Post B6WJoPHPfLHmZUUkXw by chessert@mastodon.online
(DIR) More posts by chessert@mastodon.online
(DIR) Post #B6WIFxcvs9Hv0WZUrA by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-21T11:20:55Z
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You can tell a midwesterner ANYING about NYC and they will just believe it. A friend of mine is a tutor who charges about $190 per hour to teach Latin to fairly well off kids (she is really good at it and overbooked)My mom asked if she had few customers now because of all the rich people leaving NYC due to the communist mayor. Like... her customers aren't even rich enough to be hit by that new tax, although they are really rich. Nobody is leaving. They all voted for him to BTW.
(DIR) Post #B6WIYROhvOqIYGjJmy by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-21T11:24:13Z
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When she started she charged $50 an hour, but there were too many customers. She keeps raising the price but still has to turn people away all the time.
(DIR) Post #B6WIrdG03UxEproAQi by benh@mastodon.scot
2026-05-21T11:27:42Z
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@futurebird has your mom come to visit you in NYC?I know that f I have never visited a place then I have a much worse idea of what to believe about that places.that excuse doesn't work if I have spent some time there
(DIR) Post #B6WJD68ZsGsGUHZX9M by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-21T11:31:36Z
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@benh She has LIVED here! She lived in midtown for like 8 years before going back to "the country" she likes NYC a lot, but still watches the local news even though I tell her it is mind poison. There have been a lot of stories about an "exodus of wealthy people" from NYC and how horrible it will be with man on the street interviews with worried pastry chefs and personal trainers and such. None of it backed by any real numbers just examples of people who left.
(DIR) Post #B6WJEdhcZ6LwsThMSe by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-21T11:31:53Z
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@benh 40k people could leave NYC and no one would notice. It's just not enough people to matter. Not even a little. I'm more concerned that we are getting fewer international students at the colleges due to immigration and the bad reputation of this country. THAT might hurt us.
(DIR) Post #B6WJoPHPfLHmZUUkXw by chessert@mastodon.online
2026-05-21T11:38:16Z
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@futurebird Well, that is disappointing. I really was hoping at least a few billionaires would perform their civic duty, and depart on principals. Oh, right: nevermind. 🙄
(DIR) Post #B6WKBfjydCwgHewvGi by kimlockhartga@beige.party
2026-05-21T11:42:26Z
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@futurebird Ugh. The whole democratic socialism = communism trope. Regurgitated garbage.If people try saying that to me, I remind them that they did the exact same tax plan in New Jersey, and no one left there, either. It was fine. I think it's hard for the average person to understand that no matter how high the tax, the ultrawealthy will not only remain wealthy, but not even notice the difference. We could have taxed them at a higher rate this whole time.They also don't understand that taxes are on income, not someone's entire wealth.
(DIR) Post #B6WKCngsYi3nEK2R9s by llewelly@sauropods.win
2026-05-21T11:42:43Z
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@futurebird my personal conviction is that difference between "NYC wealthy" and "wealthy" in 95% of other USAian cities is like the difference between Driskill Mountain, highest point in Louisiana, at 163 meters, and Olympus Mons, 21 kilometers tall and approximately as wide as France, and this magnitude of distinction is incomprehensible to normal people.
(DIR) Post #B6WLEE3A8mD7E4hkn2 by johnlogic@sfba.social
2026-05-21T11:54:10Z
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@futurebird Isn't that how "supply and demand" is supposed to work?I figure that increase would only keep up with inflation (compounded at 4% per year), which could reasonably be attained over a career of 34 years; increases in excess of that inflation show the true value of your friend's expertise. :)
(DIR) Post #B6WLd6f4kQlbYCIny4 by juliette@mastodon.green
2026-05-21T11:58:40Z
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@futurebird also, the new tax is quite literally aimed at people *who don't even live there*. It's in the name - if you have a pied-Ã -terre, you live somewhere else most of the time. How could people who don't live there leaving have an impact on people who offer services to residents?
(DIR) Post #B6WLfE3kDJKz4dqr6e by NYSloth@masto.nyc
2026-05-21T11:59:01Z
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@futurebird My friends who tutor will often set up an initial consultation first. If the student lives in a fifth floor walk up the rate will differ from that of the student in the apartment with the grand marble staircase. It's like AI pricing, only without the clankers.
(DIR) Post #B6WMfuArjQ1je34Pia by gbargoud@masto.nyc
2026-05-21T12:10:19Z
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@futurebird @benh I have family in the suburbs in NJ talking about how so many people from NYC are moving to their town, clearly people are leaving the city and if you look at the numbers it's like a dozen people out of 8 million.
(DIR) Post #B6WO87ix2zYTjP26qm by guyjantic@infosec.exchange
2026-05-21T12:26:42Z
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@futurebird When I lived in the Rio Grande Valley (deep south Texas) I once said to my mom (who lived in AZ) that I was nervous about safety or something like that; I think it was because of a potential hurricane. She said, "Oh, because of the Mexicans?" What? "The Mexican gangs?"The border, I found, is similar to other places that are essentially mythical in the minds of most Americans, especially right-wing ones: pretty much anything that vaguely aligns with their worldview is plausible.
(DIR) Post #B6WOIlIAmyINLTa2k4 by poleguy@mastodon.social
2026-05-21T12:28:37Z
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@futurebird It's funny, fear journalism works against the Midwest too. The national media portrays Chicago as a 1920's cartoon gangster town. Many people from the coasts (or Midwest!) are literally afraid they might get shot if they visit.I live in oak park. I know people who wouldn't come visit because they think it is too dangerous. And people who live here they wouldn't look for houses south or west of a certain street because it is the wrong side. Unspoken... "Too close to black people?"
(DIR) Post #B6WPaY1uw5iHNd1Pii by contrasocial@mastodon.social
2026-05-21T12:43:01Z
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@futurebird I'm convinced a lot of people think Escape From New York was a documentary.
(DIR) Post #B6WPbTz5Slub7e8yMS by raymaccarthy@mastodon.ie
2026-05-21T12:43:09Z
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@futurebird Why does the USA conflate ordinary moral politicians or centralists, or democratic socialists with Communist or Anarchist? Also the Soviet USSR wasn't actually communist.Is it extreme fascist, or corporate propaganda?
(DIR) Post #B6WRcE6yABcm5jJTOa by scottmiller42@mstdn.social
2026-05-21T13:05:44Z
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@futurebird I'm a midwesterner... did you really expect me to believe a Latin tutor has enough demand to teach children at $190 an hour. 😜
(DIR) Post #B6WT2J1Sct34o3jgUC by ShiitakeToast@beige.party
2026-05-21T13:21:38Z
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@futurebird @benh this is the one that scares me. Not just undergraduates (which I think is what a lot of people think about) but grad students who conduct a lot of research and medical fellows who do a lot of our healthcare. The med fellows are interesting—especially the experienced surgeons who come here to get more experience with trauma patients like football players and car crash and gunshot victims that they don’t see as often at home but still need to treat.
(DIR) Post #B6WUPWC5v9cYGuLH1c by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-21T13:37:06Z
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@scottmiller42 You are gonna need every penny for rent. Quality of life seems to end up the same.
(DIR) Post #B6WUoFsHjXFctgs77Y by dancline@mstdn.social
2026-05-21T13:41:29Z
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@futurebird To be fair, you can tell *some* Midwesterners anything about NYC and they will believe it. I live in northwestern Michigan and my wife and I make it a point to visit NYC at least twice a year. We love it — especially the cultural activities. I’m 70 and my wife is 66. We ride the subway without fear.
(DIR) Post #B6WbdjwMJDMidci6iW by boricua_yakuza@infosec.exchange
2026-05-21T14:58:03Z
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@futurebird You're spot on. I had my super maga neighbor go on a rant about how the communist mayor is destroying NYC. This guy hasn't left Ohio in years but somehow he knows what's happening in NYC because fox news told him so. Freaking idiots
(DIR) Post #B6Wc9084AYFvp95p1k by scottmiller42@mstdn.social
2026-05-21T15:03:44Z
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@futurebird Hah, wasn't even thinking of that angle, more the Latin part. :-P But yeah, costs are more reasonable here. I'm paying a grade school teacher $60/50 min, and she apologized when she had to raise her rates. She's worth every penny.
(DIR) Post #B6Wqd13ufCEUlOMAxU by gneilyo@mastodon.online
2026-05-21T17:46:01Z
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@futurebird The people saying everyone is leaving NYC aren't saying it because it's true, they're saying it because it supports a narrative they're pushing. They're doing the same thing here in Seattle.
(DIR) Post #B6X11S4QtiD71ItGPg by Flux@wandering.shop
2026-05-21T19:42:29Z
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@futurebird It shows how basic numeracy is just absent in most of the population. "Rich" all gets clumped together as "a lot more than me", with no idea where the large numbers in legislation intersect actual people.
(DIR) Post #B6XXEiseuG0PSAksc4 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-22T01:43:26Z
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@fivetonsflax ... oh ... no! Someone stole all of my ants and now?I need to get more right away. Has some potential ...
(DIR) Post #B6XXKrGCfCd1BEh34K by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-22T01:44:34Z
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@fivetonsflax I joked that the guy who was smuggling all of the ants kept messaging me trying to deal illegal ants to me to a coworker and they didn't think it was a joke...So I had to explain that no, I do not REALLY know the ant criminal.
(DIR) Post #B6XXNatNyZO5HhKE6a by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-22T01:45:05Z
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@fivetonsflax Though I think he sort of thinks I am some kind of international ant criminal.
(DIR) Post #B6XXZLk28G47lnYYEq by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-22T01:47:12Z
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@fivetonsflax I just asked my husband if HE thought I was the international ant criminal and you know what he said???"not anymore""NOT ANYMORE"
(DIR) Post #B6XXjDkug6PPtkftZo by michaelgemar@cosocial.ca
2026-05-22T01:48:57Z
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@futurebird @fivetonsflax I presume that there really are laws around the importation of ants.
(DIR) Post #B6XXp3LEJKxVKvRUno by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-22T01:50:03Z
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@michaelgemar @fivetonsflax Some countries have laws about collecting some kinds of ants, especially for export. There are also import laws. You can apply for, and get permits for many things and it's not THAT hard.
(DIR) Post #B6XXtcAMm7QGVBXJey by mxchara@seattle.pink
2026-05-22T01:50:48Z
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@futurebird jeez. I should polish up my book-Latin then and see if I can scam money off a wealthy Seattleite wanting to give their kids a touch of "classical education". hadn't thought of that angle...
(DIR) Post #B6XXuF1sHcnr28raL2 by michaelgemar@cosocial.ca
2026-05-22T01:50:58Z
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@futurebird @fivetonsflax Are there any species of ant that are illegal to import into the US?
(DIR) Post #B6XYCwxjgAkCVDqew4 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-22T01:54:22Z
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@michaelgemar @fivetonsflax My understanding is that all live ants need a permit. This is why no one sells exotic ants to the US. Germany by comparison is very lax. This is due to ants being classified as an "agricultural pest" as if all ants were one species. But I do know people who have gotten permits for research reasons without much fuss. It was also illegal to move some ants from one state to another.
(DIR) Post #B6XZdMmcOv9y4EoBhQ by Neat_hot@beige.party
2026-05-22T02:10:17Z
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@futurebird This ant criminal?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDl9ZMfj6aE
(DIR) Post #B6XZkI4AKx6HStJl6u by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-22T02:11:30Z
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@neckspike @fivetonsflax I guess love means knowing you SO might be an ant criminal but not getting upset and just know you need to support them and help them to get better when they are ready.
(DIR) Post #B6XZrtsS9eBYlFT4Ns by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-22T02:12:58Z
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@michaelgemar @fivetonsflax US ant law is kind of neglected. It's not really written with the idea that anyone would want to keep ants as pets in mind. It's even kind of bad for people doing research.
(DIR) Post #B6XaASGJ3GZkcFTMDw by michaelgemar@cosocial.ca
2026-05-22T02:16:14Z
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@futurebird @fivetonsflax I presume that agricultural laws are pretty strict about importing insects in general from outside of the US.
(DIR) Post #B6XaLXgHFEYMbjuIaG by bigiain@aus.social
2026-05-22T02:18:16Z
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@futurebird <sings>You've been hit by,You've been struck by, an ant criminal...@fivetonsflax
(DIR) Post #B6XahF2nDUjtB3mlua by FritzAdalis@infosec.exchange
2026-05-22T02:22:13Z
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@futurebird @fivetonsflax @guyjantic So is he saying that you were the ant criminal but now you're not, or that he suspected you were but new information has absolved you beyond a reasonable doubt?
(DIR) Post #B6Xe1yGn4sZb63uQfw by GhostOnTheHalfShell@masto.ai
2026-05-22T02:59:34Z
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@futurebird OH TEH NO THE WOKE COMMIE SHARIA MAYOR IS FIXING POTHOLES AND FUNDING LIBRARIES!hide the children!💩
(DIR) Post #B6XgMOxFm0qjYgdlzM by deborahh@cosocial.ca
2026-05-22T03:25:40Z
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@futurebird @mayintoronto @fivetonsflax … fornerly known as "the international ant criminal".
(DIR) Post #B6XqqpftzZZGetfqEa by Arpie4Math@mathstodon.xyz
2026-05-22T05:23:12Z
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@futurebird @neckspike @fivetonsflax I'd say white-hat ant criminal, but someone going to think you are a criminal who ships termites in hats.
(DIR) Post #B6XvHQbdhl7CXpcKki by someoneverystrange@mathstodon.xyz
2026-05-22T06:12:49Z
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@futurebird The Red Scare all over America once again. Seems that in the Internet age news about USSR defeated spread real slow now
(DIR) Post #B6YqhmVKbZ6RNSNDai by faerye@pie.gd
2026-05-22T16:56:14Z
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@futurebird My late grandmother the retired Latin teacher would have been so tickled to hear about that. I can imagine her triumphant laugh!