#1901's | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

robertreich · 6 months

Video

youtube

From Robber Barons to Bezos: Is History Repeating Itself?

Ultra-wealthy elites…Political corruption…Vast inequality…

These problems aren’t new — in the late 1800s they dominated the country during America’s first Gilded Age.

We overcame these abuses back then, and we can do it again.

Mark Twain coined the moniker “The Gilded Age” in his 1873 novel to describe the era in American history characterized by corruption and inequality that was masked by a thin layer of prosperity for a select few.

The end of the 19th century and start of the 20th marked a time of great invention — bustling railroads, telephones, motion pictures, electricity, automobiles — which changed American life forever.

But it was also an era of giant monopolies — oil, railroad, steel, finance — run by a small group of men who had grown rich beyond anything America had ever seen.

They were known as “robber barons” because they ran competitors out of business, exploited workers, charged customers exorbitant prices, and lived like royalty as a result.

Money consumed politics. Robber barons and their lackeys donated bundles of cash to any lawmaker willing to do bidding on their behalf. And when lobbying wasn’t enough, the powerful turned to bribery — resulting in some of the most infamous political scandals in American history.

The gap between the rich and poor in America reached astronomical levels. Large numbers of Americans lived in squalor.

Anti-immigrant sentiment raged, leading to the enactment of racist laws to restrict immigration. And voter suppression, largely aimed at Black men who had recently won the right to vote, was rampant.

The era was also marked by dangerous working conditions. Children often as young as 10, but sometimes younger, worked brutal hours in sweatshops. Workers trying to organize labor unions were attacked and killed.

It seemed as if American capitalism was out of control, and American democracy couldn’t do anything about it because it was bought and paid for by the rich.

But Americans were fed up, and they demanded reform. Many took to the streets in protest.

Investigative journalists, often called “muckrakers” then, helped amplify their cries by exposing what was occurring throughout the country.

And a new generation of political leaders rose to end the abuses.

Politicians like Teddy Roosevelt, who warned that, “a small class of enormously wealthy and economically powerful men, whose chief object is to hold and increase their power,” could destroy American democracy.

After becoming president in 1901, Roosevelt used the Sherman Antitrust Act to break up dozens of powerful corporations, including the giant Northern Securities Company which had come to dominate railroad transportation through a series of mergers.

Seeking to limit the vast fortunes that were creating a new American aristocracy, Congress enacted a progressive income tax through the 16th Amendment, as well as two wealth taxes.

The first wealth tax, in 1916, was the estate tax — a tax on the wealth someone accumulated during their lifetime, paid by the heirs who inherited it. The second tax on wealth, enacted in 1922, was a capital gains tax — a tax on the increased value of assets, paid when those assets were sold.

The reformers of the Gilded Age also stopped corporations from directly giving money to politicians or political candidates.

And then Teddy Roosevelt’s fifth cousin — you may have heard of him — continued the work through his New Deal programs — creating Social Security, unemployment insurance, a 40-hour workweek, and requiring that employers bargain in good faith with labor unions.

But following the death of FDR and the end of World War II, when America was building the largest middle class the world had ever seen — we seemed to forget about the abuses of the Gilded Age.

Now, more than a century later, America has entered a second Gilded Age.

It is also a time of extraordinary invention.

And a time when monopolies are taking over vast swathes of the economy, so we must renew antitrust enforcement to bust up powerful companies.

Now, another generation of robber barons is accumulating unprecedented money and power. So once again, we must tax these exorbitant fortunes.

Wealthy individuals and big corporations are once again paying off lawmakers, sending them billions to conduct their political campaigns, even giving luxurious gifts to Supreme Court justices. So we need to protect our democracy from Big Money, just as we did before.

Voter suppression runs rampant in the states as during the first Gilded Age, making it harder for people of color to participate in what’s left of our democracy. So it’s once again critical to defend and expand voting rights.

Working people are once again being exploited and abused, child labor is returning, unions are busted, the poor are again living in unhealthy conditions, homelessness is on the rise, and the gap between the ultra-rich and everyone else is nearly as large as in the first Gilded Age. So once again we need to protect the rights of workers to organize, invest in social safety nets, and revive guardrails to protect against the abuses of great wealth and power.

The question now is the same as it was at the start of the 20th century: Will we fight for an economy and a democracy that works for all rather than the few?

We’ve done it before. We can — and must — do it again.

#youtube #politics #video #videos #Gilded Age #Elon Musk #Jeff Bezos #economics #money

621 notes · View notes

idlerin · 2 months

Text

nonsense — epilogue: 43. utterly nonsensical

masterlist — previous | fin.

✦ fun facts !

oikawa does make sure that he proposes when [name] leasts expects it (and in clothes she would approve of)

its been two years since the final chapter, by this time, [name] already has a stable job as a screenwriter while oikawa’s acting career is still booming.

[name]’s friends know oikawa has been wanting to propose for months.

nonsense ! an oikawa tooru social media au

synopsis. you were oikawa tooru’s #1 fan, until you became his #1 hater. you hated him so much you went viral on twitter (accidentally) and literally became known as “the oikawa tooru hater”, doesn’t help that he keeps fueling the fire by subtweeting you. everyone is all in for this new drama. what isn’t known to the public, is that this particular drama’s been on hold for three years (him being your ex and all).

a/n — 3/3! i don’t even know where to begin, nonsense has been an integral part of my life for around 2-3 years, even before i began posting the story on tumblr, before it was even called ‘nonsense’. it’s been on the back of my mind for ages, and when i started this story i didn’t even think it would take me this long to finish it. there has been a lot of times where i lost motivation in writing, and i never forced myself to create because then i just know the content i would put out wouldn’t be the same. so i wrote when i felt like it, when i wanted to, because i think you should never force yourself to continue something if you don’t feel like doing it anymore.

i’m also the type of person that would persist when i love something, and i really really love nonsense. i love this little world that i created and i hope other people loved it too. it’s funny how nonsense began as a silly little thought just because i ran out of smaus to read, and i really did not know how to even make one! i just relied mostly on my gut and thought to myself what i would like to read :). nonsense is very dear to me because it’s the first smau i ever made, i started this last year and i think the story grew with me!

i would just like to thank everyone who read, liked, commented, reblogged, interacted, and spared time for nonsense. i can never say enough how every single one of you mean the world to me, you guys were part of the reason i kept coming back and finishing what i left of. motivation is really the key problem i have, and i can say what motivates me is my love for the story, haikyuu, and you guys ❤️

i love all of you so so so much, thank you for being part of this story and hopefully reading nonsense had made you smile or even made your day.

now, onto my next work! (that i will most likely procrastinate on too, bare with me my darlings)

taglist is closed ! + (1/2) @kawaii-angelanne @ceneridiankaa @kittycasie @rukia-uchiha-98 @polish-cereal @kellesvt @rockleeisbaeeee @kashxyou @imsoluvly @jjulliette @tooruchiiscribs @littlefreakjulia @gomjohs @qualitygiantshoepsychic @mellowknightcolorfarm @konzumeken @migosple @kuroogguk @sangwooooo @katsu-shi @wolffmaiden @rijhi @2baddies-1porsche @yeehawcity @aishkaaa @crueldinasty @renardiererin @yyuiz @llamakenma @penguinlovestowrite @princelingperfect @hearts4faey @yoonabeo @pantherhappy @julia-1901 @godsbiggestmenace @angel-luv-04 @noideawhothatis @bethbat @natsvmie @luna-mothii @lylovw @apinu @leave-rae-alone @kamikokii @bananasquash @eitaababe @minimari415 @hanabihwa @nilopillo

204 notes · View notes

misforgotten2 · 14 days

Text

$1 a pound for cyanide of Potassium? What a great deal. All you need for your insect, barking dog, and nosy neighbor needs.

Wholesale Prices of the Frank Blake Webster Company Catalogue for 1901 - "Dealers in everything required by naturalists."

#1901 #1900s #1900's #science #catalog #price guide #pamphlet #funny #humor #humour #ephemera

9 notes · View notes

wongyuseokie · 1 year

Text

Setting the Mood | c.s.c

Summary: After a gruelling day, you want to make your boyfriend feel better and care for him. You think you’re in charge, but that lasts only a little bit.

☆ 18+ minors dni |☀︎fluff | ♕ smut | ♥ completed works Word Count: 1901 Words Pairings: Seungcheol x Female Reader Genre/Trope(s)/AUs: Smut & fluff Content Warnings: Smut, fluff, mentions of a bathtub and candles and flowers and blindfolds. Smut Warnings: Smut, unprotected sex (don’t do this), pussy eating, swallowing, multiple orgasms, hand job in a bathtub. Swallowing, daddy kink, because it’s Seungcheol, duh, but very soft (mostly)daddy. Dirty talk and blindfolds, overuse of the nickname princess, baby, pretty girl and kitten. Muscle kink? Idk, man. Cheol is so fucking huge I want to cry. Facesitting. Cheol begs, squirting.

Authors Note: Listen, this man knows how to rile me up, and so here I am. Thank you so so much to @the-boy-meets-evil for beta'ing this. I love you so much Jess 💕 Also, as always thank you to @here4btsfics for reading this too and letting me know your thoughts! Also to @seungkwansphd I hope this helps the Cheol rot or contributes to it hehehe. Tagging: @duhnova because ily and maybe I like being yelled at. Banner Credits: @classicscreations Cross Posted on AO3 © wongyuseokie 2023. All rights reserved.

“Baby?” Seungcheol called out once he got home. After a gruelling day of dance practice, he wanted to hop into the shower and then crawl into bed with you in his arms.

“Hi, handsome,” you greeted, emerging from the bedroom and moving closer to him. His arms opened for you to settle in and hug him.

“You tired?” You asked Seungcheol nodded slowly, and you smiled against his chest.

“Follow me, handsome,” you said, letting go of his embrace, taking his hand in yours, and guiding him to the bedroom.

“What are you doing?” Seungcheol asked. You felt awful at the tone of his voice. He was so tired, and you knew he wanted nothing more than a quick shower and sleep, But you also knew your plan would make him so tired and feel so good that he’d sleep like a baby the entire night.

“Helping you. You do so much work, and, for once, I want to make my daddy feel good,” you said softly, guiding Seungcheol into the bathroom. Seungcheol smiled softly at you and turned that smile into delight the minute he took in the bathroom.

You lit vanilla and peony-scented candles around the bathtub, the tub overflowing with bubbles, and soft jazz music played in the background.

“Baby, I’m tired, I appreciate this, but I don’t think I have it in me to do a lot,” Seungcheol started to say.

“Daddy, tonight is about you. Let me do the work, please. I want to make you feel good,” you said softly, your hands moving to the hem of his shirt and pulling it off his toned body.

“They need to close the gyms. You’re so fucking big now, Cheolie,” you whispered, tracing your hands over him, gently grazing your nails down his well-defined pecs, slightly brushing over his nipples, and then resting your hands on his now rock-solid abs.

“But are you complaining, princess? I know you like it when I pick you up and fuck you against the wall,” Seungcheol teased, making you smile shyly.

“No, I don’t,” you said, smirking, your hands moving down to his grey sweats.

“These, however, are illegal, you’re killing me, and I’m sure your fans are writhing watching you in this fit,” you mused, making Seungcheol smirk,

“But only you can see it. Only you can touch,,” Seungcheol whispered low, making your core clench. “Only you can suck, can fuck…”

“No underwear?” You asked. You wondered when your hands went underneath his sweats and rubbed the tip of his cock, which was starting to harden, instead of another layer of material. Seungcheol shrugged in response.

“Again, are you complaining?” Seungcheol responded cockily.

“No, I’m not,” you responded, smiling, kneeling and pulling down his sweats. Seungcheol stepped out of the sweats and kicked them across the bathroom floor.

“Where do you want me, princess?” Seungcheol asked. You stood up and pointed to the bathtub. Seungcheol nodded, sighing softly in relief as the warm water immediately soothed his sore muscles,

“Fuck, this bath feels amazing,” Seungcheol moaned.

“Princess, can you join me?” He was looking at you with all the love possible in his eyes, and you immediately melted, nodding. You pulled your robe off, and Seungcheol groaned.

“Fuck, you were naked underneath that stupid silk this all this time?”

You just grinned in response. Seungcheol held out his hand, and you took it once you approached the tub to step into it. You climbed into his lap, and Seungcheol smiled, his hands encircling your waist, pulling you closer to his taut body.

“Daddy, this is about you, not me,” you pouted, making Seungcheol smirk.

“Okay, kitten, make me feel good,” Seungcheol said, laying back against the tub.

You leaned forward, pressing your lips to his plush ones. You melted into the kiss. Kissing Seungcheol was almost addictive. You couldn’t get over how soft his lips were, how plump they were, and how you would always end up seeing fireworks no matter where his lips were on your body. Seungcheol moaned into the kiss the minute your hand grazed his now fully erect cock. The moan allowed you to slip your tongue into his mouth and deepen the kiss.

You kept kissing Seungcheol, the one hand on his chest casually brushing over his nipples, which made him shudder and buck his length against your core.

“Baby,” Seungcheol pulled away from your lips to catch his breath and admire you. You moved your lips down to his neck, carefully pressing enough pressure to elicit a moan from him, but not so strong that it would leave a mark.

“Do you like it?” You asked Seungcheol, who lazily nodded, smiling at you, lust overtaking his handsome features. “Touch me, please,” Seungcheol begged, and it shot straight to your cunt, making you smirk. It gave you all sorts of ideas about making this man, usually in control, beg. He must have read your mind because he quickly added a warning. “Let’s get this straight. This is the only time I’ll beg, pretty girl.”

“Well, now you at least know how I feel,” you teased after a roll of your eyes.

“Fuck,” Seungcheol breathed out when your hand wrapped around his thick cock. You didn’t move your hand, though, like you knew he wanted. You just wrapped it around the tip and ran your finger along his slit, the water allowing you to do that very quickly.

“I love you,” you said as you moved your other hand under the water to cup and massage his balls, making him tighten his grip on the porcelain tub.

“I fucking love you, and I’m not just saying this because you’re making me feel so fucking good, princess,” Seungcheol said, breathing heavily, and whined when you pulled your hands off his cock.

“Baby!” Seungcheol whined, making you laugh.

“Now you know how it feels, but I won’t torture you since I’m nice. Can you get out of the tub?” You asked, and Seungcheol nodded immediately.

You held Seungcheol’s hand, guiding him out of the tub and back to the bedroom.

You gently nudged him making him fall back on the bed, and crawled up, so your body was straddling his. You reached over to grab the silk blindfolds on the bedside table and gently placed them over your boyfriend’s eyes, which was almost torture for you because his eyes were so piercing. Still, you knew if you wanted to regain control over him, he couldn’t be staring at you, undoing you with a single look.

“Fuck, Cheol!” You gasped when Seungcheol’s hands wrapped around your waist and pulled you up to his mouth. You hissed in pleasure the minute his plush lips wrapped around your clit, and you hated how well he knew your body that he didn’t even need to see anything to make you fall apart.

“Cheolie, baby,” you mewled as he flicked your clit with his tongue. For the perfect contrast, his mouth enclosed your clit and sucked. You pulled the blindfold off his eyes because you loved watching him, especially sitting on his face. You loved seeing those eyes of his watch you fall apart at his mercy.

You sighed in pleasure one more time before reluctantly pulling your pussy off his mouth. You moved down his body, capturing his lips with yours in a soft kiss sighing softly when you tasted yourself.

“Can I ride you, baby?” You asked, and Seungcheol nodded, making you smile. You slowly moved down his body until you straddled his thick thighs. Lifting your hips, you aligned his thick cock against your entrance and hissed as you sank into his length.

“Princess, this is better when I prep you and get your pretty little pussy soaking fucking wet before I fuck you senseless,” Seungcheol said, smirking, earning a glare from you.

“This is about you,” you said, pouting and Seungcheol softened, nodding. “Then take me, princess,” Seungcheol said, lying down, sighing the minute you lifted your hips and started to find a rhythm and a perfect position. At this angle, his thick length would hit all the spots inside you that made you clench tightly around his cock. However, Seungcheol was not one for giving up control in the bedroom, and not that you minded, but his need to be in control slowly kicked in.

“Ah, shit!” you gasped as Seungcheol started to rub your clit furiously. He got off on making you fall apart for him, and at this moment, he was convinced he was about to cum inside you any second, the way you were tightening around his cock. He would be damned if he came before you did. Your pleasure came above all for him, no matter how dominant he was.

“Baby, hold on,” Seungcheol said before carefully flipping the position so that you were now underneath him.

“Fucking hell,” you wailed out in pleasure as Seungcheol finally found a position that allowed him to pound into you. His thrusts were hard, relentless and purposeful. Each thrust pushed you closer and closer to your orgasm.

“Don’t. You’re going to cum again. I don’t care how many times that is, but I won’t stop fucking you until I cum, let the neighbours hear how good I fuck my baby,” Seungcheol spoke, his voice low and husky and gently biting your earlobe before continuing to fuck you hard. You were sure his back was now covered in scratch marks, and you felt your eyes roll back in pleasure. You knew he was trying to make you squirt. He loved it. He loved knowing he was the only one who could make you feel so good.

“Fucking hell, I’m close, princess,” Seungcheol breathed out. As his thrusts got sloppier, he suddenly pulled out and gave a quick instruction, “on your knees, princess.”

You shakily got on your knees and opened your mouth, allowing Seungcheol to position his cock against your open mouth. He stroked himself a few times before he released it in your mouth, groaning and hissing as he came. Seungcheol pulled his cock out of your mouth, but not before you licked his tip, making him whine in overstimulation, earning a playful glare. He pulled you back to your feet and lightly pushed you onto the bed.

“Ah, Cheol!” you screamed as he plunged two fingers into you and thrust them in and out of your cunt, furiously until you were screaming. All you could do was hold his forearm for support as you came, squirting over his fingers and the sheets. You felt lightheaded and smiled softly when you felt yourself being pulled into Seungcheol’s chest, his strong arms wrapping around you.

“Fuck, this was meant to be about you, baby,” you said, and Seungcheol could feel your pout on his chest.

“Princess, look at me,” Seungcheol said softly, and you looked up at him.

“You did fucking amazing, the bath was amazing, and you trying to be in control was adorable too, but you made me feel good,” Seungcheol said genuinely, making you smile.

“You tired me out enough, and I know I’ll sleep peacefully,” Seungcheol joked.

“Wait, Cheol! We need to change the sheets!” You exclaimed, jolting up only to be dragged back into Seungcheol’s arms.

“Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve slept on sheets soaked with your cum. We can deal with it tomorrow. I need you in my arms to sleep.”

671 notes · View notes

bestiarium · 9 months

Text

The Drac [French folktales]

The municipality Draguignan in south-east France was originally named Draconeum, and its name was supposedly derived from a local myth about horrible monsters that lived in the nearby river Rhône.

Usually referred to simply as the ‘Drac’, these dragons or dragon-like creatures could shapeshift into the form of a human and walk among the people undetected. They made their homes in underwater caverns along the riverbed and would often shapeshift into golden objects such as cups or rings, in order to attract people. Though they are said to capture children too, their preference goes out to women old enough to lactate.

The drac thus sits beneath the surface of the water in the shape of a desirable golden treasure, enticing women to enter the river. But when they do, the beast grabs them and transports them to its lair where the kidnapped woman is forced to care for the dragon’s offspring as a nurse or maid. These drac caverns aren’t filthy dungeons, rather they are beautiful subterranean palaces. After exactly 7 years of work, the women are usually allowed to return to the world above.

One particular tale tells of a woman who was thus kidnapped and forced to care for young dracs. One day, she accidentally touched her eye with a magical salve or ointment made from eels, after which she gained the ability to see the creatures in their usual, invisible state. But one of the dracs later found out and took this ability away from her.

The story – as described in the 13th century Otia Imperialia – doesn’t tell us what the creatures looked like, however. It is tempting to imagine the dracs as large, scaled reptiles but remember that the word ‘dragon’ was a common umbrella term for evil monsters during this time.

However, these creatures do appear to be reptilian, as the French poet Frédéric Mistral would later describe the dracs as winged reptiles with the head and shoulders of an attractive young man.

Interestingly, the French story of the drac was eventually brought to Great Britain where it gained traction among the Scots and was eventually adapted into Scottish folktales. In this version, the creature was a female fey (in contrast with the French male dragon), but the details of the tale remained the same.

Sources: Tilbury, G., 13th century, Oria Imperialia. I consulted the 1856 version “Des Gervasius von Tilbury Oria Imperialia” by Felix Liebrecht. Holman, F., Valen, N. and Walker, S., 1975, The Drac: French Tales of Demons and Dragons, Scribner, USA, 84 pp. Mistral, F., 1897, Le Poème du Rhône, Paris. Douglas, G., 1901, Scottish Fairy and Folk Tales, 360 pp. (image source: James Christensen)

#French mythology #monsters #dragons #mythical creatures #creatures #mythology

190 notes · View notes