I am so lucky that I have been able to create art and music and fulfill my passions through my job for the past 11 years. But I’m stupid enough to have put all my eggs in one basket. It is now the only thing I can do to make money. I’m 33 years old and I can’t make coffee. I don’t know how to use Excel, or bartend, or wait tables, and I’m officially too old to join the police force. I’ve lost the confidence to go back to school and feel stressed out about impending debt when I think about further education for even one second. I have several jobs within the music industry as of now: bands, DJing, remixing and even writing music for other artists. I’m a workaholic and have my hands in a bunch of different places. But, all these jobs have unstable incomes. I don’t get a salary; I don’t know how much money I will make next month, next year or five years from now. I don’t have health insurance. And I live with the stress of not knowing, not planning and not understanding whether or not I will ever be able to reach my goals of having a family and feeling safe financially. When I say “safe,” I mean safe. I mean basics. I mean health insurance that is good enough for me to take care of myself, not just if I need a $10,000-dollar, life-threatening procedure. I mean dental care. I mean saving money in a retirement fund so that I can take care of myself when I’m 80 years old. Clearly, there is a difference between survival and luxury. Like so many teenagers, I believed in the “American Dream,” that I could move to New York from the Midwest and become an artist. I would achieve both fame and success, and I would never have to think about money. The first half was true. I made art and lived activism, and I achieved amazing amounts of success that I feel incredibly proud of. The second half, not so much. I have been able to live well, eat well, invest in my arts and make my own schedule, but I forgot to save money and think about my future. This summer I tried to rent an apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The process sent me into an emotional crisis and awakened me into a whole new realization of our economy, the music industry at large and, more specifically, what it means to be a queer artist in 2011. I spent days trolling around Williamsburg, looking at shitty apartments with cockroaches lining the doorways, fighting neighbors, rats in the ceiling, bedbugs infesting the linoleum floors, fifth-floor walk-ups and cat-pee-soaked carpets. The rent was exorbitant, availability was scarce, and I was turned down by two different landlords for being “freelance.” To be honest, I don’t blame them. Not only am I freelance, but I’m lesbian freelance. Double whammy. What was the reason they turned me down? Because it was easier to rent to a rich, trust-fund, straight-guy banker who wants to live in the coolest borough in the world? Because when he met me he saw a tattooed gender outlaw who makes “queer electronic punk music” and isn’t sure when the next check is going to come in? Yeah, I don’t blame him. He doesn’t give a shit about how kids email me all the time thanking me for keeping them from committing suicide. It’s not part of his capitalist business practice. I surround myself with amazing and talented people, people who have made it in every sense of those words. They buy apartments, invest in their futures successfully, have children, save money. How do they do it? How can I keep up with them? So I have to ask myself: where did I go wrong? And I can only guess that the answer lies in a combinations of three things: 1) my family is not rich, 2) I am a queer woman, and 3) I am trying so desperately to keep up with my peers that I am living beyond my means. And as I am a productive, workaholic, processing lesbian, I am the only one responsible for change and growth and my own future. So I consider: My family will never be rich; in fact, as they get older, they will use up their supply, perhaps even leaving me with their debts. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am so lucky to have the incredible health and support of every member of my family. I never forget how blessed I am to have such an incredible group of people in my life. In fact, our mutual understanding about how frustrating it can be to try to support yourself with your art is something we can all relate to as a family. And our own personal class struggles are not insular but truly a family affair. Now I understand why they supported my dreams but continually suggested having other interests or skills. My dad, a wood sculptor, turned sand and gravel miner. And my mother, a silversmith, turned elementary-school art teacher. I will always be a queer woman, a woman who makes 77 cents to the man’s dollar, and a queer who makes 23 percent less than the heterosexual. Does that mean that I make 54 cents to the straight male dollar? Wow. OK, so here’s the emotional part: I’m trying to keep up with artists who have had a similar amount of success as I have had, buying expensive meals, expensive jeans, expensive drinks, and trying my hardest to appear to be making the same amount of money as they are. I’m not them, for whatever above-mentioned reasons, but I just can’t pretend anymore. This is my coming out. I’m done feeling bad about myself. I wish I could afford a personal meeting with Suze Orman. She’s a lesbian. Maybe she could help me reestablish my financial security. I’m so lucky to have gained so much from my life and my amazing career, but I’m ready to feel secure. I’m ready to build my future and save money so that I can have a family, so that I can enjoy making art and not trying to create a product out of it, so that I can spend more time being present and less time being a workaholic, frantically searching for the profitable answer. And if I need to, I’m ready to get a job, go to work in the morning, get a paycheck once a week, go to the dentist, get a check-up, bottom out to a boss and appreciate music without being worried that I can’t keep up. We live in a society where people equate success with money. They see me on the pages of Vogue. They see me playing to an adoring crowd. They see me flying to gigs all across the world. And I’m not sure what people imagine, but I’m struggling, too. Over the past couple of weeks, I have realized how many other artists and musicians are in my position, people who are proud of their success but feel unable to continue, based on financial strain. Artists such as Spank Rock, Das Racist and the Drums have featured lyrics on their new records about struggling financially. My band MEN put out a record in February with similar tones. I know the economy is failing, but I think it is important to remember that it is failing for everyone. Even the people you think might have money. So here we go. Another reason to come together. Another reason to occupy Wall Street. Another reason for change.
Continue reading …I am so lucky that I have been able to create art and music and fulfill my passions through my job for the past 11 years. But I’m stupid enough to have put all my eggs in one basket. It is now the only thing I can do to make money. I’m 33 years old and I can’t make coffee. I don’t know how to use Excel, or bartend, or wait tables, and I’m officially too old to join the police force. I’ve lost the confidence to go back to school and feel stressed out about impending debt when I think about further education for even one second. I have several jobs within the music industry as of now: bands, DJing, remixing and even writing music for other artists. I’m a workaholic and have my hands in a bunch of different places. But, all these jobs have unstable incomes. I don’t get a salary; I don’t know how much money I will make next month, next year or five years from now. I don’t have health insurance. And I live with the stress of not knowing, not planning and not understanding whether or not I will ever be able to reach my goals of having a family and feeling safe financially. When I say “safe,” I mean safe. I mean basics. I mean health insurance that is good enough for me to take care of myself, not just if I need a $10,000-dollar, life-threatening procedure. I mean dental care. I mean saving money in a retirement fund so that I can take care of myself when I’m 80 years old. Clearly, there is a difference between survival and luxury. Like so many teenagers, I believed in the “American Dream,” that I could move to New York from the Midwest and become an artist. I would achieve both fame and success, and I would never have to think about money. The first half was true. I made art and lived activism, and I achieved amazing amounts of success that I feel incredibly proud of. The second half, not so much. I have been able to live well, eat well, invest in my arts and make my own schedule, but I forgot to save money and think about my future. This summer I tried to rent an apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The process sent me into an emotional crisis and awakened me into a whole new realization of our economy, the music industry at large and, more specifically, what it means to be a queer artist in 2011. I spent days trolling around Williamsburg, looking at shitty apartments with cockroaches lining the doorways, fighting neighbors, rats in the ceiling, bedbugs infesting the linoleum floors, fifth-floor walk-ups and cat-pee-soaked carpets. The rent was exorbitant, availability was scarce, and I was turned down by two different landlords for being “freelance.” To be honest, I don’t blame them. Not only am I freelance, but I’m lesbian freelance. Double whammy. What was the reason they turned me down? Because it was easier to rent to a rich, trust-fund, straight-guy banker who wants to live in the coolest borough in the world? Because when he met me he saw a tattooed gender outlaw who makes “queer electronic punk music” and isn’t sure when the next check is going to come in? Yeah, I don’t blame him. He doesn’t give a shit about how kids email me all the time thanking me for keeping them from committing suicide. It’s not part of his capitalist business practice. I surround myself with amazing and talented people, people who have made it in every sense of those words. They buy apartments, invest in their futures successfully, have children, save money. How do they do it? How can I keep up with them? So I have to ask myself: where did I go wrong? And I can only guess that the answer lies in a combinations of three things: 1) my family is not rich, 2) I am a queer woman, and 3) I am trying so desperately to keep up with my peers that I am living beyond my means. And as I am a productive, workaholic, processing lesbian, I am the only one responsible for change and growth and my own future. So I consider: My family will never be rich; in fact, as they get older, they will use up their supply, perhaps even leaving me with their debts. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am so lucky to have the incredible health and support of every member of my family. I never forget how blessed I am to have such an incredible group of people in my life. In fact, our mutual understanding about how frustrating it can be to try to support yourself with your art is something we can all relate to as a family. And our own personal class struggles are not insular but truly a family affair. Now I understand why they supported my dreams but continually suggested having other interests or skills. My dad, a wood sculptor, turned sand and gravel miner. And my mother, a silversmith, turned elementary-school art teacher. I will always be a queer woman, a woman who makes 77 cents to the man’s dollar, and a queer who makes 23 percent less than the heterosexual. Does that mean that I make 54 cents to the straight male dollar? Wow. OK, so here’s the emotional part: I’m trying to keep up with artists who have had a similar amount of success as I have had, buying expensive meals, expensive jeans, expensive drinks, and trying my hardest to appear to be making the same amount of money as they are. I’m not them, for whatever above-mentioned reasons, but I just can’t pretend anymore. This is my coming out. I’m done feeling bad about myself. I wish I could afford a personal meeting with Suze Orman. She’s a lesbian. Maybe she could help me reestablish my financial security. I’m so lucky to have gained so much from my life and my amazing career, but I’m ready to feel secure. I’m ready to build my future and save money so that I can have a family, so that I can enjoy making art and not trying to create a product out of it, so that I can spend more time being present and less time being a workaholic, frantically searching for the profitable answer. And if I need to, I’m ready to get a job, go to work in the morning, get a paycheck once a week, go to the dentist, get a check-up, bottom out to a boss and appreciate music without being worried that I can’t keep up. We live in a society where people equate success with money. They see me on the pages of Vogue. They see me playing to an adoring crowd. They see me flying to gigs all across the world. And I’m not sure what people imagine, but I’m struggling, too. Over the past couple of weeks, I have realized how many other artists and musicians are in my position, people who are proud of their success but feel unable to continue, based on financial strain. Artists such as Spank Rock, Das Racist and the Drums have featured lyrics on their new records about struggling financially. My band MEN put out a record in February with similar tones. I know the economy is failing, but I think it is important to remember that it is failing for everyone. Even the people you think might have money. So here we go. Another reason to come together. Another reason to occupy Wall Street. Another reason for change.
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Rachel Maddow is reluctantly ready for her close-up. Really. That's the impression left by this gushy profile of Maddow in the most recent issue of the Hollywood Reporter.
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As Apple unleashes the iPhone 4S on AT&T, Verizon and now Sprint, the biggest question on everyone’s mind is how much will the phone really cost? As the third US carrier to sell the iPhone, Sprint has confirmed it will offer the device with the same unlimited plans as the other handsets in its lineup — much to the relief of loyal customers hoping to make a belated switch to iOS. But we’re betting those of you willing to swap providers are just a little curious as to how the plans stack up. Fortunately, we’ve crunched the numbers for you, so all you need to do is meet us after the break for that bottom line. Continue reading How much will the iPhone 4S really cost on AT&T, Verizon and Sprint? How much will the iPhone 4S really cost on AT&T, Verizon and Sprint? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Oct 2011 16:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …France is famous for defending its language and culture from foreign invaders, and now the French have a new enemy in their sights: ketchup. The French government is banning ketchup from school and university cafeterias—with a single exception. The American condiment can be served with French fries, the LA…
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The number of older Americans living with cancer or who are long-term survivors of the disease will rise dramatically over the next decade, a new analysis shows.
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Thanks to a surge in changing regulations, many student’s first-day-of-college checklist could read something like this: textbooks, check; laptop, check; handgun, check. Inside Higher Ed reports that just last week, “the Oregon Court of Appeals overturned a longstanding rule of the state university system that prohibited guns on its campuses, making it legal for concealed
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Doctor accused of helping CIA find Osama bin Laden should be charged with high treason, says Pakistani state commission A Pakistani doctor accused of helping the CIA to track down Osama bin Laden should be charged with high treason, a Pakistani state commission has recommended. The finding against Dr Shakeel Afridi, who allegedly ran a fake Hepatitis B vaccination scheme in Abbottabad at the behest of the CIA , is likely to further complicate relations between Pakistan and the US. Afridi was picked up by Pakistan’s Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) three weeks after the raid on May 2 in which the fugitive al-Qaida leader was killed, and he has been held without access to a lawyer ever since. The US has pressured Pakistan to release Afridi into American custody , saying he helped locate the most wanted fugitive on earth. But Pakistani spies, furious at being humiliated by the CIA, have indicated Afridi would have to face the full force of the law. In a statement, the four-man government commission which was set up to investigate the killing of Bin Laden, and which is led by a supreme court judge, said it was of the view that “prima facie, a case of conspiracy against the state of Pakistan and high treason” should be made against Afridi. The finding came hours after it conducted an “exhaustive interview” with the ISI chief, General Shuja Pasha, it said. The commission interviewed Afridi earlier in the week. The commission also announced it was ending restrictions on Bin Laden’s wives and children, who have been in custody since the raid, potentially opening the way for their repatriation to Yemen and Saudi Arabia. The ISI has been at the centre of most US-Pakistan tensions this year. US critics questioned whether Pakistani spies had been aware of Bin Laden’s presence in Pakistan. More recently, the ISI has also been accused of secretly supporting the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani network on the Afghan border. President Barack Obama said he was concerned by the ISI’s ties to “unsavoury characters” , but he said he was not about to cut off aid to Pakistan. Afridi was employed as a senior government doctor in the Khyber tribal agency, and is believed to have set up the CIA vaccination programme in Abbottabad earlier this year. Since the attack on Bin Laden, the ISI has cracked down on international aid agencies working in Pakistan, with officials trying to find out if any aid workers are secretly moonlighting for intelligence agencies. The aid agency Save the Children has suffered the most severe repercussions , with senior expatriate staff forced to evacuate the country for two weeks in July following a warning from US officials. Afridi appears to have used Save the Children as cover for his work, telling his wife that he working on a project for them when he was in fact working for the CIA, according to a senior western official. Save the Children has vehemently denied any links with the fake vaccination programme but says it may have been unfairly targeted because Afridi twice attended training courses run by the aid agency. The CIA has rejected criticism by aid workers that its vaccination programme was unethical. “It was conducted by genuine medical professionals who planned to provide everyone with the full course of treatments,” a senior US official with knowledge of the programme told the Guardian. “No one should be threatening or harassing or rounding up medical personnel on the ground in Pakistan. The damage here was caused by locals reacting to the mistaken idea that this was a fake public health effort.” Health workers in Abbottabad say the CIA programme had in many cases administered just one vaccination shot out of three to local children before it was closed down. The US official said: “The reality, also, is that this program was part of an effort to pinpoint the location of a man who was himself a menace to public health worldwide.” The Pakistani commission directed that Bin Laden’s house in Abbottabad should be handed over to the local civil administration “for disposal in accordance with relevant law”. Just what that means in practice is unclear. Speculation has swirled around the house for months; some analysts believe it may ultimately be razed. Pakistan CIA Osama bin Laden United States Declan Walsh guardian.co.uk
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Defence secretary joined by Adam Werrity despite claiming he had never accompanied him on government business Liam Fox was joined by a close personal friend and self-styled adviser when he met senior Sri Lankan ministers during an official visit this summer despite claiming that Adam Werritty had never accompanied him on government business. Fox has insisted that Werritty, who has distributed business cards describing himself as an adviser to the defence secretary, is not part of his political entourage, but these fresh disclosures are likely to raise further questions about the nature of his role in the defence secretary’s inner circle. The Guardian has already revealed that Werritty, who was Fox’s best man, visited the defence secretary on 14 occasions in little over a year at the MoD’s HQ in Whitehall, prompting Labour to demand an inquiry into whether there had been any potential breaches of national security. Fox said he had now asked his permanent secretary to investigate what he called “baseless allegations”. The defence secretary was under pressure to explain his involvement with Werritty after it emerged he had brokered a meeting in Dubai in June that may lead to Fox being called to give evidence in a blackmail trial in the US. Despite the furore over that episode, Fox met Werritty again in Sri Lanka a month later when the defence secretary was on an official visit to give a lecture. Though the MoD insists Werritty was not part of Fox’s party, it confirmed that Werritty did meet Fox during the visit. A photograph of Fox arriving to give the address on 9 July shows Werritty in the background, following closely behind Sri Lankan government ministers and the British high commissioner, John Rankin. During the visit, which enraged the Tamil community – who accuse the Sri Lankan government of war crimes – Fox also met President Mahinda Rajapaksa, foreign minister Rohitha Bogollagama and economic development minister Basil Rajapaksa. A video of Fox meeting the president appears to show Werritty also present. Two associates of Werritty have identified him in the grainy video. However, the MoD has denied that Werritty was there and insisted he did not accompany Fox during any official meetings. Werritty, who hands out business cards embossed with a House of Commons portcullis logo that describe him as an “adviser to Rt Hon Dr Fox MP”, has visited Fox at the MoD headquarters in Whitehall 14 times in 16 months. After details emerged of Werritty’s links with Fox dating back 14 years he said in a parliamentary answer earlier this year: “Mr Werritty is not an employee of the MoD and has, therefore, not travelled with me on any official overseas visits. ” Fox’s spokesman added: “He is a friend of the secretary of state.” However, the MoD backtracked last night. It said: “Adam Werritty was not part of Dr Fox’s delegation and he did not attend any official meetings though he was present at the memorial lecture [in Sri Lanka], which was a public event at which the defence secretary spoke.” The Guardian has been told Fox met Werritty “for a quick drink” after the lecture, which was to honour the late Sri Lankan politician Lakshman Kadirgamar. “Adam Werritty was not there in any official capacity,” an official said. “The trip to Sri Lanka was sanctioned by the Foreign Office. Werritty was not part of the official delegation. Dr Fox has a long-standing interest in Sri Lanka going back to the 1990s when he helped to broker a peace accord.” The revelation of the meeting will increase the pressure on Fox, 50, who has been accused of putting national security at risk by offering Werritty regular access to his office. Questions have also been raised about whether Werritty has sought to profit financially from the relationship. Werritty ran a defence company while Fox was shadow defence secretary, and he was involved in a health company while Fox was shadow health secretary. Werritty, 34, has accompanied Fox on several trips to Sri Lanka, including one in 2009 when the pair reportedly met the president, prime minister and foreign minister. He lived with Fox in a flat near Tower Bridge before the defence secretary married Jesme Baird in 2005. Werritty was a guest at Fox’s 50th birthday party at his official Whitehall residence last month. Last night Fox launched an investigation to clear his name. In a statement, he said: “A number of baseless accusations have been made in recent days. For the sake of clarity I have asked my permanent secretary to establish whether there has been any breach of national security or the ministerial code. She will report back in due course.” Jim Murphy, the shadow defence secretary, said: “This gets murkier and murkier. People will be shocked Liam Fox is unable to provide straight answers to straight questions. We have previously raised serious concerns about his insistence on visiting a Sri Lankan government failing to produce an independent and transparent investigation into allegations of war crimes. We need a full explanation for his visit as well as clarification of the role of Adam Werritty. Mr Werritty’s role is unclear and is now becoming a real concern. We need to know precisely why he was on the visit, why this was denied and especially if he benefitted personally or professionally from the visit.” Fox was initially scheduled to visit Sri Lanka last December but was forced to abandon his plans following a row with the foreign secretary, William Hague, who feared the speech would upset Britain’s carefully balanced relations with Colombo. Fox rescheduled the visit for July despite leaked US embassy cables providing fresh allegations of the Sri Lankan government’s complicity with paramilitary groups in its offensive against the Tamil Tigers. Liam Fox Defence policy Rupert Neate Nick Hopkins guardian.co.uk
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Click here to view this media From Media Matters — CNN’s Alison Kosik Ridicules Occupy Wall Street Protesters, Later Reports Traders “Hit Hard In This Economy” : CNN financial correspondent Alison Kosik described the “purpose” of Occupy Wall Street protestors “in 140 or less” as “bang on the bongos, smoke weed!” in Twitter comments captured by NYU journalism professor Jay Rosen: enlarge Kosik deleted that comment from her Twitter feed. She later responded to a question about the list of demands from protesters by noting “the list of whines is too long already.” Wonkette wasn’t too kind to Kosik in their post on the same topic which you wan read here — Dim CNN Reporter’s News Analysis of Protesters: They Just ‘Smoke Weed’ . And here’s more from Media Matters: When Kosik reported on the protests on-air, she wasn’t nearly as dismissive of concerns from Wall Street traders, explaining that “the traders that I talked to, they want protesters to understand they’re getting hit hard in this economy as well.” And if you really want to be disgusted there’s this bit in the video posted above which Media Matters had linked as well with traders at the NYSE wishing Erin Burnett good luck on her new show this week: CNN’s Alison Kosik finds traders at the NYSE have hardly forgotten Erin Burnett, who launches OutFront tonight at 7 pm ET. They’re wearing pictures of Burnett taped to the inside of their jackets and backs while they talk about how much they love her. Looks like we’re going to have lots of “fair and balanced” reporting on Wall Street now that we’ve got two of their favorite “reporters”… and I use that word lightly, Kosik and Burnett, carrying water for them over at CNN.
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