What Did We Learn From Covid?

These days, a conventional wisdom has settled in that we somehow overreacted to Covid. That our response went too far, and we are now past those silly times. Here's the lesson to take away: we didn't do enough. Trump's response was idiotic and catastrophic (does anyone remember him saying blue state governors "have to treat us well" if they want coronavirus help?). Over 1.1 million Americans have died. Countless lives have been shattered by Long Covid. We let the virus be politicized by opportunists, and allowed false narratives about governments "controlling" us to dominate our media. The hard choices that were made to prevent even more death and suffering are now, ludicrously, seen as mistakes. 

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there's a cherry blossom tree in DC that keeps blooming every year even though it shouldn't and the park service keeps thinking it's dead and then it keeps blooming! well they're removing a lot of trees to rehabilitate the area and they've said it's finally time for stumpy to go and they're going to mulch it and use the mulch to enrich all the other trees so it can help everything else keep going. and they're also going to plant spliced little pieces of it all over so that stumpy can live forever and this is genuinely sending me into a spiral

someone brought it flowers today

STUMPY MY BELOVED!!!!

For added context on what rehabilitating the area means: there are structural issues with the Tidal Basin seawall that cause flooding like this independent of rainfall. Big portions of the sidewalk in Stumpy’s section are regularly submerged, which is bad for the land and the trees themselves, not to mention an accessibility issue for visitors.

It’s sad that Stumpy and many other trees in the area will need to be cut down, but it will ensure the continued survival of the other trees in the area, and Stumpy himself will live on in his cuttings!

I believe Stumpy will be taken to the national arboretum and his clones will return to the tidal basin after the rebuilding.

Someone left him a bottle of bourbon as an offering.

The Japanese Embassy came to pay him honor this week.

Stumpy and his cohort are part of the original gift from Japan more than 100 years ago, and many have lived this long bc the National Parks takes care of them. Normally the trees live about 40-50 years.

Apparently there's going to be a Law & Order: Toronto, and I really desperately need them to make the world's most niche joke and have a detective from Chicago who came to Toronto on the trail of the killers of his father, who stayed - for reasons that don't need exploring at this juncture - because In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police, who investigate crime; and the district attorneys, who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories.

This is a post that will make sense to . . . I think actually literally nobody on my feed, but is nonetheless really entertaining. I promise.

Only if he is played by Callum Keith Rennie and his Canadian partner is played by Paul Gross

Rebecca Lindenberg | Interview in The Believer | March 27 2012 

[image transcription: McSweeney’s: Why write poetry? Lindenberg: I think there is a general misconception that you write poems because you “Have something to say.” I think, actually, you write poems because you have something echoing around in that bone-dome of your skull that you cannot say. Poetry allows us to hold many related tangential notions in very close orbit around each other at the same time. The “unsayable” thing at the center of the poem becomes visible to the poet and reader in the same way that dark matter becomes visible to the astrophysicist. You can’t see it, but by measure of its effect on the visible, it can become so precise a silhouette you can almost know it.]

While we are on the subject - financial abuse is not always just physically taking money away or not having a savings account or escape stash. For a lot of people it is the other spouse sabotaging your credit score, constantly overspending, and you being unable to trust that joint household bills and loans are paid. Did you know that once you add an authorized user to your bank account it’s nearly impossible to remove them without their permission? Did you know that your spouse, who likely knows your birthday and SSN, can often gain access and reset passwords for any online accounts and create new ones?

Financial abuse will ruin your life and there’s really nothing except significant time that fixes it. If you are in a situation where you think this might happen to you you should freeze your credit with all three major agencies. You can find info on how to do this at USA.gov/credit-freeze

This is not something that only happens to tradwives. You are not exempt because you are independent or competent.

And for people who are out there right now needing to hear this for an "Aha" moment:

Sometimes financial abuse is also things that, on paper, sound totally reasonable until you realize they're always just enough to wipe your accounts and put you in 'barely livable pressure' levels of debt. And that they keep recurring like clockwork.

"I was taking a look at the sink and it's completely fucked and we have to replace it RIGHT NOW." And then six months later when you've managed to save up JUST enough to breathe again "We need a new water heater." And then they proceed to 'tinker' until they break it. And six months later when you've started to recover "There's something wrong with the well pump." that was replaced only a couple of years ago since this endless cycle never stops ... And so on and so on and so on.

Financial abuse will absolutely ruin your life. And once the spiral starts and you're stuck in forever-crisis it's very hard to think clearly enough to realize what's happening. And once you're in that state OTHER abusers will see you vulnerable and use that to their advantage too. And suddenly you're just whalefall to the dozens of assembled goblin sharks waiting for their bites.

Also—taxes. There's nothing quite like sitting down to do your return, and your partner gives you one or two (or several) 1099s for income you were unaware of, and for which they didn't make estimated payments, and now you're on the hook for a pile of unpaid taxes. One of my coworkers found out on April 14 that his partner had over $100,000 in investment income the prior year—all untaxed—and hadn't bothered to mention it, but had managed to spend all of it. Another of my friends had to deal with a situation in which her husband didn't have any taxes withheld from his paycheck for the entire year. There's not just the unpaid tax—there are also penalties for underpayment, and interest on the unpaid amounts. It adds up fast, even for a tax bill of just $100.

File for an extension to give yourself time to sort things out. Check into doing your return on a Married Filing Separately basis (that may or may not help, depending on the situation). You will need professional tax help, unless you are a tax preparer or CPA. If you can't afford to even think of contacting someone for professional help, contact your local library and ask for resources. Your librarians are there to help, and happy to do so.

If you're already in a tax mess, the IRS Taxpayer Advocate may be able to help in some situations: www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov

The IRS Innocent Spouse Relief program may also be of help if you receive a notice about a return already filed for which your spouse did not claim all of their income: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/innocent-spouse-relief

These are great additions!

Hey, so, as someone who used to work in branch banking, a few things! These are all US-specific notes as that's where I have knowledge of.

I saw... a lot of financial abuse when I worked at banks. So much. So, so much.

It's important to not forget also that financial abuse doesn't always occur within romantic situations: some of the ugliest stuff I saw was also elder abuse, with adult kids taking advantage of elderly parents, caregivers and nephews and even neighbors extorting money out of people. I watched one sister steal another's inheritance right out from under her, and all I could do was report it. Emet once stopped parents from stealing the money the grandparents had left to their grandkids/kids. People do ugly and awful things to each other over money, and spotting financial abuse also means not chaining your mind to the idea that this is something that occurs only or even primarily within romantic relationships.

(That inheritance story was wiiiiiild. Remember how I said that people sometimes try to smooth-talk their way into access to accounts? Yeah.)

To really drive the point home, I have had to close or help close multiple joint accounts and it literally is as simple as walking in, saying "I'd like you to close this account and give me the money" and walking out.

My ex refused for 3 years to go take her name off our joint account. Her car payment came out of it every month and she refused to change it.

All of that was over with just going in and asking them to close it. Done. All I said was "I'd like to close this account, my ex is still on it and that's weird because I'm getting married in a few days" and they went "okay here you go". No questions.

You don't even have to say that much. Just say, "here's my ID, I want to close the account." You can say more if you want to, but you ain't gotta.

Updating with info from the UK - it's the same here for closing accounts, either party should be able to.

Also, check out the UK Finance Financial Code of Practice. It's voluntary, but most of the big banks are signed up, and it tells you what sort of help you can expect - things like assistance in getting sole access to your money.

For other bills - utilities, internet, anything. Almost every company has a way for their customer service team to add a password (separate from any online account and only over the phone) so that someone can't call in and pretend to be you, because as mentioned above, spouses and family will often know any information they need to make changes, and using your existing accounts can be a way to control money or your credit. Just call in and ask if there's a way to set a password on your account - it can also help make sure no one can access your contact information, and I can't recommend that enough.

Right, considering the current state of corporate politics on this site, and that it seems that only those affected seem to be actively speaking on the matter, it is up to I, the only fucking cishet on tumblr, to drag this out to a wider audience.

REBLOG IF YOUR ACCOUNT IS A TRANSFEM SAFE SPACE.

We need to show these higher ups how much we truly value them.

I just remembered my second Pride, where I made different flag themed daisy chain bracelets/necklaces to hand out. I need folks to understand something:

They were free.

They were fucking free.

They were maybe ¢60 of acrylic yarn each at the most, and the whole ziploc bag of them took 2 hours max.

Three people gave me sad eyes until I took their money.

Someone who was clearly the mom friend of their group made me take a $5 and gave a 10 minute pep talk.

At least four more people insisted on getting change to pay for the, once again, free bracelets.

In spite of all these shenanigans, the absolute best was this one person who I can only describe as, “queer surfer dude who looks like a boyfriend who looks like a girlfriend.” I can remember nothing of the outfit, only the impeccable vibes. I did the same thing I did with everyone else, explaining the bracelets were free, and they nodded along as they took the last 6 strand rainbow bracelet. As soon as they had it on their wrist, they pointed at something over my shoulder and, like a fool, I looked.

Next thing I know, they’re running off cackling, yelling, “YOU’LL NEVER CATCH ME!” and I’m holding a fucking $20. I had to stop at least two people from chasing them, cause they thought the person stole something, and then they tried to give me money cause they thought it was funny seeing me flail over people being Too Nice.

That was the year I got reverse-robbed at Pride. I hope everyone out there is having a good time and, in particular, that queer surfer dude is out there still causing benevolent chaos.

After thinking about it for 15 minutes, I now know where the fuck my gremlin tendencies come from. I was always a little shit, and I always tried to be helpful, but this? This was when 19-year-old me realized that chaotic and good are not mutually exclusive.

The world has not known peace since.

[Caption: I hope you believe that you can still make a beautiful life for yourself even if you lost many years of it to grief, or darkness, or a would that wouldn't close.]

isn't it insane though how schizophrenic people are viewed as violent and dangerous by the majority of society when in reality schizophrenic people are nearly 14 times more likely to be on the receiving end of violence than to be the perpetrators...

schizophrenic person: makes a post trying to raise awareness about the disproportionate abuse and harmful stereotypes schizophrenic people face

yall: "yeah im not gonna reblog this they used the word ins*ne which is so problematic ://"

What the fuck happens that changes these stats to such a massive degree?

1) schizophrenia hardly ever causes people to be violent so schizophrenic people aren’t more likely to be violent than anyone else

2) schizophrenic people’s autonomy is often taken away from them because of their schizophrenia. because the authorities and mental healthcare providers often automatically assume schizophrenic people to be violent, they’re more likely to immediately react to schizophrenic people's symptoms with violence, without even knowing for sure said schizophrenic person was going to be violent. all of this causes schizophrenic people to be more likely of being victims of violence and abuse. schizophrenic people also have a harder time getting out of abusive households because of the risk of their autonomy being taken away. if a schizophrenic person’s relative or partner is abusive, often the schizophrenic person has no way out of the situation, both because our disconnect from reality can result in us being easier to manipulate, and because the system is built in a way that it takes away our autonomy because of our condition.

also schizophrenic people and psychotic people in general, please do a lot of research before picking a provider for your own sake, and if they try to treat your psychosis in a way that you think is harmful then don’t hesitate to switch providers. your safety and wellbeing should be a priority over everything else.

can y'all please reblog this version instead

great news, pigeon has discovered that sometimes when i hold a bag and it makes noise it's treats

bad news, she got a brain the size of a walnut and does not understand the difference between a tasty little salmon filled morsel and a spoonful of fucken turmeric, but she doesn't care, she fucken WANTS it

I found an extremely dope disability survival guide for those who are homebound, bedbound, in need of disability accommodations, or would otherwise like resources for how to manage your life as a disabled person. (Link is safe)

It has some great articles and resources and while written by people with ME/CFS, it keeps all disabilities in mind. A lot of it is specific to the USA but even if you're from somewhere else, there are many guides that can still help you. Some really good ones are:

How to live a great disabled life- A guide full of resources to make your life easier and probably the best place to start (including links to some of the below resources). Everything from applying for good quality affordable housing to getting free transportation, affordable medication, how to get enough food stamps, how to get a free phone that doesn't suck, how to find housemates and caregivers, how to be homebound, support groups and Facebook pages (including for specific illnesses), how to help with social change from home, and so many more.

Turning a "no" into a "yes"- A guide on what to say when denied for disability aid/accommodations of many types, particularly over the phone. "Never take no for an answer over the phone. If you have not been turned down in writing, you have not been turned down. Period."

How to be poor in America- A very expansive and helpful guide including things from a directory to find your nearest food bank to resources for getting free home modifications, how to get cheap or free eye and dental care, extremely cheap internet, and financial assistance with vet bills

How to be homebound- This is pretty helpful even if you're not homebound. It includes guides on how to save spoons, getting free and low cost transportation, disability resources in your area, home meals, how to have fun/keep busy while in bed, and a severe bedbound activity master list which includes a link to an audio version of the list on Soundcloud

Master List of Disability Accommodation Letters For Housing- Guides on how to request accommodations and housing as well as your rights, laws, and prewritten sample letters to help you get whatever you need. Includes information on how to request additional bedrooms, stop evictions, request meetings via phone, mail, and email if you can't in person, what you can do if a request is denied, and many other helpful guides

Special Laws to Help Domestic Violence Survivors (Vouchers & Low Income Housing)- Protections, laws, and housing rights for survivors of DV (any gender), and how to get support and protection under the VAWA laws to help you and/or loved ones receive housing and assistance

Dealing With Debt & Disability- Information to assist with debt including student loans, medical debt, how to deal with debt collectors as well as an article with a step by step guide that helped the author cut her overwhelming medical bills by 80%!

There are so many more articles, guides, and tools here that have helped a lot of people. And there are a lot of rights, resources, and protections that people don't know they have and guides that can help you manage your life as a disabled person regardless of income, energy levels, and other factors.

Please boost!

Love fantasy settings where “fairy” is treated like a fantasy junk drawer. Settings where “fairy” means elves and goblins and pixies, but it also means trolls and fauns and rabbits in waistcoats and talking pianos.

Settings where if it’s magical, and meets a certain degree of whimsy, it’s a fairy. You know?

#not to reference one of the biggest media properties of all time#but i love how fuckin WEIRD fairies get in pokemon (via @strawberry-crocodile)

Hand to god forgot about pokemon when I made this post but god fuck yes that is exactly what I’m talking about.

I was talking about this with a friend and she nodded and went “Like the muppets”

This is a fairy court.

Listen to me. Listen to me.

The pig shares its fate with the harvest king. Pratchett understood: it's fattened all summer until it can barely move and then the knife and everyone else gets through the dark eating its flesh. It's forbidden to the people that don't truck with that "going down into the dark to come back up" business, it's a deeply fairy animal. She bedecks herself in silk and jewels, but please remember: a sow will eat a man, bones and all, given the opportunity.

The frog is a miracle of metamorphosis: it's an animal, with bones, not some flittering bug, and it changes, it transforms. This frog sings and dances and commands a legion. If you listen, he's very quick to tell you he's the color of the leaves. If you cut his head off, would he laugh and promise you the same in a year? Would you go to his home, would you hold yourself chaste against the blandishments of his curvaceous bride, would you bend your neck?

Their attendants are a bear that wants to trade jokes with you, that wants you to laugh! Just laugh! If you laugh, he wins! Their attendants are a thing, unknowable and unspeakable, deviancy and deviation personified and walking about. Such things he can show you if you'll just deign to watch. Their attendants are a dog with the hands of a man. Or was he once a man, and his fingers are all that remember? Another man, seems unchanged, but for his tongue: so twisted that none can understand him. He toils forever in their kitchens. Will that be your fate? Was that the pianist's?

Their retinue is madness. They admit it, claim it! Their musicians play mayhem, and dancers tear themselves to pieces in their whirling.

Listen to me! They want you to come with them, to dance, to sing, to dream! They tell you clearly:

They're telling you. I'm telling you. Listen, please. No one returns from the theater.

I arrive at the yarn store and grab a skein off the shelf, the exact same brand, type, weight and color of the one I bought a week ago. Everyone in the store immediately knows that I miscalculated the amount of yarn I'd need for a project. They start booing at me. They are throwing crocheted tomatoes at me. The old lady giving knitting lessons in the corner is shaking her head. She had such high hopes for me. The cashier spits at me when I pay for it.

"Funny you should say that, Mr. Frog, but those coffee grounds we found at the murder... Well, they were Wilkins Coffee. Now see, the thing that bothers me, is that the victim... Well, he didn't drink Wilkins."