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readyplayerhobi · 5 years

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Starfire | 05

; Hoseok x Reader

; Genre: Sci-Fi, adventure, angst, future smut

; Word Count: 7.2k

; Synopsis: The schism that broke the galaxy began, as it usually does, over a disagreement. The resultant civil war has raged for hundreds of years. When a ragtag group of travellers discovers something that could turn the tide of war, for good or for worse, the bonds of friendship and love will be tested.

; A/N: Another part! :D Please read and enjoy because I still love writing this series so much and the character are so wonderful! If you do read, pleeeease reblog so that others can see too and leave me wonderful comments so I can get excited too or leave me asks! I finished this chapter because someone reblogged Starfire and left me wonderful comments so I just had to finish this!

Previous Chapter ; Next Chapter

“Approaching Mikanis space now Captain,” Taehyung said clearly, his gaze focused on the holoscreen in front of him as it fed him statistics from the Starfire. Or Fury as she was known now. “Contacting Mikanis traffic control now.”

Everyone on the bridge was stiff with nerves, glancing between each other awkwardly. This would be the true test to discover if Jungkook truly had done the ship ID change correctly. The name from the hull had already been removed when you’d taken a brief stop out of hyperspace before carrying on, removing the legacy and providing a cover for you all.

It now proclaimed her to be Fury in bright and bold letters, though the name wouldn’t stand up to an intense physical inspection of the ship herself. There were too many things on board that were labelled with her original name and none of you had had the time to scour through and change everything so carefully. Nor could you, realistically.

There was a reason that changing ship IDs was illegal and could only be done by officials. It was too time consuming and costly. But it wasn’t a choice for you all, it was simply a way to try and survive. All you could hope was that the ID would check out on their end and they wouldn’t have any reason to look further.

A quick turn of your head lets you take in Namjoon’s face as he sits silent, body leaning to the side as his fingers rest against his mouth. He looked the picture of calm and patience, but you can tell he’s more nervous than he's letting on. For everyone else’s sake you bet.

“Mikanis TC, this is Fury. Request permission for lane position and docking at Craila City.” Taehyung says, his voice steady. His fingers dart over the keyboard as he inputs the ID code that Jungkook had given him, denoting Fury’s identity and information for Mikanis traffic control to look over.

There’s the tiniest pause that heightens the tension on the bridge even more before a deep drawl dances over the bridge. “Mikanis TC to Fury, permission is granted. Lane eighteen, position nine. Please navigate to docking station twelve at Craila City. Welcome to Mikanis.”

The exhale of everyone onboard is audible, with Jin even running his hands down his face as he stands with Jisoo towards the door. Namjoon’s closed his eyes in relief while Taehyung has a smile of his own as your heart beats frantically. You input the directions for Taehyung once you receive them before turning around to gesture at Jungkook.

“Looks like it worked Jungkook.” The android looks at you with widened eyes and you smile gently in response, watching as he visibly calms down in front of you. A slight nod is all he gives though, trying to blend into the wall behind him to avoid interaction with others. He was still so nervous and shy, and you weren’t sure how to break that habit.

“Where is Craila City?” You ask, frowning over at Namjoon as he leans back in his seat. He looks at you with a carefully blank face before sighing quietly, running his fingers through his hair and messing it up thoroughly. Despite telling him to sleep, he’d evidently chosen to ignore your request because he still has some impressive dark circles going on under his eyes.

“Akati. It’s one of the newer megacities, only a century old. It’s in the north but situated more towards the coastline so the weather’s not quite as extreme as the desert. Downside though is that it’s really windy. Other than that, it’s your typical Mikanian shit hole.” His words are barbed and your brows rise in amusement.

You’d only looked into a few of their cities when researching them, and you’d never visited Mikanis before so it was going to be an experience for you. “What? Don’t like cities?” You tease lightly, knowing that Namjoon had come from a much more sparsely populated planet.

“That’s got nothing to do with it. I just don’t like cities where a half a billion people live in it and you have to live with the knowledge that if the shield falls then you’ll all probably die. Plus, it’s full of the kind of people you don’t want to meet.” He responds dryly.

Jimin snorts suddenly, causing you both to look over to him. “You mean like us? We may not murder people but we still do illegal shit. Especially now. In fact...we’re probably doing the most illegal thing in the entire universe right now thanks to him,” He points to Jungkook. “Anyway, I like Mikanis. It’s a place that doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not. You can get whatever the fuck you want there.”

You frown slightly. “We need to be careful though. Mikanis has the highest death rate in the known galaxy for a reason.” Jimin just rolls his eyes in response as if you’d just told him a really stupid joke or something.

“Yeah, ‘cos they don’t take kindly to fools. You’re either honest in Mikanis or dead. And by honest, I mean lying your fucking ass off. Don’t trust anyone down there. They’d sell their own mother if it got them something.” His tone is dry and you laugh quietly.

“Sounds great. Anyway, where’s Chungha?” The question is directed back at Namjoon and he looks back up with raised brows, his full lower lip being chewed by white teeth. A visible sign of nerves now.

“She’s a weapon’s engineer at Artica Industries; it’s in Craila, on the surface.” Jimin whistles lowly before you can even say anything, causing everyone to look at him once more. He looks suitably impressed though, and you wonder why.

“Care to explain why you look like you’ve just had ten women strip naked right here for you?” You ask, causing him to grin lasciviously as he wiggles his eyebrows at you before straightening his face back out.

“Yeah, the captain’s lovergirl must be hot shit. Artica is one of the biggest weapons manufacturers in the galaxy and they’re at the cutting edge when it comes to laser and plasma. They mostly work in ship weapons so they get to play with some fun toys that cause big booms. They’re also ridiculously fucking rich, hence why they’re on the surface of Mikanis. Only the 1% gets to live there,” He pauses before looking at Namjoon with a raised brow. “They also have contracts with both TAS and UIS.”

His words land heavy in the bridge, causing you to look at Namjoon as your blood runs icy in your veins. Without even thinking, you’re shaking your head in denial. “No, no Namjoon. Do not tell me that you’ve taken us to the one fucking place in the galaxy that can not only turn us in to both fucking TAS and UIS but can also probably blow us the fuck away if we try to run?!”

“Chungha wouldn’t do that! I told you, she owes me.” He protests loudly, holding his hands out pleadingly while you glare at him.

“You’re putting a lot of faith on someone just because she owes you for something years ago. Someone who you think still has feelings for you. What if she doesn’t? We may as well have just stayed and let ourselves get killed! Did Hoseok really almost kill himself for no reason?!” You hiss at him, words quiet and filled with anger while everyone stays in awkward silence.

“I’m putting myself on the line here. Please, trust me. I know you all have no reason to after everything that’s happened but...I trust her. I do. I know it didn’t end good last time but...please. She’s the one person I can think of that can help. Like I said...she’s well connected.” Namjoon stands and looks at everyone, his face serious while his eyes gleam with desperate persuasion.

“She better be,” Yoongi growls, glaring at his captain. “Because if you’ve just taken us from a bad situation to a worse situation, I’ll be really pissed off.”

Lisa nods next to him, her eyes narrowed fiercely and you sigh loudly, gesturing for everyone to calm down. “Okay guys...come on. We’ll just...we’ll take it slow okay? Namjoon and I will go to Chungha alone, scope her out and see if she’s willing to go along with us. Taehyung and Rose, you two stay on board and keep her ready to go if we need to run. Jin, Jisoo, I want you two to go out and see if you can find us whatever we need to upgrade Starfire. I want her faster, harder and able to hit harder too if possible. Take the money from the communal funds, you’ll all get your money back I swear but I think this is more important right now. Yoongi and Lisa, you two go out and get provisions for us all. That includes weapons. Jimin, you’re backing us up. All good with everyone?”

A glance around the room has everyone nodding slowly and you let out a deep breath of relief. It was always good when the crew didn’t argue over something, but there was nothing for them to argue over this time. They either did what they were told, or you all died.

Jungkook suddenly spoke up and your eyes widened as you looked at him with guilt rushing through you as you realised that you’d somehow managed to forget him. “I have run through the list of businesses operating on Craila...there is a Magi owned store there. I...I have been doing some research on Magi...I have a list of items that I think I could use to help Hoseok heal faster. If...if someone would be willing to go get them for me? I don’t think I should leave the ship.”

Everyone stays quiet for a moment before looking at you gingerly, wondering how you’ll take that. But you just smile softly, your heart racing hard as you imagined seeing Hoseok awake once more when you get back to the ship and you knew that you’d do anything for him.

“Sure. Give it to Yoongi and Lisa. If you’d be okay with doing a detour?” You ask them both, expecting them to complain about being asked to do something by an android. Lisa was still angry with him but Yoongi had slowly been mellowing out. He wasn’t really the kind to hold a grudge, and you knew that if accepted Jungkook then Lisa would eventually too.

But to your surprise, they both nod immediately with completely serious looks on their faces. “Of course. We’d do anything to help Hoseok if we can.” Yoongi says and you bite your lip to try and stop the rush of emotions from showing on your face.

It doesn’t work evidently, given the way Lisa’s eyes soften and she gives you her own sweet smile as she nods. “He’s gonna be okay, we all know it.”

Everyone nods and you lower your head momentarily, clenching your fists before taking a long and slow breath. Nodding to yourself, you look back up at everyone and smile brightly before slapping your thighs firmly.

“Right. Then everyone get ready for what you have to do. Taehyung and I will get Starfi-I mean...Fury, docked and I want everyone to be ready to leave within five minutes of docking. Is that okay Namjoon?” You ask, looking at your captain for confirmation that he was okay with your commanding of everyone.

He smiles though, appreciation in his gaze at you bringing the crew round so quickly and nods himself. “Yeah. You heard her, get moving.”

The crew scatters once you’ve docked, hurrying off to do their own chores while also hoping to get in a bit of free time if possible. Neither you nor Namjoon would begrudge them any if they could find it, as long as they didn’t get themselves in trouble that they couldn’t get out of.

It was the last thing you all needed right now for someone to get locked up for something stupid.

The climate of Craila City was oddly hot and humid, leading to you stripping off the faux leather jacket you’d donned and wrapping it tightly around your waist. It helped to cover your weapon but also let your arms get some much needed air. Namjoon was evidently choosing to suffer, keeping his own coat on while black sunglasses covered his eyes.

“You look like you’re going to walk the runway at Pariska.” You chide at him, rolling your eyes when he simply gives you the finger in return. Jimin snorts a laugh from your side, his persona today being that of a surprisingly bland looking man. His skin tone and facial features don’t help to denote any nationality, and at a glance he could even be mistaken for a few various alien races under the right lighting.

You scan him over once more, taking in the loose fitting trousers and dull beige shirt wondering once more how he manages to shift his clothes too. Jimin never gave away any secrets and you weren’t sure if it was because he couldn’t, he didn’t want to or just that he knew the curiosity burned at you.

Knowing Jimin, it was probably the latter.

Still, you gestured at him lazily with a raised brow. “Is this...purposefully the most boring person you could have ever possibly created? Don’t you ever want to be someone...better looking?”

“Why? I’m already attractive. Besides, that goes against the objective of blending in if I choose a visage that is more beautiful than the people around me. No, this is a face that a thousand people could look at and forget.” He pauses before eyeing you slowly, his own brow raising. “We study what most races consider average and learn to produce a shape that is so boring and unappealing that no one ever pays attention. I’m just a middle aged human man, a little down on his luck but doing okay for myself. Just like every other person here.”

At that, he makes a vague hand gesture towards the crowd of people surrounding you all. You glance around and note that he’s right. Everyone around you is dressed similarly to Jimin, in a style that isn’t particularly noticeable but also not horribly shabby.

Though you question if the only reason people are dressed like that is because the entrance to one of Craila’s large docking stations is here and these people evidently either work on the docks, are travelling themselves or have a ship docked here.

Quietly, you take in the whole environment carefully, partially to make sure that there doesn’t seem to be anyone who’s spotted you and also simply because you like going to new places and seeing them. There was always something new and interesting to catch your eye.

You’d never been to Mikanis, and you’ve never been to a city quite as big as Craila. Or at the very least, the large cities you go to are sprawling across the land, not digging down deep into the crust of the planet.

The entrance to the dock lies behind as you walk out to the heaving street in front of you. It’s crammed with land vehicles that stink of metal while a glance up lets you see the overcrowded sky lanes that stream above you in a steady flow of air cars and cruisers.

Glass and metal building reach up high into the sky all around, like they were in a contest to see who could reach the cloudless blue far above and casting the whole world into shadow. High above, the world looked to be shiny and clean but far down here the grime and dirt was beginning to show.

It was mind boggling to think that half a billion people lived in this one city alone. There weren’t even half a billion people on Hekasus, never mind to fill one city! So many people filled the streets here, bumping into each other with no care about personal space and you shuddered slightly, disliking the intense smell of body odour from all the alien races around you, not just the humans.

A city this big and this populated could never smell good, and you hated to think what the larger and more established cities smelled like.

It was almost claustrophobic, and you let your head fall back onto your shoulders as you gazed straight up to where the startlingly tall towers seemed to bend toward each other at their apex. They were tiny up there, barely wider than your finger but you knew the reality of them. Each building probably housed a ridiculous number of people or businesses.

“It’s so...crammed.” You say softly, frowning as you look back down. Every building looks to have a store built into the bottom floor, neon holographic signs projecting out and cluttering up the free air space as they proclaim a sale, a massage parlour, a shooting gallery, a bar, high end prostitutes, a department store, the latest video game and more.

It’s overwhelming on your senses and the longer you stand there, the more you start to pick out individual scents. The smell of rasa bubbling from the street vendor on the other side of the road, his mechanical arm stirring the pot of red spiced meat and sauce while a vendor on your side of the road hawks his roasted payka, the tasty vegetables bursting with delicious flavour that makes your mouth water.

“Yeah, like I said. It’s a shit hole,” Namjoon grunts before pointing up. “And this is where the rich folk live, if you can believe it.”

You glance upwards once more, taking in the subtle purple shimmer high in the sky as the shield that protects the city from the deadly planet’s atmosphere shudders into visibility momentarily. This was the rich part of the city because they could see the sky; you had no doubt about that.

Already from here, you could see the road dipping down into a well lit tunnel to your left, the directions on the hologram filtering themselves into your language as you see it proclaim it to be the way to the Upper District.

“What’s the Upper District? Isn’t this the upper?” Namjoon shakes his head before pointing to the building in front of you all.

“Nope, this is Land District. Upper District is the first level below ground. Then there’s Garden District, Midtown District, Sub-District and Lower District. There’s a final one under that, I believe it’s the sewage system and service entries or something. Between each level is a subway system that also runs through all the floors. The lower you go...the poorer you are.”

You snort at that wryly, giving him a dry glance as you both obviously have the same thought. After years as his second-in-command, you’ve gained the innate ability to do that, and right now you’re both thinking that that it’s a sad metaphor for the life of those in poverty. On other planets, saying you’re at the bottom of the pile just means that you’re living a life full of hardship and strife.

On Mikanis, it literally means that you’re at the bottom of the city. Sighing as you glance back over the tunnel, you ponder for a moment what life must be like them for them. Given how far down they are beneath the planet’s surface, you presume that they likely don’t get to see much natural light. A part of you wonders what it looks like down there, but then you push that thought away.

Looking back up to the sky, the soft shimmer of the shield keeping the whole city safe from the raging planet beyond, you decide that you couldn’t ever live down there. For someone who grew up Hekasus, with forests and fields and mountains filled with cool and crisp air and then transferred to a spaceship where the universe was literally your oyster, the very idea of being cooped up far beneath the surface to never see light or stars again was horrifying.

You hoped their life wasn’t too hard, but the rational part of your brain knew better. There was nothing you could do for them though and so you inhaled deeply, straightening your shoulders before looking back at Namjoon. He’d been watching you carefully, his expression blank as he let you take in what he’d told you and you give him a small smile.

“Let’s go meet Chungha, yeah? And hope she doesn’t blow your head off. That might not go down well with the rest of the crew and heka, I am not ready to be the leader of our ship. I’d kill Jimin within two days.” You groan lightly, pushing at Namjoon’s arm and leading him to a waiting transport vehicle. The black car is hovering slightly above the ground, vivid neon blue and pink adverts plastered along the side and changing with alarming frequency in an obnoxious assault on the senses.

Above it, the green sign of a vacant transport vehicle let’s you know it’s free to use and you climb into it carefully. You hadn’t even noticed Jimin slip away into the crowd, moving ahead of you both to scout out the building carefully. He’d moved with that liquid grace that let him disappear before anyone had even realised he’d gone, and you had no doubt that Jimin would have probably checked out the whole building by the time you got there.

No one knew how he did it, nor would he ever tell. All you knew was that it was incredibly useful.

The interior of the transport car is surprisingly big, with more than enough room for you both to sit without having to brush up against each other. Namjoon was very tall and broad, leading to many times when you’d been pressed up against him because the man just took up too much damn room.

A holo screen drops down from the centre of the roof, lighting up the interior with a soft blue glow and Namjoon inputs your destination. There’s a tiny pause as the screen processes his request, no doubt working out a journey before it states a price in a currency you’ve never seen. Namjoon doesn’t say anything though as he simply presses his wrist to the payment sensor on the arm of his chair, a green acceptance flashing before the engine of the car starts.

Looking out the window, you watch as the car lifts up from the ground before moving to join one of the sky lanes, its speed increasing as it zooms through the city. You get a wonderful view from here of the towering skyscrapers and landscape that is just visible between certain buildings.

Even in the daytime, with the sun shining brightly down on everything, the city is alive with light and colour. A part of you can’t wait to see what it looks like at night, knowing the image will be even more impressive than it is now, but at the same time you lament the loss of nature in this sprawling city.

You haven’t seen a single plant, and the very idea of not being to enjoy nature is abhorrent to you. It’s positively mind boggling that there are people who will be born, live and die on this planet who will likely never see a living plant.

Turning to Namjoon, you watch as his gaze remains firmly on the shifting cityscape beyond the windows. His skin is ever so slightly paler than normal and you know that’s because he simply hasn’t been sleeping that well. He blames himself for what happened, and part of you agrees with that honestly.

But Starfire was a team, a family, and all decisions were unanimous. Therefore, it wasn’t his fault entirely that things had gone so wrong.

Still though, you need to make sure that everything is hopefully going to go okay from now. Because there’s no one around at the moment and Namjoon doesn’t have to put on a brave face with only you there.

Placing a hand on his arm, he turns to look at you slowly. His eyes are lowered, the corners of his mouth tilted down while the tiniest lines crease his brow. You know that he’s far more worried and stressed than he’s let on and it makes your chest ache for him in sympathy. He didn’t deserve any of this worry, not when he’d simply been trying to sustain his crew and ship.

“Joon...what do we do if Chungha can’t help?” The question is quiet, even in the relative silence of the transport car and Namjoon’s brow stiffens as his lips pursed. You don’t even need to hear him to know that he’s annoyed, though he’s probably only annoyed because he’s scared.

“She’ll help. I swear she will. I believe in her.” He states clearly, causing you to sigh deeply. Turning forwards, you watch the holo screen as it plays a random ad for some bar in the city while not actually taking it in.

“I didn’t say won’t, I said can’t. Even if she says yes, what if she can’t help us? I mean...what are we even supposed to do? How do we resolve this whole issue? Both sides want to kill us. We’re backed into a corner that we can’t get out of as far as I can see. We need to think Joon, she might not be able to help us.” Your words are soft and filled with emotion, recognising the downfall that may be approaching you all quickly.

Namjoon doesn’t respond for a few moments, instead remaining quiet as his fingers tugged absently at an errant thread on his trousers. You know it’s hard for him to acknowledge, but you have no doubt that he’s been thinking about it too. This might truly be the end of the line for everyone on the Starfire.

“I don’t know. I don’t...I don’t know.” You’ve never heard him sound so defeated, the way his shoulders slump down and his whole body just loses any tension. His face looks desolate and your heart clenched tightly, causing you to lay an arm around his shoulders and squeeze them tightly in reassurance.

“We’ll...find a way. We’ll find a way like we always do. Even...even if we spend the rest of our lives running or something. We’ll find a way.” He doesn’t respond and you squeeze again, laying your cheek on his shoulder and sighing quietly. “We’ll do it Joon, I swear.”

“I hope so.” Is all he says, his voice filled with some much dejection and fear that you find yourself worrying even more for him. He doesn’t need to be stressing out like this, not when he’s meant to be the one leading you but that’s why he has you, you reason to yourself.

Your job as second-in-command meant keeping everyone else in line while also making sure that your captain’s health and wellbeing is also being taken care of. It’s a frustrating position to be in, but one that you would never relinquish because you know how heavily Namjoon relies on you.

How heavily he’s relying on you right now and you can’t let him down, not with something this important.

Jungkook moves about the tiny room he’s been given as his own in silence, barely making a noise as he pads from one side to the other and moves items around. On the tiny desk by his bed he has a bowl made of ancient ceramic, decorated with tiny magi symbols all along both the outer and inner walls.

This was just one of the items he’d asked the crew to get for him, the other stuff was laid around the room haphazardly as he worked efficiently. He found it odd to suddenly have a purpose to his time, a purpose that was truly meaningful and could potentially change a life.

The magical coma Hoseok had fallen into after the battle had been because of him, the magi had almost given his own life to save the Starfire because Jungkook existed. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to feel guilt, but he did. Intensely.

Guilt for being created, guilt for the Starfire finding him, guilt for them almost dying, guilt for them having to flee and being chased by the prospect of death simply because he existed. It was worse with Hoseok though, as he’d had to watch as you almost fell apart at how close Hoseok had come to death. Jungkook hadn’t known about you two, hadn’t known about the deep and strong bonds that bound you together even if you hadn’t acknowledged it out loud.

He felt guilty for that too, as you had been the nicest person to him on the ship besides from Taehyung. That meant a lot to him, as Jungkook was still learning. He was learning all the time, his mind taking in information rapidly and trying to understand the intricacies of personal relationships and so forth. It was hard when people wouldn’t let him try, but Taehyung and you did.

Jungkook likes Taehyung, he was friendly and open which was pleasing to someone who was trying to comprehend their very existence. The Cognizar made him feel like he was normal, like he was alive. All Taehyung seemed to care about was showing Jungkook the latest games or vids.

One of the hardest things to comprehend was the fact that Jungkook felt particularly useless to everyone on the ship. No one truly trusted him and he wasn’t sure how to gain that trust. Changing the Starfire’s name had been a small step forward, but he knew he would have to work much harder to make them believe in him more.

He had to show that he was part of their crew, that he wanted to be a part of their family and to be loved by them like they loved each other. And to do that, he felt that he needed to try and help Hoseok wake up given it was his fault it had happened in the first place.

Hours had been spent in this room as they’d traveled to Mikanis, sat on the bed that he found strangely comfortable while he scanned data that he had downloaded to research Hoseok’s condition. Jungkook didn’t like it when he did that, as the data that scrolled through his head made him remember that he was not alive, but was in fact a machine that simply thought on its own.

But he pushed those thoughts away every time, sinking deeper into the information on the planet Hekasus and its unique population of Magiikus users. From his studies, he’d discovered that Hekasus had been inhabited by humans for 4,000 years now. The original settlers had been from Beowulf, the sixtieth planet to be settled by the original human homeworld of Earth.

Apparently on Beowulf, there had been a certain species of plant that gave off an element that had never been discovered before. For centuries, human’s hadn’t thought it was doing anything strange as it didn’t seem to change anything about them and so they had simply consumed it alongside their other crops as it had proven to be safe to eat.

Humans had lived on Beowulf for two millennia before a large contingent moved on to the newly discovered planet of Hekasus. It had been here that they had discovered that the element had in fact done something and the humans of Beowulf had in fact been genetically modified over time by the element. The environment on Hekasus activated a certain gene amongst random members of the population, allowing them to access the well of power now known as Magiikus.

Jungkook struggled to find anything more about the magi themselves or Magiikus because it proved that the users of this mystical force chose to keep most of it secret. All he knew was that everyone from the original Beowulf settlers had the gene, and the gene had proven dominant over the years even when they had interbred with humans from other planets. But it only activated when growing up on Hekasus, and it was seemingly random who it activated in.

Only 40% of the population of Hekasus were found to have the activated gene, and their abilities in using Magiikus differed as well. It had all been very fascinating to Jungkook, to read about how easily a human could experience mutations in their genetic makeup and how wildly it could change them.

The element on Beowulf mixed with the environment of Hekasus allowed humans to use a force that no one truly understood. A casual search had let Jungkook know that there had been ten other genetic mutations caused by environmental impacts in humanity over the millennia.

Those living on Basilikus had developed an immunity to heavy metals that would kill a large majority of other living creatures. People on that planet had proven to be the best scientists in the field of nuclear research of all kinds as they had the bizarre benefit of being completely immune to the radiation let off by the heavy metals they worked with.

Humans on Amati on the other hand had evolved over the millennia to be resistant to a multitude of poisons caused by the toxic plants that lived on their planet. Jungkook found it ridiculously odd that humanity would voluntarily inhabited these dangerous planets until they eventually evolved to cope with them instead of just going somewhere else, but he’d noticed that living beings seemed to have odd ideas about many things.

Either way, he’d had to spend hours upon hours sifting through data from Hekasus before he had finally stumbled across an ancient description of a magi suffering what Hoseok was. It had outlined a ritual that had been performed on the magi, including the ingredients used to create a...well Jungkook wasn’t even sure what it was because he couldn’t translate the words properly but he presumed it be a steam or scent that would help Hoseok to wake up.

Apparently it was something to do with stimulating his Magiikus and revitalising him, encouraging him to waken far sooner. It may all be a bunch of crap, but Jungkook was willing to try because it likely wouldn’t hurt him. Just make the room smell a bit.

He’d been carefully experimenting with the ingredients provided to him for the last few hours in his room, thankful that he could ignore the bizarre mix of scents that drifted in the air while he focused on perfecting it. The story or recipe whatever it was had said that the substance became a pearlescent purple with swirls of pink with an almost glittering steam.

So far, Jungkook had managed to create solid purple before he’d gotten to pearlescent purple, but the steam had been just plain white. But maybe this time…

He gently added a tiny dash of precias, a powdered gem found on Hekasus and held his breath as he mixed the contents slowly in a clockwise direction. It seeped into the thick paste, the pale pink vanishing into the deep purple and he watched nervously to see what would happen.

The writing on the bowl suddenly glowed a soft white for a few seconds and he let out a whoop of glee as the paste lightened to a pretty pearlescent purple, strands of a beautiful pink flowing through it while a gentle steam rose, the air shimmering. He’d done it! He’d managed to make it!

Now all he had to do was hopefully wake Hoseok up and everyone would hopefully be happy with him.

Grinning to himself, he took the bowl and exited his room quickly before navigating to Hoseok’s small room. It was bigger than his own, but he recognised that it was still smaller than the captain’s. Perhaps most surprising was that it was as sparsely decorated as his own.

Rose was inside the quiet room, a beautiful and light melody leaving her lips to fill the air with something that made Jungkook’s chest tighten for some reason. He wasn’t sure why, but it felt like listening to her was like listening to the silent melody of the universe itself. Like he was listening to something so beautiful and big he couldn’t comprehend it, even with a machine for a brain.

She stopped immediately as he walked in, her eyes calm and warm as she watched him move closer. They dropped to the bowl in his hands and her head tilted to the side slightly, the movement unnatural even to Jungkook as her long, flowing hair shifted gently to a beautiful emerald green and her eyes soon become vibrant green gemstones as curiosity took over her.

“Is that what you needed to make?” She asked gently, her voice sweet and kind. He smiled in response, mentally re-evaluating his earlier statement that only Y/N and Taehyung had been nice to him. Rose had been equally as welcoming, an almost otherworldly knowledge to her eyes that told him she would forever be on his side.

He’d tried to research the Galaxis in his free time and had been astonished by how little he’d found. They didn’t talk about their race, nor even where they were from and he knew from the histories he’d found that one day, they had simply appeared. They could not be held in any place, for they always seemed to escape and they went where they wanted to go. The fact that Rose had been here for years meant that she must hold the Starfire very close.

Jungkook had developed his own suspicions and theories about the Galaxis and he watched her carefully as he knelt next to her beside the bed. Hoseok was laid beneath the covers as usual, his face relaxed in sleep and almost innocent looking, his hair neatly brushed as if he’d simply gone to take a nap.

“Yes...it’s...well...I hope it works. I err...found something from an old...story I guess? About something that helped to speed up the waking process. I figured...we could at least try right?” He whispered quietly, oddly unwilling to raise his voice even though Hoseok wasn’t going to wake up just from that.

Instead, he focused on the soft glimmer of the steam as it rose from the air before looking back at Rose to find her watching him with a gentle smile. She rested a hand on his wrist, her touch both warm and cool at the same time and he took in her skin tone, so similar to the paste in the small bowl only more of a mix of white and gold.

“We can try. It may help.” Rose said quietly, gesturing towards Hoseok with a smile. Jungkook swallowed before nodding, taking the bowl and placing it on the empty space besides the magi’s head. He tilted Hoseok’s face slightly so that the steam was directed towards his nose before sitting back and chewing his lip nervously.

“What if it doesn’t help?” He asked, running his fingers through his hair in a gesture that he’d apparently picked up from Jimin. It felt good to do it though, a way for him to release this nervous energy without having to do anything else. He just felt so useless.

Rose rested a hand on his thigh, her face not reacting at all to what felt like lifelike muscles beneath the fabric and his skin and instead focused on his own eyes. They were a brilliant sapphire blue now while her long, luxurious hair had bled into an astonishingly beautiful mix of sky and navy blue. It was pretty on her, but Jungkook had long since decided all colours were pretty on Rose.

“It doesn’t matter, you’re trying. That’s what matters. The humans have a saying; it’s the thought that counts.” Jungkook snorts a laugh at that and Rose’s lips twisted wryly in response to his amusement.

“I think that’s supposed to be in relation to giving gifts, right?” She shrugged lightly, her dainty shoulders small yet filled with so much strength and power. He’d watched once as she’d lifted an astonishingly large and heavy box without so much as a wince or grunt.

“You’re giving him the gift of life back, or at least trying to. It counts. Every gesture anyone does is a gift, remember that. It may not always be positive, but it is always given freely, even if they do not believe it to be so.” Rose sounded so wise and worldly then, causing Jungkook to watch her with awe for a moment before he spoke without realising.

“Galaxis...your race...I...I know you don’t talk about it. But...I just...I have a theory. You don’t have to respond, just...let me say it and then we can pretend it never happened?” He pauses, watching as Rose’s elegant brows rise. “I...this may sound stupid if it’s not real but...I think you’re the physical representation of the galaxy. Or...at least one of them. Maybe there’s multiple. But...I don’t know. Your ability to navigate and always know where we are, the way you’re the colours of the galaxy, how...ancient and wise you seem. It’s like...a galaxy come to life.”

Jungkook is well aware that he sounds in awe, his voice hushed as he watches her intently and he sees a faint flush of pretty pink spread over her cheeks as she looks down at her hands. But her hair and eyes don’t change, still the colour of concentration before she looks back up at him.

“You are unique, Jeon Jungkook. Don’t ever let that curiosity die.” She responds quietly, neither confirming nor denying his suspicions. Yet Jungkook recognises that something enormous has occurred here and he notes the almost respect in her eyes as she looks back to Hoseok.

He turns back too, ready to sit vigilant next to the Galaxis and hope that the magi on the bed may wake up. But he has no need to, because he’s shooting forward before he even realises it, his fingers gripping the edge of the mattress tightly as excitement and relief floods his entire body.

“Hoseok!” Jungkook says loudly, his lips turning into a bright smile as he glances back to Rose. The man in question is blinking slowly, as if his eyelids are heavy with tiredness and sleep but he is blinking. He is awake. No longer asleep.

There’s complete silence in the room before Hoseok finally looks to the two figures next to him, his body weighed down with lethargy and exhaustion. Licking his lips a few times, he accepts the drink of cool water that Rose gives him before he coughs, the sound rough and harsh from a lack of use.

“Where is she?”

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bonesandblood-sunandmoon · 4 years

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Article from The Atlantic “This Is Not a Normal Mental Health Disaster” (posted July 7th, 2020). Excerpt:

In any case, the full extent of the fallout will not come into focus for some time. Psychological disorders can be slow to develop, and as a result, the Textbook of Disaster Psychiatry, which Morganstein helped write, warns that demand for mental-health care may spike even as a pandemic subsides. “If history is any indicator,” Morganstein says of COVID-19, “we should expect a significant tail of mental-health effects, and those could be extraordinary.” Taylor worries that the virus will cause significant upticks in obsessive-compulsive disorder, agoraphobia, and germaphobia, not to mention possible neuropsychiatric effects, such as chronic fatigue syndrome.

The coronavirus may also change the way we think about mental health more broadly. Perhaps, Schoch-Spana says, the prevalence of pandemic-related psychological conditions will have a destigmatizing effect. Or perhaps it will further ingrain that stigma: We’re all suffering, so can’t we all just get over it? Perhaps the current crisis will prompt a rethinking of the American mental-health-care system. Or perhaps it will simply decimate it.

Shared in entirety under the cut for those who can’t access it:

This Is Not a Normal Mental Health Disaster by Jacob Stern

If SARS is any lesson, the psychological effects of the novel coronavirus will long outlast the pandemic itself.

The SARS pandemic tore through Hong Kong like a summer thunderstorm. It arrived abruptly, hit hard, and then was gone. Just three months separated the first infection, in March 2003, from the last, in June.

But the suffering did not end when the case count hit zero. Over the next four years, scientists at the Chinese University of Hong Kong discovered something worrisome. More than 40 percent of SARS survivors had an active psychiatric illness, most commonly PTSD or depression. Some felt frequent psychosomatic pain. Others were obsessive-compulsive. The findings, the researchers said, were “alarming.”

The novel coronavirus’s devastating hopscotch across the United States has long surpassed the three-month mark, and by all indications, it will not end anytime soon. If SARS is any lesson, the secondary health effects will long outlast the pandemic itself.

Already, a third of Americans are feeling severe anxiety, according to Census Bureau data, and nearly a quarter show signs of depression. A recent poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that the pandemic had negatively affected the mental health of 56 percent of adults. In April, texts to a federal emergency mental-health line were up 1,000 percent from the year before. The situation is particularly dire for certain vulnerable groups—health-care workers, COVID-19 patients with severe cases, people who have lost loved ones—who face a significant risk of post-traumatic stress disorder. In overburdened intensive-care units, delirious patients are seeing chilling hallucinations. At least two overwhelmed emergency medical workers have taken their own life.

To some extent, this was to be expected. Depression, anxiety, PTSD, substance abuse, child abuse, and domestic violence almost always surge after natural disasters. And the coronavirus is every bit as much a disaster as any wildfire or flood. But it is also something unlike any wildfire or flood. “The sorts of mental-health challenges associated with COVID-19 are not necessarily the same as, say, generic stress management or the interventions from wildfires,” says Steven Taylor, a psychiatrist at the University of British Columbia and the author of The Psychology of Pandemics (published, fortuitously, in October 2019). “It’s very different in important ways.”

Most people are resilient after disasters, and only a small percentage develop chronic conditions. But in a nation of 328 million, small percentages become large numbers when translated into absolute terms. And in a nation where, even under ordinary circumstances, fewer than half of the millions of adults with a mental illness receive treatment, those large numbers are a serious problem. A wave of psychological stress unique in its nature and proportions is bearing down on an already-ramshackle American mental-health-care system, and at the moment, Taylor told me, “I don’t think we’re very well prepared at all.”

Most disasters affect cities or states, occasionally regions. Even after a catastrophic hurricane, for example, normalcy resumes a few hundred miles away. Not so in a pandemic, says Joe Ruzek, a longtime PTSD researcher at Stanford University and Palo Alto University: “In essence, there are no safe zones any more.”

As a result, Ruzek told me, certain key tenets of disaster response no longer hold up. People cannot congregate at a central location to get help. Psychological first-aid workers cannot seek out strangers on street corners. To be sure, telemedicine has its advantages—it eliminates the logistical and financial burdens of transportation, and some people simply find it more comfortable—but it complicates outreach and can pose problems for older people, who have borne the brunt of the coronavirus.

A pandemic, unlike an earthquake or a fire, is invisible, and that makes it all the more anxiety-inducing. “You can’t see it, you can’t taste it, you just don’t know,” says Charles Benight, a psychology professor at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs who specializes in post-disaster recovery. “You look outside, and it seems fine.”

From spatial uncertainty comes temporal uncertainty. If we can’t know where we are safe, then we can’t know when we are safe. When a wildfire ends, the flames subside and the smoke clears. “You have an event, and then you have the rebuild process that’s really demarcated,” Benight told me. “It’s not like a hurricane goes on for a year.” But pandemics do not respect neat boundaries: They come in waves, ebbing and flowing, blurring crisis into recovery. One month, New York flares up and Arizona is calm. The next, the opposite.

That ambiguity could make it harder for people to be resilient. “It’s sort of like running down a field to score a goal, and every 10 yards they move the goal,” Benight said. “You don’t know what you’re targeting.” In this sense, Ruzek said, someone struggling with the psychological effects of the pandemic is less like a fire survivor than a domestic-violence victim still living with her abuser, or a traumatized soldier still deployed overseas. Mental-health professionals can’t reassure them that the danger has passed, because the danger has not passed. One can understand why, in a May survey by researchers at the University of Chicago, 42 percent of respondents reported feeling hopeless at least one day in the past week.

A good deal of this uncertainty was inevitable. Pandemics, after all, are confusing. But coordinated, cool-headed, honest messaging from government officials and public-health experts would have gone a long way toward allaying undue anxiety. The World Health Organization, for all the good it has done to contain the virus, has repeatedly bungled the communications side of the crisis. Last month, a WHO official claimed that asymptomatic spread of the virus is “very rare”—only to clarify the next day, after a barrage of criticism from outside public-health experts, that “we don’t actually have that answer yet.” In February, officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told Americans to prepare for “disruption to everyday life that may be severe,” then, just days later, said, “The American public needs to go on with their normal lives,” then went mostly dark for the next three months. Health experts are not without blame either: Their early advice about masks was “a case study in how not to communicate with the public,” wrote Zeynep Tufekci, an information-science professor at the University of North Carolina and an Atlantic contributing writer.

The White House, for its part, has repeatedly contradicted the states, the CDC, and itself. The president has used his platform to spread misinformation. In a moment when public health—which is to say, tens of thousands of lives—depends on national unity and clear messaging, the pandemic has become a new front in the partisan culture wars. Monica Schoch-Spana, a medical anthropologist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told me that “political and social marginalization can exacerbate the psychological impacts of the pandemic.”

Schoch-Spana has previously written about the 1918 influenza pandemic. Lately, she says, people have been asking her how the coronavirus compares. She is always quick to point out a crucial difference: When the flu emerged in America at the end of a brutal winter, the nation was mobilized for war. Relative unity prevailed, and a spirit of collective self-sacrifice was in the air. At the time, the U.S. was reckoning with its enemies. Now we are reckoning with ourselves.

One thing that is certain about the current pandemic is that we are not doing enough to address its mental-health effects. Usually, says Joshua Morganstein, the chair of the American Psychiatric Association’s Committee on the Psychiatric Dimensions of Disaster, the damage a disaster does to mental health ends up costing more than the damage it does to physical health. Yet of the $2 trillion that Congress allocated for pandemic relief through the CARES Act, roughly one-50th of 1 percent—or $425 million—was earmarked for mental health. In April, more than a dozen mental-health organizations called on Congress to apportion $38.5 billion in emergency funding to protect the nation’s existing treatment infrastructure, plus an additional $10 billion for pandemic response.

Without broad, systematic studies to gauge the scope of the problem, though, it will be hard to determine with any precision either the appropriate amount of funding or where that funding is needed. Taylor told me that “governments are throwing money at this problem at the moment without really knowing how big a problem it will be.”

In addition to studies assessing the scope of the problem, which demographics most need help, and what kind of help they need, Ruzek told me researchers should assess how well intervention efforts are working. Even in ordinary times, he said, we don’t do enough of that. Such studies are especially important now because, until recently, disaster mental-health protocols for pandemics were an afterthought. By necessity, researchers are designing and implementing them all at once.

“Disaster mental-health workers have never been trained in anything about this,” Ruzek said. “They don’t know what to say.”

Even so, the basic principles will be the same. Disaster mental-health specialists often talk about the five core elements of intervention—calming, self-efficacy, connectedness, hope, and a sense of safety—and those apply now as much as ever. At an organizational level, the response will depend on extensive screening, which is to the mental-health side of the pandemic roughly what testing is to the physical-health side. In disaster situations—and especially in this one—the people in need of mental-health support vastly outnumber the people who can supply it. So disaster psychologists train armies of volunteers to provide basic support and identify people at greater risk of developing long-term problems.

“There are certain things that we can still put into place for people based on what we’ve learned about what’s helpful for PTSD and for depression and for anxiety, but we have to adjust it a bit,” says Patricia Watson, a psychologist at the National Center for PTSD. “This is a different dance than the dance that we’ve had for other types of disasters.”

Some states have moved quickly to learn the new steps. In Colorado, Benight is helping to train volunteer resilience coaches to support members of their community and, when necessary, refer them to formal crisis-counseling programs. His team has also worked with volunteers in 31 states, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

Colorado’s approach is not the sort of rigorously tested, evidence-based model to which Ruzek said disaster psychologists should aspire. Then again, “we’re sitting here with not a lot of options,” says Matthew Boden, a research scientist in the Veterans Health Administration’s mental-health and suicide-prevention unit. “Something is better than nothing.”

In 2013, reflecting on the tenth anniversary of the SARS pandemic, newspapers in Hong Kong described a city scarred by plague. When COVID-19 arrived there seven years later, they did so again. SARS had traumatized that city, but it had also prepared it. Face masks had become commonplace. People used tissues to press elevator buttons. Public spaces were sanitized and resanitized. In New York City, COVID-19 has killed more than 22,600 people; in Hong Kong, a metropolis of nearly the same size, it has killed seven. The city has learned from its scars.

America, too, will bear the scars of plague. Maybe next time, we will be the ones who have learned.

#coronavirus or covid-19 #mental health

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the-daily-tizzy · 4 years

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ITALY’S COMMUNIST RECIPE FOR DISASTER

Published March 24, 2020 | By Giacomino Nicolazzo

Montecalvo, Lombardy, Italy.

As I sit here in my involuntary isolation, it was just reported that overnight 743 more people died and 5.249 new cases have been reported. This brings the total cases of infection to 69,176 and the body count to 6,820. We take relief in knowing that 8,326 people have recovered so far. ( Numbers as of 3/24, 8:30pm in Italy.)

Most towns here in Italy, from the upper reaches of the Alps to the ancient shores of Sicilia and Sardenia, while not deserted, are closer to being ghost towns than the bustling centers of tourism, business and daily life they were just a few weeks ago.Stores and shops have been shuttered. Restaurants and coffee shops no longer serve customers. Schools, universities, sporting arenas…even our museums and theaters…all closed. Even the Vatican City has closed its gates and armed patrols monitor the 20 foot tall walls that protect it!

Streets and roads are now empty for as far as the eye can see. Normally they would be filled with crazed Italian drivers in tiny cars and scooters (the ones that sound like demonic insects) darting here and there, reaching the limits of centrifugal force on our roundabouts. In the piazze of our towns and cities, there are now officially more pigeons than people.Many of us know someone who has been infected and recovered. Some of us know someone who did not recover…now they are dead. But everyone knows someone who has been affected by this microscopic monster in one way or another.

Sixty million of us are in lock-down…it is like a war zone here. We are being held prisoner in our own homes by an unseen enemy that sneaked in unnoticed…by most of us. As you will read in just a few more minutes, there were those who knew something like this was coming…or at least they should have.So who is to blame? With all this craziness swirling like a whirlpool at our feet, I just had to find the blame answer. And so I have spent my free time (of which I have a lot in these days) digging and researching. I was literally shocked to discover how this has come to be.I am not going to bore you with talk of Patient ‘0’ who spread it to Patient ‘1’ and how mathematics efficiently explains the rapid expansion of infection. No…I am going to tell you how (as I see it) the virus came to Italy.It has everything to do with communists. Allow me to explain.Beginning in about 2014, Matteo Renzi, the imbecile ex-mayor of Firenze (Florence) acting as the leader of the Partito Democratico (synonymous with the Italian Communist party), somehow managed to get himself elected as Italy’s Prime Minister. To give you a proper frame of reference, Matteo Renzi was so far left, he would make Barack Obama look like Barry Goldwater!

At the same time that Renzi was leading Italy into oblivion, strange things were happening in Italy’s economy. Banks were failing…but not closing. Retirement ages were being extended…for some reason the pension funds were dwindling or disappearing. The national sales tax we call IVA (Value Added Tax) rose from 18% to 20%, then to 21% and again to 22%.And in the midst of all this financial chicanery, the Chinese began furiously buying up Italian real estate and businesses in the North.Now the reason I mention Renzi and the Chinese together is that strange things were also going on between the governments of Italy and China. A blind eye was being turned to the way the Chinese were buying businesses in the financial, telecommunication, industrial and fashion sectors of Italy’s economy, all of which take place in Milano.

To be brief…China was getting away with purchases and acquisitions in violation of Italian law and EU Trade Agreements with the US and the UK…and no one in either of those countries (not Obama in the US or Cameron in the UK) said a thing in their country’s defense. As a matter of fact, much of it was hidden from the public in all three countries.In 2014, China infused the Italian economy with €5 billion through purchases of companies costing less than €100 million each.

By the time Renzi left office (in disgrace) in 2016, Chinese acquisitions had exceeded €52 billion. When the dust settled, China owned more than 300 companies…representing 27% of the major Italian corporations.The Bank of China now owns five major banks in Italy…all of which had been secretly (and illegally) propped up by Renzi using pilfered pension funds! Soon after, the China Milano Equity Exchange was opened and much of Italy’s wealth was being funneled back to the Chinese mainland.

Chinese state entities own Italy’s major telecommunication corporation (Telecom) as well as its major utilities (ENI and ENEL). Upon entry into the telecommunication market, Huawei established a facility in Segrate, a suburb of Milano. It launched is first research center there and worked on the study of microwaves which has resulted in the possibly-dangerous technology we call 5G.China also now owns controlling interest in Fiat-Chrysler, Prysmian and Terna. You will be surprised to know that when you put a set of Pirelli tires on your car, the profits are going to China.

Yep…the Chinese colossus of ChemChina, a chemical industry titan, bought that company too!Last but not least is Ferretti yachts…the most prestigious yacht builder in Europe. Incredibly, it is no longer owned by the Ferretti family.

But the sector in which Chinese companies invested most was Italy’s profitable fashion industry. The Pinco Pallino, Miss Sixty, Sergio Tacchini, Roberta di Camerino and Mariella Burani brands have been acquired by 100%.Designer Salvatore Ferragamo sold 16% and Caruso sold 35%. The most famous case is Krizia, purchased in 2014 by Shenzhen Marisfrolg Fashion Company, one of the leaders of high-priced, ready-to-wear fashions in Asia.

Throughout all of these purchases and acquisitions, Renzi’s government afforded the Chinese unrestricted and unfettered access to Italy and its financial markets, many coming through without customs inspections.

Quite literally, tens of thousands of Chinese came in through Milano (illegally) and went back out carrying money, technology and corporate secrets.

Thousands more were allowed to enter and disappeared into shadows of Milano and other manufacturing cities of Lombardy, only to surface in illegal sewing shops, producing knock-off designer clothes and slapping ‘Made In Italy’ labels on them. All with the tacit approval of the Renzi government.It was not until there was a change in the governing party in Italy that the sweatshops and the illegal entry and departure of Chinese nationals was stopped. Matteo Salvini, representing the Lega Nord party, closed Italy’s ports to immigrants and systematically began disassembling the sweatshops and deporting those in Italy illegally.

But his rise to power was short-lived. Italy is a communist country…socialism is in the national DNA. Ways were found to remove Salvini, after which the communist party, under the direction of Giuseppe Conte, reopened the ports. Immediately, thousands of unvetted, undocumented refugees from the Middle East and East Africa began pouring in again.

Access was again provided to the Chinese, under the old terms, and as a consequence thousands of Chinese, the majority from Wuhan, began arriving in Milano.

In December of last year, the first inklings of a coronavirus were noticed in Lombardy…in the Chinese neighborhoods. There is no doubt amongst senior medical officials that the virus was brought here from China.

By the end of January 2020 cases were being reported left and right. By mid-February the virus was beginning to seriously overload the Lombardy hospitals and medical clinics. They are now in a state of collapse.

The Far-Left politicians sold out and betrayed the Italian people with open border policies and social justice programs. One of the reasons the health care system collapsed so quickly is because the Renzi government (and now continued under the Conte government) redirected funds meant to sustain the medical system, to pay for the tens of thousands of immigrants brought in to Italy against the will of the Italian people.

If you remember the horrible earthquake that decimated the villages around Amatricia, in the mountains east of Rome in 2015, you would also remember how the world responded by sending millions of dollars to help those affected.

But there is a law in Italy that prevents private donations to charitable Italian organizations. All money and donations received must be turned over to a government agency, who in turn is to appropriate the funds as needed. But that agency is corrupt just as are all the others.Most of the money never reached a single victim in the mountains. The Renzi government redirected the vast majority of those funds to pay for the growing immigrant and refugee costs.

So more money was diverted from the health care system and used to pay what is known here as guaranteed income. Whether you work or not you are paid here, especially if you belong to the PD! The government simply raises taxes on those who do work

.Let me give you a quick example of the height of insanity to which Italian taxation has risen.

If you live in a building that has a balcony or balconies…and any of those balconies cast a shadow on the ground, you must pay a public shadow tax! I will say no more!

The point I am trying to make here is that not only did the Chinese bring the virus to Italy (and the rest of the world) it was far-Left politics and policies that facilitated it.

This should hopefully be a warning to Americans that while they work to rid themselves of the China Virus, they should just as vehemently endeavor to rid their government of any politician that circumvents the Constitution and ignores the laws of the land…plain and simple.

Giacomino Nicolazzo is one of Italy’s most beloved writers. Born and raised in Central Pennsylvania, he lives in a small village in Lombardy where he writes his books.

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darthkieduss · 6 years

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Reasons I hate Fat Donnie Trump (will update frequently)

#Republican, duh. #Narcissistic Personality Order #He lost the Popular vote. #No previous political experience #Has unrealistic ideas about how to solve America's problems, such as getting Mexico to pay for a wall to keep illegal immigrants out. #Vice President is a crazy fundamentalist Christian homophobic wackjob who thinks electroshock therapy cures homosexuality and can't be alone with a woman without his wife present. #Believes in unscientific ideas such as the idea that vaccines cause autism (I am autistic so this is a bit personal) #Has made comments alluding to sexual harassment. #Can't let any slight go. Even comments made about his sign. Jeez, Obama simply shrugged off the trolls and haters. #Won't stop bitch-tweeting. #Enacted the separation of children from their parents. #Tried to ban trans folks from the military. As long as they serve our country, who cares? #Suspended CNN's press pass after some tough questioning. #Is imposing insanely high tariffs on imported goods, mostly from China. #Supports unconstitutional profiling of Muslims. #Supports killing civilians in war. “We gotta take our their families” WHO THINKS LIKE THIS? #Posted troops on the border just for political advantage in the 2018 mid-terms. #Is a shameless self-promoter. #Can't admit his own faults. #Believes he's qualified for president because he's rich (said this in 2013) #Has passed insane tax cuts for the rich, which only increase America's budget deficit and national debt. TRICKLE-DOWN NEVER WORKS. #Had to be discouraged from invading Venezuela, who hasn't done anything to us and poses no threat to us. #Gets advice from Fox News. #Pulled out the Iran deal which was working. #Thinks that the way to show strength is by being a dick. #Cheated on every one of his wives and lied about it. We impeached Bill Clinton for it. #Has increased the military budget way too much. We spend $664 BILLION on the military. It doesn't need anymore. #Claimed Obama spied on him by wiretapping the Trump towers. Provided no evidence. #When he is criticized for something, he claims “Obama started it...” *facepalm* #LIES ON A CONSTANT BASIS. I think he lies just to see what his fans will believe... #He won't admit he lost the popular vote. He says "If you deduct the illegal voters." Oh please... #Is undoing everything Obama did just because it was Obama that did it. If he could bring back Osama bin Laden, he would. #WORLD LEADERS ARE LAUGHING AT HIM AND US #He has his cabinet kiss his ass on a constant basis. #He committed campaign finance violations during the election. #He fired FBI Director Jimmy the Giant Comey just because he wouldn't swear loyalty to him and was investigating him. That’s Obstruction of Justice. #Attacked former Attorney General Jeff Sessions for not closing the Mueller investigation. #He said he wanted to lower the minimum wage back in 2015. #The infamous "Mexicans are rapists" Comment. #Attacked the late John McCain for being a Prisoner-of-War. #Gave out a Senator's cellphone number out of spite. #Blamed Megyn Kelly's tough questioning on her period. #He said "Bring back torture EVEN IF IT DOESN'T WORK". (2015) ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! #Tried to have his political opponents locked up. #"Jokes" about being president-for-life. If Obama had "joked" about this, the right would've lost their shit. #Threatened martial law in Chicago. #Praised Protestant bigot Norman Peale, who only opposed JFK simply because he was Catholic. #He violated the Presidential Records Act. #One of his tax cuts gave the poor $40, the ultra-rich $940,000 #He appeals to insecure men. #He and Jeff Sessions said it is ok to discriminate against gay people. #Complains about people not respecting the flag, says the guy who molests it. #Wants North Korean-style Military Parades. #Started that Obama birth certificate bullshit... He only said Obama was born in America in 2016...when it was politically-convenient. (*cough* back-pedaling) #He believes women are beneath him. #Doesn't believe in Global Warming. #Wouldn't stop saying interrupting Clinton in the debates. #Has more in common with the criminal Richard Nixon than anyone else. (Edit: He called for an end to investigations like Tricky Dick did in ‘74) #3.2 MILLION Americans lost their health insurance in Trump's first year. #"A terror attack would help me politically bigly." or we could NOT have a terrorist attack, thank you. #Claimed he would've run into a school shooting to confront the shooter without a weapon. BULLSHIT. #His lawyers say "I can't let him testify because he can't stop lying." #His budget obliterated funding for Science, Education, EPA & labor. #He encourages Republicans to break the law. #Tweeted FAKE photos to convince his fans that the border wall is being built. #Has committed obstruction of justice. (Edit: Confirmed by Mueller) #Said he's in favor of bombing civilians. #He had the USAF bomb an antivenom medical facility in Syria. #He said he only received $1 Million from his father. HE GOT $400 Million. ANOTHER LIE. #He makes everything about himself. Even 9/11. Who makes 9/11 about himself? #Claims he's completely immune to lawsuits over constitutional violations. Nixon said that, but it didn't work for him. #He's driving us to another Great Depression. #He threatened to punish the media if they weren't nice to him. #He calls the press "The enemy of the people" when they don't kiss his ass. #He calls Sean Hannity every night. Sean Hannity is a partisan hack who wouldn't turn on a Republican president even if he found out he was using JFK's Eternal Flame to light farts. He’s so far up Trump’s ass he can taste his lunch. #He still uses his private NON-SECURE cell phone, creating HUGE National Security problems. #He admitted his attacks on the media are just to discredit negative stories. #He claims he has the power to pardon himself. NO THE HELL HE DOESN'T. #Giuliani said Trump can't testify because his memory keeps changing. #THE MOST THIN-SKINNED PRESIDENT. #He is against the protections for pre-existing conditions. HE is a pre-existing condition. #When told Kim Jong-Un is a murderer, he responded "He's a tough guy." #He says Americans should obey him like North Koreans are forced at gunpoint to obey Kim Jong-un. #He trusts brutal dictators, but not our closest allies. #He is jealous of Kim Jong-Un's absolute grip on power. #He lied about the German crime rate to justify his immigration policies. #He suggested destroying the Constitution so he can deport immigrants faster. #Authorized USING LETHAL FORCE ON UNARMED MIGRANTS!!! #Lied to the United Nations, saying poverty in America doesn't actually exist. I PERSONALLY know people who are living in poverty. #He issued a gag order to stop government employees from talking to reporters. #He said, on tape, that if Senator Elizabeth Warren proved she was Native American, he would donate $1 million to a charity of her choice. When she did, and someone pointed it out, he said "I didn't say that." Whether or not he’s obligated to pay, he said he would but now he’s saying he didn’t say it. #Says people who criticize him are a threat to America. #His trade wars have cost 100,000+ American jobs. #People who work for him tend to be convicted of crimes... #Makes slanderous lies about us Democrats. #Told German Chancellor she owes him $1 Trillion even though she doesn't him shit. #76% of the claims Trump makes during his rallies are LIES. #He has committed at least NINE impeachable offenses. #He said he believes Russian president Vladimir Putin over OUR OWN intelligence agencies. #He once said in December 2016, "Fuck the law! I don't give a fuck about the law! I want my fucking money!" #Claimed we've won the war on poverty, so let's cut food stamp programs. No we haven't. #He threatened to nuke the economy to spite China. #He said he'd drain the swamp, yet he was 86 lobbyists on his staff. #He thinks everyone else is as stupid as he is. #Corporations are PRAYING that Trump tweets us into a war. #He told a crowd "reality isn't real" so they should ignore it. #Wages have tanked after Trump's wealthy tax cut. #Nixon was guilty as hell and Trump sounds just like him. #He actually claimed you need a Picture ID to buy cereal....CEREAL...WHO IS THIS STUPID?!?! #He claimed people will die if we don't make cars less fuel efficient. #By August 2018 his lie count topped 4,200+. By May 2019, it’s now 10,000+. #His administration is now allowing more toxic asbestos into our daily lives. #His wife plagiarized Michelle Obama in a speech during the election. #He watches tapes of his rallies to marvel at his own "brilliance", if that's what you call it. More like jerking off to himself. #He said military might is more important that jobs. #He said violating ethics rules to meet with Fox news is in "the public's interest" #Discreetly called for Hillary Clinton's assassination by firearm (”Second Amendment people”) if she had won. #Claimed he would ONLY accept the results of the 2016 election IF HE WON. #Said "Let's fucking kill him" of Bashar al-Assad. Yes, Assad is a bad man, but WE DON'T ASSASSINATE PEOPLE. #He said he wants to separate migrants kids from parents INDEFINITELY. #He acted like a total ass on the 2018 9/11 anniversary. #He denies that 3,000+ Puerto Ricans died in Hurricane Maria. #Pentagon officials had to stop Trump from tweeting us into a war. #American taxpayers spent $77 MILLION on Trump's Golf trips. #Criticized Obama for golf trips...has taken more golf trips in 3 years than Obama did in 8. #Said the FBI is a "Cancer to the country". #His administration cut cancer research funding to pay for child prisons. #Puerto Rico won't get statehood simply because they were mean to him. *His administration said Planet is burning down, so let's just ruin it now. *Says he loves North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un. “We fell in love”. *Talked about his dick at the debates. *He is being investigated for tax evasion and fraud. *Hates immigrants, married two Eastern European immigrant, son of a Scottish immigrant and grandson of a German immigrant. *Claimed Iraq War was wrong, yet he has increased troop numbers there. *Compared sexual assault victims to arsonists. #He denied Saudi Arabia financial interests...AFTER bragging about them. #He hasn't condemned Saudi Arabia for their murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. #He mocked decorated Navy SEAL, saying they should've gotten Osama bin Laden sooner. WHAT? #He banned 2 Million Federal workers from discussing his impeachment at work. #He demanded that he leave the G20 during the climate change discussion. #He told about skyrocketing national debt: "I won't be here." when it explodes. #Called a US Senator "The Dick". #*His hush money payments were done ILLEGALLY, with campaign cash. #His cult sent bombs to everyone he criticized. Not saying he's directly responsible but that's how cultist his fans are. #He threatened to bring Saturday Night Live to court simply for making fun of him. Awww poor baby, is someone making fun of you? Good. #Never has a president been under so much investigations except Richard Nixon. #He pulled us out of the Paris agreements. #His 2018 government shutdown lasted 35 days and was over a stupid wall. #He only works 40% of the day. He's the laziest POTUS ever. #He pulled us out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. HE STARTED A NEW COLD WAR. #He won’t release his taxes. If he’s got nothing to hide, why HIDE EM? #He threatened us Democrats, saying he has the support of the police, the military and “Bikers for Trump.” Bikers for Trump=BrownShirts. #Claims that windmill causes cancer and kill birds...Are you fucking kidding me? #His son Donny Douchebag got a crowd to chant “AOC sucks” like the douchebag he is. #Claimed his father was born in Germany. Fred Trump was born in NYC, how stupid can you be to not know where your parents were born... #Claims he should get 2 more years added to his term because those 2 years were “stolen” by the Mueller report. *facepalm-cringe* #He told 4 Progressive non-white Congresswomen to “Go back to where you came from”. 3 of 4 were BORN HERE, YOU FUCKING RACIST #One-uped the “go back to your country” but viciously attacking Elijah Cummings and Baltimore in a racist Twitter tirade. #Extorted the Ukrainian President to investigate Joe Biden (finally being impeached) #He's always blaming everybody else, complaining, never taking responsibility. #"I inherited a mess." You inherited millions of dollars, you whiny...little...BITCH!

#Trump #Donald Trump #Fat Donnie #I hate Trump #Why I hate Trump #Bernie 2020 #Why I'm not a Republican #Impeach the MF #Impeach the MFer #Impeach the Motherfucker #I love Bernie

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antoine-roquentin · 6 years

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One of the pretenses of right-wing energy policy is that conservatives support a “level playing field,” upon which energy sources can compete without subsidies. Let the market decide!

As I have written many times, this is a juvenile notion. Markets are powerful tools for directing private capital and innovation, useful in the right circumstances. But the idea that there ever has been, or ever can be, an open, unbiased, “free” market for energy sources is a fantasy that should stay in the college library with the Ayn Rand novels. It is analytically inert; it does nothing to illuminate whether current markets are working or help us decide how best to use markets to serve our greater goals.

The fundamental reason the “free market” ideal is unhelpful in energy is that it’s impossible to ever truly settle what is and isn’t a market-distorting subsidy. Some subsidies, like explicit cash grants or tax breaks, are easy enough to identify, but beyond that there is a whole complex world of implicit subsidies.

If an energy source has negative impacts that are not incorporated in its market price (negative “externalities,” in the jargon), that means other people are paying for those impacts. The source is implicitly subsidized.

Here’s the thing: Every energy source and energy industry has both positive and negative externalities. Deciding which ones “distort markets,” which ones count as implicit subsidies (or implicit taxes) virtually always comes down to a subjective judgment.

And the implicit subsidies dwarf the explicit subsidies, so arguing about the latter while unable to agree on the former is uniquely pointless.

In practice, most political disputes over subsidies just end up obscuring values-based arguments about what kind of future we want behind a veil of pseudo-objective economic jargon. One’s own favored energy sources receive commonsense support; the other side’s energy sources are on corporate welfare. And so it goes.

This week brought an excellent example, in the form of a new paper from Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE), a clean-energy advocacy group composed of retired military and business leaders. It attempts to put a number on one of the great, neglected implicit subsidies for oil: the costs to the US military of defending oil supplies, everything from guarding shipping lanes to maintaining troop commitments in key oil-producing nations.

The number, it turns out, is high: $81 billion a year at the low end, which is almost certainly conservative.

But is that a subsidy for oil? It is certainly one way oil dependence has shaped the country, its history, and its institutions — one of countless ways — but does putting a dollar figure on it and calling it a “market distortion” clarify anything or convince anyone?

We will ponder those questions in a moment, but first, a quick look at the study.

Given that almost any military procurement or deployment has multiple, overlapping objectives, it is obviously difficult to pick out exactly which ones are devoted to protecting oil supplies. Consequently, the methodology for a study like this is going to be full of assumptions and judgment calls. But SAFE did its best to stay reasonably conservative.

Its research surveyed the literature on the costs of defending oil supplies, eliminated some of the extreme estimates on the high and low ends, settled on six core studies, and then updated the numbers in those studies based on current DOD costs. The idea was to get at least a rough sense of how much the US military currently spends guarding oil.

That’s how SAFE developed the $81-billion-a-year estimate, which represents 16 percent of DOD’s base annual budget. “Spread out over the 19.8 million barrels of oil consumed daily in the U.S. in 2017,” SAFE writes, “the implicit subsidy for all petroleum consumers is approximately $11.25 per barrel of crude oil, or $0.28 per gallon of transportation fuel.”

That’s a lot! But it’s almost certainly too low.

One conservative move in the analysis was to exclude DOD’s Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) budget, which basically covers the incremental costs, over and above the base DOD budget, of the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars. By excluding OCO, SAFE does not count those wars among the costs of defending oil.

Some of the retired military leaders it interviewed questioned that assumption.

“I would make the case that the OCO spending is related to oil protection,” said former Secretary of the Navy John Lehman. “More than half the Defense budget is for the security of Persian Gulf oil.” His comments were echoed by numerous other ex-military officials.

If the OCO costs, or some portion of them, are included in the tally, the subsidy number obviously rises, “to over $13 per barrel or $0.31 per gallon.”

And that’s still only direct military costs, which are just one piece of the puzzle. The economists Linda Bilmes and Joseph Stiglitz have done extraordinary work attempting to tally up the full costs of the wars, including higher oil prices, debt service, obligations to returning veterans, lost wages, lost lives, and much else. They estimated the total at somewhere between $4 and $6 trillion.

If you take the midpoint estimate of $5 trillion, “a conservative estimate of the per gallon cost for these wars easily exceeds $30 per barrel (over $0.70 per gallon) over a 20-year period.” And that’s separate from the other $0.28 per gallon SAFE calculated from DOD’s base annual budget.

Add all that up, and it’s close to a $1 subsidy for a gallon of gas. That roughly translates to a subsidy of $100 per ton of carbon dioxide emissions. That’s a lot to pay to destroy the atmosphere!

Now, of course, people of good faith can disagree about the right estimate, whether $81 billion or something higher. Like I said, there are plenty of judgment calls about what to include in the tally.

But no one can justify the current practice of US government agencies, which is to put the cost of defending global oil supplies at zero dollars.

Yes, zero. When assessing policies meant to reduce oil consumption, agencies give no weight at all to the benefits of reduced military spending. SAFE puts it this way, in its striking opening sentence: “According to the calculations of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the cost to the United States of defending the global oil supply is zero.”

Why do they do this? It has to do with the way DOD is budgeted. To make a long story short, the assumption is that if the money wasn’t spent defending oil, it would go to some other military objective. DOD budgets would not decline, and thus there would be no savings to taxpayers. Thus: $0.

Obviously that’s silly. Just because the money would be budgeted to something else doesn’t mean it’s imaginary. The whole point is that reducing reliance on oil would free up that money to do other things.

“If we can reduce our dependence on oil, we could reduce our presence in the Gulf and use the funds for other critical military priorities, like cybersecurity or hypersonic weapons,” said General Duncan McNabb, former commander of the US Transportation Command. “We would make different choices that would make us safer and more secure.”

These are the perpetually overlooked “opportunity costs” of oil — all the other stuff we could be doing if we weren’t hunched over the globe, guarding our black gold.

Federal agencies shouldn’t ignore those costs. Policies that reduce oil dependence should be credited in some way for also reducing the costs of oil protection. In that sense, it very much makes sense to frame oil-protection costs as subsidies for oil.

The language of “subsidies” often obscures an essentially moral argument

But I wonder whether the language of “subsidies” is really the right way to understand what’s going on here. (I have no idea if it’s effective messaging that can sway policymakers or the public; maybe so! That’s a separate question.)

We defend oil because we depend on it, and so does everybody else. It’s the lifeblood of the global economy; controlling it makes us powerful. As Vice President Dick Cheney said in 2004: “Oil is unique in that it is so strategic in nature. We are not talking about soapflakes or leisurewear here. Energy is truly fundamental to the world’s economy. The Gulf War was a reflection of that reality.”

Everything is a reflection of that reality. Because oil is fundamental to our economy and our ability to project power, it shapes our foreign policy in myriad direct and indirect ways. Securing oil supply is not always the proximate or primary cause of what we do — it’s too simple to say we “fought wars for oil” — but it always sets the conditions and limits of our engagement. It’s always a baseline. We simply cannot afford to do things that might seriously threaten our control over the energy that runs our economy and our military.

You can draw a line around some part of that geopolitical and military maneuvering and call it a “subsidy” — for oil producers? for oil consumers? for the military itself? — but where you draw that line will always come down to subjective judgment. Oil powers everything, so everything is, in some way or another, about oil.

To call this maintenance of global status a “subsidy” is to translate the language of security, power, and moral tradeoffs into the language of economics. But does that help us understand it any better? Does it convince anyone?

People these days seem to think the language of economics has a kind of magical power, as though money, in the end, is all people really care about — as though all other concerns must be translated to dollar values to have any weight.

I’m skeptical about that. (I think it has more to do with the outsized influence of economics on American elites than it does with real-world sociology.) I can’t imagine anyone who currently supports the fossil fuel-based global order being convinced to oppose it by the realization that it knocks the equivalent $1.74 off their monthly paycheck.

People come to their political opinions based on stories and narratives, based on identity affiliation and sorting, not based on nickel-and-dime calculations regarding their own household budgets. We are social creatures, not the calculating self-interest maximizers of economic lore.

If I wanted to convince someone that US oil dependence is bad, I wouldn’t focus first, or at all, on the few cents it adds to their daily expenses. I would begin with a moral argument.

To wit: The world’s countries have long been trapped in a corrupt struggle for finite resources that has carried untold colonialist oppression and ecological ruin in its wake. Oil has sullied everything it touches, very much including the US government. It has led us to ally with evil regimes, to empower autocrats, to bully vulnerable populations, to start unjust and pointless wars, to foul our land, water, and air, and to bloat the size of our military beyond all reason — all while we neglect the needs of US citizens at home.

Perhaps at one time it could have been argued that the benefits outweigh the costs. But climate change has settled that argument, as has the plunging cost of energy alternatives. We now understand that the costs oil dependence are potentially existential and that the costs of freeing ourselves from oil are manageable.

i like how this article begins to grapple with the notion that military control over oil is how america maintains a global empire, but backs off before it realizes that all this military spending is really a net surplus for america because it ensures the dollar is the global currency sovereign, thus america can just print whatever it needs to buy whatever it want because other countries are obligated to get their hands on it to buy and sell goods on the international market.

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lemodo · 4 years

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ITALY’S RECIPE FOR DISASTER

Published March 24, 2020

By Giacomino Nicolazzo; one of Italy’s most beloved writers. Born and raised in Central Pennsylvania USA, he lives in a small village in Lombardy where he writes his books.

Montecalvo, Lombardy, Italy.

Stores and shops have been shuttered. Restaurants and coffee shops no longer serve customers. Schools, universities, sporting arenas…even our museums and theaters…all closed. Even the Vatican City has closed its gates and armed patrols monitor the 20 foot tall walls that protect it!

Streets and roads are now empty for as far as the eye can see. Normally they would be filled with crazed Italian drivers in tiny cars and scooters (the ones that sound like demonic insects) darting here and there, reaching the limits of centrifugal force on our roundabouts. In the piazze of our towns and cities, there are now officially more pigeons than people. Many of us know someone who has been infected and recovered. Some of us know someone who did not recover…now they are dead. But everyone knows someone who has been affected by this microscopic monster in one way or another.

Sixty million of us are in lockdown…it is like a war zone here. We are being held prisoner in our own homes by an unseen enemy that sneaked in unnoticed…by most of us. As you will read in just a few more minutes, there were those who knew something like this was coming…or at least they should have.

So who is to blame? With all this craziness swirling like a whirlpool at our feet, I just had to find the blame answer. And so I have spent my free time (of which I have a lot in these days) digging and researching. I was literally shocked to discover how this has come to be.

I am not going to bore you with talk of Patient ‘0’ who spread it to Patient ‘1’ and how mathematics efficiently explains the rapid expansion of infection. No…I am going to tell you how (as I see it) the virus came to Italy.

It has everything to do with communism. Allow me to explain. Beginning in about 2014, Matteo Renzi, the imbecile ex-mayor of Firenze (Florence) acting as the leader of the Partito Democratico (synonymous with the Italian Communist party), somehow managed to get himself elected as Italy’s Prime Minister. To give you a proper frame of reference, Matteo Renzi was so far left, he would make Barack Obama look like Barry Goldwater!

And in the midst of all this financial chicanery, the Chinese began furiously buying up Italian real estate and businesses in the North.

Now the reason I mention Renzi and the Chinese together is that strange things were also going on between the governments of Italy and China. A blind eye was being turned to the way the Chinese were buying businesses in the financial, telecommunication, industrial and fashion sectors of Italy’s economy, all of which take place in Milano.

Cameron in the UK) said a thing in their country’s defense. As a matter of fact, much of it was hidden from the public in all three countries.

In ‪2014, China‬ infused the Italian economy with €5 billion through purchases of companies costing less than €100 million each By the time Renzi left office (in disgrace) in 2016, Chinese acquisitions had exceeded €52 billion. When the dust settled, China owned more than 300 companies…representing 27% of the major Italian corporations.

The Bank of China now owns five major banks in Italy…all of which had been secretly (and illegally) propped up by Renzi using pilfered pension funds! Soon after, the China Milano Equity Exchange was opened and much of Italy’s wealth was being funneled back to the Chinese mainland.

Chinese state entities own Italy’s major telecommunication corporation (Telecom) as well as its major utilities (ENI and ENEL)... Upon entry into the telecommunication market, Huawei established a facility in Segrate, a suburb of Milano. It launched is first research center there and worked on the study of microwaves which has resulted in the possibly-dangerous technology we call 5G.

China also now owns controlling interest in Fiat-Chrysler, Prysmian and Terna. You will be surprised to know that when you put a set of Pirelli tires on your car, the profits are going to China. Yep…the Chinese

colossus of ChemChina, a chemical industry titan, bought that company too!

Last but not least is Ferretti yachts…the most prestigious yacht builder in Europe. Incredibly, it is no longer owned by the Ferretti family.

Designer Salvatore Ferragamo sold 16% and Caruso sold 35%. The most famous case is Krizia, purchased in 2014 by Shenzhen Marisfrolg Fashion Company, one of the leaders of high-priced, ready-to-wear fashions in Asia.

Quite literally, tens of thousands of Chinese came in through Milano (illegally) and went back out carrying money, technology and corporate secrets.

It was not until there was a change in the governing party in Italy that the sweatshops and the illegal entry and departure of Chinese nationals was stopped. Matteo Salvini, representing the Lega Nord party, closed Italy’s ports to immigrants and systematically began disassembling the sweatshops and deporting those in Italy illegally.

undocumented refugees from the Middle East and East Africa began pouring in again. Access was again provided to the Chinese, under the old terms, and as a consequence thousands of Chinese, the majority from Wuhan, began arriving in Milano.

Most of the money never reached a single victim in the mountains. The Renzi government redirected the vast majority of those funds to pay for the growing immigrant and refugee costs.

As the economy worsened under the burden of illegal immigration, compounded by gross government spending and incompetence, unemployment rose quickly…especially among young people. The unemployment rate for men and women under age 35 is close to 40%. So more money was diverted from the health care system and used to pay what is known here as guaranteed income. Whether you work or not you are paid here, especially if you belong to the PD! The government simply raises taxes on those who do work.

Let me give you a quick example of the height of insanity to which Italian taxation has risen. If you live in a building that has a balcony or balconies…and any of those balconies cast a shadow on the ground, you must pay a public shadow tax! I will say no more!

The point I am trying to make here is that not only did the Chinese bring the virus to Italy (and the rest of the world) it was far-Left politics and policies that facilitated it.

#ccpvirus #wuhancoronavirus #wuhan pneumonia #wuhanvirus #wuhan institute of virology #giacominonicolazzo

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fnewstoday · 5 years

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Want To Apply For A Credit Card? Here Are WalletHub Founder Advices

One of the first services in the United States that offers full daily control over credit reporting, and available for free - WalletHub, conducted its next post-holiday study of consumer sentiments and impressions of Christmas and New Year shopping. Below we will dwell on the results of this study in order to better understand the question of when the most optimal time to apply for a credit card comes, which becomes especially relevant due to debts arising during the holiday shopping. The WalletHub project was created by Odysseas Papadimitriou to make it easy for all ordinary people to manage and control their financial and credit life without unnecessary effort and expense. This allows you to respond in a timely manner to negative changes in credit status and helps to quickly take measures to prevent such modification. Thanks to this, you will be able to improve and maintain at a high level your creditworthiness. Having successfully worked for more than a decade and a half in the field of finance, including as the marketing director of such a large financial company as Capital One, having earned more than half a billion dollars for it, the founder of WalletHub Odysseas Papadimitriou saw the pains and needs of ordinary people regarding personal finances. First, he decided to help Americans find the best credit card options for their needs by creating the CardHub service, which allows you to very clearly compare different credit cards by various parameters, after which, expanding functionality and transforming, the WalletHub website appeared.

WalletHub-project-was-created-by-Odysseas-Papadimitriou What does financial expert creator WalletHub Odyssey Papadimitriu say about this Before you find out the answers to our questions in brief about who Odysseus Papadimitriou is and why it is worth listening to his opinion when it comes to personal finances. His expertise was based on diplomas in civil engineering (Bachelor of Brown University), as well as business administration (Master's degree from Duke University, Fuqua School of Business), after which he gained many years of successful experience in the financial field. This made him such an authoritative and sought-after expert in this field that leading American publications often publish his opinions on various events and issues that concern finance in one way or another. If the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and other reputable media trust the competence of the Odyssey, then I believe that we too can do it.

After the holiday shopping, there are a lot of regrets - why?

Many people in the festive bustle, wanting to buy everyone gifts or buy something home, succumb to the tricks of sellers and attractive price tags at Christmas sales. It is not surprising that in such a situation, you can easily buy what you really do not need or what does not meet your expectations. And all would be fine, but very often not own funds are spent on such additional acquisitions, but funds from a credit line. So after the end of the holidays at the beginning of each new year comes a shopping “hangover” when you begin to critically evaluate the expenses and purchases made earlier at holiday sales and calculate the debts formed after this.

Have Americans feel better since the last election?

Despite the fact that most consumers talk about improvements, one third of Americans have not felt the economic changes for the better for themselves. Compared to 2016, not everyone this year understood from their business that there was a record economic growth in their country. However, this is generally a normal state of affairs, since initially all consumers are in different conditions and it is never good or bad for everyone. If we talk about almost 70% of Americans, then despite the increased national debt and other nuances, they noticed the improvements taking place in the country's economy.

More study results

According to WalletHub consumer research data, at the end of 2019, about 50 million consumers in pre-holiday shopping fever bought what they did not need or of inadequate quality and almost 100 million Americans bought more than they intended or could actually afford. Now they will have to work out such unnecessary expenses in order to pay off the balance on their credit cards and pay lenders the interest rate for using the credit line. In this regard, after the New Year holidays 2019-2020, a third of Americans believe that it is now time to apply for a credit card for them right now to solve the debt problem that arose after Christmas shopping. A quarter more Americans than last year will try to register a new credit card in the near future. This roughly corresponds to the fact that after the new year 2/3 of consumers are going to intensively save in order to pay off their debts in December as quickly as possible. Compared to 2018, much more people of different generations stated that they had made extra purchases for Christmas 2019, which they did not intend to do or which they should not have made, so as not to go beyond their budget. Now they have to pay for succumbing to marketing tricks of sellers, while using a loan, increasing their balance on a credit card. Then consumers expressed their opinion on the best credit cards in their opinion in different categories. If an American is going to build or restore his credit, then in the new 2020 he is more likely to choose a card that does not charge an annual payment and has a reward system in the form of a cashback, namely Discover it Secured. This bank card option offers 1-2% rewards from purchases and the best conditions in the first year of use. If in 2020 the consumer is about to open a new credit card for debt consolidation or balance transfer, then thanks to a zero interest rate in the first 15-18 months, he or she will most likely choose one of Bank of America credit cards. Amex EveryDay offers 15 months with zero interest, the BankAmericard card will provide you with 18 months of a grace period when you do not have to pay the bank an annual interest rate when transferring the balance in the first months after registering this credit. In the event that you are aiming to receive rewards from the issuer for using your credit card, thanks to the initial bonus of three quarters of a thousand dollars for travel, most American consumers would advise you Chase Sapphire Preferred. In addition, users of this credit card for 1 dollar spent, get 2 points when they pay with a card for food or travel.

it-will-be-easier-for-you-to-manage-your-loans-and-debts-later

When is the best time to apply for a credit card?

Now, after the biggest expenses of the year, most people wonder about the time to apply for a credit card in order to deal with arising debts, but at the same time not to make even more new debts. Such thoughts arise for many consumers now for no reason, apparently intuition tells people that right now it is necessary to act in this direction. After the new year, the most suitable period begins in order to register a new credit card and transfer the balance to it from old cards or to consolidate your debts from different loans. Now it’s not only the highest level of motivation for people to pay off debts, but also offers from credit card issuers that best meet these consumer needs. Right now you can find the most attractive conditions to apply for a credit card and transferring your balance; right now, lenders offer the most favorable conditions for consolidating your debts. In addition, starting now, it will be easier for you to manage your loans and debts later, counting down from the first month of the year, especially if you combine them into one common one. One date, one amount, and it’s already much easier for you to manage your payments on time, avoiding late payments, penalties and other additional payments and unnecessary expenses. You can also use the WalletHub service for free to track changes in your credit rating and ultimately save not only your money in paying interest rates, but also time that could be used to resolve disputes and correct errors in your credit reports. Use the application form in one place to find out what different lenders can offer you. Just fill out your details once, the amount and term of the loan for which you are counting and get feedback from many credit companies. You no longer have to visit the offices of many companies to just find out what you can count on.

use-the-WalletHub-service-for-free-to-track-changes

How accurate is the information?

The service uses the latest information about the state of the market, as well as proposals from lenders, however it cannot be responsible for all changes at each lender's company. The website itself does not directly provide financing services, but in fact it is an information hub and only helps its users to choose the best option from the offers on the lending market. Our resource is ready to provide information and advice on which option will be most relevant to you in your circumstances, if you report them. At the same time, our site is not directly connected with any of the lenders, and is an independent information resource. Using this service you can get objective information about the financial product you are interested in, but we are not responsible for changes and decisions of the companies that provide financing. The company is constantly working to ensure that you receive the most up-to-date information on loans and credit cards, so you can count on the latest information and apply for a credit card, but we do not guarantee you any results or decisions from other companies, simply because it is not possible. If a credit company changes the requirements for borrowers or increases, for example, the interest rate, we will know about it as soon as it publishes this information, but not earlier. Of course, you can directly contact the resources of each credit company individually, but given their amount, you can spend a lot of time on this, especially if you try to figure out the features of each product that each of them offers. The main advantage that you can get when using our service is the elimination of errors that can be made on the website of each company, since we take information directly from the office of each lender. Use the application form on our page if you want to know what types of financing are available to you now and what you can really count on in the near future. Also learn more about personal finance and credit in our blog or ask questions to our personal finance specialists by leaving your comments below. Read the full article

#ApplyForACreditCard #ChooseACreditCard #digitalwallet #WalletHub

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polixy · 5 years

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Most U.S. adults intend to participate in 2020 census, but some demographic groups aren’t sure

Most U.S. adults intend to participate in 2020 census, but some demographic groups aren’t sure;

(Orbon Alija via Getty Images)

As the 2020 U.S. census approaches, Americans overwhelmingly are aware of it, and more than eight-in-ten (84%) say they definitely or probably will participate, a new Pew Research Center survey finds. Still, 16% express at least some uncertainty about responding, with higher shares saying this among some demographic groups.

Black and Hispanic adults, as well as those with lower income levels, are more likely to say they probably or definitely will not participate in the census, or that they might or might not. Black and Hispanic adults have been undercounted in the past, while lower-income adults are classified as a “hard to count” population, according to Census Bureau research.

Age is also an important predictor of whether people say they may participate, even after controlling for other factors. Young adults – those ages 18 to 29 – are least likely to be on board of the four age groups included in this analysis.

There is no notable difference between Democrats and Republicans (including those who lean toward each party) when it comes to awareness of the census and intention to participate.

The new national survey was conducted online Sept. 16-29 among 6,878 adults, in English and Spanish, using Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel.

The 2020 census will begin in remote parts of Alaska in January, but most U.S. households will receive mailings in March asking them to participate. In addition to the basic population count, the form asks for each person’s age, sex, Hispanic origin, race and relationship to the resident in their household who fills out the questionnaire. Census numbers are used to allocate seats in the House of Representatives among the states, redistrict political boundaries within states, guide the distribution of billions of dollars in federal funds and support public, nonprofit and commercial research.

Americans have had high awareness of the census at least as far back as late 2018. In a comparable survey in November 2018, 95% of adults said they had heard of the U.S. census.

In Pew Research Center surveys conducted before and during the 2010 census, 92% of Americans said they were aware of the census in early January that year, and 94% were aware of it in mid-March. As census-related advertising and news coverage grew, the share who reported hearing something recently rose from 44% in January to 79% in March. By March 2010, roughly nine-in-ten Americans (87%) said they definitely or probably would fill out their forms (or already had), a 6 percentage point increase from that January. However, the Center’s 2010 surveys were conducted via telephone (landline and cellphone), and due to the difference in modes, results may not be directly comparable to those of the 2019 survey conducted online.

Majority have heard something about the census lately

The new survey finds wide awareness about the census across all demographic groups. A majority of U.S. adults (54%) say they have heard something recently – within the last month or so – about the census. Adults younger than 30 are least likely to have heard something recently, while those ages 65 and older are more than twice as likely to say the same. Men are more likely than women to say so, as are whites when compared with black and Hispanic adults.

There are also differences by Americans’ education and income. Those with a bachelor’s degree or higher or incomes over $75,000 are more likely to have heard something recently about the census. (See additional tables for more information.)

The 2020 census was prominently in the news in July, when President Donald Trump dropped his idea to add a question about citizenship to the form following a Supreme Court ruling against the plan. When proposed in March 2018, the government said the question was needed to enforce civil rights laws, but opponents who filed suit to block it said it would discourage immigrants and others from responding. With the question off the form, the government instead is collecting citizenship information from its own administrative records, and plans to publish these numbers in 2021.

Census Bureau Director Stephen Dillingham said at a congressional hearing in July that publicity over the citizenship question may have increased awareness of the 2020 census.

More than nine-in-ten say census is important to U.S.

Among adults in the new survey, there is near-universal (94%) belief that the census is very important (63%) or somewhat important (31%) for the United States.

When it comes to the impact on their community, about half of adults (48%) say that filling out the census form will have a beneficial effect and half (48%) say it will have neither a beneficial nor a harmful one. Another 3% say it will harm their community.

Most Americans (78%) think that filling out a census form will neither benefit nor harm them personally, according to the survey. An additional 19% say it will benefit them personally. Small shares say that filling out the form will harm them personally, including 4% of Hispanic adults, 3% of black adults and 1% of white adults.

There is no difference between Democrats and Republicans (including people who lean toward each party) on whether the census is important for the U.S. However, Democrats are a little more likely than Republicans to say that responding to the census will benefit them or their community.

The shares of adults who believe participating in the census would benefit their community or them personally are somewhat lower than in the Pew Research Center telephone survey conducted in March 2010. In that survey, 62% said participation would benefit their community (compared with 48% who say so in the current survey) and 33% said it would personally benefit them (versus 19% in the current survey).

People who believe the census is important to the U.S. or beneficial to them or their communities are more likely to say they will respond. For example, 94% of adults who say that responding to the census will benefit their community say they probably or definitely will participate in it. That compares with 75% of those who think the census will neither benefit nor harm their community and 58% of those who say it will harm their community.

Adults who are black or Hispanic, those who are younger and those with lower income levels are less convinced of the importance of the census and its benefits for their community.

In general, adults who are white and older or have higher income levels are most likely to say they intend to participate and that the census is important for the nation.

Even though more than eight-in-ten U.S. adults say they plan to participate in the 2020 census, Census Bureau research has found that the actual census response rate is lower than the share of adults who say they intend to participate. The lower the self-response rate, the more the Census Bureau spends on sending employees to knock on the doors of nonresponding households, and the responses could be less accurate.

Note: See full topline results, methodology and additional tables with more demographic detail.

; Blog – Pew Research Center; https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/10/18/most-u-s-adults-intend-to-participate-in-2020-census/; ; October 18, 2019 at 10:05AM

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verifiedcomplaints-blog · 6 years

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Tony Robbins – The Seller of Nothing

Tony Robbins is a fine example of people who make it big through selling BS products. He is called the infomercial king for a reason, he is good at that. He is so good at selling BS products that he has made a fortune on the same. But it doesn’t mean that he is a legitimate coach. If I say a lie a thousand times, will it become truth? Certainly not. Tony Robbins is a compulsive liar. He preys on people’s emotions and through their hearts, finds his way into their wallets. He plays with people’s emotions and if you ask me, that’s not a good thing. It’s unethical. He is a scam and his entire brand is based on lying to everyone. The only difference between him and any other con artist is of style. Tony yells a lot and uses a lot of cuss words. You won’t find these many self-help coaches who yell the F-word this many times. Tony has no (or little) knowledge of all the topics he talks about. He is simply a liar who knows his way around a crowd. His seminars are worthless and their price is always in thousands. He manipulates people and if you will see any one of his speeches with some logic, you will see that he only speaks rubbish. Amazingly, his lies are selling books and people are falling prey to his scams again and again. I went to one of his seminars, bought one of his books and I can say, he is nothing other than an overrated yelling liar. Whatever Tony is today, he is because of his large web of lies and cheats. I can’t believe the amount of turmoil he has made others go through. His seminars are painful, useless and cost a lot.

Who is Tony Robbins?

There is a whole Wikipedia page about Tony Robbins. There is another biography present on his own website if you take a lot of interest in his biography, feel free to visit his site. Tony was born as Anthony J. Mahavoric on 29th February 1960 in North Hollywood, California. He says his early life had been full of chaos and he used to work as a handyman to help provide for his family. He left his home when he was 17 years old and started working as a janitor. He did not go to college. His scams started as a motivational speaker after he met Jim Rohn. He used to do promotions for speakers at that time. He became a business partner with John Grinder later on. He started teaching Ericksonian Hypnosis and NLP. He released his first infomercial in 1988. This is when he started his scam. His infomercial was a big hit because of his good deception skills and lying ability. If you would go to his website, you will find a profile of a narcissist. There, you will see the bio praising Tony’s lifetime achievements. It tells you that Tony is six times best-selling author and a guy who has changed the lives of over 50 million people. Do you know why he has this many bestsellers? It’s not because he is an expert or a thought leader. It’s because he writes BS books on topics that sell and markets them as if they’re going to change your life. If you will see the ad of a book, which costs a few dollars, telling you that you can transform your life completely by getting a copy of the same, chances are, you’ll buy it without a doubt. Like many successful con artists, Tony knows how to deceive and manipulate people. He uses different strategies, used by scammers and con artists, to deceive people on a large scale. If you will read his ‘life-changing’ books with attention, you will find them full of useless, vague advice. There is nothing valuable present in all of his bestselling books. He is a renowned businessman, however. His fake persona has helped him gain accolades and awards. He is not only a con artist and a scam but he is also a narcissist. The start of his biography (present on his website) can give you a glimpse of his narcissism: “The #1 Life and Business Strategist” His bio keeps telling you how great he is, how generous he is, and what an impact he has made on the world. When I went to one of his seminars and read a few reviews of the same, I found his egoistic nature in its best form. When you hear him talking about something on the stage, he only praises himself. Tony’s companies have a business of $5 billion per year. This depraved man has made a fortune on the hard earned money of innocent people. It’s a sad truth that such liars and scammers are living lavish lifestyles by cheating other honest people. I wish this review will help you realize how narcissistic and depraved Tony Robbins really is.

He Sells Lies (My Story)

I had attended one of his seminars because I was intrigued by his daunting presence. I searched for him online and found him to be one of the highest earning self-help coaches and motivational speakers. I thought to myself this guy must be amazing. But before I thought of going to one of his seminars, I thought I should check out one of his books. Now, you should note that Tony Robbins is also a bestselling author and anyone would trust a bestselling book, wouldn’t you? So I bought his book “MONEY: Master the Game.” And I can tell you one thing, it is full of nonsense. The book doesn’t tell you anything about wealth management or boosting one’s income. Like his all other self-help books and seminars, this book was also full of rubbish content that provided me with no value or insight. I’m not a book reviewer so I don’t know how to say this but if I wanted to sum it up in a few words I would say that THE BOOK IS USELESS. It was my first book regarding finance and I was amazed by the thoughts Tony was sharing. When a multi-millionaire is giving you advice on how to manage your funds to get rich, wouldn’t you take it? I was foolish at that time to believe in Tony. Now I know that one should always check the credentials of a financial guru before heeding his/her advice. The irony is, Tony tells you to check the credentials of a finance guru as well. When I think of it now, I consider it as one of the stupidest mistakes of my life. This guy has zero credentials and he doesn’t have any finance experience. It’s true that he is rich (too rich to be honest) but that doesn’t give him the qualifications to give financial advice to middle-class Americans. His book first discusses some motivational garbage. You shouldn’t be surprised to see useless motivating garbage in any of Tony’s books because that’s what increases his sales. And talking about motivation is the only thing Tony knows in reality. I am talking about the rubbish present in his book now but at that time, I didn’t find his advice useless. I was impressed by his writing and I thought I could learn more if I attended one of his seminars. Moreover, Tony’s infomercials always plague the television. Every American has seen Tony Robbins’ infomercials at least once on TV. I was too stupid to trust this guy. Anyways, I booked a ticket for one of his ‘Motivating’ seminars. It cost me $5,000 and believe me, it was a lot for me. I had to switch up my budget and cut back on some expenses to afford this seminar. But the seminar promised valuable knowledge and life-changing insights. And like any other desperate financially struggling person, I was lured by these words. When I attended the seminar, I realized my mistake. It was packed with people who also wanted to change their lives for good and find useful knowledge that will help them in this regard. We had to wait for half an hour after the designated time for Robbins to arrive. There were all kinds of people present in the crowd. What we all visitors got in return to our $5,000 ticket and 30 minutes of waiting was a 45-minute speech from a 6-foot guy who was constantly yelling f*ck. The seminar started with music and Tony entered the stage with enthusiasm. Everything was just too energetic. I was excited to hear more of Tony but after a few minutes into the speech, all my excitement vanished. He was just yelling and saying nonsense things. In about every 2-4 minutes, he would bring up his struggles and how he managed to get ahead in life. Then he started asking questions to the public. He brought out a member of the audience who was suffering from depression. This lady discussed how she has grown tired of her life and that she no longer sees any hope. Do you know what Tony did? He told her that she is wrong to think that way. I loved this part but hated the next. He told her to come to the stage, then he picked 4 random strangers (all men) and told her to hug them tightly. He said, they are your friends and they believe in you. What kind of rubbish was that? Did he really force a woman, who is suffering from depression, to hug four random dudes? I was disgusted. I realized that Tony is a misogynist and he acts as he cares about his followers. Believe me, he doesn’t. His rest of the seminar was full of such BS and trash. I learned nothing of value and I felt angry because I had wasted $5,000 (not counting the cost of the trip) to listen to a middle-aged crazy guy who likes to yell. Oh, and also, he is ignorant. When I asked other visitors, some told me that they had burned up their savings to get to this seminar. They were struggling in their lives and they had hoped Tony would give them some useful guidance. When the seminar ended, the organizers started pushing us to buy more of his tickets and products. One of his ‘advanced’ seminars cost about $8,000! What kind of advice will a guy receive there? Tony Robbins is running a huge scam. He is deceiving people, telling them that he would give them useful advice while all he does is yell for an hour and share his life stories. There is nothing you can learn from Tony Robbins apart from the fact that the world is unfair. There are scammers, liars, cheats, and frauds like Tony, who are earning the big bucks for doing nothing while an honest person toils day and night. I began doubting the book I read, “MONEY: Master the Game”. I did a little research and I found that it is one of the most useless finance books present in the market. Why did it sell so many copies then?

It’s because it sells fake promises and dreams. It’s written by one of the biggest con artists present in your world and Tony spent a lot of money on marketing it. This book is supposed to give you finance wisdom. But the truth is, it gives you nothing more than some vague advice and some motivational garbage. I still regret my purchase of his book and the $5,000 ticket to his seminar. I would have been better off if I hadn’t wasted my money on Tony’s rubbish. My advice is, consult with a certified professional and not with this ignorant, narcissist, who doesn’t have an idea of finance or wealth management.

Allegations and Complaints

There are many people who have suffered due to the malicious lies of Tony. I’m not the only person who thinks Tony is an overrated piece of shit who shouldn’t be allowed to share his views. He is selling lies and the worst part is, people are buying them. A critical review of his book, which I unfortunately read, called “MONEY: Master the Game” was published on the Guardian. Here is the link: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/nov/24/infomercial-king-tony-robbins-wants-to-be-the-next-suze-orman The reviewer discusses how Tony Robbins is not the right person to give you financial advice. This guy caused countless people to be deprived of 90% gains of the stock market when he told his followers to pull out of stocks in 2010. Tony doesn’t know a thing about finance and he is the wrong person to give advice on this topic in all sense. This review also shares how Tony Robbins has used the name of popular investors such as Warren Buffett, Paul Tudor Jones and Jack Bogle. The reviewer has also discussed how Tony Robbins’ advice is useless for most of the readers. The investing tips he is sharing are for those who have hundreds of thousands of dollars in spare (if not millions). And most of the readers of this book, like me, don’t have that kind of money. If you ask me, I think Tony has no idea of finance and investing. He saw an opportunity in finance writing and thought to himself, “Fuck, I’m gonna make myself some money with this now.” And with no prior experience and no basic knowledge of finance, he wrote a book on this subject. I highly suspect that he even wrote it himself. He could have hired a ghostwriter to do the job for him while he goes out there stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from other innocent people. That’s not all - To fuel the sales of his book, he lied publicly about the contents of his book. I’m not the one saying this. You can check the review and see it yourself. He told everyone that he was going to share a ‘never before shared’ strategy of Ray Dalio. The strategy which he shares, in reality, is a common one for any follower of Ray. So, Tony Robbins is a guy who lies vehemently and sells rubbish to thousands of people. To ensure people buy that rubbish, he spends lavishly on marketing and advertising, tricking others into believing that he is legit.

The Truth about his Seminars:

His books aren’t the only trash he sells to the world. Many other people who have visited his seminars have found him to be utterly stupid and vague. I have already shared my story with you. But there are hundreds (if not thousands) of people who agree with me on the point that Tony Robbins is a cheat and his seminars are nothing but a waste. And don’t even get me started on his ‘fire walking’ stunts. They are for show-off and he organizes them to deceive people. Not one, not twice but many times, people have been severely burnt and hurt because of his firewalking routine. The worse thing is the people who get hurt because of the routine blame themselves and not the ‘guru’ for the failure. They think they are unworthy or they lack the will power to succeed in life. They don’t think logically. They don’t look at the facts. They don’t look at the 6-foot guy forcing them to walk on burning coal. No, they blame themselves. These guys don’t sue Tony because of the shame they feel. If Tony asks you to walk on fire and you fail, you are perceived as a wuss and a failure in the eyes of other ardent followers of this monster. Countless people have burned their feet and faced injuries because of Tony’s negligence. But none of them sued this guy. It’s a shame. His nonsense firewalk has been featured in the news because of the injuries it has caused. His firewalk sent 30 people to the hospital whose feet were burnt severely because of the burning coal. According to his website, the firewalk is a symbolic way to help people overcome their fears. And if 1% of the 7,000 participants get burnt, it doesn’t affect them. They don’t care about the well being of their customers. This means if 70 people get burnt, they don’t care. Why should they? The people who are fire-walking have already paid Tony for participating. Frankly, this attitude doesn’t surprise me. If you get physically hurt during a fire-walk with Tony Robbins, don’t expect to get a refund or any aid. You’ll end up with some physical injuries, low self-esteem and a number of people calling you a loser. The kind of businesses Tony Robbins is running is all deceitful. Take a look at all of his information products and you’ll find vague advice on a cashable topic. Tony also has a Netflix documentary called “I’m not your guru”. The title is wasteful because the whole documentary is about him being your guru. I have already discussed one of his seminars (which I attended) and his Netflix documentary is about another one of his events. The main highlights of his event are: Tony forcing a woman to break up with her boyfriend in front of thousands of other people Tony forcefully assigning a few ‘uncles’ to a survivor of sexual abuse Tony hugging a sexual abuse survivor (very tightly) Tony forcing a suicidal lady to speak about the reasons why she wanted to die, in front of thousands of strangers All of this happens in between the constant yelling (of the F-word) by Tony. The fun fact is, all the attendees paid $5,000 for the event. The value they got was zero.

Conclusion

Tony Robbins has created a multi-million empire through his deception, lies and malicious schemes. He sells useless books, yells constantly about his life and uses cuss words more often than necessary. He doesn’t care about his consumers. And he has ruined the lives of innumerable lives. I’m glad that I came to my senses and stopped listening to this cheater. But there are many people who are still falling prey to this wicked fraud. What do you think of Tony now? Do you think he is a legitimate coach or malicious fraud?

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Robbins https://www.tonyrobbins.com/biography/ https://www.headstuff.org/topical/science/heres-tony-robbins-definitely-not-guru/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfYtHbmI-NI https://www.quora.com/Is-Tony-Robbins-a-scam-or-con-artist Read the full article

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bewarereport-blog · 6 years

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Tony Robbins – The Seller of Nothing

Who is Tony Robbins?

He Sells Lies (My Story)

Allegations and Complaints

The Truth about his Seminars:

Conclusion

Sources:

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liarscheatersrus · 6 years

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Tony Robbins – The Seller of Nothing

Who is Tony Robbins?

He Sells Lies (My Story)

Allegations and Complaints

The Truth about his Seminars:

Conclusion

Sources:

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unhappyclient-blog · 6 years

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Tony Robbins – The Seller of Nothing

Who is Tony Robbins?

He Sells Lies (My Story)

Allegations and Complaints

The Truth about his Seminars:

Conclusion

Sources:

0 notes

topscammers-blog · 6 years

Text

Tony Robbins – The Seller of Nothing

Who is Tony Robbins?

He Sells Lies (My Story)

Allegations and Complaints

The Truth about his Seminars:

Conclusion

Sources:

0 notes

garudabluffs · 8 years

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The Mark Zuckerberg Manifesto Is a Blueprint for Destroying Journalism Lip service to the crucial function of the 4th Estate is not enough to sustain it. READ MORE https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/02/the-mark-zuckerberg-manifesto-is-a-blueprint-for-destroying-journalism/517113/?utm_source=pocket&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pockethits

Feb 17, 2017 460 comments

“ newsblok.net is a great place to look for news from a variety of sources. “

longform.org

“ America already gives unearned income (from capital) a huge advantage over earned income (from labor). Capital gains are taxed at a lower rate than ordinary income, yet the richest 1 percent of Americans take in 75 percent of all capital gains. Only the wealthiest 0.04 percent of families owe any estate tax upon death. And Social Security taxes aren't levied on income from capital – interest and dividends.Yet Trump and the Republicans are aiming to go even further. They want to eliminate the estate tax, eliminate all taxes on capital gains, and eliminate all taxes on interest and dividends. It will be the biggest tax giveaway to the rich in history.Leaving Social Security and Medicare sitting ducks for benefit cuts.Trump isn’t helping American workers. He’s shafting them, bigly.”

“ One obvious step would be for Facebook, who rakes in advertising dollars, to pay their content providers, also known as journalists. A system could be devised, for instance, based on the number of shares an article receives (consumers replace the editors, but at least the journalists get paid). But, of course, Facebook has no incentive to pay for something they can get for free any more than the consumer wants to pay for what they now get for free. As previously noted, it is yet another failure of the capitalist system.”

“I'm sorry, but I don't need a bunch of amateur pretend journalists being paid on the basis of their 'shares.' I know it's become unfashionable to defend Journalism- but it is an art and a skill that involves research, field work, writing, fact-checking and editorial oversight. All media have bias because all humans have bias. The best Journalism does its best to 'walk the line,' but will inevitably have failures. Journalists also develop sources and connections... that's why the citizens of this country learn as much as they do about what is happening at the local, state and national levels within their governments. Good Journalism is, ultimately, the only thing standing between any nation and dictatorship. Yes, it's an adjustment to have to pay for something that used to be 'free,' but there really are sources of legit Journalism that are free- and for good reason. Too many people are confusing news aggregators with Journalism. “

“ I disagree with your assertion that a subscription service is the only way of paying for it. For many years now, advertising has paid for much of the news you're exposed to. The problem isn't that that revenue stream has disappeared. The problem is that the revenue isn't flowing through aggregators like Facebook to those who produce the content.”

“CNN is mentioned as getting 3m viewers.BBC News gets 350m, making it bigger than all US news stations combined, but is not mentioned. News journalism is fine.http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacent...“

“If you think that things are getting worse, this is why..."Everybody complains about politicians. Everybody says they suck. Well, where do people think these politicians come from? They don't fall out of the sky. They don't pass through a membrane from another reality. They come from American parents and American families, American homes, American schools, American churches, American businesses and American universities, and they are elected by American citizens. This is the best we can do folks. This is what we have to offer. It's what our system produces: Garbage in, garbage out. If you have selfish, ignorant citizens, you're going to get selfish, ignorant leaders. Term limits ain't going to do any good; you're just going to end up with a brand new bunch of selfish, ignorant Americans. So, maybe, maybe, maybe, it's not the politicians who suck. Maybe something else sucks around here... like, the public. Yeah, the public sucks. There's a nice campaign slogan for somebody: 'The Public Sucks. F*ck Hope.” -- George Carlin

““For keeping us safe, for informing us, for civic engagement, and for inclusion of all.”Righteo.. Well first up, Facebook does not, in my opinion, provide that now, it has never provided that mission statement and I could not be more doubtful about its ability to provide it in the future. Facebook doesn't keep us safe. Facebook provides a medium wherein random people from all over the world post hysterical rumours, opinions, outright lies and third hand information that gets eagerly forwarded on by other random people. Facebook does not inform us. Facebook provides a medium as to which is utilized by random people from all over the world who post rants, comments and panicked fears based on information they have seen, from an unreliable Mainstream Media and an unreliable Alternative Media and from clickbait sites, and other sites online that post more information that feeds whatever agenda they are promoting. Facebook does not provide civic engagement. For Pete's sake. If your idea of civic engagement is liking a picture of a baby posted by your friend you never see anymore, or commenting on a political rant posted by someone in your friends list who you would never spend 5 minutes of real time with etc etc - then sure, Facebook is all about 'providing' civic engagement. The reality is, all it does and all it has ever done, is provide a medium for people to flaunt their narcissism, shriek their fears and bit ch and gossip about other people. None of that is civic engagement in my opinion.

+ Facebook does not provide inclusion for all. When there are apparently 1.9 billion users on a planet with well over 7 billion inhabitants, Facebook users suddenly become an endangered species. And while its fine to count memberships - perhaps its smarter to count ACTIVE users, because from dummy accounts to fake accounts to dead accounts etc etc, the number of active users will be significantly lower than that, I would think.

Plus, this so-called inclusion in the context that this nutcase is actually referring to, only means people who follow the specific political and ideological agenda that one Mark Zuckerberg has. He has no intention of being inclusive to anyone outside of his set of opinions, as he has proven, such as with the Merkel conversation. So, inclusion is fine - as long as you agree and fall in line with the cult of Zuckerberg. No thanks, I will pass on that, myself.

The Media also, only has itself to blame. I have almost zero sympathy for journalism when journalism stopped even paying lip service to the notion of journalistic integrity and objectivity. Media, whether Mainstream or Alternative became nothing more than Opinion, quite a long time ago. If I want to read Opinion, there are a trillion places to go for it. I would pay top dollar - and I would be happy to break the 24 hour news cycle and wait for actual news - even if it meant waiting til the newspaper delivered in the morning, if I could trust that the news printed there, was accurate, honest, objective and without bias. And I think the Media would find that a lot of people would do the same. There's a niche to be filled.

The very idea of a President Zuckerberg scares me as badly as the thought of a President Trump to the most fervent Clinton supporter. This nutcase should not ever be anywhere near the POTUS seat, for all our sakes, irrespective of which side of the political coin you sit on.”

“Begin rant The reason journalism is dying and will die eventually is that the news business is fundamentally fragmented, with news organizations duplicating their workforce chasing the same customers, entrenched in a destructive competition against each other.The net result is a multitude of news *boutiques*, way too small to make investigative journalism economically viable, entangled in a 'lowest bidder rush', not holding accountable the political parties they support in the hope to benefit from their favors when their candidate come to power.In fine, international (and probably domestic) news articles are subcontracted to some remote agencies, with freelancers payed a dime, and a kick in the ass, who have little choice other than recycling the same music on a different tone just to pay their bills. On the left, everyone plays the same instrument. And it's boring, out of touch, predictable.It's a shame that liberal journalists got ran over by the Trump train, while every indicator would have told them something was going on, had they paid attention. But no, they were too busy holding hands, singing kumbaya for the candidate their party told them to.There's a lot to say about Breitbart news, but at least, they figured out the right approach: "F****k Zuck, I'm taking the contrarian route" .End rant.”

“ At the grassroots level, what Zuckerberg is talking about is already happening. The Marin Post, founded in June of 2015, is the first all citizen journalist news magazine in California. Build by two people and without a dollar of marketing funds, it has reached 29,000 readers in its short existence and has 84 active citizen journalists. However what has been learned is that without moderation (which is editing stories - is needed - after they are published rather than before), any online community quickly tends to devolve into eight graders yelling insults at each other.... this comment engine, DISQUS, is a case in point. In fact, one of the reasons the Marin Post was created was because neither Facebook nor Nextdoor or other forums led by the so-called wisdom of the crowds provided any place for someone wanting to contribute substantive work. And traditional newspapers, which in many ways deserve the fate they are experiencing, refused to print facts that were politically incorrect or inconvenient. Journalism and investigate reporting may be able to be done by citizen journalists, but it needs to be nurtured and encouraged, and I'm not sure unmoderated content can ever achieve that because the truth is not always the loudest voice in the room.”

“When the Internet was first commercialized, every ISP paid for a connection to "the backbone" which provided connectivity to other ISP's. However, content providers were eager to improve connectivity more rapidly than consumers, so they invested in new networks to bypass the backbones and deliver data directly to the consumer ISP's, in many cases paying the consumer ISP's to accept this additional data volume. This gave them an advantage over competing content providers routing traffic over the general purpose backbones. If we had "network neutrality" regulations in effect at that time, this would not have been allowed. Content provider ISP's would not have been able to increase the capacity of their connections to the backbone until consumer ISP's were willing to spend the money to increase the capacity of theirs, and the Internet would still be running at dial-up speeds.The network neutrality crowd seem to view "The Internet" as a place, like a library or like AOL. It is not. It is a transportation service that should work like any other transportation service. A shipper pays to have a parcel delivered, and then recovers that cost however they choose. Nothing should block a shipping company from offering higher quality service for a higher price. That is how service improves.The Net Neutrality concept says that only the residential consumer should be allowed to pay for the cost of the last mile network. It is amazing that the content industry has convinced consumers to support this idea. Or, really, I guess it is not amazing at all, since they are generating all the content that shapes consumer opinion.“ << I suspect your post is going to go over the heads of most everyone who reads it, but this is a really good idea.>>

#Facebook news

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deniscollins · 4 years

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Some Banks Keep Customers’ Stimulus Checks if Accounts Are Overdrawn

The CARES Act specifically prohibits garnishing stimulus money for state or federal debts, except for court-mandated child support. The IRS sends and individual’s stimulus money ($1,200) through direct deposits with banks. Banks can deduct money from the direct deposit to pay for overdrawn accounts. If you were a bank executive and one of your customers has a negative account balance, would you: (1) Use the customer’s stimulus money ($1,200) to payoff the overdrawn account or (2) forward the entire stimulus money to the customer? Why? What are the ethics underlying your decision?

For some struggling Americans, the arrival of a deposit from the Treasury Department to help with basic expenses like rent and groceries during the coronavirus crisis was something to count on — until their financial institutions got in the way.

Frustrated customers say banks have been seizing some, or all, of their relief payments because their accounts are overdrawn, in some cases as a result of pandemic-caused hardship.

Joseph James Davis Jr. said his bank in Mena, Ark., took more than $2,000 after he fell victim to a check-cashing scam in a moment of desperation.

“I’ve never been scammed before,” said Mr. Davis, 41.

Mr. Davis said the work for his landscaping business had dried up because of the coronavirus crisis, so he responded to an online ad that promised payment to anyone who would agree to put advertising decals on a vehicle.

Mr. Davis was sent a check, but was told he had to pay for the decals with some of the money. After he sent off the payment, his bank, Union Bank of Mena, told him the check had been bogus and he had to repay it $2,784.

He couldn’t. And on Wednesday, Mr. Davis saw the $3,400 relief payment — $2,400 for himself and his wife and $500 for each of his two stepchildren — land in his bank account. The bank kept all but $611.

Kevin Williams, president of Union Bank of Mena, did not respond to calls and emails seeking comment on Thursday.

The phenomenon is swiftly becoming a political issue, with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin fielding calls from senators urging him to ensure that relief money isn’t garnished. Banks are legally allowed to withhold funds that go into accounts that have negative balances, and no specific provision in the CARES Act, the $2 trillion relief package that authorized the stimulus payments, prevents banks from taking customers’ stimulus money to cover debts.

USAA, a financial services company that serves members of the military and their families, was also garnishing stimulus payments before reversing itself on Thursday.

A Minneapolis couple with a USAA account — a disabled veteran and his wife — were anxiously awaiting their relief payments, the wife said. She and her young family had just moved into their own apartment after living with their extended family while they struggled to get out from under thousands of dollars of debt.

But the woman, who did not want to be identified by name out of concern that her financial troubles could harm the careers of family members, had to quit her job after being unable to find child care when Minnesota ordered all day care centers to close because of the virus. She had been counting on a relief payment to help pay rent and buy formula for her 10-month-old daughter.

But USAA told the couple that it was keeping the money because their account was overdrawn.

The woman showed The New York Times screenshots of a Twitter exchange between her husband and a USAA representative. Using USAA’s verified Twitter account, the representative explained that if the family’s bank account had a negative balance, “any deposits to the account will go toward the negative amount owed to the bank.”

After this article was published on Thursday, USAA said it would pause overdraft collections for the next 90 days.

“This will allow members access to their full stimulus payment to help cover the costs of rent, food and other important necessities,” Matthew Hartwig, a bank spokesman, said in an email. “Beginning as early as today, we will apply this policy retroactively to any member accounts with a negative balance at the time the first stimulus checks were deposited, so that members will have access to their stimulus funds.”

The government checks are meant to cushion the pandemic’s financial blow to some of the hardest-hit Americans. Anyone who earns up to $75,000 in adjusted gross annual income and has a Social Security number will receive $1,200. Married couples who file joint tax returns will receive $2,400 if their adjusted gross income is under $150,000. The amount declines for those who make more.

In a March 2018 survey, the Pew Charitable Trusts, a nonpartisan research institute, found that more than 39 million Americans had incurred overdraft fees within the past year, with people essentially using overdrafting as credit.

Several politicians are calling for banks to stop garnishing stimulus payments. On Wednesday, Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Sherrod Brown of Ohio, both Democrats, implored the head of a bank trade group to tell its members to halt the practice.

“For weeks, we have pressed the Treasury Department to exercise its authority and ensure that Americans receive the full amount of their stimulus payments,” the senators wrote in a letter to Rob Nichols, the chief executive of the American Bankers Association. “While Treasury has refused to follow congressional intent, that does not give banks license to steal the stimulus payments from their customers.”

By contrast, the CARES Act specifically prohibits garnishing stimulus money for state or federal debts, except for court-mandated child support.

Not every bank is keeping its overdrawn customers’ money. Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Citibank and Wells Fargo — the nation’s four biggest banks — are pausing their collections on negative account balances to give customers access to the stimulus.

“We are temporarily crediting the overdrawn amount for customers, giving them full access to their stimulus payment,” said Anne Pace, a spokeswoman for Chase, in an email to The Times on Wednesday. “We hope this gives them a chance to catch their breath.”

On Monday, a group of 25 state attorneys general also registered their disapproval of garnishing relief checks. “During this public health and economic crisis, the states do not believe that the billions of dollars appropriated by Congress to help keep hardworking Americans afloat should be subject to garnishment,” they wrote in a letter to Mr. Mnuchin.

The American Prospect this week unearthed an audio recording of a Treasury official discussing with banks how stimulus money should be handled when there are outstanding loans or other debts. The official, Ronda Kent, said that “there’s nothing in the law that precludes that action” and that it was up to the discretion of the banks.

Progressive watchdog groups have seized on the issue to criticize the Trump administration’s handling of the economic crisis, describing it as a giveaway for banks.

“This money should be going toward food, rent and medicine — it’s not the time to hand out favors to debt-collection industry donors or pad some big bank’s bottom line,” said Jeremy Funk, a spokesman for Allied Progress. “Secretary Mnuchin needs to ensure that these $1,200 checks go straight into Americans’ pockets, where they belong.”

The Treasury Department had no comment.

Another hopeful stimulus recipient described having to fight for hours with her credit union on Wednesday before it would release the full $2,400 deposit. Initially, the institution, Digital Credit Union, which is based in Marlborough, Mass., kept $1,000 to make up for the customer’s overdrawn account balance.

The customer did not want to be identified because she was worried that the lender would close her accounts or penalize her for speaking publicly. She and her husband have four children. His hours at a group home for children were recently cut to three days a week, she said. She is out of work.

She said that after multiple calls, a representative had agreed to return the $1,000 to her. She said she was sharing her story because she was worried that other people would not have the stamina to fight for the money the way she had.

Edward Niser, a spokesman for Digital Credit Union, said in an email that the institution could not comment on individuals, citing privacy reasons.

“In these difficult times,” he said, “we are there to support our members and we are making every possible effort to follow evolving federal and state guidance.”

#Stimulus #Banks

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