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askwhenerosmetpsyche · 4 years

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What do I do with this?

When a friend or loved one’s birthday would roll around, I used to give them a sneak peak into their solar return and tell them the good things that were lining up. Then last year every chart started looking rather terrible and I wasn’t sure how to interpret it. Lots of 8th house themes -- not everyone can die, right? Could be pregnancy. Could be inheritance. Could be a new business. But these felt like stretches. I couldn’t shake the worry. Then all of this happened.

I told everyone I knew at the start of this year to watch out for March. Over dinner I told my father-in-law. “But that’s when we’re taking a trip to New York.” I looked at him incredulously. It was early February. “You’re not going to New York.”

A few years ago I had a series of dreams that felt very prophetic. I get them every so often. I dreamed about my children 10 years before they were born. I’ve dreamed about meeting important people in my life. But these dreams felt too scary to be real, yet I couldn’t shake their significance. A talking baby warning me about breathing the air, and another featuring tanks rolling down my street. One came true, and the second one looks about to. I’m not sure how this election will go, but I feel like we’re in real danger of sliding into military rule. And so this is my ongoing question to the Universe this year: What am I supposed to do with this information?

Perhaps to spread hope? I see hope. It’s just a ways away. I tell everyone to hold onto the post-inauguration world -- although truly I am not sure what happens on that day. It looks so revolutionary. The sky looks angry. The people are there and they’re wanting action. No one seems happy -- which is understandable given everything. But then a few weeks go by and...everything gets better. The sky loosens up. Transits are friendlier and lighter and I’m still not sure exactly how other than we collectively move into Aquarian energy. To be sure, nothing will be the same again, but that isn’t what we want. I think -- I hope it’s the start of taking action towards systems that serve its citizenry. The first step to change is to believe change is possible, and even though our world becomes more magic-like every day, doom feels more and more inevitable.

So many of my friends had children around the same time and when I would look at their children’s charts, collectively, there was always this black spot where Pluto would land. It emphasized the same energy -- desperation for security. Normally I would see this energy manifest in the chart of someone with a pretty difficult childhood. Someone with different parents -- different than I knew my friends to be. Now I know what that energy is and it’s a bit of a relief because I was beginning to wonder if the entire west coast of the US was going to fall into the ocean. We can see that this moment in time is making a big impact on so many kids who are old enough to remember it. So much of an impact that it will stay with them for the rest of their life. The Pluto in Capricorn generation -- they’re going to be the ones to rebuild the structures we are tearing down right now. They’re taking responsibility for the mess. They will be the ones to solidify plans and implement changes. More Greta Thunbergs are coming, and they are here to expose the foolishness of the Pluto in Leo generation. The kids who refused to grow up and read Ayn Rand and coined colloquialisms like “If you’re young and conservative, you have no heart. If you’re grown and liberal, you have no brain.” They don’t believe they have benefited from systemic racism. They worked hard for a bigger house in a whiter neighborhood. They believe this is the American dream.

When I talk about karma, this is what I’m talking about. Children are always the other end of our actions. Our interconnectedness ripples into every corner of the globe in ways we cannot even begin to fathom. We benefit from the karma of the country we live in. We pay for it too. We inherited it from our family and we pay for theirs as well whether it’s through a childhood where we suffer for our parents’ neglected wounds, or through growing up in a country with unaffordable healthcare and watching a sick parent sink the entire family into homelessness. When Mark Jones talks about Pluto as being the wound of the patriarchy, this is what he is talking about. It’s a complete loss of the feminine. It’s individualism run amok. It’s focusing on me rather than we. It is our collective karma. And it’s up to us to balance it.

As I’ve been watching the events of this year unfold I wonder what is the use of knowing things before they happened. What’s the use of seeing anything? Anyone? Whenever I look at the sky or a natal chart -- the information is overwhelming and it feels like a torrent of pain and wonder and inspiration difficult childhoods and destined heartbreak. What can I tell you that will help?

It was my friend’s birthday a couple days ago, and her solar return looked truly awful. I didn’t know what to say. “I hope it’s easier than last year!” she texted. What do I say? Do I lie? I want to tell her to see the doctor. I want to tell her to look after her health. I’m hoping she’s having a difficult pregnancy this year. The 5th house in her return chart is lightly implicated. “Are you planning to have babies this year??” I ask hopefully. She texts back “uhhh. NO! But you’re not the first to ask.” I’m not sure what else to write. I tell her the year looks calmer and it does. Just not in a way she’d necessarily want.

I feel like I’m reliving this moment: It is last summer and I am running through the airport on my cousin’s birthday so I call her and suddenly I am in the terminal trying to find a way to tell her that her father will pass this year. So I tell her that she would be coming back home multiple times and I tell her to save money for that. She guessed what I meant. Her father had been sick for a while. It was my fault for calling her while running through the airport and seeing the chart for the first time. I should’ve learned my lesson a few months earlier when she had me read an on-the-spot synastry between her boyfriend and her on speakerphone. I looked at the chart and Oh god I thought. I stuttered. “You guys are intense!” I lamely said. They broke up the following month. I stuttered the same way at the airport. She has since stopped calling me.

When I started reading charts a few years ago, back during the good days when the full weight of the world had not quite come crashing down on our shoulders, I could see the good things to come. No, here in the downward mobility of mid 2020, the appeal of it all is dwindling. I need long breaks. I feel like I’m not cut out for this work and I wonder how others do it. “You’re in the messiness of others’ lives” my Scorpio friend once consoled me. “It’s not an easy place to be.” And I agree. But again, What am I supposed to do with this?

#rambles

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vicislifeinbinary · 4 years

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My take on the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic Last week, we all thought everything was going to be normal, we didn’t take the global virus seriously. I saw people at university booking flights (because the tickets were so cheap) and teachers planning the next week’s curriculum. Most people thought the virus was just like a normal flu. I saw life go on as normal, but of course with people washing their hands more and keeping a bit more distance. People said “See you next week!” and I said “Well… Maybe… I hope so!” and we said our goodbyes. Little did we know, that was only the eerie silence before the storm. Then, suddenly, on Wednesday evening of 11/3/2020, the prime minister of Denmark declared a shutdown of Denmark and afterwards people started hoarding food, sanitizing equipment and toilet paper. It was hard to realize what was happening, it felt like a movie. Still does. I was planning on going to school, to work and taking my driver’s license test – it has all been cancelled/rethought/postponed. My brother is working in the hospital and so is my mom’s boyfriend – I can’t believe how brave these people are in the midst of all this. Doctors will have to make some hardcore judgements in the next months. Entire countries are on lockdown and halting business. Closing their borders. All events are cancelled and so is work, school and social events. Stock market is plummeting and we will probably have a recession. It’s like a patient on life support and we’re just getting started, two weeks behind Italy. New York Times has written that “...as of Tuesday evening, at least 7,866 people have died, more than half of them outside mainland China… infected people have been detected in at least 142 countries” and on 13/3/2020 WHO announced that Europe had become the new epicentre. Thanks to the heroic Dr. Li Wenliang, Fang Bin and Chen Qiushi for discussing the virus and warning the public about the communist party’s violent censorship (and then tragically dying and/or going missing). We have seen the virus overwhelm the healthcare system greatly in other countries like China, Italy, Iran, France, USA, Austria and it’s probably only gonna get worse. What many people fail to understand is 1) You can have the virus without having symptoms, 2) It is very easy to spread and catch the virus and 3) The healthcare system does not have enough equipment, beds or staff if many people suddenly start getting seriously ill. I heard that Denmark only has like 1000 respirators in total, which is not enough, and I feel scared for the future, though I am not yet panicking. I’m trying to adjust to this new state in our dimension. Seems like this large scale containment has never been tried before. I look at people with great contempt when they go out to party, socialize, date, chill, act unhygienic etc. because they could be seriously harming others without realizing it – just because you can’t see the consequences immediately doesn't mean you’re not a catalyst. We are all potential vessels for killing our sick and our elderly. And not only old people die, we have also seen people in their 20’s, 30’s and 40’s die from this virus. That person you talked to has talked to five other people and that item you touched has been touched by dozens. It’s just like that “burned matches” image people have been sharing, it’s so easy to understand. I honestly think a police enforced curfew will be implemented because some people do not listen to science at all. BBC did a good experiment with mobile phones and GPSes in 2018 to see how fast illnesses could spread if every person could infect 2-3 people and just travel as usual – by the third day 85% of UK was infected. Bill Gates warned us in 2015 that the world was not ready for the next pandemic, but that we could be, if we took big precautions and combined the military with the medical and biological measures. I do not think we are ready now even though we’ve been warned many times. I used to play the game Plague Inc for years and was stunned by how quickly it spread and how realistic the outcomes were (curfews being implemented, airlines and harbours shutting down, economic market collapsing, politicians falling ill, more money given to research etc.) – I never thought I was going to live in such a scenario. It feels dream-like and very brutal and honest. I also saw this in the movies Contagion (2011) and Outbreak (1995) which fucked me up. Material things are fragile. Societal constructs are fragile. World economy is fragile. When shit hits the fan, people are not so kind, rational and civilized anymore. Also interesting to see the world act like introverts. What if the world was like this? No need for anything, no buildings, no entertainment, no social life, nothing to buy or sell… Really scary to see, it looks like a Chernobyl ghost town. Such a strange social experiment to witness. It’s so devastating to all the business owners and to our culture. I do think some positive outcomes could come from this, though, such as: * More people working from home and having less unnecessary meetings and transportation time + generally getting a smaller public sector in Denmark * More e-learning and web exams being had which could open up knowledge greatly (as YouTube already did many, many years ago) * More research being done before the next pandemic + people taking pathogens, hygiene, cooking and vaccines WAY more seriously * Better safety nets being implemented for privately owned businesses and companies * Fewer working hours and shorter workweeks in general being had, as we find out what work is not truly needed/effective, so that we can have more quality time with families and loved ones instead of working all the time * More research going into growing/making cheaper food and better food preservatives * Being less dependent on China, who has been the global production star for a long time now with terrible freedom of speech as well as human and animal rights + China banning the unhygienic wet markets (which are the culprit of several outbreaks) * People realizing how fragile many things and constructs are and coming together to fight one bad thing instead of fighting over politics, money, culture and religion * More research going into robots and AI which could help us deliver food and medicine (and maybe transport individual people too) I do not know what started this virus, if it was nature or some sort of bioterrorism, like Bill Gates mentioned as a possibility in 2015. It doesn’t matter right now, because we still have to deal with it either way. All I know is to keep my distance and stay home. And I think you should too, even if “the weather is nice” and your friends are bored. The bubonic plague took 200 million lives, smallpox took 56 million lives and spanish flu around 50 million lives. Daily Mail writes “Scientists say the 'scale' and 'lethality' of the coronavirus is on the scale of the H1N1 influenza strain that sparked the Spanish flu pandemic over 100 years ago”. We need to take precautions before it’s all too late and we lose millions of lives. People have said “Acting extreme now will only be seen as inadequate later on” and Vox’ YouTube video brilliantly pointed out that “To slow the virus down, you need to act like you already have it”. We CAN prevent some of this. Act now – stay home, stay clean and stay distant. Thank you for your time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . #coronavirus #coronavirusupdate #covid19 #pandemic #pandemia #covid19denmark #coronavirusdenmark #denmark #danmark #coronapocalypse #panicbuying #stayhome #staysafe #flattenthecurve #COVID2019 #virus #outbreak #CoronavirusOutbreak #plagueinc #bbc #billgates #socialexperiment #socialconstructs #healthcaresystem #lockdown #wetmarkets #socialdistancing #quarantine #contagion #SARSCoV2 (her: Copenhagen) https://www.instagram.com/p/B95eoSQBw0W/?igshid=4poeakul8sz1

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irarelypostanything · 4 years

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They were right - Coronavirus was always a serious concern

For months, I seriously thought coronavirus (specifically COVID-19) was just something the media was blowing way out of proportion, something that was only dangerous because it was causing unnecessary panic and perpetuating racism. And while panic isn’t good under any circumstances (I can’t really speak to racism, which I have encountered none of since this started), there have always been reasons to be concerned about this virus.

The main one, I think many would agree, are the implications of an overwhelmed healthcare system. Is COVID-19 just like the flu? No. We understand the flu, we developed vaccines for the flu, and though it is very difficult to get an exact number for mortality rate, it’s estimated that the coronavirus kills about 3% of those it infects, whereas the common flu kills much less than 1%. More importantly, the mortality rate gets much higher as the age group gets higher. That means that if you’re in your 20s, this probably isn’t going to kill you--but it may kill or seriously harm friends and family you are in contact with.

Because information is developing so fast, some things are a little more murky. We know this spreads from droplets, typically from coughing or sneezing. Does it commonly spread from contact with people who have no symptoms? SciShow says this is extremely rare, and cites a source; an expert on the Joe Rogan podcast said he thinks it’s fairly common. Is this seasonal, and will it seriously die down in the next few months? Some say no, some say maybe. When will we have a vaccine? Maybe in a year.

Our healthcare resources are limited, and Italy and Wuhan have already demonstrated the dangerous effects of having healthcare infrastructure stretched thinly. Surgeries and other care has to be de-prioritized; we have a very limited number of hospital beds, of ventilators. As a country, we rely heavily on China for our supply chain. Diabetics needs drugs, for example--with China in lockdown mode, an already sick population is going to get sicker.

It’s a pandemic now. It’s expected that this can no longer be contained, but it can be mitigated. If contact is reduced, gatherings are cancelled, and preventive steps are taken, then the disease will spread at a rate that our healthcare infrastructure can handle.

But we don’t know how long this is going to go on for. With people staying home and out of restaurants, which is probably a wise thing to do, local businesses are taking a hit. With people working from home when possible and delaying business meetings, which is probably a wise thing to do, businesses in general are taking a hit. And this isn’t even taking into consideration healthcare workers, who are putting their lives on the line and aren’t exactly in a position to request work-from-home themselves. And what about firefighters, police officers, and other people who stay in human contact by the nature of their work?

It could get a lot worse, but there’s certainly a lot to be thankful for. Scientists are doing what they can, as are healthcare providers.

#15-minute freewrite #coronavirus #covid-19

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achtung-attitude · 5 years

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CHAPTER TWELVE: Love Street

Doctors, nurses and nuns file through the hallways of the Love Street General Health Center, providing aid both physical and spiritual to patients sitting or lying on gurneys. Down one hallway, a janitor mops away a speckled trail of blood leading to a ward room. The janitor does not enter this room, nor do any of the medical professionals or people of the cloth.

Inside, Kilo Staples is alone, recovering. Intermittently, he paces up and down at the far end of the room, pausing to glare out of the window. His eyes are clear. WITCH MOUNTAIN’s power has left his system entirely it seems, and anger hangs around him like an aura.

Facing the window, he hears the door to the room open. “I told you I’m fine,” he says without turning around, “If you people ain’t gon’ let me out of here, then piss off!” The door closes, but no doctor or nurse responds to him. Kilo frowns, and turns to see he is, apparently, still alone in the room. SATURN BARZ tentatively emerges, gathering its power in Kilo’s hands. “Who’s there…?”

“IT’S ME IT’S ME!!” comes the anxious reply from a few feet in front of him. Shizuka cancels her invisibility and appears in front of him, clad in her regular clothes now. She giggles nervously, embarrassedly.

“Shizuka?! Why are you…? Why did you have to sneak in? Is someone after you--?”

“Oh no, it’s not like that! I just didn’t feel like waiting around and signing a bunch of paperwork before I could see you, that’s all! Ehehehe...”

“Uh, ok… So what happened?” He clenches his fist, “What happened with WITCH MOUNTAIN?”

“Oh yeah yeah, that’s what I’m here to tell you! I beat her! We won’t be seeing her again!”

“Is she dead?”

“Uh…”

“Did you kill her?” he asks again, insistently.

Shizuka swallows, then says, “... No. We… she ended up saving my life, and we parted ways.”

After an agonizing moment, Kilo says through clenched teeth, “What?”

“Yeeeahh, it’s kinda a long story. But, like I said, don’t worry about it! She’s not going to bother us again, we’re not going to see her again!”

“Bother us?” Kilo whispers, chillingly soft. He steps towards her slowly, “Bother us? She tried to kill me. She tried to make me kill myself. And you just gonna play it cool like that’s all hunky. Fucking. Dory?”

“Kilo--” Shizuka starts to say, until he shoots his hand out and grabs her lapel.

“I told you before, you wouldn’t survive here. You’re too damn soft! Are you just gonna make friends with everybody who tries to kill you?! Is that it?!”

“Kilo, you’re hurting me--” she says steadily.

“Do you know what that cunt did to me?!! She made me feel things I never wanted to feel again! You think that’s funny?! You think this is a game, huh?!! If you think I’m just gonna lie down and be a stepping stone for you to find your mommy, you better think again!!”

A hard, cold hand tightly grips Kilo’s wrists, cutting his tirade short. When he looks, he sees that his hands and half his forearms have disappeared. Only no, they haven’t. He can still feel them gripping the fur of Shizuka’s jacket.

“You need to calm down,” she says, calmly, meeting his gaze. Kilo does not let go of her, but he does not shout at her either.

“I’m sorry,” Shizuka continues. “I understand if you’re angry. If you don’t wanna help anymore, I understand that too. I just… I did was what I thought was right. You don’t need to worry about Moya anymore. She won’t hurt us again.”

They stare at each other for a long time. Then at last, Kilo exhales and releases her. His hands become visible in the same instant. He walks backwards to the window and sits on the sill. Looking to the side, he mutters, “Sorry.”

Shizuka smiles, and trots next to him. “How are your injuries? Are they gonna keep you for long?”

“I’m fine. All they had to do was slap me awake,” Kilo replies, then irritatedly clicks his tongue, looking at the door and raising his voice, “Still gotta pay for the ambulance and the room, though! So much for affordable fucking healthcare…!”

She laughs. “I could pay your bills if you wanted, Kilo. I just need to call--”

“Don’t you say anotha word!” cries a voice, accompanied by the slam of the ward room door bursting open.

“C-KING!!!” squeals Shizuka, delighted to see the rapper standing in the doorway, all nonchalant and cool.

“It’s Jerome, baby. Kilo, brother, what’s this shit I heard about you drowning yourself, man?”

“Nothing,” Kilo replies. “It’s complicated. I’ll fill you in later…”

“Well, your business is your business. I just asked cause I worry, you know? But hey, don’t you worry about no bills. Ya boy’s got you covered!”

“Jerome, you don’t gotta--”

“I know I don’t, but I’m gonna anyway! It’s on me, no big deal.”

“... Thanks,” Kilo says, rubbing the back of his neck. He then glances at Shizuka, and says, “Shizuka, you’re bleeding.”

“What?” Shizuka, who watched the men with a beaming smile on her face, looks down and notices the blood emerging from her sleeve and streaming down her hand and fingers. “Whoa wow! Completely forgot about that!”

She removes her jacket and pulls up her shirt sleeve, revealing the cut on her upper arm. Blood streams dully from it and the flesh around it turns purple and bruised. “I got this in the fight with Moya.”

“That don’t look good. Who’s Moya?” Jerome remarks.

“You should go get that looked at.” Kilo says, chin resting in hand. “Could get infected...”

“Yeah…” Shizuka agrees, embarrassedly, “Good thing we’re in a hospital, right?” She stands, seemingly to leave, but then stops and turns around to bare her wound to Kilo. “You can fix it for me,” she says.

“What?” he asks.

“Re-composition of matter, that’s what you said your power was. Solid to liquid, liquid to gas and back again, right?”

“Well… yeah, but--”

“So, blood’s a liquid. So you should be able to do it on blood too. You can heal me Kilo!”

“What you talking about, girl?” Jerome cuts in.

“That’s not how it works, I can’t--”

“Oh shit!” Jerome cuts in, “she talkin’ about your voodoo thing, mayn?”

“Voodoo?” Shizuka asks.

“Yeah yeah! This one time I got a flat tire on my Lambo and my boy Kilo waved his hand over it and fixed it up! Voodoo shit! Magic!”

“It’s not magic, they’re called Stands!” Shizuka corrects. “They’re a manifestation of your fighting spirit. I’ve got one too, and I bet Kilo can use his Stand to fix me!”

“Just hold on a damn minute--” Kilo argues, overwhelmed.

“Just give it a try!” Shizuka cries, insistently, “I know you can do it if you try!”

“Alright, fine!” Kilo says, relenting. He stands up and raises his hand to Shizuka’s wound, summoning the hand of SATURN BARZ. He gingerly places his hand over the cut, feeling out the composition of the running blood. Then he acts, exercising his ability, solidifying liquid into solid on a minute scale.

Shizuka hisses in pain, and Kilo jolts back, removing his hand quickly. “Sorry! I tried to… You ok?”

“It’s cold!” she giggles, despite herself, then inspects her arm. “And it’s good as new! See?” she declares, showing her arm. The cut is scabbed over. No blood is flowing, and the flesh around is still purple and bruised.

“Uh, sure…” says Jerome, skeptical. Kilo stays quiet.

“Do you know what this means? Kilo, you’re a healer!” Shizuka declares, delighted. Kilo stays quiet, dumbfounded.

“This is damn bizarre, man…” Jerome says, removing his hat and rubbing his head.

***

Later on, as they leave the hospital, Jerome gripes to his companions, but also no one in particular, “So not only was the lead a bust, but we also got a undercover cop to deal with? Aw man, I don’t know about this no more. I don’t need no pig tryin’ to bust me on whatever.”

“Why would the police wanna do that to you, C-King?” Shizuka asks, quizzically. Kilo and Jerome both look at her, but neither of them answer.

“...Anyway,” Kilo says, “We still could use your help, Jerome.”

“A’ight,” Jerome sighs, “I’ll keep my ears open. But y’all gotta do something for me tonight.”

“What do you need?” Shizuka asks, just as Jerome pulls out two slips of paper from his pocket and hands them to her and Kilo. Upon seeing them, Shizuka appears to vibrate on the spot.

“Y’all have just received exclusive official backstage passes to my show tonight at the Santa Monica Pier! Take a load off for tonight and watch me do my thing!”

“Urrrgh…” says Kilo.

“That means you too, mang! And Shizu, between you and me...”

“... What?” Shizuka asks after he doesn’t continue.

“Lean in,” he whispers, gesturing her closer, “I got a special guest playing with me tonight. Secret special guest. We kept it under wraps for a while now, so nobody but me and the coordinators know who.”

“Who?! Who is it?!”

Jerome whispers in her ear, covering his mouth with a hand. Kilo strains his ears to hear, then shudders all over when Shizuka releases a squeal of excited joy.

“NO WAY NO WAY NO WAY!!” she exclaims, bouncing around in a circle.

“Shh shh, keep it down, girl!” Jerome chides, laughing.

“Even though I nearly died a couple hours ago, this’ll be the best day of my life!!” she declares.

“Uh… ok. Always good to please a fan, I guess.” Saying this, he ushers her and Kilo into his limousine, and they drive away.

***

Elsewhere, a stage is being set up right on Santa Monica Pier. In a trailer a short distance away, a woman sits in front of a mirror while a gaggle of make-up artists attend to every detail of her face. There is a white cloth over her head to protect her hair. A ladybug brooch pinned to the jacket is hanging on the back of her chair.

A professional looking woman clad in business attire and sensible shoes steps into the trailer, going over a clipboard. “Are you almost ready in here, boss?”

“Yes, Maria, of course I am,” the woman says, “But I don’t see why we have to do this all now. The show doesn’t start for another two hours.”

“Well, we need to do something with our time. C-King hasn’t arrived yet. He didn’t even show up for rehearsal!”

“Well, then give him another call! If Jerome doesn’t show up, then this isn’t happening.”

“I’m on it,” Mariah says, leaving the trailer. She hardly looked up from her clipboard.

The woman in the chair sighs, and reaches for the table. On it are six bullets, .32 calibre, arranged in a straight line along the edge. She takes all 6 in one hand and starts counting them, absently. “You can never be too early, am I right?” she says.

“Uh, of course, ma’am,” says one of the make-up artists.

The woman waves at them to stop and they recede. “It’s not right.” the woman says, standing up and removing the towel from off her head, revealing pink hair arranged in a large whorl. “It’s not right to keep a star as big as Trish Una waiting, right?”

From where they are, it’s possible to see the Hollywood sign in the distant hills. If one were to squint.

END of CHAPTER TWELVE

#jjba #JoJo's Bizarre Adventure #Jojo no Kimyou na Bouken #achtung attitude #shizuka joestar #kilo staples #C-King #saturn barz #ch12

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westboast · 4 years

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Homecoming

Chicago, Illinois

This city is not the epicenter of the virus. The epicenter is, according to the news, the Midwest at large, particularly Wisconsin, though boundaries between states are imaginary and movement is freely allowed across state lines. The virus is everywhere. The American “strategy” is no strategy. It is liberty to decide whether you want to catch the virus or not. Some people wear masks diligently, wash their hands, etc. Some do not. Restaurants are open not because it is safe for them to be open, but because their employees are desperate. The right has decided that masks are effeminate, gay.

We are apparently in the “third wave” of the virus. Cases are up thirty percent from what they were fourteen days ago. And yet businesses remain open. The Biden campaign is slamming Trump for his mishandling of the virus, but at this point it is hard to imagine what can be done to make things better. The opportunity for slowing it down came and went in January. Now we are all coming to terms with the aftermath. That is, the present.

The streets are empty and yet not. Grocery stores are abandoned and yet not. Bars are closed and yet not. There is doublethink everywhere, contradiction everywhere. There is no coherence. There is no plan. There is no voice of authority. There is no trust, no sense of direction. There is a black hole and at the center is the virus, determining everything. The escape is referenced as “the vaccine” or “the cure.” When it comes everything will change, maybe.

“The Bubble” is how Americans think they control the virus. Everyone inhabits a “bubble,” and who is in it determines what we can do, who we can see, where we can go. We can hang out with people if they are in our “bubble” and known to be Covid-negative. But the nature of the virus, a highly contagious airborne respiratory infection, makes “the bubble” illusory. The disease is so out of control that we must monitor our own behavior, because the government is too hobbled and incompetent to do it for us. But even this conception of control is delusional.

Politics everywhere. Biden flags everywhere. Circuitous, self-affirming conversations everywhere. “We have to vote.” “Things will get better with Biden.” “If you don’t vote, you don’t have the right to criticize.” The same pattern that has always been followed is now being followed again. “The left,” with Bernie on one side and Warren somewhere closer to the middle, has been neutralized. Now the election has been reduced to a simple binary, Trump vs. Biden. “He’s not perfect but he’s the best we’ve got.” “Are you saying we shouldn’t vote for Biden?” Think piece: the lesser of two evils. Meme: salvation from evil. Overlooked: Senator Joseph R. Biden, of Delaware, was a chief architect of the 1994 crime bill, the primary catalyst of the mass incarceration of Black men following its passage. Senator Joseph R. Biden, of Delaware, voted in favor of the ruinous Iraq War. The protests which swept America in 2020 are largely attributable to the 1994 bill. And yet its author has been offered to us as the country’s salvation. Coronavirus infects over seven million and kills over two hundred thousand Americans, and yet single-payer healthcare is still off the table.

“I am the Democratic Party right now,” said Biden in his debate with President Trump.

My friend in Korea swiveled toward me in her office chair and said: “We weren’t in America for the lockdown, so we didn’t experience the collective trauma. We missed something that is going to be a part of American identity.”

Others: “Why did you leave Korea? It’s safe there.” But it isn’t my home. Living abroad creates a feeling of perpetual anxiety. This does not make sense to me; I do not belong here.

Chinatown, Chicago, 11 PM. Dim sum restaurant, mirrored walls, sets of fine china, plexiglass, hand sanitizer. One circular table near ours, four people, early thirties, an Asian couple and a white couple, predictable racism. “I don’t like [redacted], it’s not like a hamburger.” “It looks [redacted], like a [redacted].” Camera, close-up, pivots to the other side of the table. “It’s pork and vegetables with a gravy over it.” “Gravy? What kind of gravy?” “Gravy!” Bystander training literature indicates that one should signal their presence but not escalate. Minutes later the restaurant has been overwhelmed by police, ostensibly here to enforce social distancing. The waiters spread the patrons as far apart as possible. Bathroom: three police officers. Two at urinals, one behind them. “Don’t worry, the toilets don’t [redacted].” “Can you stop looking at my ass?” “Never.”

Everything is so sickeningly predictable. I can guess what will be said to me during most conversations. Most people communicate in political and cultural sound bites. Not everyone, of course.

Benito Skinner, crying: “Sorry, y’all, I was just readin’ my own poetry.”

Me, reading Donatella’s romance novel: “Vanity was the sin for which Alek condemned Kenji, but in the bubbling, mirrored pool, he looked as much upon himself, all of those reflections.”

K, in Chicago, texted me the day after we met. He presents as confident but is actually insecure: “How did I look in person?” he said.

Me: “You looked great, very classic and handsome.”

K: “You looked good too.”

I’ll probably never see him again.

Donatella: “I’m beautiful, he thought. He wanted to touch Kenji. He wanted to be touched by Kenji. He wanted to be wanted by Kenji. He had never met Kenji.”

A bouquet of silk hydrangeas, covered in dust.

A concrete staircase in Seoul at 4 AM.

A folding metal chair surrounded by orange tape.

Donatella: “There were missions before this one and there would be missions after it. There were loves before this one and there would be loves after it.”

Korean Air flight KE037 lifts off.

The water bearer Aquarius and her pitchers.

Libra and her scales. Call her.

Man: “I call it an accident, but it was a suicide attempt.”

Humboldt Park: a gust of wind, a thousand dried leaves thrown into the air.

Woman: “I was pretty blindsided.”

Bank billboard: “At Fifth Third, racial discrimination is not tolerated in any form.”

Oversharing, honesty, vulnerability. At some point we sedated ourselves with images. “It looks like you were having so much fun.” Productivity: the internalized logic of neoliberalism— “a productive day,” “I’ve been so unproductive.” Production, branding, grinding, hustling, pedal on the floor, speeding into oblivion. Desperation, alienation, lies.

Issa: “I don’t cancel [redacted] left and right like you.”

Alternatively: “I want to be a ghost.” I want to be invisible. Secrets, the last real currency.

A stranger on the street: “A Black man has approached you, but don’t be alarmed. I want to tell you a joke. What do a dead cop and a live Klansman have in common? They’re both pigs in a blanket.”

New acquaintance: “The committee is just an extension of the marketing department.”

Foot Locker advertisement: “There is no us without you.”

North Korean patriotic song: “Without You, There Is No Us.” [See: Kim, Suki, Without You, There Is No Us, Broadway Books, 2015].

I check the Korea coronavirus stats against the United States stats every day. On October 15, the New York Times reported 59,751 new cases of Covid-19 within the United States. Meanwhile, 110 new cases were reported in Korea. When I was in Seoul these numbers infuriated me. Now I am submerged in the sensory deprivation tank of my own country. The line between hope and inevitability has blurred. I am still not afraid of this virus. I am still terrified of this virus. I am attempting to be less afraid of solitude. The vaccine will come one day. I am with C, my best friend, who understands me.

Issa: “I’m an American.”

R called me from California and said: “I just want to be American.”

Billboard on Armitage Avenue: “VOTE.”

C looked out the car window and said: “The system is working exactly how it is meant to work.”

Seoul, spring: I am sitting in a sterile, sealed room. Before me is a pair of large plastic gloves attached to a plexiglass wall. A doctor enters on the other side of the pane and slides his arms into the gloves. He is giving me instructions that I do not understand. He gestures for me to come closer. I take the swab out of the plastic and put it into his hand. I lean my head back. He shoves the swab down my throat and I gag. He takes it out and in a swift motion shoves it up my nose. I gasp and grab the edge of the seat. My eyes expand and begin to water. It feels like getting fucked, but it’s inside my head. I exit the room and drink Coca-Cola. I wait. “What did it feel like?” my coworker asks. But he wouldn’t know that feeling.

K: “Maybe Biden will win.”

C: “I’m so glad you’re here.”

There are heaps of fruit at the Puerto Rican grocery store near my new apartment. I gather peaches, come home, and bake them into a pie for my roommates. This, at least, is straightforward. Now, at least, there are no conditions. Cut, measure, bake, eat, sleep.

“Two things can be true at once,” I keep telling C.

I feel so much better.

I hadn’t seen H since January. I needed to see him before I left Korea. I ran to him on Sunday, the day before my flight. We spent the whole day together on his campus, under the trees. I held him and cried. “I can feel how much you love me,” he said. My sweatshirt is covered in dust from the door I was leaned against when he kissed me. I still haven’t washed it. I’ll probably never see him again.

Seattle, Japan, Korea, Chicago.

Peach, momo, bogsunga, durazno.

Resist. Accept. Go out. Stay home. Comply. Thrive. Die.

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dxmedstudent · 7 years

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Am I allowed to be a little terrified? In September I start my training to become an adult nurse and I keep seeing news articles about all of the stress placed on the NHS right now. I'm pretty sure this isn't going away. Nothing about my career choice scares me (I'm already a healthcare assistant) but the idea of being thrown into staff shortages, bed shortages and constant political criticism is a little much for me. Is it really as bad out there as the news is making out? Thanks :)

Hello! Congrats on starting nursing school :D The NHS can be a scary, stressful place, and I don’t think the articles are exaggerating that. You’re right, it’s not likely to go away, and I think we’re in for tough times for the forseeable future. Personally, I try not to think too far ahead in terms of where the NHS is headed, because there’s only so much stress one can handle! I can’t tell anyone how best to handle it, but thinking far ahead can get quite overwhelming; I prefer to try to focus on the next step rather than the distant future. You’ll have a lot of things to pick up as you learn your new job, and focusing on what you can do rather than the big stuff beyond your reach may help. Also, make lots of friends and keep in touch with your support network. Look after yourself and carve out time outside of work where you don’t think about work and do things you enjoy. Take time to do small things that make you ‘you’.

As a HCA you’ve no doubt seen a lot of the problems firsthand, and I’m sure your nurse colleagues have shared their experiences with you. Even though we are busy and there are always pressures to get things done, we work together to make things happen.It’s not all bad news; the NHS is like a wonderful little family. We form friendships and bonds of mutual respect with so many people. I honestly consider working in the NHS a huge privilege because of the people I get to work with (many of them nurses!) and without their awesomeness I may well already have jumped ship to a 9-5 gig with less drama. But there’s good in the NHS and good things happen too. You get to be a part of helping so many people, and many of the interactions will nourish you in a way few other things do. Yes, it’s an intimidating place and our jobs have a steep learning curve, but it’s not all bad things, all the time. We may complain about the bad, and the news may focus on it (after all, who ever writes about the majority of cases where people are treated well and quickly? Who writes about times things go to plan? Almost nobody! Yes, we deal with things nobody wants to deal with. But we see good, too. We get to do good and see amazing things. I hope that the good more than makes up for the bad, for you. The political criticism is annoying, but what really irks me personally is the criticism from the public. Criticising care in one’s own experience is one thing ( everybody has a right to reflect on how a doctor or nurse treated them, even if they may be missing some nuances), but writing off all doctors as money-grabbing privateers, or all nurses as rubbish based on what a friend of a friend of a friend said, or what they read in some article written by some rich journalist with no real life healthcare experience is what frustrates me. Now that nurses are being ballotted for industrial action, expect the media to treat you similarly to how it treats us; youll either be deified as angels who sacrifice everything, or else blamed for poor care and systemic failings or the actions of a small minority. I’m afraid when healthcare professionals get political, we become fair game for the media and public’s frustrations. And there will always be a vocal minority that say hurtful or ignorant things. You don’t have to engage with them if you don’t want to. Look after yourself, and leave the trolll fighting to those who find it fulfilling.Politicians may well blame nurses for not trying hard enough or not doing their bit (after all, they questioned doctors’ senses of vocation only about a year ago) rather than admitting to systemic problems. But despite that, many people (most people, arguably) know how hard you work. They know it’s not really your fault. During the whole junior doctor contract thing, when patients did bring up the strikes etc, they were supportive. Although not everyone understands everything that we do, most people understand that we are doing our best, whatever ignorant ‘think pieces’ or politicians may say. Try not to worry about bed shortages. The pressure for bed shortages mostly falls onto the matrons, ward sisters and senior docs, but as junior doctors and nurses we work together to do our bit to discharge people as soon as reasonably possible. That’s all we can do!There’s nothing wrong with gently reminding the doc looking after your patient that they need to go home, and the bed is very much needed; but just remember things can only go as fast as they can go. There will always be a pressure to make more bedspace, but it’s neither your job(nor mine) to police that or make it happen. We work together to keep patients safe, make sure patients aren’t sent home prematurely, and ensure well patients go home as soon as praticably possible. Just do your best. Because that’s all you can do. None of us are perfect, and sometimes we’re put in difficult circumstances. But, you’re much better than you give yourself credit for and you’ll be doing a lot more good than you realise. Good luck and see you out there in the field!

#ask dx #askdx #nursing #nhs #doctor #junior doctorhood #junior doctor

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johnmauldin · 4 years

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How Soon Can the Coronavirus Economic Chokehold End?

My friend Dave Rosenberg, who practices independently at Rosenberg Research, notes that when and how to reopen the US economy is a tough call—one that depends on many medical variables.

“If I had to guess, we will be seeing a partial reopening in some areas beginning in May. I sense the one metric that is really important here is healthcare capacity (hospital beds, ICUs, ventilators).”

I believe easing the business and movement restrictions will depend highly on local conditions. The viral outbreaks spread in ways we don’t fully understand. Keeping so many people out of circulation seems to have helped, but these closures aren’t sustainable indefinitely.

Top priority goes to keeping the healthcare system ready for the worst; Dave and I agree on that. We can’t allow more of these “overwhelm” situations like Italy and New York.

Rather, we need facilities, equipment, supplies, and staff available to treat a (still-high) number of coronavirus patients … plus all the other medical needs that have been sidelined.

Some have suggested we just isolate the most vulnerable people: those over age 60, and/or with immune system, lung or other problems. That would probably help, but wouldn’t be simple.

You’re still talking about a big part of the population, plus the younger caregivers who would come in contact with them, plus the caregivers’ families. That’s not sustainable for long, either.

Dr. Michael Roizen of the Cleveland Clinic is helping prepare a paper for Ohio and other states about how to think about reopening their states. He includes this chart about death rates in Ohio; clearly the risk of death rises dramatically with age.

But that changes if you factor in other health issues. High blood pressure, smoking, being overweight, lack of exercise, all contribute to increased morbidity. So you can be younger and still be in a high-risk category because of your health.

The US still needs to sharply ramp up testing before we can ease the restrictions. It is getting better, and some private labs even report excess capacity now that they’ve worked through the initial backlog. But we need much more to be confident, probably millions of tests a day.

We just have to bite the bullet and make it happen.

With the caveat that local schedules will vary, I think Dave is right that we can begin reopening in May. But note how carefully Dave said it (my emphasis):

“A partial reopening in some areas beginning in May.”

We are not all going to emerge from our holes, blink at the sunlight, and proceed merrily into spring. I expect a drawn-out process, possibly interrupted in some places if new cases begin growing again.

Some governors are talking about allowing restaurants to open at 50% capacity. How’s that going to work for their cash flow? Not to mention jobs?

Governments can’t simply order the economy reopened. Consumers and businesses have to agree, and all will make their own choices. Like everything else, it will be a cost-benefit analysis.

In the nearer term, it’s going to look quite different. Masks will be mandatory some places and socially expected in others. Most people will stay close to home. Even if you’re willing to get on a plane or train, you’ll risk being caught in someone else’s outbreak and unable to get home.

Is the benefit of going to that restaurant worth the risks of going out in public, in proximity to possibly infected strangers? Maybe so, but fewer will want to as long as this virus is still a threat.

Life will be nothing like the “normal” we knew just a few months ago until we have an effective vaccine and most people are inoculated. That’s at least eight months away, maybe longer.

We aren’t going to just pick up where we left off. Social distancing is incompatible with the kind of economy we have always known.

As long as it persists, the old economy is gone.

What will the economy look like over the next six months and in a post-vaccine world? I’m gathering thought leaders at my first-ever live virtual conference who can help you separate the signal from noise. It takes place over five days between May 11 and 21. Learn more here.

#coronavirus #Coronavirus economy #coronavirus crisis

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kristablogs · 4 years

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The latest on COVID-19, from social-distancing to US cases

Hand washing is still our best defense. (Unsplash/)

Follow all of PopSci’s COVID-19 coverage here, including travel advice, pregnancy concerns, and the latest findings on the virus itself.

The novel coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, China in December 2019 is now spreading extensively throughout communities in the United States and has reached global pandemic status. We’ve collected some of the latest news and findings on COVID-19 to inform your decisions during this time.

What is COVID-19?

COVID-19 is the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. You can read more about the virus and what we know about its origins here. Common symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, shortness of breath, and a dry cough. Symptoms are mild in the vast majority of cases, and the virus may spread even with no noticeable symptoms present. But for some patients—especially those over the age of 60 and/or with underlying health problems—the virus can lead to deadly pneumonia.

View this post on Instagram

How do you tell if your cold or flu is actually #COVID19? Use this chart as a handy guide to common symptoms for all three. 🔗: Hit the #linkinbio for a closer look at the symptoms—and what to do if you have them: @popsci 📊: @sarachodoshviz

A post shared by Popular Science (@popsci) on Mar 11, 2020 at 7:35am PDT

Check here for more info on how to distinguish COVID-19 from a cold or flu.

Should I be staying at home to avoid catching or spreading COVID-19?

The short answer is yes: Everyone who is able to do so should be practicing “social distancing” to limit the spread of COVID-19 and “flatten the curve.” Ideally, one should stay at least six feet away from all other people, but maintaining contact with your family members is okay as long as you’re all doing your best to avoid getting close to people outside the household. Even if you don’t have symptoms at all, spending as much time as possible in isolation means you’re lowering the risk that you will spread COVID-19 to someone vulnerable.

Implementing preventative, social-distancing measures will reduce the number of people who are sick at one time. Without measures, many people get sick all at once, leading to a tall, narrow curve. With these social-distancing measures, you can flatten the curve—just as many people may get sick overall, but they’ll be spread out over time. For a healthcare system, especially an overwhelmed one, it’s far better to have a million people sick over the course of a year than that same million sick in three months.

The Washington Post has an excellent interactive graphic to demonstrate the importance of social distancing, if you don’t understand why it’s important.

How serious is COVID-19 in the United States?

On Tuesday morning, the New York Times reported 4,482 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States. There have been at least 86 deaths. Every state but West Virginia has confirmed cases, and Guam, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico have reported positive results as well.

It is important to note, however, that testing rates in the US remain too low for health officials to confidently estimate the true number of cases. The United States has been far slower to implement widespread testing than other affected countries. While social distancing will help slow the spread of disease, the World Health Organization argued this week that keeping tabs on accurate case counts is a crucial component to such a strategy.

“We have a simple message for all countries: test, test, test,” WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a press briefing on March 16. "You cannot fight a fire blindfolded. And we cannot stop this pandemic if we don’t know who is infected.”

How serious is COVID-19 globally?

COVID-19 has infected more than 180,000 people worldwide since December and killed more than 7,300. While cases have slowed down dramatically in China, Italy is now on complete lockdown and facing serious hospital shortages, with a staggering 28,000 cases that continue to rise. Iran has nearly 15,000 cases and Spain has more than 11,000. South Korea has more than 8,000 cases, though widespread testing seems to have minimized deaths, and case numbers are now dropping. France and Germany each have more than 6,000 confirmed cases. There is evidence of COVID-19 on every continent except for Antarctica.

How can we prevent the spread of COVID-19?

Proper hand washing (instructions here) is still the best defense we have against a disease like COVID-19. While hand sanitizer is less effective, it’s a good substitute in a pinch—here’s a DIY recipe if your local stores are sold out.

It is also important to practice social distancing if you are able, and to be diligent about washing your hands if you have to go out and interact with people. Do not go out to bars or restaurants; ordering takeout (or, even better, delivery left at your front door) is the best way to get food from your favorite local business.

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scootoaster · 4 years

Text

The latest on COVID-19, from social-distancing to US cases

Hand washing is still our best defense. (Unsplash/)

Follow all of PopSci’s COVID-19 coverage here, including travel advice, pregnancy concerns, and the latest findings on the virus itself.

What is COVID-19?

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Popular Science (@popsci) on Mar 11, 2020 at 7:35am PDT

Check here for more info on how to distinguish COVID-19 from a cold or flu.

Should I be staying at home to avoid catching or spreading COVID-19?

The Washington Post has an excellent interactive graphic to demonstrate the importance of social distancing, if you don’t understand why it’s important.

How serious is COVID-19 in the United States?

How serious is COVID-19 globally?

How can we prevent the spread of COVID-19?

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simplemlmsponsoring · 5 years

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New Post has been published on http://simplemlmsponsoring.com/attraction-marketing-formula/email-marketing/best-tech-and-marketing-blogs-roundup-for-december-2018/

Best Tech and Marketing Blogs: Roundup for December 2018

In this month’s roundup of the best of the best in tech and marketing blogs, our researchers found the following helpful articles:

Amit Agarwal, Digital Inspirations, www.labnol.org

In a December 3rd post found on Digital Inspirations, Amit Agarwal discusses the importance of taking advantage of push notifications for Google forms for mobile phones to help keep your business productivity surging forward. Simple to install, these notifications can be customized for smartphones and tablets and enable you to read submitted forms from your device as well as to forward along automated responses to the sender. Mr. Agarwal wisely points out that, “A fast response time is the key to success, especially in areas like customer service and closing sales leads, and mobile notifications will ensure that your important form entries are never lost in the daily deluge of emails.” To read Amit Agarwal’s full article, click here: https://www.labnol.org/internet/google-forms-mobile-notifications/29203/

Amy Porterfield, www.amyporterfield.com

Amy Porterfield shares social media marketing wisdom in her November 22nd podcast titled “Success Secrets to Serving the Smallest Viable Market.” Seth Godin joins Porterfield and also provides his perspectives regarding the most effective means of reaching this elusive group. A critical quotation which stands out from this podcast is this statement by Godin, “Find a corner of the market that can’t wait for your attention. Go to their extremes. Find a position on the map where you and you alone are the perfect answer. Overwhelm this group’s wants and dreams and desires with your care, your attention, and your focus. Make change happen. Change that’s so profound, people can’t help but talk about it.” To learn more about Porterfield and Godin’s recipe for marketing success, check out the podcast at the following link: https://www.amyporterfield.com/2018/11/238/

Ann Handley, www.annhandley.com

December 2018’s blog post from Ann Handley focuses on lack of genuine engagement and “going through the motions” as obstacles to success in B2B marketing. In her presentation and subsequent blog post titled “Slay the Ignosaurus; Change Your Life,” Handley states that, “The way to slay the Ignosaurus is always to be learning. Always be on the lookout to level up in three ways: through actual education of all kinds, through ideas that challenge you and maybe scare you a little, and by surrounding yourself with curious and engaged people.” For more of Handley’s tips on innovative marketing approaches, you can find her blog post at: https://annhandley.com/ignosaurus/

David Walsh, DWB, www.davidwalsh.name

David Walsh’s November 27th, 2018 blog writings centered around simple improvements to enhance the functionality of CodeMirror. With an emphasis in providing a better overall performance of the column feature, Walsh outlines his solution in these words, “CodeMirror does provide easy methods for getting the start and end lines in viewport (lineAtHeight), but there’s not a similar functionality for column. I opted to get the scrollLeft position of CodeMirror’s scroller, then use the default character width and other dimensions to get the approximate column at that position. My user testing found this method to be very reliable, either at the exact character or one character off (likely due to subpixel math).” For a better understanding and visual representation of Walsh’s code improvements, you can read his entire blog post here: https://davidwalsh.name/viewport-lines-columns-codemirror

Ben Thompson, www.stratechery.com

Ben Thompson’s December 4th blog post for Stratechery titled “Aggregators and Jobs-to-be-Done” asserts that the number one priority of successful companies must be to identify who and what they are and to endeavor to strengthen the user experience to build brand loyalty. In a previous article titled “Aggregation Theory” of which a small portion is included in the December 4th post, Thompson says, “By extension, this means that the most important factor determining success is the user experience: the best distributors/aggregators/market-makers win by providing the best experience, which earns them the most consumers/users, which attracts the most suppliers, which enhances the user experience in a virtuous cycle.” To better understand how Thompson’s user experience principles can enrich your business, you can read his entire blog post here: https://stratechery.com

Robert Cringely, I, Cringely, www.cringely.com

With Apple’s plans finally set to unveil 5G on their eagerly awaiting public in 2020, Robert Cringely’s timely article “Apple knows 5G is about infrastructure, NOT mobile phones” sheds some light on whether or not Apple has missed the boat by allowing its competitors to release 5G enabled phones nearly a year before they make the same leap. Cringely states that the move from 5G will not change the mobile phone user’s experience from its current incarnation known as LTE or 4G. Among Cringely’s claim is the belief that not only is Apple not “behind the times,” but the promised Android 2019 5G rollout will not occur during its projected time. Cringely takes his support from this statement: “The current 5G roll-out is by far the most expensive network roll-out in wireless history. That’s because where previous network technologies generally made more efficient use of existing spectrum, 5G requires new spectrum — lots and lots of new spectrum …Whatever amazing 5G mobile apps appear, the very earliest we’ll see them is 2020 or later when the 5G roll-outs are finally complete. And isn’t that when Apple is supposed to be shipping 5G phones? See, they aren’t too late at all.” To learn more about the latest plans for a 5G rollout from Cringely’s perspective, read his entire blog post here: https://www.cringely.com/2018/11/21/apple-knows-5g-is-about-infrastructure-not-mobile-phones/

David Risely, Blog Marketing Academy, www.blogmarketingacademy.com

In David Risely’s latest blog contribution on Blog Marketing Academy, he outlines the relevancy and intricacies of using Twitter to expand the reader base. “10 Best Practices To Actually Make Twitter Work To Boost Your Site Traffic” insists the platform has changed and to maximize this tool in blog marketing, users must also change the way they use it. One of the most effective strategies that Risely recommends is to make use of the “tease.” He states, “Nobody said that a tweet (or a retweet) of one of your blog posts had to be the headline of the post. Why not TEASE them to click? You’re basically opening up a little loop. You’re sparking their curiosity. And, for them to satisfy that curiosity, they have to click to see what you’re talking about.” To read Risely’s full article, click here: https://www.blogmarketingacademy.com/twitter-traffic/

Jeremiah Owyang, http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/

Jeremiah Owyang tackles the topic “Many Industries are Impacted by Modern Wellbeing” in his November article for Web Strategist. This piece explores the role of social technology in helping people to live better and healthier lives. Owyang outlines different social sectors in which technology is simplifying and enriching people’s lifestyles. He relates that, “The Modern Wellbeing market, which enables humans to take healthcare, mental care, physical care, directly into their own hands. They are (for better or for worse) self-analyzing their bodies and minds with consumer technologies and relying on each other, and emerging AI systems to self-prescribe ways to help them be healthier, improve their mood, and beyond.” To better understand how social technology has the power to improve the quality of life, read Owyang’s blog post here: http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/

John Gruber, The Daring Fireball, www.daringfireball.net

December has been filled with excellent informative blog posts by John Gruber. One that particularly stands out is an article entitled “Proof That IOS Still Hasn’t Gotten Undo Right.” After a thorough study of the published record of Apple’s App Store awards for 2018, Gruber came to the conclusion that Apple’s two biggest winners of the year, Procreate Pocket (iPhone) and Pixelmator Pro (Mac) both shine, yet IOS software disappoints when it comes to the Undo process. While the Mac version retains consistency of the Undo function known to users since 1985, IOS has introduced a new and perplexing means to Undo and Redo in Procreate Pocket, and it is not the constant used with other Apps for iPhone and iPad. He expands to say, “But it speaks to how weak this convention is that Procreate Pocket could do something not just different but totally different—multi-finger taps with no on-screen buttons—and not just get away with it but be celebrated by Apple for it.” To learn more about Gruber’s suggestion for an improved IOS Undo process, read the full article here: https://daringfireball.net

Jon Loomer, www.jonloomer.com

Jon Loomer’s December 3rd blog post “Facebook Attribution: View Top Sources for Conversions” gives powerful insights into better understanding the Facebook consumer and how they use the platform to benefit their lives. This approach to marketing encourages the use of what is known as Facebook Attribution to gain an overall perspective as to the effectiveness of your social media outreach efforts. According to Loomer, Facebook Attribution offers the best means to track both paid and what he terms “organic” (free) traffic to your website. It is simple to use and offers powerhouse reporting services with impressive accuracy. Loomer claims that Facebook Attribution opens the door to other outside services which can complement current marketing strategies. He states, “It’s been years since I spent money on Google. My strategy is heavily focused on Facebook ads, my email list, and website content. But, thanks to Facebook Attribution, I’ve decided to give AdWords another shot. That, my friend, is one example of why Facebook Attribution is so powerful. It helps you see things you may otherwise miss — or completely ignore.” To better understand Facebook Attribution and Loomer’s take on its benefits, read the full article here: https://www.jonloomer.com/2018/12/03/facebook-attribution-view-top-sources-for-conversions/

Rebekah Radice, Brand Authority Podcast, https://rebekahradice.com/brand-authority

In her December 3rd podcast, Rebekah Radice, an expert in brand authority, tackles the topic of “How to Set Professional Social Media Boundaries.” Radice pinpoints corporate pressure as a catalyst for many to make poor decisions in an effort to expand influence and build a brand. She encourages company leaders to determine their own boundaries and to stand firmly by them. She proclaims, “In an online world where every temptation is right around the next corner, it’s critical you nail your own boundaries down. It’s where you draw a line in the sand and say, “this is as far as I’m willing to go in this conversation, with this piece of content, with this particular topic.” To listen to Radice’s full podcast or read a partial transcript, click here: https://rebekahradice.com/brand-authority

What are your thoughts on this roundup of our favourite December articles? Let us know in the comments below.

Do Words Still Dominate the Digital World?

Work on the Micro Moments from Start to Finish

The post Best Tech and Marketing Blogs: Roundup for December 2018 appeared first on GetResponse Blog – Online Marketing Tips.