Hi Go Wild Friends! In case anyone wants to know about beautiful Costa Rica I went there using my Go Wild pass so I thought I would do a story about what happened in Costa Rica. There aren’t really a lot of travel tips in here, its just the wild shit I got into in Costa Rica. I did another write up with actual tips about South Beach in Miami on a budget here if you want to read that one.
Okay, Costa Rica, so fuckin amazing! I want to fly to all the international places Frontier goes so I decided to do Costa Rica second (Cancun is an easy trip for me in Kansas City, they go nonstop there every weekend). The hardest part about Costa Rica is just getting there, I took a bit of a circuitous route.
I always take a big vacation each year after tax season, its fun for me to turn my phone off and go somewhere off the grid and not even think about work. Last year I went to Argentina and Uruguay and it was wild but honestly, this year was even better! I first wanted to stay with my brother and see my nieces and nephews in Orlando so I booked a one way flight from St. Louis to Orlando for only $19 with my Go Wild pass. I got to take a train from Kansas City to St. Louis, it was only $37 and I loved it actually, something about trains is so fun for me, probably because I took one to Chicago in college and stayed in a homeless shelter, my first real experience solo traveling, I loved it!
I spent the afternoon in St. Louis riding around downtown on those fun scooters and eating chicken wings and walking around the baseball experience place they had, it was a good afternoon. I had a late flight to Orlando but I fucked up the terminal (don't google which terminal is Frontier, its wrong). I went through security and bag check only to find out I was in the wrong terminal so that stunk but I had plenty of time for two security checks so no big deal. The flight was delayed so I didn’t get into Orlando until almost 2am and there was a long line for the rental car. I regret not doing the one you can pick up without talking to an agent so much, it was only like $5 more, do the self check car rental if possible. Orlando was fun, got to see my nieces and nephews and my brother and his wife put a little guest bedroom in the shed, easy to get into at 2am without waking anyone up.
After two days in Orlando it was time for my big flight to Costa Rica! So excited! This flight was only $51 with my Go Wild pass, an absolute steal. It stopped in Atlanta and then I was in Costa Rica in no time. On the plane a bunch of us were excitedly talking about our Go Wild passes, its kind of fun to do the spiderman meme thing and be like, you have a Go Wild pass? Me Too! The ringleader told me there were wild sloths if I went to a place called Manuel Antonio. I said what the fuck did you just say, wild sloths? Oh yes! I literally had no plans for a whole week so I mentally added sloths to the list of things I wanted to see. I have a travel buddy I met in Mexico to visit in San Jose and I wanted to see the volcano and the beaches of course but that was it.
At the airport you will want to get some cash, they have an ATM right there when you walk out. Don’t do the currency exchange, those people were giving really shitty rates. After you get cash walk around outside the airport to the backside, it’s a short walk and that’s where all the city buses come. There are buses to San Jose every 15 minutes, just jump on one of those its only like $1.50 and it goes 25 minutes to downtown. I have a huge aversion to taxis in Latin America, I’ve been ripped off a lot and airports are especially bad.
Once in San Jose you can walk most places, it’s a fun city to walk around. I stayed at the Costa Rica Backpackers hostel which I do not recommend for one big reason. Its so fuckin hot. I didn’t even think about checking for air conditioning, most places have it now. Also, I like hostels and the common areas and the hammocks and I always set up my chess board and play at night with beers. But I really like to have my own room at a hostel. This private room was I think $35 a night which is pretty good but it did not have air conditioning, just a fan recirculating hot air and it was right off the street so yeah, no recommendation for that one, I only stayed one night. That’s the fun thing about how I travel though, no reservations and no plans, if its not great I just go to a different place. I hung out with my travel buddy that night and we smoked a lot of um… cigarettes and went to this place where locals hang out. It was like some fuckin fast and furious movie but with Ticos, guys were just flying around on motorcycles on wheelies. I bought a huge meal for my friend and me, empanadas, a bunch of other Costa Rican food, it was so fuckin good and the whole meal was only $7, ha!
The next morning I set my chess board out at the hostel and I put $10 out on the money clip like I normally do when I travel. It’s a fun way to get people to play, if you beat me you get $10 if I win, nothing. My chess is kind of like a parlor trick too because I play in less than 5 seconds every move so everyone is thinking through it and Im having beers and going quick, usually at a hostel there gets to be a crowd and Im playing four dutch people on warm night in Mexico, so fuckin fun. On this morning a kid came up to play and I was teaching him chess for awhile nervously, I didn’t see his mom anywhere and secondly who brings a kid to a hostel? I couldn’t remember the last time I had seen one. He starts just taking my pieces off the board and then he takes the $10 and says welp I guess I won. I laughed and I said alright then, good job buddy. Just then his mom hobbled over, a Danish hippy with a broken foot. She thanked me for hanging out with him and told me the doctor said not to walk too much but it was hard with a six year old. I said sit down, sit down and I got her breakfast and helped her out. We talked for a bit and I told a funny Mexico story and helped them get their stuff together and she said oh you have to come to our hippy community in Puerto Viejo, you can stay in our shack by the ocean. I said oh that sounds fun today Im going to see a volcano but maybe later. She said they are the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica, one is entirely black sand. I said Im listening. She said they were poor in a little shack by the rainforest and they have monkeys and sloths in their backyard. I said um what the fuck did you just say? Wild sloths? She said yeah, tons of them. I booked a ticket right away for the 6am bus the next day. I went with my friend to the active volcano and then he dropped me off at my hotel. I booked the Radisson the second night because I really wanted Air Conditioning. Im soft like that, sorry. And it had a hot tub. I’ve never seen that many people in one hot tub, ha. At night I did a Tinder date, I found out all the cabs are pretty much $6 in San Jose so it was easy to get there and back and I went out with a fun lady who told me in Costa Rica they eat chicken wings with gloves, did you guys know that?
I got up at 4:30am and packed up for my 6am bus. At the front desk I asked them if they could call me a cab and they said its an additional $30 US. I was like nah, fuck that, $30? What a ripoff, I’ll just walk, its only 2 miles. So I walk pretty far into downtown San Jose and whoooooooosh, a bottle explodes near me! I go what the fuck and look up, theres a drunk Costa Rican man in a soccer jersey like two blocks away screaming at me in Spanish! I had so many questions, the first of course was who is balling out of control at 5am in the morning? The second was, who the fuck is that Latino Roger Clemens? I could barely see the guy from two streets away and he was (presumably) drunk getting that close to me with a full bottle of beer? The last question of course was who is drunk and throwing FULL bottles of beer? I walked away from his direction and then saw that there was a whole bar full of drunk soccer fans like him and I noped the fuck out and ran to the taxi stand and got a taxi. I said you know what, a taxi isn’t such a bad idea!
I regretted not Googling anything because my phone didn’t work at all in Costa Rica. They said I could buy a sim card but I didn’t want to, I kind of liked being off the grid. But I really wanted to find wild sloths. Maybe the person beside me will help I thought as I stood in line for the 6am bus. Damn, I hope its not someone rapid firing Spanish at me though, my Spanish is not great. Most of my Spanish I’ve learned from the music of Bad Bunny. I was relieved to see my seat in 44 was next to a Japanese man in 45. Oh that’s awesome I thought, he will struggle with Spanish too and we can find wild sloths together. Nope, turns out Im a racist asshole, he was a Japanese Argentinian who spoke perfect Spanish and no English, none. His phone worked too and he was putting all these upside down house letters in Japanese and beautiful beaches were popping up, I really needed his help. I tried to befriend him but they speak a different kind of Spanish in Argentina, cajes instead of calles and so fast, so fuckin fast! His had like a little stall in it before it winded up too, like a UUUUUU mi esposa no esta aqui! His wife was either sleeping back in San Jose or dead, I couldn’t really understand. I noticed he had a bear avatar on his phone so I knew he liked animals so half way through the ride I decided to try to tell him they had sloths there. Hay peresozos en Puerto Viejo I said but he didn’t understand what I was saying. I said peresozos again and put up three fingers mimicking a sloth and then I panicked, I was like shit, what do sloths do? Its an animal famous for not doing anything. I pretended to hang up side down and he is (loudly) guessing animals in Spanish and Im like no, peresozos! Maybe I was saying it wrong but I had no Google so I said es posible tu telefono? And I typed in sloths and all these upside down houses came up and the words Oso Peresozo. And he goes UUUUUU OSO PERESOZO! I don’t know if you’ve ever been on a bus traveling through rural Costa Rica and seen a Japanese Argentinian get excited in Spanish about wild sloths but it is… ADORABLE!
Si SI! Oso Peresozo! I yelled. People are turning around now, they are like why the fuck are the American and Japanese guys back there in 44 and 45 playing charades two hours into a 6am bus ride? I said juntos? (Together) and he said si si! He told me where we could get bikes to rent and what to eat, he was the perfect travel partner! He said Yelp dices Jerk Chicken is the best to eat here. I said thanks Juan, you are my favorite travel partner! We had an amazing day in Puerto Viejo, beautiful beaches, monkeys, wild sloths, God damn that was an amazing day. He even showed me where my hostel was and I dropped off my bag. This hostel was called 456 hostel which I also do not recommend because no AC and there are weird animals running on the roof but I didn’t care, I just wanted to throw down my bag and get back to looking for wild sloths. The lady said we can’t just take your bag you need to check in first, I said listen lady you see that God damn excited Japanese man out there? We got wild sloths to find! I had no desire to spend one second in that hostel but Juan goes “Esta bien, cerveza” and then he had a beer by the ocean while I checked in. I joined him for a beer and it turns out that is a beautiful setting for a hostel. Still don’t recommend though, so fuckin hot.
Juan and I had an amazing day in Puerto Viejo, God damn that place is beautiful. We saw wild sloths, monkeys, and had an amazing time on the beach. I was sad to see him go, what a great travel partner! He pointed to where my hostel was but I said I would ride back into town with him. To be honest, I forgot to write down the name of the bike rental and there was like a hundred in Puerto. I turned my bike in with his to his surprise because we had rented for a full day but I told him I wanted a motorcycle. He used his expert Googling skills to get me to the cheapest motorcycle place. It was only $30 a day for a motorcycle which I thought was very reasonable. And I didn’t have enough cash on me and they didn’t take cards so the rental guy just said no worries man, take de bike to the ATM. That was pretty trusting! I came back with the money and got the bike and I can’t tell you guys the drugs part because the mods said no talking about drugs.
That was such a fast motorcycle. I turned my Bluetooth speaker up all the way and floored it and zoomed down the coast in time for the sunset, so God damn beautiful! Something about that warm Costa Rican sun on your shoulders and the sound of Khalid and the smell of salt in the air riding along the beautiful ocean, it will change your life. After the sunset I went to Cat’s house and her beautiful German friend Alina was there. There were three kids too and as soon as I got there they went riffling through my bag looking for candy. I had two caramels but was one short so I gave the little kid my chips. This was her sad face for not getting candy!
Cat was hobbling around on crutches so Alina and I said sit down we will take care of dinner. I went to the store down the street and got so much stuff for that poor family- toilet paper, rice, peppers and Barbies for the kids and a soccer ball for Marcello. Gringo santa claus when I came back, both the ladies cried, Alina said her girls had never had a Barbie doll. Alina and I cranked up the music in that little hippy house by the ocean and made dinner and drank wine and laughed while the kids played with their new toys and Cat relaxed and finished her remote work. We ate the food and drank the wine and smoked…cigarettes and had an amazing night. Alina asked if I wanted to share the Tuk Tuk and I said yes. She said it in kind of a mischievous way so I thought maybe she wanted to make out. And she was very beautiful so I said yes. We got in the Tuk Tuk and rode back towards town passing my hostel, she winked and said your hostel was back there you know and then put her hand on my arm.
I thought Cat was poor but Alina was super poor. She told the tuk tuk driver to turn left by the trash dump and we pulled up to an even tinier house right next to the rainforest. She said wait out here and I’ll put the kids to bed. So I waited on the porch. The kitchen was actually outside, a little refrigerator and a little stove and a sink. I sat in the chairs and she came out and we smoke a um cigarette together and then she said wait here. I was like fuck, wait her for what? Is she going to rob me or something but she didn’t seem scary, she seemed sweet. She came back out with a big giant mattress and threw it on the porch floor. Then she took off her shirt and said in her German accent, “Un now we share our bodies.” I thought that was a pretty sexy thing to say so I took off my shirt too and joined her except I didn’t want to have unprotected sex with a hippy so we just made out.
Sometime after she slipped back inside so I was alone on the mattress on the backporch by the rainforest. I thought that was a pretty good place to spend my first night in Puerto Viejo and I looked up and saw a hundred million stars lighting up the sky and fell asleep. But not too many hours later, God damn I awoke to a caucophony of jungle sounds! So many monkeys, just fuckin howling. And there were these weird rat things running around, they weren’t small at all, if you’ve ever seen the Princess Bride fucking ROS. (Rodents of Unusual Size). I honestly thought the monkeys were coming on the porch, that’s how loud they were.
I jumped up and leaned the mattress against the house and started walking, past the trash dump and out to the ocean. The first beach I came across was the black beach, it was amazing and I sat there until the sun came up. I had no watch or anything and my phone was dead so I walked for a long ways until I found a Tuk Tuk driver who took me to Cats. I got my motorcycle and went back to the hostel but when I charged my phone I found it was only 6am so I went back to sleep. But the hostel had no AC and there were some fuckin animals on the roof right over my head so I couldn’t sleep much. I went to the beach and found more wild monkeys and then sent Cat a WhatsApp message to see if she needed my help since she had the broken foot and Marcello was home, it was some kind of Costa Rican holiday.
She said sure come over and so I drove my motorcycle back down the coast and went back to the store and got more supplies and cooked them a big lunch. I had asked before if they eat meat because some hippies don’t and she said sure but its expensive here I don’t know if you want to buy it. It was $4 ha, I got some ham and rice and peppers and made a huge lunch and drank some beers and cooked while Cat did her remote work. She took a picture and I asked if she mind taking a short video of me cooking. IT wasn’t for social media or friends or anything, that video was for me so I could remember when I could be happy. A trip to Costa Rica for only $51 with my Go Wild pass and I got to be by the ocean and I met new friends and I was actually helping someone, I realized that day that’s what made me the most happy, that’s why I wanted the video.
After lunch I cleaned up and then Marcello and I played some chess. She asked if I minded watching Marcello while she ran to town with a client and I said sure, no problem. I was wrong, it was a huge fuckin problem! She said she would be back in an hour and then we could go to the hippy get-together on the beach. She was NOT back in an hour and I fuckin panicked. I didn’t know this lady’s last name, I didn’t know Marcello really, I called Cat and she didn’t answer and I tried texting her, nothing. I thought fuck, she must have abandoned me with this kid. And I don’t know how to get ahold of the authorities and it was a holiday, this shit was basically the plot to the Adam Sandler movie Big Daddy. I started pounding beers because I was so nervous. I asked Marcello if he knew Alina’s number and this little dude said, and I quote, “Who’s Alina?” What the fuck? I said buddy, the lady that was here last night with the kids? He said he didn’t know them very much. Oh my God I thought, I’ve definitely been saddled with a kid. But then I was thinking, you know what, I could raise this kid, wouldn’t be that bad, live in this $400 a month house by the ocean, sounds good. But I have my own kids back home in Kansas City and that made me panic even more, now Im fuckin slammin beers so worried. Every car that goes down this little side road Im like oh please be Cat. Now this kid is starting to yell at me to come back out in Norwegian, I don’t know Norwegian and he wants me to read him books, which are also in Norwegian, Im full panicky at this time.
Finally Cat came back I said Cat, I wasn’t comfortable with that, I don’t even know your last name or anything. She goes, why, whats wrong? And goes running in to see Marcello, I said oh no, he’s fine, nothing happened its just that I thought you left and weren’t coming back. She said why would I leave my kid I love him more than anything in the world. I said I know, okay, its just that I was panicking. She said calm down, all good, lets go to the hippy fire circle. I was not going to go, I was going to get the fuck out but I really wanted to go to the fire circle, I was hoping they would let me spin the fire. So we went to the fire circle, Marcello and Cat with the client and me following behind on the motorcycle. We relaxed on the blanket and then up came beautiful Alina looking like a million bucks in the sun tucking her brown hair behind her ears. She got on the blanket with us close to me and I retold the story about how I thought Cat abandoned her kid with me and we all laughed and smoked again and had beers and then watched the sun go down. I didn’t know Marcello didn’t know how to swim so I showed him how to swim a bit, a little lesson in front of the beautiful sunset. After the sun went down it was time for the fire circle and the main guy said brother, thank you for helping Cat, you are in our circle now, whats ours is yours. I said oh man thank you so much can I do the fire spinning? And he said that you can not do. Damn.
So I watched the others spin it jealously and then I got us some appetizer snacks from the restaurant. After the fire circle and the singing and everything we decided to have a picnic at the black beach. They went to the store to get the food and I went to go get my motorcycle. When I got back I guess Alina had stolen something from the store because the workers were all around her and the police were coming. It was equally sad and scary. They took everything she bought away and Cat said its okay she had enough so we all walked to the black sand beach and I gave Alina a hard time for being a thief until we all were laughing. We had a great night by the ocean and then they both got Tuk Tuks and I got on my motorcycle and drove back to the hot hostel and fell asleep and I never saw those hippies again. The end.

For learners this is such a cute expression to describe something that makes your heart melt, or makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Italiani, cosa vi fa sciogliere? ☺️

I am three months into a new relationship. We just went on holiday to Italy, where we had a week of amazing sex, and didn’t even think about who initiated and who didn’t. It just happened.
Today we were cuddling in bed and he got hard. I didn’t make a move (I just wasn’t particularly eager for sex at the moment, and I was still processing my workday and chores). We kissed some, but it wasn’t particularly passionate or heavy (just kinda meh, and I could tell his mind was elsewhere), and after a while I got up to pee and take out the trash.
I sensed he felt rejected by this, so I brought it up. Essentially, he thought he had made a move by kissing me, and that I had shut it down. He didn’t seem rejected in a gloomy way, just kinda dismayed it hadn’t turned into more after a day of horniness.
I explained to him I need a bit more to get me going sometimes. Foreplay, essentially. I’m not always going to be ready instantly — but if he touched me more, I’d likely have ended up willing.
He said that although he wanted sex, he didn’t want to make overt moves either. He wanted to feel things out and for me to make the move and express desire.
But that’s the thing. I’m not sure how realistic that is, as my sex drive doesn’t work that way. I find it hard to suddenly want something out of nothing. A lot of the time my body only seems to respond to touch (responsive desire), which I explained to him.
It seems he would rather be horny and untouched than make a move and be rejected.
I can’t help but feel a little annoyed by this. I feel somehow to blame, for not anticipating his needs or making the move (without wanting to organically)?
Obviously there will be times I want to jump him, but equally times when I’m just not there yet. It feels like a lot of pressure to just assume I’ll be ready.
My partner had psychological erectile dysfunction when we met, which we’ve basically eradicated together. He now experiences erections frequently, and says our relationship has been extremely healing for him sexually. That he has felt wanted and safe.
But I worry that this will become a problem. Does this sound like incompatibility? Have you experienced something similar? What has worked for you / how did you resolve it?

I currently work for IHG/Holiday Inn and am thinking about switching.

I have my continuation of my PO hearing after my wife got denied and appealed.
After speaking to the one of the team members of my council, they aren’t give me a precise answer as whether she would get to stay in MI with the kids after fleeing TX.
Saying that her having family there and not here could weigh on the courts decision and also me being the working parent could also weigh in on her getting to stay.
Have you guys had/ seen a similar situation and what was the ruling?
(I was highly involved morning / night routine, every holiday was spent with my wife of the family, her parents/family had met my kids maybe 4 times in the first 2.5 years

🚀 The Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) regulatory framework recently adopted in the European Union has a significant connection to France's existing regulatory regime for digital asset service providers (DASP), according to Jerome de Tyche, President of Ethereum France and CEO of Cometh, a crypto gaming project. He noted that the EU framework closely aligns with France's test framework called PSAN (Digital Asset Service Provider), where companies register as PSAN and undergo an accreditation process.
MiCA aims to establish a standardized approach to crypto regulation across the EU and has been widely welcomed by both industry stakeholders and regulators. SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce even suggests that it could serve as a model for the U.S. in regulating the crypto sector.
To comply with the French regulatory framework, companies engaged in digital asset custody, buying or selling digital assets in legal tender currency, trading digital assets against other digital assets, and operating a crypto trading platform are required to obtain a DASP license. Major exchanges like Binance and Crypto.com have already pursued this path by securing DASP licenses in France, while Coinbase has expressed similar intentions.
France has been at the forefront of crypto regulation, often serving as an inspiration for EU authorities. However, it is still too early to gauge the full impact of French and broader European crypto regulations on driving innovation. Nonetheless, the clarity and regulatory framework offer a positive step forward for the industry.
While awaiting the full implementation of MiCA, French legislators have considered mandatory full licenses for all firms. However, due to concerns about compliance burdens and the reputation of France as a crypto hub, a compromise was reached. Existing registered firms will continue their operations without significant changes until MiCA is implemented in January 2025, while new market participants entering from 2024 onwards will be required to obtain a full license.
In addition, French regulators are exploring a "fast-track" system to expedite the approval process for registered crypto firms under the upcoming EU-wide rules. These developments will shape the crypto industry in Europe, and discussions within the sector are expected to continue.
Jerome de Tyche mentioned that due to the 2024 Olympics in Paris, EthCC, a prominent conference hosted in France, is already considering other locations. Brussels is one of the options, as it would maintain the conference's French connection while being closer to regulators, given that the European Commission is primarily based in the capital of Belgium.
Exciting times lie ahead as crypto regulation evolves and innovators adapt to the changing landscape. Stay tuned for more updates and discussions on the impact of MiCA and other regulatory developments in the crypto space!

edited to add background information My (27m) boyfriend and I (27f) live together. His parents recently let us know that they are divorcing after 27 years of marriage. My boyfriend is an only child and he has been taking it pretty hard. They live out of state and he only sees them a handful of times a year and says they aren't particularly close although they talk daily.
When they first broke the news he was understandably upset. He comes from a background where many couples are divorced and I think he took pride in his parents still being together. I did my best to comfort him that night but nothing seemed to help. He was still visibly upset the following day, crying and unable to run the errands we needed to get done. I was surprised about this reaction as he had expressed to me on multiple occasions that he always thought they would get divorced after he graduated high school/college and due to the fact that they lived states away from each other due to work during parts of his childhood.
Here comes the part where I'm starting to get upset... My dad (62m) is having very risky procedure in a couple of days. My family is preparing for him to have a stroke during s*rgery, or end up with serve organ damage, or worst case scenario d*e during the s*rgery.
My boyfriend knows this but kept making comments like "I'm just so upset I may never get another holiday with both my parents" and "I think I'm going to fly my dad down for Father's Day." to which I held my tongue but was deeply hurt by, as I too am upset about that all too real scenario for my family and I may not have a father to celebrate come Father's Day.
We did have a conversation in which I told him how I felt about these comments. I explained that they felt insensitive due to my families current circumstances.
Cut to yesterday, my boyfriend let me know that his dad bought a flight down to stay with us two days after my dads surgery. I was furious... I reminded him of my dad's s*rgery and that if he lives/there are no complications he will be in the hospital for 4-5 days and I will be bouncing between work and the hospital, and then work and my parents house to aid in his recovery. He said he knew it wasn't "ideal" timing and I said it was horrible timing, that I absolutely did NOT want a guest in our home during this time. And he also promised to help my family with anything they needed during this time which I don't see happening as he has his dad coming to stay with us. He didn't ask me if it was okay he just told me his dad was coming and that they would cancel the flight if my dad d*es... I asked him to cancel now and rebook for after we know for sure that my dad makes it without complications. He refused to.
Am I wrong to be so angry? I would have at least liked for him to ask before booking a flight. His dad also knows about the situation for my family and they both still thought it was ok. He said he was trying to help both of us... I don't see how this helps anyone but his dad... And I am reconsidering our entire relationship. Am I the asshole?

So, I waitress as a side job. I really like the job all in all and intend to keep it till I've finished my studies in about nine months (which is a fairly long time), but during the last couple of months, some issues have come up that I don't really know how to solve (or feel unable to).
Specifically, there are two colleagues who both make it very clear they don't like me in their own ways. That's fine - it's their right, they don't need to be friends with me. But it's really impacting the work environment and I think even the guests are starting to notice the tension.
Both colleagues are a lot older than me, have full jobs at this restaurant and are "shift supervisors" if they're there, so naturally I respect them as an authority and don't really dare confront them like I would colleagues of my own age. I have no issues defending myself if I'm being wrongfully accused of something, but I do have a terrible fear of specifically addressing interpersonal issues.
But let's roll back a bit to what's actually going on.
Colleague 1 is your average witch a woman in her late 30's/early 40's, overly correct, very confident and communicates a lot just through looks; also the "I wanna speak to the manager" type. She is nice to the guests, but she spends a lot of time standing around near the bar and just chatting - while being completely unaware of her own bad work ethic. While she is standing around, the rest of us is cleaning up tables etc.
We're not supposed to take orders, that's what she's there for, but if it's just one or two drinks, it's okay and we can just tell her rather than telling the guests to wait for her which is unnecessarily complicated. This is causing a LOT of problems, because every time one of us tells her just one or two drinks some guest ordered, she grows increasingly frustrated - I mean, how dare those people order drinks, right? And I wonder why they tell us the order, given that she is never around (I hope you spot the sarcasm).
A couple of weeks ago, she suddenly pressed her lips together like a 7th-grade drama queen and went, in the smugliest tone: "Uhm, do you go around taking orders or do I?" I wish I'd just said, "well, you're not doing it, so somebody has to", but in that second I was in too much shock to say anything. Oh yes, there were guests sitting right behind us who could definitely hear her.
This is not the only issue. The other is that she doesn't like me and shows this very clearly. Colleague xy (everybody loves her and rightfully so!) tells a story, this woman (let's just call her Karen because it fits) laughs heartily, comments the story, tells a story of her own. I say literally anything, she rolls her eyes, simply ignores me or mumbles an uninterested "aha". Those two opposites often appear within seconds of one another. As I said, she doesn't have to marry me, but a little human decency never hurt anybody!
Colleague 2 is a man my father's age (and actually knows my father which is just perfect. He himself is also the father of my first crush, so let's just be glad that crush never got anywhere). I respect him a lot more than I do Karen because he actually does his job properly, explained things to me properly when I first started and is generally, while a little quiet and dull, a pleasant person to be around.
I've been working there for about a year and a half, and during the last half year or so, I've started to notice that he has something against me as well for some reason. I get a snappy comeback at a reasonable (or not reasonable, what does it matter?) question while my colleague xy gets asked what she does for her holidays. She makes a mistake, he laughs it off; I make a mistake, he doesn't trust me with anything anymore and treats me like an idiot.
Whenever I'm nervous or in a situation unknown to me, I start asking questions. This male colleague doesn't like questions at all, even if they're justified and prevent a potential disaster. Just yesterday, I asked whether the table I assumed was reserved for a group was actually the right one - because obviously, I didn't want to seat them at the wrong table. He just snapped back at me to seat them at any godd*mn table and that it absolutely didn't matter. Okay, fine. A couple of minutes later, a lady orders a glass of water from me, I tell him: "The lady from table 123 asked for a glass of water." He snaps: "Did she ask for it or did she order it?", then rants on about how he apparently explained this to me already (I had no idea what he was talking about, he never explained anything remotely in that direction to me). What the heck is the difference? I expressed myself badly, okay, but that's no reason to treat me like some stupid child!
In comes another group that reserved a table. "Really, this one?", they ask. Apparently they want some privacy because they have to discuss some business that is really not for everyone's ears. Completely helpless, I tell them I'm going to ask my colleague, so I go back to the front and ask him what I'm supposed to do. He completely loses it, yelling that I know every table in this restaurant just as well as he does, and I also know that at each table, somebody might end up sitting at the table next to them, and so on. Yes, my friend, that's exactly the issue, you've got it. I didn't come to you looking for some secret table I didn't know about, but because I wanted help in finding the best solution for the current problem.
I get that he wants me to be independent. But every now and then, I'm going to come across a situation that I haven't dealt with before and don't know how to, and it should be okay to ask for help in those cases (especially if he doesn't have anything else to do in that instant)! Anyway, this was my breaking point. I think the guests overheard my colleague, because when I came back to them, they just accepted the table. I basically just shrugged, then found a quiet corner and cried - I can always keep my composure at work, but yesterday was too much, I couldn't hold back the tears. Colleague xy saw me, handed me a tissue and comforted me. The rest of the evening went fine, my male colleague was nice (I'm suspecting he either heard me cry and felt guilty or colleague xy actually talked to him about it).
But the general issue is still there. I know the solution in both cases is to confront them, but I have huge issues with confrontation. I don't know what to say, when to start a conversation about this, and how to not turn it into a drama where all my insecurity and immaturity shows and I end up just looking like an overly sensitive idiot who can't take a tiny bit of criticism - because that's not it. I can take criticism. I just can't take being those colleagues' punching bag anymore.
I should say that I have no issues with our other colleagues - including the boss. There was once a misunderstanding with one of the cooks that was resolved (though only with my brother's help - he works in the kitchen) and everything is fine now. I also confronted my boss when he sent me to an all-night-job at a wedding without telling me before. He explained someone had gotten sick and he didn't have a choice, and everything was fine. BUT confronting someone about their behaviour towards me? That's simply impossible.
Any ideas? Anyone with similar experiences?

0. Preface

In my post a couple of weeks ago, assessing the likelihood of current shareholders coming away profitable in the end, I noted that Holly Etlin's Docket 10 filing to the bankruptcy court stated that the company has around $800 million in secured creditors (JP Morgan, Sixth Street etc.) and $1 billion in unsecured creditors (mainly bond holders) to pay off. That too is only the funded debt; the [aggregate debt situation] is even worse:
The company estimated it had assets of $4.4 billion and total debt of $5.2 billion as of late November, and the number of creditors is between 25,001 and 50,000, with BNY Mellon having the biggest unsecured claim of $1.18 billion. BNY Mellon is a trustee on three senior debt issues, according to a spokesperson for the firm.
Before any value can be returned to the current shareholders by a successful exit from Chapter 11, secured and then unsecured creditors must first be satisfied. That is a very simple fact, and the notion that a sale of any kind of the company is bullish for current shareholders is simply incorrect and misguided. If current equity holders are to receive anything, and not have their investments wiped away, then a prospective buyer would need to cover BBBY's debt obligations to secured and unsecured creditors.
​

1. Who Are Unsecured Creditors?

The hierarchy of this is that it is firstly the secured creditors who must be paid out. In BBBY's case these are primarily the Wall Street financial institutions JP Morgan and Sixth Street, who have provided loans to basically keep the company operating. As these are fairly straightforward debt obligations, I think a buyer would simply need to pay them off in cash, as part of a successful Chapter 11 restructuring.
But after that come the unsecured creditors, and I believe how a prospective buyer pays these entities off could have a greater impact on whether shareholders can receive anything. If the buyer can negotiate in a savvy fashion with the unsecured creditors, there could be an opportunity to reduce how much of their debts need to be paid off. Additionally the method of payment could become important, as some form of equities-for-debt could mean the launching of new securities, of which current shareholders could receive some portion.
Hence the negotiations with these unsecured creditors could become extremely important for a successful deal to be formulated. Meaning that who these unsecured creditors are, and what they might be satisfied with, is a potentially critical factor. Below are the typical types of unsecured creditors that most publicly traded companies have:
Bondholders: Bondholders are individuals or institutional investors who have purchased corporate bonds issued by the company. These bonds are unsecured and represent debt owed by the company.
Debenture Holders: Similar to bondholders, debenture holders hold unsecured debt instruments issued by the company known as debentures.
Noteholders: Noteholders hold unsecured promissory notes issued by the company, representing debt obligations.
Unsecured Loan Providers: Individuals or financial institutions that have provided unsecured loans to the company.
Trade Creditors: These are suppliers or vendors who have provided goods or services on credit to the company.
Employees: Unpaid wages, benefits, or pensions owed to employees can also make them unsecured creditors.
Leaseholders: Companies may have leased properties or equipment from landlords or lessors, making them unsecured creditors if rental payments are outstanding.
​

2. BBBY's Main Unsecured Creditors

Hence I was very much interested when Docket 607 came out last Friday 2nd June, as this contains a list of BBBY's top 30 Unsecured Creditors. Here they are in alphabetical order, including my short description of what they do:
ARTSANA USA INC: Italian company in the parenting space, part owned by Baby Care International Development Sarl (Luxemburgish firm)
BLUE YONDER INC: Supply chain management software company, operating as an independent subsidiary of Panasonic (Japanese electronics giant)
BNY MELLON: American investment management and investment services provider; largest creditor of $1.18 billion
BRIDGETREE LLC: American marketing analytics and big data analytics company
CITRUS AD INTERNATIONAL INC: Publicis Groupe (French media firm) owned software as a service (SaaS) platform, optimizing brands marketing performances directly within retailer websites
COMMISSION JUNCTION INC: Another Publicis Groupe (French media firm) owned affiliate marketplace, in which eCommerce brands can browse a large selection of products that can be used for promoting and building their business
FACEBOOK INC (META PLATFORMS): American multinational technology conglomerate
F 3 METALWORX INC: American precision metal works provider specializing in Wire Weld Store Fixtures, Arvite Precision Sheet Metal Fabrication and Cost Effective Coatings
FEDERAL HEATH SIGN COMPANY LLC: American firm that manufactures interior marketing decor, external signs and digital signage
FEDEX: American express delivery services and solutions firm
GRANITE TELECOMMUNICATIONS LLC: American one-stop solutions for voice, data, Internet, wireless, video and secure network options provider
IDX CORPORATION: American company that develops and manufactures consumer displays and environments
INTERSOFT DATA LABS INC: Indian company thar specialises in IT outsourcing and business process solutions, especially digital transformations
KDM P.O.P. SOLUTIONS GROUP: American in-store retail marketing solutions provider
KEECO LLC: American home textile supplier, specializing bedding and curtains
KEPLER GROUP LLC: Digital marketing services company, part of the Japanese media giant Hakuhodo's kyu Collective
KEURIG GREEN MOUNTAIN INC: American beverage and coffeemaker conglomerate
LENOX CORPORATION: American manufacturing company that sells tableware, giftware, and collectible products under the Lenox, Dansk, Reed & Barton, and Gorham brands.
LIFETIME BRANDS INC: American provider of kitchenware, tableware and other products used in the home
MADIX INC: American manufacturer of store fixtures, shelving, and display accessories
NATIONAL TREE COMPANY: Leading American importer and wholesaler of artificial Christmas trees, wreaths and garlands as well as holiday decorations and fiber optics products
NORTH AMERICAN CORPORATION: American packaging solutions and facility solutions firm
PERSONALIZATIONMALL: Amerixan provider of distinctive keepsake items featuring a broad assortment of customizable products
PINTEREST INC: American image sharing and social media service
SHARKNINJA SALES COMPANY: American manufacturer of small home appliances
TEMPUR‐PEDIC: American manufacturer and distributor of mattresses and pillows made from viscoelastic foam
TESTRITE PRODUCTS CORP.: American wholesale distributor of home furnishings and housewares
THE KNOT WORLDWIDE INC: American wedding planning and goods company
VERIZON BUSINESS NETWORK: American voice and data telecommunications campany
WILLIAM CARTER CO.: Major American designer and marketer of children's apparel
​

3. Unsecured Creditor Categories

Here I am putting these 30 firms into categories, based on my personal assessment of what type of firm they are and/or what kind of relationship they most likely have with BBBY:
​
Financal Services providers to BBBY
BNY MELLON
​
Business Services providers to BBBY
BLUE YONDER INC
BRIDGETREE LLC
CITRUS AD INTERNATIONAL INC
COMMISSION JUNCTION INC
FACEBOOK INC (META PLATFORMS)
F 3 METALWORX INC
FEDERAL HEATH SIGN COMPANY LLC
FEDEX
GRANITE TELECOMMUNICATIONS LLC
IDX CORPORATION
INTERSOFT DATA LABS INC
KDM P.O.P. SOLUTIONS GROUP
KEPLER GROUP LLC
MADIX INC
NORTH AMERICAN CORPORATION
PINTEREST INC
VERIZON BUSINESS NETWORK
​
Suppliers of products sold at BBBY stores
ARTSANA USA INC
KEECO LLC
KEURIG GREEN MOUNTAIN INC
LENOX CORPORATION
NATIONAL TREE COMPANY
PERSONALIZATIONMALL
SHARKNINJA SALES COMPANY
TEMPUR‐PEDIC
TESTRITE PRODUCTS CORP.
THE KNOT WORLDWIDE INC
WILLIAM CARTER CO.
​
What I was concerned about before carrying out this research was whether most of BBBY's unsecured creditors are financial services firms. We know for sure that BNY Mellon is the largest of the bond holder, being the trustee of the senior notes. However not a single one of the other 29 firms on this list are other financial services providers. Of course no guarantees, but I believe this significantly reduces the risk of bad Wall Street actors being able to "sabotage" potential negotiations between a prospective buyer of BBBY and the collective secured creditors.
In fact, the vast majority of these large secured creditors appear to be Trade Creditors, and I believe that is a very encouraging sign. For these companies, there is no advantage at all in BBBY winding down its operations, as that would mean a loss of longer term income for them. Looking at the products and services these companies provide, they either receive revenue from BBBY for business services, or have their products sold through BBBY's bricks-and-mortar and/or online stores. So for BBBY to wind down completely would not be in these secured creditors' best interests at all, as they would simply be losing a long-term revenue source.
​

4. The Ultimate Deal

As such, I believe there is a good chance that a prospective buyer can significantly reduce the secured debt obligations currently on BBBY's books, as part of a successful acquisition of the company. Except for BNY Mellon, all the other major unsecured creditors appear to be BBBY's suppliers and long-term business partners. I would think that the short-term gain of recovering their current debts is less beneficial to these companies, if compared to continuing to supply their products and services to BBBY and/or its successor entities.
So what kind of deal could take place? This could take many forms, but an attractive one for these unsecured creditors could be a swapping of debt for newly issued securities. Those could be of a new ticker representing BBBY's post-Chapter 11 business, or of a spin-off such as BABY, or even more attractively, both. This third option would mean that far from their relationship with BBBY ending in disappointing fashion, they can instead recoup their unsecured credit, receive equity and part-ownership in one or more new companies, AND can provide products and services to these firms.
Such a scenario would also be extremely beneficial for current BBBY shareholders as well. If the buyer's requirements for paying off BBBY's debts are reduced, then a higher chance there is enough left over from their acquisition offer to return to us equity holders. I am also inclined to think that the type of offer is more likely to include their own stock, given such an equity-for-debt offer could be more attractive to Trade Creditors. As I have pointed out in numerous past DDs, I believe such an acquisition - either in the form of an All-Stock or Combined Stock/Cash deal - has the greatest likelihood of triggering a Short Squeeze.
So it is fair to say that I am really quite encouraged by the make-up of BBBY's top 30 unsecured creditors list...!
​

5. Summary

• Before current shareholders can receive any value from a successful exit from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, secured and unsecured creditors must be satisfied.
• Secured creditors have priority and must be paid off first. They are typically financial institutions that have provided loans to the company, such as JP Morgan and Sixth Street in the case of BBBY.
• Unsecured creditors come next, and how they are paid off can impact whether shareholders receive anything. Negotiating with unsecured creditors could potentially reduce the amount of debt that needs to be paid and the method of payment, such as equities-for-debt, could involve launching new securities.
• BBBY's top 30 unsecured creditors were listed in Docket 607. They include a mix of companies from various industries, such as financial services providers, business services providers, and suppliers of products sold at BBBY stores.
• However the fact that most of BBBY's unsecured creditors are Trade Creditors (suppliers and long-term business partners) rather than financial services firms reduces the risk of potential negative interference from Wall Street actors for a potential buyer.
• A prospective buyer may be able to reduce secured debt obligations by negotiating with trade creditors who have a long-term interest in maintaining a relationship with BBBY.
• An attractive deal for these unsecured creditors could involve swapping debt for newly issued securities, potentially representing BBBY's post-Chapter 11 business and/or a spun-off BABY.
• Such a deal could also be extremely beneficial to current shareholders, as this increases the likelihood of returning value from the acquisition offer and potentially triggering a Short Squeeze.
• The makeup of BBBY's top 30 unsecured creditors list is therefore very encouraging for potential acquisition negotiations, and an overall profitable outcome for shareholders.

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I'm trying very hard to not let her comments get to me, I don't know that she even realizes that she's doing it, and I recognize that as a new mother I'm particularly sensitive. At first I just chalked the commentary up as strange and irksome and now it really infuriates me. I have mentioned it to my husband and he assured me that she loves our child, she just really wants a granddaughter (?? But like y tho?)
Backstory: I have a running tab of microaggressions that have grated on me for the past year or so, and can't seem to let them go. For example, we passed our wedding venue on the way to a Christmas party that I invited her to as a way of including her and she referred to it as 'the scene of the crime' (what?)
As a new mom, I asked for no visitors to our home for the first two weeks after bringing LO home., I welcomed visitors to the hospital since we were captives there anyway, but wanted time to figure things out just DH, LO and I, once we got to go home. She referred to that request as my 'edict'.
At our baby shower she asked my mom if she was going to be with me during that time since 'all girls want there mamas around [after having a baby]' I reiterated that no, I specifically didn't want visitors, I wanted to figure it out on my own with my husband (I will admit here that I am independent to a fault and will not ask for help even if I need it) JNMIL just shook her head at me like I was to be pityed. At this baby shower, she gave us the literal only /thing/ she's gotten for our baby, a high chair, which was not the one we had registered for, she acknowledged that and told me she didn't have a gift receipt and couldn't exchange it for the one we wanted because she'd purchased it on sale.
When LO was born (we did not know the gender, we let it be a surprise) JNMIL came into my delivery room after our hour of skin to skin time, LO was being measured and footprinted at the time, my DH beamed at her and said it's a boy! She exclaimed 'oh, another (our last name) boy!' but not in a kind way, it had a very derogatory connotation. No congratulations, no gushing about how perfect he was, no warmth from her at all. She then went to my DH, hugged him and preceded to chide him for not calling her landline when she didn't answer her cell phone that morning when he called to tell her my water had broken and we were headed to the hospital. (I still hadn't even been acknowledged at this point.)
After being moved to our recovery room she said ok hurry up and work on having the next one, and it better be a girl. I'm literally still having my uterus pushed on in my hospital bed. I thought everything about her behavior in the hospital was totally bizarre.
We invited her to spend the holidays with us (I am really trying to include her in our lives, she lives alone several hours away from us, and always seems sad/isolated/angry at her life - this LO is her first grandchild and I thought it would bring her joy, but no.) After the three day visit as she was walking out the door, she said to my child, 'i love you, even though you're a boy' ... ya'll. my mouth fell open. I can't tell you how upsetting that felt.
Fast forward 6 months to this past mother's day, I threw a tea party at my mom's house for all of the moms in our family and we invited JNMIL. She sent my mom a thank you note afterward and the last line of the note says 'on to the next grandchild, hoping for a girl.'
I just don't know what to do here, my LO is literally perfect in every way and every time she makes these comments it's like she's saying he's just not good enough. It makes my blood boil and also my heart break. We plan to have more kids but I'm not sure I can handle her disappointment if I have another boy without ripping her face off. I'm not great at expressing my feelings in the moment, I usually have to sit with them for awhile and figure out exactly what/how I'm feeling and how to respond. My DH thinks I should simply disregard the comments because she 'means well' but I have no idea how to do that and I'm not sure that's true.
When she inevitably makes another comment how do I handle it in the moment? We will be on a big family trip to the beach with her next week and I'm dreading that something will be said.

Hi all, I have put together a very early itinerary and I am looking at big picture suggestions on the destinations, lenghts of time, travel between places etc and also more detailed suggestions of things to do in these places!
In terms of travel interests, I really want to experience the culture, especially the food (and drink!) of the region, I'd like to eat as the locals do as much as possible but maybe have a few finer dining experiences. I am interested in the history of Cambodia, particularly from the colonial period to present and so colonial influenced architecture/culture also would be on the radar. I also want to travel where practical by train/boat -> have a bit of a Heart of Darkness/Orient Express itch I like to scratch on holidays. I also want to have a period on the trip (probably the end) where I am mostly sitting somewhere nice (a beach probably), relaxing, eating/drinking and reading.
Day 1 Arrive Siem Riep, explore town (old market)
Day 2 Angkor Wat and War Museum
Day 3 Landmine Museum and more exploring
Day 4 Travel by boat to Battambang (whats the latest opinion on the boat? Threads seem mixed)
Day 5 Walking Tour and Exploration
Day 6 Travel by bus or train(?) to Phnom Penh
Day 7 S-21 Museum and Royal Palace (I have left off the killing fields, I am not sure I want to see it. I know it's horrific I don't need to see that ... but if people want to convince me go for it)
Day 8 Explore town, market, walking tour etc
Day 9 Travel by train to Kampot
Day 10 Pepper plantation
Day 11 Wat Ey Sey and/or Veal Pouch Waterfall
Day 12 Travel by Crab Shuttle(?) to Kep
Day 13 Literally nothing but relax
Day 14 Literally nothing but relax
Day 15 Travel by bus to Phnom Penh, depart
​
Thoughts on the itinerary? Is it too rushed? I am wondering if the diversion to Battambang is necessary.
Plus recommendations appreciated in particular for homestays, guides, tours etc that blew you away!

For en liten tid siden postet jeg dette innlegget: Om å føle seg som 'en på NAV' på arbeidsplassen - ønske om fornuftige innspill og råd? Hvordan kan jeg styrke mine muligheter i arbeidslivet? : norge (reddit.com)
Har nå vært på møte med veilederen min og drøftet muligheter videre, spesielt støtte til å komme tilbake til utdanning da jeg er sært motivert for å fullføre tidligere påstartet grad (evt. sette noe sammen og fullføre en bachelor). Får alltid positive tilbakemeldinger på intervju, men ikke fått noen tilbud enda, da de "valgte å gå for noen med utdanning". Jeg kunne evt. få noen kurs, men det var vagt hva dette innebar. Ellers ble jeg anbefalt til å oppsøke en lokal coach som koster 1500kr per time.
Usikker på om jeg skrev det i hovedposten, men har siden september i fjor vært på tiltaket 'lønnstilskudd'. Dvs at NAV dekker 60% av lønna mi. Slik jeg har forstått det reguleres tilgang til dette bla. av NAV-loven, og i hovedsak tiltaksforskriften. Jeg har tydeligvis oppfylt kravene til kapittel 9, og ytterligere oppfylt i §9-5 at jeg har "nedsatt arbeidsevne" siden jeg får dekket 60%.
Likevel mener veilederen min at jeg ikke kan ha rett på støtte til 'ordinær utdanning'.
Jeg synes dette virker litt rart, da det ikke er noen andre krav enn det stilles i kapittel 9. Hvem som får opplæring (høyere utdanning er § 7-2 c.) står i § 7-3:
Opplæring kan gis til personer med behov for kvalifisering.
Opplæring etter § 7-2 første ledd bokstav a og b kan gis til personer over 19 år som på grunn av mangelfulle formelle kvalifikasjoner eller svake grunnleggende ferdigheter har vanskeligheter med å komme inn på arbeidsmarkedet.
Opplæring etter § 7-2 første ledd bokstav c kan gis til personer over 22 år som på grunn av nedsatt arbeidsevne hindres i å skaffe seg eller beholde inntektsgivende arbeid.
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Jeg er over 22 år, og ved at jeg fikk innvilget midlertidig lønnstilskudd med 60% har jo NAV tidligere vurdert at jeg pga. nedsatt arbeidsevne hindres i å skaffe eller beholde inntektsgivende arbeid. Likevel mener veileder at det er lite som kan gjøres - jeg må evt. bli sykemeldt og gå over på AAP først (jeg har brukt 5mnd av sykemeldingsperioden tror jeg, men er ikke sykemeldt nå, selv om jeg kanskje egentlig burde det siden jeg nå ikke klarer å være nok på jobb samtidig som gjennomføring av behandlingsprogram.). Men det står jo ingenting om det i forskriften? Er det noe jeg har gått glipp av?
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Hilsen grønnskolling gått vill i Lovdata
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(Jeg mener ikke at jeg har krav på ditt eller datt, men prøver bare å forstå. Jeg har ikke mulighet å ta studielån da jeg har manglende studieprogresjon og har ikke lyktes med å studere ved siden av jobb hittil, selv om jeg helt siden jeg 'droppet ut' har jobbet redusert - uten ytelser bare for å presisere det).

AITX (ASK @ 0.013)
Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions, Inc, a global leader in AI-driven security and productivity solutions, along with its wholly owned subsidiary Robotic Assistance Devices, Inc. (RAD)
today announced that it is now accepting orders for RADDOG 2LE,

• the robot dog purpose-built for law enforcement agencies.
• Limited quantities are available as early as July 2023.

RADDOG 2LE marks a critical evolution of quadruped robotics positioned to improve the capabilities of law enforcement agencies and enable them to apply practical robotics for a variety of tasks.
With its agile quadruped (four-legged) design and cutting-edge external accessories, RADDOG 2LE empowers officers to conquer

• challenging terrain,
• reach inaccessible areas,
• and navigate through dangerous environments.

Troy McCanna, RAD's Chief Security Officer and a former FBI Agent with extensive experience as a Multi-Jurisdictional Task Force CoordinatoSupervisor, expressed his appreciation for RADDOG's capabilities. McCanna remarked,
"Throughout my tenure with the FBI, I often wished for a solution like RADDOG, which would have offered invaluable foresight into the operational environment before deploying my fellow partners into potentially dangerous situations.
I can only imagine the tremendous situational awareness benefits that RADDOG would have provided."
RADDOG 2LE offers law enforcement agencies an exceptional combination of advanced performance features and remarkable affordability.
Driven by RAD’s ‘RADPack LE’, this quadruped features RADSoC™, the on-board visual analytics and video management system included with all of RAD’s AI-powered solutions.
RADPack on RADDOG 2LE offers unique features, specifically including an interactive touch screen located at the front of the quadruped.
This interface facilitates smooth, high-definition video communication between remote law enforcement officers and individuals within the robot's vicinity.
Complemented by integrated microphones, powerful audio speakers, programmable alert lighting, and front headlights, RADDOG 2LE possesses an array of capabilities to effectively engage with, and capture the attention of those it may confront.
"RADDOG represents the epitome of our achievements and offerings at RAD," said Steve Reinharz, CEO of AITX and RAD.
“Its exceptional performance as a 'force multiplier', advanced communication capabilities, sleek design, and comparable low cost should make it very attractive to law enforcement agencies."
The Company noted that additional iterations of the RADDOG platform will be announced over the next several weeks.
RADDOG 2LE is scheduled to begin shipping in late July. Complete specifics of its capabilities, features and other details can be found at www.raddog.ai and www.radsecurity.com.
AITX, through its subsidiary, Robotic Assistance Devices, Inc. (RAD), is redefining the $25 billion (US) security and guarding services industry through its broad lineup of innovative, AI-driven Solutions-as-a-Service business model.
RAD solutions are specifically designed to provide a cost savings to businesses of between 35%-80% when compared to the industry’s existing and costly manned security guarding and monitoring model.
RAD delivers this tremendous costs savings via a suite of stationary and mobile robotic solutions that complement, and at times, directly replace the need for human personnel in environments better suited for machines.
All RAD technologies, AI-based analytics and software platforms are developed in-house.
RAD has a prospective sales pipeline of over 35 Fortune 500 companies and numerous other client opportunities.
RAD expects to continue to attract new business as it converts its existing sales opportunities into deployed clients generating a recurring revenue stream.
Each Fortune 500 client has the potential of making numerous reorders over time.
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About Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions (AITX)
AITX is an innovator in the delivery of artificial intelligence-based solutions that empower organizations to gain new insight, solve complex challenges and fuel new business ideas.
Through its next-generation robotic product offerings, AITX’s RAD, RAD-M and RAD-G companies help organizations streamline operations, increase ROI, and strengthen business.
AITX technology improves the simplicity and economics of patrolling and guard services and allows experienced personnel to focus on more strategic tasks.
Customers augment the capabilities of existing staff and gain higher levels of situational awareness, all at drastically reduced cost.
AITX solutions are well suited for use in multiple industries such as enterprises, government, transportation, critical infrastructure, education, and healthcare.
To learn more, visit www.aitx.ai, www.radsecurity.com, www.stevereinharz.com, www.radgroup.ai, www.raddog.ai, and www.radlightmyway.com, or follow Steve Reinharz on Twitter @SteveReinharz.
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Steve Reinharz 949-636-7060 @SteveReinharz