Before going into it, I want to mention how this post was inspired by three things. One was user u/HastyvonFuego2 and their post on going down the rabbit hole on the Kendrick sub last week. It was also inspired by Childish Gambino’s first album release in nearly 6 years where I have been sitting on this idea for a while but he inspired me to finally post this week like he did (never posted on Reddit at all before so be gentle if I am not doing it right)! I was also inspired by an interview Bino gave to GQ about breaking down his most iconic characters. In this interview he says how This is America started out as a Drake diss but then he realized the song was too hard for just Drake so he kept working on it. He also talks in this interview about how all culture is about compression. Which means that yes, This is America is about the gun violence and police issues in America, but compressed in this video is also more about where that culture comes from which he shows is from a small handful of rap moguls, namely Drake, Diddy and Jay-Z (bear with me on this long post, I think/hope it will be worth it). At the end I talk briefly about how Little Foot Big Foot might be in this same vein of cultural compression.
[Intro: Choir]
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, go, go away
The beginning of this song has no background music yet, which really gives it an ‘in the beginning’ feel. Then Gambino starts doing his dances with weird facial expressions. I will explain as we go through his video how those expressions and dance moves represent different famous rap moguls. One easy look to pick out right away is Jay-Z’s famous lip curl/growl look that Gambino gives with a head nod repeatedly. The colonial pants have been a hot topic, but since it’s only the pants that are colonial, Gambino is saying the bottom or basis for this violent culture in America is ultimately colonialism. The lyrics ‘Go Away’, are likely foreshadowing the rap moguls wanting other popular rap rivals to ‘go away’ or they will make them (aka murder them) for profit.
[Bridge: Childish Gambino & Young Thug]
We just wanna party
Party just for you
We just want the money
Money just for you (Yeah)
Usually you want money for yourself and to party for yourself, so this is a bit odd. But what Gambino is referring to is similar to these Diddy ‘freakoff parties’ we are hearing about where people who want to be famous are really partying for these rap moguls so they can get close to them. Where they suck up to them saying that they want to earn the mogul money from their songs.
I know you wanna party
Party just for free
Girl, you got me dancin' (Girl, you got me dancin')
Dance and shake the frame (Yeah)
Then this almost feels like the Diddy rebuttal where he’s like ya I know you want to party and you want to do it for free. Like Katt Williams says, “you gotta tell Diddy no”, it is never free to go to those parties. There are always consequences. When you are partying you are dancing, but shaking the frame could refer to how those boundaries/edges are being crossed, lines are blurred, etc.
Then in the video, the fellow who was playing the guitar gets shot and things turn dark from happy music. I believe that this guitar tune is meant to represent 2Pac and Nas’s song Thugz Mansion. It’s one of the original greats from ‘in the beginning’. Nas famously has always had major issues with Jay-Z too (More on why 2Pac and Nas later). It also represents how it was these moguls who murdered 2Pac like Jaguar Wright and Katt Williams keep saying. Where these murders only lead to more money and fame for the killers when the dead artists’ and their music are exploited more easily.
Also note that the gun gets taken away by a school kid after the shooting, more on this later as well.
[Verse 1: Childish Gambino, Young Thug, Blocboy JB & 21 Savage]
This is America (Skrrt, skrrt, woo)
Don't catch you slippin' now (Ayy)
Look how I'm livin' now
Police be trippin' now (Woo)
Yeah, this is America (Woo, ayy)
Guns in my area (Word, my area)
There is a song called Guns in My Area by Lil Weiner and Baby Chapox that paints a vivid picture of the everyday struggles and conflicts faced by those living in communities affected by gun violence. More compression of other songs and the American gun culture.
I got the strap (Ayy, ayy)
I gotta carry 'em
I am almost certain this line is referring to 2Pac’s song Changes. Throughout This is America, Gambino takes lines from Pac’s song: “They get jealous when they see you with your mobile phone” (referred to later in this a Celly, that’s tool) “That's the sound of my tool, you say it ain't cool, My mama didn't raise no fool”
“And as long as I stay black, I gotta stay strapped, And I never get to lay back” It seems like Gambino broke up these lyrics and scattered them throughout his song. This plays into the theme that everyone is using 2Pac and enriching themselves off of his image and music. I show below how this particular section of the video represents Diddy meaning that Diddy himself is exploiting his music (and alleging that Diddy killed Pac?). We could see this exploitation play out at length with how much Diddy milked the death of Biggie like in Every Breath You Take.
Yeah, yeah, I'ma go into this (Ugh)
Yeah, yeah, this is guerilla (Woo)
Yeah, yeah, I'ma go get the bag
The song Gorilla War by $uicideboy$ and Ramirez talks about getting a bag repeatedly in the course. Also in Otis with Kanye and Jay-Z their lyrics talk about going gorilla (I talk about this song more further down), so it could be referring to this as well. It seems like Gambino is trying to pull out lyrics from all across the rap culture and embed them in his song to highlight the ‘cultural compression’.
Yeah, yeah, I'm so cold like, yeah (Yeah)
I'm so dope like, yeah (Woo)
We gon' blow like, yeah (Straight up, uh)
I think that all of the school kids in the video represent all of the rappers that are signed with these big labels. Which is interesting because they are the ones facilitating the guns for the moguls in the video. You can see that the mogul is really focused on the kids and gets agitated and directs them to follow him whenever they stray off a bit like they are his pupils, or like he owns them. Then all of a sudden the camera comes into a scene where you can see more kids shooting a rap video and all shooting money from a Supreme gun. The camera zooms out almost to show you that this is the mogul’s whole rap empire they are looking over, all of their kids in one place (this empire already includes some chaos in the background). It’s subtle but hilarious, Gambino puts fricken chickens on the ground where the kids are filming the rap video. He is directly calling all of these rappers complete chickens for playing up this lifestyle and being the cause of so much chaos rather than coming out and telling somebody what’s really going on. Trying to get their money over everything else.
[Refrain: Choir & Childish Gambino]
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, tell somebody
You go tell somebody
Grandma told me
Get your money, Black man (Get your— Black man)
This is where things start to get interesting. Gambino is literally saying, go tell somebody about this! We all know what’s happening, why don’t you go let people know how bad it is? But like Jaguar Wright said, who do you tell when these moguls have the cops and feds paid off? This video is literally Gambino putting it all out there in this extremely popular song for everyone to see but yet we still just see the dancing and the violent chaos of people and police in the streets and not the root cause that is hidden in plain sight.
The vast majority of those who reviewed this video until now think this scene represents the tragic church shooting in Charleston in 2015. I think it does, but we also have to look at this from an angle of compression.
The people in the choir are all of the people who are currently singing the rap mogul’s praises and who are focused on going and getting what’s owed to them, get their money (who are also profiting off of the dead fellows music since it goes back to the original tune). You can see that each choir member has a distinct look to them. Think about who you are hearing about now who is about to be implicated in these freak offs and evil deeds. Is that Will Smith in the back left corner!? The short bald fellow in the front left maybe Kevin Hart? Rick Ross or TD Jakes maybe the bigger guy towards the back right? When the camera zooms in on the choir right at first to show their faces, doesn’t the guy in the bottom middle look like an uncanny version of Jordan Peele? Or is that meant to be Cuba Gooding Jr? Then just like the guitar fellow at the beginning, bang. You may be singing Diddy’s praises now, but he will cut you down whenever he suddenly feels like it.
I think almost for sure this initial section of the music video is Gambino acting as Diddy, because right after he shoots the choir, he does the elbow pump/chicken dance. At 3:14 in Diddy’s video for P.E. 2000 he does the chicken dance (he is up first in the video and I think Gambino is trying to say here I first present to you the first public enemy of 3 in this song). That elbow dance signals that it was Diddy and this is the end of his section.
[Chorus: Childish Gambino, Young Thug, Slim Jxmmi & Quavo]
This is America (Woo, ayy)
Don't catch you slippin' now (Woo, woo, don't catch you slippin' now)
Don't catch you slippin' now (Ayy, woah)
Look what I'm whippin' now (Slime!)
There have been many accounts of celebrities being given fancy cars after suffering abuse at the hands of these moguls. So these lyrics are saying that you better not slip up and tell people what’s really going on. And if you don’t look at this sweet carecord deal/movie contract I am going to give you. Beiber told this story about Diddy wanting to give him a luxury car.
Now suddenly, the dance switches from the chicken dance to a sudden bicep flex to signal us that we have now moved on from Gambino representing Diddy to our next mogul.
[Verse 2: Childish Gambino, Quavo, Young Thug, 21 Savage & BlocBoy JB]
This next chunk of the video is all about Jay-Z. I think this is the case because he throws his arms up in a bicep flex just like Jay does in the Otis music video at 2:38. And it makes sense Gambino would pick a dance move from a video with a huge American flag in the background to fit the ‘This is America’ theme. Gambino is mocking him saying, who are you really, the pretty guy or this hard gangster like Gambino shows in his dancing. Also right before they pan to the kids on the balcony, Bino also does Jay-Z’s signature lip curl look a couple times so we know it’s him and to signal the end of his section.
Look how I'm geekin' out (Hey)
I'm so fitted (I'm so fitted, woo)
Jay-Z is famous for making the fitted Yankees cap famous, it’s his signature look. More signs this verse is about Jay.
I'm on Gucci (I'm on Gucci)
Jay-Z has been seen in full wallpaper Gucci sweat suits but could also be referring to Gucci Mane who he hung out with at Beyonce’s tour around the time this song was released.
I'm so pretty (Yeah, yeah, woo)
I'm gon' get it (Ayy, I'm gon' get it)
Watch me move (Blaow)
These lines are probably referring to Jay-Z having a hidden preference for men, especially with the way Gambino flicks his wrist in the video when he says I’m so pretty.
This a celly (Ha)
That's a tool (Yeah)
On my Kodak (Woo) Black
I think that “this a celly, that’s a tool” harkens back to 2Pac’s lyrics in Changes where he sings, “They get jealous when they see ya with your mobile phone” then shortly after that he sings about the sound of his tool, referring to shooting a gun. But Childish flips these lyrics on their head. He is saying that it’s really the phone that’s a tool to be using, not a gun. And pans up and shows (the school kids specifically) on the balcony filming everything going on below. He’s telling the kids/other rappers, use your phone as a tool, you can record these bad deeds when you get blackmailed into being at the freak off. That’s how you can kill them and their career, not with a gun. Go tell somebody! There is also the reference to Kodak which plays into the picture taking theme, but also because Kodak Black has been accused of assaulting a teenage girl in a hotel room. So we have a good idea of what Gambino suggests all the kids start filming and collecting evidence of.
Ooh, know that (Yeah, know that, hold on)
Get it (Woo, get it, get it)
Ooh, work it (21)
Now we are onto Drake’s part. In the video Gambino starts doing the BlocBoy JB dance called Shoot. Drake is known for doing these little viral dance moves like in Hotline Bling. But not only that, this dance is also used in the song that both BlocBoy JB and Drake collaborate on for their video Look Alive. It starts at 2:07 in the Look Alive video. So this is Drake’s dance to signal his part is now starting.
Note this is where the pale horse rides by also potentially saying that Drake is one of the horsemen of the apocalypse. Interestingly, Drake’s collab with BlocBoy JB was pretty much the apocalypse for BlocBoy’s career, who hasn’t had a hit since.
Hunnid bands, hunnid bands, hunnid bands (Hunnid bands)
Contraband, contraband, contraband (Contraband)
I got the plug in Oaxaca (Woah)
They gonna find you like "blocka" (Blaow)
Again, we know this is Drake’s section because his song 10 bands starts out by saying “10 bands, 50 bands, 100 bands” almost identical to Bino’s lyrics here. Also Blocka was famously used by Biggie in his song Gimme the Loot which could be referring to Biggie's demise like Pac’s and making money from his death. Everything in this industry originates from pushing drugs, which has been alleged through the trafficking that Diddy, Jay-Z and Drake do through their private jets likely connected to their bosses, the Clive Davises and Lucian Grainges of the world. This escalates rap beefs and the whole culture to the next level where murder is often a consequence for young rappers in their prime when international drug lord money is involved.
An interesting point is this is the only time where Childish was about to shoot someone in the video, but where he didn’t have a school kid either handing him the gun or taking it away carefully from him. (Maybe also a diss at Drake that even though he acts hard he doesn’t shoot, he gets his horseman of the apocalypse to do his dirty deeds for him instead perhaps?). This is the beginning of the end for the rap mogul as he no longer has his kids doing his bidding for him. A simple message to show how the violence can be stopped, that these shootings can end when the kids stop enabling them. So then as soon as he can’t react in that moment and shoot someone his anger is forced to chill out, as shown by smoking a J, and to go back to exploiting the dead man’s music instead. If you don’t put a gun in someone’s hand when they are heated, those feelings too shall pass - kinda feel.
[Refrain: Choir, Childish Gambino, & Young Thug]
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, tell somebody
America, I just checked my following list, and
You mothafuckas owe me
Whose voice does that sound like!? It sounds a lot like Diddy to me, public enemy #1. This is basically saying that the moguls are the ones who we all owe it to for all of this glorified gun violence in America. That we owe them way more follows and likes for what a massive influence they have had on the violence and chaos we see in America today.
Grandma told me
Get your money, Black man (Black man)
(1, 2, 3—get down)
In Moneybagg Yo’s song 1, 2, 3, he also has a line that says “1, 2, 3, let’s go!” in a similar vein.
But something interesting I came across was Nas’s song Get Down where they use a sample from James Brown's “The Boss” that sounds extremely similar to the way Gambino screams “Get Down!” Which would fit well if the guitar singer from the beginning is meant to be Nas and Pac doing Thugz Mansion.
Also make sure you check out Nas’s song Get Down so that you can hear how much Jay-Z outright copied this song for The Story of OJ. From the musical structure with the piano and interwoven samples right down to the theme reiterated by the sample at the end of Nas’s song: “If that’s how our people are gonna get down, how are we ever gonna get up?”
SZA
Finally to wrap up the video, I have been stumped for a long time as to why SZA is randomly at the end of this video sitting on one of the cars. But I think I finally know why and it reconfirms that this last scene is all about Drake. If you watch Drake’s music video for Worst Behavior (not very Canadian of him to spell behaviour that way I might add) you will see Drake rapping and dancing with a few cars surrounding him and one of those cars has other rappers making cameos in it. In Gambino’s video SZA represents that car with a famous cameo. I think this is further confirmed when the black edges of the video start closing inwards at the end of This is America, the exact same way that Worst Behavior ends. So why SZA as the cameo then? Cause it reminds people that Drake is a p*do.
This is from an article in the Rolling Stone: In 2020, Drake revealed publicly that he and SZA had dated over a decade ago, well before she was an established artist (her earliest music goes back to around 2012; her critical breakthrough, Ctrl, came in 2017). On 21 Savage’s “Mr. Right Now,” Drake rapped about a newer fling who was a fan of SZA’s: “Yeah, said she wanna fuck to some SZA, wait / ‘Cause I used to date SZA back in ’08 / If you cool with it, baby, she can still play.” A few days later, SZA responded, corroborating Drake’s claim with a slight correction: they dated in 2009, when both would have been over 18. Since SZA would not have turned 18 until late 2008, she wanted to set the record straight. “in this case a year of poetic rap license mattered 🥴lol I think he jus innocently rhymed 08 w wait [sic],” she tweeted. “I just didn’t want anybody thinking anything underage or creepy was happening . Completely innocent . Lifetimes ago . [sic]”
If you have to specifically say something isn’t creepy and distance yourself from it being lifetimes ago, it usually is creepy. Drake would’ve been 22 when she was 17. Metro Boomin also happens to be on the Mr. Right Now track. He is currently in trouble for resurfaced old tweets showing how Metro used to tweet disgusting things about what he wanted to do to underage girls. Interestingly, Metro Boomin is also now beefing with Drake.
Drake doing his dance on the car of the original musician’s music seems to be accusing Drake directly of stealing 2Pac’s music. Orlando Brown recently said the cryptic statement that “Drake is Pac” which likely means he stole 2Pac’s approach/style/audience after his death. Gambino did some good foreshadowing here too with the recent AI release Drake put out of 2Pac.
This dance scene also signals that the Drake section is now over.
[Outro: Young Thug]
You just a black man in this world
You just a barcode, ayy
You just a black man in this world
Drivin' expensive foreigns, ayy
You just a big dawg, yeah
I kenneled him in the backyard
No, probably ain't life to a dog
For a big dog
The outro lyrics speak to how these gatekeepers keep black men down and control them with things like being forced to wear a dress to become famous or to submit to homosexual/p*do acts.. In the video, as I mentioned above, the black edges close in on Drake’s dancing scene in This is America. But they don’t completely close and end things like they do in the Worst Behavior video. Instead, in Gambino’s video, the camera pans to show the mogul running for his life with Young Thug’s lyrics almost like a quiet echo in the background. He isn’t running from the cops though, he’s running from the kids and from the public. When I mentioned earlier that the kids not handing over the last gun before Drake’s scene signalled the beginning of the end for the moguls, this is that conclusion. Where it is showing that if all the kids come together to stop enabling and rather expose the moguls, people will be chasing these bastards down once we realize what has been going on behind the curtain. Then the song that Young Thug is singing can just be a quiet echo of the way things were in the past.
If you don’t think Gambino would be this deep and that I went too far down the rabbit hole, do a Google search on the calculations that he came up with for why he sings about loving until 3005 in his song. He seems to go real deep with his lyrics. So a big question this leaves us with is, what did Childish Gambino witness in the rap industry? His whole rap career plays out like he is trying to avoid industry norms.
Even in Sweatpants, he has lyrics like:
No hands like soccer teams and y'all fuck boys like Socrates
You niggas ain't coppin' these, niggas ain't lookin' like me (Nah)
Nah, I ain't checkin' I.D. (Nah), but I bounce 'em with no problem
Seems like he is trying to make it really clear across his catalogue of music that he isn’t a p*do but that other rappers are. Where he is saying that he doesn’t need to ID his potential partners because he can tell they are obviously too young and that’s not hard to do.
Tell 'em, Problem (Problem!)
I'm winnin', yeah, yeah, I'm winnin' (What?)...
Rich kid, asshole, paint me as a villain
So who was trying to paint him as a villain, Drake? And that’s why the diss was originally meant for him?
Don't be mad 'cause I'm doing me better than you doing you…
Better than you doing you
Fuck it, what you gon' do? (What?!)
He’s taunting the other rappers cause he knows they can’t say shit if they are creeps. He has the same sentiment in Bonfire “It’s a bonfire, turn the lights out, I’m burning everything you mother fuckers talk about.”
Childish Gambino has always refrained from talking about the meaning of This is America whenever he is asked, and I can only assume that all of this is why.
Little Foot Big Foot
Now with his new release, Little Foot Big Foot and applying cultural compression to it, it has me wondering if he is referring to Megan Thee Stallion and the Nicki beef? People like Nicki (calling Megan Big Foot) have been claiming for some time she wasn’t even shot in the foot by Tory Lanez. There were many people laughing and making fun of Megan over getting shot. Which could be an interesting story for Childish to tell to represent how crazy this violent culture has gotten that people just laugh and blame the victim now when you get shot. Also a good metaphor for things like ‘shooting yourself in the foot’ for not having a lawyer look over potentially predatory industry contracts like in the beginning of his video. That you want to get in the cool kids club so bad you overlook it. Not as sure on this one though since the song just came out and I have only heard it a few times.
One last thing that is really interesting, there have been tons of artists on podcasts like Shay Shay talking about the strings these ultra rich moguls can pull. Like buying awards or gatekeeping people from being in the industry at all. There was even a story, I think maybe it was Gene Deal who told it, that when Killer Mike won at the grammys that Jay-Z was so angry he made sure to mess up his night by getting him locked up as soon as he left the awards stage. These moguls are extremely powerful and have an incredible amount of sway in the world/industry. If you check out Gambino’s profile on Youtube, his old music videos keep getting taken down, like Bonfire for example is just gone. Fans have been having to upload the videos themselves. There is a reply to a comment, on one of the fan uploaded vids, from Gambino’s account himself when someone asks why the videos are being taken down. His account just replies “Noone knows why :(“ Seems a bit odd all things considered and like maybe he has been at the mercy of these gatekeepers for going against the system.
I am so curious to know what the rest of you think about all of this!

I wan’t to smell like a natural garden - fresh, wet, green, herbal, earthy, aromatic (https://www.fiskars.com/-/media/fiskars/images/legacy/inspiration-tips/gardening/how-to-plant-a-shade-garden/page_main_image_how-to-plant-a-shade-garden.jpg):

• Herbs
• A bit of soil or related earthy smells
• Greenery, but not fresh cut grass, more as in some green leaf that is aromatic in itself, like black currant leaves, or something like that.
• Maybe some water, like dew drops or something
• Maybe some fresh berries or apples in the mix, but not as main characters - I don’t want this fragrance to be of ‘fruity’ accord, more of ‘green’, ‘earthy’, maybe ’aromatic’, maybe ‘fresh spicy’ accord
• Maybe some cucumbers even???

But not limited to only these ‘ingredients’ because I myself might not know what I’m looking for. I just know I probably don’t want it to be citrusy, because that’s immediately a whole different vibe for me. And maybe it shouldn’t have a strong floral accord, because it would also overpower my initial green garden wish (but maybe somewhere in the background would help with the photorealistic garden feel?)
I also want to share my 'library' of potential garden scents. Big part of them I haven’t even smelled yet so let me know if something from this list matches my criteria. Meaning - if something you would recommend is already in this list, I still want to hear your recommendation! Some are more straightforward green garden, some are less, some are a bit foresty gardens, but all of them are mostly green:
4711: Acqua Colonia Lavender & Thyme (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/4711/4711-Acqua-Colonia-Lavender-Thyme-5828.html) Aedes de Venustas: Aedes de Venustas (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Aedes-de-Venustas/Aedes-de-Venustas-Eau-de-Parfum-14890.html) Aesop: Hwyl (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Aesop/Hwyl-46895.html) Aesop: Karst (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Aesop/Karst-69187.html) Avatim: Águas Naturais Concentração (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Avatim/Aguas-Naturais-Concentracao-74206.html) Balenciaga: Florabotanica (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Balenciaga/Florabotanica-15512.html) Bjork and Berries: Botanist (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Bjork-and-Berries/Botanist-92385.html) Bottega Veneta: Parco Palladiano V: Lauro (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Bottega-Veneta/Parco-Palladiano-V-Lauro-38267.html) Carine Roitfeld: George (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Carine-Roitfeld/George-55143.html) Chanel: No 19 (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Chanel/Chanel-No-19-Eau-de-Parfum-12345.html) Comme des Garcons: Hinoki (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Comme-des-Garcons/Scent-One-Hinoki-2558.html) Comme des Garcons: Laurel (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Comme-des-Garcons/Scent-Two-Laurel-12639.html) Comme des Garcons: Sugi (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Comme-des-Garcons/Scent-Three-Sugi-18879.html) Comme des Garcons: Yoyogi (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Comme-des-Garcons/Scent-Four-Yoyogi-57931.html) Creed: Original Vetiver (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Creed/Original-Vetiver-468.html) Demeter Fragrance: Greenhouse (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Demeter-Fragrance/Greenhouse-17903.html) Demeter Fragrance: Provence Meadow (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Demeter-Fragrance/Provence-Meadow-25475.html) Diptyque: L’Ombre Dans L'Eau (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Diptyque/L-Ombre-Dans-L-Eau-Eau-de-Parfum-49099.html) Diptyque: Venise (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Diptyque/Venise-69015.html) Diptyque: Vinagre de Toilette Edition Méditerranée (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Diptyque/Vinagre-de-Toilette-Edition-Mediterranee-67809.html) DS&Durga: Bistro Waters (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/DS-Durga/Bistro-Waters-73416.html) DS&Durga: Coriander (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/DS-Durga/Coriander-8798.html) DS&Durga: Cowboy Grass (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/DS-Durga/Cowboy-Grass-8805.html) Eris Parfums: Green Spell (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Eris-Parfums/Green-Spell-61741.html) Ffern: Summer 23 (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Ffern/Summer-23-83511.html) Frederic Malle: Synthetic Jungle/Synthetic Nature (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Frederic-Malle/Synthetic-Jungle-68794.html) Gucci: Mémoire d’une Odeur (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Gucci/Memoire-d-une-Odeur-56096.html) Guerlain: Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Guerlain/Aqua-Allegoria-Herba-Fresca-60.html) Hermès: Le Jardin de Monsieur Li (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Hermes/Le-Jardin-de-Monsieur-Li-29818.html) Hermès: Un Jardin en Méditerranée (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Hermes/Un-Jardin-en-Mediterranee-19.html) Hermès: Un Jardin Sur Le Nil (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Hermes/Un-Jardin-Sur-Le-Nil-18.html) Hermès: Un Jardin Sur Le Toit (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Hermes/Un-Jardin-Sur-Le-Toit-11502.html) Hilde Soliani: Stelle di Ghiaccio (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Hilde-Soliani/Stelle-di-Ghiaccio-23710.html) Honore des Pres: Nu Green (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Honore-des-Pres/Nu-Green-5163.html) Imaginary Authors: Every Storm a Serenade (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Imaginary-Authors/Every-Storm-a-Serenade-34470.html) Jacomo: Silences (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Jacomo/Silences-1550.html) Jo Malone London: Blackberry & Bay (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Jo-Malone-London/Blackberry-Bay-15134.html) Jo Malone London: Lavender & Coriander (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Jo-Malone-London/Lavender-Coriander-35882.html) Jo Malone London: Sorrel & Lemon Thyme (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Jo-Malone-London/Sorrel-Lemon-Thyme-35878.html) Jo Malone London: Wild Strawberry & Parsley (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Jo-Malone-London/Wild-Strawberry-Parsley-35879.html) Kajal: Sareef (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Kajal/Sareef-41078.html) KITOWA: Hiba (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/KITOWA/Hiba-76525.html) KITOWA: Hinoki (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/KITOWA/Hinoki-76492.html) L'Artisan Parfumeur: Vétiver Écarlate (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/L-Artisan-ParfumeuVetiver-Ecarlate-73105.html) Le Couvent Maison de Parfum: Kythnos (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Le-Couvent-Maison-de-Parfum/Kythnos-53525.html) Le Labo: Baie 19 (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Le-Labo/Baie-19-57513.html) Les Liquides Imaginaires: Tellus (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Les-Liquides-Imaginaires/Tellus-29613.html) Lorenzo Villoresi: Spezie (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Lorenzo-Villoresi/Spezie-5093.html) Maison Francis Kurkdjian: Aqua Media Cologne Forte (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Maison-Francis-Kurkdjian/Aqua-Media-Cologne-Forte-82030.html) Maison Martin Margiela: From the Garden (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Maison-Martin-Margiela/From-the-Garden-87457.html) Maison Trudon: II (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Maison-Trudon/II-46323.html) Malin+Goetz: Stem (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Malin-Goetz/Stem-67400.html) Miller Harris: La Feuille (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Miller-Harris/La-Feuille-23218.html) MiN New York: Coda (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/MiN-New-York/Coda-32465.html) MiN New York: The Botanist (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/MiN-New-York/The-Botanist-25504.html) Molinard: Thé Basilic (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Molinard/The-Basilic-58510.html) Mugler: Mystic Aromatic (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/MugleMystic-Aromatic-49025.html) Nishane: Unutamam (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Nishane/Unutamam-54787.html) Nomenclature: Shi-sõ (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Nomenclature/Shi-so-44299.html) Olympic Orchids Artisan Perfumes: Chevalier Vert (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Olympic-Orchids-Artisan-Perfumes/Chevalier-Vert-45515.html) Oriza Le Grand: Deja Le Printemps (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Oriza-L-Legrand/Deja-Le-Printemps-16254.html) Oriza L. Legrand: Chypre Mousse (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Oriza-L-Legrand/Chypre-Mousse-23716.html) Parfum d'Empire: Corsica Furiosa (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Parfum-d-Empire/Corsica-Furiosa-24803.html) Parfum d'Empire: Mal-Aimé (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Parfum-d-Empire/Mal-Aime-67708.html) Parfums Dusita: Le Sillage Blanc (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Parfums-Dusita/Le-Sillage-Blanc-40838.html) Perris Monte Carlo: Lavande Romaine (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Perris-Monte-Carlo/Lavande-Romaine-60335.html) Pierre Guillaume Paris: Aube Pashmina (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Pierre-Guillaume-Paris/Aube-Pashmina-10868.html) Profumum Roma: Ichnusa (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Profumum-Roma/Ichnusa-3891.html) Profumum Roma: Victrix (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Profumum-Roma/Victrix-6971.html) Régime des Fleurs: Falling Trees (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Regime-des-Fleurs/Falling-Trees-42185.html) Santa Maria Novella: Melograno (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Santa-Maria-Novella/Melograno-Pomegranate-11480.html) Santa Maria Novella: Potpourri (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Santa-Maria-Novella/Potpourri-11483.html) Scents of Wood: Hinoki in Hinoki (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Scents-of-Wood/Hinoki-in-Hinoki-76053.html) Sisley: Eau de Campagne (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Sisley/Eau-de-Campagne-1003.html) Solstice Scents: Wilcox's (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Solstice-Scents/Wilcox-s-52537.html) Sora Dora: Greasque (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Sora-Dora/Greasque-75825.html) St Giles: The Writer (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/St-Giles/The-Writer-48106.html) St. Clair Scents: Gardener's Glove (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/St-Clair-Scents/Gardener-s-Glove-52608.html) Svensk Parfym: Prakt (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Svensk-Parfym/Prakt-45661.html) Tom Daxon: Salvia Sclarea (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Tom-Daxon/Salvia-Sclarea-18350.html) Zoologist Perfumes: Sloth (https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Zoologist-Perfumes/Sloth-59597.html)

2+ Items Of Any Kind Get 10% Off + Free Shipping.
CONUS - International at Cost - PayPal FF/Zelle/Cashapp/BTC/ETH - Chat Preferred - Ask Me Any Questions - Free Shipping with Multiple Bottles Purchased or Regular Size Bottle Purchased From My Other Listing - Please Comment Before Chatting / PM
Cover Pic
Travel Size (Please Sort By "Last Modified" For Most Updated First)
Regular Size Bottle List (Please Sort By "Last Modified" For Most Updated First)
HOME
Brand New :
Le Labo Calone 17 100 ML Room Spray - $75
Jo Malone :
Nectarine Blossom and Honey Body and Hand Lotion 250 ML - $40
English Pear and Fressia Body and Hand Lotion 250 ML - $40
Lavender and Moonflower Pillow Mist 50 ML - $30
Mimosa and Cardamom Body and Hand Wash 250 ML - $39
English Pear and Fressia Body and Hand Wash 500 ML - $95
Wild Bluebell Body and Hand Wash 250 ML - $39
Wood Sage Sea Salt Body Creme 50 ML - $39
Wood Sage Sea Salt Body Creme 175 ML - $75
Myrrh and Tonka Body Creme 175 ML - $90
Blackberry and Bay Candle 200g - $60
Wild Bluebell Candle 200g - $60
Lime Basil and Mandarin Candle 200g - $60
Lavender and Moonflower Candle 200g - $60
Blackberry and Bay Candle 200g - $60
Velvet Rose and Oud Candle 200g - $90
TRAVEL SIZE FRSGRANCES
TOM FORD
Brand New in Box Official Traveler with Mag Cap 10 ML : $50
Soleil Neige
Soliel Blanc
Tobacco Vanille
Brand New Official Traveler with Mag Cap 10 ML : $53
Fucking Fabulous
Lost Cherry
Rose Prick
$47 :
Bois Marocain
Tobacco Vanille
Soilel Neige
Oud Wood
Soliel Blanc
Ebene Fume
Ebene Fume (No Case - $37)
JO MALONE
$35 Each - 2 For $65 - 3 For $95
Wild Bluebell (Damaged Label $30)
Peony and Blush Suede
English Pear and Fressia
Wild Bluebell
Mimosa and Cardamom
Basil and Neroli
Red Roses
OFFCIAL TRAVELERS
Brand New in Box :
TF Sealed Body Spray Fucking Fabulous 150 ML - $70
Brand New In Box Body Spray Rose Prick 150 ML - $70
Michael Kors Wonderlust 10 ML - $10
Brand New No Box :
Le Labo Another 13 - 15 ML - $65
Replica On A Date 10 ML - $22
Replica By The Fire Place - $22
Killian Apple Brandy 7.5 ML - $38
North Bondi 10 ML - $10
Replica Beach Walk 30 ML - $45
Replica On A Date 30 ML - $45
Replica Lazy Sunday Morning 30 ML - $45
Replica Spring Time in a Park 30 ML - $45
PARTIALS :
Le Labo Fleur d'Oranger 27 14/15 - $55
DECANTS : 10 MLs - 2 Or More 10% Off
Initio Oud for Greatness - $40
JPG Le Male EDT Vintage 17" Batch (70611) - $25
JM Intense Myrrh and Tonka - $30
JM Intense Velvet Rose and Oud - $30
JM Intense Vetiver and Golden Vanilla - $30
Replica Jazz Club - $20
Replica By The Fire Place $20
Creed Millésime Impérial - 2015 Batch - $40
TF D/C Venetian Bergamot - $35
TF Soleil Blanc - $35
TF Oud Wood - $35
TF Neroli Portofino - 2014 Batch - $35
TF Rose de Chine - $20 (5ML)
Tom Ford Rose de Chine 30 ML - $80 (Decant)
Gucci Flora Gorgeous Gardenia 30 ML - $50 (Decant)

https://beforewegoblog.com/ten-recommended-new-cthulhu-mythos-novels-ii/
Howard Phillips Lovecraft remains one of the more controversial yet influential genre writers of the early 20th century. A man like his friend and contemporary, Robert E. Howard, who has stood the test of time. His creations in the Great Old Ones, Necronomicon, Nyarlathotep, and Deep Ones have resonated with generations of readers.
Perhaps his most admirable quality as a writer was the fact that he was never afraid to let anyone play with his toys. An early advocate of what we’d now call “open source” writing, he happily shared concepts and ideas with his fellow writers. Howard Phillips would be delighted at the longevity of his creations and the fact that he has entertained thousands of people through things like Call of Cthulhu and Arkham Horror tabletop games or the Re-Animator movies.
Speaking as the author of the Cthulhu Armageddon books as well as participant in such anthologies as Tales of the Al-Azif and Tales of Yog-Sothoth, I thought I would share some of my favorite post-Lovecraftian fiction created by writers willing to play around with HPL’s concepts. Many of these examine the alienation and xenophobia themes while keeping the cool monsters as others address them head on from new perspectives.
I admit my tastes have influenced me to choose the pulpier works over the scarier but it’s not like the former didn’t have plenty of HPL stories (The Dreamquest of Unknown Kadath, The Dunwich Horror, and The Case of Charles Dexter Ward) nor is the latter lacking for advocates. For the earlier Cthulhu novel recommendations, check out this.
10] The War of the God Queen by David Hambling
Blurb: Jessica: a modern woman, thrown back into the bronze age, alone among a strange and violent people.
Amir: a nomad warlord, leading a hopeless battle against monstrous invaders, looking for a miracle.
To Amir, the beautiful stranger is a sign from heaven. And Jessica, though no warrior, has hidden talents even she does not appreciate. When Jessica recruits other women abducted through time, they band together to fight back against the seemingly invulnerable Spawn
The future of humanity is at stake, and Jessica’s supposed friends may be more dangerous than her enemies..
You’ll love this epic fantasy driven by characters facing the challenge of becoming what they could only dream.
Review: David Hambling is a master of fantastic and weird fiction. I am very fond of his Harry Stubbs series and writings in the Books of Cthulhu series. However, this is probably my favorite weird fiction work by him. A feminist tale of a number of time-lost women that have been transported back to the Bronze Age where cthulhoid creatures intend to use them as breeding stock. Well, they have objections. A bit of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court mixed with Conan the Barbarian, mixed with plucky heroine stories.
9] The Statement of Andrew Doran by Matthew Davenport
Blurb: Dr. Andrew Doran has been out of touch with the major civilizations for quite a while. When an emissary from his Alma Mater demands his assistance, Andrew is in such a state that he has no choice but to help. The Nazis have taken the Necronomicon from Miskatonic University’s library. With it they could call upon every form of darkness and use the powers of the void to destroy all who stand in their way of unlimited power.
For years Doran has been at odds with Miskatonic University.
Putting his negative feelings aside, Andrew takes charge and heads straight into the Nazi-controlled territories of Europe. Along his journey from America and into the heart of Berlin, the dark Traum Kult, or Dream Cult, has sent beasts from the void between worlds to slow his progress.
This is adventure and monsters unlike anything the anthropologist has ever experienced, and only with the assistance of the trigger-happy Leo and the beautiful Olivia, both members of the French Resistance, does Dr. Doran have any chance of success. A sane man would flinch. Dr. Andrew Doran charges in.
Review: Sometimes you want a transparent Indiana Jones versus Cthulhu story. I’m a big fan of the Andrew Doran books. Our protagonist is an occult professor at Miskatonic University who is more interested in hunting down cultists, Nazis, and Nazi cultists than he is about teaching class. They’re very much in the Pulp mold of storytelling and perhaps a bit too episodic but our hero runs into every supernatural monster HPL created on his journey to recover the Necronomicon from Nazi Berlin.
8] Cthulhu Reloaded by David Croyden
Blurb: The Stars are Right. Humans… prepare for extinction.
Eldritch gods, cosmic horrors, and weird physics are the enemy, striking from nameless dimensions we can’t perceive, destroying us with strangeness beyond human comprehension. Major Harrison Peel understands these Great Old Ones better than anyone. He wishes he didn’t.
Forced into his latest assignment, Peel must confront an alien Outer God known only as the Impossible Object. Held in a secret facility deep in the Australian desert, no two people perceive it the same way, and it conforms to no known properties of the universe. Then the Impossible Object promises to reveal the secrets of everything, or cause all space and time to blink from existence… forever.
Are humans supposed to choose? And if so, can Peel guess the Impossible Object’s intensions? For the fate of everything could rest entirely in his hands…
For fans of weird science fiction, Delta Green and Charles Stross’s The Laundry, the Harrison Peel series is a collection of interconnected cosmic horror stories that explore the world, and the entire universe, of H. P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos, stretched across all space and time.
Review: The Harrison Peel stories are a perfect counter for the Lovecraftian ethos that humans should be helpless victims before unknowable horrors. Major Peel is a soldier for the Australian government who is continually roped into supernatural encounters. The stories work because the horror is still alien and unknowable but he reacts as intelligently as possible to dealing with them. He can’t punch or shoot them away like, say, Captain Booth in my books can. You know, except for running away and never thinking about the Mythos again.
7] Ashes of Onyx by Seth Skorkowsky
Blurb: They stole her magic.
They killed her friends.
Nothing in the multiverse will stop her quest for revenge.
Kate Rossdale once held all the promise of becoming Baltimore’s greatest sorceress. But promise is a hard thing to hold when your coven is murdered, your magic is stripped away, and the only solace left to you comes one powdered line at a time.
When she’s offered the restoration of her power by a man she doesn’t know or trust, Kate sets in motion the retribution of her enemies.
Soon she finds herself racing across the globe, and across worlds, venturing into exotic realms of forbidden dreams, to the spires of Lost Carcosa, hunting for the magic-thief who robbed her of everything she held dear, including the most dangerous magic any sorceress can possess—hope.
If you like Clive Barker, Joshua Bader, Shayne Silvers, Jim Butcher, M.D. Massey, and Brad Magnarella, you’ll love this unique urban fantasy adventure!
“Skorkowsky channels heavy themes of guilt, grief, and addiction into a bloody quest for revenge in this explosive, world-spanning urban fantasy. Gruesome fight scenes and wildly imaginative, richly described alternate worlds lend an epic feel to their adventure. Dark fantasy fans will relish this magical thrill ride.” – Publisher’s Weekly
Review: Seth Skorkowsky, one of the best Youtube commentators on Call of Cthulhu adventures, is a good friend of mine. He’s also a very talented writer. This book deals with a substance abusing mage, Kate Rossdale, as she finds herself on a quest that will take her to Lost Carcosa in the Dreamlands. If you like the more mystical and surreal elements of the Cthulhu Mythos then this is the book for you.
6] The Last Ritual by SA Sidor
Blurb: A mad surrealist’s art threatens to rip open the fabric of reality, in this twisted tale of eldritch horror and conspiracy, from the wildly popular world of Arkham Horror.
Aspiring painter Alden Oakes is invited to join a mysterious art commune in Arkham: the New Colony. When celebrated Spanish surrealist Juan Hugo Balthazarr visits the colony, Alden and the other artists quickly fall under his charismatic spell. Balthazarr throws a string of decadent parties for Arkham’s social elite, conjuring arcane illusions which blur the boundaries between nightmare and reality. Only slowly does Alden come to suspect that Balthazarr’s mock rituals are intended to break through those walls and free what lies beyond. Alden must act, but it might already be too late to save himself, let alone Arkham.
Review: While so many of these books go in different directions than HP Lovecraft, it’s nice to do something more traditional. In this case, a wealthy young dilettante has a strange encounter in Spain with a local festival before discovering that a famous artist has taken up residence in Arkham. The link between art and the supernatural is explored as well as the fact that the protagonist is woefully unqualified to deal with any of this. I think the graphic audio version of this book is the best way to enjoy it personally but the book itself is fun by itself.
5] Let Sleeping Gods Lie by David J. West
Blurb: Louis L’Amour Meets Lovecraft
Porter Rockwell, wanted for a murder he did not commit, is hiding out in Old California selling whiskey to thirsty forty-niners. When his friends dig up some monstrous bones and a peculiar book and offer to sell it for a helluva price, Porter can’t resist the mystery.
But when both his night bartender and the sellers are murdered at his saloon Porter has to find out what the mysterious artifacts are all about. With some Native American legends, Sasquatch, Lovecraftian horror, and murderous bandits thrown in, not even bullets and blades can stop Rockwell from leaving a swath of righteous carnage in his wake.
Let Sleeping Gods Lie is a weird western fantasy in the vein of classic pulp fiction and Louis L’Amour books. If you like frontier justice, larger-than-life characters, and witty humor, then you will LOVE the first installment of the Cowboys and Cthulhu series.
~Buy Let Sleeping Gods Lie to get lost in a horrific weird western adventure today!~
Review: I’m admittedly biased into loving the combination of Cthulhu and Westerns. There’s just something about the American frontier and its unique history that seems perfect for ghost stories. In the Porter Rockwell series, the real life figure has his adventures fictionalized as he deals with various supernatural horrors and baddies that contradict his American Christian background.
4] The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe by Kij Johnson
Blurb: World Fantasy Award winner, Hugo, Nebula, John W. Campbell, and Locus Award finalist for Best Novella, and one of NPR‘s Best Books of 2016
Professor Vellitt Boe teaches at the prestigious Ulthar Women’s College. When one of her most gifted students elopes with a dreamer from the waking world, Vellitt must retrieve her.
Kij Johnson’s haunting novella The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe is both a commentary on a classic H.P. Lovecraft tale and a profound reflection on a woman’s life. Vellitt’s quest to find a former student who may be the only person who can save her community takes her through a world governed by a seemingly arbitrary dream logic in which she occasionally glimpses an underlying but mysterious order, a world ruled by capricious gods and populated by the creatures of dreams and nightmares. Those familiar with Lovecraft’s work will travel through a fantasy landscape infused with Lovecraftian images viewed from another perspective, but even readers unfamiliar with his work will be enthralled by Vellitt’s quest.
“A remarkable accomplishment that repays rereading.” ―Pamela Sargent, winner of the Nebula Award
Review: This is an unusual example even for Lovecraftian fiction. Basically, in a women’s college in the fantasy world of the Dreamlands, specifically Ulthar the City of Cats, there’s a young woman who has gone missing. This young woman being the daughter of a god. Vellitt Boe, a teacher there, decides to cross the Dreamlands in hopes of finding them in order to prevent Ulthar from facing the god’s wrath.
3] Miskatonic by Mark Sable
Blurb: Miskatonic Valley holds many mysteries – cultists worshipping old gods, a doctor deadset on resurrecting the recently deceased, a house overrun by rats in the walls – but none more recent than a series of bombings targeting the Valley’s elite.
To Bureau of Investigation (the predecessor of the FBI) chief J. Edgar Hoover, there can be no other explanation than those responsible for similar actions during the Red Scare of the 1920s. But when the brilliant, hard-nosed investigator Miranda Keller is sent to stop the bombings, she uncovers an unimaginable occult conspiracy, one that may cost her both her job and her sanity.
From writer Mark Sable (WAR ON TERROR: GODKILLERS, Graveyard of Empires) and artist Giorgio Pontrelli (Dylan Dog), MISKATONIC is a mix of historical crime fiction and Lovecraftian-horror that dives deep into the American nightmare.
Review: Independent comics are a different breed from independent books. They require a lot more effort in production than your typical ebook or even print on demand work. Still, this is definitely an indie production and a fantastic one at that. Following the adventures of one of the last female detectives of the Bureau of Investigation before J Edgar Hoover fires them, they find themselves neck deep in the Cthulhu Mythos as well as the reactionary politics of the day.
2] New Cthulhu: The Recent Weird by Various
Blurb: For more than eighty years H.P. Lovecraft has inspired writers of supernatural fiction, artists, musicians, filmmakers, and gaming. His themes of cosmic indifference, the utter insignificance of humankind, minds invaded by the alien, and the horrors of history — written with a pervasive atmosphere of unexplainable dread — remain not only viable motifs, but are more relevant than ever as we explore the mysteries of a universe in which our planet is infinitesimal and climatic change is overwhelming it.
In the first decade of the twenty-first century the best supernatural writers no longer imitate Lovecraft, but they are profoundly influenced by the genre and the mythos he created. New Cthulhu: The Recent Weird presents some of the best of this new Lovecraftian fiction — bizarre, subtle, atmospheric, metaphysical, psychological, filled with strange creatures and stranger characters — eldritch, unsettling, evocative, and darkly appealing.
Review: A well-chosen and smartly edited anthology of such luminaries as Kim Newman, Neil Gaiman, Cherie Priest, Charles Stross, Sarah Monette, and China Mieville among others. There’s some truly great stories throughout this work like “Pickman’s Other Model” which is about a sexualized ghoul in the turbulent 1920s, “A Study in Emerald” which has been rightfully reprinted many times, and “Shoggoths in Bloom” which asks the question whether the shoggoths could ever have been as horrifying as the people who enslaved them.
1] The Brotherhood of the Beast by the Hp Lovecraft Historical Society
Blurb: A hardened archaeologist and a wealthy adventurer join forces to look into inexplicable murders in Boston. Before long, their investigation reveals a nefarious conspiracy, with tentacles reaching from their own past to the furthest corners of the globe. Will the duo and a team of trusted comrades be able to thwart an unholy alliance of dark forces, or does our very world stand upon the precipice of a terrifying doom?
Review: This is a radio play and doesn’t quite qualify as a novel but it’s got all of the enjoyment I got out of the Masks of Nyarlathotep one produced by Dark Adventure Theater. Here, a group of adventurers are caught up in plot to install a reincarnation of the Black Pharoah in as the Anti-Christ-esque ruler of the world. It’s based on the classic Chaosium adventure, The Fungi from Yuggoth and goes in different directions from HPL’s classic tales but I have to admit some of the stories like the opening one with a child murderer in an old lady’s house are just fantastic. I hope they make a sequel someday.

2+ Items Of Any Kind Get 10% Off + Free Shipping.
CONUS - International at Cost - PayPal FF/Zelle/Cashapp/BTC/ETH - Chat Preferred - Ask Me Any Questions - Free Shipping with Multiple Bottles Purchased or Regular Size Bottle Purchased From My Other Listing - Please Comment Before Chatting / PM
Cover Pic
Travel Size (Please Sort By "Last Modified" For Most Updated First)
Regular Size Bottle List (Please Sort By "Last Modified" For Most Updated First)
HOME
Brand New :
Le Labo Calone 17 100 ML Room Spray - $75
Jo Malone :
Nectarine Blossom and Honey Body and Hand Lotion 250 ML - $40
English Pear and Fressia Body and Hand Lotion 250 ML - $40
Lavender and Moonflower Pillow Mist 50 ML - $30
Mimosa and Cardamom Body and Hand Wash 250 ML - $39
English Pear and Fressia Body and Hand Wash 500 ML - $95
Wild Bluebell Body and Hand Wash 250 ML - $39
Wood Sage Sea Salt Body Creme 50 ML - $39
Wood Sage Sea Salt Body Creme 175 ML - $75
Myrrh and Tonka Body Creme 175 ML - $90
Blackberry and Bay Candle 200g - $60
Wild Bluebell Candle 200g - $60
Lime Basil and Mandarin Candle 200g - $60
Lavender and Moonflower Candle 200g - $60
Blackberry and Bay Candle 200g - $60
Velvet Rose and Oud Candle 200g - $90
TRAVEL SIZE FRSGRANCES
TOM FORD
Brand New in Box Official Traveler with Mag Cap 10 ML : $50
Soleil Neige
Soliel Blanc
Tobacco Vanille
Brand New Official Traveler with Mag Cap 10 ML : $53
Fucking Fabulous
Lost Cherry
Rose Prick
$47 :
Bois Marocain
Tobacco Vanille
Soilel Neige
Oud Wood
Soliel Blanc
Ebene Fume
Ebene Fume (No Case - $37)
JO MALONE
$35 Each - 2 For $65 - 3 For $95
Wild Bluebell (Damaged Label $30)
Peony and Blush Suede
English Pear and Fressia
Wild Bluebell
Mimosa and Cardamom
Basil and Neroli
Red Roses
OFFCIAL TRAVELERS
Brand New in Box :
TF Sealed Body Spray Fucking Fabulous 150 ML - $70
Brand New In Box Body Spray Rose Prick 150 ML - $70
Michael Kors Wonderlust 10 ML - $10
Brand New No Box :
Le Labo Another 13 - 15 ML - $65
Replica On A Date 10 ML - $22
Replica By The Fire Place - $22
Killian Apple Brandy 7.5 ML - $38
North Bondi 10 ML - $10
Replica Beach Walk 30 ML - $45
Replica On A Date 30 ML - $45
Replica Lazy Sunday Morning 30 ML - $45
Replica Spring Time in a Park 30 ML - $45
PARTIALS :
Le Labo Fleur d'Oranger 27 14/15 - $55
DECANTS : 10 MLs - 2 Or More 10% Off
Initio Oud for Greatness - $40
JPG Le Male EDT Vintage 17" Batch (70611) - $25
JM Intense Myrrh and Tonka - $30
JM Intense Velvet Rose and Oud - $30
JM Intense Vetiver and Golden Vanilla - $30
Replica Jazz Club - $20
Replica By The Fire Place $20
Creed Millésime Impérial - 2015 Batch - $40
TF D/C Venetian Bergamot - $35
TF Soleil Blanc - $35
TF Oud Wood - $35
TF Neroli Portofino - 2014 Batch - $35
TF Rose de Chine - $20 (5ML)
Tom Ford Rose de Chine 30 ML - $80 (Decant)
Gucci Flora Gorgeous Gardenia 30 ML - $50 (Decant)

Need to declutter these! No swaps, please. Shipping from VA->CONUS. PayPal G&S only. Add $10 for shipping. Most are almost full; see fill line for details. Can provide more pics if requested. 💚
https://imgur.com/a/dEzRWQj
https://imgur.com/a/Yz4j0LD
[Bottle size listed does not reflect amount left; just the size of the bottle.]
*1.7 oz. The 7 Virtues’ Blackberry Lily ($60)
[SOLD] 8 oz. each Bath & Body Works Brown Sugar & Fig (body mist & lotion bundle)($20)
*10 ml BDK Tabac Rose (travel size spray)($25)
*3.4 oz. BDK Rouge Smoking ($180)
*1 oz. Burberry Brit ($30)
*1.6 oz. Byredo Sundazed ($175)
*3.3 oz. Dolce & Gabbana Pour Femme ($45)
*1 oz. Elizabeth and James Nirvana Rose ($20)
*1.7 oz. Givenchy L’Interdit EDP ($60)
*1 oz. Gucci Flora Gorgeous Gardenia ($50)
*3.4 oz. Le Monde Gourmand Lait de Coco (hair and body mist)($20)
*1.6 oz. Marc Jacobs Daisy Love Spring ($50)
*2.4 oz. MFK Oud Satin Mood (hair mist)($60)
*3.4 oz. MMM Replica Coffee Break ($120)
*1 oz. Mugler Alien EDP ($50)
[SOLD] 1.7 oz. Nest Indigo ($60)
*1.7 oz. Nest Midnight Fleur ($80)
*1.7 oz. The Nue Co. Forest Lungs ($60)
*3.4 oz. Shay & Blue Lilacs & Gooseberries ($60)
*2 oz. Solstice Scents White Fox ($60)
*3 oz. Valentino Rock & Rose Couture ($125)
*1 oz. Versace Crystal Noir EDT ($40)
*1.6 oz. YSL Black Opium Extreme ($80)
Add ons only (or spend $30):
*10 ml Billie Eilish Eilish No. 1 (travel size spray)($15)
*5 ml Dolce & Gabbana Devotion (mini)($15)
*10 ml Ellis Brooklyn Myth (travel size spray)($15)
*5 ml Jovoy Paris Remember Me (decant)($15)
*10 ml Kayali Vanilla Royale Sugared Patchouli (travel spray)($20)
*LoveShackFancy sample set ($10)
*15 ml Philosophy Falling in Love ($5)
*10 ml YSL Black Opium (rollerball)($15)

For context - my girlfriend and I wanted to make drinks to go with the semis/finals, and prepared for the EXPECTED top 4 teams… however, oxygen and resolve threw a wrench in those plans.
But with some quick adjustments, I present to you themed cocktails for the EU top 4!
(In order)
Potion of vitality - pineapple, mint, rum, club soda
William’s basil gimlet - gin, lime, basil, simple syrup
Os-kiwi melon Joyo-hito - kiwi, melon liqueur, blue curacao, rum, club soda
The gintlemate - blackberries, gin, cointreau, lime, club soda
Fittingly, the potion of vitality was our favorite :)

I'm looking for some kind of solution that will allow me to remotely control the locally displayed desktop on my server. I'm somewhat familiar with XRDP and VNC, but those seem to only display a separate desktop.
In any case, I'm planning on connecting a projector to my headless box, and I'd like to use my laptop to control the desktop on it. Any ideas?
I'm using Rocky 9 on the server and fedora 38 on the laptop. I'd prefer to stick with it, but if for some weird reason I need to switch distros, I'd like to stick to something RHEL adjacent.
Edit for the bot:
Device information:
Laptop:

[jbnels2@fedora ~]$ neofetch .',;::::;,'. jake@fedora .';:cccccccccccc:;,. ----------- .;cccccccccccccccccccccc;. OS: Fedora Linux 38 (Workstation Edition) x86_64 .:cccccccccccccccccccccccccc:. Host: 17Z90Q-K.AAB8U1 0.1 .;ccccccccccccc;.:dddl:.;ccccccc;. Kernel: 6.6.11-100.fc38.x86_64 .:ccccccccccccc;OWMKOOXMWd;ccccccc:. Uptime: 7 hours, 17 mins .:ccccccccccccc;KMMc;cc;xMMc:ccccccc:. Packages: 7475 (rpm), 25 (flatpak) ,cccccccccccccc;MMM.;cc;;WW::cccccccc, Shell: bash 5.2.21 :cccccccccccccc;MMM.;cccccccccccccccc: Resolution: 1920x1080 :ccccccc;oxOOOo;MMM0OOk.;cccccccccccc: DE: GNOME 44.8 cccccc:0MMKxdd:;MMMkddc.;cccccccccccc; WM: Mutter ccccc:XM0';cccc;MMM.;cccccccccccccccc' WM Theme: Adwaita ccccc;MMo;ccccc;MMW.;ccccccccccccccc; Theme: Adwaita [GTK2/3] ccccc;0MNc.ccc.xMMd:ccccccccccccccc; Icons: Adwaita [GTK2/3] cccccc;dNMWXXXWM0::cccccccccccccc:, Terminal: gnome-terminal cccccccc;.:odl:.;cccccccccccccc:,. CPU: 12th Gen Intel i7-1260P (16) @ 4.700GHz :cccccccccccccccccccccccccccc:'. GPU: Intel Alder Lake-P GT2 [Iris Xe Graphics] .:cccccccccccccccccccccc:;,.. Memory: 14244MiB / 15705MiB '::cccccccccccccc::;,. 

Server:

[root@localhost ~]# neofetch ##### root@localhost ####### -------------- ##O#O## OS: Rocky Linux 9.3 (Blue Onyx) x86_64 ####### Host: 10FLS2HX00 ThinkCentre M900 ########### Kernel: 5.14.0-362.8.1.el9_3.x86_64 ############# Uptime: 3 hours, 12 mins ############### Packages: 1272 (rpm) ################ Shell: bash 5.1.8 ################# Resolution: 1920x1080 ##################### CPU: Intel i7-6700T (8) @ 3.600GHz ##################### GPU: Intel HD Graphics 530 ################# Memory: 2213MiB / 15614MiB 

I'm so glad I found this sub-reddit and found out more about what Devil Corps were, even though I wish I knew more about them before I worked for one. I worked for hparas consulting in NJ, I saw someone interviewed with them on this thread and luckily they didn't accept the offer, glad to hear it honestly. This job was weird everyone was nice but some felt fake.
My interview experience wasn't that bad, I met the owner who was a nice guy and he seemed down to earth. What he didn't specify however, was that this was going to be a cold-calling job or the length at which you would have to travel for this job. Day one of training and I'm about to go out into the field and my guy texts me an address for Wilmington, DE with traffic that's almost 2 hours from where I live. I make something up like I don't have anything to pay the tolls with so I then go with someone who's closer, but was still in PA. I try to ask him questions about the job, he responds, "oh yeah yeah yeah" to everything I ask even if it wasn't a yes or no question. I never got a straight answer from anyone ever. A common theme from my experience.
By the way, I only worked here for three weeks and it felt like 3 months. They called me every night after training and zoom calls at 5 that were mind-numbing. In a nut-shell the Zoom calls were, "Did you make that sale?" yes, then good job, if no, keep at it and hustle harder. Also, there was homework that was tedious and time-consuming. A huge red-flag was that no one mentioned the parent company by name it was just, "the company." They mentioned a NYC branch and a Boston branch that somehow related to the parent company. 2nd thing that was weird, "the company" payed for three or four salesman to move to NJ from Boston and they all stayed in one house together. 3rd thing that was weird, they brought in the woman who was a higher-up for the "the company" or something I don't even know, along with two other guys for no reason. Wearing all Chanel and Gucci this woman started shitting on Uber drivers and Doormen for some reason. At one point, one of the "executives" said that she wants you to make her more money. Another weird thing, they move offices constantly and get rid of people constantly. The moment I quit/got fired they moved offices, also it was a pain trying to get paid. I can rant about this for a while, but I don't want to go on that much of tangent, but that's what I thought was weird.

so unfortunately i don’t think i’ll be seeing sa-io finals performances as a whole 😔. so i’ll just shout out ones from those 4 categories that i liked. i do have sw & iw finals in full so going to fully review those! who asked for this you might wonder…well no one!! i just love the sport lol. since im doing in full, going to talk about every finalist (minus amp), but not going to be like mean or anything. & take this with a grain a salt, i’m just a spectator. &
also, please comment your favs from wgi weekend or shows i should hunt down & watch! if its on yt, lol.
this is LONG OMG…sorry, lol. get a snack or something 😂😂😂

• sa-ia-so-io: i have not seen many but the ones from these that i’ve like loved:
• ayala - LOVED their show! so pretty & great weapon work.
• mbi - LOVED their show as well but they indeed had a like…horrid prelims run. if it were cleaner they could’ve been easy finalist.
• cornith holders - honestly their weapon & flag work is among world class to me. really nice show!
• la voute - they had a shaky finals run but i still thought they could’ve scored a bit higher. very nice show & they’ll be a powerhouse next year hopefully.
• dartmouth - absolutely loved it. i will say…weapon wise, one member did a lot of heavy lifting, but thought their flag work was really good & clean.
• palm desert ms - how can you not respect middle schoolers in open class…that’s crazy! was a sorta shaky finals run but they still did great!
  
• scholastic world:
  
• center grove(so many signs, 81.250): this was nice. im not sure about the like theme & the design & staging of areas seemed meh, but thought weapon work though not the cleanest was pretty good! i would’ve given them a 83.2.
  
• stoneman douglas(sound, 82.7): i liked this! shoutout to the member performing with the boot but that lowkey might have hurt them in scoring since moves couldn’t be done full out. flag work def needed to be cleaner (especially the silent flag section which was good but cleaner would’ve made it more effective)but still, a good showing! i would’ve given a 83.45
  
• flanagan(ethereal echoes, 83.4): hmm…idk. music was low/highkey annoying, lol. i like their use of different flags, mostly solid weapon catches. not my fav though, loved their rock n roll show last year way more. my score, 84.1
  
• miamisburg(colors on the snowy linen land, 84.9): this was quite pretty but not their best showing. timing issues, a kinda shaky run but as the routine went on it got better! my score - 84.85
  
• bellbrook(fellow traveler, 85.25): actually…this was very well done! i really can’t fault anything other than they did a lot of 360 flag tosses & could’ve incorporated something else. great dancing, generally clean, yeah good show! would’ve given a 86.45
  
• northview(it’s a mod world, 86.4): oh the masters of the flag toss ate this! top 3 fav from wgi weekend! i love everything about this! flag work could be a bit cleaner but awesome show! my score - 87.5
  
• warren central(give me strength, 86.5): a comeback year for them. having your whole team do 2 360s under rifle is crazy!! i HATE the girl sitting in a singular spot the whole time emoting…i would’ve had her like moving throughout the tarp & interacting w/ members in the back, just something! but i did like this. very solid show. my score - 87.05
  
• kiski area(it’s all relative, 87.55): def got better has the routine went on. not sure i fully get the theme but i like the work done. nice show. my score - 87.3
  
• fishers(the great american game, 89.25): the 1st show to me to have like…really great moments! overall show was eh to me but still they did a great job. poor girls knee @ the end. my score - 88.7
  
• el dorado(on the outside, somewhat elevated, 91.7): love this tarp. great dancing & movement!! very well done! other than a few timing issues, this was flawless. also 5 members doing & catching a front walkover under a flag toss is very impressive! my score - 93.2
  
• carmel(memento mori, 91.75): this was pretty good. love the blue fabric on that coppecaramel tarp. not the most stand out but everything looked great. would’ve given a 92.7.
  
• tarpon springs(the times, 93.4): oh tarpon…you will be always be famous! LOVE this routine, my fav from wgi weekend! using “history repeating” in your show is so iconic to me. i think the bronze should’ve been theirs… my score 94.5
  
• the woodlands(the light you cannot see, 94.85): hmm…i respect the work done, im just not picking up on theme. i think on yt someone said it’s based on a book. idk, last years show eats this easily. it’s a good routine though. my score - 94.1
  
• arcadia(i’ve seen it all, 96.7): best show design a guard has presented in years! feels like everything makes sense, everything had a purpose, effective design, pretty clean minus a few hiccups. weapon wise they are weaker than like…everyone else here but show design the best of anyone @ wgi this year. my score - 95.5
  
• avon(voila, 99.35): i mean…i liked jane bond more but this show here was really perfection. i only saw literally one mistake, but this is the cleanest they’ve ever been. love the movement & dance elements, along w/ fishers, great music cues. yeah, i mean there’s nothing to fault, this was beautiful! my score - 98.95
  
• independent world:
  
• amp(found semis! coven, 87*prelims): mmm…this was better than i remembered but it gives like…coven-disney version? lol. not their best or most entertaining show but their flag work has gotten so much better! my score - 86.45
  
• icon(my favorite clown, 80.95): they have a lot of potential. weapon & flag work were great for the most part (especially weapon, great tosses!), the theme & song…a chop. i didn’t like understand it @ all & the song was…well my score - 83.05
  
• tampa independent(gravity, 83.05): it definitely picked up 2nd half of the show. they lowkey ate this! i think show & song wise…it’s been kinda done to death but this was really lovely to watch overall. my score - 85.65
  
• ucf(hibernaculum *yes i had to look up how to spell this 😂, 84.7): chile wth is going on…i lowkey kinda like this, lol. if that’s the correct spelling, then they kinda matched the definition with this show, sorta. wasn’t the best run but overall, yeah i’d watch this again & again, ha. my score - same as wgi.
  
• malachi(without you, 83.35): this was good but lowkey kinda of dragged. idk, just didn’t really stand out but they had some great music cues. my score - 83.2
  
• onyx(we’re from here, 84.9): i’m kinda digging it but not fully. i like last years way more. this is def interesting though. idk, some sections look…improvy? some areas look like to random. staging of some areas could be better. the ending flag feature was cool but timing was horrid! i overall mostly like this. i’d say 85.6
  
• vox artium(god save the queen, 87.4): oh i love this! but the music is throwing me off a bit. the billie part is…not what i would’ve went with. when mbi used it, it made sense as the “crash test dummy like coming to life” story, in this show it’s not clicking with me. yeah the billie flag section is the downside of this routine, literally everything else is awesome! my score, 89.25
  
• mirage(the origin of love, 87.85): duet work is amazing! the tricks are getting to some, but these tosses are crazy! song is meh. this grew on me as i kept watching, really nice job. i’d say 88.5
  
• juxtaposition(off the chain, 88.7): did i understand the music selection…no. BUT, thank goodness for this routine! like can we have fun @ wgi?? can we let loose a bit & just vibe @ wgi??! lol. this is prob my fav so far in iw. some drops but overall great job, fun as hell, confusing but good music. my score, 89.5
  
• origins(confide, 89.3): 1st, love this tarp! they are noticeably cleaner than everyone else i’ve seen so far. the song is not for me but it makes perfect sense with this theme. felt like everything had a meaning & everything made sense, so im happy. my score, 91.25
  
• fantaisa(for gabriel, 91.7): the theme………but i’ve seen yt comments saying ppl from the guard know the parents of gabe & this is more so to spread awareness & not just to use his name in vain, so ima respect it. this is a beautiful routine. very pretty, movement was great. did need another like big moment or 2. crowd was iffy on this it seems. my score - 92.3
  
• paramount(the harbingers, 93.4): going by the definition of harbinger, i think they accomplished that. overall not sure how i feel about this. this was good but last year i wasn’t even a fan but it gave winner energy, this is missing something i just dk what. my score - 93.2
  
• blessed sacrament(chaos theory - feel the burn - stang, 93.5): umm…chile. idk what’s going on but the theme is chaos so…i guess good job? 😂 i mean i like everything going on just the lack of structure or like legit reason kinda confuses me but like it says chaos theory. my score - 94.55
  
• etude(those days are gone, 93.6): love the dancing! you can tell they have great training. i guess i’d like more flag work incorporated but overall this was a cute show. my score - 94.3
  
• fusion(so fair so sweet so sharp, 95.4): mmm, interesting music selection. both rifle ripples were so satisfying to watch! they look the cleanest of anyone in this category. yeah…this had the winner energy to it. couldn’t see another team beating this. my score - 96.1
  

** tarpon had my fav from the whole comp easily for the 2nd year in a row! northview was my 2nd fav from the whole comp & ayala was my 3rd. my fav from iw would be a tie between vox & jux. iw could be literally any of the top 5 next year so that’ll be exciting! sw is a mystery as both arcadia & avon shot up this year. the top 6 & maybe even fishers i see as contenders. & justice for west broward!!!

[SELL] Need to declutter these! No swaps, please. Shipping from VA->CONUS. PayPal G&S only. Add $10 for shipping. Most are almost full; see fill line for details. Can provide more pics if requested.
https://imgur.com/a/Yz4j0LD
https://imgur.com/a/dEzRWQj
[Bottle size listed does not reflect amount left; just the size of the bottle.]
*1.7 oz. The 7 Virtues’ Blackberry Lily ($60)
*8 oz. each Bath & Body Works Brown Sugar & Fig (body mist & lotion bundle)($20)
*10 ml BDK Tabac Rose (travel size spray)($30)
*3.4 oz. BDK Rouge Smoking ($180)
*1 oz. Burberry Brit ($30)
*1.6 oz. Byredo Sundazed ($175)
*3.3 oz. Dolce & Gabbana Pour Femme ($45)
*1 oz. Elizabeth and James Nirvana Rose ($20)
*1.7 oz. Givenchy L’Interdit EDP ($60)
*1 oz. Gucci Flora Gorgeous Gardenia ($50)
*3.4 oz. Le Monde Gourmand Lait de Coco (hair and body mist)($20)
[SOLD] 3.4 oz. Le Monde Gourmand Pistachio Brûlée (hair and body mist)($20)
*1.6 oz. Marc Jacobs Daisy Love Spring ($50)
*2.4 oz. MFK Oud Satin Mood (hair mist) ($60)
*3.4 oz. MMM Replica Coffee Break ($120)
*1 oz. Mugler Alien EDP ($50)
*1.7 oz. Nest Indigo ($60)
*1.7 oz. Nest Midnight Fleur ($80)
*1.7 oz. The Nue Co. Forest Lungs ($60)
*3.4 oz. Shay & Blue Lilacs & Gooseberries ($60)
*2 oz. Solstice Scents White Fox ($60)
*3 oz. Valentino Rock & Rose Couture ($125)
*1 oz. Versace Crystal Noir EDT ($40)
*1.6 oz. YSL Black Opium Extreme ($80)
Add ons only:
*10 ml Billie Eilish Eilish No. 1 (travel size spray)($15)
*5 ml Dolce & Gabbana Devotion (mini)($15)
*10 ml Ellis Brooklyn Myth (travel size spray)($15)
*5 ml Jovoy Paris Remember Me (decant)($15)
*LoveShackFancy sample set ($10)
*15 ml Philosophy Falling in Love ($5)
*10 ml YSL Black Opium (rollerball) ($15)

My harvest hymn — with added Chinese chemicals
By Jeremy Clarkson (The Sunday Times, April 28)
Many of us will remember that Mungo Jerry song featuring the line, “Have a drink, have a drive. Go out and see what you can find.” And of course we all realise you can’t even think that any more. And nor, really, is it considered acceptable to follow up with: “If her daddy’s rich, take her out for a meal. If her daddy’s poor, just do what you feel.” Times have moved on.
Of course lots of lyrics now feel as if they’re from another aeon. "Clair" by Gilbert O’Sullivan especially. But you might think it’s impossible for the lyrics in a harvest festival hymn to become out of date. “We plough the fields and scatter. The good seed on the land. But it is fed and watered by God’s almighty hand.” Absolute timelessness. It was true ten thousand years ago and it’s true now.
No, it isn’t. God doesn’t water the land any more. The coal-fired Chinese power stations do that. And he doesn’t feed it either. That’s handled by CF Industries, which makes all the chemical fertiliser that farmers use on their fields.
We don’t even scatter seeds any more, because that’s wasteful onanism. We drill them into the ground, at precise intervals and at a precise depth using a computer-controlled, £40,000 seed drill. That’s towed behind a £250,000 Case tractor, which was built in the factory where they used to make Tiger tanks. Not much Goddishness going on in any of that.
There isn’t even any ploughing any more. In the olden days farmers would turn the top layer of soil over using a plough so that the weeds were buried. And because they were deprived of sunlight they died. It was a lovely, natural, rosy-cheeked way of creating the perfect seedbed for the following year’s crop.
But then along came Little Miss Thunberg and her merry band of Packhamites, who decided that 1,500 billion tonnes of carbon is stored in the planet’s soil. And that if you turn this soil over with a plough, all of it will be released into the upper atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide. Which is bad. So the lovely, natural method of killing weeds had to stop. And instead farmers had to use chemical sorcery from Monsanto, BASF and the Zhejiang Xinan Chemical Industrial Group.
Farmers didn’t mind, if I’m honest, because ploughing is extremely expensive. You simply would not believe how much diesel is needed to drag a two-tonne land anchor through a muddy field. Using weedkiller instead is much cheaper.
Or rather it was. But weedkiller prices have gone up dramatically in recent years. And from where I’m sitting it doesn’t really seem to work any more. Every year Kaleb goes into the fields like a rural Terminator, hosing down the weeds with his ungodly chemical sorcery and then, a few weeks later, Cheerful Charlie walks me through the same fields, pointing out the brome and the black-grass, which is easy to spot because it’s purple and green and completely immune to anything the world’s chemists can throw at it.
So this year Charlie said we should become medieval and plough the fields instead. Selfish? Well, yes, this will shoot a tonne of CO2 into the troposphere and that’s obviously bad. And I’ll use four times more diesel than I would if I used weedkiller. So that’s not good for the environment either. But here’s the kicker: I wouldn’t be pumping any chemicals into the soil.
So that’s the choice — soil or sky? You have to hurt one of them if you want to eat. I went for the sky and rented a plough.
I settled on an eight-furrow monster for two good reasons. Number one: the bigger the plough, the faster you get the job done. And number two: none of Kaleb’s tractors would be powerful enough to pull it, so we’d have to use my 270bhp Lamborghini. Which would annoy him. Even admitting that it’s better than his tractors gives him a hot flush. Sometimes he vibrates with fury when he goes near it.
The only drawback to this cleverly wrought large plough plan was that, because Kaleb refuses to drive my tractor, I’d have to do the ploughing.
This is something I’ve done before. It was on Top Gear about 200 years ago and I did very well. Partly this was because my competitors in the ploughing competition were James May and Richard Hammond. And partly because one of the two judges was a really good friend of my mum.
In real life, though, things were different. I couldn’t hitch the plough to the tractor without help. I couldn’t do a three-point turn when it was attached. And I couldn’t make the tractor move when the furrows were in the sodden soil. All four wheels just sort of spun. So I had to lift the plough slightly, which meant I wasn’t ploughing. Or wiggle the steering wheel, which made big holes and, when it worked, caused me to set off in a new direction. It began to look as if a drunk, blind man with no arms was doing the ploughing.
All the time I was watching the fuel gauge plummet like the depth gauge in a holed submarine, and wondering if it might be cheaper, easier and kinder to the environment to use chemical weedkiller instead.
This is farming. Only last week I discovered that approximately 18 billion slugs have come to live in the fields where I’ve planted spring barley. If I adopt a live-and-let-live rewilding attitude and do nothing they will eat the lot and, next year, there will be no Hawkstone lager. As that makes no sense, I therefore have to pepper the field with slug pellets, which will kill them. Great. But these pellets will also kill all the worms. So what’s the answer? There isn’t one.
Similarly, I have signed up to the government’s eco-friendly grant scheme and will be planting things that aren’t food in three fields. They’re good for the soil and they’re good for my bank balance. But it means I’m not growing stuff people can eat. I know one chap who has taken 60 per cent of his farm out of food production and he’s not alone. So yippee. All that stored carbon and all of that fixed-in nitrogen.
But what if you want some bread? You’ll have to get a loaf made from wheat that was grown abroad. And how’s that good for global warming? And will it have been grown under the same stringent rules that we have here? Or will it have been fertilised with human faeces? You face a choice then. Do you want net zero in the UK? Or do you want to eat a Mexican’s turd?
Do you want lager or worms? Do you want healthy soil or a healthy sky? Do you want bees or orangutans? These are the questions I’m facing every single day. It’s a multiple-choice world of no right answers.
Which brings us back to another harvest festival hymn.
All things bright and beautiful. All birds that must be plucked. No matter what we choose to do, we’re well and truly.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Kaleb Cooper: ‘I’ve taught someone triple my age to do a better job’
The Diddly Squat farmers Jeremy Clarkson and Kaleb Cooper are back for a third series. We put our wellies on to meet the odd couple of the Cotswolds
By Ben Dowell (The Times, April 29)
During filming for the forthcoming third series of Clarkson’s Farm, Kaleb Cooper drove into work and saw Jeremy Clarkson vacuuming a blackberry bush. While the spectacle was “something I am never going to forget”, the sandy-haired, cherub-faced youngster was so unimpressed that he didn’t even get out of his car to ask what was happening.
These two have grown into one of television’s best double acts. For the show’s executive producer, Peter Fincham, there is an “element of Jeeves and Wooster” about them, a delicious odd couple relationship that is all the more gratifying because the team didn’t need to cast Cooper. He was already working on Diddly Squat Farm when the show started.
Cooper is a farmer to the tips of his muddy wellies and has taught Clarkson most of the practical business of farming his 1,000-acre establishment near Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire, as well as how hard the job is and the risks farmers take for little financial reward. Cooper may have just completed a sell-out national stage tour building on his popularity and more than two million Instagram followers. He may have been invited to No 10 to meet Rishi Sunak (more on that later), but everyone on the show — the producers, one of Cooper’s “Chippy” friends I spoke to and Clarkson himself — are clear: the 25-year-old hasn’t changed one iota since the show started airing in 2021.
“I think it’s very easy to be grounded if you don’t leave Chipping Norton,” Clarkson says. His girlfriend, Lisa Hogan, who has become another star of the show, agrees. “How Kaleb comes across is exactly how he is. He is very thoughtful and kind and very bright. His use of language is also very easy on the ear. We could have had a monosyllabic tractor driver and that wouldn’t have worked but we were lucky we had Kaleb.”
He has written two books as well: The World According to Kaleb and Britain According to Kaleb, with a third (Life According to Kaleb) on the way. These ruminations are often spoken into a Dictaphone (supplied by his publishers) during the 18 hours he spends each day alone in his happy place, his tractor cab. The books now sit on the shelves that a ten-year-old Cooper and his carpenter father put up in the local bookshop. Though, of course, one of the running jokes in the show is that he has only read one other book in his life apart from his own, and that was one of Clarkson’s.
There is another moment in the new series when Clarkson and Cooper (who are in competition with each other across the eight episodes) are working a field when they spy someone in the distance on another tractor drilling “his” field. He is Andy Cato of the electronic pop duo Groove Armada, and Cooper seems totally nonplussed, not least because he doesn’t know who or what Groove Armada is. The same probably goes for many of his near-neighbours, who include Joe Wicks, Simon Cowell, Natalie Imbruglia, David Beckham and Amanda Holden. When Cooper bumped into David Cameron (now Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton) in a local eaterie, he wasn’t quite sure who he was either. Strangely Cooper is now as famous as at least a few of these people. His appeal extends across the globe — Andy Wilman, Clarkson’s old Top Gear producer who edits the show, tells me that he rarely hears an English accent in the farm shop as tourists flock to see their agricultural idols.
Since Clarkson’s Farm aired, Cooper told his theatre audiences, he has been offered snazzy haircuts from top-level salons, perhaps to stop the constant mickey-taking from Clarkson. But he still goes to the same local hairdresser.
Brilliant moments are not always captured by the cameras and while the team may wake up with plans, farmers and the show’s fans will know that the weather often has other ideas. “Cheerful” Charlie Ireland, the farm’s land agent and adviser, does pop by a couple of times a day, as he does in the series, often to pour cold water on Clarkson’s latest schemes. But many of these moments are not filmed. Is that annoying?
“Sometimes you think, ‘Oh, that would be really good, that’d be funny on TV,’ but actually [the cameras] are not there,” Cooper says. “But you don’t say these things, to make it up for the TV. I may have taken drama in school, but I got a U in it, so actually I’m not an actor.”
Clarkson agrees: “It is [effortless] because I don’t have to pretend to be someone else. With The Grand Tour, Richard Hammond isn’t as stupid as he’s made out. I’m not as bombastic as is made out and James May isn’t quite as boring as he’s made out. And so you’re playing a caricature, you’re playing a role, you’re there to provoke and be stupid. Here, we haven’t got any of that. So we’re just ourselves. You get up and you just have to be yourself, which is incredibly relaxing. And in that regard it is effortless. Farming is not effortless. Make no mistake, the television side of it is a piece of cake because I don’t have to think, ‘Oh I’d better say something idiotic now.’”
“You do that anyway,” Cooper says.
The two bicker in exactly the same way off camera as they do on. At the press conference for the new series they quarrelled with good humour about their dogs. Cooper says Clarkson’s pair of fox-red labradors (named Sansa and Arya after Game of Thrones characters) are “posh man’s dogs” who “never do a thing he says”. Clarkson maintains that Cooper just locks his dog in his tractor cab. They also bicker about the goats Clarkson keeps. Clarkson likes their eyes and thinks they do a good job mowing his grass. Cooper thinks he should breed and slaughter them in the conventional way and sell goat meat in the farm shop.
There is a similar clash of approaches over the pigs. Cooper doesn’t get as emotional as Clarkson and Hogan when things go wrong (and they do go wrong with the pigs this series). When Clarkson holds aloft a newborn piglet, Cooper calls him a “proud parent”, which feels part mickey-take, part genuinely warm compliment — a common theme in their complex relationship.
Clarkson is learning to be more steely and is, Cooper says, actually now a “good pig farmer”. Is the younger man pleased that Clarkson has come on? Or is there a bit of him who would still enjoy showing him the ropes?
“I think there’s a bit of a proudness of teaching someone maybe triple my age … to go out and do a better job … Hopefully I’ve taught him a lot about it. But he’s taught me so much equally about the television industry.” In fact, Cooper says, he has learnt so much that he cannot watch TV now because he knows how it all works behind the scenes.
He is a voice for farmers, showing us how hard the job of people who put food on our table is, and demanding that we respect it. Cooper has arranged two bursaries of £3,000 plus a work placement for young farmers and is keen that more enter a profession where the average age is 59. When he met Sunak last May he was more interested in the PM’s hair than anything, principally because he didn’t expect much from him.
“Let’s put it this way. If someone invited me tomorrow to go to a farm … if I go to that farm and that farmer says to me, ‘Kaleb, you know what, this week I’m gonna plough that field,’ I know for a damn fact that that farmer is going to go out there and plough that field because he said he’s going do it. If the prime minister or anyone from politics goes to me, ‘Kaleb, I’m going to do this next week,’ they’re not going to do it, are they?”
While he doesn’t have much faith in our legislators making life easier for hard-pressed farmers or for supermarkets to pay them more, he must be pleased that people, especially city folk, now know about farming thanks to him, I say.
“Yeah, everyone knows what a tramline is now, right? And let’s face it, I always say this: it doesn’t matter what phone you’ve got, what car you’ve got, what house you’re living in, what matters the very most is what’s coming across your plate for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And therefore that is the most important thing to me.”
Cooper is open to offers of shows such as I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! but thinks he probably won’t have the time with all the work he has to do. Clarkson called him “easily the most entrepreneurial person I have ever met” and he is laser-focused on his ultimate goal of having a farm one day, which will have to be local, despite the “extortionate” price of land in the area.
“I want to farm here,” he says. “I don’t want to move away from my family and everything I know. This is where I was brought up and this is where I’m going to stay.”
But the show will be with us for a while. It is hugely popular — series four is being filmed and while viewing figures aren’t available, it is believed to be Prime’s most popular programme in the UK by, well, a country mile.
Cooper is engaged to his partner, Taya (mother to their three-year-old son and ten-month-old daughter), but doesn’t know when he will have time to walk down the aisle. He knows he will “have a great party”, and isn’t yet sure if Clarkson will be his best man. But one thing’s for sure, Clarkson has already found his.
The new series of Clarkson’s Farm is on Prime Video from May 3.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
No Sun column this week, but the Guardian (!) has published a long interview with Clarkson: "'Dismissing global warming? That was a joke': Jeremy Clarkson on fury, farming and why he’s a changed man". Let me know if you have problems viewing it.
Clarkson's columns are regularly collected as books. You can buy them from his boss or your local bookshop.

Hi ShopifyeCommerce - I'm Paul and I follow the e-commerce industry closely for my Shopifreaks E-commerce Newsletter. Each week I post a summary recap of the week's top stories, which I cover in depth in the newsletter. Let's dive in...
STAT OF THE WEEK: Microsoft, Meta, and Google spent a combined $32B on data centers and other capital expenses in just the first three months of the year. The companies all said in calls with investors that they had no plans to slow down their A.I. spending.
Google is experimenting with ads that display while your videos are on pause. The ads pop up when viewers pause a video midstream, shrinking the video with the ad appearing next to it. The company calls it a “non-interruptive ad format.” The ads don't play video or sound, but sometimes have animation effects. The program first rolled out last Spring, and so far the ads have only run on YouTube's TV app. However it's likely that the ad type will eventually roll out to mobile apps and desktop view.
Meta advertisers are reporting that costs per impressions on the automated ad platform Advantage Plus have skyrocketed and performance has dropped. There are also several reports of Meta spending the majority of an advertiser's daily ad budget within a couple of hours. Meta has previously hyped the service as a carefree “set it and forget it” automated solution to online ads, but marketers are having a hard time with the “forget it” part after they see their ad budgets flushed down a digital toilet.
Shein will be required to comply with the regulations under the EU's Digital Services Act for having more than 45M average monthly users in the EU, which earns it the designation of a “very large online platform” and comes with strict rules around content moderation, user privacy, and user safety. The European Commission specifically noted new requirements for Shein around illegal products for sale on its site, giving the company four months to submit a risk assessment report and requiring it to introduce mitigation measures against “the listing and sales of counterfeit goods, unsafe products, and items that infringes on intellectual property rights.”
After a six year hiatus from accepting crypto payments, Stripe is re-entering the crypto market. The company announced that it would now let customers accept cryptocurrency payments, starting with USDC stablecoins on Solana, Ethereum, and Polygon. This will be the first time Stripe has taken crypto payments on its platform since 2018, when it dropped support for Bitcoin due to it being too unstable.
Klarna and Uber are partnering on a global deal that will add the Swedish fintech firm as a payment option on the Uber and Uber Eats apps in the US, Germany, and Sweden. In those countries, Klarna will roll out its “Pay Now” option in the apps, which allows customers to pay off an order instantly in one click and track all their Uber purchases within the Klarna app (ie: no BNPL option offered). Klarna will also offer an additional payment option for Uber riders in Sweden and Germany, allowing them to bundle purchases into a single interest-free payment that gets removed from their monthly salary.
Spotify is claiming that Apple rejected an updates to its music streaming app that would have informed users about purchase methods outside of the Apple ecosystem. The update would have told users that they could pay through Spotify's own website rather than through the App Store — but the update, which was submitted to Apple on March 5, was never approved. Spotify says its requested app update was ignored for weeks. Then on April 5th, a month after Spotify submitted the update, Apple introduced its “entitlement program” for streaming service, which added new rules to the App Store that require a 27% commission on sales generated from "linking out" to the company's website. Spotify removed the link in a subsequent update, but Apple still wants a cut.
One, the US-based fintech that Walmart is a majority owner in, launched BNPL loans for high-value items at 4,600 of Walmart's stores. Now when shopping at one of Walmart's brick-and-mortar locations, customers will be presented with options to pay for purchases in installments using either Affirm, which has been an existing partner of Walmart since 2019, or One. Offerings from both BNPL providers are available at checkout for purchases starting at around $100 and costing up to several thousand dollars at an annual interest rate of between 10% to 36%. Electronics, jewelry, power tools and automotive accessories are eligible for the loans, while groceries, alcohol and weapons are not.
The European Commission has been conducting a probe into TikTok's compliance with the Digital Services Act, and last week, the Commission gave TikTok 24 hours to come up with a risk assessment about its TikTok Lite app. The app offers a “Tasks and Rewards” feature which allows users over 18 years old to earn points by watching and liking videos, following TikTok creators, and referring people to the app. Users can then cash in the points for rewards like Amazon vouchers or TikTok coins, the in-app currency that users can use to pay creators. This rewards program is what the European Commission is most concerned about — citing concerns over its impact on the mental health of its users, particularly children, in relation to the “potential stimulation of addictive behaviour.” TikTok temporarily paused the rewards program during the investigation.
Viviane Ghaderi, a former Amazon exec, is suing the company for allegedly telling her to violate copyright law in order to get better results training their LLM because “everyone else was doing it” in big tech. The allegations came in a larger case where Ghaderi alleges she was demoted and ultimately fired for taking maternity leave, which she says is connected to her complaints about following copyright law.
FedEx Express teamed up with Zonos, a provider of cross-border technology, to create transparency around customs processes and charges. The collaboration helps address customer concerns by helping to eliminate unexpected charges and reduce shipping delays and aligns FedEx with other e-commerce and fulfillment companies who have arranged similar partnerships with cross-border logistics providers.
Elon Musk surpassed Mark Zuckerberg to become the third-richest billionaire again after Tesla's stock rebounded. The reversal came shortly after ZUckerberg surpassed Musk earlier this month for the first time since 2020. Ironically, Tesla’s shares are down 31% year to date, while Meta’s shares are up about 27% over the same period.
Gmail is working on a “Manage Subscriptions” page to help users reduce excessive e-mails. The page will let users discover which companies are sending the most e-mails and offer a way to unsubscribe from within the dashboard. The feature is not yet widely available, but some Reddit users have posted that Gmail is showing message about the ability.
Tuta Mail filed a Digital Markets Act complaint in the EU over an alleged de-ranking in Google Search. The company says, “We do not know why Google has basically removed our website from Google search except for branded keywords, but whatever the reason: They are destroying a direct competitor, and this goes against the Digital Markets Act. Google as a gatekeeper must be held accountable for their actions.” Google denies the claims.
Meta's online ad library shows that the company is hosting thousands of ads for AI-generated NSFW girlfriend apps on Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger, which promote chatbots offering sexually explicit images and text. The ads appear to be thriving despite Meta's policies against adult content, which is leading to complaints from human workers in that industry who say that Meta is unfairly shutting down their businesses, but not their AI generated competitors.
Shopify released their first B2B theme, which is a preset of Dawn theme coupled with advanced B2B features like bulk adding to cart, volume pricing, and a B2B company form. The theme is currently exclusive to Shopify Plus users.
The FTC officially banned nearly all noncompetes nationwide, which have historically been used to prevent workers from joining competing businesses or launching ones of their own. The FTC estimates that around 30M people are currently bound by noncompete agreements and that the policy change could lead to increased wages totaling nearly $300B per year by encouraging people to swap jobs freely. The ban will take affect later this year, other than for senior executives, which noncompetes will still apply. (Does that mean everyone's about to become a VP?)
Amazon is sunsetting WorkDocs, its Google Workspace / Microsoft OneDrive competitor hosted on AWS, giving users one year to migrate any stored data off its platform. Last year it was reported that Amazon had taken out more than a million licenses for Microsoft 365 suite for its own workforce, which may have been the handwriting on the wall that it would be discontinuing its own cloud document service.
36% of Gen Z workers say they have over 1,000 unread e-mails in their inbox, compared with 18% of office workers overall, which many say is stressing them out and causing burnout. I can understand that! I get stressed out if my Inbox requires a “Next Page” to view all my e-mails. Many Gen Z survey respondents expressed that e-mail felt outdated and too clunky to deliver real-time feedback and support.
The FTC is suing to block Tapestry's $8.5B acquisition of Capri, which would bring together Coach, Kate Spade, Michael Kors, and Versace. The FTC is concerned that tens of millions of Americans would end up paying more for “accessible luxury” items because the combined company would no longer have the incentive to compete on price. However the luxury brands defend the merger and say that the newly formed conglomerate would pale in comparison by size to foreign competitors like LVMH, which owns Louis Vuitton, and Kerin, the owner of Gucci.
Amazon launched a new grocery delivery subscription, available to Prime members and customers using EBT, in more than 3,500 cities and towns across the US, which offers unlimited grocery delivery on orders over $35 from Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods, and a variety of local grocery and specialty retailers on Amazon.com. The subscription costs $9.99 for Prime members or $4.99 for EBT card holders, with no Prime subscription required. Is this deja vu, but in a worse timeline? Free grocery delivery from Whole Foods used to be a free perk of Amazon Prime several years ago, until Amazon removed the benefit and was subsequently sued by customers.
Google has postponed its anticipated depreciation of third-party cookies in its Chrome browser for the third time due to multiple challenges and increased scrutiny from the UK Competition and Markets Authority. Google did not provide a specific timetable this time of when the depreciation would take place, but expressed hope for completion by 2025. Google's plan to phase out cookies was first announced in January 2020, however the third-party cookie lives on!
Newegg launched a free membership program called Newegg+ that offers perks like free shipping, exclusive access to new product launches, product warranty discounts, enhanced returns, dedicated customer service, and the ability to shop select members-only deals. It's a great idea to take perks you already offer and package them into free membership. It feels more exclusive, but essentially it's a glorified e-mail list.
Saks launched the Saks Media Network to connect customers with digital advertisers. The company said it will use its “iconic brand, rich first-party customer data and robust traffic of over 435M annual site visits” to increase the revenue of brands that sell on its website through sponsored product ads and display banners. So for brands, yet another marketplace has become pay-to-play.
Firework launched Instagram Uploader, a tool that transforms social media content into shoppable video experiences hosted on a brand's own website. The tool integrates with Instagram and converts existing stories, posts, and reels into immersive, shoppable video experiences
Mastodon formed a non-profit entity in the US so that it can receive tax-deductible donations towards its mission of developing free and open source social networking software. The organization was initially recognized as a charitable cause by the German tax system and approved for non-profit status in 2021, but that status was recently withdrawn.
Amazon Web Services is adding $11B of data center capacity in St. Joseph County, Indiana, which it says is the largest capital investment in the state's history. The project will see the construction of several data centers and create at least 1,000 new jobs. Alongside the data centers, Amazon says it will pump $7M into improving roads around the facilities, $100k in grant funding for community projects, and offer workshops covering in-demand skills like fiber-optic splicing and datacenter management.
Wayfair is opening its first brick-and-mortar store on May 23 in Wilmette, Illinois. The 150k sq.ft. large-format store will feature an onsite restaurant called The Porch, but unlike Ikea, it will not sell meatballs. This will be the first brick-and-mortar location for the Wayfair brand, but the company has experimented in the past with opening test stores for some of its other owned brands including Joss & Main and AllModern.
Walmart founder Sam Walton's oldest son, Rob Walton, is stepping down from the company's board of directors in June, ending his 40 year stint as the board's longest-serving member. The board nominated Brian Niccol, the chairman and CEO of Chipotle Mexican Grill to replace Walton. The election will take place at the 2024 annual meeting.
Best Buy and CNET are teaming up to create a new retail media model by combining their ad inventory, allowing advertisers to buy across both platforms. Through the partnership, CNET’s independent product reviews and expert picks will also be placed in Best Buy stores and across its website and application. The deal represents the first time a publisher and retailer have combined data in this way
Thrasio, the Amazon aggregator once valued at $10B that later filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, is losing its CEO and five other senior executives including the company's finance chief, technology chief, head of human relations, chief commercial officer, and supply chain lead. Stephanie Fox, the company's chief operating officer, will replace its current CEO Greg Greeley to ensure a “smooth transition” with plans to step down after Thrasio emerges from Chapter 11 in the coming weeks.
Amazon same-day drone delivery is leaving Northern California and coming to Phoenix, Arizona later this year. The company is currently working with local officials and the FAA to get permission for drone deliveries in the area. The press release doesn't state exactly why the drone program is leaving its Lockeford location, but a spokesperson said that Amazon is “moving into the next stage of the program, locating within existing Amazon delivery sites, and expanding to more populated areas.”
Square expanded its offline payments feature to sellers globally across all locations and devices. The solution allows Square sellers to continue processing transactions even when facing connectivity issues, whether due to remote locations, technical disruptions, or card network outages by storing the transactions and then offering a 24-hour window to reconnect and upload them for processing.
A couple from Utah accidentally shipped their cat, Galena, in an Amazon return package, trapping it in the box without food or water for six days. Galena was eventually discovered safe and well in California by an Amazon worker who found the cat in a box alongside five pairs of steel-toed work boots.
Plus 10 seed rounds, IPOs, and acquisitions of interest including Perplexity's $62.7M round at a $1.04B valuation.
I hope you found this recap helpful. See you next week!
For more details on each story and sources, see the full edition: https://www.shopifreaks.com/youtube-ads-on-pause-apple-hates-dma-tiktik-lite/
What else is new in e-commerce? Share stories of interesting in the comments below (including in your own business) or on shopifreaks.
-PAUL Editor of Shopifreaks E-commerce Newsletter
PS: Want the full editions delivered to your Inbox each week? Join free at www.shopifreaks.com

Hi ecommerce - I'm Paul and I follow the e-commerce industry closely for my Shopifreaks E-commerce Newsletter. Each week I post a summary recap of the week's top stories, which I cover in depth with sources in the full edition. Let's dive in...
STAT OF THE WEEK: Microsoft, Meta, and Google spent a combined $32B on data centers and other capital expenses in just the first three months of the year. The companies all said in calls with investors that they had no plans to slow down their A.I. spending.
Google is experimenting with ads that display while your videos are on pause. The ads pop up when viewers pause a video midstream, shrinking the video with the ad appearing next to it. The company calls it a “non-interruptive ad format.” The ads don't play video or sound, but sometimes have animation effects. The program first rolled out last Spring, and so far the ads have only run on YouTube's TV app. However it's likely that the ad type will eventually roll out to mobile apps and desktop view.
Meta advertisers are reporting that costs per impressions on the automated ad platform Advantage Plus have skyrocketed and performance has dropped. There are also several reports of Meta spending the majority of an advertiser's daily ad budget within a couple of hours. Meta has previously hyped the service as a carefree “set it and forget it” automated solution to online ads, but marketers are having a hard time with the “forget it” part after they see their ad budgets flushed down a digital toilet.
Shein will be required to comply with the regulations under the EU's Digital Services Act for having more than 45M average monthly users in the EU, which earns it the designation of a “very large online platform” and comes with strict rules around content moderation, user privacy, and user safety. The European Commission specifically noted new requirements for Shein around illegal products for sale on its site, giving the company four months to submit a risk assessment report and requiring it to introduce mitigation measures against “the listing and sales of counterfeit goods, unsafe products, and items that infringes on intellectual property rights.”
After a six year hiatus from accepting crypto payments, Stripe is re-entering the crypto market. The company announced that it would now let customers accept cryptocurrency payments, starting with USDC stablecoins on Solana, Ethereum, and Polygon. This will be the first time Stripe has taken crypto payments on its platform since 2018, when it dropped support for Bitcoin due to it being too unstable.
Klarna and Uber are partnering on a global deal that will add the Swedish fintech firm as a payment option on the Uber and Uber Eats apps in the US, Germany, and Sweden. In those countries, Klarna will roll out its “Pay Now” option in the apps, which allows customers to pay off an order instantly in one click and track all their Uber purchases within the Klarna app (ie: no BNPL option offered). Klarna will also offer an additional payment option for Uber riders in Sweden and Germany, allowing them to bundle purchases into a single interest-free payment that gets removed from their monthly salary.
Spotify is claiming that Apple rejected an updates to its music streaming app that would have informed users about purchase methods outside of the Apple ecosystem. The update would have told users that they could pay through Spotify's own website rather than through the App Store — but the update, which was submitted to Apple on March 5, was never approved. Spotify says its requested app update was ignored for weeks. Then on April 5th, a month after Spotify submitted the update, Apple introduced its “entitlement program” for streaming service, which added new rules to the App Store that require a 27% commission on sales generated from "linking out" to the company's website. Spotify removed the link in a subsequent update, but Apple still wants a cut.
One, the US-based fintech that Walmart is a majority owner in, launched BNPL loans for high-value items at 4,600 of Walmart's stores. Now when shopping at one of Walmart's brick-and-mortar locations, customers will be presented with options to pay for purchases in installments using either Affirm, which has been an existing partner of Walmart since 2019, or One. Offerings from both BNPL providers are available at checkout for purchases starting at around $100 and costing up to several thousand dollars at an annual interest rate of between 10% to 36%. Electronics, jewelry, power tools and automotive accessories are eligible for the loans, while groceries, alcohol and weapons are not.
The European Commission has been conducting a probe into TikTok's compliance with the Digital Services Act, and last week, the Commission gave TikTok 24 hours to come up with a risk assessment about its TikTok Lite app. The app offers a “Tasks and Rewards” feature which allows users over 18 years old to earn points by watching and liking videos, following TikTok creators, and referring people to the app. Users can then cash in the points for rewards like Amazon vouchers or TikTok coins, the in-app currency that users can use to pay creators. This rewards program is what the European Commission is most concerned about — citing concerns over its impact on the mental health of its users, particularly children, in relation to the “potential stimulation of addictive behaviour.” TikTok temporarily paused the rewards program during the investigation.
Viviane Ghaderi, a former Amazon exec, is suing the company for allegedly telling her to violate copyright law in order to get better results training their LLM because “everyone else was doing it” in big tech. The allegations came in a larger case where Ghaderi alleges she was demoted and ultimately fired for taking maternity leave, which she says is connected to her complaints about following copyright law.
FedEx Express teamed up with Zonos, a provider of cross-border technology, to create transparency around customs processes and charges. The collaboration helps address customer concerns by helping to eliminate unexpected charges and reduce shipping delays and aligns FedEx with other e-commerce and fulfillment companies who have arranged similar partnerships with cross-border logistics providers.
Elon Musk surpassed Mark Zuckerberg to become the third-richest billionaire again after Tesla's stock rebounded. The reversal came shortly after ZUckerberg surpassed Musk earlier this month for the first time since 2020. Ironically, Tesla’s shares are down 31% year to date, while Meta’s shares are up about 27% over the same period.
Gmail is working on a “Manage Subscriptions” page to help users reduce excessive e-mails. The page will let users discover which companies are sending the most e-mails and offer a way to unsubscribe from within the dashboard. The feature is not yet widely available, but some Reddit users have posted that Gmail is showing message about the ability.
Tuta Mail filed a Digital Markets Act complaint in the EU over an alleged de-ranking in Google Search. The company says, “We do not know why Google has basically removed our website from Google search except for branded keywords, but whatever the reason: They are destroying a direct competitor, and this goes against the Digital Markets Act. Google as a gatekeeper must be held accountable for their actions.” Google denies the claims.
Meta's online ad library shows that the company is hosting thousands of ads for AI-generated NSFW girlfriend apps on Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger, which promote chatbots offering sexually explicit images and text. The ads appear to be thriving despite Meta's policies against adult content, which is leading to complaints from human workers in that industry who say that Meta is unfairly shutting down their businesses, but not their AI generated competitors.
Shopify released their first B2B theme, which is a preset of Dawn theme coupled with advanced B2B features like bulk adding to cart, volume pricing, and a B2B company form. The theme is currently exclusive to Shopify Plus users.
The FTC officially banned nearly all noncompetes nationwide, which have historically been used to prevent workers from joining competing businesses or launching ones of their own. The FTC estimates that around 30M people are currently bound by noncompete agreements and that the policy change could lead to increased wages totaling nearly $300B per year by encouraging people to swap jobs freely. The ban will take affect later this year, other than for senior executives, which noncompetes will still apply. (Does that mean everyone's about to become a VP?)
Amazon is sunsetting WorkDocs, its Google Workspace / Microsoft OneDrive competitor hosted on AWS, giving users one year to migrate any stored data off its platform. Last year it was reported that Amazon had taken out more than a million licenses for Microsoft 365 suite for its own workforce, which may have been the handwriting on the wall that it would be discontinuing its own cloud document service.
36% of Gen Z workers say they have over 1,000 unread e-mails in their inbox, compared with 18% of office workers overall, which many say is stressing them out and causing burnout. I can understand that! I get stressed out if my Inbox requires a “Next Page” to view all my e-mails. Many Gen Z survey respondents expressed that e-mail felt outdated and too clunky to deliver real-time feedback and support.
The FTC is suing to block Tapestry's $8.5B acquisition of Capri, which would bring together Coach, Kate Spade, Michael Kors, and Versace. The FTC is concerned that tens of millions of Americans would end up paying more for “accessible luxury” items because the combined company would no longer have the incentive to compete on price. However the luxury brands defend the merger and say that the newly formed conglomerate would pale in comparison by size to foreign competitors like LVMH, which owns Louis Vuitton, and Kerin, the owner of Gucci.
Amazon launched a new grocery delivery subscription, available to Prime members and customers using EBT, in more than 3,500 cities and towns across the US, which offers unlimited grocery delivery on orders over $35 from Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods, and a variety of local grocery and specialty retailers on Amazon.com. The subscription costs $9.99 for Prime members or $4.99 for EBT card holders, with no Prime subscription required. Is this deja vu, but in a worse timeline? Free grocery delivery from Whole Foods used to be a free perk of Amazon Prime several years ago, until Amazon removed the benefit and was subsequently sued by customers.
Google has postponed its anticipated depreciation of third-party cookies in its Chrome browser for the third time due to multiple challenges and increased scrutiny from the UK Competition and Markets Authority. Google did not provide a specific timetable this time of when the depreciation would take place, but expressed hope for completion by 2025. Google's plan to phase out cookies was first announced in January 2020, however the third-party cookie lives on!
Newegg launched a free membership program called Newegg+ that offers perks like free shipping, exclusive access to new product launches, product warranty discounts, enhanced returns, dedicated customer service, and the ability to shop select members-only deals. It's a great idea to take perks you already offer and package them into free membership. It feels more exclusive, but essentially it's a glorified e-mail list.
Saks launched the Saks Media Network to connect customers with digital advertisers. The company said it will use its “iconic brand, rich first-party customer data and robust traffic of over 435M annual site visits” to increase the revenue of brands that sell on its website through sponsored product ads and display banners. So for brands, yet another marketplace has become pay-to-play.
Firework launched Instagram Uploader, a tool that transforms social media content into shoppable video experiences hosted on a brand's own website. The tool integrates with Instagram and converts existing stories, posts, and reels into immersive, shoppable video experiences
Mastodon formed a non-profit entity in the US so that it can receive tax-deductible donations towards its mission of developing free and open source social networking software. The organization was initially recognized as a charitable cause by the German tax system and approved for non-profit status in 2021, but that status was recently withdrawn.
Amazon Web Services is adding $11B of data center capacity in St. Joseph County, Indiana, which it says is the largest capital investment in the state's history. The project will see the construction of several data centers and create at least 1,000 new jobs. Alongside the data centers, Amazon says it will pump $7M into improving roads around the facilities, $100k in grant funding for community projects, and offer workshops covering in-demand skills like fiber-optic splicing and datacenter management.
Wayfair is opening its first brick-and-mortar store on May 23 in Wilmette, Illinois. The 150k sq.ft. large-format store will feature an onsite restaurant called The Porch, but unlike Ikea, it will not sell meatballs. This will be the first brick-and-mortar location for the Wayfair brand, but the company has experimented in the past with opening test stores for some of its other owned brands including Joss & Main and AllModern.
Walmart founder Sam Walton's oldest son, Rob Walton, is stepping down from the company's board of directors in June, ending his 40 year stint as the board's longest-serving member. The board nominated Brian Niccol, the chairman and CEO of Chipotle Mexican Grill to replace Walton. The election will take place at the 2024 annual meeting.
Best Buy and CNET are teaming up to create a new retail media model by combining their ad inventory, allowing advertisers to buy across both platforms. Through the partnership, CNET’s independent product reviews and expert picks will also be placed in Best Buy stores and across its website and application. The deal represents the first time a publisher and retailer have combined data in this way
Thrasio, the Amazon aggregator once valued at $10B that later filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, is losing its CEO and five other senior executives including the company's finance chief, technology chief, head of human relations, chief commercial officer, and supply chain lead. Stephanie Fox, the company's chief operating officer, will replace its current CEO Greg Greeley to ensure a “smooth transition” with plans to step down after Thrasio emerges from Chapter 11 in the coming weeks.
Amazon same-day drone delivery is leaving Northern California and coming to Phoenix, Arizona later this year. The company is currently working with local officials and the FAA to get permission for drone deliveries in the area. The press release doesn't state exactly why the drone program is leaving its Lockeford location, but a spokesperson said that Amazon is “moving into the next stage of the program, locating within existing Amazon delivery sites, and expanding to more populated areas.”
Square expanded its offline payments feature to sellers globally across all locations and devices. The solution allows Square sellers to continue processing transactions even when facing connectivity issues, whether due to remote locations, technical disruptions, or card network outages by storing the transactions and then offering a 24-hour window to reconnect and upload them for processing.
A couple from Utah accidentally shipped their cat, Galena, in an Amazon return package, trapping it in the box without food or water for six days. Galena was eventually discovered safe and well in California by an Amazon worker who found the cat in a box alongside five pairs of steel-toed work boots.
Plus 10 seed rounds, IPOs, and acquisitions of interest including Perplexity's $62.7M round at a $1.04B valuation.
I hope you found this recap helpful. See you next week!
PAUL
Editor of Shopifreaks E-Commerce Newsletter
PS: If I missed any big news this week, please share in the comments.