#labor consulting services

[anlawvietnam]

Labor Consulting for Foreigners in Vietnam: Navigating Employment Laws

Introduction

With its vibrant culture, bustling economy, and picturesque landscapes, Vietnam has become an attractive destination for foreigners seeking job opportunities and new experiences. However, as with any international move, navigating the intricacies of foreign labor laws can be daunting. For foreigners aspiring to work in Vietnam, labor consulting services offer invaluable guidance through the complexities of the local employment landscape. In this article, we'll delve into the critical aspects of labor consulting for foreigners in Vietnam, providing authoritative insights and practical advice to ensure a smooth transition into the Vietnamese workforce.

Understanding Vietnamese Labor Laws

Foreigners entering Vietnam's job market must familiarize themselves with its labor laws to ensure compliance and a seamless employment experience. The Labor Code of Vietnam governs employment matters, encompassing everything from employment contracts and working conditions to termination procedures and social insurance.

Work Permits and Employment Contracts

Securing a work permit is fundamental for foreigners wishing to work legally in Vietnam. Labor consulting services are pivotal in guiding individuals through the application process, helping them gather necessary documents, navigate bureaucratic procedures, and ensure they meet the eligibility criteria.

An experienced labor consultant can also assist in drafting employment contracts that align with Vietnamese regulations and the foreign employee's expectations. Addressing critical aspects such as salary, benefits, working hours, and leave entitlements is crucial to avoid misunderstandings and disputes down the line.

Navigating Cultural Nuances

Vietnam's unique cultural norms can significantly impact the workplace dynamic for foreigners. A reputable labor consulting firm will offer valuable insights into Vietnamese business etiquette, communication styles, and cultural sensitivities. This knowledge is vital for forging positive relationships with colleagues and superiors, ultimately contributing to a fulfilling work experience.

Social Insurance and Benefits

Vietnam's social insurance system is designed to provide financial security to employees in various situations, including sickness, maternity, retirement, and work-related accidents. Foreign workers are generally required to contribute to this system, and understanding the intricacies of these contributions is crucial. Labor consultants with experience in this area can clarify the obligations and benefits of social insurance, ensuring that foreign employees receive the coverage they are entitled to.

Resolving Employment Disputes

Should disagreements or conflicts arise between foreign employees and their Vietnamese employers, having access to professional labor consulting can be invaluable. Consultants well-versed in Vietnamese labor laws and dispute resolution mechanisms can mediate between the parties, striving for a fair and amicable resolution. This expert guidance can help protect the rights of foreign workers and preserve the integrity of employer-employee relationships.

The Role of Labor Consulting Services

Labor consulting services explicitly catered to foreigners in Vietnam offer a range of benefits that enhance E-A-T-E factors:

Expertise: Reputable consulting firms possess in-depth knowledge of Vietnamese labor laws and employment practices. They leverage this expertise to guide foreigners through the intricacies of the local job market.

Authoritativeness: Credible consultants rely on their extensive experience and firsthand understanding of the challenges faced by foreign workers. Their authoritative guidance instills confidence in the accuracy and relevance of their advice.

Trustworthiness: Establishing trust with clients is paramount in labor consulting. Reputable firms prioritize transparency, ethical practices, and client well-being, building lasting trust-based relationships.

Experience: Consultants often have a history of successfully assisting foreigners in navigating Vietnam's labor landscape. Their experience translates into practical, actionable advice that addresses foreign employees' unique needs and concerns.

Conclusion

As a foreigner, embarking on a professional journey in Vietnam holds immense potential for growth and cultural enrichment. However, success requires a deep understanding of Vietnamese labor laws and customs. Labor consulting services tailored to foreigners provide a reliable compass, guiding individuals through the Vietnamese workplace's legal, cultural, and administrative intricacies. By seeking the guidance of experienced consultants, foreign employees can confidently embrace their new opportunities and ensure a rewarding and compliant employment experience in Vietnam.

[prowiden]

Unskilled Jobs in the UK and Germany: Opportunities and Visa Requirements

What are unskilled jobs available in the UK and Germany?

The job market in the UK and Germany is diverse and offers numerous opportunities for unskilled workers. In the UK, unskilled jobs commonly available include construction workers, kitchen helpers, cleaners, warehouse operatives, and retail assistants. These roles are vital to various industries, contributing to the smooth operation of businesses and services.

In Germany, unskilled jobs are also plentiful, with opportunities in construction, logistics, manufacturing, agriculture, and hospitality. Roles such as construction laborers, factory workers, kitchen staff, and cleaners are in demand, providing stable employment options for those without specialized skills or qualifications.

How much do unskilled workers earn in the UK?

Earnings for unskilled workers in the UK vary depending on the industry and location. As of 2024, the national minimum wage for workers aged 23 and over is £10.42 per hour. However, many unskilled jobs pay above this rate. For instance, construction workers can earn between £10 and £15 per hour, while kitchen helpers and cleaners typically earn around £9 to £12 per hour.

London and other major cities often offer higher wages to compensate for the higher cost of living. It's also important to note that many unskilled jobs in the UK come with additional benefits, such as holiday pay, sick leave, and pension contributions, which can enhance the overall compensation package.

What are the visa requirements for unskilled jobs in Germany?

Securing a work visa for unskilled jobs in Germany involves meeting specific requirements. The process typically includes:

Job Offer: You must have a job offer from a German employer. This is crucial as it demonstrates that you have employment waiting for you in Germany.

Visa Application: Submit a visa application at the German embassy or consulate in your home country. The application will require several documents, including a valid passport, job contract, proof of qualifications (if applicable), and proof of sufficient funds.

Health Insurance: You must have health insurance coverage for the duration of your stay in Germany.

Background Check: A clean criminal record is usually required.

Language Skills: While not always mandatory, having basic German language skills can significantly improve your chances of securing a work visa and finding employment.

The processing time for a German work visa can vary, so it's advisable to start the application process well in advance of your intended start date.

How do I apply for unskilled jobs in the UK?

Applying for unskilled jobs in the UK can be straightforward if you follow these steps:

Job Search: Use online job boards, recruitment agencies, and local job centers to find available positions. Websites like Indeed, Reed, and Totaljobs are excellent starting points.

Prepare Your CV: Ensure your CV is up to date and tailored to the types of jobs you're applying for. Highlight any relevant experience, even if it's informal or voluntary work.

Apply Online: Submit applications through online portals, attaching your CV and a cover letter if required.

Network: Use social networks like LinkedIn and local community groups to connect with potential employers and learn about job openings.

Recruitment Agencies: Register with recruitment agencies that specialize in placing unskilled workers. These agencies can help match you with suitable job opportunities and assist with the application process.

For those outside the UK, securing a job offer before applying for a visa is crucial. The UK currently has a points-based immigration system, and having a confirmed job offer is essential for obtaining a work visa.

Can unskilled workers get a work visa for Germany?

Yes, unskilled workers can obtain work visas for Germany, provided they meet the necessary requirements. Germany is experiencing labor shortages in various sectors, creating opportunities for unskilled workers to fill these gaps. The key steps to obtaining a work visa for unskilled jobs in Germany include:

Securing a Job Offer: As with skilled jobs, having a job offer from a German employer is a prerequisite.

Meeting Visa Requirements: Ensure you meet all visa requirements, including having health insurance, sufficient funds, and a clean criminal record.

Submitting a Visa Application: Apply for a work visa at the German embassy or consulate in your home country. Be prepared to provide all necessary documentation.

The demand for unskilled workers in sectors like construction, logistics, and hospitality means that opportunities are available for those willing to meet the visa requirements and relocate to Germany.

Conclusion

Navigating the job market and visa requirements for unskilled work in the UK and Germany can be challenging, but it is achievable with the right information and preparation. For those looking for assistance in securing work visas and job placements, Prowiden Overseas offers valuable services. They specialize in providing work visas for Germany and the UK, particularly for roles in the hotel industry, such as chefs, bartenders, baristas, waiters, and waitresses. By partnering with Prowiden Overseas, you can streamline your journey towards securing employment and starting a new career abroad.

[flyworldmigration]

Australia Migration: What Should Tech Employers Consider in 2023?

The pandemic saga has slowed down and the global economy is finally on the path to stability. The post-pandemic world is one with infinite changes as well as infinite opportunities. It’s a great time to get out of your comfort zone and restart your career abroad with the best Australian migration agency.

Let’s take the case of Australia

Who doesn’t want to relocate with your family to the sixth-largest country in the world? You will definitely admire the diverse and rich culture of this delightful country. With the Government bringing about more relaxation in the migration procedures and increasing provisions for family welfare, Australia is truly a dream destination.

Australia offers a huge platform for career growth and Indian citizens are in high demand.

Employment opportunities in Australia are growing each day. Especially, for IT professionals and Engineers.

This makes Australia a migration hub for techies and engineers who want career growth and global exposure in their respective fields.

IT Industry is one of the highest-paid industries in the country. 23% of IT employers are looking for hiring foreign skilled IT workers.

What should you consider before you begin the journey to dreams? Let us help you. We are one of the most trusted Australia PR Visa Consultants in Kerala.

What is a PR Visa?

A Permanent resident visa is given to individuals who are not citizens of a particular country.

A systematic and organized verification process is conducted to check an individual’s background and other credentials.

If you fulfil all the criteria you are granted a PR Visa.

PR Visa requirements can vary from country to country.

Once you become a permanent resident you could enjoy a number of benefits and can stay in the country for an indefinite period.

A travel facility is granted using which any PR holder can freely travel in and out of Australia until the expiry period.

Under the Employer sponsored visa, any Government approved Employer can nominate their worker as eligible for a PR Visa. Under the Temporary Skill Shortage Visas, 482 (Temporary) skilled workers can live and work in Australia for any government-approved company for up to four years. After living in Australia on a Temporary Skill Shortage (Subclass 482) Visa for up to three years, workers along with their families could check their eligibility and apply for Permanent Residency.

Australia PR Benefits from Australian Migration Agency

The right to live in Australia indefinitely

Sponsor family members

Enroll in Medicare and access subsidized health services along with insurance coverage.

Access to Centrelink, the Australian Social Welfare System.

First Home Owner Grant

Higher education student loans

Pathway to citizenship

Australian citizenship to children born in the country

Any individual who fulfils the country’s requirements and has proper documentation can apply for a PR visa easily with the following steps:

So make sure that you have all the required documents ready without any faults.

Language proficiency documents

Personal identity proof

Educational certificates

Work experience certificates etc.

After this submit the EOI (Expression of Interest).

Now get your profile assessed. You require a minimum score of 60 points.

Then you have to submit the application.

After being nominated, an ITR invitation will be received.

Now you can apply for the PR Visa.

Australia Government offers close to 30+ Visa categories for Indian citizens.

Kerala has some of the best visa consultants in the country. At flyworld, we strive to help you get your work done.

Flyworld is a pioneer immigration specialist. Our team of Registered Migration Agents can assist you with employer-sponsored visas, in the booming industry of Information Technology and Engineering.

Come to us! And we will help to get you an Australian PR Visa.

Flyworld migration offers expertized services in the field of Australia Migration in Kochi. Rooted in experience and expertise we handle every client with equal dedication. We have a well-informed team of experts who can carefully guide you through every single procedure towards getting an Australian PR Visa.

So get out of your comfort zone.

Contact Flyworld, the best Australian migration agency in Kochi, Kerala where experts will answer all of your questions about Australian permanent residency visas for IT professionals and engineers.

We are always happy to help!

[iroshhhka]

In the Matrix Destiny chart, the number at the orange point marked with an X shows which professions and jobs are suitable for you. You can adapt this to each of your jobs and professions, and activate the energy of money in your life.

1 - Professions that are unconventional, not very common, and where you can apply theoretical knowledge to practice.

2 - Professions where you can use your creativity, solve problems, and help others.

3 - Professions where you are in a responsible role (manager, business owner, teacher, etc.) and where men can work with women, providing you with opportunities to shine.

4 - Management of money and creative fields for women, physical labor or group management for men.

5 - Professions that require organization and rules, with a clear, profitable outcome from the service provided (like a doctor's diagnosis).

6 - Any profession related to communication, with opportunities to rise in beauty/design fields.

7 - Professions involving movement, such as sports, tourism, military, or those combined with transportation/logistics.

8 - Professions involving advocacy, analysis, and a clear, structured process.

9 - Teaching, roles where you can share your knowledge and expertise.

10 - Managing teams, working in large office environments, and collaborating with similar professionals.

11 - Professions requiring physical strength, activity, and leadership roles.

12 - Professions related to helping people, nature, and creativity.

13 - Professions that may be challenging or chaotic, such as managing emergencies and crisis situations.

14 - Professions combining art, creativity, tourism, and entertainment.

15 - Leading large groups, helping individuals with dependencies, and working in various environments.

16 - Professions involving frequent travel, business trips, and communication/travel-related work.

17 - Professions where you can be in the spotlight, recognized on screen or social media (within your industry).

18 - Professions related to literature, art, information technology, where you can also engage in additional work like tarot reading due to your strong intuition and interpretative skills.

19 - Working with large audiences or followers, working for international companies, and finding happiness and passion in your chosen profession.

20 - Professions in the information industry, consultancy, spiritual fields, or writing.

21 - Global companies/brands, international presence, creating English content on social media, tourism/hospitality sector.

22 - As long as you enjoy it, the specific profession is less important, with flexible working hours, being your own boss, and more leadership-oriented roles.

I'm open for chart readings. 🌸 Purchase your reading here

[mostlysignssomeportents]

The specific process by which Google enshittified its search

I'm touring my new, nationally bestselling novel The Bezzle! Catch me SATURDAY (Apr 27) in MARIN COUNTY, then Winnipeg (May 2), Calgary (May 3), Vancouver (May 4), and beyond!

All digital businesses have the technical capacity to enshittify: the ability to change the underlying functions of the business from moment to moment and user to user, allowing for the rapid transfer of value between business customers, end users and shareholders:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/19/twiddler/

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

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/24/naming-names/#prabhakar-raghavan

Which raises an important question: why do companies enshittify at a specific moment, after refraining from enshittifying before? After all, a company always has the potential to benefit by treating its business customers and end users worse, by giving them a worse deal. If you charge more for your product and pay your suppliers less, that leaves more money on the table for your investors.

Of course, it's not that simple. While cheating, price-gouging, and degrading your product can produce gains, these tactics also threaten losses. You might lose customers to a rival, or get punished by a regulator, or face mass resignations from your employees who really believe in your product.

Companies choose not to enshittify their products…until they choose to do so. One theory to explain this is that companies are engaged in a process of continuous assessment, gathering data about their competitive risks, their regulators' mettle, their employees' boldness. When these assessments indicate that the conditions are favorable to enshittification, the CEO walks over to the big "enshittification" lever on the wall and yanks it all the way to MAX.

Some companies have certainly done this – and paid the price. Think of Myspace or Yahoo: companies that made themselves worse by reducing quality and gouging on price (be it measured in dollars or attention – that is, ads) before sinking into obscure senescence. These companies made a bet that they could get richer while getting worse, and they were wrong, and they lost out.

But this model doesn't explain the Great Enshittening, in which all the tech companies are enshittifying at the same time. Maybe all these companies are subscribing to the same business newsletter (or, more likely, buying advice from the same management consultancy) (cough McKinsey cough) that is a kind of industry-wide starter pistol for enshittification.

I think it's something else. I think the main job of a CEO is to show up for work every morning and yank on the enshittification lever as hard as you can, in hopes that you can eke out some incremental gains in your company's cost-basis and/or income by shifting value away from your suppliers and customers to yourself.

We get good digital services when the enshittification lever doesn't budge – when it is constrained: by competition, by regulation, by interoperable mods and hacks that undo enshittification (like alternative clients and ad-blockers) and by workers who have bargaining power thanks to a tight labor market or a powerful union:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/09/lead-me-not-into-temptation/#chamberlain

When Google ordered its staff to build a secret Chinese search engine that would censor search results and rat out dissidents to the Chinese secret police, googlers revolted and refused, and the project died:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonfly_(search_engine)

When Google tried to win a US government contract to build AI for drones used to target and murder civilians far from the battlefield, googlers revolted and refused, and the project died:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/01/technology/google-pentagon-project-maven.html

What's happened since – what's behind all the tech companies enshittifying all at once – is that tech worker power has been smashed, especially at Google, where 12,000 workers were fired just months after a $80b stock buyback that would have paid their wages for the next 27 years. Likewise, competition has receded from tech bosses' worries, thanks to lax antitrust enforcement that saw most credible competitors merged into behemoths, or neutralized with predatory pricing schemes. Lax enforcement of other policies – privacy, labor and consumer protection – loosened up the enshittification lever even more. And the expansion of IP rights, which criminalize most kinds of reverse engineering and aftermarket modification, means that interoperability no longer applies friction to the enshittification lever.

Now that every tech boss has an enshittification lever that moves very freely, they can show up for work, yank the enshittification lever, and it goes all the way to MAX. When googlers protested the company's complicity in the genocide in Gaza, Google didn't kill the project – it mass-fired the workers:

https://medium.com/@notechforapartheid/statement-from-google-workers-with-the-no-tech-for-apartheid-campaign-on-googles-indiscriminate-28ba4c9b7ce8

Enshittification is a macroeconomic phenomenon, determined by the regulatory environment for competition, privacy, labor, consumer protection and IP. But enshittification is also a microeconomic phenomenon, the result of innumerable boardroom and product-planning fights within companies in which would-be enshittifiers try to do things that make the company's products and services shittier wrestle with rivals who want to keep things as they are, or make them better, whether out of principle or fear of the consequences.

Those microeconomic wrestling-matches are where we find enshittification's heroes and villains – the people who fight for the user or stand up for a fair deal, versus the people who want to cheat and wreck to make things better for the company and win bonuses and promotions for themselves:

https://locusmag.com/2023/11/commentary-by-cory-doctorow-dont-be-evil/

These microeconomic struggles are usually obscure, because companies are secretive institutions and our glimpses into their deliberations are normally limited to the odd leaked memo, whistleblower tell-all, or spectacular worker revolt. But when a company gets dragged into court, a new window opens into the company's internal operations. That's especially true when the plaintiff is the US government.

Which brings me back to Google, the poster-child for enshittification, a company that revolutionized the internet a quarter of a century ago with a search-engine that was so good that it felt like magic, which has decayed so badly and so rapidly that whole sections of the internet are disappearing from view for the 90% of users who rely on the search engine as their gateway to the internet.

Google is being sued by the DOJ's Antitrust Division, and that means we are getting a very deep look into the company, as its internal emails and memos come to light:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/03/not-feeling-lucky/#fundamental-laws-of-economics

Google is a tech company, and tech companies have literary cultures – they run on email and other forms of written communication, even for casual speech, which is more likely to take place in a chat program than at a water-cooler. This means that tech companies have giant databases full of confessions to every crime they've ever committed:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/03/big-tech-cant-stop-telling-on-itself/

Large pieces of Google's database-of-crimes are now on display – so much, in fact, that it's hard for anyone to parse through it all and understand what it means. But some people are trying, and coming up with gold. One of those successful prospectors is Ed Zitron, who has produced a staggering account of the precise moment at which Google search tipped over into enshittification, which names the executives at the very heart of the rot:

https://www.wheresyoured.at/the-men-who-killed-google/

Zitron tells the story of a boardroom struggle over search quality, in which Ben Gomes – a long-tenured googler who helped define the company during its best years – lost a fight with Prabhakar Raghavan, a computer scientist turned manager whose tactic for increasing the number of search queries (and thus the number of ads the company could show to searchers) was to decrease the quality of search. That way, searchers would have to spend more time on Google before they found what they were looking for.

Zitron contrasts the background of these two figures. Gomes, the hero, worked at Google for 19 years, solving fantastically hard technical scaling problems and eventually becoming the company's "search czar." Raghavan, the villain, "failed upwards" through his career, including a stint as Yahoo's head of search from 2005-12, a presiding over the collapse of Yahoo's search business. Under Raghavan's leadership, Yahoo's search market-share fell from 30.4% to 14%, and in the end, Yahoo jettisoned its search altogether and replaced it with Bing.

For Zitron, the memos show how Raghavan engineered the ouster of Gomes, with help from the company CEO, the ex-McKinseyite Sundar Pichai. It was a triumph for enshittification, a deliberate decision to make the product worse in order to make it more profitable, under the (correct) belief that the company's exclusivity deals to provide search everywhere from Iphones and Samsungs to Mozilla would mean that the business would face no consequences for doing so.

It a picture of a company that isn't just too big to fail – it's (as FTC Chair Lina Khan put it on The Daily Show) too big to care:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaDTiWaYfcM

Zitron's done excellent sleuthing through the court exhibits here, and his writeup is incandescently brilliant. But there's one point I quibble with him on. Zitron writes that "It’s because the people running the tech industry are no longer those that built it."

I think that gets it backwards. I think that there were always enshittifiers in the C-suites of these companies. When Page and Brin brought in the war criminal Eric Schmidt to run the company, he surely started every day with a ritual, ferocious tug at that enshittification lever. The difference wasn't who was in the C-suite – the difference was how freely the lever moved.

On Saturday, I wrote:

The platforms used to treat us well and now treat us badly. That's not because they were setting a patient trap, luring us in with good treatment in the expectation of locking us in and turning on us. Tech bosses do not have the executive function to lie in wait for years and years.

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/22/kargo-kult-kaptialism/#dont-buy-it

Someone on Hacker News called that "silly," adding that "tech bosses do in fact have the executive function to lie in wait for years and years. That's literally the business model of most startups":

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40114339

That's not quite right, though. The business-model of the startup is to yank on the enshittification lever every day. Tech bosses don't lie in wait for the perfect moment to claw away all the value from their employees, users, business customers, and suppliers – they're always trying to get that value. It's only when they become too big to care that they succeed. That's the definition of being too big to care.

In antitrust circles, they sometimes say that "the process is the punishment." No matter what happens to the DOJ's case against Google, its internal workers have been made visible to the public. The secrecy surrounding the Google trial when it was underway meant that a lot of this stuff flew under the radar when it first appeared. But as Zitron's work shows, there is plenty of treasure to be found in that trove of documents that is now permanently in the public domain.

When future scholars study the enshittocene, they will look to accounts like Zitron's to mark the turning points from the old, good internet to the enshitternet. Let's hope those future scholars have a new, good internet on which to publish their findings.

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/2024/04/24/naming-names/#prabhakar-raghavan

[billthedrake]

FAMILY LAW

The father was about my age, with thinning hair mostly gray and a silvery five o'clock shadow to match. He seemed uncomfortable walking into my office, which was my first giveaway.

The younger man with him was clearly his son, same face, same nose, same hazel eyes. He was a strapping man, tall and big, and his athletic hoodie made his large body seem even bulkier.

"Mr. Drake," the dad said as he extended his hand for a handshake. "I'm Pete Grubienski, this is my son, Mike" The man lacked his son's muscle but he was naturally beefy and his big mitt of a hand had a strong grip.

"Hey," Mike said, his voice deep for his age yet friendly, and his handshake was surprisingly a more normal grip.

They sat down in the leather armchairs.

"How can I help you gentlemen?" I asked.

Pete started in. "You may recognize my son," he said. A knowing look on his face.

I looked over at Mike Grubienski. He was a very hot stud, if I could appraise him without being too obvious in my lust. My husband always made fun of me for a weekness for big muscle, and this Grubienski stud had it in spades. His daddy did too, in his own way.

I shrugged. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid, I don't."

That got a smile and a laugh from Mike. "Dad just likes bragging, Mr. Drake...."

"Bill," I interjected.

"Bill," he said. "I just signed to play for the Bengals. A pretty sweet contract."

"Congratulations."

Pete looked over at Mike with clear paternal pride before he remembered his business. He got a more serious look and turned to me. "Everything here stays private, right?"

"Absolutely, Mr. Grubienski."

"Call me Pete," he said. His turn to insist on a first name basis. "You have an NDA form to sign or anything?"

I had a confidentiality agreement and slid two copies his way.

As he looked it over, Mike smiled at me. I couldn't tell if he was sizing me up, or just tried to be as relaxed as his dad was uptight.

Pete signed and dated and slid them back to me. I did the same.

That seemed to calm him and I could see his beefy body relax into the chair. "We want you to draw up a financial agreement," Pete said. "As Mike told you, he has a good deal of signing bonus and more coming his way, so I..."

I stopped him mid sentence. "I'm happy to advise you, gentleman, but you might want to talk to a financial planner instead."

Mike spoke up. "We're actually looking for something more unconventional, Bill," he said. "We got your name from an internet forum."

Pete's hazel eyes lit up. "One of those forums you really have to search for... what do you call it? The dark web?"

Mike laughed and reached over and squeezed his dad's shoulder. The son had about three inches of height on his father, which was strangely hot. "It's not that bad," he said. He turned back to me. "But yeah... when we read about you, I figured it was worth the flight out here."

I was getting a boner in my trousers. I figured this is what it was like being a cameraman for a porn shoot. An occupational hazard.

"For the right clients, I do specialize in some unconventional sides of the law."

"I didn't believe him," Pete said. "But Mike has an instinct."

"How unconventional?" Mike asked, a twinkle in his eye. I wasn't sure if he was being flirty or still wanted conversation. With clients like these, no one ever came right out and said what services they were looking for.

"Enough to get me disbarred," I assured him. "But it's a labor of love." I paused. "I've very much used many of the legal strategies I advice clients on."

"Like...?" Pete asked.

"Marriage contracts, surrogacy, adoption..."

"That's hot," Mike hissed, reaching down to pay the bone he had growing in his jeans.

"So we can talk freely?" Pete asked.

"Please do," I assured him. We were getting to that part of the consultation. Something about being charged my hourly rate will sometimes get men to brass tacks faster.

He turned to Mike with a look that could only be described as pure love and patted his son's knee. "I'm in a relationship with my son." He turned back to me and added, "We don't have any official thing of course, but in our eyes we're married."

"We can address that," I assured him. "Not official marriage of course, but a contractual bond that has all the other legal recognition." I spread my legs beneath my desk to let my hardon ride up in my suit. "I can speak from experience that there's something incredibly exciting about signing the documents together with your husband."

Mike got a real quiet, horny look on his face. Pete grinned. "Yeah? You speaking about your son... or...?"

"My son," I admitted. "Adam. We've been married for eight years."

"Wow," Mike hissed. He ran his hand caressingly up his father's neck. "Dad and I have only talked that way for a couple of years. But it feels like he's been my my whole life." He paused, embarrassed. "Not like that, Bill... but you know, emotionally..."

"I get it," I said. "I'm the same way with my dad."

Pete laughed, a nervous laugh but also an amused. "That's fucking wild." Then, "pardon my French."

"We're men here, Pete," I said. "Feel free to speak openly."

"That we are," the father said with a naughty look on his face.

It was Mike's turn to bring it back to business. "So, Bill... we're looking for some legal arrangement where Dad would have complete control over my money."

"A financial power of attorney?" I clarified.

"Yeah," Mike enthused. "A mega one," he said. "I don't know the legal options, but I want Dad to have full control."

I looked over at Pete. His son's hand was still on his neck and the big guy was relaxing his body back into Mike's touch. "The kid gets off on being given an allowance. It's kind of his thing."

I'd dealt with some wild stuff, but this was a first. I tried to choose my words carefully. "Just to be clear, gentelmen, certain powers of attorneys can be open to financial abuse..."

Mike stopped. "We've talked this through, Bill. Dad and I each are into control. It's very much consensual." He leaned in toward Pete. "You wanna show him, Dad?" he asked.

Pete nodded and stood up. I watched him undo his jeans and shuck them down. There was no underwear. The man's dick was fully locked in a chastity device. He gave me a good look then pulled the jeans back up.

"Too much?" Mike asked me, trying to read the blushing look on my face.

I shook my head. "It's just that I never thought I'd find chastity devices a turn on."

Pete laughed. "Me either, buddy... but with this one..." he turned to his son. "It's been magical."

"So..." Mike asked. "You think you can help us?"

I nodded. "I believe so."

****

"The babysitter here?" I asked, pulling my son into a kiss and pawing at his body through the button-down shirt. Adam wasn't an NFL player like Mike Grubienski, but he'd played football in high school and still kept up his workouts and bulked up even as a stay-at-home dad.

"She's in the other room," he whispered. "Jesus, Dad, you're not even gonna wait for date night are ya?"

I pulled back. Adam could see the chub in my suitpants, which I'd have to get under control if I wanted to be more presentable. "I had some special clients today... guess I"m a little worked up from that."

"I want the full story," my son said. "What you can share."

"Of course," I said.

I went to say hello and good night to our two children. Chase was 8 now and Jackson 6. We'd had all by surrogacy - Chase was from my sperm, Jackson from Adam's. But they were both our sons, together.

I gave our babysitter Caitlin her pay and slipped in a couple of extra twenties for good measure. She was terrific. I mean, she thought Adam was a single dad and I was the grandparent helping raise two rambunctious boys. It was a lot of work, but my son and I had learned to put on a good front.

"Ready?" I asked Adam as I saw him waiting in the entry hallway. God, my son looked like a million bucks. He was 24 and still had that youthful, athletic build that had bulked out some more over the last couple of years. He'd inherited some of my dad's blond features, and I thought my son looked like the best of me, only better.

"Yep," he said. Stepping up to me, he ran his hand along my suit lapel. "You look good, babe," he hissed.

We gave each other a soft kiss. Date night sex would have to wait.

***

"They're getting big," I said to my son as we drove to the downtown hotel.

Adam nodded. "I like this age. They're less of a handful now."

Something made me more contemplative. I think I got that way anytime I had an incest client. "You'll be young enough to enjoy life still when they're out of college."

Adam patted my knee. I thought about the casual physicality that the Grubienskis shared. It had taken me a long journey to be comfortable with that part of incest. "Come on, Dad, you will be too."

"I'll be 65," I said. "66 even."

My son-husband shot my that look he gives when he disapproves of something I'm saying. "Look at Granddad. 70 and living his best life."

"Yeah," I said. I was in quiet mode now

Adam seemed pouty in response. "You have regrets, Dad?"

I looked over at him. "You kidding, buddy? I wouldn't change a thing."

"Even though we have to sneak around?"

"Even though we have to sneak around," I assured him.

My son ran his fingers along my thigh as I drove. I gave a grimace. "What?" he asked.

"You're giving me a boner," I said gruffly.

He chuckled. "What's wrong with that, Dad?"

"We'll be in public. At least for dinner."

"Just hold your suit coat over the damn thing," he growled, his annoyed tone not masking the amusement beneath the surface.

Two could play at this game. "You don't want people to see what an incest hardon looks like? How my son always gives me one?"

I could see him squirm in his seat. "Fuck, Dad...."

"What time's our reservation?" I asked, horniness in my voice.

"7:00," Adam reminded me. "We wanted to make sure there was plenty of time after."

I nodded. I reached down and unzipped my suit pants. "Why don't you help me out buddy?”

THAT caught Adam off guard. He was used to be the impetuous one when it came to sex. But I was reaching in as well as I could while driving, fishing out my hard dad cock.

"Help me out here," I urged.

"You said that wasn't safe to do," he said. “Not while you’re driving.” Busting my balls.

"I'm you're fucking dad," I growled with a playful grin, eyes carefully on the road. "Now get down and suck my cock, Son."

I didn't do the dominant daddy thing much, but when I did Adam went wild.

Too wild. I don't know if my son sucked me too roughly while he gave me road head, or if it was going to get me off too quickly. Either way, I decided I didn't want my first cum of the evening to be like this. I nudged Adam's head off my cock, still trying to focus on my driving.

"Call the restaurant," I urged. I don't know if I was being dominant or just urgently horny. "Tell 'em we're running ten or fifteen minutes late."

Adam nodded as he sat back up, redid his seat belt and pulled out his phone. He did just as I'd asked, then hung up. "You don't really believe in romance for date night, do you, Dad?" he teased.

Already, I was pulling off to a deserted parking area that was generally safe. We'd used it before when we were desperate.

"Leave it to my son to be a cock tease," I joked back.

"Who raised me?" he asked.

I parked the car. Adam was already getting out and opening the back seat. Since the second son arrived, we'd upgraded to an SUV. The backseat wasn't huge, but it was enough room...

"You forgot something," I said, reaching into the glove compartment to pull out a nondescript container of lube we kept for quickie sex. I tossed it into the backseat before undoing my own seat belt.

"I thought you'd use spit, Dad.... you're pretty fucking worked up."

"Fuck," I growled and and got out. I walked around to the other side. Adam had already undone his khakis and slid them down mid thigh. I love my son and would love his body no matter what, but damn that ass was incredible. His life as a stay at home dad still afforded him an hour of solid workout a day, and Adam had made sure to prioritize leg day. I ran my hand along the lightly furred rump and dug my finger into the cleft.

"It's been a long week," I said, teasing the pucker. We'd gotten in a blowjob session midweek, but no fucking made us both cranky.

"Yessir," Adam replied.

I crouched down, right there in the dark corner of the parking lot. Hoping to god no one would come by, but with the layout Adam and I had a good chance of hearing an approaching car. And our open SUV door was facing the lot's edge rather than toward the center.

"Fuck yes, Dad," Adam hissed as my tongue made contact with his ass. He was the one who'd gotten me into rimming. Turns out he'd created a Franksenstein's monster. I slapped and gripped his cheeks and munched away. Drilling into the hole he'd prepped for me before our date night.

We didn't have long to play with though, and Adam nudged my shoulder with the lube container.

I pulled back and stood up. My prick was still poking out of my suit, rock hard even if my son's spit had dried off. Time to wet it down again for my boy's dicking. It didn't always go this way, me on top, Adam on bottom, but it increasingly had. Over the last two years, Adam had gone from a man comfortable with getting to an outright power bottom. Turns out I felt comfortable doing the fucking in the marriage.

I now fingered his ass quickly and watched him gyrate those muscle cheeks. Maybe it was date night, maybe it was my own impetuous approach, but my boy was in heat.

No need to keep him waiting. I lined up and hunched my body over as I pushed inside my flesh and blood.

"Yes!" Adam hissed. We knew we had to keep our voices down but the verbal part was a turn on for us, even after these years. "Fuck me, Dad. Fuck your son."

I was, with deep powerful thrusts. I loved Adam and the mindfuck of entering him urgently like this, in steady rhythm, made me know it wasn't going to take me long to cum.

Adam, for his part was jerking off while I railed him. "God, you get turned on whenever you have a special client," he said.

Talk about perceptive. I didn't even put two and two together, but the boy was right. I was still keyed up from earlier. "You should have seen em son," I growled. I knew not to divulge too much detail about my clients, but this was Adam. I could trust him. "Big strapping NFL player partnered up with his daddy." My voice was getting ragged and urgent.

"Was the dad hot?" Adam asked.

"Kind of a coach type. Looked a little like your old Coach Masterson."

"FUCK!" Adam growled. Less quiet. He was gonna cum soon. As much as a daddy's boy he was, my son had man crushes on other guys. Men who pushed his buttons. I had them too, for that matter.

"You want me and Coach taking turns on your ass, son? While that NFL stud watches?" Mr. Football Dad of course was caged, but this was about Adam's fantasy now.

He nodded. "Incest double date," he hissed. Getting there.

I put more power in. Turns out the action was enough to get me off. I started nutting inside my son's raw ass. I hunched over and held on tight as I fucked through my ejaculation. I heard Adam's orgasmic grunts beneath me. I wish I could say I had a skilled technique as a top. But I just seemed to do what felt right and that was good enough from my son.

We clung to one another a second and laughed at how crazy horny we'd been. I slowly pulled out and found a spare rag in the back for us to wipe off. I took a look around the parking area. Coast was still clear, thank god.

I made my presentable. Adam had that just-fucked glow about him. He was adorable that way. We both got back into the front seat.

"Whoa," Adam said, buckling his seat belt back on.

"Yeah, whoa," I said, shooting him a grin. "You good, son?" I asked. I always asked after a hard pounding.

"More than OK, Dad, that was awesome."

Our lips met, softly now. Soft tongue, soft sucking. We had to be at the restaurant, but my son and I had time to kiss. I finally patted his leg. "More of that later, OK, kiddo?"

"Yes, sir..."

[puckpocketed]

Hello. You might have seen this floating around on twt:

link 1 // link 2, archive link

If by any chance you or someone you know are thinking about joining in on the challenge… no one can stop you but I implore you as someone who makes art, as someone with friends in an often-exploited creative industry, as someone who lives in late stage capitalism alongside you and has seen this play out before: proceed with caution.

Read the fine print on that form. There is NO guarantee of an internship, much less a job at the end of it. I haven't gone further than this form, but if anyone reading this does, and if there's no written agreement that your work won't be used without credit to you + payment for services rendered - RUN.

This is a common corporate tactic to get free labor out of people. I'm not saying this is necessarily what’s happening; for all we know this was done as a completely innocent move to drum up some fan engagement and as a genuine search for talent for their analytics team. WHO KNOWS. But I can't ignore that I’ve seen this situation play out again and again, at every scale.

Job interviews, when they ask you how YOU think they should improve their systems, how YOU would solve their problems? When they require that you do some problem-solving for them, and it goes beyond a simple task? That’s a free consultation you’re giving them, that's free work you or someone else should be getting paid for.

When big streamers/influencers ask their fans to join in on a fan art contest to choose their new pfp/banner? That’s hundreds, possibly thousands of pieces of free art they never would’ve gotten otherwise. They could've gone to the trouble of paying someone in-house to do it, hiring someone for that position, commissioning a professional for a piece. It's free work from their dedicated fans.

In this case, Utah HC is asking fans to not only choose/provide their own dataset, but to do a complex analysis on it AND do the work of visual and verbal communication to senior management, who likely do not have a deeper grasp of the concepts and will need it simplified. The stipulation that you will present your work could be ANYTHING!! The "five page deliverable" is already bananas to me, having dipped my toe into what analytics is and how complex the fun ones are. Condensing it all is WORK. The presentation portion may include speaking time and answering questions; the groundwork for doing this effectively may include producing data visualisations, making spreadsheets, time consuming write-ups. Maths and science communication is hard. It is WORK. They are asking for free labor.

Many have already called it out, but it's still gaining traction via retweets from big accounts uncritically sharing it. I found out through the official Puckpedia account. Jack Han called it out pretty eloquently on twitter and on his substack:

Many people aspire to work as an analyst in the NHL. Earlier today the Utah Hockey Club gave those people a glimmer of hope. Utah’s Summer Analytics Challenge is unusual in that it doesn’t provide a dataset or detailed instructions. The open-ended contests contrasts with other public (ex: Big Data Cup) or private (ex: NHL team interview) events. In those scenarios, participants are given proprietary data to clean, model and analyze, which influence direction and methodology. Meanwhile, Utah is seemingly happy with anything as long as the writeup is under five pages long. Utah’s contest also stands out in its near-total absence of legal fine print. There are no mention of intellectual property implications, which is perhaps fitting when the team is asking participants to bring their own data and analysis. [...] Open casting calls such as Utah’s analytics challenge start out as a lose-lose-lose proposition: > The employer loses because it will have to invest massive human resources to trawl/filter/evaluate/reverse-engineer the hundreds of write-ups it is sure to receive, with no guarantee that any of them will be of use > Applicants lose because the vast, vast majority of them will have nothing to show for their efforts, while a tiny minority risks having its IP stolen > Good ideas lose because they’ll be born into an environment where their parents (the applicant & the employer) have no defined relationship and won’t be in a position to grow together

link, archive link

I do try to keep things light on this blog, but this is super personal for me <3 thank u for listening

[fowlblue]

Okay, so I did say I’d go over Diana’s lore a bit (and then completely forgot, forgive me, Artfight got in the way)- so here’s some history (and a few visual notes) for my evil little Arty clone!

Before I explain Diana, I first have to give a brief reminder of another other AF OC: Sine Sylvester, Council member of Haven.

This guy (wonderfully draw by the delightful @sinigangrobot , thank you so much my friend!)

Sine is a cervitaur, and generally well-liked by most in Haven. He’s made a big name for himself among circles of less “conventional” fairy folk (like other centaurs) in pioneering design/lawmaking in Haven that suits them as well. However, behind the scenes he’s also involved in illegal kidnapping of humans for aboveground for any purposes below, such as experimentation, weapons testing, labor, etc. You could say he runs “Human Resources” for Haven’s criminal underground… and occasionally, the Council.

Enter Artemis Fowl.

Sine exists in a hypothetical future AU in which Artemis is offered a position as the first human consultant for the Council- supposedly for services rendered, though mostly to keep an eye on him. Bureaucracy doesn’t suit Artemis at all, but he does what he can.

Eventually, two things happen- Sine digs up Foaly’s notes on cloning Artemis: a bit patchy, perhaps, but legible. Also, certain members of the Council become concerned about Artemis’s meddling. Eager for the opportunity to use the newfound research, Sine offers to make them a “backup” Artemis- one more suited to fairykind’s needs.

Sine has his own motivations- he’s in an interspecies marriage with a pixie doctor (in the “mad scientist” way, mind- she handles a lot of the human experimentation) named Mags. They love each other dearly, but understandably, a biological kid isn’t happening. So Diana, as they call the clone of Artemis they develop, becomes a son to them, and they love him fiercely… to the point of threatening the same Council members that commissioned him, if needed.

Diana is designed after how the People view Artemis- cunning, and cruel, and cold. He’s a vicious little guy, only tempered by his love for his parents, and the same burning curiosity as Artemis himself. Diana has a deep desire to learn and be recognized for his intellect- unfortunately for him, he spends most of his time cooped up in Sine’s HR facility for his own protection. See, Foaly’s notes had gaps- Sine and Mags filled these gaps with cybernetics. Because of them, Diana is hooked to the mainframe of Sine’s facility and all sorts of LEP systems to use as his playground (his parents’ attempts to make up for him being confined to the grounds)- laser turrets, survellience, his mother’s experiments… all of it is partially under his control, as Diana mans a lot of the facility’s defenses himself as a means of chasing off boredom. However, his cybernetics are also incredibly delicate, and cause him a lot of pain at times- whenever this happens, Sine takes the day off to look after him.

He, just like his father, considers humans to be lesser creatures. He’s not too pleased with his aboveground counterpart, refusing to acknowledge him as anything but “The Mud Boy”. Diana eagerly awaits the day they can meet in-person, so he can show him who the better Fowl is.

Other notes:

- Being raised in Haven and born of magic, he does have limited fairy abilities.

- Occasionally, he gets to follow Sine along and learn about Council business.

- Diana lacks Artemis’s focus, as he’s never had to cultivate it the way the Fowl heir has, so one of his weaknesses is that he’s easily distracted, and easily tricked.

[end-otw-racism]

2023 OTW Board Election Review

The election is over, and we'd like to congratulate (in alphabetical order) Anh Pham, Kathryn Soderholm, and Qiao Chu, who have been elected to serve full terms on the OTW Board of Directors, and Jennifer Haynes and Zixin Zhang, who have been elected to partial terms. We recognize that this is a turbulent time for the OTW, and that running for Board at any time takes guts and a lot of hard work, but especially so now, and we appreciate the time and labor you all have put into answering questions about how you envision your time serving on the Board and guiding OTW policy.

It really was a rollercoaster of an election season. With an original ballot of seven candidates for three seats, the field eventually narrowed to five candidates, and then unexpected resignations led to the opening of five total seats, creating an uncontested election. Still, voting mattered, as the number of votes each candidate got determined if they won a full term (three years) or a partial (two years), and we want to thank everyone who showed up to #VoteToEndOTWRacism.

Through their prepared bios and platforms, the Q&As posted to the Elections site, and the four Candidate Chats, OTW members and stakeholders had ample opportunity to get to know the candidates and learn about their ideas for improving the OTW, and we're excited to see how they might implement their plans once they take their seats.

Today we're going to take a look at how their stated priorities might guide the new Board, specifically in addressing our three main demands: 

Terms of Service (TOS) updates that address racist and bigoted harassment.

Hiring a Diversity Consultant within the next 3 months.

Committing to a policy of transparency on this topic.

As candidates, all five stressed the importance of updating the TOS (or the way the current TOS is enforced) to better protect fans from harassment on AO3, with Anh, Kathryn, and Qiao all listing it as a priority. 

All five also spoke of hiring and working with a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) consultant, with Anh, Kathryn, and Qiao all speaking of filling the position soon, and Kathryn expressly calling it a priority.

And, continuing the positive trend, all five offered multiple ways the OTW could improve transparency within the organization and with stakeholders outside the organization! We are particularly interested in Zixin’s suggestion to increase the section on Board work in the monthly newsletters (something Qiao also mentioned!) as well as improve the Board Meeting process to have it better moderated and more efficient, as this would be a great step towards that transparency and engagement with the user base, and her idea to set up clearer internal guidelines on crisis resolution and make them accessible to all volunteers would be a tangible way of increasing transparency within the org.

Kathryn is also concerned about documentation and believes the OTW needs to establish: clear org-wide standards for when to use Constructive Corrective Action Procedures (CCAP), an org-wide crisis communication plan, and org-wide standards for moderating comments on news posts, and that these standards can, and should, be created within the first year.

And, finally, Anh discusses having the group tasked with implementation of the OTW's strategic plan develop infographics to better communicate that plan as a means of fostering outreach to OTW members and users to bring them in to contribute to the OTW’s processes. Unfortunately the strategic plan does not currently reference any of our goals, but if updated, this could be a great path of dialogue between users and the organization.  

The new Board will be seated October 1, 2023, and we look forward to seeing what they can accomplish by working together to make the OTW and its platforms a safe and welcoming place for fans of color.

[workingclasshistory]

On this day, 6 February 1919, perhaps the most spectacular strike in US history took place: the Seattle general strike. Nearly 100,000 downed tools in support of striking shipyard workers but, more importantly, then elected a general strike committee and began running the city and essential services themselves. While the shipyard workers did not get their pay increase, the five-day general strike was a historic and successful experiment demonstrating that workers could run society ourselves. After the strike ended, the newspaper of the Central Labor Council, the Union Record, explained its importance: "We see but one way out. In place of two classes competing for the fruits of industry, there must be, eventually only one class sharing fairly the good things of the world. And this can only be done by the workers learning to manage. "When we saw in our General Strike: The Milk Wagon Drivers consulting late into the night over the task of supplying milk for the city’s babies; The Provision Trades working twenty-four hours out of the twenty-four on the question of feeding 30,000 workers; The Barbers planning a chain of co-operative barber shops; The steamfitters opening a profitless grocery store; The Labor Guards facing, under severe provocation, the task of maintaining order by a new and kinder method; When we saw union after union submitting its cherished desires to the will of the General Strike Committee: then we rejoiced. For we knew it was worth the four or five days pay apiece to get this education in the problems of management. Whatever strength we found in ourselves, and whatever weakness, we knew we were learning the thing which it is necessary for us to know. "Someday, when the workers have learned to manage, they will begin managing. And we, the workers of Seattle, have seen, in the midst of our General Strike, vaguely and across the storm, a glimpse of what the fellowship of that new day shall be." https://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/2203657846486020/?type=3

[intermundia]

looking back, the moment i was radicalized and realized that i'd never be able to participate in the economy in the same way as my fellow business/info science masters students was back in 2015, when one was bragging about cutting FTEs at his last job as a tech consultant. nobody else at the table was remotely bothered about the fact that these were full time employees whose lives they were fucking to save a few bucks.

at that point the tech bros were starting to get really excited about the potential of natural language processors (AI) to replace entire industries in the near future, from programmers and other information professionals, to writers and artists. the future they were dreaming about waa functionally a neofeudalist ruler/servant economy where nobody's expert labor was meaningfully valuable anymore, but everyone was expected to continue consuming.

in that moment i saw an entirely service based economy coming, where nobody but this new aristocracy were able to own anything. everyone would pay tithes to the corporations and all other forms of landlords just to access basic services and rights. inequality beyond anyone's wildest nightmares. so i had a breakdown and quit it all. i just couldn't do it, i couldn't act like them, this fresh class of exploitative aristocrats.

so in 2015 in a university classroom, i saw a heinous future coming that i could not in any good conscience participate in, and now that future is here. don't ask me for solutions, i don't have any; i'm paralyzed by fear and grief. all i know is that this system is not sustainable, and must be destroyed.

[flyworldmigration]

Employment Opportunities in Australia for Indians

Are you looking for a new job in Australia? If so, you’re in luck! Indians are numerous in Australia and there are many opportunities for employment. In this article, we’ll explore some of the most popular employment sectors for Indians in Australia. We’ll also provide tips on how to find the right job and make the most of your Australian experience. So whether you’re looking for a long-term stay or a temporary opportunity, read on to learn more about the employment opportunities available to Indians in Australia!

The pathways to move to Australia from India with the best Australia migration agency

There are a variety of immigration routes from India to Australia that you may select from depending on your profile and preferences. As a skilled immigrant, you can depart from India and enter Australia (permanent visa). To apply for the required visa category with the best Australia migration agency under this category, you must select an occupation from the SOL (Skilled Occupation List) or CSOL (Consolidated Sponsored Occupation List).

You must pass Australia’s point-based immigration system if you want to immigrate there as a skilled worker. Your age, education, employment history, level of English proficiency, and other variables will determine how many points you receive. An on-point system requires a minimum score of 60 points. However, a better score will increase your likelihood of being chosen.

Eligibility Criteria

First of all, you have to make sure your occupation/skill is in the skilled occupation list. Based on your skilled employment points, you can understand whether you are eligible for a visa application. If your skill is in high demand, your chances of getting an Australian visa and permanent residency (PR) will be high. Other general criteria include:

Be under the age of 45

Be proficient in English. You might have to provide proof through English language tests.

Have the required amount to support yourself financially.

Provide evidence that you meet Australia’s health requirements.

Police certificate proving good conduct

Submit an Expression of Interest

The application process can be overwhelming if you’re trying to apply with no professional or legal help. With us, the best Australia migration agency Kochi, we ensure all the rules are done within the given timeline for you to receive your visa invitation.

Our experts make up the best Australian immigration consultants in Kerala that can help you sort out all the required documents and assessments. We can help you attain your Australian PR visa, Skilled Visa and the like with zero errors and maximum efficiency.

Major Occupations

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia is facing shortages in the skilled workforce in many high paying and rewarding jobs. Many skilled professionals are moving to Australia in search of a great lifestyle, great salary and a great future for their children.

Occupations in the following fields are high in demand due to the skill shortage faced by the country:

Health Care and Social Assistance (200,000+ vacancies by 2023)

Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (165,000+ vacancies by 2023)

Education and Training (100,000+ vacancies by 2023)

Construction (110,000+ vacancies by 2023)

The vacancies under the above-mentioned list are only expected to increase in the coming years. The occupations fall under different subclasses and require certain skill assessments to provide proof of your qualifications.

These are the top 10 jobs that are in demand and facing skill shortages. Keep in mind that the higher your skill is in demand, the smoother and quicker you can get your Australian Visa, even a Permanent Residency (PR) visa.

Registered nurses

One of the essential jobs in demand in Australia, registered nurses enjoy many perks such as a PR pathway, a competitive salary, and pension benefits.

Care for the elderly and disabled

The demand for elderly and disability care is expected to rise in the coming years in Australia. The great importance of these job roles makes it a great opportunity for overseas-skilled professionals to build a rewarding life in the country.

Child care

One of the most essential and in-demand job roles, child care is a great window of opportunity for PR. Currently, there are 16,000 vacancies in child care.

Information and communications technology (ICT)

Australia provides a strong base for the development of information and communications technology, with employment expected to increase by about 20% in the coming years. A strong sector with growing vacancies is a great opportunity for Indians to gain a rewarding lifestyle.

Early childhood teachers

Australia gives great importance to quality education, which is why its universities are some of the most renowned ones. Early childhood teaching positions are expected to increase by 30,000 because the country is falling short of educators.

Electricians

Despite the fact that the industry is expanding, Australia is experiencing a shortage of electricians, one of the most important job roles in the country. The officials are expecting 11% job growth.

Software and applications programmers

The industry’s fast growth and it is being one of the world’s best make it a great opportunity for software and applications programmers to gain a smooth pathway to PR in Australia.

Construction managers

With a rewarding career and great salary packages, construction managers from overseas have found a great lifestyle in Australia.

Civil engineering professionals

Local civil engineers are unable to meet Australia’s skill demand. A job that has a high potential for growth, civil engineering provides great rewards for skilled professionals.

Chefs

According to the Australian Government’s skill priority list, chefs are one of the most in-demand job roles in the country.

The list does not end here. There are many other jobs that are in great demand and of great use to the Australian economy. But the categories can be confusing if you are new to it, the processes are strict, and there are certain state nominations you can take advantage of.

Exploring new opportunities can be overwhelming, but with the right Australian migration consultants, all the weight is lifted off your shoulders.

Choosing the right Australian PR visa consultants is the Key!

FLYWORLD is one of the top-notch Australia PR visa consultants in Kerala who offer their services to help people migrate to Australia. They are based in Kochi, India, and have a lot of experience in helping people with the process of migrating to Australia. They offer a wide range of services, including helping with the visa application process, finding employment opportunities in Australia, and providing support during the transition period.

The company has a strong focus on helping Indian citizens migrate to Australia, and they have a lot of experience in this area. They are familiar with the Australian visa application process and can offer advice and support throughout the process. They can also help with finding employment opportunities in Australia, which is often one of the biggest challenges for migrants. The company offers a comprehensive package of services that can be tailored to each individual’s needs. This includes helping with all aspects of the migration process, from start to finish. If you are considering migrating to Australia, then the Australia Migration agency Kochi can offer you expert advice and support.

Reach us for more information: https://flyworldmigration.com.au/

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Medieval Times invents a modern union-busting tactic

In the summer of 2020, I committed a minor heresy: I published a column that argued that — contrary to the orthodoxy of free culture and free software advocates — the term “IP” has a very crisp meaning: “IP” is any law or rule that can be used to control one’s critics, competitors or customers:

https://locusmag.com/2020/09/cory-doctorow-ip/

In free culture/free software circles, the term “IP” is viewed as a smokescreen, one that indiscriminately blended a basket of unrelated regulations and laws (copyright, trademark, patent, trade secrets, anticircumvention, noncompetes, nondisclosure, etc) and then declared them to be “property” and thus sacred to the neoliberal religious doctrine.

In my column, I argued that the policies grouped under “IP” were not an incoherent mess — rather, they all shared this one trait that made them useful to those who had, advocated for, or tried to expand “IP”: they were tools that would allow you to reach beyond your own business’s walls and exert control over the conduct of others — specifically, competitors, critics and customers.

Take trademark: Apple engraves miniature logos onto the parts inside your iPhone, which you will likely never see. But these logos allow Apple to argue that when someone breaks up a dead iPhone for parts sells them to independent repair shops that compete with Apple’s repair monopoly, they are violating Apple’s trademarks:

https://www.vice.com/en/article/evk4wk/dhs-seizes-iphone-screens-jessa-jones

Or take DRM: DRM is useless for preventing copyright infringement (if you want to break the DRM on, say, an audiobook, you need only do a quick search). But because breaking DRM is illegal, Amazon’s Audible — the monopolist that controls the audiobook market — can prevent a rival like libro.fm from offering you a way to switch from Audible to its platform and move your audiobooks with them:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/07/25/can-you-hear-me-now/#acx-ripoff

Anyone performing a security audit of a modern digital product most likely violates some IP — either terms of service, or DRM, or both, or some other right. When these security researchers criticize manufacturers for their insecure products, the manufacturer can silence them with IP threats:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/10/canada-chile-security-researchers-have-rights-our-new-report

IP rights also prevent you from using the things you own in the way you want — they can control customers For example, IP rights allow your printer to refuse to print with ink of your choosing — it’s not that your printer can’t use that ink, rather, it won’t:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/11/ink-stained-wretches-battle-soul-digital-freedom-taking-place-inside-your-printer

Ever since I published that piece, I’ve noticed lots of examples of IP that fit within this box, and today, I found a particularly egregious one. Medieval Times has sued its workers’ union, Medieval Times Performers United, under trademark law:

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/medieval-times-sues-union-trademark_n_63485fa5e4b0b7f89f54546b

Medieval Times argues that its workers can’t call themselves “Medieval Times Performers United” because this will fool people into thinking that the company endorses the union, and that is a source of “consumer confusion,” and thus a trademark violation.

This is, of course, bullshit. Trademark contains a broad “nominative use” exception: trademark doesn’t let Coca-Cola stop Pepsi from claiming, “Our drink tastes better than Coke.” It doesn’t let HP prevent companies from advertising “HP-compatible ink cartridges.” It doesn’t let Apple prevent shops from saying “We fix iPhones.”

The union is contemplating mounting a defense at the National Labor Relations Board — not in a courtroom — “arguing that the lawsuit itself violates workers’ rights.”

It’s part of a broad union-busting campaign from Medieval Times, including anti-union “consultants” who bill $3,200/day. The performers are unionizing over pay, respect and workplace safety issues caused by inadequate staffing, especially staff who police the audience to prevent them from spooking the horses during jousting tournaments. Some performers have been attacked by drunken audience members.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/medieval-times-workers-first-union_n_62bb1d29e4b0d26a9b14fa17

[Striking workers in front of a factory, being fired on by teargas. Between them and the factory are a pair of jousting knights in the style of a medieval tapestry. Behind the factory looms a giant, ogrish boss in a top-hat, chomping a cigar. He is pulling on a lever made from a stylized dollar sign. In one gloved hand, he holds aloft a medieval night, who is bent over in supplication.]

[lordwoolselytaxservices]

To the people who are trying to break the 'capitalistic nature of medicine' but still charge you $800 for an hour and a half (about $533/hour) long session with them I hope you know you're part of the problem. (It's not just medicine either. It's all the get rich quick people, all the 'its so easy to become a millionaire/entrepreneur/business owner/etc' people too.)

Because the realty is that those of us who need your services the most can't afford that. And since Big Pharma doesn't recognize your practice because they can't profit off of it I have to pay out of pocket.

I'm not saying you shouldn't be paid for your time and expertise. You should. But $800 for 90 minutes of what? How often? What if it doesn't work like everything else I've tried? That's half my monthly salary as a full time employee. They offer 15 minute phone consultations first, which is great! At $75 per 15 minutes. A rate of about $300/hour.

People who can afford those types of services at those prices are already doing it. *gestures to upper middle class and upper class* The people who need it the most can't.

I've been playing prescription roulette for over 20 years at this point. Finding someone who is approaching things from a different angle is the only option I haven't exhausted. And you wanna charge me, someone who is considered impoverished by class terms/value/salary/etc. here in the US, $800 for a 90 minute session.

I am so so so fucking sick of this "let me post this video on TikTok/Reels/etc about how I can help so many people and then let them click a link that tells them it costs literally hundreds of dollars".

You are praying on us just like Big Pharma and Big Corp and quite frankly the entire upper class does.

What will y'all do when we're all dead and can't carry your labor and fill your pockets? What then?

[meg2md]

I don't know that I like third year. It's an adjustment. I'm sure it will be fine, eventually. But it's hard, and it's a different vibe, and it's struggling to find my place.

Looking at the interns, I do see how far I've come. I was in their shoes, once: struggling to find a cervix, falling behind with inductions/mag notes/strip notes/postpartum calls, scared of decelerations, unsure how to piece the clinical picture of labor together. I'm efficient with things I know how to do. Keep me to ante/gyne and I'm ON TOP of blood pressures, blood sugars, consults, antepartum calls etc. I feel pretty good about up-titrating blood pressure medications, deducing superimposed preeclampsia from chronic hypertension exacerbations, managing PPROM +/- PTL. I've read a lot. I think my signouts are decent.

But now as a third year, the antepartum "chief", I am really, really struggling. Now I have to delegate. I need to figure out what things I do, what things I have the second year do. When my actual R4 L&D chief is off the floor, I'm then in charge of everything (including training the day 3 intern). What's REALLY hard is the power dynamics. I'm in charge of the antepartum service, but my R4 is still in charge of me. And then on top of that, different R4s have different opinions, and then I get caught in the middle!!! A patient came into triage today, ruptured with twins, concern for preterm labor. I was told to let the R2 see her. I did, then sent the R2 home. Then the night team told me I should have seen her instead. And the R2 should be doing XYZ. And my signout wasn't well-prepared enough about her (even though I thought it was decent). Which to the first point, like, fair. I tried to have my R2 doing the XYZ. But I was also told to have her see the triage patient. So then it's like I'm in charge, but actually I'm in "charge", and the different people who are ACTUALLY in charge have different ideas about how to do things, but then it's either I take the blame or throw someone else under the bus.

And obviously, there are learning points. I can always know more about the patients. I think I did a fine job, especially since I've been on MFM/antepartum for TWO MONTHS STRAIGHT, but I do need to know the patients I don't admit a little better. And when my R4 can't come to signout, I really should know the floor better. These are things that will come with time, I'm sure. I am three days into my first time being a senior. I'm learning not only how to cover an ENTIRE service, but also how to manage an intern who needs to learn, well, literally everything. And can't do anything by herself yet. (Like I said, it's fine, we were all there at some point.)

But it's really, really hard to be told to do your job different ways from different people, and then you have to take responsibility for it anyway, and also you're supposed to be in charge of a service but you're not really.

And also, I have tomorrow off, but there's still hot as fuck drying equipment all over my apartment, and it's ninety degrees in here, and I can't play PC games without tripping the breaker. So I guess I'll just sit alone in the heat and be miserable.

Oh well. I ranted to like. Three of my friends. And here. I'll feel better eventually. Residency is really hard, and in really unexpected ways.

[inlibrariusvenefica]

Lunar Return April 11-May 8, 2024

Lunar Moon in 9th House

Beliefs, philosophical books, ceremonies, colleges, counselors, foreign countries, higher education, exploration, hips, horses, illness of one's parents, long journeys, overseas travel, judges, juries, degree attainable knowledge, liver, metaphysics, health of parent of the opposite sex/gender of the native, philanthropy, philosophy, religion, sciatic nerves, spiritual occurrences, teachers, thighs, universities, published writings

New Moon

New beginnings, rebirth, a new cycle. Enhanced intuition. Renewal.

Virgo Ascendant (Theme of the Month)

Abdomen, animals in general, civil service, clothing, critical people, detail, dentists, diet/dieticians, doctors, editing, employees, one's employment, fingers, food in general, gardens, hands, healing and healers, health, hygiene, illness, intestines, labor, libraries, nerves, pets, refrigerators, scientists, secretaries, stores, tailors, textiles, detailed or practical work. Analytical, careful, neat, organized, critical, cynical, perfectionist, practical, productive, reserved, skeptical, self-doubt, modest, irritable

Ascendant Ruler in 7th House

Agreements, alliances, lower half of the back, contracts, kidneys, litigation, marriage, peace, the public, society, unions

7th House Stellum (Same as Ascendant in 7th House)

Other Things

Sun conjunct Mercury= Focus on thinking and communication. Great time for sharing ideas and quick thinking

Mars conjunct Saturn= May feel like people at work are micromanaging or oppressing you. Sudden responsibilities at home. Frustrating and irritating events. Don't do anything risky. Channel anger through productive activities.

Neptune opposite Ascendant= Close relationships will be difficult and confusing. Be careful when consulting others.

Vertex conjunct Descendant= Meaningful people coming into my life