Careful with money transfer apps like Venmo, Zelle, etc:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/melrobbins_if-you-use-venmo-you-need-to-hear-this-activity-7430710341019541504-BPgv

#venmo #zelle #cashapp

Onboarding has officially begun! 📝

Navigating the mountains of paperwork and multiple background checks this week has been stressful, but it is the exact kind of "good stress" I have been fighting for. So I'm adapting quickly to this new and exciting way of things.

Having this quiet sanctuary is working. My cognitive bandwidth is returning—so much so that I was able to finish my gigantic essay on AI! I am no longer just surviving; I am creating and thinking again. 🧠✨

Thanks to you, I also managed to acquire all the groceries I need until my food stamps renew in early March. I had to go $40 out of pocket for it, but that was an acceptable need, and I think all of you who have been supporting me would likely agree.

🚨 THE FINAL BOSS BATTLE – 5 DAYS REMAINING 🚨

We are exactly 5 days away from my current housing running out on March 2.

I need to raise the $900 bridge to extend my stay through April so Riko and I remain safe and indoors until after my new career begins on March 16. GoFundMe has started collecting some of these funds, and we're about $200-300 into our goal. We're still needing $600-700 more to ensure I don't have to worry about housing until I have the money to acquire a rental all my own.

We have cleared every other hurdle. Please help us close this final gap!

• GFM: https://gofund.me/85c9fb79e
• Venmo: https://venmo.com/ellisarcwolf
• CashApp: https://cash.app/$CeruleanArc
• Chime: $EllisArcwolf

#MutualAid #MutualAidRequest #Pittsburgh #LPC #Therapist #SuccessStory #HousingCrisis #EmergencyFund #SiberianHusky #COVIDRecovery #MentalHealth #WritingCommunity #PovertyTax #Venmo #CashApp

Stripe considera comprar PayPal en una operación histórica de 43.000 millones

En el sector fintech hoy un rumor que podría cambiar las reglas del juego para siempre. Según informes de Bloomberg publicados este 24 de febrero de 2026, Stripe —la empresa privada más valiosa del sector— está evaluando seriamente la adquisición de «una parte o la totalidad» de PayPal. Este movimiento consolidaría a Stripe como el gigante absoluto de los pagos online, absorbiendo a uno de los pioneros de la industria que hoy atraviesa sus horas más bajas.

La noticia ha provocado una reacción inmediata en Wall Street, haciendo que las acciones de PayPal (PYPL) suban casi un 7% tras años de estancamiento. Lo que hace que esta operación sea fascinante es el cambio de roles: Stripe, una empresa que aún no cotiza en bolsa, tiene hoy una valoración de 159.000 millones de dólares, casi cuatro veces más que el valor de mercado actual de PayPal (unos 43.000 millones).

¿Por qué Stripe querría comprar PayPal?

A pesar de sus dificultades recientes, PayPal sigue siendo un gigante con activos extremadamente valiosos para Stripe:

• Acceso al consumidor final: Stripe es una potencia en el procesamiento de pagos para empresas (B2B), pero PayPal le daría control sobre Venmo y una base de más de 400 millones de usuarios activos que compran directamente online.
• Eliminación de la competencia: Al absorber a su rival más antiguo, Stripe eliminaría gran parte de la fricción competitiva en el mercado de EE. UU. y Europa.
• Infraestructura Cripto: Ambas compañías han acelerado sus planes con stablecoins en 2026. Unirlas crearía el ecosistema financiero híbrido (fiat-cripto) más grande del planeta.

El declive de PayPal: De pionero a «objetivo de compra»

Para PayPal, esta noticia es un baño de realidad. Tras haber perdido casi el 85% de su valor desde sus máximos de 2021, la empresa ha sufrido para competir con Apple Pay, Google Pay y la propia agilidad técnica de Stripe. Ni siquiera el reciente nombramiento de un nuevo CEO ha logrado convencer a los inversores de que PayPal pueda recuperar su gloria pasada de forma independiente.

¿Qué obstáculos enfrenta el acuerdo?

Aunque las conversaciones están en una fase preliminar, el camino no será sencillo:

Si el trato se concreta, 2026 será recordado como el año en que la «nueva guardia» de Silicon Valley finalmente devoró a la vieja escuela. Estaremos atentos a las confirmaciones oficiales en las próximas horas.

UPDATE: Communications Restored!

Thanks to you, my phone is back on! I am now officially reachable for the background check and drug testing calls from Pittsburgh Mercy. This was the most stressful barrier and now it's gone.

And good thing, too! I got two VERY important calls today that I would've been very sad to miss! So thank you for that very, very much. 💜

Because I’ve had to move so frequently to stay safe, my PO Box is my only consistent "anchor" for mail. Thanks to you, I've kept it! Which will help me continue to receive important mail from work and the state board.

The Long-Term Bridge: The Housing Gap

With the phone active and the PO box safe, all focus now shifts to the $900 needed to extend my housing from March 2nd through the start of April. This ensures Riko and I don't lose our sanctuary in the two weeks between our current stay ending and my new career beginning.

• Phone: ✅ RESTORED ($56)
• PO Box: ✅ RESTORED ($10)
• Housing Bridge: ⏳ $600–700 Remaining

Riko is safe, I am breathing clean air, and the finish line is in sight.

Links for the Final Push:

• Venmo: https://venmo.com/ellisarcwolf
• CashApp: https://cash.app/$CeruleanArc
• GFM: https://gofund.me/85c9fb79e

#MutualAid #MutualAidRequest #Pittsburgh #LPC #Therapist #SuccessStory #GoodNews #JobOffer #PittsburghMercy #HousingCrisis #EmergencyFund #SiberianHusky #MutualAidPA #PovertyTax #COVID19 #Recovery #Venmo #CashApp

A CAREER RESTORED!!!

When I first asked for your help, my goal was simply to survive long enough to rebuild my life. Today, I am incredibly proud to share that my dream is gently easing into reality.

Following my final interview last Wednesday (February 18), I received and accepted an official offer for a clinician position at Pittsburgh Mercy. My tentative start date is set for March 16.

Because of the sanctuary you helped provide, I was able to recover from COVID-19 in a safe, smoke-free environment. Having a quiet space allowed me to finalize my credentialing and walk into that interview as the professional I am, not just a person surviving a crisis. My dog, Riko, has been safe and grounded by my side through it all.

MAKING IT THROUGH THE FINAL STRETCH

We are at the absolute final stretch of this journey, but there is one last "pickle" to navigate.

The funds we raised secured my current, safe housing until March 2. However, my new career does not begin until March 16, leaving exactly a two-week gap where Riko and I will be without a home before my first day of work—and several weeks before my first paycheck. This problem is compounded by the following issues:

• Phone: My phone has been cut off due to non-payment and requires $56 to turn back on. This part especially sucks because I'm expecting a callback from Pittsburgh Mercy to let me know how to proceed with background checks and drug testing, and so I'm pretty anxious about that right now.
• Post Office Box: Because I've had to move so much, I have a PO Box. I have to renew the payment on it, and that's $10.
• Food: Riko is gratefully not out of food, but I am. I've got food stamps, but carrying groceries several blocks uphill is impossible for me, so I need to get it delivered. Ergo non-food-stamp money is needed.

To cross this final bridge without losing the stability we’ve fought so hard to build, I need to finish raising my GoFundMe goal, which I've dropped to $2,500. This will cover:

• $900 to extend my current housing through the start of April, allowing me time to get my first paycheck, to potentially argue for a relocation stipend so I can get an actual rental apartment, and to stay safe—and more importantly, psychologically stable while managing severe PTSD—until I can do all of that.
• $395 to ensure food security for Riko and me and to pay necessary bills until my first paycheck arrives.

CROSSING THE FINISH LINE

You didn't just help me escape a dispiriting, life-threatening environment; you bought me the time to reclaim my career as an LPC. I am now just weeks away from being completely self-sufficient and returning to the frontlines to serve the LGBTQ+ and Spanish-speaking communities.

Please help me bridge this final month. If you cannot donate, sharing this update is just as vital.

Thank you so much, community. I would never have been able to do this without you, and I plan to spend the rest of my life making sure folks I come across don't have to go through what I've had to. :purple_heart:

• GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/85c9fb79e
• Venmo: https://venmo.com/ellisarcwolf
• CashApp: https://cash.app/$CeruleanArc
• Chime: $EllisArcwolf

Thank you for being the steady foundation I needed to start anew. Riko and I almost home.

#MutualAid #MutualAidRequest #Pittsburgh #LPC #Therapist #LGBTQ #HousingCrisis #EmergencyFund #DisabilityJustice #PTSD #COVIDRecovery #FoodSecurity #JobOffer #MentalHealthMatters #SiberianHusky #MutualAidPA #PovertyTax #Venmo #CashApp

A1-Werbung: »Sie würden ja auch nicht Ihre Finanzdaten in der Fußgängerzone präsentieren …«

Aber #Venmo existiert?