#State Government schemes

[digitaldetoxworld]

Empowering Citizens: A Guide to Key Government Schemes in India 2024

Government schemes in India authorities schemes are designed to cope with various factors of development, welfare, and financial increase. As of 2024, India has a variety of tasks throughout different sectors inclusive of health, schooling, agriculture, and finance . Here’s an overview of some key authorities schemes in India

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)

Objective

State Government schemes the PMAY scheme ambitions to provide less costly housing to the city negative. The intention is to ensure that every family has a domestic with the aid of 2022.

Features

Financial help for constructing or buying a residence.

Subsidies on domestic loans for each urban and rural areas.

Focus on marginalized organizations such as ladies, SC/ST, and economically weaker sections.

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY)

Objective

Government schemes website to make certain economic inclusion by means of offering banking offerings to the unbanked population.

Features

Zero-balance savings debts.

Access to overdraft centers and coverage.

Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) for diverse subsidies and advantages.

Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)

Objective

Coverage of up to ₹5 lakh consistent with own family according to yr for secondary and tertiary hospitalizations.

Cashless and paperless get admission to to healthcare services.

Coverage consists of hospitalization, pre and submit-hospitalization fees.

Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM)

Objective

To promote cleanliness and sanitation throughout rural and urban India.

Features

Construction of bathrooms and sanitation facilities.

Waste management and cleanliness drives.

Behavior exchange campaigns to promote hygiene and sanitation practices.

National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA)

Objective

To provide a felony assure for as a minimum 100 days of salary employment in a economic yr to each rural household.

Features

Wage employment for unskilled guide exertions.

Focus on infrastructure improvement in rural areas.

Includes provisions for worksite centers and payment of wages.

Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY)

Objective

To provide ability development and employment opportunities for rural teens.

Features

Training applications in numerous abilties.

Placement support and profession counseling.

Emphasis on ladies and marginalized groups.

Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN)

Objective

To provide monetary guide to small and marginal farmers.

Features

Direct cash switch of ₹6,000 consistent with yr to eligible farmers.

Support for buying inputs, seeds, and fertilizers.

Aimed at enhancing the earnings of farmers and supporting agricultural sports.

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP)

Objective

To address the declining toddler sex ratio and sell training for women.

Features

Financial incentives for families with girl youngsters.

Campaigns to raise awareness about the fee of girls.

Support for the education and empowerment of ladies.

Startup India Scheme

Objective

To sell entrepreneurship and innovation.

Features:

Tax exemptions and compliance relaxations for startups.

Funding guide and mentorship programs.

Simplified tactics for registration and licensing.

Digital India Programme

Objective

To rework India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.

Features

Development of digital infrastructure and offerings.

E-governance tasks to beautify transparency and efficiency.

Promotion of virtual literacy and ability improvement.

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)

Objective

To provide coverage insurance and monetary aid to farmers inside the event of crop failure.

Features:

Coverage against losses due to natural calamities, pests, and sicknesses.

Low top class costs with high coverage.

Simplified claim agreement method.

.National Education Policy (NEP) 2020

Objective

To overhaul and enhance the Indian education system.

Features

Emphasis on holistic and multidisciplinary schooling.

Introduction of vocational education and skilling from early levels.

National Educational Technology Forum to beautify virtual mastering.

Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan

Objective

 To raise self-reliance and monetary growth thru various tasks.

Features

Economic stimulus packages and reforms.

Support for MSMEs, laborers, and various sectors hit by using financial challenges.

Focus on growing neighborhood manufacturing and reducing dependence on imports.

Skill India Mission

Objective

To beautify the employability of the children via skill improvement applications.

Features

Training in diverse trades and capabilities via the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).

Support for entrepreneurship and vocational schooling.

Collaborations with enterprise for higher activity placements.

Jal Jeevan Mission

Objective

To provide piped water supply to each rural household with the aid of 2024.

Features

Infrastructure development for water supply and control.

Community participation within the upkeep of water resources.

Emphasis on sustainable and inclusive water solutions.

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS)

Objective

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS)

Features

Legal assure of one hundred days of wage employment.

Focus on creating long lasting belongings like roads, canals, and wells.

Includes provisions for salary bills and worksite centers.

Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)

Objective

To beautify rural connectivity by building all-weather roads

Features

Construction of latest roads and upgrading present ones.

Focus on connecting unconnected villages and improving rural infrastructure.

Emphasis on sustainability and pleasant of road construction.

Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana

Objective

To sell financial savings for the schooling and marriage of the woman baby.

Features

High-interest fee on deposits.

Tax blessings under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act.

Long-time period investment with a maturity period of 21 years.

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)

Objective

 To offer assured salary employment to rural households..

Features

100 days of guaranteed employment.

Focus on developing rural infrastructure and property.

Transparent wage bills and worksite centers.

National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP)

Objective

To provide social safety to the aged, widows, and disabled humans.

Financial help to low-income agencies.

Includes pension schemes and economic aid for vulnerable organizations.

Coverage of various welfare schemes and blessings.government schemes apply online t

hese schemes replicate the Indian authorities’s commitment to improving the first-rate of life for its residents and fostering financial boom and social fairness. Each scheme targets specific needs and pursuits to create a more inclusive and developed society.

[townpostin]

Youth Congress to Launch 'Har Ghar Khata-Khat' Campaign in Jamshedpur

From August 6, Youth Congress will conduct a public outreach campaign to survey the effectiveness of state government welfare schemes. Youth Congress to survey state welfare schemes in Jamshedpur, starting door-to-door campaign on August 6. JAMSHEDPUR – Starting on August 6, the Youth Congress will launch the ‘Har Ghar Khata-Khat’ campaign in Jamshedpur to survey the reach and effectiveness of…

[iniziare]

Tag drop: Changli (Wuthering Waves)

[insightfultake]

Delhi Dur Ast: BJP's Quest to Break the Capital's Electoral Enigma in 2025

The phrase "Delhi is far away" (Delhi Dur Ast), attributed to the revered Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya, originally referred to the challenges of achieving one’s aspirations, no matter how close they might seem. Legend has it that the saint uttered these words in frustration towards Sultan Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq, symbolizing the distance between intent and realization. Over centuries, the phrase has evolved into a broader metaphor for unfulfilled ambitions, embodying the BJP's protracted struggle to overcome electoral barriers in Delhi. It originally reflected the challenges of achieving one's goals despite proximity, and for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), it encapsulates a decades-long struggle to secure political dominance in India's capital. Since its lone victory in the 1993 Assembly elections, the BJP has faced a series of setbacks in Delhi, with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) emerging as the dominant force over the last decade. As the February 5, 2025, elections approach, the BJP is mounting an ambitious campaign to rewrite this narrative.

[rightnewshindi]

सरकार लेकर आ रही है 'खेल-खिलाड़ी कर योजना' जयराम ठाकुर बोले, सीएम भूले कल्याणकारी राज्य की परिभाषा

Himachal News: हिमाचल प्रदेश के पूर्व मुख्यमंत्री और विपक्ष के नेता जय राम ठाकुर ने रविवार को खेल के मैदानों और खेल उपकरणों के उपयोग पर शुल्क लगाने के लिए राज्य की कांग्रेस सरकार की आलोचना की। उन्होंने कहा कि यह कदम खेदजनक है। उन्होंने कहा कि शौचालय पर टैक्स लगाने के बाद अब राज्य ��रकार ‘खेल-खिलाड़ी कर योजना’ लेकर आई है, जिसके तहत वह खेल���ं पर टैक्स लगा रही है। नेता प्रतिपक्ष ठाकुर ने एक बयान में…

[head-post]

House rejects temporary funding bill to avoid government shutdown

The House declined Speaker Mike Johnson’s proposal to tie temporary funding for the federal government to a mandate that states require proof of citizenship when registering to vote, according to AP News.

Next steps for government funding remain uncertain. Lawmakers face difficulty in finalising the dozen annual appropriations bills funding federal agencies over the next fiscal year. They will need to approve a temporary measure to avert a partial shutdown when the fiscal year begins on 1 October.

We’ll draw up another play and we’ll come up with a solution. I’m already talking to colleague about their many ideas. We have time to fix the situation and we’ll get right to it.

Johnson withdrew the bill from consideration last week as it lacked the votes to pass.

Requiring new voters to provide proof of citizenship has been a top Republican priority on the campaign trail. However, critics argue the requirement would disenfranchise millions of Americans who do not have a birth certificate or passport at hand.

But Johnson said it was a serious issue, since even a tiny percentage of non-citizens could determine the outcome of an extremely close race. He noted that Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa won the seat back in 2020 by a margin of six votes.

It’s very, very serious stuff and that’s why we’re going to do the right thing. We’re going to responsibly fund the government and we’re going to stop noncitizens voting in elections.

House Democrats argued that a proof-of-citizenship requirement should not be part of a bill to fund the government and urged Johnson to work with them on a measure capable of passing both chambers. Pete Aguilar stated:

[The SAVE Act] is not going to become law. This is Republican theatrics that are meant to appease the most extreme members of their conference, to show them that they are working on something and that they’re continuing to support the former president of the United States in his bid to demonise immigrants.

SAVE Act

The bill would fund agencies generally at current levels through 28 March while lawmakers settle their disagreements on a full-year spending agreement. However, Democrats and some Republicans are pushing for a shorter delay. A temporary solution would allow the current Congress to craft a final bill after the election and send it to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature.

However, Johnson and some of the more conservative members of his conference are pushing for a six-month extension in the hope that Trump would win and give them more leverage in crafting a year-long bill. Meanwhile, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky declined to offer an opinion on how long to extend the funding.

The one thing you cannot have is a government shutdown. It would be politically beyond stupid for us to do that right before the election because certainly we would get the blame.

The House approved a bill with a citizenship verification mandate back in July. Some Republicans who see the issue as popular with their constituents, pushing for another chance to show their support.

Read more HERE

[glorious-maharashtra]

Maharashtra Budget 2024: Key Highlights and Major Initiatives Unveiled by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar

[tenth-sentence]

'Not one GI bride going back to the US under the US government scheme is the wife of a Negro,' he wrote.

"Normal Women: 900 Years of Making History" - Philippa Gregory

[mahayojanaa]

महाराष्ट्र सरकारी योजना 2023 (लिस्ट) संपूर्ण माहिती मराठी | Maharashtra Sarkari Yojana List 2023

महाराष्ट्र सरकारी योजना 2023 संपूर्ण माहिती मराठी | Maharashtra Sarkari Yojana 2023 Marathi | सरकारी योजना 2023 | महाराष्ट्र सरकारी योजना यादी | शासकीय योजना 2023 महाराष्ट्र | मुलींसाठी सरकारी योजना 2023 

महाराष्ट्र सरकार कडून राज्यातील नागरिकांच्या कल्याणासाठी विविध प्रकारच्या योजना राबविण्यात आल्या आहे, या योजनांच्या माध्यमातून महाराष्ट्र शासन राज्यातील गरीब नागरिकांसाठी तसेच राज्यातील विद्यार्थ्यांसाठी आणि विविध स्तरांवरील नागरिकांसाठी अनेक प्रकारच्या आरोग्य योजना तसेच आर्थिक सहाय्य, ग्रामीण भागातील महिलांसाठी त्यांच्या सक्षमीकरणासाठी विविध योजना राबवून त्याना स्वावलंबी केल्या जाते. तसेच राज्यातील उद्योग व्यवसायांना मजबूत आणि प्रगतीशील करण्यासाठी विविध प्रकारच्या योजना सरकार कडून राबविल्या जातात, राज्यातील गरीब आणि वंचित वृध्द नागरिकांना या योजनांच्या माध्यमातून आर्थिक आधार देवून त्याना स्वावलंबी बविण्यात सरकार मदत करत असते. 

राज्यातील गरीब आणि वंचित मागासवर्गीय नागरिकांना घरकुल बांधण्यासाठी योजनांच्या माध्यमातून आर्थिक मदत करून त्यांच्या जीवनात स्थिरता निर्माण केल्या जाते, तसेच नागरिकांच्या आरोग्याची काळजी घेण्यासाठी आरोग्य योजना राबविण्यात येत आहे. वाचक मित्रहो, आपण या लेखात महाराष्ट्र शासनच्या या विविध योजनांच्या संबंधित संपूर्ण माहिती पाहणार आहोत, आपल्यासाठी हि माहिती अत्यंत उपयुक्त ठरू शकते, यासाठी हा लेख संपूर्ण वाचावा. Read more

[stillnaomi]

during WW1, the British government was so scared of socialism that it decided to build 500,000 spacious and good quality homes for the higher strata of blue collar workers, in order to avert any chance of revolution. this would give jobs to many of the demobilised troops and would stop a large section of the proletariat agitating about their living conditions. previously, the government had steadfastly refused to interfere in the freedom of the housing market, despite large sections of the population living in slum housing

as Major Astor of the Local Government Board told parliament during a debate on the scheme:

“When we talk of expense and cost let us realise that everything is comparative, and let us measure the cost of our housing proposals by the cost of Bolshevism to the country and the cost of revolution. The money we propose to spend on housing is an insurance against Bolshevism and revolution. What is the cost to the country of industrial unrest and strikes? You have only to realise the conditions under which many men and women live to realise that unrest is fully justified.”

believe it or not, revolution was seen as a serious threat. this is how the minutes record the PM, David Lloyd George, speaking in a Cabinet meeting on March 3rd 1919:

“In Europe we were now faced with very serious conditions. Russia had gone almost completely over to Bolshevism, and we had consoled ourselves with the thought that they were only a half-civilised race; but now even in Germany, whose people were without exception the best educated in Europe, prospects are very black.

“Bavaria was already in chaos, and the same fate might await Prussia. Spain seemed to be on the edge of upheaval. In a short time we might have three-quarters of Europe converted to Bolshevism. None would be left but France and Great Britain.

“He believed that Great Britain would hold out, but only if the people were given a sense of confidence—only if they were made to believe that things were being done for them. We had promised them reforms time and again, but little had been done. We must give them the conviction this time that we meant it, and we must give them that conviction quickly.”

this is what communists mean when we say that the capitalist state only gives out concessions when its power is under threat

read more about the Homes Fit for Heroes initiative and its politics

[keferon]

Odds of Survival Part 4

Jazz thinks he’s starting to figure stuff out and finds entirely new ways to concern Prowl.

———————————————————————

The flashing visual feedback from the cracked visor felt like his brain was being used for target practice by a middle schooler with a BB gun and the school just canceled pizza day forever.

Jazz was feeling pretty grateful to Prowl right now. Between the glitching visual feed and the misshapen state of his feet, Jazz wasn’t totally confident he could get into the mecha cradle on his own.

At least not without stumbling around like he was completely plastered and trying to decipher a fancy ass hotels space age shower controls.

Seriously, seven different knobs and a touch screen.

Blurr. Dude. Why.

As Prowl walked him through the outpost, Jazz continually got snapshots of his surroundings. Doorway, hallway, door again, room. Another mecha was inside.

At a glance, they looked like the same class type as Prowl. Face, wing thingy’s, and wheels. All the same but with a slightly different color scheme of red and grey.

Jazz was slowly working out what class of mecha they were supposed to be. They couldn’t be Striker class. Not with attachments Prowl straight up specified were delicate.

What even were they? They weren’t thrusters. The wings took the place of where car doors were on a regular car. Which, holy shit, Prowls mecha can turn into a fucking car.

Prowl also flexed and twitched them around a bunch, kinda like how Jazz used his horns to emote. Not that Prowl needed wings to emote because holy FUCK that face. It had micro expressions!!

Okay. Prowl had three things that were cool as fuck going on. An expressive face, delicate wings and the ability to turn into a (fucking) car.

What does that mean? Why would someone build a mecha like that?

Ever since Jazz got spat out by the wormhole and woke up surrounded by aliens, he’s felt like his brain has been slowly circling the drain of a sink. There was some missing piece to all of this that he could feel himself just skirting by over and over again.

Oh fuck right. The other aliens. There was alien life other than tentacle monsters out there. They were dicks sure but at least you could share a train car without any murder attempts.

Ooooohhh. Jazz swayed backwards a little as the tilted his head back in realization. Prowl catching him.

Prowl’s mecha was built to work with other fighters in space. He clearly had a life support system to survive in a vacuum. He had a highly expressive face to help communicate with aliens. The wings must be satellites for communication. The car mode was for fast tracking across planet surfaces. Prowl was crazy smart, over and over again Jazz had watched him figure out exactly where they needed to go and how to get there. Of course there was a reason he was so easy to work with. It was his job.

Prowl wasn’t any kind of pre-existing class from Jazz’s mecha program. Prowl was every Strikers pipe dream that kept getting brought up and then thrown out for “not being cost effective”.

Prowl was a Support Class Mecha.

Live on the field, giving real time updates and backup.

Damn.

Whatever shadow government Prowl worked for must be insanely rich. Wonder if they’re taking applications.

Prowl unhooked Jazz’s remaining functional arm from over his shoulders. He maneuvered Jazz to sit on a bench height concrete extension from the floor.

The microphones in his horns were still working fine despite one of them sending many unhappy damage report messages.

“Sit here and don’t move.” From the glimpses Jazz could catch, Prowl looked concerned but focused. Jazz wanted to ask why they didn’t go to some kind of docking station but figured Prowl knew what was up and went along with it.

Jazz could hear the mystery mecha talking. A lot.

It was in that other language Prowl had initially tried talking to Jazz with, except speed up by a bajillion percent.

From the tone, the new mecha was asking Prowl a barrage of questions. Prowl, for his part, replied in short concise sentences or occasionally a silent glare. The other mecha didn’t seem put off by this and merrily continued talking as he lined up another shot through some kind of rail gun setup built into the slit window.

Eventually, the new mecha started directing his questions at him. Apparently stopping to breath wasn’t a thing with this guy.

Jazz did his best to shrug. “Sorry man. No idea what you’re saying.”

Prowl interceded in common, “Jazz, this is Bluestreak.” He waved in the direction of the sniper, who smiled and waved.

“Bluestreak, this is Jazz. He is only just learning Common.” Prowl turned to Bluestreak with a scolding look. “I need to focus on helping him while you focus on the remaining quintessons. Understood?”

“I got it! I got it. I can stop talking when I’m working you know.” Bluestreak nodded and turned back towards the view port, but not without calling over his shoulder, “So Jazz, my brothers face is emotion positive positive positive?”

Oh Jazz could hear the shit eating grin from the other side of the room.

“HAH!” Jazz accidentally knocked his head back against the wall and visor started glitching worse. “Eugh. Eh, worth it.”

“Both of you be quiet or I will separate you.” Prowl threatened.

Jazz, chuckled good naturally but otherwise quieted down. He watched the stop motion footage of Prowl opening some kind of crate and collecting what looked like a tube of glue, a pair of giant tweezers and some kind of mecha sized chrome-mesh duct tape.

His face was suddenly very close and Jazz did not startle. Nope. Who said that?

He felt the pressure of a hand settling on his good shoulder. Prowl was wearing that highly concentrated look again. And Jazz was so focused trying to work out what the internal mechanisms of his eyes were that he missed what Prowl was saying to him.

“Could you say that again? My…uh.”

M’kay, how to translate ‘I definitely have whiplash and maybe also sort of a Concussion’ into common. “Head function negative? Uh, too much motion. Broken but small negative?”

Yeaaaah Prowl did not seem reassured by Jazz’s attempt to downplay his condition. Which meant he nailed the translation! He was so getting at least a B+ in this language class.

Fuck his head hurt.

“I want to help you as much as I can. I am not a person-profession-help. Can I help you with what I have?” Prowl had a little furrow between his eyebrows.

“Sure, I won’t fight you.” Jazz stabilized himself best he could. The sentence must have translated weird, because Prowl looked kinda concerned before pulling out a strip of shiny duct tape.

The winged mecha paused, examining Jazz’s busted shoulder, and then doubled the length of tape.

When Prowl wrapped the mesh textured tape around and just above the breakage, something weird started happening to Jazz’s systems. The Severe Damage Warnings and big bright Error messages Jazz had been actively ignoring for the past half hour started to reduce in number. One by one they all quieted down. Checking his mechas systems, the arm was still marked as compromised, but the ai wasn’t actively screaming into his poor brain anymore.

The quiet was such an overwhelming balm Jazz audibly groaned in relief. “I owe you so, so, many drinks. What is that stuff?”

Prowl stilled, “It is-“ he paused, clearly trying to work out how to translate a complicated term into a common equivalent. “It is a kind of repair mesh. You…you don’t know what repair mesh is?”

Jazz got a snapshot of Prowl and even Bluestreak’s expressions. The sniper looking over his shoulder, eyes wide and mouth open in silent confusion. Prowl’s stare was boring into him, making Jazz squirm.

“Um. Yes? At least it’s not something I’ve ever seen before. I mean, I don’t actually need it if it’s too expensive.” Jazz turned owlishly between the two.

Jazz heard Bluestreak start to make a questioning noise before having his focus be pulled back to the winding down invasion outside. Prowl looked into the distance for a moment, then took up the tweezers. He schooled his expression like he was about to do brain surgery.

“I’m going to work on your helm and visor now. Please hold still.” Prowl placed his hand against the side of his head, stabilizing.

“M’kay. Go ahead.” And Jazz put his mecha into Maintenance Mode.

The lights inside the mecha dimmed down to a low glow. Like this, the engine dropped into an idle hum, and the mecha could only move very slowly. Jazz had to hold a position for a few seconds before anything would respond, giving plenty of time for engineers to move out of the way.

Jazz also shut off the incoming feed from the visor, since looking at a bright flashing screen was probably on the list of things you’re not supposed to do while concussed. As well as fall asleep. Or operate heavy machinery.

Two out of three ain’t bad. Call it another B+.

Jazz felt like he might be dropping a letter grade soon though. He usually associated Maintenance Mode with being bored out of his mind, but after the insane last few hour’s, the slow quiet was practically a spa session.

It didn’t hurt that Jazz could feel Prowls hand cradling the side of his head. Technically, the mechas could only sense pressure. No heat. No texture. Given a reference point though, the human brain was pretty fantastic at filling in the gaps.

It felt warm. And soft.

“Jazz?” Prowl stopped what he’d been doing.

Ah.

Jazz came back into full awareness from where he’d been drifting off. He was pressing into Prowls hand.

“Sorry, sorry.” He lethargically pulled away. How do you explain “Hey! Sorry about pushing against you like a stray cat! I’m just kinda super into piloting mecha and being held like that is kind of a novel experience.” in a completely foreign language you learned that morning?

Jazz dragged his ass back upright.

“I’m not, uh, familiar? With a hold like that. Touch-positive. Normally I only feel touch-fight or touch-medical.” Jazz meant to say touch-maintenance, but he was already rambling and for some reason the words were really similar in Common.

Prowl didn’t respond.

Jazz felt his chest tighten. “Prowl?”

“I’m here.” Prowl said quickly. There was an edge of static to his voice.

He didn’t remove his hand. “I’m still here.”

The rest of Jazz’s maintenance went by quietly. Prowl kept his hand where it was for the majority of it, only repositioning once to tilt his head back while working on the cracks of his visor.

Jazz wasn’t 100% sure why Prowl indulged him. Maybe got it? Or maybe he just thought Jazz was passing out and needed to be grounded. Okay yeah, that actually makes the most sense. Plus it was also what literally happened.

Eventually, the pilots heart finally slowed to a resting rate. Mostly. Jazz kept jerking awake.

If falling asleep with a concussion was bad, then falling asleep with a concussion while piloting a mecha would probably do very bad things to his lightly fried meatball of a brain.

He tried remembering what he could of his mandatory pilot safety course he took with Ratchet before the doctor left the program. He mostly remembered sneaking out.

It was fortunate then the pilot was just delirious enough that every time he almost conked out, the spiritual embodiment of Ratchet would scare the fuck out of him.

Thanks Ratchet.

See? I did learn something.

He heard a tarp rustling, and then his busted arm was being manipulated. Jazz brought his visor back online, pleased to see it wasn’t flashing anymore. His vision was a little distorted in the corner on the left side but he could deal with that.

When he looked around, Prowl was in the process of tying makeshift sling in place to keep his damaged bits from jostling around.

Jazz also got a good look at the emblem on his mecha’s chest. It kinda looked like an angular mecha face. Jazz didn’t recognize brand design though. Maybe he’d remember once he’d recovered from the bullshit of the day.

He was kinda too tired to think properly at the moment. That circling-the-sink-drain feeling hadn’t actually left, even with the Support Class revelation.

“That is the best I can do for now. Our ship should arrive in five breems.” Prowl hesitantly let go of Jazz.

“Thanks Prowler, you’re the best.” He wriggled now free horns at him. Incrementally, Jazz brought his systems back online, running through well practiced motions to ensure everything was working. Well, everything that was supposed to be working anyways.

He heard a raspberry being blown by Bluestreak, the mecha had his hands on his knees and he was looking from Jazz to Prowl.

“Prowler?”

Prowl frowned. “Yes?”

“Prow-ler.”

Prowl frowned harder, “I’m aware.”

Bluestreak straightened up, “Okay, you’ve delayed this long enough. I need to talk to this guy one on one. Go talk to the Big Boss and I’ll watch Jazz. Please mech. I gotta. I gotta talk to this guy or I’m going to explode. Like, where is he from? Why does he look like that? How’d he end up floating in space? What’s his native language? Does he know any other languages? Why has he never heard of Common before? Is he super young? How are the others gonna react? What are you going to say to Elita? Oh Elita says hi by the way. Or, not really, she said ‘contact me as soon as possible’ and then hung up on me. Which is fine. Oh but you should seriously respond to you-know-who first.”

Jazz was getting maybe every third word of that. Bluestreak was still going. Wow. Impressive breath control no lie.

Prowl visibly sighed, straightening his posture into something military grade. Immune to the conversation tornado.

“Jazz, I must speak with our factions leader. I will not mention you to him until you have a better understanding of our military structure and you are able to choose to engage.” Prowl kept his hands folded behind his back. The total shift in body language was jarring.

“Okay,” Jazz nodded slowly. “I’ll be here, thanks again.”

Prowl nodded curtly once before shooting a warning look at Bluestreak, and then left the room.

The loss was weird in a way Jazz couldn’t properly describe. Prowl was so easy to click with that once he was gone, Jazz remembered he was stranded in deep space surrounded by what were effectively perfect strangers.

He didn’t get to dwell on it long though, as Bluestreak sidled up to him, propping his chin on one hand.

“So! I’ll let you go first. Ask me anything and I’ll tell you all about it!”

Jazz had a lot of questions but figured he’d start with something basic to help along his language acquisition.

“What,” he poked Bluestreak in his purple badge, “Are your cuss words?”

———————————————————————

Prowl: What do you mean you are actually capable of experiencing pain?

Prowl: What do you mean you don’t know what local anesthetic is?

Prowl: What do you mean no one has ever touched you when it didn’t involve medical treatment??

Prowl: WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU’VE GONE THROUGH MEDICAL TREATMENT WITHOUT ANESTHETIC.

Man oh man, this is the end of this arc but there’s more I still want to write. Gonna start cataloguing and saving these as well.

-SSTP

OH MY GOD. OH NO. Oh my god

Yeah no that makes SO much sense khftugssujdsthdd. Without that one little important piece of information their understanding of each other. Oh man. It's not just bad. It's FANTASTICALLY wrong but somehow generally still in the vaguely right direction??

Like Jazz being regularly medically mistreated is kind of true BUT NOT IN THE WAY YOU THINK PROWL

And Prowl being that sweet sweet support class mecha?? FUKFDEY Y e ah.

Oh this is amazing. Oh thIS IS FUCKING GREAT SSTP I WILL DIE FOR YOU

[townpostin]

Cycle Distribution Ceremony Held in Jamshedpur

State government distributes cycles to students under ambitious scheme. A grand cycle distribution ceremony was held at Jamshedpur Sadar Block Headquarters on Friday, benefiting students from various schools. JAMSHEDPUR – The state government’s cycle distribution scheme had a grand ceremony at the Jamshedpur Sadar Block Headquarters on Friday. MLAs Saryu Roy from Jamshedpur East, Mangal Kalindi…

[mostlysignssomeportents]

SoCal Gas spent millions on astroturf ops to fight climate rules

Today (19 Aug), I'm appearing at the San Diego Union-Tribune Festival of Books. I'm on a 2:30PM panel called "Return From Retirement," followed by a signing:

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/festivalofbooks

It's a breathtaking fraud: SoCal Gas, the largest gas company in America, spent millions secretly paying people to oppose California environmental regulations, then illegally stuck its customers with the bill. We Californians were forced to pay to lobby against our own survival:

https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article277266828.html

The criminal scheme is spelled out in eye-watering detail in a superb investigative report by Joe Rubin and Ari Plachta for the Sacramento Bee, which names the law firms and individual lawyers involved in the scam.

Here's the situation: SoCal Gas is California's private, regulated gas monopoly. They are allowed to lobby, but are legally required to charge their lobbying activities to their shareholders, and are prohibited from raising customer rates to pay for lobbying.

The company spent years secretly violating this rule, in the sleaziest way possible: working with corporate cartels like the California Restaurant Association and BizFed, the monopoly paid BigLaw white-shoe firms to procure people who posed as concerned citizens in order to oppose climate regulations that are essential to the state's very survival.

The bill topped $36 million – and it was illegally charged to its customers, the Californians whose immediate health and long-term survival these efforts opposed. SoCal Gas refuses to disclose the full extent of the spending, as do its lawyer-procurers, who cite legal confidentiality and a First Amendment right to secretly seek to influence policy in their refusal to disclose their profits from this illegal conduct.

The law firms involved are a who's-who of California's most prominent corporate fixers, including Reichman Jorgensen and Holland & Knight. The partners involved have a long rap sheet for anti-climate dirty tricking, most notably Jennifer Hernandez, notorious in climate justice history for an incident where activists claim she posed as one of them, infiltrating a campaign to force corporate despoilers to clean up their pollution in order to sabotage it, while secretly on a wealthy, prominent landowner's payroll.

Hernandez claims to care about the environment and says that her longstanding, corporate-funded, extensive campaigns and lawsuits against state environmental regulations are motivated by concern over their impact on working people. Her firm, Holland & Knight, denies serving SoCal Gas in opposing gas regulations, but it received $594k in ratepayer dollars, and submitted comments opposing the rules on its own behalf. Those comments were nearly identical to the comments submitted by SoCal Gas.

Hernandez also represents an obscure organization called The Two Hundred for Home Ownership in "a flurry of lawsuits" over California Air Resources Board rules on pollution, seeking to overturn the state's landmark climate change regulations.

Two Hundred for Home Ownership was founded by Robert Apodaca, who told the Bee that Hernandez's work for him is pro bono and not funded by SoCal Gas, but his entry into the fray occurred just as SoCalGas was founding an astroturf group called Californians for Fair and Balanced Energy (C4BES), which pretended to be an independent organization, disguising its relationship with SoCal Gas.

Apodaca is also founder of United Latinos Vote, an organization that had been largely dormant for seven years, not receiving any donations, until 2018, when the California Building Industry Association gave it $99k. The CBIA is a large-dollar recipient of donations from SoCal Gas, and its CEO insists that it was not acting on SoCal Gas's behalf when it made its unpredented donation to Apodaca.

The CBIA donation to United Latinos Vote was forerunner to a flood of corporate donations from the likes of Chevron, Marathon and Phillips 66. Shortly after receiving this cash, United Latinos Vote ran a full page ad in the LA Times, accusing the Sierra Club of pushing for anti-gas appliance rules that would harm working class Latino families.

This ad, in turn, featured prominently in advocacy by the SoCal Gas front group C4BES, funded with $29.1m in ratepayer money, which it then spent seeking to link clean appliance rules with anti-Latino racism. A quarter of California's carbon emissions come from home gas use.

SoCal Gas is regulated by the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC), which tolerated this mounting illegal conduct for many years, even as the company circulated internal memos as early as 2015 discussing its plans to oppose electrification in the state on the basis that it constituted "a significant risk to our business."

But last year, CPUC fined SoCal Gas $10m. Now, CPUC's Public Advocate office has filed a damning, extensive report on SoCal Gas's unlawful conduct, seeking $80m in rate cuts to compensate Californians for the funds misappropriated to protect the company's shareholder interests:

https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Efile/G000/M517/K407/517407314.PDF

Additionally, the Public Advocate is demanding $233m in fines for the company's refusal to allow investigators to audit its books and discover the full extent of the fraud.

SoCal Gas is the nation's largest utility, but (incredibly), it's not the dirtiest. That prize goes to Ohio's FirstEnergy, which handed $60m in ratepayer dollars to state politicians in illegal bribes in exchange for coal and nuclear subsidies and cancellation of state climate rules. That scandal led to GOP speaker of the Ohio House Larry Householder being sentenced to 20 years in prison:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio_nuclear_bribery_scandal

There is something extraordinarily sleazy about using ratepayers' own money to lobby against their interests. SoCal Gas and its Big Law enablers have funneled millions in Californian's money into campaigns to poison us and boil us alive, and they did it while using workers and racialized people as human shields.

I'm kickstarting the audiobook for "The Internet Con: How To Seize the Means of Computation," a Big Tech disassembly manual to disenshittify the web and make a new, good internet to succeed the old, good internet. It's a DRM-free book, which means Audible won't carry it, so this crowdfunder is essential. Back now to get the audio, Verso hardcover and ebook:

http://seizethemeansofcomputation.org

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/19/cooking-the-books-with-gas/#reichman-jorgensen

Image: Maryland GovPics (modified) https://www.flickr.com/photos/mdgovpics/6635539089/

Jackie (modified) https://www.flickr.com/photos/79874304@N00/197532792

CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

[spacenoirdetective]

I don't have a shred of respect for this absolute pile of failure. Biden has never EVER EVER taken responsibility FOR LITERALLY ANYTHING HE HAS EVER DONE IN HIS ENTIRE LIFE THAT HAS RESULTED IN FINANCIAL DEVASTATION, SKYROCKETING CRIME, AN INCIPIENT COMMUNIST REVOLUTION, A TOTALITARIAN GOVERNMENT THAT HAS TRIED TO DESTROY ITS OPPONENTS THROUGH MASS PSYCHOSIS AND BRAINWASHING AND ABSOLUTE SOCIAL MADNESS. If you don't see this ruthless, bitter, sabotaging, incompetent supremely entitled dullard for the asinine fraud and sociopathic compulsive liar he is, you are FUCKING BLIND!! SERIOUSLY, WAKE THE FUCK UP!!!

If a perianal abscess had a face, it would be this motherfucker.

He's also a decrepit, mentally deficient, obviously mentally impaired, dementia addled pustule spawned from Satan's asshole protected by the same elites who want to enslave you that he vows to punish as your false savior figure through nonsensical policies whose only goal is the total control over your body, your speech, your actions and your thoughts.

Fuck. You. You dumb, worthless sack of bat shit with your laughing prostitute of a vice president who is literally just a whore in a pantsuit. Fuck your worthless degenerate drug addled son with his Russian human trafficking ring and endless obscenities against God. Fuck your whole family and their criminal influence peddling, embezzlement, pyramid schemes, money laundering and THE ENDLESS NONSTOP HYPOCRISY. FUCK YOUR COWARDICE AS YOU BOW TO THE MOST INSIDIOUS COLLECTION OF AUTHORITARIANS WHO HAVE CONSPIRED TO DESTROY WESTERN CIVILIZATION AND FUCK YOUR ENDLESS FAKE OUTRAGE AGAINST THE ONE PERSON WHO HAS MANAGED TO STOP YOU FROM YOUR PLANS OF A NEW WORLD ORDER.

And fuck you if you keep supporting these people. They hate you. They hate America. Every fucking thing they have ever said is a constructed lie, a designed control mechanism. They hate freedom and democracy. They hate God. They hate Jesus. They hate everything pure and good. They hate everything but power and money. They want to replace worship of God with state worship. They have zero morals. They deluge you with propaganda and if you support them your head is just stuck so far up your asshole you refuse to see it because your ego won't allow it.

I want to shit on his grave.

[inkskinned]

one of the things that i think we should pay attention to, socially, about the disney v. desantis thing is that it is really highlighting the importance of remembering nuance.

in a purely neutral sense, if you engage in something problematic, that does not mean you are necessarily agreeing with what makes it problematic. and i am worried that we have become... so afraid of any form of nuance.

disney isn't my friend, they're a corporate monopoly that bastardized copyright laws for their own benefit, ruin the environment, and abuse their workers (... and many other things). this isn't a hypothetical for me - i grew up in florida. i also worked for the actual Walt Disney World; like, in the parks. i am keenly aware of the ways they hurt people, because they hurt me. i fully believe that part of the reason florida is so conservative is because it's been an "open secret" for years now that disney lobbies the government to keep minimum wage down, and i know they worked hard to keep the parks unmasked and open during the worst parts of Covid. they purposefully keep their employees in poverty. they are in part responsible for the way the floridian government works.

desantis is still, by a margin that is frankly daunting, way worse. the alternative here isn't just "republicans win", it's actual fascism.

in a case like this, where the alternative is to allow actual fascism into united states legislation - where, if desantis wins, there are huge and legal ramifications - it's tempting to minimize the harm disney is also doing, because... well, it's not fascism. but disney isn't the good guy, either, which means republicans are having a field day asking activists oh, so you think their treatment of their employees is okay?

we have been trained there is a right answer. you're right! you're in the good group, and you're winning at having an opinion.

except i have the Internet Prophecy that in 2-3 months, even left-wing people will be ripping apart activists for having "taken disney's side". aren't i an anti-capitalist? aren't i pro-union? aren't i one of the good ones? removed from context and nuance (that in this particular situation i am forced to side with disney, until an other option reveals itself), my act of being like "i hope they have goofy rip his throat out onstage, shaking his lifeless body like a dog toy" - how quickly does that seem like i actually do support disney?

and what about you! at home, reading this. are you experiencing the Thought Crime of... actually liking some of the things disney has made? your memories of days at the parks, or of good movies, or of your favorite show growing up. maybe you are also evil, if you ever enjoyed anything, ever, at all.

to some degree, the binary idealization/vilification of individual motive and meaning already exists in the desantis case. i have seen people saying not to go to the disney pride events because they're cash grabs (they are). i've seen people saying you have to go because they're a way to protest. there isn't a lot of internet understanding of nuance. instead it's just "good show of support" or "evil bootlicking."

this binary understanding is how you can become radicalized. when we fear nuance and disorder, we're allowing ourselves the safety of assuming that the world must exist in binary - good or bad, problematic or "not" problematic. and unfortunately, bigots want you to see the world in this binary ideal. they want you to get mad at me because "disney is taking a risk for our community but you won't sing their praises" and they want me to get mad at you for not respecting the legit personal trauma that disney forced me through.

in a grander scheme outside of disney: what happens is a horrific splintering within activist groups. we bicker with each other about minimal-harm minimal-impact ideologies, like which depiction of bisexuality is the most-true. we gratuitously analyze the personal lives of activists for any sign they might be "problematic". we get spooked because someone was in a dog collar at pride. we wring our hands about setting an empty shopping mall on fire. we tell each other what words we may identify ourselves by. we get fuckin steven universe disk horse when in reality it is a waste of our collective time.

the bigots want you to spend all your time focusing on how pristine and pretty you and your interests are. they want us at each other's throats instead of hand in hand. they want to say see? nothing is ever fucking good enough for these people.

and they want their followers to think in binary as well - a binary that's much easier to follow. see, in our spaces, we attack each other over "proper" behavior. but in bigoted groups? they attack outwards. they have someone they hate, and it is us. they hate you, specifically, and you are why they have problems - not the other people in their group. and that's a part of how they fucking keep winning.

some of the things that are beloved to you have a backbone in something terrible. the music industry is a wasteland. the publishing industry is a bastion of white supremacy. video games run off of unpaid labor and abuse.

the point of activism was always to bring to light that abuse and try to stop it from happening, not to condemn those who engage in the content that comes from those industries. "there is no ethical consumption under late capitalism" also applies to media. your childhood (and maybe current!) love of the little mermaid isn't something you should now flinch from, worried you'll be a "disney adult". wanting the music industry to change for the better does not require that you reject all popular music until that change occurs. you can acknowledge the harm something might cause - and celebrate the love that it has brought into your life.

we must detach an acknowledgment of nuance from a sense of shame and disgust. we must. punishing individual people for their harmless passions is not doing good work. encouraging more thoughtful, empathetic consumption does not mean people should feel ashamed of their basic human capacities and desires. it should never have even been about the individual when the corporation is so obviously the actual evil. this sense that we must live in shame and dread of our personal nuances - it just makes people bitter and hopeless. do you have any idea how scared i am to post this? to just acknowledge the idea of nuance? that i might like something nuanced, and engage in it joyfully? and, at the same time, that i'm brutally aware of the harm that they're doing?

"so what do i do?" ... well, often there isn't a right answer. i mean in this case, i hope mickey chops off ron's head and then does a little giggle. but truth be told, often our opinions on nuanced subjects will differ. you might be able to engage in things that i can't because the nuance doesn't sit right with me. i might think taylor swift is a great performer and a lot of fun, and you might be like "raquel, the jet fuel emissions". we are both correct; neither of us have any actual sway in this. and i think it's important to remember that - the actual scope of individual responsibility. like, i also love going to the parks. Thunder Mountain is so fun. you (just a person) are not responsible for the harm that Disney (the billion dollar corporation) caused me. i don't know. i think it's possible to both enjoy your memories and interrogate the current state of their employment policies.

there is no right way to interrogate or engage with nuance - i just hope you embrace it readily.

[tanoraqui]

With all due respect to my new idol Ms. Kui, I’ll be treating this particular post-canon comic as a guideline at best.

Hiring a bunch of advisors for your new country who are experts in how things are done in other countries just means you’re going to end up with a country in which things happen like they already do in other countries. What a missed opportunity no matter where you are—and most of all in Melini, which doesn’t want to be like other countries! This is going to be a country ruled by tallmen, rather than elves, dwarves or gnomes! A country in which halflings as well as orcs, kobolds and other “demihumans” have full rights and respect! A country in which petty, non-destructive monsters will be raised and eaten as crops and livestock!

Yes, a king as inexperienced as Laios needs advisors who actually know how to govern a country. But a king as inexperienced and socially & politically inept as Laios also needs advisors he can trust. Who are these guys?!

@ Chilchuck Tims specifically get your ass back here, you lanky little shit. You started a union. You may not know how to “govern”, but you know how to unite, organize, politick, manage, bargain, bully… You helped save this world, buster. You unbroke it, you bought it.

While I’m here, I’d like to issue a concern that Yaad probably isn’t as good at politics or governance as he thinks he is. Sure, he has 1,000 years of experience…with a single, specific group of people, population unchanging except to slowly shrink, with NO threat of famine, plague, war, monsters, or any other dangers except depression and one (1) increasingly paranoid protective mage. Sure, he can play the age card on even the elves, but is he ready for complex international politics? I’m skeptical.

Seriously though, if they mean to start as they mean to go on—and they have to do the former, or they won’t be able to do the latter—then there needs to be at least 1 orc and at least 1 halfling among all those advisors. Ideally a kobold or offer, too.

And get that guy who was running the Island’s black market (so, shadow-governing the island) for Treasurer of State or something. He's a skilled opportunist, which is exactly the sort of person who'll thrive in this brand-new ancient kingdom. Better to have him lying, scheming and getting filthy rich for you than against you.