#secondly we actually regularly do separate things without talking to each other. or go in separate rooms to take some time to ourselves

[gr-ogu]

When you get this, you must publicly post something nice about at least 5 different people you follow, then copy and paste this in each of their ask boxes

Okay so, I got like three of these asks, and for the sake of not spamming people’s dashes I’m just gonna do one post and tag many people and put it under a read more!!!!!!!

I would like to say there are SO many people I could put on lists like these so pls don’t think I don’t care about you if you’re not here!!!!!!! I have a lot of love to give but I can’t put everyone here in one go sdjfhjdfhjd!!!

@mikewheeler @elhoppers @scooptroops @lucascsinclairs @milevenhearteyes @milliebbrowns @fatechica @ericasinclairs @robinbuckleyy @milevens @martygalwrites @serendipitousrambles @summer-in-hawkins @mikeswheeler @sadiesinkt

@mikewheeler ally is LICH RALLY the nicest and most understanding person on the planet. I can tell her ANYTHING and she has honestly been one of the kindest friends I’ve met on my time on tumblr!!!! She’s the warm hug you need after a long day and I know I could call her 25/8 and she would be there if I needed her which honestly means the WORLD. She makes everything seem better even in the worst of times, and I can never thank her enough for that. 11/10 would die for her. Also I ruin my sleeping pattern every night for her so she loves me ;) THE MOST TALENTED GIF MAKER AND ALL AROUND WONDERFUL PERSON. LOML TBH WITH YOU.

@elhoppers SARAH. MY LOVE. MY LIGHT. I feel SO lucky to have met such a bubbly, thoughtful, positive soul in person. I could talk to Sarah for HOURS about anything and everything. Truly a comrade for life and she knows what I’m thinking even if I haven’t said it, which is useful bc sometimes my Thoughts should not be shared out loud ksdhfjkdfhjdfh. We have SO much in common and she’s so fun to talk to and scream with. Always down to overshare with this gal bc we get each other on a level. TWINS SEPARATED AT BIRTH TBH. also her gifs KILL me she always comes in swinging, especially where our daughter el or mileven is concerned!!!!!!!

@scooptroops omg how do i even BEGIN to describe my love for mady tbh? the funniest, wittiest, sluttiest and BEST human being i’ve ever met. not only is she fiercely loyal but she’s a true Baddie who always has my back. I love Mady so much I regularly talk about my love for her to people who don’t even know her, bc that’s just How It Be. this girl has me laughing until I cry with her hilarious memes and also crying with Pain at her beautiful gifs. She makes?? The best art?? On the planet?? Truly the full package and joe keery would be LUCKY to date her (sorry @ mady’s bf skdjfhjkfhfjdgh). I know I can talk to her about anything and I love Mady so so SO MUCH. Bestie and sister-wife for LIFE

@lucascsinclairs ohhhhh the ways i could describe jazz. GORGEOUS (inside and out), the most hilarious, supportive, understanding, caring, intelligent friend. I’m so so lucky to have someone in my life who is simultaneously so level-headed she can calm me down in an instant, and also engages in THE most crackhead-headassery with me AT ALL TIMES. insert *we irritating* meme right here. love this gal to DEATH. like i would literally die for her. 10/10 memes. 10/10 face. 10/10 EVERYTHING. I ALWAYS smile when I see Jazz pop up and I would be lost without her at this point!!!!!!!! LIVE for all our long chats and rants, Jazz is honestly one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met!

@milevenhearteyes ELLIEEEEEEEEEEE. MY BABY! Even though she’s older than me but don’t mention that ;) ;) ;) hands down, one of the sweetest, most genuinely caring and understanding people I’ve ever come across. But also the most SAVAGE oh my god she will sass you to the moon and back and i am HERE FOR IT! One day Ellie and I are going to meet and it’s going to be the summer of love and we’re going to have deep chats about what an influential and strong woman she is AND ALSO ABSOLUTELY SCREAM THE LYRICS TO TANGLED. CAN’T WAIT!!!!!!!! LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!!! EVEN IF YOU HATE SOL I STILL LOVE YOU!!!!!! ;)

@milliebbrowns what can I say? 20/10 obsessed with this insane woman since the day I met her. Literally in awe of everything she does, especially her gif making talent. ALWAYS comes in with the tea, which……. I OOP I LOVE. One of the funniest people I’ve ever spoken to and I am always here for her Vaguely Chaotic and Loving Energy!!!!!!!!! will talk to me about anything and everything and never bullies me bc she loves me too much!!!!!!!!!! ;) LOVE THAT FOR ME. also go and talk to her about joe jonas but NOT nick………………… don’t even think about it. if you do you WILL be blocked on sight, although you’re probably already blocked because? colleen just knows these things? LOVE YOUUUU

@fatechica Julie - my absolute DARLING! Not only is she an absolutely incredible writer, she is a dear friend. I am constantly blown away by her talent, drive and ambition. NOT TO MENTION WE ARE BRAIN TWINS!!!!!!!! IT’S ACTUALLY KINDA SCARY BUT I LOVE IT. SO supportive and absolutely is here for all my crackhead, meme-loving, sluttiness and honestly, how could anyone ever compare to that? Gives THE best advice and is always telling it how it is, which I appreciate more than anything. 10/10 QUEEN who i adore and i can’t wait for the joint fic we’re going to write one day ;) ;) ;)

@ericasinclairs VAL. MY ANGEL. MY STEVE-LOVING PARTNER FOR LIFE. Honestly any time Val speaks I get excited because she always has something interesting, adorable or hilarious to say. LITERALLY MY GO TO SOURCE FOR EVERYTHING ST RELATED, LIKE THAT GIRL WORKS FOR THE FBI I SWEAR! IT’S INSANE! Out here making me laugh with the best memes and wowing me with her clever and gorgeous gifsets, like for real. This girl could run the world if she wanted to. 10/10 provider of the rares too, for which I owe her my life ;) honestly val is just a genuinely hilarious, talented, kind sweetheart whomst i adore

@robinbuckleyy ANNA! MY LOVE! MY BABY! LITERALLY ADORE THIS GIRL SO SO SO MUCH. Luckily she was introduced to my joe/steve-loving ass right off the bat so she puts up with my crazy ways and just laughs because she loves me for who i am ;) THE PRETTIEST, MOST INSIGHTFUL BEAN EVER WHO WRITES THE MOST AMAZING FICS!! SERIOUSLY!! GO AND READ THEM IF YOU HAVEN’T!! I am constantly in awe of her because she is SO mature and level-headed and I can’t believe what an excellent human being she is and how much she’s going to BOSS whatever she does in the future, because I KNOW she will!!!!!!!!

@milevens kate!!! a darling!!! a babe!!!!! i have loved stranger things since it first aired but kate was my first ever true interaction with the fandom, when i read one of her mileven fics and the rest was HISTORY! an insanely creative and talented gif-maker and writer, like she out here running a blog for the DECADES. I LOVE IT! I don’t know where I would be without kate’s work, tbh. Probably sad? Mileven stan for LIFE and I fuck with that. so looking forward to getting to know her better !!!!!!!!! and also the insanely generous person i have to thank for this ICONIQUE url she gave me, like could your fave ever? 

@martygalwrites oh my god. marty is actually SUCH a legend i stan her so hard? we didn’t start speaking until recently but she’s so quickly become one of my favourite people???? writes 11/10 amazing fics, like how could anyone NOT cry at her talent? ALWAYS coming in with the hot takes and realness, and a TRUE joe hoe at her core. ALWAYS APPRECIATES MY MEMES AND VALIDATES ME BECAUSE SHE IS SUCH A KIND, LOVING PERSON. genuinely in awe of how articulate but also downright funny this woman is. literally just radiates Cool Energy like how can I be you tbh? can’t wait to come and stay at her house so we can go to a djo concert together

@serendipitousrambles oh my gosh, not only does jess write the most AMAZING FICS AND DRABBES THAT KILL ME ON THE DAILY, SHE’S SO ELOQUENT AND PATIENT AT RESPONDING TO PEOPLE?? EVEN WHEN THEY’RE RUDE TO HER?? a truly thoughtful and supportive friend, who I’m so lucky I got to meet !!!!!!!!! her obsession with ST and HP parallels mine so that when you KNOW you’ve found a good one. ALWAYS comes in swinging with her mileven analysis and headcanons, like i swear she’s just out to attack me Personally at all times??? a wonderfully funny and talented human bean

@summer-in-hawkins Kaisa!!!!!!! an actual angel!!!!!!!! her gifs are SO good like she regularly blows me away with her talent and her creativity - it’s unparalleled. Not only is she one of the sweetest people ever, she’s so genuinely calm, rational and insightful, I am in awe? she works SO hard and I always smile when I see her speaking and speak to her because she always has something fascinating to say! truly so passionate about whatever she’s doing which means she can do ANYTHING she sets her mind to; kaisa has so many qualities people should want to embody because she’s honestly a ray of light on a cloudy day!! amazing human!!!

@mikeswheeler KYY!! A QUEEN!!! ALWAYS SLAYING ME WITH HER GIFS AND MOODBOARDS TBH!!!! I don’t get to talk to her as much as I’d like, but when I DO? WOW. One of the most supportive and encouraging friends ever, 10/10 will always be there to hype me and I could not be more grateful for that. Also I love to make her lose her mind with all my crazy steve and joe tags, because the answers I get in response are absolutely HILARIOUS. just an all-round funny, helpful, lovely person who i am so lucky to know!!! like seriously!!!! brilliant human alert!!!!

@sadiesinkt ughhhhhh tuva is a BABE like no words to describe this darling of a human!!!!!!! firstly, her graphics? absolutely STELLAR like teach me your ways lend me your creativity pls!!!!! honestly i cry every time i look at them they’re so so SO good. secondly, she’s such a kind and giving person - we haven’t spoken too much but whenever we do i am struck by how thoughtful and authentic she is!!!!!! has my back and i could not be more thankful for that!!!! possessor of some ICONIQUE urls and just an overall amazing human!!!!!!!!!

[ellacrossman96]

Is It Possible To Save A Relationship After Cheating Best Useful Ideas

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Leaving Country To Avoid Divorce Settlement

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What Can I Do To Avoid Divorce

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[themanofonebook]

—TELL ME ABOUT 19TH CENTURY PRISONS I WANT TO KNOW ALL ABOUT TOULON

We have the basis of the system, and we had active officers, which could be divided into three groups: commissaires, officiers de paix, and the Gendarmerie Royale; then we have inspectors (we’re talking the mud on people’s boots as far as the ladder goes) and the National Guard (a sort of on-call army for the monarchy moving out of the age of Napoleon where the actual army was stomping its way around Europe and into the Bourbon Restoration fuck Charles X I’m mad) which was not part of the police force precisely but would be dealing with revolts like you see in Les Misérables.

That’s what’s going on on the outside; move South to places like Toulon, the insides of the prisons, and we have something entirely different on our hands.

Firstly, let’s make something clear: corruption, which was certainly out and about on the streets, ran fucking rampant in prisons. I have noted one particularly good fic, the name of which I cannot remember for the life of me, which addressed the facts that if guards at prisons wanted to take a prisoner out and shoot him, the loosest excuse could cover that right up, and the only problem would be the loss of labor. We are talking about a system only marginally better than England’s: stealing in England would get your hand chopped off, or sign you up for the morning’s first execution; stealing in France the first time, depending on your age, would get you a warning or upwards of three years in prison; stealing again gets you life in prison; do anything more than that while there and you could be executed.

Suicide was typical of prisons; again, that fic I mentioned certainly had research poured into it, as it spoke of a section in Toulon where inmates would regularly throw themselves from the top of a wall to the hard sand below, killing themselves. If they did not die, there was a good chance that they went insane anyways.

In the early years just after Napoleon, the upper class took on prison reform as a sort of pet project; the only thing that the French hate more than criminals is the police, but, I mean, that’s splitting hairs and convicts come in at a very, very close second; but if it would make them look good and help them to feel like they were getting something worthwhile done, why the fuck not, right? Right. This began coming out in 1816, where children were sent to correctional facilities instead of prisons, which upped the ages of men working in places like Toulon (they galleys were made obsolete, they were either mining or doing menial production on things like clothing or tools).

But while that’s all well and good, you have to remember that these are hundreds upon thousands of men all being chained up in the same place for years on end. Toulon could pack itself full to the brim with prisoners and probably still have room for more, and you can bet that they were all working; if you weren’t sick, dying, or dead, you were out putting labor in for the State to repay your debt for… that loaf of bread you stole.

And you can see the type of society that that would create, one built upon hate and forming a sharp contrast with the airy, easy lives of the bourgeois and royals. Homosexuality in particular formed a means of subjugation, and of trade:

In regards to cruelty, this ran most rampant in jails. Officers on the street were actually required to look after the health of all citizens, including prostitutes. They were legally obligated to take care of the people they were overseeing, and had direct contact with their superiors, who could see everything that they were doing and receive feedback on them from the common people instantly. Therefore, those working in the cities had no desire to break the rules, as none of them wanted to lose their jobs. However, in jails, all levels of authority were grouped together in a tight, enclosed space with the unlawful. Patrick O’Brien said, “[Those who practiced homosexuality] were considered basically abnormal and corrupt.” (mtholyoke). The threat of homosexuality was used to gain the upper hand, and the hierarchy of prisons was skewed in this way. As such, guards were constantly exposed to something that they considered fundamentally vile, and this had a direct impact on their mentality. They were so thoroughly immersed in something seen as wrong, but accepted as normal and even expected within such institutions, and they were required remember that they were above it. These men were told that it is disgusting by the outside world, but were trapped in a different realm entirely, in which men who were considered beasts by the public are allowed to form their own “society”. This society, in fact, had its own language, one separated almost completely from French to the point where it nearly became its own sub-language: argot. Argot, by definition, is “an often more or less secret vocabulary and idiom peculiar to a particular group” (Merriam-Webster). Argot was a dialect used in prisons and amongst gangs and criminals specifically. Based heavily in metaphorical interpretation of words, Hugo himself asks, “What is argot, properly speaking? It is the language of wretchedness.” Of course, while argot was meant to be secret, guards on duty could easily hear whispers and snippets of conversation. Without saying anything, they picked up on this language of misery. Simply by working in prisons, they were distanced from society; yet they were still expected to go out and behave properly amongst people who had never lived even a day in such close quarters with thieves, vagabonds, murderers and the like. It was a strain on their mentality. They were, more often than not, no different than any other men; but, for whatever reason, they found themselves working amongst the foul and outlawed, terribly close to something that France saw as forbidden or repulsive. That takes its toll on ones mentality. Despite any attempts to stay “pure”, a guard may find themselves crumbling under the pressure both from their superiors and from the State as a whole.

So one, you have the separation of language; two, you have the separation of societal constructs. Homosexual rape was used as leverage, as a threat in order to gain status or favors, and we can deduce that convicts were not the only ones employing these methods.

We also have Javert’s note to the Préfet at the end of his section of the book. Now, I don’t tend to rely on Hugo, because his history can tend to get a bit wonky, but I pulled the bits from the letter which seemed relevant to what we’re talking about and I’ll try to back them up with what I know.

Secondly: prisoners, on arriving after examination, take off their shoes and stand barefoot on the flagstones while they are being searched. Many of them cough on their return to prison. This entails hospital expenses.

Status: probably true, as prisoners are immediately given new uniforms upon arriving at Toulon, consisting of a red smock, yellow pants, a red cap for the average con and a green cap for lifers. Prisoners were also known for tucking materials into cardboard tubes and then shoving said tubes up their anuses in order to hide them. They were being searched thoroughly. Chances are that they were naked, and not just their feet.

Fourthly: it is inexplicable why the special regulation of the prison of the Madelonettes interdicts the prisoner from having a chair, even by paying for it.

Status: again, it’s probably true, but it may have changed during that era of reformation starting in about the mid-1820s and stretching onwards; they may have been allowed a chair, and we don’t know the last time that Javert actively looked into the innards of a prison.

Sixthly: the prisoners called barkers, who summon the other prisoners to the parlor, force the prisoner to pay them two sous to call his name distinctly. This is a theft.

Yeah fuck those guys.

Seventhly: for a broken thread ten sous are withheld in the weaving shop; this is an abuse of the contractor, since the cloth is none the worse for it.

Status: I wouldn’t put it past them, and I sort of stand by the idea that Fantine would have had a better time of it caring for Cosette in prison if she was already good with her hands, being fed each day, working in a weaving shop as opposed to doing labor as men did. But hey ten sous almost buys you a cup of coffee so— no all kidding aside this is actually wrong of them.

So we move into the referenced era of reform, and, while it might not have happened in Toulon (at least, not immediately), other prisons began to shift, to change themselves: notably, prisoners were offered the choice between shared bunks and their own room, one illustration of which includes a picture of a chair. However, don’t believe for a second that this was for the benefit of the prisoners: under the pretense of reform, this was used mostly to keep men apart to stop the outbreak of homosexual acts.

More:

The years 1820-1840 were considered the Golden Age for penology in France. Within these two decades arose numerous reform movements sparked during the July Monarchy. The common goal of all reformers was to eliminate crime and improve current prisoners by rehabilitation. Some of the means to achieve this goal were…

Discontinue confiscation of property of convicted criminals

Reduce long term sentences to a maximum of fifteen years

Suspend the Provisional Courts

Change judges and public office position toelected positions as opposed to inherited or bought

Seperate convicted criminals from those who are awaiting trial (so as to avoid the corruption of the young and possibly innocent)

Prisons inspected at least two time a week for the maintenance of a clean and healthy environment

Guards chosen possessing “irreproachable morality”

Do away with life sentence

Imprison convicts near the scene of their crime as a constant reminder of what they had done

Public exposure of prisoners in chains and tied to stakes

Solitary confinement to take the place of the death penalty

Education of prisoners

So we’re looking at prisons getting better… for all the wrong reasons… but better.

But in the time that Javert worked in them (looking at about 1803 still under Napoleon), they would have been dreadful.

[eeveelutionsforequality]

So, I just watched this video, and as a lazy benefits scrounger myself (or, more specifically, a disabled person who requires support just to leave the house and struggles to speak aloud, and thus is physically and mentally incapable of holding down any kind of job that requires leaving the house, having a degree, communicating with people, standing up or having a working computer) you may think that I'm a little bit too biased to be talking about this, but I have spotted a few points on which both sides of the conversation have fundamentally missed the point, and I feel like my more hands-on experience of the situation may provide a little extra perspective for both of them.

The first misconception is in the purpose of benefits - RM argues that they're to pay for people to survive and Riley seems to think that they're supposed to be some kind of fill-in for a job. They're not. The purpose of benefits is to either pay for people to survive to a relative level of comfort during periods where they cannot otherwise do so, or to pay for people to get themselves to a position in which they can work. We'll get to comfort in a moment, but I want to focus on the second purpose first, because I believe it to be the primary purpose of benefits and the one that should be aspired towards.

Notice how I said "having a working computer" in the list of the potential job requirements - that's because there are jobs out there (freelance writing, art, website design, being a self-published author, etc) that I could actually physically do as long as certain needs were met (longer timeframes for me to get the work done in, as I type slower due to my arthritis) and a computer would allow me to do those jobs. Meaning that the benefits payments I'm on currently could actually simply be a stepping stone to me getting a job and coming off the benefits, provided they paid enough that I could get the things I need to make that transition. However, if you view benefits as just something to keep people surviving, I could never get the things I need to progress to a life without benefits and I would spend the rest of my days just surviving - probably shortening my lifespan as the poor diet and conditions has a very detrimental effect on my disability, and each day on benefits makes it that much harder to conceive of getting to a point where I'm well enough to get a proper job. There are other cases of this and other situations in which this is the sole purpose of the benefits, heck just think about student loans and grants. The government actually saves money in the long term on benefits if it pays out enough in the first place for people to get what they need to get off benefits - suits, haircuts, aftershave, and other things that RM classes as "luxuries" are actually "necessities" when it comes to being a successful applicant in the job that will finally get you off benefits.

I was recently approved for a grant from to buy curtain poles because I couldn't afford them - curtain poles are a "luxury" by RM's definition, yet they provide dignity and comfort. RM is defining "luxury" at a different point on the pyramid of needs to what Riley defines "luxury" as. Some amount of comfort and dignity is actually a necessity for the human psyche, although it may be a luxury for the human body - such as refrigerators, curtains, phones, relatively nice food, etc - and once someone on benefits is denied those things and forced to donate all of their money to shitty food and the most basic bills, their mental state is going to suffer, they may become depressed, go on drugs and forego the food or housing to pay for it, and even die. A lack of dignity and comfort does not foster the kind of environment that motivates someone to want to work, and although the negative reinforcement and the threat of death may seem like a motivator, for those who repeatedly apply for jobs, become a burden on their family and friends, get nowhere, and have an empty stomach for six months, it isn't so.

Another argument for the comfort aspect is that we do pay benefits to people who have jobs that they can scrape by on, but cannot live with dignity - especially those with kids. We do not want people growing up in an atmosphere where they are regularly malnourished because they're living on a single 20p pack of instant noodles and water, and their ceiling is covered in damp and mould, and all of their clothes are itchy and worn because they're hand-me-downs - that generally doesn't foster an energized and hardworking person, it makes people ill. Decent clothes, decent food, curtains, refrigerator, phones, aftershave, carpets, and things like that aren't "necessities" by RM's definition, but leaving someone malnourished in what is essentially a concrete cell with floorboards and a druggy across the hall, isn't generally regarded as either what we want for those struggling in our society or an atmosphere that will help them progress. While RM is quick to define "poor" as a spectrum, she's not defining "luxury" as a spectrum, and I think that allows for using the term "luxury" to make everyone think about the lobster, and not spend as much time dwelling on why the fridge, the curtains or the new toothbrush might actually be something we want poor people to have. Additionally, I can prove without a doubt that the government and various organizations and charities that specialize in this are on mine and Riley's side with this one, at least in my country, not just by the fact that they gave me curtain poles but in regards to things specifically brought up in the video... because I also got a free second hand fridge, oven and washing machine when I moved into a flat that wasn't furnished, due to the fact that they were considered necessities.

The second thing overlooked was why I believe Riley brought up the overall cost of benefits to the tax payer - what I believe she's saying is that lowering the benefits and inducing further suffering and mental strain on people in your own country isn't going to do much at all to reduce the cost of your taxes, while there are other things that could be cut with a lot less negative impact on people that would lower your taxes much more. I think the point she's making, and this could be entirely misinterpreting on my part but I've seen enough of her videos that I think I have at least a little grasp on how she thinks, is that the media and the government put a lot of emphasis on benefits, benefits scrounging, the spending of those on benefits, and so on, in order to deflect away from their own spendings. It's a sort of "Look at how awfully these people are spending your money! Pay no mind to how awfully I'm spending your money." situation. Ultimately, I think the focus of the conversation on reducing taxes should be on "What things can we cut that will have the least detrimental impact on people?" and "What things can we safely cut that will save tax payers the most money?" and not on vilifying the poor and disabled.

Which brings me to something RM definitely missed, and that's disabled people. Disabled people have to buy certain things that able people don't, from shower aids to medications to support workers, which is immediately more money to survive alone, and they may be on benefits for the entirety of their lives. Generally, we're compassionate enough to value the comfort and dignity of people - so we want those people to live comfortable lives, with entertainment and somewhere to sit, and the security that they're not going to fall over in the shower - and so we don't want people who's lives are going to be spent entirely on benefits to "just survive", we still want them to be happy and comfortable.

You can argue that nobody "deserves" anything, least of all luxuries, but the benefits system doesn't work on what people "deserve" - the system is a social contract, not a philosophical debate, and it works on the basis that we as a society have decided that we think nobody within that society should live below a certain level of comfort, and thus those above that level of comfort will pay a little in to help those who cannot currently (or ever, in the case of some disabled people) reach it. RM's argument that nobody "deserves" anything and that benefits are only to meet the needs of survival is, again, missing the point of the benefits system and the reasons that people have for supporting it. You can "survive" in an extremist dictatorship where your speech is entirely controlled, but you disagree with that because that would be cruel and oppressive, similarly, people disagree with a society as advanced and wealthy as ours allowing certain members to live in squalor, and arguing for that with "Well, they're surviving, aren't they?"

The fourth (?) point I want to address - which isn't so much a misconception but more a separate topic being dragged in and used for this one - is that RM mentions people who struggle to get by and still pay taxes. Firstly, in my country everybody pays taxes in some way - VAT is added to the cost of almost all purchases, so unless you're living entirely on weed and heroin, you're paying VAT on the things you buy - so even those on benefits are paying into the system. Secondly, Riley already made the point that there are kinder and more effective ways of reducing taxes than cutting benefits or controlling those on benefits, so Riley has already pointed to a way to make those people's lives easier that doesn't involve hurting the people less well off than them to do it. Also, lowering the taxes on the poor or raising the point at which you begin paying taxes is a separate argument altogether - Riley is for everyone being able to live comfortably, so she's clearly not for stealing from the needy to pay the needy, in fact she's probably for people on that low of an income being given benefits themselves (like I mentioned earlier with child support and certain kinds of benefits and grants that can be paid to those on low income) to make their lives more comfortable - it's an odd point to bring up because it sounds like a "Gotcha, you didn't think of the poor! How will they feel if you're spending their money on lobster!?" when really she's saying "Help everyone who can't get a fridge get a fridge".

The fifth point is backpay. Whenever someone comes at me with the "How can you afford a phone when on benefits, huh?" argument, the first thing I question is how much they know about backpay. The benefits system is a little fucked, because you can't save more than a certain amount before your benefits are cut, and it's also a little fucked because it takes a while to get accepted and for the payments to start - from months to years. This creates the problem of backpay - they give you all of the money that you missed out on while waiting to get accepted in one go, but in some cases you then actually have to go and spend some of the money instead of saving it all, because otherwise you can get too close to the amount where you've saved too much (and even if getting too much wasn't a risk, it's still fair to expect people to spend a sum of money on something that makes them happier when they have a little extra). If you've lived without a phone for a few months when waiting for benefits, and then you finally get a grand in backpayments, you're probably gonna splurge out on a phone, pay off the debts you've incurred while waiting and then save any leftover. I'm going to spend the one I get in a few days on a new mattress because the mattress I'm currently sleeping on makes my back feel like someone's been beating me all night (probably because it's a temporary portable mattress not a proper one, because I could only afford that at the time) - again, there's that grey area between necessity and luxury, because while a comfortable mattress is technically a luxury, surely making my arthritis and insomnia worse, making my mornings miserable, and generally just making me feel shit, isn't going to help me get a job and get off benefits, and it isn't exactly luxurious or outlandish to want that. If a kid said to their parent "I need a new mattress, I can't sleep" the parent wouldn't go "You want a new mattress, comfortable nights are a luxury". To most people decent mattresses aren't a luxury, but when it comes to benefits we use this new definition of "luxury" that means "not essential to survival" to warp how the conversation sounds - we're using the perception of the word "luxury", even when the word is being used in a different context, to invoke a desired emotional reaction. I think we've all heard the term "privilege" used with the same effect.

Of course, RM's argument is that they don't "deserve" any more money than what they need to survive, and that probably includes backpay. Firstly, those people were entitled to benefits for the entire time they were waiting - potentially homeless, living on friend's sofas, in hospital, incurring debts for bills they couldn't pay, struggling to eat - we pay them the backpayments because they needed the money for the entire time, and it's a good way to help lift them up onto their feet after what would've undoubtedly been a very difficult wait. And secondly it would cost a lot more, waste paper, require more labour, and potentially be somewhere between absurd and impossible (and definitely touch on the dystopian element of controlling and limiting the lives of disabled and poor people that Riley mentioned), to actually get every benefits recipient to, once accepted, send in proof of every single debt they have, the money they owe to family and friends, and so on, and then wait to be accepted for a personalized backpayment before receiving any money whatsoever... and some people would receive more money that way because they could easily incur debts intentionally knowing that they'd be paid off, so another system would have to be put in place to decide which debts deserved to be paid and which didn't. It would be ridiculous, and the philosophical argument RM puts up for this kind of control doesn't play out in practice, it's not rational or practical - not just in regards to backpayments, but right down to the fact that people have different needs, different dietary requirements, different body shapes and sizes thus different clothing costs, different energy providers, different rents, and it becomes a nightmare to either dish payments out on an individual basis or find the minimum amount that would keep everyone safe but stop people from overspending (and ultimately, some people will still overspend and go without food, as I do - I'll go a month without eating so that I can buy a new t-shirt, and RM's argument is in part basically "You're not struggling that bad if you can just give up food" and "We should dictate what you eat so that you can't give up food for luxuries", which all just... it sounds dystopian and unachievable).

In fact, that's probably my least favourite argument RM makes: that because it's "taxpayer money" she has the right to dictate what it's spent on, and the right to say that no amount of starving themselves gives someone the freedom to buy a fridge with the money they've saved. Firstly, as I've already said, I pay taxes too, I pay VAT on the things I buy just like everyone else. Secondly, it's not your money, it's money that people all over the country voted to give up and redistribute to those who need it - enough people pay taxes that the portion of your money going to me specifically is negligible, you could lose decades of it down the back of the sofa and never miss it. But the people who want me to be able to buy a fridge, or a t-shirt, or a lobster, or whatever, are also paying in and it's also their tax money going to me - it's not just the people who are making the arguments against it that are taxpayers with a right to have a say over their money, but the people who are for it too. And finally, when people decided for this to be a thing, it wasn't a question of "Should we give people this money, and if so what should they spend it on" they asked "Should we give people this money" and decided "yes". I don't see how it makes a difference to you if I buy a hundred energy drinks (35p each) or pay my water bill (£35), you are still providing me with the exact same amount of money, you are still losing the same amount of money from your paycheck, and the vast majority of that money is still going to things other than benefits.

I don't earn my money, but to say that means that I don't have the right to decide what food I eat and what clothes I wear, because you want to give a government the authoritarian power to dictate the lives of the poor - regardless of the negative impact that has on their mental state because "We only want them to survive, not have luxuries", while using luxury to include things that maintain the most basic level of comfort and dignity, and in doing so essentially saying that the government should have the power to force people to live in carpet-less, furniture-less, curtain-less houses, with just enough food not to starve and no spare money for if a window smashes or a t-shirt rips - is how you make prostitutes, drug dealers, thieves, and people literally willing to kill to get into prison for a better life.

~ Vape

[midautumnnightdream]

Fanfiction questions: 42, 44, 45, 51

Okay this has been a week, oops :p

42. List and link to 5 fanfiction authors who are amazing:

Aaaa ok I have been overthinking this question to unreasonable degree, because Oh No How Do I Choose, How Can My Choices Be Interpreted etc. So I’m going to narrow it down to the authors whose fics I have read and particularly enjoyed in last few weeks.

@kcrabb88, whose amazing Pirate AU has been doing terrible things to my emotions for last several days. I have been resisiting the temptation to start the whole thing again from the beginning, because I literally don’t have time, but this is harrrd.

@aflamethatneverdies (crimsondust on AO3), who writes wonderful canon-era Romantic hjinks, with plenty of detail about historical art nerds, including what is probably my favourite Prouvaire-centric fic ever.

@aporeticelenchus for many reasons, but most of all the hands-down best Grantaire characterisation, and The Most Amazing Fake Dating AU to ever exist

@somuchbetterthanthat has many wonderful canon-era oneshoots (er… hi! We haven’t really talked, so this is mildly awkward. Or rather I am. I hope i’m not making you awkward, I’m just ridiculous.)

@shellcollector, because I’m Still Not Okay about this Eposette fic and can’t wait for the Terrible Gastropub AU

44. What ship do you feel needs more attention?

I’m well determined to do my part in the campaign to make Valjean/Fauchelevent A Thing that fandom at large is at least aware of. However, I have yet to figure out how to go about it, because I’m pretty sure that a) Valjean wouldn’t actually notice he is in a relationship if it smacked him in the face and b) he is so entrenched into the belief that he Does Not Deserve Nice Things, it would be very Ungood if he did notice.

45. What is your all time favourite fanfic?

Aaaaa this is another Hard One. For Les Mis fandom… probably To Follow by EstelRaca (if you haven’t read this, do, but… massive tissue warning)

(there are others in other fandoms but… for some reason I can’t find it in myself to put them here? Sorry, I have no idea what’s up with that)

51. Rant or Gush about one thing you love or hate in the world of fanfiction! Go!

ahha moar gushing-turning-to-ranting! :D okay part 2: the shipping

(umm, under the cut for wank?)

Ok, so there are two things in particular that I love about fanfic, which I think a lot of people can relate to? Firstly, so much of the genre is unapologetically focused on Feelings and personal interactions between characters who mean a lot to each other. Secondly, there is something inherent to the whole concept of fanfic that is meant to break down the Relationship Rules in popular media: particularly what kind of characters are allowed love and happy endings and acceptance - and how.  Even so, there is this sense of uniformity, or a shared awareness of a Standard Relationship Story, that sets a framework for both the what and the how.

And the more this standard gets used, the more it feels like the ultimate dream goal for every ship is to achieve The Average.

So there are two, sometimes three, characters, who are Meant To Be - meant to be, that is, in a lasting, monogamous, live-together relationship, which would eventually culminate in marriage, squabbles over taking out trash and raising, if not kids, then at least a dog. Maybe they date other people at first - this is Clearly A Mistake, but fortunately has no real impact beyond setting the stage for OTPs happy ending. Maybe one half of the OTP has a couple of intimate friends (preferably paired up so as not to confuse the issue), who are there to provide insight on OTPs feelings for each other. Maybe the OTP splits up sometimes, but they *must* get back together, or Everything Is Pointless. Of course, there might still be other plotlines related to their friends or family, to actual canon events, to their hobbies and life goals - just as long as none of this overshadows the importance of The Endgame Romance. It goes without saying that the characters are Perfect For Each Other, and could never achieve happiness or meaningful existence separately from each other - even if safeguarding the readers faith in their bliss requires curing them of all troublesome tendencies or incompatible personality traits.

Which is not to say that any such a story (or a story containing some of those elements) is automatically A Bad Writing, or not enjoyable - after all, there is a reason this is so popular - but as someone who regularly skims over hundreds of pages of romantic angst for the rare nuggets of friend interactions where the subject is not the main characters love life, I have my prejudices. And will never not grump about friendships being sidelined as Less Important, short-term romances as Not Important At All and quasi-romantic friends-with-benefits scenarios as something that need to be slotted into boxes A, B or C.

… There is whole another rant that could be had about last point in particular, but that feels like Much. Lucky me, I have one more chance to answer that question and need to figure out what it’s going to be about.

(Also, umm, just to be clear, I’m not vagueblogging @ anyone specific, or indeed, have never felt this kind of annoyance over a fic by anyone who is at all likely to read this.)

[maynardlewis]

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[silagroup]

How to Get Your Customers to Keep Coming Back

How to Get Your Customers to Keep Coming Back

As a business, we have one goal – to get (and keep) customers. For years, we’ve sought out formulae and brought in marketing experts to find out how we can find the biggest, best customers to make our business profitable. There has been a consensus over the years that the marketing funnel is the most effective way to convert a customer.

What’s a marketing funnel? It focuses on the phases in the buying journey and usually goes from Marketing > Sales > Customer, in the shape of a funnel.

What we notice here is that the buck stops at the commodity, the customer. The marketing team derives the leads, hands it over to the sales team, and the latter closes the deal. The marketing and sales teams high-five each other for a job well done and go about their day to do it all over again. Rinse and repeat.

In this new era of commerce where companies are more visible than ever, the way we are conducting business is outdated and needs to change. Which brings us to the new era of customer journeys, the Flywheel.

The Flywheel’s model is Marketing > Sales > Service > Marketing > Sales… and so on with the customer at the nucleus, and looks like a wheel. What this means is that not only marketing and sales but also the operations of company activities revolve around the customer. This model doesn’t view the customer as a commodity but as a thriving lead-generating machine.

No, this doesn’t mean that we are de-valuing the customer. Quite the opposite, in fact. What the Flywheel suggests is a notion that over the years has become trite due to overuse: Customer is King. It plays upon the very real fact that is the core of the business - that the biggest threat to your company’s growth isn’t your competitors. It’s bad customer experience.

The traditional customer experience, as we saw it, began at awareness (marketing) and went through consideration (marketing + sales pitch) and ended at decision (sales closing). However, this experience actually continues through to delight (service + operations), and proceeds to a key stage: evangelize.

What this means is that delighting a customer through good customer experience leads them to keep the brand at the forefront of their mind, with the confidence that they have made the right choice. With nurturing over time, these customers become advocates for your brand through earned loyalty.

Brand evangelists are important for three reasons: firstly, they are a performance indicator of the company’s current services and that it’s doing something right. Secondly, new customers are far more likely to trust a referral from friends and family or business partners rather than strangers. Lastly, the advocates become a (sometimes free) marketing platform for the company with very little additional effort.

So how do we start shifting the focus from treating the customers as a commodity to a machine? It begins at the awareness stage. It’s not what we sell that really matters, it’s how we sell that really matters. Here are a few methods:

Customer Onboarding:

Are we making the customer onboarding process as smooth as possible? What do they get from us when they decide to partner with us, that they wouldn’t be able to from a competitor? Identify factors that would make this process smoother.

Customer Efficiency:

Are we able to empower our customers through our processes and make them more efficient? Is our software/service/contact person allowing them to do their job better or making it easier? What tools are we giving them to succeed? Understand the customer and empathize with them.

Multiple Specialist Employees:

If a customer faces service issues, the last thing they want is to be handed from one person to the other to resolve them. Training our employees to be on-touch contacts will avoid this and customers will experience a seamless trouble-shooting process.

Reducing Customer Attrition:

We need to treat our customer associations as marriages. The courtship does not end at making a sale – they need to continue to be nurtured and harbored. Do we have a policy in place to ensure customer ‘marriage’, and a contingency ‘hail mary’ plan in place in case of a separation?

Counter Customer Remorse:

Most sales folks lose interest in a customer after closing a sale and begin working on other customers. This is a mistake - most customers question their purchase right after making them, so this is the right time to ensure them that they made the right choice – by thanking them and allaying their fears while creating value.

Don’t Forget Past Customers:

Despite all efforts, customer attrition is inevitable. But they say ‘a known devil is better than an unknown angel’, and 25-60% of dormant customers are open to reviving lost relationships. By regularly contacting customers who have worked with us in the past and understanding their grievances we can address gaps in service and offer improvements.

Frequent Communications Calendar:

The key to all customer retention is building long-lasting relationships.  A scheduled roster of touch points should occur consistently and automatically at defined points through the customer journey. People respond to this positively and appreciate it because they feel valued and important. It acknowledges them, keeps them informed, allays all post-purchase doubts, reinforces the reason they’re doing business with you and makes them feel like a part of your business which makes them want to come back again and again.

Stellar Customer Service:

This is the foundation of the business – the actual product that we’re selling, coupled with how we’re selling it. The customer needs to be treated well while conducting business, without a ‘passing the buck’ mentality. Customer satisfaction is key in getting the customer to return again and again.

Basic Courtesy:

A prime focus must be placed on interpersonal skills of the team which affects the spirit of our organization. The vibe of the company translates in all interactions with the customer – which means that all internal and external communication needs to be reviewed. Employees and contractors who feel valued are more pleasant for customers to deal with, and come across as warm. The human touch is vital in developing stronger, more trusting relationships with customers.

Business Integrity and Transparency:

A business should always ‘walk the talk’ – always practice what you preach. There needs to be consistency between the sales pitch and product delivery, and total transparency in how the business is conducted. There should be a clear line of communication without shying away from delivering bad news, and demonstrate integrity in the way the product is delivered and how the customer is treated. Customers can forgive a business mistake, but they will never forget a sly or underhanded company – in fact, they’ll make sure that others know about it as a cautionary tale.

Encourage Feedback:

Up to 96% of customers simply walk away when they’re dissatisfied. This is usually because don’t see the point in complaining or don’t know how to. These customers go on to tell their peers about their experience and can lead to a colossal loss in business and goodwill. Extracting complaints or poor feedback gives us a chance to rectify what we’re doing wrong, and allows us a shot at improving the customer’s experience and delighting them, thereby demonstrating commitment and loyalty to the customer.

Customer Relationship Management is not limited to a piece of software. As the Flywheel suggests, the heart of the business transaction is the customer, who at the end of the day are humans. We need to systematically move away from a customer-chasing mindset and begin looking at our customer conversion model more as individuals who just want to be treated well. A simple shift in mindset will convert customers to influencers, and the number-crunching game will be a thing of the past.

SILA along with its Facility Management services, Turnkey Interior Contracting, and Project Management has launched its new vertical SILA Engage which is one of the employee engagement companies in Mumbai.

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