#Laundry Services Market

[industrynewsupdates]

Laundry Services Procurement Intelligence: A Comprehensive Guide

The global laundry services category is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 7.0% from 2023 to 2030. Growth of the category can be attributed to rising demand from the hospitality & healthcare sector, consumer prioritization for well-maintained and clean garments, rapid urbanization, rise in disposable income, and emergence of online and on-demand laundry services. Moreover, the category is witnessing an increase in end-usage among restaurants, educational establishments such as schools and colleges, and salons. For instance, in hotels and hospitals, it is crucial to maintain immaculate uniforms and linens, due to stringent hygiene and quality standards. 

Outsourcing laundry services provides several benefits to end-users such as cost savings, time efficiency, and compliance to safety regulations (e.g., using authorized cleaning agents). Few of the key challenges in this category include equipment management (e.g., replacing ageing equipment and maintaining new equipment), rising operational costs, meeting customer preferences that vary according to end-use, staff shortages, and technology integration. For instance, in Q4 2023, the laundry cost index increased by 9.3% due to a rise in global energy prices. Moreover, in 2023, regional laundry service providers in Australia and New Zealand faced labor shortages due to a rise in labor costs. In another instance, in 2021, certain key laundry service providers in the UK struggled to meet demand from hotels and National Health Service (NHS) facilities due to staff shortages.

Key technological advancements driving the global laundry services category include Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), use of smart and digital laundry equipment, waterless laundry, Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled cleaning appliances, and software-driven management systems. AI and ML use algorithms to assess data from laundry equipment which is then used to optimize laundry processes with respect to time and efficiency. ML can help in predicting maintenance issues in laundry equipment and evaluate laundry preferences of customers. Smart and digital laundry equipment such as smart washing machines are endowed with self-cleaning programs and can be operated via smartphones. Moreover, they also have features such as automatic detergent dispensers and smart diagnostic tools. Additionally, features such as Radio Frequency Identifications (RFID) help smart machines to determine the type of wash required. IoT enabled cleaning appliances are equipped with ‘Wi-Fi’ and ‘Bluetooth’ options to facilitate the monitoring of incident detection, machine status, wash cycles, and remote supervision which makes it easier for service providers to enhance operational efficiency. 

Order your copy of the Laundry Services Procurement Intelligence Report, 2023 - 2030, published by Grand View Research, to get more details regarding day one, quick wins, portfolio analysis, key negotiation strategies of key suppliers, and low-cost/best-cost sourcing analysis

Software-driven management systems are equipped with cloud-based technologies and can provide real-time feedback related to operational efficiency and service performance. Waterless laundry can reduce the quantity of water being consumed by 90%, thus making it cost-effective and environmentally friendly.

The laundry services category is fragmented and consists of a large number of global market players, turning the category to be competitive. Key players in the category set themselves apart by continuously upgrading equipment with latest technologies, improving turnaround time, optimizing service quality, engaging in strategic partnerships, adopting effective marketing strategies, having a strong digital presence, and emphasizing customer satisfaction in order to enhance their service portfolio and to stay competitive. Moreover, key players are actively focusing on improving environmental sustainability by using energy-efficient equipment and eco-friendly detergents, and ensuring frugality in water usage. Additionally, key players are also focusing on improving the overall customer experience by offering tailored pricing plans, contactless pickup and delivery, on-demand and express services, and catering to personalized packaging preferences. Buyers in the category possess high bargaining capability owing to an extensive supply base.

Labor, equipment, detergents and chemicals, maintenance and repair, energy, and other costs such as rent and utilities, transportation and logistics, sales and marketing, compliance, insurance, and taxes are the key components of this category. Labor and equipment account for the largest share of the cost structure. A prominent pricing structure used in this category is unit pricing or per-piece pricing, in which rates are charged based on the number of items being laundered. Another key pricing structure is weight-based pricing, wherein the prices are determined by the weight of the laundry load. Periodic pricing or subscription-based pricing is also used, wherein customers pay a pre-determined fee on a weekly or monthly basis in exchange for services. Few key service providers have a tiered pricing that varies by volume, frequency, and type of item. Few of the key factors affecting the prices are fluctuations in labor costs, rise in industrial electricity prices, and high cost of equipment replacement and upgradation. Additionally, the pricing may vary based on the length of contracts.Buyers and service providers prefer longer-term contracts for added security and stability, steady pricing structure, and stronger partnerships. According to data published by FRED, the Producer Price Index (PPI) for commercial laundry and dry-cleaning machinery and equipment in the U.S. increased from 333 in December 2022 to 348 in May 2023, which contributed to a rise in the total costs of commercial laundry services in the U.S. during this period.

Asia Pacific dominates the global laundry services category, holding a significant portion of the global market share. Key driving factors for this region include rapid urbanization, improved demand from emerging economies such as India and China, and rapid growth among leading end-user segments such as hospitality and healthcare. Few of the leading players such as Alliance Laundry Systems LLC have been focusing on capacity expansions in Asia Pacific to cater to the high demand. Key driving factors in developed regions such as North America and Europe include high degree of urbanization, emphasis on time-saving solutions, technological advancements, and stringent hygiene guidelines in facilities such as hotels and hospitals. Asia Pacific is expected to continue its dominance during the forecasted period due to a surge in the number of facilities such as hotels, hospitals, restaurants, salons, schools, and colleges that are outsourcing commercial laundry services. Comparing the prices charged by various service providers, assessing service capabilities based on pickup and delivery options, lead time, and minimum order volume, evaluating the experience level of service providers, comparing technologies used in equipment and service provision, measuring service quality based on customer testimonials, and checking adherence to safety and environmental norms are some of the best sourcing practices considered in this category.

Browse through Grand View Research’s collection of procurement intelligence studies:

• Sodium Cyanide Procurement Intelligence Report, 2023 - 2030 (Revenue Forecast, Supplier Ranking & Matrix, Emerging Technologies, Pricing Models, Cost Structure, Engagement & Operating Model, Competitive Landscape)

• Carbon Steel Procurement Intelligence Report, 2023 - 2030 (Revenue Forecast, Supplier Ranking & Matrix, Emerging Technologies, Pricing Models, Cost Structure, Engagement & Operating Model, Competitive Landscape)

Laundry Services Procurement Intelligence Report Scope

• Laundry Services Category Growth Rate: CAGR of 7.0% from 2023 to 2030

• Pricing Growth Outlook: 5% - 10% increase (Annually)

• Pricing Models: Unit pricing, Weight-based pricing, Subscription-based pricing, and Tiered pricing

• Supplier Selection Scope: Cost and pricing, Past engagements, Productivity, Geographical presence

• Supplier Selection Criteria: Industries served, years in service, revenue generated, geographic service provision, employee strength, certifications, type of laundry service, technological capabilities, minimum order volume, pickup and delivery options, lead time, and others

• Report Coverage: Revenue forecast, supplier ranking, supplier matrix, emerging technology, pricing models, cost structure, competitive landscape, growth factors, trends, engagement, and operating model

Key Companies 

• Alliance Laundry Systems LLC

• Alsco, Inc.

• Aramark Corporation

• Cintas Corporation

• Lapels Dry Cleaning

• Laundryheap Limited

• Marberry Cleaners & Launderers, Inc.

• PRESSTO ENTERPRISES, S.L.U.

• Rinse, Inc.

• The Huntington Company

• Tide Cleaners

• UniFirst Corporation

Brief about Pipeline by Grand View Research:

A smart and effective supply chain is essential for growth in any organization. Pipeline division at Grand View Research provides detailed insights on every aspect of supply chain, which helps in efficient procurement decisions.

Our services include (not limited to):

• Market Intelligence involving – market size and forecast, growth factors, and driving trends

• Price and Cost Intelligence – pricing models adopted for the category, total cost of ownerships

• Supplier Intelligence – rich insight on supplier landscape, and identifies suppliers who are dominating, emerging, lounging, and specializing

• Sourcing / Procurement Intelligence – best practices followed in the industry, identifying standard KPIs and SLAs, peer analysis, negotiation strategies to be utilized with the suppliers, and best suited countries for sourcing to minimize supply chain disruptions

[natelaundryblogs]

The Nate Laundry Difference: Top-Quality Rentals for Schools and Hospitals

The need for efficient and dependable laundry solutions is critical in the fast-paced world of educational institutions and healthcare facilities. Nate Laundry stands out as a shining example of excellence, providing high-quality laundry equipment rentals that raise the bar in terms of cleanliness and hygiene.

1. Raising Hygiene Standards:

Nate Laundry is proud to supply cutting-edge laundry equipment to schools and hospitals. Our selection includes industry-leading brands like LG, Speed Queen, and Maytag, ensuring that every wash meets the highest cleanliness standards. Our machines' use of advanced technologies ensures the removal of stubborn stains as well as the elimination of harmful microbes, contributing to a safer and healthier environment.

2. Tailored Solutions for Educational Institutes:

Nate Laundry understands the unique demands of schools and provides tailored solutions to meet the high-volume laundry needs of educational institutions. Our machines are built to handle large loads quickly and efficiently, ensuring that school uniforms, linens, and other items are spotless and ready for use. Our rentals are not only practical but also environmentally conscious, thanks to user-friendly interfaces and energy-saving features.

3. Reimagining Healthcare Linens:

Nate Laundry's equipment rentals shine in the healthcare sector, where cleanliness is a must. We provide dependable, high-capacity machines that meet the stringent requirements of healthcare linens. Our dedication to hygiene extends from the visible to the microscopic, with machines designed to meet the unique challenges posed by medical fabrics.

4. Unmatched Reliability and Support:

Nate Laundry distinguishes itself not only by the quality of its equipment but also by the dependability of its services. We recognize the critical role that laundry plays in ensuring the health and safety of students and patients. As a result, our team ensures prompt maintenance, responsive support, and smooth operations, allowing schools and hospitals to focus on what is most important—education and healthcare.

5. Opportunities for Franchising:

Entrepreneurs are invited to join Nate Laundry on this transformative journey. Our franchise opportunities allow you to start a business that meets the growing demand for high-quality laundry services in educational and healthcare institutions. Join us in transforming the laundry industry while reaping the benefits of a profitable and purpose-driven venture.

Finally, when it comes to laundry solutions for schools and hospitals, Nate Laundry is synonymous with innovation, quality, and dependability. Our high-quality rentals not only meet the most stringent cleanliness requirements, but they also contribute to the overall well-being of the communities we serve. Choose Nate Laundry for an out-of-the-ordinary laundry experience.

[instacareuae]

Steam Ironing Service in Dubai | INSTACARE

Elevate your clothing to the next level of perfection with Instacare Laundry's Steam Ironing Service in Dubai. We understand that the way your clothes look matters, and our expert team is dedicated to making sure every garment is impeccably ironed and crease-free. Our state-of-the-art steam ironing technology ensures gentle yet effective treatment for all types of fabrics, from delicate silks to sturdy denim. Trust us to handle your clothing with care and precision. visit our website at https://instacare.ae/laundry-helper/steam-iron-services/

[neha24blog]

Online Laundry Services Market Segmented On The Basis Of Service, Application, Region And Forecast To 2030: Grand View Research Inc.

San Francisco, 16 March 2023: The Report Online Laundry Services Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Service (Laundry Care, Dry Clean, Duvet Clean), By Application (Residential, Commercial), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2022 – 2030 The global online laundry services market is expected to reach USD 221.05 billion by 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc.,…

[polakina]

how they show you they love you

call of duty headcanons #7

hc masterlist // masterlist

finished shadow and bone today...for the fourth time of watching it...i still miss it :(

rating: explicit

-

quality time and physical touch

likes to be near you all the time

preferably with a hand on you, even a tamed one

hand resting on your thigh in the car, palm on your lower back walking through town, stroking your shin while your legs rest over his lap on the sofa when you're watching a movie

always feels calmer when he's near you

never likes to do things alone. even simple things like cooking or tidying the house

finds much more enjoyment in doing it with you

his favourite thing to do is to cook with you

likes to be the taster for new concoctions you've created

leaves you in charge of the music, often using the spare time between cooking to dance in the kitchen with you

if you go out on an idle shopping trip, or even just to pick up a package, he's often following you out of the door to join you

even if you say you'll only be five minutes, he's still grabbing his jacket

brings his work into the living room, his laptop, his paperwork, everything

will sit beside you while you read or work and keep you company

is a domestic partner at heart

doesn't feel like physical touch has to always be of the sexual nature

his favourite way to wind down is to have you led on his chest, while his fingers drift through your hair

its calming, for the both of you

often times, it sends you to sleep in minutes, but it calms him, makes him forget about the stress he'd endured during the day

acts of service

he never asks if you need help, not really, but if he notices you struggling with something, he's there in a second to help you

if you mention you're running low on something, it somehow appears the next day

he's very intuitive. somehow, you don't know how and you don't plan on asking, but he's figured out your cycle

every month, a day or two before your period starts, the bathroom is restocked with sanitary products, the kitchen is stocked with your favourite snacks, and the medicine cabinet is loaded with everything to ease your monthly pain

he always woke before you, knowing you hated early mornings, but he knew exactly when you'd wake up in a morning

it was always the same time

so there was always a coffee waiting on the bedside table, still hot when you opened your eyes

and he knew you hated doing the laundry, but you loved taking it out of the dryer, so he'd make sure there was half an hour after you woke up before the dryer finished its cycle

he knew your favourite smell was freshly dried linen

liked to help, with anything

felt sort of prideful if you came to him with something

even just a knot in the laces of your shoes, he looked indifferent as he silently took your shoe and meticulously undid the knot, but he had a little glow in his chest when he handed it back to you

gift giving

goes out of his way to bring you something back after every deployment

whether its something he's found at a local market that he'd knew you'd like, or even something he'd picked up walking back to your shared home

your house was filled with flowers, sea shells, funny shaped rocks. all of that he'd pocketed while walking to get groceries or found while mowing the lawn

you always told him he never had to get you anything, but as always he never listened

it was his way of showing his love, so you stopped questioning it after a while

if he had to leave suddenly, without time to say goodbye, you'd find a note on the bedside table held down by a gift

sometimes it was jewellery, sometimes it was a flower, it was always different

his favourite thing to do with you was to take you to the markets

they came through your town every few months, and you could smell the food vendors from your bedroom window

soap kept an eye on whatever tickled your fancy, he'd learned to figure out which things caught your eye over others

your gaze always flickered back to certain objects, your fingers running over the things you liked most

he waited until you'd moved on to another stall before paying the seller and pocketing the gift for later

words of affirmation

doesn't shut up about you, ever

you've walked downstairs in your pajamas and wet hair from the shower and he's still said that you looked adorable

always compliments you, on anything you do

in the early stages of your relationship, you thought what he was saying was an act

something to get you in his car and back to his place

it wasn't that simple, but there was always that little part of your brain nagging that he was putting on a facade when he complimented you

after a while, a long while, you realised that that was just who he was

he never had a bad word to say about you

his endearing ways of talking never failed to make you blush, and he loved that

seeing your cheeks burn a deep red as you turned your face away from him

even on your worst days, if you were full of a cold, or overworked from your job, or muddy from walking through the fields with the dog, the compliments and loving phrases kept coming

"how's my pretty little cough-pot?" was always his favourite

he'd take care of you while you were ill, often bringing you sweet tea or pills to help satiate the fever. but that never meant there wasn't a smile on your face

"had anyone ever told you how goddamn perfect you are?"

you'd roll your eyes still, even after years of it, and smile to yourself

"shut up, gaz. i haven't showered in three days, work is kicking my arse, i'm not in the mood for your little lies."

he'd always act offended, hand over his heart

"i would never lie to you, love. you look so cute, all focused and scowly in front of your computer."

your scowl was one of his favourite looks of yours

it made your face scrunch and contort, the bridge of your nose crumpling on itself and your eyes squinting

yet to him, you still looked beautiful

[360iris]

For me, the vibe drastically shifts when I think of the moon knight system individually—

Like there’s Steven, who’s very sweet and accommodating. He’s easy going but just the right amount of snarky that never fails to make you snort with laughter.

He’s the kind of person I’d want to go to Starbucks with and order a large refresher only to walk around Target for a good two hours like it’s the mall or a farmer’s market.

Steven is Tuesday nights spent sprawled out on a modest sized couch, the two of you wrapped under a large blanket and trying to be respectful of each other’s space as you’re both self conscious of how much space you’re taking up.

But eventually, your calves are touching and ankles are interlocked as you’re leaning over him to get something off the end table.

It’s him standing at the bathroom sink, brushing his teeth and intently listening as you rambunctiously complain about obnoxious coworkers and customers over the noise of the shower running, shampoo being massaged into your scalp and rinsed from your hair.

He’s the partner you spent your adolescence daydreaming about.

And then there’s reserved, calculated and partially measured Marc. He’s quiet in an attentive sort of way, the type of big, semi-permanently grumpy guy who’ll take mental notes of literally everything that has to concern with you.

For example, he’ll pinpoint the exact pieces in your wardrobe you’re more inclined to pull out and wear before anything else in your closet— and he’ll always be sure to have washed, folded and returned them to their drawers so that they’re ready for you to pull on again at the end of the day.

It’s the kind of act of service that’s so subtle, you don’t realize he’s been doing it for months.

This man will fully memorize your go-to restaurant orders and act like it’s simply a coincidence when the waiter arrives and he’s just finished flawlessly reciting what you want, for you.

He knows what things you tend to somehow always forget to pack in your purse for work and will neatly line them up on the kitchen bar so that you couldn’t possibly miss them (you still forget to take them though… and after a while, he just starts packing your work bag for you. It doesn’t take long and he finds it’s nice that it gives him something to do.)

Marc is Sunday mornings spent baking cupcakes, lining the counters with different flavored box mixes, eggs and large ceramic bowls. Splashes of vanilla extract, tins smeared with butter and coated in flour for easy removal. The smell of sweet chocolate icing filling the air.

The two of you taking turns alternating from dish duty to prep. Pressing indulgent kisses in between his shoulder blades as he whisks eggs into oil and water like the yellowy yolks owe him money.

The way you serenely clean up behind him— a little spilt cake mix here, or broken eggshells there— doesn’t go unnoticed or unappreciated. The small gestures really go miles for him.

Marc wordlessly gives out tender pecks, against your temple or at the nape of your neck just because. He’s comfortable silences and fingers warmly intertwined.

He’s the man you find yourself stealing glances at when you think he’s not looking, wondering how you got so lucky.

And last, but never least, there’s Jake who’s hardy, spartan and disciplined. A true product of his environment and circumstances. Someone who learned from their oppressors and surpassed them in their capacity for brutality. The thing about Jake however, is that he has a great proclivity for gentleness as well.

Jake is Wednesday nights, the two of you undressing layer by layer, garments piling into a neat stack to later be placed into the laundry hamper. Jake resting his chin over your right shoulder, his arms wrapped around your middle as you fold your pants and his shirt.

He’s knelt alongside the white garden tub, his hand under the running water from the facet, adjusting the temperature as needed. Eucalyptus scented suds and bubbles fill the space around you as your back rests against his chest.

With his hands brought around your front, he peels one of the set of three clementines you’d brought from the kitchen. Hand feeding you segmented pieces to be lazily gnawed at, soft sloshes and splashes sounding at your feet as you wiggle your toes in the comfortable silence. The two of you exchanging hushed mumbles.

He’s cold nights with chill air slashing your cheeks, a steady chocolate stare he fixes you with as you shuffle in place in front of him. His neck craning as he leans forward, a gloved hand encasing your hands clasped at your mouth and moving them aside— his lips pressing against yours wordlessly.

He’s the protector you only ever heard about in passing stories.

[murdrdocs]

girl i need more loving and caring finnick rn like i can’t even

(ignore the pink my text broke and won’t show up white)

l i need more lovingirl i need more loving and caring finnick rn i can’t even

during your relationship with finnick, you realize he doesn't have a single true love language. there's not only one way he expresses his love and admiration for you.

he adores physical touch. a hand on your back when he's passing you in the kitchen, paired with a kiss to your neck or shoulder or cheek. offering to take your makeup off for you so he has an excuse to massage your face and feel your skin. holding your hand or interlocking pinkies when you're in the market in four.

he lives for acts of service and gift giving. making sure to bring something back for you if he's called to the capitol. going to your favorite stall in the market before you wake up for fresh fruit or bread. he makes you breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and offers to grab a snack for you when you're watching old movies together. he knows your favorite foods and your favorite everything's, and so casually mentions it, causing you to swoon and kiss his cheeks.

words of affirmation give him life. he's been praised his entire life, so it's almost nothing to him, unless the words are coming from you. but he will die if he doesn't praise you at least 10 times a day. he's always encouraging you, pushing you to become the best version of yourself. he's always there to hug and kiss away your tears, giving them space before letting you in on his god-like view of you.

and quality time is practically his favorite. he just likes being near you. spending days on the beach with you, the both of you sharing a picnic that you'd domestically created together the morning before. he loves to do house chores with you; cooking, cleaning, laundry. life with you is something he hadn't imagined himself having. or, maybe he did, before the reaping at 14. but after that, and all of the life that came with the aftermath, he couldn't see himself sharing a coastal home that smelled like equal parts you and him. he lives for the late mornings where you snuggle closer to his chest and sleepily talk to him until your words die down to deep breaths. he lives for the morning routine you've both curated, how easily you two move around the spacious bathroom, both in each other's space but out of each other's way.

he doesn't have a favorite form of a love language, but quality time comes to him the easiest, so maybe it takes the cake.

[vivmaek]

HOW TO FIND JOY USING YOUR SUN PLACEMENT

Happiness is found when we are in touch with our higher selves. Look to the giver of life within your natal chart to come into alignment with joy. 

Aries - Workout, chase after truth, surround yourself with people who match your energy, tap into an adrenaline rush, smile at yourself in the mirror everyday, don’t wait for desire to pass, take a hot bath, write out all your flaws on a piece of paper and then burn it, play video games, listen to loud music, do a face mask, eat tomatoes, do something you’re afraid of. 

1st House - Write out all your best attributes, keep up with your appearance, find new beginnings within the everyday, take care of your body, meet someone new, showcase your identity, march to the beat of your own drum.

Taurus - Go for a hike, solve a puzzle, go to the art museum, eat a home cooked meal, buy yourself flowers, snuggle with something soft, wear your favorite perfume or cologne, clean your house, watch that tv show you’ve already seen a million times, get a neck massage, write an appreciation letter to yourself, create something with materials that can be found at home, eat fresh fruit. 

2nd House - Keep a money jar, show up to work on time, show gratitude, keep up with a daily routine, write out all your values, take good care of your material possessions, make a list of priorities and stick to it, form healthy habits.

Gemini - Read a book, go on a spontaneous trip, watch something that makes you laugh, buy a concert ticket, run errands, put on some headphones and go for a walk, google questions, journal, dance to your favorite music, get a manicure, try out a new restaurant, rearrange your room, do yoga and practice breathwork, make a collage using cut up magazines, take a class on one of your favorite interests, smell some lavender. 

3rd House- Write daily, keep up with your communications, always check your email, take special care of your siblings, don’t make a habit of turning down social events, be friendly towards your neighbors, try to learn something new everyday. 

Cancer - Call family, put on pajamas, watch a movie that will make you cry, sit in the rain, drink something warm, cuddle with a pet, wear your favorite sweater, have a stash of goodies on hand, go home, read a fantasy novel, give someone a hug, eat seafood, go stargazing and have a picnic, stick your feet in the stream, write poetry. 

4th House - Keep a tidy home, check up on family, daily hygiene, keep a mood journal, have some privacy, show kindness towards children, mother yourself.

Leo - Look at old childhood photos, brush your hair, lay out in the sun, put on an outfit that makes you feel your best, listen to music that boosts your confidence, daily affirmations, eat oranges and lemons, light a candle, hang out with your best friend, put on a performance when no one is watching, watch a dramatic romance movie, sing in the shower, get a back massage. 

5th House - Romanticize your daily life, focus on what your love, chase after your passions, make time for play, showcase your creativity, connect to your inner child, make art, don’t be afraid to be dramatic.

Virgo - Create a new playlist, go to the craft store, tend to a garden, do your laundry, play the sims, watch video essays on youtube, join a book club, talk about your current interests with friends, make jewelry, hangout at a coffee shop, eat fresh veggies and clean food, talk to your plants, go for a walk and take pictures of whatever your find interesting, go to the farmers market.

6th House - Eat healthy, keep up with fitness and physical activity, have a daily system in order, showcase a healthy amount of criticism, take care of a pet, keep an organized house, find ways to be useful everyday, be of service to others 

Libra - Grab dinner and drinks with your favorite people, write a love letter to yourself, have a shopping spree, post your thoughts on social media, stand up for someone when no one else is, invest in skincare, wear sunglasses, re-organize your room, lather your body with lotion and oils, eat cheese and yogurt, go to the gym, watch an old hollywood movie, buy a present for someone you love.

7th House - Focus on forming relationships, don’t rely on codependency, keep up with healthy boundaries, read over contracts carefully, be someone people can rely on, always be fair, share with people.

Scorpio - Watch a true crime documentary, make an offering to your ancestors, write your deepest thoughts in a journal and then keep it hidden, go skinny dipping, listen to music in the dark, spend time in nature to gather gems and crystals, play card games, do in depth research on your favorite artist, tend to your alter. 

8th House - Don’t run from intimacy, keep up with your debts, take care of your property, discover mystery within the daily, keep a clean bathroom.

Sagittarius - Spend time by a campfire, book a plane ticket to somewhere, go out and party with your best friends, learn how to cook your favorite foreign meals, massage your legs, go thrift shopping, invite people over for a barbeque, read translated books, wear rings, eat plums and cherries, drink plenty of wine, have deep discussions over dinner.

9th House - Travel, ask for advice, pursue education, follow your own personal laws, appreciate different cultures, learn a second language, have strong ethics.

Capricorn - Sneak away for a well deserved break, buy something expensive, brush your teeth, go to a fancy restaurant by yourself, wear tailored pants, read a lengthy novel, give yourself a scalp massage, have a drink at the end of a long day, stay up late into the night, write out all your goals, eat lots of protein, be naughty when you can get away with it.

10th House - Keep a good reputation, follow through on your goals, focus on your career, implement structure within your daily life, be disciplined, use your expertise when appropriate.

Aquarius - Buy something you’ve put a lot of research into, go to the restaurant that only you seem to know about, write out everything you wish for, eat peaches, wear turquoise jewelry, design your own clothing, spend time on the computer, ghost everyone for the day, watch that tv show you’re newly obsessed with, join an exclusive club. 

11th House - Be a good friend to people, belong to something larger than you, be socially aware, focus on humanitarian efforts, show respect to the technology you own, always look to the future.

Pisces - Go for a swim, have music constantly playing in the background, write out all your fantasies, get a pedicure, eat berries, do volunteer work, take up painting, wear silk, sleep in all day, daydream freely, lay on your back and cloud gaze, pray, make eye contact with people, wear warm socks, appreciate the background details. 

12th House - Spend time alone, welcome endings with open arms, find closure, take up spiritual practice, show respect to the elderly, keep things hidden, maintain a dream journal, don't limit yourself .

Someone in my ask box sent me this really thoughtful question about how to use a natal chart to find happiness and I accidentally deleted it! My apologies!

[natelaundryblogs]

Elevating Laundry Standards: Nate's Commercial Laundry Machines with Trusted Brands

Nate Laundry's commitment to excellence and innovation is revolutionizing the laundry industry. Our commercial laundry machines, which include well-known brands such as LG, Speed Queen, and Maytag, are breaking new ground in terms of efficiency, sustainability, and performance.

Trusted Brands for Unrivaled Quality: 

Nate Laundry proudly incorporates leading brands such as LG, Speed Queen, and Maytag into its commercial laundry machine lineup. These brands are synonymous with quality, durability, and cutting-edge technology, ensuring that only the best is delivered to our customers.

LG's Innovation Strategy:

LG commercial laundry machines represent the pinnacle of innovation. LG machines in our lineup are known for their advanced features, energy efficiency, and sleek designs, and they redefine the laundry experience.

The Power of Reliability: Speed Queen

Speed Queen is the pinnacle of excellence for businesses that value dependability and robust performance. Our commercial Speed Queen machines ensure that your laundry operations run smoothly load after load.

Maytag:

 Longevity Unleashed: Maytag has long been associated with durability, and our Maytag commercial laundry machines continue this tradition. Engineered to withstand the rigors of commercial use, they are proof of long-lasting quality on which businesses can rely.

Efficiency Meets Sustainability: 

Nate Laundry recognizes the value of sustainability in today's business landscape. Our machines, which include LG, Speed Queen, and Maytag, are built with energy-saving mechanisms, water-saving features, and eco-friendly practices, all of which contribute to a greener and more sustainable laundry industry.

Tailored Solutions for Every Business:

 Whether you own a hotel, hospital, or school, Nate Laundry's commercial machines from LG, Speed Queen, and Maytag provide tailored solutions. We cater to the diverse needs of businesses of all sizes, from compact units to industrial-grade machines.

Why Nate Laundry: 

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[angryschnauzer]

As Sweet As Honey - Chapter 2

Summary: Finding a new life in a new town, you stumble upon a Honey farmer at the town market. You both have pasts that have shaped the way you now live your lives, but can you find a way of putting them behind you to find happiness?

Pairing: ‘Lucas’ Syverson x Female Reader

Fandom: Henry Cavill, Sandcastle (Movie).

Ongoing Genre: Fluff, Angst, and Smut

Warnings: None for this chapter

Chapter 1

Here is my masterlist and AO3

Wordcount: 2699

I do not run a tag list, instead please follow @angryschnauzerwrites​ and put that blog onto notifications, you’ll then get an alert each time i post something new. My AO3 also has my entire back catalogue of stories (going back to 2013).

Chapter 2

Sy looked in the back of his truck, mentally ticking off what he needed to take with him to harvest the Lavender. He had shears and a scythe, a whole load of old flour sacks to load it into. He also grabbed his Go-pro in the hope she would be ok filming it, the smoker to calm the bees and hopefully get them to stay away from the plants long enough to harvest, plus his netted hat as dozy bees had a tendency to try and find their way into hair, ears, anywhere they could settle down for a snooze. A quiet woof followed by the sound of a metal bowl hitting the driveway caught his attention, turning to see Akia patiently sitting at the side of the truck;

“Oh you want to come too? Do you think she’s going to be there to give you belly rubs the whole time?”

“Awoo”

“Hmmm, me first girl, me first…” Sy mused as he moved the basket of produce he’d gathered for you from his stock so a furry snout didn’t try to get at anything in it; “You need to be on your best behaviour. No peeing on her flowers, don’t poop in her yard, go into the meadow to do it. Okay, put your water bowl in the truck and you can get in” 

Sy nodded his head to the open door, watching as Akia picked up her water bowl and set it into the passenger footwell, before she jumped up onto the passenger seat. Leaving her in the truck, Sy gathered the last few things he needed before locking the door and climbing into the vehicle. Suddenly remembering one last thing he ran back into the cabin, appearing seconds later with a bundle under his arm which he set on the back seat;

“No, not for you girl”

The dog let out a snort before settling back to sleep on the seat in the sunshine as Sy started the engine and backed off the driveway.

-

You saw Sy pull onto your driveway as you’d been folding laundry, quickly putting it away before you smoothed your dress down and made your way outside.

“Hey, do you need any help?”

Greeting you with a warm smile he reached into his truck and pulled out a basket, handing it to you;

“You can take this? Its just a few things to say thank you”

At a quick glance at the basket you counted at least four jars of honey, a small bottle of honey liquor, and a set of pillar candles.

“Oh, and this…”

Sy set a parcel around the size of a house brick wrapped in a clean linen dish towel on top of the basket, lifting the fabric for you to see;

“Honey bread?!”

“Freshly baked this morning”

“I saw!”

“You saw?”

“On your instagram… it was the first thing i saw when i woke up and it certainly gave me an appetite!”

“Well glad i could be of service” Sy laughed as he lifted things out of the flat bed back of the truck; “Are you ok if i set the camera up to film harvesting the Lavender? So I can use it for social media?”

“Yeah, that’s fine, do you need anything else?”

At that moment Akia jumped out of the cab, her metal bowl held in his mouth;

“Are you ok with Akia being here whilst i work? She’s agreed to go potty in the meadow, she brought her water bowl”

Laughing you nodded;

“Sure thing” turning to the house you called over your shoulder; “C’mon Akia, let me fill that water bowl up, it's going to be a hot afternoon”

You had not been wrong when you’d said it was going to be hot, however the temperature was somewhat raised even more so once you saw Sy working. You had tried to keep out of his way, not wanting to interrupt but also not wanting to be overtly obvious in watching him work. Instead you found your book and took a seat on the covered porch where the breeze from the front of the building came through the clematis that hung over the roof, you could see some of the garden but not all of it. 

After half an hour Akia had come up to the porch and lay by your feet, before you’d patted the spare side of the bench seat and she’d carefully climbed up, immediately rolling onto her back with her head in your lap as you absentmindedly gave her belly scratches between turning pages of your book. The book however was eventually rested open on your lap, instead you watched Sy work as he used the smoker to placate the bees, your attention drawn to the way his t-shirt clung to his back in the heat, the way his jeans fit snugly around his ass. Far too many minutes passed as you gratuitously watched him work, but thankfully you noticed he was coming to the end of the Lavender bushes, so you decided to grab some cold drinks.

As you were returning to the shade of the porch a few minutes later, you saw Sy turn as you set the tray down, waving him over as you poured a tall glass of iced tea, the ice cubes clinking against the glass. He took the steps to the porch in one stride, a smile on his face as he pulled his bee keepers netted hat off and wiped his hands on his jeans as you handed him the glass;

“Thanks. Hot work out there”

“Hmm-mmm” you sipped your drink, not wanting to say what had entered your mind, and thankfully Akia saved the moment. With a yawn and stretch the pooch climbed off the seat and came to sit by Sy’s feet.

“Oh, okay then” he signed, lifting an ice cube out of his drink and feeding it to the dog who proceeded to happily crunch it; “That good girl?”

“Rrrrrr”

“Does she want some ice cubes in her water bowl?”

“WOOF”

“I think that’s a yes, if it's alright?” Sy answered

Quickly running inside you filled a bowl with cubes from the freezer before returning and dumping them into her water bowl as promised. The dog happily crunched and drank, before trotting off through your yard and disappearing into the meadow.

“So, have the bees gotten off the bushes? I presume that’s what you were doing with the smoke…”

Sy nodded and turned to look out over your garden;

“Yeah, they are quite sleepy now, most have disappeared into the grasses, the few that are left will probably head into your clematis”

You looked over your garden before turning back to Sy;

“I imagine you have to be quite a horticulturalist when working with bees. How did you get into it in the first place?”

Sy smiled at you as he sipped his drink, considering his words;

“Used to be a First Responder with the fire department until I got injured on the job and was medically retired… but I was close to burn out anyway; city life, the drive to succeed and push myself ever further and further. The injury and recovery gave me time to reconsider life and goals. Took my payout and moved out here. The hives came with the cabin and seemed like a fun hobby whilst i tried to figure out what to do next… turns out they were what i was to do next”

 He grabbed the pitcher of iced tea and offered it to you first, filling your glass before he refilled his own;

“What about you? What brought you to this sleepy little town?”

“Same as you; recovery, a new start. A chance to start afresh and decide my own path. My job means i can work from home”

“What do you do?”

“I write exam papers and tests… you know, the standardised ones that you take in Middle School and High School. Mostly in Math…”

Sy laughed;

“Oh, so you’re responsible for the ‘if someone buys 8 watermelons and gives someone else two, but then doubles their quantity at the next market’ type questions”

“Yeah, that’s me”

Sy drained his glass before setting it onto the tray, and with a sigh he nodded to the lavender;

“Well, i’d better get working before the bees wake up”

“No worries, i have some questions i need to work on, just give me a shout if you need anything”

“Thanks”

-

Your plans for working the rest of the afternoon all but failed. You had made a valiant effort to start, bringing your laptop out to the bench seat, but the moment you’d looked up and realised Sy had taken his shirt off and was steadily and rhythmically using the sharp scythe to harvest the lavender into small haystacks you were done for. You were mesmerised by the way his back muscles rippled, by the way his arms and shoulders were sculpted. Every now and again you could see a rivulet of perspiration slowly run down his back, and you had to clench your thighs together to try and quell the arousal that was ever growing between your legs. 

Gratuitously watching Sy work you had been thankful you were somewhat hidden by the shade of the porch, knowing full well that if you even attempted to step off it you’d probably combust from how turned on you were. By late afternoon the yard was mostly in the dappled shade of the fruit trees that grew alongside the meadow, a warm breeze in the air as you saw Akia coming back from exploring for a good hour in the fields. Grabbing a bowl of ice cubes you dumped them into her water bowl just as she came padding across the lawn, her tongue hanging out. Giving her a brief head scratch before she discovered her ice bowl, you missed that Sy had finished his task, tying the sacks together so he could load the bales into his truck;

“All done” glancing up from Akia you saw Sy approaching, trying your best not to look at his wide chest, his body rippling and toned from manual labour. 

“What will you do with it?”

Sy mopped his brow with his t-shirt, looking at the mass of bales in front of him;

“First I'll dry it, then thresh it to get the blooms off the stems. I'll be adding it to candles and wax melts, perhaps have a look into making those bath fizz things. Honey and lavender is known for being a great combination that sells well” At that moment Akia let out an exaggerated huff, before going back to panting with her tongue hanging out; “Hey, do you mind if I use the hose on Akia? When she spends a long time out in the sunshine she can get a bit overheated”

“Sure, the faucet is just round the corner of the porch. Hey, did you want to stay for dinner? If you like… i just thought you’ve been working all day - on your weekend no less - i’ve got more than enough for two”

“That’d be really nice, thanks” Sy had a hold of Akia's collar as you left, watching you head inside. Turning to his dog he quickly knelt down to her level;

“Okay, so we’ll be having dinner here girl, i’m sure she’ll have something you can have, but you need to be on your best behaviour, no begging at the table, no creepy staring and drooling at the same time, yeah?”

“Rrrrrr”

“C’mon, lets get that hose on you, you stinky beast”

-

As you had prepared the steaks and salad you watched out of the kitchen window as Sy hosed Akia down, almost chopping your finger off as he turned the hose on himself, flicking his head back and shaking the droplets off, to which they caught the low late afternoon sunshine like droplets of gold;

“Oh fuck… I'm in so much trouble…” you muttered to yourself.

When you emerged from the back door with a tray of raw steaks and utensils Sy had pulled on his t-shirt and was now sporadically squirting the hose so that Akia could run through the droplets and try and catch them with her mouth. Setting the tray down beside the grill you checked the tank before firing up the heat, using the wire brush to clean off the last of the charring before setting the meat on to cook. 

When you sat down to eat you used the small bistro set in the garden, settling an old casserole dish on the grass for Akia that contained some left over boiled rice from the night before, a bag of stewed vegetables you’d defrosted from the freezer, and a spare steak without the spicy marinade you’d grilled. For you and Sy it was Steaks and salad, with his freshly made bread on the side, to which the pair of you devoured the entire loaf;

“This bread is SO good” you complimented.

Laughing, Sy nodded, before pointing his fork at his steak;

“I could say the same about your steak, you really know how to handle a decent piece of meat”

You paused chewing, the grin tugging at the corners of your mouth before you could hold it in any longer and let out a snort of laughter at what Sy had said.

“Oh god, I'm sorry… i didn’t mean…” he grew flustered, but you at that point had dissolved into a fit of giggles which were eventually infectious, the pair of you at the point where you were unable to make eye contact from continued outbursts. 

Finally when you’d both calmed down and the meal was finished, Sy helped you to clear up before he started to load his truck. Akia slowly climbed into the passenger seat, tired from a day of running around in the sunshine. You came out onto the porch with a small dish of leftover meat for her, setting it onto the small table as you unwrapped a beeswax wrap and started to press it over the bowl. Even though your hands were warm it didn’t seem to want to stick, and as Sy approached to get the last thing for his truck he saw you struggling.

“Need some help?”

Without waiting for an answer he laid his hands over yours, the combined heat warming the wax and softening it. You were acutely aware of how close he was, his breath was warm on your face and as you looked up your mouths were a hair's width apart. You searched his face for a tell, to see if he was feeling what you were feeling. He moved closer then paused and you were wondering if he was going to kiss you and had stopped or had second thoughts. Only a single thought ran through your own mind, and that was ‘now or never’. 

However the pause was too long and he pulled away, looking down at the bowl;

“There, all warmed up”

You followed his gaze and realised he was talking about the bowl;

“Oh, yes. All done. Here, for Akia”

Taking he he smiled and nodded;

“Thanks, she’ll love it”

He turned to make his way towards his truck, and with a small sigh you turned back towards your house.

“Wait” 

Standing facing each other this time he pressed his lips to you cheek;

“Thank you for today”

“It’s… it’s alright…”

“Can I see you again sometime?”

His question surprised you, but you eagerly nodded;

“I’d like that”

With a gentle squeeze of your arm he let out a soft sigh before turning back to his truck;

“I’ll text you later”

You nodded, grinning as you watched as he started to reverse his truck out of your driveway. In the low light of the sunset the golden rays glinted in the chrome trim of the truck, Sy’s cheerful face smiling at you as he gave you a little wave. You waved back, watching as he drove down the hill and out of sight, wrapping your arms around you before you turned back to your house, nervous but excited for what the future held.

Chapter 3 >>>

[quirkymarshmallows93]

Gas Station Stream of Consciousness Post

Gas Stations as Liminal Spaces

I've had quite a few hyperfixations in my day - ATMs, laundry detergents, credit cards - so my current one pertaining to gas stations is fitting considering my affinity for liminal spaces and the dedication of this blog to them. Liminal spaces are transitory in nature, hence their portrayal in online circles through photos of carpeted hallways, illuminated stairwells, dark roads, and backrooms, among other transitional points.

Gas stations are posted online as well; images of their fuel pumps or neon signage photographed through a rainy car window communicate their liminality and the universal experiences they provide to all of society. Perhaps they are the ultimate specimen of a liminal space. The machines they are created for, automobiles and tractor trailers alike, themselves are tools for motion, vestibules that enable travel and shipment across long distances at high speeds. Cars and roads are liminal spaces, albeit in different formats, and gas stations serve as their lighthouses. Vehicles at filling stations, therefore, are in a sense liminal spaces within liminal spaces within liminal spaces.

The uniqueness of a gas station as a liminal space, however, is its intersection with the economics and aesthetics of capitalism. Gasoline (and diesel fuel) is a commodity, downstream from crude oil, merely differentiated by octane ratings. Some argue that minute distinctions between agents, detergents, and additives make some brands better than others. Indeed, fuels that are approved by the Top Tier program, sponsored by automakers, have been shown to improve engine cleanliness and performance, but this classification does not prefer specific refiners over others; it is simply a standard. To a consumer, Top Tier fuels are themselves still interchangeable commodities within the wider gasoline commodity market.

The Economics of Gas Stations

The market that gas stations serve is characterized by inelastic demand, with customers who reckon with prices that fluctuate day in and day out. This is not to say that consumer behavior does not change with fuel prices. It has been observed that as prices rise, consumers are more eager to find the cheapest gas, but when prices fall, drivers are less selective with where they pump and are just happy to fill up at a lower price than last week. In response, gas stations lower their prices at a slower rate than when increasing prices, allowing for higher profit margins when wholesale prices fall. This has been dubbed the "rockets and feathers" phenomenon.

When portrayed as liminal spaces, gas stations are most often depicted at night, places of solitude where one may also enter the adjacent convenience store and encounter a fellow individual who isn't asleep, the modern day lightkeeper. The mart that resides at the backcourt of a gas station is known to sell goods at higher prices than a supermarket, simultaneously taking advantage of a captive customer, convenient location, and making up for the inefficiencies of a smaller operation. It may come as no surprise, then, that gas stations barely make any money from fuel sales and earn their bulk through C-store sales. This is a gripe I have with our economic system. Business is gamified, and in many cases the trade of certain goods and services, called loss leaders, is not an independent operation and is subsidized by the success of another division of a business, a strategy inherently more feasible for larger companies that have greater scale to execute it.

Nevertheless, most gas station owners, whether they have just one or hundreds of sites, find this method fruitful. Even though most gas stations in the US sell one of a handful of national brands, they operate on a branded reseller, or dealer, model, with oil companies themselves generally not taking part in the operations of stations that sell their fuels. The giants do still often have the most leverage and margin in the business, with the ability to set the wholesale price for the distributor, which sells at a markup to the station owner, which in turn will normally make the least profit in the chain when selling to the end customer at the pump. This kind of horizontal integration that involves many parties lacks the synergies and efficiencies of vertical integration that are so applauded by capitalists, but ends up being the most profitable for firms like ExxonMobil, who only extract and refine oil, and on the other end of the chain merely license their recognizable brands to the resellers through purchasing agreements. Furthermore, in recent years, independent dealers have sold their businesses to larger branded resellers, in many cases the ones from whom they had been buying their fuel.

A Word on ExxonMobil's Branding Potential

The largest publicly traded oil company in the world is Exxon Mobil Corporation. It is a direct descendent of the Rockefeller monopoly, Standard Oil, which was broken up in 1911 into 34 companies, the largest of which was Jersey Standard, which became Exxon in 1973. This title was generated by a computer as the most appealing replacement name to be used nationwide to unify the Humble, Enco, and Esso brands, decades before AI was spoken of. The latter brand is still used outside of the United States for marketing, arising from the phonetic pronunciation of the initials of Standard Oil. In 1999, Exxon and Mobil merged, and the combined company to this day markets under separate brands. Exxon is more narrowly used, to brand fuel in the United States, while Mobil has remained a motor oil and industrial lubricant brand, as well as a fuel brand in multiple countries.

Mobil originated in 1866 as the Vacuum Oil Company, which first used the current brand name for Mobiloil, and later Mobilgas and Mobilubricant products, with the prefix simply short for "automobile". Over time, Mobil became the corporation's primary identity, with its official name change to Mobil Oil Corporation taking place in 1966. Its updated wordmark with a signature red O was designed by the agency Chermayeff & Geismar, and the company's image for service stations was conceived by architect Eliot Noyes. New gas stations featured distinctive circular canopies over the pumps, and the company's recognizable pegasus logo was prominently on display for motorists.

I take issue with the deyassification of the brand's image over time. As costs were cut and uniformity took over, rectangular canopies were constructed in place of the special ones designed by Noyes that resembled large mushrooms. The pegasus remained a prominent brand icon, but the Mobil wordmark took precedence, which I personally believe to be an error in judgement. This disregard for the pegasus paved the way for its complete erasure in 2016 with the introduction of ExxonMobil's "Synergy" brand for its fuel. The mythical creature is now much smaller and appears only at the top right corner of pumps at Mobil gas stations, if at all.

Even into the 90s and the 21st century the Pegasus had its place in Mobil's marketing. In 1997, the company introduced its Speedpass keytag, which was revolutionary for its time and used RFID technology, akin to mobile payments today, to allow drivers to get gas without entering the store or swiping a card. When a Speedpass would be successfully processed, the pegasus on the gas pump would light up red.

When Exxon and Mobil merged in 1999, the former adopted the payment method too, with Exxon's less iconic tiger in place of the pegasus.

The program was discontinued in 2019 in favor of ExxonMobil's app, which is more secure since it processes payments through the internet rather than at the pump.

What Shell has done with its brand identity is what Mobil should've done for itself. The European company's logo was designed in 1969 by Raymond Loewy, and is a worth contender for the "And Yet a Trace of the True Self Exists in the False Self" meme. In recent years, Shell went all in on its graphic, while Mobil's pegasus flew away. I choose to believe that the company chose to rebrand its stations in order to prevent the malfunction in the above image from happening.

ExxonMobil should have also discontinued the use of the less storied Exxon brand altogether, and simplifying its consumer-facing identity to just the global Mobil mark. Whatever, neither of the names are actual words. As a bonus, here is a Google map I put together of all 62 gas stations in Springfield, MA. This is my idea of fun. Thanks for reading to the end!

[thesims3help]

Masterlist - Gameplay enhancing mods pt 2. [100+ Sims 3 mods!]

Part 1 || This is everything that didn't fit in part 1.

Celebrity:

Testers Wanted: Harder Celebrity Difficulty & More (Late Night)

Food/Cooking/Eating/Drinking:

Cooking and Ingredients Overhaul + More Nectar Ingredients

Let them eat cake! - Non-Birthday Birthday Cakes

Toddler Food Bowl

Quicker Cooking & Eating OverRide

Breakfast At Twinsimming's (Update 7/8/23) - No Cooking Overhaul Version

Baby Food Default Replacement

Pasteurize Milk Mod (Update 7/18/23) - Tunable Hunger Motive Delta

Buy Takeout And Order Food At Restaurants

Nectar Combinatorics

No More Acrobatics! - bartending animations tweaks

Better Bartending!

Eat & Put Away Your Leftovers

Coffee Ingredients Made Choosable

Gain Cooking Skill Faster At Work!

Winter Holiday Cookies

Quicker Cooking & Eating OverRide

Pets:

Pets Don't Eat Plants

Bathe Animals Correctly

[Pets] Improved Beloved Pet, and other Animal-Related Traits - 1.63 - 1.67 by Nona Mena (simlogical.com)

[Pets] Improved Relationship Gain with Pets by Nona Mena (simlogical.com)

New Pet Genetics - No More Skinny Clones

Minor Pets Won't Run Away

Dogs collecting shinies fills Destruction motive

Cats stalking for crawlies fills Scratch motive

University:

Lost & Found: Honors Scholarship (Plus Other Aptitude Test Tweaks)

Write Scholarships for Money

New Scholarships (Update 10/26/23) - Talent Scholarships & No Store Version

Attend University Online (Update 10/26/23) - Wish Fix

University Life Visual Fixes (Send Insulting Text, Texting Idle, Heat of the Moment Kiss)

Studying Tweaks

Jobs/skills:

Check For Work In Rabbitholes

Observatory Assistant -- Part-Time Astronomy Job

Flower Arranging - Interaction and Skill

Knitting for TS3 - Interaction and Skill

Writing, Painting, Gardening, Tinkering More Fun

Study Skills Online V37

Yoga Mod (Update 3/1/23) - New Features!

Scribbling Pad + Buzzler's Scribbling Pad - Fixed

TS2 > TS3 Functional Sewing table [BETA V2.0.0]

Programming Skill

Investment Mod (Update 9/3/23) - MultiTab Compatible

Lost&Found: Stock Market

Sim State - The Sims 3 Open For Business Mini Expansion v1.4

Layoff Mod

Ultimate Careers (Version 4.3)

Objects:

Functional Washboard - Sims 4 Conversion

Harvestable Tree Default Replacement

Same Energy Gain For Every Bed

Super Hampers -- Automatic Laundry Pick Up (Plus Bigger Hampers) by Nona Mena (simlogical.com)

Spring Harvest And CookBook

Harvestable Flowers

Better Hoverboards

Canning Station Overhaul

Build/Buy:

One More Slot Please! (with vertical shifting)

[TS3] Catalog Search Mod | Patreon

Add Any Lot Size

TS3 HD Textures Series - Terrain Pack [UPDATE: Fixed road tiling]

No more ugly snowprints

Builder Stuff

Reworked & Improved EA Lights

More Light Coming Through Windows

Other:

Write Thank You Notes Fix

Futuristic Transportation Charge

Advice Social Interactions

Have Sim Arrested Mod

No (or fewer) automatic memories (with custom tool to make your own mod) Edited 01/16/2014

nraas - OnceRead

nraas - Woohooer

Retuned Attraction System

More Traits for All Ages

Lot Population Mod

No Social Groups

Random Sim Fixes 2.0

SetHour Cheat

Let Me Take a Selfie (Update 9/3/23) - Pets Fix

Sunscreen

Burglars Steal Simoleons Too

Tooth Fairy Mod

Dirty Laundry Mod (Update 8/8/23) - Maid & Butler Tweaks

Acne Mod (Update 7/22/23) - Version 2.2

Enhanced Hospitals(Updated 30/1/23)

More Senarios Upon Moving

The Journal Mod

[Public Beta] The Randomizer Mod - REWORKED!

Moar Interactions

DouglasVeiga's Dancer Service

Aging Manager

No Car Relationships

Lightning Enhanced Mod (Lightning in the Sky and Strikes)

Realistically Slower Cars, Taxis, and Bikes

Take Sims To Court - Sue Sims, Become a Lawyer, Have Court Weddings and More!

Social Clubs Mod (+ banking) - Grow Memberships, Push Activities, Make Bank Accounts and More!

Deep Conversations

Sleep on the couch, new interaction

o violet on Tumblr - Pure CAS lighting mod

Reduce/Remove Lag caused by Houseboats

[eastern-obesity]

What's it like living in a country with 38% female obesity? I've always been fascinated that America at 41% seems fatter, but it's also much larger than most countries... It must be amazing living in a smaller country with such prevalence of women being fat, overfed and waddling. How often do you see a very obese niqabi, for example, on the street when going for groceries?

Well, firstly, one has to understand how exceptionally lazy Saudis are as a society. It is extremely common to have a live in maid, if you don't, you very well rent one's services for a time occasionally instead. Every app that comes out to make life more 'convenient' catches on like wildfire, including food delivery and doing your laundry. Before widening out was understood as part of marriage and motherhood, now the consequences of modern life has young women spoiled before they even go off to University and living off of fast food once they get there, there is less expectation, and less pressure to have a middle that isn't a soft belly.

With that considered, I'm surprised we aren't fatter. But to answer your question, at the market? Perhaps not as commonly as you envision, but restaurants low quality and high? Shopping malls and cafes where one goes to enjoy themselves? Theme parks and festivals? What can I say, Saudi women take up a lot of space, spacing out to combat crowding is important just to avoid being squished against all too common shelf like behinds. And having so much flab rubbing together has returned us to being sweaty messes despite our abundant life line of air conditioners.

[rjzimmerman]

Electricity That Costs Nothing—or Even Less? It’s Happening More and More. (Wall Street Journal)

Excerpt from this Wall Street Journal story:

Most people pay a fixed price for each kilowatt-hour of electricity they consume throughout the day. The price is set by their power company and only changes at infrequent intervals—once a week, a month or even only once a year.

Van Diesen, a software salesman, recently signed up to receive electricity from two providers that charge him the hourly price on the Dutch wholesale power market, rather than a fixed price that resets monthly or annually. When the price of electricity falls low enough, smart meters in his house begin charging his two electric cars.  

Wholesale prices swing wildly each hour of the day, and even more so as a larger share of electricity flows from wind and solar installations. Because the generation costs of wind or solar farms are negligible, market prices will be near zero when there is enough renewable power to cover most of a region’s electricity demand. 

Electricity market dynamics get weirder when renewable-energy producers don’t have an incentive to stop feeding power into the grid, usually because of government subsidies. Then grids can be flooded with excess power, pushing prices into negative territory.

Van Diesen said he’s made 30 euros, equivalent to around $34, over the past five months charging his car, enough to cover the service fee from his power supplier, a Norwegian company called Tibber.

“I’m charging the car for free,” said van Diesen, who is part of a group of clean-energy enthusiasts in the Netherlands who call themselves green nerds. “To me it’s also like a hobby and a game—how far can I go?”

Doing laundry in the evening? The electricity could be free a few hours later when demand dies down and the wind picks up. Likewise, in regions with lots of solar power, charging an electric vehicle in the morning is usually far more expensive than powering up under the midday sun—or whenever the price is right.

In the U.S., most states don’t currently allow such real-time pricing, but many think that will change. Already, in some of the world’s biggest economies from Western Europe to California, the occurrence of zero and negative wholesale power prices is growing fast.

Wholesale prices across continental Europe have fallen to zero or below in 6% of all hours this year, up sharply from 2.2% in 2023 and just 0.3% in 2022, according to data collected by Entso-E, the group of European transmission system operators. In markets with lots of renewable capacity, this year’s figure was higher: 8% in the Netherlands, 11% in Finland and 12% in Spain. Analysts expect those numbers will grow as more solar panels and wind turbines are installed.

The changes sweeping Europe’s electricity markets, which were accelerated by the energy crisis brought on by the war in Ukraine, show what could happen in the U.S. in a few years when renewable capacity reaches a similar scale. In 2023, 44% of EU electricity was generated by renewables, compared with 21% in the U.S.

[newstfionline]

Saturday, October 26, 2024

Canada to cut immigration levels in major reversal, Trudeau says (Washington Post) Canada is set to slash the number of immigrants that it welcomes, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday, in a sharp reversal for a country that bet big on immigration to boost economic prosperity and that has long cast itself as open to newcomers. The about-face comes as public opinion polls show waning support for immigration amid concerns that it is exacerbating long-standing housing shortages, pushing up rents and deepening stresses on an already overburdened health-care system. Canada is to admit 395,000 new permanent residents in 2025, a 21 percent drop from the target of 500,000 it set last year. That number will fall further to 380,000 in 2026 and 365,000 in 2027. All are below the goal of 485,000 set for this year.

Asheville Has Tap Water, but No One Knows When It Will Be Drinkable (NYT) Nearly a month after the remnants of Hurricane Helene ravaged western North Carolina, running water has now been restored to most of the region around Asheville—but you can’t drink it yet. What comes out of the tap is often yellow or brown, and while it can be used to flush toilets and take showers, it is still unsafe for human consumption. Officials have given no indication of when the water will be safe to drink again, and the reservoir that feeds the system still looks like it is filled with chocolate milk rather than pristine water. Obtaining clean water remains a daily concern for many residents, who head to disaster relief sites to bathe, do their laundry and pick up bottles of drinking water. Large canisters stocked with well water dot some neighborhoods. Many restaurants and breweries that lack a clean water source remain closed. “It’s the new normal, going around to find places to do everyday stuff,” said Lisa Nowell of Swannanoa, N.C., after she did laundry with her daughter at a disaster relief site. “It has changed life so instantly.”

Thousands of adoptees live in limbo without citizenship (AP) The 50-year-old newspaper was turning yellow and its edges fraying, so she had it laminated, not as a memento but as proof—America made a promise to her, and did not keep it. She pointed to the picture in the corner of her as a little girl in the rural Midwest, hugging the family Yorkshire terrier, with dark pigtails and brown eyes so round people called her Buttons. Next to her sit smiling, proud parents—her father an Air Force veteran who had survived a German prison camp in World War II and found her in an orphanage in Iran. She was a skinny, sickly 2-year-old; he and his wife decided in 1972 to take her home and make her their American daughter. They brought her to the United States on a tourist visa, which in the eyes of the government she soon overstayed as a toddler—and that is an offense that cannot be rectified. She is one of thousands of children adopted from abroad by American parents—many of them military service members—who were left without citizenship by loopholes in American law that Congress has been aware of for decades, yet remains unwilling to fix. She is technically living here illegally, and eligible for deportation. “My dad died thinking, ‘I raised my daughter. I did my part,’ but not knowing it put me on a path of instability and fear,” she said. “Adoption tells you: You’re an American, this is your home. But the United States doesn’t see me as an American.”

Billionaire Esteves Sounds Alarm on US Deficit, Money ‘Printer’ (Bloomberg) Billionaire Andre Esteves, the chairman of Banco BTG Pactual SA, said he’s worried about the lack of debate over the ballooning US deficit and what he sees as the excessive printing of money. The Brazilian banker compared investor concern about his own country’s fiscal situation, which has been whipsawing financial markets, with relative quiet around the situation at the US Federal Reserve. The “reality is, even if you are the owner of the printer, there is a limit to print,” he said. While the fiscal situation [in Brazil] is being discussed daily by newspapers, politicians and investors, there’s been no similar talk in the US, he said. “The difference is that we don’t own a printer and need to be more rigorous.”

Molotov cocktail explodes in a Chilean high school, injuring at least 35 (AP) A homemade firebomb exploded inside a public high school in Chile on Wednesday, igniting a blaze that injured at least 34 students and one teacher, with several in serious condition, firefighters said. A group of students ages 15 to 18 at the school in central Santiago, the capital, were making Molotov cocktails in a bathroom to be thrown at a protest later when one exploded, said police Lt. Col. Fernando Albornoz. It was not clear what caused the blast. Police said they found bottles and fuel cans likely to make the explosives.

A loneliness epidemic is spreading worldwide. Seoul is spending $327 million to stop it (CNN) In South Korea, the city authorities of Seoul have announced they will spend 451.3 billion won (around $327 million) in the next five years to “create a city where no-one is lonely.” Every year, thousands of South Koreans die alone every year, a phenomenon known as “lonely deaths” and part of a larger problem of isolation from society. The initiative will include counselors, in-person visits and consultations, more green spaces and activities to encourage people to connect. “Loneliness and isolation are not just individual problems, but tasks that society must solve together,” Seoul mayor Oh Se-hoon said in a news release. The problem of loneliness has gained national attention over the past decade as the number of related issues increased—such as young people who withdraw from the world and spend their days isolated at home, often for months at a time. The phenomenon, known by the Japanese term “hikikomori,” has become increasingly common; South Korea had up to 244,000 such recluses in 2022 by one estimate. The number of lonely deaths has also been rising—reaching 3,661 last year.

Japan’s ruling party may struggle in Sunday’s vote, but its decades of dominance won’t end (AP) Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba ‘s ruling party, dogged by corruption scandals and plunging support, faces its toughest challenge in more than a decade in Sunday’s parliamentary election. This could set up a very short-lived time in office for Ishiba, who only took power earlier this month. But even if he may have to take responsibility and step down as head of the party and prime minister, it won’t cause his Liberal Democratic Party to fall from power. That’s because the party, which has had a stranglehold on power since 1955, easily dominates a fractured, weak opposition, which has only ruled twice, and briefly, during that time. The LDP has built its juggernaut of support through a network of bureaucrats, businesses and regional leaders. While opposition parties have made inroads in cities, the LDP controls the countryside, funneling huge government subsidies to rural areas.

Storm blows away from northern Philippines leaving 65 dead but forecasters warn it may do a U-turn (AP) Tropical Storm Trami blew away from the northwestern Philippines on Friday, leaving at least 65 people dead in landslides and extensive flooding that forced authorities to scramble for more rescue boats to save thousands of terrified people, who were trapped, some on their roofs. But the onslaught may not be over: State forecasters raised the rare possibility that the storm—the 11th and one of the deadliest to hit the Philippines this year—could make a U-turn next week as it is pushed back by high-pressure winds in the South China Sea.

Israel attacks Iran in series of pre-dawn airstrikes targeting military infrastructure (AP) Israel attacked Iran with a series of pre-dawn airstrikes Saturday in what it said was a response to the barrage of ballistic missiles the Islamic Republic fired upon Israel earlier in the month. The Israeli military said its aircraft targeted facilities that Iran used to make missiles fired at Israel as well as surface-to-air missile sites. There was no immediate indication that oil or missile sites were hit—strikes that would have marked a much more serious escalation—and Israel offered no immediate damage assessment. Explosions could be heard in the Iranian capital, Tehran, though the Islamic Republic insisted they caused only “limited damage” and Iranian state-run media downplayed the attacks. Still, the strikes risk pushing the archenemies closer to all-out war at a time of spiraling violence across the Middle East, where militant groups backed by Iran—including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon—are already at war with Israel. The strikes filled the air for hours until sunrise in Iran. They marked the first time Israel’s military has openly attacked Iran, which hasn’t faced a sustained barrage of fire from a foreign enemy since its 1980s war with Iraq.

Hezbollah proving a formidable foe against Israeli forces in Lebanon (Washington Post) After a series of staggering losses, Hezbollah is putting up a stiff fight against Israeli forces in Lebanon’s south while continuing to rain down rockets across the border, underscoring the group’s resilience and the limitations of Israel’s ground campaign. When Israel sent troops across the border on Oct. 1, officials estimated military operations would last for a few weeks. More than three weeks later, officials have said they will likely need a few weeks longer, raising concerns over the kind of mission creep that has defined Israel’s past wars in Lebanon. The militant group has bounced back from its unprecedented setbacks—including the penetration of its electronic devices and the assassination of most of its senior leadership—thanks to a flexible command structure, help from Iran and years of planning for an Israeli invasion, current and former Lebanese officials said. “They are a formidable foe,” said an official with the Israel Defense Forces. The official said Hezbollah militants are better trained, more experienced after fighting in Syria and armed with more advanced weaponry than in 2006, during their last war with Israel.

In Gaza Camps Where Tents Are Now a Luxury, a Harsh Winter Looms (NYT) A year into the war in Gaza, the prices of ready-made tents and supplies to build even flimsy shelters are soaring. Warm blankets, clothes and firewood are hard to get or prohibitively expensive. Finding a vacant apartment is out of the question for most displaced civilians. And many have no income at all. So people eking out an existence in tattered tents and makeshift shelters across the enclave are bracing for a tough, rainy winter. This one, many expect, will be worse than the last. Most of the roughly two million people in Gaza have been displaced at least once by the war, compounding the hardships of a population enduring waves of Israeli bombardment and widespread lawlessness.