#Nikki’s Important Day 2023 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

omnivorouscinephilia · 11 months

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I’m honestly shocked that The Idol (Sam Levinson, 2023-) is seen as so shocking considering how bland and tepid it is. It feels like someone wanted to remake Perfect Blue (Satoshi Kon, 1998) but got lost along the way and ended up with 50 Shades of Hannah Montana, in the same way, that not only are its touted sex/kink scenes shockingly chaste and bland but also feels as substantive as a gormless sitcom meant to sell you a soundtrack (the Weekend interjects has a few self-insert needle drops throughout). The show's most obnoxious sin, like a bad children’s show, is that it frequently has characters deliver exposition that in turn informs important characterization, often indicating that they should’ve been depicted as part of the narrative proper, or announcing what commentary they are attempting. Characters try to sell us on the depth of the material, and why we should care, often in a cynical way as to say “this is what you should be talking about,” like a rather crass evocation of Brittney Spears in the first episode.

Like the paparazzi with Spears, there is a lecherous survey of Joss’ (Depp) body present in almost every sequence she is on screen, but only in as much as it is being sold to us as sexy or broken. When it is not a temple for heroin chic fetishism, there are some decent attempts to show the damage her endless physical labor does to her, as emphasized by a sequence where we see the bleeding callouses and bandages on her feet. Yet frequently, her body is meant to be a sight for erotic titillation, her personality vacuous beyond unironic “cool girl” talking points that there is little else to focus on according to the series but her physique. It is almost as comically puritanical as some of its most vocal detractors, as any real depiction of sex is off-screen or so tepid that you imagine these are the fantasies of men who only know sex from the pornos they watched when they were teens in the nineties. Campion, Lynch, Cronenberg, and the Wachowskis were doing wilder erotic depictions decades ago.

What The Idol appears to be most substantively about are petty grievances against those who have slighted Sam Levinson in the past, i.e. an intimacy coordinator and women with authority. In the much-touted intimacy coordinator scene, wherein they are seen as obstructing Joss’ bodily autonomy (it’s conservatively clever, you almost have to applaud it), they are locked up in a bathroom by her manager Chaim (Azaria). This unintentionally sets up a throughline in the series where Joss keeps going against prior legal agreements. In this case, the intimacy rider for what she does and does not want to do, which the coordinator even states that they can redo and begin work again the next day. This paints Joss as indecisive and unprofessional, which the show seems to agree with, but also believes that what she needs is strong (patriarchal) guidance after her mother’s death. Her older woman manager Nikki (Jane Adams) is seen as a cruel taskmaster who wants to drop her at the earliest opportunity, and several women with power over Joss are seen as temperamental and unprofessional (like the director at the music video shoot). Whenever Joss needs comforting she either finds it in the arms of a man (usually Chaim, sometimes Tedros (a charisma-leaching Weeknd) away from a woman who was stressing her out. When it is not a man, it is a black woman (Destiny (Randolph)) effectively acting as her mammy.

Speaking of race, there are some off dynamics at work. A brief torture scene in the second episode feature Tedros electroshocking Izaak (Sumney) when he fails to perform to his liking. Izaak is surrounded by white women, watching him gyrating above them, as Tedros continually hurts him. In effect, it is a scene of a light-skinned black man brutalizing a dark-skinned black man, seemingly for his own amusement and that of the white women. Further demonstrating this colorism, shots with Izaak are frequently so underlit that they obscure his features. True the show’s look is that of a low-rent neo-noir pastiche, but certainly some creative lighting could have mitigated the problem while also giving the series a better visual identity than what it has.

The fact it is so dour while unintentionally hilarious makes the series perversely entertaining, but exclusively in terms of ironic aesthetic enjoyment, divorced from its repressible messaging and politics. The style is likewise nothing to write home about, functional without much expressiveness. It seems at points most of the more expressive stylistic techniques like quick cutting and panning shots are used to obscure poor dancing quality from Depp. Otherwise, the bare minimum in terms of composition and structure is just around barely subpar.

Seeing as the series is intended as a limited run, I do not think it will overcome these hurdles in the long run. However, I do believe in at least seeing where the series goes from this point. Odder situations have happened than a series becoming good after the first third, so we shall see.

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awrestlinggirlwholoves80sbands · 5 months

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Dear fucker Nikki (fanfiction)

A/N: This little letter was born out of nowhere and will probably give you a toothache but it needed to get out. Plus it was Nikki's birthday yestarday, so why not? A huge thanks to @glamourizedcocaine for their wonderful handwriting <3

Dear Nikki,

you are probably wondering who the fuck I am but don’t bother because I don’t exist. Well, I should say I don’t exist yet but I will. See, I’m Nikki from 2023 your 65 years old version and as you can see we didn’t lose our love for making things as complicated and dramatic as we can.

Let’s start with the big question: how in the hell did we get to 65 years old? I’m still wondering about it myself so I can only give you my honest opinion : we pulled our heads out of our ass and someone up there took mercy on us. Does this answer satisfy you? Probably not, but I’m here to explain.

Right now it’s December 11 1987 for you. You are all alone in your Van Nuys house, shooting up under a Christmas tree and wondering why nobody loves you or why did your family abandon you. “Why does living feel so draining?” you used to say or I should say I used to say but I prefer referring to you as a separate being. Loneliness is eating you alive as much as your addiction is destroying your life piece by piece, you know that but you are too scared to admit it. You need help but you don’t know how to ask for it.

Second question: why are you writing to me, your past self? I could say it’s because I’m an egocentric bastard or because I want to leave something to this world but I’d be lying. The simplest answer is that I felt the need to.

The more complex one is that we live in a fucked up world, where each day everything seems to fall to pieces and the opioids epidemic seems to take more and more lives. It doesn’t matter how much I try to take action because it never seems enough but if I know something that did help that was the book I wrote about our story so maybe this letter will too.

However deep down I know you can read through my bullshit. Even after all these years I still think I can trick people but I end up looking like a child with a mouth covered in sugar who swears he didn’t eat any candy. I didn’t completely lie when I said I’m doing this to help people but I omitted that I’m one of those people.

“What the fuck dude, you just told me we get to be 65 and now you tell me we are still need help?”

Well, everyone needs a little comfort sometimes even when you know all the tricks to take care of your mental health. I might be an old man but you still live in me, just like the little Nikki who has been hurted by everyone, simply some days I can hear your voices more loudly than others. I know the symptoms all too well : racing heart, general tiredness, the urge to fuck everything up, emotions all over the place.

So what do I do? Anything you wouldn’t do: allowing myself to feel the emotions instead of bottling them up, relaxing, distract myself and writing this letter. Knowing who I was and how far I’ve come, getting back in contact with you gives me hope for two reasons : reminds me I don’t want to get back to that and empowers me to heal. I thought nobody was there to comfort me so I’m letting myself from the future do it because sometimes it’s easier to be kinder to our younger versions even if they were a piece of work like you.

You’re worth it, just like I am. Even when the world feels like collapsing on itself, we are still worth it. We were worth it when I was you, a junkie, and we are when I’m just an old man playing bass. I just need to repeat it over and over until it becomes a part of me since the human minds are incredibly forgetful when it comes to their importance.

I want to leave you with hope, the same one that helps me going through all the hard times in my life. We made it, we finally got the family we always wanted : Gunner, Storm, Decker, Frankie and Ruby are all different ages and we love them with our whole heart. Ruby is only 3 now and she gets to receive everything we didn’t, especially since we are more mature compared to the others. I hope I’m a good enough father for them but sure I tried and keep trying my best. What matters is that it’s possible to break the abuse cycle and we are the living proof.

The band it’s still going after 40 years and after a brief pause we are still touring. So many teenagers love Motley Crue now because they made a movie about us, which allowed me to tell your story and show people there’s always light at the end of the tunnel.

Thank you Nikki for not giving up on us and coming back that night. Thank you for allowing me to blurt my feelings out in this letter on my birthday, while I’m hidden in my home’s studio while I get to roll a tear and move on. Thanks to all the other Nikki(s) who fell down and got right up because that’s what we do. And lastly thanks to myself for keeping fighting and making sure that future Nikki can enjoy his old age with a lovely family and badass fans.

It will get better for you and for me.

Sincerely yours

An old man you killed 36 years ago or Nikki Sixx.

#nikki sixx #motley crue #80srock #80s rock band #fanfiction #my fanfiction #letters

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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 2 months

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Whamond

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

March 12, 2024 (Tuesday)

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

MAR 13, 2024

Today, Democratic voters in Georgia gave President Joe Biden enough delegates to win the Democratic nomination for president when the Democratic National Convention is held in August. Republican voters in Georgia, Hawaii, Mississippi, and Washington gave Trump enough delegates to win the Republican presidential nomination, although former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, who dropped out of the race last week, continues to win voters—more than 21% in Washington.

Also today, Special Counsel Robert Hur testified before the House Judiciary Committee about his report on Biden’s handling of classified documents in his possession from his years as vice president. The hearing appeared to show that the Democrats have finally found a way to defang the tactic Republicans have been using since the 1990s. For decades now, under the guise of the important function of congressional oversight, Republicans have weaponized congressional hearings to smear Democrats in the media.

In this Congress, and especially today, rather than accept the framework the Republicans advance as they try to craft a narrative for right-wing media, Democrats have pushed back with facts and their own story.

In January 2023, apparently wishing to avoid accusations that the Department of Justice was favoring Biden, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Hur, a partisan Republican whom Trump had appointed U.S. attorney for Maryland, to oversee the investigation into whether Biden had mishandled classified documents.

In his final report, released last month, Hur concluded that “no criminal charges are warranted in this matter...even if there was no policy against charging a sitting president.” But then Hur went on for more than 300 pages to offer a picture of Biden as a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” Notably, Hur reported that Biden did not remember the date of his son Beau Biden’s death.

The media ran with that editorializing rather than the fact that Hur had concluded that criminal charges were not warranted. Stories about Biden’s age swamped the media. Judd Legum of Popular Information found that in the four days after Hur’s report appeared, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal together published 81 articles about Hur’s assessment of Biden’s memory, suggesting that Biden was sliding into dementia and should not be running for reelection.

Republicans immediately demanded the transcriptions of Biden’s interviews with Hur and his staff, saying they needed more information for their case for impeaching Biden. Republican House leadership issued a statement that “[a] man too incapable of being held accountable for mishandling classified information is certainly unfit for the Oval Office.”

House Republicans asked Hur to testify before the Judiciary Committee, chaired by Trump loyalist Jim Jordan (R-OH). Hur prepared for his testimony with the help of Trumpworld figures, and he resigned from the Department of Justice effective yesterday, so he appeared before the committee today not as a DOJ employee bound by certain ethical guidelines, but as a private citizen.

But while Republicans clearly designed their plans for this Congress’s investigations to seed smears of Democrats in the public mind, Democrats have come to hearings exceedingly well prepared to turn the tables back on the Republicans. That strategy was obvious today as it quickly became clear in the hearing that it was not Biden who was on the hot seat.

Hours before the hearing was about to begin, the Department of Justice released a transcript of Biden’s interviews, held in the two days after Hamas attacked Israel as he rushed to respond to that crisis. The transcripts belied Hur’s portrayal of Biden’s answers; among other things, he clearly knew the exact date Beau died.

The transcript also revealed a pointed contrast between Trump and Biden, with the president telling investigators he didn’t “own a stock or a bond that I’m aware of…. I never wanted to have any argument…. The thing I valued most my whole life, my reputation and integrity. So I never wanted to have anything that someone said, you bought that stock and it went up because you traded. Never did that.”

Democrats came to the hearing prepared to turn it into a hearing on Trump. Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) called out Hur for unprofessional behavior in disparaging the president after finding the matter should be dismissed. Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA) suggested Hur was angling for an appointment in a second Trump administration and asked him to demonstrate his credibility by pledging that he would not accept such an appointment. Hur declined to do so.

The hearing was covered live on various television channels, and the Democrats used that media time to show videos of Trump slurring his words, forgetting names, and speaking in word salad, getting their own sound bites to voters. They got Hur to spell out the clear contrast between Trump’s theft of documents and Biden’s cooperation with the government.

Conservative lawyer George Conway wrote on social media: “I think Biden’s State of the Union address last week and Hur’s immolation today will go down in political history as Reagan’s ‘I am not going to exploit…my opponent’s youth and inexperience’ moment…only on steroids.” Conway was referring to Reagan’s response in a 1984 presidential debate to a question about his own age; Reagan’s opponent, Walter Mondale, later said he knew Reagan’s answer was the moment he had lost not only the debate but probably the election.

In other news today, pressure on House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to bring up the national security supplemental bill that includes aid for Ukraine continues to increase. Although the administration says it has found an additional $300 million from Pentagon cost savings to supply artillery rounds and munitions for Ukraine, national security advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters:

“It is nowhere near enough to meet Ukraine's battlefield needs and it will not prevent Ukraine from running out of ammunition."

House Democrats are working to get enough signatures on a discharge petition to force Johnson to bring up a vote on a supplemental bill—which is expected to pass if it makes it to a vote—and today, Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) also added pressure, encouraging Johnson to bring up the measure that passed the Senate in mid-February. “Allow a vote,” he said. “A vote. Let the House speak.”

Johnson’s control of the House, such as it is, got a little weaker today as Representative Ken Buck (R-CO) announced he is leaving Congress at the end of next week. “It is the worst year of the nine years and three months that I’ve been in Congress and having talked to former members, it’s the worst year in 40, 50 years to be in Congress,” Buck told CNN’s Dana Bash. “But I’m leaving because I think there’s a job to do out there…. This place has just devolved into this bickering and nonsense and not really doing the job for the American people.”

The Internal Revenue Service today launched a pilot program in 12 states to enable taxpayers to file their federal tax returns directly, for free. The Treasury Department estimates that about one third of all tax returns are simple enough to use this new system and that about 19 million taxpayers could use it this season.

—

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

#letters from an american #Heather Cox Richardson #Judiciary Committee #House democrats #discharge petition

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qedmirage · 3 months

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As most of my international followers know here in the US we're having a presidential election this year. Well, that means each major party has to select their candidate, and the process for that has been going on for a while now. See, in the US, state-level parties have a lot of say in how they select candidates, so they randomly jockey for more important slots than each other, and this is why the party elections for their candidate take months and not, like, a week. Well for the past several months, in the lead up to actual voting, we've been obligated to pretend that several people with a snowball's chance in hell were serious candidates to control the world's [EDIT: second-] largest nuclear arsenal. I want to briefly commemorate/memorialize one of those candidacies, that of Ron DeSantis of florida.

See just a few days ago we had the iowa caucuses, a silly way to select presidential candidates that is ALSO unrepresentative of who the final nominee will be, as the winner secures an objectively tiny amount of points (called 'delegates') towards gaining a party's nomination and the system is designed to make it impossible for introverts to participate. You get like a tiny sliver of a party's membership voting in caucuses and it's weighted to favor the freaks and fanatics. And yet that simple, first contest, was enough to cause all but two of the field of GOP candidates to give up and go home. Because throughout the pre-pre-election season they would give fawning, obsequious praise to Donald Trump - the best president since Washington, possibly even better - and then be asked: "Isn't he also running for president? Why should people vote for you over him, if they like Trump?" to which the answer would be some vague mumbling about his legal challenges or age or how statistically most of the country wants to murder him with knives. (The notable exception here is wannabee mafioso Chris Christie, who at least does not forgive trying to kill him). Anyways, in final results Trump got 20 points, Ron DeSantis got 9, Nikki Haley got 8, and 4chan shitposter Vivek Ramaswamy got 3. Of those, only Trump and Nikki Haley didn't immediately give up. So anyways. Ron DeSantis. Actually presently a governor of a major state, and Florida at that - one which has shifted from 'swing' to 'republican' over his tenure. You could be forgiven for thinking he's a skilled politician. And yet. He repeatedly promised that his first day in office would start with war with mexico, which he never described in those terms. Rather he'd just

blockade mexican ports

shoot mexican nationals on the southern border without a trial ('people who have backpacks', apparently)

Send US military forces into mexico to kill more mexican citizens without trial

Cool. Normal. We're allies with that country, you know? He'd say such policies were informed by his military service as a lawyer in Iraq and then (he does not mention this part) Guantanomo Bay. Yeah, I bet they are. Though, for some reason, he always leaves off the "as a lawyer" part. DeSantis's team also produced some of the most deranged and openly fascist ads of a major candidate. See, the DeSantis campaign was oriented around "the war on woke", his efforts to use state power to roll back civil rights in general, progressives existing in government, and the rights of LGBT people in particular. Already cloaked in the language of online reactionaries it was always gonna attract freaks, and as a result, the ads made by younger staffers (released, not by the official campaign, but to pro-DeSantis meme accounts secretly run by his staffers) are totally deranged. Here's one of them; I'm going to warn you, it's intensely homophobic, to the point that a republican presidential candidate had to apologize for the homophobia.:

crazy ass moments in american politics on X: "The Ron DeSantis campaign team post a Trump attack ad feat. phonk. (2023) https://t.co/cwaWnZInG7" / X (twitter.com)

For those who don't wish to watch such things, the core thesis of the ad is that the republican party under Trump was captured by and coddled LGBT people, and DeSantis will restore strong masculinity and crush LGBT americans. DeSantis is paralleled to noted straight Achilles, those sigma chad memes, and fictional murderer Patrick Bateman, all while heavy bass music plays. My personal favorite stills:

Again, these are from an ad for a guy who quit after literally the first contest. Truly a fighter.

But even that pales in comparison to the "running up that hill" ad. That one is one of the most straightforwardly fascist pieces of advertising a modern american politician has made. While perhaps less directly offensive, viewer be warned, this is nazi shit: Luke Thompson on X: "The @desantiscams account just deleted this video after at least one campaign staffer RT'd it. I wonder if this was also made in-house. https://t.co/JA1D9qqONF" / X (twitter.com) (It was, in fact, made in-house).

The esoteric nazi symbolism did not go unnoticed. Nor the fact that it ends on DeSantis's paramilitary "florida guard" (not the national guard!) marching forward into a bright dawn while he looks down approvingly. The aide who made that video was fired, but it's no wonder he felt at home; DeSantis's whole appeal is about threatening to use extralegal power against conservatism's enemies. He tried to revoke Disney's special tax statuses based purely on an extremely beige statement in support of LGBT rights they issued, and again, established a paramilitary force under his command. There are far more examples than those two. Not a 'normal' politician. Aside from setting millions of dollars of republican donor money on fire, DeSantis's campaign leaves behind a legacy of the various 'posting is life' type laws he enacted in Florida to raise his public profile. These include a raft of laws that target and victimize LGBT americans: [Thread of several such stories, reported in major outlets]

And he was also a noted figure in the conservative turn against COVID precautions, defenses, and vaccinations. While we'll never know such things to precision, Florida's COVID deaths record was considerably worse than many other states, despite its wealth and good climate. They chose not to pursue safer methods so as to buoy DeSantis's future presidential ambitions, now dead in the street. Like most failed presidential primary candidates he will probably not have a long future in national politics; DeSantis is a weirdo who eats pudding with his bare fingers, he's profoundly uncharismatic, and he's fought against his team's de facto leader. But before it's all consigned to dust of history, I'd just like to take a moment to remember all the real people who have suffered for his campaign, and for what? So he can make a 72 second ad with him shooting lightning from his eyes, get 21% of the vote in Iowa, and give up after 8 days.

A statesman for the ages, truly.

#politics #usa politics #Ron DeSantis #election 2024 #lgbt #I can't edit the post title for some reason rn but it would be “pre-eulogy for a bastard”

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aleenapaulsposts · 8 months

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ALEENA PAUL || NEW DELHI INDIA

AWARENESS BLOGGER.41

HUMAN RIGHTS MATTER

Albert Einstein said

The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil but by those who watch them without doing any thing.

In my opinion bystander not consider as a guilty but coward who ignore the crime

ALEENA PAUL || NEW DELHI ,INDIA _published 9 sep 2023

I am just a consciousness raising women and i want to tell my story because we matter our voice matter.

Have you seen this image ever before ? If ‘No’ then its right time to describes about this image .its seems like I am going to describe about a such type if crime which happens in every day in our life this is not just about our country but a serious issue around the world .

I don’t know what you call this crime but I call it coward bystander .

You know what people fear the most ?yes .its ‘FEAR’ and that’s make a person coward.

Today we will discuss about very important issue which you call as bystander which known as crime but not crime in law

Have you hared about a very popular crime murder case which was happened in 1964 in newyork city the bystander effect following the violent attack and murder of a women name ‘cathedral kitty genovese’. This crime occurred over 30 minutes. During this time 38 neighbors heard kitty cries for help .but no one helped her or call the police so shameful incident . she attempted to save her own call was made to the police but it was dismissed as a domestic dispute all though the incident become globally famous. Image of news published in 1964.

Simpler to this case one more incident was done by a boy called sahil in metropolitan city delhi , INDIA on March 2023 ‘nikki murder case’ .which gone very viral.

In this case sahil who was prime suspected for his girl friend nikki murder case .which was cord in cctv camera which visible very clearly in cctv camera the boy nihal stabbed 21 times then battered with boulder. Public cought in cctv camera delhi girl killed as people walk by .

The girl suffered a ruptured skull during the attack according to the preliminary final post mortem report .scenes captured by cctv camera in a lane located in the shahbad diary area of delhi rohini.

Now my intention was not to discuss about such crime murder case but a small alert related such crimes .a topic which happen every day life in entire world a globle problem which every one ignore .known as bystander.

Before we discusses about this topic can I ask you a question?

What type of personality you are upstander or bystander?

If you are any of these plz comment .

BYSTANDER

Some one who sees or know about bullying or any crime but takes no action to address it or report it.simply who sees the crime happening but simply ignore or wrought take responsibility or simply ignore may be he/she don’t know how to handle this.

Eg – shy , fain-hearted , coward etc

UPSTANDER

Someone who recognises when something is wrong and act to make it right.

Eg – honest , faithful , brave and supporter etc.

We are upstander and want to create a campus environment where every members of our community feels included , valued and safe.

We all play a critical role in identifying situation that have a potential for harm and intervening it something dons’t look or feet quite right.

Don’t just be a step and protect people who need help your action could prevent some one from becoming a victim of any crime.

🟥 Be aware of event around you

🟥 take responsibility for the well-being of everyone in the community.

🟥 step in help others

🟥 step indirectly and separate the person

🟥 use distraction to re – direct the forces of one person elsewhere

🟥 let some friends know what going on and recruit them help

🟥 if the situation looks like unsafe call the police department or ngo for help .

Watching but doing nothing (bystander)

🟧 effect occurs from interdependence between group of people .

🟧 people in a group may expect someone else to help which relieves them from any type of responsibility to take in action.

🟧 if know one help still the blame for in action applies to everyone in the group.

🟧people may feel a shared responsibility where in a larger group so individual may not take action because they feel less responsibility when other are present.

🟧 fear of unfavourable judgement.

🟧 pluralistic ignorance is a thought that how will we do .if no body else is taking action bystander will think it is not a emergency situation and it is not my problem.

🟧 passive supporter who witness the incident but do nothing to interface.

How can we encourage bystander to get support to bullying victim?

Now the good samaritan law was introduced in india .to provide legal frame work to motivate and encourage the bystander to offer aid to the victims with out any fear of legal hassles.good samaritan who make a phone call to inform the police or emergency service .for the person lying injured on the road .shall not be compelled to reveal his name and personal detail .government of india provide cash who saves lives in road accident by those who saves lives in road accident by taking them to hospital within the golden hours. The amount of good samaritan is 5000/-rs per accident. The scheme will remain will remain operational the completion of the 15th financial cycle till 31st March,2026. One of the historic figures was mahatama gandhi ,nelson mardela and martin luttor.

Who are upstander and what they do? UPSTANDER are community members who provide acknowledgement , understanding and support for neighbours facing challenges as a result of hateful acts , natural disasters , violence or interference that threaten the integrity of their community.

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iammyownsaviour · 1 year

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Femslash February 2023

Nikki reflects on a very important part of her day with Gwen and the consequences of it. - Nikki/Gwen Runck

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hartbreak-motel · 1 year

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When that anon asked you about the rumor that Nikki was attracted to teenage girls I think it was a reference to a line in his heroin diaries book where he was on a radio show and he was high and drunk and a girl called and he asked the girl how old she was and she told him she was 12

Then he said “oh good I love twelve year olds because you can hear the bones crack when you stick it in”

The fact that he remembers this and is bold enough to write it back then and now it’s 2023 😳

It was a gross thing to say and he was a gross person back then.

That being said, I think anon was implying that modern day Nikki and Tommy were still hitting on young girls and making those types of crude and disgusting remarks in their 60s as if nothing has changed since the 80s.

I think it's important to keep in mind that in Nikki's case (not speaking for Tommy since he seems to be mentally stuck at age 19), he was pretty messed up back then and has since gotten help for his issues. He's been to therapy and has been sober for over 20 years, and seems to be more of a family man these days. He has been very forthcoming about his journey - the good, the bad, and the ugly. He's put the work in and has admitted several times his past self is not someone he would have liked to meet.

Not saying we should sweep shit like that under the rug because it's still absolutely vile. I just don't think he's that disgusting person anymore and hasn't been for some time and treat the dude like he hasn't changed at all is pretty disingenuous. Can he still be a petty asshole sometimes? Absolutely. But I think the man has come a long way from making getting high and making vile jokes in radio interviews.

#asks

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xtruss · 3 months

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Digital Warfare: US 🇺🇸 And China 🇨🇳 Go Head To Head In Cyberspace

— Mariam Amini

As the start of the new year sees Israel’s war on Gaza rage on, the US faces an ongoing battle in the cyber realm back home.

According to one survey by Gallup and Knight Foundation, trust in US media is so low that half of Americans believe national news outlets deliberately mislead them.

This rise in distrust is a common global pattern, with the UK having the second lowest levels of media trust according to a study of 24 countries by King’s College London. Held as part of the World Values Survey, just 13% of British respondents expressed confidence in the press.

Meanwhile, news consumption on social media is only growing, with data showing a third of Americans under the age of 30 now get their news on TikTok.

2023 saw the White House ramp up its efforts to manage the Chinese-owned tech giant, which has over 150 million users in the States, the highest of any country globally.

In March, platform CEO Shou Zi Chew even appeared before Congress, in an attempt to dispel allegations over the app’s collection of sensitive user data, as well as censorship of any content that goes against China’s Communist Party.

It’s all slightly ironic, considering the intense regulatory crackdown on domestic tech companies by Chinese authorities in 2020, which even saw e-commerce site Alibaba fined $2.8 billion in a landmark antitrust case in 2021.

US government and European Union's parliament ban TikTok From staff mobile devices

The Asian nation’s technology sector has since conformed to new regulations, much like the control US officials perhaps wish to instill over TikTok.

In December, US presidential primary Nikki Haley publicly condemned the platform. She says: “We really do need to ban TikTok once and for all. For every 30 minutes that someone watches TikTok every day, they become 17% more antisemitic, more pro-Hamas.”

Her statements have since been debunked by Generation Lab, the data company behind the survey she references. However, it does beg the question of why TikTok faces greater reprimand when, for instance, Silicon Valley-owned Meta has already been proven to systematically censor Palestinian content in a review by Human Rights Watch.

So then, one must ask, is the real concern about data protection or threats to Silicon Valley business interests, or maybe even anti-Israeli sentiment in general?

While Instagram saw a decent growth of 47.8% between 2020 to 2022, TikTok doubled its user base. According to polling data shared by Axios, the majority of these users express pro-Palestinian sentiment. This is especially frequent among young people on the platform.

The tech giant has confirmed this natural trend, emphasising a need to listen to users: “This is a really difficult time for millions of people around the world and in our TikTok community.”

“We feel it’s important to meet with and listen to creators, human rights experts, civil society and other stakeholders to help guide our ongoing work to keep our global community safe.”

U.S. President Joe Biden participates in a virtual meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping

So, would the North American giant really ban TikTok? And if they did, would more countries follow suit? TikTok was banned in India in 2020 over claims of illegal data collection. This occurred shortly after geopolitical tensions at the border between India and China.

The video-sharing app was also slapped with a $368 million fine by the European Union for data beaches in the same year.

However, the company has since taken steps on advancing data security in partnership with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. According to TikTok U.S. Data Security, as of June 2022, 100% of US user traffic is now routed to the US-based computer software company.

As for the question of censorship, visiting fellow Michael Kwet at Yale Law School’s Information Society Project believes: “There’s no reason to believe TikTok will offer substantially more diverse views across the global media landscape”.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, he says: “When confronted with content moderation decisions, TikTok will do what all big social media companies do: remove content at the request of entities with power, so long as it becomes too costly to disobey.”

In the midst of Israel's ongoing aggression in the besieged Gaza Strip, alongside rampant misinformation and media bias - one thing is clear: access to honest, independent journalism centred on human values, not corporate, is needed like never before.

#News 🗞️#Digital War #Cybersecurity #Misinformation #Blog #Islam ☪️ Channel #China 🇨🇳#War Criminal US 🇺🇸

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timomaraus · 5 months

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December 13, 2023

CNN World agrees to new climate deal, making unprecedented call to move away from fossil fuels (Editor's Note: It's great that the world agrees, but isn't it the countries and the humans that have to make this happen? The world is gonna be here no matter how hot it gets. We're the ones in trouble.)

CNN 5 things to watch at CNN's town hall with Vivek Ramaswamy tonight (Editor's Note: 1. MSNBC. 2. ABC. 3. CBS. 4. NBC. 5. ESPN.)

CNN Biden's democracy pledge is in danger (Editor's Note: The 'pledge' really isn't the issue here. It's the 'democracy is in danger' part that's important.)

CNN Diverted Delta passengers spend the night in remote military barracks in Canada (Editor's Note: That's quite a diversion, eh?)

CNN Tesla recalls 2 million cars with 'insufficient' Autopilot safety controls (Editor's Note: I can just picture the person in the car screaming "Stop!" and the Tesla responding, oh so calmly, "I'm sorry Dave, I can't do that.")

Washington Post Pregnant women take a leading role in new legal battles over abortion (Editor's Note: Oh, now we give women choice--to fight their own legal battles.)

Washington Post N.H. Gov. Chris Sununu (R) endorses Nikki Haley for president (Editor's Note: The gov is bringing in that key New Hampshire voter tsunami for Haley, huh. Also, is it really necessary to note that Sununu is a Republican? Are there a lot of Democrats out there endorsing Nikki Haley?)

Washington Post How do I get my children to move more quickly? (Editor's Note: You used to be able to say "tasers," but I guess those days are gone now.)

Washington Post Satanism comes to the 2024 Republican primary (Editor's Note: Evidently, that must be the Christian far, far, far right.)

Washington Post DeSantis staffers blocked release of travel records, whistleblower says (Editor's Note: Any avid fan of the NBA knows how rare it is for a whistleblower to call traveling.)

Washington Post The world just made it clear the fossil fuel era is ending -- with some wiggle room (Editor's Note: Just how much wiggling can a fossil do?)

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drwilfredwaterson · 5 months

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It's Too Late for Simpering Senile Snake and Diarrhea Dentures Dumb Chump donald j. trump. He's Been Fatally Poisoned by the Lies of Aleister Crowley and Anton LaVey. And The United States of America Remains Great Without him. Part 2/4.

Earthquake: M 1.4 - 9.5 km (5.9 mi) WNW of The Geysers, CA

2023-12-08 01:54:56 (UTC) 38.820°N 122.851°W 2.7 km depth

Near Flood Road overlooking Big Sulphur Creek and Eagle Rock.

Being abundantly available in native form, sulfur was known in ancient times and is referred to in the Torah (Genesis). English translations of the Christian Bible commonly referred to burning sulfur as "brimstone", giving rise to the term "fire-and-brimstone" sermons, in which listeners are reminded of the fate of eternal damnation that await the unbelieving and unrepentant. It is from this part of the Bible that Hell is implied to "smell of sulfur" (likely due to its association with volcanic activity). (Wikipedia)

Revelation 8:13 As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!” Revelation 9:1 The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. Revelation 9:2 When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss.

Christian Televangelist Pat Robertson says he believes President Joe Biden truly won the election and distances himself from donald j. trump: 'You've had your day, and it's time to move on' On his television show "The 700 Club," Robertson delivered a monologue in which he challenged the president on a personal and political level and gave a very different assessment. "donald was "very erratic, and he's fired people and he's fought people and he's insulted people, and he keeps going down the line." 'donald lives in an alternate reality," Robertson added, laying into some of Trump's most notorious lies and telling Trump "it's time to move on." In reconciling his perception of donald j. trump, Robertson added, "And so, it's a mixed bag," he said. "And I think it would be well to say, 'You've had your day and it's time to move on.'" When asked about a potential 2024 trump run, Robertson said, "I think it's a sideshow." Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/pat-robertson-distances-himself-trump-its-time-to-move-on-2020-12

Megyn Kelly said that Donald Trump is increasingly confused and not as 'mentally sharp' as he once was "There's no question that Trump has lost a step or multiple steps," Kelly told conservative commentator Glenn Beck on Friday. "He is confusing Joe Biden for Obama. I know he's now saying he intentionally did that — go back and look at the clips, it wasn't intentional." She noted that he is making mistakes "repeatedly," including "confusing countries, confusing cities where he is." "With all due respect to Trump, this is what happens when you're 77 years old. Trump is human. He's just a very old man." Trump's presidential nomination rivals are also challenging his mental capacities. Kelly highlighted a DeSantis' jab at Trump, who said, "Father Time spares no one." Source:https://www.businessinsider.com/megyn-kelly-donald-trump-not-as-mentally-sharp-once-was-2023-12

Billionaire GOP donor endorses Haley, says Trump’s time has ‘come and gone’ Home Depot co-founder and billionaire Ken Langone put his support behind GOP hopeful Nikki Haley on Friday, calling her approach to the 2024 election “smart.” “I think she’s just what we need right now. I think her approach is smart. I think she’s clarified herself on some issues which is very important,” Langone, who is seen as a GOP mega donor, said in an interview with Fox News’s Neil Cavuto. “And more importantly, I think the American people need this kind of leadership, statesman-like, elegant.” “When you think of where we’ve been in the last six or seven or eight years, it’s not good, Neil. It’s not good at all,” he added. Langone added that he believes the former president’s time had “come and gone,” while pointing to the last few months of his tenure in the White House, as reasons why he wouldn’t back Trump. “What Trump put this country through for the last three months of his presidency was disgraceful. I’m sorry. And I think, frankly, that to me, ruined his chances to succeed himself at some point,” he told Cavuto. “So, you know, I think what happened on January 6th, all I had to say was, ‘please go home.’ You made known your feelings. Now go home.” Source: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4350728-nikki-haley-billionaire-gop-donor-endorsement-2024/

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Page 392: Deuteronomy 7:19 the wondrous acts that you saw with your own eyes, the signs and the portents, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm by which the Lord your God liberated you. Thus will the Lord your God do to all the peoples you now fear. Deuteronomy 7:20 The Lord your God will also send a plague against them, until those who are left in hiding perish before you. Deuteronomy 7:21 Do not stand in dread of them, for the Lord your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God.

Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 7:22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Matthew 7:23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

Mark 7:20 He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. Mark 7:21 For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, Mark 7:22 adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.

John 7:21 Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle, and you are all amazed.

Nelson's Story - "22 Short Films About Springfield" (Season 7, Episode 21) April 14, 1996 (105th day) Duration: 1:29 (89 seconds) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkBqVVbnZ1c gkBqVVbnZ1c (1) gkBqVVbnZc bbcgknqvvz 2+2+3+7+10+40+70+700+700+500=2034. 2034+1=2035. 2035+89=2124. 2124+105=2229.

Strong's Concordance #2229 zaram: to gush (as water), pour out, to pour forth in floods, flood away, carry away as with a flood Original Word: זָרַם

2 Thessalonians 2:3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 2 Thessalonians 2:4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. 2 Thessalonians 2:5 Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? 2 Thessalonians 2:6 And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 2 Thessalonians 2:7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. 2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Page 381: Deuteronomy 3:21 I also charged Joshua at that time, saying, "You have seen with your own eyes all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings; so shall the Lord do to all the kingdoms into which you shall cross over. Deuteronomy 3:22 Do not fear them, for it is the Lord your God who will battle for you."

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Page 519: Judges 3:14 The Israelites were subject to King Eglon of Moab for eighteen years. Judges 3:15 Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and the Lord raised up a champion for them: the Benjaminite Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed man. It happened tht the Israelites sent tribute to King Eglon of Moab through him. Judges 3:16 So Ehud made for himself a two-edged dagger, a gomed in length, which he girded on his right side under his cloak. Judges 3:17 He presented the tribute to King Eglon of Moab. Now Eglon was a very stout man. Judges 3:18 when [Ehud] had finished presenting the tribute, he dismissed the people who had conveyed the tribute. Judges 3:19 But he himself returned from Pesilim, near Gilgal, and said, "Your Majesty, I have a secret message for you." [Eglon] thereupon commanded, "Silence!" So all those in attendance left his presence; Judges 3:20 and when Ehud approached him, he was sitting alone in his cool upper chamber. Ehud said, "I have a message for you from God"; whereupon he rose from his seat. Judges 3:21 Reaching with his left hand, Ehud drew the dagger from his right side and drove it into [Eglon's] belly. Judges 3:22 The fat closed over the blade and the hilt went in after the blade--for he did not pull the dagger out of his belly--and the filth came out.

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Page 1625: Proverbs 15:22 Plans are foiled for want of counsel, But they succeed through many advisers.

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Page 1680: Job 15:22 He is never sure he will come back from the dark; A sword stares him in the face.

John 15:22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.

Money Well-Spent! On Today's Episode of "The Misadventures of Dirty Diarrhea Dentures Dementia Dummy donnie j. trump," Simpering, Slithering Stupid trump Chump's Own Witness Testifies that donnie's Penthouse Price Was Definitely Inflated! Eli Bartov Made a Great Deal at Dumb donnie's Expense! December 07, 2023 at 3:22 PM EST (15:22 EST) After Manhattan-based Judge Arthur Engoron found Trump and the other defendants committed fraud by overstating the value of their assets, a witness who's already been paid "about" $877,500, testifying on behalf of donald trump in his $250 million civil fraud lawsuit, said Thursday that the price of one of his properties was inflated. Eli Bartov, a research professor of accounting at New York University's Stern School of Business, who's making $1,350 an hour working on the case for Trump, testified on Thursday on Trump's behalf and previously testified as an expert witness more than 15 times. Bartov, according to multiple reports from those inside the courtroom, said the estimated square footage of Trump's New York penthouse—roughly three times its actual size—was inflated. He was referring to Trump more than doubling the value of his triplex apartment on his statement of financial condition, from $80 million to $180 million, between 2011 and 2012, according to ABC News. "The triplex, the price was inflated," he said. "There's no question about that." "Any person that had one year experience in auditing…will immediately see there is a jump from 80 million to 180 million," he said. https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trumps-own-witness-describes-how-penthouse-price-was-inflated-1850594

Strong's Concordance #18 ebus: a crib, feeding trough, a manger Original Word: אֵבוּס

Strong's Concordance #5059 nagan: to thrum, i.e. Beat a tune with the fingers; to play on a stringed instrument; hence (generally), to make music, player on instruments, sing to the stringed instruments, melody, ministrel, player. Original Word: נָגַן

Strong's Concordance #4 eb: fruit Original Word: אֵב

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Pages 843 and 844: Isaiah 1:1 The prophecies of Isaiah son of Amoz, who prophesied concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Isaiah 1:2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, For the Lord has spoken: "I reared children and brought them up--And they have rebelled against Me! Isaiah 1:3 An ox knows its owner, an ass its master's crib: Israel does not know, My people takes no thought." Isaiah 1:4 Ah, sinful nation! People laden with iniquity! Brood of evildoeers! Depraved children! They have forsaken the Lord, Spurned the Holy One of Israel, Turned their backs [on Him]. Isaiah 1:5 Why do you seek further beatings, That you continue to offend? Every head is ailing, and every heart is sick. Isaiah 1:6 From head to foot N spot is sound: All bruises, and welts, and festering sores--Not pressed out, not bound up. Not softened with oil. Isaiah 1:7 Your land is a waste. Your cities burnt down; Before your eyes, the yield of your soil Is consumed by strangers--A wasteland as overthrown by strangers! Isaiah 1:8 Fair Zion is left Like a booth in a vineyard, Like a hut in a cucumber field, Like a city beleaguered. Isaiah 1:9 Had not the Lord of Hosts Left us some survivors, We should be like Sodom, Another Gomorrah.

Luke 2:4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. Luke 2:5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. Luke 2:6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, Luke 2:7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. Luke 2:8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. Luke 2:9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. Luke 2:10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Luke 2:11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. Luke 2:12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, Luke 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” Luke 2:16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.

TANAKH (Jewish Publication Society, Hebrew-English) Pages 606 and 607: 1 Samuel 16:13 Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his bothers; and the spirit of the Lord gripped David from that day on. Samuel then set out for Ramah. 1 Samuel 16:14 Now the spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord began to terrify him. 1 Samuel 16:15 Saul's courtiers said to him, "An evil spirit of God is terrifying you. 1 Samuel 16:16 Let our lord give the order [and] the courtiers in attendance on you will look for someone who is skilled at playing the lyre; whenever the evil spirit of God comes over you, he will play it and you will feel better." 1 Samuel 16:17 So Saul said to his courtiers, "Find me someone who can play well and bring him to me." 1 Samuel 16:18 One of the attendants spoke up, "I have observed a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is skilled in music; he is a stalwart fellow and a warrior, sensible in speech, and handsome in appearance, and the Lord is with him." 1 Samuel 16:19 Whereupon Saul sent messengers to Jesse to say, "Send me your son David, who is with the flock."

John 15:1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. John 15:2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. John 15:3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. John 15:4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. John 15:7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. John 15:8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. John 15:9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. John 15:10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. John 15:11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

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nikkidiary-orangecatty · 10 months

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꧁༺ Nikki’s Diary ༻꧂

[ International Children's Day 2023 ]

Happy ~ Say good night to the fairy tale sleeping in the bubble, and then meet in the dream. 🎭🦄🫧

[ วันเด็กสากล 2566 • 六一儿童节 • Liùyī értóng jié ]

มีความสุข ~ บอกราตรีสวัสดิ์กับเทพนิยายที่หลับใหลในฟองแล้วพบกันในฝัน 🎭🦄🫧

[ 01.06.2023 ]

#Nikki’s Diary #Nikki’s Weekend #Nikki’s Important Day #International Children's Day #Nikki’s Diary 2023 #Nikki’s Weekend 2023 #Nikki’s Important Day 2023 #International Children's Day 2023 #Shining Nikki #Nikki 3D #Orangecatty #Nikki Diary Thailand #06.2023

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bllsbailey · 5 months

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If Elected, Trump Says He Won't Be a Dictator...But Named One Exception

Former President Donald Trump sat down with Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Tuesday, opting to take part in the town hall event over participating in Wednesday’s fourth Republican presidential primary debate.

Here are some highlights from the event in Davenport, Iowa.

1. Trump got the liberal media’s attention when he said he’s not going to be a dictator, other than on his first day.

"We're closing the border and we're drilling, drilling, drilling," Trump said. "After that, I'm not a dictator."

— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) December 6, 2023

He also emphasized his priorities if elected.

Trump: People ask how do you do it?..."I love what I do because we are going to make our country greater than ever before...Day one, the border gets closed. Day one-and-a-half, we drill. And probably, on day two, we will get rid of this ridiculous electric car mandate." pic.twitter.com/Au7SEeDOqL— MAGA War Room (@MAGAIncWarRoom) December 6, 2023

2. Trump said he does not believe President Biden will be the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee.

"I personally don't think he makes it," Trump said. "I think he's in bad shape physically. Do you remember when he said, ‘I’d like to take him behind the barn’ – if he took me behind the barn and I went like this (blows air), I believe he’d fall over."

Recommended

Asked who would replace him, Trump named Gov. Gavin Newsom as one possibility.

— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) December 6, 2023

3. Trump said America is finished if Biden gets re-elected, pointing to the massive number of illegal immigrants pouring over the southern border.

Trump: "They're destroying our country at the border. They will allow 15 million people in by the time Biden gets out. If they get another term, this country is finished." pic.twitter.com/1uo5QVSUUS— TheBlaze (@theblaze) December 6, 2023

4. Trump criticized primary opponents Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Gov. Nikki Haley over their positions on Social Security. The 45th president argued it's not necessary to make changes given "we have money laying in the ground, far greater than anything we can do by hurting senior citizens with their Social Security."

President Trump calls out DeSantis and Haley for targeting seniors' benefits: "We have money laying in the ground, far greater than anything we can do by hurting senior citizens with their social security." pic.twitter.com/RHOe6xRS83— MAGA War Room (@MAGAIncWarRoom) December 6, 2023

5. Trump spoke about what he considered the "biggest problem" facing the world right now.

"The level of power of nuclear weapons is incredible. Take Hiroshima or take Nagasaki and that was many, many decades ago and multiply that times 500, that's what a big bomb would be today," Trump said. "Whether it's Israel or major countries, nuclear weapons are the biggest problems we have."

Only President Trump understands the importance of avoiding World War 3: "Nuclear weapons are the biggest problem we have." pic.twitter.com/00JrP9Mtjh— MAGA War Room (@MAGAIncWarRoom) December 6, 2023

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cksmart-world · 6 months

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SMART BOMB

The Completely Unnecessary News Analysis

By Christopher Smart

November 14, 2023

GLOBETROTTING A.G. SEAN REYES GOES ON WILD HOG HUNT

You just can't keep a good man down — especially if that man is Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes. In 2022 alone he spent $491,206 on travel, according to Tribune ace Tony Semerad. Just imagine the frequent flyer miles — a bonanza on top of a real chill gig. Good work if you can get it. The cash came from Reyes campaign account even though he was not up for reelection in 2022. His contributors must be digging it. And hey, we need an attorney general who gets around, going on luxury wild hog hunts in Texas, World Cup soccer in Qatar, beaching it in Acapulco and anywhere he can build contacts and connections with important people — especially on hog hunts. Reyes has been on a roll lately. His links to Tim Ballard, formerly of Operation Underground Railroad, an anti-child-trafficking organization, got him some bad ink when five women filed suit against Ballard alleging sexual misconduct. Ballard denies the allegations. They also say that Reyes intimidated people who complained about Ballard's actions. Reyes denies that. Some frowny faces on Capitol Hill wonder how Reyes finds time for his real job. It's the internet, stupid. The A.G. can easily work on his laptop at the soccer matches or on the beach. Don't they know big shots can walk and chew gum at the same time.

THE FIRST THANKSGIVING AND A DAY OF MOURNING

Well Wilson your favorite holiday is coming right up. No stupid gifts, no damn wrapping paper, just good food and plenty of it. We all learned the story in elementary school. The Pilgrims came to the new world seeking religious freedom. As winter came on in 1621 they got hungry and depressed. But then some nice red people showed up with feathers in their hair carrying big turkeys; they brought mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, dressing and gravy and pumpkin pies and everyone had a great time. Later on, they watched a little football. Plus, there were plenty of leftovers for turkey sandwiches. Well, there is no Santa Claus and Native Americans think our story of the first Thanksgiving is a lot of bull. T-Day for many American Indians is a day of mourning. It's a reminder of the theft of indigenous lands, the killing of millions of indigenous people and a relentless assault on their native culture. Here's something you didn't know, Wilson — the day after Thanksgiving is Native American Heritage Day. It celebrates “Native American spirituality and emphasizes gratitude for creation, care for the environment, and recognition of the human need for communion with nature,” according to the publication “Native Hope.” Ever wonder if us white Americans could learn something from the first Americans. Nah.

VERY PRESIDENTIAL: HALEY IS TOAST, RAMASWAMY IS SCUM

Nikki Haley has cut her own throat. Yep, the one-time South Carolina governor and former U.S. ambassador to the U. N. is toast. According to Fox News pundit Laura Ingraham, Haley's performance in the last Republican presidential “debate” (read sideshow) got plaudits from The New York Times and Politico and therefore she is not right (read too sane) for the Trump GOP. “Politically this is suicide for Nikki Haley,” the blonde gutter-mouth blabbed. If you're not completely whacked-out you don't cut it in MAGA-world. Meanwhile Vivek Ramaswamy, the self-styled genius businessman, commanded the debate stage by calling Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “Nazi.” WTF. It may be a popular epithet with MAGA folks but Zelenskyy is Jewish. Perfect timing coming on the heels of the slaughter of some 1,400 Jews by Hamas. Vivek then ripped Haley for her daughter's use of Tik-Tok, aka Satan's video app that Republicans say turns people into communists or Democrats. To which Haley responded: “You're just scum.” It was all quite presidential. The staff here at Smart Bomb still can't figure out what the side-show is about — Trump, who doesn't participate in the “debates,” is a shoe-in for the GOP nomination. And you thought the Dems were dumb.

Post script — That's going to do it for another strange week here at Smart Bomb where we keep track of the polls so you don't have to. Every day it seems there is an new avalanche of polling. Some of these polls have Trump beating Biden even though the Big Orange One has been indicted on more felonies than John Gotti. You're right Wilson, a year out from the election these polls are meaningless, so why do they keep doing them? Wouldn't it save a lot of time and money if each political party just hired a psychic medium to peer into the future. It could be more accurate, too. As an aside, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel says it matters not whether the former president gets convicted in one or all of his four criminal trials. She added that everyone knows there is a two-tiered justice system: One for Trump and other fat people with orange skin and hair and one for everybody else. For the MAGA folks Trump is a Christ-like figure who just happens to grope women, get it on with porn stars, cheat on his taxes and suck up to Vladimir “Beelzebub” Putin. He's never committed a crime in his life. But if he has, so what? Sorry Wilson, we know the band is sick and tired of hearing about Trump. Wouldn't it be great to live in a Trump-free world. Dream on.

Well Wilson, maybe the band should do a little something for Sean “Frequent Flyer” Reyes. The guy has run into a stretch of bad luck. It's going so poorly that even The Salt Lake Tribune editorial board call him “an embarrassment.” The worm has turned for Sean, these days if he didn't have bad luck he wouldn't have any at all. So hit it, Wilson:

You must leave now, take what you need, you think will last But whatever you wish to keep, you better grab it fast Yonder stands your orphan with his gun Crying like a fire in the sun Look out the saints are comin' through And it's all over now, Baby Blue The highway is for gamblers, better use your sense Take what you have gathered from coincidence The empty-handed painter from your streets Is drawing crazy patterns on your sheets The sky, too, is folding under you And it's all over now, Baby Blue All your seasick sailors, they are rowing home Your empty-handed armies are going home Your lover who just walked out the door Has taken all his blankets from the floor The carpet, too, is moving under you And it's all over now, Baby Blue Leave your stepping stones behind, there something a-calls for you Forget the dead you've left, they will not follow you The vagabond who's rapping at your door Is standing in the clothes that you once wore Strike another match, go start anew And it's all over now, Baby Blue

(It's All Over Now Baby Blue — Bob Dylan)

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totaleditorial · 6 months

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Brand Building for Burgeoning Poets—Why it Matters and How to Do it Well

The post below is the November 8, 2023 issue of TellTellPoetry.com's newsletter. Sign-up for the newsletter on their website.

Brand Building for Burgeoning Poets—Why it Matters and How to Do it Well

You know your writing is good. Your friends and family adore the samples you’ve shared. Teachers in school wrote notes in the margins of your homework saying things like “Great voice!” and “Your word choice is spectacular.” But now that you’re working on getting people who aren’t in your inner circle (yet) to fall in love with your poetry, you feel overwhelmed. It might seem like standing out among thousands of other talented authors is going to be a near-impossible task, but it doesn’t have to be.

As an emerging author, it’s important to realize that you aren’t just trying to “get your words out there.” Of course, that’s your bread and butter, but your brand is a vital tool that will help you publish your poetry and connect with a wider audience. If you can dial in your unique voice, use consistent themes, personalize your aesthetic, and build authenticity into your persona, you’ll be growing a loyal fanbase before you know it.

Let’s dive in.

Find and Hone Your Unique Voice

The first step in laying a good foundation for your poetry brand is knowing who you are, and how you sound. Your voice is what sets you apart from other authors, and will ultimately be one of the most important aspects of retaining readership. It’s the way you share personality through the page via syntax, grammar, tone, imagery, rhythm, diction, punctuation, and more.

Take these poems, for instance:

Tell me it was for the hunger & nothing less. For hunger is to give the body what it knows it cannot keep. That this amber light whittled down by another war is all that pins my hand to your chest.

– Ocean Vuong

I drove all the way to Cape Disappointment but didn’t have the energy to get out of the car. Rental. Blue Ford Focus. I had to stop in a semipublic place to pee on the ground. Just squatted there on the roadside. I don’t know what’s up with my bladder. I pee and then I have to pee and pee again. Instead of sightseeing I climbed into the back seat of the car and took a nap. I’m a little like Frank O’Hara without the handsome nose and penis and the New York School and Larry Rivers. Paid for a day pass at Cape Disappointment thinking hard about that long drop from the lighthouse to the sea. Thought about going into the Ocean Medical Center for a check-up but how do I explain this restless search for beauty or relief?

– Diane Seuss

They descend from the boat two by two. The gap in Angela Davis’s teeth speaks to the gap in James Baldwin’s teeth. The gap in James Baldwin’s teeth speaks to the gap in Malcolm X’s Teeth. The gap in Malcolm X’s teeth speaks to the gap in Malcolm X’s teeth. The gap in Condoleezza Rice’s teeth doesn’t speak. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard kisses the Band Aid on Nelly’s cheek. Frederick Douglass’s side part kisses Nikki Giovanni’s Thug Life tattoo. The choir is led by Whoopi Goldberg’s eyebrows. The choir is led by Will Smith’s flat top. The choir loses its way. The choir never returns home. The choir sings funeral instead of wedding, sings funeral instead of allegedly, sings funeral instead of help, sings Black instead of grace, sings Black as knucklebone, mercy, junebug, sea air. It is time for war.

– Morgan Parker

Clearly, these authors’ writing styles vary greatly, which affects how we perceive their work. The je ne sais quoi of each writer’s voice ties together the other elements of their writing for truly unique, recognizable work.

Maybe you were lucky enough to find your voice early—if so, congrats! If, like many, you’re still working on it, fear not. There are plenty of ways to strengthen your voice through writing exercises, intentional reading, freewriting, and more. The more you work at it, the more confident you will become in your writing.

If consistent writing isn’t helping, try studying the works of authors with distinct voice and see if you can notice what makes their writing truly theirs.

Crafting Your Poetry Brand

Once your voice is dialed in, it’s time to focus on how you present yourself and your work. The themes you write about, your style, and your tone should become consistent, so that someone who reads your work can tell you wrote it, even if your name isn’t on the page.

Think of how you want the look of your work to feel. Do you want it to feel like a cozy reading nook? A surf shop? A yoga studio? A greenhouse? A midnight walk down 5th Avenue? Consider your voice, the tone of your writing, and your authentic personality, and match your look to them. Your aesthetics will become part of your calling card across cover art, social media, your website, in-person signage, and beyond, so it’s important to get them right.

Build a Memorable Author Persona

Both online and in person, getting people to want to revisit your work relies on a consistent persona. Social media and (eventually) your website will be key places you engage with your audience. Make sure to respond to comments, reach out to other authors, and cultivate a community around your work.

Authentic interaction is a huge draw and will not only help grow your audience, but it will make sure your audience is made up of “your people.” You don’t have to turn your life into a 100%-always-on content-fest, but make sure that the content you do share isn’t overly polished. Just be real with people and they’ll respect it. Relatability is rad.

Of course you’ll need to extend your persona beyond the internet, but being consistent with your brand at in-person events isn’t tricky if you’re being yourself (again…just be real and people will respect it). You’ll attract the type of people you want reading your poetry much more easily this way than if you try to be someone you’re not.

Need some inspiration? Check out these website for a few stellar examples of authors who have crafted an authentic online experience that reflects who they are. Note the continued elements between social pace and website, as well as what each does differently:

Chen Chen Website | Social

Sam Payne Social

Marya Layth Website | Social

So You Built a Brand. What Next?

You honed your voice, you put together a killer aesthetic, and you’re starting to see your audience grow. Using this personal brand as a foundation, shift your focus to getting your work in front of as many eyes as possible. Luckily, there are plenty of avenues to explore. Whether you’re marketing a book, a self-published poetry collection, or submitting your work to literature magazines and journals, it’s important to get your writing somewhere people can see it. That can (and should) be done on social media, but make sure to check out local poetry scenes as well as online communities. You’ll make valuable connections with your target audience and maybe even set yourself up for a mutually beneficial collaboration or other project down the road!

Consistency in your branding is key, but consistency in your writing is also key (no surprise there). Getting your brand up and running, and promoting your work afterwards, will be work. But make sure to keep writing with frequency—after all, that’s why you’re ultimately doing this in the first place!

And don’t forget—feedback is your friend. Listen to what others have to say about your style, your look, your tone, etc. Even if it is a criticism, the people you care about just want to see you succeed. Sure, you don’t have to pay attention to trolls on the internet, but if you value someone’s opinion, let them give it to you.

Get After It.

Alright, that was a lot. But a good lot. Hopefully your mind is bursting with thoughts on what your wonderful brand will one day look, sound, and feel like, but remember, you can take it one step at a time. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Nail your foundation by establishing your distinct voice, settle in on a “vibe” for your brand, and implement your plan with consistency and authenticity. You’ll reap what you sow here, and we’ve got total faith you’re going to like what you come up with.

Crafted by Liam Norman.

Liam Norman is a midwest-based writer. With a propensity for movement, a passion for exploration, and an insatiable urge to create, storytelling is a natural extension of his interests. When he’s not writing, you can usually find Liam running the trails of Minneapolis, poking around the outdoors, hosting a get-together, or curating a fresh playlist. You can contact Liam at [email protected].

The post Brand Building for Burgeoning Poets—Why it Matters and How to Do it Well appeared first on Poetry editing services.

#telltellpoetry #poetry #editing #writers #writing #find your voice #your voice #voice #unique style #writing style #writing exercises #distinct voice #writerscommunity #writerslife #poets on tumblr #writers and poets #newsletter

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maiaszecket-grad604-2023 · 7 months

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W8 - AGI Open 2023

On Monday I had the privilege of attending the Alliance Graphique Internationale with a free ticket from AUT! This was a super exciting opportunity and I walked away from it with lots of insights and ideas (and freebies). Below are the notes I made for (most) speakers, a well as some highlights which I will expand on further:

Day 1 - 18/09/23

Taku Satoh

Hodo hodo - just enough

Balance and elegance when just right

Furoshiki

Everything in moderation

Knowing when to stop

Leave room for things to resonate

Water-based glue

Changing the rep of chewing gum so packaging design cannot look like gum

Astrid Stavro

Leap before you look

Curiosity and doubt

Eli wiesel

Interview magazine

Penguin education - type as image

Grid notepads

Fear and making mistakes

Dont work for money

Azimuth festival - saudi arabi

Keep it simple stupid

Starting over

Irene Pereyra

Anton & irene ux

To seel something new, make it familiar and to sell something familiar, make it new

M+ museum - hong kong

We judge usability by its beauty and aesthetics

Atm interface study

Aesthetic usability effect

We dont mind making the effort

Shantelle martin

Henrik Kubel

Important to have a clear brief in kahoots with client

Paul Garbett

Seeing things book

We create whatever we observe

Paredolia - seeing faces in things, seeing meaninful images in objects and patterns

Presence - paying attention with intention

The act of observation is an act of creativity

Dean Poole

Nz’s elemental nature

Raw sophistication

Humanism

Culturistic rituals

Meaning in materials

Doesnt have to be loud

Design is about making decisions

Diecut leaves

Tracing shapes in landscape photography

Southern hemisphere snowman

Good shit soda

Ahn Sang-soo

Gaphis magazine

Anthropocene

PATI - students are taught to design their own lives and let their lives be completed by design

Pur ideas should stem from our hands

Elongate design by bodily experience

Just play!

A flower flourishes, spring comes

Alejandro Paul

Roma cafe in buenos aires

Balneario

Inspiration - travel - photography

Varietta

Rigatoni - bodoni

Sudtipos design agency

Paul Boudens

Fun is fundamental

Eddie Opara

The landcape, origin, history, life around really is what egins a bespoke desing process

Rectilinnear

The Joslyn, scott Pavilliam, hawks

Each building only uses the typeface desinged for it

Also desinging glyphs for omaha-ponca - native american language of the region

Animations

Regenerative narratives

Book Showcase

James Goggin

Ubi sunt

Titus kphar ted talk

Redaction.us - free typeface

Irony of this typeface being used in the legal system - unauthorised

Book is soft-bound bc hardcover still considered contraband in prisons

Cold glue vs hot glue

Minmin Qu + Qian Jiang

Stuart Geddes

Need to take advantage of books that are thick enough to write sideways on the spine

Jumping He

Carpets from art

Designing the life cycle of a book - another reading

Arch MacDonnell

Inhouse design

Books with john reynolds - “cloud of new zealand language”

Climate change - apocalypse o’clock

I want you to panic

Nikki Gonnissen

Thonik

Phil bloom - first naked woman on int. Tv

Inspirational women

Day 2 - 19/09/23

Paula Scher

marking something recognised + understood

silk-screen theatre posters

Public Theatre

page of scribbles - type made from scribbles

'banal'

digital, moving billboards

dingbat/scribble 'library' to use in system

find something and run with it

Stefan Sagmeister

the critic with bad news is seen as smarter than the critic with good news

embedding blocks of statistics in old paintings

mosaic insects on bike path

kids' hospital tunnels - Toronto

Now is Better - book

design should have a function

Lars Müller

Super Normal - book

sensations of the normal

Thomas Widdershoven

Thonik

the power of design

social

strategic

experimental

best iconic building award for their studio

Yah-Leng Yu

how do you get people to come into your museum?

look at the city - what do people like doing?

drawing the people of Singapore like to shop, so give them something they can shop for

what makes something look childish?

Kris Sowersby

Matarongo typeface with Johnson Witehira

Tatai Kapu Toi = typography

type is so subtle

distilling the essence of a rich culture and history into type

glyphs = wh, ng in cap-cap, cap-lower, lower-lower

Jonathan-Castro Alejos

Peru -> Netherlands

Panel

nomads set free + being a tourist

taking on international clients

cultural sensitivity

global climate

global market

country's politics

country's history

balance between corporate/client projects and projects that we do for ourselves

making money vs making things that make you happy

student = authenticity, purity

graduating = getting corrupted

how to stay relevant

where would you go first upon landing in a country where you don't know anyone and you don't speak the language?

Kenya Hara

'un-know the world'

using squares + circles to make sense of the universe

Re Design - daily products of the 21st century

long-life design

becoming

visualise + awaken

rhetorical figures

fruits disguised as other fruits

make things unknown and visualise it

muji

"frugal, but not feeling inferior to luxury"

muji 'concept' applied to other things

humans + cleaning

global vs local

"architecture must be the interpreter of the richness of the land"

cream knit turtleneck with yellow edges -> like working military gloves

mango (clothing brand) book

Stanley Wong

AnotherMountainMan

MTR: 'there are some things in life you can always count on'

Asaba's Diary - posters!

self-talking

"time will tell" - Einstein

creativity x values x time

Ariane Spanier

known knowns

known unknowns

unknown knowns

the free brief

feelings mixer app - Heavy Mental

colour

Fukt magazine

having facial blindness and drawing portraits

Highlights

It was really neat to see how real designers are always using what they know and what they are good at to influence their design process, no matter if it is a commercial or personal project. It was comforting to me to see that there doesn't always have to be this immense pressure to try something that you don't know anything about, or that you aren't good at, just for the sake of going out of your comfort zone. Although this is useful and can really expand a designer's horizons, it is not always necessary to be uncomfortable at all stages of a design process. Drawing on your interests and strengths is also a good way to create a successful outcome.

The calibre of presentations were top tier - they were engaging and 'guided your eye', and embodied all the tips we go over in class, such as limiting the number of words on a slide.

I was pleased at how this international conference still allowed for freedom of the hosting country to incorporate any necessary traditions or honours that are encouraged in that country. The conference opened with a Mihi and Waiata, which communicated to me that it was important for Alt Group and AGI to create a safe Māori space.

Kris Sowersby's talk was a huge highlight of mine. He broke down a new typeface that his is collaborating on with Johnson Witehira, called Matarongo. It was fascinating to see their process (iteration on iteration on iteration), right from the deep, rich research they did through to the varied typefaces that were created. So many things were considered - lower/upper case, sans/serif, extra glyphs, etc. I found that I gained a whole new appreciation for typography through watching his talk.

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