Lamictal for sale no prescription
Post deals for manga, anime, anime figures and other related items.
2018.01.09 19:35 Curelli Post deals for manga, anime, anime figures and other related items.
Post deals for manga, anime, anime figures and other related items!
2015.05.20 11:52 Raumcole r/TookTooMuch
/tooktoomuch, people who have taken too much to hide it.
2011.03.25 23:04 Elamite_Slave Testosterone
This subreddit is for questions and discussion related to testosterone replacement therapy and testosterone. It also focuses on lifestyle activities like exercise and nutrition for raising testosterone levels naturally or anything else related to testosterone the substance.
2024.05.14 17:54 cataplasiaa Consumer rights query for unwanted prescribed products
I am in England and signed up for a “hims” hair treatment plan six months ago and forgot to cancel it. I only realised that it had renewed when a payment for £156 was taken from my bank account. No emails were received or anything to confirm the order.
I have contacted their support team to cancel the plan which they have. I also asked to cancel the order, they said they cannot cancel as it has already been shipped. I stated I would be returning it in an unopened condition and asked for them to assist me with processing a return. They have replied with the following:
“As prescription medication can not legally be redistributed to any other patient even if returned unopened, we are unable to accept returns or offer refunds on any prescription products once shipped. Our terms of sale therefore request a minimum 48 hour notice period for subscription cancellations ahead of your next order processing date.”
Their terms and conditions mirror this.
What are my consumer rights as far as a return goes? This has placed me in an unanticipated financial hardship and I am really hoping I’ll be able to return the product. I’ve read up on my consumer rights but am unsure of whether there is a caveat for “prescribed goods”.
Thanks in advance.
submitted by cataplasiaa to LegalAdviceUK [link] [comments]
I have contacted their support team to cancel the plan which they have. I also asked to cancel the order, they said they cannot cancel as it has already been shipped. I stated I would be returning it in an unopened condition and asked for them to assist me with processing a return. They have replied with the following:
“As prescription medication can not legally be redistributed to any other patient even if returned unopened, we are unable to accept returns or offer refunds on any prescription products once shipped. Our terms of sale therefore request a minimum 48 hour notice period for subscription cancellations ahead of your next order processing date.”
Their terms and conditions mirror this.
What are my consumer rights as far as a return goes? This has placed me in an unanticipated financial hardship and I am really hoping I’ll be able to return the product. I’ve read up on my consumer rights but am unsure of whether there is a caveat for “prescribed goods”.
Thanks in advance.
2024.05.14 16:02 NeitherGas5326 $IAI.c at $0.04 on the CSE news -> infinitii ai secures contract to develop ground-breaking machine learning application that predicts impacts of adverse weather conditions
infinitii ai secures contract to develop ground-breaking machine learning application that predicts impacts of adverse weather conditions
Canada NewsWireVANCOUVER, BC, May 14, 2024
VANCOUVER, BC, May 14, 2024 /CNW/ - infinitii ai inc. with its ("infinitii ai") (CSE: IAI) (FSE: 7C5) (OTC: CDTAF) has secured a strategic contract with an existing customer in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) to develop a new algorithm designed to perform predictions on wastewater levels and flow – a ground-breaking addition to the company's flagship infinitii flowworks software. The new application harnesses real-time data from sensors within wastewater systems, augmented by Gauge-Adjusted Radar Rainfall (GARR) measurements, historical sensor data, and precise weather modeling information.
"We're thrilled to collaborate with our GTHA customer to develop and deploy this cutting-edge solution," remarked Jean Charles Phaneuf, CEO of infinitii ai. "We believe this technology will be taken up by other Smart Cities across North America, enabling proactive responses to the increasing number of extreme weather events affecting municipal infrastructure."
Powered by machine learning algorithms, the predictive model will furnish municipal wastewater systems and regional governments with invaluable foresight into potential adverse conditions, such as system surcharges during storm events.
The company plans to roll out the new level and flow prediction feature to all infinitii flowworks customers through higher-tier subscriptions in the near future. The integration of this customer-driven level and flow prediction capability signifies a significant milestone in infinitii ai's mission to revolutionize municipal infrastructure management. As Smart Cities embrace data-driven approaches to increasing numbers of extreme storm incidents, infinitii ai remains at the forefront, applying innovation to drive resilience.
infinitii ai's commitment to innovation extends beyond this latest endeavor, with a suite of advanced predictive capabilities already incorporated into infinitii flowworks. These include Combined Sewage Overflow (CSO) prediction and automated inflow and infiltration (I&I) estimation. Leveraging machine learning models and data consolidation capabilities, infinitii flowworks serves as the cornerstone of Smart City wastewater utilities across North America.
About infinitii ai inc.
Trusted since 2014 to provide environmental monitoring to many of the largest water infrastructure utilities in the U.S. and Canada, infinitii ai has evolved into a leader in AI-driven predictive analytics for Smart City water and Smart Industry infrastructure applications that rely on time-series data. The Company's customers include the Smart Cities and municipalities of Seattle, Miami-Dade County, Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles County, Vancouver, Toronto, Hamilton, Region of Peel, and York Region, among others.
infinitii ai services these customers through direct sales and via a trusted partner network that includes engineering and IT companies like AECOM, Core & Main Inc., Kerr Wood Leidal Associates Ltd., K2 Geospatial SCG Flowmetrix and TREKK Design Group LLC.
infinitii ai software performs real-time analysis, checks flow monitoring status, sets alarms through a single interface, accepts all types of data from any source and offers predictive (what will happen) and prescriptive (what should happen) analytics. Whether it's real-time, historic, wireless, satellite, SCADA, or public data sets including USGS, NOAA and weather forecasts – it doesn't matter where the data originates, infinitii ai transforms raw data into actionable information. Visit www.infinitii.ai to learn more.
The Canadian Securities Exchange (operated by CNSX Markets Inc.) has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release.
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking information is based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the management of infinitii ai, including the expectation of future revenue growth. Although infinitii ai believes that the expectations and assumptions upon which such forward-looking information is based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking information because infinitii ai can provide no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release. infinitii ai disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws.
SOURCE infinitii ai inc.
📷
📷 View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May2024/14/c6690.html
Contact:
Nathan Rudyk, Director, Corporate Communications, infinitii ai inc., nathan@infinitii.ai, +1 778 200 2093
2024.05.14 16:00 NeitherGas5326 $IAI.c at $0.04 on the CSE news -> infinitii ai secures contract to develop ground-breaking machine learning application that predicts impacts of adverse weather conditions
infinitii ai secures contract to develop ground-breaking machine learning application that predicts impacts of adverse weather conditions
Canada NewsWireVANCOUVER, BC, May 14, 2024
VANCOUVER, BC, May 14, 2024 /CNW/ - infinitii ai inc. with its ("infinitii ai") (CSE: IAI) (FSE: 7C5) (OTC: CDTAF) has secured a strategic contract with an existing customer in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) to develop a new algorithm designed to perform predictions on wastewater levels and flow – a ground-breaking addition to the company's flagship infinitii flowworks software. The new application harnesses real-time data from sensors within wastewater systems, augmented by Gauge-Adjusted Radar Rainfall (GARR) measurements, historical sensor data, and precise weather modeling information.
"We're thrilled to collaborate with our GTHA customer to develop and deploy this cutting-edge solution," remarked Jean Charles Phaneuf, CEO of infinitii ai. "We believe this technology will be taken up by other Smart Cities across North America, enabling proactive responses to the increasing number of extreme weather events affecting municipal infrastructure."
Powered by machine learning algorithms, the predictive model will furnish municipal wastewater systems and regional governments with invaluable foresight into potential adverse conditions, such as system surcharges during storm events.
The company plans to roll out the new level and flow prediction feature to all infinitii flowworks customers through higher-tier subscriptions in the near future. The integration of this customer-driven level and flow prediction capability signifies a significant milestone in infinitii ai's mission to revolutionize municipal infrastructure management. As Smart Cities embrace data-driven approaches to increasing numbers of extreme storm incidents, infinitii ai remains at the forefront, applying innovation to drive resilience.
infinitii ai's commitment to innovation extends beyond this latest endeavor, with a suite of advanced predictive capabilities already incorporated into infinitii flowworks. These include Combined Sewage Overflow (CSO) prediction and automated inflow and infiltration (I&I) estimation. Leveraging machine learning models and data consolidation capabilities, infinitii flowworks serves as the cornerstone of Smart City wastewater utilities across North America.
About infinitii ai inc.
Trusted since 2014 to provide environmental monitoring to many of the largest water infrastructure utilities in the U.S. and Canada, infinitii ai has evolved into a leader in AI-driven predictive analytics for Smart City water and Smart Industry infrastructure applications that rely on time-series data. The Company's customers include the Smart Cities and municipalities of Seattle, Miami-Dade County, Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles County, Vancouver, Toronto, Hamilton, Region of Peel, and York Region, among others.
infinitii ai services these customers through direct sales and via a trusted partner network that includes engineering and IT companies like AECOM, Core & Main Inc., Kerr Wood Leidal Associates Ltd., K2 Geospatial SCG Flowmetrix and TREKK Design Group LLC.
infinitii ai software performs real-time analysis, checks flow monitoring status, sets alarms through a single interface, accepts all types of data from any source and offers predictive (what will happen) and prescriptive (what should happen) analytics. Whether it's real-time, historic, wireless, satellite, SCADA, or public data sets including USGS, NOAA and weather forecasts – it doesn't matter where the data originates, infinitii ai transforms raw data into actionable information. Visit www.infinitii.ai to learn more.
The Canadian Securities Exchange (operated by CNSX Markets Inc.) has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release.
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking information is based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the management of infinitii ai, including the expectation of future revenue growth. Although infinitii ai believes that the expectations and assumptions upon which such forward-looking information is based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking information because infinitii ai can provide no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release. infinitii ai disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws.
SOURCE infinitii ai inc.
📷
📷 View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May2024/14/c6690.html
Contact:
Nathan Rudyk, Director, Corporate Communications, infinitii ai inc., nathan@infinitii.ai, +1 778 200 2093
2024.05.14 14:01 Zappingsbrew A post talking about 400 words
abandon, ability, able, about, above, absence, absolute, absolutely, abstract, abundance, academy, accent, accept, access, accident, accompany, accomplish, according, account, accurate, achieve, achievement, acid, acknowledge, acquire, across, action, active, activity, actor, actual, actually, adapt, addition, additional, address, adequate, adjust, administration, admire, admission, admit, adolescent, adopt, adult, advance, advantage, adventure, advertise, advice, advise, adviser, advocate, affair, affect, afford, afraid, after, afternoon, again, against, age, agency, agenda, agent, aggressive, ago, agree, agreement, agriculture, ahead, aid, aim, air, aircraft, airline, airport, alarm, album, alcohol, alive, all, alliance, allow, ally, almost, alone, along, already, also, alter, alternative, although, always, amateur, amazing, ambition, ambulance, among, amount, analysis, analyst, analyze, ancient, and, anger, angle, angry, animal, anniversary, announce, annual, another, answer, anticipate, anxiety, any, anybody, anymore, anyone, anything, anyway, anywhere, apart, apartment, apologize, apparent, apparently, appeal, appear, appearance, apple, application, apply, appoint, appointment, appreciate, approach, appropriate, approval, approve, approximately, architect, area, argue, argument, arise, arm, armed, army, around, arrange, arrangement, arrest, arrival, arrive, art, article, artist, artistic, as, ashamed, aside, ask, asleep, aspect, assault, assert, assess, assessment, asset, assign, assignment, assist, assistance, assistant, associate, association, assume, assumption, assure, at, athlete, athletic, atmosphere, attach, attack, attempt, attend, attention, attitude, attorney, attract, attraction, attractive, attribute, audience, author, authority, auto, available, average, avoid, award, aware, awareness, away, awful, baby, back, background, bad, badly, bag, balance, ball, ban, band, bank, bar, barely, barrel, barrier, base, baseball, basic, basically, basis, basket, basketball, bath, bathroom, battery, battle, be, beach, bear, beat, beautiful, beauty, because, become, bed, bedroom, bee, beef, beer, before, begin, beginning, behavior, behind, being, belief, believe, bell, belong, below, belt, bench, bend, beneath, benefit, beside, besides, best, bet, better, between, beyond, bicycle, big, bike, bill, billion, bind, biological, bird, birth, birthday, bit, bite, black, blade, blame, blanket, blind, block, blood, blow, blue, board, boat, body, bomb, bombing, bond, bone, book, boom, boot, border, boring, born, borrow, boss, both, bother, bottle, bottom, boundary, bowl, box, boy, boyfriend, brain, branch, brand, brave, bread, break, breakfast, breast, breath, breathe, brick, bridge, brief, briefly, bright, brilliant, bring, broad, broken, brother, brown, brush, buck, budget, build, building, bullet, bunch, burden, burn, bury, bus, business, busy, but, butter, button, buy, buyer, by, cabin, cabinet, cable, cake, calculate, call, camera, camp, campaign, campus, can, Canadian, cancer, candidate, cap, capability, capable, capacity, capital, captain, capture, car, carbon, card, care, career, careful, carefully, carrier, carry, case, cash, cast, cat, catch, category, Catholic, cause, ceiling, celebrate, celebration, celebrity, cell, center, central, century, CEO, ceremony, certain, certainly, chain, chair, chairman, challenge, chamber, champion, championship, chance, change, changing, channel, chapter, character, characteristic, characterize, charge, charity, chart, chase, cheap, check, cheek, cheese, chef, chemical, chest, chicken, chief, child, childhood, Chinese, chip, chocolate, choice, cholesterol, choose, Christian, Christmas, church, cigarette, circle, circumstance, cite, citizen, city, civil, civilian, claim, class, classic, classroom, clean, clear, clearly, client, climate, climb, clinic, clinical, clock, close, closely, closer, clothes, clothing, cloud, club, clue, cluster, coach, coal, coalition, coast, coat, code, coffee, cognitive, cold, collapse, colleague, collect, collection, collective, college, colonial, color, column, combination, combine, come, comedy, comfort, comfortable, command, commander, comment, commercial, commission, commit, commitment, committee, common, communicate, communication, community, company, compare, comparison, compete, competition, competitive, competitor, complain, complaint, complete, completely, complex, complexity, compliance, complicate, complicated, component, compose, composition, comprehensive, computer, concentrate, concentration, concept, concern, concerned, concert, conclude, conclusion, concrete, condition, conduct, conference, confidence, confident, confirm, conflict, confront, confusion, Congress, congressional, connect, connection, consciousness, consensus, consequence, conservative, consider, considerable, consideration, consist, consistent, constant, constantly, constitute, constitutional, construct, construction, consultant, consume, consumer, consumption, contact, contain, container, contemporary, content, contest, context, continue, continued, contract, contrast, contribute, contribution, control, controversial, controversy, convention, conventional, conversation, convert, conviction, convince, cook, cookie, cooking, cool, cooperation, cop, cope, copy, core, corn, corner, corporate, corporation, correct, correspondent, cost, cotton, couch, could, council, count, counter, country, county, couple, courage, course, court, cousin, cover, coverage, cow, crack, craft, crash, crazy, cream, create, creation, creative, creature, credit, crew, crime, criminal, crisis, criteria, critic, critical, criticism, criticize, crop, cross, crowd, crucial, cry, cultural, culture, cup, curious, current, currently, curriculum, custom, customer, cut, cycle, dad, daily, damage, dance, danger, dangerous, dare, dark, darkness, data, database, date, daughter, day, dead, deal, dealer, dear, death, debate, debt, decade, decide, decision, deck, declare, decline, decrease, deep, deeply, deer, defeat, defend, defendant, defense, defensive, deficit, define, definitely, definition, degree, delay, deliver, delivery, demand, democracy, Democratic, Democrat, demonstrate, demonstration, deny, department, depend, dependent, depending, depict, depression, depth, deputy, derive, describe, description, desert, deserve, design, designer, desire, desk, desperate, despite, destroy, destruction, detail, detailed, detect, detection, detective, determine, develop, developing, development, device, devil, dialogue, diet, differ, difference, different, differently, difficult, difficulty, dig, digital, dimension, dining, dinner, direct, direction, directly, director, dirt, disability, disagree, disappear, disaster, discipline, disclose, discover, discovery, discrimination, discuss, discussion, disease, dish, dismiss, disorder, display, dispute, distance, distinct, distinction, distinguish, distribute, distribution, district, diverse, diversity, divide, division, divorce, DNA, do, doctor, document, dog, domestic, dominant, dominate, door, double, doubt, down, downtown, dozen, draft, drag, drama, dramatic, dramatically, draw, drawer, drawing, dream, dress, drink, drive, driver, drop, drug, dry, due, during, dust, duty, dwell, dying, dynamic, each, eager, ear, earlier, early, earn, earnings, earth, earthquake, ease, easily, east, eastern, easy, eat, economic, economy, edge, edit, edition, editor, educate, education, educational, educator, effect, effective, effectively, efficiency, efficient, effort, egg, eight, either, elderly, elect, election, electric, electrical, electricity, electronic, element, elementary, eliminate, elite, else, elsewhere, e-mail, embrace, emerge, emergency, emission, emotion, emotional, emphasis, emphasize, employ, employee, employer, employment, empty, enable, encounter, encourage, end, enemy, energy, enforcement, engage, engine, engineer, engineering, English, enhance, enjoy, enormous, enough, ensure, enter, enterprise, entertain, entertainment, entire, entirely, entrance, entry, environment, environmental, episode, equal, equally, equipment, equivalent, era, error, escape, especially, essay, essential, essentially, establish, establishment, estate, estimate, etc, ethics, ethnic, European, evaluate, evaluation, evening, event, eventually, ever, every, everybody, everyday, everyone, everything, everywhere, evidence, evolution, evolve, exact, exactly, exam, examination, examine, example, exceed, excellent, except, exception, exchange, exciting, executive, exercise, exhibit, exhibition, exist, existence, existing, expand, expansion, expect, expectation, expense, expensive, experience, experiment, expert, explain, explanation, explode, explore, explosion, expose, exposure, express, expression, extend, extension, extensive, extent, external, extra, extraordinary, extreme, extremely, eye, fabric, face, facility, fact, factor, factory, faculty, fade, fail, failure, fair, fairly, faith, fall, false, familiar, family, famous, fan, fantasy, far, farm, farmer, fashion, fast, fat, fate, father, fault, favor, favorite, fear, feature, federal, fee, feed, feel, feeling, fellow, female, fence, festival, few, fewer, fiber, fiction, field, fifteen, fifth, fifty, fight, fighter, fighting, figure, file, fill, film, final, finally, finance, financial, find, finding, fine, finger, finish, fire, firm, first, fish, fishing, fit, fitness, five, fix, flag, flame, flat, flavor, flee, flesh, flight, float, floor, flow, flower, fly, focus, folk, follow, following, food, foot, football, for, force, foreign, forest, forever, forget, form, formal, formation, former, formula, forth, fortune, forward, found, foundation, founder, four, fourth, frame, framework, free, freedom, freeze, French, frequency, frequent, frequently, fresh, friend, friendly, friendship, from, front, fruit, frustration, fuel, fulfill, full, fully, fun, function, fund, fundamental, funding, funeral, funny, furniture, furthermore, future, gain, galaxy, gallery, game, gang, gap, garage, garden, garlic, gas, gate, gather, gay, gaze, gear, gender, gene, general, generally, generate, generation, genetic, gentleman, gently, German, gesture, get, ghost, giant, gift, gifted, girl, girlfriend, give, given, glad, glance, glass, global, glove, go, goal, God, gold, golden, golf, good, govern, government, governor, grab, grace, grade, gradually, graduate, grain, grand, grandmother, grant, grass, grave, gray, great, green, grocery, ground, group, grow, growing, growth, guarantee, guard, guess, guest, guide, guideline, guilty, gun, guy, habit, habitat, hair, half, hall, hand, handful, handle, hang, happen, happy, harbor, hard, hardly, hat, hate, have, he, head, headline, headquarters, health, healthy, hear, hearing, heart, heat, heaven, heavily, heavy, heel, height, helicopter, hell, hello, help, helpful, hence, her, herb, here, heritage, hero, herself, hey, hi, hide, high, highlight, highly, highway, hill, him, himself, hip, hire, his, historic, historical, history, hit, hold, hole, holiday, holy, home, homeless, honest, honey, honor, hope, horizon, horror, horse, hospital, host, hot, hotel, hour, house, household, housing, how, however, huge, human, humor, hundred, hungry, hunter, hunting, hurt, husband, hypothesis, ice, idea, ideal, identification, identify, identity, ignore, ill, illegal, illness, illustrate, image, imagination, imagine, immediate, immediately, immigrant, immigration, impact, implement, implication, imply, importance, important, impose, impossible, impress, impression, impressive, improve, improvement, incentive, incident, include, including, income, incorporate, increase, increased, increasingly, incredible, indeed, independence, independent, index, indicate, indication, individual, industrial, industry, infant, infection, inflation, influence, inform, information, ingredient, initial, initially, initiative, injury, inner, innocent, inquiry, inside, insight, insist, inspire, install, instance, instead, institute, institution, institutional, instruction, instructor, instrument, insurance, intellectual, intelligence, intend, intense, intensity, intention, interaction, interest, interested, interesting, internal, international, Internet, interpret, interpretation, intervention, interview, introduce, introduction, invasion, invest, investigation, investigator, investment, investor, invite, involve, involved, involvement, Iraqi, Irish, iron, Islamic, island, Israeli, issue, it, Italian, item, its, itself, jacket, jail, Japanese, jet, Jew, Jewish, job, join, joint, joke, journal, journalist, journey, joy, judge, judgment, juice, jump, junior, jury, just, justice, justify, keep, key, kick, kid, kill, killer, killing, kind, king, kiss, kitchen, knee, knife, knock, know, knowledge, lab, label, labor, laboratory, lack, lady, lake, land, landscape, language, lap, large, largely, last, late, later, Latin, latter, laugh, launch, law, lawsuit, lawyer, lay, layer, lead, leader, leadership, leading, leaf, league, lean, learn, learning, least, leather, leave, left, leg, legacy, legal, legend, legislation, legislative, legislator, legitimate, lemon, length, less, lesson, let, letter, level, liberal, library, license, lie, life, lifestyle, lifetime, lift, light, like, likely, limit, limitation, limited, line, link, lip, list, listen, literary, literature, little, live, living, load, loan, local, locate, location, lock, long, long-term, look, loose, lose, loss, lost, lot, lots, loud, love, lovely, lover, low, lower, luck, lucky, lunch, luxury, machine, mad, magazine, mail, main, mainly, maintain, maintenance, major, majority, make, maker, makeup, male, mall, man, manage, management, manager, manner, manufacturer, manufacturing, many, map, margin, mark, market, marketing, marriage, married, marry, mask, mass, massive, master, match, material, math, matter, may, maybe, mayor, me, meal, mean, meaning, meanwhile, measure, measurement, meat, mechanism, media, medical, medication, medicine, medium, meet, meeting, member, membership, memory, mental, mention, menu, mere, merely, mess, message, metal, meter, method, Mexican, middle, might, military, milk, million, mind, mine, minister, minor, minority, minute, miracle, mirror, miss, missile, mission, mistake, mix, mixture, mm-hmm, mode, model, moderate, modern, modest, mom, moment, money, monitor, month, mood, moon, moral, more, moreover, morning, mortgage, most, mostly, mother, motion, motivation, motor, mountain, mouse, mouth, move, movement, movie, Mr, Mrs, Ms, much, multiple, murder, muscle, museum, music, musical, musician, Muslim, must, mutual, my, myself, mystery, myth, naked, name, narrative, narrow, nation, national, native, natural, naturally, nature, near, nearby, nearly, necessarily, necessary, neck, need, negative, negotiate, negotiation, neighbor, neighborhood, neither, nerve, nervous, net, network, never, nevertheless, new, newly, news, newspaper, next, nice, night, nine, no, nobody, nod, noise, nomination, nominee, none, nonetheless, nor, normal, normally, north, northern, nose, not, note, nothing, notice, notion, novel, now, nowhere, nuclear, number, numerous, nurse, nut, object, objective, obligation, observation, observe, observer, obtain, obvious, obviously, occasion, occasionally, occupation, occupy, occur, ocean, odd, odds, of, off, offense, offensive, offer, office, officer, official, often, oh, oil, okay, old, Olympic, on, once, one, ongoing, onion, online, only, onto, open, opening, operate, operating, operation, operator, opinion, opponent, opportunity, oppose, opposed, opposite, opposition, option, or, orange, order, ordinary, organic, organization, organize, orientation, origin, original, originally, other, others, otherwise, ought, our, ours, ourselves, out, outcome, outside, oven, over, overall, overcome, overlook, owe, own, owner, pace, pack, package, page, pain, painful, paint, painter, painting, pair, pale, Palestinian, palm, pan, panel, panic, pant, paper, paragraph, parent, park, parking, part, participant, participate, participation, particle, particular, particularly, partly, partner, partnership, party, pass, passage, passenger, passion, past, patch, path, patient, pattern, pause, pay, payment, PC, peace, peak, peer, pen, penalty, people, pepper, per, perceive, percentage, perception, perfect, perfectly, perform, performance, perhaps, period, permanent, permission, permit, person, personal, personality, personally, personnel, perspective, persuade, pet, phase, phenomenon, philosophy, phone, photo, photographer, phrase, physical, physically, physician, piano, pick, picture, pie, piece, pile, pilot, pine, pink, pipe, pitch, place, plan, plane, planet, planning, plant, plastic, plate, platform, play, player, please, pleasure, plenty, plot, plus, PM, pocket, poem, poet, poetry, point, police, policy, political, politically, politician, politics, poll, pollution, pool, poor, pop, popular, population, porch, port, portion, portrait, portray, pose, position, positive, possess, possession, possibility, possible, possibly, post, pot, potato, potential, potentially, pound, pour, poverty, powder, power, powerful, practical, practice, prayer, preach, precisely, predict, prediction, prefer, preference, pregnancy, pregnant, preparation, prepare, prescription, presence, present, presentation, preserve, president, presidential, press, pressure, pretend, pretty, prevent, previous, previously, price, pride, priest, primarily, primary, prime, principal, principle, print, prior, priority, prison, prisoner, privacy, private, probably, problem, procedure, proceed, process, processing, processor, proclaim, produce, producer, product, production, profession, professional, professor, profile, profit, program, progress, progressive, project, prominent, promise, promote, prompt, proof, proper, properly, property, proportion, proposal, propose, prosecutor, prospect, protect, protection, protein, protest, proud, prove, provide, provider, province, provision, psychological, psychology, public, publication, publicity, publish, publisher, pull, punishment, purchase, pure, purpose, pursue, push, put, qualify, quality, quarter, quarterback, quarterly, queen, quest, question, quick, quickly, quiet, quietly, quit, quite, quote, race, racial, radiation, radical, radio, rail, rain, raise, range, rank, rapid, rapidly, rare, rarely, rate, rather, rating, ratio, raw, reach, react, reaction, reader, reading, ready, real, reality, realize, really, reason, reasonable, recall, receive, recent, recently, reception, recipe, recipient, recognition, recognize, recommend, recommendation, record, recording, recover, recovery, recruit, red, reduce, reduction, refer, reference, reflect, reflection, reform, refugee, refuse, regard, regarding, regardless, regime, region, regional, register, regular, regularly, regulate, regulation, regulator, reinforce, reject, relate, relation, relationship, relative, relatively, relax, release, relevant, relief, religion, religious, rely, remain, remaining, remarkable, remember, remind, remote, remove, repeat, repeatedly, replace, replacement, reply, report, reporter, represent, representation, representative, Republican, reputation, request, require, requirement, research, researcher, resemble, reservation, resident, residential, resign, resist, resistance, resolution, resolve, resort, resource, respect, respond, response, responsibility, responsible, rest, restaurant, restore, restriction, result, retain, retire, retirement, return, reveal, revenue, review, revolution, rhythm, rice, rich, rid, ride, rifle, right, ring, rise, risk, river, road, rock, role, roll, romantic, roof, room, root, rope, rose, rough, roughly, round, route, routine, row, rub, rubber, rude, ruin, rule, run, running, rural, rush, Russian, sacred, sad, safe, safety, sake, salad, salary, sale, sales, salt, same, sample, sanction, sand, satellite, satisfaction, satisfied, satisfy, sauce, save, saving, say, scale, scandal, scare, scatter, scenario, scene, schedule, scheme, scholar, scholarship, school, science, scientific, scientist, scope, score, scream, screen, script, sea, search, season, seat, second, secondary, secret, secretary, section, sector, secure, security, see, seed, seek, seem, segment, seize, select, selection, self, sell, Senate, senator, send, senior, sense, sensitive, sentence, separate, sequence, series, serious, seriously, servant, serve, service, session, set, setting, settle, settlement, seven, several, severe, sex, sexual, shade, shadow, shake, shall, shallow, shape, share, sharp, she, sheet, shelf, shell, shelter, shift, shine, ship, shirt, shock, shoe, shoot, shooting, shop, shopping, short, shortly, shot, should, shoulder, shout, show, shower, shrug, shut, shy, sibling, sick, side, sigh, sight, sign, signal, significant, significantly, silence, silent, silver, similar, similarly, simple, simply, sin, since, sing, singer, single, sink, sir, sister, sit, site, situation, six, size, ski, skill, skin, skirt, sky, slave, sleep, slice, slide, slight, slightly, slip, slow, slowly, small, smart, smell, smile, smoke, smooth, snap, snow, so, so-called, soccer, social, society, soft, software, soil, solar, soldier, sole, solid, solution, solve, some, somebody, somehow, someone, something, sometimes, somewhat, somewhere, son, song, soon, sophisticated, sorry, sort, soul, sound, soup, source, south, southern, Soviet, space, Spanish, speak, speaker, special, specialist, species, specific, specifically, specify, speech, speed, spend, spending, spin, spirit, spiritual, split, spoil, sponsor, sport, spot, spray, spread, spring, square, squeeze, stability, stable, staff, stage, stain, stair, stake, stand, standard, standing, star, stare, start, state, statement, station, statistical, status, stay, steady, steal, steel, steep, stem, step, stick, still, stimulate, stimulus, stir, stock, stomach, stone, stop, storage, store, storm, story, straight, strange, stranger, strategic, strategy, stream, street, strength, strengthen, stress, stretch, strike, string, strip, stroke, strong, strongly, structural, structure, struggle, student, studio, study, stuff, stupid, style, subject, submit, subsequent, substance, substantial, substitute, succeed, success, successful, successfully, such, sudden, suddenly, sue, suffer, sufficient, sugar, suggest, suggestion, suicide, suit, summer, summit, sun, super, supply, support, supporter, suppose, supposed, Supreme, sure, surely, surface, surgery, surprise, surprised, surprising, surprisingly, surround, survey, survival, survive, survivor, suspect, sustain, swear, sweep, sweet, swim, swing, switch, symbol, symptom, system, table, tactic, tail, take, tale, talent, talk, tall, tank, tap, tape, target, task, taste, tax, taxi, tea, teach, teacher, teaching, team, tear, technical, technique, technology, teen, teenager, telephone, telescope, television, tell, temperature, temporary, ten, tend, tendency, tennis, tension, tent, term, terms, terrible, territory, terror, terrorist, test, testimony, testing, text, than, thank, thanks, that, the, theater, their, them, theme, themselves, then, theory, therapy, there, therefore, these, they, thick, thin, thing, think, thinking, third, thirty, this, those, though, thought, thousand, threat, threaten, three, throat, through, throughout, throw, thus, ticket, tie, tight, time, tiny, tip, tire, tissue, title, to, tobacco, today, toe, together, toilet, token, tolerate, tomato, tomorrow, tone, tongue, tonight, too, tool, tooth, top, topic, toss, total, totally, touch, tough, tour, tourist, tournament, toward, towards, tower, town, toy, trace, track, trade, tradition, traditional, traffic, tragedy, trail, train, training, transfer, transform, transformation, transition, translate, translation, transmission, transmit, transport, transportation, travel, treat, treatment, treaty, tree, tremendous, trend, trial, tribe, trick, trip, troop, trouble, truck, true, truly, trust, truth, try, tube, tunnel, turn, TV, twelve, twenty, twice, twin, two, type, typical, typically, ugly, ultimate, ultimately, unable, uncle, undergo, understand, understanding, unfortunately, uniform, union, unique, unit, United, universal, universe, university, unknown, unless, unlike, until, unusual, up, upon, upper, urban, urge, us, use, used, useful, user, usual, usually, utility, utilize, vacation, valley, valuable, value, variable, variation, variety, various, vary, vast, vegetable, vehicle, venture, version, versus, very, vessel, veteran, via, victim, victory, video, view, viewer, village, violate, violation, violence, violent, virtually, virtue, virus, visibility, visible, vision, visit, visitor, visual, vital, voice, volume, voluntary, volunteer, vote, voter, voting, wage, wait, wake, walk, wall, wander, want, war, warm, warn, warning, wash, waste, watch, water, wave, way, we, weak, weakness, wealth, wealthy, weapon, wear, weather, web, website, wedding, week, weekend, weekly, weigh, weight, welcome, welfare, well, west, western, wet, what, whatever, wheel, when, whenever, where, whereas, whether, which, while, whisper, white, who, whole, whom, whose, why, wide, widely, widespread, wife, wild, wildlife, will, willing, win, wind, window, wine, wing, winner, winter, wipe, wire, wisdom, wise, wish, with, withdraw, within, without, witness, woman, wonder, wonderful, wood, wooden, word, work, worker, working, workout, workplace, works, workshop, world, worried, worry, worth, would, wound, wrap, write, writer, writing, wrong, yard, yeah, year, yell, yellow, yes, yesterday, yet, yield, you, young, your, yours, yourself, youth, zone.
submitted by Zappingsbrew to u/Zappingsbrew [link] [comments]
2024.05.12 21:03 boringhistoryfan OOP delivers donated clothing to displaced fire victims. Woman demands coat OOP is wearing instead, then claims OOP threw donated clothing in ditch.
This was originally posted by midesaka little over a year ago. I noticed since then that there was an update that never got included in the original post. Only found it myself today scrolling back. Figured people today would enjoy it. I also need to credit Direct-Caterpillar77 for linking it in the megathread which is how I stumbled upon this.
OOP is OBlondeOne. I am not OOP. Reminder do not message or contact them, or comment in the linked posts below.
I've taken the text from the Original BORU. The new update is after 🔴🔴🔴
trigger warnings: verbal abuse, gaslighting, drug use
Original BORU
OOP delivers donated clothing to displaced fire victims. Woman demands coat OOP is wearing instead, then claims OOP threw donated clothing in ditch.
I am NOT OP. Original post by in on Sunday, February 26, 2023, with updates as comments on original post through Saturday, March 4, 2023.
Some people... - Sunday, February 26, 2023
[NOTE: I have added a couple of clarifying words in brackets to reduce quoting.]
I'm part of a local donation group, so every now and then, I get asked to help with clothes donations. Someone passes away or downsizes, and I will help wash, fold, sort, and deliver the clothes to various free stores. Sometimes, if we are notified of someone in the community in need, we will deliver essentials like winter or kids clothing to their house. We're just a group within the community -there is no religious, political or ulterior motive. We just spread extra through the community as needed as discreetly as possible to help out. This particular situation just hurts my head, and I'm still trying to figure out how it escalated the way it did.
So a few days ago there was a fire in our community which left 3 families displaced. We collected what we could in the sizes they needed, and off we went.
We dont ask for anything in return other than knowing the families are a little better off. We always apologize and explain that while they may not be they styles they're accustomed to ( as donated clothing ) but at least it is clean and warm. If they had specific needs to let a member of the group know and we would do what we can. A lot of our collected items belonged to other families whose children outgrew the items. It's anonymous and it's a way for our more comfortable community members to help out others within the community with this. It's one thing I love about my community - people don't hesitate to help where needed.
I was given an address and head out as usual. Pull in, get the bags and coats to the door and knock.
After that... I'm not sure what to think. It started off as it usually does. There was a mother and 3 children, so I explain that there are 3 bags of clothing in the sizes submitted, and a box of age appropriate toys just like with the other families.
I thought I heard wrong when she said she preferred my coat and just said what?
She called me rude and told me again,' This stuff is OK, but I want the coat you're wearing '.
When I told her, "No, I'm sorry, but I just bought this coat she got angry and accused me of picking through donation bags for "the good stuff."
I've never run into this issue before. None of the group members are well off. In fact, that's why we do what we do. Because life is hard here and we believe in sharing what we have as a community. We collect good quality items from those with extra and distribute it freely to those that need it or have specific needs. Sometimes we all take items from our own closets if they're needed more elsewhere. Last year we raised funds to help purchase a wheelchair accessible vehicle for a family. The year before it was a young family whose matriarch was diagnosed with terminal cancer. This years cause is to build 4 'tiny homes' for the homeless in our community to use as needed. Our goal is to provide stability so they can successfully reintegrate during and after addiction rehabilitation. We all do what we can to try to help, basically. It's a hard world to feel alone in.
Now, my coat is expensive ( $250 ) but I've also saved gift cards for 2 years and anxiously watched for post-season sales before finally taking the plunge and got it for 75% off. Maybe I messed up by wearing it on this errand? I don't know. After I said no, this is my coat a second time, she started yelling at me.
I just left the bags on the doorstep and drove away.
Today I wake up to a slew of texts from the group asking me to explain why I refused to give the mother any winter coats, and why I left everything at the end of the driveway... allegedly in a ditch? They aren't questioning. Most are downright accusatory. Some are just borderline mean.
It's the kind of day where I feel like giving up on this making the world a better place thing.
I've been where these families are. And people helped me just like this. I know what it feels like to rely on others... so I do try to be compassionate and understanding without being condescending or pitying. I don't often talk about what I do because nobody needs to know what came from where, or who is getting what. It's just paying it forward. I do this because it's been done for me, and it's the right thing to do. It's that simple.
But after today... I don't even want to reply to anyone. It's not just that woman. It's the texts that are getting kinda nasty at this point. It's these people obviously talking about me behind my back. It's how quick they were to assume I must have done this.
I'm not sure if I want to do this anymore after all this. I've been part of this for 5 years and have never had a complaint before. I feel betrayed by people I thought were my friends. It just all feels gross, dramatic and depressing now, and that's now how this is supposed to feel.
===
I could understand if this was, like, a fancy fur coat or something.
This is literally just a rather plain looking long coat that happens to be super warm.
I don't get it.
It's only been an official group with a board for about 4 months. But we have been doing this for 5 years now as a project of mine and the current board president that gathered consiserable traction and volunteers/funding as time went on.
They so need policies in place. If only to protect the clients that use the service. But as a new board we are all just learning the official ropes and red tape as we go.
The one person I thought I could count on is currently the one insisting this happened as the client describes.
I'm just so confused.
We did need a board in this case as we are partially federally funded- the community pantry is, anyways.
It's a requirement. Unfortunately.
I've had 1 out of 5 [members of the charity group] text asking if I'm ok, and what happened. The rest seem to believe that I did this.
I don't know how to move on from this. Because the truth will come out eventually in a community this small. It always does.
The question now is do I want to be involved with people like this. I don't think I can trust them after this.
===
The longer I wait, the worse it will be. I know that. But I just don't want to deal with this either. Small community. The truth will come out eventually.
But it's now obvious that I can't trust these people. No matter what's said after this, the damage has been done.
Update:
As suggested, I did text them as a group in bullet form stating facts only. ( edit: sorry for formatting. Copied from text ,)
'
As I feel I no longer have a place of trust within our group, I am formally resigning from my roles within the committee, and the (group)
I will, with your blessing, remain on the Helping Tree as a contact'
So far the replies are very interesting. They range from apologetic to accusatory to narcissistic. The most interesting one so far, I think, was not intended for me and insinuated that this was for the best. I can't believe how naive I've been.
There's an emergency meeting being scheduled for next week, as apparently you're not just allowed to resign mid-term from a board like this without a valid reason. Which I think I have.
The benefit of this is my accuser also has to give an official statement in the meeting minutes because ive resigned. Which I'm allowed to attend and comment on. Which adds validity ti my reasons for resigning. Would it be petty if I wore my coat again, or should I choose something older? Genuinely asking. I don't want to make things worse. I just want out to do my own thing.
Rumors are already starting and seem to be in my favor. Small towns are terrific/terrible for that. And I've just been texted asking me to withdraw my resignation ' for fear this may cause an irreparable rift in our charitable group'.
I have 8 months left to my current term as Secretary. A position that requires the trust of the board members to record accurate notes. Which I no longer feel I have. I don't want my character unfairly questioned again after I've worked so damn hard to build it up.
My resignation was intended to prevent drama and divide. It is doing the opposite.
What would you do? I feel like I'm damned if I do, and damned if I don't.
Or so I'm being told. This may be a stall tactic. I'm going over the current bylaws and policies but it's small font and a hard read.
I'm surprised/touched by how many clients are defending me, but I think this is what is causing a lot of drama and distrust both within the organization and with those that use it. Which is exactly what I was trying to avoid by quietly resigning.
It just sucks, for lack of a better word. I feel like the religious have it wrong. It's not judge not lest ye be judged. It's just be judged these days.
My dash cam! I'm going to check it.
Thank you! Thank you so much!
No audio. No clear AHA! moment.
But it does show enough.
It shows me pulling in, and that there's nothing on the porch. It shows the car moving slightly as I take the bags out, and it does show a bag being deposited on the porch as well as at least 2 coats/snowsuits.
As I back out you can almost see the whole porch. You do see her outside but the definition isn't good enough to see her face or what she's doing.
I'm also still not sure what proof-if any-has been submitted by my accuser(s).
Who, I'm told, has been dropped from the Helping Tree community pantry registry.
I'm actually starting to get very angry. That woman messed up. But she has 3 kids under her care that deserve to eat and be clothed. This is going way too far.
Update:
Ungrateful client is board presidents former sister in law.
And yes, they're still friendly.
Ah. Small towns... 🤷♀️
I can't wait for next week...
And that's the problem.
I think I'm going to ask for an official board inquest -which is eithin my rights according to our by-laws - before I go. I can't see someone doing this over reputation or clout. I certainly hope not, anyways. But if the inquest finds this was planned ( who tf does this? ) I would have grounds to have the board President removed. It's not pettiness- I don't want to see this done to someone else.
But you're right. Something stinks here and it gets worse by the day. I'm going to look into [comment ends here]
I'm going to submit a statement to the board, with footage from my dash cam that shows at least 1 bag clearly on the porch.
Unfortunately, I forgot to itemize the coat/3 snowsuits & boots dropped off in my group text, so I do have to justify that one somehow.
I also just heard they dropped off another 3 bags to the woman, including winter gear. I think it's an attempt at damage control, but I also think they're moving in the wrong direction, given what I'm hearing from many.
If she tries to sell the excess, like many seem to think she will, this will all come to a head so much faster. Either way, I'm ironically the least invested in this around here at this point.
Small town drama ...
I admit, looking back, it is odd that I was given this client when others were closer. I had thought it may be because of scheduling conflicts but I'm finding that's not the case either
Interestingly, there are rumors going around that this was staged. I'm trying not to pay attention to rumors without proof but I'm starting to wonder....
I hate this with a passion. It all seems so damn stupid.
I'm still so confused. The meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday night ( 2 days time ).
I haven't decided if I'm going yet. I don't want this drama to derail what has been a good thing so far.
I may just submit my statement and resignation and leave it at that. Popular opinion is on my side so why make it worse?
After reading this I started thinking about other groups that this woman may have been a part of at her previous location.
Well. WELL.
I now have 4 witnesses to past behavior willing to come with me Wednesday from 3! groups that have been similarly burned by this woman.
The question is.. do I want to take it that far?
I do- and I don't.
I feel this has taken up far more valuable time, and it's taking away from the original purpose of the group.
I'm also being asked to submit my name for board president by the majority of the board for the upcoming term. So I'm being supported ( now ).
I still don't trust any of them to have my back should anything happen. And if I replace the Pres shit will happen.
I'm being told there are 2 board members who seem to think I'm blowing this out of proportion ( Pres and Treasurer ) and should just take the reprimand ' maturely'.
When ( if ) I go in Wednesday I'm just going to tell then simply that I feel I no longer have the trust required for my appointed position, and am respectfully resigning to prevent further drama.
Pass in my official resignation and walk away.
I've also discovered the emergency meeting is to consider 3 resignations-not just mine.
Those kids don't deserve to be dragged into this, too.
===
This may just be divine intervention in disguise.
Update. The meeting.
My apologies This will be long.
As I parked, there were a couple that stopped to say hi, but the majority of the board did not acknowledge me. My accuser though.. she had a great laugh at my expense, and literally taunted me in front of the others on the way in. 'ooh here for more, are you? Guess you didn't get enough of me yet' and blows me a kiss.
She showed up with the Pres. I feel that's relevant. Especially seeming as she ran home.
The meeting started at 6 pm. I was not allowed to sit at the table until the issue was brought up... I sat, alone, for over 45 minutes. Finally someone peeked outside at 6:53 ( to see if I was still there? ) and called me in.
My accuser wasn't there. I say down and the first thing said to me was ' well. We may have made a mistake' followed by this big flowery apology that stank of bullshit and was gaslit better than a propane stove.
'You know that when a complaint comes in, we have to investigate it'
At that point I just exploded. Like... I didn't even talk to my kids like that when they were babies. It was the kind of tone you have when talking to the very simplest of minds.
I told them there's a massive difference between investigating and outright accusing, and that I didn't appreciate how their ineptitude at leading a board nearly derailed the whole organization and just put a really bad light on what we were doing. She says ' by unanimous decision, we've decided not to accept your resignation. Welcome back'
I've likely been this confused before, but I don't remember when. I was expecting this to be much harder. I had a factual speech ready and everything. Walked in and it was just 'we oopsied, oh well teehee'
'Well that's unfortunate that you refuse to accept it, because it's given and I'm not rescinding it. I'm out. And it seems you all know exactly why. For those who have reached out to me- I'll consider your offer of leading this board, but at this time, I'm not comfortable with the lack of trust and transparency I'm seeing. ' and left.
My phone has been blowing up all night. I meant to update immediately but it just kept ringing and tinging. I don't even know how so many found out ( good old gossip is my guess ) but I had over 30 calls and just as many texts/social media messages.
So. What hspprned while i was waiting outside.
My accuser decided to get on something pre-meeting. Literally acted like a wild animal at one point. I'm told it was so bad that the police and Child Protection Services were called by 4 of 5 ladies present, and when told they were called, my accuser took off running home. That's a whole 'nother story. The kids are now safe, I'm told. There's that.
The versions I'm hearing are surprisingly similar, for once. So I'm going to tell you the events as I was told.
Pres' husband is apparently an addict. Who gets his stash from the sis in law/accuser. I'm not clear on the details but I'm told blackmail was involved. Common word says she threatened to spill the beans on hubby. You know how it goes. Get hurt, get prescription, get hooked, get cheaper street drugs because they're cheaper and no doctor regulates them/questions your dose. There's a rumor he is also sleeping with sustained in law but this is not confirmed... but has been going around for the better part of a year now. Maybe I should start listening to more rumors because I had no idea.
Accuser started off normal, if ' twitchy'. She went to the washroom and shit allegedly went sideways not long after she came out. At one point she was laying on the floor, ' slithering and grunting' like an animal'. I wish I could have seen it, but kinda glad I didn't.
When Accuser left, it swayed the remaining 2 votes my way. There was a discussion on how to ' handle' me where the Pres just said she'll follow the board on the vote after they shot down her suggestion that the complaint still be addressed. The way she glared at me when I came in ( yes, wearing my coat! ) tells me she was not happy about it either.
The vote was unanimous to keep me. I did not wish to stay after all that.
Tomorrow they have an open board meeting to tell people what happened, as transparency is ironically a promise we made to the community so they know exactly who and what they're supporting. I won't be there. But a lot of angry and confused people will be. I'm glad I'll be missing it, but I have a feeling I'll hear all about it. I'm told there will be some calling for Pres' resignation. We shall see, I guess.
I started this feeling lower than low. Tonight I'm surrounded by positivity and I feel GOOD about this decision. Is this Karma? It feels like Karma.
Steps are already being taken to form what we will call The Fringe Farm. We will collect fresh farm goods donated by local farmers and deliver to homes that need a little extra, focusing on those that live between communities and people new to rural life. Eventually I hope to offer clothing and household goods, but I need to find a source outside the community so I'm not taking from the original group.
I also have a preliminary board. Comprised of 3 of 5 members of the original board haha
I've told then they have to finish their term at the group (because they do damn good work, and it's not fair to those that need them to just walk away-hypocritical? Msybe. But i refuse to torpedo the group ). 2 still submitted resignations because they're just floored by that last meeting. Theirs was depending upon mine, so their exit meetings are being scheduled for next week. Because they no longer have a secretary to record minutes I'm being asked to. I'm also being asked to submit my name for Pres should the current one agree to resign.
I haven't decided if I will. I feel that will come across as petty, and tbh it's no longer my business.
Thank you for the encouragement. I'm not sure if I would have had the courage to attend if not for the overwhelming kindness and support shown here. By strangers. * shakes head*. You have no idea how much this meant to me when I needed it.
Thank you.
Update #2.
The open meeting was a shitshow, I'm told.
Pres was called to resign. Refused.
So the board resigned. The group is now being led by the Pres and that's it. So it's essentially dead. You need minimum 3 board members to continue as a registered charity/nonprofit. Nobody ( out of approx 50 ppl ) raised a hand when asked if they wanted to join.
The Fringe Farm, by comparison, has more volunteers than we can organize. This is the group started after you lovely folks helped me decide staying wasn't worth the trouble.
I have mixed feelings over this. One.. it's nice to feel validated. The other... I really don't like how this went down for too many reasons to count.
Our first task as a new org?
Writing an iron clad policy everyone agrees with. Including specific steps to collect, file and address complaints or concerns.
Reminder - I am not the original poster.
🔴🔴🔴
Some People... ( update 2 ) Posted March 28th 2023
Update #2
The Aftermath
It's been... interesting.
The old group has dissolved. Nobody wanted to work with the pres anymore after all that. They held an emergency meeting to try to figure out why most of the board submitted their resignations and it was a shitshow of Pres accusing the remaining board members of conspiring against her, which caused the last remaining board members to also resign over time.
My new board ( Fringe Farm ) is thriving. We've taken over collection and distribution in our area and 2 others as we've merged with 2 other small groups to tap more resources.
Imagine my shock and surprise when the original offender called my Treasurer and asked to be put on the list... of course we did help her but we took the Secretary's minivan and all 7 of us went as a group. When we got there it was the former Pres husband that answered the door.
Our first task was to have an ironclad board policy that states anyone accused of wrongdoing will be spoken to privately by the pres and vice pres ( neither are me-i prefer to work behind the scenes ) prior to anything else.
I'm hearing rumors that the former board pres (P) isn't doing well. When the shit hit the fan her husband left her for sis in law and they've been ' methed up ' ever since.
I honestly feel bad for her. They have no kids and now it's just her... we are having a meeting next week and I believe we are going to invite P onto our board in a non-authority role. After hearing everything that went down afterwards... she's had to get a job and they're currently trying to sell their house amid divorce proceedings so I guess the rumor he was getting a little more than drugs from sis in law was accurate after all. Rumors say P is in massive debt thanks to her husband addiction. I don't think she should have to go through it all alone. I also think her situation was causing her an immense amount of stress and that's why everything happened as it did. She knows she messed up. There's no need to rubbing salt in her wounds.
Reflection:
This has been a very eye opening experience into how our personal lives can seriously affect our moods and actions, I think.
We never really know what someone else is going through, and why they behave the way they do. Part of me wishes I knew so I could have handled it better on my end. Part of me is still raging/hurt at how it all went down.
Hurt people hurt people. It's sad but so very true.
Original post : https://www.reddit.com/EntitledPeople/comments/11cmv5l/some_people/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
Update #1 : https://www.reddit.com/EntitledPeople/comments/124id5some_people_updates/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
Some additional comments
Sis in law is not being helped by our group, but I did refer her to another that has not had dealings with her yet, and gave them a heads up that this person needs help but is unstable due to 'current life choices'. She had kids who are blameless in all this that don't deserve to be left out, should she get them back.
I think I forgot to mention that she temporarily lost her kids over her animilistic outburst at the meeting? Too many witnesses and too many complaints I guess. And as her and P's husband are blowing through cash like theres no tomorrow on drugs its unlikely to resolve itself anytime soon.
( and yes, its been confirmed that at least 1 of the 3 children are P's husbands, possibly 2 )
As for P... I feel for her. I really do think all of this was a desperate control tactic because she had none in her personal life. I get it.. I think. My life, from the outside, looks perfect. Good kids, great partner, great and satisfying job, decent home & car ... and people ( seem to ) like me.
I don't want her left alone. Depression is a terrible thing, and it makes no sense to help a community while ignoring someone within it that's obviously not ok.
I will definitly proceed with caution in case P has not learned her lesson but leaving her out feels wrong.
We offered one-time temporary help. Our unofficial misdion is 'we don't refuse anyone because we don't know their story'.
I also think many of our volunteers were curious/nosy and that's why we've been able to have such a large group so quickly. Sadly, I'm well aware that some help just for the gossip and we haven't been operational long enough to root those out yet to divert to positions where they can't collect potentially harmful gossip.
The second request she made ( the very next week... making her total 3x requests for clothing & food over 3 weeks just over our 2 groups ) was passed on to another group as nobody wanted to get involved, and I'm not allowed to get involved on my own ( our by-law to prevent drama: 'Once a conflict has been reported the accused is not to have any involvement with the donation or distribution of goods to the accuser.' This also serves to protect our volunteers from frivolous accusations or personal vendettas. )
REMINDER: Do not comment in posts linked here. It is a violation of Rule 7
submitted by boringhistoryfan to BestofRedditorUpdates [link] [comments]
OOP is OBlondeOne. I am not OOP. Reminder do not message or contact them, or comment in the linked posts below.
I've taken the text from the Original BORU. The new update is after 🔴🔴🔴
trigger warnings: verbal abuse, gaslighting, drug use
Original BORU
OOP delivers donated clothing to displaced fire victims. Woman demands coat OOP is wearing instead, then claims OOP threw donated clothing in ditch.
I am NOT OP. Original post by in on Sunday, February 26, 2023, with updates as comments on original post through Saturday, March 4, 2023.
Some people... - Sunday, February 26, 2023
[NOTE: I have added a couple of clarifying words in brackets to reduce quoting.]
I'm part of a local donation group, so every now and then, I get asked to help with clothes donations. Someone passes away or downsizes, and I will help wash, fold, sort, and deliver the clothes to various free stores. Sometimes, if we are notified of someone in the community in need, we will deliver essentials like winter or kids clothing to their house. We're just a group within the community -there is no religious, political or ulterior motive. We just spread extra through the community as needed as discreetly as possible to help out. This particular situation just hurts my head, and I'm still trying to figure out how it escalated the way it did.
So a few days ago there was a fire in our community which left 3 families displaced. We collected what we could in the sizes they needed, and off we went.
We dont ask for anything in return other than knowing the families are a little better off. We always apologize and explain that while they may not be they styles they're accustomed to ( as donated clothing ) but at least it is clean and warm. If they had specific needs to let a member of the group know and we would do what we can. A lot of our collected items belonged to other families whose children outgrew the items. It's anonymous and it's a way for our more comfortable community members to help out others within the community with this. It's one thing I love about my community - people don't hesitate to help where needed.
I was given an address and head out as usual. Pull in, get the bags and coats to the door and knock.
After that... I'm not sure what to think. It started off as it usually does. There was a mother and 3 children, so I explain that there are 3 bags of clothing in the sizes submitted, and a box of age appropriate toys just like with the other families.
I thought I heard wrong when she said she preferred my coat and just said what?
She called me rude and told me again,' This stuff is OK, but I want the coat you're wearing '.
When I told her, "No, I'm sorry, but I just bought this coat she got angry and accused me of picking through donation bags for "the good stuff."
I've never run into this issue before. None of the group members are well off. In fact, that's why we do what we do. Because life is hard here and we believe in sharing what we have as a community. We collect good quality items from those with extra and distribute it freely to those that need it or have specific needs. Sometimes we all take items from our own closets if they're needed more elsewhere. Last year we raised funds to help purchase a wheelchair accessible vehicle for a family. The year before it was a young family whose matriarch was diagnosed with terminal cancer. This years cause is to build 4 'tiny homes' for the homeless in our community to use as needed. Our goal is to provide stability so they can successfully reintegrate during and after addiction rehabilitation. We all do what we can to try to help, basically. It's a hard world to feel alone in.
Now, my coat is expensive ( $250 ) but I've also saved gift cards for 2 years and anxiously watched for post-season sales before finally taking the plunge and got it for 75% off. Maybe I messed up by wearing it on this errand? I don't know. After I said no, this is my coat a second time, she started yelling at me.
I just left the bags on the doorstep and drove away.
Today I wake up to a slew of texts from the group asking me to explain why I refused to give the mother any winter coats, and why I left everything at the end of the driveway... allegedly in a ditch? They aren't questioning. Most are downright accusatory. Some are just borderline mean.
It's the kind of day where I feel like giving up on this making the world a better place thing.
I've been where these families are. And people helped me just like this. I know what it feels like to rely on others... so I do try to be compassionate and understanding without being condescending or pitying. I don't often talk about what I do because nobody needs to know what came from where, or who is getting what. It's just paying it forward. I do this because it's been done for me, and it's the right thing to do. It's that simple.
But after today... I don't even want to reply to anyone. It's not just that woman. It's the texts that are getting kinda nasty at this point. It's these people obviously talking about me behind my back. It's how quick they were to assume I must have done this.
I'm not sure if I want to do this anymore after all this. I've been part of this for 5 years and have never had a complaint before. I feel betrayed by people I thought were my friends. It just all feels gross, dramatic and depressing now, and that's now how this is supposed to feel.
===
I could understand if this was, like, a fancy fur coat or something.
This is literally just a rather plain looking long coat that happens to be super warm.
I don't get it.
It's only been an official group with a board for about 4 months. But we have been doing this for 5 years now as a project of mine and the current board president that gathered consiserable traction and volunteers/funding as time went on.
They so need policies in place. If only to protect the clients that use the service. But as a new board we are all just learning the official ropes and red tape as we go.
The one person I thought I could count on is currently the one insisting this happened as the client describes.
I'm just so confused.
We did need a board in this case as we are partially federally funded- the community pantry is, anyways.
It's a requirement. Unfortunately.
I've had 1 out of 5 [members of the charity group] text asking if I'm ok, and what happened. The rest seem to believe that I did this.
I don't know how to move on from this. Because the truth will come out eventually in a community this small. It always does.
The question now is do I want to be involved with people like this. I don't think I can trust them after this.
===
Maybe take a breather from the group. The way they treated you is horrible.The issue is I can't avoid them either. I'm going to have to answer eventually, either via text or in person.
The longer I wait, the worse it will be. I know that. But I just don't want to deal with this either. Small community. The truth will come out eventually.
But it's now obvious that I can't trust these people. No matter what's said after this, the damage has been done.
Update:
As suggested, I did text them as a group in bullet form stating facts only. ( edit: sorry for formatting. Copied from text ,)
'
- Items were carried to front door as per usual
- Client requested my personal attire
- Client accused me of theft from donation bags
- Client verbally abused me
- I left the following on Client's doorstep : ½ bag of women's clothing sizes m-l : 1+½ bag children's clothing sizes 3-8 : 1x bag of assorted linens & towels : 1x box of assorted children's toys and books
As I feel I no longer have a place of trust within our group, I am formally resigning from my roles within the committee, and the (group)
I will, with your blessing, remain on the Helping Tree as a contact'
So far the replies are very interesting. They range from apologetic to accusatory to narcissistic. The most interesting one so far, I think, was not intended for me and insinuated that this was for the best. I can't believe how naive I've been.
There's an emergency meeting being scheduled for next week, as apparently you're not just allowed to resign mid-term from a board like this without a valid reason. Which I think I have.
The benefit of this is my accuser also has to give an official statement in the meeting minutes because ive resigned. Which I'm allowed to attend and comment on. Which adds validity ti my reasons for resigning. Would it be petty if I wore my coat again, or should I choose something older? Genuinely asking. I don't want to make things worse. I just want out to do my own thing.
Rumors are already starting and seem to be in my favor. Small towns are terrific/terrible for that. And I've just been texted asking me to withdraw my resignation ' for fear this may cause an irreparable rift in our charitable group'.
I have 8 months left to my current term as Secretary. A position that requires the trust of the board members to record accurate notes. Which I no longer feel I have. I don't want my character unfairly questioned again after I've worked so damn hard to build it up.
My resignation was intended to prevent drama and divide. It is doing the opposite.
What would you do? I feel like I'm damned if I do, and damned if I don't.
Not allowed to resign? What are they going to do, ground you?With a formal board, there are steps to take to remove a member of the core board ( pres, vice president, secretary, treasurer, committee heads).
Or so I'm being told. This may be a stall tactic. I'm going over the current bylaws and policies but it's small font and a hard read.
I'm surprised/touched by how many clients are defending me, but I think this is what is causing a lot of drama and distrust both within the organization and with those that use it. Which is exactly what I was trying to avoid by quietly resigning.
It just sucks, for lack of a better word. I feel like the religious have it wrong. It's not judge not lest ye be judged. It's just be judged these days.
Going forward, it needs to be mandatory that there be two delivery people on every delivery. No excuses. There will be people in the future that are in dire need of your group's services. Please do not let that woman's behavior stop you from helping those who appreciate your work. And bonus if the other helper has a phone's camera on . You have documentation, and they grow manners if they didn't already have them. Has anyone gone by the house again to see if there was really a ditch??Oh my...
My dash cam! I'm going to check it.
Thank you! Thank you so much!
No audio. No clear AHA! moment.
But it does show enough.
It shows me pulling in, and that there's nothing on the porch. It shows the car moving slightly as I take the bags out, and it does show a bag being deposited on the porch as well as at least 2 coats/snowsuits.
As I back out you can almost see the whole porch. You do see her outside but the definition isn't good enough to see her face or what she's doing.
I'm also still not sure what proof-if any-has been submitted by my accuser(s).
Who, I'm told, has been dropped from the Helping Tree community pantry registry.
I'm actually starting to get very angry. That woman messed up. But she has 3 kids under her care that deserve to eat and be clothed. This is going way too far.
Update:
Ungrateful client is board presidents former sister in law.
And yes, they're still friendly.
Ah. Small towns... 🤷♀️
I can't wait for next week...
I KNEW IT! This whole fiasco smelled strongly of being COMPLETELY orchestrated! Typical small town intrigue and power struggle when there's only ONE that's struggling for the power! President wants you kicked out because you're a CO-FOUNDER and SHE wants to take ALL the accolades and applause from the community! Go get your reputation back, sweet Lady! You ARE needed and necessary to the community, if you weren't, you wouldn't have been doing this charitable work for FIVE years! FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!!!I'm trying to figure out how to walk away, but still acknowledge what's going on without hurting the board-they do good work that's needed. I can't torpedo that no matter how I feel.
And that's the problem.
I think I'm going to ask for an official board inquest -which is eithin my rights according to our by-laws - before I go. I can't see someone doing this over reputation or clout. I certainly hope not, anyways. But if the inquest finds this was planned ( who tf does this? ) I would have grounds to have the board President removed. It's not pettiness- I don't want to see this done to someone else.
But you're right. Something stinks here and it gets worse by the day. I'm going to look into [comment ends here]
I'm going to submit a statement to the board, with footage from my dash cam that shows at least 1 bag clearly on the porch.
Unfortunately, I forgot to itemize the coat/3 snowsuits & boots dropped off in my group text, so I do have to justify that one somehow.
I also just heard they dropped off another 3 bags to the woman, including winter gear. I think it's an attempt at damage control, but I also think they're moving in the wrong direction, given what I'm hearing from many.
If she tries to sell the excess, like many seem to think she will, this will all come to a head so much faster. Either way, I'm ironically the least invested in this around here at this point.
Small town drama ...
I admit, looking back, it is odd that I was given this client when others were closer. I had thought it may be because of scheduling conflicts but I'm finding that's not the case either
Interestingly, there are rumors going around that this was staged. I'm trying not to pay attention to rumors without proof but I'm starting to wonder....
I hate this with a passion. It all seems so damn stupid.
I'm still so confused. The meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday night ( 2 days time ).
I haven't decided if I'm going yet. I don't want this drama to derail what has been a good thing so far.
I may just submit my statement and resignation and leave it at that. Popular opinion is on my side so why make it worse?
I agree with this so much!! People have had to do that here in my town too. We have small groups that helps out the community that aren't in any organization or charitable groups, just themselves giving back. We had specific residents in town that were running their mouth and taking "donations" and selling them for money. Eventually these residents were burning through different community groups and established organizations and they would complain about each one saying they weren't helping and deliberately causing trouble. These groups did post on Facebook telling their sides of the situation, just like you suggested. Well those residents kept doing this and blaming people for not helping, blah blah blah. It didn't take long for the rest of the town to realize that these specific residents were pulling these scams and they were booted out of all the community groups in town. Sometimes you do have to stand up and tell your side to the community. Eventually the truth will come out.You are brilliant!
After reading this I started thinking about other groups that this woman may have been a part of at her previous location.
Well. WELL.
I now have 4 witnesses to past behavior willing to come with me Wednesday from 3! groups that have been similarly burned by this woman.
The question is.. do I want to take it that far?
I do- and I don't.
I feel this has taken up far more valuable time, and it's taking away from the original purpose of the group.
I'm also being asked to submit my name for board president by the majority of the board for the upcoming term. So I'm being supported ( now ).
I still don't trust any of them to have my back should anything happen. And if I replace the Pres shit will happen.
[Comment was deleted, but basically said, "Wear your coat to the meeting, and bring the receipt for it!"]I don't think I need to bring the receipt. They are all aware of when I got my coat, and what I paid for it.
I'm being told there are 2 board members who seem to think I'm blowing this out of proportion ( Pres and Treasurer ) and should just take the reprimand ' maturely'.
When ( if ) I go in Wednesday I'm just going to tell then simply that I feel I no longer have the trust required for my appointed position, and am respectfully resigning to prevent further drama.
Pass in my official resignation and walk away.
I've also discovered the emergency meeting is to consider 3 resignations-not just mine.
OP, defend yourself!!! There’s something fishy about this. Also, call CPS (anonymously?) and report her for being unstable.No. I won't be petty and call CPS
Those kids don't deserve to be dragged into this, too.
===
Maybe you should start your own group with people you can trust?I've actually been thinking of a fringe group for more rural locations that don't fall.within community boundaries.
This may just be divine intervention in disguise.
Update. The meeting.
My apologies This will be long.
As I parked, there were a couple that stopped to say hi, but the majority of the board did not acknowledge me. My accuser though.. she had a great laugh at my expense, and literally taunted me in front of the others on the way in. 'ooh here for more, are you? Guess you didn't get enough of me yet' and blows me a kiss.
She showed up with the Pres. I feel that's relevant. Especially seeming as she ran home.
The meeting started at 6 pm. I was not allowed to sit at the table until the issue was brought up... I sat, alone, for over 45 minutes. Finally someone peeked outside at 6:53 ( to see if I was still there? ) and called me in.
My accuser wasn't there. I say down and the first thing said to me was ' well. We may have made a mistake' followed by this big flowery apology that stank of bullshit and was gaslit better than a propane stove.
'You know that when a complaint comes in, we have to investigate it'
At that point I just exploded. Like... I didn't even talk to my kids like that when they were babies. It was the kind of tone you have when talking to the very simplest of minds.
I told them there's a massive difference between investigating and outright accusing, and that I didn't appreciate how their ineptitude at leading a board nearly derailed the whole organization and just put a really bad light on what we were doing. She says ' by unanimous decision, we've decided not to accept your resignation. Welcome back'
I've likely been this confused before, but I don't remember when. I was expecting this to be much harder. I had a factual speech ready and everything. Walked in and it was just 'we oopsied, oh well teehee'
'Well that's unfortunate that you refuse to accept it, because it's given and I'm not rescinding it. I'm out. And it seems you all know exactly why. For those who have reached out to me- I'll consider your offer of leading this board, but at this time, I'm not comfortable with the lack of trust and transparency I'm seeing. ' and left.
My phone has been blowing up all night. I meant to update immediately but it just kept ringing and tinging. I don't even know how so many found out ( good old gossip is my guess ) but I had over 30 calls and just as many texts/social media messages.
So. What hspprned while i was waiting outside.
My accuser decided to get on something pre-meeting. Literally acted like a wild animal at one point. I'm told it was so bad that the police and Child Protection Services were called by 4 of 5 ladies present, and when told they were called, my accuser took off running home. That's a whole 'nother story. The kids are now safe, I'm told. There's that.
The versions I'm hearing are surprisingly similar, for once. So I'm going to tell you the events as I was told.
Pres' husband is apparently an addict. Who gets his stash from the sis in law/accuser. I'm not clear on the details but I'm told blackmail was involved. Common word says she threatened to spill the beans on hubby. You know how it goes. Get hurt, get prescription, get hooked, get cheaper street drugs because they're cheaper and no doctor regulates them/questions your dose. There's a rumor he is also sleeping with sustained in law but this is not confirmed... but has been going around for the better part of a year now. Maybe I should start listening to more rumors because I had no idea.
Accuser started off normal, if ' twitchy'. She went to the washroom and shit allegedly went sideways not long after she came out. At one point she was laying on the floor, ' slithering and grunting' like an animal'. I wish I could have seen it, but kinda glad I didn't.
When Accuser left, it swayed the remaining 2 votes my way. There was a discussion on how to ' handle' me where the Pres just said she'll follow the board on the vote after they shot down her suggestion that the complaint still be addressed. The way she glared at me when I came in ( yes, wearing my coat! ) tells me she was not happy about it either.
The vote was unanimous to keep me. I did not wish to stay after all that.
Tomorrow they have an open board meeting to tell people what happened, as transparency is ironically a promise we made to the community so they know exactly who and what they're supporting. I won't be there. But a lot of angry and confused people will be. I'm glad I'll be missing it, but I have a feeling I'll hear all about it. I'm told there will be some calling for Pres' resignation. We shall see, I guess.
I started this feeling lower than low. Tonight I'm surrounded by positivity and I feel GOOD about this decision. Is this Karma? It feels like Karma.
Steps are already being taken to form what we will call The Fringe Farm. We will collect fresh farm goods donated by local farmers and deliver to homes that need a little extra, focusing on those that live between communities and people new to rural life. Eventually I hope to offer clothing and household goods, but I need to find a source outside the community so I'm not taking from the original group.
I also have a preliminary board. Comprised of 3 of 5 members of the original board haha
I've told then they have to finish their term at the group (because they do damn good work, and it's not fair to those that need them to just walk away-hypocritical? Msybe. But i refuse to torpedo the group ). 2 still submitted resignations because they're just floored by that last meeting. Theirs was depending upon mine, so their exit meetings are being scheduled for next week. Because they no longer have a secretary to record minutes I'm being asked to. I'm also being asked to submit my name for Pres should the current one agree to resign.
I haven't decided if I will. I feel that will come across as petty, and tbh it's no longer my business.
Thank you for the encouragement. I'm not sure if I would have had the courage to attend if not for the overwhelming kindness and support shown here. By strangers. * shakes head*. You have no idea how much this meant to me when I needed it.
Thank you.
Update #2.
The open meeting was a shitshow, I'm told.
Pres was called to resign. Refused.
So the board resigned. The group is now being led by the Pres and that's it. So it's essentially dead. You need minimum 3 board members to continue as a registered charity/nonprofit. Nobody ( out of approx 50 ppl ) raised a hand when asked if they wanted to join.
The Fringe Farm, by comparison, has more volunteers than we can organize. This is the group started after you lovely folks helped me decide staying wasn't worth the trouble.
I have mixed feelings over this. One.. it's nice to feel validated. The other... I really don't like how this went down for too many reasons to count.
Our first task as a new org?
Writing an iron clad policy everyone agrees with. Including specific steps to collect, file and address complaints or concerns.
Reminder - I am not the original poster.
🔴🔴🔴
Some People... ( update 2 ) Posted March 28th 2023
Update #2
The Aftermath
It's been... interesting.
The old group has dissolved. Nobody wanted to work with the pres anymore after all that. They held an emergency meeting to try to figure out why most of the board submitted their resignations and it was a shitshow of Pres accusing the remaining board members of conspiring against her, which caused the last remaining board members to also resign over time.
My new board ( Fringe Farm ) is thriving. We've taken over collection and distribution in our area and 2 others as we've merged with 2 other small groups to tap more resources.
Imagine my shock and surprise when the original offender called my Treasurer and asked to be put on the list... of course we did help her but we took the Secretary's minivan and all 7 of us went as a group. When we got there it was the former Pres husband that answered the door.
Our first task was to have an ironclad board policy that states anyone accused of wrongdoing will be spoken to privately by the pres and vice pres ( neither are me-i prefer to work behind the scenes ) prior to anything else.
I'm hearing rumors that the former board pres (P) isn't doing well. When the shit hit the fan her husband left her for sis in law and they've been ' methed up ' ever since.
I honestly feel bad for her. They have no kids and now it's just her... we are having a meeting next week and I believe we are going to invite P onto our board in a non-authority role. After hearing everything that went down afterwards... she's had to get a job and they're currently trying to sell their house amid divorce proceedings so I guess the rumor he was getting a little more than drugs from sis in law was accurate after all. Rumors say P is in massive debt thanks to her husband addiction. I don't think she should have to go through it all alone. I also think her situation was causing her an immense amount of stress and that's why everything happened as it did. She knows she messed up. There's no need to rubbing salt in her wounds.
Reflection:
This has been a very eye opening experience into how our personal lives can seriously affect our moods and actions, I think.
We never really know what someone else is going through, and why they behave the way they do. Part of me wishes I knew so I could have handled it better on my end. Part of me is still raging/hurt at how it all went down.
Hurt people hurt people. It's sad but so very true.
Original post : https://www.reddit.com/EntitledPeople/comments/11cmv5l/some_people/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
Update #1 : https://www.reddit.com/EntitledPeople/comments/124id5some_people_updates/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
Some additional comments
You are very kind to want to help someone who tried to ruin your reputation. If you ask her to join your new organization, this should be contingent on a very serious conversation about a lot of subjects. Her husband left her for a family member and drugs, and that's pretty fucked up and awful. However, that doesn't give her an excuse to take it out on someone who wasn't even remotely involved. If this kind of behavior is out of character for her, then sure, have the discussion. If this is how she always is, save yourself a major headache and just let her go. As for the SIL, she should be put on some kind of a list. Stop helping her.OOP:
Sis in law is not being helped by our group, but I did refer her to another that has not had dealings with her yet, and gave them a heads up that this person needs help but is unstable due to 'current life choices'. She had kids who are blameless in all this that don't deserve to be left out, should she get them back.
I think I forgot to mention that she temporarily lost her kids over her animilistic outburst at the meeting? Too many witnesses and too many complaints I guess. And as her and P's husband are blowing through cash like theres no tomorrow on drugs its unlikely to resolve itself anytime soon.
( and yes, its been confirmed that at least 1 of the 3 children are P's husbands, possibly 2 )
As for P... I feel for her. I really do think all of this was a desperate control tactic because she had none in her personal life. I get it.. I think. My life, from the outside, looks perfect. Good kids, great partner, great and satisfying job, decent home & car ... and people ( seem to ) like me.
I don't want her left alone. Depression is a terrible thing, and it makes no sense to help a community while ignoring someone within it that's obviously not ok.
I will definitly proceed with caution in case P has not learned her lesson but leaving her out feels wrong.
Please forgive me for being incredibly late to these posts - I’ve just read the whole saga through (twice!) as it takes me back to a former life where my role included managing volunteers and ah, the memories this brings back! These kind of voluntary groups do amazing work (and you sound like a truly fantastic individual, OP) but it can get so messy and so cliquey and people can become very protective of their little fiefdoms. These groups are fantastic when all is going well, but once things start going wrong it can all fall apart incredibly quickly. The only way round it (as you’re doing) is to have robust and even-handed policies in place and stick to them. I know you’re not doing this for praise or thanks, but I do think you should recognise your own value and allow yourself at the very least a tiny pat on the back, not because of this situation per se, but because the speed with which you’ve established your new group and how quickly your old group fell apart without you indicates what an effective and impactful leader you are. Even if you don’t see yourself that way, it’s clearly how your community does.OOP:
We offered one-time temporary help. Our unofficial misdion is 'we don't refuse anyone because we don't know their story'.
I also think many of our volunteers were curious/nosy and that's why we've been able to have such a large group so quickly. Sadly, I'm well aware that some help just for the gossip and we haven't been operational long enough to root those out yet to divert to positions where they can't collect potentially harmful gossip.
The second request she made ( the very next week... making her total 3x requests for clothing & food over 3 weeks just over our 2 groups ) was passed on to another group as nobody wanted to get involved, and I'm not allowed to get involved on my own ( our by-law to prevent drama: 'Once a conflict has been reported the accused is not to have any involvement with the donation or distribution of goods to the accuser.' This also serves to protect our volunteers from frivolous accusations or personal vendettas. )
REMINDER: Do not comment in posts linked here. It is a violation of Rule 7
2024.05.11 18:50 MacThule Malpractice, or... ?
I'm not sure if this is medical malpractice or something else, but I do feel that our family has now been damaged by our nursing team and I don't know exactly what to call it in order to learn more and determine my rights & standing.
tl;dr - Medical professionals spent a year convincing our young teenage child that an optional prescription medical device would improve quality of life, and then informed us that our insurance doesn't cover it. Child is now dismayed about the (previously satisfactory) normal treatment regime, and it caused conflict in the family.
DETAILS:
Our otherwise healthy teenager was diagnosed with a chronic illness a year ago. We quickly figured out how to manage their treatment, and have been very successful relative to others we meet in a similar situation. Our child continues to maintain a very active lifestyle including things like basketball, martial arts & sailing.
Our "care team" asked if we were interested in a medical device that makes managing the condition easier. We did the research and talked to people actually using the device, sat down together as a family and determined that it would not be very compatible with our child's active lifestyle since the device could easily be damaged by many things the child frequently does and protecting the device would limit options for activity. Our child was very adamant about not wanting to do this.
We informed the team of our decision and they encouraged us to reconsider and talk to a sales rep about the device. They said insurance typically covers it, but not always.
At our next appointment, they spent most of the meeting pushing this device again and when we repeatedly declined they wanted to talk to our teenager one-on-one, so we said fine. The answer was still the same.
Next meeting a few months later was the same thing. The specialist started by noting that we'd declined interest in the device in the past, but then went on to extol its virtues and downplay any possible issues.
Next meeting after that one went the same.
Important to note here is that our relationship with our care team has literally become a series of one-hour sales pitches focused on convincing us to request a prescription for this device because there is literally nothing else to talk about - our child (with our support) has become so good at managing their condition that there are no problems to discuss. So it's just the sales pitch again and again and again no matter how often we decline.
Finally at the last meeting, our teenager relented and said "sure, if it won't stop me doing x, y, & z then let's try it out and see if it works."
Of course the child doesn't fully understand that the device has a 4-year warranty and if it doesn't work out we will be on the hook for the remaining cost of the prescription, but we supported the decision to "try it" knowing there could be potential financial consequences.
So our care team sent us the list of qualifications for the device to be covered by insurance and we don't qualify at all. One of the primary qualifications is that our current treatments are not successful in managing the condition!
The only way we could qualify is if we lied to the insurance and claimed we were unable to manage the condition with traditional therapy. They haven't explicitly encouraged us to lie, but I do feel that this is very much the message because they knew it would only be covered by our very common insurance if regular treatment was not successful, and they are the ones going over the results of every test with us and telling us it all looks great. So why would they keep pushing this on us unless there was an expectation that we would make false claims about the efficacy of standard treatment?
The team had access to these requirements, they had access to the records of how unusually successful our child has been in managing their condition with normal means and they still pushed to convince the child to want this device, past our declinations, past the child's declinations. They told us that insurance would 'probably' cover it even though they knew we were successfully managing the condition and could only qualify if we weren't.
I feel like they aggressively manufactured a demand then informed us that we don't qualify.
Our child is now very disappointed and extra unhappy about their normal therapeutic regime. Our child says they feel like we were encouraging them to come around and try the device, when in fact we were vocally 100% supporting the child's declination but simply said that the final decision was up to them because we do not want to prevent access to helpful medicines. Us allowing the team to give our child a one-on-one sales pitch apparently gave the false impression that we supported the option being pushed.
So now we have conflict in the family where there was none, and a child who feels that a therapeutic regime that was very satisfactory before is now somewhat more oppressive, disappointing and painful because the promised relief isn't actually available. Not sure how long it will take for the child to get over this.
Have we been damaged?
Is there recourse?
submitted by MacThule to legaladvice [link] [comments]
tl;dr - Medical professionals spent a year convincing our young teenage child that an optional prescription medical device would improve quality of life, and then informed us that our insurance doesn't cover it. Child is now dismayed about the (previously satisfactory) normal treatment regime, and it caused conflict in the family.
DETAILS:
Our otherwise healthy teenager was diagnosed with a chronic illness a year ago. We quickly figured out how to manage their treatment, and have been very successful relative to others we meet in a similar situation. Our child continues to maintain a very active lifestyle including things like basketball, martial arts & sailing.
Our "care team" asked if we were interested in a medical device that makes managing the condition easier. We did the research and talked to people actually using the device, sat down together as a family and determined that it would not be very compatible with our child's active lifestyle since the device could easily be damaged by many things the child frequently does and protecting the device would limit options for activity. Our child was very adamant about not wanting to do this.
We informed the team of our decision and they encouraged us to reconsider and talk to a sales rep about the device. They said insurance typically covers it, but not always.
At our next appointment, they spent most of the meeting pushing this device again and when we repeatedly declined they wanted to talk to our teenager one-on-one, so we said fine. The answer was still the same.
Next meeting a few months later was the same thing. The specialist started by noting that we'd declined interest in the device in the past, but then went on to extol its virtues and downplay any possible issues.
Next meeting after that one went the same.
Important to note here is that our relationship with our care team has literally become a series of one-hour sales pitches focused on convincing us to request a prescription for this device because there is literally nothing else to talk about - our child (with our support) has become so good at managing their condition that there are no problems to discuss. So it's just the sales pitch again and again and again no matter how often we decline.
Finally at the last meeting, our teenager relented and said "sure, if it won't stop me doing x, y, & z then let's try it out and see if it works."
Of course the child doesn't fully understand that the device has a 4-year warranty and if it doesn't work out we will be on the hook for the remaining cost of the prescription, but we supported the decision to "try it" knowing there could be potential financial consequences.
So our care team sent us the list of qualifications for the device to be covered by insurance and we don't qualify at all. One of the primary qualifications is that our current treatments are not successful in managing the condition!
The only way we could qualify is if we lied to the insurance and claimed we were unable to manage the condition with traditional therapy. They haven't explicitly encouraged us to lie, but I do feel that this is very much the message because they knew it would only be covered by our very common insurance if regular treatment was not successful, and they are the ones going over the results of every test with us and telling us it all looks great. So why would they keep pushing this on us unless there was an expectation that we would make false claims about the efficacy of standard treatment?
The team had access to these requirements, they had access to the records of how unusually successful our child has been in managing their condition with normal means and they still pushed to convince the child to want this device, past our declinations, past the child's declinations. They told us that insurance would 'probably' cover it even though they knew we were successfully managing the condition and could only qualify if we weren't.
I feel like they aggressively manufactured a demand then informed us that we don't qualify.
Our child is now very disappointed and extra unhappy about their normal therapeutic regime. Our child says they feel like we were encouraging them to come around and try the device, when in fact we were vocally 100% supporting the child's declination but simply said that the final decision was up to them because we do not want to prevent access to helpful medicines. Us allowing the team to give our child a one-on-one sales pitch apparently gave the false impression that we supported the option being pushed.
So now we have conflict in the family where there was none, and a child who feels that a therapeutic regime that was very satisfactory before is now somewhat more oppressive, disappointing and painful because the promised relief isn't actually available. Not sure how long it will take for the child to get over this.
Have we been damaged?
Is there recourse?
2024.05.11 14:54 Altruistic_Way_506 "Sugar Defender Reviews: Empowering Your Journey to Balanced Blood Sugar"
 | Sugar Defender is a revolutionary new natural supplement designed to provide you with 24/7 blood sugar support, helping you better manage your body’s uptake of glucose. submitted by Altruistic_Way_506 to OxyBreathPro [link] [comments] By using Sugar Defender, the maker of Sugar Defender claims you can better limit blood sugar spikes, stop weight gain, boost your energy levels, and much more! In fact, it claims it can provide complete wellness support, all with its’ powerful blend of ingredients. Get started today and see the difference Sugar Defender can make >>>What Is Sugar Defender?Sugar Defender is an incredible new liquid supplement that contains 24 of the most powerful natural ingredients for better blood sugar control. According to the manufacturer, it can help you improve your metabolism, energy levels, and immune system function, and ultimately help you control your blood sugar levels more efficiently.Within weeks, you’ll be able to better manage your glucose levels, keeping them steady even after you eat. You’ll also support healthier digestion and even balance hormone levels in your body. To reap these benefits, all that is required is that you take one full dropper under your tongue each morning before you eat breakfast. If that isn’t ideal for you, then you can squeeze one full dropper into a glass of water to feel better than you have in years! Best of all, Sugar Defender claims it is designed to work for anybody and everybody. Age, gender, or other physiological factors simply don’t matter. So, it doesn’t matter whether you are a 46-year-old man or a 62-year-old woman, Sugar Defender can purportedly help you better manage your blood sugar levels. source : google images How Does Sugar Defender Work?Sugar Defender is designed to supply you with all-day energy and 24/7 blood sugar control. Although new, it has already changed the lives of tens of thousands of men and women all over the world.So how exactly does it work?First, Sugar Defender includes ingredients that are proven to help your body digest carbohydrates more slowly. This prevents your body from creating too much glucose at once, which can cause blood sugar spikes. Instead, your body slowly digests carbs, supplying you with a steady stream of energy – stopping the spike.Secondly, Sugar Defender appears to help support the function and health of your pancreas. The pancreas is an organ in your body that is responsible for producing the hormone insulin, which helps the cells in your body absorb glucose. By ensuring your body has enough insulin, Sugar Defender makes sure your body can absorb the glucose in your bloodstream, preventing blood sugar levels from rising too high. Third, Sugar Defender helps to improve what is known as insulin sensitivity. This refers to how “responsive” your cells are to insulin. For many people, simply exercising more can help improve your insulin sensitivity, but for others, it cannot. This is why products like Sugar Defender are so beneficial. Several of the ingredients present in Sugar Defender contain compounds that can help your insulin sensitivity. This ensures the cells in your body can not only absorb glucose but use it as well. Plus, this is said to help prevent extra glucose in your bloodstream from being sent to your liver to be converted into fat, leading to fat accumulation and ultimately – weight gain. Sugar Defender Is On Sale Now For A Limited Time! Sugar Defender IngredientsSugar Defender was formulated with 24 of the most clinically studied and proven ingredients to help you better control your blood sugar levels.While we won’t go through all of the ingredients found in Sugar Defender, here are the eight most important ingredients found in the product: Sugar Defender IngredientsChromium:Chromium is a key mineral needed to maintain healthy metabolism, athletic performance, and to maintain healthy cholesterol levels. Chromium may also help keep blood sugar levels stable by improving how the body uses insulin, making it easier for cells to absorb and use glucose. Forskolin: Forskolin has been only used to treat digestive disorders and infections like ringworm in the past. However, it also appears to promote fat burning by stimulating the production of certain enzymes like adenylate cyclase and lipase. Forskolin also appears to improve cardiovascular health by lowering blood pressure levels. Maca root: Maca root is a vegetable that grows primarily In the highest elevations in the Andes mountains. There it has been consumed by locals to boost energy and vitality, to balance hormone levels, and to relieve stress. It is considered an adaptogen as well, meaning it helps your body respond to stressors more effectively. Ginseng: Ginseng is primarily touted for its ability to relieve inflammation, improve digestion, and promote immunity. However, in recent studies, ginseng has been shown to increase insulin production and reduce cell death in pancreatic cells. Other studies have shown that ginseng can decrease blood glucose levels and limit blood sugar spikes, although the exact mechanism isn’t known. Guarana: Guarana is used by many for its ability to boost energy levels, thanks to its small amount of caffeine content. In certain studies, guarana has been shown to reduce fatigue, enhance energy levels, and aid in cognitive functions like memory and learning. In a few small-scale studies, guarana has been linked to better cardiovascular health as well. African mango: African mango has been around for almost a decade, having been made mainstream by Dr. Oz on his TV show. Studies have found that African mango can reduce appetite and improve lipolysis, which is the process of breaking down fat. African mango also appears to help your body better absorb glucose, which can better control blood sugar levels. Gymnema: Gymnema can reduce how much sugar the stomach can process. It also may help increase the amount of insulin produced by the pancreas and may even support the growth of cells in the pancreas. In over a dozen studies, gymnema has been able to reduce fasting, post-meal, and long-term blood sugar levels. Eleuthero: Eleuthero contains eleutherosides, which have been shown to reduce fasting and post-meal blood sugar levels in subjects with type 2 diabetes. Eleuthero has also been shown to contain chemicals that affect the brain, immune system function, and certain hormones. These are just a few of the many ingredients found in Sugar Defender. We should note that there are no artificial ingredients, fillers, or additives found in Sugar Defender whatsoever. In addition, all of the ingredients found in this product are routinely tested for purity, potency, and quality to ensure only the finest quality ingredients are included in the final product. Side Effects of Sugar Defender – Is Sugar Defender Safe?Sugar Defender isn’t just one of the most effective supplements for better blood sugar control, it’s also one of the safest. It is so safe that as of this writing, there haven’t been any user reports of any major side effects developing while using this product.This doesn’t mean that you can’t experience any side effects while using this product. After all, any supplement can cause minor side effects like nausea, indigestion, headaches, etc. However, the risk of experiencing these side effects is incredibly low. Even though Sugar Defender has a low risk of side effects, it still may not be right for everyone to use. For example, this product should not be used by pregnant or nursing mothers, nor should it be used by anybody under the age of 18. Likewise, if you have a serious medical condition or are on prescription medication, then it is highly recommended you consult a doctor before trying this product just to err on the side of caution. In general, though, Sugar Defender is an incredibly effective, powerful, and safe product to better help you manage your blood sugar levels. If for some reason you are still unsure whether or not this product is right for you, we recommend you consult a doctor before trying this product. Sugar Defender Pricing & Money Back GuaranteeIf you’re ready to better manage your blood sugar, want to get thinner, or simply want a healthier body, then Sugar Defender may be right for you. If it is right for you.There you will find three different purchasing options to choose from, depending on your needs:
The best place to purchase is directly from the official websiteRegardless of which package you select, your purchase is automatically covered by a 100%, 60-day money-back guarantee. If for any reason you are dissatisfied with your purchase, experience unwanted side effects, or simply don’t like the product, you can receive a full refund on your purchase – no questions asked.Simply contact the manufacturer within 60 days of your purchase and you’ll receive a full refund within a few days. A return authorization must be requested and approved within 60 days of your date of purchase. source : google images Final Recap About Sugar DefenderSugar Defender is a powerful natural supplement to better help you manage your blood sugar levels, boost your energy levels, and to improve your overall health and wellness.Although it is fairly new, it has already transformed the lives of thousands of men and women – improving their blood sugar control, stopping unwanted weight gain, improving their cognition, and much more. If you’re ready to try the #1 supplement for blood sugar levels, then you need to visit the official website of Sugar Defender and order your bottles while supplies last! |
2024.05.11 04:40 LGBTQIA_Over50 Anyone apply to a job like this?
Has anyone applied to the Inbound Call Center Sales Rep position at ATT?
I'm going to their open house hiring event on 5/16/24. 10 Canal Street Chicago
Why are wages so low? These are my early 1990s wages. I made $12 per hour in 1988 and $17 per hour in 1991.
Att salary $12.41 to $19.42 hourly.
When they post the range, what is the point? Will they pay the top range starting out?
How do people pay for housing, utilities, car + gas + insurance, food, living expenses, plus the cost to buy and use health, dental (out of pocket), vision and prescription?
I'm single. How do middle aged single adults live on this? Its not a living wage. I know my budget number, and how much I need to live (monthly). I won't mention it here, because my comments attract trolls.
My living wage number is what most professional working adults expect.
Do employees pay for parking? Not everyone can take public transit. I need to drive my car. They have no way to call any of the recruiters to ask the parking question when I drive downtown. Parking is expensive in downtown Chicago.
If the open house is 5/16 with job offers on the spot, I wonder when training will start?
Wages are stagnation all over the place. Any State that has less expensive apartments has low wages. Its all relative.
Apt $1800 a month avg
Car $600 a month avg + gas + insurance
Utilities, food, clothes, miscellaneous, health, dental visions , prescriptions
submitted by LGBTQIA_Over50 to jobs [link] [comments]
I'm going to their open house hiring event on 5/16/24. 10 Canal Street Chicago
Why are wages so low? These are my early 1990s wages. I made $12 per hour in 1988 and $17 per hour in 1991.
Att salary $12.41 to $19.42 hourly.
When they post the range, what is the point? Will they pay the top range starting out?
How do people pay for housing, utilities, car + gas + insurance, food, living expenses, plus the cost to buy and use health, dental (out of pocket), vision and prescription?
I'm single. How do middle aged single adults live on this? Its not a living wage. I know my budget number, and how much I need to live (monthly). I won't mention it here, because my comments attract trolls.
My living wage number is what most professional working adults expect.
Do employees pay for parking? Not everyone can take public transit. I need to drive my car. They have no way to call any of the recruiters to ask the parking question when I drive downtown. Parking is expensive in downtown Chicago.
If the open house is 5/16 with job offers on the spot, I wonder when training will start?
Wages are stagnation all over the place. Any State that has less expensive apartments has low wages. Its all relative.
Apt $1800 a month avg
Car $600 a month avg + gas + insurance
Utilities, food, clothes, miscellaneous, health, dental visions , prescriptions
2024.05.11 04:11 CardiologistWild5216 Lamictal pharmacy issues
It’s been a month since I’ve been able to retrieve my prescription. I’ve never had lamictal but my insurance won’t cover the starter pack, they said they would, came back & the pharmacy said they wouldn’t, I’ve been going through the run around and my psychiatrist hasn’t answered me or the pharmacy even though we’ve called several times to change the script as a written out titration instead of the starter pack.
If the psych doesn’t come through tomorrow after all of this time, is there a way for me to get it anyways even if my insurance doesn’t cover it? Like pay out of pocket but not full price 😬
This is totally unfair it’s been this long and I’m doing everyone’s job, doing all the foot work and nothing is coming out of it it’s actually making me so unwell hence is why I need the medication and she was aware of my suicidal ideations yet is lazy and won’t answer the phone/fix my script so I can pick it up. I’m sick of how careless some people can be, it’s so disheartening and I’m struggling big time. 😔🤦♀️
On another note, any success stories with lamictal? I have no energy right now no motivation I’m unstable to put it lightly I’m all over the place as most of us are with bp2
Edit* This has been such a shitty road. They are open today on a Saturday till 2 I called and told them again I need this situation fixed didn’t do anything and neither did the pharmacy. I think this is why people off themselves cause these drs and pharmacies SUCK!!!
submitted by CardiologistWild5216 to bipolar2 [link] [comments]
If the psych doesn’t come through tomorrow after all of this time, is there a way for me to get it anyways even if my insurance doesn’t cover it? Like pay out of pocket but not full price 😬
This is totally unfair it’s been this long and I’m doing everyone’s job, doing all the foot work and nothing is coming out of it it’s actually making me so unwell hence is why I need the medication and she was aware of my suicidal ideations yet is lazy and won’t answer the phone/fix my script so I can pick it up. I’m sick of how careless some people can be, it’s so disheartening and I’m struggling big time. 😔🤦♀️
On another note, any success stories with lamictal? I have no energy right now no motivation I’m unstable to put it lightly I’m all over the place as most of us are with bp2
Edit* This has been such a shitty road. They are open today on a Saturday till 2 I called and told them again I need this situation fixed didn’t do anything and neither did the pharmacy. I think this is why people off themselves cause these drs and pharmacies SUCK!!!
2024.05.11 00:47 KylosLeftHand FULL LIST of allowed & prohibited items:
I keep seeing the same questions ask r over and over - “WHAT CAN I BRING?”
ALLOWED ITEMS
YES Liquid sunscreen, in non-aerosol containers of 3oz or less YES Bug spray in non-aerosol containers of 3oz or less YES Clear backpacks, bags, and purses (no larger than 12” x 6” x 12”) YES One-gallon clear plastic freezer bag (Zip-top bag or similar) YES Fanny Packs are allowed YES Small clutch bags approximately the size of a hand with or without a handle or strap YES Blankets & beach towels YES Sunglasses and hats YES One (1) EMPTY non-glass water container up to 2 liters in size YES EMPTY CamelBak style water bladder systems subject with one pocket for the water bladder and one additional pocket* YES If you need medicine, please note that prescription and OTC medications are subject to specific guidelines** YES Factory-sealed nasal Naloxone/Narcan kit; no more than 2 per person YES Baby strollers (if you have small children) *Guidelines for CamelBak style hydration systems: Although SINGLE POCKET CamelBak style water bladder systems are allowed EMPTY into the venue, the water bladders themselves must be capable of being removed from the carrier and must be transparent enough to allow security to visually inspect the empty bladder. Additionally, CamelBak style bladder carriers must have no more than ONE pocket in addition to the compartment that hold the water bladder. Any CamelBak style water bladders that cannot be removed from the carrier and/or is opaque enough to prevent visual inspection will not be allowed into the festival. Any CamelBak style bladder carriers larger than the permitted size will not be allowed into the festival.
**Guidelines for prescription and OTC medications: Prescription medications are allowed only in the original prescription bottle, any person attempting to bring in prescription medication must have a government issued photo identification card that matches the name printed on the prescription, and the pills in the bottle must match the description printed on the prescription. You will only be allowed to carry the dosage of prescription medication required for the duration of each individual Event date. Over-the-counter medications are allowed provided that they are new and in the original, factory-sealed container.
Hangout Bag Policy Graphic PROHIBITED ITEMS
NO Tents, umbrellas, or temporary structures of any kind NO Weapons, knives, or firearms of any kind, including any item that can be used as a weapon NO Narcotics, including marijuana, drug paraphernalia and any other illegal substances NO Backpacks, cinch bags, briefcases, purses, or bags allowed except bags made of clear plastic, clear vinyl, or clear PVC not exceeding 12” x 6” x 12” NO Alcoholic beverages of any kind NO Unsealed disposable vapor or electronic cigarettes NO Drones or any other remote flying device NO Vitamins NO Kites NO Glow Sticks NO Focused light devices, including laser pointers NO Refillable vapor or electronic cigarettes NO Unsealed: cigarette packages, tampons, packs of gum and chapstick/lip gloss NO Marker pens and spray paint NO Air horns and/or megaphones NO Items intended for sale/promotion (including flyers, stickers and posters) NO Water guns, water balloons, and/or any other kind of water projectile NO Glass in any form, including glass bottles NO Outside food or beverages NO Skateboards, rollerblades, hoverboards, scooters, bicycles, wagons and/or motorized carts or Scooters NO Fidget spinners NO Bicycles inside festival grounds (bike racks will be available near the entrance) NO Large chains or spiked jewelry NO Fireworks, sparklers, firecrackers, and/or incendiary or explosive devices of any kind NO Chinese Lanterns NO Umbrellas NO Chairs of any kind, including inflatable loungers NO Coolers of any kind, including hardsided and softsided coolers NO Pets (service animals with current rabies vaccination excepted) NO Video equipment of any kind (including personal camcorders and GoPro cameras) NO Professional photo equipment (SLDSLR cameras, detachable/removable lens cameras) NO Audio recording equipment of any kind NO Portable audio equipment of any kind, including portable “boom box” stereo systems NO Professional radios or walkietalkies NO Flags and/or flagpoles NO Selfie sticks NO Hammocks NO Any item that can be used as a means to disturb the peace, endanger the safety of the crowd, and/or inflict damage to people and goods *ALLOWED/PROHIBITED ITEMS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Hangout Music Festival and private security personnel at the entrances reserve the right to make the final determination on allowed and non-allowed items.
https://www.hangoutmusicfest.com/info/
submitted by KylosLeftHand to HangoutFest [link] [comments]
ALLOWED ITEMS
YES Liquid sunscreen, in non-aerosol containers of 3oz or less YES Bug spray in non-aerosol containers of 3oz or less YES Clear backpacks, bags, and purses (no larger than 12” x 6” x 12”) YES One-gallon clear plastic freezer bag (Zip-top bag or similar) YES Fanny Packs are allowed YES Small clutch bags approximately the size of a hand with or without a handle or strap YES Blankets & beach towels YES Sunglasses and hats YES One (1) EMPTY non-glass water container up to 2 liters in size YES EMPTY CamelBak style water bladder systems subject with one pocket for the water bladder and one additional pocket* YES If you need medicine, please note that prescription and OTC medications are subject to specific guidelines** YES Factory-sealed nasal Naloxone/Narcan kit; no more than 2 per person YES Baby strollers (if you have small children) *Guidelines for CamelBak style hydration systems: Although SINGLE POCKET CamelBak style water bladder systems are allowed EMPTY into the venue, the water bladders themselves must be capable of being removed from the carrier and must be transparent enough to allow security to visually inspect the empty bladder. Additionally, CamelBak style bladder carriers must have no more than ONE pocket in addition to the compartment that hold the water bladder. Any CamelBak style water bladders that cannot be removed from the carrier and/or is opaque enough to prevent visual inspection will not be allowed into the festival. Any CamelBak style bladder carriers larger than the permitted size will not be allowed into the festival.
**Guidelines for prescription and OTC medications: Prescription medications are allowed only in the original prescription bottle, any person attempting to bring in prescription medication must have a government issued photo identification card that matches the name printed on the prescription, and the pills in the bottle must match the description printed on the prescription. You will only be allowed to carry the dosage of prescription medication required for the duration of each individual Event date. Over-the-counter medications are allowed provided that they are new and in the original, factory-sealed container.
Hangout Bag Policy Graphic PROHIBITED ITEMS
NO Tents, umbrellas, or temporary structures of any kind NO Weapons, knives, or firearms of any kind, including any item that can be used as a weapon NO Narcotics, including marijuana, drug paraphernalia and any other illegal substances NO Backpacks, cinch bags, briefcases, purses, or bags allowed except bags made of clear plastic, clear vinyl, or clear PVC not exceeding 12” x 6” x 12” NO Alcoholic beverages of any kind NO Unsealed disposable vapor or electronic cigarettes NO Drones or any other remote flying device NO Vitamins NO Kites NO Glow Sticks NO Focused light devices, including laser pointers NO Refillable vapor or electronic cigarettes NO Unsealed: cigarette packages, tampons, packs of gum and chapstick/lip gloss NO Marker pens and spray paint NO Air horns and/or megaphones NO Items intended for sale/promotion (including flyers, stickers and posters) NO Water guns, water balloons, and/or any other kind of water projectile NO Glass in any form, including glass bottles NO Outside food or beverages NO Skateboards, rollerblades, hoverboards, scooters, bicycles, wagons and/or motorized carts or Scooters NO Fidget spinners NO Bicycles inside festival grounds (bike racks will be available near the entrance) NO Large chains or spiked jewelry NO Fireworks, sparklers, firecrackers, and/or incendiary or explosive devices of any kind NO Chinese Lanterns NO Umbrellas NO Chairs of any kind, including inflatable loungers NO Coolers of any kind, including hardsided and softsided coolers NO Pets (service animals with current rabies vaccination excepted) NO Video equipment of any kind (including personal camcorders and GoPro cameras) NO Professional photo equipment (SLDSLR cameras, detachable/removable lens cameras) NO Audio recording equipment of any kind NO Portable audio equipment of any kind, including portable “boom box” stereo systems NO Professional radios or walkietalkies NO Flags and/or flagpoles NO Selfie sticks NO Hammocks NO Any item that can be used as a means to disturb the peace, endanger the safety of the crowd, and/or inflict damage to people and goods *ALLOWED/PROHIBITED ITEMS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Hangout Music Festival and private security personnel at the entrances reserve the right to make the final determination on allowed and non-allowed items.
https://www.hangoutmusicfest.com/info/
2024.05.10 20:39 DaveHervey The head of the pharmacist association calls for the sale of cannabis without a prescription WITH MATERIAL FROM DTS NEWS AGENCY MAY 10, 2024
The North Rhine Pharmacists' Association advocates the free sale of cannabis in pharmacies without a prescription. The head of the association, Thomas Preis, sees the pharmacy as a suitable delivery point for high-quality medical cannabis and medical cannabis drops in order to keep patients away from unreliable sources. One step further in the cannabis discussion Thomas Preis , the head of the North Rhine Pharmacists' Association, is calling on politicians to allow the sale of cannabis in pharmacies without a prescription. In his statement to the “Rheinische Post” (Friday editions), Preis said: “Now that cannabis in pharmacies has no longer been classified as a narcotic since April 1st, it would only be a small step for politicians to remove cannabis from prescription requirements in certain cases to be discharged so that patients can treat certain illnesses themselves.” The role of the pharmacy in cannabis dispensing After the partial liberalization of cannabis, Preis suggests that pharmacies could, under strict conditions, distribute small quantities of cannabis without a prescription for medical purposes. “It is entirely conceivable that pharmacies, under strict conditions, would dispense small amounts of cannabis to patients for medical purposes, even without a prescription,” he explained. Prescription requirement and the consequences At this point in time, citizens still need a prescription to purchase cannabis from a pharmacy, although consumption has been legalized since April 1st. Preis emphasized the role of the pharmacy as a suitable delivery location: “This means that they have access to high-quality medical cannabis or medical cannabis drops and they do not have to resort to dubious sources.”
https://www.hasepost.de/apothekerverbandschef-fordert-verkauf-von-cannabis-ohne-rezept-472705/
submitted by DaveHervey to TLRY [link] [comments]
https://www.hasepost.de/apothekerverbandschef-fordert-verkauf-von-cannabis-ohne-rezept-472705/
2024.05.09 06:20 Larkful_Dodger A guide for those looking to quit smoking or get off disposable vapes and start their journey on refillable vapes or pods
With the Australian regulation bans on importation of disposable vapes on 1st of Jan 2024 and importation of reusable vapes on 1st of March 2024 in place, vapes in general are getting more difficult to come by outside of the prescription or pharmacy model.
New regulation of vapes starting January 2024 Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)
Importation of vape liquid flavours, other than tobacco, mint and menthol are part of the regulatory ban on of 1st March 2024. So after stock imported before the ban, has run out, those flavours will be all that is available.
However, domestic manufacturing of 0% nicotine flavoured vape liquid is still legal, pending the outcome of voting on the bill to legislate a ban on domestic manufacture, advertisement, supply and commercial possession of non-therapeutic vapes in Australia, so that may change. If the ban becomes legislation, then DIY is an option (see further below).
This article outlines the steps to take and options to legally purchase vapes and nicotine liquid from an online pharmacy, with a prescription from an online prescriber. This will more than likely be an easier pathway than going to your local GP and pharmacy because many GPs are unfamiliar with vaping and many pharmacies don't stock vapes.
You will need to submit a script to see what is available, as they cannot legally show any vape products until your script is approved.
Getting a prescription and accessing an online pharmacy
There are online prescribers and online pharmacies that specialise in vaping products. Some are separate, others are one-stop-shops for both vape prescription and pharmacy services or partnered with each other.
You can get a script from online prescribers like quitrx.com.au or one-stop-shops like v-scripts.com.au, myduke.com.au and quithero.com.au, amongst others.
Generally, applying is an online questionnaire and the script is emailed to you, or access to an online pharmacy's products is granted.
Prices for prescriptions can vary. Some are free, but limited to their own products, for example myduke.com.au.
Quitmed.com.au and quithero.com.au have the biggest range of vape products, there are many others listed here. Some accept outside scripts, others from their partnered prescribers.
Nicotine vape liquid
You can buy ready-to-vape nicotine liquid, prefilled pods, or purchase nicotine concentrate from a pharmacy and mix it with 0% nicotine flavoured vape liquid.
0% nicotine flavoured liquid can be purchased without a script from vape stores like: vapoureyes.com.au, vapeking.com.au, vapelink.com.au, wickandwireco.com.au.
A more comprehensive list of online and 'bricks and mortar' vape stores in Australia is available here.
Nicotine liquid comes in freebase and salt forms. The difference between freebase and salt nicotine, is that freebase has a better 'throat hit' and is regularly used for vaping at lower levels of nicotine in a higher wattage device, although many use it at moderate levels with a lower wattage device too. Salt nicotine has an acid added, like benzoic acid, so is less irritating to the throat at higher nicotine levels and absorbs into the bloodstream quicker.
Note: disposable vapes generally contain around 50mg/ml (5%) of salt nicotine in Australia, even if there is no information on the label.
If you're coming off disposables, depending on the wattage of the device you decide to use (some are adjustable), 50mg/ml salt nicotine may be too much, so 25mg/ml (2.5%) to 30mg/ml (3%) may be enough. Freebase, at a lower dose, is also an alternative.
For freebase nicotine, the dose range is around 12mg/ml (1.2%) to 18mg/ml (1.8%), anything much above 18mg/ml tends to be irritating to the throat, so salt nicotine is recommended.
If you're coming off smoking, freebase maybe suitable in the transition to vaping because of the 'throat hit' that is similar to a cigarette. Otherwise, if a higher nicotine dose is needed or cravings aren't satisfied, salt nicotine is an alternative.
These nicotine levels are for low watt devices, not sub-ohm high powered vapes that are usually vaped with around 3-6mg/ml of freebase nicotine.
Nicotine concentrate
(Note: If you want things as simple as possible, skip this and go to 'ready to vape liquid' below).
100mg/ml freebase and salt nicotine concentrate are available to mix with 0% nicotine flavoured vape liquid. Quitmed.com.au and Quithero.com.au stock the best value salt or freebase concentrate at $32.90 for 100ml, at time of writing.
You can use a nicotine calculator to work out your desired nicotine level using 100mg/ml nicotine concentrate: Nicotine Calculator - Wick and Wire Co Australia.
If you want to add nicotine concentrate to 0% nicotine flavoured ready-to-vape liquid, you can remove the amount of mls from the bottle, to replace it with the same mls of your chosen mg/ml of concentrate, to get an accurate dose. It also provides enough of a gap in the bottle to do so. You can add the nicotine, without removing liquid to avoid wastage, as long as there's enough room. Just consider that it will be a less accurate dose, especially if a lot of concentrate is used. Alternatively, there are 'shortfill' 0% nicotine flavoured liquid bottles with a gap already.
Another option is a 0% nicotine flavoured liquid 'doubler' that is half filled with double concentration flavour, a bit like cordial. With a doubler, you replace the shortfall after adding nicotine concentrate with unflavoured PG/VG (more about PG/VG below).
With a doubler, you avoid flavour dilution that you would otherwise get adding nicotine concentrate to ready-to-vape liquid, especially when a lot of nicotine concentrate is required.
For example, if your desired nicotine level is 25mg/ml, you would be adding 30mls of 100mg/ml nicotine concentrate to a 60ml doubler. That would make 120mls of 25mg/ml juice when you add 30mls of unflavoured PG/VG.
Take precautions when dealing with nicotine concentrate: FAQ: "Spiking" 0mg e-liquid with your 100mg nicotine.
PG and VG
PG is Propylene glycol and VG is vegetable glycerin, they are the base of vape liquid that carries flavours and nicotine, making up the 4 ingredients of flavoured nicotine vape liquid. More about PG and VG here.
Vape liquid comes in a mix of PG and VG, usually around 50PG/50VG and 30PG/70VG, though there are other ratios.
When choosing vape liquid, 50PG/50VG liquid will carry flavour better and have more of a 'throat hit', being higher PG and is generally for lower wattage devices. 30PG/70VG liquid is smoother and produces more vapour because of the higher VG and tends to be used in higher wattage devices. 30PG/70VG can however, be used in lower wattage devices as well.
When mixing 100mg/ml nicotine concentrate, consider that it's usually PG based and can change the ratio of PG/VG in a 0% nicotine flavoured liquid quite a lot, depending on how much is added. 50PG/50VG together with a larger amount of nicotine PG concentrate might be irritating. In this case, using a 30PG/70VG 0% nicotine flavoured liquid, or a doubler and adding flavourless 30PG/70VG or 100% VG to the shortfall may be best.
DIY
Regardless of any bans, you can still make your own vape liquid. PG, VG and flavours will always be available as they are all used in food manufacturing. Stock of PG, VG and flavours can be sourced from basedrop.com.au and flavourworld.com.au. Recipes can be found at alltheflavors.com and advice on mixing vape liquid at .
Ready to vape liquid
You can buy ready-to-vape nicotine liquid in various strengths up to 50mg/ml (5%), however, you're limited to the brands and flavours on offer at pharmacies.
Prefilled pods
Devices with prefilled pods of flavoured nicotine liquid are also available. They are the most convenient, but also by far, the most expensive.
Flavour profile of disposable vapes vs reusable vapes
Many disposable vapers are looking to replicate the flavour of disposable vapes when they switch to refillable vapes. There is a lot more sweetener and menthol (AKA ice or ws-23 cooling agent) in disposables, so finding a vape liquid with a similar profile or adding sweetener and ws-23 might be an option. You can get advice about adding sweetener etc, at . However, higher levels of sweetener can potentially reduce the life of the coil in your refillable vape and you may get used to the flavour profile of vape juice for refillable vapes anyway.
Availability of vapes and coils/pods
There are plenty of vape devices available that are not approved by the TGA for sale in pharmacies, though stock of them and coils/pods will be an ongoing issue as importation of unapproved devices is banned.
The TGA has an approved list of notified vapes. Popular examples are the Uwell Caliburn G3, Vaporesso XROS 3, Vaporesso XROS 3 Mini and the Vaporesso Luxe X.
If you want to keep things simple, consider going for the XROS 3 Mini, it is a lower wattage 'mouth to lung' (MTL) pod device, with auto draw (inhale activated). It is similar to a disposable, and as similar as possible to a cigarette.
The XROS 3 differs from the XROS 3 Mini in that it has a fire button (with option of auto draw) and adjustable airflow so you can control the tightness of the draw and as such, it can be used for 'restricted direct lung' (RDL) as well as MTL.
The Caliburn G3 is also a MTL and RDL device with auto draw, adjustable airflow and wattage up to 25w (depending on the coil used), so you can control the amount of vapour produced.
The Luxe X is a higher wattage device (up to 40w), with adjustable airflow, that can be used for both (MTL) or 'direct lung' (DL) vaping and is the most versatile of the vapes above.
These devices, compatible coils/pods and others on the list can be found in pharmacies and vape stores (subject to availability).
Here is a link to vapem8.com.au, an Australian vape finder and comparison site to help find vapes, juice, pods, coils etc in stock, outside of pharmacies.
Any questions, ask on aussievapers.
submitted by Larkful_Dodger to DisposableVapeAUS [link] [comments]
New regulation of vapes starting January 2024 Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)
Importation of vape liquid flavours, other than tobacco, mint and menthol are part of the regulatory ban on of 1st March 2024. So after stock imported before the ban, has run out, those flavours will be all that is available.
However, domestic manufacturing of 0% nicotine flavoured vape liquid is still legal, pending the outcome of voting on the bill to legislate a ban on domestic manufacture, advertisement, supply and commercial possession of non-therapeutic vapes in Australia, so that may change. If the ban becomes legislation, then DIY is an option (see further below).
This article outlines the steps to take and options to legally purchase vapes and nicotine liquid from an online pharmacy, with a prescription from an online prescriber. This will more than likely be an easier pathway than going to your local GP and pharmacy because many GPs are unfamiliar with vaping and many pharmacies don't stock vapes.
You will need to submit a script to see what is available, as they cannot legally show any vape products until your script is approved.
Getting a prescription and accessing an online pharmacy
There are online prescribers and online pharmacies that specialise in vaping products. Some are separate, others are one-stop-shops for both vape prescription and pharmacy services or partnered with each other.
You can get a script from online prescribers like quitrx.com.au or one-stop-shops like v-scripts.com.au, myduke.com.au and quithero.com.au, amongst others.
Generally, applying is an online questionnaire and the script is emailed to you, or access to an online pharmacy's products is granted.
Prices for prescriptions can vary. Some are free, but limited to their own products, for example myduke.com.au.
Quitmed.com.au and quithero.com.au have the biggest range of vape products, there are many others listed here. Some accept outside scripts, others from their partnered prescribers.
Nicotine vape liquid
You can buy ready-to-vape nicotine liquid, prefilled pods, or purchase nicotine concentrate from a pharmacy and mix it with 0% nicotine flavoured vape liquid.
0% nicotine flavoured liquid can be purchased without a script from vape stores like: vapoureyes.com.au, vapeking.com.au, vapelink.com.au, wickandwireco.com.au.
A more comprehensive list of online and 'bricks and mortar' vape stores in Australia is available here.
Nicotine liquid comes in freebase and salt forms. The difference between freebase and salt nicotine, is that freebase has a better 'throat hit' and is regularly used for vaping at lower levels of nicotine in a higher wattage device, although many use it at moderate levels with a lower wattage device too. Salt nicotine has an acid added, like benzoic acid, so is less irritating to the throat at higher nicotine levels and absorbs into the bloodstream quicker.
Note: disposable vapes generally contain around 50mg/ml (5%) of salt nicotine in Australia, even if there is no information on the label.
If you're coming off disposables, depending on the wattage of the device you decide to use (some are adjustable), 50mg/ml salt nicotine may be too much, so 25mg/ml (2.5%) to 30mg/ml (3%) may be enough. Freebase, at a lower dose, is also an alternative.
For freebase nicotine, the dose range is around 12mg/ml (1.2%) to 18mg/ml (1.8%), anything much above 18mg/ml tends to be irritating to the throat, so salt nicotine is recommended.
If you're coming off smoking, freebase maybe suitable in the transition to vaping because of the 'throat hit' that is similar to a cigarette. Otherwise, if a higher nicotine dose is needed or cravings aren't satisfied, salt nicotine is an alternative.
These nicotine levels are for low watt devices, not sub-ohm high powered vapes that are usually vaped with around 3-6mg/ml of freebase nicotine.
Nicotine concentrate
(Note: If you want things as simple as possible, skip this and go to 'ready to vape liquid' below).
100mg/ml freebase and salt nicotine concentrate are available to mix with 0% nicotine flavoured vape liquid. Quitmed.com.au and Quithero.com.au stock the best value salt or freebase concentrate at $32.90 for 100ml, at time of writing.
You can use a nicotine calculator to work out your desired nicotine level using 100mg/ml nicotine concentrate: Nicotine Calculator - Wick and Wire Co Australia.
If you want to add nicotine concentrate to 0% nicotine flavoured ready-to-vape liquid, you can remove the amount of mls from the bottle, to replace it with the same mls of your chosen mg/ml of concentrate, to get an accurate dose. It also provides enough of a gap in the bottle to do so. You can add the nicotine, without removing liquid to avoid wastage, as long as there's enough room. Just consider that it will be a less accurate dose, especially if a lot of concentrate is used. Alternatively, there are 'shortfill' 0% nicotine flavoured liquid bottles with a gap already.
Another option is a 0% nicotine flavoured liquid 'doubler' that is half filled with double concentration flavour, a bit like cordial. With a doubler, you replace the shortfall after adding nicotine concentrate with unflavoured PG/VG (more about PG/VG below).
With a doubler, you avoid flavour dilution that you would otherwise get adding nicotine concentrate to ready-to-vape liquid, especially when a lot of nicotine concentrate is required.
For example, if your desired nicotine level is 25mg/ml, you would be adding 30mls of 100mg/ml nicotine concentrate to a 60ml doubler. That would make 120mls of 25mg/ml juice when you add 30mls of unflavoured PG/VG.
Take precautions when dealing with nicotine concentrate: FAQ: "Spiking" 0mg e-liquid with your 100mg nicotine.
PG and VG
PG is Propylene glycol and VG is vegetable glycerin, they are the base of vape liquid that carries flavours and nicotine, making up the 4 ingredients of flavoured nicotine vape liquid. More about PG and VG here.
Vape liquid comes in a mix of PG and VG, usually around 50PG/50VG and 30PG/70VG, though there are other ratios.
When choosing vape liquid, 50PG/50VG liquid will carry flavour better and have more of a 'throat hit', being higher PG and is generally for lower wattage devices. 30PG/70VG liquid is smoother and produces more vapour because of the higher VG and tends to be used in higher wattage devices. 30PG/70VG can however, be used in lower wattage devices as well.
When mixing 100mg/ml nicotine concentrate, consider that it's usually PG based and can change the ratio of PG/VG in a 0% nicotine flavoured liquid quite a lot, depending on how much is added. 50PG/50VG together with a larger amount of nicotine PG concentrate might be irritating. In this case, using a 30PG/70VG 0% nicotine flavoured liquid, or a doubler and adding flavourless 30PG/70VG or 100% VG to the shortfall may be best.
DIY
Regardless of any bans, you can still make your own vape liquid. PG, VG and flavours will always be available as they are all used in food manufacturing. Stock of PG, VG and flavours can be sourced from basedrop.com.au and flavourworld.com.au. Recipes can be found at alltheflavors.com and advice on mixing vape liquid at .
Ready to vape liquid
You can buy ready-to-vape nicotine liquid in various strengths up to 50mg/ml (5%), however, you're limited to the brands and flavours on offer at pharmacies.
Prefilled pods
Devices with prefilled pods of flavoured nicotine liquid are also available. They are the most convenient, but also by far, the most expensive.
Flavour profile of disposable vapes vs reusable vapes
Many disposable vapers are looking to replicate the flavour of disposable vapes when they switch to refillable vapes. There is a lot more sweetener and menthol (AKA ice or ws-23 cooling agent) in disposables, so finding a vape liquid with a similar profile or adding sweetener and ws-23 might be an option. You can get advice about adding sweetener etc, at . However, higher levels of sweetener can potentially reduce the life of the coil in your refillable vape and you may get used to the flavour profile of vape juice for refillable vapes anyway.
Availability of vapes and coils/pods
There are plenty of vape devices available that are not approved by the TGA for sale in pharmacies, though stock of them and coils/pods will be an ongoing issue as importation of unapproved devices is banned.
The TGA has an approved list of notified vapes. Popular examples are the Uwell Caliburn G3, Vaporesso XROS 3, Vaporesso XROS 3 Mini and the Vaporesso Luxe X.
If you want to keep things simple, consider going for the XROS 3 Mini, it is a lower wattage 'mouth to lung' (MTL) pod device, with auto draw (inhale activated). It is similar to a disposable, and as similar as possible to a cigarette.
The XROS 3 differs from the XROS 3 Mini in that it has a fire button (with option of auto draw) and adjustable airflow so you can control the tightness of the draw and as such, it can be used for 'restricted direct lung' (RDL) as well as MTL.
The Caliburn G3 is also a MTL and RDL device with auto draw, adjustable airflow and wattage up to 25w (depending on the coil used), so you can control the amount of vapour produced.
The Luxe X is a higher wattage device (up to 40w), with adjustable airflow, that can be used for both (MTL) or 'direct lung' (DL) vaping and is the most versatile of the vapes above.
These devices, compatible coils/pods and others on the list can be found in pharmacies and vape stores (subject to availability).
Here is a link to vapem8.com.au, an Australian vape finder and comparison site to help find vapes, juice, pods, coils etc in stock, outside of pharmacies.
Any questions, ask on aussievapers.
2024.05.09 02:01 Subject-Incident1202 Rash on abdomen post hysterectomy
34F, 165 lbs, 5’8
Epilepsy/cavernoma, PTSD, IBS
Lamictal and sertraline (and currently iron and B complex).
Hello, 6 days ago I had a laparoscopic hysterectomy. It went well and there were no complications aside from slight anemia post op for which I was started on iron pills and B complex. 2 days ago my incisions started to bother me a bit, and then yesterday (day 5 post op), my ENTIRE abdomen broke out in a rash. Went to my OBGYN today and she said it’s a delayed allergic reaction to something used during surgery. Allergic dermatitis. So that’s good news that it’s nothing serious. But I got home and tried some hydrocortisone cream, and it started itching SO MUCH WORSE than before, and the rash started looking worse; almost like hives instead of just small red spots. Eventually I showered and washed the hydrocortisone cream off, and the rash still looks pretty bad but the itching is better. I also took a Zyrtec but that didn’t help anything. I have to avoid Benadryl due to seizure risk so I can’t try that. Itching is starting to come back. Ice helps a bit. I’m wondering if there are any other home remedies I can try/any prescription you can think of that I could ask my doctor about trying? This rash and itching is driving me insane. Thank you.
submitted by Subject-Incident1202 to AskDocs [link] [comments]
Epilepsy/cavernoma, PTSD, IBS
Lamictal and sertraline (and currently iron and B complex).
Hello, 6 days ago I had a laparoscopic hysterectomy. It went well and there were no complications aside from slight anemia post op for which I was started on iron pills and B complex. 2 days ago my incisions started to bother me a bit, and then yesterday (day 5 post op), my ENTIRE abdomen broke out in a rash. Went to my OBGYN today and she said it’s a delayed allergic reaction to something used during surgery. Allergic dermatitis. So that’s good news that it’s nothing serious. But I got home and tried some hydrocortisone cream, and it started itching SO MUCH WORSE than before, and the rash started looking worse; almost like hives instead of just small red spots. Eventually I showered and washed the hydrocortisone cream off, and the rash still looks pretty bad but the itching is better. I also took a Zyrtec but that didn’t help anything. I have to avoid Benadryl due to seizure risk so I can’t try that. Itching is starting to come back. Ice helps a bit. I’m wondering if there are any other home remedies I can try/any prescription you can think of that I could ask my doctor about trying? This rash and itching is driving me insane. Thank you.
2024.05.08 20:34 meowtownm *urgent* Does anyone have tips on finding a new psychiatrist asap?? I think my "current" doctor is withholding my medication.
For context, I am bipolar. I take lamictal, gabapentin, buproprion, Adderall(long acting), and Ativan(as needed).
We schedule an appointment every 6 months where I am charged $350. It was $275 until I was diagnosed with ADHD by a neurologist. Since I now have to call her every month she charges me more. It is one week until 6 months. She won't send me a prescription for the Adderall(I've only refilled 3-4 times, just for work) and she denied sending in just a weeks worth of buproprion(or less depending on the appt date)..
I promise you this is for no good reason, she's just a mean person, even my former psychologist dislikes her. I've also been on the same medication forever and it has had me stable, there's nothing complicated about it, nothing has changed.
I was supposed do facetime at 8pm but I called her to explain that I need those medications for tomorrow. She has gotten so angry with me about it and this isn't the first time.She says if this is the way I feel that I should get a new psychiatrist and that we won't be speaking tonight.
I don't know what to do. I've tried to contact different psychiatrists in the past and they just never get back to me but now I'm desperate and legitimately scared. Even if I am able to get in contact with someone I still need to set up and wait for an appointment.
Please help, I need serious advice:(
submitted by meowtownm to psychiatryquestion [link] [comments]
We schedule an appointment every 6 months where I am charged $350. It was $275 until I was diagnosed with ADHD by a neurologist. Since I now have to call her every month she charges me more. It is one week until 6 months. She won't send me a prescription for the Adderall(I've only refilled 3-4 times, just for work) and she denied sending in just a weeks worth of buproprion(or less depending on the appt date)..
I promise you this is for no good reason, she's just a mean person, even my former psychologist dislikes her. I've also been on the same medication forever and it has had me stable, there's nothing complicated about it, nothing has changed.
I was supposed do facetime at 8pm but I called her to explain that I need those medications for tomorrow. She has gotten so angry with me about it and this isn't the first time.She says if this is the way I feel that I should get a new psychiatrist and that we won't be speaking tonight.
I don't know what to do. I've tried to contact different psychiatrists in the past and they just never get back to me but now I'm desperate and legitimately scared. Even if I am able to get in contact with someone I still need to set up and wait for an appointment.
Please help, I need serious advice:(
2024.05.08 16:52 thePantherT Will democracy survive 2024. How Americans are being deceived.
The first mistake is to think that America is a democracy, were not. We are what Jefferson termed a Oligarchy. I will tell you my view and opinion, as someone whos studied history especially war history my whole life. Also currently studying pre American history in depth and our system and politics. Not everyone will agree and that's great, its America. The first thing I will say is that Americans are being deceived and misled and brainwashed. The purpose of this is to play both extremes against the middle, to polarize, to distract, to divide, to heard the middle/sheep between the 2 great evils the woke vs the fascists where "they" want us to go which is where were headed. Not only on a political or social level but on a national level through the controlling of information which historically has always been the greatest psychological weapon of war. Information is not completely controlled in America, but the information most people are accessing is controlled, from internet search engines, to news, to social media platforms, to entertainment, the greatest psychological weapon is the information Americans are not aware of. The information Americans see from the media, or google or wherever, does not reflect the actual state of politics in America and I hope to demonstrate this with my argument. Lets start from the basics, how did we get here. For you republicans out their who will probably think I am a leftist, I will start by attacking the woke first and why they are so dangerous to our nations principles and Liberty. The woke movement in America has highjacked the original meaning and purpose of the feminist movement. Woke has waged a war on American principles that has caused a reactionary politic in opposition that falsely correlates peoples support for the LGBTQ and tolerance with wokeism. Most the people supporting the LGBTQ are not even aware of what the woke represents or the damage it has done. They perceive this reactionary force namely conservatives as intolerant bigots and yes their is a radical movement on the far right that does represent bigotry's and racism, but like the woke, does not actually reflect the vast majority of conservative Americans. Let me try to demonstrate this fact with just one issue "abortion." The vast majority of Americans support early stage abortions crossing party lines to include conservatives. Two-thirds of Americans say it should be legal in the first trimester 69%. That's roughly 13 weeks. Majorities oppose abortion being legal in the second (55%) and third (70%) trimesters. Again crossing party lines. This according to gallop. In other words most Americans for you democrats out their, are not supportive of the complete abortion bans that the radical right is pushing, and that movement does not reflect the reality of politics for the vast majority of conservatives. The propaganda to divide people, to radicalize, to polarize, to dehumanize and create division is working but its a lie. The vast majority of Americans are concerned about the same issues but see things through different lenses of controlled information, and both sides are being deceived. Back to the woke and what they represent today. The woke have pushed a infinity of political agendas and policies in the name of Equality and Equity that are fundamentally antithetical to freedom. Such as Hiring policies based on race, sexual preference, or gender. Such as University selection based on race, gender or sexual preference. The woke have also targeted children and parents rights, pushing policies to allow kids to make the most consequential decisions they could possibly make, including gender treatments and puberty blockers, at children's most vulnerable and unstable stages of development. without parental oversight or say, in fact trying to imprison parents in California who apposed this after finding out that schools were "educating children" on their rights to make such decisions, again all in the name of rights. But children cannot buy guns, or drugs, or make other consequential decisions, and this is far from the only communist gospel the woke are pushing. They are targeting free expression, that is speech which is not explicitly a threat or call for violence, but labeled offensive. Even rejecting terms like Women to be replaced with "Birthing person." Rejecting terms like rapist or murderer to be replaced with "persons involved in justice." This stuff is sickening to see and Dr. Phil does a good job on this in his book, WE’VE GOT ISSUES. The woke also want to disarm the population, stigmatizing self defense and guns, once a symbol of Liberty and the Inherent natural right to self defense. A people that cannot resist can and will always end in slavery and oppression. “Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”― Benjamin Franklin. Those who are willing to sacrifice their liberty for temporary security are ultimately left with neither liberty nor security. Yes I am aware and consider gun violence to be a major issue that must be addressed but I consider shootings and crime, and suicide, and the declining birthrate to be mere symptoms of much greater problems including our predatory crony system, and the kinds of gun control being pushed does violate the constitution. Illinois banned every semi automatic weapon including pistoles basically every gun available. If their is a line between weapons of war and mass death and the second amendment that has not yet been settled, this is a gross violation of the right to self defense. Homicide was the largest single category of gun deaths among children and teens in 2021, accounting for 60% of the total that year. It was followed by suicide at 32% and accidents at 5%. Among U.S. adults, by contrast, suicides accounted for a 55% majority of gun deaths in 2021. A rise by 50 percent in 2 years. That's 3.5 per 100,000 people. This is far from everything the woke are doing but its a basic summary of some of what they are doing, which is antithetical to American Principle that People should be judged, and have opportunity based on merit alone and nothing else. The woke are pushing an equality of outcome at the expense of the rights of others, and Equal opportunity. They are waging a war on fundamental liberties and the Inherent Natural Rights of mankind. I shall now tackle the radical right, which honestly I have done more research on because many of our current issues do go back to the republicans of the 1970s 80's. Back then it was largely democrats representing American principles and a fair system, and human rights. The radical right, and how they have moved away from American principles. 2016 was a turning point in American history. Donald Trumps election shook the very foundations of the Union, beginning with a denial of foreign influence however inconsequential it was, and an assault on American principles. It has become very clear to former Republicans like myself who still admire Lincolns republican party and remain proud Democratic Republicans, that Trump did not challenge any real systemic corruption while in office. In fact Trump embodied the swamp, excepting dark Corporate money in huge sums. Trump successfully dismantled opposition to his rule in the Republican party, and now threatens the nation with another presidency promising vengeance against political opposition. Trump preaches hate and intolerance rarely seen in American politics, calling his opposition vermin, and embracing Marxist Leninist critical race theory, saying that immigrants are "poisoning the blood" of our nation. Something the republicans of yesterday, Condemned vehemently in support of a colorblind society. The American principle to judge people based on merit alone. Instead of Peace through Strength, Trump would go on to surrender US bases in Syria to Putin's troops, allowing Putin to further consolidate his support of dictator Assad. Trump would move the US embassy to Jerusalem ultimately taking sides in the Israel Palestine dispute, certainly contributing to the Israel Hamas war. Trump surrendered a stable Afghanistan which for the first time had basic human rights and liberty, education and opportunity. He threatened to withdraw from NATO, and other allies including South Korea, Poland and others. Trump gave North Korea international recognition in exchange for a photo, arguably the most repressive system on earth. He publicly declared Americas men and women in uniform liars, stating that dictator Putin was "Extremely Strong and powerful in his denial" after US intelligence exposed Russia's systematic interference in our democratic process. Trumps covid policies hollowed out the middle class. Trumps deregulation further crippled the governments ability to challenge Corporate power, and the corporate stranglehold and impoverishment of our Republic. Today every sector of the US economy is monopoly mirroring the very system which caused the American revolution, Corporations and State. Trumps presidency was a wakeup call to the nation, reminding Americans of the dangers that not only led to the misguided 2016 election of Donald Trump, but superseded his election by creating the dangers and problems associated with crony capitalism and corporate oligarchy. Like the 1920s and what many Americans called "the Republican Great depression" today we face once again the same dangers of Monopoly and corporate domination. Republicans once again embody Corporations and State. If elected republicans are promising to enshrine right wing fascism, Church and State, Corporations and State, into the fabric of the nation. The Republican party of today began the processes which lead to the financial corruption of politics and the sale of our nations independence, the destruction of localized vibrant economies. Starting in the 1970s. Today Corporate monopolies dominate the nation, and while hard working Americans struggle with the incredible burden of taxation, stagnant wages, corruption in politics, a health crisis caused not only by deregulation and corporate capture, but by monopolies dominating medical treatment and healthcare. Robber barons live in wealth and luxury in a system designed to Rob Americans of the fruits of their labor, robbing the nation of growth, innovation, competition, and "the Great Prosperity." In fact "Greed inflation" is at an all time high, Americans are ripped off and impoverished because their is no competition. In a Real Democratic Republic ensuring Equal Opportunity, Americans would have the highest quality products at the lowest cost. Individual Success would be a choice of labor and merit. History has already demonstrated this fact. Beginning with the American revolution, which contrary to the corporate propaganda in our broken education system, was not caused by taxation, their has been a constant struggle for Equal Opportunity that is reemerging today among disgruntled Americans who have been left behind and failed by the current corrupt predatory system. Trump is not the cause of Americas corruption or decline, that is what got him elected, the promise to uproot the corruption. It had an appeal to many Americans at the time including myself, and only later on did I become the critic of Trump that I am now.
Corporate Monopoly today and the American Revolution. The tea act of 1773 which caused the Boston Tea Party, did not increase taxes on Americans, and although like today the sentiment against paying high taxes was strong it did not trigger the American revolution. The tea act of 1773 lowered taxes for the worlds largest Corporation, allowing East India company to undersell and put American tea companies out of business, establishing a Monopoly on tea. The tea act of 1773 was merely the continuation of policies which subsidized large corporations at the expense of the nation. In fact the tea act of 1773 lowered tea prices for Americans. This debate over classical Economics goes back to the beginning of economic theory, and our understanding of economics and scientists like Adam Smith. An important note I want to make is that the democratic republicans of the time rejected some of Adam Smiths classical economics and his invisible hand. They understood that in such systems, corporations have an infinity of levers to artificially manipulate the market, to increase profits and what they called "milking the population for every penny." The results they demonstrated, were always the centralization of wealth and power into a corporate monopoly and Oligarchy. Also the conditions this created they argued, leads to population declines and other major problems and declines. Again all of this debate happened prior to the American revolution but apart of the movement and politics which later encompassed what became the American nation based on Democratic Republican principles. Some of the Democratic Republicans in America were Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, George Mason, James Monroe and many others. They apposed the Aristocratic republicans. The "Boston Tea Party" was a rebellion against Corporations and State. Today Republicans champion the same policies and system which caused The Boston Tea Party, granting tax breaks to and subsidizing large corporations which now fund and control the Republican party. This caused the death of localized vibrant economies bringing corporate chain stores, and killing small businesses, and competition. It hollowed out our manufacturing power, as these same corporations moved their business abroad for cheap slave labor, partnering with tyrannical governments willing to do corporate friendly business at the expense of their own nations and people. Then selling those cheap products to Americans at higher and ever increasing monopoly pricing. Today America is monopolized and faces a concentration of power unlike anything the world has ever seen. Before the 80s no company could purchase a competitor if it meant controlling more then 4% of a product. As a result of "the Powell Memo" which called on corporations to actively involve themselves in politics, followed by corrupt right wing supreme court justices who started this process, by ruling that, money is speech in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, dismantling The Tillman Act of 1907, and allowing corporations to fund politics. Since then Corporations have been funding politics and righting legislation, from the Supreme Court, to the congress, to the presidency, to government institutions like the FDA which are supposed to regulate their profiteers. Worse yet monopolies have gobbled up local economies and centralized every industry in America in the name of lower prices and deregulation. Today only a few big corporations control every industry in the United States. The top 1% of families captured 58% of total real income growth per family from 2009 to 2014. For 40 years prior to Reaganomics the wealth of middle class Americans was increasing faster than the top 1 percent, faster than executive’s although they did just fine. Since then, where we had wide celebrated diversity in every industry like beer brewing for example, Milwaukee's finest and you had to smuggle cores light out of Colorado. Today we have instead 2 corporations that produce over 90% of all the beer consumed in the United States. While South Koreans get internet speeds 200 times faster and far more reliable than what most Americans get, paying only 27$ a month. Americans pay an average of 90$ a month, Europeans pay an average of 19$ a month and the speeds are faster and more reliable and unlimited. The European Union has taken an active role in crushing monopolies. In the US just 1 company Comcast controls over 50 percent of the market. On Wall Street, the 20 biggest banks own assets equivalent to 84% of the United States entire gross domestic product. Just 12 of those banks own 70% of all banking assets. That means if those 12 banks collapse, the entire system collapses. Just 4 companies control 90% of the grain trade. 3 companies control 70% of the American beef industry. Just 4 companies control 58 percent of the U.S. pork and chicken producing processes. In retail Walmart controls 1/4 of the entire US grocery market. 4 companies produce 75% of our breakfast cereal, 75% of all snack foods, 60% of all cookies, and half of all the ice cream sold in supermarkets around the nation. In health insurance just 4 companies control 3/4 of the entire health insurance market. In 38 states just 2 ensures control 58% of the market. In 15 states just 1 insurer controls over 60% of the market. In the cellular phone market just 4 companies control 89% of the market. Capitalism does work for the average American and small businesses, but only when the rules are set that way. Rig those rules to give disproportionate power to the very wealthy and we have what Franklin Roosevelt called fascism.
FDR. "Unhappy events abroad have retaught us two simple truths about the liberty of a democratic people. The first truth is that the liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is Fascism—ownership of Government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. The second truth is that the liberty of a democracy is not safe if its business system does not provide employment and produce and distribute goods in such a way as to sustain an acceptable standard of living. Both lessons hit home. Among us today a concentration of private power without equal in history is growing. This concentration is seriously impairing the economic effectiveness of private enterprise as a way of providing employment for labor and capital and as a way of assuring a more equitable distribution of income and earnings among the people of the nation as a whole."
Unlike and antithetical the the Party of Lincoln, Republicans today champion ideas and policies antithetical to the very fabric of our nation, antithetical to American principles. “I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. . . . corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed.” —U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, Nov. 21, 1864
Likewise Jefferson among many of the founders feared the dangers of corporate power, and advocated until his death for an amendment banning monopolies. “the selfish spirit of commerce (that) knows no country, and feels no passion or principle but that of gain.” "I sincerely believe, with you, that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies" Jefferson also expressed his concerns in a response to the new constitution. "I will now add what I do not like. First the omission of a bill of rights providing clearly & without the aid of sophisms for freedom of religion, freedom of the press, protection against standing armies, RESTRICTION AGAINST MONOPOLIES" Today it is clearer then ever that republicans represent a fascist threat to the United States of America. The republican party champions Corporations and State, but so to do the democrats. Politics on both sides and the institutions of government are captured by corporate interest. Meanwhile America is spending its way to ruin. The interest on the national debt in 2024 is going to be a staggering 870 billion dollars. The controversy in our education system and woke garbage comes at a time when kids are scoring the lowest in critical areas since records began. While Americans suffer the highest chronic illness of any nation on earth, It's a well-documented fact that adverse prescription drug effects and other medical errors are the third leading cause of death in America. Americas foreign policy since the Kennedy Assassination's has been to topple democratically elected governments, to open our economy to nations antithetical to our values, and unwilling to follow the same rules. To impose a national security state, violating the constitution, and to wage a war on our Inherent Natural Rights in the name of national security. My own opinion is that RFK jr is the only candidate running against the real systemic corruption and issues America faces. He is the only one that's talking about the issues and their cause. When I first heard about him I thought he was exactly what the media says, a conspiracy nut and clown. But having learned the hard way about how to think for myself, I had to read his books and see his side of things before taking an opinion based on the accusations and claims of the media. I challenge anyone with an opinion on the matter to do your diligence, read his books before taking a cold hard position on RFK. I was actually shocked. The scientific studies in his books you'll never hear about from the Big Pharma funded news agencies. The information people are getting is one sided and controlled. I actually love RFK for what he is doing and why, because he gives a dam, because real morality exists only in those who contributed human misery and suffering to injustice, and established an emotional connection to justice itself. That is to care about those whose suffering doesn't effect us. My current studies on the Enlightenment and Age of Reason have caused me to think about this in depth lately. But seriously RFK jr in my opinion is the only chance in hell of up righting this ship. Its our choice, and those who say that a vote for RFK is a vote for Trump must face the fact that RFK is taking a much larger percentage of trump support then Biden. Even today I found out that RFKs recent video was already being censored on Facebook. https://youtu.be/guw1fLJs5EY?si=3h66OCZDNmWGcdUw
They want to stigmatize and character Assassinate him with their machine of psychological warfare. They hope that Americans will not do their due diligence and investigate fort themselves, such as actually reading RFKs books or listening to his full statements and speech in context, where they've labeled him a racist and anti vax.
submitted by thePantherT to PoliticalOpinions [link] [comments]
Corporate Monopoly today and the American Revolution. The tea act of 1773 which caused the Boston Tea Party, did not increase taxes on Americans, and although like today the sentiment against paying high taxes was strong it did not trigger the American revolution. The tea act of 1773 lowered taxes for the worlds largest Corporation, allowing East India company to undersell and put American tea companies out of business, establishing a Monopoly on tea. The tea act of 1773 was merely the continuation of policies which subsidized large corporations at the expense of the nation. In fact the tea act of 1773 lowered tea prices for Americans. This debate over classical Economics goes back to the beginning of economic theory, and our understanding of economics and scientists like Adam Smith. An important note I want to make is that the democratic republicans of the time rejected some of Adam Smiths classical economics and his invisible hand. They understood that in such systems, corporations have an infinity of levers to artificially manipulate the market, to increase profits and what they called "milking the population for every penny." The results they demonstrated, were always the centralization of wealth and power into a corporate monopoly and Oligarchy. Also the conditions this created they argued, leads to population declines and other major problems and declines. Again all of this debate happened prior to the American revolution but apart of the movement and politics which later encompassed what became the American nation based on Democratic Republican principles. Some of the Democratic Republicans in America were Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, George Mason, James Monroe and many others. They apposed the Aristocratic republicans. The "Boston Tea Party" was a rebellion against Corporations and State. Today Republicans champion the same policies and system which caused The Boston Tea Party, granting tax breaks to and subsidizing large corporations which now fund and control the Republican party. This caused the death of localized vibrant economies bringing corporate chain stores, and killing small businesses, and competition. It hollowed out our manufacturing power, as these same corporations moved their business abroad for cheap slave labor, partnering with tyrannical governments willing to do corporate friendly business at the expense of their own nations and people. Then selling those cheap products to Americans at higher and ever increasing monopoly pricing. Today America is monopolized and faces a concentration of power unlike anything the world has ever seen. Before the 80s no company could purchase a competitor if it meant controlling more then 4% of a product. As a result of "the Powell Memo" which called on corporations to actively involve themselves in politics, followed by corrupt right wing supreme court justices who started this process, by ruling that, money is speech in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, dismantling The Tillman Act of 1907, and allowing corporations to fund politics. Since then Corporations have been funding politics and righting legislation, from the Supreme Court, to the congress, to the presidency, to government institutions like the FDA which are supposed to regulate their profiteers. Worse yet monopolies have gobbled up local economies and centralized every industry in America in the name of lower prices and deregulation. Today only a few big corporations control every industry in the United States. The top 1% of families captured 58% of total real income growth per family from 2009 to 2014. For 40 years prior to Reaganomics the wealth of middle class Americans was increasing faster than the top 1 percent, faster than executive’s although they did just fine. Since then, where we had wide celebrated diversity in every industry like beer brewing for example, Milwaukee's finest and you had to smuggle cores light out of Colorado. Today we have instead 2 corporations that produce over 90% of all the beer consumed in the United States. While South Koreans get internet speeds 200 times faster and far more reliable than what most Americans get, paying only 27$ a month. Americans pay an average of 90$ a month, Europeans pay an average of 19$ a month and the speeds are faster and more reliable and unlimited. The European Union has taken an active role in crushing monopolies. In the US just 1 company Comcast controls over 50 percent of the market. On Wall Street, the 20 biggest banks own assets equivalent to 84% of the United States entire gross domestic product. Just 12 of those banks own 70% of all banking assets. That means if those 12 banks collapse, the entire system collapses. Just 4 companies control 90% of the grain trade. 3 companies control 70% of the American beef industry. Just 4 companies control 58 percent of the U.S. pork and chicken producing processes. In retail Walmart controls 1/4 of the entire US grocery market. 4 companies produce 75% of our breakfast cereal, 75% of all snack foods, 60% of all cookies, and half of all the ice cream sold in supermarkets around the nation. In health insurance just 4 companies control 3/4 of the entire health insurance market. In 38 states just 2 ensures control 58% of the market. In 15 states just 1 insurer controls over 60% of the market. In the cellular phone market just 4 companies control 89% of the market. Capitalism does work for the average American and small businesses, but only when the rules are set that way. Rig those rules to give disproportionate power to the very wealthy and we have what Franklin Roosevelt called fascism.
FDR. "Unhappy events abroad have retaught us two simple truths about the liberty of a democratic people. The first truth is that the liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is Fascism—ownership of Government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. The second truth is that the liberty of a democracy is not safe if its business system does not provide employment and produce and distribute goods in such a way as to sustain an acceptable standard of living. Both lessons hit home. Among us today a concentration of private power without equal in history is growing. This concentration is seriously impairing the economic effectiveness of private enterprise as a way of providing employment for labor and capital and as a way of assuring a more equitable distribution of income and earnings among the people of the nation as a whole."
Unlike and antithetical the the Party of Lincoln, Republicans today champion ideas and policies antithetical to the very fabric of our nation, antithetical to American principles. “I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. . . . corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed.” —U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, Nov. 21, 1864
Likewise Jefferson among many of the founders feared the dangers of corporate power, and advocated until his death for an amendment banning monopolies. “the selfish spirit of commerce (that) knows no country, and feels no passion or principle but that of gain.” "I sincerely believe, with you, that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies" Jefferson also expressed his concerns in a response to the new constitution. "I will now add what I do not like. First the omission of a bill of rights providing clearly & without the aid of sophisms for freedom of religion, freedom of the press, protection against standing armies, RESTRICTION AGAINST MONOPOLIES" Today it is clearer then ever that republicans represent a fascist threat to the United States of America. The republican party champions Corporations and State, but so to do the democrats. Politics on both sides and the institutions of government are captured by corporate interest. Meanwhile America is spending its way to ruin. The interest on the national debt in 2024 is going to be a staggering 870 billion dollars. The controversy in our education system and woke garbage comes at a time when kids are scoring the lowest in critical areas since records began. While Americans suffer the highest chronic illness of any nation on earth, It's a well-documented fact that adverse prescription drug effects and other medical errors are the third leading cause of death in America. Americas foreign policy since the Kennedy Assassination's has been to topple democratically elected governments, to open our economy to nations antithetical to our values, and unwilling to follow the same rules. To impose a national security state, violating the constitution, and to wage a war on our Inherent Natural Rights in the name of national security. My own opinion is that RFK jr is the only candidate running against the real systemic corruption and issues America faces. He is the only one that's talking about the issues and their cause. When I first heard about him I thought he was exactly what the media says, a conspiracy nut and clown. But having learned the hard way about how to think for myself, I had to read his books and see his side of things before taking an opinion based on the accusations and claims of the media. I challenge anyone with an opinion on the matter to do your diligence, read his books before taking a cold hard position on RFK. I was actually shocked. The scientific studies in his books you'll never hear about from the Big Pharma funded news agencies. The information people are getting is one sided and controlled. I actually love RFK for what he is doing and why, because he gives a dam, because real morality exists only in those who contributed human misery and suffering to injustice, and established an emotional connection to justice itself. That is to care about those whose suffering doesn't effect us. My current studies on the Enlightenment and Age of Reason have caused me to think about this in depth lately. But seriously RFK jr in my opinion is the only chance in hell of up righting this ship. Its our choice, and those who say that a vote for RFK is a vote for Trump must face the fact that RFK is taking a much larger percentage of trump support then Biden. Even today I found out that RFKs recent video was already being censored on Facebook. https://youtu.be/guw1fLJs5EY?si=3h66OCZDNmWGcdUw
They want to stigmatize and character Assassinate him with their machine of psychological warfare. They hope that Americans will not do their due diligence and investigate fort themselves, such as actually reading RFKs books or listening to his full statements and speech in context, where they've labeled him a racist and anti vax.
2024.05.08 13:15 HotSarcasm $TEVA: Teva Reports First Quarter 2024 Financial Results and Reaffirms 2024 Financial Outlook
 |
Mr. Richard Francis, Teva's President and CEO, said, "In 2024 Teva is off to a good start, with global revenues of $3.8 billion showing growth of 5% in local currency terms compared to Q1 2023, fueled by robust growth in our generics business across all regions, and continued growth of our innovative brands AUSTEDO and AJOVY." Mr. Francis continued, “As we mark the first anniversary of our Pivot to Growth Strategy, I am proud of the significant strides we have been making in realizing the goals and milestones we set out to achieve on our journey to growth, including the progression of our innovative pipeline and growth drivers, as well as the recent FDA approvals of SIMLANDI and SELARSDI, the biosimilars to Humira® and Stelara®, respectively, and the positive Phase 3 efficacy results for olanzapine Once-Monthly LAI announced this morning. The study met its primary endpoint, demonstrating a well-tolerated effective long-acting treatment option for schizophrenia, with no incidence of post-injection delirium/sedation syndrome (PDSS) observed to date. As we continue to accelerate our growth progress, we reaffirm our financial guidance for 2024." Pivot to Growth Strategy In May 2023, we introduced our “Pivot to Growth” strategy, which is based on four key pillars: (i) delivering on our growth engines, mainly AUSTEDO, AJOVY, UZEDY® and our late-stage pipeline of biosimilars; (ii) stepping up innovation through delivering on our late-stage innovative pipeline assets as well as building up our early-stage pipeline organically and potentially through business development activities; (iii) sustaining our generics medicines powerhouse with a global commercial footprint, focused portfolio, pipeline and manufacturing footprint; and (iv) focusing our business by optimizing our portfolio and global manufacturing footprint to enable strategic capital deployment to accelerate our near and long-term growth engines and reorganizing certain of our business units to a more optimal structure, while also reorganizing key business units to enhance operational efficiency. First Quarter 2024 Consolidated Results The data presented in this press release with respect to operating income (loss), income (loss) before income taxes, income taxes (benefit), net income (loss) attributable to Teva and earnings (loss) per share for prior period has been revised to reflect a revision in relation to a contingent consideration and related expenses. For additional information, see note 1b to our consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and note 1c to our consolidated financial statements included in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2024. Revenues in the first quarter of 2024 were $3,819 million, an increase of 4% in U.S. dollars or 5% in local currency terms compared to the first quarter of 2023. This increase was mainly due to higher revenues from generic products in all our segments, from AUSTEDO, as well as from AJOVY in our Europe and International Markets segments, partially offset by lower revenues from COPAXONE®, and from Anda, our distribution business in the U.S. Exchange rate movements during the first quarter of 2024, net of hedging effects, negatively impacted overall revenues by $39 million, compared to the first quarter of 2023. Exchange rate movements during the first quarter of 2024, including hedging effects, negatively impacted our operating income and non-GAAP operating income each by $11 million compared to the first quarter of 2023. Gross profit in the first quarter of 2024 was $1,771 million, an increase of 12% compared to $1,582 million in the first quarter of 2023. Gross profit margin was 46.4% in the first quarter of 2024, compared to 43.2% in the first quarter of 2023. Non-GAAP gross profit was $1,963 million in the first quarter of 2024, an increase of 9% compared to $1,796 million in the first quarter of 2023. Non-GAAP gross profit margin was 51.4% in the first quarter of 2024, compared to 49.1% in the first quarter of 2023. The increase in both gross profit margin and non-GAAP gross profit margin was mainly due to a favorable mix of products as well as a decrease in our operational costs. Research and Development (R&D) expenses, net in the first quarter of 2024 were $242 million, an increase of 4% compared to $234 million in the first quarter of 2023, as we continued to execute on our Pivot to Growth Strategy. Our higher R&D expenses, net in the first quarter of 2024, compared to the first quarter of 2023, were mainly due to an increase related to our late-stage innovative pipeline in neuroscience (mainly neuropsychiatry) and in immunology and immuno-oncology. Our R&D expenses, net in the first quarter of 2024 were also impacted by reimbursements from our strategic partnerships. Selling and Marketing (S&M) expenses in the first quarter of 2024 were $608 million, an increase of 11% compared to the first quarter of 2023 to support our Pivot to Growth strategy, mainly related to commercial activities for AUSTEDO and UZEDY in the U.S. General and Administrative (G&A) expenses in the first quarter of 2024 were $278 million, a decrease of 6% compared to the first quarter of 2023, mainly due to lower litigation fees in the first quarter of 2024. Operating loss in the first quarter of 2024 was $218 million, compared to an operating loss of $13 million in the first quarter of 2023. Operating loss as a percentage of revenues was 5.7% in the first quarter of 2024, compared to an operating loss as a percentage of revenues of 0.4% in the first quarter of 2023. The higher operating loss in the first quarter of 2024 was mainly due to higher other assets impairments, restructuring costs and other items, as well as higher S&M expenses in the first quarter of 2024, partially offset by higher gross profit, lower legal settlements and loss contingencies and lower intangible asset impairments in the first quarter of 2024. Non-GAAP operating income in the first quarter of 2024 was $892 million representing a non-GAAP operating margin of 23.4% compared to non-GAAP operating income of $785 million representing a non-GAAP operating margin of 21.4% in the first quarter of 2023. The increase in non-GAAP operating margin in the first quarter of 2024 was mainly impacted by an increase in non-GAAP gross profit margin, partially offset by higher S&M expenses as a percentage of revenues. Financial expenses, net in the first quarter of 2024 were $250 million, mainly comprised of net-interest expenses of $233 million. In the first quarter of 2023, financial expenses, net were $260 million, mainly comprised of net-interest expenses of $236 million. In the first quarter of 2024, we recognized a tax benefit of $52 million, on a pre-tax loss of $467 million. In the first quarter of 2023, we recognized a tax benefit of $19 million, on a pre-tax loss of $272 million. Our tax rate for the first quarter of 2024 was mainly affected by deferred tax benefits resulting from Intellectual Property ("IP")- related integration plans. Such integration plans have been adopted, among others, in an effort of addressing the global adoption of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Pillar Two minimum effective corporate tax, commencing in 2024. Tax rate in the first quarter of 2024 was 11.1%, compared to 7.1% in the first quarter of 2023. Our tax rate for the first quarter of 2024 was mainly affected by deferred tax benefits resulting from intellectual property related integration plans. Non-GAAP tax rate in the first quarter of 2024 was 15.0%, compared to 15.5% in the first quarter of 2023. Our non-GAAP tax rate in the first quarter of 2024 was mainly affected by deferred tax benefits resulting from IP-related integration plans, the generation of profits in various jurisdictions with different tax rates, tax benefits in Israel and other countries, as well as infrequent or non-recurring items. Our non-GAAP tax rate in the first quarter of 2023 was mainly affected by the geographic mix of earnings and interest expense disallowances. We expect our annual non-GAAP tax rate for 2024 to be between 14%-17%, higher than our non-GAAP tax rate for 2023, which was 13%, mainly due to a reduced net tax benefit related to deferred tax resulting from IP-related integration plans in 2024 compared to 2023. Net loss attributable to Teva and loss per share in the first quarter of 2024 were $139 million and $0.12, respectively, compared to net loss attributable to Teva and loss per share of $220 million and $0.20, respectively, in the first quarter of 2023. The lower net loss in the first quarter of 2024 was mainly due to higher net loss attributable to non-controlling interests, higher gross profit and lower legal settlements and loss contingencies, partially offset by higher other asset impairments, restructuring and other items, as discussed above. Non-GAAP net income attributable to Teva and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share in the first quarter of 2024 were $548 million and $0.48, respectively, compared to $457 million and $0.40, respectively, in the first quarter of 2023. Net loss attributable to non-controlling interests was $280 million in the first quarter of 2024, compared to a net loss attributable to non-controlling interests of $33 million in the first quarter of 2023. The higher net loss in the first quarter of 2024 was mainly due to higher impairments of tangible assets largely related to the classification of a business in our International Markets segment as held for sale. Adjusted EBITDA was $1,005 million in the first quarter of 2024, an increase of 12% compared to $899 million in the first quarter of 2023. As of March 31, 2024 and 2023, the fully diluted share count for purposes of calculating our market capitalization was approximately 1,167 million and 1,158 million, respectively. Non-GAAP information: net non-GAAP adjustments in the first quarter of 2024 were $688 million. Non-GAAP net income attributable to Teva and non-GAAP diluted EPS for the first quarter of 2024 were adjusted to exclude the following items:
For a reconciliation of the U.S. GAAP results to the adjusted non-GAAP figures and for additional information, see the tables below and the information included under “Non-GAAP Financial Measures.” Investors should consider non-GAAP financial measures in addition to, and not as replacement for, or superior to, measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. Cash flow used in operating activities during the first quarter of 2024 was $124 million, compared to $145 million of cash flow used in operating activities in the first quarter of 2023. The lower cash flow used in operating activities in the first quarter of 2024 resulted mainly from higher profit in our Europe segment, partially offset by changes in certain working capital items, including a negative impact from accounts payables. During the first quarter of 2024, we generated free cash flow of $32 million, which we define as comprising $124 million in cash flow used in operating activities, $295 million in beneficial interest collected in exchange for securitized accounts receivables (under our EU securitization program), partially offset by $124 million in cash used for capital investment and $15 million in cash used for acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired. During the first quarter of 2023, we generated free cash flow of $41 million, which we define as comprising $145 million in cash flow used in operating activities, $323 million in beneficial interest collected in exchange for securitized accounts receivables (under our EU securitization program) and $2 million in proceeds from divestitures of businesses and other assets, partially offset by $139 million in cash used for capital investment. As of March 31, 2024, our debt was $19,643 million, compared to $19,833 million as of December 31, 2023. This decrease was mainly due to $193 million of exchange rate fluctuations. The portion of total debt classified as short-term as of March 31, 2024 was 16% compared to 8% as of December 31, 2023. Our average debt maturity was approximately 5.7 years as of March 31, 2024, compared to 6.0 years as of December 31, 2023. On May 3, 2024, the terms of our revolving credit facility ("RCF") were amended to update the Company’s maximum permitted leverage ratio under the RCF for certain periods. Under the terms of the RCF, as amended, the Company’s leverage ratio shall not exceed (i) 4.00x in 2024, 2025 and in the first quarter of 2026, (ii) 3.75x in the second, third and fourth quarters of 2026, and (iii) 3.50x in the first quarter of 2027 and onwards. The RCF permits the Company to increase the maximum leverage ratio if it consummates or commences certain material transactions. Segment Results for the first Quarter of 2024 United States Segment As part of a recent shift in executive management responsibilities and in line with our Pivot to Growth strategy, commencing January 1, 2024, Canada is reported as part of our International Markets segment and the segment previously known as our “North America” segment is now referred to as our “United States” segment. Prior period amounts were recast to reflect this change. The following table presents revenues, expenses and profit for our United States segment for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023: https://preview.redd.it/0tglw4vbr6zc1.png?width=1652&format=png&auto=webp&s=f40a89b74bfb135517ac47f0b4a812d86d99aebf Revenues from our United States segment in the first quarter of 2024 were $1,725 million, an increase of $48 million, or 3%, compared to the first quarter of 2023. This increase was mainly due to higher revenues from AUSTEDO, and higher revenues from generic products, partially offset by lower revenues from certain innovative products, primarily COPAXONE and BENDEKA®and TREANDA®, as well as from Anda, our distribution business. Revenues by Major Products and Activities The following table presents revenues for our United States segment by major products and activities for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023: https://preview.redd.it/9ibpylwfr6zc1.png?width=1650&format=png&auto=webp&s=79e221478e8607ad46f8fe3f80dd5f23215764ab * Other revenues in the first quarter of 2023 were higher compared to the first quarter of 2024, mainly due to a reduction in estimated liabilities in connection with ProAir® HFA during the first quarter of 2023 following its discontinuation. Generic products revenues in our United States segment (including biosimilars) in the first quarter of 2024 were $808 million, an increase of 8% compared to the first quarter of 2023, mainly due to revenues from lenalidomide capsules (the generic version of Revlimid®), partially offset by increased competition to other generic products. In the first quarter of 2024, our total prescriptions were approximately 314 million (based on trailing twelve months), representing 8.2% of total U.S. generic prescriptions, compared to approximately 312 million (based on trailing twelve months), representing 8.3% of total U.S. generic prescriptions in the first quarter of 2023, all according to IQVIA data. On February 24, 2024, Alvotech and Teva announced that the FDA approved SIMLANDI (adalimumab-ryvk) injection, as an interchangeable biosimilar to Humira®, for the treatment of adult rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, adult psoriatic arthritis, adult ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn’s disease, adult ulcerative colitis, adult plaque psoriasis, adult hidradenitis suppurativa and adult uveitis. On April 16, 2024, Alvotech and Teva announced that the FDA has approved SELARSDI (ustekinumab-aekn) injection for subcutaneous use, as a biosimilar to Stelara®, for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis and for active psoriatic arthritis in adults and pediatric patients 6 years and older. In June 2023, Alvotech and Teva reached a settlement and license agreement with Johnson & Johnson, granting a licensed entry date in the U.S. no later than February 21, 2025. AJOVY revenues in our United States segment in the first quarter of 2024 were $45 million, flat compared to the first quarter of 2023. In the first quarter of 2024, AJOVY’s exit market share in the United States in terms of total number of prescriptions was 27.4% compared to 24.5% in the first quarter of 2023. AUSTEDO revenues in our United States segment in the first quarter of 2024 increased by 67%, to $282 million, compared to $170 million in the first quarter of 2023, mainly due to growth in volume including the launch of AUSTEDO XR in May 2023, as well as expanded access for patients and increased investment to support higher demand. AUSTEDO XR (deutetrabenazine) extended-release tablets was approved by the FDA on February 17, 2023, and became commercially available in the U.S. in May 2023. AUSTEDO XR is a new once-daily formulation indicated in adults for tardive dyskinesia and chorea associated with Huntington’s disease, additional to the currently marketed twice-daily AUSTEDO. AUSTEDO XR is protected by ten Orange Book patents expiring between 2031 and 2041. UZEDY (risperidone) extended-release injectable suspension was approved by the FDA on April 28, 2023 for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults, and was launched in the U.S. in May 2023. UZEDY is a subcutaneous, long-acting formulation of risperidone that controls the steady release of risperidone. UZEDY is protected by nine Orange Book patents expiring between 2025 and 2033. We are moving forward with plans to launch UZEDY in other countries around the world. BENDEKA and TREANDA combined revenues in our United States segment in the first quarter of 2024 decreased by 26% to $46 million, compared to the first quarter of 2023, mainly due to generic bendamustine products entry into the market. The orphan drug exclusivity that had attached to bendamustine products expired in December 2022. COPAXONE revenues in our United States segment in the first quarter of 2024 decreased by 58% to $30 million, compared to the first quarter of 2023, mainly due to generic competition and a decrease in glatiramer acetate market share due to availability of alternative therapies. COPAXONE revenues in the first quarter of 2024 were also negatively impacted by an increase in sales allowance due to a non-recurring item. Anda revenues from third-party products in our United States segment in the first quarter of 2024 decreased by 10% to $381 million, compared to $424 million in the first quarter of 2023, mainly due to lower demand from seasonal and other market conditions. Anda, our distribution business in the United States, distributes generic and innovative medicines and OTC pharmaceutical products from Teva and various third-party manufacturers to independent retail pharmacies, pharmacy retail chains, hospitals and physician offices in the United States. Anda is able to compete in the distribution market by maintaining a broad portfolio of products, competitive pricing and delivery throughout the United States. United States Gross Profit Gross profit from our United States segment in the first quarter of 2024 was $858 million, an increase of 9% compared to $789 million in the first quarter of 2023. Gross profit margin for our United States segment in the first quarter of 2024 increased to 49.8%, compared to 47.0% in the first quarter of 2023. This increase was mainly due to a favorable mix of products primarily driven by an increase in revenues from AUSTEDO and lenalidomide capsules (the generic version of Revlimid®), as well as a decrease in our operational costs. United States Profit Profit from our United States segment consists of gross profit less R&D expenses, S&M expenses, G&A expenses and any other income related to this segment. Segment profit does not include amortization and certain other items. Profit from our United States segment in the first quarter of 2024 was $350 million, an increase of 4% compared to $338 million in the first quarter of 2023. This increase was mainly due to higher gross profit, partially offset by higher S&M expenses. Europe Segment Our Europe segment includes the European Union, the United Kingdom and certain other European countries. The following table presents revenues, expenses and profit for our Europe segment for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023: https://preview.redd.it/m4cnaqwjr6zc1.png?width=1650&format=png&auto=webp&s=d29a29376f622215efb969c1af9fc9bdb0a1a63c Revenues from our Europe segment in the first quarter of 2024 were $1,272 million, an increase of 7%, or $88 million, compared to the first quarter of 2023. In local currency terms, revenues increased by 4% compared to the first quarter of 2023, mainly due to higher revenues from generic products and AJOVY. In the first quarter of 2024, revenues from our Europe segment were positively impacted by exchange rate fluctuations of $43 million, including hedging effects, compared to the first quarter of 2023. Revenues in the first quarter of 2024 included $8 million from a positive hedging impact, which is included in “Other” in the table below. Revenues in the first quarter of 2023 included $6 million from a negative hedging impact, which is included in “Other” in the table below. Revenues by Major Products and Activities The following table presents revenues for our Europe segment by major products and activities for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023: https://preview.redd.it/sirwlizmr6zc1.png?width=1656&format=png&auto=webp&s=763b9e060eb705c6d19a11d9c8efa140615b8368 Generic products revenues (including OTC and biosimilar products) in our Europe segment in the first quarter of 2024, were $1,004 million, an increase of 8% compared to the first quarter of 2023. In local currency terms, revenues increased by 5%, mainly due to higher volumes. AJOVY revenues in our Europe segment in the first quarter of 2024 increased by 42% to $51 million, compared to $36 million in the first quarter of 2023. In local currency terms revenues increased by 40%, mainly due to growth in European countries in which AJOVY had previously been launched. COPAXONE revenues in our Europe segment in the first quarter of 2024 decreased by 4% to $57 million, compared to the first quarter of 2023. In local currency terms, revenues decreased by 5%, due to price reductions and a decline in volume resulting from competing glatiramer acetate products and availability of alternative therapies. Respiratory products revenues in our Europe segment in the first quarter of 2024 decreased by 3% to $66 million compared to the first quarter of 2023. In local currency terms, revenues decreased by 5% compared to the first quarter of 2023, mainly due to net price reductions and lower volumes. Europe Gross Profit Gross profit from our Europe segment in the first quarter of 2024 was $738 million, an increase of 13% compared to $655 million in the first quarter of 2023. Gross profit margin for our Europe segment in the first quarter of 2024 increased to 58.0%, compared to 55.3% in the first quarter of 2023. This increase was mainly due to a favorable mix of products as well as a decrease in our operational costs. Europe Profit Profit from our Europe segment consists of gross profit less R&D expenses, S&M expenses, G&A expenses and any other income related to this segment. Segment profit does not include amortization and certain other items. Profit from our Europe segment in the first quarter of 2024 was $423 million, an increase of 22%, compared to $345 million in the first quarter of 2023. This increase was mainly due to higher gross profit, as described above. International Markets Segment Our International Markets segment includes all countries in which we operate other than the United States and countries included in our Europe segment. As part of a recent shift in executive management responsibilities, commencing January 1, 2024, Canada is reported under our International Markets segment and is no longer included as part of our United States segment. Prior period amounts were recast to reflect this change. The countries in our International Markets segment include highly regulated, mainly generic markets, such as Canada and Israel, branded generics-oriented markets, such as Russia and certain Latin America markets and hybrid markets, such as Japan. The following table presents revenues, expenses and profit for our International Markets segment for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023: https://preview.redd.it/q5y53mcqr6zc1.png?width=1646&format=png&auto=webp&s=156ac05a7358272308c626694ba7c4cfac1a2db8 Revenues from our International Markets segment in the first quarter of 2024 were $597 million, an increase of 3% compared to the first quarter of 2023. In local currency terms, revenues increased by 17% compared to the first quarter of 2023, mainly due to higher revenues from generic products in most markets, partially offset by regulatory price reductions and generic competition to off-patented products in Japan. In the first quarter of 2024, revenues were negatively impacted by exchange rate fluctuations of $82 million, net of hedging effects, compared to the first quarter of 2023. Revenues in the first quarter of 2024 included $4 million from a positive hedging impact, compared to a minimal hedging impact in the first quarter of 2023, which are included in “Other” in the table below. Revenues by Major Products and Activities The following table presents revenues for our International Markets segment by major products and activities for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023: https://preview.redd.it/89uw2u7tr6zc1.png?width=1660&format=png&auto=webp&s=037437b5ca242a624dd9514bedb61cd1cf0c61c9 Generic products revenues (including OTC products) in our International Markets segment were $477 million in the first quarter of 2024, flat compared to the first quarter of 2023. In local currency terms, revenues increased by 16% compared to the first quarter of 2023, mainly due to higher revenues in most markets, largely driven by price increases as a result of higher costs due to inflationary pressure and higher volumes, partially offset by regulatory price reductions and generic competition to off-patented products in Japan. AJOVY was launched in certain markets in our International Markets segment, including in Canada, Japan, Australia, Israel, South Korea, Brazil and others. We are moving forward with plans to launch AJOVY in other markets. AJOVY revenues in our International Markets segment in the first quarter of 2024 were $17 million, compared to $13 million in the first quarter of 2023. COPAXONE revenues in our International Markets segment in the first quarter of 2024 were $12 million compared to $17 million in the first quarter of 2023. AUSTEDO was launched in China and Israel in 2021 and in Brazil in 2022, for the treatment of chorea associated with Huntington’s disease and for the treatment of tardive dyskinesia. In February 2024, we announced a strategic partnership for the marketing and distribution of AUSTEDO in China. We continue with additional submissions in various other markets. International Markets Gross Profit Gross profit from our International Markets segment in the first quarter of 2024 was $297 million, an increase of 4% compared to $285 million in the first quarter of 2023. Gross profit margin for our International Markets segment in the first quarter of 2024 increased to 49.7%, compared to 49.0% in the first quarter of 2023. This increase was mainly due to price increases largely as a result of inflationary pressures and a favorable mix of products, partially offset by regulatory price reductions and generic competition to off-patented products in Japan, as well as higher costs due to inflationary and other macroeconomic pressures. International Markets Profit Profit from our International Markets segment consists of gross profit less R&D expenses, S&M expenses, G&A expenses and any other income related to this segment. Segment profit does not include amortization and certain other items. Profit from our International Markets segment in the first quarter of 2024 was $117 million, an increase of 8%, compared to $108 million in the first quarter of 2023. Other Activities We have other sources of revenues, primarily the sale of APIs to third parties, certain contract manufacturing services and an out-licensing platform offering a portfolio of products to other pharmaceutical companies through our affiliate Medis. Our other activities are not included in our United States, Europe or International Markets segments described above. On January 31, 2024, we announced that we intend to divest our API business (including its R&D, manufacturing and commercial activities) through a sale, which divestment is expected to be completed in the first half of 2025. The intention to divest is in alignment with our Pivot to Growth strategy. However, there can be no assurance regarding the ultimate timing or structure of a potential divestiture or that a divestiture will be agreed or completed at all. Revenues from other activities in the first quarter of 2024 were $225 million, an increase of 3% in U.S. dollars, or 2% in local currency terms compared to the first quarter of 2023. API sales to third parties in the first quarter of 2024 were $128 million, reflecting an increase of 2% in both U.S. dollars and local currency terms, compared to the first quarter of 2023, following a reallocation of an immaterial business within our other activities, in line with our intention to divest our API business. FULL RELEASE: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240508490531/en/ |
2024.05.08 07:47 AHT69jv Customer Experience Chatroom Operator
Customer Experience Chatroom Operator
REMOTE - AKRON, OH
About Drips:
Drips enables enterprises to connect with consumers through an AI-powered conversational outreach strategy that includes human-like two-way texting, scheduled calling and voicemail messages. Backed by a proprietary natural language processing model, our platform has handled over half a billion humanized conversations to date, enabling us to deliver automation at a scale that no other competitor in the messaging industry has been able to match. That’s why we’re the platform of choice for some of the world’s most recognizable enterprises.
Drips’ focus on empowering enterprises to capture intent and drive meaningful conversations has sparked rapid growth since the company was founded in 2016. Drips nearly tripled 2019 sales in 2021. We are well funded and looking to accelerate the next era of growth and expansion of our team. However, we’re more than just a high-growth company; we’re also a community. Even though we work remotely, we still embrace the core values that help us achieve personal growth. Every member of the Drips team has a direct impact on our company! If you want to love the product you work on, solve hard problems, and grow your career — we want to talk with you!
Job Overview:
We are looking to expand our work from home Conversion Improvement team. Every day Drips holds millions of automated humanized conversations for our clients, but automation isn’t enough, and Artificial Intelligence (“A.I.”) isn’t perfect. We hold the highest industry standard of excellence in staying “humanized” and if our natural language processor is not 98% sure what a user is asking, we will rely on you and your teammates to read a consumer’s response, respond contextually, and categorize it
appropriately. The Customer Experience Chatroom Operator is a new role to handle Drips’ top clients and use cases. It requires customer service driven individuals who are quick on their feet and can empathize with the consumer. Connoisseurs of conversation and adept at handling the unexpected.
Example:
A user says, “Where are my ID Cards?”. This isn’t just a question it is the beginning of a service-based conversation specific to the consumer you’re chatting with. Our mission is providing thoughtful, articulate, and appropriate guidance specific to the conversation, industry, and subject for the consumer you’re chatting with. This would be categorized and handled by clicking a specific button tailored to respond to this question or if there is no pre-written response, engage in a dialog with the record to ensure they are being
directed appropriately. You must be able to maintain a 98%+ accuracy in your responses that will be randomly audited and quality assured. Your work and responses will help inform our natural language model therefore your accuracy is of the utmost importance.
Hours & Benefits:
Drips core values are central to how each employee executes in their role daily and exceeds. Below are how we exceed in each core value:
Lean – We find the right mix between administration and simply doing things. Over complicating tasks can add time without providing benefit, however just doing things without a plan can add time when course correction is required. To exceed, we finish work in a timely manner while reviewing to make sure we are striking the right balance between the two. Implementing streamlining methods to existing processes ensure we evolve and stay lean.
Passion – Expressing passion daily is the desire to do the job but evolving in the job to expand beyond the base role and taking on additional projects and roles to help teams outside your own while maintaining your individual workload. Understanding that all of the activities we take are to enable our clients, and thus Drips as a whole to be successful. Asking the question, “How is what I am doing today, enabling the success of my teammates and my clients”.
Happiness – Finding the balance in both your personal and work life. Participating in group and team activities as you see fit but understanding that life is about more than just coming into the office daily. Drips has telecommute possibility available, overall wellness programs and additional benefits that assist. True enthusiasm for what we do is essential but comes from understanding the business overall and how we fit into it.
Improve – Never accepting the status quo and being entrenched in a process or workflow. Finding ways to streamline and innovate while bringing those improvements to leadership. Improvement also means understanding the anticipated benefit and it improves our daily working experience, your teammates and Drips Clients overall.
Team – We support and assist our teammates, even if it is outside of our typical duties. We take on additional projects for their added value whether they impact your day-to-day work or not. Being part of a team involves being in close contact every day, respecting each other and the work we do is essential however to exceed in Team, we move outside of our direct team, to the company team as a whole and understand how we impact everythingand the value we provide. Apply here
submitted by AHT69jv to WorkAtHomeTutorials [link] [comments]
REMOTE - AKRON, OH
About Drips:
Drips enables enterprises to connect with consumers through an AI-powered conversational outreach strategy that includes human-like two-way texting, scheduled calling and voicemail messages. Backed by a proprietary natural language processing model, our platform has handled over half a billion humanized conversations to date, enabling us to deliver automation at a scale that no other competitor in the messaging industry has been able to match. That’s why we’re the platform of choice for some of the world’s most recognizable enterprises.
Drips’ focus on empowering enterprises to capture intent and drive meaningful conversations has sparked rapid growth since the company was founded in 2016. Drips nearly tripled 2019 sales in 2021. We are well funded and looking to accelerate the next era of growth and expansion of our team. However, we’re more than just a high-growth company; we’re also a community. Even though we work remotely, we still embrace the core values that help us achieve personal growth. Every member of the Drips team has a direct impact on our company! If you want to love the product you work on, solve hard problems, and grow your career — we want to talk with you!
Job Overview:
We are looking to expand our work from home Conversion Improvement team. Every day Drips holds millions of automated humanized conversations for our clients, but automation isn’t enough, and Artificial Intelligence (“A.I.”) isn’t perfect. We hold the highest industry standard of excellence in staying “humanized” and if our natural language processor is not 98% sure what a user is asking, we will rely on you and your teammates to read a consumer’s response, respond contextually, and categorize it
appropriately. The Customer Experience Chatroom Operator is a new role to handle Drips’ top clients and use cases. It requires customer service driven individuals who are quick on their feet and can empathize with the consumer. Connoisseurs of conversation and adept at handling the unexpected.
Example:
A user says, “Where are my ID Cards?”. This isn’t just a question it is the beginning of a service-based conversation specific to the consumer you’re chatting with. Our mission is providing thoughtful, articulate, and appropriate guidance specific to the conversation, industry, and subject for the consumer you’re chatting with. This would be categorized and handled by clicking a specific button tailored to respond to this question or if there is no pre-written response, engage in a dialog with the record to ensure they are being
directed appropriately. You must be able to maintain a 98%+ accuracy in your responses that will be randomly audited and quality assured. Your work and responses will help inform our natural language model therefore your accuracy is of the utmost importance.
Hours & Benefits:
- This is a full-time role that is eligible for Drips benefits program
- This role is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, we are seeking candidates for all time slots
- Quickly and accurately (in less than 30 seconds) respond to inbound messages via our chat room to leads regarding questions or concerns around the product or service utilizing point and click frequently asked questions canned responses.
- Create responses ad-hoc that are both relevant, appropriate, and compliant to the records industry and vertical
- Escalate conversations to leadership when needed
- Document frequently asked questions for continual improvement
- Add relevancy to canned responses
- Maintain 98% or above accuracy in response handling
- Maintain a Replies per Hour rate of 60 replies per hour worked.
- Other projects as assigned
- Experience in a Customer Service Chatroom environment
- Experience with writing responses to consumers in a real time, chat-based environment
- Familiar with verticals like Automobile Insurance, Health Insurance, Prescription Drug Plans
- Professionalism in all interactions
- Exceptional attention to detail, high standard of excellence/perfection
- Comfortability on a computer, advanced typing skills (can’t hunt and peck)
- Good grammatical, spelling, and logic skills. Free typed response must be grammar checked and spell checked.
- Exceptional verbal, communication, and written skills.
- Reliable and responsible to a designated schedule
- Must have reliable strong internet/WiFi
- High School or equivalent.
- College Degree a plus
Drips core values are central to how each employee executes in their role daily and exceeds. Below are how we exceed in each core value:
Lean – We find the right mix between administration and simply doing things. Over complicating tasks can add time without providing benefit, however just doing things without a plan can add time when course correction is required. To exceed, we finish work in a timely manner while reviewing to make sure we are striking the right balance between the two. Implementing streamlining methods to existing processes ensure we evolve and stay lean.
Passion – Expressing passion daily is the desire to do the job but evolving in the job to expand beyond the base role and taking on additional projects and roles to help teams outside your own while maintaining your individual workload. Understanding that all of the activities we take are to enable our clients, and thus Drips as a whole to be successful. Asking the question, “How is what I am doing today, enabling the success of my teammates and my clients”.
Happiness – Finding the balance in both your personal and work life. Participating in group and team activities as you see fit but understanding that life is about more than just coming into the office daily. Drips has telecommute possibility available, overall wellness programs and additional benefits that assist. True enthusiasm for what we do is essential but comes from understanding the business overall and how we fit into it.
Improve – Never accepting the status quo and being entrenched in a process or workflow. Finding ways to streamline and innovate while bringing those improvements to leadership. Improvement also means understanding the anticipated benefit and it improves our daily working experience, your teammates and Drips Clients overall.
Team – We support and assist our teammates, even if it is outside of our typical duties. We take on additional projects for their added value whether they impact your day-to-day work or not. Being part of a team involves being in close contact every day, respecting each other and the work we do is essential however to exceed in Team, we move outside of our direct team, to the company team as a whole and understand how we impact everythingand the value we provide. Apply here
2024.05.08 04:06 MichaelLanne A Chinese Economist against a revisionist one.
The root cause of my country's economic problems is not insufficient marketization, but excessive marketization
——Comments on Wu Shishi’s new book "Achieving High-Quality Development Using Reform and Opening Up as the Power"
by Tian Lei
Professor Wu Shishi recently published his masterpiece "Achieving High-Quality Development Using Reform and Opening Up as Power" (hereinafter referred to as "Wu Wen"), proposing that the root cause of China's current economic pressure is that the government has overwhelmed the market, and prescribed "market, rule of law, and openness" prescription.
The author believes that there are some profound things in "Wu Wen", but the limitations of the author's theory and ideological bias make his profoundness only fleeting, and the main points are still superficial. Therefore, it cannot really touch the key points of China's economy. The prescriptions prescribed are not only useless, but may also kill those who take them.
1. Correct starting point, wrong conclusion
"Wu Wen" believes that the key to China's lack of economic momentum is the weakening of entrepreneurs' expectations. If you want to reverse this expectation, stimulating policies alone will not work. You must target deeper problems. This is the profound point of the article.
"Wu Wen" said:
Obviously, the next question to be answered is. Yes, where exactly are the “more profound roots” mentioned here?
"Wu Wen's" view on this is that the root of the problem is that the status of the market is not respected. In his view,
"Wu Wen" further explained this:
Only at this point can the reader clearly see that Professor Wu’s intention was to criticize the decisive role of the Chinese market for not being sufficiently demonstrated.
Although the decisive role of the market has been written into the reports of the party's recent national congresses, and the party and the government have made considerable reforms in this regard, "Wu Wen" still believes that
Professor Wu has long believed in the original fundamentalist neoclassical economics, and therefore believes that the market is omnipotent and the market is the most perfect. Therefore, problems in the economy must be caused by interference and distortion of the market. To solve the problem, it is very simple. Just continue marketization and eliminate all "interference" to the market. This ideological belief did not distort the market, but distorted his eyes, preventing him from seeing that the real root cause of China's current expected delay in improvement is not that the market is not strong enough, but over-marketization. Therefore, although he starts from the right starting point, he can only reach the wrong conclusion, and his criticism of the New Age is completely untenable.
2. The erroneous dogma of opposition between government and market
Professor Wu’s view represents a typical erroneous dogma, which pits the market against the government and believes that government intervention is “anti-market” and “undermining the market economy.” In fact, the inherent limitations of the market economy inevitably require government intervention. The market economy does not only have two main entities: enterprises and residents. The government is also an indispensable main body in the market economy. Therefore, the market and the government are not opposite poles. The government is an internal element necessary for the market economy to overcome its own limitations.
Professor Wu believes:
The ongoing economic crises have already shown economists that there are many limitations in the market economy, which must be alleviated and overcome by government intervention. (1) Market economy leads to blindness due to its private nature. (2) Capital has the tendency to excessively reduce labor income and increase unemployment, making it difficult for goods to find final sales targets. (3) Monopoly capital plunders the profits of small and medium-sized capital, causing the latter to lose vitality. (4) The ability of the financial industry to obtain profits is stronger than that of real enterprises, so the economy has a tendency to shift away from reality and toward virtual reality. These limitations cannot be overcome by private enterprises within the market alone and must rely on government intervention.
Strengthening government guidance and restrictions on capital is the result and inherent requirement of the development of a market economy. Since the 20th century, strengthening government intervention in the market economy has become a norm and trend. For example, the golden age after World War II was the product of the government's increased intervention in the market economy. During this period, developed countries generally implemented a series of government intervention measures, such as fiscal policy, monetary policy, industrial policy, etc., to promote economic growth, increase employment, stabilize prices, and achieve social equity. These interventions have largely contributed to the economic prosperity and social progress of capitalist countries.
However, Professor Wu's theory in this regard still remains at the level of bourgeois economics in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. At that time, bourgeois economics advocated a laissez-faire market economy and opposed government intervention. However, with the development of market economy, restrictions on capital are no longer an obstacle to the development of market economy, but an advanced stage of self-development of market economy. Professor Wu opposes the view that "administrative regulations that inhibit market freedom are also market-oriented reforms" precisely because he cannot understand that government restrictions on capital are necessary means and inherent requirements for the development of a market economy. According to his point of view, today’s capitalist developed countries are no longer market-oriented.
Professor Wu criticized policies such as "guiding the healthy development of capital" in the new era as the end of the road from a market economy to a ruled economy. This is even more nonsense. He failed to see that the current difficulties facing China's economy are precisely the result of the prominent limitations of private enterprises, which forces the government to guide and regulate capital in industries such as finance, real estate, and Internet platforms. Only if the government acts vigorously and effectively in these aspects can the Chinese economy emerge from the shadow of long-term stagnation of the global economy as soon as possible.
3. The poisonous prescription under the beautiful slogan
"Wu Wen" prescribed "market, rule of law, and openness" to boost the expectations of entrepreneurs in my country. What exactly do these prescriptions contain? Are they beneficial or harmful to China’s economic development?
In terms of marketization, "Wu Wen" requires (1) limiting the intervention of government power in the market, (2) eliminating abuse of market dominance, and (3) strengthening the power market as Japan's "structural reform" liberalized the electricity market. market competition. The actual connotation is to restrict the government on the one hand and state-owned enterprises on the other.
As mentioned above, the government's guidance and regulation of improper expansion of capital is beneficial to the market economy itself and to private enterprises in the market, so Requirement (1) is untenable. Requirements (2)(3) actually targets state-owned enterprises, requiring the lifting of restrictions on private capital in all industries to eliminate monopolies. But in fact, most industries in our country have already been opened to private capital. If a few industries related to the national economy and people's livelihood are dominated by private capital, it will cause serious damage to national security and people's well-being, so they have not been liberalized. Moreover, monopoly problems are becoming increasingly prominent among private capital giants, and the solution to these monopoly problems requires more government intervention. In addition, Professor Wu’s one-sided understanding of Japan’s “structural reforms” taken out of context is also extremely superficial.
In terms of legalization, Professor Wu asked the Chinese government to (1) "conscientiously implement the negative list for market access and the positive power list of government departments", (2) reform "relevant laws and related systems that may hinder the flow of labor, land and other factors" ". In addition to the restrictions on the government and state-owned enterprises mentioned in terms of marketization, the actual connotation also includes land policies such as relaxing labor protection and relaxing land nationalization or guarding the red line of 1.8 billion acres of cultivated land.
Regarding (1), the author suggests that Professor Wu has carefully read the content adjustments made by the country to several negative lists in recent years. The country has reduced the content of the negative lists as much as possible. Regarding (2), relaxing labor protection seems to restore the so-called "demographic dividend", but the main constraints faced by our country are sluggish internal demand. Effectively improving labor through measures such as strengthening labor protection will help boost our economy. In terms of land policy, land nationalization and maintaining the red line of cultivated land are extremely important for maintaining food security and protecting farmers' interests. Relaxing these restrictions may appear to be conducive to private capital making profits, but in fact it will cause endless harm.
In terms of opening up, Professor Wu failed to put forward specific requirements and could only say some nonsense such as
"Wu Wen" saw that China's current economic downward pressure has deep roots, so simple stimulus policies alone are unlikely to be effective. But he failed to see that the underlying root cause he mentioned was not actually the lack of marketization of China's economy, but the over-marketization of China's economy, which has led to problems such as platform capital monopoly, excessive housing prices, a shift away from reality and virtualization, and polarization. , so in the context of sluggish international demand, my country's internal demand is difficult to support rapid economic development. The solution to these problems requires effective government intervention and the active actions of state-owned enterprises.
However, the prescriptions proposed by "Wu Wen" are completely contrary to the above analysis. Instead, they require the Chinese government to relax the supervision of capital and the protection of labor, to strengthen the free circulation of land, and to further restrict state-owned enterprises. These prescriptions are not only unhelpful to our country Escape from economic difficulties will only exacerbate economic difficulties. If these prescriptions are adopted, the result will inevitably be a carnival of a very small number of private monopoly capitals and a tragedy for the vast number of small and medium-sized enterprises and workers. At that time, the Chinese Communist Party's governing foundation and ability will face huge challenges.
Therefore, the so-called "market, rule of law, and openness" prescription is by no means a good medicine but a bitter taste, but arsenic that kills people!
Source : https://m.szhgh.com/Article/opinion/zatan/2024-05-07/352106.html
submitted by MichaelLanne to AsianSocialists [link] [comments]
——Comments on Wu Shishi’s new book "Achieving High-Quality Development Using Reform and Opening Up as the Power"
by Tian Lei
Professor Wu Shishi recently published his masterpiece "Achieving High-Quality Development Using Reform and Opening Up as Power" (hereinafter referred to as "Wu Wen"), proposing that the root cause of China's current economic pressure is that the government has overwhelmed the market, and prescribed "market, rule of law, and openness" prescription.
The author believes that there are some profound things in "Wu Wen", but the limitations of the author's theory and ideological bias make his profoundness only fleeting, and the main points are still superficial. Therefore, it cannot really touch the key points of China's economy. The prescriptions prescribed are not only useless, but may also kill those who take them.
1. Correct starting point, wrong conclusion
"Wu Wen" believes that the key to China's lack of economic momentum is the weakening of entrepreneurs' expectations. If you want to reverse this expectation, stimulating policies alone will not work. You must target deeper problems. This is the profound point of the article.
"Wu Wen" said:
In my opinion, the basic reason for 'weaker expectations' is not that expansionary monetary and fiscal policies are not strong enough, nor that the business community is not sensitive enough to respond to policies, but that there is a something else, something more deep… It is difficult for us to explain why the expected enhanced effect is still not effective despite repeated macroeconomic policies to "support the market" and enhance the confidence of the business community.
Obviously, the next question to be answered is. Yes, where exactly are the “more profound roots” mentioned here?
"Wu Wen's" view on this is that the root of the problem is that the status of the market is not respected. In his view,
the establishment of a socialist market economic system based on the rule of law is the foundation for the enhancement of benign expectations.This is puzzling. Our country has been adhering to and constantly improving this system for a long time. Why is it not expected to improve now?
"Wu Wen" further explained this:
The key to improving positive expectations is to unswervingly continue to promote market-oriented, legal-based, and international reforms, and to use a unified, open, competitive, and orderly market system as the basis for The market plays a decisive role in resource allocation and provides a more solid institutional foundation.”
Only at this point can the reader clearly see that Professor Wu’s intention was to criticize the decisive role of the Chinese market for not being sufficiently demonstrated.
Although the decisive role of the market has been written into the reports of the party's recent national congresses, and the party and the government have made considerable reforms in this regard, "Wu Wen" still believes that
for the market to choose market-led resource allocation, The economy, or the controlled economy that chooses the government to lead the allocation of resources, has experienced repeated games, and my country's economic development has also experienced relatively large fluctuations. Such fluctuations sometimes only start at the end of Qingping, but if they cannot be prevented. Otherwise, there may be greater risks.Professor Wu finally showed his fangs. He regarded the economic policy since the new era* as "government-led controlled economy". Although it is only the "end of Qingping", it still "may cause greater risks", so it is necessary to "nip it in the bud"!
Professor Wu has long believed in the original fundamentalist neoclassical economics, and therefore believes that the market is omnipotent and the market is the most perfect. Therefore, problems in the economy must be caused by interference and distortion of the market. To solve the problem, it is very simple. Just continue marketization and eliminate all "interference" to the market. This ideological belief did not distort the market, but distorted his eyes, preventing him from seeing that the real root cause of China's current expected delay in improvement is not that the market is not strong enough, but over-marketization. Therefore, although he starts from the right starting point, he can only reach the wrong conclusion, and his criticism of the New Age is completely untenable.
2. The erroneous dogma of opposition between government and market
Professor Wu’s view represents a typical erroneous dogma, which pits the market against the government and believes that government intervention is “anti-market” and “undermining the market economy.” In fact, the inherent limitations of the market economy inevitably require government intervention. The market economy does not only have two main entities: enterprises and residents. The government is also an indispensable main body in the market economy. Therefore, the market and the government are not opposite poles. The government is an internal element necessary for the market economy to overcome its own limitations.
Professor Wu believes:
The core issue of the rule of law is to correctly handle the relationship between the two 'rights', that is, public power and private rights. The essence of legal reform lies in the protection of private rights and the restrictions on public rights.In his view, Come on, the government is public power and the market is private power. There will definitely be opposition between the two. He failed to see: (1) There are a lot of private rights and the opposition between private rights in the market economy. For example, between capital and labor, between large capital and small capital, between illegal and dishonest enterprises and honest enterprises, etc. (2) There is a lot of cooperation and mutual benefit between public and private rights. Many uses of public power are beneficial to private rights, such as water conservancy construction, epidemic prevention and control, transportation and telecommunications infrastructure construction, education, etc.
The ongoing economic crises have already shown economists that there are many limitations in the market economy, which must be alleviated and overcome by government intervention. (1) Market economy leads to blindness due to its private nature. (2) Capital has the tendency to excessively reduce labor income and increase unemployment, making it difficult for goods to find final sales targets. (3) Monopoly capital plunders the profits of small and medium-sized capital, causing the latter to lose vitality. (4) The ability of the financial industry to obtain profits is stronger than that of real enterprises, so the economy has a tendency to shift away from reality and toward virtual reality. These limitations cannot be overcome by private enterprises within the market alone and must rely on government intervention.
Strengthening government guidance and restrictions on capital is the result and inherent requirement of the development of a market economy. Since the 20th century, strengthening government intervention in the market economy has become a norm and trend. For example, the golden age after World War II was the product of the government's increased intervention in the market economy. During this period, developed countries generally implemented a series of government intervention measures, such as fiscal policy, monetary policy, industrial policy, etc., to promote economic growth, increase employment, stabilize prices, and achieve social equity. These interventions have largely contributed to the economic prosperity and social progress of capitalist countries.
However, Professor Wu's theory in this regard still remains at the level of bourgeois economics in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. At that time, bourgeois economics advocated a laissez-faire market economy and opposed government intervention. However, with the development of market economy, restrictions on capital are no longer an obstacle to the development of market economy, but an advanced stage of self-development of market economy. Professor Wu opposes the view that "administrative regulations that inhibit market freedom are also market-oriented reforms" precisely because he cannot understand that government restrictions on capital are necessary means and inherent requirements for the development of a market economy. According to his point of view, today’s capitalist developed countries are no longer market-oriented.
Professor Wu criticized policies such as "guiding the healthy development of capital" in the new era as the end of the road from a market economy to a ruled economy. This is even more nonsense. He failed to see that the current difficulties facing China's economy are precisely the result of the prominent limitations of private enterprises, which forces the government to guide and regulate capital in industries such as finance, real estate, and Internet platforms. Only if the government acts vigorously and effectively in these aspects can the Chinese economy emerge from the shadow of long-term stagnation of the global economy as soon as possible.
3. The poisonous prescription under the beautiful slogan
"Wu Wen" prescribed "market, rule of law, and openness" to boost the expectations of entrepreneurs in my country. What exactly do these prescriptions contain? Are they beneficial or harmful to China’s economic development?
In terms of marketization, "Wu Wen" requires (1) limiting the intervention of government power in the market, (2) eliminating abuse of market dominance, and (3) strengthening the power market as Japan's "structural reform" liberalized the electricity market. market competition. The actual connotation is to restrict the government on the one hand and state-owned enterprises on the other.
As mentioned above, the government's guidance and regulation of improper expansion of capital is beneficial to the market economy itself and to private enterprises in the market, so Requirement (1) is untenable. Requirements (2)(3) actually targets state-owned enterprises, requiring the lifting of restrictions on private capital in all industries to eliminate monopolies. But in fact, most industries in our country have already been opened to private capital. If a few industries related to the national economy and people's livelihood are dominated by private capital, it will cause serious damage to national security and people's well-being, so they have not been liberalized. Moreover, monopoly problems are becoming increasingly prominent among private capital giants, and the solution to these monopoly problems requires more government intervention. In addition, Professor Wu’s one-sided understanding of Japan’s “structural reforms” taken out of context is also extremely superficial.
In terms of legalization, Professor Wu asked the Chinese government to (1) "conscientiously implement the negative list for market access and the positive power list of government departments", (2) reform "relevant laws and related systems that may hinder the flow of labor, land and other factors" ". In addition to the restrictions on the government and state-owned enterprises mentioned in terms of marketization, the actual connotation also includes land policies such as relaxing labor protection and relaxing land nationalization or guarding the red line of 1.8 billion acres of cultivated land.
Regarding (1), the author suggests that Professor Wu has carefully read the content adjustments made by the country to several negative lists in recent years. The country has reduced the content of the negative lists as much as possible. Regarding (2), relaxing labor protection seems to restore the so-called "demographic dividend", but the main constraints faced by our country are sluggish internal demand. Effectively improving labor through measures such as strengthening labor protection will help boost our economy. In terms of land policy, land nationalization and maintaining the red line of cultivated land are extremely important for maintaining food security and protecting farmers' interests. Relaxing these restrictions may appear to be conducive to private capital making profits, but in fact it will cause endless harm.
In terms of opening up, Professor Wu failed to put forward specific requirements and could only say some nonsense such as
cooperating with relevant people from all walks of life in competition to advance the scientific and technological revolution.In fact, it has nothing to do with openness. This is probably because China is currently the main force advocating open cooperation, while the United States and Europe, which were regarded by many as models of openness in the past, are now the standard bearers of the anti-globalization wave.
"Wu Wen" saw that China's current economic downward pressure has deep roots, so simple stimulus policies alone are unlikely to be effective. But he failed to see that the underlying root cause he mentioned was not actually the lack of marketization of China's economy, but the over-marketization of China's economy, which has led to problems such as platform capital monopoly, excessive housing prices, a shift away from reality and virtualization, and polarization. , so in the context of sluggish international demand, my country's internal demand is difficult to support rapid economic development. The solution to these problems requires effective government intervention and the active actions of state-owned enterprises.
However, the prescriptions proposed by "Wu Wen" are completely contrary to the above analysis. Instead, they require the Chinese government to relax the supervision of capital and the protection of labor, to strengthen the free circulation of land, and to further restrict state-owned enterprises. These prescriptions are not only unhelpful to our country Escape from economic difficulties will only exacerbate economic difficulties. If these prescriptions are adopted, the result will inevitably be a carnival of a very small number of private monopoly capitals and a tragedy for the vast number of small and medium-sized enterprises and workers. At that time, the Chinese Communist Party's governing foundation and ability will face huge challenges.
Therefore, the so-called "market, rule of law, and openness" prescription is by no means a good medicine but a bitter taste, but arsenic that kills people!
Source : https://m.szhgh.com/Article/opinion/zatan/2024-05-07/352106.html
2024.05.08 01:11 TheLeader1974 Lamotrigine and Abilify
Hello all,
I had another appointment with my Psychiatrist this morning via Teladoc and he has increased my Lamictal to two tablets (totaling 50 mg). He also put in a 100 mg prescription for me to start in 7 days. I am excited to be getting closer to a therapeutic dose. I imagine 200mg will be my stopping point. I have had no side effects and seem to tolerate it well and it isn't my first time taking it.
He mentioned possibly adding Abilify in the future. Is anyone on it and what has it been like for you?
submitted by TheLeader1974 to bipolar2 [link] [comments]
I had another appointment with my Psychiatrist this morning via Teladoc and he has increased my Lamictal to two tablets (totaling 50 mg). He also put in a 100 mg prescription for me to start in 7 days. I am excited to be getting closer to a therapeutic dose. I imagine 200mg will be my stopping point. I have had no side effects and seem to tolerate it well and it isn't my first time taking it.
He mentioned possibly adding Abilify in the future. Is anyone on it and what has it been like for you?
2024.05.07 18:09 shaddowdemon Should I expect clear vision with mild astigmatism?
So, I have astigmatism in only my right eye (and nearsightedness in my left of -2.00). Over the last few years, it got a bit more blurry, so I went in and got a new prescription and glasses. My left eye is "perfect" with correction - no complaints, crystal clear.
My right eye prescription in 2019 was:
SPH -2.00 CYL -0.50 Axis 110
And went to (2024, so 5 years):
SPH -1.25 CYL -1.00 Axis 135
Honestly, my ability to see with my right eye is about the same with both sets of glasses, but the new ones are just more... awkward feeling. Both are 1.61 index. Can't quite pin it, just feels off... like I'm straining maybe. Maybe I need to get used to it.
But, my right eye is still nowhere near clear. If I cover my left eye, my vision is notably worse in my right eye even with correction. Are glasses just not able to fully correct for astigmatism, or is my prescription or glasses likely incorrect?
I would just take it to my optometrist to ask but honestly the front of house is gonna be super pissy because I bought them online... it was a struggle just to walkout without buying a pair.. literally wouldn't let me pay for my appt until they walked me through my "benefits" and gave me sales pitches even though I told them upfront I don't want to buy any.
submitted by shaddowdemon to glasses [link] [comments]
My right eye prescription in 2019 was:
SPH -2.00 CYL -0.50 Axis 110
And went to (2024, so 5 years):
SPH -1.25 CYL -1.00 Axis 135
Honestly, my ability to see with my right eye is about the same with both sets of glasses, but the new ones are just more... awkward feeling. Both are 1.61 index. Can't quite pin it, just feels off... like I'm straining maybe. Maybe I need to get used to it.
But, my right eye is still nowhere near clear. If I cover my left eye, my vision is notably worse in my right eye even with correction. Are glasses just not able to fully correct for astigmatism, or is my prescription or glasses likely incorrect?
I would just take it to my optometrist to ask but honestly the front of house is gonna be super pissy because I bought them online... it was a struggle just to walkout without buying a pair.. literally wouldn't let me pay for my appt until they walked me through my "benefits" and gave me sales pitches even though I told them upfront I don't want to buy any.
2024.05.07 14:40 Oppblockjoe What is the point of having Generic brand tablets?
I'm honestly so confused right now. So basically I have epilepsy, and I've been told by people to not switch brands because it can cause extra side affects, which I've experienced (fuck you milpharm).I had seizures 4 days in a row which was not nice lmao)
I'm on generic tablets(lamotrigine) right now, and I've been requesting a specific one for a little while which has worked, now I'm being told the one I had a reaction to is the only one in stock, and it'll stay that way for a long while.
Apparently generic tablets are only made at certain times during the year so once they're out of stock they're out of stock. WHY TF IS THAT A THING!! They said to tell my doctors to prescribe me Lamictal (the legit brand) because they make it all year round so it will always be in stock.
If you cant get generic tablets all year round why even have it for sale in the first place, Its just going to make people suffer for no reason. I get they're trying to save money but people are all going to end up going onto the name brands when they realize what's happening. This isn't America where it'll change the price for us.
Can anyone shed some light on this as I'm beyond lost.
submitted by Oppblockjoe to nhs [link] [comments]
I'm on generic tablets(lamotrigine) right now, and I've been requesting a specific one for a little while which has worked, now I'm being told the one I had a reaction to is the only one in stock, and it'll stay that way for a long while.
Apparently generic tablets are only made at certain times during the year so once they're out of stock they're out of stock. WHY TF IS THAT A THING!! They said to tell my doctors to prescribe me Lamictal (the legit brand) because they make it all year round so it will always be in stock.
If you cant get generic tablets all year round why even have it for sale in the first place, Its just going to make people suffer for no reason. I get they're trying to save money but people are all going to end up going onto the name brands when they realize what's happening. This isn't America where it'll change the price for us.
Can anyone shed some light on this as I'm beyond lost.
2024.05.07 00:26 shangkhang Interviewing myself ;-)
In this post I would like to tell the readers how I manage this Superbolic business, hopefully in a more pleasant way than by referring to the FAQ page. Every online seller must have a page explaining the Terms & Conditions of sales; the problem is that almost nobody reads it. So to make it easier and hopefully more engaging, I'll do it in the contest of an imaginary interview with myself. Not because I'm an ego-maniac who thinks he's an e-commerce success like Jeff Bezos, but simply because it may be more interesting and fun to read. Also, I suppose these would be the questions visitors would ask me upon arrival on Superbolic. This content is only for the Reddit community.
So without further ado, here we go.
An intervew with Khang, owner and administrator of superbolic.org
Please tell us about you and Superbolic: when you started, etc.
My name is Khang, I'm Thai, from Bangkok. I've studied and worked abroad in various companies, always in marketing and sales. I returned to Thailand in 2003 and started selling various things online, mostly handicrafts and curio from Thailand. In 2007 I met a guy from the US living in Bangkok and selling steroids on Ebay and on forums. He simply bought from pharmacies and sold them online at incredibly high profits. Items priced at 20 USD in Bangkok were bought for 150-200 bucks in the US. I helped him in sourcing some brands and negotiating better prices, then I began working with him full time. The most sought-after items were Danabols DS and the pink Anabol, both made in Thailand. So I became aquainted with all the pharmacies that sold steroids under the table. At the time steroids were perceived legal by foreigners, but actually they were not. You needed a prescription from a doctor to buy them, but pharmacies didn't bother. So I worked with this guy for a few years, then he left Thailand. I then worked in online start up which made little money but gave me a lot of experience. I also tried to make money in the Dark Web. At the end I realized that the steroid business was a much better option and I went back to that business. After all, I knew all the places where to buy steroids, from pharnacies to distributors. I knew how to attract traffic on any website using SEO strategies. I knew how to create stealth Paypal accounts not in my name and hw buy and sell Bitcoins. So this little baggage of experience went into my own shop, superbolic.com, which I launched in 2015.
How did it go?
At the very beginning it was very, very tough to establish credibility. I had access to genuine products made by well-known Thai brands: LA Pharma, British Dispensary, SB Labs, March Pharma, Biolab...plus the imported ones, like Thaiger Pharma, Globalanabolics and Meditech. But nobody believed it. In this business, due to a very large amount of scammers and fake steroids, you are perceived as a scammer unless you can prove you are not. You are guilty until proven innocent. I started to market Superbolic on a couple of steroid forums in the US and Australia: the amount of hate and racism I received was unbelievable! Just because I was a new source I was considered a scammer, a seller of bunk products. And being Asian I was considered of an inferior race. You can still check my original thread and amuse yourself. This gave me a clear understanding of the market. Of the kind of customer I would be dealing with. Luckily on Australian forums people were more open-minded and less aggressive, so I got my first customers there. The main challenge I faced was: Australian Customs are the most difficult to pass, so many steroid sellers don't even bother to ship to Australia, as the chances of success are close to zero. But if I could pass Australian Customs, I would have a hungry market. So I figured out very creative ways to hide orals and vials in parcels bound for Australia. And it worked. Very quickly I became famous for being the guy who could pass Australian Customs with a very good rate of success. I received good reviews and business started to pick up. The stuff was so well hidden that some customers couldn't find it and posted angry reviews! Then I explained how to find the gear and they apologized. I don't know if these forums are still there, but dealing with the Australians was fun. Then something similar happened with Canada: I had one reseller who bought huge amounts because I was the only one able to pass custom inspections. So this is how it started, with two countries only. Few but very loyal customers. But zero sales in the US and Europe. Everything changed in 2019 when I began doing dropshipping, like every other shop, basically.
Why the change?
I was approached by distributors in EU and US and manufacturers from China and India. They were all offering dropshipping deals. I was reluctant to change Superbolic's identity: after all, I was the only one selling Thai brands, shipped by myself from Thailand. My business model was unique, different from all the others. I didn't have competitors as nobody sold worldwide from Thailand. So I didn't like the idea of not being in total control of everything and to rely on others. But the conditions these dropshippers were offering were very good for the customers. Actually, they were better than mine! They guaranteed delivery: if a parcel was seized they reshipped it for free, something I always refused to do. They shipped the stuff in its own original, sealed package, while I had to unpackage the pills in order to hide them. Most importantly, they were already in the country. Domestic shipping. No need for creative stealth packaging to pass customs inspections. No risk for the customers. So at the time on Superbolic one could buy Thai steroids shipped by me from Thailand, plus other brands from dropshippers in the USA shipped from within the US. Or unbranded items from manufacturers in China or India shipping worldwide. Then something happened: all post offices were required to ask the sender for ID, a rule that was always in place but rarely implemented. This killed the old way of doing business, because it became too risky to go to the post office to ship. Later on, a new policy focused on screening outbound parcels, due to the fact that many drugs were discovered in the US and Australia in parcels originated from Thailand. So if I didn't discover dropshipping, Superbolic would have ceased operations, as shipping from Thailand was no longer a viable option.
How how many brands do you represent now?
At the moment I work with three warehouses in the US, two in Europe (actually only one now, but one is coming soon), two in China, one in Thailand, which ships only domestic. I found a guy who does everything, even though I have perhaps two orders a year from customers in Thailand. I keep that warehouse just because it was the original Superbolic, how it started. Anyhow, the number of dropshippers changes all the time, as suppliers who were once very good became sloppy, their service deteriorated and I had to dump them. The two years of COVID also killed many good operators. So basically there are a few suppliers left and every reseller uses them. That is why everybody sells the same brands. If you notice, the majority of steroid sellers, the ones that advertise everywhere, all have more than 10 warehouses on their websites and many, many brands. I know all of these suppliers. I worked with them all and I dumped most of them. The ones I have now are reliable and quite fast in processing orders, even though they could do much better. They are probably under-staffed and overworked. I'm unable to push them, they will tell me to fuck off. So I believe it's better to deal with a few decent suppliers rather than having many lousy ones. This is if you care about your customers and if you want to offer a good service. As a middleman, you cannot do so if the supplier sucks. You answer to your customers, who doesn't care about your problems with the dropshipper. And they are right.
I browsed your site. Superbolic has no information or in-house forums about steroids usage, beginners' help, expert bodybuilders advising on cycles, people commenting and sharing info, etc. Also the design is totally different from all the others: it's minimalis, it looks like built on HTML ten years ago. Everything seems very basic, low budget. No pictures, icons, GIFs: is there a reason for that?
Yes. There are a few reasons, in facts. I could pay a professional web designer to build a very cool site, full of bodybuilders pics, cute icons, animations etc. But then 1. it will slow down the site 2. it will look messy, especially on mobile phones 3. it will distract the visitor. When you are on Superbolic, I want you to focus on products and prices, so you'll hopefully buy something, fast and easy. Superbolic is not Instagram or TikTok. You don't go to Superbolic to be entertained. You go to buy. That is why there are no pictures, apart from product pictures in the shopping cart. The idea is: you visit Superbolic when you have already determined what you want to achieve with your steroid cycle and what you need in terms of orals, injectables and dosages. You have to learn all this before, on steroid forums, interacting with experienced users. Then you come to Superbolic to buy. And before you buy you should read the FAQ, or Terms of Sales page. Sadly, only a few people do. This is very difficult for me to understand. I buy lots of stuff online. Before I provide my credit card details and click on the buy button, I do my researches. I want to now the seller. Even if it's on Amazon, Ebay or Aliexpress. I need to see reviews, feedback, Terms and Conditions. And if I'm still not sure, I send an email and politely ask for details, if they are not already covered in the FAQ page. By the answer and the time it takes for the seller to respond, I make up my mind. This is something people should always do before buying online, whatever they buy.
I read your FAQ page: your Terms of Sale are very straightforward, to the point of being almost aggressive. What about that message about paying within 24 hours to avoid being banned?
I believe in clear rules, for both the buyer and seller. Clear rules means no misunderstandings. If a customer accepts them, we both know where we stand in case something goes wrong. In e-commerce many things may go wrong. The rules ensure everybody is protected. If a potential customer is not happy with my terms, he's welcome to buy elsewhere. Suprbolic is based on fast service: if you read and follow the instructions, you will get a tracking code in very little time. In a market where everybody sells the same brands from the same suppliers at more or less the same prices, the only way to succeed is to offer an excellent service. About that message: I didn't write it because I'm a greedy asshole. It is there because, as I said, Superbolic service is based on speed: fast reply to emails, fast payment, fast processing, fast shipping. Unpaid orders create a bottleneck in the processing of paid orders, require many emails back and forth, and I find myself wasting time chasing payments for old orders instead of focusing on paying customers, the ones that deserve my attention as they have followed the rules and paid promptly. Unpaid orders are a form of spamming. They mess up my work and confuse me. So I fight this annoying practice as much as I can. I put that warning as a deterrent, thinking it will work. Well, it doesn't. I have lots of unpaid orders from people who contact me, ask for payment details, ignore my emails and ultimately disappear. Then they get banned, meaning they will not be able to buy from me if they try again. I share their contact details to spammers databases, with the result that their emails are flooded with spam. It is a irreversible process. I don't like to do this, but if you ignore the warning and spam me, I spam you back.
Don't you think people will hate you for this?
Let me tell you something about me as a business man. I believe in transparency. I believe in deals where everything is understood by both parties before money change hands. Every business relation should be based on mutual trust. But also regulated by clear, easy to understand terms. I recommend to read the FAQ pages BEFORE placing an order. If you don't agree with these terms, just don't buy from me. Those terms are for me too. Many times when you shop online and something goes wrong you expect a refund or a replacement as it's written in the seller terms of sale. Then some asshole from customer services shows you the fine print and tells you that your refund is not going to happen. Well, at Superbolic this will never happen. The same terms binds you as the customer and me as the seller. So we live by the same rules, which are there, not hidden. What is amazing to me is that people ignore all this, place orders, then get upset when they get banned.
I have seen some negative reviews about Superbolic. Can you explain that?
Sure. First of all, every seller has some negative reviews. It is impossible not to have them. There are two kinds of negative feedback: real, from pissed off customers, and fake, from people who never bought anything and are unknown to me. Let's explain these first: the steroids market is not populated by professionals that worked in multinationals. While selling steroids is not as bad as selling heavy drugs in the Dark Web, still it's a gray area, illegal in most countries, and people do get arrested, especially the ones who ships the stuff from the warehouses. So professionally managed operations are rare. The overall attitude is aggressive, in both sellers and buyers. Paying people to write bad reviews on forums or on Trustpilot is one classic strategy to steal customers away from a competitor. Another one, more nasty and more expensive, is to pay hackers to launch DDoS attacks. If a site is attacked, when you type its URL it won't load. If this happens for an hour now and then you already start getting emails from concerned customers who ask if you are still in business. If this happens more often, you'll lose new customers. Superbolic was hit by these attacks in September-October 2023, on a daily basis. I had to tell all my customers to place orders on a Word form and send it over by email, as the site didn't show up. Obviously this was from a competitor with deep pockets. It was also the first time I paid for a banner on a steroid forum. Somebody didn't like it. So the market is full of ugly players using all sorts of nasty tricks to eliminate the competition, something that doesn't happens in other markets. To have negative reviews from people working for the competition is the least of my worries.
Interesting. But let's go back to the real negative reviews, from real, pissed off customers...
Right. The major issues are related to shipping, which I cannot control. If the courier or postal service in your country doesn't deliver to the right address, or loses the package, it has nothing to do with me, really. But as people don't read the rules, they expect me to take full responsibility, always. Another issue is when I make a mistake. Yes, I do make mistakes occasionally, I'm only human. When this happens I always admit it's my fault and offer some sort of compensation, a discount on next order, or something similar. At this stage, a very customers either refuse any offer or attack me and then simply disappear. To resurface again weeks or months later on some forums, badmouthing me and calling me a scammer. One guy even told me he hoped I'd die of COVID! If you wish death to somebody because USPS lost your package there is something really wrong with your brain. You need a psychologist, not steroids. Anyway, when there is a problem I always try to find a solution. I don't simply say: that's the rule, you ignored it, your bad, so fuck off. This is not how I've learned to do business. Negotiation, meeting half-way, offer a discount, etc even when I have done nothing wrong is the way to retain customers. They will remember it and stick with you. Sometimes it is better to lose a few bucks and make the customer happy rather than being stingy and lose the customer. Because then you have an enemy who will post all those nasty reviews everywhere. I know this because many reviews are written by the same person and usually have nothing to do with the real problem. They are general bad feedbacks like: I ordered this and nothing arrived, Khang just stole my money, Khang is a scammer. I would like to mention another scenario: when something happens, either it's my mistake or it's not, but the customer starts talking aggressively and impolitely. I believe we can work it out professionally, as gentlemen. But when somebody starts to demand things, insults me and make threats, everything changes. Then I'm not a nice guy anymore. Same scenario when somebody tries to scam me using Paypal disputes or credit card chargebacks after receiving the order. This is stealing, basically. In these cases I make an attempt to discuss the issue, but usually I get no reply. Then I retaliate. I won't enter into details, but I'm surprised by how stupid people can be. I have their home/business addresses, their emails and phone numbers. I have solid contacts in the Dark Web, hackers and nasty nerds who can do many bad things with your personal data. Are you sure you want to fight with me? Or scam me? Luckily, I have to face such unpleasant situations maybe once or twice a year, so there is no point in talking about this. Lets' change the subject please.
What do you think is your strongest point? Great service means many things...
I think it is fast reply to inquiries and orders. I travel all the time, dropshipping gave me the opportunity to be a digital nomad. So I change time zones often. I don't sit in an office all day, but I check my emails all the time. If I'm on a beach, I may go for a swim, then go back to my bungalow and check if I have orders and emails. Or I may be sitting in a train for hours: perfect time to work. I usually sleep 6 hours, so the first thing I do when I wake up is to check my emails. Any order today? Nothing? No emails? OK, I have nothing to do then. Two hours later I have three orders, so I work for a while. This is how I live and work. I think this almost 24/7 response to customers is what makes me different. For me, there are no weekends or holidays. I work a little, but I work every day, from everywhere. But I can't go to any place where there is no wi-fi connection. It'll kill the business.
I made a search on Google looking for Superbolic. You don't show up anywhere on forums, even though you have been around for many years.
Banners on popular steroid forums are expensive. They give you great visibility but also bring unwanted attention from competitors, as I mentioned earlier. Also, you need to deal with dozens of posts and stupid questions from time-wasters and moaners, people who will never buy anything but ask stupid questions, fight with each other, blame sources, etc. I really don't like interacting on forums. All I have to say or sell is displayed on Superbolic. There is not much else to talk about. Another reason is that 90% of my new customers come from referrals. Have you ever heard of word-of-mouth marketing, the most difficult to obtain? A guy takes the risk, buys something, receives the products and shows off at the gym. His buddies join on the next order, so the orders gets bigger. Then they start ordering by themselves. And somebody starts to resell. And the business grows by itself. This is something you cannot buy with advertising. I have people that buy from me since 2016. That is why I'm not worried about bad reviews. My base of old customers will always put food on the table.
I found out there was superbolic.com**, then** superbolic.net**, then** superbolic.org. Why is that?
Superbolic.com was hit by some anti-steroid organization the in US and they forced ICANN, where you register your domain, to shut it down. So I migrated everything to a new doman, superbolic.net. Then the site was hit by those DDoS attacks I explained before, the hosting service shut me down and I lost access to both the site and the domain. So I found a new hosting service and bought a new domain, which is superbolic.org. What matters is not the website, but the existing customers' database. They are the business, the site is just a tool.
Is there anything you want to say before we end this interview?
Yes. My message to any potential customer is: read the FAQ page. And trust that everything written there is updated and it's the reality. It is not there just because every business must have a Terms of Sales page, written in lawyers language which nobody understands. That page is the basic agreement for our business together. If you don't agree with those terms, I respect that. So kindly leave the site and find someone better than me. I don't need a lot of money to be happy, my life is very simple. Especially, I don't want to fight with people to make money. I have a huge database of old customers who buy regularly. I don't need new customers who don't follow the rules and create problems. I rather avoid them. Luckily I can choose my customers, as they can choose from many sources. Remember this and we'll do business happily for years. Thank you for reading. Bye!
submitted by shangkhang to superbolic_express [link] [comments]
So without further ado, here we go.
An intervew with Khang, owner and administrator of superbolic.org
Please tell us about you and Superbolic: when you started, etc.
My name is Khang, I'm Thai, from Bangkok. I've studied and worked abroad in various companies, always in marketing and sales. I returned to Thailand in 2003 and started selling various things online, mostly handicrafts and curio from Thailand. In 2007 I met a guy from the US living in Bangkok and selling steroids on Ebay and on forums. He simply bought from pharmacies and sold them online at incredibly high profits. Items priced at 20 USD in Bangkok were bought for 150-200 bucks in the US. I helped him in sourcing some brands and negotiating better prices, then I began working with him full time. The most sought-after items were Danabols DS and the pink Anabol, both made in Thailand. So I became aquainted with all the pharmacies that sold steroids under the table. At the time steroids were perceived legal by foreigners, but actually they were not. You needed a prescription from a doctor to buy them, but pharmacies didn't bother. So I worked with this guy for a few years, then he left Thailand. I then worked in online start up which made little money but gave me a lot of experience. I also tried to make money in the Dark Web. At the end I realized that the steroid business was a much better option and I went back to that business. After all, I knew all the places where to buy steroids, from pharnacies to distributors. I knew how to attract traffic on any website using SEO strategies. I knew how to create stealth Paypal accounts not in my name and hw buy and sell Bitcoins. So this little baggage of experience went into my own shop, superbolic.com, which I launched in 2015.
How did it go?
At the very beginning it was very, very tough to establish credibility. I had access to genuine products made by well-known Thai brands: LA Pharma, British Dispensary, SB Labs, March Pharma, Biolab...plus the imported ones, like Thaiger Pharma, Globalanabolics and Meditech. But nobody believed it. In this business, due to a very large amount of scammers and fake steroids, you are perceived as a scammer unless you can prove you are not. You are guilty until proven innocent. I started to market Superbolic on a couple of steroid forums in the US and Australia: the amount of hate and racism I received was unbelievable! Just because I was a new source I was considered a scammer, a seller of bunk products. And being Asian I was considered of an inferior race. You can still check my original thread and amuse yourself. This gave me a clear understanding of the market. Of the kind of customer I would be dealing with. Luckily on Australian forums people were more open-minded and less aggressive, so I got my first customers there. The main challenge I faced was: Australian Customs are the most difficult to pass, so many steroid sellers don't even bother to ship to Australia, as the chances of success are close to zero. But if I could pass Australian Customs, I would have a hungry market. So I figured out very creative ways to hide orals and vials in parcels bound for Australia. And it worked. Very quickly I became famous for being the guy who could pass Australian Customs with a very good rate of success. I received good reviews and business started to pick up. The stuff was so well hidden that some customers couldn't find it and posted angry reviews! Then I explained how to find the gear and they apologized. I don't know if these forums are still there, but dealing with the Australians was fun. Then something similar happened with Canada: I had one reseller who bought huge amounts because I was the only one able to pass custom inspections. So this is how it started, with two countries only. Few but very loyal customers. But zero sales in the US and Europe. Everything changed in 2019 when I began doing dropshipping, like every other shop, basically.
Why the change?
I was approached by distributors in EU and US and manufacturers from China and India. They were all offering dropshipping deals. I was reluctant to change Superbolic's identity: after all, I was the only one selling Thai brands, shipped by myself from Thailand. My business model was unique, different from all the others. I didn't have competitors as nobody sold worldwide from Thailand. So I didn't like the idea of not being in total control of everything and to rely on others. But the conditions these dropshippers were offering were very good for the customers. Actually, they were better than mine! They guaranteed delivery: if a parcel was seized they reshipped it for free, something I always refused to do. They shipped the stuff in its own original, sealed package, while I had to unpackage the pills in order to hide them. Most importantly, they were already in the country. Domestic shipping. No need for creative stealth packaging to pass customs inspections. No risk for the customers. So at the time on Superbolic one could buy Thai steroids shipped by me from Thailand, plus other brands from dropshippers in the USA shipped from within the US. Or unbranded items from manufacturers in China or India shipping worldwide. Then something happened: all post offices were required to ask the sender for ID, a rule that was always in place but rarely implemented. This killed the old way of doing business, because it became too risky to go to the post office to ship. Later on, a new policy focused on screening outbound parcels, due to the fact that many drugs were discovered in the US and Australia in parcels originated from Thailand. So if I didn't discover dropshipping, Superbolic would have ceased operations, as shipping from Thailand was no longer a viable option.
How how many brands do you represent now?
At the moment I work with three warehouses in the US, two in Europe (actually only one now, but one is coming soon), two in China, one in Thailand, which ships only domestic. I found a guy who does everything, even though I have perhaps two orders a year from customers in Thailand. I keep that warehouse just because it was the original Superbolic, how it started. Anyhow, the number of dropshippers changes all the time, as suppliers who were once very good became sloppy, their service deteriorated and I had to dump them. The two years of COVID also killed many good operators. So basically there are a few suppliers left and every reseller uses them. That is why everybody sells the same brands. If you notice, the majority of steroid sellers, the ones that advertise everywhere, all have more than 10 warehouses on their websites and many, many brands. I know all of these suppliers. I worked with them all and I dumped most of them. The ones I have now are reliable and quite fast in processing orders, even though they could do much better. They are probably under-staffed and overworked. I'm unable to push them, they will tell me to fuck off. So I believe it's better to deal with a few decent suppliers rather than having many lousy ones. This is if you care about your customers and if you want to offer a good service. As a middleman, you cannot do so if the supplier sucks. You answer to your customers, who doesn't care about your problems with the dropshipper. And they are right.
I browsed your site. Superbolic has no information or in-house forums about steroids usage, beginners' help, expert bodybuilders advising on cycles, people commenting and sharing info, etc. Also the design is totally different from all the others: it's minimalis, it looks like built on HTML ten years ago. Everything seems very basic, low budget. No pictures, icons, GIFs: is there a reason for that?
Yes. There are a few reasons, in facts. I could pay a professional web designer to build a very cool site, full of bodybuilders pics, cute icons, animations etc. But then 1. it will slow down the site 2. it will look messy, especially on mobile phones 3. it will distract the visitor. When you are on Superbolic, I want you to focus on products and prices, so you'll hopefully buy something, fast and easy. Superbolic is not Instagram or TikTok. You don't go to Superbolic to be entertained. You go to buy. That is why there are no pictures, apart from product pictures in the shopping cart. The idea is: you visit Superbolic when you have already determined what you want to achieve with your steroid cycle and what you need in terms of orals, injectables and dosages. You have to learn all this before, on steroid forums, interacting with experienced users. Then you come to Superbolic to buy. And before you buy you should read the FAQ, or Terms of Sales page. Sadly, only a few people do. This is very difficult for me to understand. I buy lots of stuff online. Before I provide my credit card details and click on the buy button, I do my researches. I want to now the seller. Even if it's on Amazon, Ebay or Aliexpress. I need to see reviews, feedback, Terms and Conditions. And if I'm still not sure, I send an email and politely ask for details, if they are not already covered in the FAQ page. By the answer and the time it takes for the seller to respond, I make up my mind. This is something people should always do before buying online, whatever they buy.
I read your FAQ page: your Terms of Sale are very straightforward, to the point of being almost aggressive. What about that message about paying within 24 hours to avoid being banned?
I believe in clear rules, for both the buyer and seller. Clear rules means no misunderstandings. If a customer accepts them, we both know where we stand in case something goes wrong. In e-commerce many things may go wrong. The rules ensure everybody is protected. If a potential customer is not happy with my terms, he's welcome to buy elsewhere. Suprbolic is based on fast service: if you read and follow the instructions, you will get a tracking code in very little time. In a market where everybody sells the same brands from the same suppliers at more or less the same prices, the only way to succeed is to offer an excellent service. About that message: I didn't write it because I'm a greedy asshole. It is there because, as I said, Superbolic service is based on speed: fast reply to emails, fast payment, fast processing, fast shipping. Unpaid orders create a bottleneck in the processing of paid orders, require many emails back and forth, and I find myself wasting time chasing payments for old orders instead of focusing on paying customers, the ones that deserve my attention as they have followed the rules and paid promptly. Unpaid orders are a form of spamming. They mess up my work and confuse me. So I fight this annoying practice as much as I can. I put that warning as a deterrent, thinking it will work. Well, it doesn't. I have lots of unpaid orders from people who contact me, ask for payment details, ignore my emails and ultimately disappear. Then they get banned, meaning they will not be able to buy from me if they try again. I share their contact details to spammers databases, with the result that their emails are flooded with spam. It is a irreversible process. I don't like to do this, but if you ignore the warning and spam me, I spam you back.
Don't you think people will hate you for this?
Let me tell you something about me as a business man. I believe in transparency. I believe in deals where everything is understood by both parties before money change hands. Every business relation should be based on mutual trust. But also regulated by clear, easy to understand terms. I recommend to read the FAQ pages BEFORE placing an order. If you don't agree with these terms, just don't buy from me. Those terms are for me too. Many times when you shop online and something goes wrong you expect a refund or a replacement as it's written in the seller terms of sale. Then some asshole from customer services shows you the fine print and tells you that your refund is not going to happen. Well, at Superbolic this will never happen. The same terms binds you as the customer and me as the seller. So we live by the same rules, which are there, not hidden. What is amazing to me is that people ignore all this, place orders, then get upset when they get banned.
I have seen some negative reviews about Superbolic. Can you explain that?
Sure. First of all, every seller has some negative reviews. It is impossible not to have them. There are two kinds of negative feedback: real, from pissed off customers, and fake, from people who never bought anything and are unknown to me. Let's explain these first: the steroids market is not populated by professionals that worked in multinationals. While selling steroids is not as bad as selling heavy drugs in the Dark Web, still it's a gray area, illegal in most countries, and people do get arrested, especially the ones who ships the stuff from the warehouses. So professionally managed operations are rare. The overall attitude is aggressive, in both sellers and buyers. Paying people to write bad reviews on forums or on Trustpilot is one classic strategy to steal customers away from a competitor. Another one, more nasty and more expensive, is to pay hackers to launch DDoS attacks. If a site is attacked, when you type its URL it won't load. If this happens for an hour now and then you already start getting emails from concerned customers who ask if you are still in business. If this happens more often, you'll lose new customers. Superbolic was hit by these attacks in September-October 2023, on a daily basis. I had to tell all my customers to place orders on a Word form and send it over by email, as the site didn't show up. Obviously this was from a competitor with deep pockets. It was also the first time I paid for a banner on a steroid forum. Somebody didn't like it. So the market is full of ugly players using all sorts of nasty tricks to eliminate the competition, something that doesn't happens in other markets. To have negative reviews from people working for the competition is the least of my worries.
Interesting. But let's go back to the real negative reviews, from real, pissed off customers...
Right. The major issues are related to shipping, which I cannot control. If the courier or postal service in your country doesn't deliver to the right address, or loses the package, it has nothing to do with me, really. But as people don't read the rules, they expect me to take full responsibility, always. Another issue is when I make a mistake. Yes, I do make mistakes occasionally, I'm only human. When this happens I always admit it's my fault and offer some sort of compensation, a discount on next order, or something similar. At this stage, a very customers either refuse any offer or attack me and then simply disappear. To resurface again weeks or months later on some forums, badmouthing me and calling me a scammer. One guy even told me he hoped I'd die of COVID! If you wish death to somebody because USPS lost your package there is something really wrong with your brain. You need a psychologist, not steroids. Anyway, when there is a problem I always try to find a solution. I don't simply say: that's the rule, you ignored it, your bad, so fuck off. This is not how I've learned to do business. Negotiation, meeting half-way, offer a discount, etc even when I have done nothing wrong is the way to retain customers. They will remember it and stick with you. Sometimes it is better to lose a few bucks and make the customer happy rather than being stingy and lose the customer. Because then you have an enemy who will post all those nasty reviews everywhere. I know this because many reviews are written by the same person and usually have nothing to do with the real problem. They are general bad feedbacks like: I ordered this and nothing arrived, Khang just stole my money, Khang is a scammer. I would like to mention another scenario: when something happens, either it's my mistake or it's not, but the customer starts talking aggressively and impolitely. I believe we can work it out professionally, as gentlemen. But when somebody starts to demand things, insults me and make threats, everything changes. Then I'm not a nice guy anymore. Same scenario when somebody tries to scam me using Paypal disputes or credit card chargebacks after receiving the order. This is stealing, basically. In these cases I make an attempt to discuss the issue, but usually I get no reply. Then I retaliate. I won't enter into details, but I'm surprised by how stupid people can be. I have their home/business addresses, their emails and phone numbers. I have solid contacts in the Dark Web, hackers and nasty nerds who can do many bad things with your personal data. Are you sure you want to fight with me? Or scam me? Luckily, I have to face such unpleasant situations maybe once or twice a year, so there is no point in talking about this. Lets' change the subject please.
What do you think is your strongest point? Great service means many things...
I think it is fast reply to inquiries and orders. I travel all the time, dropshipping gave me the opportunity to be a digital nomad. So I change time zones often. I don't sit in an office all day, but I check my emails all the time. If I'm on a beach, I may go for a swim, then go back to my bungalow and check if I have orders and emails. Or I may be sitting in a train for hours: perfect time to work. I usually sleep 6 hours, so the first thing I do when I wake up is to check my emails. Any order today? Nothing? No emails? OK, I have nothing to do then. Two hours later I have three orders, so I work for a while. This is how I live and work. I think this almost 24/7 response to customers is what makes me different. For me, there are no weekends or holidays. I work a little, but I work every day, from everywhere. But I can't go to any place where there is no wi-fi connection. It'll kill the business.
I made a search on Google looking for Superbolic. You don't show up anywhere on forums, even though you have been around for many years.
Banners on popular steroid forums are expensive. They give you great visibility but also bring unwanted attention from competitors, as I mentioned earlier. Also, you need to deal with dozens of posts and stupid questions from time-wasters and moaners, people who will never buy anything but ask stupid questions, fight with each other, blame sources, etc. I really don't like interacting on forums. All I have to say or sell is displayed on Superbolic. There is not much else to talk about. Another reason is that 90% of my new customers come from referrals. Have you ever heard of word-of-mouth marketing, the most difficult to obtain? A guy takes the risk, buys something, receives the products and shows off at the gym. His buddies join on the next order, so the orders gets bigger. Then they start ordering by themselves. And somebody starts to resell. And the business grows by itself. This is something you cannot buy with advertising. I have people that buy from me since 2016. That is why I'm not worried about bad reviews. My base of old customers will always put food on the table.
I found out there was superbolic.com**, then** superbolic.net**, then** superbolic.org. Why is that?
Superbolic.com was hit by some anti-steroid organization the in US and they forced ICANN, where you register your domain, to shut it down. So I migrated everything to a new doman, superbolic.net. Then the site was hit by those DDoS attacks I explained before, the hosting service shut me down and I lost access to both the site and the domain. So I found a new hosting service and bought a new domain, which is superbolic.org. What matters is not the website, but the existing customers' database. They are the business, the site is just a tool.
Is there anything you want to say before we end this interview?
Yes. My message to any potential customer is: read the FAQ page. And trust that everything written there is updated and it's the reality. It is not there just because every business must have a Terms of Sales page, written in lawyers language which nobody understands. That page is the basic agreement for our business together. If you don't agree with those terms, I respect that. So kindly leave the site and find someone better than me. I don't need a lot of money to be happy, my life is very simple. Especially, I don't want to fight with people to make money. I have a huge database of old customers who buy regularly. I don't need new customers who don't follow the rules and create problems. I rather avoid them. Luckily I can choose my customers, as they can choose from many sources. Remember this and we'll do business happily for years. Thank you for reading. Bye!