#Employee salary processing

[ahalts]

How to Choose the Best Payroll Software for Your Business

Managing payroll effectively is critical for any business. It ensures employees are paid on time, complies with legal requirements, and builds trust within the organization. With numerous payroll software options available, choosing the right one can seem overwhelming. Here's a guide to help you select the best payroll software for your business needs.

1. Understand Your Business Needs

Start by identifying the specific payroll challenges your business faces. Consider factors like:

The size of your workforce.

Frequency of payroll processing (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly).

Employee types (full-time, part-time, contractors).

Need for tax filing and compliance support.

2. Key Features to Look For

A good payroll software solution should have essential features to streamline your payroll process. Look for:

Automation: Automatic salary calculations, tax deductions, and compliance updates.

Direct Deposit: Ability to pay employees directly to their bank accounts.

Tax Management: Automatic generation and filing of tax forms like W-2s and 1099s.

Employee Self-Service: Portals for employees to view payslips, update personal details, and manage tax information.

Scalability: Software that grows with your business as you add employees.

Integration: Compatibility with your existing HR, accounting, and time-tracking tools.

3. Consider Ease of Use

Payroll software should simplify your tasks, not complicate them. Opt for a solution with an intuitive interface, clear navigation, and user-friendly dashboards. Many providers offer free trials—take advantage of these to assess usability.

4. Prioritize Security

Payroll data contains sensitive employee information. Choose software with robust security features, such as:

Data encryption.

Multi-factor authentication.

Regular updates to protect against cyber threats.

5. Evaluate Support and Customer Service

When issues arise, having reliable customer support is invaluable. Look for software providers that offer:

24/7 support.

Multiple channels for help (chat, phone, email).

Comprehensive documentation or training resources.

6. Compare Pricing Options

Payroll software pricing varies widely based on features and scale. Understand the cost structure:

Subscription fees (monthly or annual).

Per-employee charges.

Additional costs for features like tax filing or advanced analytics. Choose software that fits your budget without compromising on essential features.

7. Read Reviews and Seek Recommendations

Explore reviews on trusted platforms like G2, Capterra, or Trustpilot. Ask for recommendations from peers or industry networks to gain insights into the software’s performance and reliability.

8. Opt for Cloud-Based Solutions

Cloud-based payroll software offers flexibility and convenience. It allows you to access payroll data anytime, anywhere, and often includes automatic updates for compliance and feature improvements.

9. Assess Scalability and Future-Proofing

If your business is growing, ensure the payroll software can handle increased demands. Look for solutions that allow you to add new employees or expand to global payroll systems seamlessly.

10. Test Before You Buy

Most payroll software providers offer free trials or demos. Use these to evaluate the software’s functionality, ease of use, and how well it integrates into your existing processes.

Conclusion

Choosing the best payroll software for your business involves understanding your specific needs, prioritizing essential features, and evaluating options carefully. By investing in the right solution, you can streamline payroll processes, ensure compliance, and focus more on growing your business.

More info: https://ahalts.com/solutions/hr-services/complete-payroll

[collabaccounting]

Reliable Payroll Services for Australian Businesses | Collab Accounting 

Streamline your payroll process with expert support from Collab Accounting. Our team offers efficient, compliant, and fully managed Payroll Services tailored to Australian businesses. From salary processing and payslip generation to superannuation and STP (Single Touch Payroll) reporting, we ensure your employees are paid on time accurately and hassle-free. Let us simplify your payroll so you can focus on growing your business.

[fiercynn]

yes i'm talking about otw/ao3's finances again, sorry not sorry

the director of the nonprofit i work for in the u.s. just announced that we have $1 million usd in our reserves at the start of 2025, and that that is a big amount for us to have. we have 35+ full-time employees and several contractors, all of whom are paid good salaries, and we have numerous other operating expenses, including but not limited to running a website, advertising, employee travel, conference registrations, and paying legal costs (we're an advocacy org and often get involved in litigation).

and all i could think about was how the last time i checked the finances of the organization for transformative works (@transformativeworks), which runs ao3, they had almost three times that amount - $2.8 million usd - in their reserves, and zero paid employees, contractors or otherwise. Z E R O.

but that's just normal nonprofit math, right?

and to be clear when i say reserves, i mean money that is not allocated for any specific purpose in the yearly budget. this is just the extra. my org invests that extra so that we can generate additional revenue from it; the last time i checked, otw had only put $10,000 thousand usd of it in an interest-bearing account, which meant they were only earning about $150/year in interest on it. no, i didn't miss any zeroes there. only $150 interest on TWO POINT EIGHT MILLION DOLLARS

anyway i am not going to go check the more recent numbers because any time i try to put any effort into this kind of research, like @manogirl and i did in 2023 and i updated in early 2024, we get so much shit that it hardly feels worth it. but anyone is welcome to follow the process outlined in our previous posts to find the latest numbers yourself. and if you do please tag me! i'm happy to share

but bottom line: remember this when the next otw/ao3 fundraising drive comes around! they don't need your money, and they don't even know how to manage it properly when they get it

(oh, and for anyone who's been following along, no, i still have not received a reply from the otw finance team in response to the one-line question i asked them about their reserves in may 2023. 🙃)

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Have any ideas on how a spy's job would work? I'm struggling to write about one

Writing Notes: Spy Characters

In the intelligence world, a spy is strictly defined as someone used to steal secrets for an intelligence organization.

Also: agent or asset; a spy is not a professional intelligence officer, and doesn’t usually receive formal training (though may be taught basic tradecraft). Instead, a spy either volunteers or is recruited to help steal information, motivated by ideology, patriotism, money, or by a host of other reasons, from blackmail to love.

From an intelligence perspective, their most important quality is having access to valuable information. For this reason, a government minister might make a great spy—but so might the janitor or a cafeteria worker in a government ministry.

Espionage - process of obtaining military, political, commercial, or other secret information by means of spies, secret agents, or illegal monitoring devices; sometimes distinguished from the broader category of intelligence gathering by its aggressive nature and its illegality.

Double Agent - someone who works for two sides.

Intelligence - In the spying world, intelligence means information collected by a government or other entity that can help guide decisions and actions regarding national security. But intelligence can also mean the process by which that information is acquired

How are spies recruited? Spies are recruited via an approach or pitch by a case officer. This often seeks to persuade the individual through appealing to ideology, patriotism, religion, ego, greed, or love, or sometimes by using blackmail or some other form of coercion. 

How do spies go undercover? Intelligence officers often operate abroad under some form of official cover, perhaps as diplomats in an embassy. Others operate without the protection of their government and must create a convincing cover that explains their presence and activities in a country—a businessperson, perhaps, or a student. The Russians call these officers “illegals,” the Americans call them “NOCs” (for Non-Official Cover). If caught, they’re on their own, and face arrest, even execution.

How do spies communicate?. Face-to-face meetings can be impractical, even deadly—especially if spies are caught red-handed passing or receiving classified information or carrying spy equipment. That’s why sharing information relies on covert communication or COVCOM. Methods include secret writing (such as invisible ink or tiny microdots) or sending and receiving secure messages using special technology (often concealed or even disguised to look like everyday objects).

How much does a secret agent make? Professional intelligence officers receive salaries based on their level of experience, like all government employees. Few own vintage Aston Martin DB5s and order beluga caviar on a regular basis. Spies can earn a lot more money, though. In the 1980s, CIA officer Aldrich Ames received over $4 million from the Soviets for betraying US secrets, enough to buy himself a half-million-dollar home in cash and a flashy red Jaguar. But living beyond his salary aroused the suspicions of US intelligence, which ultimately led to his arrest.

The Intelligence Cycle

Refers to the process through which spy agencies acquire information. It consists of at least 5 stages:  

Planning: Decision-makers task an intelligence agency to acquire information on certain topics or specific issues of concern (“requirements”). 

Collection: This is where the spies, agents, case officers, tech ops, scientists, hackers, and others come in, acquiring information from different sources in a myriad of creative ways. 

Processing: Collected information needs to be narrowed down, prioritized, and put into some kind of digestible format. This might also involve having to decode information. 

Analysis: This is the stage where collected information becomes something useful that decision-makers can use: intelligence.

Dissemination: Intelligence agencies get the final product to the decision-maker or “customer.” Of course, it’s quite possible that this might prompt more questions… and the intelligence cycle begins all over again. 

Tips on Writing About Spies

Some tips from different sources:

Being a real-life spy isn’t always James Bond-glamorous. Spies are typically brilliant when it comes to reading people—your spy character needs to be curious and patient. It may take seven years for a spy to get their footing.

Normal people make the best spies. In real life, handlers are looking for a Regular Joe or Plain Jane with access—they don’t want someone who sticks out in a crowd or whose life is in disarray. They also want someone who is honest and immediately willing to own up to any mistakes they might have made. (Elizabeth Bentley may have had problems with this.) So, having a character who is bland as vanilla (at least on the outside) may work well in your favor.

Your spy could be overheard at any moment. It’s a good idea to have your spy flip on the radio to cover important conversations, or meet in a loud restaurant. (Which also solves the problem of having a potentially bugged apartment.) Even better is to meet near a water feature—the sound of falling water is unique and difficult to filter out even in modern-day recordings.

Spy gadgets are really cool. Ticking off the KGB is not. If your spy character runs afoul of the KGB (or one of its many predecessors), be prepared for creative assassination attempts that may or may not make use of more lethal spy gadgets. (Just ask Bohdan Stashynsky, a KGB officer who used a cyanide spraying spray gun to assassinate two Ukrainian nationalist leaders.) In a pinch, the Russians might resort to a tactic like Leon Trotsky’s ice pick to the face, but either way, it’s not going to be much fun for their target.

You need a good reason to be a spy. Idealists often make the best spies, but there are other motivations that might get your character to join up with the CIA, KGB, or some other spy organization. Does your character need the money being offered? Are they looking for a sense of purpose or belonging? Do they have an axe to grind with the government? Also, remember that the CIA doesn’t coerce people into informing for them. The Russians, on the other hand… Well, they’re a different story. 

Don’t draw portraits of spies, but draw portraits of people who happen to work as spies. The choices they make in their lives emerge from who they are, and those choices might conflict with the requirements of their spy work. The spy’s job may be to suborn friends, lie to adversaries, betray a trust, but it is the spy’s nagging, perhaps inconvenient, humanity that makes them suffer their choices, and excites the reader’s empathy.

Writing Tips: Spy Thriller

A step-by-step guide to writing a spy story with international intrigue and non-stop action:

Think of a killer concept. There are a lot of spy novels out there, so you need to come up with a story that has a new and unique angle. If you’re a history buff and have a specific area of interest—like Russian operatives, Nazi Germany during WWII, or American soldiers in the Middle East—go with where your passion lies. Come up with a fresh idea that people won’t feel like they’ve read before. Do some research. Find inspiration in real-life spy stories to tell yours.

Get familiar with spy tools. From spy cameras to surveillance equipment, the cool tools and gadgets of espionage fiction are part of what makes the genre fun. Get to know spycraft and tradecraft—the technology and techniques real spies use to track the enemy. Read news stories to see how espionage works today or in the time period you’re writing about. While espionage can also be incorporated into another genre, like science fiction, for the most part, spy novels emerge from actual events. That doesn’t mean you need to just use real tools of the trade. Create your own spy tech for your story.

Create an incredible protagonist. From Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, a CIA agent first introduced in The Hunt for Red October, to Ian Fleming’s most famous secret agent, James Bond, the protagonists of spy stories have long been ingrained in popular culture. Create a main character who readers will root for and who will persevere no matter what obstacle you throw in their way.

Send your character on a world-saving mission. Think about James Bond. His heart-pounding missions crossed international boundaries, and they always involved more than just taking down a bad guy: He always had to stop a massive attack that would kill innocent people. You need to justify the intense action by making the consequences big. To do this, start by coming up with your antagonist. Who are they and where are they from? What is their goal in the story? Once you know that, you’ll have your protagonist’s quest that will propel your plot.

Write highly visual action scenes. Red Sparrow and The Bourne Identity are action-packed films based on bestselling espionage novels. Spy books make great movies because the action translates well to the screen. When you sit down to start your story, think in pictures. Readers are expecting action so you need to lead with a dramatic scene that shows your protagonist at work in a perilous situation. You’ll need a few of these big scenes throughout your story—not to mention the climax which has to be big, suspenseful and, yes, visual. Use descriptive words to get the reader into the middle of the pulse-racing scene.

Use page-turning literary devices. Plot twists, cliffhangers, dramatic irony, foreshadowing, red herrings: When you write a spy novel, you’ll get to employ literary devices you might not have used before. To write a real page-turning story of espionage, make sure you take advantage of the tools that literature has to offer for maximum suspense.

You can also read about real life spies to guide your writing. Some examples:

John Walker (American spy)

Donald Maclean (British diplomat and spy)

Mata Hari (Dutch dancer and spy)

Nancy Hart (Confederate spy)

Audrey Hepburn as a WWII resistance spy

Famous Women Who Were Secretly Spies

Some of history’s most notable spies

List of spies

Some Terminology: Espionage

Agent - A person unofficially employed by an intelligence service, often as a source of information.

Black Bag Job - Secret entry into a home or office to steal or copy materials.

Clean - Unknown to enemy intelligence.

Dangle - A person who is made accessible to a foreign intelligence agency with the intent of being recruited by that agency to then work as a double agent for the person’s own country.

Eyes-Only - A designation signifying who may read a specific, classified document.

False Flag - A deliberate misrepresentation of motives or identity; an operation designed to appear as if it were conducted by someone other than the person or group responsible for it.

Ghoul - Agent who searches obituaries and graveyards for names of the deceased for use by agents.

Honey Trap - Slang for use of men or women in sexual situations to intimidate or snare others.

Innocent Postcard - A postcard with an innocuous message sent to an address in a neutral country to verify the continued security of an undercover operative.

L-Pill - A poison pill used by operatives to commit suicide.

More spy-related terms: 1 2 3

Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ⚜ More: References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

[mesetacadre]

Does socialist theory have any use for classes based on wealth/income? (rich/poor as opposed to bourgeoisie/proletariat)

Short answer: kinda but not really

Long answer: Classes in marxist theory are exclusively defined by the objective relationship of the subject to the property of the means of production and to the organization of labor, in capitalism it being mostly salary work. From these objective and economic relationships spring the classes of the proletariat, the bourgeoisie, the petit-bourgeoisie, the lumpen-proletariat, artisans...

Income, while highly correlated with one's position in class society, is not the defining trait of the subject, but the consequence's of the individual's conditions and specific relationship to their own work. Income itself is just the remuneration for a part of the labor-power that one exerts, or for the value created by others' labor-power that you exploit by virtue of having private ownership of the means of production. In neither of these cases is income the cause of one's class, but a consequence of it.

What a "class" analysis based on income gets you is the inability to actually strike at the core of what organizes class society. For example, the income-based analysis most radical liberals and social-democrats prefer to use (while still choosing to appropriate marxist terminology like "owning class") does not allow them to properly identify the exploitative nature of small businesses, thus, you'll see them rallying against Big Capital while their beloved family-owned small business commits labor law violations on the daily with 11 hour workdays for minimum wage. The income of the petit-bourgeoise is not that great, it's still higher than an average salary worker, but small enough that recessions or the mere existence of concentrated capital is enough to render the small property owner into a worker, a process known as proletariatization. See this really good explanation of what that dynamic means for the political implications of this economic fact.

An income-based analysis would place the small business owner and their 3 employees on the same side with, supposedly, the same interests, because they don't get a lot of money. I don't need to harp on any more to explain why that is nonsense, I hope.

Furthermore, within the working class, there are contrasts in income. There are workers who have a lavish salary, and there are workers who don't even make enough to support their basic needs. The objective fact of their exploitation is the same: they generate value with their labor-power, and sell it to a capitalist for a fraction of what they generate. Exploitation in the marxist sense is not a moral judgement. This is not about whether it's morally wrong or not to extract value from workers. Exploitation creates alienation and a class antagonism that can only ever be resolved one way, which is through the overthrow of the exploiter class by the exploited, history shows that this antagonism is what has propelled it forwards.

It is another question, and one that concerns us less, whether the salary, the price with which a capitalist buys a fraction of the worker's labor-power, is enough for the worker to lead a relatively accommodated life or not. If this was the question, which it is for, say, social-democrats, then the mere reform of capitalism (which, to be clear, is not possible to enact for all workers and all countries) to ensure a decent livelihood under the system of salary work would be enough.

With a lavish income, some might argue, a worker ceases to share the same interests with the rest of the working class who can't afford the first's lifestyle. But what this is omitting is that, in the cases of some workers with a really high salary, it becomes possible for the worker to join the ranks of the bourgeoisie by acquiring capital. Here, top-rated actors and athletes comes to mind. Actors and athletes are paid a salary in exchange for their labor-power, but the highest rated ones generate so much value that the capitalists pay them a really high salary, and then, most of the time, these highly-paid workers acquire some property and become a part of the bourgeoisie. In the US, for example, a bunch of high-rated workers of the entertainment industry such as Oprah, with more than 2,000 acres, have become large landlords in Hawai'i, taking advantage of the colonization of the island chain.

The break in common interests between highly-paid workers and the rest of their class comes from the change in economic class that their income allows for, not the income itself.

There is one instance when income becomes more relevant, and that is in the case of the labor aristocracy. Because of the international division of labor created by and protected by imperialism, the workers of the imperial core, as much as they are still exploited by capitalists and have revolutionary interests, benefit directly or indirectly from the even greater exploitation placed on the workers of the imperial periphery and global south, allowing for a generalized improvement in the quality of life for the imperial core workers.

Two conclusions can be made from this fact:

First, that the social-democratic welfare state depends on the exploitation of vast swaths of the world, and thus, it is not an applicable system in the majority of the world. Second, that the working class of the imperial core can, by the objective fact of the improvement of their material conditions by the spoils of imperialism, can act in the interests of the imperialist bourgeoisie. Take as an example the SAG-AFTRA union, which decidedly supported the imperialist project of Israel after al-Aqsa Flood. This does mean that a greater effort is needed for most workers in the imperial core, the labor aristocracy, to achieve revolutionary-political consciousness. The spontaneous class consciousness that some people insist is enough to be revolutionary, is born of the daily class antagonisms one experiences, and also of the material conditions underlying one's existence, therefore, as we have seen a lot this past year, spontaneous consciousness can include attitudes that favor the bourgeoisie.

And still, even if the labor aristocracy is broadly defined by a higher income, it is still dependent on the relationship to the organization of labor. Even the most desperate and destitute homeless citizen of the imperial core benefits in a lot of ways from the system of imperialism. For example, they don't need to worry about the political instability most imperialized countries suffer, and to put a cruder example, they are never going to get shot by a 22-year-old USamerican soldier doing target practice.

[lixopoo]

I see general dating cannons so that with a zzz Belle x Reader. Also can you do the backstory portion around this idea?

Essentially they hired the reader as to basically be the manager of the store and eventual alibi for their illegal operations. You know once Belle trusts them enough to show what’s behind the door.

✶ Belle dating headcanons w backstory!

⇢ Belle x gn!reader ;

⇢ type - headcanons ;

⇢ tags - fluff , kisses , hugs ;

⇢ Thanks for the first request, Anon! I tried to give it my all and spend a little more time on the backstory, I hope it’s okay.

⋆ Due to the huge number of orders that fell on Belle and Wise, they were forced to hire a manager. Since there was no Fairy at that time, their meters were normal and they did not spend much on electricity, so they could provide a salary for their future employee.

⋆ By placing an order on the Internot, you quickly responded to it and were able to come to them almost immediately. You already had a little experience working in small shops, so the siblings immediately liked you, especially Belle for being open, responsive and grasping everything on the fly.

⋆ Of course, you were interested in the room in which they constantly disappeared, but you appreciated their privacy and tried not to be arrogant, although you tried to peek several times, but bangboo didn't give you the opportunity.

⋆ After a few months of work, you got completely used to the store, but you felt a little lonely, since only the visitors and the Eighteenth talked to you, it even seems to you that you yourself began to turn into a bangboo with your speech.

⋆ After the appearance of the Fairy, money for electricity began to be required five times more, your salary was cut a little, but you did not complain, and Belle began to look a little worse due to eye ailments, so she often lay in her room. Seeing how unwell she was, you started visiting her from time to time, bringing tea and all sorts of goodies, to which she was very grateful.

⋆ During this, you got close to her and accidentally said that sometimes it can be very lonely in the store without her, because she radiates positive energy, without which it can be difficult.

⋆ After she felt better, she suddenly shoved all the orders where her help was not needed onto her brother and started spending more time with you. You went to buy new films together, put them on the shelves together, went to eateries together and walked even in your free time.

⋆ A week later, after closing, when you were putting the films back on the shelves, Belle suddenly quietly ran up to you and hugged you from behind, almost dropping you. You were surprised, but only smiled gently in response, turning your head a little.

"You know, Wise and I have consulted here and... we have something to show you!"

⋆ Taking you by the hand and slowly leading you to the door, looking at you, a smile shone on her face, but it was clear how she was a little nervous, squeezing your hand tighter.

"You've been with us for a long time, and I see how lonely and unpleasant it can be for you not knowing what's behind this door, and since we already fully trust you ..."

⋆ Opening the door and running inside, stopping next to Wise, who was already standing there, she was still smiling brightly while her brother stood with his usual expression, one hand on his hip.

"We are Phaethon!"

⋆ You stood with your mouth open for three minutes, looking around the whole room and processing all this information in your head. Did you have any suspicions based on the Cunning Hares constantly running towards them and the suspicious conversations that you heard pressed against this door, but that the people with whom you have been so close for a long time were Phaeton?

⋆ Because of your silence, Belle got even more excited rushing to you, taking your hand and stretching into the depths of the room. After recovering from the shock, you quickly apologized, grinning, and said that it was just unexpected for you.

⋆ After a month, everything was smoothed out and you even sometimes helped them with their tasks. The secret of your reduced salary was revealed, and the Fairy, because of your close relationship with Belle, began to treat you better than Wise.

⋆ You spent all your free time with Belle, walking around the city, holding hands, or lying in her bed in an embrace while she told funny stories from her assignments, and you about awkward moments with clients.

⋆ She loved kissing you everywhere, and melted when you kissed her on the cheek or on the lips, which tasted soft and tender.

⋆ She hardly left your side and looked upset when she left to do the proxy's work. You didn't want to embarrass Wise, so they didn't come into the room just to put their arms around her neck while she was sitting at the computer, even if there were no customers at all.

⋆ She loved to give you little gifts, so you had a lot of paired things, from phone key chains to clothes, and it all looked cute.

⋆ You both very often watched movies in an embrace, kicking Wise out of the room, but he did not want to interfere with your spending time together, although Belle did not forget about her brother and did not leave him alone, sometimes observing the evening viewing of other films.

⋆ She is very glad that she met you and is very grateful for all the care that you give her.

I hope you're happy with everything, don't be afraid to correct me! I very often deviate from the topic itself, so I apologize if something does not suit you :(

[maleyanderecafe]

Can't Escape from the Mad Love of a Yandere Junior (Oneshot)

Created by: Ash+

Genre: Smut

This is one where I was speed running a oneshot for my birthday, so here we are! This one has a bit of an age gap, but considering how short it is, it feels very rushed near the end, with the girl not really being able to escape and is just kinda... trapped there. It has been a while since I've seen a purity yandere though. If you like my translations, feel free to donate to my ko-fi.

The story starts out introducing a new handsome employee working within the salary department, with all the workers gossiping about Yuu Kurukai. We find out that Yuu is actually a part of the higher ranks and the chairman's son, which leads to the other coworkers wondering why he chose this rank instead. Meanwhile, his coworker and older supervisor, Kusuragi, is working on a project. It's noted that she's a hard worker but because of that she hasn't really been able to date around. Yuu comes over to flirt with her a bit, though after seeing another guy basically dump some more work onto her, he gets very angry. Kusuragi gets a text from Yuu stating that there's going to be a party, which she attends so she can network with other people in her department. Upon reaching there, she finds that the apartment is very nice and rich, with Yuu coming to greet her. He offers her some tea and she asks when the other guests will arrive to which Yuu starts to text them. After drinking the tea, she passes out, leading us to find out that Yuu cancelled the party as he was texting. Kusuragi wakes up to find herself being forced by Yuu, touching her and making her climax. He realizes pretty quickly that Yuu is actually someone she knew before, a child called Sho-kun she befriended when she was younger. He is overjoyed that she remembers even revealing that he's been looking for her nonstop and that he even changed his name. We get a flashback to when the two first met, with Sho-kun sitting out in on a swing in the snow, and Kusuragi coming to greet him asking if he's feeling cold because he's been in the snow for two hours. We find out that his mom was sleeping with a married man and gave birth too him. After finding out that she was thrown away, she ended up bringing a lot of men into their home to have sex with as a way to cope. She also would blame a lot of things onto him as a child, even stating that he will end up like her, thrown away and impure. To him, it was very hard for him to make friends and felt like he could never be loved, until he met Kusuragi. She took care of him and fed him whenever she could and he grew a crush on her. Yuu wanted to be together forever, but unfortunately, his mother moved him away to a different apartment, where he ended up losing track of where she was. After some more sex, Kusuragi wakes up in a room, wondering what she should do. She feels like Yuu has changed rather drastically and wants to confront him about it. However, upon opening a door, she finds a shrine dedicated to her with her photos. Here, Yuu shows up promising that the two will be together forever, as the girl trembles in fear wanting to escape, but not able to.

So first off, I mean, it is a smut, so the story isn't really the strong suit (especially since it is a oneshot) but it is kind of unfortunate we don't really see that much about Kusuragi's thought process here. She kinda just gets kidnapped, realizes who the yandere is and then isn't able to escape despite feeling scared. It feels very cut off especially near the end, since she just is scared and then suddenly cannot escape. I guess to add in the yandere moment though. From the few characterizations we do see of her, I do think its nice to see a more work oriented female lead, since she does initially go to the meet up to network with other people, but since we literally don't see that much of her or know that much about her, it's kinda moot in the end.

In terms of the yandere, I honestly think the most interesting part of him is the backstory since we get to see how much she was able to affect his life. I'm not sure since he's now one of the chairman's son, but I guess the married dad that his mom was with eventually accepted him into the family or he was adopted into it. It's not really explained that well though since I'm sure it's just an excuse to have a rich yandere who can kidnap and drug someone with little to no repercussion. We do see that as a kid he saw himself as dark and the girl as light, which was instilled to him by his mother who was just going through the motions to try to get rid of the feeling of abandonment while also lashing out at him as a result. It seems he sort of carries this into his life later, trying to act more like a beacon of light when he still feels like someone that's tainted. It's pretty obvious that she made a big impact on his life,though we don't know how long they really hung out together, because for all we know, it was just the one time where she helped him out of the snow and fed him, or if it could be something that happened rather often. He tries to find her location for a very long time, using whatever means possible before drugging and trying to impregnate her. It seems he's also found a place to imprison her as well. Not really sure what the excuse he's going to use when talking to her coworkers, but I'm sure that's not something that would be difficult to forge given his status and his popularity. There's always something about a yandere that goes from nothing to everything all in an attempt to find his love that gave him happiness when he had nothing.

It's a short story, but overall, it has a decent yandere. This is a birthday gift to all ya'll so hopefully even though it was short, you still were able to enjoy it!

[ahalts]

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[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved in our archive

By Betsy Ladyzhets

Since early in the pandemic, people with Long COVID have faced challenges in applying for disability benefits, including from their employers, insurance providers, and the U.S. Social Security Administration. Applications often take a long time and are denied even for people who clearly have debilitating symptoms, leading to years-long, arduous appeals processes. The same has been true decades prior to 2020 for people with other infection-associated chronic diseases.

To learn more about the disability insurance system, Betsy Ladyzhets spoke to Barbara Comerford, a long-time disability lawyer based in New Jersey who specializes in these cases. Comerford has represented people with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome or CFS), for more than 30 years, including high-profile cases like that of journalist Brian Vastag.

Comerford discussed how the process works, her advice for putting together applications and appeals, how Long COVID has impacted her practice, and more. This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

Comerford’s tips for disability benefit applications:

Comerford recommends that people applying for benefits extensively document their symptoms. Medical tests such as neuropsychiatric testing and cardiopulmonary exercise testing are her recommended method for documentation, though she acknowledges that these tests can be expensive. Comerford suggests that applicants should be careful to find lawyers and medical providers who have experience with these cases and won’t dismiss their symptoms. During the appeals process, Comerford recommends requesting a company’s administrative record and combing through it for any evidence that they abused judgement, cherry-picked evidence, or made other errors in assessing the case. Make sure to follow deadlines for filing appeals, as cases are closed if documents are not submitted on time.

Barbara Comerford: Should we focus on disability insurance, or do you want to focus on social security disability, or both?

Betsy Ladyzhets: Both, because people [with Long COVID] are applying for both.

BC: Right. And often, people think they should only apply for one, [but they should apply for both.]

Most of the disability plans that people have are often through their employer. Those plans are known as ERISA plans, that refers to Employee Retirement Income Security Act. It was created in the 1970s… Congress created this regulatory scheme, and then immediately created a zillion loopholes that corporations can drive a truck through. Later, ERISA covered all employee benefits in general.

Insurance companies wound up selling policies to corporations saying, “You can get the best people if you offer incentives.” And what’s a better incentive than, if someone gets sick, they can collect a substantial percentage of their salary until full retirement age? These are the sorts of perks that… People think, “If something happens to me, I’ll be protected.” The promise of these policies is that they will give people, usually, between 50% and 80% of their pre-disability income if they satisfy the requirements. Well, that’s a big if.

I’ve been doing this for 38 years. And I can tell you that 38 years ago, these [disability claims] were not problem cases. I used to do them for free for my litigation clients… But over the years, and really starting after 2001 with September 11, all hell broke loose. They [insurance companies] began to get very aggressive. Every time there is an economic downfall, whatever it is, they get extremely aggressive. So you can imagine, with the onset of the pandemic, they knew what was coming.

I did, for many years, advocacy for ME/CFS cases. I represented thousands of people… A lot of my colleagues say, “Long COVID social security cases are almost impossible,” because they don’t know what to do with them. My office hasn’t found that to be the case. I think the difference is, you have to document these cases with as much objective documentation of symptoms that people have… Get neuropsych testing, cardiopulmonary exercise testing, and other tests.

I started doing webinars and seminars [about disability benefit applications] in 2020, because I knew this was coming. At that point, they weren’t calling it Long COVID, they were just saying, some people with COVID weren’t getting better. But I knew it was going to turn into another ME/CFS disaster.

BL: How have you found the rise of Long COVID has impacted your practice? Do you find you’re more in demand now?

BC: We’ve always had a high volume of cases. Quite a few of them were ME/CFS cases. We did a case, Vastag v. Prudential, in 2018. Brian Vastag, who was a science writer for The Washington Post, was my client, and I could not get over how aggressively Prudential was just dismissing him because it was an ME/CFS case.

And the same is happening with Long COVID. We do cases all over the country on Long COVID and ME/CFS. It’s my livelihood, so it’s important for me, but it also makes me a little crazy that people get treated the way they do and that they have to hire people like me.

One of the things that people get upset about is that they have to spend money to medically document their symptoms. And worse than that… I see these Long COVID clinics, with doctors who are completely ignorant on Long COVID, who surreptitiously write notes in the chart that they think it’s a psychiatric case. I don’t know how familiar you are with this.

BL: Unfortunately, I’m very familiar.

BC: It’s awful. Not only is it really hard on my clients… It triggers them to read things that might not be what they said or might not be pleasant. And the number of times that I have seen that and it has sabotaged cases! I have to reconstruct the cases and have the clients contact the clinic [and get them to make corrections].

Mental/nervous limitations exist in all of these [insurance] policies… They can limit someone’s payments to two years if the case is a psychiatric case or mental/nervous limitation with a DSM diagnosis.

BL: I wanted to ask also — there’s been a lot of research on Long COVID at this point, and there was a report this summer from the National Academies specifically in response to a request from the Social Security Administration about Long COVID as a disability, in which they found that this disease can result in inability to work, poor quality of life, all that stuff. Have you seen that report, or other research, like the growing body of research on these diseases, have an impact?

BC: I was asked to comment on that [report]. Part of the problem with Social Security’s initiatives in this regard is that every social security case goes through what they call “sequential evaluation process.” You have to go through five steps to determine whether or not someone’s disabled. And among those steps is [matching people to a “medical listing of impairments,” but the list doesn’t include major symptoms for ME/CFS and similar diseases].

Years ago, there was a ME/CFS ruling called 99-2p. It offered guidelines [for ME/CFS cases that don’t fit the typical Social Security process]. After that, I was asked to present to the national association of Social Security judges, there were 500 judges in the audience. And I asked, “By show of hands, how many of you are familiar with 99-2p?” Two hands went up.

Despite the guidelines, in practice, [the judges aren’t familiar with these diseases]. Until there is a time when we can come up with a firm diagnostic criteria for Long COVID, and we can say, “This is what you have to document for this illness.” … And it can’t just be a positive COVID test, because many people got sick before testing was prevalent or they got sick after people stopped documenting that they were positive.

The other problem for Long COVID cases is it’s not like cancer or a broken leg or herniated disc or something that people are accustomed to. Those people are not told they’re crazy. Those people are not told they’re imagining it. Those people are not told, “Well, we just don’t buy it.” This is what happens with [Long COVID] and ME/CFS. The psych component that they try to pigeonhole these cases into is really a master stroke by the insurance industry that spends billions of dollars trying to persuade people that anyone who files for these benefits is a crook or fraud.

BL: It’s infuriating, especially when you see how deeply people’s quality of life is impacted by these diseases.

BC: Yes, every part of their life is impacted.

BL: I see what you’re saying about needing diagnostic criteria. In this time where we don’t have that yet, what would you want to see the Social Security Administration or other government agencies do to make it easier for all these people who are applying for benefits with Long COVID and ME/CFS?

BC: They should [reevaluate] the sequential evaluation process, which has been there forever, and look at medically determinable impairment in the context of Long COVID and ME/CFS. These diseases can be documented by things like neuropsych testing.

I’ll quickly go through the five-step sequential evaluation process. The first step is, “Is the person engaged in substantial gainful activity?” That is something you can do predictably, something that will last at least 12 months, and something that leads to gainful work, where you get paid and you can report for a job either part-time or full-time. In Long COVID cases… you have to document that this person is not engaged in substantial gainful activity because they don’t know tomorrow if they’re going to be able to get up and get out of bed and take shower, never mind report for work.

If you satisfy step one, they go to step two. There, they ask, “Do you have the ability, in light of your disability, to perform basic work-related activity?” Sitting, standing, reaching, pushing, pulling, reading, concentrating, things of that nature. And, “Does the disability negatively impact your ability to do these things?” [You need medical evidence, which can come from] a physician’s evaluation from a Long COVID clinic, for example.

If you have that, you go to step three, which is where that horrible “medically determinable impairment” crap comes in. There isn’t {a specific listing} yet for Long COVID, although they’re talking about it. Frankly, we’re still waiting for them to do one for ME/CFS, so I’m not holding my breath. That’s the only step in the process where, if they don’t satisfy it, you can still move on to the next step.

The fourth step is, “Is this person capable of performing the work that they performed for the last five years?” Until June of this year, it was the last 15 years… So we go through each job they had, all their symptoms and limitations and why they can’t do [the job anymore]. If we document successfully that they can’t perform their past relevant work for the last five years as a result of their disability, we can then go to step five.

Step five, the burden shifts to the Social Security Administration. Social Security has to document that, in light of a person’s age, education, and work experience, that there is no work in the national economy that they could perform. [To do this], Social Security has a big graph called the “medical vocational guidelines.” And essentially, the younger you are, the more skills you have, the more education you have, and the more skills that are transferable, generally you are found not disabled. But the graph is not supposed to be used for cases that involve what we call non-exertional and exertional complaints together. Pain, fatigue, things of that nature are all part of the non-exertional limitation.

That is how we lift ME/CFS and Long COVID cases out of that graph. Despite the fact that many of our clients are very young, many of them are highly educated, many of them have developed skills that are not only transferable, but are also in high demand in the national economy — [we say that] because they can’t predictably perform sustained work of any kind, the grid should not be used to find them not disabled. But with all of this, every one of these cases, medical documentation of limitations is crucial. I can’t emphasize that enough.

BL: I know a lot of people in Long COVID community, they’ve already sent in their applications, and then it gets denied, and then they have to appeal. What is that process like, and how would you suggest people go about finding someone like you?

BC: It’s really important to do some research. You want to know if the doctor or attorney you’re dealing with has experience in these cases… I do [webinars and one-on-one education] for lawyers all the time, because I’d rather them hear what has to be done, and understand what happens if they don’t do it.

If I’m giving people advice on appeals… If it’s coming from a United States employer, you’re going to be governed by ERISA. That’s important because people might file a claim without knowing the exact company policy. Despite the fact that federal regulations require employers to give that information to employees, when someone gets sick and files a [short-term] disability claim, they are immediately cut off from the employee benefits portal [that has all the exact policy information]. So then I’ve got to write a letter to the employers, and fight to get that information.

You can’t even get discovery in these cases… Sometimes they will award benefits, and then six months in they’ll say, “We no longer believe you’re disabled.” Under ERISA, [employers and insurance companies] get all the advantages.

BL: It seems like people should know, if you’re filing against an employer, to save that policy information before you lose access to it.

BC: When you get the notice of a denial, you can request a complete copy of the administrative record. You are entitled to see everything that the insurance company had on the case, and under federal regulations, they have 30 days to produce it.

And then you have 180 days to appeal that [denial]. People say that’s a long time. It’s really not. Because you’ve got to go through thousands of pages of documents. You’ve got to document where they abuse their discretion. It’s not enough to have medical evidence… [The standard you have to push back on is that] the insurance company or the employer has a “reason” to deny the claim.

The lawyer’s job or the claimant’s job is to show all the examples they found in the administrative record that show [mistakes or poor judgement on the part of the insurance company or employer]… Sometimes, you will see reports of experts that they’ve retained to review the case, and the expert will say, “I think it’s a payable claim.” And then the next thing you find is them looking for another doctor who’s a little more receptive to their suggestions. If we see they’ve ignored the opinion of one of their experts, that’s an example of abuse of discretion and arbitrary, capricious conduct. Cherry picking the evidence is another thing you often see in these cases.

BL: So it’s not just sending your own medical records, you have to show that the company has messed up.

BC: The insurance company or the employer, whoever is paying, you have to show that they abused their discretion.

BL: Is there anything else, any other advice or resources you would give people?

BC: This is really important. If it’s an ERISA case and they do not get that appeal in within 180 days, they’re foreclosed from pursuing it any further… [It’s a big mistake] if you blow those time deadlines.

All articles by The Sick Times are available for other outlets to republish free of charge. We request that you credit us and link back to our website.

[web-novel-polls]

Have You Read This Web Novel?

If you’re in the process of reading this web novel, please choose whichever option best fits your situation. You do not have to be completely finished with it to answer “yes.”

If you’ve never heard of it, please read the description below the cut!

See similar polls and results here!

Novel Updates:

NOW HIRING — URGENT — Ghost Story Specialist Corporation Daydream Inc. (Ltd.) Insane Benefits – Come to Work Immediately ※ Note : The company is not liable for any injuries or fatalities that may occur during the course of the employee’s duties. —— A pop-up event for some ‘modern fantasy’ media I loved so much that I even took a precious day off work to attend. On that day, I ended up transmigrating as a character in that very fantasy world. As none other than a newly hired employee at a famous large corporation! A dream job with great benefits, an excellent salary, and even kind and competent bosses. I’m using the information I know about the world to rise through the ranks at lightning speed! Am I happy, you ask? Please, just let me go home. I’m begging you. ※ Note : The genre is horror.

Recommendation post by necronatural

[360degreesasthecrowflies]

I'm fed up with my job.

A colleague is off on bereavement leave, indefinitely, which is of course awful... and I've been asked to cover her. Indefinitely.

I'm sorry, but... NO.

Why the fuck should I work two people's jobs while being paid for one? Why am I being guilted into this? Why are any of us asked to?

You know what would make me want to? A pay rise. Some kind, ANY kind, of benefit whatsoever for doing so.

This is about the fourth time it's been asked of me this year and I'm just fuckin done with it at this point.

I work in healthcare and it is not taking care of your employees to make these kinds of asks of them. I tried, the first couple times, thinking I might get some kind of boost, a better chance of getting a better job or salary out of it if I showed willing to work, but no. Nada.

Well, I'm fed up, and now I'm even thinking about leaving. They've taken advantage of my good nature multiple times and seem to believe they can just keep on doing so.

And I reckon this is happening all over different industries in the world of work. In order to try and save some money in the short term, business owners and leaders are just shifting the work of cover on to the other employees, for no extra reward or recompense.

Well I'm sorry, but do you know what that actually creates from those employees? Resentment. I resent being treated this way. I resent that you disrespect me enough to ask me to do two people's jobs for one person's salary. And I won't take it. And then you'll have to go through an expensive recruitment process and train someone new to do this job as well as I do it from step 1. How's that for your efficiency? How's that for a cost saving?

[lboogie1906]

The Greensboro sit-ins were a series of nonviolent protests in Greensboro in 1960, which led to the Woolworth department store chain removing its policy of racial segregation in the South. It was not the first sit-in of the Civil Rights Movement, the Greensboro sit-ins were an instrumental action and the most well-known sit-ins of the Civil Rights Movement. They are considered a catalyst for the subsequent sit-in movement. The sit-ins led to increased national sentiment at a crucial period in US history. The event took place at the Greensboro, Woolworth store, now the International Civil Rights Center and Museum on February 1, 1960.

The Greensboro Four were debating on which way would be the best to get the media’s attention. They were Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair Jr., and David Richmond. All were students at NCATSU. They were all in their freshmen year and met in their dorm rooms to discuss what they could do to stand against segregation. They wanted to change the segregational policies of Woolworths. During the Christmas vacation, McNeil attempted to use the Greensboro Greyhound bus station but was refused. The future Greensboro Four decided that it was time to take action against segregation. The plan was simple but effective: the four men would occupy seats at the local Woolworth, ask to be served, and when they were denied service, they would not leave. They would repeat this process day in and day out, for as long as it would take. If they could attract widespread attention to the issue, Woolworths would feel pressured to desegregate.

Students began a far-reaching boycott of stores with segregated lunch counters. Sales at the boycotted stores dropped by a third. On July 25, 1960, after nearly $200,000 in losses, and a reduction in salary for not meeting sales goals, the store manager asked four Black employees, Geneva Tisdale, Susie Morrison, Anetha Jones, and Charles Bess, to change out of their work clothes and order a meal at the counter. They were the first to be served at a Woolworth lunch counter. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[cheri-translates]

[CN] Official Guidebook (Vol. 2): Interview with Minor

Character Details:

Your former deskmate in high school.

Gavin's faithful pal.

Since high school, he has the skills of being a mouthpiece and providing divine assistance.

Currently your employee.

Q1: I heard that Officer Gavin is often invited to join the company's programmes. Are you able to share anything about this?

Minor: Yeah, we often invite Bro Gavin. Although he's always busy with missions and isn't willing to appear on screen, if Boss invites him personally, he will still take the time to participate. Sometimes, he even does homework prior to the programme. He's so diligent!

Since he's worried about disturbing our Boss at work, he goes through the work flow with me instead.

Here's a secret - don't be deceived by their professionalism during the filming process. If you observe them carefully, you will discover that... their eyes are communicating!

With a single glance from Boss, Bro Gavin will immediately understand what to do. Whenever filming ends, the two of them will disappear before everyone else and enjoy their world for two. They have great chemistry when working together!

Q2: Over the years, did you notice any changes in them?

Minor: In terms of changes, I'd say that Bro Gavin is getting smoother and smoother... Princess carries, hugging by the waist, the first cup of milk tea in autumn, the first lipstick in spring, taking photos when eating, giving a report before heading out... When selecting gifts, he no longer needs me to search for tips on the internet. Except for our Boss, no one else in the world can make him care this much...

Sigh, it's been like this since school. I'm used to it, and I choose to wish them the best with all my might.

Q3: What have you done the most for those two people?

Minor: I assisted them, of course. I delivered a letter for Bro Gavin, risked my life for Boss, including but not limited to being Bro Gavin's chief spy and inquiring about Boss' daily key happenings and interests! I'm also an informant when it comes to sending Bro Gavin details of new milk tea shops and all sorts of romantic strategies.

I "willingly" work overtime so that they can have more time in their world for two... Of course, Boss pays my overtime salary.

Q4: As Officer Gavin's most loyal follower, can you use one word to describe his attitude on emotions?

Minor: How can one word be enough? Affectionate, devoted, tolerant, considerate, serious, reliable... With so many merits, wouldn't you agree that our Boss has great taste?

Q5: Is there anything you want to say to them?

Minor: Willow and I created the Bro Gavin x Boss Ship Support Group! Given my contributions, I'm worthy of being a captain! In the future, this support group will definitely grow stronger each day.

I also hope that Bro Gavin can protect himself better during missions, and have fewer injuries. There are people supporting you and waiting for you. I'm not saying this just for myself, but more so for the person who looks forward to your safe return the most.

✧ Sub-masterlist

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Brazilian agency retains employee who made gesture similar to Nazi salute

The employee of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), Marcelo Costa Mota, aged 46, remains on the institution’s staff 78 days after CENARIUM revealed a photo in which he appears making a gesture similar to the “Sieg Heil” salute used by Adolf Hitler in the totalitarian German regime during the Second World War (1939–1945). The company informed the report on Wednesday, 16th, that the man is undergoing a disciplinary process, expected to conclude in May 2025.

CENARIUM consulted data available on the transparency portal, which showed that Marcelo Costa is allocated to the Information Technology Centre of Embrapa Western Amazon and receives a gross salary of R$12,800 — around R$10,500 after deductions from the payroll. The table shows the employee was paid in January, February and March this year.

On Wednesday, 16th, in a new statement, the company pointed out that prior to the opening of the procedure, during a Summary Preliminary Investigation (IPS), Embrapa’s Internal Affairs Office “ascertained that the events occurred outside the work environment, with no link to the Company, and should therefore be subject to criminal rather than administrative investigation.” The statement also notes that the Federal Police (PF) was notified about the case in January this year.

Continue reading.

[mariacallous]

On February 10, employees at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) received an email asking them to list every contract at the bureau and note whether or not it was “critical” to the agency, as well as whether it contained any DEI components. This email was signed by Scott Langmack, who identified himself as a senior adviser to the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Langmack, according to his LinkedIn, already has another job: He’s the chief operating officer of Kukun, a property technology company that is, according to its website, “on a long-term mission to aggregate the hardest to find data.”

As is the case with other DOGE operatives—Tom Krause, for example, is performing the duties of the fiscal assistant secretary at the Treasury while holding down a day job as a software CEO at a company with millions in contracts with the Treasury—this could potentially create a conflict of interest, especially given a specific aspect of his role: According to sources and government documents reviewed by WIRED, Langmack has application-level access to some of the most critical and sensitive systems inside HUD, one of which contains records mapping billions of dollars in expenditures.

Another DOGE operative WIRED has identified is Michael Mirski, who works for TCC Management, a Michigan-based company that owns and operates mobile home parks across the US, and graduated from the Wharton School in 2014. (In a story he wrote for the school’s website, he asserted that the most important thing he learned there was to “Develop the infrastructure to collect data.”) According to the documents, he has write privileges on—meaning he can input overall changes to—a system that controls who has access to HUD systems.

Between them, records reviewed by WIRED show, the DOGE operatives have access to five different HUD systems. According to a HUD source with direct knowledge, this gives the DOGE operatives access to vast troves of data. These range from the individual identities of every single federal public housing voucher holder in the US, along with their financial information, to information on the hospitals, nursing homes, multifamily housing, and senior living facilities that HUD helps finance, as well as data on everything from homelessness rates to environmental and health hazards to federally insured mortgages.

Put together, experts and HUD sources say, all of this could give someone with access unique insight into the US real estate market.

Kukun did not respond to requests for comment about whether Langmack is drawing a salary while working at HUD or how long he will be with the department. A woman who answered the phone at TCC Management headquarters in Michigan but did not identify herself said Mirksi was "on leave until July." In response to a request for comment about Langmack’s access to systems, HUD spokesperson Kasey Lovett said, “DOGE and HUD are working as a team; to insinuate anything else is false. To further illustrate this unified mission, the secretary established a HUD DOGE taskforce.” In response to specific questions about Mirski’s access to systems and background and qualifications, she said, “We have not—and will not—comment on individual personnel. We are focused on serving the American people and working as one team.”

The property technology, or proptech, market covers a wide range of companies offering products and services meant to, for example, automate tenant-landlord interactions, or expedite the home purchasing process. Kukun focuses on helping homeowners and real estate investors assess the return on investment they’d get from renovating their properties and on predictive analytics that model where property values will rise in the future.

Doing this kind of estimation requires the use of what’s called an automated valuation model (AVM), a machine-learning model that predicts the prices or rents of certain properties. In April 2024, Kukun was one of eight companies selected to receive support from REACH, an accelerator run by the venture capital arm of the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Last year NAR agreed to a settlement with Missouri homebuyers, who alleged that realtor fees and certain listing requirements were anticompetitive.

“If you can better predict than others how a certain neighborhood will develop, you can invest in that market,” says Fabian Braesemann, a researcher at the Oxford Internet Institute. Doing so requires data, access to which can make any machine-learning model more accurate and more monetizable. This is the crux of the potential conflict of interest: While it is unclear how Langmack and Mirski are using or interpreting it in their roles at HUD, what is clear is that they have access to a wide range of sensitive data.

According to employees at HUD who spoke to WIRED on the condition of anonymity, there is currently a six-person DOGE team operating within the department. Four members are HUD employees whose tenures predate the current administration and have been assigned to the group; the others are Mirski and Langmack. The records reviewed by WIRED show that Mirski has been given read and write access to three different HUD systems, as well as read-only access to two more, while Langmack has been given read and write access to two of HUD’s core systems.

A positive, from one source’s perspective, is the fact that the DOGE operatives have been given application-level access to the systems, rather than direct access to the databases themselves. In theory, this means that they can only interact with the data through user interfaces, rather than having direct access to the server, which could allow them to execute queries directly on the database or make unrestricted or irreparable changes. However, this source still sees dangers inherent in granting this level of access.

“There are probably a dozen-plus ways that [application-level] read/write access to WASS or LOCCS could be translated into the entire databases being exfiltrated,” they said. There is no specific reason to think that DOGE operatives have inappropriately moved data—but even the possibility cuts against standard security protocols that HUD sources say are typically in place.

LOCCS, or Line of Credit Control System, is the first system to which both DOGE operatives within HUD, according to the records reviewed by WIRED, have both read and write access. Essentially HUD’s banking system, LOCCS “handles disbursement and cash management for the majority of HUD grant programs,” according to a user guide. Billions of dollars flow through the system every year, funding everything from public housing to disaster relief—such as rebuilding from the recent LA wildfires—to food security programs and rent payments.

The current balance in the LOCCS system, according to a record reviewed by WIRED, is over $100 billion—money Congress has approved for HUD projects but which has yet to be drawn down. Much of this money has been earmarked to cover disaster assistance and community development work, a source at the agency says.

Normally, those who have access to LOCCS require additional processing and approvals to access the system, and most only have “read” access, department employees say.

“Read/write is used for executing contracts and grants on the LOCCS side,” says one person. “It normally has strict banking procedures around doing anything with funds. For instance, you usually need at least two people to approve any decisions—same as you would with bank tellers in a physical bank.”

The second system to which documents indicate both DOGE operatives at HUD have both read and write access is the HUD Central Accounting and Program System (HUDCAPS), an “integrated management system for Section 8 programs under the jurisdiction of the Office of Public and Indian Housing,” according to HUD. (Section 8 is a federal program administered through local housing agencies that provides rental assistance, in the form of vouchers, to millions of lower-income families.) This system was a precursor to LOCCS and is currently being phased out, but it is still being used to process the payment of housing vouchers and contains huge amounts of personal information.

There are currently 2.3 million families in receipt of housing vouchers in the US, according to HUD’s own data, but the HUDCAPS database contains information on significantly more individuals because historical data is retained, says a source familiar with the system. People applying for HUD programs like housing vouchers have to submit sensitive personal information, including medical records and personal narratives.

“People entrust these stories to HUD,” the source says. “It’s not data in these systems, it’s operational trust.”

WASS, or the Web Access Security Subsystem, is the third system to which DOGE has both read and write access, though only Mirski has access to this system according to documents reviewed by WIRED. It’s used to grant permissions to other HUD systems. “Most of the functionality in WASS consists of looking up information stored in various tables to tell the security subsystem who you are, where you can go, and what you can do when you get there,” a user manual says.

“WASS is an application for provisioning rights to most if not all other HUD systems,” says a HUD source familiar with the systems who is shocked by Mirski’s level of access, because normally HUD employees don’t have read access, let alone write access. “WASS is the system for setting permissions for all of the other systems.”

In addition to these three systems, documents show that Mirski has read-only access to two others. One, the Integrated Disbursement and Information System (IDIS), is a nationwide database that tracks all HUD programs underway across the country. (“IDIS has confidential data about hidden locations of domestic violence shelters,” a HUD source says, “so even read access in there is horrible.”) The other is the Financial Assessment of Public Housing (FASS-PH), a database designed to “measure the financial condition of public housing agencies and assess their ability to provide safe and decent housing,” according to HUD’s website.

All of this is significant because, in addition to the potential for privacy violations, knowing what is in the records, or even having access to them, presents a serious potential conflict of interest.

“There are often bids to contract any development projects,” says Erin McElroy, an assistant professor at the University of Washington. “I can imagine having insider information definitely benefiting the private market, or those who will move back into the private market,” she alleges.

HUD has an oversight role in the mobile home space, the area on which TCC Management, which appears to have recently wiped its website, focuses. "It’s been a growing area of HUD’s work and focus over the past few decades," says one source there; this includes setting building standards, inspecting factories, and taking in complaints. This presents another potential conflict of interest.

Braesemann says it’s not just the insider access to information and data that could be a potential problem, but that people coming from the private sector may not understand the point of HUD programs. Something like Section 8 housing, he notes, could be perceived as not working in alignment with market forces—“Because there might be higher real estate value, these people should be displaced and go somewhere else”—even though its purpose is specifically to buffer against the market.

Like other government agencies, HUD is facing mass purges of its workforce. NPR has reported that 84 percent of the staff of the Office of Community Planning and Development, which supports homeless people, faces termination, while the president of a union representing HUD workers has estimated that up to half the workforce could be cut The chapter on housing policy in Project 2025—the right-wing playbook to remake the federal government that the Trump administration appears to be following—outlines plans to massively scale back HUD programs like public housing, housing assistance vouchers, and first-time home buyer assistance.

[ahalts]

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