#10 year US Treasury | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

zvaigzdelasas · 3 months

Text

[Calcalist is Private Israeli Media]

"We have a huge deficit of ammunition not just in Ukraine but all over the world. We understand we should produce this here in Ukraine because all around the world it’s finished, it’s depleted. All the warehouses are empty," said Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal to the "Financial Times" in October of last year, addressing the ammunition situation of the Ukrainian army, which is interconnected with the challenges faced by the IDF.

The increased ammunition usage in the wars in Gaza and Ukraine has led to an unprecedented global shortage of ammunition of all types. While the IDF tries not to address the issue publicly, Major General Eliezer Toledano admitted last month that the IDF is reducing air attacks, emphasizing the necessity to "manage the economy of armaments" because the war will last a long time. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also commented on the matter, stating that "we need three things from the U.S.: armaments, armaments, armaments." At a press conference two weeks ago, Netanyahu announced that Israel is preparing the Israeli defense industries to "cut off dependence on the world," a goal that is not realistic in any way.[...]

[L]ast week the Director General of the Ministry of Defense Eyal Zamir concluded a huge deal with the American government for the supply of aerial ammunition in the hundreds of millions of dollars, and so far over 25,000 tons of weapons have been sent to Israel since the beginning of the war in about 280 aircraft and about 40 ships. The Israeli defense industry is also tasked with filling the IDF's stocks. About two weeks ago it was published in Calcalist that the Israeli companies postponed the supply of weapons worth more than $1.5 billion to their customers across the world to divert resources for the IDF's combat needs and that in the last three months, the Ministry of Defense ordered more than NIS 10 billion ($2.7 million) worth of weapons from them. It should be noted that the shortage does not stem from a lack of budget but from a lack of supply, and the Treasury does not restrict the IDF from purchasing ammunition of any kind.

The tremendous need for armaments stems from the unusual amount of bombings that the IDF has carried out in Gaza since the outbreak of the war. Two weeks ago, the army announced that 30,000 targets had been attacked in Gaza. A security source told Calcalist that the rate of fire the IDF is using in the current war is similar to that of a "superpower," is comparable only to the capabilities demonstrated by the U.S., and probably also exceeds the number of armaments of the Russians in the campaign against Ukraine.[...]

Another reason [for the increase in targets bombed] is that in the current war, the IDF adopted a policy of a lighter finger on the trigger [sic] regarding damage to infrastructure and Hamas operatives who are in a civilian environment, thus increasing the ability to hit targets that were not previously attacked. In addition to these reasons, there is also the added pressure from the political level, as well as from the [Israeli] public, who demand an increase in air force bombing to prevent as much as possible a risk to the forces on the ground.[...]

[O]ne should ask whether, considering the existing ammunition stockpile, this policy may not harm the IDF's readiness to carry out future missions, especially given the existing security challenges and the probable scenario in which the IDF will be forced to [sic] carry out an attack in southern Lebanon as well. The IDF may be forced to better clarify its limitations to the politicians to avoid reaching an extreme scenario of an ammunition shortage, or in the words of General Toledano: "There is no infinite army."

28 Jan 24

319 notes · View notes

mostlysignssomeportents · 4 months

Text

A year in illustration, 2023 edition (part two)

(This is part two; part one is here.)

The West Midlands Police were kind enough to upload a high-rez of their surveillance camera control room to Flickr under a CC license (they've since deleted it), and it was the perfect frame for dozens of repeating clown images with HAL9000 red noses. This worked out great. The clown face is from a 1940s ad for novelty masks.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/23/automation-blindness/#humans-in-the-loop

I spent an absurd amount of time transforming a photo I took of three pinball machines into union-busting themed tables, pulling in a bunch of images from old Soviet propaganda art. An editorial cartoon of Teddy Roosevelt with his big stick takes center stage, while a NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo's official portrait presides over the scene. I hand-made the eight-segment TILT displays.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/06/goons-ginks-and-company-finks/#if-blood-be-the-price-of-your-cursed-wealth

Working with the highest-possible rez sources makes all the difference in the world. Syvwlch's extremely high-rez paint-scraper is a gift to people writing about web-scraping, and the Matrix code waterfall mapped onto it like butter.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/17/how-to-think-about-scraping/

This old TWA ad depicting a young man eagerly pitching an older man has incredible body-language – so much so that when I replaced their heads with raw meat, the intent and character remained intact. I often struggle for background to put behind images like this, but high-rez currency imagery, with the blown up intaglio, crushes it.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/04/dont-let-your-meat-loaf/#meaty-beaty-big-and-bouncy

I transposed Photoshop instructions for turning a face into a zombie into Gimp instructions to make Zombie Uncle Sam. The guy looking at his watch kills me. He's from an old magazine illustration about radio broadcasting. What a face!

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/18/the-people-no/#tell-ya-what-i-want-what-i-really-really-want

The mansplaining guy from the TWA ad is back, but this time he's telling a whopper. It took so much work to give him that Pinnocchio nose. Clearly, he's lying about capitalism, hence the Atlas Shrugged cover. Bosch's "Garden of Earthly Delights" makes for an excellent, public domain hellscape fit for a nonconensual pitch about the miracle of capitalism.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/27/six-sells/#youre-holding-it-wrong

There's no better image for stories about techbros scamming rubes than Bosch's 'The Conjurer.' Throw in Jeff Bezos's head and an Amazon logo and you're off to the races. I boobytrapped this image by adding as many fingers as I could fit onto each of these figures in the hopes that someone could falsely accuse me of AI-generating this. No one did.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/06/attention-rents/#consumer-welfare-queens

Once again, it's Bosch to the rescue. Slap a different smiley-face emoji on each of the tormented figures in 'Garden of Earthly Delights' and you've got a perfect metaphor for the 'brand safety' problem of hard news dying online because brands don't want to be associated with unpleasant things, and the news is very unpleasant indeed.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/11/ad-jacency/#brand-safety

I really struggle to come up with images for my linkdump posts. I'm running out of ways to illustrate assortments and varieties. I got to noodling with a Kellogg's mini-cereal variety pack and I realized it was the perfect place for a vicious gorilla image I'd just found online in a WWI propaganda poster headed 'Destroy This Mad Brute.' I put so many fake AI tells in this one – extra pupils, extra fingers, a super-AI-esque Kellogg's logo.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/05/variegated/#nein

Bloodletting is the perfect metaphor for using rate-hikes to fight inflation. A vintage image of the Treasury, spattered with blood, makes a great backdrop. For the foreground, a medieval woodcut of bloodletting quacks – give one the head of Larry Summers, the other, Jerome Powell. For the patient, use Uncle Sam's head.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/20/bloodletting/#inflated-ego

I killed a long videoconference call slicing up an old pulp cover showing a killer robot zapping a couple of shrunken people in bell-jars. It was the ideal image to illustrate Big Tech's enshittification, especially when it was decorated with some classic tech slogans.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/22/who-wins-the-argument/#corporations-are-people-my-friend

There's something meditative about manually cutting out Tenniel engravings from Alice – the Jabberwock was insane. But it was worth it for this Tron-inflected illustration using a distorted Cartesian grid to display the enormous difference between e/acc and AI doomers, and everyone else in the world.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/27/10-types-of-people/#taking-up-a-lot-of-space

Multilayer source images for your remixing pleasure:

Scientist in chemlabhttps://craphound.com/images/scientist-in-chem-lab.psd

Humpty Dumpty and the millionaires https://craphound.com/images/humpty-dumpty-and-the-millionaires.psd

Demon summoning https://craphound.com/images/demon-summoning.psd

Killer Robot and People in Bell Jars https://craphound.com/images/killer-robot-and-bell-jars.psd

TWA mansplainer https://craphound.com/images/twa-mansplainer.psd

Impatient boss https://craphound.com/images/impatient-boss.psd

Destroy This Mad Brute https://craphound.com/images/destroy-this-mad-brute.psd

(Images: Heinz Bunse, West Midlands Police, Christopher Sessums, CC BY-SA 2.0; Mike Mozart, Jesse Wagstaff, Stephen Drake, Steve Jurvetson, syvwlch, Doc Searls, https://www.flickr.com/photos/mosaic36/14231376315, Chatham House, CC BY 2.0; Cryteria, CC BY 3.0; Mr. Kjetil Ree, Trevor Parscal, Rama, “Soldiers of Russia” Cultural Center, Russian Airborne Troops Press Service, CC BY-SA 3.0; Raimond Spekking, CC BY 4.0; Drahtlos, CC BY-SA 4.0; Eugen Rochko, Affero; modified)

#pluralistic #illustration #collage #fair use #creative commons

198 notes · View notes

octuscle · 7 months

Text

Gym Motivation

Lord knows Michael wasn't one of the little guys. He had an impressive body for a 17-year-old. But after going through a growth spurt with a decent weight gain, his weight stagnated. Despite lifting iron at least three times a week for two to three hours at the gym, he had gained maybe a pound in the last two months. It was frustrating. It was most frustrating when Vlad was working out. Vlad was barely older than Michael. Maybe 22 or 23 years old. But Vlad was a colossus. The ground shook under his steps. The air shook when he performed the last repetition with a shout at the end of a set. And the air was thick with fresh and old sweat when he walked through the gym. Vlad rarely spoke to any of the other visitors to the gym. Mostly to gain access to the dumbbells or some piece of equipment. Never had anyone dared to not make room for Vlad immediately.

"Little brother, are you going to be here much longer?" Vlad's booming bass with its heavy Slavic accent went through Michael's entire body. The colossus stood behind the barbell bench, the bulge of his cock just above Michael's head. Michael's throat went dry, and not just because of the smell of sweat and musk. He shook his head. Vlad added a 20-pound plate on either side of the barbell bar without being asked. "I'm going to help you get big, little brother. Come on, ten reps." Michael gave it his all, embarrassing himself in front of his idol was out of the question. With a loud cry, he set the dumbbell down after the tenth repetition. He had never lifted such a weight before. Vlad added 50 kg twice, gestured for Michael to get up, and laid himself down on the barbell bench. "You help when Vlad can't anymore." Michael nodded, even though he knew he had no chance of catching that weight if needed. But Vlad didn't need any help, either.

It was 10:30 p.m. when the janitor switched the lights to emergency and told them he was locking up in fifteen minutes. The gym was deserted. Michael was exhausted. Vlad stripped off his sweaty tank top and did a double biceps pose in front of the mirror. "Good workout, but now Vlad horny." He pulled the waistband of his workout shorts down and his boner jumped up like a jack-in-the-box. Michael didn't need to think, he got on his knees and sucked the fattest balls he had ever seen. And after a few minutes Vlad cummed his massive load into Michael's face. After that he turned around without a word and left. Completely alone in the studio, Michael took off his T-shirt and used it to wipe everything he hadn't been able to swallow out of the corners of his mouth. He also did a double biceps pose. And he was convinced that he had gained mass.

At 06:30, Michael woke up. Fuck, those had been wild dreams. Wet dreams. His boxers, pubic hair, and the Treasury Trail between his abs were cum-encrusted. Michael did three sets of pushups and three sets of situps and went to the bathroom. Before showering, he did another double biceps pose. The workout yesterday had really paid off. Michael loved the bush in his armpits. For a senior in high school, he really had plenty of body hair.

Michael skipped shaving for once today. He was running late as it was. As he gulped down his protein shake and lean curds, his mother reminded him that today was her mother's birthday. Michael loved his baba. But talking to her on the phone was exhausting. Despite her American husband, she had never learned to speak English properly. And Michael had learned little Bulgarian from his mother. But a "Happy Birthday" she would understand. Because of the time difference, Michael made the call right on the way to school.

It was hard to concentrate at school. Michael scribbled pictures of massive mounds of muscle with huge dicks in his notebooks. And he couldn't wait to get back to the gym. Even though he knew Vlad was never here this early, he was disappointed not to hear the colossus' groan as he entered the Gym at 5:00 PM. Motivated by yesterday's workout, Michael put on more weights than he usually did. And he also felt stronger than usual. And while he proudly lifted 280 kg on the leg press, he took in the scent of clenched manhood behind him. "Little brother, are you warming up? Hold on, let me put some weights on." And though he needed all the blood in his legs, Michael got a boner.

At 10:30 p.m., Vlad dropped his barbell with a crash after the last set. "Come on, little brother!" he said, heading toward the locker room. Again, the gym was deserted. And again Vlad's monstrous cock popped out of his pants. "No blowjob today, fuck today!" Michael could hardly wait. Never before had a man fucked him. And never had he felt like he did the moment Vlad shot his load. Vlad caught the cum dripping from Michael's ass with his calloused hands and made Michael lick his hands like a dog. And with his hands still wet from spit and cum, Vlad jerked Michael off afterwards. And massaged the load Michael had cum on his chest into his stomach and pecs with vigorous movements. "Gives hair on chest" grinned Vlad.

When Mikael woke up the next morning, he could already smell fresh pitki. This meant that his mother was once again homesick for her hometown Sofia. Mikael knew that. Then she hummed Bulgarian folk songs all day, spoke only Bulgarian to him and his father (which was less difficult for Mikael, who had grown up bilingual, than for his father), and cooked oodles of Bulgarian home cooking. Oh well, Mikael thought to himself as he washed down his breakfast with a gallon of protein shake, Vlad will be pleased. Because, as usual, his mother had packed a large portion of pitki for his colleague.

Of course, his father would have preferred it if Mikael had gone to college and studied law as well. But maybe he would do that again. So go to college and study mechanical engineering. But right now, he wanted nothing more than to fix truck engines. He and Vlad were a well-rehearsed and unbeatable team. And if the two of them could work bare-chested, they were even better. At least according to their own convictions. Especially on a Friday, when the weekend was already within reach. At 3:00 p.m., the two beefcakes swapped their mechanic overalls for sweatshorts and tank tops and headed to the gym.

Those who regularly worked out at the gym knew the two beefcakes and knew that it got loud when they lifted weights. And they also knew that the smell the two gave off could have a numbing as well as an aphrodisiac effect. And those who knew the two better knew that on Fridays they both ended their workouts with a sauna session. No wonder that, apart from Mikael's and Vlad's regular place, the sauna was full at 8:00 pm. Not a few hoped to be allowed to blow one of the two or even to be fucked by them. But also today Vlad cum in Mikael's face. And Mikael in Vlad's.

Also on Saturday morning Mikhail's and Vlad's day started early. In their father's trucking company, they worked around the clock. Their parents taught them on a daily basis that as Bulgarian immigrants they had to work harder than anyone else. And Mikail and Vlad worked harder than any of their employees. One of their drivers had dropped out and Vlad had to fill in. That sucked. That meant that their joint training was cancelled today. On the other hand, Mikhail was happy if he got a chance to catch up with his big brother. He would also work out harder than everyone else at the gym today.

And there was one more advantage to working out alone: He had the free choice of which bro from the gym would be allowed to suck his sweaty balls and cock afterwards.

Inspiration for the story by @windysidewalk. Pic of Mikhail found @woolf200

#male tf #muscle tf #reality change #male transformation #muscle transformation #tank top

360 notes · View notes

phoenixyfriend · 1 month

Text

Ko-Fi prompt from Isabelo:

Hi! I'm new to the workforce and now that I have some money I'm worried it's losing its value to inflation just sitting in my bank. I wanted to ask if you have ideas on how to counteract inflation, maybe through investing?

I've been putting this off for a long time because...

I am not a finance person. I am not an investments person. I actually kinda turned and ran from that whole sector of the business world, at first because I didn't understand it, and then once I did understand it, because I disagreed with much of it on a fundamental level.

But... I can describe some factors and options, and hope to get you started.

I AM NOT LEGALLY QUALIFIED TO GIVE FINANCIAL ADVICE. THIS IS NOT FINANCIAL ADVICE.

What is inflation, and what impacts it?

Inflation is the rate at which money loses value over time. It's the reason something that cost 50 cents in the 1840s costs $50 now.

A lot of things do impact inflation, like housing costs and wage increases and supply chains, but the big one that is relevant here is federal interest rates. The short version: if you borrow money from the government, you have to pay it back. The higher the interest rates on those loans, the lower inflation is. This is for... a lot of reasons that are complicated. The reason I bring it up is less so:

The government offers investments:

So yeah, the feds can impact inflation, but they also offer investment opportunities. There are three common types available to the average person: Bonds, Bills, and Notes. I'll link to an article on Investopedia again, but the summary is as follows: You buy a bill, bond, or note from the government. You have loaned them money, as if you are the bank. Then, they give it back, with interest.

Treasury Bills: shortest timeframe (four weeks to a year), and lowest return on investment. You buy it at a discount (let's say $475), and then the government returns the "full value" that the bond is, nominally (let's say $500). You don't earn twice-yearly interest, but you did earn $25 on the basis of Loaning The Government Some Cash.

Treasury Notes: 2-10 year timeframe. Very popular, very stable. Banks watch it to see how they should plan the interest rates for mortgages and other large loans. Also pretty high liquidity, which means you can sell it to someone else if you suddenly need the cash before your ten-year waiting period is up. You get interest payments twice a year.

Treasury Bonds: 20-30 years. This is like... the inverse of a house mortgage. It takes forever, but it does have the highest yield. You get interest payments twice a year.

Why invest money into the US Treasury department, whether through the above or a different government paper? (Savings bonds aren't on sold the set schedule that treasury bonds are, but they only come in 30-year terms.)

It is very, very low risk. It is pretty much the lowest risk investment a person can make, at least in the US. (I'm afraid I don't know if you're American, but if you're not, your country probably has something similar.)

Interest rates do change, often in reaction or in relation to inflation. If your primary concern is inflation, not getting a high return on investment, I would look into government papers as a way to ensure your money is not losing value on you.

This is the website that tells you the government's own data for current yield and sales, etc. You can find a schedule for upcoming auctions, as well.

High-yield bank accounts:

Savings accounts can come with a pretty unremarkable but steady return on investment; you just need to make sure you find one that suits you. Some of the higher-yield accounts require a minimum balance or a yearly fee... but if you've got a good enough chunk of cash to start with, that might be worth it for you.

They are almost as reliable as government bonds, and are insured by the government up to $250,000. Right now, they come with a lower ROI than most bonds/bills/notes (federal interest rates are pretty high at the moment, to combat inflation). Unlike government papers, though, you can deposit and withdraw money from a savings account pretty much any time.

Certificates of Deposit:

Okay, imagine you are loaning money to your bank, with the fixed term of "I will get this money back with interest, but only in ten years when the contract is up" like the Treasury Notes.

That's what this is.

Also, Investopedia updates near-daily with the highest rates of the moment, which is pretty cool.

Property:

Honestly, if you're coming to me for advice, you almost definitely cannot afford to treat real estate as an investment thing. You would be going to an actual financial professional. As such... IDK, people definitely do it, and it's a standby for a reason, but it's not... you don't want to be a victim of the housing bubble, you know? And me giving advice would probably make you one. So. Talk to a professional if this is the route you want to take.

Retirement accounts:

Pension accounts are a kind of savings account. You've heard of a 401(k)? It's that. Basically, you put your money in a savings account with a company that specializes in pensions, and they invest it in a variety of different fields and markets (you can generally choose some of this) in order to ensure that the money grows enough that you can hopefully retire on it in fifty years. The ROI is usually higher than inflation.

These kinds of accounts have a higher potential for returns than bonds or treasury notes, buuuuut they're less reliable and more sensitive to market fluctuations.

However, your employer may pay into it, matching your contribution. If they agree to match up to 4%, and you pay 4% of your paycheck into an pension fund, then they will pay that same amount and you are functionally getting 8% of your paycheck put into retirement while only paying for half of it yourself.

Mutual Funds:

I've definitely linked this article before, but the short version is:

An investment company buys 100 shares of stock: 10 shares each in 10 different "general" companies. You, who cannot afford a share of each of these companies, buy 1 singular share of that investment company. That share is then treated as one-tenth of a share of each of those 10 "general" companies. You are one of 100 people who has each bought "one stock" that is actually one tenth of ten different stocks.

Most retirement funds are actually a form of mutual fund that includes employer contributions.

Pros: It's more stable than investing directly in the stock market, because you can diversify without having to pay the full price of a share in each company you invest in.

Cons: The investment company does get a cut, and they are... often not great influences on the economy at large. Mutual funds are technically supposed to be more regulated than hedge funds (which are, you know, often venture capital/private equity), but a lot of mutual funds like insurance companies and pension funds will invest a portion of their own money into hedge funds, which is... technically their job. But, you know, capitalism.

Directly investing in the stock market:

Follow people who actually know what they're doing and are not Evil Finance Bros who only care about the bottom line. I haven't watched more than a few videos yet, but The Financial Diet has had good energy on this topic from what I've seen so far, and I enjoy the very general trends I hear about on Morning Brew.

That said, we are not talking about speculative capital gains. We are talking about making sure inflation doesn't screw with you.

DIVIDENDS are profit that the company shares to investors every quarter. Did the company make $2 billion after paying its mortgages, employees, energy bill, etc? Great, that $2 billion will be shared out among the hundreds of thousands of stocks. You'll probably only get a few cents back per stock (e.g. Walmart has been trading at $50-$60 for the past six months, and their dividends have been 57 cents and then 20.75 cents), but it adds up... sort of. The Walmart example is listed as having dividends that are lower than inflation, so you're actually losing money. It's part of why people rely on capital gains so much, rather than dividends, when it comes to building wealth.

Blue Chip Stocks: These are old, stable companies that you can expect to return on your investment at a steady rate. You probably aren't going to see your share jump from $5 to $50 in a year, but you also probably won't see it do the reverse. You will most likely get reliable, if not amazing, dividends.

Preferred Stocks: These are stock shares that have more reliable dividends, but no voting rights. Since you are, presumably, not a billionaire that can theoretically gain a controlling share, I can't imagine the voting rights in a given company are all that important anyway.

Anyway, hope this much-delayed Intro To Investing was, if not worth the wait, at least, a bit longer than you expected.

Hey! You got interest on the word count! It's topical! Ish.

#economics #capitalism #phoenix talks #ko fi #ko fi prompts #research #business #investment #finance #treasury bonds #savings bonds #certificate of deposit #united states treasury #stocks #stock market #mutual funds #pension funds

63 notes · View notes

whatthehellami · 4 months

Text

When the villain had been sent to the government's base for an infiltration test by the academy, they were quite frankly bored. The guards were too predictable, the traps did not function well and their own teammates were too scared to be of any entertainment. What was the use of such a mission if they were not having fun?

Just when they had managed to knock out the last guard in front of the treasury, the hero had shown up.

What a lovely thing.

The hero was large. The villain themselves were pretty well built with a stature of about 5'10 but the Hero towered over their entire group. The lumbering giant had quite literally blocked the entrance and the defiant gaze told that they wouldn't let anyone pass through.

The villain had openly laughed. Their teammates, battered and bruised had quickly fled when Hero had brought out a 3 foot long sword.

"Ehhh, do you even know how to handle that thing?" The villain had smiled. They could easi-

The villain still laughs when they remember the punch which the Hero had thrown. It had felt as if the Hero had rearranged their guts in the most non-sexual way possible.

"Damn" The villain had coughed, the hero's hand keeping them up. "Just what do you even eat to have that strength?"

The hero's eyes had widened and the 6 foot something buffoon had blushed. Their arms lost the rigidity and they stuttered, not able to meet villain's eyes.

"I'm sorry, a-actually I have a hard time controlling my strength a-"

The upper cut which villain had blessed the hero with barely moved them. That day, the villain had somehow escaped the hero's clutch with the help of pepper spray but at last, the villain felt that their decision of becoming the villain was an accurate one.

"It has been 10 years and I still wonder what you eat to have that strength." The villain coughed and looked up at the towering hero who merely smirked in reply.

92 notes · View notes

ystrike1 · 1 year

Text

Spring Amidst My Wintertide - By Jusang (7.5/10)

I've decided to give this author another chance. I'm sure you can see why. When the art is good it's great. Here we get a prime example of a puppy yandere with actual animal characteristics. It's an edgy Beauty and the Beast, complete with confinement, if you want a really short summary.

Perfect princesses only exist in the spring. When the land is fruitful and the citizens are happy that is when the royal family flourishes. The allure and beauty of royal blood dies with withering prosperity.

Serun Greenwood was a beautiful, wealthy princess. She had a loving and large family. Her family wasn't too corrupt. They had a treasury. An army. Loyal servants, but in the end men are dogs. Dogs must eat. Winter makes beasts of us all.

War. Starvation. Both hit the nation at once. Everything drained away during those seven years. Serun Greenwood watched her family die. They were torn apart for sport by soldiers, inside the castle she once called home.

She is suffering from terrible survivors guilt.

Her life is over.

She is a weak princess.

She has been captured, and she is going to be sacrificed to the wolves of the black mountain. The people are mad for spring. They clamor for food, but every harvest keeps getting harder. She was going to be executed....but using a royal princess as a spring sacrifice will please the gods more. So she gets transported through the freezing hail, all the way up.

She is known as the fairest maiden by the way.

Now, her soldiers see her as a piece of meat.

They leave her in the cage, to freeze to death and be eaten later. She won't last long. All she has is a towel. She looks back, and she is conflicted.

She hates surviving hardship, and life without her princess title, but she doesn’t want to die.

The wolves come, and her depression snaps away. The fog clears. She wants to live. She wants to start anew. She doesn't care about being a princess. Not now. Not when she knows what people are like.

She just wants to live.

She locks eyes with a huge, white wolf. This is a short story. It feels like it should be much longer, but it is enjoyable for these reasons.

The love interest is a supernatural creature. Not just some guy with animal ears. He's not all powerful either. He has a human form, but it's not like he's the absolute king of beasts. The other wolves try to eat her, while he tries to woo her. He convinces her to let him kiss and touch her, so she can have his scent and be protected from the other wolves. The white wolf has loved the princess for a long time. He saw her once when she was younger, and he's an obsessive sort of animal humanoid...thing.

It works.

I don't know the whole story, but the short length is disappointing. "Monster" yanderes usually get watered down, but in this case the princess does have to live in the wilderness. Not a generic fantasy country. The beast prince is just a beast, and there's no country to return to. The princess is also mentally unstable, which makes her budding relationship even muddier.

It's dark.

#yandere #male yandere #yandere male #yandere boy #recommendations #recs #rec #recommended #webtoon #monster guy #monster boy #Spring Amidst My Wintertide

213 notes · View notes

morninkim · 3 months

Text

SV Timeskip Zero Gang designs!!

feel free to shoot any questions my way if you're curious about them, but lil notes on post-timeskip stuff under the cut:

10 years after game events (Scarlet + HToAZ, specifically)

Arven's 27 and a part time chef at Treasury Eatery

Nemona's 26 and Top Champion (Rika takes over League Chairman duties)

Penny's starting a tech security company

Florian's an adventurer and amateur paleontologist

extra notes:

Arven and Nemona are engaged but still call each other my wife (Arven's been agender butch lesbianified) - they're also trying to figure out regulations to allow for safe use of Paradox Pokémon in league battles

Florian's been in an LDR with Kieran for a while now

Penny has an on/off deal with Carmine she doesn't really talk about much

10 years after it shut down thanks to the efforts of the Zero Gang and Koraidon, the time machine has mysteriously turned back on and is bringing more Paradox Pokémon to the present. However, these new Paradox Pokémon are robotic - not at all like the Ancient Pokémon Sada had studied - and seem to resemble several creatures described in issues of Occulture Magazine.

The team's gotta come back together and get help from some friends to figure out what's happened in Area Zero and who's behind it!

#pokemon #pokemon sv #pokemon scarlet violet #pokemon scarvi #timeskip designs #zero gang #sv timeskip #my art #extremely proud of how these guys came out actually #wasn't gonna shade them at first but i needed something to keep my hands occupied during d&d so. lmao #also tried SO HARD not to go overboard w shading and i think i did a lil w penny #but also she's got more stuff that'd interact w light than the others so not that big a deal #ALSO also i think i fuckin. ate w florian's outfit actually. basically just gave him a sygna suit but he wears it all the time ehehehe #koraidon's his best pal (aside from skeledirge)!!! they match now!!!

28 notes · View notes

1533-secrets-from-history · 9 months

Text

10 most Influential women in the Ottoman Empire (plus five non- sultans)

I must say in advance, this is purely my opinion and it doesn't include legal power,but general influence. For example if one woman had more legal power but still was limited to some actions, that another woman could get away with, I will rank her higher. Let's start with non sultans.

Part I: Non-Sultans

Number 5: Çevri kalfa

Çevri kalfa was a woman of Georgian origin and previously loyal servant to Nakşidili Sultan (also Georgian). She became mistress head treasurer( Baş hazindar usta) after accession of Mahmud II, who she saved from executioners by throwing them hot coals and sneaking the prince out. After becoming Head treasurer, she attained so much wealth that she could afford expensive clothes not even sultans wore. A girls school, built in her name, is one of the first schools for girls and the biggest primary school in Istanbul. She remained in her office until her death and was Sultan's trusted and favoured advisor.

Number 4: Meleki Kalfa

Meleki kalfa was a servant of Kösem and Ibrahim, however following the deposition of the sultan, she secretly switched sides as an agent of Turhan. Meleki played an important role in Turhan's rebellion by giving her information about Kösem's plan to dethrone Mehmed. After Kösem's death and Turhan's accession, she became an important person in Valide Sultan's court, was freed and married to Şaban Khalife. The couple built a residence in Istanbul, where Meleki not only conditioned her line of information to Turhan, but also acted as a negotiator in the palace on behalf of people. The political influence of her and her husband grew so much and they were murdered in 1656 for abuse of power.

Number 3: Gulfem Hatun

I have spoken about her in my previous posts

Number 2: Mahidevran Hatun

I have thought a lot about where to put her. People would expect her to be Number 1,mostly because they are used to her being sultan. That is what I first thought,for other reasons,but here we are. She has several significant influences that not many other women had:

1. She was popular with janissaries and people

2. Had a spy network, allowing her to hear major events happening in the capital.

3. She had strong allies. Ibrahim Paşa supported her and Mustafa later in his life, Hatice and her husband were supporting her openly or indirectly.

4. She was a considerable rival to the first and one of the most powerful women in the ottoman empire.

5. She had powerful characteristics: Was an intelligent, educated woman. Could mask her resentment towards Hürrem and act calmly around him.

6. She was a trusted advisor to her son. Actually, she supported the idea of Mustafa revolting against Suleiman,but only after she received information about his imminent execution, through her spy network.

Number 1: Çanfeda Kalfa

Çanfeda was the woman of Circassian origin, who served as second in command of Nurbanu for 18 years and the ruler of harem for another 11, so we can say she was de-facto Valide sultan.

In her almost three decades of service, she acquired wealth, so great that it attracted negative attention of Janissaries and even the grand Vizier. Although she collected such affluence through her salary(that was extraordinarily high consisting of 200 akches a day, it was the average salary of an imperial princess) and bribery, she used it for selfless purposes. She built three mosques, fountains, hamams, two schools, irrigation systems and fixed the roads, costing her several million akches, still she remained as one of the wealthiest people in the empire. In 1595, when Safiye exiled her, she needed dozens of carriages to carry her holdings, which apparently did not consist of much of the furniture, because she bought it from Venice the next year. It's also considerable that as an exiled person, she had to give up some of her wealth to imperial treasury.

Apart from her vital involvements in harem management in which she dominated Safiye, she had considerable influence over state matters as well. Çanfeda used her connections to install her not so bright brothers as paşas and after the series of mistakes,they were imprisoned, Çanfeda not only defied Grand viziers orders and had them set free,but restored them to their offices as well. Her power, wealth and influence came to the attention of Janissaries, who demanded her dead, but she got away with this as well. Another indication of her power, was her attempt to free the second son of sultan Murad. Even though she was caught red handed, the power it would take to infiltrate the prison is still considerable.

P.S. I did not list Halime and Handan,because after becoming Valide Sultans and regents they reached a whole different level, leagues above almost every single woman in ottoman history, however their power and influence was immense even when they were Hatuns.

As there is only 10 images/Gif limit. I will speak about 10 most powerful women in second posts.

68 notes · View notes

kp777 · 8 months

Text

By Jake Johnson

Common Dreams

Aug. 29, 2023

"The evidence presented in Treasury's report challenges the view that worker empowerment holds back economic prosperity," a department economist wrote.

A report released Monday by the U.S. Treasury Department argues that labor unions are critical to combating income inequality, which has risen dramatically in recent decades as union membership has declined and real wages have largely stagnated.

The report estimates that unions boost the wages of their members by between 10% and 15%, an impact that spreads to the broader economy as nonunion workplaces compete for employees.

"Unions also improve fringe benefits and workplace procedures such as retirement plans, workplace grievance policies, and predictable scheduling," the report notes. "These workplace improvements contribute substantially to middle-class financial stability and worker well-being. For example, one study has estimated that the average worker values their ability to avoid short-notice schedule changes at up to 20% of their wages."

In a summary of the report's findings, Treasury Department economist Laura Feiveson wrote that "increased unionization has the potential to contribute to the reversal of the stark increase in inequality seen over the last half-century."

"All in all, the evidence presented in Treasury's report challenges the view that worker empowerment holds back economic prosperity," wrote Feiveson. "In addition to their effect on the economy through more equality, unions can have a positive effect on productivity through employee engagement and union voice effects, providing a roadmap for the type of union campaigns that could lead to additional growth."

The Treasury Department report was released less than a week after UPS Teamsters ratified a five-year contract that includes substantial wage increases, a deal secured after the union threatened a nationwide strike.

The United Auto Workers (UAW) union is also looking to win a major pay increase for General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis employees. Last week, 97% of UAW members who participated in the vote opted to authorize a strike if contract talks with the three automakers fail.

Meanwhile, Hollywood writers and actors are still on strike, and others across the country—including nurses, hotel workers, and city employees—have walked off the job in recent weeks to demand better pay, benefits, and conditions.

The wave of strikes followed significant labor victories in 2022, a year in which Starbucks employees organized hundreds of locations across the U.S.—victories that contributed to an increase in the total number of U.S. workers in unions last year.

The union membership rate, however, fell from 10.3% in 2021 to a record-low 10.1% in 2022 as nonunion jobs grew at a faster rate than union jobs.

In a Monday speech outlining her department's findings, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that unions are "critically important to workers' well-being."

"Unionization also has spillover effects," Yellen added. "Competition means workers at nonunionized firms may see increased wages too. Heightened workplace safety norms can pull up whole industries. Benefits also spill over to workers' families and communities."

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.

#treasury department #janet yellen #unions #unionization #labor unions

50 notes · View notes

daitranscripts · 4 months

Text

Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts Deleted Dialogue

Various snippets of dialogue that didn’t make it into the final cut of the game - listed in scene order.

Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts Masterpost

—

Guard: This storeroom is locked for the party. The palace entrance is over there… through the very large, gilded doors.

Guard: My lady. You have had too much wine. This is a locked storeroom. Not an entrance. Guard: My lord. This door is locked for a reason. Please go into the palace through the front doors.

Guard: What was that? Merde…

Guard: The steward will have our hides for this.

—

Sera: I could break more stuff. Just for fun? This place is so dull.

Dialogue options:

I need a diversion.

We’ll go in soon.

I need a diversion. PC: Do me a favor, Sera. Distract those guards over there so I can see that they’re protecting. Sera: You bet your arse I will!

We’ll go in soon. PC: We’re going inside soon. Just be patient. Sera: Ugh! So bored!

Sera: (Yawns.) Whatever.

—

Dialogue options:

General: It’s an honor. +10 Court Approval (Vivienne in party)

Celene (Vivienne in party): Accompanied by our court enchantress, no less. Vivienne: Your loyal servant is delighted to be in your presence, Your Majesty.

—

Solas: Such lovely pageantry.

—

Iron Bull: They said this stuff is a garnish, but nobody stops you if you fill your plate with it.

—

Vivienne: Watch your back, Inquisitor. Remember: everyone here wants you dead.

—

Speaking to Gaspard’s vassal

Nobility perk: I am interested in heraldry. (Use the Nobility/Politics persuade.) PC: It’s good to see the council present. I’ve always had a love of heraldry. Vassal: Indeed, the council had to be present, since the talks concern inheritance of the throne. Of course, they would have hardly refused any invitation from Empress Celene.

Dialogue options:

She is delightful.

That would be madness.

What about from Gaspard?

She is delightful. PC: The empress is very elegant. Vassal: Her majesty is a far more brilliant jewel than anything from the imperial treasury!

That would be madness. PC: No one would turn down the empress! Better to paint yourself blue and live in the trees! Vassal: You have it exactly right, Inquisitor! Better to give up civilization entirely than live without the empress.

What about from Gaspard? PC: But would they refuse an invitation from the grand duke? Vassal: Absolutely! He had allies on the council once, but burned those bridges years ago. Gaspard is a villain. Little better than a bully. Shouting his vile death at the council to give him the crown. The Chalons heraldry will never over the palace. The council will not bow to him.

Vassal: But I must get back to work! It is a rare pleasure to speak with someone knowledgeable. Good evening, Inquisitor

—

Speaking to Lady Marcellette

Nobility/Politics: Court history is fascinating. (Use the Nobility/Politics persuade.)

Nobility/Politics: Court history is fascinating. PC: I’ve always been intrigued by the history of the Imperial Court.

Lady Marcellette (non-human PC): Really? I would never have expected… Lady Marcellette (human PC): History is a living subject. So few understand that.

Lady Marcellette: The struggles of the court a hundred years ago still plague us to this day.

Dialogue options:

Even longer than that. PC: Not only the last age. Thousands of years of history still make their mark on the future.

Some people never learn. PC: We are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past if we don’t pay attention to our forebears.

They caused the civil war. PC: Certainly, they brought us to the current war.

Lady Marcellette: Truly! How much of what happens tonight was set in motion by the Queen Mother Asha Subria in the Exalted Age? How much bloodshed could have been avoided by a word from the Emperor Etienne I in the Blessed Age?

Dialogue options:

If only we could find out.

It’s fun to speculate.

Better not to wonder.

If only we could find out. PC: It’s a pity we’ll never know. Lady Marcellette: True. But understanding where our trouble begins is the first step toward solving them.

It’s fun to speculate. PC: I’ll bet you concoct stories in your spare time about how different things would be. Lady Marcellette: Well, I’ve written a few… but they’re not worth sharing.

Better not to wonder. PC: It’s wiser not to play “what if?” Lady Marcellette: Very true.

Lady Marcellette: You should visit the library while you’re here! It isn’t open, but I can give you the key. It’s an absolute treasure for history lovers. You must not miss it.

—

Noble 1: Very well.

Noble 1: Indeed? If the Inquisition intends to hold those deserters accountable, I should be glad to pledge my support.

—

Noble: She’s trampling the wisteria! Has she gone mad?

Noble: He’s brutalizing the wisteria! How dreadful!

—

Noble 1: Is that the Inquisitor? What is she doing? Noble 2: She wouldn’t actually climb that trellis, would she?

Noble 1: Is that… the Inquisitor? Where is he going? Noble 2: He wouldn’t dare climb that trellis, would he?

Dialogue options:

Just looking at the garden.

It’s adventurous.

Shut up.

Just looking at the garden. PC: Of course not. I’m simply admiring these plants. Noble 2: A thousand pardons, Inquisitor.

It’s adventurous. PC: In every Orlesian romance, someone climbs a trellis. Admit it, you were thinking of doing the same. Noble 2: Whatever I might have thought, I wouldn’t have done it…

Shut up. PC: Mind your own business. Noble 2: Hmph!

—

PC: Uh-huh. Something funny about this.

—

PC: Maker, these people hate me. How do I fix this? PC: Josephine will kill me if I mess this up any worse. Now what?

—

Underworld: We might work together. (Use the Underworld/Criminals persuade)

PC: I want the grand duke’s men there out of the way, and unless I’m mistaken, you want the same thing… Elf 2: I think we understand each other. Elf 1: My [lord/lady] Inquisitor.

—

In the game room:

Dialogue options:

I can answer. (Use the arcane persuade.) PC: The answer is “What does it have in its pockets?”

Noble 2: How did you answer that so easily?

—

Dialogue options:

Why did you two part ways?

You still love her.

Investigate: Why did you two part ways? PC: What made the two of you part ways? Celene: She wanted change. And she thought I should deliver it. My word is law, Inquisitor, but laws don’t command people’s hearts. Culture does not transform itself overnight. She never loved me. Only my influence. Wisdom is never bought cheaply.

General: You still love her. PC: Maybe you kept it because you still care for Briala. Celene: I do. it is not wise, but… we cannot always be wise.

—

Dialogue options:

Maybe it’s sentimental.

It was yours, then.

Maybe it’s sentimental PC: It might have meant something to her. Briala: Or she held onto it in case she needed something.

It was yours, then. PC: So, this did belong to you. Briala: It did. But that was a long time ago.

—

On entering royal wing:

Varric: I didn’t think you were drunk enough for this plan, Handy.

Varric: Usually we don’t reach this stage of a plan without a lot more drink, Lucky.

—

In Celene’s Quarters:

If the PC doesn’t free the man and speaks to him again: Noble: You piece of shit. Let me out!

—

Josephine: Oh, no, no. You can’t dance in that.

—

Celene: I do. Those “wild stories” have made some things abundantly clear. Gaspard: I hardly know what to believe anymore. Briala: I think everyone believes them, Your Grace.

—

Celene: Gaspard? Do you have any last words?

#dragon age inquisition #dai transcripts #dragon age #dragon age transcripts #dragon age dialogue #dai #long post #wewh #wicked eyes and wicked hearts #deleted dialogue

21 notes · View notes

mariacallous · 3 days

Text

US senators Elizabeth Warren and Bill Cassidy have called for the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security to redouble efforts to stop the use of cryptocurrency to pay for child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online, a problem they claim has worsened.

In a letter sent on Thursday, addressed to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, the senators claim that the “pseudonymity” afforded by crypto transactions is helping those that trade in CSAM to evade detection by law enforcement.

Citing data from the US Treasury’s Financial Crime Enforcement Network as well as research from Chainalysis, a company that specializes in tracing crypto transactions, and the Internet Watch Foundation, a CSAM-focused charity, the letter asserts that the “use of cryptocurrency in the illicit trade of CSAM appears to be increasing.”

Between 2020 and 2022, financial institutions identified 1,800 bitcoin wallets suspected of engaging in transactions linked to child sexual exploitation or human trafficking, the letter states. Although the scale of the crypto-based market for CSAM decreased in 2023, Chainalysis found, an increase in sophistication among sellers allowed them to evade detection for far longer than in previous years.

The people participating in the trade of CSAM online use a variety of methods to conceal their activity, the senators claim, including using crypto mixing services and ATMs to conceal the origin of funds used in CSAM transactions and to launder the proceeds.

“These are deeply troubling findings revealing the extent to which cryptocurrency is the payment of choice for perpetrators of child sexual abuse and exploitation,” wrote the senators.

To jump-start a response, Warren and Cassidy have asked the DOJ and DHS to publish details of their own research into the scope of crypto’s role in the CSAM problem, as well as information about the challenges specific to prosecuting this category of crime. The senators have given the agencies until May 10 to respond to their questions.

For her frequent and voluble criticism of cryptocurrency and its role in illicit activity, Warren has become something of a villain in crypto circles. Lately, the senator has come under criticism for a piece of anti-money-laundering legislation she proposed in July 2023, which the Chamber of Digital Commerce, a crypto advocacy group, has claimed will “erase hundreds of billions of dollars in value for US startups and decimate the savings of countless Americans invested in this asset class legally.”

Warren has reiterated her stance that the crypto industry must follow the same stringent rules as other financial organizations in the US in order to prevent misuse by criminal actors, including vendors of CSAM.

10 notes · View notes