Icon by @ThatSpookyAgent. Call me Tir or Julian. 37. He/They. Queer. Twitter: @tirlaeyn. ao3: tirlaeyn. BlueSky: tirlaeyn. 18+ Only. Star Trek. The X-Files. Sandman. IwtV. OMFD. Definitionless in this Strict Atmosphere.
“There’s one big difference between the poor and the rich,” Kite says, taking a drag from his cigarette. We are in a pub, at lunch-time. John Kite is always, unless stated otherwise, smoking a fag, in a pub, at lunch-time.
“The rich aren’t evil, as so many of my brothers would tell you. I’ve known rich people – I have played on their yachts – and they are not unkind, or malign, and they do not hate the poor, as many would tell you. And they are not stupid - or at least, not any more than the poor are. Much as I find amusing the idea of a ruling class of honking toffs, unable to put their socks on without Nanny helping them, it is not true. They build banks, and broker deals, and formulate policy, all with perfect competency.
No – the big difference between the rich and the poor is that the rich are blithe. They believe nothing can every really be so bad. They are born with the lovely, velvety coating of blitheness – like lanugo, on a baby – and it is never rubbed off by a bill that can’t be paid; a child that can’t be educated; a home that must be left for a hostel, when the rent becomes too much.
Their lives are the same for generations. There is no social upheaval that will really affect them. If you’re comfortably middle-class, what’s the worst a government policy could do? Ever? Tax you at 90% and leave your bins, unemptied, on the pavement. But you and everyone you know will continue to drink wine – but maybe cheaper – go on holiday – but somewhere nearer – and pay off your mortgage – although maybe later.
Consider, now, then, the poor. What’s the worst a government policy can do to them? It can cancel their operation, with no recourse to private care. It can run down their school – with no escape route to a prep. It can have you out of your house and in a B&B by the end of the year. When the middle classes get passionate about politics, they’re arguing about their treats - their tax-breaks and their investments. When the poor get passionate about politics, they’re fighting for their lives.
Politics will always mean more to the poor. Always. That’s why we strike and march, and despair when our young say they won’t vote. That’s why the poor are seen as more vital, and animalistic. No classical music for us – no walking around National Trust properties, or buying reclaimed flooring. We don’t have nostalgia. We don’t do yesterday. We can’t bare it. We don’t want to be reminded of our past, because it was awful: dying in mines, and slums, without literacy, or the vote. Without dignity. It was all so desperate, then. That’s why the present and the future is for the poor - that’s the place in time for us: surviving now, hoping for better, later. We live now - for our instant, hot, fast treats, to pep us up: sugar, a cigarette, a new fast song on the radio.
You must never, never forget, when you talk to someone poor, that it takes ten times the effort to get anywhere from a bad post-code. It’s a miracle when someone from a bad post-code gets anywhere, son. A miracle they do anything at all.”
—
A rant about the divide between the rich and the poor from “How To Build a Girl” by Caitlin Moran (via itsalljustvapourtrails)
“When the rich get passionate about politics, they’re arguing about treats. When the poor get passionate about politics, they are fighting for the lives.”
your property values will go down; and you’re going to lose your deduction for state and local taxes—almost half of which goes to services like local public schools, police departments and firefighters.
If you are a teacher, you will lose your ability to deduct the money you spend on classroom supplies.
If you have kids in college, or have student loans, your taxes will go up because you won’t be able to deduct the interest anymore.
If you’re a grad student, your taxes could go up because your waived tuition will be treated as taxable income.
If you or anyone in your family is sick, your taxes will go up because you can’t deduct medical expenses.
If you’re a union member, your taxes will go up because you can’t deduct your dues.
however, you’ll be able to deduct your private jet now.
#maga
Cut, paste and share.
CALL YOUR FUCKING SENATOR
IF YOUR REP VOTED FOR THIS SHIT CALL THEM TOO AND LET THEM KNOW THAT YOU ARE VERY UNHAPPY WITH THE FACT THAT THEY ARE AWFUL
(on the off chance you’ve got a great rep who did vote against it - call them and say thank you for trying)
Friendly reminder that the UN estimates it would take 30 billion dollars a year to end world hunger, which is approximately 5 percent of the annual US military budget. (~600 billion). Fuck the USA and fuck the military.
Also it would cost 20 billion to end homelessness in the USA. Combining this together with ending world hunger would cost a bit over 8% of the US military budget, which is still not making a huge dent in this ludicrous accumulation of money.
Please take time today to remember those we’ve lost to anti-transgender violence. Please think about what you can do to make lives safer for our transgender siblings. Consider donating. Consider reaching out to a friend.
If you need someone to talk to, Trans Lifeline is a non-profit support line for transgender people and people struggling with gender identity. They’re available by phone in the US (877-565-8860) and Canada (877-330-6366).
Security researchers from Rhino Security Labs have shown that it is trivial to disable the Amazon Cloud Cam that is a crucial component of the Amazon Key product – a connected home door-lock that allows delivery personnel to open your locked front door and leave your purchases inside – and have demonstrated attacks that would allow thieves to exploit this weakness to rob your home.
The vulnerability involves a simple, devastating attack on the camera, in which overwhelming its wifi connection with trivial-to-generate junk traffic causes it to lock up, so that all you see is the last image it transmitted before the attack – thus a well-timed attack would show your door to be closed and locked when it was open.
The camera itself serves as the internet gateway for Amazon Lock, with which it communicates via the notoriouslyinsecure Zigbee protocol. Knocking the camera offline also disconnects your door-lock.
This could allow unscrupulous delivery people to let themselves into your home without your knowledge, though the audit trail left behind by the system would make it easy to tell who was the last person the system authorized to enter your home.
More dangerously, a thief who trailed a delivery person could take advantage of the situation by timing their attack to coincide with the unlock, while simultaneously disabling the camera – though they would have to trick the delivery person into leaving the door unlocked behind them.
Amazon is promising to patch its systems, but the Rhino recommendation is “Don’t use Amazon Key.”
remember trans women remember trans men remember nonbinary people remember trans people of colour remember disabled trans people remember mentally ill trans people remember every trans person who has lost their life due to transphobia
today is transgender day of remembrance and we remember
The Trans Day of Remembrance was founded in 1998 to remember the murder of a Black trans woman, Rita Hester. Please share as this is important info to know.
