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mostlysignssomeportents · 4 months ago

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Tech monopolists use their market power to invade your privacy

On SEPTEMBER 24th, I'll be speaking IN PERSON at the BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY!

It's easy to greet the FTC's new report on social media privacy, which concludes that tech giants have terrible privacy practices with a resounding "duh," but that would be a grave mistake.

Much to the disappointment of autocrats and would-be autocrats, administrative agencies like the FTC can't just make rules up. In order to enact policies, regulators have to do their homework: for example, they can do "market studies," which go beyond anything you'd get out of an MBA or Master of Public Policy program, thanks to the agency's legal authority to force companies to reveal their confidential business information.

Market studies are fabulous in their own right. The UK Competition and Markets Authority has a fantastic research group called the Digital Markets Unit that has published some of the most fascinating deep dives into how parts of the tech industry actually function, 400+ page bangers that pierce the Shield of Boringness that tech firms use to hide their operations. I recommend their ad-tech study:

https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/online-platforms-and-digital-advertising-market-study

In and of themselves, good market studies are powerful things. They expose workings. They inform debate. When they're undertaken by wealthy, powerful countries, they provide enforcement roadmaps for smaller, poorer nations who are being tormented in the same way, by the same companies, that the regulator studied.

But market studies are really just curtain-raisers. After a regulator establishes the facts about a market, they can intervene. They can propose new regulations, and they can impose "conduct remedies" (punishments that restrict corporate behavior) on companies that are cheating.

Now, the stolen, corrupt, illegitimate, extremist, bullshit Supreme Court just made regulation a lot harder. In a case called Loper Bright, SCOTUS killed the longstanding principle of "Chevron deference," which basically meant that when an agency said it had built a factual case to support a regulation, courts should assume they're not lying:

https://jacobin.com/2024/07/scotus-decisions-chevron-immunity-loper

The death of Chevron Deference means that many important regulations – past, present and future – are going to get dragged in front of a judge, most likely one of those Texas MAGA mouth-breathers in the Fifth Circuit, to be neutered or killed. But even so, regulators still have options – they can still impose conduct remedies, which are unaffected by the sabotage of Chevron Deference.

Pre-Loper, post-Loper, and today, the careful, thorough investigation of the facts of how markets operate is the prelude to doing things about how those markets operate. Facts matter. They matter even if there's a change in government, because once the facts are in the public domain, other governments can use them as the basis for action.

Which is why, when the FTC uses its powers to compel disclosures from the largest tech companies in the world, and then assesses those disclosures and concludes that these companies engage in "vast surveillance," in ways that the users don't realize and that these companies "fail to adequately protect users, that matters.

What's more, the Commission concludes that "data abuses can fuel market dominance, and market dominance can, in turn, further enable data abuses and practices that harm consumers." In other words: tech monopolists spy on us in order to achieve and maintain their monopolies, and then they spy on us some more, and that hurts us.

So if you're wondering what kind of action this report is teeing up, I think we can safely say that the FTC believes that there's evidence that the unregulated, rampant practices of the commercial surveillance industry are illegal. First, because commercial surveillance harms us as "consumers." "Consumer welfare" is the one rubric for enforcement that the right-wing economists who hijacked antitrust law in the Reagan era left intact, and here we have the Commission giving us evidence that surveillance hurts us, and that it comes about as a result of monopoly, and that the more companies spy, the stronger their monopolies become.

But the Commission also tees up another kind of enforcement: Section 5, the long (long!) neglected power of the agency to punish companies for "unfair and deceptive methods of competition," a very broad power indeed:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/10/the-courage-to-govern/#whos-in-charge

In the study, the Commission shows – pretty convincingly! – that the commercial surveillance sector routinely tricks people who have no idea how their data is being used. Most people don't understand, for example, that the platforms use all kinds of inducements to get web publishers to embed tracking pixels, fonts, analytics beacons, etc that send user-data back to the Big Tech databases, where it's merged with data from your direct interactions with the company. Likewise, most people don't understand the shadowy data-broker industry, which sells Big Tech gigantic amounts of data harvested by your credit card company, by Bluetooth and wifi monitoring devices on streets and in stores, and by your car. Data-brokers buy this data from anyone who claims to have it, including people who are probably lying, like Nissan, who claims that it has records of the smells inside drivers' cars, as well as those drivers' sex-lives:

https://nypost.com/2023/09/06/nissan-kia-collect-data-about-drivers-sexual-activity/

Or Cox Communications, which claims that it is secretly recording and transcribing the conversations we have in range of the mics on our speakers, phones, and other IoT devices:

https://www.404media.co/heres-the-pitch-deck-for-active-listening-ad-targeting/

(If there's a kernel of truth to Cox's bullshit, my guess it's that they've convinced some of the sleazier "smart TV" companies to secretly turn on their mics, then inflated this into a marketdroid's wet-dream of "we have logged every word uttered by Americans and can use it to target ads.)

Notwithstanding the rampant fraud inside the data brokerage industry, there's no question that some of the data they offer for sale is real, that it's intimate and sensitive, and that the people it's harvested from never consented to its collection. How do you opt out of public facial recognition cameras? "Just don't have a face" isn't a realistic opt-out policy.

And if the public is being deceived about the collection of this data, they're even more in the dark about the way it's used – merged with on-platform usage data and data from apps and the web, then analyzed for the purposes of drawing "inferences" about you and your traits.

What's more, the companies have chaotic, bullshit internal processes for handling your data, which also rise to the level of "deceptive and unfair" conduct. For example, if you send these companies a deletion request for your data, they'll tell you they deleted the data, but actually, they keep it, after "de-identifying" it.

De-identification is a highly theoretical way of sanitizing data by removing the "personally identifiers" from it. In practice, most de-identified data can be quickly re-identified, and nearly all de-identified data can eventually be re-identified:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/03/08/the-fire-of-orodruin/#are-we-the-baddies

Breaches, re-identification, and weaponization are extraordinarily hard to prevent. In general, we should operate on the assumption that any data that's collected will probably leak, and any data that's retained will almost certainly leak someday. To have even a hope of preventing this, companies have to treat data with enormous care, maintaining detailed logs and conducting regular audits. But the Commission found that the biggest tech companies are extraordinarily sloppy, to the point where "they often could not even identify all the data points they collected or all of the third parties they shared that data with."

This has serious implications for consumer privacy, obviously, but there's also a big national security dimension. Given the recent panic at the prospect that the Chinese government is using Tiktok to spy on Americans, it's pretty amazing that American commercial surveillance has escaped serious Congressional scrutiny.

After all, it would be a simple matter to use the tech platforms targeting systems to identify and push ads (including ads linking to malicious sites) to Congressional staffers ("under-40s with Political Science college degrees within one mile of Congress") or, say, NORAD personnel ("Air Force enlistees within one mile of Cheyenne Mountain").

Those targeting parameters should be enough to worry Congress, but there's a whole universe of potential characteristics that can be selected, hence the Commission's conclusion that "profound threats to users can occur when targeting occurs based on sensitive categories."

The FTC's findings about the dangers of all this data are timely, given the current wrangle over another antitrust case. In August, a federal court found that Google is a monopolist in search, and that the company used its data lakes to secure and maintain its monopoly.

This kicked off widespread demands for the court to order Google to share its data with competitors in order to erase that competitive advantage. Holy moly is this a bad idea – as the FTC study shows, the data that Google stole from us all is incredibly toxic. Arguing that we can fix the Google problem by sharing that data far and wide is like proposing that we can "solve" the fact that only some countries have nuclear warheads by "democratizing" access to planet-busting bombs:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/08/07/revealed-preferences/#extinguish-v-improve

To address the competitive advantage Google achieved by engaging in the reckless, harmful conduct detailed in this FTC report, we should delete all that data. Sure, that may seem inconceivable, but come on, surely the right amount of toxic, nonconsensually harvested data on the public that should be retained by corporations is zero:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/09/19/just-stop-putting-that-up-your-ass/#harm-reduction

Some people argue that we don't need to share out the data that Google never should have been allowed to collect – it's enough to share out the "inferences" that Google drew from that data, and from other data its other tentacles (Youtube, Android, etc) shoved into its gaping maw, as well as the oceans of data-broker slurry it stirred into the mix.

But as the report finds, the most unethical, least consensual data was "personal information that these systems infer, that was purchased from third parties, or that was derived from users’ and non-users’ activities off of the platform." We gotta delete that, too. Especially that.

A major focus of the report is the way that the platforms handled children's data. Platforms have special obligations when it comes to kids' data, because while Congress has failed to act on consumer privacy, they did bestir themselves to enact a children's privacy law. In 2000, Congress passed the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which puts strict limits on the collection, retention and processing of data on kids under 13.

Now, there are two ways to think about COPPA. One view is, "if you're not certain that everyone in your data-set is over 13, you shouldn't be collecting or processing their data at all." Another is, "In order to ensure that everyone whose data you're collecting and processing is over 13, you should collect a gigantic amount of data on all of them, including the under-13s, in order to be sure that not collecting under-13s' data." That second approach would be ironically self-defeating, obviously, though it's one that's gaining traction around the world and in state legislatures, as "age verification" laws find legislative support.

The platforms, meanwhile, found a third, even stupider approach: rather than collecting nothing because they can't verify ages, or collecting everything to verify ages, they collect everything, but make you click a box that says, "I'm over 13":

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/09/how-to-make-a-child-safe-tiktok/

It will not surprise you to learn that many children under 13 have figured out that they can click the "I'm over 13" box and go on their merry way. It won't surprise you, but apparently, it will surprise the hell out of the platforms, who claimed that they had zero underage users on the basis that everyone has to click the "I'm over 13" box to get an account on the service.

By failing to pass comprehensive privacy legislation for 36 years (and counting), Congress delegated privacy protection to self-regulation by the companies themselves. They've been marking their own homework, and now, thanks to the FTC's power to compel disclosures, we can say for certain that the platforms cheat.

No surprise that the FTC's top recommendation is for Congress to pass a new privacy law. But they've got other, eminently sensible recommendations, like requiring the companies to do a better job of protecting their users' data: collect less, store less, delete it after use, stop combining data from their various lines of business, and stop sharing data with third parties.

Remember, the FTC has broad powers to order "conduct remedies" like this, and these are largely unaffected by the Supreme Court's "Chevron deference" decision in Loper-Bright.

The FTC says that privacy policies should be "clear, simple, and easily understood," and says that ad-targeting should be severely restricted. They want clearer consent for data inferences (including AI), and that companies should monitor their own processes with regular, stringent audits.

They also have recommendations for competition regulators – remember, the Biden administration has a "whole of government" antitrust approach that asks every agency to use its power to break up corporate concentration:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/08/party-its-1979-og-antitrust-back-baby

They say that competition enforcers factor in the privacy implications of proposed mergers, and think about how promoting privacy could also promote competition (in other words, if Google's stolen data helped it secure a monopoly, then making them delete that data will weaken their market power).

I understand the reflex to greet a report like this with cheap cynicism, but that's a mistake. There's a difference between "everybody knows" that tech is screwing us on privacy, and "a federal agency has concluded" that this is true. These market studies make a difference – if you doubt it, consider for a moment that Cigna is suing the FTC for releasing a landmark market study showing how its Express Scripts division has used its monopoly power to jack up the price of prescription drugs:

https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payers/express-scripts-files-suit-against-ftc-demands-retraction-report-pbm-industry

Big business is shit-scared of this kind of research by federal agencies – if they think this threatens their power, why shouldn't we take them at their word?

This report is a milestone, and – as with the UK Competition and Markets Authority reports – it's a banger. Even after Loper-Bright, this report can form the factual foundation for muscular conduct remedies that will limit what the largest tech companies can do.

But without privacy law, the data brokerages that feed the tech giants will be largely unaffected. True, the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau is doing some good work at the margins here:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/16/the-second-best-time-is-now/#the-point-of-a-system-is-what-it-does

But we need to do more than curb the worst excesses of the largest data-brokers. We need to kill this sector, and to do that, Congress has to act:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/12/06/privacy-first/#but-not-just-privacy

The paperback edition of The Lost Cause, my nationally bestselling, hopeful solarpunk novel is out this month!

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/2024/09/20/water-also-wet/#marking-their-own-homework

Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

#pluralistic #coppa #privacy first #ftc #section 5 of the ftc act #privacy #consumer privacy #big tech #antitrust #monopolies #data brokers #radium suppositories #commercial surveillance #surveillance #google #a look behind the screens

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creature-wizard · 1 year ago

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"I'm in a bad place and need to get out, what can I do?"

I figured I'd make a post with all the resources/tips I've collected to help people get out of shitty situations so far, since it's easier than linking to a bunch of posts each time.

Seek out appropriate resources. This can include support groups (online or offline), helplines, and the like.

If you're in the US, you can call 211 to help you find resources.

Crisis Text Line offers services to the US, Ireland, Canada, and the UK.

RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is a US service offers a lot of information for sexual abuse survivors.

The Trevor Lifeline is a service for queer youth in the US.

If you're a minor, you may wish to read How To Escape Abusive Parents: A Guide For Minors.

If you're an adult, you may wish to read How To Escape Abusive Parents: A Guide For Adults.

You might search on Qwant for like something like "resources for people in abuse" or "abuse resources help" or "domestic violence survivors resources".

Ask people for help in finding resources. If you can't find anything on your own, there are other people who know where to direct you. It might take awhile to find what you're looking for, but keep asking.

A WORD OF CAUTION: there are many predatory spiritual groups and conspiracy theorists out there who prey on abuse survivors and mentally ill people. You will often see these people claiming that channeling or hypnosis can help you remember past life memories or repressed traumatic memories. This is nonsense and quackery.

Relevant posts of mine:

Hypnosis is unreliable for memory recovery, and this is one way we know.

False past life memories among the starseed movement

Here’s the trouble with hypnotic regression…

If you're on a website that claims to support cult survivors and you see any of these names in the citations (and make sure you check the citations!), leave immediately - all of these people are far right conspiracy theorists. (Unfortunately, many people today are unwittingly perpetuating the BS of Fritz Springmeier in particular. See this and this for more info on that.)

Change who and what you surround yourself with. Start associating with different people/groups as much as you can. Get hobbies to fill your time. Unfollow blogs that reinforce the beliefs you're trying to get away from, and follow blogs that provide a healthier alternative.

You might follow blogs like:

A Kind Place

Trauma Survivors Helping Trauma Survivors

Compassionate Reminders

Trauma Survivors Activities

Reasons For Hope

Bluest Fluff

If you're trying to rebuild your worldview without conspiratorial/culty elements, go take a look at my Resources page.

Remember that your first job is looking after yourself. You don't owe the group. You aren't responsible for the group, or for anyone in it. It might feel that way, but it's vitally important to acknowledge when you're unqualified or suffering burnout. You might feel like bad things will happen if you leave, but that's a fear, not a fact.

You also don't have to justify your departure to the group. You can just leave. If you feel that you must give a reason, you can offer something as simple as "I need to take some time to focus on my mental health" or "I'm really busy lately and don't have time to spend here." If they throw a fit over this, that's honestly just more proof that you need to get out.

If any practices the group taught you actually helped, you can keep doing them. If doing affirmations helped you, keep doing affirmations. If listening to so-called healing frequencies actually made you feel better, you don't have to stop listening to them. If you were practicing something like the Law of Assumption, you can carry on with a lot of that under a psychological model rather than Neville Goddard's wacky metaphysical model. (See this video for an example.) If it genuinely helps you and doesn't hurt anyone else, by all means, keep doing it.

You might look at my Manifestation Without Woo posts:

Manifestation Without Woo: Changing Your Brain

Manifestation Without Woo: People React To Your Projections, & Your Projections Affect Your Perceptions

Manifestation Without Woo: Setting Reasonable Goals

Manifestation Without Woo: Make It Fun!

Manifestation Without Woo: What If It's Not Working?

Get some critical thinking skills. In order to keep yourself from falling into another bad group, it's important to develop your critical thinking skills.

Learn to apply the Five W's (who, what, when, where, and why) when encountering any information.

Learn common logical fallacies.

Learn the difference between fact, opinion, belief, and prejudice.

Don't equate emotional reactions with some kind of innate or higher moral guidance.

Ask yourself if you're "thinking for yourself" or being led to believe you're thinking for yourself.

Know what emotional manipulation tactics look like.

Watch out for these behaviors in any new group you join.

Yes, there are ways to confirm the age of an old text without having the original text itself.

Learn how propaganda works.

Watch out for these red flags in spiritual groups.

And watch out for this red flag.

Understand that belief doesn't have to be binary.

So yeah, hopefully this'll give folks some actionable advice. I can't promise it's going to help each and every person out there, but hopefully it'll give a lot of you something that will help.

#cult recovery #cults #religious abuse #spiritual abuse #spirituality #resources

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qqueenofhades · 1 year ago

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Hi, I have a question, and it ties in to one of your recent posts about the far-left's damage done for otherwise well-intentioned Palestinian causes. I'm sure you've heard of some "marches" that took place yesterday in Manhattan, directed towards a pediatric cancer ward, all while being led by otherwise Pro-Palestine individuals. If it's alright with you, I'd like to know your thoughts on the matter, and why you think so many "Pro-Palestine" organizations think it to be wise in targeting entirely innocent businesses like these.

One, they're very fucking stupid. This isn't a scholarly analysis per se, but it's the truth. It's the same thing as when some British people decided that the UK high street clothing chain Zara was "supporting Israeli genocide" due to having an ad campaign with a white scarf in it, or something. Even aside from the fact that ad campaigns are planned and shot months in advance and it took serious brainworms to decide that was the Hidden Message, it resulted in the same kind of idiotic March on Zara for Justice!! event.

Second, the air of rabid and cartoonish antisemitism, both online and off, means that anything can be justified as "praxis" if you call it "Pro-Palestine/anti-Israeli." Such as with the post I saw on my dash the other day sweetly wishing total destruction on Israel, which 10k+ people reblogged in the name of, I suppose, solidarity.

Third, it's a common cult/religious control technique used to enforce in-group solidarity. It's the same reason Mormons and Jehovahs Witnesses send their people out to proselytize in public: not necessarily because they think they'll convert anyone, but so its members can experience Cruel Rejection from members of the uncaring public unwilling to see the Truth, and bind more closely and devotedly to the in-group and its beliefs as a result, regardless of how disjointed this is with the rest of reality. So yes.

#anonymous #ask #politics for ts #israel hamas war

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coochiequeens · 6 months ago

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But the TQ+ cult continues to deny that children are transed

Dr Helen Webberley said that her licence had been revoked on a technicality

ADRIAN SHERRATT FOR THE TIMES

James Beal, Social Affairs Editor Friday July 19 2024

The General Medical Council has revoked the licence to practise of a controversial British doctor whose offshore clinic treats transgender children.

Dr Helen Webberley, 55, will lose her licence in Britain from Friday but will remain on the GMC’s register, following the decision by the medical regulator.

The decision was made by the GMC after she did not comply with a registered doctor’s legal obligation to revalidate their licence every five years.

Webberley runs GenderGP, an online company registered in Singapore, which facilitates access to puberty blockers and hormones for adults and children.

She told The Times that the decision would not prevent her from continuing in her role at GenderGP and said that she did not personally treat the patients.

Michael Webberley was struck off in 2022 for prescribing hormones to patients as young as nine without proper assessments

Webberley said: “I fought incredibly hard to keep my licence, both for myself and also for the community, because it’s important to set precedent. Now to have it taken away on a technicality, if you like, is very heartbreaking, but I will continue my work as I have done.”

GenderGP assesses adults and children with gender dysphoria and connects them to doctors outside Britain, in the European Economic Area (EEA), for prescriptions for hormones.

This means UK children as young as eight can access puberty blockers, despite the Cass Report, a review of trans healthcare led by the paediatrician Dr Hilary Cass, concluding there was no good evidence for prescribing them.

Webberley was suspended from practising medicine in 2022 after she was found to have committed serious misconduct by a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service panel over her treatment of three trans children. She successfully appealed against the decision at the High Court in 2023.

Dr Hilary Cass’s review found there was no good evidence to support the global clinical practice of prescribing hormones to under-18s to pause puberty

TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE

Webberley said that she had not used her licence to practise since 2017, when investigations into her conduct by the GMC began. She said that she could not revalidate her licence because she could not find a “responsible officer”, or suitable person, to vouch for her fitness to practise.

Doctors are required to notify the GMC of a designated body and responsible officer to do this.

Webberley said: “The difficulty is … I no longer have a connection with an NHS trust or a GP surgery. I don’t have a responsible officer. It’s also very difficult to get that connection after what I’ve been through.”

She says she was offered the chance to take an exam in order to revalidate her licence, but declined because they “don’t have one for doctors working in transgender medicine”.

Michael and Helen Webberley are now thought to be living in Spain while their business is registered in Singapore

The GMC then withdrew her licence, which it can do if it determines that guidance to revalidate has not been complied with “without reasonable excuse”.

Webberley, from south Wales, said that she would carry on her work at GenderGP.

She said: “I’m not allowed to directly treat and manage individual patients [but] I’m not treating them.

“Treatment means sitting down with somebody, making a diagnosis, making a treatment management plan, prescribing medication, following up investigations and results.

“With GenderGP we have a whole team of professionals who do that. I don’t treat patients individually. They [the GMC] don’t have a regulatory role in my wider work.”

A GMC spokesman said: “Every licensed doctor must take part in the revalidation process, which provides assurance that they are keeping their knowledge up to date, are fit to practise and that no concerns have been raised about them.

“Doctors who do not have a connection to a designated body or suitable person are able to revalidate in a number of ways, including by passing a written multiple choice test called a revalidation assessment.

“There are 12 assessments to choose from, and doctors are encouraged to choose one closest to their most recent area of specialty. We cannot tailor assessments to every doctor’s specific area of practice.

“If doctors do not comply with our guidance on revalidation without reasonable excuse, we may withdraw their licence to practise.”

Webberley and her husband Michael, who set up GenderGP in 2015, are now believed to live in Spain.

As an online business based abroad it is not registered with the Care Quality Commission, but Helen Webberley has denied basing it in Asia to avoid scrutiny.

Michael Webberley, 67, a former gastroenterologist, was struck off in 2022 for prescribing hormones to patients as young as nine without proper assessments.

GenderGP was also criticised in the High Court earlier this year for giving “dangerously high” levels of hormones to a 16-year-old, who was born female but identified as male, that could have resulted in sudden death.

Webberley has called the court claim “untrue”. The Times reported last month that GenderGP, which has more than 10,000 patients, had ditched health advisers in favour of an AI algorithm providing “self-service” treatment.

Behind the story

The health secretary Wes Streeting has indicated that he will seek to make permanent the temporary three-month ban on puberty blockers being supplied to children (James Beal writes).

But Helen Webberley said children at her clinic were still getting hold of them.

Laws to ban the drugs being supplied by private or offshore clinics were passed by Victoria Atkins, Streeting’s predecessor, in emergency legislation before the general election.

They are due to expire on September 3, but the Labour government suggested last week that it would, subject to court proceedings, renew the ban with a view to making it permanent.

It followed the Cass Report, which found there was no good evidence to support the global clinical practice of prescribing hormones to under-18s to pause puberty or transition.

However, Webberley, in an interview with The Times last month, said patients at her offshore clinic were going abroad, using foreign doctors and chemists, to side-step the ban.

She said: “The parents of young people who are affected by this ban will find another way. The last thing is that they will allow their child to stop the puberty blocker and start going through puberty. That’s going to really really affect them mentally and physically.

“I know mums and dads who are just going on holiday to get their puberty blocker instead. They’re going to wherever they’re going on holiday this year.”

Distancing GenderGP, her clinic, from their actions, she said: “We don’t have to find those opportunities, the parents find those ways of managing it.”

Now the revelation that she has lost her GMC licence to practise may increase concerns about her clinic, which operates out of reach of regulators such as the Care Quality Commission.

It follows disclosures that GenderGP had created an AI algorithm to make treatment recommendations rather than using health advisers.

However, given the state of transgender healthcare in the UK, with long waiting lists for treatment, it may not deter transgender patients from turning to GenderGP.

#UK #britian #Dr Helen Webberley #The General Medical Council #An offshore clinic treats transgender children does not sound assuring #GenderGP #in 2022 she was found to have committed serious misconduct by a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service panel #Michael Webberly prescribed hormones to patients as young as nine without proper assessments #Dr Cass is a hero

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seasurfacefullofclouds1 · 1 month ago

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Hi! I sent the anon about the BMG article - I can't link but it's online if you want to

Here’s the article, and I’ll excerpt:

SO WHAT’S BMG’S SECRET?

Number one, and it sounds obvious, make a great album. In the early days of the new BMG, we were very much artist services: you delivered a record, we released it for you.

Under Korda [Marshall, former BMG SVP] and now Jamie, the A&R element is very important. With all of the examples we could look at, the records are very good – but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to be successful.

The second element, in almost every example, is they have great management. The partnership between the label and the artist manager is so integral.

And the third element is the excitement and determination coming from the artist themselves. If it’s, ‘We’re going on tour, we should put a record out to support the tour’, that’s OK, but it’s not being driven by the music. I’ve had artists in here who’ve said, ‘This feels like the first roll of the dice’, even though it’s many years later.

IS IT HARDER TO DO THOSE DEALS NOW YOU’RE UP AGAINST VENTURE CAPITALISTS?

The problem is, we’ve seen a lot of overheated deals that have inflated prices and it’s very hard then to say to somebody, ‘This is what your catalogue is worth’, because they’re like, ‘Well, so-and-so got that much’.

If you’re selling a portion of your catalogue, but you’re still going to be out there performing and releasing new music, it’s important you have a company that’s a proper publisher or label. We will always curate and look after your legacy better than a fund will do, because we know how to administer songs and release recordings.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE MORE ACTS SIGNED FOR BOTH RECORDS AND PUBLISHING?

The balance is good. What we’ve never done is pressurise or make anything contingent on one or the other.

I enjoy the fact that lots of our writers are signed to other labels. Since Thomas took over, you’re seeing more engagement with the industry. Our communication historically was a little bit, ‘We’re out on our own, BMG is the new music company’. I always felt we were somewhat detached from the industry.

Now we’re shifting our physical distribution to Universal from October, going direct to digital and building our relationships with DSPs, you’re starting to see people joining BMG from the majors, particularly in the US and UK; you didn’t see that before.

The industry needs to be more collaborative. The Ivors is the best awards show because it’s the publishing industry coming together, acknowledging and rewarding everybody else’s success.

There’s always a feeling in the room of collaboration. The BRITs is more competitive, you support your team. But music publishers are used to sharing songs; we share the song, so we share the success.

HOW HAVE THOMAS’ [CEO Coesfeld] CHANGES AFFECTED THE WAY YOU WORK?

The biggest change Thomas has made is the focus on just being a publisher and a record company. It was great to be able to make documentaries and co-produce films but, on reflection after 12 months of not doing that, this is a much better way to run a business – to be super-focused on the core business of music publishing and records.

The other big change, which perhaps hasn’t been explained as well as it should have been, is the change to how we’re working internationally.

We had created a large international hub in Berlin and local marketing was going via Berlin. That team was disbanded last autumn, and there was a discussion in the industry about ‘BMG bailing out of international’ – which was totally contrary to what we are doing!

Now, with UK projects being marketed in America, they’re not going through a central hub, there’s just direct communication from London to Los Angeles.

CONVERSELY, IT SEEMS TO BE A VERY TOUGH TIME FOR BRITISH ARTISTS INTERNATIONALLY…

If we were exclusively focused on breaking talent, it would be very difficult. But the world we’re in and the artists we’re working with… I look at Simple Minds; next year will be the biggest US tour they’ve ever done. I look at Louis Tomlinson; his touring is going from strength to strength.

That Suede/Manics tour began in the US. I remember going to the Brooklyn show and thinking, ‘This is the smart way for UK acts to team up’. You’re getting bigger audiences at less cost and you’ll see more of those package tours, they’re excellent.

It is harder than it’s ever been, but the lane we are in gives me confidence that we can work within the parameters of the current climate.

DOES BMG STILL WANT TO TAKE ON THE MAJORS?

One has to be realistic. Frankly, you’re not going to take [them] on. We want to be competitive, but we’re seeing much more of a collaborative spirit.

It should be a healthy, competitive marketplace but there are so many examples now where artists are featuring on other people’s records… So many records are X featuring Y and it involves two labels, one of them is the releasing label and the other one shares in the revenues.

There’s a lot more partnership coming and an artist doesn’t want to hear that you don’t get on with this label, because that’s buggering up their plans.

When we started, we had to be disruptive and agitate. But, as an industry, we’ll be stronger if we’re more aligned than if we fight with each other.

WHAT ARE YOUR PRIORITIES OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS?

To be more impactful internationally. To support the doubling down in the US, by signing the records and artists that can be meaningful in America, and moving into stadium artists.

In 2018, we were in theatres. Now we’re in arenas. Our job is to demonstrate to those artists that we are a serious contender at that [stadium] level.

We’re proud to publish Dave Rowntree from Blur – we could do a Blur album. I’m proud to do the neighbouring rights for Coldplay – we could do a Coldplay record. I’m proud to have worked with Bono on the Peter And The Wolf project – we could do a U2 record. I’m proud to publish Matt Bellamy – we could do a Muse record.

Every time you think maybe BMG has run out of runway, it hasn’t. And, because of the way the industry’s going, there are more opportunities coming. This is a good time to be at BMG.

So what I’m getting out of this:

1. BMG takes a lot of its cues from the artists and their managements. It isn’t comfortable taking big risks unless that’s what the artist wants to do.

2. BMG is more comfortable working with established acts who have a firm fanbase. It has neither the money nor manpower to break new acts or to significantly grow old ones. The BMG A&R department is more about connecting established artists to other creatives in industry, not breaking unknowns.

3. BMG takes a smaller slice of the pie from artists because established artists negotiate better terms for themselves. Just like we’ve seen with Louis, BMG relies on fans to pick up whatever their artist is doing.

4. BMG is not competitive in the USA. They’ve not been able to expand in the biggest English-speaking market in the world, and that really impacts them globally since USA charts affect so much global listening. Maybe Louis’ Eurocentric focus is a consequence of BMG’s Eurocentric business. It’s more complicated than just one factor, but it might partially explain the difference of Louis’ success in the USA with Niall, who is with one of the big three.

5. Venture capital is really turning the creative arts into big business, in a bad way. The same way venture cap has locked young people out of home ownership and savings, it’s killed the careers of young people breaking organically into music. Now every artist is seen as the worth of their tours and future catalogues. That means fewer artists make it through, less risk, more generic-sounding, corporate-approved, AI-generated bullshit.

6. Louis is doing fine. He’s staying with BMG, not going anywhere. He is a nice bright spot at BMG, but not on the order of Kylie Minogue. Louis is an arena-sized touring artist, at least in the USA and Europe, at least for the foreseeable future.

#music business weekly #Louis press #BMG #Alastair Norbury #louis tomlinson #9.12.2024 #music business

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ukftm · 4 months ago

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*Online Mental Health & Well-Being Support Service**

Hi everyone,

If you are looking for an online mental health & well-being support service, I am leaving a link here to an online well-being coach based in the UK. He is someone that has worked with the LGBTQ+ community for a long time and has now created his own business to support anyone that needs it.

He is a personal friend of mine and I can with out a shadow of a doubt recommend him. Anyone that took part in the study we advertised last year on the experiences of transmen in the UK will have met him and know how nice he is to talk to.

His research project highlighted the experiences that transmen have on NHS waiting lists and he wants to offer a service that is of both a reasonable price and accessible for everyone. His website also tells you a bit more about him.

We all know how difficult the waiting lists are and so many of us have little to no support. So this is an ideal service.

Let’s support this business and get behind someone that wants to help our community!

I’ll leave his page links here, please like/follow/share his pages.

www.hcwellbeing.co.uk

www.instagram.com/hcwellbeingc

www.TikTok.com/hcwellbeing

#mental health #mental health support

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rjzimmerman · 3 months ago

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From what I can read online without a paywall block, US medical schools are moving in the direction of requiring or offering courses on climate change. I'm copying this directly from my Duck Duck Go search results:

The number of medical schools in the United States that include climate change in their curriculum has been increasing, with 65% of MD-granting schools requiring or offering courses on the topic in 2022. A survey by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) found that the percentage of medical schools with climate change in their curriculum increased from 27% in 2019–2020 to 55% in 2021–2022, and then to 65% in 2022.

Excerpt from this EcoWatch story:

A network of universities across Europe has launched an initiative to train medical students on climate change-related illnesses as well as provide education on more sustainable healthcare.

The initiative includes 25 universities that have formed the European Network on Climate & Health Education (ENCHE), which will incorporate climate change education into the existing curriculum. The goal is to better prepare students to treat humans facing health disparities linked to climate change as well as to improve the sustainability of the healthcare system.

“From the spread of infectious diseases to increasingly deadly heatwaves, the health impacts of climate change are becoming ever more dangerous,” Iain McInnes, co-chair of ENCHE and vice principal and Head of College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences at the University of Glasgow, said in a statement. “As educators, it is our responsibility to ensure that the next generation of doctors, health professionals and medical leaders have the skills they need to face these challenges and can provide patients with the best care possible.”

The network will be led by the University of Glasgow and supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), and universities from Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden, Spain, Switzerland and the UK will be involved in ENCHE.

Other health organizations, part of the Sustainable Markets Initiative Health Systems Task Force, will provide additional support to ENCHE. The network will serve as a regional hub for the Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education (GCCHE) at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, with GCCHE providing collaboration and expert support for the initiative.

ENCHE has a goal to train 10,000 or more medical students on treating climate change health impacts in the first three years of the program. According to the University of Glasgow, there is not a consistent curriculum in medical schools that teaches on the links between climate change and health impacts.

This training could help save many more lives, as human health becomes increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. According to the WHO, about 99% of humans globally are exposed to air quality below WHO standards, while more than 7 million people die from air pollution-related health impacts. Rising heat is another concern, with heat-related deaths expected to triple by 2050 in a business-as-usual scenario.

#climate change #public health #medical schools #medical education

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webxsoftech · 2 years ago

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1. Submitting your website in search engines will make your website visible on the Internet and to the search engines.

2. A proper sitemap helps search engines to know your website's link structures in a better way. And thus search engines can show your website in search results in a better & structured way.

3. Schema Markup is a structured data of your website. With the help of structured data, search engines like Google, Bing can understand your website precisely like what your website is all about. What services or products your website offer, your working hours and more and hence your website will get visible more precisely to your target audience.

4. Google Analytics helps you to monitor website traffic and track activity on your website. Like how many users visiting your website, average time duration spent by your website visitors, their location, devices and much more. It gives you a detailed insight about your website visitors so that you can understand how your website is performing and you can make better strategies for the future.

#local business #small business #small business owner #google my business #made in usa #support small business #australia #england #small business uk #small business saturday #online marketing #digital marketing #local seo #seo company #seo expert #ecommerce

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the-garbanzo-annex-jr · 1 year ago

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by Nellie Bowles

→ Hard right goes White Genocide: The right-wing brand of antisemitism is people saying something to the effect of: Jews hate white people. And we’re seeing that a lot right now, all of a sudden, in very mainstream places.

Let’s start with The Daily Wire: Candace Owens, a charismatic black conservative, has been harshly critical of Israel. Daily Wire co-founder Ben Shapiro, an observant Jew, was recorded at a private event saying her rhetoric was “absolutely disgraceful.” Candace Owens then posted: “You cannot serve both God and money. Christ is King.” Okay. Random time to bring that up, but okay?

Then Candace went on former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson’s new online show. And there, things got weirder. Here’s Tucker Carlson admonishing the Jewish philanthropists who are now refusing to donate to Ivy League schools. Those donors are put off by the woke antisemitism, but Carlson is mad they supported the modern Ivy League to begin with.

“I get why donors are mad. I have no problem with that at all. However, then I thought, well, wait a second, if the biggest donors at, say, Harvard, have decided well, we’re gonna shut it down now, where were you the last ten years when they were calling for white genocide? You were allowing this. And then I found myself really hating those people, actually. You’re okay with that? On what grounds were you okay with that? You were paying for it, actually. As you were calling my children immoral for their skin color. You paid for that. So why shouldn’t I be mad at you? I don’t understand.”

Candace Owens replies: “And obviously, you have a ton of white people that are asking that question, and they’re being called antisemitic, and I think that’s wrong. I think these are meaningful questions that deserve to be answered.”

Adding to the chorus now is Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter/X. First, a random Twitter user responded to a prompt about what Hitler got right (I wish I was kidding) and wrote the following: “Jewish communities have been pushing the exact kind of dialectical hatred against whites that they claim to want people to stop using against them. I’m deeply disinterested in giving the tiniest shit now about western Jewish populations coming to the disturbing realization that those hordes of minorities that support flooding their country don’t exactly like them too much.” Then Elon Musk himself responded to that random user, writing simply: “You have said the actual truth.”

And then here’s Charlie Kirk, founder of conservative youth group Turning Point USA, defending Musk: “It is true that some of the largest financiers of left-wing antiwhite causes have been Jewish Americans.” It’s not news that American Jews tend to be liberal. What’s being implied now (and in some cases said quite out loud) is something different, a deep and old conspiracy. And everyone toying with it knows that.

America: we’ve got it all. We’ve got Soviet antisemitism against Israel and Jewish particularity; we’ve got right-wing antisemitism around the question of do Jews want to kill white people and also are they white or what? The gang’s back together. And Jews are screwed.

→ Recess jihad: A Brooklyn parent group has been organizing students to protest the war. The teachers are on board. And so we have scenes out of Brooklyn this week of 700 students from some 100 schools marching, yelling pro-peace slogans like “Fuck the Jews.” Or there’s this great call and response the kids were doing as they marched. Call: Takbir! Response: Allahu Akbar! The kids stopped by some Jewish-owned businesses and did their chants. It was organized by the official parent advisory board, which is funded by taxpayers. I used to think “children are the future” was a hopeful phrase. . . anyway. Takbir!

→ This man was almost the UK’s prime minister: This week, longtime Labor Party star Jeremy Corbyn refused to call Hamas a terror group, even as a very assertive Piers Morgan pushed him. It’s fun TV to watch because Morgan asked and asked (14 times!) and Corbyn refused, got mad, and eventually just crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.

But we already know the answer. Here’s Jeremy Corbyn in 2009: “Tomorrow evening it will be my pleasure and my honor to host an event in Parliament where our friends from Hezbollah will be speaking. I’ve also invited friends from Hamas to come and speak as well. . . . the idea that an organization that is dedicated towards the good of the Palestinian people and bringing about long-term peace and social justice and political justice in the whole region should be labeled as a terrorist organization by the British government is really a big, big historical mistake.”

Kumbahezbollah.

And this week Corbyn’s brother, former politician Piers Corbyn, called October 7 a “false flag” operation. “The whole thing, whatever happened, was done with the connivance of the government of Israel or they used what happened as a pretext, it was a prepared thing. . . . It was a false flag operation. . . . A bit like Pearl Harbor.” Just like Pearl Harbor. Looks like brother Corbyn has been watching a little too much TikTok.

In America, presidential candidate and professor Cornel West said this week that the Hamas terrorists were love warriors: “We dish out love warriors and freedom fighters every generation, which means that we stand in solidarity with anybody who’s occupied.”

#candace owens #tucker carlson #antisemitism #racism #jeremy corbyn #charlie kirk #elon musk

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bestofsophieturner · 11 months ago

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Sophie is thriving love it! I am so hyped for the gothic horror she is doing with Kit and already another project. I know these things don't happen over night but Sophie no longer having to put a manchild's needs first is the best thing to happen to her.

I hope she knows how much her fans love her and want the best for her.

Honestly, I'm happy she didn't let her divorce stop her. But to be honest, I'm not very surprised. Sophie never seemed to me like someone who wanted to stop her career. Maybe taking a break for her personal life and/or to focus on her studies (her criminal classes online she talked about in 2019/2020). Since a few years, she clearly stated she wants to choose her projects thoughtfully and do news things in UK. 'Joan' is one example of it. But not gonna lie, when you have to compromise with someone (especially when it's someone like Joe) it's difficult to do what you want when you want.

Remember back in 2019 when their agenda matched so well ? This documentary (Happiness something) and the Sucker clip were released around the same time of GoT season 8 & Dark Phoenix ? I found it kind of weird and I was a bit annoyed to be honest. But I thought Sucker was fun and nice. The clip, the scenery, the photography. I can't judge the music, I'm so bad at it. But then, there was another clip, another documentary... with Danielle, Priyanka and Sophie being the focus. They kind of used their wives for fame didn't they ? I remember reading Danielle was unconfortable doing those things because she wasn't from the business.

We can only guess why she's retired from two projects (Wardriver & Come as you are)... to be honest, I don't think Joe is the sole reason why she had to refuse some projects/take some breaks. She has two children and they're so young. The first one didn't even start school. So I tend to think they came first when she was thinking about her career. Plus, the covid certainly didn't help.

I believe with her family and friends' support, without Joe and her eldest going to school (or soon) help her. And she can choose her projects more freely. Plus the mediation around the divorce seems to be done.

Sorry for the long post. I had a lot to say...

#sophie turner #anon #anon ask #send me anons #anti joe jonas #not gonna lie it's def against him

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sussex-newswire · 4 months ago

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"Prince Harry’s efforts to maintain contact with old friends, coupled with an evident desire to repair his relationship with the King, have prompted renewed speculation that he is seeking a fresh start and even an official working role within the family fold.

"But multiple sources close to the Duke have said this is not the case and he is happy and settled in California, with an 'amazing' new set of friends and several projects on the horizon.

...

"Prince Harry has made no secret of his wish to reunite with the King in particular, despite conflicting narratives emerging from the two camps about efforts to make contact and who is rebuffing who.

"The security issue also remains a key factor, with UK visits all but ruled out amid claims that it is too dangerous for the Duke to return with no access to automatic police protection.

"Those close to him maintain that, despite the ongoing rift with his father and brother, he is incredibly happy and is determined to look forwards, not back.

"He is preparing for a trip to New York, where he will take part in engagements connected to his various charities, including African Parks, the Halo Trust, the Diana Award, and Travalyst.

"The visit later this month coincides with the UN General Assembly’s High-level Week, which focuses on issues such as climate change, poverty and inequality, as well as the city’s annual Climate Week.

"The Duke is also said to be heavily focused on the next iteration of the Invictus Games, which takes place in Vancouver and Whistler in February next year, as well as various US-based projects that have not yet been announced.

"More overseas visits, similar to the recent quasi-royal tour of Colombia, are planned, while the Duke is also keeping himself busy with a new Archewell initiative called the Parents’ Network, a support group for parents whose children have suffered harm online."

#prince harry #archewell #invictus games #parents network

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scotianostra · 1 year ago

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St Andrews Scottis dug at the bus station.

Scotties by the Sea features 30 giant Scottie Dog sculptures, forming a free, 10-week art trail of discovery for local people and visitors of all ages to explore and enjoy.

Each sculpture is sponsored by local businesses, community groups and education organisations. They are decorated by local artists and communities – all designed to celebrate our vibrant history, culture, and coastal heritage.

The sculptures are displayed in locations across St Andrews and along the Northeast Fife Coast, where visitors can use a bespoke map and mobile app to help them navigate the trail, discover new places and unlock exciting rewards and discounts provided by sponsors.

Following a farewell weekend where they will be shown together, the Scottie sculptures will be auctioned at a special event to raise funds that will support our charity partner, Maggie’s Everyone’s Home of Cancer Care – working locally and nationally providing free cancer support and information in centres across the UK and online. https://scottiesbythesea.com/art-trail/

#scotland #scottish #fife #scottie dugs #statues #charty #my pics

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qipsir · 29 days ago

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Small Business masterlist for myself and a streaming community I'm in

Not a small business but this is essentially Craigslist or Ebay but free and local https://freecycle.org/

Note: to my knowledge, most of these are American brands

Gonna make a separate post for occult stuffs

Artists

Afternoon Fika - queer artist in Sweden, sells a lot of plushies

Alpaca Sews - plushies and stationary

Brothersmake - 100% recycled plastic products, you can donate your plastic (UK based)

Cellsdividing - really cool artist I got a keychain, sticker, and 2 shirts from

Katrina Wold - the cutest cat stickers I ever did see

Lumichen's Art

Lilac Fox Creative - divorced mother trying to support kids

Sara Day Art - currently fundraising for Gaza

Liz Schmidt - canine circus, website closed at the time of this post, linked to caard profile

Lunakia Art - keychains, prints, desk mats, etc

MPgautheron - skull stuff

Ivory Owl Co - genuinely one of my favourite artists their style is so cute and they wield watercolor really well

Lyric Stitches - plushies, totes, sensory pillows, and more

Vincent Trinidad - someone pointed out his art on a shirt in a tiktok video so I'm putting him here cause the art's funny/cute. Not really a small business

Jojoes Art - THE galaxy wolf artist. Art got stolen and sold worldwide (can't find his post of that but I found his fire/ice wolves)

Clothing

Assk First - brand advocating for consent

iinside my head - love love LOVE this brand. Communication shirts+hoodies, soft fabric, adorable designs, 11/10 recommend

Playing Possum Clothing Co. - will cut the tags off clothes for you if you want

Wicked Clothes

Spicy Wear - owner made a boxer line with a pad holder and a pocket for an ice/heat pack because his girlfriend likes wearing his boxers and can't on her period

Time Capsule Design - has plant shirts that's a subtle way of advocating for abortions and body autonomy

Cruel Daughter - VERY pricey, but everything is crocheted (for anyone who doesn't know, unlike knitting, crochet cannot be done by machine)

Borderline Punk Design - clothing, communication card, and stim toys

Phantomassy - glasses friendly alt/fantasy masks

LoudBodies - women-owned, up to 10XL, free custom fitting

Hail Satin Corsetry - minority-owned, made to create functional pieces of art

Bibi Pins - pins + compression items (I got compression gloves and elbow brace, didn't do anything for me and the brace was uncomfortable but the designs aren't bad)

WitchVamp - size inclusive and has bifurcated joggers (not sure what that means but hell yeah)

Planetofkind - face masks

Freethesheep - anxiety loungewear

Rebel Youth Apparel - alt unisex swimwear

Kamala's Kloset - NOT ONLINE a boutique specifically focused on gender affirmation

Jewelry

Spooky Kawaii - site says hypoallergenic jewelry. I'm personally not sure how you can know that but yeh

Himawari Jewels - handmade in Czechia, worldwide shipping, message social media for customs

KindastrangeDE - witchy and gothic jewelry

Feral Hag - bone jewelry, has deer rib hair sticks

Cords Club - hypoallergenic jewelry + flat back studs

Schatzhaus - wire wrapped jewelry

Fire And Bone - jewelry made from fossil and bone scans

VonKreep Art - spiky and bone jewelry

Corvus Cornyx - followed because they made their own finger splints and they look cool

Mushroom Zen - glass jewelry

Strange Adornments - oddity/bone jewelry

Shower + skincare

Nole - solid shampoos + solid conditioner

Kitsch - solid shampoo/conditioner, skincare, shower body stuff

Moon Shine Suds - fantasy creature blood bag bodywash

Molly Bubbles Soap Co. - all sorts of things, most well known for magnesium lotion

Jelly Wax - hair removal wax, advertised for beginners

Madani Naturals - hair care for curly hair + african net sponge

Cee Cee's Closet - where I got my african net sponge, also jewelry + bonnets

Bellanomi - african skincare brand, also known for net sponges

Base Laboratories - piercing care

Scents

Birch & Besom

Lovesick Witchery

Household stuff

Oak & Willow - from their home page "Welcome to eco-friendly living made affordable" > Note: if you are in America and really don't have the money to buy housecare for yourself, you can sign up for a list so that someone can buy a housecare package for you and you get it for free

Living Pantry - family-owned eco-friendly shop

HoldOn Bags - compostable trash, pet, and ziplock bags

Trashie - has a take-back bag for you to donate your clothes + electronics

ForgeCore - 3D printing files

Skyclad Apothecary - aka Zero Waste Apothecary on social media, bulk herbs, oils, spices, clays, all sorts of stuff

Gneiss Spice - magnetic spice jars + organic spices

Curious Hawaii - home decor made in Hawai'i

Darby's Crochet Corner - crochet plushies

Warm People Co - mostly blankets and some clothes

Understory Labyrinth - self watering ceramic pots for carnivorous plants

Cosmetics

Esoes - 'safety lipstick' w/ drug testing strips, bluetooth panic buttons, etc

Sushyglow Cosmetics - has been DRAGGED online by haters and for what? 12/10 company, well known for its bloody lip tints, I love 'em, my friends love 'em, cannot recommend enough

Sunset Makeup - coloured foundations for cosplay, GOOD COVERAGE WHITE FOUNDATION

Catacomb Cosmetics - nonbinary-owned, my friend made this company! They're super cool. Not a whole lot of stuff but the stuff they do have is lovely

Console Skins

Petimint

Other

A Wild Offering - yarn, roving, ceramics, and clothing (currently closed)

Artixan - fidgets and accomodating water bottle bags + weighted leaf pillow

Blooming Earth Herbal - herbal shop w/ skincare and tinctures and things

Cycora - textile recycling

Lair of the Llama - yarn and roving

Palestine Soda - drinks that donate profits to Palestine

Simply Earth - DIY stuff like purfumes

Swanson's Fabrics - digital/in person thrift store for yarns and fabrics

Sunburst Trading - Sterling Silver Gemstone Jewelry, Crystals, Authentic Fossils & More, formerly cystal cavern imports

Urial Magic - forest whimsical leather bags

(not all are women owned but many are)

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