#this is primarily about salaried employees

[ziskeyt]

over the past few jobs i've had since like 2018 i've been very good at enforcing my time boundaries. recently, i've had a number of comments about this in the form of others who feel envious of my ability to sign off. so today i am here as a professional adult to tell you: you have to make your job listen to you. you have to tell your job when you work. i'm not magically some outlier about this, i'm not special, i'm just a person who read my work contract and makes my company adhere to what we agreed. the point is: you need to determine your work boundaries and you have to be the one to maintain them.

the job i really nailed down doing this was before i went to grad school and had to balance that time, and before i had my stroke and became disabled. i was just working a job as an admin assistant / marketing coordinator to four (4!) real estate sales people (realtors). if you know anything about realtors you likely know they work all the time. all of it. they are working. or schmoozing, but that's still work for them. so, in that industry a lot of admins end up working long hours to get reports out, create marketing collateral, fill in lease abstracts, what have you. it's extremely normalized. all the old guard of older women admins at every job i've had in real estate would work beyond the 9-5. so, how'd i do it?

perhaps it's because they were sales people that me saying i would work 9-5 but come in 8-4 on the days they wanted an 8am meeting helped, perhaps they intrinsically understood the value of my time. but i doubt it, because again, i worked in an industry where practically every other admin worked long hours for no reason. but i did tell them they could have my phone for emergencies and that was it, if they needed me once i went home it was going to wait until i was back in the morning. there are so very few, so minuscule in number, situations where your business job will ever have an after hours emergency that you need to work overtime unpaid for. everything else? it's not that urgent. they can wait. and they did. i worked my 8-4 on mondays and 9-5 the other days for months. you may think, "oh but if i leave at 5 and others are still working i might hinder my ability to get a promotion" and if you work at a place where that is the case, that is well beyond the only thing inherently wrong with your work environment and you should look for something else. i worked commercial real estate, not only did i get promotions, i was headhunted from competitors and offered better pay and positions. and in every firm i saw the admins working beyond their hours. every single one. and people would comment on me not working until 7pm in a jealous way, but again. i wasn't doing anything special. i just wasn't letting the company out of the agreement it made with me. during the time i was doing part time grad school and full time work i just told my bosses, (and my potential ones when i interviewed for those "our dick's bigger than yours" games cre firms play with each other), that i would work 8-1 on days i had to commute to school and make up my hours other days. i didn't ask for this. i laid it out to my bosses and said this is how it is going to be. i said if there was ever anything absolutely urgent they could try and email me while i was in class but i would be unlikely to respond. my work never suffered for me working my agreed upon hours, nor when i needed to shuffle them to accommodate school. and sure, if you have an unreasonable boss it is going to be incredibly difficult to get them to respect your time because they do not respect you. either you can try and make it work, try and fight for yourself every single day, or you get a new job. i have had garbage bosses who neither respected my time nor me as a person. i cannot advise how you change those people, only that you need to get the fuck away from them as soon as you are able. no job is worth your health, mental or physical. here in ontario you have the right to disconnect now, the right legally to turn off your phone and ignore your work emails and calls. you may not live in ontario so i do not know what your legal rights are, but i will say to read your work contract. get familiar with your rights as an employee. if you're confused about anything call your local law school they tend to have student phone banks for questions and i've used them for some help with employment law questions i've had in the past. the thing is, you sign a contract to accept a job, but the company also signed this contract. you are held to adhering to it in order to continue to have your job. so, too, you should hold the company to it in order to keep having you. You are the asset. make them remember that.

#Adult advice #Employment advice #also unionize if you can #this is primarily about salaried employees #but also if your hourly job expects you to work at all when you aren't clocked in they are similarly abusing your work contract #don't work beyond your contract #the company is not going to reward you for sacrificing your life for their profit

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Antitrust is a labor issue

I'm touring my new, nationally bestselling novel The Bezzle! Catch me SATURDAY (Apr 27) in MARIN COUNTY, then Winnipeg (May 2), Calgary (May 3), Vancouver (May 4), and beyond!

This is huge: yesterday, the FTC finalized a rule banning noncompete agreements for every American worker. That means that the person working the register at a Wendy's can switch to the fry-trap at McD's for an extra $0.25/hour, without their boss suing them:

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/04/ftc-announces-rule-banning-noncompetes

The median worker laboring under a noncompete is a fast-food worker making close to minimum wage. You know who doesn't have to worry about noncompetes? High tech workers in Silicon Valley, because California already banned noncompetes, as did Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Virginia and Washington.

The fact that the country's largest economies, encompassing the most "knowledge-intensive" industries, could operate without shitty bosses being able to shackle their best workers to their stupid workplaces for years after those workers told them to shove it shows you what a goddamned lie noncompetes are based on. The idea that companies can't raise capital or thrive if their know-how can walk out the door, secreted away in the skulls of their ungrateful workers, is bullshit:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/02/02/its-the-economy-stupid/#neofeudal

Remember when OpenAI's board briefly fired founder Sam Altman and Microsoft offered to hire him and 700 of his techies? If "noncompetes block investments" was true, you'd think they'd have a hard time raising money, but no, they're still pulling in billions in investor capital (primarily from Microsoft itself!). This is likewise true of Anthropic, the company's major rival, which was founded by (wait for it), two former OpenAI employees.

Indeed, Silicon Valley couldn't have come into existence without California's ban on noncompetes – the first silicon company, Shockley Semiconductors, was founded by a malignant, delusional eugenicist who also couldn't manage a lemonade stand. His eight most senior employees (the "Traitorous Eight") quit his shitty company to found Fairchild Semiconductor, a rather successful chip shop – but not nearly so successful as the company that two of Fairchild's top employees founded after they quit: Intel:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/10/24/the-traitorous-eight-and-the-battle-of-germanium-valley/

Likewise a lie: the tale that noncompetes raise wages. This theory – beloved of people whose skulls are so filled with Efficient Market Hypothesis Brain-Worms that they've got worms dangling out of their nostrils and eye-sockets – holds that the right to sign a noncompete is an asset that workers can trade to their employers in exchange for better pay. This is absolutely true, provided you ignore reality.

Remember: the median noncompete-bound worker is a fast food employee making near minimum wage. The major application of noncompetes is preventing that worker from getting a raise from a rival fast-food franchisee. Those workers are losing wages due to noncompetes. Meanwhile, the highest paid workers in the country are all clustered in a a couple of cities in northern California, pulling down sky-high salaries in a state where noncompetes have been illegal since the gold rush.

If a capitalist wants to retain their workers, they can compete. Offer your workers get better treatment and better wages. That's how capitalism's alchemy is supposed to work: competition transmogrifies the base metal of a capitalist's greed into the noble gold of public benefit by making success contingent on offering better products to your customers than your rivals – and better jobs to your workers than those rivals are willing to pay. However, capitalists hate capitalism:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/18/in-extremis-veritas/#the-winnah

Capitalists hate capitalism so much that they're suing the FTC, in MAGA's beloved Fifth Circuit, before a Trump-appointed judge. The case was brought by Trump's financial advisors, Ryan LLC, who are using it to drum up business from corporations that hate Biden's new taxes on the wealthy and stepped up IRS enforcement on rich tax-cheats.

Will they win? It's hard to say. Despite what you may have heard, the case against the FTC order is very weak, as Matt Stoller explains here:

https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/ftc-enrages-corporate-america-by

The FTC's statutory authority to block noncompetes comes from Section 5 of the FTC Act, which bans "unfair methods of competition" (hard to imagine a less fair method than indenturing your workers). Section 6(g) of the Act lets the FTC make rules to enforce Section 5's ban on unfairness. Both are good law – 6(g) has been used many times (26 times in the five years from 1968-73 alone!).

The DC Circuit court upheld the FTC's right to "promulgate rules defining the meaning of the statutory standards of the illegality the Commission is empowered to prevent" in 1973, and in 1974, Congress changed the FTC Act, but left this rulemaking power intact.

The lawyer suing the FTC – Anton Scalia's larvum, a pismire named Eugene Scalia – has some wild theories as to why none of this matters. He says that because the law hasn't been enforced since the ancient days of the (checks notes) 1970s, it no longer applies. He says that the mountain of precedent supporting the FTC's authority "hasn't aged well." He says that other antitrust statutes don't work the same as the FTC Act. Finally, he says that this rule is a big economic move and that it should be up to Congress to make it.

Stoller makes short work of these arguments. The thing that tells you whether a law is good is its text and precedent, "not whether a lawyer thinks a precedent is old and bad." Likewise, the fact that other antitrust laws is irrelevant "because, well, they are other antitrust laws, not this antitrust law." And as to whether this is Congress's job because it's economically significant, "so what?" Congress gave the FTC this power.

Now, none of this matters if the Supreme Court strikes down the rule, and what's more, if they do, they might also neuter the FTC's rulemaking power in the bargain. But again: so what? How is it better for the FTC to do nothing, and preserve a power that it never uses, than it is for the Commission to free the 35-40 million American workers whose bosses get to use the US court system to force them to do a job they hate?

The FTC's rule doesn't just ban noncompetes – it also bans TRAPs ("training repayment agreement provisions"), which require employees to pay their bosses thousands of dollars if they quit, get laid off, or are fired:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/08/04/its-a-trap/#a-little-on-the-nose

The FTC's job is to protect Americans from businesses that cheat. This is them, doing their job. If the Supreme Court strikes this down, it further delegitimizes the court, and spells out exactly who the GOP works for.

This is part of the long history of antitrust and labor. From its earliest days, antitrust law was "aimed at dollars, not men" – in other words, antitrust law was always designed to smash corporate power in order to protect workers. But over and over again, the courts refused to believe that Congress truly wanted American workers to get legal protection from the wealthy predators who had fastened their mouth-parts on those workers' throats. So over and over – and over and over – Congress passed new antitrust laws that clarified the purpose of antitrust, using words so small that even federal judges could understand them:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/14/aiming-at-dollars/#not-men

After decades of comatose inaction, Biden's FTC has restored its role as a protector of labor, explicitly tackling competition through a worker protection lens. This week, the Commission blocked the merger of Capri Holdings and Tapestry Inc, a pair of giant conglomerates that have, between them, bought up nearly every "affordable luxury" brand (Versace, Jimmy Choo, Michael Kors, Kate Spade, Coach, Stuart Weitzman, etc).

You may not care about "affordable luxury" handbags, but you should care about the basis on which the FTC blocked this merger. As David Dayen explains for The American Prospect: 33,000 workers employed by these two companies would lose the wage-competition that drives them to pay skilled sales-clerks more to cross the mall floor and switch stores:

https://prospect.org/economy/2024-04-24-challenge-fashion-merger-new-antitrust-philosophy/

In other words, the FTC is blocking a $8.5b merger that would turn an oligopoly into a monopoly explicitly to protect workers from the power of bosses to suppress their wages. What's more, the vote was unanimous, include the Commission's freshly appointed (and frankly, pretty terrible) Republican commissioners:

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/04/ftc-moves-block-tapestrys-acquisition-capri

A lot of people are (understandably) worried that if Biden doesn't survive the coming election that the raft of excellent rules enacted by his agencies will die along with his presidency. Here we have evidence that the Biden administration's anti-corporate agenda has become institutionalized, acquiring a bipartisan durability.

And while there hasn't been a lot of press about that anti-corporate agenda, it's pretty goddamned huge. Back in 2021, Tim Wu (then working in the White wrote an executive order on competition that identified 72 actions the agencies could take to blunt the power of corporations to harm everyday Americans:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/08/party-its-1979-og-antitrust-back-baby

Biden's agency heads took that plan and ran with it, demonstrating the revolutionary power of technical administrative competence and proving that being good at your job is praxis:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/18/administrative-competence/#i-know-stuff

In just the past week, there's been a storm of astoundingly good new rules finalized by the agencies:

A minimum staffing ratio for nursing homes;

The founding of the American Climate Corps;

A guarantee of overtime benefits;

A ban on financial advisors cheating retirement savers;

Medical privacy rules that protect out-of-state abortions;

A ban on junk fees in mortgage servicing;

Conservation for 13m Arctic acres in Alaska;

Classifying "forever chemicals" as hazardous substances;

A requirement for federal agencies to buy sustainable products;

Closing the gun-show loophole.

That's just a partial list, and it's only Thursday.

Why the rush? As Gerard Edic writes for The American Prospect, finalizing these rules now protects them from the Congressional Review Act, a gimmick created by Newt Gingrich in 1996 that lets the next Senate wipe out administrative rules created in the months before a federal election:

https://prospect.org/politics/2024-04-23-biden-administration-regulations-congressional-review-act/

In other words, this is more dazzling administrative competence from the technically brilliant agencies that have labored quietly and effectively since 2020. Even laggards like Pete Buttigieg have gotten in on the act, despite a very poor showing in the early years of the Biden administration:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/11/dinah-wont-you-blow/#ecp

Despite those unpromising beginnings, the DOT has gotten onboard the trains it regulates, and passed a great rule that forces airlines to refund your money if they charge you for services they don't deliver:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/04/24/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-rules-to-deliver-automatic-refunds-and-protect-consumers-from-surprise-junk-fees-in-air-travel/

The rule also bans junk fees and forces airlines to compensate you for late flights, finally giving American travelers the same rights their European cousins have enjoyed for two decades.

It's the latest in a string of muscular actions taken by the DOT, a period that coincides with the transfer of Jen Howard from her role as chief of staff to FTC chair Lina Khan to a new gig as the DOT's chief of competition enforcement:

https://prospect.org/infrastructure/transportation/2024-04-25-transportation-departments-new-path/

Under Howard's stewardship, the DOT blocked the merger of Spirit and Jetblue, and presided over the lowest flight cancellation rate in more than decade:

https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/2023-numbers-more-flights-fewer-cancellations-more-consumer-protections

All that, along with a suite of protections for fliers, mark a huge turning point in the US aviation industry's long and worsening abusive relationship with the American public. There's more in the offing, too including a ban on charging families extra for adjacent seats, rules to make flying with wheelchairs easier, and a ban on airlines selling passenger's private information to data brokers.

There's plenty going on in the world – and in the Biden administration – that you have every right to be furious and/or depressed about. But these expert agencies, staffed by experts, have brought on a tsunami of rules that will make every working American better off in a myriad of ways. Those material improvements in our lives will, in turn, free us up to fight the bigger, existential fights for a livable planet, free from genocide.

It may not be a good time to be alive, but it's a much better time than it was just last week.

And it's only Thursday.

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/2024/04/25/capri-v-tapestry/#aiming-at-dollars-not-men

#pluralistic #labor #antitrust #trustbusting #noncompetes #indenture #ftc #matt stoller #david dayen #tapestry #luxury fashion #capri

[teecupangel]

Sorry for another ask but my brain came up with a good question. What if Desmond ended up in the Lackadaisy world? (1920s anthro, bootlegging cats). It would be a perfect fit for him. He could run a speakeasy and he’d be adorable as a cat. Not sure what kind though.

Nah, it’s good. As long as you guys are okay with the fact that I am… uuhhh… 2ish months late with the replies hahahaha

My first idea is to make Desmond a mix breed with unknown 'lineage' as a way to call on his colorful ‘genetic makeup’. He’d also be primarily white with different colors (black, gray, brown, orange) mixed in. His right front paw would be completely black though and he would still have a scar on his lips that makes his left whiskers shorter than the right.

I’m also kinda imagining that he’s not part of Lackadaisy or any of the gangs. He woke up in this world and believes that it’s like… his old world but with anthropomorphic cats. The whole Prohibition thing sucks like hell and he knows he can get rich if he makes a speakeasy…

That wasn’t his original plan though. He was just checking out the place and it turns out… well… there was an empty ‘bar’ that just fell on his lap.

To be more exact, this was apparently owned his late grandma “Minerva” and he had inherited it. The establishment itself was a small grocery store with a fake bottom by the cashier where the speakeasy was.

And…

Old grandma Minerva’s room full of bottles of imported alcohol. Enough alcohol for every person in New York to have alcoholic poisoning.

(Okay, I’m setting this in New York because Desmond would find it ironic that his speakeasy is in the same location as Bad Weather but, if we’re sticking with the webtoon’s setting of St Louis, Missouri, we can set it like a couple of blocks away from Little Daisy Cafe.)

And old grandma Minerva has employees who need the salary to live so…

Desmond is cleaning up Minerva’s messes… again.

.

Minerva, the anthro cat, is a pure white cat breed of some kind. Desmond technically took over the identity of a real anthro cat by the name of Desmond Miles. All he knows about this Desmond Miles is that he’s from the country who came to the ‘big city’ to take care of grandma Minerva’s affairs after her death and receive his inheritance.

Desmond will absolutely make use of his bartending skills and make his speakeasy famous (unfortunate for Lackadaisy though)

Rocky flirts him with (and lot of ‘customers’ flirt with him to be fair) but Desmond knows he isn’t serious so he just flirts back. He doesn’t take any offers though because he’s still trying to get used to being an anthro cat and what it all ‘entails’.

The speakeasy is named Bad Weather, of course.

Desmond gets a singer for the speakeasy because he thinks that should always be in a ‘bar’.

Desmond may or may not be trying to create a Brotherhood of his own. He is absolutely creating an information network, of course. Many of which are stray kittens he had taken in with their own rooms on the second floor of grocery. They also help with the grocery store and the older ones are usually the cashiers.

#assassin's creed #desmond miles #ask and answer #fic idea: assassin's creed #teecup writes/has a plot #fic idea: lackadaisy #lackadaisy

[honnelander]

Birthday Gift (Homelander x Vought!reader)

so no one asked for this...I got the inspiration watching the 3x02 episode. this is primarily fluff, if you squint (I'm not a smut writer though- sorry!). I might write a part 2 to this and possibly make this a series if people want? anyway, I felt so bad for him during this episode- the poor man just wants love...

WARNINGS: none. some swearing...it's Homelander.

word count: 3.7k

summary: reader gives Homelander a birthday gift. he doesn't know how to feel about it.

God this was stupid.

This was probably the stupidest goddamn thing you’ve ever done.

Or was it?

You didn’t know, but what you did know was the fact that you were carrying a gift for a certain supe’s birthday today. And not just any supe, but specifically the Homelander himself.

The gift was nothing special, since being a new-ish Vought employee didn’t come with a big starting salary, so it didn’t cost much. But you’d like to think it was somewhat thoughtful, always believing it was the thought that counted instead of how high the price tag was.

The truth was that you didn’t even really know Homelander, well, of course you did- everyone knew who the Seven’s longtime captain and America’s favorite hero was, but you didn’t know him personally. You don’t think you’ve actually even really spoken to the guy, just passing him by in the hallways on 99th at best when your job took you there. You weren’t a supe or even part of the Seven’s legal, PR, media, crisis, or management team so there was no real reason you would ever cross paths with Homelander or any of the other supes.

However, when you first started, most of your coworkers had warned you to stay out of Homelander’s way numerous times, if you ever did get an off-chance encounter with him, telling you to not even look his way unless you wanted to get on his bad side and have him rip you a new one.

And here you were carrying a birthday gift for him in your bag?

It was so stupid. You mentally cursed your parents for raising you right and teaching you to be polite.

How were you even planning on giving it to him in the first place? You barely saw him and when you did, you never spoke to him, scared to find out if the rumors of his infamous temper were either the truth or a fairytale. You hoped the ladder.

Well, good thing it was barely 8 am and you could think about how to deliver it the whole rest of the day.

Doing one final check to make sure the wrapped gift was for sure in your bag, and hadn’t mysteriously disappear, for the hundredth time, you fixed your hair before stepping out of the women’s bathroom on the 89th floor to make it back down to your office space.

You didn’t know why you came all the way up the tower to use this specific bathroom when all of the bathrooms in the tower were more or less the same and you worked all the way down in accounting, but from your first day you had picked this one and stuck to it. It certainly helped that this was a quieter floor, being the floor right below the supe’s training area, so no one ever really came here. This bathroom had also been a nice place of solitude when you needed a good cry when work or life got to you during the working hours of the day. This place had been your solid go to.

So, imagine your surprise when you stepped out of the bathroom to see the person you were looking for walking briskly in your direction.

Your heart leapt to your throat- shit, you didn’t think an opportunity would come this quickly.

But something was off. The normally charming and easy going tv and interview persona he normally exuded were nowhere to be seen. You could see from where you were standing that there was no sparkle in his eyes or any trace of amusement on his face at all. It looked and felt like a black storm cloud was brewing over his head and you wondered if something must’ve happened this morning for him to be looking like that.

But then you remembered hearing the faint whispers of your coworkers about how much of a pain it would be to budget in Homelander’s latest tirade and how it would affect Vought’s bottom line. Or how uncomfortable people acted once they saw the small poster of Homelander hung up in your cubicle given to you by your niece and how fake their smiles got when you mentioned how much Homelander meant to you and her.

The phrase ‘don’t meet your heroes’ was popular for a reason but there was no way Homelander could ever really be a part of that saying…right?

Expelling those thoughts from your head, you readjusted the bag straps on your shoulder and took in a small deep breath to steel your nerves and as you looked back up, Homelander was now only a few steps away from you.

“G-good morning Homelander, sir…” you trailed off, your polite smile dropping as you watched him walk right by you briskly, not even a glance in your direction. “Happy birthday,” you finished quietly to yourself.

Now that got his attention.

Homelander stopped and stood in place at least 20 feet away, not facing you or even turning your way, still looking at the other end of the hall he had been heading towards.

“What did you say?”

Shit, you forgot he had super human hearing.

Your eyes widened for a split second before swallowing your nerves. “I said…happy birthday. Homelander, sir.” You waited for him to look your way or to even just say thank you before walking away, but he didn’t move an inch. “It is your birthday today, right?”

It was a dumb question, you both knew it. Of course it was his birthday, everyone knew when it was. There were posters promoting his annual ‘birthday celebration’ broadcast on all of the Vought television networks plastered all over the country and in the building. Once there was even a campaign to declare his birthday a federal holiday.

“Uh…yeah,” Homelander finally replied slowly, turning halfway towards you with his hands on his hips, cape swishing slightly at the movement, and dipping his head slightly before looking back at the wall. “It is.”

“Well, I hope you have a great day- sir,” you finished lamely and mentally slapped yourself. You had no idea why you were struggling to hold up a simple conversation but part of you knew why. For whatever reason, he seemed pissed off, if his stiff posture was anything to go off of. The last thing you wanted was to disrespect the world’s most powerful superhero.

“Huh?” He glanced briefly at you before turning away, looking like he had already forgotten you were still there. “Oh, thanks.” He dropped his hands, moving to start walking away from you again when you called out his name, remembering the gift you had in your bag.

“Oh, Homelander, sir! Wait!”

He stopped again and huffed a curt sigh while putting his hands on his hips once more before looking at you with barely veiled annoyance. “What?”

You missed the look he shot you since you were too busy walking up to him while digging around in your bag. “I have something for you.”

Homelander subtlety rolled his eyes. “Look, if you have papers for me to sign or whatever, take it up with Ashley. I’m kinda busy this morning,” he lied, feeling his patience wearing thin the longer you dug around in your purse.

He didn’t have anywhere to be, but he certainly didn’t want to be spending all this time in a hallway with you. He’d much rather be destroying things and letting out his anger on some pathetic intern because Stormfront didn’t even say happy birthday to him through a fucking blink. But here you were, a complete nobody, being the first person to wish him a happy birthday and simultaneously waste his time. If he wasn’t so disappointed with his disfigured girlfriend he’d be soaking all this in, but he wasn’t. He just wanted to be left alone right now.

“What? Oh no, I’m not with legal. I work in accounting,” you absentmindedly replied as you dug around and finally found his gift, pulling it out. “I wanted to give you something. Here,” you said while holding out a palm sized box wrapped in red, white, and blue paper, complete with a bow and a card. “This is for you,” you smiled sheepishly and looked up at his face as you took in his expression.

As his eyes scanned over the present, you could see his irritation start to melt away and be replaced with confusion. He blinked a few times, jerking his head back slightly as his eyebrows pulled together. “What- what is this?”

Now it was your turn to be confused. Was he joking or did he not know what a birthday present was? No- you told yourself, he must be joking and must think the gift you’re giving him is work related.

“It’s a…birthday present,” you started slowly, your voice tinged with confusion. When his expression didn’t change you added, “For you.”

A few quiet seconds ticked by as he stared at the box, before an easy smile appeared on his face as his whole demeanor changed like a light switch being flipped on. He chuckled breathlessly. “Of- of course it is,” he sputtered as he took it and the card. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Sir.” You nodded once. “Happy birthday,” you smiled sheepishly. An awkward pause filled the air as you looked down at your feet before looking back up at him and you saw that his eyes hadn’t left the box. “Make sure you- uh, open the card first,” you hinted. “It helps explain the gift.”

Your explanation broke whatever trance Homelander was in because he then blinked and plastered on another smile he hoped was charming. “Sure thing,” he chuckled and waved the card in his other hand as he then looked at you. “I’ll be sure to do that…?” He trailed off, looking at you expectantly with a raised eyebrow, waiting for you to fill in the blank and say your name.

“Oh!” you exclaimed after a moment and told him your name, cheeks heating up slightly after getting the hint. You were a little embarrassed with yourself for getting caught up in his eyes. I mean in your defense, they were a really beautiful shade of bright blue. “I work down in accounting.”

“Ah, accounting,” he nodded, like he was reminiscing about his favorable interactions with the accounting department even though he’s never stepped foot on their floor once his entire life. “I like the…work that they do,” he quickly pointed at you, “that you do,” he added in a joking manner before laughing politely.

You giggled and nodded, smiling, dipping your head a bit before looking back at him. “Yes, yes. Well, thank you. Knowing that you appreciate our work means a lot, Sir.”

“Psh, oh please,” Homelander waved off your thanks. “Now you guys,” he pointed a gloved red index finger at you, “are the real heroes.”

His words felt a little empty to you and while you didn’t know if it was because they were insincere or because you heard them a thousand times before on TV, you couldn’t help but say your thanks. If he said those words all the time it had to be because he meant them, right?

“Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

“No, no I’m serious.” He was anything but. “Without people like you and your team, Vought wouldn’t be where it is today. So, thank you,” he added with a bashful smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

You didn’t want to keep going around in ‘thank you’ circles so you just accepted his gratitude with a smile. Besides, it wasn’t every day that the world’s most favorable superhero was thanking you for your work. “Of course, Sir. Anytime.”

“Ah, you can drop the ‘Sir’. Homelander is just fine.”

You couldn’t contain the smile that broke out across your face. Being on a first name basis with the Homelander? Well, not really since you figured he had another name besides his hero name, but this was still a big deal to a you. You got goosebumps, this couldn’t be real. Your heart skipped a beat.

“Well, Homelander,” you said, feeling a little weird dropping the formal sir title but liking how it sounded, “I have to get going now. My shift starts soon.” You looked into his beautiful blue eyes as you sincerely said, “I hope you have a wonderful birthday.”

With that, Homelander watched you turn around and disappear into the elevator without another word, all while he stayed rooted in place. Using his x-ray vision, he watched as you got off on the 35th floor (so that’s where accounting was? No wonder he’s never been there before) and make your way to your cubicle.

Once you logged onto your work station, he blinked, breaking his vision and bringing his attention back to the gift in his hand. Letting out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding onto, he gasped slightly as he felt these emotions wash over him.

But he held back his feelings, taking a deep breath. He couldn’t let anyone see him like this. He couldn’t cry over his first ever birthday present like this right in the middle of the hallway.

He had to get to his apartment in the tower. He had to be alone.

---------------- -----

Staring. That’s all what Homelander had been doing for at least an hour. Despite possessing all of the strength in the world, he couldn’t bring himself to do the simple task of opening his present.

All he could do was stand five feet away and stare at the brightly wrapped box sitting on his kitchen counter next to his red gloves.

Sighing in annoyance, he started pacing back and forth once again and ran a hand over his face.

This was stupid. He was the fucking Homelander for fuck’s sake and he couldn’t even do something as simple as opening a present? It was pathetic.

But he felt those same emotions from the hallway creep back up.

Deep down, he knew why this was so hard for him. He knew why he could feel his eyes prick at the corner with unshed tears.

It was because this was the first birthday present he’s gotten. Ever. Despite all of the years he’s been alive and on this earth, he’s never actually received an actual present like this. All these years he’s been in the Seven, at Vought, even dating Meave back in the day, and not once had he ever received a gift on his birthday. Or on any holiday either.

Even fucking Stormfront, whom he loved, couldn’t even blink this morning to wish him a happy birthday. Blink! He had made it so god damn easy for her to make him happy this morning by basically saying the words he wanted to hear from her and all she had to do was blink in affirmation. And she couldn’t even fucking do that for him. After everything he’s done for her!

The disappointment and hurt he felt leaving her room after that was ode to none.

But then after that, he had met you. And you had managed to catch him off guard and turn his morning around with just a simple conversation and an act of kindness.

And here he was being a coward.

“Alright- fuck it,” he muttered. He just had to get this over with. Like ripping off someone’s head. He just had to do this quickly and efficiently.

He closed the gap between him and the counter in a few quick steps, his star-spangled cape swishing from the sudden movement, and reach out for the present. He started taking off the bow quickly and removing the ribbon but stopped when his eyes wandered to the card that was lying next to it.

Oh wait- didn’t you tell him before that he should read the card before opening the gift?

Slowly putting the present down, he picked up the card and carefully ripped open the envelope. Pulling out the card and reading the front, he couldn’t stop the slight tremble in his hands as he opened it.

The front had a cartoon version of himself smiling with a thumb up and it said, ‘Hope your day is special…’ and inside had the words printed, ‘because there’s no one as SUPER as you! Happy Birthday!’

Then in the blank space on the left side of the card, a handwritten message from you said:

Dear Homelander-

Happy Birthday! I know you must get a lot of gifts on your birthday, but I hope my silly little gift helps brighten up your day. You’ve seemed stressed lately and given what you do, I would be too! So, I hope this helps. Have a great birthday!

-Y/N

P.S Was seeing your face on the front too much? I thought it would be funny…if you hated it, I’m sorry but if you loved it, you’re welcome!

Homelander couldn’t help the slight snort that escaped his lips along with a ghost of a smile. Little did you know how much he loved seeing himself in things…the card was perfect.

Placing it on the counter, he turned his attention towards the present, picked it up and opened it to reveal a box. What the hell could this be? He could just use his x-ray vision to look inside without opening it…but a part of him didn’t want that.

So, slowly, he held the bottom of the box with his left palm and removed the lid with his right hand. He hated to acknowledge it, but he felt his heart rate spike as he peered inside and saw…a ball?

What the fuck?

He took out the ball and tossed the box on the counter haphazardly, realizing how light it was. A foam ball with a smiling sun printed on it? This was supposed to help relieve his stress? He blinked a few times and furrowed his eyebrows.

The fuck was he meant to do with this? Was it some weird sex thing?

He turned around to whip the stupid thing at the window wall on the other side of his apartment when Ashley walked in.

“Happy birthday-“ Ashley started saying in her usual fake chipper voice but faltered when she saw Homelander ready to chuck the ball. “Homelander…” she finished lamely as she took in the sight before her. Her eyes immediately went to the discarded gift wrap and box on the counter, her eyes lingering on the card. “What’s all this?”

Homelander put his arm down and moved to push the stuff on the counter away from her nosy gaze, ball still in hand. “None of your fucking business Ashley,” he snapped.

But Ashley kept proding.

Her face scrunched up in confusion and she saw what was in his hand. “And why do you have a stress ball?”

Hearing that, he stopped. “A what?”

Ashley hated this part of her job: explaining things to Homelander. She never knew how he was going to take these things. She had to watch her tone and wording because if she said something wrong- he would think she thought he was stupid and it would piss him off, and she very much wanted to stay alive.

“A stress ball,” she said carefully. “It’s a squishy ball that people use when they feel stressed. You squeeze it and it’s supposed to help you relax.”

Homelander looked at the ball in his hand for a few seconds before squishing and releasing it, watching as the foam slowly regained its spherical shape.

“It’s normally used by people without powers,” Ashley quickly added. She swallowed. “Because a lot of people can’t…break things with their bare hands like you can, Sir.”

He could literally feel Ashley’s annoying voice grate on his nerves and could hear her blood pressure shoot up the longer he stayed silent. Then he remembered your card: you’ve seemed stressed lately…hope this helps!

So, he squeezed the ball once. Then twice. Then once more. He’d be lying to himself if he didn’t find the act satisfying and could feel his Ashley-related anger ebb away and he could hear her blood pressure return to normal.

“Ashley?”

“Yes?”

“What the fuck do you want?”

“Oh, right- yes!” Ashley shook her head and went back to business. “We have a full day ahead of us so I came to get you. We have to go to the studio first for your birthday celebration rehearsal and then we have to film your annual birthday save…”

Homelander tuned out Ashley’s droning and instead focused on the sun printed stress ball in his hand. His first ever birthday gift was a little stupid, sure, but he actually found himself liking it. Being a hero of his caliber came with a lot of stress, so for someone to consider that in giving him a gift was…thoughtful.

His eyes flickered to the card and could see your name peeking out from the flap.

“Ashley,” he interrupted her and she immediately became quiet. “Clear my schedule around noon.”

“But- Homelander,” she stuttered, “That’s the time we have to film your birthday save.”

Homelander blinked, turned his face towards her and cocked his head to the side. He stretched his mouth into an empty smile and chuckled humorlessly. “I’m, I’m sorry, but did I stutter?” He took a step towards her and saw her flinch away from him. His smile dropped as he leaned in towards her. “I said clear my fucking schedule.” He stood back upright and let out a quick sigh, turning his back to her. “I have a meeting then.”

More confused than ever, Ashley quickly pulled out her iPad and started tapping away on it, her stomach dropping to the floor at the thought of forgetting one of Homelander’s meetings. “Uh, a meeting? What meeting? I didn’t schedule any meetings for you today,” she said frantically as she cross referenced her schedules.

“You didn’t schedule this meeting Ashley,” he explained exasperatedly like she was a dumb child. “You don’t schedule everything I do.” He looked down at the stress ball in his hand again and then glanced at the card, staring at your name. “I scheduled this meeting myself.”

He thought it was time he finally stopped by the accounting department and see it for himself. After all, what kind of hero would he be if he didn’t take the time to visit a group of hardworking Vought employees?

Not a good one. And he couldn’t have that.

Not at all.

#homelander #homelander x reader #homelander fanfic #homelander fanfiction #the boys fanfic #the boys x reader #reader insert #homelander x y/n #ok look...i know he's awful BUT he's a great character #let me have this

[raleigh-edward]

How do you think RC makes money despite all these diamond rushes? They have increased the frequency of dr also does it not cause them loss?

Hello anon, I thought a bit about this and have arrived at my own conclusion regarding the same. Now this is what I personally inferred so I advise you to take it with a grain of salt.

The revenue generation model of newspapers and magazines is the closest to these free apps for gaming or otherwise.

Newspapers usually cost a few cents, which is minimal considering the amount of money that goes into production which also includes the salaries of the employees. Even if the newspaper has a million subscribers, their total added expenditure is nowhere close to the production investment.

So one might think how are these publication houses making profits? It is simple, their subscribers are not only their customers but their products. Allow me to elaborate, advertising agencies agree to put their advertisements in newspapers and magazines based on their reach which means their total number of subscribers. The publication houses charge generous amounts for these advertisements and that becomes their primary source of revenue.

I believe this is RC's revenue model too. They make money primarily through paid advertisements on their app. The readers who spend money on in-app purchases are very less so that amount is not exactly contributing significantly to RC's revenue.

Diamond rush events contrary to popular opinion are actually profitable for RC. Why? Readers are very likely to read, replay and re-read books during diamond rush events, hence this is the time when there is the most traffic on their app, which works as a perfect incentive for potential advertisers.

It is highly unlikely that a corporation would take a decision that harms them economically, if Diamond rush events were actually causing them losses they wouldn't have increased their frequency.

Based on their financial documents that are public, they seem to be making minimal profits, but I can assure you that they are making enough to stay afloat. If they were to actually capitalise on the ad revenue model to its fullest potential like most western apps do, they might even be able to increase their profits while simultaneously keeping diamond rush events for non-paying users.

Apologies for the lengthy answer, but I hope this helped!

#romance club #your story interactive #rc diamond rush #asks #revenue generation model #ad revenue

[rainbowsky]

I am so happy for DD "breaking into film" as you have put it! Excited for him to continue growing in his career and getting access to more projects he loves. Getting to learn from people like Leung Chiuwai! I can definitely see how this is a step forward in his career.

That said, I'm a little confused what the difference is* that makes DD a film actor and GG still a drama actor.** I know it's been a few years since GG starred in Jade Dynasty, but that wasn't a small movie. And yet GG continued doing dramas after. What makes Jade Dynasty "not count" (and what makes Wu Ming DO count) toward making them film-vs-drama actors?

*Or was, until GG was cast in LOCH!

**Yes, I know the lines between these somewhat-ambiguous categories are blurry! Obviously actors may choose to do both or go back and forth throughout their careers. But I understand the opportunity, status, recognition, and money are in film.

Thank you for your lovely responses and I hope you're doing well!

Hi Faery-snow! 😊

I'm not quite sure why you have the impression that there is such a big difference between what DD is doing and what GG is doing. They are both working to build serious acting careers, and both of them appear to be pursuing film projects.

Despite having done Jade Dynasty, I think GG is still perceived primarily as a drama actor simply because he's only been filming dramas, and all of the projects from him that are expected to launch in the next year or so are dramas.

Where Dreams Begin

The Longest Promise

Sunshine With Me

Whereas DD has been filming movies, two of which have already been released and two of which have not yet been released (Formed Police Unit, One and Only), plus his next project is expected to be a film (Mermaid with Cheng Er, director of Hidden Blade).

It is true that his most recent project was a drama, which wrapped filming last month (Golden Journey with Li Qin, a propaganda drama about a bank employee who turns to the C/CP after discovering corruption among those he works under) but he seems to be primarily focused on film, and has been rubbing elbows with a lot of big film directors.

If they are both trying to transition to film then it might seem like DD is somewhat ahead in that process, but they are both in transition in their careers. I don't think you could call either of them a film actor at this point. They are simply actors.

It is not a contest. They will both take the career paths that are best for them and that take them where they want to be based on the opportunities they have. GG's new film is a huge opportunity that will definitely make an impression, and hopefully take him far.

There is nothing wrong with filming dramas. Some of the big film actors still film dramas from time to time.

My hope is that they continue to do films, because it leaves more flexibility in their schedules (as the filming tends to be less time-consuming and demanding than a drama that has dozens of episodes). I also think that films are a bit of a safer bet than dramas given how frequently dramas get held back and delayed and have to go back through review again and again.

Films are also much more accessible than dramas because they only require a viewing commitment of a few hours, whereas dramas can require a commitment of 40 hours or more. Therefore there is much more opportunity for films to be exposed to a wider audience.

As a result, films tend to be taken more seriously pretty much everywhere in the world, and by extension, film actors tend to be taken more seriously.

Given the budget limitations around actor salaries that are placed upon dramas by the government, it's possible that actors will make more money for less demanding work with film vs dramas.

These are some of the considerations that could be at play for actors when planning their next career moves.

But to answer your question, I don't think there is really much difference between what they are trying to do/have achieved in their careers so far. They both have a ways to go before they will be fully accepted as serious actors, whether in film or drama. They both have a ways to go before they can shed their traffic star image.

#actor dd #actor gg #ask

[marciabrady]

did you see that jodi benson is applauding the lyric and story changes to the remake? does that make you feel like the energy is of the film is the same as the original?

I'm going to preface this by saying that I haven't been a fan of any of the live action remakes and that, while I do admire Jodi, I can be objective about what's going on.

Before I state my opinion, let me start with just listing some facts: Jodi is currently a Disney employee and relies primarily on her Disney salary for her income and livelihood. Jodi has become very deferential to Disney and has contradicted herself and changed her opinion many times in the past, vacillating between what was arguably her authentic opinion and a PR answer (for instance, she was pretty vocal about having a lot of difficulties with the creative team of the third movie and disliking it, before changing her tune entirely and giving seemingly rehearsed soundbites; she also did this when asked about the character of Ariel. Anytime she would give her take on how strong Ariel was or if the character was a good role model before 2019, she would always defend Ariel, but after 2019...well, we'll get into that later). Jodi has been vocal about getting in trouble with Disney in the past and having to adjust accordingly. Jodi is doing everything she can to maintain her relationship with the company and is trying to have her daughter hired into the company and possibly her son. Now, take all of those things into consideration, alongside the fact that anyone who's said anything against the live action remake has been essentially labeled as a bigot or problematic, etc, so it's impossible to really have any discourse about the film in a way that's earnest or isn't overly flowery and complimentary, which is what Jodi is doing.

I think art ceases to be art and becomes completely commercial the minute every person has the exact same take on the film, and this has been the case with this project since before even a single frame of it was shot. And, honestly, that kind of encapsulates why I don't think this film will be anything like the original? Well, it won't retain its energy, at least. Obviously they're ripping off the songs and the characters for their own gain.

It's hard to overstate how dire the conditions were that the original creative team was working under and how much was riding on this project- how inventive it was, how fresh a concept, how much it married a traditional reverence to the classic Disney films while marking a stamp all of its own to it. Time and time again, the success and novelty of this film has been accredited to one man- Howard Ashman. Howard Ashman did so much for the original production- he wrote some dialogue, he wrote the music, he performed key numbers for the talent to the point where they just copied whatever he did- he even invested his own money into the film. The fact that this was the first time an openly gay man had so much creative control over a project at Disney is something that, sadly to this day, is an outlier that has never happened again. This, married with some of the other gay talent working on the film- like Andreas Deja- infused a necessary element of queerness into the energy of production. Even the fact that Ursula was based on drag queen Divine, or the animator working on the scene where Ariel's grotto was destructed drew parallels of his father kicking him out when he came out...this is the definitive queer-coded fairytale for the gay community, going back to the original author and his artistic intent, and that's why I'm so happy that so many LGBTQIA+ people were able to contribute to the film in the 80s. When you mix that with how down animation was at the time and how animation would've ceased to exist at Disney, had this film not been successful, how the animators were pushed off the lot to working in trailers for the first time in the company's history...I think all of that contributed to lending an authentic energy of repression and being underground, etc, all things super necessary to illustrating the gay experience and having all of that ring through on screen. All of the people involved had something of being an outsider in society, too, which I think is perfect for the story of Ariel. Did you know about Jodi Benson before The Little Mermaid? No, of course you didn't, because she had virtually no fame and had auditioned for Ariel as a pity gift from Howard after the show she had been performing in had flopped, according to Jodi. Whenever she told her family and friends about the project, they laughed at her and told her the only people that do animation are ones whose careers are downhill and were so discouraging, until she finally stopped saying anything to them about it at all until the premiere where the success shocked everyone. Even Pat Carroll was a third choice- they wanted a different actress, and once they didn't get her and hired another one, she didn't work out either which is why they finally called Pat in. This film was solely riding on the creative energy and passion and love the creative team had for it and so many bets and stakes were on its back. The success of it came as a surprise to everyone, and it arguably reinvented animation and brought forth the animation period known as the Disney Renaissance.

Compare that to the 2023 film...literally nothing about it is inventive or edgy. It's the 100th live action film that is anything but the reimagining it's remarked as- it literally tries to be the same film as the animated which has already found success, down to naming the mermaid Ariel, giving her red hair, a green fin, a fish friend named Flounder and a crab named Sebastian, and other inventions that were created specifically for the 1989 film as opposed to going back to the original story and trying to be its own thing (every single live action Disney film does this which I think is so stupid honestly; like people being surprised that Sebastian and Flounder look like that...of course they do, because they were created for the medium of animation, not whatever this movie is try to be; how much better would Emma Watson's performance have seemed if she didn't have to live up to the animated Belle's songs or the iconic gold dress?). It rips off the same songs, which have since become Americana and already proven to be successful. In the age where so many critiques have come up regarding the original film, this movie softens both the characters of Ariel and Ursula to appeal to as wide a demographic as possible further illustrating that while the emphasis on the first film was to bring forth a reality to the characters of Ariel and King Triton, this movie just wants to be liked by everyone and has nothing to say.

While many people have stated that Halle's casting was progressive, every other principle character is portrayed by a white actor- Ursula, Eric, Ariel's Father, Vanessa, etc. The man that has taken over Howard Ashman's seat is painfully straight (sorry Lin Manuel, but I can't get on board) and has already written songs for huge Disney productions in the past (ever heard of Moana?) and is currently very popular (ever heard of Hamilton?). Besides, a Disney Princess being racebent isn't a new concept- as we saw with Brandi's Cinderella in the 1990s- and it isn't even new to this property, as we saw the voice actress of Moana playing Ariel in a live action version back in 2019. Remember when I mentioned how the original cast hadn't been super well known prior to the film's release? Halle was literally recognized by Beyonce and had already been in an established singing group with her sister and news of her casting was announced four years prior to the release of the film and super publicized- which, by the way, the marketing budget for this film is nearly double than the production budget for the original, so just think about that...Melissa McCarthy and Javier Bardem literally admitted to texting the director begging for a part, which they got since they were already bigshots in Hollywood. Speaking of Melissa, if Disney really wanted to be progressive or inclusive or be any of the things they're touting to be, I feel they should've hired a drag queen to portray Ursula. Instead, they gave us a white straight married woman from Illinois who's never sang a note in her life. I'm sorry but there's no way she was the best possible choice for the role. Also, outside of not hiring any substantial amount of queer talent or talent of color in front of or behind the camera, Disney has intentionally tried to distance themselves from the community and the subtext of the original movie's queerness. I already mentioned how Ursula was based on a drag queen, and it was Howard's invention that she had a fling with Triton in the past, which you can hear Pat confirming in this interview. This 2023 film makes them siblings...also, I'm sorry, I'll never get over the fact that the original author of the fairytale was part of the community, Howard was, and then they give us...Lin Manuel? There's so many things about the production of this film that make me so uncomfortable and it's all rooted back to the erasure. Which reminds me- Disney announced that they were taking a documentary based on Howard Ashman, his creative achievements and his struggle with AIDs, off of the Disney+ platform the same day they were going to release TLM 2023, before they later repented due to complaints. Aside from the erasure, it's also unsettling to me, as I mentioned before, that there's such a lack of diversity in the cast and it's nearly all white principals when this movie LITERALLY has advertised how "diverse" it is above all else.

In 2019 they announced they were going to set the film in the Caribbean, which I thought was new to this retelling and I was excited to see what it would've looked like and what the new music would've been etc...but this was back when they were planning on casting Harry Styles, a white British man, as Eric. I think having a white British man as the ruler of the Caribbeans is horrible optics, and when he backed out, they hired another white British man...it honestly doesn't sit well with me, especially when other young actors of color were auditioning and were allegedly encountering racism (just saying allegedly because I'm not trying to get sued lol). Also take into account that women of color that have actual talent when it comes to singing were auditioning to be Ursula, even women with pull and influence in the industry, before it was given to director friend Melissa McCarthy who begged for the role via text. Unfortunately, none of these topics are being addressed because Disney very smartly tied audience approval to this film on whether or not they agree with Halle's casting so people are treating it as above reproach and don't really want to speak out or discuss these really problematic elements of production for fear that they might come across as not being in support of Halle having gotten the role and, by extension, making it appear as though they don't support any leads of color.

Finally, where the original was a labor of love with barely any money going into it, fueled purely by a spirit of creativity and love and art, such is not the case with the remake. The remake doesn't offer anything new in the endless strings of live actions, which are doing the same thing with each film- down to how they're marketing the female talent (a strong woman who don't need no man!!). The director has even shown that he doesn't understand the character of Ariel multiple times and fed right into criticism that the talent from the original, like Jodi, used to speak out about before she was ironically silenced. Because she doesn't anymore...because Disney won't let her, allegedly. Jodi allegedly works with a speechwriter and you can kind of tell. I've met her and I've seen almost every panel she's been a part of, and when you ask her about an experience or a memory or her opinion, her stories change a lot. There are still the same truths to them, but she'll reveal different details in each, just the way you would when you're telling the same story to different people because anything that's natural isn't something that will be duplicated too much and there are going to be changes and shifts depending on when you tell it, who you tell it to, etc. Starting in 2019, Jodi stopped defending Ariel and began reciting a speech which she's repeated ad nauseam over how Ariel was appropriate for when she was made but, by virtue of how much "stronger" female characters are now, she'll pale in comparison to someone like Merida or Mulan. She claims you can't hold a 1989 portrayal up against a 2019 or 2023 one, because of course it would have aged...which is the opposite of what she used to say. I've heard her parrot this speech time and time again- and even in person. And that goes back to your original question...I wouldn't place my bets on the remake offering anything authentic or new if Jodi's saying it. Even aside from this, the BATB original cast have all said disparaging things about the remake, aside from Paige O'hara, who's continuously sung its and Emma Watson's praises (and what a coincidence that she's been invited to the premiere and gets more attention from Disney)...until you catch her on an off day or at a convention and she starts complaining about the darker tone, or the gun inclusion, or how Emma couldn't really sing but it was fine because she could act, or how she didn't approve of elements of the costuming...at the end of the day, these people are celebrities in their own right and have to do and say things that are canned tbh just to keep their likability up and remain palatable to the masses and hirable to Disney and Jodi's unfortunately sold out, in my opinion, in that way.

#ask #anonymous

[ahmed-s-f]

Christian ministries gangs in Egypt And sexual harassment Paul’s ministry

This article is about a real-life experience that happened to me

I joined a Christian ministry at an early age. The funny thing is that I did not know that it was a Christian ministry at all. It was a charitable organization that worked in secret for the benefit of a Christian institution.

I accepted the truth easily when I learned of it. The security situation is difficult and dangerous for Christians who work in Christian missionary work in Egypt.

An organization under the name FOF was working for one of the Christian ministries under the name Paul’s Ministry

This, of course, necessitates accepting small legal crimes such as the institution’s falsification of its papers and sources of income, and more importantly, accepting continuous lying to people under the pretext that this is for their benefit and to convey the Christian faith to them.

I did not understand how to combine lying and the Christian faith and how they should work together for the same goal

Then I began to realize the reality of the ministry under which I worked, that its work was similar to that of gangs. It was forbidden for anyone to know the name of its leader. His name was John W. Hanna, and he was hiding behind dozens of employees so that she could not reach him.

The institution’s financial resources were poor, and the money spent on development work was small, despite my knowledge that the ministry had an income in the millions, and property worth about 40 million Egyptian pounds ..

However, the Ministry’s employees monopolized that money for themselves, and that was the reason for the director’s secrecy. It came to the point of stealing my salary for three years and stealing donations that went specifically to specific people who did not get anything from them and did not even know they existed.

The biggest disaster is when I saw in our Christian ministry cases of sexual harassment of working women and those who were targeted, and because the harasser was related to the director, JOHN, he was not punished or even expelled from his position.

John’s ministry was offering money that should be given as non-refundable donations. They were offering it in the form of loans and forcing the beneficiaries to return it, which is an effective way to steal money. One person died due to health deteriorations due to John and Hana’s pressure on him to force him to return money that should have been Provided primarily as a donation

The service was also trading its money on the black market, which is a difficult to trace method they use to steal donation funds.

Threats were a common method. Those who complained about those who converted from Islam to Christianity were threatened to inform their Muslim families.. even though the work of the service is to protect those who converted to Christianity.

What is strange is that all neighboring ministries knew about these crimes, and despite that, no one dared to expose or fight them

In addition to wasting money on fake projects and failed projects, while dozens of new believers were suffering from poverty and the difficulty of life, Paul’s ministry was wasting money on projects that had not worked for a single day.

When I saw with the eyes of one of the new believers suffering after he was expelled from his home and his family pursued him, John refused to give him support to obtain housing even though he receives funding allocated for these cases.

Which made me go directly to the British institution that supports our ministry to file a complaint with it, as it does not know what is happening in Egypt. It was the 3pministries Foundation.

I filed a formal complaint but they ignored it

Once again they ignored her

I had to file a complaint with a British ministry specializing in charitable institutions, which forced them to respond

Their response was very dry. They did not try to find out anything. They only sought to close the complaint. I sent them all the evidence of crimes in Egypt and of the incidents of theft and waste of money, but they did not take any reaction.

Then they just told me that they would stop replying to me or I would not text them again

I discovered that the organization ignored all crimes and did not mind their occurrence just to keep its work in Egypt afloat

And maintaining the flow of Muslims crossing over to Christianity, which means more money flowing to the Egyptian side Paul’s Ministry and the British side 3pministries

The funny thing is that the goal of spreading Christianity itself was not achieved due to the fact that most of the reports written about new believers are fake, they are composed positions written from imagination.

Most of the new believers quickly return to Islam due to lack of proper follow-up, because it simply no longer brings in money.

The spread of corruption in Arab Christian ministries is a disaster that must be looked at seriously

#the truth #religion #religious #catholicism #christianity #the bible #christians #muslim #islam #islamic #jesus #christian

[girlactionfigure]

Why Israel Should Not Talk to the PA

The Palestinian Authority (PA) has let it be known that its 86-year old leader, Mahmoud Abbas, is prepared to talk to Israel’s caretaker Prime Minister, Yair Lapid, about a “diplomatic horizon” for the Palestinians. No doubt this is prompted by the planned visit of US President Joe Biden to Israel and the PA next week.

That would be a terrible idea.

Start with the fact that Abbas is in poor health, and the wolves are already gathering to pick the bones of his fat carcass (the PA is a money machine for those who are “connected.” Yasser Arafat died with a net worth of more than $4 billion, and Abbas is said to have at least $100 million salted away. Much of this came from you, American taxpayers). There is no reason to think that the dictator who follows will have any reason to live up to any promises Abbas makes. Not that the PA has ever kept any of its promises, starting with the ones made by Arafat in 1993, especially the one about “fighting terrorism:” rather than opposing it, Arafat planned, ordered, and paid for it. As far as we know Abbas has only encouraged terrorism, and paid the salaries of the perpetrators after the fact.

But the main problem with talking to the PA is that there is no coincidence of interests between Israel and the PA. If we draw Venn diagrams of the minimum demands made by the PA and the maximum concessions that Israel could afford to make (and vice versa), the intersections will be empty. There is no “creative” way to solve this problem.

For example, consider Israel’s most basic demand: the PA must stop paying the salaries of terrorists. Most Israelis would see this as a reasonable precondition for negotiations. But Abbas has consistently refused, saying that he would pay “every penny” to the prisoners, even if it meant cutting salaries to PA employees.

Any real peace agreement would also have to include the Palestinians dropping their demand for a “right of return” to Israel for the five million Arabs with refugee status. This too would be unthinkable for them, and is why they have always refused to agree that Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state.

There are other issues, like Jerusalem, that don’t have compromise solutions.

Why is this so? Let’s look deeper.

Perhaps the Jews and Arabs of Eretz Yisrael in 1948 could have reached a compromise, if they had been left alone. But that was prevented by the manipulations of Britain, which wished to retain control of the region, and which encouraged the Arabs – both in Palestine and the surrounding Arab nations – to believe that they could have the whole thing for themselves. The Arabs in the region had also absorbed a vicious antisemitism, from Nazi propaganda during the war as well as from German Nazis who fled to the Middle East to avoid prosecution for war crimes.

In the period after the war, and especially starting in the 1960s, the Arabs of Eretz Yisrael became Palestinians. On the advice of the KGB they adopted the identity of a colonized third-world indigenous people fighting for their freedom against European imperialists (the Jews!). Arabs that had first seen themselves primarily as members of their clans living in “southern Syria,” and later, in the days of Nasser, as members of a larger pan-Arab nation, began to think of themselves as connected to the land of “Palestine,” which just happened to be coextensive with Eretz Yisrael. They developed a “Palestinian” narrative: they were the indigenous owners of the land, which was then stolen from them by the Jews.

They developed a unique culture (cult?) based on their dispossession and their hatred of the Jews that they believed had stolen both their birthright and their honor. Their heroes became those who struck back at the Jews as violently as possible. Their music, art, and literature is about their struggle against Israel. Everything bad that has happened to them is blamed on the original great crime committed against them, the Nakba, while their own behavior, no matter how violent or immoral, is justified by it. This fits in neatly with Western post-colonialism, which holds that a colonized people has a right to resist their colonizers by any means.

The PLO was an amalgam of terrorist organizations, originally a tool of the KGB, which was responsible for countless acts of terrorism directly against Israel or in the international arena. In 1982 its leaders – having been pushed out of Israel, Jordan, and Lebanon – were banished to exile in Tunis. But in 1993, Israel, under pressure from Americans who were naïve about Arafat and the PLO, committed the greatest strategic error in her history and allowed Arafat to set up the Palestinian Authority, taking control of most of the Arab population of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza (the PA lost Gaza to Hamas in 2007, two years after Israel withdrew). He quickly established an educational and media system to indoctrinate his subjects with the antisemitic Palestinian narrative. This succeeded brilliantly, and today Arab youths from the PA have become capable of slaughtering random Jews because they are Jews. And when this happens, they are lionized by the PA media.

If you understand this, you understand that asking the PA to stop paying terrorists, to accept Israel as the state of the Jewish people – and not as stolen Palestinian Arab property – is to ask them to give up their Palestinian identity. What makes them Palestinians and not just Arabs who happen to be in Eretz Yisrael is their opposition to the Jews that dispossessed them, and their righteous struggle to reverse the Nakba.

Their struggle will not end until they succeed in placing all of Eretz Yisraelunder Arab sovereignty. It’s often said that the Arabs illogically turned down several offers of statehood. But all of these offers postulated the continued existence of a Jewish state in part of the land; none of them included the “right of return” for the descendants of 1948 Arab refugees that would guarantee the end of the Jewish state and the reversal of the Nakba. There is nothing illogical about their choosing to continue the struggle rather than to give up their identity.

The State of Israel is and always will be in a permanent state of war with the PLO, Hamas, or any other group that sees itself as a Palestinian standard-bearer. The idea of a “two-state solution” – that an additional partition of Eretz Yisrael and the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state can end the conflict – is absurd, because it is based on a complete misunderstanding of Palestinian aspirations.

Joe Biden, or whoever pulls his strings, believes in the two-state idea, whether out of naïveté or anti-Zionism. American policy since 1967 – with the exception of the Trump Administration – has operated to try to weaken Israeli sovereignty in all the areas outside of pre-1967 Israel, including eastern Jerusalem. While the idea of “land for peace” might have borne fruit when the interlocutors were the Arab nations (although the jury is still out on the stability of the peace between Israel and Egypt), it cannot possibly succeed when the supposed “peace partners” are Palestinians, for the reasons discussed above. It’s also essential to note that, like the Golan Heights, the high ground of Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley must remain under Israeli control so that Israel can defend herself against attack.

Biden’s visit will certainly include pressure on Israel to make concessions relating to sovereignty in the territories and Jerusalem. Israel should resist the pressure, and also the idea of negotiations with the PA, unless – as will not happen – the PA agrees to stop paying terrorists and indoctrinating its population with the idea that murdering Jews is the highest form of Palestinian patriotism. Rather, Israel should reemphasize the most basic principle of Zionism – Jewish settlement in all of Eretz Yisrael – and act accordingly.

Abu Yehuda

#Israel and Palestinian Arabs #Peace process #us-israel relations #Terrorism

[diarrhea-party]

You’ve Got Billionaires All Wrong

Since Mr. Elon Musk, the brilliant mind behind Tesla, SpaceX, and X.com, purchased Twitter and began to improve it (I bought my blue check!), the liberal internet elites have made much of supposed mismanagement and mishandling of Twitter. In fact, over the past several years we have seen social platforms enable more and more unfair criticism leveled not only at Mr. Elon Musk, but of “billionaires” as a whole. 

But this is wrongheaded. Billionaires are necessary because they create jobs. In fact, there would be no jobs without billionaires! Now, I know this statement causes some readers to gnash their teeth and scream that billionaires simply hoard wealth and use it to buy politicians and corrupt public policy so to entrench their power at the expense of everyone else. But I have concrete examples to prove that this is not true. Mr. Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and genius billionaire, has created jobs that no one else could create. 

For example, Mr. Jeff Bezos employs in his personal service a 5’2” tall Italian man who spent much his adolescence and all of his adult life training at the finest conservatories in Europe; primarily in Italy but also in France and, of course, Germany. His monastic existence has been dedicated to the perfection of his craft. All of the man’s training and living expenses have been paid for by Mr. Jeff Bezos.

Each night when Mr. Jeff Bezos sits down for dinner (with or without family, but never with guests), the 5’2” Italian man comes into the dining room, dressed in evening wear. He bows to Mr. Jeff Bezos. If Mr. Jeff Bezos rings the crystal bell next to his finger bowl, the 5’2” Italian man takes a deep breath, pauses, and then defecates, passing a single turd that is perfectly shaped like the Amazon Prime logo. When his work is complete, he bows again and leave the room so Mr. Jeff Bezos (and family, if present) can enjoy their meal.

As another example of a job created by the upper crust, billionaire genius Mr. Elon Muck has created a position filled by a 5’1” Basque man, who has also dedicated his life to his craft, fully at Mr. Musk’s expense. On evenings when Mr. Elon Musk wishes to have sexual congress with a partner, before the act can commence the 5’1” Basque enters the room, bows, and passes gas such that he perfectly whistles the “Queen of the Night” aria from Mozart’s Magic Flute. (What the 5’1” Basque wears varies depending on location, time of day, &c. But I have been assured that his outfit is tasteful, appropriate, and chic.)

Finally, and I hope giving a third example of an artisan job a billionaire has created does not seem like belaboring the point, Mr. Bill Gates (Jr.) employs full-time a diminutive (4’11”-and-touchy-about-it-in-a-charmingly-Gallic-way) Frenchman who attended Julliard to perform on the Fourth of July and George Washington’s birthday. That’s right, Mr. Bill Gates pays a full-time salary (on top of prior costs of maintaining a student at Julliard, naturally) for an employee who “works”, in the vulgar sense of the word, but two days a year. Who can claim billionaires are greedy! On these dates, the Frenchman appears after the sun has set. He wears an Uncle Sam top hat and nothing else, inserts a lighted sparkler in his urethra, and then, using only muscular control of his organ, spells out the words to the Star Spangled Banner while Mr. Elon Musk’s 5’1” Basque, borrowed for the occasion as Mr. Elon Musk never has sexual congress on these dates out of patriotic respect, farts the melody. I can only imagine what a feast for the senses this must be!

I won’t even discuss the rumors of the team of geneticists Mr. Elon Musk has supposedly hired to clone Le Petomane. To describe yet more jobs created by a billionaire would simply be beating a dead horse.

Now, at this point some readers will accuse billionaires of being weird perverts, bending others to their obsessions and fetishes while cruelly withholding wealth that other desperately need. But this is mere jealousy. Jealousy that Mr. Bezos has created and continues to create full-time jobs, jealously that Mr. Elon Musk can hire full time for jobs that none of the rest of us could afford to hire for, even on a part-time basis or through the gig economy.

And who amongst us has not tried to do so, suffering disappointment from one Craigslist engagement after another: a pitiful wet fart in an alley rather than Happy Birthday for your 35th; diarrhea on the upholstery of your Toyota Sienna when you were promised Vivaldi’s Four Seasons; getting mugged rather than just having a (supposed) trucker sit on your face and fart.

Billionaires can have that happen any time they want, because they can pay for it. You and I cannot create those jobs, and so we cannot have flatus we want when we want it, no matter what the classified ad or gig economy app may promise.

So the next time someone tells you that billionaires should pay more in taxes, just look at that person and think You sick pervert, you’re just jealous.

#elon musk #jeff bezos #bill gates #billionaires #twitter

[billlockyer]

What Separates a 401(k) Plan from a Pension Plan

A 401(k) differs from a pension plan in that an employee can contribute to their retirement savings account through payroll deductions. Several employers also offer matching funds. On the other hand, pension plans are retirement accounts sponsored by employers and pay out a set sum of money when the employee retires. Your salary, number of years of service, and other factors will typically determine how much you receive.

It's crucial to comprehend the costs associated with a 401k or pension if you're considering getting one. The main causes of plan expenses are contributions, returns, and management fees. However, additional costs covered by the employer, such as administration and recordkeeping fees, can also impact the cost of a 401k. It would help if you asked for a fee schedule that lists all the costs related to your plan.

Asking about service fees, which vary by fund provider, is also a good idea. Some service providers charge fees for processing tax returns, moving assets between 401(k) plan providers, and other services. A typical pension has a cost advantage of 49% over a typical 401(k)-style retirement account, according to a recent National Institute on Retirement Security analysis. This cost advantage is primarily attributable to lower investment management fees, optimally balanced investment portfolios, and longevity risk pooling.

Employer-sponsored retirement savings vehicles include pensions and 401(k) plans, two distinct types. Even though they are both well-liked, one may be preferable to the other depending on your particular circumstances due to a few differences. A 401k and a pension are fundamentally different because a 401k allows you to choose how your money is invested. Several investment options are available, including stocks, bonds, and mutual funds.

As a defined-benefit plan, a traditional pension lets you know exactly how much money you'll receive each month when you retire. The sum is determined by years of service and past salaries. The benefit is typically paid out in lump sums when you reach a certain age, a process known as vesting, or in monthly payments. However, you won't get the entire sum if you quit your job before becoming vested.

Employees can make pretax contributions to a savings account through an employer-sponsored retirement plan known as a 401(k). Employees are allowed to contribute up to a certain amount each year, and occasionally, employers match the contributions. Unlike a pension funded by the company, a 401k is based on your contributions and investments and promises to pay you a set amount of money over time. The most common kind of tax-deferred retirement account in the US is this one, which is referred to as a "defined contribution" plan.

Similar to a 401(k), pension plans have rules governing how much of your pension is tax-deductible and how much is not. General Rule, which makes use of life expectancy tables, is used to calculate the taxable portion. The general Rule can be found in IRS Publication 939, or the Simplified Method can be applied to determine a more exact figure.

Both a 401k and a pension plan offer a range of investment options. Your financial objectives and current financial situation, among other things, will influence the type of investment that is best for your retirement needs.

Employees can save for retirement through a 401(k), a defined-contribution plan, and benefit from tax breaks on their contributions. Employers frequently match these contributions. A pension plan, however, is better suited for investors who want a lifetime income guarantee after retirement. Government regulations and expert fund managers oversee the management of these plans.

By investing in various asset classes, including stocks and bonds, pension funds seek to diversify their portfolios. Additionally, they can invest in derivatives and alternative investments, reducing the risk of losing money on a single investment.

[bisexualvalve]

A study released last month shows links between Canada’s resource extraction industry and violence against Indigenous women and girls, and it links ‘man camps’ in this country to incidents of gender-based violence and crime.

The study was first announced by the Standing Committee on the Status of Women back in April, after originally being requested by Winnipeg Centre MP Leah Gazan.

Results of the approximately eight-month-long study were released in mid-December, and the study states there is “substantial evidence of a serious problem” regarding the resource industry and its employees and its links to violence against Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people across the country.

Included in the study is information about and detailed concerns regarding what are commonly referred to as ‘man camps’ which are temporary villages built to house primarily male workers who are working at a site temporarily, often on resource development projects.

It states there is evidence of men at these types of camps in Canada preying on Indigenous women and girls who live in the areas where camps are set up, and often doing so because they have little or no connection to the area where they are living temporarily.

“This increased rate of violence is largely the result of the migration into the camps of mostly non-Indigenous young men with high salaries and little to no stake in the host Indigenous community,” the study states.

The report also says there is evidence these ‘man camps’ are linked to increased rates of sex offences, and sex industry activities in communities nearby where they are set up.

During a news conference in Ottawa last month, Gazan said there needs to be more accountability within the resource extraction industry to combat violence against Indigenous women and girls, and she also called on the federal government to take steps and to put pressure on the industry to reduce those types of incidents.

“This study wasn’t about whether we agree with resource extraction or not. We have different opinions on that,” Gazan said. “But one thing we agree unanimously on is that we must have zero tolerance and we must stand united against violence against Indigenous women.”

The report also states the feds could be doing more to force changes within the industry to combat gender-based violence and sexual exploitation.

“This can be done by requiring companies to establish workplace safety plans and policies, track and report incidents of gender-based violence, educate workers about gender-based and sexual violence, cultural safety, and the effects of colonization on Indigenous peoples,” the report states.

According to Gazan, the study was conducted as a response to the report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, which was released in 2019.

And according to the National Inquiry’s final report, there is evidence of “transient workers” in Manitoba, and specifically in northern Manitoba, being linked to incidents of violence against Indigenous women and girls.

“A regional cumulative-effects assessment of hydroelectric development in Manitoba revealed that the arrival of a large transient workforce in northern Manitoba resulted in Indigenous women and children being targeted for racial and sexual violence,” the National Inquiry’s final report states.

— Dave Baxter is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Winnipeg Sun. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.

#canada #man camps #indigenous issues #mining #mmip

[fin-markets]

Trader vs Broker vs Dealer

We've often heard people use these terms interchangeably, which in most cases is not the correct usage. I, of course, wouldn't want my audience doing the same- so, let us discuss these terms in detail and learn about the roles played by these entities in the stock markets.

A broker is basically an intermediary whose job is to bring the buyer and seller closer and ensure that the transaction is smooth. They mainly earn through the commission that they get from their clients. They are also known as agents. As they only mainly take instructions from their clients and don't trade at their will. In some cases, brokers also play the role of financial advisors and give useful insights to their clients regarding securities. Also, a broker always uses the account of his/her clients to make a transaction.

Dealers are important entities in the market. A dealer is an individual who is willing to buy and sell securities on his own behalf with his money. Dealers are independent and take all their decisions on their own. A dealer should not be mistaken for a trader. Dealers are market-makers they create liquidity and help in promoting long-term growth in the market.

As the name suggests a Market-maker (dealer) create a market for investors to buy or sell securities. Market makers are typically large banks or financial institutions who help to ensure there's enough volume of trading so trades can be done seamlessly. Without market makers, there would likely be little liquidity. In other words, investors who want to sell securities would be unable to do so due to a lack of buyers in the market.

Market makers help keep the market functioning, meaning if you want to sell a bond, they are there to buy it. Similarly, if you want to buy a stock, they are there to have that stock available to sell to you. Market makers essentially act as wholesalers by buying and selling securities to satisfy the market—the prices they set reflect market supply and demand.

Lastly, a stock trader is a person who buys and sells securities (usually through a broker) with an intent to make a profit. Traders are the buyers and the sellers of the market. They use their own capital to purchase the securities and thus, carry the risk.

Primarily, stock traders are classified into three types- informed, uninformed, and intuitive traders. Informed traders rely on research, technical analysis, and fundamentals to make transactions, while the uninformed traders have no knowledge of financial securities and the fundamental evaluation of their portfolios. Intuitive traders find investment opportunities by relying on their experience and instincts.

Traders can either be operating individually, using their own funds and assuming the risk, or they could be working as an employee for financial institutions- hired to conduct huge volume of trades. In the latter case, they earn a salary -along with some commission and bonus- and trade using the funds allocated to them by the organization they work for, such as- a hedge fund.

~Lakshya Kapoor

#business #finance #companies #corporate #trade #investment banking #banking #economy #stockmarket #financial markets

[7consultancyblog]

Freshersworld has a high number of BPO jobs listed in India

Business Process Outsourcing, or BPO, refers to the contracting process of standard business functions performed by a party outside the company. Those in the BPO industry can provide this assistance with their solid understanding of the organizational processes that are common across most companies. Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) is the process of outsourcing knowledge intensive activities that are data driven and encompasses the process of gathering, managing, analyzing. KPO business scope includes preparation of accounts, tax returns, computer aided simulation, engineering design and development, financial services etc. BPO outsourcing focuses more on routine and repetitive tasks, whereas KPO outsourcing focuses on knowledge-based functions that require specialized skills. In other words, BPO is about efficiency and cost savings, while KPO is about acquiring technical knowledge and skills. When deciding between BPO and KPO, it is essential to consider your specific business needs and goals. If you aim to simplify repetitive tasks, improve efficiency and reduce costs, BPO is perfect for your business. However, KPO is best suited if your business requires specialized knowledge and advanced problem-solving abilities. By evaluating the complexity of the task and the potential value of specialized knowledge, you can make informed decisions that align with your business needs. The full form of ITES is Information Technology Enabled Services. ITES is a term that refers to the use of information technology (IT) to provide a variety of services to businesses and organizations. It includes a wide range of activities, such as data processing, customer support, technical support, and consulting. ITES has become an important part of the global economy, as it allows businesses to outsource specific services to specialized companies and individuals, which can often provide these services more efficiently and at lower cost.

The KPO is primarily a part of the BPO sector itself. However, due to the enhanced skill set and educational background needed for joining a KPO, it has been categorized separately. Overall, the tasks and job responsibilities in both these sectors vary in complexity, salaries and nature of the job. BPOs and KPOs have thrown open exciting job opportunities to youngsters in India. This is a field that has employed thousands of professionals and given them international working environment with great salary packages. To elaborate, a BPO is a company that hires people to offer services to its clients abroad. The work these resources do may vary from data entry, medical transcription, content writing, software programming to HR and Financial services. These companies hire resources on their salary and offer work from their customers listed from different countries. In detail, a BPO is a company that hires people to serve its clients overseas. While BPO is a general term used for all businesses, KPO focuses on knowledge and information related activities and demands highly skilled employees. While BPO is a common term used for all businesses, KPO focuses on Knowledge and information related activities and demands highly skilled personnel. Some examples of KPO include legal services, intellectual property and patent related services, web development, CAD/CAM applications, business research and analytics, legal research, clinical research, publishing and market research. BPO ITES and KPO Recruitment Agency in India that give consultancy support in also.

Recruitment is the process of actively seeking out, finding and hiring candidates for a specific position or job. The recruitment definition includes the entire hiring process, from inception to the individual recruit’s integration into the company. As a company that helps place people into organizations, large and small, around the world, they understand their significant responsibility to encourage diverse and inclusive hiring practices. They aim to be the Best BPO ITES and KPO Recruitment Agency in India. Their award- winning recruitment processes are of the highest possible standard. They make use of their groups’ sophisticated recruitment technologies, premium job boards, premium CV databases, and of course, their own in-house database of talent. Their Recruitment consultants will pre-screen and interview every viable candidate of your open position. At every stage of the process, starting at initial contact with candidates to their formal interview, their consultants scrutinize candidates’ CVs, employment history, and motivations.

The KPO industry has served companies with top-notch computational solutions and contributed greatly to the process of business expansion. It is also a kind of business process outsourcing service yet it is more focused on information-related business operations. The KPO industry has served companies with top-notch computational solutions and contributed greatly to the process of business expansion. As we are slowly progressing deep into the digital era, every business is hugely dependent on large chunks of data. Data and information form the foundation of all businesses and to process large amounts of data and information on a daily basis, you will need a group of IT resources such as cloud, integrated systems, software packages and human resources. The KPO industry in India has been continually in high demand since the beginning of its inception. And these demands seem to surge at every moment in time. Top BPO ITES and KPO Recruitment Agency in India gives service in many ways.

#BPOITESandKPORecruitmentAgencyinIndia #BestBPOITESandKPORecruitmentAgencyinIndia #TopBPOITESandKPORecruitmentAgencyinIndia

[hrblusky]

5 Tips on Creating a Rewards Program for Your Organization 

An employee rewards program system is a programmed created by an organization to reward performance and motivate employees, either at an individual or a team-based level. 

Typically, these systems are not linked to salary, but they form an essential part of the company’s employee value proposition or EVP. Increasingly employees expect to work for organizations that not only recognize but reward exceptional contributions to the business. 

Rewards programs can be set up for many reasons, including increasing employee engagement, making the organization more competitive when recruiting talent, boosting sales figures, or developing a particular company culture. 

If you want to gain the benefits of a rewards program but are not sure where to start, here are five tips to help you get it right: 

1. Clarify Your Vision 

The most fundamental step is to spend as much time and energy as you need to decide what you are trying to achieve in setting up your programmed and how much you are prepared to invest. You need to be clear on your expectations as well as your intended result. 

Building a programmed that will meet your needs is more straightforward if your goals are clear, and clarity makes it easier for you to budget appropriately and benchmark with other organizations that have already implemented successful programmed. 

2. Establish A Governance Structure 

A well-thought-out governance structure will help you implement and manage the programmed long-term and take care of issues such as ensuring fairness, equality of access, and efficiency. Other critical functions for a governance team are the responsibility for communicating and publicizing the programmed internally and measuring effectiveness. 

While building a team, choose people who: 

Understand and believe in what you are doing; 

Are committed to improving performance in the organization; 

Can act as role models 

3. Define The Parameters 

It is essential that the way the programmed will operate is transparent and based on sound management practice and your desired company culture. 

The parameters you define should include the focus of recognition and rewards, timeliness, frequency of the process and linkage to company values. 

Everyone should be clear about what types of behaviors will be rewarded, how they will be rewarded, and who will be involved in the process, 

4. Ensure Successful Implementation 

To successfully implement your programmed, you must get the active buy-in of management and employees. Success will be primarily based on trust, and the level of importance and value management gives to the process. 

5. Measure And Adapt 

Your rewards program should have defined and measurable success criteria and must be open to review and adaptation if needed to meet new business criteria or changing requirements of the workforce. 

One of the most frequently used measures is an employee satisfaction survey, but you should consider more specific measures linked to your original goals and intent. 

Setting up a rewards and recognition programmed can seem daunting, but following these five simple steps will remove the complexity and ensure that your programmed is both efficient and effective in supporting your employees and your organization. 

Contact us at HRBluSky today to learn how we can support you in establishing and managing your employee rewards and recognition programmed. 

#Rewards Program

[unogeeks234]

Igmst Feature In SAP HR

Understanding the LGMST Feature in SAP HR: Streamlining Payroll Setup

In the intricate world of SAP Human Resources (HR), the LGMST feature is a potent tool to simplify payroll configuration and enhance data entry efficiency. Let’s explore LGMST, why it matters, and how it streamlines processes within your SAP HR system.

What is LGMST?

LGMST stands for Lohngruppen-Modifikations-Schlüssel, or, in English, Wage Type Model. This feature allows you to control which wage types can be assigned to employees based on various criteria, such as their employee group, personnel subarea, or other relevant factors.

Why Does LGMST Matter?

Payroll Accuracy: LGMST helps ensure only the appropriate wage types are used for specific employees. This reduces the chances of errors and inconsistencies in payroll calculations.

Efficiency: Payroll administrators save time and effort as the system automatically suggests relevant wage types during data entry. This also speeds up the overall payroll process.

Compliance: By defining permissible wage types based on employee characteristics, LGMST assists in adhering to company policies, labor regulations, or collective agreements.

How Does LGMST Work?

Configuration: The core of LGMST is configured in the following ways:

Feature: The feature LGMST is customized with decision trees to determine the wage types.

Table T539A: You maintain a table (T539A) specifying wage type models containing groups of permissible wage types.

Defaulting: When an employee’s Basic Pay Infotype (0008) is edited in SAP, the LGMST feature checks the employee’s relevant characteristics and proposes a group of default wage types based on the configured rules and wage type models.

Example

Suppose your company has different basic pay structures for factory workers and office staff. You could configure LGMST like this:

Employee Group “Factory”: Allow wage types related to hourly pay, overtime, and shift allowances.

Employee Group “Office”: Allow wage types related to monthly salary, bonuses, and benefits.

When a payroll administrator processes an employee in the “Factory” group, the system would only suggest the relevant wage types, preventing the accidental entry of a monthly salary type.

Key Points to Note

LGMST works primarily with the Basic Pay Infotype (0008).

The maximum number of wage types suggested is controlled within the LGMST feature.

Customization and maintenance of LGMST typically require the expertise of an SAP HR functional consultant.

In Conclusion

The LGMST feature provides a valuable tool for managing the complexities of payroll configurations within SAP HR. TailoringTailoring wage-type assignments to specific employee groupsensures accuracy, simplifies processes, and supports compliance efforts within your organization.

You can find more information about  SAP HR in this  SAP HR Link

 

Conclusion:

Unogeeks is the No.1 IT Training Institute for SAP HR Training. Anyone Disagree? Please drop in a comment

You can check out our other latest blogs on  SAP  HR here – SAP HR Blogs

You can check out our Best In Class SAP HR Details here – SAP HR Training

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