articianne:

ill be real im getting kinda really annoyed with people who are complaining about pillowfort features. pillowfort was not made to handle this much traffic right now. the mods are open about what the site can handle and that it is very heavily in early beta. people who seem confused about the fact that it isn’t Tumblr 2.0 right now are missing the point that it is UNDER DEVELOPMENT and it was nowhere near ready to accommodate tumblr’s policy announcements and the wave of panic and safe-guarding tactics. 

take a deep breath, give em a donation and grab a link, and support PF so it can reach its fullest potential rather than ragging on features because it can’t immediately do what you want it to do. 

butts-bouncing-on-the-beltway:

Not to be dramatique, or anything, but maybe, just maybe, there’s a reason why a bunch of not-christian or distantly christian people might not be delighted by 2 straight months of culturally enforced displays of christian supremacy that they can’t escape and that happens to coincide with a bunch of real racist and xenophobic and generally shitty arguments about the holiday and how it’s treated.

Maybe I don’t love spending every day since mid-november desperately trying to avoid christmas decorations and music while the cultural presence of the holiday ~I~ celebrate amounts to an end cap at a department store with a baker’s dozen cheap trinkets.

There are plenty of people who find ways to enjoy Christmas and there are PLENTY of people who don’t, because christmas ISN’T secular, it’s just ubiquitous. They’re not the same bloody thing.

mymymarceline:

So I’m tired of posting about this but something needs to be said

This banning of nsfw content could not come at a worse time.

It’s the beginning of December. December and January are a notoriously difficult time for sexworkers. Their clients, tippers, and customers are typically away, busy spending their money and time with loved ones or other affairs. Typically only the most dedicated of regulars will show up for their favorite sexworkers during the holidays.

Last December I got by with making barely $1000 the entire month. All of that went to rent and what little groceries I could get, not to mention I was moving at the time.

December is a brutal time for sexworkers who receive far less attention and income because of the holidays. Many of us are losing thousands of followers because of tumblr, which means less exposure, which means less income to survive with.

It’s incredibly important that you support whatever sexworkers you enjoy the content of, because it’s likely that a lot of us will be in dire straits, especially for those that are losing their followers from this purge.

Heading to Pillowfort, and I’m Offering Keys

tyramir:

Hi, you may or may not know me. I go by Tyramir, and I’m an author. Mostly I write fanfic, but I have also published a book at some point. (Yes, that was a subtle plug – don’t feel obligated to click the links, they’re there to justify to myself why I’m doing this so I can say this wasn’t 100% altruistic because I’m a crusty old troll)

So, recently, Tumblr has made something of an announcement regarding what kind of content they will and will not host in the future. And you know what, that’s okay. It’s their site. They can do what they want. Just like I’m free to say, “Hey, @staff, go fuck yourselves with some sandpaper, you masochistic fucks.”

Ah, that felt good. You know what else feels good? Moving to Pillowfort. I’m in no way associated with them, beyond that I am now a user. I just bought a key. More than one, actually. I bought a whackload of them. I am not rich. See: author. Very poor profession if you’re not ultra-successful. However, what I am is angry, and disappointed with the direction this site is taking. 

This site is home for the marginalised, for the outcasts, for the misfits. It’s also the home for a lot of fellow artists, like myself. Ones that might not have a little extra cash in their wallets. So, as a Christmas gift (and as a way of sharing that link up above advertising my book, see self, you’re not totally altruistic), I’m making this offer.

Reblog and like this post. You don’t have to follow me. You don’t have to buy my book. You don’t have to tell anyone it exists. You don’t even have to click that link. Just like and reblog. Anyone who likes it will get one entry for drawing for a key. Anyone who reblogs it will get one. Anyone who does both will get two. And on December 17th, the Day of Ignominy, I will draw ten names, and I will gift ten keys. I’ll even wear a Willy Wonka hat while I do. You won’t be able to see it, but the spirit will be there.

If you want to get the word out, but don’t want to get an entry (say you already have a Pillowfort account), just reblog and tag the post with “no entry,” or some variation thereof. I’ll exclude you from the draw, but thank you (in my mind, I’m not gonna actually thank people, but that requires effort, yo) for helping others learn about this opportunity.

TL;DR: Bald author wants to use very little cash he has to give people Pillowfort accounts. Just like and reblog for entries. Also, I hope you are feasted upon by a swarm of angry weasels, @staff.

**EDITED TO INCLUDE** A kind soul who has stated their desire to remain anonymous has volunteered an additional five keys to the raffle! We are now up to fifteen keys.

Ten Numbers the Rich Would Like Fudged | Alternet

questionall:

1. Only THREE PERCENT of the very rich are entrepreneurs.

According to both Marketwatch and economist Edward Wolff, over 90 percent of the assets owned by millionaires are held in a combination of low-risk investments (bonds and cash), personal business accounts, the stock market, and real estate. Only 3.6 percent of taxpayers in the top .1% were classified as entrepreneurs based on 2004 tax returns. A 2009 Kauffman Foundation study found that the great majority of entrepreneurs come from middle-class backgrounds, with less than 1 percent of all entrepreneurs coming from very rich or very poor backgrounds.

2. Only FOUR OUT OF 150 countries have more wealth inequality than us.

In a world listing compiled by a reputable research team (which nevertheless prompted double-checking), the U.S. has greater wealth inequality than every measured country in the world except for Namibia, Zimbabwe, Denmark, and Switzerland.

3. An amount equal to ONE-HALF the GDP is held untaxed overseas by rich Americans.

The Tax Justice Network estimated that between $21 and $32 trillion is hidden offshore, untaxed. With Americans making up 40% of the world’s Ultra High Net Worth Individuals, that’s $8 to $12 trillion in U.S. money stashed in far-off hiding places.

Based on a historical stock market return of 6%, up to $750 billion of income is lost to the U.S. every year, resulting in a tax loss of about $260 billion.

4. Corporations stopped paying HALF OF THEIR TAXES after the recession.

After paying an average of 22.5% from 1987 to 2008, corporations have paid an annual rate of 10% since. This represents a sudden $250 billion annual loss in taxes.

U.S. corporations have shown a pattern of tax reluctance for more than 50 years, despite building their businesses with American research and infrastructure. They’ve passed the responsibility on to their workers. For every dollar of workers’ payroll tax paid in the 1950s, corporations paid three dollars. Now it’s 22 cents.

5. Just TEN Americans made a total of FIFTY BILLION DOLLARS in one year.

That’s enough to pay the salaries of over a million nurses or teachers or emergency responders.

That’s enough, according to 2008 estimates by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the UN’s World Food Program, to feed the 870 million people in the world who are lacking sufficient food.

For the free-market advocates who say “they’ve earned it”: Point #1 above makes it clear how the wealthy make their money.

6. Tax deductions for the rich could pay off 100 PERCENT of the deficit.

Another stat that required a double-check. Based on research by the Tax Policy Center, tax deferrals and deductions and other forms of tax expenditures (tax subsidies from special deductions, exemptions, exclusions, credits, capital gains, and loopholes), which largely benefit the rich, are worth about 7.4% of the GDP, or about $1.1 trillion.

Other sources have estimated that about two-thirds of the annual $850 billion in tax expenditures goes to the top quintile of taxpayers.

7. The average single black or Hispanic woman has about $100 IN NET WORTH.

The Insight Center for Community Economic Development reported that median wealth for black and Hispanic women is a little over $100. That’s much less than one percent of the median wealth for single white women ($41,500).

Other studies confirm the racially-charged economic inequality in our country. For every dollar of NON-HOME wealth owned by white families, people of color have only one cent.

8. Elderly and disabled food stamp recipients get $4.30 A DAY FOR FOOD.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) has dropped significantly over the past 15 years, serving only about a quarter of the families in poverty, and paying less than $400 per month for a family of three for housing and other necessities. Ninety percent of the available benefits go to the elderly, the disabled, or working households.

Food stamp recipients get $4.30 a day.

9. Young adults have lost TWO-THIRDS OF THEIR NET WORTH since 1984.

21- to 35-year-olds: Your median net worth has dropped 68% since 1984. It’s now less than $4,000.

That $4,000 has to pay for student loans that average $27,200. Or, if you’re still in school, for $12,700 in credit card debt.

With an unemployment rate for 16- to 24-year-olds of almost 50%, two out of every five recent college graduates are living with their parents. But your favorite company may be hiring. Apple, which makes a profit of $420,000 per employee, can pay you about $12 per hour.

10. The American public paid about FOUR TRILLION DOLLARS to bail out the banks.

That’s about the same amount of money made by America’s richest 10% in one year. But we all paid for the bailout. And because of it, we lost the opportunity for jobs, mortgage relief, and educational funding.

Bonus for the super-rich: A QUADRILLION DOLLARS in securities trading nets ZERO sales tax revenue for the U.S.

The world derivatives market is estimated to be worth over a quadrillion dollars (a thousand trillion). At least $200 trillion of that is in the United States. In 2011 the Chicago Mercantile Exchange reported a trading volume of over $1 quadrillion on 3.4 billion annual contracts.

A quadrillion dollars. A sales tax of ONE-TENTH OF A PENNY on a quadrillion dollars could pay off the deficit. But the total sales tax was ZERO.

It’s not surprising that the very rich would like to fudge the numbers, as they have the nation.

Ten Numbers the Rich Would Like Fudged | Alternet

Huawei CFO Wanzhou Meng arrested in Vancouver, faces extradition to U.S.

wetwareproblem:

So, uh. This seems big.

TL;DR as I understand it is that the US has reason to believe that Huawei has been a) letting the Chinese government use its phones for surveillance, and b) selling US technology to Iran. Canada has thus far refused to ban Huawei tech, but did arrest its CFO for extradition to the US on charges to be determined.

Huawei CFO Wanzhou Meng arrested in Vancouver, faces extradition to U.S.

transmascbastard:

Burger King will give you a whopper for one cent if you go within 600 feet of a McDonald’s and order one from their app

First of all, power move

Second, this means any poor person with a phone and the new Burger King app can literally get food for a penny just by going to McDonalds, which is probably a goddamn lifesaver if you’re regularly worried about where your next meal is coming from

This lasts until December 12, 2018

So, yeah. Save some cash and stay fed.