#CEO and Director of C-CAMP | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

gecko-s-greenhouse · 2 years ago

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updated list of topics:

my own timeline of events.

how to create a healthy work environment. (the short version: consume any/all media that anne helen petersen puts out)

dating among the c-suite.

"i'm not here to make friends."

qualities of a good manager.

respecting time off.

i regret not taking more time off.

what does giving employees an honest chance look like? (related: performance reviews in a tiny company)

valuing humans over success; failure is always on the table.

who takes the blame when the right people aren't hired in a timely fashion?

and others that i'm sure will spring to mind.

today's topics:

my timeline of events.

Nov: I interviewed and was fed (what ultimately turned out to be) lies about company culture and how they value employee well-being.

Dec: work offer extended and accepted. ski retreat invite extended and accepted.

Jan: I start. on my first day at work, I was informed that the CEO and (eventual) COO are dating (see below). CSO is let go from the company within my first 2 weeks, leaving the CEO to manage both the business/funding side of the company as well as managing all the scientists.

Feb: the first sprint week and ski retreat (see prior post). I check out from caring about the company.

early Apr: negative negative negative performance review. ultimately what i took from it was: 1, don't let my manager see me doing anything non-work related (even though breaks are necessary), and 2, my manager doesn't like my data and wants me to fix it (of note: the technique was new to me when i joined the company and no one else has the skills either). it becomes immediately obvious that she's starting to leave a paper trail so that she can fire me in the near future.

mid Apr: candidate for Director of Science is brought in to interview. this person would take over managing the scientists from the CEO. candidate makes some comments that makes me realize that the way that my manager handled my performance review (sending me off on my lonesome to carry her criticisms without any other clear direction other than "you're bad") is not the strategy a good/experienced manager would take.

also mid Apr: a field trial starts. each batch of samples (3/week in the first several weeks) demands that my team of 2 scientists processes 100's of samples at a time, taking us hours and hours of constant go-go-go time. we're exhausted when we get to work in the morning before 9am and exhausted when we go home well after 6pm. it's all we can do to just keep up with the influx of samples; much less even think about about 70% of the downstream processing. of note: the other teams at the company are "in" the office 10am-4pm, and one of them even has the gall to comment on how the other companies in the shared incubator space keep those kinds of hours. she says this (judgmentally) multiple times, and each time, i respond to her, "i wish i could keep those hours and get everything that needs to be done, done."

early May: i am exhausted, burnt out, depressed, self-medicating. i have described the thought of going to work during this period of my life as equivalent to the idea of jumping off the balcony from my 7th-story apartment. work stress is taking a massive toll on my romantic relationship. my partner eventually loses patience with how unsustainable this work is for me and forces me to start making moves to plan for next steps. i was worried that having a short-short-short employment on my CV would be a bad thing, but it's becoming clear that i might not even live to see one year at this company. i start talking to a recruiter to look for other jobs, and applying for master's programs in mental health counseling, because i needed to be seeing a therapist, my teammate needed to be seeing a therapist, and my manager DEFINITELY needed (needs) to be seeing a therapist (and not those stupid executive coaching camps in sonoma that she kept going to).

also May: i start looking for a therapist. the shitty health insurance coverage from this tiny startup doesn't cover my previous therapist who i really liked, and it's taking a lot of time and energy to screen therapists, and i have neither.

D-Day minus 3 (end of May): i ask my manager if we can reschedule an upcoming 1-on-1 to accommodate a dental appt that i had scheduled. radio silence.

D-Day minus 1: i submit an application to one of my master's programs.

D-Day: i reschedule my dental appointment. i am (and my field trials teammate are) laid off, effective immediately (i canceled an analysis order i had put in literally 20 minutes earlier). of note: intense crunch period for the field trials where we were processing multiple batches of samples per week is over, the outlook looks pretty bleak, and now samples will come every other week. thanks for using us and discarding us like a soiled tissue. also, would it have killed you to say something/anything/lie to me about the dental appt? i know full well that you're never-ever-ever disconnected from work (which is its own problem) also of note: i had requested several days off starting the next day to walk at my own commencement ceremony (and entertain my parents; i know i will have to fight my father to convince him that my getting laid off was not my fault but rather an effect of poor management) and attend my partner's college reunion. i am great company at these social events! (<- sarcasm. i am a salty b!tch.)

D-Day plus 1 week: i sign my severance agreement despite qualms about the non-disparagement clause. i conclude that it means i can b!tch about my shitty manager to my friends and family, but can't go to the local news outlet or funding agencies and say that the company is doomed to fail because of specific data/problems with the tech (it is, but i've not told you specifics, so there.).

Jul: i reconnect with two other former employees of the company, one who left of his own accord and one who was also laid off. we form an ex-company club (loosely) where i learn lots of gossip about how much of a dumpster fire cult of personality around the CEO the company has become. lots of stories from this too, mostly not mine to tell, but what i take from the gossip is that the company is doomed to fail under the leadership of the current CEO, which is really a shame b/c we need more women CEOs. the consensus is that she is too inexperienced and scared and isn't making the right decisions for the health of the company.

dating among the c-suite.

on my first day of work, i am informed that the CEO is dating the Director of Business Ops, that they have been dating for 6+ years, and that they "like to keep things professional at work."

i don't think much of it at the time, because i am young and this is my first foray into a startup, but in retrospect, why was this information withheld from me until i set foot on campus? why is it company policy to withhold this essential piece of information until the employees have no easy out?

it quickly becomes clear to me that the boyfriend is on a fast track to COO. he had been quickly promoted from Head of Business Ops to Director in the span of a year, despite not having any experience in this field. it smells strongly of nepotism, but also of trying very hard to not look like nepotism. (it's nepotism.)

honestly their dating didn't really affect me much while i was there, but i will never again knowingly join a company where the C-suite is incestuous, for the obvious reason that when the CEO wants to make a decision, whether it's motivated by reason or by personal feelings, there will be no pushback from the boyfriend and this effectively doubles the weight of her decision-making.

the interesting story here comes up around the time the 3rd person gets laid off. the boyfriend (who is the friendlier of the pair) reaches out to me with a lunch invite. i don't really want to go to lunch with him, but i know that he is the kind of friendly person who, if i say, "i can't this time, another time," will actually follow up with the another time. so i bite the bullet and get it out of the way. at lunch, we are awkwardly shooting the shit. the boyfriend asks me if i am still with my partner (they met at ski retreat, isn't it funny that my partner is in the company picture that i'm not in?) and if we're still living in the same place. i say that we just* signed our lease for another year.

...

this next bit used to make me really mad, but now i just feel pity.

the boyfriend then goes, "oh, what a big vote of confidence in your relationship! i'm surprised that you would tie yourself down to this location when you could go anywhere for your next job."

i honestly don't remember what i said specifically, so let's just say i laughed awkwardly and changed the subject.

however, inside, i was fuming. how dare he make that kind of judgement on my relationship, when HIS girlfriend is the unhinged one who's running the company into the ground!

(also, just* re-signed the lease happened before i got laid off.)

but now, after having b!tched about this incident extensively to my friends, i feel like the most generous and sad explanation for his comment is that he was projecting. this happened shortly after the 3rd person got laid off, a decision that i've come to understand was entirely irrational. maybe he didn't agree with his girlfriend's decision, but couldn't say anything about it because that would indicate a lack of faith not only in her business decision making, but also in their relationship. couple this with my prior knowledge that he doesn't especially fancy being tied down to this location for the long term, and i think i've got a case here.

do the funding agencies know that they are dating? if so, how did they convince the funding agencies that their relationship could stand the test of time when the previous company that they "worked on together" was a little passion project fashion retailer? how does that translate to running the kind of tech company they're in charge of now?

to be continued.

a thread about my shithole job

when i asked my therapist about workplace trauma and how to move forward from it, she suggested setting some time aside to feel my feelings and journal about it. so that's what i'm going to do, because i'm determined to move on from all the ways that i was mistreated at that shithole job now that it's been 5 months (lol).

for context, my first job out of my PhD was at a tiny startup of fewer than 10 employees. i felt lucky to land the job because the biotech job market was in a bad place at the end of 2022 (it's worse now at the end of 2023), and luckier still because the company sang a (lying) tune about company culture that i bought into. the job ranged from okay to a total dumpster fire and i'll get into the details below, and then after 5 months, i was unceremoniously laid off. (alternately, my entire team of 2 was unceremoniously restructured.)

and because i signed a non-disparagement agreement to get my severance, i can't tell you the company's name. i assume not all of these issues occur at other companies,

topics that i want to cover:

my own timeline of events.

company retreat.

what i wish i had said to my shitty ex-manager when she fired me.

cult of personality.

how to create a healthy work environment. (the short version: consume any/all media that anne helen petersen puts out)

dating among the c-suite.

"i'm not here to make friends."

qualities of a good manager.

respecting time off.

i regret not taking more time off.

what does giving employees an honest chance look like?

valuing humans over success; failure is always on the table.

and others that i'm sure will spring to mind.

today's topics:

company retreat.

for context, about 2 months into my time at this company, we went for a 3 day/2 night ski retreat.

the invite went out after i had accepted the position, but before i had started, so i felt like this was "mandatory fun" and forced team bonding time that i had to attend (even though the text of the email said no pressure!), so i accepted, but made clear from the beginning that i am not a skiier and would not be joining the downhill skiing activities.

come the week of the event, work was a flaming shitshow. we were in our first sprint week at this startup, and two new hires were visiting from oot so we had to entertain them and make it seem like work was chill even though we were working overtime.

actually being on retreat was fine, i guess? we did cabin activities, they went skiing and i did other snow stuff. it was awkward but manageable. the CEO covered activity fees for only the downhill skiiers, so i, notably not in this group, had to pay my own way for tubing, skating, and snowshoeing all by my lonesome.

i now regret not asking for my activity fees to be covered also.

we get home, and the CEO sends out a group photo. that was taken at the top of the ski mountain.

let that sink in for a moment.

ask yourself, who was not included in the picture?

and to make matters worse, i was never, at any point during this retreat, invited to be in a group photo.

that was the first time i cried over this shithole job, and the first time that i told myself that i wasn't going to care anymore. (first time? because i wasn't good at holding myself to it.) startups want their employees to be part of a shitty family, and i was no longer having it.

to make matters worse, when i was being hired, the CEO had fed me a lying story about how "we're not like other startups" and want to focus on employee well-being over the other cultish aspects of stereotypical startup culture.

what i wish i had said to my shitty ex-manager when she fired me.

i don't appreciate being patronized. the first thing she said to me was, "this may come as a surprise, but..." haha no, this was not a surprise in any way, shape, or form. i've known that you wanted to fire me from that joke of a performance review* (more on this later) a month ago, right up through this meat grinder of a so-called "second chance" you've given me. i guess i am only surprised that you fired me right in the middle of a field trial where i'm a member of the team of two that handles every sample that comes through.

just because you don't like what my data says doesn't mean it's bad data. 'nuff said.

if you're restructuring, why can't i be absorbed into another function of the company? why do you have to look me in the eye, lie to me and tell me that you think i'm a great scientist, but apparently not one who can learn how to contribute to other functions that i am fully capable of doing and you know it?

what's this bullshit about "effective immediately"? (don't @me about MA at will employment, i know the law but i'm talking here about decency, which i guess is a foreign concept to you.) shouldn't i be given a couple days to tie up loose ends, tell you how to find my shit, and say a non-rushed goodbye to those of my colleagues who i did come to like? and ESPECIALLY because i had requested several days of pto THAT YOU HAD APPROVED starting literally the next day? this feels like a move for YOU, so you don't have to look at me any more than you have to after you made this decision.

also, in the state of massachusetts, it would be polite to lay people off with enough lead time that they can acquire health insurance in a timely manner. assembling the necessary documents takes time, and the last day to sign up for the next month's coverage is the 23rd day of the prior month. lesson learned: negotiate a severance package that includes health coverage. again, i understand that decency is a foreign concept to you.

what gives you the right to play games with people's lives? this thought really took shape as my nutbag ex-manager continued to arbitrarily fire people, including one on an O1 visa. consider my situation: i had been at this company for 5 months and got laid off. any decent manager looking in would see this and immediately recognize that the problem is with the company (funding?) and the management rather than with me, a young scientist who hasn't even been given the standard amount of time to fuck up learn the ropes (1 year) before being shown the door. alternately, what gives you the right to brand me as someone who behaves poorly? (because that's the only other reason a stranger would think that i was laid off so quickly?) for example, my friend and former colleague, upon finding out that i lasted only 5 months at the company, immediately asked if the company was having money problems, but he's someone who knows me and knows that i'm not a jerk, but that's not immediately obvious to a stranger. what gives you the right?

you are running your company into the ground. i don't care if your science is impeccable (it's clearly not based on my data), but it's clear to me that your company is going to fail if you keep treating your employees like this. the consensus among former employees of the company, both the ones who were laid off and the ones who left of their own volition

i hope you fail. i will gleefully eat my popcorn WHEN it happens.

also, i want my stuff back. (i wouldn't have forgotten it if you'd given me more notice!)

to be continued.

also, am i supposed to talk about my feelings too? overwhelmingly angry that at an incompetent inexperienced and scared manager treated my life/career/future as a gigantic joke to her, but also disappointed in myself that i signed on in the first place, and sad to have lost a year that i could have otherwise spent building my career to this total nonsense. bad times all around.

#to be continued #workplace trauma #don't date your coworkers

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annabethy · 4 years ago

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Percy Jackson Characters as Band Kids 2.0

based on experiences i WISH i didn’t have. i’ve been proposed to at a game by the opposing piccolo. in honor of my 20k word marching band au being posted tomorrow!

Percy

• looks unfairly hot in the marching uniform.

• would definitely be drum major and have all of the band falling in love over him.

• he would also be in the auditorium before a concert and jump off of a 10 foot ledge in the pit because he simply cannot take being in band anymore™️.

• would get up on the drum major podium and start dancing to stand tunes from the other band.

• gives high fives to all of the band right before the half-time show

• carries annabeth like a backpack during third quarter break

• him and annabeth go to meet the other drum majors in the band and are that fierce couple that every band is afraid of

• slut for big ballin

• is nearly murdered when a cheerleader does a backflip into his podium

• before halftime, “What time is it?” “HALFTIME” “What time is it?” “GAME TIME” “half time is game time Half Time Is Game Time HALF TIME IS GAME TIME”

Annabeth

• is the kid that is deadly good at their instrument and will murder you with a single look.

• you do not want to audition for the state band after her because she will tear you to shreds.

• she also happens to be dating the drum major, of course, and has the drum major wrapped around her finger.

• she is terrifying, and also happens to be the other drum major so the little kids have to ask her for help but are scared because she is very scary.

• plays piccolo and goes around telling people to “suck my picc”

• will yell at colorguard when they put a rifle on the wrong yard line during a show while every single woodwind is marching in a backwards curve.

• hates seven nation army with a passion

• flute chant. “flutes and piccs are h-o-t hot, we got something you ain’t got, we’re bad, we know it, we’re here to show it” cue screaming

• piccolo chant aka PICCS PICCS PICCS PICCS *INSTENSE SCREAMING*

Piper

• is that kid the hot bi. crushing on Annabeth and blatantly tries to steal her from Percy. but she’s just kidding (not really).

• she is the person that proposes to a kid that plays the same instrument from the other band.

• probably plays piccolo because Annabeth does.

• when it’s marching season, she will watch a woodwind step out of line and take down an entire row of clarinets and not move a single muscle. they all learn somehow.

• screams the words to sweet Caroline instead of playing

• “my name is piper. i play the picc. it’s really tiny. just like your di—

Jason

• is the band kid who thinks they are the best at their instrument

• they are actually the worst at their instrument

• probably a trumpet

• doesn’t get into all county and is like “but I’m so good it’s rigged” but he actually couldn’t even play his scales double octave oop couldn’t be me

• gets hit by the guard flags during a show and gets a concussion

• crushes on piper who tells him “i only date people good at their instruments.” he goes home and cries before reporting her to the band director for harassment

• fucks up solo at mpa. idk who gave him a solo to begin with

Leo

• first and foremost, he is percussion. during concert season, he tries to muffle the gong so he uses his whole body to do so. he succeeds in humping the gong.

• cadences over and over. and over.

• throws a drum stick at annabeth and bonks her on the head

• percy does not like that and takes the drum stick and hurls it at leo. hits him in the eye

• elf hats during the christmas parade

• DRUM BATTLES

• empties a water bottle at a game by crushing the plastic. chokes as he deepthroats the water

• “Annabeth you are so out of tune you’re making me want to stab my eardrums,” and in response, she says, “I’m going to play a high c right in your ear and teach you what decent fucking music sounds like”

Frank

• the one decent kid who apologizes when they run into someone

• helps the freshmen because no one else will

• refuses to participate in senior pranks

• once tries to help a brass player take a valve out but drops the instrument and dents it and starts crying

• brass captain

• he actually tries to save the line of woodwinds when colorguard misplaces a rifle during that backwards curve

• steps in the pile of fire ants. chaos ensues

Hazel

• sweetheart but lost.

• struggles with marching on beat but once she gets the hang of it, she has so much patience for helping others

• something tame, like the clarinet.

• never squeaks because she is an ICON

• people think she is nice and will sometimes tease her and she’s too nice to do anything but then when someone decides to take her reeds, she full on throws a stand at them.

• speaking of stands, she gets abnormally frustrated when they start to fall in front of her face. slowly slipping. creak. creak. creak.

• always very helpful at the football games. cares for people that pass out of heat stroke. always has a cooling towel just in case

• makes snide remarks to the cheerleaders when they can’t dance in time to crazy train (“it’s not that hard it’s literally 4/4”)(“I thought cheerleaders could at least count to 4?”)

• director thinks she is an angel but actually has no idea she’s constantly on her phone during rehearsal.

• “im using it as a tuner”

Connor

• HEY BABY. will point to Annabeth for “I wanna knowwwww if you’ll be my girl” to spite Percy

• laughs bc Percy is conducting and there is simply nothing he can do about it

• “what you gonna do Percy? Cut the band off because you’re jealous? do it I dare you”

• crazy trumpet that runs through the stands and promptly trips and tumbles down the bleachers until he hits the bottom. may kill one or two flutes in the process

• speaking of flutes, he enjoys sacrificing them. particularly annabeth. picks her up over his shoulder and dumps her in a trashcan

• gets on the metal podium during band camp and passes out off of it. a quick and painful journey the 6 feet to the ground.

Travis

• to Piper: “One time at band camp, I stuck a flute up my—”

• evil laughter when Annabeth narrowly dodges a guard saber

• he’s the leader of the senior pranks, offering those poor freshman cupcakes with ketchup and mustard frosting

• he also sets up the pentagram with the band directors family photos, and ties percy and annabeth dolls to drum major podiums. don’t ask.

• he definitely spills coffee on the band room carpet at least once,

• likes to surprise percy and annabeth when they sneak off during sectionals to “practice conducting” (he quickly proves they were, in fact, not practicing conducting)

Grover

• trips in the whole and screams about “WHY ARE THERE HOLES IN OUR MARCHING FIELD SOMEONE IS GOING TO DIE”

• chews on a metal can at a game and cuts his mouth open but is too scared to say anything as he bleeds from the mouth because he wasn’t supposed to have a soda can to begin with so he just plays with blood!

• ceo of “MAKE MONEY MONEY MAKE MONEY MONEY MONEY” “MARCHING BAND MARCHING BAND MARCHING BAND MARCHING BAND”

• gets HEATED at mpa because “WE CANNOT BE THE CLASS TO DESTROY OUR TEN YEAR STREAK OF STRAIGHT SUPERIORS”

• hangs with percy and annabeth, arms around each of them during the football games. loves them dearly.

• has a knack for interrupting percy and annabeth at the worst possible times. they’re in the uniform room? SURPRISE SHAWTY he’s there too “what are you doing? why is annabeth’s hair a mess? didn’t you just do those braids?”

#percabeth #percy jackson #pjo #annabeth chase #percy jackson and the olympians

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antiporn-activist · 6 years ago

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Not my work, found on Facebook

“So I decided to do a little research into the $750/day figure I’d heard a private company was charging the US government per each detained migrant child. I wanted to, with my own eyes and brain, 1. verify this figure was accurate; 2. verify it was indeed a private company instead of a non-profit charging this, if true, as both have managed these detention centers (not that it really matters, ultimately, but stay with me); 3. try to figure out where this per diem sum — more than my monthly mortgage — was going, if not to even buy these tortured children toothbrushes and soap, which are about the cheapest basic necessities on the market, and which no individual has to replace every day.

$750/person A DAY should cover a lot of necessities, right? Right. So where the hell is all this money going? This can’t be true...

Well here’s what I found:

1. Yes, it’s a private company called Comprehensive Health Services (a subsidiary of Caliburn International). CHS operates the largest child migrant detention center, which is in FL and was already getting horrible press — especially from local FL papers — last year. But that didn’t matter, because CHS recently opened up a few more child prisons in TX, as it snagged a new government contract, despite many documented concerns about conditions there.

2. $750/day per child is an accurate sum of CHS’s CLAIMED operating costs, and what our federal tax dollars are paying for. A sum that was agreed to upon award of the contract. In fact, it was actually on the record as $775 last summer.

3. So where is this money going, you wonder, if not to soap and toothbrushes? Yeah, I did too, and it was quite easy to dig up. CHS, via Caliburn, is controlled by the private equity firm DC Capital Partners. For those of you who don’t know how private equity firms work, look it up, or ask me in the comments.

4. While I would not be able to find out vested shareholders in the DCCP portfolio, we do not have to assume they’re making some nice returns on these CHS operations and government contracts that line their pockets instead of covering even basic human needs for children. That’s clear, because why would a private company keep their costs down so low that they completely disregard humanity, even though they say they’re experts in “healthcare?”

PROFIT. FOR THEIR PRIVATE INVESTORS.

5. While I can’t name for you the private investors getting rich off of this humanitarian crisis, I can name for you members of the advisory board of DCCP, which approves everything in the portfolio.

First up: Trump’s former Chief of Staff, John Kelly, who was named to the board LAST MONTH, and photographed riding a golf cart into a CHS child prison. So with his own eyes, he saw the conditions there. And he was cool with it all, because hey, there’s money to be made for his rich investor friends, and maybe even himself! Who knows! Can’t say for sure, so feel free to reasonably assume what you wish. I’m just stating facts here.

Coincidentally, prior to joining Trump in the WH, he was also a paid lobbyist for DCCP. Hmmmm...

6. So next up on the DCCP board: Richard L. Armitage, former U.S. deputy secretary of state; Michael Corbin; former ambassador to the United Arab Emirates; Michael V. Hayden, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency and of the National Security Agency; Donald M. Kerr Jr., former deputy director of science and technology at the CIA; Anthony C. Zinni, former commander-in-chief of the U.S. Central Command and former U.S. Envoy to the Middle East; and Stephen F. Loftus, former director of the Office of the Budget for the United States Navy.

Are y’all seeing any patterns here?

7. Michael Hayden, last June, said on the record he sees “commonality” between Nazi Germany’s separation of children at concentration camps and the Trump administration policy that is forcing children to be separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border.

"I know we’re not Nazi Germany, alright. But there is a commonality there, and a fear on my part ... We have standards we have to live up to,” Hayden told CNN’s “New Day.”

It appears he left those standards at the boardroom door, along with many other individuals that dance with greed and corruption on the line of the private and public sectors COMPLETELY UNCHECKED.

8. Last month, the same month Kelly got his new gig, the government awarded CHS a brand new, hush-hush contract worth $341 million, even though there had been tons of pressure to close it due to its conditions.

THERE WAS NO COMPETITIVE BIDDING FOR THE CONTRACT, and it happened under the radar.

9. Just two months before this, in March, CHS/Caliburn cancelled its IPO after registering with the SEC to sell $100m public shares. The CEO cited “market forces,” yet made it clear the company was thriving and growing.

——————

I’ll leave you to come to your own conclusions about all of this, or do more research. And I’ll post a ton of sources in the comments for those who actually think this administration is “draining the swamp,” or who want to debate the semantics of whether these ”centers” can reasonably be called child concentration camps or not without offending some non-brown people.

And for those of you who think children don’t deserve the most basic human rights because they’re not American: There’s a special place in hell for you, and I imagine hell to be a whole lot like this situation.

For those of you who are cool lining the pockets of private citizens in DC with YOUR tax dollars while dirty, hungry, sick children live imprisoned and stacked in cages without even a dime of your money going to pay for soap and toothbrushes for these kids like it was supposed to: I’m ashamed to share this country with you as legal citizens, and I think you’re disgustingly dumb. We failed you, too, but at least you got to go to school when you were a kid, and didn’t spend childhood dying in a cage.

America, NONE OF THIS IS OK. WAKE UP.”

——————

FRIDAY NIGHT UPDATE (!!)

1. As mentioned upon writing this, I originally posted my sources at the beginning of the comments thread at time of publishing -- before it became a large discussion. For your convenience and further reading, I am now moving my sources here + some extra homework for everyone to do (no particular order):

https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/CLBR:US

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/immigration/article229744049.html

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/john-kelly-joins-board-of-caliburn-international-company-operating-largest-unaccompanied-migrant-children-shelter/

https://news.littlesis.org/2019/02/13/wall-street-banks-former-defense-officials-looking-to-cash-in-on-child-detentions/?fbclid=IwAR3VPG3U1VqOlHvAus6mZwT5X42YR0946O-9ALtwFh-P-2i8P_ZxLQ8QvwE

https://thehill.com/latino/392727-hayden-sees-commonality-between-zero-tolerance-border-policy-and-nazi-germany?fbclid=IwAR1XcPVz72-f1ju70gdibR-H6-3tI8dOh_9yqfjZtNx-kfQJb6AMuf-gemI

https://www.npr.org/2019/02/13/694175061/florida-shelter-is-scrutinized-for-the-way-it-handles-migrant-children?fbclid=IwAR2Sq1vPOSLs0LPxkI6723lMKipsI12orZWMqxSzw9kqUqqTfM18gpo6xaU

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/21/us/migrant-shelters-border-crossing.html

https://heavy.com/news/2019/05/caliburn-international/?fbclid=IwAR1tsUMn2noGPGWEZxdwOlGwwCj-eDjaIR2I2pCNPd6qgehjCKs0lJpIJuQ

https://www.thedailybeast.com/doj-is-investigating-whether-us-payoffs-to-iraqi-officials-opened-the-door-for-isis?fbclid=IwAR2fXGNE328gvAi6bp7mD7SzKYo5wCY-x2lODw4fKDNrssupd-FGcOfmjnY

https://thebaffler.com/latest/retirement-brought-to-you-by-prisons-inc?fbclid=IwAR3STKgqiMOtVUho4QPq21zXRNovBl8_gvKpFdX3rUWahrOuZmBLJ9pO_m0

https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/2018/06/20/cape-canaveral-detention-center/717375002/

https://www.chsmedical.com/compliance

The people have spoken, so hope that helps you all wrap your minds around this in a more complete and credible way. Thank you to all who have participated in civil dialogue and shared this post. Let's keep it constructive, as we do not need to be even more destructive than the current situation.

2. THE POST IS ALREADY PUBLIC + SHAREABLE. Please do not ask me if you can share it -- I made it public, which is why you can see it. You should be able to share the original version. If you can't, refresh your app, run your updates or make sure you aren't still viewing a friend's protected share of the original itself. There is no possible way I can instruct all individuals on how to share it -- but I appreciate all of you who are moved by these words, and want to raise awareness about this distressing situation.

3. Your concern has given me hope. Do your homework. Look into your group investment portfolios, pensions, etc. Know where your money is invested. Call your legislators. Do anything but freak out to the point of being unproductive and histrionic. DO ANYTHING BUT BE AWFUL TO EACH OTHER.

Thank you. We are in this together.

From the Facebook page of Emily Price.

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inagetawaycarxo · 6 years ago

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˗ˏˋ AU PROMPTS ˎˊ˗

~ Send in a fictional character/wrestler/celeb and an au meme prompt... {Can be an imagine, smut, angst, fluff, headcanon, etc, whatever your heart desires}~ Reposting this again cause I deleted the original post. Ask box link is in bio, or you can pm me...

A; Alien, Agent , Arranged Marriage , Angel, Age Gap/Difference, Adopt A Pet , Affair, Amnesia, Actor, Actress, Angel/Demon, Apocalypse, Artist, Assassin, Athlete, Author, Autumn, Apartment , Awkward First Meeting , Animal Shelter, Asylum, Alien Invasion, Alpha/Beta/Omega.

B; Breakup, Babysitter, Babysitting, Blogger, Boss, Butler, Betrayal, Banshee, Blackmail, Bar, Best Friends Wedding, Bodyguard, Babysitter, Bakery, Ballet, Bartender, Beach, Blind Date Book Store, Bed Sharing, Bonnie & Clyde, Bartender, Book Club, Baby, Birthday, Biker.

C; Costars, Coffee Shop, Cozy Cabin In The Woods, Crush, Childhood Friends, Camping, Carnival, Castaway, Celebrity, CEO, Chef, Club, College, Choreographer, Coworker, Criminal, Christmas, Comic-Con, Crossroad Demon, Cowgirl, Cowboy, Criminal And Accomplice.

D; Disney, Dragon, Detective, Dark Fantasy, Deserted Island, Dog Walker, Domestic, Demigod, Double Agent, Demon, Dancer, Dead/Death, Demon Hunter, Dom/Sub, Director, Dance, Dancer, Doctor/Doctor, Doctor/Nurse, Damsel In Distress, Detective, Demon Slayer, Doctor, Doctor/Patient, Dancer, Dimension Hoping, Dark Angel.

E; Enemies To Lovers, Ex, Enemies.

F; Frat, Fuck Boy, Fuck Buddies, Friends To Lovers, Friends With Benefits, Fantasy, Fling, Fae , Fake Relationship, Fake Dating, Fake Marriage, Fake Ex's, Forbidden Love , Fairies, Fairy, First Love, Family Don't Approve, Firefighter, Fashion Designer, Fugitive, Fallen Angel, Flower Shop, Florist, Fourth of July.

G; Gamer, Gangster, Guardian Angel, Ghost, Greek Gods, Genie, Goddess, God.

H; House Sitter, Hero/Villain, Hanahaki Disease, High School, Holiday, Hitman,Hunter, Heat {also known as Mating Cycle}, Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Horror, Hairstylist/Actor, Handcuffed Together,,Hunters Dating , Hairstylist, Haunted House, High School Reunion, Hospital, Hybrid, Halloween, Hanukkah, Heist, Height Difference, Hero, Horror Film.

I; Ice Cream Shop, Imaginary Friend, Immortal/Human, Immortal, Incubus, Internet Friends.

J; Jurassic, Jilted Bride, Jealousy.

K; Kidnapped, Kiss Cam.

L; Lost In Space, Lifeguard, Love Affair, Love/Hate Relationship, Love Triangle,Love Spell, Love Turns Them Evil, Lured Into A Trap, Lawyer, Lost In The Woods, Love Confession.

M; Mob!Boss, Mafia, Medium, Modern, Mutant, Mechanic, Mistaken Identity, Millionaire, Makeup Artist/Actor, Magic, Marriage, Movie Night/Date, Military, Maid, Merman, Mermaid, Model, Murder Mystery, Musician, Makeup Artist, Merpeople, Mythological Creatures, Meddling Family/Friends, Mobster, Mad Scientist, Mythology, Medieval.

N; Neighbour,New Neighbour, Nurse, Nephlim, New Years.

O; One Sided Love, Outlaw Couple, Office Romance, On The Rocks, One Night Stand.

P; Pet Sitter, Personal Assistant, Private Detective, Peter Pan, Pirate, Pen Pals, Photographer/Model, Protector, Proposal, Parametric, Parent, Pet Store, Photographer, Prisoner, Police Officer, Post Apocalypse, Possessed, Post Breakup, Protective, Possessive, Protective Friend, Pet Store Owner.

R; Romeo And Juliet AURace Car Driver AURoaring 20s AURivals To Lovers AURetreat Weekend AURecreate Your First Date AURoommate AURunaway Bride AUReunion/Reunited Lovers AUReality TV Show AUReporter AUResurrection AURestaurant AURoad Trip AURival AURoyalty AUReincarnation AURoyal AURivalry To Romance AUReally Competitive AURockstar AUReality Tv Star AUReality Tv AURunaway AU Reapers AU

S; Supernatural, Scientist, Sugar Daddy, Street Racing, Superpowers, Secret Identity, Secret Admire, Spell, Sleeping With The Ex, Sleeping With The Boss, Soulmates, Secret Relationship, Secret Baby, Stranded On A Desert Island, Spy, Space, Stalker, Stranger, Stripper, Siren, Stripper, Single Parent, Succubus, Strangers Who End Up On Kiss Cam, Secret Agent, Secret Spy, Star Crossed Lovers, Small Town Lovers, Surfer, Superhero.

T; Telepathy, Tarzan, Time Traveller, Teacher/Teacher, Tudor, Tattoo Shop, Tattoo Parlour, Thief, The Little Mermaid, Time Travel, Teacher/ Single Parent, Thanksgiving, Time Travelers, Teacher/Student {note the reader is a college student}

U; Unrequited Love, Undercover Cop, University.

V; Vigilante, Vampire/Werewolf, Victorian, Volunteer Together, Vampire/Vampire Hunter , Vampire, Vampire Hunter, Vacation, Veterinarian, Villain, Valentine.

W; Waiter, Wedding, Weakness Turns On Lover, Wedding Planner, Werewolf, Witch, Wizard, Waitress, Writer, Western, Warrior .

Y; Youtuber.

Z; Zombie Apocalypse.

ERA'S; 40s AU, 50s AU, 60s AU, 70s AU, 80s AU

#marvel x reader #tom holland x reader #chris evans x reader #sebastian stan x reader #dceu x reader #spn x reader #supernatural x reader

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bespangeled · 6 years ago

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Child Prison Profits

So I decided to do a little research into the $750/day figure I’d heard a private company was charging the US government per each detained migrant child. I wanted to, with my own eyes and brain,

1. verify this figure was accurate

2. verify it was indeed a private company instead of a non-profit charging this, if true, as both have managed these detention centers (not that it really matters, ultimately, but stay with me);

3. try to figure out where this per diem sum — more than my monthly mortgage — was going, if not to even buy these tortured children toothbrushes and soap, which are about the cheapest basic necessities on the market, and which no individual has to replace every day.

$750/person A DAY should cover a lot of necessities, right? Right. So where the hell is all this money going? This can’t be true...

Well here’s what I found:

PROFIT. FOR THEIR PRIVATE INVESTORS.

Coincidentally, prior to joining Trump in the WH, he was also a paid lobbyist for DCCP. Hmmmm...

Are y’all seeing any patterns here?

"I know we’re not Nazi Germany, alright. But there is a commonality there, and a fear on my part ... We have standards we have to live up to,” Hayden told CNN’s “New Day.”

It appears he left those standards at the boardroom door, along with many other individuals that dance with greed and corruption on the line of the private and public sectors COMPLETELY UNCHECKED.

THERE WAS NO COMPETITIVE BIDDING FOR THE CONTRACT, and it happened under the radar.

——————

America, NONE OF THIS IS OK. WAKE UP.

——————

FRIDAY NIGHT UPDATE (!!)

https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/CLBR:US https://www.miamiherald.com/…/immigra…/article229744049.html https://www.cbsnews.com/…/john-kelly-joins-board-of-calibu…/ https://news.littlesis.org/…/wall-street-banks-former-def…/… https://thehill.com/…/392727-hayden-sees-commonality-betwee… https://www.npr.org/…/florida-shelter-is-scrutinized-for-th… https://www.nytimes.com/…/migrant-shelters-border-crossing.… https://heavy.com/news/2019/05/caliburn-international/… https://www.thedailybeast.com/doj-is-investigating-whether-… https://thebaffler.com/…/retirement-brought-to-you-by-priso… https://www.floridatoday.com/…/cape-canaveral-de…/717375002/ https://www.chsmedical.com/compliance

Thank you. We are in this together.

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blacklistcons · 6 years ago

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Tokyo In Tulsa, AKA The Ex-Hobby Lobby Con

Hello, attendees. I’m your host, the Darkness. I’m here to cover probably one of the most talked about most haunted conventions of 2019.

It all began roughly around May 29th, 2019. Tokyo in Tulsa had to make some changes this year due to their previous venue being under construction. Totally understandable. I mean, who wants to be in a dirty, poorly lit facility that can’t uphold to cleanliness stand- oh, wait...

source: Twitter

SO, okay, well... We’re getting a bit ahead of ourselves! Maybe the venue was closed during this time, which meant they had to find some place else for this year. It sounds like as late as May 29th, 2019, they had found a solution to this.

In a post made by James Fowler (CEO of the Convention) on the official TnT Facebook page, he addresses multiple concerns that vendors and attendees had. In that same post he states this:

Source: James Fowler (Facebook)

It appears that everything is fine, JUST FINE. Which would have been awesome, if it wasn’t. Now, there is some controversy regarding whether the location for artists was actually secured or not. Some of the staff, allegedly, stated that the venue backed out last minute, but the post from the CEO himself, says otherwise. It seems like the venue itself was not secured, which in itself isn’t a good sign, since at this point, the con was less than two months away.

Now, we enter the darkest timeline.

On July 2nd, 2019, it was announced that Tokyo in Tulsa Artist’s Alley would be held in an ex-Hobby Lobby, which was 4 miles from the main convention site. Literally labeled “Old Hobby Lobby”.

Source: Travis Howell (Facebook)

Okay, welp. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves! There were promised shuttles to assist with those who don’t want to walk in the extreme, mid-summer heat. Though, for most artists, this immediately caused (and very justified) alarm. With the venue being such a long ways away from the main hub (unless you had a vehicle yourself), who could promise any traffic at all? It was a big, ole BUMMER!

Who knows how it could go, though? Some people were hopeful! But, that did not stop the MEMES! Artists attending the con had started putting “@ ex hobby lobby” / “@ haunted hobby lobby” in Twitter. And, it was the Best™.

Honestly, if you have access to AAIN, please just search Hobby Lobby. You will not regret it.

DAY 1: SET UP

As various artists showed up to the venue, the reality of the conditions were revealed. The venue itself was spacious, sure, but it was dirty, dark, and the A/C only traveled so far. Be wary, the pictures below aren’t for the faint of heart.

Source: Kayla Suppapong (Twitter)

Source: Haley (Twitter)

Artist began to warn other artists who have not arrived yet to bring their own lighting...

Source: Melissa (Twitter)

Source: Tania (Twitter)

Things weren’t looking so good, but artists were being supportive of each other. There was still hope!

DAY 2: The First Day of TnT

Turn out, was actually, surprisingly, pretty good. It seemed that the attendees had rallied behind the struggling artists to show support! Some people had made it a meme, such as this wonderful person:

Source: Ashen (Twitter)

While conditions weren’t perfect, they were sustainable. It wasn’t ideal, but THESE PEOPLE WERE MAKING IT WORK, OKAY? And honestly, that’s the best thing that could happen.

Now during this time, there were two camps of people, it seems. 1.) People who thought it was fine and that others should stop being so dramatic. Then, 2.) People who were upset, and verbally expressed this, but were making due with the circumstances at hand.

An example of an artist addressing this:

Source: AAIN

The thing to understand is that each individual’s experiences are going to mold their opinion about the convention, so to say another’s positives or criticisms is “invalid” or “misinformation”, is not true. Both camps are valid in their right to express their praises, and their complaints.

Day 3: The Chaos, and a Singular Tweet

As stated previously, the con was going well for artists, despite the conditions, though the drama would not subside for long...

Hanna, or known as @elefluff on Twitter and Instagram, had replied to a tweet a few days before the con had started, slightly joking about the condoning of sneaking into the convention AA space.

Source: Nerdandtie (Tokyo in Tulsa Ejects Artist Who Posted Critical Tweets About the Con)

The tweet has now since been deleted, and I think most can say, while it was in poor taste, was by no means a malicious tweet. At the posting of the tweet, the conditions were unknown. It wouldn’t have been that crazy of an idea to think no one would show up to the con.

But, the con staff weren’t having it. In a following tweet by Tania, Hanna was confronted by four male staff members about the tweet, and told her to leave.

Source: Tania (Twitter)

Hanna stated that she planned to leave anyway, but the whole situation had been awful. This breakdown isn’t going to be a he said, she said between Hanna and TnT, but TnT officially said this to Nerdandtie:

Source: Nerdandtie (Tokyo in Tulsa Ejects Artist Who Posted Critical Tweets About the Con)

While this might be the case, it definitely left a sour taste in people’s mouths, artist and attendees alike. Whether the tweet was intended or not, it really hurt the overall image of TnT. Artists and attendees were put in less than ideal conditions to stand around and be in for almost 8 hours of the day, but then to have one artist essentially dog-piled by staff and forced to leave, was too damaging for the con to repair. Reviews began to find their way on to the official TnT Facebook page, criticizing it’s environment and treatment of artists.

Day 4: The End

The last day pretty much ended the same as the first. The AA Director/CEO (??? The Daddy of TnT??) of the con had made his rounds to see how the artists were doing. I had spoke with Kayla Suppapong personally about this very briefly, but he attempted to explain to her how difficult it is to run a con, and that artists don’t understand. Kayla posted their conversation here:

Source: Kayla Suppapong (Twitter)

SO...

Just as a wrap up:

Tokyo in Tulsa seemingly did not secure a venue for artists, and not AA contract was given after signing. TnT found an abandoned Hobby Lobby to put the artists, that probably fit their budget. TnT did not clean the venue space, and provided minimal setup, and artists flocked to social media to share their frustrations. TnT on day 2 randomly decided to be up in arms about a tweet made by Hanna, joking about encouraging those to sneak in, and ganged up on her at her booth, before ejecting her from the con. TnT decides to do damage control and explain to artists why things are the way they are on Day 3, dispite how unprofessional and mishandled literally how everything was. Wow, sounds grrrreeeaaaaaatttttttt......

In conclusion, BLACKLIST THIS CON!

#tokyointulsa2019 #tnt #artist #artistalley

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ladyninasayers-ish · 6 years ago

Text

So I decided to do a little research into the $750/day figure I’d heard a private company was charging the US government per each detained migrant child. I wanted to, with my own eyes and brain, 1. verify this figure was accurate; 2. verify it was indeed a private company instead of a non-profit charging this, if true, as both have managed these detention centers (not that it really matters, ultimately, but stay with me); 3. try to figure out where this per diem sum — more than my monthly mortgage — was going, if not to even buy these tortured children toothbrushes and soap, which are about the cheapest basic necessities on the market, and which no individual has to replace every day.