In the years before the 2008 banking crisis, more and more people announced that the system could not continue. Months before the collapse, most bankers agreed that it could not continue. But they did nothing effective about it. They did not know what to do, so they continued as usual hoping that someone would bail them out. Maybe the Fed would do something.
And the Fed did eventually bail them out. The Fed did not bail out the public, only the banks.
Now bankers tell us that the system cannot continue, that there will be a crash. There is every reason to believe them. The Fed does not know what to do. It has already bailed out the banks as much as it can.
Our economy will crash.
This is post is about what we can do.
What can we do to prevent the crash?
We can’t. It’s far too late. At a minimum, we would have had to make drastic reforms to our financial system at least 30 years ago. We would have needed to organize politically, in ways that the political parties of the time did not allow.
Why did it happen?
There are a lot of reasons. Likely, historians will argue about it for centuries. Basicly, we paid for the Cold War, and for costly wars since. There isn’t enough oil and gas, and supply depends on unstable nations in unstable regions of the world. There’s plenty of coal but it’s increasingly expensive and hard to use. There isn’t enough fertilizer for farmers. Climate change is disrupting weather patterns making various supplies uncertain and expensive. Bad trade decisions have left the USA a giant debtor nation – we have run up debts far bigger than any other nation would be allowed. Etc.
And for decades the USA has papered over the problems instead of making any serious attempt to solve them. With Carter, we reduced our foreign debt somewhat by persuading foreigners to invest in the dot.com boom, and when the market collapsed they lost their money. With Bush, we reduced our foreign debt somewhat by persuading foreigners to invest in US real estate, and they lost more money. Since then we haven’t done as well at cheating foreigners, and the vultures have started circling…. One of the fundamental things that went wrong, is that our broken financial system has shifted our resources into unproductive activities, and stopped us from investing in actual solutions to our problems. While pretending that things are basicly OK, they threw the lower middle class under the bus, and then increasing parts of the regular middle class. With the coming crash the upper middle class will also be scarifriced.

I forgot to post this in April, so it is a bit longer. You can find plenty of opportunities amongst these companies. If you want to receive it weekly in your inbox, along with some more jobs, you can sign-up here.
​

1. Enpal raised €356M with a solar-bond ABS. Careers.
2. Hygraph Berlin Next-generation content management €27.6M Series B Careers.
3. Parloa Berlin AI-based messaging for customer communication. €20M Careers.
4. talpa solutions Berlin Operations management solution €15M Series B Careers.
5. Li.Fi Berlin Building on DeFi for traditional finance $17.5M Series A Careers.
6. Isar Aerospace Munich Space technology €155M Careers.
7. Atlas Metrics Berlin ESG analytics €5.2M Seed-Financing Careers.
8. Coqui Berlin Generative AI voices $3.3M Seed Careers.
9. Medigo Berlin Healthcare booking platform €2M Series A Careers.
10. eROCKIT Berlin E-motorbike startup €1M Careers.
11. OQmented Itzehoe Building laser scanning technology $20M Series A Careers.
12. Recyda Freiburg Digital platform for package recycling €1.75M Careers.
13. Quantica Berlin Multi-material 3D printing €14M Series A Careers.
14. Enote Berlin Gamechanger for musicians, digitizing paper sheet music into digital scores €10M Series A Careers.
15. NYRIS Berlin Visual search and recognition technology for industries such as retail and manufacturing €10M Careers.
16. MakerVerse Berlin AI-powered on-demand supply chain manufacturing €9.4M Series A Careers.
17. Clue App Berlin Empowers women to track their fertility easily and accurately €7M Careers.
18. Gaeastar Berlin Developing technology and materials for single-use products to eliminate waste $6.5M Seed No careers yet.
19. METR Berlin IoT platform enabling connected use-cases for efficient real estate management & housing industry €6M Series A Careers.
20. Prestatech Berlin Innovative underwriting platform for banks and financial institutions in Europe €4M Careers.
21. UnitPlus Berlin Bridge between payment and investment worlds for frictionless capital market investing €1M Seed Careers.
22. Finto Technologies Berlin Monetization engine for B2B SaaS companies $500K Seed Careers not there yet.
23. tado° Munich Smart home climate control €12M Careers.
24. TVARIT Frankfurt Manufacturing waste reduction €5M Careers.
25. Natix Network Hamburg Decentralised network of cameras for real-time city maps $3.5M Seed Careers not really there.
26. AMSilk Munich Sustainable silk proteins +€25M in Series C Careers.
27. deepc Munich Digital medicine $13M Series A Careers
28. Ariceum Therapeutics Berlin Develops novel drugs for systemic targeted radiotherapy (STR) €22.8M Series A Careers.
29. KoRo Berlin "Better for you food" startup expanding across Europe extended €20M Series B Careers.
30. Qdrant Berlin Powers next-gen AI applications with advanced vector similarity search tech €7.5M Seed Careers.
31. Razor Group Berlin Partners with e-commerce merchants to acquire & scale winning brands added €10M to Series C Careers.
32. Nosh Berlin Utilizing fungi to create meat replacement products €3.2M No careers page yet.
33. Rebel Tech Berlin Revolutionizing the tech industry with innovative solutions €1.5M Seed No careers yet.
34. Innential Berlin Enhancing tech capabilities & sales teams €1M Seed No careers yet.
35. Maltego Munich Intelligence platform for data integration and graphical link analysis $100M Careers.
36. Sunvigo Cologne Solar energy solutions for a sustainable future €20M Careers.
37. Natix Hamburg AI-driven metadata capture from CCTV cameras $3.5M No careers yet.
38. Virtonomy Munich Virtual patient-based clinical trials platform €3.5M Careers.
39. Swobbee Berlin Battery rental operations & charging infrastructure expansion €2M Series A Extension Careers.
40. Rydes Berlin Platform for employee monthly mobility budgets €3.5M Seed Careers.
41. eROCKIT entered into partnership with Indian Motovolt Berlin eBikes/mofas/mopeds €1M Investment + €10M in production facility in India Careers.
42. Reverion Eresing (Bavaria) Production of biogas power plants €8.5M Careers.
43. Spread Berlin Engineering intelligence for complex mechatronic products $16M Series A Careers.
44. NetBird Berlin Cybersecurity firm creating open-source platform for easy VPN deployment €1.1M No careers page yet.
45. Sykell Berlin Zero waste packaging solutions for the food industry €4.5M No careers page yet.
46. recoupling Berlin Developing an app to accompany couples in all relationship phases €150k Angel No careers yet.
47. Prematch Cologne Content & stats app for amateur football players €2.4M Careers.
48. HelloBetter Hamburg/Berlin Digital therapeutics for mental health €7M Series A extension Careers.
49. Pinpoint Chemnitz Inside buildings positioning systems €1M+ Careers.
50. Testbirds Munich Crowdtesting platform €1M+ revenue-based financing Careers.
51. Blocktorch Berlin Facilitates Web3 engineering teams to quickly understand and rectify errors $4.2M Careers.
52. DearEmployee Konstanz/Berlin Corporate health start-up undisclosed, pre-series A Careers.
53. Jolt Energy Dublin and Munich Constructs ultra-fast charging stations for e-mobility €150M Careers.
54. Voltfang Aachen Develops energy storage solutions for residential homes €5M Careers.
55. Wingcopter Darmstadt Delivery drones with the goal of becoming a global market leader €40M Careers.
56. wefox Berlin Digital insurance company streamlining and modernizing insurance processes extended Series D $110M (out of which $55M credit) Careers.
57. Patient21 Berlin Healthtech provider focused on dentistry software €100M Careers.
58. Nia Health Berlin Medical software platform in personalized medicine €3.5M Seed Careers.
59. Exazyme Berlin Intelligent protein development €2.0M Seed Careers.
60. Reflex Aerospace Berlin First venture-backed European satellite manufacturer €1.8M Careers.
61. ingarden Hamburg Revolutionizes the cultivation of microgreens at home €500K Careers.
62. Zageno Berlin Online marketplace connecting scientists, academic research institutes, and biotech manufacturers $33.0M Careers.
63. Ariadne Munich Location data and crowd analytics provider $7M Series A Careers.
64. LabDAO Berlin Open research organization built for computational life sciences $3.6M seed No careers.
65. COCOLI Berlin Offering an online platform for trading preloved quality design furniture €3M Seed Careers.
66. zero44 Berlin Aiding the maritime sector in attaining sustainability goals €2.5M Series A Careers.
67. Minoa Berlin/San Francisco Providing a management and customer insights platform for SaaS teams $2.7M Pre-seed Careers.
68. LANCH Berlin A virtual kitchen and food delivery platform for influencer-branded pizzas €2.5M Pre-seed Careers not there yet.
69. Sastrify Cologne Facilitating companies in managing their tech stack $32M Series B Careers.
70. Sunhat Cologne Streamlines processing of sustainability requests and ESG ratings €2M Careers.

Thanks for reading, I hope it helps.

Join the fastest growing RP server on PC. Featuring a unique lore that follows the current events in Russia/Ukraine. The server is based on Chernarus, lore wise a Chechen state that's defunct after the deployment of a bio weapon. The area is riddled with Nato and Chechen/Russo forces. Meanwhile locals and displaced aid workers are now coming together to rebuild communities.
Server Information:-Steady and reliable population, active communities/groups-Communities you can assimilate into and take on roles. Living as a post apocalyptic farmer amongst merchants, peace keepers, a mayor, etc.-Faction traders, which can be leveled up to incorporate full cosmetic kits.-Stary Sobor Trader (Centralized Traders for Ease of Access)-Black Market (Gun Running N' Drugs)-Hunting/Fisher Trader for those who enjoy the simpler things------------------------------------------------------------------------Featuring a completely reworked Custom coast, town and village loot. Custom civilian gear has replaced vanilla items entirelyWW2-Soviet Era weapons can be found in Civilian areas (complete rework of civilian weapons)Redesigned Police Loot - Now featuring SMGs/Riot Control. Purchasable sheriff and police vehicles/outfitsVast weapon rebalance, many one of a kind 556/762 Platforms (Literally one rifle of this variant)Our emphasis has been on unique one of a kind experiences and to reflect that we added an array of RP related vehicles for solos/nomads. Whether you are a solo or a faction, take to the road with RVs, Bases on wheels, you name it. Run a bus service, Taxi service, a mobile doctor with their own ambulance, or a Chernarus capital officer in their patrol cruiser. There's room for those looking to do good and run a community as well as those wishing to swoop in with their militia and demand tribute. Despite this being an RP server without KOS we highly encourage groups to write their own lore and act out their own stories, if that means the local town guard has to muster up to put down bandits: so be it.
Max Players: 70
IP: 66.11.124.98:2303
Restarts: Every 4 Hours starting at 10AM EST
Mods
MoreGrass
CJ187-SummerChernarus
RolePlayMod
Essentials
RUSForma
R22R_Base_Fortifications
R22R_Mechanics_PUBLIC
NatureOverhaul
BuilderItems
RedFalcon Flight System Heliz
CARs
Airdrop-Upgraded
PVEZAirdropZones
DrugsPLUS
CRPMods
LoftDModGR Clothes Pack
THYER5 Sheriff and Police Mod
AdditionalMedicSupplies
RaG_Vehicle_Pack
BulletStackPlusAdditional
MegaFoodPack
FlipTransport
Forward Operator Gear
PVEZ Reloaded
Code Lock
RUSForma_vehicles
Basic Territories
CannabisPlus
AdvancedBanking
Mass'sManyItemOverhaul
Community-Online-Tools
Mortys Weapons
MuchCarKey
CarCover
MuchDecos_Codelock
MuchDecos
MuchStuffPack
NewClothes by rob
BaseBuildingPlus
BBPItemPack
NoMuffle
NoVehicleDamage
Party On !
PVEZMarkersOnVPPMap
SNAFU Weapons
RaG_BaseItems
TraderFixesAndFeatures
Trader
VanillaPlusPlusMap
VPPAdminTools
Modular Vest System DGFix
WindstridesClothingPack
CF
Playstyle - RP
1pp/3pp - both
Discord : https://discord.gg/covenantrp

It was hard work pushing papers down the long bench. Mr. Uoka found himself drinking tea and eating nutrient scnes with countless other bureaucrats. Suddenly, however, he found himself suddenly eating scones with Mr. Hay Rekk, and didn't quite know what to say. all of his imagined witty barbs and urbane comments disappeared when what remained of the man looked down on him, sneering through his photoreceptors. 'Hatarti.'
'It's-well-'
'Come into the damn conference room.'
Mr. Uoka practically tripped over himself to follow. Rekk kicked a number of people out of the conference room, stuffed a cipher secretary into a chair, and then began. 'Harati. We're fucked. You're fucked. I'm fucked. And I don't even have a penis or a butthole, that's how fucked we area. Nearly five billion...fucking...insane. Your trade bloc going down the drain. You think you can help. Make it quick, or I'll make it happen somehow.'
'Thank you, Chancellor. I...um. Well...this is a very complicated situation, as you well know, of course-'
Rekk sagged. 'Uoka.'
'Yes, sir.'
'I know. I know how your fucking kind talk-'
'Are-are you saying that I am lesser because I am a-?!'
'Stelliberal? Yeah. Fuck you, lib.'
'...oh.'
'Short words. Give your point. We don't have much time.'
'Yes. Rekk—we need market development. Not maket-lead or centric—development of the market itself. Not just the places-'
'Cashification. Specialization. Less farmers.'
'Yes-precisely. No more barter. More goods moving through markets. Less subsistence.'
'Wagies, then. Townies, or urban poor.'
'I support urbanization, sir.'
'Don't call me sir.'
'Ok. Urbanization. Towns cannot grow the requisite numbers to break out into proper cosmopolitanism.'
'What if we can get them commuting?'
'A good idea, if done, sir!'
'I'm gonna do it. The cities are getting cargo and people rail. Fancy people rail. Good people rail. Make them get around and keep mixing.'
'Wonderful! Perhaps they might have sports leagues-'
'Only if they have riot divisions.' 'Tragic, sirr-Chancellor.'
'Rekk. Liberal.'
‘What about local commuting, to bind the cities and townies into one greater mass?’
‘I’m working on it. Gonna do freight lines out, and if they don’t attack the trains, then we’ll move on maybe getting some of them on them. Cargo stakeholders first, then maybe passengers. That might take a generation, but I’m going to make it happen.’
'You should accelerate cashification.'
'I'm trying. Right now, we’re slowly doing money storage. Making local banks. Moving money still needs to be figured out. I can't fucking even let them consider paper, they'll go nuts.'
'Armored cars and trains, local banks being able to do deposit transfers? That kind of thing?'
'Armored trains are rolling out now. Banks are gonna get fucking permitted at some point. Their majesties want strong basic regulations. It'll go slow, but the problem is how heavy that shit is.'
'Yes, indeed. Perhaps one can make the coins self-lighten?'
'Good idea, lemme write that down.'
'Here is a white paper, chancellor.'
'Got it. Next. Fusion.'
'Yes. Fusion. Civil fusion. The power of a star. Will they get electricity?'
'Everything is electric for the clones already. Fixed the web, too. For the peasants? Fuck no. We're gonna dole out miracles slowly so they don't melt down street lamps to make into weapons. Biggest one is atmospheric nitrogen fixing. We'll give em superstitious fertilizer, not some crap. Use lightning banks. We're also gonna light up all the cities, and electrify all public buildings and entertainment areas. The towns are gonna have a slow drip of things, very slow. Elite exposure first, gauge fuckery. If they act up, beat them smart.'
'There's no personal incentive right now to electrify, Rekk. Outside of the workplace, are you trying to generate mass demand?'
'Yeah.' Rekk looked pensive. 'Get the kids. Get the house managers…err…wives. That’s what they’re called. Make work-life easier.'
'Perhaps you might offer rental machinery, to ease the-'
'...you have another white paper?'
'Indeed, Chancellor.'
'Give it. What else?'
'Well, there is the Shining Lord's legacy of...advanced sciences.'
Rekk sighed. 'Yeah. Fuckers. Peasants...we were wrong. Couldn't see. They'd been made weak many years ago, before we were made. Broken people. Lost their chances. Their wants. Their selves. You speak about consumers. Buyers. Wanters. Needers. These people can't want or need anything that the Golden Ones said was bad.' 'They can act on their own.'
'Yeah. Everything Kweens did is stuff they'd do on their own. Build them up comfortably. Make them feel better. Safer. Not terrified. You seen them.'
Mr. Uoka had. 'They need to be able to want again. Or to recognize that they have needs.'
'Yeah. No more fear. No more pain. No empty bellies, or sick ones.'
'They need healthcare.'
Rekk tried to sneer. 'Working on that. Real busy. You think I got a headshrinker?'
‘I think it would help.’
‘I got drugs. Why don’t you take some?’
Mr. Uoka reminded the Chancellor that he was a liontaur, and that clone drugs wouldn’t work on him. Chancellor Rekk reminded the consultant that he had tried clone drugs and that they’d worked. Both stared at each other for a moment before moving on.
‘Healthcare, Rekk. Healthcare. They need it. On all worlds’
‘The Sunforgelands are unfucking themselves.’
‘I’ve watched them begin to separate from Kabria and develop their own identity. Of course, they will not be one for quite some time. If peasant marketisation truly fails, then they will be the obvious backstop.’
‘Yeah. But I’m not counting on them. We’re gonna use fusion electricity here to make a lot of drugs for the cities. Really pump them up. Introduction will take a while. The cities will export them to the townies.’
‘But why will the townies even go to the cities?’
‘Unno. It’ll be easy. Maybe get some money. Maybe come back and work for more money and clout. Farming will keep getting easier, so less people for less farms.’
‘Will you truly make an effort to make powered farming equipment common again, Rekk? Or will you be defeated by someone being afraid of tractors?’
‘We won’t. But we will make fuel at home. And we will figure out which of the fucked up mosses and weird foxes won’t be killing people. Seeds-’
‘The biotechnology of the Shining Lords persists. But how much does it, truly?’
‘Enough for us to gather it up and use it, though. Against them. We will use their seeds, and their bugs, and their birds, and we will force them to give us honey and nectar and grain. And we’ll keep em in hives and tree trunks and in farmlands and in those fucking makeshift swamps. And we’ll eat em. Tear the head off and suck out the guts until the little legs kick, kick, kick…’ Rekk seemed to be having more fun thinking about torturing the old animals of the Shining Lords than anything else.
‘...do they have…sufficient nutritional value?’
‘Yes. Taste like shit.’
Mr. Uoka considered saying that if the clones thought something tasted like shit, it truly did, but he kept that thought to himself.
‘How much will you be allowing them to see?’
‘All of it, cause fuck em. Let’s scare 'em straight.’
‘...that is an unusual motivation, Rekk. But I admire your commitment.’
‘Yeah, yeah. We’ll knock in some gardens with nice plants that make medicines and antibodies and stuff, and we’ll give em nutritional supplements-’
‘And birth control.’
‘Yeah, good point. Don’t want too many of them. Abortions should be cheap, fast, and easy.’
‘And birth control, Chancellor.’
‘You mean like for-before they screw?’
‘Yes. It will lead to a significant amount of independence for women–I don’t think the Shining Lords allowed anything beyond the gender binary, did they–and break up some of the core cycles of reproduction with an Epistocided people.’
‘Put the paper on the table.’
Mr. Uoka obliged.
‘They’ll shit their pants, Haraati-’
‘Hatari.’
‘And we’ll make em clean up the shit, and dry it, and use it for fucking manure. I will drag these dense ass motherfuckers-literally half the goddamn time-to decency, whether they like it or not. They’ll farm the land, and they’ll pay taxes, and they’ll buy regional, and they’ll fucking like it. And if they cause problems, Mr. Uoka, I’m going to-’
‘To show them some fucking compassion. They’re scared children. That’s what they are deep down.’
‘No, we’re going to give the fuckers the baton and ten years fixing hedgerows with powered equipment.’
‘During the riots, I took shelter in a building with some clone functionaries–Happies, a few Biggies or specials. A number of peasants…I’m not sure, must have been about 60…broke in. They were going to burn the place down around us, and I was scared. They were ignoring commands, and we were prepared to shoot them, and then–well–I didn’t want to shoot them. So I roared. And threw a chair. They all fled. Not a shot fired. They were that easily scared off. You don’t have to beat them. You don’t need to be harsh all the time. Spare them, Rekk. I’m not asking for absolution, but don’t be like your makers. They’ll be better if they can relax comfortably; they’ve tasted a bit of safety with all of the turmoil. Let them keep eating.’
‘...target the stunting, huh?’
‘Above all else. The Shining Leeches enslaved-’
Rekk cut off Mr. Uoka with peels of laughter. He enjoyed the multifaceted implications of that insult: weaknesses, dependency on others, ineffectiveness, false bravado–and the chance to cut the stress. Eventually, he got back on topic.
‘...they used biology to enslave ourselves. We use biology to free ourselves. But this doesn’t cover the magic.’
‘It’s degraded a lot over time, right? And her majesty is satisfying the demands of many of the laws. So there should be no problem.’
‘I hope so. There’s…big changes coming. Stuff I can’t reveal to you. Yeah, the investors will like it. But it’s going to be big, Hattie.’
‘What is it?’ Mr. Uoka overlooked his name being messed up again.
‘The beginning of the end.’

In a promotional era where we got so, so many different varieties of the dance challenge for Queencard and little bits of Allergy, this recap will go through the 6th mini-album promotional activities, with content that you may have missed. Past promotional recaps can be found in the Recap Archive. Any news and updates related to this promotion for this current week will also be updated to this recap. All dates and times are in KST, unless stated.
The most recent Neverland Hangout is available here, and the Announcement Megathread for the upcoming 2023 concert tour is here.

Music Videos

Allergy Total views @ 10am: 27m; 💬
퀸카 (Queencard) Total views @ 10am: 104m; 💬 / Performance Ver

Teasers & extras

Pre-release

💬 Image Teaser
Announcement : [I feel] New Episodes (Track List); 💬
💬 Concept Poster (Queen Concept)
💬 Casting Board (Cat Concept)
Character Introduction : [I feel]; 💬
💬 Character Map (Cat Concept)
Spoiler Alert : [I feel] #YUQI ("All Night" Track Preview); 💬
Spoiler Alert : [I feel] #SHUHUA ("어린 어른 (Adult)" Track Preview); 💬
💬 'Just be a #Queen' 👑 (Queen Concept)
Spoiler Alert : [I feel] #MINNIE ("Lucid" Track Preview); 💬
Spoiler Alert : [I feel] #MIYEON ("Paradise" Track Preview); 💬
💬 'Fly like a #Butterfly' 🦋 (Butterfly Concept)
Spoiler Alert : [I feel] #SOYEON ("Allergy" Track Preview); 💬
💬 'Crawl like a #Cat' 🐱 (Cat Concept)
💬 'Allergy' MV Pre-Release Poster
💬 'Allergy' MV Teaser Photos
Comeback Interview : [I feel]; 💬
💬 '퀸카 (Queencard)' Image Teaser

Post-release

"I feel" mini-album on Spotify / Apple Music / Youtube Music
💬 Mini-album B-side Discussion
💬 Melon Magazine: 'I feel' Album Jacket Shoot
💬 CUBE Naver Post: 'I feel' Album Jacket Shoot ' BTS
💬 Moving Poster
💬 CUBE Naver Post: 'Allergy' & 'Queencard' MV Shoot BTS

Cube exclusive content

Date	Title	Extra info
230515	퀸카 (Queencard) Special Performance Video	💬
230516	퀸카 (Queencard) Fanchant Guide	💬
230517	(G)I-DLE Original Series [I feel] Production Presentation	Mini-album Press conference
230520	(G)I-DLE 6th Mini Album [I feel] UNBOXING	💬
230521	퀸카 (Queencard) Choreography Practice	💬
230522	#HASHTALK EP.23	Yuqi's plane room tour 🙌; 💬
230523	I-TALK #124	'I feel' Album Jacket Shoot BTS; 💬
230524	#HASHTALK EP.24	You wanna be the 퀸카 (Feat. Soyeon's Queencard Box Making 👑🎀);💬
230526	'퀸카 (Queencard)' Recording Behind the scenes	💬
230529	'Allergy' (Live Clip)	💬
230530	6th Mini Album [I feel] Audio Snippet Shoot Behind the scenes	💬
230603	I-TALK #125	'Queencard' MV Shoot BTS Part 1; 💬
230604	'Allergy' Special Performance Video; 💬
230605	M/V Bloopers : [I feel]; 💬

Music show performances

Date	Show	Song	Extra info
230518	M Countdown	Allergy + Queencard	Comeback stage
230519	Music Bank	Queencard	Comeback stage
230520	Music Core	Queencard	Comeback stage
230521	Inkigayo	Queencard	Comeback stage
〃	The Seasons: Choi Jung Hoon’s Night Park	TOMBOY (Live Band ver) + Queencard	Miyeon, Minnie, Yuqi cover of Jannabi's 주저하는 연인들을 위해 (for lovers who hesitate)
230523	The Show	Queencard	Comeback stage; #Queencard1stWin🏆
230524	Show Champion	Queencard	Comeback stage; #Queencard2ndWin🏆
230525	M Countdown	Queencard	#Queencard3rdWin🏆
230526	Music Bank	Queencard	#Queencard4thWin🏆
230527	Music Core	Queencard	#Queencard5thWin🏆
230528	Inkigayo	Queencard	#Queencard6thWin🏆
230601	M Countdown	Queencard	-
230602	Music Bank	Queencard	-
230603	Music Core	Queencard	#Queencard7thWin🏆
230604	Inkigayo	Queencard	#Queencard8thWin🏆

Variety / Specials

Date	Show	Extra info
230515	Melon Station Spotlight Interview	Commemorating the release of 'I feel'
〃	MisTaery	Ongoing Google Play Korea series feat Miyeon
230516	Dingo Music Killing Voice
〃	BTOB's Kiss The Radio	Live studio performance of Queencard / Queencard Challenge practice & attempt
230517	Lee Eunji's Gayo Plaza	Miyeon, Minnie & Soyeon. Queencard Challenge practice & attempt
230518	MMTG - Civilization Express	Ep.291
〃	MISUN:IMPOSSIBLE	Yuqi
〃	Yongjinho Health Center	Ep.10
〃	1theKILLPO Performance
230519	SHUHUA of (G)I-DLE Answers 21 Questions	Ongoing Mindset collab
〃	M2 Relay Dance
〃	Bam House	Ep.14 feat Minnie
230520	Music Core mini-fanmeeting
〃	LeoJ Makeup	Soyeon
230521	The Seasons: Choi Jung Hoon’s Night Park	Choi Jung Hoon’s Queencard twerking practice & attempt / Choi Jung Hoon & Miyeon's MC skit
230522	Park Myung Soo's Radio Show	Miyeon, Minnie & Yuqi. Performance of Queencard
〃	Begin Again Open Mic	Performance of Die For You (duet with Onestar) & Paradise (Minnie solo ver)
230523	LeeMujin Service	Ep.64 feat Miyeon
230524	Thumbnail Scramble
〃	Dongguk University Spring Festival	Full set fancam
230525	MMTG - Civilization Express	Ep.292
〃	Eunchae's Star Diary	Ep.9 feat Shuhua
〃	Workdol	New weekly web variety series feat Shuhua
230526	Cosmopolitan Korea Zoomterview	Monthly featured special feat Soyeon
〃	Korea University IPSELENTI Festival	Full set fancam. Stage cams: TOMBOY / Queencard
〃	Kyung Hee University Spring Festival	Full set fancam. Stage cams: LATATA / TOMBOY
〃	Hanyang University RACHIOS Festival	Full set fancam. Stage cams: LATATA / MY BAG / Allergy
230527	The Kstar Next Door	Season 3, Ep.6 feat Miyeon, Minnie & Yuqi
〃	Amazing Saturday	Ep.265 feat Miyeon, Minnie & Yuqi. Highlights / Queencard fancam
230529	Begin Again Open Mic	Performance of beside you
〃	MisTaery	Ongoing Google Play Korea series feat Miyeon
230530	1theK BE-RIC VIDEO	1theKILLPO BEHIND the scenes
230531	Cultwo Show	Miyeon, Soyeon & Yuqi Queencard dance performance
〃	Kookmin University Festival	Full set fancam. Stage cams: TOMBOY / Allergy / Queencard
230601	Workdol	New weekly web variety series feat Shuhua
230602	Singles Korea INSTA TOUR	Monthly featured special feat Yuqi
〃	M2 DOPE CLUB	Minnie & Shuhua Queencard (DOPE CAM ver)
230603	Knowing Bros	Miyeon. Highlights
230604	Ask Anything Chat	Collab feature with iHeartRadio's Most Requested Live

News / Interviews / Highlights

Date	Title
230514	📈 Pre-orders for the 6th mini-album, I feel, have broken its own record, exceeding 1.1 million copies
230516	📰 'I feel' ranked 1st across 18 regions globally on the iTunes Top Album category†
230520	📈 (G)I-DLE records over 1 million copies sold from 'I feel' on Hanteo
230521	🎉 'Queencard' M/V hits 50,000,000 views!‡
230522	📰 (G)I-DLE breaks its own opening week album sales record with 'I feel', achieving a career high & ranking 4th overall in girl group history
〃	🎉 'Queencard' M/V hits 60,000,000 views!‡
230523	🎉 'Queencard' M/V hits 70,000,000 views!
〃	📰 ELLE Korea: Princess's arrival, Jill Stuart Beauty and Miyeon's meeting
230524	📰 Weverse Magazine: SOYEON, (G)I-DLE’s leader - Five songs where the idol’s skills as a producer shine
〃	📰 Weverse Magazine: (G)I-DLE’s Playlist - (G)I-DLE Sing about Self-esteem and Love
〃	📰 Singles Magazine: The freedom of Yuqi
230526	📰 Cosmopolitan Korea: Jeon Soyeon's passionate love story with herself
230527	📰 (G)I-DLE, sells out all seats for the world tour in Seoul within 5 minutes
〃	🎉 'Queencard' M/V hits 80,000,000 views!‡
230530	📈 'Queencard' achieves a Realtime All-Kill
〃	🎉 'Queencard' M/V hits 90,000,000 views!‡
230531	📈 'I feel' debuts on the Billboard 200 at #41
〃	📰 I-DLE ‘Queencard’ insane music power…3 consecutive chart all-kill
230601	📰 Billboard: (G)I-DLE Hits No. 1 on Emerging Artists Chart for First Time
230603	🎉 'Queencard' M/V hits 100,000,000 views!

† - At time of announcement
‡ - Delayed announcement

The Farmers have decisively named their Presidential nominee, Al Gore. Webb met his loss with magnanimity, smiling as he shook hands with his fellow Senator. In a short but sweet acceptance speech, Gore said, among other things, "I have my vision. It's comprehensive and sweeping. I've traveled to every part of this country during the last six years. And during my service in Congress, I have always taken the initiative. And I will take the initiative here in moving forward a whole range of initiatives that have proven to be important to our country's economic growth and environmental protection."
It's now time for the Vice Presidential nomination. It's time for the candidates to make their case...

Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana

Despite coming in third out of three in the Presidential nomination race, Landrieu still keeps in the race as a possible Vice Presidential nominee. She would be the first female Vice President in Confederate history if Gore wins the election (though some history buffs joke she would be the second, referencing First Lady Edith Wilson). Her moderate reputation is solid, and she could lock up the female vote. Plus, if Louisiana's vote in this election was ever in doubt, it wouldn't be going forward.
That's the thing, however. Louisiana, and the broader Deep South, are near-guaranteed to vote for the Farmers this election. There's also still the question of Landrieu's relative social conservatism, which could cause problems in the minority votes, not the least of which being the black vote. But then again, if not the Farmers, who would win the black vote?

Senator James Webb of Virginia

Although he couldn't clinch the nomination this time, some still think James Webb would make an excellent Vice President. Webb is certainly unique in that he's a Farmers Party Senator from the infamously conservative Virginia, and could lock down the Dominion State, which hasn't voted for a Farmers candidate in its history. He also brings a hard-hitting and straight-talking persona which might contrast well with Gore.
But as mentioned before, Webb walks a fine line between a fighter and a strongman. His previous Vice Presidency may also have him being seen as damaged goods. Even Webb himself seems less than enthusiastic about being the Vice Presidential nominee another time, despite his endorsement of Gore.

Governor Dexter King of Georgia

An unorthodox choice would be to choose the highly controversial, newly-minted Governor of Georgia, Dexter King. The son of the former revolutionary leader Martin Luther King Jr., who is infamous for his leadership role in the New Afrika Insurrection in the 60s, King ascended to the Governorship of his native Georgia in what was termed "The Savannah Miracle," becoming the Confederacy's first-ever black Governor, even amidst cries that King cheated somehow. King has many times over denounced his father's violent actions back in the 60s, and did attend and speak at the 50th anniversary of the Centennial Incident. He makes for a very "high risk, high reward" choice for the Vice Presidency, guaranteeing the black vote nationwide and possibly sealing the deal in Georgia, if the Farmers are lucky.
But, even looking past his controversial arrival to the office of Governor and his family, King has a few problems. First, and perhaps foremost, is that he's only just become Governor, and has held no prior political office. He was formerly the President of a non-profit, but his actions as President were suspect, slashing the staff to bare minimum at a bad time and having a falling-out with even his own family over the matter. And even looking past that, the disastrous 1994 election, the last time the Farmers ran a black Vice Presidential candidate, is still in the back of the Party's minds. Gore himself is even nervous about the prospect of having the controversial Governor on his ticket.

Fmr. Secretary of State for Internal Affairs Hodding Carter III of North Carolina

A Vice Presidential option that has a surprising amount of support is that of another former Carter cabinet member, alongside James Webb. Hodding Carter III (no relation to the former President Carter) has been President of a non-profit committed to the arts and journalism since 1998, but has reentered politics at the request of Webb. In general, Carter appeals to old Farmers who have since voted for the Populists and Dixiecrats, and they might come back to the fold with a former Carter cabinet member. He could also appeal to both Florida and North Carolina which, when put together with the expected Farmer victories in the Deep South, would make the election a slam dunk.
But Carter is an unexciting choice. For one thing, he's been out of politics for over 20 years now. And even if that weren't the case, he's getting rather long in the tooth at the age of 77. And if he can't help carry North Carolina or Florida, then he does little else. He's also not particularly interested in the Vice Presidency, having only put his name forward because an old friend, James Webb, asked him to.

John Wolfe Jr. of Tennessee

A relative unknown candidate from Tennessee, businessman (and perennial political candidate) John Wolfe Jr. could potentially appeal to the pro-business wing of the Farmers which, although few in number, are not exactly thrilled at Gore's nomination. His appeal is mostly on the economic front, pushing for the use of antitrust laws and having the national Treasury department sponsor an "alternate" Treasury Reserve to loan out money to small businesses and individuals, arguing that the current system only benefits the major banks. He enjoys a small but noticeable degree of popularity in Missouri and Louisiana as well, and if Missouri can be turned green, that would be a large win.
But Wolfe would have the Farmers putting all their eggs in the Tennessee basket, and there's not much reason to do so. Wolfe is also well to the left of Party orthodoxy, going so far as to push for national government-sponsored single-payer healthcare, the constitutionality of which is... debatable at the very best. Wolfe and Gore are also rumored to really dislike each-other, and it's imperative that the Farmers put forward a united front to win.
The options have been presented, the candidates have made their speeches, who will Al Gore be campaigning with this election season?
View Poll

I did try to keep this to a minimum but there’s some backstory I want to include details because I really want to give as much information as possible since I’m looking for help. It took two of us to make this mess. We both made mistakes to get here. I really want to fix this and I’m very willing to accept my part in this mess and see what I can do better.
I’m new here so please excuse formatting or if I mess up some of the acronyms. I’m sorry for my crap grammar and spelling. This is an old Reddit account of mine I forgot I had so not really a throw away but I don’t want to risk any of our friend group seeing our dirty laundry.
A little about me 23 they/them. I grew up broke, with crappy parents and legal guardians with almost no support system. I’m a person of color and pretty queer. I have worked since I was 14 , as an adult did online SW. (he knew I did that when we started dating, even as friends he was very aware of my line of work )I'm also chronically ill/ disabled. HL femish person
About him 26 he/him. He grew up in an upper middle class white American family and grew up in a gated community. Never had a real job till college always had a support system. HLM
I have some health issues that have always been complex and borderline medical mysteries. His family hated me before they met me. His father made statements about “girls like her” even referred to me as racial slur in-front of his family. Younger sister stalked me online finding anything she deemed inappropriate or offensive and sent it around to his family. He couldn’t post pictures of us together publicly since it wouldn’t look good to family/employers.
This is my attempt to summarize 5 years of a relationship but I’ll make a TLDR of this section. I’m sorry about the rambling. Im nervous to share as I know how mean Reddit can be. I want help. I don't ever want the man I love to feel like how some of the people in this subreddit feel and I think I’m making him feel that way now.
Year 1- mostly online good relationships would do fun dirty talk on texting / videos and lots of “fun” when we would visit each other which was actually pretty often considering we were broke and collage yada yada. His family hated me, were rude to me, tried to exclude me from his graduation, refused to allow any photos evidence of me being there. I only got one picture of us together at his college graduation. We would visit each other a decent amount and it would be a fuckothan but I would not really finish.
Years 2-3 - consisted of a good relationship, split chores, love and support, a good bedroom life. His family still hated me and was accusing me of faking health issues and anything else they could think of trying to get him to leave me. online harassment from his sister ect. They hated that I did sw, he said he was okay with it when we first started dating but his mom brought it up she said that he didn’t like it which i found out was a lie much later. I stopped doing sw for the most part only when money was tight he was aware of this. I started my own business to make extra income sometime during Covid it started to get big. He supported me and was super proud of me. We almost broke up when we tried to move in together after a year plus of dating. His mom told him if he moved in with me she would take his car and throw all his stuff away. He had a job paying all his own bills except for phone. I was almost left homeless. We almost never had fights between us only about his family. They blamed me for the distance between him and them. He struggled to tell them the real reason which was partially how they treated me but mostly his own personal reasons. They would fuck off after a week or two things would go back to normal with him swearing it wouldn’t happen again. This was a cycle and during that time we wouldn’t do stuff. We were still having “fun” pretty regularly outside of the turbulence, think like 2-3 months of good healthy sex life then nothing for a bit and then back to normal. I don’t finish during “fun” times but I loved making him finish so I would handle myself later.
They ruined my birthday by starting things while at my birthday dinner with friends ( my birthday is also the anniversary of my dads death but the month is full of death anniversaries of my family. It's a really hard month ) my sister died a few days after my birthday in year 3. While visiting my family in my home state his sister was harassing me on some fake texting app number. Our lease was ending. He made a bunch of promises on how it would be better, how he would stand up for me and set boundaries but no follow through yet.
Year 4 - I got sick and needed surgery and intense treatments. He was there the whole time going into appointments with me holding my hand being amazing. I was depressed that my sister had recently died. It wasn't easy. His grandmother offered to get a PI to follow me around and prove my illness was fake. That was when he lost it and cut them off NC for months. ( he told me about this months later) Eventually he reached out and set boundaries and told them we got engaged. They told him it was a mistake and used statements like “if you think you love her” ect. I was angry at him for years of this. Not standing up for me or himself sucked. We almost broke up. “Fun” pretty much stopped. We did separate therapy. I stopped because money was tight on my half of the finances.
Year 5 - moved into a bigger house (renting) had normal couple issues. Had the big surgery I needed and worked on my health. We got different bedrooms for our own space. I’m a night owl and he is a light sleeper.I was still recovering from health issues dealing with the pretty huge changes in my body but still we both have maintained having HL but not much “mutual fun”. It feels like a chore at this point for me to actually follow through. I love kissing him. I love being near him cuddling, hanging out ect but “fun” just doesn't seem “fun”. I almost always initiate. I stopped which is when things super dwindled down for mutual fun. My business struggled due to stuff out of my/our control. I went back to normal work but it was doing a lot of damage to my health physically and mentally and wasn’t great for the recovery of my big medical scare he wanted me to quit and I knew I needed to. Money got really tight. “fun” was dead but we both still had HL. did stuff maybe 7 times in a year.
Going on year 6 - I went back to doing sw and was trying to drag my business back from the dead. I didn’t know how to tell him, he was already working 2 jobs I never got to see him. He was burning out and I couldn’t find a job that would actually accommodate my disability. Eventually he found out about the sw. We fought but in the end agreed there wasn’t much of a choice. I was wrong for hiding it and should have told him about it. He said he would stop trying to keep the financial load only on him. We sat down and took a look at our bills, made some plans and figured out what we could do to fix the mess of money issues and he asked his parents for help. Made a joint bank account for bills. I kept doing sw for a little longer. I got a new job. I’m in way better health and we are working on the money issue. He was still in therapy for a bit but money was tight so he stopped. Money is getting better. He might be open to going again and I know I would be. Both of us still have HL but not really doing anything together he wants to and I kind of do(?). I want to make him happy.
Sorry for the crappy timeline of our relationship. It's been 5 1/2 years of love and a lot has happened that is hard to summarize.
If you don’t wanna read all of that here’s my attempt at a tldr
long distance turned attempt to move in but his family hated me I almost ended up homeless in a new state we worked it out and moved in together. we don’t fight unless it’s about his family’s treatment of me. I got put in a couple more really not great situations due to his family and him not standing up for me. Eventually he stood up went NC then started working on stuff with them since he had a better idea of boundaries. We were having sex but I was never finishing but I still enjoyed our fun. I would just finish myself off later. Last yea2 years ish I stopped initiating mutual fun. We both have HL but he never really attempts to start things or is awkward about it. I don’t really want to start stuff since I know how sex will go at this point and just don’t feel like going through the hassle when I can finish myself off faster and more personal enjoyment. A few years ago we got into a fight. I told him I was never really finishing I would get close sometime but never get there. His feelings were hurt he made an attempt to do better and get me there but he just hasn’t been able to. Sex is 5-10 min at most 30 min on special occasions but for lack of better words, sex is mid. He is trying to be kinky as he has recently gotten past his pretty sexual repressive instinct left from his childhood. I love kinky stuff and enjoy this new revelation of his, but I’m still not finishing.
Something I wanna make clear. I have never asked him to choose me or his family. He went NC on his own and didn’t even tell me bc he didn’t know how to tell me they accused me of faking a huge very scary health thing I was living through. I tried to look good for his family. I cleaned up my online profiles. I stopped doing sw as my main income source ( in the end he didn’t have a problem with it, his issue was how others might perceive me or judge me and scared about family reaction) I pushed him to try to have some sort of relationship with them through the years. I lost a lot of my family so holidays and like parental celebrations are something I would kill to have. I told him he should be there for those moments so he can have them because his family is still there. The only thing I wanted was for him to shut down any bs I would tell him all the time “ I’m not angry at you for what they say you can’t control that, I care about your reaction. When you don’t shut it down or stand up for me or allow them to influence your decisions on *our* life that’s when I get upset. “ They don’t try to know who I am, just kind of see it on paper or social media and write me off as nothing for 6 years and they still don’t think it’s a serious relationship. They see it as him taking the charity case of the trashy broke girl who’s using him for money. They never get to see him happy or really express himself. He started buying his own clothes (his mom would just buy him stuff and he never complained) he developed a sense of style and is really blossoming into a really wonderful person with lots of passions and interests. I wish his parents could see the man I know and love. I wish they could see how much love we both have for each other and the happiness that we bring to each other.
So now you’re caught up. I love him, he's my best friend. We have been through a lot but I’m still angry about all those years of bs he put me through bc he couldn’t stand up for me. We have talks about wanting kids and I do want that with him. I want the rest of my life with him. I want to build a home with him. I love kissing him and stuff. I *want* to want to have sex with him. If that makes sense? How do I tell him it’s hard to get past all the previous crap? It’s like this mental block I feel like I’m punishing him even though he did the work to fix it. I’m proud he did it but angry. Why did it have to go on for so long and get so horrible for him to fix it.
I don’t know how to tell him honestly that I haven't been finishing. He tries even when he’s finished he will keep going but I can tell and just kinda want it over with so I’ll give a couple good moans and ask him if he finished and kiss him and start the clean up. It’s not that he just doesn't care if I finish or not. Sometimes I think there’s something wrong with me because I can’t finish no matter what I do when I’m with him. Recently he’s tried a few times to initiate but bad timing or I wasn’t really feeling it so I said no. I feel really guilty when I say no but I know he can tell if I’m not really feeling it and will stop halfway. Which is worse than just saying no.
Things I’m doing to try to fix it
I try to sleep in bed with him every once and a while but I wake up in pain so it’s often not worth it. So I've been looking to find a mattress that both of us can sleep on and not wake up sore.
I’m trying to initiate again so far. It's been successful in getting us to do stuff but I’m still not getting there and it’s not often that I can work up the courage or energy to put myself out there and do stuff with him even if I know he will jump at the chance.
I’m trying to work past the too little to late feeling, looking up therapists in our area. I grew up in constant fight or flight. I didn't have stability and was homeless a few times. So when I was almost homeless again it really broke my trust in him. I’m hoping that if I can become more independent again I can feel that security and stability I used to feel with him again.
I am going to try to communicate to him that I can’t seem to finish during sex and take accountability for lying to him about finishing. I can’t really be mad at him about it since he doesn't know.
I’m going to plan dates for us and take some romantic initiative and hopefully that will help.
I’m trying to do more around the house to help but being careful not to push too hard so I don’t have a health flare up and be bed ridden.
How do I enjoy having sex with my partner again? How do I tell him he’s not making me finish? How do I let go and fully trust him again to not put me in a bad situation again because of his family?

Hey guys,
There’s this new app that is an alternative to amazon and etsy that supports small and local businesses. Theres a decent selection of merchants already, but more are needed and small businesses can link their shopify accounts and theres no listing fee!
Its a small business app run by a few people trying to create an ecommerce community that isnt affected by billionaires and that actually cares about and supports small businesses. They have iphone and android apps and are gonna come out with some updates soon.
Currently only in US but if demand is there the developers are willing to expand to other countries 😊
The app is called bazar: here’s their tiktok which links to iphone app download. https://www.tiktok.com/@bazar.marketplace?_t=8ctVJL9aXlu&_r=1
There’s everything from prepared food, to farmers, clothing, electronics, home goods, art and more! Happy shopping and lets get this independent economy off the ground!

I'm under the impression that rewards are from merchant fees but if MasterCard or Visa take those fees, how does a bank give rewards? For example, where does Citibank get the money for its 2% cash back on its Double Cash card?

Hello, and welcome to Music’s Biggest Night!
That’s right, it’s the GRAMMYs. The year is 1994 and our category is Best Alternative Music Album. We’ll be rating each of the five nominees on Indieheads, but before we get to the nominees, a quick word about rates.
Hey, quick question, what are rates?
Obviously, if you're familiar with the process, skip this. But if you're new, I'll explain so this doesn't seem like a wild block of text!
Rates are a subreddit game in which a user scores a group of songs on a scale from 1-10, with each individual also given a single 11 and a single 0 to be used exactly once per rate. They will then message their ballot to the rate host, who will tally up all the points and then reveal the final results over a weekend, eliminating songs one by one until the last track remaining wins the rate and bragging rights forever. While there's just a bit more to know, I feel this is the basics of what you'll need to understand what's going on. I do recommend this video made by our popheads brethren to get a fuller picture; while some of the info applies specifically to the way popheads do their rates, the overall format is similar.

Introduction

The GRAMMYs are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in the music industry. The name derives from the trophy, which is shaped like an old-fashioned gramophone. The awards celebrate a variety of categories, but we’re going to be looking at Best Alternative Music Album or, as it was called at the time, Best Alternative Music Performance. The question of what "alternative" really means can be debated forever, but the original intent of this award was to celebrate non-mainstream rock albums which were heavily played on college radio. The category first appeared in 1991, so in 1994 the award is still pretty new.
And now, let’s meet our nominees!

Belly - Star

Belly are the act here that seem discussed least frequently on Indieheads, so I’m excited to see what everyone thinks of them. By the time of starting Belly, Tanya Donelly (lead vocals and rhythm guitar) had already been in two other classic indie rock bands. She was a co-founder of Throwing Muses with her step-sister Kristin Hersch, contributing vocals and guitar for the band’s first decade, though she’d only get a handful of songs per album. Donelly would later start The Breeders with Pixies bassist and vocalist Kim Deal. The Breeders’ debut, Pod, featured Deal as the primary songwriter because existing record contracts prohibited the two from sharing primary writing credits. While they originally intended to alternate albums, Tanya had begun to form Belly by the time it was her turn to do a Breeders album. She recruited Fred Abong (bass) and brothers Tom (guitar) and Chris (drums) Gorman as they’d all known each other while going to high school in Rhode Island.
Belly co-produced most of their 1993 debut Star with Tracy Chisholm. Gil Norton, who’d previously produced Throwing Muses’ self-titled debut, produced four tracks, including singles "Gepetto," "Slow Dog," and "Feed the Tree." "Feed the Tree," one of the album’s highlights, would be the band’s highest charting hit, reaching 95th on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the Modern Rock Chart. Star is an effective fusion of alternative rock with jangle pop, dream pop, "haunting" folk, and even some light country influences. At the 1994 GRAMMYs, Belly were also up for Best New Artist with Blind Melon, Digable Planets, and SWV, ultimately losing to R&B singer Toni Braxton. Belly released a sophomore album King in 1995 and Donelly released several solo albums before reuniting with the King lineup to release a third album in 2018. While Star may not have achieved the canonical stature of some of 1994’s other nominees, it is nevertheless a very enjoyable release from a strong songwriter who’d finally gotten the chance to make an album-length statement of her own.
Are Indieheads gonna feed the tree? Will this be an album to die for?
Tracklist:

1. Someone to Die For
2. Angel
3. Dusted
4. Every Word
5. Gepetto
6. Witch
7. Slow Dog
8. Low Red Moon
9. Feed The Tree
10. Full Moon, Empty Heart
11. White Belly
12. Untogether
13. Star
14. Sad Dress
15. Stay

Nirvana - In Utero

If you were wondering where "Heart Shaped Box" was in the Guitar Hero Rate, well I’ve got a treat for you!
Kurt Cobain (vocals and guitar) and Krist Novoselic (bass) met while attending Aberdeen High School in the late 1980s. They shuffled through various names, ultimately deciding on Nirvana because Cobain wanted a name that sounded beautiful and nice instead of mean and raunchy. In their early years, they worked with several different drummers, recording 1989’s Sub Pop debut Bleach with Chad Channing on drums. Channing left the band as they worked on their follow-up. Kurt and Krist met drummer Dave Grohl days after he’d moved to Seattle following the break up of his Washington DC band Scream. The addition of Dave solidified Nirvana’s classic lineup. The trio began seeking a major label to buy them out of their Sub Pop contract as they were dissatisfied with the label’s lack of promotion and distribution of their debut. They eventually signed with DGC Records per the recommendation of Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon. Upon signing, they began work on their major label debut, Nevermind, with producer Butch Vig. 1991’s Nevermind was an unexpected success, bringing grunge and alternative rock to the mainstream and even surpassing Michael Jackson on the Billboard albums chart.
In the aftermath of Nevermind’s success, Cobain felt he needed to reclaim his punk ethic. Wanting to depart from Butch Vig’s slick production (don’t worry, we’ll still be hearing from Vig a little later), he sought to work with Steve Albini. Albini was famous in the underground for his work as frontman for Big Black and various production work, including PJ Harvey’s Dry. He sent a copy of Dry to Cobain to give him an idea of the acoustics in his studio. Albini dismissed Nirvana as "R.E.M. with a fuzzbox" (more on R.E.M. soon!) but decided to work with them because he felt bad for them, recognizing them as "the same sort of people as all the small-fry bands I deal with." The band pushed for minimal label oversight and recorded In Utero quickly, wrapping recording sessions in as little as 13 days. The album was noisier and more abrasive than Nevermind, resulting in much dispute between the band, Albini, and the label. Cobain sought to make the kind of record he’d enjoy owning as a fan but began having second thoughts about the sound when listening to it at home. The press picked up on conflict about the album’s sound. The band denied this and DGC president David Geffen called Newsweek to explain they would release whatever Nirvana recorded. Behind the scenes, the band tried to fix the album’s sound in the mastering process, which Albini was strongly against. He’d later supply an alternate mix for the album’s 20th anniversary re-release. R.E.M producer Scott Litt was brought on to remix "Heart Shaped Box" and "All Apologies" which were intended to be the album’s singles.
In Utero was released in September of 1993 following a low-key release strategy which sent "Heart Shaped Box" as a promo-only single to various rock station formats but not Top 40. Walmart and K-Mart initially refused to stock the album due to its back cover and the title of the song "Rape Me." (A content note on that song, while it is interpreted as commentary on the invasive music press, it was intended to be a lyrically literal anti-rape song from the perspective of a victim. As this is a rate, you can score this song however you see fit, but I hope it goes without saying that everyone should please be respectful of this subject matter in their comments.) Despite In Utero’s abrasive sound and reduced mainstream promotion, the album still debuted at number one on the Billboard album charts and was well-received by critics. The music often hits harder and faster than Nevermind, containing more of the "punk" feel that Cobain was aiming for compared to the grunge of their early work and their Seattle contemporaries. Check out this MTV clip if you’d like to see how college students in 1993 received the album at the time. The band toured America shortly after In Utero came out. Their European tour that was cut short as Cobain suffered from a drug overdose. A couple weeks later, Cobain died by suicide. As with the subject matter of "Rape Me," I want to request that everyone is respectful of this in their comments, I will ask for edits (or omit comments myself) if they are inappropriate. Despite the tragic ending, Nirvana is still seen as one of American and alternative rock’s most important bands and In Utero remains highly regarded to this day.
Will our comments be all apologies? Are the results of this rate gonna be, uhhh, dumb?
Tracklist:

1. Serve the Servants
2. Scentless Apprentice
3. Heart-Shaped Box
4. Rape Me
5. Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle
6. Dumb
7. Very Ape
8. Milk It
9. Pennyroyal Tea
10. Radio Friendly Unit Shifter
11. Tourette’s
12. All Apologies

R.E.M. - Automatic for the People

If there’s a band who can rival Nirvana’s stature in the American alternative rock canon, it’s gotta be R.E.M. They are often cited as one of the first "alternative" rock bands and were important for the college radio format. Formed in Athens, Georgia in 1980, Michael Stipe (vocals), Peter Buck (guitar), Mike Mills (bass), and Bill Berry (drums) released 5 albums with independent label I.R.S. Records. This run of releases showed them evolving from a jangle rock sound to a louder, more anthemic sound on their final record for the label, Document. After "The One I Love" became their first mainstream hit, the band signed to Warner Brothers, kicking off a second act that resulted in yet another 5 album run of great music.
At the start of the 90s, R.E.M. opted out of touring and became a studio band. The band recorded demos for the songs "Drive," "Try Not to Breathe," and "Nightswimming" at Prince’s Paisley Park Studios while mixing their 1991 album, Out of Time. Out of Time was a huge success, arriving as alternative rock was becoming mainstream. It spawned the massive single "Losing My Religion" and even ended up winning the GRAMMY award for Best Alternative Music Album in 1992. After concluding promotional duties in early 1991, the band returned to the studio to continue work on what would become Automatic for the People. It is the fourth of six records the band would produce with Scott Litt. The band traded off instruments in the studio, with Buck playing the mandolin famously featured on "Losing My Religion," Mills playing piano or organ, and Berry playing bass. Initial attempts to make a harder rocking follow-up did not pan out, as the band found they were writing better without drums. The material began to take on a more melancholic tone. The lush orchestration of Out of Time is rendered in a somber greyscale, with arrangements contributed by Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones. Lyrically, the album muses on loss and mourning, prompting rumors that balding Michael Stipe was dying of cancer or AIDs. Luckily, he was not but that is the lens through which some critics and listeners received this work. The album also finds room for political commentary, most noticeably in "Ignoreland" which pushes against Republican politics of the time, but also in opener "Drive" which calls back to the group’s work with the Rock to Vote movement, for which they added a petition on the longbox packaging of Out of Time.
Automatic for the People released on October 5, 1992 (gotta love the GRAMMYs odd eligibility window) debuting at number 2 on the Billboard 200. Unlike its predecessor, it never reached the top spot, thanks to Garth Brooks. Six of the album’s 12 tracks were released as singles including "Drive," "Everybody Hurts" which has unfortunately been diluted through years of ironic use in comedies, the cryptic, Andy Kaufman referencing "Man on the Moon," and "Nightswimming," an emotional piano ballad that has become a fan favorite. The album was critically acclaimed upon release and, while perhaps not as fun as their jangle material, this nocturnal bummer is regarded by many as one of the band’s masterpieces.
Will everybody hurt? Are R.E.M. going to get a raw deal?
Tracklist:

1. Drive
2. Try Not to Breathe
3. The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite
4. Everybody Hurts
5. New Orleans Instrumental No. 1
6. Sweetness Follows
7. Monty Got a Raw Deal
8. Ignoreland
9. Star Me Kitten
10. Man on the Moon
11. Nightswimming
12. Find the River

The Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream

The Smashing Pumpkins formed in 1988 when Billy Corgan (vocals and guitar, he prefers William Patrick Corgan now though) met James Iha (guitar) while working at a record store in Chicago, Illinois. They performed as a duo with a drum machine, eventually adding bassist D’arcy Wretzky after meeting her at a show by the Dan Reed Network. Jazz drummer Jimmy Chamberlain was recommended by a friend of Corgan’s after the trio were booked for a show under the condition that they’d play with a live drummer instead of their drum machine. With Chamberlain on board, the band’s classic lineup had been formed and their sound began to shift in a harder rock direction.
Siamese Dream, the group’s 1993 sophomore album, expands on their 1991 debut Gish in every possible way. The band switched from Virgin subsidiary Caroline Records to Virgin itself. Butch Vig, who produced Nirvana’s massive Nevermind right after finishing work on Gish, returned to produce the follow-up. Where Gish’s $20,000 budget and month of recording time was "unprecedented" for Vig, Corgan and Vig spent four months on Siamese Dream and went $250,000 over budget. This is what happens when you let Billy overdub everyone else’s guitar and bass parts (something the rest of the band wasn’t particularly happy about) to get as many as 100 guitar parts compressed into one song.
The meticulous studio process paid off, as Siamese Dream was a bigger hit than Gish, peaking at 10 on the Billboard 200. The band’s influences from metal, dreampop, and shoegaze give the album a layered and unique sound compared to the grungier alternative music of the time. Singles "Cherub Rock" and "Today" have been featured in the Guitar Hero and Rock Band videogame series. While never released as a single, "Mayonaise" has become a fan favorite and won a Rolling Stone poll for best Pumpkins song, beating out singles from Siamese Dream. Judging from some early discussion since this rate was announced, some of you seem pretty excited to rate "Mayonnaise." While the double album follow-up Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness took the band to the height of their popularity, Siamese Dream is often regarded as their masterpiece and one of the best rock albums of the 90s.
Will we be sweet sweet to the Pumpkins? The rater in me is the rater in you, I’ll send this ballot over to you
Tracklist:

1. Cherub Rock
2. Quiet
3. Today
4. Hummer
5. Rocket
6. Disarm
7. Soma
8. Geek U.S.A.
9. Mayonaise
10. Spaceboy
11. Silverfuck
12. Sweet Sweet
13. Luna

U2 - Zooropa

Whoa hey is it U2sday??
Formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1976, U2 (Bono on vocals, The Edge on guitar, Adam Clayton on bass, and Larry Mullen Jr. on drums) have become the top-selling Irish musical act of all-time, with an estimated 170+ million records sold. Across the 80s, U2 evolved their early post-punk sound to the anthemic rock of The Joshua Tree. While touring America for that album, the band recorded Rattle and Hum, a hybrid live/studio record (and accompanying concert film) which documented the tour and the group’s fascination with American roots music. Despite the album’s commercial success, most consider it a misguided failure. Even Bono admitted at their final show for the album’s Lovetown Tour that "we have to go away and dream it all up again."
1993’s Zooropa catches U2 at their most adventurous. 1991’s Achtung Baby and its subsequent Zoo TV tour rebranded the band for the new decade. While they continued working with Unforgettable Fire and The Joshua Tree producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, they updated their sound with influences from electronic, dance, and industrial music. On stage, they dabbled in irony to counter the sincerity of their 80s output with Bono playing characters such as The Fly and Macphisto. Emboldened by the critical and commercial success of this album and tour, they began working on a promotional EP during a break between Zoo TV tour legs. Despite working quickly in the studio, this EP expanded into a full-length album, requiring the band to travel between concerts and the studio in Dublin to finish working on the album during the first month of the Zooropa leg.
Zooropa finally arrived in July of 1993 and it shows the band doubling down on their early 90s ideas. The sound of the album, built from loops of soundcheck jamming and leftover sketches from Achtung Baby, ventures even further from traditional rock instrumentation and songwriting, bolstered by production from Brian Eno, Flood (moving from an engineering to production role), and The Edge, who received production credits for the first time. The fragmented nature of the album’s production is reflected in the eclectic tracklist which bounces between the multi-movement art-rock of the title track, dancefloor fillers like "Daddy’s Gonna Pay for Your Crashed Car," and ballads like "For the First Time" and "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" Unique vocal choices like The Edge’s spoken-word rapping on lead-single "Numb," Bono’s falsetto on "Lemon," and a Johnny Cash feature on closer "The Wanderer" help the album feel more varied than U2’s previous material. The album’s lyrics often examine Zoo TV’s concepts of "sensory overload" and technology more explicitly than Achtung Baby.
While U2 are reluctant to acknowledge Zooropa now (likely influenced by the failure of 1997’s Pop, a rushed, mixed bag of an album that stretched audience’s tolerance for 90s U2 to a Rattle and Hum-like breaking point) the album was successful when it came out. Zooropa debuted at number one in several countries and finished ninth on 1993’s Pazz and Jop poll. It would also go on to win this GRAMMY award for Best Alternative Music album, with Bono shrugging on stage, shouting out Smashing Pumpkins, and promising to "the young people of America" that they will "continue to abuse our position and fuck up the mainstream" in his acceptance speech.
Will U2 stay the champions in our rate or will they be faraway so close to the top?
Tracklist:

1. Zooropa
2. Babyface
3. Numb
4. Lemon
5. Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
6. Daddy’s Gonna Pay for Your Crashed Car
7. Some Days Are Better Than Others
8. The First Time
9. Dirty Day
10. The Wanderer

Bonus Rate

While our rates often have a bonus, there is no bonus for the 1994 GRAMMYs since this rate is 5 albums instead of the usual 4.
Now, it’s time for the boring, but necessary parts:

Where to listen:

Spotify
Apple Music
Tidal Music
Rules - READ ALL OF THESE BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR SCORES

1. Listen to each song and assign each a score between 1 and 10. decimals are fine, but please refrain from giving decimal scores that have two decimal spots: giving a 7.2 is okay, but giving a 7.25 will give me a headache. This is because I'm using a computer program to parse the votes and print everything out (more on that later).
   
2. Yes, you have to listen to every song. We're all in this together. I will not accept your ballot if you have a score missing, because it will crash the program (more on that later).
   
3. Your scores should NOT be considered confidential. They aren’t. Feel free to shitpost about them in the general discussion threads whenever you feel like it - users over at popheads usually just talk about their averages of the albums and what 11 and 0 they gave (which I will explain on the next bullet point!)
   
4. You may give ONE song a 0 and ONE song an 11. This is ONE song TOTAL. Please reserve these for your least favorite and most favorite tracks; excessive sabotage ruins rate results and generally makes things less fun.
   
5. You can change your scores at any time! Feel free to PM me at any point after submission and I'll be happy to revise them for you.
   
6. I am using a computer program that the great and wonderful letsallpoo designed in order to parse these votes! While this will make things a lot more efficient and reduces errors on my part, this does mean that scores need to be sent in a very specific way. The easiest way to make sure your scores follow the necessary format is to use the pre-prepared link at the top & bottom of this post. PLEASE USE THAT. You can copy and paste it to a notepad file or something and fill in your scores there, but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE use that format to send in your scores.
   
7. Did a lot of copy and pasting here, so thank you thank you to all the raters of old, ily: roseisonlineagain; DolphLundgrensArms; R_E_S_I_G_N_E_D; stansymash; ClocktowerMaria; aerocom; themilkeyedmender; greencaptain; Crankeedoo; dirdbub; ThatParanoidPenguin; tedcruzcontrol; kappyko; FuckUpSomeCommasYeah; LazyDayLullaby; SRTViper; Whatsanillinois; NFLFreak98; freav; freeofblasphemy; RatesNorman; aPenumbra; idontreallycare4; p-u-n-k_girl; luigijon3; WaneLietoc; dream_fighter2018; darjeelingdarkroast; smuckles; PiperIBarelyKnowHer; welcome2thejam; imrlynotonreddit; kvothetyrion; thedoctordances1940; b_o_g_o; vapourlomo; and tons of people on popheads.
   

Formatting

Songs - This is correct:

Man on the Moon: 10

You may also and are generally encouraged to leave comments with your scores!
This is correct (single space after the score, no colon):

Man on the Moon: 10 Thankful Michael didn't get stuck doing the Elvis voice

Any of the following formats are incorrect:

Man on the Moon 10 Thankful Michael didn't get stuck doing the Elvis voice
Man on the Moon: 10: Thankful Michael didn't get stuck doing the Elvis voice
Man on the Moon: (10) Thankful Michael didn't get stuck doing the Elvis voice
Man on the Moon: Thankful Michael didn't get stuck doing the Elvis voice 10
Man on the Moon - 10 Thankful Michael didn't get stuck doing the Elvis voice
Man on the Moon: 10/10 Thankful Michael didn't get stuck doing the Elvis voice

Albums - This is correct (add a colon after the album's title on your ballot if you're making a comment on the full album):

Album: Zooropa: Wow this rules, i wish they'd uploaded this album to my phone instead

Due Date: July 9

Reveal: July 14 - 16

Finally, here are the links you'll need to start rating again:

SUBMISSION LINK

A Pastebin link of the ballot can be found here
If you want a reminder of what rates are coming up soon, here is the link to the announcement post for the current cycle, and if you want to learn about all the past rates we have done, here is the rate history spreadsheet.

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I lived and worked in Walworth county (Lake Geneva, Fontana, Delavan, Walworth) from 2012 through 2013. My wife grew up in Lake Geneva area. We met online after I had moved back to NC. She was living in Georgia at the time.
We are seriously considering a move back to Wisconsin. Our kids are 3 and 2.
We love the friendliness of Wisconsinites and are fairly hopeful we can find employment in most places.
We have friends in Lake Geneva area and Stoughton. Family (wife’s) in Princeton/Montello, Milwaukee and Wausau.
As a family we enjoy biking, hockey, music, camping and farmers markets.
Any thoughts or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Hey y’all, I’ll be coming to town for 4 nights at the end of June and although I’m very familiar with Charleston/Folly/James Island I was hoping that maybe some locals could point me in the direction of some good local happy hours on the weekend. I plan on having a full Saturday to bar hop, eat oysters, enjoy the farmers market, and just enjoy Charleston before ending my night with my first Chubby Fish experience but I know I want to take in a good happy hour because we don’t have it in NC. Thank you so much in advance and I highly look forward to enjoying your beautiful city again soon!

Hi! Not sure where else to post this. I purchased an item online a month ago. I ended up not liking the item, and went to return it at the store. When they put the refund through, I accidentally pressed debit instead of savings. It’s now 2 weeks later and the refund hasn’t appeared in my account. Is this something I need to go back to the merchant for? When I contacted my bank, they said if I clicked the debit option, it should’ve have declined. To clarify, I’m with NAB.

I want to have land for my own garden/farm with chickens and fruit trees and vegetables so I’m thinking I need to be somewhere more southern because of the warmer weather. I want to grow citrus and berries and all kinds of stuff. But I also want to live in a more left-winged area and be near farmers markets and gyms and shopping areas. I am thinking about Durham suburbs of NC, Austin TX, florida (maybe), but I don’t want somewhere super expensive.
Any recommendations for where I should live? I do not plan on having kids, love the ocean and love the mountains and hiking!

My parents run a restaurant and have been using Doordash for the past year. My dad called me asking for help regarding issues they've had with Doordash payments. They noticed that for the past 2-3 months, they haven't been receiving payments from Doordash.
After looking into it, it seems their account was hacked and the payments were being sent to a different bank account. I called Doordash support and was able to verify that we were the rightful owners of the account to change back the bank account information.
We received an email stating the following:

"Our internal team investigated your claim and a determination has been reached. We can confirm your account was externally compromised by an unknown fraudulent third party. Based on our investigation, we were able to determine that the emails (email1) and (email2) were used to change the bank information through the merchant portal by using valid login credentials. The last four of the bank account on file, as well as the username/password would have to be shared outside of the approved admins to make the changes that were made. . . we have attempted to recover the missing funds from the fraudulent bank account..."

When talking to their support, they said they were able to recover a few hundred dollars, but around $5k+ was unrecoverable. They stated there was nothing more they could do. My parents insist they never gave out any personal information, so they have no idea how their account was hacked.
Is there anything we can do to recover our missing funds at this point? Or are we out of luck?

Violence continues in Sudan, the cryosphere breaks down, recessions, harvest failures, heat waves, droughts, and floods. Mother Earth has got a terminal case of humans.
Last Week in Collapse: May 28-June 3, 2023
This is Last Week in Collapse, a weekly newsletter bringing together some of the most important, timely, useful, sad, ironic, amazing, or otherwise must-see moments in Collapse. Try not to overdose on this week’s Doom dose.
This is the 75th newsletter. You can find the May 21-27 edition (which I accidentally labeled the 73rd edition) here if you missed it last week. These newsletters are also on Substack if you want them sent to your email inbox every Sunday.
——————————
The World Meteorological Congress concluded on Friday, and it released a bunch of reports. The focus this year was on developing early warning systems for wateclimate/weather disasters. Most countries report declining ability to monitor hydrological developments, and almost half of the world’s people lack reliable access to water for at least one month per year, a figure that is expected to grow considerably by 2050.
The WMO also reported on the state of emergency for the cryosphere, those places where ice is formed (and melts). Greenland’s ice has shrunk for 26 consecutive years. Permafrost threatens to release huge quantities of greenhouse gasses over the coming years. Sea levels continue to rise…but you know this already.
Montevideo, Uruguay’s capital, has come up with a plan to extend their almost-exhausted water supply: they’re adding salt to the tap water, against WHO recommendations. This causes people to drink less water—but what are the implications for health, and for small-scale agriculture?
Over 20 million tonnes of what was damaged in China by recent rain, not long before it was scheduled to be harvested. Analysts say this will raise grain prices worldwide. The scale of this blight is larger than recent blights. In the U.S. state of Georgia, 90% of the peach harvest was destroyed by abnormally warm weather; in Vermont, a freak cold snap damaged crops, potentially 30% of apples.
6 years. 800 million trees felled in the Amazon rainforest, all to create space for cattle farms. The loss of rainforest is equivalent roughly to two Corsica islands.
Environmental scientists have discovered a hopeful tool to lower CO2: Greenland’s “rock flour,” which is basically rock dust. A recent study claims that it can be scattered on fields to absorb CO2—and also boost wheat and potato yields. International lawyers are also working on the first global plastics pollution treaty that could be passed later next year.
Yet another study claims that Mother Earth is sick, and that most of our safety thresholds have been crossed. The feedback loops have been activated, the diagnosis is terminal. The Nature study lists the 8 Earth System Boundaries: 1) Climate, 2) Functional Integrity, 3) Natural Ecosystem Area, 4) Surface Water, 5) Groundwater, 6) Nitrogen, 7) Phosphorus, and 8) Subglobal Aerosols. (Not to be confused with the 9 Planetary Boundaries.)
Some insurers in California are cutting homeowner insurance because they can’t make a buck betting against wildfires and desertification. Similar risk is expanding in Texas. Summer is coming. A mysterious wildfire in Scotland is growing out of control, and threatens to become the UK’s largest ever.
Record May rainfall in Bermuda. Part of South Africa also saw record rains in May. Strong rains in southern Spain—but the parched soil can’t absorb much of it. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia area had its driest May in recorded history.
Vicious drought and Afghan dams have raised tensions between iran and Afghanistan, where fighting killed a handful of people two weeks ago. In times of scarcity, no group can have enough water; even less if they’re forced to share. Most of the world’s lakes are drying up.
An official in India ordered the draining of two million liters of water from a reservoir……so he could retrieve his phone, which he dropped in the water while taking a selfie. He was suspended. The phone was recovered—but too damaged to function. The water could have irrigated 6 km² of land.
Wildfires grow in Nova Scotia. Millions going hungry in Madagascar. Record temperatures in Japan. Normalized heat waves across Asia with new records in Central Asia & the Caucasus.
Scientists warn of potential tsunamis caused by underwater landslides in Antarctica. New cold records in Australia. Heat waves in North Africa. Increasing reliance on expensive desalination plants in Barcelona as drought and water supplies worsen.
——————————
Türkiye’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, won reelection, and economists believe it portends the further Collapse of the economy. Investment is pulling out, and the lira is expected to continue sinking. “We will be together until the grave,” said Erdoğan at his victory speech.
The UN operation to drain the *FSO Safer* has begun now that technicians have boarded the vessel. 1.1 million barrels of oil aboard the derelict tanker, stranded off the coast of Yemen, will begin being drained next month.
Petrol prices rise in Benin as Nigeria cuts its fuel subsidies; Iran is limiting fuel purchases too. China’s declining birth rate, growing debt, and ongoing international decoupling is threatening its economy. Eurozone inflation continues. Trade-GDP ratios approaching 2008 levels worryingly.
Budapest is facing bankruptcy. Refugees in Tanzania are seeing their rations cut in half as financing falls off. Vicious conditions inside refugee camps in Chad take advantage of Sudanese refugees. Debts grow in Brazil. Complicated problems continue destabilizing the world’s economic equilibrium.
Another Russian missile attack struck Kyiv last week, after allegedly pro-Ukraine Russian volunteer soldiers made an incursion into Russian territory. Wagner Group’s chief continues provoking Russian leadership as infighting appears to grow, following a Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow. Zelensky says Ukraine’s counteroffensive is now ready.
Myanmar’s Civil War has entered its third year, depending on when you claim it began. In the desperation and chaos of prolonged warfare, it is the environment that pays the price. Wood, gold, jade, and other resources are being exploited by government and private actors after the old economic system broke apart.
——————————
62% of Americans agree that the COVID pandemic is over (it’s not), an increase of 14% since February 2023. 56% of Americans admit that they never mask up in public anymore. An updated booster is coming in September to address the XBB.1.16 variant. Masks may go away, but (Long) COVID will stay with us.
The WHO’s treaty to manage future pandemics is being watered down, leaving humanity less prepared for the next pandemic. Although China denies the lab leak origin story, a prominent Chinese scientist claims it is possible. COVID is never going away, and neither is Long COVID.
Cholera is spreading in several refugee camps in Kenya; medical attention comes too small and too late to prevent the spread. In Sudan, where over a million people have been displaced by recent violence, old inequities linger. Over 13M children are in desperate need of humanitarian aid (about half of Sudan’s 46M population are below 18). Their situation has never been more critical.
Experts continue warning about the dangers of AI, and push for regulation, while other actors push to use AI for economic benefits. I am uncertain which field AI will disrupt the most: military, low-skill workers, societal psyche, institutional integrity, creative jobs, politics, financial markets…? What will be the second-order effects, tertiary, etc.?
Tanzania has called an end to its Marburg virus outbreak, about 10 weeks after it declared an emergency. The UK is advising at-risk people to get vaccinated for mpox/monkeypox before their vaccine program ends in August; 10 new cases in the UK were recently reported.
PFAS, the so-called “forever chemicals” used across many household objects, are dangerous to your health. You also probably could have guessed that manufacturers knew—and lied about—their safety for decades. A study tracked the use of PFAS (since 1940’s) and the knowledge that they were harmful (since 1990’s). Companies including DuPont settled a case for a little over $1 billion USD for their role in the scheme. The billionaire Sackler family also settled a gigantic case regarding opioids, in which they must pay about $6 billion USD, and forfeit control of the pharmaceutical company they’ve held since 1952. The company (formerly Purdue Pharma) is rebranding (as Knoa). Nobody is going to jail.
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A catastrophic train crash in India killed 280+ people. The crash involved 3 trains, and is India’s deadliest in this century.
Riots in Kosovo. Torture in suspected gangster prisons in El Salvador, with 153 prisoners killed since March. Ongoing protests in Israel over the proposed judicial reform.
Lebanon has been without a President for more than 7 months now—and now target dats have been missed to hold important municipal council elections. Town budgets are falling further into chaos, police are going unpaid, garbage is piling up, and would-be foreign investors and money-lenders are losing the scraps of hope they had for Lebanon’s crippled economy. No one is coming to save them.
Cartel violence is rising on the border of Mexico-Guatemala. Organized non-state armed groups conscript local guys, intimidate people into leaving, blockade towns, and shoot each other in the streets. Several thousand people have been displaced—and others disappeared. Far away, Syria is being welcomed back into the Arab fold—on the condition that it cracks down on the intractable drug epidemic of captagon.
One of Libya’s rival PMs was ousted a couple weeks ago, and now the other PM in the east is striking towns in western Libya with drones, allegedly targeting fuel/human smugglers.
Boko Haram jihadists are infighting in northern Nigeria, but the civilians are paying the price. Guerrilla territorial competition may also bring in more people into regional hostilities. In eastern DRC, violence has displaced over 80,000 people so far this year, and their regional hospitals are overcrowded.
Rumors are emerging that M23 will attack Goma, the sprawling epicenter of East Africa’s refugee situation, where human rights abuses are increasingly common and the local ceasefire is breaking down. Islamic radicals also operate in the region, targeting civilians. About 6 million people across the DRC are believed to be internally displaced, and about half a million around Goma (population: unknown, perhaps 750,000 or twice that). There are also reports of planes sighted which belong to the European mercenary company Agemira.
The Sudanese Civil War is spiraling out of control again, as skirmishes broke the incomplete ceasefire. The Central Statistics Bureau was attacked, hampering official data for various purposes. Over 1,000 people have died so far, crossing an unofficial threshold for an armed conflict to officially become a War. About 2M have fled the fighting. Rockets killed 18 and injured many more at a market in Khartoum, sanctions are being imposed by a few nations, and other countries are wading deeper into the War, complicating the situation and preventing clean avenues to another ceasefire.
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Select comments/threads from the subreddit last week suggest:
-There is rain in Romania, based on this observation. But there’s also corruption, growing labor strikes, inflation, and political difficulties.
-Greenland’s climate is out of whack—and apparently the people don’t seem to care that much, judging from this rare observation from West Greenland.
-Portland, Oregon is still a cross-section of modern America’s Collapse, if this observation can be trusted. Heat, insecurity, overcrowding, loneliness, and crows… Reddit has also been affected by psychological decay, according to the poster.
-People are abandoning climate hope, if you believe this gilded thread and its many gilded comments. Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em.
Have any feedback, questions, comments, resources, recommendations, free PDFs, manifestos, etc.? Consider joining the Last Week in Collapse SubStack if you don’t want to check collapse every Sunday, you can get this newsletter sent to your email inbox every weekend. I always forget something... What did I miss this week?