#service contracts

[thepioden]

One thing that is often overlooked with federal student loan forgiveness is that for every outstanding loan, the federal government is giving taxpayer money to a massive private fintech contractor to service that loan. It actively costs the government money to have loans outstanding. It is more expensive for the government to have someone who is on a low or no-pay income driven plan sit on that debt for 20 years than it would be to just forgive it outright today.

So like. Your tax dollars could go to relieving the debt burden of some struggling millennial OR they can line the pockets of Aidvantage's CEO, but that money is being spent either way.

[smalltofedsblog]

DCAA Service Contract Audits And Small Business Job Cost Accounting

“SMALLTOFEDS” By Ken Larson “Small Businesses typically have a learning experience growing into government services contracting. Part of that process is undergoing reviews by the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA). It takes knowledge of the requirements and strategic focus to set up the type of business processes required for accommodating government contract job cost accounting and fit those…

[reiverreturns]

probably a good thing i don’t live in london because i might be inclined to hunt this man down and kill him with my bare hands xox

[kdramaspace]

POTW: CONTRACT MARRIAGE vs. FAKE DATING (as voted by our members and followers)

A Business Proposal (2022), Doom at Your Service (2021), Her Private Life (2019), Crash Landing on You (2019), Love in Contract (2022), Something About 1% (2016), Hwayugi (2017)

[kdramaxoxo]

It’s not really a terminal illness silly, it’s a

Plot Device

[whitehartlane]

HEUNGMIN SON, HE'S ONE OF OUR OWN. ↳ "Please give a lot of love to Tottenham Hotspur."

Ange on Sonny / Sonny signs for Tottenham in 2015 / Sonny signs an extension / Sonny signs another extension through till 2025 / Maisie Peters, 'Place We Were Made' / GQ Korea, 10 Things Son Heungmin Can't Live Without / Nora Sakavic, 'The King's Men' / Sonny joining Spurs in 2015 / Sonny being appointed club captain in 2023 / Stray Kids, 'You Can STAY' / Sonny squashing rumours about him going to the Saudi league / Sonny talking about being captain / Sonny on extending his contract / Tottenham 3-1 Chelsea, 24 Nov 2018 / Sonny's Instagram post after becoming captain / Sonny leading the lads out to the away end at Brentford Community Stadium to clap them and huddle in front of them before kickoff / @moonlitsgarden, 'waiting room' / Tottenham on Sonny's contract extension

[chevelleneech]

Blocking every former and supposedly on the fence Buddie shipper who feels the need to tag Buddie on their posts where they claim to want Buddie to happen so badly or are in a dilemma about it going canon, because they’ve, “Seen the toxicity in the fandom and can’t take it anymore.”

Bullshit. They’re making up excuses to jump ship, when it’s really not necessary.

If you don’t want to ship Buddie, don’t ship them. It’s not against the law. It won’t get you excommunicated from the 911 fandom either, but it will make you look like a fool for acting like: 1) you didn’t know there were toxic fans in the fandom to begin with — as there are in all fandoms, or 2) there aren’t any toxic fans among the BuckTommy fandom.

You can’t claim to be tired of toxic Buddies for saying BT is bland or lack chemistry or LFJ is ugly or whatever else, when there are BT shippers saying the same exact things about Buddie and RG. Both sides have toxic fans, the only difference is that BT shippers currently have canon on their side, so those of you jumping ship are able to feel more validated in leaving.

Fans wanted Buck to be queer for nearly as long as the show has been out, and not once has anyone really shipped him with other people. Josh here and there, Connor occasionally, and that one prophet who wrote about him and Tommy. But majorly, it’s been Eddie. As such, toxic fans have been toxic when it came to any and every relationship either of them were in, so what makes Tommy any different? Did y’all really expect all the toxic fans to be happy with yet another love interest they weren’t looking forward to?

Not only that, but again, there are also toxic BT shippers, and fun fact! They didn’t pop up out of nowhere nor were they born out of defense of Buck and Tommy’s extremely new coupling.

I promise you, those same people were die hard Buddie shippers waiting with bated breath for Buck or Eddie to kiss each other or a man in general. They got it with Buck, so now they feel the need to belittle everything that came before in hopes that Tommy won’t be written out. They don’t care about character development or chemistry or Buck as an actual character either, proven by the many many posts across Tumblr, Twitter, and Tik Tok framing them as in love and smitten.

Claiming Eddie doesn’t mean anything to Buck. Claiming Tommy was a knight in shining armor. Claiming (and this is truly the fault of lazy writing and Tim and co trying to give themselves an out for under developing BT) Buck not talking about Tommy is a sign of happiness.

BT is sexual attraction first and foremost, and that’s all we know. Which is fine, I’ve said before, s8 will hopefully expand on them and their relationship if that’s the plan, but until then, there’s nothing there. Meaning there is nothing about the ship to defend the way some of their fans are doing, but somehow that’s more acceptable than Buddie fans defending Buddie? Sure.

Point is, if you’re jumping ship, go ahead. You don’t need to explain or more aptly worded, lie about why. Toxic fans exist on both sides. Most of you would just rather deal with the ones on the canon side of things, because it helps you feel better. Less embarrassed or anxious, maybe? I don’t know, because regardless of if Buddie ever goes canon, they’re not real, and there is no reason to feel anything if it turns out their shippers were wrong.

But I have to ask, what’s going to happen if BT does end? What will be the excuses for all the trash talking and belittlement of years worth of theories? What will y’all say to rectify putting one toxic group on a pedestal over the other? Because that’s what’s happening. BT shippers are being given full clearance to act like shit to people simply because their ship is canon, so what happens if that changes? What happens if Buddie does go canon? Where will all the high and mighty attitudes go?

[theninjamouse]

My massive grant proposal is complete and submitted!

It's for an 18 month photography story project and it pays. A Lot. So if I get it, it will be an actual life changing thing. I truly believe I have a real shot at getting it

I will now be jello upon the floor for the next few hours thank u goodnight

[topazshadowwolf]

random question but does the Nootmare pay taxes?

Sale taxes, yes. But he is not reporting his income and his property is hidden from the Multiverse IRS. So, for the most part, no, he does not pay taxes, he opposes taxes, and will gladly toss tea in any bay to prove his antitaxes point. In the end, he will eventually be brought down by the Multiverse IRS for tax dodging.

Sorry for the spoiler for the end of HNBD, which does not actually stand for How Nightmare Became Dadmare but How Nightmare Began Dodging (taxes).

[andersdotters]

I think most people would agree that gift giving is Zhongli's highest love language (giving). After that, I think would be words of affirmation, quality time, acts of service, then physical touch. As for his highest love language (receiving), it'd probably be quality time.

[sammysdewysensitiveeyes]

Btw, I know people generally hold Chilchuck up as the perfect union man because of what he won't do - as in, "Pay me up front, that's not in my job description, etc.," but I think he's good union rep also because of what he does do. The usual real-life argument I see against unions is that they are corrupt and that they force businesses to keep on lazy or incompetent workers because it is more difficult to fire people (not saying that I agree with these arguments). Chilchuck is in no way lazy or incompetent, he cares deeply about doing his job properly to the point of anxiety because fucking up will potentially get himself or others killed. He is a professional who does his job well, he just won't let himself (or others) be exploited. He's the guy who will give a great job performance on the clock, but you'd better not ask for anything after he's clocked out. Which is entirely fair.

(Arguably he goes above and beyond for Laios's group, but that group definitely goes from "coworkers" to "friends" over the course of the series.)

[tblueger]

in other news im in absolute tears over these pictures

in the words of rocky @timbitshockey:

[aldieb]

unlocking new areas of the [redacted] riverfront. level 1 enemies were cyclists and level 2 enemies are geese

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

A bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced legislation Wednesday that would require the Pentagon to return a portion of its enormous and ever-growing budget to the Treasury Department if it fails another audit in the coming fiscal year.

The Audit the Pentagon Act, an updated version of legislation first introduced in 2021, comes amid mounting concerns over rampant price gouging by military contractors and other forms of waste and abuse at an agency that's set to receive at least $842 billion for fiscal year 2024.

"The Pentagon and the military-industrial complex have been plagued by a massive amount of waste, fraud, and financial mismanagement for decades. That is absolutely unacceptable," Sanders (I-Vt.) said in a statement as he unveiled the bill alongside Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).

"If we are serious about spending taxpayer dollars wisely and effectively," said Sanders, "we have got to end the absurdity of the Pentagon being the only agency in the federal government that has never passed an independent audit."

In December, the Pentagon flunked its fifth consecutive audit, unable to account for more than 60% of its $3.5 trillion in total assets.

But congressional appropriators appear largely unphased as they prepare to raise the agency's budget to record levels, with some working to increase it beyond the topline set by the recently approved debt ceiling agreement. Watchdogs have warned that the deal includes a loophole that hawkish lawmakers could use to further inflate the Pentagon budget under the guise of aiding Ukraine.

Late Wednesday, following a lengthy markup session, the House Armed Services Committee passed its version of the National Defense Authorization Act, which proposes a total military budget of $886 billion. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) was the only committee member to vote no.

A huge chunk of the Pentagon's budget for next year is likely to go to profitable private contractors, which make a killing charging the federal government exorbitant sums for weapons and miscellaneous items, from toilet seats to ashtrays to coffee makers.

"Defense contractors are lining their pockets with taxpayer money while the Pentagon fails time and time again to pass an independent audit. It's a broken system," said Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), a co-sponsor of the new bill. "We need to compel the Department of Defense to take fraud and mismanagement seriously—and we need Congress to stop inflating our nation's near-trillion-dollar defense budget."

"Putting the wants of contractors over the needs of our communities," he added, "isn't going to make our country any safer."

If passed, the Audit the Pentagon Act of 2023 would force every component of the Defense Department that fails an audit in fiscal year 2024 to return 1% of its budget to the Treasury Department.

A fact sheet released by Sanders' office argues that "the need for this audit is clear," pointing to a Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq report estimating that "$31-60 billion had been lost to fraud and waste."

"Separately, the special inspector general for Afghanistan Reconstruction reported that the Pentagon could not account for $45 billion in funding for reconstruction projects," the fact sheet notes. "A recent Ernst & Young audit of the Defense Logistics Agency found that it could not properly account for some $800 million in construction projects. CBS News recently reported that defense contractors were routinely overcharging the Pentagon—and the American taxpayer—by nearly 40-50%, and sometimes as high as 4,451%."

Further examples of the Pentagon's waste and accounting failures abound.

Last month, the Government Accountability Office released a report concluding that the Pentagon can't account for F-35 parts worth millions of dollars.

Earlier this week, as The Washington Post reported, the Pentagon said it "uncovered a significant accounting error that led it to overvalue the amount of military equipment it sent to Ukraine since Russia's invasion last year—by $6.2 billion."

"The 'valuation errors,' as a Pentagon spokeswoman put it, will allow the Pentagon to send more weapons to Ukraine now before going to Congress to request more money," the Post noted.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), chair of the Senate Finance Committee and a supporter of the Audit the Pentagon Act, said Wednesday that "taxpayers can't keep writing blank checks—they deserve long-overdue transparency from the Pentagon about wasteful defense spending."

"If the Department of Defense cannot conduct a clean audit, as required by law," said Wyden, "Congress should impose tough financial consequences to hold the Pentagon accountable for mismanaging taxpayer money."

[marlowethelibrarian]

I need you to tell me all about Project Cannibalism actually

Okay! So I have like 10 pages of worldbuilding just for this project, so if you wanna know something more specific, feel free to send me another ask!

Project Cannibalism is currently still in the planning stages.

The story takes place in Suya, a theocracy dedicated to cult of Suyo, a cthonic earth goddess, ruled by hereditary priestesses. Suyo was founded by exiles from the lowlands, banished to the steppe where most of them were killed by the harsher conditions at higher elevations, or by the nomads that lived on the steppe.

All living creatures have some kind of magic inside of them. Life itself is an energy that can be bent towards magical working. Usually this is expressed through alchemy- creating effects by brewing potions and later, by runesmithing. It can be a labor intensive process and biomes with more biodiversity have more options when it comes to alchemy. It is a useful technology that underpins most the engineering accomplishments on the peninsula.

The exiles discovered a way to use the magic of human life, amplifying another's energy through their own bodies to do bigger magic, bypassing the need for the process of alchemy. Other creatures can serve as batteries, but the closer the battery is to human, the more efficient the process. It is with this magic that they created arable land out of the rocky steppe and drove away the nomads.

You couldn't light a candle with the life of a cockroach, but with a another human, you can break up boulders, divert rivers, raise shelters, and only take a few years off of their lifespan.

The story for Project Cannibalism centers on a pair of identical twins, separated by birth. One raised in the temple of Suyo as a talented priestess, the other a genius alchemist that has run out of luck and time and realizes they have an uncanny resemblance to the up and coming priestess.... However, they find themself with more than they can chew, as the aging queen priestess and her heir are at odds with each other, and their twin is being groomed to possibly replace the crown priestess.

[worldsewage]

Ok so here’s my theory for the story of home run: Grizz + Senshin Co are playing all sides in order to increase profits and test out experimental tech, with the eventual goal of controlling everyone similar to how Callie was controlled by Octavio? Since if your employees are all mindless you no longer have to pay them.