#trader trump

[oldmandoomer]

Putins Puppets - ink 2024

I know this clashes with my vibe a little but idc.

I’m posting it in honor of Alexey Navalny RIP, Maxim Kuzminov RIP, and the hundreds of Ukrainian Defenders who fell in Avdiivka this week.

Free Ukraine from Putin! 🇺🇦

Free America from Trump! 🇺🇸

Spread it✊🏼

#fuck trump #fuck putin #free ukraine #arm ukraine #ukraine #ukranian #🇺🇦 #trader trump #trump russia #Putins puppet #russian spy #vladimir putin #Putin war criminal #war crimes #fuck dictators #democracy #comrade Trump #glory to ukraine #victory for Ukraine #save ukraine #justice for Ukraine #art #hand drawn #dark art #sketchbook #artwork #inkdrawing #occult art #traditional art #anti trump

[dontmean2bepoliticalbut]

#us politics #memes #shitpost #maga #trumpers #trump supporters #trader joe's #biden administration #president joe biden #2023 #republicans #conservatives #Republicans be like #conservatives be like

[butmakeitgayblog]

How would your version of canon Lexa be when Clarke tells her wifey that she was with Niylah that one time ? 😅

You mean like in my canon oneshot that's coming up?

Well they do touch on that topic 👀

Mind you in the fic the two haven't seen each other in weeks/months. The last time they were in the same room or communicated beyond quick messages via Octavia and the trader herself was after they'd spent the afternoon naked in Lexa's bed. They'd kissed and dressed in quiet, trading barely there smiles and sneaking glances at the same bodies they'd just worshipped for the past few hours, still feeling that nervous energy buzzing between them and ignoring the very real blockade slowly assembly between them with each piece of clothing they pulled back on. When Clarke had slipped out of Lexa's room with a promise that she'd figure out a way to get messages back to Lexa on the progress of her revolt, it'd been Lexa that she'd left standing next to the bed of rumpled furs.

But it's definitely the Commander staring at her in the dim flicker of candlelight inside the old hut where they finally meet. It's not the light green eyes of her lover from that afternoon, but rather the charcoal black eyes watching her from behind a mask of kohl that remind her so much of that night she chose to put Finn out of his misery before a more unpleasant justice could be served. Black eyes staring unblinking, burning a hole through her as she vaguely explains that she picked Niylah of all people as her secret messenger because she can be trusted.

And that, yes, she is sure about that trust... because she's... had to rely on it before...

The clench and shift of Lexa's jaw is all she needs to see to know how Lexa feels about that.

"The Azgeda?"

"She's Trikru, Lexa."

"Her mother was Azgeda," is the regal Heda's clipped response. Spoken like an accusation, or tattletale's last ditch trump card; as though that's all the damning information that should be needed in a situation as tangled as this.

It's not exactly an argument. More of a squabble, really. Because, Lexa? This really isn't the time ಠ_ಠ

But Lexa, in her very regal and not at all strained diplomatic cadence, just happens to feel like actually they very much should go over the trustworthiness of an Azgeda knowing their secrets ("She doesn't read the notes, Lexa." "That's hardly the point, Klark."), not to mention the fact that she's been breaking the blockade without her Heda's consent ("Are you serious right now? She's been keeping me alive in there." "Yes, I'm sure she's always very... hospitable.")

In the end it's a dead issue because it's not exactly like Lexa has any reason to actually be angry, and Clarke annoyingly isn't afraid to remind her of that fact. Those months she spent in the woods are still such a tender subject between them that while Clarke can see the jealousy burning white hot through Lexa's eyes and every grinding twitch of her jaw, she appreciates the fact that Lexa ultimately doesn't push the issue beyond the initial squabbling.

But when they do inevitably fall into bed together before heading back out their separate ways, it's not easy to miss the harsher, more intense way Lexa fucks her this time around. The more demanding edge to her kiss, the rougher bites to her neck and breasts, the way her hips add force behind every thrust of her fingers - like she's ensuring Clarke will feel the echoes of her for hours on the walk back to Arkadia.

#anon #clexa #in secret au

[mariacallous]

Heretics make the best writers. They understand a movement better than outsiders, and can relate its faults because they have seen them close up. Religions can tolerate pagans. They are mere unbelievers who have never known the way, the truth and the light. The heretic has the advantages of the inside trader. She can use her knowledge to expose and betray the faithful.

How reputable Conservatives paved the way fo Trump and Brexit

[deadpresidents]

If it had succeeded would Mayorkas have been the first cabinet member ever impeached?

Just to be clear, Secretary Mayorkas was impeached. Impeachment is the first step of the process -- I often suggest that people think of impeachment in the same way that you'd think of an indictment in a criminal proceeding. The House of Representatives is responsible for taking up articles of impeachment and if a simple majority of the House votes to impeach, then that person has been impeached, no matter what happens next.

After that, the next step is taken up by the U.S. Senate where the trial of the impeached official takes place. If there is a trial in the Senate and 2/3rds of the Senate votes to convict the official, then that person is removed from office. But whether they are convicted and acquitted, they still have been impeached.

What happened with Mayorkas is that the House impeached him and when the articles of impeachment were taken up by the Senate, the Senate decided that the charges were a political stunt that did not meet the Constitution's definition of "high crimes and misdemeanors." So, the Senate simply dismissed the charges instead of even proceeding to a trial. But, again, Mayorkas was still impeached; it just didn't go further than that step.

And to actually answer your question, Mayorkas is the second Cabinet member in American history to be impeached. William Belknap, who was Secretary of War under President Grant, was impeached in 1876 for taking kickbacks from traders seeking contracts at military forts on the frontier. When it was clear that he was definitely going to be impeached by the House, Belknap resigned, but despite leaving office he still faced a Senate trial (as President Trump would face with his second impeachment and Senate trial over inciting an insurrection despite his term ending). The Senate tried Belknap on five articles of impeachment and was found guilty on all five by a majority of Senators, but narrowly escaped conviction because the 2/3rds threshold wasn't reached. But despite there being far more Cabinet members than Presidents throughout American history, more Presidents have been impeached than Cabinet Secretaries.

#Impeachment #U.S. Constitution #Politics #Political History #Impeachment of Alejandro Mayorkas #Alejandro Mayorkas #Mayorkas Impeachment #William Belknap #Impeachment of William Belknap #Belknap Impeachment #Reconstruction #Political Scandals #Political Corruption #Grant Administration #Biden Administration #Congress #U.S. House of Representatives #U.S. Senate

[gage0mate]

Wall Street is having none of his shenanigans...rumors are the price will fall to $2 per share b4 the end of next week

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

New Rule: The Cojones Awards - Real Time with Bill Maher

New Rule: Great news about a new award show. Listen to this. About a year and a half ago, I was asked to moderate a discussion at the home of a very prominent Hollywood producer. And the attendees that night was a who's who of A-listers and stars. If a bomb went off in that room, there'd be nothing on TV next year but, well, let's just say it would be a great year for Kevin Sorbo. I can't say exactly who was there, but if there really is a Jewish space laser, these guys have the codes.

Anyway the subject we all wanted to talk about that night was cancel culture. It's funny. If this was 10 years ago, this group would have been talking about censorship from the right. Back then it was the Jerry Falwells and Pat Robertsons, the Bill Bennetts and Rush Limbaughs who kept us up at night. I mean besides the cocaine. The book banners and boycotters then were Republicans, like the ones that got me fired after 9-11.

But that's in the past now. And by the past, I mean Florida. And of course not just Florida, today's Republicans have shown that when it comes to canceling they're still more than capable. They canceled Colin Kaepernick for taking a knee, Liz Cheney for defying Trump, Kathy Griffin for performance art. Just last week the redneck royalty of the music world threw a hissy fit because they think Anheuser-Busch is turning their beer gay.

But there's no getting around the fact that what was on the mind of the Liberals that night in Brentwood, or wherever we may have been, was that the most powerful witch hunters now were coming from Twitter, the Ivy League and the progressive left. JK Rowling used to be a villain to the right because she wrote books about witchcraft. Now she's a villain to the left because she has the crazy belief that there's more to being a woman than pronouns and lipstick.

So, that was the point of the evening: how do we take a stand against cancel culture? And I suggested since we were mostly all in show business that we start an award show to honor the brave people who have fought back. Well, I got to tell you, the idea was met with great enthusiasm by everyone, and in short order different people were suggesting the ways that their varied talents could be put to use. And then of course, being Hollywood, nothing happened.

But it's still a good idea. So I'm gonna do it, right here, right now. And not only that, we're gonna do it every year. Ladies and gentlemen, you know the Emmys, you know the Grammys, you know the Tonys, now say hello to the Cojones.

Thank you and welcome to the Cojones. I'm your Master of Ceremonies, and if you're triggered by the word "master" you're in the wrong room. Tonight we present these solid brass balls to the individuals and organizations who others have tried to silence and who answered, "that's not a rule, fuck you."

Our first award goes to the president of my alma mater, Cornell University: Martha Pollock. This month students there demanded trigger warnings before all the lectures in case any of the adult subjects you specifically went to college to learn about came up. And Martha said, "yeah, no, we're not doing that." She didn't cave in or hire a new Dean of Sensitivity. She just said, "no college is for introducing you to new ideas, not for kissing your ass and making you feel wonderful and always right." You're thinking of brunch with your parents. I'm just amazed at how this generation can simultaneously be too sensitive for anything distasteful, and somehow also so into eating ass. So, Cornell, I present you with these balls. I sure could have used them when I was there.

Our next award goes to the place where many Cornell grads will be working next year: Trader Joe's. Trader Joe's, who for years have been selling a line of ethnically themed products trading on the name Joe. For example, they have Trader José's beer. So of course one teenager on Twitter heard the word "José" and said it was racist, and then there was a petition, and then Trader Joe's management did the right thing. They burnt down all their stores and killed themselves. No, they didn't. They said "fuck off you oversensitive little shits, get a life and a sense of humor," and released this statement: "We disagree that any of these labels are racist and we do not make decisions based on petitions." You see how easy it is? So, to the home of the 19 cent banana, here have some nuts.

This next Cojone goes to a man who's dear to my heart for standing up for stand-up. When dozens of Netflix employees walked out over Dave Chappelle's reckless decision to perform comedy on his comedy special, CEO Ted Sarandos could have pulled the special and replaced it with more episodes of "Who Wants to Watch Koreans Get Killed?" But instead he reminded his Netflix employees that comedy exists to push boundaries, and told them, "If you'd find it hard to support our content breath, Netflix may not be the best place for you." So for making the phrase "don't let the door hit you in the ass" never sound better, this is for you Ted.

And you know, when movie lovers get together these days, one phrase that comes up a lot and always makes me sad, "is yeah, you couldn't make that one today." Top of that list is the great "Tropic Thunder" which these scolds have been after for years. But in February, Ben Stiller tweeted, "I make no apologies for Tropic Thunder. It's always been a controversial movie since when we opened. Proud of it and the work everyone did on it." See, people? It's not that hard. He said it and he still got a commercial.

And the lesson is, if you stand up to the mob for just a day or two, their shallow, impatient, immature, smartphone-driven gerbil minds will forget about it and go on to the next nothing-burger, and you? You still will have your Cojones.

==

It takes cojones to speak "truth to power." Which tells you where the power really resides.

--

P.S. I thought he was embellishing the Trader Joe's story, but no, it was literally one triggered teenager.

This language is textbook Postcolonial Theory, not the language of a teenage kid. It's the language of a parishioner reciting the sacred scriptures. (Or perhaps an activist parent feeding them lines.)

#Bill Maher #New Rule #Real Time with Bill Maher #cancel culture #online mob #Netflix #Cornell University #Martha Pollock #trigger warnings #Ted Sarandos #The Cojones #award shows #Tropic Thunder #Ben Stiller #Trader Joe's #Trader José #never apologise #uncancelable #religion is a mental illness

[sedoretu]

Before the Biden administration, antitrust was mostly dead. It had picked up a bit under Trump, but mostly no one thought much about this area of law. And the reason was pretty simple. Nothing was happening. The FTC was using its authority to go after powerless actors, such as Uber drivers, church organists, bull semen traders, and ice skating teachers. The changeover has been absolutely stark, and it’s accelerating. Many of my sources in the competition policy world are giving me the same message, which is that this is the most extraordinary month they have ever seen in antitrust. There are the big fights, the cases against Google and Amazon, the suits against private equity and meat price-fixing. There is also smaller stuff, the behind-the-scenes institutional changes, like funding levels for antitrust enforcers and newly populist conservative nominees for regulatory agencies that could make a more assertive competition agenda part of a new bipartisan consensus. The rearguard opposition to change is immensely powerful, but the forces of the status quo are actually losing. What’s also fascinating is that public interest and attention is going up, and that it matters. Practitioners in antitrust used to have to explain what they do, now they are being pestered with questions by friends and family. We’re also getting hints, ever-so-slight ones, that judges themselves are starting to think about corporate power. There’s even price-fixing clip art! So let’s dive in.

This week on Biden W's: antitrust is back, baby!

#uspol #biden #us politics #antitrust

[tearsinthemist]

Shares of Digital World Acquisition Corp., the shell company that became Trump Media Tuesday morning, have spiked nearly 200% so far this year. That includes a 35% surge Monday after the deal closed. Shares popped again at the start of trading Tuesday – investors’ first opportunity to trade the stock after the merger, under the new DJT ticker.

The skyrocketing share price comes despite the fact that Trump Media is burning through cash, piling up losses and its main product, Truth Social, is losing users.

“This is a very unusual situation. The stock is pretty much divorced from fundamentals,” said Jay Ritter, a finance professor at the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business, who has been studying initial public offerings (IPOs) for over 40 years.

Ritter said the closest parallel would be GameStop, AMC and other so-called meme stocks that skyrocketed during Covid-19 as an army of retail traders piled in. He said Trump Media is likely worth somewhere around $2 a share — nowhere near its implied stock price of $50.

“The underlying business doesn’t seem to be worth much. There is no evidence this is going to become a large, highly profitable company,” he said. “I’m reasonably confident the stock price will eventually drop to $2 a share and could even go below that if the company blows through the money it got from the merger.”

The eye-popping valuation is a massive windfall for Trump, who owns a dominant stake of 79 million shares.

At Tuesday’s opening price of nearly $78, that stake is worth nearly $6 billion, although lock-up restrictions likely prevent Trump from selling or even borrowing against those shares anytime soon.

[stele3]

#destiel daily digest

[nothingunrealistic]

“Billions” ends where it began. At the close of “Admirals Fund,” the series finale of the Showtime drama series, Bobby Axelrod is scheming once again to make a new fortune with his merry band of alpha-male traders, who are revved up by his leadership to kill in the name of capitalism. The closing segment of “Billions” was unabashedly designed to appeal to fans of the sudsy drama, which turns on the crazier-than-fiction tales of hedge fund managers and traders. Axelrod, played with gusto until the final frame by Damian Lewis, winds up on top. His most recent foil, rival trader/investor Michael Prince (Corey Stoll), has been defeated, publicly humiliated — although he is destined to rise again. “As it has ever been for men like you over the centuries,” Prince’s loyal confidant Scooter (Daniel Breaker) tells him in their parting scene. As is to be expected, the finale features a lot of reflection among key characters on who they are as people — who they have been in the past, and where they are headed in the future. There’s some ruminating on whether people can change, and what it is that makes them change. A key turning point for core characters is buttressed in the soundtrack by the use of Blind Faith’s haunting “Can’t Find My Way Home.” But in fact, by the closing moments, pillars of the “Billions” universe seem to be setting out on a clear path to find solace and even happiness. For the grand battle, Axelrod and Rhoades teamed up to help Axelrod exact revenge against Prince for the coup that Prince pulled against Axelrod at the end of Season 5. That forced Axe out of the country and allowed Prince to take over the ashes of Axe Capital. The Season 7 plot of Axe’s revenge campaign was typically complicated, involving Prince’s quixotic bid for the presidency by promulgating a Trump-esque platform, an ego-stroking trip to Camp David, a big dose of fake news around energy stocks and some sleight of hand that allowed the good guys to stay rich while Prince was (mostly) wiped out. Most of “Billions” revolved around epic cat-and-mouse chases between Axelrod and Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti), the former New York federal prosecutor-turned-New York attorney general-turned disgraced politician-turned (by the end of Season 7) New York federal prosecutor again. Rhoades wanted to nab Axe for violating the federal rules of high-finance, whereas Axelrod always saw his efforts not in the dim light of insider trading but as going the extra mile to understand the market. Rhoades closes out the series an unusual state of contentment. He’s pulled off a professional coup in nailing Prince. He even gets an attaboy from his ultra wealthy and politically connected father, Chuck Rhoades Sr. (played with a charming sneer by Jeffrey DeMunn), who has nagged him throughout the series for not being nearly successful nor mean enough for Senior’s liking. And Chuck has once again secured the role of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York — one of the most powerful law enforcement posts in the country.

One the quirky conceits of “Billions” from the start was that Chuck Rhoades, crusader for justice and fairness on Wall Street, was married to (and then divorced from) Wendy Rhoades (Maggie Siff), a razor-sharp psychologist who works as a life coach for Axe Capital, helping traders overcome their insecurities. The tension in their marriage was both personal and professional. It took actors of Siff and Giamatti’s caliber to pull off what would otherwise be too fantastical of a storyline to survive. Wendy Rhoades throughout the series was torn between her loyalty to Axelrod and her fealty to her husband and father of her two children. That strain eventually led the Rhoadeses to divorce. The finale depicts Wendy and Chuck sitting down happily at a fancy Japanese restaurant with their teenage children. Whether that signals a romantic reunion for Chuck and Wendy or not is open to interpretation (probably the stuff of future fan fiction). But the message is clear: These two are no longer at odds. Another Wendy subplot throughout “Billions” has been the peculiarity of her relationship with Axelrod. There’s an unmistakable chemistry between the two. They are deeply involved with each other — something that irritated Chuck and Bobby’s various partners to no end — but not in a sexual way. The “Billions” writers kept that discipline to the end, teasing out a long final scene that ended with a hug that was still more brother-to-sister than lover to lover. Wendy heads out of the world of Axelrods and Princes to do some good for the world by running her tele-health therapy business. “Maybe you’ll take me public some day,” Wendy tells Axe with a smile as she assures him they will still stay connected even if she’s not formally on his payroll.

As for the fates of other key characters in the series: Mike “Wags” Wagner (David Costabile): Axe’s hard-partying, hard-working, ever-faithful second in command is heading off to Miami to check out the investment scene there. He is also breaking from Axe at long last, albeit on good terms. Kate Sacker (Dola Rashad): The ultra-ambitious federal prosecutor turned general counsel for Michael Prince Capital has not wavered from her plan (telegraphed as early as Season 1) to pursue political office. She’s on a mission to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as the series ends. Taylor Mason (Asia Kate Dillon): Taylor’s quant-tastic genius helps play a big part in the sting that ends “Billions,” of course. And they too decide its time to move on from the Axe universe, sort of. Like Wendy, Taylor yearns to give back after more than proving their worth at making piles of money by outsmarting others. Taylor moves their foundation into the old Axe Capital headquarters in Greenwich, while the newly constituted Axe Global claims the former Michael Prince Capital headquarters in Manhattan. Dudley Mafee (Dan Soder): The doe-eyed trader with a heart of gold is back with Axe and celebrating the dawn of legal weed sales in the Empire State. Bryan Connerty (Toby Leonard Moore): The former federal prosecutor who went into a professional spiral after a big falling out with Chuck Rhoades has his honor restored. Chuck Rhoades helps him get his law license reinstated even if Connerty is now otherwise engaged as a chef at a high-end Japanese hibachi restaurant (where the Rhoades clan dines in their final scene). Roger “Scooter” Dunbar (Daniel Breaker): Mike Prince’s loyal soldier lays down his sword. He’s saved from personal ruin by his nephew, Phillip, who worked for Michael Prince Capital but was in cahoots with the Axe group all along. Scooter gives Prince the politest of brushoffs at the end, but a brushoff nonetheless. “Dollar” Bill Stearn (Kelly AuCoin): The epitome of the amoral Wall Streeter driven only by money, Dollar Bill is back with Axe, once again leading the pack of trader wolves — and shouting vulgarities to his heart’s content.

some corrections on this:

wags is at least sticking around long enough to help axe get axe global up and running.

sacker may still be hoping to get elected to congress, but she’s given up on that mission for the moment to return to SDNY, which is kind of an important detail to leave out here.

taylor is moving into the recently-vacated axe global office in manhattan, not the former axe capital office in connecticut from seasons 1-2. (they don’t even look anything alike.)

that hibachi restaurant connerty’s working at is not high-end.

scooter is going to go be a conductor. it’s not an error exactly to leave it out, but it is a glaring omission.

i was going to say that philip isn’t mentioned at all, which would be a grievous insult. then i double checked and saw that he is mentioned briefly, but with his name misspelled, in discussing scooter’s ending, and that’s it. less grievous, still an insult.

#billions #7x12 #bobby axelrod #chuck rhoades #chuck rhoades senior #wendy rhoades #mike prince #mike wags #kate sacker #taylor mason #dudley mafee #bryan connerty #scooter dunbar #dollar bill stearn #lol at the implication that anyone's gonna write fanfiction about chuck and wendy getting back together #you know how many chuck/wendy fics are on ao3 right now? ZERO! ZILCH! NADA! NOBODY CARES! #points for the phrase “taylor's quant-tastic genius” though

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

[From Financial Times :: h/t Scott Horton]

* * * *

A funeral for magical thinking:  It is impossible to regain our sense of pragmatism?

The Tories have found their own Jeremy Corbyn.  

Ed Luce:  The entirely foreseeable calamity of Trussonomics — the new by-word, named after Liz Truss, for people who do not know what they are doing — finds strong echoes among American conservatives. Our politics have been plagued for years by the curse of magical thinking — promises that bear no relation to any realistic ability to deliver; extravagant lies that cater to some felt need for self-delusion; gullibility dressed up as hard-nosed “taking back control”. 

Conservatism in the largest English-speaking democracies is locked in a race over which of them can find rock bottom more quickly. For the moment, the UK is in the lead. Apparently City traders have taken to calling sterling “shitcoin”, which says it all. I fear America’s Trump-contagion variety will have something to say about that in the coming months. My question to Swampians, which I will also try to answer, is whether our democracies can learn from the disastrous consequences of magical thinking. Or are we too screwed up as societies to regain that habit of pragmatism for which we were once fabled? Rana, it goes without saying that I am also posing this question to you.

It is impossible to answer it without examining how we reached this pretty pass. The conditions for Anglo-American populism were crystallised in the 2008 global financial crisis. It was really just a western meltdown (China and India kept growing and were relatively unscathed). In fact its main culprits were from the anglosphere. Nothing enrages people more than the wealthy and well-connected being bailed out while the rest are left to struggle. As fate would have it, the job of cleaning the mess fell to centre-left governments on both sides of Atlantic — Gordon Brown’s Labour and Barack Obama’s young administration. The centre-left thus got branded with the recklessness that triggered the crisis and suffered most from its bad-tempered aftermath. One of the casualties of 2008 was “expertise” — the idea that people with degrees in economics or MBAs knew what they were doing. 

The Chicago School’s efficient market hypothesis has a lot to answer for.

In an accountable world, you would largely blame the right for the market fundamentalism that had become dominant since the 1980s. But it was the right that benefited politically from the 2008 fallout. The countercyclical stimulus that helped restart growth was delivered by the left. We then had six years of procyclical austerity from 2010 to 2016 in which the beleaguered middle classes bore the brunt of the fiscal tightening brought about by the Tea Party Republicans in the US, and David Cameron’s Conservative government in the UK. Again, it was the right that perversely reaped the gains from the rage and insecurity that resulted. But it was a different kind of right to what we grew up with. The twin shocks of Brexit and Trump’s election in 2016 were the high water mark of magical thinking. At least I hope they were.

Opinion polls in Britain show rising regret over Brexit — “regrexit”, as some call it. Of course, it’s too late to re-enter the European Union, and would be politically very hard to pull off. But it’s a sign that people are digesting lessons from that notorious referendum. Keir Starmer’s Labour party also has a 30-point lead over the Conservatives, which reinforces that point. That would never have happened under Jeremy Corbyn.

#political #economics #history #Economic Times #Ed Luce

[dadtoki]

Sakamoto x Kintoki

Written entirely by a request from a friend, here is a short story of Sakamoto Tatsuma x Sakata Kintoki (not Gintoki, specifically Kintoki).

Sakata Kintoki was confused. It wasn’t often a perfect existence such as him would ever feel a lowly emotion like confusion, but this accomplished that. It was mostly related to the probably drunk man who was hanging to his arm.

“Come on Kintoki, let’s go to Cabaret Club, Ahaha hahaha, ahahaha” laughed the weird man with sunglasses he wore at night for some reason. Kintoki knew him. He had studied Gintama extensively. It was Sakamoto Tatsuma. Gintoki’s war buddy, Openings and Endings guy. He spent most of his time being off screen in space, annoying his superior in every way partner, and every other alien in the vicinity, with his horrible laugh. Good voice actor though.

Him showing up, and his laugh – even if it was a force of nature for sure – wasn’t what confused Kintoki. The problem was, how he spoke to him.

“Kintooooooki… come on. You can’t leave your old war buddy hangin’” said the guy.

Kintoki? But how? His hypnotism was only limited to the vicinity of this town. Was he around when he activated it? But if he was, wouldn’t he have seen it weeks ago? Somehow, this man knew of the fake identity he created, completely accepted him as the true main character of the series. But Kintoki couldn’t tell how and why this happened?

“Fine, Sakamoto” said Kintoki with a charming grin. “Let’s go then.”

“Sakamoto? That is weird. Didn’t you used to call me Tatsuma Kintoki? It is rude to just randomly change the way you refer to someone you know?” said Sakamoto in between hiccups. Kintoki cursed and was about to activate his hypnotism, but then Sakamoto pulled him into a hug. “That means our bond is grown stronger. I am so glad.”

Kintoki awkwardly lowered his hand. He couldn’t tell what this man’s game was. But he couldn’t reveal his hand before he did his. This man was way more cunning than he let on. He could tell. Oh he could tell. Well, then Kintoki would play his game, and beat him in it too. Sakamoto Tatsuma… Sakata Gintoki’s last trump card. It was obvious. He would defeat him. Then there wouldn’t be anyone standing in his way.

-5 hours later-

 Sakata Kintoki was lying naked, covered in sweat (why did Gengai even install a sweating function) next to an equally naked, soundly sleeping Sakamoto Tatsuma. Stupid space trader had somehow gotten him drunk and gotten him to his bed, despite the fact that as a machine he technically couldn’t get drunk. He would discover his secrets. He would discover why he was so good at- Why he was knew his real name. He would. This man was his greatest rival. No matter how many times they had to repeat today’s events, he would beat him.

Sakata Kintoki never backed down from a challenge.

#Gintama #Sakamoto Tatsuma #Sakata Kintoki

[theteej]

Telling Stories

A storytelling event? In a hipster bar in South Park? How did something I barely knew about in 2021 become one of the most prominent parts of my 2022?

It all started innocently enough, when my long time friend Dustin messaged me, insisting I contribute something to the speaking showcase.  What was the theme, I asked, momentarily interested.  I’d heard of Vamp the month before and had watched the videos of other people I knew in San Diego speak from the month before—salacious stories about sex and relationships, as fit for a February showcase.

“Check it, fam.  It’s called ‘Good Hearted White Folx.’”

Well, fuck.  Now I was in.

I sat on my couch, fiddling with my computer, typing, retyping, stressing, clattering keys.  I thought about the time my errant 2013 blog post titled “There Are No Good White People” became a lightning rod for enraged Trump supporters after 2016.  I thought about four years living and working in rural Virginia. I thought about the casual exhaustion of anti-Blackness even in a space filled with white hipsters who liked beers and story telling.  I pieced something together.  And found myself a few weeks later sitting in a stranger’s dining room editing my story along with six other storytellers.

It was an addictive experience.

Vamp is, at its core, an engaging community writing project.  As part of a larger organization, So Say We all, the monthly Thursday night speaking showcase allows us to think about ourselves and present them in a space ready to go on a journey with you.  And as soon as I found myself that Thursday evening in March, in front of a microphone and telling a whole story that was a challenge and a call to arms, and a chance to be sassy in a jumpsuit, I KNEW I WAS HOOKED.

Basically, if you find your submitted story selected, you work with the other story tellers during the month in two long critique sessions and make edits.  You also are assigned a performance coach who will help polish your story into something more effective.  The notes are of course voluntary, but they really do make for better stories, and I find that the whole process is incredibly fascinating—you build bonds with people, feel connected, and make something palpable with people.  It’s great.

I did three Vamp performances this year—One for Good Hearted White Folx in March, one for Whoa Mama in May, and one for Beast Mode in October.  I’m scheduled to do one in January 2023 (theme: Ctrl + Z). Along the way I also worked as a performance coach in November and helped pick 2023 themes.  It’s become a thing for me, which is wild.  

The actual performance night is a tingly, magical experience.  You’re at a bar, drinking, and you get to hear stories, take part in a collective experience, and feeling something palpable that crackles with energy and joy and danger and hilarity and occasionally horniness.  There’s a particular thrill in watching a first time storyteller discover the power and pleasure of their own voice, and to feel the joy that comes with it every time.  It’s an art and a laugh and a joy and I can’t stop doing even if I wanted to.

I think even more importantly for me has been the sense of community that has come out of it.  San Diego is a strangely atomized place, made worse by being in my thirties and in the social confusion after the more isolating phases of the pandemic.  Finding a cohort of weirdos wanting to work on a community event has been powerful, and has put me in reach of new people that I want to know better, that I want to find new words with, that I want to explore stories of my own with.  

Vamp is absolutely an imperfect space, but it has the opportunity to offer connections and a sense of place that is rare and deeply compelling.  Two weeks ago a woman stopped me in Trader Joe’s and told me that she loved my October story.  The mother of a teenager emailed me out of the blue to tell me that she’d seen the video recording of my May story about my mom and that it made her feel less alone and that far more confident about what she was doing as a parent. Both of these caught me out.  I’m not a celebrity. I’m a nerd who loves jumpsuits and a well-turned phrase at a cocktail party.  But there’s an incredible moment where your words travel from you, through that microphone, and become something else.  It’s a sonic alchemy that still moves me, and makes me feel something like hope.

As a deeply cynical person, and one who does not think that stories are inherently redemptive, I must admit that the ability to share words with folks and hold people in a shared dream for a brief time is nonetheless a joy that I and others desperately need. Vamp has been doing that for me, and I hope I do more of it in 2023.

#tallie2022stories

[ifmfincoachinfo]

The Future of Mutual Funds - All that you need to know

India is rapidly seeing an escalating digital revolution. Whether it is internet penetration, data uptake or even the latest technology trends, India is applauded worldwide. All this started back in 2015 when the government of India initiated the Digital India Programme.

Later in 2016, demonetization was a big step in the digital era. All these events resulted in the growth of opportunities in the field of the mutual fund industry. Investors have also started to adopt mutual funds as their means of investment. 

Mutual Fund Industry - How it got evolve?

Initially, many investors believed that investing in mutual funds was not suitable for them. However, a series of events changed the opinion of the people.

The announcement of demonetization by Narendra Modi, Donald Trump's win, an increase in oil prices and an asset base of 17 lakh were seen in 2016; all these events led to awareness in the mutual fund field in our country.

Also, the CAGR (Compounded Annual Growth Rate) was 18% which was a huge step in the evolvement of the mutual fund industry. 

SIP- A  facility offered by mutual funds to the investors 

SIP is a big factor leading to rapid growth in the industry. Today, more than one crore of customers have active SIP, i.e. Systematic Investment Plans.

If mutual funds industry growth is to be considered, the Indian market is already booming. The most significant indication is the number of foreign-based management companies progressing into the Indian market.

If the latest data is to be considered, the MF industry's total AUM had risen 20 per cent to Rs 37.6 trillion in 2021-22. The industry added 31.6 million net new folios, taking the count to 129.5 million.

The systematic investment plan expanded to Rs 12,328 crore in FY22, with new SIP registrations at 26.6 million. Apparently, mutual funds in India are more likely to penetrate urban, semi-urban and rural areas. For this, some financial planners make the process easy by financial planning. 

Opportunities in the mutual fund industry 

Be it any industry, improvement is one rule that leads to positive change. In the mutual fund industry field, large-scale changes have been taking place, leading to evolution and innovation.

For example, new opportunities have evolved in asset management, which requires investments in different assets, including securities, stocks, bonds, and real estate, managed by a manager.

It also requires proper management firms, including front, middle and back office functions. The significant roles within the investment team include economists, research analysts, fund managers, dealers and traders.

Economists - Economists ensure the latest trends, future and its influence on international and domestic markets. The roles and responsibilities include preparing reports and market presentations on macroeconomic developments and sectoral shifts. As an Economist, you must prepare the team for the risks in the market. At the same time, macro and policy analysis, forecasting, modelling macro variables, and providing investment insights are the management team's responsibilities. 

Analysts - This is another excellent opportunity in the field of the mutual fund industry. The analysts track your investment recommendations by observing the prices of assets from the day of purchase to how they perform over time. You can also opt for the profile of equity research analysts who carry out telephone calls with all the dealers and intermediates. These calls usually comprise suggestions for the customers while speaking with the organization's administration, retail deals, constraints and so on. Plus, visiting the organizations and carrying out meetings, gathering data, surveying monetary explanations, and evaluating the income and benefits of the organization. 

Fund Managers - Another opportunity you can use in the mutual fund field is fund managers. As a fund manager, you must choose the best stocks, bonds, and financial market instruments and give the result to the investors by fulfilling the fund's objective. Later, fund managers search for the financials of publicly and privately traded companies. This is quite an interesting profile as it involves researching, collecting information, reading financial briefings and knowledge about global economic events. 

If you are somebody who loves conducting research or has financial modelling skills, reporting skills, and mathematical proficiency, you can opt for fund managers as your career. Based on your research, a list of companies falls under the investment objective. Fund managers also prepare a portfolio and accompany sales and marketing professionals to various events for promotions. Other than this, all the decisions related to portfolio composition are made by fund managers. 

Dealers/Traders- Dealers place the orders according to the instructions. Then there are sales and client relation teams that market the organization and promote their products and services. You also have the chance to be a part of the infrastructure team that keeps the entire organization moving. From IT to HR, the infrastructure team is vital for the motion of any company. 

Takeaway

We all know that algorithms are one factor that is gaining popularity in earnings and economic news. This directly opens the door to short-term trading.

On top of that, several asset managers are using machine learning methods to process the data. This is the future of asset management. If talking about the critical roles at investment firms in future, there will be a need of 

Investment decision maker

Investment Researcher

Private wealth manager

The technology firm will need 

 Data Scientist 

 Application Engineer 

 Investment Banker

 Investment Officer

 Investment researcher

 Private Wealth Manager

The innovation team will need 

Investment thinking and process innovator

Knowledge Engineer

Innovation Facilitator 

A few factors may challenge growth, but change is guaranteed. 

#ifm fincoach #ifmfincoach #mutual funds #mutualfunds #SIP #SIP sahi hai #mutual fund industry

[theyoungturks]

Republican Representative Virginia Foxx wants to make it easier for retirement funds to favor stocks that harm the planet. Ana Kasparian and Cenk Uygur discuss on The Young Turks. Watch TYT LIVE on weekdays 6-8 pm ET. http://youtube.com/theyoungturks/live Read more HERE: https://perfectunion.us/millionaire-stock-trader-to-lead-house-labor-committee-for-gop/ "North Carolina Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx has been a prominent critic of the Biden administration’s overturning of a Trump rule that prohibits those overseeing pensions and other types of retirement funds from considering non-financial factors—such as environmental, social, or corporate governance considerations—in making investment decisions. Foxx was just announced as the new chair of the Committee on Education & the Workforce, the committee with jurisdiction over the Department of Labor, and will likely hold oversight hearings on the rule. If she does, she will do so after making hundreds of trades of stocks in fossil fuel companies like ExxonMobil and Marathon Oil that could be hurt by the rule and likely while being invested in the companies." *** The largest online progressive news show in the world. Hosted by Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian. LIVE weekdays 6-8 pm ET. Help support our mission and get perks. Membership protects TYT's independence from corporate ownership and allows us to provide free live shows that speak truth to power for people around the world. See Perks: ▶ https://www.youtube.com/TheYoungTurks/join SUBSCRIBE on YOUTUBE: ☞ http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=theyoungturks FACEBOOK: ☞ http://www.facebook.com/TheYoungTurks TWITTER: ☞ http://www.twitter.com/TheYoungTurks INSTAGRAM: ☞ http://www.instagram.com/TheYoungTurks TWITCH: ☞ http://www.twitch.com/tyt 👕 Merch: http://shoptyt.com ❤ Donate: http://www.tyt.com/go 🔗 Website: https://www.tyt.com 📱App: http://www.tyt.com/app 📬 Newsletters: https://www.tyt.com/newsletters/ If you want to watch more videos from TYT, consider subscribing to other channels in our network: The Watchlist https://www.youtube.com/watchlisttyt Indisputable with Dr. Rashad Richey https://www.youtube.com/indisputabletyt Unbossed with Nina Turner https://www.youtube.com/unbossedtyt The Damage Report ▶ https://www.youtube.com/thedamagereport TYT Sports ▶ https://www.youtube.com/tytsports The Conversation ▶ https://www.youtube.com/tytconversation Rebel HQ ▶ https://www.youtube.com/rebelhq TYT Investigates ▶ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwNJt9PYyN1uyw2XhNIQMMA #TYT #TheYoungTurks #BreakingNews 230110__TA03 by The Young Turks

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