#non recurring billing

[manojhosur]

#one time billing #non recurring billing #billing software #billing platform

[headspace-hotel]

Thinking of your post on the problems of veganism as a movement vs veganism as a lifestyle choice/one technique amongst many, that also applys super well to my issues with degrowth (And anticonsumerism as well) as a movement vs degrowth as one technique amongst many for dealing with the hydra-crisis of overproduction/resource overuse/destroying people and places for resources.

Like, in particular as an autistic person the continual recurring insistence that we need to just "change our desires" creeps me out. As someone who's difficulties were dismissed as just "having a bad attitude" and who's interests were so often dismissed as a waste of time instead of preparing for a job in the "real world" IDK if they truly understand the full horrifying implications of that line of thought.

So here's the thing with the concept of "overconsumption"

I had to do this whole project on overconsumption in my Anthropology class where I compared my consumption habits to those of someone 2 generations older, the prof clearly had in mind that we would discover a particular result that I did not end up finding.

I had to watch this documentary called "Affluenza" which was all about how Americans consume too much and they shop and buy things for fun and it's killing the planet, and it kept making these statements like "The average american does X..." and "X" would be something insane that I've never dreamed of doing.

Now I technically grew up below the poverty line, we were always financially insecure and struggling to pay bills and there was never any extra money lying around.

But my upbringing felt average, even privileged. We had a house instead of a trailer on cinder blocks, we had food and clothes. Compared to the upbringing of my mom and virtually everyone she knew growing up, we lived in fabulous luxury.

And the "overconsumption" lesson was bizarre to me because it brought up things like "going shopping for fun once a week" and "owning 20+ pairs of shoes" as if they were normal. I wear my clothes until they're unwearable and shop for clothes like once a year, and my mom has half as many clothes as I do. She feels guilty buying anything for herself and HATES shopping.

It feels like the dominant resources on living an eco friendly lifestyle presume that we have far more agency in what we buy and use than we actually do, instead of being stuck with the cheapest or closest available thing, and that our lives are full of extraneous, non-essential "consumption."

That class brought up the idea of "conspicuous consumption" a lot, or buying things to obtain social status instead of for their concrete utility. The way "conspicuous consumption" was addressed in the class was not very immediately relatable to me—I never had the option of buying clothes just to appear "with it" socially. My parents couldn't buy an extra car to fit the aesthetic of the American dream—we had enough trouble keeping the one we had running. The "conspicuous consumption" that class addressed was just not available to me.

However, I don't think conspicuous consumption is endemic to stable members of a certain socioeconomic status, because consumption is partially driven by the trauma of poverty. People who grew up poor will buy you more Christmas gifts than you can store or use, because they want to spare you the shame they experienced. Their brains are molded around the trauma of not having enough, and giving you enough is their way of keeping you safe.

Conspicuous consumption as a habit is pushed on you if your ancestors were shaped by this trauma. It is a misrepresentation to think of it as driven by pride, because your ability to perform the behaviors and mimic the appearances of a higher socioeconomic status has a concrete effect on how people treat you.

I know J.D. Vance is a nutjob now and Hillbilly Elegy was...not great (I'm more appalachian than you bitch, and I'm not even appalachian!) but the one thing that book got incredibly right was the idea of "social capital" and the way access to financial security and wealth gives you social capital. This is the main thing the current understanding of "conspicuous consumption" gets wrong—the need to escape the appearance and behaviors of poverty is seen as vain and self-indulgent, when it's a survival mechanism and it's something you're expected to engage in to gain opportunities and respect.

Poverty is humiliating. People with money never think about the fact that they have money. They think of themselves as average, if they think of themselves in terms of socioeconomic status at all. Being poor ends up embedded in the grooves and folds of your brain.

I remember when I was about 12, I gave my friend an informal tour of our house the first time she came over, showing her every room. I realized later that this wasn't exactly a normal behavior—I had done it because my mom did the same thing when she brought her friend over, and my mom had done it because it was a way of saying look, I survived. Look, I have a place to live to call my own, isn't this nice?

At its worst, anti-consumerism just reinforces the myth that your consumption is purely a matter of personal choice. And unfortunately when the conversation is ruled by the privileged, this idea will appear substantiated—because rich people can choose the aesthetics of poverty without concretely affecting the way the world treats them. A rich person can choose to live in a "tiny house" but they will never be "trailer trash."

Anti-consumerism revolves around ideas that are almost irreparably tainted by the mythology of an unequal society. Rich people possess and control the aesthetic of restraint and frugality, allowing them to playact living a Simple Life where they live in a tiny minimalist cottage and eat Healthy Vegan Oat Gruel, while McDonalds is the emblem of American excess. It is poor people's behaviors and habits that exemplify excess and greed.

Anti-consumerism isn't going to change anything until it openly confronts the fact that poverty is traumatic and consumption patterns often arise from poverty survival mechanisms.

#random #overconsumption #anticonsumerism #was in my drafts for a long time wow

[copperbadge]

Radio Free Monday

Good morning everyone, and welcome to Radio Free Monday!

Ways to Give:

maryellencarter is homeless and has recently moved cross-country to be closer to friends, but is facing issues with local social services being hostile to non-locals. They are fundraising for a local ID plus food and meds until they can get on state assistance; you can read more, reblog, and find giving information here.

Anon linked to a fundraiser for Varda, who is facing a large ambulance bill in Australia (AU$1.2K) that they've already had to get an extension on once. You can read more, reblog, and find giving information here.

a_phoenixdragon is fundraising to get through the end of this month and the beginning of next, covering bills, food, and other necessities. You can read more and find giving information here or give directly via PayPal to [email protected].

deesarrachi's husband is a high school ELA teacher, and is looking for Pride merch to share with his students for the third year running; the goal is to have a bin of merch for each ELA class, since for a lot of kids, this is the first time they've owned anything they can use to show their Pride or support friends and family. You can read more and reblog here or buy direct from the Amazon wishlist here with some stuff starting as low as $7.

Recurring Needs:

loversdoom is a college student from the Philippines, studying away from her family, and her parents are unexpectedly unable to support her education; she is dealing with a number of expenses and is now looking at costly medical procedures as well to do with likely PCOS. You can read more and reblog here or give to the fundraiser here.

onedollopofsourcream is raising funds to help with food, transportation, medication for their family of seven, including two small children, and other expenses after a string of financial issues; they are also currently dealing with an abusive home situation including food control. You can read more, reblog, and find giving information here.

rilee16 is raising funds to get out of an abusive home situation; with irregular work hours and a tax debt due on top of chronic illness issues, they also need funds to repair their phone, which is dying, and cover utility bills. You can read more, reblog, and find giving information here.

And this has been Radio Free Monday! Thank you for your time. You can post items for my attention at the Radio Free Monday submissions form. If you're new to fundraising, you may want to check out my guide to fundraising here.

#radio free monday #charity #philanthropy #fannish community #love monday holidays but hate how they make me forget I do actually have something to do on Monday mornings

[astoundingbeyondbelief]

Kaiju Week in Review (December 31, 2023-January 6, 2024)

Episode 9 of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters was a huge one, wrapping up the flashback storyline with gut punch after gut punch and dropping half the cast into a new realm of the Hollow Earth, Axis Mundi. I'm being vague because there's a very big twist at the end. Chomping at the bit for the finale.

@quazies has graced us with another animated Godzilla short, this one focusing on Rodan and wringing surprising emotion out of the daffy bird. And I continue to get a kick of out this Animal Crossing-esque Monster Island. This is their fourth Godzilla video; if you're unfamiliar with them, correct this immediately.

The new issue of TotalFilm has a sizable article on Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. My notes:

Trapper (Dan Stevens) is a sort of Titan veterinarian.

Emphasis on filming in real places; the Hollow Earth is a mixture of Greenland, Iceland, Hawaii, and Australia. Also mentions some sort of physical Kong prop and another full-sized HEAV.

Apex isn't in this story "in a literal way," but Monarch seems to have copped some of their tech; Kong's B.E.A.S.T. Glove is implied to be one example. Sort of disappointing that the Monsterverse continues to avoid having a recurring human villain, but then it would've been hard to keep Apex in the picture, between the Mechagodzilla scandal and all their key members dying.

Rome is mentioned as a location in the film, which was reinforced this week with a Japanese trailer showing Godzilla astride the Colosseum prior to his evolution. As a half-Italian, I'm thrilled.

Wingard is aiming for late-Showa Godzilla vibes. Not possible on a nine-figure budget, says I, but I'm curious to see what he comes up with. Adds that he "wanted the color palette of the film to resemble the experience of what it was like to walk down a toy aisle in the 1980s[.]"

Wingard on Skar King: "[He's], in a way, the closest that the human threat has ever been juxtaposed onto a titan itself. The Skar King almost represents an upscaled version of the worst parts of humanity, just as Kong represents some of the best parts of humanity."

Now, about that cover... they're doing the bisexual lighting on purpose at this point, right?

The new Godzilla Battle Line units are Orga and Kiryu Kai (Heavy Arms Type). Orga's pretty fun, dropped into the arena by the Millennian UFO and respawning with half health once defeated. The new Kiryu is a major addition, dealing 30% more damage to units that cost 7 energy or more.

This is my first Kaiju Week in Review covering 2024; for a look back on all that happened in 2023 in kaiju film, television, and video games, I'll refer you to this excellent video by @zagorudan. @vintagehenshin has one out on indie tokusatsu as well.

This is a year ending in "4", so a lot of Godzilla movies have big anniversaries on the way. The biggest, of course, is Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, turning 50 on March 21. Toho wasn't celebrating golden anniversaries in earnest when the other non-Godzilla members of the Big Five reaches theirs, so expect a Full Weapon Strike of merch, comics, and short films. We already know Mechagodzilla's in the next Godzilla Rivals issue, though not top-billed. Ultraman Leo, ESPY, Evil of Dracula, and Prophecies of Nostradamus also turn 50 this year.

#kaiju week in review #monarch legacy of monsters #godzilla x kong the new empire #godzilla vs. mechagodzilla #godzilla #kaiju

[centrally-unplanned]

Rewatching Buffy is also a fun exercise in context-aware consumption. As a show I like I have read a number of production interviews & such about it, and its not a show aiming for hyper-realism; I am rarely fully suspending disbelief when watching. I know this is media, made by actors & crew members.

It is something that makes it very hard to get "mad" about things that fans back in the day were mad at, that almost always ignored the reality of said production. Tara being killed in Season 6 and never returning is a classic example - extremely controversial decision, death-threats-faxed-to-the-team fan response drama. The Big Bad of season 7 has the ability to wear the form of anyone dead, and in one episode tries to convince Willow to stop using magic in the form of some other dead girl speaking for Tara, but not Tara herself.

So why is Tara not-even-a-ghost? Because actress Amber Benson really wanted to leave the show. She had big conflicts with someone on the production - she has never confirmed, but all odds point to Alyson Hannigan (Willow) - and mid-production in Season 6 they came to a head, and also she had an opportunity to do some directing for a shoot in England, so she asked Joss to write her out. Dying fit the themes, and maybe coming back for an episode was on the table but like it didn't really work out. That is TV! Obviously it would have been better for the ghost episode if that was Tara, but its hard to be mad at it, they did what they could.

Season 7 has a bunch of things like this too - Caleb certainly shows up pretty late in the game! So does Faith! Couldn't they be there for more episodes? Not with the contract as a non-regular Nathan Fillion & Eliza Dusku had. Who is main-billing w/ residuals, who is recurring, who is a "special guest", these are important questions for TV productions, and the ideal script doesn't care. So Caleb's arc in Season 7 is rushed, for sure. Its a criticism, I do think they should have written *around* that reality better. But its way to easier to look past that and see the good stuff when you know the constraints.

#buffy the vampire slayer

[apothheosis]

‼️⚠️PLEASE HELP A DISABLED TRANSGENDER LATINO MAINTAIN HOUSING⚠️‼️

hi i desperately need help paying rent, this is going to be a recurring thing until my boss is able to pay me more for my work. i have a job, though i only get 12$/hr for 10 hours a week, so it’s not much. It covers just a little over half my rent. in order to afford rent, I need to make at least an extra 250$ a month, but I also have bills, transportation, and my cats to take care of.

please please help contribute to my survival fund if you can, sharing this post helps a lot even if you can’t help financially. i know everyone’s in a tough place right now, a lot of people are struggling, but I don’t have a lot of options. any and all help given is hugely appreciated.

v*nmo: deadmallgoth

c*shapp: deadmallgoth

paypal: [email protected]

#mutual aid #mutual aid request #disabled #queer #trans #survival fund #donation post #donation request #fundraising

[acceptccnow]

Discussing NMN, Nutraceuticals, & Merchant Payment Processing

Article by Jonathan Bomser | CEO | Accept-Credit-Cards-Now.com

In today's ever-evolving health and business landscape, the merging of NMN, nutraceuticals, and merchant payment processing is reshaping our approach to wellness and commercial transactions. Join us as we explore the interconnectedness of these elements and their influence on our lives.

Nutraceuticals: Pioneering the Path to Optimal Health Nutraceuticals are at the forefront of modern health and wellness trends. This blend of "nutrition" and "pharmaceuticals" encompasses products that go beyond basic sustenance, providing health benefits to enhance overall well-being. This category includes dietary supplements, vitamins, herbal remedies, and functional foods.

As health-conscious individuals continue to grow in number, the demand for nutraceuticals has skyrocketed. People are actively seeking solutions to improve their health, manage specific conditions, and enhance vitality. This burgeoning interest has given rise to a thriving industry, where businesses must implement robust merchant account processing systems to seamlessly accept credit cards and offer customers convenient payment options.

Merchant Payment Processing: The Engine of Modern Transactions Merchant payment processing is the powerhouse driving contemporary commerce. In an era where cash transactions are dwindling, the ability to accept credit cards has become a necessity for businesses across the board. It's no longer just a matter of convenience; it's about exceeding customer expectations and driving sales.

For the nutraceutical sector, efficient payment processing is of particular significance. When customers seek health solutions, they demand a seamless, secure, and hassle-free buying experience. The capacity to accept credit cards ensures that transactions are promptly executed, nurturing trust and customer loyalty.

Selecting the Optimal Merchant Account Processing Solution The choice of the right merchant account processing solution is a pivotal one for businesses. Factors like fees, security, customer support, and alignment with your business model must all be carefully evaluated.

Nutraceutical businesses have their unique considerations. Many of them provide subscription-based supplement plans, necessitating a payment system that adeptly manages recurring billing. Given the sensitive health information involved, security is of paramount importance. Compliance with industry standards, including the PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard), is non-negotiable.

NMN: A Nutraceutical Game-Changer Now, let's cast the spotlight on NMN (Nicotinamide Mononucleotide), a star performer in the realm of nutraceuticals. NMN is a naturally occurring compound found in various foods like broccoli and avocados. Its claim to fame lies in its potential to boost NAD+ (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide) levels, a coenzyme critical for energy metabolism and DNA repair.

NMN has garnered substantial attention for its possible anti-aging properties. As we age, NAD+ levels decline, leading to a range of health issues. NMN supplements aim to reverse this decline, presenting a promising avenue to improved health and longevity. As the demand for NMN products continues to climb, nutraceutical businesses must have reliable merchant account processing systems in place to efficiently handle the growing demand for these life-enhancing products.

The Nexus of NMN, Nutraceuticals, and Payment Processing The intersection of NMN, nutraceuticals, and payment processing presents a distinctive opportunity for businesses. With the health and wellness industry on the ascent, offering top-tier health products like NMN and delivering customers a seamless payment experience are pivotal.

Efficient payment processing systems aren't just transaction facilitators; they are central to customer satisfaction. When customers can make secure payments with their preferred credit cards, they are more inclined to complete their purchases and return for future transactions.

#high risk merchant account #high risk payment gateway #high risk payment processing #merchant processing #payment processing #credit card payment #credit card processing #accept credit cards #payment #youtube #Youtube

[hauntedtrait]

‼️⚠️ TRANSGENDER DISABLED LATINO URGENTLY NEEDS HELP TO MAINTAIN HOUSING⚠️‼️

hi i’m back begging 4 money! still desperately need help paying rent, this is going to be a recurring thing until i’m able to find a higher paying job. i only make about 450$, which does not cover my rent. on top of that, I also have bills, transportation, and my cats to take care of. surviving right now is really difficult and unfortunately i depend on these mutual aid requests to get by. 

please please help contribute to my survival fund if you can, sharing this post helps a lot even if you can’t help financially. i know everyone’s in a tough place right now, a lot of people are struggling, but I don’t have a lot of options. any and all help given is hugely appreciated. 

i’m also being sued over a credit card debt because i have been so poor i have not been able to make any payments on credit cards for year. the situation is dire. i can’t afford to lose this lawsuit, nor can i afford to lose my apartment when my lease is up for renewal very soon. 

whatever help you’re able to give, i appreciate it, thank you.

v*nmo: deadmallgoth 

c*shapp: $deadmallgoth

paypal.me/deadmallgoth666

#mutual aid #mutual aid request #crowdfunding #fundraising #survival fund #sorry this is the only thing i post here now #but its my blog w the most followers and therefore biggest reach #living is exhausting rn i need help

[justforbooks]

In her Reith lecture of 2017, recently published for the first time in a posthumous collection of nonfiction, A Memoir of My Former Self, Hilary Mantel recalled the beginnings of her career as a novelist. It was the 1970s. “In those days historical fiction wasn’t respectable or respected,” she recalled. “It meant historical romance. If you read a brilliant novel like I, Claudius, you didn’t taint it with the genre label, you just thought of it as literature. So, I was shy about naming what I was doing. All the same, I began. I wanted to find a novel I liked, about the French Revolution. I couldn’t, so I started making one.”

She made A Place of Greater Safety, an exceptional ensemble portrayal of the revolutionaries Danton, Robespierre and Desmoulins, but although the novel was completed in 1979, it wasn’t published until 1992 – widely rejected, as she later explained, because although she thought the French Revolution was the most interesting thing in the world, the reading public didn’t agree, or publishers had concluded they didn’t. She decided to write a contemporary novel – Every Day Is Mother’s Day – purely to get published; A Place of Greater Safety emerged only when she contributed to a Guardian piece about writers’ unpublished first novels.

Genre is a confining madness; it says nothing about how writers write or readers read, and everything about how publishers, retailers and commentators would like them to. This is not to criticise the many talented personnel in those areas, who valiantly swim against the labels their industry has alighted on to shift units as quickly and smoothly as possible.

Consider the worst offender: not crime, horror, thriller, science fiction, espionage or romance, but “literary fiction”. It can and does contain many of the elements of the others, but is ultimately meaningless except as a confused shorthand: for what is thought clever or ambitious or beyond the comprehension of readers more suited to “mass market” or “commercial” fiction. What would happen if we dispensed with this non-category category altogether? Very little, except that we might meet a book on its own terms.

Is last year’s Booker prize winner, Shehan Karunatilaka’s The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, a ghost story because its central character is dead, or a thriller because he has to work out who has murdered him? A historical novel because it is set during the Sri Lankan civil war, or speculative fiction because it contains scenes of the afterlife? And where do we place previous winners such as Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders or A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James?

Finding ways to describe narratives is not itself the problem, and nor is genre in the wider sense. An understanding of literary traditions that have formed over centuries and across cultures is not essential to the enjoyment of an individual book, but helpful to a broader appreciation of how texts interact with one another through recurring styles and motifs. The urge to categorise has had a deadening effect, reinforcing hierarchies that rely on an idea of what is “serious” and what is not, and by the genuinely liberating understanding of literature, in all its forms, as a playful, thoughtful, experimental tussle with words and ideas.

None of that means one mightn’t enjoy wandering down the forking paths of the literary woods. During the lockdowns, I found great comfort in psychological thrillers of a particular cast: a form of domestic noir in which the usually female protagonist’s apparently enviable life was undermined by a combination of unresolved dissatisfactions (a distant or otherwise problematic husband, a house renovation gone wrong, bills piling up, recalcitrant or troubled children) and an interloper, often in the form of a glamorous new neighbour. I was fascinated by the way these novels articulated a set of contemporary bourgeois anxieties – property values, long-term monogamy, school places, stalled careers – and then imagined how they might be alleviated by the arrival of a disruptor, only to discover that the status quo isn’t all that bad. Often set in smartish London suburbs, these books occasionally packed their casts off on holiday to a rented villa that not every participant could comfortably afford, and in which a body would quickly turn up amid the abandoned plates of tzatziki and glasses of retsina. I began to imagine that if I had the wit and skill to write a parodic mashup, I might call it Kitchen Island. But I don’t, because these efficient entertainments were also, at their most successful, impressively executed feats of plotting and atmosphere.

That I might feel these novels were, in that grimly joyless phrase, “guilty pleasures” because I read them more quickly than I might read the work of Jon Fosse or James Baldwin or Isabel Waidner is to misunderstand the potential of variousness. They were simply another facet of my reading life, speaking to a different impulse, yielding a different reward. I might eat a boiled egg for lunch and immerse myself in a complicated recipe of unfamiliar ingredients at dinner time; finish a cheerful romcom and then turn to a painstakingly detailed documentary. These are not perceived as contradictions, but as perfectly reasonable options available to those of us lucky enough to have them.

I’m returning now to a new novel, Orbital by Samantha Harvey, one of my favourite contemporary novelists. It is set in space, on board a craft circling the Earth, filled with astronauts from different countries and cultures, undergoing physical, mental and emotional changes. Her last novel, The Western Wind, was set in 1491, and she has also written about Alzheimer’s disease, Socrates, infidelity and insomnia. Categorise that.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

#just for books #Hilary Mantel #A Memoir of My Former Self #book review

[adultswim2021]

Freaknik: The Musical | March 7, 2010 - 11:30PM | Special

Whither That Crook’d ‘Sipp? 

Freaknik: the Musical! A special that I’m ill-equipped to truly go deep on because 1) I am a cracker-ass and 2) I live in a hell of my own making and sometimes it's far too difficult to tune out. Oh well! I’ll give it a shot, yuh know? See what happens! Also: I pledge to not google anything about this, so I will be speaking from my threadbare knowledge of the subject at hand.

Freaknik is based on a real-life recurring block party, or outdoor music fest, or something like that, held, uh, probably annually in, I’m guessing, Atlanta, Georgia. It probably has rap stuff going on and people probably have a lotta fun listening to live music and attempting to find sex partners among it's many attendees. I have gleaned this from the special itself, as well as the fact that when you search for this to see if it’s playing on any streaming services you’ll instead find a documentary called “Freaknik: a big party that happens” or something like that. 

This special follows a likable rap group who are down on their luck. They intend to travel to the big event so they can compete in some battle of the bands type thing. The party is happening because Freaknik, a ghostly personification of the party itself, has sprung back to life. I forget how. He’s a black ghost with money signs all over himself and hes real charismatic. He embodies good times, blackness, and above all, love. We see him going on a publicity tour, while a council of hater-ass black establishment figures (including mostly unidentified-but recognizable figures like Oprah, Jesse Jackson, Bill Cosby, and Al Sharpton) all scheme to stop Freaknik once and for all. 

The rap group have little adventures along the way, such as a memorable stop at a white frat. They tangle with a rival rap group, who look just like them. They meet a car full ‘o bitches and a brand new bong. One of the "bitches" is a character from That Crook’d ‘Sipp, but with a different name. There is almost no continuity between the two specials, just reused assets. That’s probably a best case scenario for That Crook’d ‘Sipp, which is maybe one of my least favorite things I’ve ever watched on Adult Swim. This is far from the worst thing. In fact, it’s fairly solid. 

That Crook’d ‘Sipp felt like it was speaking an alien language, and was borderline incomprehensible. This doesn’t feel that way. But, and I mean this in a non-insulting way, this show doesn’t feel like it’s for me. It’s a flavor I have a bit of a shallow distaste for. This is ultimately a good thing! I like when shows get on the air that are very specific and meant to appeal to a certain segment of the population.

I could quibble with the humor here and there, but I don’t think this special was designed with specifically pleasing me in mind. So why don’t I focus on the positive, instead? In fact, why doesn't everyone do this when faced with stuff that's not specifically for them? Okay , here I go: the characters are colorful! A lot of the drawings are great, funny, and cartoony! Even when it felt like it was about to veer into broad, stereotypical humor, it still pleasantly surprised me by aiming higher! It wasn’t boring, and a lot of the songs were pretty goddamn great! 

I actively enjoyed three moments in particular. One was the bit where Tyra Banks goes undercover as a corpse. This was a parody of the time she went undercover as an obese person utilizing a fat suit. (whoops, I googled this, just because I thought maybe I was confusing her with the episode of Fresh Prince of Bel Air where Will did that. Wait, wasn’t she on that show? Aw, geez!)

Moment two: the frat bros, who have their party shut down by the cops (you’ll hear famous white people Andy Sandburg and Bill Hader in this scene). When the cops leave, they lament being targeted by them, but then one says “I kinda like cops though, because they found the guy that killed my mom.” This right here is my favorite line in the show. 

The other part I liked, which I recalled from watching this way back when, was the scene where Al Sharpton is watching the news report that he died in his home after being struck by lightning. He looks around quizzically and then it happens. A lotta really fun cartoon gags like that are in this! I respect it!

Not my favorite thing to air on Adult Swim; not by a long shot. But the more I think about this show, especially its final act, the more I think that this special is pretty undervalued and underseen, and that’s a real shame. I honestly think that Adult Swim really should try to bring this back at some capacity. Maybe repeat it with a special promotion? Maybe a sequel? Maybe there’s a reason for it's absence that has nothing to do with Adult Swim or their parent company. But I think if they pushed this back out into the world and tried to get more eyes on it, only good things would come. 

MAIL BAG: 

From KON:

The funniest thing I ever said in my life was about Freaknik: The Musical. The special aired on the same night as the Oscars that year, the year that The Hurt Locker FAMOUSLY upset Avatar and won best picture. When the winner was announced, at one point they cut to James Cameron looking pissed. I said, "he's mad because he's missing Freaknik." Thank you, thank you

BIG LOL. I really do hope that he DVR’d it. And that he didn’t get it on DVD, because the DVD looks like shit. I hope he DVR'd it, or had a 1080p webrip from cartoonchaos on his seedbox.

THANK you for your neon knome review. As one of five people on planet earth who actually likes the problem solverz I'm glad to see another fan out there. Granted, PS was nowhere near as good as Neon Knome (even one of Ben Jones' own friends said it was 'too shouty'), but it's definitely not like, "Consistently and infamously ranked the worst cartoon of all time among a large amount of people" bad. Most of the hate seems to be from people who hate the brash art style and think the colors hurt their eyes, and from people who think that Alfe is annoying. I'll give them the latter, but like you said the style is very deliberate and I like how... 'visceral', it is, for lack of a better word. I unironically feel it was just too ahead of it's time and aired on the wrong network. This was when tumblr normies were geeking out over Adventure time, so something like this freaked them the F out and it stuck cause of word of mouth. Kinda like how Freddy Got Fingered was called 'the worst movie of all time' until pretty recently. I think if Neon Knome came out 15 years later, on [AS] in it's original form, people would love it. Cruelty Squad has like 10,000 positive reviews on Steam and it's just as visually abrasive/experimental as this is.

Thanks! Hopefully Criterion Channel will add Problem Solverz to it’s line-up so we can properly reassess it’s place in the culture at large. It does feel like if it got deleted by Zaslav that nobody in the world (except you and me, I guess) would stick up for it. People all snarkily saying “at least he got this one right”. The snark would be off the charts. The snark charts.

#adult swim #adultswim2021 #freaknik: the musical

[manojhosur]

#one time billing #non recurring billing

[radiant-resonance]

How do I offer value if not through my knowledge or insight?

With only my Head & Ajna Undefined in my BodyGraph, this is *the* recurring struggle for me.

I've spent the last 15+ years of my adult life teetering back and forth between (barely) making ends meet by selling my time via labor/service work, and selling my knowledge via coaching/consulting work online.

One of the more lucrative ways I made money for a long time was through offering Human Design Readings.

But in the age of AI, it feels silly selling things that can be easily Googled or answered by ChatGPT tbh.

So after almost a decade of non-stop hustling in my online business, I'm at a crossroads.

Last year, I started teaching yoga and got a retail job again. Gotta pay the bills somehow.

I'm at peace in many ways; yet I feel pangs of the classic FRUSTRATION of the (Manifesting) Generator who's not fully in alignment.

I know I have something more to offer... I know the correct path for me brings comfort to my family and joy to others.

I keep coming back to my own BodyGraph as a guiding light.

The 3/5 Profile is the design of someone who tries a lot of things, experimenting with life – then allows others to look on & learn through their trial-and-error process.

The Gift of my Purpose Sphere (51.5) is Initiative. This is one of the bigger themes I will grow through in my own life, and it is my greater gift to those who come to know me.

The Gift of my Core Wound / Vocation Sphere (25.4) is Acceptance. This really reminds me of my favorite part of being a yoga teacher – giving students the space to be who they are, how they are, where they are right now.

If only being a yoga teacher were a sustainable full-time job in this economy...

I'll figure this out... (I always do!)

I guess you can find me here in the meantime 👋

#human design #yoga teacher #what is my purpose #astro observations #manifesting generator #3/5 profile #3/5

[copperbadge]

Radio Free Monday

Good morning everyone, and welcome to Radio Free Monday!

Just a note because I've had some inquiries lately -- it's always fine to include more than one way to give when submitting an item for RFM! It's always best to have a crowdfund page of some kind (gofundme, fundly, etc) and only list a direct payment processor like paypal or venmo as a secondary, but including multiple payment methods is okay, as long as you don't mind your paypal/venmo/etc being public.

Ways to Give:

hi-this-is-ali-rae is getting top surgery, scheduled for January; they're preparing for the surgery and the healing after, and raising funds to cover out-of-pocket costs and make their recovery as comfortable as possible. You can read more and support the fundraiser here.

Anon linked to The Big Gay Market, a LGBTQ+ owned-and-operated pop up maker's market in Madison, Wisconsin, which has been in operation for nearly a year. They're looking to move into a bigger venue after receiving fantastic community support, and are crowdfunding via Kiva loan for a down-payment to reserve the space for their next market. (When you support organizations and people via Kiva it's a no-interest loan from you, so the money eventually comes back to the lender.) You can read more and contribute to the loan fund here.

nehirose's cat Winston had to go to the emergency vet last night for pyometra; they were able to get antibiotics and fluids, but she's fundraising for the visit fees and follow-up and spay with a non-emergency vet, which is a struggle with rent looming this week. You can read more and support the fundraiser here, read more and reblog here, or give via paypal here.

News to Know:

Anon wanted to remind folks that the US government is offering another round of free COVID tests; you can order four tests per household, and if you didn't order tests in September during the previous round, you can order eight per household. You can order tests via the post office or the COVID.gov website.

Recurring Needs:

Anon linked to a fundraiser for Alchemia and Bugland, who have urgent financial needs after the loss of their home, and are also looking for media contacts who would be interested in covering their story, or advocacy and legal support in Illinois, particularly support for people with disabilities, autism, blindness, and/or who are LGBTQ+. You can read more at Dreamwidth here and support the fundraiser at GoFundMe here.

gwydion's very elderly car broke down in late October; the repair, to a cooling hose, has cheap parts but expensive labor, and ate most of zir budget for the month. Ze can't do without a car, being disabled, but can't afford to replace it either; ze's raising $280 to help cover bills and the repair. You can give via PayPal here.

gwydion linked to a fundraiser for Squirrel, a good friend who has recently lost his job and needs to raise about $800 to cover bills and food; Squirrel has had a lot of interviews and believes he will have an offer but won't start work until December. You can give via paypal here.

gwydion linked to a fundraiser for a friend, whose dog Rosie needs medical care, dental work, and special food; you can read more and give here at gofundme.

mid-nighttiger linked to a fundraiser for a friend, Katherine, a cosplayer (501st and Rebel Legion, among others) who was in a serious car accident and has had a gofundme set up for her medical expenses; you can read more and reblog Mid-Nighttiger's post here or support the fundraiser here.

rilee16 is raising funds to cover utilities after having to use bill money to cover rent and late fees; Rilee also needs to be able to pay for medication. You can read more, reblog, and find giving information here.

And this has been Radio Free Monday! Thank you for your time. You can post items for my attention at the Radio Free Monday submissions form. If you're new to fundraising, you may want to check out my guide to fundraising here.

#radio free monday #charity #philanthropy #fannish community

[litcityblues]

The West Wing Re-Watch, Seasons 1 & 2

You couldn't possibly reboot The West Wing today. I know there's been chatter about it now and again and they did that dramatic presentation of an episode ("Hartsfield's Landing" from Season 3) a couple of years back to benefit 'When We All Vote' featuring the original cast and key recurring cast from the episode in their original roles. (With Sterling K. Brown stepping in for the deceased John Spencer to play Leo McGarry.)

But you couldn't possibly reboot it today. It would be dismissed as cringe centrist fanfiction almost immediately. The past is another country and The West Wing proves it conclusively. You watch the show and it's like staring back into an America that doesn't exist anymore. The politics seem positively quaint compared with today's noxious environment.

*deep sigh*

All that being said, as we all sit here, on our little rock, falling through the Universe, I'm left with the inescapable conclusion that our festering, fetid Culture War is a cul-de-sac we're all trapped in together. Both sides seem to want to keep us on the never-ending hamster wheel of outrage and ideology and it's mentally exhausting. Various horrible bills are currently working their way through our state legislature in Des Moines. I've written on vouchers, but there are parents that seem convinced now that if schools don't teach social and emotional learning, they won't discover their sexual identities. There are parents that think if kids don't hear the word 'transgender' they won't be transgender. (Whether or not these parents allow their children cell phones with access to the internet is a question nobody wants to ask because guess what? If they have the phones with the TikToks and the Snapchats and the social media, they're going to be finding out about all the shit you hate... on their own. So, game over either way.)

Our current time of nonsense is exhausting and even if The West Wing represents a politics and an America that no longer exists, it sure is nice to remember when it wasn't a toxic waste dump, so there's some nice escapism you can wallow in if that's your thing.

*ok, tangent over.*

The First Season of The West Wing is... well, you can tell it's a first season. Sorkin is, of course, infamous for using the same phrases over and over again and I'm pretty sure parts of 'A Proportional Response' show up in 'The American President' and of course, every show he's ever done has the inevitable first season finale of 'What Kind Of Day Has It Been' (and I don't know why, either. If there's an explanation for that, I've never seen it.)

But, mixed in with the inevitable 'finding of the sea legs' that every show seems to go through, you've got some really excellent episodes that peek through. 'The State Dinner' introduces Abbey Bartlett (Stockard Channing), 'Take This Sabbath Day' is a really excellent look at the politics of the death penalty (another issue that's just a non-issue in today's political discourse, but very much a cogent issue in the 90s.)

I know everyone likes to cite 'Let Bartlet Be Bartlet' for this season and it's a good episode, a nice hinge episode that sets up the last few episodes leading up to the season finale, but the one that really stands out to me is 'Six Meetings Before Lunch.'

In general, it's not a particularly memorable episode, but one subplot between Josh (Bradley Whitford) and a nominee for the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department, Jeff Breckenridge (Carl Lumbly) stands out because there's a bit of a kerfuffle about Jeff because he commented on a dust cover for a book advocating reparations for slavery. This episode aired in the year 2000. And I don't know if people would call it a comprehensive discussion of reparations, but it seems like a pretty balanced one to me- well ahead of its time.

The West Wing has a few moments like that- in general, it's fairly straightforward 90s liberalism, heavily influenced by the late 60s progressivism (obviously, because people in the 90s couldn't shut about the 60s). But on occasion, some prescience peeks out.

Mandy (Moira Kelly) departs the scene after the first season and I always thought it was a shame they never managed to bring her back in some capacity- and whether that was because of hard feelings or just general luck I don't know. But to be fair to her, it seemed like Mandy was a character they didn't really know what to do with, so if the break-up was mutual, I think it made a lot of sense.

The second season is probably one of my favorites. (In fact, you could sell me on Seasons 2-4 as being The West Wing at the peak of its Sorkin-powers quite easily.) The season picks up in the aftermath of the shooting in Rosslyn and the fallout that followed. The introduction of Ainsley Hayes (Emily Proctor) as a Republican Lawyer hired as Associate White House Counsel early on in the season features one of the best encapsulations of the gun control debate that I have ever seen and one that still holds up today and explains why we can't get anywhere on that issue. (The workplace harassment subplot seems very jarring back then, but the tribalistic behavior the two disgruntled staffers display fits the politics of today lamentably well.)

'Shibboleth' is a standout episode in the early going- but really, it's 'Noel' that just about steals the whole season in many respects. But there are so many great episodes to choose from in this season! 'Ellie', 'Somebody's Going To Emergency, Somebody's Going To Jail' (which features a nicely Sorkin-esque critique of performative leftism that holds up today.) 'The Stackhouse Filibuster' is undoubtedly still used in high school government classes to teach about the concept of a filibuster even though the actual filibuster hasn't worked like that for years now.

The slide down to the season finale is just a run of episodes that do not miss. The last six episodes are building towards something and with the season finale of 'Two Cathedrals', the payoff is sublime. It's perfect. Even now over two decades later, I defy anyone to find me a show outside of like 'The Wire' that has had a seven-episode run leading into a season finale like The West Wing does here.

You can love Sorkin or you can hate Sorkin but right here, the man was at the height of his powers in a way that I don't think I saw again until possibly The Social Network or Molly's Game.

Even after all these years, 'Two Cathedrals' still SLAPS. Just fucking perfect. Fight me in the comments if you disagree.

Apparently, this is the year when I rewatch old shows, so welcome? Come along for the ride?

#the west wing #rewatch #season 1 #season 2

[accomparison]

FreshBooks vs Xero: Which Online Accounting Software is Best for Your Business?

Are you tired of the hassle that comes with traditional accounting methods? It's no secret that manual bookkeeping can be a daunting task for business owners. Fortunately, in today's digital age, there are online accounting software options available to help simplify your financial management. Two popular choices are FreshBooks and Xero. Both offer innovative features to streamline your accounting processes, but which one is the best fit for your business?

In this blog post, we'll compare FreshBooks vs Xero and help you determine which option is right for you!

What is FreshBooks?

FreshBooks is a cloud-based accounting software designed for small business owners who want to manage their finances efficiently. The platform offers features such as invoicing, time tracking, expense management, and project management all in one place.

One of the standout benefits of FreshBooks is its user-friendly interface. Even if you're not an accounting expert, you can easily navigate through the system without feeling overwhelmed. Another great feature is that it integrates seamlessly with other popular apps such as Stripe, PayPal, and G Suite.

Moreover, FreshBooks has an excellent invoicing system that allows users to create customized invoices quickly and effectively. You can send professional-looking invoices via email or snail mail and even set up recurring billing for your regular clients.

Another benefit of using FreshBooks is its mobile app compatibility. With just a few clicks on your smartphone or tablet screen, you can track your billable hours or expenses while on-the-go.

FreshBooks provides affordable pricing plans for small businesses seeking easy-to-use tools like time tracking and automated invoicing paired with strong customer support options including phone numbers available during extended hours which are key criteria areas when choosing an online accounting software.

What is Xero?

Xero is an online accounting software that was created to help small business owners manage their finances more easily. It was founded in New Zealand in 2006 and has since grown to become a popular choice for businesses around the world.

One of the main features of Xero is its cloud-based platform, which allows users to access their financial information from anywhere with an internet connection. This means that business owners can log in and check their accounts on-the-go or collaborate with team members remotely.

Another advantage of Xero is its user-friendly interface, which makes it easy for non-accountants to use. The software offers a range of tools and integrations designed specifically for small businesses, such as invoicing, expense tracking, payroll management and inventory management.

In addition, Xero provides real-time reporting and insights into your business's financial health. This enables you to make informed decisions based on up-to-date data.

Xero is a powerful tool for managing your business's finances efficiently while saving time and effort.

The Pros and Cons of FreshBooks

FreshBooks is an online accounting software designed for small businesses and freelancers. Here are the pros and cons of using FreshBooks.

Pros:

Firstly, FreshBooks offers a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to navigate through the different features of the platform. The dashboard provides a clear overview of your business finances with charts and graphs that show important financial data such as revenue, expenses, profit, and loss.

Secondly, FreshBooks allows you to create professional-looking invoices quickly without much effort. You can customize your invoice templates with your brand logo, colors, and messaging to match your company's branding.

Thirdly, FreshBooks integrates seamlessly with other applications like PayPal or Stripe which assists in making payments effortless. This integration saves time for users who don't want to manually input payments one by one into their system.

Cons:

One major disadvantage of using FreshBooks is its limited reporting options compared to other accounting software available on the market. Users have reported difficulties when trying to generate customized reports which limits analysis capabilities.

Secondly, while there are mobile apps available for both iOS and Android devices users complain about stability issues on older phones or tablets due to slow loading times or crashing problems during use

Lastly - pricing - some people may find that FreshBooks is more expensive than alternative solutions especially if they require multiple user accounts or plan add-ons such as payroll services etc

Despite these drawbacks many businesses still see positive results from implementing this solution depending on their specific needs so consider all factors before choosing what best suits yours!

The Pros and Cons of Xero

Xero is one of the most popular online accounting software for small businesses. It offers a wide range of features to manage finances, such as invoicing, inventory management, bank reconciliation and expense tracking. Here are some pros and cons of using Xero:

Pros:

User-friendly interface: Xero has an easy-to-use dashboard that displays all your financial information in one place.

Integration with third-party apps: You can integrate Xero with over 800 third-party apps including Shopify, PayPal and Stripe.

Mobile app: The mobile app allows you to access your financial data from anywhere at any time.

Cons:

Limited customer support options: Compared to other software providers, Xero's customer support options are limited.

Pricey plans for larger sized businesses: While the basic plan is affordable for small-sized businesses, the higher-tiered plans can be pricey for larger-sized businesses.

Limited customization options: Customization options on invoices and reports are limited compared to some competitors.

Xero is a great option for small businesses looking for an easy-to-use accounting software with strong integrations capabilities.

Which Online Accounting Software is Best for Your Business?

When it comes to choosing the best online accounting software for your business, there are a number of factors you should consider. Both FreshBooks and Xero offer unique features that can benefit different types of businesses.

For small businesses with basic accounting needs, FreshBooks may be the better option as it is easy to use and has a simple interface. However, if you need more advanced features such as inventory management or multi-currency support, then Xero may be the way to go.

In terms of pricing, both FreshBooks and Xero offer affordable options with various pricing plans depending on your business needs. It's important to compare these plans carefully before making a decision.

Another important factor is integrations - both FreshBooks and Xero integrate with many popular apps like PayPal and Shopify. However, if you already use other cloud-based software in your business operations, check which ones are compatible before making a final choice.

Ultimately, the best online accounting software for your business will depend on your unique needs and budget. Take time to research each option carefully before making an informed decision that suits your organization’s specific requirements.

Conclusion

After weighing the benefits and drawbacks of FreshBooks and Xero, it's clear that both online accounting software options have their strengths. FreshBooks is an excellent option for small business owners who prioritize ease-of-use and invoicing capabilities. Meanwhile, Xero offers more advanced features suitable for medium-sized businesses in need of more sophisticated bookkeeping tools.

Ultimately, the best choice depends on your specific business needs and priorities. Consider factors such as budget, company size, required features, industry-specific requirements when choosing between FreshBooks vs Xero online accounting platforms.

Regardless of which one you choose to implement into your business operations - either FreshBooks or Xero - rest assured knowing that both offer significant value to entrepreneurs seeking to manage their finances with ease while growing their companies at the same time!

#FreshBooks vs Xero #Compare FreshBooks vs Xero #FreshBooks vs Xero Comparison

[feytouched]

5H, 9H, and capricorn !!

5H ⇢ do you have a hobby? which one(s)?

hobbies are all i have :') here is a non exhaustive list: drawing, playing dnd, reading, writing, tarot, baking, collecting various things, playing the piano badly, pen palling, makeup. probably more that i'm forgettin rn!

9H ⇢ what languages ​​would you like to learn?

i would like to be able to speak lithuanian more passably so as to better communicate with my family. also would like to be fluent in japanese; i just know it at a very beginner level. and french & german for reading certain poets in the original (though i'm okayish with french, idk anything abt german that isn't covered by similarities to english). also would like to properly learn latin bc im a nerd

capricorn ⇢ what’s your ideal job?

insert obligatory i do not dream of labor here. but tbh! i do! i would wanna run my own bakery which hosts an after hours literary society and is also a secret cocktail bar on fridays. but only if i could do it without worrying about profit.

barring that, i'm quite pleased with my current arrangement. although i make below minimum wage, i'm privileged to only need to cover my recurring bills and also medical expenses, plus whatever non-essential purchases i decide to make. and i get to play dnd on the weekends and on weekdays draw dnd characters while listening to dnd podcasts! i'm living the dream and i don't wanna wake up.

send me astrology asks!

#answered