Back in January, I read a post from someone who claimed their Midjourney accounts were banned without any explanation. Several others mentioned they struggled with Midjourney’s Discord interface. This gave me the idea to build a product that offers API access and an image-generating playground.
I spent nearly a month building my website and getting it up and running. It took another month to attract my first paying customer. I was thrilled when I saw my first subscriber sign up—it was the first time I was making money through a SaaS application. Previously, I spent three years working on a product with friends, which ultimately failed. So, you can imagine my excitement.
In March and April, I continued to polish my site. However, due to Midjourney’s strict stance against using automated scripts, I lost around ten accounts, some of which were new subscriptions. It was disheartening to wake up one morning and see all my accounts banned by MJ. Despite this, I found a way to keep my site running and gradually grew my subscriber base to about 30. My AWS expenses is also quite high (around $500 USD per month due to the Elasticsearch service I used for queue system). But I thought If I continue to improve my site and grow, eventually I could break-even as I am resolve a pain issue for customers, I will succeed.
Unlike MJ, I treat my subscribers like royalty, helping them with any questions and offering refunds without question, even though my T&C has no refund policy.
Just when I thought I was on the right track, I received an email from Cooley, representing Midjourney Inc. They claimed my website violated Midjourney’s Terms of Use and infringed on their trademark. They demanded I cease and desist from using Midjourney’s services, discontinue my domain name, and provide transfer authorization keys to transfer my domains to Midjourney. They gave me five days to comply and warned that continuing to operate my website would result in legal action under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
As an indie developer, I’m unsure how to handle this situation. Despite seeing many similar sites still operating (if you Google "Midjourney API"), I am a very small player compared to them. Should I follow their demands, shut down my site, and transfer my domain to them? At the same time, I’ve noticed a similar website developer making $30k MRR with an almost identical business model, and he is still running.
I know I'll face a lot of criticism from the comments, but I really, really don't want to give up at this stage.

Hello redditors, I have an opinion question to ask.
I just graduated from college, and was accepted to NYU for graduate school in the fall. Only about 50% of students get scholarships, and I received a 50% tuition scholarship from them to attend. The program would put me exactly in the job field that I want to pursue life long, and I genuinely find joy in the idea of pursuing said career (Public Policy Analyst). My career goal requires education beyond just my bachelor’s degree, and I genuinely love school and am excited about continuing going to classes. I’ve met some great people who will also be in my program that I am excited to see there. I also plan to live in NYC for many years to come, and have not found a single other place in the world where I feel like my most authentic self. The program is one of the best in the country, and has faculty who have worked on Capitol Hill and other amazing organizations. The program will be superrrrr good for my chosen field and unlock many connections lifelong. I truly feel like I have the key to my perfect future in my hand with this opportunity.
All of this sounds great, right? Well… as you can imagine I would be taking out an exorbitant amount of student loans for this Master’s program. Even with the 50% tuition, the cost for 2 years of the tuition is a little over $100k total (I have no idea how people pay that without scholarships!!!) Thankfully, my undergraduate tuition was completely paid for through a scholarship that I earned, so I don’t have a lot of student loans besides my living expenses from that time. This allows some leeway for grad school expenses, however, I would be looking at around $100-120k in loans at the end of all of this…
Thankfully, my career field will most likely fall under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness track, so I believe that I will be eligible to get these loans paid for. It is not a 100% guarantee though. My career field makes somewhat decent money, but if these loans don’t get forgiven, I’m looking at a cool 20+ years paying off these loans.
Given the overwhelmingly large amount of net positives of this program, I am thinking of just going for it and taking on the loans. At the same time I am not sure how wise this is given the number and uncertainty in the loan forgiveness. I know that as an adult I need to make this decision and I am the one who will need to pay these off eventually but I was hoping to get some input from strangers with 0 stake in my life who will give me the straight up facts (the lovely people close to me in my life of course said to follow my heart and go for it, but I think they just don’t want to hurt my feelings). So please, if you feel so inclined redditors, give it to me straight!

we’re just going to talk to the DM and see if something can be done but here’s the list of everything wrong with her
-she was an outside hire, she worked at chick fil a before this and got hired as an assistant store manager with no starbucks knowledge at all
-she said that she’s jealous of her boyfriends friend because even though his friend claims to be a lesbian, “she’s not because she’s been with men before” (we have several lesbian employees including myself)
-she said bisexuals are just confused
-she left broken glass in boh knowingly for a few days and nonchalantly told me to sweep it up because she had been stepping on it the last few mornings
-she comes back from every break late and lies about it on our punch log
-she told my 19 year old coworker that her boyfriend is jealous of him because she tells him so much abt my coworker
-she threw the phone on the ground after a partner callout and said “i can’t do this anymore, i can’t call out like these little teenage girls because there’s no one to cover for me and once mean (enter her name here) comes out there’s no more nice (name) anymore”
-she’s been a partner for 5 months and asked if the cup gets filled up all the way for a drink with light ice (she had a venti strawberry açaí lemonade with a lid already on it, cup half full) and when i went “yeah someone’s gonna complain about that” she went “well i don’t know what the policy is” MAAM YOURE THE MANAGER YOU SHOULD
-she left us with no keyholder during mother’s day bogo for almost 3 hours because she scheduled herself off for that time and didn’t schedule any shift lead during then, and tried to have one of our baristas take charge when he wouldn’t even be compensated because he’s not a shift lead, it’s not his job. one of our new shift leads walked in while it was happening because she needed the keys to open the next morning and when she realized we didn’t have a keyholder she got in the floor to help us. she called the district manager and he did absolutely nothing about it. she came back late too. she texted the shift lead that tried to coach her about not going without a keyholder for more than 30 mins and our manager texted her later that our shift lead “didn’t make a very good first impression” SHE CAME TO CLEAN UP YOUR MESS
this is only a portion of it but my phone is starting to glitch because i’ve written so much. i just hope our new district manager does something about this because our store is going to be in the trenches under her management

Hello since I like to help as much as I can I know that I’ve done well in my past with purchasing gold from eBay. This year alone I have made several purchases; bought a 30 gram 14k gold chain that was 30 grams only for $900. Another 14k gold item I bought was a 10 gram bracelet and only cost $305! First off, never purchase an item with a “BUY NOW” option! Always click “Filter” while searching. Click on ‘Fine Jewelery’ so you won’t be looking at forever 21 gold or something plated. You can also choose out the metal you’re specifically looking for. White gold, yellow gold, etc. Secondly always read the description!!! There are always going to be shady people everywhere no matter what! Make sure you are not buying something that is plated! And read to see if there are any breaks within the chain or anything that will make it lose value reselling it. Description reading is a must! Third, please do a little bit of background about the seller. You want to go with someone that is reputable. Don’t ever buy from someone that is a brand new account, even if the price is too good to be true. There are scammers that will do anything to try and rip you off. Look at the seller’s reviews under their ratings. Not saying if they have less than 30 reviews they’re not trust worthy, they could be! Reading the reviews others leave will help out big time. Feel free to even message that person with any concerns before purchasing. Always make sure that the weight of the item is posted. Don’t bid on a whim. Some items might LOOK heavy but you’d be surprised. A lot of sellers will zoom in on their stuff to make it look bigger than what it actually is. I’ve been buying gold and reselling when I have extra funds to do so. Since 2013! The lowest I paid for 14k was $26/gram. Oh I forgot to enable notifications because when it gets down to the last 5 minutes sometimes even the last minute, if you do have any competition for an item trust me that other person is just as smart as you and knows they’ll be getting a good deal to resell or keep so they’ll definitely keep up one upping you til the last second. It’s best to put your maximum bid if you think you might forget about the clock. The other people will not be able to see your max bid. This part is a little hard to explain… let’s say highest bid rn is $100, and your max bid let’s say is $200. eBay will only bid up by smaller increments against the other person bidding. So if the other person bids $105, then eBay will automatically bid $110 on your behalf since your max was at 200. I hope you all will make great purchases by this! I’ve been seeing people buy gold from Walmart for about 45-50 a gram while you could buy something cheaper & prettier over eBay. Thank you for your time gentlemen!

(TLDR at the bottom)
Why I’m looking for a car
In the US, been working remote but now looking for a new job and due to decrease in remote jobs available I think I finally need to get my own car again. I’m not a car person, don’t love driving and it makes me nervous especially on highways (which are usually unavoidable), so I put it off as long as I could but am hitting a point where I feel stuck in my current circumstances and am wanting to get a car to open up my job opportunities and relocation options, as well as more flexibility in social/hobby activities outside of work.
My original goal was to buy a used ~$10K basic car for commuting, but it seems like I can get much more car for ~15-20K, but is it worth it? I probably would put a below average number of miles on it per year. I also want to make sure it isn’t going to be a money sink of frequent repairs and a short life span though.
What I’m looking for
When looking at $10-15K cars vs $16-25K, is the higher cost worth the extra investment? Priorities are safety and reliability. But I’d would rather save that additional $5-10K. I’d like to be able to keep relying on it for the next ten years. but I’m also afraid to overspend now in case I really need a vehicle change sooner in the future (I want my next car to be an EV, so I’d want this car to last me long enough at least till when buying an EV is widely affordable and has infrastructure for it to be dependable even without a home charger)
What I’ve looked at so far
After researching, it seems like a Toyota, Honda, or Mazda are reliable fit the bill perfectly for safety and reliability. Though I always see people on here saying Mazda 3s are cheaper but when I looked they seem to be just as expensive if not more expensive than Toyotas and Hondas with similar mileage and years but maybe I am misremembering and unequally comparing them. I also see that private pay is often a better deal, but based on my super basic understanding it seems like getting something from a dealer that has a warranty and quality assurance is worth the extra cost, is this true? I know so little about warranties and car shopping. CarMax is what I’m most familiar with, but I see better deals elsewhere though so idk if it’s worth the extra for how “easy” Carmax seems to be compared to the stories I hear of pushy sales people at traditional dealerships who charge for vaporous extras.
In pursuit of a safe purchase, my budget slowly inched its way into looking at 2018+ Corollas in the $18-20K range because it seemed like it could be worth it to pay extra to ensure reliability and lower risk of it being a regrettable investment and money sink, like “an extra $5-6K now is better than having more than that in repairs (+inconvenience) and a shorter life span over the coming years.” But then I saw somewhere a $22K used 2024 Corolla and felt like maybe that’s worth the extra 2K, and then from there saw I could get a new one for $2K more at about $24K, and it’d probably have a better warranty policy since its new and almost zero risk of wear issues. And then at that point, I can ask should I spend another couple thousand for a hatchback version or a hybrid? But then it hit me how far I got from my original price range and I feel lost and going back to looking at $10K cars but they look so risky. I’m cautious as far as the saying goes, “buy it nice or buy it twice.” Long story short, I’m willing to pay extra if it’s really worth it, but I want to be as financially prudent as well and avoid overspending since I don’t truly need an excessive car (I try to save most of my money where possible). I’d like to pay extra for safety and reliability if it’s worth it but I don’t know where the point of diminishing returns is for reliability.
I read somewhere that Nissans have sucked but also that as of 2020 they started having seemingly more reliable transmissions. Is that true? I was afraid to get a Nissan but even a new one is less than $17K so it seems like a very budget-friendly option. I was at one point looking at Kia/Hyundai for their lower prices, but then I discovered the whole issue of them being huge targets for crime, and my parking spot isn’t visible from my window so I’d be worried about leaving it out of sight like that, as well as potentially high insurance costs. Mitsubishi mirage is cheap and potentially reliable but also is apparently not safe (plus I’d feel terrified feeling like I’m in a golf cart on the highway haha).
TL;DR
When looking at $10-15K cars vs $16-25K, is the higher cost worth the extra investment? Priorities are safety and reliability.

Recently, my school organized a special lecture on the history of the Orient.This lecture was called "The Miracle of the Han River," and it was given by a professor from outside Korea.I was very curious about Korea, so I was looking forward to this lecture. In fact, the reason why this lecture was held was at the request of the students. Since Korean culture has been penetrating into American society for a long time, and many things that we enjoy without thinking are related to Korea, students were curious about what Korea is like.
Then Patrick, the student leader and president of our school, asked the teachers if they could organize a special lecture on Korean history, and they accepted, and eventually the whole class gathered in the auditorium and participated in the lecture. Often, our school invites outside professors to give lectures like this, and most of the time, the interest in such lectures is very high, and the lecture on Korean history was also extremely popular. However, the lectures that invite professors from prestigious universities and the opportunity to gain new knowledge about Korea are popular enough to fill the gymnasium.On this day, there were many students in the gymnasium converted into a lecture hall.As the professor entered, gave a brief introduction, and announced the topic of the day's lecture, everyone looked at him with interest. The professor said that he was asked to give a lecture on the history of the East, and when he was thinking about what topic to tell the students, he thought it would be better to talk about the modern history and economic development of Korea, and for two hours without a break, he explained in depth, in detail, easily understandable, and really interesting.
The professor's first words were impactful: "You all know Haiti, the country that receives U.S. aid, suffered a major earthquake about 15 years ago and has never recovered from it, and is in a state of chaos as one of the poorest countries in the world." "But how would you feel if, 30 years later, you were told to congratulate Haiti on becoming an economic powerhouse?" "I'm the generation that actually witnessed it. "I'm the generation that actually saw that happen, where we were the poorest country in the world, and all of a sudden, we were told that we were an economic powerhouse and that we should be congratulated."The students were surprised to learn that South Korea was once the poorest country in the world, even though it was still a decade after the end of World War II.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Korea was a very poor country until the middle of the 20th century, but since the 1960s, it has experienced rapid economic growth and made remarkable progress, which has been called the 'Miracle on the Han River', and today I am going to tell you the story."
From the beginning of the lecture, the students listened attentively as the professor engaged their interest, and I was particularly curious about how South Korea was able to develop so quickly.
"Korea was devastated after the Korean War in the 1950s, but in the 1960s, a government-led economic development plan began.At that time, Korea made a five-year plan for economic development under the leadership of the government, and fostered industries centered on heavy chemical industries such as steel, chemicals, and electronics.In addition, the country invested heavily in education, and many talented people were produced based on high educational enthusiasm."
The professor's explanation was very detailed and interesting, and I was in awe as he talked about Korea's economic development.
"In particular, in the 1970s, the Saemaul movement was launched to promote the development of rural areas and improve the living standards of the people."At that time, residents in rural areas voluntarily maintained their villages and strived for the development of their communities."These efforts helped Korea to rapidly transform from an agriculture-oriented society to an industry-oriented society.""And this Saemaul movement has become an example for many developing countries to this day, and countless policies have been implemented to copy Korea's Saemaul movement. "It is now accepted wisdom that Korea's Saemaul movement was a seemingly simple campaign that contributed tremendously to building the country's economic foundation, with reports of rapid development in some cases and failure in others." "Korea has written a textbook curriculum on how to grow an economy, and its achievements have become a model."
I realized how much effort Korea, which was poor in the past, made to grow its economy.It was a huge lecture of 2 hours, so I can only write down the core flow, so please understand.The process of Korea laying the economic foundation and starting the high-speed growth was really interesting, and there were many points where I learned how much effort Korean policy researchers made at that time.And the efforts of Korean people who believed in the government and followed the policy, even sacrificing themselves, were also great.
"Today, Korea is an IT powerhouse, with world-class companies such as Samsung, LG, and Hyundai Motor, which have great influence in the global market and are an important pillar of Korea's economy." "The characteristic of Korean companies is that they have always strived to develop technology. "There are five technological powers in the world," he said, "the United States, Germany, Japan, Korea, and France." "The United States and Germany have been doing research and development since the Industrial Revolution, while France has been doing research and development since the Industrial Revolution, and Japan received a huge amount of aid from the United States in 1950, taking advantage of the Korean War. It was thought that Japan, which started 20 years earlier than Korea, would be recognized as the last technological power of the 20th century, but how Korea, which started research and development from the 1970s onwards, became the world's fifth technological power, was a very interesting topic among professors in the 1990s.
And unlike Japan, Korea became a semiconductor powerhouse in the 21st century, and even succeeded in fostering an industry that Japan did not, and created a great foundation for Korea to become a developed country.Look at the iPhone you're using right now, and look at it.Do you see a Samsung product in there?
Most Americans think that the iPhone is made by Apple and developed by Apple, but many of the components in it come from Korea, and without Korea, the product you're using would be half as powerful as it is today.
The professor kept the students' attention for the entire two-hour lecture, explaining the difficult content in terms of the smartphones they use.
At the end of the lecture, the professor said that there are only two role models of economic development in the 20th century, Germany's development and Korea's development are very meaningful, and if you want to major in economics or international affairs, you should familiarize yourself with these contents because they are all liberal arts contents.
And originally, this kind of lecture should be 200 hours instead of 2 hours, but since it was shortened to a hundred and one, the fun is only a hundred and one, and if you want to hear more details, you should study hard and go to the prestigious university where you are, and the excellent lecture ended with the story.
After the lecture, I wanted to ask the professor more questions, but there were already a lot of students gathered around him.Then, my friend Xiao approached me.Xiao was a student who was educated in China until elementary school and then moved to the United States."Avery, how did you like the lecture?" Xiao asked me. I really liked the lecture and I have a lot of questions, so I wanted to ask the professor, but I could already hear the other students lamenting that they wouldn't be able to because the professor was surrounded by other students.I had to leave the lecture hall with Xiao, who was listening to the lecture with interest next to me.As we walked down the hall, I continued to talk to Xiao.Minhwa and Jia told me that they didn't know why they hated Korea so much, and they had to tell me a frustrating story.
In fact, Minhwa and Jia are two students who are very anti-Korean, especially since the student council voted for and against this lecture, and there were two votes against it, so everyone could tell that it was Minhwa and Jia from China, and their anti-Korean feelings, or even hatred, were very strong.
Xiao told me that today's lecture was very different from what they teach in China, and what the professor told us today. Of course, in China, they teach distorted facts, and they don't believe in it, but if you're like Min Hua or Jia, who went to school in China until middle school, it's natural to have a negative opinion of Korea.
Xiao's words were sincere because he had lived in China until elementary school and had been educated in China, so he knew the reality of China very well.In China, Korea is often taught negatively, and Xiao also said that when he went to elementary school in China, he was taught that way, but when he came to the United States and was exposed to different perspectives, he realized that it was wrong.
At that moment, Minhwa and Jia walked up to us, or maybe I should say they walked up to Xiao.Minhwa had a disgruntled look on her face."Korea is so great? I never think so, Korea is worse than our China," Minhwa said unhappily.Jia, who had an equally unhappy look on her face, also spoke up."Right. What's so great about Korea, our China is better."
I was offended by their words, because the facts I learned about Korea all seemed interesting and amazing, so why didn't they think so? And when they said that China was better, they didn't have any basis, they just said that China was better, what's so great about Korea, and there was no power in their argument.Xiao was also not happy when his two Chinese friends asked him to sympathize with them.
Xiao usually doesn't like to argue with them, but this time he was in the mood for a fight.I intervened first."Korea has made great progress, and you'll see that when you do a little more research," I said calmly to Minhwa and Jia.But Minhwa and Jia didn't listen to me.They wouldn't even look at me when I was talking to them.That's when Xiao stepped in and said.
"I'm sorry Avery, Minhua and Jia have been mis-educated, so I'll apologize for them.I know why they think that way, but I know the truth is different, so I want to apologize to you."
After hearing Xiao's words, Minhua and Jia still showed their disapproval. They even loudly argued with Xiao in the hallway. All the students passing by couldn't help but notice that two Chinese friends with wrong ideas were bullying Xiao, a normal thinking Chinese friend, again.
In fact, this scene was not uncommon, but this day was different. Despite the fact that everyone had attended an impactful and fact-based lecture by a professor from a prestigious university, Min Hua and Jia seemed to have no room for improvement, and they were still shouting distorted facts and misinformation without any basis.
From that day on, they were increasingly bullied by their schoolmates. Even when Minhua and Jia tried to talk to their American friends, all their American friends would scold them, saying, "Are you going to distort American history like that?" and no one would listen to them.
At first, Minhua and Jia's attitude was nonetheless brazen and confident, but two Chinese students armed with wrong ideas can't live in isolation in this school. Our school has group work as the basic form of class participation, so there are many tasks that require the help of other students.
Eventually, Minhua and Jia came to me, Xiao, and our Korean friend Minji and apologized to us.To be honest, to this day, I don't know if their apology was sincere.They said that they had learned that much of the education they had received was false, and they promised that they would never say anything wrong again in the future.Part of me wanted to tell them that I knew they were lying to survive, but I couldn't turn my back on them, so I accepted their apology.After Minhua and Jia's disturbance and apology
Although I'm still a high school student, I know that when I grow up, I want to exercise my right to vote and join the anti-China movement. We also realized that China's policy of teaching the wrong history and the wrong international affairs is having a negative impact even here in the United States, a country so far away, and that it is causing the Chinese people to suffer.China's ambitious plan to turn the tables by playing shallow games is just ridiculous and will not work.
I can't help but think that the impact of these lectures on our school is great: first of all, we learned how important it is to filter out misleading and distorted information, and how important it is to listen to such information; secondly, many students have a deep understanding of what exactly the "Miracle of the Han River" is.
As a reminder, South Korea was very poor until the mid-20th century, but through government-led economic development plans and people's efforts, it has achieved remarkable growth, especially spontaneous rural development movements such as the Saemaul movement, which played a huge role in accelerating South Korea's industrialization.
Korea's development has been not just economic, but social as well, with Koreans overcoming difficulties and achieving remarkable results through their high levels of education, hard work, and sense of community.
Now, do you feel that there is any reason for Chinese people here to say that China is greater than Korea? Isn't it just that Korea has created a remarkable growth in the history of East Asia, and it is because of Korea's development that China's factories are able to operate? Just because China is lagging behind, to say that Korea is a lesser country is an expression of inferiority, and it is seen as a desperate attempt to deny their own lack.
This is a good liberal arts course where you can learn the facts about what Korea has done and speak about it with confidence in public, but I think the disturbance by the two Chinese students clouded the essence of the course, because the impact of the miracle of the Han River was diluted by the emotion of outrage at the Chinese students' behavior.
In my final presentation at the end of the semester, I plan to find more information about the Han River Miracle, add new information, and present it to my class, because I feel that it is unfair that the attention to Korea has been diverted for a while, and I think that it would be meaningful to talk about Korea in front of Minhwa, Jia, and my Korean friend Minji.
I hope that the country will soon develop into a mature society that can accept the truth as the truth.

So this is an insane story that I've put a post on LegalAdviceUK to try get some advice from the legal eagles but that didn't really cover the full story. But having an informal chat in a comments section of this page about it and posting the legal ins and outs yesterday has given me some strength. And if I need to I will have the tub of cookie dough ice cream to comfort my big fat butt. So here we go a story which I've been trying to do for months without feeling nothing but shame and humiliation for allowing this parasite into my life enough to impact it like this.
So some backstory on my life in January 2023 I was working for Uber Eats as a delivery driver and had a Motorcycle accident. As a result I broke my foot, lost my insurance as Uber did everything they could to make sure it was invalidated to avoid responsibility for me. As a result I became jobless and homeless within a matter of days as I was already behind due to high insurance costs and low pay. I spent the next 9 months couch surfing and jumping from job to job until I finally settled working for a convenience store chain and leaving the city of Portsmouth for the town of Gosport across the way. I was settled with a roommate in October and I was doing well again.
During this I'd won a seat for myself into a semi major Poker tournament that I cashed in during August. I made £1300 for a weekend. In enters Mr S the person who will be the focus of this piece. He needed me to help him out with opening up some betting accounts for some online sports betting. He sweetened the deal by saying that he would invest in me to make my dream company come true, making a film business. He would invest £5000 into me to get me started which is all I needed because my plan was to work from home and get film clients and work up to an office. I too would invest £5000 over time. You see Mr S was a successful businessman in the community, a former sports personality and everyone loves this guy. Couldn't find someone to curse his name in a thousand miles I'm pretty sure. I had known him through my times as a poker player for nearly 12 years myself and I couldn't say I knew a bad thing about him. So I opened the accounts thinking nothing of it, then he asked to borrow money off me which I thought nothing of at the time as he said that he had it in cash and could pay me back in the morning as it was in cash not the bank apparently. He regularly did have this issue apparently because he worked in a cash heavy business (buying precious metals) and he was a regular at casinos. So I gave him the money. He paid me back some of it then made me wait another week to get the rest after I was calling him regularly to make him respond. This would be a recurring theme throughout the story.
After this issue was resolved I made a thought to push for the money to secure the investment. Mr S got the call and stated that we needed a business meeting in his office. So I asked to set up the business meeting which he regularly called to reschedule. After two months of this I got fed up of him brushing me off whilst he's borrowing my entire salary to gamble on and off when he ran out of his own money. So I changed the passwords on all the gambling sites to force him to take a meeting and pay me back the most recent amount he borrowed. I was naturally pissed off that this multi-millionaire was so reckless with his money that he was borrowing off of me and was constantly late paying me back. He paid me back and set up a meeting. He didn't make the meeting but assured me he was going to transfer me £3000 without one. He did not claiming his accounts were frozen by the government (I know I should have ran like a Gazelle from a Hyena at this point). Well I excused this behaviour because he reassured me everything would get sorted. This accounts frozen issue also became a recurring theme throughout the story too.
For a while Mr S didn't borrow any money off of me, he just used his own money (or some other poor sods), I kept asking him to invest into the business as I had opened a business account and I was investing my own money and borrowing money via a credit card. In total I put in £5000 whilst working a minimum wage job and using small amounts I'd earned through a bit of penny stock trading and poker, trying to get the money together. I worked 50-60 hours a week to pay for Christmas and invest in the business because of the fact that I didn't want to waste time. I set up business meetings, got business cards, bought equipment and got my friend who I will simply call Angel to work with me to put together a team. My friend Alf and a guy we found on LinkedIn I'll simply call J became our first team. We also found a lovely Graphics Artists online who I'll call Ally. Everyone was on freelance for now as we needed to get clients but we assembled the team. Mr S kept missing business meetings with clients that I set up for him to secure including three major ones that might have cost me a potential 6 figure contract that I spent two months setting up. Making County Football (Soccer for you Yanks) games on a Patreon page and YouTube for live streams. This mega pissed me off and Mr S reassured me he would get the contract back or getting a bigger one. I entrusted him with this task but as far as I can tell he never did anything for it.
On the night of his youngest child being born, whilst his wife was giving birth he spent his time playing online poker or sports betting, I know this because I had the transaction record and he even borrowed money off of me. He took a week to pay me £500 and I almost lost my brand new housing because of this. Thank goodness for my new friend and housemate being understanding of the situation and after this I put my foot down and said no more borrowing from me and if he asked again I would cut him off. I also insisted again that he should invest into the business. He made his excuses of the bank being frozen again and I told him to get his shit sorted out and invest because I'm getting annoyed waiting on him. I wanted to make an advert and without his money I couldn't do this.
So it comes January 2024 I lost my job with the convenience store after I stopped a shoplifter who'd assaulted me when I turned a corner. And by stop I mean used my big boy voice and scared the crap out of them. Don't know why they fired me for that but what do I care it freed me up and paid me £2000 to go away. I got a new job whilst also securing my first client. The client paid the first half of the money which they owed for the filming to be done and Mr S knowing this asked me to lend it to him for the purpose of gambling which I flatly shut down because it was staff wages for the project. When I told him this he said "I'm sure I'll have it back in time and if not they won't mind because they'll get experience." Yep you read that right he was willing to let the staff work for free so he could bet on horses. I told him that I would never put myself or him above my team when it comes to pay because we have no right to ask anyone to work for nothing when they are all multi talented individuals.
Angel was a video editor, animator, photographer, camera operator and lighting expert. She holds a Masters degree in film technology.
J was a camera operator who had worked on major TV documentary sets and was already taking a pay cut to work on this as an investment in the companies future. He held a BA degree.
Alf is a sound operator and musician with a masters degree in music.
Yep this guy wanted to not pay these guys so he could gamble recklessly. I semi caved though by giving him my personal money because he would repeatedly call me three times an hour over this. This was his tactic, begging and harassing me so he can get the money and then when I want the money back ignore and excuse the debt for a week. He regularly said he'd have it back in a day and it would take a week. He gave me £200 extra on top of this debt and said to put it into the business account to help pay for an advert. I did it and yeah that apparently was all I was going to need to make and distribute an advert in his mind. In reality it would barely cover the graphics and music for the advert.
Finally my old debts were catching up with me in March 2024 and I got myself an IVA (Individual Voluntary Arrangement) to protect myself and the company as a debt management option. This is because of the fact that old bills, credit cards and loans that I'd taken out were catching up with me that I expected to pay off by now. Which I might have done, had Mr S not been screwing around with the investment. In this process I had to shut down all the gambling sites to comply with the IVA. I called Mr S and informed him to which he promptly told me he was no longer going to invest in my business if I won't let him gamble and risk my IVA. According to him he was going to invest when he won £10000 and was going to give me half of the money as his investment forgetting he'd already won that and then some 2 weeks prior and I knew it. I called him out on this fact and told him to pony up or bugger off because he'd wasted 8 months of mine and my teams lives promising his investment and failing on every level. He exploded on me telling me no one talks to him like this, how dare I describe him as a con artist and a fraud. He demanded his £200 back which I flat out refused as I didn't have it. I spent it paying the Angel the money I owed her because she did extra work on the editing that I failed to secure the money for from either Mr S or the Client. She offered to work for less but I flat out refused that offer because it was my mistake and my problem to deal with.
Over the next 6 weeks now I've been harassed every few days over £200 to be paid back which I'm now refusing to pay because screw him. He lied to me for 8 months and as far as I'm concerned he stole money out of the company and then wants me to pay him more money to buy him out and disregard the team members so he can get his money when he's a multimillionaire and the team are like me on minimum wage and freelancing. So AITA for calling him a thief and con artist whilst refusing to pay him a penny so I can prioritise fixing the damage he had caused? If he'd had invested in the business the way he said he would and it was a normal falling out I probably would pay him out as the business would have been more likely on solid ground with an advert made and a chance for the business to thrive. But this was my lot. I've since been told I'm a worthless person because I won't pay him back and take his calls. I'm a terrible friend for letting such a small issue like me trying to sort out my life at the expense of Mr S's gambling life.
As it stands I haven't paid Mr S back, I still owe a small amount to Angel but am paying her back and I've taken a new job at my local Maccies to insure I do. I'm still looking for more clients to do film work with to get my team into the swing of it. Hopefully we do get more work as I have a wonderful team and I want them to get work with me and make a very successful future for us all. I'm looking into getting a start up business grant from the UK government as well so we can go forward properly as well.
So AITA for cutting Mr S out of the business, trusting him at all and risking so much on his word or for not paying him back the £200?
Click here if you are interested in seeing our first clients advert. I apologise to the great Lady Charlotte Dobre for plugging my work on her channel but I would love to have people view my teams wonderful work and hopefully get more work for the future here in Hampshire UK. Please DM me for details to hire us too we intend to make music videos, business adverts and commissioned films.
For all you reading/listening this short novel I thank you and I wish you well. I hope I get more business soon and I want everyone to know that we will be posting up Patreon work soon covering Entitled People and Neckbeard Stories from Reddit along with Documentaries that we might be making with Sky TV, English Heritage and also a planned comedy show in the style of a budget John Oliver Last Week Tonight. Again sorry for plugging myself Lady Charlotte Dobre and I send you love and respect because your videos make my days feel better when depression is biting my ass.
PS - That Ice Cream Tub didn't survive.

We hope this message finds you well. We are excited to share some important updates about our Plex Share service.

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TLDWR (Too long don’t wanna read):
Missouri
BIRTH 25 week GA 1 lb 12 oz
NOW 10 months old Trach Ventilator
What the hell do you do about home health coverage?
Long version:
We are 10 months in, and with our G button scheduled Monday, and no other road blocks we are ready to go home. However, everyone kept saying we will now have to find somthing that doesn’t exist: home health nursing. Our insurance policy only covers 90 days, we aren’t below the poverty line so odds are Medicaid is going to get rejected, and we really only need home health at night and on weekends.
My wife is a nurse, I’ve basically become one in the last 10 months. We are both fully competent and confident we can take care of our child. The need for home health nursing was stated by the Saint Louis Children’s medical team.
We would love the help, but it’s 14k a month if we pay out of pocket, and our insurance will only cover 90 days. It sounds impossible to actually find the nursing staff needed as well.
All of that to be said. Is it 100% needed? Has anyone just said “we got this” and left the Nicu and found sleeping in our kiddos room is sufficient? As long as any alarms wake us up, we know what to do in an emergency.
I guess looking for advice/stories on how you handled leaving with a trach, what did you do? What programs paid for nursing? How long did nursing take etc.

Just for background context, the joint degree is 4 years so no extra time, it’s between 20-30k for tuition.
I’ve always been interested in epidemiology and health disparities (why they are what they are). I additionally think it would be cool to learn about the policies and politics in healthcare. But, I mainly want to be a typical clinician. I like research and plan to do some throughout my career but I don’t want to work at a health department or anything along those lines. I’m also currently interested in surgery so idk how applicable an mph would be.
I know there are intangibles and different perspectives you will learn but I can also take courses or read about it on my own time. Basically just asking if it is worth it for the extra money? Will any employer or residency care that I have a joint degree? I know most patients won’t. Just looking for other perspectives for those further along the road then myself

I called pennfoster because i need a 1372 form filled out for social security and apparently it’s “policy” they cannot sign anything?? i found nothing on their website abt this rule and was wondering if anyone had issues with pennfoster signing any government documents and how you worked around that.

As someone who has hated Bibi before TikTok told me to, this is super cringe. Why force celebrities, who have zero power to influence foreign policy, to give their opinion on Gaza?
What happens after Taylor Swift comes out against this? Get young people to not vote for Biden? Then what? Have Trump, who said he would give even more freedom to Israel continue funding Israel and even block not give aide to Gaza. On top of that, allow Trump to trample women’s rights, gay rights, etc.
Do you people think ahead at all!? I’m not even saying this as someone who disagrees with your points about the atrocities that are happening in, but HOLY SHIT, is the lack of foresight outstanding.
Remember, the internet is not real. It’s really fucking cringe thinking that you guys actually think you’re making a difference. Taylor Swift has lost close to 400,000 followers because of the blockout. Which sounds like a lot, but that’s only 0.2% of her followers. She’ll survive.

Hi everyone,
First, I hope this post is okay for this sub. Apologies if not - I can delete if needed. I’m in the market for an upgrade to mirrorless (considering either the Sony A7IV or Canon R6mkII) and I’ve been looking into protection plans. I currently have a Canon T8i and I'm exploring whether to go with a protection plan like Canon's CarePAK or Best Buy’s Geek Squad plan versus a personal articles policy (PAP). This is mostly for accidental coverage that I’m looking for. Given that my T8i was relatively inexpensive, I never got either; but, upgrading to a much more expensive body, I’d like to get either a PAP or some sort of protection plan.
Total cost of new gear (body + lenses): between $3500-$4000
From my research, here are some pros and cons I’ve found for each:
PAPs:
Pros: - Comprehensive coverage: Covers accidental damage, theft, loss, etc. - Worldwide coverage: I’m sure it depends on the insurer, but protection regardless of location. - Seems to be generally more affordable.
Cons: - Claims impact: Could affect premiums, and multiple claims might lead to non-renewal. - Higher deductibles: Typically higher than protection plans like CarePAK or Geek Squad. - Homeowner’s insurance impact: Frequent claims could influence eligibility or premiums for homeowner’s insurance. - Anecdotal: I’ve read some stories on Reddit about insurance companies dropping people after making a claim; have also read something about claims affecting eligibility/rates for homeowner’s insurance.
Extended Warranties (e.g., Canon CarePAK, Geek Squad):
Pros: - Accidental damage coverage: Covers drops, spills, and other mishaps. - No impact on home insurance in the future - Have read good things about CarePAK through Canon as well as Geek Squad’s plans. Most experiences I’ve seen have been pretty seamless. Sony, on the other hand, not so much (which is why I’d use Best Buy for the Geek Squad plan, or just get a PAP).
Cons: - Limited coverage: Usually doesn’t cover theft or loss, but probably depends. - Fixed term: Coverage limited to the duration of the warranty period. - Generally more expensive.
I’ve read that insurers can sometimes deny claims or drop your coverage if you make a claim on a PAP, and that claims might make it harder to get homeowner’s insurance in the future. Because of this, I’ve been leaning toward a protection plan (CarePAK if I decide on the Canon, Geek Squad plan if I decide on the Sony). Haven’t had any issues with my T8i (knock on wood) and don’t expect to (obviously) with a new camera. If it’s something in the realm of a few hundred bucks for a repair, I’d just pay that out of pocket. My concern is once it starts to reach the $1000 range.
For context, I currently have renter’s insurance through State Farm. I’m not a homeowner yet, but I don’t want a PAP claim to affect my approval or rates in the future. This would be non-business insurance for personal use.
Has anyone, specifically those with photography as a hobby and not business, had experiences making claims with either PAPs or protection plans for their cameras? What did you find worked best for you? Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!

Selling more stuff to clear some space in my room, and just some stuff no longer needed. I can throw some of the stuff for free if you buy a lot. NO TRADE ATM.
Optics and accessories
Holosun HS515CM T1 Style Red Dot ($400)
https://imgur.com/a/4u3YvWo
BNIB 99% condition, never gamed but only mounted on my gun for pics and plinked in my backyard. Comes with the original box and all the accessories inside. It is solar powered and can switch between red dot and holo style reticle.
Vortex Crossfire ii 1-4x LPVO ($200)
https://imgur.com/a/2SwPRVO
I'm the second owner of this lpvo but thanks to the amazing vortex warranty policy, it really doesn't matter how many times you have used it. Has the original box, riser mount and a protective cap.
Unknown Brand Tracer Unit ($40)
https://imgur.com/a/1sRv2BE
It lights up the bbs just fine but I believe there's an issue with the muzzle flash function not properly operating.
NcStar Magnifier ($40)
https://imgur.com/a/mkK9Gxo
Red Repro Magnifier ($25)
https://imgur.com/a/tedonZj
CAR Style M4 Stock for GBBR or MTW ($15)
https://imgur.com/a/9hUYwpB
5KU Adaptor Buffer Tube AK to M4 ($25)
https://imgur.com/a/Umfdpgc
LCT B-11 AK Railed Lower Handguard ($35)
https://imgur.com/a/8vBsv4O
LCT AK105 Lower Handguard (free with any purchase)
https://imgur.com/a/l1x74qT
Gears
Matrix Hi Capa Holster ($20)
https://imgur.com/a/M7z0bv2
S-M size Gloves ($5)
https://imgur.com/a/DuapxRY
Tactical Waist Belt ($10)
https://imgur.com/a/sVqcX5z
Amomax BB Portable Storage Pouch ($10)
https://imgur.com/a/oP4dVo4
Valken Kilo Mesh Face Mask ($10)
https://imgur.com/a/sGk1EM1
Helmet Mount Face Protection ($10)
https://imgur.com/a/npCU7dZ
Tactical Helmet Mount for Headset ($10)
https://imgur.com/a/8RL8ZzE
Chest Belt for Holster ($5)
https://imgur.com/a/ivdV8gm
Heavy Duty Sling for AK ($10)
https://imgur.com/a/Re9yzbC
Woodland Color Balaclava ($5)
https://imgur.com/a/MSFvh0A
OD Color Mask for Silicone Protector ($5)
https://imgur.com/a/9UZjyAh
Razor Walker Style Ear Protection Not for Comms ($20)
https://imgur.com/a/NwwAyJu
Amazon Belt ($15)
https://imgur.com/LgP9gna
Leather Universal Holster ($30)
https://imgur.com/xDCMpWl
Magpul Magazine Pulls ($10)
https://imgur.com/zQqCgPm
Local pickup near my place in Scarborough, ON. Shipping on buyers. Thx for looking!

I can't believe what I'm paying to fly to China to see family now. I composed the following letter. Take from it what you will, modify to fit your own personal circumstances, and send to your local rep.

Dear Congresswoman/man [INSERT NAME],

I write to request that your urge the Biden Administration to disregard airline lobbying to restrict flights between the US and China. The Associated Press reported (April 11, 2024), "US airlines ask the Biden administration not to approve additional flights between the US and China". The lobbying is anti-competitive and causes hardship for consumers like my family.
Prior to the pandemic, there were more than 300 flights per week between the US and China (2), and one could get a nonstop round trip ticket from Los Angeles to Shanghai for around $1000. Right now, the Biden Administration maintain a covid-era policy of restricted flights between China and the US (1), long after the pandemic is over. There are now fewer than 100 flights (a maximum of 50 for each Chinese and American carriers), and as a result, a non-stop flight on the same route costs $2487. To get from [MY LOCAITON] to Shanghai round-trip with one stop in San Francisco also costs [INSERT COST. SEE https://www.google.com/travel/flights].
We are a family of three, and my wife hasn't seen her family since prior to the pandemic, so the costs pose a significant hardship to us. [REPLACE WITH YOUR OWN COMPELLING CIRCUMSTANCES] Ultimately our hard-earned money has gone to pay for a long indirect route to China via a foreign carrier in an intermediate country--South Korea, in this instance--because booking one of the very limited number of direct US-China flights by US carriers is too costly for us. [TELL THEM HOW YOUR MONEY IS BEING SPENT ON FOREIGN FLIGHTS ANYWAY]
US airlines lobbying the administration to restrict flights complain about an unfair advantage by Chinese carriers as they can fly over Russia (3). This is not true of new flights the US have approved or could approve, as the FAA has quite sensibly required all new flights (including Chinese carrier flights to the US) should avoid Russian airspace (2). Lobbyists also complain that "Chinese airlines enjoying certain protections stemming from the Chinese airline’s relationships with their government". Such vague objections cannot be taken seriously and can't justify the continued freeze on numbers of flights between the US and China. Ultimately, it appears that US airline lobbying is an effort to restrict foreign competition by Chinese carriers, who appear to be more able to resume flights than US carriers.
I would respectfully request that you convey to the Biden Administration that airline lobbying hurts consumers like [ME/MY FAMILY/MY COMMUNITY]. That lobbying should be resisted, and the Administration should continue to relax flight restrictions and move towards pre-pandemic levels of flight permits for US and Chinese carriers flying between the US and China.
Best regards
[YOUR NAME HERE]
(1) https://apnews.com/article/us-airlines-china-flights-biden-administration-2071e9ef88956e0e550cb95d1ca73527 (2) https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2023-06-01/chinese-airlines-avoiding-russian-airspace-in-new-u-s-flights (3) https://www.airlines.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Coalition-China-Letter.pdf