Squshies

I like animation and plushies and animals. So I animate and make felt animals. Good story. I lso like cats and cake. So I snuggle cats and eat cake. Even better story. Sharing all the things about the Squshies. Website, Shop and Blog Twitter Instagram Facebook

[megabluethunder]

[liberalsarecool]

USPS is largest employer of veterans. Figures Republicans are attacking the vets.

[unionrising]

The US Postal Service’s forced financial crisis

In 2006 – Republicans in Congress passed a poison pill piece of legislation forcing the Post Office to pre-fund retiree health benefits 75 years out into the future – basically funding benefits for future employees who aren’t even born yet. The Postal Service has to do this by giving the Treasury $5.5 billion every single year. That’s a requirement that no business, or any government agency has ever had to comply with. And it’s the reason why the Post Office is going bankrupt today and looking into closing down post offices, laying off workers, and cutting down delivery service.

So why is all this happening? Because the Postal Service employs hundreds of thousands of unionized workers – where as private mail carriers like UPS and Fed Ex do not. Republicans – in their non-stop war on labor – realized that they could hurt unions by bankrupting the Postal Service. That’s what they did in 2006, and their plan is working today.

https://www.thomhartmann.com/blog/2012/08/us-postal-services-forced-financial-crisis

[queerlyexhausted]

Just an FYI, this is how much more expensive shopping online will be if USPS goes away. For small and lightweight packages like t-shirts, USPS wins hands down. 

This is a screen shot of me buying a shipping label for an 8oz package from WA to NJ via USPS.

This is a screen shot of me buying a shipping label for an 8oz package to the same address via FedEx. 

Don’t forget, sellers need to charge a little extra to cover their packing materials and such.

So do you want to pay $4-$5 shipping, or do you want to pay $13 - $14 shipping?

Oh, and notice that USPS has an estimated arrival date of September 2nd vs FedEx September 6th. 

America’s small businesses rely on USPS. 

[unicornempire]

The cost difference between them is no joke- and we’ve had a lot of increases to USPS’s shipping in the last few years as well, so even with those increases it’s less than half the cost of what FedEx would charge you to send the same object the same distance. Now imagine if private shipping was the only option; how much would it cost then?

[vaspider]

Right now it costs me about $3 (before envelopes, etc) to ship the average order in the US. If I use UPS or FedEx? That number literally triples. Some orders can be shipped for under a dollar with USPS. Not so with private shippers.

[twistedingenue]

Let’s not forget that FedEx and UPS don’t deliver everywhere. In fact, they depend on USPS to deliver to “The Last Mile”. Basically, the private companies don’t want to deliver to rural or hard to reach areas. But the USPS has to. So guess who the private companies hire?

[bigskydreaming]

Guys, please be careful to vet that what you choose to signal boost is actually accurate. I’m seeing a lot of well-intentioned posts today about Net Neutrality that are likely to do just as much harm as good due to misinformation in them.

For instance, we are not all suddenly shouting that the sky is falling because the FCC has PASSED the bill abolishing Net Neutrality and the changes are to be put in place some time this month. As claimed by one post I just saw with over 5,000 notes already. This is simply, unequivocally NOT true, and it can actually get in the way of the call to action that very post made, asking people to call and email their congressmen, because a lot of people who see that might think “what’s the point, if its already passed?”

It hasn’t. Chairman Ajit Pai of the FCC unveiled in April his proposed plan to strike back the Net Neutrality regulations Obama’s administration passed in 2015, and which have since 2015 been upheld by the courts in the face of Republican opposition’s attempts to claim they overreached. What has people shouting the sky is falling NOW is because yesterday (November 21st) is when the date of the official vote on this proposed plan was announced. That date is December 14th.

Which means there IS still time to affect the outcome of the vote. People are pessimistic about the chances of this vote because the FCC board is held by a Republican majority at the moment, but make the passing of this bill seem toxic enough to other Republican interests and there is still a chance to keep it from passing. 

Which is still a hell of a lot better than assuming the bill has already passed and that there’s really no point.

We have until December 14th to kick up enough of a fuss that the Republicans on the FCC board think twice about voting for this bill. And even after that, there are still legal recourses. The courts have refused to uphold other bills Trump’s administration has attempted to pass as overreaching, unconstitutional, and/or in opposition of the true will of the people - just as the Republicans attempted to do back in 2015 when the FCC under Obama passed the Net Neutrality laws in the first place.

This does not mean be complacent. This does not mean assume enough other people will raise enough of a fuss without adding your voice to the mix. It simply means THERE IS STILL TIME TO ACT. The sky may be falling, but until it finishes falling, there’s still a chance to catch it instead. 

[afishtrap]

We have until December 14th to kick up enough of a fuss that the Republicans on the FCC board think twice about voting for this bill. 

there IS still time to affect the outcome of the vote.

[auwa]

thank you

[blairvoyant]

Imagine paying $40 extra a month for Tumblr

That’s what is going to happen if we let Ajit Pai, the FCC chairman, go through with repealing Title II (AKA Net Neutrality).

Simply put, without Net Neutrality, Internet Service Providers like Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T will be able to “bundle” websites much like cable ON TOP OF paying for internet connection. “Want access to Netflix AND Tumblr? Get the Entertainment Package! $40 a month. What about Amazon and Ebay? Add an extra $20 a month to get the Shopping Package.”

Not only will they be able to bundle websites and charge more, they will also be able to censor and block websites that they don’t agree with entirely.

THIS WILL BE THE END OF INTERNET AS WE KNOW IT.

For business owners, it will be even worse. Ex: Comcast will ask Amazon to pay high fees to be available in a low-cost package, fees that websites like Poshmark or Etsy will not be able to pay. Therefore, only Fortune 500’s will be available to web users at a low cost. Say goodbye to Etsy (unless you’re willing to shell out $70 a month for the “All-Inclusive” package).

To learn about Net Neutrality, why it’s important, and/or want tools to help you fight for Net Neutrality, visit BattleForTheNet (https://www.battleforthenet.com)

There are five people deciding the future of the internet, three men (Rep) and two women (Dem). The two women have come out as No votes. We need only to convince ONE of the other members to flip to a NO vote to save Net Neutrality.

There are many ways you can help:

WHAT TO DO IF YOU’RE A LAZY TUMBLR USER WITH ANXIETY WHO TRIES TO HELP WITH JUST REBLOGS / LIKES:

Here are 2 petitions to sign, one international and one exclusively US.

International: https://www.savetheinternet.com/sti-home

US: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/do-not-repeal-net-neutrality

(After you sign make sure to verify via email, it may take up to 30 mins to receive the email).

Text “resist” to 504-09. It’s a bot that will send a formal email, fax, and letter to your representatives. It also finds your representatives for you. All you have to do is text it and it holds your hand the whole way.

HERE ARE MORE STRAIGHTFORWARD ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE:

These are the emails of the 5 people on the FCC roster.

Blow up their inboxes!

Ajit Pai - [email protected]

Mignon Clyburn - [email protected]

Michael O'Rielly - Mike.O'[email protected]

Brendan Carr - [email protected]

Jessica Rosenworcel - [email protected]

You can support groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the ACLU and Free Press who are fighting to keep Net Neutrality:

• https://www.eff.org/

• https://www.aclu.org/

• https://www.freepress.net/

• https://www.fightforthefuture.org/

• https://www.publicknowledge.org/

• https://www.demandprogress.org/

Set them as your charity on Amazon Smile here (https://smile.amazon.com/)

Write to your House Representative here

(http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/)

And Senators here: https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?OrderBy=state)

Write to the FCC here (https://www.fcc.gov/about/contact)

Add a comment to the repeal here (https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/search/filings?proceedings_name=17-108&sort=date_disseminated,DESC)

Here’s an easier URL you can use thanks to John Oliver (http://www.gofccyourself.com)

Also check this out, which was made by the EFF and is a low transaction cost tool for writing all your reps in one fell swoop.

(https://democracy.io/#!/)

Most importantly, VOTE. This should not be something that is so clearly split between the political parties as it affects all Americans, but unfortunately it is.

[sketchinthoughts]

This is so terrifying and important to pay attention to. Imagine an Internet where your provider controls the news headlines you see based on which ones can pay.

[ominaterthegreat]

Some things about Net Neutrality being threatened that I haven’t seen many comments on:

- The OOOONNLY people benefiting from this possible rollback are corporate shareholders. 

- The removal of NN would result in few if any new jobs whatsoever, so any argument that it would help the economy is null and void (btw, we’re not actually in a recession anymore, in case anyone still thought that. The US’s economy, while it has plateaued in actual growth at about 2%, it’s actually pretty high in the business cycle.)

- Limitation and partisan censorship is a major concern (I lied that one is what everyone is talking about)

- In fact it will HURT online businesses, which will damage the small business sector in general.

- And last but not least: It is going to have a majorly negative impact on the education system. I just finished highschool in May and let me tell you, even rural schools are getting more and more technology and internet dependent. Students frequently, if not regularly, are sent home with online assignments. How can students possibly be expected to finish an online homework assignment if they can’t even remotely begin to afford internet? This is already an issue in rural and poor and POC dominated areas, and should Net Neutrality be removed and access to the internet be placed back into money hungry corporate hands, it will be an even more massive and far worse problem that will only perpetuate low education levels in these areas. what if their assignment requires research on a website that their partisan provider has decided to censor? You get a zero. Especially if you’re a college student that can’t afford another $150 a month just to get ok-ish internet speeds. 

- This gives me great concern for marginalized and outcast kids. The internet has been one of the very, very few places where LGBT+ and POC children and people in general can go and feel safe and accepted and loved and celebrated for how/who they are. Imagine that that’s the ONLY place you feel safe and okay and then that gets taken away from you. Early teen suicide rates are already high enough. 

This is all just a disgusting money grab by the GOP and other politicians who are invested in cable and cellular companies. Call or message your congressional representatives to oppose. Drown them in resistance. I’ve already found several posts with links that let you do that. 

[fullhalalalchemist]

🚨🚨🚨

today is Nov. 15. the FCC, under chairman Ajit Pai, will not listen to the public despite millions of comments in support of net neutrality. They are going to try their hardest to kill net neutrality, which in turn will kill the internet, which in turn will help eradicate democracy. it won’t just affect Americans, it has the potential to affect the entire internet, something we ALL use daily. you can bet your ass other countries will see america doing this, and use it as an excuse to do it in their own countries.

this is what buying a plan without net neutrality looks like there:

you have to pay MORE for features you’re already guaranteed to have under net neutrality. and in america, you already know how expensive everything is.

democrats AND republicans both want net neutrality. advocacy groups in touch with congress have said that if your members of congress receive calls from you, they are more encouraged and more likely to take action to stop Pai’s plan to gut net neutrality. after Nov. 22, it will be MUCH HARDER to convince your member of congress.

please, call them. call them daily.

https://www.battleforthenet.com/

[fullhalalalchemist]

hey guys, please reblog this version and don’t forget to call!!! if you are nervous about calling, you can use resistbot to send faxes to your reps and the stance app to pre-record your message so you won’t have to speak to anyone. (available in both google play and app store)

[cozza-frenzy]

Reblogging this for the addition of Resistbot and Stance. I just tried out Resistbot, and it makes things SUPER easy - it adds the “dear (name of congressperson)” and “sincerely (your name)” automatically, so you just need to say what you want to say.

[guldentusks]

5calls is a good starting point as well.

[analyzingtaylor]

[freckletriangleofdoom]

Net neutrality is the principle that Internet providers like Comcast & Verizon should not control what we see and do online. In 2015, startups, Internet freedom groups, and 3.7 million commenters won strong net neutrality rules from the US Federal Communication Commission (FCC). The rules prohibit Internet providers from blocking, throttling, and paid prioritization—"fast lanes" for sites that pay, and slow lanes for everyone else.

John Oliver on the danger of ending net neutrality:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpbOEoRrHyU

On what ending net neutrality means for us:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/alexkantrowitz/fcc-moves-to-roll-back-net-neutrality?utm_term=.ds0OQ5QM#.djMoxJxy

Time to call your members of Congress, again.

[robocheatsyreblogs-blog]

Please guys, don’t ignore this stuff. This will negatively affect everyone and we need to stop it.

[im-a-deceptikhan]

Prepare to be annoyed by me because I’ll never stop reposting about this until something is done

[startrekgifs]

I hate diverging into reality on here. But this will end the internet as we know it. Its one thing you should hate if you’re left or right wing. Its not about promoting business. Its corporate greed. 3 big telecom companies gaining control of everything.

So call your senators. And your representative. Tell them to make net neutrality law. Then call them the next day. And then the day after. And keep calling every single day. Fax them. Email them. Best yet show up at their offices in person. At town halls. At public appearances. Do not let up.

[writscrib]

Trump's FCC Is About to Destroy Net Neutrality, and a Democratic Commissioner Is Calling Foul

A commissioner tells Slate that the FCC needs to hold public hearings.

This is something that is very important to pay attention to, and if you are an American I implore you to do everything that you can! Contact your representatives, research your ISPs, and keep a vigilant eye on this! The FCC is likely to make this ruling close to Thanksgiving in an attempt to squeak it by without anyone noticing.

Net neutrality is the reason why you can visit any website confidently. It’s why you don’t have to pay a premium to be able to access YouTube. It’s why you don’t have the internet bundled into different packages like TV is.

If they remove net neutrality protections, then there is no benefit to the consumer. Put simply, your ISP could choose to charge you more in order to visit specific sites, and not every town in the United States has the option to switch to a new ISP because some ISPs hold a monopoly in some areas.

This is what the internet looks like without net neutrality:

[bbs-butt]

@nunyabizni. Could you spread this?

[nunyabizni]

Yikes, yeah.

[princessbubblegumandjustice]

They’re trying to fatigue public resistance by trying to repeal net neutrality as often as possible. We have to stay vigilant. Motivate yourself by assuming no one else is calling/writing. Don’t assume other people will do it.

[the-yarb]

Join @squshies and I tomorrow at Geeky Teas & Games for All The Geek Mother’s Day Craft Faire! Did I mention that half of my proceeds are going to Hazel’s Surgery Bill?

https://www.youcaring.com/hazelstrong-801966

[the-yarb]

This Saturday, May 6th! @squshies and I will be at the @geekyteas #MothersDay #CraftFaire in #Burbank!

http://bit.ly/2pB91UE

[squshies]

Happy #worldpangolinday! I just adore pangolins so I of course I had to make a Squshie version! This is Gillian 😊 Not familiar with pangolins? Visit the Squshies blog to learn some fun facts about these amazing animals!

[wilwheaton]

Hi Wil! Any recommendations for 2-player tabletop games? I just recently got married, and we're looking for more ways to enjoy each other's company :)

Takenoko is great for 2 players. The 2 player map on Ticket To Ride is fun. Travel Blockus is good for 2, and Jaipur is fun for 2. Maybe other people will chime in with their recommendations.

[squshies]

Star Realms is a super fun and quick 2 player deck building game!

[squshies]

I brought 3 different Gracie the sloth frames with me to our shows last month and this is the only one that came home with me 🏠

She's now available on our website.

I'm spending a good part of this week editing photos and listing the rest of the frames so lots of cute goodies are showing up in the shop =)

[squshies]

Happy #smallbusinesssaturday!

A ton of Squshie ornaments and hoop art have been marked down up to 50%! We always do a holiday sale sometime in the month of November, but we never discount our items so drastically, but we need to make room for our new designs. If you were thinking about some Squshies for yourself or as a gift now is a great time to get a few. Below you can see a few of the awesome deals currently in the shop

[squshies]

Tomorrow! Designercon is tomorrow!

I’m excited to see the new hall today during set up!

I’ll have the new and improved and even cuter Squshies with me this weekend as well as our best sale ever on our old ornaments. And a bunch of other awesome Squshies things😊

Can’t wait to see everyone!

[squshies]

Sneak peek at what I’ve been working on all week! I’ve been trying to make the new Squshie designs a reality for what feels like forever. They didn’t stuff well so I put them on neutral outlines. That didn’t feel quite right. So I tried colors and I just love them!

[squshies]

Nothing like starting off the work day like llamas =)

[squshies]

Apparently I  misjudged what my most used eyeball size is !