#Uber Business Strategy

[self-learns]

How Does Uber Make Money? Uber Business Model

Introduction: In just a few short years, Uber has revolutionized the way we think about transportation. With its innovative use of technology and disruptive business model, Uber has transformed the way people move around cities worldwide. From its humble beginnings as a ride-hailing service, Uber has become a global phenomenon, challenging traditional taxi services and establishing itself as a…

[glossdebut]

Take a Bite Ch. 1

✧ PAIRING: yoongi x fem!reader

✧ SUMMARY: Your fledgling career as a music journalist is finally going in some kind of direction that must be on the path to success. Your coworkers like you enough to invite you out on Fridays, your boss is starting to think you’re competent enough to let you score a few bylines, and you're finally getting the hang of InDesign. All of your hard work, late nights, and complete lack of a social life are starting to pay off... Even if it all came at the expense of the longest relationship of your life. Fine. You've accepted the fact that romance isn't for you, under any circumstances. You won't risk your career for anybody. Not even Min Yoongi.

✧ TAGS: slow burn, eventual smut, eventual romance, producer yoongi, music journalist reader, neighbors to friends to lovers? you'll see, reader is bad at feelings, reader is post-break up

✧ WARNINGS: social drinking, mechanical bull-related injuries lol

✧ WORDCOUNT: 2.7k so far

✧ STATUS: complete

✧ AUTHOR'S NOTE: hi! i'm aqua and this is my first ever fic so please be nice!! i will be crossposting this work and all future works on my ao3 of the same name. i'm figuring out how this works as i go, so please be patient with me. tags are subject to change with every update. i won't have a posting schedule for this one, but i have the first few chapters pre-written, so expect an update sometime next week!

Chapter 1: Lay Your Cards Down, Down, Down, Down

Although this is the furthest thing from your scene, you can’t help but think to yourself that you should invest in some cowboy boots. You could make them work, you’re sure of it.

Even if you know you would never pull the trigger on purchasing any, too far out of the comfort zone of your normal style, the thought is the only thing keeping you sane—that, and the sound of Cowboy Carter blasting through the speakers of the bar, a welcome reprieve from the drawling, boring country anthems you’d been suffering through for the past hour or so. 

You pride yourself on seeing the merit in all genres of music, you do. You were always the type of person who puffed up her chest when you told people ‘I listen to everything,’ uncaring of how pretentious it may sound. You mean it. It’s an asset in your line of work, and as far as you’re concerned, a little bit of pretentiousness is a small price to pay for the, quite frankly, baller route your fledgling career is heading in. 

But a Western bar? Not the kind of place you’d spend a precious Friday night willingly. Another hazard of the job.

After months of skillfully avoiding the weekly Friday nights out with the other rookie reporters at the magazine, you’d run out of excuses not to join them. If four years studying communications taught you anything, it was that connections are everything in the journalism business. Even more so where the music industry is concerned.

So here you are, at your fourth stop of your night of bar hopping with your extroverted and extremely drunk coworkers, nursing warm beer and observing from the least populated corner you managed to scout upon entry. All things considered, you had been a good sport at the three previous stops. You just draw the line at square dancing with the people you work with. College may have beaten your fear of impromptu phone calls and talking to strangers out of you, but your social battery can only take so much. 

Your phone battery, too, you think bitterly as you stare down at the low battery warning on your screen. Okay, so you’ll finish your shitty beer (because you’re not quite successful enough yet to afford wasting alcohol that you’re paying for) and then use your phone’s remaining juice to catch an Uber home. No biggie.

You’re in the middle of turning off your phone with full intent to work out the kinks of your exit strategy when you realize, with irritation, that your chosen corner is about to be invaded.

Your eyes land on a pair of black Jordans ( in a Western bar? your mind supplies, as if you have any room to judge in your Docs) and travel up, past torn black jeans and a black shirt, and just when you’re sensing a theme with this guy, your eyes reach a head of (regrettably, very nice) black hair and a pair of the darkest eyes you’ve ever seen. Anish Kapoor would wail at the sight of these eyes, you think.

As if sensing your apprehension, your corner-thief raises his free hand (the other clutching a plastic cup of his own) palm out, as if to say ‘I come in peace’ and stops in his tracks.

“I can find another spot,” corner-thief says, the low rumbling of his voice barely audible above Texas Hold ‘Em. “I’m just waiting for one of my friends to get bored or injured so I can leave.”

“Injured,” you repeat, despite your better judgment to take him up on his offer and let him be on his way. But your phone is dead and you’re a little bit drunk, bored, and even for an unwanted partner in social evasion, this guy is nicer to look at than the frat guys playing beer pong you’ve been observing for the better part of an hour.

Corner-thief grins a stupidly charming gummy smile, leaning just the slightest bit closer to be heard better but still keeping a respectful distance. As if he’s still wary that you’ll lunge at him if he encroaches on your space any further. Good man.

“There’s a mechanical bull upstairs,” he says, using his index finger on the hand holding his cup to point at the ceiling above you both.

Of course there is. With your luck, you’ll also have to peel someone off of the floor later after going head-to-head with the bull.

“Not your thing?” you guess, glancing pointedly at his Jordans, and he shakes his head, huffing through his nose in what you can only guess is a laugh.

“No, I wouldn’t say so.” 

He pauses, shifting from foot to foot for a moment before speaking again. “So, will you share your wall? I can look around again but this place is more packed than I would’ve pegged it for.”

You nod and he smiles again thankfully, taking the spot on the wall next to you. That should be it. Two strangers who don’t want to be here standing in companiable silence next to each other while they wait for their friends–or coworkers, in your case–to put them out of their misery and let them go home.

But… You consider your options, your phone taking its dying breath in your pocket, and you sigh, turning to him.

“Y/N,” you say, holding out your hand for him to shake. 

He takes it with his free hand, giving you an amused look. “Yoongi.”

“What’s that look for?”

He laughs again, a little bit more this time, and your heart does a stupid, funny thing. “I don’t think I’ve ever been greeted by a pretty girl in a bar with a handshake,” he says, causing you to flush and pull your hand away as if it’d been burned, your shoulders tensing as you take a sip of your beer. 

A western bar certainly isn’t your scene, but admittedly, neither are bars or clubs in general. You got all of that out of your system in college where everyone was awkward as fuck or too drunk to care that you were, and ever since you got your degree you have lived and breathed your work. Your social skills were never quite up to par, but you didn’t realize you were this fucking embarrassing.

“I came out with coworkers right after we got off, so I think I’m still kind of in work mode,” you lie, and as if sensing that you feel slightly made fun of, Yoongi shakes his head.

“I didn’t mean it as a bad thing, swear,” he says, tilting his head at you. Dark eyes considering you. “Honestly, I’m thankful you’re putting up with me at all. I don’t think I’d be so kind if the roles were reversed. I know firsthand how hard it is to find a spot to breathe in places like this.”

You feel your shoulder muscles relax just the slightest bit. “I thought about sending you away, but I couldn’t help it. My heart aches when I see an introvert in need of a hiding spot,” you attempt to joke. 

“At least I’m out with friends,” he says sympathetically. “I’ve done the coworker thing before. It’s a drag.”

“It’s weird ,” you correct. “I mean, I sit in meetings with these people. I avoid answering their emails all day. Why is it considered rude to not want to see them piss drunk?”

Yoongi hums in agreement, nodding his head. “What do you do, anyway?”

“I work for Look Here Magazine,” you reply, straightening up a bit in pride when Yoongi’s eyes flash with recognition, his body turning so his shoulder is against the wall now. You turn as well, facing him. “I write for the music section.”

“No shit? I’ve probably read your stuff, then,” Yoongi says, grinning. 

He’s cute. Hot. You can’t help but notice, no matter how hard you’re trying not to. The way that he seems to carry himself in particular, you think, might end up driving you crazy if you’re exposed to it for too long. Maybe you’ve been living under a rock, but you’ve never met a fellow wallflower that still exuded such confidence. He wears it insanely well.

“Look Here covers a lot of big artists,” you hear him continue. “I’m a little surprised you’re hugging the wall, honestly. This place is nothing compared to music industry parties.”

“Ah, I only started a few months ago,” you admit, looking down into your cup. “Not a lot of bylines yet. I haven’t made it into a room with an artist that big yet.”

“But you want to,” Yoongi guesses, and you nod, looking up to meet his eyes. He looks impressed, impressed by you , and that… does something to you. Huh. “Shit, that’s… That’s really cool.”

“Thanks,” you say. You can feel your cheeks heating up again, and you’re suddenly very eager to turn the attention away from yourself. “What about you? What do you do?”

“Ah,” Yoongi says, fixing his eyes to his cup just as you had a moment ago. “I’m a music producer, actually.”

You perk up at that. So that’s why he reads Look Here, why he seemed so interested when you told him what you do. 

“Anything I’ve heard?” you ask, leaning in like he’s about to tell you a secret. Networking never stops.

He watches as you lean, his mouth turning up at the corners in a smirk. “Probably.” 

You wait for more, but it doesn’t come. Shithead. So much for that.

“You’ve gotta give me more than that,” you say, and god, you can hear the pout in your own voice. Are you that drunk? Flirting for a lead in a story?

“I don’t,” Yoongi says simply, his smirk in full force now. Mean and annoying and hot. He hasn’t leaned away from you yet. “I want to know more about you, actually. Journalism is hard work. I’m surprised you have time to go out like this.”

“Like I said, I was forced.”

“Still. Spending time with your friends or family or partner or whatever must take priority when it comes to your free time.”

Why is he so interested? You scrunch your nose, trying to figure out what he could be fishing for here. You don’t make it a habit to divulge the details of your sad excuse for a personal life to strangers, but the alcohol has loosened your lips. Maybe you need to talk about it. It’s not like you’ll ever see him again, anyway.

“My family is back home. My best friend is this insanely talented playwright. She’s constantly traveling. I see her when she can get some time to fly out.” You take a quick sip of your drink, ignoring the pang in your chest. Sometimes it sneaks up on you, how lonely you are. “Other than her, it’s just me, really. The dating thing… Nobody really seems to get how demanding my job can be, and it always ends in hurt feelings.”

There’s a long pause, and you’re worried you’ve shared too much. You’re enjoying talking to Yoongi. You know it doesn’t matter, that you’ll likely never see him again, but it would really, really suck if his permanent mental image of you ends up being ‘lonely weird drunk girl,’ even if that’s what you are. You force yourself to look up at him. The look in his eyes makes your heart flip stupidly again.

“I get that,” he says, and his voice is soft, barely audible over the music filling the space. You’re reading his lips more than anything, honestly, and you don’t let yourself look at them for too long. He may be pretty—unbearably so, you’re realizing—but he’s a stranger. A mean, annoying, hot, pretty stranger, but a stranger nonetheless. Every guy says he gets it. This needs to stay what it is, you think. Momentary companionship between introverts who would rather die than square dance.

You don’t get much time to agonize over it. Whatever is going on between you and Yoongi is intercepted quickly by his phone buzzing in his pocket and his responding grimace when he pulls it out to check it.

“Namjoon fell off of the mechanical bull,” he says, like he’s completely unsurprised by that news. He downs the rest of his drink and pockets his phone again, pushing off of the wall. “I’ve gotta deal with that.”

You nod, pulling what you hope is a sympathetic face. “Good luck.”

His bottom lip catches between his teeth, and you hold your breath. He looks like he wants to say something, torn between rushing upstairs to save his friend and staying, just for a moment.

You think you know what he wants to say, think foolishly that maybe he wants to ask for your number, and you honestly don’t know if you’d give it to him if he did. You’re so used to saying no.

He runs his fingers through his hair, opens his mouth to speak, and then he looks down like his phone is buzzing again. When he looks back up, it seems like he’s thought better of it.

“Thanks for sharing your wall,” he settles on, smiling congenially. You smile back, and then he’s heading towards the stairs.

Good, you think. You know better. If he really gets it, he does too.

★ ★ ★

You’re dragged out to one more bar before you finally make it home, your interaction with Yoongi having knocked you off-kilter enough to agree to a few more drinks.

It does wonders for your social status at work, you’re sure, but by the time you’re dropped off you’re dizzy-drunk, fighting to stay upright in the elevator of your apartment building.

You’re fumbling and failing at getting your key into the lock of your front door, tongue poking out of the corner of your mouth in concentration, when a voice calling your name a few feet to your right almost makes you jump out of your skin.

You yell, clutching your chest, and when you turn to face the owner of the voice that almost made you lose the contents of your stomach on your doormat, you’re greeted by none other than corner-thief-mean-annoying-hot-pretty Yoongi himself, leaning against the door to the apartment two doors down.

“What the fuck,” you blurt out dumbly, and he laughs. At you! How dare he stand there, lean there, all hot and annoying and in your apartment building for some fucking reason and laugh at you.

“I was going to ask if you needed help,” he says, and oh, fuck. You were safe from just how deep his voice was under the thrum of the music at the bar, but in the quiet of your apartment building this late, you can hear it just fine. Feel it, even. Feel it in places you do not want to humor right now. “I’m going to take a wild guess and say you do.”

It’s obvious that Yoongi is faring much better than you are, although his night clearly didn’t end after the mechanical bull incident. Faster than you can react, he’s right in front of you, gently taking your key from your hands and turning it in the lock, like it’s easy.

“Gonna make it in okay?” he asks, looking down at you. You force your brain to make words.

“I’ll be okay,” you assure him, your tongue heavy in your mouth. “Are you stalking me?”

He huffs a laugh, shaking his head. “I think we’re neighbors.”

“Oh.” Oh. Okay. That’s fine. Just because he’s your neighbor doesn’t mean you have to do something stupid, like see him ever again.

“Give me your number,” he says softly. Oh.

You blink at him, and he grins. Gummy smile. You feel like you’re going to vomit all over his Jordans.

“In case you ever can’t use your keys again,” he clarifies. “I told you, those music industry parties are killer.”

And really, you’re powerless to resist. You give him your number, using all of your remaining brain power to remember the order of the digits. Seemingly satisfied, Yoongi pockets his phone and steps back, heading back to his front door.

“Goodnight, neighbor,” he says, unlocking his door with ease. “Sleep on your side.”

You swallow thickly and nod, slipping inside your own apartment as quickly as you can manage. 

Once you’re in, you sink onto the floor, your back pressed against the door behind you. Your cat, perched on your coffee pot, stares at you in your drunk, flustered state, unimpressed. Offended, even, judging by the way she licks her paw.

You’re so fucked.

✧ shoot me a reply or an ask if you enjoyed this chapter! feedback is always appreciated <3 join my taglist if you want to be tagged in future chapters!

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[sgiandubh]

Saint Cillian and the photoshoot

I haven't watched Peaky Blinders and I am not really planning to. By the same token, I am still pondering if losing three hours with Oppenheimer is a brilliant plan or a desperate patch for a long, rainy Sunday afternoon. Hell, I even have no idea if it's still shown anywhere in Athens and have plenty of other things to get myself busy with. So I can't tell you anything about Cillian Murphy's acting abilities - besides the obvious 'he's been around for quite some time now, and not too shabby', I have absolutely no idea.

Two days ago, the UK edition of the GQ magazine proclaimed Murphy 'The Man of the Moment' and celebrated it with a substantial photoshoot you can peruse here: https://www.instagram.com/p/C3S27bfgO1X/?igsh=aGYweGg5bWpkOWo4

Yes, it should totally ring a bell:

Phew...

Or... uhm, this uber cringey...

Now imagine I am the not-so-friendly diplomat in Mars Attacks and I know next to nothing about gender on Planet Earth. Remember (LOL)?

Ahem. As a Martian, I would surely think, based on that photoshoot and with no particular curiosity to double-check, that Cillian Murphy is projecting here, as a wonderfully sarcastic friend (thank you, dearie, always 🙌❤️😘😘) put it in a recent convo, 'a flamboyantly gay, fame whore vibe which is the opposite of everything Cillian is. '

I have no reason to question my wonderfully sarcastic friend's sanity. The man is married since forever to Yvonne McGuinness, a real visual artist with real credentials (uh-oh!), plus he is also a very dedicated father of two teenage boys. Intensely private Murphy never talks about his love life/marital bliss in the scarce interviews he grants. And I bet no cuckoo 'snark corner' exists in his fandom (he has to have one, right?) to question this absolutely legitimate PR strategy.

This also should make absolutely clear to the Disgruntled Tumblrettes and other cheap trolls out there that, once and for all, actors cannot choose their photoshoot outfits or poses. These are, of course, discussed by said actor and his/her PR with the magazine people, the photographer and his team. But ultimately, the overall concept and its implementation are left to the magazine (who ordered and paid for the shoot) and the creative team. Trying to fathom someone's sexual orientation based on an ephemeral image, tailored to fit a particular type of targeted content, is akin to the deepest, most worrying brand of delusional stupidity.

Video killed the radio star, double standard and parochialism killed OL's fandom more surely and effectively than *urv & Paul C's in(s)anity.

[xo-adeline]

Match-up Exchange for @kittywhoo

Backstory / Blue Lock Role

Anri most likely scouted you after she had witnessed a game and was able to see your abilities when it came to playing goalkeeper. There probably was a minor issue just in the sense that Blue Lock was about creating the world's best striker but, football is played with a team of 11 and what’s that team without an amazing goalkeeper. On top of all that, they were most likely more intrigued due to your ability to analyze your opponents and predict what they are going to do. Along with that you already having a background in being bilingual, even if it is just a minor understanding!

Team

I believe due to your understanding of how to read people and being able to predict movements would land you on Italy’s Ubers. The team that focuses on strategy and teamwork, which I believe you could fall well into. Being able to use your abilities to help out your teammates to help score a goal, even if you’re on the other side of the field while they make it. Although, since they are a more centered defense team having a good goalie is exactly what they need, and you being one of the only ones scouted into Blue Lock for that would be the best thing for them!

Abilities ⋆°• ☁︎ - Predictions, and Peripheral Vision

Being able to predict what an opponent is going to do is something that would be super helpful, especially if you find yourself as a goalie, that last line of defense before somebody could score a goal. The team is nothing but appreciative for all the times you had a save that kept them in the game.

Peripheral Vision might not be as used as predictions as most people will take a goal from straight on, but in the sense that they don’t that will be something that will come very in handy. Being able to see somebody next to you, more than other people. It will also be very good when you do end up playing on-field defense and being able to see through the other teams formation and being able to see where the ball is going without actually having to fully look at it.

Ego Color - Light Blue

Romantic - Rin Itoshi

I think you two would be so adorable together! You already talked about wanting to have somebody Loyal and emotionally mature, and even though he has some issues with his brother I think he would be a little different with his partner. Even if he doesn’t seem like the kind to like shopping, he would put that aside for you and just kinda follow you around while you found stores that you liked. Rin is definitely an acts of service guy, and when he started to get more comfortable I think that it might not be so often but he would tell you words of affirmation. I could see Rin being that person who will spend all the time necessary with you, even if it means making you stay later at the mall, or walking you home even if it’s in the opposite direction of his house. The words of affirmation come up a while later, a ‘I love you’ here and there when he thinks it’s a nice time, and will attempt to be nicer to you, even if it’s sometimes a struggle for him. The only thing I can see him doing that might not be that amazing, is being a little picky with you about staying on your phone, though he does get it sometimes, and if he knows that maybe you were really busy that day and just want some time then he won’t try to get you off it, but if you’ve been doing it for too long, he will try to get you off of it and make you spend time with him, weather you’re just kinda walking around, or he’s doing skin care with you.

Friends - Michael Kaiser, and Shidou Ryusei

Michael Kaiser This man has those philosophical views and I think that once you two actually met, even though he was a little bit of an asshole since you were on a different team, he would be more willing to share them and have deeper conversations about them and ask about your input on things like that Would also like Hair care, we’ve already seen in the manga that he has Ness do his hair, but I can also see him being into hair care just because of the blue and him trying to keep it looking nice and the color to stay around as long as possible Would also help you with your German, would he also tease you in the process? Hell yes, but is it worth it in the end since you start understanding it more and more, also yes I could see him being a little bit like Rin and trying to get you off your phone and to hang out with him a little bit, but at the same time he also likes that comfortable silence with his friends and he wouldn’t mind as long as he could kinda just be in the same room as you when hanging out

Shidou Ryusei

The amount of fanarts I’ve seen with this man and skin care, makes me want to believe that he would be into skin care, even if it is just a little bit. Would he be normal about it, hell no. But at the same time, he wouldn’t mind doing it with you as a little friendly activity Also into art and would have those little get togethers when you could and have little art competitions, or just being around each other to bounce ideas when you are going through artist block Doesn’t really understand hair care, especially with the amount of gel that the guy probably uses, but would try it out since he knows that it’s kinda close to skin care, would only do it if he saw you doing it though, and only around you. Also, I could see him being an avid phone scroller as well, would send you all the memes and stuff even if you’re sitting across the room from him

Who has a crush - Chigiri Hyoma

The puppy crush this man had on you was insane. He kept it to himself pretty well that he liked you since the start of Blue Lock, when he was able to realize your abilities and make yourself a very useful asset to any team that you might have been on. The only issue is by the time that he was gonna ask you out in the NEL you had already started dating Rin when he asked you out at the end of the U-20 match when you were able to go home for those few days. Chigiri was pretty upset, but since you were already friends he was still able to see you and be around you, even if it wasn’t in the way that he wanted. You two had become friends a while back when you first met on team Red. Not really talking much until you had asked about his hair, and ended up bonding over hair care and skin care, which you two ended up doing on occasions after that all while talking about how placements and stuff were going inside blue lock, and things like that!

Parental Figure - Marc Snuffy

Since you’re already on his team it’s that much easier for you to establish a good relationship with him I could see him first noticing you due to you being one of the only goalkeepers that was placed in Blue Lock because of that, but also learning more about you later on, whether it was because you have more knowledge in others due to languages or with your abilities Would try to help you out in any situation that you would have needed, but also trying to help you out by learning even another language Is really understanding and when you have you’re mood shifts then he would try his best to not anger you anymore and try to get you out of them to his best ability, but he knows that you always will anyway Overall just a really caring guy who wants to see the best for you, and will almost always be there for you if you need somebody to talk to or anything

[meret118]

Once the narratives have taken hold, the autocratic leader can change the hardware that runs the country. Most of these steps are incremental and might even be defensible on their own. But together, they build a formidable institutional power base that can keep the leader and his party in power permanently.

Here are some of those steps:

Strengthen Executive Power. After serving one term as prime minister, Orbán lost office in 2002. He resolved that next time, he is going to be much more aggressive in strengthening his hold on power. Trump and his team have prepared for their second term in a similar way. Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation behind the infamous Project 2025, portrayed Hungary as “the model for conservative statecraft.” Project 2025 echoes Orbán’s playbook, pushing to dismantle liberal influence in the “administrative state” and strengthen executive power. As Trump’s initial nominees also show, we can expect systematic efforts to sweep out officials deemed disloyal to the president. Trump also plans to centralize control over institutions, ranging from the Federal Reserve Board to the Federal Communications Commission.

Discipline the judiciary. Efforts at reining in the Justice Department and exerting more influence over the judiciary will be crucial. With Republicans already controlling the Supreme Court, any new appointments during Trump’s term would cement a conservative majority for decades. Trump was also open about his plan to fire attorneys who refuse to follow his orders. Vance even mentioned the option of simply disobeying judicial authorities.

Change Election Processes. Manipulating electoral rules and district boundaries to benefit the ruling party is a strategy that Orbán imported from the U.S. The state of Georgia is a case in point, where Republicans have increased their power to change electoral results they deem fraudulent. In Congress, Republicans have proposed far-reaching legislation that could allow Republicans to twist the electoral process to their advantage in future election cycles.

Control the media. Orbán consolidated media control through centralized propaganda, market pressure and loyal billionaires. In the U.S., in addition to the already powerful empire of Rupert Murdoch, several recent examples show the power of friendly tycoons over the media. Elon Musk is a good case study; he used Twitter-turned-X to bolster right-wing populists and now stands to gain much from his relationship with Trump. This mirrors Orbán’s strategy to forge a strong alliance with the country’s billionaires for mutual protection and support. Trump also plans to move fast on a business-friendly agenda of tax cuts, deregulation and expanded energy production.

Secure Control over Party. A final critical step is securing full control over the party. Just as Orbán replaced mainstream leaders with loyal outsiders, Trump co-opted much of the Tea Party in his takeover of the Republican Party. Trump’s team has positioned key allies as candidates and RNC leaders, placing his daughter-in-law as co-chair and pushing out numerous establishment staffers. And his current moves to name uber-loyalists to administration jobs regardless of their qualifications is also an effort to make Republicans in Congress bend to his will.

The Antidote

. . .

The courts. If there are any brazen attacks on constitutional principles, the justice system should be the first line of defense. However, illiberal regimes often operate within legal boundaries, making them harder to challenge. Courts in Europe have so far had little power against Orbán. Litigation or legal restrictions on populists also tend to backfire, boosting their image as outsiders fighting against an unjust, technocratic system, as Trump has already demonstrated in his efforts to discredit the legal cases against him. What this means is that the fight against right-wing populism is primarily political.

The media. Fighting for media pluralism and independence is vital. Investigative journalism helps, but it tends to preach to the converted. There need to be news channels and media outlets for getting messages across to non-metropolitan areas dominated by far-right news sources. Liberal-minded billionaires should not sit idly by as they did in Hungary, watching the right take over the media. The New Right is also significantly more embedded in social media than liberals are. Those of us who favor democracy cannot let Elon Musks and Andrew Tates control the public discourse. Progressive influencers: Time to log in and post away — there’s a narrative battle to win.

States and cities. Democrats cannot win without a powerful social base embedded throughout the country. Fighting for every seat and institution in states and cities is one of the most important things opponents of autocracy need to do. Even in hard illiberal regimes like Turkey or Hungary, free cities are channels for interaction with citizens, provide organizational resources and can be used to present alternative visions of governance.

Countering populist power structures requires first defeating populist narratives — a battle the anti-populist center is losing. The demise of Hungary’s once-strong left-liberal elites, now completely overpowered by the right, should serve as a stark warning, which leads us to the most important battleground: the Democratic Party.To win the fight against autocracy, above all, the Democratic Party must reconnect with the working class to preserve liberal institutions. There are simply not enough educated moderate suburbanites for an electoral majority.

First, this means creating new and strengthening existing local organizational structures, especially labor unions. Popular mobilization is crucial to energize the base. Yet, such mobilization sometimes focuses on issues important to the active base only — a tactical error that should be avoided. For example, the most mobilized segments of Hungarian society tend to focus on media freedom or democracy, but these are not the primary concerns of ordinary citizens, leading to repeated failures of mass mobilizations. To create the groundwork so ordinary people will mobilize during elections, it’s important to engage with them outside elections, focusing on issues that matter to them.

Second, party financing should shift from the corporate elite to small and micro-donations. Fortunately, Democrats already have a strong base of small donors, but it needs to grow. This is the only guarantee against elites capturing the Democratic Party and provides a solid foundation to push through popular reforms that elites oppose. Freeing the party from elite capture will allow it to talk about things that matter, from the decline of middle America to inequality.

Third, commit to left-populist economic policies. Republicans have stolen key populist messages; Democrats need to reclaim them. If done smartly, populist economic policies work and are popular in swing states, even among right-leaning voters. Championing issues like breaking the chokehold of pharmaceuticals over the health system, fighting inflation or increasing the minimum wage are key to overcoming the chasm separating low- and high-income Americans and would allow Democrats to regain their pro-worker bona fides.

More at the link.

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Excellent article! Paste the link here to read it.

[theyhavetakenovermylife]

im not gonna lie, a little sad n disappointed that u use genAI for images…

Not gonna lie, I am very sad and disappointed that this is a conversation that is need to be had, on the platform of a TMNT reader insert writer. A conversation base of an image, created for the soul purpose of creating a idea for an outfit in a smut, generated in a part of the world, where AI regulations are becoming more and more strict (which I fully support, may I add), with the focus on ethical usage of Data and AI, among many other laws that are put in place to protect people's jobs and their personal data.

I live in the EU - one of the places with the most strict laws when it comes to personal data, and one of the first places to actually put an AI law into place. The AI act of 2024.

To those of you that do not know about the EU AI act, you can read about it here on the EU Parliament's webside: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/en/article/20230601STO93804/eu-ai-act-first-regulation-on-artificial-intelligence

In other words, the EU wants AI to help create jobs and job opportunities, not steal them. Part of that is classifiactions. The AI I used to help give the reader an idea of what Bluestar's outfit would be (which I also disclosed as an AI image, as the law requrise in this part of the world), is classified as a low/lower-risk generative AI, that has to follow transparency requirements and the EU copyright law.

I do not know how other countries tackles AI, nor what laws they are planning on putting in place. I follow along in the EU and Danish conversations and laws about AI, as they actually are a big part of my studies as a future pedagog.

Part of my job is to look at AI as an aiding tool - not an overtaker. More specifically, I am learning how I can use AI as a tool for people in our community, at may have limited ways of expression or need extra help. Along with that, I also have make sure that the AI used, aline with the EU GDPR law (General Data Protection Regulation), as that is very much a big part of not just my future job, but everyone else's in the EU.

Now, I've just told you about the EU AI Act of 2024, but not how my country of Denmark has been talking and putting in protective measures on AI since 2019, with the focus on ethical usage of AI, aka protecting people and their jobs. Heck, this is the country that outlawed Uber, because it took jobs from Taxi drivers.

Companies in Denmark has been requred - by law - to report on their use of AI and Data Ethics since 2021. In other words, my country take AI and data very seriously, and don't mess around when it come to that.

Why this focus on the EU and Denmark you may ask? Well, that's because all of these laws and proposed laws, are some that I follow on a daily basis as a Danish citizen. A country that has focused on the digital ethics for years. I live in a country, where we teach children how to use AI in an ethical manner, and where we teach university how to use AI as a tool - a compliment to their studies - and not something that is supposed to take over their studies, rendering them obsolete.

I'm sorry, but whatever lack of rules and regualtions other countries may have, does not apply to me, and the increasingly strict set of rules I have to follow in my country.

I am very aware that people in Hollywood are losing their jobs due to AI, and I think it's horrifing. I'm very aware that graffic designers in other countries have lost jobs to AI, and it makes me very sad. But I am not a lord of regulations in other countries - missing or not. I am just a Danish citizen, following the Danish law and rules, and whether or not other places will look at such rules and laws themselves, I have no control over.

I am sad and disappointed in the comments in my Inbox, that is calling me all sorts of names, saying that I don't care about the environment, because I generated an AI image, totally disregarding the fact that I live in one of the most carbon neutral cities in the western world, and not knowing that I was one of the first generations of students, studying at the Danish FN's World Goals profile schools.

I am sad and disappointed in the comments in my Inbox, telling me i am uneducated, when this is literally part of my studies. When my studies and future job opportunities - among many others -, literally requries that I'm up to date with the laws regarding data and AI usage for my own country, and have been doing so, ever since I first started working in 2020.

I am sad and disappointed in the comments in my Inbox saying that I am ruining the job opportunities, because I didn't pay an artist to illustrate an image. What money may I ask you? I'm a student, doing this for free, because I enjoy it, with literally no monetary gains from this, what so ever. So what money??

I am sad and disappointed that the platform I use to write TMNT stories, should now become a ground for dicussions about AI, when that is something that should be taken up with the rule makers of where ever you live, and not a TMNT reader insert writer on Tumblr.

I refuse to take further part in the discussion about AI using my Tumblr platform, only deciding to do so now, as many messages I started recivieng were hurtful, starting to boarder on the abusive.

I leave you with this power point, showing you how AI is viewed along side jobs and people's job views and opportunities in Denmark as by 2024, made by the Nordic firm Implement Consultation Group.

Remember to treat each other with kindness, and understand the round world is different everywhere💚

[nico-esoterica]

What's going to happen is that 'fame' and 'celebrity' the way we think of it will be further democratized but also.. gatekept. As in.. it's going to become a niche to be super rich and invested in the super rich opposed to it being a mass spectacle. I think people will get so turned off by the ostentatiousness of it that they're only going to care about rich people if they're genuinely interesting. It'll be out of place unless you're putting it to good use. And anyone who's into fame for fame's sake as an audience will have that be a niche interest.

The uber famous will be an interest opposed to a goal. Leo shifting to Aquarius.

It's what I felt would be the best tactical business move for Kim and her SKIMS brand because of its loaded Scorpio Rising w/ placements there. For a while, companies have believed that attempting to hit the zenith point of mass appeal. They've done that through broadening a niche market best case scenario where its seams breaking allow for new customers to flood it through interest/curiosity (often caused by virality). Like with what happened to Stanley cups.

But for many brands, artists, and entertainers/influencers, mass appeal will be read as ingenuine or insincere to many people.

Because when you attempt to appeal to everyone, you run the risk of your message seeming contrived opposed to universal. We're tired of performative sincerity because we know that it's honest when it isn't trying or expected to do well. Fake news and stories were always abundant but in the era of quick-to-publish content creation where personal stories (exacerbated by GRWM tales and drama) aren't intimately shared anecdotes anymore but are engagement farming strategies we're now seeing through, our distrust in the media is more resentful now than ever. Especially when you include the propaganda pushed by Pa|estine's co|onizers that younger generations have been primed through years of media ingenuity and cleverness being how millennials, z, and alpha communicate to one another. You can't trick us in our own house.

What'll rise out of all of this will be the rebirth of small and intimate communities that individuals will thrive in. And any 'fame' that results in a mass effect will appeal to that individuality within us all. Especially to those who've felt pushed to the margins, rejected, left behind or not taken seriously, discarded, abandoned.

This is the era of the Reject and Special Interest. But the former must believe in themselves to take advantage of it. You are never rejected without your permission.

[elisysd]

Happiness is a butterfly - Lana Del Rey

Masterlist - Previously - Next Chapter

Happiness is a butterfly Try to catch it like every night It escapes from my hand into moonlight

“What does one wear for a first Grand Prix attendance?” asked around Lyanna, half panicking.

Charles, who was reading the notes he had taken the day prior, looked at her. She had several outfits laid on the bed and was rummaging through her make up bag.

“I think that no matter what you’ll wear, you will be beautiful.”

He narrowly dodged a lip gloss that Lyanna threw in his direction.

“Can’t you stop being a cliché boyfriend for five minutes and help me? I’m stressing out Charles!”

He couldn't prevent a goofy smile from forming on his face.

“You called me your boyfriend.”

“Charles, please, you are definitely not helping.”

“It’s the first time you call me like that.” he said, coming up behind her to hold her waist.

“Yeah, first and last one if you don’t help me.” She whined, trying to get away from him.

“All right, all right, there's no need to get worked up.” he said, raising both hands in defence. “Be comfortable, that's the most important thing, that's just the qualifying session. It's watched, but it's not the real race. Tomorrow we'll be under more scrutiny.”

“Thank you, that’s what I wanted to know. See, you can cooperate when you want.”

“Do I get a reward?” he asked, smiling.

“Don’t push your luck, Leclerc. Get the pole and we can talk about it again.”

“You sure know how to keep me motivated.”

She winked at him before taking an outfit in her arms and locking herself in the bathroom.

But Charles and Lyanna definitely did not go unnoticed. American fans could be very loud and expressive. It wasn't long before the couple found themselves in the middle of the crowd, the fans first wanting autographs from Charles before they realised that Lyanna was there too and started asking her for pictures. Fortunately, security quickly dispersed the crowd and took them to safety inside the paddock and the Ferrari hospitality area. Charles kept his hand on Lyanna's the whole time, applying gentle pressure to let her know he was there without having to speak.

At the Ferrari garage, the atmosphere was just as busy. Engineers and mechanics were busy preparing Carlos and Charles' cars for the qualifying session. Soon Charles was pulled in by Fred Vasseur to discuss strategy, leaving Lyanna alone, unsure of where to go or what to do. Thankfully, she wasn't alone for long. Joris entered the garage, out of breath and as red as Charles' racing suit. He caught Lyanna's eye as she waved to him. He walked over to her and asked where Charles was.

“He was supposed to wait for me before coming here. I waited for like an hour and he doesn’t answer his phone. I had to order an uber to come, I was scared I would miss the beginning of quali. I should blame you and you should be the one to pay for the taxi!” he playfully told her.

“Sorry, we’ve been a bit distracted this morning… we left the hotel late.”

“Do I wanna know why? Don’t answer, I don’t really want to know. Well, actually that’s not entirely true. My love life is as inexistant as Santa Claus so I kinda live vicariously through Charles’, but not to the point that I want to hear details about your sexual life.”

“Well, good because I was not about to tell you anything about that.”

“Not saying that you would. Charles, on the other hand…”

She must have been making a funny face because he quickly added:

“Not saying that’s what he does! It’s just that sometimes when he talks about you guys, he has the tendency to say too much information and…”

“I don’t know how you manage to do it but, the more you talk, the worse you are making your situation.” She cut him with a half-smile on her face.

“I’m just going to shut up then.” He said while nodding.

Charles soon returned, wearing a jumpsuit and deep in discussion with Andrea. He looked concentrated and Lyanna didn't want to disturb him. So she preferred to stay with Joris, who in the meantime had gone to get two of the crew's headsets. There was only half an hour to go before the start of the race and Lyanna felt nervous. For the first time, seeing all the people involved around Charles and the car, watching him prepare meticulously, she understood just how dangerous the sport could be. She bit her nails, a bad habit she had when anxiety began to build. Her eyes were fixed on her boyfriend. He could feel it as he turned his eyes towards her and gave her a discreet nod, telling her to come closer, which she did with hesitant steps. He smiled gently to reassure her.

“Everything will be alright.”

“I know, it’s just that I don’t know what I should expect. It’s an unusual environment for me.”

“You’ll get used to it, don’t worry. I’m supposed to get in the car in five minutes, I jut wanted to make sure you were okay. Stay with Joris, he knows how things work here.”

She nodded and he pressed his forehead against her while brushing her fingers with his. she looked up at him and smiled.

“Okay. Well… be fast. And come back to me in one piece. I love you.”

He pressed a kiss on her forehead then on her lips, whispering an “I love you too”, before putting on his helmet and heading towards his car.

Charles managed to take pole ahead of Max by just a few hundredths, despite a difficult start to qualifying which almost saw him drop out of Q1. So it was a happy Charles who walked through the garage doors after a quick chat with the journalists. His first reaction was to find Fred and give him a warm hug, before heading towards Lyanna and Joris, who were in a corner of the room, away from any possible cameras that might be around.

He shook hands with Joris, who patted him on the shoulder before turning to Lyanna and giving her a hug. He could see a certain pride in her eyes, even though he knew she must have been anxious when she saw him in the car.  As for Lyanna, she could see both joy and tiredness on Charles's face. She ran her hand over his face, tracing the marks left by his balaclava. Somehow, she found him even more handsome this way. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the sensation of her fingers on his skin wash over him, and sighed with contentment. He leaned into her touch before placing a kiss on the palm of her hand.

“Congrats champ.” She whispered to him.

“Wait, I still have to keep Max behind me tomorrow.”

“I don’t care, you are still my champ whether you win or you lose.”

He kissed her forehead while pulling her closer to him.

“I race to win, Lya, not to be second place.”

He felt her shrugged against him.

He let go of her for a moment, just long enough to go and take a shower, and Joris excused himself for a moment, needing to take a call. Lyanna found herself alone in the middle of the mechanics. Not one to stand around and do nothing, she decided to leave the garage. Outside, everyone was so busy with the cars and other drivers that no one paid any attention to her. She wandered the aisles at her leisure, soaking up the atmosphere, but not before sending a short message to Charles informing him that she'd gone out for a breath of fresh air and would meet him at the entrance to the paddock. She soon found herself in front of the Mercedes hospitality from which Carmen was emerging. The young woman saw her and waved to her.

“Lyanna! Fancy seeing you here! You should have texted me; we could have watched the qualifications together.”

“I did not know you would be here. By the way congrats on George P4.”

“You can thank him yourself; he is right here.” Carmen informed her, looking behind her as a tall British man was crossing the doors, followed by Lewis who was accompanied by a bulldog that Lyanna assumed was Roscoe.

“Lyanna, hey! Are you alone?” asked Lewis when he spotted her.

“Yep, I wanted to explore a little.” she replied, stooping down to pet the dog that was now demanding her attention.

They all chatted for a little while before proceeding to leave the paddock. In a corner, she was surprised to already see Charles who seemed deeply absorbed by something on his phone. He has his sunglasses on making, his expression a little unreadable. Hearing the laughs of the group, he looked up and spotted his girlfriend. With quick steps, he approached the group.

“Lyanna, thank God. Is it too much to ask for you to answer your phone? I was worried. It’s been an hour.”

Surprised by her boyfriend's outburst, she took out her phone and found that it had indeed been an hour since she'd left. With all the talking and laughing, she'd lost track of time. She noticed the dozens of missed calls from Charles and the numerous SMS messages and immediately felt bad. She quickly excused herself before wrapping her arm around Charles and intertwining her fingers with his.

“It’s okay, just… check your phone from time to time. I was about to organize a search party for you.”

Then his attention turned to the Mercedes drivers.

“How are you guys knowing each other?”

“Well I’ve met Carmen at your birthday party and Lewis is an old acquaintance. Remember, I told you that.”

“Oh yeah, it slipped of my mind.”

“Lyanna and I met in London, last year, I think? It was at a conference centered around environment and ecology. I’ve never thought that I would see her on a race one day.”

“Really, why?” asked Charles out of curiosity.

“Because if I remember well, when I told her I was a F1 driver she said very clearly that our sport was a disaster for the planet and that she could not understand how it was still happening.”

All eyes were on the young woman, who suddenly found the ground fascinating. Charles nudged her playfully with his elbow to tease her, whereupon she lightly pinched his arm, causing him to squeal a little in pain.

“Keep teasing and you’ll sleep on the floor tonight.”

“Beware Charles, you are going to end up in the doghouse tonight!” joked George.

“Speaking of dog, Lewis if you ever in need of a dogsitter tomorrow I would be happy to take Roscoe with me.”

“I appreciate Lyanna, thank you.”

The group laughed together for a few more moments, before everyone went off in opposite directions. Fortunately for Lyanna and Charles, it was getting late and there were far fewer people around, allowing them to breathe a little easier and head back to the hotel in peace.

But their peace was short-lived. Shortly after entering the bedroom door, and just as Lyanna had left to shower, a notification from the Scuderia's official Instagram page appeared on Charles' screen. Curious, he opened it and felt a knot form in his stomach when he saw the photo posted. It was a black-and-white close-up of the brief moment they'd exchanged with Lyanna a few minutes before he started qualifying. His hand was resting on the cheek of the young woman who was looking at him with eyes filled with admiration. Their foreheads were pressed together and, had circumstances been different, he would have found the photo absolutely sublime. It was, but it was also a private moment. As if that weren't enough, the caption on the photo was not so subtly announcing their relationship.

Thanks @lyannamicheloff for being @charlesleclerc lucky charm. Pole Position for our favourite Monegasque.

A wave of anger swept over him. How dare they? Charles had always been more or less discreet about his private life, and although he had no desire to hide Lyanna, this was certainly not the way he'd imagined announcing his relationship to his fans. Lyanna returned to the room, a towel wrapped around her and her hair damp, completely unaware of what just happened. But seeing Charles pale and with a dark look on his face, clutching his phone in his hand until his knuckles were white, she understood. Gently, she approached him and took the phone out of his hand to look at the screen. Charles didn't try to stop her. He felt her tense up and slightly flinch when he threw his arm around her to pull her against him.

“I promise you that they are going to hear me. I don’t care if they are using me but I won’t let them drag you into that. It’s messed up and wrong on so many levels.”

Lyanna had never seen Charles this angry.

“What is done is done, Charles. We just have to deal with it.” She tried to calm down but sounded defeated.

“I’m going to talk to Mia tomorrow. I’m going to explain to her exactly what I think about this kind of shit. Don’t worry, okay.”

“I’m not worrying about me Charles; I’m worried about you. You have a race tomorrow and you are starting on pole, you should not have to deal with this kind of things. I’m going to call my agent and ask for advice. You should rest.”

She got up and took out her phone, already having missed a few texts and calls from family and friends. She chose to ignore them for the time being. She slipped an arm around Charles's neck as she rose and placed a kiss on his cheek before slipping out onto the balcony. As soon as she had closed the door, she dialed her agent and explained the situation.

“I don’t know Lya. It’s really up to you guys. You know that I would never interfere with your relationship. But if you really want my opinion on that, I will tell you to own the narrative and not let it be controlled by someone. But it’s up to you if you want to be public about it and how.” Told her Sofia.

She sighed. She was not comfortable at the idea to give a glimpse of what her relationship was like. Mainly because it was the best way to give people right to speculate, comment and attack them. She wished Sofia a good day and went back inside. She quickly summarized her conversation to Charles, who was lying on the bed, scanning the comments under the Instagram post.

“Some people say that you are using me for fame. As if you needed me to succeed.” He mumbled. “And some of what I assume are your fans are saying that it’s me who is using you. They are fighting in the comments. It would be funny if the situation was not so delicate and dramatic.”

Lyanna took the phone from Charles' hands and placed it on the bedside table before settling down beside him and forcing him to look at her. She had rarely seen him look so defeated and sad.

“We will be fine, we are going to find a way, okay? But for now, it’s late and you have a race to focus on winning. I don’t care about the picture. Well, I’m pissed off but it doesn’t change our relationship. Tomorrow, I’m going to show up with you and I’m going to cheer you on and when you’ll win, I’ll be front row to watch you with a proud smile on my face. Because I love you. No matter what the people and Ferrari think.”

“Thank you. For being you. I must have done something really nice in a past life to have you by my side today.”

When Charles arrived at the paddock with Lyanna the next day, everyone was in a frenzy, wanting a photo and a quick word with the couple. It took Charles and Lyanna almost an hour to get to the Ferrari garage, which made Charles late for his meeting with his engineers and team strategists. They had very little time to themselves, just a few minutes before Charles had to take his place in the car.

“Here, wear this for me, okay?” he said while giving her the famous horse bracelet offered by Lyanna a few months ago. “It’s going to bring me luck I can feel it.”

“You don’t need luck but if it can make you feel better, fine.”

She put it around her wrist before looking at him and taking his hands in hers.

“Well, it’s time for me to go.”

“Then, be fast. Come back to me in one piece. I love you.”

“I love you.”

The race began shortly afterwards. Charles got off to a very good start and managed, not without difficulty, to keep Max under control behind him. Then, on lap 15, the race changed dramatically. While Charles was busy keeping an eye on Max and battling with him, he did not see George attempt to take his chance a few metres behind. Caught between the two cars, the Ferrari ended up colliding violently with the Red Bull and was thrown a few metres above the ground, ending up in the gravel. The dust caused by the debris and gravel did not immediately reveal that the car was upside down, in a way it should not be.

=======

author's note: I'm going to go hide in a corner. I'm sorry guys but a little bit of drama was needed lmao. Don't hesitate to tell me your thoughts in the comment / ask box / DM wherever you feel most comfortable to do so! It's always a pleasure to read you.

taglist:

@zendayabelova @purplephantomwolf @ru-kru @dakotali @blueflorals @aundercover @ruleroftheuniverse @fangirlika @writerscurse @elijahmikaelsonbitch @leclerc13 @heeseung-baby

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[putschki1969]

hello! would you say the girls are popular in japan? like if they walk down the street is someone gonna come up and be like omg hi i know you? i know they're not like uber world famous or whatever, but never really thought abt it from that perspective

Hi there!

Sorry for the really late reply, this has been sitting in my drafts for a very long time.

Hmmm, no, I have personally never considered them to be famous in the traditional sense of the word. Even back in their Kalafina days, they weren't very well-known outside of their admittedly quite big but rather contained fanbase (which always surprised me considering the almost-idol-like marketing strategies employed at certain points of their career). Whenever I mentioned them to anyone in Japan (people from all walks of life), that person had no idea who I was talking about. Sometimes not even die-hard anime fans were familiar with them beyond maybe knowing a song or two. I think it's because they never quite crossed into mainstream with their music (which of course was both a blessing and a curse).

Needless to say, they are even less well-known as solo artists.

We know the girls walk down the street, use public transportation, have appointments at salons, engage in leisure activities and eat at a variety of cafés/restaurants without being bothered. Some of those places are more exclusive than others (especially the ones Keiko frequents) but for the most part, they go to regular places with lots of random people. Usually, when they are going out we see them wear some sort of hat and a face mask, nothing too crazy or out of the ordinary, they are clearly not trying to disguise themselves but it's probably an attempt to keep a somewhat low profile.

But honestly, Japan isn't really a place where people would outright approach "famous" individuals in public unless they feel very confident. People generally mind their own business, keep their distance and just try to appear as inconspicuous as possible. With this mindset, I would assume stalking is much more common than active engagement. That's not to say that there aren't exceptions to this rule. Just a few weeks ago a Japanese YK/Kala-fan more or less orchestrated a situation in which he was able to meet Yuriko Kaida and LINO LEIA after finding out where they would be going. He handled the whole thing in a respectful/subtle manner and it worked out pretty well for him so it was fine but it's definitely not something that happens on a regular basis.

Unfortunately, I don't know enough about really big idols/actors/artists but I am sure things are a bit more complicated for them, they are probably more careful with how they act on a day-to-day basis but I doubt they would lock themselves up in their homes. After all, we have seen someone as popular as LiSA casually hang out with Keiko at a random restaurant so she seems to be comfortable being out and about in public.

[racefortheironthrone]

Hey, what does disruptor mean? I saw it when looking at your answers. I’ve also seen people joke about it on twitter but I can’t find a meaning to it.

It's a term I personally loathe, but I'm willing to do some recent cultural/intellectual history to explain where it came from and what it means.

The term disruptor as it's commonly used today comes out of the business world, more specifically the high tech sector clustered in Silicon Valley. Originally coined as "disruptive innovation" by business school professor Clayton Christensen in the mid-to-late 90s, the idea was that certain new businesses (think your prototypical startup) have a greater tendency to develop innovative technologies and business models that radically destabilize established business models, markets, and large corporations - and in the process, help to speed up economic and technological progress.

While Christensen's work was actually about business models and firm-level behavior, over time this concept mutated to focus on the individual entrepeneur/inventor/founder figure of the "disruptor," as part of the lionization of people like Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerburg or Elon Musk, or firms like Lyft, Uber, WeWork, Theranos, etc. It also mutated into a general belief that "disrupting" markets and, increasingly, social institutions is how society will and should progress.

I find these ideas repellant. First of all, when it comes to the actual business side of things, I think it mythologizes corporate executives as creative geniuses by attributing credit for innovations actually created by the people they employ. Elon Musk didn't create electric cars or reusable rockets, Steve Jobs didn't design any computers or program any OSes, but because they're considered "disruptors," we pretend that they did. This has a strong effect on things like support for taxing the rich - because there is this popular image of the "self-made billionaire" as someone who "earned" their wealth through creating "disruptive" companies or technologies, there is more resistance to taxing or regulating the mega-wealthy than would otherwise be the case.

Even more importantly, treating "disruptors" like heroes and "disruption" as a purely good thing tends to make people stop thinking about whether disruption to a given industry is actually a good thing, whether what tech/Silicon Valley/startup firms are doing is actually innovative, what the economic and social costs of the disruption are, and who pays them. Because when we look at a bunch of high-profile case studies, it often turns out to be something of a case of smoke and mirrors.

To take ridesharing as an example, Lyft and Uber and similar companies aren't actually particularly innovative. Yes, they have apps that connect riders to drivers, but that's not actually that different from the old school method of using the phone to call up a livery cab company. There's a lot of claims about how the apps improve route planning or the availability of drivers or bring down prices, but they're usually overblown: route planning software is pretty common (think Google Maps), when you actually look at how Lyft and Uber create availability, it's by flooding the market with large numbers of new drivers, and when you look at how they got away with low prices, it was usually by spending billions upon billions of venture capital money on subsidizing their rides.

Moreover, this "disruption" has a pretty nasty dark side. To start with, Lyft and Uber's business strategy is actually a classic 19th century monopoly strategy dressed up in 21st century rhetoric: the "low prices" had nothing to do with innovative practices or new technology, it was Lyft and Uber pulling the classic move of deliberately selling at a loss to grab market share from the competition, at which point they started raising their prices on consumers. Availability of drivers was accomplished by luring way too many new drivers into the labor market with false promises of making high wages in their spare time, but when the over-supply of drivers inevitably caused incomes to decline, huge numbers of rideshare drivers found themselves trapped by auto debts and exploited by the companies' taking a significant chunk of their earnings, using the threat of cutting them off from the app to cow any resistance. And above all, Lyft and Uber's "disruption" often came down to a willful refusal to abide by pre-existing regulations meant to ensure that drivers could earn a living wage, that consumers would be protected in the case of accidents or from the bad behavior of drivers, etc. As a policy historian, however, I find the extension of "disruption" into social institutions the most troubling. Transportation, health care, education, etc. are absolutely vital for the functioning of modern society and are incredibly complex systems that require a lot of expertise and experience to understand, let alone change. Letting a bunch of billionaires impose technocratic "reforms" on them from above, simply because they say they're really smart or because they donate a bunch of money, is a really bad idea - especially because when we see what the "disruptors" actually propose and/or do, it often shows them to be very ordinary (if not actively stupid) people who don't really know what they're doing.

Elon Musk's Loop is an inherently worse idea than mass transit. His drive for self-driving cars is built on lies. Pretty much all of the Silicon Valley firms that have tried to "disrupt" in the area of transportation end up reinventing the wheel and proposing the creation of buses or trolleys or subways.

Theranos was a giant fraud that endangered the lives of thousands in pursuit of an impossible goal that, even if it ould have been achieved, wouldn't have made much of a difference in people's lives compared to other, more fruitful areas of biotech and medical research.

From Bill Gates to Mark Zuckerburg, Silicon Valley billionaires have plunged huge amounts of philanthropy dollars into all kinds of interventions in public education, from smaller classrooms to MOOCs to teacher testing to curriculum reform to charter schools. The track record of these reforms has been pretty uniformly abysmal, because it turns out that educational outcomes are shaped by pretty much every social force you can think of and educational systems are really complex and difficult to measure.

So yeah, fuck disruptors.

[realdataapi1]

Scrape Uber Eats Data in the US for Market Insights Scrape Uber Eats data in the US to unlock market insights. Track menu trends, prices, and popular items to refine your food business strategy effortlessly.

[houseofbrat]

What are the issues Kamala Harris is running on?

Seemingly none, which is why other corporate hacks are doing her work for her.

Still not answering questions either!

Addressing corporate power was not a big part of what she did as the attorney general of California, as a U.S. senator or as vice president. And as a candidate, while she has mentioned price gouging, medical debt and corporate landlords, she has not laid out a full policy agenda. Some signs, however, are worrisome. It’s often said in politics that “personnel is policy,” so consider the people around her. One of Ms. Harris’s closest advisers is her brother-in-law Tony West, who is taking a leave from his job as the chief legal officer of Uber to help with her presidential campaign. Mr. West, a high-level Justice Department official in the Obama administration, is reportedly bringing in a host of campaign officials. The team now includes former corporate advisers. David Plouffe, who worked for Uber and advised TikTok and the cryptocurrency exchange Binance, has also joined the team. During the Obama administration, Mr. West had a leading role in the flawed response to the financial crisis. The commercial strategies of his current employer, Uber, are based in part on controlling markets and undercutting labor standards. In addition, a key supporter of Ms. Harris is the billionaire LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman. Mr. Hoffman seems to believe that Wall Street and big business are what make America great. Indeed, he co-wrote a book called “Blitzscaling” that endorses the business strategy of raising a lot of money from investors to corner a market. What, if anything, does the presence of such people in Ms. Harris’s orbit imply about her governing agenda? On one level, not too much: It just means that she is familiar with a lot of people involved in the Obama administration and on Wall Street. That’s not unusual among politicians. But that’s not the end of the story. Mr. Hoffman has publicly encouraged the firing of Ms. Khan, saying that she was “waging war” on American business, and has bemoaned tariffs. (I criticized Mr. Hoffman on X about some of this, and he responded by criticizing me.) In the face of these remarks, Ms. Harris has been silent. While a campaign aide has said that there are no discussions about replacing Ms. Khan, that is hardly an endorsement of the campaign to check corporate power.

~ Matt Stoller, "It’s Unclear What Kamala Harris Thinks About Corporate Power. But the Signs Are Worrisome."

[baradorable]

Name: Rift (Raymond Cruz) Age: Thirties Gender: Male Species: Human (Mutant) Occupation: Freelancer/Mercenary Allegiance: Krakoa (Former), Orchis (Former)

Art done by GeckoBara

This is my X-Men OC. Rift, AKA Raymond Cruz, is a mutant with the power to create portals. His abilities have made him a top asset for many groups. 

Personality

Rift is the "love 'em and leave 'em" type. Since he can always just use portals to leave any situation he wants, he's quick to ditch relationships and situations when things hit a rough patch. He does that with most situations, really. He's a mercenary, though he won't do anything he deems too evil, like kidnapping or murder. He's still willing to commit other crimes if they pay well. And given how useful his powers are, he makes sure to charge a lot for his services.

He's smart, charismatic, and able to analyze situations well. He's strategic. Which makes him dangerous. He has a competitive side, which can sometimes slip out on the field. If you're able to get him in the right mindset, you can get him to forget his carefully-crafted plans and possibly mess up.

Because he invested a lot of time in developing his powers, he's come up with a lot of strategies to fully exploit them. He knows his limits and potential well. He takes pride in his abilities and the need people have for them. So he gets jealous interacting with someone more powerful than him. His worst trait is that he'll try to one-up these people. In extreme cases, he might even try to sabotage them to bring them down. He's backstabbed some of his fellow mercs to ensure he comes out on top.

Part of this is a desire to be liked. He grew up in a very anti-mutant world, so he's used to being disliked for who he is. He secretly craves validation. Since he abandons people quickly, he struggles to form strong bonds. On the rare occasions he finds a serious relationship with someone, his jealousy and competitive often lead him to sabotaging anyone he sees as a threat to the relationship.

When he’s off-duty and walking around in his normal life, he takes on the persona of a shallow himbo.  He speaks in a flighty tone, seemingly misses big social cues, and freely speaks his mind in a way that can inadvertently hurt someone's feelings. He's cultivated the image of a in idiot for his own gain. It's a persona that allows him to have fun and avoid showing his true self; someone who strives to be perfect and beloved. After all, it hurts when people reject the real you. But if they reject the mask you put on - the act that doesn't represent the real you - then there's no harm done.

TL;DR: He's smart and hot. He's flaky and possessive. But he's hot, so it's okay. He's a good guy. He's just not a nice guy.

Backstory

Rift is American. His mother immigrated from Ireland in the mid or late '80's. His dad was born in America, but I haven't decided where his family is from. I'm thinking Portuguese, just for some self-indulgence. But also because Marvel doesn't have any Portuguese heroes at the moment.

His powers activated when he was 14, and he would spend the next several years working on developing his powers. He'd frequently ditch school or home, due to anti-mutant sentiment held by the people around him. He ended up developing some prejudices towards humans.

He ended up making a business out of transporting people around. Think Uber, but faster and with more range. Once word of his powers got around, various organizations began to seek him out. Rift would eventually parlay into full freelance mercenary and spy work.

Here's my idea of how he fits into the Marvel universe. You can ignore this if you don’t follow X-Men continuity.

He was one of the mutants depowered by M-Day, but came to Krakoa and got resurrected to get this powers back. His natural prejudice towards humans made him predisposed to liking the nation, and he was willing to lend his services to X-Force in order to help mutants.

However, the Five were very hesitant to remove his secondary, eye-based mutation; one he always kept hidden out of resentment and disgust. Many other mutants insisted the should keep his extra eyes and take pride in being different. Empty platitudes that he found patronizing. So he left and continued his work as a freelancer.

He ended up coming across Orchis, who would hire him on to spy on Krakoans and allow them to move around the world without notice. Orchis is an organization made up of people from several groups (S.H.I.E.L.D., A.I.M., HYDRA, etc.) to deal with the threat of humans becoming extinct and supplanted by mutants. 

While he knew they were anti-mutant, He was unaware just how anti-mutant they actually were. They paid well, so he could stand to put up with them if he got something out of it. And it put him in conflict with other mutants, so he'd always have the opportunity to test his powers. 

Of course, come Fall of X, they inevitably betrayed him and every other mutant. He was on a mission to Arakko during the third Hellfire Gala, thus avoiding most of the chaos. Once he heard about how Orchis attacked Krakoa, he fled to deep space and stayed there for a few months.

After Fall of X, he returned to Earth. He hated humans even more after they supported Orchis’ anti-mutant tactics. But he also hated the X-Men, since they and the leaders of Krakoa let the only sanctuary for mutants fall.

Job

He's a "freelancer" (read: mercenary) who works with various groups. His official codename is Rift, but for various business-related reasons, he's also known by several aliases: Bluebird, Luscinia, Luzon, Cardinal, Ripple, and Thrush.

He'll use a different name to obscure his identity, or know what kind of group is hiring him. For example, one criminal organization calls him Cardinal. Anyone who calls him by that name is likely associated with that organization. The NYPD know him as Luscinia.

He has different ways for people to contact him, and the type of name they use for him tells him what kind of work they have in mind, or who's hiring him. The goal is to keep everything separate, & being able to filter what kind of job he chooses to accept. (It's actually a lot more complex than having different phone numbers, but I'm giving you the simplified take.)

He doesn't kill, and he avoids directly harming innocent people. Spying, stealing information and theft are okay though.

Portal Power

Rift’s main power is to create portals, which he uses to spy on others, transport people, smuggle things, or create diversions. He rarely fights people directly; instead, he uses his powers to mess with the field. When creating a portal, one will open up close to him, and will connect to a portal that will appear at his desired location. His range is about 15,000 km. He can't access other dimensions through his power, but he can teleport around a dimension he's currently in.

His powers require him to see a location in front of him, or to have been there before. Otherwise, his powers "guess" the location, and open a portal to a completely random location on the planet, usually within two thousand miles of his current location. His power is also location-based, not person-based; he can't specifically try to find a person unless he knows their exact location. So no thinking of Spider-Man and trying to catch him at home.

These portals, once opened, can exist independently of Rift. He usually wills them to close instantly after he uses them, and can choose for how long they remain open Otherwise, they close after about two minutes, regardless if they're used. The portals can be any size, as long as they fall under 24 feet in diameter; they can't grow beyond that to accommodate travel for larger opens or things. There are no limits as to how many people can go through.

The number of portals active depend on their size. So he can create a lot of small, hand-sized portals at once, but only two 12 foot portals. Distance has no affect on his ability to make portals, though firing off too many portals in rapid succession will tire him out.

A cool side-effect of his portals is they won't bring anyone to a place that's impossible to visit. You can't be brought to the inside of a solid object, or in an area too small for one to logically fit. The powers can drop you into the ocean, but they won't place you inside a whale or trap you halfway through a statue. Because of this limitation, Rift can't open up a portal inside your guts, or force you through a portal into a chest at the bottom of the sea.

Other Notable Techniques

Moo-neuver: He opens a portal and lets stampeding cattle run over his opponents.

Torrent: Opens a portal to somewhere in the ocean, shooting forth a torrent of water at a target.

Smokescreen: By opening a portal above a factory chimney, he blasts his opponent with smoke.

Perfect Aim: If he has a firearm, he can open up one portal at the top of his gun, and and another in front of the target. By sending the projectile through the portal, he’s almost guaranteed to hit his target and avoid anything getting in the crossfire.

Black Hole: A theory, one he hasn’t tested out. What happens if you open a portal inside another portal? Or if two portals open into each other? Can two locations exist in the same place, at the same time? This results in neutron degeneracy pressure, where the rifts collapse in on each other to create a black hole. 

Scatter Slap: A secret technique he hasn’t discovered yet. He can touch something and open up countless tiny portals on a molecular level, getting in-between a person’s molecules/atoms/whatever the hell. This would let him instantly scatter someone or something across the world with his powers. Instant vaporization.

Secondary Mutation

He has another mutation: red eyes that grow on his arms. They're basically like tattoos, but become actual eyes when exposed to enough direct sunlight. The more sunlight his body gets, the more eyes appear. His skin will also turn red, and the eyes on his face will turn red, and gain black sclera. They can blink and look around independently, but he currently has no control over them, nor can he see through them.  Without sunlight, he begins to revert to his usual state. 

He's ashamed of this mutation, so he always covers up. 

He doesn't know it, but should he let his second mutation run its course, he'll be able to see from all of these eyes at once. If someone makes eye contact with them, the eyes can temporarily "steal" their sight, giving Rift the ability to see through that person's eyes. Meanwhile, that person now sees from one of the eyes on Rift's body. It's a very disorienting power.

His primary power is about escaping and providing his own personal freedom. His secondary power is about trapping others and taking things away from them. I feel like it's a good metaphor for his personality: he's flexible and living his best life, but has a sinister, controlling side that even he isn't fully aware of.

Trivia

Time for some fun

He’s bisexual. He leans more towards women, romantically. He leans towards men, sexually.

Claims to be a top, since one-upping and dominating others is his thing. But he’s actually verse.

Has used his powers during sex.

He’s definitely a dom in bed. Very kinky, very in control. But sometimes, with the right partner, he’s can turn into the biggest sub you can imagine.

He used to have casual sex with a human friend who admired his eye-based mutation. That something Rift hated about himself was beautiful to him. This friend took Mothervine to try and force a mutation in himself, but would end up dying from the result. As he was dying, Rift broke him out of the hospital so they could spend their final moments at their favorite beach.  

Expert frotter.

He’s a quarter fairy. He has the potential to learn magic, but doesn’t know it. I like to imagine this magic would let him access Otherworld, or other dimensions.

[saviwebdezine]

8 Ways for Website Optimization of Small Business

Understand How Search Engines Work

Search engines like Google and Bing use advanced algorithms to analyze millions of web pages and determine the most relevant results for user queries. To do this, search engines crawl the web and look for different elements on the page, including title tags, meta descriptions, content, images, and more. The search engine algorithm looks for clues that the website is relevant to a particular query. Websites with high scores for usefulness tend to appear in search results. As a small business owner, it’s important to understand how search engine algorithms work to optimize your website and make your site more visible to potential customers You can improve your website’s ranking by optimizing key elements of your page for search engines. Title tags and meta descriptions are two of the most important things you can modify to make your website interesting for search engines. You can also do keyword research to find the words and phrases most relevant to your business group. Also, this optimization of your URL and images will make it easier for search engines to read and rank. By adding the right text and using schema markup, you can improve your website content making it easier for search engines to understand what your page is about. Properly creating and positioning data, as well as website graphics and other elements, will help it rank faster in search engines.

Do Your Keyword Research

Keyword research is one of the most important aspects of SEO for small businesses. This involves conducting online research on the words and phrases your potential customers typically use to search for similar products or services. Using this information, you can optimize your website and content for those relevant keywords. You can optimize your keyword research with a few steps: Start by writing down information about your business. You can use tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEmrush and Uber recommendations to find related keywords and keyword ideas. Consider specific phrases or questions your potential customers are searching for, such as “SEO for google my business” or “How to optimize your small business website for search engines”. Check the competition Identify the keywords your competitors are engaged in, and use them as your research tools. Once you’ve identified a few target keywords, you can use tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs to track their search volume and problem level. This will help you determine if they are worth targeting or if you should pursue other strategies. Remind yourself that you are making progress as you complete these tasks. Check the order of your pages daily. Make adjustments as needed. The team at Savi Web Dezine is constantly researching keywords and results.

[tapuwadangarembizi]

How can the implementation of sustainable energy help in the industrial sector, according to Tapuwa Dangarembizi

Firstly, Thanks to his extensive understanding of the most recent innovations and developments in the energy business, Tapuwa Dangarembizi has been instrumental in accelerating energy transformation and drawing attention to the issues of environmental sustainability. Furthermore, he has gained recognition as a significant leader and visionary in this area thanks to his expertise and dedication.

You can also read Tapuwa Dangarembizi Why is there a need to focus on using sustainable energy?

Businesses and industries contribute significantly to a nation's economy by generating sizable amounts of revenue, maintaining average incomes, and creating substantial employment opportunities for citizens from various social strata. Here is when it is also the responsibility of the industries to create such opportunities where they can save the environment and prevent it from a global crisis. Also deemed good Corporate Social Responsibility.

Understanding the implementation of sustainable energy in industries

The non-renewable energy sector typically uses mechanical processes to operate autonomously with the barest amount of human intervention. On the other hand, a green energy business needs much personnel to run and perform optimally, expanding job prospects and boosting a nation's entire economic structure.

By substituting or offsetting the demand for the emission of fossil fuels with net-zero power sources such as solar and wind, the industry's environmental impact immediately decreases if conventional sources utilized in sectors are replaced with renewable energy sources.

Unlike fossil fuels that deteriorate air quality and pose serious health risks due to their pollution of earth's resources, including soil, water, and air. Renewable energy produces far fewer greenhouse gas emissions, significantly improving the general health quality in the environment.

Get in touch with Energy Sustainable Solutions (ESS) today!

Our mission is to close the gap between development and sustainability. We have a group of forward-thinking individuals working constantly to create a variety of sustainable goods, services, and solutions for a peaceful and inclusive world. We are recognized as a sustainable business, and we provide clear sustainable strategies that monitor your sustainable ROI, invest in energy from renewable sources, and keep your market advantage. In addition, we also support Sustainable Development Goals by creating novel solutions that result in quick carbon reduction for a better future.

Another development, is the introduction of ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft, which enable users to split journeys with others while lowering the overall number of cars on the road. These ideas, plans, and contributions from Tapuwa Dangarembizi have an opportunity to lessen traffic jams and greenhouse gases while also promoting a healthier and more environmentally friendly way of living. Tapuwa is working diligently to develop the charging infrastructure that will support Uber and Lyft as they are forced to electrify their fleets to remain sustainable companies.

Saving the environment

The work of Dangarembizi is targeted at the most efficient use of  energy sustainably. His innovations are helping the world use more renewable energy sources and rely less on fossil fuels. This helps to protect the environment while simultaneously supplying clean, inexpensive electricity.

Industry leaders must make eco-friendly decisions to pave the road for a healthy future since doing so establishes a policy that can benefit society while additionally guaranteeing corporate excellence. To know more, you may like to read The Future is Green: How Tapuwa Dangarembizi is Paving the Way for Sustainable Energy

[fastlane-freedom]

Disruptive Business Strategies: Innovate, Compete, and Succeed

Disruptive business strategies are innovative approaches that challenge the status quo of the industry and introduce new products, services, or business models that change the way things are done. Here are a few examples of disruptive business strategies that have expanded businesses worldwide: Uber: Uber is a ride-sharing service that disrupted the traditional taxi industry. Instead of owning a…