pieces of Superman's homeworld follow him all the way to Earth. Isn't that a bit of an asspull? So Morrison made Kryptonite the power source of Superman's rocket, giving it a perfectly natural and believable reason both for it to end up on Earth, and for Lex & the military to get a hold of it since Pa Kent gave the military the rocket. That's still my preferred explanation for how Kryptonite ended up on Earth.

It also provides a better explanation for all the different Kryptonite variants. DC can handwave away the different types as a result of Lex experimenting or the different "forces" on Earth such as magic or the Speed Force or whatever creating the different variants. That to me is much more believable than Kryptonite travelling all across the galaxy yet still ending up on Earth somehow.

There have also been a lot of complaints about Superman's villains, and Morrison diligently set about reworking them. By far one of my favorite aspects of the run, was the villain revamps. Nimrod felt like a clean revamp of Terra-Man, making him into Superman's Kraven the Hunter struck me as a patently obvious route to go, wild no one has followed up on that or used him since. Metallo felt like a good synthesis of Johns take of him as an Anti-Superman weapon, and the sympathetic aspects of Corben's origin that are always there, I liked that Morrison didn't make him a total bastard before his transformation like Johns did. Brainiac got some sympathy added to him in that the collected worlds that were already marked for damnation, thus he was "saving" them in a fashion. Clay Ramses embodied toxicity as a wife-beater even before becoming Kryptonite Man, and I thought his backstory was a great way for Clark to still deal with "real" issues via a manner he could punch. Ramses is still the best take on Kryptonite Man. Vyndktvx felt like the greatest realization of the threat Mr. Mxyzptlk could pose should he decide to get serious since Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?, plus I'm a sucker for stories where superheroes fight the Devil. Drekken and Superdoom took the only interesting aspects of Doomsday (his ability to evolve and that he can kill Superman respectively), and were much more interesting characters.

And oh my God, speaking of Superdoom, that part of Morrison's Action run has aged like fine wine. I don't know if they caught wind of DC's plans for the character, or if they were just prescient, but everything that Superdoom is playing on is still sadly all too present. What Superdoom is as a character is a condemnation of what DC keeps doing with Superman: killing him off or making him evil.

When you realize what Superdoom (demand for a more violent and "realistic" Superman) and Vyn (WB/DC) stand in for, it makes the frustration Morrison is channeling much more palpable. Those two plotlines are all DC can think of to do with the character, returning to those again and again. Endlessly attempting to recapture the high of Batman and Doomsday beating the shit out of Supes in The Dark Knight Returns and Death of Superman. Overcoming these two obstacles is Superman's greatest challenge as conceived by Morrison, because both are out to corrupt and ruin the very idea of him. It's not just a physical death he faces, but a metaphysical one as well. Sadly it's a threat Superman just can't seem to lick in the real world, with more and more takes on "Evil Superman" coming.

Lois and Jimmy are great here, because Morrison actually made the investigative journalism aspect of Superman important. Lois is an active participant in the story, trying to break in to the base where Clark is being held by her father, competing with Clark for stories (I love how Morrison writes the banter between the two of them), and generally being classic Lois. Jimmy though benefitted from being positioned as a peer rather than as a kid in comparison to the two, something I wish the comics had carried forward. It looks like My Adventures With Superman is going with that interpretation at least, so I hope others do as well. Jimmy being Clark's roommate really adds to their bond, and I wish we had gotten more stories with that status quo.

Investigative reporter Clark Kent was so actively used here that it feels jarring reading other Superman runs where they tend to downplay and ignore it. Following Clark as he travels to different areas of Metropolis and actually interacts with people, instead of hovering above them as Superman, makes him feel human. Watching Clark actively pursue stories aimed at bettering peoples livelihoods, and seeing how those stories crossed with the superheroics, was one of my favorite aspects of the run. It's one unfortunately few other writers seem all that interested in, especially the New 52 writers who followed Morrison (I know editorial probably bears a lot of blame for that though).

Besides all that, this run was a lot of fun! The Legion of Superheroes showed up, their connection to Clark restored, and they got to play a big role in Clark's adventures! Krypto the Superdog! Martian colonies! Memorizing all of medicine, Superman performs a lifesaving operation! Lex using a "bullet train" to knock Clark out! 5-D imps! Rampaging robots from beyond! A Phantom Zone Halloween story! John Henry Irons suits up as Steel and kicks ass alongside Clark! Every Superman Rogue teams up to try to kill him, but Lex Luthor saves his life because that's a privilege he reserves for himself! Showcasing their trademark love for the Supermythos, Morrison took us on a tour of Superlore that demonstrated the depth and width of what could be done with Superman. Meanwhile the backups by Sholly Fisch excelled at giving us smaller, more human stories about Superman (the one where Clark meets Pa again via time travel "after" Pa has died always gives me a lump in my throat to read).

Ultimately this didn't get to be the foundation for the next generation of Superman stories as it deserved. Johns made New 52 Superman the scapegoat in Doomsday Clock for a lot of storytelling choices he did over in Justice League, something that pisses me off to no end. You want to tell me that this guy "didn't relate" to people, didn't inspire "hope"?

Like hell he didn't. This guy was Superman in every way that mattered and he deserved better than to be framed as the scapegoat for all the stupid decisions DC made about what to do with him. Greg Pak was able to do some great work with this version after Morrison, and just like how Gene Yang got a redemption work starring Superman, I hope to one day see Pak return to the character. Would love to read a Black Label Superman story by Pak that follows his take on young Superman.

All wasn't lost however. Against all odds, and Rebirth trying it's damndest to sweep everything under the rug, it looks like parts of this era have actually survived to the current Infinite Frontier era. With Morrison being heavily involved no less, both as an ideas guy and as an actual writer.

Superman & the Authority is explicitly Superman coming full circle back to the attitude displayed by his young counterpart under Morrison. Janin has outright said that the costume Clark wears here is reminiscent of the t-shirt and jeans era of Superman, and this book so far feels saturated with an energy level from Morrison I haven't seen in their work for hire since they left Action. Reaching old age and realizing he never really delivered on the high ideals of his beginnings, it's Superman putting together a team to hopefully succeed where he couldn't alone. Scathing in how it criticizes the superhero status quo, this has been extremely entertaining to read. Wish Morrison was writing 12 issues with this team, and that ultimately it will be up to PKJ to deliver on the potential is a drawback (although I've loved PKJ's Action run so far), but I'm glad to see DC finally treating Morrison and their ideas with more respect than was shown during Rebirth.

Jon meanwhile feels like an even more explicit attempt at redoing New 52 Superman. There's the updated new suit, designed to appeal to a new generation with it's streamlined look. Positioning Jon as a Superman who wants to tackle the "real" issues, with Taylor explicitly comparing him to Golden Age Superman which as I mentioned was an era Morrison tried to reincorporate into their reboot. There's the Legion of Superheroes connection which played an important role in Morrison's reboot. The rumors about Jon's sexuality are interesting, hinting that DC is willing to go outside the box with him in a way they never would with Clark. I'm excited to see what kind of Superman Jon ends up becoming, if he can deliver on the promise of the New 52 Superman all the better.

This run deserves to be remembered and to have the lessons it tried to teach respected. Probably my favorite mainline run on Superman, I hope more people come around to liking it as time goes on.

#superman #grant morrison #action comics #new 52

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prettyboysdontlookatexplosions · 4 years

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my PLAN was to watch the premiere as eliot waugh and god intended (drunk on free wine at this conference my job sent me to), but out here where the views are scenic and the television signal is too weak to transmit my livestream said "lol no." but, because this show has CANNIBALIZED MY BRAIN, instead of just closing the window waiting 24 hours and futzing with the more jossed by the hour julia/alice griefboning draft i have in google docs like an ADULT, i could not bring myself to turn it off? so here's uhhhh scattered chronological impressions recorded on a branded pad from this hotel nightstand soon i guess to be suplemented when i make myself sit through all that again tomorrow because [quentin coldwater voice] magic comes from pain:

*i’m sorry, was syfy playing CIVIL WAR before this? i am so oppressed

*putting quentin in the previouslies was a hate crime! opening with a q&j forever besties montage was a double hate crime! transitioning from that into 23/julia content was unforgivable! put the magicians writers in jail!

*early in the episode i had not yet realized that my entire experience of the next hour would be 10-30 second stretches of coherent sound punctuating long stretches of silence and disjointed images and so i bothered to write on my hotel paper pad, “my stream cut out while they were getting to the meteor shower but i bet it was stupid,” and i stand by that

*penny is a professor now? that’s... fine. well that’s okay actually. it combines two of my longstanding favorite things about this show, which are dean fogg being irresponsible and arjun gupta being the fucking funniest person on earth, so. okay. 23/julia is still unforgivable but if the silver lining is that 23 getting laid boosts him out of constant PTSD thousand yard stare of post apocalyptic timeline doom enough that we all get to remember that arjun gupta is hilarious, i can live with that as much as anything else

*i wrote “margo being a friend! (but i hate it)” which applies to everything that directly touches on q’s death in this episode. love to see margo trying to reach out even though she knows she’s gonna be rebuffed, actually do feel like that’s very in character for both margo and eliot, can’t not hate it when it centers around something so... stupid and bullshit and heinous

*i don’t remember why i wrote that hale appleman was too good for this but he is. oh probably because of one of the times he was trying to take a lighthearted tone about quentin being dead while extremely clearly dying inside. that was great acting that i sure fucking WISH i could still trust this show to follow up with relevant writing in a future episode

*”summer bishil is cute”? well she... is. good job me an hour ago

*i am very easy for anytime someone on this show has a terrible parent which means that i am hyped to see alice’s horrible mom. also “love j/a dynamics, very sexy”... hm maybe not. but julia showing up at alice’s house to be obsessed with quentin is the least hateful thing the episode did about his death IMO. also i thought if i did not get this dumb griefboning fic done by the premiere i would lose interest but actually that scene made me want it more, because of how i liked them interacting (and genuinely loved the idea of julia reading dead q’s marginalia/offering it to alice, that feels very very in character for all three of them somehow) but wanted it to be 800% more depressing and fucked up on julia’s part!

*i get that alice’s wavy hair is supposed to indicate visually that she is depressed and not showering but i’m sorry are we supposed to understand retroactively that alice has been straightening the shit out of her hair for four years straight? niffin alice was straightening her hair? do niffins have physical forms? maybe she could do that with magic. maybe she could do all of it with magic? i’ve officially put more thought into this than the show did. i have mixed feelings though because obviously no one winds up in alice’s particular combination of peter pan collars and thigh-highs by accident, but like, her hair is SO straight and SO shiny and that’s SO high maintenance for hair like we see here! but then, my main headcanon about alice’s wardrobe is that she logically knows she fits certain prerequisites of hotness (enormous boobs) but the concept of being sexually objectified makes her want to die so she has to downplay how insanely hot she is (hide as much as possible her enormous boobs) so maybe that applies to her hair too, because wavy hair is for Loose Women and alice quinn is the only woman on earth who actively wants to appear not just conservative but genuinely repressed.... whatever i still don’t know how i feel about this

*speaking of visual signaling, love kady in a blazer to show us that now she is a serious woman who means business... maybe this season will give me my one realistic wish for decent writing after all (Good Kady Content)

*the future-play about what terrible kings and queens our four darling physical kids were is, like, BLATANTLY ripping off thor ragnarok, but i loved it then and loved it now even though i also resented it very much for making me love it. drunk/angry/dissatisfied/dead but not exactly... that’s funny if you ignore the existence of the previous two episodes of the show, which i am really working on doing anyway, so!

*i do like that the show remembered that margo is secretly also a fillory nerd from way back!!!!!!! will accept more of that as penance please

*i wrote down eliot’s “i don’t remember anything from in there” because... i don’t know why. reading it over now gives me hella winter soldier vibes, which is almost interesting. (i’ve tried to cast various mcu style AUs for this show and it doesn’t work because everyone is too soft and sad, which is why when this show is good it is good) (was?) probably just, that it seems like he is pretending he had no subjective experiences while possessed and just blacked out for however many months (which we know is not true because he got a message out to 23 but whatever), which i will grant is a decent character choice

*i got excited at the idea of penny thinking he would be dead by 30 just because there are AT LEAST three other characters on this show that could EASILY apply to (quentin, eliot, alice) for, like, emotional reasons? and based on our scant glimpses of penny’s life pre-brakebills (which is the same in all timelines) there are lots of ways to spin that as applying to him too? but then it was all “everyone kept telling me travelers die,” which, eh. i do feel like the way he talked about it emphasizes what s1 hinted at, which is that the beast in each timeline by the end kept murdering our babies faster and faster - 23 seems to have had, like, a lot more time to hear that he was gonna wind up dead than OG penny did - but other than that... eh. also, OG penny uhhhh DID wind up dead at 30? feels weird not to follow up on that thematically BUT THAT’S THE THEME OF THE SEASON

*the last thing on my notepad is from the interview segment after (have they always done this? is this what tv is now, to compete with netflix? i have not watched tv as tv for like a decade) and just says “HA monster baby child demon.” tru!

#the magicians #the magicians s5 #if there's something else i should be tagging for reasons of fandom etiquette lmk

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onlinemarketinghelp · 4 years

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What Does A Quarantine Mean For Your Student Loans https://ift.tt/2IM89or

President Trump has declared an State of Emergency to combat the coronavirus pandemic in the United States. For borrowers with student loans, this can be a challenging time. It will only get worse if there is a nationwide quarantine or even a lock-down.

With all of the shutdowns and closures, having a stable income to pay your student loans can be a challenge. Plus, there is a lot of misinformation about what is and isn't applicable for student loan borrowers.

Let's break down what the Emergency Declaration and what it means for your student loans, as well as what will happen if we move to a full quarantine or a government lock-down.

Quick Navigation

Student Loan Payments

Options If You've Lost Income Due To Coronavirus And Closures or Quarantine and Lock-Down

1. Get On An Income-Driven Repayment Plan

2. Unemployment Deferment

3. Forbearance

Waiver Of Student Loan Interest

Potential "Hacks" To Leverage This For Debt Pay-Off

Private Student Loans

Issues For Borrowers Still In-School

Final Thoughts

Student Loan Payments

First, as of today, you must make your student loan payments on time. There is a lot of misinformation going around on social media that Trump is waiving student loan payments. This is FALSE.

You must still make your student loan payments! I cannot say this enough.

If you fail to make your student loan payments on time, your loans will go delinquent, then go into default. Student loan default is one of the worst financial situations you can find yourself in - your loan will instantly grow by 30%, you'll face wage garnishments and tax offsets, and more. Don't let this happen.

There are some groups advocating for a suspension of student loan payments, but as of today, that hasn't happened.

Options If You've Lost Income Due To Coronavirus And Closures or Quarantine and Lock-Down

However, there are options for help with your monthly student loan payments if you've lost income or lost your job due to the coronavirus and related closures due to a potential governemtn quarantine and lock-down.

1. Get On An Income-Driven Repayment Plan

The first (and likely best) approach is to get on an income-driven repayment plan ASAP. This means right now - not tomorrow, not in a week - right now.

The reason that this is the best approach is simple. If your income is low or $0, your monthly payment under these plans will also be $0 per month. Since your monthly repayment is tied to your income, this can give you the flexibility to not be burdened by student loan payments while you deal with your income loss.

It's important that you certify your income based on the "alternative" method, and you would send in a letter that says you lost your job, and currently have no income, or only unemployment income.

You can apply for an income-driven repayment plan by calling your lender or going online to StudentAid.gov.

Who Should Use This Approach: Most borrowers, especially those who are going for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

2. Unemployment Deferment

A lesser option, but still viable - especially with the waiver of interest - is to ask for an unemployment deferment. You can get an unemployment deferment for up to 36 months, but you must re-certify your unemployment status every six months.

You also have responsibilities under this deferment. You must be diligently seeking but unable to find full-time employment in any field or at any salary or responsibility level even if you are not eligible for unemployment benefits (or if your eligibility expired). You must also be registered with a public or private employment agency if there is one within 50 miles of your permanent or temporary address. Finally, if you are requesting an extension of your current unemployment deferment, and you are not providing documentation of your eligibility for unemployment benefits, you must certify that you have made at least 6 diligent attempts to find employment on the most recent 6 months.

It's important to note that interest will still accrue while your loans are in deferment, in general. But currently, student loan interest is waived for the duration of the Emergency Declaration.

When you combine the Wavier of Student Loan Interest (discussed below), this may be a good move, but it does have drawbacks. If you're going for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), you must be making eligible payments. If you use this deferment, this period won't count towards PSLF. However, if you go on an income-driven repayment plan, even those $0 payments will count towards PSLF.

Who Should Use This Approach: Borrowers who need short term relief and aren't eligible for PSLF.

3. Forbearance

Finally, you can always request a forbearance. This should be a last resort, and doesn't make sense for most borrowers. However, it's the easy way to stop payments immediately.

There is some financial planning benefits that can be gained from a hardship forbearance right now, but use with extreme caution and special planning.

If you have federal loans, interest won't accrue during the State of Emergency. However, non-federally held loans will still accrue interest.

Waiver Of Student Loan Interest

As part of the Emergency Declaration, Trump waived student loan interest for the duration of the proclamation. As of today, we don't know when that will end - but estimates are anywhere from 2 to 6 months. That's okay relief for borrowers, but nothing amazing. It's also confusing.

Here's why it's confusing. The waiver applies as follows:

Loans owned by the federal government

For the duration of the declared emergency

Here's where it get's tricky. Loans owned by the federal government is vague for most borrowers - and many don't know who owns their loans. The following loans are owned by the federal government:

All Direct Student Loans (basically all loans issued since 2010)

Some Perkins Loans

Some FFEL Loans

The "some" Perkins Loans and FFEL Loans is challenging because in the Great Recession, the Department of Education purchased some loans back from private lenders. These loans that were purchased qualify, but most will not (since they are held by private banks).

So, how do you tell? You need to look on your StudentAid NSLDS File, or use this guide to Find Out Who Owns Your Student Loans.

This waiver will apply for the duration of the emergency, which as of now, we don't know when the end date will be.

It's also important to remember that this waiver doesn't eliminate payments. Once again, you still must make your full payment each month. It's just that your payment will now be full principal payment, not interest.

Finally, it may take your loan servicer about a week to process this request from the President. However, the Department of Education has said that it will be retroactive and take effect March 13, 2020, regardless of when they get it implemented in their systems.

Potential "Hacks" To Leverage This For Debt Pay-Off

This waiver of student loan interest does allow for some interesting financial planning aspects for paying off your debt faster. Since your student loan interest is waived, all of your monthly payment goes to principal.

Hacking The Debt Snowball

If you are running a debt snowball method to pay off your loans, you might consider throwing more at your larger loans in the short term, since you'll be able to make significantly more progress due to not having the interest on your payment. That could be a huge win for borrowers who are diligent about paying extra.

Hacking The Deferment or Forbearance

The more interesting one is asking for a forbearance and basically seeing your federal debt frozen. You can then take that extra cash you were using for the monthly payment to save, invest, or eliminate other debts.

It could be especially helpful to take that extra and pay it towards private loans, who (as of now) aren't offering any special benefits to borrowers.

This is risky, because this is also likely the start of a recession, higher job losses, and more. But this could be an. opportunity to beef up an emergency fund, eliminate credit card debt, or even invest to max out an IRA.

Private Student Loans

As of now, none of these options apply to private student loans (including in-school private loans and student loan refinancing loans).

However, if any lenders do announce they are offering programs or waivers of interest, we'll be sure to update this page.

Issues For Borrowers Still In-School

One final unexpected issue has the potential to arise for borrowers who are still in school. Specifically, some schools may simply end the school year right now - in March or April.

If this happens, your "end date" gets reported to your student loan servicer, who then implements a 6-month grace period for your student loans.

This normally wouldn’t be an issue, as the grace period on student loans is six months, so assuming you enroll in the fall, you'd never enter repayment.

But, if you get a March out of school date, instead of your first payment being due in November, it could be due in September.

Something to think about and assess as the situation progresses.

Final Thoughts

This information is evolving as the situation around the coronavirus, quarantines, and potential lock-downs changes. We will try to keep this page as updated as possible.

Keep in mind that your loan servicers are also working hard to keep updated, but system changes and information dissemination take time.

Feel free to ask a question below and we will do our best to answer or find the right answer.

The post What Does A Quarantine Mean For Your Student Loans appeared first on The College Investor.

from The College Investor

Let's break down what the Emergency Declaration and what it means for your student loans, as well as what will happen if we move to a full quarantine or a government lock-down.

Quick Navigation

Student Loan Payments

Options If You've Lost Income Due To Coronavirus And Closures or Quarantine and Lock-Down

1. Get On An Income-Driven Repayment Plan

2. Unemployment Deferment

3. Forbearance

Waiver Of Student Loan Interest

Potential "Hacks" To Leverage This For Debt Pay-Off

Private Student Loans

Issues For Borrowers Still In-School

Final Thoughts

Student Loan Payments

First, as of today, you must make your student loan payments on time. There is a lot of misinformation going around on social media that Trump is waiving student loan payments. This is FALSE.

You must still make your student loan payments! I cannot say this enough.

There are some groups advocating for a suspension of student loan payments, but as of today, that hasn't happened.

Options If You've Lost Income Due To Coronavirus And Closures or Quarantine and Lock-Down

1. Get On An Income-Driven Repayment Plan

The first (and likely best) approach is to get on an income-driven repayment plan ASAP. This means right now - not tomorrow, not in a week - right now.

It's important that you certify your income based on the "alternative" method, and you would send in a letter that says you lost your job, and currently have no income, or only unemployment income.

You can apply for an income-driven repayment plan by calling your lender or going online to StudentAid.gov.

Who Should Use This Approach: Most borrowers, especially those who are going for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

2. Unemployment Deferment

It's important to note that interest will still accrue while your loans are in deferment, in general. But currently, student loan interest is waived for the duration of the Emergency Declaration.

Who Should Use This Approach: Borrowers who need short term relief and aren't eligible for PSLF.

3. Forbearance

Finally, you can always request a forbearance. This should be a last resort, and doesn't make sense for most borrowers. However, it's the easy way to stop payments immediately.

There is some financial planning benefits that can be gained from a hardship forbearance right now, but use with extreme caution and special planning.

If you have federal loans, interest won't accrue during the State of Emergency. However, non-federally held loans will still accrue interest.

Waiver Of Student Loan Interest

Here's why it's confusing. The waiver applies as follows:

Loans owned by the federal government

For the duration of the declared emergency

Here's where it get's tricky. Loans owned by the federal government is vague for most borrowers - and many don't know who owns their loans. The following loans are owned by the federal government:

All Direct Student Loans (basically all loans issued since 2010)

Some Perkins Loans

Some FFEL Loans

So, how do you tell? You need to look on your StudentAid NSLDS File, or use this guide to Find Out Who Owns Your Student Loans.

This waiver will apply for the duration of the emergency, which as of now, we don't know when the end date will be.

Potential "Hacks" To Leverage This For Debt Pay-Off

Hacking The Debt Snowball

Hacking The Deferment or Forbearance

It could be especially helpful to take that extra and pay it towards private loans, who (as of now) aren't offering any special benefits to borrowers.

Private Student Loans

As of now, none of these options apply to private student loans (including in-school private loans and student loan refinancing loans).

However, if any lenders do announce they are offering programs or waivers of interest, we'll be sure to update this page.

Issues For Borrowers Still In-School

One final unexpected issue has the potential to arise for borrowers who are still in school. Specifically, some schools may simply end the school year right now - in March or April.

If this happens, your "end date" gets reported to your student loan servicer, who then implements a 6-month grace period for your student loans.

This normally wouldn’t be an issue, as the grace period on student loans is six months, so assuming you enroll in the fall, you'd never enter repayment.

But, if you get a March out of school date, instead of your first payment being due in November, it could be due in September.

Something to think about and assess as the situation progresses.

Final Thoughts

This information is evolving as the situation around the coronavirus, quarantines, and potential lock-downs changes. We will try to keep this page as updated as possible.

Keep in mind that your loan servicers are also working hard to keep updated, but system changes and information dissemination take time.

Feel free to ask a question below and we will do our best to answer or find the right answer.

The post What Does A Quarantine Mean For Your Student Loans appeared first on The College Investor.

https://ift.tt/2SHdpOY March 15, 2020 at 10:30PM https://ift.tt/38Rfjm3

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lareporteragonzeauxblog · 7 years

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Wisdom teeth, witless television

When I explained the content of this post to my sister, she asked me how it was relevant to the research I came to do in Peru. My response: everything I do here is relevant... right? Relevant or not, I blame this post on the physical limitations I’ve been under since Friday, the day on which I had my wisdom teeth removed. This is the result of a weekend spent in bed, eating ice cream and indulging in one of America’s favorite past times.

Although my mother has worked as a dental hygienist for over thirty years at various reputable dental offices, I’ve waited until now, at the ripe age of 27, to get my wisdom teeth extracted by a maxillofacial surgeon that has no connection whatsoever to my mom. What adds to the irony is the fact that I’m currently living in Lima, Peru. Yep, that’s right: I declined several offers to have the unnecessary third molars extricated from my overcrowded jaw while living in the states with full dental coverage and, instead, opted for their removal at Peru Dental in the Miraflores district of the capital city with international student health insurance that may or not retroactively cover the procedure. This is in no way intended to discredit Peruvian dental care: the care I received was perfectly adequate (my wisdom teeth are no longer in my mouth!), and I especially appreciated the expediency with which the situation was handled from start to finish. In the United States, for example, this process can easily take months, from initial inquiry phone call to intake appointment to scheduling to surgery to recovery. Here, in Lima, it took a whopping total of four days. It began with a desperate email sent out in the wee hours of the morning on Tuesday complaining of extreme pain and inflammation at the site of my lower right third molar, and ended Friday at approximately 12:45 pm, when I walked out of the clinic with blood soaked gauze pads shoved into the empty sockets that once housed my wisdom teeth.

In addition to quickness of the whole ordeal, I was impressed with the nonchalant confidence of my surgeon: he worked with tact, precision, and a sprinkle of humor appropriate for the foreboding occasion. Sure, he was about twenty-five minutes late to the scheduled appointment time, but, rather than feeling annoyed, I found comfort in the way he walked into the clinic wielding an impressive leather suitcase on wheels and an air of unapologetic arrogance. This was clearly not his first rodeo. From the moment he covered my face with what seemed to be a medieval medical garment – a green piece of stiff cloth sporting a mouth hole – I knew I was in good hands. He applied a local anesthetic and, before I knew it, I heard (but luckily did not feel) crunching and ripping, indicative of a successful extraction. He asked how I was feeling as he casually proceeded to wash his hands.

“Ah, it’s pisco sour day tomorrow,” he lamented with a shoulder shrug and instructions to avoid spicy foods and jogging. As we parted ways, I thanked him profusely, sputtering drool and feeling for my lips, which were entirely numb. He winked at me coolly as he answered a call on his cell, and that was that. A lovely experience overall. My only complaint thus far is that I wasn’t prescribed something a bit more... effective for the pain. I had envisioned myself post-surgery lying prostrate in an OxyContin induced bliss, sucking down vanilla milkshakes and mango licuados. Instead, I popped 100mg of Ketoproteno, some nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory Brazilian drug that is about as effective at killing pain as those little pink sugar pellets girls take the week of their period are at preventing pregnancy.

The first three hours after the extraction were fairly miserable: my lips were numb, my gums were inflamed, and my mouth was full of bloody, viscous saliva. Additionally, my throat muscles were incredibly tender in the aftermath of all the aggravation, making swallowing quite uncomfortable. One glance in the mirror was enough to conjure images of horror film victims, as gooey crimson matter spilled from my lips into the sink, staining the porcelain red. Without adequate drugs, without the hope of consuming a delicious frozen beverage in the foreseeable future, with a mouth that felt estranged from my body and absolutely no desire to be in a vertical position, I concluded that the only recourse for such dire straits was mind-numbingly stupid television. Alas, after months of ignoring my sister’s rave reviews, I succumbed to the ridiculous pleasure of watching The Bachelor, Season 21, starring Nick Viall.

As a self-described progressive liberal feminist with a strong aversion to reality TV, I’ve seen more than my fair share of this show. My sister and mother are serious fans, and Monday evenings during “Bachelor season”, when new episodes are released to millions of eager viewers, play out in eerily ritualistic fashion in our household. It’s well understood that everyone, my father included, will gather in front of the big screen at approximately 6:57 pm to appreciate this paragon of pop culture. Talking is only permitted at commercial breaks, and meals are planned around the two hour viewing block from 7-9 pm. Assuming the role of disinterested-but-acquiescent-eldest-daughter, I sit in the leather recliner by the window, purposefully apart from the other members of my family who genuinely enjoy watching the buffoonery, whereas I pretend to hate every minute of the show and jeer at the disgracefully dimwitted banter of the cast members. I get immense pleasure out of blatantly counting the number of times the characters say “like” with my hands and openly criticizing the shallowness of the supposedly deep conversations held during one on one dates (i.e., “Like, I’ve never had anyone, like, open up to me so... much before” in response to one contestant’s scant account of a car wreck he was in as a teenager). It especially irks my sister when I interrupt particularly intense scenes with witty play-by-play.

Given my history with The Bachelor and its relatively low ranking on my scale of “things that are important and/or impactful in my life”, I was shocked to find myself utterly captivated by the current season (or at least by the first five episodes available on ProjectFreeTV). Perhaps it was the drug cocktail affecting my judgment, perhaps the fact that this was my first time watching the show alone, perhaps the content was suddenly inexplicably more interesting than any season prior – whatever the reason, I devoured episode after episode hungrily, paying undivided attention to every little detail.

Episode 1, for example, begins with a parade-like procession of all the Bachelor’s suitors stepping out of a limo and introducing themselves to him in creative – and often painfully embarrassing – ways as they vie for the coveted first impression rose (I felt a twinge of pride when Raven jumped out the vehicle squealing like Pig Sooie, paying homage to my former stomping grounds). Before Nick meets them, however, the viewers watch brief autobiographical clips about each contestant, in which she describes herself and her motives for being on the show. I was struck by the number of highly educated, working professionals on this season. Among the ranks are: an attorney, a neonatal nurse, a travel nurse, a special education teacher, several business owners, a mental health counselor, a doula, a plastic surgery office manager, a chef, and a dental hygienist, to name a few. Several of the women speak multiple languages and sought to impress Nick by wooing him with their polyglot skills fresh out the limo. While their careers and backgrounds vary greatly one to the next, it seems that most of the women on this season view marriage in a similar light: as the last critical ingredient in the recipe for happiness. Great hair plus good friends plus sweet career equals almost complete – secure a husband and you’re there.

As much as the aforementioned equation seems to reek of judgment, I have to admit, I was surprised to find myself identifying strongly with many of these women and their sentiments regarding life’s priorities. I, too, have always firmly believed that serious partnership and/or marriage should ideally come after one has developed a strong sense of worth and self, that only after one has expressed his or her ability to be an independent agent is that person capable of choosing an ideal partner. Basically, I prescribe to that equation (minus the fabulous hair) in that it emphasizes the timing and placement of serious romantic commitment in the series of life events. That being said, I have yet to secure a career, and I feel I have a long way to go in terms of cultivating my sense of self – but I’ve been in love before. I’ve even made serious decisions based on that love, choices that have altered the course of my life.

While I have absolutely no regrets about any of those experiences or the unexpected beauty of their outcomes, I’m quite certain that all my previous relationships have come to an end precisely because they broke from my “timeline.” Because I had fallen in love before having real direction or a sense of where/what/how/who I wanted to be, I felt constricted, guilty for being selfish, pressured to make decisions delineated by partnership boundaries. Whether those feelings were projected on me by former lovers or self-induced is impossible to determine: what matters is that I simply wasn’t ready to relinquish the utterly individual journey of cultivating me, a process that undoubtedly differs for everyone but, in my experience, is defined by a singular, uncompromising self-determination. Perhaps, then, it would be wise for someone with my mentality to approach partnership, cohabitation, marriage – deeper and more formal commitments that go beyond physical attraction, desire, or even love – as the last pieces of a puzzle that has mostly been solved. A sentiment which I apparently share with many of the contestants on Season 21 of the Bachelor.

Let me be clear: In no way am I claiming that The Bachelor has suddenly become a progressive, feminist, highly intellectual program – quite the contrary. In fact, it is due to the inherently ridiculous nature of the show that I find certain themes so compelling in this season. In seasons past, I have abhorred the obsession with marriage that defines the show. The objective of The Bachelor is to produce an engaged couple in slightly less than two months, after all. I blame the show for perpetuating and culturally cementing the idée fixe that romantic love must progress in a series of urgent symbolic displays: social media posts, a ring, a designer dress, a house, a dog, a pregnancy, a baby, etc. The first date Nick organized for the women on this season was a wedding dress photo shoot. Enough said.

Though there are several aspects of this round of The Bachelor that make it unique from previous seasons, such as the selection of a cast that actually includes non-white women and one contestant that openly identifies as bisexual, it still seems to extol traditional gender roles to an extent that makes me uncomfortable. While I understand that The Bachelor is a reality TV show and physical appearance is the first thing to grab viewers’ attention, I often feel as though the contestants – and the Bachelor himself – seem to prioritize and laud a brand of feminine beauty that is not only harmful but unrealistic: the women are always dressed in excessively fancy outfits that seem unfit for the occasion (a floor length evening gown for lunch?), sporting full make-up and long flowing locks to do something like scoop cow dung (yes, that happened in episode 5). In no way am I trying to police women and their freedom to express themselves however they please – sometimes it’s fun to curl your hair, put on some lipstick and rock a sexy mini skirt. But it’s alarming when every contestant feels pressured to adhere to one specific, narrowly defined set of beauty standards every time the camera is rolling, and it’s even more alarming when an individual expresses grief and stress in the face of “failing” to meet such standards – a feeling that has been expressed quite often on this season already. Quite honestly, I can’t see how it would be possible to be on a show like this and not feel the pressure to look “perfect” given that Nick almost always leads with a comment on how the women look, the most blatant example of which took place during initial introductions as he looked each contestant up and down before speaking to her, only to then comment on how “great” she looked or mumble “wow” while shaking his head side to side in awe.

Despite these problematic elements, which are less specific to The Bachelor and more generally a symptom of our society’s ills, I felt inspired by many of the cast members who introduced themselves as empowered women proud of their accomplishments. Had they obviously been in hair and make-up for hours just moments before these introductions? Yes. So what. I appreciated their perception of marriage not as a goal in and of itself, but as a component of a much larger picture. As I listened to many of the women on Season 21 explain their desire to be on the show, it seemed that they genuinely viewed partnership as a supplement to rather than the essence of identity.

Is The Bachelor still full of shallow conversations and unbelievably petty gossip? Yes. Is the underlying premise still ridiculous and counteractive to cultivating realistic notions of what constitutes a healthy marriage? Mostly. Did it distract me momentarily from excruciating pain and even offer some fodder for larger conversations on female empowerment and autonomy in romantic relationships? Absolutely.

In conclusion, I decided to post this because I’m feeling incredibly humbled. Humbled by having my face momentarily deformed with swelling, humbled by the fact that I identify with contestants on a show that I have always ridiculed, humbled by the realization that my mind isn’t as open as I thought it was. Who knew reality TV could be so enlightening?

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