Mars Blah Blog

Just blah

[naonic-blog-deactivated20230221]

John Oliver Buys $15M of Medical Debt for $60K and Forgives It All, Because He Could

Once again John Oliver proves that you can do anything with money and lawyers

Oliver then proceeded to detail how with $50 and knowledge of the law he was able to successfully apply online to create a debt buying company named “Central Asset Recovery Professionals,” or as Oliver put it, “CARP” named after “a bottom-feeding fish.”

After setting up a rudimentary website for CARP, the satirical, but still real company was offered a $15 million package of medical debt for $60,000.

Oliver explained that the debt was out of statute, which means it is the kind of debt that a collector can only continue to collect, but not sue the debtor for.

Then, instead of chasing down the 9,000 debtors in the debt package as a normal collection agency would, Oliver decided to stage the largest one-time giveaway in television history and work with the nonprofit RIP Medical Debt to forgive the $15 million with no consequences for the debtors.

[helloquirks]

Okay but now I know what I want to do of I get rich?

[beabaseball]

You dont have to be rich to do a bit of this actually

RIP Medical Debt is a charity (and therefore takes donations). They buy the rights to medical debt and then forgive them. So far they’ve forgiven over 1B in medical debt.

So a little ray of hope for someone out there today.

[shayvaalski]

Donating $10 buys $1,000 of medical debt. This is real, it works, and we’ve done it ourselves. You can too.

[yummy-tummy-time]

As of June 29, 2024, the charity is still active under a new name, Undue Medical Debt

[spiralarray]

Signal Boost!!!

[ffcrazy15]

If you’re Catholic this is a great thing to do for the Jubilee year by the way. Forgive debts and set captives free!

[bringmemyrocks]

Now renamed as Undue Medical Debt:

Undue Medical Debt Homepage

Undue Medical Debt makes it easy for donors to make an impactful difference in the lives of those struggling with medical debt.

[getvalentined]

I got a letter recently letting me know that a $3k medical bill from an emergency room visit in 2018 had been purchased by Undue Medical Debt and destroyed. Gone forever. They were very clear that I didn’t have to do anything, but they would appreciate it if I would talk to people about it to spread the word about what they were doing. Fucking phenomenal.

[leebrontide]

I got $2k erased last year!

[faemorrigan]

im realizing very fast that people do not in fact know that sometimes things in stories suck on purpose and it sucking is the point

[faemorrigan]

"this story is misogynistic!!"

>looks inside

>about the pressures of societal misogyny and how its bad

[canijustlookforabit]

and another thing- even if you dont ship sterek romantically, you gotta admit they were building up something profound, platonically- we were watching Stiles almost get left behind in his own insecurities as Scott comes into his own as a werewolf then an Alpha. also being left behind (again) is Derek, hes not in the McCall pack, his pack was taken from him t w i c e

theres something there storywise because as an only child, Stiles would, of course, crave having his person- and his person, Scott, is finding love romantically and platonically with all his new pack mates and friends and then Derek, coming from a big ass family and having lost that, watching Scott grow has got to gut him a little and of course the two of them would find comfort in fighting with each other and annoying each other, almost like they skipped the best friend title and went straight to brothers, like Derek wants the family that hes lost and Stiles wants a family hes never really had, like the material of yearning and trust building if they explored the familial/platonic bonds that are made within this very small supernatural community could've been so so so cool

[nayohme]

this fucking girl on bumble sent me like three shy anime girl images and said like “uhmm… hi you seem really cool 😖😖 i’m so nervous” and it fr pissed me off so bad i deleted the app

[nayohme]

all the people saying “you fumbled this girl! i want her” how does it feel to be a sucker

[basuralindo]

So I just simultaneously did, and possibly didn't lose my job today :)

Very much did in the sense that I literally do not know where my job is at the moment. But, for the time being I haven't been let go because nobody else including the store owner knows where it is either.

So, I don't wanna risk doxxing myself by posting pictures but goddamn am I tempted because this is not a believable event. This is a cartoon problem. For looneytoons.

But yeah, so, I work(ed?) at a kiosk selling boba tea, right? Freestanding kiosk in the mall with full water and electrical hookups and multiple fridges and sinks and a mini kitchen and the works. Fully functional tea shop. Very important to note that it was there last night, The work chat was discussing another issue last night at closing time. I'll get back to this.

It's been showing signs of being on the way out with how business is being handled lately and I've been considering other options, which is probably why I'm not as torn up about this as I should be, but maybe it just hasn't set in yet, but that's not the point. The point is there's been a lot of shit breaking and not being replaced and nobody mentioning anything about it until I walk into work in the morning and have to figure out why shit like the fucking cash register isn't there today. So I'm kinda used to having to ask questions about big things that nobody bothered to update me on. I was out for two weeks recovering from a surgery, so I came to work this morning assuming there'd be some kind of bullshit, yeah?

So, the question I had to ask the chat this morning was:

Not a text I ever thought I'd have to send in sincerity, but there it is. Because what I found instead was a fenced off patch of discolored tiles and a few holes in the floor where my entire place of employment used to be.

And the answer? Nobody knows! It was there last night when the mall closed, and every single trace of the structure and all its contents including drink making supplies and our safe and cashbox was gone when it opened again. And when I say nobody knows, I mean everyone from last night's closers to the actual (former?) owner of the store jad no fucking clue about this until getting that text from me this morning. For once I am actually the first to know. 🎉.

So. I guess I didn't so much lose my job as had it stolen. Not by AI, but good old fashioned hands-on human beings picking it up and carrying it away somehow. All mall security would tell me was that they were instructed not to tell me anything and have us contact our management. Who also don't know anything. And later on I came across some construction workers around the gravesite of the kiosk discussing filling in the holes, asked them about it, and was told that they "weren't at liberty to say".

So, not only is my job gone in the most literal physical sense of the word, but it was taken in some kind of super secret kiosk extraction in the dead of night without any warning or witnesses and nobody is allowed to speak of it. The store owner said she was gonna figure it out 10 hours ago and still no word back.

I don't know what else to say aside from I've been laughing all day and I'm gonna have a hell of a time explaining Schrodinger's Unemployment to the benefits office.

[basuralindo]

Update that is not an update because I'm basically certain this isn't what actually happened:

My mother in law thinks the FBI took it.

Not any of the other stores around the state. Just the one little kiosk.

Why? Because she loves a conspiracy and is just a little bit extra.

Also because she was around for the massive crackdown on Yakuza-owned businesses in Waikiki (in her homestate) that did actually involve the FBI seizing stores (no confirmation of making kiosks cleanly disappear in the middle of the night though).

Still no word from my job on what's actually going on, but the most likely theory so far is that maybe the kiosk was on lease and got repossessed? The mystery continues

(also shout out to the person who proposed Carmen Sandiego)

[basuralindo]

ACTUAL (partial) UPDATE:

According to the owner, based on what she's been able to find out, the kiosk was not removed legally and they're starting a potentially long process of legal action. I hope she gets to sue the shit out of whoever did it but for now at least I know for sure I'm unemployed.

Really hoping for more details in terms of who/why/how, so I'll keep updating if I learn anything.

For now the summary is: An unnamed entity that is most likely mall management (on account of mall security cooperating with them) stole an entire kiosk and all the contents including money and machinery with barely a trace in the middle of the night grinch-style, with zero warning or explanation, and ensured the silence of both security and the construction crew, in an action that was definitely preplanned and illegal, and as far as I know nobody knows its whereabouts.

So now I'm officially out of a job. Because my workplace was literally stolen in the night.

[basuralindo]

Actually fuck it let's share some photos cause I wouldn't be inclined to believe this myself. It's not like anyone can stalk me at my job now and I'm not gonna have to see any coworkers that might find my tumblr.

Enjoy the unintentionally funniest text I've ever sent in my life

Aaand a close-up:

The last remains of a once Very Much Solid And Immobile Workplace

[basuralindo]

HEY HI HELLO THIS ONE'S MY FAVORITE

via @kagaminilen

[mysteryteacup]

[cut to a kiosk on legs, sipping a boba, while wandering into the nearest forest on chicken legs]

[ardanelvilyafeanturi]

Here you go @a-bit-too-dyscrasic

[a-bit-too-dyscrasic]

Oh my goodness you're my hero this is so beautiful

[basuralindo]

Holy fuck my job got fan art

[asexualbookbird]

hey. is this yours?

[basuralindo]

HOLY SHIT

[the-cheshire-cat-grin]

Lil nas x coming back during pride month to tell us hes been taking care of his physical and mental health, finishing rehab and getting treatment for bipolar disorder, and telling us that he is excited to not only make new music but also just to live his life???? And during mens mental health awareness month????? Oh i missed him bad

[genderkoolaid]

Lil Nas X says he's 'feeling better' after rehab and bipolar diagnosis

The Old Town Road star was arrested last year for attacking police officers and later entered rehab.

[systlin]

Getting down on my knees and thanking the humans who invented dishwashers and washing machines.

[ihonestlydontknowwhattocallthis]

InsNe that dishwashers are more efficient and easier than just washing them manually but they also use less water. It’s a win win situation

[systlin]

They ALSO sterilize dishes, due to operating at a far higher temperature than human hands could ever tolerate. It's a win every way.

[systlin]

Made this post about 15 minutes after the repair guy who fixed the pump on my dishwasher packed up his tools and left, as the dishwasher was whirring along doing my dishes from that morning.

He said the exact same thing, which I did not know before that, so spreading this knowledge.

[identifying-wrestling-moves]

hello!! what are the different types of dropkicks?? what differentiates a shotgun dropkick from a missile dropkick??

*Thought I answered this specific ask already but I realized I didn't and I'm pretending like I'm not ashamed voice* Hello anon :) There are several different forms of dropkick that exist. The most basic one is your Standing Dropkick. This is a dropkick where, from a standing position, the attacker jumps and twists their body to the side before striking the opponent with the soles of the feet. There's a running variation of this move simple called a Running Dropkick that looks very similar.

Another common Dropkick is the Front Dropkick. This move involves the attacker jumping up and executing the dropkick without twisting their body, landing flat on their back afterward. This variation of Dropkick is often used to strike a kneeling or sitting opponent. This variation of the Front Dropkick is also known as a Basement Dropkick.

Let's talk about the Shotgun Dropkick. The Shotgun Dropkick is a variation of the Front Dropkick that sees a wrestler charge at their opponent and hit them with a Running Front Dropkick towards or directly into a corner. This Dropkick is also known as a John Woo Dropkick (cooler name.)

A Missile Dropkick is any Dropkick done from an elevated surface. Usually, you will see them performed off of the top turnbuckle. It doesn't matter how the body turns for this Dropkick, if the wrestler dives off of something then it's a Missile Dropkick, though you can be more specific if you want when describing specific types of Dropkicks hit off the top rope (Front Missile Dropkick, Single Leg Missile Dropkick, etc.)

I should also probably mention the Single Leg Dropkick. Single Leg Dropkicks are any Dropkick done with one leg. They're more often done while running as opposed to standing still, but you'll see a Standing Single Leg Dropkick from time to time as well.

Thanks for the ask!

[porterdavis]

Calvin & Hobbes

[balu8]

nami64: Calvin, Hobbes & Susie 

[countrygypsywt]

[countrygypsywt]

[countrygypsywt]

[casually-eat-my-soul]

Another sterek mafia au!! Are we surprised?? No

Stiles and his father are in debt, both working horrible hours and jobs to make a pay check.

Two options:

A task force comes into town. They set up in his father’s station, with the intent of shutting down the hale family. Stiles agrees to go undercover with a few agents that night to make a quick buck. All he needs to do is play the part of the best friend / wingman to help one of the other agents land one of the Hales. Yet at the end of the night he’s the one who goes home him a hale. After arriving to the venue he plays support until the agents split off to complete their mission. He instead heads to the bar to get a drink and sulk in his own misery. —

Or

Rival gang comes calling for the money his father borrowed from them. In order to get rid of his debt, stiles goes under cover to ‘seduce’ Derek hale. He has only one plan for the night, get in, but enough time for his father to pack and escape. He heads to the bar to grab a drink and work up his courage. —

———————

When not even two drinks in, a curly blonde haired man tells him that “his company has been requested”. Stiles goes beat red and immediately declines, telling the man that 1. he isn’t up for sale and 2. He isn’t the least bit interested. When the most drop dead gorgeous man sits down next to him.

He smirks at stiles and tells him that “he was the one who requested him”. As if that meant absolutely anything to stiles. All of his hopes of beautiful people not being assholes died with that one sentence. Stiles tells off the-no-longer-visually-stunning man and leaves for the bathroom. 

As stiles splashed water on his face, the man who ruined his night walked in behind him. He swiftly turned, ready to give this man a piece of his mind by he was interrupted—

“They are never going to let you go after this” — all of the anger quickly died in stiles, replaced with bone chilling fear. Stiles tried to pretend like he didn’t know what the man was talking about, heading towards the door.

But the man called out his name. Not even stiles, but his name. And once again all the anger came back to him. His body moving faster than his brain, his hand had raised to slap the man.

He Caught the hand and kissed his knuckles

—————

And scene, I haven’t fleshed it out further

Plus a few other details like:

Stiles sitting in the lap of the head of the most dangerous mafias in the country, Derek Hale

Parrish listen to stiles getting fucked by Derek over the wire. What who said that.

[wheredidhiseyebrowsgo]

Hello, good day :) I saw on pending asks about were-deer stiles. So they are probably wanting the fic Anteocularis by Aravis on ao3 but in case they just wanted list. Here it is ; Even Though It's a Whole Other Daydream by Chaerring ao3, Antlers&Fangs by Gege_from_the_void_89 on ao3 , Sonnet 190 by neglectedtuesday on ao3 ,

[paverics]

“my father is a boy and my mother is a girl so i’m mixed” is the funniest possible response to someone asking your gender and it came from 6’5 Viking footballer and notable weird little guy Erling Haaland on a Snapchat

[wagitfag]

picklesbaseball