#also said if i choose to stay in my minimum wage job no amount of saving will help cos the world hates poor people so i should marry rich

[boyduvet]

My mother's in-laws love it when I infodump about stuff they think people don't know about anymore and I love when adults think I'm cool at personhood so I'm winning already old people love me

#eg. everytime my CDs came into a story i was telling A would go 'oh she has CDs i love this girl' and like...so close buddy #at one point he called me a boy and i was like woahhh thanks 👍 in my head but he didnt do it again lmao i think he felt bad #he knows my boss and was like 'i know hes a nice guy and a good boss but hes still your boss and he doesnt care so take your annual leave' #cos he knows him personally #also said if i choose to stay in my minimum wage job no amount of saving will help cos the world hates poor people so i should marry rich #also told me jesus was the first communist and he got kicked out of class for that one once

[vannyvancan]

“nice to meet you“ Roommate!Shinsou Hitoshi X F!Reader Part 1

MINORS DNI

my masterlist

Tw for : Assassin!Shinsou theme, female reader,  gun usage, slight insecurity (?), NSFW for the most part on the later chapters, drug usage, corrupt government talk, harassment

This was the worst timing of your life. It was September and you knew time is going to pass quickly to chilly December. Even though late summer's breeze made it pleasurable to go out in town to run errands, the increase of supply demand made you squeeze out what little energy you had for the office job at logistics. Barely earning your required minimum wage in the small flat that you owned, your life was miserable for your financial conditions. Then your dear neighbor friend gave you an idea.

"Put up a roommate flyers? You can definitely share expenses with someone to ease your wallet"

Its not like it was a bad idea. You had roommates in the past in your time in college, you just were afraid of the mess you'd usually come back to once your classes would end. Now that you are an adult woman with a job, it seemed almost silly. Still wearing your summer loose shirt and shorts as house-wear you were basking in what little warmth summer had to offer, you looked out of the flat window to gaze at the orange sunset while preparing your fliers, the mixture of pink and purple ombre sent your mind in a state of serenity. For a moment you had forgotten your financial worries.

If only there was a way for you to excel more at your job and earn more, you've tried to, but the corrupt system only allowed privileged people on the spot.

The thought sent you back to reality and you grimaced, sighing and turning your head back to the paper you reread the information on it.

„Looking for a roommate at Address XXX, phone number and e-mail contact info...“

It was really neat even, you made a cutout for each number and email paper so that people can pluck it and consider it. You sent out fliers and continued on with your day.

The moment you sent out fliers around your workspace, around your building and in the most populated places in the town, the realization settled in that you'd be sharing expenses with some total stranger, you didn't have any friends that needed help, almost everyone that you knew off was either married and living with their partner or busy helping their parents and therefore still living with them. You had asked your closest friend, Uraraka if she needed it as a temporary stay before she moved out of country, but her plans caught her working on the other side of the city and was too far away from you. She probably had a similar situation like you so you felt bad.

You only hoped that the person that would knock on the door and be your roommate would not end up harassing you, make a mess more than you usually make yourself, or like your pessimistic parents would say, kill you.

Within two days, you get a call early morning, startling you awake.

Flying out of bed to pluck your phone out from charger you coughed out your morning voice and looked at the unknown number on the screen, swiping the green phone you answered.  You were curious on the sort of person you'd have this conversation with. Maybe you were a bit naive, because on one hand you were anxious, but you sure were also exited to have a person in this soulless flat.

"Hey... Is this the right number for a roommate flier?"

You've never heard a voice such like his. Spending your almost entire life in that neighborhood you've grown accustomed to voices such like your local sweet lady at supermarket, the friend from work had much more boring voices. But this guy seemed to have come from the outside. Perhaps Uraraka knew of him? You could ask, but doubtful.

Maybe he came to work temporarily? Your mind raced with questions as the mysterious, low voice left you speechless and it took you some time until he asked again

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

"Oh- y-yes I'm sorry!"

„My name is Shinsou Hitoshi, I was wondering if we could discuss about it further and meet up somewhere? Preferably an hour from now, at... Midoriya's Lounge Cafe? Sounds good?“

God, his voice sent your legs wobbling and it was only 7:05 AM on Saturday. He obviously had energy to do it now and you were barely awake, about to pass out by the mere vibrations from the speaker.

„Sure! Thank you for considering my place. Let's meet up there.“

Waking up fully you dressed up, plastered some make up on and stormed out, you also made sure to hide whatever leftover clothing from your living room in your bedroom to hide any nasty appearance if he decides to come here.

The stroll was short, the cafe he proposed was a 20 minute walk from your place, you weren’t sure if it was a coincidence that he chose this place or if he was considerate for choosing a place close by, but you were grateful for it.

8 AM and the cafe was rather busy at Saturday morning, good thing was that there was a lot of free space between tables, you'd usually pick this place to have a peace of mind when it was afternoon lunch break and you weren’t much hungry.

Now entering, the door made a small 'ding' from the doorbell, marking your entrance, your eyes scanned the area to find anyone who would be remotely looking at your direction. You didn't know how Shinsou looked like, but he could of easily tracked on the contact info how you looked like.

You made an eye contact with an individual staring at you, were his purple eyes staring back at you the whole time? The gaze sent the hairs on your back of your neck stand out. He was intimidatingly dangerous, it was apparent. His arms seemed to have enough strength to crush both of your wrists with just his one hand, his tall figure managed to find comfort in the armchair, knee poked a bit on the side and you could only guess how tall he truly was judging by his sitting position. The only coloured thing he wore was the purple strap adorning his black pants and t-shirt. The strap also matched his eyes and wild hair. It sure was in unusual colour, but you didn't question it since the owner of the said lounge was green haired.

He slowly tapped a finger on the table two times while looking at you.

'So this is Mr. Shinsou?' You questioned yourself, it was only logical, to whoever else he might invite to come sit beside him? Gulping a lump in your throat, you approached him, setting a bag on the other chair you noticed a sports bag was beside him. Was this all of his luggage? He didn't seem to have much if he was ready to move in right now, maybe he was only a temporary stay? Maybe he just came out from a gym.

Of course, it was 8 AM. And the man now sitting across you seemed to be the type to buff himself a lot, you held in your breath again once your gaze set on his exposed forearms and how tight his black shirt hugged his figure. It took you good amount of time to introduce yourself to him, but he seemed to be patient enough to let you get comfortable.

„Hello! You must be the one for the flier, my name is Y/N. It's a pleasure to make acquaintance.“

„Nice to meet you. I ordered us coffee if you don't mind?“ He smiled lightly

„Oh I don't mind, I love coffee in here, I'm a regular.“

After a short greeting, you two had a small talk on his and your state of living, you were sure he was going to be a semi-distant person, judging by his work schedule that makes it almost impossible to meet him throughout the day and night, you were kind of worried, but didn't judge much since it was his job of choice, he never said what he did though.

„Well you could say I'm a night owl. I go where I'm asked, taking calls left and right. Don't worry, I earn enough for your rent.“ He crossed his legs and laid back on the armchair, letting his arms rest on each side of it. You didn't say it but you were especially enjoying the view.

You were quiet careful when it came to relationships, ever since you had your heart broken in hopes of finding one, it made you feel insecure if you'd ever find a soulmate. This man made it seem like he was a big fish to catch, and you were out of his league so you quickly established it before any further thoughts entered in your mind.

„Great! So you want to come to my place now to look around before deciding? There's a guest room where you can leave your stuff.“

The indigo haired man nodded, after you had drank your morning coffee, you both payed for it and left, he took his sport bag and you eyed him curiously. You barely know him and now you know now he is going to come and live with you. Its not like you had much of a choice... you had to save on something, you were starving, and he came by quickly to come and live with you. As exciting as it is to have an attractive individual come and live with you, it also terrified you.

The walk back to your place was quiet, occasional questions slipped out from your mouth. Asking about his food preference and anything he didn't like to make his stay more comfortable. He seemed pretty open about anything.

„Is that all of the luggage you are taking with you or are you going to come back with more?“

„No, this is all.“ He responded, short and concise. „I'm a man of simple needs.“

God he should stop talking, or more like you should stop asking questions like a curious kitten, his voice made you jump on the phone but it was a stuggle to be with him in lounge to hear him talk as well. Once arriving, you struggled to find a door key for a second and you opened it to reveal a simple flat.

„Here we are.“ You looked at him and let him enter first.

You weren’t going to let your guard down still, if he was going to do something behind your back you at least wanted to have a little bit of chance to escape. His foot stepped inside, softly stepping on the plush carpet with his dark shoes he inspected the area almost innocently. You sighed in relief and entered after him, closing the door behind you.

„On the right is a door to the guest room.“ You said as you took off your jacket and tossed the key to the stand. „There's a bathroom in here and my room in on the left. If you ever need me just knock on the door alright?“

„You doubt that I don't have manners? Careful you might lose a roommate now.“

He turned sideways and grinned at you. There was something about this individual that's going to be a handful for you, nevertheless of how little you are going to see him throughout the day. After the short tour, he signed a contract of living with you. As you suspected, he was going to be a temporary stay in the city, he promised to be out of your neck in six months, after that, he was going out. He gave you the first pay and shortly after that he was phone called by someone on his end.

'Busy bee, isn’t he?' You thought to yourself as you watched him leave, shrugging the thought away you glanced curiously at his bag in the room that he left.

'It's not polite to look at other people's things.' You hummed and closed the door to now Shinsou's room. Feeling the unease fading away now, you decided to not worry yourself about other people's things as you had too much of your own.

Dialing the phone now yourself you sent a message to your friend.

[Today] 'Hey, Uraraka? Want to go out someday? I have so much to talk about! <3 '

#bnha shinso hitoshi #shinsou hitoshi x reader #shinsou hitoshi #shinso hitoshi #shinso hitoshi x reader #bnha shinsou #shinso x reader #shinso #bnha reader insert #mha shinsou #mha shinso x reader #god wtf so many tags

[lilaetleloup]

the signs that point to a manipulator VII

28. he sees himself as a predator

And I still consider him otherwise...

But this said, he is not totally wrong. He lurks here, in the bushes, hunting the empath without conscience or remorse for the pain he could cause. He needs to eat energy! And to him it is only nature’s order that the strong are the hunters when the weak are the hunted.

But the laws of the jungle are antithetic to civilization and progress. Political parties founded exclusively by his kind always talk about going backwards, to a time when it felt good living at others’ expenses. With his Neanderthal mind, dooming the weak to an early grave, he is a hindrance to progress. Because the physically weak or the person born on the wrong side of the railroad, can easily be the smarter, the inventor, the creative mind, the genius, the spiritual guide, the wise... the one who will have humanity go forward with him.

If we succeeded in getting out of the Middle-Age it is in spite of the manipulator. Not thanks to him.

And it’s no coincidence, to my mind, if, since he has made a huge comeback these last thirty years, we turn back to the good old days of economic servitude and pandemic. Because too many manipulators in power means a massive return of corruption, incompetence, entitlement, lies and exploitation.

The manipulator sees us as preys and underestimates us. Underestimates the courage and abnegation of those who can fight for a cause bigger than themselves or who fight for those they love.

A difference between the manipulator and the predator, though, is that the manipulator prefers to stay in the shade, when the society isn’t favourable to his kind. Whereas a tiger doesn’t hide his stripes. In North Korea or other China, on the contrary, I imagine it’s party time everyday for a manipulator. And I can’t fathom the hell it must be for the minority of empathetic people there.

But if I’m right about the world’s evolution, this hiding won’t last long. And the sooner the better, because if 100% of manipulators know their “eat and be eaten” game, a very few percentage of good people are aware of the fight and what is at stake. Most of the time, this minority is composed by ex-victims.

Quite easy and no sport, then, to hunt when the antelope doesn’t know her life is on the line.

Once you know where to look, on the contrary, it’s often child play to detect them.

29. he has a paranoid tendency

Well of course, just imagine! We all have this tendency to put our own way of thinking is the other’s mind. And this makes us, empathetic people, more prone to naivete, jumping bambis in the sunset and in the crossfire of automatic guns.

But this makes him paranoid. Others want to rob him, have no conscience, will betray him, will cheat on him...

The world is full of bad guys, he knows it. And the manipulator only sleeps with one eye open. Or can’t sleep at all.

30. he doesn’t like rules

Rules are for the weak, he thinks. If he can despise or rape them, it’s fine. If he can change them in his own interest, it’s better still.

There are too many times when he must pretend to respect the rules. And it’s exhausting.

31. he is greedy and confuses success with financial success

Of course! For him everything turns around looks, power and money. And what is dangerous is when the way he feels become the dominant philosophy. I guess there is only a certain amount of manipulators a society can bear at its head, in companies and politics, before we spiral down in a vicious circle. Because the manipulator will change the mentalities to favour his kind, making it easier for others manipulators to climb, who in turn will aggravate the mentalities...

For ten years, I have this feeling that the world is going faster and faster in manipulation land. Which means darker and darker. And I fear we’ll have to touch the bottom before it gets better.

This overwhelming mentality contributes to the fact that so many good people feel bad, can feel like  they are failing if they concentrate on being a good parent, or a just teacher or a faithful spouse. Hit again and again by these golden and superficial lives on the social media, most good people can get depressed.

The manipulator is also greedy. His overinflated ego is always whispering him he deserves more. And this answers the question I had, as a good naive empathetic person: why would a billionaire choose to paint his tenth swimming pool with god instead of raising wages?

Because he deserves it and the others don’t deserve anything more than the bare minimum to survive and be able to work for him.

So of course, to avoid the possibility that poor people get to the pitchforks and attack his bunker, he’ll give to charities, elegant way of talking with his social peers about the wellness of the peasants around appetizers. And also, to save taxes. And the rich manipulator will always prefer this way of giving money, which allows him to control where it goes, preferably in causes more glamour and selling than repairing roads and will also allow him to build a nice philanthropic image for himself. Also, it will help sustain an economic system that favours him. Because in reality, a good economic system, in a rich democracy, is the one where everybody pays his just amount of taxes and everybody can earn a fair wage, one that you can live on. Where, in fact, nobody should need charity.

Also, the internal vacuum of the manipulator is a bottomless pit that encourages him to get always more. The manipulator isn’t Iron Man, the philanthropist superhero but Pac Man: always hungry, never satisfied.

And he doesn’t care if the planet would die of it. Because as the delectable Duchess of Windsor would have said: “one is never rich enough”.

32. he divides and conquers

He is a master of triangulation, this art which consists in using a third person in the toxic relations he has with you. He will use this other person against you, having told him lies where he is the victim. Or have you understand that this person thinks you are wrong. And have you hate him in the process.

On his chess board, he is the king or the queen and others are pawns.

His hot-air-balloon ego is fragile and he is a coward in confrontation where the adversary isn’t weak and could fight back He will, in this case, send somebody else to do the dirty job.

In some extreme cases, the manipulator can cut you totally from your friends and family. He’ll act like it’s you and him in a fortress, having you believe that everybody else is mean. Enclosed in the tower, the victim is more powerless than ever.

(to be continued...)

#forempaths #forempath #stopmanipulators #helpyourself #knowthenarcissist #helpagainstnarcissist #narcissist

[pbandjesse]

Today was a much better day. Emotionally I waa much happier. And that lead to a much better day.

I still wasnt thrilled to wake up. But I felt cute. And James made me a sandwich and packed me a muffin. Made me feel loved. But I didn't want to go anywhere. I wanted to be home. But Marcus messaged me that he was staying home. So I could not. I needed to go. It would be good for me to be there with the kids.

I got the bus after a nice bike ride. And got to work on time. I spent the morning doing a little painting for our mural. And then down to see the kids.

Emotionally I could feel myself being better today. So when i had the kids sitting down for yoga, both little kids and big kids, I explained to them my feelings, and how I may have been harsh yesterday. And so i apologized. Because they should hear that adults can own up to mistakes and ackowlege bad days. And we had a good yoga time. The big kids enjoyed ballet. At least most of them. It was still nice.

Art time was fun. I walked around with Bob the lizard on my shoulder. Which freaked all the adults out and made the kids laugh. And we painted and me and Tiffany worked on cleaning the room. The kids who were done helped organize. We sorted paper by color for next weeks project. The youth workers washed containers and fixed up our water color pallets. It was a productive morning.

We had some good times in reading. Lunch was good. At recess poor Bre'Asia rolled over her foot on the skateboard and there were a lot of tears. But I talked her down. I felt bad that she got hurt but I felt proud that she calmed down and we got some ice and worked on some breathing. She was limping a little but she'll be okay.

First time with the big kids I decide we were finally actually going to do some math. Mostly because one of the boys had have jokingly complained that we had only done science Technology and Engineering. Fair. I'm not very good at math. But what I am good at is budgeting. So that's what we did.

I reduce the concept of Economics to the kids. What is an economy. And then we figure it out how someone survives everyday. I asked the kids if any of them ever had a job. I had someone who said that they had mowed lawns or shovel snow. So they were landscapers. We had people who were babysitters. We had someone who had sold something at a bake sale so they were Baker now. We also had trash collectors. Because that's something that I have discovered is a thing in Baltimore. People who pay kids in the neighborhood to clean up. And that's really nice. So I made up prices. Or salaries. We went by the hour first. But before they found out what the pay was they all had to pick a job. They got an index card and they had to write down one of those for jobs on their next car. I didn't want them to pick the job that pay the most. So my landscapers made the most. And my babysitter's made the least. Trash collectors were up there as well and Bakers had two different pay scales. You were either an owner or you work at the bakery. It was only a $5 difference.

Once they had all chosen that we had to figure out what our daily pay was. They took their hourly rate and they times 2 by 8. And then once they have that we had a big r weekly. So they times that by 5. And then we got to figure it out monthly. So we did it by 4. Lot of math.

Then we talked about once and needs. What is a want and what doesn't eat. I basically gave my speech that I give at The Company Store at the BMI. And then I signed prices two things. You spend $200 a month on food. You can spend $50 to $100 a month on clothing. And then you got to choose if you live in a house or apartment or mansion. You chose if you rented or owned. And then I told you how much you paid.

At the end are trash collectors had a good amount of money left over if they own to their house and only spent $50 a month on clothing. No one who had a mansion have any left over money. Most of them were negative $2,000. Whatever babysitters have $50 left over and one had five. It was really interesting to see how they would choose to spend to their needs budget and what they would have left over for a want. I think it kind of opened up their eyes a little bit and that was cool. But we didn't talk about taxes in our math. So we talked about what is attacks why do they take 35 to 45% of our paychecks. Talked about how it pays for public school and the roads and the fire department and homeless shelters and services. How taxes are not a bad thing even though they can feel annoying. Let me talk about minimum wage. I had all of the people that we're getting paid on our board at base level Maryland minimum wage and then it only went up from there. But then we talked about what federal minimum wages. How it hasn't changed since I had my first job in 2009. How even though they're talkin about raising it to $15 an hour it's going to have the same spending power as $7.25. And why that sucks.

People always complain that I never learned how to do a budget or pay taxes in school. Never really learned all taxes were. And I think that's fair. So it was good to be able to talk to my kids today even though they're only between the ages of 10 and 13. I think it was good for them to start thinking about it.

I went took my break after that. Mackenzie was very upset about something so she came inside with me. We both just laid on the couch has listen to her headphones. The day was over. I finished up with little kids. Handed out snacks. Cleaned the room. And then I took everyone downstairs to go home.

James texted me that the landlady for the apartment that we want finally got back to her. The holdup has been that his apartment is not answering her phone calls. She's trying to get some background information and get some contacts on him and they're just not answering. I'm not shocked because they don't seem to answer for anything. The hole-in-the-wall, leaking shower. Annoying but I think she is going to try one more time and if she doesn't hear anything back she's probably just going to go off of my stuff and jobs and things like that. And it's not definite but I think we have the apartment. I told James I'm not going to believe we have it until the keys are in my hand. And if we don't get it I'll be sad but that just means somewhere better is out there.

I took the bus home. I stopped for Chipotle. I got it without sour cream so that I could more easily packet for tomorrow on our field trip. I got back here and I ate my tacos. And packed away the food. I did some sewing. The quilt is almost finished. There's a couple places I'm going to have to hand sew because of where the beads are. But most of it's complete. I only cut myself on sewing needles four times today. I worked until my back hurt. And then I hung out for a bit.

James is at a dinner with all of his boyfriends. I hope he's having a good time. I had a panic because sweet peas mouth is still very swollen so I tried to give him a Benadryl and he started foaming at the mouth and crying and I thought he was choking it was really upsetting. But he's okay. I gave him some milk to get the taste out of his mouth. And I took a bath and tried to calm down. And now I'm going to work on my backpack for the field trip tomorrow. We are going to a ropes course. We're driving almost all the way to Virginia. I think. I'm not entirely sure where we're going. But I'm very excited. And it seems like only about half of our kids are actually coming so it maybe it'll just be like a nice chill day. Love a chill day.

So wish me luck. I am terribly afraid of heights so a Ropes Course in the trees is terrifying. But it'll be a good time. I love being in nature. But I love being with my kids. So it should be good. I hope you all have a great night. Sleep well. Be safe. Send Good Vibes.

#ootd #work #babe #selfie #art #in progress #kids art #camp #thursday

[dandelion-and-the-wolf]

Update.

Hey, Tumblr.

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve posted anything that wasn’t a quick reblog, and honestly I haven’t been using the site for a while now. A lot has been happening in the past couple of months, and I’ve been rocked with some massive changes in my life that have left me with little to no energy, physically and especially mentally. I know that I don’t really have any kind of a following on here because I haven’t posted my own content in... well, since I first joined, really, but it felt strange not to post some kind of an update considering everything that has happened. 

I guess the first thing to start with is the last thing that happened. That may sound a little convoluted, but it makes sense to me because this is where it all began and it would seem strange to not address it. 

Yesterday, my boyfriend of a year and a bit, who I met on Tumblr and I’m sure you all know of because of the sickening amount of mushy shit I posted constantly, broke up with me. I wasn’t really expecting it, even though I did know that he would eventually end up being the one to leave me (I’m one of those dumb “I said I’ll stay and I’m staying” bastards). It was and obviously still is extremely painful for me, especially as there was no conversation or discussion beforehand. I actually found out via his public Instagram story, which has got to be the worst way I’ve ever found out about things being over in a relationship.  Although I’m hurting badly, I’m trying to remember that we do have some amazing and hilarious memories together, and there was a time that we were good for and to each other. I always tried my best to make him happy, and I still do wish him every happiness in life and the future, even if he chooses to have it without me.

Let’s get the sad stuff all out of the way in one go. My best friend moved out a couple of weeks ago, after living together for an amazing 7 years. I don’t want to go into the circumstances because god knows I’m depressed enough as it is without dragging all of that up, but it’s really hard going for me. We still talk and remaining friends, I hope, but things won’t ever really be the same again and I cannot and will not ever forgive myself for my part in that. He also took our cat with him when he moved, so I’m missing that greedy little shithead like crazy, too. He was honestly the most irritating creature in the world, but I brought him up so what did I expect? I’ll always cherish the memories of cuddling on the couch with him laying on my chest as a tiny, malnourished little kitten who’d just come over from Greece. The first thing he did (after fucking eating, of course) when he came home to us was to curl up on my chest and go to sleep purring. He’s moved into somewhere really nice though, a big house with a big garden and a whole forest to explore, so I know he’ll be fine. He’s apparently settling in really well, and I’m sure he’s forgotten all about me already! I still have my two beautiful dogs who I honestly wouldn’t bother getting out of bed without. They’re my whole world now, and I’m just trying to do my best to be okay for them because they still need me. 

Okay, last thing is kind of a more positive thing. I finally, after literal years of depression and anxiety and bad mental health, got myself a job. It’s only part-time, minimum wage in a pet store, but everyone I work with is so kind and friendly, and honestly I think I would fall apart without the distraction. It’s tiring me the fuck out though, and I get home, eat, chill out with the dogs for a bit and then go to bed because I am so done. That’s absolutely what I need right now though while I’m dealing with a lot of heartache, because when I don’t have a distraction my thoughts are my worst enemy. I didn’t manage to leave bed yesterday, and that hasn’t happened for years and years.

The last thing I want to do is say massive thank you to one of my best friends and my absolute rock, @consultingnumbat. Without her I definitely wouldn’t be here today, and she has always had my back through everything. I love the bones of this girl, and the sooner we can meet and hug and fucking cry, the better. From staying up with me when I couldn’t be alone, to watching Thor Ragnarok with me over Skype with the fucking audio descriptions on because I’m dumb as hell and found it amusing, to reading me bedtime stories which comforted me enough to allow me to sleep... she has been the one person I knew I could always trust and rely on. C, I literally love you so, so much. You’re an amazing and beautiful person, and I’m so lucky to have you as my Best Bitch.

So, if you’re still following me and still reading this, I have no idea why but  I love and appreciate you. I’m going to start trying to get into writing again (hopefully? maybe??) and I even quit playing The Arcana after finishing the main three routes (I played a little of Portia and Lucio but my heart wasn’t in it) so maybe I’ll pick that up again, too. God knows I’ll need someone to love me, even if they aren’t real ;^)

Thanks for sticking with me.

-C.

[gq1997universe-blog]

How Does Digital Platforms Changed Societal Life?

Through the analysis of these three experiments it is possible to understand how in contemporary times the impact and changes of new digital technologies affect social relationship, communication and culture, and labor condition. Moreover, the substitution of old technology with new one in each experiment led us understand the disruptive capacities of digital technologies. In the first experiment that I have made with two memes I have tried to compare new technologies with old ones. Clearly, new technology has pushed aside old technology; in fact, nowadays no one will rent a DVD from Blockbuster because we have the comfort to see whatever we want to see from our couch at home. According to Joshua M. Greenberg, an American academic working in sociology of scientific knowledge, “It’s likely that you don’t go to that store today, if it’s even still in business. You might rent movies from a massive franchise store, or you might get them by mail, fresh off your online queue; either way, you’re probably renting DVDs, not videocassettes, and the guy behind the counter has been replaced by data-aggregating recommendation algorithms.” This change is related to the invention of the home video industry because movie studios and electronics manufactures realized that with video, they were making more money compared to theatrical exhibition. For example, Sony was one of the first companies that permitted at least to be free from the fixed program schedules set by the television executives.

Evidently, the substitution of old technology with new one is not an unexpected change because through time we have made enormous improvements and technology is at the bottom of our daily life. Today the existence of Blockbuster store is limited to one (in Oregon) compared to the 4800 stores of the past. When in 2000 a company proposed to the Blockbuster CEO to buy a new streaming system he refused, that streaming system it’s now called Netflix. During these twenty years the idea of going out to rent a DVD or video cassettes is unthinkable for the new generations, with this improvement of technology we lost the pleasure of simple things. Unfortunately, innovation does not wait for you! And if you do not understand it, you are left behind. Consequently, Innovation is also largely about growth, recognizing new opportunities and changing what the company offers to the market. If it does not change the way it creates and delivers its offerings, it can be in trouble. And just like that, Blockbuster collapsed. Moreover, when we used to go to Blockbuster, we were more conscious about want genre of film we wanted to see and in case of indecision there were the Blockbuster costumers ready to help us finding the right DVD to see. Now, having so many choices for no reason we are even more confused, and we might spend the whole night searching for the right one and then ending up without choosing anything. The reason why a niche start-up company was able to drive the industry giant Blockbuster out of the market is its adaptability, embracement of new distribution models and obsession with smart technology. In conclusion, in the early 2000s Netflix was just a start-up company trying to compete against the absolute industry leader Blockbuster. Failure to innovate and reluctance to disrupt its own business model in order to adjust to the new market conditions and opportunities drove Blockbuster out of the market as the company shut down in 2010. Netflix is believed to have used the concept of disruptive innovation to over perform this competitor.

In the second experiment I have taken Uber as example to explain how new digital disruption technologies revolutionized and will gradually completely change the relations between workers and employers. In the reading “Towards a Fairer Gig Economy” written by Mark Graham, a professor of Internet Geography at the Oxford Internet Institute states: “While the gig economy offers jobs and income to many in need, it also represents a system with the capacity to exploit and alienate workers in new and innovative ways.”  Consequently, we do not have control on these new internet technologies and without even being aware that they are slowly changing our societies, workplaces, and relationships. Moreover, these new jobs, such as Uber drivers or Deliveroo workers, don’t even work in a comfortable condition and the only people who really take advantage on them are the owners of these huge digital platforms. For example, in the video that we watched in class called “Uber: the real lives of its drivers” are some Uber’s drivers who described what really means working for this kind of service. They affirmed that sometimes they could work even seven days a week and the money that they get in is below the minimum wage. Often drivers wait for hours outside their cars because if they stand outside the app works if they are seated in their cars Uber blocks it, so Uber can control exactly where they stand and they always ending up waiting without knowing how much time will past between one ride and another. In addition, even though uber workers are considered self-employed, they do not have the freedom of self-employed people because all is regulated by the app. At the moment data is stored in databases or at digital level therefore companies do not need employees anymore to know their clients and personalize the offer. The firm uses its employees only as couriers and they will be probably substituted when robots are going to be safe to use. As a result, the worker alone (rather than their employer or the platform) bears a huge amount of risk.” (Graham) Then, being a self-employed does not mean that the worker is more independent, it simply means that gig economy platforms are abusing of basic human rights. Next, in this system of gig work, the wealthy people get richer and others are left behind. All workers should have the same fundamental rights. In fact, Graham writes, “Unless governments step in and regulate the platform economy, the ‘future of work’ will be one of unprotected work and increasing inequality. We have the mechanisms to regulate the gig economy; all we need now is the willpower to do it.” To conclude, nowadays technology is capable of doing things in various sectors that before were unthinkable, such as in the health field, logistics or consumer goods, where robots and new technologies machines have led and are drastically increasing the reduction in the demand for labor. The only personas that will benefit from these new technologies are highly skilled workers with digital-technology skills; instead, low-skilled workers will find temporary and unstable jobs.

In the last experiment, I have chosen the platform Airbnb because is another clear example of how digital disruptive technology influence the way people live and how we are forced to change according to innovation. In fact, in the reading “The impact of Airbnb in our cities: Gentrification and ‘Disneyfication’ 2.0” written by Monica Bernardi she said that “short-term rents reinforce phenomena of social inequality and do not favor real redistribution of wealth”. For example, changing the way people move often influences the preference of the neighborhood to stay in: according to Airbnb, its visitors are inclined to choose the neighborhood that is less distracted by the tourist presence, thereby preferring a greater distribution of economic impacts for the benefit of communities that are usually removed from the tourist industry. According to researchers, “74% of Airbnb listings in major cities are located outside the traditional districts where hotels are located and 42% of guest-time is spent in the neighborhood where they are staying”. Consequently, the economic flows arising from the presence of these visitors thus have an impact on local economies and enterprises, benefiting the residents indirectly as well. Indeed, Airbnb believes that, in 52% of cases with low to medium incomes, it contributes to the well-being of its hosts, since the compensation earned through the platform allows additional savings and income to meet domestic expenses or to start new business entrepreneurship. Another negative aspect of these short-term rents like Airbnb is that massive tourist flows are at risk of transforming historic centers, particularly Italian ones, from key places of local and cultural and political life, into real cities of consumption. In fact, in the reading “Se il centro è vuoto”  Sarah Gainsforth interviewed Stefania Porcelli, the owner of Checco er Carrettiere, a famous restaurant close to Piazza Trillussa in Trastevere where she said that nowadays almost in every building, 8 apartments out of 10 are B&B and the neighborhood is getting depopulated. For this reason, in the center of Rome the number of tourists is higher than the number of residents. Every year at least 15 million of tourist visit Roma and their medium visits are 48/72 hours and they are concentrated near to the Vaticano, Campo de Fiori or Trastevere. According to the data collected by Inside of Airbnb, they have more than 25 thousand announcements in Rome. Half of the announcements are in the I Municipio and in 65% of the apartments, no one permanently lives. In fact, according to a research made by Filippo Celata, a researcher of La Sapienza, in the neighbored of city center, 19% of apartments are rents on Airbnb.

To conclude, the never-ending innovation of social media and digital media platforms in general will continue to shape not only our economy and labors, but also the way people interact to each other. As far as I am concerned, due to especially Airbnb platforms in my neighborhood, Trastevere, where I lived since, I was born there is no more the same atmosphere because as I showed in my last experiment many things are changing in particular in the last years.

[imagitory]

If you were President of the U.S., what would you do? I would give the U.S. more economic freedom similar to most European countries (we're #17 for God's sakes), end the War On Drugs, end corporate welfare and lobbying, make victimless crimes a thing of the past, make our healthcare system similar to that of France, and millions more things that I can't mention XD Basically make our government smaller (not too small mind you) and try to mimic other countries like we should be doing.

Oh geez – pressure! Um…well, as I’ve said to you previously, I would never, ever want to be a politician, let alone president. I don’t have the expertise needed, and I don’t have the temperament for it either. But in a highly hypothetical scenario, my interests would be:

+Taxing corporations. Sorry, if they’re considered “people” according to the Supreme Court (and, believe me, if I had the power to shape the courts, I would deal with that ruling forth-with) and they can put so much money into our election process (which, again, I’d have something to say about), they need to pay taxes like people do. And closing loopholes to keep their profits in the U.S. would be a good idea too.

+Raising taxes on the 1%. No one should have as much money as those people do, when there are so many other people who can’t afford to make ends meet. Capitalism may be our system, but many of the people who have that much money didn’t earn it – they oftentimes inherited a good portion of it, meaning they didn’t put in the work needed to justify it. And our society needs the funds to take care of all of its citizens, the 1% included, and those 1% have the money needed to fund such projects – infrastructure, military spending, health care, national parks – those are things that help everyone. There’s no reason to squeeze blood out of a stone by trying to get our funding mainly through middle-class and working-class people…not when the wealthiest among us aren’t even paying tax rates close to what they were paying in the 1950′s (you know, when the middle class was booming?).

+Championing LGBT rights, most significantly adding LGBT protections to the Civil Rights Act so that it is a federal crime to show prejudice against someone for their sexual orientation or gender identity

+Tying the minimum wage country-wide to the cost of living, making it automatically rise to keep up with any changes to the economy. That way it doesn’t have to be voted on over and over and over and it doesn’t become outdated.

+Working with the Food and Drug Administration to develop new programs meant to better regulate pharmaceuticals and help fund professional, government-funded drug treatment centers, so as to put an end to for-profit drug rehab centers that require no certification.

+Working with the Department of Education to develop new programs specifically designed to help struggling college students with their finances: namely, to help reduce the amount of loans they’ll have to take out, give them a path toward paying them back effectively, assist with financial aid, and even provide complete learning materials online to save on the cost of expensive textbooks. Also, creating new federal standards for sex education in public schools, so as to help lower teen pregnancy rates.

+Creating a public option for health care, which would be the equivalent of our public school system: something both easily affordable and accessible that provides everything one needs to be healthy, while health care businesses pick up the slack with “plusher” options. This would make it so, like with our schooling, everyone has access to health care, no ifs, ands, or buts.

+Funding infrastructure and housing projects, which would not only help with creating jobs and boosting our economy, but would help us invest in our future.

+Providing a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants and Dreamers.

+Proposing an amendment abolishing the Electoral College, so that elections are only determined by the popular vote. The system is beyond outdated and it has been used several times now to give the loser of an election the presidency he didn’t earn.

+Advocating for term limits for Congressmen and Senators. If we need to check the president, we must also check people in Congress the same way. And while we’re on the subject, adjusting the privileges members of Congress receive. If the government is shut down, those members of Congress should not get paid, any more than other government employees do. They should receive no better health care benefits than their constituents – otherwise, how can they dare have a leg to stand on complaining about the practicality of government health care, when they’re all on government health care?

+Accept refugees from foreign countries seeking asylum, regardless of where they’re from.

+De-escalating our military endeavors and favoring a more diplomat-centric course for foreign policy. We have more than enough expenditures to take care of at home: a good chunk of our ridiculously sized military budget should be spent on dealing with issues at home. We can take care of security without wasting so much – we spend more on our military than China, Russia, the U.K., India, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and France, combined. No one country needs to waste that much money, particularly if we disentangle ourselves from many of the military conflicts we’ve crammed ourselves into. If we must use military force, we must do it intelligently and in conjunction with our foreign allies.

+Appointing a new task force within the VA specifically targeted on updating the system we use to keep track of veterans and their benefits.

+Regulating guns nation-wide. My ideal goal would be a licensing system not unlike what we have for cars, as well as regulation on who can legally sell firearms and what kind. NO ONE IN THIS COUNTRY NEEDS AN AK-47, I’m sorry.

+Working with the FEC on voting reforms, such as online voting, which would help working-class people (many of whom must work on federal holidays) vote more easily. I would also want to create new guidelines regarding felony disenfranchisement, making it so those convicted of non-violent felonies would be able to vote again once their sentence is completed, as well as investigate ways to help homeless Americans exercise their right to vote. I can speak from first-hand experience that when you’re homeless, voting is very difficult, because you don’t have an address that anyone can send ballots to. Many homeless people use the shelters they stay in as an address, but those shelters are only accessible to people who aren’t working: if you’re working and homeless, you’re basically stuck in this horrible no-man’s land where you make too much to live in a shelter, but are too poor to afford your own place. Because you have no address, you basically don’t exist to the government, and that means you have no one who will speak up for your interests, not only because your voice has been silenced, but because the world makes you think you don’t matter. This doesn’t even touch the issue of transportation that many homeless people face. It would definitely take some investigation into how to deal with this, but there are many people in this country who deserve to be able to speak for themselves that can’t, all because of their bad fortune.

+Offering statehood or (in the cases of those territories that we acquired through colonialism) national freedom to Washington, D.C., Guam, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands. The second-class status they’re in is just not fair by any metric. They either deserve full representation in our government, or they deserve the ability to represent themselves. They deserve the right to vote for their leaders. They deserve a healthy economy. They deserve access to good health care and services, and they deserve to be treated as the U.S. citizens they are. If we can’t give them that, and/or those territories are done with waiting for us to give them that, then we don’t have any right to continue taking advantage of them. For D.C. in particular, the people who live there deserve a government outside of federal lawmakers to help them deal with local issues: a government with lawmakers they choose, rather than are foisted upon them.

Wow, that got longer than I expected…but a lot of things just came to mind. I would not have interest in making government smaller, exactly, but I would be very interested in bringing more people on board to not only introduce fresh ideas, but also to help us tackle the astounding workload we have to deal with regarding these issues. We need fresh minds and expert hands, ready to work hard. Naturally we wouldn’t want to completely put our heads in the sand in regards to foreign policy, but we would still want to put more focus on being the best country we can be, so that we can better help others. If our country is prosperous, then it gives us more leverage and power in promoting prosperity elsewhere. If we’re united, then we will more easily be able to stand against injustices abroad. If we take care of our own people, then we can more easily provide aid to other countries.

As I said, though, I have no interest in being a politician and I profess no great expertise in any of these matters, so one can take all of this with a grain of salt. This is just one American citizen’s flight of fancy in response to a friend’s question.

#ask me #excuse me politics coming through #oh boy here i go #opinion

[news-monda]

[smokeybrand]

American Horror Story

My brother has a problem with Universal Base Income. He has a difficult time reconciling personal responsibility and objective empathy. Dude thinks that if you give people enough money to live comfortably, they will just be content with that and not strive to for better. Using government funds to make sure people have the ability to live and eat without fear of dying, will effectively kill all American innovation, in his mind. I do not understand that logic at all. I do not get how someone can see a base playing field where no one has to worry about starving, eviction, or getting their utilities cut off, will somehow ruin the entrepreneurial spirit or whatever. I her him say these things and i try to understand his point of view but it doesn't make any sense. It doesn't make any sense because the understanding he has about the mentality of his fellow man is skewed.

These programs, free college, free daycare, UBI, social medicine, combined with a livable minimum wage, make for some of the happiest, most industrious peoples in the world. The frugal four in Europe, Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, and Sweden, consistently poll as the happiest places to live, every year, and it's because of these programs. Not all of them have every one, but most run a combination of them all. They have strong unions that force employers to stay honest and tax those with more at higher rates because they can contribute at that level without feeling the hit. If i get a ticket in Sweden, I'd pay three hundred dollars. It's a hit that hurts but it ain't going to cripple me. If a millionaire gets that same ticket, then he is charged a proportional about for them to feel it but not hinder to the point they can't make a bill. This system is not only fair, but it's meritocratic - another sticking point my brother harps on. But that's my disconnect; These programs encourage meritocracy, not hider it.

Way back when 'Murrica was great, we had a lot of these same systems in place. I don't think the US has ever had UBI but we used to have the strongest unions in the world, subsidized state college, and affordable health care. Back when the government was the government and did things like support the people, we still innovated. e still were the best. We went to the f*cking moon, man! That's the most innovative sh*t in the history of man. Knowing that your quality of life is secured, regardless of failure or not, gives cats the courage to try more. Knowing the fact that your kids can eat next week and you don't have to worry about eviction goes a long way to a cat finishing school or writing the net great phone app.  Being secure and happy increases productivity. It engenders loyalty. Cats work harder, faster, and better when these programs are in place. Denmark has a four day work week and maintains a fifty thousand dollar a year salary average. There are thirteen countries based there that still make the Fortune 2000 paying those salaries to their employees. They also have some of the most comprehensive social programs in the world. There is a national support system which includes free health care and education for everyone, job training, subsidized child care, a generous pension system and fuel subsidies as well as rent allowances for the elderly. And business is still thriving in Denmark which means people are still going to to work. They're going less but the same amount of work is being completed. I'm sure there are bad actors working the system for gain, there always are, but this entire situation would have collapsed in on itself if the majority of people were as terrible as my brother believes. So why is Denmark thriving? Why is Sweden thriving? Why are all of these countries with an advanced social safety net, thriving?

This is where personal responsibility comes into play for my brother. See, he works like a dog and get nowhere in his life. Dude busts his ass at work but he's been in the same position his entire adult life. There has been no progress whatsoever. He's trying so hard to lift himself up by his bootstraps while overtly hating those that ave s leg up through generational wealth or the benefit of contacts. What he doesn't understand is, with these social programs, with UBI, he wouldn't have to struggle like this. He'd be able to afford his own place. He'd have a car that could be legal. He can do everything that asshole who was born with a silver spoon can do with these programs in place, but my brother refuses the very notion because someone else might not go back to work. Kid is one of these dudes who's mad no one wants to go back to work after the Wuha because they make too much n unemployment but refuses to understand that is more a strike on the fact cats didn't make a livable wage while working. It took a while for me to see his point because there are thousands of examples of that not happening around the world. New Zealnd is a perfect example. When this sh*t hit, the Kiwi's gave each of their citizens thousands of dollars and they nipped this sh*t in the bud. They all then went back to work, happily and, more to the point, safely. They're going back to a twenty-two dollar an hour living wage, a stark contrast to the seven dollars and twenty-five cent federal incentive we have here in the States. Why would anyone want to go back to that? Who wants to go back to work making eleven hundred dollars a month plus tax deductions, when you were just making twice that for not working? How do you lift yourself up by your bootstraps when you can't afford the boots?

That's what these social programs do for everyone. They unilateral give every citizen a pair of boots to strap up. Once you got the shoes and tie them down, you can run that race without worry. If you're constantly concerned with who got their boots fraudulently, you're never going to see the bigger picture that everyone has a pair for themselves, that everyone has the same opportunity to run that rack without falling on their face or blowing out their leg. If someone does happen to stumble and fall, cats can sop to help them up without worry of getting stuck, themselves, or if they happened to step on broken glass, their feet are protected and they can keep running forward with everyone, pushing our country toward the future. I don't understand this culture of individualism and malevolence toward group success when there is very real evidence those mentalities are a detriment to progress and growth. I don't see how there is a conflict between the notion of hard work and empathy for those who can't. Just because your taxes are paying for a few Welfare Moms doesn't mean we shouldn't throw some loot at free healthcare. Just because you see some asshole abusing the UBI, doesn't mean that sh*t can't help a nineteen-year-old cover rent and food while he works through college.

There are always going to be bad actors. There are always going to be lazy people. Always. But the fact that there are hundreds of countries around the world who have these programs, manipulators included, and are still thriving, should be more than enough to seriously consider a change. They pay their employees a livable wage and are among the happiest nations in the world. These countries, hell, Colorado with all they've done with their weed money, should immediately remove any conflict or apprehension about the positives of empathetic legislature. Never mind the eye test or first hand accounts from people who have traveled abroad or those who came here and were horrified at how we live, there is legitimate data that backs up everything I just said in this rant. If you think a whole ass country would implement such sprawling changes to their economies without an ardent understanding of risk/cost, you're just being f*cking silly. To think an entire nation would uproot everything they built upon, for centuries, on a whim, without substantiating numbers to prove such drastic change would absolutely lead to prosperity for all, is the dumbest sh*t ever. And that's my point. You have to be a special kind of special to see the benefits of these social programs in real time, all over the world, in varying combinations, to varying degrees of success, and be like “Nah, f*ck that.”

There is no conflict at that point. How can there be? The data is clear as day. At that point, it's just plain selfishness. That's it. That's why the US is the way it is. Selfishness, egotism, and anti-intellectualism are championed like the goddamn second amendment here. It's infuriating. We are supposed to be the best country in the world, the delusion we are all forced to learn when we are kids, indoctrinated on the god fearing nationalism modern America pushed with every Michael Bay film or Trump rally, but we won't even take care of our own because it might cost us a little bit more. Because we might have to pass on one Frapp a week or three games a year. The only reason why anyone, including my brother, would be against this sh*t, is strictly because we, as Americans, are the most arrogant, egotistical, ignorant, boors in the entire f*cking world and we completely bought into that narcissistic delusion they sold to us. But we know it is. We’ve all seen it firsthand. Wuha has exposed every dirty little truth about this country no one in this government wants you to know. The bullsh*t has been laid bare and, even then, after this, the stupidest apocalypse, ever, there are people who will stand in front of these programs, this progress, and scream how unfair they are. How Socialism is Communism and it’s bad. How Russia ain’t America even though the tax-docging POTUS wants so very badly to be Putin. There are people who see the splendor out in the world and knowingly choose this squalor. How?

The American Dream is a f*cking nightmare and there are still people who keep willfully hitting snooze and I do not understand why.

[bentonpena]

What it's like to get high and eat nachos at America's first cannabis cafe

What it's like to get high and eat nachos at America's first cannabis cafe http://bit.ly/2M5wGpW

Aesthetically speaking, Lowell Cafe is like any other West Hollywood restaurant: the nachos are vegan, the outdoor patio is lined with live plant walls, and the dappled sunlight sets customers up for a perfect boomerang of them ripping a bong.

Stylized as Lowell Farms: A Cannabis Cafe but also referred to as Lowell Cafe, the restaurant is the first of its kind in the United States. Part dispensary and part eatery, guests choose from an extensive menu of pre-rolled joints, ounces of flower, vape pods, and dabs. Customers can also snack on a variety of dishes designed to compliment the inevitable munchies. It's almost like visiting a gastropub, but instead of splitting fries and sipping whatever beer's on tap, you can smoke whatever flower is in season.

 "You’re entering the world of post-cannabis prohibition," the press release for the cafe promised. 

When I arrived at the cafe on Tuesday afternoon, the line of walk-in hopefuls was already wrapped around the block. 

All guests, regardless of whether or not they consume cannabis products on-site, must be over 21 years old. At the door, a bouncer with a tablet scanned my ID, which was added to an internal database used for cannabis purchases. After being seated, a Flower Host stopped by to give us the rundown. Instead of checking my ID when I later ordered weed, the host checked her tablet for proof of age. 

Image: FREDERIC J. BROWN / AFP / Getty Images

Because regulated cannabis is a legislative nightmare, Lowell Cafe is actually two different businesses. Under California's current laws, cannabis lounges like Lowell Cafe aren't allowed to sell food or beverages, so the front patio facing the street is a basic, run-of-the-mill eatery that serves food but can't sell weed. The interior and enclosed back patio are 420-friendly areas where patrons can order food from the restaurant, buy cannabis products, and consume it. The restaurant, which serves food, beverages, and as soon as it secures its license, wine, is a separate entity from the dispensary. 

Basically, as West Hollywood's community and legislative affairs manager John Leonard told Eater LA, there are "two separate businesses on two separate premises."

"Patrons in the cannabis consumption area are allowed to order food from the adjacent restaurant," he continued. "And the food from the adjacent restaurant is delivered to the consumption area."

That whole set-up made ordering both weed and food pretty confusing. Guests order from two separate servers, one for food and one for weed. Likened to a sommelier, the Flower Host — the person serving weed — explains the various products, suggests food and flower pairings, and shows you how to use the paraphernalia available to rent. 

This is where the confusion comes in — since there was one server for food and a separate one for weed, figuring out who was staffing each overlapping section in the hectic restaurant seemed like a guessing game. 

Choosing weed can also be a ride. Lowell Cafe's cannabis selection is packaged in an intimidating leather-bound menu similar to wine menus at fancy restaurants. The cafe is a fully stocked dispensary, and its selection includes pre-roll packs ranging from six to 14 joints per package, edibles with up to 100 milligrams of THC, and an eighth of flower. And like buying alcohol in bars or restaurants, expect a steep up-charge; eighths will cost you $55 to $65. Patrons can also bring their own weed for a "toke-age" fee of $20, like a corkage fee in a traditional restaurant. 

For the most part, buying a pricey bottle of wine or an elaborate cocktail is justifiable because the party is likely to finish it before leaving. Only the strongest of stoners can finish off an eighth of weed or 14 whole joints in the recommended one and a half hours sitting at Lowell Cafe. Thanks to municipal regulations, guests can't take the leftover weed home with them, which can lead to some absurd speed hits in an effort to finish products, and will inevitably lead to wasted weed or upset guests. 

Granted, it didn't seem like the Flower Hosts stopped anyone from sneaking unfinished weed into pockets as diners paid their bills before leaving. 

I told our first Flower Host that I tended to stay away from THC-intense indica strains because of my tendency to cry in public when I consume them. The Flower Hosts' familiarity with cannabis varies. The first one I spoke to recommended whatever pre-roll had the highest amount of THC, but another, a former weed farmer who goes by Circa Suicide, told me that first time visitors should try to stick with low doses in case they get anxious. 

My friend Rebecca and I ended up splitting a pre-roll sativa joint called Kushberry Cheesecake, a 21.88 percent THC joint that cost $20. (A similarly fruity sativa pre-roll with a similar THC content, for reference, goes for about $10 through marijuana delivery services. Many dispensaries in Los Angeles will also toss in a pre-roll for free with the purchase of an eighth.) The menu described it as "Invigorating, Active" and it yielded the kind of high that makes the world more visually interesting while still letting you think clearly. It's also the kind of body high that motivates you to demolish a plate of vegan nachos at an alarming, but almost admirable pace. 

I was worried that once I started smoking, I'd be overwhelmed by the cafe. I've visited Amsterdam's coffeeshops before, and while most of my experiences were lovely, I have felt suffocated by the smoky air, dim lighting, and crowded spaces. I can get pretty paranoid when I smoke weed that contains just THC and no CBD, but I felt at peace lazily passing off that joint. At times, the tightly packed tables were a touch claustrophobic and a particularly lengthy cover of Fleetwood Mac's Dreams felt like it was four decibels too loud, but the "Invigorating, Active" part of this high never felt overbearing. The air inside wasn't excessively smoky, either, thanks to the cafe's ventilation system. 

"I would bring my parents here, I would bring my partners here," Circa Suicide said as I snacked on what may have been the best burger I've eaten in L.A. (That might have been the weed deciding that, though.) "I would even bring my coworkers here. It's a really nice, neutral vibe."

Circa Suicide added that since not everyone does well getting high in such an overstimulating environment, she recommends not smoking at all if you're anxious about being anxious. If you do decide to partake, take it slow. 

"Take one hit, put it out, give it ten minutes," she said, explaining how first-time smokers should try it out in a public setting like Lowell Cafe. "You can always go back in for one more. If you're feeling weird, we're here to bring water and talk to you." 

At times, the Flower Hosts seemed more like well-meaning parental units checking on an after school hang than typical budtenders. When the couple next to Rebecca and I fell into a couch lock, punctuated by bursts of giggles, a Flower Host stopped by and offered them bottled water. When I put out the last of the joint in the Lowell Farms-branded ashtray, a food server asked if I wanted any other munchies-quelling snacks off the menu. Circa Suicide recommended pairing the ice cream sundae with a Banana OG pre-roll before leaving to teach a first-time smoker how to roll a joint. 

Image: Frederic J. BROWN / AFP / getty images

Overall, the first public American cannabis cafe didn't exceed high expectations, but that's more the fault of regulatory confusion than poor planning. On one hand, Lowell Cafe is just a public place to smoke weed. On the other, it's also pioneering the way American culture approaches consuming cannabis in public. Considering the exhaustive list of limitations Lowell Cafe had to work with — separating businesses, a ban on serving cannabis-infused food, and state laws forbidding the sale of alcohol and cannabis on the same premise — Lowell Cafe managed to pull off an impressive blend of bar culture and weed. 

But regulating weed like alcohol also holds back the cannabis industry. Laws that work for alcohol, like not allowing patrons to bring home extra product, don't make sense when applied to weed. That, though, is in the hands of municipal governments to reform. 

Lowell Cafe's social impact is complicated as well. Paying for overpriced weed and taking the afternoon off to get baked is an immense privilege. As L.A. Taco noted earlier this year, greater Los Angeles' booming marijuana industry is promising, but it leaves convicted felons with non-violent drug charges behind. People of color have been, and still are disproportionately incarcerated for it. Part of the application process to secure a spot as one of eight approved cannabis consumption lounges involved taking "social equity" into account, which includes prison reform and minority inclusion. In its FAQ, Lowell Cafe says it gives "special employment consideration" to recently pardoned, non-violent cannabis offenders. But like L.A. Taco says, "being given priority to work minimum wage or low paying jobs at the bottom of a billion-dollar business feels like too-little-too-late." 

I left Lowell Cafe satiated by delicious food and gently toasted, not quite baked enough to want to take a walk. Over 750 people visited during its opening day, according to a Lowell Cafe spokesperson. While it wasn't revolutionary, smoking on a lively outdoor patio certainly beat the "prohibition"-era experience of hotboxing a friend's grandpa's car and messily ordering pizza. And it's paving the way for the not only West Hollywood's cannabis consumption lounges, but the many sure to pop up as legalized states figure out how to regulate it.

Lowell Cafe sits at the awkward crossroad of legalized weed and clumsy regulation — the marijuana industry is moving forward, but the government can't keep up. At least the food is good while the rest of us wait. 

Tech via Mashable! http://bit.ly/2nGI2sr October 3, 2019 at 10:42AM

#IFTTT #Feedly

[deersstorystorage]

Day 1 - Discussing the Plan

(Pt 1) (Pt 2)

Worker Steve: -scribbles what is likely some sort of title to separate the new chain of notes from the previous one- “Alright then, sir... You said that you were not content with the entrance. You found an issue with the stairs, and feel that misters and shade need to be provided. Explain?”

Mr. Merica: “AH, YES. ANOTHER GOOD INQUIRY, WORKER STEVE. ONE WHICH IS VERY EASY TO ANSWER. I FEEL THAT THERE IS NO REAL NEED FOR STAIRS, WHEN IT IS SO MUCH EASIER TO TRAVEL ALONG A GRADUALLY ELEVATING SLOPE. I ALSO WANT TO CALL ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT LESS DAMAGE WILL OCCUR BY TRIPPING AND FALLING UPON THE SLOPE, THAN BY FALLING UPON THE STAIRS. AS THE POINTED EDGES IN THE CONCRETE COULD POTENTIALLY CAUSE DAMAGE TO BE MORE SEVERE IN ANY LOCATION OF IMPACT.”

Worker Steve: -shakes his head ever so slightly whilst writing this down- “While that is admittedly a good point, considering that there have been multiple cases of people being hospitalized as a result of falling down the stairs... I... Well, I guess I can’t think of a good counter-statement to try and talk you out of this. The best I could do is think of the cost, but, I do believe that it would be cheaper to have a ramp established than it will be to have the doors and bathrooms remodeled. I expect that you have an argument for that?”

Mr. Merica: “THAT IS A CORRECT ASSUMPTION, WORKER STEVE. AS YOU KNOW, THE PRESIDENT MAKES A GREAT DEAL OF MONEY WHILE IN OFFICE. I HAVE ALREADY DONE THE MATH AND HAVE CONCLUDED THAT I CAN AFFORD TO PAY FOR A GREAT DEAL OF THESE RENOVATIONS, USING MY OWN MONEY. I KNOW HOW MUCH I AM EXPECTED TO MAKE ON A DAILY BASIS. I COULD PAY TO HAVE ALL FOUR-HUNDRED AND TWELVE DOORWAYS WIDENED, AND STILL HAVE A NICE AMOUNT OF MONEY LEFTOVER FOR THE MONTH. BUT I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT WE NEED TO TAKE STEPS TO GET ALL OF THESE TASKS DONE.”

Worker Steve: -slightly caught off guard by some of these details- “Wait... You are being paid a legitimate salary to act as president? Forgive me if I seem rude, sir, but, I have never known a Pokemon to accept money. To my knowledge, Pokemon have distinct means of earning their place in the world? Some prefer to stay wild and behave as pets, while others, like you, learn to speak and live alongside of humans as equals. How exactly do Pokemon earn their value?”

Mr. Merica: “I TAKE SLIGHT OFFENSE IN THAT LAST INQUIRY, WORKER STEVE, BUT CAN UNDERSTAND YOUR CONFUSION AND CHOOSE TO FORGIVE YOU. CURRENTLY, POKEMON EARN WHAT IS CALLED A ‘WAGE EQUIVALENT’, WHICH MEANS THAT HUMANS APPLY A MONETARY VALUE TO THE SERVICES WHICH WE PROVIDE. THAT VALUE IS DETERMINED BY SUPPLY AND DEMAND, AS WELL AS THE OVERALL QUALITY OF THE PERFORMANCE. I CAN PROVIDE AN EXAMPLE. WHILE I WAS PREPARING TO MAKE MY ATTEMPT AT BECOMING THE PRESIDENT, I OFTEN WORKED ON CONSTRUCTION SIGHTS. BECAUSE I AM A VERY STRONG POKEMON, I WAS ABLE TO DO MY JOB EASILY AND EFFECTIVELY, AND AS SUCH I WAS EARNING THE EQUIVALENT OF TWENVY-SIX DOLLARS AN HOUR. I HAVE SUCCEEDED IN EARNING A GREAT DEAL OF ‘CREDIT’, WHICH IS THE LEFTOVER VALUE FOLLOWING TAXES AND EXPENSES. I OWN MY LAND AND ONLY PAY A SMALL AMOUNT IN PROPERTY TAXES AT THE END OF EVERY YEAR... FORGIVE ME I REALIZE I HAVE GONE TO FAR INTO DETAIL. I SIMPLY WANTED TO HELP YOU TO UNDERSTAND HOW POKEMON FUNCTION IN SOCIETY.”

Worker Steve: -awkwardly tapping the paper with his pen as he attempts to do the mental math- “That’s... What? So an eight hour day at that wage. Multiply that by seven... Take out, about... I guess twenty-nine percent of that could be taxed overall... So, that’s about one-thousand and thirty-four dollars per weekly paycheck. But, construction workers generally work twelve hour days, so I could estimate that you would be getting an additional three hundred dollars, minimum in that event...”

Mr. Merica: “ARE YOU ALRIGHT, WORKER STEVE? YOU HAVE BEEN MUMBLING TO YOURSELF. I HEAR NUMBERS AND ODD THINGS. HAVE I ADDED TO YOUR CONFUSION?”

Worker Steve: -startled out of his thoughts- “OH! Sorry, sir. I was trying to do the math... You are definitely off in terms of how much you were making before you started here. There is... Definitely a drastic change. I expect that you’ve been living comfortably on your, typical wage?”

Mr. Merica: “YES. DUE TO MY ONLY NEEDING TO PAY FOR PROPERTY TAXES AND FOOD, I EASILY MADE MORE THAN ENOUGH TO GET BY. BUT NOT ALL POKEMON CAN GET BY THAT LUCKY, AS NOT ALL POKEMON ARE STRONG ENOUGH FOR SUCH EXTENSIVE MANUAL LABOR. POKEMON CURRENCY IS REFERRED TO AS ‘WAGE EQUIVALENT’ BECAUSE IT WILL BE EQUAL TO WHAT A HUMAN AUGHT TO EARN FOR PERFORMING THAT TASK WITH A SPECIFIC LEVEL OF SKILL. MANUAL LABOR EARNS MORE THAN OTHER WAGES.”

Worker Steve: -fighting the urge to bite the end of his pen- “Wait, you don’t need to pay for water or electric? Or heating?”

Mr. Merica: “NOT DIRECTLY, NO. POKEMON CREDIT IS TAXED DIFFERENTLY. FOR EXAMPLE, WE DO NOT REQUIRE MEDICAL INSURANCE. SEEING AS MEDICINES EXIST WHICH HEAL MOST AILMENTS WITHIN A MATTER OF MINUTES. I KEEP A STEADY SUPPLY OF THOSE AT HOME, IN THE EVENT THAT I GROW ILL. POKEMON ARE ALSO INCREDIBLY DURABLE AND CAN BOUNCE BACK FROM SICKNESS FASTER THAN HUMANS CAN. WE CONCLUDED THAT WE WOULD NOT NEED ANY MEDICAL COVERAGE, WHEN THESE MEDICINES ARE EASY TO GET A HOLD OF AND CHEAP TO MAKE. ESSENTIALLY, ELECTRIC, HEATING, AND WATER CHARGES ARE TAKEN OUT OF MY PAYMENT AUTOMATICALLY BASED UPON A TAX SYSTEM. I SUPPOSE IT IS ONE OF THOSE UNFAIR PERKS OF BEING A POKEMON LIVING IN A WORLD OF HUMANS.”

Worker Steve: “Well, I suppose that when we take into account that Pokemon can provide us with safe electricity, water, and heating, it is somewhat redundant to make you pay for it. Chances are that a good portion of your, lets call them household taxes, are somehow converted back into human currency for us to use.”

Mr. Merica: “THAT IS PROBABLY ACCURATE. IN WHICH CASE, MY ISSUE WILL BE NOT KNOWING THAT THAT CONVERTED CURRENCY IS PUT TOWARDS. I INTEND ON FINDING OUT, AND REDIRECTING THE PLACEMENT OF THAT EXCESS FUNDING... BACK TO THE HYGIENE PRODUCTS, FOR EXAMPLE. I WOULD RATHER MY AUTOMATICALLY DEDUCTED CREDITS GO TOWARDS HELPING TO PROVIDE SUCH PRODUCTS TO HUMANS, THAN FILLING THE POCKETS OF THE RICH... I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE WOULD BE OTHER SUCH USES FOR THE EXCESS FUNDING BROUGHT ABOUT BY POKEMON, BUT CURRENTLY I AM STILL BAFFLED BY THE FACT THAT EMPLOYERS LEGITIMATELY CHARGE THEIR EMPLOYEES FOR BUNDLES OF COTTON AND NOT ROLLS OF TOILET PAPER. I CANNOT FIND THE LOGIC IN THAT.”

Worker Steve: -resisting the urge to roll his eyes- “Yes, you have quite established that... And, on an additional note to place on that. As understanding as you are proving to be, there is no guarantee that the employees will be the same. I am going to establish that we put these products directly in the stalls, rather than out in the open. Just to prevent any... Potentially avoidable bullying.”

Mr. Merica: “YES, GOOD. THAT IS A VERY CONSIDERATE COURSE OF ACTION, WORKER STEVE. YOU ARE DOING WELL TO LEARN TO THINK WITH AN OPEN MIND.”

Worker Steve: -whilst writing down the additional note about the stalls- “Not so much an open mind as a logical one. If people of the Trans community happen to be harassed similarly to homosexuals, then it stands to reason that putting tampons on the wall of a men’s restroom for a man with a vagina to try and take, brings risk of them being seen by someone who is not accepting of their... Situation. Allowing these individuals to attend to their needs in private will reduce the chances of witch hunts.”

Mr. Merica: “WHAT IS A WITCH HUNT?”

Worker Steve: “Weeee will get back to that comment on a later date.” -clearly not ready to get into THAT discussion- “Back to the task at hand. If you are intent on using the human currency to help to pay for these changes, then technically I can find no reason to state that we cannot afford to go through with it. I can only remind you that whoever comes into office after you, may decide to undo a few of your changes.”

Mr. Merica: “IF I HAVE SUCCEEDED IN GETTING THE U.S GOING ALONG THE PROPER PATH, THEN IDEALLY, MY SUCCESSOR WOULD NOT CONSIDER TAKING SUCH ACTIONS WHEN IT COMES TIME FOR ME TO RETIRE FROM MY PLACEMENT HERE. BUT I AM ALSO WILLING TO TAKE THE RISK OF MY WORK BEING UNDONE. AS IT IS BETTER TO TRY AND FAIL, THAN TO NEVER HAVE TRIED AT ALL. IT WOULD ONLY BE INEVITABLE THAT SOMEONE WOULD LOOK ONTO MY WORK, SPOT WHERE I FAILED, AND THEN ATTEMPT TO CONTINUE. I WANT TO MAKE CHANGE. EVEN IF I ONLY END UP BEING INSPIRATION TO SOMEONE WHO WILL SUCCEED IN MAKING THESE CHANGES, I WILL HAVE DONE MY DESIRED JOB.”

Worker Steve: “That is an incredibly bright means of looking at this situation, sir. I can applaud you for that...” -scribbling more on paper- “One last question on this particular subject... I can understand the ramps. I can understand the desire to remove stairs... And the desire for more shade. There is some genuine logic in this. I cannot quite understand the desire for the misters.”

Mr. Merica: “OH. THAT ONE IS ANOTHER SITUATION WHERE I AM TRYING TO BE CONSIDERATE FOR THE WORKERS. WE HAVE PEOPLE THAT COME HERE REGULARLY MAKING HEAVY DELIVERIES. EVEN THE REGULAR STAFF OFTEN WIND UP TRAPPED OUTSIDE IN THE HEAT. I SIMPLY FELT THAT PEOPLE MIGHT APPRECIATE THE RELIEF THAT MISTERS MIGHT PROVIDE THEM IN THE MIDST OF THESE SITUATIONS.”

Worker Steve: “... So, this one is not done for reason, but for want? Just to be... Nice?”

Mr. Merica: “YES.”

Worker Steve: “You do not consider this to be frivolous spending, considering that you could put that money towards... More important subjects of concern?”

Mr. Merica: “WELL, TECHNICALLY I WOULD BE USING MY POKEMON CREDIT TO PAY FOR THE MISTERS. AS IT WILL BE POKEMON WHICH INSTALL THEM. THEY ARE SURPRISINGLY CHEAP TO KEEP RUNNING ONCE THEY HAVE BEEN INSTALLED, AND ARE EASY TO FIX... I SUPPOSE IT COULD BE CALLED A LOOPHOLE? I HAVE ALSO FOUND THROUGH PAST EXPERIENCES, THAT THE MISTERS THEMSELVES GENERALLY ADD ONLY A SLIGHT INCREASE IN A MONTHLY WATER BILL. USUALLY LESS THAN FORTY DOLLARS A MONTH, ESPECIALLY IF THEY HAVE BEEN SET UP TO ONLY TURN ON AT SPECIFIC TIMES. LIKE DAYS WHERE IT REACHES A SPECIFIC TEMPERATURE, OR ON RANDOM INTERVALS SO AS TO MAINTAIN THE TEMPERATURE OF THE AIR WITHOUT USING EXCESS WATER. THE POKEMON I PLAN ON HIRING ARE EXPERTS AT THIS. IT WILL BE INCREDIBLY AFFORDABLE, EVEN AFTER I LEAVE.” -It is very clear that he is proud of his current plan-

Worker Steve: “That is... Well, I suppose it is an incredibly thought out gift. I can’t say that the employees would not like it. Seeing as you are paying for the legitimate installation through Pokemon credit and not any sort of government funding, I really can’t offer an argument. More so, if there will be no drastic changes in the water bill while they are in use.”

Mr. Merica: “OH, IT WILL BE PERFECTLY AFFORDABLE. I DON’T SEE WHY SO FEW HUMANS PUT POKEMON CREDIT INTO USE.”

Worker Steve: “I lack an understanding of that statement?”

Mr. Merica: “WELL, SINCE POKEMON DON’T EARN HUMAN CURRENCY, AND HUMANS GENERALLY DO NOT PAY POKEMON WITH HUMAN CURRENCY, THE BUILD-UP HAS TO START SOMEWHERE. FOR EVERY DOLLAR EARNED ON THE JOB, A HUMAN ALSO EARNS THE CREDIT WHICH IS USED TO PAY POKEMON WORKERS. THAT IS WHERE THE PHRASE ‘WAGE EQUIVALENT’ SUCCEEDS IN PLAYING IN. IF YOU EARN TEN DOLLARS AN HOUR IN HUMAN MONEY, YOU ALSO EARN TEN DOLLARS IN POKEMON CREDIT. THE CREDIT ALSO GETS TAXED, SO AS TO MATCH YOUR SALARY. SO, IF YOU GET THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS ON YOUR PAYCHECK EVERY OTHER WEEK, YOU HAVE ALSO EARNED AT LEAST THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS WORTH OF POKEMON CREDIT. EVERYONE WHO EARNS MONEY HAS IT, BUT, FOR SOME REASON MANY HUMANS SEEM TO BELIEVE THAT ONLY SPECIFIC PEOPLE ARE CAPABLE OF USING THIS CREDIT TO PAY POKEMON.”

Worker Steve: “So... Essentially, the people were somehow misinformed and believe that only business owners and other people of that rank, are able to use Credit to pay Pokemon for work... When really, all humans automatically earn this otherwise useless currency on some level, and they could put it towards important renovations?”

Mr. Merica: “THAT SEEMS TO BE HOW IT IS. I HAVE TRIED EXPLAINING THIS TO MANY PEOPLE, BUT SO FEW BELIEVE ME. I AM IN THE MIDST OF LOOKING FOR A MEANS OF HELPING PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND ALL OF THIS. THE KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITY TO USE THESE CREDIT WOULD BE MORE THAN ENOUGH TO ALLOW AT LEAST A THIRD OF THE PEOPLE LIVING IN POVERTY, WOULD BE ABLE TO EXPERIENCE A DRASTIC IMPROVEMENT IN THEIR LIVES. BECAUSE THEY DO NOT REALIZE THAT THEY ARE HOLDING THREE-THOUSAND DOLLARS WORTH OF POKEMON CREDIT. THE ABILITY TO USE THAT CREDIT COULD DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT A FAMILY WILL HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO FEED AND CLOTH THEM FOR THE MONTH.”

Worker Steve: “That is... I am astonished by this information. More so by the idea that you’ve been unsuccessful in helping people learn about this. Especially seeing as you somehow succeeded in becoming president.”

Mr. Merica: “WELL, THE STATEMENT SEEING IS BELIEVING COMES TO MIND. PEOPLE ARE FAR MORE WILLING TO BELIEVE THAT A POKEMON CAN BECOME PRESIDENT WHEN THEY SEE HIM ON THE CANDIDATE ROSTER, THAN THEY ARE TO BELIEVE THAT THEY HAVE A SMALL FORTUNE’S WORTH OF POKEMON CREDIT HIDDEN IN THE BACK OF THEIR BANK ACCOUNT. ESPECIALLY WHEN NO SIGNS OF THESE CREDITS BEING PAID IS LISTED ANYWHERE UPON THEIR CHECKS. THIS IS AN INVISIBLE CURRENCY, AS FAR AS HUMANS ARE CONCERNED.”

Worker Steve: “Goodness... If this is true, there are thousands of households in the world that could potentially establish a more suitable living environment. The price of repairing a car or a home often exceed the price of maintenance tenfold. Being able to get these repairs without needing to go without other essential products, can make or break the welfare of a family.”

Mr. Merica: “YOU WILL HELP ME TO HELP ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE, RIGHT? I HAVEN’T THE SLIGHTEST IDEA OF HOW TO PROCEED WHEN ALL OF MY PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS HAVE FALLEN SHORT.”

Worker Steve: “Yes, I will help. That is my job, after all. I’m sure there’s a simple solution. One that you’ve struggled to find for, basic reasons.” -he scribbles something on the back of the paper, circling in- “This has definitely been an eventful workday. I can’t quite say that that the public would find your ideas agreeable, but, we can also argue that you’re technically not spending any tax dollars to fix this place up. You’re using your salary to cover the costs; which you have every legal right to do. My only major question now is, why they’re paying you with human money to begin with.”

Mr. Merica: “OH, THAT ONE IS SIMPLE. I AM THE FIRST POKEMON PRESIDENT. EVERY PRESIDENT PRIOR TO ME WAS GIVEN HUMAN CURRENCY. WHEN THEY ASKED WHETHER OR NOT I WANTED TO REFUSE THE HUMAN MONEY, BECAUSE IT WAS TECHNICALLY OF NO VALUE TO ME, MY ANSWER WAS NO. THEY HAVE SEEMINGLY FAILED TO NOTICE THAT I AM TECHNICALLY EARNING BOTH FORMS OF CURRENCY NOW, THANKS TO THAT CHOICE. THIS ALLOWS ME TO FUND MULTIPLE PROJECTS. SOME THAT BENEFIT HUMANS, SOME THAT BENEFIT HUMANS AND POKEMON.”

Worker Steve: “So... Wait. How exactly do we convert the Pokemon Credit, back to Human Money?”

Mr. Merica: “WE ACTUALLY HAVE MORE ITEMS OF VALUE IN THE TREASURE HOLD THAN YOU THINK. YOU WOULD BE SURPRISED AT THE TREASURES HUMANS HAVE COLLECTED FROM POKEMON. NATURALLY THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF MONEY CAN NEVER EXCEED THE VALUE OF THE TREASURE HOLD... SO IF THE TOTAL VALUE IS FOURTEEN BILLION, FOR EXAMPLE. THE COMBINED VALUE OF HUMAN CURRENCY AND POKEMON CREDIT, WILL NOT EXCEED THAT NUMBER. SOMETIMES THERE IS MORE HUMAN MONEY, SOMETIMES THERE IS MORE POKEMON CREDIT, BUT THE VALUE DOES NOT CHANGE UNLESS SOMETHING CHANGES WITH THE TREASURE HOLD.”

Worker Steve: “That, makes a surprising amount of sense, considering how humans came to determine physical value of items.” -there follows a few short scribbles, followed by an awkward change of stance.- “I... Suppose that now is a good time to call for an end to the work day. We can resume with discussions and planning, tomorrow.”

Mr. Merica: “YES. THANK YOU, WORKER STEVE. YOU MAY GO TO YOUR HOME AND REST NOW. HAVE A PLEASANT EVENING.”

Worker Steve: “Well, night. But, thank you. I shall see you come clock in, tomorrow.” -as such he attempts to casually make his leave, but the president is to lost in thoughts to pay any attention to his hasty body language-

#mr. merica #meeting mr. president #salamence president #4

[vsplusonline]

Wage boosts for essential workers should last beyond COVID-19 pandemic: union leaders

New Post has been published on https://apzweb.com/wage-boosts-for-essential-workers-should-last-beyond-covid-19-pandemic-union-leaders/

Wage boosts for essential workers should last beyond COVID-19 pandemic: union leaders

Union leaders across the country applauded the federal government on Thursday for contributing up to $3 billion to help boost wages for essential workers across the country in the COVID-19 pandemic — but they argue governments should allow those front-line workers to retain that higher pay once the public health crisis has passed.

“Many of these jobs are paid at a rate that is absolutely not commensurate with the value that they give to our community and we see this as a recognition of that,” said CUPE Ontario president Fred Hahn.

“We think that this should not be a temporary thing. This should be a permanent measure where enhanced funding is permanently provided.”

READ MORE: Feds giving provinces, territories up to $3B to boost essential workers’ wages

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the federal government has reached cost-sharing agreements with almost all Canada’s provinces and territories for the wage boost for essential workers. The deal will see Ottawa put up three-quarters of the cost, with the provincial governments footing the rest.

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A news release from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) stated the government will provide up to $3 billion to support the wage top-ups.

“The bottom line is this: if you’re risking your health to keep this country moving and you’re making minimum wage, you deserve a raise,” Trudeau said during his daily news conference on Canada’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A few provinces already announced the details of their respective wage increases for essential workers, ahead of the prime minister’s confirmation of Ottawa’s support on Thursday.

Quebec announced a $4-per-hour pay hike for workers in private long-term care homes, as well as a $24.28-per-hour salary to attract new workers to fill in as attendants at the facilities. Ontario, British Columbia and Saskatchewan have since followed suit with similar programs.

1:49 Coronavirus outbreak: Quebec proposes to increase essential workers wages by $400 for 4 months

Coronavirus outbreak: Quebec proposes to increase essential workers wages by $400 for 4 months

Asked whether there’s an expiry date to the cost-sharing agreement, a PMO spokesperson confirmed the deal is related to the pandemic, but noted some provinces who already announced wage top-ups have specified dates until which the increase is effective.

Ontario, for its part, said its $4-per-hour “pandemic pay” increase would be valid between mid-April and mid-August.

“The $4 is the start of what the permanent wages of these front-line workers should be,” said Sharleen Stewart, president of SEIU Healthcare, a national health care union that represents more than 60,000 front-line workers.

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“They still have a distance to go, in my opinion … $15, $16 an hour is not what kind of a living wage they should be having.”

Asked whether the province of Ontario is exploring extending that time period or making the wage top-up permanent for some essential employees, a spokesperson for Ontario’s Treasury Board president said the provincial government “recognize[s] that this is a rapidly-evolving and dynamic situation.”

“We will continually monitor and consult on the best approaches to supporting all Ontarians, including frontline workers,” press secretary Sebastian Skamski said in an emailed statement.

[ Sign up for our Health IQ newsletter for the latest coronavirus updates ]

“It’s also important to note that this pandemic pay timeline aligns with the federal and provincial declarations of emergency.”

READ MORE: 1 worker dead, 25 COVID-19 cases reported at Maple Lodge Farms poultry plant in Ontario

Kevin Rebeck, president of the Manitoba Federation of Labour, said he hopes the federal government’s wage boost announcement is the start of a larger “transition” that will result in workers providing “critical services” receiving better compensation.

“I think this pandemic has shown us that health-care workers who we count on every day — as well as grocery store workers, delivery drivers, security guards, restaurant workers — all play a vital role in our economy and that they are undervalued and underpaid and something needs to be done about that,” Rebeck said.

“I think as we move towards an economic recovery, we need to make this shift and we need to continue it on, both for the recovery in the future.

“We need to do better for these workers who can count on every day.”

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Guidelines for wage boost would be helpful, union leaders say

Several executives of large labour groups also told Global News they would have liked to see Ottawa attach some “standards” for who will qualify for the increase and the amount of support they’ll get.

Trudeau said the federal government is leaving it up to the provinces and territories to make those decisions. When asked by a journalist what guidelines the federal government gave the provinces about spending the federal cash, the prime minister’s response suggested no such guidelines were provided.

“Because of the variance across the country, both of the COVID-19 situation and of delivery of essential services including health care, we felt that it was best that provinces move forward in choosing exactly how they can best help the workers who are doing such important work right across the country,” Trudeau said.

2:05 Coronavirus outbreak: COVID-19 pandemic has revealed weaknesses in Canada’s supply chain, Trudeau says

Coronavirus outbreak: COVID-19 pandemic has revealed weaknesses in Canada’s supply chain, Trudeau says

Several union executives acknowledged the provinces are all dealing with different circumstances, but argued that federal guidelines could still be helpful.

“For me, the key piece of this is that the $4-billion wage top-up really has to be for those that need it the most,” said Jerry Dias, national president of Unifor, Canada’s biggest private-sector union.

“I really think the money should be spent more on the low-wage earners to ensure that they have a decent standard of living.”

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Other executives suggested that “clear parameters” from federal officials might help ensure some “consistency” across the provinces and territories.

“I think the intent of this program is to recognize and help those workers out in a financial way. …We should do that with some sort of consistency,” Rebeck said.

“I think workers from one region to the other, if they see that some are included there and not here, that’s not good for anyone and that’s not fair.”

“It would make it much clearer for Canadians to know from coast to coast what group of workers would get that money and more importantly, that they would be treated equally across the country,” said Hussan Yussuff, president of the Canadian Labour of Congress.

Labour issues extend beyond pay, unions say

Part of the objective in proposing a federal wage top-up was to encourage more essential workers to stay on job, even at the risk of their own lives, and to compensate them for recent orders in some provinces banning them from working in multiple facilities.

As more workers in long-term care homes have fallen ill, many facilities have been struggling to provide basic care for residents. Both Quebec and Ontario, where the problem is most acute, have requested help from the military.

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READ MORE: Over 1,000 CAF members sent to Quebec long-term care homes, more to come by mid-May

In addition to the issue of pay, Hahn argued that post-pandemic, the federal government should create standards and give the provinces more money “to provide these services in a way that there is consistency across the country.”

“This isn’t only about pay. It is about the standard of the care that’s being provided in those settings, ensuring that workers have access to full-time hours,” he said.

“Part of the real problem that has been exposed here, that our union and others have talked about for a long time, is the reality of the casualization of work, that people are forced to stitch together two and three jobs just to make ends meet.

“That’s got to end.”

— With files from The Canadian Press

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© 2020 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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What Does It Really Cost to Run a Restaurant added to Google Docs

What Does It Really Cost to Run a Restaurant

 WStudio/Shutterstock

Restaurants have notoriously slim margins. Mei Mei in Boston reveals just how slim they really are. 

“I have always thought to myself that the version of Top Chef that I would want to watch would be chef-owners plunging a toilet, cleaning an overflowing grease trap, balancing a balance sheet, and running payroll as fast as they could — a decathlon of all the administrative bullshit,” says Irene Li, the chef and owner of Mei Mei, a Chinese-American restaurant in Boston. “And obviously, people would be bored to death by that show, but that’s what it really is.”

These days, Li spends a lot of her time thinking about what it takes to keep a restaurant like hers running. Last year, she was the recipient of an Eater Young Gun award; she’s been a Zagat 30 Under 30 winner, and a six-time James Beard Rising Star Chef semifinalist. That said, she kind of fell into the industry and comes by her genuine enthusiasm for “all the administrative bullshit” honestly.

In the early days at Mei Mei, success was measured by having enough dumplings to get through the day and confirming that the bank account wasn’t empty. Today, every single staff member, from the dishwasher to the line cook, can interpret and speak to the restaurant’s entire profit-and-loss statement because, for two years now, Mei Mei has been opening its books to its staff. This means all staff are able to see every line item associated with money coming in the door and all of the expenses the restaurant takes on — from paying its employees to keeping the lights on. Not only that, each employee actually plays a hand in working to move the bottom line, working on teams tasked with the goal of reducing costs and increasing profits for the business. If the team wants to research and vet new vendors, they have that power. If they want to change the menu prices for a fixed period of time, they’re able to do that too.

In the three years since implementing this practice, Li says she’s seen a measurable difference. The line cook who once questioned Li about the $9 price attached to the Double Awesome menu item, an oozy egg sandwich, can now speak to all of the other costs — the things beyond the eggs, the pesto, and the scallion pancake breading — that they wouldn’t have known to consider before. Because there’s a staff member who called the electric company for refunds when the power went out, one who negotiated for better alarm fees, and another who put in the work to source a cheaper linen provider, there’s an understanding of the full picture of what goes on at the restaurant. As Li puts it, “There’s buy-in because their fingerprints are there.”

Now, it’s no longer enough for Li to share the nitty-gritty financial info with her team. She wants the public to understand it, too.

“The lack of willingness to talk about finances in this industry is holding us back,” says Li. “Culturally, we don’t talk about money at all, and my experience, even with other restaurant owners who I’m really friendly with, is that we’ll talk about all kinds of stuff. HR drama, health inspections — warts and all — but we definitely don’t talk about money. I feel like that is the last barrier that we have to break down in order to really all get on the same page and all figure out how to do a better job.”

Armed with the blessing of her most trusted friends and family, and a lot of nervous “wows,” Li decided that 2020 was the year to start the conversation. So, in the middle of the restaurant, as the Friday dinner crowd was beginning to pick up, we sat down to review the full profit-and-loss statement for Mei Mei for 2019 — something that any diner will soon be able to do.

What exactly are we looking at here?

Profit-and-loss statements (P&Ls) offer a record of a business’s profits and losses over a defined period of time. Essentially, the larger formula you’re looking at is sales - expenditure = profit. When we opened up Li’s P&L, she explained that there are four larger buckets that all of the many line items can be sorted into: income, cost of goods sold (COGS), direct labor, and finally, pages and pages of overheads.

For a restaurant, there are a few goal ratios associated with the major expense categories. Ideally, most operators aim to see COGS and direct labor together at 60 percent (at Mei Mei they target 20 percent and 40 percent, accordingly) and other expenses at 30 percent, leaving you with 10 percent profit. She then explained that independently owned restaurants most often hang out in the 4 to 6 percent range for profit. Don’t worry — there won’t be a quiz.

Businesses are required by law to pull a P&L annually. Most restaurants look at theirs quarterly. At Mei Mei, the entire staff digs in every four weeks.

At Mei Mei, the catering line item includes traditional drop-off catering, weddings, staff-led cooking classes, and restaurant buy-outs. Historically, Li has seen this line item trend upward over the past few years, which she says is an argument for doing more catering in 2020.

Surprise & delight — easily the most objectively “fun” line item name on the document — covers the $40 worth of product (nonalcoholic) that can be given away at each shift. “Sometimes it’s for when we need to fix something. Sometimes it’s for someone who had a hard time choosing between two dumplings, and we just let them have both. It’s for first-time customers we want to wow, and it’s for that person that comes in soaking wet because they didn’t have an umbrella and could really use a hot tea and a free brownie,” Li says. In 2020, Li actually wants to see this expenditure grow, and is now requiring staff to note what was doled out at the end of each shift.

COGS covers not only direct food purchases, but also anything that is necessary for providing the product to the guest. So included within this category are things like takeout boxes, napkins, and paper bags. Remember, restaurants are aiming for 20 percent here, and as Mei Mei focuses on high-quality ingredients, Li’s proud of where they’re at.

Catering margins are better due to the fact that the restaurant is able to plan around the exact amount of food and labor that a given job needs — something they, of course, aren’t able to do in the restaurant. Another reason Li believes they’re staying close to their target, all things considered, is the fact that the catering menu is fairly light on meat. This is helpful because Mei Mei only serves meat that is pasture-raised, humanely slaughtered, and sourced from the Northeast — meaning it isn’t cheap.

Direct labor is high at Mei Mei, but Li says she’d rather overspend a little on COGS and direct labor because she believes it reflects the values of the company — paying people well and serving good food. Back-of-house staff with no experience and front-of-house tipped workers who are still going through training start at $12.75, the Massachusetts minimum wage. Once tipped workers are fully trained and ready to work shifts on their own, they’ll start at $5/hour, slightly higher than the legal tipped wage ($4.95 as of Jan 2020; $4.35 in 2019). Managers start at $17/hour. Everyone makes overtime if they work more than 40 hours (1.5 times their standard rate), though Li says it’s rare to see 50-plus hours, as she and the team work hard to avoid burnout. “Salary plus 90-hour work weeks are a pretty common way that restaurant employers exploit their most valuable staff, and I’ve seen how negative the impacts are,” says Li.

On the health insurance front, Mei Mei contributes half the cost of health insurance for full-time staff. Li says, “It’s the best place we’ve been at, but we’d like to do a lot better.” She also shared that the restaurant does benefit from the fact that a lot of the staff is still able to stay on their parents’ insurance plans. The benefit line item includes training and certification expenses for things like ServSafe, a FOH safety training and certificate program, as well as public transit benefits through the Perq MBTA program. Additionally, staff members have access to a grocery program where they can order what’s used by the restaurant at Mei Mei’s rate.

Throughout 2019, Mei Mei had between 25 and 30 employees on staff. One important caveat when looking at staff wages is that not all of the employee wages actually fall into this bucket. Often, businesses will log salaried employees who work on administrative tasks into the overhead category rather than this direct labor section. As Mei Mei’s staff all have their hands in administrative work, a portion of these wages is allocated to the overhead section instead — more on this later.

 What most people probably don’t realize is that restaurants often rent a lot of their equipment. For Mei Mei, that includes a dishwasher and an ice machine — so yes, it can cost over $6,000 a year just to clean some dishes and to have a reliable source for ice cubes. Next year, this number will go down a bit as Mei Mei purchased its very own ice-making machine.

Another surprisingly large sum? Linens. And at Mei Mei, linens are actually pretty limited compared to fine dining establishments with tablecloths and cloth napkins in the mix. Again, thanks to a staff member identifying a new linen provider, this cost should go down in 2020.

Software services include everything from bookkeeping to scheduling to playing music in the restaurant. Fees, permits, and licenses are a necessary evil for staying on the good side of the law.

If you’ve ever bought a bunch of household cleaning supplies at once, you’ll know they don’t come cheap — multiply that times more messes, a commercial-sized space, and the need to keep food inspectors happy, and you’ll see why keeping Mei Mei looking spick and span is a pretty sizeable expense.

Remember when I said a portion of all paychecks was allocated to another section to account for staff members working on administrative duties? At Mei Mei, administrative payroll covers these multitalented folks as well as salaried employees like Li, who’d already fall into this bucket.

Insurance here refers to all of the business’s insurance needs, covering things like vehicles, the building, and workers compensation.

Merchant fees are a biggie on the expense front. A lot of these fees are associated with our favorite delivery apps, which tend to take a pretty sizable cut. For Mei Mei, Uber Eats is walking away with 30 percent of the revenue, DoorDash and GrubHub are pocketing 25 percent, and Caviar is taking 17 percent — Li says that’s thanks to being grandfathered into a pretty good deal. “One thing we tell people is that if you can help it, pick up your food. If not, maybe ask the restaurant what delivery service they prefer you use.”

It’s pretty expensive just to have a place to operate a business and to keep it lit, with running water and a controlled temperature — especially in a city like Boston. That said, Mei Mei does tack on an optional utility service: composting. And composting actually cost over $4,000 for the company in 2019. But it’s important to Li and to the staff, so that’s an expense that isn’t going anywhere.

And once we account for the expenses, this is what we’re left with. Notably, this amount doesn’t include the debt repayment for the business or the taxes that they would owe. In Li’s own words, “This is the final story. It’s not nothing. It’s not great. But this is where we are.”

Erin Spencer is a writer and content marketer based in Boston.

via Eater - All https://www.eater.com/2020/3/9/21166993/how-much-to-run-a-restaurant-cost-mei-mei-boston-finances

Created March 9, 2020 at 08:42PM /huong sen View Google Doc Nhà hàng Hương Sen chuyên buffet hải sản cao cấp✅ Tổ chức tiệc cưới✅ Hội nghị, hội thảo✅ Tiệc lưu động✅ Sự kiện mang tầm cỡ quốc gia 52 Phố Miếu Đầm, Mễ Trì, Nam Từ Liêm, Hà Nội http://huongsen.vn/ 0904988999 http://huongsen.vn/to-chuc-tiec-hoi-nghi/ https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xa6sRugRZk4MDSyctcqusGYBv1lXYkrF

[topicprinter]

Ever caught yourself clock-watching while plotting world domination? Have you spent time scheming about how you’re going to launch a business while working a nine-to-five?You’re not alone. Many entrepreneurs start working on their businesses while they still have a day job because it’s the only way they can afford to startup.The number of side hustlers - individuals who run their own business on top of their day job - has increased by 32% in the last decade, according to research from GoDaddy.Starting a business is an amazing experience. But the long hours and divided focus make running a side hustle a tough gig. We’ve looked at how you can manage the stress, prioritisation and make the most of your time side hustling.1. Managing the time you haveBeing proactive about time management helps make sure you get the most value out of the little time you have.Look for tools that can automate simple tasks. If you’re getting bogged down processing simple information it’s likely there’s an easier option. Recording expenses and cashflow reports can be automated by online software like Xero and Fulfilment by Amazon warehouses stock and automatically dispatches online orders.Be relentless about prioritisation. Develop a routine for managing your to-do list. It can help to revisit it regularly to think about what can be dropped and the main priorities - what’s going to make the most impact?Plastic Freedom founder Beth Noy launched the business as a side hustle. She recently quit her day job after building the company for 11 months.“By making a list of your priorities you can easily categorise them and do multiple things at once rather than wasting time getting everything set up and put away each time,” Noy advised.2. Set customer and supplier expectationsYou need to manage partner expectations to make sure people aren’t disappointed when you’re unable to immediately deliver work or respond to communications.“Making sure I had realistic goals and timescales for Plastic Freedom was vital. I have been very open about my life and the fact that I also worked full time whilst growing my own business,” Noy said.She made sure customers and suppliers were aware of her time limitations and used an auto-reply on emails to set expectations for new contacts.“So long as you’re upfront with customers and suppliers about your limitations you’ll be surprised about how understanding they are. We are all human after all!” Noy added.3. Get a day-job you believe inEntrepreneurs often start businesses in their existing industry having identified a problem they want to solve in the course of their career. Having access to industry contacts and a reputation helps you get started too.If you’re thinking about starting a side hustle look for work opportunities that help you learn more about the customers you want to work with. The job role could be directly related to the business you’re starting or simply in the same area.A wannabe restaurant owner that’s researching their brand could benefit from working as a chef. If you want to open a yoga studio getting a part-time job in a gym might help. Seeing how other businesses operate and structure their work is really helpful.Freelancing offers a flexible option. Not only can entrepreneurs pick up work from clients that are related to the business, but it’s possible to increase and decrease the work as the business - and the amount it can pay you - fluctuates.4. Use the time to test your hypothesesBusinesses are built to meet customers’ needs. Entrepreneurs develop hypotheses about products and services that they believe consumers want. Problems they need solving. This normally starts as a hunch that needs to be tested.Would you buy shoes online? Do you want to broadcast yourself playing video games? The ideas behind rocketship startups like Zappos and Twitch were unconventional when they launched. Your side hustle might not have a similarly disruptive proposition but your ideas likely include assumptions about demand, price and route to market.Developing a business as a side hustle provides the time to figure out if you’re right without the risk of committing to it full time. Use the opportunity to get to know your customer. Take steps to improve your proposition and the brand behind it. The Mom Test is a useful place to start if you want to learn how to ask questions and learn about your audience.5. Be frugal with your moneyEntrepreneurs working on their startups full-time immediately incur a significant amount of cost. Wages have to be paid. Office space is needed. Growth targets will be set and it’s easy to get sucked into investing considerable amounts of money chasing revenue growth.Working on a side hustle embeds a sense of financial discipline. The nut - the minimum amount you need to run the business - can be really low. Websites and marketing can be run with a few low-cost or free subscription services. Most people running a side hustle do it out of their own home.6. Look after your mental and physical well-beingStarting a business is tough. It’s normal to face setbacks. Worries about money and failure are easily compounded by a lack of sleep. A feeling of loneliness is common among solo founders.Starting a side hustle helps alleviate stress about money because you have an income to rely on. However, many of the common pressures remain and you have to balance different demands on your time.Entrepreneurs need to take their well-being seriously. Part of startup culture celebrates working relentlessly. The reality is you need a balanced lifestyle to continue to perform at a high level, enjoy your work and avoid burnout.Ambition’s great but be reasonable about your expectations and build the business that’s sustainable for your lifestyle.Exercising helps you stay healthy and has the added benefit of creating a space free distractions that will help you think and develop ideas.“Being active is great for your physical health and fitness and evidence shows it can also improve your mental wellbeing,” says NHS advice. “Being active doesn't mean you need to spend hours in the gym if that doesn't appeal to you. Find physical activities you enjoy and think about how to fit more of them into your daily life.”It’s easy to feel like you’re the only person that’s struggling with particular business challenges. Whether it’s winning sales, choosing a business name or understanding your profit and loss accounts lots of other people are out there facing the same issues.Building a network that gives you an opportunity to discuss ideas, learn and vent when you need to is incredibly powerful.“My advice to listen to your mind and body and allow yourself time to enjoy life. When I'm focused I can get a lot done in a short period of time but I allow myself to have time off -  without feeling guilty about it - when I just felt too tired.“Make time for the things you love, stay healthy and get enough sleep. The rest will flow easily; following your dream should be fun!," Noy said.

#/r/startups #reddit

[joiedevivremx]

Monthly Thoughts 2018

December 2018

Keep Busy

After being in a constant rush, at times the hardest part of a day can be just doing nothing.

Even though there are times that aren't going so great and you are in a waiting line, you don't want to slip into a slope. You want to stay prepared for when you're up, for when the whistle blows and its time to run once again,

And when you are busy you could kill for some time to rest.

Resting is part of keeping busy, it´s catching up to the day, processing what is happening, and having the energy to keep going stronger.

Sometimes, doing nothing is the most productive thing you can do.

November 2018

VS

Comparing your life with anyone is inevitable and stressful.

You may be so excited to get something done, on the other hand, you know it's not half as good as someone else.

On the one hand, it can help you try a bit harder and be a bit ambitious, but sometimes trying hard isn't all it takes to accomplish something.

You be you is what you've heard since ever, and it still rings true. Life isn't fair is another piece of advice commonly handed around.

It´s a pie-eating contest where the prize is more pie- as said in one of the coursera courses I took.

Sometimes you just need to remember not to be so hard on yourself.

October 2018

Boss

I´ve gotten quite a lot why don´t I start my own business, proper not just consulting.

I´d love to, yet trying to get into the Person First idea that I have explained in previous months I´d like to start from the wellness of the team.

And the wellness of the team needs support, money, which means the offer would be, is more expensive, and so I'm trying to begin with the basics, getting people to understand the importance of the price and where you spend your money. Because at the end of the day 99% of a person will prefer something cheaper than to something with a better background.

I am trying though to find the formula.

But it is a problem way more than just getting better paid, that involves many scenarios  -

6hr a day 5x a week: I am totally full-on 100% agree with this model.  - what happens, people can take it for granted and it will be something to make a habit, some people - starting with me - would probably use this to have more than one job. The 6hr a day will work when the other hours are used for personal use. This means a well paid 6 hr a day job.

Fair wages: for a person to be well off the payment should be much more than the minimum wage, to start off with. Considering a wage where someone can have a place, food, security and have their children well kept, well right there is quite a sum. Plus add to that the lovely tax system which would be 36% of what the person gets.

Pricing: just these two factors (not going into any other element and there are plenty more) would up the pricing quite a lot, and there goes the circle, just the people that are well off enough would be able to invest in it. Like now when we buy cheap unthought prices we are generating more ill-paid jobs.

ROI: I'm heavily invested in profit and return of investment because of this, for this to work we would have to prove that whatever amount established and paid would have to make you more profits than not doing it.

Today: what we have to start supporting and shifting is knowing the value of work vs time invested - understanding that it is not only NOT CORRELATED but in fact negative correlated- unfortunately, I don´t see that being done in practice, at least not yet.

We have a lot of growing up to do.

September 2018

Cruches

a thing used for support or reassurance.

Cruches are usually frowned upon. Asking for help, using some extra help to get you from point a to point b.

People tend to see them as a weakness, at where your soft point is.

The way I see it, it couldn't be further from the truth.

Recognizing you need some help to get through whatever needs to be done.

Calling in a favor for the one you did with or without knowing it.

Goes back to the mentality that you have to suffer for your efforts as if it were a contest to see who suffered more.

The thing is, life is already complicated as it is. Yet people look for a way to make it harder.

A brand in México had to make a product INFERIOR because people found it too easy and good to be true. It made them feel useless.

The products had to match peoples' self-esteem, for them later to complain why nothing good has ever happened to them.

Some cruches are for the privileged, that is a fact. A toll freeway for example.  Then why are some cruches frowned upon? The burden of privilege perhaps?

Cruches should be boasted, a way to let people know that -at least not yet- nothing is going to keep you down.

August 2018

Random Podcast

Traffic has become a delight, listening to my podcasts while I'm stuck in traffic has changed my whole perception of what otherwise could easily be diagnosed as claustrophobic anxiety has now turned into, an escape to a different world.  

I´ve stopped listening to marketing tapes. Now I totally disconnect, stories, lifestyles, biography, analysis of situations.

and, as it´s hard to deny, they all help me connect back to marketing, ways people think, how things got to be and how things are perceived.

A step away from my little world.

We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say, we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns – the ones we don't know we don't know.

That is what I love to learn about the dark matter (at least for me).

July 2018

Just Do It

One of the best lines ever, no matter what excuse you are trying to give, the answer is easy: Just Do It.

Quit waiting, quit whining, quit making a zillion excuses. Just Do It.

Maybe it won't be perfect, at first. At least you will start, one of the most complicated things to do.

If you fail, you´ll just have to start again, and then, Just Do It

June 2018

Fresh Air + Space

The true commodity is a life well-lived. This affects you, of course, but all your customers as well, will they think what you are offering is actual help or a distraction.

A constant bet of will my life will be better or not with the next decision.

This answer will be answered after all by the person way of thinking, particularly is it short term or long term.

As people, we usually go from one to another but tend to think of one way more.

If we only focused on long-term everything will be a constant wait for the prize. If we only focused on short-term everything would backfire, mostly savings and health.

Mapping out your situation is a good thing, place what can be for now and what actions can be for later.

Searching for the holy grail of what is positive in the short and long-term way of thinking.

May 2018

Hand To Mouth

How to stop this vicious cycle. First off: Get real. At times this situation is brought on by trying to one-up someone or something else, not knowing they are going through the same thing.

The second step which feels almost impossible: take a second to access.

Ways to avoid this: prevention.

All so simple, and yet a lot of us have been there, trying so hard to get nowhere and not growing.

This is exhausting as well as frustrating, a downward spiral that will do you or your company in.

In short, as learned in any teen movie, be true to yourself.

April 2018

Waiting

Most of my life is waiting - I guess most of our lives are.

to get somewhere

to save up for something

to get off work

to get to work

for the weekend

for vacations

to get someone to understand what you're saying.

I would say 90% waiting and 10% actually being there.

I know its wrong. No way to enjoy a life that way. It just is.

Maybe 40% waiting, 40 % processing, and 20% actually being there.

Constant zombie mode.

Then again, as in a flowing manmade river, and as well as various books, series and I'm guessing philosophers. You can do, or you can let things happen, and we will pretty much get to the same place anyway. Sometimes even worse, you can't force things. Not all the time.

At least that is the way of thinking I grown up with. This being said I no longer know if it's right or just really mediocre way of thinking. I keep doing, either way, waiting for whatever to happen, and hoping my actions have helped the outcome.

-and after all my efforts, I´m exhausted, just hoping it was the right time to try and not to enjoy.  

March 2018

Writing a Book

I´ve been trying to write a book for some years now, I change how and where but the ideas are the same.

I can't seem to get to the easy explanation of how or why this book is important nor what to expect from it. I try it out in my classes, my students don´t always know, but it helps me see where some more explanation needs to be had or how to get to point a to b even easier.

It´s all in my head, all messed up and hard to be linear about it.

Maybe the new format I´ll try is a type of choosing your own adventure type of thing.

What's the objective of the book, pretty much to show off everything I know and how I knew it before most people. That is a big reason for the newsletter, blog, and posts on social media. I get frustrated when there is a "discovery" which I knew years beforehand. I want the credit, and if people magically for some reason pay me for that, the better.

I digress, but I like it. I like to see how ideas connect no matter how far off the road you go. Most people get frustrated. They want a quick answer. It´s not that simple. Nor is there an answer for everything. It´s part of learning to think - but also knowing that things aren´t as simple as they look.

The book, how big would it have to be? How technical? Id like references but also some, because I said so and just trust me, kind of thing.

Is it a challenge for myself, maybe.

Am I hoping to get so recognized I can live off the book and presentations? Definitely.

But the book, the book, why do I want to write a book. To make my classes easier? Instead of a book am I hoping for a magical formula?

Maybe when I find that out, I can actually get it done.

February 2018

Ego Cost

The numbers don't add up. After checking the SES in México you can see how divided the classes are, with a higher percentage for the lower class you come to wonder. How are these people getting their car, coffee, and for most of the country´s "little luxuries".

For that reason, I've come to the conclusion that most people are hurtfully living above their means. Shames to admit they're true position, they are doing themselves more harm. Getting some of the highest interest rates, renting instead of owning (sounds great now, but how about when they are too old to work) add to that, that our lifespan has increased.

The inevitable explosion of when these (ok for now) people grow up will end up being the burden of their friends and family, making this a vicious circle.

Why would someone live beyond their means - not only that - why are they doing everything possible to prove that untrue? EGO.

Our ego is doing ourselves in, now and exponentially in the future. Our whole circle of buying fake, or in months is the exact reason that makes people not get enough pay to live well.

While good things aren't necessarily related to price or brand, people will go the extra mile just to show off.

Ego isn't ambition, I will be the first to advocate to reach for the stars and beyond, but also be realistic about where you are in the moment of your reaching.

Humility wouldn't even come to play, normally people that truly have something, seldom boast it.

Fake it till you make it. Keyword: Fake. This concept is well known, yet it can make people go overboard.

Lesson being, don´t let your ego rule your decisions.

January 2018

The effort of getting your work appreciated.

The toughest part is making it look easy, and if your good enough to do that, then you struggle with the fact that people might take for granted your contribution.

The day-old dilemma, the fight for justice, and some for the ego.

When you see something done easily, "that I can do that" you are looking at an expert, that has their mind wired in such a day that they can figure something out by practice and gut with a nice confirmation of an elaborate system.

It comes so naturally to them, second nature, and sometimes, not even that. first nature you can say. This sometimes is in the blood, some bits nature some nurture, and of course a lot of practice.

This can lead to the understatement of being worthless. meaning unappreciated.

When that happens, all the time you save by an efficient job, turns to time it takes you to explain it to exactly those people that are so clueless, they think it's simple.

#mexico #thoughts #ideas

[theveterinaryqueen-blog]

“It’s going to cost how much to see my dog?”

Working in emergency medicine is exciting. We enjoy what we do, the new challenges that each night brings, and the not knowing what could walk through the doors at any time. We love what we do. What we don’t love is how patient care is often determined by money. I couldn’t even begin to count the number of times that an animal has left AMA (against medical advice), left with very minimal outpatient care, or even been euthanized due to money restrictions. To quickly clarify the euthanasia aspect before it creates anger, it is primarily in regards to cases that could be fine with expensive treatment but will die without the expensive treatment ( for example, if a dog has a GDV, it would die very quickly without surgery. not everyone can afford surgery. some cannot even afford the exam fee). We do not simply euthanize any animal due to money. If the pet is suffering and/or has a fatal if not treated condition, euthanasia is the kindest option 

Being an ER practice, we have clients of ALL financial backgrounds come in. We have had homeless clients without a single dollar to their name come in and we have had people who are able to hospitalize for three weeks and drop $30,000 like it’s pocket change. I have noticed that MOST of our emergency clients fall in the zone of less than $1,000. That amount could potentially help their pet or provide enough treatment to get the pet until the primary vet opens. But that always depends on the case and what is wrong (or if diagnostics are too expensive, what we believe is wrong). Some animals simply need a pain medication to help them through till the morning or fluids to help their dehydration levels. Others need extensive diagnostics and treatment or they will suffer. There are also some things that time is of the essence. An example of that would be if a dog ingested a toxin. We CAN do outpatient treatment however if the client couldn’t afford the outpatient treatment and elected to wait until the next day, they could make the dog’s condition SO much worse, in some cases it can be fatal. 

Every clinic is a little different but at mine, the emergency technicians are the ones who present detailed estimates to owners. The doctors typically give them a ball park prior to us entering the room and if the owner freaks out, they can try to adjust the plan accordingly. Unfortunately, clients tend to not understand the reality of the number the doctor said until they see it on paper. Depending on the estimate and the client’s personality, I will either go over each individual item and the cost or group items (hospitalization and fluids v.s. hospitalization set up costs xxx.xx, hospitalization for 24 hours costs xxx.xx, fluid set up costs xxx.xx, fluids for 24 hours costs xxx.xx). More times than not, clients cannot afford what we believe is the best option for their pet. This happens so frequently, our technicians typically ask the doctors before we head into the room, if the owner can’t afford this, what can we take off and if we do step by step diagnostic/treatment, what is their preferred order. In some situations, the owners elect to leave with minimal or no treatment. Typically, this happens after they get angry at us for our costs. And you know what? I get it. To an extent. Veterinary medicine is expensive, very, very expensive. If I didn’t get a discount, I would struggle with the costs too (even with my hefty discount it is still hard to swallow). Owning a pet can quickly become expensive ( they say there is no such thing as a free dog/cat) but that is not our fault. In order to stay open 24/7 and offer emergency services/procedures/surgery/scopes, we must charge a higher rate. We have emergency doctors on staff all night, weekend, and holidays, at minimum one technician at all times (and at most times we have multiple technicians to provide more prompt care to clients, patients, and inpatients). We must keep the power on 24/7,  stock the medications and supplies to treat your pet (and often ER medications are not cheap), and we have to surgeons/internal medicine specialists and anesthesia specialized technicians on call at all times in case of a surgery/scope necessity. 

I make pocket change over minimum wage. Emergency doctors are some the lesser paid veterinarians. Stop accusing us of “only being in it for the money” and intentionally “over-charging” or “stealing your money”. We did not choose our jobs to make money. I often tell people who are interested in a career in emergency vet med (and who want to tech in practically all vet med) that if they want to always be financially stable, this is not the job for them. This is a job of passion, not money. 

To make a VERY long story short, instead of yelling at the technician/doctor who just wants to help your pet feel better, consider where we stand. It breaks our heart when we can’t help an animal because of money. Instead, you should plan and have a pet emergency fund. Before you even get a pet, you should save up enough money to take them to the emergency vet the first day they come home ( I have had hit by car cases and the owner has no money because they spent $2000 buying the dog the day before. Also, think about Parvo.. that can be a very expensive illness that can start being symptomatic the day you bring it home or withing a few days). I also advise as many people as I can to get pet insurance. There are countless insurances out there and most can be customized ( I like having emergency only insurance. It is pretty inexpensive and they usually cover a lot). 

ER visits can be expensive but by remaining calm and kind and by planning ahead, they can be so much easier. 

#TheVeterinaryQueen #veterinary #emergency #vet tech