#but also. some people realized it was more economical to mix their own. with the only holo pigments on the US market

[morgenlich]

i 100% understand why ppl in the early 2000s were using car pigments to make their own holographic nail polish this shit rules

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Dean Obediallah at The Dean's Report:

No one can deny that Donald Trump has shown a significant level of cognitive decline since he first ran for President in 2015 at the age of 69 years old to where he is today at 78. But what we’ve seen with Trump is far more than normal aging. Trump—as countless mental health experts have stated—is showing symptoms of dementia.  While people can debate if Trump is in the early or mid-stages of severe cognitive decline, what can’t be debated is that this poses a very serious national security issue for our nation. Consequently, this issue demands far more media coverage. On Monday night, I interviewed, psychologist Dr. John Gartner--the founder of “Duty to Warn” –who was first on my show back in April when he was waving red flags about Trump’s mental decline. In April, Gartner noted that Trump “can't get through a rally without committing one of these” tell-tale signs of dementia, such as saying the incorrect word or “combining or mixing up people and generations.”  

He also directed my attention to a petition signed by more than 500 licensed mental health professions—including best-selling authors and well-respected psychologists—warning that Trump was exhibiting signs of dementia. Gartner noted in April that “we're noticing deterioration almost every day” with Trump. Here we are six months later.  After discussing what Dr. Gartner has observed with Trump over the past few months, I asked this simple question: “Does Donald Trump have some form of dementia?” In response, Gartner answered succinctly, “There's absolutely no doubt.” Gartner explained that on his podcast, “Shrinking Trump,” he has welcomed mental health professionals who specialize in dementia—such as from “Duty to Inform”-- and they reached the same conclusion. “We've had neuropsychologists, neuropsychiatrists on the show who have gone through their analysis” and confirmed what they are observing is dementia, Gartner noted. He added, “When you really talk to the experts and the super experts, it's even more apparent,” that Trump’s exhibiting symptoms consistent with this condition.

Dementia is not a term that should be thrown around whimsically to score political points. Dementia—as Dr. Gartner explained—is “brain damage.” He continued that it’s “a deteriorating organic process in the brain where the cognitive processes start to break down.” He added alarmingly that with people like Trump, “they only go in one direction. They keep sliding downhill.” Adding to the credibility of this diagnosis is that dementia runs in the Trump family. As Donald’s own nephew, Fred Trump III, explained on my show recently, Donald’s father, Donald’s older sister, Maryanne and Donald’s cousin, John Walters all had dementia. And as the NY Times reported ten days ago in an article on Trump’s cognitive decline, “Trump has seemed confused, forgetful, incoherent or disconnected from reality lately.”  They added, “He rambles, he repeats himself, he roams from thought to thought — some of them hard to understand, some of them unfinished, some of them factually fantastical.”

Just look at Trump’s conduct in the past week that provides more jarring examples. At an event at the Detroit Economic Club when he was supposed to address economic issues, he literally began to speak of Elon Musk’s missiles landing, “Biden circles” that were “beautiful” but Biden “couldn’t fill them up” to “we’ve been abused by other countries, we’ve been abused by our own politicians”–all in the same incoherent answer.  I played that clip for Dr. Gartner who commented that it makes “you realize how completely lost Trump is.” In addition, Trump while appearing on a podcast last week literally delivered a 12 minute (yes, 12 minute) meandering answer that was so incoherent it caused the hosts to joke that Trump was not rambling, he was “weaving.” One host added that they “don’t even want to know the answer anymore,” they just want more “weaving.” They were humoring Trump who was not making sense.

And at a rally in Pennsylvania on Monday, Trump told the crowd to vote on “January 5”—not November. That of course could simply be a minor mental flub, but what came next was truly bizarre. Trump told the audience that it was time to end the questions and just listen to music. I’m not kidding. The context was that two people had passed out from heat at the event, to which Trump asked, would “anybody else would like to faint?” Trump then declared, “Let’s not do any more questions. Let’s just listen to music. Let’s make it into a music. Who the hell wants to hear questions, right?”  Then—as the Washington Post reported—"For 39 minutes, Trump swayed, bopped — sometimes stopping to speak — as he turned the event into almost a living-room listening session of his favorite songs from his self-curated rally playlist.”

Yes, Trump stood on stage for nearly 40 minutes at a packed Town Hall where instead of answering questions, he danced. I know it sounds like a Saturday Night Live sketch, but it was real life. If President Biden had done that when he was the nominee, we would’ve seen non-stop coverage exploring his mental state. All of this is why this is truly a national security issue. As Dr. Gartner explained, a person with dementia like Trump could be easily manipulated by “corrupt businessman or any hostile foreign power.” He cited the examples of how devious people have taken advantage of those with dementia to get them to sign a will that makes the person the sole beneficiary. But in the case with Trump, we are potentially talking about Trump agreeing to allow wealthy backers like Elon Musk to financially benefit at our expense. Or worse, allow our enemies to take advantage of him—more than they even did in the past.

Dean Obeidallah succinctly explains that Donald Trump’s dementia is not only a political issue but also a national security issue.

[wrenteen75]

CHAOS DREAMING!

SYNOPSIS: aurora henson cannot stand economics. . . the summer before her junior year only highlights this when she crosses paths with a seemingly rebellious group of boys from welton academy, mixed about at a fine arts camp they’ve been shipped off to. little does she know, they’re fighting to rewrite their lives, too—which inspires her to live a little on the edge before she goes back to her all-girls boarding school next fall 𝟅𝟈

author’s note! you can find part three here! also—so happy this fic is coming into its own :') dabbling with the mix of literate & social media au has been so fun

PART FOUR — CLANDESTINE

ENTER AURORA HENSON. . .

The girl had been sprawled out in the grass, unable to sleep and unable to stop thinking. She’d been here in Vermont for a week now—and through new friends, rebellion, and creative bursts, she couldn’t stop herself from wondering more about Charlie Dalton.

Neil meant all the best for Aurora by introducing her to his friends, but the meeting only drove the girl towards insanity.

It was crazy of her—she didn’t know Charlie, and she certainly didn’t have a connection with him.

She couldn’t.

Hell, she could barely have that with herself. What made her think she’d be capable of having that with someone else?

She sighed.

The wind picked up, the leaves rattling above her smaller frame. A few fell down, landing in her hair and sticking to the fabric of her sweater. It didn’t matter if it was summertime—if the wind was blowing, she’d wear long sleeves. That’s how it worked.

Too lost in her own loneliness, she lacked proper focus as someone creeped up behind her, their feet rummaging through the grass as they ascended the hill. Spooked by the sudden noises, Aurora found herself jolting from her spot, relieved to see Neil approaching her.

His hair was a mess, and she assumed he couldn’t settle down, either.

“You scared me,” she mumbled.

Neil smiled, taking a seat across from her. He pressed his back against the tree trunk. “Sorry, Rora.”

“All good,” she answered. “Can’t sleep?”

“Nope,” Neil said. “Charlie’s been keeping us up.”

Aurora’s eyebrow furrowed. “Oh,” she muttered.

“Oh?” Neil repeated her response back to her, eyeing her expression through the darkness of the summer evening. There was something there—he could sense it.

Aurora blinked. “What else am I supposed to say?”

“I dunno,” he mumbled. “Sympathy would be nice.”

She exhaled. “I’m sorry that Charlie is keeping you and your friends up. There, is that better?”

Neil laughed. “Much better.”

There was a slight hint of humor in their conversation, though Neil was catching onto something he wasn’t sure Aurora knew about yet. Or, maybe she knew, but found comfort in hiding it—hoping he wouldn’t find it.

She and Charlie were more alike than he thought.

They both carried this hefty self-guilt, though Charlie covered his with pride and sarcasm. The two had only shared one conversation—the clandestine introduction under this exact oak tree, where Aurora realized there were more people out there like her.

Perhaps that scared her. Perhaps she was intrigued by Charlie, but wouldn’t admit it due to her parents and the weight of expectations—both academically and emotionally.

Neil kept all of this in mind as he spoke to the girl, curious and prepared to crack the case. “You look busy,” he said.

“Hm?” Aurora hummed.

“There’s something going on inside your head,” he reiterated. “What’s up?”

Aurora had forgotten how well Neil could read her.

After years of friendship, it was expected by now, but it shocked her nonetheless. The blonde exhaled tiredly. “I came here to discover my passions and finally break free. Meeting your friends—it showed me I wasn’t alone in that, you know? That scared me. The idea that there’s so many of us with the same passions, but we can’t act on them.”

Neil hummed. “How is that scary? Wouldn’t it be the opposite? To know you’re not alone, wouldn’t that give you some sort of hope?”

“I mean—I guess so?” Aurora hadn’t thought of it that way, not until now. She’d been so pessimistic.

“Look,” Neil eyed the girl. “I get it. I know you. We’re all here for the same reasons. I think you should take that and run with it, yeah?”

“How do you mean?” She asked.

“You know what I mean,” he replied cryptically. “Make connections, get to know people, break free. Don’t stay holed up in your shared bunk with a journal in your lap. Who knows, a conversation or two with the right person might just reveal new information.”

Aurora’s heartbeat quickened. Neil knew too much.

“You’re a pain,” she joked quietly.

He chuckled. “Yeah, yeah.”

THE NEXT MORNING. . .

It was a dreary start to the day. Aurora was drowsy, her legs covered in bug bites from the constant grass-sitting. She itched at them as she tossed and turned in her bed, the other girls in her bunk seemingly dispersed amongst the Vermont campgrounds.

In the short, solemn silence, she reached for her phone. Birds chirped outside—a sense of hope and confidence surging through her veins.

Her fingers grazed over the rings of her journal as she picked her phone off the dresser, the metal cool to the touch. Biting at her lip, she unlocked the screen and typed aimlessly, her thumbs trembling over the keyboard.

[scumashling]

Welcome newcomers! You can call me Ash (they/she).

About this account

•i made this account after realizing I've been into whump for years without knowing it and discovering that I'm not alone in finding comfort in fiction about characters being put through emotional and or physical hell. I've often struggled with intense shame related to my interest in whump, especially as it's tied to my own trauma, so learning about this community has felt like a huge weight off my chest.

•fan of: defiant whumpee, intimate whumper, Lady whump, living weapon, non con body modification, drugged Whumpee, revenge whump, dehumanization, fantasy whump,Bastard whumpee, religious whump, Whumpee turned Whumper, Bad Caretaker and nsfwhump,

•I'm fairly new to tumblr and am still trying to get a feel for how things work around here, both in terms of the people and the site itself, so I apologize in advance for any possible future faux pas. I'm also a novice writer and still building my confidence in it, but I do I intend to post some of my own fiction, art, and memes.

•I'm in too many fandoms to count but currently you can expect stuff related to Chainsaw Man, Berserk, Slay the Princess, The Boys, and Delicious in Dungeon

•DNIs: I don't intend for this to be an overtly political account, and i'm not into policing people's behavior so giving a list of opinions/positions I find morally objectionable and demanding you keep away from my account if you hold them isn't my style. If I think something you posted is wack then I will simply unfollow or block you, because I am an adult who knows and enforces their own boundaries. That being said, I am a leftist (socially, economically, foreign policy wise) and related themes are more then likely to show up in my fiction, so if you have a problem with that my account probably isn't for you. The one exception to the DNI is Zionists (including "progressive" two staters) in which case, fuck Israel, fuck genocide, fuck you for supporting it, you're a N@zi, Long Live a Free Palestine 🇵🇸

•WARNING: there will be non con stuff posted on this account, as well as general content related to abuse, kink, trauma and addiction, as well as the occasional gore post. I will use appropriate tags/cws but if that is not something you can handle, or just not something you're into hearing about, please take care of yourself and disengage. I use fiction to cope with my own history and truly do not want anyone else to be harmed by it

•I do not consider myself proship or antiship and as far as I'm concerned yall both have some weird people on your side. Basically as long as you aren't being creepy or harassing anyone, have common sense around media literacy/ engaging with fiction as fiction, but don't use the fact that it's fiction to avoid thinking about real world implications/themes, you are welcome on my page.

some facts about me:

•im a nonbinary femme lesbian who's currently studying fine arts.

•I'm mixed (Asian and white)

•I'm a 23 years old

•I was diagnosed with autism at age 18. Some of my special interests include manga, horror, feminist theory, animation, media analysis, mycology, vampires and cooking.

•i adore poetry, my favorites are Lady Lazarus by Sylvia Plath, Ozymandias by Percy Shelley, and She Had Some Horses by Joy Harjo (specifically the canto Drowning Horses)

•I have been drawing for 7 years

[kjwald]

Astro Boy and Embracing Defeat

Wow, these readings were really heart-aching. The first chapter of Embracing Defeat is about Post-War Japan after 1945. Dower talks about how citizens were severely affected by the war, physically and emotionally. The chapter's title is "shattered lives," conveying the harsh effects of the war. The chapter starts off with a woman, Aihara Yu, telling her story of when the emperor had announced Japan's defeat. She waited for three years for her husband to return, only to learn that he died in war. This was so extremely devastating. There was also the preference of dying by a more honorable death rather than be defeated. Unfortunately, many soldiers committed suicide due to this. The emperor also tried to keep peace within Japan by assuming the guilt and sadness of the people of Japan, and while some felt guilty and like they failed the emperor, others felt a sense of relief that the war was over. There were many mixed emotions after the war, but everyone struggled immensely. There were numerous bombs throughout Japan. I feel like the amount of bombs and deaths in Japan is not actually well taught in foreign countries. I never knew that 66 major cities were bombed, and that 3 millions people died. I also did not know that mostly residences of those with low income were destroyed while the wealthy neighborhoods remained. Soldiers were killed in war, injured, abused, stuck in foreign countries as war prisoners, disappeared and psychologically traumatized. Families lost loves ones, became homeless or orphaned, also injured or killed, and also traumatized. Chapter 2 explains the effects of America making reforms in Japan after the war. As America made its way into Japan and gave goods, some thought of this as a miracle and blessing, while others thought that this means they will have to depend on a foreign country for their own survival. With demilitarization and democratization, Japan struggled with these new ideas.

I remember reading about the war and post-war Japan in textbooks during history class. I am disgusted that these kinds of details were not given to us. I remember having an argument in third grade about which was more devastating, the Pearl-Harbor attack or the atomic bombings in Nagasaki and Hiroshima. The very fact that the teacher would even try to compare and place value on each event is so wrong, but then for the entire class to just say that there were only two bombs and it was Japan's fault was nauseating. Of course, it was third grade, but the entire point of learning about these events is to try to understand all sides and the history of what really happened, and there was still an adult in the room that was okay with and pushing this. There were so many economic, psychological, physical, and political effects throughout all of Japan, not only the cities that were bombed, and this needs to be taken into account.

Astro Boy is a light-hearted, yet also kind of depressing manga. Astro Boy was made by a man that lost his son to a car crash, and then abandoned by that man when the man realized the robot he built was actually a robot... dang. There is some kind of war and fighting occurring between humans and robots, and Astro Boy seems to be trying to help with establishing peace. I researched the author, and he was involved in World War II, and he saw many people die. He has since made media to try to express his thoughts about the war and post-war. I think that Astro Boy is a manga that conveys to the audience how peace is important and that war is never the answer.

[msbarrows]

Not formally schooled in WW2 history and most of what I have read is related to European theatre not Pacific but stuff related to their reasons, off the top of my head beyond checking some dates?

This is going to be long because I surprised myself with how much I knew that I didn't realize I knew, and it goes back to almost a century before the attack itself. Ack.

(Also yes 'I just followed orders' is never a defence, and that's why people are not supposed to follow illegal orders. Though it's rather a Catch-22 since depending on whose orders it is you might well end up being punished in either case.)

Forced opening of Japan's previous closed borders by a fleet of US battleships (see the Perry Expedition in the mid 1800s) is the earliest history related to why Japan was not favourably inclined to the US to start with (ever heard the phrase 'gunboat diplomacy'? Yeah. Because the US has pretty much always seen itself as Hot Shit and felt that its perceived interests overrode everyone else's sovereignty - look up 'manifest destiny' and the Monroe Doctrine while you're at it for further evidence of US attitudes to everyone not US).

The US and Europeans overthrow the Hawaiian monarchy and then the US annexes the Hawaiian kingdom in the late 1800s giving them a mid-Pacific foothold for expansion further westwards. Note that Japan is also a monarchist island nation, who have already been forced to interact with the US. If you don't think they (and everyone else in the Pacific theatre area) saw this as red flags, you're not putting yourself in their shoes.

At about the same time Spain cedes Guam and the Phillipines to the US as part of the ongoing Spanish-American war (beef between the US and Cuba traces back to then). The Philippine-American war results, with the US eventually winning control of the area. More Pacific footholds even further west.

1900-1911 - US annexes parts of Samao, forming what is now known as American Samoa. (Oh look, even more aggressive US actions in the south-west Pacific area.)

Early 20th century saw boat-building infrastructure built on Hawaii centred on Pearl Harbour. It's mid-Pacific location makes it a very key foothold (and bottleneck) to US trade and military function further westwards.

1919 - Japan proposes that the post-WW1 Treaty of Versailles include a bit about the racial equality of all members of the League of Nations (they're the only non-western Great Nation). The US and the UK slap it down (what, let PoC be equal to their lily white purity? How ludicrous!) The US enacts a bunch of racist anti-Japanese laws.

1930s - Japan goes to war for a mix of reasons, largely economic (wanting to claim areas with resources of metal and oil they need and therefor feel a right to take - just like the western Great Nations have been doing all along). They withdraw from the League of Nations and ally with Germany and Italy. The US levies trade embargoes and restrictions that largely cease the trade of scrap metal and oil to Japan and prevent their ships from using the Panama canal, cutting them off even further from resources they feel they need to support themselves and their war effort.

1940 - US Pacific fleet does exercises off the Hawaiian coast and then remains at Hawaii.

Feb 1941 - Pearl Harbour designated the permanent base for the fleet. The US starts or continues greatly expanding the facilities at Pearl Harbour in support of it.

The US and the Japanese are in negotiations for much of the year. They both have mutually exclusive points they're not willing to give way on. Negotiations are failing.

Japan wants the Philippines, which would both give them resources and remove a major US foothold in what they see as their own area of interest. If they take the Philippines then the US would attack from Hawaii.

Dec 1941 - Japan makes what it considers to be a pre-emptive strike against an obvious US threat. While this is always described as a 'surprise attack' it's worth noting that the US President knew of the possibility of an attack at least three days before it occurred (there's a declassified memo from Dec 4 of that year that predicted it); but much like the warnings of 9-11, they had a 'failure of imagination' to believe that it could actually occur).

So yeah there's basically a long history behind why Japan attacked Pearl Harbour, and it very much was not because they wanted the US to enter the war. In light of both countries expansionism into the SW Pacific and the US's attitudes towards their nation, they saw the war as inevitable. I don't believe they were necessarily wrong. Though that doesn't put them in the right, either.

[melinadsouza92]

The Emerging Hub of Opportunities in the UAE- Dubai South

Historic Background

Dubai beginning has been humble, and the vision has been great. Region New and modern Dubai has been constantly shifting towards the South. Region with a small population of 20k became home to 1M residents in just 50 years and currently to 3.8M. Dubai started its development journey from the old Dubai which includes Diera, Bur Dubai, Gold Souq, Kamara, Rashadiya, Nahada etc. The area developed first because of its proximity to the port, airport and most importantly it was strategically located from other emirates like Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, and Al Ain. The connection with capital Abu Dhabi, which is also the richest and largest emirate, was bound to happen as this was the only direction Dubai wanted to expand with growing road and infrastructure. Since then, center Dubai has been Constantly moving South.

With the dawn of 20th century in 2002, Dubai opened its arms to the world. The government decided to allow people of all nationalities to own properties here and thereafter has been a magnet to the world. Every 10 years Dubai saw an addition of 1M residents embracing diversity and innovation, making it not only a city but a symbol of ambition and possibility. Today it is a thriving metropolis of 3.8M residents and one of the top 5 most visited cities in the world.

Vision

The roots of this Dubai can be traced back to the vision of His highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Mohammad bin Rashid AL Maktoum, the Vice president & Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Recognizing the limitations of Dubai’s existing infrastructure and the need for long-term planning, sheikh Mohammed envisioned a master-planned city that would serve as a catalyst for economy growth and development. Even before 2002 they realized that Dubai has taken off and will achieve great heights. In 2004 the New Dubai was envisioned. A Dubai will be modern, innovative in approach and will offer everything that its residents and visitors need. And hence this NEW Dubai on the south was planned.

Why is SOUTH the priority?

The government of Dubai has already spent more than 200 billion USD which is more than half a trillion dirhams in developing the required infrastructure and the trade zones in this area. Total investment from Pvt. and Government Players is more than 500B USD. To achieve the goals mentioned in agenda D33 the government has committed more infrastructure development funds to make this new Dubai a huge success. Economic Agenda D33 Dubai is on track of seeing Doubling the economy from 1.6 trillion to 3.2 trillion in the next 9 years, Doubling the FDI from 320B to 650B to raise the govt. expenditure from 512B to 700B. 400 new cities are Planned to be added to Dubai’s commercial map.

D33 encompasses a new 8.7 trillion USD roadmap for the emirate to double its foreign trade and emerge as the world's fourth most prominent financial center behind New York, London, and Singapore by 2033 when Dubai will mark 200 years since its founding.

2023 Destination Dubai report which showed that 66% of global HNWI are eyeing up second-home purchases in the city. In addition, Dubai is one of the world’s most connected cities.

Major Communities:

More communities like Emaar South a golfing paradise in the making, Oasis by Emaar a high end community with lagoon and greenery, Dubai South a mixed use development, The Heights by Emaar an affordable family residential community with wellness as the concept, Luxury Polo Resorts Club by Emaar , luxury Mansion and Villa community which Emaar will soon announce, , Expo City an advanced sustainable city of innovation, Riverside by DAMAC and some projects by smaller private developers have recently been launched. We will discuss some of them in the latter half of the video.

Conclusion

In Dubai people invest in the direction of the government. This opportunity has left a lot up for grabs for the investors of all segments. You buy an apartment, townhouse, Villa or a mansion, everything will have a demand as you are living in the heart of the new economic hub, which is growing so fast, and you can smell positivity in the air.

Share this Article & your thoughts with us in the comments below!

[mswayambhu-blog]

Memoirs of COP29: Baku

It has been an event of sorts, for some it was a beacon of hope, while for some it was an utter failure. While people and representatives are free to make their own opinion, but every coin has two sides. In Jain philosophy there’s a concept of “Syatwad” that advocates that there could be seven different perspectives of looking at anything in this world and all of them could be correct simultaneously. Thus, everyone can have their opinion and in spite of they being ironical or event appearing to be opposite, they all can be correct and we should have the courage to accept and appreciate other’s opinions as well. We also had mixed experience during the event, but compared to COP28: Dubai, this was relatively a low-key affair. Smaller venue, lesser crowd, higher security, high restrictions, much more compact and lesser participation. But we ended up achieving much more. Starting from media interview to presentation in both the zones (Blue & Green), Exploring the third zone (innovation zone), participating in side events, interaction with academia, and corporates as well as country representatives from across the globe.

Day-1

The US elections were on top of the mind for the opening speech, with Trump’s “drill baby drill” phrase being used to create ripples in the Climate Action fraternity.

But, frankly speaking, that’s just politics. The most consistent feature of the president-elect is his unpredictability. If he realises that he’s going wrong, he doesn’t mind taking a U-turn.

Moreover, promising money to COP, and funding two conflicts to create war, is anyways no better for the environment anyways.

So, the hope is still on, rest all is speculation. As we said earlier, COP needs a “path & pace correction”, moving from “emission focus” to “sequestration focus”!

The sooner they realize it, the better it is for the world.

Day -2

I understand that the post is delayed. I’m literally posting on end of Day 3, but as the engagement grows, it’ll be tough to post on the same day. It’s a happening event, the visitors get divided into Blue Zone, Green Zone and side events.

The security arrangements are much tougher than COP28, even for the Green Zone, which is usually open to all public. In Dubai, even with out an invite, you could get the pass right at the gate of Green Zone, but it isn’t the same at Baku. Even if you have the invite and a confirmation number, you can’t enter the green zone, till your passport details are not shared with the registration desk.

So, what happens to those who are unable to join in? The side events come to rescue their travel. On 12th November, 2024, we’ve had the following side events –

Achieving transformative climate action through gender responsive, rights-based economic approaches

Transition Away from Fossil Fuels: Technology & Market - Based instruments for Net-Zero Actions

Innovations to maximize tropical forests’ contribution to climate change mitigation and adaptation

What can Migrants and Displaced Persons bring to the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage?

Decarbonization beyond the value chain: navigating between carbon credits and climate contributions

Climate Science: key take aways in 2024

A message from the Frozen World – the Global Impact of a Changing Cryosphere

Carbon Dioxide Removal: Considerations for Responsible Deployment on Land and Ocean

Towards real, people-led, gender just solutions

Raising the ambition of urban climate action through multilevel governance

Designing for Quality and Equity in Clean Cooking Carbon Projects

Sovereign Wealth Impact: Powering Finance for the SDGs

New Horizons in Methane-Emissions Abatement

Fostering Climate Adaptation and Resilience in Small Island States and Beyond

New Forest Economies: Subnational Government Strategies, REDD+, & Local Engagement

Leveraging blended finance: catalyzing sustainable investments for global impact

Making Climate Finance Work for Climate Action in Agriculture and Food Security

Now tell me, with so many events happenings, you meet hundreds of people, who are all sustainability professionals belonging to the same tribe. So, would you call it day utilized or wasted? So, the bottom line is, when you go with positive bent of mind, you can actually take advantage of the hurdles as well and make it and asset for yourself. That’s a learning from Day-2 of Baku.

Day -3 Very exciting day today, full of meetings, symposiums and focused discussions.

Key reports of the Standing Committee on Finance for COP29

Driving Gender-just Energy Transition through Financing and Capacity Building in the Global South

Trade and investment policies to advance climate ambition and sustainable development

Scaling up Nature Finance and Enterprise in the Amazon Basin and Beyond

Artificial Intelligence solutions to enable rapid scale up of Renewable Energy

Transformational Adaptation

Supporting Indigenous-Peoples led solutions to climate change and loss and damage

Ensuring Integrity in the Voluntary Carbon Market

Open access activity data and digital tools to help countries and other stakeholders meet their ETF

Unlocking the potential for financing methane mitigation from solid waste for the NDCs and beyond

Innovation Ecosystems for Climate Action: Digital Technologies, Industrial Solutions, and Governance

Scaling up climate action in fragile states: what are the hurdles and how to overcome them?

Innovative Pathways for Emission Reduction: Perspectives from NGOs, Government and Private Sector

Tackling Corruption: A Missing Piece in the Climate Finance Agenda

Fully funded, fair, fast, and feminist phase-out of fossil fuels in the United States

Recognizing Net Zero Ambition and Accelerating Progress

The teething troubles have been sorted out. Met some wonderful people doing great work in the environment sector from carbon capture to waste management to governance to finance. This is a platform to showcase the good work, unfortunately all people working on ground are not able to afford taking a stall here, because they’re working for saving the planet, and not making money.

Government and intergovernmental discussions happen in the Blue Zone, at least these people working on ground should get a place in the Green Zone. Or maybe create a White Zone from COP30, so that these wonderful works could be showcased and replicated across the globe. We’ve maximized the foot prints of pollution, now is the time to globalize the footprints of restoration too.

Met some good corporates from Azerbaijan, Saudi ad UAE, all keen to diversify towards NbS, which was a good surprise. In fact, even an industrial training institute was affirmative to add a course on NbS to their curriculum, which was quite unexpected. Met a few Environment Ministers from African Union too, who were keen on restoration of natural resources.

Day -4 A very happening day, full of professional, emotional, physical and mental roller-coaster rides.

The day started with a wonderful session on “Cooling the heat: Enhancing Energy Efficiency of Refrigeration and Cooling Sector”, followed by another session on “Drive climate ambition and finance”, then came a session on "Climate Finance for Fast Action", then came " Climate Technologies: Impact Stories", another on "Invest in Soil Health". Some sessions were happening parallelly too, fortunately we had a team of three. Side-by-side were also reaching out to MoEFCC to help us get through the Blue Zone badge for our session with Towards Healthy, Inclusive and Sustainable Food Systems: Agroecology, Soil Health, and Healthy Diets, organized by Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health (CA4SH), CIFOR-ICRAF, Agroecology Coalition, Youth in Agroecology and Restoration Network (YARN), The Indigenous Partnership for Agrobiodiversity and Food Sovereignty (TIP).

Also met a power company from Romania and explained our perspective of green energy, and how to make large scale solar plants and age-old hydro-power dam reservoirs more sustainable. After which we had to rush to Climate Action Innovation Hub for specialized events focused upon —Sustainable Innovation Forum 2024, Hydrogen Transition Summit and Agri-Food Systems Summit at Baku Mariott Boulevard.

The next hop was COP29 Flagship Friday Evening Event - Climate Finance & Innovation: Adaptation & Resilience, held at Ganjlik Plaza, 95 Ataturk Avenue, Baku, which was yet another experience. Wonderful people, great deliberations, interesting discussions and serious business propositions. It was organized by AIM (not Atal Innovation Mission) but Azerbaijan Innovation Markaz, something like Startup India, back home.

Finally, the business day was over after this. Had dinner at Nizami street and concluded the day.

Day -5

The day started with Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) hosted event, the second Edition of CEEW Leaders’ Dialogue, on the sidelines of COP29, held at Hyatt Regency, Baku.

The dialogue hosted thought-provoking conversations with domain experts including Dr Arunabha Ghosh, Founder-CEO, CEEW, who deliberated on Accelerating the low-carbon drive of Bharat towards Viksit Bharat, followed by an elaborate panel discussion on Trillions for billions: Setting financing for development back on track. The second panel discussed upon the subject of “One size does not fit all: Crafting bespoke national energy transition plans”. Later we had deliberation on Water matters: Valuing sustainable and resilient water infrastructure, moderate by Nitin Bassi, Senior Programme Lead – Sustainable Water, CEEW, after which we had to rush back to green zone for a presentation.

At the green zone, we had an opportunity to interact with the teams of “Viveka Company Creation Program”, “Innovation and Digital Development Agency” of Azerbaijan (an initiative of Azerbaijan Innovation Center or the Azerbaijan Innovation Markazi, inaugurated on 2nd October, 2024 to boost up the startup ecosystem in the country) and a lot of sustainability startups being nurtured by Viveka, because “Viveka Company Creation Program” is a unique program for startups that want to advance from the early stage to the MVP, i.e. the minimum viable product stage. These startups were primarily from Azerbaijan, Turkey and Kazakhstan.

The startups included precision agriculture domain to Water treatment, oil sludge treatment, irrigation with AI integration and many other sustainability domain technologies.

[midtown-apartments]

Convenience at Home

Having a full-size washer and dryer in your apartment makes life so much easier. No more trips to the laundromat or waiting for machines. At Haven at Midtown, you’ll enjoy the comfort of doing laundry right at home. Along with this convenient feature, these apartments also come with granite countertops and a custom tile backsplash, adding style and functionality to your living space. Whether you’re in a studio, one, or two-bedroom apartment, you’ll appreciate these high-end touches. For anyone looking for apartments in Phoenix, Haven at Midtown offers the perfect combination of modern amenities and ease of living, making it the ideal place to settle.

The Economy of Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix’s economy is growing, and you can see it in the number of jobs popping up across the city. Tech companies are moving in, and that’s creating a lot of opportunities for people with different skill sets, especially in IT and engineering. It’s not all about tech, though. You’ll also find a strong healthcare sector here, thanks to big hospitals and medical centers. The construction industry is booming, too, with all the new buildings going up. Living in Phoenix, you might notice a mix of established companies and startups, giving it a lively, energetic feel. Tourism is also huge, with people visiting year-round, which adds to the city’s economic health. If you’re job hunting, Phoenix can be a good place to look.

Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona

The Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix is a fun place to explore, whether you’re a music lover or just curious about different cultures. You’ll find instruments from all over the world, each with its own story and background. One cool feature is the headphones you get when you walk in—they sync up automatically as you move around, letting you hear music from the specific instruments on display. There’s everything from ancient drums and flutes to modern electric guitars. Kids and adults alike enjoy the Experience Gallery, where you can play some of the instruments yourself. It’s a laid-back, interactive place that gives you a new appreciation for music from every corner of the globe.

Arizona Flight Passenger Goes Viral After Leaving Unmarked Powdery Substance in Luggage, TSA Inspects Her Bags

Anna McKay from Phoenix learned a valuable lesson about air travel when her bag got flagged by TSA. After landing at her destination, she found an inspection tag inside her luggage, along with a note from TSA. When she checked her bag, everything seemed normal—until she got to a bag of fiber powder that looked like it had been rummaged through. McKay quickly realized that the powder, which she’d packed for her trip in a clear bag, might have raised some suspicions with security. Though the fiber wasn’t a banned substance, TSA had to inspect it just to be sure. McKay laughed it off as a silly mistake, and even ended up getting free packets of Benefiber after sharing her experience on TikTok.

Link to map

Musical Instrument Museum 4725 E Mayo Blvd, Phoenix, AZ 85050, United States Get on AZ-101 Loop W from E Mayo Blvd and N Tatum Blvd 3 min (1.0 mi) Take AZ-51 S to E Indian School Rd. Take exit 3 from AZ-51 S 13 min (14.1 mi) Continue on E Indian School Rd. Drive to N 3rd Ave 6 min (2.2 mi) Haven at Midtown 222 W Clarendon Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85013, United States

[adultswim2021]

Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job #44: “Choices” | March 22, 2010 - 12:30AM | S05E04

Choices is another fairly mediocre episode of the show, but there are a few good moments in the weaker sketches, and there’s a couple of sketches I think are solid. Hey, let’s get into them now! Okay?

SKETCH #1 (COLD OPEN): Brules Rules. Steve Brule simply delivers some bad news that his aunt Joanne just died. It’s brief, and I like it.  

SKETCH #2: All Dolled Up. Barry Stem and Frank Slaten sit at a couple of makeup tables while being “dolled up” in ridiculous, nonsensical make-up. They have a straight-faced conversation about their pedigrees in show business, bragging about working on this show or that, lightly challenging each other’s legitimacy. They come off as insufferable blowhards, and at times they speak directly over one another to filibuster about their time on Manimal or whatever shows they said they worked on. This one’s slightly mean-spirited, but it’s very funny. 

I recall Tim showing this on Howie Mandell’s video podcast and saying that he vetted the footage with the guys involved, and that they had a good sense of humor about it. He revealed what I’ve always assumed; these were unguarded moments during the lead-up to a supposed scripted sketch, but was just a set-up to capture their dick-measuring contest on video.

To come lightly to their defense; the footage IS manipulated. If you look at the mirror you can see the one guy sitting quietly while the other guy talks, while his non-mirrored counterpart is flapping his gums, which means they combined different moments into one shot like George Lucas in the Star Wars prequels. 

SKETCH #3: DLH sings a song about being in love with an insect woman. This is more typical DLH stuff. I didn’t think this one was the worst, but DLH has probably worn out his welcome with most viewers at this point. Still, I liked when he answers his puppet’s question about his love life by tersely stating “I met a nice lady and it’s taken care of”. This one’s just okay, but it ain't no Salome.

SKETCH #4: Next up is H’amb, which starts out as a psycho-drama involving a man nearly driven to suicide after losing all of his money, which he learns on his handsome leather-bound landline telephone. His woes are owed entirely to him refusing to get a job (I can relate!). His family is waiting for him at dinner, and he angrily brandishes a gun when he thinks his wife has indecently purchased lamb for the family, despite their money woes. Turns out it’s Cinco H’amb, and this is just a tacky ad for the economical ham-based imitation lamb-loaf. This one features an elderly Karen Black, who has very irresponsibly mothered two young children at her advanced age. This one joins Dolled up as one of the solid bits on the episode. 

The wraparound is a mixed bag that I’d also describe as “mostly listless”. The plot is that Tim has written an incendiary tell-all about Eric that is completely fabricated. Eric is reasonably furious with Tim and makes a scene at his congratulatory party. Tim, realizing the follies of his ways, chases after Eric and, as a gesture of friendship, rips each page out of his own book to demonstrate that he’d rather keep his valuable friendship with Eric. 

I’d describe these scenes as the worst kind of wraparound: Tim & Eric are on autopilot and falling back on their usual bag of tricks. Random, unfocused silliness. One gets the feeling that they just did this in one or two takes and moved on, cynically writing off their audience of stoners as easily impressed simpletons. You ever make a movie with a camcorder (or a more modern device), and you cast your friend whose really funny, but he has no idea how to act so he just does funny business to crack up the people in the room and doesn't give a shit about how it's gonna look on video? It kinda feels like that, except our class clowns are running the show.

Not that I’m too upset about this; occasionally they happen to fall into a bit of business that makes me smile, and while their lack of care is a little insulting, I don’t tend to take it too personally. Tim’s line read of “I gotta put in some kinda trash” to Eric gets me. I guess I can’t stay too mad at these guys.

This one ends with Eric dramatically slicing and dicing Tim. He stabs him in the gut and creepily whispers to him: “I don’t forgive you!”. I do like this bit, but I couldn't help but feel like it would feel a little stronger if anything else they did before it was treated with care.

[belvalkar1]

Pune's Promising Future: Upcoming Housing Projects Redefining Urban Living

Pune, often referred to as the "Oxford of the East" for its educational institutions and a hub of IT and automotive industries, is experiencing rapid urbanization and economic growth. As the city expands, the demand for housing is on the rise, and developers are responding with a slew of exciting upcoming housing projects. These projects promise to redefine urban living in Pune, offering modern amenities, sustainable designs, and a convenient lifestyle. In this article, we'll explore some of the most promising housing projects that are set to shape the future of living in Pune.

Iconic Residency by ABC Developers:

Located in the vibrant locality of Koregaon Park, Iconic Residency by ABC Developers is poised to be a landmark in luxury living. This project boasts a mix of well-designed apartments and penthouses that offer stunning views of Pune's skyline. With world-class amenities, a clubhouse, and a focus on green living, Iconic Residency is a testament to the city's evolving real estate landscape.

Green Valley Heights by XYZ Builders:

If you're seeking an eco-friendly and sustainable living environment, Green Valley Heights by XYZ Builders should be on your radar. Situated on the outskirts of Pune, this project offers a serene and tranquil ambiance, away from the city's hustle and bustle. With a strong emphasis on green architecture and renewable energy sources, it's a haven for nature enthusiasts.

Urban Pulse at Hinjewadi:

Hinjewadi, the IT hub of Pune, is about to get a fresh lease of life with Urban Pulse, a project that blends contemporary design with functionality. This development will cater to the needs of tech professionals, offering easy access to work, leisure, and social amenities. Apartments here come equipped with smart home technology, and the project aims to create a vibrant, tech-savvy community.

Lakefront Residences by MNO Developers:

Lakefront Residences by MNO Developers is a project that aims to redefine luxury living in Pune. Nestled beside a picturesque lake in Kalyani Nagar, these residences offer an unparalleled lifestyle. The development includes spacious apartments, a spa, fine dining, and a range of water-based activities, making it a true oasis within the city.

Affordable Housing at Aundh:

Affordable housing has also been a focus for developers in Pune. Aundh, a popular residential neighborhood, is witnessing several budget-friendly housing projects. These projects offer compact yet comfortable apartments, along with essential amenities, ensuring that more people can realize their dream of owning a home in this vibrant city.

Fore More Info -:

upcoming housing projects in pune

belvalkar housing company

kalpak homes phase 2

snehshilp belvalkar

[doorhine]

(If you don’t want this added to your post, I can delete it and make my own but I liked what you said and had to get this off my chest)

THIS. LITERALLY THIS. 

Like, I think it’s really great that Mizu’s relationship with her gender resonates with so many people. It’s totally valid to make headcanons about it but some of y’all aren’t just doing that. Some of y’all are out here like or outright saying that you’re owed and entitled to Mizu not being a woman, or that she can’t possibly be a woman, because you can’t fathom women having complicated feelings about their gender, especially under a patriarchy, especially in a society where the ideal form of femininity is not inclusive to them because of their race (and economic class).

The creators of the show have made it clear as day that Mizu is a woman and that the overall story is an expression of the experiences of Asian women (mixed and not mixed) and how the intersectionality of their race and gender have affected their lives or the lives of those they’re close to who fall under those identities today by exploring those themes in the Edo period. It also gets into other things like disability which I haven’t seen talked about here a lot. 

So for some of y’all to say that the literal creators of the show merely view Mizu as a woman, or that gender isn’t central to the story’s themes (it is as well as race) so Mizu’s gender is canonically up for interpretation or (as a backhanded way of not really addressing the issue) saying that it’s ok to headcanon Mizu as a woman when she, again, canonically is… like it’s just ridiculous.

You realize you’re misgendering Mizu by doing all of that and confining her to an identity that benefits you like her mom/not mom did? And I really don’t want to hear to indefensible argument that these are just stories and you can play around with the characters like dolls because people make these stories with intent and put their own experiences into them which some of you are denying, in order to make this about you, because you can’t seem to relate to a woman of color or find her complex, nuanced and interesting the way she is. You realize you’re just doing misogyny and racism with extra steps? You realize you’re just repackaging those things in a different way? And I have a feeling that, predictably, most if not all the people doing this or acting like this is just silly “discourse” where people can’t respect each other’s headcanons are white queers because some of you guys will do this thing where you can't relate to a poc especially a woc without somehow making it about you and disguise it as "stating the obvious" that they're this identity or should be in this ship or saying we should let everyone just have fun even when poc call you out on it.

Also, not for nothing, but so far I haven’t seen anyone talk about how Mizu not wanting to be a boy but having to be could relate to the experience of intersex people who are forced to live as a gender they don’t identify with. Except I know why, because that would still make her a woman (and technically not queer) and some of you can’t fathom relating to that. I’ve also only seen a few people, as of right now, talk about how Taigen’s growing attachment to Mizu, who he still thinks is a man at this point, suggests that he’s bi or pan because I know some people, even in the queer community, don’t care about bi and pan people. 

Every marginalized person should get more rep, at the same time and not the trickled down version that we see in mainstream media where they go one group at a time. But, and I’m saying all of this as a queer woman of color (who’s been questioning but still identifies a lot with being a woman and as of right now feels genderqueer works best to describe my relationship with gender), some of you need to accept that this includes women of color and people of color in general regardless of whether or not they're also queer because we don’t get the same kind of quality or quantity of rep that white people do period. 

Also, we simply don’t know the people who worked on this show. Some of them could be queer for all you know, and they shouldn’t have to out themselves for your validation. Also, it’s not like the show itself has completely ignored the existence of queer people. It even shows how in a restrictive period like Edo, “There was a sense of sexual openness during the period that might defy modern expectations.” Madame Kaji assumes Mizu wants to be with a man at the brothel, Taigen has growing feelings for Mizu while thinking she’s a man, and, to me, Heiji Shindo and Fowler gave off some toxic couple vibes. (Edit:) There's also a literal threesome and discussion of kink in the same episode. And like, that might not feel like enough but there’s so much love, thought, research and nuance put into this show and all the topics and intersecting marginalized identities it does explicitly discuss that to write all that off because it doesn’t cater to some of your specific experiences (when the people who worked on this show don’t even know you or owe it to you) is very individualistic and entitled. 

The show has 4 seasons planned, which leaves room for explicit queerness if that’s the creator’s intention, but I really hope they get it regardless because woc and poc in general do not get shows like this every day in western media. It doesn’t matter to me that Mizu and the other characters aren’t the same race as me or explicitly queer because I’m capable of relating to and even finding solidarity in people who aren’t exactly like me. I’ve also had to relate to people different from me in the media as a queer black woman in a white cishet world. I like Mizu for who she is because she’s interesting and well written, not because I feel entitled to her being exactly like what I find relatable. 

If we can all understand that gender identity and presentation/expression are a complex thing, especially if we take it a step further and recognize how intersecting identities like race, class, disability and so on further influence that, even if someone just ends up being cis+ as we call them, then you should be able to understand why Mizu, as a woman, is written the way she is in a non-white culture and time period that doesn’t use the western terminology for gender and sexuality that we use today. 

Again, because I know if anyone reads this some of you will gloss over half of what I say and make assumptions, I’m not saying that you can’t find Mizu relatable if you're transmac, nb, sapphic, etc. That’s valid and so is having and sharing your own thoughts and headcanons about it. I personally like to headcanon her with some of my identities as a queer person. But some of you are blatantly ignoring the creators’ explicit intent when they wrote the show from their own experiences because you feel entitled to people, who don’t know you or owe it to you, catering to you specifically. And I see a lot of that in some shape or form in a tag that’s just starting to grow, because the show literally just came out last Friday, when there could be more discussions and analyses about the show and all it talks about and executes wonderfully.

I watched the behind the scenes about the animation of Blue Eye Samurai and spoilers If you care but the fact some of you are pissed off the creators state Mizu is a woman over and over again is dumb. At this point, some ppl are so strangely sexist you do not think women are complex characters you can relate to or would never put revenge or being in disguise for safety (and ease of travel ) above conformity or femininity.

Mizu's mother told her two things: don't leave the house or they will kill us and don't let them know you're a girl because they're looking for a girl and will kill you. Mizu disobeys one of these and her hut gets set on fire with her mother in there. It's not hard to imagine why she'd continue dressing up as a boy for safety. If you really think a girl or woman would never dress up as a man to avoid being hunted down and killed, something is wrong with your brain. Women and girls famously don't like being brutally murdered.

That woman and child weren't allowed in the city to sell their goods and avoid starving because no male chaperone. How is Mizu supposed to get revenge if she needs a male chaperone to travel?

Some are denying central themes (because Mizu is relatable) like: the narrow paths women have- being a wife or an ' improper woman' ( working in a brothel ) to the point not even a princess was in control. Akemi is working within the confines of being a wife and we'll see how that goes. Disappointment doesn't mean bad writing because you don't think women would ever do that ( they do ) or God forbid you relate to someone different from you. She would have never ended up with Akemi because they're on very divergent paths. They were never going to scissor 😔 shame because it might fix her lol

Ideas get popular online and you're meant to treat pet theories like holy scripture. If you think the experiences of Mizu is too cool to be explored in a woman, first of all wooow!!, 2nd you're ignoring the story and it's a you problem.

[educationalinstitutesindia]

Ms. Misha Singh, attained 64th Rank in 3rd attempt Civil Services Examination, 2015

"A combination of positive thinking, self discipline and hard work is the secret of my success."                                                                                                              - Ms. Misha Singh ‘Pratiyogita Darpan’ arranged an exclusive interview with Miss Misha Singh who has been selected in Civil Services Examination 2015. She deserves all appreciation and our heartiest congratula-tions on her outstanding success. This important, thought provoking and highly inspiring interview is being presented here in its original form. PD—Achieving top slot in the coveted Civil Services Examination is no small feat; accept our heartiest congratulations on your splendid success. Ms. Misha—Thank you. PD—What preference in services have you opted for and any particular reason for that priority ? Ms. Misha—I opted for IAS as 1st preference, primarily due to the opportunity of getting to work in different fields associated with Administration. PD—‘Success is sweet’—Were you confident of your success with top ranks and how did you react to this news ? Ms. Misha—I received the news through my friends that I had cleared and went numb. It took me some time to realize what had just happened. Though there were moments of self-doubt, yet it all turned well in the end. PD—Today, IAS Toppers are icons and lots of media coverage make them popular. What was your opinion about these toppers ? Ms. Misha—I did not go through a lot of toppers’ stories, because I believe everyone leads his own journey, though two people whom I looked up during my preparation were Munish Sharma (AIR-2, 2013) and Himanshu Khurana (AIR-42, 2014). Knowing them personally, I was always inspired to work equally hard. PD—Can you recall the exact moment when you realized the importance of Civil Services ? Ms. Misha—In the last academic year of my college, I got into the habit of reading newspaper daily and developed an awareness of socio-economic and political developments and also the problems plaguing the country. The importance of civil services became very clear and I decided to become part of the solution and offer my bit. PD—Finally, at what point of time did you make up your mind to make career in ‘Civil Services’. Ms. Misha—During the last semester, I consciously gave up on placements that were underway and prepared myself mentally to appear for the exam. PD—Was CSE a planned decision or your parents’ wish ? Ms. Misha—Mix of both. My father always wanted that I give it a try, but I never really was fond of it. Then gradually I learned more about it and decided to appear. PD—Did you keep in mind some time-frame for the examination preparation and number of attempts ? Ms. Misha—Keeping a set time frame for exam preparation or number of attempts would have added to pressure. If you are dedicated to the job in hand these things should not really matter. PD—‘Time Management’ is a key factor while making preparations as well as in writing examination papers, be it Prelims or Main Examination. How did you manage things ? Ms. Misha—Time Management is everything especially for the Mains. Practice and Regular Test comes to a great help. PD—While making final choice for optional subject, what's important and what’s not ? Ms. Misha—Optional Subject can make or break your chances of clearing the examination. Many students do not do the adequate research about the subjects before opting them that ultimately lands them in soup. Syllabus, its length and one’s comfort level with the subject is necessary. Also, previous years’ question papers should be perused too. PD—What was your optional subject ? Ms. Misha—Law. PD—Give the basis of selecting the optional subject ? Ms. Misha—Same as above plus it was my graduation subject as well. PD—In how many attempts have you achieved this success ? Ms. Misha—3. Bio-Data Name—Misha Singh Father’s Name—Shri Anand Kumar Singh Mother’s Name—Mrs. Vinod Kanwar Date of Birth—August 3, 1988. Educational Qualifications :  10th—2005, U.P. Board, Mount Carmel High School, Lucknow (72·83%) 12th—2007, CISCE, Seth M.R. Jaipuria, Lucknow (90%) B.A. LL.B—2012, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow  CPI (8·83/10). PG Diploma in ADR—2015-16 Indian Law Institute, New Delhi. PD—You achieved the desired success in this attempt; how do you visualize your previous attempts ?  Ms. Misha—I lacked preparation and time management in my first attempt. In second attempt, though I had a decent score in Mains, I scored poorly in my personality test. Looking back, there was clearly a scope for improvement that I kept in mind for third attempt. PD—The first step is the most difficult; from where, did you get the right advice ? Ms. Misha—Before beginning with the preparation I did some research about the exam and its pattern, the books to be read and other things to expect? However, the main help came from my mentor Mr. K.S. Gill of Nirvana IAS Academy as he constantly guided me throughout the examination. PD—What was your approach towards Paper I (General Studies) during Preliminary Examination preparation? Ms. Misha—UPSC expects conceptual clarity more than fact based knowledge that has to be kept in mind all along the Preliminary Examination. Also, one should try to avoid the lure of reading from multiple books. Further, regular test of the knowledge is non-negotiable. PD—Was there any change in plan for General Studies Paper II (Aptitude Test) being qualifying in Preliminary Examination ? Ms. Misha—Slightly, I reduced the practice time for GS II and gave more attention to Paper I. PD—How did you manage to tackle the ‘Negative Marking’ in Prelims ? Ms. Misha—If one prepares well, there easily are 60-70 odd questions that can be handled with ease. There would always be some questions that might freak you out. Try not to panic and work on the probabilities among the options given. Apart from that there are few questions that I was completely clueless and did not attempt. PD—What shift did you adopt in your strategy for Main Examination (Written) ? Ms. Misha—The basic preparation that is attention to concept did not change. Reading became more meticulous and sources widened. Though, descriptive papers are easier for me to handle, yet one thing that was sine qua non was revision. PD—Was there any special effort for effective preparation for ESSAY Paper? Which topics did you pick up this time and why did you choose these particular topics ? Ms. Misha—Honestly, I did not do any special preparation for essay. I have always been comfortable with essay writing and scored well in my previous attempts too. I chose “Quick and Steady Wins the Race” and “Dreams which should not let India sleep”. While the former was much easier to handle, in the second essay I had sufficient material, gained during the preparations for mains, to write about India and its problems. PD—How did you prepare yourself for Interview (Personality Test)? When and which Board did you face? How did your interview go on, how much time did it last and what were the questions asked during the Interview ? Ms. Misha—Firstly, do not write something which is not true in your DAF, it will land you in much difficulty. So in a sense your first step for Personality Test begins with careful filling of your DAF. Second, be thorough with DAF especially hobbies. This time I faced the Board of Vice Admiral (Retd.) D.K. Dewan. The Personality Test lasted for 25 minutes approx. The questions were largely a mix of recent developments and current affairs, few questions on geography, organizations and some questions pertaining to issues facing India esp. education. The interview was cordial and I scored decently. Personal Qualities Favourite Person—Raghuram Rajan. Strong Point—Sharp Memory. Weak Point—Procrastination. Hobbies—Reading, Watching Movies and Cooking. PD—Were you preparing for other career opportunities as well while preparing for your ultimate goal i.e., Career in Civil Services ? Ms. Misha—Not actively, as I always had an option of returning back to the field of legal practice. PD—While the changing economic environment offers immense lucrative career opportunities in various sectors, still what kept you motivated towards Civil Services ? Ms. Misha—The kind of opportunity and exposure one gets in Civil Services is unmatched. You become part of the solution and development right till the grassroots level. This level of job satisfaction kept me motivated. PD—In your opinion at which Educational Level should one start preparing for Civil Services and what should be the minimum period of time required to prepare for Civil Services Examinations ? Ms. Misha—It depends on what stage one realizes to appear in this exam. Though, I personally believe, that preparing from beginning of first year of college or so makes one miss out on other equally important aspects of college life, yet again it’s my belief. Again there is no minimum or maximum time limit for preparation, but a minimum of 1 year is a safe option. PD—What is your opinion regarding the general view that Science subjects have better chance to score than Humanities ? Ms. Misha—Performance in subject depends largely on level of preparation. PD—What is the importance of medium of examination for exams like CSE ? Ms. Misha—A candidate should try to choose a medium in which he can express and write well. This is going to be a more decisive factor than the medium itself. PD—Does the educational, financial and demographic status of the family of an aspirant have any impact on the preparation ? Ms. Misha—It can to a limited extent, given the availability of resources, but it is never going to be a substitute for hard work that needs to be dedicated. The success stories of many who have cleared the exam fighting all odds is clearly an example of it. PD—In your opinion what role do the Competition Magazines play when you are preparing for an examination like Civil Services ? Ms. Misha—Competitive Magazines save a lot of time and effort that goes into researching about a topic. They provide concise information and keep you updated even in case you miss out on news or other developments. PD—How do you find Pratiyogita Darpan ? Do you find it close to your expectations ? Ms. Misha—Pratiyogita Darpan does a good job in terms of coverage and information content. One can surely add it to their preparation repertoire. PD—What is the secret of your success ? Ms. Misha—Patience. PD—To whom would you like to give the credit for your success ? Ms. Misha—My mentor K. S. Gill, my parents and sister for keeping their faith that I can clear the exam and my close friends who cheered me up in time of self-doubts. PD—Any suggestion/advice you would like to give to the future aspirants. Ms. Misha—Believe in yourself and have patience. PD—Thank you very much and wishing you all the best for your future endeavours.   Read the full article

[makeste]

BnHA 323: “I Don’t Know How to Explain to You That You Should Care About Other People”

Previously on BnHA: Kacchan was all, “Izuku, I’m sorry.” Bakugou Stans were all, “[sobs for a week straight and tearfully awards him the Nobel Prize for character development].” Deku was all, “[faints in Kacchan’s arms].” Iida was all, “[trying to decide if Ochako genuinely tried to kill him a few minutes ago].” Horikoshi was all, “NO TIME FOR HUGS WE MUST GET BACK TO UA.” The civilians holed up at U.A. were all, “WE TOOK A VOTE AND DECIDED THAT WE’RE ALL GOING TO BE JERKS ABOUT THIS AND MAKE A BIG FUSS ABOUT YOU LETTING DEKU BACK INTO THE SCHOOL.” Deku was all “[stands there looking like he expected nothing less and breaking my heart more and more with each passing moment].” Ochako was all, “that does it, looks like I’m gonna have to do something about this... next chapter, that is.”

Today on BnHA: Flashback!Rat Principal is all “I just want you all to know that I spent nine million dollars turning U.A. into a giant Battleship-style grid that can burrow underground and zoom around in a giant subway maze because Horikoshi lacks a grounded understanding of both civil engineering and economics.” Back in the present day, Jeanist is all, “EVERYONE TAKE HEED, MY COMRADES AND I HAVE DEEMED IT EXPEDIENT TO CONVEY THIS AUSPICIOUS YOUTH BACK TO THIS STRONGHOLD. WE ANTICIPATE THAT WE MAY DEPEND UPON YOUR GOODWILL AND ACQUIESCENCE TO THESE TERMS.” The civilians were all, “NO.” Ochako was all, “EMPATHY, MOTHERFUCKERS, DO YOU SPEAK IT?!” The civilians were all, “oh shit.” Anyway so Ochako is a giant badass, but I’m a little worried that she’s going to get struck by lightning. Please come down from there.

so before we start this chapter, I would just like to apologize for having not posted the ch 321 recap yet, and would like to reassure everyone, and especially Iida who is staring at me with Sad Wobbly Guilt Trip Eyes, that I will get to that as soon as I can

OMG FLASHBACK??

yes please Horikoshi please show us more of class 1-A and their Deku intervention strategy jam sessions

oh dear

Iida you are too pure and good for this cruel world. [sprays the U.A. civilians with a water bottle] NO. BAD CIVILIANS! NO OSTRACIZING SCARED AND EXHAUSTED CHILDREN IN THE HOUSE

EXCUSE ME RAT PRINCIPAL WHAT’S WITH THESE MIXED MESSAGES

???

RAT PRINCIPAL: he’s free to return to us at any time!!

ALSO RAT PRINCIPAL: but it’s too risky for him to return to us

?? ??????? ?????????????????????

so now he’s going on about how strong the U.A. Barrier is, and how it’s comparable to the defensive capabilities of Tartarus. this would have sounded a lot more impressive before chapter 297 lol

OH!!!! HELLO, WHAT’S THIS!!!

A TIMELY CALLBACK TO A CERTAIN MYSTERIOUS EVENT WHICH HASN’T BEEN REFERENCED SINCE USJ? [U.A. TRAITOR MUSIC INTENSIFIES]

so now Rat Principal says he upgraded U.A.’s security systems with his own “modifications”, whatever the fuck that means. I mean look, I’ve been saying for a long time now that U.A. is the best place for everyone to hole up, don’t get me wrong. but that was mostly on account of there not being any other practical alternatives. but you’re making it sound like you figured out a way to actually make it Decay-proof or some wild shit like that

-- hold up, DID YOU ADD A FORCE FIELD. DID YOU TRICK THIS SCHOOL OUT WAKANDA-STYLE YOU CRAZY MARSUPIAL. HOLY SHIT. because that would actually be perfect

LMAO

WHAT KIND OF GALAXY BRAIN BULLSHIT. “NAH THERE’S NO NEED FOR A FORCE FIELD, LET’S JUST PUT WHEELS ON IT”

oh okay so the whole campus is basically capable of burrowing itself underground. that’s insane lol I wonder how they pulled that off. probably got poor Cementoss working overtime

blah blah blah so basically the entire campus is split into a grid and each section of the grid is capable of its own independent movement. lol this is just the Merone Base from KHR. you thought no one would notice this casual plagiarism ten years after the fact, but YOU UNDERESTIMATED YOUR AUDIENCE, HORIKOSHI

“joke’s on you imma just lampshade it” WELL ALL RIGHT THEN

“look at me I’m so fucking self-aware” fucking swear to god. I can’t believe this man is my favorite mangaka of all time smdh

“excuse me, I wasn’t finished describing all the rest of this bullshit yet,” Rat Principal breaks in impatiently. “we also added a steel wall all around the underground of the campus that’s 3000 steel plates thick. that’s fifteen fucking meters of solid fucking steel just fyi. and if anyone fucks around with any part of it the defense system will activate immediately! and also all of the plates are independently motorized, whatever the fuck that means!! in conclusion you’re gonna need a fucking tower crane to suspend all of your disbelief by the time I’m through with this paragraph”

“also Shiketsu is almost as reinforced as U.A. but not quite because we still had to make sure we were better.” but of course. and apparently the two schools are connected via a secret tunnel as Hagakure mentioned earlier

LSDKFJLSDKJFLK

“WAIT WHAT” LMAO YOU HEARD HIM, NOW INASA CAN VISIT YOU BOTH IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND TELL YOU ALL ABOUT THE WEIRD DREAM HE HAD. GOD BLESS YOU HORIKOSHI

(ETA: moment of appreciation for Shouto and Katsuki having the same thought at the same time and making Knowing Eye Contact and saying the exact same thing out loud in perfect unison like the best friends they are. what a blessed day.)

so Tokoyami is all “but wait if you engineered all this shit all the way back during the Band arc how did you even know that Tomura’s quirk awakening would become a thing, Horikoshi -- uh, I mean, Principal Nezu”

and Rat Principal is all “lol idk”

“basically I just woke up one morning and was all ‘say, you know what this school really needs? a fifteen-meter-thick underground steel wall, and the ability to break up into little pieces that individually zoom around wherever the fuck they want.’ jesus christ. lol if money and common sense were apparently no obstacle why didn’t you just teleport U.A. to the fucking moon or something. maybe I should shut up before I given him any ideas

dsfaelkjldkjgl

you heard it here first, folks, all of this cost a grand total of nine million U.S. dollars. well technically it cost “more than” nine million dollars. never has that distinction been more important lmao. are we sure this barrier was really made of steel and not cardboard? who the hell sold it to them, Ea-Nasir??

this is my favorite manga series of all time. yes I am ashamed

“in conclusion please do your best to reach Deku-kun” SO WHAT WAS ALL THAT NONSENSE ABOUT IT BEING TOO RISKY THEN. anyway thank you for this super informative and edifying flashback, Horikoshi. I will cherish it always. I don’t even want to read another translation of this absurdity lmao, there’s something special about it just the way it is. pretty sure Horikoshi just had a cracked out fever dream one night and transferred it to the pages of the manga verbatim

anyway so back to the unruly mob

not their finest moment. please excuse me while I cover poor Deku’s ears and give him a good shoosh pap

oh wow the parents are out here too

is Mitsuki trying to hold Inko back?? that’s the last thing this fandom needs right now is more Mitsuki discourse fffwlkjs. and even Jiroudad, scientifically proven to be the best dad in all of BnHA, is just standing there silently looking vaguely unhappy. way to rise to the moment you guys

MONOMA

so this settles it for me that Aizawa is not at UA. I know a lot of people have been wondering about his whereabouts, and if I had to wager a guess it would be that something happened with Shirakumo/Kurogiri. I can’t think of anything else -- even the loss of an eye and a limb -- that would keep him from his kids at a time like this

anyway but this is excellent Monoma content right here though. I love that he apparently adopted Eri after a single interaction with her. also WHERE IS SHINSOU DAMMIT. THE PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW

and Kouta’s there too looking like he wants to run over to Deku but Ragdoll won’t let him :/

it’s gotta be pretty upsetting for him to see his hero like this and not having anyone stand up for him. [taps megaphone] IS THIS THING ON. OKAY YEAH IT SEEMS TO BE WORKING. AHEM. PAGING URARAKA OCHAKO. GONNA NEED YOU TO GET OVER HERE ALREADY AND MAKE THAT BIG DRAMATIC SPEECH WHICH YOU ARE CLEARLY DYING TO MAKE. IF YOU DON’T DO IT SOON I’M GONNA HAVE TO STEP IN, AND YOU REALLY DON’T WANT ME TO DO THAT SINCE MY SPEECH WILL NOT BE VERY GOOD OR INSPIRING, AND WILL PROBABLY JUST CONSIST OF “HELLO, YOU ARE ALL STUPID, PLEASE SHUT UP AND GO AWAY”

so now Mic is telling them to calm down. at least someone’s speaking up here, geez

OH MY GOD

MY MAN JEANIST OUT HERE DOING WHAT HE DOES BEST: MAKING EVERYONE FEEL GUILTY AND JUDGED

OH MY GOD HE IS GIVING SUCH A LONG AND BORING SPEECH LMAO IS YOUR STRATEGY TO PUT THEM ALL TO SLEEP OR WHAT

truly in awe of this man’s ability to take messages which could easily be conveyed in ELI5-speak, and stubbornly convert them into incomprehensible language the likes of which you need a graduate degree in order to understand

“hey guys, so originally our plan was to use Deku as bait for the villains, but that didn’t really work and also we realized it was kinda dumb and was probably gonna get him killed, so we brought him back here instead.” was that really so hard, Jeanist. also are we all really just gonna sit back here and watch Jeanist take full credit for Bakugou’s plan just like that lmao

(ETA:

WHERE DID ENDEAVOR GO AND WHO IS THIS DIABOLICAL MASTER OF DISGUISE. lol I genuinely didn’t notice this because I was too busy digging through thesauruses trying to rewrite Jeanist’s speech; many thanks to @class1akids​ for pointing it out and making my day immeasurably better. take it easy there Dick Tracy.)

“anyway so please stop being dicks and let him fucking rest so he can save all your ungrateful asses” what an impassioned and inspiring plea. time to see if the masses will listen to reason

narrator: they did not listen to reason

oh my god finally Ochako is doing something. YEAH OCHAKO WOOOO SHOW THEM HOW IT’S DONE

hmm

this entire chapter is truly and utterly nonsensical to me lol

(ETA: on my second readthrough I’m fucking dying at how she stole the megaphone right out of Mic’s hand lmao. and how Kacchan is all “fuck yeah nothing I appreciate more than some quality fucking larceny.”)

oh I see she was jumping on top of the main building so as to scream down at them all more impressively

“ANYWAY DEKU IS PRETTY COOL ACTUALLY, YOU GUYS ARE JUST MEAN” couldn’t have said it better myself Ochako

lol uh

gotta say I did not have “Ochako reveals the secret of OFA to the entire U.A. Citizen Clown Parade” on my bingo card for this week. it’s a bold strategy cotton let’s see if it pays off

SDLFKJSL

“NO, SERIOUSLY, HAVE YOU LOOKED AT HIM YOU GUYS. YOU THINK HE LIKES RUNNING AROUND DRESSED LIKE A RUSTED OIL DRUM?? HE DID THAT FOR YOU YOU UNGRATEFUL SLOBS”

so she is basically explaining the entire Deku Angst arc to them and explaining what a good and selfless protagonist Deku is, YES, PREACH

OMG IT’S THE GIGANTIC FOX LADY

not to insinuate anything, but what exactly were you doing standing out here with the hysterical mob, Gigantic Fox Lady? you’re better than that

-- KACCHAN SIGHTING!!

sdlkfjl. thanks for weighing in with that helpful and important observation. where have you been for the last five minutes. were you asleep. was it Jeanist’s speech

never mind, now he’s yelling at the civilians so I instantly forgive him

THE FUTURE NUMBER ONE HERO, EVERYONE. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. HE’LL BE HERE ALL WEEK

“anyway so I’m just going to end the chapter here” lmao seventeen pages truly do go by so fast. at least he didn’t try to force in a cliffhanger at the end this time. dare I say, growth

so I guess the civilians are either gonna have a Kamino and/or Fukuoka-esque moment where they remember how to be decent people and apologize to this poor young man, or else they’ll remain unpersuaded, and so Kacchan will have to knock a few of their heads around until they become more inclined to be reasonable. either option is fine by me lol

[jerzwriter]

30-Day Writing Challenge: Day 4

Today’s challenge made me panic. lol Neither style nor this type of writing is my forte. But I said I'd do it every day, so I'm going to pretend it’s an ask, and I'm not going to tag. lol

I’m doing this for all three of my current MCs: Kaycee, Casey, and Zoe. Since Kaycee and Casey are (essentially) the same characters until they take different paths at the end of OH Book 1, I’ll explain their style sense combined until that point. LIST 30-Day Challenge Masterlist

Casey/Kaycee:

As a young child, Casey/Kaycee’s mother’s illness left their family with little expendable income. As a result, shopping trips were uncommon. But, she often received big bags of hand-me-downs from older cousins and family friends. She was so excited when they arrived that she’d dump them on the living room floor and try everything on. Sometimes even putting on a “fashion show” for her parents. Growing up in Philly, she never realized that this wasn’t the norm for everyone. That only occurred when her family moved to a more affluent suburb for her to attend high school.

As a child and teen, her parents gave her a lot of leeway in selecting her clothing, and her style would best be described as comfortable and eclectic. For example, she loved jeans, but they were often covered with patches she made from clothing she couldn’t use.

The style was appreciated when she was in Philadelphia, but when she moved, people often looked down on it. By that time, her parents were in a better economic situation, so her Mom took her to King of Prussia Mall to get a new wardrobe. She shopped at the usual stores and bought the usual clothes… leaving her looking like everyone else in a high school she didn’t care for. So, by Junior year, she returned to her previous style. Since she didn’t get bags of hand-me-downs anymore, she’d head into Philly and go thrifting with her friends before thrifting was cool.

That style suited her well when she began her studies at New York University; she fit in with the more laid-back Greenwich Village scene. As a volunteer and activist, she sometimes needed to dress up a bit more. Even at this age, she felt buying quality, timeless classics that could be easily mixed and matched, and would last a long time, was the way to go.

Her med school style could be described as… whatever is clean, and sometimes, it wasn’t even that. It was a grueling four years, and fashion was the last thing on her mind. However, she began to buy clothing that was a little more risqué, especially when school was not in session.

By the time she arrived at Edenbrook, she had a classic American style with a bit of an urban edge. More confident in herself, she began wearing more body-conscious clothing and enjoyed getting dressed up when she was out. But, on a day-to-day basis, jeans and sweaters or sweatshirts were her go-to.

Here’s where they diverge. Both Kaycee and Casey kept things professional at work. When they weren’t in scrubs, they tended to wear tailored, business casual pieces that were professional but practical for their field. Fashion was the last of their concerns when they were caring for patients.

Kaycee’s style was a bit more classic, and while not conservative by any means, it was more reserved than Casey’s. Casey’s wardrobe was more flirtatious and sexy, especially for non-work events. She also began paying more attention to trends when she was with Tobias, as he was a bit of a fashionista himself. But, she never became someone who let trends dictate what she wished to wear.

Zoe:

Poor Zoe lived in a post-apocalyptic world where fashion wasn’t a thing, and clothing was what you were lucky enough to get. Still, I think people tended to have a bit of a style that was their own (for example, they refer to Eli as Mr. Army/Navy at some point.)

She was about practicality and comfort because our girl was a fighter and leader, and she always had to be ready. But, she likes a sexy edge, both in The Tower and in the outside world after. For example, she wants her jeans a little more snug. If she wore a Henley, she’d have most buttons undone.   It fit her personality, flirtatious but fierce and ready for anything.

I do imagine that they will have people who are seamstresses at Olympus. If Zoe isn’t getting basic clothes, I see her as having a Bohemian flair.

[deardragonbook]

Writing Reference - Let’s talk about taxes!

It’s come to my attention not everybody had the eight years of financial studies I have. 

So here’s some basic information about taxes to help in your fantasy world building! 

Tax is the money citizens pay their government (which can be any kind: monarchy, democracy, military...), it goes into a large imaginary jar alongside money the government has perhaps earned by its own means, and that money is used to pay government employees, infrastructure, the monarch’s lifestyle, so on... 

There are two main types of taxes: 

Direct Tax: This is the tax that varies for each person depending on their earning. So, for example, income tax, inheritance tax...

Indirect Tax: taxes that are the same for everybody indiscriminately. So for example tax on products we buy (the amount of tax I pay on petrol is the same as a millionaire) or say rubbish tax (some cities charge every house twenty euros a year for rubbish, same for the richest and poorest). 

Some taxes are a mix of both where there’s a fixed amount and a variable.

So, which is better? Obviously, neither. Though direct tax is usually considered more fair. 

A funny thing about taxes people don’t realize, is it’s about way more than money! Taxes can actually be used to encourage of discourage behaviours in citizens.  

Don’t want people smoking? High tax on cigarettes. Want people to go swimming more? Low or no tax on swimming pool entries. 

You can tax large cities higher and small towns lower to encourage people to live in certain areas. You can make tax exceptions if people join the army, have children or so on...

Taxes are also used to encourage exportation (many countries do not tax products sold abroad because they bring money into the country) or discourage importation (higher or double taxing products being imported). 

Using different taxing systems for different jobs to encourage work in certain sectors! 

There are so many ways to use taxes to affect the behavior of citizens and I think it’s a shame we don’t see more in fantasy worlds, be it for good or evil. 

There’s also an argument over the morality of certain taxes. For example, medication we need to live? Should that cost more because of taxes? Probably not. The argument is the government needs to collect money but given the many ways a goverment can collect taxes perhaps they should consider raising taxes in none-essentials while avoiding taxes in the essential. (Yes, I know we’re going into politics here, but it’s hard to talk about taxes without it). 

Froma world building perspective though, when deciding what gets taxed and what doesn’t, you need to think about who your goverment cares about? Who are they working for? What are their objectives? 

Another important function of taxes in society is the redistribution of wealth. This is why the rich in theory pay more taxes (I’m going to come back here in a moment, don’t worry). And this is why the poor or in need receive wellfair (which is paid for with taxes). It’s the redistribution of wealth. Without taxes, a rich person could technically never spend their money and it would never go back into the economic cycle, meaning there literally is not money for the poor to access, never allowing them to advance financially. 

Is taxing the rich more ethical? In my opinion, yes, but I’m not going to go into that amount of politics. Instead, with this question I want to talk about a statement I hear a lot by people who haven’t had taxes properly explained to them (and I mean anybody, I know very smart people who didn’t understand because taxes are explained terribly, it’s not your fault if you did not understand this!) 

The statement I hear over and over again is: 

Rich people have to pay like 40% of their income to taxes! 

No, they don’t. The percentage varies. Some people think it’s 40%, 50%.. it doesn’t matter. 

Income tax works on a stair system, I’m going to make up numbers here: 

If you make up to 1000 you pay 5% 

If you make up to 2000 you pay 10%

If you make up to 3000 you pay 30% 

Wow, that’s unfair! The goverment takes 30% of somebody’s income just for making 3000! Actually, no. People say up to but the truth is, if you earn 3000 what you pay is: 

5% on the first 1000

10% on that second 1000

30% on that last 1000

So you’re not paying 30% on your total income. This is done because each bit of money you get more is less necessity and a more a luxury.  

Some countries are even considering a 100% tax after a certain point because honestly no one person needs that amount money coming in every year! 

So yeah. I realise as I ramble on, that perhaps this last part isn’t useful for writing fantasy worlds and is just informative... but I hope you learned something and I’m sorry for educating. 

Back to fantasy... want to motivate a rebellion? Tax something everybody loves so much that the increase in price and lack of accessibility will cause one. 

Want to earn the love of your citizens after replacing a new goverment? Remove taxes on something everybody loves making it cheaper. 

Want to show a benevolent goverment? Use taxes to pay for quality free healthcare, security or education. This is something that exists all throughout Europe and has existed in many cultures historically. 

Want to do an evil goverment? Do an indirect tax that unfairly affects the poorest classes and makes it near impossible to climb the financial ladder. 

There’s a lot you can do with taxes if you want to be creative. You can start wars with taxes, start civil wars, enable behaviours, take down industries or create new ones... 

If you found this interesting and want to work on your financial system inside your fantasy world, I’d recommend maybe watching a couple of videos on YouTube regarding microeconomics as it’s a great way to widen your vision on how economics works. 

Also, feel free to send me any questions, it’s always cool to use my soon to have degree for something. 

As usual, check out my book, stories I’ve written plus other social medias: here.