Hot Take: Actual Literary Analysis Requires At Least As Much Skill As Writing Itself, With Less Obvious

What to do if you are facing eviction

Eviction protections are expiring across the United States and Canada right now, and millions of people are suddenly finding themselves facing eviction with a pandemic still raging and the start of winter just around the corner. 

Not knowing where you’re going to live next month is an unbelievably scary position to be in, and there are a lot of people out there who are facing this for the first time in their lives. It’s okay to be scared. But it’s also important to start taking steps to deal with this as soon as you realize that might be at risk of eviction. 

As someone who has worked in homelessness and housing advocacy my whole career, here’s what I recommend you do:

Do not leave your home. Many landlords count on their tenants not knowing or understanding their rights, and take advantage of that to try to illegally evict them without following proper procedure. I have seen landlords attempt some flagrantly illegal things during my time working with vulnerable people. Many landlords have been ignoring and violating eviction moratoriums during this pandemic. Don’t fall for it. There is a legal process that has to be followed to evict you, even if your name isn’t on the lease - your landlord cannot simply slip a note under your door ordering you out by the end of the week, no matter what they tell you. Do not leave your home until a judge orders you to do so. You may have a better shot in court than you think you do, and seeing the court process to the very end buys you valuable time to figure out your next move. 

Get a lawyer. Many legal aid societies and law school legal clinics offer free legal assistance for people facing eviction. Having a lawyer can make an enormous difference - one study found that people without lawyers were evicted 65% of the time, compared to just 15% of people who had legal representation. Start calling and contacting legal aid services as soon as your landlord threatens or files eviction - these services often only do intake for new clients on certain days, so it’s a good idea to research these services ahead of time. 

Understand your rights. The protections you have under the law depend on where you live - it’s critical that you take the time to educate yourself about what those protections are. Your area will likely have a Residential Tenancies Act, a Tenant Act, or something along those lines. Look online for information specific to your area. There may also be special protections and procedures in place because of the pandemic. If you live in NYC, for instance, you have a right to free legal counsel if you are facing eviction. Find out what protections you have in your area.

Contact resources in your area. Again, depending on where you live, there are different resources available. There may be a tenant support agency that can connect you to free legal resources directly. You might be eligible for unemployment benefits or emergency income. Your state or city might also have emergency funding or eviction prevention programs in place. NYC, for instance, offers “one shot deal” emergency grants that cover rental arrears for people who are facing eviction due to unexpected crises. You should also look at emergency housing options, community food banks, or other resources that can help you survive this situation. In many cities you can call 211 or 311 to learn more or about resources, or you can go online. 

Attend your eviction hearing. Once you are given a date and time for your eviction hearing, it is critical that you attend. Even if you have not paid rent in several months and you think your case is hopeless, you absolutely must show up for this hearing. If you don’t attend, you will lose by default - if you attend, you may be successful in winning leniency, the opportunity to pay back rent with a payment plan and avoid eviction, or even just a few weeks’ extension on the eviction date so you have more time to come up with a plan. Attend your hearing. 

Have a back-up plan. Even with legal aid resources on your side, you have to prepare for the possibility that you might not be able to fight your eviction. Buy yourself as much time as you can, and use that time to start researching possible options. Is there a cheaper room for rent that you can afford with your unemployment benefits? Do you know anyone you can stay with? Are there any housing non-profits in your area that can help? Do you have any leads on employment in the future? Explore your options, and remember that it’s okay to ask for help right now - people in your life can’t help you unless you tell them that you’re struggling. 

Call your representatives. You are not the only person suffering as a result of expiring COVID protections - your elected officials need to know that letting these programs expire is having serious, dire consequences for real people that they represent. Call everyone. Call the office of your congressman, call your MP, call your state senator, your MLA, your local city counsellors. Tell your story, and make as much noise as you can. It doesn’t guarantee that anything will be done, of course, but it makes the problem harder for your elected officials to ignore.

Important Resources for Americans: LawHelp.org - website for learning more about local laws and finding free legal aid in your area  JustShelter - a database of community resources available to people facing eviction (might not include all emergency pandemic programs) Eviction Moratorium Database - a database showing where evictions have been legally paused or restricted because of the pandemic National Evictions Database - a database where you can look up what the legal eviction process is supposed to look like in your state  Tenant’s Union Resources - a website where you can find information for the tenant’s union or pro-tenant organizations in your area  Legal Services - a federal non-profit that helps connect low-income households to legal resources for fighting eviction 

Fannie Mae Renters Resource Finder - a database that will tell you if your rental unit is federally financed, and show you resources to fight eviction accordingly  Freddie Mac Renters Resource Finder - another website to show you if your rental property is federally backed and connect you to resources

Eviction Lab - a website that outlines information about pandemic eviction moratoriums and restrictions currently in place in your state The National Housing Law Project - a comprehensive database of resources for people facing eviction or foreclosure  Important Resources for Canadians: The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation - up-to-date information about eviction moratoriums in each province and territory  Affordable Housing Programs Across Canada - information on affordable housing programs in each province and territory Western Law Eviction Information - a website outlining the eviction process in Ontario and what you need to do to fight it Community Legal Education Ontario - a website that shows the proper procedure for eviction in detail and outlines steps that can be taken to fight it  Nova Scotia Legal Residential Tenancy Law Resources - detailed information about the eviction process in Nova Scotia and how to fight it Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta - resources and information for renters facing eviction in Alberta  BC Housing - information and resources for tenants facing difficulties in British Columbia  Saskatchewan Office of Residential Tenancies - information for tenants facing difficulties in Saskatchewan  Tribunal Administratif du Logement - resources and information for tenants living in Quebec. Available in both English and French. 

Sad about Adventure Time Ending and Looking for Something else to Watch?

Or just want to know about the new cartoons series coming up later this year or in 2019? Well, here’s a list! Let me just say we have a lot to look forward to…

2018

The Dragon Prince (September 14th, Netflix):

The Dragon Prince is an epic fantasy series by the head writer and director of Avatar: the Last Airbender. In the magical land of Xadia, magic comes from six primal sources. But when human mages create a seventh kind of magic, Dark Magic — they begin capturing and harvesting the unique magical creatures they need as ingredients. This sparks a catastrophic war between Xadia and the Human Kingdoms. Three kids from opposite sides of the conflict — two human princes, and the elven assassin who was sent to kill them — discover a secret that could change everything. They decide to join forces and go on an epic journey that may be their only hope of ending the war, and restoring peace to both their worlds.

Hilda (September 21st, Netflix):

Hilda follows the journey of a fearless blue-haired girl as she travels from her home in a vast magical wilderness full of elves and giants to the bustling city of Trolberg, where she makes new friends and discovers mysterious creatures who are stranger –and sometimes more dangerous– than she ever expected. Based on graphic novels by Luke Pearson, who storyboarded for Adventure Time.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (November 16th, Netflix):

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is the story of an orphan named Adora, who leaves behind her former life in the evil Horde when she discovers a magic sword that transforms her into the mythical warrior princess She-Ra. Along the way, she finds a new family in the Rebellion as she unites a group of magical princesses in the ultimate fight against evil.

Keep reading

I love how the search function on this site is absolute garbage. I can look up a post word for word and I will NEVER find it

Today I learned

For those of you who are serious about wanting to get out the US, read this master post of all the ideas I've investigated over the years.

For any folks out there with European ancestry who are sick of the United States, I encourage you to get a $40 subscription to Ancestry dot com and begin looking for paperwork on your ancestors going back to the old country. You might already be a citizen of that country and not even know it. There may not even be a limit for how many years have passed between you and your family's emigration. There are Jews with Spanish ancestry who have reclaimed themselves as citizens because of their documentation going back to the 15th century.

I'm talking all birth, marriage, divorce, naturalisation and military documentation between you and whoever in your family was born in Europe/citizen there. Unless your family formally renounced their old citizenships, look into it. HELL, even if they did, look into it. Citizenship laws over there change all the time.

For those of you who do not have ancestry, look into these options:

Latin Americans are eligible to apply for citizenship in Spain after 2 years because of the legacy of colonialism

Anyone under the age of 30 has the right to apply for 1 year long work away visas in other countries. You're not allowed to stay in that country specifically to work longer than 1 year, but if you can move there with your current employer and do well, someone might sponsor a visa if you're passionate about coming back to stay in the country

If you work in the service industry, go ahead and apply for a work away visa. You'll still be approved. While you're there bussing tables, think about grad school abroad and apply somewhere. It's often incredibly cheap compared to the US with discounts and social support for students depending on where you go, and FEDERAL US STUDENT LOANS CAN BE USED FOR ACCREDITED INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITIES

Grad school is free in Norway, even for foreigners, but you have to cover costs of living

Many international universities have programs offered in English

If you went to a university considered to churn out "High Potential Individuals" then the UK is offering 2 year visas to all students who have graduated within the past 5 years (think universities in the top 15 in the US)

If you are in a STEM field, you can apply for a visa to gain entry to the EU for 6 months to look for work

If you are an ARTIST, Berlin Germany offers a visa specifically for you

If you are in the medical field, check out Doctors without Borders and affiliated organizations that will take you abroad

Your medical licenses are good elsewhere in the world if you're willing to do residency abroad (sorry but I don't make the rules. They do tend to pay residents a fairer wage in the Scandinavian countries, though!)

If you are a contracted seasonal agricultural worker, there are farms in Iceland that are always hiring and will provide you with food and lodging

If you work in energy/nuclear, there are plants abroad looking for people

If you think flights+housing are too expensive to save for to live abroad, then may I remind you that flights abroad are cheaper than US flights right now for the rest of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023. You can try to get a remote job or a remote side gig/hustle and from there you can work abroad and try to make it work

If you are worried about taxes, please Google the 330-day rule and residency test concerning US taxes. If you live abroad for 330 days out of the year, then the US only collects taxes from you on income earned above ~$100K a year. You still have to file US taxes, but that number basically becomes your new standard deduction.

If you work in education and are willing to teach, please apply for Fulbrights abroad, or English teaching programs abroad. If you are skeeved out about teaching English, I get it, but please know that people who speak English earn more over their lifetimes, and you would significantly improve the long term career prospects of your students and give them new opportunities

For retirees, just go abroad with your Social security if you have it. As long as you meet the financial requirements of another country and document that you can support yourself and that you aren't going there to work, you are in the clear!

VIRGOMOON'S BLACK MUSIC COLLECTION: a series of playlists where i collect black artists from various genres to showcase the talent of my community; particularly that outside of typical genres you see us in.

black people created rock btw: my magnum opus. as the title suggests, here is rock music made by black people or bands that feature at least one black musician, particularly the lead singer and/or songwriter. classic rock, pop punk, hardcore, punk rock, goth, and more. this includes rap rock remixes and rock inspired rap tracks. songs range anywhere from the 60s to now.

a southern gothic tale: this playlist is just like the above, except featuring black artists who make primarily country music. there's bluegrass, folk, blues, and the like here. including covers and crossover songs. again, older music as well as newer tracks are featured here.

black alternative: black music that isn't just generic "pop", "rap", or "rnb". nothing wrong with those genres, of course, but obviously, we make all kinds of music and deserve to be recognized there too. here you'll find hyper-pop, bedroom pop, indie pop, dark pop; all those trendy sub - genres.

juicy fruit, certified bubble yum: bonus points if you know the song the title is from. anyway, here's bubblegum pop by black artists because for some reason black pop girls get labeled as "urban" and "rnb" when they're not? not necessarily? music from the 80s and on.

black girl punk!: punk and punk adjacent music from alternative black women in music. including fem presenting artists.

we've always been here: a new addition to the collection! this is every song from the various playlists collected into one major playlist. the only missing one is juicy fruit, as i wanted to showcase more unknown / underground artists and/or the songs from known artists that are a little more obscure because they're showcasing alternative genres than what we're used to from them. for example, don't hurt yourself from beyonce. a blues rock song from a known pop artist. still adding music to it as of april 2025.

I never thought I’d get to see this.

Okay now that you guys have liked Lil Nas X, Megan thee Stallion, Kendrick Lamar AND Doechii. Surely you can listen to rap now. Surely you see the merits of the genre. Surely.

Time to feed unprofessional managers what they’ve been dishing out for far too long.

buds, this is the wrong article to put under an email gate.