SMcArthur

Arent most AMAs plugs for something.

99% are.

Bro, my annual income is more than your entire net worth and I have exactly 1 accountant on my taxes. Maybe you're overdoing it with your imaginary "team".

Give us a tiny bit more detail. How much did you pay in taxes in 2015? Exactly how much in 2016?

Becoming a multimillionaire quickly while properly paying taxes is twice as hard since, especially if you live in a place with a state income tax like California, more than 50% of your income goes to the government in taxes.

I spent a week in Tibet last year. My impression was that China's claws are so deeply dug in that there is literally 0% chance it is ever "not China" in the foreseeable future (100+ years). Remember, China took over in 1959. That's a long time. Everyone there speaks Chinese. The signs are in Chinese. The police are Chinese. Every Tibetan I met told me, word for word "We are thankful for the peaceful Chinese invasion of 1959!". It's creepy AF. No one in China cares about Tibetan independence. Even mentioning it in China will get you thrown in prison for 10 years. And the Chinese are OK with that.

There is not a single country on Earth, not one, that recognizes Tibet as in independent country.

tldr; there is no "current situation" in Tibet. There is just the fact that Tibet = China. It's never going to change.

edit: Story time. When I arrived at my hotel in Tibet (the YAK Hotel - pretty much the only hotel Americans can stay at in all of Tibet). The first thing the Chinese guy at the front desk told me was under no uncertain terms DO NOT TALK POLITICS or mention the 14th Dalai Lama to any locals. I asked him what would happen to me if I did - would I be thrown in prison? No, he laughed. I'd be fine. But whatever local I talked to would go to prison.

graphic Castlevania image on Nintendo Power's second issue?

the cover at issue: https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/nintendo/images/2/27/Nintendo_Power_V2_%28Cover%29.png/revision/latest?cb=20130108045738&path-prefix=en

Hi! Vlada's IP enforcement lawyer here. I'm sure she will have her own answer, but I thought I'd chip in my 2 cents as well.

First, if your work is stolen, don't consider it a lost cause just because you have no money and the person who stole it is a huge billion dollar corporation. Many lawyers will take IP cases on contingency and are happy to represent David versus Goliath.

Second, if you have a particular work that is stolen a lot, or that becomes successful and viral overnight, then immediately register the copyright on it. It costs $55 in filing fees, is pretty easy to do, and makes enforcement much easier and will result in higher licensing fees. That said, even if you never register your copyright, you can still enforce it and it may be worth it.

Third, notice how Vlada uses watermarks on all of her art photos on Instagram. The watermarks are subtle, pretty, and do not detract from the work itself. Never use a watermark that makes your art ugly. Now, here is the important part, even if the watermark is very easy to remove, it is still worth using. It serves 2 functions: (1) letting people know that your work is owned and not public domain, and (2) if someone crops or Photoshops out your watermark, they've committed a DMCA violation which opens themselves up to additional automatic statutory damages and attorneys' fees...

Fourth, if the theft truly was egregious, and you have a good story to tell, then sometimes social media shaming works great. But this really doesn't work as often as you might think.