With the debt ceiling deal having been passed, the next big question on many minds is regarding the student loan circus.
As most of us know, when the pandemic began a “pause” was generated for people who had student loan debt. Meaning, it was temporary until things got better from the pandemic. If you remember, many people at the time were not working or had completely lost their jobs. So rents, student loans and even Social Security overpayments were put “on hold”.
Well now the pandemic is allegedly “over” (it isn’t) and the country did not go into default, as was feared and miraculously, the debt ceiling passed. And part of that stipulation was that student loan debtors had to go back to paying off their student loans. Of course now everyone is waiting to see what the Supreme Court has to say about it. Which probably won’t be much.
Meanwhile many of us are sitting here saying to ourselves, “Wow. If your $10,000 gets annulled, big whoop. You’re still on the hook for the other $50,000, $60,000, etc. You’re still going to have interest coming out of your ass to pay. And goodie for you but what about the future student loan debtors? Are they going to want the same thing? Because it’s not going to happen.”
And then there’s the fools who went on Twitter to say they were going to “boycott” their payments and never pay them back. If you plan on doing that, you’d better plan on living with Mom and Pop for the rest of your life. Because you won’t have shit for credit. Ever. You will never own a car. Or a house. And if you never finished school, don’t even think about going back because the door will be slammed in your face. Don’t ever try to take another class either.
While we’re at it, why don’t the rest of us debtors demand debt relief for our mortgages and auto loans, home equity loans and home improvement loans. After all, if people who sought an education, many of whom didn’t even complete college, can try to get student loan debt forgiveness, why not give loan debt forgiveness to anyone who has a loan, no matter what it’s for?
If you think the economy is bad now, wait to see how it would be if that happened.
After waiting several weeks to see the Ben Affleck-directed movie “AIR”, I finally joined the many who have already seen it and was not disappointed. Although I knew the film would be great, based on the sole fact that Matt Damon and Ben Affleck were behind it, I found it better than I expected.
With the opening sequences reflecting on everything 1984, I knew I was in for a very memorable and entertaining film. Add all the retroness–from the cars to the phones, even the old DOS computers and especially the music!–and I was settled in.
“AIR” is more than just a movie about a sneaker. It’s a story behind a failing company and the people working there, all desperate to stay afloat and how, with a little bit of genius, fate and luck, they were able to achieve success.
Enter Sonny Vaccaro (played by Matt Damon), Nike’s sports marketing executive. When he isn’t busy gambling on the Lakers in Vegas, he’s attending high school basketball games and pushing Nike sneakers to the teams. The 1984 NBA draft is about to happen and all the hype is about who is probably going to go third in the draft–Michael Jordan–a young stud from UNC who namely achieved what he did in college because Dean Smith put the reins on him. Nike wants to get their sneakers on to Jordan’s feet. But how? Converse and Addidas are already breathing down his back.
But Sonny is as great at his game as Jordan is at his. Along with Nike teammates Howard White (Chris Tucker) and Marketing Director Robby Strasser (Jason Bateman), Sonny plays out how Nike is going to achieve the ultimate–sign Michael Jordan to a shoe contract. Of course Sonny comes up with the ideas and fails to first discuss them with CEO Phil Knight (Ben Affleck), which leads to conflict. But luckily Phil has many zen moments, puts his bare feet up on his desk, goes for a jog in his flashy track suit, and chills, knowing that Sonny is doing what Sonny does best.
Sonny does listen to Jordan’s agent David Falk (Chris Messina) and doesn’t call Michael Jordan’s parents. Instead, Sonny actually travels to North Carolina and visits them in person! Classic move and great way to stick it to Falk! After meeting with James Jordan and Deloris Jordan (Julius Tennon and Viola Davis) and telling Deloris exactly how her meetings with Converse and Addidas are going to go down (and that if they do go the way he says they will, she will meet with Nike), Sonny returns to Nike to face the wrath of Phil and of course Falk.
Upon learning that Jordan is coming to Nike, Sonny talks to Nike’s graphic designer, Peter Moore (Matthew Maher) and tells him what he wants and who he wants it for. The shoe is designed and the big day arrives. The Jordans have already been wined and dined by Converse and Addidas. What will Nike have to offer? They start off with a presentation featuring Jordan playing basketball while Dan Hartman’s “I Can Dream About You” plays in the background. Sonny reflects back on a conversation he had with former basketball player and coach George Raveling (Marlon Wayans) and he’s inspired. He stops the presentation and lays out the exact reasons why Jordan needs Nike and why Nike needs Jordan in an Oscar-worthy speech.
The tension is high as Nike awaits the Jordans’ final decision. When the call comes from Mrs. Jordan, it is a positive one, but not without a hitch. As any smart mother who knows their own child’s potential, she tells Sonny if they want Michael, he gets a percentage of every Air Jordan sold. Sonny is freaking out and I’m thinking “once again, you haven’t told Phil”.
As with every happy Hollywood ending, it all works out in the end. As of course, we all know. I was pleased to learn that Nike bought Converse in 2003. Sadly, the real Peter Moore, the actual designer of the Air Jordan, passed away before the film was released.
If you take anything away from this movie it’s that “a shoe is just a shoe until you step into it”. Another thing I’d love to see is Ben Affleck wearing that flashy track suit to Dunks!
Is “AIR” for everyone? Hell no. But if you appreciate basketball, relish in anything 80’s and respect the work of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, then this movie is for you.
I know times are tight and many businesses are still struggling to find and keep employees. Especially pizzerias.
The local pizzeria in my town recently had a sign outside their establishment to entice respective employees. The sign read: NOW HIRING PEOPLE THAT SHOW UP.
Considering this place is nothing special, and I know from their Facebook posts that they always have trouble keeping employees, among many other issues, I thought this was kind of rude. You are, after all, hiring people, probably mainly under 21 years of age, probably many working for the first time, to work in a hot shop making pizzas and whatever. You’re paying them minimum wage. They’re probably required to work on Friday and Saturday nights, when most of them would want to be out socializing with their friends. So of course they’re not going to show up. Every time you go in to this pizza place, there’s all kinds of new people working there.
Now a pizza place in Ohio has gone one up on our local pizzeria. They have posted a sign outside their business that reads: NOW HIRING NON-STUPID PEOPLE. And they claim so many customers find it amusing. But in the article I read, I didn’t read about the influx of employees they have recently hired with their great sign. With an attitude like that, what stupid or non-stupid person would want to work for you? What stupid or non-stupid person would want to order from your establishment? Do you consider disabled people stupid?
Could you imagine a respective business advertising for employees in this manner? Imagine the backlash if any insurance company advertised for employees in this way. Or a law firm. Or a grocery store. My understanding is that this pizzeria has gotten a lot of negative feedback. Rightfully so.
Maybe the reason they keep getting “stupid” people to work for them is because they are a stupid employer. They don’t interview well, don’t ask the right questions, don’t treat employees well. There’s probably a shitload of reasons why they keep hiring “stupid” employees. The “stupid” starts at the top. And that is the person doing the hiring. If they want non-stupid people to work for them, they need to stop being stupid themselves.
It’s been about a month-and-a-half since this young woman disappeared from Brookfield, Massachusetts. In that time not much has been said regarding the search for this person, other than her face being posted all over the general area and a few Facebook pages being created.
In reading said Facebook pages, I’ve come to discover that people, no matter how “helpful” they may feel they are, they really aren’t anything but just curious about a person that most of them don’t even know. I don’t even know her but in doing some simple searching I’ve learned more about her than most of the people on the Facebook page know. Which has led to many of my own personal theories. Just like many on the Facebook page have.
I learned through a Facebook page (not THE Facebook page for Brittany, but another one) that Brittany was in a ten-year relationship with a guy and they broke it off in 2018 (allegedly she left him for his best friend, according to a comment on his Facebook page) and he left the area at that time. I know this was five years ago and I’m sure in that time she had many boyfriends. And their breakup probably has nothing to do with her disappearance. Or does it in some way?
I learned through a newspaper article that Brittany worked at the liquor store so many say she worked at. Yes, she worked there. As a manager. For three years. And had left that job eight months before her disappearance. Again, that may or may not have anything to do with her disappearance.
I know in reading through many of the posts and comments on the Facebook page that many feel/know there was an intervention the day before she disappeared. Per a newspaper article she allegedly did spend time with her mother and sister the day before she disappeared so it is quite possible there was an intervention. Although the family has denied this. But that is understandable. Who wants to admit their loved one has an addiction problem and there was an intervention? Speaking of interventions I know for a fact that most interventions do not go well. After all, a bunch of people involved in the addict’s life are butting in and telling them/making them do something they have no desire to do. Of course there would be conflict.
Which leads to my next theory and the theory of many: that she left on her own. Because she was angry. I can guarantee the reason she left her house on a Tuesday in January at 8:30 in the evening is because she got into a fight/disagreement with someone she was living with. Whether that was the “boyfriend” or any of the other alleged people who live in the house (or maybe all of them), who knows? But if I had gotten into a fight with someone at 8:30 in the evening and felt like everyone was after me to change my ways, I’d probably head out the door too.
Many ask why she didn’t take her car. Per many articles, I guess the car is a piece of shit and doesn’t run well or maybe wasn’t running at all. Then again, if you are upset and maybe even intoxicated in some way, is taking a car for a drive the best decision? I’ve also read her car is a white Jeep but in the pictures I saw of the police searching a car (assuming it’s hers), the car was not a white Jeep. So maybe the car in that picture was not her car.
I’ve heard many discrepancies about the phone. We know she had a phone and supposedly she had it with her. Some things I’ve read say she left her SIM card behind (which if anyone doesn’t want to be found is something they would do). Then again, her phone allegedly “pinged” near the state police barracks in town. I’m not a phone expert but I don’t know of a phone that will “ping” without a SIM card. So if she had removed her original SIM card, maybe she replaced it with another one. Who knows?
Many assume she was heading to the liquor store. She left her house allegedly at 8:30 p.m. The liquor store closes at 9:00 p.m. Would she have made it there in time? And who would she have seen/been meeting there? And if she did see anyone there, have they said anything about it? Because there’s been nothing said in regards to that.
Many say she was so close with her family and this going off is so unlike her. Yet so many families do not know the ins and outs of everyone’s lives. Many do not know of “secret” friends someone may have, especially if they have an addiction problem. In fact, families are often the last to know about any kind of secrecy their loved one may have.
I have many theories:
The D.A. initially told everyone to check their sheds and barns. Have any of the homeless camps been checked? There are numerous homeless people living in the woods in Spencer. Even homeless camps in Worcester should be checked.
I still wonder about the dumpsters. Were they checked?
I know many have brought up hospitals/addiction centers. And yes, HIPAA will stand in these instances.
If she is alive and wants to be found, she will make herself found
If she is alive and doesn’t want to be found, she will do everything in her power to never be found
If she’s dead she may or may not be found.
I don’t know, and it’s never been mentioned, if she had any money or credit cards with her. If she did, it helps the “leaving on her own” theory. Then again, even if she didn’t, with the right friends you can make “leaving on your own” happen just as easily.
As much as the posters may be helpful, Brittany has such a plain and ordinary face, it may actually be difficult to find her. For instance, within the past month I have seen at least three women that could have passed for Brittany. I have a close friend that resembles her greatly and she has been stopped by a few people to question if she is Brittany. I know someone who swears they had Brittany as a customer in her store a few weeks after she disappeared and she was going to say something but she didn’t because the customer had an earring in her nose. We don’t see an earring in Brittany’s nose in those pictures.
Which brings up another subject nobody has mentioned: If Brittany Tee is indeed alive and does not want to be found, who says she has not altered her appearance in some way? We are all looking for a brown-haired blue-eyed woman. Do we know if she had any piercings? Tattoos? If not, who says she doesn’t have them now? Her hair is long. Maybe she had it cut. Dyed it black/blonde/red/purple. Is wearing glasses. There are many, many different ways she could have altered her appearance by now, people. Assuming, of course, she is alive and doesn’t want to be found.
Also, we know she left wearing a hoodie, black coat, jeans and work boots. Do you honestly think she is still wearing those same items of clothing by now? If she is indeed alive. Shit no. And come June, if she is indeed alive and walking about, do you think she’s going to be wearing a black winter coat, jeans and boots? For fuck’s sake, NO! TIME TO START THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX PEOPLE! ASSUMING SHE IS ALIVE!
And I got thinking the other day: what if I was in a store and thought I saw her (which is exactly what happened to me at Walmart the other day). What am I supposed to do? Go up to her and ask if she’s Brittany Tee? Like she’s going to tell me, especially if she doesn’t want to be found. And say it was her. Who says she wouldn’t run off? At that time do I call the tip line and tell them “hey, I think I just saw Brittany Tee at store XYZ. Better hurry up down here and get her”.
She may have even changed her name by now. Her entire identity. Who knows? Assuming she is still alive. And doesn’t want to be found. For all we know people see her every day and because they’ve become so accustomed to seeing her face plastered all over the place, they just walk on by. Because it really couldn’t be her after all.
One final theory: assuming she is still alive, she may be afraid/embarrassed to reveal herself. After all, the police have been searching for her, have questioned everyone she has ever known and her picture is all over the general region and beyond. Who would want to come out of hiding to be faced with nothing but scrutiny and interrogations?
michellemchatton.com 
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