#channel 4

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Amazon's bestselling "bitter lemon" energy drink was bottled delivery driver piss

Today (Oct 20), I'm in Charleston, WV at Charleston's Taylor Books from 12h-14h.

For a brief time this year, the bestselling "bitter lemon drink" on Amazon was "Release Energy," which consisted of the harvested urine of Amazon delivery drivers, rebottled for sale by Catfish UK prankster Oobah Butler in a stunt for a new Channel 4 doc, "The Great Amazon Heist":

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-great-amazon-heist

Collecting driver piss is surprisingly easy. Amazon, you see, puts its drivers on a quota that makes it impossible for them to drive safely, park conscientiously, or, indeed, fulfill their basic human biological needs. Amazon has long waged war on its employees' kidneys, marking down warehouse workers for "time off task" when they visit the toilets.

As tales of drivers pissing – and shitting! – in their vans multiplied, Amazon took decisive action. The company enacted a strict zero tolerance policy for drivers returning to the depot with bottles of piss in their vans.

That's where Butler comes in: the roads leading to Amazon delivery depots are lined with bottles of piss thrown out of delivery vans by drivers who don't want to lose their jobs, which made harvesting the raw material for "Release Energy" a straightforward matter.

Butler was worried that he wouldn't be able to list his product on Amazon because he didn't have the requisite "food and drinks licensing" certificates, so he listed his drink in Amazon's refillable pump dispenser category. But Amazon's systems detected the mismatch and automatically shifted the product into the drinks section.

Butler enlisted some confederates to place orders for his drink, and it quickly rocketed to the top of Amazon's listings for the category, which led to Amazon's recommendation engine pushing the item on people who weren't in on the gag. When these orders came in, Butler pulled the plug, but not before an Amazon rep telephoned him to pitch him turning packaging, shipping and fulfillment over to Amazon:

https://www.wired.com/story/amazon-let-its-drivers-urine-be-sold-as-an-energy-drink/

The Release Energy prank was just one stunt Butler pulled for his doc; he also went undercover at an Amazon warehouse, during a period when Amazon hired an extra 1,000 workers for its warehouses in Coventry, UK, in a successful bid to dilute pro-union sentiment in his workforce in advance of a key union vote:

https://jacobin.com/2023/10/the-great-amazon-heist-oobah-butler-review

Butler's stint as an Amazon warehouse worker only lasted a couple of days, ending when Amazon recognized him and fired him.

The contrast between Amazon's ability to detect an undercover reporter and its inability to spot bottles of piss being marketed as bitter lemon energy drink says it all, really. Corporations like Amazon hire vast armies of "threat intelligence" creeps who LARP at being CIA superspies, subjecting employees and activists to intense and often illegal surveillance.

But while Amazon's defensive might is laser-focused on the threat of labor organizers and documentarians, the company can't figure out that one of its bestselling products is bottles of its tormented drivers' own urine.

In the USA, the FTC is suing Amazon for its monopolistic tactics, arguing that the company has found ways to raise prices and reduce quality by trapping manufacturers and sellers with its logistics operation, taking $0.45-$0.51 out of every dollar they earn and forcing them to raise prices at all retailers:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/25/greedflation/#commissar-bezos

The Release Energy stunt shows where Amazon's priorities are. Not only did Release Energy get listed on Amazon without any quality checks, the company actually nudged it into a category where it was more likely to be consumed by a person. The only notice the company took of Release Energy was in its logistics and manufacturing department – the part of the business that extracts the monopoly rents at issue in the FTC case – which tracked Butler down in order to sell him these services.

The drivers whose piss Butler collected don't work directly for Amazon, they work for a Delivery Service Partner. These DSPs are victims of a pyramid scheme that Amazon set up. DSP operators lease vans and pay to have them skinned in Amazon livery and studded with Amazon sensors. They take out long-term leases on depots, and hire drivers who dress in Amazon uniforms. Their drivers are minutely monitored by Amazon, down to the movements of their eyeballs.

But none of this is "Amazon" – it's all run by an "entrepreneur," whom Amazon can cut loose without notice, leaving them with unfairly terminated employees, outstanding workers' comp claims, a fleet of Amazon-skinned vehicles and unbreakable facilities leases:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/04/17/revenge-of-the-chickenized-reverse-centaurs/

Speaking to Wired, Amazon denied that it forces its drivers to piss in bottles, but Butler clearly catches a DSP dispatcher telling drivers "If you pee in a bottle and leave it [in the vehicle], you will get a point for that" – that is, the part you get punished for isn't the peeing, it's the leaving.

Amazon's defense against the FTC is that it spares no effort to keep its marketplace safe. As Amazon spokesperson James Drummond says, they use "industry-leading tools to prevent genuinely unsafe products being listed." But the only industry-leading tools in evidence are tools to bust unions and screw suppliers.

In her landmark Yale Law Review paper, "Amazon's Antitrust Paradox," FTC Chair Lina Khan makes a brilliant argument that Amazon's alleged benefits to "consumers" are temporary at best, illusory at worst:

https://www.yalelawjournal.org/note/amazons-antitrust-paradox

In Butler's documentary, Khan's hypothesis is thoroughly validated: here's a company extracting hundreds of billions from merchants who raise prices to compensate, and those monopoly rents are "invested" in union-busting and countermeasures against investigative journalists, while the tools to keep you from accidentally getting a bottle of piss in the mail are laughably primitive.

Truly, Amazon is the apex predator of the platform era:

https://pluralistic.net/ApexPredator

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/20/release-energy/#the-bitterest-lemon

My next novel is The Lost Cause, a hopeful novel of the climate emergency. Amazon won't sell the audiobook, so I made my own and I'm pre-selling it on Kickstarter!

#pluralistic #release energy #channel 4 #amazon #corporate intelligence #labor #unions #amazon labor union #the great Amazon heist #catfish uk #oobah butler #delivery service partner

[i-am-aprl]

The UK’s Channel 4 investigated leaked Israeli documents and concluded that donor counties that have suspended their funding to UNRWA have done so based on nothing more than Israel’s allegations against the dozen refugee agency employees, with no evidence provided. Ana Kasparian and @cenkuygur break it down.

#palestine #channel 4 #gaza #free palestine #israel #jerusalem #i stand with palestine #فلسطين #free gaza #israel is a terrorist state #unrwa #unrwafunding #Fundingunrwa

[useless-englandfacts]

calling south africa the legal arm of hamas was. a choice. (a bad one if that wasn’t obvious)

#also krishnan is maybe the only mainstream uk journalist i’ve seen pushing back on some of the answers given #israel #palestine #south africa #krishnan guru murthy #channel 4 #video #admin dominique

[nothing0fnothing]

"Innocent until proven guilty."

Yeah bro. I agree.

So when 5 different accusers and 20 different colleagues all agree he's a rapist guess what? That's proven to me that he's guilty.

#russell brand #dispatches #Channel 4 #Russell Brand Dispaches #sex offender #innocent until proven guilty #male manipulator #Fuck men #fuck the patriarchy #feminist #men are trash #i hate men

[vyorei]

Update regarding Channel 4's investigation into who bombed Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City on October 18th 2023

Source: @LowkeyØnline on Twitter and Channel 4

Video below:

(edit: cut off at the end, "produced it".)

#free gaza #gaza strip #irish solidarity with palestine #free palestine #palestine #gaza #news on gaza #al jazeera #boycott israel #israel #Channel 4 #Update #Updated news #al ahli arab hospital #israeli propaganda #israel palestine conflict #israel palestine war #Bombing #Video #Signal boost

[blorbodiaz]

this CAN’T be real, but apparently it is.

i’m in tears of laughter and confusion

#CHANNEL 4???? #politics tag #uk politics #liz truss #taylor swift #channel 4 #blank space

[leftmusing]

absolutely incredible scenes on channel 4 last night

#monad.txt #politics #leftism #uk politics #ukpol #uk pol #liz truss #liz truss resigns #channel 4 #conservative party #conservatives #tories #tories out #anti government #boris johnson #truss is out #anti tory #taylor swift #fancam

[elennemigo]

Mog's Christmas official trailer!

With Benedict Cumberbatch and Claire Foy's voices!

(i can't believe Benedict has to deal with naughty cats again! 🤣)

#mog's Christmas #benedict cumberbatch #claire foy #channel 4 #voice work #christmas #my post #news

[reluctantjoe]

"My instinct is, is to say Ivo gets one point, but then, I remember Jenny blowing on the corner of a curtain. I'm going to give them both one point." "You're going to give Jenny fewer points than Kiell?"

Kiell Smith-Bynoe on TASKMASTER (2015-) | 15.02: Trapped in a Loveless Marriage

#taskmaster #taskmasteredit #kiell smith bynoe #kiell smith-bynoe #taskmaster s15 #taskmaster series 15 #panelshowedit #britcom #channel 4 #tvfilmsource #tvandfilm #tvcentric #tvgifs #trapped in a loveless marriage #alex horne #little alex horne #greg davies #jenny eclair #ivo graham #taskmaster spoilers #rj: gifset #rj: taskmaster #rj: kiell smith-bynoe #is there a world without the love of queue?

[slaymybreathaway]

Romeo and Juliet (James Maguire x Reader)

Part 2/2

Warnings: none

Word count: 1,298

Masterlist ♡ Read Part 1 Here

It has been two weeks since Michelle revealed that Y/n and James like eachother in front of everyone... and since then, the pair hadn't talked to each other much.

They only hung out together when they were with the rest of the group and they only communicated in short 'His' and 'Byes'. It was very awkward, but neither of them knew what to say.

♡

Y/n sat in her English class, trying to focus on her assignment when she heard her teacher mutter the words "Ah, fuck,"

The girl tried her hardest not to laugh at her teacher's uncharacteristic profanity but immediately snapped out of it when she heard her name being called.

"Mr. Maguire and Ms. L/n, could the two of you please go to the storage cupboard and grab the two boxes that has the copies of Romeo and Juilet in them. I forgot to bring them to class,"

Y/n glanced at James, who was sitting near the back of the class, only to find that he was already looking at her. They both looked away quickly, hoping the other person didn't catch them staring.

"Yes miss," the pair replied in unison before leaving the classroom, both of them looking towards the ground.

Neither y/n or James spoke a word on their walk to the storage cupboard. It was the first time that they had been alone together in weeks.

While they were walking, James was trying to figure out how he would start the conversation, how he would tell y/n that Michelle was right about his feelings for her.

Y/n opened the door of the cupboard, almost sneezing from the dust. She pulled on the string attached to the bare lightbulb above her head and the inside illuminated. The space was quite big, it was more like a small room than a cupboard, but the boxes and shelves on each of the walls made it that there was only about two square meters of standing room.

"Can you hold the door? It's one of those ones that you can't open from the inside," Y/n turned to James.

"Yeah sure," he quickly nodded, as he stood with his back to the cupboard door.

Y/n tried to look through a few of the boxes, there was exam papers and old documents but no sight of Romeo and Juliet.

The girl stood on her tip-toes as she tried to take the top box off of the big stack in the corner, but it was heavier than expected and came falling down towards her head.

Y/n shut her eyes, anticipating the weight of the box but it never came... as she opened her eyes, she saw that James was standing right beside her, slowly putting the box on the floor.

"Are you alright?" He asked. Y/n could hear his English accent seeping through as he spoke. She had always found his accent incredibly attractive but would never dare to tell anyone.

"Uhh, yeah. Thank you James," she smiled a little flustered. The pair were frozen still, just staring at each other in silence. Their moment was broken when they heard the cupboard door click shut.

Y/n rushed to the door as she furiously tried to turn the handle, but it was no use. She turned back to face James. "I think we're locked in" she said before looking inside the box on the ground. "But at least we found the books!"

James' face expression became one of panic as he frantically knocked on the door, obviously not caring about the books. "Let us out of here!" He shouted.

Y/n then burst out into laughter as she slid to sit on the floor. It was the middle of a class so no one would be wandering the halls for another half-hour. This whole situation just seemed hilarious to her.

"What are you laughing for," James crossed his arms. He couldn't help but crack a smile at the girl's contagious laugh.

"I'm never talking to you again. You're cursed!" She joked as you continued to laugh uncontrollably.

"What do you mean?" James chuckled. He was happy that the awkwardness seemed to be gone, although the knew that the peace wouldn't last forever.

"The first time I talk to you in 2 weeks and we get trapped in a dusty, old cupboard," y/n explained as she calmed down.

The English boy rolled his eyes. "Ok, it hasn't been 2 weeks," he argued although he knows it probably was.

"Uh, yeah it has," the Irish girl stood up so she could prove her point. "I haven't spoke to you since Michelle told-" y/n started, but quickly went silent as she realise where the conversation was heading.

James shut his eyes closed as he ran his hand through his mop of curly hair. The awkwardness had come back just as quickly as it had gone. He knew he had to say something or else it would be like this forever.

"Listen, y/n, I'm really sorry about what Michelle said, you know how she is. I'm also really sorry that I didn't apologise earlier. I just didn't know how to-" he started to ramble, but was cut off by Y/n.

"Is what Michelle said true? James do you- do you like me as more than a friend?" Y/n asked him straight up. She needed to know the answer.

James looked towards the ground. He wanted to say no but he couldn't lie, not to her. She deserved the truth. He slowly nodded and he looked up to see y/n standing there, eyes wide.

"Shit. I'm sorry y/n. I- I shouldn't have said anything but I just thought that you might've liked me back. Now I see that I'm totally wrong so... just forget about it," James continued embarrasedly.

Then, Y/n did something that she had wanted to do since she first met James. She took hold of his face and pressed her lips against his passionately. It took the boy a minute to process what was happening, but once he did he wrapped both arms around y/n's waist and pulled her tightly against him.

A few moments later, y/n pulled away from the kiss. She didn't bother moving out of James' embrace, however. "You were not totally wrong, James. I like you, alot," the girl confirmed.

James broke into a smile as he looked at the girl infront of him. "Does that mean your my girlfriend, now?"

Y/n let out a small giggle. "Yeah, I think it does,"

This time, James was the one initiating the kiss as he pulled her closer and felt one of her hands running through his hair. The couple were so caught up in the moment that they didn't even hear the cupboard door opening.

"Fucking hell, I don't think that's how 7 minutes in heaven works... someone has to dare ya," a voice proclaimed, which made the teenagers immediately distance themselves as much as possible.

They turned to see Michelle, a smirk growing on her face. James' face turned a bright shade of red as he came face to face with his cousin, who was definatley gonna taunt him about this later. "What are you doing here, Michelle?" he asked, breathlessly.

Michelle laughed. "I was sent to look for you both. Everyone thought yous were mitchin'. But now I see that you were just swapping saliva in a filthy press that smells of moth balls... real romantic,"

"Shut up and help us carry these back to class," y/n shot back at her friend as she picked up the box on the floor and put it into Michelles open arms.

#derry girls #derry city #pt 2 #james maguire x reader #james maguire #ireland #90s #channel 4

[avida-heidia-5]

Sebtember Challenge #2: Surprise Hug Attack!

Number 2 for the number 2 driver! 🇦🇺

Throwing it back to 2017 at Silverstone where Mark Webber interviewed Sebastian for Channel 4. When the interview ended, Mark decided to attack Seb with a big bear hug and we were treated to this glorious footage. 🥰🥰🥰

GIFed by moi!

Seb: “No, Mark! It’s not good for my back!” 😭

#sebtember challenge #sebastian vettel #vettel #mark webber #webber #formula 1 #f1 #2017 #silverstone #2017 british gp #2017 british grand prix #channel 4 #c4f1 #martian #my gifs #aussie grit #not bad for a number two driver #my edit #Personal Drawing Ref.

[transparentdreamruins]

📷 channel4 IG

#the couple next door #channel 4 #starz #sam heughan #jessica de gouw #alfred enoch #eleanor tomlinson

[olympain]

Five, Three.

#celebrity hunted #james acaster #ed gamble #channel 4 #original #*gifs

[livhowlett]

I've seen someone say that a 'Great British Bake Off: Holiday Special" with David, Georgia, Michael and Anna would be great.

BUT

What about a 'Taskmaster New Year's Special' with the addition of @neil-gaiman

Think about...

Micheal would probably be the "older" contestant that struggles with the most straightforward of task. Like when he had to peel an onion. (With him also being from Wales, Greg might go easy on him.)

David, would either run around with the enthusiasm of a child or get so incredibly frustrated it would be comedic gold! Either way, very entertaining .

Georgia, has worked with Little Alex Horn before (The Alex Horn Show) so I feel like she'd have no issue telling him to go do something or "bullying" him around. I also feel like she's quite clever and would do very well.

Anna, is a bit of a wild card. I don't know much about her personality. From what I've seen I can only guess she'd have a fun time and Greg would mock her for being young, beautiful and so full of life (like he dose with many contestants)

And then Neil. I feel like he'd be able to out smart alot of the tasks and find the crafty work arounds. All while being silly or very serious

I could be WAY off. But I think it be fun to watch.

Thoughts???

#taskmaster #little alex horne #greg davies #david tennant and michael sheen #david tennant struggling #david tennant #good omens #michael sheen #georgia tennant #anna lundberg #neil gaiman #i love you neil gaiman #alex horne #the alex horne show #staged #staged season 4 #good omens fandom #good omemes #gomens #channel 4 #aziraphale #crowley #good omens 2 #the horne section

[3dprintcess]

Apparently Channel 4 are doing ads where their IPs are ‘updated’ or blended with other popular ones. Only important bit is - they did a Game of Thrones inspired Taskmaster one and it’s perfect. (Reddit thread here with videos, but eventually it’ll be on youtube or something.)

#taskmaster #alex horne #game of thrones #channel 4 #greg davies #munya chawawa #i love this #please put them in these costumes and lighting situations more

[goldenpinof]

“Only 0.003% of channels on YouTube have over a million subscribes, and Youtube told us just 1.3000 in the UK.”

#daniel howell #UNTOLD: The Cost of Being a YouTuber #channel 4 #dan howell #my edits #this stats are all over the place. other data says there are 110 mil channels with 35000 with over 1 mil subs #which means it's 0.0003% #where is another 'nought' #also wtf is 'one point three thousand' thirteen thousands exist :(((