#ads for things that are not actually consumer products. illegal.

[cobra-creampuff]

the fact that they made it illegal to make ads louder than programs on tv in 2010 but haven't updated it to apply the same regulation to streaming. who do i have to call.

[leidensygdom]

Fighting AI and learning how to speak with your wallet

So, if you're a creative of any kind, chances are that you've been directly affected by the development of AI. If you aren't a creative but engage with art in any way, you may also be plenty aware of the harm caused by AI. And right now, it's more important than ever that you learn how to fight against it.

The situation is this: After a few years of stagnation on relevant stuff to invest to, AI came out. Techbros, people with far too much money trying to find the big next thing to invest in, cryptobros, all these people, flocked to it immediately. A lot of people are putting money in what they think to be the next breakthrough- And AI is, at its core, all about the money. You will get ads shoved in your fave about "invest in AI now!" in every place. You will get ads telling you to try subscription services for AI related stuff. Companies are trying to gauge how much they can depend on AI in order to fire their creatives. AI is opening the gates towards the biggest data laundering scheme there's been in ages. It is also used in order to justify taking all your personal information- Bypassing existing laws.

Many of them are currently bleeding investors' money though. Let it be through servers, through trying to buy the rights to scrape content from social media (incredibly illegal, btw), amidst many other things. A lot of the tech giants have also been investing in AI-related infrastructures (Microsoft, for example), and are desperate to justify these expenses. They're going over their budgets, they're ignoring their emissions plans (because it's very toxic to the environment), and they're trying to make ends meet to justify why they're using it. Surely, it will be worth it.

Now, here's where you can act: Speak with your wallet. They're going through a delicate moment (despite how much they try to pretend they aren't), and it's now your moment to act. A company used AI in any manner? Don't buy their products. Speak against them in social media. Make noise. It doesn't matter how small or how big. A videogame used AI voices? Don't buy the game. Try to get a refund if you did. Social media is scraping content for AI? Don't buy ads, don't buy their stupid blue checks, put adblock on, don't give them a cent. A film generated their poster with AI? Don't watch it. Don't engage with it. Your favourite creator has made AI music for their YT channel? Unsub, bring it up in social media, tell them directly WHY you aren't supporting. Your favourite browser is now integrating AI in your searches? Change browsers.

Let them know that the costs they cut through the use of AI don't justify how many customers they'd lose. Wizards of the Coast has been repeatedly trying to see how away they can get with the use of AI- It's only through consumer boycotting and massive social media noise that they've been forced to go back and hire actual artists to do that work.

The thing with AI- It doesn't benefit the consumer in any way. It's capitalism at its prime: Cut costs, no matter how much it impacts quality, no matter how inhumane it is, no matter how much it pollutes. AI searches are directly feeding you misinformation. ChatGPT is using your input to feed itself. Find a Discord server to talk with others about writing. Try starting art yourself, find other artists, join a community. If you can't, use the money you may be saving from boycotting AI shills to support a fellow creative- They need your help more than ever.

We're in a bit of a nebulous moment. Laws against AI are probably around the corner: A lot of AI companies are completely aware that they're going to crash if they're legally obliged to disclose the content they used to train their machines, because THEY KNOW it is stolen. Copyright is inherent to human created art: You don't need to even register it anywhere for it to be copyrighted. The moment YOU created it, YOU have the copyright to it. They can't just scrape social media because Meta or Twitter or whatever made a deal with OpenAI and others, because these companies DON'T own your work, they DON'T get to bypass your copyright.

And to make sure these laws get passed, it's important to keep the fight against AI. AI isn't offering you anything of use. It's just for the benefit of companies. Let it be known it isn't useful, and that people's work and livelihoods are far more important than letting tech giants save a few cents. Instead, they're trying to gauge how MUCH they can get away with. They know it goes against European GDPR laws, but they're going to try to strech what these mean and steal as much data up until clear ruling comes out.

The wonder about boycotts is that they don't even need you to do anything. In fact, it's about not doing some stuff. You don't need money to boycott- Just to be aware about where you put it. Changing habits is hard- People can't stop eating at Chick-fil-a no matter how much they use the money against the LGBTQ collective, but people NEED to learn how to do it. Now it's the perfect time to cancel a subscription, find an alternate plan to watching that one film and maybe joining a creative community yourself.

[yourtoradorasextendedwarranty]

Something I can't understand is the ideology that modern Neo Progressives have in general. Because frankly they don't have cohesive ideology at all. They believe in Communism (or so most say) but literally are the world's biggest Karen's when it comes to consumer goods. Like iPhones and anything Apple.

They will scream EAT THE RICH, while subsequently padding those same rich wallets. Then they will scream about the environment and it gets kinda wild. Because they want paper straws, never you mind you can't really recycle them, they are often made of NOT good materials for people or for the environment, AND production of them is actually worse all things considered. Yet they claim that you should do it FOR the environment........Sure.

Then there's the fact that Hamas is killing people in Gaza now, and I see no mention of "Genocide" almost at all any more. No mention of care at all about what's going on. Guess the issues was actually the Jews then. BUT NO that doesn't make sense either because they are convinced that Elon, Trump, etc are all SOMEHOW, Nazis. Despite Trump helping his daughter transition over to Judaism to marry her husband. And also because the wave that Elon did was not very Nazi like.....And is far less similar to a Nazi salute than Elizabeth Warren, Hillary, Obama, Harris, and Bush have done. So you hate Jews, (Even though you refuse to admit it and just say Zionists instead because it somehow became socially acceptable) and you have the NERVE to call Elon a Nazi?

Hamas were literally waving Nazi flags at their own rallies. Oh and that's not also adding to it the fact that China, the country that everyone that left TikTok is now FAWNING over, have never listened to people that have lived there for any extended period of time....ever. Like the people that escaped and now live in the US. AND THAT is a whole separate can of worms because China is HELLA racist, they have ZERO free speech. They don't have almost any women's rights at all, and they are literally the Actors of the Eastern world.

"Don't worry. We aren't raping Uighur women daily. Don't worry we didn't weld people into their homes to enforce 'Zero Covid'. Don't worry none of those welded in starved to death. Don't worry our people totally have access to free and open information. We are so dedicated to that, that a government actor needs to be in every business over a certain size? We will just tell everyone our apartments are 500$ a month/year......while not telling them how much we MAKE a month or year. Yes please hate American more and eat our propaganda harder."

Oh, and a secondary mention of the poor Uighurs. Sterilized, Shaved bald, made to all wear the same thing, re-education camps on how they are impure and wrong. Then there's the rapes of the women to breed them out. AND THEN used as cheap slave labor.

PLEASE do tell me you care about Muslims when you overlook an actual by the definition Genocide. But because it's Communists doing it, it's just fine I guess. Their lives don't actually matter. Funny enough black lives wouldn't in China either. Hell they HATE the LGBT with a passion but know that western liberals love the LGBT and use that as a publicity stunt to try and con said Western Libs that they somehow actually care. You people are walking. Talking. Contradictions. And a lot of the outrage you fake is over stuff you know NOTHING about.

Like getting mad that illegals are being deported despite more rapists coming into this country due to having basically NO borders at all. And before some moron comes into my notes and say's "Not all _____ are~" see....Let me stop you right there. NO HONEST PERSON is calling all of ANYONE crossing the border, Rapists. It's just a Factual POINT that rapists, sex traffickers, CHILD traffickers and drug mules have made a huge boom off of Biden's policies. If you have a real ideology, then stand the fuck by it and stop making excuses. Move to a country where hate speech laws exist. You will learn fast what it means to NOT really have free speech. Especially not when you are not allowed to talk poorly of your government or it's officials. Lest you be arrested or fined. Like in the UK.

People in the US think things are just awful here. Live other places for long stints of time and do all the same stuff you do here. You can't. You walk into and ER here, they have to see you. It might take 2 hrs but they CAN'T turn you away. Canada? Your "Socialist Dream" depending on what's wrong with you, their system is so strained, it could talk you days or months to be seen at all. SURE most of its free, but did you know that wealthy Canadians TEND to come to the US for healthcare because they feel they get treated better and more thoroughly. Wild right? But it happens.

Moral of the story. Things here are far better than you realize. And EVERY country has its own issues. Most countries have stricter laws, stricter borders, stricter immigration laws, and several other things. Including restricting self defense, arms ownership, and speech. And many have higher taxes than CA. Neo Progs will never understand how well they have it. And I don't know how to tell them the rest of the countries and cultures they defend look at them as degenerates. Sluts. Whores. Evil. Monsters. Gross. Etc. Any other bad word you can think that's how they see you. Unless you listen to their PR people. And you ALWAYS DO.

[pavi-kinnie]

Some of y'all need to master the art of just not giving a fuck or or ignoring something when someone is trying to clearly sell an item or belief to you for their own gain.

Great example for my fellow Tiktok folk: You see an undisclosed Bloom or Poppi ad, you swipe away, don't listen to what they are doing. If they are willing to (illegally) trying to subliminally suggest to you that you NEED to drink Bloom or Poppi, they are willing to try and subtly sell you on anything. Regardless of what they say out loud, the messaging is clear, that clearly you NEED to drink this thing or you aren't being healthy or etc. They are already willing to try and suggest that to you, so they will undoubtedly suggest anything else to you. Makeup companies, shitty Temu products, whatever it is, you don't need it, they are trying to make a quick buck off of you.

Start looking at the people (particularly influencers) that you follow on Tiktok and start observing their content. Is there a pattern? Do there always seem to be a can of Poppi or Bloom just casually in the background, no matter the setting? Do they show off cheap Temu/Shein products constantly to the camera, especially with emphasis? Do they constantly mention the brand of mascara or lashes, especially in a video that isn't related to makeup products? Then that influencer is subliminally trying to suggest to you that these products are "cool", that you need these products or you'll look like an idiot in front of others. Keep scrolling past them and ignore their content. They've likely been paid a pretty penny to shill these products to you, and you don't need them.

Remember the whole Youtube Makeup community Morphe drama years ago, when consumers of Youtube Makeup tutorials and artists got mad because the content creators were shilling out Morphe products? The whole scandal was that Morphe paid a pretty penny to many popular makeup artists to promote as many Morphe products as possible to their audience, despite their actual opinions. They could've thought the products were shit, but they sold them to their audience cause they got paid to, and when consumers found out, they were pissed. What we are seeing with influencers now, especially on Tiktok, is the same exact thing, but more subliminally. And it's working. They've learned that they can get away with shilling products to their audience that they probably don't even like, because as long as they are subtle about it, most people don't notice and fall for the hidden ads without realizing that it was an ad. Don't let them get away with it. But what you want because you actually WANT the item, not because companies are trying to subtly trick you into buying the product.

Sorry for the ranting but I had to get that out there.

companies make billions from you thinking you're ugly btw. only ugly thing is their bottom line. log out of tiktok right now.

[nickgerlich]

Search Is The Word

The vast majority of my students have many things in common, and I don’t mean their youth. They have known a world in which the internet reigned supreme ever since they were born. They probably don’t remember life without smartphones. Shopping online is a no-brainer, while shopping in stores can be a chore.

And search engines are just a click or tap away.

The first search engine in the modern era, meaning 1994 when the World Wide Web was unleashed for public use, was Yahoo. The site sent out crawlers to scan what was then a pretty small internet, and users could find things if they knew how to frame a search query.

Yahoo was followed by Lycos, AskJeeves, and a rudimentary search tool created by Larry Page and Sergey Brin called BackRub. If you don’t recognize those two names, you should, because two years later, in 1998, they released Google. And the world has not been the same ever since.

While there were numerous other search engines that entered the market in the late-90s, it was Google that went on to rule the roost and become a verb. It is the go-to website for whenever we need to find out something, to the extent that the Department of Justice recently ruled the company had an illegal monopoly on search. But that’s a topic for another class.

Being able to search online sure beats the old card catalog system that libraries had when I was growing up. Imagine having to write a research paper and you had to know the Dewey Decimal System before you could even begin. It was a very different kind of hell.

But times are changing. Evolution is inevitable and unstoppable, a force not only of nature but also technology. While “traditional” search—and I use that word in quotes because it seems odd to use it for something less than 30 years old—is still dominant, other forms of search are emerging.

And, as when many new technologies arrive, these new ways are being adopted by younger people. GenZ in particular is ushering in a new generation of search, which includes these relatively new options: social search, AI platforms, and e-commerce sites.

While I cannot claim to be among the GenZ cohort, I can speak from experience. Although I Google among the best, and consider it the Swiss Army knife of my modern existence, I increasingly use Instagram and Facebook to find companies. I have used chatbots, which rely heavily on AI. And, not to be left out, I lean heavily on Amazon and Expedia.

Whaaaat?

Since Amazon is the world’s ultimate store, I figure if I strike out in a search there, then the product simply does not exist. That may not always be true, especially since there are some brands—notably Nike—not available there. Some of their third-party vendors may sell them—or knock-offs—but Amazon and Nike cut ties back in 2020.

And then there’s Expedia, the travel booking site for lodging, flights, and rental cars. I seldom if ever actually book anything through them. Instead, I use it to quickly find out which lodging properties are available in a particular city. Like Amazon, it is a pretty safe bet that most hotels and motels will show up in an Expedia search. Once I find out what is available, I then go to my brand-specific apps, which is usually Hilton, but not always.

So what does this mean? Plenty. It means that marketers must understand exactly how people search, and who is most likely to use the various methods. Failure to do so could leave you wondering why all that money you have been paying to Google isn’t yielding the results you wanted.

This helps explain how and why Google became the advertising giant it is, by selling top search query result rankings, but also at sites like Amazon and Expedia. It behooves marketers to pay Amazon, who realized ad revenues of $46.9 billion in 2023, to show up first. The same goes for hotels listed on Expedia. Organic search results are nice, but paid placements are better.

Since GenZ is such a huge consumer of sites like Instagram and TikTok, it also makes sense to have a significant presence there with ads and standard posts. Having to flip outside of an environment is inconvenient. If search can be done within an app where you already spend a lot of time, then all the better.

I suspect that in another 30 or 40 years, people will be reminiscing about how in the good old days, they had to use a clunky search tool like Google, because it had come to dominate the scene and left other search engines, like Bing, Duck Duck Go, Yahoo, and others, scrambling to pick up leftover crumbs.

With AI now all the rage, it also behooves sites like Google to embrace the technology in an effort to make search engines more fruitful. We started seeing the results of these efforts even before Chat GPT was released in November 2022. Have you noticed the predictive spelling and query completion appearing on your screen? You can thank AI.

We’ve come a long way since the Stone Age, which basically ended around 1994. Some people still cling to it. And there will be those who cling to the methods that came after 1994, but before the modern era. To each their own. But the marching orders for marketers remain the same: understand your target audience, and you will increase the chances of your success.

Sure beats having to flip through a card catalog.

Dr “Search Me” Gerlich

Audio Blog

[cyberphuck]

alright, let's see.

-adverts cannot lie about the product they are advertising [?] MAYBE. We'd need some guidelines as to what "lying" in this context means. "Come and play this game" = you click and what you see is indeed a game (and then we'll need a separate set of guidelines as to what a "game" is in this context), regardless of what the ad showed. Is that a lie? "Come and play this game," the ad shows a lady barfing on a knight and then crushing him between her thighs, but underneath is a legible message that reads "not actual gameplay" or "gameplay differs from ad images." Both of those sets of guidelines would take a lot of lawyers, a lot of back-and-forth arguing and a lot of time.

-adverts cannot trick you into clicking them (eg. false X's to close the ad) [O] YES. Design a Standard Exit Icon, i.e., a specific shape, color and size, and require Marketing to use that icon only, and that the icon MUST close the ad as soon as it is pressed.

-adverts cannot pretend to be the app you are currently playing and say "you need to update the app!" [O] YES. If it's an ad, it has to state-- legibly-- that it is an ad and not part of gameplay or typical usage of the app.

-adverts cannot, under any circumstance, have strobing lights [O] YES. Set a standard of "ad cannot feature shifting of high-contrasting colors at faster than X FPS," as well as "shifting of high-contrast colors between x and X FPS cannot comprise more than xx% of the adspace."

-adverts cannot bully or belittle the viewer (genuinely why is this one a thing ads do) [X] NO. How would you even achieve that. What does "bully" or "belittle" mean in a universal sense that could be flexible enough to allow ads to exist at all, while also not being so flexible that it's useless? (I'm not saying that ads that tell you you suck should exist, just that trying to pass laws or guidelines limiting that kind of language would never work.) Workaround: Allow users to "opt out" of ads that contain voice over or onscreen text of any kind except for mandatory messages regarding the ad's content (as outlined above). Ads displayed on children's apps, children's media, or anything meant for kids should have this feature as default.

-advertising gambling should be illegal [X] NO. Definition of "gambling" is too broad and too easy to loophole

-advertising addictive products should be illegal [X] NO. Definition of "addictive" is too nebulous, especially when referring to non consumables (and also consumables-- caffeine is addictive. Sugar is addictive. I can't advertise Pepsi?). You could become addicted to playing Solitaire. Again, not saying that predatory apps full of microtransactions are good, just that this would never fly.

-no hate speech of any kind [X] NO. Definition of "hate speech" is too broad and can change too quickly. WORKAROUND: as above, the option to turn off text in ads.

-no attempting to convert the viewer to any religion [X] NO. Again, definition of "convert" is either too narrow to do any good or too broad to do any good. Same with "religion." Can't have Castlevania games? Can't have characters named Chris or Josh or Larry?

-ADVERTS SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO FORCE OPEN THE APP STORE ON ANY DEVICE [O] YES. No trouble there. But bear in mind that even for issues that you can write guidelines for, a lot of the ads you take issue with are for apps that were developed by, and have servers in, countries outside the US. You can make a law that says No Depiction of Giant Lady Barfing On People, but you can't make non-US citizens animating that giant lady follow the law. Could you make a law that only applies to ads for games intended for download and use inside the US? Sure. Could you enforce that law? Fuck no. Even if you got the law to pass somehow and it was written well enough to absolutely apply to certain ads, the foreign developers can just ignore it, making a new ad every time the old one gets reported and turning the app store into a huge, unending game of whack-a-mole. And finally: when it comes to a contest between improving people's quality of life, and a Huge Corporation Making Money (Apple or Google getting a little nibble of every microtransaction), the Money will win, every single time. Corps have shown again and again and again and again that they will not create or follow safety and/or quality assurance policies unless they're forced to by the courts (and they'll fight it kicking and screaming like a toddler being carried surfboard-style out of the family gathering). The fact of the matter is that in our current political climate (coughSCOTUScough), the courts no longer have the power or the will to do that. Don't. Forget. To Vote.

there needs to be so much more legislation when it comes to advertising, especially mobile adverts which are 99% lies and often predatory.

[molsons112000]

So the boyfriend, who was threatening suicide and the girlfriend who was his ex. Girlfriend kept on telling him to commit suicide... If you know somebody is susceptible to suggestions and you do that suggestion, it is like poisoning them..... And any form of poisoning is called premeditated, attempted murder or murder...

If the person dies, you would be guilty of premeditated murder, which is the highest classification of murder and can get you the death penalty in many places.Feb 4, 2022

https://www.quora.com › Is-it-illeg...

Is it illegal to poison your own food with the intent to punish ... - Quora

Intentionally poisoning someone is a felony offense under Penal Code 347(a)(1). It states that a person is guilty if they intentionally mix a harmful substance or poison with food, drink, medicine, or water, knowing or should have known that someone would consume it. The sentence depends on the circumstances of the case, but can include:

General act of poisoning: Two, four, or five years in state prison

Anyone dies or is seriously injured: Three years added to the sentence

Eisner Gorin LLP

Poisoning Food, Medicine, or Water Supply | Penal Code 347 PC

Mar 29, 2023

shouselaw.com

Penal Code § 347 PC - Poisoning Food, Drink, Medicine or Water

Willfully Poisoning. Penal Code 347(a)(1) states that a person is guilty of a felony if he: “Willfully” mixes any poison or harmful substance with any food, drink, medicine, pharmaceutical product, or public water supply; and, Knows, or should have known, that a person would take or consume the poisoned substance. 1.

Some examples of PC 347 offenses include:

Pouring cyanide into well water

Mixing bleach into food and serving it to someone

Defenses for PC 347 offenses include:

Your actions were not malicious

Your actions were not willful

You had no intent to injure or annoy the person

In some cases, poisoning can also be considered first-degree murder.

So this is the difference from somebody being mentally ill. And the voices are actually inside their head. And you're not saying it to them, but when you're saying it to them than it is premeditate it, and that means you can be charged with attempted murder, even if nothing happens to them. You can be charged with attempted murder... If you know they're susceptible to suggestion and you do these things, then each time you do, it is account of premeditated, attempted murder....

Roy had seen numerous mental health professionals and had been prescribed psychiatric medication. After a bench trial, presiding judge Lawrence Moniz found Carter guilty of involuntary manslaughter, concluding that she wanted Roy dead and that her words coerced him to kill himself.

https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › D...

Death of Conrad Roy - Wikipedia

People

people.com

Michelle Carter: The 'Texting-Suicide' Case Five ...

Aug 3, 2022 — Michelle Carter was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for encouraging the suicide of her then-boyfriend Conrad Roy III in 2014.

Los Angeles Times

www.latimes.com

Woman who encouraged boyfriend to kill himself via text ...

Aug 3, 2017 — Michelle Carter was convicted in June by a judge who said her final instruction to Conrad Roy III caused his death.

CBS News

https://www.cbsnews.com › news

Michelle Carter, who urged her boyfriend to kill himself in texts, is ...

Jan 23, 2020 — Michelle Carter, the 23-year-old convicted of manslaughter for encouraging her boyfriend to commit suicide, was released from

So once you're in to know as God said, and you do the negative action. There is no coming out of hell. You will burn in eternal damnation.... So there is no surviving it, you will be condemned and you will be tortured for eternity.....

[littleapocalypsekitten]

Well, this is completely stupid. I mean, okay, okay, I can see *some kind* of argument for why, presumably, given farms would have to take the evil measures to "produce a cheap product at a profit," but the stuff about taking regulations regarding animals potentially carrying disease? Whut? If you have mass numbers of animals killed before slated slaughter-time because of an outbreak of avian flu or something, that's going to counter the profits. That's like...I guess these people just want more animals to die. Or something. I honestly think that there are some people who just feel powerful when they are needlessly hurting others and it's an addiction. Oh, and I don't think for a hot minute that making the crueler practices federal law is going to keep prices down for the average consumer. Corporations will always, ALWAYS find excuses and ways to artificially drive up prices. As for horses in particular... I remember seeing an episode of Food Theory on that, because, I, too, wondered why horse meat is actually illegal in the U.S.A. I was convinced that it wasn't just a cultural thing like how we will not eat cats and dogs, because horses were a historically eaten animal. (I've seen a vintage ad from the 1960s about oleomargarine made from horse fat). It turns out, in modern times, horses in the United States are all used for different things - they're pets, sports, farm work horses sometimes, race horses and adjacent breeders and as such, they are subject to medical care such as anti-inflammatories that stay in their systems and are dangerous for human consumption. It's for this reason why they are no longer used for pet food and why even countries that do eat horse meat have a ban on U.S. horses and horse meat (because if you raise them for meat, you have to raise them differently). So, that part of the act peaked my interest not just for the "horses are pretty and we do not eat them" reasons but for the "Hey! Republicans! It's a FOOD SAFETY issue!" I'm not going all PETA here. I'm the daughter of a butcher and grew up rural. I've met some of the things I've eaten. I'm just saying, wow, some things just really don't make sense.

When you can't confine your cruelty to your fellow humans... 🙄😒

[phoenixyfriend]

International Taxes

Ko-Fi prompt from Ethan:

All I know about tariffs is that they're special taxes for international trade but people talk about them all the time. Please help explain

So we are going to talk about three things here:

Tariffs

VAT

Customs/Duties

I'll be using the US for most of my examples, because that's what I know best... and also because it's a very convenient example for the way VAT works on an international level.

Tariffs

You are correct that tariffs are special taxes for international trade. These are essentially fees that are applied to products being shipped in and out of a country in order to promote domestic product or impact a foreign one.

A common example is US steel. The United States has a fairly robust steel industry, and the government promotes that industry domestically by applying tariffs to imports. Back in 2018, Trump imposed a 25% tariff on steel imports and 10% on aluminum (something that the WTO said was illegal, but that's not relevant right now). The steel tariff had previously been a range of 8-30%, implemented by Bush in 2002. Prior to that, the steel tariff had generally been under 1%.

In applying that tariff, the federal government prioritized domestic purchasing. If domestic product is nominally $90 for one unit, and foreign product is $80, then it is cheaper and more appealing to buy from a foreign producer. With a 25% tariff, the foreign product is now functionally $100 per unit, making it more appealing to buy domestically. While the actual cost of the tax is born by the producing country, in the case of import tariffs, the result is the raising of costs when selling internationally.

Tariffs are also applied to specific countries. Once again using a Trump example, a $50 billion tariff was applied against China in 2018. This had negative impacts on the economy, as it led to worries of a trade war; China did retaliate by applying tariffs directly to specific products from the US, including wine and pork.

High tariffs theoretically lead to an increase in domestic trade, but they also lead to higher rates of smuggling. They are also a form protectionist policy, which was at its height in the 19th century for the US.

VAT - Value Added Tax

If you look up VAT, you get a lot of explanations that talk about how it is a tax that is levied against the consumer on the basis of the cumulative value of the product, and generally things are confusingly worded, so I'll save you some time:

It's sales tax.

If you are American like me, that's all it is. It's a different name for sales tax.

You get something for $8 at the store, but the final cost is $8.42? Those 42 cents are the VAT.

What does that have to do with international trade? Isn't that a domestic thing?

Well, yes and no. We'll start by comparing the US to most European countries.

See, the US has a different application of VAT than a lot of other places. In the US, sales tax is added at the very end of a purchase for the vast majority of places. This is because there is no federal sales tax. Instead, taxes are set by the state, county, and city governments. Take a look at this map of New York, and you'll see how much sales tax varies by just a few miles.

Given how much a pricing can vary from one town to the next, large corporations generate a greater profit by listing prices in their pre-tax form, and then adding that tax at the end. The consumer knows that there will be a higher price at the counter than is listed, because the standard in the US is to not include that tax. So your Arizona Iced Tea will be a $1 in Portland and $1 in Queens County, matching that promise on the can... but you'll still be paying $1 in Portland and $1.09 in Queens, because only one of those areas has sales tax, despite both being in the same country.

This works out for the retailer, because the consumer does not blame them for raising prices across county lines, if there is a sales tax hike. The thought of "it's cheaper ten miles down the road, I'll get to it later," followed by never getting to it and thus never making a purchase, is rarer, because the listed price is still the same. It also means having to print or design fewer price tags; imagine having to manually change every price in a supermarket magazine! Every coupon needs to have its price changed by a few cents, to account for tax!

...or you can just print the same magazine with the same prices and write "plus tax" after the listed cost.

All this to say, Americans are used to adding sales tax at the end, and knowing that the price they see is not the price they'll pay.

Other countries Do Not Do This.

I mean, some do. But we're talking about the ones that don't, which includes the entirety of the EU, India, some of Japan, and the country I actually have extensive experience with: Serbia.

I am currently in Serbia, which means I'm in a country with a sales tax/VAT that is higher than I'm used to (20% on most goods, 8% on essentials). In every store I've been to, the tax is included in the listed price. If it says 87 rsd on a carton of milk, I will be paying 87 rsd at checkout. The baseline price is 80 rsd, and then there's the 8% tax, and the final price is 86.4, which gets rounded up to the 87 that is listed on the tag.

If you aren't accustomed to thinking about VAT like in the US, online shopping can be... a trial.

If I purchase something from, say, Canada, and have it mailed to the US, I am given the sales tax as part of the purchasing process. It will format the receipt as the product plus sales tax. This is familiar to me.

To someone from the EU who does not purchase internationally (specifically from the US, Canada, or other countries that don't include sales tax in the sticker price), this tax can often come as a surprise.

And, finally, in some cases... the will be paid at the very end, at the point of pickup, along with customs. I recently purchased something from an English creator that was manufactured in Germany and then shipped to Serbia. I anticipated that I had paid the VAT for Serbia when purchasing the product. It was instead added at the point of purchase, as Serbia is neither in the EU nor in a trade agreement with the relevant countries that would allow for me to pay the VAT online, I had to pay the 20% in addition to customs when picking up the package from the postal office.

Despite not being a tariff or customs/duty payment, VAT can have a direct impact on international purchasing.

Customs/Duties

Customs and duties are taxes applied to products based on those product characteristics.

There is overlap with tariffs. As a consumer, you are... not going to be very affected by the difference between customs and tariffs.

Customs are like VAT, in that they are paid by the consumer rather than by the manufacturer.

You can think of tariffs as a fee that a manufacturer pays to sell something internationally (though that cost is often passed on to the consumer), and customs as a fee paid by a consumer to receive that good.

Hope this helps!

(And if anyone here is more familiar with the subject than I am, please feel free to add on or correct me! I'm generally pretty good about international policy, but I'm not an expert, and this subject can be a complicated one.)

(Prompt me on ko-fi!)

[starberry-cupcake]

Some thoughts about media consumption, fanwork and fandom issues that came about while pondering the Welcome Home situation.

I want to think out loud about how wild and complicated this situation seems to have gotten due to the way in which online fandom has normalized media-consuming practices, to the point in which it's become automatic and homogenizes art and media, regardless of where it comes from.

Fanwork hasn't only become an expected part of fandom activity, fans these days know how to monetize content before learning about intellectual property or developing any nuance on the origins of art, perceived in a depersonalized way as just "content".

In the past decade, it became customary on tumblr for Fandom Elders and Not So Elders to receive hate whenever they pointed out that, for example, adding self-profiting links on fics in AO3 is not allowed for legal reasons.

There was a very famous tumblr take that went as far as to suggest that fic writers "couldn't charge for and successfully sell" their fics because "writing is dismissed" in fandom, in comparison to fan art. This take didn't acknowledge that both forms of profit are actually illegal (added note: public domain in some countries still is legally bound to a tax payment), or that fanfic was historically more attacked by mainstream authors, which reinforced the culture of copyright understanding, or that fan art tends to be more easily separated from canon due to visual likeness differences, etc.

The general perception became that profiting from fanwork is "a safe thing to do" even if, in reality, profiting from copyrighted material without the legal authorization of the copyright holder is a decision fans should make knowingly of the legal consequences it carries for themselves and the fanwork community and platforms.

There was a fandom push and pull with this reality because of moral grounds and a popular perception of unequal footing between the fan part and the canon part.

It was perceived, in general, that fan content comes from an independent creator and canon comes from a Company or a Professional Author with Company Backing (publisher, studio, etc.) who wouldn't miss the few coins an indie artist can take from a piece of art.

This idea was reinforced by the fact that there were times in which big corporations shut down fan projects (even non profit ones) to later copy those projects themselves and profit from the idea. It happened with Lionsgate in the Hunger Games days, it happened with Disney and Etsy sellers, it happened in many places with many things.

The idea that, even if illegal, the practice of profiting from copyrighted material from corporations or certain authors could be seen as justified grew to a point of normalization.

So, the era in which the fanfiction battle that established the concept of non profit as a condition for allowing fan content to exist, had ended. It gave way to an increasingly normalized perception of it being allowed.

This also happened at the time in which online monetization of content became more accessible.

Sites like ko-fi or patreon could be used to pay for content creators "in general" rather than tying them to the profit of sales of specific content that contained copyrighted material. These loopholes allowed creators to successfully profit through fan content that was otherwise illegal to be monetized.

The problematic repercussions of this normalization, like I said, was that people learned to monetize before they learned what they could monetize. Or what they should.

Around 2018 there was a situation in which some rpdr queens got into arguments with fan artists who were selling their fan art as unauthorized merch.

These artists were doing what they were accustomed to do in the past years in fandom, do art of media they enjoyed and sell it online.

They didn't stop to think that they were actually selling products of indie artists whose primary source of income after performing is merch, nor did they think about the fact that drag performers are real people and not blorbos from shows. They didn't think that they were reproducing the likeness of a person (as curated as a drag persona can be) and selling it, feeling a sense of entitlement to the art that carried said likeness.

Normalization of media consumption in which you produce work and then sell it was so ingrained that the source didn't matter anymore. A mainstream Big Company like Disney was seen in the same way that an indie drag performer who asked fanwork creators not to profit from their identity.

Media is exchangeable and fanwork is created in the same way for anything, no matter what it is. Everything is a blorbo we feel automatically entitled to the moment it hits our orbit.

And I say this as a person who has been in fandom for ages and who values fanwork immensely. This doesn't come from a place of judgement, it comes from a place of care and of questioning the space around me.

In any case, cue 2023 sudden sensation Welcome Home.

It isn't just that Welcome Home is an independently created piece of transmedia, run by one single individual. It's also that said piece of media is, as of the moment of this situation, mostly developed via artwork.

Contrary to drag performers, webseries or podcasts, which can also be independently produced and become subject of massive fandoms, Welcome Home's source material is, at the beginning stage, mostly non-contextualized artwork and breadcrumbs of lore.

So, it skyrocketing to fandom fame and getting massive crowds of people from different walks of fandom life (the kids from the lost media reddits, the creepypasta youtubers, the fnaf kids, the tumblr puppet lovers, the puzzle enthusiasts, etc., etc.) while being a meta media piece (a transmedia piece about a made-up lost media piece) blurred the lines of source and fandom like nothing I've ever seen before.

How do you establish which art is canon when there are fan artists posting fan content that looks exactly like the real thing? And when you, as an indie creator, use the same platforms to showcase your work as they do to share their fan art?

How do you establish canon products (like puppets or dioramas) if you can't show yet the ones you made and fans are posting theirs already in the same platforms?

How can you put boundaries on what is or isn't part of the puzzle when overnight you have millions of people hungrily looking through your professional portfolio for clues that aren't meant to be there? Making you part of the puzzle because they single-handedly decided that your passion project is an ARG?

How do you stop the people who are profiting from cosplaying your characters for personal donations, selling fan art of your work in merch or using your characters and universe for commissions?

People who are, again, posting their photos and art and links on the same social medias you do and using for their monetization the same platforms as you do?

How do you set yourself apart from people impersonating you in social media, sometimes even unknowingly, because they're using your artwork for their profiles without permission or clarification?

How do you establish your ownership and identity without compromising personal information that you weren't thinking of sharing at all?

How do you keep your canon clear of outside influence if people are posting fanfics and roleplays faster than you are meant to tell your story? In the same platforms you use for work and enjoyment?

You know how, in Disney Parks, adults aren't allowed to cosplay out of special ticketed events because they want to avoid little kids from confusing a random person with a character performer, who is trained to accommodate and be accessible to little kids? Because they're responsible for how kids are treated in the parks by their employees and character performers?

Imagine fan art that is so much like the canon art, which didn't even get time to be set into clear boundaries and context yet, depicting things you didn't intend to depict for the audience you're aiming for, in a way in which it looks exactly like yours, posted in platforms that you use for your work.

How can you establish the boundaries of what is or isn't your canon content or your responsibility? If you're just one person? And this thing exploded overnight?

The normalization of fan content practices and, in tow, of profit from it, went faster than the story could be told.

Even outside of the very serious issue of people profiting from the work of an indie creator, from characters they've worked on for years and were excited to share with the world, there's also the fact that this exploded so much and so fast and with something in such an early stage of development that it's insane to think of how you can even start to draw lines of what is and isn't your work, as a singular person trying to put your idea out there.

Not just for the sake of storytelling, the sake of your art, the sake of your integrity as an author and the sake of your creative process, but also as the one responsible for the thing itself with a clear idea of what you're presenting and to whom.

It's overwhelming just to think about it.

I don't have answers, and even if I have opinions, I'm not trying to tell anyone what to do or how to behave, you're all responsible for your own actions. Objective information is out there, each fandom platform has its own rules and regulations, fandom has its sources of legal advice, and there are official guidelines from the WH author that are clear as to what they would like you not to do (1, 2, 3). Each piece of media is different, each person's way of interacting with it is different, I'm not your mom, there's the info, do whatever you want.

All I have is mad respect to an author whose work I'm enjoying immensely, my best wishes as someone who wants to be a storyteller, and my support.

Still, I just had to stop and think in some length about this because it's A LOT. It's wild. It's a situation I've personally never seen before in this extent.

And it's disorienting how fast we got here and where we're going. So I needed a space to think out loud to the void.

[booksbabybooks]

The Old Guard comic and killing what you love

I see so much excitement on here about the Old Guard comic coming out in April, that I kind of feel like a buzzkill bringing this up and I'm sure I'll get hate for this but: some of you at least are going to have to buy the damn thing.

Because we all know what's going to happen. Days after it comes out, the whole book will be scanned and online. Blogs will share the whole thing page by page. You'll know where you can download an illegal PDF. And most of this will be done from no more malicious reasons than love and enthusiasm. And in doing so, you pretty much guarantee that there won't be another comic after it.

There's a real culture online - especially on Tumblr - of feeling that all creative products should be free, and that by making them freely available you are doing an uncritical good, and sticking it to the system while you are at it.

Some of this comes from reasons it's hard not to have sympathy with: a screw you to the system, a 'fuck it, Disney can afford it', or genuine poverty / lack of access to a legal version of it.

Less attractively - not to be your salty aunt here, but it's true - it stems from an entitlement, a belief that you should be able to consume any art you want, free, immediately and without ads. (And often with no sense of irony or awareness: the same people who will RAGE against people liking but not reblogging fan art are happy to share a link where you can download books for free.)

But artists need to eat. They need to pay rent. And in almost every creative industry, the vast majority of people do not earn enough to live off. I don't have the exact figures to hand (you can get them from the BPI / Society of Authors websites if you are intetested) but something like 90% of musicians earned less than £200 from streaming last year. A similar percentage of authors earned less than £1000. This likely includes some of your favourites. Some people you view as successful. Some people that, if you took a moment, you'd be heartbroken were harmed by your actions.

(I work in the creative industries and I can tell you: they don't make many people rich. I have friends who are best-selling authors who survive on teaching gigs. And while it is about the money, it's not just about the money: I've seen comics artists deeply upset because a day after a book landed someone has uploaded the last five pages onto their blog as a "tribute".)

So pirating isn't a victimless crime, however easy it is it to pretend otherwise. (Also, it's not without risk: 'but I love them, your honour,' isn't actually a viable legal defence for copyright infringement).

But it also sends a message to the companies (including those who, yes, probably do deserve to be robbed) that IT'S NOT WORTH PUBLISHING THIS ART.

No publisher ever thought, it got a load of hype even though sales tanked, so let's publish another one. No film studio thought, ticket sales suck but illegal downloads were high so it's a win.

And it's especially important if the art you want to consume challenges the existing narrative of what sells. The companies that create these things - that pay the artists and writers and filmmakers - will continue to believe that nobody wants a queer superhero / Black romantic lead / disabled central character until the bottom line proves otherwise.

(Not to also point out that if you don't believe creatives should be paid, you encourage a system where only rich people get to make art, or at least get to decide who makes art).

So: if you possibly can, buy the damn book.

Club together with your mates to buy it.

If you can, double what your money does by buying from a comics store or indie bookshop.

If you are broke, order it from your library - most libraries stock graphic novels now and also offer digital lending. Remember, authors get paid for every loan out.

I'm sure there are some people for whom these are impossible options - this being Tumblr, I'm sure many people are already frothing to tell me how privileged my viewpoint is. And it's not like I don't know comics are expensive, or that not everyone has a local library.

But a lot of you do. So it's to those people I'm saying:

You want more of these books to come out? You have to support them.

EDIT: While I am here saying pay for your art I would remind people that my 2020 Kindness project is giving away my stitches to good homes for free so if anyone wants these Joe and Nicky stitches they are still available. HMU. (UK only due to postage, sorry)

[super-famicom-star-inactive]

Friday Special #3

November 13th, 2020

Welcome to today’s Friday Special!

For this week, we’ll be digging into some history of a country, a company, and how a little game called Tetris changed the international gaming landscape.

Okay so imagine this

The year is 1984.

In America, Van Halen had released their iconic album 1984 to the masses. Apple Macintosh introduced their first personal computer. The XXIII Olympiad is held in Los Angeles, California. The space shuttle Discovery makes its maiden voyage into space.

In Japan, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind hits theatres and would put Hayao Miyazaki into the spotlight, encouraging him and others to create Studio Ghibli the following year. NHK, the national broadcasting network, tests out a new type of satellite called the BS-2a. The Sony Discman is one of the hottest electronics to own as Compact Discs (CDs) had started to gain popularity.

What about the Soviet Union?

Besides a collision of Soviet submarine K-314 and the USS Kitty Hawk as well as the country famously boycotting the Summer Olympics that year, not much. 

Wait, what about Tetris?

Buckle up.

So the insanely popular puzzle game Tetris had its simple start in the USSR and was created by Russian programmer Alexey Leonidovich Pajitnov. It was conceptualized and created during Pajitnov’s time as a speech recognition researcher at the Soviet Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg. Pajitnov designed Tetris and similar puzzle games like it because he wanted computers to make people happy and believed that "games allow people to get to know each other better and act as revealers of things you might not normally notice, such as their way of thinking."

Tetris first saw life on the Electronika 60, a Soviet computer at the time and also a rare commodity even then, and was released on June 6, 1984. It was the result of Pajitnov trying to recall a favorite childhood game and it used the shapes of tetrominoes (geometric shapes that are connected orthogonally [at the edges, not corners] and fit like a jigsaw puzzle, Tetris calls them tetriminoes). The first version of Tetris had no score system or levels but it was popular amongst his colleagues for its addictive gameplay.

The game became so popular that Pajitnov enlisted the help of Vadim Gerasimov, a 16-year-old high school student with a knack for computer skills, to adapt the game to the IBM Personal Computer (released in 1981) and they were successfully able to do so, with Pajitnov adding color and a soundboard for the second version.

Although the Academy disliked the success that the game was getting, Pajitnov had a dream of exporting the game to the world. He got help from Victor Brjabrin to help with the publication of Tetris, where the first international copy of Tetris wound up with the Hungarian company Novotrade in 1986. The game would then be distributed all over Hungary and even reached Poland. It was in that same year and place that Robert Stein, international software salesman for the firm Andromeda Software (based in London, England) would be exposed to the popular puzzle game and he was so impressed by it that he faxed the co-creators directly for the license rights. 

Here’s one thing to keep in mind, even a deal made over fax communication in the Western world is a legally-binding contract.

This is where things get hairy

Tetris would see its major American introduction in Las Vegas at the 1987 Consumer Electronics Show. After that and several negotiations, Stein gave the firm Mirrorsoft the European rights and the American rights to Spectrum Holobyte. With the rights in their grasp, Mirrorsoft released their version on the IBM PC in 1987 and Spectrum Holobyte version released in January of 1988. As a result, Tetris became an international phenomenon and became highly successful in both North America and Europe. The game itself was later ported to Amiga, Atari ST, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Amstrad CPC.

Despite the good fortune however, Stein was left with an issue. See, he sold the license of the game without actually owning it. After some more negotiating, this time with the central organization for importing/exporting of the Soviet Union Elorg (Elektronorgtechnica), the deal was made that Tetris would be made available for all current and future computer systems.

So where is Tengen in all of this?

In 1988, Tengen, a subsidiary of Atari Games, received the Japanese rights from Mirrorsoft. Tengen then sold the arcade rights to SEGA and the console version to BPS (Bullet-Proof Software). BPS would go on to create a version of Tetris for the Nintendo Famicom System (The NES in North America) in 1989. 

Tengen the subsidiary was founded in December of 1987 and was Atari Games’ response of needing a firm to oversee the console gaming side of the company. The only licensed games that were released under Tengen were R.B.I. Baseball, Pac-Man, and Gauntlet.

Yeah, the famous Tengen version of Tetris was actually unlicensed. 

Under Tengen, Tetris went under the name Tetris: The Soviet Mind Game in May of 1989, although the arcade machine clones would read 1988. 

So at this point, at least a dozen of different companies held rights to the Tetris game, with Stein in particular holding exclusive home computer rights. Nintendo would be ready to go with their introduction of the Gameboy in 1989. 

AAAAAnd here’s where the problems arise.

When Henk Rogers, a Dutch video game designer and entrepreneur for Nintendo, was trying to obtain handheld console rights, he was unsuccessfully able to get in contact with Atari before trying to contact Stein. While relations were good at first, Rogers started getting suspicious that Stein had a breach of contract and traveled to the Soviet Union not only to investigate, but to contact the Elorg itself about handheld console rights. 

What he ended up doing was getting involved in a meeting that contained Stein and Mirrorsoft manager Kevin Maxwell over rights with the Elorg president Nikolai Belikov present. When Belikov was shown a Tetris cartridge by Rogers, he was surprised as he believed that Tetris was only licensed for home computers. Had not Rogers defended that the rights were sold to Nintendo through Atari Games thanks to Stein, and Rogers being on good terms with Pajitnov, Nintendo would have been sued into oblivion for illegal publication of the game. 

During the discussions, Belikov offered to null and void Stein’s rights to the game and instead offered Nintendo full rights to their home consoles and handheld consoles. Thanks to Rogers, Minoru Arakawa and Howard Lincoln, both Nintendo executives, signed off on the contract and Stein was left in the dust, losing all the console rights lost due to failing to read about the clause that defined the computer as “a machine with a screen and a keyboard” and not a console.

With this, Nintendo sent a cease-and-desist to Atari Games, demanding that they stop making the NES version of Tetris. However, Mirrorsoft was on Atari’s side, insisting that they still had rights. Nintendo didn’t give in on its stance however, and things got so out of hand that even the Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev had to get involved on Mirrorsoft’s behalf. 

Talk about pressure.

What then ensued was the legendary lawsuit between Atari Games and Nintendo, with Atari Games claiming that since the Nintendo Famicom (Nintendo Family Computer is its full name) had “computer” in the name and that it featured an extension input that can allow the console to be converted into a computer, thus it could not claim the rights as stated in the Elorg contract, since it was a classified as a computer. 

(While the Famicom does have a third-party extension on the bottom right side of the console, that was usually there for third-party controllers at the time. Down below is the extension input in question.)

Pajitnov testifed on Nintendo’s behalf, saying that the contract only affected computers and nothing else, and Belikov, also on the side of Nintendo, argued the same stance. 

Ultimately, the case was ruled in Nintendo’s favor as it was discovered that Mirrorsoft and Spectrum HoloByte never received explicit authorization for marketing on consoles. As a result, Atari Games withdrew the NES version of Tetris from the market by the hundreds of thousands.

So what about Pajitnov? Did he ever get any money out of this?

Nope.

See, because of the laws in place regarding ownership of property in the Soviet Union at the time, Pajitnov could neither patent or make money off of his product and he never received any of the royalties for Tetris, hence the existence of so many clones. Despite this, he remained optimistic, quoted saying “The fact that so many people enjoy my game is enough for me."

Don’t worry, the story does have a happy ending though.

Over the years since Tetris’ worldwide introduction, Pajitnov was routinely invited by journalists and publishers to speak and give interviews, giving him a reputation in the West. After being introduced to America for the first time in 1990 after receiving an invite to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas by Spectrum Holobyte, he began to study American culture by traveling to different cities of the United States. It was reported that he spoke of his travels often to his colleagues back in the Soviet Union. He was very proud of the game’s success and even called it “an electronic ambassador of benevolence.”

He and Vladimir Pokhilko, a friend of his, later emigrated to the West Coast of the United States in 1991 where Pajitnov settled in Seattle, Washington. He finally regained the rights to Tetris in 1996, exactly a decade as agreed by the Academy when the deal was made regarding rights, and in that same year, founded The Tetris Company to manage all rights after all other contracts had expired. It was then that he finally started making royalties for Tetris and also founded Tetris Holding after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Tetris Holding is responsible for taking unlicensed Tetris clones off of the market.

Recently in 2005, EA purchased Jamdat, a mobile game company that Rogers founded in 2001 to manage the Tetris license. They then held a 15-year license for all mobile phone releases until April of 2020.

So there you have it, one of the most famous lawsuits in history about one of the most famous video games in history.

[cbdxltreview]

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[numberangora21]

Risk-free Sarms Muscular Tissue

Cycling Athlete Suspended For Visibility Of Sarm Rad

Content

Possible For Development Of Bacterial Resistance To Amps.

Possible Advantages Of Taking Sarm Products.

Medik8 Liquid Peptides.

Different Types Of Sarms & What They Do.

If it has been a tough task for you to put muscle mass then LGD-4033-- finest SARM for bulking will work like your bodybuilding friend. The demand of injections is removed and it can be taken by mouth. If you pay attention to the dose, it will not trigger also minor damage to the body. Every SARM works in a different way and here we will certainly go over regarding the one that will certainly assist you build muscular tissues quickly.

The only precaution you need to consider is the dosage due to the fact that it reduces the testosterone manufacturing. LGD-4033 is additionally called Ligandrol Fluid or Anabolicum which boosts toughness and aids to develop the muscle mass swiftly.

Potential For Advancement Of Microbial Resistance To Amps.

It is best used to protect muscle mass while in a calorie deficit. Ostarine mk-2866 can and also will certainly subdue your all-natural testosterone production in longer, greater dosed cycles, so a SERM PCT is required. Ostarine can also create gyno in some customers, so it is suggested that you have an AI accessible. RAD is powerful sufficient to restrict the result of testosterone on the prostate and also various other unwanted areas. It has also been revealed to be a lot more anabolic than testosterone, too. Application appears to be in the 4mg to 12mg variety, with ideal cycle length being 4 to 6 weeks.

Illegal Contact: Banned drugs found in athletic performance supplements - WAVE 3

Illegal Contact: Banned drugs found in athletic performance supplements.

Posted: Wed, 05 Feb 2020 08:00:00 GMT [source]

It can perhaps be utilized as a pre-contest hardener, incorporated with various other muscle setting compounds. Ostarine binds to the AR, which demonstrates anabolic activity in the bone as well as muscular tissue. By binding to the AR, MK enhances healthy protein synthesis and modifies the expression of genetics. The main negative effects connected with MK677 is the increase in cravings, which might rate by lots of research subjects. Researches show this to go away after 4-8 weeks, though this varies from one person to another.

Possible Advantages Of Taking Sarm Items.

If you do not really feel up to some press ups as well as raise in your bed room after that perhaps a little bit of strolling would be good. This could just be a ten min walk around the block or a walk down to the stores daily. Attempt to make the walk rather quick to obtain the optimum benefit and don't just amble along. To be reliable the stroll must be quickly enough to raise your breathing price however not so fast that it would certainly make it hard to talk with a person at the exact same time.

SARMs: The massive black market in illegal bodybuilding 'research chemicals' - ABC Online

SARMs: The massive black market in illegal bodybuilding 'research chemicals'.

Posted: Tue, 17 Apr 2018 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Too much cardio can inhibit growth, as it will burn the excess calories you're consuming. Rather, a mixture of low and high strength cardio through the week along with your bulk will aid reduce body fat. It does have the capability to likewise produce less hazardous negative effects, that are uneasy to customers, ostarine results body building. However, if Buy best quality peptides Direct Belgium remain in a cutting phase, after that you can pile it with Anavar, Clenbuterol, and Winstrol, sarms get currently pay later on.

Medik8 Liquid Peptides.

It is worthwhile to keep in mind that selective androgen receptor modulators act on particular androgen receptors in the body that are located in a variety of crucial tissues. Androgen receptors are located in the influential vesicle, prostate, sweat glands, genitalia, testis, ovary, intestinal vesicular cells, thyroid follicular cells, brain, liver, adrenal cortex, sebaceous glands, and also hair roots. SARMs, or discerning androgen receptor modulators, have not yet been verified to be safe. Possibly, they assure a superb choice to steroids that usually feature a lengthy listing of side effects. Nevertheless, you ought to do your research to ensure that you're purchasing top quality items-- sadly, many firms attempt to utilize the popularity of SARMs by creating tablets that have absolutely nothing to do with the actual compounds.

Does Amazon sell SARMs?

Amazon.com: sarms.

This orally bioavailable nonsteroidal SARM is best understood on the planet of body building as a much better option to S-4 that promotes muscle mass hardening. Known as "The Big Father" of selective androgen receptor modulators, S-23 targets chemical receptors in the skeletal bone as well as muscle. They are additionally not toxic to the liver as well as this top quality makes them a perfect option for people that are suffering from existing liver illness or encounter an increased threat of liver toxicity. In short, selective androgen receptor modulators profit both healthy and balanced individuals along with persistantly ill individuals who are looking to enhance the quality of their life. In the last couple of years, scientists across the world have advanced several findings in the context of enhancing dental bioavailability and reducing the hepatic poisoning of these performance improving medicines.

Different Types Of Sarms & What They Do.

They revealed an actual rise in total muscular tissue mass as well as better stamina levels. When incorporated with an excellent diet plan and also intense workouts, this SARM helps users achieve resilient and also unmatched muscular tissue mass and also endurance gains.

It also reveals assurance to replace androgens which can generate similar desirable outcomes on muscle cells as steroids.

All you require is some basic nonprescription PCT supplements and you're excellent to go.

Considering that they do not interrupt the hormonal levels in the body, you won't be susceptible to the nasty adverse effects that anabolic steroid and prohormone cycles can cause without an appropriate PCT program.

It's one of the greatest reasons SARMS are collecting quite a dedicated following nowadays.

No, you don't need to have a post cycle therapy or PCT after using SARMS.

It can be carried out orally, reducing the impacts of testosterone blood degrees.

Differing only in strength as well as duration of action, all these agents produce enhanced performance, a boost in blood pressure, heart price and also depth of respiration. Buy best quality peptides Direct UK indicate that the user will be able to partially balance out the impacts of exhaustion. Energizers may additionally enhance the rival's discomfort limit, allowing that added push beyond their generally maximal initiative. I did a great deal of researching different methods to quick and also one approach that stood out was the 72-hour water-fast. Clearly not consuming for this lengthy means your body will certainly be dipping into its fat books, resulting in weight management. But people claim a series of various other advantages, including improvements to your immune system, giving your digestive system system a break, better blood-sugar policy and reduction in swelling. Others claim it's a load of hokum-- and it's definitely a great suggestion to approach these things with a healthy dosage of apprehension.

Product Groups.

Offered its shorter half-life, RAD requires to be dosed a minimum of two times daily. Human studies have revealed it to increase both muscle mass and also bone mineral thickness. Dosed at 25mg day-to-day, Ibutamoren has been shown to boost IGF-1 levels by 60% in 6 weeks in humans. Cyclists now appear to favour this technique of improving performance over practically any other. Athletes might unlawfully make use of hGH in mix with AAS in an attempt to enhance muscle mass and also toughness. On the various other hand, hGH is a hormone produced by the pituitary gland, which is essential for regular growth in kids and helps the body in structure muscle mass and also bone.

So, the best SARM for constructing muscular tissue is LGD-4033 and adhering to are its attributes, benefits, dosage referral, etc . To develop muscular tissues like a bodybuilder you need to educate like one and also depend upon performance enhancing drugs or supplements like SARMS. It may appear like a pricey, time consuming and bothersome task to construct huge muscular tissues particularly when you check out pros. In one more trial, enobosarmsafely boosted lean muscle massin 159 cancer individuals.

This time around will depend upon the mass-to-charge proportion of the bit. From this time around and the well-known experimental criteria one can locate the mass-to-charge proportion of the ion. The organic half-life of a medication or radioligand artificial insemination or in vivo. In vitro, the t 1/2 of the impact of a drug is the time taken for the action to a drug to decline to half the initial feedback. In radioligand binding, the t 1/2 can be made use of to determine the dissociation rate of a radioligand from its receptor, consequently it is the moment considered the quantity of radioligand bound to the receptors to decrease to half its initial level. In vivo, t 1/2 describes the metabolic half-life of a medicine or radioligand, i.e. the time considered the concentration of a medication in plasma to decline to half its original level. To obtain muscles with your exercise program you need to stick to develop muscle mass quick supplements where LGD-4033 will never dissatisfy you.

The most effective part of S-4 is the truth that it causes a drying out of the muscle mass and also the skin bordering it, and consequently binds extremely well to the androgen muscle mass receptors, hardening as well as developing the muscular tissue. This indicates that in the direction of the end of a cycle, it would prove to be really reliable.

Time-of-flight mass spectrometry is a technique of mass spectrometry in which ions are increased by an electrical field of recognized stamina. This acceleration causes an ion having the very same kinetic energy as any other ion that has the same charge. The moment that it ultimately takes for the particle to get to a detector at a known range is determined.

Nonetheless, what is encouraging is that also in cancer cells individuals undergoing periods of severe muscle mass squandering, the introduction of SARMs has demonstrated significant boosts in lean body mass and much better general physical performance. The extent of lean body mass gain depends considerably on the certain SARM is concern, however most SARMs in pre-clinical animal trials saw at the very least considerable boosts in lean body mass, and also on numerous events resulted in decreases in fat mass. SARMs were developed to be tissue-specific and just attach to receptors in the muscular tissue and bone to stay clear of the dose-limiting unfavorable effects on various other tissues that happens with common testosterone or steroid use.

The opposite impacts that showed, though were very irregular as well as unusual, were mild lower extremity edema and muscle discomfort. Nevertheless, they are a distinct course of substance currently going through investigation and also advancement from a number of pharmaceutical business. SARMs are promoted as more secure, lawful options to anabolic androgenic steroids. They are stated to supply comparable favorable outcomes, but to have a lower danger of side effects. SARMS are a discerning androgen receptor modulators, which are drugs that bind to androgen receptors in the body, trigger androgenic signaling paths, and also thus upregulate muscular tissue and also bone metabolism.