#private-label-contractor

[mlm-business-consultant]

[ere-the-sun-rises]

Please for your own sake do 5 minutes of reading on the subject instead of uncritically repeating what you were taught as a child. Hamas are the military wing of the political party that currently administrate Gaza and have since 2006. Terrorism is an arbitrary label applied to any violence that opposes the actions of a state.

Hi! Thanks for reaching out! I understand what you're trying to say, and you're not entirely wrong. However, there is some key points you're misunderstanding. There are differences between terrorists, militants and state actors.

Terrorists can be lone wolves in service of a higher ideology, decentralized violent movements or organized collectives that use terror tactics as a means to achieve their goals (usually because there are relatively few of them). These acts do not have to be against their own state or a state at all. A Western example of this would be the FLQ, a Québeçois separationist group from Canada active in the 1980s. This group bombed mailboxes, cars and offices, as well as abducted and killed politicians.

Militants are a more cohesive unit, large and well armed enough to engage in direct engagement. They also tend to be more centralized and can carry out coordinated long-term assault strategies. They can resort to terrorist strategy, but do not depend on them. The IRA were militants.

State actors are organizations that belong to a government, in-power political party or country. These would include things like police, armies, private military contractors (in the employ of a state), the Nazi SS (originally the Nazi Party's militarized wing) or the USA's National Guard.

To be a state, there must be a geographical zone one controls, an affiliated populace and an independent governmental body (as in, it operates itself without answering to a mother-state as a colony would be expected to). To achieve statehood, the state must also be internationally recognized, since acceptance of government-issued documentation (like passports) depend on other states accepting them as valid. States can exist as clients to larger states, or depend heavily on another state for resources so long as daily government function is not answerable to another state.

With those definitions out of the way: Palestine, Hamas and Israel, then.

Israel is an internationally recognized state with a UN seat, their own armies, allies and treaties. Israelis have government documentation accepted around the world and there are routes to becoming an Israeli citizen. Israel is a state.

Palestine is a geographical zone within which Israel exists, as well as a by-word for an ethnicity belonging to said region. Palestine does not have a functional government, cannot issue government documentation or verify citizenship, nor does it control its own internal affairs uninterrupted. This is because Israel has stopped it from doing so - funding for any bureaucracy comes from Israel and Israel controls the borders, whether that be letting people in or out. Palestine is not recognized as a state by any other states.

Hamas is a terrorist organization. It fails to make militant status because its forces are small, it cannot control or hold territory, it is not capable of meeting another force in direct engagement and it relies almost exclusively on terrorist tactics to accomplish any goal. You are correct that Hamas was voted into power in 2006, but that means very little. Not only was that election's turnout suppressed by Hamas to start, but it was 18 years ago without another being held since. Insofar as a government exists/has existed at all, it is not independent. As I said, Israel controls the geographic zone in its entirety - Hamas has no control over Palestine's border, nor does it issue passports or verify citizenship and it was never capable of doing so. What Ministries do function are paid for by Israel, not through state revenues like taxes (which you need state apparatus to extract, which Hamas does not have). Even the PLO in the West Bank (which is closer to an actual government body) does not have that power and never did. Does Hamas run institutions like the Health Ministry which are usually run by governments? Yes. Does that make it a government? No. Because it cannot govern.

I have a feeling, my friend, that you are the one who has not read very much. Israel has willfully decided to attack a geographically captive group of non-citizens who do not belong to any state in order to eliminate a terrorist organization. As the only state actor in this conflict, Israel is in control and always have been. They, therefore, are liable for every horrific thing they've done over the last 70-some years and have no excuse for any of it.

Irregardless, I don't give a fuck about Hamas. Hamas are terrorists - what the fuck did you think they were gonna do? They were gonna do terrorism, you goddamn idiot. Israel doesn't have an excuse - they're genocidal apartheid warmongers who want to annex the whole region for their own. The end.

I hope every Israeli official who authorized this gets tried in the Hague and every soldier who gleefully participated in this never know peace for the rest of their hopefully long and miserable lives.

I hope every innocent Israeli civilian never has to worry about terrorism in their lives again. I hope every Palestianian never hears gunfire or ordinance ever again, that they will know warm homes, olive trees, complete families and peace again and never lose it.

And I hope you, my friend, never ever find yourself in a situation where your horrific and unmitigated suffering is so ruthlessly and heartlessly dismissed - that you never know what it is like to live the way the Palestinians are right now.

No one deserves this.

[kp777]

By Olivia Rosane

Common Dreams

Sept. 23, 2024

"Unless we're organized and demanding responsive governments that actually meet the needs of people, it's corporate power that's going to set the agenda," one organizer said.

Big Tech, Big Oil, and private equity firms are among the leading companies that profit from controlling media and technology, accelerating the climate crisis, privatizing public goods and services, and violating human and workers' rights, the International Trade Union Confederation revealed on Monday.

The ITUC has labeled seven major companies as "corporate underminers of democracy" that lobby against government attempts to hold them accountable and are headed by super-rich individuals who fund right-wing political movements and leaders.

"This is about power, who has it, and who sets the agenda," Todd Brogan, director of campaigns and organizing at the ITUC, toldThe Guardian. "We know as trade unionists that unless we're organized, the boss sets the agenda in the workplace, and we know as citizens in our countries that unless we're organized and demanding responsive governments that actually meet the needs of people, it's corporate power that's going to set the agenda."

The "corporate underminers of democracy" are:

1. Amazon.com, Inc. 2. Blackstone Group 3. ExxonMobil 4. Glencore 5. Meta 6. Tesla 7. The Vanguard Group

ITUC chose the seven companies based on preexisting reporting and research, as well as talks with allied groups like the Council of Global Unions and the Reactionary International Research Consortium. The seven companies were "emblematic" of a broader trend, and the confederation said it would continue to add "market-leading" companies to the list.

"While these seven corporations are among the most egregious underminers of democracy, they are hardly alone," ITUC said. "Whether state-owned enterprises in China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia; private sector military contractors; or regulation-busting tech startups, the ITUC and its partners will continue to identify and track corporate underminers of democracy and their links to the far-right."

Amazon topped the list due to its "union busting and low wages on multiple continents, monopoly in e-commerce, egregious carbon emissions through its AWS data centers, corporate tax evasion, and lobbying at national and international level," ITUC wrote.

In the U.S., for example, Amazon has responded to attempts to hold it accountable for labor violations by challenging the constitutionality of the National Labor Relations Board. While its founder Jeff Bezos voices liberal opinions, Amazon's political donations have advanced the right by challenging women's rights and antitrust efforts.

"There is another force, one that is unelected and seeks to dominate global affairs."

Blackstone is the world's largest private equity firm and private real-estate owner whose CEO, Stephen Schwarzman, has given to right-wing politicians including former U.S. President Donald Trump's 2024 reelection campaign. It funds fossil fuel projects and the destruction of the Amazon and profited from speculating on the housing market after the 2008 financial crash.

The United Nations special papporteur on housing said the company used "its significant resources and political leverage to undermine domestic laws and policies that would in fact improve access to adequate housing."

ExxonMobil made the list largely for its history of funding climate denial and its ongoing lobbying against needed environmental regulations.

"Perhaps the greatest example of Exxon's disinterest in democratic deliberation was its corporate commitment of nearly four decades to conceal from the public its own internal evidence that climate change was real, accelerating, and driven by fossil fuel use while simultaneously financing far-right think tanks in the U.S. and Europe to inject climate scepticism and denialism into the public discourse," ITUC wrote.

Glencore is the world's largest commodities trader and the largest mining company when judged by revenue. Several civil society and Indigenous rights groups have launched campaigns against it over its anti-democratic policies. It has allegedly funded right-wing paramilitaries in Colombia and anti-protest vigilantes in Peru.

"The company's undermining of democracy is not in dispute, as it has in recent years pled guilty to committing bribery, corruption, and market manipulation in countries as varied as Venezuela, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria, and South Sudan," ITUC said.

As the world's largest social media company, Meta's platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram have roughly as many users as everyone expected to vote in 2024 worldwide—almost 4 billion. Yet there are concerns about what its impact on those elections will be, as right-wing groups from the U.S. to Germany to India have used Facebook to recruit new members and target marginalized groups.

"Meta continues to aid right-wing political interests in weaponizing its algorithms to spread hate-filled propaganda around the world," ITUC wrote. "Increasingly, it has been engaged in dodging national regulation through the deployment of targeted lobbying campaigns."

Tesla made the list for its "belligerent" anti-union stance, as well as the vocal anti-worker and right-wing politics of its CEO, Elon Musk. Of Musk, ITUC observed:

As owner of the social networking platform X (formerly Twitter), he responded to one user's allegations about a coup in Bolivia–a country with lithium reserves considered highly valuable for electric vehicle manufacturers like Tesla–by saying, "We will coup whoever we want. Deal with it!" He has committed to donating $45 million per month to a political action committee to support the reelection campaign of Donald Trump, and sought to build close relationships with other far-right leaders, including Argentina's Javier Milei and India's Narendra Modi. Musk has also re-platformed and clearly expressed his support of white nationalist, antisemitic, and anti-LGBTQ+ accounts since taking ownership of X.

No. 7 on the list is The Vanguard Group, an institutional investor that funds many of the other companies on the list, including with billions in the stock held by workers' retirement plans.

"Effectively, Vanguard uses the deferred wages of workers to lend capital to the self-same companies complicit in undermining democracy at work and in societies globally," ITUC wrote.

ITUC is exposing these companies in part to advance its agenda for a "New Social Contract" that would ensure "a world where the economy serves humanity, rights are protected, and the planet is preserved for future generations."

It and other workers' organizations plan to push this agenda at international gatherings like the U.N. General Assembly and Summit of the Future in New York this week as well as the COP29 climate conference in Azerbaijan in November. Yet part of advancing this agenda means raising awareness about the opposition.

"There is another force, one that is unelected and seeks to dominate global affairs. It pushes a competing vision for the world that maintains inequalities and impunity for bad-faith actors, finances far-right political operatives, and values private profit over public and planetary good," ITUC wrote. "That force is corporate power."

However, Brogan told The Guardian that labor groups, when organized across borders, could fight back.

"Now is the time for international and multi-sectoral strategies, because these are, in many cases, multinational corporations that are more powerful than states, and they have no democratic accountability whatsoever, except for workers organized," Brogan said.

To that end, ITUC is gathering signatures for a petition for a global treaty holding corporate power in check.

"For international institutions like the United Nations to reflect the democratic will of workers, they must be willing to hold these corporate underminers of democracy accountable," the petition reads. "That is why we are calling on you to support a robust binding international treaty on business and human rights, one that addresses the impact of transnational corporations on the human rights of millions of working people."

[mostlysignssomeportents]

This day in history

I'm in TARTU, ESTONIA! Overcoming the Enshittocene (TOMORROW, May 8, 6PM, Prima Vista Literary Festival keynote, University of Tartu Library, Struwe 1). AI, copyright and creative workers' labor rights (May 10, 8AM: Science Fiction Research Association talk, Institute of Foreign Languages and Cultures building, Lossi 3, lobby). A talk for hackers on seizing the means of computation (May 10, 3PM, University of Tartu Delta Centre, Narva 18, room 1037).

out of atrocity photos https://www.salon.com/2007/07/23/torture/

#20yrsago Floppy RAID https://web.archive.org/web/20040202110812/http://ohlssonvox.8k.com/fdd_raid.htm

#15yrsago Chinese provincial government orders local officials to smoke more https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5271376/Chinese-ordered-to-smoke-more-to-boost-economy.html

#15yrsago San Francisco Muni begins to enforce imaginary no-photos policy https://web.archive.org/web/20090510023205/http://www.whatimseeing.com/2009/05/06/what-is-munis-photography-policy/

#15yrsago MPAA to teachers: don’t rip DVDs, just record your television with a camcorder https://vimeo.com/4520463

#15yrsago End of Overeating: the science of junk-food cravings https://memex.craphound.com/2009/05/07/end-of-overeating-the-science-of-junk-food-cravings/

#10yrsago Imagineer Rolly Crump on the 1964 NY World’s Fair: audio memoir https://itskindofacutestory.com/?p=135

#10yrsago Vi Hart explains Net Neutrality https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAxMyTwmu_M

#10yrsago Kids are mostly sexually solicited online by classmates, peers, teens https://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/archives/2014/05/05/sexual-predators.html

#5yrsago danah boyd explains the connection between the epistemological crisis and the rise of far-right conspiratorial thinking https://web.archive.org/web/20190427233128/https://points.datasociety.net/agnotology-and-epistemological-fragmentation-56aa3c509c6b

#5yrsago “Steering With the Windshield Wipers”: why nothing we’re doing to fix Big Tech is working https://locusmag.com/2019/05/cory-doctorow-steering-with-the-windshield-wipers/

#5yrsago Facebook hands hundreds of contractors in India access to its users’ private messages and private Instagram posts in order to help train an AI https://www.reuters.com/article/us-facebook-ai/facebook-labels-posts-by-hand-posing-privacy-questions-idUSKCN1SC01T/

#5yrsago People with diabetes are scouring the internet for a discontinued insulin pump that can be reprogrammed as an “artificial pancreas” https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/04/looping-created-insulin-pump-underground-market/588091/

#5yrsago App lets you auction your San Francisco parking spot https://web.archive.org/web/20140506133800/http://blog.sfgate.com/techchron/2014/05/05/sell-your-s-f-street-parking-spot-for-20/

#5yrsago How the diverse internet became a monoculture https://www.canadaland.com/podcast/276-20-years-after-napster-cory-doctorow-on-what-went-wrong-2/

#5yrsago Apple’s growth strategy is a textbook case of antitrust abuse https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/6/18531570/apple-company-purchases-startups-tim-cook-buy-rate

#1yrago Don’t Curb Your Enthusiasm https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/07/dont-curb-your-enthusiasm/

[beeseverywhen]

Another week, another phantom menace for Rishi Sunak. The people he is talking about, regarding his benefit reforms, do not exist. The 1.35 million people who could work but just don’t want to, who have a label of depression or anxiety but are just a little bit sad, who could have their benefits replaced by vouchers and find that incentivising: these people do not exist.

People are not signed off work because we are all a little bit more comfortable talking about our moods. People are not on disability benefits because Prince Harry did a podcast. We don’t have a “sicknote culture” because it’s too easy to get a sicknote. The pressure on GPs will not be lifted by parcelling out sicknotes to private contractors. Those with depression and anxiety severe enough to claim a personal independence payment (Pip) are catastrophically unwell. If numbers have surged over the past 14 years, which they have, it is because Conservative governments make you catastrophically unwell.

Pushback on this new narrative of cruelty has so far been pathetic: at the most, you might hear a minister challenged on the scarcity of NHS mental health provision. All that is true: child and adolescent mental health services in particular are now so poor as to be almost nonexistent. There are areas of the country where a child can wait so long for help that by the time it arrives, four years later, they are no longer a child. In a grim, idiotic irony that is the trademark of a government that marries callousness to incompetence, the more severe your illness, the more labyrinthine and inaccessible the treatment: hospital trusts might meet the referral targets for psychotic episodes, but most then fail to meet the standard for providing treatment. Waiting times for severe mental illness besides psychosis aren’t recorded and people describe it as endless limbo.

But the problem starts further up the pipeline: our mental health is worse because our general health is worse. “Britain is objectively sicker than it was a decade ago,” the epidemiologist Michael Marmot wrote in January. Poverty is driving down life expectancy and driving up infant mortality – and, along the way, it’s destroying people’s sanity. Being chronically hungry – as the UN rapporteur noted in November, with some horror, that many people are in Britain – harms your state of mind, as does not being able to feed your children.

Debt, precarious housing, low wages, punitive benefit sanctions – any one of these factors might reasonably cause a person to fear for their existence. Successive Conservative governments have driven a large number of people to despair and now they want to engage us in a conversation about snowflakes. We shouldn’t dignify it.

If the premise is built on an untruth, it is not surprising that no single point is true, either. Mel Stride, the work and pensions secretary, is calling these ideas the “biggest welfare reforms in a generation”, but 14 years is much less than a generation and, in this time, welfare has been reformed significantly. Universal credit, introduced 11 years ago, was never benchmarked to a meaningful assessment of need, with the result that 90% of households claiming it, as of last summer, are unable to afford the essentials.

If that was the intention – to move low-income families on to the breadline – that is hands down the most successful reform the Tories have enacted. Pip, the benefit these reforms are coming for, was itself a reform of the disability living allowance. It is known for assessment criteria so harsh and nonsensical that, if anxiety isn’t one of your symptoms at the start of it, it generally is by the end.

The whole wheeze is underpinned by the fact that Sunak doesn’t have time to make meaningful changes to anything. Maybe he thinks he is laying a trap for Labour. Maybe he thinks the injection of fresh cruelty will boost his support in the local elections. If there is anything more disgusting than the sight of a half-billionaire rolling up his sleeves for a “benefits crackdown” in the middle of a cost of living crisis, the realities of which he wouldn’t be able to imagine even if it occurred to him to try, I can’t think of it.

[overseerdefenseknox]

NAVIGATION | INTERVIEW

OOC Info: Zun | PST/PDT | they/them

Muses: Aren Knox {Overseers}

Thread Organization: each thread will be tagged as contract:(name)### with the name being the other muse(s) involved and the number being the chronological instance of the interaction

Look who just landed! AREN KNOX, I sure hope you packed all you need. You’ll be known in the city soon enough as THE GUARDIAN, both LOYAL and CYNICAL.

______________________________________________________________

Full Name: Aren Pyrce Knox

Nickname: None by choice, but they're occasionally called "sunglasses" or "gearhead" by colleagues and the ruder clientele.

Date of Birth: May 12, 2373

Gender: agender

Pronouns: they/them

Sexual Orientation: pansexual

Romantic Orientation: panromantic

Current Age: 32

Modification: cyborg

Affiliation: overseers

Birthplace: Oakland, CA, United States, Earth

Current Neighbourhood: Mawar District (their employer provides a residence stipend in addition to salary due to the planetary transfer)

Occupation: private security - sometimes of a place, sometimes of a person. they prefer the latter, bodyguarding is much more interesting.

Known Languages: english, french, conversational Jawa

______________________________________________________________

Inspirations:

Quote: Those who abjure violence can do so only because others are committing violence on their behalf. - George Orwell

Label or Archetype: Private Military Contractor (the modern sellsword)

Tropes : What Measure is a Mook?, Big Brother is Employing You, Punch Clock Villain

Media Parallels: Winter Soldier, Helga from Atlantis, and potentially Cad Bane

Theme Song: I'll Be Good - Jaymes Young and Lost in Thought - KOAN Sound (this would be the instrumental motif that plays when they appear in a tv show or movie!)

Personality:

Str: 13 (+1) Dex: 13 (+1) Con: 14 (+2) Int: 12 (+1) Wis: 11 (0) Cha: 11 (0)

Positive Traits: Loyal (not necessarily to their job), Even-Keeled

Neutral Traits: Pragmatic, subordinate

Negative Traits: Apathetic, cynical

Peeves: Roundabout discussions - just say what you mean!

Fears: Falling, Getting Attached, Failing a Contract

Skills: Aren's had extensive training in both hand-to-hand and ranged combat, but has also honed their spatial awareness and ability to keep track of the people in their vicinity. Less useful is their ability to knit, but you can't be a guard all the time, right?

Goals: In the short term, get settled on Mars and make a few friends. Looking a bit farther forward (in the realm of daydreams), they want to find something they're passionate about to do with their life.

[plethoraworldatlas]

On October 26th, the Idaho Wolf Depredation Control Board (IWDCB) approved allocating over $140,000 to private contractors for aerial gunning, trapping, and snaring wolves in Idaho. The decision was made with no opportunity for comment or public review.

Trevor C. Walch, operator of the Nevada-based Predator Control Corporation, presented three of the five hunting proposals and is poised to be the primary beneficiary of three of the contracts to be executed by the Idaho Wolf Depredation Control Board, totaling over $100,000. His extensive record of violating wildlife laws has been uncovered since the meeting. In Nevada, this record includes selling furs without a license and trapping practices that the Nevada Chief Game Warden labeled “blatant illegal behavior.” Walch left an elk calf and other animals in traps for over ten days to die of dehydration and starvation. In Wyoming, Walch has been investigated for unlawful aerial hunting over federal lands.

...

Game Management Units 48 and 49 are home to the Wood River Wolf Project, which has been successfully working directly with ranchers, sheep herders, and community members in Blaine County since 2008 to promote coexistence with wolves and prevent livestock losses. The 2023 field season concluded in October, resulted in zero confirmed sheep losses to wolves amongst the 24,000 sheep in the 1,200 sq km (about half the area of Yosemite National Park) project area. The project regularly documents the lowest sheep losses to wolves in Idaho’s wolf range. Yet now, the state has targeted wolves in the Wood River Wolf Project’s area to be exterminated without cause.

Ranchers currently managing sheep in the Project Area were not notified of this decision. Since being notified of these proposals after the meeting, the Flat Top Sheep Company owners have withdrawn from the scheme and Lava Lake Land & Livestock’s owner and President Brian Bean has denounced the effort for its wasteful spending and risk of harm to the public. Bean points out that pack disruption through partial lethal control will likely cause more, not fewer, wolf conflicts with livestock as individual survivors; especially as inexperienced juveniles, spread across the landscape and no longer subject to pack social discipline, turn to killing livestock for survival.

“The collective expense of these wolf depredation mitigation programs exceeds the total value of livestock killed, statewide, in Idaho. Much of that expense is borne by Idaho taxpayers — for no good reason,” says Bean.

“Nonlethal deterrents work. Spending hundreds of thousands of dollars, year after year, to kill wolves — at this point, often pre-emptively and without evidence that wolves have actually killed livestock — says a lot about Idaho politics, about the Idaho State Legislature, about Idaho politicians generally and about the Idaho Wolf Livestock Depredation Control Board itself which only funds killing wolves with nothing allocated to nonlethal depredation mitigation. Is this good governance and program administration? Emphatically not. Rather, it’s expensive, wasteful, vindictive, and immoral,” states Bean, concluding, “It’s also, unfortunately, very much today’s Idaho.”  

“The Wood River Wolf Pack in Blaine County is among those targeted by the Idaho Wolf Depredation Control Board, yet wolves here have the best record of living beside tens of thousands of sheep peacefully for 16 straight years. This year, ranchers in our project area reported no loss of sheep to the Wood River wolves with over 24,000 sheep present during the 2023 grazing season, making it one of the most successful years on record,” says Suzanne Asha Stone, IWCN Director. “By targeting this population of research wolves that are proving that nonlethal methods are more effective in protecting livestock than randomly killing wolves and other native carnivores, the state of Idaho is blatantly refusing to coexist with any wolves. Period.”

“These wolves live on our public lands that belong to all Americans,” she adds. “Our local community doesn’t want the state to kill our wolves. By enriching biodiversity and helping protect against catastrophic disease in elk and deer, they make essential contributions to a healthy ecosystem.”

“The Wolf Depredation Control Board’s decision to funnel more state money into private hands to kill wolves is just further evidence that the state will stop at nothing to get rid of the species,” says Talasi Brooks of Western Watersheds Project, an Idaho-based nonprofit. “It’s an affront to science-based wildlife management and a terrible waste of more than thirty years of work to bring wolves back.”

[archinform]

Van Buren Street Station, Chicago

1896, Francis T. Bacon, Supervising Architect of the Illinois Central Railroad system

John F. Wallace, Chief Engineer

J.L. Fulton Company, General Contractors

Van Buren Street Station, platform level view

The Van Buren Street Station, 132 E. Van Buren at Michigan Avenue, is a commuter rail station in downtown Chicago serving the southbound Metra Electric Line, as well as the South Shore Line to Gary and South Bend, Indana.. It is the oldest active station building on the Metra Electric line. The station is located in Grant Park to the east of Michigan Avenue at Van Buren Street.

One of the station's entrances is a replica of an Hector Guimard-designed, Art Nouveau-style Paris Métro entrance. The entrance was given to Chicago as a gift by the city of Paris in 2001. The Guimard entrance will be relocated as part of a station renovation to be completed by 2027.

The station was originally constructed by the Illinois Central Railroad (incorporated 1836; operated independently until 1972), and completed in 1896.

Vintage view of the station, with buildings of Michigan Avenue behind.

"Lake Front Improvement No. 98. Van Buren St. Station and Viaduct. Looking N. from E. end Harrison St. viaduct."

The Van Buren Station is the first Metra stop south of the Millenium Station, the northern terminus of the South Shore Line.

The station is completely invisible from the street, constructed below grade, one level below Grant Park. From Michigan Avenue, passengers descend stairs to a long, featureless tunnel about a block long, which splits into up and down ramps that easily confuse the visitor, and are inadequately labeled for the ticket office and main level, or down toward Platform 2 access.

I saw the Van Buren Street Station for the first time when I took a train to Hyde Park, and decided not to depart from Millenium Station, which can be a confusing space to navigate. Nothing prepared me for this underground slice of history, and its largely intact tile and terra cotta waiting areas.

The station is below the level of the park, only its roof surrounded by a balustrade visible from above. The pedestrian viaduct over its center leads to the eastern side of Grant Park and the Lincoln statue. Entrances are from the sidewalk on the west side of Michigan Avenue, and from the Guimard Paris metro and stairs at "Van Buren Entrance" in the screencap above.

The station's placement is illustrated in the above plan, in The Inland Architect and News Record, Vol. XXIX No. 1, February 1897, Special Supplement p. 2.

The station's plan (above) and section (below) were also reproduced in the 1897 Inland Architect.

"Francis T. Bacon was the supervising architect of the Illinois Central Railroad system from the mid-1890s until 1907. Bacon died in Chicago on June 18, 1909, at the age of 43, after having been in private practice for two years." - Wikipedia entry

The Engineering Record, Building Record and Sanitary Engineer, Volume 60, 1909, cited in the wikipedia entry, doesn't reveal any further details of his life.

In this section, the station wall is heavily buttressed on the left, under the ground of Grant Park. A balustrade surrounds the ground-level roof, and the train platform is at right.

A glowing contemporary description of the station from The Inland Architect details the Waiting rooms' features and construction materials:

After passing the ticket inspectors, those taking express trains turn to the right and those for local trains to the left, in the central distributing corridor. From this corridor the passengers are ushered into two magnificent waiting rooms, each 34 feet by 106 feet and 9 ½ feet high. These rooms, for beauty, substantiality and completeness of appointments and conveniences, will compare favorably with those of any railway station in the world, even though naturally restricted in height of ceiling. The floors of the wating and toilet rooms, also corridor, are all paved with English floor tile; the foyer, vestibule and south entrance are paved with ceramic mosaic, and the bas throughout is of polished Tennessee marble. The walls are faced with Maw’s écru glazed tile, 3 by 6 inches, patented lock back, and the ceilings are of cast plates of stucco, forming a design of Gothic tracery. The cornices and girders and also finished in stucco, the point of junction with the glazed tile walls being covered with a mahogany molding. There are two rows of cast-iron columns in each room, which are incased in écru glazed terra cotta, elaborately molded and ornamented.

The windows of the ticket offices are covered with elaborate, handmade, wrought-iron grilles, some of which are polished and electroplated with bronze.

Source: The Inland Architect and News Record, Vol. XXIX No. 1, February 1897, Special Supplement p. 2

The station originally featured, apart from two waiting rooms, smoking rooms, a ladies' retiring room and lavatory, and a matron's room at the south end of the building.

The men's lavatory, bootblacking stand, toilet and janitor rooms are at the north end. There are also private lavatories for the attendants and locker rooms for the railroad employees. All these are under the space of 14 feet wide and 300 feet along the park side, and already occupied by the entrances, and are lighted through ceilings of cast iron and glass.

Source: The Inland Architect and News Record, Vol. XXIX No. 1, February 1897, Special Supplement p. 2

The tiles on the walls were manufactured by Maw & Co., of Shropshire, England, and are supplied and set by their agents, Hawes & Dodd, of this city, and are chiefly remarkable for their evenness of color, highly finished glaze, and freedom from the technical fault known as "Crazing."

Source: The Inland Architect and News Record, Vol. XXIX No. 1, February 1897, Special Supplement p. 2

The Inland Architect article also noted the building's fireproof construction, including terra-cotta-clad iron columns, and that the entire interior was washable.

Not all of the station's original features remain. The cast-plaster ornamental ceiling is long gone, as are some of the more elaborate decorative elements, such as scrolled wall brackets and an ornamental drinking fountain shown in a period photo below.

No trace remains of the original marble and bronze recessed drinking fountains or decorative brackets above.

The column bases and bright inlaid flooring, in need of some restoration, are still in place.

The tilework remains intact, but the original ornamental ceiling has been replaced, as well as some other decorative elements.

Original mahogany waiting-room furniture includes this curved corner bench. The benches have brass feet, to facilitate cleaning the floors.

Detail of ornamental floor tile work at the edge of one waiting room

The ticket windows are located in the entrance vestibule leading to the twin waiting rooms.

Van Buren Street Station in 1907; exit stairs from middle platform to the Van Buren viaduct

"The east front of the building, 300 feet in length, shows a wall of one story, faced with cut Bedford stone - pierced with windows and doors." (Inland Architect)

The original awning over the platform was replaced, and is in a state of disrepair.

The recessed central area of the platform is directly underneath the Van Buren viaduct above.

The exterior still features carved stone decorations.

Detail of one of the carved stone elements.

"...even the copper down-spouts and their open heads are veritable works of art." ( Inland Architect)

At the far north end of the second platform, stairs allow passengers to exit to the Jackson Blvd. overpass, just south of the Art Institute.

Other Illinois stations designed by Francis T. Bacon:

Left:

Illinois Central (IC) Railroad Station, Springfield, Illinois; Springfield Union Station, 500 E. Madison St., 1896-98; 1901 view, The Inland Architect

Right:

Illinois Central (IC) Railroad Station, Decatur, Illinois, c. 1890s; View 1901, The Inland Architect

The center or second platform gives access to northbound trains. It's reached by stairs or elevator below the main station.

Click here for a PDF version of The Inland Architect v 29 no 1 of Feb. 1897 article on the Van Buren Station.

Links:

[mariacallous]

“In six months, you’ll go home, having received a pardon. (…) Those who come with us and on the first day say, ‘I ended up somewhere I shouldn’t have’, we’ll mark a deserter and execute. (…) You have five minutes to decide.”

So said Yevgeny Prigozhin, self-confessed founder of the Russian private military company Wagner, to a group of inmates at Penal Colony 6 in Yoshkar Ola, capital of the region of Mari El, 645 kilometres east of Moscow. After the video from the prison surfaced in September 2022, the same pitch went out to convicts across Russia. But on February 9, Prigozhin confirmed in a response published on social media to a Russian TV station that Wagner had ceased hiring convicts. “We are fulfilling all obligations towards those currently working for us”, he wrote. As Bellingcat has previously reported, Wagner originated in Ukraine back in 2014. This private military contractor has risen to newfound prominence following Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022, most recently amid the fierce battle for Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.

Extensive news reporting in recent years has illustrated Wagner’s operations not only in Ukraine but also in Syria, the Central African Republic, Libya, and Madagascar, among other countries. In January, the US Treasury went as far as to label Wagner a “transnational criminal group”.

As analysts from the Carnegie Centre put it in 2019, Wagner’s usefulness lies in the fact that it can do, or claims it can do, what the Russian state and its formal institutions can’t. It is “a vehicle the Kremlin uses to recruit, train, and deploy mercenaries, either to fight wars or to provide security and training to friendly regimes.” “It is quite clear from the preparatory work that went into building the Wagner Group’s profile ahead of the February 2022 invasion that [Russian President] Putin counted on being able to use the Wagner Group to fill gaps in Russian military units”, said Candace Rondeaux, a Professor of Practice at the School of Politics and Global Studies at Arizona State University, in an interview with Bellingcat. “All the evidence has long pointed to close coordination between the Wagner Group’s leadership and both the GRU and FSB [Russia’s security services]” added Rondeaux, who has researched the Wagner group in depth in a series of reports. Due to Wagner’s secretive nature, it can be difficult to verify the number of fighters it commands, As of January 2023 estimates by the US and British ministries of defence ran to at least 50,000, convicts or not. The head of Russia Behind Bars, an NGO which protects the rights of prisoners, says that figure is convicts alone. Rondeaux told Bellingcat that she did not find these estimates credible and believes that they are “likely based on the some 30,000 men who are counted as missing or released from prison since the start of the war”. 

Whatever the figure, Wagner has grown significantly since its inception. The fact that the group operates openly at all suggests that its usefulness to the state is recognised – although private military contractors are technically illegal under Russian law under Article 359 of the criminal code, in 2018 Russian President Vladimir said that Wagner does not break Russian law. So Prigozhin’s promises to these prisoners also have a presidential pedigree – Russian presidential Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov admitted on January 27 that Putin is indeed issuing pardons to convicts who fight for Wagner, noting that one of them received a medal from the president for his “heroism” in Ukraine.

Local media reported Wagner recruiters visiting prisons in every corner of Russia – Tyumen, Chelyabinsk, Kemerovo, the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, and many others. RFE/RL’s report from a prison in Primorsky Krai noted that over 100 prisoners are often enlisted in each recruitment trip. Prigozhin has also taken foreign citizens from Russia’s jails; one man from Zambia and one from Tanzania have died while fighting for Wagner in eastern Ukraine. According to news reports, both men were studying in Moscow before being imprisoned for drug offences. 

At the Yoshkar Ola prison, Prigozhin noted that Wagner wanted inmates under the age of 50. However, several recruited convicts have well exceeded this limit. Three of them include 59-year-old Sergei Maksimenko, 55-year-old Andrey Berezhnykh, and 55-year-old Igor Kusk. 

These three men are notable not just due to their age, but due to the fact that each led violent criminal gangs in the 1990s. One of the major legitimation strategies for Putin and his enduring political power is his claim of bringing stability to Russia after that tumultuous decade. This plea towards stability helped justify previous military interventions, such as in Chechnya early in Putin’s ascendance, and the country has come full circle – the men who helped create the instability of Russia in the 1990s are fighting, and dying, in Russia’s latest war. 

Each of these three former gang leaders tried to fight for a pardon, but instead died in Ukraine. Who were they, and how were their deaths received back home?

[spydcddya]

i want loid to be a pirate vagabond and labelled “privateer” assigned as a military and government contractor , under WISE , to keep an eye on the black market.

[manifestingmatcha]

Okay, so my team lead (47m) was making me (26f) super uncomfortable touching and caressing me every time he walked past my desk. He’s always given me a gross vibe since we’ve been here but today he really turned it up cause it’s his last day before changing sites. I dreaded asking him for help and the last time I did he came and laid his head on my shoulder and asked to see me without my mask on and was just wildly inappropriate. He KNOWS I don’t like it, I always pull away and am visibly disgusted and say stop! We are independent contractors doing travel contracts 🌎✈️, and getting someone in HR’s attention can be so tedious. Pretty much a different state (or 3) each month. I tell the girl next to me who I had befriended that he was making me uncomfortable and she just gives me a blank stare and as soon as I take my lunch she ran to him to tell him and warn him of any repercussions if i were to take action! I was shocked. Turns out altho she has a bf she cheats on him constantly and I think she may be fucking the team lead as well. Things I wish I had taken note of that may have tipped me off that we were incompatible as friends and do not share the same moral compass before I befriended her:

- she prides herself on being tomboyish and LOVES sports and watching the game at bars with men like ‘one of the guys’. When we went out to a bar she was screaming at the tv watching the game like a man.

- I now realize she thinks it’s cute to have a roster of men (low value included) and to have sex with them on a rotation, like being a player or a pimp. Female pumps are so classless and tasteless to me. She was annoyed one of her bfs was sending her paragraphs of adoration and asked me if I WANTED him. Like an old pair of sneakers! Just offered up her boyfriend 😨

- she constantly says she is ‘so private’ but you can learn way too much from her IG bio and posts!

- she thinks it’s cute to be in her mind 30s and constantly clubbing and bar hopping

- yesterday she tried to make me feel bad for not being ‘hood enough’, speaking proper English and overall being bougie and constantly commented aloud and drew attention to how I’d drink Diet Coke, avoid processed sugars/junk food, and I eat charcuterie boards. So I started hiding my Diet Cokes in my lunchbox.

I thought because we are both in a six figure job and starting up small businesses that we’d mesh well and just have different personalities. But I may be wrong and I think it’s time to reel it in and re evaluate friendships on my journey. I have a very small circle with only the closest of friends and I think this was a reminder to continue to focus on me in my journey. The wrong friendships can cause us to regress.

Do you have any advice on approaching friendships and relationships as a young and affluent hypergamous woman from your experiences so far? It’s okay if not! I am the youngest by far on every travel contract and only older nasty men seem to have eyes for me, and it’s difficult to find equally minded young women to befriend. I am luxury apt hunting now, and looking to build my social circle to debut as an artist in a nicer area soon hopefully, and am trying to become a full time content creator eventually.🤍 and thank you for listening because I’m so private and this was really my only way to vent to someone🤍✨ have the *best* day.

Tbh I had to google the definition of hypergamy I don’t really subscribe to labels. I think it’s a red flag that she went and told your boss about the inappropriate conduct like women are supposed to support each other. There’s no such thing as being “not hood enough” or “too white” you’re literally just being yourself. She sounds like a toxic pick me that should mind her own business. I would just keep your distance from her keep it professional and cordial don’t tell her anything more than she needs to know. Focus on yourself your work and cultivating your other female friendships. I hope this helps good luck with your work and finding a beautiful apartment.🤍

[weilandconstruction]

The Art of Crafting Luxury: Inside the World of Luxury Home Builders

In the world of high-end real estate, the term "luxury" is more than just a label—it signifies a unique fusion of top-tier craftsmanship, innovation, design, and attention to detail. A luxury home builder plays a pivotal role in bringing these elements together to create extraordinary residences that cater to the desires of discerning clients. These builders work closely with architects, designers, and homeowners to craft homes that are not just structures, but works of art tailored to personal tastes and lifestyles.

In this article, we explore the intricate world of luxury home builders, examining what sets them apart, their processes, and how they create bespoke, timeless homes that define modern luxury.

1. What Defines a Luxury Home Builder?

Luxury home builders differ from regular contractors in that their focus is on custom designs, premium materials, and personalized features that deliver an unmatched living experience.

Customization: Every aspect of a luxury home is designed to the homeowner's specific needs and desires. From floor plans to finishes, luxury home builders ensure that no two homes are alike.

Premium Quality: High-end materials, such as exotic wood, natural stone, and imported marble, are a staple in luxury homes. These materials, coupled with impeccable craftsmanship, ensure durability, elegance, and a one-of-a-kind look.

Attention to Detail: Luxury builders are known for their precision. From intricate woodwork to seamless technology integration, no detail is overlooked.

Exclusive Locations: Luxury homes are often located in prestigious neighborhoods or remote, scenic areas. Whether it’s a coastal villa or a mansion in the hills, location adds significant value to the overall package.

2. The Key Features of a Luxury Home

A luxury home is more than just a large residence; it’s a carefully curated space that offers a unique blend of comfort, technology, and sophistication. Some defining features include:

Smart Home Integration: Modern luxury homes are outfitted with state-of-the-art technology, including smart lighting, heating, and security systems that can be controlled remotely. These homes also boast advanced entertainment systems, automated shades, and even climate-controlled wine cellars.

Spa-like Bathrooms: High-end bathrooms in luxury homes rival those of five-star hotels. Features include heated floors, rain showers, freestanding tubs, and vanities made from rare materials like onyx or custom quartz.

Outdoor Living Spaces: Luxury builders often create outdoor areas that feel like an extension of the indoor living space. Think infinity pools, outdoor kitchens, fireplaces, and elaborate landscaping, all designed to maximize leisure and entertainment.

Gourmet Kitchens: In a luxury home, the kitchen is a statement of style and functionality. Equipped with professional-grade appliances, expansive islands, custom cabinetry, and the finest finishes, gourmet kitchens are designed for both everyday use and hosting grand events.

Private Amenities: Luxury homeowners expect privacy and convenience. Custom amenities such as home theaters, wine cellars, fitness centers, and in-house spas are common in high-end builds.

3. The Building Process: Collaboration and Vision

The process of building a luxury home is highly collaborative, requiring ongoing communication between the builder, architect, interior designer, and homeowner.

Initial Consultation and Design: The journey begins with a deep dive into the client's vision. Luxury builders work closely with architects to design a space that aligns with the client’s lifestyle, aesthetic preferences, and functional requirements. Some builders also offer in-house design teams that can manage both architectural and interior design.

Material Selection: One of the hallmarks of a luxury home is the use of top-tier materials. Builders often source rare or custom materials, such as hand-carved wood, imported stones, or designer fixtures. Clients are guided through the selection process to ensure each element of their home reflects their taste.

Construction Phase: During construction, luxury home builders maintain meticulous oversight of every aspect. From laying the foundation to the final coat of paint, every step is handled with precision. Unlike standard projects, luxury builds often involve craftsmen and artisans who specialize in particular aspects like custom molding, metalwork, or stone carving.

Customization & Finishing: Luxury homes offer infinite customization options, from bespoke furniture to one-of-a-kind art installations. Whether it’s a handcrafted chandelier or a custom-built walk-in closet, the finishing touches bring the client's vision to life.

4. Sustainability and Innovation in Luxury Homes

Today’s luxury home builders are increasingly focused on sustainability and environmental responsibility. Many clients seek homes that are not only beautiful but also energy-efficient and eco-friendly.

Green Building Practices: Luxury homes often incorporate sustainable practices, such as using recycled or locally sourced materials, energy-efficient appliances, and water-saving technologies.

LEED Certification: Many luxury builders are now pursuing LEED certification, which recognizes excellence in energy and environmental design. This ensures that the home is built to the highest environmental standards.

Smart Energy Systems: From solar panels to geothermal heating and cooling, luxury homes now feature advanced energy solutions that minimize environmental impact while reducing long-term utility costs.

5. Selecting the Right Luxury Home Builder

Choosing the right builder is the most crucial step in realizing the dream of a luxury home. Here are some key considerations when selecting a luxury home builder:

Reputation and Experience: Look for builders with a proven track record of delivering high-end homes. Ask to see previous work and check client reviews. Established builders often have deep connections with top architects, designers, and material suppliers.

Portfolio: A luxury home builder’s portfolio should reflect a variety of styles and custom projects. This demonstrates their ability to adapt to different tastes and architectural demands.

Transparency: Building a luxury home is a significant investment. The right builder will be transparent about costs, timelines, and any potential challenges that might arise during construction.

Client-Centric Approach: Luxury builders should prioritize the homeowner's vision. A collaborative approach, where client input is valued at every stage, is essential to ensure the home truly reflects the owner’s lifestyle.

Luxury home builders play a pivotal role in bringing dream homes to life. Through expert craftsmanship, personalized attention, and a deep understanding of modern trends, these builders create living spaces that are not only functional but also exquisite in design and detail. If you’re planning to invest in a luxury home, partnering with an experienced, reputable builder will be the key to transforming your vision into reality. From custom finishes to innovative technologies, the possibilities are endless when building the luxury home of your dreams.

[ledenews]

Oglebay Reveals Transformed Lodge and Restaurant Experiences

Oglebay celebrated a significant milestone with the grand opening of its newly reimagined lodge arrival experience and restaurants. This renovation, initiated in January, was supported in part by a grant from the Economic Development Administration (EDA) and matched by community gifts to culminate in a remarkable enhancement to the guest experience. Bob Peckenpaugh, President & CEO of the Wheeling Park Commission, expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “We are thrilled to see this project reach completion. These enhancements not only elevate the comfort and ambiance of the lodge but also provide our team with the opportunity to create new and improved service levels for our guests.” Guests will now be welcomed by a redesigned arrival experience that offers clear guidance and shelter from inclement weather. The covered drive is anchored by four illuminated pillars, leading guests seamlessly to the front door and a new water feature creates a stunning focal point at the entrance.  Upon entering the lodge, guests are greeted by a redesigned desk area with open workstations, designed to foster natural and friendly interactions between staff and visitors. The interior renovations reflect the lodge’s natural stone and dark wood aesthetic, enhancing the inviting ambiance throughout. Sarita’s Coffee & Goods has significantly expanded from its original counter space and resides with the retail experience. It features private label barista-style coffee, baked pastries, grab-and-go foods, and a curated selection of Oglebay apparel and keepsakes. Oglebay also unveiled new dining and relaxation spaces, set to delight guests with enhanced experiences.  These areas feature fireplaces, floor-to-ceiling windows, an open display kitchen, natural wood accents, and inviting, eclectic atmospheres. The new Skyline Kitchen & Bar invites guests to rise, rally, and revel with classic comfort foods served with a modern twist.  Open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and available for a relaxing drink, the team is dedicated to creating memorable dining experiences filled with fun and flair.  Trace Chophouse sets a new standard for dining, offering a space that transports guests back in time to the frontier days of tracers mapping the land.  This elegant yet rugged venue serves premium steak and seafood dishes, complemented by a fine selection of wines and an impressive drink list, five nights a week.  Hickman Lounge has also been elevated, now offering a focus on craft cocktails and small bites in a beautiful setting, perfect for relaxed conversations. Principal Architect Vic Greco from The Mills Group remarked, “My team recognized from the start that this project was a rare opportunity, requiring meticulous attention to detail and thoughtful execution. Every aspect was scrutinized with care and profound consideration. I can sincerely say that this project is one of the most transformative in my career. I want to credit not only the design team and contractors but especially the Wheeling Park Commission for their vision and trust, which allowed us to bring this project to fruition”. Oglebay’s Lodge renovation received a major boost through West Virginia’s Tourism Development Act tax credit program, securing over $3 million in potential credits. These credits can be utilized over several years after the project’s completion and opening to the public. The West Virginia Department of Economic Development also played a key role by leveraging a federal grant to obtain over $60,000 in workforce training funds, which will be used to train Oglebay employees as they launch new restaurants. Furthermore, the Oglebay Foundation’s “Forever Yours: The Campaign for An Enduring Oglebay” provided essential funding support for these renovations. This effort aligns with the foundation’s goal of securing 100,000 gifts by Oglebay’s centenary in 2028. Eriks Janelsins, President & CEO of the Oglebay Foundation, emphasized the campaign’s impact on enhancing park assets like Wilson Lodge and Wheeling Park. Peckenpaugh expressed gratitude towards the Wheeling Park Commission, Economic Development Administration, Oglebay Foundation, and its donors for their dedication to enhancing Oglebay’s facilities and visitor experience. Read the full article

[lizseyi]

Transportation Of Hazardous Substances Takes A Particularly Skilled, Experienced And Trustworthy Freight Forwarder. Trust KTL UK

We can take the stress and hassle out of your transportation of hazardous substances 

Hazardous substances are exactly that – hazardous. So, if you wish to have certain substances under this banner – such as flammable liquids or corrosive substances – transported from one location to another, you will need to be vigilant about a wide range of factors. 

There are various regulations that apply to how hazardous substances are stored and transported, within the UK and around the world. 

Specific substances may be targeted by specific legislation, and you will need to be well-informed on the relevant rules and how to comply with them. This task may become especially complicated if there is a need to transport hazardous substances across multiple national borders. 

It is frankly no wonder, then, that when many importers and exporters need to ship hazardous substances to a particular location, they seek out a freight forwarder that is renowned for the depth and breadth of its global logistics services and expertise. 

Here at KTL UK, we are proud to be that freight forwarder for an exceedingly broad range of customers. 

Why not place your trust in us for transportation of hazardous substances within the UK?

Even if you “only” need to have certain hazardous substances moved from one part of the UK to another, there will still be a lot you will need to carefully consider, prepare for, and manage. 

For one thing, you should not normally be using your own private vehicle to transport hazardous substances, especially given the safety issues involved. Instead, you should be seeking out appropriately registered and competent carriers to transport such specialised substances. 

Selection of the right contractor will need to be followed by identification of the chemical in accordance with its UN number. Further information on this system can be found on the website of the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE). 

From here, decisions will need to be made on the appropriate packaging and labelling of the substance. All packaging will need to be secure and to prevent the hazardous substance from escaping, leaking, or causing any other health and safety risk when the package is subject to the typical stresses and strains of transport. 

These are all processes that we can oversee and assist with here at KTL, to help ensure your package arrives safely and in good time. 

We can also coordinate hazardous substance transportation beyond the UK 

The shipping of hazardous substances from one end of Europe to another, or even across the globe, adds further complexity. Whichever carrier you use should be well-informed on the international agreements that apply to the movement of hazardous substances, as well as the legal situation in each and every jurisdiction the shipment will travel through. 

Our comprehensive global logistics services at KTL will help put your mind at rest when you need to transport such substances. 

Whatever your specific needs may be, please feel free to enquire to the KTL team today, to learn about the bespoke services and assistance we can provide. 

[govprojectblog]

Firstly, let’s establish a timeline of some important milestones in queer history. We have to address the good, the bad, and the ugly if we want a proper understanding of the struggles this community goes through.

- - - - -

December 10, 1924: The Society of Human Rights is founded in Chicago by Henry Gerber. This was the first gay rights organization to ever be proper conceived. They soon shut down due to political pressure, but it was a great first step nonetheless.

April of 1952: Homosexuality is officially listed as a sociopathic personality disorder in a publication of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This added fuel to the fire that is homophobia, and opened the doors for further harsh treatment of queer individuals.

April 27, 1953: Executive Order 10450 is signed by President Eisenhower to ban homosexuals from working in federal government or any other private contractors. And they were labeled as a security risk.

January 1, 1962: Illinois becomes the first US state to decriminalize homosexuality. This was the first sign of progress and acceptance for the LGBTQ community.

August 1966: After transgender customers are manhandled by police officers, a riot ensues near a coffee shop and leads to the establishment of the national Transsexual Counseling Unit. This was one of the first activist groups targeted towards helping transgender individuals.

June 28, 1969: The Stonewall Riots begin after police raid of a popular gay bar. These riots are what properly started and propelled the modern movement of LGBTQ rights and activism.

December 15, 1973: homosexuality is removed from the list of mental illness. This proved that the queer community was becoming more excepted, though they still had a lot of rights they had to continue fighting for.

July 3, 1981: The first records of AIDS are published, and the name of the disease is coined by Bruce Voeller. This is the start of the AIDS epidemic, which then led to more acceptance and care given to the LGBTQ community, more specifically gay men, and their sexual health.

March 10, 1987: the AIDS advocacy group act up is formed in response to the epidemic. This is what helps lead to more accessible healthcare given to queer individuals, and paves the way towards advocating for more openness and education, being put towards the sexual health of all individuals.

June 26, 2015: same-sex marriage is legalized in all 50 states. This was a huge step towards global acceptance for the queer community.

- - - - -

These historical events act as both steps towards progress and inspiration for the current and further generations of LGBTQ people. We can reflect on the suffering of the past, and turn it into passion to protest for better. It is important to remember our roots and the hard work our predecessors have already put in for the community’s collective happiness.

[plethoraworldatlas]

Big Tech, Big Oil, and private equity firms are among the leading companies that profit from controlling media and technology, accelerating the climate crisis, privatizing public goods and services, and violating human and workers' rights, the International Trade Union Confederation revealed on Monday.

The ITUC has labeled seven major companies as "corporate underminers of democracy" that lobby against government attempts to hold them accountable and are headed by super-rich individuals who fund right-wing political movements and leaders.

"This is about power, who has it, and who sets the agenda," Todd Brogan, director of campaigns and organizing at the ITUC, toldThe Guardian. "We know as trade unionists that unless we're organized, the boss sets the agenda in the workplace, and we know as citizens in our countries that unless we're organized and demanding responsive governments that actually meet the needs of people, it's corporate power that's going to set the agenda."

The "corporate underminers of democracy" are:

Amazon.com, Inc.

Blackstone Group

ExxonMobil

Glencore

Meta

Tesla

The Vanguard Group

ITUC chose the seven companies based on preexisting reporting and research, as well as talks with allied groups like the Council of Global Unions and the Reactionary International Research Consortium. The seven companies were "emblematic" of a broader trend, and the confederation said it would continue to add "market-leading" companies to the list.

"While these seven corporations are among the most egregious underminers of democracy, they are hardly alone," ITUC said. "Whether state-owned enterprises in China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia; private sector military contractors; or regulation-busting tech startups, the ITUC and its partners will continue to identify and track corporate underminers of democracy and their links to the far-right."

Amazon topped the list due to its "union busting and low wages on multiple continents, monopoly in e-commerce, egregious carbon emissions through its AWS data centers, corporate tax evasion, and lobbying at national and international level," ITUC wrote.

In the U.S., for example, Amazon has responded to attempts to hold it accountable for labor violations by challenging the constitutionality of the National Labor Relations Board. While its founder Jeff Bezos voices liberal opinions, Amazon's political donations have advanced the right by challenging women's rights and antitrust efforts.

Blackstone is the world's largest private equity firm and private real-estate owner whose CEO, Stephen Schwarzman, has given to right-wing politicians including former U.S. President Donald Trump's 2024 reelection campaign. It funds fossil fuel projects and the destruction of the Amazon and profited from speculating on the housing market after the 2008 financial crash.

The United Nations special papporteur on housing said the company used "its significant resources and political leverage to undermine domestic laws and policies that would in fact improve access to adequate housing."

ExxonMobil made the list largely for its history of funding climate denial and its ongoing lobbying against needed environmental regulations.

"Perhaps the greatest example of Exxon's disinterest in democratic deliberation was its corporate commitment of nearly four decades to conceal from the public its own internal evidence that climate change was real, accelerating, and driven by fossil fuel use while simultaneously financing far-right think tanks in the U.S. and Europe to inject climate scepticism and denialism into the public discourse," ITUC wrote.

Glencore is the world's largest commodities trader and the largest mining company when judged by revenue. Several civil society and Indigenous rights groups have launched campaigns against it over its anti-democratic policies. It has allegedly funded right-wing paramilitaries in Colombia and anti-protest vigilantes in Peru.

"The company's undermining of democracy is not in dispute, as it has in recent years pled guilty to committing bribery, corruption, and market manipulation in countries as varied as Venezuela, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria, and South Sudan," ITUC said