#Compound Treasury

[worthybonds]

Understanding Different Types of Bonds for Investors

Chances are that you already know investments are an excellent way to grow your wealth and secure a successful financial future for yourself. There are so many benefits to bonds, like the fact that they tend to carry less risk than stocks and can provide a steady stream of income. 

What types of bonds are there and how do you decide which one is right for your portfolio?

There are three major categories of bonds you should consider: Treasury bonds, corporate bonds, and municipal bonds. Let’s dive into what they all are.

[sharoo]

Hong Lu E.G.O. analysis in light of Canto 8.2

These thoughts are in no particular order, merely compiling my observations as well as common observations in the fandom.

As several people have already pointed out, many of Hong Lu's ego corrosions (Lasso depict his stomach as either bound or damaged, likely both in reference to the cuckoospawn and to young Jia Huan's death. It puts emphasis on Hong Lu feeling included, perhaps, among those violated in the incident, or being a depiction of guilt.

A lot of his lines, especially in corrosion, have a new/enhanced meaning.

Filth nests inside me… so that they may be reborn as something useful. (Effervescent Corrosion) - Referring likely to lady Kong's baby. The fact the pearl itself can be seen as having "motherly" imagery and how the pearl is held, resembling a pregnant woman's enlarged stomach adds to this.

The seagulls… They keep crying and screaming away…! (Soda) - really

Hahah! Gotcha~! This is what happens when you don't know your place and run away, fugitive. (Lasso) - base Lasso already has Hong Lu's viewpoint of "do not struggle against what you're made to do and you won't get hurt" but this emphasizes that thricefold. Hong Lu's traumas happening in his childhood primarily just compound how little he could have done. The noose lasso also connects to how passively suicidal Hong Lu is (he tells Xichun she's free to kill him and we see how he takes to his own death in the story)

Dimenional Shredder's lines combine to also, I think, reference this suicidality as it speaks of a world where Hong Lu doesn't exist/isn't present in: To bound over to the next world… Huzzah! Off we go/Nothing says… that I must be located there… Heheh.

Pink Shoes is certainly an interesting EGO with at once being a Lust skill (representing innermost craving and needs) and depicting Hong Lu as completely overtaken and giving up to what has taken him over (there is also a very good post by @vantabone interpreting Hong Lu's story as a metaphor for SA/CSA (please mind the content warnings if you decide to read it) and the themes of this EGO could also apply in that regard)

Cavernous Wailing has a lot of stuff actually: the way it links Hong Lu to the Tearful Thing of act 4, which in turn reflects a being objectified and forced to witness horrors, allowed only to weep for what they cannot stop; the overtaking of Hong Lu's face by the eye; the way his body either already burst or looks ready to; how notably beastly he looks in the corrosion; the lines "A heart shaken by sorrow bursts… like this./Cry with me… Let's cry until our bodies burst." I think this is one of the closest to his sorrow.

Even the base EGO has new context. Much like Blood of Sancho combined Lust damage, applying Bleed and healing Don Quoxite's HP as a foreshadowing of her Bloodfiendism, Land of Illusions also points to Hong Lu's trauma - gloom damage (inaction), inflicts Sinking on the enemy, then heals Hong Lu's SP for more than the attack cost him, with the passive healing him more.

Dissociation the EGO.

I can't help but also look at how Hong Lu is locked in a treasury, with all the other family riches. Where a gemstone of such value belongs. And then the looming Bell of the day of rearranging...

[dostoyevsky-official]

Trump Advisers Seek to Shrink or Eliminate Bank Regulators 12 December 2024

In recent interviews with potential nominees to lead bank regulatory agencies, Trump advisers and officials from his newfound Department of Government Efficiency have, for example, asked whether the president-elect could abolish the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., people familiar with the matter said.  Advisers have asked the nominees under consideration for the FDIC, as well as the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, if deposit insurance could then be absorbed into the Treasury Department, some of the people said. Any proposal to eliminate the FDIC or any agency would require congressional action. [...] FDIC deposit insurance is considered near sacred. Any move that threatened to undermine even the perception of deposit insurance could quickly ripple through banks and in a crisis might compound customer fears. [...] Project 2025, a policy document drawn up by the Heritage Foundation and former Trump officials, calls for the merging of the FDIC, OCC and nonmonetary policy parts of the Fed, along with the National Credit Union Administration. [...] “Banks may complain, but at the end of the day, they like to have their own regulator they have a relationship with,” [former FDIC chair] Bair said. “They like the status quo.”

it's a good thing there are congressional checks and balances in place. for example, the president can't disband USAID without congressional approval.

[whencyclopedia]

Constitutional Convention

The Constitutional Convention was held at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from 25 May to 17 September 1787. Spurred on by economic troubles left over from the American Revolution and compounded by the weak Articles of Confederation, delegates from twelve states met to draft a new framework of governance, the United States Constitution, which created a stronger federal government.

Background

In March 1781, the Articles of Confederation went into effect as the framework of governance for the fledgling United States, after having been ratified by all thirteen states. Under the Articles, each state essentially operated as a semi-independent republic, bound to one another in a loose 'perpetual union'. The federal government – which at the time consisted only of a unicameral Congress – was intentionally kept weak, to ensure the sovereignty and independence of the states. Congress' only real powers were those relating to war and foreign affairs, and even then, it needed the consent of at least nine states before it could declare war or borrow money from foreign lenders. The framers believed that they needed to keep the federal government weak to protect the rights and liberties of American citizens; their recent experience with the British Parliament seemed to suggest that a powerful central authority would not hesitate to squander those rights. But, before long it would become apparent that weak governments carried their own sets of issues that would be just as dangerous.

The most glaring problem was Congress' inability to levy its own taxes. Rather than raise its own money, Congress instead had to rely on donations from the states to fill the national treasury. But, especially after states began to focus on their own interests after the end of the American Revolutionary War, these donations were not consistently forthcoming. This left Congress with no funds to pay federal soldiers or meet its many other financial obligations. Nor did Congress have the power to compel the states to send money or comply with any other federal legislation. Several attempts to amend the Articles to allow Congress to raise money through tariffs were vetoed by the states. Additionally, a lack of unified foreign policy left Congress ill-equipped to deal with foreign powers, with Britain, France, and Spain all putting restrictions on American trade that the federal government could not retaliate against. Finally, Congress had been unable to respond to Shays' Rebellion when it broke out in western Massachusetts in late 1786. Although the rebellion was eventually suppressed by a privately funded army, it led to fears that future insurrections would not be crushed so easily.

For these, and other, reasons, many Americans became convinced that the Articles of Confederation were not working and that unless the Articles were revised, the United States would soon unravel. This reality weighed heavily on the minds of the delegates who met in Annapolis, Maryland, on 11 September 1786. Representing five states (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Virginia), the delegates had merely been sent to discuss trade between states. But as their discussion touched on other issues caused by the weak Articles of Confederation, the delegates realized that something drastic had to be done. In their final report to Congress, drafted by Alexander Hamilton of New York, the delegates proposed that a constitutional convention should be held in Philadelphia the following May to discuss revisions to the Articles. On 21 February 1787, Congress endorsed the suggestions of the Annapolis Convention, and stated that it would write up a report on which changes to the Articles were necessary. Ultimately, twelve of the thirteen states decided to send delegates to the upcoming Constitutional Convention – the sole holdout was Rhode Island, which believed there was nothing wrong with the existing Articles of Confederation and refused to send delegates to amend them.

Continue reading...

[pagesandpothos]

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett

Official Summary

The brilliant detective Ana Dolabra may have finally met her match in the gripping sequel to The Tainted Cup—from the bestselling author of The Founders Trilogy. In the canton of Yarrowdale, at the very edge of the Empire’s reach, an impossible crime has occurred. A Treasury officer has disappeared into thin air—abducted from his quarters while the door and windows remained locked from the inside, in a building whose entrances and exits are all under constant guard. To solve the case, the Empire calls on its most brilliant and mercurial investigator, the great Ana Dolabra. At her side, as always, is her bemused assistant Dinios Kol. Before long, Ana’s discovered that they’re not investigating a disappearance, but a murder—and that the killing was just the first chess move by an adversary who seems to be able to pass through warded doors like a ghost, and who can predict every one of Ana’s moves as though they can see the future. Worse still, the killer seems to be targeting the high-security compound known as the Shroud. Here, the Empire's greatest minds dissect fallen Titans to harness the volatile magic found in their blood. Should it fall, the destruction would be terrible indeed—and the Empire itself will grind to a halt, robbed of the magic that allows its wheels of power to turn. Din has seen Ana solve impossible cases before. But this time, with the stakes higher than ever and Ana seemingly a step behind their adversary at every turn, he fears that his superior has finally met an enemy she can’t defeat.

My Thoughts:

The Tainted Cup was one of my favorite books of 2024. I loved the murder mystery set in an interesting high-fantasy setting, and I really loved the two main characters. A Drop of Corruption is the follow-up and sees Ana and Din work to solve a new, gruesome crime.

Ana and Din are delightful as ever in this installment. This book takes place some time after A Tainted Cup, and Ana and Din have worked a few cases since we last saw them. Din is struggling with his place in the world and where he wants his future to be. Ana's blunt (and often hilarious) advice is a true highlight of the book. Their dynamic gets a little more focus in this book, and the two learn more about each other, which adds to their dynamic and makes them both even more interesting characters.

There are also a handful of new supporting characters that I really enjoyed. I especially enjoyed Malo, a new local ally who assists in solving the case.

I enjoyed this book's mystery even more than the first book's. This is a truly twisty and layered plot that kept me guessing the entire time. This mystery has very high stakes and includes more plant-based horrors, political scheming, and a large cast of potential suspects and victims.

The world-building of the series continues to be rich and fascinating. The crime being solved takes place in the realm of Yarrow. The location is quite different from the locations visited in the previous book. Yarrow is extensive, with many regions that we travel to as Din and Ana work to solve the case. This area might be outside the Empire and the Titan's Path, but the Leviathans still factor into the story, and the fate of the entire Empire depends on it being solved.

A Drop of Corruption, like its predecessor, will undoubtedly be on my list of best books of the year. It does everything that The Tainted Cup did brilliantly and does it even better. If you like fantasy and mysteries/thrillers, I highly recommend this unique, memorable, and incredibly well-written series!

My Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕 (5/5 stars)

Pages: 432 (Kindle Edition)

Tropes/Tags: High Fantasy, Mystery, Queer (bisexual main character)

Content Warnings: Vomiting, Death, Murder, Body Horror, Slavery

Other Notes: Aardvark Book Club will feature special editions of both The Tainted Cup and A Drop of Corruption with their April picks! Their April books will go live at 8:00am EST on April 1st.

Links: Storygraph | GoodReads | RobertJacksonBennett.com

A Drop of Corruption will be released on April 1, 2025, and is available for pre-order!

I received an advanced copy of this book for free, thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey. The above are my honest feelings about the book provided. I don’t have any affiliate links in this post, and I do not make any money from my reviews. I review books simply because I love to read.

[ See Everything I’ve Read in 2025 ]

[fannedandflawless]

🗂 Severus Snape’s Emotional Ledger: Q1 Report (Jan–Mar 2025)

Yes, it’s May. Yes, this is the Q1 report. Time is a construct; resentment is not.

A quarterly review from the Dungeon Treasury Office

📉 Emotional Revenue

Patience: Opening Balance: 3 Sickles Q1 Expenditure: 2.5 Sickles (entirely on Lupin) Remaining: Half-sickle, polished, not in use

Hope: Status: Declared obsolete after Valentine’s Day Disposition: Reclassified as ‘theoretical’

Trust: Account Closure Date: 1978 Reactivation Attempts: Denied Notes: Lupin requested reconsideration. Rejected.

Loyalty: Spent: All of it. On whom?: Confidential. Check Order archives. Interest: Crippling.

Love: Recognition: Acknowledged in footnotes only Movement: No deposits or withdrawals since 1981 Flagged: High emotional volatility

💸 Emotional Liabilities

Resentment: Outstanding: Triple-compounded since adolescence Repayment Plan: None Status: Generating passive fury

Guilt: Loan Origin: The Potter Mortgage Repayment: Ongoing, soul-collateralised

Bitterness: Classified As: ‘Cultural inheritance’ Storage: Bottled, shelf 3, Dungeon office

📌 Notes from the Auditor (a.k.a. Madam Pomfrey): “Subject appears clinically stable but emotionally bankrupt.”

[beardedmrbean]

The Haitian government has deployed specialist anti-gang police units, it said Friday, after an apparent massacre northwest of Port-au-Prince that the United Nations said left at least 70 dead.

Carried out early Thursday in the town of Pont Sonde, some 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the capital, the attack saw scores of houses and vehicles torched after gang members opened fire.

The killings come as an international policing mission, led by Kenyan forces, attempts to restore government control in Haiti, where armed gangs have seized swaths of the capital and countryside and earlier this year helped push out the country's leader.

"Members of the Gran Grif gang used automatic rifles to shoot at the population, killing at least 70 people, among them about 10 women and three infants," UN Human Rights Office spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan said in a statement Friday.

The Haitian Prime Minister's office said in a statement that "this latest act of violence, targeting innocent civilians, is unacceptable and demands an urgent, rigorous and coordinated response from the state."

The embattled Haitian National Police would be "stepping up its efforts," the statement said, adding "agents from the Temporary Anti-Gang Unit (UTAG) have been deployed as reinforcements to back up teams already on the ground."

A spokeswoman for a local civil society group told Haitian media that the attack came after Gran Grif leader Luckson Elan had issued threats against people refusing to pay the group tolls to use a nearby highway.

"They executed dozens of residents," Bertide Horace told radio station Magik 9. "Almost all of the victims were shot in the head."

"Police officers stationed nearby, apparently understaffed, offered no resistance to the criminals, preferring to take cover," she said.

At least 16 people were seriously injured, the UN said, including two gang members shot by police.

The gang reportedly set fire to at least 45 houses and 34 vehicles, it added, forcing many residents to flee.

- Kenyan-led policing mission -

Additional security forces, supported by the Kenyan-led international policing mission deployed to the country, were sent to Pont Sonde overnight Thursday into Friday, the prime minister's office added.

The attack occurred at 3:00 am Thursday, it said.

Prime Minister Garry Conille added that the "heinous crime, perpetrated against defenseless women, men and children, is not only an attack on these victims, but on the entire Haitian nation."

Last week, the UN human rights office said more than 3,600 people had been killed already this year in "senseless" gang violence in the country.

Haiti has for years been beset by compounding political, humanitarian and gang crises, with armed groups rising up to push out then-prime minister Ariel Henry earlier this year in an effort that saw attacks on the international airport and police stations.

Many politicians are intertwined with armed groups: last week, the US Treasury announced sanctions against a member of parliament from the Artibonite Department, where Pont Sonde is located, for allegedly helping form the Gran Grif gang to aid in his 2016 election.

Unelected and unpopular -- and unable to restore order -- Henry resigned, and a transitional government with Conille as prime minister was put in place, backed by the international community.

That government is mandated to restore security and lead the country to its first polls since 2016.

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Brazil seeks a shade in Trump’s backyard

Lula to meet with Xi Jinping twice in three months as U.S. ramps up campaign for allies in trade war with China

Brazil’s mineral exports to China surged in the first quarter of the year. Copper shipments rose by 180%, manganese by 310%, ferronickel by 253%, and exports of yttrium and scandium-based rare earth compounds reached a volume seven times higher than the total for all of 2024.

One day before this data was released by the Brazil-China Business Council (CEBC), U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent gave an interview to Bloomberg in Buenos Aires. While celebrating Argentina’s agreement with the IMF—where the U.S. is the largest stakeholder—Mr. Bessent warned, “What we are trying to keep from happening is what has happened on the African continent, where China has signed a number of these rapacious deals marked as aid, where they are really, they take … mineral rights, they’ve added huge amounts of debt on to these countries’ balance sheets.”

That same day, The New York Times reported on Pentagon concerns over disruptions to U.S. military programs dependent on rare-earth minerals from China, which had retaliated against American tariffs by restricting exports of those materials to the U.S.

Just days earlier, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking to Fox News, invoked the Monroe Doctrine to define America’s ambitions in Latin America:

“The Obama administration took their eye off the ball and let China just sweep in all over South and Central America with their economic cultural influence, cutting deals with local governments for bad infrastructure and surveillance and indebtedness, [but] President Trump said not anymore, we’re taking our backyard back.”

Brazil, with ample reserves, has no immediate need for IMF or Chinese financing. Still, Washington’s concern about China’s growing footprint in Latin America is clear—hence the heightened attention on President Lula’s upcoming diplomatic calendar.

Continue reading.

[rametarin]

Things do not become cheaper just because a group of people demand it be so.

It's a very disgusting, mafioso mentality. Where if you just arbitrarily demand a thing be cheap and draw funds from the public treasury to afford it by demanding it be that accessible, you suck profit out of the rest of the system.

What makes something affordable isn't a group of people getting together to mandate it be so under penalty of force or systemic change, it's A.) a process existing that more cheaply and efficiently acquires a thing. B.) Discovering it from not knowing it. C.) Putting it to use.

You can say, "I want everybody in my empire to have steel swords," all you want. But unless your means of mining steel from underground move enough earth for that to happen, you're just forcing the all to cover that. And I guess if your intention is to force the state to do that, okay, then that's the intention to ignore reality by forcing everybody else to provide thing at their expense. Not making a thing cheaper.

If you want cheaper healthcare, you need the overhead to participate in the pharmacological industry cheaper. You need engineers to utilize the latest in nanotechnology and solid state chips and machines for the smallest, cheapest doodads that do the most things in one package. You need carbon based chips that do things into the terahertz range for imaging and software to interpret it.

Once you have those things, where a T-ray or hyper fidelity ultrasound costs about as much as a desktop computer, and complex medicinal compounds can be produced by enzymes and proteins and yeasts to make medicine from equipment that doesn't cost billions of dollars in order to be profitable, that would mean healthcare costs could shrink.

If you want cheap products, find a way to make them out of literal dirt beneath your feet with as few steps as possible, and as many people making them as possible. Arbitrary caps are a tyrant's errand.

[mariacallous]

A week after the Moscow Exchange was hit by U.S. sanctions, the ruble is experiencing unusual swings. In just two days, from June 18 to June 20, the dollar’s official exchange rate against the ruble dropped from 89 to 82.6 rubles, while the euro fell from 95.4 to 89 rubles. However, the very next day, Russia’s Central Bank raised the dollar exchange rate by nearly three rubles to 85.4, and the euro to 91.4 rubles. Meduza breaks down the factors behind this volatility and explains how to track the ruble’s fluctuations going forward.

On June 12, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Russia’s largest stock exchange, the Moscow Exchange (MOEX), and its subsidiaries, the National Clearing Center and the National Settlement Depository — effectively cutting off the Moscow Exchange from the dollar. That same day, the exchange announced that it would halt trading in the U.S. dollar and the euro, starting June 13. (Trading in the Hong Kong dollar also stopped.)

As a result, currency trading shifted to the over-the-counter (OTC) market. Even before the sanctions, 60 percent of currency transactions in Russia occurred off-exchange. Importers and exporters, the primary players on the Moscow Exchange, had the most influence on the ruble’s exchange rate in recent years. Now, they’ve also had to transition to the OTC market, leading to higher costs for buying and selling currency, as well as increased volatility in the ruble’s exchange rate.

These sanctions against the Moscow Exchange are another step towards making the ruble non-convertible and a new blow to importers and exporters, noted Alexander Kolyandr, a non-resident senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), in a column for The Bell.

A faux phoenix

The sharp fluctuations in the ruble’s exchange rate this week are the direct result of U.S. sanctions, which have caused demand for foreign currency to drop. This, in turn, has driven up the ruble.

U.S. sanctions have already been impeding Russian imports, with fewer and fewer banks in China, India, and Turkey offering their services to Russian companies out of fear of secondary sanctions. According to SberCIB analysts, imports in May were about 30 percent lower than they could have been with a normally functioning payment infrastructure. The Central Bank also noted that the expected seasonal spring increase in imports didn’t occur.

Now, this payment issue has been compounded by the sanctions against the Moscow Exchange. The halt in trading of the dollar and euro could affect at least 22 percent of imports, estimated Pavel Biryukov, an economist at Gazprombank. Promsvyazbank analysts believe that the new restrictions could reduce foreign goods deliveries by 15-20 percent.

Meanwhile, exporters continue to sell foreign currency earnings in compliance with a mandatory decree. Each day, the Central Bank sells yuan worth 8.1 billion rubles (over $90 billion) as part of budgetary operations, and exports and the current account surplus remain strong thanks to high prices for oil and other raw materials, Mikhail Vasilyev, the chief analyst at Sovcombank, told Vedomosti.

The Central Bank confirmed this. According to its preliminary data, the surplus in the foreign trade balance of goods from January to May increased to $56 billion, up from $47.6 billion in the same period last year, “due to a more significant drop in imports compared to exports.”

This situation is reminiscent of 2022, when the ruble sharply appreciated due to the withdrawal of foreign companies and the collapse of imports. “In fact, we’re now seeing a classic situation with a pool and two pipes: currency flows into the country in a stable stream through one pipe, and almost none flows out through the other,” explained Alexander Potavin, an analyst at the Finam financial group. According to him, this has led to an “unwanted strengthening of the ruble for the government.”

At the same time, sanctions against the Moscow Exchange are also impacting exporters. The sharp appreciation of the ruble may be due to their reluctance to sell currency at an unfavorable rate. On June 20, Reuters, citing market participants, reported a sharp decline in the sale of export earnings in yuan. The outlet’s sources believe this is because corporate sellers are unwilling to sell at a low rate. It’s also likely that the Russian authorities intervened: the Kremlin might have persuaded exporters to hold on to the currency to prevent the ruble from strengthening too much.

The ruble runaround

Before the U.S. imposed sanctions on the Moscow Exchange, Russia’s Central Bank set the official ruble exchange rate based on currency trading on the exchange. This rate could be tracked in real time on the exchange’s website.

Now that dollars are no longer traded on the exchange, the Central Bank is determining the rate of the U.S. currency against the ruble based on bank reports and information from over-the-counter trades as of 3:30 p.m. Moscow time on the current business day. (This rate is then published at 4:00 p.m. Moscow time.)

There’s nothing unusual about this method of determining the exchange rate, noted Alexandra Prokopenko, a non-resident scholar at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center and co-host of Meduza’s Russian-language podcast View of the Kremlin:

In general, exchange-based currency trading is fairly rare in the modern world. Most currency transactions take place on the interbank over-the-counter market, where participants report to the regulator. The regulator then determines the exchange rate based on these reports. Now, the same thing will happen in Russia.

The absence of trading in dollars and euros on the exchange has also created another problem: investors and ordinary citizens lack a reference point throughout the day. The Central Bank sets the official rate once a day, but with the current level of volatility, actual values can change significantly.

One way to estimate the ruble’s rate against foreign currencies is through the yuan, which is still traded on the Moscow Exchange. Using the yuan-to-ruble exchange rate, the ruble’s value against other currencies can be calculated using data from foreign central banks. Generally, the stronger the ruble is against the yuan, the stronger it will be against other currencies.

According to the Central Bank, the Chinese currency accounted for 54 percent of trading on the Moscow Exchange in May, making it the “primary currency in exchange trading.” “The yuan/ruble exchange rate will set the trajectory for other currency pairs and serve as a benchmark for market participants,” the bank said. 

Non-deliverable forward contracts for dollars and euros are also still traded on MOEX and can also serve as indicators of the ruble’s value against Western currencies. Additionally, dollar futures contracts can be used to track the ruble’s exchange rate, although their prices have always differed slightly from the actual dollar-to-ruble exchange rate, Natalia Pyryeva, an analyst at the Moscow-based investment company Tsifra Broker, told Forbes. Contracts with earlier settlement dates provide a more accurate picture, explained Vladimir Bragin, head of research at Alfa Capital, as those with later dates are less liquid and may not accurately reflect current market conditions.

Although it’s possible to track the ruble’s current value through futures contracts and the yuan exchange rate, there’s no guarantee that Russians will actually be able to buy currency at these rates. The final price is now set by the seller and the platform where the transaction occurs.

Previously, the Moscow Exchange guaranteed that buying and selling dollars and euros was transparent and safe. Now, sellers can essentially set their own prices. As a result, the cost of exchanging currency — the spread between buying and selling rates — has increased, and these rates must be constantly checked. Additionally, the currency might not even be available at a given location. In the first few days following the new U.S. sanctions, many bank branches visited by journalists didn’t have any physical dollars or euros.

[ghostbox-nostalgia]

Oh and since I've started the rough drafts of them, here's some info on the 12 disciples in my au. No I did not mean to make 12 it just sorta happened. I also want you to note that all but two had the same thought of "holy shit that's a child" when they met Eden and that's the main reason they decided to become followers in the first place to make sure he would be ok.

This is just some rough info to act as some backround

WARNING THIS IS LONG AS SHIT, MY APOLOGIES!

Starting off with canon(?) sort of characters we have:

-Webber, he/they/we: spider character from the game don't starve who was added during a collab to cotl. the youngest and a disciple in training. We first meet him at age 8 and is the last to come along. Life has been extended

-Haru, he/him: the yellow cat from the one animated short. Was a priest of leshys until he fought the lamb on a crusade and lost. Was brought back after realizing how much was censored about the slaughter of the sheep and asked if he could redeem himself. Age 24 and was the third last to become a disciple. Immortal

Now we have the not Canon characters who I have in my actual save file. I will also share their silly ridiculous names I have for them in game since I am atrocious at being serious.

-Mamer, he/him, has always been Mamer: a teal rabbit and the first follower and disciple of Edens. He was taken in by the compound that eden was born in and swore himself to protecting whoever was to become the prophesied lamb. Was captured by cultists a week before Edens execution and was about to be sacrificed when ratau and eden found him on the way to the compound. Taught eden how to fight and the traditional boxing style of the sheepfolk. Current grounds keeper. In game this man goes on hella missions and is responsible for at least 20 followers. Age 32, immortal.

-Clement, he/they, Friend Traitor in game: a big, surly orange tabby cat. He and his sister Cerise came as a pair and were found in the ruins of a village in darkwood, rummaging through their belongings to see if anything was salvageable. They had been taken temporarily on orders from kallamars clergy to aid in the construction of one of the wings of his temple. While they were away, their village started refusing to give anymore of their materials to the bishops so an attack was ordered on it. When they came back everything was gone. Both Clement and Cerise became disciples at the same time and became disciples second. Clement taught Eden how to build. Clements the head of the builders hut. In game they're just a silly feller with a silly name and I love them. Age 30, immortal

-Cerise, she/her, Amigo Treachery in game: a red and that's more magenta coloured. I said quite a bit of her backstory with Clement but the difference is that she runs the stonemines and lumberyard and taught Eden how to find and gather quality materials while on Crusading. She works in lumberyard mostly in game too but she also spends a fair amount of time at the shrine. Age 29, immortal

-Ellis, they/them, Taxes in game: a rosy maple moth and the third disciple. They were captured by helob while in darkwood and was a day away from being eaten when eden found them and bought their freedom. They had offered to walk Ellis back home but they had decided after working in Shamuras treasury for most of their life they didn't really have anything worthwhile to get back to and so decided to go back to the compound with the lamb and now work as the treasurer and tax collector. In game they're tax enforcer but otherwise kind of unremarkable. Age 34, immortal.

-Finley, she/her, Pæňïş in game (truly terrible name I'm so sorry girl): a raspberry colored raccoon and the fourth disciple along side Merrick, as they came in a pair. Both Finley and Merrick were apart on the Fox' cult and were cannibals for most of their lives. They only left after their fellow cultists turned against them while on a hunting trip. Eden found them an inch away from death and surrounded, and after killing the remaining heretics they took the two back to the compound to heal. After learning the two's story, Eden offered them a chance to redeem themselves and turn their lives around with the caveat that the cannibalism stops. They agreed and joined as followers, and earned their discipleship. Finley's the head cook and is the overseer of all the dietary restrictions, while her fellow workers take care of the compound at large. Despite the cannibalism she's actually quite lovely and very personable. Her and Merrick are just good friends and bonded after their mutual betrayal. In game I send her on missions quite a bit since her stats are good. Age 27, immortal.

-Merrick, he/him, originally Marth (my best friends a fire emblem fan and requested it. Personality doesn't match): a blue fox and the fourth disciple along side Finley. Backround info is above. He's sparky and snappish with a bit of a temper but is very good humored and lovely to be around. His job is the head butcher with a very lucrative side gig of disposing of dissenters. The lamb DOES allow the pair to partake in the occasional heretic or dissenter but by and large they both just eat regular meat now. His in game role is kept empty but he's usually the first to get to the drinkhouse when I need stuff made so there's that. Age 27, immortal.

-Azalea, she/they, was lovingly named *DJ sounds*, pronounced however the hell you want: a black koi fish and the fifth disciple. Originally from Anura and was apart of the lighthouse keeper cult. Was found calling for help just outside the cult after getting injured on the way home. Eden took them to the med bay to get patched up since the scope of the injuries was a little outside of their skill set and escorted them home once they were all fixed. They ended up going back with Eden anyway after they relit the lighthouse (they had been getting wood and Eden had firestarter on them). Her job is loyalty enforcer and assists the grounds keeper in keeping the place safe. Due to the decreased amount of heretics+high faith levels, they more just act as a welcome crew for new members and trains people in self defense. She's hard headed and blunt, and can be rude at times, but she has good intentions and has a soft spot for those close to her. Very sweet and patient with kids, less kind to adults. In the game she's also a loyalty enforcer and I desperately wish you could hide that fuckass hat. Age 28, immortal.

-Nimah, he/him, is Sonic because I had to: an albino hedgehog since I don't wanna make it SO obvious that it's just sonic. He is the sixth disciple and used to be a postman between all of the merchants and settlements outside of bishop control. He always wanted to be a doctor and kept an eye out for medical texts on his travels. He didn't have much luck in that regard until he came to deliver something to the compound and was kept there by a storm. Him and Eden got to chatting and after telling them about this little quest, Eden told him that while there's none at the compound that they could think of, they pick up books all the time while on crusades and could keep an eye out for any. One handshake and a new friend later, Nimah slowly studied and practiced to become a doctor until they got the title of head doctor. Taught some cultborn folks to do the mail route and now spends his days in the med bay. In game his only purpose is to be sonic and nothing else. His existence makes me happy :]. Age 53, immortal.

-Rowan, she/her, JAzz (I fucked up): a crow and the seventh disciple. Was a shrine maiden for Heket, and was trusted enough to be given the uncensored prophecy. After hearing it and making the very uncomfortable realization that they've all been praying for the downfall of a) an innocent race and b) a child, she dissented and fled to the cult to offer her services. Was a thief for a while, but was taken in by some followers of Heket and changed her ways. Was the second follower but had a hard time accepting the gift of discipleship for a while there. Very sweet and soft spoken, very good at quiet rage. In game she's on worship duty and is a very pretty lady and I love her. Age 30, immortal

-Florian, zey/zem/zer, named Alright in game: a silk moth and the eighth disciple. Was a primary weaver in Shamura's coterie for a good century. Zey were delivering tapestries to the main temple of Leshy when zer convoy was attacked by bandits and zey were left hiding and bleeding out. Eden found zem and took them back to their own temple since the med bay didn't exist at that point. When zey awoke, zey found zemselves bandaged in an unfamiliar place with someone they didn't recognize standing near them. Zey were suspicious until zey realized that that is a child zey were thinking of attacking, and that child is holding a med kit in their hands. Zey end up calming down and once zer'e healed, Florian offers to make a proper outfit befitting a vessel of death since zey don't like feeling like zer in debt. Eden agrees to this and they end up becoming friends, with Florian offering zer continued service in exchange for stable living. Zer personality is flamboyant but not loud. I personally imagine zer personality to be akin to one of those mob wives with the smoke pipe and the long satin feather robes. In game this fella was so unremarkable zey died of old age at level 1. Also zey get neos because I think they have so much gender that they/them simply doesn't cut it, although I understand if you use they/them for zem, it's a bit tricky to get used to. Age 33, immortal.

AND THATS A WRAP! Sorry for the length, some people are more thought out than others, not to mention I almost forgot a whole 2 people.

Their designs are coming soonish, I'm just trying to make some improvements with how I draw faces rn because Mamer looks like shit :[ I will get better and no one can stop me

[cuckerfailson]

Actually reading Late Victorian Holocausts and seeing how sugar cane production is the specific cause of so much ecological devastation and worsening of drought, flooding and famine conditions during El Niño in 1880 and during this insane climate change-compounded El Niño in 2023 the exact same thing a focus on sugar cane production to the detriment of everything else (the destruction of indiginous substenance farming practices, mostly) and the reactionary base in the imperial core reacting in the exact same "we want our wittle treaties for working our weally hawd wittle desk jobs as viceroys and cops" way while 8 floods hit the world at the same time. and then the little lines Mike Davis sneaks in about liberal pundits of the time like John Stuart Mill condeming the nearly 50 million dead in India but instead advocating for the replacement of the colonial management with a "more humanitarian liberal administration" and the means tested (the test being forced labor) access to famine relief funds which all get plundered by corrupt officials nearly instantly. by design. the corrupt officials only exist because all of the money of the countryside peasantry and government treasury went into price gougers pockets when they orchastrated a drug war. btw.

[whencyclopedia]

Constitutional Convention

The Constitutional Convention was held at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from 25 May to 17 September 1787. Spurred on by economic troubles left over from the American Revolution and compounded by the weak Articles of Confederation, delegates from twelve states met to draft a new framework of governance, the United States Constitution, which created a stronger federal government.

Background

In March 1781, the Articles of Confederation went into effect as the framework of governance for the fledgling United States, after having been ratified by all thirteen states. Under the Articles, each state essentially operated as a semi-independent republic, bound to one another in a loose 'perpetual union'. The federal government – which at the time consisted only of a unicameral Congress – was intentionally kept weak, to ensure the sovereignty and independence of the states. Congress' only real powers were those relating to war and foreign affairs, and even then, it needed the consent of at least nine states before it could declare war or borrow money from foreign lenders. The framers believed that they needed to keep the federal government weak to protect the rights and liberties of American citizens; their recent experience with the British Parliament seemed to suggest that a powerful central authority would not hesitate to squander those rights. But, before long it would become apparent that weak governments carried their own sets of issues that would be just as dangerous.

The most glaring problem was Congress' inability to levy its own taxes. Rather than raise its own money, Congress instead had to rely on donations from the states to fill the national treasury. But, especially after states began to focus on their own interests after the end of the American Revolutionary War, these donations were not consistently forthcoming. This left Congress with no funds to pay federal soldiers or meet its many other financial obligations. Nor did Congress have the power to compel the states to send money or comply with any other federal legislation. Several attempts to amend the Articles to allow Congress to raise money through tariffs were vetoed by the states. Additionally, a lack of unified foreign policy left Congress ill-equipped to deal with foreign powers, with Britain, France, and Spain all putting restrictions on American trade that the federal government could not retaliate against. Finally, Congress had been unable to respond to Shays' Rebellion when it broke out in western Massachusetts in late 1786. Although the rebellion was eventually suppressed by a privately funded army, it led to fears that future insurrections would not be crushed so easily.

For these, and other, reasons, many Americans became convinced that the Articles of Confederation were not working and that unless the Articles were revised, the United States would soon unravel. This reality weighed heavily on the minds of the delegates who met in Annapolis, Maryland, on 11 September 1786. Representing five states (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Virginia), the delegates had merely been sent to discuss trade between states. But as their discussion touched on other issues caused by the weak Articles of Confederation, the delegates realized that something drastic had to be done. In their final report to Congress, drafted by Alexander Hamilton of New York, the delegates proposed that a constitutional convention should be held in Philadelphia the following May to discuss revisions to the Articles. On 21 February 1787, Congress endorsed the suggestions of the Annapolis Convention, and stated that it would write up a report on which changes to the Articles were necessary. Ultimately, twelve of the thirteen states decided to send delegates to the upcoming Constitutional Convention – the sole holdout was Rhode Island, which believed there was nothing wrong with the existing Articles of Confederation and refused to send delegates to amend them.

Continue reading...

[seventhconsumedsigil]

So, this is a trick question. And I just did a whole course on the sort of mathematics that explains why this is a trick question, so please, please let me rant about it.

The most naive way to solve this is just adding it all up at face value, which tells you that the $10,000,000 is 27 years worth of the constant installments. And that's fine, but reasonably you might want the money later, right? But that's ignoring all the extra value you can get out of ten million dollars with just a little very thought.

The basic idea here is time value of money. This is a pretty intuitive thing to explain. $100 now is not worth the same as $100 in 10 years, because $100 now can be used for stuff, even if that is just going for the most boring default use for cash in the world, shoving it in a bond and getting a trickle of interest out of it. That boring use is essentially the "baseline", that financial mathematics assumes anyone can easily do. And it is not kind to the $1,000 a day.

To show this, I'm going to do a lot of simplification in the favour of the $1000 a day. Firstly, we'll be assuming a very low interest rate for comparison, I'll be using 3%, but this is quite literally lower than most bonds will be in anything outside of a severe recession. For comparison, the current 30-year US treasury bond, about the longest term "boring" asset you could go for, currently yields about 4.628% and it'll probably be at least that high some point in the next 30 years for you to renew it. I will also be grouping the $1000 into big massive chunks at the start of each year so I can use a really simple formula(because I'm lazy and breaking out the complicated maths won't change much), which means it's on average getting an extra half a year of interest. This will not save it, nor will only doing interest on the yearly basis rather than continuously.

Now, with these assumptions, we've got a series of cashflows of $365,000, coming at the start of each year, beginning now. This is now reduced to a very simple annuity due, and we can find it's present value at an extremely conservative interest rate of 3%.

365000 x ((1-(1.03)^-n)/0.03) x 1.03, with n being the number of years.

Even at this extremely conservative basis, giving a whole lot of assumptions in favour of the $1000 a day, it will take fifty five years for this to reach a present value of 10 million. That means, even assuming you invested the 10 million so badly that you're getting returns below bond rates, and somehow finding a way to do it that only compounds annually instead of it would take 55 years to run out. At an interest rate of 4%, extremely easy to achieve, it will quite literally never run out. You could make a setup on bonds that would be paying it out split between all of your seven times great grandchildren if the USA government and current financial system survive that long, and it'll probably have grown.

So yeah, I'm taking the $10,000,000, sticking a large chunk of it in something ridiculously safe that'll ensure I get a nice reasonable payout indefinitely and leave orders with the manager that I'm not allowed to do a damn thing with it, and then I've got a few million extra. Probably buy a house, get myself set up, maybe amuse myself with a different fund I can freely invest for recreational purposes, set up all my friends and family nicely enough and then enjoy my life.

(I also realised that I could explain it in terms of putting the 10 million in a bank and supplying the $1000 a day purely off the interest paid on that, but exam brain kicked in and I did it formally so I suppose y'all are getting that instead. Feel free to ask more, god knows I have to justify learning all this shit somehow.)

Explain your reasoning plzzz

[fabiopempy]

DeFi Development Corp. And Dogwifhat Launch Validator Partnership To Support Solana Network Growth

DeFi Development Corp., a publicly listed entity with a treasury strategy focused on accumulating and compounding Solana-based assets, announced that it has entered into a validator partnership with the community behind dogwifhat (WIF), a well-known memecoin ecosystem operating on the Solana blockchain.  Dogwifhat, which launched in late 2023, has emerged as one of the most widely held and

Read More: You won't believe what happens next... Click here!

[skincarezone]

Long Term vs Short Term Investment for Expats: What You Need to Know

Relocating abroad brings a world of opportunity, but it also comes with unique financial challenges. One of the most pressing decisions expats face is how to invest their money—specifically, whether to opt for long term or short term investment strategies. The debate of long term vs short term investment for expats is crucial for safeguarding wealth, achieving financial goals, and managing cross-border risks. In this article, we explore both options in detail to help expats make informed decisions.

Understanding the Investment Landscape for Expats

Before diving into the comparison, it's important to understand the financial terrain for expatriates. Expats often have income in one currency, expenses in another, and investment opportunities scattered across multiple geographies. This complex financial environment means that investment decisions aren't just about returns—they're also about risk tolerance, liquidity needs, and long-term life goals.

Thus, the decision between long term vs short term investment for expats must consider:

Currency exchange risks

Regulatory implications in both home and host countries

Taxation policies

Retirement planning

Education funding for children

Emergency funds and liquidity needs

What is a Short Term Investment?

Short term investments are typically assets held for less than three years. They are geared toward liquidity and minimal risk, making them suitable for immediate financial goals or uncertain timelines.

Common Short Term Investment Options for Expats:

High-yield savings accounts

Certificates of deposit (CDs)

Money market funds

Treasury bills

Short-term bonds

Peer-to-peer lending platforms

Pros of Short Term Investments:

Liquidity: Easy access to funds when needed.

Lower risk: Typically less volatile.

Flexibility: Ideal for temporary assignments or uncertain expat tenures.

Cons of Short Term Investments:

Lower returns: Returns may not beat inflation.

Reinvestment risk: You may need to reinvest at less favorable rates.

Limited wealth accumulation: Not ideal for long-term growth.

What is a Long Term Investment?

Long term investments are held for more than three to five years, often extending to decades. These investments aim to build wealth over time and are essential for long-term goals like retirement, children's education, or real estate purchases.

Common Long Term Investment Options for Expats:

Global equity mutual funds

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs)

Real estate (both domestic and international)

Retirement savings plans like IRAs or QROPS

Offshore investment portfolios

Life insurance with investment components

Pros of Long Term Investments:

Higher potential returns: Compounding over time builds significant wealth.

Inflation protection: Long-term assets often outperform inflation.

Goal alignment: Suits retirement and education funding perfectly.

Cons of Long Term Investments:

Lower liquidity: Difficult to access in emergencies.

Market volatility: Can be risky in the short run.

Regulatory challenges: Cross-border investments can be complex.

Key Differences: Long Term vs Short Term Investment for Expats

Here’s a breakdown of the differences between long and short term investment strategies tailored specifically for expats: FactorShort Term InvestmentLong Term InvestmentTime HorizonLess than 3 yearsMore than 3–5 yearsLiquidityHighLow to moderateRisk LevelLowMedium to highReturn PotentialLowHighBest ForEmergency funds, relocation bufferRetirement, education, real estateCurrency ExposureUsually in local currencyOften multi-currency, increasing riskTax ImplicationsOften simplerMay involve complex reporting

When Should Expats Choose Short Term Investments?

1. Uncertain Residency Duration

If you're unsure how long you'll stay in a particular country, short term investments give you flexibility without locking up your capital.

2. Emergency Funds

As an expat, maintaining 3–6 months of living expenses in liquid assets is crucial, especially when living far from your home country.

3. Short-Term Goals

Whether it’s a vacation, new car, or house deposit, short term investments help preserve capital while meeting short-range objectives.

When Should Expats Choose Long Term Investments?

1. Retirement Planning

If your goal is to build a retirement corpus, long term investment vehicles such as index funds or international pension schemes offer superior compounding benefits.

2. Wealth Building

Expats earning in strong currencies can leverage long term investment options to grow their net worth significantly over time.

3. Education Planning

Funding your children’s higher education—especially abroad—requires long-term planning, and hence long-term investment instruments.

Combining Both Strategies: The Hybrid Approach

Rather than choosing one over the other, many expats benefit from a blended strategy. A balanced portfolio containing both short and long term investments allows for:

Immediate access to funds when needed

Long-term growth through compounding

Diversification to mitigate risks

Efficient tax planning across jurisdictions

Example Hybrid Portfolio:

30% in short term (savings, CDs, money market)

50% in long term (equity mutual funds, ETFs, real estate)

20% in medium-term instruments (bonds, balanced funds)

This diversified approach minimizes financial stress while maximizing returns.

Taxation Considerations for Expats

When evaluating long term vs short term investment for expats, taxation is a critical factor.

Capital Gains Tax: Some countries tax capital gains based on residency, while others may have treaties that prevent double taxation.

Foreign Account Reporting: Expats must declare foreign accounts (FATCA in the U.S., CRS globally).

Local vs Home Country Rules: Tax-efficient investments in your home country may not receive favorable treatment abroad.

Working with a cross-border financial advisor is essential to navigate this complexity.

Tips for Expats Building an Investment Strategy

Define Your Financial Goals: Break down your goals into short, medium, and long term.

Understand Currency Risks: Holding assets in multiple currencies can protect purchasing power.

Check Legal Restrictions: Some countries restrict expats from certain investments (e.g., U.S. mutual funds for Americans abroad).

Plan for Repatriation: Have an exit strategy in case you return home or relocate again.

Review Regularly: Monitor portfolio performance and reallocate as your situation evolves.

Final Thoughts

The debate of long term vs short term investment for expats is not about choosing one over the other, but rather about understanding your unique financial goals, risk tolerance, and timeline. Short term investments provide the safety and flexibility needed for immediate needs, while long term investments unlock the power of compounding for wealth generation.

By striking the right balance and working with qualified financial advisors, expats can build resilient investment portfolios that support their lifestyles today and secure their futures tomorrow.

FAQs

Q1: Is long term investment better than short term investment for expats? A: Not necessarily. Long term investments offer higher returns, but short term ones offer flexibility. The best approach usually combines both.

Q2: What are the safest short term investments for expats? A: High-yield savings accounts, CDs, and government bonds are generally safe and liquid.

Q3: How do expats avoid double taxation on investments? A: Through tax treaties, foreign tax credits, and proper structuring of investment portfolios.

Q4: Can expats invest in their home country? A: Yes, but it depends on residency laws and brokerage policies. Always consult a financial advisor.