#uk deep recession
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I’m a property expert – Brits could be paying £3,500 more on their mortgages during ‘deep’ recession in just months
I’m a property expert – Brits could be paying £3,500 more on their mortgages during ‘deep’ recession in just months
BRITS could be forced to cough up an extra £3,500 on their mortgages as the country spirals into a deep recession, a property expert has claimed.Harry Hill, the founder of property giant Rightmove, said a
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#500 more on their mortgages during ‘deep’ recession in just months#I’m a property expert – Brits could be paying £3#Money#News#Top#UK#US
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I’m a property expert – Brits could be paying £3,500 more on their mortgages during ‘deep’ recession in just months
I’m a property expert – Brits could be paying £3,500 more on their mortgages during ‘deep’ recession in just months
BRITS could be forced to cough up an extra £3,500 on their mortgages as the country spirals into a deep recession, a property expert has claimed.Harry Hill, the founder of property giant Rightmove, said a
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#500 more on their mortgages during ‘deep’ recession in just months#I’m a property expert – Brits could be paying £3#Money#News#Top#UK#US
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by Nellie Bowles
→ Hard right goes White Genocide: The right-wing brand of antisemitism is people saying something to the effect of: Jews hate white people. And we’re seeing that a lot right now, all of a sudden, in very mainstream places.
Let’s start with The Daily Wire: Candace Owens, a charismatic black conservative, has been harshly critical of Israel. Daily Wire co-founder Ben Shapiro, an observant Jew, was recorded at a private event saying her rhetoric was “absolutely disgraceful.” Candace Owens then posted: “You cannot serve both God and money. Christ is King.” Okay. Random time to bring that up, but okay?
Then Candace went on former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson’s new online show. And there, things got weirder. Here’s Tucker Carlson admonishing the Jewish philanthropists who are now refusing to donate to Ivy League schools. Those donors are put off by the woke antisemitism, but Carlson is mad they supported the modern Ivy League to begin with.
“I get why donors are mad. I have no problem with that at all. However, then I thought, well, wait a second, if the biggest donors at, say, Harvard, have decided well, we’re gonna shut it down now, where were you the last ten years when they were calling for white genocide? You were allowing this. And then I found myself really hating those people, actually. You’re okay with that? On what grounds were you okay with that? You were paying for it, actually. As you were calling my children immoral for their skin color. You paid for that. So why shouldn’t I be mad at you? I don’t understand.”
Candace Owens replies: “And obviously, you have a ton of white people that are asking that question, and they’re being called antisemitic, and I think that’s wrong. I think these are meaningful questions that deserve to be answered.”
Adding to the chorus now is Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter/X. First, a random Twitter user responded to a prompt about what Hitler got right (I wish I was kidding) and wrote the following: “Jewish communities have been pushing the exact kind of dialectical hatred against whites that they claim to want people to stop using against them. I’m deeply disinterested in giving the tiniest shit now about western Jewish populations coming to the disturbing realization that those hordes of minorities that support flooding their country don’t exactly like them too much.” Then Elon Musk himself responded to that random user, writing simply: “You have said the actual truth.”
And then here’s Charlie Kirk, founder of conservative youth group Turning Point USA, defending Musk: “It is true that some of the largest financiers of left-wing antiwhite causes have been Jewish Americans.” It’s not news that American Jews tend to be liberal. What’s being implied now (and in some cases said quite out loud) is something different, a deep and old conspiracy. And everyone toying with it knows that.
America: we’ve got it all. We’ve got Soviet antisemitism against Israel and Jewish particularity; we’ve got right-wing antisemitism around the question of do Jews want to kill white people and also are they white or what? The gang’s back together. And Jews are screwed.
→ Recess jihad: A Brooklyn parent group has been organizing students to protest the war. The teachers are on board. And so we have scenes out of Brooklyn this week of 700 students from some 100 schools marching, yelling pro-peace slogans like “Fuck the Jews.” Or there’s this great call and response the kids were doing as they marched. Call: Takbir! Response: Allahu Akbar! The kids stopped by some Jewish-owned businesses and did their chants. It was organized by the official parent advisory board, which is funded by taxpayers. I used to think “children are the future” was a hopeful phrase. . . anyway. Takbir!
→ This man was almost the UK’s prime minister: This week, longtime Labor Party star Jeremy Corbyn refused to call Hamas a terror group, even as a very assertive Piers Morgan pushed him. It’s fun TV to watch because Morgan asked and asked (14 times!) and Corbyn refused, got mad, and eventually just crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.
But we already know the answer. Here’s Jeremy Corbyn in 2009: “Tomorrow evening it will be my pleasure and my honor to host an event in Parliament where our friends from Hezbollah will be speaking. I’ve also invited friends from Hamas to come and speak as well. . . . the idea that an organization that is dedicated towards the good of the Palestinian people and bringing about long-term peace and social justice and political justice in the whole region should be labeled as a terrorist organization by the British government is really a big, big historical mistake.”
Kumbahezbollah.
And this week Corbyn’s brother, former politician Piers Corbyn, called October 7 a “false flag” operation. “The whole thing, whatever happened, was done with the connivance of the government of Israel or they used what happened as a pretext, it was a prepared thing. . . . It was a false flag operation. . . . A bit like Pearl Harbor.” Just like Pearl Harbor. Looks like brother Corbyn has been watching a little too much TikTok.
In America, presidential candidate and professor Cornel West said this week that the Hamas terrorists were love warriors: “We dish out love warriors and freedom fighters every generation, which means that we stand in solidarity with anybody who’s occupied.”
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Jose Backstory Analysis (Version 3)
(Based on his backstory, deductions, letters, and other material)
Spanish Origins
We know from Paella, Jose’s food dish which references “Spanish sailors”, combined with implications from Jose’s 1st deduction that he was likely born in Spain.
Paella is a Spanish rice dish made using a variety of ingredients (all families have a different way they prepare it). The word itself comes from a Valencian word that refers to the pan the dish is cooked in. It was originally made with rice combined with whatever else was available locally, and is traditionally served family style, with the pan in the center of the table which people would eat straight from using only a spoon.
Paella Valenciana is said to be made with chicken, rabbit, and varieties of Spanish green beans (as well as saffron, paprika, and potentially several other spices).
Paella de Marisco (Seafood Paella) is made with seafood (rather than meat like chicken).
Paella Mixta (Mixed Paella) uses both meat like chicken and seafood.
The paella in-game appears to be Seafood Paella.
The story of Identity V takes place at the end the 19th century. As Jose is stated to be 25 years old, that means he was likely born around the 1870s, a time when Spain was going through both political and economic turmoil.
Politically, it was going through a revolution that overthrew the current Queen, a failed attempt at a republic, and a coup before the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy.
As for economic problems, this was a period of economic recession and high unemployment. The country had been dealing with several conflicts, including the Carlist Wars and Ten Years' War in Cuba, leaving the country in deep debt. Falling into recession, the government attempted to modernize the economy, but political instability, social unrest, and resistance made it difficult.
The Third Carlist War was from 1872-1876. The Spanish Navy (which Jose's father at least may have been a part of) would've been tasked with controlling the seas and protecting Spanish interests, but they faced a lack of resources and equipment, in part due to the government's financial issues, potential budget cuts, and the above conflicts.
Joining the British Navy
From deduction 1’s mention of “new identities, new flags, new routes” combined with Jose’s backstory and the reasons above, they likely came to Britain to get away from the turmoil and conflict in the hopes of finding better opportunities (especially in terms of a job and pay) and a better life.
As Jose’s backstory implies people saw them as “foreigners”, it is doubtful they’d been in Britain long enough to become naturalized citizens before they joined the Navy.
To become a naturalized citizen, this would require them to live in Britain for 5 years and fulfill a few other requirements (good character reference, knowledge of the English language, apply for eligibility, etc...).
In 1870, they wouldn't have been able to become citizens by marrying a British citizen as the British Naturalization Act of 1870 made it so a British woman who married a foreign man would lose their British nationality.
At the very least, a different section of that law did state that children under the age of 21 of a naturalized father (or widowed mother) were deemed to be naturalized if they were resident in the UK with the father (or widowed mother).
This is important to note that the Royal Navy didn’t accept foreigners.
According to “The Queens Regulations and the Admiralty Instructions of 1861” it states that “Foreigners are not to be entered for Her Majesty's Service in any capacity, except as Bandsmen, unless with the sanction of the Admiralty, if on the home station, or of the Commander-in-chief, if abroad; but under no circumstances are foreigners to be entered for continuous service.”
On the other hand, the British Merchant Navy did, and in fact recruited a considerable number of them.
The Navigation Laws by that time, which previously restricted foreigners from serving in the British Merchant Navy, were relaxed.
The Merchant Shipping Act similarly had few requirements or restrictions on who could serve besides having some general standards for all seamen. It didn’t even really make a distinction between British or foreign seamen.
Many foreigners were attracted to the British Merchant Navy due to the employment opportunities, chance to travel to new places, and the potential for higher wages than they could earn in their home countries.
The issue with both the Royal Navy and Merchant Navy though were the minimum age restrictions.
For apprentices in the Merchant Navy, the minimum age seems to have been around 12.
For the Royal Navy, the minimum age back then (according to the Queen’s Regulations and Admiralty Instructions of 1861) was 14. Additionally:
The minimum height for boys aged 14 or 15 was 4 feet 8 inches.
They also needed to have a "robust frame, perfectly sound and healthy constitution, free from any physical malformation, and intelligent, a preference being given to those who can read and write".
The boys also had to bring some satisfactory proof of their age (ex: declaration of birth or certificate) as well as the consent in writing of their parents to enter the Navy.
They would then undergo a medical examination.
After the exam, they would be engaged to serve in the Navy "continuously for 10 years from the age of 18, in addition to whatever period may be necessary until they attain that age."
Part of the reason for the minimum age restrictions may have been due to compulsory schooling being a thing that was introduced around 1880 up to the age of 11.
With Jose 10 years old or potentially younger, he would’ve been below that minimum age requirement. Despite this, a number of children did join the Navy even though they were too young. They did this either by lying, falsifying documentation (such as birth documents), via their parents influencing recruiting officials (as in to look the other way for example), or so on.
Some boys wanted to be sailors after hearing tales from others, being encouraged by friends, out of necessity if their families fell on hard times and to escape poverty, or if they were orphans they’d do it just so they could acquire some kind of food and shelter.
Considering the sort of economic and political turmoil going on in Spain at this time, it wouldn't be too hard to believe Jose did this out of necessity, potentially to help his father. Since Jose’s social status is stated to be Nouveau riche, meaning they likely got their wealth after the incident in deduction 3 and 4 when they were rewarded by the Queen herself, that implies they could’ve been much worse off when they were still in Spain as well as when they 1st came to Britain.
Since Jose states he sees themselves as “brave knights of the sea”, it is also likely he was inspired to want to join by tales from other sailors too.
Since the 2nd half of deduction 1 is “everything is going well, or better than expected” (or “it’s all going off without a hitch. Or at least, with less hitches than we thought there’d be” based on the translated version), which is phrased as if they expected issues or for things to go badly, when combined with the phrasing of them getting “new identities”, it’s highly possible the reason they might have issues is because they were using fake identities.
Fake identities (aka aliases or assumed names) were something people did in fact sometimes create/use, even when signing up for the Navy back then.
It’s possible we can look at Wu Chang’s 4th letter as evidence of this, considering “Chang XXXX” has seemingly changed his name “many times”, and he is implied to also be a sailor based on the description. There's also how Chang Chip is the name of 1 of the 6 Chinese survivors of the sinking of the Titanic (which ties to that “huge boat” they were mentioned to have boarded together). After the event, they were sent to the UK to support the sailor shortage during World War 1, so there’s a good chance Chang was as well.
This fake identity could’ve included a fake age for Jose. It’s also possible their “fake identities” could imply they were using other fake information, such as fake names (maybe “Baden” wasn’t their real last name, maybe “Jose” isn’t either) or fake countries of origin (as in, they pretended to come from someplace else, like Germany, instead of Spain, which could fit considering “Baden”, at least to my knowledge, isn’t a Spanish name and might actually be a German surname).
The need for fake identities may also imply Jose’s father at least (as he is older and has done more things than Jose, potentially bad things) had something he wanted to hide, or something about his past he didn’t want others to know about when he came to Britain. I’m doubtful he could’ve already been a pirate or privateer, as neither really existed by the late 19th century, but it’s hard to say for certain.
Going back to Jose’s deduction 1 where it says things are going “better than expected”, I do wonder if this could’ve potentially been written by Jose’s father rather than Jose himself (considering both their ages and the authority Jose’s father had).
Jose’s deduction 3 and his backstory imply Jose’s father already had some kind of authority and may have already been a captain despite them still being foreigners, as it says it was his father’s decision to change course. This is a decision that’s normally made by the captain.
If Jose’s father was a captain, with his influence, it likely would’ve been a bit easier for Jose to get into the Navy if he were below the minimum age requirement (especially as it wasn’t monitored as closely as it is today).
Captains tended to not like hiring younger boys, which they saw as a "burden on their profits" (expensive to train, cost money to be fed, etc...) and for the 1st year or so gave little in the way of labor back to the owner. Most captains wanted men who had some training, not weak young boys with potentially little or no education.
Examples of potential jobs/roles for young boys:
Cabin boys (cleaning cabins, running errands for officers, assisting with maintenance)
Powder monkeys (carrying gunpowder to cannons)
Runners (carry messages)
Ship’s cook
Had almost no qualifications to be one back then.
Entry-level profession for young men or boys with no particular experience with cooking or sailing.
Commonly given to foreigners.
Back in the 19th century, it wasn’t seen as “men’s work” and so some tended to give to those without the rights skills or to those they saw as inferior.
There are examples of foreigners who started as cooks and became Captains later.
The life of a sailor wasn’t an easy one, especially for the young. Reasons like those listed below were why this life was viewed as “masculine” and “heroic”:
Lack of sleep was common (especially with the Naval Watch System, meaning 4-6 hours of sleep was more common than a full 8)
The food tended to be of bad quality (and monotonous)
Long hours of back-breaking work
Required great discipline
Regular presence of physical danger
Side note regarding the Naval Watch System:
In the navy, ships always have a patrol to check everything and everyone on board to ensure all issues are identified and resolved swiftly. The entire crew, depending on the size, is divided into 2 or 3 "watches" (traditional royal navy used a 2-watch system) and assigned 1 of 2 watch groups: port and starboard. These were then split into different divisions and assigned a different area of the ship.
With the 2-watch system, sailors would work for 1 four-hour watch, then rest for 4 hours before working the next watch. So, sleeping patterns would be very different to those on land. The 3-watch system was more popular as it gave a much longer rest period between shifts.
Each watch fulfilled its tasks in its 4 hours. The 24 hours in a day (a naval day started at noon) was divided into 5 four-hour watches and 2 two-hour watches.
Afternoon Watch: noon to 16:00 (4pm)
First Dog Watch (2 hours): 16:00 to 18:00 (6pm)
Last Dog Watch (2 hours): 18:00 to 20:00 (8pm)
First Watch: 20:00 to midnight
Middle Watch: midnight to 04:00 (4am)
Morning Watch: 04:00 to 08:00 (8am)
Forenoon Watch: 08:00 to noon
One bell (for those without the benefit of a pocket watch) signified a half-hour, so eight bells denoted the half-hours in a four-hour watch and the Last (second) Dog Watch.
The reason for the dog watches was to swap the crew over so the same people weren't always on duty at the same time (it helped reduce the monotony while on board ship, so it's a little less of the same thing over and over). It also allowed the entire crew to enjoy the evening meal.
1 theory for why it was called a "dog" watch had to do with the slang "dog sleep", which basically referred to a light nap.
“The Nightmarish Waters” Incident
Jose and his father weren’t anything special initially, but by deduction 3, they were assigned a mission Jose’s father saw as important, one that “could not be delayed”. So, when they encountered a storm, rather than be cautious, he took a risk in his desire to complete the mission, due to his desire to rise in the ranks and achieve fame and fortune. As such, he changed course, causing them to sail through an area that was marked on their charts as “dangerous and not recommended for sailing”.
Based on deduction 4 mentioning they protected the Queen’s “wealth”, it’s possible their mission involved transporting goods of some sort. Potentially important or valuable goods based on Jose’s father’s opinion that this mission “could not be delayed”.
Unfortunately, Jose’s father’s risk did not pay off and the situation took a turn for the worse, as the area he chose to sail through proved just as dangerous as it had been warned to be.
Jose in his deduction 7 says there was “no storm” but there were “nightmarish waters”. Jose has no reason to lie about this in his own personal diary, not to mention everyone else on board could see the weather as well as he could. So, if it wasn’t a storm, other options that “nightmarish waters” could refer to include: rouge waves, strong currents, underwater hazards (ex: rocks, shoals, underwater canyons), obstacles, unpredictable weather patterns (ex: sudden squalls or micro bursts), etc...
There's no way to know without more detail, but I will say Lakeside's backstory references a sudden hurricane (to compare to deduction 3 titled "Windstorm"), and in Fiona's 4th letter, she talks about the lake water being odd (rising when normally it was always still).
Fiona's 1st letter uses the term lagoon, which is a shallow body of water that is separated from a larger body of water, like the ocean, by a barrier, such as a coral reef or sandbar.
Coral reefs and sandbars are hazards that can cause shipwrecks.
From deduction 4 and 7, we know the “nightmarish water” they encountered caused most of the crew to perish, though Jose and his father survived. This likely means the ship was damaged or sank, which could explain why it took 2 months before they could sail back home to complete the mission. If the ship took damage, it’s possible at least some of their cargo was also damaged or lost.
The fact it took 2 months to return is likely true considering everyone awaiting their return or for their cargo would be aware of how long they were missing.
So, much of the crew died, the ship was at least somewhat damaged if not totally, and they lost at least some or all their cargo, but they were able to sail home after 2 months. But before then, they likely washed up on shore somewhere and were stuck there until they could perform the necessary maintenance to their ship, or if they shipwrecked, until they could acquire appropriate means to allow them to sail back home.
Everyone’s feeling pretty depressed after everything they’ve lost, while Jose’s father is especially upset over the possibility he will fail this mission and thus ruin any future opportunities with the British Navy or with achieving fame and fortune. This is what leads to another detail from Jose’s deduction 7: that the “nightmarish waters” had “swept away” both the crew and their “consciences”.
Lacking a “conscience” means that the person is willing to do anything they want and not worry about the consequences. They’d be willing to hurt others and then show no remorse afterwards. They don’t care how their actions affect others.
At the same time, it confirms the way Jose’s father was leaning due to his desperation to ensure this mission would succeed at any cost, as it says “it also awakened the demons flowing through the Badens' blood”. The crew acting without a conscience and Jose’s father willingness to do anything to ensure success to the point its described as awakening “demons” heavily implies they became so desperate that they did something bad to ensure they could complete the mission and return home.
Theory: The Badens Involvement in the DeRoss Tragedy
My theory is they landed or wrecked near Lakeside Village and Oletus Manor, like the shipwrecked sailors shown during Season 18 Essence 3 and Season 19 Essence 1.
Then, once their ship had been sufficiently repaired or they had found a replacement, to help recoup the loss of their cargo, they participated in or led the attack on Oletus Manor, the same attack that caused the death of Alice’s parents and her separation from Orpheus.
Returning with Trauma
After carrying out their attack, they sail home and show their (stolen) spoils to the Queen. Jose’s father lies about what actually happened, saying they suffered in a bad storm and struggled against pirates but managed to guard the Queen’s “wealth”. This fake story is reported in the newspapers and the Queen rewards him handsomely for his actions, granting them “titles” (like Viscount to Jose) and their own wealth (how they became nouveau riche).
Additionally, according to 1 backstory, it states that, along with receiving the “Queen’s commendation”, they also received “the honor of leading the Royal Navy”, meaning they may have been transferred from the Merchant Navy to the Royal Navy by this point.
Jose’s father is happy to finally achieve his dreams of fame and fortune. The same can not be said for Jose, who is horrified at his father’s actions since the incident when he attacked and stole from innocents that helped them after their experience with the “nightmarish waters” as well as lying about what happened. Jose’s father likely refused to let Jose reveal the truth to anyone, which is likely why he wrote about it (to himself) in his personal diary.
There’s also a good chance he did this in part to try to help deal with his own trauma.
Jose, as I said, was potentially around 10 years old during this incident. This is based on Alice, who is 21 in the present, was reportedly 6 years old at the time of the tragedy. Meaning Jose, who is 25 in the present, would’ve been 10.
Besides basing it off Alice’s age, Jose being young to some degree (even if he’s not exactly 10) would also explain Jose’s trauma, and how he had such bad “panic attacks” and “night terrors” that nothing could cure. To the point the only way he was able to sleep was by drinking to try to help him forget.
Night terrors tend to affect children under the age of 13 more often than others, which Jose would be if he were 10 during deduction 3 & 4.
Panic attacks are more common in older teenagers and young adults, but it can happen due to being affected by a traumatic event. Younger children, like a 10-year-old, can be more easily traumatized as they're still in their developmental period, making them more vulnerable to stress or trauma. Though not all children develop psychological problems, as it depends on the severity and duration of the trauma, as well as their age, support systems, and temperament. They also have more difficulty processing or coping with such events and are more likely to experience physical symptoms in response to trauma.
Jose’s trauma was caused by:
His involvement in an incident that wrecked or damaged their ship enough to put it out of commission for 2 months with a high loss of life.
His involvement in an event where innocents, who likely helped the survivors of the nightmarish water and shipwreck, were attacked, their home looted, and some number killed, including the owners of the manor.
Both events he was involved in were caused by his own father, who lied about what actually happened.
A lack of support (we have no knowledge of his mother, friends, or other support systems, and his father doesn’t truly love him and only sees him as an object that he wants to ensure does his job) or coping systems.
As additional proof, we know both Alice and Orpheus are confirmed to have been deeply affected by the events of the tragedy.
Alice was called the "mad girl of doom" after the tragedy in the news articles from the official artbook, and her official backstory states she suffered "hysteria", while her trailer shows some of what happened in the asylum.
Orpheus during 1 of his trailers said he tried to "escape from reality", as well as suffered shock and delusion. It is also highly likely it is because of this event he develops his Nightmare personality as well as becomes the manor owner and eventually begins the manor games.
Jose’s Blessing
From here, the Baden family’s fame and fortune continue to grow, just like Jose’s father wanted. Unfortunately, Jose’s issues only continue to worsen over time, but Jose’s father doesn’t care and forces his son to continue helping him (the Captain) in his (Jose’s) role as First Officer. The major reason Jose’s father needs Jose is because of his son being “blessed by the god of the sea”, which caused “the winds [to] be silenced” and make the “ocean calm”. Considering the “nightmarish waters” that killed a majority of the crew, Jose likely had to have gotten this blessing right after that incident before they sailed home, or sometime after they finally completed that mission.
There is no information regarding where or how he got it, so the best we can do is guess.
Regarding the watch itself, the symbol on it is a Fouled Anchor:
Foul: a nautical term meaning to entangle or entwine, and more generally that something is wrong or difficult
Fouled anchor: refers to when the anchor has become hooked on some obstruction or has its cable wound around it
It is a condition at sea that is to be avoided, as it may cause the vessel at anchor to "drag" its anchor, thus endangering the vessel. To correct the situation was dangerous and time-consuming, and could usually only be accomplished by the most experienced sailors on the vessel
The fouled anchor has been the official seal of the British Admiralty/Lord High Admiral since 1588 (personal seal of Lord Howard of Effingham, who helped defeat the Spanish Armada).
It is also the emblem of the Chief Petty Officer (US Senior Noncommissioned Officer Rank)
Due to the fact the symbol and watch itself aren’t anything unusual (the watch itself was likely for the watch system aboard the ship, which I explained earlier), I don’t think he received the watch itself, more likely he already had the watch but it was blessed by someone or something else.
One possibility is he got it from Lakeside Village after they shipwrecked or when they landed when their ship was damaged from the nightmarish water. Fiona in her 4th letter does discuss the bottom of the lake and something strange about it, and we already know the villagers at Lakeside worshiped the lake deity aka Hastur, who has a Poseidon skin. Maybe if Jose fell in the lake after their wreck, that could’ve been when he got the blessing? Maybe from Hastur? Or maybe from Grace, or whoever that voice that spoke to her was in her last deduction.
Another idea is he got it some other way while at the village or Oletus Manor, since Dennis and his family did like Greek myths, but who knows.
Getting it while at Lakeside Village or Oletus Manor sometime during, after, or because of their trouble with the nightmarish water feels like it’d make the most sense.
I don’t think he got it as a reward or for any other reason from the Queen. If she did have it, why not give it to someone else sooner, or why not take it back when Jose’s father disappeared, since if she stripped the Badens of everything in her belief his father stole her treasure, she should’ve taken the watch with the blessing too if it did come from her.
I also think he would have to have gotten it fairly soon after the incident and their return, as Jose’s backstory implies a major part of their fame and success came because of that blessing.
(Even though Jose’s 4th letter mentions “The swaying pocket watch is finally back where it started” when he sees the umbrella, I’m not sure the blessing could’ve come from Wu Chang, as it was only recently they had it aboard the ship before his father disappeared, and the blessing is phrased like it’s been around awhile. It’s also possible that there is no blessing and it just has to do with the hypnosis he performs on himself or the “deep hypnosis” done to him, but we don’t know right now. I’m not yet ready to say for certain it’s not real, as Jose’s father is pretty intent on his son doing his job that it seems suspicious. Anyways.)
Drugs and Forgetting
Either way, for now, due to the lack of any information on this subject, it’s impossible to say for certain how exactly he got it. All that matters for now is Jose’s father needs it to continue to ensure his fame and fortune, which is threatened by Jose potentially being unable to sail due to his worsening panic attacks/night terrors.
Jose’s father needs to find a fix for this problem, but not because he cares. He still only sees Jose as an object, and just wants him to continue to do his job to ensure his own success and wealth.
Jose’s deduction 8 references “drugs” and “to forget is the best cure”. This implies Jose’s father may have at least thought about trying if not actually attempted to use drugs on Jose. Though we know from his deduction 6 that doctors “tried a variety of drugs with no obvious effect”. This implies Jose’s father had to have either been trying something abnormal, not one of the usual drugs.
If not drugs, it may at least imply he sought or attempted to utilize a solution that involved making Jose “forget”. As the trauma causing Jose’s night terrors and panic attacks revolved around the incident in deduction 3 and 4, caused by the nightmarish water which potentially led to Jose’s father participating on the attack on Oletus Manor, Jose’s father may have needed to cure Jose by making him forget that entire incident.
In terms of not the usual types of drugs, we know the manor owner has several, including Dionysus and Hydra which revolve around changing a person’s memory (either to forget or to rebuild it).
Though if Jose’s father did help cause the incident that resulted in the death of Alice’s parents, I’m unsure if the manor owner would want to help. Not to mention it seems like few are actually aware of the drugs he’s created, so I’m unsure if Jose’s father would’ve been able to hear about them himself. Though if he did, it’s possible he might’ve wanted to try to use his drugs on Jose. On the other hand, we do know Jose’s father to some degree was working with Sam Bourbon based on Jose’s 2nd letter, which states he carried cargo which belonged to Sam.
I say Sam as he was the 1 to create Dovlin, which is confirmed by both Demi’s release backstory as well as Demi’s 3rd letter. Dovlin we know was very popular based on her backstory, so much so that when Sam disappeared and Demi had to take care of the bar, business was bad because all the customers wanted was dovlin, and Demi didn’t have or know the recipe. Only Sam did.
From parallels with the summer event with Sea Salt Mocktail as well as Demi’s 3rd letter, we know dovlin uses the same “raw materials” the manor owner uses with his own drugs, except its effects (dovlin presumably) compared to the owner’s own drugs were “completely different (opposites even)”, and that a “strong drug resistance [is] created by any interactions between them”. He even essentially described dovlin as a drug when he said “the final effects of the drugs were completely different”.
The summer event and Demi’s backstory and deductions also tell us dovlin can be addictive if you drink too much of it (but that’s alcohol in general). Kevin’s description of the key ingredient for sea salt mocktail includes how it “greatly enhance[s] the flavor of food”.
From Demi’s 2nd letter, it implies the initial effects of dovlin caused the mice to “all [die] in fear with no exception”. In-game, health is called “fear”, so dying of fear would be like a survivor being downed or eliminated. Also, from in-game we know the description for dovlin states that it “reduce[s]” fear aka it heals damage a survivor has taken. Helping eliminate “fear” could be the sort of thing that might help Jose with his panic attacks/night terrors and inability to sleep, and thus help him to be more fit to sail.
Although, I haven’t seen anything explicit that says dovlin helps you to “forget” (besides the false myth that alcohol can make a person forget), though maybe that’s how it “reduces” fear, by making the drinker forget their problems.
The only other issue I can think of is how Sam didn’t perfect his dovlin recipe until later, meaning I don’t think it could exactly “heal” yet, though it may still make the person “forget”. So, there’s a chance he wasn’t given dovlin yet. Or maybe Sam told him it wasn’t complete yet but had Jose’s father help him, potentially by retrieving the material he needed based on Demi’s 1st letter as well as Jose’s 2nd letter.
The last option is Vilhelm Lamb from Wu Chang’s 4th letter, who may be the “medical professor” that adopted Alice aka “Eury Lamb” to be an “experimental subject” and subject her to “prolonged medication and physical therapy”. As we know Jose’s father, Joaquin, was working with Vilhelm, that means Joaquin knew Vilhelm and could’ve asked him for something to fix Jose. If he is performing experiments, and is even using “medication”, it’s possible he also had “drugs” that could make Jose forget (or in some other way allow Jose to do his job). It’s even possible Joaquin was doing the job he was for Vilhelm as (basically) payment in return for the drugs for Jose.
Route Amendments
It is unknown whether or not he did actually give something or do something to Jose, especially as Jose’s deduction 8 (when translated) mentions the letter Jose’s father wrote to whoever he was asking to help fix Jose is described as being “torn to shreds”. The fact it’s “torn” may imply Jose happened to see the letter his father wrote, though it’s also possible his father or recipient tore it up to keep it secret, but I’m not sure I see Jose’s father being the type to do that (or really care much if Jose or someone else saw it). I could be wrong though.
Considering Jose in his 4th letter mentions “drugs” (that cause hallucinations) it makes me wonder if this could be evidence that his dad did in fact use something on him, but also that Jose found and was aware (at least eventually) of what his dad was doing.
If Jose did see the letter his father wrote, it could relate to why his next deduction (9) mentions Jose having made a “large number of corrections” to “the route”. This sounds like a specific route, a single one rather than many. If we’re talking about a particular route Jose made changes to it in response to learning his father wants him to “forget” (about the incident), the route he amended may be the alternate route Jose’s father took in response to being caught in a storm. The route that led them to the “nightmarish waters”, causing the loss of most of the crew and cargo, as well as damaged or sank their ship.
If Jose thought he might forget, it’s possible he made corrections to the “dangerous” route to better outline why it is dangerous, based on their experience when his father took that route to avoid a storm in an attempt to avoid being delayed. This might’ve been to dissuade anyone using that chart (like his father, though he doesn’t seem the type to let this sort of thing change his mind) from using that route. It’s also possible he made these changes to help remind himself (if he did forget) about that route being dangerous.
Maybe he did this help himself avoid going on a voyage if they did use that route. Maybe that’s why he didn’t board the ship on certain voyages.
Jose as a sailor in the navy isn’t a coward, and he didn’t seem to avoid every voyage, as based on his backstory he did serve well to honor the Baden family name, as well as help his father earn fame and fortune. Yet we know at least close to when his father disappeared as well as the day he did disappear, he was being reprimanded for failing to board several times. I think the reason he fails to board those times, and thus why he drinks, is because of his panic attacks and trauma, as drinking is said to be the only way to allow him to sleep (he doesn’t drink only because he enjoys it).
It’s possible on those days he happened to have a panic attack or nightmare. It’s even possible he might’ve had either even if he was made to forget, as some part of him might’ve still remembered, and that was why he was drinking and failed to board the day his father disappeared (based on implications from Departure Date’s design notes). Or maybe his trauma was triggered if the voyage they were going to take that day involved the “dangerous” route or their destination being Oletus Manor (if Jose’s father made deliveries there to Sam while he was working on dovlin, or even deliveries to the manor in general as both Sam and the manor owner’s drugs used the same raw material, aka the ferns), which are places tied to his trauma.
It's possible that Jose was made to forget, as he doesn’t seem to reference or hint towards the nightmarish water incident later despite being at the manor. Maybe the reason he was potentially partying and drinking fairly care-free the day his father went missing based on Departure Date, who doesn’t seem obviously suffering from trauma, was because his father succeeded in making Jose forget how to be a “good man” as implied by his father in Jose’s deduction 8.
“Deep Hypnosis”
Maybe he forgot because of drugs. Or maybe it was because of the “deep hypnosis” hinted at by the manor owner in Jose’s 3rd letter (which also describes Jose as a “gift” from an “old friend” that passed away, which helps to provide a bit more evidence to the idea Jose and his father knew the manor owner aka Orpheus in some way).
We have no information who did it. Not even the manor owner seems to know. The only thing we do know is whoever did it buried a “spiritual anchor” for him that he could use to avoid a mental breakdown. The only 3 specific options I can think of so far for who did it are:
Jose himself, as his ability in game is hypnosis and we know he performs “self-hypnosis”.
Jose’s father, who’d have access to Jose’s watch to some degree, as Jose’s watch is the thing Jose uses in-game to perform hypnosis.
A bit of a crack theory, but the 3rd idea is Ada, who we know is the 1 person in the story said to “devote herself to hypnotherapy research, using hypnotic suggestions to eliminate the pain, fear, and other negative emotions plaguing her patients”.
Jose, I think, is unlikely as I don’t think you can perform “deep” hypnosis on yourself.
Jose’s father I’m doubtful of as “deep hypnosis” should likely require someone experienced and skilled.
The above reasons are essentially why Ada feels the most likely, even though we have not seen her related to Jose’s backstory at all yet. I do think it’s possible he could’ve been sent to the asylum (and maybe the church’s doctors are the ones who tested various drugs on him in deduction 6).
Back then, people didn’t understand mental health. Those who exhibited PTSD or other mental health problems didn’t receive the help they needed because they didn’t recognize or understand the issues.
By the end of the 18th century and during the 19th century, there was an increase in the number of sailors being admitted to London’s asylums due to mental breakdowns, especially after major battles.
The men suffered from severe anxiety, depression, and trauma. But back then, people only recognized the symptoms, such as partial paralysis, sleep disturbances, dysesthesia, delusions, and so on.
It also took a long time to recognize malnutrition, trauma through violence, and mistreatment.
Doctors noticed sailors in their everyday lives were "restless, had severe insomnia and delusions, and their moods quickly went from happy to sad". These were actually cases of bipolar disturbances, but doctors treated it like a fever, so many sailors ended up hurting or even killing themselves. The doctors just didn't know how to deal with these men.
Depression was dismissed as melancholic mood, which was treated with sea air, sunbathing, and walks.
Schizophrenia was treated liked malaria.
Many hoped for help in the asylums. Around the start of the 19th century, maybe 25% recovered, while another 25% died due to the treatment, and a good number simply disappeared. More serious cases were sent to Bethlem Hospital, 1 of the most notorious/infamous asylums.
The men here were seen as incurable. Conditions in the asylum were inhuman. Basic equipment (tables, chairs, beds, plates, cutlery) were forbidden. Sanitation was non-existent. They had a minimal diet, no medicine or fresh air, and were left to fend for themselves.
Mental issues had a stigma attached and those seen as having those issues were called insane. As a result, many attempted to hide their problems, otherwise they'd face social trouble or weren't taken seriously.
Sailors were seen as masculine and tough, which led society believing them incapable of having such illnesses, yet depression was indeed a major issue in the Navy.
Pressure from their higher-ups and a high demand for results in a short time worsened things.
Even officers were affected, due to the strain of responsibility.
The Navy Board considered men who were unable to perform their duties as having no place in the Navy and doctors were of the opinion that mental health issues made people "unfit for service".
While Jose’s at the asylum, he could’ve met Ada, who may have had the chance to perform hypnotherapy on him, which feels like it’d be very fitting for him. In her 4th deduction, it’s even said she studied and researched “psychology”, which again would fit with Jose’s issues. Emil in Ada’s 9th deduction is even said to suffer “recurring night terrors”, while 1 of his backstories mentions him having PTSD, which are the same sort of issues Jose is suffering from according to translations of Jose’s 5th deduction.
The Disappearance
Whatever the case, we know Jose fails to board his father’s ship 1 day while likely drinking in Liverpool, potentially due to a panic attack or nightmare or some other issue (or because he forgot), with Liverpool potentially being where they usually depart from (and thus could be where they may live close to).
From Jose’s 1st letter, we know the mission was supposedly to go to some spot in the northeastern corner of the Mediterranean.
We know they brought mostly weapons like cannons instead of cargo out of caution due to the area being somewhere they apparently hadn’t been to before. The 1 non-weapon we knew they had was Wu Chang’s umbrella.
As the Queen thought they had stolen her treasure afterwards, as well as how they were said to “serve as the [Queen’s] royal escort”, meaning they might be protecting royals or their treasures, combined with how Jose’s backstory states they performed tasks such as “shielding English ships, or transporting royal treasures”, the latter may have been why they had the umbrella that day. In general, guarding her treasures may have been the “special mission” she assigned to them back in deduction 5. The antique umbrella may have been 1 of her treasures.
From Wu Chang’s 4th letter, we’ve learned that Joaquin, Jose’s father, was in the Mediterranean Sea to “perform trades” on behalf of Villhelm Lamb, with some of their cargo, including the umbrella, as collateral.
This connects back to Jose’s 2nd letter, as we hear about the “Bourbon” signature, and back in Jose’s 2nd letter, he said he saw the signature “Bourbon” on his father’s “list of goods” once. With what we now know about Villhelm, considering Jose says he’s only seen that signature “once” that implies Joaquin and Sam likely only worked together on this one mission (rather than them having a long term partnership).
The collateral (including the umbrella) would be returned once Joaquin gave Villhelm the “receipt of the goods from the specified area in the Mediterranean Sea”. We know from Jose’s 1st letter that Joaquin and his crew, aboard their ship which is called the Parthenope, never returned from this mission, which is why we see the umbrella exchanging hands in the latter part of Wu Chang’s 4th letter. It ends up with Qi Shiyi, who likely brought it with her when she went to the manor for her game. Jose goes to the manor himself when he learns that the umbrella is there.
Based on Jose’s 1st letter, as it says “the cannons couldn’t kill them”, it seems the crew somehow ended up hallucinating, which ends up being what caused their deaths (they likely sank, maybe by shooting their cannons at their own ship).
Considering we know Sam had some involvement with this voyage based on his signature, I do wonder if it’s possible he’s the reason the crew hallucinated. I’ve already discussed Sam and dovlin, as well as Demi’s 2nd letter, which states “the new mice all died in fear with no exception”. The crew based on Jose’s 1st letter were definitely “afraid”, and in terms of Sam’s experiment, they could be seen as “mice” aka lab rats. Since we know everyone died and the Parthenope likely sank, everything would match with what’s said. Joaquin and the crew of the Parthenope may have been experimental subjects for Sam’s dovlin and/or the manor owner’s drugs.
Shipwreck
If the Parthenope sank in the Mediterranean, that could mean that the shipwreck at Lakeside came from the Baden’s incident during Jose’s deduction 3 and 4, after the “nightmarish waters”, and why they ended up at Lakeside and the manor, which leads to them potentially getting involved in the tragedy where the DeRoss couple died.
Notable items on the ship include:
Map of the Mediterranean
Chinese symbols matching the ones on Xie’s (White’s) compass
The Teru Teru Bozu doll (used to pray for fine weather)
Picture from Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea depicting a sailor being grabbed by a giant squid
The Nighttime picture which seems reminiscent of Wu Chang’s trailer when Fan dies
The Jolly Roger/Cthulhu flag
“SAVE” (written in blood?)
The other reason being how we know Wu Chang’s umbrella ended up at Oletus Manor.
Various letters, including Hastur’s 2nd letter (which is before the Lakeside villagers disappeared) and Fiona’s 3rd letter, both describe it as a “shipwreck”. We also know the route Jose’s father took was described as “dangerous” and having “nightmarish waters”, and so entirely capable of causing a shipwreck.
Going to Oletus Manor
Jose waits from sunset to moonrise (as indicated by the titles of Jose’s 1st and last deductions, as well as from his backstory) for his father’s return, but he never appears.
The time between Sunset and Moonrise is usually between 30-90 minutes.
Due to the ship’s disappearance, the Queen believes they stole her treasure, leading her to punish the Baden family by taking their family’s wealth and titles.
Sometime after this, Jose hears that the umbrella turned up at Oletus Manor, and so he goes there to either find his father (despite how Jose’s father didn’t love Jose and how he treated his own son, Jose still attempts to look for him) or “retrieve our honor”.
Miscellaneous
Scurvy
Scurvy is caused by not having enough vitamin C (something the human body doesn’t produce naturally), which orange juice is rich in.
Back then, before refrigeration, sailors needed to ensure they had enough food on board to survive the journey. This meant mostly only salted or nonperishable food, like ship’s biscuits, salted beef, pork, cheese, and fish. Thus, without regular access to things like vegetables or fruit, sailors developed scurvy.
Scurvy killed more than 2 million sailors between the time of Columbus’ voyage and the rise of steam engines in the mid-19th century. The problem was so common that shipowners and governments assumed a 50% death rate from scurvy for their sailors on any major voyage.
The 1st symptoms of scurvy developed at least 3 months after having extremely low vitamin C levels.
The earliest symptom is lethargy, which was so intense people once believed laziness was a cause of the disease.
It was debilitating. Your body feels weak. Your joints ache. Your arms and legs swell, and your skin bruises at the slightest touch.
As the disease progressed, your gums become spongy, and your breath fetid, your teeth loosen, and internal hemorrhaging makes splotches on your skin. Old wounds open; mucous membranes bleed. Left untreated, you will die, likely from a sudden hemorrhage near your heart or brain.
Scurvy is treated by adding vitamin C to your diet. Most people treated for scurvy feel better within 48 hours and make a full recovery within 2 weeks.
Scurvy was brought to the public's attention due to commodore George Anson's journey around the world. He set sail with 6 ships for the Pacific in 1740 with 2,000 able seamen. When he returned to England with less than 700, the rest were found to have died due to the disease.
Anson's chaplain described their deaths this way: "those affected have skin as black as ink, ulcers, difficult respiration, rictus of the limbs, teeth falling out and perhaps most revolting of all, a strange plethora of gum tissue sprouting out of the mouth, which immediately rotted and lent the victim’s breath an abominable odor".
The Royal Navy discovered a solution to the disease in the 18th century thanks to surgeon James Lind. His experiment on board a naval ship in 1747 showed that oranges and lemons could be a cure for scurvy.
Explorer Sir Richard Hawkins in 1622 was the 1st to suggest citrus as a cure.
Dutch writer Johann Backstorm was the 1st to establish the true cause of scurvy
Captain James Cook circumnavigated the world from 1768 - 1771 on board his ship the HM Bark Endeavor, during which time no life was lost to scurvy.
Cook claimed it was because of the malt and wort he brought on board to test as a cure, but malt doesn't have vitamin C. His cleanliness and strict orders not to drink fat from the chef’s pans (that when came in contact with copper, irritated the bowels and made it hard to absorb vitamins) were actually more helpful.
Besides malt and wort, 1 other thing Cook had, found on the log of provisions put aboard, was 7,860 pounds of sauerkraut. Sauerkraut, which is made by fermenting thinly sliced cabbage in its own natural juices, is rich in vitamin C, though that fact was unknown at the time.
It wasn’t until 42 years after Lind’s experiment that the Admiralty first issued an order for lemon juice to sailors
Before Lind, some potential cures included:
"elixir of vitriol" (a dilute solution of sulphuric acid)
blood letting
applying a piece of turf to the patient's mouth to counter the "bad qualities of sea-air"
soup block (bones and scraps of meat from carcasses, boiled down then dried)
Cider
Sea-water
vinegar
1 cure besides citrus that did work involved sailors who ate the ship’s rats (as they synthesized their own vitamin C)
Superstitions:
Believed redheads were bad luck. If a sailor met a redhead before boarding, the sailor had to speak to the redhead before they spoke to him to mitigate the bad luck of encountering a redhead before setting sail.
Believed manta rays (aka devilfish or sea devils) could attach themselves to a ship's anchor and drag them under the waves to Davy Jones' Locker.
Tattoos and piercing are said to ward off evil spirits, while gold hoop earrings are said to bring good luck.
Had a fatalistic view of drowning. If someone fell overboard, they might not even be thrown a rope because it was believed their death was preordained. “What the sea wants, the sea will have”. Besides, a sacrifice to the sea gods might placate them so no more of the crew would follow.
Umbrellas were for foul weather use, and bringing one on board was thought to tempt fate.
Believed that earrings improved eyesight.
Wore gold earrings so they wouldn’t go broke. Even if they spent all their money drinking, the sailor could buy their way out of trouble. And if he died in a foreign port, there’d be enough money to take care of funeral expenses.
Similar superstition that gold coins placed on the eyes of a corpse were used to pay Charon for the voyage across the River Styx.
Why Sailors Wore Earrings
It was a mark of their voyages.
Earrings were given to young sailors to commemorate their 1st crossing of the equator or when they rounded the treacherous waters of Cape Horn (Southern tip of South America).
Believed pierced ears would prevent sea sickness.
Believed gold earrings would protect a sailor from drowning.
Silver or gold earrings were worth enough to pay for a sailor’s funeral.
Some engraved the names of their home ports inside their earrings so their body could be sent to their families for a proper burial.
If a man died on a ship, the earrings helped cover the cost of transporting his body home so it wouldn’t be buried at sea or on foreign soil.
Some sailors dangled wax from hoop earrings, which they used as earplugs when firing the ships’ cannons to help protect against hearing loss.
#idv#identity v#jose baden#first officer#idv jose#identity v jose#idv first officer#identity v first officer#Happy Birthday Jose!!!#sirenjose analyses and theories
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To help clear up some confusion:
A rivulet or streamlet is the smallest form of naturally moving water.
The other forms, in order of size, are brooks, streams, creeks, and rivers, which are the biggest.
The streams which lead into a river are called tributaries.
A canal is a man-made waterway. A defensive canal around a structure is a moat.
A phytotelma (lit. "plant pond") is the smallest form of naturally occurring still water. They form inside of the cavities of some plants.
A puddle is larger than that, followed by a pool.
A pond is larger than both of them, and a lake is the largest. In the UK, they are sometimes called lochs.
An oxbow lake or billabong is a body of water cut off from the river it was formally part of.
A spring is usually where a waterway starts, bubbling up from underground.
A delta is where many streams flow into an estuary before they reach an ocean or sea. They are usually triangle shaped.
However, that's only freshwater.
Larger than a lake is a sea, and many seas make up an ocean, but are often largely enclosed by land.
A channel connects two bodies of water between two landmasses. When one is narrow, it is often called a strait.
A sound is an area of sea usually surrounded by mountains or hills.
A gulf is a part of the ocean which has overtaken part of the land. It is usually almost completely enclosed by land. One with a wider mouth may be called a bay. A smaller bay or gulf is called a cove.
An inlet is a recess along the coast. A deep inlet with steep sides is known as a fjord.
An oasis is a body of water located in a dry or desert land.
A lagoon is a body of water cut off from a larger body of water. Sometimes a coral reef encircles it, creating an atoll.
An archipelago is a group of islands. If an archipelago encloses a reef or lagoon, it is called an atoll.
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(Disclaimer: Unfortunately, these are just general descriptions that give an idea of how different geographic features are differentiated. These terms are often used for locations which do not fit the above definitions.)
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This day in history
Tonight (May 31) at 6:30PM, I’m at the MANCHESTER Waterstones with my novel Red Team Blues, hosted by Ian Forrester.
Tomorrow (Jun 1), I’m giving the Peter Kirstein Lecture for UCL Computer Science in LONDON.
Then it’s Edinburgh, London, and Berlin!
#20yrsago Theme park of the chariots of the Gods https://web.archive.org/web/20060207043240/http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=105&sid=1918331
#20yrsago How is an IRC channel like a Caribbean street-corner? https://web.archive.org/web/20030605122526/http://www.healthhacker.com/biella/rope.txt
#10yrsago Northern Ireland builds a Potemkin Village for the G8 https://www.irishtimes.com/news/recession-out-of-the-picture-as-fermanagh-puts-on-a-brave-face-for-g8-leaders-1.1409112
#10yrsago Usury in the UK https://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/may/31/oft-criticised-ineffectual-payday-loans-policing
#10yrsago Linda Stone on attention, computers, and education https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/05/linda-stone-on-maintaining-focus-in-a-maddeningly-distractive-world/276201/
#5yrsago Congresswoman Diane Black [R-TN] blames school shootings on “pornography” https://www.huffpost.com/entry/diane-black-porn-school-gun-violence_n_5b0d6634e4b0568a880ede65
#5yrsago My science fiction story about EFF’s proposed jailbreaking exemption https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/05/eff-presents-cory-doctorows-science-fiction-story-about-our-jailbreaking-petition
#5yrsago Tell your parents: Trump is lying to them about Medicare https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/making-sense/senior-advocates-say-new-draft-guide-to-medicare-distorts-facts-heres-what-you-need-to-know
#5yrsago Leaked memos reveal the deep divisions within Google over Pentagon contract https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/30/technology/google-project-maven-pentagon.html
#5yrsago Governments all over the world buy spy products that let them track and eavesdrop on global cellphones, especially US phones https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/how-spies-can-use-your-cellphone-to-find-you--and-eavesdrop-on-your-calls-and-texts-too/2018/05/30/246bb794-5ec2-11e8-a4a4-c070ef53f315_story.html
#5yrsago Amazon bars Australians from shopping on its non-Aussie sites to put pressure on the government to rescind tax rule https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/amazon-to-block-its-us-website-for-aussie-shoppers-over-new-gst-rules-20180531-p4zikr.html
#5yrsago Telegram: ever since Russia’s blocking demand, Apple has prevented us from updating our app https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/31/17412396/telegram-apple-app-store-app-updates-russia
#5yrsago Elon’s Basilisk: why exploitative, egomaniacal rich dudes think AI will destroy humanity https://www.documentjournal.com/2018/04/the-existential-paranoia-fueling-elon-musks-fear-of-ai/
#5yrsago Uganda enacts unenforceable, ridiculous anti-“gossip” internet tax https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/31/17412960/uganda-law-tax-gossip-social-media
#5yrsago Count your bees with a Raspberry Pi and machine learning https://matpalm.com/blog/counting_bees/
#5yrsago No, seriously, THIS is the mission patch for Google’s drone warfare AI contract with the Pentagon https://www.jwz.org/blog/2018/05/happy-fun-algorithmic-warfare-cross-functional-team/
#5yrsago Sweden’s notorious copyright troll said they’d sue, but if you ignore them, they just go away https://torrentfreak.com/legal-blackmail-zero-cases-brought-against-alleged-pirates-in-sweden-180525/
#1yrago How John Deere leverages repair-blocking into gag orders https://pluralistic.net/2022/05/31/dealers-choice/#be-a-shame-if-something-were-to-happen-to-it
Catch me on tour with Red Team Blues in Manchester, Edinburgh, London, and Berlin!
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So the UK is about to hit its longest recession in history while the working-class are seven months deep into a horrendous cost-of-living crisis, and our great representatives the Labour Party are deciding...
To play up for the racists. Got it.
We need a fucking radical alternative because as it stands we are so completely fucked.
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Antique Writing Desk
Antique Victorian Ladies Writing Desk. Late Victorian small mahogany writing desk, raised back with pair of small drawers, recess and cupboard, central small kneehole with arrangement of four short drawers on turned tapering legs. Dimensions: 72cm wide x 50cm deep x 80cm high x 110cm high at the back. Condition: - Antique Victorian Ladies Writing Desk Antique Writing Desk
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New Post has been published on All about business online
New Post has been published on https://yaroreviews.info/2024/02/budget-2024-when-it-is-and-what-will-it-mean-for-my-money
Budget 2024: When it is and what will it mean for my money?
Getty Images
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will deliver his 2024 spring Budget on Wednesday 6 March.
He will say how much money the government plans to take in taxes, and what it will spend it on.
This spring there is a lot of focus on whether he will cut taxes ahead of the election.
What is the Budget?
Each year, the chancellor of the exchequer – who is in charge of the government’s finances – makes a Budget statement to MPs in the House of Commons.
The speech outlines the government’s plans for raising or lowering taxes. The Budget also includes big decisions on spending on health, schools, police and other public services.
The Treasury publishes a report alongside the Budget, which sets out further details about the measures announced, and what they will cost.
After the statement, MPs will spend several days debating the Budget.
They will then be asked to approve the tax proposals, and the government will introduce a Finance Bill to turn the Budget proposals into law.
How the government raises and spends £1 trillion a year
Autumn Statement 2023: Key points
Budget 2023: Key points
When is the 2024 Budget?
The 2024 spring Budget is on Wednesday, 6 March.
The speech usually starts at about 12:30 UK time and lasts about an hour. It will be broadcast live on the BBC iPlayer and on the BBC news website.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer will give his response to the Budget as soon as Mr Hunt sits down.
After the speech, the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) – which monitors government spending – will publish an independent assessment of how the economy is doing.
Who is Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor?
How is the UK economy doing?
At the end of last year, the economy was in recession. That means it contracted, rather than grew, between July and September and then shrank again between October and December.
But it was a shallow recession, meaning economic output did not suffer a sharp, deep fall, which would have put more businesses at risk and people out of work. And the Bank of England’s governor has said he does not think the country is still in recession.
Even if the economy is growing again, many people are still feeling the pinch, after two years of rising prices.
Growth for the whole of last year was just 0.1% – although figures measuring the size of the economy can be revised upwards or downwards several months later.
What is a recession and how could it affect me?
How does government borrowing work?
How will the UK economy compare to others in 2024?
What could be in the Budget?
The government has hinted that it wants to cut taxes. But it has also tried to manage expectations by suggesting there may not be enough money to make big changes.
Recent figures on government borrowing suggest he could have a few billion pounds to play with, but only because some tax rises have already been accounted for.
National Insurance rates
The big headline-grabber would be a cut to the basic rate of income tax.
Cutting it by 1p would cost £7bn, according to the Resolution Foundation – an independent think-tank focused on improving living standards for those on low to middle incomes.
Or, the government could spend the same amount cancelling the personal allowance freeze. Allowing the threshold of when you start paying income tax to rise in line with inflation would mean lots of people paying less tax.
National Insurance calculator: What will I pay now?
99% mortgages
According to reports in the Financial Times newspaper, the chancellor is looking at introducing 99% mortgages.
This could make it easier for first-time buyers to get on the housing ladder, only needing a 1% deposit while the government acts as a partial backer.
But some experts have raised concerns that such a move would not address the need to build more homes across the UK, and owners could end up in negative equity if the value of their home goes down, where their debts are more than the value of the property.
Inheritance tax
A cut in inheritance tax has generally been described as a break for the better-off. You do not pay inheritance tax on estates worth less than £325,000.
Nevertheless, the chancellor may look at changing that threshold to reflect rising house prices and investments.
What is inheritance tax and who pays it?
Abolishing it altogether would cost £7bn, according to think tank the Institute for Fiscal Studies, and benefit just 4% of the population.
Childcare
Childcare reforms take effect from April to expand the free sessions available to families.
But in January, the chancellor acknowledged that the High Income Child Benefit charge could be “unfair”.
Claimants currently have to pay back 1% of their family’s child benefit for every extra £100 they earn over the £50,000 threshold each financial year.
One person earning £60,000 wouldn’t get any child benefit under the current rules, while a dual-income family with two parents earning £50,000 would receive the full amount.
The chancellor may decide to raise the threshold at which this applies.
How does 15 hours and 30 free hours childcare work?
Fuel duty
Fuel duty has been frozen since 2011, making it hard to take the brake off now.
But a 5p fuel duty increase has been pencilled in for later in March.
The Resolution Foundation calculates scrapping it would cost £2bn next year.
Holiday lets
The government has already said it is clamping down on holiday lets.
We may hear more about new controls on holiday lets in England, which will be introduced in the summer to stop local people from being unable to afford living in their own community.
The changes mean people may need to seek permission from the council to turn their home into a short-term let.
Does the Budget affect all parts of the UK?
Some parts of the Budget, such as defence spending, affect the whole of the UK.
Others, such as education, only affect England. This is because Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland make their own decisions on this policy area.
Scotland has income tax-raising powers, which means its rates differ from the rest of the UK.
The Scottish government set out its budget for the 2024-2025 tax year in December.
From April, those earning between £75,000 and £125,140 in Scotland will pay a new “advanced” rate of 45%, and the top rate of tax is increasing to 48%.
If the government announces extra spending on areas that only affect England, the other nations get an equivalent extra sum of money to spend as they choose, according to a rule called the Barnett formula.
Related Topics
HM Treasury
Economics
UK taxes
Cost of Living
UK economy
Jeremy Hunt
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Budget to be held on 6 March, says Treasury
27 December 2023
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Discovering the Mysteries Behind the Voice of Adele
Adele
Just the name conjures images of soul-stirring vocals, chart-topping hits, and awards galore. But who is the woman behind the voice? This article isn't just about the powerhouse singer; it's an exploration of the private life of Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, her childhood, career, MBE, personal growth, philanthropy and success.
Snapshot of Adele in her childhood. Photo by Adele. Twitter.
Hailing from Humble Beginnings
Adele was born on May 5th, 1988, in Tottenham, England. Adele's life wasn't a fairy tale from the start. She was raised by her mother who encouraged Adele's love of music encouraging her to sing from the tender age of four. Fast forward to her teens, she developed an impressive vocal range spanning across 3 octaves, she attended the BRIT School for Performing Arts from 14 to 19 in Croydon, South London where she wrote her first song 'Hometown Glory' at 16,. This school became her launchpad, nurturing her talent and paving the way for her meteoric rise.
From Unknown Talent to Grammy Darling
Remember 2008? That's when the world was hit by the emotional whirlwind of "19," Adele's debut album. Hits like "Chasing Pavements" and "Hometown Glory" resonated with listeners worldwide, showcasing her raw, vocal talent and unfiltered songwriting. Awards started pouring in, including a prestigious Grammy for Best New Artist. Suddenly, Adele wasn't just a name; she was a phenomenon.
Adele 21 Album. Photo by Alex Kormis PS. Flickr.
21: Heartbreak, Honesty, and Global Domination
But it was "21," released in 2011, which truly catapulted Adele to superstardom. This raw, heartbreak-infused album resonated with millions, becoming one of the best-selling albums of all time. "Rolling in the Deep," "Someone Like You," and "Set Fire to the Rain" became anthems for the heartbroken and hopeful, solidifying Adele's place as the queen of soulful ballads.
She Writes Many of Her Own Songs
Unlike many pop stars who have a huge team of songwriters who write their material for them, Adele actually writes most of her songs herself! Yes, she composes/collaborates, and performs all her own stuff! This has to be one of the reasons why her songs are so emotional - because they mostly come from her experiences. In 2013, Adele was awarded an MBE by the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace for her services to the music industry.
Adele's Remarkable Story. Photos by Liltito1. Flickr.
She's won loads of Grammys!
Adele has won a total of 15 Grammy Awards throughout her career. Each Grammy weighs about 2.3kg, so all 15 weigh a total of 34.5 kg! That's a lot of gold! It's a good thing she's not a total show-off because carting all those around with you would be exhausting!
Like her voice, her heart is equally enormous
Adele has used her fame for good! She has worked with all kinds of charities over her career and has donated money and done promotional work for charities that help people with HIV/Aids, LGBT people, people with disabilities, and human rights. A lot of her work has helped disadvantaged kids in London because that's where she came from.
She's had lots of fan mail
Like any famous person, Adele gets a lot of fan mail! Some of it is very sweet, and others less so much. Her fans come in all shapes, sizes, and occupations – she even received fan mail from former Prime Minister of the UK, Gordon Brown. He wrote to her during Britain’s economic recession to praise her for keeping people’s spirits up.
Beyond the Spotlight: Motherhood and Personal Growth
Despite her immense success, Adele prioritized her personal life. Taking a hiatus after her album "21," she embraced motherhood and for 3 years focused on her son and herself. This self-reflection is evident in her comeback album, "25," released in 2015. With hits like "Hello" and "When We Were Young," the album explored themes of maturity, love, and loss, showcasing her artistic evolution.
Adele's '30' Album. Photo by Aryamaanupadhyay. Wikimedia.
30: A Journey of Self-Discovery and Artistic Liberation
Six years later, in 2021, "30" arrived, marking another creative shift. This introspective album tackled themes of divorce, self-love, and acceptance. Tracks like "Easy on Me" and "Oh My God" offered fans a glimpse into Adele's struggles and growth, solidifying her connection with her audience.
Beyond Music: Advocacy and Philanthropy
Adele's impact goes beyond the music industry. Her philanthropic efforts, most notably her work with:
Education: A strong supporter of education, Adele has worked with the Khan Academy, an online platform offering free educational resources.
HIV/AIDS: She has been a long-time advocate for Keep a Child Alive, an organization fighting AIDS in Africa. She even performed at their Black Ball charity event.
LGBTQ+ Rights: Adele has shown her support for LGBTQ+ rights by performing at a concert for Pride London.
Musicians in Need: She has a longstanding partnership with MusiCares, which provides a safety net for music professionals facing financial, medical, or personal emergencies. She has performed at their benefit concerts and donated items for auctions.
Global Water Access: More recently, Adele has become involved with Drop4Drop, a charity founded by her ex-partner, Simon Konecki. Drop4Drop works to provide clean water solutions in developing countries.
Other Causes: She has also supported organizations like Amnesty International and has used her platform to raise awareness for various other causes, such as the Grenfell Tower fire victims.
Adele's publicity photograph. Photos by Asith Mohan Mangalore. Flickr.
What's Next for the Queen of Soul?
With each album, Adele reinvents herself, defying expectations and captivating audiences. So, what does the future hold for this enigmatic artist? Adele has said she wants to take a break in 2025 to take a degree in English Literature, which she loves.
While details are scarce, one thing's for sure: Adele's voice will continue to touch hearts, her honesty will resonate, and her evolution will inspire. Whether it's a brand new album, a world tour, or a focus on other ventures, one thing remains certain: Adele's journey will continue to be captivating, and the world will eagerly wait to see what this talented and ever-evolving artist has in store next.
Sources: THX News, Hollywood Life, Look to the Stars, Adele's Website & Wikipedia.
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#21#25#30#SomeoneLikeYou#album#Adele#BRITSchool#Britishmusicindustry#GrammyAwards#Philanthropy#singer-songwriter
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Saturday, December 23, 2023
Drought-prone California OKs new rules for turning wastewater directly into drinking water
(AP) When a toilet is flushed in California, the water can end up in a lot of places: An ice skating rink near Disneyland, ski slopes around Lake Tahoe, farmland in the Central Valley. And—coming soon—kitchen faucets. California regulators on Tuesday approved new rules to let water agencies recycle wastewater and put it right back into the pipes that carry drinking water to homes, schools and businesses. It’s a big step for a state that has struggled for decades to secure reliable sources of drinking water for its more than 39 million residents. And it signals a shift in public opinion on a subject that as recently as two decades ago prompted backlash that scuttled similar projects.
Nearshoring in Mexico
(Foreign Policy) Washington’s efforts to shift supply chains of goods purchased by U.S. consumers away from China to places closer to home bore major dividends for Mexico this year. Companies looking to move their China-based manufacturing elsewhere sought alternative countries with cheap labor and a preexisting industrial base. Mexico’s location and free trade agreement with the United States made it a strong candidate. This year, Mexico surpassed China as the United States’ number one trade partner. In the first nine months of the year, foreign direct investment in Mexico was 30 percent higher than in the same period in 2022, according to government data.
Under US pressure over fentanyl, Mexico wages “imaginary war on drugs”
(Reuters) Mexico’s army appears to be raiding only a handful of active drug labs every month, despite U.S. pressure to crack down on fentanyl trafficking, with facilities that were already out of use accounting for 95% of seizures this year, according to defense ministry figures obtained by Reuters. Reuters revealed in March that Mexico had dramatically revised upward the number of lab raids by including hundreds of inactive labs on its seizures list since President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador took office in 2018. At the time, the news agency was unable to establish what percentage of the raided labs were operational when they were captured. New data obtained by Reuters in August from the Mexican Defense Ministry (SEDENA) after a freedom of information request shows that out of the 527 labs raided by Mexico’s army in the first seven months of this year, only 24 laboratories, or less than 5%, were “active” labs. The figures suggest Mexico is “fighting an imaginary war on drugs designed to score political points rather than save lives,” said Senator Chuck Grassley, a conservative Republican.
Global Conflicts Stir Sleeping Energy Giant in South America
(WSJ) South America has long been the world’s sleeping energy giant, with massive oil-and-gas reserves still untapped. Now it is rumbling awake, with huge implications for the global market. From the deep waters off the northern shoulder of the continent down to Patagonia, a number of countries in the region are ramping up oil-and-gas production. South American companies are fast trying to position themselves to become new global suppliers as Western governments and energy majors are increasingly looking at the region to diversify away from conflict-ridden choke points of the Middle East and Russia.
UK at risk of recession after economy shrinks
(BBC) The UK is at risk of recession after revised figures showed the economy shrank between July and September. There have been concerns over the UK's weak economic growth for some time, but the country has managed to avoid a recession so far. Ashley Webb, UK economist at Capital Economics, said that the revised figures "may mean that the mildest of mild recessions started" in the third quarter between July and September. But he added regardless of whether there was a "small recession", the bigger picture was that economists expected economic growth to "remain subdued throughout 2024."
War in Ukraine Has China Cashing In
(NYT) On China’s snowy border with Russia, a dealership that sells trucks has seen its sales double in the past year thanks to Russian customers. China’s exports to its neighbor are so strong that Chinese construction workers built warehouses and 20-story office towers at the border this summer. The border town Heihe is a microcosm of China’s ever closer economic relationship with Russia. China is profiting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has led Russia to switch from the West to China for purchases of everything from cars to computer chips. Russia, in turn, has sold oil and natural gas to China at deep discounts. Russian chocolates, sausages and other consumer goods have become plentiful in Chinese supermarkets. Trade between Russia and China surpassed $200 billion in the first 11 months of this year, a level the countries had not expected to reach until 2024. Russia’s war in Ukraine has also gotten an image boost from China. State media disseminates a steady diet of Russian propaganda in China and around the world. Russia is so popular in China that social media influencers flock to Harbin, the capital of China’s northernmost province in the east, Heilongjiang, to pose in Russian garb in front of a former Russian cathedral there.
A Viral Dance and ‘Happiness Campaign’ Frustrates Iran’s Clerics
(NYT) A new form of protest against the government is rocking Iran: a viral dance craze set to an upbeat folk song where crowds clap and chant the rhythmic chorus, “Oh, oh, oh, oh.” In cities across Iran men and women of all ages are gyrating their hips, swirling their arms in the air, and chanting the song’s catchy lines. People are dancing on the streets, in shops, at sport stadiums, in classrooms, malls, restaurants, gyms, parties and everywhere else they congregate. In Tehran traffic was stopped in a major highway tunnel for an impromptu dance party to the song. Young women, hair uncovered and flowing, dance in parks and young men performed a choreographed hip-hop dance. In most countries dancing and singing in public would not be considered taboo. But in Iran, dancing in public, especially by women and between men and women, is banned. Although the rule is regularly defied, enforcing it has been arbitrary. Music, dancing and singing are deeply rooted in Iran’s culture and attempts by Islamic clerics to take that away in their 43 years of rule have by and large failed. But seldom has a single song and dance turned into a collective act of civil disobedience. “The regime has no common sense,” said Mahan, a 50-year-old physician in the city of Rasht, who asked his last name not be used for fear of retribution. “It has become like an authoritarian father, unable to protect and guide his family and resorting to violence as the only way to feel relevant and powerful.”
More than 20,000 dead in Gaza, a historic human toll
(Washington Post) More than 20,000 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip in the war between Israel and Hamas, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Hamas militants led an attack on Israel on Oct. 7 that killed more than 1,200 people, according to Israeli officials. Israel’s response—an all-out bombardment of Gaza and a ground invasion—has killed almost 1 in 100 people in the Strip. The number of deaths is far higher than in any conflict in Gaza in recent history. And it is higher than the estimated 15,000 Palestinians killed in the violence that followed the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. Palestinians call that mass displacement the Nakba, or “the catastrophe.”
Americans struggle to save relatives in Gaza stalked by war, hunger
(Washington Post) For weeks, Susan Abdelsalam has checked to see whether her husband’s name was on a list that could mean the difference between life and death. Susan and her husband, Ramadan, both 73, live a quiet retired life in a suburb of Indianapolis. In September, he traveled to the Gaza Strip to visit his ailing sister. Then came the war and Ramadan was trapped. The medications he takes for his diabetes and high blood pressure ran out long ago. He told Susan that he felt hungry all the time. Last week, several nearby buildings were bombed, he wrote his wife in a text message. Dozens of people were killed. On Wednesday, after more than two months of frantic efforts, Ramadan became one of the lucky ones to get permission to leave. Others are not so fortunate. There are roughly 50 Americans, along with about 250 immediate family members and legal permanent residents, who are still trying to leave Gaza as Israel deepens its invasion of the territory after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas. Foreigners and their close relatives are among a small number of people who can leave the besieged enclave, but only if their names appear on a list of those authorized to exit through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.
Rafah: Swelling city
(Washington Post) For Palestinians in Gaza, there’s nowhere left to go. Almost 1.9 million people, 85 percent of Gaza’s population, have been forced from their homes. Rafah, which makes up just 17 percent of Gaza’s area, has become the epicenter for displacement. Before the war, Rafah was home to 280,000 people. But population density has increased fourfold as more than 1 million people—about half of Gaza’s population—have poured into Rafah, according to the United Nations. An aid worker called it a “super crisis moment.” The agency planned to host 150,000 people in 56 shelters in a worst-case conflict scenario; now, it’s supporting nearly 1.4 million in 155 shelters, according to UNRWA media adviser Adnan Abu Hasna. At some shelters, 1,000 people share one toilet, he said. The wait is hours. For a shower, which 5,000 people share, “you have to wait days,” Abu Hasna said. There are lines for water “everywhere” in the Strip, he added.
Houthi attacks upend trade as ships are forced long way around Africa
(Washington Post) Most of the massive ships that carry some 12 percent of all world trade through the Suez Canal have turned course, set to travel the long way around southern Africa instead. Attacks on passing ships by Iranian-aligned Houthi militants in Yemen, in response to Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, have choked the only southern approach to the planet’s most-trafficked shortcut.
Russia’s foreign minister tours North Africa as anger toward the West swells across the region
(AP) Not far from where Russia’s Foreign Minister is holding meetings in Tunisia on Thursday, large green billboards advertising Russia Today, a Kremlin-backed media outlet, have been recently erected. The ads are yet another indicator that Russia continues to expand its presence in North Africa as support for western powers across the Arab World fades amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Since October the region has been convulsed by protests about Israel’s latest war with Hamas, including in Tunis, where demonstrators have rallied in front of the United States and French embassies, chanting for a free Palestine. Arab Barometer, a non-partisan research firm, published data last week that suggested the United States’ popularity fell 30 percentage points in the weeks after the Israel-Hamas war began. It found France’s image also suffered. In the vacuum created by western powers’ diminishing popularity, Moscow has doubled down on efforts to strengthen its ties to North Africa and spread its narrative about issues including Ukraine and Gaza.
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Global Marketing And Digital Agencies Are Hiring From India, But Should You Too?
Between 2018-2022, 62.5% of global businesses from US, UK, and AUS relied on Indian remote talents for key operational roles. India is the most preferred remote hiring destination, miles ahead of LatAm, East EU, and East Asia. But why are global marketing and digital agencies hiring from India? Let us find out.
Why agencies are hiring remotely from India
Massive talent pool
India has 5 million tech and digital talents in 2023, making it the second-largest tech talent pool after the United States. Korn Ferry predicts that the rest of the world will face a shortage of 85 million tech talents by 2030, while India will be the only country with a net surplus of 245 million talents.
Cost-effective hiring
Local talents in US, UK, AUS, and SA are 14% more expensive than their remote alternatives. Cost remains a crucial factor for employers and the recent recessions to US and EU are prompting companies to control their expenses. India proves to be very cost-effective for global employers, as the low cost of living influences lower salary demands.
Global-ready talents
Indian talents are ready to be onboarded to global companies and add value with their varied skills. According to reports, 83% of Indian talents plan to upskill and improve their candidature for more crucial roles in organizations. Also, 40% of Indian talents are willing to work for companies from a different time zone. These points present a good argument for Indian remote talents as a feasible alternative to talents from other regions.
Remote Hiring Checklist For Global Agencies
This handy checklist will help you in ensuring an effective remote hiring experience in India:
Understand the roles you are offshoring
You do not need to offshore all the roles at your organization. Rather, start from highlighting which roles are better sourced from other countries and can be managed in a distributed setup. Operations-based roles, such as a developer or a business development executive can be sourced and managed from offshore regions. Leadership roles, however, are better filled with local talents who can easily align with the company’s culture and hold multiple meetings seamlessly.
Find the right hiring partner
There are several recruitment methods to choose from, online job boards, staffing agencies, hiring platforms, to name a few. However, each method offers distinct benefits and accuracy in hiring, which can decide the quality of the talent you onboard. For instance, staffing agencies are good for sourcing talents from certain regions, but hiring platforms cover the entire country and facilitate deep vetting for a better hiring experience. Assess your requirements and choose the right hiring partner wisely.
Use digital vetting tools
Tools like Versant, HireMee, iMocha, etc. are helping global employers evaluate their candidates for a particular role in a short time. These tools assess both technical proficiency and cultural adaptability of the talent, so you can make an informed hiring decision.
The Final Thoughts
So should you also hire remote talents from India? Absolutely, the country offers the best alternatives to other local talents and its future-ready talents ensure you stay ahead in the industry. Use the above checklist while offshore hiring from India and for more help, consider taking help of a hiring platform that provides end-to-end solutions.
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Initial ideas for Extended Visual Essay
[Idea 1]
What deems a man, a man? Or a woman a woman? Deep in the recesses of our collective consciousness is the part of our brains that distinguishes the man and the women. Conditioned by our lived experiences, whether they be; anthropological, financial, economical, sociological or perhaps even geographical. After having written the 1st Year essay regarding femininity in the scope of Asian Cinema and Culture; I wanted to delve deeper into this idea of binaries which I had barely scratched the surface of in first year. In addition, it was from the writings of Michel Foucault and Judith Butler with their books ‘History of Sexuality’ (1976) and ‘Gender Trouble’ (1990) respectively, in the 2nd Year that piqued my fascination with the true definition of binaries.
Intrigued that such a topic is so deeply engrained within the fabric of our daily lives, that rarely do we question the boundaries and definitions that we set ourselves. Discussion around the topic has, what I think, started to become a bit banal; rarely spoken about across generations. Only recently gaining traction after the release of the Barbie Movie (2023, dir. Greta Gerwig). It was from this movie, that I had only started seeing and questioned aspects of it in our daily lives, what influences these stereotypes and how they came to be. Two possible avenues that I could explore would be how hobbies can contribute to the reinforcement of gender identities or perhaps how the passing down of generational philosophies inherently maintains the status quo of either binary.
Artists that come to mind are Grayson Perry. Especially considering his extensive work on the lives of labourers in the UK midlands, specifically quarrymen and factory workers; victim to the deindustrialisation and outsourcing of work from the UK. Not to mention the privatisation of the UK during the late 1980s putting people out of jobs. Perry investigates the psychological impact that such an event had on the masculine identities of the men inhabiting derelict industrial towns; The feeling of being emasculated as a result.
Possible artists:
-Douglas Greenwood
-Sophie Day
-Zanele Muholi
-Jennie Baptist’s
-Nan Goldin
-Corinne Day
[Idea 2]
One other idea also stems from the previous idea, but more of a focus into my personal background. My upbringing as a 2nd generation immigrant. South East Asian culture or perhaps encompassing Asia as a whole. Delving into queer identities and gender norms through the lens of immigrant communities. Not to mention gender politics and traditions pre-colonial era in the Philippines. One interesting facet of Philippine history was the Babaylan tribe.
Predominantly a matriarchal society, the Babaylans were a tribe that were prominent during the pre-colonial era. Consisting of mostly women in positions of power, with men playing a similar role. While my level of knowledge surrounding this topic. It is interesting that a lot of the gender traditions that persist today have been due to colonial powers. Because of this, I wanted to explore this transition and the history of these unique identities that pre-date the arrival of colonial powers.
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BoE chief warns further rate rises are coming
New Post has been published on https://test.interestrate.co.uk/boe-chief-warns-further-rate-rises-are-coming-4/
BoE chief warns further rate rises are coming
The chief of the UK’s central bank has warned that further interest rate increases are on the cards due partly to a tight labour market. Speaking at a recent conference, Andrew Bailey, the Governor of the Bank of England (BoE), said recent statistics showed that while total wages have jumped 6% over the past year, this has been eaten up by inflation.
He suggested that as long as this situation continued, the likelihood of further interest rate hikes would continue to grow. However, other central bank senior officials have expressed concern that if monetary policy tightening goes too far, it could mean the nation is plunged into an even deeper recession.
Difficult to predict economic shocks
The BoE chief was asked whether he believed the central bank had failed to act quickly enough in response to soaring inflation.
However, he said a range of issues had hit the UK’s economy and that it had been impossible to predict all of these economic shocks. Some of the problems he highlighted included supply chain issues, the war in Ukraine, the tight labour market, and the fallout from the devastation of the global pandemic.
He said: “It was a very difficult call to make this time last year… with the benefit of hindsight, obviously things would have been different. If we had only had one supply shock, I think the response to that would be very different, where we’ve had this series of supply shocks.”
The risk of over-tightening
While Bailey has warned of further increases, the central bank’s newest interest rate-setter, Swati Dhingra, said she was very concerned about the impact of over-tightening.
Speaking to the Treasury Committee, she said: “You could think of getting into a much deeper, much longer recession if rates continue to rise because there is already about a fairly sizeable chunk of the previous rate rises that have got to take effect in terms of what they do to GDP. There is a risk of over-tightening, and that’s the thing I am worried about at this point.”
She also said that a deep recession would take its toll on younger workers, as past figures show that those entering the labour market during a downturn end up on “perpetually lower wages”.
The spate of rate hikes that have taken place over the past year has already taken its toll on household finances. Many of those with mortgages to pay have been left struggling to keep up with repayments. This has been made worse by ongoing issues such as soaring energy costs and food prices. Further interest rate hikes will put even more financial pressure on many already in a desperate situation.
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United Kingdom Soil Treatment Market Analysis, Industry Trends, Forecast 2022-2029
BlueWeave Consulting, a leading strategic consulting and market research firm, in its recent study, estimated the United Kingdom soil treatment market size at USD 1,056.81 million in 2022. During the forecast period between 2023 and 2029, the United Kingdom soil treatment market size is projected to grow at an impressive CAGR of 8.12% reaching a value of USD 1,806.99 million by 2029. Rapid urbanization and population expansion, which have reduced agricultural area and increased food shortages, are major growth drivers for the soil treatment market in the United Kingdom. Together with the increased demand for high-quality food grains, urbanization and population growth are the main factors favorably influencing the demand for soil treatment products.
United Kingdom Soil Treatment Market – Overview
Soil treatment is the process of treatment and elimination of impurities to cleanse and revitalize the soil. Techniques for soil remediation improve the quality of the environment and make it safer for human, animal, and plant life. Hazardous pollutants, such as PCBs, volatile chemicals, radioactive materials, metals, organic compounds, and microorganisms are removed or contained by them. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), ozone (O3), potassium permanganate (KMnO4), and sodium persulphate (Na2S2O8) are the most often utilized compounds for soil treatment. These substances can be employed either alone or in combination with other catalyzing agents to boost their activity and performance.
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United Kingdom Soil Treatment Market – By Technology
Based on technology, the United Kingdom soil treatment market is segmented into physicochemical, biological, thermal, and others. The biological soil treatment technology segment accounts for the highest share in the United Kingdom soil treatment market. Environmental scientists utilize specific bacteria during this procedure to absorb and degrade soil contaminants. Cleaner soil, healthier soil, and better air are all benefits of bioremediation. However, bioremediation is less invasive than excavation-based remediation techniques, which have the potential to be disruptive, and it can help with environmental impact cleanup without endangering fragile ecosystems.
Impact of COVID-19 on the United Kingdom Soil Treatment Market
In the UK, the COVID-19 pandemic led to an economic recession with a historically low GDP during the first lockdown in 2020. The market for soil remediation has been negatively impacted by COVID-19. The deployment of stringent lockdown measures significantly reduced the necessity for soil treatment. Due to a lack of workers and strong demand for vegetables, crop production declined, which further widened the supply-demand gap. There was a significant decline in the demand for organic compounds as well which affected the United Kingdom soil treatment market growth.
Competitive Landscape
Major players operating in the United Kingdom soil Treatment market include A.W. Jenkinson Forest Products, BASF SE, Clean Environments, Deep Soil Mixing Ltd, Golder Associates, Solutions Ltd, Terra Firma (Scotland) Ltd, Tarmac Trading Ltd, Thames Water Utilities Limited, and Veolia Environmental Services. To further enhance their market share, these companies employ various strategies, including mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, joint ventures, license agreements, and new product launches.
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