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lol hertz threatened or they did file a stolen car report when the car is like 15? Feet away from them

2024.04.29 04:28 Vsblife lol hertz threatened or they did file a stolen car report when the car is like 15? Feet away from them

So now I know hertz doesn’t have cmgosntracking I their Tesla’s . Mind blowing right? This incident happened at John Wayne airport , there was nothing on anywhere on what spot I should leave the car parked at , so I took a pic and sent it to them , and they send. Me a letter a weekk later saying they filed a stolen car report , which ruined my night, and can’t breathe and have to go to hostel now, watching company threatened their customer , when I have all the proof where the car is, and they lost the picture I guess lol. Sucks for them, too hyper ventilated waiting on the police to come . go y , they lost the conversation we had and picture of where the car is, and I got a panic attack cuz they threatened some big stuff saying I stole their car, when i parked it at a random spot cuz not one place in the white car tells c you were to park it . It is is no where in the app or keys or car interior where thr car should be parked, I’m thinking they found it now, but ima file a lawsuit for threatening a customer , and giving pilot false information , whenever thought they don’t have. Gps trackers in the Tesla * ough cough have fun ! Criminals lol
John Wayne airport , in Costa Mesa , ca ,
Your welcone for the gps tip, they gonna fix it soon maybe. Maybe a week or so , but ruined my day and. Night , goingv to the hospital to have it in paper they caused a panic attack, should I sue them for money or settle for a 6 month rental of the same car? Defibrkynexoect to be compensated what in paid, and more for Britain and hotel fees cuz I don’t wanna go yo jail over their threats to a customer , lieing saying they called me, I don’t ever answer spam callls but rly. Can’t find any voicemail or anterior that they called me , leave a voicemail at least ..
Boycott hertz !threaten to send a good customer to jail , for not parking in the right spot
I suffer from very bad ptsd , and they threatened or already called the cops saying I stole their car but in fact it’s feet away from them they office . I’d u Ean snake some money peas call: and tell them what kind of customer service is this .. enrrrprise or ace > hertz . Shady hertz
19492246700 call them record Irvine and I’ll cashapp you, how they treat their customers. SMH at least a dollar up to ten if it’s spicy . An s record and send to me please . First person to call them gets ten buck bonus , call them and ask why they don’t have gps location , or why they lost the picture if where I parked it, wheni sent it. ruined my night .. I’ll send up to 20 follars of phone harrasement to them
19492246700
Be like why don’t you guys have gps on teslas and why did u threaten a customer for jail time … what kind of service is that, inside dive that car like I was running for my life , since I thought they had a gps on it . when the car is 15 feet away from them . So if you have a real rented by the right now, they can’t seee where ur at , or his u drive the car, go racing hell !
Seriously will cashapp you, the spicer the better , what kind of rental companies threatenes their customers , I am asking for the rental money back and a 3 month courtesy rental , going to the BBB with this one . Or 50k in mental anguish , saying they told the cops I stole the car that is 15 feet away from them. Yeah they don’t have gps , u can lrrally tell them anything now , if ur driving one now, be late a day or two , they can’t prove it was in the parking garage the whole time, a gps could’ve stopped that , what if, wait I can barely take the Tesla for a day or two extra cuz they can’t prove they don’t have it.
they lost the picture I sent them. Of were i parked , Ifthe posting where the issuing is at John Warne then wait scc c week to say U I stole the car that’s in the parking K, I wanna go in and make a scene , but otw to the hospital , see if I can calm down. Customers service worst I’ve ever seen
Please call them and tell them whack customer service makes a mistake and calls the cops for stealing a car that you would think has a gps tracker (they don’t ) so do what y want with that info. Reddit ..it was for a tesla also! The car is a gps computer lol . Smh , gonna sue them for ruining my day, hospital fees , might stay overnight , imagine bring out inn jail for dealing. A car that’s 15 feet away from their office lol, so your saying I could’ve drove it another week and say I parked it there , (they lost the conversation, or picture I gave them , but will not be needing to send it again ) that’s what my lawyer said , has anyone dealt either hertz in court ? I’m guessing they will settle , smartest move , but for how much? 45k? Or give me a rental for 3 months. ? Is my option I’m gonna give them . So if u have a Tesla they not watching you, on god, so do what u want and go where u want iandnbr rerun it late , and they won’t have proof I didn’t return it .. lol
They don’t track you, ot so, so do what you want with that info !
submitted by Vsblife to HertzRentals [link] [comments]


2024.04.29 04:16 RevolutionaryBoat380 Why does Metrobank require a COE and my Boss’ phone number for a SECURE CREDIT CARD

Goodness, I thought 100% approval if wala ka namang deliquent cards or issues sa bank na to? Currently waiting for my debit card (they open a savings acc for me) and to deposit the hold out amount they require. They are asking me for COE and a business phone number daw ng company. I work for a US-based startup, and to think na tatawag daw sila sa boss ko to confirm my employment is a bit weird for me. (Embarrassing din na malalaman ng boss mo ganap on your personal life or maybe ako lang?)
Meron nga pong hold out amount dba? Why do they need these requirements pa as if I’m actually applying for a regular CC? Is my rant not valid.
submitted by RevolutionaryBoat380 to PHCreditCards [link] [comments]


2024.04.29 04:13 Swamivik Wuxi XDC 2268 Upward revision of annual caps for raw materials procurement - shares up 4.15%

REVISION OF ORIGINAL ANNUAL CAPS The Original Annual Caps and the Revised Annual Caps are as follows: For the year ending December 31, 2024 2025 Original Annual Caps RMB32.6 million RMB21.3 million Revised Annual Caps RMB80.0 million RMB75.0 million Further, the actual transaction amounts for the year ended December 31, 2023 and the three months ended March 31, 2024 in respect of the Raw Materials Procurement Services
Agreement are as follows: For the year ended December 31, 2023 For the three months ended March 31, 2024 Historical transaction amounts RMB41.4 million RMB31.8 million(Note) Note: Based on the unaudited management accounts of the Company for the three months ended March 31, 2024. REASONS FOR REVISING AND BASIS FOR DETERMINING THE REVISED ANNUAL CAPS The Group’s XDC CRDMO business model has continued to fuel its exceptional business growth and outstanding results. In 2023, it exhibited exceptional growth in revenue and gross profit of 114.4% and 114.3%, respectively, and its adjusted net profit attributable to owners of the Company also increased by 112.1%. Furthermore, the total number of ongoing integrated projects increased by 52.1% from 94 in 2022 to 143 in 2023. In particular, the Group experienced even more rapid and robust business growth in the fourth quarter of 2023, and such momentum of growth carried forward into the first quarter of 2024. Given the strong clients’ demand for XDC CRDMO services, it is imperative that the Group can timely procure sufficient raw materials to fulfil such demand. On this basis, the Group has stocked up on its inventory to ensure stable and steady supply of raw materials and to avoid any unnecessary delays or disruptions to the existing XDC CRDMO projects. To this end, the Company believes that procurement of raw materials through the Remaining WXB Group is a reliable source and allows the Group to enjoy the benefits from the economies of scale. In addition, the Group’s second Wuxi XDC facility has commenced operations since the fourth quarter of 2023. The new facility at Wuxi has significantly enhanced the Group’s capability to provide GMP manufacturing services in relation to monoclonal antibody (mAb) intermediates that the Group were not able to fulfil in the past. As a result of such expansion, the Group is required to procure on behalf of its clients certain raw materials (e.g. resin) necessary for the provision of mAbs manufacturing services by the Group. The transaction amounts of these raw materials purchase orders are generally sizeable, and clients are generally required to pre-pay the full amount of those purchase orders when the Group procures on their behalf. As the scale of the Group’s mAbs manufacturing capacity ramped up faster than anticipated, the Group has received substantially higher volume of purchase orders for raw materials from its clients since January 2024. For example, only in the first quarter of 2024, the Group procured on behalf of its clients approximately RMB9.7 million worth of resin for the purpose of mAbs manufacturing, which represented approximately 29.8% of the original annual cap for 2024, as compared to approximately RMB0.4 million worth of resin being procured for the purpose of mAbs manufacturing during the year ended December 31, 2023. Accordingly, the Group has a genuine need to purchase additional raw materials in anticipation of the growing demand for manufacturing services in the coming years. Having considered the above, the Board has resolved to revise the Original Annual Caps to the Revised Annual Caps, which are determined principally with reference to: (1) the actual transaction amounts in relation to the Raw Materials Procurement Services Agreement for the three months ended March 31, 2024 based on the Company’s unaudited management accounts; (2) the expected transaction amounts in relation to the Raw Materials Procurement Services Agreement for the remaining nine months of 2024 based on the ongoing projects and purchase orders from clients; (3) the estimated new projects and purchase orders expected to be obtained by the end of 2024; (4) the estimated overall business growth of the Group and demand for raw materials from clients for 2025; and (5) the estimated purchase prices of the raw materials and the Group’s increased capacity for procurement in 2024 and 2025. The Directors (including the independent non-executive Directors) are of the view that the Raw Materials Procurement Services Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereunder have been entered into in the ordinary and usual course of business of the Group, and conducted on normal commercial terms according to the terms therein, and that such terms as well as the Revised Annual Caps are fair and reasonable, and in the interests of the Company and its Shareholders as a whole.
submitted by Swamivik to HangSengNews [link] [comments]


2024.04.29 01:59 davidimcintosh Is Mastercraft Maximum all GearWrench?

Is Mastercraft Maximum all GearWrench?
So, I bought this set quite a number of years ago. You Canadians will recognize the brand name on the one side, "Mastercraft", as the branding of Canadian Tire. What I never noticed until now is the stamp on the other side: GearWrench. So I am guessing crappy tire has been sourcing their "Mastercraft Maximum" brand from GearWrench? Can anyone tell me if all the Mastercraft Maximum are really just GearWrench? And, can anyone tell me where these were made? Perhaps the "M-" stamp indicates where they were made? I.e. are these a China run or an old Taiwan made set?
submitted by davidimcintosh to Tools [link] [comments]


2024.04.29 01:39 ThrowRAConfused2024 Do you think I (50M) need to be concerned about my younger coworker’s (35F) friendliness?

First of all, I’m married, and so is she.
She’s part of a small group of us who started working part-time at our company at the same time, and that’s probably how we first started talking in the first place. She’s the type that will strike up a conversation with anyone, so I didn’t think much of it when we first started interacting. I was actually deliberately stand off-ish with her initially, but over a few months of interacting with her we became friends.
There are a number of reasons why I initially kept her at arms length. First of all we are from very different cultures and have had very different life experiences, and also just going from physical appearances you wouldn’t expect we would have much in common at all. She’s looks like she could easily have chosen a career in modeling or movies - very, very attractive - someone could swap a photo of her onto the cover of any fashion magazine you like and nobody would realize something had been changed.
I on the other hand am very ordinary looking - slightly shorter than average, lean build but with a little bit of fat around the mid-section that I really should get around to losing. I’d say I’m probably about a 6 on a scale of 1 to 10, while I think most guys would rank her looks from a high 8 to a 10 just depending on their personal preferences.
I’m also 15 years older than she is, so from a professional standpoint I didn’t want it to look like I was always hanging around this much younger woman - she’s taken great care of herself and looks even younger than she actually is. Lastly, I’m black and she’s white.
Another reason for keeping distance was that because of how she looks she gets A LOT of attention from guys. I know that some women like to use that and surround themselves with guys that are hoping for a chance, and I had no interest in being one of them, if that was the game she was playing.
Despite all our differences though, surprisingly we really clicked together. It was just really easy to talk to her, although at first I sometimes would find myself having to look away as her beauty can be extremely distracting and I would get tongue tied. It took a while to be able to get past that. And even though I would do things like purposely sit on the other side of the room, she’d often come over to where I was anyway, or call me to come over to where she was.
Slowly over several months we have become really good “workplace friends”. We don’t interact outside of work at all, we don’t call or text each other, but when we see each other at work we always have things we want to talk about, even if it’s just to commiserate about how the day or week is going and what we’re looking forward to doing or did on the weekend. Also, she’s been having a harder time adjusting to the job than I have, so sometimes I give her a bit of encouragement and affirmation of the work she’s doing and who she is as a person.
With all that said, the reason I’m posting on here is over the last few months she’s been doing a few things that have me wondering whether she isn’t being slightly too friendly. Nothing major, just little things, like if I’m in the break room and she comes in, 9 times out of 10 she’s either going to sit facing me or right beside me, rather than leaving a seat in between (which a lot of people usually do when possible as the seats are somewhat close together).
The other day there were some dessert snacks in our department, and she told me it was good and I should have some, giving me the uneaten half from her plate rather than me just going and getting one for myself.
Also, a possibly accidental but I think maybe not brush of our hands when we were working on a document together.
So really just little things that could be completely innocent, but could also mean something else.
And let me just state plainly that no, I’m not hoping that she’s secretly into me - I’m happily married with a kid and am not looking to add complications into my life, and she has never said anything to me that suggests that she has any interest in complicating her life either. Also, she mentions her husband from time to time in conversation with me and others, and it’s never in an overly critical way that might indicate she is not happy with him.
I’ve been telling myself that it’s most probably either I’m just a bit of a dinosaur and don’t realize younger male and female co-workers are just more casual and friendly with each other nowadays than back in my day, or that she specifically is just a more casual and friendly woman than I’m used to. So what do you all think? Can I just relax and enjoy our friendship or should I be preparing myself to have an awkward conversation with her sooner or later?
submitted by ThrowRAConfused2024 to relationship_advice [link] [comments]


2024.04.29 01:11 Sea-Sympathy5350 Six Degrees To Revenge

To start with my revenge plan you need to know the movie premise of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. This will be a large part of my revenge, but first you need a bit of information to see how I got here. I’m what they call a white hat hacker, simply put I hack into corporate internets and invade their systems. This was my job and I love it. I was paid by several corporations to test, find weak access points and fix them. My story started as a 7-year-old, that’s when I was introduced to my first PC. By age 11 I was learning code. By the time I was 15 I figured out how to access most company internal web servers. This was good and bad, good was my excitement when I made my first intrusion, bad was when I got caught for it. My first hack was a local bank, I got into their system and looked around. Then to see if I had the ability to change data, I moved a decimal on an account and verified that it took. Next was to change it back immediately and exit from the site. I never wanted to cause harm, just check out what access I had. A week later there were no signs that my intrusion had been discovered, and I felt more at ease. Well, that was short lived, there was a knock on the door as I was having my afternoon snack after school. When I opened it there were two men standing there in black suits.
I asked what I could do for them when they asked me if I was Jason Hopes. I replied with a look of shame and said yes. They pulled out their credentials, The first man proudly showed me his FBI badge and ID card confirming his identity. Then I looked at the other mans ID and it was without a badge but showed an ID from CISA, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. I knew from the moment I read the badges I was in trouble. I thought to myself, “well I guess my first hack would be my last. As they entered my home they asked about my parents. I responded that they were at work. They immediately stopped asking me questions and requested my parent’s phone numbers. I told them my dad was out of town on business, as I was shaking uncontrollably. My world was starting in a descent that I just couldn’t stop. The FBI agent called my mother and said something, I was too far away to hear him. He hung up and returned to us and said your mom will be here in 20 minutes and our discussion should wait for her arrival. Now I was terrified for my life or even my future at home when my mom returns home to find out what I had done.
When my mom arrived, they talked with her in private before returning to the living room. I was then told how my hack caused their response, they said they understood I didn’t steal anything, but I had breached an FDIC banking system. I asked how they tracked me; they laughed and said your IP and Mac addresses were located on the servers and tracked me from there. I explained I didn’t make any changes, just looked around. The CISA agent said, no son you did more than that, you changed information which triggered an investigation. You changed one account to the tune of 10 thousand dollars, but they admitted that I had changed it back immediately and took nothing. I was about to cry as they said they would monitor my activity until I was 18, if I stayed clear of hacking my misguided activities would be forgiven. They placed an in-line interceptor on my PC which told them everything I did on my PC at home. I was relieved by their attempts to keep me out of jail. I stayed away from doing anything to do with hacking and was cleared when I turned 18, just as they promised. My parents were not happy but were relieved to know I hadn’t stolen anything and ended up forgiving me.
Well, it’s been 15 years since that happened and I have taken my hacking skill in a different direction. As I said before I’m a white hat, I was hired by several companies to test and close all system loopholes of their security. I also continue to write code in my spare time. I had a new program I had just finished that would make malware and viruses in e-mails a thing of the past. My newest program scanned all e-mails prior to delivery and scanned them checking all the attachments before an associate could open them. When the e-mail appeared in their inboxes, It would be shown in red. This indicated to the user not to open any attachments, it would cause harm to their networks. I hadn’t released it yet; I had one reason even though it was ready for wide distribution. My loving wife of 8 years had her secrets. Over the past year she has had three lovers behind my back. She was totally unaware of my knowledge of her extracurricular activities. But I had been planning my revenge for months, to be honest it took me about 10 months to get it completed. I new all the men my wife had cheated on me with, and most of their personal information. I also had a PI gather pictures for my revenge plans. I had written a new program just for this revenge, it was simple and would destroy all the cheating partners involved. I must admit, it was relatively simple but very effective. To begin with I can be spiteful, I didn’t want to share any of my new program’s success with that cheating woman that I had married, and once loved. Our marriage needed to end before I released it, making sure she would see no money from my hard work. All the time was well spent on it, this revenge could or should go down in the history books as an epic revenge story.
First thing was to set up an e-mail, this e-mail started at the top with 3 pictures of my wife kissing each of her lovers. Below was a link to her basic resume, you know, birth date, place of birth, job history, status at her current company without naming it. Next in the e-mail were the three pictures of my wife’s lovers with them walking into hotel rooms. This was my wife’s preference of bedding and her lover’s meeting place. As you clicked on their pictures the same appeared with the information in the same format as my wife’s. With the additional information of their wife’s and children’s names if any, and the length of her affair with each of the men. This in my mind would create enough interest for the need to see more and open any one of the 6 pictures, boom my plan would be set off and running. I sent the e-mail from my account showing in the subject line, People you may know. Being it was from me they most likely would look at it. It was sent to just the 4 of them, my wife and her three lovers. This is where it all started.
I sat back in my chair with a smile on my face and waited. My PC was set on tracking the e-mails as they raced across America. To help you understand my plan better, I had placed into the e-mail a small virus. As soon as you clicked any one of the pictures it sent the virus into motion. The virus was created to send the same e-mail to everyone in their contact lists. Each time it was opened it continued to repopulate the e-mails into the newest recipient’s contacts and so on. I had also placed a tracker to see how it populated, each time the e-mail was opened. I would get a red dot as to the newest sender without their knowledge and with recipient as their name as the new sender, As I watched the red dot appear after the first e-mail was read, I yelled for joy, it was working as expected, but you always have some doubts. But within 10 minutes this e-mail was rushing across America. To my shock my map expanded when the e-mail went to users in Europe and Asia. It just kept going and going. My screen about 2 hours later was redder than the map could handle. It started to just appear as a red blob covering the United States and other parts of the world. I had also built in one last command to kill itself 1 week after the original e-mail was opened. By that time everyone should know of my wife and her lover’s infidelity.
Divorce was one sided, all in my favor. The three lovers were a subordinate of hers and two of her bosses. I sued the company for not following the company relationship guidelines in the office standards of ethics. I received a small, but nice compensation from them and a great split in our marital assets before it was all over. 3 divorces and one ex-fiancé later, my life was ready to move on. I released my virus e-mail scanning program and 4 months later sold it for an undisclosed amount in the mid 7 figure range. My wife and her companions had become well known to the world as well as unemployed; my revenge plan was complete. I moved on to newer programing projects and did my white hat work even though I didn’t need to. To me it wasn’t work, I loved my job, it wasn’t really work at all but fun for me and I really do enjoy it.
submitted by Sea-Sympathy5350 to FictionWriting [link] [comments]


2024.04.29 01:08 TheBonesOfAutumn In October 1933, United Airlines Flight 23 crashed in Chesterton, Indiana after an onboard explosive detonated. Known as the first proven act of air sabotage in the history of commercial aviation, the culprit, and their motive, remains a mystery.

Shortly before 9:00 pm on October 10, 1933, Joe Groff, a Chesterton, Indiana farmer, was engrossed in a game of hearts with his neighbors when a thunderous explosion overhead shattered the tranquility of the quiet evening. Startled by the deafening sound, Joe and his companions scrambled towards a window, their gazes drawn upwards to witness the horrifying spectacle of a burning airplane disintegrating in the night sky, showering the ground below with fiery debris.
The earth shuddered as the flaming wreckage slammed into the ground. Joe and his friends raced towards the crash site, driven by the desperate hope of finding survivors. But as they drew closer, the inferno's fury pushed them back. Fred Rhode, another nearby farmer, who had also witnessed the crash, arrived to find a scene of utter devastation. Twisted fragments of the fuselage littered the field, and lying within the smoldering remains was , “a decapitated woman, her body charred, and her limbs reduced to smoldering stumps.”
"We were startled by a terrific explosion. We ran outside. We saw the plane burning in air, about 1,000 feet up. It was falling like a rock, flames shooting out on all sides. It came down faster and faster. We could hear the motor running. The plane zigzagged as if in a tail spin. Then it hit the ground with a roar and a sound I hope to never hear again. Flames shot up at least 200 feet. I heard what I thought were people crying out. We tried to throw water on the flames, but couldn’t get near enough to do any good. We had to stand on, helpless." -Joe Groff
The aircraft was identified as United Airlines Flight 23, a ten seat, twin-engine Boeing 247, bound for Chicago, Illinois. The ill-fated flight had originated in Newark, New Jersey, and made a routine refueling stop in Cleveland, Ohio. There, a pilot change occurred, and two additional passengers joined the manifest, bringing the total onboard to seven.
Now piloting the aircraft was 25-year-old Harold “Hal” Tarrant, a two year veteran of United Airlines, and his co-pilot, 28-year-old A.T. Ruby, a graduate of the University of Illinois. Hal was the son of a wealthy Illinois merchant. Recently engaged, his fiancé, Bessie, was waiting for him at the terminal in Chicago.
Also aboard was 25-year-old stewardess Alice Scribner. Alice was the daughter of a former Wisconsin state legislator. After graduating from college, she became a teacher, and later a nurse at Bellin Memorial Hospital in Wisconsin. Meeting United’s height and weight restrictions at the time, less than 123 pounds and not any taller than 5 feet 2 inches, she had joined the airline only recently. Her fiancé, Evan Terp, was also waiting for her at the airport in Chicago.
25-year-old Dorothy M. Dwyer was flying to meet her fiancée in Reno, Nevada. She was supposed to be on an earlier flight, but missed it due to a flat tire on the way to the airport in Newark. 44-year-old Emil Smith, a former army officer and grocery store owner, had also boarded in Newark, heading back home to Chicago.
Warren Burris, a radio operator for United, was one of two additional passengers picked up in Cleveland. Warren was being shuttled to Chicago to crew another flight. Also added to the manifest in Cleveland was 28-year-old Frederick Schoendorff, manager of a company that made refrigerators in Chicago.
Hal's routine radio transmission at 8:39 p.m. Central Time suggested normalcy; despite the slight drizzle over North Liberty, Indiana, the flight seemed on course. Yet, twenty minutes later, when his next scheduled check-in was due, silence echoed across the airwaves. An hour later, the airline’s station manager received a brief teletype message confirming their worst fears; Flight 23 had crashed.
Meanwhile, in Chesterton, fire crews, police, and local volunteers converged, their desperate attempts to quell the raging inferno a futile battle against the wreckage's relentless flames. As the fire burned into the night, a grim reality settled in; there were no survivors.
Evidence suggested a midair explosion had ripped the aircraft in two, sending the main fuselage, housing both the passenger cabin and cockpit, plummeting to the ground, inverted, at an estimated 150 miles per hour. Meanwhile, the severed tail section, just forward of the lavatory, fell about one-half mile from the scene of the crash, nearly entirely intact.
The bodies of Hal and his co-pilot, A.T. Ruby, were found near the airplane’s mangled cockpit. The bodies of stewardess Alice Scribner, and passengers Dorothy Dwyer and Fred Schendorf, were found nearby, amongst the wreckage of the cabin. The bodies of Emil Smith and Warren Burris weren’t found until the following morning, in the weeds about half a mile from the main section of the plane, near the tail section.
At first, it appeared to be a tragic accident; A fuel leak, possibly. Structural failure also was suggested. Some believed the plane had been struck by lightning, and there was even a theory it had been hit by a meteorite. Mounting evidence of foul play, however, led to an FBI investigation, headed by Melvin Purvis, the head of the Chicago office who would later gain fame as the G-man who “gunned down John Dillinger.”
A full-scale investigation promptly unfolded, hampered initially by the disturbing reality of looted wreckage. Drawn by morbid curiosity, onlookers from miles around had pilfered souvenirs from the crash site, hindering initial efforts. For example, the propeller of one engine was missing a blade, and investigators never found it. Decades later, in a 1999 interview as part of a project conducted by the Westchester Public Library in Chesterton, local resident Howard Johnson finally disclosed what happened to it:
“Donald Slont, who later ran Flannery’s Tavern, was on the local fire department. Of course, the fire truck went out there immediately when the alarm was sent out. When they picked up their stuff from the fire truck to come home after they had done everything that they could, one of the propellers was lying on the ground. It had broken off. Don was one of these guys that just laid his hands on anything that he could see, and he grabbed it,” Johnson recalled. “When they were investigating the thing, they couldn’t find that propeller so they thought the propeller had come off and that’s what made it crash. And here Donald had it all the time. I think it had red, white and blue stripes around it so that when the propeller turned, it looked like a circle of red, white and blue.” -Howard Johnson
United Airlines sold the remaining majority of the wreckage to a Hobart, Indiana junk dealer for $75. He hauled it away just days after the crash. However, despite the missing pieces, amidst the remaining debris agents stumbled upon several unsettling clues; Shrapnel holes were found on the inner-side of the remains of the rear lavatory door. Airline blankets stored in a cubby in the lavatory also bore the same holes.
In a bombshell development on October 14th, the FBI, after consulting with the Crime Detection Laboratory at the Northwestern University in Chicago, announced the cause of the crash was a “high-powered onboard explosive containing nitroglycerin, dynamite of high percentage strength, TNT, or some similar substance."
The meticulous examination of the wreckage pinpointed the blast zone towards the rear of the aircraft, most likely originating in the lavatory or the blanket compartment. “The investigation centered upon a piece of blanket, part of the plane’s equipment, and several pieces of the metal surface of the plane. Both had been pierced many times by small bits of metal. Only a high explosive could produce a force great enough to force metal through metal.“ This revelation transformed what was initially seen as an accident, into a confirmed act of sabotage.
In the wake of the news, a swift search for the culprit was launched, and the FBI quickly zeroed in on passenger Emil Smith. Emil, who boarded the aircraft in Newark, reportedly purchased life insurance just one day prior to the flight. The two dollar purchase promised a payout of ten thousand dollars should Emil’s plane crash. Additionally, eyewitness accounts noted him carrying several peculiar items onto the plane, including a firearm and a brown paper sack he stashed in the overhead compartment.
A thorough investigation into Emil’s background, however, revealed a seemingly normal life. The 44-year-old Army veteran, who served in Hawaii during World War I, resided with his aunt, Anna Reidl, on Argyle Street in Chicago. Previously, he co-owned and operated a grocery store with Anna until its sale in 1930. Financially secure after the sale, Smith enjoyed a leisure lifestyle filled with hunting, fishing, and attending baseball games. Anna described him as a quiet individual who often joined her in the evenings for pinochle games.
Emil’s aunt told investigators he had flown to New York City for the World Series games on October 3rd and 4th, residing at the Roosevelt Hotel on 45th Street and Madison Avenue. While his stay at the hotel was confirmed, investigators couldn't verify his attendance at the games. His activities during his remaining days in the city were also equally unclear. On October 9th, Emil purchased his plane ticket and flight insurance directly from his hotel desk. His final known movement prior to boarding the aircraft occurred at 2:10 p.m. on October 10. Emil sent a telegram to Anna reading, “Leaving New York today by plane. Everything O.K.”
During a later examination of the wreckage, Emil’s brown paper sack was recovered from among the airplane debris. The contents of the sack were never disclosed, but authorities determined it posed no threat. As a result, Emil was cleared of any involvement in the incident.
The following months saw a flurry of investigative theories, including potential "mob involvement" due to the recent travel of Joseph Keenan, an Assistant Attorney General tasked with investigating organized crime, on United Airlines just days before the crash. However, this theory was swiftly dismissed as implausible.
Pilot dissatisfaction was also explored. A United vice president relayed an indirect threat regarding potential aircraft damage if "scab" pilots were used during a labor dispute. Additionally, the brother of co-pilot A.T. Ruby reported ongoing issues with certain union members. However, after interviews with the alleged source of these threats, and confirmation that labor tensions had subsided by the time of the crash, no evidence of employee sabotage was ever found.
Also interviewed was J.J. Lavin, an American employed by the Chinese Consulate who facilitated wheat shipments from the U.S. to China. Lavin drew suspicion when FBI agents learned he was originally scheduled to be aboard the crashed flight, but had rebooked to a later one. He was reported to have made comments about a bomb causing the crash, supposedly before such information became public. Lavin denied these claims to investigators, though he acknowledged the possibility of such discussions while under the influence of alcohol. He was later eliminated as a suspect.
The investigation continued for two years. Then, on September 20, 1935, FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, declared “all undeveloped leads in this case have been exhausted, and the investigation has not developed any facts which would justify presenting this matter to the United States Attorney. Therefore, this case is being closed.”
The crash of Flight 23 is known as the first proven act of air sabotage in the history of commercial aviation. In addition, the death of Alice Scribner was the first instance of a stewardess dying as a result of an airline crash. When Alice’s younger sister, Velma Scribner, walked down the aisle in 1940, she wore a “handmade peasant frock that had been imported from Paris. Described as eggshell in color, with a bodice smocked at the neckline, it was trimmed with embroidery on the sleeves and front.” The dress had been intended as Alice’s wedding gown.
In 2017, the FBI declassified 324 documents related to the investigation. Unfortunately no new leads were developed. Whoever was responsible for the crash, and their motive, remains a mystery.
Sources
Photos- https://imgur.com/a/PzaAk4z
https://simpleflying.com/united-air-lines-trip-23-cabin-crew-perspective/
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/80-years-later-plane-bombing-remains-a-mystery/1964534/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Air_Lines_Trip_23
https://www.historynet.com/what-happened-to-ual-flight-23/
https://www.chicagomag.com/city-life/september-2011/united-flight-23-to-chicago-the-first-airline-terrorism/
https://www.nj.com/inside-jersey/2013/09/the_mysterious_crash_of_united_23.html
submitted by TheBonesOfAutumn to UnresolvedMysteries [link] [comments]


2024.04.29 00:38 Upbeat-Fondant9185 Maxace knives direct order, do they provide a tracking number?

I ordered one of their Neptune’s this week, it’s my first time buying from a Chinese company. I’m curious if they send any type of confirmation and tracking.
I have a PayPal confirmation but that’s it. I know tracking doesn’t typically update until a package hits the US.
Also, what is the typical wait time for deliveries from China?
submitted by Upbeat-Fondant9185 to chineseknives [link] [comments]


2024.04.29 00:36 Grinicali Re:- Mother In Law Keeps Banning Me

I am the wife. Now 39 and my husband 44 and our children are now 1 and 3 years old.
My husband showed me his post but he has missed a lot of things out. If I am the a*shrike I will put my hands up and admit that.
Prior to the VIP event at Downing Street, the best man from our wedding had come to our house and in front of my husband. Stated that my husband had been flirting with their friend’s girlfriend at this LARP he had been attending for many years. He said,”You can twist it up to (my name) as much as you want afterwards.” My husband didn’t back deny it, he didn’t throw his friend out, or deny the claims. I felt sick but I had no words.
When the VIP Downing Street event came up, it was my cousin who had been out of work for years who had the job and she phoned me and offered me a ticket. As she knew, that I don’t really go out anywhere. I asked my husband’s permission on 3 separate occasions. By text, face to face and verbally over the phone and each time he gave his permission. Was still looking for an extra ticket for him and was going to go as far as to use my own month to get a ticket but my cousin told me, that it was VIP and therefore limited. But still we discussed getting tickets in the future as we knew my husband was into politics. It was not a party but V.I.P event, for relatives of people who worked at Downing Street. Before people knew about Boris Johnson and the parties. At the last minute my husband decided that I could not go with our eldest. To get me to listen to him, he threatened to tell my Uncle’s wife about my Aunty being a b*tch. They don’t get on and this would have created so much drama on my side of the family. That my husband was contacting relatives, to moan about my Aunty. The second thing he did, was he said,”You can’t go if there is a bomb scare can you?” In my mind, I thought about me and our baby being tackled by the police and how traumatic it would be for us. Especially our child.
The V.I.P ticket was just that. A V.I.P ticket to look at the inside of Downing Street get a chance to meet my cousin’s collegues. There were other children attending too and every adult there was a parent. From my mother to step father. So it would never be a party.
After I cancelled attending, nobody could take my place as it was such short notice and, they had made arrangements as I was bringing my child who was very young. After the cancellation my husband began saying that he would have taken us down to London, that my step father drove like a maniac. All of these suggestions that he never meanioned before and even worse, he began telling other people this too. As if I would take our baby to a party I am not that irresponsible and I stopped clubbing over a decade ago.
My mother decided to ban my husband from my Grandmother’s house, as that is where everyone meets whenever we are doing anything. Like birthday parties, film night e.t.c My Grandmother who has always liked my husband said that it was impossible for that ban to take place, as it was her house. My mother and I have a very close relationship like best friends.
Yes I was abused as a child by a man who was beating up my mother. But the authorities are aware of that and know who he is and are dealing with it.
I arranged for my mother to have a conversation with my husband as they used to get on so well. My mother even did a surprise birthday spread for him. Something which I have never experienced in the nearly 20 years we have been together from his side, the most I have got is a birthday card and some cards and month but I have still appreciated it. Anyway they talked and my mother brought up what the best man had said about him flirting with another woman, also about him making jokes to our baby saying,”Do you want another Mummy?” Things I had told my husband I didn’t find funny and not to do in public but he did it anyway. Which was in front of his family and I found that hurtful and humiliating. For a moment my husband took the phone to a part in the kitchen where I couldn’t hear what was said and my mother maintains up until this day they that he threatened her.
Regarding the Bomb scare threat I told my husband that even if he had said it in jest, he would have lost his job and been investigated by police. But he laughed it off. My cousin was in tears as she could have lost her job and this is the type of things they warn you about in government jobs. She doesn’t work there now and she did ask to speak to my husband to get an apology but he refused. Said he didn’t have anything to Aplogise for. Why did I tell my Mim about the bomb scare threat he made? We have that relationship where she tells me things about her partner and we have never confronted him about it. I thought it would be the same for me, yes I apologised to my husband all the time about telling my Mum he made a bomb scare threat.
Regarding marriage counciling we tried it it for a moment and in the 1-1 session the councilour told me my husband raised many red flags and asked what he was like with our child.
While pregnant with our second my husband would call me “lazy” and compared me to other women he knew who were pregnant. Still I did everything, from breakfast to ironing his clothes to work, any D.I.Y in the house which needed doing, buying extra rails for our clothes. Even putting the bins out. Still he would cuss me and call me names. On two separate erate occasions he came to my midwife appointment and changed the time and dates there and then saying he couldn’t make it as he had to support a collegue from work. On one such occasion he rushed home after dropping me and our eldest home, had a shave changed his clothes to meet this female colleague. Showing the midwives that he wasn’t too interested in the appointment which they arranged as they were concerned that I would get gestational diabetics. I agreed to the change of the appointment times as I didn’t want to create a fuss and was embarrassed that he had changed them.
While pregnant he would text and phone this female colleague every hour of the night, Waasaap, FaceTime whenever. Meanwhile he was calling me names. He even once turned and said this weird phrase,”If there are 2 dogs but one isn’t interested and another dog comes along and is sniffing.” In relation to his relationship with this female colleague.
There was an incident where one of his mother’s dogs growled at our child for getting too close to him. I was heavily pregnant and had to come off the livingroom chair I was sitting on to get our eldest. My husband said it was just a “warning growl” and his nieces who grew up with dogs said it was “scary” how the greyhound reacted. This is a dog which retired from racing and used to chase small things. So naturally any parent would be weary of that. So I spoke to my MiL about it and she blamed me for it , saying that it was because I was on my mobile phone. Even though there were other relatives who were closer to my son.
I knew I couldn’t talk to my family about how I was feeling so I began speaking to the best man who had since retracted his statement about my husband flirting with another woman at his LARP game. But he let me know that there were other people who felt weary around my husband and how he was banned from LARP for his behaviour. I was shocked as my husband had always told me he was being bullied there. And not one to just follow what someone says on face value I contacted them and they told me that under no circumstances would my husband be allowed at LARP or any other events they themselves did due to his behaviour.
There had also been a few work collegues who said he was threatening to them and aggressive. Not a casual conversation but people who had reported this to people in the company he worked for.
I wasn’t suffering from post natal depression, I was stressed and upset at what was happening , what I was being told and how I was being treated.
My respite was only supposed to be until my husband’s temper had subsided. I stayed at my Grandmother’s for about four days with our children.
Back home my husband confided in me that his mother had been the one to put a stop to the London VIp event. Out of order because the amount of times she will take my husband places and leave me and the children at home.
As well as this revelation being told to me, my brother in law came to the house while me and my children were inside and began kicking and punching the door and making threatening and racist remarks.My husband wasn’t home and our youngest at the time was under 3 months. He left when my MIL came to the door and she told me while I was holding my youngest in my arms that we never should have came back. And she defended my brother in laws behaviour saying it was down to his bipolar and when she left the house she smiled into the ring camera sweetly as if she had been comforting me, I just burst into tears. I had come back home with my children and this happened.
My mother in law came to the house a second time but my family who had heard how she was carrying on advised me not to open the door and let her in again.
Later on in the year my brother in law came to the house wrote a note and posted it through the letterbox. My mother in law came to the house and opened our front door with a key I knew nothing about her having,and removed the evidence. Then miraculously the video footage disappeared. The footage showing my brother in law coming to the house, posting the note through the door and my mother in law coming and leaving. But you could see it had been deleted as it jumped,then there was a huge time lapse. Thankfully I had downloaded the footage moments beforehand. So when the the police came around they had that footage. As this was the second time the police gave me a crime reference number to link the incidents together.
It was my mother and brother who checked the house for me the second time around before my children stepped foot into the house. With me.
Other things….
*I went to a plant show and I had told my husband before hand. He claims that he didn’t know and on the day while I was there at the plant place my mother and I had invited him to come along. He refused. We were also going to see some poets performing there and I love plants and poetry. I wrote poetry and love gardening. My husband didn’t come to see the beautiful view with us and he wasn’t home when I got home at 10pm at night. He didn’t answear any phone calls or texts and I stayed up worried that he was laying dead in a ditch. I had my life360 app on so he could see where I was at all times an app he got everyone to join and yet his location was off. I was pregnant with our second child and I stayed up all night. In the morning he came in briskly without a care in the world and he behaved like he had done nothing wrong. He went to work and he blamed me for him not coming home. I went to see a plant show….. (PoliNations) and he punished me by not coming home. He didn’t care about me our or unborn childrd child.
A*My husband has sent me poo emojis when I have sent him hearts.
He has waited for me to pack the car up with bags and our children and drove off, taking my purse with him. And telling me on the phone while I am begging him to come back to ask my Mum for money if I need it. That day I was meeting my Mum in town and I was so late as a result of this I had to beg my husband to come back as he had my purse and everything in the car.
Yes he still speaks to that female collegue in fact he is getting her a job at his new workplace he has also told me that she wanted to cook for him at her home. Any concerns I have he makes out like I am possessive and paranoid. She has even gone so far as to go to Pakistan to get him t shirts for some union stuff they were doing together.
My husband has also tried to tell me that I am autistic, on the spectrum and mentally ill if I try to remind him of something he has done he will say I’m imagining it or hearing things or am Mad.. Randomly I found an article showing you how to retrieve deleted messages and I found texts where he told me if I died it would serve my mother right for banning him. Other things like that.
We attend many places with his side of the family like museums and family zoos but now as well as this it has become a habit to be out and hear my in laws running down my mother or my side of the family I have asked them not too.
My mother is fearful that if anything were to happen to me and my children. My in laws would cover it up. Am I the arsehole?
The internet is down it took 3 hrs to upload this Thank you for reading.
submitted by Grinicali to motherinlawsfromhell [link] [comments]


2024.04.29 00:15 Irresponsable_Frog Are there other women who prefer going out or traveling alone?

Am i unusual, for a woman, to prefer going out and/or traveling alone?
I am 48, 49 in a couple months, I am a woman, and I prefer my own company. I have friends, 2 very dear ones. I have a partner of 12 years. I have adult children. I also have a career and in charge of a number of employees. So I’m not asocial or lonely. I have people I love and have a fulfilling life. I just prefer to be by myself and do things alone. Is that common? Is it weird?
I prefer to go shopping alone. My friends have scolded me and told me to invite them, it’s not a burden. I prefer to go to cafes alone. Where I have other people my age asking me to join them, I decline. I travel to Mexico or Canada for a long weekend, by myself. Again my friends or partner tell me they would’ve gone for a mini vaca with me. Honestly, that causes me anxiety. I don’t WANT that! If I were to really analyze the reason, it’s simple. I’m a recovering people pleaser. I would spend all my energy entertaining them or doing things for them, or doing the things they want and ignore my wants and needs.Dont get me wrong, I have a backbone and little filter so asserting myself isn’t a problem, it’s the guilt I feel afterward. I hate disappointing people.
So Reddit. Am I alone? Am I weird? Am I in the minority?
submitted by Irresponsable_Frog to NoStupidQuestions [link] [comments]


2024.04.29 00:11 Sea_Librarian_6407 Some opinions on a short story

Tonight I just wrote a little short story out of boredom. It’s loosely inspired off of the 2nd last episode of ‘BoJack Horseman’. If you have any thoughts on it I would be really grateful.
“Hmph, look who showed up”
My mother sighs upon opening the towering oak panelled front door of an ornately designed but almost infinitely tall townhouse.
“I suppose you will be wanting a refill on that.” She sneered, then under her breath, “bloody alcoholic”
I whip my vision down to my hands, the flowerpot of peonies I brought as a gift, now a tall glass that smelt strongly of bourbon. I look back at Mom and she seems to stare through me.
“Um, yeah. Sure Mom”
I uncomfortably stood there, in my dress shoes and pinstriped two piece suit, thinking of how mother always said how rude it was to ‘stomp into someone’s house uninvited’
“Stop standing there like a lemon and greet everyone… in the drawing room… dimwit”
I shuffle through the immense hallway, its ceiling so far above it faded out of view, past a stupidly massive hall table. I felt ant sized. My brown leather dress shoes sunk three inches into the hall runner, which was probably the size of a football pitch. To my right, a strangely normal sized door in this land of hugeness almost blended into the eggshell walls. I waded through the runner and grasped the ornate brass handle, that was freezing cold to the touch. I twisted the knob, and a warm feeling washed over me as I stepped into a normal sized drawing room.
“Ricky… so glad you could make it” Cain called out to me.
I set my somehow filled (all the way to the brim) glass of bourbon on a green flowery coaster resting on the coffee table, and squeeze into a chair that’s just a little too tight. As I lean back into the soft armchair, that is now squeezing me in a bear hug like grasp, I wander my vision across the room. My brother Cain sits across, alongside Henrietta and baby Hugh, on the 70s patterned couch, Mom stands in a doorway across the room, and Dad’s huge brutish leather armchair stands, vacant across from the blazing fire.
“Your father is late… as always… so he can have his pot roast stone cold, burnt and with my spit in it after he’s done… done teaching his secretary how to get on his good side…”.
Her mutters between sentences seem inaudible to everyone else, but they pierce my soul like a bullet from a gun. Each word said with such wrath and abhorrence that I feel them physically punch me in my gut.
“Auntieeeee… is dinner almost readyyyy” Henrietta’s sharp yet drawling English accent floating across the room.
“Yes darling. Would everyone please convene at the dining table” Mother responds ever so sweetly.
My chair, now squeezing the life out of me, relinquishes its chokehold on me, as I force myself to my feet to attend dinner. I stop and stand expectantly, closing my eyes and eeking out my breath.
“Chop, chop now” Cain’s sing-song voice calling out. “Don’t make mother wait…”
“What’s the point, I always wake up here. Mom says dinner, you say chop, chop, then I walk into the dining room, hit my head then wake up”. I respond resignedly.
“Ok then, but your dinners getting cold old chap.”
I let time pass for a few seconds, then relent and walk to the aforementioned doorway. Thunk. I smack my head off of the ceiling, the dining room impossibly small, however I seem to be the only one who is not sized proportionally. I bum-shuffle to my place, my legs pressed against my chest just to fit myself in the room.
“Eat, or let it get cold you ungrateful brat” Mother’s words cutting through me like knives.
“Ding, Dong… Ding, Dong” the doorbells rattling chime shakes the whole house with each crash of a bell. The feeling makes me shudder and I crane my neck, so I view of the door.
“Uncle’s home!” little Hugh, now a child of ten or twelve, jumps out of his seat.
A window swings open and a spinechilling breeze saunters in. As I gaze out the void that sits just outside the window, out of nothing Dad climbs through.
“There’s my beautiful family… sorry the front door was open I had to come in through the window”.
I study his welcomingly wrinkled face, his prickly grey streaked beard, and his soft brown suit. He regards mother with a kiss, and then turns towards me.
“And how’s my number one son doing? Staying off the drink I hope…” His cheerful expression and warm demeanour blunt his offhand but inadvertedly pointed remark, but I feel the coldness of a glass fill my hand as another brimming glass of bourbon materialises in it.
“Ah alright Da, just the usual.” I disregard his comment about my alcoholism as I unintentionally feel this glass rise to my lips and begin to tip its contents down my throat.
Father takes his usual huge seat in this tiny room at the head of the table, and the almost mirrored silver cloches covering our meals disintegrate before us. I stare blankly down at the pristine white china crème brulee dish overflowing with assorted colourful pills. I hurriedly glance about the table, at the other meals. Mother has pot roast, beautifully cooked and presented; father has pot roast that looks about as appetising as freshly laid dog mess; Cain has a piece of concrete he is fruitlessly sawing at with a butter knife; Henrietta has nothing; and a now teenage Hugh has a cheese and tomato sandwich.
“Well, dig in, I didn’t slave away at the stove for hours for nothing” Mother announces.
Everyone else proceeds to dig in, apart from Cain who still saws and Henrietta, who seems to be getting thinner by the second. I look back down at the pills and capsules before me, some blank, some with smiley faces, some rainbow coloured.
“So…” Father says. “What would everyone say was the highlight of their lives.” His attempt to spark conversation puzzled me. Surely, he meant is, not was?
“Your stupid secretary’s husband shootin’ you in your bloody corner office” Mother sneers.
Father chuckles, not taking notice too much mother said as always.
“I’d say it’s the view from the top of the Empire State Building, pretty cool I must say the view over all of New York.”
Henrietta, now a bag of bones couldn’t eek out a word. Hugh, who was maybe nineteen now and dressed in soldiers’ clothes, didn’t utter a word as he comforted Henrietta.
“What about you Ricky”. An omniscient voice echoed from somewhere.
“Err, I normally wake up before now, so I don’t really know. Maybe the time I spent with Frank in Connecticut.”
“Always knew you were a bloody poofter” Cain remarked.
I remembered why I cut Cain off years ago.
“Why haven’t I woken up yet” I say out loud. “I don’t want to stay here”.
Everyone at the table looks at me, then turns their heads slowly towards the now massive window. The dark void dissipates, and a vision forms. It’s a camera feed: CCTV footage.
“H-Hey that’s me!” I shout out.
In the centre of the field of view, of what seems to be an alleyway, I lie… on my back in a pool of alcohol and urine, empty bottles, pills and syringes strewn around me.
“Another of your hedonistic benders it seems” Mother remarks snidely. “Surely you know why you can’t go anywhere…”. She pulls out a lit cigarette from her pocket, taking a drag and blowing the whispy smoke in my face
“No…” I trail off.
As mother exhales another drag from her cigarette, the rest of my family blow away like smoke into wind. I feel my chest lock tight and I gasp for air. Looking in closely at the image of me, and a realisation dawns upon me. I’m choking.
“It seems that in your decadent hedonism, you’ve drank too much and have choked on your own sick, you silly, silly boy.”
The room and Mom dissipate into blackness, as I realise why I haven’t woken from the recurring nightmare of my late family.
Edit: Minor mistakes in sentence format pre advice
submitted by Sea_Librarian_6407 to writers [link] [comments]


2024.04.28 23:58 ImpactInner9318 Update 23/24 PSR Outlook

Update 23/24 PSR Outlook
The 22/23 accounts have been released and Swiss ramble has updated his PSR (FFP) estimates for Chelsea so I wanted to give my thoughts on what I think it means.
TLDR. A lot of moving pieces have changed but the end result hasn’t too much from previous estimates. Is that we likely need close to 120M in player sales this offseason to remain FFP compliant. After 23/24 meeting PSR requirements (at least the current ones) will be easier to meet.
  •  Chelsea had an operating loss of 218M in 22/23, this was offset by 63M in player sales and 77M in property. After net interest, allowable deductions, and the 35M allowable loss Chelsea’s PSR result was around -20M last season. This is likely almost exactly even with the allowable amount for PSR (Table 1). 
  •  In 23/24 Chelsea will need to break even from a profit and loss standpoint in order to remain PSR compliant (Table 2). 
  •  So what needs to happen for us to break even this season? It’s impossible to know, but we can use the information from the 22/23 accounts and Swiss Rambles article to make an educated guess. If we assume 22/23 as a starting point and remove all of the one-off items we would be at a position of -261M (Table 3). The known changes are: 
o Removal of -95M for European competition
o Removal of 77M from the hotel sale
o Removal of 30M from other income, this was due to charging the parent company for legal fees.
o Removal of -46M in wages from costs. This was for coaching compensation for Tuchel, Potter, and fees for Potters release from Brighton.
  • This isn’t a great starting point, however there are a few moving parts left that we can make educated guesses for revenue, wages, amortization, other expenses, and player sales.
Revenue
  • At this point the only changes I have enough information to even take a stab at increasing are additional revenue for merit payments and more domestic cups matches.
o For merit last season Aston Villa earned 14M more than us for placing 8th so I will assume a similar number increase. With two games in hand and a better goal differential than West Ham I don’t think it is that much of a stretch to assume we will jump them.
o We will have more home games due to the cups so there will be more match day revenue, however I don’t know the impact of broadcasting revenue or if we split the revenue with the away team? Complete shot in the dark here I am going to say an additional 15M and hope that someone can provide a better estimate for me in the comments.
Costs
  • The biggest change in our costs will likely come from wages decreasing. The main factors for this are that we had a massively bloated squad at the end of 23, and that our players apparently have large bonuses for playing in Europe.
o I keep a table that shows all of the players reported wages and amortization values. It is a large 50+ row table so I don’t think it makes too much sense to include but if anyone really wants it you can reach out to me and we’ll figure something out.
  • Reported values tend to be much lower than actual, especially wages. So in order to make estimates for how wages and amortization will change I look at the % change from my table and apply it to the actual reported value from the CFC accounts. Keep in mind this is known bad data so take everything with a pile of salt.
  • For wages it makes sense the values are low due to bonuses, however I am not sure why the reported values for transfer fees and amortization don’t line up more closely. I use Swiss Rambles numbers for whatever I can and have manually pulled and calculated the rest.
o For wages I have estimated a reduction of 23%. If you take the % reduction and apply it to last years wages you get a reduction of 74M. This is after you reduce for the one off coaching changes and assume 90% of the fees are for players which is a common assumption used by Swiss Ramble.
  • ((404M in wages – 46M in coaches fees) * 90% * 23% reduction = 74M
o If a wage reduction of this magnitude seems unlikely keep in mind the second half of the 22/23 season had incredibly high wages due to a bloated squad with players on high average wages.
  • In the summer of 23 we had 14 outgoings with an average salary of 7.9 M (Table 4).
  • We brought in 10 first teamers on an average wage of 5.7M (Table 5).
  • Overall I’m not too confident in the exact 23% reduction assumption, but I do think it is directionally correct and that overall there should be a significant drop in wages simply from outgoings.
o I don’t know how big of an impact not qualifying for Europe will have on wages so this is just a big unknown. The 74M reduction in wages from the previous assumption feels somewhat aggressive anyways so between the two I’ll say it evens out.
  •  For amortization there is not as large of a change. By my estimates we reduced the amortization value for the 24 season compared to the second half of 22/23, but it is higher than the first half. The net result is an estimated reduction of 4.3%. Apply this to the 203M used by Swiss ramble and you get a reduction of 9M in costs. 
  •  Other costs could likely reduce by 30M considering that we recharged litigation costs to the parent company and listed this as “other income”. I would assume that means that we accounted for the costs somewhere in the first place so considering I removed the income for the 24 estimate I think it is safe to assume we need to remove the costs. 
    Player Sales
  •  According to our accounts all player sales for the 24 season have resulted in net profit of 48M. Honestly this is bad news. It means that the sales were either much lower in value than reported or that large remaining book values on players meant some players were sold for large losses. After putting in the 48M I estimate a -119 M gap in our PSR equation (Table 6.). Obviously this is just an estimate with overall pretty poor data, but it is still not a good sign. 
  •  Assuming we would need -119M in additional player sales this summer lets see what we can come up with. 
o 35M reported release clause for Maatsen. Let’s hope we can get 30M for him
o 27M for Hall is the reported fee
o 11M For Chalobah. 11M estimate on transfrmrkt. I think with his recent performances we can get at least this
o 19M Lukaku has a reported release clause of 38M, I’ll assume we can get half of that. His value was likely impaired so we can potentially make profit on selling him
o 12M Broja is listed at 24M on transfermrkt but I don’t see us getting that for him after his performance the last two seasons.
o 5M Kepa has had statistically two decent seasons in a row now. He may not be good enough for Madrid but that doesn’t mean he isn’t good enough for any team. Transfermrkt has his value at 10M but due to his high wages and that he is at the end of his contract I don’t think we could get more than 5M
  •  After making all of the adjustments (Table 7) that leaves 15M that would need to be covered by additional cost reductions, additional revenue, or transfer profit. 
  •  While I can’t say I am overly confident in my estimates I do think it is a good sign that there is a possible and reasonable path to PSR compliance without losing any important first teamers. We might be able to get by without selling Gallagher and while he may not be rated highly by all fans he is at the very least a good rotation player on low annual costs even with a wage increase. 
Future outlook
  • The good news is that the 23/24 season will likely be the hardest to comply with from a PSR standpoint.
o Due to the loss leading 2022 season (-121M) falling off the books we have more room in 2025.
o The club world cup will add additional revenue to either the 2025 or 2026 season, and at some point we will hopefully get back into Europe which will also raise revenue.
o It is worthwhile to consider that the players we have will be easier to move on from down the road as their book values amortize which will give us flexibility in the transfer market.
o We also will be able to replace some of our non-performers with the academy/young talent we have signed which will result in lower wages and lower amortization costs. I know that it is frustrating how much money we have spent on players that cannot immediately fit into the starting 11, however if one or two of these players are eventually first team quality that will provide huge PSR benefits in the future.
submitted by ImpactInner9318 to chelseafc [link] [comments]


2024.04.28 23:44 SpecialistExchange28 Wheelchair Ramps 101 - DIY down and dirty edition 2024

Wheelchair Ramps 101 - DIY down and dirty edition 2024
Thanks for deciding to read my post today. This is not the definitive or complete explanation of wheelchair ramp design. Before I start let's get the technical potentially legal stuff out of the way first.
Ramps that are indoors or in a fenced in area like a back yard (THE FENCED AREA MAY BE DIFFERENT IF IT IS ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC). Ramps not used by the public = Food delivery, mailperson, utility meter reader, Jahova's Witnesses, etc.
These Ramps do not need to Meer ADA requirements. But should still be functional and safe to use. You'd be surprised at what people do. But if it works, then it works.
Backyards that are fenced in and not accessible to the public MIGHT be excluded.
FOR ANY RAMP OR ACCESSIBLE FEATURE ADDED TO OITDOOR SPACES THAT THE PUBLIC CAN ACCESS WILL 100% NEED A TOWN OR CITY PERMIT. THIS IS WITHOUT EXCEPTION.
Here is where it gets real. If you decide to ignore this and say someone trips, slips pr otherwise gets injured by your accessibility fearure. YOU and only YOU are at fault. Even if it is 100% ADA compliant, the feature was not properly registered with the town or city so it can be noted when and where it is installed and on what property.
Next the town or city will fine you a set amount per day it was in place without a permit. For example a permit for my handcycle shed cost $100 that might seem unfair and costly. But if I had just built my shed without permit they could fine me $1,000 per day it was up from the time it was built.
Getting a permit and making things 100% or better than ADA complaint, yes it is easy to surpass what the ADA asks for. ADA is the bare minimum expected.
This doesn't mean someone trying to con you won't try and sue you. But, if you have things in order such as getting a permit. Making things at least ADA compliant will support your side in a legal issue.
Yup that is the borish stuff for the most part. Forget about it and life will likely get very annoying.
For those who are interested and want a live community to chillax in to talk about most anything really, listen to music and make requests for Fave songs or topics you would like to discuss.
I broadcast live typically in the cold months M-F from around when my pain allows me to get up varies 9am to after noon and I go until my sweetheart arrives home. About 5PM to 6PM I have been broadcasting live 16 years.
Quite literally I am just repeating here what I will talk about live also.
TikTok until the ban kicks in. Then it's back to Twitch. AbiliTV or AbiliTV Live. If you Google the name do not pay attention to the website I don't have one. And the owner of that sight well let's say I don't endorse him.
I am on YouTube, FB, IG,,Twitch, account still there but not used since it went to X (Twitter), Kick - although I don't like the vibe on Kick.
Of course I am here getting started here on Reddit in a more text based community. I am in the Wheelchair and Disabilities communities where I am learning about all sorts of amazing people.
OK, I always hate posting I am a live content creator. I hate it so much I have hardly any community live.
Ramps.
What makes a crappy, good, or excellent ramp?
For me it is the little details that really make the differences. I will use images to try and explain the bare basics.
1st image: Most people see this and think: My prayers have been answered.
No they have not. You will notice the direction the person is using the ramp. Manufacturers do this to play into your desperate need for a ramp solution. They want you imagining how easy there ramp is to use. So they stage images showing that. Much how homes are staged. To make it easier for people to fall victim to slick sales tricks.
What if the door were closed and rhe person was approaching the door? Look at the ramp. How does one say open s screen door or storm door that swings out? Most dwellings will have one.
Now imagine it's raining really hard and that nice metal surface isn't as grippy? And you have a bag or two of groceries on your lap. Now open the storm door and then before it closes as they are typically on a door closer of some design. As you fight the storm door, are annoyed by the driving rain, and fumbling for your keys.
Even on an ideally perfect day without snow or rain this ramp will work 100% against you. Also it isn't wide enough to allow you to move over out of the way ofcthe storm door. Meaning you need to back up and get the door perched against your wheelchair frame to now roll foward to open the entry door. Sadly using the wheelchair brakes just make things all that much more frustrating.
2nd Image: 3 ft ramp $219. This seems decent right? It isn't. You have to account for the pitch or slope.
If you have a threshold that is 10 inches higher than the surface you need to reach, this means you need not just a ten foot long ramp but a raised area that meets the threshold that the ramp attaches to closest to the surface you're trying to reach.
What happens if you decide to use a short ramp and have a steeper slope? The worst will be to flip backwards going up. Next worst you don't have the upper body strength to make it. The next will be you deciding never to use it except to exit with. It is a little less scary going down. Although you need really good hand strength and dexterity to maintain control at higher speeds.
ADDING INFO AS A SAFETY REMINDER: Most manual wheelchairs have what are called brakes. ⚠️ ⚠️ ⚠️ These are NOT brakes like those of a car, or bicycle. Injury or worse can happen when they are used as friction brakes. DANGER: You risk not only destroying your tire and wheelchair but also injuries from catastrophic failures of the tire and possibly the rims of the wheels.
These levers no matter if they are push or pull to lock or scissor styled brakes are only meant and made to hold you in place AFTER you use your hands to stop with. OR FEET for those able to do that.
The reason these are not brakes in the typical sense is because of how they work. They bite into the tire material and can blow out air filled tires by ripping through the rubber tire. On solid tires they can tear the tire causing it to fail and possibly fall off the rim. If the rim is left exposed and you are moving the metal or composite rim will slide on the surface.
The biggest excuses I hear for using these levers as brakes are: They are called brakes. YouTube wheelchair brake basics how to use and not use them. I don't want people ending more disabled than they already are.
My hands are to weak to stop me. I understand that. So my best suggestion is rubber coated work gooves. Leather gloves or some form of glove that you like to use. I personally don't like wearing gloves, but when I go on 16 mile strolls I wear a pair. They provide additional traction and that grip means less hand strength is needed to stop overall. It is not recommended to grab the tire for additional friction at any time while moving down hill.
If tire use us needed make sure you have a pair of heavy duty leather gloves on. Welding gloves short gauntlet works. Warning: This method destroys gloves rapidly. These is due to the sandpaper like friction the tire creates with its texture and tread design. Extreme heat can build up and burn your hands. So pay attention and release grip changing hand positions to reduce this.
Ramps have to be designed to work with the fact wheels like to roll. And steep ramps are what prompted my warning about brake use.
I am considering designing a brake system to work like a bicycle that could be added by most people. I will look into this concept at some point.
So a stubby short ramp might be low cost but isn't the answer it appears in most manufacturers images.
Lots of information that needs to be shared because so many people will fall into the thinking what they have is a good solution and it's harming them and the equipment they use.
Good news here: Most towns and cities do not charge or keep the charge very low for ramp and other disability access devices in public spaces.
What the permit does is show you the bare minimum of what is required to make your project ADA compliant. Also it resistors your ramp or lift with the town or city and at what property. This way should a nosy neighbor want to whine about your project looking horrible the town or city can reassure that negative rube that you are in full compliance with all the ordinances and ADA requirements. So they can mind their own beeswax.
Also the permit is a must if a property owner or landlord are to allow the access in the first place. This has to do with liability and property insurance. Speaking of that crap it would be wise to invest in renters insurance in the event someone claimsxto have been injured by your device. Do not depend only on the landlord or property owner's word that its covered. You could also ask your town or city how that works also to get a straight answer. If the landlord or property owner does claim you are covered always get that in writing.
3rd image shows the lack of what is called a staging area. This is exactly what a porch does. Notice the porch is flat and provides room to move out of the way of any storm door? This is a super important and all to easy to miss feature that makes a ramp go from frustrating to awesome.
I even made that mistake with my ramp I built for my garage. I did change it so it has a 6ft deep 4ft wide same as the ramp staging area that once I installed a screen door I use daily.
4th image: Now it gets colorful. Nothing attaches to the porch or the building in my design. This is to respect the property. And save you on extra costs to restore things later.
The support for the flat area of the porch:
Measure uo to the front top edge of the threshold. Say this is 6 inches or so... Using 4X4 cut to the same width of the porch. These are rated for outdoor ground contact.
Next using decking wood this should be equal to the top front edge of the threshold. In effect the timbers are the support they are orange and just on top of the porch. They go across to provide full support.
How to determine how many. For the porch shown in your image would likely use three. One right under the threshold, one in the middle, and one right along the front edge of the porch.
Decking would go left to right and for the parts with out full support use scrap pieces of 4X4 to position under those rows.
An alternative way to set the supports are: under the threshold is left to right full width of porch. Then instead of the others being left to right. Place one on the left going vertical or not left to right. One on the right side going perpendicular to fhe horizontal one. Then you will cut one 4 inches short for the center also placed parallel to the left and right. The front porch edge piece cut to fit the width between the left and right support.
That would allow you to place decking horizontally left to right with out worry of adding support for some of the deck strips.
The front edge of porch part I feel should be left to right mainly to insure there is no possible way for a ramp to flext or bow in this area. But you are welcome to Google methods on building something like this also.
The ramp for the porch will be the longest most likely based on the photos you shared. They are also referenced later in my post.
Only around the porch and the outside of the caster wheel guides on each side or the blue color in my image needs a railing, as well as down that first ramp.
The other ramps are little more than the plywood laying there. You wouldn't even really need the blue guides on the but they add additional stiffness from bouncing and bending.
Again Google is very good for finding examples of how you can design a capable railing. It doesn't need to be fancy, just meet the requirements the ADA sets. To avoid annoying splinters I strongly suggest using iron pipe or proper outdoor rated round railingbars.
Benefit of the metal pipe is it is very low cost. Con is in the sun it can get hot. To overcome thar railing grip tape can he used to cancle out the hot part and make it easier to grasp. Grip tape is not required.
Thankfully all of this is pretty easy to do if you have some some basic tools or have access to them like narrowing them. If you lack the skill or ability to do this. Trust me when I say buying lunch each day for the hard worker(s) often is payment enough. And Thank You is the perfect payment. Our reward is seeing you enjoying the work put into the project.
Last there is an green outline of a 2x4 on each side of the porch staging area. Put one on the far side as well and this should keep the staging area from shifting leftcand right. Surfaces endure a lot more force than we realize.
5th image I used my garage ramp before I corrected the flat staging area issue.
So this isn't how my indoor ramp now looks. It has no railings as it is not required and the flat area towards the garage side has a 4 inch tall wheel guard wall to keep me from accidentally rolling off front casters or rear wheels.
But, this is roughly how your front porch would look like. All designed to keep everyone safe who uses it.
By connecting the ramp to the flat staging areas makes it much harder for it to shift around. In the case of this if you owned the property you would use a contractors grade waterproof glue and 4 8 inch long lag bolts to secure the 4x4 or wood support right next to and under the threshold and bolt it and glue it to the location. Silicone sealant works also as it is mainly to keep insects from making the area home.
But since the property needs to be returned to original state, I find that making a saddle staging area works wonders. Sadlle in that it is,like a horse saddle. It isn't bolted to the horse but does use the shape of the horse as the stabilizer. And is easy to remove when needed.
Image 6: Sorry about the messy drawing. This is your photo.
The green is the railing around the porch and the first longest ramp.
The light kind of red horizontal strips are stair tread grip tape. Using wood screws shorter than the thickness of the plywood allows you to have a 2 method way to keep these strips in place. For how much they cost you will thank me. One screw near each corner and two one top one bottom in the center. This insures they are secure. The gue or adhesive isn't likely going to stick in every case.
You want full left to right coverage with 2 to 3 inch spacing between each horizontal strip. Yes you can just apply them centered and hope no one slips of they walk closer to the railing. Plus it makes insurance companies feel better also with more safety in mind.
In the event someone slips or falls when pictures are taken of l the scene it will look better for you to have provided more safety than not.
Also more screws can be used if desired. The only thing to make sure of is all screw heads are flat to the surface. The two method way also known as redundant measures to make sure things don't fail to the point of a catastrophe.
The ADA will likely have other suggestions different than I mention. Either will work, I find much of my ideas go beyond ADA requirements.
The ramps since they are so minor in slope may even be able to lay strips of 2x4 or even 1x1 that you screw to the underside of ramp. I almost think you could make what would look like a continuous ramp.
One step won't really need all 8 ft of plywood however keeping them full length means you could likely add smaller pieces where one ramp ends to meet with the highest point so you can connect them so this keeps them from shifting and moving as they will.
The little green marks along the sides of the blue for the length of the ramp represent side supports that are rounded into the ground and screwed to the sides.
As you use a ramp that is not secured it will move a little in the opposite direction of your direction of travel.
Also it will shift left or right when you first roll onto it. And since the ground shown is easy to return to its original condition once this is removed lowers cost at that time.
The blue dots represent horizontal srips placed where needed these are screwed in place as yes they will slide and move into new positions that don't support the ramp.
The goal is no bouncing, bending, flexing, warping ramps.
As long as all wood is rated for ground contact otherwise it will rot away pretty quickly otherwise.
The blue kind of bloody areas are flat sections filled in with plywood.
So once you enter this ramp ot remains a plywood surface until the porch area. Where it's decking.
7th image: An example of how your ramp could be designed. In this image since the ramp os longer and rises up higher I definitely would include ratings on each side. But - it may not require them so that is OK also. The redish area is a flat area at least 5 ft deep and 4ft wide. This would allow a person the chance to turn around also.
The circled spots denote support placement.
Now your steps for me would not need a ramp as I can strong arm my way up short steps or curbs like those. Tha porch would be the only area I would build if this were my place.
8th image: Immediately after moving in I built this and prior to finding the original screen door that the price owners removed and I reinstalled.
It was no fun using this ramp when I had to open the door. I typically had one of the kiddos now all grown up open it first for me.
The lack of a staging or flat area is a huge mistake.
This is ground contact outdoor rated plywood nearly 1 inch thick. Plywood keeps the construction simpler, and removal easier also later.
9th image: Shows the outdoor ramp. Notice the grip tape on this. This is the typical arrangement. I suggest side to side full width strips so able people can walk anyplace and be assured solid footing. The spacing I prefer also assures wheelchair tires have solid grip.
The steeper the ramp I say 3 inches between horizontal strips.
The shallower ramps for your lower or step ramps can be 4 to five inches between them. If they are wide strips works better.
Image 10: This is the ADA recommendation: 36 inches wide. Trust me especially for entry doors you want some space to move over to the side to get out of the way of a screen or storm door. And a place to put down groceries or a package or anything else so you can access the door.
48 inches just happens to be a pretty decent and better than ADA requirements that allows you more room for any purposes.
Image 11: Shows your porch. From what I see this should be pretty easy to cover with the staging area over the porch and ramp going down.
You want to measure from the front edge ofcthe threshold to the ground in front of the porch the walkway leading to it. This will give you a total height that needs to be accounted for.
Say it is a total of 10 inches tall. Your ramp will be 1 foot out per one inch in height. So 10 feet long. Now say you have the room and used 2 8 foot long plywood sheets end to end that is 16 ft. That means your slope will be less overall and easy to roll up. 10 ft will be usable but will be a little harder to roll up.
Funny thing is you use the same energy to roll up 10ft or 16ft. You just exert less energy over a longer distance that still equals the amount it takes to go up a 10 foot length.
Slope is something only you know what works for you. So if you need a little longer of a ramp if room allows it then that is fine.
Oh I forgot skip over the smaller step when making your measurements. That isn't where a ramp will end at to rest.
Image 12: The walkway. These little steps are easily rolled up by some wheelchair users. However of you can not. That is fine.
The over all length of these looks decently long enough. You in effect are just governing them as I hope I explained.
To keep the ramps from moving side spikes can be placed as mentioned 2 at the sides and top, two in the middle sides. And 2 and the bottom sides.
They get rounded into the ground next to each area of the Ramos they will be screwed to. You might even be able to lay a plywood sheet down and see if that is enough to raise you up enough. That the plywood could just lay on the walkway.
Now most likely that option will not fully work. Offered as an alternative.
The very end where ramp ends or starts at the lowest point you can get an aluminum door threshold commercial grade one. It means a little bump up onto the ramp and or down it.
I will photograph the one I have as it works like a charm. Also the rest of my garage ramp.
The deck to ramp can be connected using lag bolts from underneath into the 2 4x4 support. Using 6 or preferred 7 or 8 inch long lag bolts 3 of them to secure the ramp to the staging deck area.
Trust me when I say this, this is a mere drop in the bucket of information on how to design a ramp system.
Last little note:
Always get a permit prior making anything. The permit should cost nothing or very little since it is an accessibility ♿️ need. The information the permit comes with will also be of huge help in DIY or other options.
Sadly there is no way to construct something like this for no cost. However, church groups, friends, local elected officials, and others can be great resources. From fundraising, to helping you locate a foundation or charity to help cover some or all of it.
Do not feel bad for asking for help like this and when needed. Being a renter doesn't mean you should not have accessibility.
Like I mentioned if I was your fellow disabled neighbor I would help construct this.
Tools needed:
Tape measure x 2 I always end up needing 2 of them at times.
4 ft level.
Carpenter square.
Torpedo level. This is a 1 foot long smaller level like the larger 4ft one.
Carpenter or construction style pencil ✏️ they are flat and don't roll away when sat down.
Wood/deck screws 3 or 4in long.
Cordless drill and 2 batteries allows rotation of them when charging. They typically will last 2 or hours each. So when one runs out charge it while using the other.
Leather work gloves.
Socket wrench set for lag bolts.
Screw driver set. Mainly a number 2 Phillips and flathead. These come in handy.
Circular saw - they come corded or cordless either works.
Hand saw for those cuts to awkward for a power tool.
Drill bits for pre drilling holes.
Liquid nails to glue some things together.
Short wood screws not longer than the plywood is thick. For the grip tape strips.
Safety glasses get a few pair.
Hearing protection. Cutting wood can be really loud. Same with drilling it and all.
Things that could help: Something stable to place wood to be cut on.
Saw horses or milk crates the sturdy plastic ones. If they get cut into no big deal.
They cut be cut safely on the ground without risk of damaging tools or injuring you.
Since we are all in the same boat 🚢 in many respects, I find it sp satisfying helping people by helping them learn how they can also help themselves. It's how I was raised. Knowing you have some information and know where to locate more is my payment.
Back to me talking about my live content.
A lot like this post and my others, it is insanely boring stuff. 😴
However, I ask what other content creator is willing to discuss and cover this type of stuff?
Really go look on Twitch live, YouTube live, TikTok Live, Kick,Instagram Live or any other site allowing live content.
How many do you find that can answer questions or get you aimed in the correct direction for the information you need?
16 years now this is what I do for free. I will not and do not monetize my content. I removed myself from Twitch affiliate orogram, I have asked TikTok to allow offboarding and the option to not monetize.
I prefer to lead by example.
Please consider getting to know this strange goofball of a weirdo on my social media channels. It's not a big community but any means and is well sp unique that most people fail to realize all the nerdy disability related bits of knowledge I have to share. Plus I love light sabers and anime to make me extra geeky.
AbiliTV and AbiliTV Live on the main social media platforms.
On TikTok my actual username is AbiliTV and my screen or showing name is DJ Wheelchairbeats.
If you visit tell me your from Reddit and I will in a very socially awkward way greet you. Well I hope with practice this gets less awkward in time. :)
I am not seeking a relationship. Or any side quests. I am at level 54 in my life and to old to give a fart for drama. Making cool new friends, now that's what it's about.
Time to get some photos of my garage ramp.
submitted by SpecialistExchange28 to u/SpecialistExchange28 [link] [comments]


2024.04.28 23:26 LostGiant713 Getting yelled at my workplace.

TW: Harassment

Well, I (28m) actually got yelled at for the first time in my career and it’s for helping another department out. For context, I work purchasing in a government setting very politically driven in the USA. For identity purposes I will call the person who yelled at me Richard (55+m). Richard was a big help to get someone big elected, let’s call him Oscar, and put into a big position of power. During the campaign run, Richard was hired in a part time position. After the election victory, he was rewarded with a full-time position almost instantly as a supervisor. Unfortunately, in heavily political environment workplaces that’s how you get ahead, although I have done the same yet I have not been rewarded at the slightest. In the span of less than a year of Oscar’s term, he manages to get the one who endorsed him to retire and many others who are in the same political party that endorsed him to either be fired from their positions or resign. Prior to the resignation of one of our beloved employees who was politically adjacent to the endorsing party, Oscar had Richard follow her as she would leave the building for an agenda that I wish I would never find out. She caught Richard and filed charges with our Labor Counsel, but nothing came up. She even filed sexual harassment charges as well and it was not taken seriously. Worst of all is that it was women who downplayed her harassment as well. Oscar and Richard furthermore added more crooked employees on “their side” to further harass and belittle our employees who just want to do their jobs. Jobs that we have been doing for many years. Safe to say that that side of employees are inept as many of them do not speak the common language of the public in our place. Oscar would have baby fits when things wouldn’t go his way and he does not want to address more pressing topics, such as a mold issue that has been existing for at least 4 years that I have worked here. I and many others have had our health affected through this
I hope this context is clear and it shows how bad my work environment. I keep things very vague because this is a government setting and I could lose my job for this if details went out.
Now on to the actual story
I have been helping Richard in setting up a vendor for ordering his goods, because he is inept and has messed up all the other times he tries to do anything. I do not have to do this. My responsibilities only involve actual accounts payable and paying vendors. The supervisors and their respective departments are responsible for ordering and receiving their goods before I put them through for payment. Many times, when Richard will try and do a project, it falls flat on its face. Last Summer our building did not have air conditioning, and rather than finding quotes to fix the a/c unit, he spends on stand-up air conditioners that use water as a filtration medium. Remember the mold issue? We have carpets full of mold and now with this air conditioning method, who knows what could’ve been flying in the air.
I’ve been in constant communication with this vendor throughout this entire month of April. I initiated contact at the beginning of the month submitting all appropriate documents and I awaited further instructions from the vendor. After 7 days we were denied our net 30 terms. I then communicated further to try and get us approved. This is week 1.
The second week of April, I caught a bad case of food poisoning. Thankfully, my bosses and my department as a whole has covered me and did my work. I was still able to communicate with the vendor as my emails are hooked up to my computer. I got the account to be pre-approved with a $2000 credit limit. However, Richard wanted a to spend much more than that. Our account was only pre-approved as well as we needed to acquire and send more documents. When I told Richard of the preapproval, he yelled at me the first time saying how this was urgent and he needed to purchase the goods. Then I told him about the credit limit and he yelled at me again and told me to get it raised. I immediately contacted the vendor and requested a credit limit increase. I was later then asked to wait 4-7 business days for their credit manager to respond. Richard yelled at me again to follow up every day. I did not. Richard is not my boss, and we will just sour our relationship with the vendor even before we do business with each other.
Week 3 comes and we are still in preapproval, our request for a credit extension has been denied because new accounts cannot request for a credit limit until 12 months of the creation. I was not as attentive to this manner with Richard and the vendor this week as week 3 is when I pay all the bills for the month for our whole business. I need to make sure all invoices are given to me, coded correctly, and filed for payment. This usually takes about 3 days for the maximum payments to go out on time and in an orderly manner. Rush jobs leads to vendors being unpaid until the next month. Richard asks for an update, and the vendor has not gotten back to me yet. He then yells and me again for this whole situation. He later orders a laptop from a 3rd party vendor from China. Best believe in a government setting that is based in America we sent that laptop straight back.
Then we go to my breaking point
First Richard comes by the office window asks about the vendor (but he kept saying another vendor cos he’s stupid and doesn’t even know the name of the vendor he chose) I said that we received a letter in the mail yesterday (4/25) that we were approved. I told him that I would give him instructions after I finished doing something I had to do for finance, I was organizing invoices for next month’s payments to get a head start. He then yelled at me saying I wasn’t giving attention to this manner. My coworker told me I should’ve laid him out on the deck right then and there for this harassment. This was right before I left to lunch at around 11:50
Around 2:50-3:00, when I am alone without my bosses and my fellow department members, he texts my work cellphone number the following…
‘What's the status with the vendor? When can I use our account? What is the account # n etcs? Please send me an email ASAP. Thank you. Richard’ 2:34PM
I was alone with no one to defend me.
Immediately after I go to his office give him the information which has all the directions and tell him that he has a $2000 credit limit.
He starts yelling again saying that why wasn’t I able to get the increase and I just calmly told him that that’s the starting credit limit and they won’t raise it for another 12 months. Then, still yelling, he says to make another email with him CC’d asking for another credit increase so he can have the reasoning in writing.
I went to my office to print out the email of the representative saying that we won’t be able to get it increased for another 12 months. I gave him the email. He still was yelling at me saying stuff about the timetables and why I couldn’t do this like right away. He just kept yelling at me and then I walked past him and stormed out of my office. I said out loud that I’m not going to deal with this right now. He says it’s my job to do this for him.
He tells me to go to the big boss’s, let’s call him Roger, office and now he’s yelling at me in front of Roger. So, I calmly try to explain it to Richard again but he keeps yelling so I raise my voice back. Roger yells at the both of us to stop yelling and we will handle this on Monday. He says we will do this professionally on Monday. He tells Richard to calm down multiple times because he kept going after the fact. I end up sitting in his office for a while.
Roger only tells me to calm down after he sees me crying and Richard had left, he said that it was easier said than done. I didn’t cry in front of Richard. He says that if it is urgent then we’ll handle it, if not then it can wait til Monday. I tell Roger that I’m just trying my best to help him, but we are at the mercy of the company. He said that we will talk about it more Monday.
After I gave Roger his paystub and the log in information for his online portal, he just said that he was going to do it and to have a good weekend. I then close and lock my office door, sit down by the door and then cry more until the shift is over.
This is a very poorly written summary of what I went through, but the anonymity and vagueness is necessary to protect my job, which for the just working aspect is fantastic. My bosses are really nice and we really do feel like a family. The work is not hard and the only difficult part about it is when politics come into play, which prior to this year was very few moments and the conflict did not last long. Now under Oscar’s administration, him and his crooked staff has single handedly ruined our work environment. I don’t want to leave because the work aspect of it is really REALLY accommodating, the commute is less than 14 minutes, my benefits and PTO are amazing, and all the other non-affiliated employees and department heads are really nice. I felt like I hit the jackpot with this one. That and I need money too and I get compensated decently. I cannot afford to not work if I want to meet all my goals before I’m 30.
I just want justice. Something has to come and save us, right?
submitted by LostGiant713 to offmychest [link] [comments]


2024.04.28 23:02 HognoseGaming I found two 2004 five packs at my local Walmart!

I found two 2004 five packs at my local Walmart!
I was hotwheels hunting, and when I went to my Walmart's Diecast section I found these.
submitted by HognoseGaming to HotWheels [link] [comments]


2024.04.28 22:44 justforfuninlife A couple of questions for anyone who’s read Extreme Privacy by Michael Bazzell

I went through the book and it’s a little hardcore for what I’m looking for, but it gave some good insight into how to make your life more secure and private. I’d love to discuss elements of this book all day long. I’ll admit a lot of the technical aspects were a lot for me - I’m not looking to disappear or don’t want anything to find me. But I did find something’s I’m trying to tackle that I had a couple of questions on.
Thanks for listening.
submitted by justforfuninlife to privacy [link] [comments]


2024.04.28 22:40 cheesy-chocolate Based in the UK and applied for a Job in the Netherlands. I may have a dilemma.

I’m not sure if this is the right subreddit to post this but here we are.
Okay, so I recently applied for a software dev role in the Netherlands but the role supposedly can be 100% remote. The company itself is based in the UK, but they have sub-branches in other countries as well and the sub-company for the role that I applied for is based in Netherlands.
A day after I applied, they said they want to have a Teams call with me which was great. Then I looked back at the job post on LinkedIn and it said that their recruitment team does not hire outside Netherlands. I could’ve sworn that wasn’t there before, and to be fair, I couldn’t find the actual original job posting, this was a repost (albeit the exact same role, copy and pasted).
Now this is where I think I may have f up. On the actual application form, they asked if I had the right to work (didn’t say exactly where, field name is literally just “Right to work”) and since I thought the company was wholly based in the UK, the role was remote, and the team I’d be working with incidentally was just based in the Netherlands, I ticked yes. The location on the top though clearly says The Netherlands, and I’m just now starting to see the implication of me ticking yes especially because nowhere in the post did it specify that their company is UK based. It was something I discovered myself from outside research.
When I looked back at the form, they also had an ‘Address’ field but I am not 100% if I filled that in since it was optional. I provided them with a UK phone number though. It’s also very clear from my CV that my previous job experiences (and my current company) are in the UK and they explicitly told me they have read it.
Did I just lie to them? Surely, this was something they must have spotted (based on the other information I gave them) before getting back to me? I’m supposed to have a chat with them tomorrow and I don’t want to jump on a call with them just for it to end abruptly and make a bad impression. Should I email them just before the call to clarify?
submitted by cheesy-chocolate to cscareerquestions [link] [comments]


2024.04.28 22:30 TheRainandFire Thank You RoosterTeeth

I know there are a lot of these on here but I just wanted to share my thanks where I know some of the RT people might see it.
I first found Rooster Teeth when my friend somehow learned about Red vs Blue early in season 1 and started downloading the episodes onto a computer in the school computer lab for us to watch. I’ve been a fan ever since.
I feel confident in saying that no group, channel, service, or company has provided more hours of entertainment for me than RoosterTeeth has these past 21 years. I can’t even imagine how much of your stuff I have watched and listened to, and I doubt any company will be able to surpass it. I have laughed and smiled so much because of RT, and I know it has made my life better. RT podcasts have basically been the soundtrack for all of my driving for the past few years, and the website a frequently visited favorite for two decades. You all have been such a big part of my life for so long, I will never be able to thank you enough.
I wish I could go through and thank everyone individually but that would take forever so I’m going to limit myself to a small group.
The Founders: Thank you Geoff, Gus, Burnie, and Matt for creating this company. Not only did you create so many hilarious videos and podcasts but you are the reason for everyone else who would join RT. You brought us all together and gave us this awesome company. None of this incredible content happens without you. From RvB to RT shorts to a million other productions that you four have been a part of, you have created so much greatness. Thank you for sharing so much of your time and your lives with us, both the good and the bad. You are legends.
Achievement Hunter: Thank you to everyone who has been a member of Achievement Hunter, from the originals to the people who were only around for a short time. Every one of you made me laugh, everyone of you made a video better with your jokes and presence. I have never been one to care about achievements but this group with their let’s plays and live action shenanigans quickly became a favorite for me. There were a number of years where I watched literally every video that AH put out. You guys have provided me countless hours of great entertainment. Also a shout out to the support crew for everything you added behind the scenes to make AH better.
Michael - You are probably my favorite creator in RT and that is saying something cause there are so many hilarious and awesome people through the years. Your attitude and sense of humor helped create so much hilariousness. Play pals, Face Jam, Off Topic, and being a fan favorite on Survive Block Island, you have been a core part of so many incredible series. I hope you will keep making stuff for us to watch for years to come.
Larry - As someone who loves board games I want to thank you for bringing your passion for board games to AH and helping create the Let's Roll series. They included some of my absolute favorite videos in all of AH history. You were also awesome in any other video you made an appearance in.
Jack - Not only have you been a great part of AH and Inside Gaming over the years but I especially want to thank you for bringing Extra Life to RoosterTeeth. It quickly became a highlight of every year and you guys raised so much money for a great cause. You also just brought Extra Life to the attention of so many people, including myself. I am happy to say I did the 24 hour marathon to raise money in two different years, and the money I raised is something I am truly proud of. That only happened because of you. I’m sure there are countless others who have similar stories. You have made such a huge and positive impact on so many lives. Your heart and passion are an inspiration.
Chad - I have loved your work in Death Battle, Extra Life, RT Core, and your hilarious moments with AH, but I mostly want to thank you for one moment. You provided the most emotional moment in RT history for me when you called for a matching gift for your daughter's Extra Life donation. Seeing the massive response from everyone watching and how much it touched you was such a beautiful moment. It makes me emotional just thinking about it. Thank you for bringing that special moment to us.
Barbara - You have obviously done so much throughout your time in this company but I want to specifically thank you for creating Always Open. As a straight, cisgender man I was obviously not the target audience, but I definitely benefited from listening to your show. I had never had a place to listen to women and people different from myself having such open and honest conversations about everything from life to relationships to sex to mental health. The kind of things people just generally don’t talk about with people who aren’t like them. Your show legitimately taught me things and helped me better understand the people around me. Thank you for that.
Eric - You are basically the MVP of the last few years of RT in my opinion. I love every podcast you have been a part of, I loved watching you on Camp Betrayal. You seem to be able to get along with and have interesting conversations with anyone and everyone. I am so glad you became more than just a producer and let us get to know you and hear your thoughts on the crazy stuff happening on the podcasts around you. I hope I will be able to listen to you on podcasts for many more years. Also you are my wife’s favorite person in the company, I feel like that is worth mentioning.
I am going to stop myself there because I could keep doing these forever. There are so many people that have made RT special.
For 21 years now Rooster Teeth and the people in it have made my life better, or at least much happier and more full of laughter. You made a difference in my life, and in the lives of so many others. Thank you for everything, it has been a joy to be a tiny part of this incredible journey.
Rooster Teeth will be missed, but it will definitely not be forgotten.
Thank you.
submitted by TheRainandFire to roosterteeth [link] [comments]


2024.04.28 22:29 No_Judge_6711 Independent Contractor Question

Independent contractor Question. Work for a trucking carrier. I own my truck but work under their authority, haul their trailer and freight and they organize it all. I don’t really have any option about the work I can do, even thought the contractor states I’m free to move around. My issue is the cost of fuel is upwards of $36,000. I do get a fuel surcharge which they list on my statements as income. So with that applied it’s about my fuel bill is around $20,000. This is killing my bottom line and I have little left over to actually perform preventative maintenance, wear on unit. I reread my contract this weekend and found a clause in it that speak of the OEM guarantee. At times there has been such a decrease in work load . I have found out some of the company is on a fuel surcharge, rate. They also seem to have no ifta tax. I plan to speak to my manager to see if he might consider if having a fuel cap would make sense for me. - The Contractor acknowledges that the Equipment shall be used for the exclusive benefit of the Carrier and that the Contractor provides trucking power services exclusively for the Carrier. The Contractor will not provide trucking services independently or for any other carrier. - The Carrier will exercise all reasonable efforts to provide the Contractor with enough work so that the Contractor can maintain regular use of the Equipment under the terms of this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Carrier is not obligated to provide the contractor with a minimum or specified number of hours of work or loads for transport. I also cannot work my truck at another carrier. How is this legal?
submitted by No_Judge_6711 to legaladvice [link] [comments]


2024.04.28 22:26 No_Judge_6711 Independent contractor Question.

Work for a trucking carrier. I own my truck but work under their authority, haul their trailer and freight and they organize it all. I don’t really have any option about the work I can do, even thought the contractor states I’m free to move around.
My issue is the cost of fuel is upwards of $36,000. I do get a fuel surcharge which they list on my statements as income. So with that applied it’s about my fuel bill is around $20,000. This is killing my bottom line and I have little left over to actually perform preventative maintenance, wear on unit.
I reread my contract this weekend and found a clause in it that speak of the OEM guarantee. At times there has been such a decrease in work load .
I have found out some of the company is on a fuel surcharge, rate. They also seem to have no ifta tax. I plan to speak to my manager to see if he might consider if having a fuel cap would make sense for me.
I also cannot work my truck at another carrier. How is this legal?
submitted by No_Judge_6711 to legaladvicecanada [link] [comments]


2024.04.28 22:10 popcodswallop [WTS] VINTAGE • Black Hard Rubber Pens from the Big Four and More (Flex-Wet Noodle): Conklin Crescent-Filler 20 Stickered Wahl 74 Mabie Todd Swan OS No. 6 Flat Top Retrofit Hartline Masonic Self-Blotting Pen Waterman 92 1/2 Sheaffer Clip Ring Top •

This week’s vintage batch features FPs in black chased hard rubber with unusually flexible nibs. Highlights include an early, stickered Wahl and a massively oversized Mabie Todd Swan #6. Nibs range from Flex to Wet Noodle. As always, all are fully restored and ready to write.
 
ALBUM & TIMESTAMP
 
Pastable link: https://imgur.com/a/EUnzUnV
 
Condition (n.b.): All pens listed below have been disassembled, cleaned and restored with new sacs installed in the last couple weeks. Each of these pens is guaranteed to fill and write as designed without leaks or other problems. Nibs have been adjusted when necessary to ensure that all lay down a smooth and consistent line.
THESE PENS HAVE NO CRACKS, CHIPS, PERSONALIZATIONS, LOOSE OR MISSING PARTS, BENT NIBS, MISALIGNED TINES, BROKEN/WORN OFF TIPPING, OR THREADING ISSUES.
 
Line Widths and Writing Samples: To provide buyers with as much information as possible, I have started to adopt the following line width standards: XXF (.1-.2mm); XF (approx .3mm); F (approx .4mm); M (approx .6mm); B (approx .8mm). Nib flexibility is determined by variation (max line width under pressure) and softness (amount of pressure). Flexibility designations based on variation generally run as follows for an XF/F nib: Semi-Flex (approx. 1mm); Flex (1.2-1.9mm); Superflex (>2mm). All line width measurements are taken with a digital caliper but should be considered approximations providing a general guide. Width may vary slightly depending on type of ink and paper used as well as amount of pressure applied. All writing samples are on Rhodia dot paper using Waterman Serenity Blue.
 
 
1. 1920-5 Conklin Crescent-Filler 20 (BCHR, GPT, Crescent filler, 14k XXF/XF Superflex nib). This full-sized model measures 5 3/8” capped. Something about the 100+ y/o obsolescent design of Conklin’s Crescent-Filler appeals to me. It’s the pen once touted in adverts by none other than Mark Twain. "I prefer it to ten other fountain pens,” writes Twain, “because it carries its filler in its own stomach, and I can not mislay even by art or intention. Also, I prefer it because it is a profanity saver; it cannot roll off the desk." This one made of black hard rubber, chased in the scallop pattern. Patented rocker clip raises at the bottom when the top is depressed. Gold-filled crescent is stamped "Crescent " on one side and “Conklin” on the other. The Crescent-Filler is one of the most simple and durable filling systems among sacced pens. To fill one simply rotates the knurled lock-ring to the open position and depresses the crescent once with the nib submersed. Super-Flexible 14k Conklin Toledo #2 nib lays down a smooth and consistent XXF/XF line that widens to a 4B+ (approx 2.2mm) under light pressure (see WRITING SAMPLE). Super thin hairlines, superbly responsive snap-back, and reliable flow over its full range of flex make it a great choice for calligraphic writing styles such as Copperplate and Spencerian. Condition: excellent+ [B+]. Gold-plated trim is pristine with no brassing or other notable blemishes. Hard rubber is factory black with virtually no fading. Chasing is sharp and deep with little discernible wear. Hard rubber has a smooth and lustrous finish with no deep scratches or other noteworthy flaws. Manufacturer imprints on the barrel are slightly weakened but still fully legible. Price: $280
 
2. 1920s Wahl 74 w/ Sticker (BCHR, Grecian Border pattern, NPT, lever filler, 14k XF Superflex nib). This standard-sized model measures 5 3/16” capped. Before Wahl introduced its Gold Seal pens in the late 1920s, the company manufactured some stunning flat tops exemplified by this one. It's made of black hard rubber, chased in the geometric Art Deco design referred to by collectors as Greek Key or Grecian Border. Nickel-plated trim includes Wahl’s functional, patented roller-clip. Astonishingly, this pen has its original sticker affixed to the cap. It reads: “746 Fine / Grecian Bdr. / $4.25.” Super-Flexible 14k Wahl #4 nib lays down a smooth and consistent XF line (by the standards above) that widens to a 4B+ (approx 2.2mm) under light pressure (see WRITING SAMPLE). Thin hairlines, highly responsive snap-back, and reliable flow over its full range of flex make it another great choice for calligraphic writing styles. Condition: excellent+ [B+]. Hard rubber is factory black with no discernible fading. Chasing is factory sharp and deep with no discernible wear. Surface is smooth and lustrous with no deep scratches or other notable blemishes. Nickel-plated trim is pristine aside from slivers of drawer wear on the side edges of the clip and subtle stippling of wear on the lever under a loupe. Number stamp on barrel end is factory deep. Manufacturer imprint on cap is covered by the sticker band but I’d imagine it’s factory deep and fully legible as well. The only stickered Wahl of this vintage I’ve ever offered. Price: $380 SOLD
 
3. c.1918 Mabie Todd Oversized Swan No. 6 (BCHR, NPT, lever filler, 14k XF Superflex nib). This oversized pen has a thick girth and a considerable length that makes it too long for the tray! Longer than both a 46 Eternal and a Waterman 56, it measures 5 3/4” capped. This impressive pen is made of black chased hard rubber with nickel-plated trim. Early, oversized Mabie Todds were made in much smaller numbers and are orders of magnitude tougher to find than later Eternals of the same size. This is an example of one of Mabie Todd's earliest screw cap models when most FPs had been slip-caps. So early they found it necessary to stamp the cap at the top with the words "screw cap tightly" above an arrow pointing counter-clockwise to make it user-friendly (DETAIL PHOTO)! Another perk of these early pens were the expressive nibs, to be contrasted with the rigid nails so common on later pens such as Eternals. The commensurably oversized Mabie Todd #6 nib on this pen is a Super-Flexible writer with snap-back like a snapping turtle’s! It lays down a smooth and consistent XF line that widens to a 4B+ (approx 2.4mm) under light pressure (see WRITING SAMPLE). Thin hairlines, superbly responsive snap-back, and reliable flow over its full range of flex make it another great choice for calligraphic writing styles. Condition: excellent+ [B+]. What first struck me about this pen was the factory crisp chasing – no weakening whatsoever – that evinces the appeal of these pens when new. Black hard rubber is dark black in color with just a hint of fading revealed when one uncaps the barrel and compares to the portion covered by the cap. Nickel-plated trim looks pristine to the naked eye but shows hairsbreadth slivers of drawer wear on the bottom right and top edges of the clip under a loupe. Hard rubber has a smooth and lustrous finish with no deep scratches or other noteworthy flaws. Manufacturer imprints on barrel and cap are factory deep and fully legible. Not a common pen in any condition, downright rare when they’re this clean. Price: $520 [ON HOLD]
 
4. 1920s Flat Top Custom Retrofit (BCHR, NPT, lever filler, XXF Wet Noodle nib). This full-sized pen measures 5 1/4” capped. This pen lacks any maker’s marks, but it’s of solid construction with an interesting barrel threads design. It’s made of black chased hard rubber with nickel-plated trim. This pen came to me nibless, so I’ve performed one of my custom dip-pen nib retrofits that’s a particularly good match, performing with the same smoothness and consistency under flex as a factory nib. Feed and nib have been tuned to dial in the flow. That 14k iridium-tipped nib, stamped A Norton & Son New York, is a Wet Noodle with painterly softness and flow. It lays down a smooth and consistent XXF line that widens to a 4B+ (approx 2.0mm) under minimal pressure (see WRITING SAMPLE). Anything more than grazing the page suffices to widen the tines. Effortless variation, needlepoint hairlines, precisely responsive snap-back, and reliable flow over its full range of flex make it an ideal choice for calligraphic writing styles such as Copperplate and Spencerian. I did have to slow down a bit to optimize flow under full flex, so some experimentation with inks wetter than Waterman Serenity Blue (there are many) might be in order if you prefer to write faster. Condition: excellent [B]. Black hard rubber retains its factor black color with no fading. Chasing is factory sharp and deep aside from a portion running from the right side of the lever to the blank space on the barrel, where it’s mostly worn away. Nickel-plated trim is clean aside from some subtle wear on the spade and sides of the lever visible under a loupe. A delightful writer for those looking to dip their toes into vintage flex and want the softest nib they can find. Price: $250 SOLD
 
5. 1920s W.A. Hartline Masonic Self-Blotting Pen (BCHR, GFT, lever filler, 14k F Superflex nib). This pen has a standard girth and measures 5” capped. In the 19th and early-20th centuries, it was common to use an ink blotter to absorb excess ink from the paper to prevent feathering and expedite the drying process. In the early days of FPs a handful of makers experimented with integrating these blotters into the pen itself. The idea never quite caught on, so these pens are quite uncommon today. This “Self Blotting” pen, made by the W.A. Hartline company of Tampa, FL is equipped with a removable, gold-filled cap crown with the embossed, square and compass emblem of the Freemasons integrated into the top. Underneath that crown is a roller ink-blotter built into the cap (DETAIL PHOTO). What a combination! The pen itself is made of black chased hard rubber and I believe all of the trim to be gold-filled. Super-Flexible 14k Warranted #2 nib lays down a smooth and consistent F line that widens to a 4B+ (approx 2.2mm) under light pressure (see WRITING SAMPLE). Strong snap-back and reliably wet flow over its full range of flex make it a great choice for calligraphic writing styles in a bold hand. Condition: excellent [B]. Hard rubber retains its dark black color with just a bit of even fading visible under some lights. Chasing shows even, moderate wear. Hard rubber has a smooth, lustrous surface with no deep scratches or other notable blemishes. Gold-filled trim is exceptionally clean with no brassing or other notable blemishes. Manufacturer imprint on barrel is factory deep and fully legible. A fascinating historical curiosity and a lovely writer to boot! Price: $240 [ON HOLD]
 
6. 1920s Waterman 92 1/2 (BCHR, GPT, lever filler, 14k XF Flex nib). This slender (1/2-sized) model is longer than a ring top but slightly shorter than a 52, measuring 4 3/4” capped and 6” posted. Not to be confused with the later, celluloid 92, this 92 1/2 is made of black chased hard rubber with gold-plated trim. It’s the first I’ve ever encountered. Cap came clipless from the factory (no holes drilled for a clip), but has been outfitted with a gold-plated accommodation clip. Based on its absence from US catalogues, I believe this model was made strictly for foreign export. The barrel has a Canadian imprint while the nib reads “Ideal / England,” it being a common practice for Waterman’s Canadian pens to be finished in England. That 14k nib is a Flexible writer (note change from writing sample after taking measurement. It lays down a smooth and consistent XF line that widens to a 3B+ (approx 1.8mm) under moderate pressure (see WRITING SAMPLE). Thin hairlines and reliable flow over its full range of flex make it a great choice for shaded writing. Condition: fine [C]. This pen has no functional flaws but does show some use. Hard rubber is an even dark chocolate color – still much darker than the brown these can turn. Chasing is significantly yet evenly weakened across the cap and barrel. Hard rubber surface is smooth with no deep scratches or other notable blemishes. Gold-plating on the lever has a sliver of brassing in the center and parts of the clip look tarnished, though I’m not sure this amounts to full-fledged brassing. Manufacturer imprint on barrel and number stamp on barrel end are weakened but fully legible. An affordable user and a lovely writer for those wondering at what all the fuss is about early Watermans. Price: $170
 
7. 1910s Sheaffer-Clip Ring Top (BCHR, GPT, lever filler, 14k XXF Wet Noodle nib). This short, vestpocket model measures 4 9/16” capped and 5 3/4” posted. It was Walter A. Sheaffer who first patented the lever-filling fountain pen in 1908. In 1912 he founded the Sheaffer pen company and his revolutionary design was met with resounding acclaim. In the 1910s, when the pocket clip and lever filler were recent innovations, Sheaffer pens were typically marked "Sheaffer-Clip" on the clips and "Self-Filling" on the nibs to distinguish them from the oldfangled clipless eyedroppers of other makers. Most of their model lineup in this period – before stiff, manifold nibs became the rage in the mid-20s – was comprised of simple black hard rubber pens with long-tined gold nibs. They are every bit as flexible as early Waterman's, which are more common today. But Sheaffers are typically more responsive (having stronger snap-back). This early flat top is made of black chased hard rubber with gold-plated ring top on the cap for attaching to a chatelaine or pocket chain. 14k Sheaffer Self-Filling nib is a Wet Noodle with softness and flow comparable to that of a dip pen nib. It lays down a smooth and consistent XXF line that widens to a 4B+ (approx 2.0mm) under minimal pressure (see WRITING SAMPLE). Anything more than grazing the page suffices to widen the tines. Effortless variation, needlepoint hairlines, precisely responsive snap-back, and reliable flow over its full range of flex make it an ideal choice for calligraphic writing styles such as Copperplate and Spencerian. Condition: near mint [B+]. This pen saw so little use it looks like some thing plucked from a time capsule. Hard rubber is close to factory black with virtually no fading. Chasing is factor sharp and crisp. Surface is smooth and lustrous with no deep scratches or other notable blemishes. Gold-plated trim is pristine with no brassing or other noteworthy flaws. Manufacturer imprint on barrel is factory deep and fully legible. Price: $210 SOLD
 
 
 
Shipping: Pens purchased on the weekend are mailed on Tuesday. Otherwise they are mailed within 2 business days of payment. All pens that do not come with their original boxes are packaged in PVC or thick plastic tubes to protect them in transit. To CONUS locations the following shipping options are available:
  • USPS First-Class with tracking for $5 Due to the delivery delays that continue under postmaster general DeJoy, I strongly recommend that the Priority shipping option be chosen. All packages will include full insurance (covered by me). Rest assured that a full refund is guaranteed (issued through Paypal) in the event of a lost parcel and you will not have to wait until I receive a reimbursement from the USPS.
  • USPS Priority with tracking for $9
International Customers: Please contact me for shipping quote if located abroad (delivery confirmation required). (Note: due to the issues stated above, my international shipping options are currently limited. PM for more info). Please do not ask me to commit mail fraud by altering the declared value of a pen for customs. Not only am I registered as a business but shipping insurance is based on declared value.
New York Customers: For tax purposes, I am now required to add an 8% sales tax on any sale made in the state of NY. If your shipping address is in NY state, please let me know before payment to receive an adjusted total. Discounted shipping is included for NY State residents to help defray the extra cost.
Ordering: Pens are placed on hold for the first person to reply to the thread and PM me with firm request to purchase (no chat DMs please). A request with the words “I'd like to purchase [pen number]” would be best to avoid confusion), to which I’ll reply with payment details. Please note that a message inquiring into a price discount does not suffice to place a pen on hold. If I haven't received Paypal payment within 24 hrs after a hold is placed, then pen(s) may become available to the next person.
Payment, & Guarantee: Payment by Paypal only. All pens are guaranteed to be in the condition in which I've described them. If I've missed something objectionable or the filling mechanism is not fully functional, the buyer may contact me up to 7 days after receiving the pen for a full refund (issued once I receive the pen back in the same condition as sold). Buyer must ship the return no later than 2 weeks after it was delivered to receive a refund. I've sold pens online for over a decade. Please check my past listings here as well as on the classifieds and historical sales forums on FPN (username: Estragon) and FPGeeks (popcod) for some of my previous offerings.
 
 
OTHER OPEN LISTINGS
submitted by popcodswallop to Pen_Swap [link] [comments]


2024.04.28 22:07 artificialimpatience How do equity raise tie with valuation and ownership

I read these lines on TechCrunch regarding xAI raising capital:
“xAI, Elon Musk’s 10-month-old competitor to the AI phenom OpenAI, is raising $6 billion on a pre-money valuation of $18 billion, according to one trusted source close to the deal. The deal — which would give investors one quarter of the company — is expected to close in the next few weeks unless the terms of the deal change.
The deal terms have changed once already. As of last weekend, Jared Birchall, who heads Musk’s family office, was telling prospective investors that xAI was raising $3 billion at a $15 billion pre-money valuation. Given the number of investors clamoring to get into the deal, those numbers were quickly adjusted.
Says our source, “We all received an email that basically said, ‘It’s now $6B on $18B, and don’t complain because a lot of other people want in.”
From https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/25/xai-elon-musks-openai-rival-is-closing-on-6b-in-funding-and-x-his-social-network-is-already-one-of-its-shareholders/amp/
So regardless of what you think about AI or Elon etc I’m just trying to figure out the math here. If they’re raising $3B at a $15B valuation why does that give investors one-fourth of the company? Shouldn’t it be $3B/$15B so one-fifth? And if it changes to $6B for a $18B valuation doesn’t that mean investors get an even bigger stake at $6B/$18B essentially owning 1/3 of the company? So I’m not sure I understand why people would complain?
Or am I misunderstanding this where it means like $3B gives you 1/4 of the company so your investment of $3B is actually only worth $15B/$4B or $3.75B essentially so there’s a $250m premium to buy-in? And then the new one is $6B for a $18B/$4B which makes it worth $4.5B so a $1.5B premium? I’m so confused.
submitted by artificialimpatience to investingforbeginners [link] [comments]


http://swiebodzin.info