#education wp

[preeeow]

sometimes the world is too much

just found out my friend, in trying to seek help with a second carbon monoxide leak in her apartment, was told to contact her landlord "until she smells the co2 again"

Imagine

[cyarsk52-20]

No! #they showed the natural azz twice, once in 2016 and again in 2024!!! Y’all hews have fun though.

Black ppl do not support these marches . Don’t support any marches especially if they are ran by these hews who think a march and these pink pussy hats and blue bracelets are doing anything when all they need to do is call their families and tell them why they are upset and scared. But hews ain’t a bucket of crap . Real white women know better than this.

black ppl you done your part, you should enjoy life and live it even if it means you watch the world burn

I’m in my watch it burn down while having no sympathy and remorse for those who got the madness they voted for era for the next four years. In other words, I’m in a villain era not by choice but by chance and circumstance.

[certifywp]

We are still in need of endorsement letters!

It would be beyond helpful to the community to have a credential in the #WordPress space, and we're so close to making it a reality.

If you have time to support us, we'd really appreciate it!

[virtualskills]

Get Free Microsoft Office Alternatives 2023!

Are you are looking for free alternatives to Microsoft Office? Then you must choose between libreoffice and wps office programs.

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LibreOffice is a completely open source and free office program that means libre office has no paid version and will be always free for its users. #libreoffice

On the other than hand, WPS office is not an open source office suit but it has also a free version along with a paid version and a 7 days trial section. But the free version is more than enough for your personal use than other office programs. #wpsoffice

Guys, if you want to know which one is better? Watch the video, you will have you answer.

👋 Additional resources

- WPS Office: [OFFICIAL] WPS Office-Free Office Download for PC & Mobile, Alternative to MS Office

- LibreOffice: LibreOffice - Free Office Suite - Based on OpenOffice - Compatible with Microsoft

🎬 Related Videos to watch

Get Microsoft Office 365 Free - https://youtu.be/qLDvzje-DHE

🚩 Connect with me on social

FB - VirtualSkills

🔔 For Collaboration, Promotion or Any Business Inquiry, Contact - virtualtechskills@gmail.com

Thank you!

[cherryswisherz]

KARMIC BALANCE ✷ PROLOGUE

✷WARNINGS cursing, smoking, throwing up

✷NIYAHSPEAKS you can for sure read this on wattpad if you hate the layout lol. my wp is @ g4peswishers

✦✦✦✦

FRESHMAN YEAR

As a 19 year old black woman going to a PWI, I can tell you two things.

1: These white boys are fucking crazy. They don't know how to take no for an answer. They don't even know how to take "I'm gay." for an answer. And then they act all butthurt when you slap the spit out their mouth for testing your gangsta.

2. The education is the same as an HBCU, but the culture, obviously is not. I'm bored of my mind. This is like highschool on downers, instead of steroids. These motherfuckers don't even have the Divine Nine, which is complete and utter insanity to me.

But here I am, black as hell, listening to Professor Micheals drone on about how trchnology is ruining the world as we know it.

What the fuck ever.

But still, regardless of whether I believe this bullshit, I need to know it to pass this class. So like a good little student, I'm taking notes, highlighting and annotating like my life depends on it.

Now you may be asking, "Xavia, if you hate this shit so much, why the fuck would you apply to a PWI?" and that's a great question. I'll answer it like this. When you grow up black at a predominantly white highschool, you don't really get the option of being anything other than the token black gay girl. Which means that you spend your years perfecting your customer service voice. You spend hours researching the perfect contour routine to conceal the width of your nose. You waste so many tears, wondering why the girls at your middle school never look at you how you look at them, or why the boys you talk to always ask dumb shit, like "Do you say the N-word?"

The short answer to your question is, I had no choice. As much as I wish I had the balls to tell my parents that I got into Howard, I didn't. So the whitewashed version will have to do it. But I'm not that insecure idiot anymore. I've learned to love my blackness. Now, I rock the bare-face look. And I would rather shit in my hands and clap, than beg someone to notice me.

I didn't even realize that I'd zoned out until I saw people getting up, bags packed, shuffling to get out of the lecture hall as quickly as possible.

 It's Friday. There's gotta be a party or something tonight, so everyone's itching to get home and throw on a crop top and shorts and get #whitegirlwasted.

 Not me, y'all stay safe though. I will be sitting pretty, in my dorm room, enjoying my loneliness while I can, knowing that Jane, my roommate, will soon return shitfaced and obnoxiously loud. Jane is one of the only other black girls here, and of course, they made her my roommate. I'm not complaining though. Since the beginning of the semester, she's become my best friend. She's the opposite of me. Loves partying and social situations.

 "Come on, Xavi! It'll be fun." Jane's currently begging me to go to this party with her, but she already knows I won't give in.

 "Jane, I couldn't think of anything I'd rather do less, than go to a frat party."

  And that was that. She was gone and I was free to do what I do best. Rot in my loneliness.

  Now in my sweats and wife beater, I grab my "make-up" bag and step out into the warm air, preparing myself for the 15 minute walk ahead by putting my airpods on max volume, and allowing Jhene Aiko to take me somewhere otherworldly.

The walk is fast, because I've done it so many times. When I reach the park, I take my usual seat on the swings and light the joint I'd rolled two days ago. As I smoke I allow my mind to wander.

     What would I be doing right now if I'd gone to Howard?

     Who would I be if my parents never went to medical school?

 These are things that flood my mind daily. And when they do, I don't get sad. I just smile at the alternate realities I've created for myself.

 I spent the rest of my session thinking about Xavi Johnson, Howard student. I spent the walk back thinking about how far I've come from who I used to be. I can't get rid of the smile that's stuck on my face.

 I hear the awful sound of gagging as soon as I step to my dorm room door. When I open the door I'm not surprised to see Jane hunched over our trash bin, gasping for breath. What I am surprised at is the tall blonde girl that's squatting down next to her, holding her hair back.

"Jane, what the fuck?" I ask.

The blonde rises and turns around at the sound of my voice and looks at me with the bluest eyes I've ever seen. "Oh shit. Uh, I'm Paige." Paige nods down towards Jane, who's position hasn't changed whatsoever. "She had too much to drink."

I laughed at this as I tossed my bag on my bed. "Yeah, no shit."

The girl in front of me has to be the most effortlessly gorgeous girl I've ever met. Her face is bare, but everything about her screams 'natural beauty.' From the perfect arch of her nose to the way her cheekbones from her heart shaped face to the tip of her cupids-bow. Her hair looks soft but I know better than to touch it. She's just fucking beautiful. And yes, it has occurred to me that I am in a relationship, and my girlfriend loves me very much so I should probably stop staring at the literal goddess in front of me and speak.

"Oh shit. Uh, I'm Paige." Then I realize she doesn't only want to know who I am, but why I'm in her dorm. "She had too much to drink." No shit sherlock.

And this girl, whoever she is, didn't ask any further questions. She just set her bag down and walked over to Jane, whose face was first in her trash can. "Yeah, no shit." She smiles lazily and the sway in her hips is addictive. "I'm Xavia. Jane's my roommate."

Xavia?! Even her fucking name is pretty.

"Xavi, I was this close to getting us league babies." Jane groans, keeping her head in the trash bin, but raising her hand to put her fingers in a pinch position. "I almost bagged her, but I-" and then she was cut off by her own vomit.

"Um, yeah. She knows my teammate... who is also shitfaced." I shook my head at the reminder that Nika threw up in our kitchen sink.

"Oh right... you're the basketball player that all straight girls love." Xavia said, helping Jane to her feet, allowing her to put her weight on her side. "Sorry it took me a minute to recognize you. You're blonder in person." She dropped her roommate onto the twin bed and rolled her to her side. "How does it feel to be the person women will tell their kids about when they talk about their college adventures as a temporary lesbian?" Now she's grabbed the trash bin and placed it by Jane's bed.

As she spoke I felt myself get severely irritated with her.

Who the fuck does this girl think she is?

"I wouldn't know. I don't fuck anyone who's not my girlfriend, and I for sure don't fuck straight girls."

The small snicker she lets out should piss me off, and it does. But it also makes me wish she never spoke again. Only laughed.

"Something funny?" I ask.

"No. I just didn't know you had a girlfriend." Now she's moving her make-up bag from her bed and walking towards the tiny cabinet that comes in all of these dorms. I silently thank God that I never had to stay in these. "I apologize for the assumption."

Apologize?

"You apologize for the assumption?" Xavia was confusing the fuck out of me. She seems like she had far too much pride to apologize to anyone, let alone a random stranger.

The look she gives me tells me she thinks I'm a moron. "Has your head hit the court a little too many times? I'm apologizing to you and you're acting like I cursed your first born."

"Nah, I know what you said, but you don't seem like the type to apologize." I raise an arm and dramatically point it at her. "You've got this whole 'don't let the evil eye fool you' look going on."

"And you got that from 5 minutes in a room with me?" She fully laughs this time. "You shouldn't let the evil eye fool you, but I'm not so full of myself that I can't apologize when I make an ass of myself."

Before I have the chance to respond and accept her apology, my phone rings.

It's Farrah.

For a second, I debate the outcome of not answering, but I don't feel like arguing when I get back to the house so I slide to answer the call.

"Hey Faye."

"Paige, where the hell are you?" Her voice is like venom to me.

"Uh, I was just dropping off Nika's friend at her dorm room. I'm on my way back."

"We need to talk when you get home, call me when you get there."

I don't want to call her when I get home. I want to sleep when I get home. But, Farrah has my location and Life360 so I can't tell her I fell asleep while waiting for my phone to charge.

"Okay Faye. I love you, bye." I don't wait for her to say it back before I hang up.

Looking over to Xavia who is now on her laptop typing furiously, I think of something to say before I leave. "Sorry about that. Girlfriend duties." Nodding to Jane who is snoring softly in the bed I tell her to keep an eye on her and I head out.

But I can't leave without talking to her again. "You should go out with her next time. You seem cool."

Her eyes leave the laptop but she doesn't turn around fully. "I hate partying and I'm not willing to throw my karmic balance off by lying to you and saying I'll think about it. I won't."

"Karmic balance?"

"Google it." Is all I get before she returns her focus to her computer. "Goodbye, Paige."

Walking out of her dorm puts a weird pit in my stomach and I silently pray that this won't be the last time we see each other.

✷TAGLIST @patscorner @riyahtheballer @mattslolita @thaatdigitaldiary @janaelalfysblunt @mrsengstler @kmoneymartini @sageworld

@darkskinchristiandiorpostergirl @justliketoreadsowhat @pb524830 @pb524830 @dnftpn @sierrale8ne @numberonepartyanth3m

@pppaaiiiggggeeeeee @uwupaige @paigeluvvr @colorthecosmos444 @authentic-girl03 @makethemhoesmad @lovegalor333

@sellasstories @heart4caitlin @avvwritesstufff @st4rrzynight @bueckersp @paxaz535

@mrsarnold

[femdomlieeh]

Wearing a skirt for you pt. 1 (m)

Sub!Seventeen (hyung line) x Dom!GF!Reader

WARNINGS—boys wearing skirts/dresses ✧ dom/sub dynamics ✧ praise ✧ degradation ✧ name-calling ✧ pet names (master, mistress, mommy, baby boy, kitten/kitty, prince/princess)

NOW PLAYING—Bounce Back ✧ Little Mix

SCENARIO—GF asks them if they can wear/try on a skirt

A/N. Thank you for 1500 followers<333333

Maknae line ver.

M.LISTS—random idols ✧ latest updates ✧ read on wp

All rights reserved © femdomlieeh

✧ ੈ ✧ ‧₊˚ * ੈ ✧‧₊˚＊* ੈ ✧ ‧₊˚ * ੈ ✧‧₊˚＊* ✧ ੈ ✧

최승철 / S.Coups / seungcheol

The thing is he is open to trying any fantasy his partner might have so even if this isn't something he would bring up to you, he would totally try on a skirt or dress for you if you asked him to. That being said, he will still be a bit shy and insecure at this first experience so he would need lots of praise and reassurance to feel comfortable and have the confidence to put on a skirt/dress in the future.

"Uhm, are you sure?" he stuttered after you showed him a skirt you'd bought for him.

You answered yes.

"O-Okay," he flushed and took the garment in his hand.

He'll wear it occasionally if you ask him to do it (only if the first time went well) but he'll never initiate it. It just isn't his thing. But if he were desperate for your attention anything is possible.

...✧...✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧

윤정한 / jeonghan

Jeonghan wouldn't question it at all when you brought up how you wanted to see him in a skirt/dress. Honestly he lives to please you. When you're pleased he's pleased. He'd not care that it isn't socially acceptable because he never really cared for norms or gender stereotypes anyway. Please call him your cute Prince or else he'll feel self-counscious every time he wears a skirt/dress.

"Of course, Mommy," he answered your question and let you put it on him — he liked the attention, the touching and letting you take off and put on his clothes like he was your doll.

He did a little twirl and asked with his sweet voice "Do I look cute, Mommy?"

In the future, he'll have a big collection of different styles of skirts — and he loves matching them with thigh highs. He loves feeling pretty and he loves being called pretty.

✧...✧...✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧

홍지수 / joshua / josh

Joshua wouldn't believe his ears when he heard your request... He'd love it and immediately put on the skirt/dress with no problem whatsoever — he'd be pretty educated on anything about boys in skirts but don't ask him about it. Prepare your camera, he'd love to have his photo taken. Especially on a polaroid camera, so you can save the pictures in a filthy photo album.

"I look pretty, right?" he spread his legs a little, leaning forward with his arms in the middle as a pose for the picture.

"So pretty, Princess," you said as you photographed him.

He smiled and posed some more.

In the future he'll go further with it, surprising you every now and then with thigh-high socks or stockings and who knows what more. If you don't know what to buy for him as a gift, go for a blush colored little skirt.

✧✧...✧...✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧

文俊辉 / jun

Total brat. Jun would make a big deal out of it just to get on your nerves. This was a fun game to him. He'd say something just to piss you off so you could punish him.

"Hmm no, Mistress. That's just stupid."

You slapped his thigh.

Suddenly he listened to you and did what you told him.

"I look better than you in this, Mistress," he smirked.

He'll use it as a way to effectively receive punishments. In fact, he might even send you a pic in a short skirt when you're at work or hanging out with friends, just to tease you so you could give him pain in the night.

✧✧✧...✧...✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧

권순영 / hoshi / soonyoung

He would do anything for his Mommy. He's such a good boy for you! Being an angel for you was always one of his main priorities but he also liked being a demon every now and then. With a blush he would put on the skirt and crop top you'd bought for him in front of you just to tease you. Your eyes on him would turn him on.

"Are you trying to seduce me?" you asked as you looked him up and down.

"Is it working, Mommy?" he straddled you to make the skirt/dress rise up his naked legs.

This will be something he'll use as a tool to make you drool, surprising you in a skirt and crop top on special occasions.

✧✧✧✧...✧...✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧

전운우 / wonwoo

He would be a brat about it at first but he'd put on a skirt/dress for you in the end — fuck, he'd even put on a Shrek costume if you asked him. He'd act like he totally didn't like the way the skirt made his legs look and would whimper-complain like a bitch about wearing a skirt/dress, but he also wants to keep the skirt on while you fuck him so.

"Pfft."

You spanked his ass.

Hard.

"Okay," he stripped in a second in front of you shamelessly.

"Can you put it on for me, Master, please?" he asked in a low voice and looked you in the eyes innocently.

He wasn't innocent.

Skirts will be his favorite over dresses because then you could both fuck him and play with his nipples at the same time! But he won't tell you that unless you break him down into tears and whimpers.

✧✧✧✧✧...✧...✧✧✧✧✧✧✧

이지훈 / woozi / jihoon

He would protest at first. No, he was already small and played around with — a lot at that — and that was enough. However, if you were to say he'd get a reward for just putting on a skirt/dress he wouldn't hesitate to do it.

"No, I won't do it!" he pouted.

"Not even for a reward?" you asked, as you knew his weakness.

His ears perked up, "What kind of reward are we talking about?"

"Whatever reward you want, Baby."

He'll do whatever you want if he gets rewarded. So make sure to reward him really well and he will dress up for you more often.

✧✧✧✧✧✧...✧...✧✧✧✧✧✧

❝ Baby, keep me wetter than a bayou (Bayou)

If you don't, I'ma walk right by you ❞

—Leigh-Anne Pinnock; 2019

[mostlysignssomeportents]

The super-rich got that way through monopolies

Catch me in Miami! I'll be at Books and Books in Coral Gables on Jan 22 at 8PM.

Just in time for Davos, here's 'Taken, not earned: How monopolists drive the world’s power and wealth divide," a report from a coalition of international tax justice and anti-corporate activist groups:

https://www.balancedeconomy.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Davos-Taken-not-Earned-full-Report-2024-FINAL.pdf

The rise of monopolies over the past 40 years came about as the result of specific, deliberate policy choices. As the report documents, the wealthiest people in America funneled a fortune into neutering antitrust enforcement, through the "consumer welfare" doctrine.

This is an economic theory that equates monopolies with efficiency: "If everyone is buying the same things from the same store, that tells you the store is doing something right, not something criminal." 40 years ago, and ever since, the wealthy have funded think-tanks, university programs and even "continuing education" programs for federal judges to push this line:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/08/13/post-bork-era/#manne-down

They didn't do this for ideological reasons – they were chasing material goals. Monopolies produce vast profits, and those profits produce vast wealth. The rise and rise of the super rich cannot be decoupled from the rise and rise of monopolies.

If you're new to this, you might think that "monopoly" only refers to a sector in which there is only one seller. But that's not what economists mean when they talk about monopolies and monopolization: for them, a monopoly is a company with power. Economists who talk about monopolies mean companies that "can act independently without needing to consider the responses of competitors, customers, workers, or even governments."

One way to measure that power is through markups ("the difference between the selling price of goods or services and their cost"). Very large companies in concentrated industries have very high markups, and they're getting higher. From 2017-22, the 20 largest companies in the world had average markups of 50%. The 100 largest companies average 43%. The smallest half of companies get average markups of 25%.

Those markups rose steeply during the covid lockdowns – and so did the wealth of the billionaires who own them. Tech billionaires – Bezos, Brin and Page, Gates and Ballmer – all made their fortunes from monopolies. Warren Buffet is a proud monopolist who says "the single most important decision in evaluating a business is pricing power… if you have to have a prayer session before raising the price by 10 percent, then you’ve got a terrible business."

We are living in the age of the monopoly. In the 1930s, the top 0.1% of US companies accounted for less than half of America's GDP. Today, it's 90%. And it's accelerating, with global mergers climbing from 2,676 in 1985 to 62,000 in 2021.

Monopoly's cheerleaders claim that these numbers vindicate them. Monopolies are so efficient that everyone wants to create them. Those efficiencies can be seen in the markups monopolies can charge, and the profits they can make. If a monopoly has a 50% markup, that's just the "efficiency of scale."

But what is the actual shape of this "efficiency?" How is it manifest? The report's authors answer this with one word: power.

Monopolists have the power "to extract wealth from, to restrict the freedoms of, and to manipulate or steer the vastly larger numbers of losers." They establish themselves as gatekeepers and create chokepoints that they can use to raise prices paid by their customers and lower the payout to their suppliers:

https://chokepointcapitalism.com/

These chokepoints let monopolies usurp "one of the ultimate prerogatives of state power: taxation." Amazon sellers pay a 51% tax to sell on the platform. App Store suppliers pay a 30% tax on every dollar they make with their apps. That translates into higher costs. Consider a good that costs $10 to make: the bottom 50% of companies (by size) would charge $12.50 for that product on average. The largest companies would charge $15. Thus monopolies don't just make their owners richer – they make everyone else poorer, too.

This power to set prices is behind the greedflation (or, more politely, "seller's inflation"). The CEOs of the largest companies in the world keep getting on investor calls and bragging about this:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/03/11/price-over-volume/#pepsi-pricing-power

The food system is incredibly monopolistic. The Cargill family own the largest commodity trader in the world, which is how they built up a family fortune worth $43b. Cargill is one of the "ABCD" companies ("Archer Daniels Midland, Bunge, Cargill and Louis Dreyfus") that control the world's food supply, and they tripled their profits during the lockdown.

Monopolies gouge everyone – even governments. Pfizer charged the NHS £18-22/shot for vaccines that cost £5/shot to make. They took the British government for £2bn – that's enough to pay last year's pay hike for NHS nurses, six times over,

But monopolies also abuse their suppliers, especially their employees. All over the world, competition authorities are uncovering "wage fixing" and "no poaching" agreements among large firms, who collude to put a cap on what workers in their sector can earn. Unions report workers having their pay determined by algorithms. Bosses lock employees in with noncompetes and huge repayment bills for "training":

https://pluralistic.net/2022/08/04/its-a-trap/#a-little-on-the-nose

Monopolies corrupt our governments. Companies with huge markups can spend some of that money on lobbying. The 20 largest companies in the world spend more than €155m/year lobbying in the US and alone, not counting the money they spend on industry associations and other cutouts that lobby on their behalf. Big Tech leads the pack on lobbying, accounting for 82% of EU lobbying spending and 58% of US lobbying.

One key monopoly lobbying priority is blocking climate action, from Apple lobbying against right-to-repair, which creates vast mountains of e-waste, to energy monopolist lobbying against renewables. And energy companies are getting more monopolistic, with Exxonmobil spending $65b to buy Pioneer and Chevron spending $60b to buy Hess. Many of the world's richest people are fossil fuel monopolists, like Charles and Julia Koch, the 18th and 19th richest people on the Forbes list. They spend fortunes on climate denial.

When people talk about the climate impact of billionaires, they tend to focus on the carbon footprints of their mansions and private jets, but the true environmental cost of the ultra rich comes from the anti-renewables, pro-emissions lobbying they buy with their monopoly winnings.

The good news is that the tide is turning on monopolies. A coalition of "businesses, workers, farmers, consumers and other civil society groups" have created a "remarkably successful anti-monopoly movement." The past three years saw more regulatory action on corporate mergers, price-gouging, predatory pricing, labor abuses and other evils of monopoly than we got in the past 40 years.

The business press – cheerleaders for monopoly – keep running editorials claiming that enforcers like Lina Khan are getting nothing done. Sure, WSJ, Khan's getting nothing done – that's why you ran 80 editorial about her:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/14/making-good-trouble/#the-peoples-champion

(Khan's winning like crazy. Just last month she killed four megamergers:)

https://www.thesling.org/the-ftc-just-blocked-four-mergers-in-a-month-heres-how-its-latest-win-fits-into-the-broader-campaign-to-revive-antitrust/

The EU and UK are taking actions that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. Canada is finally set to get a real competition law, with the Trudeau government promising to add an "abuse of dominance" rule to Canada's antitrust system.

Even more exciting are the moves in the global south. In South Africa, "competition law contains some of the most progressive ideas of all":

It actively seeks to create greater economic participation, particularly for ‘historically disadvantaged persons’ as part of its public interest considerations in merger decisions.

Balzac wrote, "Behind every great fortune there is a crime." Chances are, the rapsheet includes an antitrust violation. Getting rid of monopolies won't get rid of all the billionaires, but it'll certainly get rid of a hell of a lot of them.

I'm Kickstarting the audiobook for The Bezzle, the sequel to Red Team Blues, narrated by @wilwheaton! You can pre-order the audiobook and ebook, DRM free, as well as the hardcover, signed or unsigned. There's also bundles with Red Team Blues in ebook, audio or paperback.

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

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/17/monopolies-produce-billionaires/#inequality-corruption-climate-poverty-sweatshops

[talonabraxas]

Mushrooms are made of hyphae. What are hyphae? Hyphae are filaments of mycelium. Mushrooms are made of mycelium. Please see this great article to become better educated. https://bioinspired.mech.utah.edu/wp-content/upl

[mariacallous]

Which homes in the U.S. are most vulnerable to storm, flood, wildfire, and hurricane damage? Natee Amornsiripanitch and David Wylie of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia find that average annual property-level loss to single-family residences is highest in Gulf Coast states. Severe convective storms such as hailstorms and tornadoes, which affect nearly all single-family homes, pose the largest aggregate property risk with average annual losses of 0.06% of total insurable value. However, while less geographically widespread, flood and hurricane risks do more damage. For example, average annual losses among at-risk homes are 0.09% for flooding and 0.16% for hurricane storm surge. Peril-prone regions tend to have lower household incomes, lower labor market participation rates and lower educational attainment than regions with less risk. The authors find that the greatest growth in climate-related damage will occur in areas where risk is already most concentrated. Policies aimed at reducing the physical risks of climate change, the authors conclude, will therefore disproportionately benefit low-income populations. 

[sladewatkins]

matt mullenweg & the wordpress "drama"

hey listen,

i don't like wading into heated discussions. i usually try to say something before it blows up, or after. but considering i use wordpress and tumblr, both of which are currently under the control of matt mullenweg, i do feel like speaking on it is a big deal. however, it's also quite literally my job to be impartial. so, you're not going to get many opinions here. i apologize if that's not your thing -- but i have a really big point here that you might not necessarily expect, so please bear with me!

alright. obviously @photomatt has been pissing a lot of people off online. that's a fact. so, i want to focus on a couple key things i've been seeing online and try and bring this down to a simpler level.

yes, the WordPress Foundation granted Automattic a non-revocable license that covers the commercial side of its trademarks. Automattic explained this in a recent blog post. we'll see how folks respond to that, but the basic TLDR is this: Automattic holds commercial rights, Foundation holds the trademarks and non-commercial rights, so there's technically two owners. that might still be confusing--but that's what was said. don't shoot the messenger.

yes, it does appear that matt may have a conflict-of-interest by sitting on the board at the Foundation, being the CEO of Automattic (who was granted non-revocable commercial rights, which we talked about earlier), and fully owning WordPress.org personally. that last one is perhaps particularly egregious to many online, but could also be a legacy thing that just hasn't been dealt with.

what do i think he should do? i don't know. once again, i want to be crystal clear that i'm staying neutral on the issues at hand. we'll stick to facts here on this blog. i don't know anyone at Automattic otherwise i'd sit down with Matt myself and try and clear this up for the rest of the internet. for now, i'll settle for a Tumblr post:

until everything resolves, we frankly do not have all of the information to make an educated determination. thus, we cannot jump to conclusions. to do so is dangerous and leads to misinformation spreading like a wildfire across the internet. let's avoid that, hey?

and finally, to close: i don't want to be that guy but... PLEASE remember when it comes to something you're passionate about, constructive criticism is always the correct path. attack IDEAS, not people. mental health is a very important thing to remember when engaging with social media in general. i'm not asking you to drop your feelings, i'm asking you to consider other people's feelings when you go to write in that text box. let's be more considerate with how we use our words. i know what it's like to be on the receiving end of what seems like endless hate... NOBODY deserves that.

okay. i really need to sleep and then pack a bunch of boxes. (long story, might share it later.) if anything else happens with the WP stuff, send it my way so i don't miss it...or just drop me an email and say hi. doesn't matter, you can hit me at slade@sladewatkins.com as always.

hope this helped some of y'all. i tried to be as impartial as possible and not inject any feelings into this. good night, folks.

[cyarsk52-20]

And y’all wonder why I never go after white men.

Cuz who the fuck wants them on their team? (No offense to the white men following me)

but seriously. I don’t go after white men like I do white women

because if the support of white women collapses so does the GOP party.

[sktthemes]

Best Ebook Author WordPress Theme For Selling Books Online Magazine

Education WordPress themes are essential tools for educators, schools, and other educational institutions looking to create a professional and user-friendly website. One such theme that stands out is the "eBook Author WordPress Theme" from SKT Themes.

Exploring the themes available for education websites is crucial in finding the right fit for your specific needs. The eBook Author theme offers a clean and modern design that is perfect for showcasing educational materials such as books, courses, and tutorials.

Understanding the importance of using a well-designed theme for your education website is key to attracting and engaging visitors. A professional and visually appealing website can help build credibility and trust with your audience, ultimately leading to increased traffic and conversions.

The benefits of using the eBook Author theme include its responsive design, easy customization options, and compatibility with popular plugins such as WooCommerce and Elementor. These features make it easy to create a unique and functional website that meets your specific requirements.

Some of the top features of the eBook Author theme include a built-in contact form, social media integration, and custom widgets for displaying your latest posts and testimonials. These features can help enhance the user experience and make it easier for visitors to navigate your website.

Tips for getting the most out of your education WordPress theme include regularly updating your content, optimizing your website for search engines, and engaging with your audience through social media and email marketing.

Common issues that users may encounter when using education WordPress themes include compatibility issues with plugins, slow loading times, and design inconsistencies. However, these issues can often be resolved by updating your theme and plugins, optimizing your website for speed, and working with a professional developer if needed.

In conclusion, education WordPress themes such as the eBook Author theme from SKT Themes are valuable tools for creating a professional and user-friendly website for educators and educational institutions. By exploring the themes available, understanding their importance, and utilizing their benefits and features, you can create a successful online presence that attracts and engages your audience.

[meandmybigmouth]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2018/02/22/what-happens-to-teaching-and-learning-if-educators-holster-9mm-glocks-on-their-waistband/

What happens to teaching and learning if educators holster 9mm Glocks on their waistband?

police are afraid to challenge an on school grounds shooter and expect a teacher too? Will the teacher get the blame for not preventing a school shooting?

[ghostwyvern]

Urgent IDAHO ANTI LGBT & Woman's Rights BILLS

If you live in Idaho I've compiled a list of bills that could pass the senate soon here. If you wish to take action you need to do it ASAP. I've attempted to compile this information here to make it as easy as possible for others to get involved. Please share this if you know anyone in this state.

Email your senator that you are against these bills, and especially how they would affect you or the people you care about. You can find your senator and his email here: https://legislature.idaho.gov/legislators/whosmylegislator/ H0666 and H0668 are already at the senate so the best you can do is write an email now. H0421, H0538, H0710, are still in the senate committee so you should email and possibly provide written or physical testimony when it opens. There is also a discord where you can get in touch with the ACLU and arrange a meeting with your representative. https://discord.com/channels/1193985829576650805/1193985829576650808 H0421 Sex, gender, definitions, rules (Forcibly defining genders by legislated criteria) Bill text: https://legislature.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/sessioninfo/2024/legislation/H0421.pdf Status: Passed house committee, passed house, could be held at senate committee or senate.

---

H0538 Forced deadnaming / misgendering Bill text: https://legislature.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/sessioninfo/2024/legislation/H0538.pdf Status: Passed house committee, passed house, could be held at senate committee or senate.

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H0666 Ban on abortion education Bill text: https://legislature.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/sessioninfo/2024/legislation/H0666.pdf Status: Passed house committee, passed house, passed senate committee, at senate.

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H0668 No public funds for gender transition (for all ages) Bill text: https://legislature.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/sessioninfo/2024/legislation/H0668.pdf Status: Passed house committee, passed house, passed senate committee, at senate.

---

H0710 Library prohibit obscene materials Bill text: https://legislature.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/sessioninfo/2024/legislation/H0710.pdf Status: Passed house committee, passed house, could be held at senate committee or senate.

[sirensea14]

I hate the fact that i need to divert a bit from my usual content, guys. But i have no choice but to do this😭 its the best i can do in this situation as a teenager who is scared for war. This post is a clearer explanation of the theories I mentioned in my previous post .

(i will provide translation for certain sentences)

(red italic highlight means user in tiktok)

Purple text means my comment

Translation:

Jeo; What if she(Alice Guo)'s being used as a distraction of the [Chinese] government to the [Filipino] people so that it would not be obvious that they are doing something in private? (Ur not sure)

Bat mo natanong; The fact that that when the issue about Alice Guo started, China suddenly became active [and aggressive towards our navy] ☠️☠️☠️

misskonasiya: while the [Philippine] government is busy bc of Alice Guo's case, china is already preparing☠️

Kai: it makes sense, since after the case of Alice Guo, China became aggressive too

Translation:

R (replying to destenee_.) : maybe the secret agreement with china was true. Based from his [prev Pres. Duterte] statement that was shown on tv "that's just water" lmao

Translation:

angel; and i dont know why but it seems like there's a connection [Of this WPS situation] to Inday Sara[current vice pres.]'s resignation[resigning from a position in DepEd or Department of Education]

[(user); connecting the dots fr]

Angel (replying to user); i also read somewhere that there's lots of chinese [people] in Cataduanes😭😭 [Cataduanes is an island province located in Luzon]

destenee_. ; its also suspicious that the news went crazy about inday Sara spending millions [of pesos] in 11 days, like??? And her[VP Sara] suddenly resigning smells fishy, its like she's stepping away from the government to wash—

destenee_. : —herself once war starts or whatever happens, she could easily say "i dont have anything to do with that" bcuz what if after [prev. Pres] Duterte stepped out of the government, he warned Sara that smth will happen then and there, this and that—

Translation:

miss jaii ; the sole reason why the Duterte family wants to separate Mindanao from Luzon and Visayas is bcoz Duterte and Chinese president [Xi Jinping] had a secret gentleman's agreement that the Philippines will be given to China

miss jaii ; but the Mindanao island will be separated because they[Duterte family] wants to build their own [country]

Translation

(user) : what if Duterte called the chinese pres to ask help in a way of causing harassment to the west philippine sea so that Marcos [our surrent president] will feel pressured in the situation and then he will resign, prompting for sara + (cont. in my own words and understanding; to take over the position of president)

Translation:

"wps can be yours[china] but you're only mine[referring to a gf or bf or crush]"

I appreciate the possessiveness, but youre so petty bcuz u dont even have a label on that person (hayup ka kase)

Translations:

"just give the WPS [to china]"

"that sea is more important than our lives[?]" (This is said/read in a more insulting/harsh way)

"what if you just give it[wps] up"

"[theyre] thinking about the sea more than the million lives on line]

"give it[wps] up"

Source: tiktok user @ysabel.777

If you dont trust this source as much as i do, then go ahead and check out the tag #west philippine sea and/or #atin ang west philippine sea. Users out there certainly explains the situation best than i do.

Or if you want, you can do your own research about this situation.

Do note that these are SIMPLY THEORIES. Theories that possibly connect the dots of the chain of events happening here😭 I really cant believe that im living the day I post shit about wps. China has just been much more aggressive towards us, i cant keep silent about this especially that i have a platform to post to. This is my voice, and im screaming whatever the hell i can to make y'all aware of this situation.

#Amin ang West Philippine Sea‼️🇵🇭🇵🇭

[ritchiepage2001newaccount]

#CorpMedia #Idiocracy #Oligarchs #MegaBanks vs #Union #Occupy #NoDAPL #BLM #SDF #DACA #MeToo #Humanity #DemExit #FeelTheBern

[UPDATE] ACTUAL U.S. U6 TABLE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE 7 APR 2023 6.7%* [W/LTU 24.6]

http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/U6RATE

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t15.htm

http://www.economicpopulist.org/content/never-ending-little-changed-unemployment-figures-january-2013

http://www.economicpopulist.org/content/april-unemployment-rate-lowest-may-2007-6106

*Does NOT Include Long-Term Unemployment (Total 24.6% - See Below)

http://www.shadowstats.com/alternate_data/unemployment-charts

UNEMPLOYMENT RATES IN PROGRESSIVE/SOCIAL DEMOCRACIES

DENMARK 2.3%

NORWAY*** 3.1%

NETHERLANDS 3.5%

ICELAND*** 5.0%

GERMANY 5.6%

BELGIUM 5.8

EUROPEAN UNION 6.0%

***ICELAND AND NORWAY NOT E.U. MEMBERS

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tipsun30/default/table?lang=en

https://tradingeconomics.com/country-list/unemployment-rate?continent=europe

NEW ZEALAND 3.4%

AUSTRALIA 3.5%

https://tradingeconomics.com/country-list/unemployment-rate?continent=australia

https://www.stats.govt.nz/

https://www.abs.gov.au/

HOW IT'S DONE - WHAT THESE COUNTRIES HAVE IN COMMON

Higher Minimum-Wage/Prevailing Wage Than U S

https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=RMW

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

http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/stats/Labor/Salaries-and-benefits/Minimum-wage

https://glabor.org/wp/platform/data/

https://wageindicator.org/salary/minimum-wage

Green Economic And Social Policies (Environmental Performance Index)

https://epi.envirocenter.yale.edu/

https://epi.yale.edu/epi-results/2022/component/epi

https://epi.envirocenter.yale.edu/results-overview

Socialized Higher Education (Free Post-Secondary Education)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_education#List_of_countries_with_free_post-secondary_education

High Trade/Labor Union Participation

https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=CBC

https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=TUD

http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/stats/Labor/Trade-union-membership

High Government Transparency Ratings (Less Corruption)

https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2022

Equitable Distribution Of Income

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_income_equality

Universal Healthcare

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_health_coverage_by_country

http://www.quora.com/What-countries-offer-universal-health-care-and-free-college-education

Longevity

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_life_expectancy

Universal Literacy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_literacy_rate

https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/references/guide-to-country-comparisons/

Lower Crime Rate

https://www.numbeo.com/crime/rankings_by_country.jsp

Lower Homicide Rate

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

Farthest Right U S State VS Furthest Left U S State

https://www.google.com/publicdata/explore?ds=z1ebjpgk2654c1_#!ctype=l&strail=false&bcs=d&nselm=h&met_y=unemployment_rate&fdim_y=seasonality:S&scale_y=lin&ind_y=false&rdim=country&idim=country:US&idim=state:ST4800000000000:ST5000000000000&ifdim=country&hl=en_US&dl=en_US&ind=false

https://www.google.com/publicdata/explore?ds=c8op9mhgodplq_&ctype=l&met_y=median_income_current#!ctype=l&strail=false&bcs=d&nselm=h&met_y=median_income_current&scale_y=lin&ind_y=false&rdim=country&idim=country:US&idim=region:northeast:south:midwest:west&ifdim=country&hl=en_US&dl=en_US&ind=false

https://www.google.com/publicdata/explore?ds=b1tlmra7lb7a9_#!ctype=l&strail=false&bcs=d&nselm=h&met_y=crime_rate&fdim_y=crime_type:violent&scale_y=lin&ind_y=false&rdim=country&idim=state:TX:VT&ifdim=country&hl=en_US&dl=en_US&ind=false

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_homicide_rate

SEE A PATTERN? FORWARD AND TO THE LEFT, PLEASE...

*JUST SO WE’RE CLEAR, I SPENT AN AFTERNOON WATCHING FAUX NEWS (SHUDDER) AND RECORDING ALL OF THE THINGS THAT REPUBLICANS SAY KILL JOBS, AND THEN DID THE RESEARCH TO SEE IF ANY OF THEIR CLAIMS HOLD UP IN THE REAL WORLD.

WHAT I FOUND WAS THAT THE OPPOSITE IS TRUE. IN FACT, THOSE COUNTRIES WHICH TOOK THESE POLICIES TO THE FURTHEST EXTREMES ALL SEEMED TO OUTPERFORM THE US WHEN IT COMES TO EMPLOYMENT.

SO I CREATED A SURVEY OF ONLY THOSE COUNTRIES, EXCLUDING ANY THAT DID NOT FIT ALL OF THE CRITERIA. FOR EXAMPLE, I EXCLUDED BELGIUM, BECAUSE, EVEN THOUGH THEY FIT MOST CRITERIA, THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL RECORD IS ACTUALLY WORSE THAN OURS, HOWEVER, IN CASE YOU WERE CURIOUS, THEIR UNEMPLOYMENT RATE WAS STILL LOWER.

I ALSO FOUND THAT THEY BEAT US WHEN IT CAME TO EVERY OTHER SOCIAL MEASURE I COULD THINK OF...?

Actually, North American unemployment stats are pretty misleading and don't report the real jobless rate and the poverty it creates.

http://www.shadowstats.com/alternate_data/unemployment-charts

For example, European countries measure their real unemployment far more honestly and comprehensively than the US [which is what I'm referring to. Bill Clinton had the long-term unemployed removed from the Dept Of Labor's stats in 1994]

For example, in France now the official jobless rate is 7.2%—that’s quite a bit higher than the US, which has an official rate of 3.4%.

However, France, like Italy and Germany, which all have a 35-hour regular work week, consider anyone working less than 11 hours a week to be unemployed, and adult full-time post-secondary students training in a recognized profession are considered part of the work force and therefore unemployed as well—in addition to employable welfare recipients.

http://tinyurl.com/2exnpzx http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/.../feature/fr0103138f.html https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/article/2001/unemployment-rate-falls http://tinyurl.com/34yk4e4

The US does not include students and has no minimum hours provisions in its calculations. By these standards, if you worked, even an hour in a week during the federal survey, you’re considered employed. If you didn’t work and hadn’t looked for a job in four weeks, you’re not considered part of the work force. Non-disabled adult welfare recipients and the huge chronic poor populations, especially in urban areas, aren’t considered either. Canada is similar.

So if you apply US-style measures to France, the rate turns out to be 3.4%. Now, if you apply French measures to the US, the rate jumps to a whopping 24.6%—that’s largely because of the huge under-employed low-paid part-time work force in the US, and the huge number of employable welfare recipients and chronic poor.