The Pumpkaboo Patch

Donald “I never settle” McJonald (he settles all the time) settled the Trump University fraud lawsuits with a payment of $25 million and an additional $1 million to the state of New York (for being a fraud) (and violating a whole heckity ton of education laws).

Settlements are often understood as more or less an admission of guilt, but Donny J’s still defending his innocence bc apparently that’s what would be proven after the “years of litigation” he’s purportedly trying to avoid.

Sources: 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/source-trump-nearing-settlement-in-trump-university-fraud-cases/2016/11/18/8dc047c0-ada0-11e6-a31b-4b6397e625d0_story.html

http://www.wsj.com/articles/donald-trump-is-in-advanced-talks-to-settle-trump-university-fraud-allegations-1479488654

Lin-Manuel Miranda on Latino USA​’s “Reprise” ep. (via ninarosario)

Hey that’s a smart thing I said.

Nepal Government Struggles to Provide Earthquake Relief

More than 2,400 people were killed and more than 5,900 injured after the quake hit near Katmandu. The death toll is expected to rise.

How to Help

Mercy Corps Mercy Corps has been in Nepal since 2006 and has more than 90 volunteers on the ground trying to distribute water, shelter kits, mosquito netting, tarps, cooking utensils, hygiene materials, and some other household provisions. @mercycorps on Twitter

Catholic Relief Services Catholic Relief Services and its partner organizations have begun procuring emergency relief materials such as shelter kits and sanitation and hygiene materials. @CatholicRelief on Twitter.

Habitat for Humanity International The group says its disaster response teams are coordinating efforts with local government agencies and disaster relief partners, and will be assembling emergency shelter kits. @habitat_org on Twitter.

Global Giving Money donated to support relief operations in Nepal will go toward helping first responders “meet survivors’ immediate needs for food, fuel, clean water, hygiene products, and shelter,” the organization said.  “Once initial relief work is complete, this fund will transition to support longer-term recovery efforts run by local, vetted local organizations.” @GlobalGiving on Twitter.

The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee   The New York-based nonprofit is providing medical assistance through aid workers traveling from India to Nepal. @TheJDC  on Twitter.

Oxfam Oxfam is an international coalition of charities dedicated to fighting poverty. Aid workers from the group are on the ground, preparing to hand out food and water.  @Oxfam on Twitter.

World Vision “We are initiating a response to meet basic, urgent needs with temporary shelter, food, water, emergency health interventions, and other vital aid.” @WorldVision on Twitter.

Red Cross Volunteers from the Nepal arm of the Red Cross are helping in the search for survivors. @ICRC on Twitter.

United Nations World Food Programme The United Nations agency is providing food and other aid to survivors. @WFP on Twitter.

Samaritan’s Purse Samaritan’s Purse is a Christian organization providing food, water, shelter, medicine, and other assistance to earthquake survivors. @SamaritansPurse on Twitter.

CARE CARE is asking for donations for critical relief. The group said its humanitarian workers were currently on the ground assessing the situation in Nepal and determining the most immediate needs. @CARE on Twitter.

I’ve just realized some more of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s genius

Ron Chernow, Alexander Hamilton (via publius-esquire)

The real Eliza/Alexander wedding is too heartbreaking for so early in a musical. I decided to make it heartbreaking for different reasons.

It’s no secret Hamilton was hypersensitive, and out of the Founders by far had the most challenges under his belt. He only ever saw the dueling field twice (once as Laurens’s second in his duel with Charles Lee, and then as the principal against Burr).

Here’s a list of the people he challenged and for what reason:

Reverend William Gordon (1779) - Accused of wanting to overthrow the government

Aedanus Burke (1790) - Accused of lying

John Francis Mercer (1792-93) -Accused of buying government debt at inflated prices to help speculators

James Nicholson (1795) - Accused of being corrupt and a coward

Republican Party (1795) - Bad day

Maturin Livingston (1795 and 1796) - Accepted above challenge

James Monroe (1797) - Accused of speculation and slander

John Adams (1800) - Accused of everything, but specifically of being a member of a British faction

Ebenezer Purdy/George Clinton (1804) - Accused of plotting to put a son of George III on an American throne in exchange for Canada

May 24, 2015:

I’ve written a new musical entitled Hamilton; it’s opening on Broadway this summer. There are lots of characters in the show, but I want to talk about two of them in particular, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. On the surface, these men had a lot in common: They were both orphaned at a young age, though Burr grew up in wealth and privilege in New England, Hamilton in poverty in the Caribbean. Both prodigious students, revered commanders in the Revolutionary War, expert lawyers, respected politicians, innovative businessmen, until 1804 when one kills another in a duel. This duel is their most famous act, linking them together forever.

So for 1796, he sent $300.00 and for 1798 $341.25, for a total of $641.25 to the old man.

I got curious about how much that would be in modern money. Going by this inflation calculator, roughly (and going by the value of the dollar in 2014):

In 1796: $1 = $17.32

In 1798: $1 = $18.60

Meaning he sent his father about $11,537.75.

I don’t know what James Hamilton did to earn his son’s undying loyalty, but I’m not sure it was worth over $11,500.00.

And then I thought, while I’m here, how much roughly did Hamilton’s adulterous sex scandal cost him, when he shelled out approximately $1,075.00 in 1792 to James and Maria Reynolds for blackmail: