#ap management services

[masllp]

Accounting outsourcing services in India

We provide the best Accounting outsourcing services in India and MAS is the top outsourcing and Bookkeeping service Companies in India Accounting Outsourcing Services in India | Accounting Services in India | Bookkeeping | Outsourcing Company

[strawberryteabunny]

I got the Dress-Up Berry socks and headdress! 🍓 so so happy to have something with crochet strawberries on it ໒꒰ྀི∗ɞ̴̶̷ ·̮ ɞ̴̶̷∗꒱ྀིა ⑅˚˖ ♥︎ anyone else planning to get something from this release?

[ingenx]

SAP Hana Implementation Services: Driving Efficiency and Innovation  

The energy and natural resources industry operates within a dynamic landscape. Sustainability targets, fluctuating market conditions, and the relentless demand for greater operational efficiency pose unique challenges. To overcome these hurdles and excel, companies are increasingly relying on transformative technology solutions like SAP Utilities.  

This powerful suite of SAP reporting tools is specifically engineered to help energy companies revolutionize their processes, improve decision-making, and enhance customer experiences.  

What Are SAP Utilities? A Powerful Tool for Energy Companies 

SAP Utilities is a cornerstone of the wider SAP ecosystem, designed to address the nuanced requirements of the energy sector. It delivers a comprehensive array of integrated features, from streamlined SAP audit managed services and billing to robust energy data management and advanced asset optimization. By adopting SAP Utilities, companies can unlock a new level of efficiency, data-backed insights, and a greater focus on customer needs. 

The Value of SAP Development and Consulting Professionals 

Implementing a technology solution as complex as SAP Utilities often benefits immensely from a partnership with seasoned SAP development and consulting experts. These professionals have a deep understanding of both the energy sector's intricacies and the technical aspects of SAP solutions. Their role is essential in configuring SAP Utilities to perfectly match a company's unique operations, ensuring smooth integration with existing systems, and delivering vital training to empower end-users. 

SAP Solutions for Oil and Gas: Navigating Complexity 

Within the oil and gas industry, fluctuating prices, regulatory complexity, and the relentless push for sustainability create a particularly demanding context. Specialized SAP expertise is incredibly valuable in this arena. Consultants who understand both the industry and SAP technologies can help oil and gas companies optimize processes, navigate compliance challenges efficiently, and use data to support informed decision-making. This translates into greater operational efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and a stronger environmental focus. 

Embarking on the SAP Implementation Journey 

A successful SAP Utilities implementation demands careful planning and meticulous execution. SAP implementation consultants become invaluable partners in this process. They excel at mapping business processes to SAP functionality, ensuring customization aligns perfectly with your organization's specific needs. They also provide comprehensive training to equip your workforce with the knowledge to maximize the benefits of the new SAP system. 

SAP for Mining: Efficiency, Sustainability, and Improved Performance 

The mining industry, driven by fierce competition and the urgency of sustainability, can gain substantial advantages through customized SAP solutions. Implementing SAP across mining processes can deliver enhanced visibility throughout operations, enabling optimized production scheduling, streamlined supply chains, and thorough compliance with safety and environmental regulations. Leveraging SAP in this context can elevate a mining company's efficiency, reduce waste, and strengthen its competitive position. 

The Power of Reporting in the Energy Sector 

Effective data collection and analysis are critical for energy companies. SAP offers a suite of advanced reporting tools to help you tap the full potential of the data you collect. 

SAP reporting tools: Gain insights on demand through tailored reporting 

SAP Business Objects tools: Deliver sophisticated reporting and analysis capabilities for power users 

SAP audit-managed services: Outsource audit management for additional efficiency and expertise 

Wrapping Up! 

In this era where sustainability goals and technological innovation converge, SAP Utilities plays a pivotal role in powering transformation within the energy sector. By partnering with SAP development and consulting experts, implementing SAP best practices for S4 hana implementation services, and embracing the right reporting tools, oil, gas, mining, and other energy-focused companies can achieve unprecedented levels of efficiency, sustainability, and innovation.  

The strategic deployment of SAP Utilities will undoubtedly be central to the success of these organizations as they navigate a future driven by technology and an increasing focus on environmental responsibility. 

[myndsolution1]

Overcoming Growth Barriers in AP Automation: A Roadmap for Success

In the ever-evolving landscape of financial processes, overcoming growth barriers in Accounts Payable (AP) automation is paramount for sustained success. At Mynd Integrated Solution, we understand the intricacies of AP automation and have crafted a comprehensive roadmap to guide you through the challenges and propel your organization towards unparalleled efficiency and growth.

[fatehbaz]

Good question:

In the United States, many jails and prisons can and will charge you money for every single night that you spend imprisoned, for the entire duration of your incarceration, as if you were being billed for staying at a hotel. Even if you are incarcerated for years. Adding up to tens of thousands of dollars. What happens when you’re released?

In response to this:

---

So.

You’re getting charged, like, ten dollars every time you even submit a request form to possibly be seen by a doctor or dentist.

You’re getting charged maybe five dollars for ten minutes on the phone.

Any time a friend or family tries to send you like five dollars so that you can buy some toothpaste or lotion, or maybe a snack from the commissary since you’re diabetic and the “meals” have left you malnourished, maybe half of that money gets taken as a “service fee” by the corporate contractor that the prison uses to manage your pre-paid debit card. So you’re already losing money every day just by being there.

What happens if you can’t pay?

In some places, after serving just a couple of years for drugs charges, almost 20 years after being released, the state can still hunt you down for over $80,000 that you “owe” as if it were a per-night room-and-board accommodations charge, like this recent highly-publicized case in Connecticut:

Excerpt:

Two decades after her release from prison, [TB] feels she is still being punished. When her mother died two years ago, the state of Connecticut put a lien on the Stamford home she and her siblings inherited. It said she owed $83,762 to cover the cost of her 2 1/2 year imprisonment for drug crimes. [...] “I’m about to be homeless,” said [TB], 58, who in March [2022] became the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging the state law that charges prisoners $249 a day for the cost of their incarceration. [...] All but two states have so-called “pay-to-stay” laws that make prisoners pay for their time behind bars [...]. Critics say it’s an unfair second penalty that hinders rehabilitation by putting former inmates in debt for life. Efforts have been underway in some places to scale back or eliminate such policies. Two states — Illinois and New Hampshire — have repealed their laws since 2019. [...] Pay-to-stay laws were put into place in many areas during the tough-on-crime era of the 1980s and ’90s, said Brittany Friedman, an assistant professor of sociology at University of Southern California who is leading a study of the practice. [...] Connecticut used to collect prison debt by attaching an automatic lien to every inmate, claiming half of any financial windfall they might receive for up to 20 years after they are released from prison [...].

Text by: Pat Eaton-Robb. “At $249 per day, prison stays leave ex-inmates deep in debt.” AP News / The Associated Press. 27 August 2022.

---

---

Look at this:

To help her son, Cindy started depositing between $50 to $100 a week into Matthew’s account, money he could use to buy food from the prison commissary, such as packaged ramen noodles, cookies, or peanut butter and jelly to make sandwiches. Cindy said sending that money wasn’t necessarily an expense she could afford. “No one can,” she said. So far in the past month, she estimates she sent Matthew close to $300. But in reality, he only received half of that amount. The balance goes straight to the prison to pay off the $1,000 in “rent” that the prison charged Matthew for his prior incarceration. [...] A PA Post examination of six county budgets (Crawford, Dauphin, Lebanon, Lehigh, Venango and Indiana) showed that those counties’ prisons have collected more than $15 million from inmates — almost half is for daily room and board fees that are meant to cover at least a portion of the costs with housing and food. Prisoners who don’t work are still expected to pay. If they don’t, their bills are sent to collections agencies, which can report the debts to credit bureaus. [...] Between 2014 and 2017, the Indiana County Prison — which has an average inmate population of 87 people — collected nearly $3 million from its prisoners. In the past five years, Lebanon’s jail collected just over $2 million in housing and processing fees.

Text by: Joseph Darius Jaafari. “Paying rent to your jailers: Inmates are billed millions of dollars for their stays in Pa. prisons.” WHYY (PBS). 10 December 2019. Originally published at PA Post.

---

Pay-to-stay, the practice of charging people to pay for their own jail or prison confinement, is being enforced unfairly by using criminal, civil and administrative law, according to a new Rutgers University-New Brunswick led study. The study [...] finds that charging pay-to-stay fees is triggered by criminal justice contact but possible due to the co-opting of civil and administrative institutions, like social service agencies and state treasuries that oversee benefits, which are outside the realm of criminal justice. “A person can be charged $20 to $80 a day for their incarceration,” said author Brittany Friedman, an assistant professor of sociology and a faculty affiliate of Rutgers' criminal justice program. “That per diem rate can lead to hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees when a person gets out of prison. To recoup fees, states use civil means such as lawsuits and wage garnishment against currently and formerly incarcerated people, and regularly use administrative means such as seizing employment pensions, tax refunds and public benefits to satisfy the debt.” [...] Civil penalties are enacted on family members if the defendant cannot pay and in states such as Florida, Nevada and Idaho can occur even after the original defendant is deceased. [...]

Text by: Megan Schumann. “States Unfairly Burdening Incarcerated People With “Pay-to-Stay” Fees.” Rutgers press release. 20 November 2020.

---

So, to pay for your own imprisonment, states can:

-- hunt you down for decades (track you down 20 years later, charge you tens of thousands of dollars, and take your house away)

-- put a lien on your vehicle, house

-- garnish your paycheck/wages

-- seize your tax refund

-- send collections agencies after you

-- take your public assistance benefits

-- sue you in civil court

-- take money from your family even after you’re dead

[somecunttookmyurl]

the "all customer service people are trained by management to be illiterate apes you can never get any resolutions by design dont be mean about it" crowd would faint to know there is a guy at my bank RIGHT NOW attempting to resolve an issue that would normally take a week

see. i tried to order food (having nothing of note in the house, and too much pain currently to get down 3 flights of stairs about it) and the payment failed on just eat's end.

but it went through fine on my bank's end, so the funds are tied up in "pending"... for a week. my available balance is now 95p so i can't just do it again

the bank cannot typically do anything about this until the normal time frame for collection passes and they funds just release automatically. just eat have zero contactable customer service

but it is for FOOD and there's no more MONEY and i am a DISABLED CUSTOMER so BY FUCKING GOD not on zeeshan's watch

[just-a-drawing-bean]

Please Share

Hey guys, unfortunately I am asking for any help on covering the cost of my sister's medical bill.

Recently my sister found out she has cervical cancer and is about to start treatments asap. Her workplace was kind enough to start her a gofundme for the insane medical bill that is chemotherapy and cancer treatments. I wanted to share the link around to anyone willing to pitch in.

Linked below is her gofundme

Anything helps, and if you cant donate that is totally ok! Even a reblog can help.

Any and all donations are greatly appreciated <3

Thanks you guys

[preservationofnormalcy]

[As I climb the multiple levels of stairs to the ranger tower, I take a moment to stop and reflect. I’m exhausted - after the hike to get here, the relief that I felt upon seeing the tower was tempered by the realization I had several flights of stairs ahead of me. I was in Washington State, flown here by my handlers to talk to seemingly the only Esoteric Ranger that would be available for the next month. Not for the first time, I wondered what it meant that they heavily suggested my interview subjects. The best person for the job, or the best PR face in the department?

I reach the top and stop again, and take a drink of water. A figure sitting inside the room at the top turns and sees me, and gets up to open the door. He is young, in his mid to late twenties, long brown hair done up in a bun, a large scraggly beard over the top of his ranger uniform. He has a look of amusement on his face, a sort of polite smile doing its best to cover up a smirk. His accent is thick, Appalachian, and his demeanor still manages to convey a sort of genial calm.]

S] Meghan, right?

M] Yeah. Hold on, let me…catch my breath.

S] Aint no worry. Take the time you need. I’ll just leave the door propped open. And if it helps, there’s iced tea in here waiting for you.

M] That does help. I’ll just….be a second.

[After a moment, I joined the man in the observation room. A cot, a shelf of supplies, a desk with a radio setup, a laptop on a table. A simple room for an apparently complex job. The tree-eye logo of the Rangers is plastered on many surfaces, well worn.]

M] Sheamus Doyle, right?

S] Yes ma’am.

M] I’m Meghan.

S] Pleasure to meet you. Lemme just….

[He takes a jug of iced tea from a minifridge and pours some into two mismatched cups, sitting at the small table and glancing at his laptop for a moment as I sit across from him.]

S] Pardon me, just watchin’ the ‘squatches.

M] Watching?

[He turns the screen around - a topographic map of the area is displayed, black with white lines, with about a dozen white dots congregating in two places.]

S] We’ve been watching the cryptid migrations. They been odd since….well, since. Ain’t been following their normal routes.

M] Is that what the Rangers do? I’m sure you know I’m here to ask questions, so….I guess that’ll be my first one.

S] A large part of it, yes ma’am. Cryptid watch.

M] I guess that’s the “catch and release” part of the poster I saw.

S] Mhmm. It’s hard work, y’know. Better here’n in the Everglades taggin’ skunk apes though.

M] Let me look at my notes…kind of scrambled after the hike here.

S] Yeah, sorry ‘bout that. Everyone’s gotta do a stint in the firewatch, and we pull double duty takin’ notes on the ‘squatches while we’re here.

M] Tell me a little about the Esoteric Rangers.

S] We’re older than the Office is. Bet they ain’t told you that.

M] How so?

S] Office was founded in ‘27, right? E-Rangers were a secret division of the National Park Service, founded –

M] 1916, eleven years earlier.

S] That’s right. Even then they knew weird stuff happens in the forests, so they had a little bit earmarked for people to investigate or protect people from the weird stuff, and the weird stuff from people. When the Office came around later, we got folded into them instead. But by that time, y’know. Eleven years. That’s enough time for a place to develop a sort of….culture.

M] How do you mean?

S] We’re under the jurisdiction of the Office for the Preservation of Normalcy, ma’am, but between you an’ me, the Rangers have our own ways of doing things, our own rules. Was a requirement of the merger.

M] I see. So forested areas are your jurisdiction?

S] Anything that takes place on ‘r around a national park or a nature preserve usually has at least one of us onsite. We have our checklists, our methods for findin’ out what’s going on. Weird shit happens far from civilization.

M] Like what?

S] Reality sorta…gets weak, out here. I heard y’talked to Wren.

M] I did.

S] They’re always on about that noosphere stuff. Out here, with no people, noosphere kinda gets a little…wobbly. It’s like…if enough human minds are the bungee cords holdin’ down a tarp. It’s fine most of the time, but sometimes there’s a wind, you know? The noosphere don’t have the guidance to tell it what to do, so you get…

[He trailed off.]

M] What?

S] I seen weird shit, ma’am. Woodpeckers that move backwards, sealing up holes in trees. Hikers from twenty years ago, missing their faces. Places where the sun never shines, like that old song. Areas that looked like Lucifer’s vacation home, all burned and sulphur-smoke. Deer speakin’ in the voices of dead relatives, antlers shining blue. Gunshots where there shouldn’t be people. Realspace is weak out here. Veil gets thin when there ain’t no one to see it.

M] Is all that true?

S] As true as Mama’s promises.

M] Mmh. Tell me about the….cryptids. What is a cryptid? I know it’s like…unknown creatures, but for you they’re clearly….known, right?

[He sat back after a drink of his tea, giving a wince and a so-so gesture of his hand.]

S] That’s the mundane definition, yeah. The Office’s definition of a cryptid is….a creature whose existence ain’t really evolutionarily plausible, that would raise a lot a’ questions were it known. Jackalopes, you know, no other bunny has antlers, sort of thing. They probably didn’t evolve, per se, so…

M] What about the sasquatch? Wouldn’t it just be seen as a missing link?

[He nods, thinks for a second, looks at his computer, and then jerks his head to the door.]

S] Lemme show you something.

[On the platform outside, bolted onto the railing, is a telescope - or I assume it is. Attached to the long barrel of the device are a lot of wires, a plastic casing that looked like it housed a small electronic assembly, and a revolving series of lenses that look like they can be rotated into the eye ports like an optometrist’s testing machine. He looks into the scope, adjusting the lenses and a few knobs on the side of the device, and locks it into place.]

S] Here, take a look.

[I look into the scope - for a moment, I think there’s something wrong with it. I can see a clearing in the forest, and three….shapes. Smudges on the lenses? No, he’d have seen that. The shapes are blurry blobs from this distance, out of sync from their sharper surroundings. I’m about to take my eyes away from the scope and ask what I’m looking at when I feel him reach over and adjust the lenses again, rotating a new set into place. It’s accompanied by an electric click and a soft whine from the device, and now I can see them clearly. The three blobs were large, humanoid figures, covered head to toe in rusty brown fur. One stands guard in the clearing, while another sits on a stone, grooming the fur of a third, possibly a juvenile. They are...impossible. Majestic creatures, even from this distance.]

S] We call it an Obfuscation Field. They’re sort of always….blurry. In the 30’s we developed techniques to see through it, y’know, but it’s one of those things people can’t find out about.

M] Unbelievable.

S] Somethin’ wrong?

M] It’s just…this whole time, you know?

[He leaned on the railing, taking a vape pen out of his shirt pocket.]

S] Yeah, I heard they kind of threw you into all this. Sink ‘r swim. I wager most people get a slower introduction.

M] Did you?

[He took a hit of his vape pen.]

M] Should you be doing that on the job?

[He gave me an amused look, gesturing around to the forest. I could almost imagine a hypothetical camera comically zooming out to show the remoteness of the tower.]

S] Nah, I grew up in all this. My family’s been practicing “The Work”, so to speak, since they came here four or five generations ago. I never got the hang of witchcraft, myself. You get a dud every other generation, so they say. My sister’s a natural though, she’s interning with the Office in Archival.

M] Some people are sort of…born into knowing this stuff.

S] We call it being “in the community”. At a certain point it all blends together. Your family does folk magic at a certain level, you grow up with your best friend bein’ a lycan, that kinda thing.

M] I feel like I’ve missed out.

S] Ma’am, sometimes it’s more trouble’n it’s worth.

M] Yeah?

S] I love my friends, my family, but….you think I wouldn’t flick a switch, give all this up? Be Sheamus the hipster and not Sheamus the cryptid hunter? Be a hell of a lot more simple. Weird shit attracts more weird shit.

[He took another hit, exhaling a thick cloud. For a moment, shapes in the cloud coalesce - the prominent brow of an ape, a rabbit with antlers. I wonder if he was being modest about his lack of magic.]

M] I’m not really sure.

S] You’re letting it get to you, all of this. So quick, so extreme. I think you need an industrial grade chill pill, ma’am.

M] Maybe I do.

S] I got a guy coming in to bring me supplies tonight. Stay here, watch the sunset, you drive back with him.

M] Are you sure?

S] Hundred percent. Take the evenin’, ma’am. You need it.

(Buy the poster here!)

[newyorkthegoldenage]

The picket line in front of the Brass Rail restaurant on Seventh Avenue near 50th Street, January 11, 1942, which completed its third year. The AFL pickets wore out 7,264 pairs of shoes and marched 1,728,000 miles, according to union statisticians. The marching goes on as the restaurant management refuses to compromise on its demand that it retain the sole right to discharge employees for service it considers unsatisfactory; the strikers offered to submit the entire dispute to arbitration.

Photo: Robert Kradin for the AP

[vague-humanoid]

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A crisis unfolded in western North Carolina as officials rushed to get more water, food and other supplies to flood-stricken areas without power and cellular service Monday, three days after Hurricane Helene ripped across the U.S. Southeast. The death toll from the storm reached the triple digits.

At least 107 people in six states were killed. A North Carolina county that includes the mountain city of Asheville reported 30 people killed. Georgia’s death count was raised Monday from 17 to 25.

North Carolina’s governor, Roy Cooper, predicted the toll would rise as rescuers and other emergency workers reached areas isolated by collapsed roads, failing infrastructure and widespread flooding.

Supplies were being airlifted to the region around the isolated city of Asheville. Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder pledged that she would have food and water to the city by Monday.

[masllp]

Subsidiary Company Registration in India

Want to know how to setup Wholly Owned Subsidiary in India, Key features of the wholly owned subsidiary company, Documents required etc. Subsidiary Company Registration in India | Wholly Owned Subsidiary in India | Documents Required

[xcziel]

hadn't seen this on here yet

South Korea Is Fighting for Democracy Again—And the World Needs to Know

by Heesoo Jang

Assistant Professor of Media Law and Ethics, Journalism Department, University of Massachusetts Amherst 

South Korea is once again at a critical juncture in its democratic history. More than a hundred thousand protesters, joined by over 4,000 professors and 1,466 Catholic priests announcing their declarations of the state of affairs, are calling for President Yoon Suk Yeol’s resignation. This echoes the massive movement that led to the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye in 2017 for corruption and abuse of power, showcasing South Koreans’ enduring commitment to holding leaders accountable.

What’s unfolding in South Korea is not just a domestic issue—it’s a reminder that democracies everywhere require constant vigilance. Yet, international media, like the BBC and AP News, have largely missed the bigger picture, focusing on soundbites and foreign policy instead of the underlying democratic struggles. This oversight leaves out important context for the global audience to understand the deeper context of widespread domestic dissatisfaction of the state of democracy in South Korea.

At the heart of the protests are allegations of corruption and abuse of power. President Yoon has exercised his veto power 25 times since 2023, blocking investigations into allegations against his wife, including claims of stock manipulation in Deutsch Motors. This is the most frequent use of veto power South Korea has seen since South Korea’s first president, Syngman Rhee, who faced impeachment in 1952 and eventually resigned in 1960 amid widespread public outrage over his authoritarian rule and attempts to consolidate power. 

These vetoes, alongside scandals like the “Myung Tae-Kyun Gate,” have eroded public trust in the administration. The gate alleges that political broker Myung Tae-Kyun, a close ally of Yoon and First Lady Kim Keon Hee, manipulated public opinion during the 2022 presidential election. Through his Future Korea Research Institute, Myung reportedly conducted biased polls favoring Yoon to influence election narratives. A leaked phone recording released by the opposition Democratic Party has further implicated Yoon in discussions about candidate nominations, fueling allegations of election interference.

Beyond these vetoes, Yoon’s administration has faced widespread criticism for systemic failures in governance, public safety, and economic management. The Itaewon tragedy, where 159 people lost their lives during a crowd crush, starkly exposed grave inadequacies in public safety protocols and emergency response systems. A special investigation on this tragedy was also a bill the President has vetoed. Similarly, the death of Private Chae during military service revealed systemic abuses and negligence within the military. Instead of enabling accountability, President Yoon has repeatedly vetoed special prosecutor bills aimed at investigating these military abuses. Public frustration has only grown as investigations into these tragedies have failed to hold senior officials accountable. Meanwhile, Yoon’s administration has also faced allegations of undermining press freedom by targeting journalists and media outlets critical of the government. 

Adding to these failures is a healthcare system on the brink of collapse, where prolonged medical staff shortages, exacerbated by budget cuts, have caused long-term disruptions in patient care. Instead of addressing these structural issues, the government has opted for a hasty increase in medical school quotas—a move experts warn will only further destabilize the system. Yoon’s economic policies have similarly drawn heavy criticism for favoring the wealthy with tax cuts while reducing public welfare budgets, deepening inequality between South Korea’s elites and its struggling middle and working classes. Rising household debt and record-breaking small business closures have fueled calls for reform, yet the administration’s inaction has only alienated the public further. Compounding these grievances, a 15% cut to South Korea’s research and development (R&D) budget has alarmed academics and scientists, who warn that this decision jeopardizes the nation’s innovation-driven economy and long-term global competitiveness—a concern echoed by prominent universities like Yonsei and Ewha Womans University, which cite these cuts as emblematic of broader governance failures.

Despite the scale of unrest, international media have failed to convey the full significance of this crisis. Instead of contextualizing public discontent and the erosion of democratic norms, they have focused on peripheral issues, ignoring the protests’ broader implications for democracy. This has also allowed misinformation to muddy the narrative internationally, preventing the international public from gaining important contextual information about what’s happening in South Korea. For example, posts on Chinese social media have falsely portrayed the protests as anti-war rallies rather than demands for accountability and reform. 

South Korea’s struggle is a powerful reminder that democracy is not self-sustaining—it requires active vigilance. The protests and demands for reform exemplify how civil society can confront governance failures. The world deserves more context and a nuanced understanding from international journalism about what South Korean democracy is facing, as its fight for justice, transparency, and the rule of law holds lessons for all democracies.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Steve Brodner

* * * * *

A scar on the face of democracy

January 21, 2025

Robert B. Hubbell

Before turning to the ugly events of the official inauguration, I include links to our alternative Substack livestream event featuring Jessica Craven, Jess Piper, Managing Editor Jill Bickett, and me. The documents referenced in the livestream can be accessed here.

Inauguration Day 2025 was a scar on the face of democracy

Inauguration 2025 will be remembered as the Black Mass of democracy, a ceremony that mocked the Constitution and rule of law, exalted obscene wealth, imperiled the future of our children, celebrated insurrectionists, and was capped by the richest man in the world, giving a salute used by the Nazis to demonstrate loyalty to Hitler. The second inaugural of Donald Trump will forever be a scar on the face of democracy.

There is much to cover, so I will focus on ensuring that everyone is up to date on what happened. Because the Trump administration took hundreds of actions today, it will be impossible to cover everything. I will focus on what is important.

Trump's inaugural speech

Trump's speech was pathetic, even by his pathetic standards. His speechwriters tried to restrain his worst instincts, which resulted in a low-energy pablum of Trump's greatest lies, peppered with announcements of illegal and depraved executive orders.

The full text of the speech is here: WhiteHouse.gov, The Inaugural Address. For those who could not bear to watch the ceremony (and that includes me), the written words reveal the lack of substance and pervasive lies. Perhaps it sounded better in the original German. For a flavor of the speech, see Lucian K. Truscott IV (Substack), Listless, uninspired and robotic: Trump’s vision of a “golden age of America” rings hollow | Also arrogant, uninformed, just plain stupid, and as usual, too much makeup.

Trump's speech was filled with lies. For a recitation and fact check of those lies, see AP News, Fact Focus: A look at false and misleading claims Trump made at inaugural events.

However, Trump's speech was bad not merely because it was poorly delivered and filled with lies. No, it was depraved because of its promise to plunge America into chaos.

Below are a few of the major announcements Trump made during his speech:

Declaration of a national emergency at the Southern Border

Send US military troops to the southern border to assist with immigration enforcement (likely illegal)

Designate drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations (a possible prelude to the US military attacking drug cartels in Mexico and South America)

Invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to eliminate foreign gangs (on US soil?)

All cabinet members must work to reduce inflation (Good luck with that!)

Produce the most oil and gas of any nation in the world

End the Green New Deal

Revoke electric vehicle mandate (which does not exist)

Impose tariffs and taxes on foreign nations (not clear how anyone can “tax” a foreign nation)

Establish the “External Revenue Service” to collect taxes from foreign nations.

Establish the Department of Government Efficiency (an illegal committee that violates federal law)

Stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to America

Establish a federal policy recognizing only “male” and “female” genders

Change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America

“Take back” the Panama Canal

Shortly after concluding the speech, Trump began issuing executive orders that must be considered as supplements to his speech. Those orders include the following:

Declare an end to birthright citizenship (a violation of the US Constitution)

Close the border to asylum-seeking migrants (a violation of federal law)

Withdraw from the Paris Climate accords

Withdraw from the World Health Organization

Pardoning and commuting the sentences of all 1,500 January 6 insurrectionists

Define sexual identity for federal workers and programs

Remove protections for transgender people in federal prisons

Remove protections for transgender migrants in US custody

Signed precursor orders to impose 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada

Eliminate restrictions on domestic energy production

Loosen standards for vehicle tailpipe emissions and fuel efficiency

Loosen standards for efficiency for major appliances

Eliminate environmental justice programs

Delaying the ban of TikTok in the US (a violation of federal law)

I discuss the implications of the executive orders in Concluding Thoughts.

Musk gives salute used by Nazis in a speech at a post-inaugural event featuring Trump

Trump ran on a wink-and-a-nod to white supremacists and neo-Nazis. Although he could not make his sympathies explicit, he allowed his surrogates to do so.

Trump's number-one billionaire supporter, Elon Musk, has been more explicit in his sympathies for white nationalism, including his support for the German right-wing party with ties to neo-Nazi groups (AfD). On Monday, Musk appeared to drop whatever pretense of deniability he maintained about his affinity for Nazi symbolism and ideology.

During a speech at an arena in Washington D.C. Musk twice saluted the audience with the same hand gesture used by the Nazis to honor Hitler. See The Guardian, Elon Musk appears to make back-to-back fascist salutes at inauguration rally.

Per The Guardian (which includes an embedded video of the salute),

Social media users expressed shock at Musk’s gesture. Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a history professor at New York University, said: “Historian of fascism here. It was a Nazi salute and a very belligerent one too.” Musk did not immediately comment, though he did repost footage of his remarks that included the second salute and endorsed memes seeking to turn footage of his salutes into jokes. One X user wrote: “Can we please retire the calling people a Nazi thing?” Musk wrote “Yeah exactly” and added a “yawning” emoji.

To reiterate, Twitter users are mocking people who are upset about the apparent Nazi salute, and Musk is endorsing those comments with a sign of his boredom.

Some people are defending Musk, saying that the gesture was “awkward” and not intended to mimic the Nazi salute. The one person who has not raised that defense is Elon Musk. Having raised an implication of support for the Nazi ideology, Musk has chosen to remain silent on the subject.

We must condemn the emerging tolerance for white supremacy and antisemitism. The growing normalization of neo-Nazism understandably threatens millions of Americans. Speak out. Do not leave room for ambiguity. Do not allow silence to fill the room. Whether intentional or not, what Elon Musk did deserves to be condemned and rejected—including by Musk himself.

And the American press has largely been missing in action on this issue. Oh, sure, they have reported the events surrounding the salute and its alleged ambiguous meaning. But none have condemned Musk for allowing the menacing meaning of the salute to hang in the air. Come on, legacy media! If you are going down, you should go down swinging. End with a bang, not a whimper.

CREW and other organizations sue the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for violating federal law

Part of Trump's blitzkrieg of executive orders is designed to make us feel helpless. But advocacy organizations are already fighting back. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has filed a lawsuit along with several other organizations to force the so-called DOGE committee to comply federal law regarding advisory boards. See DOGE sued to follow the law or cease operations - CREW.

Per the CREW press release,

The so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, is operating in violation of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, according to a lawsuit . . . . The lawsuit seeks a ruling that the establishment of DOGE is unlawful, and for the court to force DOGE to comply with the transparency, ethics, records retention and equal representation required under FACA. Currently, DOGE is operating unchecked, without authorization or funding from Congress and is led by unelected billionaires who are not representative of ordinary Americans. DOGE representatives have reportedly already been speaking with agency officials throughout the federal government, and communication is allegedly taking place on Signal, a messaging app known for its auto-delete features. The Federal Advisory Committee Act requires that advisory committees follow a specific authorization process, include a balanced membership, have a clear charter including the scope of the committee’s activities, have meetings open to the public and disclose records to the public.

The plaintiffs in the suit are being represented by CREW and Democracy Forward. Check out their websites and sign up for their newsletters. Both organizations are at the forefront of protecting us from government over-reach and unethical behavior.

The first step to supporting the two organizations seeking to limit Trump's lawlessness is to educate ourselves about their work—and I pledge to do that in the near future! If someone from CREW or Democracy Forward is reading this, I would love to interview a representative of your organization to spread the news about your good work to the readers of this newsletter. Thank you and keep up the good work!

Concluding Thoughts

It is difficult to communicate the extent to which Trump assaulted the Constitution on January 20, 2025. For most presidents, a single instance of a clash with the outer limits of the Constitution or federal law is a defining moment in their presidency. On Monday, Trump

Purported to remove birthright citizenship from the Constitution, which provides that “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”

Purported to create a “pause” in enforcement of a federal law banning TikTok when no such “pause” is authorized by the statute.

Purported to tax foreign countries in violation of existing treaties and international law.

Purported to define gender in a way that will discriminate against more than 1 million transgender people.

Threatened to invade Panama to reclaim the canal in violation of a US treaty with Panama.

But his worst action was to pardon the January 6 insurrectionists. They betrayed their nation and should have been held accountable to prevent future attacks. By pardoning them, Trump has sent the unmistakable message that violence intended to promote his political interests is acceptable and will be pardoned.

On Tuesday, the legacy media in the US should be howling in protest against “Dictator Trump” for assaulting the Constitution as no other president has or ever will. Tuesday will be a litmus test for the future of the legacy media. Sadly, the odds are that they will fail—spectacularly.

So, my friends, it is up to us. No one is coming to save us. We must save ourselves. The first step in that process is to proclaim the imminent threat to democracy posed by Donald Trump. We must not relent, and we must ignore the voices telling us to “calm down” and “chill out.” The twin evils of accommodation and normalization are responsible for our current peril. We cannot repeat those mistakes.

It was a tough day. If you want some perspective and affirmation, check out the discussion in livestream video linked above.

Stay strong, everyone! We are in the thick of the fight already, and we must remain steadfast.

[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

[mariacallous]

WASHINGTON (AP) — One by one, all the president-elect’ s men, and women, are falling into place in his Cabinet.

While Defense Secretary pick Pete Hegseth’s nomination was teetering toward collapse just weeks ago, he now appears on track for confirmation after a fiery Senate hearing that focused on his drinking, views of women in combat and lack of high-profile management experience for the top U.S. military job.

President-elect Donald Trump’s other nominees pushed Wednesday through a gauntlet of confirmation hearings with the help of allied Senate Republicans carrying them toward the finish line, despite Democratic objections. One of them, potential FBI director Kash Patel, popped into a private Senate GOP lunch Wednesday to say hello.

“These nominees are bold choices,” said Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the GOP whip, in earlier remarks.

He predicted the Senate will begin start voting on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, to confirm Trump’s picks.

A long haul for some of Trump’s picks

To be sure, Trump’s more controversial choices of Patel, Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., have yet to come before senators for public questioning. Once they do, they face a long haul ahead in winning over skeptics from both sides of the political aisle, Republicans and Democrats alike.

In a letter to Republican senators Wednesday, an organization headed by Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence, said it was “deeply concerned” over Kennedy over his views on abortion, and urged senators to reject him for secretary of Health and Human Services.

But Hegseth’s ability to mount a political comeback, take the fight to his critics and turn his nomination into a litmus test of Trump’s Make America Great Again movement stands as a powerful example of the incoming White House’s ability to get what it wants. The Trump team’s allies, including billionaire Elon Musk and others, amplified support for Hegseth, pushing him forward.

“If anyone in the Senate GOP votes against confirming Pete Hegseth after his stellar performance today, there will be a primary challenge waiting for you,” wrote Trump ally Charlie Kirk on X. “You can take that to the bank.”

Momentum for Hegseth — and some others

The Senate Armed Services Committee is expected to vote on Hegseth’s nomination on Monday, sending it to the full Senate for consideration, with confirmation possible later that week.

With a nod of support from GOP Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, a combat veteran and sexual assault survivor who initially had questions for Hegseth, the former Army National Guard veteran powered past his biggest potential roadblock. Ernst faced an onslaught of personal and political attacks as she wavered on supporting Hegseth, an early signal to others.

Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., said the criticism of Hegseth was not as powerful as the image of “a warrior with dust on his boots who’s actually done the things.”

On Wednesday, a half dozen more Trump nominees appeared before Senate committees as his team floods the zone, senators dashing between hearing rooms to participate in as many sessions as possible.

Pam Bondi, the nominee for Attorney General, was grilled by Democrats probing whether she believed Trump lost the 2020 election, she said Biden won, or would stand up to presidential pardons for those convicted of crimes in relation to Jan. 6, 2021.

“You say the right things, that you’re going to be the ‘people’s lawyer,’” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.

“But I believe being the ‘people’s lawyer’ means you have to be able to say no to the president of the United States,” he said. “You have to be able to say Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, you dodged that question... You have to be able to say Jan. 6 insurrectionists who committed violence shouldn’t be pardoned.”

Bondi responded: “I don’t have to say anything. I will answer the questions to the best of my ability, and honestly.”

Another Trump nominee, Russ Vought, a Project 2025 architect tapped to lead the White House Office of Management and Budget, was asked if he would commit to releasing congressional approved funding for Ukraine. He vowed to “always commit to upholding the law.”

And California Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla asked Trump’s Energy nominee Chris Wright if he still believes “wildfires are just hype,” in the aftermath of the devastating Southern California fires that have killed at least 25 people and destroyed thousands of homes.

Wright said he stood by his past comments. He then said climate change is real before Padilla cut him off.

Republicans eye quick votes after Trump’s inauguration

On Monday, Trump is expected come inside the Capitol after he is inaugurated to sign the paperwork to formally nominate his picks for top Cabinet and administrative positions, launching the confirmation process.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said the Senate will vote on nominees as soon as they are ready.

First up could be Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., a former Trump rival for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, who is now the president-elect’s choice for secretary of state.

Rubio promised an “America First” foreign policy agenda during his own confirmation hearing Wednesday. As a well-known senator, he is expected to have broad support from Republicans, as well as Democrats. His confirmation vote could be as soon as Monday evening.

Other nominees, including Hegseth, are expected to face a tougher path to confirmation.

Republicans narrowly hold a majority in the Senate, 53-47, but they are down to 52 after Vice President-elect JD Vance resigned his seat last week ahead of taking office. That means Trump’s nominees need support from almost every GOP senator for majority confirmation over objections from Democrats.

Moreover, Democrats are expected to mount procedural hurdles that would require Hegseth and other nominees to go through multiple steps before final confirmation. Consideration of Hegseth and others could drag toward the end of next week.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer all but acknowledged Democrats, as the minority, are essentially powerless to prevent Trump from getting his desired team.

“It’s important to have a record of these nominees,” Schumer said Wednesday as the hearings pushed ahead. “Even if they get confirmed in the end.”

[prismaticpichu]

i know free day for zackseph week is over and you got your own things going on but if i may unleash a few plot bunnies for you to play with : what are zack and seph doing on the first day of school? what if transfer student situation :3c any grade or level of university, are they already friends or are they meeting for the first time? and like yeah sure super smart all honors classes sephiroth and jock bro zack, what if we reverse it? how silly can we get?

*leaves the box of plot bunnies open and runs*

YESSS ANON I LUV YOU!!! 🤣❤️ Plot bunnies wooooo!

(Intentionally OOC crisis core characters!! Kunsel & Zack besties forever lmaoo.)

~

(Zack, sitting alone at the lunch table, with stacks of books surrounding him on both sides as he scribbles furiously in a green spiraled notebook. He is completely oblivious to the distant snickers of the Jocks, who have just adopted ShinRa High’s recent transfer student—Sephiroth Crescent, a scorer of over 170 on the pacer test—into their sporty clique.)

Lux: Annnnd that’s him, over there. Zack Fair. The biggest bookworm you’ll ever find on the planet. Kisses every teacher’s ass, spends every waking hour in a book… bessst to just keep your distance.

Kuns: No kidding. Can you imagine your entire life revolving around school? Like… pick your damn head up, dude. Smell some fresh air.

(Another round of chuckles sound around Sephiroth’s table, yet the silver-haired senior remains silent.)

Lux: Oh—get this, Sephiroth. Y’know Mr. Hewley? The English teacher? He goes there during his free periods. Can literally just come here and get a snack; instead, goes to write speeches or shit with a teacher nobody likes.

Kuns: Heh, well, what do you expect when you got no friends? Gotta have someone of equal level. Right, Sephirot—?

(But Sephiroth was already gone, having sailed across the cafeteria, mercury hair swishing behind him as he takes his new seat across from the black-haired junior.)

Sephiroth: May I sit here, please?

(Zack glances up, blue eyes blinking in what could only be described as complete and utter surprise.)

Zack: …Y-yeah! Of course :)

(He moves his lunch bag and texts, then immediately shuts the green notebook to make some room.)

Zack: Are you new around these parts? Don’t think I’ve seen you around.

Sephiroth: Heh, yes. I just moved to Midgar this year. I’m Sephiroth.

(He reaches out his hand, and Zack happily shakes it)

Zack: Zack Fair! At your service :)

(He then notices the empty area where Sephiroth is sitting, blinking again in puzzlement.)

Zack: …Do you have any lunch with you?

(There’s a beat of silence, slightly thick.)

Sephiroth: …I, heh. Don’t eat lunch.

Zack: …Oh? Well, there’s lots of good food here! First thing anyone should know about any school, if you ask me.

(He pushes his box of french fries across the table.)

Zack: Help yourself!

Sephiroth: …Heh, that’s okay. Thank you.

Zack: You sure? It’s good for the soul :)

(In spite of himself, Sephiroth can’t help but smile a little. Nor can he help the sense of ease that settles over him; a warm, budding comfort that lets the next words slide out not as jaggedly as they may seem.)

Sephiroth: Thank you, truly. It’s, just… heh. I don’t think my father would like me eating those.

(In an instant, empathy flickers across Zack’s face, and he nods in understanding.)

Zack: …Ah. I got ya. No worries then. My dad can be a little strict too.

Sephiroth: Oh?

Zack: Heh, yeah. Pushes me really hard to get into all our AP classes, y’know? Can just be… super stressful.

(Now it’s Sephiroth’s eyes that suddenly flicker, softening in understanding.)

Sephiroth: Mmn, I see. I’m… sorry to hear that.

(Zack smiles a sheepish smile as he rubs his neck.)

Zack: Aww, thanks. Don’t worry about it though. Managed to make some really cool teachers in the advanced classes! Speaking of~

(He starts to pack up his stuff, popping the last of the french fries in his mouth before tossing it in the trash.)

Zack: Gonna head over to Mr Hewley’s for a bit! You wanna come?

(Inconspicuously, Sephiroth spares a quick glance to new batch of “friends”, the likes of whom had been gaping at it for the past three or so minutes. And it was then that he realized his decision could not be any clearer.)

Sephiroth: Absolutely.

~

Be a friend, folks!! ❤️💕 The world needs more of ‘em!

[takami-takami]

This AP news article on the latest U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD. The people who collect data on homelessness.) report that PISSED ME OFF.

Here's the article I'm complaining about.

Okay, so the article posits the rate of homelessness at 18% increased. In ONE year. Which is fucking insane and disgraceful of us as a country. A catostrophic failure.

But they said this with no clarification:

POOR REPORTING. The republicans have been saying that housing costs have been increased by migrants who "drive up" the cost of living. This is not the fucking problem. If the news article was intending to say the number is higher because of homeless migrants, they should have fucking said that. Because people are gonna read this and immediately recognize the right wing talking point.

Secondly.

And most importantly.

This absolutely fucking egregious inclusion.

What the FUCK is the point of including this? To make people who are actually tuned in to the evidence-based solutions want to mangle their screen and hit Mr. Marbut with a large tube of metal multiple times?

What do you MEAN we need to abandon permanent housing!?

It's the fucking reason other countries have been able to actually fix their homelessness problem while the US lags behind kicking their fucking ankles like greedy real estate hogs. They picked up on this shit years ago.

The housing first model is the current gold standard. Refocusing on what I presume to be treatment-first options for housing is fucking ridiculous.

Treatment-first housing programs have fucking insane dropout rates compared to housing-first. Insane!

Treatment-first programs can be very effective in reducing homelessness in those who stay in the program. But the problem is, those dropout rates can get as more than half of participants.

They require you to stay sober and stick to psychiatric treatment including medication in order to stay off the streets. It can be incredibly traumatizing. Dangling someone over the fire like that causes people to drop out from the sheer pressure of it all. It's dehumanizing as well as ineffective.

It's a complaint I've seen in qualitative interviews with people experiencing homelessness in the literature time and time again. Why the FUCK would they trust you as a system if you make them dance and prove their humanity and monitor them like vultures? Because you don't believe they "deserve" a warm bed unless they claw and work for it. And the second they slip up? They're abandoned like animals onto the street. It's so fucking gross.

It's like. UGH. Rubbing my temples. Wraparound services like jobs training should be offered, but not mandatory. They can help. In fact, case management and other services really do bolster housing programs. But to make it a requirement is to place as many hurdles and walls and beaurocratic steps as you can to a FUCKING SOCIAL SERVICE. WHICH IS THE FIRST STEP OF HOW TO NOT HAVE PEOPLE USE YOUR FUCKING SOCIAL SERVICE!!!!

Marbut is a moron. AP news highlighting his voice here with no pushback is fucking idiotic. And it's not neutral. Like okay, because we had a Smart take from a Normal person like NAEH CEO Ann Oliva saying we were able to fix veterans' homelessness crisis so we should use that roadmap and increase federal funding for the general population, I guess to balance things out we need a MORONIC take so everyone feels heard!

Also, they neglected to mention the rollback of covid emergency safety nets for housing like pausing landlords' authority to boot people off their property when they miss a rent payment. That has been happening for the past 2 years or so. Which is very bad.

Homelessness increasing 18% is insane and we should probably be doing something about more CEOs than just health insurance.