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am-i-the-asshole-official · 8 months ago

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Okay here's one. I really dont think I'm the asshole but my ex sure does.

AITA for refusing to buy my partner a jar of pickles?

So this story has like, a little background and some confounding factors i think but i really could go both ways on whether i was the asshole.

Ill start with both my ex (21nb) and i (23f) had severe mental health issues and were working on treatment when we were together. Theyd been in and out of inpatient stays throughout our three year relationship. Towards the Day of Pickles, i had my first inpatient stay where i got help i desperately needed to keep myself safe. This happened to be about a week after my 23rd birthday, but about two and a half weeks before their 21st birthday.

Anyway, at that time i had just gotten out of the hospital and started a new job at Joanns Fabrics (i outlived that retail fucker and im proud of it). I had been unemployed for the previous year and a half because of the pandemic and so the retail job was really my saving grace to have some sort of income to buy gas and groceries. My parents let me live rent free with them in their basement but i spent a LOT of time essentially squatting at my ex's dorm because my situation with my parents was not great.

Now my ex was also being financially abused by their mom so they had a monthly "allowance" of 200$ (of their own money they made at their on campus job) and no access to their bank statements. So i spent a lot of my own money on gas and groceries for both of us, and anything we wanted to do for fun, like visit the city. Without an income, this was SUPER stressful for me and i spiraled pretty hard with feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness. Supporting two people, even minimal living expenses, on an income of exactly 0$ is the WORST.

Anyway, i got out of the hospital and pretty much immediately went back to picking up as many shifts as i could at work because id been on staff for all of two weeks before hospitalization. Knowing retail, i was probably on the precipice of losing hours or being fired altogether.

My ex wanted me to take time off to celebrate their 21st birthday (they didnt celebrate my birthday that year) and travel to see their family and drink etc. I got scheduled for an inconvenient time. I would have to miss their birthday if i didnt find someone to cover. I managed to switch shifts with another coworker who was nice enough to let me have her morning shift, so i was able to at least travel separately and be a little late to dinner.

The night of their birthday my ex wanted to get drunk and so we went to the liquor store. Now im generally pretty picky about alcohol but if i get anything special i always get enough to share. Mysteriously, no one ever offers to share the expense or pay me back. So with all of 150$ in my account, i purchased enough alcohol for myself and the rest of the party, and a bottle of (cheap af) liquor for myself. I was broke af until my next paycheck and was pretty much planning on giving up meals and staying at home because the commute to work was shorter and meant less gas.

My ex picked out a jar of boozy pickles and asked if i would get it for them for their birthday. I should note that with all the stress i was under i had found a birthday present for them but hadnt actually placed the order (was waiting to get paid). I also didnt lie to them about this and had told them that i hadnt gotten their birthday present yet. They were upset by this and told me they felt like i didnt care about them, to which i snapped and raised my voice a little.

I gave them a bit of a reality check. I told them in no uncertain terms that i was under a lot of stress, from nearly killing myself to being flat broke with little to no help from my family other than a conditional roof over my head, ordering their birthday present wasnt super high on my list of things to do and that i knew what i was going to get them and that i intended to order it as soon as i had the money to do so. After years of the sole attention being focused on keeping them alive, i needed some support and acting like i didnt care completely ignored EVERYTHING i did to keep us both afloat.They cried and played the victim as they tended to do and i was too stressed to do anything but be angry.

So when they asked for the pickles i told them no. I have NOTHING left in my bank account, and anything that was in my account was already allocated for something else.

They told me i was being selfish for buying myself alcohol on THEIR birthday, not even getting them a present, yelling at them, and then refusing to buy the one thing they asked for, especially after i refused to take off work the day before to hang out with them and their family. In front of our friends.

I told them that i was purchasing the alcohol for the whole party, that the present had slipped my mind, and that they were accusing me of not caring about them when i snapped. Then i walked out.

My bff went outside to help me cool down and i told him what was going on and how stressed i was and he said that he agreed with me, it was childish to expect me to pay for everything with no help from anyone and then act like im unreasonable for having to put limits on what i can purchase.

My ex ended up getting so pissed by all of this they broke up with me two days later, saying that their birthday was the final straw for them after I'd been so codependent and relying on them too much to survive.

I think its all ridiculous given all of the stress factors i was dealing with at the time. I feel like we're all entitled to the occasional emotional outburst/bouts of forgetfulness when we're stressed. But my ex seems to think im a selfish asshole. We've been no contact for the last two years so this isnt like a pressing concern or anything but it does make me roll my eyes occasionally.

So tumblr, aita?

(Btw im also much more financially stable now that I'm fully and properly medicated and away from them.)

#aita #am i the asshole #suicide cw

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cityof2morrow · 3 months ago

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CDK: Cubic Dynamics Kitbash - BACKSTORY

Published: 9-14-2024 | Updated: N/A

SUMMARY The Cubic Dynamics Kitbash (CDK) Series is game-ready and will be released over the coming weeks! It includes over 250 items to set up offices, corporations, and other public services. Classic CC gems have been updated with fresh, retro-futuristic detail alongside dozens of new career-themed objects. Simmers in need of “white-collar” environments for their build-a-city challenges (BACC) and/or integrated economy saves will appreciate this collection.

The CDK series includes furniture and a variety of props you’ll need to create functional workplaces. Food, retail, and leisure don’t need to be the only reasons to send sims downtown – time to get to work! Get started with the Company Expo (Simmons, 2024) set, which contains the meshes you’ll need, and browse the series for more! See the #co2cdkseries and #ofbprops tags on this site.

DETAILS (aka THE BACKSTORY) What began as a handful of items for a bank lot grew into the CDK series over nearly two years. I had mods for a fully functional financial operation but lacked CC to simulate the depths of corporate clownery I wanted to . . . sims buzzing about the machine like good little cogs. A binding contract here, a little interest charge there, another meeting that could’ve (and should’ve) been an email, “fill out this form and we’ll get back to you in 3-5 business days!” I knew I wasn’t going to stop at the bank either. My doctors, writers, politicians, and other professionals needed places to do business as well. So, I started with the furniture. I wanted objects that looked timeless (“retro”) but modern (“fit for a futurist”). Pieces needed to be interchangeable (as cogs in the machine often are) and look like they were mass-produced specifically for the corporate world. This called for décor that was uniform (repeating metal, glass, wood, and upholstery), utilitarian (“comfortable enough for the job at hand”), yet unique (“enough to make rank and role clear”). The result was several themed rooms built on the lore and look of the Cubic Dynamics collection (EA/Maxis, 2008). Conformity. Productivity. Efficiency. All the hallmarks of white-collar hell. I added a few supporting sets here and there – wherever it seemed like a good fit. Once I had the right look and feel, I moved on to gameplay. GAMEPLAY and PREFORMANCE A handful of objects have been (re)made to give those simlish practitioners, pencil-pushers, and bureaucrats something to do. These are based on my own gameplay needs, as well as suggestions from folks with similar playstyles like @ChocolateCitySim, @Rachums, @Gayars, and @Yessu. They range from printers to job boards to loan contracts. I recommend using them alongside other mods to give your sims lots of things to do in the workplace. You’ll find them under the #ofbprops tag.

The CDK series is mostly low-poly and uses the repository technique to save game resources. Some high-poly objects are included but they can be easily discarded – they’re not required and there are dozens of others to choose from – office chairs tend to be higher in poly count in general. There are some items (and thumbnails!*!) I wish I could perfect , but why let “perfect” win over “well done?”

#ts2downloads #ts2cc #sims2cc #co2cdkseries #ofbprops

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nanaminsmoon · 1 year ago

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❛❜𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒔❛❜

universitystudent!Megumi x rich!blackfem reader

A/N: this was the first au i ever wrote, and i wrote it on this day last month so it seemed fitting to post it today:)) thanks for the support on the last post too i literally want to finish writing all the shit i’ve been procrastinating so i can upload more 😭

cw: fluff, reader makes universitystudent!Megumi feel a little flustered, mentions of kissing.

wc: 2814

universitystudent! Megumi who made the decision to become a tutor after coming to terms with the fact that he couldn’t survive on ramen and toast for the rest of the semester, so he had to make some money. Hours of contemplating drew the conclusion that he refused to deal with working in retail or in hospitality, so Megumi collapsed on his bed, opting to have sleep for dinner. However, the next day, a classmate of his happened to mention that he had made bank over the summer from tutoring dumb, trust fund babies, and told universitystudent! Megumi that if he wanted to make fairly easy money, that was the way to do it. So universitystudent! Megumi shrugged and said he would think about it. Initially, he was hesitant as he figured teaching wouldn’t be his forte because he genuinely didn’t believe he had the patience for it, especially if his students would be spoilt idiots who probably have no discipline because they’ve never been told ‘no’. But his mind was quickly made up when he got back to his shared dorms, and took a look in his fridge.

universitystudent!Megumi who had to download Facebook for the first time since he was 14 because nobody uses that app anymore. But his classmate told him that he probably wouldn’t find ads for tutors on TikTok.

universitystudent!Megumi who spent 15 whole minutes trying to login to his old but kept failing, despite the fact that he swore that ‘fuck-u-toji’ was his password on everything ages 11 through 18. It was only on the thousandth attempt, that he remembered that he had deleted that account years ago. At this point, he was so irritated, he didn’t even know if the money was worth it anymore but his stomach rumbling spurred perseverance within him, and after, what felt like years, he had made a new account.

universitystudent!Megumi who saw an ad your guardian had posted, and settled on it pretty quickly, because: 1) you were local, 2) it was the first one that showed up when he searched ‘tutor’ on Facebook, and he was too lazy to look for any other ones, and 3) it paid $200 an hour so, as much as he didn’t want to be locked up in your house for hours, he wouldn’t mind making $1000 in one sitting. So he messaged your guardian and, after some intense interrogation (aka asking him about his degree and how he was finding the weather), they agreed for him to tutor you.

universitystudent!Megumi who showed up to tutor you at 4pm, right after his last lecture, and was rolling his eyes in the Uber to your house because, up until this point, his main thoughts about the whole situation were concerning the compensation. But then he realised that he would actually have to tutor a rich idiot in maths, a subject that is hard to teach anyways. But that fact is exacerbated by the fact that his student would be someone spoilt. But the sorrowful clouds above his head were soon lifted by your chirpy guardian, who greeted him warmly upon opening the door and soon began bragging about you the same way they did in their messages, talking about how smart you were. Which made them both chuckle because they were telling that to your…tutor.

universitystudent!Megumi whose eyes widened, and breath hitched, when he saw a beautiful young woman come down the stairs, instead of the broody teenager he expected to see after hearing, and reading, all the comments about your guardian’s ‘little girl’. But he wasn’t complaining. You wore comfy clothes; loose black joggers, a white baby tee, and an oversized green and blue plaid shirt—white socks and beige Yeezy slides on your feet. Your jet-black, middle part, wig was in a claw clip, and you finished the look with a pair of thick rimmed glasses. A sigh, subconsciously, left his lips at how flawless you looked in such plain clothing, and he figured it was mainly due to your beautiful face and magnetic aura. And when he said ‘beautiful’, he meant beautiful; even simple things, like your gait as you seemingly floated down the long staircase, mesmerised him. Your presence had pulled him away from reality and he didn’t tune back into the present until you started introducing yourself, and he realised that he had seen your lips moving (because he was staring at them), but had heard nothing you had said. His cheeks and the tips of his ears rouged at the fact that he had to ask you again, because he hadn’t caught your name the first time. But the kind manner in which you smiled at him and repeated it without questioning his request made his heart melt.

universitystudent!Megumi whose lips curved slightly at the discovery that you were around his age, which he found through deep investigation (aka ‘staring really hard’)…and asking you your age.

universitystudent!Megumi’s heart nearly stopped when you told him that you would be studying in your bedroom instead of just the living room, or at the dining room table. You know, in a public place. With other people around. Because the thought of being in such a personal space of yours, so quickly, made his knees wobble. Especially since he basically had a crush on you after having known you for the best part of five minutes. But he followed you up the staircase, through the hallways, to a vast room that was probably ten times the size of his dorm room. It was decorated very well and, although he didn’t know you very well yet, he thought it matched you very well.

universitystudent!Megumi who sees a student lanyard with an ID card on your desk that told him that you go to the same uni. When he asked you about it, he found out that your department buildings are directly opposite each other.

”But wait, why do you need maths for photography?”, he asked with a confused scowl on his face once he figured out what your degree was, based on your department building.

”That’s what I’m saying!”, you shouted in enthusiastic agreement, and the way your face lit up made his heart palpitate, and his eyes greedy to see it happen again.

”The lecturer said something about calculating settings and shit, but I picked this subject so I wouldn’t need to do this shit. If I wanted to do maths, I would’ve picked it as a degree!”, you rolled your eyes and crossed your arms, and he chuckled lightly and nodded at you.

universitystudent!Megumi who stood by the edge of your bed, right hand on the strap of his backpack, as he awaited instruction on where he should sit. At first you questioned why he was just awkwardly stood there, looking around like a lost puppy. But when you realised you were sat on the only desk chair in your room, shock was painted on your face and you shot up from your chair and quickly scurried to your guardian’s home office to grab another chair. When you returned, pushing it in front of you, universitystudent!Megumi gave a tight-lipped smile, and placed his bag on the floor and sat down beside you.

Although it excited universitystudent!Megumi that, because you went to the same uni, you two would probably see each other again, it also confused him how you had been in such close proximity on a day to day basis, and he had never seen you before. He was sure he had never seen you because he would’ve remembered a face as pretty, and a laugh as infectious, as yours—he hadn’t said anything particularly funny, just a passing comment about a professor you both shared. But the way you had erupted into laughter had made him blush, and he just knew that your voice would be ringing through his head for the rest of the day.

The way universitystudent!Megumi would just stare at you, as you wrote down equations and completed practice questions, did not go by unnoticed by you.

”Is this correct?”, you had asked after scrawling an answer onto the paper, after writing and rewriting several different equations. universitystudent!Megumi hadn’t said anything in a few minutes, which obviously wasn’t a good sign, so you turned to him to find that he was staring right back at you, features more gentle than they had been when you first met him.

”Hm?”, he blinked himself out of a daze. He hadn’t even realised that he had been staring at you, so he couldn’t tell you how long he was even doing it for. He had just happened to notice how long your eyelashes were without any makeup, and that led him to your eyes. He noticed how pretty they looked earlier, but how did they look gorgeous from the side as well?? Then his gaze travelled down the slope of your nose, before sliding down to your lips; glossed, and plump. He was meant to be teaching you the geometric sequence, but he couldn’t focus on anything but those lips of yours, and how they would feel on his. He had to shake himself when your voice finally broke him out of his reverie.

”The equation? Did I do this right?”, you laughed nervously, not sure how to receive the blank stare he was throwing in your direction, and he just hummed while nodding. Before he actually saw what was written on the paper, and his nodding stuttered and he frowned deeply before grabbing your pencil.

”Oh…no, that-that’s not right”, he laughed out, and he basically scribbled out everything you had written and re-wrote everything again, and you just stared at him as he did it. His left arm was damn near bumping into your face with how close he was leaning over the table. His dark, aftershave wafted into your nostrils and you couldn’t help but notice how much cuter he looked now than earlier. He looked pretty good when he first arrived, but now you were looking at him closer, he looked…different; his raven coloured hair falling over his face, random parts of it just stood up as if they were being held afloat by a little hair fairy. You found it adorable how the ends of his bangs were kissing the ends of his eyelashes as he hurriedly wrote down whatever the fuck the geometric sequence was. He was just so…pretty. So was the bottom lip tucked between his teeth, as he frowned in concentration before he placed the pencil down, and met your eyes. The emeralds just bore back into yours, as silence ensued and, for a split second, it seemed like his breath got deeper. Mainly because it had.

”Done.”, he squeaked out. He didn’t mean to, but the nerves made his voice crack, and then his face got red because his voice cracked.

”Hot?”, you quirked an eyebrow, placing a hand on his knee. If he was on fire before, the flames had engulfed him completely now and he was about to turn into a puddle.

”Sorry?”, he whispered, moving back slightly. He didn’t realise how close you guys were until his knee knocked into yours.

”You’re red”, you pointed at his face, “Are you hot? Because I can turn the air conditioning on if you’d like.”, your own voice quietened subconsciously.

“Nah”, he shook his head, “I’m good. Just…thirsty”, he turned away from you, and you laughed before leaning down to your mini-fridge to grab a bottle of water and handing to him, and he accepted it with a smile.

universitystudent!Megumi whose heart sank into his bowels when your guardian opened the door to offer you snacks, breaking the conversation you were having about God knows what, instead of studying (which had been long abandoned). He started feeling bad because he would still get paid at the end of the 5 hours, which had been broken into two segments; three and a half hours of studying and the remaining ninety minutes just being spent talking. Even when you were studying, you were still mainly speaking about your classes, and other random shit. This is when universitystudent!Megumi found out that you were at a party Yuji had urged him to go to last Friday. It was an invite he had declined, instead opting to stay at home and play Valorant (a decision he, now, regretted infinitely).

After devouring all the snacks, and making stupid jokes for hours, you looked at the time and realised it was getting late, so you offered to drop universitystudent!Megumi off to his dorms. He hesitantly accepted because, as much as he hated the idea of the rich girl he liked seeing his dorms, he wanted to speak to you more. So you went downstairs, and he greeted your guardian then you went to the garage, and got into your Porsche 718 and told him he could connect his phone on Bluetooth and play whatever he wanted. He chose ’ROLE MODEL’ by Brent Faiyaz.

universitystudent!Megumi whose eyes became well acquainted with the dashboard as you pulled up in front of his dormitory building.

”Hey, can I…uh…”, he had been practicing this since you got in the car, which was part of the reason why he was more quiet than he was back in your room. But now that he was staring into your eyes, doe-like and gleaming with the way their sparkle ricocheted off the beige car interior and almost blinded him, he really couldn’t speak. It was as if they were so blinding that all he could see was bright white, and he just blanked.

”Never mind”, he smiled, and started grabbing his bag and getting ready to leave. Fuck, he thought. He choked it. And now, he just needed to get out of the car before he embarrassed himself even further. But his escape plan was halted when you placed a hand on his shoulder, and held him back slightly. Every muscle in his body hardened but, after taking a deep breath, he turned to you. He just assumed you were about to tell him he forgot something,

”I don’t know if this is inappropriate, but…”, you laughed breathily, and his brain basically shut down, because what were you about to say? It couldn’t be what he thought it would it be, because that wouldn’t make sense.

”Can I…get your number?”, you winced slightly, hoping you hadn’t crossed the line, and when he just looked at you, blankly, you feared you had and you took your hand off his shoulder. universitystudent!Megumi simply watched as it retreated back to your lap.

”Are you serious?”, he spoke quietly and you, hesitantly, nodded.

”Sorry if I crossed the line, it’s just that we were getting on pretty well, and I—”,

”What? No, y/n, I was just surprised.”, he chuckled, nervously, rubbing the back of his neck, “I was, uh…trying to ask you that just now, but I fucked it up”, he laughed, and you chuckled shyly, just looking back at him, and he looked back at you. So, now you were just staring right at each other, and his mind only went to one place, but you weren’t going to kiss him…were you?

”Your phone?”, you looked at him, then the light bulb went off and he realised you were waiting for him to take his phone out.

”Shit, yeah. Here”, he handed you his phone, and you put your number in it. Even saving your contact name as ‘y/n<33’, making him chuckle when he got his phone back.

”You can delete the last part if you want”, you giggled, and he shook his head.

”I like it. It’s cute.”, universitystudent!Megumi wanted to comment on you being cute too, but you cut his thought processes short when you began waving at him. So he just smiled at you, before making his way out, and running to his door because it randomly began raining.

The whole thing was very funny because you had never wanted a tutor, but your guardian had suggested it and you had, begrudgingly, agreed. But now, you wouldn’t mind doing extra maths work if it meant inviting a cute boy into your room a few times a week. universitystudent!Megumi, on the other hand, couldn’t believe that he was getting paid bags a week just a talk to a pretty girl. But, again, he wasn’t complaining.

©Rights owned by nanaminsmoon. Do not repost without permission.

#nanaminsmooninc #jjk x reader #jjk fluff #jujutsu kaisen megumi #jujutsu megumi #megumi x reader #megumi x you #megumi fluff #megumi fushiguro #megumi x black reader #jjk x black reader #jujutsu kaisen x black reader

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vorenado-m · 6 months ago

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happy disability pride month! please consider helping me take back my life as a disabled person!

the TL;DR is that for the last 3 months i have had an absolutely soul-sucking miserable minimum wage retail job that, due to the way scheduling works (and the app being broken as fuck) has prevented me from having access to literally any of the life-saving mental health/medical care i need as a disabled person.

my disability is best managed through a combination of medication, therapy, and casework-- not a single one of which i have had since march! :) contextually, up until i got this job, i took three daily medications and had casework once a week and therapy once or sometimes twice a week. these services are offered at an affordable cost to me through a local organization that is threatening to close my case due to lack of participation.

ill make another, more detailed post later with some of the services i can offer for money (i draw! i code! i write!) but until then here is a code you can scan if you have a few dollars to spare:

there are more details beneath the cut (idk about you guys but im kinda nosy so i wrote some more stuff in case anyone else is also nosy) but thats the gist of it. you can also always ask for details. i dont have a therapist right now so it might feel good to say things.

my plan is as follows: i would like to take the month of july more or less "off" from work to get my affairs in order, starting with scheduling appointments for therapy and casework and getting back on my meds. i am actively looking for a job, but i would like the ability to be somewhat picky instead of applying everywhere i think might have me for the sake of having money coming in to pay rent.

for the last two years i have made less than $800/mo and i can survive on roughly $600-$650 a month. my july rent ($550) is paid and my august rent (at least $500) is most likely also squared away, through a combination of some cash i was hoarding, a previous donation, my last expected paychecks from my current job, and my brother generously offering to cover whatever is left over. the extra $100ish is for roughly a months supply of the food that is part of my daily routine that i get cranky without (i have tea every morning, for instance.)

i have a fantastic roommate who is not struggling as much financially who will do everything in her power to make sure i have access to staple foods (rice, eggs, etc) so i really just need to buy the things only i consume (kimchi, milk, etc.) there is a food bank i go to, so i am not worried about food, but i can only go to it once per month. we have a barter system where i trade her the things i dont want from the food bank and she buys me things i will eat; alternatively, i sometimes give her things i get from the food bank (eg meat) that she turns into meals for both of us.

i live independently/"alone" with roommates and do not have support from my family pretty much at all. they have never been particularly useful for emotional support and have openly denied me financial support since i was a teenager. moving in with them/getting help from them/talking to them is not an option.

i have emailed my caseworker at the mental health organization i work with as well as my caseworker with the disability vocational program i work with to help me find a new job that is "back of house" and requires less customer interaction. i did this over the weekend, so i expect to hear back from them sometime this week. in the meantime, i am searching for jobs on my own in places like indeed, jobhat, careerbuilder, etc. as well as checking company websites of places like chain grocery stores to see what is available in my area.

my job pool is a bit limited due to the fact that i cannot drive (due to both my disability and the medication im supposed to be taking for it) but i am very well-versed at taking the bus, which is free. getting to and from work is not a concern for me; it is being able to do the job without being driven to the edge of a mental breakdown that is the problem.

the disability vocational program is my ticket out of poverty! last month i had a follow-up evaluation (i had to call out of work for it, but frankly i was at the end of my rope then too) where they approved my career goals as a web developer and we are in the process of deciding what my next steps are! the program will likely (depending on what route i take) help pay for vocational training, too, but i obviously have to pay rent while in training. which i think i can do if i have a job that doesnt make me want to die.

i have some other things that make my life a bit harder (im mixed race, i am nonbinary + gay, etc) but i would say those things dont really impact my ability to get a job as much as the disability does LOL which is why i did not feature them prominently in this post. like, the reason i cant get a job isnt because people dont want to hire me because i have blue hair and pronouns, its because im obviously disabled.

if you have any other questions, no matter how intrusive you think they might be, feel free to send a DM or an ask, and i will try to answer.

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gingerofsuburbia · 11 months ago

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BDS Consumer Boycott Targets

Everything here is copied over from the BDS website.

Hewlett Packard Inc (HP Inc)

HP Inc (US) provides services to the offices of genocide leaders, Israeli PM Netanyahu and Financial Minister Smotrich. HPE, which shares the same brand, provides technology for Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority, a pillar of its apartheid regime.

Chevron (including Caltex and Texaco)

US fossil fuel multinational Chevron is the main corporation extracting gas claimed by apartheid Israel in the East Mediterranean. Chevron generates billions in revenues, strengthening Israel’s war chest and apartheid system, exacerbating the climate crisis and Gaza siege, and is complicit in depriving the Palestinian people of their right to sovereignty over their natural resources. Chevron has thousands of retail gas stations around the world under the Chevron, Caltex, and Texaco brand names.

Siemens

Siemens (Germany) is the main contractor for the Euro-Asia Interconnector, an Israel-EU submarine electricity cable that is planned to connect Israel’s illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory to Europe. Siemens-branded electrical appliances are sold globally.

PUMA

Since 2018, we have called for a boycott of PUMA (Germany) due to its sponsorship of the Israel Football Association (IFA), which governs teams in Israel’s illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian land. In a major BDS win in December 2023, PUMA leaked news to the media that it will not be renewing its IFA contract when it expires in December 2024. Until then, it is still complicit, so we continue to #BoycottPUMA until it finally ends its complicity in apartheid.

Carrefour

Carrefour (France) is a genocide enabler. Carrefour-Israel has supported Israeli soldiers partaking in the unfolding genocide of Palestinians in Gaza with gifts of personal packages. In 2022, it entered a partnership with the Israeli company Electra Consumer Products and its subsidiary Yenot Bitan, both of which are involved in grave violations against the Palestinian people.

AXA

Insurance giant AXA (France) invests in Israeli banks financing war crimes and the theft of Palestinian land and natural resources. When Russia invaded Ukraine, AXA took targeted measures against it. Yet, Axa has taken no action against Israel, a 75-year-old regime of settler-colonialism and apartheid, despite its ongoing genocidal war on Gaza.

SodaStream

SodaStream is an Israeli company that is actively complicit in Israel's policy of displacing the indigenous Bedouin-Palestinian citizens of present-day Israel in the Naqab (Negev) and has a long history of racial discrimination against Palestinian workers.

Ahava

Ahava cosmetics is an Israeli company that has its production site, visitor center, and main store in an illegal Israeli settlement in the occupied Palestinian territory.

RE/MAX

RE/MAX (US) markets and sells property in illegal Israeli settlements built on stolen Palestinian land, thus enabling Israel’s colonization of the occupied West Bank.

Israeli produce in your supermarkets

Boycott produce from Israel in your supermarket and demand their removal from shelves. Beyond being part of a trade that fuels Israel’s apartheid economy, Israeli fruits, vegetables, and wines misleadingly labeled as “Product of Israel” often include products of illegal settlements on stolen Palestinian land. Israeli companies do not distinguish between the two, and neither should consumers.

Non-BDS Grassroots Boycotts:

McDonald’s (US), Burger King (US), Papa John’s (US), Pizza Hut (US), WIX (Israel), etc. are now being targeted in some countries by grassroots organic boycott campaigns, not initiated by the BDS movement. BDS supports these boycott campaigns because these companies, or their branches or franchisees in Israel, have openly supported apartheid Israel and/or provided generous in-kind donations to the Israeli military amid the current genocide. If these grassroots campaigns are not already organically active in your area, we suggest focusing your energies on our strategic campaigns above.

Recently, McDonald’s franchisee in Malaysia has filed a SLAPP lawsuit against solidarity activists, claiming defamation. Instead of holding the Israel franchisee to account for supporting genocide, we are now witnessing corporate bullying against activists. For both these reasons, we are calling to escalate the boycott of McDonald’s until the parent company takes action and ends the complicity of the brand.

Remember, all Israeli banks and virtually all Israeli companies are complicit to some degree in Israel’s system of occupation and apartheid, and hundreds of international corporations and banks are also deeply complicit. We focus our boycotts on a small number of companies and products for maximum impact.

#palestine #gaza strip #bds #global strike week #free palestine

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workingclasshistory · 2 years ago

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On this day, 9 March 2020, tens of thousands of women across Mexico went on strike in protest at gender-based violence which kills thousands of women each year in the country. Transport, banking, education and retail were amongst the industries affected by women either staying at home or taking to the streets, under the slogan "Un Día Sin Nosotras" ("A Day without Us"). One worker, Isaura Miranda, a biologist, told the New York Times why she took part: “I just realised I had to do something… I can’t carry on with this feeling of rage and impotence over so many deaths that are cruel, without dignity… Also, I don’t want my daughter to go out one day and never come back again." Support for the action was so widespread that many large corporations and government departments were pressured into agreeing not to discipline women who took part in the action. Mexico's left-wing president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, blamed "past neoliberal policies" for endemic violence against women, 10 of whom are murdered each day, and accused right-wing opponents of helping organise the strike. More: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/10925/mexico-women's-strike https://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/2226544134197391/?type=3

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odinsblog · 2 years ago

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Couldn’t happen to a more deserving group of suckers

Internet scammers are reportedly pushing “Trump Bucks” online which display pictures of the former president and promise MAGA supporters big profits. John Amann told NBC News he bought $2,200 worth of Trump Bucks only to discover they are worthless when he tried to cash them in. He is now warning other Trump supporters not to fall for the scam.

NBC identified Patriots Dynasty, Patriots Future and USA Patriots as the companies behind Trump Bucks and found at least a dozen people like Amann who invested thousands of dollars after watching the misleading pitches on Telegram that suggested Trump was endorsing the products.

Invest in a TRB membership card “issued by Donald Trump,” the ads from Patriots Dynasty, Patriots Future and USA Patriots claim, and the purchaser who spent, say, $99.99 on a “$10,000 Diamond Trump Bucks” bill will be able to cash it in for $10,000 at major banks and retailers like Walmart, Costco and Home Depot.

“TRB system membership cards are official cards issued by Donald Trump to allow Trump Bucks holders to use Trump Bucks as legal tender and deposit them in banks such as JP Morgan Chase, the Bank of America and Wells Fargo,” a narrator identified only as “John” that appears to be a computer-generated voice says in one YouTube ad just moments after cautioning viewers that “Trump Bucks are not legal tender.”

It’s a get-rich-quick scam that is catnip to a certain kind of Trump supporter — including QAnon believers and others who believe the former president is the only solution to America’s problems.

👉🏿 https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-bucks-promise-wealth-maga-loyalty-lose-thousands-rcna84965

#politics #republicans #donald trump #trump bucks #suckers #trb system #good!

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indiepressrevolution · 2 years ago

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Becoming an IPR Publisher

We’ve had quite a few people contact us about selling their games at IPR recently, so here is a quick rundown of how to apply to become part of our network of publishers!

Firstly, why become an IPR publisher in the first place?

Unlike other distributors, IPR sells your games on a consignment basis. We pay publishers 80% of cover price for PDF sales, 70% of cover price for sales to customers through our website, and 44% of cover price for sales at conventions or to retailers (we get 11%, the retailer gets a 45% discount from cover price).

The cut is all the fee you'll see. IPR's cut covers all the costs involved in a sale transaction: bank transactional fees, shipping discounts for the buyer, and a modest amount for IPR to cover other expenses & profit. By sticking with a flat, covers-everything cut, your costs should remain predictable.

We’re also a destination site for retailers and individual customers, since we offer so many awesome TTRPGs in one place! Plus we take your games to conventions, including Gen Con and Origins Game Fair. We’ve also got a network of affiliates that sell at conventions under the IPR banner all over the US, and all throughout the year as well!

Sounds cool, so how do I apply again?

Send a physical copy of your game to us at:

Indie Press Revolution c/o Jason Walters PO Box 247 Gerlach, NV 89412 USA

Then email a PDF copy of your game to us at [email protected], and introduce yourself as well!

If you don’t want to send along a physical copy of your game for us to review, for whatever reason (most commonly because international shipping prices are a beast) you can just send us a PDF, and let us know why you’re not sending a physical copy at this time.

Once we’ve got a copy of your game, we’ll read through it to make sure it meets IPR’s quality standards. What exactly does that mean? Well, as our Prospective Publisher FAQ states:

“Excellent art, professional quality layout, attractive and eyecatching cover design, meticulous editing, well-written text, and a compelling rule set and/or setting. These are the criteria on which all submissions will be judged. If your product is lacking in any of these areas, it might be rejected. We are looking for products that make us sit up and take notice.”

We also will not take any games that contain bigotry in any form. As we always say, IPR supports trans rights and BIMPOC creators and gamers. Fascists, Nazis, and TERFs can all fuck right off.

Now I will say that if you’re even thinking about maybe submitting a game to us, do it! Even if we reject your game at this time, we will always give you clear feedback on exactly why, and we are always up for giving advice on how to make your game retailer-ready!

If you’re approved, then we’ll send you a contract to read through and sign, get you set up with an IPR Publishers Account, and tell you where to ship your product and where to enter information so we can get the products set up on the site.

This all sounds pretty good but I’m still nervous! Do you, AC, the person writing this who is also the person that approves all incoming products to IPR, have any tips for me?

I do! The main thing is to read through our Prospective Publisher FAQ before submitting anything. Everything I just wrote out here is on that page, but it also has plenty more info that is good to know before working with IPR.

Seriously, I can tell if you’ve read through our FAQs before submitting, and while I absolutely will not judge your game based off of that, it does help everything go much quicker and smoother, and I appreciate it greatly.

We’re also not generally looking for large TTRPGs at the moment. Shipping prices are awful and only getting worse, so hefty games that weigh over two pounds are not our top priority.

Furthermore, we only deal in physical books. We sometimes take PDFs if they’re a supplement for a game we already have in stock, and if they don’t have a physical version available. But really PDFs just don’t sell through us! You’ll have much better luck on itch.io or DriveThru, trust me.

Lastly, just email me!! If you have any questions about anything TTRPG related, or if you’re worried about your game being accepted, or you’re not sure where to get your game printed, or anything else, [email protected]. Email me. I love talking to TTRPG folks! And if I don’t know the answer to your question, someone on staff will.

We’ve also got our Publisher Tips Page on our website, which includes a bunch of information on how to make your game attractive to retailers, as well as how to ship it safely, a bunch of printers that we recommend, and more!

Wow this was all super cool and helpful, but I’m actually planning on crowdfunding my game this year! Can IPR help with that at all?

Yes! We offer crowdfunding fulfillment services, which I’m going to talk about more in another post, but you can also read all about them on our Crowdfunding Fulfillment FAQ page.

#IPR remarks #indie ttrpg #indie ttrpgs #come sell through us!#i love new game submissions #theyre always fantastic and interesting

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omegaremix · 7 months ago

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Record Store Victory Tour, 2018.

Having three shoulder operations to beat cancer has been the ultimate life victory thus far. It was the most amazing and largest outpouring of support ever. Friends, family, allies, co-workers in good-standing, and even names whom I haven’t seen or heard from in years came to congratulate me and wish me onto a speedy recovery. I don’t know if nine months is what you call “speedy”. Nine months of shoulder replacements, ten weeks of in-home nurse visits, a MRSA infection, six weeks of in-home intravenous antibiotics, and missing two label showcases were balanced out with staying up until 4AM every morning finding endless music (Negril, Robert Ashley, and Steve Khan to name a few), daily postings, heavy amounts of sleep, and Dad’s daily deliveries of free food full of steak, sushi, pizza, chicken, egg rolls, and pasta. With a nine-month blackout period of not leaving the house ever, you had to make the best of it. I knew that after this I would never ever answer to any random nobody about my shoulder. And looking back at it, I say to myself as to why I even let it go so far.

Working for a great company and playing your cards right, you could sit and collect benefits while staying at home doing almost next to nothing. I now had more money in the bank when I last left work. So I promised myself that after I fully recover, I’d treat myself like I never had before. I decided that I would go on a record-store victory tour. I would hit up each and every independent record place, go crazy, and buy up everything I can. After nine months of being bed-ridden and staying home, I needed to treat myself with retail therapy. I needed to get out there and be myself again. Of all I been through and endured, I deserved it.

I didn’t immediately do it, however. It took me a few months to earn back the $2,000 I lost in savings when the benefits ended. While that happened, I enjoyed hot August days walking from my house to the veteran’s park and back, witnessed my ex- Yenny get married, attended Hospital Productions’ 20th Anniversary showcase (a day I will never forget), had a night out in my neighborhood Dave & Busters with my co-workers, and started getting in touch with a Brooklyn witch. I made two label orders with Italians Do It Better and RRRecords which help things get started. As you see, it only got better.

February came and we got a surprise $1,000 from our company. Tax refunds and a third paycheck of the month sealed the deal and all systems go. My first stop was at Patchogue’s Record Stop, their new location since moving from their Shirley warehouse, and thumbed through whatever old-school hip-hop, 12” singles, and other small easy victories I could find. It wasn’t until places like West Sayville’s Vinyl Paradise was when spending three hours minimum searching in stores and $200.00 a visit on music was normal. I can also count West Babylon’s Looney Tunes, Mineola’s Mr. Cheapo’s, and Amityville’s High Fidelity who could’ve matched the totals I had from that store. It’s all about finding the most for less. Whether it’s Seventies’ jazz / fusion on vinyl, discount 12” singles, used CDs, dollar hardcore / punk 45’s, or other long-awaited finds, amassing history and style points is the most self-serving and exciting hunt I take part of. Other stores such as Northport’s Record Reserve, Massapequa’s Infinity Records, Riverhead’s Sunday Records, and Rosie’s Vintage (the smallest of them all) allowed for tidier spaces and friendlier prices for me to walk out with, with smaller receipts ranging from a mere $30.00 to $100.00.

Of course, with many victories come disappointments. Plainview just opened a new store called Vinyl Bay 777. It’s one of the cleanest and shiniest stores on the island, but also the most expensive. With a penchant for ambition and grading, their selections are anywhere from three to five times the price of what you’d find in others store. It was the only experience of the tour that I left feeling poor and let down. The other disappointment? Innersleeve Records all the way at the East End / Amangansett. Why? I’m disappointed that I wasn’t able to go.

And almost every store have their own legacy. Record Stop’s been around since 1974 starting in Ronkonkoma, then shuffling to a warehouse in Shirley before finally settling in Patchogue. The family-owned and highly-awarded Looney Tunes had survived a summer fire and took them 90 days to rebuild. This year they’ll celebrate their 50th anniversary. Mr Cheapo’s has two locations, the only store on the island to do so. High Fidelity moved to larger and cleaner digs which solved their storage issues. Record Reserve just moved again; their fourth time in ten years of operation. Infinity Records was the only store on the ropes during the pandemic relying on crowd-funding to make up for the rent. Rosie’s Vintage isn’t owned by Rosie. In fact, Rosie doesn’t exist. It’s a rockabilly wife named Thea who owns an antique store. And you can’t get any literal than Sunday Records, which is only open on Sundays. It’s the only store I know who classified their records not on genre but radio stations and chart positions.

The entire experience was great and I looked to do it again the year after. Unfortunately, I had lots of traffic tickets, fees, and violations to pay. With a vehicle in disrepair and an expired inspection, driving out in daylight without the police spotting me was not ideal. Then I looked to do it last year, and we all know what happened. The pandemic paralyzed and killed businesses left and right. With immediate closures and stop of life, everyone stayed home for their lives.

Next time, it’s going down.

Essential money was saved all throughout the pandemic. Two stimulus checks later, a third on the way, tax refunds, a third bi-weekly check in April, and a bank transfer means I’m ready to do it all over again. In fact, it’s already started! Rough Trade announced it’s relocating from its’ Williamsburg spot. With 25% off books, merchandise, and CDs, it was an incentive to get to it. With me waiting forever to go, now was the chance. I found the perfect March Wednesday to do it and I finally made it happen. What you’ll read later on became the most expensive purchase I ever made at a record store, and also the greatest.

Most locations (except Vinyl Bay 777, replaced by any given one New York City store) are on the list for the next record-store tour. I healed mostly from last summer’s depression and I had a trouble-free winter. With a day out at Williamsburg’s Rough Trade, the spring euphoria and hope came back like it did the first time around. With money in the bank, vaccines, and everything coming back into play, it’s time to have fun again like I want to.

For those who can’t be harassed by looking up our series and reading our visits one-by-one, here’s the final results of 2018’s tour:

Record Stop:

Sugarhill Gang “The Lover In You” 12”

Grover Washington Jr. Mister Magic

Carmen McRae In Person

U.T.F.O. “Roxanne, Roxanne” 12”

Ahmad “Back In The Day” 12”

DJ Yella “4 Tha E” 12”

L.A. Style “James Brown Is Dead” 12”

Knucklehedz “Hed Rush” 12”

Flatlinerz “Live Evil” 12”

Blondie “Rapture” 7”

Chemical Brothers Come With Us

Royal Trux Thank You

Delerium ft. Sarah McLachlan & DJ Tiesto “Silence”

Prime Minister Pete Nice & Daddy Rich “Rap Prime Minister & Daddy Rich (Rat Bastard)” 12”

Vinyl Paradise:

Laura Nyro Christmas And The Beads Of Sweat

Genesis Invisible Touch

Clash, The Black Market Clash 10″

Delegation The Promise Of Love

Herbie Hancock “Rockit”

B-52’s, The Wild Planet

Blondie Parallel Lines

Spyro Gyra Catching The Sun

Brecker Bros. self-titled

Herb Alpert Rise

Heart Dreamboat Annie

Tom Scott Blow It Out

Pat Metheny American Garage

Martha Velez Escape From Babylon

Stanley Turrentine Have You Ever Seen The Rain?

Bob James & Earl Klugh One On One

Sister Sledge All-American Girls

Black Moon “Who Got The Props?” b/w “Fuck It Up”

Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock “It Takes Two”

Shannon Let The Music Play

Jellybean “Wotupski?”

Fu-Schnickens “Sum Dum Monkey” b/w “Visions (20/20)”

Tortoise & Autechre “Adverse Camber” b/w “To Day Retrieval”

Shirts, The Inner Sleeve

Freedom U.S.A. Hardcore

Coke Bust Confined

Ressurection I Am Not: The Discography

Spit It Out self-titled

Vice Flawed

Terror The Walls Will Fall

This Is Hell Bastards Still Remain

Subterfuge Fight Back

Bikini Kill self-titled single red 7″

Hangman A Vile Decree

Dead Kennedys “Nazi Punks Fuck Off!” (with lyric bag and armbands)

Until Your Heart Stops We Are Not Coming Down

Corrective Measure self-titled

Soft Cell “Tainted Love”

Kraftwerk “Pocket Calculator” b/w “Dentaku” clear yellow 7”

Six Weeks label America In Decline CD

Tear It Up The December 2000 Sessions CD

Dee Cracks “Be My Valentine” red heart-shaped flexi

This Means War “Use It Up” flexi

Broadcaster b/w Aspiga (Secret Audio Club Wax Pack)

Marathon b/w Fire When Ready(Secret Audio Club Wax Pack)

Looney Tunes:

Up In Arms / Eternal Youth split 7”

Defiant Trespass / Cold Like December split 7”

Make Or Break Down For Life! 7”

Arcadius / 7654 Stories split 7”

Pissed Jeans demo 7”

Search Bloc Life, By The Code 7”

Proud Youth Nothing’s Changed 7”

UN Bodies Unremarkably Mortal 7”

Force Of Change The Bond We Share 7”

Self Defense Family “Indoor Wind Chimes” b/w “Cottaging”

Tolerate self-titled 7”

Joe South & The Believers “Walk A Mile In My Shoes” b/w “Trespass”

Bread And Water / Reason Of Insanity split 7”

Stigmata There Is No Mercy Here 7”

Degenerats, The 7”

Monster X 1993 demo 7”

Last Dead Word 7”

Let It Burn From Jersey With Love 7”

Slak Another Disaster 7”

Eurythmics “Sweet Dreams Are Made Of These” 7”

Toni Basil “Mickey” 7”

Squeeze “853-5937″ 7”

Nena “99 Luftballons” 12”

Staple Singers City In The Sky

Unsung Heroes “What Would You Do?” 12”

White Mystery self-titled

D.S. 13 Vad Vet Vi Om Kriget?

Killing Joke Brighter Than A Thousand Suns

Marc Hurtado & Vomir 2011 / Sang+

Razed In Black Shrieks, Laments, And Anguished Cries

No Future Plan Of Attack

Die Krupps & Front Line Assembly Remix Wars

Maldoror She

Self Defense Family Heaven Is Earth cassette

Unholy Archangel The Wrath Of Kosmostistis cassette

Tod Hate Campiagn, Hymn To The Death cassette

Krieg Blue Miasma cassette

Hekseri The Atrocity (Early Demos) cassette

Crebain Under Black Wigs Of Night cassette

Riddle Of Meander End Of All Life And Creation cassette

Black Flame Torment And Glory cassette

Xasthur self-titled cassette

Krieg Songs For Resistance cassette

Striborg A Procession Of Lost Souls cassette

Tod Black Metal Manifesto cassette

Cheapo's (Commack):

Blackbyrds, The Action

Deodato 2

Jon Lucien The Best Of…

Bob James 2

Hubert LawsRomeo & Juliet

Deodato Love Island

Rolling Stones Undercover (stickered)

Bob James 3

Deodato Whirlwinds

George Benson White Rabbit

Bob James 4

Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth Mecca & The Soul Brother

Jedi Mind Tricks Legacy Of Blood

Naughty By Nature self-titled

M.I.A. Arular

P.O.S. Never Better special edition disc

Unseen, The Explode

Richard Hell & The Voidoids Blank Generation

M.I.A. Kala

All Dogs 7”

Last Shop Standing DVD

Katt Williams The Pimp Chronicles Vol. 1 DVD

Jerky Boys, The Stop Staring At Me cassette

Paula AbdulForever Your Girl cassette

Record Reserve:

Cars, The Shake It Up

Rolling Stones, The Some Girls (cut-out)

Peter Gabriel Melt

Weather Report Heavy Weather

A Clockwork Orange motion picture soundtrack

Genesis Abacab

Laura Nyro self-titled

Stranglers, The IV

Samantha Fox I Wanna Have Some Fun

Spyro Gyra self-titled

Cars, The Candy-O

Peter Gabriel Scratch

Debbie Gibson Out Of The Blue

Spent Idols “Chinese Suicide” b/w “Gacy’s Gone” 7″

Out Cider D.C. label Raise The Flag: DC Hardcore Vol. 1 7″

High Fidelity:

Prurient & Kevin Drumm All Are Guests In The House Of The Lord

KMD Mr. Hood

Sonic Youth Evol

Algiers self-titled

ESG A South Bronx Story deluxe disc

No Age Nouns

Greymachine Disconnected

Killing Joke Hosannas From The Basements Of Hell

Television Marquee Moon expanded disc

Esther Phillips Capricorn Princess

Severed Heads Cuisine With Piscatorial

Elastica self-titled

Sonic Youth & Mats Gustavsson & Merzbow SYR8

Killing Joke Pandemonium

Eric Gale Multiplication

Front Line Assembly Echoes

Wavves King Of The Beach

Strawberry Switchblade Since Yesterday 12”

Bjork Telegraph

Public Image Ltd. Second Edition

Esther Phillips Performance

Hatebreed The Rise Of Brutality

Killing Joke Night Time

Wilbert Longmire Champagne

Grover Washington, Jr. A Secret Place

Young Black Teenagers “Tap The Bottle” 12”

Sagat “Funk Dat” 12”

Crash Crew “Breaking Bells (Take Me To The Mardi Gras)” 12”

Prurient Pleasure Ground

Victory Records Victory Style II

Esther Phillips & Joe Beck For All We Know

Sonic Youth Confusion Is Sex + Kill Your Idols

Swell Maps A Trip To Marineville

Severed Heads Rotund For Success

Whodini Escape

Killing Joke Revelations

Stop The Violence Movement, The “Self-Destruction” 12”

Eric Gale Part Of You

Professionals, The “The Magnificent” 7”

Guyana Punch Line self-titled 7”

Heart self-titled cassette

Infinity Records:

Self Defense Family “Self Immolation Family” b/w “World Virgins” 7”

Peter Gabriel Security

Mantronix The Album

Eric Gale Forecast

Arsonists As The World Burns

Beat Street motion picture soundtrack

Kool & The GangLight Of Worlds

Dire Straits Making Movies

Shirts, The Street Light Shine

Belinda Carlisle Belinda

Makers, The Rock Star God

Bug, The Infected

Peter Gabriel Car

Filter Short Bus

Warzone Fight for Justice

Mood Doom

Jane’s Addiction Nothing’s Shocking

Depeche Mode Ultra

Curve Cuckoo

Rosie's Vintage:

Genesis Abacab

Nice & Wild “Diamond Girl” 12″

Shabba Ranks “Mr. Loverman” 12″

Dire Straits self-titled

Mad Skillz “Nod Factor” 12“

Boogiemonsters “Recognized Thresholds Of Negative Stress 12″

Blahzay Blahzay “Danger!” 12″

Harold Faltermeyer “Axel F” 12“

Spyro Gyra self-titled

Malcomb McLaren & The World Famous Supreme Team “Buffalo Gals” 12″

Sunday Records:

Cabaret Voltaire The Arm Of The Lord

Nitzer Ebb As Is

Strawberry Switchblade Who Knows What Love Is?

Steve Jones Mercy

Patti Smith Easter

Ramsey Lewis Tequila Mockingbird

Doors, The Greatest Hits

Cabaret Voltaire Drinking Gasoline

Utah Saints “Something Good”

Image In Vogue self-titled EP

Steely Dan Pretzel Logic

No Age Losing Feeling

Dead Or Alive “Brand New Lover”

Cabaret Voltaire The Drain Train

Public Image Ltd. “Home”

Gary Numan “Cars” / “Metal”

Malcomb McLaren “Soweto” b/w “Zulu’s On A Time Bomb”

J. Geils Band “Centerfold” b/w “Rage In The Cage”

Fad Gadget “One Man’s Meat” b/w “Sleep”

Tony Basil “Mickey” b/w “Hangin’ Around”

Stray Cats “(She’s) Sexy + 17” b/w “Lookin’ Better Every Beer”

Madness “Our House” b/w “Cardiac Arrest”

Todd Rundgren “Hello It’s Me” b/w “Cold Morning Light”

No Age Eraser 7”

Suzanne Vega “Luca” b/w “Night Vision”

Siouxsie Sioux & The Banshees “Hong Kong Garden” b/w “Night Vision”

Mr. Cheapo’s (Mineola):

Mic Geronimo “Masta I.C.”

Jemini The Gifted One “Funk Soul Sensation”

Hi-Tek “Hi Teknology”

Schoolly D “Livin’ In The Jungle” b/w “Gucci Again”

Richie Cole New York Afternoon

Dott & Night School Carousel split e.p.

Joe Beck self-titled

Chick Corea Return To Forever

Hank Crawford Hank Crawford’s Back

Steve Khan Tightrope

Tappan Zee label Best Of…

Shabba Ranks “Ram Dancehall” b/w “Original Woman”

D&D All-Stars “1, 2 Pass It”

Rayvon “No Guns, No Murder”

Doug E. Fresh & Beenie Man “Hands In The Air”

Black Moon “Black Smif-N-Wesson” b/w Smif-N-Wesson “Headz Ain’t Redee”

Goats, The “Burn The Flag” b/w “Typical American”

Little Shawn “Don Perignon”

Specials, The More Specials

Lee Ritenour The Best Of…

Steve Khan Arrows

Genesis Invisible Touch

Vacancies, The Tantrum

Nobodys, The Generation XXX

Easy Action Friends Of Rock & Roll

New Bomb Turks Scared Straight

Roots, The Do You Want More?!!!??!

Eric B & Rakim Don’t Sweat The Technique

Boogie Down Productions Edutainment

X Clan Xodus

Lords Of The Underground Here Come The Lords

Buckshot LeFonque self-titled

Channel Live Station Identification

Funkdoobiest Brothas Doobie

Method Man & Mary J. Blige “I’ll Be There For You” / “You’re All I Need”

GZA / Genius Liquid Swords

Milk Never Dated

Naughty By Nature19 Naughty III

Das EFX Straight Up Sewaside

Grand Puba 2000

Naughty By Nature Poverty’s Paradise

Ol’ Dirty Bastard Return To The 36 Chambers (dirty version)

George Michael Faith

Vinyl Bay 777:

(No purchases.)

#omega #music #playlists #mixtapes #personal #Long Island #vinyl #records #Cd #tapes #cassettes #wow #unbelievable #winning #holy shit #amazing

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xettle-technologies · 18 days ago

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What Are the Best Payout Solutions for Your Business?

In today’s fast-paced digital economy, businesses of all sizes need efficient and secure payout solutions to manage their financial transactions. Whether you're running a small e-commerce store, a large enterprise, or providing services in the gig economy, selecting the right payout solution is crucial. From disbursing salaries to paying vendors or customers, a seamless payout process can enhance trust and streamline operations.

In this article, we will explore the best payout solutions for businesses, focusing on their features, benefits, and how they cater to diverse business needs. We’ll also touch upon the importance of working with a reliable micro ATM service provider and highlight Xettle Technologies as an example of innovation in this space.

Understanding Payout Solutions

Payout solutions refer to systems or platforms that facilitate the transfer of funds from a business to its employees, partners, customers, or vendors. These solutions are essential for ensuring smooth financial transactions and reducing manual intervention. Modern payout solutions are designed to be flexible, secure, and capable of handling high transaction volumes with ease.

The best payout solution for your business will depend on several factors, including the size of your company, the frequency of payouts, and the geographical location of your recipients. Let’s dive into the key elements to consider when selecting the right solution.

Features of Effective Payout Solutions

Multi-Channel Accessibility A good payout solution should support multiple payment channels, such as bank transfers, mobile wallets, UPI, and cards. This ensures that your business can cater to the diverse preferences of your recipients.

Scalability As your business grows, your payout needs will evolve. A scalable solution can accommodate increasing transaction volumes without compromising on speed or security.

Security and Compliance Protecting sensitive financial data is paramount. Choose a payout solution that complies with industry standards and regulatory requirements, ensuring the safety of your transactions.

Integration Capabilities Seamless integration with your existing systems, such as accounting software or enterprise resource planning (ERP) tools, can simplify operations and improve efficiency.

Real-Time Processing In today’s competitive environment, real-time payouts can be a game-changer. Recipients value quick access to their funds, making this a must-have feature.

Types of Payout Solutions

1. Bank Transfers

This is one of the most common methods, offering a direct and secure way to transfer funds to recipients' bank accounts. However, it may not be ideal for real-time payouts due to processing times.

2. Digital Wallets

Digital wallets like Paytm, Google Pay, and others provide a convenient and fast way to transfer funds. They are particularly popular in regions with high mobile penetration.

3. Prepaid Cards

Prepaid cards are a versatile option that allows businesses to load funds for employees or customers. They can be used for shopping or cash withdrawals.

4. Micro ATM Services

For businesses operating in rural or remote areas, a micro ATM service provider can be a game-changer. These services enable cash disbursements even in areas with limited banking infrastructure, bridging the financial inclusion gap.

How Micro ATM Service Providers Add Value

Micro ATM service providers are transforming the way businesses manage payouts in underbanked regions. These portable devices allow users to perform basic banking functions, such as cash withdrawals, balance inquiries, and fund transfers. By partnering with a reliable micro ATM service provider, businesses can expand their reach and cater to rural audiences effectively.

For instance, a small-scale retailer or a government agency can use micro ATM services to disburse payments to beneficiaries without requiring them to travel long distances to access banking facilities. This enhances convenience and boosts trust among recipients.

A Spotlight on Xettle Technologies

Xettle Technologies has emerged as a leader in the payout solutions space, offering innovative platforms that cater to diverse business needs. Their solutions are designed to enhance operational efficiency and provide a seamless experience for businesses and recipients alike. By leveraging advanced technology, Xettle Technologies ensures secure, real-time payouts while simplifying the integration process for businesses.

Choosing the Right Payout Solution

Selecting the best payout solution requires careful consideration of your business’s specific needs. Here are some steps to guide you:

Assess Your Requirements Determine the frequency and volume of payouts your business handles. This will help you identify a solution that matches your operational scale.

Evaluate Security Measures Ensure the platform offers robust encryption, fraud detection, and compliance with financial regulations.

Test for User-Friendliness The solution should be easy to use for both your team and your recipients. Look for platforms with intuitive interfaces and reliable customer support.

Consider Costs Compare the transaction fees, setup costs, and other charges associated with different solutions. Opt for one that offers value for money without compromising on quality.

Final Thoughts

Choosing the right payout solution is not just about facilitating transactions; it’s about building trust and ensuring smooth financial operations. Whether you’re looking for traditional methods like bank transfers or innovative options like micro ATM services, the key lies in understanding your business needs and selecting a partner that aligns with your goals.

From scalability to security, modern payout solutions offer a range of features that can empower your business to operate efficiently in a competitive landscape. By leveraging the right tools and technologies, such as those offered by Xettle Technologies, you can simplify your payout processes and focus on growing your business.

#fintech marketing #payout solutions #payout #heavy topics #trending

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kpoploverfrevr · 18 days ago

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SM Entertainment Accused Of Taking Away Red Velvet Irene’s Music Show Win

Red Velvet Irene’s solo debut has been a commercial hit since its release last month, but one accolade “Like a Flower” has missed out on so far is a music show win — and fans say SM Entertainment is to blame.

From the moment Irene’s debut mini-album, Like a Flower, was released, it’s been racking up album sales achievements. In its first day alone, the record sold over 250,000 copies, achieving the seventh-highest first-day sales for a female K-Pop soloist on the Hanteo chart. With just one day of tracking, Irene also recorded the highest first-week sales for an SM Entertainment female soloist.

Naturally, with such accomplishments in hand, fans had high expectations for Irene to become the first Red Velvet member to achieve a win on a music show. In particular, ReVeluvs worldwide went full force with their efforts on KBS’s Music Bank. After an intense period of voting, fans even managed to break the app All Chart’s record for the highest vote total of all time at 983,504, giving her the number one spot in the pre-vote.

However, despite fans’ tireless efforts, when Music Bank aired on November 6, Irene was not nominated at all. Although she received the maximum score of 2,000 for the pre-vote, her final total was 5,768, putting her in third place on Music Bank’s ‘K-Chart.’

The reason? A discrepancy in her album sales, which fans are calling “sabotage.”

The root of the issue lies in the difference between the Hanteo chart and the chart Music Bank uses for its tally: Circle. In a nutshell, Hanteo counts retail sales, tracking albums purchased by customers both offline and online. Circle Chart, on the other hand, records the number of albums shipped to retailers, before they’re even sold to individual customers.

As such, Circle Chart figures are usually higher than Hanteo, as they include stock that has been distributed to stores but not yet sold. However, in a shocking turn of events, Circle reported that Irene had only sold 164,802 copies across all versions by the end of the music show tracking week on Sunday — a striking difference from Hanteo’s figure of 288,911.

This meant that more than 120,000 sold albums were missing from Irene’s sales figures. In contrast, the two groups nominated for the win (WayV and TWS) had approximately 8,000 and 31,000 more sales on Circle than on Hanteo respectively. In the end, this meant that Irene was allocated just 914 points for physical album sales on Music Bank.

Had her Circle sales figure matched her Hanteo sales, Irene would have scored around 1,600 points in the physical sales category: enough to push her final points to over 6,400. This would have placed her above the eventual winner, WayV, whose total was 6,354 points, giving her the win

Naturally, the gap between what could have been and what happened left fans furious at SM Entertainment. Across social media, ReVeluvs accused the company of failing to support Irene’s solo debut properly, or even intentionally sabotaging it.

Questions arose about why her Circle chart sales were so low, with theories ranging from delayed album shipments to errors in reporting figures. Many pointed out the stark contrast between Irene’s case and that of WayV, whose sales were accurately reflected on Circle despite both artists being under SM Entertainment with albums distributed by Kakao Entertainment.

Irene’s visible dedication to her debut only added to the heartbreak. The star had been working on the album for several months, including in the midst of the group’s Asia fan concert tour. In a recent vlog with fellow member Seulgi, fans also noticed dark bruises on Irene’s legs, making the agency’s lack of support even harder to accept.

Now, fans are calling for SM Entertainment to explain and apologize for what happened.

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rjzimmerman · 8 months ago

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Excerpt from this story from DeSmog Blog:

With its unparalleled purchasing power and exacting demands, fast food has long shaped agricultural systems in the United States, Europe, and China. But as major American fast food brands, like KFC, expand into so-called “frontier markets,” taxpayer-funded development banks have made their global expansion possible by underwriting the factory farms that supply them with chicken, a DeSmog investigation has found.

In all, the investigation identified five factory-scale poultry companies in as many countries that have received financial support from the International Finance Corporation (IFC, the private-sector lending arm of the World Bank Group), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), or both since 2003, and that supply chicken to KFC. A sixth company has benefited from IFC advisory services but has not received financing.

A review of press accounts, financial disclosures, and the companies’ websites shows this support aided these firms’ KFC-linked operations in up to 13 countries in Asia, Africa, and Europe.

In Kazakhstan, both banks helped a Soviet-era poultry factory become a KFC supplier. In 2011, the IFC lent poultry company Ust-Kamenogorsk Poultry (UKPF) invested $2 million in refurbishing housing for chickens, among other projects. In 2016, the EBRD made a $20 million equity investment in the company’s parent, Aitas, to finance the construction of a new facility to raise and process poultry. In 2018, two years after announcing the financing deal, UKPF revealed it had become a supplier to KFC in Kazakhstan. The EBRD sold its stake in the company in 2019.

In South Africa, the IFC helped one KFC supplier bolster its operations across the region. In 2013, the bank loaned Country Bird Holdings $25 million to expand existing operations in South Africa, Botswana, and Zambia. Country Bird supplies KFC in all three countries, as well as Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Three years later, in 2016, Country Bird also became KFC’s sole franchisee in Zambia.

In Jordan, the EBRD’s technical support and a 2015 loan worth up to $21 million helped poultry company Al Jazeera Agricultural Company upgrade its facilities and expand its retail presence. Al Jazeera claims to produce half the country’s restaurant-sold chicken. It includes the local franchisees of KFC and Texas Chicken (known by its original name, Church’s Chicken, in the U.S.) as clients.

With this Global North-financed fast-food expansion comes a host of environmental, social, and health concerns in regions often unprepared to field them.

“It’s so clear that these investments are not consistent with any coherent notion of sustainable development,” Kari Hamerschlag, deputy director for the food and agriculture program at Friends of the Earth US, told DeSmog.

Providing Financial Security for Fast Food Suppliers

Both the IFC and the EBRD are financed primarily by the governments of developed countries for the benefit of developing countries. The IFC was founded in 1956 under the umbrella of the World Bank Group to stimulate developing economies by lending directly to businesses. Founded in 1991, the EBRD was formed to support Eastern Europe’s transition to a market economy. Since then, it has extended its geographic reach to include other regions.

Development banks often finance companies and projects in regions that more risk-averse commercial banks tend to avoid. The idea is to help grow a company’s operations and lower the risk for private sector investors.

Both of these development banks’ investments cover a range of sectors, including manufacturing, education, agribusiness, energy, and tourism. Because large agro-processors, such as poultry companies, can transform bushel upon bushel of local crops into more valuable products, like meat, they make especially attractive clients.

The world’s largest restaurant company, U.S.-based Yum! Brands, owns KFC, and calls the fried chicken powerhouse, which oversees more than 30,000 locations across the globe, a “major growth engine.”

#development banks #fast food #food production #agriculture #farming

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