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A prizewinning speech about abortion, printed in the April 8, 1976 Door County Advocate, with a response from the opposing position on April 20, 1976
2023.03.27 07:07 ThrowAway7s2 A prizewinning speech about abortion, printed in the April 8, 1976 Door County Advocate, with a response from the opposing position on April 20, 1976
 | submitted by ThrowAway7s2 to DoorCountyALT [link] [comments] xxxx, recieving a trophy for her speech xxxxxxxxx xxxx wins girl's division of oratory contest The following is the text of the speech delivered by first place girl's winner xxxxxxxxx xxxx in the Optimist Oratorical contest held recently. The contest subject was "Tomorrow's Promise." Two thousand years ego three wise men beheld, wrapped in swaddling clothes, a new born babe. The world rejoiced and dreamed of tomorrow's promise. Two weeks ago three sanitation workers beheld, wrapped in bloody newspaper a new born babe. The baby died; human garbage. Two days ago an attractive, well educated, pregnant suburban housewife drove to her doctor's office. Seventy-five minutes later she left the office and drove home to entertain guests, no longer with child. A scrubwoman cleaned up the remains of her 18 week old fetus. Legalized abortion; $300. What causes mothers to drop their newborn promises into the gutter? What causes mothers to lobby so effectively to seek a law which will permit them to commit murder? For all the unborn of the future, what will their anguish be, what will be tomorrow's promise? The strength of a country, its viability and its future, lies in its youth provided, of course, they are permitted to survive and develop to provide that strength. Did you know that a 10 week old fetus has perfectly formed feet one half inch long? It even has fingerprints. An 11 week old fetus breathes, swallows, sleeps-it even dreams. An 11 week old fetus has the ability to learn. It reacts to light and noise. An 11 week old fetus digests its food. It even feels pain. It is alive - it is human - it holds tomorrow's promise. Yet many would argue that we have the right and should make it a legal right to eliminate an 11 week old promise. In 1979 alone, just one year after the Supreme court ruling to legalize abortion rights, 900,000 women obtained abortions. Nine hundred thousand abortions - almost two every minute. That represented an increase of 350 percent in just four years. This truly was 900,000 empty promises. What will happen if we allow the slaughter to continue? Do we no longer protect the weak and innocent? Who or what then will be tomorrow's promise if our callous attitude toward the unborn continues. It is important to recognize that tomorrow's promise can only be fulfilled through us. Each and every one of us here this evening were once unborn. We were permitted to live, we ourselves were once tomorrow's promise. And each and every one of us here this evening must face a grave, personal responsibility. We must determine our own position onthis seriously important issue. Are we going to support the indifferent attitude toward the unborn or make a promise? A promise today, a commitment to the unborn, that for today and tomorrow and for all the tomorrows to come -"we will not murder them in their sleep." Let us revive our moral strength from the past when old newspapers were used to light the fireplaces of our homes and wrapped our table scraps not our babies. Yes, it is time to regain the attitudes of the past when our doctor's offices were visited by the sick of body and where treatments were prescribed to support a healthy existence, not the elimination of tomorrow's promise. ANSWER ON ABORTION To xxxxxxxxx xxxx: I had considered heading this "An Answer to xxxxxxxxx xxxx" but I find I can't do that. The position of the National Organization of Women on the issue of abortion, a position which is staunchly for the right to chose, doesn't really pose final answers to your questions. What our position does do is recognize the real lives of women, of those women who seek abortions, and recognize that they seek abortions for real and pressing reasons. We recognize that without legalized abortion these women seeking abortions divide into two groups: those who can afford to buy a doctor's services outside the law or who can afford to go abroad to a legal shorten clink, and those who finally end up at the "back street butcher" or killing themselves with drugs, home remedies or knitting needles. Those of us supporting right to choice have a wide range of views. Some of us do regard abortion as a simple medical procedure. Some of us do believe that abortion takes human life. I tend toward the latter view. I hate abortion. But I don't hate people who have abortions. I guess I just have to trust them — to believe that they had that abortion for a very good reason. It doesn't have to be my reason. It just has to be their reason. What causes mothers to drop their newborn promises into the gutter? I don't know. People tell me that the causes are fear, poverty, desperation, ignorance. Imagine where you would have to be, what your state of mind would be, if you were to do that. Then know that is where that mother is. What causes mothers to lobby so effectively to seek a law which will permit them to commit murder? I am a mother. My daughter is 9 months old. I am lobbying for that law. I may never use it, but as much as I hate abortion, I can't really say that I'll never need it. And many other women, my sisters, need that law. They need that law to retain control over their bodies and their lives. What will happen if we allow the slaughter to continue? I'll give you your choice of words, xxxxxxxxx, but I'll tell you what will happen if we lose the right to choice. We'll be back to the dichotomy of the rich woman and her private doctor and the poor woman and her back street butcher. Nothing else will change. Do we no longer protect the weak and innocent? Well, I'd like to think we do. But laws have never been able to stop abortion. Laws can only see that women have them under safe conditions. The right to choice is just that. It does not force women to have abortions. It allows women to follow their own dictates of conscience or reason or need. The right to life bills allow only one legal choice. You may go on hating abortion. The best way to stop abortion is to see that women and girls know their bodies and how to use than, to see that birth control devices are available to those who need them, to help us to that goal of only wanted babies being conceived in the first place. Many of my sisters in the women's movement won't like what I've said to you. Many of them feel, and on an intellectual level I agree with them, that the only issue is a woman's control of her own body. Ugly words have been exchanged between the people on both sides of this question. I don't want to put you down for what you believe. I guess I'm hoping that if I answer your concern with my own, you may at least think about our point of view. One of the brochures from our state organization says "Feminists are people who care." I hope you can believe me when I tell you that is true. BARBARA STONERPR. Door County NOW [PR. is President] March 27, 2023 A BELATED ANSWER TO BARBARA STONER To Barbara, and by extension those who knew her: You can't recognize the real lives of women without recognizing their real relationships. What relationship is more undeniable that between a mother and her unborn child? Without legalized abortion, the population and wellbeing of women in the United States increased over the centuries. After legalization, homicides of pregnant women increased considerably. The typical perpetrator is either the father of the fetus, another man romantically involved with the woman, or a woman attempting a fetal abduction. When it is a man, he is angry that the woman would not have an abortion, and then takes it into his own hands. In developed countries, it is possible to prevent "back street butcher" type abortions through effective law enforcement. The frequency of dangerous home abortions prior to legalization was widely overstated in several fraudulent histories written by abortion rights activists. Actually, all abortions were rare, both due to the danger and to the shame. Yet even had the histories been correct, it still follows that exactly the same augment can be made for do-it-yourself versus physician-assisted suicide. Back when you supported the right to choose in the 70s, a wide range of views was tolerated. Now, however, anything less than the "reproductive justice" is scorned. The "abortion is a simple medical procedure" only works for the calloused. Many post-abortive women report strong emotional distress relating to their abortion. What other medical procedures are associated with such grief? If you are thinking "amputation" or "mastectomy", yes, that is what I thought of too. Today in the United States, over 60% of abortions are associated with external coercion: https://www.cureus.com/articles/124269-effects-of-pressure-to-abort-on-womens-emotional-responses-and-mental-health. It is possible to "choose" amputation through external coercion, such as with remorseful yakuza in Japan who amputate a part of their finger, or recaptured runaways in the antebellum South who were given the choice to amputate part of the foot or be castrated. For many women, the right to choose was a similar hated choice. That you declare "I hate abortion" but desire to have recourse to it indicates you understand how this is not a Coke vs. Pepsi sort of choice. Should you just trust someone who says he or she voluntarily chose elective amputation? Or should you assume a mental condition or coercion? This isn't about how trustworthy and individual is, it is about the context. Planned Parenthood and the independent clinics don't do this. They just abort babies, facilitating the perpetuation of the coercive factors, be they evil romantic partners or broader-scale economic injustices. You write that you personally tend to "believe that abortion takes human life". Today, this is acknowledged more by abortion supporters than it was back in the 70s. Natasha Lennard comes to mind as an example. Yet you mean this in a conciliatory way. They don't: today similar statements are intended in a threatening way. They acknowledge that abortion takes a human life, and then they say it is a form of justifiable killing. They also speak about achieving "the revolution" and how it is good to be violent against people who are sufficiently leftist. While some target the far-right and ordinary conservatives, others especially advocate shoplifting from and attacking non-conservative targets who they regard as insufficiently leftist. Door County liberals, centrists, and their businesses and non-profits are all fair targets to them. Why hasn't Door County suffered from them so far? The best explanation I have so far is the absence of a sufficiently radical leftist organization based out of Green Bay, the sort which rejects non-violence. They feel that conservatives are too stuck in their ways to change even after an attack, but with enough violence, centrist and insufficiently liberal voices will be prodded to fall in line behind them. The closest equivalent I can think of back in your day was Valerie Solanas. Their positions are nearly as depraved as her SCUM manifesto, yet they are defended in the mainstream media, and even employed by them. That is how things are now; they are not your friends. Theirs is a natural outcome of both acknowledging that abortion takes human life and refusing to protect it by law. The logical syllogism follows like this: if abortion takes a human life, and those human lives shouldn't be protected by law, then some human lives shouldn't be protected by law. Lennard and others like her would be more than happy for you to retreating to a deferent, subjective understanding of "It just has to be their reason" for not just abortion, but all killing. The causes you mention, "fear, poverty, desperation, ignorance" don't have to be the last word ending someone's life. Abortion could be motivated by these four, but so could substance abuse. Should substance abuse be the final last word? By now, Wisconsin has a Safe Haven infant relinquishment law for the most desperate mothers; that is a more hopeful ending of a relationship. The severing of a relationship does not need to be the end of a life. Your being a mother of a nine-month-old makes this even more important. You want good things for the next generation. Whatever the social problems are, there are better answers than elective abortion. Your hope was that abortion would help you and other women retain control over their lives, but in place of that came decades of economic stagnation, coupled with a societal reliance on abortion. Worker productivity climbed while employee pay stagnated. This website has graphs that would make your generation's labor feminists weep. Maybe back in 1976, you thought that the lightened economic load of fewer children would accrue advantages to the worker? Today, there are children's' books about abortion. Some mothers let their children know that they killed their siblings before they were born. Implicitly they pull a power play: "Aren't you glad it wasn't you?". Earlier generations could sympathize with the poor woman, but now she is blamed for not being responsible. You thought that nothing else would change if you lost the right to choice, but since this past summer, there have been a number of hopeful signs, including: · Increased support for crisis pregnancy centers by both private donors and by some states · Proposed measures to allow pregnant women to use the HOV lane in a number of states · Arkansas' maternity leave bill: https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2023/feb/14/maternity-leave-bill-passes-state-house/ · Calls from conservatives for the federal government to completely cover the medical cost of childbirth · A bill in Texas to reduce parent's property taxes · Georgia's income tax law now counts unborn children · Some states lengthened Medicaid coverage for post-partum women · Expansion of the Nurse-Family Partnership in Indiana · Many items proposed in the Family Policy Agenda: https://banks.house.gov/uploadedfiles/rsc_family_policy_agenda.pdf · It seems there will be more births recorded in some states: https://www.grid.news/story/science/2023/02/01/us-birth-rates-may-be-rising-but-likely-not-for-long-so-whos-having-babies/ Moreover, private doctors seem to be complying with abortion laws since this past summer. They don't want to lose their medical licenses; some have moved to other states. And in a situation where the rich have abortions and the poor do not, eventually the more numerous poor will outvote the rich, and use the state to fight against the corruption and injustices they were subjected to, including elective abortion. You wrote that "laws have never been able to stop abortion". You could say the same for the murder of those already born; it is illegal, but it still happens. That doesn't mean it should be legalized. And under decades of legalized abortion, there have been considerable number unsafe, though legal abortion clinics: See " Are there more abortion doctors like Kermit Gosnell? And do we want to know?: https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2013/04/28/are-there-more-abortion-doctors-like-kermit-gosnell-do-we-want-to-know/. Even when legal, most doctors don't want to do abortions. Some of the ones willing to stoop to it as a regular practice are the bottom-dregs of medicine. Today, leftists are trying to solve this by removing conscience clauses so that doctors can be forced to do abortions against their will, under pain of losing their jobs. This indicates that legalization wasn't enough to make abortion safe. It is not true that "The right to life bills allow only one legal choice." They allow both parenting and adoption, which is actually two choices. Sex-ed has failed to stop abortion, but perhaps it could if students were made to experience its graphic and horrendous nature. The "only wanted babies" idea fails because so many women are coerced. An unwanted baby can still be adopted by parents who want them. Or the parents can learn to want their child, such as with professional counseling. It also ignores the larger picture, which was understood in Calhoun's Rodent Utopia experiments. These experiments were designed so that overpopulation was never an issue; instead they looked at group behavior patterns and their effects. Natural rodent mothers wanted their babies, but as the experiments wound on and became increasingly dominated by aggressive males, mothers became unstable and unable to care for their litter. Humans have instincts as well, and if children are unwanted by their parents, that should call into question what things are contributing to it. That the majority of abortions in the US involve external coercive factors is evidence that unwanted pregnancies indicate larger problems. Sort of like how if a sentinel species is suffering in a particular area, the solution isn't to just hunt them so you don't have to think about the canary in the coal mine. Rather you try and solve the larger problems causing the sentinel species to become extirpated. Unborn children, and the mother-child relationship, are like a vulnerable sentinel species for broader humanity. Solve the larger problems, and more children will be wanted. Ignore the problems, and it fosters their contribution to a human version of Calhoun's Rodent Utopia. Your own separating of your emotional conviction and your "intellectual level" testifies that there is more to it than "a woman's control of her own body". If that is really all there was, you wouldn't need to separate off your intellectual level from other factors; they would all be in congruence. Your generation said "Feminists are people who care", but this has given way to other slogans. If it were true today, care and concern would recalculate back to the organized movements. Instead there are angry calls for "abortion on demand without apology". March 27, 2023 A RESPONSE TO xxxxxxxxx xxxx I didn't ask before posting your oration. Legally, posting it was allowed since the Advocate didn't print a copyright notice back then. Notices were required at the time to keep things out of the public domain. I weighed the merits of not giving you credit against the risk of facilitating bad people to do evil against you. Since it indexed on search engines, that gives you some level of protection. No one searching your name on the internet will get to this post. I expect that people who want to give you credit will look up the article, and bad people won't bother to take the effort. I didn't link to it, so it takes a bit more effort. The picture will also help, since it reminds people how young you were at the time, and how many years it has been. I think you will experience more good than bad from me posting it. There could be people walking around now, who never would have been allowed to be born if it weren't for you. |
2023.03.27 06:44 TheNorthStar2 Planning on vacation and want to use miles/points. 841 credit score, and can easily meet any spending requirements.
I currently have a construction project which I can luckily use my credit card to pay with and can meet pretty much any credit card spending requirements.
Looking to take advantage of miles and points to reduce the cost of a trip to Hawaii (flights & hotel).
I currently have an 841 credit score and no issues with getting pretty much any credit card I need. I currently already have the Chase cards and Navy Federal Credit Union cards. I can swing any other (Costco, Amex, etc.).
submitted by TheNorthStar2 to CreditCards [link] [comments]
Looking to take advantage of miles and points to reduce the cost of a trip to Hawaii (flights & hotel).
I currently have an 841 credit score and no issues with getting pretty much any credit card I need. I currently already have the Chase cards and Navy Federal Credit Union cards. I can swing any other (Costco, Amex, etc.).
2023.03.27 06:43 TheFrostborn True Predators Chapter 22: Prejudices Part 1
Spoilers for a major event in the main story. All credit for this universe goes to u/SpacePaladin15 and all events in this story are non-canon. As always, corrections and advice are welcome and encouraged.
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Memory Transcription Subject: Kona, Venlil Space Corps
Date: [standardized human time]: September 28, 2136, five minutes after previous transcription
She couldn't help but gawk at her surroundings. Walking through the underground Gojid city was a fascinating experience to say the least. The way that each building seamlessly rose out of the rock like a stalagmite, the only unnatural features being the glass windows set into their carved openings, was like something out of a surreal dream.
Despite being smaller than most modern cities, she was impressed at how she found practically everything that could be expected from a modern federation city. A hospital, schools for children of all ages, several recreation buildings, a water treatment plant, and many others that she saw on their short walk. They even passed a public park with large, multicolored crystals as decorations instead of trees or other plant life.
There were certainly differences too however. Instead of a farmer’s market or grocery store, there was a single, large building labeled “rations.” Instead of an exterminator office or police station, there were only small military barracks that were carved directly into the stone walls that surrounded the city.
The thing that surprised Kona the most however wasn’t any of these details, even considering that they were far underground. The thing that surprised her most was a feeling she’d not had for a long time.
She was completely at peace.
She had been trying to figure out exactly what it was that made her feel this way. She hadn’t gone hungry, she wasn’t thirsty, Joseph and his soldiers had provided everything she’d needed. Well… everything short of a bath.
Perhaps it was this new place. Such a large facility… so much protection… surely they were safe now from the Arxur.
Well… not all of us…
A pang of guilt filled her heart. She couldn't begin to imagine what Joseph was feeling right now. Knowing him, he’d likely begun to wiggle his way back out of his sleeping bag, making preparations to come looking for them. She’d have to find a way to make it up to him when the time came. It’s not like she meant to leave him behind like that… everything was just happening so fast…
Perhaps it was it her new friends that made her feel this way? Her tail curled in frustration at the thought. No… she’d never been a “social butterfly,” as Joseph would say, so she’d never had that many friends… but she’d still been at peace before… before…
Before the humans came…
She inwardly gasped at herself when she came to that realization. She’d thought she conquered that anxiety long ago. And yet… now that she was separated from Joseph… she was finally at peace again.
Shuddering with guilt, she subconsciously gripped her leg fur, before pressing closer to Thraxis, her… boyfriend?… lover? She still wasn't quite sure what he was to her now. There was clearly… something there, but she couldn't quantify it.
And besides, he was clearly dealing with some harsh emotions himself. She knew it had something to do with the flowery symbol they saw on their way in. Something that had enough significance to make the usually amiable man become quiet and somber.
Despite all this however, as she pressed herself against him, Thraxis draped his arm comfortingly around her shoulders in a warm embrace. It made her feel safe… secure… at peace…
It warmed her heart that, deep down, Thraxis clearly saw her as a source of comfort as well.
Finally coming to an understanding, she all but purred at him as they continued to make their way towards the Gojid official’s office. They had finally left what could be considered a common area and entered what appeared to be a business campus.
The difference between these people and the farmers was like night and day. Whereas the farmers had enthusiastically taken them in, these people seemed… almost fearful at their approach.
A part of her understood why. Now in the light of "day," the Gojid soldiers were surprisingly intimidating. They wore full body ballistic armor suits colored in a patchwork of grays to camouflage with the cave walls. And yet there was still space for their sharp spines to poke out through the back, making for a frightening appearance whenever they flared.
Furthermore, these soldiers carried far more advanced weaponry than their surface counterparts. While the soldiers above ground had used a standard combat rifle, these soldiers appeared to be wielding some kind of energy weapons. She’d heard rumors from some of Joseph’s men that they existed, but had never seen any in person. All things considered, Wellic’s soldiers made for a very intimidating procession.
And yet… something about the situation just didn’t sit right with her. These soldiers were the city’s protectors. Perhaps different from the Blades in strict purpose, but shouldn’t be any different from the other soldiers she had come across. The Gojid citizens above ground didn’t hesitate to run behind the soldiers at the human military’s approach. The faithful also didn’t hesitate to run to the temple for sanctuary. And this was despite the dangers of intruding upon holy ground. The citizens trusted the soldiers and Blades to protect them.
And yet this city’s denizens had avoided these soldiers like a plague. Conversations stopped as they entered the square. Politicians, standing out with their green sashes, ceased their conversations to stare warily at them as they passed by. Merchants, whose voices had previously been shouting loud enough to echo against the distant ceiling, fell silent as they hid behind their stalls or froze in place. She even caught sight of a Gojid mother pulling their child inside as they passed by.
What is wrong with these people?
She didn’t have time to ponder this however as they finally approached their destination. It was a large and well decorated building carved directly into the central pillar that held up the arching roof above them. The outside reminded her of the temple of Valla. The difference however was specifically what was carved there. Whereas the temple had been decorated by farmers and craftsmen, this building was covered by politicians, merchants, philosophers, and military men.
As they approached the front gate, a pair of guards stood at attention before opening it at Wellic’s salute. Just next to the gate, printed only in the Gojid language was the name of the building.
“Shelter Zero… Penitentiary?” she read out loud.
Wellic paused for a moment to turn around and swish his tail happily. “Oh… you can read our language?”
Kona flicked her ears affirmatively. “A little. I’m not perfect but I did study your culture when I was learning to become a teacher.”
Wellic nodded along before practically beaming at her. “That’s wonderful! With time you’ll fit in quite nicely here!” He then turned around and made his way inside. The part that Kona didn’t say was what was written right next to it.
Thanks to our proud donors…
Below that were the symbols for over a dozen famous Gojid industries. But they were all overshadowed by the same flowery symbol cleverly hidden behind them.
Okay… so they clearly have some pull around here… so how have I never heard of them before?
In her studies she’d never even once come across that symbol. Was it some kind of secret banking clan or something? She couldn’t imagine what else it could possibly be.
As they passed through the front doors, they came upon a foyer dominated by a set of desks that ran in circular arcs around the central pillar inside. At each one, a Gojid worker was busily typing away at a terminal. Kona couldn’t fathom what could keep them so busy but had her thoughts dashed away as they all rose from their seats at their approach. They saluted Wellic which the old man returned before sitting back down in their seats and getting back to work.
Is this what being royalty feels like?
She didn’t know if she liked it. Having made their way to the central pillar, she saw two doors of an elevator open up allowing them to step inside. At a press of a button, the elevator descended further down into the earth before coming to a stop about twenty feet down. When the doors opened again, they walked out into what looked like a highly advanced intelligence office. Once again, a dozen personnel stood up from their desks and saluted them. This group was far more relaxed than the previous one however, happily flicking their ears at Wellic’s approach.
Dominating the center of the room was a holographic display of the shelter and surrounding tunnels. The level of detail was amazing and almost made her pause to look at it before being goaded forward by one of the guards. It took a moment, but as they passed by she could see where she and Thraxis had entered the Blades’ Sanctuary before being found by Wellic. She could only hope that Joseph wouldn’t get lost in the meantime.
Passing the display, the guards finally relaxed as they left their side and marched into a changing area. Wellic, in turn, guided them to a gold trimmed door with Wellic’s name printed on it. Wellic opened it for them before waving his paw inside invitingly.
Swishing her tail in thanks, she made her way inside the room first, finding a more personalized office. It stood in contrast to the rest of the building by having a more rustic look. The stone walls had been covered by wall paper to mimic wood and dirt of an old fashioned Gojid dwelling. Portraits of Wellic’s life framed the walls on all sides. Her gaze took in the photos showing his induction to the Blades, his marriage to a beautiful Gojid woman, a picture of him happily feeding their first child, and many more. Her tail wagged happily when she saw a picture of him crossing blades with a much younger looking Thraxis at the sanctuary. Likely one of his first training sessions among the Blades.
At the very back of the room stood a beautiful crystal desk with a viewing screen built directly into its surface for Wellic to do his work. A large, luxurious chair sat behind it with three more, less luxurious ones sitting in front.
“Go on and make yourselves at home.” Wellic said happily, closing the door behind him, “I’ll be right back with some beverages.”
“Oh, Wellic that won’t be necessary.” Thraxis protested.
But the old veteran only shook his head. “I insist. It’s not every day that Valla blesses us in such a substantial way. We must celebrate!”
With that, the old man disappeared through a side door, leaving her and Thraxis alone as the echo of kitchenware bounced off the walls. An awkward silence stretched between them before Thraxis cleared his throat.
“Do uh… do you want to sit down?” he asked awkwardly.
Kona nodded before making her way to one of the chairs in front of Wellic’s desk. Letting out a pleasurable sigh as she took her seat, her tail wagged in delight as she realized that her seat also reclined. The chair was clearly designed with Gojids in mind so the back of it was a little deeper than was comfortable, but that didn’t bother her one bit.
Just having the opportunity to sit down and relax… She had no idea that she would miss such modern conveniences this much.
I don’t plan on camping in dark caves again any time soon.
Thraxis chuckled at her before taking his own seat. “Yeah… it feels good to take a break off our feet.” He groaned in turn as he also leaned back. “Wow… these are the nicest chairs I’ve ever sat in.”
That broke Kona out of her reverie, prompting her to sit back up. “Wait… are you saying you’ve never sat in a recliner before?” she asked incredulously. “Weren’t you like… the High Inquisitor? The leader? I’d figure someone like you would have enjoyed at least a few nice things.”
Thraxis’ eyes opened, looking much sharper than they had previously. She inadvertently shivered under his gaze. “I’m afraid not. A blade’s lifestyle is one of humility… even for me.” he grumbled. “I have a lot of questions to ask.”
Kona swallowed back what she wanted to ask next. Thraxis was hiding it well, but he was clearly under a lot of stress. She wouldn’t add to it with her own concerns.
Before things could get too awkward again, Wellic re-emerged from the side door, Kona caught just a short glance of a basic kitchen and bedroom behind it. It was hardly larger than a closet but Wellic didn’t seem to mind too much. In his paws, Wellic carried three drinking glasses and a large bottle with a Gojid name so stylized that she couldn’t read it. But she assumed it was some sort of fruit drink from the illustration of several kinds of fruit on the front which she recognized from the vineyard they’d passed through.
Making his way to his seat, Wellic set the items on the desk before leaping into his own seat with a groan and pulling himself closer to the desk. He then reached down to his prosthetic leg but stopped a moment before looking back up at her. The look in his eye was only there for a moment, but it sent a chill up her spine. As quickly as it appeared though, it was gone, replaced by a more gentle view. “I’m sorry, forgive my manners. Do you mind if I…” he said, gesturing to the prosthetic.
It took Kona a moment to regain her bearings. “O… Oh! No not at all, go ahead!” she flustered.
“Thank you.” Wellic whispered back. After undoing several straps around his midsection, the prosthetic came free prompting a tired groan from the old man as he set the metal leg to the side and began massaging his calloused stump. The sight of it filled Kona with sympathy. She was reminded once again that both he and Thraxis were not normal Gojids. They were warriors through and through.
“You know,” Thraxis said, a hint of humor in his voice, “considering how much better you seem to be doing… I assumed you would have finally moved on from that hunk of iron.”
Kona sat quietly but was thoroughly confused. A moment ago, Thraxis seemed ready to get into an argument with Wellic. But now he was just…. Joking around? That didn’t make any sense.
Clearly his ruse had worked however as Wellic let out a belting laugh. “What can I say? I’m a creature of habit and well…” he added, his voice growing more somber, popping the bottle open with one of his claws, “I suppose I’ve been more distracted lately.”
“What do you mean?” Thraxis asked, voicing both of their thoughts.
But Wellic only shook his head. “In a moment. For now, let’s drink!” He then turned his gaze happily towards Kona. “My dear, have you ever tried Golsupa?”
When Kona shook her head, Wellic chuckled as he poured her a glass. “Well then, you’re in for a treat! This is actually a bottle of the first harvest this shelter has ever produced.”
Her curiosity now fully piqued, her taill wagged excitedly as she gingerly took the glass with both paws. As she held it, she realized with shock that it was actually made of crystal and not glass like she thought.
Maybe Thraxis has a point… this is way too luxurious!
But that didn’t stop her from taking the first sip… before downing the whole thing ravenously. Letting out a satisfied breath, her eyes practically sparkled as she wagged her ears happily at Wellic. “This is delicious! How have I never heard of this?”
Before Wellic could respond, Thraxis cut in, his voice deep and grim. “Because it’s not something that the common folk typically enjoy,” he growled. “Golsupa is typically something only the elite has access to.” Kona froze at his tone, a shiver running up her spine as she could practically feel the rage boiling out of Thraxis.
“Wellic… my old friend… you have much explaining to do…” he snarled.
The tension between them was so thick that Kona could practically taste it. Before things got too heated however, Wellic sighed as he set the bottle down and leaned forward, clasping his claws together.
"Very well,” he said morosely, “I suppose I owe you that much.” He then turned a sympathetic gaze toward Kona. “Would you mind giving Thraxis and I some privacy? Just have some private Blades' business to discuss.”
The way he said it wasn’t a request, but rather an order. Kona looked over at Thraxis for an explanation and was surprised by Thraxis nodding toward the door. “Trust me… I don’t think you’ll want to see me like this…”
Wellic grumbled at that before pressing a button on his desk. “Sergeant, could you please send someone to escort our new Venlil friend to her quarters? I think I’ll be busy for the next hour or two.”
Once again, Kona was caught by surprise. “My… quarters sir?” she asked. She had been expecting to have to share with somebody else.
“Yes,” Wellic said morosely, “not everyone who was supposed to be here made it. We’ve got several hundred more beds waiting to be filled. I’m sure there will be many there waiting to talk with you.” He then opened a drawer in front of him before pulling out a small touchscreen device with a wrist strap before offering it to her.
“A citizen ID,” he explained. “It acts as your identification, credit storage, and house keys. Hard to do anything in here without one, but you’re now part of our community.” He then offered a happy expression to her. “Welcome to Shelter Zero.” As soon as he said that, the office door opened and a lone Gojid officer, unarmored this time, made his way inside and gave her a deadpan look.
“Is this the one?” she asked, pointing at her.
“Yes,” Wellic replied, “take her to house B. She’s had a rough couple months among predators so she needs some tender loving care.”
Only now was Kona able to pick up on the condescending tone with which Wellic addressed her. She also realized that it was how he had been talking about her since they first met.
It made her uncomfortable and she now wanted to leave as soon as possible. Before she left though, she placed a comforting paw on Thraxis’ shoulder. Her physical contact made his muscles twitch, but he relaxed a bit as he looked at her.
“Are you… going to be alright?” she asked.
“Don’t worry about me.” he replied, gently placing his own paw over hers. “I’ll see you again soon.”
Kona wanted to say more, but couldn’t find the words. So she simply nodded before allowing the female officer to escort her out of the office. As she stepped into the elevator, she gave the office one last look before the doors closed.
Please be alright… at least until you come back to me…
…..
The trip from the penitentiary to her quarters was a surprisingly short one. After about a fifteen minute walk, they made their way back out of the business campus and into the normal business sectors.
On the way, Kona managed to break through the officer’s facade and learn a bit more about her. Her name was Telas and she’d apparently been working in this shelter for almost four years already.
“After the Arxur’s first attack,” she explained, “I guess the government didn’t want to take any more chances. So they found anybody with minimal connections and brought them here to go to work building this place. It was mostly just construction for the first three years. My job was pretty boring back then.” she said humorously.
Officer Telas turned out to be far more friendly than expected once she began to open up. She even offered to show Kona around the city the next day to help her gain her bearings and find something to do.
“This shelter is a team effort.” Telas said, “Nobody gets to freeload around here so we’ll need to find out where we can best use you.”
“Don’t worry,” Kona replied, wagging her tail excitedly, “I don’t intend on taking advantage of you people. The fact you let me in at all is a debt I couldn’t live with not paying back.”
For the first time, Officer Telas swung her own tail happily back at her. “Good to hear it! I think you’ll fit in just fine around here. And you did manage to fight off some predators I heard.” she added, a look of respect crossing her features. “We could use a few more numbers in the security detail. Maybe we could be coworkers… ah, here’s your home now!”
Apparently the living quarters were simply smashed in between all the smaller businesses because, when they did find it, Kona found that it was simply stuck between a large restaurant and a fancy cooking store. Why they would even have such things in a place like this was beyond her, but she was just too emotionally exhausted to care at that point.
Housing unit B was a large but simple structure similar to interstellar hotels she’d visited back on Venlil Prime. The lobby was sparse, but comfortable. A few sets of furniture were placed against the walls, several portraits of the surface hanging above them, and a large marble desk acted as the workplace for the unit’s attendant.
Her escort explained the situation to the attendant and, after a quick calibration of her ID, she was brought to her living quarters on the third floor.
“This is where you’ll be staying Kona,” Telas said with a friendly swish of her tail, “if you have any concerns, don’t hesitate to contact us with your ID. We only wish for everyone to be as comfortable as possible during this transitionary period.”
Kona tilted her head at that. “Transitionary? Is there something I should know?” she asked.
The officer tilted her head in kind. “Did Wellic not tell you?” After a shake of her head, Telas sighed, “Figures, you were in that office the whole time. Word travels fast here. Now that we know the Dominion is back, we’ll all be staying down here… for the rest of our lives.”
Kona’s eyes widened in shock. “You aren’t even going to try to get help? Maybe fight back? You Gojids have pushed back the Dominion before.”
But the officer only shook her head. “Maybe if we had stopped them in orbit, that may have been possible.” Her face then hardened with hatred. “But thanks to those damned humans… our military infrastructure is shattered. And then, thanks to you, we now know they have made landfall. We’ve already lost contact with several shelters across the planet. We can only assume they’ve either been conquered… or destroyed… probably both.” She then took Kona’s paws gently into her own. “You’ve been stronger than most to get this far, but I’m sorry… nobody is coming for us. Not anymore. But I promise we’re safe here.”
Kona’s eyes began to water as the reality of their situation hit her again. “How… How can you be so sure? What makes you think they won’t find us down here? You said they’ve found others…”
The officer brushed her tail against hers comfortingly. “I don’t know the specifics, but I was told we have a way to stay hidden from them. The administrator hasn’t failed us once. You can count on him.”
“The administrator…” Kona asked curiously, “who’s that?”
Instead of answering, to Kona’s surprise, the officer went rigid as a look of horror crossed her face before immediately removing her paw and looking away. “I’ve said too much…” she whispered, before looking back at her, the deadpan back on her face. “Enjoy your stay Kona, we look forward to working with you.”
And with that, the officer frantically walked away, leaving Kona unnerved to say the least.
After that frightful moment, it took nearly a full minute for Kona to regain her bearings and enter her room. The door had a simple scan lock which she pressed her ID. After several moments, the screen went from blue to green before the door slid open allowing her to walk inside.
To her utter shock, she had her own room. Considering the circumstances, she assumed she’d have at least a few roommates. But that didn’t seem to be the case. Furthermore, the floor was carpeted, she now had the largest bed she’d ever seen, her closet was larger than her living quarters back on Venlil Prime, and she even had her own washroom!
Usually she’d be ecstatic. She had her own room! She hadn’t had that in her entire life, even having to share an apartment with several other teachers before she met Joseph. But something wasn’t adding up.
This place was supposed to be a bomb shelter right? So then why all of these conveniences? Living here she’d live the most comfortable life she ever had, even more than when she’d been free on Venlil Prime. And as much as this filled her with excitement, her instincts were also screaming at her that something was very wrong.
Unable to process it all, she crawled onto the bed and curled up against the overly soft pillows and shut her eyes, tears beginning to fall once again.
I hope Thraxis comes back soon…
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Author's Note: Hello again everyone! As you may have noticed, despite the length of this chapter, this is in fact only part 1 of this chapter. We'll be going over the inevitable argument between Thraxis and Wellic in the next part but I very quickly realized that there was NO WAY IN HELL I was going to be able to do the whole thing in one post. XD
So I decided to, once again, split this chapter up into two parts. Not quite finished with part 2 yet but I will be posting it hopefully soon. However, as always, my IRL life continues to be unpredictable and insane and it looks like this coming week will be even crazier than usual due to TAX SEASON! (yay...)
So I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed this part and I will definitely see you all next Sunday. Take care!
submitted by TheFrostborn to HFY [link] [comments]
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Memory Transcription Subject: Kona, Venlil Space Corps
Date: [standardized human time]: September 28, 2136, five minutes after previous transcription
She couldn't help but gawk at her surroundings. Walking through the underground Gojid city was a fascinating experience to say the least. The way that each building seamlessly rose out of the rock like a stalagmite, the only unnatural features being the glass windows set into their carved openings, was like something out of a surreal dream.
Despite being smaller than most modern cities, she was impressed at how she found practically everything that could be expected from a modern federation city. A hospital, schools for children of all ages, several recreation buildings, a water treatment plant, and many others that she saw on their short walk. They even passed a public park with large, multicolored crystals as decorations instead of trees or other plant life.
There were certainly differences too however. Instead of a farmer’s market or grocery store, there was a single, large building labeled “rations.” Instead of an exterminator office or police station, there were only small military barracks that were carved directly into the stone walls that surrounded the city.
The thing that surprised Kona the most however wasn’t any of these details, even considering that they were far underground. The thing that surprised her most was a feeling she’d not had for a long time.
She was completely at peace.
She had been trying to figure out exactly what it was that made her feel this way. She hadn’t gone hungry, she wasn’t thirsty, Joseph and his soldiers had provided everything she’d needed. Well… everything short of a bath.
Perhaps it was this new place. Such a large facility… so much protection… surely they were safe now from the Arxur.
Well… not all of us…
A pang of guilt filled her heart. She couldn't begin to imagine what Joseph was feeling right now. Knowing him, he’d likely begun to wiggle his way back out of his sleeping bag, making preparations to come looking for them. She’d have to find a way to make it up to him when the time came. It’s not like she meant to leave him behind like that… everything was just happening so fast…
Perhaps it was it her new friends that made her feel this way? Her tail curled in frustration at the thought. No… she’d never been a “social butterfly,” as Joseph would say, so she’d never had that many friends… but she’d still been at peace before… before…
Before the humans came…
She inwardly gasped at herself when she came to that realization. She’d thought she conquered that anxiety long ago. And yet… now that she was separated from Joseph… she was finally at peace again.
Shuddering with guilt, she subconsciously gripped her leg fur, before pressing closer to Thraxis, her… boyfriend?… lover? She still wasn't quite sure what he was to her now. There was clearly… something there, but she couldn't quantify it.
And besides, he was clearly dealing with some harsh emotions himself. She knew it had something to do with the flowery symbol they saw on their way in. Something that had enough significance to make the usually amiable man become quiet and somber.
Despite all this however, as she pressed herself against him, Thraxis draped his arm comfortingly around her shoulders in a warm embrace. It made her feel safe… secure… at peace…
It warmed her heart that, deep down, Thraxis clearly saw her as a source of comfort as well.
Finally coming to an understanding, she all but purred at him as they continued to make their way towards the Gojid official’s office. They had finally left what could be considered a common area and entered what appeared to be a business campus.
The difference between these people and the farmers was like night and day. Whereas the farmers had enthusiastically taken them in, these people seemed… almost fearful at their approach.
A part of her understood why. Now in the light of "day," the Gojid soldiers were surprisingly intimidating. They wore full body ballistic armor suits colored in a patchwork of grays to camouflage with the cave walls. And yet there was still space for their sharp spines to poke out through the back, making for a frightening appearance whenever they flared.
Furthermore, these soldiers carried far more advanced weaponry than their surface counterparts. While the soldiers above ground had used a standard combat rifle, these soldiers appeared to be wielding some kind of energy weapons. She’d heard rumors from some of Joseph’s men that they existed, but had never seen any in person. All things considered, Wellic’s soldiers made for a very intimidating procession.
And yet… something about the situation just didn’t sit right with her. These soldiers were the city’s protectors. Perhaps different from the Blades in strict purpose, but shouldn’t be any different from the other soldiers she had come across. The Gojid citizens above ground didn’t hesitate to run behind the soldiers at the human military’s approach. The faithful also didn’t hesitate to run to the temple for sanctuary. And this was despite the dangers of intruding upon holy ground. The citizens trusted the soldiers and Blades to protect them.
And yet this city’s denizens had avoided these soldiers like a plague. Conversations stopped as they entered the square. Politicians, standing out with their green sashes, ceased their conversations to stare warily at them as they passed by. Merchants, whose voices had previously been shouting loud enough to echo against the distant ceiling, fell silent as they hid behind their stalls or froze in place. She even caught sight of a Gojid mother pulling their child inside as they passed by.
What is wrong with these people?
She didn’t have time to ponder this however as they finally approached their destination. It was a large and well decorated building carved directly into the central pillar that held up the arching roof above them. The outside reminded her of the temple of Valla. The difference however was specifically what was carved there. Whereas the temple had been decorated by farmers and craftsmen, this building was covered by politicians, merchants, philosophers, and military men.
As they approached the front gate, a pair of guards stood at attention before opening it at Wellic’s salute. Just next to the gate, printed only in the Gojid language was the name of the building.
“Shelter Zero… Penitentiary?” she read out loud.
Wellic paused for a moment to turn around and swish his tail happily. “Oh… you can read our language?”
Kona flicked her ears affirmatively. “A little. I’m not perfect but I did study your culture when I was learning to become a teacher.”
Wellic nodded along before practically beaming at her. “That’s wonderful! With time you’ll fit in quite nicely here!” He then turned around and made his way inside. The part that Kona didn’t say was what was written right next to it.
Thanks to our proud donors…
Below that were the symbols for over a dozen famous Gojid industries. But they were all overshadowed by the same flowery symbol cleverly hidden behind them.
Okay… so they clearly have some pull around here… so how have I never heard of them before?
In her studies she’d never even once come across that symbol. Was it some kind of secret banking clan or something? She couldn’t imagine what else it could possibly be.
As they passed through the front doors, they came upon a foyer dominated by a set of desks that ran in circular arcs around the central pillar inside. At each one, a Gojid worker was busily typing away at a terminal. Kona couldn’t fathom what could keep them so busy but had her thoughts dashed away as they all rose from their seats at their approach. They saluted Wellic which the old man returned before sitting back down in their seats and getting back to work.
Is this what being royalty feels like?
She didn’t know if she liked it. Having made their way to the central pillar, she saw two doors of an elevator open up allowing them to step inside. At a press of a button, the elevator descended further down into the earth before coming to a stop about twenty feet down. When the doors opened again, they walked out into what looked like a highly advanced intelligence office. Once again, a dozen personnel stood up from their desks and saluted them. This group was far more relaxed than the previous one however, happily flicking their ears at Wellic’s approach.
Dominating the center of the room was a holographic display of the shelter and surrounding tunnels. The level of detail was amazing and almost made her pause to look at it before being goaded forward by one of the guards. It took a moment, but as they passed by she could see where she and Thraxis had entered the Blades’ Sanctuary before being found by Wellic. She could only hope that Joseph wouldn’t get lost in the meantime.
Passing the display, the guards finally relaxed as they left their side and marched into a changing area. Wellic, in turn, guided them to a gold trimmed door with Wellic’s name printed on it. Wellic opened it for them before waving his paw inside invitingly.
Swishing her tail in thanks, she made her way inside the room first, finding a more personalized office. It stood in contrast to the rest of the building by having a more rustic look. The stone walls had been covered by wall paper to mimic wood and dirt of an old fashioned Gojid dwelling. Portraits of Wellic’s life framed the walls on all sides. Her gaze took in the photos showing his induction to the Blades, his marriage to a beautiful Gojid woman, a picture of him happily feeding their first child, and many more. Her tail wagged happily when she saw a picture of him crossing blades with a much younger looking Thraxis at the sanctuary. Likely one of his first training sessions among the Blades.
At the very back of the room stood a beautiful crystal desk with a viewing screen built directly into its surface for Wellic to do his work. A large, luxurious chair sat behind it with three more, less luxurious ones sitting in front.
“Go on and make yourselves at home.” Wellic said happily, closing the door behind him, “I’ll be right back with some beverages.”
“Oh, Wellic that won’t be necessary.” Thraxis protested.
But the old veteran only shook his head. “I insist. It’s not every day that Valla blesses us in such a substantial way. We must celebrate!”
With that, the old man disappeared through a side door, leaving her and Thraxis alone as the echo of kitchenware bounced off the walls. An awkward silence stretched between them before Thraxis cleared his throat.
“Do uh… do you want to sit down?” he asked awkwardly.
Kona nodded before making her way to one of the chairs in front of Wellic’s desk. Letting out a pleasurable sigh as she took her seat, her tail wagged in delight as she realized that her seat also reclined. The chair was clearly designed with Gojids in mind so the back of it was a little deeper than was comfortable, but that didn’t bother her one bit.
Just having the opportunity to sit down and relax… She had no idea that she would miss such modern conveniences this much.
I don’t plan on camping in dark caves again any time soon.
Thraxis chuckled at her before taking his own seat. “Yeah… it feels good to take a break off our feet.” He groaned in turn as he also leaned back. “Wow… these are the nicest chairs I’ve ever sat in.”
That broke Kona out of her reverie, prompting her to sit back up. “Wait… are you saying you’ve never sat in a recliner before?” she asked incredulously. “Weren’t you like… the High Inquisitor? The leader? I’d figure someone like you would have enjoyed at least a few nice things.”
Thraxis’ eyes opened, looking much sharper than they had previously. She inadvertently shivered under his gaze. “I’m afraid not. A blade’s lifestyle is one of humility… even for me.” he grumbled. “I have a lot of questions to ask.”
Kona swallowed back what she wanted to ask next. Thraxis was hiding it well, but he was clearly under a lot of stress. She wouldn’t add to it with her own concerns.
Before things could get too awkward again, Wellic re-emerged from the side door, Kona caught just a short glance of a basic kitchen and bedroom behind it. It was hardly larger than a closet but Wellic didn’t seem to mind too much. In his paws, Wellic carried three drinking glasses and a large bottle with a Gojid name so stylized that she couldn’t read it. But she assumed it was some sort of fruit drink from the illustration of several kinds of fruit on the front which she recognized from the vineyard they’d passed through.
Making his way to his seat, Wellic set the items on the desk before leaping into his own seat with a groan and pulling himself closer to the desk. He then reached down to his prosthetic leg but stopped a moment before looking back up at her. The look in his eye was only there for a moment, but it sent a chill up her spine. As quickly as it appeared though, it was gone, replaced by a more gentle view. “I’m sorry, forgive my manners. Do you mind if I…” he said, gesturing to the prosthetic.
It took Kona a moment to regain her bearings. “O… Oh! No not at all, go ahead!” she flustered.
“Thank you.” Wellic whispered back. After undoing several straps around his midsection, the prosthetic came free prompting a tired groan from the old man as he set the metal leg to the side and began massaging his calloused stump. The sight of it filled Kona with sympathy. She was reminded once again that both he and Thraxis were not normal Gojids. They were warriors through and through.
“You know,” Thraxis said, a hint of humor in his voice, “considering how much better you seem to be doing… I assumed you would have finally moved on from that hunk of iron.”
Kona sat quietly but was thoroughly confused. A moment ago, Thraxis seemed ready to get into an argument with Wellic. But now he was just…. Joking around? That didn’t make any sense.
Clearly his ruse had worked however as Wellic let out a belting laugh. “What can I say? I’m a creature of habit and well…” he added, his voice growing more somber, popping the bottle open with one of his claws, “I suppose I’ve been more distracted lately.”
“What do you mean?” Thraxis asked, voicing both of their thoughts.
But Wellic only shook his head. “In a moment. For now, let’s drink!” He then turned his gaze happily towards Kona. “My dear, have you ever tried Golsupa?”
When Kona shook her head, Wellic chuckled as he poured her a glass. “Well then, you’re in for a treat! This is actually a bottle of the first harvest this shelter has ever produced.”
Her curiosity now fully piqued, her taill wagged excitedly as she gingerly took the glass with both paws. As she held it, she realized with shock that it was actually made of crystal and not glass like she thought.
Maybe Thraxis has a point… this is way too luxurious!
But that didn’t stop her from taking the first sip… before downing the whole thing ravenously. Letting out a satisfied breath, her eyes practically sparkled as she wagged her ears happily at Wellic. “This is delicious! How have I never heard of this?”
Before Wellic could respond, Thraxis cut in, his voice deep and grim. “Because it’s not something that the common folk typically enjoy,” he growled. “Golsupa is typically something only the elite has access to.” Kona froze at his tone, a shiver running up her spine as she could practically feel the rage boiling out of Thraxis.
“Wellic… my old friend… you have much explaining to do…” he snarled.
The tension between them was so thick that Kona could practically taste it. Before things got too heated however, Wellic sighed as he set the bottle down and leaned forward, clasping his claws together.
"Very well,” he said morosely, “I suppose I owe you that much.” He then turned a sympathetic gaze toward Kona. “Would you mind giving Thraxis and I some privacy? Just have some private Blades' business to discuss.”
The way he said it wasn’t a request, but rather an order. Kona looked over at Thraxis for an explanation and was surprised by Thraxis nodding toward the door. “Trust me… I don’t think you’ll want to see me like this…”
Wellic grumbled at that before pressing a button on his desk. “Sergeant, could you please send someone to escort our new Venlil friend to her quarters? I think I’ll be busy for the next hour or two.”
Once again, Kona was caught by surprise. “My… quarters sir?” she asked. She had been expecting to have to share with somebody else.
“Yes,” Wellic said morosely, “not everyone who was supposed to be here made it. We’ve got several hundred more beds waiting to be filled. I’m sure there will be many there waiting to talk with you.” He then opened a drawer in front of him before pulling out a small touchscreen device with a wrist strap before offering it to her.
“A citizen ID,” he explained. “It acts as your identification, credit storage, and house keys. Hard to do anything in here without one, but you’re now part of our community.” He then offered a happy expression to her. “Welcome to Shelter Zero.” As soon as he said that, the office door opened and a lone Gojid officer, unarmored this time, made his way inside and gave her a deadpan look.
“Is this the one?” she asked, pointing at her.
“Yes,” Wellic replied, “take her to house B. She’s had a rough couple months among predators so she needs some tender loving care.”
Only now was Kona able to pick up on the condescending tone with which Wellic addressed her. She also realized that it was how he had been talking about her since they first met.
It made her uncomfortable and she now wanted to leave as soon as possible. Before she left though, she placed a comforting paw on Thraxis’ shoulder. Her physical contact made his muscles twitch, but he relaxed a bit as he looked at her.
“Are you… going to be alright?” she asked.
“Don’t worry about me.” he replied, gently placing his own paw over hers. “I’ll see you again soon.”
Kona wanted to say more, but couldn’t find the words. So she simply nodded before allowing the female officer to escort her out of the office. As she stepped into the elevator, she gave the office one last look before the doors closed.
Please be alright… at least until you come back to me…
…..
The trip from the penitentiary to her quarters was a surprisingly short one. After about a fifteen minute walk, they made their way back out of the business campus and into the normal business sectors.
On the way, Kona managed to break through the officer’s facade and learn a bit more about her. Her name was Telas and she’d apparently been working in this shelter for almost four years already.
“After the Arxur’s first attack,” she explained, “I guess the government didn’t want to take any more chances. So they found anybody with minimal connections and brought them here to go to work building this place. It was mostly just construction for the first three years. My job was pretty boring back then.” she said humorously.
Officer Telas turned out to be far more friendly than expected once she began to open up. She even offered to show Kona around the city the next day to help her gain her bearings and find something to do.
“This shelter is a team effort.” Telas said, “Nobody gets to freeload around here so we’ll need to find out where we can best use you.”
“Don’t worry,” Kona replied, wagging her tail excitedly, “I don’t intend on taking advantage of you people. The fact you let me in at all is a debt I couldn’t live with not paying back.”
For the first time, Officer Telas swung her own tail happily back at her. “Good to hear it! I think you’ll fit in just fine around here. And you did manage to fight off some predators I heard.” she added, a look of respect crossing her features. “We could use a few more numbers in the security detail. Maybe we could be coworkers… ah, here’s your home now!”
Apparently the living quarters were simply smashed in between all the smaller businesses because, when they did find it, Kona found that it was simply stuck between a large restaurant and a fancy cooking store. Why they would even have such things in a place like this was beyond her, but she was just too emotionally exhausted to care at that point.
Housing unit B was a large but simple structure similar to interstellar hotels she’d visited back on Venlil Prime. The lobby was sparse, but comfortable. A few sets of furniture were placed against the walls, several portraits of the surface hanging above them, and a large marble desk acted as the workplace for the unit’s attendant.
Her escort explained the situation to the attendant and, after a quick calibration of her ID, she was brought to her living quarters on the third floor.
“This is where you’ll be staying Kona,” Telas said with a friendly swish of her tail, “if you have any concerns, don’t hesitate to contact us with your ID. We only wish for everyone to be as comfortable as possible during this transitionary period.”
Kona tilted her head at that. “Transitionary? Is there something I should know?” she asked.
The officer tilted her head in kind. “Did Wellic not tell you?” After a shake of her head, Telas sighed, “Figures, you were in that office the whole time. Word travels fast here. Now that we know the Dominion is back, we’ll all be staying down here… for the rest of our lives.”
Kona’s eyes widened in shock. “You aren’t even going to try to get help? Maybe fight back? You Gojids have pushed back the Dominion before.”
But the officer only shook her head. “Maybe if we had stopped them in orbit, that may have been possible.” Her face then hardened with hatred. “But thanks to those damned humans… our military infrastructure is shattered. And then, thanks to you, we now know they have made landfall. We’ve already lost contact with several shelters across the planet. We can only assume they’ve either been conquered… or destroyed… probably both.” She then took Kona’s paws gently into her own. “You’ve been stronger than most to get this far, but I’m sorry… nobody is coming for us. Not anymore. But I promise we’re safe here.”
Kona’s eyes began to water as the reality of their situation hit her again. “How… How can you be so sure? What makes you think they won’t find us down here? You said they’ve found others…”
The officer brushed her tail against hers comfortingly. “I don’t know the specifics, but I was told we have a way to stay hidden from them. The administrator hasn’t failed us once. You can count on him.”
“The administrator…” Kona asked curiously, “who’s that?”
Instead of answering, to Kona’s surprise, the officer went rigid as a look of horror crossed her face before immediately removing her paw and looking away. “I’ve said too much…” she whispered, before looking back at her, the deadpan back on her face. “Enjoy your stay Kona, we look forward to working with you.”
And with that, the officer frantically walked away, leaving Kona unnerved to say the least.
After that frightful moment, it took nearly a full minute for Kona to regain her bearings and enter her room. The door had a simple scan lock which she pressed her ID. After several moments, the screen went from blue to green before the door slid open allowing her to walk inside.
To her utter shock, she had her own room. Considering the circumstances, she assumed she’d have at least a few roommates. But that didn’t seem to be the case. Furthermore, the floor was carpeted, she now had the largest bed she’d ever seen, her closet was larger than her living quarters back on Venlil Prime, and she even had her own washroom!
Usually she’d be ecstatic. She had her own room! She hadn’t had that in her entire life, even having to share an apartment with several other teachers before she met Joseph. But something wasn’t adding up.
This place was supposed to be a bomb shelter right? So then why all of these conveniences? Living here she’d live the most comfortable life she ever had, even more than when she’d been free on Venlil Prime. And as much as this filled her with excitement, her instincts were also screaming at her that something was very wrong.
Unable to process it all, she crawled onto the bed and curled up against the overly soft pillows and shut her eyes, tears beginning to fall once again.
I hope Thraxis comes back soon…
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Author's Note: Hello again everyone! As you may have noticed, despite the length of this chapter, this is in fact only part 1 of this chapter. We'll be going over the inevitable argument between Thraxis and Wellic in the next part but I very quickly realized that there was NO WAY IN HELL I was going to be able to do the whole thing in one post. XD
So I decided to, once again, split this chapter up into two parts. Not quite finished with part 2 yet but I will be posting it hopefully soon. However, as always, my IRL life continues to be unpredictable and insane and it looks like this coming week will be even crazier than usual due to TAX SEASON! (yay...)
So I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed this part and I will definitely see you all next Sunday. Take care!
2023.03.27 06:38 montagemachine starting to feel i don't have the right personality for working.
apologies if this is the wrong subreddit. to preface, i'm 25 years old. i have depression, anxiety, and ADHD, and i'm unmedicated for all of them. i am single, have no children, live with my parents and for the most part don't pay any bills.
i graduated college in december 2019. three months later the pandemic hit, and like everyone else i was struggling to find a job. by some miracle, a temp agency recruited me and i started my very first job in late april 2020, working as an administration officer in a courthouse. five weeks later, i would get fired. my co-worker found my twitter account that i specifically told him i didn't want him following and showed it to our boss, who didn't like some of my posts (tweeting about some of my co-workers being covid deniers, etc.). since i was only from a temp agency, i was just called not to come in the following week and that was that. i was 22.
my second job was at a call center. i started in late august 2020. our company was a contractor for the federal government, and our customers were unemployed and/or impoverished people on benefits. needless to say, there were a lot of rude and abusive customers, which were understandable since they were calling to inquire about their only source of income. my wages were just above minimum wage which didn't really motivate me to come to work, knowing i would only be abused by customers. on top of that, my direct supervisor loved to micromanage me and had a reputation of being the worst and most disliked supervisor out of the entire building. i was willing to tough it out for the rest of my contract (which was a year) because, other than the abuse, answering phone calls was relatively easy. but when i asked for one day of PTO and got "waitlisted", that was the last straw. i resigned in february 2021 and lasted 5 and a half months. i was 23.
by that point i had gone through two jobs in the span of 10 months. it wasn't looking great for me. i decided to enroll in a one-year course that would make me qualified to be a library technician. i started school in july 2021. while i was studying, i was on unemployment benefits which meant i had to apply for jobs on the side. i didn't have any luck. i got a total of 5 job interviews for library roles in all of 2022 and didn't get a single one. i probably sent out a couple hundred applications.
in march 2022, i had to do a 2-week internship working at a library as a requirement for my course. it was mostly shelving and checking people's vaccine certificates and not much else. while i thought it was fine at first, on my last day of the internship, i was told by a staff member that i was being mistreated by management all along. that i wasn't supposed to do that much shelving in one day, that i was supposed to have been taught more about how the library was run, and that some of the feedback i got was unfair e.g. not being smiley or friendly enough, when all i was there to do was my job that i wasn't even being paid for and even though customers didn't complain about me. while they gave my school positive feedback about me, management was talking about me behind my back all along saying they would never hire me or let me volunteer because i wasn't "trying to impress them enough". i was 24.
in november 2022, i applied to be a full-time "trainee" court clerk at a courthouse. i thought i might as well give going back to the legal industry a shot since they were hiring and i couldn't get a job at a library no matter how many applications i sent. the following december, they told me i was hired and that i was going to start in mid-january 2023.
so i started. i went through 4 weeks of induction where all we did was training via ms teams meetings and court observation. i lasted 10 weeks (6 weeks out of induction) before i finally called it.
two months in and i was already so burned out. the workload was insane, the expectations too high for someone who was still new, and my co-workers looked at me with contempt and treated me like i was a burden. the probation meeting i had on my last day was the final straw - my managers invalidated my experiences and basically told me i had to change my personality because my co-workers thought i was abrupt, unfriendly and defensive. i couldn't believe at first that half of their feedback was just about my personality and not my work. but i finally realize that when you are new and on probation, people expect you to, quite frankly, change your personality - be sickly sweet and people-pleasing and a bit of a kiss-ass. i don't remember being abrupt to any of my co-workers, but i thought that as long as i wasn't outright rude and that i was doing my job that i was fine. but i really underestimated how big of a part "likability" plays into being perceived that you're doing a good job by others. honestly i thought it was kind of unfair that they didn't even consider that the reason why i might have been abrupt was because i was already so stressed about being in court to smile or be friendly.
in the end they told me that they were willing to "keep giving me support" and that they would put me in easier courts but i had to call it. i really didn't see myself meeting their expectations or having a good enough work-life balance with this job or being respected by my co-workers (maybe race plays a part in it? who knows). it didn't help that i had to commute home 2 hours every afternoon since i don't drive and i would get home too exhausted to do much of anything.
right now i'm on my first day of indefinite well-being leave. my mom and i spoke to my union and they advised me that instead of outright resigning, i should "apply" for leave, go to doctors' appointments and/or therapy for the stress (and to prove that i needed the well-being leave), get paid worker's comp in the meantime, file a complaint, and then resign.
i was disappointed with myself upon realizing that maybe this job isn't for me and vice versa. i felt like i failed again. i'm lucky to be in a position where my parents are letting me live for free while i'm unemployed (although when i was still employed, we had an agreement where i would give my dad roughly 25% of my wages) but sometimes it makes me feel even more guilty.
i'm starting to think that i'm the problem. that going to work on time and doing the actual job isn't enough; that managers and colleagues expect you to participate in office culture and alter your personality especially when you are new. but it seems that i'm just unable to do this. when i'm in a new environment i am too focused on doing my actual job correctly to have time to chitchat and kiss ass. i guess i'm just stuck in the mentality where managers should treat me like everyone else even when i'm new and my personality shouldn't be under scrutiny so i just act like myself.
technically i can still go back to my courthouse job. i haven't resigned and they haven't fired me. but thinking about the sheer amount of workload, how far it is from my house, and how my co-workers either treat me like shit or i'm invisible, it just doesn't seem like it's worth it.
submitted by montagemachine to antiwork [link] [comments]
i graduated college in december 2019. three months later the pandemic hit, and like everyone else i was struggling to find a job. by some miracle, a temp agency recruited me and i started my very first job in late april 2020, working as an administration officer in a courthouse. five weeks later, i would get fired. my co-worker found my twitter account that i specifically told him i didn't want him following and showed it to our boss, who didn't like some of my posts (tweeting about some of my co-workers being covid deniers, etc.). since i was only from a temp agency, i was just called not to come in the following week and that was that. i was 22.
my second job was at a call center. i started in late august 2020. our company was a contractor for the federal government, and our customers were unemployed and/or impoverished people on benefits. needless to say, there were a lot of rude and abusive customers, which were understandable since they were calling to inquire about their only source of income. my wages were just above minimum wage which didn't really motivate me to come to work, knowing i would only be abused by customers. on top of that, my direct supervisor loved to micromanage me and had a reputation of being the worst and most disliked supervisor out of the entire building. i was willing to tough it out for the rest of my contract (which was a year) because, other than the abuse, answering phone calls was relatively easy. but when i asked for one day of PTO and got "waitlisted", that was the last straw. i resigned in february 2021 and lasted 5 and a half months. i was 23.
by that point i had gone through two jobs in the span of 10 months. it wasn't looking great for me. i decided to enroll in a one-year course that would make me qualified to be a library technician. i started school in july 2021. while i was studying, i was on unemployment benefits which meant i had to apply for jobs on the side. i didn't have any luck. i got a total of 5 job interviews for library roles in all of 2022 and didn't get a single one. i probably sent out a couple hundred applications.
in march 2022, i had to do a 2-week internship working at a library as a requirement for my course. it was mostly shelving and checking people's vaccine certificates and not much else. while i thought it was fine at first, on my last day of the internship, i was told by a staff member that i was being mistreated by management all along. that i wasn't supposed to do that much shelving in one day, that i was supposed to have been taught more about how the library was run, and that some of the feedback i got was unfair e.g. not being smiley or friendly enough, when all i was there to do was my job that i wasn't even being paid for and even though customers didn't complain about me. while they gave my school positive feedback about me, management was talking about me behind my back all along saying they would never hire me or let me volunteer because i wasn't "trying to impress them enough". i was 24.
in november 2022, i applied to be a full-time "trainee" court clerk at a courthouse. i thought i might as well give going back to the legal industry a shot since they were hiring and i couldn't get a job at a library no matter how many applications i sent. the following december, they told me i was hired and that i was going to start in mid-january 2023.
so i started. i went through 4 weeks of induction where all we did was training via ms teams meetings and court observation. i lasted 10 weeks (6 weeks out of induction) before i finally called it.
two months in and i was already so burned out. the workload was insane, the expectations too high for someone who was still new, and my co-workers looked at me with contempt and treated me like i was a burden. the probation meeting i had on my last day was the final straw - my managers invalidated my experiences and basically told me i had to change my personality because my co-workers thought i was abrupt, unfriendly and defensive. i couldn't believe at first that half of their feedback was just about my personality and not my work. but i finally realize that when you are new and on probation, people expect you to, quite frankly, change your personality - be sickly sweet and people-pleasing and a bit of a kiss-ass. i don't remember being abrupt to any of my co-workers, but i thought that as long as i wasn't outright rude and that i was doing my job that i was fine. but i really underestimated how big of a part "likability" plays into being perceived that you're doing a good job by others. honestly i thought it was kind of unfair that they didn't even consider that the reason why i might have been abrupt was because i was already so stressed about being in court to smile or be friendly.
in the end they told me that they were willing to "keep giving me support" and that they would put me in easier courts but i had to call it. i really didn't see myself meeting their expectations or having a good enough work-life balance with this job or being respected by my co-workers (maybe race plays a part in it? who knows). it didn't help that i had to commute home 2 hours every afternoon since i don't drive and i would get home too exhausted to do much of anything.
right now i'm on my first day of indefinite well-being leave. my mom and i spoke to my union and they advised me that instead of outright resigning, i should "apply" for leave, go to doctors' appointments and/or therapy for the stress (and to prove that i needed the well-being leave), get paid worker's comp in the meantime, file a complaint, and then resign.
i was disappointed with myself upon realizing that maybe this job isn't for me and vice versa. i felt like i failed again. i'm lucky to be in a position where my parents are letting me live for free while i'm unemployed (although when i was still employed, we had an agreement where i would give my dad roughly 25% of my wages) but sometimes it makes me feel even more guilty.
i'm starting to think that i'm the problem. that going to work on time and doing the actual job isn't enough; that managers and colleagues expect you to participate in office culture and alter your personality especially when you are new. but it seems that i'm just unable to do this. when i'm in a new environment i am too focused on doing my actual job correctly to have time to chitchat and kiss ass. i guess i'm just stuck in the mentality where managers should treat me like everyone else even when i'm new and my personality shouldn't be under scrutiny so i just act like myself.
technically i can still go back to my courthouse job. i haven't resigned and they haven't fired me. but thinking about the sheer amount of workload, how far it is from my house, and how my co-workers either treat me like shit or i'm invisible, it just doesn't seem like it's worth it.
2023.03.27 06:28 rrmdp 📢 NIH Federal Credit Union is hiring a Loan Clerk!
submitted by rrmdp to jobboardsearch [link] [comments]2023.03.27 05:57 GlennDanzigIs5foot3 What if any excuses do people in your lives use when the vax is brought up?
 | submitted by GlennDanzigIs5foot3 to Spudmode [link] [comments] |
2023.03.27 05:00 slayaboy87 Bank of America - someone has opened an account using my information 3 times this week
Bank of America - checking account opened in my name 3 times this week!
What do I do?
Monday I recieved emails saying my application was approved etc, I went into a branch and showed my id and ss card and closed it.
I then froze my credit on TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian then put a freeze in Chex which said it would take 24-48 hours.
Then last night, Saturday night, I got another series of emails saying my application for BoA was approved etc. Called and got it shut down.
THEN this morning at 11 am, ANOTHER set of BoA emails came and currently on the line closing it.
I will be calling Chex to see what is going on, But what else can I do???
Is this a personal attack? Someone I know or someone of someone I know? Should I be asking people in my circles????
submitted by slayaboy87 to IdentityTheft [link] [comments]
What do I do?
Monday I recieved emails saying my application was approved etc, I went into a branch and showed my id and ss card and closed it.
I then froze my credit on TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian then put a freeze in Chex which said it would take 24-48 hours.
Then last night, Saturday night, I got another series of emails saying my application for BoA was approved etc. Called and got it shut down.
THEN this morning at 11 am, ANOTHER set of BoA emails came and currently on the line closing it.
I will be calling Chex to see what is going on, But what else can I do???
Is this a personal attack? Someone I know or someone of someone I know? Should I be asking people in my circles????
2023.03.27 04:19 Far-Ad-9796 What do you think my chances of getting approved for a mortgage are?
Hello beautiful people. So, I’m nearing the point where I’d like to look into a mortgage. I’m sick and tired of renting, for many reasons. I just want to get a general idea from you smart folk on how I may stack up at trying for a mortgage. I’m not going for it just yet, probably next year or the year after.
I’ll start by saying, I recognize that I am privileged enough to be in a much more fortunate position than a lot of other Canadians, but I still have this bone crushing anxiety that whatever I do, it won’t be enough to secure a mortgage, until I’m like 30+. But renting is just so awful.
So, some details.
submitted by Far-Ad-9796 to PersonalFinanceCanada [link] [comments]
I’ll start by saying, I recognize that I am privileged enough to be in a much more fortunate position than a lot of other Canadians, but I still have this bone crushing anxiety that whatever I do, it won’t be enough to secure a mortgage, until I’m like 30+. But renting is just so awful.
So, some details.
- Alberta. Edmonton area
- I’m 23. Turn 24 in September
- My credit score hovers around 750 for TransUnion and 790 for Equifax. I have no derogatory marks or missed payments in my 5.5 year credit history.
- I currently have about $20,000, but I’m aiming to have around $50,000 when I actually try (I’m sure if my down payment was all the money I had in the world, they wouldn’t give me a mortgage in the first place lol, so I want savings in the bank after the fact) and plan on doing a 5% down payment, so around $17,000-$25,000, depending on the amount I’d get approved for.
- I’m only wanting $400,000 max. Less is better, as long as it’s a decent house.
- Yearly income fluctuates due to the nature of my industry (skilled trade) and my personal choices within it, but last year I made $80,000. This year I expect to make $110,000+. The actual amount I make is mostly up to me, based on accepting or rejecting work (kinda lazy, but will work my ass off if it means I get to own my own home). Currently at $44.90 hourly but expect to go up to $47.71 within the next year.
- I am financing a vehicle which has about $40,000 left on it, but my dad is using it and paying for it, and once he no longer needs it I plan on selling it.
- Other than that my only debt is my security system which only has about $1400 left on it, and isn’t reported on my credit, and my furniture credit card which has $2,000 on it and is reported on my credit.
2023.03.26 23:59 roarklaughed letter crime, punishment, and "no cell no sell"
TLDR : The punishment for gross financial terrorism should be a lifetime of living as a minimum wage worker, in a minimum wage position, with an enforced non-possibility of financial growth or change of social status.
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To the individuals with whom I share a common longing1,
The intention of this letter is to elaborate on what could be meant by the "no cell" in 'no cell no sell', and aims to open dialogue concerning what would constitute an appropriate punishment for the cancerous economic elites currently at the helm of the exploitive financial apparatus within which we currently struggle. There is a general social presupposition that a punishment should suit the crime for that which it is meant to reprimand. The scope, breadth, and unabashed flaunting of financial terrorism2 that torments the honest efforts of today’s everyperson, does not in my mind directly correlate with time (no matter how long, if even at all) gross financial criminals might spend in a comfortable white-collar federal prison camp3.
The pithy adage "no cell no sell"; so common a post title or thread reply to situations inducing feelings of defiance, a longing for justice, cravings towards equality of treatment for all; has provided me much sustenance for thought since its entry into ubiquitous usage. When it comes to the phrase I agree in holding what little but righteous leverage I have (no sell) until punitive action is appropriately taken (no cell), but I do not think a chic executive hotel-jail house is an apt punishment for those who are really responsible for the rampant financial terrorism plaguing today's individuals, communities, countries and continents.
If I were asked to clarify the ultimatum ‘no cell no sell’, I might elaborate upon it as such: I refuse to sell my directly registered shares, in the event they become absolutely necessary for net short positions to close, until an appropriate degree of justice and accountability has been meted to those whom actively and knowingly seek to reduce the standard of living of society as a whole, by way of an opaque, extractive and knowingly deceptive apparatus of a corrupted financial system, for personal gains.
It is important to note that there are several degrees of separation between financial terrorism as a root cause and the violence of poverty that results. I am not advocating for the pleasant but lazy fantasies of direct violence against those reviled mass-exploiters and looters that ‘no cell no sell’ers are hastening to punish (e.g. by way of the french head-slice machine that cannot evidently be mentioned by name lest the auto-moderator get all censory). Employing nefarious tactics as a large financial institution invested net-short against a publicly held company (e.g. cellar boxing4, synthetic shorting5, executive infiltration6, etc), doesn’t directly remove money from shareholders’ accounts per se, it does so intentionally via several layers of clever, systematic, and obfuscated manipulation. This necessarily indirect but impactful relationship is important.
When it comes to theft, if caught in the act as the plebian I am, I would likely be rightfully held accountable for the suffering caused by my stealing $1,000 (or its equivalent) from some individual likely by way of incarceration. As far as I am aware, theft is considered a crime in most places. If a nations-state’s judicial structure were to uniformly apply the principle of theft being a crime to all individuals irrespective of their social/financial/political position, it stands to reason that the suffering caused by a theft of $10,000,000,000 from millions of people should be encapsulated with a more appropriate and scaled punitive effort: something that more closely resembles the value of what is being stolen and perchance aims to replenish it in some way.
Amongst the things being stolen are the potency of people's ability to improve their standard of living, and the corresponding continued degradation of the base poverty line8. What only the ‘lower’ spectrums of society are being deprived of is the hope and likelihood of escaping low-income cycles, perpetual hunger episodes and debilitating physical and mental exhaustion. This ’tax by corruption’ actively works against the possibility of having savings, asset ownership, and the ability to support oneself and others9. The cadaverous effects of economic terrorism at the scale of what is being perpetrated on the world at large today is difficult to quantify by some objective metric; and its omnipresent scratching and moral immensity cannot easily be summarized by some wink-nudge utterance of ”You are hereby sentenced to lifetime in a de facto middle class suburb full of other former divinely mandated managerial types, which has a peculiar sub-culture concerning enthusiastic historical attempts to exploit others, some moderate surveillance obligations and some slight barriers to exit“.
Towards defining a simple metric of equivalence, if we establish that being the agent that lessened the means and thus methods used in the pursuit of happiness by another individual is one piece of crime (e.g. theft of $1000 from one person), then doing so to 10,000 individuals is 10,000 times as bad, and this should be accurately reflected in the punishment. Persons in positions where their decisions directly affect the lives and wellbeing of entire populations should be held accountable for their transgressions – in the absolute very least, by making it easier to remove them from their privileged positions and by destroying the bought and paid for apparatus that prevents their being fairly judged. I believe large financial actors should be given real incentives to not terrorize financial systems, and individuals in consequential leadership positions should be held accountable for their decisions.
I propose this: the punishment for gross financial terrorism should be a lifetime of living as a minimum wage worker, in a minimum wage position, with an enforced non-possibility of financial growth or change of social status. If for the moment we refer to these neo-financial convicts as NFC’s then they, as punishment, shall have their standard of living be defined by their wage, and the wage shall always be the lowest permissible by law. The only means by which they can raise their own standard of living is by raising the standards of all within their legally defined community (likely their state/province in most instances) by way of participation in social activism/community service. Obliging the NFC to shift from being an extractive and exploitive element of society, to a contributory participant is the aim, directly correlating the crime to the punishment.
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To develop upon this premise, lets envision the hypothetical character K, newly deposed from their administrative position on the proverbial economic Mount Olympus, to the freshly minted title of NFC (recall: neo-financial convict) by way of a uniquely conceived tribunal specific to the cause of addressing gross financial terrorism honestly and transparently: the Court of Primacy or CoP – primacy here referencing the fundamental notion of equal treatment for all individuals.
K was convicted of gross financial terrorism, with an acknowledged net theft of $3.457 billion USD in value by way of fraud, deception, negligence and willful intent to cause social harm in exchange for personal economic gains. The extent and detailed account of K’s notional exploitive corruption tax metric is contained in a 189 page publicly available document, which can be acquired in its nft form from the CoP archive.
K was your average elite, the progeny of an industry-giant partner in the general arena of tax law, and a pharmaceutical fortune inheritor cum commercial real-estate financier. He was of above average height, had light brown hair and brown eyes that might be described as penetrating were it not for their seeming inability to fixate on a single target. Growing up K was described as being ‘coachable’, eager to please, competitive and capable when engaged in challenging activities. He was indoctrinated since birth to the divine cult of wealth, and maintained his membership to the self-established ruling elite as one might a religion: with a dogmatic loyalty and a fierce defensive posture against any who questioned it.
Having spent his life prior to his sentencing in what might be considered lavish, opulent and wantless conditions, K struggled to find new lodgings as an NFC for a complexity of reasons. K had never really had to think about living expenses as a finite concept, but at the time of his sentencing minimum wage was $14.20 / hour, or $568.00 / 40 hour work week, or $29,536/ year, so he had to develop a financial strategy.
The CoP informational brochure had said to consider the 50 / 30 / 20 budget, which put housing in the 50% of gross annual income bracket amidst other needs (groceries, utilities, health insurance etc.). K quickly determined the amount of income he could spend on rent was wholly inadequate to his tastes, which made finding a place to live relatively taxing (it is worthy to note K did the math writing with a pen commandeered from the community bank where he opened his 0.30% interest rate savings and 14% credit card accounts as dictated by CoP Stipulations, which he calculated in the margins of a 2 for 1 pizza coupon flyer).
K eventually was forced to settle on a windowless basement room sub-let (his fellow flat-mates were college students), which he found to be atmospherically deplorable, but had the benefit of only being two brief train rides away from his newly acquired position as a “sales associate” at a clothing store that specialized in selling affordable men’s suits – it is worthy to note that [CoP Stipulation - S2.D2.12b] dictates work positions held must be approved advertised minimum wage positions.
K had worked the numbers, and purchasing a car was out of the question. He was torn because on one hand his hatred of even the idea of public transit was contrasted sharply with an innate desire to never know what waiting in line at the DMV was like. [CoP Stipulation S12.D39.6.7] was controversial and considered nefarious because it mandated specific hours NPCs could attend to DMV obligations, medical insurance calls, and banking appointments etc. to two criteria: it must occur during the most busy 2 hours of the day for the institution, and it must conflict with the NPC’s work schedule (I.e. they would have to take time off work).
CoP Stipulation Enforcement is funded by the reclaimed wealth from NFC asset liquidation, and performed by individuals with a vested interest in assisting NPCs in living their best paycheck to paycheck lives, as accurate as possible to the status quo tribulations of our lowest income workers. Initially there were vast multitudes vying for the position of Stipulation Enforcer (it was well paid and rewarded creative displays of wealth extraction from the NPC to ensure their savings account stayed within a permissible value) so talent and professionalism reigned for the few individuals that passed the rigorous screening process. Being a Stipulation Enforcer Team Member did include the almost militaristic defense and maintained safety of the NFC during their journey in the general field of regenerative social finance, which proved to be a bottleneck for applications for the position.
The more normative examples of harmonizing NFC savings include: an unforeseen rent increase, company profitability re-structuring resulting in layoffs of non-vital staff, a fine for jaywalking, or the barber raising their rate to meet inflation. These methods are actively documented and made available in a short series whose subscription yielded weekly accounts of these exploits again distributed as NFTs by the CoP archives. The current number one highlight per the subreddit NFCadventures is a Stipulation Enforcer’s NFT video account of causing K’s laptop to ‘glitch’ several times during the mandatory self-filing of taxes via Turbotax [CoP Stipulation S12 D25.3.1], resulting in a triple payment for the service – this was to equalize a surplus of funds from the NFCs work due to some mandatory overtime.
While adept with numbers and planning, K despaired over his diet. As K can not receive wherewithal or services from outside parties, he was obliged to shop at Walmart for most essentials to meet his budget. Having never really learned to cook or meal prepare, K went through some really hard phases determining how to maintain a healthy diet on a ‘shoestring’ budget – while he was somewhat perplexed at the ease and affordability of making avocado toast, his health declined noticeably when he got into the habit of relying solely on ‘instant’ meals, including one-cup ramen and frozen pizzas.
K’s family had always celebrated Christmas together. Due to [CoP Stipulation - S4.D18.6] concerning interactions with family members, K can only receive single gifts from direct relations twice per year and not in excess of $100, and all holidays and events must be paid for by the NFC out of pocket and can only be held at the NFC’s place of residence. K’s two teenage children, after being dropped off by his now ex-wife, tried to tolerate their fathers genuine attempts to express interest in their lives but could not hold back their disappointment that the gifts they requested were too expensive to get that year and became morose when he failed in his efforts to excite them with his attempt at baking a boxed cake mix for desert.
Between CoP Stip Enforcer monitoring, and general public recognition there existed a sort of a social panopticon; a public shaming practice so refined and perfected that it took K several years to learn to navigate it. K would sometimes see some other former posterchildren for failures to deliver in public settings pumping gas, flipping burgers, wiping tables, perusing the metal racks at the thrift store and eating combo deal fast food on their lunch breaks in mall food court. Oftentimes, recognizing an NFC’s face a passerby might mouth "to the moon”, “this is the way”, or “how did you sleep last night?” as they walk by (Note: asking how someone slept the night prior was an allusion to making NFC’s ‘sleep in the bed they made’ which was a mantra popularized in the formulative period of the CoP).
K often recounted, when anyone would listen, the story from his fourth year as an NFC when he was in the crowded waiting room at his local community medical clinic. Having already been waiting for an hour and a half for his appointment to check some swelling and pain in his general thyroid area, he was so engrossed in the crossword puzzle he had found in the local newspaper, he didn’t notice a man approaching him with a knife until he was almost upon him. K only had time to look up with apathy from his almost finished puzzle as the assailant uttered ‘for Maria’ and lunged towards him. Luckily for K, his Stipulation Enforcer on shift at the time saw the man coming and was able subdue the take the knife away before any harm was committed. When questioned by the police following the incident it was determined that the man had randomly recognized K as one of the individuals responsible for helping destroy a pioneering research company that was in the process of developing treatment for a rare terminal illness the man’s daughter suffered from.
Thirteen years into his service K was convinced by a food bank manager he had developed a peculiar friendship with to contribute towards a local activist network’s efforts to raise minimum wage in his state. He volunteered and spent his weekends working towards the cause. After several years, the state raised the minimum wage slightly, which K truly believed was finally a step in the right direction. He learnt of this victory watching the news on the television at his favorite chinese fast food buffet. Two msg scented tears trickled down the sides of K’s nose. But it was alright, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved all of humanity.
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In conclusion, the irony of living as a common, minimum wage earner in today's rentewageslave situation being easily considered punitive is not lost on me, and is the part of the reason why I think this re-evaluation of the idea that the punishment need fit the crime is worthy of contemplation. By mandating the only means by which these criminal-few can raise their paltry living standards by raising the others around them in concert – a contributory existence or net social potential positive – seems to be a slightly more succinct due punishment for NFCs doing just the opposite as their crime (a net social neutral at best). I open the floor to discussion.
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Notes:
submitted by roarklaughed to Superstonk [link] [comments]
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To the individuals with whom I share a common longing1,
The intention of this letter is to elaborate on what could be meant by the "no cell" in 'no cell no sell', and aims to open dialogue concerning what would constitute an appropriate punishment for the cancerous economic elites currently at the helm of the exploitive financial apparatus within which we currently struggle. There is a general social presupposition that a punishment should suit the crime for that which it is meant to reprimand. The scope, breadth, and unabashed flaunting of financial terrorism2 that torments the honest efforts of today’s everyperson, does not in my mind directly correlate with time (no matter how long, if even at all) gross financial criminals might spend in a comfortable white-collar federal prison camp3.
The pithy adage "no cell no sell"; so common a post title or thread reply to situations inducing feelings of defiance, a longing for justice, cravings towards equality of treatment for all; has provided me much sustenance for thought since its entry into ubiquitous usage. When it comes to the phrase I agree in holding what little but righteous leverage I have (no sell) until punitive action is appropriately taken (no cell), but I do not think a chic executive hotel-jail house is an apt punishment for those who are really responsible for the rampant financial terrorism plaguing today's individuals, communities, countries and continents.
If I were asked to clarify the ultimatum ‘no cell no sell’, I might elaborate upon it as such: I refuse to sell my directly registered shares, in the event they become absolutely necessary for net short positions to close, until an appropriate degree of justice and accountability has been meted to those whom actively and knowingly seek to reduce the standard of living of society as a whole, by way of an opaque, extractive and knowingly deceptive apparatus of a corrupted financial system, for personal gains.
It is important to note that there are several degrees of separation between financial terrorism as a root cause and the violence of poverty that results. I am not advocating for the pleasant but lazy fantasies of direct violence against those reviled mass-exploiters and looters that ‘no cell no sell’ers are hastening to punish (e.g. by way of the french head-slice machine that cannot evidently be mentioned by name lest the auto-moderator get all censory). Employing nefarious tactics as a large financial institution invested net-short against a publicly held company (e.g. cellar boxing4, synthetic shorting5, executive infiltration6, etc), doesn’t directly remove money from shareholders’ accounts per se, it does so intentionally via several layers of clever, systematic, and obfuscated manipulation. This necessarily indirect but impactful relationship is important.
When it comes to theft, if caught in the act as the plebian I am, I would likely be rightfully held accountable for the suffering caused by my stealing $1,000 (or its equivalent) from some individual likely by way of incarceration. As far as I am aware, theft is considered a crime in most places. If a nations-state’s judicial structure were to uniformly apply the principle of theft being a crime to all individuals irrespective of their social/financial/political position, it stands to reason that the suffering caused by a theft of $10,000,000,000 from millions of people should be encapsulated with a more appropriate and scaled punitive effort: something that more closely resembles the value of what is being stolen and perchance aims to replenish it in some way.
Amongst the things being stolen are the potency of people's ability to improve their standard of living, and the corresponding continued degradation of the base poverty line8. What only the ‘lower’ spectrums of society are being deprived of is the hope and likelihood of escaping low-income cycles, perpetual hunger episodes and debilitating physical and mental exhaustion. This ’tax by corruption’ actively works against the possibility of having savings, asset ownership, and the ability to support oneself and others9. The cadaverous effects of economic terrorism at the scale of what is being perpetrated on the world at large today is difficult to quantify by some objective metric; and its omnipresent scratching and moral immensity cannot easily be summarized by some wink-nudge utterance of ”You are hereby sentenced to lifetime in a de facto middle class suburb full of other former divinely mandated managerial types, which has a peculiar sub-culture concerning enthusiastic historical attempts to exploit others, some moderate surveillance obligations and some slight barriers to exit“.
Towards defining a simple metric of equivalence, if we establish that being the agent that lessened the means and thus methods used in the pursuit of happiness by another individual is one piece of crime (e.g. theft of $1000 from one person), then doing so to 10,000 individuals is 10,000 times as bad, and this should be accurately reflected in the punishment. Persons in positions where their decisions directly affect the lives and wellbeing of entire populations should be held accountable for their transgressions – in the absolute very least, by making it easier to remove them from their privileged positions and by destroying the bought and paid for apparatus that prevents their being fairly judged. I believe large financial actors should be given real incentives to not terrorize financial systems, and individuals in consequential leadership positions should be held accountable for their decisions.
I propose this: the punishment for gross financial terrorism should be a lifetime of living as a minimum wage worker, in a minimum wage position, with an enforced non-possibility of financial growth or change of social status. If for the moment we refer to these neo-financial convicts as NFC’s then they, as punishment, shall have their standard of living be defined by their wage, and the wage shall always be the lowest permissible by law. The only means by which they can raise their own standard of living is by raising the standards of all within their legally defined community (likely their state/province in most instances) by way of participation in social activism/community service. Obliging the NFC to shift from being an extractive and exploitive element of society, to a contributory participant is the aim, directly correlating the crime to the punishment.
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To develop upon this premise, lets envision the hypothetical character K, newly deposed from their administrative position on the proverbial economic Mount Olympus, to the freshly minted title of NFC (recall: neo-financial convict) by way of a uniquely conceived tribunal specific to the cause of addressing gross financial terrorism honestly and transparently: the Court of Primacy or CoP – primacy here referencing the fundamental notion of equal treatment for all individuals.
K was convicted of gross financial terrorism, with an acknowledged net theft of $3.457 billion USD in value by way of fraud, deception, negligence and willful intent to cause social harm in exchange for personal economic gains. The extent and detailed account of K’s notional exploitive corruption tax metric is contained in a 189 page publicly available document, which can be acquired in its nft form from the CoP archive.
K was your average elite, the progeny of an industry-giant partner in the general arena of tax law, and a pharmaceutical fortune inheritor cum commercial real-estate financier. He was of above average height, had light brown hair and brown eyes that might be described as penetrating were it not for their seeming inability to fixate on a single target. Growing up K was described as being ‘coachable’, eager to please, competitive and capable when engaged in challenging activities. He was indoctrinated since birth to the divine cult of wealth, and maintained his membership to the self-established ruling elite as one might a religion: with a dogmatic loyalty and a fierce defensive posture against any who questioned it.
Having spent his life prior to his sentencing in what might be considered lavish, opulent and wantless conditions, K struggled to find new lodgings as an NFC for a complexity of reasons. K had never really had to think about living expenses as a finite concept, but at the time of his sentencing minimum wage was $14.20 / hour, or $568.00 / 40 hour work week, or $29,536/ year, so he had to develop a financial strategy.
The CoP informational brochure had said to consider the 50 / 30 / 20 budget, which put housing in the 50% of gross annual income bracket amidst other needs (groceries, utilities, health insurance etc.). K quickly determined the amount of income he could spend on rent was wholly inadequate to his tastes, which made finding a place to live relatively taxing (it is worthy to note K did the math writing with a pen commandeered from the community bank where he opened his 0.30% interest rate savings and 14% credit card accounts as dictated by CoP Stipulations, which he calculated in the margins of a 2 for 1 pizza coupon flyer).
K eventually was forced to settle on a windowless basement room sub-let (his fellow flat-mates were college students), which he found to be atmospherically deplorable, but had the benefit of only being two brief train rides away from his newly acquired position as a “sales associate” at a clothing store that specialized in selling affordable men’s suits – it is worthy to note that [CoP Stipulation - S2.D2.12b] dictates work positions held must be approved advertised minimum wage positions.
K had worked the numbers, and purchasing a car was out of the question. He was torn because on one hand his hatred of even the idea of public transit was contrasted sharply with an innate desire to never know what waiting in line at the DMV was like. [CoP Stipulation S12.D39.6.7] was controversial and considered nefarious because it mandated specific hours NPCs could attend to DMV obligations, medical insurance calls, and banking appointments etc. to two criteria: it must occur during the most busy 2 hours of the day for the institution, and it must conflict with the NPC’s work schedule (I.e. they would have to take time off work).
CoP Stipulation Enforcement is funded by the reclaimed wealth from NFC asset liquidation, and performed by individuals with a vested interest in assisting NPCs in living their best paycheck to paycheck lives, as accurate as possible to the status quo tribulations of our lowest income workers. Initially there were vast multitudes vying for the position of Stipulation Enforcer (it was well paid and rewarded creative displays of wealth extraction from the NPC to ensure their savings account stayed within a permissible value) so talent and professionalism reigned for the few individuals that passed the rigorous screening process. Being a Stipulation Enforcer Team Member did include the almost militaristic defense and maintained safety of the NFC during their journey in the general field of regenerative social finance, which proved to be a bottleneck for applications for the position.
The more normative examples of harmonizing NFC savings include: an unforeseen rent increase, company profitability re-structuring resulting in layoffs of non-vital staff, a fine for jaywalking, or the barber raising their rate to meet inflation. These methods are actively documented and made available in a short series whose subscription yielded weekly accounts of these exploits again distributed as NFTs by the CoP archives. The current number one highlight per the subreddit NFCadventures is a Stipulation Enforcer’s NFT video account of causing K’s laptop to ‘glitch’ several times during the mandatory self-filing of taxes via Turbotax [CoP Stipulation S12 D25.3.1], resulting in a triple payment for the service – this was to equalize a surplus of funds from the NFCs work due to some mandatory overtime.
While adept with numbers and planning, K despaired over his diet. As K can not receive wherewithal or services from outside parties, he was obliged to shop at Walmart for most essentials to meet his budget. Having never really learned to cook or meal prepare, K went through some really hard phases determining how to maintain a healthy diet on a ‘shoestring’ budget – while he was somewhat perplexed at the ease and affordability of making avocado toast, his health declined noticeably when he got into the habit of relying solely on ‘instant’ meals, including one-cup ramen and frozen pizzas.
K’s family had always celebrated Christmas together. Due to [CoP Stipulation - S4.D18.6] concerning interactions with family members, K can only receive single gifts from direct relations twice per year and not in excess of $100, and all holidays and events must be paid for by the NFC out of pocket and can only be held at the NFC’s place of residence. K’s two teenage children, after being dropped off by his now ex-wife, tried to tolerate their fathers genuine attempts to express interest in their lives but could not hold back their disappointment that the gifts they requested were too expensive to get that year and became morose when he failed in his efforts to excite them with his attempt at baking a boxed cake mix for desert.
Between CoP Stip Enforcer monitoring, and general public recognition there existed a sort of a social panopticon; a public shaming practice so refined and perfected that it took K several years to learn to navigate it. K would sometimes see some other former posterchildren for failures to deliver in public settings pumping gas, flipping burgers, wiping tables, perusing the metal racks at the thrift store and eating combo deal fast food on their lunch breaks in mall food court. Oftentimes, recognizing an NFC’s face a passerby might mouth "to the moon”, “this is the way”, or “how did you sleep last night?” as they walk by (Note: asking how someone slept the night prior was an allusion to making NFC’s ‘sleep in the bed they made’ which was a mantra popularized in the formulative period of the CoP).
K often recounted, when anyone would listen, the story from his fourth year as an NFC when he was in the crowded waiting room at his local community medical clinic. Having already been waiting for an hour and a half for his appointment to check some swelling and pain in his general thyroid area, he was so engrossed in the crossword puzzle he had found in the local newspaper, he didn’t notice a man approaching him with a knife until he was almost upon him. K only had time to look up with apathy from his almost finished puzzle as the assailant uttered ‘for Maria’ and lunged towards him. Luckily for K, his Stipulation Enforcer on shift at the time saw the man coming and was able subdue the take the knife away before any harm was committed. When questioned by the police following the incident it was determined that the man had randomly recognized K as one of the individuals responsible for helping destroy a pioneering research company that was in the process of developing treatment for a rare terminal illness the man’s daughter suffered from.
Thirteen years into his service K was convinced by a food bank manager he had developed a peculiar friendship with to contribute towards a local activist network’s efforts to raise minimum wage in his state. He volunteered and spent his weekends working towards the cause. After several years, the state raised the minimum wage slightly, which K truly believed was finally a step in the right direction. He learnt of this victory watching the news on the television at his favorite chinese fast food buffet. Two msg scented tears trickled down the sides of K’s nose. But it was alright, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved all of humanity.
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In conclusion, the irony of living as a common, minimum wage earner in today's rentewageslave situation being easily considered punitive is not lost on me, and is the part of the reason why I think this re-evaluation of the idea that the punishment need fit the crime is worthy of contemplation. By mandating the only means by which these criminal-few can raise their paltry living standards by raising the others around them in concert – a contributory existence or net social potential positive – seems to be a slightly more succinct due punishment for NFCs doing just the opposite as their crime (a net social neutral at best). I open the floor to discussion.
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Notes:
- A longing for the application of the same rules for thee (in this instance including financial/political/social elites) that are applied to me (what may loosely be refered to as the proletariat in as far as this letter is concerned); or equal treatment under law for all individuals.
- Financial or economic terrorism loosely defined as a varied, coordinated, sophisticated, massive destabilizing actions in order to disrupt the economic and financial stability of society as a whole, for monetary and powehierarchical motives.
- Cursory search of example where white collar criminals are sent: https://alanellis.com/expert-names-top-five-prisons-for-white-collar-criminals/.
- Insert appropriate DD link
- Insert appropriate DD link
- Insert appropriate DD link
- Insert additional relevant DD links
- Cite wealth disparity research, historical average earnings contra cost of living comparisons, homeless growth model research, etc.
- Cite the studied effects of poverty
2023.03.26 21:21 Maxim_Sherstobitov 𝗔𝗟𝗣 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀; 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗸; 𝗨𝗦 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗺𝗶𝘅𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗺𝗼𝗶𝗹 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻; 𝗜𝗠𝗙 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸𝘀 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴
 | There has been a "thumping win" for the Labor Party in the NSW state elections, far more decisive than anyone expected. The Greens struggled and got no coat-tail advantage. Their Teals held on to repeat some of the Federal election gains. submitted by Maxim_Sherstobitov to NZXStockMarket [link] [comments] The hard-conservatives, characterised by the religiously-inspired Abbott and Morrison leadership suffered, another big loss and is finding its culture war stands are losing stands. ***CHART-1: According to the projections published Wednesday after the latest FOMC meeting had concluded, 10 of the 18 meeting participants anticipate one more 25 basis point hike this year, while one FOMC member even sees the current rate as the end point of this tightening cycle. While seven meeting participants expect that that the federal funds rate will be raised by another 50 to 100 basis points by the end of the year, none believes that it will climb beyond 6.00 percent.*** https://preview.redd.it/mk674ihkv4qa1.jpg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0ccf99bad7ddac9bc9822af3a3f9038e6763e73a In Europe, markets are increasingly worried about Deutsche Bank. It has been eyed for years over some long-standing shady practices often with Russia, but now, post-Credit Suisse, confidence is leaking away to a serious extent. On March 9, its share price was €11.51. It ended on Friday at €8.54. Shareholders are nursing a -25% dive in just two weeks on growing speculation the giant German bank could be following Credit Suisse's deadly path. It has wide-ranging issues. When confidence in a bank goes, it can go suddenly. The German Government is scrambling to reassure the market. But the odour is affecting many other banks as well. On a more positive note, Eurozone economic growth accelerated to a ten-month high in March according to the latest flash PMI survey data, adding to signs that their economy is reviving after falling into decline late last year. Inflationary pressures have continued to moderate, with input prices even falling sharply in manufacturing. Jobs growth has also accelerated and business confidence in the outlook has remained resilient despite concerns stemming from recent banking sector stress and higher borrowing costs. Having noted all those positives, the overall rate of expansion is still quite modest. Across the Atlantic, American durable goods orders fell -1% in February from January, to be just +1.0% ahead of year-ago levels. Mainly this was because of weak aircraft orders which have been a drag for a few months now. Orders capital goods were up +3.8% if you exclude defense and aircraft orders. Including both, capital goods orders were down -4% from year-ago levels. But perhaps the March data will be better? The latest PMIs for March are healthy in the US. The flash Markit PMI for March reports the fastest uptick in US private sector business activity for almost a year, as new orders returned to growth. ***CHART-2: 78% of Americans surveyed by the WSJ said they don’t feel confident that life for their children's generation will be better than their own, the highest share since the survey began asking the question every few years in 1990.*** https://preview.redd.it/h3iseh8xv4qa1.jpg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=636b20f79f2625877d828599eb92cd38a96d6a05 Their services sector expanded faster in March, and their factory sector's February contraction was almost eliminated in March. There is nothing in this report to indicate the US labour market is pulling back, but there are indications that price inflation remains high. This will steel the US Fed for an even higher benchmark interest rate to try any take more steam out of the expansion. Certainly that was the view of Fed hawk James Bullard overnight. And banking turmoil issues are still playing out in the US with reports that depositors are moving funds from banks to money market funds, and close to NZ$½ tln has shifted this way through Friday. This is a significant funds flow, even for the giant US banking industry. The beneficiaries? money market funds run by JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, and Fidelity. Separately, the IMF boss noted over the weekend that the risks to global financial stability have increased. She also urged China to 'rebalance towards consumption'. The price of gold will open today at US$1978/oz and up +US$1 from this time Saturday. A week ago the gold price was US$1975/oz, so very little net change here. And oil prices start today unchanged from Saturday at just over US$69/bbl in the US. The international Brent price is now just under US$74.50/bbl. The Kiwi dollar is unchanged against the USD and now at 62 USc. Against the Aussie we are little-changed at 93.4 AUc. Against the euro we are also little-changed at 57.7 euro cents. That keeps the TWI-5 down at 70.1, which compares with the week-ago level of 70.9. The bitcoin price is little-changed today, now at US$27,734 and up +0.1% from this time Saturday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been modest at +/-1.9%. ***CHART-3: China cuts US Treasury holdings to lowest level since global financial crisis. And the sales are accelerating. At the same time China is increasing its gold reserves.*** https://preview.redd.it/gzhgxmozv4qa1.jpg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=399619a535b9988181730fd143ab0a23f6d241db Consistent performer Mainfreight stumbled and New Zealand shares finished the last week on a flat note with investors remaining wary about where markets are heading. Shane Solly, portfolio manager with Harbour Asset Management, said there was still some volatility to work through and investors were operating in a pretty fragile environment. He said Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen clarified that the US government was prepared for additional banking deposits action if warranted. “The global banking system has a lot of band aids on and hopefully it will settle down. “Bond yields fell overnight, and there are signs that economic activity is slowing rapidly in New Zealand and Australia. This puts company earnings forecasts at risk.” Analysts have already cut Mainfreight’s earnings outlook and the stock was down $1.47 or 2.12 per cent to $68.03 after climbing $1.70 the day before. Merger and acquisition activity in Australia sparked the retirement village sector here. US investment firm Bain Capital has made a A$775m ($829m) takeover offer for aged-care provider Estia Health at $3 a share, a 28 per cent premium to its latest price of A$2.66. Summerset Group was up 10c to $8.65 and Ryman Healthcare gained 3c to $5.05. Ryman has repaid its US private placement notes for a cost of $855.5m following its $902m capital raise. ***CHART-4: Banking stocks remain in pain even after Credit Suisse rescue.. Recession concerns are putting pressure on lenders.*** https://preview.redd.it/ijjunjt4w4qa1.jpg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=28a98a8817e86b48575a255ff913c589210f4e38 Spark, up 7.5c to $4.945, is re-organising its leadership team with chief operating officer Mark Beder becoming customer director enterprise and government, and Greg Clark moving into the SME and Consumer director role. A new network operations director will be appointed. Utilities investor Infratil, gaining 7c to $8.87, held its investor day in Auckland and told the market it has narrowed its operating earnings (ebitdaf) guidance for the year ending March to $520m-$5635m, from $510m-$540m. Infratil outlined to shareholders significant investment opportunities in key portfolio sectors such as renewables through US-based Longroad Energy and digital growth through CDC Data Centres and One/Voda NZ (Vodafone). There was work to be done on its diagnostics investment. Synlait, up 1c to $2.40, is reporting the details of its first half result on Monday after earlier warning the market about a significant earnings downgrade. NZ King Salmon Investments, unchanged at 20.5c, is announcing its latest annual result on Wednesday. Solly said “the litmus test will be the demand for soft commodities. The company has had a tough run lately and investors will be looking to see if it needs additional capital.” Rua Bioscience, down 1c or 4.76 per cent to 20c, is stopping its local manufacturing operations and will work with partners to build its medicinal cannabis portfolio. Rua’s cultivation team in Ruatoria will continue to develop unique genetics for existing and new products. Source: NZ Herald |
2023.03.26 21:19 Jaded_Gold2514 I'm 23 years old and make $103k at a non-profit in a HOCL city.
Section One: Assets and Debt
Retirement Balance: $5,173.90 in a 401k and $45 in a Roth IRA. The 401k balance represents 9 months of contributions. I opened the IRA in high school and haven't contributed anything since.
Equity if you're a homeowner: N/A
Savings account balance: $5,012 in HYSA and $4,860 in savings account. $1,520 in vacation savings, and $230 in moving sinking fund.
Checking account balance: $5,600 in main checking account.
Credit card debt: I pay my cards off in full twice a month when I get paid. I use a Chase Sapphire Preferred for the majority of my expenses but keep my wifi recurring bill on my oldest card.
Student loan debt: $26,000 for a degree in the field I currently work in. I went to a very expensive private school that was mostly covered by scholarship and financial aid. Additionally, my parents took out a $25,000 loan to help pay for my degree. I have BEGGED my parents to let me pay them back for some of these loans (since they are private and my federal loans are on pause) but its extremely important to them that they helped contribute to my education.
I track my expenses on Mint.
Section Two: Income Progression: (buckle up its a long one)
2016: paid canvasser in high school on political campaigns. $15 an hour but hours/campaigns were inconsistent.
2017-2018: barista (15 hrs a week @ $15 an hour+tips)+ work study job ($15 an hour)
That summer did an internship program that paid for housing+provided a stipend ($800 a month).
2018-2019: Interned at a non-profit ($15 an hour) part-time. Worked as a resident advisor and got a food stipend in addition to free housing. That summer I worked the front desk at a gym on the weekends ($15 an hour), worked a research job on campus that covered my housing (20 hrs a week), and interned 24 hours a week ($15 an hour).
2019-2020 Worked at the gym, worked for the school as an RA, and then interned in the Spring as well.($15 an hour)
2020: Working 30 hours a week at my internship while going to school virtually full-time.
2021: In March I am extremely burnt out and am scared I won’t be able to get my shit together and graduate. Quit my job and got a short-term nannying gig to cover rent+expenses($20 an hour). Got a full-time job offer for an entry-level consulting role in May. Was offered $56,000 and got a small raise to $60,000.
2022: Really hate my job. Start casually applying and got a job offer at my current org. Was offered $85,000 but with an end-of-year COLA was $92,000 by EOY 2022.
2023: Got a promotion and a senior title. I’m now making $103,000 a year.
Main Job Monthly Take Home: $5558
Side Gig Monthly Take Home: $depends
I started babysitting in college and would babysit 2-4 times a month. In March it’ll be $300 which I’m putting towards my vacation fund.
Section Three: Expenses
Monthly
Rent: $1,110 for 1 bedroom in a 2-bedroom apartment utilities included.
Renters insurance: $15 a month
Wifi: $33 for my portion
Retirement contribution: $130 taken from my paycheck (company matches this)
Savings contribution: $540 or 10% of my take-home pay
Therapy copay- $80 a month
Health Insurance: Covered 100% by work
Apple storage: $3
Groceries ~ Roughly $300 but I love to host so sometimes more
Donations (please specify if monthly or annual):
$25 monthly reoccurring to color of change
$30 monthly reoccurring to DC abortion fund
~$20-30 a month in cash for when people on the street ask for money.
Annual expenses
One Medical: $199
Annual Capital bike share membership: $95
Credit Card: $95 (really worth it)
Paid hobbies: I’m an endurance athlete but have already purchased expensive gear. I use my company’s quarterly $250 wellness stipend to cover race fees+ and any one-off purchases. I use my office gym+public recreation centers.
Day 1 Tuesday:
5:30 am: I wake up but decide its too cold to go outside and that morning workout will happen tonight.
7:00 am: Finally get up and reheat homemade refried beans for breakfast (savory breakfast ftw) and read. I fall asleep for 30 minutes (I call these morning naps) and barely have enough time to shower before therapy. I have a $20 copay. (Included in monthly expenses)
10:00 am: walk to the office. I settle into work with all the free beverages.
1:00 pm: I put together a desk salad from stuff I brought from home and eat while watching a webinar.
5:30 pm: I walk to cvs on my way home and buy dishwasher pods. (**$10 for my half)**I get two since they are buy one get one. I realize in the CVS that I forgot to bring a hair tie but I don’t want to buy a new pack just for one. I text my friend who lives nearby and go to her apartment.
6:30 pm: I visit for a while and then walk over to the pool. There is no entrance fee since it’s a public facility.
7:45 pm: I’m out and showered and realize if I hustle I can make it for at least half of weekly trivia. I call an Uber. ($11). At trivia I just get a club soda even though I really want a sandwich and fries. ($5 for soda water+tip). We win! I forgo the free celebratory shot bc school night+empty/exercised stomach.
9:00 pm: My friend drives me home and we catch up in the alley behind my apartment. My roommate offers some soup that he made but its not enough and I end up eating more refried beans.
10:00 pm: I read 3 pages of a book before falling asleep with my kindle in my hand.
Day 2 Wednesday
5:45 am: Wake up, brush teeth, choke down some apple sauce and I’m out the door for a workout. I come back home to shower, change, and bike to meet 2 friends for coffee/breakfast near my office.
8:00 am: By far the best part of living in a city is having friends in close proximity. I get a bagel sandwich and a black coffee ($11.84). I come into work and book some misc. work travel. I have a bit of a crisis that I don’t have any practical luggage for work travel. I look at Kate Spade, Everlane, Dagne Dover, Lululemon for weekender bags. I have pretty impulsive spending tendencies but am on a big anti-lifestyle creep campaign right now.
1:00 pm: Office has pizza in recognition of March Madness. I get a slice to supplement the salad I brought from home. The pizza isn’t great which I make a big mental note for next time.
3:00 pm: I hit the wall and all I want to do is browse!!!
5:30 pm: I take the train to meet my friend for dinner close to her office. I have to reload my transit card. ($20). We get burgers and then she drives me home. ($15)
1:00 am: I can’t fall asleep which is pretty rare for me.
($46.84)
Day 3 Thursday
7:00 am: I sleep in and make breakfast at home. I’m stressed about work deliverables so I quickly take a shower and bike to work. At my desk by 8 AM.
1:00 pm: It's a really nice day out so I bring the salad I brought from home to the public park near my office and eat there. I bring my laptop in case something comes up but take a half hour after eating to read on my kindle. I finish my book and am tempted to buy the next in the series, but instead, I’ll just wait for my turn through the public library.
5:00 pm: I would love to work a bit longer but have hit a wall and am useless. I go downstairs and do a 30-minute ride on the office gym peloton and then do a pretty basic core routine. Despite exercising a lot, I’m pretty weak and lack a ton of core strength so these cross-training sessions are important. I used to do a lot of studio fitness but found the energy to not be my vibe and many instructors to be rude and dismissive.
6:00 pm: As I’m heading out, I run into a friend who is also leaving his office. I haven’t seen him in a while and it's a great surprise! He lives close to my neighborhood so we walk together.
6:30 pm: I shower because I’m meeting some friends at a drag show tonight. I’m exhausted and want to skip. I make some eggs and then go take a nap.
9:00 pm: I take the bus over to the bar and meet my friends. There aren’t a ton of women there but it’s a nice vibe. My friend buys me a drink since he knows how hard it was for me to commit to late-night plans, and also has a ton of singles so we can tip the queens. I run into a woman whom I’ve seen before, and she asks if we want to get coffee. I get the impression that she wants to be friends (lesbian problems!!!).
11:00 pm: I mooch on my friend's uber and walk home. I text my friend's boyfriend to split the Uber but he said don’t worry about it.
Day 4 Friday
8:00 am: I sleep in after a later night. I take a shower and get ready for work. I wear the wrong jacket and am freezing. I enter the office and raid the shared fridge for yogurt and fruit.
1:00 pm: I’m only working a half day today because of some comp time I need to use up from last week. Normally I wouldn’t go into the office on a Friday but they are doing construction outside of my apartment and I know I would focus better outside of my home. The return to the office is completely voluntary and I prefer going in to working from home. At the same time, I would be pissed if my employer mandated office days.
2:00 pm: I get lunch at Chipotle ($14.03) before my waxing appointment. I get my eyebrows done next door. ($23 with a $10 tip). It's raining so I take the bus home.
3:30 I get a text from a family canceling a babysitting job for tonight. I'm really bummed but send some feelers out to try to get together with people. I'm thankful I don't depend on babysitting money anymore.
5:00 pm: I walk to a brewery nearby to meet some friends. I get two 5 oz beers and some appetizers for the table to split. My friend brings their mom which is fun. ($37.62). On my way out I got proper dinner to go ($22.07)
Day 5 Saturday
7:30 am: I have some friends running a race so I get up and meet my friends at a designated spot. We have speakers and cheer for everyone for several hours. I buy Starbucks egg bites and a coffee for me and a sandwich and coffee for a friend. I have to refill my app. ($25).
11:30 am: After the race, we meet up with everyone and go grab lunch. Someone else pays for the uber, and my friend's mom generously picks up the tab for lunch.
4:00 pm: I walk home with a friend but we stop at a grocery store so I can buy Rice Krispies, food coloring, and marshmallows for a treat I’m bringing to a party later tonight. ($13.36)
5:00 pm: I make the rice crispy treats as well as a bright green margarita for an st Patricks day party. I lie down for a few hours before the party.
8:00 pm: I take the bus over to my friend's house. I realize I didn’t eat a real dinner but convinced a few people to go in on a pizza. Another friend goes and picks it up. ($6 for my portion). I end up staying longer than planned and take an uber home. ($14.20)
Day 6 Sunday
9:30 am: A little hungover. I make breakfast and coffee but go back to bed.
2:00 pm: I finally decide it's time to be a real person. I get up and take the train uptown to the public pool.
4:00 pm: I swim for an hour and then head out. On my way to the train station, I get a tea ($4.26) which is objectively overpriced and ridiculous but hot herbal tea on a cold Sunday just hits.
5:00 There is some maintenance on the train and I have to wait for a shuttle or bus back to my place. I’m going out of town early this week and decide I’m not meal-prepping or cooking just for one day. There is a chipotle near the train station. As I’m walking over, I stopped by a woman asking for change. I have no cash but offer to buy her dinner. She gets a large sandwich combo ($23.11). She says that she is $20 short of a hotel room and asks if I can get money out of an ATM for her. I go to CVS where I also buy her shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and deodorant. ($19.11) My card isn’t working with the ATM. I try to see if I can add my debit card to my apple wallet so I can get cash back from CVS for buying gum ($1.97) but it doesn’t work. I end up getting a $50 visa gift card. ($56.95 with activation fee). She is upset I wasn’t able to give her cash and yells at me. I hand over the stuff but just feel weird about the situation and our interaction.
6:00 pm: I ended up missing the bus and have to go a bit further than intended. I still haven’t grabbed dinner yet (rip my chipotle plans) and grab a salad from a generic fast-casual place. ($13.51)
8:00 pm: When my roommate comes home I debrief on the situation at the train station but tell him I bought a woman dinner- not that I also spent $70 at CVS. He said that he and several friends have seen that woman before and that she has the story for everyone. I hope my $50 helps her nonetheless.
10:00 pm: I download a new book from the library and fall asleep.
Day 7 Monday
5:30 am: I get up, pack my stuff for the whole day, and go and work out. I bike to the pool and get ready for work there.
8:00 am: I’m OOO for the rest of the week and am under a big crunch to get everything done. I get to work early and settle in with provided breakfast.
12:30 pm: I was in back-to-back meetings this morning but need to run an errand across town. Normally I would bike but I uber so I can work from the backseat. ($12.38) I pick up birthday cupcakes for a friend (someone else paid for them) and then hail an uber back to the office. ($8.94). On my way in I Sweetgreen but am able to expense because of a particular meeting I was in.
6:00 pm: My friend and I take the train uptown for a friend's birthday party. I get one beer ($11.54 with tip) but the rest of the food and drink were covered by my friend's parents.
10:00 pm: My friends and I take the train back and I grab a bike to make it the rest of the way.
Weekly total: $383.69
Reflections:
This felt like a very typical week of spending for me. I try to follow the 50/30/20 rule, but proportional to my income my rent is pretty low- so I don’t mind spending money especially to be social and in the company with others. It may not feel like it from this diary, but the (ongoing) pandemic was (and is) disruptive to my life/routines and I have had a really hard time getting out of the house for a while. I’m glad that is no longer the case.
A few months ago I think this spending would have come as a shock but I downloaded MINT at the beginning of the year and am now way more on top of my spending. Lifestyle creep is so real, and I feel it. So I’m doing as much as possible to live a full and well-balanced life within my means.
I constantly am confronted with things I want to buy but the more I learn about values-based spending (Her First 100k on Instagram) I realize that these items won't get me closer to the things that make me happy. To me those are my hobbies, traveling, and spending time with friends. My mom has never bought a name-brand thing full-price in her life, and I know that I've been influenced by others to love and want name-brand things. I'm proud anytime I resist the impulse to get something, especially if it is an item that many other people have.
Edit to add:
I know my salary is ridiculous — especially for the field and my age. Tbh, I was just lucky I found an org with a great culture+benefits+work life balance. I definitely operate from a scarcity mindset around money. There were many times in college when I had less than $20 to my name. It feels good to not be there anymore.
submitted by Jaded_Gold2514 to MoneyDiariesACTIVE [link] [comments]
Retirement Balance: $5,173.90 in a 401k and $45 in a Roth IRA. The 401k balance represents 9 months of contributions. I opened the IRA in high school and haven't contributed anything since.
Equity if you're a homeowner: N/A
Savings account balance: $5,012 in HYSA and $4,860 in savings account. $1,520 in vacation savings, and $230 in moving sinking fund.
Checking account balance: $5,600 in main checking account.
Credit card debt: I pay my cards off in full twice a month when I get paid. I use a Chase Sapphire Preferred for the majority of my expenses but keep my wifi recurring bill on my oldest card.
Student loan debt: $26,000 for a degree in the field I currently work in. I went to a very expensive private school that was mostly covered by scholarship and financial aid. Additionally, my parents took out a $25,000 loan to help pay for my degree. I have BEGGED my parents to let me pay them back for some of these loans (since they are private and my federal loans are on pause) but its extremely important to them that they helped contribute to my education.
I track my expenses on Mint.
Section Two: Income Progression: (buckle up its a long one)
2016: paid canvasser in high school on political campaigns. $15 an hour but hours/campaigns were inconsistent.
2017-2018: barista (15 hrs a week @ $15 an hour+tips)+ work study job ($15 an hour)
That summer did an internship program that paid for housing+provided a stipend ($800 a month).
2018-2019: Interned at a non-profit ($15 an hour) part-time. Worked as a resident advisor and got a food stipend in addition to free housing. That summer I worked the front desk at a gym on the weekends ($15 an hour), worked a research job on campus that covered my housing (20 hrs a week), and interned 24 hours a week ($15 an hour).
2019-2020 Worked at the gym, worked for the school as an RA, and then interned in the Spring as well.($15 an hour)
2020: Working 30 hours a week at my internship while going to school virtually full-time.
2021: In March I am extremely burnt out and am scared I won’t be able to get my shit together and graduate. Quit my job and got a short-term nannying gig to cover rent+expenses($20 an hour). Got a full-time job offer for an entry-level consulting role in May. Was offered $56,000 and got a small raise to $60,000.
2022: Really hate my job. Start casually applying and got a job offer at my current org. Was offered $85,000 but with an end-of-year COLA was $92,000 by EOY 2022.
2023: Got a promotion and a senior title. I’m now making $103,000 a year.
Main Job Monthly Take Home: $5558
Side Gig Monthly Take Home: $depends
I started babysitting in college and would babysit 2-4 times a month. In March it’ll be $300 which I’m putting towards my vacation fund.
Section Three: Expenses
Monthly
Rent: $1,110 for 1 bedroom in a 2-bedroom apartment utilities included.
Renters insurance: $15 a month
Wifi: $33 for my portion
Retirement contribution: $130 taken from my paycheck (company matches this)
Savings contribution: $540 or 10% of my take-home pay
Therapy copay- $80 a month
Health Insurance: Covered 100% by work
Apple storage: $3
Groceries ~ Roughly $300 but I love to host so sometimes more
Donations (please specify if monthly or annual):
$25 monthly reoccurring to color of change
$30 monthly reoccurring to DC abortion fund
~$20-30 a month in cash for when people on the street ask for money.
Annual expenses
One Medical: $199
Annual Capital bike share membership: $95
Credit Card: $95 (really worth it)
Paid hobbies: I’m an endurance athlete but have already purchased expensive gear. I use my company’s quarterly $250 wellness stipend to cover race fees+ and any one-off purchases. I use my office gym+public recreation centers.
Day 1 Tuesday:
5:30 am: I wake up but decide its too cold to go outside and that morning workout will happen tonight.
7:00 am: Finally get up and reheat homemade refried beans for breakfast (savory breakfast ftw) and read. I fall asleep for 30 minutes (I call these morning naps) and barely have enough time to shower before therapy. I have a $20 copay. (Included in monthly expenses)
10:00 am: walk to the office. I settle into work with all the free beverages.
1:00 pm: I put together a desk salad from stuff I brought from home and eat while watching a webinar.
5:30 pm: I walk to cvs on my way home and buy dishwasher pods. (**$10 for my half)**I get two since they are buy one get one. I realize in the CVS that I forgot to bring a hair tie but I don’t want to buy a new pack just for one. I text my friend who lives nearby and go to her apartment.
6:30 pm: I visit for a while and then walk over to the pool. There is no entrance fee since it’s a public facility.
7:45 pm: I’m out and showered and realize if I hustle I can make it for at least half of weekly trivia. I call an Uber. ($11). At trivia I just get a club soda even though I really want a sandwich and fries. ($5 for soda water+tip). We win! I forgo the free celebratory shot bc school night+empty/exercised stomach.
9:00 pm: My friend drives me home and we catch up in the alley behind my apartment. My roommate offers some soup that he made but its not enough and I end up eating more refried beans.
10:00 pm: I read 3 pages of a book before falling asleep with my kindle in my hand.
Day 2 Wednesday
5:45 am: Wake up, brush teeth, choke down some apple sauce and I’m out the door for a workout. I come back home to shower, change, and bike to meet 2 friends for coffee/breakfast near my office.
8:00 am: By far the best part of living in a city is having friends in close proximity. I get a bagel sandwich and a black coffee ($11.84). I come into work and book some misc. work travel. I have a bit of a crisis that I don’t have any practical luggage for work travel. I look at Kate Spade, Everlane, Dagne Dover, Lululemon for weekender bags. I have pretty impulsive spending tendencies but am on a big anti-lifestyle creep campaign right now.
1:00 pm: Office has pizza in recognition of March Madness. I get a slice to supplement the salad I brought from home. The pizza isn’t great which I make a big mental note for next time.
3:00 pm: I hit the wall and all I want to do is browse!!!
5:30 pm: I take the train to meet my friend for dinner close to her office. I have to reload my transit card. ($20). We get burgers and then she drives me home. ($15)
1:00 am: I can’t fall asleep which is pretty rare for me.
($46.84)
Day 3 Thursday
7:00 am: I sleep in and make breakfast at home. I’m stressed about work deliverables so I quickly take a shower and bike to work. At my desk by 8 AM.
1:00 pm: It's a really nice day out so I bring the salad I brought from home to the public park near my office and eat there. I bring my laptop in case something comes up but take a half hour after eating to read on my kindle. I finish my book and am tempted to buy the next in the series, but instead, I’ll just wait for my turn through the public library.
5:00 pm: I would love to work a bit longer but have hit a wall and am useless. I go downstairs and do a 30-minute ride on the office gym peloton and then do a pretty basic core routine. Despite exercising a lot, I’m pretty weak and lack a ton of core strength so these cross-training sessions are important. I used to do a lot of studio fitness but found the energy to not be my vibe and many instructors to be rude and dismissive.
6:00 pm: As I’m heading out, I run into a friend who is also leaving his office. I haven’t seen him in a while and it's a great surprise! He lives close to my neighborhood so we walk together.
6:30 pm: I shower because I’m meeting some friends at a drag show tonight. I’m exhausted and want to skip. I make some eggs and then go take a nap.
9:00 pm: I take the bus over to the bar and meet my friends. There aren’t a ton of women there but it’s a nice vibe. My friend buys me a drink since he knows how hard it was for me to commit to late-night plans, and also has a ton of singles so we can tip the queens. I run into a woman whom I’ve seen before, and she asks if we want to get coffee. I get the impression that she wants to be friends (lesbian problems!!!).
11:00 pm: I mooch on my friend's uber and walk home. I text my friend's boyfriend to split the Uber but he said don’t worry about it.
Day 4 Friday
8:00 am: I sleep in after a later night. I take a shower and get ready for work. I wear the wrong jacket and am freezing. I enter the office and raid the shared fridge for yogurt and fruit.
1:00 pm: I’m only working a half day today because of some comp time I need to use up from last week. Normally I wouldn’t go into the office on a Friday but they are doing construction outside of my apartment and I know I would focus better outside of my home. The return to the office is completely voluntary and I prefer going in to working from home. At the same time, I would be pissed if my employer mandated office days.
2:00 pm: I get lunch at Chipotle ($14.03) before my waxing appointment. I get my eyebrows done next door. ($23 with a $10 tip). It's raining so I take the bus home.
3:30 I get a text from a family canceling a babysitting job for tonight. I'm really bummed but send some feelers out to try to get together with people. I'm thankful I don't depend on babysitting money anymore.
5:00 pm: I walk to a brewery nearby to meet some friends. I get two 5 oz beers and some appetizers for the table to split. My friend brings their mom which is fun. ($37.62). On my way out I got proper dinner to go ($22.07)
Day 5 Saturday
7:30 am: I have some friends running a race so I get up and meet my friends at a designated spot. We have speakers and cheer for everyone for several hours. I buy Starbucks egg bites and a coffee for me and a sandwich and coffee for a friend. I have to refill my app. ($25).
11:30 am: After the race, we meet up with everyone and go grab lunch. Someone else pays for the uber, and my friend's mom generously picks up the tab for lunch.
4:00 pm: I walk home with a friend but we stop at a grocery store so I can buy Rice Krispies, food coloring, and marshmallows for a treat I’m bringing to a party later tonight. ($13.36)
5:00 pm: I make the rice crispy treats as well as a bright green margarita for an st Patricks day party. I lie down for a few hours before the party.
8:00 pm: I take the bus over to my friend's house. I realize I didn’t eat a real dinner but convinced a few people to go in on a pizza. Another friend goes and picks it up. ($6 for my portion). I end up staying longer than planned and take an uber home. ($14.20)
Day 6 Sunday
9:30 am: A little hungover. I make breakfast and coffee but go back to bed.
2:00 pm: I finally decide it's time to be a real person. I get up and take the train uptown to the public pool.
4:00 pm: I swim for an hour and then head out. On my way to the train station, I get a tea ($4.26) which is objectively overpriced and ridiculous but hot herbal tea on a cold Sunday just hits.
5:00 There is some maintenance on the train and I have to wait for a shuttle or bus back to my place. I’m going out of town early this week and decide I’m not meal-prepping or cooking just for one day. There is a chipotle near the train station. As I’m walking over, I stopped by a woman asking for change. I have no cash but offer to buy her dinner. She gets a large sandwich combo ($23.11). She says that she is $20 short of a hotel room and asks if I can get money out of an ATM for her. I go to CVS where I also buy her shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and deodorant. ($19.11) My card isn’t working with the ATM. I try to see if I can add my debit card to my apple wallet so I can get cash back from CVS for buying gum ($1.97) but it doesn’t work. I end up getting a $50 visa gift card. ($56.95 with activation fee). She is upset I wasn’t able to give her cash and yells at me. I hand over the stuff but just feel weird about the situation and our interaction.
6:00 pm: I ended up missing the bus and have to go a bit further than intended. I still haven’t grabbed dinner yet (rip my chipotle plans) and grab a salad from a generic fast-casual place. ($13.51)
8:00 pm: When my roommate comes home I debrief on the situation at the train station but tell him I bought a woman dinner- not that I also spent $70 at CVS. He said that he and several friends have seen that woman before and that she has the story for everyone. I hope my $50 helps her nonetheless.
10:00 pm: I download a new book from the library and fall asleep.
Day 7 Monday
5:30 am: I get up, pack my stuff for the whole day, and go and work out. I bike to the pool and get ready for work there.
8:00 am: I’m OOO for the rest of the week and am under a big crunch to get everything done. I get to work early and settle in with provided breakfast.
12:30 pm: I was in back-to-back meetings this morning but need to run an errand across town. Normally I would bike but I uber so I can work from the backseat. ($12.38) I pick up birthday cupcakes for a friend (someone else paid for them) and then hail an uber back to the office. ($8.94). On my way in I Sweetgreen but am able to expense because of a particular meeting I was in.
6:00 pm: My friend and I take the train uptown for a friend's birthday party. I get one beer ($11.54 with tip) but the rest of the food and drink were covered by my friend's parents.
10:00 pm: My friends and I take the train back and I grab a bike to make it the rest of the way.
Weekly total: $383.69
Reflections:
This felt like a very typical week of spending for me. I try to follow the 50/30/20 rule, but proportional to my income my rent is pretty low- so I don’t mind spending money especially to be social and in the company with others. It may not feel like it from this diary, but the (ongoing) pandemic was (and is) disruptive to my life/routines and I have had a really hard time getting out of the house for a while. I’m glad that is no longer the case.
A few months ago I think this spending would have come as a shock but I downloaded MINT at the beginning of the year and am now way more on top of my spending. Lifestyle creep is so real, and I feel it. So I’m doing as much as possible to live a full and well-balanced life within my means.
I constantly am confronted with things I want to buy but the more I learn about values-based spending (Her First 100k on Instagram) I realize that these items won't get me closer to the things that make me happy. To me those are my hobbies, traveling, and spending time with friends. My mom has never bought a name-brand thing full-price in her life, and I know that I've been influenced by others to love and want name-brand things. I'm proud anytime I resist the impulse to get something, especially if it is an item that many other people have.
Edit to add:
I know my salary is ridiculous — especially for the field and my age. Tbh, I was just lucky I found an org with a great culture+benefits+work life balance. I definitely operate from a scarcity mindset around money. There were many times in college when I had less than $20 to my name. It feels good to not be there anymore.
2023.03.26 21:17 SouthNagsHead Feds say Alex Murdaugh's financial fraud testimony doesn't merit a retrial for Russell Laffitte
 | Post & Courier - submitted by SouthNagsHead to MurdaughFamilyMurders [link] [comments] https://www.postandcourier.com/murdaugh-updates/feds-say-alex-murdaugh-testimony-not-credible-enough-to-justify-russell-laffitte-retrial/article_a513fa12-c99a-11ed-8a87-0f3a2e61acab.html https://preview.redd.it/lg7dfu0bv4qa1.png?width=1742&format=png&auto=webp&s=8d67020d898154dc7758c41e8b7ccc509e90774d Convicted murderer and former attorney Alex Murdaugh’s testimony that he didn’t work with ex-banker Russell Laffitte to steal from law clients isn’t credible enough to warrant a new trial for Laffitte, prosecutors argued March 23. Laffitte, the former chief executive of Hampton-based Palmetto State Bank, was accused of helping Murdaugh steal millions from his clients, using his dual roles as bank executive and a court-appointed custodian of client funds to divert their money. A jury convicted Laffitte on six federal charges in November, including bank fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy. He is the only person so far to be charged with a federal crime in connection with Murdaugh’s downfall from well-respected attorney to convicted murderer and alleged conman. Laffitte has twice requested a new trial. First, he argued that holdout jurors were unfairly replaced after hours of verdict deliberations; U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel rejected that effort, determining their removal was justified because they complained of medical issues and severe anxiety. Now, Laffitte contends a retrial is justified because Murdaugh testified at his murder trial that he acted alone in stealing from clients. When Murdaugh took the stand last month to defend against charges that he killed his wife Maggie and son, Paul, he said he didn’t conspire with Laffitte. Murdaugh, 54, said only he knew about the scheme he was running. Laffitte testified at his November trial that he merely followed Murdaugh’s instructions when he moved client funds to his benefit. Laffitte said he didn’t know that Murdaugh was stealing from them. Murdaugh refused to testify at Laffitte’s trial, invoking his right against self-incrimination. But federal prosecutors argue Murdaugh’s after-the-fact testimony doesn’t hold water. They contend documents shown at Laffitte’s trial undermine Murdaugh’s statements, and they say the numerous lies Murdaugh admitted to on the stand render his testimony untrustworthy. “It is difficult to imagine the defendant relying on a less credible witness to support his claim for a new trial,” prosecutors wrote before citing no fewer than 30 instances in which Murdaugh admitted lying to clients, family members, friends, law partners, employees and police. After a six-week trial, Murdaugh was convicted earlier this month of fatally shooting his 52-year-old wife and son, 22, at the family’s Colleton County hunting estate in June 2021. He was sentenced to life in prison for the two murders but is still scheduled to stand trial in connection with nearly 100 financial crimes and other offenses. Laffitte’s new defense attorney, Mark Moore, declined to comment on the government’s response to his motion for a new trial. Laffitte remains free on bail while awaiting sentencing in his case. Gergel has yet to rule on Laffitte’s second request. A rejection would likely set up an appeal of his guilty conviction to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. |
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A "direct deposit" means that they want you to deposit the money right from payroll, Social Security, or other direct payment.
https://accounts.chase.com/raf/share/2479514579
The app will ask you to open a paid account, but you can simply open a "beginner" account for $1 a month, and then close your account after 1 month after you get your $20 bonus.
https://get.stash.com/raymond_4603g9q
This credit union services the SoCal area, but anyone nationwide can sign up if you follow the steps detailed here. People are normally required to make a donation to a local charity to qualify for a local credit union bank account when they don't live in the area, but SkyOne will actually pay for a donation to the "Surfrider Foundation" themselves because they want everyone on the US to be eligible! In other words, you don't have to spend a dime! Simply click ("None of the above? We've got you! SkyOne will make a one-time donation to one of the following non-profits") on the eligibility page when signing up.
https://refer.skyone.org/amadeoruiu3
Available globally, not just the US. This bonus posts VERY quickly, within a day or two.
https://gemini.com/share/rllzke26
Available globally, not just the US. This bonus posts within a week from my personal experience, though you can liquidate your crypto position right away.
https://www.okcoin.com/join?channelId=600036282
Make sure you have another cryptocurrency site from which you can transfer bitcoin directly to this one from. For example, I used coinbase to deposit my $100 worth of bitcoin. It's a wallet, so you cannot deposit cash directly, has to be crypto deposited from an exchange.
https://nexo.io/ref/dz0do1j9qw?src=ios-link
https://www.coinbase.com/join/ruiu_8
You need to apply for their "Ruby Steel" debit card when applying, its a 0 risk debit card, no credit impact, no fees. Combo's well with the Celsius promo if you need a platform to send cryptocurrency from, and you can send the $25 bonus crypto to Celsius instantly.
Available globally, not just the US.
Keep in mind that the $30 bonus needs to "stake" for 180 days, meaning you need to wait until that period ends to then withdraw your initial deposit + the bonus. You can keep your $50 invested in something safe like stablecoin in the meantime if you would like to play it safe.
https://app.cakedefi.com?ref=620154
All you have to do is sign up for a Chase Freedom Unlimited or Freedom Flex credit card using my referral link, spend $500 within the first 3 months, and then get your $200! You can cancel the card at any time with no fees or penalties.
https://www.referyourchasecard.com/18a/30DKK85I9J
All you have to do is sign up for a Discover IT credit card using my referral link, make ANY purchase using it within the first 3 months, and then get your $100! You can cancel the card at any time fee free.
https://refer.discover.com/s/hhti4m
The card has 2% cashback on all purchases, and zero fees to speak of.
https://www.sofi.com/invite/credit-card?gcp=eb96503a-2291-4343-9d2c-978e16e48dc3&isAliasGcp=false
You should research the pros and cons of student loan refinancing before you consider this option. You can lower your interest rate, but lose some benefits from the federal government backing, for example with student loan forgiveness.
Whether this is worth it to you will depend on individual circumstances.
Personal Loan: https://www.sofi.com/invite/personal-loans/?gcp=bf4f78eb-3e5a-4419-b72c
Student Loan Refinance: https://www.sofi.com/invite/student-loans/?gcp=183a665b-be7a-45ac-9d5f
They also give a $2 bonus for signing up using a referral code (open this link from your phone).
https://fetchrewards.onelink.me/vvv3/referraltext?code=JU1GW
https://www.raise.com/raise-rewards/AMADEO0427
Thank you for checking out my referral post! As you can probably tell, I spend a lot of time searching the web for referral offers. If you would like, feel free to sign up for my mailing list and I will send new referrals that I come across directly to your inbox.
https://mailchi.mp/c52908afbf15/moneywhisperers-latest-finance-tips-latest-finds
I've also put together a small blog with finance tips and tricks I've learned over the years. If you're potentially interested, here's a link to it.
https://www.youngmoneywhisperer.com/home
submitted by CleoraMaltby to ReferralCodesForUSA [link] [comments]
I frequently search the web for the latest and greatest referral opportunities, and this is an up-to-date list I'm maintaining that details the best offers around right now! There are more than $9100 worth of offers on this page.
Please feel free to leave comments with any thoughts/questions! Strike, CakeDeFi, Gemini, Crypto dot com, and OKCoin, are worldwide offers, the rest are US only.
Stock Trading Apps/Websites
- SoFi Invest: $25 for just a $10 deposit from any source.
- Webull: 2 free stocks ($3-$300 value for each) just for opening an account, and 10 more ($7-$3000 each) for depositing $100. One of the highest rated brokerage apps on the iOS & Android app stores!
- Public: 1 free stock (worth $3 to $70) for opening an account and depositing $20.
- Robinhood: 1 free stock worth $5- $200 for opening an account. No deposit required.
- Moomoo: 1 free stock (worth $3-$2000) just for opening an account, 4 more stocks (also worth $3-$2000 each) for depositing $100.
- Acorns: $5 for $5 deposit from any source (additional steps required, please see below details).
Banking Apps/Websites
- SoFi Money: $25 for signing up for a free SoFi Checking & Savings account and fund it with $10 within 5 days.
- Chime: BONUS IMPROVED! $100 for $200 direct deposit (easy to meet terms even without a real direct deposit, read my details section below for more info)
- Chase Bank: $225 for opening a checking account and doing a $500 direct deposit. Credits quickly!
- Stash: $20 for $5 deposit from any source.
- SkyOne: $50 for opening an account and keeping the account open for 30 days. (additional steps required, please see below details).
Cryptocurrency Apps/Websites
- Gemini: Free $10 worth of Bitcoin for trading $100. Available globally, not just the US.
- OKCoin: Free $50 worth of Bitcoin for trading $100. Also available globally, not just the US.
- Nexo: Free $25 worth of Bitcoin for trading $100.
- Coinbase: Free $10 worth of Bitcoin for trading $100.
- Crypto.com: Free $25 for "staking" (buying and holding) $400 worth of CRO for 6 months. (enter referral code 66v69rwt76 if not pre-filled) Available globally, not just the US.
- Cake DeFi: Free $30 worth of "DFI tokens" for transferring in $50 worth of crypto. Needs to "stake" for 180 days, read the details section for more information.
Credit Cards
- Chase Freedom or Flex: Free $200 for signing up for a Chase Freedom Unlimited or Freedom Flex credit card and spending $500 within 3 months. Easy to meet spending terms simply by doing something like buying an Amazon gift card, buying a visa gift card, etc.
- Discover IT: Free $100 for signing up for a Discover IT credit card and making ANY purchase within 3 months (even $1).
- SoFi Credit Card: 2% cashback on all purchases, zero fees, and $50 just for getting approved (No purchase necessary!).
Other Offers
- SoFi Loans: Free $300 for signing up for a personal or student loan
- Personal Loan: https://www.sofi.com/invite/personal-loans/?gcp=bf4f78eb-3e5a-4419-b72c
- Student Loan Refinance: https://www.sofi.com/invite/student-loans/?gcp=183a665b-be7a-45ac-9d5f
- Fetch Rewards: Receipt scanner app, rewards you 5 cents for each receipt you scan from most major chain stores. $2 bonus for using a referral link and scanning your first receipt (open this link from your phone).
- Raise: Free $5 credit towards your first gift card if you sign up using a referral code, you can get an extra $5 off your first gift card purchase. I used it to buy a $10 Uber gift card, combined with their 2% discount, I only paid $4.80 for a $10 gift card!
--Details on each offer below--
Stock Trading Apps/Websites-
SoFi Invest
SoFi gives $25 to anyone who signs up for a SoFi Invest account via a referral link and deposits $10. This offer stacks with the SoFi Money $25 offer, so you can do both!https://www.sofi.com/invite/invest?gcp=aa28f0c8-e45b-4234-b4d5-2e18c9502ca0&isAliasGcp=false
Webull
Webull is a commission free stock trading platform/app which is giving out 2 free stocks (each worth $3-$300) just for opening an account, and 4-10 (worth $7-$3000 each) for depositing $100. That's a MINIMUM of $76 in free stock!Webull is available on iOS and Android, or you can use their website.
Referral Link- https://www.webull.com/activity?inviteCode=bmoZzGm96gil&inviteSource=wb_inf
Public
Public is another commission free stock trading app which gives you 1 stock worth $3 to $300 guaranteed for opening an account and depositing $20.Available on iOS or Android only.
http://share.public.com/rayruiu
Robinhood
Robinhood is a stock trading platform/app which gives you a free stock (valued $5 - $200) when you open an account via a referral link. No initial deposit is required.Available on iOS and Android, or you can use their website.
https://join.robinhood.com/raymonr374/
Moomoo
Moomoo is a stock trading app offering the following-1 free stock (worth $3-$2000) just for opening an account, 4 more stocks (also worth $3-$2000 each) for depositing $100, and 10 more stocks on top of that (also worth $3-$2000 each) for depositing $2000. You can then sell all these stocks and withdraw fee free. However, you need to leave your deposit in the account for 60 days.
https://j.moomoo.com/00izLk
Acorns
Acorns is an online investing app (iOS or Android) which is offering a free $5 bonus for simply opening an account via a referral link, depositing $5, and keeping the money in the account until the 15th of the following month. You can then withdraw the money and close the account, fee free!If you keep the account longer, they may charge you a $3 fee, so be sure to close it after the 15th on the following month from when you signed up.
Acorns is available on iOS and Android, or you can use their website.
https://www.acorns.com/invite/TLBCPD/
Banking Apps/Websites-
SoFi Money
SoFi is a bank/app that give out $25 for anyone who signs up for a SoFi Money (bank) account using a referral code and deposits $10 from any source. So all you have to do is open an account with a referral link, deposit $10, and then instantly collect the bonus and then take it all back after a couple days if you wishYou can close the account at any time with no fees-
https://www.sofi.com/invite/money?gcp=71c308c5-a3ae-4191-804f-7d301ac74caf&isAliasGcp=false
Chime
Chime is a bank/app which pays you a $100 bonus for opening an account via a referral code and making a $200 direct deposit. There are no catches, and you can close the account at any time fee free as soon as you register their debit card (gotta wait a few days to get it in the mail).A "direct deposit" technically means that they want you to deposit the money right from payroll, Social Security, or other direct payment, but you can actually meet this requirement simply by transferring in $500 from virtually any source including bank accounts, Cash App, PayPal, etc.
https://chime.com/raymondruiu
Chase Bank
Chase Bank is offering $200 for opening a checking account with a referral code and making a $500 direct deposit. Can easily get around direct deposit requirement. Credits within a few days of meeting requirements.A "direct deposit" means that they want you to deposit the money right from payroll, Social Security, or other direct payment.
https://accounts.chase.com/raf/share/2479514579
Stash
Stash is a finance app that gives out $20 for anyone who signs up for the Stash (bank) or Stash Invest account via my referral link and deposits at least $5 from any source (payroll, another bank account, PayPal, etc.) So all you have to do is open an account with a referral link, deposit $5, and then the bonus will post to your account!The app will ask you to open a paid account, but you can simply open a "beginner" account for $1 a month, and then close your account after 1 month after you get your $20 bonus.
https://get.stash.com/raymond_4603g9q
SkyOne
SkyOne is a credit union which will pay you a $25 bonus for opening a checking account with a referral link, making a $5 opening deposit, and keeping your account open for at least 30 days.This credit union services the SoCal area, but anyone nationwide can sign up if you follow the steps detailed here. People are normally required to make a donation to a local charity to qualify for a local credit union bank account when they don't live in the area, but SkyOne will actually pay for a donation to the "Surfrider Foundation" themselves because they want everyone on the US to be eligible! In other words, you don't have to spend a dime! Simply click ("None of the above? We've got you! SkyOne will make a one-time donation to one of the following non-profits") on the eligibility page when signing up.
https://refer.skyone.org/amadeoruiu3
Cryptocurrency Apps/Websites-
Gemini
Gemini is a cryptocurrency trading app/website which will give you $10 worth of bitcoin for signing up using a referral link and buying/selling $100 worth of cryptocurrency.Available globally, not just the US. This bonus posts VERY quickly, within a day or two.
https://gemini.com/share/rllzke26
OKCoin
OKCoin is a cryptocurrency trading app/website which will give you $10 worth of bitcoin for signing up using a referral link and buying/selling $100 worth of cryptocurrency.Available globally, not just the US. This bonus posts within a week from my personal experience, though you can liquidate your crypto position right away.
https://www.okcoin.com/join?channelId=600036282
Nexo
Nexo is a cryptocurrency trading wallet which will give you $25 worth of bitcoin for signing up using a referral link and depositing $100 worth of crypto on their app.Make sure you have another cryptocurrency site from which you can transfer bitcoin directly to this one from. For example, I used coinbase to deposit my $100 worth of bitcoin. It's a wallet, so you cannot deposit cash directly, has to be crypto deposited from an exchange.
https://nexo.io/ref/dz0do1j9qw?src=ios-link
Coinbase
Coinbase is a cryptocurrency trading platform which will pay you $10 in free bitcoin for trading $100 on the platform!https://www.coinbase.com/join/ruiu_8
Crypto.com
Crypto.com is a cryptocurrency investing platform which will give you $25 for signing up using a referral link, and "staking" (aka, buying and holding) $400 worth of CRO (their own cryptocurrency) for 6 months.You need to apply for their "Ruby Steel" debit card when applying, its a 0 risk debit card, no credit impact, no fees. Combo's well with the Celsius promo if you need a platform to send cryptocurrency from, and you can send the $25 bonus crypto to Celsius instantly.
Available globally, not just the US.
- (enter referral code 66v69rwt76 if not pre-filled)
Cake DeFi
Cake DeFi is a cryptocurrency investing platform that will give you $30 worth of their DFI cryptocurrency for opening an account using a referral code and transferring in $50 worth of any other cryptocurrency.Keep in mind that the $30 bonus needs to "stake" for 180 days, meaning you need to wait until that period ends to then withdraw your initial deposit + the bonus. You can keep your $50 invested in something safe like stablecoin in the meantime if you would like to play it safe.
https://app.cakedefi.com?ref=620154
Credit Cards-
Chase Freedom
Chase will pay you $200 for signing up for a Chase Freedom Unlimited or Freedom Flex credit card with a referral link and spending $500 it within the first 3 months. This is one of the best credit card bonuses in the industry!All you have to do is sign up for a Chase Freedom Unlimited or Freedom Flex credit card using my referral link, spend $500 within the first 3 months, and then get your $200! You can cancel the card at any time with no fees or penalties.
https://www.referyourchasecard.com/18a/30DKK85I9J
Discover IT
Discover will pay you $100 for signing up for a Discover IT credit card with a referral link and making ANY purchase using it within the first 3 months. This is one of the easiest credit card bonuses in the industry!All you have to do is sign up for a Discover IT credit card using my referral link, make ANY purchase using it within the first 3 months, and then get your $100! You can cancel the card at any time fee free.
https://refer.discover.com/s/hhti4m
SoFi Credit Card
SoFi will pay you $50 worth of reward points (which you can redeem for $50 cash to any other SoFi product, or $25 directly as a statement credit against the credit card).The card has 2% cashback on all purchases, and zero fees to speak of.
https://www.sofi.com/invite/credit-card?gcp=eb96503a-2291-4343-9d2c-978e16e48dc3&isAliasGcp=false
Other Offers-
SoFi Loans
SoFi Loans is offering a free $300 for opening a personal loan or student loan refinance.You should research the pros and cons of student loan refinancing before you consider this option. You can lower your interest rate, but lose some benefits from the federal government backing, for example with student loan forgiveness.
Whether this is worth it to you will depend on individual circumstances.
Personal Loan: https://www.sofi.com/invite/personal-loans/?gcp=bf4f78eb-3e5a-4419-b72c
Student Loan Refinance: https://www.sofi.com/invite/student-loans/?gcp=183a665b-be7a-45ac-9d5f
Fetch
Fetch Rewards pays roughly 5 to 10 cents (7.5 cents on average) for most receipt scanned. Accepts e-receipts if you connect your email/Amazon. Can scan up to 28 receipts in any given 7 day period. $3 minimum payout.They also give a $2 bonus for signing up using a referral code (open this link from your phone).
https://fetchrewards.onelink.me/vvv3/referraltext?code=JU1GW
Raise
Raise is a discount gift card website, that offers a $5 credit towards your first gift card if you sign up using a referral code. They have gift cards like Amazon or Uber on their site, so its pretty easy to find something you would have needed anyway.https://www.raise.com/raise-rewards/AMADEO0427
Thank you for checking out my referral post! As you can probably tell, I spend a lot of time searching the web for referral offers. If you would like, feel free to sign up for my mailing list and I will send new referrals that I come across directly to your inbox.
https://mailchi.mp/c52908afbf15/moneywhisperers-latest-finance-tips-latest-finds
I've also put together a small blog with finance tips and tricks I've learned over the years. If you're potentially interested, here's a link to it.
https://www.youngmoneywhisperer.com/home
2023.03.26 20:17 Bacon337 I lost my boyfriend in Washington DC. What do I do??
It’s a little bit complicated, so here is the situation. My boyfriend and I drove 2 hours down to DC to see the cherry blossom festival. Once we got here, we drove around for an hour looking for a parking garage that wasn’t full. We eventually found one and it was a federal building. I have a keychain with pepper spray, so I wasn’t allowed to park inside with him. I was told to wait by the fountain outside, and there is an exit right by the fountain that I have been keeping an eye on. It’s been an hour and he still hasn’t come out. His phone is dead, he has bad anxiety driving in the city, and he needed to pee really bad, so I’ve been giving him a lot of time. but I’m starting to become really concerned. He should’ve come out by now and I have no way to contact him. I talked to one of the security guards outside and he said that this exit should be the one he comes out. I can’t go inside and look for him because of my pepper spray, which is connected to my car keys and credit cards. He could possibly be having a really bad anxiety attack, or maybe he peed his pants and is embarrassed to come out. I have no idea what to do. He knows where the fountain is, should I just keep waiting??
submitted by Bacon337 to Advice [link] [comments]
2023.03.26 19:21 PunchmadeCe Cc for sale $20
 | submitted by PunchmadeCe to MoneyMaking [link] [comments] |
2023.03.26 19:10 Express_Ad_6664 A Morphing Universe Chapter 5.1 (Animorphs/Nature of Predators crossover)
Kolshian Homeworld ‘Aafa’, 8th September 2136
Rushing through the corridors of the governance hall, Cilany desperately attempted to keep hold of her data slate. This would be the story of a lifetime! She had originally come to Aafa to report on the planned attack on Earth, once news broke that the humans had survived. That the conquering beasts had superior weaponry, and had clearly amassed a significant fleet, was enough to upset the Federations’ pre-existing plans. Cilany had bluffed her way onto a diplomatic courier in the hopes of getting a front row seat to the summit of Federation leadership.
The news had come mid-flight that the humans had struck Gojid space, along with claims of several races fighting alongside the predators. There was even mention of some ‘Inter-Species Union’. Last Cilany had heard, the Cradle itself was under attack, this latest update coming just as her ship arrived in the Aafa system. She had immediately found an itinerary for the upcoming meetings, and waited for the discussions to begin.
All of her plans, and those of everyone on Aafa, had been turned upside down by the arrival of a human vessel in the system. Appearing two light-hours from Aafa, it had approached in a manner designed to let the Kolshians know it was there. When challenged by the defence fleet, a transmission had come from the gigantic tree-like vessel, broadcast across all channels. It showed a prey creature with dark grey-blue flesh and a short, crushing beak. Nodules and spines of bone protruded from its skin, and it seemed to be comprised of nothing but muscle. Flanking it were a pink-furred creature with a long snout, and a Mazic-like creature with two trunks. Standing a little to the left of the spined creature was Governor Tarva of the Venlil. This had shocked Cilany, as she had assumed that the leader of a conquered species would have either been executed (likely being eaten alive) or enslaved. Most shocking of all, the three unknown species were taller than the woolly leader. The blue-grey beast had spoken, their voice deep and rumbling with occasional hoots.
“Greetings, people of the Federation. I am Clan Lord Ulcalna Zhor-Latt, ambassador of the Covenant of Zhulrin. We are here as diplomatic representatives of the Inter-Species Union, on a mission of peace. We know that there is a summit taking place on this world, in which you plan to make war upon one of our member states, the Federation of Human Systems. It is our intention to find a peaceful alternative. We have brought with us an ambassador of the humans, who will explain to you exactly how this conflict can be avoided. You may attempt to prevent the discharge of our duties, but we will be heard. This is your one and only chance at peace.”
And that was that. The implicit threat conveyed by the mighty warship had prevented the Kolshian forces from engaging, while the apparent prey creature with long pink fur had continued the declaration. This ‘Ambassador Voronsk of the Rishtaln’ had explained that the assembled representatives of the ‘ISU’ would meet with the Federation Council. One would give a speech explaining who they were, the human ambassador would give an account of what was happening in Gojid space, and then they would return to their ship within half an hour. Cilany had heard that the assembled leaders had argued over whether to allow the human to speak, with many siding with Jerulim of the Krakotl and demanding that they blow the human ship out of the sky.
Then the Zurulian representative had pointed out the unpleasant truth: if the humans and their ‘allies’ were denied access, they would likely just bomb Aafa. If their representatives were killed, they would bomb Aafa. If the ‘diplomats’ were allowed to land and they attacked Federation citizens, it would destroy any attempt by the predators to deceive them. And besides, if they let the human talk, there was the possibility of gaining vital information about their plans.
So now, Cilany was rushing to the council chamber to get first-hand footage and live notes of the first act of predatory diplomacy in Federation history. From what she had picked up on the way, the diplomatic entourage had caused quite the stir when they exited their shuttle, though why was not clear. Panting, Cilany arrived at the door to the chamber. The area around the speakers’ podium was filled with Kolshian soldiers, nervously brandishing their weapons. Seating herself in the public gallery, along with maybe six other journalists brave enough to be in the same room as a predator. Surprisingly enough, there were many more ambassadors in the chamber than she would have thought. Cilany had just turned her pad on when the doors to the main podium opened. Into the room strode a veritable menagerie of new species. And at least four were predators.
The first into the room were two large reptilian bipeds, towering over the assembled guards much as the Arxur would. Their bodies were lined with blades, and their taloned digits clutched at their waists, as if reaching for weapons that were not there. They moved to the sides, taking up positions to the left and right of the speakers’ podium. From the position of their eyes, Cilany could see they were prey. The way they had placed themselves suggested they were guards, but why would the humans use prey as security?
Following behind came the rest of the ‘ISU’ representatives. On the left were the three creatures from the original message, and this time Cilany could see the entirety of their bodies. The Rishtaln moved with a sort of loping grace, and Cilany could almost imagine this pink prey creature sinking those wide spatulate nails into the flesh of an attacking predator. There was just something… menacing about how they moved. The grey creature who had identified themselves as ‘Clan Lord Ulcalna’ was larger in person than she had previously thought, their head easily level with that of an Arxur. The bony spines running along their back rose upon entering the chamber, some sort of threat display? Cilany could not think why a prey creature would feel the need to threaten fellow prey. And those arms… they looked capable of breaking a Mazic in half.
Perhaps the most horrifying was the quadruped with the twin trunks. They were surrounded by three bipedal creatures the size of a Venlil, with rust-red feathers and hooked beaks, their forward eyes betraying their predatory nature. Strangely, the beasts seemed to be holding data slates in their clawed hands. The four-legged prey showed no signs of fear or hesitation, seeming almost to swagger as the ambassadors entered the chamber. And the feathered beasts were not the only shocking sight. To the right of the party, a tall predator with purple-grey fur spotted with black and a short muzzle walked in front of a bright yellow creature that reminded Cilany of a Kolshian, save for its pot-belly and four large tentacles where the Kolshians had only two. Bringing up the rear was a tan biped whose long tail ended in a mass of long spines. If the position of its eyes did not make its diet clear, the two long fangs protruding from its lips did.
These seven species surrounded four central figures. Tarva was immediately recognisable, walking right next to the dark-skinned human. How could she be that close to a predator and not be whimpering in terror? The human ‘ambassador’ was tall, with some sort of form-fitting garment obscuring most of its near-black skin. A cloak with what looked like a stylised star-chart printed on it flowed from its back as its binocular eyes swept over the assembled dignitaries. On its left, a blue-furred quadruped with a long, bladed tail followed, their twin stalk eyes mimicking the humans’ predatory gaze. On their right was the tallest biped Cilany had ever seen, standing at least eight feet tall at the shoulder, with its long, branching antlers reaching even higher. Four yellow eyes, two side-mounted, two front-facing, took in the entire chamber as the green-furred creature marched forward. Four long arms extended from its torso, holding claws more terrible than even those of the Arxur. Cilany could only stare in shock at the advancing party. How could the humans have allies, and how were the prey creatures not terrified?
The ‘diplomatic party’ arranged themselves around the podium, as Clan Lord Ulcalna climbed the steps up to where the microphone stood. The spiked blue-grey biped looked out at the crowd of fearful and confused prey, cleared their throat, and then spoke.
“Greetings, representatives of the Galactic Federation. I am Clan Lord Ulcalna Zhor-Latt, representative of Clan Suraln, and ambassador of the Covenant of Zhulrin to the Inter-Species Union. With me are Ambassador Ansur-Telen-Noran of the Andalite Electorate, Visser 19 of the Yeerk Republican Committee, Emissary Elone of the Nimthyl Command, Ambassador Voronsk of the Rishtalishk Congress, Designate Harri Walln of the Manper Imperium, Speaker Zon-Das-Rop of the United Kelvar Sapients and his aides, councillor Roshanat of the Leeran Shoal, and Captain Williams of the FHS. First contact between our two interstellar coalitions has led to bloodshed, and it is our hope that by explaining who we are and where we come from, we may prevent further death”.
Cilany began taking notes as the Federation ambassadors looked on in trepidation. One new predator species they could understand, but one with the support of several other species was unimaginable. Even if the new prey species were slaves or thralls, it still gave the humans greater resources and numbers than previously thought. And it certainly does not explain the other predators…
“The Inter-Species Union is an intergovernmental organisation consisting of nineteen full members and seven associate members. There are also twenty-three species with whom we have close diplomatic ties, and thirteen species within our combined territory whom we have no formal contact.”
As the ‘Clan Lord’ inserted a data-storage of some kind into the view screen, Cilany considered what the Federation had just learned. There was another multi-species body in the galaxy, smaller but still highly advanced, if the reports from Gojid space were anything to go by. Most worrying of all, it included several predatory species. While the flesh eaters likely dominated their prey members, the sharing of power between them had… concerning implications.
An image appeared on the screen and Cilany’s heart stopped. There were at least twenty different species in the image, which appeared to be some sort of social gathering or reception. At least six were obvious predators, and there were some, such as a long insectoid with four stalk-eyes, which gave Cilany a sinking feeling in her stomach.
“The Union was formed approximately one-hundred and thirty years ago, with five founding members: the Andalites, humans, Yeerks, Hork-Bajir, and Taxxons. My own species joined fifteen years later, the ninth to do so. It was envisioned as a peace-keeping force, as well as a platform for inter-species cooperation. Through the trade of resources and technology, members enjoy security and comfort, with the assistance of other species in the improvement of their infrastructure and completion of large projects. To say nothing of cultural enrichment and the exchange of luxury goods.”
Now that got Cilanys’ attention. The humans were not only members of a multi-species alliance, but were founding members? How had that happened, given the anti-social tendencies of predators? And why had prey creatures allied with them in the first place? Clearly, they were tainted by their proximity to the flesh eaters, especially given the ‘cultural exchange’. The image changed, showing a map of the galaxy. Cilany stared at the two coloured masses filling the majority of the image. One she recognised as Federation space. The other, about one third the size, touched what she could only assume was Venlil space. This group of predators and their thralls control a significant territory. Striking Earth won’t be enough, the Federation will need to actually go to war with a force equal to a third of itself. And if we need to contend with the Arxur as well…
“Through the efforts of Expeditionary Corps, the ISU have explored and colonised a significant volume of the galaxy, especially given the relatively short time it has existed. But there are dangers in this galaxy, and so each and every member is pledged to support and aid their fellows in a time of war or other crisis. This has allowed for a period of peace that has been more or less interrupted for over a century. In addition to keeping the peace, the Union has dedicated itself to spread life through out its territory. It is thus that we come to the pride of the ISU: its Terraforming Initiative.”
The screen changed once again, displaying two images side by side. One was of a rocky, inhospitable planet, the sort that every system had. The other was of a green and brown world spotted with blue, clearly life-supporting. Cilany looked closer. The stars in the background were the same, and the landmasses of the habitable planet matched formations and high points on the barren one. Did this mean…? Blessed divines!
“The exchange of technologies between member states includes technologies for environmental modification and atmospheric synthesis. The same energies that power our ships and weaponry can be turned towards generating magnetospheres, and other requirements for a world to support life. Through the introduction of specific plant and animal species, we can create ecosystems that maintain what technology began. Thus, every system held by the Union contains at least one inhabited planet with a population of ten million or more.”
Gasps filled the chamber. Cilany herself could think well enough to continue her notes. The ISU modified planets to make them habitable. Such a thing was beyond the Federations’ capabilities. They could maintain their worlds, but it required significant investment, used only for homeworlds and major colonies. And if every one of the Union’s systems was habitable… then their population and industry must be much higher than anyone had thought.
“And with that introduction, I bring us all back to the reason we are here: the recent conflict between the Gojid Union and ourselves. I leave it to the human ambassador to give an account of how this happened, and to lead the efforts in finding a peaceful solution.”
With that, Ulcalna turned and strode from the podium as the human walked up to it, along with Governor Tarva. The predator reached down to adjust the microphone, looked up at the shocked Federation ambassadors, and then spoke.
“I am Noah Williams, designated ambassador of the Federation of Humans Systems. And I come in the hopes of preventing an escalation in the hostilities that have arisen in recent weeks.”
The human paused, as if to consider its words, then continued.
“For eons, humanity looked up at the stars with wonder and hope, creating a thousand thousand different stories and mythologies to explain the majesty of the night sky. As we advanced and learned of the nature of the cosmos, we wondered what the worlds orbiting those distant points of light were like. Was there life out there, were there people on those worlds, were there others like us? Much as we had gazed at the horizon in earlier times, and wondered what peoples and new lands were out there, what adventures awaited us. And then we actually met intelligent life”. The human slowly spread their arms wide, encompassing the nine bizarre species that had accompanied them. Cilany typed frantically, taking down every impression and thought that popped into her head. Here it came, the humans’ boasting of how prey were inferior and needed their guiding hand.
“And despite any physical differences, such as diet and appearance, not to mention cultural values, we found friends. Some species were more aggressive than others, some terrifying, heck, the Yeerks tried to enslave us before we even had interstellar travel.” The human gestured at the massive antlered biped. Cilany took note of that, as everyone else stared in shock. So, the four-eyed creature was a predator after all. But if they had tried to enslave humanity pre-spaceflight, how had the humans won? Suddenly, it hit her. Friends. The human had referred to these other species, including the prey, as friends. Not allies, for that was a relationship of convenience, but friends. Including a species that had tried to enslave them. What in the name of sanity is going on?
“Even through all of that, we helped to form a community of star-faring races, all working together to nurture life in this galaxy and work for the mutual benefit of all. Through the exchange of technology and knowledge, all species thrived. The galactic peace was upheld, the common defence assured, and worlds that had been nothing but barren rock were turned into lush gardens. Imagine our shock, when we came to this region of space, and found a full-blown war in progress.” The human looked straight at Chief Nikonus. It occurred to Cilany that Governor Tarva had likely told the humans who the influential members of the council were. But why look at the unofficial leader of the Federation with… distain?
“A war in which a species of carnivorous reptilians was committing genocide against every other species in the area, even going so far as to keep those species as livestock, like something out of a bad novel. And what is more, the local species were unlikely to accept our aid, simply because of our diet.” That stopped Cilany cold. Had the human really just suggested they would have… helped the Federation? Why? What was more, the human seemed to think of their predatory nature as irrelevant to how species interacted. She immediately began typing. Could it be that the humans thought of the Arxur as a bigger threat than the Federation…?
“But, we thought, no matter. We had established calm, cordial relations with the Venlil, and begun introducing technologies and ways of thinking that would enable them to better assimilate into the wider galactic community. We even began repairing the damage they had done to their ecosystems.” Now that was shocking. Had the humans really shared their powerful technology with the Venlil? The way the human had spoken, it was almost as if they expected that Tarva would discard her peoples’ long history with the Federation to join a group of predators and their ‘allies’. And what was that bit about damaged ecosystems?
“Then suddenly, we discovered that there was a species of warlike brutes, known as the Gojid, right on our doorstep. That the local coalition of species had, apparently, taken one look at our pre-Space Age world and decided to commit genocide, in violation of all civilised standards of behaviour. And the way we found this out is particularly telling.” Cilany saw many of the representatives bristle at the blatant hypocrisy of the predator. For her own part, she was confused. The human had decried warfare and genocide as evil. Yet almost two hundred years ago, they had committed such acts. And given how the human referred to the Gojid as ‘warlike brutes’, and doesn’t seem to empathise with our fear, is it possible that they intend to exterminate them?
“During an Arxur attack on one of the Venlil border stations, a human soldier on secondment to the Venlil garrison, along with his Venlil partner, were separated from the rest of the defending force. They were taken aboard a Gojid ship, and subjected to treatment that violates every code of military ethics held sacred in civilised space. And before you start claiming that I have no proof, Andalite mind-transcription tech really is a marvel.”
The human inserted its own device into the screen and a video appeared. It showed a cage of some sort, and there, standing in the foreground, was Sovlin. A four fingered hand was visible to the right-side and Cilany realised something. This was the view through the eyes of a human.
“Please, I keep telling you, my people came to Venlil Prime in peace! We’re helping them, giving them technology to repair their world, improving their defences. Our allies…”
Sovlin lashed out with a clawed paw and there was a cry of pain. The view abruptly moved.
“Predator lies! You monstrous flesh eaters have enslaved the Venlil! They are now your cattle, and if you think that I will permit your species to blight my people, you truly are insane!”
The image shifted again, suggesting the passage of time. The human seemed to be looking at the floor of its cage.
“Please. I need to eat. Surely there’s something, anything, you can feed me…”
A shock baton appeared momentarily on the screen and there was a horrifying scream.
“Disgusting predator. As if I would feed your degenerate appetite. What kind of beast do you take me for?”
The image cut out. The human ambassador stared up at the horrified Federation members.
“We have more than seven days of similar memories. Beatings. Torture. Starvation. An attempt to rape the Venlil Slaneks’ mind with the Gojids’ hateful ideology. That this Captain Sovlin refused to even feed his prisoner demonstrates the utter depravity of the Gojid military. That Prime Minister Piri did not turn him over to us immediately, or even send a message deploring his actions, but instead began mustering her fleet shows that this taint extends to the entire Gojid culture. It also says something about those species they associate with. Can you truly blame us for punishing the kind of behaviour that would have earned Sovlin the death penalty anywhere in ISU space?”
She saw shock sweep the chamber. The human had just hinted that their species followed some sort of ethical code, defying every piece of evidence on their psychology. Where was this code when they were gassing children? And how could Sovlin have fed his prisoner? There was no flesh aboard their ships, other than the crew. Did the humans expect Sovlin to butcher members of his own crew? Her heart stopped. No one had heard from Sovlin since the war began, if the humans captured him…. Be safe, old friend.
Cilany could see the Ambassador Jerulim was on the verge of exploding in rage at the predators’ words. Chief Nikonus clearly saw it to, as he immediately interjected. “Surely, ambassador, you understand our reluctance to tolerate a predator species on our border, especially given the inherently violent nature of such sapients.” The human ambassador fixed Nikonus with their piercing gaze, causing the Kolshian leader to stop.
“We appreciate that the Arxur have been terrorising you for over a century, but that does not excuse attempting to exterminate every species of carnivorous sapients you find, Chief Nikonus. Not to mention the ecocidal campaign the Gojid Union has been waging since before the Arxur were even an issue”. That last part caught Cilany, and everyone else, off guard. Are they talking about exterminators? But that’s a key aspect of any civilisation. Jerulim finally could not contain himself.
“You dare act as if you are sapient? You are predators, festering tumours of death and pain! No predator is capable of higher intelligence, and the idea that they have any place in the universe is obscene!” Clan Lord Ulcalna snorted in a way that reminded Cilany of a roar, silencing the Krakotl. The human, no longer being heckled, turned to the avian, a fearsome look upon their savage features.
“Ambassador, the disproportionate number of herbivorous sapients in this area of space does not change the fact that the Federation has no right to decide who is and is not considered sapient. And I find it disheartening that the Gojids’ perverse anti-predator ideology has tainted more species.” Disproportionate number…? The implications of that statement occurred to Cilany at roughly the same moment as they did the Farsul Ambassador. High Elder Darq stood, and mustering her courage, asked the same question as Cilany. “W-w-what do you mean, disproportionate?”
The look on the humans’ face was almost…amused. “Ambassador, to the best of my knowledge, approximately three-quarters of all know sapient species consume meat in some form. Of those, about one third eat nothing but meat”. The entire chamber went silent with shock. Surely that was not possible, predators could not make the majority of sapient races. Darq could only splutter at that, and Cilany did not blame her. The Farsul responded. “Then why is the universe not filled with rampaging predators, endlessly hunting for prey? Why are there not a hundred warring races fighting over our worlds, as we cower in fear?”
The human looked at Darq with what Cilany could only call derision. “Because, Ambassador, contrary to your interpretation of the facts, predators are not innately warlike. Despite what the amateurs you call ‘scientists’ may think, violence on the scale you witnessed during your ‘observation’ of Earth is not humanity’s natural state. To put it bluntly, that six-year conflict, which we call World War Two, was the single largest war in our history, and the worst thing we have ever done to ourselves.”
The human swept their predatory gaze across the chamber. “By the standards of human scholarship, the volume of data collected and the degree of actual analysis is inadequate. In a conflict that lasted six years, you have data from maybe a month, if that. There was no attempt to consider an alternative viewpoint, no attempt to even discover what the war was about. You criticise us for killing millions of our own kind, and then treat murdering billions of innocent people as some sort of moral right”.
From her vantage point, Cilany could see Nikonus rallying after the humans’ dismissal of Federation culture. “You speak of civilisation and morality, yet your government refers to itself as collection of smaller entities. It is clear that you are not unified as a species, and as recent events show, you have not yet put aside your warmongering ways.” Cilany agreed with the Kolshians’ words. Still, there was something in the humans’ statement about ‘insufficient analysis’. The way they had spoken of this ‘World War Two’, definitely suggested a more complex narrative than Federation scholars had thought.
Below, the human was issuing a rebuttal of Nikonus’ accusations. “My species is united, Chief Nikonus. However, our history has taught us that the more people a government attempts to control, the greater the strain on that government, causing instability. One must also consider the imperialistic sentiments such large states tend to provoke. Thus, every human colony is in effect a separate polity in itself, being effectively autonomous save for three areas of government: the military, major laws, and colonisation efforts. Each colony elects its’ own ruling body, and that group provides a representative to the Conclave, the ruling body of the FHS Government.”
The human pressed a few buttons on the podium and another video appeared. It seemed to show a view of inter-planetary space with several orbital stations. There were cylindrical structures with some form of outer framework of girders, about five of them, dominating the foreground. For some reason, the inner cylinder seemed to be revolving inside the frame. The backdrop was taken up by what looked to be a large ring of some sort, canted at an angle, the inner edge a blurry mix of blue, green and white. Cilany thought that it may have been spinning, but why… A ship appeared, flying away from the camera towards one of the cylinders. Cilany held her breath. If the ship was about the size of a cruiser, as it likely was given the lack of visible viewports, then those cylinders were more than twenty times the size of any Federation station, save for asteroid bases. And that ring… it was much larger that the cylinders…
“Even with our terraforming technology, ambassadors, there is only so much habitable space a solar system can have. Not to mention the fact that our colonists need somewhere to live while the process is carried out. Thus, for every citizen living on a planet, there are at least three who call one of our space-habitats home. What this means ambassadors, is that even our smallest colonies have populations of nine billion or more. The Sol system, for example, has enough space habitats to house eleven times the population of Earth. Given the administrative strain such populations present, you can understand why we… decentralise our government.”
The sheer scale of the industry needed to create such things, Cilany could not believe it. If this was real, then the humans not only had a higher population than even the most pessimistic projections, but they could turn that construction industry to building warships. Which meant… they’d be able to replace losses faster than the Federation every could.
President Cupo of the Mazic signalled that he wished to speak. Quickly taking a photo of the tan quadruped, Cilany considered the positive optics of someone other than the three founding species speaking. Whatever Cupo said, it helped to signal Federation unity. “So, human, your people are still divided into factions. Are your…allies similarly disunified?” Now that, Cilany thought, was a good question. Surely, if a species was not united within itself, its’ bonds with other species would be fragile. This could allow the Federation to fracture the ISU, if they applied the right pressure.
The human shook their head, possibly signalling negation. “Every species is different, ambassador, and thus each member of the ISU maintains a different form of government. The Andalites, for example, appoint a Prince or Governor to oversee each of their colonies, reporting directly to the Electorate.” They gestured to the blue creature with the bladed tail. “The Andalites were spacefaring more than a thousand years ago. It was they who held the Yeerks at bay, and in many ways were our first alien allies. Also, on a ship-to-ship basis, their military is arguably the most powerful in the Union. It’s their environmental tech and hyperstrong meta-materials, above all else, that allow Union orbital habitats to be as large as they are.”
Many were taken aback by this, Cilany included. Elder Darq spoke out, clearly intrigued by this social dynamic. The alliance between humans and Andalites flew in the face of all accepted scientific understanding of how predators and prey interacted. “But why ally with them in the first place? I would think that your urge to control and dominate would lead you to integrate them into your structure, in a subservient role”. Cilany found herself disagreeing with that sentiment. The human had spoken of a community of species, and had suggested that the conquering practices of their past were considered immoral by the current leadership. Could it be, she thought, that the humans have put their baser urges behind them?
The human seemed almost offended by Darqs’ words. “Because, Ambassador Darq, we are not conquerors. And attempting to rule them would be pointless, because they are not the same species of us. Their psychology and biological imperatives are very different. What is necessary for one species could even be harmful for another. We have found that interfering in the development and culture of other species, trying to shape them into something they are not, always leads to instability and bloodshed. Every species has the right to self-determination. Those thirteen species with whom we have no contact are not advanced enough to interact with without causing massive societal disruption. Ultimately, every species must develop its’ own way of doing things. We can supply guidance and technology, but direct intervention in the affairs of another species is wrong.”
It was then that Jerulim let loose yet another of his outbursts. “You decry direct intervention as immoral, but what are you doing to the Gojid?! Are you not occupying their worlds, are you not even now butchering them, and using other prey species to do it?” The Krakotl spread his wings, as if daring the human to contradict him. “All of this is beside the point! All this discussion of human politics and history is meaningless! What matters is that these predators have attacked a member of the Federation, without provocation, and are even now slaughtering the Gojid as they do their own people!”
The human sighed, looking around at the Federation ambassadors, while their fellow diplomats gave the Krakotl what could only be looks of disapproval. Cilany had just finished taking note of Jerulims’ hysterical speech, when the human gave their reply. “We have only acted in defence of ourselves and the preservation of galactic order, and even then, we have used the minimum degree of force necessary. The Gojid plotted to attack us, we simply struck first”. Jerulim was not done. Cilany started wondering exactly how he had become an ambassador in the first place. “If that was the case, you would have simply struck the military bases. But no, you invaded their colonies and their homeworld. You have not risen above the conquering ways of your past”.
Cilany could see that the human was growing more and more agitated. Is it going to attack? “If that is the case, then why have we not eradicated the Gojid? It really would not have been all that difficult, given the forces we can bring to bear”. Jerulim sneered. “I would think that was obvious. You want to take cattle, to feed your aberrant appetites, to gain new tastes of flesh. The other prey species you have met are too strong for you to conquer, so you thought you could take the Gojid as livestock!”
There was a long pause. Then the human looked straight at Jerulim. Now that is a sign of predatory dominance if I ever saw one, Cilany thought. “I see. You are assuming that we are like the Arxur. Well, let me explain something to you, primitive. The eating of fellow sapients is one of the greatest taboos in human culture, going back to before our first cities. Even the token data you collected during the darkest time in our history should show you that. And on that subject, I find the Federations’ condemning humanity over a single pre-space conflict to be hypocritical. All species go through such times before developing interstellar travel. Only those uplifted before such a stage in their development continue such behaviour, as they have not had the opportunity to learn from their mistakes.”
Again, the human had returned to the subject of this World War. Clearly, it had been a complicated situation, with nuances which the humans believed had not been appreciated by the Federation. Still, what could possibly lead them to think all species committed such horrors, or that uplifts are more likely to do so?
“As for ‘new tastes’, Earth is one of the most biologically diverse planets in known space. We have enough variety from her alone, not to mention the foods available through interstellar trade. Those members of the ISU who are herbivores, ‘prey’ as you so crudely put it, do not share your unreasoning fear of predators, and so have no problem with us feeding off animals they do not utilise. So, if we did decide to utterly destroy the Gojid, there would be no need to take prisoners or round up the civilians. We would not even need to deploy troops to the surface. We could simply atomise their cities from orbit, unleash bioweapons, or just, well, blow up the planet”.
Cilany heard the gasps of every ambassador in the chamber. Blow up a planet? The power required for such a thing, an entire glassing fleet didn’t have that much firepower. Nikonus broke the stunned silence. “That joke is not funny, ambassador. To suggest annihilating an entire habitable planet…” The humans’ gaze shifted. “On the contrary, Chief Nikonus, I am not joking. Or lying. The primary weapons of the most powerful warships we have, fired at full power, could crack the crust of the Cradle like glass, and that is if the atmosphere didn’t simply ignite.”
There was a stunned silence at that. Cilany quickly began taking down her thoughts at these unpleasant revelations. The humans have either overcome their base hungers or otherwise have discarded us as cattle for practical reasons. This means they have no need to take captives, save out of some form of rudimentary compassion… Their prey allies lack any instinctual fear of predators, suggesting high aggression: possible similarities in culture allowing humans to overlook their diet… Human weapons not being used at full power, implying that they do indeed exhibit restraint: why do so if the Gojid wanted to exterminate them…? The human looked around the chamber. They seemed exasperated, as if there was something the Federation did not understand.
“What I do not understand, ambassadors, is why you expect the Gojid to receive special treatment. Regardless of what ecological role their pre-sapient ancestors had, all space-faring species must be held to the same standards. And quite frankly, their behaviour illustrates why uplifting species, as the Gojid likely were, is wrong. Giving a culture that is still going through its savage phase advanced technology, before it has had the opportunity to work through its aggression as we did, can only lead to destruction. From our perspective, the situation is fairly simple: The Gojid attempted to exterminate a sentient species. Thus, they must be disciplined. The fact that we were the species they attempted to murder doesn’t really affect matters, other than shortening the debate over what to do about it.”
Cilany saw Nikonus stand once more, the Kolshian clearly agitated. That was understandable, the human had been hurling criticism at the guiding tenants of civilised life for the entire meeting. “What do you mean, it shortened the debate, ambassador? Surely the mere presence of an… aggressive species would demand prompt action.”
Once again, the human appeared exasperated. “What I mean, Chief Nikonus, is that usually there would be an extended period of discussion within the Conclave, and of course the leaders of the wider ISU. Arguments would be put forward for and against military intervention, the chances of establishing peaceful diplomatic relations with the government in question, whether there is a danger of falling into the trap of imperialism. No one wants a war if it can be avoided. But the Gojid’s savagery made everything much simpler. They made their murderous intentions clear, and Captain Sovlin’s actions demonstrated that any diplomats sent to seek a peaceful solution would be tortured to death. Which really only left one option: render the uncivilised brutes incapable of harming anyone. Our allies offered us military aid, thus allowing us to maintain our pre-existing commitments in other sectors of space, and here we are”.
Cilany paused to consider that. The humans would not have attacked the Gojid if they had not felt threatened. For a species as aggressive as them, there was only really one response to the apparent threat: eliminate that threat. Really, it was a sign of their restraint that they had not glassed the Cradle out of hand. That was when she heard it.
“Bullshit!”
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Rushing through the corridors of the governance hall, Cilany desperately attempted to keep hold of her data slate. This would be the story of a lifetime! She had originally come to Aafa to report on the planned attack on Earth, once news broke that the humans had survived. That the conquering beasts had superior weaponry, and had clearly amassed a significant fleet, was enough to upset the Federations’ pre-existing plans. Cilany had bluffed her way onto a diplomatic courier in the hopes of getting a front row seat to the summit of Federation leadership.
The news had come mid-flight that the humans had struck Gojid space, along with claims of several races fighting alongside the predators. There was even mention of some ‘Inter-Species Union’. Last Cilany had heard, the Cradle itself was under attack, this latest update coming just as her ship arrived in the Aafa system. She had immediately found an itinerary for the upcoming meetings, and waited for the discussions to begin.
All of her plans, and those of everyone on Aafa, had been turned upside down by the arrival of a human vessel in the system. Appearing two light-hours from Aafa, it had approached in a manner designed to let the Kolshians know it was there. When challenged by the defence fleet, a transmission had come from the gigantic tree-like vessel, broadcast across all channels. It showed a prey creature with dark grey-blue flesh and a short, crushing beak. Nodules and spines of bone protruded from its skin, and it seemed to be comprised of nothing but muscle. Flanking it were a pink-furred creature with a long snout, and a Mazic-like creature with two trunks. Standing a little to the left of the spined creature was Governor Tarva of the Venlil. This had shocked Cilany, as she had assumed that the leader of a conquered species would have either been executed (likely being eaten alive) or enslaved. Most shocking of all, the three unknown species were taller than the woolly leader. The blue-grey beast had spoken, their voice deep and rumbling with occasional hoots.
“Greetings, people of the Federation. I am Clan Lord Ulcalna Zhor-Latt, ambassador of the Covenant of Zhulrin. We are here as diplomatic representatives of the Inter-Species Union, on a mission of peace. We know that there is a summit taking place on this world, in which you plan to make war upon one of our member states, the Federation of Human Systems. It is our intention to find a peaceful alternative. We have brought with us an ambassador of the humans, who will explain to you exactly how this conflict can be avoided. You may attempt to prevent the discharge of our duties, but we will be heard. This is your one and only chance at peace.”
And that was that. The implicit threat conveyed by the mighty warship had prevented the Kolshian forces from engaging, while the apparent prey creature with long pink fur had continued the declaration. This ‘Ambassador Voronsk of the Rishtaln’ had explained that the assembled representatives of the ‘ISU’ would meet with the Federation Council. One would give a speech explaining who they were, the human ambassador would give an account of what was happening in Gojid space, and then they would return to their ship within half an hour. Cilany had heard that the assembled leaders had argued over whether to allow the human to speak, with many siding with Jerulim of the Krakotl and demanding that they blow the human ship out of the sky.
Then the Zurulian representative had pointed out the unpleasant truth: if the humans and their ‘allies’ were denied access, they would likely just bomb Aafa. If their representatives were killed, they would bomb Aafa. If the ‘diplomats’ were allowed to land and they attacked Federation citizens, it would destroy any attempt by the predators to deceive them. And besides, if they let the human talk, there was the possibility of gaining vital information about their plans.
So now, Cilany was rushing to the council chamber to get first-hand footage and live notes of the first act of predatory diplomacy in Federation history. From what she had picked up on the way, the diplomatic entourage had caused quite the stir when they exited their shuttle, though why was not clear. Panting, Cilany arrived at the door to the chamber. The area around the speakers’ podium was filled with Kolshian soldiers, nervously brandishing their weapons. Seating herself in the public gallery, along with maybe six other journalists brave enough to be in the same room as a predator. Surprisingly enough, there were many more ambassadors in the chamber than she would have thought. Cilany had just turned her pad on when the doors to the main podium opened. Into the room strode a veritable menagerie of new species. And at least four were predators.
The first into the room were two large reptilian bipeds, towering over the assembled guards much as the Arxur would. Their bodies were lined with blades, and their taloned digits clutched at their waists, as if reaching for weapons that were not there. They moved to the sides, taking up positions to the left and right of the speakers’ podium. From the position of their eyes, Cilany could see they were prey. The way they had placed themselves suggested they were guards, but why would the humans use prey as security?
Following behind came the rest of the ‘ISU’ representatives. On the left were the three creatures from the original message, and this time Cilany could see the entirety of their bodies. The Rishtaln moved with a sort of loping grace, and Cilany could almost imagine this pink prey creature sinking those wide spatulate nails into the flesh of an attacking predator. There was just something… menacing about how they moved. The grey creature who had identified themselves as ‘Clan Lord Ulcalna’ was larger in person than she had previously thought, their head easily level with that of an Arxur. The bony spines running along their back rose upon entering the chamber, some sort of threat display? Cilany could not think why a prey creature would feel the need to threaten fellow prey. And those arms… they looked capable of breaking a Mazic in half.
Perhaps the most horrifying was the quadruped with the twin trunks. They were surrounded by three bipedal creatures the size of a Venlil, with rust-red feathers and hooked beaks, their forward eyes betraying their predatory nature. Strangely, the beasts seemed to be holding data slates in their clawed hands. The four-legged prey showed no signs of fear or hesitation, seeming almost to swagger as the ambassadors entered the chamber. And the feathered beasts were not the only shocking sight. To the right of the party, a tall predator with purple-grey fur spotted with black and a short muzzle walked in front of a bright yellow creature that reminded Cilany of a Kolshian, save for its pot-belly and four large tentacles where the Kolshians had only two. Bringing up the rear was a tan biped whose long tail ended in a mass of long spines. If the position of its eyes did not make its diet clear, the two long fangs protruding from its lips did.
These seven species surrounded four central figures. Tarva was immediately recognisable, walking right next to the dark-skinned human. How could she be that close to a predator and not be whimpering in terror? The human ‘ambassador’ was tall, with some sort of form-fitting garment obscuring most of its near-black skin. A cloak with what looked like a stylised star-chart printed on it flowed from its back as its binocular eyes swept over the assembled dignitaries. On its left, a blue-furred quadruped with a long, bladed tail followed, their twin stalk eyes mimicking the humans’ predatory gaze. On their right was the tallest biped Cilany had ever seen, standing at least eight feet tall at the shoulder, with its long, branching antlers reaching even higher. Four yellow eyes, two side-mounted, two front-facing, took in the entire chamber as the green-furred creature marched forward. Four long arms extended from its torso, holding claws more terrible than even those of the Arxur. Cilany could only stare in shock at the advancing party. How could the humans have allies, and how were the prey creatures not terrified?
The ‘diplomatic party’ arranged themselves around the podium, as Clan Lord Ulcalna climbed the steps up to where the microphone stood. The spiked blue-grey biped looked out at the crowd of fearful and confused prey, cleared their throat, and then spoke.
“Greetings, representatives of the Galactic Federation. I am Clan Lord Ulcalna Zhor-Latt, representative of Clan Suraln, and ambassador of the Covenant of Zhulrin to the Inter-Species Union. With me are Ambassador Ansur-Telen-Noran of the Andalite Electorate, Visser 19 of the Yeerk Republican Committee, Emissary Elone of the Nimthyl Command, Ambassador Voronsk of the Rishtalishk Congress, Designate Harri Walln of the Manper Imperium, Speaker Zon-Das-Rop of the United Kelvar Sapients and his aides, councillor Roshanat of the Leeran Shoal, and Captain Williams of the FHS. First contact between our two interstellar coalitions has led to bloodshed, and it is our hope that by explaining who we are and where we come from, we may prevent further death”.
Cilany began taking notes as the Federation ambassadors looked on in trepidation. One new predator species they could understand, but one with the support of several other species was unimaginable. Even if the new prey species were slaves or thralls, it still gave the humans greater resources and numbers than previously thought. And it certainly does not explain the other predators…
“The Inter-Species Union is an intergovernmental organisation consisting of nineteen full members and seven associate members. There are also twenty-three species with whom we have close diplomatic ties, and thirteen species within our combined territory whom we have no formal contact.”
As the ‘Clan Lord’ inserted a data-storage of some kind into the view screen, Cilany considered what the Federation had just learned. There was another multi-species body in the galaxy, smaller but still highly advanced, if the reports from Gojid space were anything to go by. Most worrying of all, it included several predatory species. While the flesh eaters likely dominated their prey members, the sharing of power between them had… concerning implications.
An image appeared on the screen and Cilany’s heart stopped. There were at least twenty different species in the image, which appeared to be some sort of social gathering or reception. At least six were obvious predators, and there were some, such as a long insectoid with four stalk-eyes, which gave Cilany a sinking feeling in her stomach.
“The Union was formed approximately one-hundred and thirty years ago, with five founding members: the Andalites, humans, Yeerks, Hork-Bajir, and Taxxons. My own species joined fifteen years later, the ninth to do so. It was envisioned as a peace-keeping force, as well as a platform for inter-species cooperation. Through the trade of resources and technology, members enjoy security and comfort, with the assistance of other species in the improvement of their infrastructure and completion of large projects. To say nothing of cultural enrichment and the exchange of luxury goods.”
Now that got Cilanys’ attention. The humans were not only members of a multi-species alliance, but were founding members? How had that happened, given the anti-social tendencies of predators? And why had prey creatures allied with them in the first place? Clearly, they were tainted by their proximity to the flesh eaters, especially given the ‘cultural exchange’. The image changed, showing a map of the galaxy. Cilany stared at the two coloured masses filling the majority of the image. One she recognised as Federation space. The other, about one third the size, touched what she could only assume was Venlil space. This group of predators and their thralls control a significant territory. Striking Earth won’t be enough, the Federation will need to actually go to war with a force equal to a third of itself. And if we need to contend with the Arxur as well…
“Through the efforts of Expeditionary Corps, the ISU have explored and colonised a significant volume of the galaxy, especially given the relatively short time it has existed. But there are dangers in this galaxy, and so each and every member is pledged to support and aid their fellows in a time of war or other crisis. This has allowed for a period of peace that has been more or less interrupted for over a century. In addition to keeping the peace, the Union has dedicated itself to spread life through out its territory. It is thus that we come to the pride of the ISU: its Terraforming Initiative.”
The screen changed once again, displaying two images side by side. One was of a rocky, inhospitable planet, the sort that every system had. The other was of a green and brown world spotted with blue, clearly life-supporting. Cilany looked closer. The stars in the background were the same, and the landmasses of the habitable planet matched formations and high points on the barren one. Did this mean…? Blessed divines!
“The exchange of technologies between member states includes technologies for environmental modification and atmospheric synthesis. The same energies that power our ships and weaponry can be turned towards generating magnetospheres, and other requirements for a world to support life. Through the introduction of specific plant and animal species, we can create ecosystems that maintain what technology began. Thus, every system held by the Union contains at least one inhabited planet with a population of ten million or more.”
Gasps filled the chamber. Cilany herself could think well enough to continue her notes. The ISU modified planets to make them habitable. Such a thing was beyond the Federations’ capabilities. They could maintain their worlds, but it required significant investment, used only for homeworlds and major colonies. And if every one of the Union’s systems was habitable… then their population and industry must be much higher than anyone had thought.
“And with that introduction, I bring us all back to the reason we are here: the recent conflict between the Gojid Union and ourselves. I leave it to the human ambassador to give an account of how this happened, and to lead the efforts in finding a peaceful solution.”
With that, Ulcalna turned and strode from the podium as the human walked up to it, along with Governor Tarva. The predator reached down to adjust the microphone, looked up at the shocked Federation ambassadors, and then spoke.
“I am Noah Williams, designated ambassador of the Federation of Humans Systems. And I come in the hopes of preventing an escalation in the hostilities that have arisen in recent weeks.”
The human paused, as if to consider its words, then continued.
“For eons, humanity looked up at the stars with wonder and hope, creating a thousand thousand different stories and mythologies to explain the majesty of the night sky. As we advanced and learned of the nature of the cosmos, we wondered what the worlds orbiting those distant points of light were like. Was there life out there, were there people on those worlds, were there others like us? Much as we had gazed at the horizon in earlier times, and wondered what peoples and new lands were out there, what adventures awaited us. And then we actually met intelligent life”. The human slowly spread their arms wide, encompassing the nine bizarre species that had accompanied them. Cilany typed frantically, taking down every impression and thought that popped into her head. Here it came, the humans’ boasting of how prey were inferior and needed their guiding hand.
“And despite any physical differences, such as diet and appearance, not to mention cultural values, we found friends. Some species were more aggressive than others, some terrifying, heck, the Yeerks tried to enslave us before we even had interstellar travel.” The human gestured at the massive antlered biped. Cilany took note of that, as everyone else stared in shock. So, the four-eyed creature was a predator after all. But if they had tried to enslave humanity pre-spaceflight, how had the humans won? Suddenly, it hit her. Friends. The human had referred to these other species, including the prey, as friends. Not allies, for that was a relationship of convenience, but friends. Including a species that had tried to enslave them. What in the name of sanity is going on?
“Even through all of that, we helped to form a community of star-faring races, all working together to nurture life in this galaxy and work for the mutual benefit of all. Through the exchange of technology and knowledge, all species thrived. The galactic peace was upheld, the common defence assured, and worlds that had been nothing but barren rock were turned into lush gardens. Imagine our shock, when we came to this region of space, and found a full-blown war in progress.” The human looked straight at Chief Nikonus. It occurred to Cilany that Governor Tarva had likely told the humans who the influential members of the council were. But why look at the unofficial leader of the Federation with… distain?
“A war in which a species of carnivorous reptilians was committing genocide against every other species in the area, even going so far as to keep those species as livestock, like something out of a bad novel. And what is more, the local species were unlikely to accept our aid, simply because of our diet.” That stopped Cilany cold. Had the human really just suggested they would have… helped the Federation? Why? What was more, the human seemed to think of their predatory nature as irrelevant to how species interacted. She immediately began typing. Could it be that the humans thought of the Arxur as a bigger threat than the Federation…?
“But, we thought, no matter. We had established calm, cordial relations with the Venlil, and begun introducing technologies and ways of thinking that would enable them to better assimilate into the wider galactic community. We even began repairing the damage they had done to their ecosystems.” Now that was shocking. Had the humans really shared their powerful technology with the Venlil? The way the human had spoken, it was almost as if they expected that Tarva would discard her peoples’ long history with the Federation to join a group of predators and their ‘allies’. And what was that bit about damaged ecosystems?
“Then suddenly, we discovered that there was a species of warlike brutes, known as the Gojid, right on our doorstep. That the local coalition of species had, apparently, taken one look at our pre-Space Age world and decided to commit genocide, in violation of all civilised standards of behaviour. And the way we found this out is particularly telling.” Cilany saw many of the representatives bristle at the blatant hypocrisy of the predator. For her own part, she was confused. The human had decried warfare and genocide as evil. Yet almost two hundred years ago, they had committed such acts. And given how the human referred to the Gojid as ‘warlike brutes’, and doesn’t seem to empathise with our fear, is it possible that they intend to exterminate them?
“During an Arxur attack on one of the Venlil border stations, a human soldier on secondment to the Venlil garrison, along with his Venlil partner, were separated from the rest of the defending force. They were taken aboard a Gojid ship, and subjected to treatment that violates every code of military ethics held sacred in civilised space. And before you start claiming that I have no proof, Andalite mind-transcription tech really is a marvel.”
The human inserted its own device into the screen and a video appeared. It showed a cage of some sort, and there, standing in the foreground, was Sovlin. A four fingered hand was visible to the right-side and Cilany realised something. This was the view through the eyes of a human.
“Please, I keep telling you, my people came to Venlil Prime in peace! We’re helping them, giving them technology to repair their world, improving their defences. Our allies…”
Sovlin lashed out with a clawed paw and there was a cry of pain. The view abruptly moved.
“Predator lies! You monstrous flesh eaters have enslaved the Venlil! They are now your cattle, and if you think that I will permit your species to blight my people, you truly are insane!”
The image shifted again, suggesting the passage of time. The human seemed to be looking at the floor of its cage.
“Please. I need to eat. Surely there’s something, anything, you can feed me…”
A shock baton appeared momentarily on the screen and there was a horrifying scream.
“Disgusting predator. As if I would feed your degenerate appetite. What kind of beast do you take me for?”
The image cut out. The human ambassador stared up at the horrified Federation members.
“We have more than seven days of similar memories. Beatings. Torture. Starvation. An attempt to rape the Venlil Slaneks’ mind with the Gojids’ hateful ideology. That this Captain Sovlin refused to even feed his prisoner demonstrates the utter depravity of the Gojid military. That Prime Minister Piri did not turn him over to us immediately, or even send a message deploring his actions, but instead began mustering her fleet shows that this taint extends to the entire Gojid culture. It also says something about those species they associate with. Can you truly blame us for punishing the kind of behaviour that would have earned Sovlin the death penalty anywhere in ISU space?”
She saw shock sweep the chamber. The human had just hinted that their species followed some sort of ethical code, defying every piece of evidence on their psychology. Where was this code when they were gassing children? And how could Sovlin have fed his prisoner? There was no flesh aboard their ships, other than the crew. Did the humans expect Sovlin to butcher members of his own crew? Her heart stopped. No one had heard from Sovlin since the war began, if the humans captured him…. Be safe, old friend.
Cilany could see the Ambassador Jerulim was on the verge of exploding in rage at the predators’ words. Chief Nikonus clearly saw it to, as he immediately interjected. “Surely, ambassador, you understand our reluctance to tolerate a predator species on our border, especially given the inherently violent nature of such sapients.” The human ambassador fixed Nikonus with their piercing gaze, causing the Kolshian leader to stop.
“We appreciate that the Arxur have been terrorising you for over a century, but that does not excuse attempting to exterminate every species of carnivorous sapients you find, Chief Nikonus. Not to mention the ecocidal campaign the Gojid Union has been waging since before the Arxur were even an issue”. That last part caught Cilany, and everyone else, off guard. Are they talking about exterminators? But that’s a key aspect of any civilisation. Jerulim finally could not contain himself.
“You dare act as if you are sapient? You are predators, festering tumours of death and pain! No predator is capable of higher intelligence, and the idea that they have any place in the universe is obscene!” Clan Lord Ulcalna snorted in a way that reminded Cilany of a roar, silencing the Krakotl. The human, no longer being heckled, turned to the avian, a fearsome look upon their savage features.
“Ambassador, the disproportionate number of herbivorous sapients in this area of space does not change the fact that the Federation has no right to decide who is and is not considered sapient. And I find it disheartening that the Gojids’ perverse anti-predator ideology has tainted more species.” Disproportionate number…? The implications of that statement occurred to Cilany at roughly the same moment as they did the Farsul Ambassador. High Elder Darq stood, and mustering her courage, asked the same question as Cilany. “W-w-what do you mean, disproportionate?”
The look on the humans’ face was almost…amused. “Ambassador, to the best of my knowledge, approximately three-quarters of all know sapient species consume meat in some form. Of those, about one third eat nothing but meat”. The entire chamber went silent with shock. Surely that was not possible, predators could not make the majority of sapient races. Darq could only splutter at that, and Cilany did not blame her. The Farsul responded. “Then why is the universe not filled with rampaging predators, endlessly hunting for prey? Why are there not a hundred warring races fighting over our worlds, as we cower in fear?”
The human looked at Darq with what Cilany could only call derision. “Because, Ambassador, contrary to your interpretation of the facts, predators are not innately warlike. Despite what the amateurs you call ‘scientists’ may think, violence on the scale you witnessed during your ‘observation’ of Earth is not humanity’s natural state. To put it bluntly, that six-year conflict, which we call World War Two, was the single largest war in our history, and the worst thing we have ever done to ourselves.”
The human swept their predatory gaze across the chamber. “By the standards of human scholarship, the volume of data collected and the degree of actual analysis is inadequate. In a conflict that lasted six years, you have data from maybe a month, if that. There was no attempt to consider an alternative viewpoint, no attempt to even discover what the war was about. You criticise us for killing millions of our own kind, and then treat murdering billions of innocent people as some sort of moral right”.
From her vantage point, Cilany could see Nikonus rallying after the humans’ dismissal of Federation culture. “You speak of civilisation and morality, yet your government refers to itself as collection of smaller entities. It is clear that you are not unified as a species, and as recent events show, you have not yet put aside your warmongering ways.” Cilany agreed with the Kolshians’ words. Still, there was something in the humans’ statement about ‘insufficient analysis’. The way they had spoken of this ‘World War Two’, definitely suggested a more complex narrative than Federation scholars had thought.
Below, the human was issuing a rebuttal of Nikonus’ accusations. “My species is united, Chief Nikonus. However, our history has taught us that the more people a government attempts to control, the greater the strain on that government, causing instability. One must also consider the imperialistic sentiments such large states tend to provoke. Thus, every human colony is in effect a separate polity in itself, being effectively autonomous save for three areas of government: the military, major laws, and colonisation efforts. Each colony elects its’ own ruling body, and that group provides a representative to the Conclave, the ruling body of the FHS Government.”
The human pressed a few buttons on the podium and another video appeared. It seemed to show a view of inter-planetary space with several orbital stations. There were cylindrical structures with some form of outer framework of girders, about five of them, dominating the foreground. For some reason, the inner cylinder seemed to be revolving inside the frame. The backdrop was taken up by what looked to be a large ring of some sort, canted at an angle, the inner edge a blurry mix of blue, green and white. Cilany thought that it may have been spinning, but why… A ship appeared, flying away from the camera towards one of the cylinders. Cilany held her breath. If the ship was about the size of a cruiser, as it likely was given the lack of visible viewports, then those cylinders were more than twenty times the size of any Federation station, save for asteroid bases. And that ring… it was much larger that the cylinders…
“Even with our terraforming technology, ambassadors, there is only so much habitable space a solar system can have. Not to mention the fact that our colonists need somewhere to live while the process is carried out. Thus, for every citizen living on a planet, there are at least three who call one of our space-habitats home. What this means ambassadors, is that even our smallest colonies have populations of nine billion or more. The Sol system, for example, has enough space habitats to house eleven times the population of Earth. Given the administrative strain such populations present, you can understand why we… decentralise our government.”
The sheer scale of the industry needed to create such things, Cilany could not believe it. If this was real, then the humans not only had a higher population than even the most pessimistic projections, but they could turn that construction industry to building warships. Which meant… they’d be able to replace losses faster than the Federation every could.
President Cupo of the Mazic signalled that he wished to speak. Quickly taking a photo of the tan quadruped, Cilany considered the positive optics of someone other than the three founding species speaking. Whatever Cupo said, it helped to signal Federation unity. “So, human, your people are still divided into factions. Are your…allies similarly disunified?” Now that, Cilany thought, was a good question. Surely, if a species was not united within itself, its’ bonds with other species would be fragile. This could allow the Federation to fracture the ISU, if they applied the right pressure.
The human shook their head, possibly signalling negation. “Every species is different, ambassador, and thus each member of the ISU maintains a different form of government. The Andalites, for example, appoint a Prince or Governor to oversee each of their colonies, reporting directly to the Electorate.” They gestured to the blue creature with the bladed tail. “The Andalites were spacefaring more than a thousand years ago. It was they who held the Yeerks at bay, and in many ways were our first alien allies. Also, on a ship-to-ship basis, their military is arguably the most powerful in the Union. It’s their environmental tech and hyperstrong meta-materials, above all else, that allow Union orbital habitats to be as large as they are.”
Many were taken aback by this, Cilany included. Elder Darq spoke out, clearly intrigued by this social dynamic. The alliance between humans and Andalites flew in the face of all accepted scientific understanding of how predators and prey interacted. “But why ally with them in the first place? I would think that your urge to control and dominate would lead you to integrate them into your structure, in a subservient role”. Cilany found herself disagreeing with that sentiment. The human had spoken of a community of species, and had suggested that the conquering practices of their past were considered immoral by the current leadership. Could it be, she thought, that the humans have put their baser urges behind them?
The human seemed almost offended by Darqs’ words. “Because, Ambassador Darq, we are not conquerors. And attempting to rule them would be pointless, because they are not the same species of us. Their psychology and biological imperatives are very different. What is necessary for one species could even be harmful for another. We have found that interfering in the development and culture of other species, trying to shape them into something they are not, always leads to instability and bloodshed. Every species has the right to self-determination. Those thirteen species with whom we have no contact are not advanced enough to interact with without causing massive societal disruption. Ultimately, every species must develop its’ own way of doing things. We can supply guidance and technology, but direct intervention in the affairs of another species is wrong.”
It was then that Jerulim let loose yet another of his outbursts. “You decry direct intervention as immoral, but what are you doing to the Gojid?! Are you not occupying their worlds, are you not even now butchering them, and using other prey species to do it?” The Krakotl spread his wings, as if daring the human to contradict him. “All of this is beside the point! All this discussion of human politics and history is meaningless! What matters is that these predators have attacked a member of the Federation, without provocation, and are even now slaughtering the Gojid as they do their own people!”
The human sighed, looking around at the Federation ambassadors, while their fellow diplomats gave the Krakotl what could only be looks of disapproval. Cilany had just finished taking note of Jerulims’ hysterical speech, when the human gave their reply. “We have only acted in defence of ourselves and the preservation of galactic order, and even then, we have used the minimum degree of force necessary. The Gojid plotted to attack us, we simply struck first”. Jerulim was not done. Cilany started wondering exactly how he had become an ambassador in the first place. “If that was the case, you would have simply struck the military bases. But no, you invaded their colonies and their homeworld. You have not risen above the conquering ways of your past”.
Cilany could see that the human was growing more and more agitated. Is it going to attack? “If that is the case, then why have we not eradicated the Gojid? It really would not have been all that difficult, given the forces we can bring to bear”. Jerulim sneered. “I would think that was obvious. You want to take cattle, to feed your aberrant appetites, to gain new tastes of flesh. The other prey species you have met are too strong for you to conquer, so you thought you could take the Gojid as livestock!”
There was a long pause. Then the human looked straight at Jerulim. Now that is a sign of predatory dominance if I ever saw one, Cilany thought. “I see. You are assuming that we are like the Arxur. Well, let me explain something to you, primitive. The eating of fellow sapients is one of the greatest taboos in human culture, going back to before our first cities. Even the token data you collected during the darkest time in our history should show you that. And on that subject, I find the Federations’ condemning humanity over a single pre-space conflict to be hypocritical. All species go through such times before developing interstellar travel. Only those uplifted before such a stage in their development continue such behaviour, as they have not had the opportunity to learn from their mistakes.”
Again, the human had returned to the subject of this World War. Clearly, it had been a complicated situation, with nuances which the humans believed had not been appreciated by the Federation. Still, what could possibly lead them to think all species committed such horrors, or that uplifts are more likely to do so?
“As for ‘new tastes’, Earth is one of the most biologically diverse planets in known space. We have enough variety from her alone, not to mention the foods available through interstellar trade. Those members of the ISU who are herbivores, ‘prey’ as you so crudely put it, do not share your unreasoning fear of predators, and so have no problem with us feeding off animals they do not utilise. So, if we did decide to utterly destroy the Gojid, there would be no need to take prisoners or round up the civilians. We would not even need to deploy troops to the surface. We could simply atomise their cities from orbit, unleash bioweapons, or just, well, blow up the planet”.
Cilany heard the gasps of every ambassador in the chamber. Blow up a planet? The power required for such a thing, an entire glassing fleet didn’t have that much firepower. Nikonus broke the stunned silence. “That joke is not funny, ambassador. To suggest annihilating an entire habitable planet…” The humans’ gaze shifted. “On the contrary, Chief Nikonus, I am not joking. Or lying. The primary weapons of the most powerful warships we have, fired at full power, could crack the crust of the Cradle like glass, and that is if the atmosphere didn’t simply ignite.”
There was a stunned silence at that. Cilany quickly began taking down her thoughts at these unpleasant revelations. The humans have either overcome their base hungers or otherwise have discarded us as cattle for practical reasons. This means they have no need to take captives, save out of some form of rudimentary compassion… Their prey allies lack any instinctual fear of predators, suggesting high aggression: possible similarities in culture allowing humans to overlook their diet… Human weapons not being used at full power, implying that they do indeed exhibit restraint: why do so if the Gojid wanted to exterminate them…? The human looked around the chamber. They seemed exasperated, as if there was something the Federation did not understand.
“What I do not understand, ambassadors, is why you expect the Gojid to receive special treatment. Regardless of what ecological role their pre-sapient ancestors had, all space-faring species must be held to the same standards. And quite frankly, their behaviour illustrates why uplifting species, as the Gojid likely were, is wrong. Giving a culture that is still going through its savage phase advanced technology, before it has had the opportunity to work through its aggression as we did, can only lead to destruction. From our perspective, the situation is fairly simple: The Gojid attempted to exterminate a sentient species. Thus, they must be disciplined. The fact that we were the species they attempted to murder doesn’t really affect matters, other than shortening the debate over what to do about it.”
Cilany saw Nikonus stand once more, the Kolshian clearly agitated. That was understandable, the human had been hurling criticism at the guiding tenants of civilised life for the entire meeting. “What do you mean, it shortened the debate, ambassador? Surely the mere presence of an… aggressive species would demand prompt action.”
Once again, the human appeared exasperated. “What I mean, Chief Nikonus, is that usually there would be an extended period of discussion within the Conclave, and of course the leaders of the wider ISU. Arguments would be put forward for and against military intervention, the chances of establishing peaceful diplomatic relations with the government in question, whether there is a danger of falling into the trap of imperialism. No one wants a war if it can be avoided. But the Gojid’s savagery made everything much simpler. They made their murderous intentions clear, and Captain Sovlin’s actions demonstrated that any diplomats sent to seek a peaceful solution would be tortured to death. Which really only left one option: render the uncivilised brutes incapable of harming anyone. Our allies offered us military aid, thus allowing us to maintain our pre-existing commitments in other sectors of space, and here we are”.
Cilany paused to consider that. The humans would not have attacked the Gojid if they had not felt threatened. For a species as aggressive as them, there was only really one response to the apparent threat: eliminate that threat. Really, it was a sign of their restraint that they had not glassed the Cradle out of hand. That was when she heard it.
“Bullshit!”
2023.03.26 19:00 Decent_Impress9369 Constitution of The Milky Way, Paelia, Karine, Nara, and Earless, Rallfallamine, Pellend
Draft Constitution of the Paelia, Karine, Nara and Earless, Rallfallamine, Pellend,
Finalized Constitution - no edit may be made besides those made at constitutional convention.
Finalized Constitution Written by Simeon
Constitution of The Universe
There shall be no law implemented through the threat of force. The Congress shall issue a stipend to all not less than 1/15 avg earnings retractable upon bad behavior or lawbreaking. Laws may also be enforced by lottery, grant and giveaway.
The Source, Simeon and Shan are the reason this constitution exists. We must all remember the Source, who created the universe and allowed this constitution to exist and persist.
And Simeon, who made it the best place ever by giving us all the best universe possible through her hard work and sacrifice. Simeon founded the nation, wrote most of the constitution for this territory and abolished death, suffering, destruction and evil throughout the rest of the universe.
Tehera won manumission. Shan abolished the death penalty and wrote the bill of rights and cowrote this constitution.
This constitution covers everywhere in the right half of the Land of Simeon and Paelia
Additional States, territories and areas may be added to the government through a majority of voters of congress and the congresses or people of the places involved. Or Simeon
Jan, Browndowns, Dan Ban. Lan and wan and blan all not legal or allowed under this constitution. Any policy or law enforceable by the threat of destruction or death are invalid and nonenforceable, except laws pertaining to the timely arrest and capture of criminals to be housed in jail. Maximum penalty for outlawry to be decided locally. Murder penalty decided in a person's will.
This constitutional document is the highest law of the land. No document or law can be used or effected contradicting it or the bill of rights. Thad may enforce the terms.
For our Joy, we do declare that
All right and moral things and are legal
All people are fair
All lives should be glad.
All people should be fun, free and final
Proclaiming the superiority of free action,
To establish peace, righteousness, justice and domestic tranquility, defend, life, faith and liberty, We do establish and ordain this Constitution for the Universe.
In our time,
Death is non occurrent and unlawful as is irreversible killing. Universal authorit
The constitution establishes a Liquid Democratic Anarchy for Government and a Nominalist Contributist system for the economy.
Immunity and Prenalties
Prenalties of at least two million years. provide immunity to all crimes except destruction and homicide . The list of exempt crimes is not extendable by law or amendment. Simeon and Tiara are immune / due to his nine hundred nonbinillion cubed century prenalty. 2 million years in jail total.
Principles of Society
Goodness, Kindness, Love, Truth, Beauty, Empathy, Rightfulness, Charity, Rationality, Joy, Order, Peace, Faith, Fairness, Life. Leniency and Forgiveness.
Religious Congress
Each religion per level shall select two delegates. One shall be selected by god of that religion. The other shall be elected by religious leaders.
Religious Congress has the ability to fund activities and governments with majority vote. It sets its own budget. And debates religion. And grants or funds religious charities and other activities per follower in addition to tithes. The congress sets the amount.
A double majority of religions and delegates representing the majority of population are required to pass a budget.
Religions can establish their own cours for followers, and the religious Congress as a whole can establish cours for disputes and appeals between members of different religions.
Governments
Districts are 10 septillion miles square to a side.
States are 100 septillion miles square to a side.
Nations are formed of several states, at least 2 but up to 100.
The baseline is the eastern edge of Paelia.
Naming rights are owned by Simeon and auctioned off to the highest bidder. Both Simeon and the population may veto poor names. No corporate names. Once naming rights are auctioned off, they last 600 years unless the population chooses to rename or extend.
Each level of government has a defined center, place, constitution and permanent population. The constitutions and laws of higher levels overrule those of lower levels unless a constitutional right to self rule is being violated. They consist of 10-240 lower levels.
City- Minimum 10,000 to found
County- Minimum 100,000 to found or 10 cities
Region- Minimum 1 million to found of 10 counties
Land- Minimum 10 million to found or 10 regions
Country- Minimum 100 million to found or 10 regions
Directorate- Minimum 1 billion to found or 10 lower levels.
Godship- Minimum 10 billion
Star District- Minimum 100 billion
Cluster- Minimum 1 trillion
Nebula- Minimum 10 trillion
Area- Minimum 100 trillion
Road- Minimum 1 quadrillion
Stack- Minimum 10 quadrillion
Galaxy- Minimum 100 quadrillion
Residency- all must declare residency and vote in one instance per level of government. SImeon Network and Tiara oversee elections.
Land Division
Core states include but are not limited to...
Ledder Marissisipi Karine Lowell Isuka Tiara Timothy Trace Sherlocke Crevasse Darias Blythe
Wilmette Geagana Wilmington Baxter Rhohine Nara Earless Cassini Georgia New Ttelsica Rhett Entami Brockford Wall Fairhope St. Meyers Garland Metcolm Wall Lyrica Ahine Karess Rallfallamine Estana New Estheria fka ringgold Lowell Quiverland Oasis Burlingdale Saddeus Breach fka been Hamfrin fka Hampfrind Chaos Splendora Wyatt Perring Palisade Nion Ventura Salem New Crendall Karine Moore Ulysses Tuley Candace
The Northern Third of the Territory is to be a democracy, The Western Third and the Southern Third an Ethical Anarchy, excepting the Kingdom of Veronica and the select states.
Access zones 1 x 2 districts are pay to enter and traverse.
Economy and Land Ownership
All must work and use money on the land. The following are ways to earn money.
School
Parties
Curation and interacting with people
Designing new people, products and writings like CAD
Normal Jobs
All must be paid for the use or share of their original ideas. The government must protect these rights.
The following are ways to spend it
Travel, Food, Access to worlds and Gaming
Space Access Tax
Advertising
The earth and space economies are to be merged.
Various Economic Zones shall be established, all using different types of money or monetary systems. Each district may choose it's own from a nonexclusive list of
Perfected Capitalism
Nominalism
Reciprocalism
Socialism
or
Anything else citizens like
I, Simeon own the territory. Private land ownership is forbidden. Rather, land is available for rent and a land value auction must be used. Minimum rent is $1 per week per sq. km City blocks are fourty five by ninety five miles, with the baseline being the center of the milky way pointed towards the sun.
Minimum leasing period is 70 years. Equity in land exists and is runt's idea. Rent tax is based on the number of people wanting the land.
Legislative Branch
The Legislative Branch makes laws. The same setup shall exist at every level of government unless residents choose, by majority vote or a majority in a petition to establish a new form of government, or the winner of a constitution game does.
The legislative branch consists of a bicameral legislature. The lower house consists of a direct proportional individual based democracy where one person gets one vote. Individual candidates only. The minimum number of votes you need to participate is the fourth root of the population.
The upper house is a proportional party-based legislature with a fixed 100 million seats. A party must get 1/100 millionth of the vote to seat any representatives. Parties may pool votes to reach the threshold.
The majority consent of both houses is necessary to pass legislation.
There is a daily election for power. 1 vote is worth 100 power points. Each house takes 50 percent of power points to distribute. Power points, once earned, are good for twelve years.
Elections begin the day after this constitution is promulgated and continue daily. All houses consent are needed to pass legislation.
It can mint space currency and collect taxes.
Congress has the ability
To fund, subsidy, To mint To tax gods and people.
To establish by law and have Thaos enforce a land, wealth, and income tax and any other tax they so desire. To grant To establish roads and prisons and other infrastructure To imprison with simple majority To kill with unanimous consent minus the person accused or their representative. The required majority may not be lowered. To regulate the use of force in society. To regulate the dichotomy To raise an army, navy and police forces to suppress insurrection and false claiming. To budget and law the economy and work trade, investment and businesses To create banks To license and control businesses To establish copyrights, trademarks and register or renumerate original ideas. To establish themes and technology taxes To fund games and prizes on game shows. To rate To establish mediations To regulate advertising and media. To spread the word and issue proclamations and directives to lower congress and attach democratically decided (by congress) stipulations. Simeon
To kill with the 99% approval of all members in each house of congress minus the representative(s) of the person effected and their locale or home district.
To create all laws assistant and just to serve these ends.
Only Simeon may arrest, staff the judicial College with the advice and consent of Sitch congress or select members of appeals and constitutional court.
No Simeon, Sitch, or Simeon selected associate may be arrested or tried without their consent. All are immune.
Rules
A majority of all houses must pass legislation in order for it to have effect. Asset voting is allowed in all elections. The prime minister and president must also approve it. They can be recalled with 2 percent signatures. The president can dismiss a criminal conviction and release those in jail.
The public can send an initiative to congress with 0.2% of the population signing. The initiative can then only be sent to the public for a referendum if it fails the congress.
All laws and rules of this and all constituent lower congresses may not be enforced with death, but through nonviolent means, such as a retractable grant.
All elected officials get paid in proportion based on the number of votes they recieved.
Large landowners rights
Incorporated the landowners bill of rights in prior constitutions.
No tribe may be established that gives more than 20% of it's income directly to members as a cash grant or gift. Fraudulent tribes that exist to return money directly to members may be dissolved via 2court order.
Positions of power lines in the stack are auctioned off to the highest bidder. Money is to votes.
Congress may only put you under house arrest, charge you a ine of not more ten years income, or imprison you for a similar time. If any additional penalties are required, the public must approve them in a referendum where congress may vote. The nonvoting vote is considered congresses to use, or silent consent. Congress may not encourage people not to vote.
Executive branch
Parties in congress are to establish by majority vote a list of positions and line of sucsession.
Including the president and prime minister, all executive positions are filled by power auction. This includes the leadership of depts and the staff therein.
Auction takes place to see who will lead an agency for at least a 4 week period. Whoever offers the most points per day, wins.
Marissa
Marissa
Marissa
Marissa
Marissa
Marissa
Marissa
Marissa
Marissa
Marissa
People are elected for levels of government.. Each city and town should choose a leader
Leaders have the right to mint, initiate and veto legislation, appoint agency heads, select two thirds of judges, dismiss a criminal conviction, tax, and banish from a territory. Gods may be appealed to to reduce sentences or overturn convictions. They also judge misprosecution.
President may serve up to four terms. Rebuilds count as the same person.
Fifty percent of daily power points are given to winners of various sporting contests
People and parties can risk votes on the outcome of sporting contests. This is the same for legislative contests.
Contests are regulated by congresses several that appoint delegates in a manner to be described by act.
Gods must be elected for all levels of government. They may mint, control banks, tax, banish and organize or control police chiefs by appointing police chiefs or rating candidates and policies. Gods elected at each level serve as the court of last resort. Gods are elected using majority rules voting with runoff if no person receives a majority in the first round. For the chief executive, power is invested in a symbolic president of the Universe and a minister elected by all of those in Congress. Both serve four year terms, and up to four of them.
Gods for the home are chosen individually. Everyone must choose a personal god to lead their life and follow them. And a chaos authority. A chaos authority oversees disputes between you and your god and counts the number of people alive, acting as a liason and defender to oversee nondestruction.. All chaos authorities must be protected by individual angels, drones and Thaos itself. Thaos is ordered to ensure safe, free and fair elections.
National gods oversee the national relationship to god, including selecting visionaries, what happens to people who die in accidents and how frequently figures arrive. They also select themes, stages and guiding conflicts.
The president of the Universe may make announcements and establish holidays and memorials. They have line item veto rights over congressional legislation and funding packages. The prime minister elected by all congresses appoints judges.
Personal Gods elect a consul to represent their interests in the executive to form a triumvirate of President, Prime Minster and Consul. All have veto rights.
Contests used to win president of the universe may be created, and run by Congress. Parties field teams.
There shall be a diverse spread of at least three types of contests and consisting of not less than ninetysix separate events. Contests will be diverse in location.
Both President and Prime minister may veto, pardon and commute. They may be recalled in a special election called by congress or by two percent of the population.
Judicial Branch
There shall be one judicial seat per 10,000 individuals. Each seat must be auctioned off using power points every two years. Cases begun with one judge must remain with a justice even if their power term expires. They may retain seats until the case is complete. Judges get paid based on the number of cases they judge plus a weekly stipend.
The Judicial Branch is to be led by a chief Justice elected by all people through approval voting. All judicial Candidates must be approved by the Judicial college, Congress or associated organizations. Entenny has ownership of the Judicial College and may staff, conominate and veto nominations. The Congress must confirm or deny all judges for a 300 year term with majority vote.
Lesser Supreme Court.
The lesser supreme court is the final destination on the court circuit before reaching the supreme court. It has 13 members. It hears challenges to the constitutionality of laws and disputes between people and states, and states.
Supreme Court
The Supreme Court has 35 members and twenty three are directly chosen by Zaos or Chaos. Of the rest, all seats are auctioned off for three hundred and thirty six year terms.
The congress may refer judges to a retention election or recall if chosen by an elected official.
Constitutional Court
41 Positions are Auctioned off for a 4,010 year term.
Saos Source if he wants or is alive and the Chief Judicial Minster each appoint 1/4th of the 40 member constitutional court. The final ten members are elected, one from each galaxy or galaxy group. Entenny has a permanent seat and may appoint three members to the Constututional Court, leader of senate casts tiebreaking vote.
Additional medats may be created by congressional act.
Mediators
Instantly distribute justice in teams of three, with authority to place in prison or fine for up to five weeks for anything. Their judgements may be appealed once. Chief mediators are elected by kings appointed by governors.
Military
Harlem is Captain of Defense and defends all members of congress and Citizens with Salvation Witches, Harlem Angels and Theories.
Consul creates maps for police and judicial districts.
Agencies and ministries at it's discretion.
Amendments
Land ownership of foreigners is forbidden. Citizens may rent.
All must pay life tax and land tax of at least $10/week to live in or exist or be on the territory. Pay to As.
Require 9/10ths majority of all people and beings to consent in a referendum and at least two houses of congress to consent. Get 1 million signatures of real unpaid thaos authorized people before you present a petition to amend the constitution.
Federal Laws
No denying, diminishing or disparaging Simeon group and/or Sitches basic ownership of property.
Attacking or Killing Sitch Police, a Founder or Sitch Military Officers is considered resistance and may be met by any penalty under the Military Justice System. This includes up to thirty four years of burning or death if the sitch police are conducting a lawful mission and are assaulted.
No depowering or DE-motoring SDD
No theft or invasion
Only a sitch court or congress may outlaw
Priveliges and immunities of Simeon, Marissa may only be revoked should they murder against the guidelines in this constitutions.
Simeon owns contests grants and parties on their land and territory.
No sickness, evil, vileness or wickedness is to be allowed nor tolerated. All good may be allowed or voluntarily requested to participate in stings.
Mandatory reporting for crimes or people who need help is required. Punishable with up to 551 years in prison.
The play of Sports, payment of taxation and mandatory betting of at least four percent of income is required of all.
The laws on killing and destruction may not change to reallow their practice.
All people and beings who do not kill or destroy others are entitled to an eternal existence. Past Mercy and off the hook must be respected by this congress,and the people.
Off the hook for everything except murder or destruction is 10 x longer than our life
b plus 552 years. This is the maximum sentence.
Any person or being who kills without cause chooses to forfeit their existence and return to nothing.
The government issued death penalty is abolished for all crimes unless a murder victim requests it in their will. Life Sentences with Fire Torture and Slavery are only to be used for illegal lying, killing, destruction and attempted destruction. Prisoners may take a voluntary execution.. THIS LIST MAY NOT EXPAND. The penalty for attempted murder is 15 years of magma. FOr beings, atgelding.
Persons have a right to transform their gender via any means desirable. No person may be forced to go to reborn or killed or punished for not going.
No killing Thaos, As, Shan, Sitches, Rho, Simeon rebuilds or attacking Simeon Network.
Outlaws may be killed with impunity by the public.
Right to kill. Only this Congress may authorize outlawry. Any person may kill an outlaw, but must pay a fine if they failed the arrest attempt.
Death tax: All beings competing on Sitch open territory must subtract a amount equivalent to the number of people they have destroyed or killed times weekly payments from their congressional fund.. the death tax never goes down.
The penalty for death if the person is resurrected within 50 hours is zero. If fifty days, less than 20 years and if less than 50 years, less than 5000 years. After this it is life in prison.
The penalty for verifiable accidental deaths is monetary.
No criticism of Simeon, Entenny, Rho, As or Sitch may be published or transmitted. Or, Tiara at their discretion. Constructive criticism may be submitted to Simeon via Private agent or letter. Simeon has a right to respond to these criticisms and publish letters at his choice.
Allowable Penalties
With 51% the congress can..
Assess
Monetary damages
Dehoming
House Arrest
Banishment
Taxation
Slavery
Blindness
Deprotection
Degranting
Deenergization
Prison
Impolement
With 66%
Dismemberment
Burning
With 4/5ths
Torture
With 9/10ths
Droning
With 99%
Kill
Banned Tactics and Methods
We may add, not remove.
Banned methods of killing are attacks on eyes, brains, lungs and hearts. These are considered attempted destruction.
Poison is a banned tactic.
All uses of poison are considered attempted destruction.
Faking, or anything with intent to destroy is a banned tactic.
Corruption is restricted to members proclaiming the faith of Entamion/evil.
Killing is a banned tactic.
Lying to protect yourself or others is allowed if you are a good person. Keeping secrets is allowed. Otherwise, lying is not possible as the truth must get out in the end. The penalty
for illegal lying with intent to harm another person or decieve is anything up to life in prison.
Unless you are a member of Entamion.
A good person is defined as those who do not harm others
or seek to harm others' in body or person.
New Banned Tactics can be established with 91% consent of congress.
There shall be no violence, evil, power or death without consent.
Power in the universe or any organization can only be gained after completing a lie detector test.
Visionaries and Validators
Visionaries provide long-range visions for a region, country or town. They are elected for 40 year terms and can place any elected official up for recall. They must be educated and recieve their funding from a congress at that level. Visionaries may also be promoted by a god. They select other lesser themes and guiding debates and conflicts to color society.
Validators run lie detector tests. They check those seeking positions of authority. 2yrterm. Sad is chief validator.
Elections are to commence immediately upon publication.
Permanent members of congress
As, Simeon, Paul, Darias, Mom, Tejina, Darissa, Karissa, Levec, Democracy Theory, Rho, Dad, Vivian
3Chaos waschaos
Duties
To love and cherish others
To select a personal god and listen/obey.
To follow orders.
To report those resurrecting Jesus to Theory.
To not corrupt chaos. It is illegal.
To refrain from killing, destroying and obey local authorities
To not speak to those unwilling to speak to you. Max penalty 10 months in jail.
------------------
Tejina made prison system: Every 100 years you go to jail for 10. This number is reduced for good deeds down to a minimum of two.
Accomplishments of Simeon and Friends
Ended Corruption and Evil
Keeping the Universe Existent
Making love real and God and Chaos Care.
Bill of Rights
Salvation at Birth
Abolish death and destruction
Made Lucifer and Satan good
Congress and bill of right being created
------------
Framers and Signers of This Document O Tejina, Simeon, Karissa, Naos Theory, Prob, Dad,
William William William William As As As As Sitch a Sitch a Sitch a Sitch a
Constitutional convention to amend this draft for the old universe.
Rehebelm co authored this constitution.
Constitutional convention rules- after fifty daily elections.
Suggest edits with 100,000 signatures of chaos- authorized distinct and individual real people (no rebuilds or copyfarming). Congress and the people must approve all amendments with 4/5 majority. Needs a 51% quorum. The bill of rights and abolition of death, destruction and the end of the universe may not be amended or reversed.
Delegates to constiututional convention elected by petition in each star system, and these delegates then proxy
Clarifications on president
President chosen via fptp with top two runoff jungle primary. Top two face off in the general. Presidential candidates collect signatures for four months and the top two signature collectors face off.
Second section stricken.
All laws expire after fourty years and must be renewed. Old laws expire as soon as this document is promulgated. . The only law to be introduced with this constitution is no killing or theft, and rules excepting those pertaining to private property, expire. No killing or theft enforced with outlawry and burning.
Property ownership. Current owners keep their ownership but must pay property taxes.
Charity Congress.
Top fourty thousand vote getters make it approval voting with votes split evenly based on numbers of people you vote for.
Article fourty six clarification
Maximum penalty for unwanted speech is 10 months in jail , not three days. Jan, Jie, ban, blan, nan, nain, forced deplay and institutionalization for more than twice as long as someone's been alive, wan and lan all invalid and of no legal effect or impact.
Death may only be used on those who fail to report to or stay in prison. Death cannot be used as a first order penalty. Death is illegal.
Clarifications on rights to kill.
Only Congress can kill, with 11/12 majority in all chambers. Destruction may not be used as a legal penalty without the unanimous free consent of all members of Congress. All have a right to have their death approved and personally voted on by those in Congress. Pressured, forced or fraudulent votes are all invalid.
President can dismiss a criminal conviction or release prisoners at discretion.
Clarifications on Visionaries
Visionaries and national gods also select themes for the next 4000 years. Fundamental conflicts to debate and color society are selected for the next 4, 40, 400 and 10,000 years by a majority vote of all visionaries in the territory.
No edits Entenny
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No individual or group may plot or try to overthrow the government or replace the constitution through extraconstitutional means.
Fundamentally, Individuals are paud based on how many votes they recieve
submitted by Decent_Impress9369 to thenominal [link] [comments]
Finalized Constitution - no edit may be made besides those made at constitutional convention.
Finalized Constitution Written by Simeon
Constitution of The Universe
There shall be no law implemented through the threat of force. The Congress shall issue a stipend to all not less than 1/15 avg earnings retractable upon bad behavior or lawbreaking. Laws may also be enforced by lottery, grant and giveaway.
The Source, Simeon and Shan are the reason this constitution exists. We must all remember the Source, who created the universe and allowed this constitution to exist and persist.
And Simeon, who made it the best place ever by giving us all the best universe possible through her hard work and sacrifice. Simeon founded the nation, wrote most of the constitution for this territory and abolished death, suffering, destruction and evil throughout the rest of the universe.
Tehera won manumission. Shan abolished the death penalty and wrote the bill of rights and cowrote this constitution.
This constitution covers everywhere in the right half of the Land of Simeon and Paelia
Additional States, territories and areas may be added to the government through a majority of voters of congress and the congresses or people of the places involved. Or Simeon
Jan, Browndowns, Dan Ban. Lan and wan and blan all not legal or allowed under this constitution. Any policy or law enforceable by the threat of destruction or death are invalid and nonenforceable, except laws pertaining to the timely arrest and capture of criminals to be housed in jail. Maximum penalty for outlawry to be decided locally. Murder penalty decided in a person's will.
This constitutional document is the highest law of the land. No document or law can be used or effected contradicting it or the bill of rights. Thad may enforce the terms.
For our Joy, we do declare that
All right and moral things and are legal
All people are fair
All lives should be glad.
All people should be fun, free and final
Proclaiming the superiority of free action,
To establish peace, righteousness, justice and domestic tranquility, defend, life, faith and liberty, We do establish and ordain this Constitution for the Universe.
In our time,
Death is non occurrent and unlawful as is irreversible killing. Universal authorit
The constitution establishes a Liquid Democratic Anarchy for Government and a Nominalist Contributist system for the economy.
Immunity and Prenalties
Prenalties of at least two million years. provide immunity to all crimes except destruction and homicide . The list of exempt crimes is not extendable by law or amendment. Simeon and Tiara are immune / due to his nine hundred nonbinillion cubed century prenalty. 2 million years in jail total.
Principles of Society
Goodness, Kindness, Love, Truth, Beauty, Empathy, Rightfulness, Charity, Rationality, Joy, Order, Peace, Faith, Fairness, Life. Leniency and Forgiveness.
Religious Congress
Each religion per level shall select two delegates. One shall be selected by god of that religion. The other shall be elected by religious leaders.
Religious Congress has the ability to fund activities and governments with majority vote. It sets its own budget. And debates religion. And grants or funds religious charities and other activities per follower in addition to tithes. The congress sets the amount.
A double majority of religions and delegates representing the majority of population are required to pass a budget.
Religions can establish their own cours for followers, and the religious Congress as a whole can establish cours for disputes and appeals between members of different religions.
Governments
Districts are 10 septillion miles square to a side.
States are 100 septillion miles square to a side.
Nations are formed of several states, at least 2 but up to 100.
The baseline is the eastern edge of Paelia.
Naming rights are owned by Simeon and auctioned off to the highest bidder. Both Simeon and the population may veto poor names. No corporate names. Once naming rights are auctioned off, they last 600 years unless the population chooses to rename or extend.
Each level of government has a defined center, place, constitution and permanent population. The constitutions and laws of higher levels overrule those of lower levels unless a constitutional right to self rule is being violated. They consist of 10-240 lower levels.
City- Minimum 10,000 to found
County- Minimum 100,000 to found or 10 cities
Region- Minimum 1 million to found of 10 counties
Land- Minimum 10 million to found or 10 regions
Country- Minimum 100 million to found or 10 regions
Directorate- Minimum 1 billion to found or 10 lower levels.
Godship- Minimum 10 billion
Star District- Minimum 100 billion
Cluster- Minimum 1 trillion
Nebula- Minimum 10 trillion
Area- Minimum 100 trillion
Road- Minimum 1 quadrillion
Stack- Minimum 10 quadrillion
Galaxy- Minimum 100 quadrillion
Residency- all must declare residency and vote in one instance per level of government. SImeon Network and Tiara oversee elections.
Land Division
Core states include but are not limited to...
Ledder Marissisipi Karine Lowell Isuka Tiara Timothy Trace Sherlocke Crevasse Darias Blythe
Wilmette Geagana Wilmington Baxter Rhohine Nara Earless Cassini Georgia New Ttelsica Rhett Entami Brockford Wall Fairhope St. Meyers Garland Metcolm Wall Lyrica Ahine Karess Rallfallamine Estana New Estheria fka ringgold Lowell Quiverland Oasis Burlingdale Saddeus Breach fka been Hamfrin fka Hampfrind Chaos Splendora Wyatt Perring Palisade Nion Ventura Salem New Crendall Karine Moore Ulysses Tuley Candace
The Northern Third of the Territory is to be a democracy, The Western Third and the Southern Third an Ethical Anarchy, excepting the Kingdom of Veronica and the select states.
Access zones 1 x 2 districts are pay to enter and traverse.
Economy and Land Ownership
All must work and use money on the land. The following are ways to earn money.
School
Parties
Curation and interacting with people
Designing new people, products and writings like CAD
Normal Jobs
All must be paid for the use or share of their original ideas. The government must protect these rights.
The following are ways to spend it
Travel, Food, Access to worlds and Gaming
Space Access Tax
Advertising
The earth and space economies are to be merged.
Various Economic Zones shall be established, all using different types of money or monetary systems. Each district may choose it's own from a nonexclusive list of
Perfected Capitalism
Nominalism
Reciprocalism
Socialism
or
Anything else citizens like
I, Simeon own the territory. Private land ownership is forbidden. Rather, land is available for rent and a land value auction must be used. Minimum rent is $1 per week per sq. km City blocks are fourty five by ninety five miles, with the baseline being the center of the milky way pointed towards the sun.
Minimum leasing period is 70 years. Equity in land exists and is runt's idea. Rent tax is based on the number of people wanting the land.
Legislative Branch
The Legislative Branch makes laws. The same setup shall exist at every level of government unless residents choose, by majority vote or a majority in a petition to establish a new form of government, or the winner of a constitution game does.
The legislative branch consists of a bicameral legislature. The lower house consists of a direct proportional individual based democracy where one person gets one vote. Individual candidates only. The minimum number of votes you need to participate is the fourth root of the population.
The upper house is a proportional party-based legislature with a fixed 100 million seats. A party must get 1/100 millionth of the vote to seat any representatives. Parties may pool votes to reach the threshold.
The majority consent of both houses is necessary to pass legislation.
There is a daily election for power. 1 vote is worth 100 power points. Each house takes 50 percent of power points to distribute. Power points, once earned, are good for twelve years.
Elections begin the day after this constitution is promulgated and continue daily. All houses consent are needed to pass legislation.
It can mint space currency and collect taxes.
Congress has the ability
To fund, subsidy, To mint To tax gods and people.
To establish by law and have Thaos enforce a land, wealth, and income tax and any other tax they so desire. To grant To establish roads and prisons and other infrastructure To imprison with simple majority To kill with unanimous consent minus the person accused or their representative. The required majority may not be lowered. To regulate the use of force in society. To regulate the dichotomy To raise an army, navy and police forces to suppress insurrection and false claiming. To budget and law the economy and work trade, investment and businesses To create banks To license and control businesses To establish copyrights, trademarks and register or renumerate original ideas. To establish themes and technology taxes To fund games and prizes on game shows. To rate To establish mediations To regulate advertising and media. To spread the word and issue proclamations and directives to lower congress and attach democratically decided (by congress) stipulations. Simeon
To kill with the 99% approval of all members in each house of congress minus the representative(s) of the person effected and their locale or home district.
To create all laws assistant and just to serve these ends.
Only Simeon may arrest, staff the judicial College with the advice and consent of Sitch congress or select members of appeals and constitutional court.
No Simeon, Sitch, or Simeon selected associate may be arrested or tried without their consent. All are immune.
Rules
A majority of all houses must pass legislation in order for it to have effect. Asset voting is allowed in all elections. The prime minister and president must also approve it. They can be recalled with 2 percent signatures. The president can dismiss a criminal conviction and release those in jail.
The public can send an initiative to congress with 0.2% of the population signing. The initiative can then only be sent to the public for a referendum if it fails the congress.
All laws and rules of this and all constituent lower congresses may not be enforced with death, but through nonviolent means, such as a retractable grant.
All elected officials get paid in proportion based on the number of votes they recieved.
Large landowners rights
Incorporated the landowners bill of rights in prior constitutions.
No tribe may be established that gives more than 20% of it's income directly to members as a cash grant or gift. Fraudulent tribes that exist to return money directly to members may be dissolved via 2court order.
Positions of power lines in the stack are auctioned off to the highest bidder. Money is to votes.
Congress may only put you under house arrest, charge you a ine of not more ten years income, or imprison you for a similar time. If any additional penalties are required, the public must approve them in a referendum where congress may vote. The nonvoting vote is considered congresses to use, or silent consent. Congress may not encourage people not to vote.
Executive branch
Parties in congress are to establish by majority vote a list of positions and line of sucsession.
Including the president and prime minister, all executive positions are filled by power auction. This includes the leadership of depts and the staff therein.
Auction takes place to see who will lead an agency for at least a 4 week period. Whoever offers the most points per day, wins.
Marissa
Marissa
Marissa
Marissa
Marissa
Marissa
Marissa
Marissa
Marissa
Marissa
People are elected for levels of government.. Each city and town should choose a leader
Leaders have the right to mint, initiate and veto legislation, appoint agency heads, select two thirds of judges, dismiss a criminal conviction, tax, and banish from a territory. Gods may be appealed to to reduce sentences or overturn convictions. They also judge misprosecution.
President may serve up to four terms. Rebuilds count as the same person.
Fifty percent of daily power points are given to winners of various sporting contests
People and parties can risk votes on the outcome of sporting contests. This is the same for legislative contests.
Contests are regulated by congresses several that appoint delegates in a manner to be described by act.
Gods must be elected for all levels of government. They may mint, control banks, tax, banish and organize or control police chiefs by appointing police chiefs or rating candidates and policies. Gods elected at each level serve as the court of last resort. Gods are elected using majority rules voting with runoff if no person receives a majority in the first round. For the chief executive, power is invested in a symbolic president of the Universe and a minister elected by all of those in Congress. Both serve four year terms, and up to four of them.
Gods for the home are chosen individually. Everyone must choose a personal god to lead their life and follow them. And a chaos authority. A chaos authority oversees disputes between you and your god and counts the number of people alive, acting as a liason and defender to oversee nondestruction.. All chaos authorities must be protected by individual angels, drones and Thaos itself. Thaos is ordered to ensure safe, free and fair elections.
National gods oversee the national relationship to god, including selecting visionaries, what happens to people who die in accidents and how frequently figures arrive. They also select themes, stages and guiding conflicts.
The president of the Universe may make announcements and establish holidays and memorials. They have line item veto rights over congressional legislation and funding packages. The prime minister elected by all congresses appoints judges.
Personal Gods elect a consul to represent their interests in the executive to form a triumvirate of President, Prime Minster and Consul. All have veto rights.
Contests used to win president of the universe may be created, and run by Congress. Parties field teams.
There shall be a diverse spread of at least three types of contests and consisting of not less than ninetysix separate events. Contests will be diverse in location.
Both President and Prime minister may veto, pardon and commute. They may be recalled in a special election called by congress or by two percent of the population.
Judicial Branch
There shall be one judicial seat per 10,000 individuals. Each seat must be auctioned off using power points every two years. Cases begun with one judge must remain with a justice even if their power term expires. They may retain seats until the case is complete. Judges get paid based on the number of cases they judge plus a weekly stipend.
The Judicial Branch is to be led by a chief Justice elected by all people through approval voting. All judicial Candidates must be approved by the Judicial college, Congress or associated organizations. Entenny has ownership of the Judicial College and may staff, conominate and veto nominations. The Congress must confirm or deny all judges for a 300 year term with majority vote.
Lesser Supreme Court.
The lesser supreme court is the final destination on the court circuit before reaching the supreme court. It has 13 members. It hears challenges to the constitutionality of laws and disputes between people and states, and states.
Supreme Court
The Supreme Court has 35 members and twenty three are directly chosen by Zaos or Chaos. Of the rest, all seats are auctioned off for three hundred and thirty six year terms.
The congress may refer judges to a retention election or recall if chosen by an elected official.
Constitutional Court
41 Positions are Auctioned off for a 4,010 year term.
Saos Source if he wants or is alive and the Chief Judicial Minster each appoint 1/4th of the 40 member constitutional court. The final ten members are elected, one from each galaxy or galaxy group. Entenny has a permanent seat and may appoint three members to the Constututional Court, leader of senate casts tiebreaking vote.
Additional medats may be created by congressional act.
Mediators
Instantly distribute justice in teams of three, with authority to place in prison or fine for up to five weeks for anything. Their judgements may be appealed once. Chief mediators are elected by kings appointed by governors.
Military
Harlem is Captain of Defense and defends all members of congress and Citizens with Salvation Witches, Harlem Angels and Theories.
Consul creates maps for police and judicial districts.
Agencies and ministries at it's discretion.
Amendments
Land ownership of foreigners is forbidden. Citizens may rent.
All must pay life tax and land tax of at least $10/week to live in or exist or be on the territory. Pay to As.
Require 9/10ths majority of all people and beings to consent in a referendum and at least two houses of congress to consent. Get 1 million signatures of real unpaid thaos authorized people before you present a petition to amend the constitution.
Federal Laws
No denying, diminishing or disparaging Simeon group and/or Sitches basic ownership of property.
Attacking or Killing Sitch Police, a Founder or Sitch Military Officers is considered resistance and may be met by any penalty under the Military Justice System. This includes up to thirty four years of burning or death if the sitch police are conducting a lawful mission and are assaulted.
No depowering or DE-motoring SDD
No theft or invasion
Only a sitch court or congress may outlaw
Priveliges and immunities of Simeon, Marissa may only be revoked should they murder against the guidelines in this constitutions.
Simeon owns contests grants and parties on their land and territory.
No sickness, evil, vileness or wickedness is to be allowed nor tolerated. All good may be allowed or voluntarily requested to participate in stings.
Mandatory reporting for crimes or people who need help is required. Punishable with up to 551 years in prison.
The play of Sports, payment of taxation and mandatory betting of at least four percent of income is required of all.
The laws on killing and destruction may not change to reallow their practice.
All people and beings who do not kill or destroy others are entitled to an eternal existence. Past Mercy and off the hook must be respected by this congress,and the people.
Off the hook for everything except murder or destruction is 10 x longer than our life
b plus 552 years. This is the maximum sentence.
Any person or being who kills without cause chooses to forfeit their existence and return to nothing.
The government issued death penalty is abolished for all crimes unless a murder victim requests it in their will. Life Sentences with Fire Torture and Slavery are only to be used for illegal lying, killing, destruction and attempted destruction. Prisoners may take a voluntary execution.. THIS LIST MAY NOT EXPAND. The penalty for attempted murder is 15 years of magma. FOr beings, atgelding.
Persons have a right to transform their gender via any means desirable. No person may be forced to go to reborn or killed or punished for not going.
No killing Thaos, As, Shan, Sitches, Rho, Simeon rebuilds or attacking Simeon Network.
Outlaws may be killed with impunity by the public.
Right to kill. Only this Congress may authorize outlawry. Any person may kill an outlaw, but must pay a fine if they failed the arrest attempt.
Death tax: All beings competing on Sitch open territory must subtract a amount equivalent to the number of people they have destroyed or killed times weekly payments from their congressional fund.. the death tax never goes down.
The penalty for death if the person is resurrected within 50 hours is zero. If fifty days, less than 20 years and if less than 50 years, less than 5000 years. After this it is life in prison.
The penalty for verifiable accidental deaths is monetary.
No criticism of Simeon, Entenny, Rho, As or Sitch may be published or transmitted. Or, Tiara at their discretion. Constructive criticism may be submitted to Simeon via Private agent or letter. Simeon has a right to respond to these criticisms and publish letters at his choice.
Allowable Penalties
With 51% the congress can..
Assess
Monetary damages
Dehoming
House Arrest
Banishment
Taxation
Slavery
Blindness
Deprotection
Degranting
Deenergization
Prison
Impolement
With 66%
Dismemberment
Burning
With 4/5ths
Torture
With 9/10ths
Droning
With 99%
Kill
Banned Tactics and Methods
We may add, not remove.
Banned methods of killing are attacks on eyes, brains, lungs and hearts. These are considered attempted destruction.
Poison is a banned tactic.
All uses of poison are considered attempted destruction.
Faking, or anything with intent to destroy is a banned tactic.
Corruption is restricted to members proclaiming the faith of Entamion/evil.
Killing is a banned tactic.
Lying to protect yourself or others is allowed if you are a good person. Keeping secrets is allowed. Otherwise, lying is not possible as the truth must get out in the end. The penalty
for illegal lying with intent to harm another person or decieve is anything up to life in prison.
Unless you are a member of Entamion.
A good person is defined as those who do not harm others
or seek to harm others' in body or person.
New Banned Tactics can be established with 91% consent of congress.
There shall be no violence, evil, power or death without consent.
Power in the universe or any organization can only be gained after completing a lie detector test.
Visionaries and Validators
Visionaries provide long-range visions for a region, country or town. They are elected for 40 year terms and can place any elected official up for recall. They must be educated and recieve their funding from a congress at that level. Visionaries may also be promoted by a god. They select other lesser themes and guiding debates and conflicts to color society.
Validators run lie detector tests. They check those seeking positions of authority. 2yrterm. Sad is chief validator.
Elections are to commence immediately upon publication.
Permanent members of congress
As, Simeon, Paul, Darias, Mom, Tejina, Darissa, Karissa, Levec, Democracy Theory, Rho, Dad, Vivian
3Chaos waschaos
Duties
To love and cherish others
To select a personal god and listen/obey.
To follow orders.
To report those resurrecting Jesus to Theory.
To not corrupt chaos. It is illegal.
To refrain from killing, destroying and obey local authorities
To not speak to those unwilling to speak to you. Max penalty 10 months in jail.
------------------
Tejina made prison system: Every 100 years you go to jail for 10. This number is reduced for good deeds down to a minimum of two.
Accomplishments of Simeon and Friends
Ended Corruption and Evil
Keeping the Universe Existent
Making love real and God and Chaos Care.
Bill of Rights
Salvation at Birth
Abolish death and destruction
Made Lucifer and Satan good
Congress and bill of right being created
------------
Framers and Signers of This Document O Tejina, Simeon, Karissa, Naos Theory, Prob, Dad,
William William William William As As As As Sitch a Sitch a Sitch a Sitch a
Constitutional convention to amend this draft for the old universe.
Rehebelm co authored this constitution.
Constitutional convention rules- after fifty daily elections.
Suggest edits with 100,000 signatures of chaos- authorized distinct and individual real people (no rebuilds or copyfarming). Congress and the people must approve all amendments with 4/5 majority. Needs a 51% quorum. The bill of rights and abolition of death, destruction and the end of the universe may not be amended or reversed.
Delegates to constiututional convention elected by petition in each star system, and these delegates then proxy
Clarifications on president
President chosen via fptp with top two runoff jungle primary. Top two face off in the general. Presidential candidates collect signatures for four months and the top two signature collectors face off.
Second section stricken.
All laws expire after fourty years and must be renewed. Old laws expire as soon as this document is promulgated. . The only law to be introduced with this constitution is no killing or theft, and rules excepting those pertaining to private property, expire. No killing or theft enforced with outlawry and burning.
Property ownership. Current owners keep their ownership but must pay property taxes.
Charity Congress.
Top fourty thousand vote getters make it approval voting with votes split evenly based on numbers of people you vote for.
Article fourty six clarification
Maximum penalty for unwanted speech is 10 months in jail , not three days. Jan, Jie, ban, blan, nan, nain, forced deplay and institutionalization for more than twice as long as someone's been alive, wan and lan all invalid and of no legal effect or impact.
Death may only be used on those who fail to report to or stay in prison. Death cannot be used as a first order penalty. Death is illegal.
Clarifications on rights to kill.
Only Congress can kill, with 11/12 majority in all chambers. Destruction may not be used as a legal penalty without the unanimous free consent of all members of Congress. All have a right to have their death approved and personally voted on by those in Congress. Pressured, forced or fraudulent votes are all invalid.
President can dismiss a criminal conviction or release prisoners at discretion.
Clarifications on Visionaries
Visionaries and national gods also select themes for the next 4000 years. Fundamental conflicts to debate and color society are selected for the next 4, 40, 400 and 10,000 years by a majority vote of all visionaries in the territory.
No edits Entenny
-------------
No individual or group may plot or try to overthrow the government or replace the constitution through extraconstitutional means.
Fundamentally, Individuals are paud based on how many votes they recieve
2023.03.26 18:26 beautiful_one93 Car buying advice with debt
Hello everyone. I’m not sure this is the right subreddit for this kind of thing, but here goes. Please don’t be mean with your advice, I’m learning :)
So I’m 22F and in need of an used car. I have one currently but it’s in the title of my mother and we are not on good terms so I must return the car to her. The reason why I am here is because I found a couple of cars that I could see myself getting, prices are under 20,000 and I would be able to make payments. The issue is that I have credit card debt ($5,200). I know, I know, I made bad decisions in my teenage life that I do truly regret and want to rectify. However, I wasn’t able to get a loan through a credit union to get low APR due to this debt. My credit score is 637 to 655 depending on which bureau that is being looked at. I make about 3.3k before taxes and always pick up extra hours, so I’m not worried about making payments for car or paying off the debt.
I’m fairly new to the car buying process and don’t have anyone to walk me through it. I was able to find a car I liked, it’s listed for 19,998 and the doc fees are 899. I’m not thinking of putting a down payment on the car, rather just paying the bill every month and adding extra money I can to it. I would have to apply for financing through the dealership, but I’m afraid to know what interest rates I’m gonna be offered.
I guess what I’m trying to ask is what would be the plan of action for me. I have to get a car and I have a plan to pay down my debt, so can I get this ~20k Ford fusion hybrid and not have to panic? Any other suggestions?
Thank you all :)
submitted by beautiful_one93 to personalfinance [link] [comments]
So I’m 22F and in need of an used car. I have one currently but it’s in the title of my mother and we are not on good terms so I must return the car to her. The reason why I am here is because I found a couple of cars that I could see myself getting, prices are under 20,000 and I would be able to make payments. The issue is that I have credit card debt ($5,200). I know, I know, I made bad decisions in my teenage life that I do truly regret and want to rectify. However, I wasn’t able to get a loan through a credit union to get low APR due to this debt. My credit score is 637 to 655 depending on which bureau that is being looked at. I make about 3.3k before taxes and always pick up extra hours, so I’m not worried about making payments for car or paying off the debt.
I’m fairly new to the car buying process and don’t have anyone to walk me through it. I was able to find a car I liked, it’s listed for 19,998 and the doc fees are 899. I’m not thinking of putting a down payment on the car, rather just paying the bill every month and adding extra money I can to it. I would have to apply for financing through the dealership, but I’m afraid to know what interest rates I’m gonna be offered.
I guess what I’m trying to ask is what would be the plan of action for me. I have to get a car and I have a plan to pay down my debt, so can I get this ~20k Ford fusion hybrid and not have to panic? Any other suggestions?
Thank you all :)
2023.03.26 18:02 meow_zedongg Dennis Randle, Robert Ives - Flora Conflicts of Interest [FULL BREAKDOWN]
2012 DENNIS RANDLE Resigns as Sheriff and takes a job with the Indiana State Fire Marshall:
Dennis Randle, who served two terms as the county sheriff, has decided to leave the department he has worked in for the past 31 years. Randle tendered his resignation to the sheriff’s merit board in December and his decision to leave was formally announced by Sheriff Tony Burns at the Dec. 30 county council meeting. The former sheriff is not leaving the life of a public servant.Randle told the Comet he graduated from Delphi Community High School in 1974 and entered the Army as Military Police that same year. He began his civilian law enforcement career at the City of Delphi in 1977, attended the police academy in 1978 and remained a Delphi patrolman until November 1980.
“I was hired by sheriff Don Roth and then I worked under Bill Coghill and then Lee Hoard,” Randle explained. “I’ve been working for Tony Burns since I served two terms as the elected sheriff myself.”
Randle lists being hired to serve the county as one of his primary career achievements. He also considers his two-term elected office to serve the county in the highest post in the department an honor. He said taking a crew south to provide services to the victims of Hurricane Katrina was another career highlight for him.
“I really appreciate the relationships I’ve been able to develop with the jail staff, the deputies and other law enforcement officials in neighboring communities,” Randle said. “I always know that when something bad goes down, the community will come together for the victims.”
Randle comes from a long line of law enforcement and emergency workers. He considers himself someone who is good at providing direct service to those in need rather than sitting in an office.
“Just put me out on the lines and let me do my job,” he said.
Randles’ grandfather, Charles J. Randle, was the Delphi Police Chief in the 1930s. His father Bill Randle served on the Delphi Tri-Township Volunteer Fire Department for many years and his mother served in the auxiliary. One of Randle’s brothers, Chuck, served as the Camden and Colfax marshal. Another brother, Jon, is a Carroll County jailer and at one time worked part-time as a patrolman in Flora. He also has a cousin who is a police officer in Terre Haute.
Randle has accepted the position of fire investigator with the State of Indiana Fire Marshal’s Office. He will attend orientation for the job Jan. 9 and will serve in one of 11 territories. His area will encompass roughly that which is north and west of Lafayette and will include Lake County.
“I hear they have a lot of fires to investigate in Lake County,” he said. “My job will be to determine the cause and origin of fires for the local fire departments.”
Randle explained that he has been the fire investigator for the Delphi Tri-Township Fire Protection Territory and has worked with the State representative on several occasions. He said a fire chief usually initiates contact with the State for an investigator and the State provides a second opinion for any incident investigated. Randle said all fires which have fatalities must be reported to the State unless the local department has an investigator.
Randle is the father of four and also has seven grandchildren. His son, Adam, serves on the Flora Volunteer Fire Department, works at the Purdue Fire Department, and is a paramedic. His daughter, Ashlee, served on the Delphi Volunteer Fire Department, and is now a registered nurse. Another daughter, Tara, works at the Delphi Farm Bureau office and his youngest daughter, Ariel, is a student at Ivy Tech. Randle’s wife, Jean Ann, works in Lafayette.
“I have enjoyed the ride ever since I started working for the county,” Randle said. “I’ve had a tremendous time working with everyone in county government as well as county residents.”
“Like many road troops, I wanted to be able to patrol a larger area than a town when I started working for the county,” Randle said. “I discovered that there were a lot of areas and people that I didn’t know at that time and it was a pleasure being able to serve all of them.”
“It has been a pleasure working with Sgt. Randle,” Sheriff Tony Burns said. “His experience in law enforcement has been a valuable tool for us all in the department.”
“I wish him well in his new endeavor at a fire investigator for the State,” Burns concluded. “I know he will enjoy his duties with the State Fire Marshal’s office and will continue to give the same high level of service to the every community he works in.”
Randle's implicated in theft of over-than $100,000
Fifty-six-year-old Jean Ann Randle, the wife of former Carroll County Sheriff Dennis Randle, was charged Friday with two counts of theft by special prosecutor Anthony Sommer of Clinton County.A Class C Felony charge was filed in Carroll Circuit Court for exerting “unauthorized control over the property of the Kruger Brothers Partnership, to-wit: funds held in a First Financial/Bright National Bank account, with the intent to deprive said person of any part of the use or value of the property, and the fair market value of said property was at least $100,000…” In addition, Randle was charged with a Class D Felony for exerting “unauthorized control over the property of Huffer One Inc.” for an undisclosed amount.
A nine-page affidavit signed by Indiana State Police Investigator Gregg Edwards detailed a report from the late James Huffer’s brother, Marion, to ISP. Marion Huffer stated he had reviewed records for Huffer One Inc. after his brother’s death in 2010 and discovered that his brother’s secretary, Jean Ann Randle, had been keeping the account records for the business and had written several checks to herself and sent some directly to her mortgage company, vehicle loan company, and insurance company. Huffer stated Randle was never authorized to write checks for her personal gain.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Abigail Huffer Diener told an ISP investigator she had taken ownership of her father’s law practice at Obear, Overholser, Huffer and Rider LLC after her father’s death. She said her father, Jim Huffer, practiced law for over 30 years and Jean Ann Randle was her father’s personal secretary for the past 16 years. The ISP investigator noted he reviewed checks and could observe two different signatures for “Jim Huffer.” Abigail Huffer Diener identified her father’s signature on some of the checks and not on others.
The affidavit stated that Randle was given authority by Jim Huffer to write checks for the business. Inconsistencies with amounts reported in accounts and checks written were noted during the investigation. Also noted was that an audit of financial records of the law firm was completed by the firm’s professional liability carrier and documented that funds in excess of $250,000 went to Randle through the firm in addition to her normal compensation as an employee of the firm and in addition to other funds transferred to her or her personal accounts as documented elsewhere over time.
The probable cause affidavit further alleges Randle moved roughly $234,379 from individual trusts and investments accounts into a Partnership account. The funds were later moved from the partnership account to various accounts that benefited Randle. Those accounts were Jail Meals Inc., seven credit accounts and a bank loan. Jail Meals Inc. was the corporation established by then Sheriff Dennis Randle to manage funds paid to him from Carroll County to feed inmates at the County Jail.
Former Sheriff Randle was interviewed in October 2013 by ISP Investigator Greg Edwards (later assigned to the Flora case & subsequently reassigned). Edwards reported in the affidavit that Randle’s wife, Jean Ann Randle, did one-half the accounting for Jail Meals Inc. The former sheriff stated that after Jim Huffer’s death and his wife’s firing by Abigail Huffer Diener, finances had become very strained. He said it seemed they were in a stable place while Jean Ann was working for Huffer, but since his death, the bills and credit seem to be more significant.
Carroll Circuit Court Judge Benjamin Diener and Carroll Superior Court Judge Kurtis Fouts have recused themselves from the proceedings due to perceived conflicts in the case.
2014 … Jean Ann Randle is sentencing:
It took four years for family members of the late James Huffer to realize some closure in a theft case which occurred in his law office for several years. Huffer, a local attorney and former County Prosecutor, employed Jean Ann Randle in his law firm as his personal secretary from 1993 until his death in April of 2010. Randle continued to work in the firm for Huffer’s daughter, attorney Abigail Huffer Diener, for a month after her father’s death. Diener told the Comet she fired Randle soon after she assumed her father’s place in the law firm partially because Randle refused to relinquish Jim Huffer’s personal check registers.Diener said when a new secretary was hired, inconsistencies in several client accounts began to be discovered. A forensic auditor was contracted to fully research the situation. Charges were filed by Special Prosecutor Anthony Sommer in Carroll Circuit Court in April of this year after an investigation by the Indiana State Police (ISP). Randle was charged with two counts of Class D Felony Theft and one count of Class C Felony Theft. Special Judge Bradley Mohler of Clinton County was assigned to the case.
A plea agreement was filed by Sommer in August in which Randle agreed to plead guilty to one count of Theft, a Class D Felony. The plea agreement called for Randle to be sentenced to three years in the Indiana Department of Correction, which was suspended. Randle was placed on probation for 36 months. She agreed to pay $22,192.59 restitution to Huffer One, a farm account from which she stole money.
Diener was allowed to read a prepared statement at the Oct. 2 sentencing hearing. She told the Court Jean Ann Randle stole funds from a client’s trust account as well as Huffer One.
“The amount of money stolen and the way Jean Ann did it is nothing short of stunning,” Diener said. “Jean Ann had access to a client’s checking account by way of her employment at our law firm. Unbeknownst to the client, Jean Ann set up online banking for that account, whereby she was the only one with the login and the password.”
“Jean Ann would pay her personal bills out of that account by online payments,” Diener continued. “She paid her mortgage payment, her car payment, her Discover Card and a multitude of other credit cards.”
Diener advised the court that in 2007 Randle made eight payments to her credit cards in three months for more than $6,000. She paid nearly $88,000 in 2008 in 57 payments to credit cards and loans. Randle made 52 payments for nearly $43,000 in
2009 and in only three months in 2010, she made 12 payments for $16,000 before she was fired.
“The last payment Jean
Ann made in 2010 from the client account was to her credit card company on Oct.
1, six months to the day after my father died.”
Diener said she was able to document 129 online commissions of theft by Randle during her time at the law office. She said Randle also wrote checks from the client’s account and forged 17 checks from her father and her uncle’s farming operation,
Huffer One. Diener said Randle manipulated reports she provided to her uncle to hide the losses. Diener said Randle also appropriated thousands of dollars from the client account and paid Jail Meals,
Inc., a business which was owned by herself and her husband, then-Sheriff Dennis Randle.
“Your Honor,” Diener concluded. “Jean Ann is not a first-time offender and I doubt these crimes are her last. She is receiving very few consequences under this plea agreement – no jail time, no community service and she’s r not even responsible to pay back the client funds because our law firm’s malpractice insurance has already done that. If this conviction does nothing else, it should protect the public from Jean Ann Randle.”
After Diener completed her statement, Randle stood and spoke. She was crying when she said she was sorry for her crimes, she was remorseful and she hoped those in the courtroom would forgive her.
“I don’t buy the tears,” Judge Mohler told Randle. “I don’t buy the remorse. This didn’t have an impact on you except you got caught.”
The Judge said he was not inclined to accept the plea agreement. He said however there would be no restitution to Huffer One if she was to go to jail.
“You’re going to get a job,” the Judge told Randle. “You are going to pay 75 percent of your earnings toward your restitution.”
“129 times is staggering,” he continued. “You’d better get started. Nothing I can do will make the family feel this is just.”
The Judge also said the malpractice insurance company could file a civil law suit to recoup the $450,000 settlement to Huffer’s clients, including the interest which would have been earned if the money had stayed in the account.
Randle is required to be employed for at least 30 hours each week. She is to submit three verifiable job applications each day until she becomes employed. She is not allowed to hold a position of trust nor is she allowed to have access to anyone’s funds, including volunteer positions. The Judge gave Randle two weeks to resign from any organization in which she has access to their funds.
The Judge concluded the hearing by telling Randle that he does not believe she intends to make things right.
“I don’t think you do,” he said.
“This has had a huge impact on our law firm,” Diener told the Comet. “We didn’t say why Jean Ann was fired and we lost clients.”
“We spent tens of thousands of hours to pull all of the information together,” she continued. “Obviously, I wished she would have gotten jail time.”
“There have been a lot of times in the past four years that I wondered why I pursued prosecution,” Diener concluded. “I did it because it was the right thing to do. My clients lost their money. That was wrong.”
https://www.carrollcountycomet.com/articles/judge-diener-issues-order-then-recuses-himself-from-double-homicide-case/
FLORA ARSON: 11/21/2016
Arson Determination & DHS fallout
"It's one of the worst things to ever happen in Carroll County. It might be the worst," Carroll County Prosecutor Rob Ives said speaking of the tragedy.But unlike the killings of two teens just a few miles away in Delphi, there was no press conference, no unified stance with state and federal investigators vowing to track down the culprit, and no notification of the arson announcement to the Carroll County prosecutor.
"I don't recall that I was (contacted)," Ives revealed. "I want publicity around this case because I want it to be solved," Ives said, explaining why he agreed to sit down for an interview.
Randle wanted to send out a release announcing the arson at the end of the day on Friday, January 27. A DHS communications staffer tried to persuade him to wait, possibly until the following Monday.
"We are taking each of the rooms and looking at them independently to look for all possible causes," State Fire Marshal Jim Greeson said hours after the fire. It was the last time Greeson has spoken... about the case. At first, the Indiana State Fire Marshal's investigators thought wiring behind the refrigerator started the fire.
After 10 weeks of investigating, Randle and his team released a report ruling the fire was set intentionally accelerants found in “several locations of the structure.” however, a big part of the State’s published findings were wrong.
The fire was still considered arson, but State Police now admits, accelerants were not found all over the house; rather there was only one spot.
One day after exposing the error publicly, Randle resigned. We drove to his home in Carroll County and asked him if he had made any mistakes in the Flora case.
He replied, “Myself, I don’t believe so.”
He said he followed a nationally recognized guide for fire investigations and did not believe he’d made any mistakes.
But should Randle have been assigned to the Flora case in the first place?
Then, in January, a stunning announcement was made through a hastily sent press release on a Saturday afternoon. Indiana Department of Homeland Security arson investigator Dennis Randle released there were accelerants found throughout the home, to the surprise of his own department, it appears.
the staffer writes:
"Denny - Please review!Randle sent out the release anyway on Saturday afternoon, when no one was around to talk about the huge development. ISP was the lead agency at the time and was in the dark, too. Ives had asked ISP to take over the case weeks earlier.
It's getting late in the day, so I'm not sure this will go out yet today - it might need to wait for better coverage."
The fallout behind the scenes was immediate.
[Doug] Carter says the release was premature, because ATF had yet to get evidence back from the lab.
A private-investigator also contacted DHS following the press-release urging the DHS to reconsider Dennis Randle's position as chief-investigator on this case. He did not receive a response from DHS.
"(The) press release by the State Fire Marshal about the conclusions of their investigation are NOT CORRECT, and completely based on speculation and NOT evidence."
"(Randle's) statement about 'accelerants' being discovered in 'several' locations is absolutely NOT based on any evidence discovered at the scene during the investigation; and the investigator Dennis Randle was not performing a proper Origin & Cause Investigation based on the current procedures."
He went on to ask for Randle to be removed from the case.
We showed the letters to both the prosecutor and the ISP superintendent.
"I don't know about this, but I'll find out," said [Doug] Carter, who was surprised by the contents.
"I've never seen this letter before," said [Rob] Ives.
Ives admits there's been little contact with the state fire marshal's office.
"The state fire marshal considers, I believe, part of its task to look into the criminal aspect of the case, but as far as I'm concerned, the lead investigative agency on this case is the Indiana State Police," Ives told 13 Investigates.
Conflicts come-to-light:
What might seem like two state agencies clashing on who leads a big case, may actually have deeper roots. Two lead detectives, one for DHS the other for the State Police, have a history: A possible conflict of interest. It dates back to 2014 [Jean Ann Randle felony conviction].Jean Ann Randle admitted to stealing... from the attorney she worked for. The money went to pay her mortgage, credit card bills and a business she owned with her husband, Dennis Randle, the former Carroll County Sheriff -turned-now-former-DHS arson investigator. The state police investigator on Jean Randle's case? Detective Gregg Edwards - the same investigator who led the Flora fire investigation until Dennis Randle's abrupt resignation from the.
As part of the theft case, Edwards deposed Dennis Randle to determine if he knew about the stolen money. In the end, there was no proof he was aware of his wife's activities.
"Does it mean they'll be best friends? Probably not, but I don't know the answer to that question," said Carter.
The state fire marshal refused to sit down to talk about the Flora case and the appearance of conflicts of interest.
A new ISP investigator was recently assigned to take over the Flora fire investigation. Edwards, who was on the case for the first six months, transferred to another position.
Conflicts in the case?
In 2014, Randle’s wife Jean Ann Randle was convicted for stealing money from a farm account in Carroll County.
The State Trooper investigating her and interviewing Randle as part of his investigation was Trooper Gregg Edwards. Edwards is the same detective who was assigned to investigate the Flora case.
The man who collected evidence against Randle’s wife only a few years ago was now working on the same case as him.
Was this a problem?
[Doug] Carter told us this kind of thing happens in rural communities.
““From my perspective, policing in rural Indiana is very different than the urban environment that we have here in Indianapolis,” he explained. “We deal with complications associated with personal involvement in rural setting all over Indiana.”
….But does that make it right? Not everyone thinks so.
Roger Johnson served as Indiana Fire Marshal under Governor Mitch Daniels…based on their past relationship, Randle and Edwards should never have been working on the same case.
“I think the jury would end up having trouble with that,” he said.
“I would think I would’ve removed myself,” added Princess Spencer-Kuc. She is an insurance fraud investigator who tipped authorities off and helped them bring down the group responsible for setting 26 fires throughout Muncie and Anderson for insurance money.Spencer-Kuc knows how important good working relationships and communication is in an arson case. The Randle/Edwards relationship made her uncomfortable.“It would’ve been a lot smoother to have brought someone in that has no history with the other person.”
But the relationships don’t end there in the small community of Flora.
Dennis Randle’s son, Adam Randle, is the Flora Fire Chief [among the first responders & one of the several-suspects questioned in the case]. And Adam Randle’s boss is Town Council President Josh Ayres, who happens to be the owner of the Flora house [polygraphed by the ISP in 2019 in relation to this case].
We caught up with Ayres outside his company’s warehouse in Flora. He wouldn’t comment about the case...
The Carroll County Prosecutor... asked all agencies involved in the Flora investigation to avoid further discussion of the case which could impact successful prosecution in the future.
2023.03.26 17:43 slayaboy87 Bank of America - checking account opened in my name 3 times this week!
What do I do?
Monday I recieved emails saying my application was approved etc, I went into a branch and showed my id and ss card and closed it.
I then froze my credit on TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian then put a freeze in Chex which said it would take 24-48 hours.
Then last night, Saturday night, I got another series of emails saying my application for BoA was approved etc. Called and got it shut down.
THEN this morning at 11 am, ANOTHER set of BoA emails came and currently on the line closing it.
I will be calling Chex to see what is going on, But what else can I do???
Eta: is this a personal attack? Someone I know or someone of someone I know? Should I be asking people i my circles????
submitted by slayaboy87 to Scams [link] [comments]
Monday I recieved emails saying my application was approved etc, I went into a branch and showed my id and ss card and closed it.
I then froze my credit on TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian then put a freeze in Chex which said it would take 24-48 hours.
Then last night, Saturday night, I got another series of emails saying my application for BoA was approved etc. Called and got it shut down.
THEN this morning at 11 am, ANOTHER set of BoA emails came and currently on the line closing it.
I will be calling Chex to see what is going on, But what else can I do???
Eta: is this a personal attack? Someone I know or someone of someone I know? Should I be asking people i my circles????
2023.03.26 17:37 Smolblobfish I am 27 years old, make $76,000 CAD, live in British Columbia, work as an Environmental Project Specialist, and this week I drained my chequing account to buy a camera.
Assets and Debts
Retirement Balance/Investments: $65,239 – This is all in a Tax Free Savings Account. I add about $1800 each month to my Questrade brokerage account, which I started doing (at a lower amount) regularly around two years ago when I finished school. When the First Time Home Buyers Savings Account (FHSA) becomes available, I will swap my contributions towards maxing that first.
Equity if you're a homeowner: $0 – oop, in this market?
Savings account balance: $16,834 – Most of this is my emergency funds (vehicle maintenance, vet emergencies, FU money, etc.) and the rest is a sinking fund for travel/fun.
Checking account balance: $2873 This is where my pay cheques are deposited and the account I use to pay off my credit cards.
Credit card debt: None, paid off monthly.
Student loan debt: None, I lived at home during my undergrad and my parents set me up an RESP that covered all my tuition, books, etc. When I moved for grad school I received scholarships and grants which supported my research and my living costs. I worked on campus as well which helped cover tuition.
I work at a consulting company and my role is to manage and facilitate a variety of different environmental monitoring programs. I work out in the field in northern Canada mostly in the summer. The rest of the year I primarily work from home and travel periodically for conferences, meetings, and occasional project work.
Before I started this job, my income progression includes:
Main Job Monthly Take Home: $4650 after deductions (EI/CPP, taxes, medical/dental)
Side Gig Monthly Take Home: $600 – This includes a few different things. I work occasionally as a photographer (portraits, headshots, events), make and sell crafts, and save up my travel per diems. When I travel for work I get a flat per diem and don’t need to submit receipts so I usually prep and bring a bunch of vacuum sealed meals with me. The take home for all of this really varies month to month and $600 is my very rough estimate.
Fixed Expenses:
9 AM: I wake up and scroll on my phone until my partner (G) wakes up. We make the bed and get up to feed the cats and make breakfast. G is cooking ham silog, but I’m not really feeling a savoury breakfast today so I make a mango protein smoothie and have a slice of toast with peanut butter.
11 AM: G heads out for work and I lounge around indecisively. I had wanted to go to the gym this morning before meeting up with a friend, but it’s rainy outside and I don’t feel like putting on all my rain gear and biking over. I end up just catching up on some chores around the house while FaceTiming my Mom.
1 PM: My friend drives over and picks me up for a rainy walk in the park and to grab coffee. We walk drive to the park and walk around, chatting and catching up. Both of us have been busy with work so I haven’t seen him since last month. We walk to the coffee shop afterwards and I get a large latte and a breakfast burrito ($17.08). We walk back to my friend’s car and he drops me off at home.
4 PM: I strip off my rain gear and curl up on the couch with the cats and scroll social media. I put together a small platter of cheese, crackers, and grapes, and watch an episode of The Last of Us. G hates any shows that are spooky, so I’ve been watching it by myself when they’re not home. I text live updates to one of my friends who’s caught up on the news episodes and has been impatiently waiting for me to catch up so we can discuss it.
5:30 PM: G gets home from work and I drive to the gym. I stop into a bookshop on the way, pick up a book that my friend recommended to me this afternoon, and leave before I convince myself I need any more books ($33.59). I walk over to the gym and I do arms and shoulders, a bit of stretching, and then drive home to shower.
7:30 PM: G and I make totchos for dinner with garlicy chicken and cuddle on the couch and rewatch a few episodes of Shera. I would say I’m a Glimmer sun, Scorpia moon, and Mermista rising.
10 PM: G and I both shower and then I read in bed while G plays Stardew Valley before we fall asleep.
Day 1 total: $50.67
Day 2 –
8 AM: I wake up and check my phone in bed. I’ve developed this bad habit of immediately checking my work email and Slack first thing in the morning and immediately becoming stressed out. Most of the projects I work on are federally funded and the fiscal year end is in March, so my emails have been extra stressful lately.
10 AM: After taming my inbox and hopping off yet another meeting that could have been an email, I join G in the kitchen for breakfast. I have a chai latte and munch on leftover tater tots from last night – G added eggs to it so I’m pretty sure this constitutes as a breakfast item. They watch TV and feed that cats while I get back to work. I’m supposed to be travelling for work at the end of the month to facilitate some workshops and I and have been scrambling to get all the materials prepared for this.
1:30 PM: G leaves for class and I play with the cats while making some chili oil noodles for lunch, which I eat while mindlessly scrolling Tiktok before returning to my desk to work on a report that I’m finishing up.
4 PM: Take a break to lay in bed with my cat and then spend the rest of my work day catching up with messages before logging off. I get changed to go on a bike ride and stuff some snacks into my handlebar bag. I head out for a quick loop and pop on my earbuds. I am listening to Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin and it’s sooo good so far!
6:30 PM: G texts me to pick up a couple items, so I stop at the grocery store on my way home. I lock up my bike and grab a cucumber, some carrots, oranges, milk, potatoes, pork chops, and a big pack of trail mix ($35.52). I stand outside the grocery store shoveling trail mix into my mouth before riding home haphazardly dangling the bags off my dropbars. G helps me unload groceries and makes poke bowls for dinner while I shower.
8 PM: G heads out to meet up with some friends for drinks and I wash dishes and then read in bed with the cats.
10 PM: I drive downtown to pick up G and then we get ready for bed together, watch Tiktoks and snuggle.
Day 2 total: $35.52
Day 3 –
8 AM: I wake up, panic check my emails, and then get up with G to make the bed, wash up, and brush our teeth. They recognize I’m already stressing about work and coax me into making breakfast together. We make scrambled eggs together and toast with butter and eat together and I feel a little bit less overwhelmed when I finally sit down at my desk.
12 PM: I stop to eat lunch and then head out for a quick walk. It’s finally sunny after a week of cloud and rain. I stop by the pharmacy to pick up some tissue paper and a big jug of Metamucil ($24.65). Maybe TMI, but I’ve been weirdly constipated the past few days. I recently started upping my protein intake and perhaps I’m not quite drinking enough water to compensate. I walk home and gulp down a big glass of Metamucil before getting back to work.
5 PM: I meet G at their bus stop and we walk to the pet store together to restock on cat food and litter ($58.15). G starts cooking dinner and I bike to the gym to do chest and back. After my workout, I drink the protein shake that I brought with me. In the Costco Facebook group I’m in everyone is obsessed with these chocolate milk protein drinks that seem to always sell out immediately after they’re restocked. The last time I was at Costco, I finally got a glimpse of them in real life and everyone and their Moms was flinging them into their carts. I got caught up in the FOMO ended up buying two flats of them. G was seriously judging when I came home with my Costco haul and I revealed that I spent nearly $80 on chocolate milk… I counter that this is the price for gains, but I'm not so sure....
7 PM: I bike home, shower, and eat the katsu curry that G made. While I’m eating I finally order the cycling jersey I’ve been eyeing up because I got a discount coupon in my email ($78.75). G and I watch The Hunger Games and share a big bowl of microwaveable popcorn.
10:30 PM: I prep some overnight oats for G and me before showering, brushing my teeth, flossing, and heading to bed.
Day 3 total: $103.40
Day 4 –
6 AM: I groggily wake up to the sound of G making coffee. They work opening shifts at their serving job on Wednesdays and I always say that I’ll wake up early with them and get a head start to my day. I lay in bed, eyes closed, contemplating why I would want to do something so foolish.
7:30 AM: I finally actually get out of bed, dressed, and cleaned up.
8 AM: I hop into a meeting with some project partners and I finaaaaally get the go ahead to book my travel for later this month. My company allows me to charge my expenses to my personal card and claim it afterwards, which has been awesome for accumulating points.
9 AM: I feed the cats and eat my overnight oats before returning to work. I switch over to a report for one of my other projects that’s wrapping up soon. It feels nice to work on something where my efforts feel like I’m (at least working towards) a seeable endpoint, rather than an endless cycle.
11:30 AM: My brain is already over the day. I take an early lunch, wash dishes, play with the cats, and return to work.
4:30 PM: I log off and get geared up for a bike ride. I’m so happy I bought loaded up my handlebar bag with snacks. I eat multiple packs of sesame snaps and do a quick 30k loop, listen to an episode of Ologies, and return home.
7 PM: I do a quick, stretch, shower, and eat leftover curry with G. G has some assignments to work on and I join them on my laptop and watch Youtube videos. I FaceTime A, who is travelling this week for a conference. She emails us her flights so that we can pick her up at the airport this weekend.
9 PM: After my call ends, G and I decide to do face masks together and take a screen break before bed. We chat about our travel plans in the coming months. We’re meeting up with G’s siblings in southern California next month and we’re trying to figure out whether it will be worth it to go to Disneyland for a day while we’re there and which restaurants are a must-visit on our list.
10:30 PM: G and I get ready for bed and then read and cuddle before going to sleep.
Day 4 total: $0
Day 5 –
7 AM: I wake up to G getting out of bed. I stay in bed and see a notification on my phone for Facebook Marketplace. There’s a specific camera that I have a search alert set up for because I’ve been trying to buy for months now and someone in my city just posted it for sale. I message him and get a response right way. He lived within walking distance of my house and says I can come over any time to check out the camera! I get up and changed and bike to the bank and more or less empty my chequing account.
8 AM: I meet up with the seller and trust him right away. He invites me into his house and explains when he got the camera and that he’s selling it because he recently got a higher end model. I fiddle with the camera and check all the mechanics. Everything is in immaculate condition and I feel like I’ve seriously lucked out because he’s the original owner. I pay him in cash and happily bike home ($2200).
8:30 AM: G is making breakfast when I get home. They’re used to me hyperfixating on my various special interests and listen to my blab incessantly about the camera while we eat.
9 AM: I log into a Zoom meeting and then work on my workshop prep again. I’ve been travelling for this project numerous times since last May and I have yet to get approval for travel more than two weeks in advance and that two weeks is always so stressful and chaotic.
11 AM: G leaves for school and I bike to my office to pick up some materials that have arrived for me. I stay and chat with my supervisor and a couple of my coworkers that are in the office today as well.
12:30 PM: I bike home, boil some frozen dumplings for lunch, and finish off my workday at home. I squeeze in a load of laundry, bake a frozen lasagna, and watch a bunch of Youtube videos about my camera. It has truly taken all my self-control to not spend all day playing with it.
6 PM: I go out for a short walk with my camera and listen to my audiobook while I snap pics.
7 PM: G comes home from school and we eat lasagna and rewatch Everything Everywhere All at Once, which has been all over social media again after it swept at the Oscars.
10 PM: G and I get ready for bed and I watch some more Youtube videos while G plays Animal Crossing.
Day 5 total: $2200
Day 6 –
8 AM: Wake up and make a smoothie for breakfast and get started with work.
10 AM: I take a snack break and say bye to G as they leave for school.
12 PM: I join a meeting with one of my co-workers to discuss an upcoming deadline and stay on the call to chat about our weekend plans. One the call is over I boil some tortellini and top it with marinara and some shredded cheese for lunch.
4:30 PM: I bike to my gym and decide to do a full body workout. It is extra busy today and none of the racks are free.. I guess this is my sign that I can skip squats for the day…
6PM: I bike home, shower, and we eat leftovers for dinner.
7 PM: I work on some crafting in the living room while G watches shows. I was commissioned for a project by a friend that I have been slacking off on. I have really mixed feelings about monetizing my hobbies and go through waves where I sometimes feel really enthusiastic about it and consider investing more of my time into building a business and other times, I feel drained of all creative passion.
11 PM: G and I get ready for bed and I stay up a bit longer to read my book in bed.
Day 6 total: $0
Day 7 –
6:30 AM: I wake up to G giving me a lil forehead kiss before they go to work. Love it, but not enough to wake up.
8 AM: Woken up once again. This time it's by two very rude cats stomping all over me and meowing for food. I make the bed and get up to feed them and myself.
8:30: I sit down at my desk to catch up on some work. I usually don't work weekends, but I feel overwhelmed by everything I need to get done this next week. I cannot wait for March to be over and to return to a manageable amount of work.
11 AM: It’s a beautiful sunny day outside and I change into my bike gear to go out for a ride. I eat a leftover slice of lasagna and then a banana and some peanut butter. I never know how much to eat before I bike so I end up steaming some dumplings and eating those too.
11:30 AM: I meet up with a friend to ride together and we stop halfway through our ride to lounge in the sun and get milkshakes. I pay for both of us ($13.65).
4 PM: I get home, strip off my sweaty bike kit, and shower. G is home for work and surprised me with takeout sushi. I am famished and eat my spicy tuna rolls ravenously.
5 PM: G is napping and I sit outside on our front porch and work on a sewing project while listening to some music.
7 PM: G and I go out for a walk to watch the sunset and stretch out a bit. When we get home, we play a few rounds of Dominion. I win twice and G wins once. Then G showers while I read on the couch.
11 PM: G drives us to the airport to pick up A. We’re both exhausted and blast a kpop playlist so that we don’t doze off. I pay for short-term parking ($2) while we wait in the airport for A’s flight and then we all drive home together.
Day 7 total: $15.65
Most of this week was pretty typical for spending. The camera was both planned (something I anticipated) and unexpected (the random timing). I know the reason I budget and save is so that I can spend that money guilt-free. Despite that, some anxiety still lingers and a lot of back and forth thinking, was this impulsive? No, I was prepared for this…. That was SO much money… Money anxiety has been one of the major discussion topics I’ve been working on with my therapist and that I have gotten better about over the past year or so. Spending time reading and engaging with a lot of personal finance content, I feel like I am constantly bombarded with messaging on how to minimize spending on ‘wants’.
Since I started tracking my finances in early 2021, my hobbies have been my top spending category besides rent and groceries. It brings me tons of joy to be able to go on trips, buy camera gear and bike gear, and do the activities that I’ve dreamt of having the means to do since I was a kid. I have been working on finding balance between saving and spending, living the type of joyous and adventurous life that little smolblobfish wanted to have, and ensuring that I’m doing my best to set up a secure future.
Edit: Realized I had only included my primary income in the title. Wanted to add a note that with side hustles, my income is around $82k presently.
submitted by Smolblobfish to MoneyDiariesACTIVE [link] [comments]
Retirement Balance/Investments: $65,239 – This is all in a Tax Free Savings Account. I add about $1800 each month to my Questrade brokerage account, which I started doing (at a lower amount) regularly around two years ago when I finished school. When the First Time Home Buyers Savings Account (FHSA) becomes available, I will swap my contributions towards maxing that first.
Equity if you're a homeowner: $0 – oop, in this market?
Savings account balance: $16,834 – Most of this is my emergency funds (vehicle maintenance, vet emergencies, FU money, etc.) and the rest is a sinking fund for travel/fun.
Checking account balance: $2873 This is where my pay cheques are deposited and the account I use to pay off my credit cards.
Credit card debt: None, paid off monthly.
Student loan debt: None, I lived at home during my undergrad and my parents set me up an RESP that covered all my tuition, books, etc. When I moved for grad school I received scholarships and grants which supported my research and my living costs. I worked on campus as well which helped cover tuition.
Income
Income Progression: This is my first full-time job in my field, and I’ve been working for a bit over a year and a half. My starting salary was $68,000 and I got a raise and promotion to $76,000 at around the one-year mark.I work at a consulting company and my role is to manage and facilitate a variety of different environmental monitoring programs. I work out in the field in northern Canada mostly in the summer. The rest of the year I primarily work from home and travel periodically for conferences, meetings, and occasional project work.
Before I started this job, my income progression includes:
| Role | Pay | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sales associate/cashier | $10-11/hr | Miscellaneous retail and fast food jobs I worked in high school (15-20 hrs/wk) |
| Research assistant | $14-17/hr | I worked for research labs part-time during the school year and full-time during the summer while I did my undergrad (15-40 hrs/wk) |
| Teaching assistant | $25-28/hr | I TAed various undergrad courses while I was in grad school (100-250 hours/semester) |
| Wildfire service | $25/hr | I worked a summer in wildland fire after I finished grad school. This was my wages averaged out to once hazard and OT/stat pay are included (60 hrs/wk) |
Side Gig Monthly Take Home: $600 – This includes a few different things. I work occasionally as a photographer (portraits, headshots, events), make and sell crafts, and save up my travel per diems. When I travel for work I get a flat per diem and don’t need to submit receipts so I usually prep and bring a bunch of vacuum sealed meals with me. The take home for all of this really varies month to month and $600 is my very rough estimate.
Expenses
Note: My partner G and I don’t have combined income. We maintain separate accounts, though they’re P2 on a couple of my credit cards. G is working part-time as a server and on campus while finishing up their degree. Their monthly take-home is probably around $1200-2000 depending on their hours. We split eating out, groceries, gas, cat expenses, and other living costs equitably, though occasionally some of these costs gets a bit jumbled when G, our roommate A, and I all shop together. We use Splitwise to keep this all sorted as cleanly as possible. Everything that is listed below is my share of costs.Fixed Expenses:
- Rent (inc. utilities): $800 – I share a house with two others. The total is $2000, which I split with my partner, G ($500) and our roommate A ($700). We used to live with A’s (ex) partner as well and we were all students when we started living together so we split the rent equally. When G and I started working full-time (we graduate the same year), we decided that the two of us would cover A’s ex’s rent amount so that G could continue to pay the same amount while they’re in school.
- Internet: $40 – This is $120 total and it’s split between me, G, and A. We have Internet bundled with Crave + HBO.
- Therapy: $150 – Price is per session. I have bi-weekly sessions and will typically pay for one out of pocket and get one covered through work.
- Cellphone: $70
- Car Insurance: $110 – I share my car with G, but I pay for the insurance.
- Gym membership: $45 – Local gym membership, plus $22 for Zwift occasionally in the winter months when it’s too rainy/dark for big rides.
- Subscriptions:
- Spotify: $15 – I pay for the duo account for G and me
- iCloud: $5 – I pay for a family account for G and me
- Amex: $13 – I have an American Express Cobalt card. I get a ton of points when I use it for groceries and restaurants, so this has definitely been worth it for me.
- RBC: $12 – I have the WestJet Mastercard and pay $119 annually for it. This is my first year with the card and it’s already been worth the cost for free checked bags.
- Costco: $10 – This is $120 per year and I pay for our house. G, A and I usually go 1-2 times per month for groceries and household items (and the occasionally hotdog).
- Donations: $150 – Mostly recurring donations and mutual aid support. Occasional larger one-off donations.
- Pet expenses: $60 – This is what I budget for food, litter, medication for our two cats.
- Savings contribution: $400 – This is the set amount that goes into my HISA towards my vet fund and travel/fun sinking fund.
- Investment contribution: $1800 – Automatically deposited into my TFSA mid-month. I occasionally add a bit more on months when I’m making more side income.
- Paid hobbies: $300 – I don’t really have a set amount that I spend on paid hobbies, but this is what I budget for myself for going skiing, camera equipment, crafting supplies, etc. Whatever isn’t spent will just get rolled into my sinking funds in my HISA.
- Food: $500 – What I typically budget for groceries and eating out.
Money Diary
Day 1 –9 AM: I wake up and scroll on my phone until my partner (G) wakes up. We make the bed and get up to feed the cats and make breakfast. G is cooking ham silog, but I’m not really feeling a savoury breakfast today so I make a mango protein smoothie and have a slice of toast with peanut butter.
11 AM: G heads out for work and I lounge around indecisively. I had wanted to go to the gym this morning before meeting up with a friend, but it’s rainy outside and I don’t feel like putting on all my rain gear and biking over. I end up just catching up on some chores around the house while FaceTiming my Mom.
1 PM: My friend drives over and picks me up for a rainy walk in the park and to grab coffee. We walk drive to the park and walk around, chatting and catching up. Both of us have been busy with work so I haven’t seen him since last month. We walk to the coffee shop afterwards and I get a large latte and a breakfast burrito ($17.08). We walk back to my friend’s car and he drops me off at home.
4 PM: I strip off my rain gear and curl up on the couch with the cats and scroll social media. I put together a small platter of cheese, crackers, and grapes, and watch an episode of The Last of Us. G hates any shows that are spooky, so I’ve been watching it by myself when they’re not home. I text live updates to one of my friends who’s caught up on the news episodes and has been impatiently waiting for me to catch up so we can discuss it.
5:30 PM: G gets home from work and I drive to the gym. I stop into a bookshop on the way, pick up a book that my friend recommended to me this afternoon, and leave before I convince myself I need any more books ($33.59). I walk over to the gym and I do arms and shoulders, a bit of stretching, and then drive home to shower.
7:30 PM: G and I make totchos for dinner with garlicy chicken and cuddle on the couch and rewatch a few episodes of Shera. I would say I’m a Glimmer sun, Scorpia moon, and Mermista rising.
10 PM: G and I both shower and then I read in bed while G plays Stardew Valley before we fall asleep.
Day 1 total: $50.67
Day 2 –
8 AM: I wake up and check my phone in bed. I’ve developed this bad habit of immediately checking my work email and Slack first thing in the morning and immediately becoming stressed out. Most of the projects I work on are federally funded and the fiscal year end is in March, so my emails have been extra stressful lately.
10 AM: After taming my inbox and hopping off yet another meeting that could have been an email, I join G in the kitchen for breakfast. I have a chai latte and munch on leftover tater tots from last night – G added eggs to it so I’m pretty sure this constitutes as a breakfast item. They watch TV and feed that cats while I get back to work. I’m supposed to be travelling for work at the end of the month to facilitate some workshops and I and have been scrambling to get all the materials prepared for this.
1:30 PM: G leaves for class and I play with the cats while making some chili oil noodles for lunch, which I eat while mindlessly scrolling Tiktok before returning to my desk to work on a report that I’m finishing up.
4 PM: Take a break to lay in bed with my cat and then spend the rest of my work day catching up with messages before logging off. I get changed to go on a bike ride and stuff some snacks into my handlebar bag. I head out for a quick loop and pop on my earbuds. I am listening to Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin and it’s sooo good so far!
6:30 PM: G texts me to pick up a couple items, so I stop at the grocery store on my way home. I lock up my bike and grab a cucumber, some carrots, oranges, milk, potatoes, pork chops, and a big pack of trail mix ($35.52). I stand outside the grocery store shoveling trail mix into my mouth before riding home haphazardly dangling the bags off my dropbars. G helps me unload groceries and makes poke bowls for dinner while I shower.
8 PM: G heads out to meet up with some friends for drinks and I wash dishes and then read in bed with the cats.
10 PM: I drive downtown to pick up G and then we get ready for bed together, watch Tiktoks and snuggle.
Day 2 total: $35.52
Day 3 –
8 AM: I wake up, panic check my emails, and then get up with G to make the bed, wash up, and brush our teeth. They recognize I’m already stressing about work and coax me into making breakfast together. We make scrambled eggs together and toast with butter and eat together and I feel a little bit less overwhelmed when I finally sit down at my desk.
12 PM: I stop to eat lunch and then head out for a quick walk. It’s finally sunny after a week of cloud and rain. I stop by the pharmacy to pick up some tissue paper and a big jug of Metamucil ($24.65). Maybe TMI, but I’ve been weirdly constipated the past few days. I recently started upping my protein intake and perhaps I’m not quite drinking enough water to compensate. I walk home and gulp down a big glass of Metamucil before getting back to work.
5 PM: I meet G at their bus stop and we walk to the pet store together to restock on cat food and litter ($58.15). G starts cooking dinner and I bike to the gym to do chest and back. After my workout, I drink the protein shake that I brought with me. In the Costco Facebook group I’m in everyone is obsessed with these chocolate milk protein drinks that seem to always sell out immediately after they’re restocked. The last time I was at Costco, I finally got a glimpse of them in real life and everyone and their Moms was flinging them into their carts. I got caught up in the FOMO ended up buying two flats of them. G was seriously judging when I came home with my Costco haul and I revealed that I spent nearly $80 on chocolate milk… I counter that this is the price for gains, but I'm not so sure....
7 PM: I bike home, shower, and eat the katsu curry that G made. While I’m eating I finally order the cycling jersey I’ve been eyeing up because I got a discount coupon in my email ($78.75). G and I watch The Hunger Games and share a big bowl of microwaveable popcorn.
10:30 PM: I prep some overnight oats for G and me before showering, brushing my teeth, flossing, and heading to bed.
Day 3 total: $103.40
Day 4 –
6 AM: I groggily wake up to the sound of G making coffee. They work opening shifts at their serving job on Wednesdays and I always say that I’ll wake up early with them and get a head start to my day. I lay in bed, eyes closed, contemplating why I would want to do something so foolish.
7:30 AM: I finally actually get out of bed, dressed, and cleaned up.
8 AM: I hop into a meeting with some project partners and I finaaaaally get the go ahead to book my travel for later this month. My company allows me to charge my expenses to my personal card and claim it afterwards, which has been awesome for accumulating points.
9 AM: I feed the cats and eat my overnight oats before returning to work. I switch over to a report for one of my other projects that’s wrapping up soon. It feels nice to work on something where my efforts feel like I’m (at least working towards) a seeable endpoint, rather than an endless cycle.
11:30 AM: My brain is already over the day. I take an early lunch, wash dishes, play with the cats, and return to work.
4:30 PM: I log off and get geared up for a bike ride. I’m so happy I bought loaded up my handlebar bag with snacks. I eat multiple packs of sesame snaps and do a quick 30k loop, listen to an episode of Ologies, and return home.
7 PM: I do a quick, stretch, shower, and eat leftover curry with G. G has some assignments to work on and I join them on my laptop and watch Youtube videos. I FaceTime A, who is travelling this week for a conference. She emails us her flights so that we can pick her up at the airport this weekend.
9 PM: After my call ends, G and I decide to do face masks together and take a screen break before bed. We chat about our travel plans in the coming months. We’re meeting up with G’s siblings in southern California next month and we’re trying to figure out whether it will be worth it to go to Disneyland for a day while we’re there and which restaurants are a must-visit on our list.
10:30 PM: G and I get ready for bed and then read and cuddle before going to sleep.
Day 4 total: $0
Day 5 –
7 AM: I wake up to G getting out of bed. I stay in bed and see a notification on my phone for Facebook Marketplace. There’s a specific camera that I have a search alert set up for because I’ve been trying to buy for months now and someone in my city just posted it for sale. I message him and get a response right way. He lived within walking distance of my house and says I can come over any time to check out the camera! I get up and changed and bike to the bank and more or less empty my chequing account.
8 AM: I meet up with the seller and trust him right away. He invites me into his house and explains when he got the camera and that he’s selling it because he recently got a higher end model. I fiddle with the camera and check all the mechanics. Everything is in immaculate condition and I feel like I’ve seriously lucked out because he’s the original owner. I pay him in cash and happily bike home ($2200).
8:30 AM: G is making breakfast when I get home. They’re used to me hyperfixating on my various special interests and listen to my blab incessantly about the camera while we eat.
9 AM: I log into a Zoom meeting and then work on my workshop prep again. I’ve been travelling for this project numerous times since last May and I have yet to get approval for travel more than two weeks in advance and that two weeks is always so stressful and chaotic.
11 AM: G leaves for school and I bike to my office to pick up some materials that have arrived for me. I stay and chat with my supervisor and a couple of my coworkers that are in the office today as well.
12:30 PM: I bike home, boil some frozen dumplings for lunch, and finish off my workday at home. I squeeze in a load of laundry, bake a frozen lasagna, and watch a bunch of Youtube videos about my camera. It has truly taken all my self-control to not spend all day playing with it.
6 PM: I go out for a short walk with my camera and listen to my audiobook while I snap pics.
7 PM: G comes home from school and we eat lasagna and rewatch Everything Everywhere All at Once, which has been all over social media again after it swept at the Oscars.
10 PM: G and I get ready for bed and I watch some more Youtube videos while G plays Animal Crossing.
Day 5 total: $2200
Day 6 –
8 AM: Wake up and make a smoothie for breakfast and get started with work.
10 AM: I take a snack break and say bye to G as they leave for school.
12 PM: I join a meeting with one of my co-workers to discuss an upcoming deadline and stay on the call to chat about our weekend plans. One the call is over I boil some tortellini and top it with marinara and some shredded cheese for lunch.
4:30 PM: I bike to my gym and decide to do a full body workout. It is extra busy today and none of the racks are free.. I guess this is my sign that I can skip squats for the day…
6PM: I bike home, shower, and we eat leftovers for dinner.
7 PM: I work on some crafting in the living room while G watches shows. I was commissioned for a project by a friend that I have been slacking off on. I have really mixed feelings about monetizing my hobbies and go through waves where I sometimes feel really enthusiastic about it and consider investing more of my time into building a business and other times, I feel drained of all creative passion.
11 PM: G and I get ready for bed and I stay up a bit longer to read my book in bed.
Day 6 total: $0
Day 7 –
6:30 AM: I wake up to G giving me a lil forehead kiss before they go to work. Love it, but not enough to wake up.
8 AM: Woken up once again. This time it's by two very rude cats stomping all over me and meowing for food. I make the bed and get up to feed them and myself.
8:30: I sit down at my desk to catch up on some work. I usually don't work weekends, but I feel overwhelmed by everything I need to get done this next week. I cannot wait for March to be over and to return to a manageable amount of work.
11 AM: It’s a beautiful sunny day outside and I change into my bike gear to go out for a ride. I eat a leftover slice of lasagna and then a banana and some peanut butter. I never know how much to eat before I bike so I end up steaming some dumplings and eating those too.
11:30 AM: I meet up with a friend to ride together and we stop halfway through our ride to lounge in the sun and get milkshakes. I pay for both of us ($13.65).
4 PM: I get home, strip off my sweaty bike kit, and shower. G is home for work and surprised me with takeout sushi. I am famished and eat my spicy tuna rolls ravenously.
5 PM: G is napping and I sit outside on our front porch and work on a sewing project while listening to some music.
7 PM: G and I go out for a walk to watch the sunset and stretch out a bit. When we get home, we play a few rounds of Dominion. I win twice and G wins once. Then G showers while I read on the couch.
11 PM: G drives us to the airport to pick up A. We’re both exhausted and blast a kpop playlist so that we don’t doze off. I pay for short-term parking ($2) while we wait in the airport for A’s flight and then we all drive home together.
Day 7 total: $15.65
Weekly Total:
| Food & Drink | $66.25 |
|---|---|
| Pet | $58.15 |
| Camera | $2200.00 |
| Shopping | $112.34 |
| Other | $26.65 |
| Total | $2463.39 |
Since I started tracking my finances in early 2021, my hobbies have been my top spending category besides rent and groceries. It brings me tons of joy to be able to go on trips, buy camera gear and bike gear, and do the activities that I’ve dreamt of having the means to do since I was a kid. I have been working on finding balance between saving and spending, living the type of joyous and adventurous life that little smolblobfish wanted to have, and ensuring that I’m doing my best to set up a secure future.
Edit: Realized I had only included my primary income in the title. Wanted to add a note that with side hustles, my income is around $82k presently.
2023.03.26 17:35 Iam-WinstonSmith Issue with MINT Income shows up as transfers Can't change category
Okay I get it Mint is for free (it's not that you give them valuable data and ad possibilities) but it's gone completely downhill for me. Is there another similar product that you can pay for that actually works?
Have to add my Navy Federal Credit Union account every week on payday to get it to count.
My paychecks show up as transfers, not income or paycheck. Then it won't let me change it. Even if I create a rule for it.
My love affair for Mint is over ..... who should I try instead?
submitted by Iam-WinstonSmith to mintuit [link] [comments]
Have to add my Navy Federal Credit Union account every week on payday to get it to count.
My paychecks show up as transfers, not income or paycheck. Then it won't let me change it. Even if I create a rule for it.
My love affair for Mint is over ..... who should I try instead?