Why Employers Value Vocationally Trained Professionals
Here's the truth: employers don't just want degrees anymore; they want people with practical skills. That's where vocational training changes the game. It's not just about passing exams. It's about learning the aptitude you can take straight into a workplace.
Why Vocational Education Matters
The importance of vocational education comes down to one thing: it gets you ready for real life. You don't just sit in a classroom listening to theory. You work on projects, use industry tools, and solve problems the way you'll have to on the job.
We see this every day at Aptech. Students who start unsure of themselves finish their course knowing they can confidently walk into an interview and demonstrate their capabilities. That kind of confidence is priceless.
Vocational or Professional Training vs Just Theory
Look, there's nothing wrong with traditional education. But vocational or professional training is faster, sharper, and more focused. It's designed to teach you the exact skills that companies are currently hiring for, whether that's coding, designing, animating, or managing projects.
And employers notice the difference. When they hire someone who's efficiently trained, they don't have to spend months teaching them the basics. That professional starts contributing on day 1.
Building a Skilled Workforce
Every company needs a skilled workforce to stay ahead. That's why vocational programs are so important; they keep talent ready for the newest tech, the newest trends, and the newest challenges.
At Aptech, we constantly update our courses so our students are always learning what the industry actually uses, not what it used five years ago.
The Real Value of Vocational Training
The value of vocational training isn't just about landing a job. It's about setting yourself up for growth. You learn how to work in teams, solve problems, and adapt when things change, helping you excel at your role.
Many of our students go on to lead projects, start businesses, or even switch careers later in life without starting over.
Why Employers Love Vocational Professionals
Companies actively look for specifically skilled professionals because they get things done. They're practical, they know their tools, and they bring results.
Skills make careers. That's why vocational training matters so much right now. At Aptech and our training brands, we don't just teach, we prepare you to be the kind of professional employers are excited to hire.
Here’s your sunshine break 🌞 — I’m Erica, and this is Feel Good News, where the world’s good side always gets the spotlight.
1. Croatia declared free of landmines after 31 years
Croatia has officially become free of landmines after a decades-long effort that came at a heavy cost. Over 30 years, 208 people lost their lives, including 41 deminers, in the painstaking and dangerous work of clearing the country of over 107,000 mines and 407,000 pieces of unexploded ordnance. The total cost of this undertaking is estimated at around 1.2 billion euros. This milestone marks the fulfillment of a moral obligation to the victims of mines and their families, and it paves the way for safer communities, better development of rural areas, more farmland, and stronger tourism in Croatia.
2. India set to launch free nationwide HPV vaccination for adolescent girls
The Indian government is set to launch a nationwide human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination program targeting girls aged 14 years. The vaccination will be voluntary and free of cost to ensure equitable access across socio-economic groups. India will use the Gardasil quadrivalent HPV vaccine, which provides protection against HPV types 16 and 18 that cause cervical cancer, as well as types 6 and 11. The program will leverage India's partnership with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to procure the vaccines through a transparent, globally supported mechanism. The HPV vaccination will be conducted exclusively at designated government health facilities, with trained medical staff to manage any adverse events. Cervical cancer remains the second most common cancer among women in India, and the vaccination program aims to directly address this challenge by preventing HPV infection before it can progress to cancer. The approach is grounded in global best practices, national disease burden evidence, and expert recommendations.
3. Millions of New York City workers entitled to more time off as new law takes effect Sunday
Starting next week, millions of workers in New York City will be entitled to an additional 32 hours of unpaid protected leave per year under a new law. The law also expands what qualifies for paid time off, allowing workers to use it to care for a child or loved one with a disability. The city will send compliance warnings to 56,000 businesses and audit companies to ensure workers get the time off they're entitled to. An Amazon worker shared his experience of not having enough accrued hours to see a doctor, but the company said it complies with all laws and is committed to providing a safe and supportive workplace, including time off for employees.
5. A children's hospital is renamed for Dolly Parton and hopes to transform pediatric care in Tennessee
Dolly Parton, the renowned country music superstar, is lending her name to a new cause - advancing pediatric healthcare in her home state of Tennessee. The East Tennessee Children's Hospital will now be known as the Dolly Parton Children's Hospital, reflecting Parton's philanthropic efforts to support children and families in need. Parton's generous donations and initiatives, such as the Imagination Library book program and contributions to Vanderbilt University's COVID-19 vaccine research, have already made a significant impact. The hospital's leadership believes this partnership with Parton will transform pediatric care in the region, ensuring every child receives the treatment they deserve, especially amid the challenges of rural hospital closures.
6. Denmark becomes first country in the European Union to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis
Denmark has become the first country in the European Union to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis, a major public health achievement recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO). This milestone demonstrates Denmark's strong political commitment and consistent investment in primary care and integrated maternal and child health services, protecting every pregnant woman and newborn. Denmark met all the required targets from 2021 to 2024, including low transmission rates and high coverage of prenatal testing and treatment for pregnant women. This success is a testament to the strength of Denmark's maternal health system and its long-standing commitment to reaching every pregnant woman with the care she needs. Denmark's exemplary data systems, robust laboratory capacity, and high human rights standards have been essential to this achievement. Denmark's experience provides a powerful model and motivator for other countries seeking to strengthen their efforts to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B. WHO is working with Denmark to advance the triple elimination validation process, which would make Denmark the first country in the European Union to achieve this milestone.
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That's it for last week :)
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After finishing college with a Law degree, you decide to apply for a position in the Investigative Division in the Secret Service of Monte Serra, your father's homeland, with the goal of following in his footsteps and becoming a Secret Agent, protecting the most important political figures in the country, just like your father once did, before retiring.
After graduating from your training within the Secret Service program with honors, your parents take you to Lago Lecce, a little island in Monte Serra, to celebrate your achievements and offer you a brief moment of reprieve before your duties start to overwhelm you.
That is all well and good, of course, until you meet a captivatingly alluring stranger named Frances, with whom you become attached at the hip during your vacation, living a summer romance that rivals the ones in romantic comedies. There is something familiar about Frances, however, that you can't quite put your finger on.
After your vacation in Lago Lecce ends, you say goodbye to Frances and the seaside life, before going back to the capital of Monte Serra, in order to finally start working.
But to your surprise, you find that you've been promoted to the Protective Division, tasked with protecting the newly-elected President Ritva, together with a team that seems both wary and curious about you.
Regardless of that, the biggest surprise you encounter is that President Ritva is Frances, the stranger you shared an unforgettable summer with, and the two of you seem incapable of staying away from each other, consequences be damned.
The connection between you and the President is undeniable, but when faced with duty and matters of the heart, will you have to choose? Or can you be greedy, and hope to have both?
In Bound by Desire, you can:
CUSTOMIZE your Player Character, by choosing their gender identity, pronouns, and appearance.
EXPLORE the country of Monte Serra, navigating both politics and complicated relationships with your teammates, coworkers, and rivals.
DEEPEN your relationships with your parents and friends, with the possibility of befriending even those who seem to hold a grudge against you and your position.
DEVELOP what was once a summer fling and now is a forbidden relationship, with President Ritva.
[note that Bound by Desire has only one RO, who is gender-selectable F/M]
Frances A. Ritva is the newly-elected President of Monte Serra, a democrat with progressive ideas and a creative mind, President Ritva is both admired and hated in equal measure. Nevertheless, they are committed to turning Monte Serra into a powerful nation, no matter the personal costs and sacrifices they have to endure.
Frances is deeply intelligent but sensitive, and you know this because of all the late night talks on the moonlit beach. However, while filling the role of President Ritva, they are straightforward, calculating, full of clipped words and sharp nods, and the honest person who wore their heart on their sleeve in Lago Lecce is firmly tucked away.
With so many mixed signals, you don't know whether the two of you are on the pathway to build a life together or free falling towards an ugly end.
Appearance: olive brown skin, which is medium-toned, slightly wavy honey blonde hair, and green eyes. F!Frances has upper-back length hair, whereas M!Frances has ear-length hair. 5'8 in height, with a slender but commanding build.
[all credits to k_pupu]
Bound by Desire deals with themes of unequal relationship dynamics, toxic workplace environment, emotional distress, explicit sexual content, and more. Player discretion is advised.
More good things the Biden administration is doing: OSHA heat safety rules for workers
Remember when Texas and Florida passed laws preventing local and municipal governments from implementing their own heat safety rules and said that if heat is such a big problem, OSHA should make rules that apply to everyone? If not, NPR can remind you. OSHA has now accepted the challenge, moving much faster than they usually do:
OSHA National News Release
U.S. Department of Labor
July 2, 2024
Biden-Harris administration announces proposed rule to protect indoor, outdoor workers from extreme heat
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor has released a proposed rule with the goal of protecting millions of workers from the significant health risks of extreme heat. If finalized, the proposed rule would help protect approximately 36 million workers in indoor and outdoor work settings and substantially reduce heat injuries, illnesses, and deaths in the workplace.
Heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the U.S. Excessive workplace heat can lead to heat stroke and even death. While heat hazards impact workers in many industries, workers of color have a higher likelihood of working in jobs with hazardous heat exposure.
“Every worker should come home safe and healthy at the end of the day, which is why the Biden-Harris administration is taking this significant step to protect workers from the dangers posed by extreme heat,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. “As the most pro-worker administration in history, we are committed to ensuring that those doing difficult work in some of our economy’s most critical sectors are valued and kept safe in the workplace.”
The proposed rule would require employers to develop an injury and illness prevention plan to control heat hazards in workplaces affected by excessive heat. Among other things, the plan would require employers to evaluate heat risks and — when heat increases risks to workers — implement requirements for drinking water, rest breaks and control of indoor heat. It would also require a plan to protect new or returning workers unaccustomed to working in high heat conditions.
“Workers all over the country are passing out, suffering heat stroke and dying from heat exposure from just doing their jobs, and something must be done to protect them,” said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Douglas L. Parker. “Today’s proposal is an important next step in the process to receive public input to craft a ‘win-win’ final rule that protects workers while being practical and workable for employers.”
Employers would also be required to provide training, have procedures to respond if a worker is experiencing signs and symptoms of a heat-related illness, and take immediate action to help a worker experiencing signs and symptoms of a heat emergency.
The public is encouraged to submit written comments on the rule once it is published in the Federal Register. The agency also anticipates a public hearing after the close of the written comment period. More information will be available on submitting comments when the rule is published.
In the interim, OSHA continues to direct significant existing outreach and enforcement resources to educate employers and workers and hold businesses accountable for violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act’s general duty clause, 29 U.S.C. § 654(a)(1) and other applicable regulations. Record-breaking temperatures across the nation have increased the risks people face on-the-job, especially in summer months. Every year, dozens of workers die and thousands more suffer illnesses related to hazardous heat exposure that, sadly, are most often preventable.
The agency continues to conduct heat-related inspections under its National Emphasis Program – Outdoor and Indoor Heat-Related Hazards, launched in 2022. The program inspects workplaces with the highest exposures to heat-related hazards proactively to prevent workers from suffering injury, illness or death needlessly. Since the launch, OSHA has conducted more than 5,000 federal heat-related inspections.
In addition, the agency is prioritizing programmed inspections in agricultural industries that employ temporary, nonimmigrant H-2A workers for seasonal labor. These workers face unique vulnerabilities, including potential language barriers, less control over their living and working conditions, and possible lack of acclimatization, and are at high risk of hazardous heat exposure.
Claire is an Indictment of the American Medical System
She never heals anything but she certainly causes harm. Meanwhile the grief-blind lead the grief-blind over here and black women do the unpaid, under-appreciated, and un-reciprocated emotional heavy-lifting.
boardchairman-blog
Why are none of these people in therapy? Work is not therapy yet in the US where people pay more for health insurance than anywhere else in the world and where Americans work more hours without vacation or maternity leave than most comparable developed countries, the characters on the Bear usually seem to find help only amongst their coworkers or through self-help (reading or podcasts). Women, especially black women (the sole example we see in an Al-Anon session and of course our main second lead), are seen doing the bulk of this labor in the workplace--in particular, everyone's favorite emotional labor mule: Sydney Adamu. By season four, Syd is even performing this function on her day off--managing Carmy, Richie and Donna's emotions in the wake of her father's heart attack with only the most limited (by Richie) reciprocity shown back to her. Her carework is reflected in Marcus' elegy for his mother; like Syd, though, her bedside is not surrounded by a community despite the suggestion at her funeral that she loved taking care of people, too.
boardchairman-blog
Al-Anon is a free public service held in a church. Interestingly the church Carmy attends is AME, African Methodist Episcopal Church, a denomination established by black people in 1816. Although free and welcoming of all ethnicities, it's AA-like sessions are not designed for an individualized program of healing through talk or medication which is what Carmy desperately needs. Carmy's ability to attend the Al-Anon sessions in the middle of the day is only made possible by Syd's labor keeping everything running at the restaurant; it happens too often in the plot for it to be anything less than a pattern wherein white healing comes at the expense of a black woman's emotional and physical labour.
It's almost as if in the world of the show trained mental health professionals don't exist and are not a part of the benefits package anyone working in an essential industry 12-14 hour days 6 days a week during a pandemic in a major metropolitan center can call upon. It's only mutual aid that they can turn to--and that too, cash-strapped religious organizations run by strangers that never coalesce into a community the agnostic members of the Bear can fully join. Historically this was a mutual aid organization for abolitionists in a society that practiced plantation slavery; in contemporary times, this mutual aid organization contains some vestigial trace of what a resistance to a life brutalized by capitalism might mean for workers whose punishing schedules allow no room for community building, leisure, therapy or play.
boardchairman-blog
By taking Carmy to an immature party, Claire presents him with a travesty of community life--one that Carmy is not part of, actually would not want to join since he has little in common with these partygoers, and yet she knowingly mocks him for not fully participating in a simulation of adult extracurricular activities. Claire's joke that she enjoys taking care of drunk people functions as a nice metaphor here for a medical system that manages the deleterious after-effects of Americans self-medicating through substance abuse (alcohol, drugs, overwork) rather than serving them in a capacity that would heal them holistically from the ground up.
Not only does she joke about it, she brings someone whose life she knows has been destroyed by his mother's alcoholism to a party where everyone is drinking. Again, the onus is on every individual to manage their illness without seeking the ubiquitous painkillers because addiction is a personal failure. American healthcare barely manages the symptoms and never seeks to cure the disease that is produced by working people struggling under late stage capitalism. It's logical that Claire's party makes Carmy feel harmed and that drives him further towards his addiction (overwork) which is why he takes her to the restaurant and its actually more nurturing community. The doctor in training harms and it is left to him to manage his symptoms--with help from, you guessed it, Syd again.
boardchairman-blog
Even though the plot of the show demonstrates its writers' awareness of psychoanalytic terms (e.g., sublimation, transference, perhaps even the categories children of alcoholics fit within), there is no trained therapist in sight. The Bearzattos, despite their middle class status, never seem to seek out or discuss therapy sessions with a trained psychologist.
boardchairman-blog
Donna, who likely has Bipolar Disorder, seems to be on no medications. It's astounding that she drove her car through a living room filled with people and, by virtue of her race and class status, faces no criminal liability or court-mandated mental health check-ups in order to continue existing in public spaces among strangers. Even that would be a criminalizing of her mental illness and reduction of it to individual moral failing rather than systemic problem. Her alcoholism was an outcome of self-medicating her untreated mental condition; however, substance addiction is reduced to a moral failing rather than recognized as a direct consequence of how the American medical system systematically fails people.
boardchairman-blog
2. We see Richie popping Xanax in Season 1 Dogs to manage his anxiety yet the only therapeutic discussions he has are with his coworkers and his ex-wife. He uses the term "sublimation" to describe Carmy's behavior in Season 3 but that seems to be based on his own reading of literature in his limited spare time. He is dealing with the end of his marriage, guilt and grief over the suicide of his best friend, and job anxieties but can only turn to the women in his life (his phone message for Tiff or his aborted attempts to find a girlfriend) for counseling. His stilted conversations with Carmy reveal that neither of them is a therapist for the other but, desperate times lead to their taking refuge in the other. By Season 4, Richie is texting Syd and turning to her in person for emotional regulation and counsel within and outside the workplace
boardchairman-blog
3. Our hero Carmy likely has C-PTSD from a childhood of neglect and abuse from his mother, abandonment issues stemming from his dad and Mikey, surviving the toxic workplace Chef Fields created at Empire and his unprocessed grief about Mikey's suicide. Being locked in the walk-in on the opening day of his restaurant is both a life-threatening and emotionally traumatic episode yet his medical professional girlfriend shows no concern for his wellbeing. Neither does the rest of his family who turn it into a joke. The only person who offers him aftercare is Syd who brings him tea and talks to him gently.
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Carmy's suicidal ideation (fire and, in Season 3-4, trains) are managed internally by Richie or by Sugar's nagging him to join Al-Anon where he rarely participates among strangers. It takes Syd's comment to him in Goodbye for him to realize both Richie and Sugar are also in the midst of processing their grief over Mikey's death. In short, it is the grief-blind leading the grief-blind over here.
Carmy's relationship to food (see the excellent meta "Carmen Bearzatto + Eating Disorders" https://www.tumblr.com/773carmy) and his learning disability go unremarked. At most, Sugar and Mikey press money on him and force him to reveal his innermost thoughts in between their own workdays.
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4. Sugar, despite attending Al-Anon and having a prior bank job as well as remaining in Chicago, seems to have no reliable network of girlpals to call upon when she is in labor. Her anger at Francie Fak suggests that she felt abandoned by her after they were intimate which destroyed their friendship (hopefully, for the sake of Sugar's wellbeing, for good). That means that aside from the Bearzatto clan and her restaurant coworkers and husband, she has no one to call for help--no friends, no neighbors, no other expecting mother she met at a birth program event, basically no network. And Sugar is comparatively well-off and emotionally regulated when we see the rest of the family.
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5. Mikey's addiction to painkillers implicates the medical establishment which benefited directly from pushing opioids on working Americans in return for the doctors' receiving kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies (see Alex Gibney's documentary on this). You might suppose that in a family where Donna's alcoholism is blatant, there may be some grace towards her son's form of substance abuse but you'd be mistaken. "Uncle" Lee castigates and humiliates Mikey for his drug addiction around the Xmas table and, through their silence, the rest of the family endorses the view that it is a sign of Mikey's personal failure that he has become a drug addict.
boardchairman-blog
6. Marcus' mother has round-the-clock care from nurses and yet dies alone because he is working without cellphone access as mandated by his employer. I despised the line scriptwriters forced Marcus to say after, "Take us there, Bear" which was redolent of benevolent slavery and white savior complex nonsense. That privileging of commitment to work above life is supposedly overturned by the white male hero now seeking to "retire." However, even that seems like a scary prospect--how can Carmy ever expect to afford mental healthcare now and why is retiring accompanied with death-adjacent imagery? Marcus is dealing with his grief largely alone, with only help from Syd and Chester. He seems not to have a community to call upon outside the workplace and nor do we see any medical professional suggest grief counseling.
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7. Although every child we are introduced to on the show is struggling (we are told this), none of the children seem to be in counseling either. The problems carry over into the next generation.
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8. Claire, a medical professional in training (which should ideally suggest she is not jaded at this point), comes across as sadistic. She voyeuristically enjoys scenes of Bearzatto family turmoil both at Xmas and Tiff's wedding. She engages in bullying, taunting, mocking, minimizing and gaslighting whenever confronted with Carmy's trauma. Her bedside manner is atrocious as we see the ineffectual palliative she offers Sydney ("having people worry about us is all we have" and "people were telling me I looked great and I've been crying"). Her proximity to Mikey (we have yet to confirm how proximate she was) as he descended into addiction further illustrates how the American medical system and its representatives are not a resource for even middle-class, urban-dwelling white Americans. How much more remote must access be for minorities like working class African immigrants Emmanuel and Ebra or at-one-time homeless Sweeps or muted-by-the-script Hispanic dishwashers Manny and Angel.
boardchairman-blog
If restaurants (and bars) are places where Americans go to be taken care (hello, obesity epidemic and drunk driving accidents), that suggests therapist offices and hospitals are not. The workers of the Bear are desperately trying to take care of their paying guests and, intermittently, each other but it sure does not seem like any trained medical professional is taking care of them.
The president’s disdain for disabled people—and obsession with genetic superiority—harks back to a grim past.
Sam Gustin at The Nation:
President Trump’s suggestion last month that the tragic Potomac air crash was somehow the fault of disabled federal air traffic controllers was appalling—but it should have come as no surprise. Trump’s contempt for people with disabilities has been well documented, and it’s that animus, combined with the accelerating MAGA assault on diversity throughout the United States, that has disability rights advocates preparing to defend decades worth of hard-won protections.
One month into his presidency, Trump has unleashed a government-wide attack on people with disabilities, from anti-diversity executive orders to proposed special-education rollbacks to threats to slash programs like Medicaid that are lifelines for disabled people across the country. If successful, these actions could have catastrophic consequences for millions of Americans, according to disability rights experts.
“This is a crisis for the disability community, and the threat is extremely serious,” Maria Town, president and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities, told The Nation. “These changes have the potential to erode decades of progress that the disability community has fought tooth and nail to achieve.”
Within 48 hours of taking office, Trump signed two executive orders targeting what he called “illegal” diversity programs—commonly referred to as DEI or DEIA—in both the federal government and the private sector. Trump and his MAGA minions claim that these programs, which promote the worthy goals of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility throughout American society, discriminate against, well, them, and so they should be abolished.
At a time when Elon Musk and his DOGE henchmen are racing to “delete” entire federal agencies and fire thousands of government workers, diversity programs have become a convenient target for the drastic budget reductions that Trump seeks—under the bogus guise of “waste, fraud, and abuse”—in order to cut more taxes for rich people and corporations. Hence the MAGA/DOGE crusade to demonize and scapegoat diversity programs for all kinds of calamities, from plane crashes to wildfires to train derailments. Thus far, most of the focus on Trump’s diversity rollback has been on “DEI,” but it’s the “A”—for “accessibility”—that has alarmed disability rights advocates.
“The hard-fought-for acceptance of people with disabilities in society is compromised every time Trump uses DEIA as a bogeyman for everything that’s wrong in society,” said Michael Rembis, a professor of history at the University of Buffalo and director of its Center for Disability Studies. “This purge of federal employees is in part designed to remove people who are perceived to be unproductive for both racist and ableist reasons from the federal government.”
The Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush in 1990. Trump’s anti-diversity executive orders roll back more than three decades of US policy since then——including executive orders signed by Clinton, Obama, George W. Bush and Biden—aimed at bringing more people with disabilities into the federal workforce and the private sector. From hiring and job training to career development and workplace accommodation, these policies have given many disabled people new opportunities to thrive, and a new sense of dignity after generations of mistreatment in American society, from ostracization to institutionalization to forced sterilization.
Those advances are now at risk, and the impacts are already being felt nationwide, as funding cuts loom for community organizations that provide crucial services and support systems for disabled people, from home modification to job coaching to transportation and personal attendant services. “We’ve heard from many organizations across the country that are having to think about cutting their staff, reducing their services, or even closing their doors,” said Town.
Disability rights advocates warn that Trump’s anti-diversity executive orders are just a prelude to even more draconian attacks. For example, Trump’s avowed goal to eliminate the Department of Education could jeopardize special-education programs for roughly 7.5 million students—15 percent of the US student population. Trump’s plan to cut billions in grants issued by the National Institutes of Health threatens long-term research and development focused on life-saving—and life-improving—treatments for millions of Americans. And, of course, any cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and particularly Medicaid—and let’s face it, the GOP wants to eliminate or privatize these programs altogether—will disproportionately affect millions of disabled people who rely on the programs to survive.
[...]
The Trump administration’s assault on government policies and programs that benefit disabled people is not just a scheme hatched in the bowels of The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 anti-government boiler room—although it is that, too. It’s also the natural evolution of Trump’s long-standing prejudice against people with disabilities. Trump’s disdain for disabled people is well known, from mocking reporter Serge Kovaleski and insulting wounded veterans to reportedly telling a relative with a disabled son that “maybe those kinds of people should just die.”
[...]
It’s no secret that Trump is obsessed with genetics, as demonstrated by his preoccupation with bloodlines and frequent comments about “good” genes, “bad” genes, “low IQ individuals,” immigrants “poisoning the blood” of America, and other bigoted remarks. In 1988, Trump famously told Oprah Winfrey that people must have “the right genes” to become rich. Since then, he has repeatedly compared his family to purebred “racehorses.” In 2020, Trump again invoked the “racehorse” theory to assure a mostly white Midwestern audience that “you have good genes in Minnesota.” And just last year, he intimated—outrageously—that immigrants commit murder because “it’s in their genes.”
[...]
It’s worth noting that disabled people were among the earliest victims of the Holocaust, condemned to death by a Nazi program called Aktion T4, which involved the systematic murder of some 300,000 people in psychiatric hospitals in Germany, Austria, and elsewhere in Europe. Stramondo doesn’t expect anything remotely like that to happen in the United States, but he pointed out that sterilization and murder aren’t the only ways to advance eugenic goals. “You can practice and enforce eugenic ideologies that result in lots of people suffering and even dying just by doing something like eliminating Medicaid,” he said.
The Nation reports on Donald Trump’s attacks on DEIA polices and its impact on persons with disabilities, which goes along with his long record of ableism.
Thank you so much @nemisisnemi for the commission!!! (And for also being patient with me LMAO)
So, general worldbuilding first, the basic headcanons for every character, Leona-specific building and a Nemi x Leona drabble to finish it off.
If you enjoy my writing and would like to support me, here's my (slightly out of date) comms info. Otherwise, just like/reblog/comment. It means a lot!!
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General Worldbuilding
NRC - Night Raven Conglomerate
Night Raven Conglomerate is known globally for many of their businesses, however their most notable and profitable model comes from Yokai Tech Industries. YTI is responsible for the development of state of the art androids, available for public use. While widely referred to as 'andy's' or 'mechs', YTI has a model for all your personal and business needs, for any budget.
(Any budget being from rich, to filthy rich)
Each droid model name is indicative of it's role and what it's been programmed to do. Regardless of model, be aware that your bot will have:
Safe search on
A personality chip
*please note it will take some time for your bot to develop its personality. It must cater itself to you as an owner and have time to research and develop a personality from external sources. This may mean your bot chooses a name for itself besides its serial number if you do not choose to disable this function
A direct connection to our troubleshooting department
Recording on
**all bots 'eyes' or optics are set to record the world around them in order to create a database for themselves and be able to recall old files in order to learn
A user guide and personal password/key in order to access settings in back panel (including most items above)
A recharge station
The Models
M.E.C.H- (Managing Everyday Chores and Homemaking)
The most common bots on the market, and also, the cheapest! These bots are perfect for individuals and families, taking care of everything from meal planning and budgeting to getting kids ready for school and cleaning! They'll manage household finances and run your errands for you.
M.E.C.H's have a humanoid design, but are manufactured in a white-coloured metal alloy. Most have a feminine appearance, but by request/with permission from their owners they may alter their appearance. Clothing is simulated by internet research and metallic projections that allow them to emulate cloth. (M.E.C.Hs from the factory are often dressed in a maid-like outfit or in a pant suit.) M.E.C.H's are able to alter their "hair" style and colour, so long as it is considered appropriate by their owners. They are also able to shift their height slightly.
(this design is somewhat inspired by Dominic Cellini on twt/insta)
M.E.C.H's are very durable and also easy to fix. They are capable of repairing themselves from damage after watching a mechanic fix the specific issue once, or contacting our troubleshooting team. M.E.C.H's are waterproof on their hands, and water resistant overall. They are fire resistant, and are equipped with safety measures in case of an emergency. They also have a direct line with 911.
**A business model of M.E.C.H is also available for minimum wage jobs, usually those requiring hospitality skills. They are more susceptible to the emulation of emotion however, than the O.T.T.O model, and may shut down when dealing with a customer. This can usually be avoided by turning off the personality chip temporarily.
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O.T.T.O - Occupational Transport and Telecommunications Organizers (O.T.T.O) is a great model to consider for the workplace.
O.T.T.O bots are programmed to help increase efficiency and intrapersonal bonds in the workplace, comparable to an automated secretary. O.T.T.O bots do the following up, so you don't have to. Progress reports and statistics are created and analyzed in record time. They are also trained to deal with H.R conflicts in a calculated and unbiased manner.
However, O.T.T.O bots have also recently been taking their place behind the wheel for public transportation, currently the only model approved to drive. So long as they are given ample time to either charge OR refuel, (like a car), they are a much safer option on the roads than humans are. They are a great choice as a chauffeur,( and YTI has proved as such by starting a cab company under a different name/brand.)
On public transit, their appearance is much more industrial than their office-working models. Most O.T.T.O bots tend to remain in their factory settings, remaining completely chrome in colour. They often maintain a bulkier looking chest and shoulder area for the sake of keeping potentially unruly costumers in check, though their arms and legs are capable of stretching and appear similar to bendy straws.
While these bots are reliable, they also seem susceptible to wear and tear. It's often cheaper to replace a bot when it no longer serves it's function properly. (cough cough planned obsolescence cough)
It is not recommended that these bots work in hospitality.
YTI is currently working on O.T.T.O bots that may be considered for work in trades, though this has mixed reviews from the public as of right now, over concerns of the bots taking over jobs that require more certification than simple safety and a driver's license.
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EM-RR - Emergency Response Robot (often referred to as an "Emery")
This bot is built specifically with human safety in mind. It's only objective is to rescue human lives. These bots are manufactured to look like humans for the most part, as studies have shown receptiveness to being rescued was improved the more humanoid they appeared.
These bots are equipped with basic paramedic training, fire fighting, extensive knowledge of the law and how it applies, medical equipment like that found on an ambulance, and search and rescue supplies, including a detachable drone that is a part of them. EM-RR's are also equipped with extra rations of food, water, blankets, toys, and radios. Besides M.E.C.H's, EM-RR's are the best bot to have around kids as they are often able to handle the responsibility, breakdowns and tantrums easily.
These bots are also built to withstand extreme temperatures, pressures, and fluids.
They are not yet approved to operate in a rescue mission without a supervisor as many are still learning what does and does not harm a human in terms of handling them.
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E.L.U - Entertainment and Leisure Unit
These bots are made for the big screen, often boasting the newest and best technology YTI has to offer. Their appearances are highly dynamic and can switch on a dime according to their whims.
E.L.U's can only be afforded by the highest bidders, and only 1200 models have been made worldwide for the public to buy. (About 35 models are used for YTI's ad campaigns and as actors in movies, and of those models, only 1 is used as a social media 'influencer'.).
E.L.U's are equipped with exceptional emotion-imitating technology. They are able to replicate voices without issue, learn choreography immediately, possess perfect pitch, and are capable of playing any percussion or string instrument.
E.L.U's have been through the most rigorous testing and development. While being able to sustain damage fairly easily, nanotech allows for superficial markings and damages to repair itself. Any damage that occurs on a software level is unheard of, but would be covered by insurance.
At least, unheard of to the public
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Custom Bots
(The YTI is currently working to develop a 'build your own bot' program for young aspiring engineers. The program will allow promising individuals to create a new android using the technology available to them in the facility, and also lead to streamlining the process by which someone could order a custom bot. Prototypes have been promising.)
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Rapid Fire World Building
Riddle - human toddler
Trey - EM-RR - Firefighting specialty
Cater - lives at home (mansion) with his dad, who is a banker and investor of Y.T.I
Deuce - Mechanic
Ace - Was the Roseheart's M.E.C.H, took care of Riddle, began to disobey orders from Dr. Rosehearts, was slightly dismantled and discarded of
Leona - Explained Below (E.L.U)
Ruggie - O.T.T.O bot, mainly working in taxis. Very friendly, has to do constant maintenance on himself so they don't take him out of service
Jack - Mechanics assistant, M.E.C.H
Azul - inherited his grandma's restaurant, investor of Y.T.I, has several M.E.C.H's at his disposal
Jade - is set to take over his mother's jewelry business
Floyd - no formal training as a mechanic, does the upkeep for the Ashengrotto restaurant. Has mixed feelings about the M.E.C.H's, sometimes breaks them just to put them back together
Jamil - a hybrid of all three bots, meant to attend to Kalim. Has additional security measures built in place to act as a guard.
Kalim - human, investor and advocate for android rights, as he believes they exist beyond just their programming and should be treated equally
Vil - E.L.U owned by Eric Venue. Hates it.
Rook - EM-RR - search and rescue specialty
Epel - Mechanic. Doesn't really like Y.T.I's inventions. Too close to humans
Idia - head engineer of Y.T.I. Can you guess why :)
Ortho - DECEASED E.L.U model
Malleus - a discarded prototype of the E.L.U model. The workers at Y.T.I believe it's battery is dead, but it has been able to hear everything around it for ages. Kept in the discard area, not even used for parts due to issues that came up during testing. "Cursed"
Lilia - one of the engineers at Y.T.I. Starting to question whether the use of A.I was a good idea, the more he works with the newer and newer models.
Silver - M.E.C.H's original prototype. It's "old" now, and does not hold a charge well. It is good friends with all the engineers and other workers at Y.T.I. Constantly has a mobile charging pack.
Sebek - EM-RR, forensics specialty
Leona Specific Worldbuilding
Falena Kingscholar was one of the first investors for Y.T.I. For the sake of PR and as CEO of his late father's clothing company, he deemed his contributions to Y.T.I's research as charity - such a stunning new invention, such innovation could do so much to improve the lives of those less fortunate. He sealed the deal with action when, on M.E.C.H release day, he bought 250 models to give out at random.
Some might make the mistake of thinking he's a selfless man.
As one of the largest investors in Y.T.I, he is given advanced access to latest models, often receiving a prototype after development has been approved. As such, when he heard E.L.U. models were soon going to be able to customized, he approached the owner with a deal he simply couldn't turn down.
So four weeks ahead of schedule, after hours of video footage had been submitted, interviews, photographs, memories retold, AI training, the semblance of his late younger brother stood in his living room, though slightly less...organic, so to speak.
At first it was alright. E.L.U - C 12515141 Was equipped with the knowledge that it's name was to be Leona, it's pronouns from there on were to be he/him, and Falena Kingscholar had requested him to maintain a "brotherly" relationship with him. While he wasn't entirely sure what that meant yet, he agreed. He had been given the videos in his memory banks as to who he was meant to imitate after all.
Leona tried - but to be honest, there was very little footage of the boy he was meant to resemble that offered information about his personality. He mitigated this by asking Falena to take a short questionnaire regarding which siblings in media he wanted him to imitate.
When Leona got his answers however, the patterns didn't line up. The boys he saw in the videos did not match the dynamics Falena had selected.
He saw videos over and over and over again where Falena was the subject, and the boy he was meant to imitate was nothing more than a background character. Secondary.
Now, maybe it was the push to develop him so quickly, so something was overlooked, or maybe it was just how evolution was meant to take place in a machine as novel as he, but something changed about his programming, about his personality.
If the living boy had been nothing but an understudy for the success his elder brother had come out to be....what did that make him? A replacement for someone who was never truly cared for? Built to be a coping mechanism for someone who regretted their decisions? All he was, was the embodiment of Falena's guilt, and a pillar to be Falena's redemption. He wasn't built to be loved, or enjoyed, or even for entertainment, he was built from man's selfishness.
In the following weeks, Leona tried to keep to his programming, but between processing and cross referencing and research on both the family itself and the psychology that he would be expected to have, he started to lapse more. He would write off slips of the "tongue" as "glitches" or his body language began to become more pronounced, usually in regards to annoyance. In between it all, he was trying to figure out if he was experiencing real human emotions about this all...or if it was all just part of the programming.
Eventually, Leona's internal conflict got to be too much. Violent tendencies and impulses began to arise, resulting in him damaging himself, shutting down randomly to avoid external conflict, and an otherwise unexpected disposition.
He listened into the phone number Falena made to send him in for repairs to his "personality chip." Leona took it as a threat, and immediately blocked all outgoing signals to Y.T.I temporarily to find a way to remove his personality chip on his own. Using bathroom tools, the mirror, and damaged pieces of himself, he all but performed surgery on himself to remove it - only to be horrified to realize all the "simulated" emotions he thought he had were still very much present. Unsure what to do, he stored the chip in one of his compartments, out the window and ran.
He was blacking in and out as he went, from the sheer panic he felt but tried to keep under wraps. It wasn't until he made it to a junk yard, where he could bury himself in scraps to hide that he finally let himself dive into power saving mode, sitting silently for who knows how long.
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Nemi x Leona Drabble
Battery Charged - 100%
All Systems Back Online
Rebooting Programming. . .
Programming Error Detected - Contact Y.T.I?
Yes No
"No. No don't contact Y.T.I." Nemi muttered softly, fighting the grime on their fingers to make the touchscreen respond.
It wasn't very often that Nemi or any of the junkyard crew found anything of value - at most maybe half a M.E.C.H or a catalytic converter if they were lucky - but a fully in tact, possibly operational E.L.U was unheard of. It was genuine too. How it had ended up in the junkyard was beyond him, but he wouldn't forsake the powers that be that left such a project to fall into his hands.
He rubbed his fingers on the cloth set over his shoulder, trying again to hit the button on the screen. To his relief, it finally registered.
Y.T.I Services can be contacted throu- (tap, uninterested)
If your bot is not perf- (tap, that's what I'm here for...)
System's Calibrating . . .
System Calibration Complete
E.L.U C 12515141 At Your Service, Courtesy of Y.T.I
The screen finally flickered black, before the metal beneath it flickered into the appearance the bot had had last, it's hand coming up to touch it's head as if it had a headache, it's "nose" scrunched as if it were in pain. The optics opened and shut a few times, the gentle whirr of fans blowing out dust and dirt build up that apparently, Nemi hadn't cleaned out thoroughly enough.
Whether the bot itself groaned, or it was it's internal workings coming back to life wasn't distinguishable, but Nemi stayed on his knees next to it as it seemed to slowly adjust to it's new surroundings. It squinted slightly, locking eyes with Nemi before glancing around the humble workshop.
It wasn't until it lowered it's arm it noticed that the chrome finish was no longer there - hell, the damage from his arm was gone. It was slightly bulkier than the other, but all in all, with a little buffing it would be good as new again.
It opened and closed it's hand experimentally, as if processing it was functioning like before.
"...You did this?" The bot's once blue optics much more closely resembled brilliant green eyes, scrutinizing the work of the supposed mechanic next to him.
Nemi swallowed hard, unsure what, exactly about this bot made him feel slightly uncomfortable, but cleared his throat and nodded, gently taking the bot's arm in his hands and turning it to show the carefully soldered metal, just the smallest glimpse of the wires beneath it.
"Yeah, I did. Um, you were partially crushed by a refrigerator? I think it fell on you from higher up in the stack, so I did my best to repair your arm myself. I...I may have taken apart your other arm to make sure I could make the servos match up properly, but everything's good as new. Promise. Name's Nemi, by the way."
The bot stayed quiet a moment longer, now looking down at both it's arms.
"....Why? I was supposed to be scrapped."
The bot finally moved, but only to tilt it's head back til it touched the wall, bringing a knee up to rest one of it's newly repaired arms on it, and closing its eyes. If it could sigh, Nemi was fairly certain it would have.
He adjusted himself, sitting flat on the ground instead, regarding the bot in some confusion.
"But you're an E.L.U. Nobody would just throw you away or, gods forbid, use you for parts. Any self respecting mechanic or robofanatic would repair you. You're gorgeous, top of the line, most sought after kinda model....how'd you end up out here anyways?"
The bot didn't seem to like that question, it's auxiliary power cord flicking, not unlike that of a cat as it looked away.
"Does it matter?"
Can a robot have an existential crisis? The thought passed through Nemi's mind, but he just shrugged in response.
"Not really. But it'd be kind of nice to know your name if you want to stick around here."
Nemi was met with an immediate glare of disdain.
"I'm not gonna follow your orders. Somethin' about defective programming probably came up on my reboot, right?"
Nemi shrugged again.
"Yeah, but you seem fine. Actually you seem like a lot more fun than most M.E.C.H's. I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to, but it would be nice to have a friend here."
The bot remained silent, looking away from Nemi. The silence stretched on for a while, before it finally let out a slightly exasperated sound.
"You can stop staring. You can also...call me Leona."
Nemi couldn't help but smile a bit, extending a hand to shake.
"It's nice to meet you."
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OTL thank you again for the comm, hope this was up to expectation and also tag list time!
@fluffle-writes @my-cursed-brain @distant-velleity @elenauaurs @lumdays @theleechyskrunkly
