#supplementary budget

[townpostin]

Jharkhand Assembly Monsoon Session Kicks Off with Condolence Motion

Assembly’s Last Session Before Elections Witnesses Opposition Protests Jharkhand Assembly’s monsoon session started with a condolence motion, highlighting the last session before the elections. RANCHI – The monsoon session of the Jharkhand Assembly began on Friday, marking the last session before the upcoming assembly elections. Assembly Speaker Ravindra Nath Mahto addressed the House, presenting…

[bogleech]

Patreon and etsy insist they're only meant to be "supplementary" income but unfortunately they are the only things I have at all, and both are changing for the worse and worse. I get by juuuust barely comfortably on the two of them combined, but with no money left over to grow a savings, so if they got worse enough I just wouldn't be able to survive. I haven't found a backup plan that can work yet.

I still have the print budget for Mortasheen RPG but printing the 200 kickstart orders will use all of it. Once those kickstart orders are shipped out I'll make the book available for general purchase but it's looking like it'll have to be a $60 book and I'll only likely get $9 per sale, so this 15 year project isn't likely to change my life that much unless it's some kind of ultra megahit. My sleeping problems were enough to ruin regular jobs until I now haven't had one since 2007, so I wouldn't have any experience to show and I also still have those evidently 100% untreatable sleeping problems. I make books and other little side projects because I like to, yes, but also in an attempt to find anything that will "take off" and make anything easier but nothing really has yet; I'm super open to suggestions?

[matt0044]

I never liked the “cast bloat” argument or that Team RWBY don’t feel like protagonists.

Now in fairness to the first one, RWBY isn’t the only fantasy series with loads of characters that seem snuggly packed in. Many writing teams or authors want to show off facets of their world via characters born of various fantastical cultures. Y’know? Show and not tell what their world is.

But shows like RWBY can’t all be Shonen Manga designed to go on for as long as possible or at least as long as editorial wants. Especially in the age of eight episode seasons. That said, even if it’s a glimpse, I always appreciate when the world of Remnant does not stop nor end at four girls still figuring themselves out.

With Hunter X Hunter, Gon may be the face of the series with Killua as his number two but you also have Kurapika take center stage in their individual arcs like Yorknew or Leoreo sharing one with Killua in the Election arc. And even then, we will have other perspectives in any given arc.

The Chimera Ants may be the antagonists in a very fan favorite arc but they’re borderline protagonists of their own stories. Hell, Gon doesn’t even face off with the big bad but rather one he has a personal score to settle with. Instead a bunch of old mentor type characters take out the Chimera King.

RWBY clearly learned from Shonen Anime that the world doesn’t have to stop or end at the main character. After Dragon Ball, titles inspired by it afforded other characters to have their own time in the limelight rather than be purely foils for the main character.

Raven vs Cinder is relevant to them because they are important characters even if none of the titular characters are there to witness it. Furthermore, Cinder as a Maiden is connected to Ruby, Winter to Weiss, Yang to Raven, I bet the Summer Maiden will be close to Blake.

Basically, this choice keeps the world from shrinking and feel big, lived in.

And it’s hardly unique in this regard as Trixie The Golden Witch explains in her video: Is There Meaning In "Subverting" Shounen Tropes?

To argue against Team RWBY supposedly not feeling like protagonists, sometimes titular characters can feel too much like protagonists. I have been rereading Harry Potter to sort out my feelings regarding Rowling crowning herself TERF Queen. To keep it relevant, I have found the Harry only perspective both effective and limiting.

It’s effective at making the dramatic parts hit us hard as if we were in Harry’s shoes buuuuut it can feel limiting when there’s a whole school of magic with students of all sorts to get to know. It feels like there were potential side stories that could flesh out Hogwarts.

A similar criticism is often lobbed at Steven Universe. Effective but often limiting.

So… I prefer a cast bloat to there being no other characters for Team RWBY to bounce off of whether the budget calls for it or not. They call them character foils for a reason.

Circling back to RWBY, some characters are there for as long as they need to so they make the most of things to make an impression. If not, discourse would become how flat they are.

The Ace-Ops inform us of how huntsmen as basically super cops in Atlas, building up to Ironwood’s downfall. The Afterans inform us of the eccentricities of the Ever After.

Hell, who says we’ll never see them again be it in the main show or supplementary content? This provides such fertile grounds for fan content alone or future spin offs.

[joannerowling]

do you think they'll ever go for another HP spinoff? Both Cursed Child and Fantastic Beasts received poor or mixed reviews at best and were not that popular (I don't think anyone has ever referenced them IRL in my experience) so I doubt they'll be trying another spinoff anytime soon. Perhaps after the HP show is over in a decade? I really hope not lol, I found both CC and FB incredibly uninteresting and basic (Ezra Miller and Johnny Depp really turned me off too lol) and I figure any other spin off would be just as disappointing.

I also think the terminally online fans going "No one wants this! we want a spinoff about the founders or marauders!" are so incredibly out of touch. the HP show everyone will watch, however no one would care about either of those except super duper HP fans. If I said "marauders" IRL I highly doubt anyone would even know what I'm referencing. Also why on earth would they take a gamble on a new show after CC and FB flopped? and these terminally online JKR haters complaining about the show and screaming for a Jegulus spinoff instead also hated and complained about CC and FB for the most part? it's such a bizarre reaction that is based exclusively in 'I hate jkr and want to complain' instead of any actual desires on their part IMO

Will there ever be another HP spinoff?

Short answer: probably not.

Long answer: they can only greenlight a project with JKR's approval, so it really all depends on her. She's clearly not interested in writing more original Potter books right now, but she's ok letting others play with the IP in various media and/or commercial forms (except novels; duh, she's not stupid), so long as her specific wishes on some topics are met. So far, pretty successfully:

Theatre : Cursed Child, while hated by a vocal minority of (essentially book) fans, is a commercial and critical hit, winning several awards and touring in multiple countries while playing non-stop on the West End.

Video Games : Obviously a quite successful format, from the popular smartphone mini-games to Hogwarts Legacy. Nobody cared that much about HL's story, its success came down to the fun of actually getting to explore Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc.

Park theme(s) : Very successful and not to be underestimated creativity-wise, between decors, costumes, ancilliary products, etc. Again, the appeal is immersion and exploration rather than rides.

Supplementary non-fiction material : The "Hogwarts Library" supplementary books deepening the universe's lore have always been hits, hence WB using them as a base to develop FB.

Fantastic Beasts movie series (and the whole "wizarding world" brand) : The big disappointment. It didn't start so bad, the first was a success and well received. The second was too complicated and lost the GP, but still made money; and the third was better received but not well enough to save it. Still, even Secrets was more of a flop than a bomb (it made back its Covid-inflated budget twice after all, not enough to make a profit but better than nothing).

At some point, if i'm a WB exec and i'm a little smart, i start to notice patterns:

Normie fans and GA don't want new "wizarding world" stories: they want an immersive experience. Movies are a bad format for that. You just can't cram too much stuff in a movie without shit becoming real expensive real fast.

Book fans hate everything new in general, even with Jo's involvement it's getting touchy after FB and CC. (I'm sure an original novel would work but even that's risky and she's not interested anyways.)

On the other hand, book fans also famously disliked the movies, so a new, more faithful adaptation might interest them. Normie fans and GA too: they already know the story, so it's accessible, and parents would love sharing it with their kids.

Sales show that people in general are definitely still massively attached to Harry Potter, so it's worth investing.

TV adaptations of books following disappointing movies have been pretty successful recently: BBC/HBO's HDM, Netflix's Series of Unfortunate Events, etc.

TV's not a bad format for immersive story-telling. Not the best, but you have more screen time and it's usually cheaper to produce than films and more character driven, meaning more opportunities to add details and play with them. Enough "new" elements to stand apart from the movies and excite fans, but no risk of messing with canon.

For WB, a remake is a great middle ground to work with JKR in spite of her controversies: she's involved, but not too involved, because the story isn't a new one. It's not like she's writing an original script for them, she's just consulting to make sure they're not messing up. And for Jo? Also greatly convenient! She gets to make money with minimal work. She's a very busy woman you see, and she's got expenses (those rape crisis centers aren't paying for themselves).

Conclusion : Spin-offs = bad, expensive ideas almost bound to fail, unless they were adaptations of a new, critically acclaimed original novel by JKR, which will not happen any time soon. Remake = safer, actually something people want to see (or could be persuaded to watch if initially unconvinced, for the hardcore movie fans). Movies are (kinda) out, shows are (still) in. Carpe Diem, etc.

Will there specifically ever be a Marauders spinoff?

With the disclaimer that i'm not JKR so i can't actually know that but: no. Never. Not even a remote possibility, won't ever happen in a thousand years.

[creativitwincest]

I haven't been drawing much remrom because I've been drawing. So many Januses. My apologies. I'll get to requests I promise;

Have 2177 words of Roman and Remus hanging out and being stupid together as an apology. I've been working on something

—

“Do you think Logan would like this?”

Roman whips his head around to stare at his twin brother, standing entirely on the opposite side of the shop.

Remus’ voice is loud as hell in the small space and Roman is momentarily embarrassed by its obnoxiousness; his first reflex is to make himself small and pretend he doesn’t know Remus, as he often does, but he soon remembers that they’re the only customers standing among the cramped shelves. He sighs begrudgingly and rolls his eyes, “I can’t see what you’re talking about, Remus.”

His twin makes a (loud, obnoxious) surprised noise and steps aside. Roman lets go of the necklace he was eyeing and walks over to him.

Remus is holding what Roman first thinks is a simple (if particularly large) snow globe; but, as he approaches, he realises that it seems to be a pretty accurate representation of some major constellations, painted all over the internal surface of the glass, the sphere filled with a dark blue liquid mimicking a night sky. Looking closer, there seems to be a small amount of gold glitter in it as well, elegantly catching the ambient light.

“He likes astrology, right? ‘Doesn’t look like this thing’s too complex, but if anything it’ll remind him less of his supplementary classes.”

“He’s a smartass, though,” Roman counters, reaching for the sphere in Remus’ hand, a bit starstruck by it still. “I bet he’d be more interested in something less decorative and more instructive. Or scientific, at least.”

Remus pouts, but lets him take the globe. “It’s just a trinket,” he whines, “his room is so impersonal it’s nauseating. I feel bad he has to live there, it looks like some fucking Ikea magazine!”

“Better than leaving dildos out in the open when mom and dad come to visit,” Roman mutters bitterly under his breath.

“Prude,” Remus snickers. “They should’ve been proud I’m so good at managing my allowance.”

“I think the fact that it was technically their money made it worse.”

Remus giggles to himself. “You call it worse, I call it better. You would’ve paid money to see the look on their faces.”

Roman is actually pretty glad that Remus had decided to room in an apartment with Janus instead of staying in the dorms with him, and had therefore spared him the sight – the second-hand embarrassment would’ve made him melt right into the floor. Just the idea of it makes him shiver. He only knows of the event because Janus had insisted on live reporting it to them in their groupchat – which had given Patton a (“highly entertaining”, in Janus’ words) heart attack, unsurprisingly. Roman understood exactly why their parents hated the blonde so much.

“If we get something for Logan, we’ll have to get something for everyone,” Roman says, if only to get back on topic.

“Why? I just feel pity for the way he lives.”

“Because if we don’t,” Roman continues, disregarding the insult to one of their best friends, “Patton will think he’s less important, and Virgil will worry we don’t care about him, and Janus will throw a hissy fit and complain about favoritism.”

“Well they can suck it,” Remus frowns, “how much money do they think we have?”

“You have plenty enough for a few gifts, Remus, don’t be a hypocrite.”

Technically, Remus had a lot more money than Roman did, even, because as insistent as Remus was that he was just that good at saving money, Roman couldn’t imagine that selling nudes was particularly cheap. Roman fully believed him when he claimed to have made his most outrageous purchases with their parents’ money only, though, even if there was really no way to tell.

“I’m not paying in full for joint gifts, dickhead, I was thinking about you.”

Roman rolls his eyes again. “Having a budget doesn’t mean I can’t get them anything. How much is that thing?” He asks, handing the glass sphere back to Remus, who rotates it in his hands to look under the base.

“Thirty five dollars,” he says.

“T-Thirty five– I don’t know why I’m surprised,” Roman sputters.

“Let’s see,” Remus starts; “assuming we get them all gifts of the same value, that’s thirty five times four, five times four equals twenty, four times three is twelve, adding two, that’s a hundred and fifty dollars – splitting equally between the both of us, that’s a budget of seventy five each. You got seventy five on you, right now?”

Roman groans loudly enough that the owner of the shop, who had blissfully ignored them until then, gives him a side eye. Roman shrinks right into his spot; then, in a smaller voice, mumbles, “This one can be the most expensive one. Patton wouldn’t care if we got him a three dollar keychain or something.”

“Janus would fucking kill you, though,” Remus counters.

“You mean kill us?”

“Eh. He’s tried so many times I’m basically immune at this point.”

Good for you, Roman thinks, miserably. Janus has enough anger issues and self-importance to uproot mountains every time something doesn’t go his way and, after all this time, Roman still hasn’t been presented with convincing proof that his twin isn’t just immortal. He’s been Janus’ best friend since they were toddlers; surely he should be dead by now.

“I’m sure I can find something fancy enough for fifteen. Some kind of jewelry, maybe. He likes gold, yeah? It doesn’t have to be real.”

Remus shrugs. “He likes anything expensive-looking, I guess.”

“So I’m sure we can manage,” Roman concludes, and takes the sphere back from Remus’ hand. “Are we sure we’re getting this for Logan, though? I’m still not convinced he’s into decorative stuff in general.”

“If this giant bean pole dork doesn’t display this fuckass snow globe on his desk, I will tear all of his fingers and toes apart from the rest of his body and force-feed them to him from the back entrance.”

Roman immediately glaces in the direction of the shopkeeper, but it seems that, for some reason, she decides to be distracted by her phone at the exact moment that would prove that Roman is the better twin.

“Okay, okay, let’s get it then,” he says, and starts walking towards the counter.

Remus follows him, blissfully pulling his credit card out of his wallet as he does.

—

“We’re going to spend the rest of our vacation looking for gifts for them, aren’t we,” Roman groans as they exit the shop.

“You’re the one who insisted we have to get them for everyone,” Remus says. “You owe me eighteen dollars, by the way.”

“Seventeen and a half,” Roman corrects through gritted teeth.

“With interest, because you didn’t have any money on you. You’re lucky I’m just rounding up and not adding ten more.”

“You are– tremendously unfair to me, dude,” Roman snaps, shoving Remus out of the way as he says it.

“How the fuck do you think I got all those vibrators?!” Remus responds, loudly, shoving him right back and into the front of some coffee shop. “Business is business, baby!”

Roman catches himself on a nearby light pole and only lightly breaks his skull on it in the process. “Christ, just scream it to everyone on the streets, why don’t you?” he spits, and regrets it before he even finishes the sentence. “Don’t-”

“HELLO, PEOPLE OF FUCKVILLE!” Remus yells at the top of his lungs. “My dear brother would like to inform you that I–”

“Oh my God, shut the actual hell up,” Roman shrieks, hurriedly slapping his hand over Remus’ mouth in a panic.

Two passersby stare at them. Remus licks his hand. Roman pointedly keeps it over his twin’s mouth. Remus wiggles his eyebrows at him in a mock-flirting attempt and Roman eventually leaves his mouth alone, punching Remus’ shoulder for good measure.

“You’re obsessed with my mouth, huh,” Remus says with the same teasing tone he’d once used to tell Patton he could teach him about anatomy a thousand times better than Logan ever could. “Oral fixation?”

“Fuck off, Green Goblin.”

“Ooh, really? Wanna watch?”

Roman doesn’t bother responding to that one. He resolutely speeds up ahead, intent on reaching their rented cabin as quickly as physically possible.

Remus keeps up with him easily, because God hates Roman and has never let him have a single lucky day in his life. “If we’re getting something for Patton, it has to be dick-shaped.”

“It really doesn’t. Stop being gross. He’s already scared of you enough as it is,” Roman sighs.

“‘Shame, really. I like him,” Remus shrugs.

Roman raises an eyebrow at that; but then again, he’s talking to the same guy who has a history with his own closest friend that Roman can’t even begin to wrap his head around. When Remus says he likes people, what he really means tends to be more in the spirit of “I like to stare at them for hours on end and imagine what they’d look like if their organs exploded”, Roman wagers. It’s pretty much impossible for Roman to tell what Remus really thinks of anyone or anything.

Roman looks around as they walk back home. They had only been planning on exploring the closest town for the sake of sightseeing (and because Roman was nothing if not a city boy, and since the place their parents had decided on is lost in the middle of nowhere, he’d needed to see signs of civilisation to feel at ease; dragging Remus along for the hour-long walk to their current location had been an exercise in memory. By which Roman means he’d had to call on so, so many previous favors). The shopkeeper gave them a plastic bag to carry the box she’d put the glass sphere in (Remus had dubbed it a “stobe”, as in “star globe”, because Remus was a heathen and a freak) but Roman is dreading having to keep carrying it for their entire walk back. Not that he has any other option – there’s no way he was ever going to trust Remus with something so easy to break – but he still feels like complaining.

Remus isn’t paying attention to him; he seems to be enjoying the view of the last few buildings before they’re back to dirt paths and walking on the road again. There’s just enough connection on the way for them to be sure they won’t get lost (Remus’ phone is probably at less than 10%, because he never bothers to charge it; Roman would sooner die than let his get under 20%) but neither of them are looking. They’re walking side by side, with Remus slightly ahead; he’d always had a better sense of directions than Roman, which Roman supposes must come from the fact that Janus wouldn’t be capable of finding his own house with a GPS if he were dropped on the wrong side of the street.

(Roman is a bit fascinated with their dynamic, to be entirely honest. In public, Janus sometimes treats Remus like a hyperactive dog he’s in turn indulging or reigning in, and Remus lets him – when they’re alone, Remus tells him, he acts like a baby koala clinging to him for dear life, if baby koalas had pride. Roman hasn’t been able to tell yet how their relationship works or what it even is, but it had been “the two of them against the world” for so long that depending on each other almost looks to be an old habit, by now.)

(Roman can’t blame Janus for having been there for Remus when he hadn’t been.)

As soon as they enter the more woodsy part of their walk, Remus grabs a long stick and starts waving it around wildly. Roman jerks away from its path, landing across the road and halfway into a ditch. Remus laughs at him as he stumbles.

Roman steps out of the ditch with a huff and grabs Remus’ stick with his free hand.

“Ooh, yeah, grab my hard stick, big boy.”

“You’re gross,” Roman groans. He considers launching Logan’s gift at his twin’s face but thinks the glass might break. He tosses Remus’ stick out of the way – Remus elbows him.

“Jealous of my big stick?”

“If that was an attempt at an innuendo,” Roman replies, “it was stupid. We’re identical twins, so we probably have, like… uh…”

Remus gives him a long, smug stare that tells Roman he thinks letting him finish his own sentence would be more embarrassing than interrupting him to make it explicit. “Yeah? We probably have what, Ro-bro?” he says, like a jerk.

“The same, like, I mean… It probably looks the same,” Roman mumbles.

“The same what? What looks the same, brother dearest?” Remus insists, because he likes to feed on Roman’s mortification like a leech. “Surely it can’t be anything outrageous – you’d never have such a thought!”

“Shut up, dude,” Roman groans again.

Remus snickers at him but shuts his mouth, thank God. He grabs Roman's hand instead, “Come on,” he says, “you're walking like a snail.”

“Snails don't walk,” Roman answers.

“Exactly.”

[aprofessionalwithoutstandards]

If they made a TF2 tv show/web series I think it’d be cool if it was like Simpsons Treehouse of Horror style, where it’s a bunch of like one-off shorts that may or may not be canon. Cause TF2 having a consistent canon would lowkey be hard to pull off

Yeahhhh that's what I'm also kinda saying! The mainline comic is The only attempt at a linear story tf2 has been given and they didn't even finish it LMAO. I've talked before about what a "campaign mode" might look like for tf2, a game built fundamentally around NOT having a campaign to complete or any sort of story to tell. Expiration Date is a one-off short, and I think it works best that way. Although I don't reaaaally worry about the "canon" of an absurdist comedy property that constantly contradicts its own "canon" anyway, I DO think a series of very episodic 15-minute shorts would be the best way to do tf2 supplementary material in video form. Expiration Date is actually like a REALLY good short, probably better of a short than people give it credit for, and when I imagine any hypothetical future shorts, I imagine them in a similar format. The team is thrust into some kind of wacky situation, the episode focuses on a certain character or relationship between characters (like how Expiration Date focuses on Scout and Spy), there's some kind of fight with references to the gameplay so nerds can go That's the thing! From my game!, and everything is resolved by the end of the episode. Tf2 characters are like, exceptionally versatile (because of that non-linear nature of the game I talked about) and can thrive in basically any situation you put them into. I don't want a big-budget Netflix show like Arcane with crazy Spiderverse animation or whatever. I want thirty more Expiration Dates about Medic and Engie's experiments or about Sniper and Demo going treasure hunting in the desert or about Pauling's vacation days or 15 straight minutes of jokes about Heavy and his gun. I want tf2 shorts that feel like tf2 goddammit!

[galerymod]

Social market economy

Definition: What is a ‘social market economy’?

A social market economy is an economic system that is designed to combine competition with social objectives. The idea of a social market economy is strongly associated with Germany, where this economic system was implemented after the Second World War. The theoretical background is in particular ordoliberalism. From an economic ethics perspective, the ‘social’ in the social market economy does not constitute a supplementary or corrective measure to competition, but is intended to strengthen the latter's ability to function. This is achieved by designing social policy not against, but for the market, i.e. as insurance.

Economic order

1. Characterisation: Economic policy model conceived by Müller-Armack and Ludwig Erhard, which has been implemented in the Federal Republic of Germany since 1948. It takes up the demand of ordoliberalism (Freiburg School) for the state to guarantee a functioning competitive order, but supplements the catalogue of economic policy state tasks by emphasising socio-political goals. This model attempts to combine the goals and proposed solutions of liberalism, Christian social teaching and liberal socialism (opposite: communism). It is not a strictly self-contained concept, which means that the design mandate for the economic policy makers is more comprehensive and flexible than in ordoliberalism. The social market economy is more of an organisational concept that is open to social and ecological extensions or specifications.

2. Tasks/instruments: In addition to ensuring a liberal competitive order, a social orientation of economic policy is required. This concept is not primarily characterised as social by state redistribution of wealth or income opportunities, but rather it seeks a socio-politically motivated distribution of income growth, which is only made possible by a meaningful regulatory policy, as well as a socially oriented influence on market processes while ensuring that the instruments are market-compliant. Socially undesirable market outcomes are to be corrected by limiting or indirectly influencing private-sector initiative, while the social consequences of far-reaching structural upheavals are mitigated by means of state intervention. The ordoliberal thesis of the fundamental stability of the private sector is not fully shared and the necessity of a moderate state economic policy is derived from this. In the areas relevant to social policy where market failure is to be feared (e.g. social insurance systems), the state must intervene in a supportive manner, while upholding the principle of subsidiarity, or organise the provision of the relevant goods and services itself. Further tasks of the state are to pursue active labour market, wealth, housing and education policies, to ensure that corporate governance is socially responsible, and to provide the material and immaterial infrastructure necessary for socio-cultural and economic development.

3. Development: a) The first phase of the social market economy, from 1948 to 1966/7, is characterised by the dominance of ordoliberals. The Act against Restraints of Competition, the Federal Bank Act and the Collective Agreement Act, among others, fall within this period;

b) From 1966/7 (Stability and Growth Law) until the early 1980s, liberal socialism dominated, as expressed, for example, in the anti-cyclical fiscal policy and in the co-determination laws;

c) In the early 1980s, neoliberal ideas of a stable market economy (supply economics) were revived. Monetary policy was geared towards potential, and the aim was to achieve a cyclically neutral budget.

d) Since German reunification, the social market economy has been further developed with a greater focus on sustainability and affordability.

Science more or less

Business ethics

From an economic ethics perspective, the social market economy represents the best means yet known for realising social solidarity (Moralische Qualität der Marktwirtschaft). Two points represent a difference to widespread views:

(1) The ‘social’ in social market economy is not to be understood as a supplementary or corrective measure, but as a prerequisite of markets or the characterisation of the institutional arrangement as a whole; thus, social policy is not against, but for the market, i.e. to be conceived as insurance.

(2) Accordingly, the social market economy acquires its moral quality primarily from the coordination of markets, which fundamentally benefits all members of society, but not because of supposedly ‘social’ redistribution measures.

Or here the simple explanation for those for whom the above is too scientific.

social market economy

The state acts

Germany's economic system is the social market economy. It was developed from the free market economy. To prevent major social injustices from arising, the state intervenes in the free market economy where necessary. In doing so, the freedom of the market economy is restricted where it is anti-social, where it only serves the strong and harms the less strong.

Examples of how the social market economy works

There are, for example, laws governing protection against unfair dismissal, which forbid an employee from being dismissed from their job from one day to the next. This is important, because immediate dismissal would usually cause the employee major problems. Other laws are designed to prevent large companies from forming cartels. These cartels could fix the prices of their products in such a way that smaller companies could no longer keep up and go bankrupt. The state also ensures that employees are protected from major health and safety risks when performing dangerous work. And private property is protected. However, those who own property also have a responsibility for how they handle it.

Founders of the social market economy

The social market economy was developed after the Second World War by economics professors Alfred Müller-Armack and Ludwig Erhard. Their ideas are still valid today. Ludwig Erhard became the first Federal Minister for Economic Affairs after the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949 and later also Federal Chancellor.

Years of propaganda against a social state system like the social market economy have managed to persuade people that it would be socialism or even communism if the state intervened in the right way to prevent injustice.

Wikipedia more or less

When the subprime bubble burst, the capitalists did not mind being rescued by the state. Which is probably no different than socialism, or so the free market's motto went: let the market regulate itself.

Privatise profits and socialise losses was suddenly the order of the day.

mod

A responsible state creates a framework of conditions in which a catastrophe like the subprime crises cannot be generated.

The alleged self-regulation of the free market has proven to be a highly motivated lie throughout history, which is constantly being propagated by the owners.

Because if you tell a lie long enough, it becomes the truth.

Sorry, no. Capitalist systems must be regulated by the state in a reasonable way, otherwise chaos will reign again in the end, and the general public will have to pay for it.

mod

[adelaide-of-versailles]

How badly did Louis xv treat his wife???

Tbh he was more just... Neglectful and ignored her throughout their marriage.

At first, it was very idyllic and they loved each other, but after giving birth the first time to Louise Elisabeth and Anne Henriette, Cardinal Fleury (who absolutely hated her) decided that until she gave birth to a boy, she wouldn't be allowed to leave Versailles. Louis XV did nothing, and it took 3 years for Maria to have a son. Also, what the hell is up with that? She had twin daughters and suddenly she *needs* to have a boy?? Have some patience, she's working on it!

She was very shy, I mean who wouldn't be when faced with the King of France. She wasn't really raised as a Princess- she was raised in a small house with very few servants with her parents, grandmother, and I'm not sure if her sister Anna was dead yet.

Louis XV cheated on her quite a lot, which I know is normal for monarchy but it is worth mentioning. After the birth of Princess Louise (her last child) she almost died, and she was advised to not have anymore children, and after that she refused access to her bedchamber for the King.

One book says,

At certain times, vigils, feasts and days consecrated to the memory of illustrious saints, she demanded- well, let us call it a "respite" from the King's attentions. But gradually new saints of minor importance were invoked, and Louis XV became impatient. He did not chafe at the great elect, but he drew the line at all these petty saintlings. At first he was content with such a device as breathing on a mirror and writing on the fleeting mist, "Your Majesty is a proud minx"; but one night, pleading that it was a saint's day, the Queen refused to admit him to her bedchamber. "Madame," he shouted at her, you shall pay for this," and immediately commanded Lebel to go and fetch a woman, no matter whom. Lebel sped away, and soon returned with an amiable and tantalizing maid of the Princesse de Rohan, who undertook these supplementary duties with the most charming alacrity.

Also after Princess Louise's birth, Cardinal Fleury decided that the budget of Versailles was just too small to handle the extra daughters they had laying around, so obviously something had to be done to them, and not yknow, the king using so much of the budget for frivolous stuff. Adelaide, aged 6, Victoire, 5, Sophie, 4, Felicite, 2, and Louise, under a year old were chosen to leave.

Maria, who had a particular attachment to Adelaide, guided her into running to her father after mass and begging him to let her stay. It worked, but none of her other children were allowed to stay. Despite this, she often sent them gifts, and once they were old enough to yknow, read and write, sent them letters.

One letter from Sophie, which I believe was after Sophie properly met her later on in life, says:

My Dear Mamma, we have been this morning to the Carmelites : they have prayed to God for you, that nothing may happen to you on the road. I am very im- patient to arrive at Versailles ; for I assure you that it concerns me very much not to see you, since I love you, my dear Mamma, with all my heart. Be convinced of this I beg of you.

She loved her children, and they adored her too. Henriette, Louis, Adelaide, and Louis's first wife, Raphaelle particularly defended her against the growing faction of Madame de Pompadour, although their distaste didn't do anything in the eyes of Louis XV. Louis Ferdinand, the Dauphin of France, particularly wasn't very close with his father, seemingly mostly due to Louis XV's treatment of Maria and personality differences.

Louis Ferdinand was a mostly kind-hearted soul who enjoyed gardening, and didn't like hunting or cheating on his wife, which were two things that Louis XV enjoyed very much.

Louis XV comments:

My son is of an indolent disposition, and his temper, like that of most people with Polish blood in their veins, is quick and variable; he has no taste; he cares nothing for hunting, women, or good living. Perhaps he thinks that if he were in my position he would be happy. At first he would change everything, appear to make a fresh start in every particular, and would soon be tired of the position of King as he is now of his own. He is made to live like a philosophe with men of intellect; he likes to do good, he is really virtuous and intelligent.

Unlike what Louis XV thought his son thinks, Louis Ferdinand truly had no desire to reign. Apparently, on a lot of writings to his children, he begins, "If I ever have the misfortune to reign–"

I know this is an abrupt end but I have to leave my house rn- if I have more to add I will reblog!

[beardedmrbean]

Many Nigerians have reacted with outrage after a new plane was bought for President Bola Tinubu at a time when the economy is experiencing its worst crisis in a generation.

The purchase comes less than two weeks after thousands took to the streets across the country to protest at rising hunger and the cost of living.

Elected last year to lead Africa’s most populous country, Mr Tinubu has introduced several economic reforms, including the removal of fuel subsidies, which have contributed to high inflation, currently over 30%.

President Tinubu said the reforms were necessary to cut government spending and stimulate long-term growth.

In January, the Nigerian president announced a 60% reduction in the size of official travel delegations, including his own entourage.

However on Monday, the president departed for France using a newly acquired Airbus A330, which has become the latest addition to the presidential fleet of more than five aircraft.

The cost of the plane has not been disclosed, and nor has the reason for his trip.

'I've been sleeping under a bridge in Lagos for 30 years'

Is Nigeria on the right track after a year of Tinubu?

Should I stay or should I go? The dilemma for young Nigerians

X user @Fdmlearn said it wasn’t right that Nigerians were being told to undergo economic pain while the government was buying a new plane for the president.

“Wait so despite the Tinubu led Government telling Nigerians to bear the economic hardship and wait for a better tomorrow, they were busy paying cash for a new private Jet to add to the presidential fleet that has over 6 aircraft’s already?”.

Another X user @RealOlaudah was even more angry.

“Let's tell ourselves the truth. Tinubu's new Airbus presidential aircraft purchase for N150 billion at a time of penury, hunger, and want shows how wicked, selfish, self-indulgent, and insensitive to the plight of the average Nigerian he really is.”

However, @Timi_The_Law says he supports the president’s decision as the plane is not personal but belongs to the office of the president.

“Tinubu's decision to buy a new plane is the right one. The plane belongs to the office of the president, and future presidents will enjoy it,” he posted.

It is not known if lawmakers approved the purchase, which was not mentioned in this year’s budget.

In a statement on X, President Tinubu’s media aide Bayo Onanuga said the new plane would actually save money.

“The new plane, bought far below the market price, saves Nigeria huge maintenance and fuel costs, running into millions of dollars yearly,” the statement read in part.

The new presidential jet was recently released to the Nigerian government after it was seized by a Chinese firm, Zhangson Investment Co. Limited, which obtained a Paris court order to seize some Nigerian government assets following an investment dispute with Ogun state in south-west Nigeria.

The 15-year-old plane is said to have an elaborate configuration for VIPs and replaces the country’s 19-year-old Boeing BBJ 737-700.

Nigerian officials have previously said that the presidential fleet had a high maintenance cost due to the age of its planes.

In June, lawmakers recommended the purchase of two new aircraft for the president and his deputy, saying the old ones were not safe.

Last month, lawmakers passed a supplementary budget, which sought to raise the 2024 budget from 28.7 trillion naira ($18bn; £14bn) to 35.06 trillion naira.

It is not known if the purchase of the new plane was included in this budget.

The BBC has reached out to the Senate President and the Office of the National Security Adviser but is yet to get a response.

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Brazil's cost-cutting plan faces skepticism as new meeting planned

Announcement expected by Thursday, before President Lula departs for G20 summit

Amid the impact of the recent interest rate increase in Brazil and currency devaluation, the week begins with anticipation around the final discussions and announcement of the spending cuts package. The release is expected within the next few days, before President Lula departs on Thursday (14) for the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro.

However, following a series of meetings with ministers from social areas that will be affected and multiple delays in announcing the plan, investors and the business sector perceive the adjustments may fall short of expectations. Similarly, people close to the discussions suggest the package may be more modest than needed to balance the budget.

Finance Minister Fernando Haddad is scheduled to meet with Lower House Speaker Arthur Lira and Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco by Tuesday to present the proposals, which will be sent to Congress as a proposal to amend the Constitution (PEC) and a supplementary bill.

Mr. Lira told allies that the government needs to broaden its approach to foster dialogue with Congress if it wants the package to gain traction and move swiftly through legislative channels. According to an insider, Mr. Lira believes the issue is complex, and beyond coordinating with the heads of both chambers, the government should engage party leaders from the start.

Continue reading.

[tahazahid]

Guide 2024 |  Writing a Travel Blog? Learn tips and tricks.

Maintaining a travel blog is more than just an enjoyable way to look back on your adventures.

                                         It might even be rewarding. 

You can make money from your blog in a number of ways, which could lead to it becoming your main or supplementary source of income. If you've made the decision to start a travel blog, there are steps you can take to make sure it's successful and draws in sponsors, brands, travel writers, and public relations firms. Here's a step-by-step tutorial on starting and maintaining a profitable travel blog.

Step 1: Start with Research

You need to put some time into research before you start writing any of your content or even deciding on a name for your travel blog. The greatest place to start is by browsing the most well-liked travel blogs available and read them from go websites . Visit Blog section of Tripplanerpk.com to get good content.

Both the more recent travel bloggers who are gaining traction quickly and the more established travel bloggers who have enjoyed long-term success deserve your attention.

Make notes highlighting the similarities and unique features that set the top travel blogs apart. This covers elements like the writing style, page layout, image usage, and video. The objective is to observe what works and what doesn't, rather than to mimic the strategies of other bloggers, and to get general inspiration.

Step 2: Find a relevant niche

Keep this in mind when writing a travel blog Your idea should be clear about what information you are going to give in this blog. Your niche should be obvious, such as an adventure travel blog or a budget travel blog.  Your intention should be clear about certain idea of blog that's what called a niche in blog writing.

Selecting a niche is essential for everything, from keywords to the URL, writing style, and how to incorporate images. Being hyper-focused on a niche is also important if you want your travel blog to gain the attention of travel companies or brands, so they can gauge how well your blog speaks to their target audience.

Step 3: Start writing

After completing your research, the next step will be to write and compose a blog. Use simple English as understood by a college boy and add some quotes to make it interesting . Try to be around your topic; avoid complications; just be formal. 

Try to use relevant images in your blog that seek the attention of readers. Don't make it so long that the reader get bored reading it all. Check out other people Blogs and try to shape them newly. 

Step 4: Publish 

Last and the final step after completing you blog writting is to publish that . Its up to you where you want to publish your blog on your website or any other platform like medium ,linkedin , Or reddit. You can create our own website to share your personal experience or to share your knowledge with others.

Social media will play an essential role. Use social media platforms to gain traffic and to share your blog to your connections it will help your blog rank good in both marketing your travel blog to readers and networking with others within the travel community.

Friend and Follow as many travel professionals as you can find, and post consistently to help gain more followers in your niche – and to show travel professionals your level of dedication, and ability to generate attention.

[townpostin]

Jharkhand Assembly Erupts Over CM Soren's Bail Controversy

Ruling alliance demands BJP apology as Supreme Court dismisses ED plea The Jharkhand Assembly witnessed heated debates between the ruling coalition and opposition over CM Hemant Soren’s bail, disrupting proceedings and highlighting political tensions. RANCHI – On Tuesday, the Jharkhand Assembly was plunged into chaos as the opposition BJP and the governing JMM-Congress-RJD alliance engaged in a…

[manda-kat]

I've been planning Kat's Karousel some more. My end goal- as you can guess- is to build a carousel. Today I came to the thought that instead of building an attraction that could eventually be worthy of housing a carousel, I could just build a carousel and form my future attractions around that.

My mom heard this idea and suggested a retro-inspired arcade with animatronics and fun machines that I'm already into, all surrounding the casousel. She also recommended a larger building so I can house my ride indoors, which would be helpful considering vandals exist.

Hmmm I think this is more profitable and the focus on fun and games is more fun for me (nothing against the museum, I still love it, but arcades rock) and the faster I get my spinny horses the better.

Funding this will be an endeavor, but the city I plan to build it in has been trying to revitalize itself through attractions and activities- WHICH MEANS- They are willing to offer grants to make it happen.

My current pipeline now is:

Work out my timeline/budget/financial plan

Find a suitable location (already have two in mind)

Get in touch with the city and find all the extra moneys I can get my little hands on

Contact several ride manufacturers and get quotes for a custom indoor carousel. This thing won't be cheap, but if I'm gonna blow my money on it, I'm not holding back. The one thing I can't afford to be stingy on.

As the carousel is being constructed and the building is being finished and decorated, I gather the rest of the games and activities. Things like pool and foosball will be good filler to save some money and maintenance, but I'll make sure to get some proper electronic games.

Get some fun decor to add to the whimsical vibe

During all of this, blow up all social medias I can with talk about the new attraction. Make it THE place to be in our town come opening day.

Finally rest. The hard part is that at some point in this I have to quit my full time job or move back to part time in order to have time to work on Karousel. But if I do that, any supplementary income from my job will go away. So Karousel needs to earn REAL GOOD on opening day.

[sarkos]

ME, I’LL START WITH SOME DECONSTRUCTION of what it means for the deconstruction of the administrative state. One thing that especially grates on me as a historian is how much of the discourse treats Project 2025 as if it’s some novel thing. I mean, what about Project 1921? I refer, of course, to the administration of Warren G. Harding, who intoned in his inaugural address of dedicating himself to “the omission of unnecessary interference of Government with business.” As an ally in the project over at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce put it seven years later: “A thoroughly first-rate man in public service is corrosive. He eats holes in our liberties. The better he is and the longer he stays the greater the danger. If he is an enthusiast—a bright-eyed madman who is frantic to make this the finest government in the world—the black plague is a housepet by comparison.” The best part so far about the journalism about Project 2025 is how it has documented its cataclysmic aim of destroying the very notion of an expert and independent civil service—the people Trumpies call the “deep state.” I don’t point to antecedents to minimize that danger. I point to them to maximize it. The fact that conservatives have been trying so hard for so long is what makes it more dangerous. It’s our good luck that each time, some accident of history stood in the way of the worst right-wing plans. The Great Depression prevented Project 1921. Phew. But not a good accident! Better for us to nip this thing in the bud on our own. And that takes a deeper understanding of antecedents. [...] THE ADMINISTRATIVE STATE WAS ONLY moderately deconstructed by the next guy, with radical deconstruction only happening in pockets (for instance—sorry, Secretary Romney—a 75 percent cut over eight years in the public-housing budget). Then as now, the Heritage Foundation gave a Republican president a blueprint to do it. Indeed, Project 2025’s Mandate for Leadership shares the same name, and same format, with the volume Heritage published in 1981. That volume sported about a thousand pages, with chapters for each major executive branch unit—accompanied with 2,000 more pages of supplementary volumes, including one devoted to banning Earth Day. It was just as kooky (did you know officials at the Department of Health and Human Services were secretly instituting a guaranteed annual income?), just as conspiratorial (“World Order Education” was one of the deep staters’ plans they went after), and just as full of dangerous contributors (the intelligence chapter is authored by the protofascist eugenicist Sam Francis, whom John Ganz argues was the ur-theorist of Trumpism). That it didn’t come off as planned owes to the peculiar weakness of Ronald Reagan as a tribune of conservatism: He let himself be surrounded by establishment moderates who largely devised his agenda, to which he largely reacted as if a passive spectator. Phew, part 3.

Project 2025 … and 1921, and 1973, and 1981 - The American Prospect

[yourwolfmuzzle]

"Please understand, animation is expensive and budget distate everything and there is sooo much behind the production!"

1 - Hey im not sure that this is okay that animator speak about this. Not in the way “never speak about this we do not care” more like “is this a signal for us? Are you all okay???”. I just fucking hope you get your paycheck big enough and this is not an attempt to justify the company that you were not paid enough (but you just love to much this series to say this is wrong) or this is not some kinda signal that you were abused as an animator (and your colleagues too). No matter what animators sometime tell us about new episodes, i hope you all were treated well. Or at least animation department, because god damn we do not want to them get treated like in Genlock/Volume 6 times. As an amateur animator who loves animation with all my heart, i hope you all okay because this whole thing for me was sounding as a alert signal. But also - no matter how you love this series and working on “dream project”, you don't have to sacrifice yourself for this.

2 - There is a thing - i dont know about everybody but im trying to not blame everything on animators, ask too much of them and basically im trying to not touch visual part of the series because when is good i try to point this out, but when its bad or have some errors i mostly think that its maybe bad management (”animation error/animator portrait this moment wrongly and we didnt check this”), crunch or someone didn't get paid enough. A lot of you have to work in not the most pleasant mode, with  not the best people not in the best conditions. So this whole thing is not about animation, music, rigging or something else that makes my impression worse of episode 9...

3 - My main problem is writing. Not “there was not enough animation in this episode” or “this episode is tooo short” (like yes it is short episode and this is a whole problem in R/WBY, but this post is not about this specifically) but what they decide to write for 12 min 30 second episode after pretty important and pretty stressful episode. So this whole story is not even about “this episode is short i wish that episode was longer(” but about “i wish this episode was not feel so empty and offensive in relation to some topics”.

4 - “But what if writers is also get crunch, underpaid and difficult deadline? Have pity on them too!” If they are also under some crunching not by their will just like what happened to people who were doing rigging process - OH MY GOD. I know that this is not so likely, since some of the writers are quite importante figures in RT and CR/WBY, but....you know....if they are...them f u c k...

5 - Also did we not get a whole game, anime and something else before we even got the final trailer and date for a new season? This two part crossover movie? If they have money for supplementary material but not for the main product - i think this is not about “not enough money” thing and more about shitty deciding where to spend your budget.

(also its been what +-10 years? With new engine - 6 years, and there is still talks about budget.)

[borrelia]

see if u have supplementary budget releases, it's less risky to use/focus on minor/new characters (see: speed simulator), and the more you do that, the stronger their presence in the franchise, the less risky it is to include them in major releases, the more merch you can sell. see? ez.