Hi!

i think book piracy comes down to people not understanding the differences between the film industry and the book industry. i don’t fully understand the film industry bc it’s not my focus, but i do know that pirating movies or shows is not going to directly impact the actors and/or the little people behind the movie or show. (if someone wants to elaborate on how, please do! i’m not really sure.)

however, pirating books is going to directly impact authors, not publishers or CEOs or any other bigwigs. an author is paid thus: they sign a contract for a certain amount of money, say, $100,000 for a two-book deal. that means that each book will be (technically) worth $50,000. depending on the contract, a check will be written for $25,000 upon the author turning in the version of the manuscript that the editor bought. that check will go to the author’s agent, who will take their 15% commission, which will be $3,750. then, the agent will send the remaining $21,250 to the author, minus taxes. with that same scenario, a check with the remaining $25,000 will be written upon the author turning in the final copy of the manuscript, aka the version that will go to the printer, and the process repeats (the check is sent to the agent, the agent takes their 15%, the author gets the remaining $21,250, minus taxes). 

that’s not where this story ends, though: in every contract is a thorough section detailing royalties, aka how much the author will receive per sale of a copy of their book in the book’s entire lifespan. if an agent is good, this will be one of their most important areas they focus on during negotiations. it’s imperative that people know that royalties can make or break an author’s career. it’s better to have larger royalties than a larger advance, bc an advance is only once, whereas royalties will continue as long as the book continues to sell (hardcover, paperback, audiobook, ebook, etc). the higher the author’s advance, the more pressure there is for the author to break even, aka for the author to make back the $50,000 spent on that first book. in a worst case scenario, if an author doesn’t earn back their advance (a big turn of phrase in publishing), they could have book 2 canceled, or they could possibly never be able to sell another book to a publisher again due to a poor sales record. in that case, it’s likely the author will have to re-debut under a pen name so the publisher backing them can treat them like a debut author. or, you’ll see an author’s first printings tank between book 1 and 2 or book 2 and 3 etc etc. for instance, Enchantee by Gita Trelease had a first hardcover printing of 175,000 copies (which is big for a debut!), while book 2 of that series, Everything That Burns, has a first hardcover printing of 75,000 copies. now, i can’t see the sales numbers, but it seems likely a lack of sales is the culprit here. 

Because Ohio messed up the ballots.

Here’s an article about it.

With about 240,000 ballots mailed, that meant one in five voters received a wrong ballot. The error happened Saturday afternoon when someone changed a setting on a machine that places absentee ballots into mailing envelopes, Franklin County elections officials said Thursday.

Some ballots had an incorrect congressional race, while others had the correct information but were sent to voters in a different precinct. The Franklin County Elections Board said 49,669 voters received incorrect ballots out of 237,498 that were mailed.

If you receive a second ballot it’s because there’s a chance yours was faulty, the first one is considered null and you are not committing voter fraud.

When you think of Detroit, ‘sustainable‘ and ‘agriculture‘ may not be the first two words that you think of. But a new urban agrihood debuted by The Michigan Urban Farming Initiative (MUFI) might change your mind. The three-acre development boasts a two-acre garden, a fruit orchard with 200 trees, and a sensory garden for kids.

If you need a refresher on the definition of agrihood, MUFI describes it as an alternative neighborhood growth model. An agrihood centers around urban agriculture, and MUFI offers fresh, local produce to around 2,000 households for free.

In a statement, MUFI co-founder and president Tyson Gersh said, “Over the last four years, we’ve grown from an urban garden that provides fresh produce for our residents to a diverse, agricultural campus that has helped sustain the neighborhood, attracted new residents and area investment.” Through urban agriculture, MUFI aims to solve problems Detroit residents face such as nutritional illiteracy and food insecurity.

Now in the works at the agrihood is a 3,200 square foot Community Resource Center. Once a vacant building, the center will become a colorful headquarters and education center. As MUFI is a non-profit operated by volunteers, they’ll receive a little help to restore the building from chemistry company BASF and global community Sustainable Brands. Near the center, a health food cafe will sprout on empty land.

MUFI describes the agrihood as America’s first sustainable urban agrihood. There are other agrihoods around the United States, such as this one Inhabitat covered earlier in 2016 in Davis, California. But the California agrihood is expensive; many people couldn’t afford to live there. The Michigan agrihood is far more accessible.

If you are in a red state or a purple state with republican senators, call them and tell them to pass this bill. PLEASE. I know talking on the phone is horrifically anxiety-inducing, but this is our right to vote safely that we’re talking about. This is about ensuring that every vote is counted, especially for veterans, people with disabilities, people in rural communities, people who are sick or affected by the pandemic. This is about life-saving prescriptions arriving on time. This is about paychecks and the ability to pay rent. During a global pandemic wherein the United States accounts for ~25% of all infections and ~22% of all deaths.

The U.S. Post Office is provisioned as a Federal responsibility in our Constitution. Treating it like a private business is an insult to the values and ideals of our founders, and endangers very basic personal liberties guaranteed by that same Constitution. The U.S. Department of Defense was allotted $721,531,000,000 for the 2020 fiscal year—and that is for a normal fiscal year. That is nearly 29 times as much as this bill requests for *emergency* funding for the USPS.

The United States Postal Service is not a business. It is a public institution overseen by Congress (and Congress alone) that safeguards the rights and liberties of all American citizens, particularly those who are most vulnerable. If you are represented by a Republican congressperson, call them and remind them that it is their job and their job alone to ensure that the mail arrives on time.

“Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a [STATE] resident, zip code [ZIP]*. I’m calling to urge Senator [SENATOR’S NAME] to vote yes on H.R. 8015, the Delivering for America Act. This bill will ensure that everyone has the ability to vote by mail, including veterans, folks living in rural areas, and people with disabilities, who might otherwise find it difficult or outright dangerous to vote in person. This bill will help prevent delays in the delivery of paychecks and prescription medication.**

(If you have a personal reason for wanting the bill to pass, such as “I’m planning to vote by mail this year, and I’m concerned for the delays that might result if this bill doesn’t pass”, or anything else you rely on the mail for, add it here.)

This is why I’m urging Senator [NAME] to vote yes on H.R. 8015. Thank you for your time.”

*most politicians want you to include your zip code to show that you’re one of their constituents, and thus someone they should listen to.

The Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Cultural Landscape, in Guangxi, southern China.

The Helan Kou Valley carvings, north of China.

Kakadu National Park, Australia.

Saimaluu Tash, Kyrgyzstan.

Gobustan, Azerbaijan.

FINALLY, A PRESSURE POINT TO FIGHT USPS SABOTAGE: LOTS of calls and emails to USPS Board of Governors. Ready, set, go. We know how to do this. Be concerned, firm, polite. Louis DeJoy, the Postmaster General and Trump appointee who is now dismantling the USPS on behalf of Trump, “serves at the pleasure of” and reports to the 6-member USPS Board of Governors. These six men have the power & duty to #StopDeJoy & prevent Election Day chaos. 5 of the 6 are Trump appointees, but retired Harvard lawyer (CCJ, @NastyOldWomyn) contributing this info on Twitter is clear that a relentless barrage of calls, emails, and other callings-out will absolutely get their attention. She says: · I’ve represented Boards as a lawyer, and I know “this kind of attention is not what they’ve signed up for. It’s disruptive to their day jobs, which is where they make their money.” · “None of the members wants to suffer reputational damage from overseeing the meltdown of USPS during a pandemic. They do NOT want to be in the spotlight, so SHINE IT BRIGHT!” · “Board members HATE being contacted, HATE having their phone mailboxes fill up with messages, HATE being inundated with emails and letters. And, oh, they would HATE being picketed at work, if someone decided to start a demonstration.” · In contacting these 6 Board members, “I plan to be polite but firm about my fury about the recent deterioration of USPS’s service, giving personal & family examples regarding medication & veterans services, & expressing my distrust of & dissatisfaction with the performance of PG DeJoy. In my experience, rudeness NEVER helps. Call & email each of the 6 USPS Board of Governors. Tell them who & what you are (a retiree? Veteran?), what you & family rely on the USPS for in this pandemic, how DeJoy’s changes are disrupting that & causing stress. Express worry about Vote-by-Mail. Their emails: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected].

Dear Sirs,

I write to express my outrage at the actions being taken against the USPS at this critical moment in our country’s history. The Postal Service is an important utility for many people, and any efforts to make it anything other than its best are reprehensible. Please consider speaking with Donald Trump and the Postmaster General about reversing the sanctions that have been put on the USPS in recent months.

Yours truly,

Your Name

And here’s a phone script:

Dear Mr. [Last Name] I am calling to ask you, as a member of the USPS Board of Governors, take action against efforts to slow down the mail service. The USPS is a vital institution to our country and making it less effective will cause irreparable harm. Thank you.

Also here are the phone numbers since it could be hard to tell from the picture:

Robert M. Duncan (606) 298-3511

John M. Barger (626) 460-6321 and (213) 629-8356

Ron A. Bloom (212) 417-7000 and (212) 978-1707

Roman Martinez IV (212) 634-1190, (917) 892-4008, and (917)-270-4608

Donald L. Moak (202) 838-3800

1. Change up the script a bit in emails and on the phone so you’re not written off as a Bot/paid astroturf.

2. Got an Etsy or Redbubble?  You’re a Concerned Small Business Owner worried about keeping up service to your clients and rising costs. Mail anything to a friend in the last year? the Slowdown is affecting your ability to stay in touch with people during the Pandemic. Reccive any kind of package? even if it was off amazon, odds are it was actually delivered by the USPS.  The slowdown is effecting your ability to reccive vital materials and home goods during the Pandemic.

1. Check your Voter registration to make sure everything is up to date.  If you can, request a Mail-In Ballot.  I live in CO, where all elections are Mail-In only now, so I get one anyway.

2. Fill out your ballot per the instructions on your Ballot.  Some Notes:

Read Instructions thoroughly, and fill out your Ballot in private.

Do NOT post pictures of your Ballot as this may invalidate it.  DO Post pictures of your “I Voted” sticker.

Make sure to vote for all the offices up for election- as important as the presidential election is, your mayor, governer, local school board and sherrif have a MUCH bigger impact on your immediate safety and quality of life.  Google your candidates, look up the Leauge of Women Voter’s Guides for a reliably Impartial rundown of your local candidates. 

Remember also that it is better to have someone in office that is only moderately incompotent, than it is to have someone that actively wants you dead.  It is the first step to having someone worthwhile next time.

If you wanted a third party option, your local elections are the best place to do this- my own city council has several Green Party members and it got me city-sponsored single-stream recycling! Its also moving the state legislature significantly farther left.

3. INSTEAD OF MAILING IT- LOOK UP WHERE YOUR BALLOT DROP-OFF LOCATIONS ARE. 

They’re boxes you drive or walk or bus or bike or whatever up to and drop your ballot in, and the elections officials will have it that evening. Pros of Ballot Drop-Off:

Can be turned in the same day you reccive your ballot, if you want to get this over with ASAP

Open 24/7, so you can drop it off whenever

Absolutely guaranteed to get your vote counted, regardless of what Donald does with the Post Office.

No waiting in line

No exposing yourself to the coronavirus

Most cities will have several ballot Drop-Off locations, at places like the grocery store, the county courthouse, city hall, at high schools etc.  Google your town or county name and “Ballot Drop Off Locations” and it’ll give you directions even.