Hey everyone self-employed in the United States, and particularly authors! If you did not get first draw PPP loans, you are still eligible to get a first draw PPP loan right now.

What you need if you file a Schedule C:
(*) Your 2019 tax returns
(*) Enough spoons to file paperwork now and again in a couple of months
(*) A good-faith belief that COVID impacted your business

There are a lot of places you can go.

BlueVine is one of

If you DID get a first round of PPP, and you had ONE QUARTER in 2020 where you made 25% less than the corresponding quarter in 2019, you can apply for a second round of PPP.

This requires that you keep good records. At a minimum, hopefully you had all your income deposited into a bank account that you use JUST for your business.

Rarely does a pressure group go into a closed door meeting with the govt and come out the same. History is replete with examples; the trust deficit is justified.
The wiles of the oppressor haven't changed either.

*Brute force - already in display.
*Divide & rule - currently in play.
Money doesn't seem to be working, the PDP/APC card is dead and the last few days have shown that the religious and ethnic division is mostly inherited and sustained only by the ignorant

... and those benefitting from the resulting disunity.
Time to pit them one against the other.
The one who plants, is not necessarily the one to harvest. And e fit be say who harvest; no no go chop. Everyone has a role to play.

If the fight is truly for and about "country" it will not be sacrificed at the altar of ego. If you find yourself saying "I" too many times; re-examine your motives.
My age grade with the knowledge and experience; how far? With all the wisdom, nibo la ba de?

Barely 3 weeks ago we were all groaning under the weight of multiple increased taxation. Not a month goes by that we don't clutch our chests because another young Nigerian has been murdered in cold blood or another village massacred & razed by bandits.

The truth in Black and white: An apology from The Kansas City Star. In a six-part investigation, @KCStar finds it "scorned generations of Black Kansas Citians and...robbed an entire community of opportunity, dignity, justice and recognition."

As floodwater upended Black lives in 1977, Kansas City newspapers fixated on Plaza, suburbs and all but ignored how the flood destroyed the homes of Black citizens -- part of @KCStar investigation of itself in, "The Truth in Black and White."

Charlie Parker? Jackie Robinson? For The Star, Kansas City Black culture was invisible

When civil rights movement marched forward, @KCStar lagged behind. The newsroom was run by white men. They overlooked the protest the way they overlooked nearly everything else involving the Black community in the mid-60s

‘Brutes’ and murderers: Black people overlooked in KC coverage — except for crime. Rarely, even up into the 1960s, did the papers doubt, challenge or investigate the police version of events, or interview Black victims.

Adam McNeil, 34, rents out entire laundromats to allow Black Philly moms to do their family's clothes for free, and he gave away 25,000 diapers, 2 fridges and 2 sets of washers & dryers to Black Philly moms in the last six months alone (a thread):

Here’s the thing about about McNeil's program, SistaTalkPHL: It doesn’t have a fancy executive board or big donors — it’s just got McNeil, his unemployment checks, and donations from people who believe in his grassroots work.

McNeil himself has a hell of a story, having spent nearly a decade of his life in prison and having survived getting into a near-death car wreck.

"I have taken so much in my life," he told me. "Now, I just want to give."

Due to space constraints, I had to cut a section of McNeil's story out that I felt was very powerful. I'd like to share it here.

McNeil never got to meet his dad, who was imprisoned for most of his life.

While McNeil himself was serving time at the State Correctional Institution at Houtzdale he realized a guy he ran around in Philly with, who was in the same prison, was his half brother on his father’s side.

Feeling cute, still mad at cis gay white men, idk, might still be mad at them later.

For the straight folks out there, feel free to observe, but for a lot of you this probably isn't your lane, but just from my personal experiences, here's why a lot of people are mad about it.

Seems silly, right? Just a bunch of mostly white gay guys saying they'd let a white supremacist hate fuck them and expecting to get no pushback on that statement.

Your non-white gay friends see you and remember that, in most cases, you'd want to hit that before you even see us.

We shouldn't be surprised though, we see your online crushes and thirst posts. We see you fuckability rating the "White Chris Squad". We see your profiles saying how you "love guys with blue or green eyes" or "if you look like [insert popular white actor here] front of the line!"

And we see the other profiles, the ones that even you'd scowl at, the ones that specify non-white guys shouldn't even bother saying hello. We see the porn, the party fliers, the magazine covers, even the gay magazine covers that will put straight white men on before any gay POC.

We've been out to bars and parties where we're one of the few non-white people in the room. We've been equally ignored or fetishized. We've watched your uniform/cop fetishes. We've had to fight to get fetish spaces to even be inclusive. We've constantly had our concerns ignored.

[THREAD]

Why ironically using terms like “aandolanjeevi” and “urban naxals” is unhelpful even when mocking, disagreeing, or “reclaiming” them.

Frank Luntz, a right wing messaging expert in the US, says that one of the key ways to create frames that stick with people is “consistency”, essentially, repeat things.

When terms like “urban naxals” and “aandolanjeevi” are used to describe dissenters, students, artists, we think it’s pretty ridiculous, so we either try and refute it, or we mock it.

In both the situations, we fall into their trap of speaking about ourselves in their terms. We end up using their words and terms over and over again, which is exactly what they want us to do, because it strengthens the connections associated with those words in people’s mind.

For eg, the “anti national” framing was so successful, and we mocked it (“if standing up to authority is anti national, guess I’m anti national too”), negated it (it’s not anti national to protest), or tried to flip it around (“actually those quashing dissent are anti national”)

Weekend Musings

Step by step guide on how to prove via SM photographs that you have embraced Class and crawled out of your Indian middle class origins and are ready to look down upon fellow Indians with that high society subtle and pretentious scoff and ‘OMG’!

Let’s go -

1. ‘The book I’m reading’ photograph isn’t about the book. It should have a frappe, cappuccino, anychino..basically any Barista level fancy stuff. Coz honestly neither you nor your friends understand or use French press or Colombian beans. An eatable, casually thrown around, but

make sure the label is visible. And it HAS to be some foreign brand of cookies, cheese, cake you picked up at your last Khan market visit and we’re saving for this photograph. Try Scandinavian brands. No one understands what’s written and everyone will assume it’s really fancy.

And all this should cover not more than 30-40% of space in your photograph. Rest should be of the ‘view’ of the localé which ‘ OMG I wasn’t even aiming at but it just came in picture’ kinda stuff. An opportunity to show your house, garden, hotel etc. Make sure the beverage is

in a big cup. Never China. That’s Middle class. Go for those heavy stone/ Earth shade ones that prove how you always prefer staying connected to ground but everyone know they are pretty costly at those fancy stores. You can also buy them from road side vendors and fool everyone.

the united states has convinced do many people that MLK day is a day of service. MLK wasn't interested in "service," he was interested in the redistribution of wealth to render poverty obsolete. Less service, more redistribution

He was called “the most dangerous man in America” by the FBI, not because he was interested in community service, but because he was promoting anti-militarism and anti-capitalism

He was organizing a poor people's campaign to use direct action against the US government for maintaining economic inequality, not to "help out poor people," but to end the idea of poor people

On militarism and

on his frustration with white moderates and the church who didn't like his nonviolent direct action to fight for

A THREAD: Since today brought on a greater desire/focus to follow the prophet, I felt like it was a great time to review some of his many invitations he has given us as the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

#DezNat

Keep on the covenant path. Your commitment to follow the Savior by making covenants with Him and then keeping those covenants will open the door to every spiritual blessing and privilege available to men, women, and children everywhere. (“New First Presidency Broadcast”)

I’m extending a prophetic plea to you, the women of the Church, to shape the future by helping to gather scattered Israel. (“Sisters’ Participation in the Gathering of Israel” – Women’s Session)

So, I invite you to study prayerfully section 25 of the Doctrine and Covenants and discover what the Holy Ghost will teach you. Your personal spiritual endeavor will bring you joy as you gain, understand, and use the power with which you have been endowed. (“Spiritual Treasures”)

Repentance: Teach that repentance is a joyful opportunity to change and grow, something all of God’s children should do with appreciation for the privilege. (Official First Presidency Letter)

1/ The Evidence-Based Social Work Alliance has written an open letter to the Chief Executives of all four UK social work regulators, CAFCASS and BASW.

A request for policy review and practice guidance

https://t.co/xfISp9y9Vd

2/ "EBSWA gathers and considers evidence on the questions of sex and gender identity in order to inform professional discussion. We are concerned by the uncritical use of gender identity theory in social work and other professions".

3/ "Of immediate concern is the increasing numbers of children and young people with gender dysphoria who are presenting to the profession. The welfare of gender-dysphoric children is increasingly being discussed within the child-protection context...

4/ "...and yet our attempts to explore alternatives to the affirmation model are being met with accusations of hateful conduct and referrals to our regulator for investigation. We are being silenced in our attempts to understand and discuss the evidence-base approaches to this".

5/ "The recent high-profile Judicial review of the Tavistock and Portman Trust’s treatment of Keira Bell...will change the way in which professionals approach this issue. Social work policy and practice must engage and respond in line with these developments".

Thread 🧵
The number of deaths in the nuclear research facility presents a horrific story as 73 suicides, including by many scientists, were reported between 1995 and 2016.
1966 Dr. Bhabha had died in an air crash after he publicly said India could produce a nuclear device
1

On June 13 2009, India’s television channels reported the death of Lokanathan Mahalingam, a not-so-well-known nuclear scientist. Mahalingam was working for eight years in the Kaiga atomic power station, located in the South Indian State of Karnataka
2

Uma Narasimha Rao, aged 63 and a retired scientist of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), committed suicide at her house at Govandi owing to chronic depression. In a suicide note, she said none was to be blamed for her “extreme step.” 2011
3

Ravi Mule
Another employee of the Nuclear Power Corporation India Ltd, Ravi Mule, went missing and was later declared murdered. His brother made his own efforts to investigate after police failed to make any headway. 
4

On February 2010, M Iyer, an engineer working with the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, was found dead in his residence. Police investigations reached a dead end, with forensic experts declaring, as in all cases of unexplained deaths of employees involved in nuclear programme
5

State of this children's home in Lancashire, run by the private company Care 4 Children Residential Services Ltd: this Ofsted report was uploaded today

Firstly, it is a shit hole (excuse the language, but...)

A child's clothes and shoes are taken away to stop him from running away.

The home is short-staffed and in chaos.

Staff take under-age children to buy cigarettes.

Thread: 2021 is gearing up to be a difficult year for human rights. It's all a question of seeing how individual comments and policies create a pattern, but that in turn risks you sounding like a conspiracy theorist, so let's break it down. 1/

From @pritipatel and @BorisJohnson's comments about "lefty do-gooders" and "activist lawyers" there has been a gradual narrative built up that human rights are some kind of left wing stalking horse. Yet in practical terms they should be apolitical. They apply to all of us. 2/

This is an excellent article by Director of @RunnymedeTrust, Halima Begum about the language the government is using to create division. I fear that it could lead some to think that she is saying the voters being targeted are white supremacists though.

Let's be totally clear here, the "culture war" being gamed by the government is a myth, but it is a myth which resonates with people who feel disconnected from society. A year of isolation, fear and economic concerns has likely increased that disconnect. 4/

Public attitudes fluctuate, and I am not denying that there is still a massive problem of racism within society, but attitudes towards immigration for example are, on the whole, softening. Problem is those against it tend to be more vocal.

1.
WoLF submitted an excellent brief defending women’s rights under Title IX👇👇:

"Plaintiffs ask the Court to proclaim that women & girls are no longer a discrete category worthy of civil rights protection, but men and boys who claim to have a female ‘gender identity’ they are”

2.

If the Court rules in their favor, it will mark a truly fundamental shift in American law and policy that strips women of their Constitutional right to privacy, threatens their physical safety, undercuts the means by which women can achieve educational equality, and

3.

[...] ultimately works to erase women and girls under the law. It would not only revoke the very rights and protections that specifically secure women’s access to school athletics, but would do so in order to extend those rights and protections to men claiming to be women."

4.

"Women and girls are thus protected under the law from subjective beliefs about whether and how women should work, vote, have children or not have children, and how they ought to look and behave.

5. U.S. civil rights law recognizes the need to protect people from the subjective beliefs of others, including subjective beliefs founded on sex- stereotypes. ...In stark contrast, being ‘transgender’ depends on the continued existence of sex-stereotypes.”

Another thread so soon? This one's going to be about a classic argument, sex determination. There are five methods of sex determination and I'm going to go into depth on my arguments on why I state that sex is able to be determined in all cases. #intersex

As you know if you follow me, there are five factors in sex determination. I've briefly gone into this in other threads but this thread is dedicated entirely to dissecting this whole thing apart. You only need one, or two for 99.98% of people when they are born.

However we're going to talk about those who are "ambiguously sexed" like myself and that brings me to my next argument and point.

The five determination methods in question:
Karyotype, Presenting Genitalia, Gonads, Hormone Production, Internal Reproductive Structures.

Starting with Karyotype.
XX, XY. The point is, humans can only possibly have either a X and Y in their karyotype. However a Y monosomy isn't possible, at least not survivable anyways. The X also comes before the Y as well, but there's more to this particular determination.

It isn't as simple as having a Y, or having only Xs that'd be far too easy for more ambiguous cases. So there's something known as SRY [Sex Region Y] Which is a region on the Y chromosome that is normally necessary for testis development and male development as a whole.