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kazo-usagi · 11 months

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I spoke with my General Contractor some days ago...

An he pointed some interesting things i should know before i start fulfilling my dreams.

For context, in my city there's a representative street, unfortunately, it not looks like one by some time now. I assume maybe even 1/4 in dwellings are not residented, not occupied, and with commercial premises it it a roulette: half of them are ethereal and the other half lives for 2 yrs maybe and then change. I heard even that a few of them are not raise enough money to exist despite the popularity, and the owners could fund them because of other long-term activity other gastronomic establishments in the sector in our cities!

Anyway, back on the track. I dream of managing one (very particular) of the tenements. The tenement itself is kinda basic, with 4 levels of dwelling, each level with 3 (two in max 80 meters square, and one smaller). Two locals in base level, one about 140~ and the second by 60 msq. As far as I know, nobody lives in it, and, for the last 15 yrs, no one rented the premises. I am not sure of the purpose yet. Cheap flats to rent for students are good one of the options, along with restaurant/coffee shop and small boutique. That's kinda basic for me. Or half flats and half small offices could also work. I thought also about a workshop, or even an 3D printing workshop on one of the flats or even on the whole level.

You may think, hey, how it could be possible? are you a banana kid, or maybe some entrepreneur? It is that dream, to just own a real estate? Well, last one kinda, but I know the plan! During studies, they said to us: that in work with real estate, there are needed 3 things: the money, the good plan to use/manage/fund/whatever (not the idea but full paper-ology), and the actual real estate (anything from piece of land to dwelling itself). Two of the three, and you're good to go. You wanna flip? you need money and a plan. You wanna build, idk, an airport, a mall, or an office? you need money and land. But... what happens when you don't have money? Plan and land should be sufficient. But who the hell in these times from regular ppl have plain land with no plan?! And there comes all in white UE and the business loans. To put it simply, I can prepare all by myself proper plan (yeah; it costs a few thousand) and the bank/UE can count it as my own contribution. Enough about the funds.

My General Contractor pointed, out that it is possibility about the reason why the whole building stands unrented so long. Maybe there's a long-missed owner or inheritor? Even if the tenement is for sale in one of the estate agencies. Maybe it has some "stinky" papers, and some conservationist keeps away the potential buyers? Or the condition of the building is much worse than the other buildings? Or maybe someone died there and it is way toooooo stinky? I cannot check it just from a stranger's position. But my GC suggested something: to act like a pollster and ask ppl around, ppl living in nearby tenements, etc. The best theme is "Do ya want some refurbishment or renovations? it is loud, we're collecting signs to cancel it! No one likes noises like that. Oh, you live next to it? Do you know what was here? We are an outsourced group, we do not know anything about it, would you like to describe it?" and so on.

About the cash, little add-ons: the cost in the agencies is about 8 million PLN itself. My GC said that the old building could need real-general renovation not just small updates. The walls itself probably should be stripped away to the clear brick. Then replacement of the pipes (water, CO, electricity, possibly gas) will be easier and done already. He estimated the cost at 2 million... so it should be close to 10 mln, fantastic~.

now, all I need to do is my regular, actual work... and maybe someday finish business plan

#business #refurbishment #revitalization

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curtisraypepper · 1 year

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Curtis Ray Pepper Offers Tips on how to make your Bathroom look Luxurious

Almost everyone prefers to have a luxury bathroom. Accent lighting, marble walls and attractive looking tubs with great, picturesque views can certainly make a bathroom look classy. But when it comes to renovating rooms, the bathroom is one of the most expensive ones and this is why most of the people tend to leave this space as this is. Curtis Ray Pepper, a licensed general contractor working in the San Diego area specializing in restoration & remodeling bathrooms.

Following are a few tips to make your bathroom luxurious:

Change the lighting of the bathroom

Good illumination, whether artificial or natural can add a great deal of shiny style to a simple bathroom. Changing the lighting in the bathroom is one of the best ways to alter a plain space into a gorgeous one. Rather than the conventional light bar on top of the mirror, try out beautiful sconces on each side. If your bathroom has the required space available, you can opt for pendants as they offer a stylish look to the bathrooms. In addition, you can stick to window coverings or sheers so that maximum light can get inside.

Add artificial plants

Luxurious bathrooms usually give fresh natural ambience. Thus, beautiful high end artificial plants are a natural addition to the bathroom. In order to give the bathroom a spa like look, it is always better to choose plants with flowers such as pink silk tulips or silk purple tulips and place them in a magnificently shiny metallic pot.

Add a place to perch

Almost every high-end bathroom is equipped with some sort of seating arrangement. It can range from a tufted ottoman, a simple garden stool to an elaborately carved armchair. This not only gives a luxurious look to the bathroom, but also makes it feel grand.

Bring the Outdoors inside Your New Bathroom

Most luxurious bathrooms include the outdoors as a design element. For your own bathroom renovation, search for ways to bring the outdoors in. Faux plants and artwork depicting plants are not just great ways to reconstruct an outdoor space but can have Feng Shui benefits as well.

Decorate Your Bathroom in White

In order to give an elegant look to the bathroom and to make it more luxurious, you should decorate your bathroom in white. White countertops and cabinets create the background for a simple and stylish bathroom. Nothing screams classiness quite like white, it is clean, crisp, and aesthetically pleasing which is always an advantage. To create a high-end hotel bathroom style, you can decorate the bathroom with white bath linens. A casual bathroom can look more luxurious if you indulge on quality white towels.

Enhance the space of the bathroom

If the size of your bathroom is not that large, do not worry as there are ways to create the illusion of extra space by removing visual clutter, selecting a monochromatic color palette, and using a few extra luxurious qualities.

Add fresh white shower curtains

Curtis Ray Pepper further added that instead of investing on expensive glass doors for your shower, you can choose to go with a fresh white curtain. This will not only enhance the look of the bathroom but will also make it more luxurious.

Add some delicate scents

A luxurious bathroom engages all the senses. Thus, a gentle and attractive scent is a must for the bathroom. Diffusers are a very low maintenance and easy way to add some scents to the bathroom. You can also place some scented candles next to the bathtub. At night, this not only just adds drama to the entire space but also gives an ambience of relaxation.

#curtis ray pepper #curtis r pepper #remodelling #restoration

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roxroofing · 2 years

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📍 “White Van Syndrome” (WVS), many contractors have it, including us.

This is when you have decals on your white van or truck and it looks plain blah… real bland.

It’s not because our current logo is bad, I actually like it!

But our current logo, brand and everything in general is what every other roofer has.

The name with the roof line.

It’s time to transition.

Check out our WVS.

In the upcoming weeks, one by one, the transformation will happen.

The van will probably be the largest canvas, that sucker stands at 9 feet from bottom to top.

It’s gonna be awesome!

Stay tuned and thanks for your support, San Antonio!

-Rocky Ortiz

owner @Rox Roofing

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coastdesignbuildhoustons · 2 years

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Best Kitchen Remodeling Ideas To Renovate Your Kitchen

Without a doubt, the kitchen is the hub of your home. It's where you get the fuel you need to face the challenges of the day. In light of this, it is proper to hold this location in the highest regard. You may have observed as homeowners that the kitchen is the first room in a house that gets your attention when you look at it. You should consider the layout, the amenities, and the wall and cabinet finishes. If it's well-designed, this area conveys feelings of comfort and safety, and it can have a profound effect on visitors.

This is because being in this space makes you think of sitting down to a family meal. It's where you ate the meals your mom prepared for you while you were up late studying or working or where you shared stories and jokes with your pals about your exciting new experiences.

Use eye-catching cabinet layouts -

Kitchen remodeling in Houston has a lot more visual impact than you might realize. Cabinets, whether they're wall-mounted or freestanding, have the potential to elevate the look of a whole room.

You may make a tiny kitchen look bigger by installing white or plain wood cabinetry. Additionally, you may make your kitchen cabinets seem exactly how you want them to.

Install a Kitchen Peninsula -

The addition of a kitchen counter can have far-reaching effects. While the counters and slabs help, a kitchen counter can help you make the space larger while providing the appearance of closed practicality. When we say "open up the walls," we imply that you can alter the layout of your kitchen by doing just that. Perhaps you & your guests can enjoy one another's company while you prepare a meal in a kitchen that looks out over the dining room or living room.

More room for dining or storing food is made possible by installing an island in the kitchen. It can also serve as a workstation by doubling as bookshelves on the sides to store the chopping board, butcher blocks, cheese grater, and other small items before you begin cooking.

Create new storage areas by utilizing out-of-the-way places -

Closed cabinets and plain shelves are such last centuries. You can breathe new life into your kitchen and improve its functionality with careful planning and creative renovation ideas. The installation of suitable cabinetry, a kitchen island with storage, and the implementation of hanging storage sites can all be simpler if you have a spacious kitchen. Since there is less room for cabinets and possibly no room for an island, it's very useful in a compact kitchen. Therefore, installing open shelving or otherwise renovating your kitchen is a great way to add storage without sacrificing the look of a contemporary area or making your countertops look cluttered.

Don't overlook the kitchen's pantry, either. While it might be more convenient to keep everything you eat in the kitchen cabinets, this is not the best solution if you prefer to save money by buying in bulk. Thus, take advantage of the available square footage by building a pantry where food may be stored longer. You can hire a general contractor inHouston for the best kitchen remodeling.

Conclusion

Renovating your kitchen is a chance to make new family traditions and give everyone a sense of ownership over the room. The kitchen is the heart of the home, where loved ones congregate to break bread and exchange stories over a meal prepared with tenderness and care.

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laurenwestrom · 3 years

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Piet Oudolf meadow in fall bloom at Delaware Botanic Gardens

March 15, 2022

The last public garden I visited on my road trip down the East Coast last October was newly opened Delaware Botanic Gardens in Dagsboro, Delaware. The big draw? A 2-acre meadow designed by revered Dutch plantsman Piet Oudolf, who also designed the plantings of the High Line in New York City. Driving south from the Wilmington area, I arrived mid-morning on October 15th, when pink- and white-flowering muhly grasses were as frothy and gossamer in the morning light as freshly spun cotton candy.

Located on the coastal plain, Delaware Botanic Gardens was founded through the fundraising and organizing efforts of garden-loving locals, not via wealthy benefactors. Oudolf was sufficiently impressed by their goal to create from scratch a public garden focused on native plants — a garden that anyone could visit rather than a private residential garden hidden away — that he signed on to design the signature meadow garden.

Piet Oudolf Meadow

My visit in mid-October was near the end of the garden’s open season. It turned out to be a spectacular time to see the meadow thanks to the muhlies and other grasses.

I’ll let the photos mostly speak for themselves. If you’d like to pore over Oudolf’s plant list (much abbreviated, no doubt), here are links to the Upper Meadow, Middle Meadow, and Lower Meadow.

‘Hula Dancer’ echinacea

Meadow view looking toward an outdoor classroom sheltered by a shade sail

Pink muhly foaming like a breaker wave coming at you

The meadow is laid out like a figure 8, generously bisected by broad, crushed-gravel paths that allow you to explore among the plants, not just view the meadow from the perimeter or a central path.

Viewing mound

In the center of the upper meadow, a turf berm resembles a green island, encircled by paths leading off in four directions. A crossroads…

…and an elevated view spot.

It draws visitors to climb up and survey their surroundings.

I went up and did my own meerkat-like look-about.

It’s a clever feature to include in a flat garden, much like the seating berms at equally flat Houston Botanic Garden.

I’m sure the birding is excellent in the meadow, especially when perennials and grasses go to seed.

Other wildlife can be spotted here too, like this big praying mantis.

A pollinator en route to white asters

Immersed in inflorescence!

‘Mariesii’ balloon flower

I was a bit early for the amsonia to turn gloriously golden, but it was close.

Learning Garden

At the end of the upper meadow, an outdoor classroom shaded by sun sails looks group-ready.

Here’s the instructor. Just kidding! This is one of several creative scarecrows placed throughout the gardens last October.

Hyacinth bean vine climbing a small tree at the woodland edge

Folly Garden

The entrance to the Folly Garden…

…a bright-shade garden in a grove of trees. In October it was adorned with pumpkins and squash, but in spring it comes to colorful life with daffodils, tulips, and other bulbs.

A shady spot to sit, with a view across the Oudolf meadow to the visitor center

A gardener scarecrow with her trug basket

A simple grass-and-ivy planter with pumpkins

Asters

Beautyberry

Woodland Garden

Woodland gardens make up 12 acres of DBG, with circuitous walking trails offering meditative, shady strolls.

Gigantic nests appear here and there among the trees.

They seemed made just to look at, not to play in. Perhaps this is what the gardening staff does with fallen branches?

The Point

Pepper Creek flows along the edge of the woodland garden. Several trails lead to the Point, which offers a pleasant spot to view the water.

The marshy woodland edge

Visitor Center

Currently a small, open-air building serves as the welcome center, but plans are in the works for a larger visitor center designed by Lake|Flato, a San Antonio-based firm. During my visit, contractors were busy constructing permanent restrooms next to the visitor center. In some ways, the garden still feels brand-new, although the meadow garden is already lush and full just a couple of years in.

Greeting visitors, a 9-foot-tall, green-faced sea witch stood proudly adorned with oyster shells and a curved, pointy hat.

She was marvelous, and surprisingly realistic looking!

She was the garden’s contribution to the Rehoboth Beach Chamber of Commerce Sea Witch Festival. That’s something I need to see one day. Comparable perhaps to the fun Zombie Crawl in Eureka Springs, Arkansas?

Inside the no-frills visitor center, laminated copies of Piet Oudolf’s meadow plans are displayed.

It’s fascinating to see how he lays out matrixes of thousands of meadow plants.

It must have taken an army of volunteers to plant everything.

Rhyne Garden

Along the parking lot, a stormwater-management garden includes 12,000 native perennials, shrubs, and trees planted in a wide swale to slow and capture runoff and give it time to soak into the soil.

As the sign explains, the (eventual) tree canopy slows the rain, vegetation captures the runoff, and plant roots filter out pollutants.

From DBG’s website

Delaware Botanic Gardens is off the beaten path in rural Sussex County but within driving distance of Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and even New York. It’s definitely worth an hour or two of exploration, even before the rest of the planned gardens have been completed. As of this writing, visiting hours are Thursday through Sunday only, so plan accordingly.

For a look back at Part 6 of my tour of marvelous Chanticleer Garden, click here. You’ll find links to my other Chanticleer posts at the end of each article in the series. Up next: The final post from my big road trip, a visit to Chincoteague and Assateague Islands — with pony sightings! — on Virginia’s Eastern Shore.

I welcome your comments. Please scroll to the end of this post to leave one. If you’re reading in an email, click here to visit Digging and find the comment box at the end of each post. And hey, did someone forward this email to you, and you want to subscribe? Click here to get Digging delivered directly to your inbox!

_______________________

Digging Deeper

Need design help with your yard? Hire me as your personal garden coach! Maybe you need replacement plant ideas after the big freeze. Or maybe your landscaping has grown tired, and you want fresh curb appeal. Or perhaps you’re ready to get rid of some lawn and create a pollinator garden, bird habitat, or hangout space for you and your friends. I’m here to help! Contact me to let me know what’s going on, and let’s figure it out together. My range is Austin and suburbs within a 25-min. drive of NW Austin, but I’m flexible and can travel farther with a surcharge, so let me know where you are. Weekday morning appts. only.

Attend the John Fairey Garden’s annual Budding Out Plant Sale & Festival on Saturday, March 19 in Hempstead. Rare and distinctive plants from the garden’s nursery and other vendors will be available, plus art, ceramics, jewelry, food, music, and entertainment for the whole family. Open 10 am to 4 pm. Members get first dibsat the plant sale with 9 am entry (memberships available at the gate). Check the webpage for a continually updated vendor list.

Learn from gardening experts at Trowel & Error, the annual symposium at Mayfield Park in West Austin. After a 2-year COVID hiatus, the symposium returns on Saturday, April 2, from 9:30 am to 1 pm. I can’t find a link to share, but designer Colleen Jamison will be speaking at 11 am, along with entomologist Wizzie Brown at 10 am and rose expert Theresa Anderson at noon. Located at Mayfield Park, 3505 W. 35th St. Cost unknown at this time.

Join the mailing list for Garden Spark! Hungry to learn about garden design from the experts? I’m hosting a series of talks by inspiring garden designers, landscape architects, and authors a few times a year in Austin. Check out the 2021-22 schedule. These are limited-attendance events that sell out quickly, so join the Garden Spark email list to be notified in advance. Simply click this link and ask to be added.

The post Piet Oudolf meadow in fall bloom at Delaware Botanic Gardens appeared first on Digging.

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nailstonecontracting · 1 year

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New York's Premier General Contractor: Your Trusted Partner for Quality Construction

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We are also offering General Contracting in Long Island, Bronx, Yonkers, Eastchester, Mount Vernon, Patterson, Putnam Valley, New Rochelle, Peekskill, Ossining, Harrison, Mamaroneck, Cortlandt, White Plains, Hamlet and surrounding areas within New York.

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arcticdementor · 3 years

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Part III of my series about the changing face of L.A. Click for Parts I and II.

I ended Part II with a look at how L.A. County’s Hispanics are habitual nonvoters. Let’s pick up seamlessly from there, in Compton. Compton used to be so black (over 85%) that at my high school we had a litany of “Compton so black” jokes.

…

Today, the birthplace of “gangsta rap” be not black at all. At last count (prior to the 2020 census), it was 68% Hispanic and 27% black, and I’d bet my house that the new figures will show that the Hispanic number has risen beyond 70% and the black has dropped below 25%.

Compton so Mexican its city hall’s a Home Depot parking lot.

Now dig this: In a city that’s roughly one-quarter black and almost three-quarters Mexican, of the eight elected officials (mayor, city attorney, city clerk, treasurer, and four councilpeople), only one is Hispanic. All the rest are black. And it gets better. That one Hispanic councilman won his election by just one vote, and our Soros-backed DA is prosecuting the guy for fabricating the one vote that put him over the top. Turns out the bean only ran because a black guy who’d lost his primary made a deal with him to run in his stead in exchange for giving the failed black candidate a lucrative city commissioner position if he won, and together they faked the winning vote.

Can you wrap your brain around that? The city is 70% Hispanic, and the only Hispanic council member, who only ran because a black dude made him, won by just one vote, and that vote had to be faked.

Get my point now about Hispanics not voting?

I mean, imagine a city that’s 70% black, but only one out of eight city officials is black. And then the county DA tries to nullify the vote that got that one black elected. There’d be riots! Neighborhoods would be burned to ash. Don Lemon would be screaming about “equity,” and the Biden Justice Department would be investigating the DA.

But Mexicans don’t care. They’re fine with letting the black minority pretend to be da Emperor Jones. That’s how little participatory democracy matters to them. And Dems have no desire to “enfranchise” Compton Mexicans because blacks are their most reliable and manipulatable minions. Never trade a slave for an independent contractor. Plus, as I discussed last week, when Mexicans do vote, it’s all over the map. As Newsweek contributor Richard Hanania pointed out regarding polls that show California Hispanics divided 50/50 on the Newsom recall (blacks are 65/35 against it), “I feel like it’s fun living in a state with many Mexicans because you get a wildcard aspect to politics. Keeps things exciting.”

…

So what we know is that Mexi voting ambivalence is resilient. Would it be equally resilient to rightist coercion? Who knows; no rightists out here are testing the waters. The Hispanic rejection of affirmative action was due in large part to a general dislike of blacks. And in February when the black- and Jew-run L.A. school board defunded all campus police and redirected the $25 million LAUSD security budget to a program to fund the education of only black students, the discontent among L.A. Hispanics was palpable. Blacks make up barely 8% of LAUSD students (Hispanics comprise over 70%). Hispanic Twitter exploded with fury over the “black-only” payday coming at the expense of campus security, and the L.A. Times was forced to admit that Hispanic support for campus cops was massive, especially compared with support from non-Hispanic whites (a whopping 67% to 54%).

So did our local “Republicans” try to make hay out of that? Of course not, because to do so would risk offending blacks, and the GOP establishment has sworn a blood oath that it shall never allow itself any forward motion that might jeopardize its (zero) chance of “winning the black vote.”

There could literally be one black man left in L.A., and the GOP would sacrifice everything for his favor.

…

So, our Mexicans are untested, and our rapidly decreasing blacks, our gradually increasing Asians, and our moneyed and influential secular Jews are a lost cause. What about our non-Jewish non-Hispanic whites?

Ay yi yi, they’re the woist of all. The leftist ones represent the bottom of the barrel of self-hating “please genocide me before I enslave again,” “I hope my son goes tranny so that my foul DNA might dead-end with my progeny’s amputated penis” wastes of space. The mostly non-Jewish white upscale deep-blue city of Manhattan Beach, for example, is filled with self-flagellating WASPs who spend their time trying to make their safe city less safe by “giving land back” to blacks who were supposedly racisted out of town in the 1920s.

And now Manhattan Beach is regularly visited by black criminals, from serial rapists to boardwalk thieves to a home-invasion attempted murder just a week ago. I’m sure the guilt-ridden Robin DiAngelos of Manhattan Beach excuse these crimes as justified reparations owed to noble negroes.

…

Worse still, our “rightist” whites—those who choose to be activists—are just plain batshit crazy. Our MAGAs are violent, self-destructive, foolish, and dim-witted (I’ve covered this before, and I’ll be revisiting it next week in a column that’ll post on the eve of the gubernatorial recall).

…

In largely red Beverly Hills (and surrounding Westside areas), the Persian, Israeli, and Orthodox Jews, who are not suicidal, are holding the line against the violent crime and property crime that still disproportionately come from blacks (ironically, as the county’s black community shrinks, the thugs are forced to venture beyond their comfort zone in search of victims, rather like how bears become more bold as their natural habitat shrinks). But what of the areas that are largely Hispanic? Well, our Hispanics (as the Times pointed out) have a more positive view of police than our whites. That’s something often overlooked by those who claim to study criminality in racial or ethnic groups. It’s never just about criminality; it’s also about acceptance of policing. Whites who dismantle the criminal justice apparatus are as much to blame for rampant criminality as low-IQ thugs. Portland is an example of how poisonous such whites can be; violent crime in that city isn’t the result of a huge population of blacks but a huge population of self-hating anti-cop whites.

…

Our Hispanics occupy a middle ground: between black and white on the criminality scale (not as high as the former, not as low as the latter), but better than both groups on acceptance of policing. Half of L.A.’s cops and sheriff’s deputies are Hispanic, and our sheriff, Alex Villanueva—an unapologetic kick-ass crime fighter—survived the George Floyd purge last summer because his fellow Hispanics backed him against the blacks and whites who sought his ouster.

A county can weather criminality if it allows rigorous enforcement. L.A. had a lower murder rate than it does today back when there were more blacks but also more enforcement. Now that blacks, leftist whites, and secular Jews have decided that enforcement equals genocide, the last hope for the county lies with the Westside Persian/Israeli/Orthodox Jews and the Eastside beans.

There’s a logic to this, as those groups mingle more than you might think. Be it as nannies, gardeners, construction workers, warehouse personnel, or restaurant staff, the Westside is where many Mexicans go to work every day.

As one of those Westside Jews (though an outlier, as I’m “red” without being Persian, Israeli, or Orthodox), I would absolutely throw in with the beans as opposed to the leftist whites or the MAGA whites. Both groups, like blacks, have become suicidal. And suicidal people are dangerous.

Yes, Mexis have gangs, and you don’t want to walk down certain Eastside streets at night. Big shit; no one has reason to except those who live there. In the 1970s those areas were worse when they were black.

But Mexicans do the scut work around here, they don’t riot when one of their own is arrested (indeed they arrest their own), and they aren’t dangerously self-destructive.

I’ll take it.

Not that I have a choice; it’s the way it’s gonna be, demographically, whether I like it or not.

But it’s not the worst-case scenario, or even the second-to-worst. And these days that’s good enough.

#david cole #taki's magazine #los angeles #compton

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nypaenergy · 3 years

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Women in Engineering

NYPA is proud to recognize women in engineering fields and supports the continued development of our staff.

Holli Monroe

Holli is a Project Engineer II & Engineering Supervisor in our Clean Energy Solutions group, and she specializes in Engineering & Construction Management.

What drew you into the discipline of engineering?

The desire to design and build a better world.

How do you motivate fellow engineers when part of a team?

I appreciate and amplify the ideas, skills, and contributions of others. People who feel appreciated will always do more than is anticipated. People who feel appreciated make for the best, motivated team members.

Do you have any advice for engineering students or brand new engineers just entering the workforce?

It is important to identify which facets of engineering you enjoy most. I would recommend taking advantage of opportunities for career exploration via internships, co-ops, job rotations, and/or shadowing. Such varied, cross-disciplinary experience will help engineering students and entry-level engineers identify and position themselves in their preferred fields and roles.

Amariah Barton-Harris

Amariah is an Assistant Construction Engineer I. Amariah has a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering technology with a minor in mathematics from Buffalo State College and an Associate’s in general studies from Erie Community College.

Tell us about your role.

I coordinate, inspect and control the work of construction contractors assigned to perform energy services contract work at the NIA facility. I ensure that quality workmanship is always maintained and in accordance with applicable construction procedures, methods, codes and specifications. My projects include electrical, civil, mechanical, instrumentation and control engineering disciplines.

Who has been the greatest influence on your career?

I’ve had many great influences which makes this question difficult. However, among one of the greatest in my life was W.E.B. Du Bois. I learned about him in elementary school. His work ethic and dedication to educating himself had a profound impact on me. He set time aside every day to fill his brain with things he did not know in order to solve problems. Most importantly, he always held himself accountable. Following his path for most of my life has never led me in the wrong direction. There are many self-taught scholars throughout history. His path and work ethic influenced me the most.

April Contreras

April Contreras is an Associate Project Engineer and has been with NYPA for four years. She manages street lighting projects in Western and Central New York – including our largest project in Syracuse valued at $38 million dollars.

Who has had the greatest influence on your career?

“My former boss Dave Laney (now retired). I had management experience but no engineering experience prior to NYPA. I was at a low point after many failed interviews and was considering relocating. Thankfully, when Dave interviewed me, he saw my passion for engineering and gave me an opportunity to prove myself. He worked hard with me in my first year to give me the confidence I needed as a new project manager and female engineer. Dave has continued to be my mentor.”

What’s the best advice you’ve received?

“The best advice was from my grandmother who always would tell me to keep pushing forward no matter what. ‘Life is going to have ups and downs, you have to remain focused and continue to persevere’.”

Cindy Ramirez Parrales

Cindy Ramirez Parrales is an Associate Environmental Engineer in our White Plains office.

Can you describe your professional journey and how it led you to NYPA?

My professional career began only a few years ago and it has been an exciting journey. In my career, formal education, internships and previous work experience have helped me grow professionally every day. I have been very fortunate to be surrounded by professionals willing to share their experiences and knowledge with me, and I can use what I have learned in my day-to-day work.

What has been your greatest professional achievement so far?

My job is to comply with regulations for environmental conservation, health and safety of people against adverse environmental effects. Protecting the health and safety of a worker while conserving natural resources and the environment provide everyone a better quality of life, and these are daily successes for me.

Can you suggest some advice for young women entering the workforce?

DO NOT underestimate the power of networking, and always keep an open mind!

Cindy Bradford

Cindy Bradford is a Senior Project Engineer in our White Plains office.

Why did you choose to become a PE?

A Professional Engineering license is a certification that demonstrates an engineer’s commitment and adherence to a higher level of standards. Today, Professional Engineer certifications are highly respected, and sometimes a necessity for career advancement. NYPA, being a state agency, requires that higher-level engineering positions be filled only by licensed professional engineers. This certification offers engineers a slew of valuable opportunities that would otherwise be out of reach.

What types of challenges in engineering do you enjoy?

Every career path presents challenges. There are two challenges that I enjoy the most. One is profound responsibility. All work engineers do for our power plants will directly or indirectly affect our customers. Professional engineers are ultimately responsible for the welfare, health, and safety of the public. Everything we do at work will make an impact, big and small. The other challenge I enjoy is the need for continuous learning. The world is changing. Technologies are evolving faster than ever. Engineers need to be prepared to change around what they do and learn new skills at any age.

What personal characteristics do you think are needed to become a successful engineer?

Becoming an engineer has never been easy and every discipline comes with great skills and is followed by even great responsibilities. To be a successful engineer you must have a specific set of soft skills. Some of the most important ones are curiosity, creativity, team work and communication skills.

#womeninenergy #womeninengineering #engineer #engineers #engineering #womenengineers #femaleengineers #womeninstem #femalesinstem #stem #newyork #ny #nys #nystate #newyorkstate

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carcino-generic · 5 years

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HOW HUMANS ARE HAVING THEIR LIVES RUINED BY KARKAT VANTAS

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ALRIGHT, HERE’S THE BASICS OF CAPITALISM FROM A WORKING CLASS AMERICAN. I WANT TO START OUT BY SAYING I DON’T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT EUROPE, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, OR ANY OTHER “FIRST-WORLD” COUNTRIES. I DON’T KNOW WHO TORIES ARE AND I DON’T CARE ABOUT EMMANUEL MACRON. FOREIGN AFFAIRS ARE NOT MY CUP OF TEA THANKS. I HAVE ENOUGH PROBLEMS WITH DOMESTIC POLITICS. ALSO DON’T GET ON MY ASS ABOUT CALLING IT AMERICA INSTEAD OF THE U.S.A., CANADIANS DON’T ACTUALLY WANT TO BE AMERICANS AND IF THEY DO THEY’RE MORONS FOR REASONS THAT WILL BECOME CLEAR AS YOU READ ON.

YOU KNOW HOW IN A NORMAL SOCIETY, TRADE IS DRIVEN BY RESOURCES AND PRICES ARE DETERMINED BY THE AVAILABILITY, COMPLEXITY, AND DIFFICULTY IN PRODUCTION OF A PRODUCT? SO IMAGINE YOUR COUNTRY GETS ENOUGH MONEY, POWER, AND SHEER BLIND DEVOTION FROM ITS CITIZENS TO THROW ALL THAT IN THE GARBAGE, AND THEN IMAGINE THAT EVERYONE CAPABLE OF MAKING MEANINGFUL CHANGES AT A FUNDAMENTAL LEVEL, WHILE REMAINING WITHIN THE CURRENT SYSTEM, IS OWNED BY SOMEONE WHO BENEFITS EGREGIOUSLY FROM EVERYTHING STAYING THE SAME, AND EVEN MORE EGREGIOUSLY FROM THINGS BECOMING WORSE. NOW IMAGINE THAT WHEN I SAID “SOMEONE” I MEANT “ONE OF MAYBE FIFTEEN MEGA-CORPORATIONS THAT OWNS EVERY OTHER BUSINESS IN THE COUNTRY,” AND WHEN I SAY “EVERYONE CAPABLE OF MAKING MEANINGFUL CHANGES...” I MEAN POLITICIANS WE ELECT TO PRETEND TO REPRESENT OUR INTERESTS WHO HAVE IN REALITY BEEN BOUGHT OUT BY CORPORATE INTERESTS AND RISK LOSING THEIR JOBS IF THEY MAKE LAWS THAT THREATEN THOSE CORPORATE INTERESTS’ BOTTOM LINES. BASICALLY, WE INVESTED ALL OUR POWER INTO PRIVATELY OWNED MONEY SINKS AND FORGOT TO CARE ABOUT THE THINGS THAT MATTER, LIKE THE ACTUAL CITIZENS? OKAY THIS IS GETTING AWAY FROM ME, WE MIGHT HAVE TO START FROM THE BASICS.

I DON’T KNOW HOW YOUR SOCIETY WORKS, BUT IN OURS, YOU START OUT AS A LITTLE BABY. AS SOON AS YOU’RE PHYSIOLOGICALLY CAPABLE OF EXISTING FOR CONSECUTIVE HOURS WITHOUT THE PEOPLE WHO RAISED YOU, THEY SHOVE YOU IN A CLASSROOM AND START FEEDING YOU A MIXTURE OF COLONIAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, PHILOSOPHICAL, AND POLITICAL PROPAGANDA. THAT’S ALSO WHERE THEY TEACH YOU HOW TO SOCIALIZE WITH KIDS YOUR AGE AND SHIT. FOR SOME KIDS IT’S THE *ONLY* PLACE THEY CAN LEARN TO SOCIALIZE, BECAUSE THEIR PARENTS ARE TOO BUSY, ABSENT, OR PROTECTIVE TO BRING YOU OUT TO INTERACT WITH PEERS. EITHER WAY, THIS IS WHERE KIDS FORM THEIR CONCEPTS OF BOTH PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS AND SOCIAL CONTRACTS. THE TRAUMA OF RACIAL AND GENDER PROFILING IS NASCENT HERE, BUT OH BOY IT INTERNALIZES QUICKLY. (MORE ON HOW PEOPLE OF COLOR, THE WAR ON DRUGS, AND PROFIT ARE ALL LINKED LATER ON, OR MAYBE JUST LOOK UP A VIDEO ESSAY ON IT IDK.)

IT’S PRETTY MUCH THIRTEEN YEARS OF THIS SAME SHIT, ESPECIALLY THE PROPAGANDA BIT. KIDS GROW UP BEING INDOCTRINATED WITH THIS COMPLETELY WHITEWASHED VERSION OF REALITY, BELIEVING CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS* IS THE SHIT AND CAPITALISM IS THE ONLY EFFICIENT MODEL FOR MODERN SOCIETY. THEY’RE USUALLY TAUGHT ALL ABOUT WORLD WARS I AND II, THE VIETNAM WAR, THE COLD WAR, AND THE SPACE RACE, WHICH (BY UNEQUIVOCALLY POSING AMERICANS AS THE GOOD GUYS AND THE SOVIETS AND CHINESE AS THE BAD GUYS, CEMENTS THE CONCEPT THAT CAPITALISM INHERENTLY RULES AND COMMUNISM INHERENTLY FAILS) FURTHER INDOCTRINATES KIDS. IF YOU’RE REALLY AN ALIEN I DOUBT YOU’VE SEEN THIS IMAGE, BUT EVERY SINGLE AMERICAN EARTHLING HAS:

THIS GUY IS NAMED UNCLE SAM, HE’S BASICALLY AMERICA’S FURSONA. HE EXISTS TO PRESSURE YOU INTO SIGNING UP TO FIGHT IN A WAR. HE WAS USED A LOT IN THOSE WARS I TALKED ABOUT UP THERE, ESPECIALLY THE FIRST THREE. HE’S NOT AROUND SO MUCH ANY MORE BUT THE GENERAL SENTIMENT IS. HERE’S HOW.

WHEN YOU GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL, THE LAST “REQUIRED” STAGE OF SCHOOL, YOU ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE OUT AND GET A JOB TO SUPPORT YOURSELF. BUT NOWADAYS, IF YOU WANT A JOB THAT PAYS FOR YOUR HEALTH CARE, LETS YOU STAY HOME WHEN YOU GET SICK, GIVES YOU DAYS OFF TO GO TO FAMILY EVENTS SUCH AS WEDDINGS, FUNERALS, THE BIRTH OF YOUR CHILDREN, AND OTHER UNIMPORTANT DRIVEL THAT DOESN’T MAKE CEOS MONEY, YOU BET YOUR ASS YOU’D BETTER GET A COLLEGE DEGREE. HAVING A DEGREE IS THE NUMBER ONE WAY YOU CAN GUARANTEE THAT YOU MAKE MORE MONEY. THAT ALL SOUNDS FINE AND DANDY, EXCEPT NOW YOU HAVE TO PAY SOME INDUSTRIAL-SCALE LOAN SHARK MORE THAN YOU’LL EVER HAVE IN YOUR 401(K) TO LET YOU GET YOUR HIGHER EDUCATION. A LOT OF PEOPLE END UP OWING UPWARDS OF FIFTY GRAND TO A PRIVATELY OWNED LOAN AGENCY BY THE TIME THEY’RE TWENTY-ONE, BECAUSE AS FRESH ADULTS THEY WERE TOLD THEY WOULDN’T GET A WORTHWHILE JOB UNLESS THEY HAD A DEGREE. BUT HERE’S THE THING: A LOT OF TIMES, JOBS LIKE THAT WON’T EVEN HIRE YOU UNLESS YOU HAVE A MASTER’S DEGREE NOW! THAT’S ANOTHER TWO YEARS OF CLASSES AND ANOTHER HUGE CHUNK OF MONEY YOU NEVER HAD TO BEGIN WITH.

OF COURSE THERE ARE LESS EXPENSIVE OPTIONS, LIKE TRADE SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY COLLEGE. BUT REMEMBER THE PROPAGANDA I MENTIONED? IT’S SO PERVASIVE, A LOT OF YOUNG PEOPLE DON’T EVEN CONSIDER TRADE SCHOOL AN OPTION NOW, BECAUSE WE CULTURALLY VALUE THE “INTELLECTUAL” JOBS—DOCTOR, LAWYER, ENGINEER, ACCOUNTANT, BUSINESSMAN—WHICH ARE STRANGELY ALSO THE CAREER PATHS THAT REQUIRE THE MOST INVESTMENT OF TIME AND MONEY! NOW IF YOU DECIDE TO BE LIKE ME AND GET A JOB RIGHT OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL BECAUSE THE EDUCATION INDUSTRY IS A PUTRID WASTELAND, YOU’RE AUTOMATICALLY LOOKED DOWN UPON. A LOT OF TIMES PEOPLE WHO ARE PURSUING LESS LUCRATIVE CAREERS THAT INTEREST THEM***, INSTEAD OF THE BIG MONEY JOBS, ARE DISPARAGINGLY ASKED IF THEY WANT TO “END UP WORKING AT MCDONALDS.” I DON’T PERSONALLY WORK AT MCDONALDS BUT THIS SHIT STILL OFFENDS ME. BUT THEN AGAIN I’M A MILLENNIAL SNOWFLAKE SO WHAT DO I KNOW.

ACADEMIA HAS A LOT OF ITS OWN PROBLEMS BUT I’VE ONLY HEARD THOSE SECONDHAND, SO LET’S LEAVE THAT HELLSCAPE TO ITS ELITISM AND STAY WITHIN THE BLUE-COLLAR SUBCLASS. COMMON PARLANCE WILL REFER TO THREE MAJOR CLASSES: THE LOWER CLASS (DIPLOMATICALLY CALLED THE “WORKING CLASS”, HA FUCKING HA!), THE MIDDLE CLASS (WHICH THEORETICALLY MAKES UP THE MAJORITY OF THE POPULATION), AND THE UPPER CLASS (FUCK THOSE GUYS BUT WE’LL GET AROUND TO THAT LATER.) THIS MODEL IS PRETTY MUCH JUST DESIGNED TO CREATE TENSION WITHIN THE PROLETARIAT, BUT HANG ON A SECOND, I JUST REMEMBERED YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT THE PROLETARIAT IS YET.

SO BASICALLY, THERE’S NOT THAT MUCH DEFINABLE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE “MIDDLE CLASS” AND THE “WORKING CLASS.” WHEN YOU THINK OF WORKING CLASS, COLLOQUIALLY, YOU THINK OF THOSE LOSERS THAT WORK IN THE SERVICE INDUSTRY OR DRIVE TAXIS OR (AND THIS IS INCOMPREHENSIBLE TO SOME PEOPLE) HAVE NO JOB AT ALL. THE MIDDLE CLASS IS MORE LIKE TEACHERS AND MIDDLE MANAGERS AND GUYS THAT BUILD SOFTWARE REMOTELY FOR MICROSOFT. REALLY THOUGH, THERE’S NO WAY TO DRAW A DEFINITIVE LINE BETWEEN THESE PEOPLE. THE BEST WAY TO DEFINE CLASS IN AMERICA, (AND ALSO APPARENTLY GERMANY, AT LEAST IN THE 19TH CENTURY,) IS TO SEPARATE THOSE WHO PRODUCE GOODS AND THOSE WHO OWN THE GOODS THAT ARE PRODUCED. THERE IS NO “MIDDLE CLASS”, THAT’S JUST A MEANINGLESS THING TO STRIVE FOR BASED ON WHAT WHITE FAMILIES IN SITCOMS LOOK AND ACT LIKE.

WORKERS WHO PRODUCE GOODS AND SERVICES ARE THE BACKBONE OF SOCIETY AND THEY’RE CALLED THE PROLETARIAT. THEY ARE SERVICE WORKERS AND JANITORS AND TAXI DRIVERS AND HOTEL VALETS, BUT THEY ARE ALSO ELECTRICIANS AND PLUMBERS AND MECHANICS, AND THEY ARE LAWYERS AND DOCTORS AND PROFESSORS, AND THEY ARE YOUTUBERS AND INFLUENCERS AND SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGERS. THE PROLETARIAT IS ANYONE WHO MAKES MONEY BY SELLING THEIR LABOR. THEY CAN BE CONTRACTORS SELLING THEIR LABOR TO INDEPENDENT BUYERS, OR FREELANCERS SELLING THEIR LABOR TO MULTIPLE LARGER BUSINESSES, BUT MOST OF THE PROLETARIAT IS DIRECTLY EMPLOYED BY SOME KIND OF COMPANY OWNED BY A MEMBER OF THE BOURGEOISIE.

THE BOURGEOISIE IS KIND OF A MEME AT THIS POINT BUT THEIR IMPACT ON THE WAY WE LIVE IS FUCKING INESCAPABLE. THEY’RE PEOPLE WHO *BUY* OUR LABOR, ACCRUE CAPITAL BY SITTING ON THEIR (SOMETIMES LITERAL!!!) THRONES, OWNING COMPANIES AND PEOPLE, SOMETIMES BEING A PUBLIC FIGURE (LIKE ELON MUSK) WHO RAKES IN ADORATION FROM HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF MINDLESS TWITTER DRONES WHO STILL BELIEVE IN CLASS MOBILITY****, OR SOMETIMES BEING A SHADOWY FIGURE IN THE BACKGROUND (LIKE THE KOCH BROTHERS) WHO JUST PASSIVELY RAKE IN THE BENEFITS OF OUR HARD WORK AND CAN’T BE ASSASSINATED BECAUSE NO ONE WOULD RECOGNIZE THEM IF THEY WERE SEEN AT KROGER. THEY ARE USUALLY BORN WEALTHY, BUT VERY RARELY THEY CAN USE THEIR CHARISMA, INTELLIGENCE, SOCIAL CONNECTIONS, AND INTRINSIC PRIVILEGE AS A WHITE PERSON TO YANK THEMSELVES UP FROM THE PROLETARIAT (READ MY CLASS MOBILITY NOTE FOR MORE!!!)

SO THE RESULT OF THIS CLASS DIVISION IS AS FOLLOWS:

THE PROLETARIAT NEVER EARNS THE ACTUAL VALUE OF THEIR LABOR. A “SMALL” CHUNK IS ALWAYS TAKEN OUT FOR THE PEOPLE AT THE TOP, WHO “RUN” THE COMPANY (BUT REALLY THEIR JOB IS USUALLY TO EAT FANCY LUNCH AND TELL RACIST GOLF JOKES TO RICH INVESTORS). IN FACT, WAGES ARE USUALLY ENTIRELY DISSOCIATED FROM THE ACTUAL PROFIT THE COMPANY MAKES. FOR A BUSINESS TO BE PROFITABLE, IT HAS TO PAY THE EMPLOYEES IT RELIES ON LESS THAN WHAT THEY BRING TO THE TABLE, WHICH MEANS MOST COMPANIES ESTABLISH A BASE WAGE THAT’S EITHER EXACTLY THE STATE’S MINIMUM WAGE OR A COUPLE CENTS HIGHER TO COMPETE. THEY LITERALLY PAY THE LEAST THEY LEGALLY CAN. SOMETIMES *LESS*.

YOUR JOB IS EXPECTED TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN YOUR LIFE. EXHAUSTED AFTER YOUR FORTY, FIFTY, OR SIXTY HOUR WORK WEEK? THAT’S JUST NORMAL, THEY’RE NOT SQUEEZING THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF LABOR OUT OF YOU THAT THEY CAN WITHOUT KILLING YOU! WANT TO TAKE A FEW DAYS OFF TO SPEND TIME WITH YOUR WIFE AFTER SHE GAVE BIRTH TO YOUR INFANT CHILD? SORRY, YOU’RE OUT OF SICK DAYS. MISSED THE BUS AND THERE’S NOT ANOTHER ONE FOR AN HOUR? IT’S YOUR FAULT FOR NOT HAVING A CAR OR SPENDING FIFTY BUCKS ON AN UBER. TRYING TO GO TO YOUR FIFTH FAMILY FUNERAL BECAUSE ALL YOUR RELATIVES ARE DROPPING LIKE FLIES AFTER A HARD SIXTY YEARS OF LABOR? OOH, SORRY, YOU ONLY GET FOUR FUNERAL DAYS A YEAR! NEED TO GET ANOTHER JOB BECAUSE YOUR CURRENT ONE DOESN’T PAY ENOUGH? WELL, YOU FORGOT TO DISCLOSE IT TO YOUR BOSS AND THEY FIRED YOU FOR TWO-TIMING THEM! A JOB IS MORE OF A COMMITMENT THAN A SPOUSE, AND IF YOU HAVE OTHER PRIORITIES, YOU WON’T LAST LONG.

BECAUSE THE BOURGEOISIE OWNS SERVICES THAT SHOULD BE PROVIDED BY THE GOVERNMENT, LIKE HEALTHCARE, HOME AND AUTO INSURANCE, A LOT OF HIGHER EDUCATION ESTABLISHMENTS, CREDIT BUREAUS, LOAN COMPANIES, AND HOSPITALS, PROFIT IS THE MOTIVE THERE TOO! WHICH MEANS IF YOU HAVE ANY KIND OF INSURANCE, NEED TO BUY A HOUSE OR A CAR, WANT OR NEED AN EDUCATION, ARE CHRONICALLY ILL, OR JUST EXIST ON A GENERAL BASIS, COMPANIES ARE RIPPING YOU OFF. YOU ARE BASICALLY PAYING THOUSANDS A MONTH FOR THE CHANCE TO GET *SOME* OF YOUR MASSIVE HOSPITAL BILL COVERED IF YOU GET IN AN ACCIDENT. THIS ONE IS NEAR AND DEAR TO ME. FOR UNIMPORTANT REASONS, I MANAGE TO RACK UP A LOT OF DEBT EVERY YEAR GOING TO HOSPITALS AND URGENT CARE, CALLING AMBULANCES, PAYING FOR MEDICATION THAT DOESN’T WORK. DID YOU KNOW YOU’RE CHARGED NIGHTLY TO STAY IN HOSPITALS LIKE THEY’RE GODDAMN HOTELS? LIKE IT’S A FUCKING VACATION? AND DID YOU KNOW THE BILLING DEPARTMENTS OF EACH OF THESE PRIVATELY OWNED ESTABLISHMENTS IS MADE UP OF UNDERPAID, OVERSTRESSED MEMBERS OF THE PROLETARIAT WHOSE JOB IS TO FUCK UP YOUR BILL SO YOU OWE MORE THAN YOUR VISIT ACTUALLY COST?

MEDICAL FACILITIES ARE ALSO PUSHED TO SELL OVERPRICED DRUGS THAT DON’T WORK TO PEOPLE. HEADS UP, GUYS, BUT ANTIBIOTICS DON’T WORK AGAINST VIRAL INFECTIONS, AND YET THEY’RE PRESCRIBED FOR THE FLU AND COMMON COLD EVERY DAY. AND SOMETIMES THE DRUGS DO WORK, BUT THEY’RE STILL OVERPRICED! IF YOU’VE BEEN ON THE INTERNET AT ALL THIS YEAR YOU’LL KNOW ALL ABOUT THE INSULIN CRISIS, WHICH WAS CREATED ARTIFICIALLY. BASICALLY THE PEOPLE WHO OWN INSULIN (YEAH, *OWN* A LIFE-SAVING MEDICATION) RACKED UP THE PRICE SO MUCH THAT PEOPLE COULDN’T FUCKING AFFORD IT ANYMORE, DESPITE A NORMAL DOSE OF INSULIN COSTING LIKE FIFTY CENTS TO MAKE?? OR, HOW ABOUT THIS—THEY INVENTED THIS COOL NEW CHEAP PAIN-RELIEVING DRUG CALLED FENTANYL AND DISCOVERED THEY COULD MAKE A SHIT TON OF MONEY OFF IT, SO DOCTORS PRESCRIBED THE HELL OUT OF IT UNTIL PEOPLE GOT SO ADDICTED TO IT THAT TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE DIED OF OVERDOSES. OH, DID I SAY “PRESCRIBED” IN THE PAST TENSE? MY BAD, THEY CONTINUE TO PRESCRIBE IT EVERY SINGLE DAY. IF YOU HAVE CHRONIC PAIN AND ASK DOCTORS NOT TO PUT YOU ON PAIN MEDICATION, A LOT OF TIMES THEY WILL STILL PUT YOU ON PAIN MEDICATION. IF YOU EXPLAIN TO YOUR DOCTOR THAT YOU KICKED A HEROIN ADDICTION AND YOU REALLY WOULD NOT LIKE TO HAVE OPIOIDS PUT IN YOUR BODY, THEY WILL PROBABLY STILL BE LIKE, HUH, SUCKS FOR YOU, AND PUT OPIOIDS IN YOUR BODY.

DO YOU WANT TO CHANGE ANY OF THIS? PERHAPS PETITION YOUR LOCAL POLITICIAN, OR GOD FORBID, STATE CONGRESSMAN, TO PASS A LAW THAT YOU THINK MIGHT IMPROVE YOUR LIFE? WELL, IT TURNS OUT YOU NEED A LOT OF MONEY TO RUN A CAMPAIGN NOWADAYS, AND POLITICIANS ARE ALLOWED TO BE SPONSORED BY BIG BUSINESSES, BECAUSE BUSINESSES ARE PEOPLE. SO IF YOU’RE THE SENATOR OF NEW JERSEY OR WHATEVER, AND YOUR CONSTITUENTS WANT YOU TO VOTE TO RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE, BUT YOUR CAMPAIGN IS OWNED BY WALMART, WHO WANTS TO KEEP PAYING ITS WORKERS ELEVEN BUCKS AN HOUR, YOU HAVE THE CHOICE BETWEEN MAKING A COUPLE LITTLE WORKING CLASS IDIOTS ANGRY OR GETTING ALL YOUR FUNDING FROM WALMART PULLED BECAUSE YOU THREATENED THEIR PROFIT MARGINS.

NOT ACTIVELY DYING FROM A TREATABLE ILLNESS, WASTING AWAY FROM DRUG ADDICTION, OR ENTRENCHED IN SLAVERY TO A CORPORATION WHOSE PRODUCT YOU DON’T BELIEVE IN? GREAT! DID YOU KNOW THE PLANET WILL BE ON FIRE IN LIKE A FEW DECADES? OIL AND GAS COMPANIES HAVE SO MUCH INFLUENCE OVER THE LAWMAKERS THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO PROHIBIT THEM FROM RUINING THE PLANET, THEY’VE PUT THE ONUS OF SAVING IT ON INDIVIDUALS’ SHOULDERS. REDUCE YOUR CARBON EMISSIONS BY TAKING THAT HOURLY BUS (YOU’LL EITHER BE FIFTY MINUTES EARLY TO WORK OR TEN MINUTES LATE!) OR RECYCLING YOUR SHIT (BUT IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOUR MUNICIPALITY CAN’T RECYCLE, THEY’LL THROW THE WHOLE BATCH OUT WHEN YOU PUT TRASH IN) OR TURNING THE LIGHTS OFF IN YOUR HOUSE (JUST EAT DINNER IN THE DARK YOU PIECE OF SHIT) OR INSTALLING SOLAR PANELS ON YOUR HOUSE (FUCK ME FOR RENTING I GUESS?) THERE IS SO MUCH WE CAN DO JUST WHENEVER TO SWITCH TO SUSTAINABLE ENERGY, BUT EXXON AND BP AND SHELL OWN SO MUCH INFLUENCE THAT WE’RE JUST *NOT*, AND LEAVING THIS WASTELAND OF A HOME PLANET TO OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS. BUT AT LEAST ELON MUSK BUILT THIS REALLY COOL LOW-POLY BETHESDA LOOKING PIECE OF SHIT FOR US TO MAKE MEMES ABOUT

HERE’S THE SKINNY OF IT, PEOPLE. THERE’S NO OUT WITHIN OUR CURRENT SYSTEM. EVEN IF YOU DID THE MAGIC AND PULLED YOURSELF UP BY YOUR BOOTSTRAPS AND NOW YOU’RE A BIG BOY WHO OWNS HIS OWN COMPANY, YOU LEFT BEHIND A BUNCH OF PEOPLE WHO DIDN’T WIN THE BIRTH LOTTERY LIKE YOU DID. INNOCENT FOLKS ARE DYING OF HUNGER OR ILLNESS THEY CAN’T AFFORD TO TREAT, CRASHING CARS THEY CAN’T AFFORD TO FIX, WORKING THEMSELVES LITERALLY TO DEATH TO SUPPORT THEMSELVES OR THEIR FAMILIES, AND SCRAPING BY WITH A MEASLY ALLOWANCE OF FREE TIME WITH WHICH TO UNWIND AND CATCH UP WITH OTHER PEOPLE. THEY DON’T HAVE TIME TO WATCH THE NEWS, THINK CRITICALLY ABOUT THE SOCIETY THEY LIVE IN, CONCEPTUALIZE UNIONIZING OR REVOLTING OR BUILDING GUILLOTINES. THEY WANT TO KEEP US EXHAUSTED AND STRUGGLING BECAUSE IT’S WHAT KEEPS THEM COMFORTABLE UP THERE, KNOWING NO ONE HAS THE ENERGY OR THE GALL TO TOUCH THEM. THE ONLY FUCKING WAY TO ESCAPE THIS HELL WE’VE CREATED IS THROUGH REVOLUTION. WE NEED TO SCRAP THIS WHOLE THING AND START OVER. BUT I THINK THAT’S ANOTHER ESSAY. ANYWAY I HOPE THIS WAS THOROUGH ENOUGH FOR A LITERAL ALIEN SOCIETY.

TL;DR: WE ARE ALL FUCKED IF WE DON’T OVERTHROW THE RICH.

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

*CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS IS SOME EUROPEAN WHO SAILED THE WRONG WAY AND ENDED UP IN THE AMERICAS. HE AND HIS BUDDIES RAPED AND PILLAGED THEIR WAY THROUGH A BUNCH OF INDIGINOUS COMMUNITIES AND DECIDED THIS COUNTRY WAS “FREE REIGN” TO SETTLE IN. HE IS HAILED AS THE AMERICAN ODYSSEUS AND CREDITED WITH THE “DISCOVERY” OF AMERICA BECAUSE OF COURSE ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO LIVED HERE FIRST DON’T COUNT??

**I DON’T KNOW SHIT ABOUT WARS EITHER BUT LET’S GET INTO IT FROM THE POV OF A GUY WHO PASSED HIS WORLD HISTORY CLASS WITH A STRAIGHT B MINUS.

THE FIRST WORLD WAR: I DON’T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT THIS ONE.

THE SECOND WORLD WAR: THE ONE WHERE A BUNCH OF SCIENTISTS AND GOVERNMENT OFFICERS BOMBED A COUPLE OF CIVILIAN SETTLEMENTS IN JAPAN AND I’M PRETTY SURE AN *ENTIRE HAWAIIAN ISLAND* JUST TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED. TURNS OUT IT KILLED A BUNCH OF CIVILIANS. HUH! WHO’D HAVE EXPECTED THAT! OH IT ALSO TURNED AN ENTIRE GENERATION OF OTHERWISE DECENT FOLKS INTO RABIDLY PATRIOTIC IDIOTS, BECAUSE THE PACE AT WHICH THIS COUNTRY CHURNS OUT PROPAGANDA DURING A WAR IS FASTER THAN THE SPEEDING RUBBER BAND I SHOT WITH MY FINGERS AT THE TEACHER WHO WAS EXPLAINING WHY EVERY OTHER COUNTRY WAS IN THE ABSOLUTE WRONG DURING THIS CATASTROPHE.

VIETNAM: OKAY SO BASICALLY PEOPLE HATED THIS ONE BECAUSE THEY REALIZED SOLDIERS WERE GOING ALL CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS ON THE COUNTRIES WHERE THEY WERE STATIONED. ENOUGH SAID.

COLD WAR: THIS IS NOMINALLY A WAR BECAUSE THE GOOD OLD U.S.A. AND ITS HATEFUCKBUDDY THE U.S.S.R.† DID THIS WITH WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION

(EVENTUALLY THEY DECIDED TO PUT THE FINGER GUNS AWAY. I’M GONNA LET YOU TRY TO PUZZLE OUT ON YOUR OWN HOW COUNTRIES “PUT AWAY” NUCLEAR WEAPONS CAPABLE OF ENDING ALL LIFE ON EARTH.)

SPACE RACE: THE U.S. AND THE U.S.S.R. HAD A FUN COMPETITION TO SEE WHOSE DICK WAS BIG ENOUGH TO GET TO THE MOON. SCIENCE IS RUINED.

***ARTISTS, WRITERS, JOURNALISTS, VIDEO ESSAYISTS, AND ANYONE ELSE WHO ISN’T EITHER OWNED OR SPONSORED (THAT’S A FANCY WORD FOR “OWNED”) BY BIG BUSINESS TEND TO BE THREATENED BY POVERTY. PRETTY MUCH ANYONE WHO CAN FREELANCE ACTUALLY, BECAUSE WORKING FOR A CORPORATION PROVIDES THE SAFETY NET THAT SOCIAL PROGRAMS WOULD OTHERWISE TAKE CARE OF IF SOCIAL PROGRAMS WERE FUNDED EVER.

****ALSO KNOWN AS THE AMERICAN DREAM, IN WHICH *ANYBODY* CAN MAKE IT IN THIS COUNTRY IF THEY TRY HARD ENOUGH! UNFORTUNATELY THIS IS A MYTH, AS YOU CAN SEE BY THE FACT THAT I AM STILL REALLY POOR, AS IS LIKE 90% OF THE COUNTRY. PLUS CLASS MOBILITY WORKS REALLY HARD TO KEEP MINORITIES IN EXTREME POVERTY, BECAUSE IT DOESN’T EXIST AS AN ISOLATED SYSTEM AND ANYONE WHO THINKS IT DOES IS A DUMBSHIT WHO’S BOUGHT INTO THIS EVEN MORE THAN THE AVERAGE DUMBSHIT.

†RUSSIA’S COOL NEW NAME WHEN IT TRIED OUT SOCIALISM

#HERE YOU FUCKING GO ALIENS.#I WOULD HAVE GOTTEN A D MINUS FOR THIS IN SCHOOL.#FOR REASONS THAT ARE ESTABLISHED UNDER THE CUT.#{{i typed this in google docs? its uhhh 8 pages long #addiction/#drugs/#war/#uncle sam/#tesla truck/#watch as it fucks up the formatting and kills me instantly

15 notes · View notes

wickedsrest-rp-archive · 5 years

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Name: Julie Clarke Species: Kitsune (Huxian) Occupation: Mercenary Age: 173 Years Old Played By: Alyssa Face Claim: Jessica Henwick

“You might want to take a second look at your shadow.”

One night while a woman’s husband went off to expand the control of the British crown over the coast of Singapore, a cruel huxian took his form and seduced his wife. Both in reaction to British colonization and simply because he wanted children. He’d done this multiple times, many were in failed attempts. Either because they were different kinds of huxians or because they were as normal and plain as their mothers. Then came Julia. Born Julia Anne Griffiths, she was brought into a young family, starry eyed over the new British settlement. She was their first child and when she was born, her “father” knew she wasn’t his and was about to throw her and her mother out when the mother claimed she was taken advantage of by a native Malay. She pointed him out. They killed him. That wasn’t Julie’s father however.

Julie’s father did find her about nine months later and knew there was something special about her. Her parents wanted nothing to do with her, hardly gave her any attention, even less affection. She was left unsupervised in the front lawn. All her father had to do was open the gate and take her. Her family reported her death, days later. With her father she became Lim Yijun, taking her father’s name who gave it to himself having lived his whole life in a small cottage in Singaporean forests. He raised her in the sense that he taught her how to hunt as a fox. How to scavenge as a human. How to watch and remain undetected. How to fight. Yet, physical affection, parental love was nowhere to be found.

Julie chased his approval. What did she need to gain it? To excel in her shadow manipulations, in her trickeries. They picked on British colonizers. Scaring them off, possessing them. Yet as she got older, she sought to assimilate in the nearby Singapore villages. She hadn’t a clue what the British people were saying but learned early on that they had a leader of sorts. Someone who they would take commands from. After speaking with the locals (something her father despised) she agreed to kill one of them if they gave her food. By the next morning, it was done. Of course another leader rose up instead, but the local village commended her for her bravery.

It began with helping the native people in Singapore, often against the British but her father fought with her, disapproving of her actions. He may steal, lie, cheat and assault but he never killed nor fought for humanity. Julie, having long grown tired of her father, stood up against him and attacked him, leaving him with a scar on his face. She continued to live and train with her father, but would often leave to kill or fight whoever paid her. Given she didn’t know English, she didn’t pick anything up from the British so it was always Chinese or native Singaporean. However, the more she possessed them, the more she started to learn their languages. When the languages opened so did the clientele. She spread to Japan during World War II, paid by British generals in retaliation for their loss of Singapore. As many as she killed, she couldn’t defeat a whole nation. The war ended and Singapore was in ruins and Julie has never been paid more than in the time after the war. Revenge killings were widespread.

Eventually she moved on from Singapore, leaving her father who had eventually taught her all he could and was not needed by her anymore. The job took her throughout the world. Cuba, Russia, Vietnam–if there was a war she was there to take profits in taking down a military leader or military troops. Occasionally, she’d meet a supernatural that wanted another supernatural dead. Those were rare however, she focused mostly on humans. She went on for decades as a mercenary, eventually shifting to “security contractor” in the 21st century. As the times changed, so did she. Julie had to learn technology to get in contact with her clients and to research hits and how best to “deliver the message”. As such, she’s well-versed in technology, specifically in compromising computer systems and networks. Which made it even more embarrassing that she was caught.

An American soldier, far too curious for his own good, saw Julie remove herself from a possessed body before she eased back into the shadows, unaware. However, word got around. Especially considering that the soldier she possessed murdered their commander. The soldier was tried and convicted but the other eventually was discharged because of his accusations. Word got to Julie by her client who claims she made too many splashes and the American government is considering looking into the murder. She not only will not receive her complete payment if this continues but it’ll hurt her reputation. She tracked down the soldier, possessed him. Had him kill his family. Then himself. All was done right? He had a failsafe. Information traveled to a friend, a fellow conspiracy theorist or something. She traced it to a town in Maine called White Crest. She will find who he leaked the information to. And she will kill them.

Character Facts:

Personality: Adventurous, sneaky, independent, quarrelsome, cocky, driven, facetious

Has changed her name three times in her life. Her other names are Julia Anne Griffiths, Lim Yijun, Juliette Preston, and her most recent Julie Clarke.

Speaks and understands many languages, including but not limited to, Malay, various Chinese dialects, Japanese, English, Russian. Even better she can do really good accents and sound authentic. American accent is her least practiced so she has a slight British accent when speaking English.

Is incredibly against humans knowing about the supernatural and has killed many humans who threatened to spill the beans to the mainstream world, surprisingly they were requests from other humans. Like hunters, witches and former Scribes.

In her free time she has developed a liking for video games, especially computer ones. She has purchased consoles but sticks with pc gaming. Her favorite type? Online multiplayer FPS.

Her alias among the community is the “Messenger”. After all, she’s not the one who wants these people dead. Her clients just pay her to send them a message and she always delivers.

#retired

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nickyfantastic · 4 years

Text

The original codes favored by the Southern legislatures were an astonishing affront to emancipation and dealt with vagrancy, apprenticeship, labor contracts, migration, civil and legal rights. In all cases, there was plain and indisputable attempt on the part of the Southern states to make Negroes slaves in everything but name. They were given certain civil rights: the right to hold property, to sue and be sued. The family relations for the first time were legally recognized. Negroes were no longer real estate.

Yet, in the face of this, the Black Codes were deliberately designed to take advantage of every misfortune of the Negro. Negroes were liable to a slave trade under the guise of vagrancy and apprenticeship laws; to make the best labor contracts, Negroes must leave the old plantations and seek better terms; but if caught wandering in search of work, and thus unemployed and without a home, this was vagrancy, and the victim could be whipped and sold into slavery. In the turmoil of war, children were separated from parents, or parents unable to support them properly. These children could be sold into slavery, and “the former owner of said minors shall have the preference.” Negroes could come into court as witnesses only in cases in which Negroes were involved. And even then, they must make their appeal to a jury and judge who would believe the word of any white man in preference to that of any Negro on pain of losing office and caste.The Negro’s access to the land was hindered and limited; his right to work was curtailed; his right of self-defense was taken away, when his right to bear arms was stopped; and his employment was virtually reduced to contract labor with penal servitude as a punishment for leaving his job. And in all cases, the judges of the Negro’s guilt or innocence, rights and obligations were men who believed firmly, for the most part, that he had “no rights which a white man was bound to respect.”

...

[Du Bois proceeds to examine specific legislation in many different states regulating black labor in detail. I reproduce here only a couple examples.]

Mississippi provided that

“every freedman, free Negro, and mulatto shall on the second Monday of January, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, and annually thereafter, have a lawful home or employment, and shall have written evidence thereof… . from the Mayor… or from a member of the board of police… which licenses may be revoked for cause at any time by the authority granting the same.”

Louisiana passed an elaborate law in 1865, to “regulate labor contracts for agricultural pursuits...” The law required all agricultural laborers to make labor contracts for the next year within the first ten days of January, the contracts to be in writing, to be with heads of families, to embrace the labor of all the members, and to be “binding on all minors thereof.” Each laborer, after choosing his employer,

“shall not be allowed to leave his place of employment until the fulfillment of his contract, unless by consent of his employer, or on account of harsh treatment, or breach of contract on the part of the employer; and if they do so leave, without cause or permission, they shall forfeit all wages earned to the time of abandonment… .In case of sickness of the laborer, wages for the time lost shall be deducted, and where the sickness is feigned for purposes of idleness, . . . and also should refusal to work be continued beyond three days, the offender shall be reported to a justice of the peace, and shall be forced to labor on roads, levees, and other public works, without pay, until the offender consents to return to his labor… .When in health, the laborer shall work ten hours during the day in summer, and nine hours during the day in winter, unless otherwise stipulated in the labor contract; he shall obey all proper orders of his employer or his agent; take proper care of his work mules, horses, oxen, stock; also of all agricultural implements; and employers shall have the right to make a reasonable deduction from the laborer’s wages for injuries done to animals or agricultural implements committed to his care, or for bad or negligent work. Bad work shall not be allowed. Failing to obey reasonable orders, neglect of duty and leaving home without permission, will be deemed disobedience… . For any disobedience a fine of one dollar shall be imposed on the offender. For all lost time from work hours, unless in case of sickness, the laborer shall be fined twenty-five cents per hour. For all absence from home without leave, the laborer will be fined at the rate of two dollars per day. Laborers will not be required to labor on the Sabbath except to take the necessary care of stock and other property on plantations and do the necessary cooking and household duties, unless by special contract. For all thefts of the laborers from the employer of agricultural products, hogs, sheep, poultry or any other property of the employer, or willful destruction of property or injury, the laborer shall pay the employer double the amount of the value of the property stolen, destroyed or injured, one half to be paid to the employer, and the other half to be placed in the general fund provided for in this section. No live stock shall be allowed to laborers without the permission of the employer. Laborers shall not receive visitors during work hours. All difficulties arising between the employers and laborers, under this section, shall be settled, and all fines be imposed, by the former; if not satisfactory to the laborers, an appeal may be had to the nearest justice of the peace and two freeholders, citizens, one of said citizens to be selected by the employer and the other by the laborer; and all fines imposed and collected under this section shall be deducted from the wages due, and shall be placed in a common fund, to be divided among the other laborers employed on the plantation at the time when their full wages fall due, except as provided for above.”

Similar detailed regulations of work were in the South Carolina law. Elaborate provision was made for contracting colored “servants” to white “masters.” Their masters were given the right to whip “moderately” servants under eighteen. Others were to be whipped on authority of judicial officers. These officers were given authority to return runaway servants to their masters. The servants, on the other hand, were given certain rights. Their wages and period of service must be specified in writing, and they were protected against “unreasonable” tasks, Sunday and night work, unauthorized attacks on their persons, and inadequate food.

Contracting Negroes were to be known as “servants” and contractors as “masters.” Wages were to be fixed by the judge, unless stipulated. Negroes of ten years of age or more without a parent living in the district might make a valid contract for a year or less. Failure to make written contracts was a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of $5 to $50; farm labor to be from sunrise to sunset, with intervals for meals; servants to rise at dawn, to be careful of master’s property and answerable for property lost or injured. Lost time was to be deducted from wages. Food and clothes might be deducted. Servants were to be quiet and orderly and to go to bed at reasonable hours. No night work or outdoor work in bad weather was to be asked, except in cases of necessity, visitors not allowed without the master’s consent. Servants leaving employment without good reason must forfeit wages. Masters might discharge servants for disobedience, drunkenness, disease, absence, etc. Enticing away the services of a servant was punishable by a fine of $20 to $100. A master could command a servant to aid him in defense of his own person, family or property. House servants at all hours of the day and night, and at all days of the week, “must answer promptly all calls and execute all lawful orders.”

W.E.B. Du Bois, Black Reconstruction in America

#web du bois #bria #passages

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