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#charity driven or they have to be the best activists
queen-mabs-revenge · 5 years
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amazing interview where dean spade (lawyer, writer, trans activist, and Associate Professor of Law at Seattle University School of Law. In 2002, [who] founded the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, a non-profit law collective in New York City) talks about breaking down the tactics of pinkwashing, especially military pinkwashing, and the effects that it has on the greater conversation of queer liberation and the way it pulls the conversation to the right and within definitions that question establishment institutions the least, and also, how this tactic is used to co-opt ‘woke’ language and optics and destroy solidarity within other oppressed and marginalized communities.
he also goes into why having a class perspective on gaining rights for marginalized people is essential, and why mutual aid -- non-hierarchical, community driven and shaped aid, rather than top-down morality-fueled charity -- is a way to explore and understand these issues, how best to help each other, and give a tactical example of how post-capitalist communities can provide for each other.
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muellercorn · 5 years
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Happy International Women's Day! These are women involved in theatre that I believe have paved the future for female artists. I think it would be apt for you to read their names and stories and then let me know women who inspire you in the theatre world and how you think they're shaping the future. Reblog if you see your inspirations and share their stories.
1. Jennifer Kirby. We may only be 3 months into 2019, but I'm ready to call Jennifer Kirby woman of the year. At age 30, I'd already consider her a veteran of the RSC, a company where she has portrayed so many Shakespearean females with a new found voice and personality. She first appeared on our screens in Call The Midwife in 2016 as Nurse Valerie Dyer. From the start Val has faced some of the most brutal storylines, most involving the rights of women and the working class, and been an absolute inspiration due to her brave and loving personality. However over the last 8 weeks she has been the pioneer character of the most powerful women's rights stories I've seen in entertainment ever. If it hadn't been for Kirby's authentic, sensitive performance and her deep understanding of the human condition from women who've walked different lives from her own, this storyline would not have had the impact that it has. She never complains about a hard storyline either, when interviewers ask how difficult scenes were, her response is always one of gratitude enthusiasm and excitement for the changes it could bring about in society. I believe this will be the start of more powerful storylines for women in the media and moreover I know her performance has had a real life effect on society, changing and developing people's opinions and giving them fresh eyes to see other people's experiences through with sympathy and care.
2. Jessie Mueller. During her Broadway career this far, Mueller has portrayed some of the most complex women with such heart and integrity. She has proven endlessly that vulnerability and strength can coexist. In 2016 Jessie won the Lilly Award (awards for females making a difference in society) for best actress following her run as Jenna in Waitress. A not was left in the theatre's lobby saying that Jessie's heartfelt performance helped a woman decide to leave the abusive relationship she was in. Additionally Jessie has done countless benefits for charities benefiting women, is an activist for equal rights and a dedicated educator. Jessie has defied type casting and shown us all that we are not defined by anything but our hearts and work ethic.
3. Ruthie Ann Miles. Strength, power, inspiration - Ruthie is the true embodiment of all these things. Moreover she spreads happiness and joy, ever since I watched her win her Tony I just felt this overwhelming sense of happiness. This woman spreads light everywhere she goes and never fails to make me brim with happiness and smiles. In today's world we need a light and Ruthie truly is that light.
4. Marianne Elliott. To me, Marianne Elliott is the best theatre director of our times. Directing is a profession that is predominantly male dominated and I believe that Elliott will be one of the key figures in changing that. Her love for her work is evident in the current revival of Company a true highlight of the theatre scene in recent years. Her integrity, leadership skills and incredible visions have led to a groundbreaking piece of theatre for women.
5. Rosalie Craig. Her incredible portrayal of the 'new' Bobbie in the 2018 Company Revival has given an in depth, layered portrayal of a woman who is unapologetic for her decisions and personal internal debates. Craig brings so much to this role that you don't see Bobbie as promiscuous like expected but rather as someone simply living life making her own calls and it's absolutely refreshing and unique to see. Furthermore her talent is so stellar that it is guaranteed to inspire a generation of young performers.
6. Katrina Lenk. Resilience strikes me when I think of Katrina Lenk. Her break came in her 40s, prior to this she was relatively unknown in the mainstream theatre world however she never stopped working. Women are ingrained to believe their value decreases as they age, especially in the arts, however Katrina has proven that this is not true. We gain experience, life lessons, emotional qualities, skills and ethics that helps us grow as people and performers. When I think of Katrina Lenk I think of someone so driven by love rather than fame. Additionally, through the characters she portrayed, Katrina has given a voice to so many women who's stories would typically go untold.
7. Jessie Nelson. A valued part of the first all female Broadway creative team for Waitress, Nelson wrote the book for the musical and in doing so helped create a masterpiece and a true gift for all women who feel their story doesn't matter. She comprehensively understands what it means to be female, the importance of female friendship and the responsibility that came with writing a script like this. Thanks to Nelson we have a musical that honours our stories and inspires us to go out and speak of our own experiences. She helped create the living proof that female stories sell and I'm sure we will see many more following in its footsteps.
8. Paula Vogel. Scriptwriter, Vogel, first came to my intention when I first watched Indecent on Broadway HD. The main two things that hit me regarding women's rights upon watching the play, was the portrayal of sexuality between Dina and Ruth outside of the internal play 'God of Vengeance', this relationship is powerful and much more emotionally based than trying to portray lesbian relationships as sexual items for men's pleasure as many arts still find acceptable. Additionally at the start of the play when describing the casting type of each troupe member, Vogel avoids attaching gender to the description starting the tone with the message they desire to continue with, equality for all.
9. Eva Noblezada. I will never forget Noblezada's performance as Kim, I remember being truly in awe and inspired. Then when learning how young she was I was admired at her dedication to travel thousands of miles from home at such a young age in true dedication to telling a story she believes in. Miss Saigon has a story line so beautifully reflective of the maternal side of women and Noblezada's performance portrayed this beautifully showing the true fierce strength that women posses.
10. Hailey Kilgore. A Tony award nomination at age 19! That is more than enough to inspire. Additionally the profound and positive outlook Kilgore has about the world is beyond beautiful and heartwarming.
11. Patti Murin. I admire anyone who speaks out about mental illness and Murin does so so candidly that it is unbelievably inspirational. It's a daunting thing to do because mental illness can be mistaken for being 'overly emotional' or 'unreliable' and I commend Murin for speaking out anyway knowing what she is risking because it will remind an entire generation who struggle with their mental health not to give up because of it. Despite her struggles Murin's work is incredibly joyful and can brighten up any day.
12. Sara Bareilles. Always dedicated to writing her truth, Bareilles has never cabed into the pressure of writing a traditional love song at times when it didn't feel authentic to her. Being motivated to make art rather than money, Sara Bareilles has written so many anthems for women reminding them to feel and fight. Furthermore she's proved that you don't have to write songs about men to sell music, authenticity leads to success.
13. Adrienne Warren. This woman is a force. She is currently giving everything she's got to bring the empowering story of Tina Turner to life 8 times a week in the west end. She is the driving force of a vital story for women in society and she treats it with the importance and passion it deserves. Furthermore her social media is dedicated to educating people about equality for all in society.
14. Marin Mazzie. In September 2018 Marin lost her battle to Ovarain cancer but her legacy will pass from generation to the next. Her dedication to what she loved during her battle is the epitome of female strength, additionally she committed time to activism and raising awareness of ovarian cancer. To me 'Back to Before' - Ragtime is the ultimate theatre anthem for women's rights and Marin's recording and perspective is so moving and empowering that it has the ability to motivate anyone who listens to change the world.
15. Bernadette Peters. A true theatre icon Peters has wrestled with all the names in the book, the classic term 'Diva' that was constantly thrown around when a woman was so powerful and successful in their field that people didn't know how to react. I don't think anything will stop this woman..... I mean did you see the press ups on The View, in high heels and a dress! Icon! Furthermore this was the week before her 70th birthday. I don't think Peters will ever age in spirit or appearance but she embraces her age regardless, the host with held her name but Peters made it clear that she feels age shouldn't be hidden from as our value does not decrease in anyway. Her work in theatre and charity should be inspirational to all.
16. Lindsay Mendez. Firstly I admire any women dedicated to educating and teaching, like Lindsay is. I could say a lot about Lindsay, but I feel she says it best herself. She is true to her identity, body positive and wants to represent everyday people through her art, as we all should if we consider art as a mirror to society.
“When I moved to New York, I was told to change my last name from Mendez to Matthews, or I wouldn’t work. I’m so proud to be part of a community that celebrates diversity and individuality … Be your true self and the world will take note.”
"When you hear you’re going to audition for “Dogfight,” the show about bringing ugly women to parties, you’re like, ‘Oh, great, thank you.’ But that’s also our dream as actors, to play someone else and give someone else a voice. I love this character so much."
17. Cobie Smulders. Whilst filming HIMYM Cobie was privately battling Ovarian Cancer, she beat it and later went on to defy odds by having her own children. Her dedication to her art during this time is a testimony to her strength and will. Furthermore during her time on the show Cobie brought to life incredibly moving stories specific to women in society giving them a voice. She has since gone on to have a successful career in film and theatre and has a large voice in social activism. Her accounts about her battle with ovarian cancer will help to give so much support to women going through similar difficult times and hopefully raise awareness in others so they're able to detect this illness in early stages.
18. Ella Fitzgerald. To me Ella is the American song book, she is the voice of all the Gershwin, Porter, Berlin musicals that came to follow. She gave a voice to a minority and inspired so many people. She continues to inspire people when ever you listen to recordings of her and feel the raw emotion. The modern musical stands on Ella's shoulders.
19. Audra McDonald. SIX TONY AWARDS. She's defied every odd and stereotype by purely working hard and being a truly good person. She's inspired many people and shown us all that anything is possible when you're prepared to prove people wrong. Furthermore she always takes time to thank and honour those who came before her, the people who's shoulders she stands on and that to me is what female empowerment is more than anything else.
20. Judy Garland. My personal inspiration and to be honest I struggle to articulate how she inspires me as it's more of an emotion than a string of thoughts. I just believe Garland strove for love, kindness and friendship over anything. I also believe her work is a sign of hope, no matter how she was treated she never gave in, she didn't stop doing what she loved because of the way she was treated she kept going. It's debatable if that's the right decision, but it doesn't matter as it was a strong decision and it was Judy's. I respect her an unbelievable amount for her voice, her heart and her perspective on the world. Imagine what would be if that sweet girl hadn't sang 'Over The Rainbow' all those years ago, and imagine even more what could have been if we saw Garland for the layered, complex human being she was rather than sweet and cheery Dorothy Gale. Personally whenever I get the chance to perform I always think of Garland before I step on stage, I thank her for her sacrifices to the art because it wouldn't be what it is today if it weren't for her, I don't think there will ever be a star as bright again. It's also to remember that whilst addiction and mental illness don't descriminate, Judy wouldn't have faced many of the issues she did if she wasn't a woman.
"Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else."
The perspective we all should have had:
"I've always taken 'The Wizard of Oz' very seriously, you know. I believe in the idea of the rainbow. And I've spent my entire life trying to get over it."
I hope to hear of those who inspire you and I hope we all continue to inspire and empower each other. Alicia x
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avenpt · 5 years
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Here is the full statement regarding our involvement in the Fly the Flag event happening in London Pride. Many people showed concern because of the sponsorship; that is covered within the statement. :) Feel free to read it here in the post or on AVEN via the link.
Hi all, We are excited to announce the presence of an Ace Space coinciding with Pride in London this year. This announcement will give some information about what we plan, and hopefully answer some of the questions raised on social media.
This year, as part of Budweiser's Fly the Flag campaign for their sponsorship of Pride in London, they are representing 9 different LGBTQ+ groups aiming to raise awareness and education on all the groups in the Pride family. This gives a summary of the campaign:   Fly The Flag is centred around giving each community within the Pride family their chance to shine by raising awareness for each group. Pride being a huge event with a large number of commercial sponsors, the meaning of the event is sometimes lost. We are wanting to change this and shine a light on each community and celebrate them on the day of the parade with all those who attend.
Specifically, they are arranging the Ace of Clubs event that will run for a June weekend in London - specifics are TBD, but it is planned as a space specifically for the ace community. We are working with the organisers to tailor this event specifically for the asexual community.
On the ace community's end, the project is largely being driven by Yasmin Benoit, an ace activist many of you will know of ( @yazybee here!) in collaboration with AVEN.
We have previously sought input - both on AVEN (link) and through social media via Yasmin (link) - about what an ideal ace friendly space might look like. (We were not able to release any specific details about the event at that point for confidentiality reasons.) We will feed the suggestions we have back to the organisers.
We are conscious of the possible pitfalls in organising this type of event, even with the best of intentions. Thus we are very keen to get suggestions of both what would make the space ace friendly and what to avoid.
The event is sponsored by Budweiser. That being said, the event organisers are very sensitive to the fact some of the ace community does not drink alcohol. Thus they are also pushing the inclusion of non-alcoholic beverages too.
The event name being used for the ace space is the Ace of Clubs. We are conscious of the fact this phrase is used by some members of the ace community, so we will be reaching out to some groups for how we can include their work (or link their material) in this project too without stepping on any toes in using this phrase. We would also appreciate direct contact on this point from anyone we inadvertently miss; please email [email protected].
Note that from our point of view, this project is entirely about the ace space on offer in London as part of Pride month. However, there is also the question of sponsorship. For the most part, AVEN does not use a corporate sponsorship model, relying on community donations and personal donations from the leadership for running costs. In this case, due to the inclusion of an ace space, we are lending our name to the Fly the Flag campaign, which is from Budweiser. All charities represented, including AVEN, are eligible to receive a charitable donation. We currently plan to invest this money directly back in the Ace of Clubs event, to hopefully make it even better as an ace friendly space.
If it turns out we are still due a contribution, we will hold a consultation with AVEN members and the wider ace community on what to do with this money: whether to re-invest in ace community projects or to give it to another charity. (It would be somewhat new territory for us, as corporate donations is not our usual model thus far, and again we are taking part in this for the ace space.)
If you would like to bring input towards the planning of this event, please email [email protected] or post here, and we will bring as many suggestions forward as possible to the organisers.
Best,
michaeld (on behalf of the AVEN Project Team)
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kiev4am · 5 years
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Terror Brexit AU part 2
James Fitzjames was the golden boy of Franklin's team, a charismatic and engaging Tory activist who was frequently rolled out to be the charming, youthful face of an otherwise very middle-aged campaign.
Part 1  |  Part 3
A consummate PR wizard with no apparent past who was reputedly once headhunted by MI6, he believed passionately in the Franklin concept of Brexit, naively ignoring its xenophobic subtext and giving little thought to what succour his firebrand idealism might be giving to baser elements within the movement.  As the final date of Brexit loomed Fitzjames found himself liaising more and more often with the council, coming into frequent and bitter conflict with Crozier over what he perceived as the latter's kneejerk cynicism and lack of faith in the British spirit.   (Truth to tell, Crozier valued those clashes more than he would acknowledge; in the depths of his frustration he sometimes found their arguments acting on his apathy like a crucible, firing him with defiant energy and renewing the protective outrage he felt for the people of Barrow and beyond.  Even less admissible was the baffled warmth he felt as he began to realise - watching the cracks in the mask - that behind James' performative adherence to his political script was another man entirely:  secretive, self-aware, infinitely more interesting.)  One month after Franklin's death James appears alone at Erebus House, perceptibly thinner and with a haunted look in his eyes, carrying a briefcase and a rucksack full of clothes.  There's no overt discussion; Francis simply takes one look at his stiff face and nods, absorbing him without fanfare into the Erebus workforce.  He proves surprisingly, intuitively competent - and so tirelessly driven that Francis suspects him of working out some kind of personal penance.  Long days poring together over maps and reports, coaxing sparse connections from the overheated and bottlenecked IT system, pulling together an imitation of cohesion for radio dispatches and cross-sector meetings before slumping on the salvage-yard sofa in Francis' room to eat whatever one-pot mess they can scrounge from Erebus' basement stores - all of this, plus the sort of honest talk that comes from exhaustion, builds a rapport that neither man expected but both begin quietly, tentatively to lean into.
Tom Blanky is a lecturer in economics and international trade at the local university - or was, until his department closed down due to lack of enrollment post-Brexit.  He and Crozier have been friends for years.  The pro-EU Remain campaign enlisted Blanky's expertise in the run-up to Brexit, and it was his detailed predictions of the likely fallout of a no-deal outcome, and the seismic changes ahead in the British economic landscape, that informed Francis' strategies - and which were cheerfully ignored by Franklin as 'naysaying.'  (When James turns up at Erebus House, one of the things in his briefcase is a complete set of Blanky's papers, now obsessively re-read and annotated).  Tom's rage at the stupidity and avoidability of Britain's plight is second only to Francis' and he's often to be found at Erebus House, generally helping out or just sitting with Francis and ranting.  He and his wife Esther have a smallholding at their home on the outskirts of town, which keeps them and their children in fresh food; they contribute what few extras they can to the nearest food bank and sometimes to Erebus, and Tom does his best to get Crozier out there for a decent cooked dinner every week or so.  After a time, James gets included in the invitation.
Edward Little, Thomas Jopson and Henry Le Vesconte are among Crozier's most loyal staff.  Many of the council's original workforce were let go due to government underfunding, and many more walked out as they saw the writing on the wall or became too stressed, ill and hungry to work (Crozier expends much of his own time and resources keeping track of these former employees and helping them wherever he can).  These three are the last long-term employees from before Brexit happened and they, like Crozier, virtually live at Erebus House, in meeting rooms repurposed with mattresses, fridges and two-ring hotplates.  Their responsibilities include rationing and stockpiling plans, healthcare emergency measures, liaison with charities and housing trusts and (sometimes reluctant) cooperation with the military.  Little and Jopson were a well-known office romance long before now.  In a show of love, defiance and shared gallows humour they got married the day after Brexit:  a small secular ceremony with only their families, Francis and Tom Blanky in attendance.  Le Vesconte is an old university friend of Fitzjames' - they lost touch as their politics diverged, but reconnect once James takes up residence at Erebus.
Silna and her father are two of the few non-UK citizens in Barrow who have stayed on after Brexit.  Silna is a coordinator and major plot-holder for Barrow's largest allotment site; quiet but forceful, she is an active community presence and has expanded her work to include free workshops on how to grow your own food.  She also keeps bees.  Much of the allotment has fallen vacant and she is trying to keep all the plots productive, but it's difficult work to do alone; the site is subject to vandalism and theft, and Silna herself has been the target of frequent racist harrassment.  As soon as Francis heard about her work, he called a meeting with the local police to insist in the strongest terms that the allotments and Silna be protected as a priority because 'do you idiots not see that this is the future, for fuck's sake, this is what we're all going to have to learn to do.'  He consults Silna as an expert in all matters of food self-sufficiency and calls by the allotment whenever he can; there are times when the worn bench outside Silna's shed feels like the last calm place in all of Barrow.  Silna's father runs the largest remaining supermarket in Barrow town centre.  With supply so attenuated and rationing in place, he coordinates with the council on what to put on the shelves, how much and when.  With so few shipments and so much desperate looting, food deliveries are overseen by the military.   Silna and her father now live in the supermarket building, and there is extra security - ordered by Crozier after the third attempted raid - on all its doors and loading bays.
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“Equal Pay Day” is today, the special holiday event where feminists, their creepy male allies and anyone in need of social brownie points will peddle the bogus apples-to-oranges comparison in incomes by sex to claim that women are paid substantially less than men for the same work, ultimately painting all women as victimized, oppressed damsels and men as privileged, sexist assholes.
This date has been dubbed Equal Pay Day by feminist organizations because it supposedly represents how far into the year women have to work to make as much as their male counterparts did in the previous year. A Tuesday is also always selected for the event because that day represents how far into each work week women have to work to earn what their male co-workers earned during the previous week. They’ve put a lot of thought into this.
The reason the wage gap hysteria survives endless debunkings is because its extremely profitable, the biggest promoters of it are its greatest beneficiaries. Feminist groups recite it as their funding and charity depend on it being true. Universities recite it because their ever expanding and expensive gender classes depend on attracting woke teenagers ready to blow daddy’s savings. Politicians recite it because their campaign depends on convincing women it’s true and then promising to save them from it.
Despite the widespread acceptance of the tale, there is not a single specific piece of evidence that proves employers are in violation of federal law by paying women 20 percent less than men for doing the same job. To believe this claim, you must believe almost every business and industry across the country are rampantly and illegally ignoring the Equal Pay Act and every anti-discrimination law and that these deliberate, flagrant and ongoing violations are somehow going undetected, or even worse, being covered up by “The Patriarchy.”
If there were such ubiquitous wage disparities in violation of federal law, why are there not extensive investigations by the Department of Justice, the Office of Civil Rights or the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission? Why are there hundreds of law firms representing victims who were exposed to asbestos from decades ago but none dedicated to the millions of women who are victims of such clear and rampant discrimination today? Is it all one giant, scheming cover-up to oppress women or could it be we are faced with the dilemma of being unable to solve a problem which does not exist in the first place?
There are more than 9 million women-owned businesses in the United States, employing nearly 8 million workers. Are these women underpaying their female staff too, or is this accusation just made against male employers? What about the half a million female CEO’s in the country, surely they would do something to end this travesty against women? Surely we’d hear from them about this problem? Or maybe they know better than those whose full-time job is being an outraged gender activist. The fact that the myth is clearly unsupported by any actual evidence and every year economist after economist explains how the gap has nothing to do with sexism or discrimination doesn’t seem to matter to them.  
If there are actually employers who are illegally paying women less than men for doing the same job, those companies will be exposed, publicized and prosecuted. But just like the elusiveness of actual evidence for aliens, we can’t change those hellbent on believing something to be true even if it makes them crazy. The problem is not so much the lie itself but the political reaction. We have accepted it as the truth, mostly out of fear of being accused of sexism, and as a result it’s now considered equality and justice when actual discriminating laws, quotas and policies are enforced against our supposed perpetrators.
Equal Pay Day should be less about driving fear, victimization and resentment into young women and more about reminding them that they are equal, they’re the most safe, protected and liberated people on the planet, they’re capable of anything they want and it’s this absolute freedom which will ultimately decide how much money they earn, what career they will have and what path they will decide to take. The sooner we can acknowledge the wedge of mistrust and animosity feminism has driven between the sexes, the less their myths and ridiculous theories will pervert the life decisions of women and we can get back to doing what’s individually best for us.
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margaretbeagle · 3 years
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How we’ve built and evolved our habit of giving back at Buffer
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In 2020, it was more important to us than ever to support small businesses and non-profit organizations.
There are so many organizations offering essential services to their communities, and we have felt so lucky to be able to support them while continuing to support our own customers. We always want to give back each year — the amount might change, depending on our profit, but we’ll always give back. It’s a habit worth building and continuing.
We’d love to highlight the organizations we supported in 2020 and the important work they’re doing, and how we came to support them.
An evolution of giving back and choosing flagship causes
Back in 2017, we committed to donating 20% of our profit each year to charitable organizations and, each year, we’ve chosen those non-profits in different ways.
The first year in 2017, we invited our team to nominate any organization they wanted and chose seven that got the most votes. It was a very open-ended prompt! In 2018, we focused our search a little bit, still taking in any team nominations but ultimately choosing one organization to represent each of our six company values.
In 2019, we put a stake in the ground and decided to focus our giving efforts on a core Buffer stakeholder — the environment. We worked to calculate our carbon footprint and found projects to fund that would prevent, remove or reduce carbon emissions of the same amount. Then, we asked our team to tell us their favorite organizations that produce clean energy, remove carbon from the atmosphere, support sustainable energy sources, or otherwise contribute toward the health of our planet, and ended up choosing five of them to support.
As we entered 2020, climate action was still a core cause we felt committed to supporting, but it became obvious that there was another area where there was significant work to be done. Combatting racial injustice and actively pursuing anti-racism became a priority for our company, and we worked to establish several programs to support BIPOC activists, as well as Black- or POC-owned or -led organizations engaged in anti-racism work.
When we started looking into our 2020 charitable donation, we decided we wanted to make a significant contribution to organizations tackling one of these two core causes — climate action and anti-racism — and that had a strong alignment with our vision: a world with more small businesses that do good while doing well.
The selection process
As we’ve always done, we invited our team to tell us about organizations that inspired them. Here’s what we shared about each cause and why it was important to Buffer’s vision:
“Without a habitable planet and the stability that provides, no small businesses will be able to thrive, including Buffer. Simultaneously, the climate challenge also creates tremendous opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship, hence more startups and small businesses! It feels crucial to do our part in building a sustainable and healthy environment where small businesses can have long-term success.”
“Systemic racism is not only injustice, but it is also bad for business. Research ‘estimates that aggregate economic output would have been $16 trillion higher since 2000 if racial gaps had been closed.’ When it comes to a world with more small businesses, we'll also want to see more diversity in those businesses. By making our contribution to a more equitable and just future, we can create a world where more people from underrepresented groups can start small businesses and have the means to support small businesses within their communities.”
From these prompts, we collected team nominations and we learned about some amazing organizations. After a team-wide vote, we settled on four organizations to each receive $12,152.25 USD — an equal split of $48,609 USD, which was 20% of our profit share from 2020.
Our 2020 charities and the work they’re doing
We chose two organizations to represent our focus on anti-racism and two that represent climate action. We’re proud to support these organizations that are truly working toward a more equitable and sustainable world. Read on for more information about their work!
GiveDirectly When we zoom out to the global level, there is huge inequality between people born and living in developed versus developing countries. The differences in wealth and access to opportunities remain massive. Currently, there is strong evidence that giving unconditional cash grants to people living in poverty is one of the most effective ways to drive positive change in their lives.
GiveDirectly gives cash grants that enable folks to invest in the projects, businesses, and items that are most impactful for them, instead of relying on organizations to choose for them. From their website: "We believe people living in poverty deserve the dignity to choose for themselves how best to improve their lives — cash enables that choice.”
We are excited about supporting GiveDirectly as a way to catalyze more small businesses — especially by folks from underrepresented groups — starting up all over the world.
digitalundivided There is no doubt that the U.S. tech and startup scenes have long been homogenous in many ways — with race and gender in particular. We get really excited when we hear about organizations that are supporting underrepresented groups and lifting them up to get the same shot as other founders, and digitalundivided is doing just that.
At digitalundivided, they run training programs, pre-accelerator programs, and a fellowship to help Black and Latinx women founders get the resources and mentorship they need to develop their businesses. On top of that, we were excited to see that they conduct research about Black and Latinx women founders in the U.S and that they use their research as a catalyst for change and action. From their website: “At digitalundivided, we use original, proprietary research to develop a data-driven ecosystem that expands the current body of knowledge about entrepreneurship in emerging communities.”
Their mission is all about doing good while doing well — supporting Black and Latinx women in their entrepreneurship journeys, all while catalyzing economic growth in their communities.
Cool Earth Trees are a powerhouse for our planet, constantly pulling carbon out of the atmosphere — so deforestation is a huge contributor to the climate crisis. Cool Earth works directly with rainforest communities to halt deforestation. They do this by meeting and learning from rainforest communities around the world, many of whom are indigenous communities that have intimate relationships and immense wisdom about their local forests.
Cool Earth partners with these communities to develop solutions that are unique to each location. In many situations, they support the local communities to develop sustainable incomes so they can be self-sustaining without causing harm to the rainforests. From their website: “Cool Earth supports local and indigenous knowledge to develop innovative ways to address threats to the forest while making communities stronger and more resilient.”
Cool Earth takes a tangible climate action while empowering and supporting indigenous communities, and it’s an approach we are honored to support. VertueLab Cleantech is a growing industry of companies working to support the environment through clean energy, the sustainable use of resources, carbon sequestration, and more. VertueLab works to tackle the climate crisis by providing funding and entrepreneurial support to early-stage cleantech startups whose products can deliver a measurable impact on reducing greenhouse gases. They also intentionally prioritize the growth of diversity, equity, and inclusion across cleantech industries.
In other words, VertueLab is directly nurturing small businesses that strive to make a difference in the climate space, and that shape a more sustainable and equitable world. From their website: “[Our mission is] to unleash innovation and entrepreneurship that will solve environmental challenges and catalyze shared economic prosperity.”
VertueLab actively fights against the climate crisis with a very similar vision to ours — to see a world with more startups that are doing great work for the planet and doing well in the process.
Additional donations to anti-racism organizations
In mid-2020, separately from our annual profit share donations, we also committed to donating $100,000 USD to organizations for and by Black people working to dismantle racism. After consulting with our Black teammates to determine the organizations they wanted to see the money go toward, we donated to three wonderful organizations:
The Marsha P. Johnson Institute, which protects and defends the human rights of Black transgender people.
The Marshall Project, a nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization that seeks to create and sustain a sense of national urgency about the U.S. criminal justice system.
Brave Space Alliance, a Black-led, trans-led LGBTQ center designed to create and provide affirming services for the LGBTQ community of Chicago.
We encourage you to read more about these organizations and the daily impactful work they do to support Black communities.
Learnings for next year
We’re a team that loves to give, though our approach up until now has been to “figure things out as we go.” That’s worked for us thus far, but now that we’ve established several charitable initiatives, we’re excited to think through a more holistic approach to charitable giving.
Having our two flagship causes is a great help with this, as is our annual choice to donate 20% of our profit. We’re committed to continuing our anti-racism programs, internally and externally, and working to be as carbon neutral as possible.
We’re honored to support these organizations and hope you’ll look into their work as well. We list even more anti-racist organizations worth supporting over here. There’s much more work to be done!
Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash
How we’ve built and evolved our habit of giving back at Buffer published first on https://improfitninja.weebly.com/
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I decided to combine two things I love: MTG and Harry Potter! There’s all sorts of buzz about what house you belong in, and MTG players do tend to have a colour identity, so I thought I’d try analysing each house paired with an MTG colour!
Red
Gryffindor - The stereotypical model of this house. Brash, bold, impulsive. May be lacking in an understanding of “the greater good” but makes up for it in heart and fervor.
Hufflepuff - The epitome of “fight me”. Red Hufflepuffs are fierce workaholics driven by an engine of emotion. They’re the great friend you’re worried about because they’re often stressing themselves out with both their activities and helping their friends.
Ravenclaw - This person is often just Done. They’ve learned a lot to know just how ridiculous life is, and they either embrace it or rail against it. They’re just as likely to be that guy you find on the bus who hands you a bagel and starts talking about some fascinating, complex topic as they are to be the leader of a movement against This Bullshit.
Slytherin - A powder keg, Red Slytherins understand their own emotions, and often the emotions of others. They are great on finding the right heartstrings to tug or buttons to push. They put their heart and soul into their passions, and they’re not afraid to get dirty in order to satisfy them. They’re the offbeat artist who can look at a rival’s work in a museum, scoff, and tell everyone nearby how said artist has some obscure fetish clearly reflected in their art.
Blue
Gryffindor - Gryffindors typically fight for what is right. Blue Gryffindors fight for what is true. They tend to be excellent judges, and they abhor liars. They’d be the type to call out a store on misleading advertising, or call the Coke company when the machine charges them incorrectly, not because the money itself is important, but because what is said is not what is done and that is Wrong.
Hufflepuff - Bookworms and open door policy professors tend to be Blue Hufflepuffs. These Hufflepuffs love learning, and they love fun little facts that they can share with friends. Teaching suits them, as they can share their love of learning with crowds of people, and they love having discussions with students.
Ravenclaw - A quintessential Ravenclaw. Knowledge all day, every day. The type to be lifelong students, or regarded scientist/mathematicians/artists, or that one person you work with where you ask them one question and they provide an encyclopaedia. Lacking often in the creativity aspect of the house, however.
Slytherin - These are the types to find a new fun hobby and research every possible way to break it. They’ll learn just about anything that gives them a leg up. They’ll have the perfect gaming or work station set up with every little detail to maximise performance.
Green
Gryffindor - Nature activists and proponents of tradition are typically Green Gryffindors. They have strong beliefs carved into their moral pillars, and they stand with them against all odds. They trust that what is right is what they understand to their core, and the natural processes of the world.
Hufflepuff - Green hufflepuffs are homemakers and givers, the type to open a shop selling natural remedies or cook foods based off long passed down family recipes. They tend to trust their gut with their decision making, and hold a belief that things will always work out in the end.
Ravenclaw - Natural scientists and emergency workers can share this common identity. These ravenclaws thrive on practicing their skill, then using that skill in environments that require quick instinctual reflexes. Scientifically inclined green ravenclaws often seek to understand the connect between modern behaviours and survival mechanisms.
Slytherin - Athletes, politicians, and high powered business people are often of this identity. Like green Ravenclaws, these Slytherins hone their skill for moments when they need to react quickly, but these moments are for complex times of competition and gain. They have an innate understanding of how a system works, and can slither through it, though they may not have the desire or drive to change it.
Black
Gryffindor - This Gryffindor is brave enough to stand up and say that they matter the most. Or egotistical enough, one of the two. It can take a surprising amount of personal strength to be “selfish”, and this is something these Gryffindors understand well.
Hufflepuff - It’s hard to help others if you don’t help yourself first. These Hufflepuffs believe in self care, and in treating yoself. They work hard so they can play hard, and socialisation is best done when everyone’s getting what they want, but not necessarily from each other.
Ravenclaw - The logical way of life is personal gain, and there’s no better treasure than knowledge itself. These Ravenclaws horde learning, because you never know when you’ll need to know how to tie a specific knot or build a cannon out of aluminium cans. These are the types to prepare for an apocalypse with their own personal bunker.
Slytherin - Black mana and Slytherin house go hand in hand. These Slytherins are ruthless in their goals. Though typically cast as the villain, they are not inherently evil, they are simply willing to do anything needed to reach their goals. They do lack in the aspect of family that Slytherins typically have, and tend to strike out on their own.
White
Gryffindor - Justice will be done. These are the people playing Lawful Good paladins in every dnd game and telling everyone they must Not Do The Thing. They have a strong sense of morality, and they will stand for the right thing, what is best for everyone rather than one person.
Hufflepuff - Hufflepuff fits solidly into white. White Hufflepuffs work hard to make sure everyone around them is doing the best that they can. These Hufflepuffs will contribute to charity, visit or even host community events, and leave posters telling people to stop littering. They can sometimes miss the individual loyalty aspects of Hufflepuff, turning in a friend if it is for the good of the community.
Ravenclaw - These Ravenclaws are the types to promote public works projects and anything new that can help large amounts of people. They think in the big picture, considering how their actions can help as many people as possible. These Ravenclaws tend to put their minds to protection, and they are great at building defence systems. They would work great as program testers, identifying weak points in computer security.
Slytherin - These Slytherins protect their family, and they have a huge family. These Slytherins do well in politics, as they serve as representatives for the needs of their people. They also tend to be coaches and in other leadership positions, promoting teamwork and strong defence in order to be the best.
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christophergill8 · 5 years
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4 tax-saving ways to celebrate Earth Day
              Happy Earth Day 2019
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Earth Day was created in 1969 by environmental activists in response to an oil spill in waters near Santa Barbara, California. Since then, it has expanded each year as a day to emphasize environmental issues and inspire an appreciation of our planet.
With this year's celebration falling on a weekday, many folks are looking for ways to incorporate their pro-Mother Earth efforts into their daily lives.
Well, nothing is as incorporated into our day-to-day existences as our taxes.
So on Earth Day 2019 and every day this year, here are 4 tax-saving environmental options.
1. Electric vehicle credits: Millions of folks drove to their offices this morning. In most cases, their vehicles are powered by fossil fuel.
But there is a growing trend toward electric vehicles. And Uncle Sam can help you buy one of these autos.
A federal tax credit of up to $7,500 is available for some electric vehicles, or EVs as they're referred to in official transportation and tax material. Similar to the tax break provided for hybrid autos back when they were the enviro-friendly rage, the electric vehicle credit starts phasing out once the manufacturer sells 200,000 of the plug-in vehicles.
That means you'll get a small tax credit if you want one the most popular EVs. That's the case for Elon Musk's Tesla makes, as well as EVs manufactured by General Motors.
A Tesla or GM EV buyer now will get a federal tax credit of just $3,750. Remember, though, that this is a tax credit, which means you get a dollar-for-dollar reduction of any tax you owe.
Tesla led sales, so its credit reduction kicked in sooner, meaning the halved credit amount is available through June 30. GM's $3,750 credit runs through Sept. 30.
After those dates, the credit amounts will be cut in half again, eventually phasing out altogether.
In addition to my earlier blog post on the reduced EV tax credit amounts, you can find more about the electric vehicle credit at the Department of Energy and Internal Revenue Service websites.
2. Home is where the energy savings are: Unfortunately, the tax break for some relatively easy home improvements to make your residence more energy efficient have expired.
But the Residential Energy Efficient Property Credit is available 2021.
This credit, again the best type of tax break out there, is worth a 30 percent tax credit of the cost of solar-powered systems, such as sun driven water heaters and photovoltaic panels that produce a house's electricity.
That maximum credit is available for qualifying energy systems installed in 2019. It's reduced a bit in 2020 and 2021.
EnergyStar.gov has details on the tax benefits of installing these environmentally friendly systems.
3. Giving instead of taking from Mother Nature: The adage about it being better to give that to receive also applies environmentally.
And in these cases, if you itemize instead of taking the standard deduction, you could get some of your charitable gift back as a tax break.
Donations to IRS-approved nonprofits are still allowed under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Your philanthropic gifts to 501(c)(3) approved environmental organizations count here.
If you don't have a favorite, just Google "environmental nonprofits" and get ready to be overwhelmed by how many green causes are out there.
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You also can search the green giving groups listed in GuideStar and Charity Navigator for more charitable choices of the green variety.
If you have the name of a group and want to make sure it's IRS-approved since that's one of the tax deduction rules you must follow, use the agency's online Tax Exempt Organization Search tool.
4. Check out more local tax benefits: Finally, take to heart the "think globally, act locally" advice when it comes not only to energy saving situations, but also tax breaks.
There are myriad tax credits, rebates and other government-subsidized energy-related savings at state and local levels. You can find many of them in the directory at DSIRE, the acronym for Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency.
The site, according to its "About" Web page, is the most comprehensive source of information on incentives and policies that support renewable energy and energy efficiency in the United States. It's been around since 1995, is operated by the North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center at North Carolina State University and is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE).
Speaking of DoE, there's the department's Energy.gov project. At that website, you can search, either nationally or by state, for programs that promote energy efficiency and offer rebates, savings and/or tax credits.
I hope you have enough energy left after celebrating this Earth Day to check out these environmentally conscious tax benefits. You deserve any and all you qualify for as a small reward for working to keep Mother Earth healthy.
You also might find these items of interest:
China's new pollution tax excludes greenhouse gases
Sweden looks at taxes to reduce wasteful consumerism 
Former GOP Treasury chief calls for global climate change action 
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from Tax News By Christopher https://www.dontmesswithtaxes.com/2019/04/4-tax-saving-ways-to-celebrate-earth-day.html
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How would UF, US and SF Sans and Papyrus react to having an S/O who is out to save the world? Like they are always running charity marathons to raise money or jetting off to other countries to volunteer at wildlife preserves or in underfunded schools or joining in on protests against the many shitty things going on in the world.
Underfell
Sans
He wonders how you have the energy to do all this stuff. Eventually goes with you because he misses you so much, but it takes some prodding on your part to get him into it.
Papyrus
Admires your tenacity. Really, he does. He’s not the best with travel, but seeing how you light up when you help people is more than worth it. He tries to help the cause when he can.
Underswap
Sans
He admires your strong desire to do good in the world. He’s also an activist at heart, so no matter what you’re doing, he’s always just as involved as you are.
Papyrus
It’s a definite uphill battle, but he supports you every step of the way. A.fter all, you’ve made his world better, so who’s to say you can’t do that for others? He compensates for his lack of participation by donating lots of money to your efforts
Swapfell
Sans
It takes a while, but eventually he gets really into it. He acts as your treasurer for fundraising because he's good at keeping tabs on money. He spends a hefty sum to get you nice clothes for meeting with company and organization representatives and also cashes in on a few favors so that you can use a private jet to get around if need be.
Papyrus
He wishes he could be as driven by a purpose as you are. You just don't give up, and none of it is for personal gain. He respects that. He's insistent on making sure you're well-rested for the road ahead so you don't run yourself ragged. Massages from him and self-care days are a must in his book.
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ohsoethical · 7 years
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The Shy Activist- Palm Oil Palm Oil Palm Oil
Palm is the most commonly used vegetable oil, it is in most food products and mixed with motor vehicle products. I have found that it’s really difficult to find any food products that don’t have palm oil in them. As an ethical eater I try to avoid food that uses palm oil because of the impact it has on the environment and animals.
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Air Pollution
Palm Oil is cultivated in tropical places such as Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa. Vast areas of forest are destroyed to make room for more palm oil plantations everyday. 
When forests are bulldozed and torched large amounts of harmful gasses are released into the atmosphere.
The fires also affect the health of workers and people who live in the surrounding areas.
Animals
Tigers, elephants, rhinos and orangutans are threatened by Palm Oil production. Endangered species habitat’s are destroyed for the purpose of Palm Oil and they “are squeezed into increasingly isolated fragments of natural habitat.”
Pail Oil forests have the least amount of biodiversity at 11 species compared with 80 species in a primary forest.
All animals are affected when poison is used to eliminate rats.
Communities
Deforestation for the purpose of Palm Oil displaces communities who aren’t recognised by the government when the land is handed over to companies. People are pushed out of their land which often creates friction within communities and against companies. 
Farmers who are pushed out of their land then have to clear forests to set up a new farm. New farm land is often very far from towns which restricts access to markets and health and well being services.
Labour rights- taken from SPOTT
Workers often live in poor conditions without access to basic facilities such as clean water and lighting, and are isolated by a lack of social support and cultural barriers.
Some oil palm plantations are dependent on imported labour or undocumented immigrants.
Trafficking cases have been identified in Malaysian and Indonesian oil palm plantations. Workers often have their passports and other official documents confiscated and are not given proper contracts. They can face abusive conditions and can be threatened with deportation or confiscation of wages.
Child labour is a common problem in Malaysian and Indonesian oil palm plantations. Children receive little or no pay and may be forced to endure harsh working conditions including long hours and exposure to toxic chemicals. This can be driven by poor education, a lack of school facilities and a generally low regard for education in rural areas.
In Malaysia, it is estimated that between 72,000 and 200,000 stateless children work on palm oil plantations.
“Reports of displaced communities and illegal land grabs are not uncommon. The resulting conflicts, loss of income and dependence on large plantations have had a significant impact of the social welfare of many.”
Can things improve?
Greenpeace supporters campaigned for many years and put pressure on big brands to stop using Palm Oil company until it changed it’s practices. IOI, the worlds third largest Palm Oil company, has now put together an action plan agreed to independent third-party verification of its progress in one year’s time. This came after a suspension from “Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) following a complaint by environmental organisation Aidenvironment, which meant it could no longer call any of its palm oil 'sustainable'”
Unilever and Nestle have stopped buying from IOI and refuse to buy from IOI after the suspension from RSPO has been lifted.
“One of the most important points is that IOI will be actively monitoring its suppliers to ensure they too are safeguarding forests and people. Any company selling palm oil to IOI will need to prove it is protecting forests, so the impacts should spread far beyond IOI's own operations.”
Here is a list of things you can do taken from rainforest rescue:
Enjoy a home-cooked meal using fresh ingredients and oils such as sunflower, olive, rapeseed or flaxseed are ideal for cooking and baking.
Read labels: As of December 2014, labeling regulations in the EU require food products to clearly indicate that they contain palm oil. However, in the case of non-food items such as cosmetics and cleaning products, a wide range of chemical names may still be used to hide the use of palm oil. A quick check of your favorite search engine will turn up palm oil-free alternatives, however.
Ask your retailers for palm oil-free products. Write product manufacturers and ask them why they aren’t using domestic oils. 
Sign petitions and write your elected representatives: Online campaigns put pressure on policymakers responsible for biofuels and palm oil imports. Have you already signed all of Rainforest Rescue’s petitions?
Leave your car at home: Whenever you can, walk, ride a bicycle or use public transport.
Ethical Consumer have put together a list of products that contain no palm oil or sustainably produced palm oil. I’m going to focus on the chocolate list because that’s my vice!!! But have a look at the rest of the list for more products.
Other Palm oil-free boxes of chocolates:
Vivani (organic): all gift chocolate (mini bars gift tins)
Co-op: 24 Assorted Chocolate Truffles, Chocolate Coins, Truly Irresistible Milk Chocolate Truffles gift cube, Truly Irresistible Mint Selection, Loved By Us Belgian Chocolate Pralines,  Loved By Us Irish Cream Liqueurs
Mondelez: Terry's Chocolate Orange Plain, Toblerone (all varieties)
Guylian: Seashells, Dark Chocolate Sea Horses, Pearles d'Ocean tin
Lindt: HELLO Milk chocolate heart tin
Best company rating for palm oil:
Booja Booja (organic, palm oil free company),
Divine (Fairtrade, palm oil free company),
Cocoa Loco (organic),
Montezuma (organic),
Vivani (organic),
Ferrero Rocher, Raffaello,
Mondelez brands (Green & Black's Organic Collection, Milk Tray, Roses, Heroes, Terry's Chocolate Orange, Terry's All Gold, Toblerone),
Mars brands (Celebrations),
Guylian,
Lindt: Lindor, Lindt
Co-op
Worst company rating for palm oil:
Thorntons,
Elizabeth Shaw,
ASDA,
Morrisons,
Tesco,
Aldi,
Lidl,
Iceland
FAIR FAVOURITES- Ethical Collection 
OK these guys have such a beautiful collection. I want everything!
“Giovanna Eastwood founded Ethical Collection in 2015, encouraged by the work of her mother's charity in Brazil. The charity taught young women to craft and sell bags made of recycled material and Giovanna witnessed the impact that the work had on these women and their communities. The pride they took in their art and the environmental benefits of recycled material gave her inspiration and incentive to dedicate her skills to ethical fashion.”
Pitusa Pom pom Top Pink
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Uzma Bozai Cotton Sagittarius Sweatshirt Grey
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Armor Lux Organic Cotton Red Breton Top
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Beaumont Organic Sophia Maxi Dress Navy & Red
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Sources and further reading
https://www.rainforest-rescue.org/topics/palm-oil#start
http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/footprint/agriculture/palm_oil/environmental_impacts/soil_water_pollution/
http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/blog/forests/major-palm-oil-company-promises-protect-forests-20170428
http://greenpalm.org/about-palm-oil/social-and-environmental-impact-of-palm-oil
http://www.sustainablepalmoil.org/impacts/social/
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kendrixtermina · 7 years
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Extra Typology Vol #2 - 9. Another Take on the Hybrid Types
So, the hybrid types. 
For those who didn’t join us in Vol #1, the main gist here is that some people don’t so much fit one of the 6 main types, but instead see to be situated somewhere ‘in-between’ on an integration line, resulting in 6 specific ‘hybrid types’ between each pair of ‘adjacent’ types, which is where the ‘12 type enneagram’ gets its epinomous 12 types from. 
If you did read my thoughts on the last book, you might realize that there’s not really that much overlap between the descriptions, beyond what you’d expect from being derived from the main types (particularly with Lunar-Venus the contrast is stark as it plays them for opposites in terms of monogamy behavior) - which isn’t necessarily a contradiction as one thing the books agree on is that every hybrid type person will have a different ‘placement’ on the line between one type and the next, and will react exactly like one type in some situations/life areas and exactly like the other in others instead of being perfectly in between or randomly switching;
Personally, I think that the best approach here is to just describe the main types & let the ppl themselves decide “well im a bit like this with bits of that”, especially since the book even introduces the concept of what they call a ‘split’ type (a combination not on the standard lines), though with the usual ‘this is pretty rare & probably not you, just be honest with yourself about what your most fundamental traits are’ caveat. 
Nonetheless, I will present some summaries of the portraits the author paints of the hybrid types, in case anyne finds this useful, relatable or interesting/inspiring. 
Lunar-Venus
combines intuitive knowledge and emotional earthyness
however, this might be a somewhat vulnerable combination as they are neither fully grounded in lunar shredwness nor Venus responsibility
dreamy innocence meets sensuous charm
the kind to reblog a marilyn monroe quote
unabashed & refresing attitude about relationships & sexuality - may thus acquire plenty of experience, but also be tempted to unduly tie their self-worth to it
might charm their way up in the world but lack the skill & dilligence required to follow through and consistently keep a job, relationship, social circle etc. - easily attracts partners but might fail to keep them due to evenually retreating into lunar dreamyness & isolation
suited for jobs that are freelance or low on ‘homework’, like actors or waiters.
Venus-Mercury
Combines emotion and speed - active and social person, most likely an extrovert and/or soc first
practical and active but: may value order or expediency more than logic per se
free time is likely to be filled with very active hobbies others may find the opposite of relaxed
sensual & devoted partners but also very “out there”, not a homebody at all - partners should accept that they will spend plenty of times going out with their friends
common pitfalls include a tendency toward the flippant and superficial - think screwball comedy
feel a need to be liked/popular & likes compliment; Will discuss the feedback they get & tell everyone who said what about them
more likely to forgive & move on than a pure Venus - the people around them would do better to appreciate that than to force difficult discussions.
Mercury-Saturn
Combine speed and deep thought, a combination which is often prized & sucessfull these days
Not ‘deadly serious’, indeed, profound creative output might often be presented or packaged in an entertaining manner (”Dear, why is there a random flirting joke amid a treatise about the meaning of life?”)
bridge the personal and non-personal realm, might take up a position of support and then have trouble finding support for their own needs, 
I personally know two individuals, both INTJ, & this does remarkably well describe common denominators between them,  though I’d assing them different percentages. (as well as subtypes and 9gram types) Most INTJs are probably not all that mercury-ish socionics notes the ILI type for its relative inertia, this is probably more common among the more ‘deep’ ESTxs or some ENTPs, but, goes to show how this can be an idependent metric of sorts
Saturn-Mars
combine inherent gravitas with a sense of dominance or even supremacy; These are some intense fellows
in both social & personal life, these people will be gifted in terms of their actions, ambitions and persuading others to join their causes
often actors, politicians or generally very outspoken public figures
good at “reading the mood” in a room or society at all
compared to a pure Saturn they’ll be far less inquisitive for its own sake and more visibly opinionated, but they can write impressive and deeply though-out treatises, manifestos & political books (1984 anyone?)
cause-driven - serious people with serious goals 
don’t believe in staying in the shadows and may indeed see charisma and celebrity as good for business
very driven, can be ruthless in pursuit of their goals
espouse their own views and relenentlessly deny & dismantle the truth of others while using their own encyclopedic knowledge
often sucessful but their self-promotion might backfire if it comes at the cost of ignoring others
seems like a soc-first 6 with 8 or 3 fixes
Mars-Jupiter
characterized by ‘benevolent forcefulness’
strongest of all combinations, tough, resilent & full of energy
which is good for them because they often have huge agendas on behalf of others
unlike in a pure Jovian, the desire to help isn’t tempered by an inclination to keep the peace - so they can come off as forceful and bossy 
“I’m doing this for your own good”
basically Tumblr, especially the discourse
rejects as worthless what’s not up to personal standards
takes on daunting projects with little concern for personal safety - the type to be a protester or activist, or do charitable work in a warzone
all about ideals, less concerned with personal relationships that might end up playing a lesser role, though they’ll feel genuinely bad about any failings that may happen here as they’re generally well-wishing (think of all those often-divorced politicians)
changes mind easier than a pure Mars type, especially if they view the new idea/ belief as “even more just”
Jupiter-Lunar
The ‘fairytale friend’ - the strong, reliable ‘parental’ influence meets the  innocent & childlike
their friends might be confosed as to wether they want to give support or be supported ( the answer is both, depending on context)
unlike a pure Lunar, they’re not so much ‘lost’ in a fantasy world as that they have a certain mastery over it
may have exotic beliefs because they see little distinction between it and the arbitraryness of reality (and often end up being prized in such groups as they’re willing to stick around for the boring administrative footwork others avoid)
disarms through their spontaniety - can be both very serious and excited/radiantfrom moment to moment
Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor comes to mind 
often dreams or a family & kids that they’ll then relate to as both a benevolent guide and a friend
generally great with kids because they’re basically one themselves but, unlike a pure lunar, have the responsibility to handle the caretaking role
competency & work ethic will get them into a position of responsibility, but their own needs will be a mystery to themselves and others
mom friend
can both defer & guide but might be awkward in one-to-one equal interactions in both friendships and especially romantic contexts
“I want my beloved to be happy”
may step aside in favor of other candidates even if they cannot avoid becoming friends with a potential mate
use their complex inner world to relate & empasize with others in almost all situations, forging friendships & relationships even in situations others would see as dealbreakers (widower with 3 kids? No probs!)
benevolent to the point of naivity, often distraight & dissapointed by the wickedness of the world but just as good at finding things to be positive about
frustration tends to be vented inward, in private
gravitate toward jobs in charity or caretaking
usually both competent & fun
xNFP?
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shirlleycoyle · 3 years
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‘Micro Grants’ Are Keeping Virginians Afloat While Waiting For Unemployment
Last month, Virginians who have gone months without receiving unemployment relief filed a federal class action lawsuit against the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC). According to a legal press release, the VEC is failing to respond to unemployed applicants for months at a time, leaving thousands of people unable to pay rent or feed their families during the COVID-19 pandemic. Weeks after the lawsuit was filed, a District Court Judge ordered the VEC to resolve over 92,000 unprocessed claims by Labor Day as part of a settlement.  
Meanwhile, the government's foot-dragging has driven activists to take matters into their own hands. One Richmond-based grassroots organization called Mutual Aid Disaster Relief Richmond (MAD RVA), has created a “micro grant” system that is providing assistance while people wait for their claims to be resolved.
Through a  grassroots fundraising drive that exceeded their expectations, the group was able to distribute over 1,000 $125 grants in 2020, for a total of $153,000. This year, they’ve given away $38,600 through $200 mini-grants to nearly 200 people and allocated $8,000 to help bail 40 people out of jail. 
“We've gotten a lot of emails and texts back from people being really grateful and expressing that the grant has helped with a rent payment or with some groceries,” Tamanna Sohal, one of four members who formed the micro-grants program, told Motherboard. In return, some people have offered their own services, such as hair braiding.
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A warehouse in Richmond, VA stocked with food and supplies. Photo by MAD RVA
Virginia currently ranks worst in the nation for processing unemployment claims, and the VEC has had its budget slashed by 40 percent since 2011. The number of unhoused people rose by more than 50 percent in Richmond last year, as people across the state struggled to make end's meet amidst the pandemic.  
Plaintiff Lenita Gibson became homeless for about four months after VEC cut off her benefits. “I have no income now, other than food stamps,” Gibson said in a press statement. “I have a roof over my head again, for now, only through temporary assistance from rent relief programs. The financial loss has been tremendous, and emotionally you are just a wreck. It’s been horrible. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be treated like this. It doesn’t make any sense.”
While many have expressed disbelief over the state’s unwillingness and inability to provide adequate aid, MAD RVA foresaw a struggle ahead. In March 2020, several members started a group chat to prepare a community response plan for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sohal, who hadn’t previously been involved in many formal mutual aid efforts, got involved after a friend added her to the chat. “It was just people talking about how COVID is going to affect us locally,” said Sohal. “What sorts of resources we could see running out really easily. And then, at the same time, what are the resources that already exist in surplus for some people that really need to be redistributed?” 
MAD RVA also runs a supply drive with free food, hygiene items and other vital goods. They started a call line for requests, and have been delivering about $5,000 worth of goods directly to family’s homes every week since mid-March. 
After outgrowing their storage space within local cafes, the organization rented an enormous warehouse space, built a walk-in fridge, and started a farm to sustain the supply drive.They distribute free AC units and host community free stores—a bit like a garage sale, but one where everything is free.
“We’ve got everything you could possibly want,” collective member Jake told filmmaker Kyra Kilfeather in a documentary profiling MAD RVA’s work. “Toilet paper, cans, we have plenty of pasta…but in two or three days these shelves will be empty again.” 
Several other community grant programs have surfaced in the sea of pandemic-inspired mutual aid groups. The Chicago Black Drag Council started raising $100 grants for BIPOC trans and gender non-conforming drag performers in Nov. 2020. Black Lives Matter Canada has raised $431,500 for thousands of $200 community microgrants for Black individuals. And the Jefferson County Anti-Racist Fund in Washington has been redistributing wealth from people who benefit from white privilege to BIPOC communities since Feb. 2019.    
To request a grant from MAD RVA, an individual only needs to provide their name, address, and demographic information in a short, online form or call the MAD RVA hotline. Funds are distributed within 2 to 4 weeks. The process contrasts with the complexity of Virginia's unemployment system; like with many public assistance programs, claimants describe the process of filing for unemployment as convoluted, and say that it's difficult to reach a real human on the phone. 
Mutual aid groups reject these sorts of dehumanizing, bureaucratic organizational structures in favor of collective care. 
“Mutual aid is the way we support each other and focus on interdependence in our communities,” MAD RVA writes in its rapid response toolkit, “recognizing the failures of state apparatuses and the inevitable need for us to co-create a more just world.” Russian anarchist Peter Kropotkin popularized the concept of mutual aid in the early 1900s through his seminal research in evolutionary biology, which emphasized cooperation as essential for many species’ survival.  
“It doesn't have to be a formalized organization. You don't need a business license or a 501(c)(3) status or anything,” Sohal told Motherboard. “It is just a group of people coming together, seeing what people need, and what people have access to and how you can strategize to make those connections.” Mutual aid advocates place this work in contrast to the  non-profit model of charity, which has been critiqued as siphoning energy from grassroots movements and funnelling it into top-down organizations that do not build community power.  
But despite their best efforts, MAD RVA is still a relatively small organization, and isn’t able to provide support to everyone who needs it. “Instead of trying to meet everyone’s needs,” said Sohal, “we think it’s a more sustainable and realistic strategy to get as many people on board with mutual aid, so that we can all support each other.”
‘Micro Grants’ Are Keeping Virginians Afloat While Waiting For Unemployment syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/
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Social Entrepreneurship
A known but Unknown Phenomenon
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No one argues with the fact that society has problems. The question is what to do about them. Politicians focus on government-funded programs, whereas the Corporates focus on the free market economy without much responsibility. Neither of these plans is going to meet the social and environmental needs plaguing our planet, at least not in isolation. We need another way.
A solution that draws on the best of both politics and corporates: Social Entrepreneurship
The known truth is that social enterprises operate within many constraints to bring about interesting innovation and keep companies accountable. It’s as if there are two bottom lines — social impact and profitability. You can’t have one without the other.
The silver lining is while most social enterprises are small, they’re growing in number, and have the potential to tackle great issues we face with the environment, poverty, drugs, incarceration, trafficking, homelessness, equality, and mental health.
So everyone wants to ask what is social entrepreneurship: Put simply, it’s the use of new approaches to solving old social problems. Throughout history, there have been social change agents and activists who have put their societies on a better path. But over the past couple of decades, a distinct, more entrepreneurial approach to alleviating social problems has emerged. That path-breaking generation of social entrepreneurs broke free of the false dichotomy between “it’s a business” or “it’s a charity” to experiment with business models, innovate new distribution and replication methods, and hold themselves accountable for results.
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Basically, it means using business as a tool to solve social issues. It’s risky, because entrepreneurship is already hard, and entrepreneurship exercised with the precept of placing a social cause above your profits is even harder.
There are two things worthwhile about social entrepreneurship.
The first is that they tend to be really close to the social problem that they’re solving and they’re free to deliver their impact in the way they see best. On the flip side, they still have their business constraints — you can’t just allocate money and resources that don’t exist.
The second thing is that social enterprises tend to be self-funded, and that means that, in a sense, they’re in control of their own destiny. You have to be conscious that plenty of businesses fail. You need to have a solid business model. And yes, earning profits can get in the way of your social impact.
Being a company that’s willing to sacrifice profits for their mission gives extra truth to their vision of change. And there is something really powerful in that. It’s like they inspire trust in their stakeholders that they’re doing the right thing.
We just looked at two of the great forces that social entrepreneurship brings to the table. The next question is how do you get more people playing the impact business game? There are three bits of magic to this:
· The first is the generation of ideas
· The second bit of magic is external validation
· The third bit of magic is what happens when you bring people together from different backgrounds to work on an idea
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If you’re developing a social enterprise, make sure you’re on the ground, talking to the people you want to impact. Make sure to incorporate their stories, hopes, and dreams into whatever concept you’re developing.
Most importantly of all, social entrepreneurs are driven by values: dignity, access to opportunity, transparency, accountability, and empowerment. They are passionate about the problem they are trying to solve and keep their social mission front and center as they scale up their impact. In many cases, they have left potentially lucrative careers to found their social enterprise, motivated by a desire for a more meaningful purpose or struck by an “aha” moment that compelled them to act.
In conclusion, neither traditional business models and nor government funding are always the best routes to make a social impact. Traditional business models are too focused on profit, and government funding can be scarce and restrictive. Social enterprises occupy a unique position in being able to deliver social change sustainably but the question we need to ask is:
Is the ecosystem supportive enough to plug in such ideas? Will we inspire greater social change in the world through social entrepreneurship? Can we balance the selfless and selfish entrepreneur?
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vertcoinreddit · 5 years
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Welcome back to Merchant mondaysMerchant mondays is the moment to show your appreciation for the businesses that lead the way in the adoption of cryptocurrencies. Instead of paying with fiat for your next purchase, use this Monday initiative to pay with VTC instead.This monday I want to highlight Jagoda! Check out some games you can buy with Vertcoin from their website.JagodaOn an nice sidenote. I am under the impression that work on the integration of VTC with BTCpayserver is in its final phase (if not complete already). I want to thank everyone who worked on it! Let's use this to get VTC accepted in many new stores!Debit cardsUquidWith UQUID, buying online and sending money to friends is made easier and safer than ever: all you need is an email address. Your money is protected, no personal information is revealed, and you can retrieve the details of every payment at any moment.CharityHelperbitHelperbit is a free and transparent way to support a charity project. You can donate to charity in Vertcoin and give something back to the world.EducationLearnCryptoLearnCrypto offers training about Crypto trading.The team at LearnCrypto.io has dedicated thousands of hours to educating the public and our students in all areas of Cryptocurrencies.FoodPexPeppersPexPeppers is specialized in "finest chili sauces, jellies, salts, seeds & more." Based in Pueblo, Colorado, USA PexPeppers is selling all over the world.Garden & AgricultureRoyal Queen SeedsRoyal Queen Seeds is amongst the fastest growing cannabis seed companies in Europe. After building up many years of experience in growing cannabis seeds in the Netherlands, we decided to launch our own line of cannabis seeds and are now able to offer you quality feminized, autoflowering and medical seeds at a good price.Gift CardsCoinCardsCoincards provides Giftcards and was created in July of 2014.Crypto de Change(UK)Crypto De Change provides Gift Cards and Silver Buillons since July 2013.GifftoffGiftoff is a "digital gift card retailer with the largest range on offer in Europe. Since 2014 we’ve been enabling digital currency users to shop with major retailers like Amazon.co.uk, Steam and Marks & Spencer. We stock over 70 gift cards and accept over 40 digital currencies as well as UK credit and debit cards."Sheldon StoreThe Sheldon Store is a online store where you can buy giftcards with Cryptocurrencies. You can buy Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, PlayStation, Uber, Netflix (and many more) gift cards. The Sheldon store team consists of cryptocurrency enthusiasts working together, driven by a single goal; to create a world where everyday people earn, spend and invest cryptocurrency like they would any other fiat currency in their everyday life.Goods/MerchandiseAstronaut ApparelAstronaut Apparel makes every effort to operate in a transparent and ethical manner. We will be integrating blockchain features to help with supply chain management, so that you can see exactly where your apparel was made.Barter4CryptoBarter4Crypto is a platform where users can offer and pay each other in cryptocurrencies for services and products.BullcryptoBullcrypto is a brand new apparel shop that sells everything from tshirts to hats or from mugs to posters!BycrypAn online marketplace (similar to Ebay) with buyer and seller protection. This platform allows you to buy and sell products for Crypto with escrow possibilities for Vertcoin.CyrolineCyroline is on "the tireless hunt for the special in the fashion world, the perfect fusion of individual styles, quality and sustainability." In physical stores you can pay with Vertcoin in Germany: Lübeck, Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Stuttgart.Crypto and ProudC&P provides crypto related fashion and is "shipping worldwide with live rates and tracking."CryptocompoundCrypto Compound provides "cryptothemed items" like fashion, mugs & more.CryptobleCryptoble provides "apparel and more". Here are crypto related shirts & mugs.Crypto MugzA webshop selling Crypto mugs (obviously) and some other cool items such as Tshirts and Drones.Epic PantsEpic Pants is an online retailer who sells products in the categories hardware, apparel, styles, gear, fun, music and art.GeekboxitGeekBox "offers a wide variety of services including but not limited to basic computer setup, repair, virus removal, server setup, network setup, consulting, purchasing, cloud computing advice, gaming system and electronic repair." As a nice special GeekBox IT provides a Vertcoin Tshirt.HippteeHipptee provides a range of different cryptocurrency tshirts.HodlerteesHodler Tees is a cryptocurrency centered tshirt company based in Frisco Texas! (USA) We sell all things crypto related from hats to tshirts and even posters!King Pen VapesKPV provides Vaporizers, "electronic devices that help you vaporize your material into vapor for cleaner inhalation. People looking to quit smoking cigarettes are the main reason behind vapes."LambofamFounded in 2018, their mission is to promote cryptocurrencies in popular culture with high-quality crypto apparel.Lazy PyramidLP is an online store and community. We service the world, no order is too small or too large.Luma CardsLuma Cards is selling greeting cards for all kinds of occasions. You can now buy high-quality art-based greeting cards with Vertcoin.NakamotoClothing"At Nakamoto Clothing, we're passionate about designing and curating a selection of apparel to help grow this movement of change. And we're electrified AF!", international shipping.quinsoloQuinsolo proudly accepts decentralized cryptocurrency payments for their crypto themed products.SatoshiMarketOnline marketplace selling crypto embroided polo shirtsSpreadshirtSpreadshirt provides shirts and more. Based in Greensburg, USA, the owner comes from the Netherlands.TeepublicTeepublic provides apparel, home goods, shirts, stickers, mugs & more.The ChopmasterThe Chopmaster is a woodworker that sells a variety of wooden accessories.Vertcoin stickersRB gives "independent artists a meaningful new way to sell their creations. Today, we connect over 400k artists and designers across the planet with millions of passionate fans." RB provides a huge asortiment of designed products like bags, wall art, home decor, apparel, stationary & more.WIKILEAKS shopWikiLeaks is a multinational media organization and associated library. It was founded by its publisher Julian Assange in 2006. The shop provides shirts, posters and asseccoires.ZazzleZazzle is a "marketplace, you'll find customizable products, art and createyourown products just waiting for you. We're PhD's, professional artists, manufacturing gurus, patent holders, inventors, musicians, and more. Everything we do is an expression of love." As a nice special Z provides Vertcoin shirts.MedicalThree Fields AccupunctureAcupuncture in MassachusettsMultimedia ServicesRichmond Drone ServicesRDS is Central Virginia’s drone service specialists. From preparation to content delivery, we perform all work to perfection. We can act as both an aerial film consultant or as the remote pilot in charge on your next projects.Calvin WestCalvin West is a music producer and lyric video artist. Currently based in Spain but with project all around the world. You get a discount if you pay with Vertcoin. Take a look at his projects!Professional (law) ServicesBurrellLaw (NYC)Burrell Law "Our New York Citybased attorneys provide a broad range of transactional legal services" Every large business was once a small business. We are here to help you find a solution for your legal needs.Bitcoin TaxBitcoin Tax is "calculating capital gains/losses for any cryptocurrency. Do you know the costbasis of every coin you own? Are you tracking the profits and new basis when you spend or sell? Can you work out the best way to identify your trades to optimize your taxes? Let us do it for you."The Crypto Lawyers(U.S.)The Crypto Lawyers "we are a team of U.S. qualified lawyers dedicated to helping individuals, businesses, and organizations navigate the legal intricacies of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. We commit ourselves to strategically and aggressively represent our clients in their transactional and litigation matters."PrintingCatdi"Catdi is a commercial printing company with additional specialization in web design. Offering costeffective commercial printing, direct mail, graphic design and web solutions to small businesses. Proudly Serving Houston and surrounding communities for over 10 years."Technology & InternetAirVPNAirVPN is a VPN based on OpenVPN and operated by activists and hacktivists in defence of net neutrality, privacy and against censorship.Crpto.spaceWith Crpto.space, you can get all the information you spend time checking, instantly every time you open a browser on your desktop or mobile device. Premium package includes the vertcoin homepage and wallpapers.JagodaJagoda (strawberry) is a videogames platform aiming to distribute digital services for cryptocurrencies that show a direct interest in social activism on different layers.Evolution HostEvolution Host is a hosting provider where you can pay with Vertcoin. They offer VPS hosting, IRC hosting and game servers on several locations around the world with highend hardware.Fasttech"FastTech is the technocentric destination for all your geeky needs and more. FastTech is committed to become the most loved and trusted electronics marketplace by offering superior shopping experience, timely shipping, and stellar customer service."GPS Tracking Made EasyThe first GPS tracking company to accept cryptocurrency as payment. Easy to install and easy to use with options for just about any type of vehicle or trailer.Video GamesCavemen StudiosCavemen Studios is a developer of video games. "Having over a century of combined experience on how video games tick, we've finally decided it's time to start creating our own products."Keys4coins"Keys4Coins is one of the first pc game stores who only accept cryptocurrency as payment. Our store is simple to use and you can shop anonymously. Only an email is required so you can receive the license."XBL4BTC"Our aim is to provide the fastest, easiest place to buy Xbox Live Gold subscriptions with cryptocurrencies"Wallets & miscellaneousPaper walletDesigned Vertcoin public and private wallets that can be used as paper wallets or given as gifts.Wooden VertcoinLaserLightning provides one etched wooden Vertcoin with the Vertcoin logo burned into one side, and your custom QR code on the back. These coins are approx 1.5 inches in diameter.(NSFW) Adult shopsToys4sex the adult shopToys4Sex is Australia's Online Adult store retailer intended for men and women. Toys4Sex comes with a specially selected range of products that has made its mark within the Australian adult market place. via /r/vertcoin
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kacydeneen · 5 years
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After Parkland, a Year of Activism
The shooting last Valentine's Day at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, prompted a wave of student and parent activism for stricter gun laws not seen after previous massacres. 
Here's a look at how the Never Again movement gained momentum after the massacre:
Feb. 14, 2018
Former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student Nicholas Cruz, opened fire at the school in Parkland, Florida, killing 17 students and staff members. As the rampage unfolded, student David Hogg began to film his and fellow students’ demand for change while hiding in a dark closet. "I call legislators of this country to take action and stop this from happening," Hogg said. “Thousands of people have died from gun violence and it’s time to take a stand. Forget the NRA. Forget the political backing. Take a stance for human lives, for children’s lives.”
Feb. 15, 2018
Students David Hogg and Jaclyn Corin call on lawmakers to take action on gun control during live interviews on CNN and MSNBC. On social media, fellow student Cameron Kasky launches the hashtag #NeverAgain. Later in the evening at a vigil near the school, a crowd of more than 1,000 people, consisting largely of students, chanted “no more guns, no more guns.”
Feb. 17, 2018
Marjory Stoneman Douglas senior Emma Gonzalez delivers her now-famous “We Call BS” speech during a gun control rally in Fort Lauderdale. She criticized President Donald Trump for calling on action on mental health after he overturning an Obama-era law that made it harder for people with mental illness to purchase guns.
"We are going to be the last mass shooting," 18-year-old Gonzalez vowed. "We are going to change the law."
Feb. 18, 2018
On Sunday, a group of students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school announce plans for a mass demonstration in Washington D.C. on March 24 to demand action on gun control. The March for Our Lives campaign is spearheaded by students Emma González, Alex Wind, Cameron Kasky, David Hogg and Jaclyn Corin.
Feb. 21, 2018
President Donald Trump meets with Marjory Stoneman Douglas students who recount their fears during the shooting and plea for gun control. "I don't understand why I can still go in a store and buy a weapon of war. An AR. How is it that easy to buy this type of weapon? How do we not stop this after Columbine? After Sandy Hook?" said a tearful Samuel Zeif
The president said he would push for comprehensive background checks with an emphasis on mental health. Other survivors marched on the Florida state Capitol called for tougher gun control laws.
Feb. 22, 2018
Several Parkland students, teachers and parents of victims confront National Rifle Association spokeswoman Dana Loesch and Florida senators Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson, as well as Democratic Rep. Ted Deutch on the issue of school safety and gun control during a CNN town hall. 
Student Cameron Kasky tells Rubio, "It's hard to look at you and not look down the barrel of an AR-15 and not look at Nikolas Cruz" before asking the senator if he'd stop accepting money from the NRA. Rubio replied that people buy into his agenda and that he supports laws to keep guns out of the hands of deranged people, adding that the NRA represents the interests of countless of Americans.
Feb. 23, 2018
After ThinkProgress publishes a story highlighting the over two dozen corporations offering discounts to NRA members, several companies responded that they were terminating their agreements with the gun rights group. Activist Michael Skolnik posts on Twitter a list of the companies that still have a relationship with the NRA and launches the hashtag #BoycottNRA. Within 48 hours, MetLife, Hertz, Symantec Corp, Enterprise Holdings, First National Bank of Omaha, and other companies announced they were ending discount programs for NRA members.
Feb. 24, 2018
David Hogg calls on tourists to boycott the state of Florida until lawmakers pass sensible gun reform legislation. Hogg took to Twitter to ask spring breakers to spend their vacation in Puerto Rico, which "could really use the economic support that the government failed to provide." In another tweet, Hogg noted that maybe politicians will "listen to the billion dollar tourism industry in FL. #neveragain."
March 9, 2018
Gov. Rick Scott signs a far-reaching school-safety bill that places new restrictions on guns, including raising the minimum age to buy rifles from 18 to 21, extending a three-day waiting period for handgun purchases to include long guns and banning bump stocks.
With the success of the social media-driven boycotts, Hogg and other gun safety advocates deploy the strategy several more times to force other brands and corporations to disassociate themselves from the NRA and the politicians who the group supports. It also proves effective in getting popular chain stores to discontinue the sale of assault-style rifles and increase minimum age requirements for gun purchases. 
March 14, 2018
On the one month anniversary of the Parkland massacre, hundreds of thousands of students nationwide walk out of school to demand action on gun violence. They also took their message to statehouses across the country, declaring enough is enough and #neveragain.
March 24, 2018
Hundreds of thousands rallied across the U.S. in the student-led March For Our Lives demonstration against gun violence. Marjory Stoneman Douglas students spoke before supporters in Washington, D.C. along with activists, politicians and celebrities. Survivor Emma Gonzalez held a moment of silence to honor those killed.
April 18, 2019
Random House announces siblings David and Lauren Hogg have inked a book deal. "#NeverAgain: A New Generation Draws the Line" is published on June 19, with proceeds going to charity. The book is both a memoir and a guide to activism. It will go on to be a New York Times best seller.
April 20, 2018
On the 19th anniversary of the Columbine shooting in Colorado, students across the country participate in another wave of school walkouts. During the second National School Walkout, organized by a Connecticut student following the Parkland shooting, students held voter registration drives and issued ultimatums to lawmakers who refused to act.
June 4, 2018
A day after graduation, Parkland students announce the “March for Our Lives: Road to Change,” a multistate bus tour aimed at mobilizing young voters to register and vote out NRA-backed candidates in the 2018 midterm elections. The Road to Change tour kicks off on July 15 on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, with celebrities like Chance the Rapper and Jennifer Hudson.  
Nov. 6, 2018
Voters nationwide prove that gun violence prevention is a winning issue, with outspoken gun safety advocates beating their NRA-endorsed opponents in about two-dozen House races around the country, according to the Giffords Law Center on Gun Violence Prevention.
Nov. 20, 2018
Parkland activists are awarded the 2018 International Children’s Peace Prize in recognition of their anti-gun violence movement. Matt Deitsch, Jaclyn Corin, Emma Gonzalez and David Hogg received the award in Cape Town from former South African archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Jan, 8, 2019
House Democrats, with the support of some Republicans, introduce a bill would expand requirements for background checks to all gun sales. Parkland activists join Pelosi onstage at a press conference announcing the bill.   
Feb. 6, 2019
Parkland shooting survivor and gun control activist Aalayah Eastmond testifies before the House Judiciary Committee that tough legislation is needed to prevent gun violence.
"Gun violence is such an epidemic, that anyone, anywhere, at any time can be affected," Eastmond said. "Rich or poor, black or white, young or old -- all Americans are at-risk and this is a side of America that none of us can or should take pride in."
NBC's Danielle Abreu contributed to this report.
Photo Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. After Parkland, a Year of Activism published first on Miami News
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