#seriously this is SUCH a huge deal

[reasonsforhope]

Federal regulators on Tuesday [April 23, 2024] enacted a nationwide ban on new noncompete agreements, which keep millions of Americans — from minimum-wage earners to CEOs — from switching jobs within their industries.

The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday afternoon voted 3-to-2 to approve the new rule, which will ban noncompetes for all workers when the regulations take effect in 120 days [So, the ban starts in early September, 2024!]. For senior executives, existing noncompetes can remain in force. For all other employees, existing noncompetes are not enforceable.

[That's right: if you're currently under a noncompete agreement, it's completely invalid as of September 2024! You're free!!]

The antitrust and consumer protection agency heard from thousands of people who said they had been harmed by noncompetes, illustrating how the agreements are "robbing people of their economic liberty," FTC Chair Lina Khan said. 

The FTC commissioners voted along party lines, with its two Republicans arguing the agency lacked the jurisdiction to enact the rule and that such moves should be made in Congress...

Why it matters

The new rule could impact tens of millions of workers, said Heidi Shierholz, a labor economist and president of the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank. 

"For nonunion workers, the only leverage they have is their ability to quit their job," Shierholz told CBS MoneyWatch. "Noncompetes don't just stop you from taking a job — they stop you from starting your own business."

Since proposing the new rule, the FTC has received more than 26,000 public comments on the regulations. The final rule adopted "would generally prevent most employers from using noncompete clauses," the FTC said in a statement.

The agency's action comes more than two years after President Biden directed the agency to "curtail the unfair use" of noncompetes, under which employees effectively sign away future work opportunities in their industry as a condition of keeping their current job. The president's executive order urged the FTC to target such labor restrictions and others that improperly constrain employees from seeking work.

"The freedom to change jobs is core to economic liberty and to a competitive, thriving economy," Khan said in a statement making the case for axing noncompetes. "Noncompetes block workers from freely switching jobs, depriving them of higher wages and better working conditions, and depriving businesses of a talent pool that they need to build and expand."

Real-life consequences

In laying out its rationale for banishing noncompetes from the labor landscape, the FTC offered real-life examples of how the agreements can hurt workers.

In one case, a single father earned about $11 an hour as a security guard for a Florida firm, but resigned a few weeks after taking the job when his child care fell through. Months later, he took a job as a security guard at a bank, making nearly $15 an hour. But the bank terminated his employment after receiving a letter from the man's prior employer stating he had signed a two-year noncompete.

In another example, a factory manager at a textile company saw his paycheck dry up after the 2008 financial crisis. A rival textile company offered him a better job and a big raise, but his noncompete blocked him from taking it, according to the FTC. A subsequent legal battle took three years, wiping out his savings. 

-via CBS Moneywatch, April 24, 2024

--

Note:

A lot of people think that noncompete agreements are only a white-collar issue, but they absolutely affect blue-collar workers too, as you can see from the security guard anecdote.

In fact, one in six food and service workers are bound by noncompete agreements. That's right - one in six food workers can't leave Burger King to work for Wendy's [hypothetical example], in the name of "trade secrets." (x, x, x)

Noncompete agreements also restrict workers in industries from tech and video games to neighborhood yoga studios. "The White House estimates that tens of millions of workers are subject to noncompete agreements, even in states like California where they're banned." (x, x, x)

The FTC estimates that the ban will lead to "the creation of 8,500 new businesses annually, an average annual pay increase of $524 for workers, lower health care costs, and as many as 29,000 more patents each year for the next decade." (x)

Clearer explanation of noncompete agreements below the cut.

Noncompete agreements can restrict workers from leaving for a better job or starting their own business.

Noncompetes often effectively coerce workers into staying in jobs they want to leave, and even force them to leave a profession or relocate.

Noncompetes can prevent workers from accepting higher-paying jobs, and even curtail the pay of workers not subject to them directly.

Of the more than 26,000 comments received by the FTC, more than 25,000 supported banning noncompetes. 

[ficandkaboodle]

Someone (I don’t remember Whomst but please do raise your hand if it was you) once proposed the idea that Terzo might be a bit of a pianist based off of this image

And I just wanted to say that I support this idea. Not only because I think Terzo being able to play piano is adorable, but because it would make the Kazoo of Destiny even funnier in my eyes.

Dude is a classically-trained concert pianist, would make so many of his peers swoon by doing that dumb “Oh is that a piano? Don’t mind if I do~” bit and playing a concerto off the cuff. He could easily wriggle in a piano bit for himself during rituals and acoustic sessions — and the Clergy would’ve been on board for once because they know the power that a confident, handsome man with strong fingers can wield on an already horny audience.

But nope: He toot his lil kazoo, his favorite party favor he got three years ago at a New Year’s Eve party.

[max-the-silly-guy]

Has anyone stopped to think how the whole possession thing with Newton and the Titans actually worked

Like genuinely, with every cutscene the previous fact gets contradicted (yes I'm talking to you Papal Mache)

It's constantly jumping from "we have to defeat the Titans, they're controlling Newton like a puppet!1!1!" to "we have to defeat Newton before he takes over Bunkum!!1!1!"

Please make up your mind I'm losing track of what's going on

During the cutscene where Newton is finally free from their control he looks up all weak and confused and says, and I quote "What's going on? I feel weird," as though he truly has no idea what just happened like he isn't aware of his surroundings or anything

When he looks up and sees the Purple Titan, he is not only terrified, but genuinely shocked and confused. And you can tell that just by his voice

And don't even get me started on Newton's Bulb Explored, that one single cutscene throws so many questions that will most likely never get answered.

The whole concept of the Titans tormenting Newton inside the mind kinda confuses me. While they were there mocking him and shit and Newton was there too then.. who was controlling his body exactly? Was he on fuckinh autopilot while going through what's basically a more fucked up version of Inside Out like SUMO DIGITAL PLEAS EXPLAIN??2?1?2?2?

When Newton is overexaggerating the fight with the Titans trying to potray himself as a good guy he seems to only talk about what happened after he was free from their control, as if he truly recalls NOTHING about ANYTHING

But then on the other hand, throughout the game where Newton is under their control he still refers to himself as well, himself. There's no 'us' or 'we' while taking about himself (since he's basically multiple beings in a single body, a bit like Darcy from Amphibia) he's still using singular pronouns and just 'Newton'.

Was this downright possession? Simple manipulation or the Titans using his own weaknesses to force him to commit evil?? Was he not aware of what happened or WAS he able to see everything and simply lost his memory PLEAS SOMEONE TELL ME IM NOT GOING INSANE OVERNANALYZINH THSI

[twomanyfandomshelp]

Y’all, we’re trending!

Swearing beneath the cut.

FUCK YEAH ASEXUALITY IS TRENDING

This is such a huge deal, the aromantic and asexual spectrums are such underrepresented sections of the LGBTQIA+ community, and yet we’re trending at number 6. This is insane in the best way possible.

Now we’ve just got to get aromantic up there too, then we’ll be unstoppable!

[icewindandboringhorror]

Help complete the poem:

"I bear a heavy somethingnothing others seem to lack, they drift and frolic freely, no weight dragging at their backs. I keep with me my somethingnothing, nurturing the rot, as somethingnothing is my bones, it cannot be forgot. I long, I yearn, I try to swim, alas I never float, for there it is, the somethingnothing, tugging at my throat. Somedays I fear my somethingnothing is the whole of me, (now you pick the final line from choices below)

(context: In the game I'm making one of the characters you can talk to is some moody nervous exiled prince and in one quest you can help him with his writer's block on some of his poetry. This is one of the 'poems' (+ menu choice prompts) that I decided not to use in the game, but I thought it was kind of amusing on it's own and might would be fun to see the votes on)

[rosesapphire2323]

All I can say regarding ch. 123 of the manga is, I cannot BELIEVE that Dazai's plan of "fixing the mess I made of Akutagawa and turning him into a functional Homo sapiens and not just a weapon of mass destruction by using this random orphan I found by the river" ACTUALLY WORKED.

[staronet]

I am never gonna emotionally recover from Cayde and Crow's relationship.

[pirate-poet]

since everybody ELSE is doing this picrew i thought i should too

i really wish i had more for these guys, i do

in order from top to bottom: Phiri Ulfur, Vermillion Liminate, and Jacqueline Blackwood

[la-principessa-nuova]

Passkeys being supported so many places lately are the best thing to happen to authentication in the last 20 years.

If you have a good password manager and save passkeys to it, it’s finally as convenient to sign in as it was back when nothing had multifactor and you just typed your one memorized password into everything.

[uwuthomasuwu]

Anyone else see The Spider at the ass crack of dawn every morning but only when opening your right eye or is that just me?

[franeridan]

rereading whole cake and I love how sanji's like I went against you and fought you so I can't come back to you cause that's obviously him remembering what happened with usopp back in water seven but also it means that he totally forgot all it took for usopp to be allowed back was for him to apologize and say he wanted back in and that's just. typical mugiwara behaviour. to remember how seriously they have to take luffy as a captain but forget just how easily luffy forgives them anyway. to remember they have to respect him but forget that he loves them first and foremost

[11-eyed-rook]

"You don't look disabled/trans/bi/like a guy/sick/diabetic/mentally ill/neurodivergent/autistic/in pain"

*Fucking smacks you with my big paws*

[leafiatheneko]

just coming here to spill my thoughts;

What makes me sad is the fact that there’s so many people out there who do not give a shit about Tifa nor Aerith and go STRAIGHT to sexualizing them both.

I’ll admit I initially wasn’t a huge fan of Tifa but even I didn’t jump to sexualizing her. I know she’s only a fictional character, but she like? Really doesn’t deserve any of the oversexualizing she gets???

[eohachu]

nah but while we're on the topic. idc if anybody reads this or w/e but like. *face in hands*. can my body stop having such strong reactions... like what do you want this guy is about to enter a romantic relationship with sb else, this is not going to change even if you start brewing dark matter in my intestines. that may have come across weird but ok. and the worst thing about this is that all while i didn't know about this guy having something going on with sb else i kept tossing and turning asking myself what i really want and you know i was RELIEVEd when he asked me if we were platonic and i said yes and i was convinced of it and he said yeah good bc i like this other person. now what do you want brain you don't even want to be in a relationship w this guy. why do you have to yearn. what the fuck.

[hexados-on-a-string]

spectragus dont get enough credit for being a sun and moon ship but like. destructive sun and moon ship. sun and moon ship but they're the forces of nature the sun and moon actually are. the sun is harsh and relentless and unpredictable in its evil but also it's kindness, the moon is sharp and cold and cruel, a harsh light that doesn't allow you peace, but can also guide you, a light in the darkness. even on nights with a new moon, with no light in the sky, the moon is always reflecting the sun, and it'll be that way until they come to their end.

[leviiackrman]

The Quarry is £15 rn and by god I wish I had the money😭 quick commission anyone??