The profusion of identical green tents at this spring’s anti-Israel protests struck many as odd. “Why is everybody’s tent the same?,” asked New York mayor Eric Adams. Like others, the mayor suspected “a well-concerted organizing effort” driving the protests. More recent reporting shows a concerted push behind the Gaza protest movement. But it is not as simple as a single organization secretly rallying protesters or buying tents. Instead, the movement’s most determined activists represent a network of loosely linked far-left groups. Some are openly affiliated with well-known progressive nonprofits; others work in the shadows.
The movement also draws on diverse but generous sources of financial backing. Those funding streams may soon be augmented by the federal government. As I chronicled last year in a Manhattan Institute report, “The Big Squeeze: How Biden’s Environmental Justice Agenda Hurts the Economy and the Environment,” the administration’s massive program of environmental justice grants seems designed to prioritize the funding of highly ideological local groups. The Inflation Reduction Act, for example, earmarks $3 billion for “environmental and climate justice block grants” intended for local nonprofits. Today, hundreds of far-left political groups include language about environmental issues and “climate justice” in their mission statements. If just a fraction of planned grants flows to such groups, the effect will be a gusher of new funding for radical causes.
As the Gaza protests spread across U.S. college campuses, many observers noted an eerie uniformity among them. From one campus to the next, protesters operated in disciplined cadres, keeping their faces covered and using identical rote phrases as they refused to talk with reporters. The Atlantic noted the strangeness of seeing elite college students “chanting like automatons.” Students held up keffiyeh scarves or umbrellas to block the view of prying cameras and linked arms to halt the movements of outsiders. At Columbia University and elsewhere, protesters formed “liberated zones,” from which “Zionists” were excluded. Around the edges of the encampments, the more militaristic activists donned helmets and goggles and carried crude weapons, apparently eager to mix it up with police or counter-protesters. We’ve seen these tactics before—notably during the “mostly peaceful” Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, when full-time agitators helped ignite riots, set up a police-free (and violence-plagued) zone in Seattle, and laid nightly siege to Portland, Oregon’s federal courthouse.
In a remarkable work of reporting, Park MacDougald recently traced the tangled roots of organizations backing pro-jihad protests, both on and off campuses. These include Antifa and other networks of anonymous anarchists, along with “various communist and Marxist-Leninist groups, including the Maoist Revolutionary Communist Party, the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), and the International ANSWER coalition,” MacDougald writes. Higher up the food chain, we find groups openly supported by America’s growing class of super-rich tech execs or the anti-capitalist heirs of great fortunes. For example, retired tech mogul Neville Roy Singham, who is married to Code Pink founder Jodie Evans, funds The People’s Forum, a lavish Manhattan resource center for far-left groups. As the Columbia protests intensified, the center urged members to head uptown to “support our students.” Following the money trail of other protest groups, MacDougald finds connections to the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Ford Foundation, and—surprising no one—the George Soros-backed Tides Foundation.
Of course, the current wave of anti-Israel protests also involves alliances with pro-Hamas organizations such as Students for Justice in Palestine. Last November, Jonathan Schanzer of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies testified to the House Ways and Means Committee that SJP and similar groups have deep ties to global terrorist organizations, including Hamas.
For many keffiyeh-wearing protestors, however, a recently professed concern for Palestinians is just the latest in a long list of causes they believe justify taking over streets and college quads. In Unherd, Mary Harrington dubs this medley of political beliefs the “omnicause,” writing that “all contemporary radical causes seem somehow to have been absorbed into one.” Today’s leftist activists share an interlocking worldview that sees racism, income inequality, trans intolerance, climate change, alleged police violence, and Israeli-Palestinian conflicts all as products of capitalism and “colonialism.” Therefore, the stated rationale for any individual protest is a stand-in for the real battle: attacking Western society and its institutions.
In the U.S., this type of general-purpose uprising goes back at least to the riots at the 1999 meeting of the World Trade Organization in Seattle. In those protests, mainstream liberal factions—including labor unions and environmentalists—were joined by “black bloc” anarchists and other radicals eager to engage in “direct action” against police. That pattern—relatively moderate demonstrators providing a friendly envelope for hard-core disruptors—formed the template for many later protests: the Occupy Wall Street encampments in 2011, demonstrations following the police shooting of Michael Brown in 2014, 2016’s Standing Rock anti-pipeline movement, and of course, the calamitous summer of 2020.
These uprisings were not entirely spontaneous. In some cases, activists spend months planning mass actions—for example, against economic summits or political conventions—and can recruit street fighters from across the country. In others, an event, such as George Floyd’s death, sparks popular protests involving neophyte demonstrators. Those attract far-left activists, who swoop in to organize and expand the struggle, often tilting it toward more radical action.
That has certainly been the case at the college Gaza-paloozas. At Columbia, the New York Times spotted a woman old enough to be a student’s grandmother in the thick of the action as protesters barricaded that school’s Hamilton Hall. The woman was 63-year-old Lisa Fithian, a lifetime activist, who Portland’s alternative weekly Street Roots approvingly calls “a trainer of mass rebellion.” A counter-protester trying to block the pro-Hamas demonstrators told NBC News, “She was right in the middle of it, instructing them how to better set up the barriers.” Fithian told the Times she’d been invited to train students in protest safety and “general logistics.” She claims to have taken part in almost every major U.S. protest movement going back to the 1999 “Battle in Seattle.”
America’s radical network has plenty of Lisa Fithians, with the time and resources to travel the country educating newcomers about the “logistics” of disruptive protests. And these activists appear to have played key roles in the college occupations. The New York City Police Department says nearly half the demonstrators arrested on the Columbia and City University of New York (CUNY) campuses on April 30 were not affiliated with the schools. One hooded Hamilton Hall occupier—photographed scuffling with a Columbia custodian before getting arrested—turned out to be 40-year-old James Carlson, heir to a large advertising fortune. According to the New York Post, Carlson lives in a $2.3 million Park Slope townhouse and has a long rap sheet. For example, in 2005, he was arrested in San Francisco during the violent “West Coast Anti-Capitalist Mobilization and March Against the G8.” (Those charges were dropped.)
For a quarter-century now, Antifa and other anarchist networks have worked to refine tactics and share lessons following each major action. At Columbia, UCLA, and other schools, authorities found printouts of a “Do-It Yourself Occupation Guide” and similar documents. The young campus radicals are eager to learn from their more experienced elders. And, like the high-achieving students they are, they follow directions carefully. MacDougald asked Kyle Shideler, the director for homeland security and counterterrorism at the Center for Security Policy, about the mystery of the identical tents. There was no need for a central group to distribute hundreds of tents, Shideler said. Instead, “the organizers told [students] to buy a tent, and sent around a Google Doc with a link to that specific tent on Amazon. So they all went out and bought the same tent.”
In other words, America’s radical class has gotten very skilled at recruiting and instructing new activists—even from among the ranks of elite college students with a good deal to lose. How much more could this movement accomplish with hundreds of millions in federal dollars flooding activist groups around the country?
From its first week in office, the Biden administration has trumpeted its goal to funnel more environmental spending toward “disadvantaged communities that have been historically marginalized,” partly by issuing grants to grassroots organizations. Previous environmental justice (EJ) grant programs were small in scope. But, with the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in August 2022, a huge pool of grant money became available. EPA administrator Michael Regan told reporters, “We’re going from tens of thousands of dollars to developing and designing a program that will distribute billions.”
More than a year and a half later, it remains hard to nail down just where the Biden administration’s billions in EJ grants will wind up. Money is being distributed through a confusing variety of programs, and the process of identifying recipients is ongoing. To help outsource the job of sifting through proposals, the EPA last year designated 11 institutions as “Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmakers.” These groups are empowered to make subgrants directly to community organizations, under streamlined EPA oversight. In all, the Biden administration has entrusted these outfits with distributing a staggering $600 million in funding. The money is expected to start flowing this summer.
The EPA’s grantmakers include a number of educational institutions and left-leaning nonprofits. For example, the EPA chose Fordham University as its lead grantmaker in the New York region. Fordham, in turn, lists as partners two nonprofits that oppose immigration enforcement. (One, the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, states on its website: “NJAIJ believes in the human right to migrate, regardless of citizenship or political status.”) Neither group claims expertise in environmental issues. Given that the IRA’s eligibility requirements for EJ grants are extremely vague, however, perhaps that’s not a problem. Almost any activity that could help “spur economic opportunity for disadvantaged communities” (in the words of Biden’s EJ executive order) might qualify.
Perhaps the most prominent—and problematic—EPA grantmaker is the Berkeley, California-based Climate Justice Alliance. The CJA is a consortium of mostly far-left activist groups. It describes its mission as working for “regenerative economic solutions and ecological justice—under a framework that challenges capitalism and both white supremacy and hetero-patriarchy.” The group is a vigorous proponent of the omnicause, embracing almost every left-wing concern as a manifestation of climate change. For example, the CJA website proclaims: “The path to climate justice travels through a free Palestine.” MacDougald notes that the Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, one of CJA’s affiliated groups, “organized an illegal anti-Israel protest in the Capitol Rotunda in December at which more than 50 activists were arrested.”
The CJA website also includes a section dedicated to the cause known as Stop Cop City. It refers to an effort to halt the construction of an 85-acre police and firefighter training center outside Atlanta. Rag-tag activists from around the country have gathered around the facility since 2021. They have repeatedly battled with police—sometimes with fireworks and Molotov cocktails—and used bolt cutters to enter the site and torch construction equipment. (CJA’s Stop Cop City page features a cartoon illustration of three childlike activists; one brandishes bolt cutters.) The group also backs a legal defense fund for activists arrested in attacks on the training center or in other protests. For those looking for more inspiration, CJA links to an interview with former Black Panther and self-described revolutionary Angela Davis.
The Alliance is not an ideological outlier in Biden’s EJ coalition. On the contrary, when the White House assembled its White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council (WHEJAC), a panel of outside experts meant to provide “horizon-expanding EJ advice and recommendations,” it chose CJA co-chair Elizabeth Yeampierre to help lead the committee. Like other members of the panel, she sees environmental issues through an ideological, not a scientific, lens. “Climate change is the result of a legacy of extraction, of colonialism, of slavery,” Yeampierre told Yale Environment 360. As a group, radical EJ activists tend not to focus on pragmatic ways to reduce pollution and carbon emissions; for them, the real goal is overturning what they see as an exploitative economic and political system. Since these are the voices the White House chose to help shape its EJ policies, we can assume this worldview will dominate grantmaking decisions.
In February 2023, House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer, along with fellow committee member Pat Fallon, wrote to EPA administrator Regan asking for more information on the EPA’s grant programs. They noted that the EPA’s own studies of EJ grants issued in previous years showed sloppy supervision. According to an EPA report, an earlier version of the program funded projects that did “not logically lead to the desired environmental and/or public health [result].” Without better oversight and more clearly defined goals, the congressmen wrote, the EPA’s EJ grant machine risks becoming simply a “slush fund for far-left organizations.”
Since then, the administration has done little to reassure skeptics. To the contrary, the EPA has put at least one far-left organization—CJA—in charge of distributing $50 million in grant money. No doubt, many of the EPA grants will go to worthwhile projects. But money is fungible. A group that gets a large grant to, say, clean up dirty parks or teach children about recycling will also be able to hire more staff and divert more resources to political action.
With graduation behind them, most of the anti-Israel college protesters have stowed away their keffiyehs and moved on to summer vacations or internships. But the peripatetic activists who helped guide and intensify those uprisings are doubtless already planning their next actions. After all, two political conventions are looming. This fall, the college protests will likely flare up again, though by then perhaps focused on a different facet of the omnicause. And, with hundreds of millions in fresh funding flowing through the activist ecosystem, the groups that quietly nurture extremists—like those who firebombed “Cop City,” or who chant “Intifada Revolution!,” or who block bridges in the name of “climate”—will be more emboldened than ever.
A Slush Fund for Radical Protesters? City Journal (city-journal.org)
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Preamble
Statutes of limitations serve as a foundational framework within which legal claims must be brought forth. In New York State personal injury cases, these statutes outline the timeframe within which an injured party must file a lawsuit after sustaining harm. Failure to adhere to these prescribed deadlines can result in the loss of the right to seek legal recourse — and with it, the loss of any money or benefits you might have otherwise recovered.
To stay in the game and work toward a win, call the experienced NYC personal injury firm of Schwartzapfel Lawyers at 516-342-2200 or visit us online to schedule your free consultation today. Alternatively, please continue reading.
Commencement of Action
The clock starts ticking from the moment the cause of action accrues, i.e., when the injury occurs or is discovered. As such, it is absolutely essential for plaintiffs to promptly initiate legal proceedings within the stipulated timeframe to preserve their rights.
Borrowing Statute Considerations
In cases involving non-resident plaintiffs or claims arising outside of New York, the state's borrowing statute comes into play. In effect, this statute necessitates compliance with both NYS statutes of limitations and those of the jurisdiction where the injury occurred.
Unity of Interest Doctrine
The unity of interest doctrine offers a potential reprieve for plaintiffs facing time constraints in multi-defendant cases, as it allows for the relation back of claims against additional defendants to the original commencement date, provided certain criteria are met.
Discovery Rule
Under the discovery rule, the statute of limitations may be tolled until the injured party discovers or should have reasonably discovered their injury. This provision aims to ensure fairness, particularly in cases where injuries are not immediately apparent.
TL;DR
New York State law delineates different limitation periods for various types of personal injury actions, including but not limited to: actions for medical malpractice, general personal injury claims, and intentional torts like assault and defamation.
With this in mind, if you or a loved one has been injured due to the fault of someone else, please don't wait until it's too late. Instead, act now and have the award-winning team of Schwartzapfel Lawyers fight — and win! — for you.
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Basically, we did a service for this person on his property more than once. We are a pressure wash business, and he has three houses: a main house, a ranch house, and a guest house. We completed work on the ranch house and the guest house, and the last one was the main house. We told him that we would be doing a house wash on his main house with 300 psi. However, when we started, water began to pour into his garage, which is underneath the porch we cleaned. We had a verbal agreement that we could clean the porch since there was a gutter line underneath.
When the damage happened, he went underneath cut it and started to take pictures and videos of the damage. He did not mention anything about us paying for the damage and even shook my brother's hand, thanking him for the hard work. We also worked for another three days on his property, and he never mentioned that the damage needed to be covered. We sent him the invoice for the work, and after a month, he had not viewed it. We reminded him through a message that we had sent the invoice, and he asked about the $500 extra pay, which he had forgotten to add to our service. He also asked about what to do with the damage.
We basically tried to file a claim with the insurance in August regarding what happened. They tried to message him and mail papers since November, and it took him until February to respond to the claim. Unfortunately, the claim was not covered because he was trying to get a very expensive contractor, and the coverage didn't apply.
He sent us an email about releasing our insurance policy, but the adjuster told us not to do it. Since we declined the request, he asked us what the plan was. We informed him that we could cover the damage with our licensed and insured handyman, but he did not reply for 3 weeks. After sending him another email and receiving no reply, we sent a certified email about covering the damage. He then sent us this message
I received your certified letter with this same request.
Who is your handyman, what is their company name and license number?
I probably will not agree to have them make any repairs, because we completed a high end remodel of our home in 2022 using a licensed home builder. Therefore, only a builder with experience completing high end work will qualify to make the repairs. You are welcome to send someone over to bid on the repairs, but I won't agree to it unless they are a licensed contractor that does high quality work.
Additionally, You had told me that you were licensed and insured, however, your insurance company stated otherwise. They specifically stated that "there is no coverage under the insured's policy for this loss" The letter is attached. Since you refused to send me a copy of your insurance policy this has made me question your honesty in this situation.
In any case, you are still responsible for the damages that you caused. I am attaching the bid for repairing the damage, showing that you owe us $10,806.28. As you can see below and attached, I have reduced the amount that you owe by your open invoices. The cost of repairs is $10,806.28. Your invoices total $4,886.25. I have subtracted that from the cost of the repairs and now the total amount that you owe us is $5,920.03
Please let me know when I can expect to receive payment for this. If you don't plan on paying for this, let me know so I can plan accordingly.
As a side note, you presented yourself as an expert in your field and you showed up with a nice truck and professional equipment. You also claimed to be licensed and insured. Obviously I was disappointed by the extensive damage you caused to my home and the subsequent lack of insurance coverage. The right thing to do is take responsibility for your actions and pay for the damage.
Reconciliation of Invoices and Damages Cost to Repair for Water Damage $ (10,806.28) Invoice # 130 $ 923.00 Invoice #129 $ 1,817.25 Invoice # 128 $ 2,146.00 Amount Due: $ (5,920.03)
This is what we told him
Sorry for the delayed response; we've been very busy. You mentioned that our services are expensive, and unfortunately, the bid you sent us for the repair is not within our budget. We will provide multiple bids with different options so that we can proceed with the necessary repairs
we tried to report it to mediation so that we don't have to go to court, and the helper told us that he was arrogant. He's been to court more than once and is an expert at it.
We received an email today with his response. damages, I have to consider my options, including taking you to court in a lawsuit and making a complaint against your License with the county. It is very disappointing to me that you are not willing to fix the damage you caused. In any case, we will not be paying your invoices, as they only cover a fraction of the amounts that you owe us. My recommendation for you is to make an offer of how much you are willing to pay. I would consider putting this behind us if you make a decent offer

VEHICLE VOLTRON I: THE MIGHTIEST OF SAVIORS RISE
written by Robert D.C. Barnes III (PeachLover94)
Inspired by "Voltron: Defender of the Universe" created for World Events Productions
by Peter Keefe, John Teichmann and Toei Animation
Based on "Armored Fleet Dairugger XV" created for Toei Animation
by Saburo Yatsude (Kozo Morishita, Masahisa Saeki, Keisuke Fujikawa,
and Shigemitsu Taguchi)
TREATMENT: 07-21-2017 2006.cosmo@gmail.com
NOTE: This proposal is the property of New Frontier Cinema (PeachLover94's production company) produced in partnership with World Events Productions (WEP LLC) and Toei Company, Ltd. Any unlicensed exhibition, copying or redistribution without written consent of the mentioned parties is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.
Vehicle Voltron I: The Mightiest of Saviors Rise Story Treatment
The Logline
In the Near Universe, an experimental carrier-battleship hybrid starship under the command of fifteen crack space explorers from the Galaxy Alliance of Earth comes under assault by the evil Drule Empire. On a faraway planet, they find fifteen vehicles which combine into the evil-fighting giant humanoid robot - Vehicle Voltron.
Main Characters
1) JEFF ♂ - Pilot of the Command Jet Explorer #1 which forms the head of Vehicle Voltron. His full name is Jeff Aki Manabu. Being the leader of the entire Vehicle Voltron Force and commander of the Air Team, Jeff is head-strong, occasionally quick-tempered, yet still a great fighter and a very capable leader, even if he does not always follow the rules. During his time at Galaxy Alliance Academy, Jeff was one of the first to ever beat the no-win scenario test entitled the G.A.S. Zodiac simulation - by reprogramming the simulation to make it possible to rescue the ship and its people. A major source of contention with his peers in the Sea Team's Krik and Land Team's Cliff is Jeff's continuous scoffs at no-win scenarios trying to one-up his older sister Janet.
2) KRIK ♂ - Pilot of the Communications Module #6 which forms the torso midriff section of Vehicle Voltron. His full name is Krik Miranda Keats. Hailing from the water planet of Dulcinea (Mu Arae c) with a light blue skin tone and pointed ears, Krik is appropriately the leader of the Sea Team. Speaking with an alien dialect (which can be approximated to possibly being played by an Indian), he has clairvoyant powers that tells him when something bad happens or will happen. Of the five members of the Sea Team, it is Krik who keeps a cool head and is quick-thinking when situations call for it – particularly when he is at the receiving end of a gun or when the security of Voltron Force is compromised. He will often share drinks with the others in victory times.
3) CLIFF ♂ - Pilot of the Jet Radar Station #11 which forms the lower torso and hips of Vehicle Voltron. His full name is Walter Clifford Jack. An accomplished sportsman and former racing driver who won many circuits in Australian touring car championships before joining the Galaxy Alliance, he can at times be bad-tempered and reckless. Cliff studied at Sydney University before transferring to Galaxy Alliance Academy, where his own nigh impetuousness led to a clash with authorities over the launching (and subsequent crash) of an unsanctioned rocket he built. Hawkins took charge of the situation, steering the interest toward constructive ends, with Cliff now serving with the Vehicle Voltron Force's Land Team. But sometimes he misses the old days of his racing.
4) ZANDEE ♂ - Pilot of the Multi-Wheeled Explorer #10 forming the left lower leg of Vehicle Voltron. His full name is Zandee Barros Carateja. Born to a Boston astronomer father and Brazilian mother, Zandee is boyishly handsome, still long in the process of maturing. An unusual combination, he has inherited from his father the mathematical ability and navigation sense from his mother. He is a phenomenally brilliant mathematician and space theorist. But he has also inherited his mother's Latin temperament, fighting what is his perpetual and highly personalized battle with his technology, suspecting that space is engaging in a gargantuan conspiracy to make his professional and personal life as difficult and uncomfortable as possible in both life and love.
5) CHIP ♂ - Pilot of the blue Advanced Recon Helicopter #4 forming the left upper arm of the Vehicle Voltron. His full name is Chipley Yasuo Mutsu Stoker, and the twin brother of Darrell Hiroshi Suzuishi "Pidge" Stoker or "Pidge I", the first Paladin of Lion Voltron's Green Lion of Forest. Chip is very much the youngest member at 13 of the Vehicle Voltron Force. He can best be described as the brains of the Vehicle Voltron Force, much like his brother Pidge I is or will be to the Lion Voltron Force in the Denubian Galaxy (Far Universe). When he is not tinkering with inventions or fawning over technology and displays of data, Chip spends most of his time with Rocky in trying to find suitable soul mates for Jeff, Cliff and Krik so that they can keep all their stress down.
6) MARVIN ♂ - Pilot of the yellow All-Terrain Space Vehicle #14 which forms the right foot of Vehicle Voltron. His full name is Marvin Tasuku Izu. A good friend of Hutch's since childhood and both being members of the Land Team, the two can often be seen together, either playing cards or brawling with each other. Marvin is usually comedic, with his sense of humor being on par with that of Shannon and Cliff's in riling up Jeff and Krik. During most of the operations the Vehicle Voltron Force takes part in, Marvin's specialist expertise is in Demolition, Heavy Lifting and Logistics which he sometimes cracks jokes that are sometimes inappropriate only because he is able to do it so well for such a long time. But his jokes have even started to bug Lance.
7) GINGER ♀ - Pilot of the Falcon Jet Fighter #5 which forms the chest plate of Vehicle Voltron. Her full name is Patricia Ginger Ellington. She is a strong and brave pilot, who has always tried to fight the good fight and to this day maintains a distrust of the arrogance of science ever since seeing her family destroyed in an starship crash when she was young. She is smitten towards her Air Team commander Jeff, and the two still maintain a close professional relationship. With that said, she certainly doesn't hide her jealousy when another woman shows any affection towards him, married or otherwise. When not in the heat of battle, Ginger likes to spend her downtime shopping, hanging out with friends, or helping Cinda and Lisa with science and cartography.
8) LISA ♀ - Pilot of the red Space Prober #7 which forms the left thigh of Vehicle Voltron. Her full name is Lisa Haruka Kaga. She is very knowledgeable in ancient cultures, and always seems to know the right thing to say to others. Born on the colony world of New San Diego, Lisa was enamored with the ocean and all its native forms of life at a young age. This led to her entering the 2976 Olympic Games, and at 16 years old, became the youngest human of the Galaxy Alliance era not from Earth to win the Gold medal in the 400 meter backstroke event. Possessing an unyielding affinity for the undersea animals and environment, this makes Lisa a perfect choice for the Vehicle Voltron Force's Sea Team, as she is able to urgently take command if Krik is unable to.
9) CINDA ♀ - Pilot of the Rotating Personnel Carrier #12 which forms the right forearm of Vehicle Voltron. Her full name is Cinda Moya Qiligasz. Like Lisa, she too is kind and emotional, especially when it comes to nature. She is a Dulcinean like Krik, and the two are the main psychics and mystics of the entire Vehicle Voltron Force. It would not show up on Krik's file, but Cinda was often the only friend he had growing up back on Dulcinea, as young Dulcineans have their fears like human children have of monsters under the bed. Krik often had to have his fears reined in by Cinda, who vowed to banish all the monsters from peoples' lives so that they would not have to suffer like both she and Krik had to suffer. Even as an Alliance world, Dulcinea has hard times for Cinda.
10) WOLO ♂ - Pilot of the red Advanced Recon Helicopter #3 forming the right upper arm of Vehicle Voltron. His full name is Shota Wolo Kreutz. He is a blue-skinned Galilean of the Galileo (Kepler-451b) system who is a noted scholar of astronomy and has authored several of the most popular accredited astronomy textbooks in use by the Galaxy Alliance. He is a graduate of the Galileo Polytechnic University with an esteemed Doctorate degree in Advanced Telecommunications. Among his friends, Wolo is known to be exceedingly patient, kindly and gracious and possessive of both great intelligence and poise as the gifts he has inherited from his talented mother through which he is able to take charge at times. The kindness comes from helping raise seven sisters.
11) SHANNON ♂ - Pilot of the Multi-Wheeled Explorer #9 which forms the right lower leg of Vehicle Voltron. His full name is Shannon Tatsuo Izumo Cochrane. During his childhood, he piloted a deep-sea bathyscaphe to investigate marine farming methods in making food production on various worlds possible. Of all the Vehicle Voltron Force, Shannon tries to keep things from getting too serious by becoming the funny one, which gives him a tendency to get into trouble with Jeff and Krik over his flippant sense of humor. Even so, he chooses to fight for nobler causes than himself, as his brother was just taken to be a prisoner of what will be known as the Drule Empire on its tribute vassal world of Galra (Planet Doom) in the Denubian Galaxy (Far Universe).
12) HUTCH ♂ - Pilot of the black All-Terrain Space Vehicle #15 forming the left foot of Vehicle Voltron. His full name is Kazuto Hutch Nagato. A good friend of Marvin's since childhood and both being members of the Land Team, the two can often be seen together, either playing cards or brawling with each other. In contrast to the comedic Marvin, Hutch is a regular tough guy, always looking for a good fight with any Drule that has the guts to challenge him mano e mano. Outside of space missions, Hutch loves to dance, listen to music, and wear the most extravagant clothes around. His strong, muscular build was put to the test during the 2976 Olympic Games, where he won the Gold medal in the weightlifting event to the congratulations of future comrade Lisa.
13) ROCKY ♂ - Pilot of the Strato Weapons Module #2 which forms the upper torso of Vehicle Voltron. His full name is Rockford Kai Shinobu. He is the Brooklyn-accented member of the Air Team, usually described by the Galaxy Alliance and by the Drule Empire as the "Hunk" of the Vehicle Voltron Force, which paints a big target on his back for many of the Drule commanders like the Galvestonian Throk in the Milky Way (Near Universe), the Derinja Bi'Os in the Hyperion Galaxy (Middle Universe) and the Galran Prince Lotor in the Denubian Galaxy (Far Universe). He did not have much family growing up, so the chance to have a spiritual little brother in Chip gives him something missing from his life. He joined the Alliance to be able to make a chart of all the stars.
14) TANGOR ♂ - Pilot of the blue Space Prober #8 which forms the right thigh of Vehicle Voltron. His full name is Saluta Tangor Katz. He is as dedicated to his calling of serving the Galaxy Alliance on Vehicle Voltron Force as any of his shipmates. His off-duty demeanor is at times much less boisterous than most of his male colleagues, indulging in painting and playing the piano. Tangor has, in fact, composed a great deal of lounge tunes on the piano to play so to keep his shipmates relaxed and escape boredom. Some of his tunes he is compiling to be sold as an easy listening album. His and Wolo's species is the blue-skinned Galileans from their planet Galileo (Kepler-451b), who are very noted for their appreciation of the finer arts that speak to the soul about existence.
15) MODOK ♂ - Pilot of the Armored Equipment Carrier #13 which forms the left forearm of Vehicle Voltron. His full given name is Modok MacKenzie "Mack" Chucker. He is one of the few eldest active members of the Vehicle Voltron Force. Stern and serious, Modok focuses on the task at hand above all else. He acknowledges that his gruff approach can lead to conflict with the younger crew, though he always means well, and just is out to ensure their mission is accomplished successfully, safely, and professionally. When not on assignment, Modok is a self-described gentle giant like Rocky from the Air Team who likes to find a secluded spot outside the G.A.S. Explorer/Rugger Guard on planets and spend a day fishing and cooking whatever fish are caught.
16) HAWKINS ♂ - Age: 54. Acting Commander of the Vehicle Voltron Force stationed aboard the new Galaxy Alliance Starship Explorer (the pride of the Galaxy Alliance's project code-named Rugger Guard). His full title is Commander James Shinji Ise Hawkins of the Galaxy Alliance. While it is Commander Hawkins who gives all the orders to the Vehicle Voltron Force, he is Executive Officer who answers to Captain Newley on the mission of the Explorer. When it comes to saving lives, Hawkins is always deadly serious - but subtly cracks a joke every now and then. He's so dedicated to the mission that he constantly remains on assignment, and has very little time for recreation, much to the disappointment of his gentler and relaxed commanding officer Newley.
17) NEWLEY ♂ - Age: 58. Captain of the Galaxy Alliance Starship Explorer who is the Commanding Officer of and a good friend to the Vehicle Voltron Force's Commander Hawkins. His full title is Captain Richard "Dick" Asimov Newley. He regards all the members of the Vehicle Voltron Force as replacements for the son he had lost in battle, and sorely regrets his son's death in battle near planet Likon, along with the apparent death of Jeff's older sister Janet who represented him in court martial over cheating to win the G.A.S. Zodiac scenario, but was lost in a training accident. As a child, he was told of the story of Voltron and became intrigued with the prospect of finding it and bringing it back. Now it seems like that dream shall come true at last down on Likon.
18) PAGE ♂ - Age: 56. Science Officer of the Galaxy Alliance Starship Explorer. Though originally an aerospace engineer (albeit an unsuccessful one), he becomes the ship's primary medical officer. He is good humored and always willing to give advice, but he can become deadly earnest when chiding others' behavior. His full title is Professor Michael Search Page. He frequently sips up coffee whilst moving around speaking at an extremely accelerated rate. Despite his bumbling nature, he is actually very wise and knowledgeable, choosing to learn from mankind's past mistakes so that they won't happen again in the future. Page believes that knowledge is the most powerful weapon from any species' history and seeks the knowledge of the universe for this goal.
The Background
Long in the past of the Milky Way Galaxy, the fifteen-piece fighting humanoid robot known as the Vehicle Voltron was known as Dairugger XV by the peoples of the planets the robot visited. Dairugger XV or Vehicle Voltron was a sentient being, renown across the galaxy for its feats of heroism and bravery. Ultimately, this led to Voltron developing something of an ego, as it challenged both a reincarnated wicked Zaar King Drolmacht Dolmen and the goddess Arcadia to battle it for supremacy. Arcadia, having sensed the egotism brewing in Vehicle Voltron/Dairugger XV out of simple ignorance of its own power and not out of sinister malice, defeated but spared the robot as she pondered what punishment would do it best to teach humility/sportsmanship.
In a rage, the dying King Drolmacht disguised himself as Arcadia and tried to destroy Voltron while succeeding at slaying Arcadia. With her last acts, a mortally injured Arcadia managed to save Vehicle Voltron/Dairugger XV by splitting it back up into its fifteen component space vehicles - five joining into the airborne Strato Fighter the Kurugger, another five forming the submersible Aqua Fighter the Kairugger, and another five forming the ground-hugging Turbo Terrain Fighter or Rikurugger - that when all are combined together form Voltron. They were flung through space until they crash-landed on the uncharted planet known as Likon. It is here that the fifteen vehicles will rest until the arrival of the Zaars' posterity in the form of the Drule Empire of Galveston.
The Premise
Historically, the Vehicle Voltron Force story arc of Voltron: Defender of the Universe was adapted from the 1982 anime series Armored Fleet Dairugger XV - but was adapted to be part of a much bigger storyline. We start the Voltron story as a Asimovian science fiction story that is about how the titular machines came to be, used to solve problems, and how their presence affects people for good or ill. Taking the team of heroes premises of the Japanese Super Sentai/Power Rangers series, the galactic journey of Star Trek, the swashbuckling adventure and journeys of Horatio Hornblower, and the appeal of robots found in both the Gundam and Transformers franchises, Voltron is ready to launch with the debut film of a potential cinematic universe of science fiction.
In this four-quadrant five-act mecha science fiction epic, the Galaxy Alliance Starship Explorer launches from Earth in the year 2981 on its mission to chart the Milky Way Galaxy and to find new planets for the Alliance to colonize or terraform to solve problems of scarce food and water supplies as well as both overpopulation and resource depletion. They are forced to land and make repairs on the planet Likon by the forces of the Drule Empire of Planet Galveston, when fifteen of its primary space explorers find fifteen space-worthy ships able to join together to form the mythical Vehicle Voltron - Defender of the Near Universe. Can they join together to stop a Drule attack that threatens a peaceful planet? It may lead to war, but also a step towards evolution.
The Nemeses (The Galvestonian Drule Empire of Planet Galveston)
Aside from normal human squabbles and quandaries that face teams of people trying to survive in the hostile universe, Vehicle Voltron and its team of pilots have to contend with the new horrible menace threatening the Milky Way Galaxy. Many of the Galvestonian Drules of Planet Galveston (also called the Drule Homeworld) fit the tradition of the classic "empire of evil". Most of the Drules are humanoids with light purple skin and red eyes. With fleets of starfighters and space battleships; as well as armies of tanks, super soldiers and Robeast mecha monsters, Galvestonian Drules are aimed at making the Drule Empire a major if not the superpower in the Milky Way Galaxy controlling hapless innocents, with only the Voltron Forces daring to stand in their way.
1) ZEPPO ♂ - Age: Late 40s/Early 50s. Species: Galvestonian Drule. Homeworld: Galveston (Drule Homeworld). Eye Color: Red. His full title is Emperor Zeppo Corsair of Planet Galveston. Like many a major and admittedly rather incompetent dictator, Zeppo rules the Empire with the fists of iron fury, sending others to do his dirty work and harshly punishing those who fail him. With how abusive and destructive he can be towards his many subordinates on a bad day, it is practically insane that there have not been attempts to overthrow him as of yet. A complete and utter sadist by inclination, Zeppo is willing to send his forces to capture slaves from other worlds and force slaves of his own people to fight to the death. His tyranny is only egged on by his followers.
2) ROBEASTS - Wherever one goes in the Empires of the Drules, there will always be such things as Robeasts to challenge the Voltrons and threaten the peace of the Near, Middle and Far Universes. Robeasts from Galveston (Drule Homeworld) sent to battle the Vehicle Voltron are humanoid monsters created through more advanced science and technology, most often from the prisoners of war that are reared in Zeppo's sadistic gladiatorial combat, though some of them are simply giant robots piloted by Centurion troopers. There is often a platoon of fifteen robeasts ready at a moments notice to travel with fighters, tanks, space battleships and or Centurion armies to lay siege to whatever may get in their Empire's way. The Vehicle Voltron Force must take great care.
3) THROK ♂ - Age: Late 60s. Species: Galvestonian Drule. Homeworld: Galveston (Drule Homeworld). Eye Color: Red. Hair Color: White. His full title is Viceroy Throk Al Caponero. Possibly the worst of the worst, Throk is at bitter ends with Hazar, and the loyalest supporter of Emperor Zeppo. It is often rumored that Throk is the one stroking Zeppo's ego to throw him off the scent of Throk's own attempted bids at becoming Emperor of the Drules. A natural-born kiss-up and backstabber, he lives for nothing more than destroying any "invaders" that could make a pass at the Empire and generally making Hazar and his followers out to look like fools, imbeciles and other pejorative words not to be listed. But it is his lust for power that makes Throk underestimate foes.
4) CENTURIONS - Say hello to the mixed organic and cybernetic shock troopers of the Drule Empire. They all serve as the central backbone of the Drule military forces. Their drones have no built in weapons, instead using the same weapons as their mainly organic counterparts. Drones are capable of squad-level infantry tactics and understanding vocal commands. These androids can somewhat resemble fellow Drules, appearing to wear this green-purple armor. In fact, some of the living soldiers appear identical to their own Drones. In addition, Drule Drones can be used for scouting environments full of every kind of hazards, are more durable, and have no fear of utter destruction to claim victory for Zeppo and the Empire. Some are known to pilot their Robeasts.
5) HAZAR ♂ - Age: 40s. Species: Galvestonian Drule. Homeworld: Galveston (Drule Homeworld). Eye Color: Red. Hair Color: White. His full title is Chief Commander Hazar Dorita Teles of the Galvestonian Drules. Hazar is an athletic fellow, able to dodge and move around quickly to evade attacks. This is despite his large size, topping at about six and a half feet. Unlike most other fleet and army commanders in the Empire of the Drules, Hazar is often a composed and rational figure who never has a bad word to say about any of his underlings. He is his own worst critic, as inside, he frequently doubts himself on whether an action he or the Empire takes is right or at least justifiable. Due to this, Robeasts and Centurions alike find him to be more approachable than Throk.
The Heroes and the Twist
Each member of Vehicle Voltron's three teams (Air, Land and Sea) of a super force of space explorers is meant to be reflective of aspects of ourselves that we all have been at some point in our lives - a class clown, a lone wolf, a young genius, a tough guy who is also a mediator, and that young person destined for life greater than their own backyard. At the beginning of the story, the three team leaders Jeff, Cliff and Krik all function as the Id/McCoy (Cliff), Ego/Kirk (Jeff) and Superego/Spock (Krik) found in the Freudian psyche. It is what they learn from each other that they all have to pass down to the other four members of their respective teams in order to effectively come together and operate Vehicle Voltron to save both the Galaxy Alliance and planet Galateia.

Back in 2008 (rough timing) my parents opened investment accounts for my brother, me, and themselves after my grandmother died. Our inheritances pretty much got almost fully put into the accounts for us to let grow for whatever we might need it for. My parents made their accounts, put money in them as well, and after they retired, they've been getting money out each month to live on. This seems to be where besides the money they have in their checking accounts, all their retirement has been placed.
Starting in January, my parents didn't get their monthly payment. This continued until about March when they reached out and were met with some wishy washy answer that they needed to have a meeting and there were loans involved, but no concrete answer. But more months went by, and no payments and more stalling answers.
They finally told me and ran a quick Google on the company and main advisor and found out there was a class action lawsuit against him. On top of that it appears the SEC has likely frozen his business's assets and has confiscated his phone and computer. This had been going on long before the payments stopped coming in, but he never alerted any of us to it.
Since then my parents have been trying to get their money out, which they were able to get from one account in Goldman Sachs. The main account they were getting paid from is from Camaplan though. Every time they call him to discuss getting this money out he claims he's in talks with his "partners" to get a big, sometimes billion dollar or more loan. But usually by Friday something inevitably falls through each time. 3 weeks ago he told them they'd be getting the money soon, but nothing has happened since.
In the meantime they've gotten in contact with someone from our local bank who has been helping them at least with moving the money back. She has been very helpful and is scheduling a meeting for us with her involved on Monday and wants to talk to the advisor with us present. She can see the advisor is barred though, but she's trying to see what she can do to help.
I also sent over a formal request to terminate my investment account and IRA with them (which i will try to get into another IRA or 401k asap), but have not heard back from him either. I'm going to try sending my request via certified mail as well, but I have a feeling he's going to go back to his stalling tactics.
Personally I'm more concerned for my parents. I have asked them to at least consider a lawyer, but they're of the mindset that a lawyer is going to wipe out anything they have left. At this point though I'm not sure what else might work in this scenario. I guess what Im really looking for is what can we look into from here. I apologize for the lengthy read and if anything doesn't make sense, but if there's any further questions I can answer to clarify, please let me know.

By Jacob Crosse
This past weekend, the “People’s Conference for Palestine” was held in Detroit, Michigan over three days, from May 24 through May 26. Organizers for the event stated that over 3,500 people attended.
The steering committee for the conference included 15 organizations, among which were the Palestinian Youth Movement, National Students for Justice In Palestine, the ANSWER Coalition (associated with the Party for Socialism and Liberation), Arab Resource and Organizing Society (AROC), Writers Against the War on Gaza, and Healthcare Workers for Palestine.
Despite the peaceful character of the event, police were a constant presence on the streets and outside the convention center. Several Palestinian speakers slated to appear at the event were delayed or were not able to attend in person, due to fascistic restrictions imposed on their travel by the US/NATO governments.
The stated goal of the conference, according to a program signed by the Steering Committee, was to provide “a space to assess, strategize and prepare for what is required for us in the next phase of the struggle.” However, the political perspective that dominated did not present a viable way forward.
Several panels did feature harrowing testimony of the situation in Gaza. In a recorded video message, Hind Khoudary, a journalist in Gaza who has been displaced since November 2023 said, “We are not only fearing air strikes, we are fearing famine.” She documented the catastrophic situation produced by Israel’s bombardment and the difficulties confronting journalists, who have themselves been targeted by airstrikes.
In a session titled, “Cutting Ties with Zionism in the Workplace,” former Google worker Ariel Koren discussed her experience trying to fight back against the implementation of Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion contract between Google, Amazon and the Israel Defense Forces that provides the military a suite of computer and artificial intelligence tools used to facilitate the oppression and extermination of the Palestinian people.
Koren explained that as part of the contract, Google is required to build “whatever cloud tools and AI tools the Israeli government and military ask for without asking any questions themselves. Google has no right to regulate or oversee or even know anything about how these get used on the ground and which government and military agencies are the beneficiaries of these tools.” Among the tools provided to the IDF are “facial detection, automatic image categorization, object tracking, and even sentiment analysis.”
Taghreed Ahmed, a member of the Palestinian Transport Union, explained that “Israel controls the conditions of workers” and that “over 9,000” workers were taken prisoner by Israel following October 7. While in Israeli custody, many workers were tortured and “over 80” are still missing.
Despite the IDF offensive on Gaza, Ahmed said that after workers were released they asked to return to the city to be with their families.
Before October 7, Ahmed said that over 32,000 workers in Gaza were granted permits to work in Israel, but not a single permit has been granted in over seven months. In order to survive, Ahmed said many working class families have resorted to selling their possessions, including furniture.

A political orientation to the Democratic Party

Despite the objective and empirical testimony provided by many of the panelists and speakers, the basic political perspective that emerged was thoroughly bankrupt: that of pressuring the Democratic Party.
The opening plenary event set the framework for the conference that followed. References to the crimes of the Israeli regime were combined with a great deal of chanting and slogans.
To the extent that anything was said about the background of the genocide, it was only in relation to the history of the Palestinian struggle. But even here, there was no examination of the essential experiences of this history, including the role of the bourgeois nationalist states in the Middle East in facilitating the repression of the Palestinians by Israel and imperialism.
In her keynote speech, Yara Shoufani of the Palestinian Youth Movement spoke of “historic revolutions” from “the Great Arab Revolution of 1936” … to “the popular revolution launched in the camps of Lebanon and Jordan”… to “the first and second intifadas.” Another speaker suggested that the “resistance” would last another “100 years” before victory.
To be blunt, the people in Gaza do not have another 100 years. The genocide in Gaza has already led to the deaths of over 36,000 people officially, a significant under-count, while hundreds of thousands are on the brink of famine.
Neither in the introduction nor in any of the panels and plenary sessions was there a single reference to the broader war of which the genocide is a part. In particular, no speakers addressed the escalating US-NATO war against Russia over Ukraine, backed by the Democratic Party, which threatens to develop into a nuclear exchange.
Israel’s genocide, supported by the US and NATO imperialist powers, cannot be defeated by the resistance of the Palestinian people alone, no matter how self-sacrificing. It is necessary to mobilize the international working class, which has the social and economic power to oppose imperialism.
The political perspective presented at the conference, however, worked against this. On Saturday, the conference organizers welcomed a “guest appearance” by Michigan Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib.
In his last social media post before he was assassinated by the US-backed Israel Defense Forces last December, Prof. Refaat Alareer, tweeted, “The Democratic Party and Biden are responsible for the Gaza genocide perpetrated by Israel.” Why a member of the party responsible for not only backing Israel for decades, but murdering Alareer and tens of thousands of other Palestinians, would be welcomed into the conference was never explained.
In her brief comments, Tlaib attacked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling him a “war criminal.” She refused to apply the same label to Netanyahu’s patron and top weapons supplier, President Joe Biden. Instead she appealed to the president she helped elect in 2020, imploring him: “I hope you hear us loud and clear.”
Tlaib did not attempt to provide an explanation as to why the Biden administration and her “colleagues” in the Democratic Party have not only refused to listen to over eight months of sustained peaceful protests, but instead have overseen the police repression of the protests.
Tlaib said it was “shameful” that her “colleagues” voted to send “$14 billion to the apartheid regime,” while “seniors” in her district ask her, “When are we going to get an increase in Social Security?”
While Tlaib and a few other Democrats voted against providing military funding to Israel, she said nothing about her “yes” vote in the same $95 billion package to send over $61 billion to the fascistic Ukrainian government in order to continue the proxy war against Russia.
The deliberate omission of Ukraine on the part of Tlaib and the conference organizers was not a mistake. By presenting the genocide in Gaza, which is one front in the US/NATO global re-division of the world that includes Ukraine and the conflict with Iran and China, as an isolated episode, the organizers and participants could present different factions of the capitalist ruling class, and their adjuncts in the trade union bureaucracy, as “allies” to the Palestinian people, and to the “revolution.”

PSL backs “Uncommitted” trap

Joining Tlaib at the conference was her sister, Layla Elabed, who, alongside Party for Socialism and Liberation co-founder and ANSWER National Coordinator Brian Becker, led the penultimate plenary on Sunday, titled “Uncommitted Votes and the Fracturing of the Two Party System.”
As the WSWS has previously explained, the purpose of the Uncommitted campaign is to promote the illusion that the Democratic Party and Biden can be “pressured” from below via symbolic votes or empty ceasefire resolutions. Organizers for the Uncommitted campaign, including Elabed, who told the New York Times in February that she “has not ruled out” voting for Biden in November, have been clear that the purpose of “uncommitted” is not to “Abandon Biden” or the Democratic Party, but to “push” him to adopt their position.
Despite tens of thousands of people voting “uncommitted,” the Biden administration, with the support of both the Democrats and Republicans, continues to send weapons to Israel which are being used to ethnically cleanse Rafah. This did not prevent Elabed from presenting the campaign as a success. Speaking next to Becker, she said it sent “a clear message to Biden and the Democratic Party.”
Elabed said, “This is our way of telling Joe Biden he is being held accountable. That he needs to do, in order to save...if he really believed in saving his re-election, if he really believed in fighting fascism, if he believed in fighting for democracy, then he should be pro-Palestinian. He should be demanding a ceasefire now.”
Elabed cautioned against breaking with the Democratic Party, “before November we have a number of primaries happening, state house elections and congressional and senate seats. We need to protect our ceasefire candidates, if anything you come out and you vote and you send people like Rashida and [Missouri Rep.] Cori Bush and our pro-peace anti-war folks back to Capitol Hill and back in our state house.”
Lending support to Elabed and the Democratic Party’s electoral campaigns, Becker replied, “I want to shout out the Listen to Michigan campaign, and the Uncommitted campaign because given the available options, which are so limited in this tortured form of democracy, these women the other organizers have used the electoral arena to register something that Biden couldn’t ignore, which is the majority of the base of the Democratic Party in particular says ‘no’ to his policy in Palestine.”
Working in tandem with the Democrats to divert energy towards protest stunts, and away from building an independent movement in the working class, Becker later revealed that the same forces behind the Palestine Conference will be organizing a June 8 demonstration at the White House.

The promotion of the UAW apparatus

Several panels at the Palestine Conference featured the words “labor” and “Zionism” without ever critically examining the role of the US-based trade unions in supporting US imperialism and Israel’s genocide. There was no discussion on current UAW president Shawn Fain’s endorsement of “Genocide Joe.”
The conference featured various “reform” union factions, including Unite All Workers for Democracy (UAWD), and several current and retired union bureaucrats, including UAW Local 4811 president Rafael Jaime and former president and bargain chair of UAW Local 909 in Detroit, Frank Hammer.
UAW Local 4811 comprises 48,000 graduate student workers and researchers in the University of California. Pressure from the rank-and-file compelled the UAW to initiate a strike, but the apparatus has sought to limit it to a handful of campuses, employing the “stand-up strike” tactic used to shut down the auto strike last year. It has also done nothing to inform autoworkers and other members of the union outside California about this highly significant political strike against the genocide in Gaza
Speaking in a panel, “The Role of Labor Unions in Palestinian Struggle,” Jaime tried to take credit for “organizing” the union in order to put it into a position to strike.
The chasm between workers’ desire to fight and the union bureaucrats’ reticence was present throughout Jaime’s comments. After joining what would become Local 4811 in 2016, Jaime admitted that even by 2018 “most workers didn’t even realize they had a union. And so, what we were able to win in 2018 was very limited.” Turning to the current struggle, Jaime said,

I think that the media will focus mostly on the strike and make it seem like all you have to do is press a button and it happens. And I just want it to be, very emphasized, that the work that’s taken to organize, to be able to actually respond to the moment with this kind of action, it’s been years of tireless work.

Near the end of his presentation, Jaime listed the various circumstances through which the union was prepared to call off the strike: “If the university doesn’t resolve its [Unfair Labor Practices], if it doesn’t guarantee the right to peacefully protest, allow protesters to speak up for justice in Palestine, then more campuses are going to go out on strike.”
Throughout his entire presentation Jaime never once mentioned that UAW President Shawn Fain endorsed Biden and stood by as UAW members protesting the genocide were dragged out of the convention where this nomination was announced.

The way forward

The perspective advanced at the “People’s Conference for Palestine,” in which ANSWER and the PSL play a dominant role, is a dead-end. It is not through appeals to the political establishment and the trade union apparatus that the fight against the genocide must be developed, but through a political struggle in the working class.
For nearly eight months, millions of people around the world have taken to the streets, campuses and government centers to demand an end to the genocide. Despite the overwhelmingly peaceful character of the protests, thousands have been arrested and assaulted by police.
Young people and workers opposed to the genocide, outraged by the daily atrocities, sickened by the support for Israel’s actions by the Biden administration and the imperialist powers, confront serious political questions that require serious and revolutionary answers.
The perspective of “pressuring” governments and corporations to adopt more humanitarian policies has proven to be less than useless. At the same time, the trade union apparatus, integrated into the state, is working to suppress the class struggle and subordinate workers to the ruling class policy of global war.
As WSWS International Editorial Board Chairman David North explained in a lecture in March on the suicide of Aaron Bushnell, the basic and urgent task is to mobilize “the only social force which actually has in its power, in its objective role in the whole process of capitalist production, in its position in the forces of production, its potential economic strength, its global character, the ability to bring capitalism to its knees, to destroy the very foundations of militarism.”
The political program upon which the struggles of the working class must develop is the program of socialist revolution.

PUBG MOBILE
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• Prizes: $30 in UC x 40

1. Intellectual Property
2. Ownership of the pre-existing underlying intellectual property of the entrant remains the property of the entrant subject to Sponsor’s rights to reprint, display, reproduce, perform, use, and exhibit the entry for the purpose of administering and promoting the Contest and for Sponsor’s marketing and advertising purposes. By participating in the Contest, each entrant grants to Sponsor a non-exclusive, worldwide, fully paid, royalty-free, perpetual, transferable license, with the right to sublicense, to reprint, display, reproduce, perform, use, and exhibit (including the right to make derivative works of) the entry and materials and information submitted on and in connection with the Contest or use or receipt of the prize for any and all purposes in any medium. If an entrant is selected as a winner, instead of the license granted above, each entrant grants to Sponsor an exclusive, worldwide, fully paid, royalty-free, perpetual, transferable license, with the right to sublicense, to reprint, display, reproduce, perform, use, and exhibit (including the right to make derivative works of) the entry and materials and information submitted on and in connection with the Contest or use or receipt of the prize for any and all purposes in any medium. Each participating entrant hereby warrants that any entry and other materials and information provided by entrant are original with entrant and do not violate or infringe upon the copyrights, trademarks, rights of privacy, publicity, moral rights or other intellectual property or other rights of any person or entity, and do not violate any applicable laws, rules or regulations. If the entry or information or materials provided by entrant contain any material or elements that are not owned by entrant and/or which are subject to the rights of third parties, entrant represents he or she has obtained, prior to submission of the entry and information or materials, any and all releases and consents necessary to permit use and exploitation of the entry, relevant information and materials by Sponsor in the manner set forth in these Official Rules without additional compensation.

Each entrant warrants that the entry and materials and information provided do not contain information considered by entrant, its employees or personnel, or any other third party to be confidential, and that the entry, materials and information provided do not violate any laws or regulations. Entrant agrees that Sponsor has the right to verify the ownership and originality of all entries and that, upon Sponsor’s request, entrant must submit a written copy of any release or permission entrant has received from a third-party granting entrant the right to use such property. Entrant understands and acknowledges that in the event a submission is selected as a winning entry, and entrant’s ownership, rights and the originality of the entry cannot be verified to the satisfaction of Sponsor or is in any other way ineligible, Sponsor may select an alternate winner based on the same judging criteria.

1. Except to the extent prohibited by law, entrants waive the benefit of any “moral rights” or “droit moral” or similar rights in any country to any content that they upload, submit or otherwise provide to Sponsor associated with the Contest (“Entrant Content”). In addition, when an entrant creates, appears in, uploads, or posts Entrant Content, that entrant grants Sponsor a non-exclusive, transferable, worldwide, royalty-free, unrestricted, perpetual, irrevocable, license, with the right to sublicense, to such entrant’s name, likeness, and voice, including in connection with commercial or sponsored content. This means, among other things, that such entrant will not be entitled to any compensation from Sponsor, its affiliates, or its business partners if such entrant’s name, likeness, or voice is conveyed through the game or any related services, or on one of Sponsor’s business partner’s platforms.
2. Disputes

In the event of a dispute as to any participant, the authorized account holder of the email address associated with the entry will be deemed to be the participant. The “authorized account holder” is the natural person assigned an email address by an Internet access provider, online service provider or other organization responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted address. Each potential winner may be required to show proof of being the authorized account holder. ZAM will make final determination of identity of participants and timing of entries in its sole discretion.

1. Additional Conditions

ZAM reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to terminate, modify or suspend the Contest in whole or in part, if in ZAM’s opinion (a) the Contest is not capable of running as planned by reason of the occurrence of any event beyond its control including, but not limited to, fire, flood, epidemic, pandemic, earthquake, explosion, labor dispute or strike, act of God or public enemy, communications, equipment failure, utility or service interruptions, riot or civil disturbance, terrorist threat or activity, war (declared or undeclared), interference with the Contest by any party, or any federal, state, local or provincial government law, order, or regulation, order of any court or jurisdiction, or other cause not reasonably within ZAM’s control, or (b) any other factors beyond ZAM’s reasonable control corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of the Contest, in all instances without liability to the participants. ZAM also reserves the right to disqualify any participant or winner, as determined by ZAM, in its sole discretion.

1. List of Winner(s)

Individuals may request the name of the winners by emailing Sponsor at [entries@zam.com](mailto:entries@zam.com) with the subject line: “PUBG MOBILE Erangel Mecha Runway Competition Winners List”, within 90 days from the end of the Contest.

1. Personal Information

ZAM may collect personal data about participants online, in accordance with its privacy policy and as may be more specifically set forth in these Official Rules and the Privacy Policy.

1. Disclaimers and Limitations on Liability. ZAM MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, REGARDING ANY PRIZE OR YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTEST. BY ENTERING THE CONTEST OR RECEIPT OF ANY PRIZE, EACH ENTRANT AGREES TO RELEASE AND HOLD HARMLESS THE CONTEST ENTITIES, ANY THIRD-PARTY SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS UTILIZED FOR THE CONTEST, AND THEIR SUBSIDIARIES, AFFILIATES, SUPPLIERS, DISTRIBUTORS, ADVERTISING/CONTEST AGENCIES, AND PRIZE SUPPLIERS, AND EACH OF THEIR RESPECTIVE PARENT COMPANIES AND EACH SUCH COMPANY’S OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES AND AGENTS (COLLECTIVELY, THE “RELEASED PARTIES”) FROM AND AGAINST ANY CLAIM OR CAUSE OF ACTION, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PERSONAL INJURY, DEATH, OR DAMAGE TO OR LOSS OF PROPERTY, ARISING OUT OF PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTEST OR RECEIPT OR USE OR MISUSE OF ANY PRIZE. THE RELEASED PARTIES ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR: (1) ANY INCORRECT OR INACCURATE INFORMATION, WHETHER CAUSED BY ENTRANTS, PRINTING ERRORS OR BY ANY OF THE EQUIPMENT OR PROGRAMMING ASSOCIATED WITH OR UTILIZED IN THE CONTEST; (2) TECHNICAL FAILURES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO MALFUNCTIONS, INTERRUPTIONS, OR DISCONNECTIONS IN PHONE LINES OR NETWORK HARDWARE OR SOFTWARE; (3) UNAUTHORIZED HUMAN INTERVENTION IN ANY PART OF THE ENTRY PROCESS OR THE CONTEST; (4) TECHNICAL OR HUMAN ERROR WHICH MAY OCCUR IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CONTEST OR THE PROCESSING OF ENTRIES; OR (5) ANY INJURY OR DAMAGE TO PERSONS OR PROPERTY WHICH MAY BE CAUSED, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, FROM ENTRANT’S PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTEST OR RECEIPT OR USE OR MISUSE OF ANY PRIZE. If for any reason an entrant's entry is confirmed to have been erroneously deleted, lost, or otherwise destroyed or corrupted, entrant’s sole remedy is another entry in the Contest, provided that if it is not possible to award another entry due to discontinuance of the Contest, or any part of it, for any reason, Sponsor, at its discretion, may elect to hold a random drawing from among all eligible entries received up to the date of discontinuance for any or all of the prizes offered herein. No more than the stated number of prizes will be awarded. In event that production, technical, programming or any other reasons cause more than stated number of prizes as set forth in these Official Rules to be available and/or claimed, Sponsor reserves the right to award only the stated number of prizes by a choosing from all legitimate, unawarded, eligible prize claims. In the event Sponsor is prevented from continuing with the Contest as contemplated herein by any event beyond its control, including but not limited to fire, flood, earthquake, explosion, labor dispute or strike, act of God or public enemy, or any federal, state or local government law, order, or regulation, or other cause not reasonably within Sponsor’s control (each a "Force Majeure" event or occurrence), then subject to any governmental approval which may be required, Sponsor shall have the right to modify, suspend, or terminate the Contest. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these rules shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision.
2. Indemnification

You agree to release, indemnify, defend and hold ZAM and its parent, affiliates, subsidiaries, directors, officers, employees, sponsors and agents, including advertising and promotion agencies, and assigns, and any other organizations related to the Contest, harmless, from any and all claims, injuries, damages, expenses or losses to person or property and/or liabilities of any nature that in any way arise from participation in the Contest or acceptance or use of a prize or parts thereof, including, without limitation, (a) any condition caused by events beyond ZAM’s control that may cause the Contest to be disrupted or corrupted; (b) the prize, or acceptance, possession, or use of the prize, or from participation in the Contest; and (c) any printing or typographical errors in any materials associated with the Contest.

1. Publicity

Except where prohibited, by participating in the Contest, you consent to the use of your name, photograph, likeness, voice, opinions, information, biographical information, entry and statements attributed to you (if true), hometown and jurisdiction of residence for advertising, publicity and promotional purposes, including without limitation, inclusion in ZAM’s newsletters, social media accounts and affiliated websites and the applicable Contest webpage, without further compensation.

1. Governing Law

These Official Rules, and any action related thereto, will be governed by the Federal Arbitration Act, federal arbitration law and the laws of the State of California without regard to conflict of laws provisions. Except as otherwise expressly set forth in Section 15 “Dispute Resolution and Arbitration” the exclusive jurisdiction for all Disputes (defined below) that you and ZAM are not required to arbitrate will be the state and federal courts located in Los Angeles County, California and you and ZAM each waive any objection to jurisdiction and venue in such courts.

1. Dispute Resolution and Arbitration
2. Mandatory Arbitration of Disputes. We each agree that any dispute, claim or controversy arising out of or relating to these Official Rules or the breach, termination, enforcement, interpretation or validity thereof or participation in the Contest (collectively, “Disputes”) will be resolved solely by binding, individual arbitration and not in a class, representative or consolidated action or proceeding. You and ZAM agree that the U.S. Federal Arbitration Act governs the interpretation and enforcement of these Official Rules, and that you and ZAM are each waiving the right to a trial by jury or to participate in a class action. This arbitration provision shall survive termination of these Official Rules.
3. Exceptions. As limited exceptions to Section 15(a) above: (i) we both may seek to resolve a Dispute in small claims court if it qualifies; and (ii) we each retain the right to seek injunctive or other equitable relief from a court to prevent (or enjoin) the infringement or misappropriation of our intellectual property rights.
4. Conducting Arbitration and Arbitration Rules. The arbitration will be conducted by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) under its Consumer Arbitration Rules (the “AAA Rules”) then in effect, except as modified by these Official Rules. The AAA Rules are available at www.adr.org or by calling 1-800-778-7879. A party who wishes to start arbitration must submit a written Demand for Arbitration to AAA and give notice to the other party as specified in the AAA Rules. The AAA provides a form Demand for Arbitration at www.adr.org. Any arbitration hearings will take place in the county (or parish) where you live, unless we both agree to a different location. The parties agree that the arbitrator shall have exclusive authority to decide all issues relating to the interpretation, applicability, enforceability and scope of this arbitration agreement.
5. Arbitration Costs. Payment of all filing, administration and arbitrator fees will be governed by the AAA Rules, and we won’t seek to recover the administration and arbitrator fees we are responsible for paying, unless the arbitrator finds your Dispute frivolous. If we prevail in arbitration we’ll pay all of our attorneys’ fees and costs and won’t seek to recover them from you. If you prevail in arbitration you will be entitled to an award of attorneys’ fees and expenses to the extent provided under applicable law.
6. Injunctive and Declaratory Relief. Except as provided in 13(b) above, the arbitrator shall determine all issues of liability on the merits of any claim asserted by either party and may award declaratory or injunctive relief only in favor of the individual party seeking relief and only to the extent necessary to provide relief warranted by that party’s individual claim. To the extent that you or we prevail on a claim and seek public injunctive relief (that is, injunctive relief that has the primary purpose and effect of prohibiting unlawful acts that threaten future injury to the public), the entitlement to and extent of such relief must be litigated in a civil court of competent jurisdiction and not in arbitration. The parties agree that litigation of any issues of public injunctive relief shall be stayed pending the outcome of the merits of any individual claims in arbitration.
7. Class Action Waiver. YOU AND ZAM AGREE THAT EACH MAY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY IN YOUR OR ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING. Further, if the parties’ Dispute is resolved through arbitration, the arbitrator may not consolidate another person’s claims with your claims, and may not otherwise preside over any form of a representative or class proceeding. If this specific provision is found to be unenforceable, then the entirety of this Dispute Resolution and Arbitration section shall be null and void.
8. Severability. With the exception of any of the provisions in Section 15(f) (“Class Action Waiver”), if an arbitrator or court of competent jurisdiction decides that any part of these Official Rules is invalid or unenforceable, the other parts of these Official Rules will still apply.
9. Languages. These Official Rules may be made in multiple language versions. In the event of a dispute as to the terms of different language versions, the English version shall prevail.
10. Country Specific Notices.
11. If any provision of these Official Rules is invalid under the law, rules, or regulations of a particular country, it will only apply to the extent permitted.
12. No Affiliation with Social Media Channels.
13. This Contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administered by, or associated with, any of the social media channels used in connection with this Contest. Entrants understand that entrants are providing information to Sponsor and not to the social media channels. The information provided by entrants will only be used as described in these Official Rules and the Game’s Privacy Policy.

For any feedback or questions regarding these Official Rules, the Contest, winners, or prizes, you can contact Sponsor by sending an email to: [entries@zam.com](mailto:entries@zam.com)

Killer Grips: Anne Maria, Jasmine, Justin, Millie
Screaming Gaffers: Chase, Izzy, MK, Ripper
Episode 12: The Aftermath II: Sky Fall
A familiar riff from an electric guitar began the episode, the letters of the 'TDA Aftermath' logo flashing and sliding into existence exactly as they had six episodes prior. A gleam of light swept across it, and the 'D' popped forward, rotating counterclockwise and snapping like a camera taking a picture.
Clip 1
"I'm sorry, but I have to make my conscience clean again," Brick responded. He then noticed Jasmine looking at the ground with disappointment. “Jasmine, are you feeling-”
“Like you said, it's best that you stay away from the film lot,” Jasmine said with an upset glare. “And more importantly from me. You lied to me, and a long distance apart is what's best right now.”
Brick hung his head in shame. “Understood!” he obeyed dejectedly.
The 'D' retreated briefly, then popped back out again before the next clip was shown.
Clip 2
The footage showed Chef escorting a handcuffed Sky on the red carpet.
"Hold on!" the voice of MK cried out as she ran up to the two. “Leave her and take me!”
“Sure. Whatever,” Chef took the handcuffs off Sky and offered them to MK.
“I was kidding!” MK pushed the cuffs away from her. “Like I'd willingly quit the game. I'm just here to see the loser off.” She looked at the slightly taller girl teasingly. “I'm sure you'll be happily reunited with Trent the Challenge Thrower.”
"As long as I'm not on a team with someone as underhanded as you," Sky retorted as she grabbed the handcuffs and walked past the now miffed girl, "I'll be happy anywhere."
The 'D' repeated its standard motion, retreating briefly before popping back out as a transition to the next clip.
Clip 3
"I promise to get you compensated for your broken arm as soon as possible," Chris whispered to Scott timidly.
“Okay,” Scott looked at Chris suspiciously. “I'll go celebrate with my team, but you guys better provide me with benefits or you and Chef are getting a lawsuit.”
For a fourth and final time, the logo's 'D' performed its transitional sequence.
Clip 4
The split-screen from the previous episode's elimination was shown, the camera panning to the left as Izzy received her award. "Hold on, wha?" Scott stammered in shock. "This has to be a joke, right?"
“No, it isn't,” MK said with a grin, “and you have me to thank for that.”
“You… you backstabbed me?!” Scott said with a bit of shock.
“With four votes to one,” MK cackled. “I just did what you did to your previous alliance. Don't get all hypocritical.”
"Unbelievable!" Scott grumbled before he was grabbed by Chef and carried over the shoulder down the Walk of Shame.
The 'D' was shown again, now as a signal of the recap's end.
(Theme Song)
The Aftermath introduction was replayed, this time cutting to the studio as the audience cheered and applauded. Priya and Damien were already on the host's couch, and the seats on stage left had been filled by Rodney, Sam, Gwen, Eva, and Geoff in the top row, and Topher, Katie, Sadie, and Trent in the bottom.
"Hey, everyone!" Priya opened with a wide smile. "I'm Priya!"
"And I'm Damien!" the nervous wreck added. "Good to have you all with us for another episode of the Aftermath."
"I hope you're all ready for the latest dirt on Total! Drama! Action!" Priya said excitedly as the crowd went wild again.
"There's a lot of love out there, right Priya?" Damien said.
"I know what you mean, Damien," Priya added.
"Sadly, today won't be all about love, considering that we'll be experiencing hate," Damien sighed.
"Considering who'll be joining us, that's a guarantee," Priya said as the camera pulled back enough to show the hanging television above them. "We have not only Scott, but Brick and Sky as well," she said as the screen split to show the devious farmer, cadet, and athlete's faces on the viewing screen and the crowd began to cheer.
"We've also got our season one friends joining us in the VIP section!" Damien announced. Priya held a finger to her ear and got up and walked off. "Say hey to Katie and Sadie!" The camera focused on the two girls as they smiled for the camera. "Rodney!" The country boy grinned. "Sam!" The gamer waved. "Gwen!" The goth gave a slight smirk. "And Topher!" The fanboy shot a finger pistol at the cheers.
Damien clapped and looked back, only to blink in confusion at Priya’s disappearance. "And we've got the guests from the last episode. Trent!" The camera cut to the guitarist as he smiled for the cheering crowd. "Geoff!" The party guy winked at the loud cheers. "And last year's winner, Eva!" She dropped her stoic persona long enough to grin at the camera, causing the crowd to cheer louder than ever.
"You sure know how to milk the camera," Trent said to the muscle woman.
"Not my fault," Eva shrugged. "The fans like me."
“Hi, Trent! We're so happy you're here!” Katie told him admiringly.
This made Sadie mad enough to smack her away. “I won the thumb war to say hi from us!” she argued, Katie sharing a similarly furious expression.
The camera cut back to Damien. "She’s doing that now?! Of all times?!" he whisper-yelled into his earpiece angrily and then changed his tone for the camera. "So there've been a couple of pretty shocking eliminations. Anything you'd like to comment on, Eva?"
"Not specifically," Eva replied.
"Okay," Damien said. "These past few episodes have been intense. We had the prison movie, the hospital drama, the haunted set..."
"...the disaster movie and war flick. Totally top-notch!" Priya finished as she returned to the studio and retook her seat, the audience members cheering.
"I knew these people would be all over those last two," Damien joked. "Glad I wasn’t in this season. I would've been voted out on prison day no matter what."
"I have to agree with you there," Priya admitted as the audience laughed. "I have a strong stomach, but the food would’ve been too much for me."
"For once, I actually feel for Scott. Having to go through all that, and getting his arm busted?" Damien commented. "I wouldn't wish that on anybody!"
"Same here, except for Fabien," Priya uttered with bitterness before moving on. "Coming up, we've got more moments of pain and hits like you've never seen," she said as the cheering began again. "It's time for 'That's Gonna Leave a Mark'!"
The segment's introductory sequence played, unchanged from the previous aftermath: several 'filmstrips' depicting various impacts and injuries to the contestants scrolled across the screen set to a grand theme. The crowd began to laugh as never-before-seen clips began to play, all set to a campy tune.
First was Jasmine stumbling around the hospital set with her arms outstretched, believing she had been blinded. She walked straight into Brick in his quarantine bubble, causing the cadet to roll back, hit the wall, and knock away Jasmine afterwards, much to his guilt.
Next, Scott was shown getting rolled into the ambulance after his injury. As the other castmates watched, the ambulance sped off but the doors swung back open, causing the farmer's stretcher to drop out. It rolled towards the teens, stopping just in front of a manhole before it partially collapsed and Scott slid down into the sewer with a splash.
The third clip was short, showing Chase finished setting up a trap during the war challenge and walking off. Ripper was carrying a couple of nets, and didn't notice the trap Chase set up until he got caught in it.
Fourth was set during the prison challenge, the same clip of Sky getting hit in the head by a bag while pushing the cart for her team playing.
The scene then flashed back to the hosts on their couch. "You can't just ditch me like that on live TV without telling me,” Damien scolded the reality TV fan.
“I saw my clip on the monitor, Damien. It was looking disoriented, and that has never happened before,” Priya defended herself. “Don't you know how embarrassing this would be if I didn't notice?”
“More embarrassing than me hosting solo when we're supposed to be a duo?” Damien argued.
The audience gasped. "So uh, guys? That was one great montage of pain!" Trent said from his seat.
"Oh, uh, it sure was!" Priya said quickly as she and Damien realized they were back live. "Did you all see Scott going down like a can of ham? Talk about brutal, right?"
Footage began on the hanging television as the campy tune resumed, starting with a shot of Chef Hatchet's giant manifesto flying towards the camera. The viewpoint shifted just as a gaping Scott was struck in his right arm, and the scene paused right as he began to fall off the wall he'd been clinging to.
"Yikes," Damien winced as a red circle was drawn around Scott's right arm. "If his favorite dance was the robot, he'll have a hard time doing that now."
The footage unpaused, and the redheaded boy fell across the balance beam in slow motion. "Does this show offer back insurance?" Priya added as the camera zoomed in on the point of impact between the log-like beam and Scott.
"Here's my personal favorite," she said as the scene changed to a clip of a traumatized Brick falling forward. "Brick fainting. This is what panic looks like," Priya said as a red circle was drawn around the cadet's face.
The feed cut back to the studio as the audience applauded and the hanging television cut to static. "How about we check in on Brick and see how he's holding up?" Damien asked the crowd right before the hanging television cut to the room backstage.
Brick was sitting on the couch in the middle of the room eating snacks while Scott sat on a nearby chair and Sky paced back and forth.
"So how are you two feeling about being interviewed in this episode?" Sky asked the two. “I'm personally ready to accept what's coming my way.”
“I'm prepared for it,” Scott answered. Though he still had a sling on his right arm and his bandana was gone, the brand on his forehead was no longer visible. “On one hand, my right arm is still broken, but on the other hand, I don't have no lame brand on my forehead no more. And I have a lot to say when it comes to being interviewed.”
“Thanks for your response, Scott,” Sky said. “What about you, Brick?”
“I'm not going to lie after what happened, so I'm just going to say that I'm worried about the questions I'm going to be asked,” Brick admitted and took a bite of his sandwich and looked at the camera. “And we're being watched right now.”
"The camera's on?!" Sky looked at it with shock as the shot cut back to the studio, the three eliminated castmates still on the hanging screen. “This was supposed to be private!”
A mixture of laughs and cheers came from the audience, and the camera focused in on Priya and Damien as the former said "We're always being recorded, no matter what."
"Before we bring out our first guest," Damien said, "let's take a look at his journey on the show." He looked back up to the other screen, which cut to static and then to a series of clips.
"Brick started out as a strong contender in this season," Priya started over clips of him being shocked by an eel and getting sprinkled by green slime.
"With his usual soft spot," Damien said over a clip of him peeking at MK's voting device.
"But when Chef secretly took him under his wing, making a deal to split the million if they won…" Priya brought up as clips of Chef talking to Brick during the acting challenge played.
"Things got dicey for our cadet," Damien said as a clip of Brick getting his swimsuit eaten by a shark was displayed.
"Fortunately for the rest of the cast, Brick had a thing or two to teach Chef about cooking actual food," Priya commented as clips of Brick making pizza and eating a slice was shown.
"But ultimately, Brick's conscience had something to teach him, too, leading to his dramatic exit," Damien said as clips of Brick talking to Justin and entering the Lame-o-sine were displayed.
The footage cut to static and the scene cut back to the studio, the camera panning back down to the hosts. "Our guest once got bombarded by skunks, is afraid of the dark, though he caught a pepperoni disease," Priya said. "Welcome Brick!"
She looked to the backstage exit where the cadet walked out to applause. "Brick McArthur, ready to execute the interview," he greeted with a salute as he walked over to the guest couch and took a seat.
"So Brick, how are you feeling after everything?" Damien asked.
"Is that a good question to ask?" Priya backpedaled. "He lost out on a million bucks twice."
"That may be factual, but my pride and integrity is still inside me," Brick claimed, making the audience applaud.
“Seriously?” Priya moaned. “That is so forced? Right, everybody?”
“Do we clap if we agree or disagree?” Katie asked Sadie, who simply shrugged.
"Thanks for the support,” Priya cynically mumbled. “I still think that what Brick said sounds like a lie. And you know what we do to liars!"
The shot pulled out and the music turned tense as an anvil swung down from the ceiling on a rope. "That's right," Priya said as the heavy thing came to a rest mere inches above Brick's head. "It's 'Truth or Anvil'!"
A grand tune played over a receding shot of a golden statue of the Lady of Justice. The crowd cheered, and both applause and music came to an abrupt end when a large anvil was dropped on the statue, smashing it to bits.
"Priya, why the sudden change?" Damien asked his girlfriend. "Wasn't it 'Truth or Hammer' last time? Why an anvil?"
"The producers’ thought of adding more drama to the show with an anvil. More Total Drama," Priya emphasized.
"Permission to speak," Brick said with a nervous look upwards, the viewpoint changing to show the anvil dangling precariously on its rope. "That anvil is going to drop on me if I lie?"
"You got it, but please don't lie. We don't want anyone to get injured," Priya said. "So, here's my first question.”
“I am so not cool with this!” Damien protested.
“How do you think I feel?” Brick said. “I'm not hiding anything anymore.”
“Brick, did you think the way you took advantage of your teammates was completely heinous and unforgivable?" Priya ignored the complaints and asked the first question.
"I had no intention of doing any harm, especially to Jasmine," Brick replied. "Chef just intimidated me!"
The anvil slightly dropped, making the audience gasp.
"Can't we just run some footage instead?" Damien suggested.
"How about some never-before-seen footage of Brick's fast moves behind the scenes?" Priya looked back up to the hanging television, which quickly switched from static to Chef in the boys’ trailer.
"While everyone else smelled like a dog park in August, you were wearing spring fresh duds," Priya said as the clip panned out to show Chef walking over to Brick to give him fresh clothes similar to the young man's usual attire.
"Thanks, Chef," Brick told the cook in the clip before the static moved to the next one.
"Chef gave you performance enhancing vitamins and helpful dairy products while everyone else was forced to eat slop," Priya talked over a clip of Chef providing Brick with a cup of vitamins and a carton of milk while Ripper, Millie, and Anne Maria were walking by with their horrible food.
The static changed the scene to Brick getting a therapeutic massage with needles attached to his bare back, sitting on his bunk bed with packages around him, and eating bags of beef jerky. "You received therapeutic massages, packages from home, and beef jerky, and never once felt bad about it," Priya mentioned all the things that Brick did.
The footage cut to Brick in a never before seen confessional. "Do I like winning? Heck yeah! I wanna do whatever it takes to keep racking up the wins! Do I feel bad? Do I look like I feel bad?"
Everyone gasped at all the things that Brick did after the shot cut back to the studio.
"I solemnly swear that I wasn't being two-faced," Brick defended himself. "Don't you have another clip explaining why I said what I said?"
"Okay. Here's what really happened in that confessional," Damien said before the next clip played on the television.
Another confessional was shown, though Brick was holding a script while Chef was watching him.
"Is this necessary, Chef?" Brick questioned Chef, who snarled in response and held a wooden ladle over his head. "I'm going to read. Do I like winning? Heck yeah."
The footage went back to the studio, where Priya was in the middle of a conversation with Brick. “Just do it this once,” Priya begged. “It'll make for great comedy, and the producers will love it!”
“You want me to get hit in the head with an anvil just to please your producers?” Brick repeated with a scowl. “That is not happening!”
“Okay then,” Priya said. “You lying did drive a wedge between you and Jasmine, so I'm not going to push it.”
"We only have time for one question," Damien interrupted.
"And I have the perfect one," Priya informed. "GumbroGordon98 wants to know; Brick, what would you do the next time you and Jasmine see each other again?"
“What I will do is make up for my actions and prove to her that I'll never keep anything from her again," Brick answered. "Not because of love, but because we're friends."
The hosts looked up to the anvil, but it didn't move. "That was not a lie if the anvil didn't pummel you," Damien smiled.
“Speaking of Jasmine, do you think that you two would’ve gotten together had you not worked with Chef all season or not at all?” Priya followed up.
“Excuse me?!” Brick asked in offense.
“Priya!” Damien said warningly. “That is personal info! I told you not to bring that up!”
“I just wanted to know. This is a half-hour show,” Priya said and faced the camera. "And it's time for a small break," Priya said. "We'll see you after these messages." She smiled and the crowd cheered.
The scene faded into the TDA Aftermath logo, and the 'D' popped out at the screen once again.
(Commercial Break)
The episode returned with another flash of the Aftermath logo, and a montage of clips from 'The Chefshank Redemption' began to play. Ripper and Chase were shown putting roaches and moldy pineapple slices into their bowl respectively, and Millie was eating the meal until she threw up. The camera pulled back out from the screen to the studio.
"Did you really leave just to touch up on your makeup?" Damien whispered to Priya.
"There was a pimple, Damien," Priya shot back. “And I took care of it during the commercial at least since you had a problem with me checking my clip during the episode.”
Damien groaned in frustration. "I thought you’d only do this once."
“I’d hate to interrupt your squabble, but the camera is rolling right now!” Eva spoke up.
Damien and Priya gave a wide-eyed stare to the camera. "And we're back," Damien said awkwardly.
"It's time we meet our second guest," Priya said. "But first, let's take a look." The hanging monitor cut to static and then started playing clips. "Scott was his same old antagonistic self this season," Priya said over a shot of Scott squeezing his sweat out of his shirt in the prison challenge.
"He was even picked last for the Gaffers because of his actions," Damien said over a clip of Sky picking him.
"Scott knew that he couldn’t throw the challenges with his rotten reputation, so he decided to mostly stay under the radar and not do anything risky," Priya recapped as Scott was shown getting on the surfboard and later on falling from one of the supports for the lights hanging above the pool and landing painfully on the surfboard.
"Scott formed an alliance with MK," Damien added over Scott and MK planning to vote out Izzy after the acting challenge, "and considering that MK’s as sneaky as him, it was a match made in heaven."
“When his arm got broken in the disaster challenge, Scott made sure to Chris that he wasn’t playing around with suing him after all he’s been put through,” Priya mentioned, clips of Scott being hit on the arm and later on angrily talking to Chris at night being shown.
"When the elimination came, Scott trusted MK to have his back in getting rid of Izzy," Damien said over Scott and MK in the communal bathroom together discussing the vote.
"But in a twist of events, MK chose to backstab Scott instead and take the villain role for herself, leading to his exit," Priya finished as MK's confessional was shown and Scott got thrown into the Lame-o-sine by Chef. The footage cut to static as the shot moved back to the studio, the hanging television retreating into the ceiling as the audience clapped.
"Our next guest got his forehead branded, covered his entire body in honey, and is a big fan of pigs," Damien announced. "Give it up for Scott!"
The audience cheered as Scott came out with his usual smirk and sat on the couch. "I expected there to be people booing me, but I guess I’m much more popular than I thought!" he told the hosts.
"I think it’s because you haven’t done anything as villainous as last season thanks to your early elimination," Priya said.
“Priya, Damien, are there still hard feelings between us?” Scott asked.
"The two of us still don’t like you, but we’re being professional for today," Damien replied. "So how are you feeling now that you've had a few days away from the show?"
"For starters, my dumb brand is gone and the money has been transferred to my family," Scott answered. "I’m happy about all that, but I am disappointed as well. I got duped and tricked and Chef damaged my right arm, and with my forehead, that’s just humiliating."
"That does sound harsh," Damien told him with sympathy. "You’re a wolf that’ll betray people, but what you got was overkill!"
“If you threatened to file a lawsuit against Chris after the arm incident, why didn’t you do so when you involuntarily got your forehead branded?” Priya asked the devious farmer.
"Because it wasn’t as painful as the second situation, and I only threatened to sue them out of bitterness from missing out on the final two," Scott said. "I did deserve to win that season."
"I know twenty-one people, including myself, who will highly disagree with you," Damien said with a knowing look at the camera, making the audience chuckle.
“Whatever. Only my opinion matters,” Scott let the hosts know.
"I think it's time for the questions,” Priya smiled mischievously. “How do you feel about MK after what she did?"
Scott snorted. "That’s the question you’re going to start with?"
Damien cleared his throat. "Don’t know why I didn’t bring this up sooner, but you should try not to lie for once in your life or an anvil's gonna fall on you." The camera followed up to the anvil, once again dangling above the guest couch on a rope.
"I don’t plan to be a pancake today," Scott said after looking at the anvil. "But if you insist, MK is like my equal, only that she’s less effective than me. We did work together to get the case, but that was because nobody wanted to work with either of us."
“And can you blame us at all?” Priya asked dismissively.
“When we started our alliance this season, I personally felt like we were starting to be good friends, and not lovers,” Scott continued. “Despite not always being on the same page, we gained respect for each other, so to have her turn on me like that kinda upset me a lot.”
“I remember you turning on me and our alliance last season,” Damien brought up. “Why did this even upset you?”
“I’m not soulless and sociopathic,” Scott stated. “I’m a jerk for sure, but I do care for the people closest to me, and that includes friends. Thankfully, MK didn’t heartlessly throw our bonding away for no reason. This is a battle for a million dollars, and I kinda respect her for getting me voted out.”
“Who knew you could put your pride aside for once?” Priya chuckled softly.
“Next question,” Damien carried on. “Are you mad at your other teammates for voting you off the show?”
“Absolutely not,” Scott answered. Everyone gasped and waited for the falling anvil... and it never came. "What? I’m not ticked off at them."
"I am also as shocked as the audience," Priya said in exasperation. "They helped MK vote you out and cost you a million bucks!"
"I’m not close to Ripper, Chase, and Izzy at all, so their votes I don’t mind," Scott replied. "They cost themselves the most strategic player on the team is what I’m gonna say."
"Is there anyone you'd like to see get booted out of the game next?” Priya wondered. “You made a lot of enemies."
"Eva’s my biggest rival, and with her already eliminated, I don’t care who gets kicked off next," Scott responded uncaringly. "If anything, I want MK to win this season. She’ll obviously triumph with her big brain."
"A supporter of the baddie? Interesting," MK remarked.
"Here's what I want to know," Damien said. "What's with your general, well, nastiness? Take a look," the television showed a montage of Scott’s unfriendly moments.
"So this is my competition. Eleven wimps I can easily take down."
"Wait, you're talking about Muscle Woman?! Seriously?"
"It's just an owl, Chicken Little."
“I don't know what's more boring. Danger Free's feelings for Wild Girl, or Gamer coddling a bird.”
"Hey Danger-less Damien! Get eating already!"
“If you want to hate the player, hate the game much more.”
"I don't want to get cuffed to anyone. Look at these people!"
"So those jerks left me here to die and without even winning the money."
"I'm up against a girl probably on steroids and a dumb party obsessed dude."
“McLean better be here in the next couple of seconds or I'm bailing."
“Are you kidding me?! Do my strategic skills, whittling skills, and good looks mean nothing to you?”
"Izzy's such a showboat. She's always there to demonstrate how “cool” she is, but can she smash twenty kitchen rats in under a minute? No.”
The footage cut to static and the studio was shown again. "Hey, people say that I wasn’t held enough as a child. Plus, where’s the joy in not grinding people’s gears every once in a while?" Scott said.
"You do have moments where you’re not insulting us, so we usually tolerate you for the most part," Priya said.
"Thanks. Now can we move on? I have nothing else to say," Scott requested heavily.
"Well in that case," Damien said, "it's time for the final guest." The feed on the TV screen started playing the clips of Sky's time on the show.
"Sky started the game as one of the stronger players," Priya said over a clip of Sky running from the monster in the first challenge with Trent.
"She was chosen as one of the team captains," Damien said over a clip of her winning the second challenge. "Unfortunately, her boyfriend, Trent, was the other captain."
"With her becoming friends with Chase," Priya said over a clip of Sky high fiving Chase, "and her focusing more on the competition," her jump off the diving board was shown, along with Trent helping her off the horse, "things got complicated with her and Trent."
"Thankfully, Sky was able to straighten things up or they could've broken up," Damien said over Sky and Trent's conversation after the wild west challenge.
"Sky was able to move on from Trent and focus on her own goals in the contest," Priya said over clips of Sky asserting herself in the alien challenge and pushing the cart for her team in the prison challenge, "but her refusal to be underhanded was her own doing," Sky's confessional about taking a shortcut was shown.
"And she was left without a Gilded Chris," Damien finished as the athlete was shown being escorted to the Lame-o-sine. The monitor was raised once again and the camera cut back to the hosts. "Our last guest loves serial killer movies, accidentally knocked someone out with a crate of oranges, and tranquilized multiple animals."
"She also dumped somebody before the show and hooked up with somebody new," Priya added. "Here's Sky!"
Sky walked onstage to a roaring applause. She waved to the audience before sitting down on the first row of the guest couch on the opposite end of Scott with Brick now seated a row above them.
“Hi everybody!” Sky greeted politely. “Hello Trent!”
“Sup, Sky!” Trent waved to his girlfriend. “Great to see you.”
"Welcome to the show," Priya said with a smile.
"Good job on getting the positions as co-hosts," Sky told Damien and Priya.
“It's not like we were forced into doing it,” Damien said. “It was our own choice… that the producers offered us,” he added the last part quickly.
"Anyway, Sky, let's talk about your time on the show and how it led to you coming here," Priya said to Sky.
"Well, I did have hope that I could make it to the finale this season since I was close to that stage in season 1, but got eliminated because of an auto-elimination challenge," Sky admitted. “Had it not been for that, my chances would have been higher since I usually don't get a lot of votes.”
"So you didn't know that MK plotted to use you and your boyfriend's love dilemma for drama and got your teammates to vote you out because it was resolved?" Damien asked.
"Say what?" Sky balked with shock.
"MK also got Izzy eliminated with help from Scott and is scheming in the background. Who knows who she'll target next?" Priya said dramatically.
"If MK was going to split apart me and Trent, then I am heavily rooting against her!" Sky declared. “In retrospect, I should have picked somebody else for my team.”
"So who inspired you to become who you are today?" Damien wondered.
"Be honest and you'll be fine," Brick whispered to the athlete.
“Unless you want to be shorter than you already are by getting squashed by the anvil,” Scott added.
"Hey, I was supposed to warn her!" Priya complained. “Sky, go on.”
"My sister, Jane, is in the Canadian Olympic team for rhythmic gymnastics," Sky opened up. "She is the first athlete of my family. I've looked up to her and wanted to be an athlete of my own.” She then donned a frown. “Before that, I didn't even know what I wanted to be. I was a lonely kid who didn't know how to talk to people back then until Jane gave me inspiration to become the bold and courageous person I am today."
The audience aww'd at her backstory and some people even cried, with Katie and Sadie being one of them. "That is so beautiful!" Katie cried as she and Sadie wiped off many tears.
“Next question: how do you think that things between you and Trent would've been much worse?” Priya asked next.
“Had I not talked to Trent about him losing on purpose, he'd still be in the game, but he'd continue challenge throwing,” Sky theorized. “It would've led to a fight, we'd break up, and we'd both be hated by the fans.”
“Trent, would you like to back her up on this?” Damien turned to him.
Trent felt surprised at being called on, but he still stood up regardless. “Sky made her point perfectly clear. She doesn't like to cheat or watch other people do the same,” he said. “I'm just glad we were able to open up to each other like rational people and keep our relationship rather than acting like whiny teenagers.”
“Thank you for understanding my views,” Sky smiled at her boyfriend while the audience applauded.
"Speaking of relationships, we would like to talk about Keith," Priya said abruptly.
“Keith?” Sky repeated.
“Yeah. He's the guy you broke up with before you came onto the show,” Damien told her.
"Because he was an absolute jerk," Sky said sarcastically. The anvil dropped, leading to Sky, Scott, and Brick diving out of the way and allowing for the anvil to destroy the couch.
"Did you have to lie? You do know that my arm is still in a sling!" Scott informed her indignantly.
"I didn't know that the anvil believed sarcasm was lying," Sky apologized.
“The anvil's policy is honesty, one hundred percent!” Priya enforced.
"Here's the honest reason we broke up, other than me joining the show. Keith is a reliable guy, but he and I both realized that our relationship wasn't going so smoothly, so we parted on good terms," Sky admitted.
"With that being said, let's get to today's video call with Keith!" Priya announced as the scene panned up to the television.
The static soon went away and showed Sky's ex-boyfriend Keith, who was a medium height Asian boy with black wavy hair and a black collared shirt. He was sitting on his bed inside his room with the wall painted gray and with medals hung on. He gave a wave to the camera and gave a small smile to Sky, who smiled back.
"Nice to see you again, Keith," Sky told him.
"Feeling's mutual, Sky. How are things going with you and your track season?" Keith asked.
"It's going good," Sky responded back. "What about your football season?"
"I'm still scoring the most touchdowns for us and leading the team to victory," Keith said. "Some of my teammates pull through, but the others will eventually have to step up and not leave the work to only a few."
"So Keith, we want to ask you a few questions regarding Sky," Damien piped in.
"I don't have anything to do at the moment, so ask away," Keith allowed.
"We'd like to hear about the breakup from your point of view," Damien explained.
"We broke up because we both kinda felt unhappy in our relationship," Keith responded.
"What do you mean you both felt unhappy?" Priya pressed on.
"With us starting to be on different sports teams and us focusing too hard on wanting to win due to being captains, it made me and Sky drift apart from each other a bit," Keith answered.
“Sorry about that,” Damien expressed his sympathy.
"With Sky about to join the show, we both knew that we had to break up and not stress ourselves," Keith continued. "We've both moved on, and while I'm no longer dating for a while, I'm happy for Sky being with a brand new boyfriend."
"Your support means everything to me," Sky reminded him.
"I have to go now. I just remembered that I have to pump my football again. See you soon," Keith said before the screen turned to static and the camera moved away from the television back to the studio.
“Okay, he is super cute,” Sadie whispered to Katie.
“And not taken!” Katie whispered more gleefully.
"A part of me was wishing that Keith was a sleazebag," Priya said. “A possible heated argument would've made things interesting.”
“That is just wrong, Priya,” Damien shook his head disapprovingly.
“We can either be amicable or toxic, and me and Keith choose the amicable path,” Sky emphasized. “Are there any more questions for me?”
“Just this one,” Damien smiled. “Would you change your gameplay if it meant staying in the game for a longer period of time?”
“And sink to the level of the people I'm highly against? I'd rather quit than sabotage anybody, even if they're my biggest enemies,” Sky answered boldly.
“I also stand by that,” Damien nodded. “To end off the interview, honesty and being straight up will always save your butt.”
"That is all for today's episode!" Priya announced with a smile as the Aftermath theme began to play.
"Join Chris and the cast next time for the most dramatically thrilling episode of Total! Drama! Action! Ever!" Damien pitched in over the applauding audience.
The lights on the stage turned off, and as Damien and Priya began standing up, Priya noticed Damien glaring heavily at her. "Hey, about our…"
Damien grabbed her arm and took her away from the camera. "You and I need to talk, Priya. Now!"
(Roll the Credits)
(Bonus Clip)
Sky was sitting in the green room by herself when Trent walked in and took a seat next to her. "Hey Sky, I have some bad news," he said.
"What could it be?" Sky replied.
“So it seems that Katie and Sadie are now in love with your ex,” Trent claimed. “I overheard them talking about how hot he is.”
“To tell you the truth, Keith isn't into those types of girls,” Sky sighed. “He'll be annoyed out of his mind if he ever meets them.”
“Hopefully it's just a one-time crush and the girls will move onto somebody new,” Trent wished.
“If not, I'll give Keith a big heads up to hide himself for a week," Sky promised.
Eva - 14th
Geoff - 14th
Izzy - RETURNED
Trent - 12th
Sky - 11th
Brick - 10th
Scott - 9th
Killer Grips: Anne Maria, Jasmine, Justin, Millie
Screaming Gaffers: Chase, Izzy, MK, Ripper

• The internet is disappearing, a new study has suggested, as web pages and online content is lost. The web is often thought of as a place where content lasts forever. But vast swathes of its are being lost as pages are deleted or moved, according to new research. Source: https://uk.news.yahoo.com/internet-disappearing-study-says-161829908.html
• Sara - who wants to remain anonymous - was wrongly accused after being flagged by a facial-recognition system called Facewatch. She says after her bag was searched she was led out of the shop, and told she was banned from all stores using the technology. Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-69055945
• Hackers are utilizing code from a Python clone of Microsoft's venerable Minesweeper game to hide malicious scripts in attacks on European and US financial organizations. Source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/hackers-phish-finance-orgs-using-trojanized-minesweeper-clone/
• ​Security researchers have released a proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit for a maximum-severity vulnerability in Fortinet's security information and event management (SIEM) solution, which was patched in February. Source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/exploit-released-for-maximum-severity-fortinet-rce-bug-patch-now/
• Criminals are selling guides on social media on how to carry out sextortion, BBC News has learned. The guides show people how to pose as young women online, trick a victim into sending sexually explicit material and then blackmail them. Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp00y03q93mo
• Hackers are taking advantage of the Windows launch of Arc browser to trick victims into downloading malware. Arc is a relatively new internet browser, first launched for macOS in the summer of 2023 - and initial feedback from both media and the users was positive enough to prompt the release of a Windows version too. Source: https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/hackers-hijack-arc-browser-windows-launch-with-malvertising-campaign
• Cybersecurity researchers have discovered a critical security flaw in an artificial intelligence (AI)-as-a-service provider Replicate that could have allowed threat actors to gain access to proprietary AI models and sensitive information. Source: https://thehackernews.com/2024/05/experts-find-flaw-in-replicate-ai.html
• The founder of the spyware app pcTattletale said his company is “out of business and completely done” following a data breach over the weekend. Source: https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/28/pctattletale-spyware-shutters-data-breach/
• The Department of Home Affairs said it is aware of a cyber incident impacting Ticketmaster customers in response to claims it is part of a data leak expected to impact millions of customers globally. Source: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-29/ticketmaster-hack-allegedlyshinyhunter-customers-data-leaked/103908614?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=link
• Google won’t comment on a potentially massive leak of its search algorithm documentation. Source: https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/28/24166177/google-search-ranking-algorithm-leak-documents-link-seo
• Google needs to pump the brakes when it comes to tracking sensitive information shared with DMV sites, a new lawsuit suggests. Filing a proposed class-action suit in California, Katherine Wilson has accused Google of using Google Analytics and DoubleClick trackers on the California DMV site to unlawfully obtain information about her personal disability without her consent. Source: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/05/google-accused-of-secretly-tracking-drivers-with-disabilities/
• YouTube has intensified its crackdown on ad blocking in a move that could impact millions of users worldwide. Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/youtube-down-not-working-ad-blocker-b2552387.html
• A Chinese national has been arrested for his role in operating a residential proxy service that was used to defraud billions of dollars from the U.S. government and fund his lavish lifestyle, which included buying luxury cars and property around the world, the Department of Justice announced Wednesday. Source: https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/05/29/botnet-chinese-national-arrest-justice-department/73899904007/
• A cyberattack targeted Christie’s, a leading London-based auction house, at the beginning of May. A hacker group called Ransomhub, which claimed responsibility for this attack, is now threatening to release sensitive information about around half a million of Christie’s clients. Source: https://securityboulevard.com/2024/05/christies-auction-house-hacked-sensitive-data-from-500000-customers-stolen/
• Operation “ Endgame ”: Federal Criminal Police Office and international partners achieve the biggest blow to date against global cybercrime. The current measures were primarily aimed at the groups behind the six malware families IcedID, SystemBC, Bumblebee, Smokeloader, Pikabot and Trickbot , which were linked to at least 15 ransomware groups as so-called "droppers". Source: https://www-bka-de.translate.goog/DE/DasBKA/OrganisationAufbau/Fachabteilungen/Cybercrime/Endgame/Endgame.html?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp
• Although some people might worry about the National Security Agency itself spying on their phones, the NSA has some sage advice for iPhone and android users concerned about zero-click exploits and the like: turn it off and on again once per week. Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/daveywinde2024/05/30/nsa-warns-iphone--android-users-to-turn-it-off-and-on-again/?sh=5051ae10443c

An adult daughter in Michigan on Facebook hired an attorney to help her elderly mother with a $3,000 retainer, only to be quickly billed almost $40,000 for services which she views as unjustified.
Here is my reply to her. I'm reproducing it here in the hopes that it may help other potential victims of elder abuse and their families, and that it may promote the interests of justice and to help protect elders from abuse.
I'm not an attorney and this is not legal advice.
You wrote about excessive and seemingly unjustified fees and possible elder abuse:
I would consider a complaint to your state's Bar Association and its State Disciplinary Committee. The ABA has links for each state:

Complaints Against Lawyers
The ABA is not a lawyer disciplinary agency and has no authority to investigate or act upon complaints filed against lawyers. Each state has its own agency that performs that function in regard to lawyers practicing in that state. Locate your state agency from the Directory of State Disciplinary Agencies.
https://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/resources/resources_for_the_public/

Each state has documented rules of professional conduct for attorneys. Most are very similar to the model rules published by the American Bar Association (ABA):

Model Rules of Professional Conduct
https://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/publications/model_rules_of_professional_conduct/model_rules_of_professional_conduct_table_of_contents/

Elder abuse is funded by the US Government in cooperation with state governments and run by Health and Human Services (HHS):

(b)Use of allotments The State agency shall use an allotment made under subsection (a) to carry out, through the programs described in subsection (a), activities to develop, strengthen, and carry out programs for the prevention, detection, assessment, and treatment of, intervention in, investigation of, and response to elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, including— .. (B)under which a State agency— (i)on receipt of a report of known or suspected instances of elder abuse, neglect, or exploitation, shall promptly initiate an investigation to substantiate the accuracy of the report; and (ii)on a finding of elder abuse, neglect, or exploitation, shall take steps, including appropriate referral, to protect the health and welfare of the abused, neglected, or exploited older individual;
42 U.S. Code § 3058i - Prevention of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/3058i
Elder abuse is an intentional act or failure to act that causes or creates a risk of harm to an older adult. An older adult is someone age 60 or older. The abuse occurs at the hands of a caregiver or a person the elder trusts. Common types of elder abuse include:
Neglect is the failure to meet an older adult’s basic needs. These needs include food, water, shelter, clothing, hygiene, and essential medical care.
Financial Abuse is the illegal, unauthorized, or improper use of an elder’s money, benefits, belongings, property, or assets for the benefit of someone other than the older adult.
https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/elderabuse/fastfact.html

Search for "report elder abuse" in your state to report suspected crime.
State child support, parenting time, and child protection, and elder abuse are all primarily funded under federal law Title IV-D and Title IV-E. Consider filing complaints.

HHS Office of Inspector General
Phone. 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477)
https://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/report-fraud/contact.asp
HHS Office of Civil Rights
https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/filing-a-complaint/index.html

Department of Justice Civil Rights

The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, created in 1957 by the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, works to uphold the civil and constitutional rights of all Americans, particularly some of the most vulnerable members of our society. The Division enforces federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, disability, religion, familial status and national origin.
https://www.justice.gov/crt

Anyone may report federal crimes to the FBI.

(202)324-3000
http://tips.fbi.gov/

Possible:

Fraud
Fraud is both a civil tort and criminal wrong.
In civil litigation, allegations of fraud might be based on a misrepresentation of fact that was either intentional or negligent. For a statement to be an intentional misrepresentation, the person who made it must either have known the statement was false or been as to its truth. The speaker must have also intended that the person to whom the statement was made would rely on it. The hearer must then have reasonably relied on the promise and also been harmed because of that reliance.
https://www.law.cornell.efdu/wex/fraud

Possible cause for a federal civil rights action or lawsuit (often against a municipality, state, non-profit agency, or company) under:

42 U.S. Code § 1983 - Civil action for deprivation of rights
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/1983

US courts provide forms:

Complaint for Violation of Civil Rights (Non-Prisoner)
https://www.uscourts.gov/forms/pro-se-forms/complaint-violation-civil-rights-non-prisoner

Possible basis of a class action lawsuit for similar situated people:

https://centerjd.org/system/files/CivilRightsClassActionsF.pdf

Please keep us updated.
I wish you the best of luck in your search for justice.

One example of the many lawsuits Musk is trying to weasel out from:
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/05/judge-rejects-elon-musks-claim-that-sec-subpoena-is-abuse/
The SEC has been probing Musk's Twitter stock purchases to determine if he violated a securities law that requires disclosures within 10 days from anyone who buys more than a 5 percent stake in a company. Musk missed that deadline by 11 days, as he amassed close to a 10 percent stake, and a proposed class action lawsuit from Twitter shareholders has suggested that he intentionally missed the deadline to keep Twitter stock prices artificially low while preparing for his Twitter purchase.
As a seeming result, the firefighters' complaint alleged that Morgan Stanley "pocketed over $1,460,000 in commissions just for executing" the "secret Twitter stock acquisition scheme." And Morgan Stanley's work seemingly pleased Musk so much that he went back for financial advising on the Twitter deal, the complaint alleged, paying Morgan Stanley an "estimated $42 million in fees."
Messages from the banker show he was determined to keep the trading "absofuckinglutely quiet" to avoid the prospect that "anyone sniff anything out."
Because of this secrecy, Twitter "investors suffered enormous damages" when Musk "belatedly disclosed his Twitter interests," and "the price of Twitter’s stock predictably skyrocketed," the complaint said.
"Ultimately, Musk went from owning zero shares of Twitter stock as of January 28, 2022 to spending over $2.6 billion to secretly acquire over 70 million shares" on April 4, 2022, the complaint said.
Instead of filing a timely disclosure, Musk allegedly hid his trades from the market, apparently helping him save more than $200 million on his acquisitions of Twitter shares from March 25, 2022, to April 4, 2022.
Musk's financial advisors were intent on keeping the trading secret, the complaint alleged, but at one point, Musk posted tweets that almost gave his apparent scheme away. Then, after warnings from wealth advisors, Musk posted "misleading" tweets suggesting that he was going to launch a Twitter competitor—allegedly to throw anyone off the trail who might have suspected that he was actually preparing to buy Twitter.
"Musk misleadingly represented to the public that he was 'giving serious thought' to 'building a new social media platform,' which helped further conceal that he was pursuing an active role at Twitter and also aided his scheme by keeping the price of Twitter securities artificially low," the lawsuit said.
Musk has failed to get the lawsuit tossed so far, Bloomberg reported, but has argued that it "has no legal merit and is merely an attempt to 'harness the spectacle' around" his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter.
Discovery in each case probing Musk's stock purchases will likely continue influencing the other. And while Musk tried to diminish the SEC probe as being just about a "days-late filing," Corley rejected that characterization in her court filing, pointing out that the SEC is also investigating “numerous filings in April and May 2022” and “whether Musk violated" securities laws intended to protect shareholders from being blindsided by a company's acquisition.

Credit to Blue for the wonderful cover art
Thank you to:
u/SpacePaladin15, for creating the Nature of Predators universe.
u/blankxlate, author of Sweet Vengeance, for proofreading.
EmClear, aspiring author, for proofreading
You, the reader, for your support.
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The following story takes place shortly after the events of Empty Eyes part 2 but, seeing as Trilvri’s story is very episodic in nature, you should be able to largely understand the story without prior context (though I would definitely recommend you give the full story a chance!)
I don’t typically believe in giving content warnings, but I have been advised to give one here. This one is a little fucked up and involves some very bad things being done both by and to minors. Consider yourself warned.
[Empty Eyes] [Nature of Family Master List]
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Empty Eyes: Children of the Grave
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Memory transcription subject: E̶͉̖̺̣͇̽̔̓̃͑̂̍̍͝Ŗ̸͈̙̭̼̝͛̃̍̃̆Ṛ̶͖̙̩͐̆͝Ȍ̷̡̱̞̳̹̩͙̩̼͚͛R̵̝̽̈͑̌̑̐́̊̍͝!
Date [standardised human time]: E̶͉̖̺̣͇̽̔̓̃͑̂̍̍͝Ŗ̸͈̙̭̼̝͛̃̍̃̆Ṛ̶͖̙̩͐̆͝Ȍ̷̡̱̞̳̹̩͙̩̼͚͛R̵̝̽̈͑̌̑̐́̊̍͝!
Transcription data heavily fragmented…Attempting post-mortem reconstruction…
E̶͉̖̺̣͇̽̔̓̃͑̂̍̍͝Ŗ̸͈̙̭̼̝͛̃̍̃̆Ṛ̶͖̙̩͐̆͝Ȍ̷̡̱̞̳̹̩͙̩̼͚͛R̵̝̽̈͑̌̑̐́̊̍͝!
Evidence of neural pathway tampering detected…Suspicion of attempted obstruction of justice…Decoding memory encryption…
Decoding…
Decoding…
Partial reconstruction complete…Full reconstruction ongoing…
Memory transcription subject: Trilvri, VSC Penitent Fleet Cadet (age 8 approx.)
Approximate Date [standardised human time]: 2123
The booted foot connects solidly with my skull once more, eliciting a banal sense of drudgery and tedium as I blink away the dots in my vision to stare into the face of Razvik. He’s a Venlil, like me, white of wool and sour of complexion. He too bears the hallmark scars of his time interred in a predator disease facility: friction burns over the wrists and ankles where shackles rubbed the skin raw, an arc pattern spread across the throat and chest from his shock collar, and lopsided facial features born of a collision with a truncheon where the bones failed to set properly. He probably thinks the slightly slack-jawed appearance makes him look tough. His two henchmen certainly seem to think so standing beside him, too weak and cowardly to make it on their own, choosing instead to trust their fates to Razvik.
It’s a sensible choice… almost. Razvik is big, one of the oldest among our group, and fully endowed by the blessings of puberty. Something most of the rest of us probably won’t live long enough to experience for ourselves. Until the paw when we inevitably meet our fate, digested inside of an Arxur’s stomach or scattered to vapours of dust amid the wreckage of our ships, however, we need to contend with the self proclaimed ‘apex predator’s’ rule. We stand little chance fighting back against a teenager, almost a man in full, and he knows it. What those who follow him seem to forget though, is that Razvik has no loyalty. No empathy to speak of. He’s just as broken as the rest of us, and he’ll turn on those who follow him just as quickly as anyone else. They’re just being saved for last.
“What’s the matter, Dead-Meat?” He sneers at me, baring his teeth in a snarl as he looks down on my form crumpled up into a ball on the floor. “Still not gonna fight back?”
Silent contempt is my armour as I lay on the floor, glaring up into his face with unblinking, unbroken eyes. I survived the facilities. I will survive this. All I have to do is what I’ve always done and I’ll make it through. Endure. Compartmentalise the external and float in a sea of the subconscious mind. Nothing he can do to my body could ever compare to the tortures I’ve borne already. Nerves, long-ago fried beyond all practical use, barely even register pain anymore, simply a dull sense of pressure that lets me know when something is killing me; and I doubt he can do more damage to my brain with just his foot than three cycles of constant electroshock and chemical experimentation already have.
“You know what, Dead-Meat?” Razvik stops to ponder me for a moment, stalking up and down the floor in front of me. “It’s almost not even worth the trouble of brahking with you anymore. You don’t have any kind of reaction no matter what we do. You’re like a vacant brahking doll. Mute more often than not. Useless. I’m half tempted to try shoving my cock up your ass to see if I can get some kind of pleasure out of you that way, but I get the feeling even that wouldn’t get through to you. Besides, it’s no fun if they don’t scream a little when I do it.”
The lackey to his left, a young Venlil boy with brown wool and a face that could almost be considered cute if not for a long scar running through his left eye to his lip, looks aside. An uncomfortable look of shame and humiliation rests upon his face as his tail curls submissively around his leg.
“You know why I keep doing it though?” Razvik asks me. “It’s because of that brahking look in your eyes. The way you look at me like I’m dirt, like you think you’re better than me. I hate it. Well let me tell you something, you’re not better than me. The Commander said it himself, who you were before you got here isn’t worth speh. Your mommy and daddy aren't gonna come in here and save you no matter how much of a big-shot they are, so get used to it.”
Never once have I tried using my Mother or Fathers names to help me. It’s been three cycles since I last saw either of them, since I’d last heard anything about them.
“I have no son… Do what you want with him…”
His final words echo in memory, a painful reminder of my failure in his eyes. For a while I had held out hope that they would change their minds, that they would come back for me, save me… In truth, I am as dead to them as they are now to me. The truth doesn’t matter to Razvik though. A sharp kick in the ribs returns my focus to the present moment as he continues to lecture, taking pleasure in extolling his own might and power over those weaker than himself.
“Pay attention when I’m talking, Dead-Meat.” He says. “All that matters in here is survival of the fittest, rule by force, and let me tell you, I’m the apex predator in here. I’m the alpha, the number one. So you’d best shape up and learn that, quick. The next time I tell you something you’d better do it pronto, without any backtalk or predatory looks. Next time you even think of giving me a reason I might just pluck those offensive little eyes of yours right out of your head for good.”
A flick of the tail sends his two goons over to me, kicking and stomping, aiming for vital points and exposed areas of soft flesh. I curl myself into a dense little ball, weathering the storm of blows with stoic indifference as I ward off the worst of the assault with arms and legs. Razvik saunters over to the cafeteria table to retrieve my tray, the inciting incident for this paws events, and upturns it, spilling the contents all over me and onto the floor.
“Make sure to get me something better for the next meal.” He says as he turns to walk away. “I need plenty of calories if I’m gonna keep my strength up.”
The other cadets watch from the sidelines as I pick myself up off the floor and salvage what food I can. It’s undeniable that this display would cost me in the future, a weak link never goes un-exploited, but there’s nothing to be done about it. I don’t have the power to change my fate. All I can do is endure.
A pair of compliance officers enter the mess hall and everyone immediately lines themselves up at attention, not wanting to garner attention or provoke our wardens ire. I don’t even have a chance. Covered in fruit juices and slops of gruel as I am, they take notice of me immediately.
My teeth clamp shut with force and I topple to the ground with searing pain racing up my leg as the first officer to reach me jabs into my thigh with an electrified baton.
“Filthy brahking predator,” he says, pressing his weapon into the small of my back to send out another jolt for added emphasis, “you’re so ungrateful you won’t even eat the food we’ve so generously provided for you. It seems you still need another lesson about penance for your actions.”
“Everyone else, into the showers!” The second officer waves his baton around the room, issuing his command. “Wash away whatever taint you can and get to your bunks for some shut-eye. Next paw won’t be any easier than this one, so get to it!”
He points his baton down at me. “You! I want this floor so clean that a proper sapient could eat off of it! Then get your ass down to the showers! The longer you take the less time you get for rest claw!”
The two officers stand around and watch me as I clean, scrubbing the polished floors until I could see my own reflection staring back at me, a vacuous little black Venlil with angry, blood-orange eyes simmering with distant hatred and rebellious malcontent. Eventually, and after the officers had their own fun, prolonging my punishment whilst chiding and ‘encouraging’ me with the occasional zap to hurry up, I finished.
Making my way down the sterile white hallway of the orbital station I arrive at the showers to find them deserted. No surprise there. Everyone else is presumably already asleep at this point, taking advantage of the rare privilege that is ‘sleep’ to bask in the wonders of nonexistence, of not being here. I hope to join them soon enough.
Cold water runs down my body, washing away the now caked-on bits of foodstuff down the drain, sending shivers down my spine as I shudder from the sudden drop in temperature. Rumour has it that the compliance officers get warm showers. Personally, I’m not sure if I believe it, though it would seem fitting if for no other reason than it would make us all the more miserable for knowing it.
As I make my way through the drying tunnel I can hear something in the distance, a quiet sobbing. I creep around the corner, silent and unseen as I balance on the soft pads of my feet. Looking out I can see Razvin and his two thugs up to their typical behaviour, cornering a small Gojid boy. I recognize him from my first day in the Corps, a quiet and sensitive lad prone to fits of tears and depression. I think his name was… Ganjeem. It’s a wonder how he managed to get into this program at all with how sensitive he is, but then again the Penitents will take just about anyone with a positive diagnosis, even if the particular subset of predator disease doesn’t showcase itself with the more violent tendencies of someone like Razvik
“That’s right, cry you little piece of speh.” Razvik grabs Ganjeem by the jaw, digging blue-stained claws into his face and pressing him up against the wall. “I’m gonna get my enjoyment out of you one way or another…”
I don’t know Ganjeem very well. I can’t even say I’ve ever really had a conversation with him. He’s as much a stranger to me as anyone else on this station, just another face in the crowd. Still, looking at him there in the corner, knowing what’s about to happen… Something stirs in my heart, a feeling I haven’t known in cycles, and it compels me to act.
“Leave him alone.” I state the order clearly, without excessive threats and bluster. I’m making a poor decision, picking a fight I know I can’t win, but I do it anyway. I feel like I don’t really have a choice.
“Oh, look who’s back for more?” Razvik turns to face me, his erect manhood displayed proudly. “Dead-Meat didn’t learn his lesson earlier. I’ll tell you what though,” he licks his misaligned lips in disgusting fashion, “I like this new energy. I might actually be able to have some fun with you this time. It seems I must have struck a nerve. Who is this little brat to you? I’m not stealing your little boy-toy from you, am I?”
“I don’t know him at all.” I answer coldly. “I’ve never even spoken to him before. Now let him go.”
“Huh, is that so?” Razvik seems genuinely surprised, perplexed by the idea that I might try to help someone I don’t know, the concept utterly foreign to him. “Doesn’t matter I suppose.” He flicks his tail with a snap and flexes his claws as he looks me in the eye. “Boys, bring him over here so I can have my fun with him. I got a certain promise from earlier that I need to uphold.”
E̶͉̖̺̣͇̽̔̓̃͑̂̍̍͝Ŗ̸͈̙̭̼̝͛̃̍̃̆Ṛ̶͖̙̩͐̆͝Ȍ̷̡̱̞̳̹̩͙̩̼͚͛R̵̝̽̈͑̌̑̐́̊̍͝!
Memory transcription interrupted…Beginning playback…
Memory transcription subject: Trilvri, Venlil Child (age 5 approx.)
Approximate Date [standardised human time]: 2120
“Mother, please!” I decry, the blazing desert sun overhead, bearing down on me with an intensity almost as merciless as hers. “We’ve been at this all paw! I just don’t get it! I’m exhausted and everything hurts! Please! I just want a break…”
My every limb aches, spasming with an acidic burn of exertion that renders me almost unable to stand or close my paw. Try as I might, I can't stop my paws from shaking. My every breath is laboured, bought at the expense of pain in my ribs and a sour taste in my lungs. A patchwork of swollen bruises are beginning to form under my wool and across my whole body where I’ve been struck. I don’t know how much longer I can keep going like this. I don’t know how I’ve even made it this far.
“No breaks!” Mother is strict in her instruction, draconian even, demanding perfection in every measure. “Maybe some people can afford to postpone their training until they’re old enough to officially join the Guild, but not you. Not my Son. We will continue working you through the forms until you can do it flawlessly!”
“But, Mother…” I plead, desperate for release, “It… It hurts…”
“Life is pain, Trilvri,” Mother answers dismissively, “and the sooner you learn that the better. Maybe you don’t appreciate it now, but this, all of this, is for your own good. You have a legacy to live up to and your Father and I will accept nothing less. You have the makings of greatness in you, it’s in your blood, but potential means nothing if you don’t use it. That requires effort. That requires pain. You’ll thank me for this someday. Now, do it again!”
“Yes, Ma’am.” I say reluctantly, still eager to please, still desperate to be loved.
Memory transcription restored…Resuming playback…
I catch the first assailant's paw by the wrist mid-swing, turning it over and throwing him over my hip with a savage snap, slamming him down hard onto the slick tile floor. Kneeling down to drop my full body weight on the joints, I compress the shoulder and elbow, breaking it in two more places, before delivering a swift punch to the throat. He barely even has time to scream as his airway starts to swell and his attention becomes singularly fixated on continuing to breathe. He’d live… probably.
It’s a surprise that I still know how to do this. It’s been at least three cycles since I’d first learned the basics and this was the first time I’d ever actually had to put any of it into practice against real opponents. Still, I suppose some things, once learned, are just impossible to forget.
The brown one with the almost-cute face is next. He hesitates for just a moment at the sight of me, completely acclimated to my typical docility and wholly unprepared for such swift and unexpected resistance. That hesitation is what does him in. With my back foot already chambered beneath me in the crouched stance, I spring out with a back kick, pressing my front paws against the floor for balance. The kick takes him in the face, raking claws up his unblemished side in a ragged trio of cuts that tear out an eyeball. That one is certain to leave a scar, but maybe he should thank me? I’m sure that he’ll be receiving less attention from Razvik now that he’s no longer pretty.
He hollers and screams, clutching at his face and screeching as he fumbles around blindly with sightless eyes, falling over himself and crashing to the floor. From down the hall I can hear the other cadets start to rise from their slumber and make their way over to investigate the disturbance. Normal prey would run and hide at such a commotion, but for these predators the scent of blood in the water only seems to draw them nearer. It seems we’ll be putting on a show.
“You bastard!” Razvik rushes me, bearing down on me with his full might as the others begin to arrive.
Crossing my arms in front of me I’m just barely able to take the blow, thrown across the room by the force and colliding with a toilet. The ceramic shatters with a crash as my back makes contact with it, driving the air from my lungs. It takes me only a moment to recover myself, the dull throb of pain all along my spine letting me know that it’s not good, but it seems I’ve managed to avoid outright breaking my back at least. Still, a moment is all it takes for Razvik to catch up with me.
He towers over me, a colossal white pillar of sadistic wrath, and wraps his fingers tightly around my throat. His supple hands squeeze hard, making my neck pop and tingle as he strangles the life out of me.
“Yeah…” He says, enraptured in ecstasy, “This is much better. It turns out you can be a fun little toy afterall. I’m looking forward to all the wonderful experiences we’re going to share. Aren’t you, Dead-Meat?”
My foot flies up between his legs with a savage snap-kick and I can feel his testicles rupture on impact, an orange stain spreading quickly out his crotch. His eyes go wide with shock and his voice pitches upward into a shrill squeak. Now isn’t the time to stop and admire my handiwork though. Seizing on the opportunity I reach behind me and grab the first thing I can find, the heavy back-lid of the toilet. Swinging it around with all my might, I crash it into his left knee, snapping it with a sickening crunch at a ninety degree angle.
Razvik flounders on the floor, reeling from the pain of his crippled limb and his existence as a newly made eunuch. His eyes are the most viscous window of hate imaginable, giving a glimpse into his sickeningly warped, predatory soul. He reaches up a paw to claw at me with a growl, and I swat it back down with a thwack of the lid, snapping three of his fingers back facing the wrong direction in the process.
“I’ll kill you!” He screams at me, barely coherent. “You’ll pay for this! You’ll suffer! You’re Dead-Meat! You hear me! Dead!”
He attempts to reach for me again with his other paw, and again I smack it away with much the same result. A howl of impotent rage and pain reverberates throughout the room. I look around at the assembled faces of my fellow cadets, watching as they wait and evaluate me, seeing what it is I’ll do next. Judging, re-evaluating their own place on the social hierarchy, and trying to figure out if they have what it takes to be on top. All they have to do… is claim that title from me…
The words of my Father come unbidden to my mind.
“Predators are not like you and me, Son. They are savage and uncivilised, devoid of empathy or mercy. The only thing they understand is force, domination, naked violence in its purest sense. When dealing with such monsters you can never show weakness, you can never back down, and you must always present yourself as an unchallengeable, indomitable threat worthy of fear and respect… or else they’ll eat you alive.”
I meet the gaze of the audience, see their questioning faces, and tighten my grip on the lid. I will see their challenge, and I will meet it head on. Simply enduring is no longer enough to survive, not under these conditions. I need to act, to prove myself. I need to become untouchable, unreachable, unconquerable. I need to become someone that none of them will ever dare to cross ever again. I need… to make an example.
“No,” I say to Razvik, my tone as cold and sharp as steel, “you’re Dead-Meat.”
I slam the lid down onto his other knee, shattering it into a million pieces. He screams; obscenities, threats, curses. It doesn’t matter. I know what needs to be done. I straddle his body and work my way up his legs, crushing thigh bones, crushing his pelvis, his spine, and his ribs. Slowly and meticulously I crush every bone in his body, prolonging his suffering and caving in his entire chest cavity. Shards of bone crack and pop through the skin, puncturing organs and spilling blood across the floor, spiralling down through the drain. Razvik is a gibbering mess, his once proud boasts and threats devolved into a series of pleading cries, begging for someone, anyone, to save him. They don’t.
I could end this quickly, a quick blow to the head delivered at just the right angle would put him out of his misery at once. Part of me almost wants to do that. Razvik is a cruel and sadistic man, someone fully deserving of the label ‘predator’, but with every blow of the lid landing upon his body like a hammer strike I can feel a small piece of my own soul breaking away. I want to, but no. This is purposeful. This is a tactical cruelty, not simply cruelty for cruelties sake. Intended and executed to send a message that will be understood and remembered by everyone here for the rest of their short, miserable lives.
Don’t brahk with me. I’m not worth the risk.
Razvik goes silent now, words unable to be drawn from perforated lungs. He quivers and shakes, more an involuntary seizure than anything intentional, his body unable to sustain itself amid the massive and systemic trauma I’ve inflicted on it. With a final crash I slam the lid into the amorphous bag of pulped flesh and splintered bone that is his chest, shattering my improvised weapon on the tile floor beneath.
I rise to my feet, covered in blood that’s not my own and panting from the exertion. I look out, and the faces that meet mine turn away, cowed by the grisly display of dominance. None would be willing to risk an open confrontation with me. Not anymore.
“Ganjeem?” I ask, scanning the herd of onlookers for the figure of the scared little Gojid that had started it all, “Are you ok?”
He looks at me, more fear and terror on his face than even Razvik had instilled in him. He runs away the moment my eyes meet his, screaming. I may have saved him, but in his view I had become the thing all good prey fear most, a wild predator. A monster devoid of empathy or mercy. Just another chained beast aboard the Penitent Fleet, just one more weapon in the Commander's arsenal, no different than any other. I had succeeded in my goals, wildly and beyond all expectations. The ceaseless bullying, the endless torment would stop. I am untouchable, and I am completely, utterly, alone…
Memory transcription interrupted…Fragmentation increasing…Related transcription file located…Beginning playback…
Memory transcription subject: Brykin, VSC Penitent Fleet Commander
Date [standardised human time]: August 18th, 2123
“Commander, please,” one of the new administrative overseers sees fit to voice her uneducated and unwanted opinion as I watch the live camera feed, “this has gone too far. One of the children is dead, a second is dying, and the third may never be able to fly again! This is unconscionable! It’s sickening! We need to stop this! We never should have let it get this far! We knew that Cadet Razvik was a particularly unstable individual and that he was terrorising the other penitents, but we still didn’t do anything, and now look at what's happened!”
“Of course he was unstable,” I answer tactfully, “they all are. Don’t allow appearances to deceive you. Every one of these cadets has been selected on the basis of their predatory nature and their potential for killing. None of them should be considered anything even close to an actual child. They are simply predators disguised as such, and it is our responsibility to ensure we make the best use of them that we can.”
“We’re not going to get any use out of them if they all wind up killing each other!” The fledgling overseer refuses to see reason and drop the issue, but then again, I suppose not everyone can be so enlightened as myself.
“They are simply predators being predators.” I answer patiently, hoping to guide and nurture understanding in our new hire. “Culling their own packs of the weak is how they develop and grow. It’s an expected part of the process. Cadet Razvik may have been a promising candidate, but in the end he proved himself to be insufficient. In his death, at least, he serves to strengthen those that remain. In this program there’s never any guarantee that the cadets we’re given will be moulded into good soldiers, but with any luck we may still be able to salvage something useful out of this batch. There’s almost always at least one in the bunch…”
I look back to the screen, watching as Cadet Trilvri exits the room, the rest of his class parting ways to make room for his departure.
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A/N - Hello all! Well that was certainly a rather dark chapter wasn’t it? I do hope you’ve enjoyed this glimpse into Trilvri’s early days as a cadet in the Penitents and witnessing his very first kill. As a fun fact for you guys, this chapter was partly inspired by Ender Wiggins killing of Stilson in Ender's Game. The song for this chapter is, rather appropriately, Children of the Grave by Black Sabbath and try as Trilvri might to make a better world the Penitents remain Children of the Grave. As a second “Fun Fact” there is actually a second song I was considering for this chapter, First Blood by First Blood, which also seems rather fitting. In the end though I decided Children of the Grave just fit the overall story better.
If you like the story then please remember to upvote, comment, and use the “!Subscribeme” function to be alerted to all new posts. I post as often as I can but real life has a tendency of getting in the way and my job makes it almost impossible to keep to any kind of schedule. Your engagement and support go a long way towards helping to keep me on track and motivated, so thank you very much for reading and I hope you'll stay tuned for next chapter!

Why YSK: When workers file a complaint for stolen wages to the DOL, the DOL will do an investigation to determine how much money was stolen going back a few years. The DOL will make an effort to find all the workers in a company that had wages and tips stolen but if they can't, that money will be held for those workers to claim. There is a database available that you can search to see if one of your previous employers has to pay back stolen wages. If those wages aren't claimed within three years, those wages are turned over to the Treasury.
See the DOL Workers Owed Wages site to search employers.
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/wow
It's extremely common for companies to steal tips or not pay overtime to workers. The ability to reclaim stolen wages is dependent on workers filing complaints against employers and the DOL starting investigations.
Under new FLSA rules, managers and employers cannot take pooled tip money under any circumstances in all US states. If they take any of it, this is illegal. They can only claim a tip if they are handed it for their service. If that tip is intended for any of the service workers, none of the managers or owners can claim it. There are also IRS rules requiring to companies to keep a record of all tips and how they are paid out. If the company/managers are keeping tips and not paying them out, this is a red flag that they aren't accurately reporting these tips to the IRS.
It's also illegal for companies to not pay overtime or not pay minimum wage. It's common for companies to refuse to pay overtime and pay less money than you are owed.
It's also common for companies to charge/deduct workers wages for uniforms, damages, or missing money, but this is only legal if those charges do not reduce the worker's wages to under minimum wage. If the company deducts from your wages enough that you don't make minimum wage, that is illegal and DOL needs to recover those wages.
Food service workers are the most victimized workers for stolen wages and tips. Always report stolen wages no matter how small because you don't know how long the company has been stealing from other workers. Those stolen wages amount to billions over several years. The DOL will act as your lawyer and will force those companies to pay back that money. If the amount they stole is large enough, you can hire a lawyer and sue for damages or file a class action lawsuit.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2024/01/06/companies-pay-wage-theft-resolution/72112911007/
This last link breaks down which companies and industries steal the most money.

Wells Fargo remediation
While I cannot provide specific legal advice or guidance, I can offer a general outline of the remediation process that individuals may consider when seeking damages and restitution in a situation involving Wells Fargo or any other entity. It is important to consult with a legal professional to understand the specific details and requirements of your case. Here is a general outline:

1. Gather Documentation: Collect all relevant documents related to your interactions with Wells Fargo, including account statements, correspondence, contracts, and any evidence of improper fees or charges.
   
2. Understand Your Rights: Research and understand your rights as a consumer, including any applicable laws or regulations that may have been violated by Wells Fargo's actions.
   
3. Consult with an Attorney: Seek legal advice from an attorney who specializes in consumer protection or banking law. They can provide guidance on the specific legal remedies available to you and help assess the strength of your case.
   
4. File a Complaint: If you believe you have been a victim of improper fees or charges, consider filing a complaint with the appropriate regulatory authorities, such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) or your state's attorney general's office. Provide them with all relevant documentation and details of your case.
   
5. Class Action Lawsuit: If there is a class action lawsuit filed against Wells Fargo for similar issues, you may consider joining the lawsuit as a plaintiff. Consult with your attorney to determine if this is a viable option for your situation.
   
6. Negotiate with Wells Fargo: Your attorney can engage in negotiations with Wells Fargo on your behalf to seek a fair settlement or restitution for the damages you have suffered. This may involve discussions with Wells Fargo's legal representatives or participation in mediation or arbitration proceedings.
   
7. Document Damages: Keep a record of any additional financial losses or damages you have incurred as a result of Wells Fargo's actions. This may include additional fees, interest charges, or other financial hardships.
   
8. Seek Restitution: Work with your attorney to determine the appropriate amount of restitution you are seeking based on the damages you have suffered. This may include reimbursement for improper fees, interest charges, and any other financial losses.
   
9. Review Settlement Offers: If Wells Fargo offers a settlement, carefully review the terms and consult with your attorney to ensure it adequately addresses your damages and provides fair compensation.
   
10. Consider Litigation: If a fair settlement cannot be reached through negotiation, your attorney may advise pursuing litigation against Wells Fargo. This would involve filing a lawsuit and presenting your case in court.
    

Remember, this is a general outline, and the specific steps and strategies may vary depending on the details of your case and the advice of your legal counsel.

English isn't my first language, so ¡bare with me when you see a spelling mistake!
So i 18m I'm going to a school and have rather new classmates. It's the first time I've ever been friendly with people that weren't my old group friends.
In our school, at your fourth year, you gotta pick a career to study for the next four years, as you’ll get a title of it, this made me get separated from my group of friends and made continuing school hard, add up an ongoing pandemic and i couldn't handle that year, and failed 9 classes out of 12.
When you fail a class, you have to retake it at the end of the year, where they will give you a test that has everything you learnt on the year, and you gotta ace it or else, it will be moved to another date, and if by the end of secondary school, you haven't finished that, you won't have your title, the problem is that, once you failed 3 classes, you’re up for retaking the entire year if you don't ace them, so i, having 9 classes, i had to stress my ass off to not retake the year, this left me with a rather low “GPA” (it's not really gpa, but i don't know how else i would say that people thought i wasn't as bright as i really was), after retaking all, and thankfully not failing any (the tests, were rather easy, but it might have been due to another reason, i'll explain later), start of fifth year, no more pandemic, but also school wasn't gonna be the same.
When you reach fifth year in my school, you get changed to a nightly schedule, from 7:30am to 12:30am its for specialty (workshop work, or other important work for your title) and then from 6pm to 10:30pm is normal school, So, after reaching this, i decided to switch classes, as i didn't enjoy who my classmates where, meet new classmate, we’ll call her F for privacy reasons. F is 19 as of 2024, this girl was also hit by the pandemic, but i won't say it was the same as me.
I never hated someone as much as I hated this girl, she prides herself on being the morally correct one in every situation, when most of the time she isn’t.
F has multiple times told me about how she’s so nice, and also scolded me for being an open asshole, when most of the time i tried not being one, this has led to me just trying to not even see her.F always wanted to have a more stereotypical end of secondary school, with a party, a trip and alcohol, lots of alcohol, and she had her group of friends which also held the same belief (i always wondered if they were somehow brainwashed or something), in this time i never was best of buddies with any of them, but for this year i always thought F was doing the wrong decisions, going with a travel foundation which has scammed me before, and also trying to throw a party with people known for being “bullies” (even worse but i don't know another way of explaining it), none of these went well, the travel group scammed another person later that year which made us not go with them (woo biggie, i'm surprised) and well, the party that was thrown at the end of the year, ended up with some stabbing, so also not the best end of year resolution, but i'm not mad about anything of that, because i made some friends on that year that i never will regret meeting.
5th year of school was rather easy, coming out of the pandemic i had no trouble getting back to my studying habits, and ended up being one of the smartest of my class, don't take that as a title, as next year, i would be diagnosed with high functioning autism.
Autism was the source of most of my troubles in the pandemic, the sudden change of in school learning to online learning, was really bad for me, and it's the main reason I failed so much yet retaking was so easy.
In 6th year (this is the most important year, as we meet my now, group of friends), this being the year before the last, this year, we needed to decide how we were gonna end secondary school, As the trip went as well as it did, we didn't do that so we had to change what we were doing, we decided to throw this party, which for the first time i was happy about, i had a group of friends that i loved hanging out with, my hate with F was dissolved (don't worry, its coming back).
This party, was gonna be expensive, my biggest red flag was, how it was an entire paycheck just for one night, we would also need to do the cleaning ourselves, and nobody wanted to hold us as these kind of party always end up being pretty bad (unsupervised teens with alcohol was never a green flag for anyone), so we had to shell out 500k for end of the year (so, just so you can make the connection, a brand new ps5 is around that, we’re on south america) as soon as this was said, it was a turn off for me, i tried to stay for my friends, but F and her group kept flagging down what i wanted to do in said party.
In this party, i didnt wanna be shy like i always lived, i wanted to try myself out and i had only people i trusted around me, so i wasn't worried, it wasn't anything big what i wanted, i wanted a place where everything was a bit quieter (i didn't know i had autism at the time of asking for that, after finding out they wanted to give me that, but i still decided on not going anyways, best decision of my life).
So for the first few months, i helped, i raised money and my mom,56f as of 2024, also put a lot of money for 2 other more people, as she thought they were nice and deserved to go, but after all of what was happening with how it was organized (adults always pull the fun out of parties), i decided to leave, and spend the money on a trip or something for myself, as 500k is more than enough for many things, not just a one night party.
So for next year, as well as this party, F wanted to make a special school uniform for our class, it's pretty common to do that over here, and also not having one, sometimes is seen as a disgrace (depending on the school).
This year, we’ve got a new set of classmates added to our class. As we were pretty small, sitting with only 14 classmates, we were bumped up to 23. Thankfully, none of these were bad, and I prefer them more over the older classmates from 5th year.
Since in this year we met the scammer, I gotta introduce B, 18m as of 2024 (If you’re reading this, congrats on your 18th birthday!), B is one of my current friends and the one who brought S: The scammer, as the situation with S is pretty bad, I won't even state their gender as I don't want anything to do with S, ANYTHING.
B is this stereotypical quiet kid, he likes anime and all those sorts of things, we got along pretty well together because we like similar stuff.
B hated F as well, as she was the worst with him, always expecting this from him, but never being a straight asshole with him.
B is a really nice kid, he didn't want F to be mad so he went himself out looking for someone to make the school uniforms, someone to trust and that was cheap, here comes M, nobody knew M was a scammer, they had a pretty well title for themselves and it was, from the looks, this was the first year M had ever scammed someone.
For the entirety of this year, nothing bad really happened, aside from me leaving the party and some drama with another classmate (which is irrelevant to this story), 6th year was pretty flawless.
Come the year of the scamming!, 2024, in this year we got a new classmate, this classmate, we’ll call A, 18m as of 2024, and his mom will be AM (i don't know her age), as well as F’s mom (i don't know their age as well), who will be FM (sorry for introducing so many people, it's a classroom and many are at fault)
A isn't the brightest of people, AM being one of those helicopter mom’s who pampered their child until they became useless, she always messed up everything, by wanting it all to be made about their son, and this also made A have a really big ego, i'd say it's definitely bigger than the standard ego someone has but not big enough to cry over the smallest mistake.
We all hated A, even F, we didn't treat him wrongly but he always got into fights with us because we didn't do stuff like he wanted it to be done, leading him into being the most hated classmate of the year.
FM and AM got along surprisingly well, as both had the same personality of having the greatest child, and the rage of thousands of fires, this is important for later.
Its january we have to pay the last month for the uniform, totalling up to 25k for each student, this month, S’s son is starting to have issues, some severe depression and other things, which bring some really expensive medical bills, this meant our uniform (which is a t-shirt and a jacket with our school name and our career) would be delayed, as S did not have the money, supposedly, this was bad, really bad, since F and A wanted the uniforms as soon as they could (A having to pay everything in 1 month instead of the entire year we had),
Both A and F were going to fight about it as they really wanted these uniforms made, so first they had no trouble with S, as well, their son was in a really bad place (or that's what i thought), so february comes, no uniforms are made, as we knew was gonna happen, lots of people were mad, but the most mad was AM and FM, as they paid for all of it and, according to them, this was ruining our classroom’s title.
Seeing all of this, my mom was starting to feel bad for S, as she herself was in this place before, having no money and a family to feed, so she wanted this to end the best it could.
Out of their own heart, she decided to shell out 100k to have at least the t-shirts finished (thanks mom, love you), she didn't give the 100k to S, as many people were mad with S, she just bought was S told her to buy, this gave my mom a golden title, for a bit at least.
This meant now that S had more time to get the 100k for the Jackets, and give us the jackets for at least the end of the year.
The months go by, and S is quiet, except with my mom, being the one that kept paying for many stuff, as she thought S wasn't a scammer, it's almost april, and F and A are mad, so they decided to go around spreading the word, about S, asking if someone had the same thing done to them.
This time, they did get a response, as S was had to deliver many things, not just our things, and the biggest red flag none of us knew, is that they gave a different reason to every other schools, Some of these, are close to ours, some involve her in a car crash, some involve the death of her son, some involve some cat with rabies and other stories, it was all bullshit.
The problem is that, S had ways of proving all of these things, while these were all impossible to happen at the same time, she had the papers to prove these, so my mom always thought that S was really in trouble, and so did I because of my mom.
So in this group of all the schools, where FM and AM are discussing the scam, they throw something out, something that would ruin me for the next couple of months.
B was bullied by F, A and their group of friends, so he decided to leave the party they were throwing by the end of the year (he was 350k in, and wasn't given his money back), so, because B was a friend of mine, i helped him and we became even better friends that before.
Meanwhile A and F were mad by this, as B was the source of the scam, and my mom helped S (keep in mind, B was sad because of what he did, but at the time of recommending S, he didn't know S was a scammer, and neither did my mom), because of all of this happening, A and F decided to think about the situation, and sent a message to the group explaining everything, and framed my mom as part of the scam, i was never aware of this until recently.
So come a couple of weeks ago, im sitting on class, it's a small day, it's just me B and another friend of mine, who we’ll call R, 20m as of 2024, F decided to skip and A went to school, with it, we were only 13 classmates as something happened, and the other half was unable to attend.
At 8pm, 2 hours before leaving, i start getting messaged by an unknown number, this message goes like this: “You give us our money we deserve, as your little scammer mom and scammer lady have done this to us and we won't go without a fight, we know where you live, when you leave school and we’re not a tiny group”, I was really scared at the time of getting these messages, out of all my friend group, it was only B and R, and i didnt know who sent these threats, but i definitely knew my mom wasn't a scammer, as i felt those 100k leave our bank account, and i knew S was believed to be a scammer, but i believed what S told us, as they had proof and FM and AM didn't have proof.
So when i started getting those threats, i decided to defend S, as i didn't know better, and thought it was the right thing to do, this made him even madder and kept insisting, about the money, which set of red flags for me, as it started to sound like empty threats, so i decided to tell B and R about this, and they were properly mad as well, they were making their own plans, in the meantime, i also was messaging my mom with screenshots of the conversation, she was not only mad, she was also scared, so she decided to call the unknown number to know what was happening.
According to the one on the other side, the number was stolen, and whoever was using it to send threats, must be a part of their company, and they would look into it (we don't know if this is true or not, but i and my mom dont wanna make this bigger than it already is).
This was starting to become stressful for me, as i had to finish an assignment while all of this was happening, and my stress and anxiety was starting to be noticed by the rest of the classmates, so to calm down a bit, i decided to tell all my friends in a whatsapp group, and we started fabricating theories, but the biggest one had to do with A, as he was the one that tried stunts when my mom put the 100k for the t-shirts.
While I was discussing this with my friends, some of them even messaging the unknown number, stating how I had autism and they were going for the wrong person, I didn't know better, etc. They defended me the entire way through the threats.
My mom told the principal about it, which he asked if he wanted the police called, or do something else about it, so my mom said that she wanted to come to my school, to know i was safe and everything, which the principal decided to come with her (the principal isn't at night time, only morning and evening, as he’s supposed to work only 8 hours a day, it's a public school), my mom arrives at school, with the principal and my brother, 21m as of 2024 (he’s a drama enjoyer, and the one who told me to post here, as i wouldn't have thought about it alone), the principal asked my mom if she wanted to bring me home now, or do something else, in which he told her that she could go to the classroom and give a small talk about the matter, which she promptly accepted as she always loved our classroom and never thought something like this could have happened, for context, my mom is important in the school, as she donated a lot of money on all the things we would ever need.
The principal enters the classroom out of nowhere, and talks about what's happening and how my mom, is important, a nice person and wants to say something regarding the issues, nobody expected this since the principal shouldn't have gotten involved in out of school matters, my mom gives the chat about what's happening and that this is all a misunderstanding, how she was scammed like all of us and she wants this over because she never gained from this, only lost from it, and didn’t wanna have to call the police as she didnt wanna have us end the year with some of us in jail.
So out of all of this, now that the entire classroom knew about it, as word to word it was transcribed into the class’s whatsapp group by another classmate, so F’s friends group called me (i was sure F and A was involved in this, but i couldn't be mad with F’s friend group as they defended me from a beating last year) and decided to help me, great people indeed knowing i hated F, and they decided that it was a good idea to make A speak, but i told them i didn't want that to happen as i wasn't entirely sure A was the one that messaged, i just knew he was involved.
A was properly beaten up outside of school, as all of F’s friends and other classmates were mad at him, but aside from that, flashing to today, nothing else has happened.
While i didn't do the lawsuit, there’s a legal battle against S, and now that this happened, im involved in it, not on S side or any side, A and F have nothing with it but AM and FM have, and they stopped talking to me and my mom, we just think its out of fear since we’re part of the lawsuit and we can testify against them if needed.
Sadly this isn't one of those stories that end with all the drama resolved and a good ending, as i never ever thought this would ever happened and didn't know what to do, so decided to do nothing, this has taken a toll on me a bit, so i wanted to share it as i don't know if i did the right or im getting in trouble for my actions.
So reddit, ¿AITAH for defending the scammer when I received the threats?